denfeld alumni news · 2008-12-19 · average guys katy helbacka brett larson 1991) has begun his...
TRANSCRIPT
Winter
2008
Issue 3
The newest members of the Hunter Hall of Fame will be honored in a special induction ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009. The event will be part of Denfeld’s centennial, celebrating the school’s first 100 graduating classes. The Denfeld Alumni Association’s board of directors chose the honorees from over 150 nominations. Al Amatuzio graduated from Denfeld in 1942 and spent 25 years in the Air National Guard. In 1972, he founded Amsoil, a company that became the largest independent manufacturer of synthetic lubricants in the world. Dorothy Arnold graduated from Denfeld in 1935 and became a Hollywood actress, appearing in 15 films between 1937 and 1939. She died in 1984. Michael Colalillo was drafted into the Army at age 18. In one attack, he killed or wounded 25 Nazis and assisted a wounded American soldier, earning him a Congressional Medal of Honor. David Karpeles graduated from Denfeld in 1953. He eventually amassed the world’s largest private collection of original documents, opening nine Karpeles Manuscript Library Museums. Duane Kerin graduated from Denfeld in 1960 and became a certified public accountant. He began acquiring com-panies in 1976, and later established the Kerin Family Fund inside the Minneapo-lis Foundation for charitable giving.
Ten luminaries to be inducted into Hunter Hall of Fame
Denfeld Alumni News www.denfeldalumni.com
Helen Lind (Vitich) graduated from Denfeld in 1947. She is best known for her work as a gardener for the city of Duluth and her involvement in numerous community organizations. John “Jack” Moon graduated from Denfeld in 1946 and served in the Army during the Korean War. He later became a prominent lawyer and real estate investor. He died in 2001. Marie Saltwick graduated from Denfeld in 1925 and returned to teach biology for 41 years, becoming one of the school’s most inspirational teachers. She died in 2001.
Gail Sederski was a standout athlete at Denfeld, graduating in 1976. She went on to play basketball and fast-pitch softball at the University of Minnesota. Lenore Snodgrass taught English at Denfeld for 34 years, dying unexpectedly in 1953. A scholarship fund setup in her memory later became known as the Greater Denfeld Foundation. These honorees will join 29 previously inducted members in the Hunter Hall of Fame. Fundraising to install hall of fame plaques in the school is nearly complete. Donations are being accepted at the address on the back page of this newsletter. The Aug. 1 induction ceremony will be held in Denfeld’s auditorium at 2 p.m. There will be no charge for admission.
2009
at DHS
Jan. 22
Boys Hockey vs.
Duluth Central at Duluth Heritage Sports Center
(7:30 p.m.)
Feb. 19
Girls Basketball vs. Duluth Central in Denfeld Gym
(7:30 p.m.)
May 27
Outdoor Music Concert
featuring Denfeld choirs outside the school’s main
entrance on 44th Ave. W. (6 p.m. Bring a lawn chair.)
June 4
Graduation Commencement in Denfeld Auditorium
(7:30 p.m.)
Thanks to our sponsors:
NewPage Corp.
www.CorInteractive.com
Irving Community Club
Western Bank
The Greater Denfeld Foundation has received its second multi-million dollar gift. The late Armond H. Hauge, a graduate of the class of 1946, left the foundation $3.2 million to fund scholarships for Denfeld graduates.
Hauge spent his life in Duluth as a service technician at Sterling Motors, which later became Ryland Ford. He found success in real estate and stock market investments.
“He taught himself to live on half of what he made,” said Julaine Netzel, Hauge’s niece and a 1965 Denfeld grad. She said her uncle starting saving early in life from the money he made delivering daily newspapers in Duluth.
“He believed in education for everyone and wanted to help kids go to college,” she said. “He was all for education.”
Hauge never married and had no children. He died on Dec. 15, 2006.
The terms of Hauge’s bequest indicate the scholarships may pay for the costs of many forms of post-graduate schooling, including trade and vocational schools, colleges and universities, and graduate and professional schools.
The Greater Denfeld Foundation now has assets of over $6.5 million, managed by US Bank.
Claude Lutzka, the foundation’s treasurer and a 1953 Denfeld grad, said annual scholarship amounts paid out in recent years have ranged from $120,000 to $150,000. That amount will likely double, starting with the class of 2009, Denfeld’s 100th graduating class.
Greater Denfeld Foundation
receives $3.2 million gift
Denfeld Alumni News Page 2
Betty’s Hastings (Hauge’s sister) and Julaine
Netzel (Hauge’s niece) at the news conference in
Denfeld’s media center announcing the donation.
Class Reunions
1989
The class of 1989 will hold its 20-year
reunion on July 31 at the Buffalo House and on Aug. 1 at a location to
be determined. For more information,
visit http://1989.denfeldalumni.com or contact Russ Salgy at 218-624-0178
or Lori Parker Root at [email protected].
