Two named as 2003 Distinguished Alumni
by Lynn Mena

Two alumni join 162 others as Distinguished Alumni of Augsburg College. Recipients are recognized for significant achievement in their vocations and outstanding contributions to church and community, through years of preparation, experience, dedication, exemplary character, and service.

Hans G. Dumpys ’56
Bishop Hans G. Dumpys graduated from Augsburg in 1956 with a B.A. in history. In 1960, he earned a B.D. from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, and was ordained by Hope Lutheran Church in Detroit. He received a master's degree in theology from Harvard Divinity School in 1965, and pursued doctoral studies at Princeton Theological Seminary and Tuebingen University in Germany. He also studied at the Advanced Institute for Pastoral Studies in Michigan, and the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem.

Born in Nibrai, Lithuania in 1933, Dumpys has lived in the U.S. since 1949. He was instrumental in the renewal and revival of the Lutheran church in Lithuania after the country regained independence from the Soviet Union. This included training pastors and teachers for the church and contributing as one of the founders of the University of Klaipeda's theological school in Lithuania in 1992. Dumpys retired from parish ministry in November, but continues to serve as bishop of the Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Diaspora, located in Chicago, for which he also served as chair of the synod council. In addition, he has served pastorates in Michigan, Massachusetts, Canada, Iowa, and most recently at Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Home Church in Chicago, Ill.

In February, Dumpys was honored by the Knights of Lithuania "in recognition of and grateful appreciation for ecumenical, spiritual, cultural, and humanitarian lifetime achievements in the worldwide Lithuanian community." In 1998, he was invited to the White House for the signing of the "Charter of Partnership" with the Baltic republics. He has presented speeches, sermons, invocations, and greetings both nationally and internationally, and has initiated, organized, and presided over synod assemblies with delegations from Germany, Canada, and the U.S. In honor of his work for the Lutheran church in Lithuania and in the exile Lithuanian community, he was invited by Lithuania's minister of culture to be an official representative of North America's Lithuanian community at the ethnic world music festival in 1994.

Dumpys taught in Augsburg's religion department in 1965-1966. While pursuing his graduate studies, he was an assistant at Harvard University's Memorial Church, and served as pastor-in-residence and also assistant to the dean of instruction at Princeton Theological Seminary. He met his wife, Donna, while at Augsburg. They live in Oak Park, Ill., and have two children, Jon and Christa.

Ertwin Jones-Hermerding ’69
Ert Jones-Hermerding graduated from Augsburg in 1969 with a B.S. in liberal arts speech, theatre, and physical education, with a head coaching endorsement. He received an M.S. in curriculum and instruction with an English emphasis from Mankato State University in 1975.

Jones-Hermerding retired this year after an exceptional 34-year teaching and coaching career for the Robbinsdale Independent School District. He was the first to teach improvisational theatre at the junior high level. From 1969-1988, he taught speech and theatre at Plymouth Junior High School, and directed 96 productions. The Children's Theatre Foundation of America recognized the Robbinsdale school district's theatre programs with an award for excellence in 1995; Jones-Hermerding was specifically celebrated for creating "an extraordinary middle school drama program."

Since 1988, Jones-Hermerding has taught speech, theatre, literature, oral interpretation, and acting at Cooper Senior High School. He also served as theatre arts chair and auditorium manager. He directed over 50 productions at Cooper, and his Introduction to Theatre class was one of only two in Minnesota where a children's theatre performance project is completed as part of the curriculum, giving students who can't participate in after-school theatre the chance to experience the thrill of creating and performing in a show.

In addition to his strong junior and senior high theatre programs, Jones-Hermerding has also been a successful football coach. He coached at Plymouth Junior High for 10 seasons and at Cooper Senior High for over 20 seasons (including 10 as head coach). He was honored as Lake Conference Coach of the Year in 1984 for his exceptional program. He inspired players to be role models for each other, and they worked on team unity projects by organizing programs on chemical abuse, weight training, and other relevant topics. He also instituted a program that required his players to check in with their teachers on a weekly basis regarding their academic performance and attitude in the classroom.

