http://www.pietisten.org/series/Tributes.htmlTributesen-ushttp://www.pietisten.org/winter99/curt.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter99/curt.htmlCurt made many friends, and he was committed to Christian faith and ministry. He was a lover. He loved his family, he loved history, he loved his country, he loved his church, and he loved sports. We salute him and his well-lived life.http://www.pietisten.org/winter99/erickson.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter99/erickson.htmlDean Erickson was a special person, a man of integrity, wisdom, patience, good judgment, kindness, and understanding. He had a first-rate mind and was committed to the Christian Faith. Albin was dedicated to helping the on-coming generations find an integrated heritage of faith and learning.http://www.pietisten.org/summer99/miltcarlson.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/summer99/miltcarlson.htmlEven Milton Carlson could not go on forever. No one saw Milt die so maybe, as son Bruce suggested, he was taken up by a chariot of fire. That is how he wanted to go.http://www.pietisten.org/summer99/sebestyen.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/summer99/sebestyen.htmlPaul Sebestyén died not long after Rev. Wesley Nelson read Peter Sandstrom’s article to him from last issue of Pietisten.http://www.pietisten.org/fall99/hedstrand.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/fall99/hedstrand.htmlWe canoed the boundary waters together. We went cross-country skiing together. We flew on the last flight into Bass Lake before the government declared it a wilderness, confiscated all the cabins there, and burned them to the ground. It is the only time I saw Ted cry.http://www.pietisten.org/fall99/sigurdwestberg.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/fall99/sigurdwestberg.htmlSigurd Westberg was a much-loved grandfather, father, and father-in-law. Though his achievements were outstanding, his commitment to family was at the center of his life. Four daughters, their husbands, and their families remember Sig with great affection. Sandy Marks, one of the sons-in-law said that "the brothers-in-law club was one of his biggest fans."http://www.pietisten.org/fall99/teed.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/fall99/teed.htmlMelba Teed, Sandy Johnson’s mother and my mother-in-law, never presumed to have authority outside the family, but she exercised considerable power through appreciation and positive reinforcement. She thought of ways to give and to support—twenty-five- dollar checks now and then in the mail for no particular reason and always a check in a card for a birthday or an anniversary. She looked for ways to help, tasks that her children needed done in their respective homes, and she worked hard herself to help complete the jobs.http://www.pietisten.org/summer00/bishop.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/summer00/bishop.htmlWhy was it that Les Strand was widely and deeply loved? Why was he so valued by many? Memories of his kindness, gentleness, good humor, gracious manners, and personable presence come immediately to mind.http://www.pietisten.org/summer00/philanderson.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/summer00/philanderson.htmlWhenever or wherever the gathering was or whoever was there at the time, Phil was an intimate part of the occasion. He was fully present and interested. He was alive to the moment, the personalities, the issues, and the atmosphere. He was centered, attentive, concerned, humorous, genuine, and gracious. I want to reflect upon this quality of his life for just a moment.http://www.pietisten.org/summer00/stenberg.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/summer00/stenberg.htmlThe range of her impact and influence became quickly and dramatically clear. More that 600 persons flooded Bethlehem Covenant Church in Minneapolis for the memorial service.http://www.pietisten.org/winter00/cedarleaf.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter00/cedarleaf.htmlWe gathered on the first bitter cold day of the Minnesota winter to bid farewell to Doug Cedarleaf. A looming high-pressure center had driven away every hint of cloud that Saturday, leaving only the yellow sun, low slung even at its zenith, and the clarity of a blue sky found only in the chill of a northern December. The memorial service was conducted on the last day of the church year; the sanctuary, caught in the transition, was already bedecked with the golden angelic banners and evergreen boughs of Advent.http://www.pietisten.org/winter00/rehnberg.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter00/rehnberg.htmlWhen I arrived as a green Intern Pastor at Salem Square Covenant Church in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the Fall of 1962, one of the first persons I met was Ing Rehnberg, Church Sexton. He immediately befriended me and it was always a joy to see him. He would say: "C’mon, Buddy Ruff, let’s go see the Greek for some coffee."http://www.pietisten.org/winter00/tt.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter00/tt.htmlTyra Andersen (my Aunt T.T.) died on December, 21 at the age of 92. She was a member of Quincy, Massachusetts Covenant Church, a long-time reader of Pietisten, and a true pietist.http://www.pietisten.org/spring01/holbrooktribute.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/spring01/holbrooktribute.htmlRuth was not one for sentimental talk. She disdained tears she sensed were not authentic but she responded with love and generosity to those in need or in pain. She was a person with a tough mind and a tender heart. We hope this poem portrays her spirit and liveliness.http://www.pietisten.org/spring01/sonesontribute2.