1970 The class of 1970 will hold its 39-year
reunion on Friday, July 31, at Barker's Island Inn Resort & Conference Center
in Superior. There will be a tour of
Denfeld at 1:30 p.m. The social hour at Barker's Island begins at 6 p.m., and
the class photo will be taken at 7 p.m. with a dinner buffet to follow.
1967 The class of 1967 will hold a 60th
birthday party on Friday, Aug. 14. For
more information, contact Kathy (Holmstrom) Westholm
at 218-727-3371.
All-class Dance
The Centennial Dance Committee is seeking donations and sponsors for the
all-class dance to be held on Saturday, Aug. 1 from 7 p.m. until midnight in
the Denfeld gym.
Donations can be mailed to the
Denfeld Alumni Dance Committee, 4405 W. Fourth St., Duluth MN 55807.
The committee is also seeking letter
jackets, class sweatshirts and T-shirts
to display during the festivities. All items can be dropped off at Denfeld
High School during regular school hours. Please make sure to label them
with your name, phone number and address to ensure safe return.
The Greater Denfeld Foundation was established in 1972 by Denfeld alumni and teachers. Its first award was a one-year scholarship for $150. Since then, over $700,000 has been awarded.
The original goal of the foundation was to raise $250,000, and by 2001 it had assets of $175,000. That was the year longtime Denfeld teacher and 1925 graduate Marie Saltwick bequeathed $2.7 million.
Then, an even larger gift of $4.5 million came following the death of Denfeld alum Jack Moon in 2001. A Duluth attorney, Moon graduated with Hauge in 1946 and was also involved in real estate investments. His gift is managed separately by Northland Scholarship Services, which provides scholarship administration for Wells Fargo, trustee of the Jack W. Moon Trust.
“The allegiance that alumni have for this school is amazing,” said Ed Crawford, Denfeld’s principal. “Our students are extremely fortunate to have such committed individuals who give so much back to their high school. I think it's reflective of the love that many of the alumni have toward Denfeld.”
Denfeld Alumni News Page 3
Retired Denfeld English teacher Jim Johnson was named Duluth’s poet laureate in April. Jon Donahue (class of 1983) has co-hosted over 400 episodes of public access television’s The Average Guys.
Joyce Lamont (class of 1933) has co-authored a nostalgic cookbook called Joyce Lamont’s Favorite Minnesota Recipes & Radio Memories.
Chris Halverson (class of 1988) reunited with his band, the Mighty Shock Tower, to play the group’s first show in 17 years during the Homegrown Music Festival.
Dick Palmer (class of 1948) retired from the Duluth Budgeteer News after a 60-year career.
Don Olson (class of 1967) is the new athletic director at the College of St. Scholastica.
The late Ray Peterson (class of 1926) was honored as one of the founders of Duluth hockey in May during a ceremony at the Duluth Heritage Sports Center.
Longtime Denfeld chemistry teacher Ed Felien won the 2008 Goldfine Gold Star Teacher Award.
Katy Helbacka (class of 1998) is Renegade Comedy Theater’s new artistic director.
Jeremy Polson (class of 1996) was featured on the cover of the May-June issue of RunMinnesota magazine.
Brett Larson (class of 1991) has begun his first season as an assistant hockey coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Phil DesMarais (class of 2006) played safety on the College of St. Scholastica’s football team this past fall.
Former Denfeld physical education teacher Thomas “Dukes” Knutson worked in the press box of baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays during the team’s 2008 American League championship season. Denfeld teacher Laura LaFontaine received the Health Teacher of the Year Award from the Minnesota Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
Hunters in the News
Ben Jukich (class of 2001) pitched for the North Division in minor league baseball’s Southern League All-Star Game in Zebulon, N.C.
The class of 1956 has started a grant fund for teachers at Denfeld and will give a $250 grant this year. “Cooler Near the Lake,” the first book by Jim Heffernan (class of 1957) was released in November. It’s a collection of his favorite columns from 34 years at the Duluth News Tribune. Denfeld senior Laura Bellamy is a finalist for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award. She plans to attend Harvard next fall.
A 1,000-acre state wildlife management area in Douglas County, Minn., was named in May after retired DNR fish and wildlife director Roger Holmes (class of 1954). Sadly, he died on Dec. 17.
Denfeld Alumni
Association
4405 W. Fourth St.
Duluth, MN 55807
218-336-8830
www.denfeldalumni.com
Board Members:
Marilyn & Rudy Monson (1946/’47)
Ruth Thorpe (Van Kleek, 1956)
Karin Swor (Henson, 1960)
Linda Paulick (Seger, 1963)
Richard Swanson (1966)
Joe Vukelich (1977)
Anna Montgomery (Jimenez, 1979)
Tim & Mandy LeGarde (1988)
Russell Salgy (1989)
Andy Ensign (1991)
Paul Lundgren (1991)
Stephanie Fechner (1998)
Drew Bloomquist (2006)
The Denfeld Alumni Association is a
Minnesota nonprofit public charity
under section 501 (c) (3) of the
Internal Revenue Code.
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