Jones-Hermerding has worked in summer theatre projects for the Orono, Hopkins, and Robbinsdale school districts, and as a staff member for Augsburg¹s summer theatre institute. He is an instructor and curriculum writer for the University of St. Thomas Continuing Education program, and has facilitated workshops for colleagues and served on many curriculum development committees. He and his wife, Pat, have two children, Mee-lynn and Harper.

First Decade and Spirit of Augsburg award recipients named for 2003
by Lynn Mena

Augsburg is pleased to announce the 2003 recipients of the First Decade and Spirit of Augsburg awards. The First Decade Award is presented to Augsburg graduates of the past 10 years who have made significant progress in their professional achievements and contributions to the community, and in so doing exemplify the mission of the College: to prepare future leaders in service to the world. Graduates from the day, weekend, and graduate programs are eligible.

The Spirit of Augsburg Award honors alumni and friends of the College who have given exceptional service that contributes substantially to the well being of Augsburg by furthering its purposes and programs.

Recipient of the 2003 First Decade Award

Tammera Erickson ’93
Tammera Ericson has successfully combined her interests in political science, urban studies, public service, and the legal profession—all while raising three children. After serving as chair of the Columbia Heights Charter Commission and as a member of its Planning and Zoning Commission, Ericson was appointed in 2002 to a task force charged with developing city design guidelines. In addition, she helped start a nonprofit organization, Rising to New Heights, dedicated to improving the image of Columbia Heights. In 2002, Ericson was elected to the Columbia Heights City Council, and was also appointed to concurrent terms on the city's Economic Development Authority and Housing Redevelopment Authority.

In June, she graduated summa cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law, where she received the Student Award of Merit, the Burton Award for Excellence in Legal Writing, and the CALI Award for Excellence in Drafting and Negotiating Business Agreements. She volunteers for the Minnesota Justice Foundation, giving presentations on legal topics to women living in a transitional housing center in St. Paul. In addition, she volunteers for the Chrysalis Center for Women in Minneapolis as part of the Pro Bono Attorney Safety Project. Through this program, she works to help low-income victims of domestic abuse obtain orders for protection. She is currently serving as a judicial clerk for the Minnesota Supreme Court for one year before returning to the law firm Winthrop & Weinstein.

Recipients of the 2003 Spirit of Augsburg Award

John Benson ’55
Professor Emeritus John Benson served more than 35 years as an active member of Augsburg's religion department. After joining the faculty in 1963, he was promoted to associate professor and granted tenure in 1969, then promoted to full professor in 1986. Benson also taught in the philosophy department and helped develop Augsburg's humanities major in the 1970s. In addition, he taught a course entitled Developing a Multi-Cultural Perspective for the Master of Arts in Leadership program, and teamed up with physics professor Mark Engebretson to teach a course that integrated science with religion and spirituality. Their collaboration led to two awards from the prestigious John Templeton Foundation's annual science and religion course program competition. Throughout his years at Augsburg, Benson served on committees too numerous to list. Beyond his committee work, he was at the forefront of a number of things, most notably the introduction of computer technology to the campus in the early 1980s. An avid golfer, he also coached golf at Augsburg for several years. Benson and his wife, Dorothy, continue to be active members of the Augsburg community.

Sigvald V. Hjelmeland ’41
Sigvald Hjelmeland, the second of four generations of Hjelmelands to attend Augsburg, returned to Augsburg in 1952 as the College's first director of development. He headed the newly established Development Office and embarked upon Augsburg's first capital campaign to raise funds for the "Library Drive." The campaign exceeded its goal, and by 1955, the College broke ground on the Sverdrup-Oftedal Library. The success of the campaign led to Augsburg's successful application of accreditation by the North Central Association. Hjelmeland's many contributions and projects begun during his years at Augsburg included Science Hall; Christensen Center; Urness Hall; Foss, Lobeck, Miles Center for Worship, Drama, and Communication; and the Times Building (the first commercial building donated to Augsburg). In the late 1980s, Hjelmeland established the Rev. John Hjelmeland Endowed Scholarship Fund in honor of his father, an alumnus of Augsburg Academy, Seminary, and College. Even after his retirement in 1982, Hjelmeland volunteered his vast experience as a development consultant from 1982 to1986.