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/spring01/sonesontribute2.htmlI first encountered Melburn Soneson as a Freshman at North Park College. That was 1956, his first year at North Park, too. He was teaching Introduction to Social Science. I was intimidated as well as fascinated by both the teacher and the course. Mel stood there at the podium talking, smiling occasionally, and sometimes breaking into a hearty laugh. He was discussing things that I, a Freshman from International Falls, Minnesota had never thought about.http://www.pietisten.org/summer01/carlanderson.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/summer01/carlanderson.htmlCarl Philip Anderson was a Covenant man of letters. After a number of years of Pastoral Ministry, he became Editor in Chief of Covenant Publications (1948-1970). Subsequently, Carl Phil and his wife, Hazel, owned and managed a Christian bookstore in Fargo, North Dakota, from 1970 to 1974. Then he served as an administrator of the Covenant community, Samarkand, in Santa Barbara, California (1974-1980), and, after working in several capacities for the Board of Benevolence, he became a resident at Covenant Manor in Golden Valley, Minnesota. Pietisten published an interview with Carl Phil in the Winter 1998 issue—"Carl Philip Anderson: An Editor's Story." If you do not have a copy, you may get one upon request from Pietisten.http://www.pietisten.org/summer01/vernoyjohnson.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/summer01/vernoyjohnson.htmlVernoy Johnson was a distinguished educator. He taught math brilliantly in both North Park Academy and North Park College. Stories circulated that he could calculate the formulas for the angles of the ceiling beams of North Park Covenant Church during sermons.http://www.pietisten.org/winter02/berggren.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter02/berggren.htmlOn Friday, December 8, 2001, family and friends gathered at Karmel Covenant Church in rural Princeton, Minnesota, to say farewell to Willard LeRoy Berggren who left this earthly home on December 2, 2001.http://www.pietisten.org/winter02/opel.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter02/opel.htmlHarry Opel, one of the greatest forces in serious (Covenant) music since the sublime A.L. Skoog himself, died at age 80 on January 2, 2002.http://www.pietisten.org/summer02/edgren.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/summer02/edgren.htmlDr. C. Hobart Edgren, PhD. was a Professor of English Literature and Academic Dean at North Park College. He was a vigorous supporter of Pietisten. The following is adapted from the tribute given by his son, Roger Edgren, at the Memorial Service at North Park Covenant Church, Chicago.http://www.pietisten.org/summer02/sandquist.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/summer02/sandquist.htmlA dear friend to many, David was born and raised in Ashtabula, Ohio. He attended NP Jr. College and completed a B. A. degree at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.http://www.pietisten.org/winter0203/morrisanderson.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter0203/morrisanderson.htmlOn Monday, January 6, 2003, not long after daybreak, our father was quickly summoned home to be with God. This day was the Feast of Epiphany in the church year, when the light of Bethlehem's star guided the three Magi to the Christ-child in Bethlehem, a manifestation of his saving presence to all creation. As we have entered now this season of light, life, and hope in his redeeming love, Dad has been embraced eternally by this light in all its fullness and glory. When called, his lamp was found burning.http://www.pietisten.org/winter0304/leovetvick.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter0304/leovetvick.htmlLeo Vetvick was a pioneer. He grew up near Foley, Minnesota, northern pioneer country, and he was a Covenant Church pioneer pastor in social gospel. He was a Norwegian-American in a church filled with Swedes and married Bette Ekblad, a Swedish-American girl.http://www.pietisten.org/winter0304/olleengstrom.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter0304/olleengstrom.htmlOlle Engström grew up in Småland and Dalecarlia, Sweden. He was a Christian humanist of the first rank, a churchman with a broad, deep, pietistic spirit.http://www.pietisten.org/winter0304/raynettecederberg.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter0304/raynettecederberg.htmlRaynette Cederberg taught in the Chicago Public Schools, the Latin School of Chicago, and taught at-risk students in Stone Park, Illinois. She also taught in Turlock, California and Wheaton, Illinois.http://www.pietisten.org/winter0304/waynebalch.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter0304/waynebalch.htmlWayne Balch was Music Department Director at North Park College for many years. In 1966 Maestro Balch took the North Park Choir on a six-week European and Scandinavian tour. A concert performed at the invitation of the King of Sweden in Stockholm’s State Lutheran Church was the highlight of the trip.http://www.pietisten.org/fall04/fburtonnelson.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/fall04/fburtonnelson.htmlA vast sea of acquaintances knew Burton Nelson in any of several roles: seminary professor, pastor, theologian, Bonhoeffer scholar, social critic, ecumenist, author, and editor, among others. http://www.pietisten.org/fall04/harrietwistrom.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/fall04/harrietwistrom.htmlGenerations of North Park students knew Harriet Wistrom. She was the kind, gracious woman who lived for many years in the apartment above the boiler room and was the wife of our great boss, Ivar, and mother of Susie and Carl.http://www.pietisten.org/fall04/paulholmer.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/fall04/paulholmer.htmlOne of our most formidable Christian apologists, Paul Holmer, joined the heavenly symposium on June 29th 2004.http://www.pietisten.org/winter05/ivarwistrom.