Homecoming 2009 - 2009 Alumni Awards
First Decade Award
Brenda Talarico
Brenda Talarico says she has always had a strong connection to Augsburg. Her mother, grandfather, uncle, and aunt were all students at Augsburg, as was her husband, Paul.
After receiving her Physician Assistant certificate in 1999 from Augsburg, Brenda went on to receive her Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Nebraska and worked as a PA for four years before returning to her alma mater to teach full time.
In 2004, Brenda developed the High School Curriculum Project at Augsburg, a program that introduces diverse high school students to the physician assistant profession and provides hands-on learning experiences about health and wellness. The program not only provides information to future PA students but also gives current students an introduction into the important teaching aspect of the patient-provider relationship.
Heather Bidinger, one of Brenda’s colleagues on the PA faculty, praised Brenda’s contributions to the department. She said, “Brenda does such excellent work while so graciously balancing motherhood and caring for her family, weekly clinical practice, serve to her community, and participation in college committees.” Heather added, “Not only has she accomplished a great deal in the 10 years since she graduated from Augsburg, but she also models to faculty and students alike what it means to walk the true path of one’s vocational calling.”
Spirit of Augsburg Award
Jim Haglund
Jim Haglund has been involved with Augsburg College as a member of the Board of Regents, as a donor and long-time supporter of the College and its students, including his own daughter, Dawn, who is a 1997 graduate of Augsburg.
Jim is the president and owner of Minneapolis-based Central Container Corporation and is co-owner of Spectrum Screen Printing. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and St. Thomas.
Jim served on Augsburg’s Board of Regents from 1994 until 2006. He was co-chair of the campaign cabinet for the Access to Excellence Campaign, which resulted in the construction of Oren Gateway Center. His leadership was instrumental in securing major gifts for the campaign, and he was also a major donor contributing to Augsburg’s own Haglund Family Fitness and Recreation Center in Kennedy Center.
Former Augsburg dean and fellow Regent, Marie McNeff, praised Jim for his commitment to the College. She said, “Jim has been a staunch supporter of the administration…and in making the right connections for the College. He did not work for his personal aggrandizement, but for the good of Augsburg as a whole.”
Jim is a true humanitarian who uses his goodwill to improve the lives of others. Last spring, Jim and his wife, Kathy, paid the airfare for the mother of Tina Nguyen, an international student at Augsburg, to fly from Vietnam for Tina’s graduation ceremony. Mother and daughter had not seen each other in six years.
In a letter of support for this nomination, Tina wrote, “James and Kathy did more than just provide financial support for my mother and me without any conditions – they showed us love. From a stranger, James Haglund has become my American father, my family, my American home.”
Distinguished Alumni Award
Tove Dahl ’84 and Curt Rice ’84
Despite living and working in Norway, Tove Dahl and Curt Rice have remained closely connected to and involved in the life of Augsburg College since their graduation. Frankie Shackelford, Chair of the Department of Languages and Cross-cultural Studies wrote of these alumni: “Both individually and as a couple, Tove and Curt exemplify the kind of academic and civic, local and global leadership that Augsburg College aims to foster.”
Tove Dahl demonstrates “education for service” in her work as an associate professor of psychology at the University of Tromsø, as coordinator of their master’s program in psychology and, in Minnesota each summer, as the dean of Skogfjorden, the Norwegian site of Concordia’s International Language Villages. Tove also serves as the vice chair of the board of Norway’s Centre for Peace Studies.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in English at Augsburg and completed her doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Texas-Austin. She studied music at Svanvik Folk High School and developed a spinning and weaving curriculum for Skogfjorden while at the National Teachers Academy for the Applied Arts in Oslo. She also studied the literature of Norwegian immigrants in the U.S. at the University of Oslo. Her recent research engages issues of cognitive and linguistic development, motivation and learners’ beliefs about knowledge.
In the summer of 2009 Tove was awarded the royal medal of “Knight First Class” from His Majesty King Harald V of Norway for her work to promote cultural understanding and cooperation between the United States and Norway.
Tove’s husband, Curt Rice, completed his bachelor’s at Augsburg and a doctorate in linguistics at the University of Texas-Austin. He has written and spoken widely on his research and on current issues in scientific and university leadership.
Curt chaired the English and Linguistics departments at the University of Tromsø before becoming the Director of the Center for Advanced Study in Theoretical Linguistics (CASTL), which was the first Center of Excellence at the University. Under his leadership CASTL became a national pacesetter in the frequency and quality of international publications, including Curt’s own prolific work on optimality theory as it applies to phonology and grammatical gender. Curt is the co-editor of Linguistic Inquiry and serves on the editorial boards of several additional professional journals. In 2009 he became the Vice Provost or “Pro-Rector” for Research and Development at the University of Tromsø.