The Hoversten family honored with the Distinguished Service Award
by Lynn Mena

The Distinguished Service Award, inaugurated in its current form at Homecoming 2001 with the Strommen family, and last year awarded to the Quanbeck family, recognizes families who have made substantial and continuing contributions to Augsburg—in the form of students and graduates, ideas, reputation, and resources.

This year, we celebrate the Hoversten family, and their generations-long connection with Augsburg.

The Hoversten story
In 1806, a young Norwegian teacher named Johannes Jacobson married Anna Hoversten. She was a woman of property on the rocky island of Rennesoy, up the coast from Stavanger. So he took her surname, which came from an outcropping of stone—"hoved sten" or headstone—on the farm she owned.

Johannes and Anna had nine children. It is the descendents of three—Jacob, Knud, and Gunvor—who recognized that education offered many more opportunities in the U.S. than in Norway, and who ultimately formed the Augsburg connection.

The Hoverstens and Augsburg
Elias Hoversten, son of Knud and Elen Hoversten, was a stern and practical man who farmed the land near Marshall, Minn., in the first half of the 1900s. When Elias' oldest son, Knut, grew into a young adult, Elias feared that his son's bad hip would prevent him from becoming a successful farmer. So in 1926, he sent Knut to the city to get an Augsburg education. After Knut graduated in 1930, more than 40 members of the extended Hoversten family also attended, including the family's most recent Augsburg alumna, Kari Lucin ’03, daughter of Kim (Hoversten) Lucin ’76 and the Rev. Martin Lucin ’74, granddaughter of Kermit Hoversten ’50, and great-granddaughter of Elias Hoversten.

Augsburg's motto, "Education for Service," is also one of the Hoversten¹s strongest traditions, and the family has dedicated their labors to the ideal of service. Knut, the first Augsburg graduate, is now a retired chemistry teacher. Several other Hoverstens also became teachers—and many entered the fields of medicine, law, ministry, business, and agriculture.

The Hoverstens recall Augsburg as a unifying, central presence in their lives. M. Annette (Hoversten) Hanson ’68, daughter of Knut's brother, the Rev. Chester E. Hoversten ’44, heard many stories about Augsburg during her childhood. "Whenever my dad and his friends or other family members would get together, they would always talk about Augsburg," Annette said in an article for the fall 2000 issue of the Augsburg Now.

"And if you wanted to get married, you went to Augsburg," she continued with a chuckle. "I met my husband, Robert [Hanson ’68] here. I think that while I was a student, I didn't attach much meaning to the fact that so many other family members had attended. But subsequently, it has become much more important to me. What a rich, precious environment."

In October of 1985, the Hoverstens gathered at the College for a reunion. It was during this time that they began discussing a monument—a chapel at Augsburg that would reflect their family values and traditions. A gift of a chapel not only expressed their gratitude but also demonstrated their commitment to education, faith, and the college that so many family members had attended.

Four years later, about 200 Hoverstens and their relatives from all over the U.S. returned for a special day on the Augsburg campus. In recent years, the family had honored the College with gifts and pledges of over $1 million as major support for the construction of the College's Foss, Lobeck, Miles Center for Worship, Drama and Communication and to establish the Hoversten Endowment. On April 22, 1989, Augsburg officially dedicated the chapel in Foss Center as the Hoversten Chapel. Two months later, two newly endowed Hoversten scholarships were announced, the Hoversten Peace Scholarship and the Jacob and Ella Hoversten Scholarship.

"During my days on campus I was enriched in many ways," said Lorna Hoversten ’62. "I received not only a strong scientific education, but also a deeper knowledge of my religious ethnic heritage. I contribute joyfully to this institution to enable present and future students to have similar experiences."

Back to the Now Online home page