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter05/ivarwistrom.htmlOn Sunday June 12, Mel Soderstrom informed me that one of the giants of my life had fallen! Ivar Wistrom a character who seemed to me as old as North Park University and Seminary itself, finally, in the words of my grandfather, “checked out.” http://www.pietisten.org/winter05/jimwhitefield.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/winter05/jimwhitefield.htmlJim Whitefield, 68 years of age, died on July 6th at the University of Minnesota hospital where he had received a stem cell transplant. It had been hoped that the transplant would counter a rare blood disease. We have lost a good friend and Pietisten has lost a faithful subscriber and admirer.http://www.pietisten.org/summer06/florasedgwick.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/summer06/florasedgwick.htmlMany of us are blessed by special friends in our lives, persons who have led and inspired us. F1ora Sedgwick comes readily to mind. My husband John and I met her in 1989 when she and Grant moved to Covenant Manor (now Covenant Village). From the start we shared a love of literature, laughter, and faith.http://www.pietisten.org/summer06/juneecklund.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/summer06/juneecklund.htmlThe death of June Ecklund brings to an end the third generation of families instrumental in starting and supporting Covenant Churches in eastern Nebraska.http://www.pietisten.org/summer06/violawahlquist.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/summer06/violawahlquist.htmlOn a cool Seattle evening, several hundred family and friends of longtime Pietisten supporter Viola Wahlquist gathered at First Covenant Church to celebrate her memory. Viola died on February 9, 2006 at the age of 92 following complications from a stroke.http://www.pietisten.org/christmas06/barbarahawkinson.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/christmas06/barbarahawkinson.htmlExcepts from the Memorial Service homily at North Park Covenant Church, Chicago, Saturday, October 7, by Pastor Douglas Johnsonhttp://www.pietisten.org/christmas06/brucecarlson.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/christmas06/brucecarlson.htmlAlthough I had been informed of Bruce Carlson’s athletic prowess when he was a scholar-athlete at Minnehaha Academy, until two summers ago when this Journal sponsored the First Ivar Wistrom Memorial Golf Championship at Bay Lake, Minnesota, I had never had the opportunity to witness it personally. The two competing threesomes in this event had a distinctive Pietisten flavor. Editor Phil Johnson and frequent contributors Ralph Sturdy and Willie Pearson were matched against then Navigator and Poetry Editor, Bruce Carlson, Poet Laureate Arthur Mampel, and myself, recently appointed Philosophy Editor.http://www.pietisten.org/christmas06/brucecarlson_homily.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/christmas06/brucecarlson_homily.htmlThe following is the homily preached by David Hawkinson at the Memorial Funeral Service for Bruce Carlson at Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis, August 6.http://www.pietisten.org/christmas06/dorothylindquist.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/christmas06/dorothylindquist.htmlDorothy, a long time friend and supporter of Pietisten passed away on Thursday, October 26, 2006 at the age of 99. She was the mother of three, grandmother of six, and great-grandmother of seven. She was preceded in death by her husband Frank and her brothers Gilbert and Wallace Swenson.http://www.pietisten.org/spring07/adelecole.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/spring07/adelecole.htmlThis is drawn from the tribute Adele’s son, Tim, gave at Adele’s memorial service.http://www.pietisten.org/spring07/arthurpeterson.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/spring07/arthurpeterson.htmlArthur (his given name rarely passed my lips) picked up the nickname “Squeaky” at North Park Junior College in Chicago. “Squeaky Pete” is a little poem on its own. To understand the origin of the name, one only needed to hear Pete speak a few words.http://www.pietisten.org/christmas07/amos_otieno_odenyo.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/christmas07/amos_otieno_odenyo.htmlWith much sorrow we announce the passing of Amos Otieno Odenyo. Amos was born to Zablon Sangoro Odenyo and Grace Dina Adero (Obuong) Odenyo on April 18, 1935 in Regea village, Gem, Kenya. Amos attended Kisii High School from 1955 to 1958. During these years life-long friendships were established and a pioneering spirit was formed. From 1959 to 1961, Amos was stationed in Mombasa as an Assistant Inspector of Police, a remarkable achievement in Kenya’s pre-independence era. In 1961, Amos was among the first in his generation to travel outside of East Africa, attending Augustana College in South Dakota, U.S.A., where he received a B.A. in Political Science in 1965. Amos continued his university studies at the University of Wyoming, and received a M.A. in Sociology in 1967. In 1970, Amos earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Minnesota.http://www.pietisten.org/christmas07/betty_nelson.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/christmas07/betty_nelson.htmlBetty Nelson was a gracious woman who warmly touched the lives of many people. Among those who experienced her unceasing cheerfulness, gift-giving, and laughter were, first and foremost, her family.http://www.pietisten.org/christmas07/kermit_holmgren.htmlhttp://www.pietisten.org/christmas07/kermit_holmgren.htmlNot long ago I took my re-assignment as the top (or maybe the bottom) slice in the generational sandwich of our family. My father, Kermit Holmgren, died nearly four months past 100 years. My memories of the years of his life are more of the encyclopedic than the “sound bite” variety, such that I hardly know where to begin!