Don Steinmetz, professor of German and linguistics at Augsburg, writes, “Anyone who has known Tove Dahl and Curt Rice for the past thirty years since they were students at Augsburg College must be impressed by the productive lives of this couple.”
Phebe Hanson ’50
The faculty of the Augsburg College English department and her colleagues in the literary world praise Phebe Hanson as a highly respected figure who has used her gifts as a poet and journal keeper, teacher, mentor, and innovator and generator of excellence in Minnesota’s arts community.
After graduating from Augsburg in 1950, Phebe taught high school English for two years in rural Minnesota. She married John Hanson ’48 in 1953 and spent the next 12 years raising their three children and a series of foster children, teaching Sunday school, and participating in civil rights and peace organizations.
Phebe was a founding member of The Loft, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive literary center. She has served on the board, been active in fundraising, and has taught classes at The Loft since 1974.
In 1979, Phebe joined the faculty at Minneapolis College of Art and Design as Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing. She continued to teach there for 23 year before retiring.
Phebe’s poetry has been published in several collections and anthologies, and her 2003 collection titled “Why Still Dance” won the Midwest Book Award in 2003. She has received the Bush Foundation Literary Fellowship, a Jerome Foundation Minnesota Center for Books Arts Grant, and a residency at the Anderson Center in Red Wing, Minnesota. In 2007, she was poet-in-residence on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion Norway cruise where she led poetry workshops.
Phebe has most recently been honored with an Author’s Chair at the new Minneapolis Public Library and an 80th birthday celebration co-sponsored by Hennepin County Libraries, The Loft, Nodin Press, and the Minnesota Historical Society.
Richard Thorud ’54
Dick Thorud, who attended Augsburg from 1952 to 1954, considers himself a Renaissance man who strives to achieve excellence in a diversity of fields including technology, writing, and the fine arts.
Most of his professional career was spent as an engineer in Research and Development at Toro Co. where he conceived or developed 52 patents—an amazing accomplishment that few can claim. Dick has demonstrated excellence in authorship, both in the technical and non-technical fields, publishing a substantial body of work including 10 books. His photography has bee exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Walker Art Center, and at the Minnesota State Fair.
During his career, Dick was often recognized for his leadership and expertise by Toro and its clients, being named to Toro’s Circle of Excellence three times. One of his colleagues said, “Dick’s success is not only invention, but also in teamwork, came from his humility, tenacity and perseverance, and empathy and drive for win-win solutions. All the marketing peopled wanted Dick to be on their team.”
Dick and his wife have attended Atonement Lutheran Church in Bloomington for 47 years. In that time, he has served as an usher, member of the church council, and has donated his time and talents to the community. He maintains his 61-year connection to the College by regularly attending Advent Vespers and the Sverdrup science lecture and has faithfully donated to the Augsburg Fund for 45 years.
In addition to his professional recognition, Dick received a personal commendation in 1995 from Gov. Arne Carlson for his contributions “to the economy and welfare of the State of Minnesota.”
Joyce Pfaff ’65
It can be said that Joyce Pfaff loves many things, including hiking, biking, and sailing with her husband Doug. But one of her greatest and most enduring loves is teaching. After 43 years teaching health and physical education at Augsburg, Joyce retired last spring and joined the ranks of faculty emeriti at her alma mater.
After graduating in 1965 with an education degree, Joyce reluctantly accepted then athletic director, Ernie Anderson’s, request to teach swimming and gymnastics at Augsburg. Joyce continued to teach and coach at Augsburg, becoming the women’s athletic director in 1972 and serving as the department chair. She has been a driving force for women’ s athletics at Augsburg her entire career.
Joyce was a pioneer in developing opportunities for women to participate in intercollegiate athletics both before and after Title IX was enacted in 1972. She launched the first volleyball, gymnastics, tennis, softball, and track and field teams for women and re-established the women’s basketball team at Augsburg. She even fought for women athletes in court and got Judge Miles Lord to hear their case on his lunch hour.
Joyce has always inspired her students, colleagues, and others to "get up and move.” She championed a fitness and wellness program for staff and faculty at Augsburg, taught an exercise class for Somali women in the Cedar-Riverside community, and has led many bike trips including a 43-mile trek to celebrate her retirement.
In the fall of 2008, Joyce and Doug spent the semesters in China, teaching physical education courses at the United International College in Zhuhai and developing a fitness center and program for faculty and students. Joyce and Doug continue to be involved in the partnership between UIC and Augsburg.
Jane Helmke, a 1983 Augsburg graduate and former student of Joyce’s, wrote about how Joyce has changed the lives of countless students over the years. “Respected and beloved by students and faculty alike, there is no question that Joyce Pfaff is well deserving of this prestigious honor. It will be a shining start to a superior legacy that will endure at Augsburg forever.”
