St. Olaf College – Page 3 – Valerie's Voice

Advent

We began the advent season by attending a beautiful candle-lit Vespers Service at our church Sunday evening filled with wonderful songs, meaningful scripture and expressive words.

St. Olaf Christmas Festival Program, 2017

We attended the St. Olaf Christmas Festival a few nights before that. The festival’s theme was Ris’n With Healing In His Wings (a phrase from Hark! The Herald Angels Sing).

I’ve been ushered into this season of advent in two very special ways. In the coming weeks I look forward to seeing healing in His wings, and noticing everyday miracles these “waiting days” before Christmas.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

Big Names in Small Towns

As my husband and I walked to Laura Baker’s community meal on Thanksgiving Day we marveled at how many renowned institutions are located in two relatively close, small towns in Southeastern Minnesota. I have added links to each place listed below.

For years Laura Baker Services has opened its doors to anyone in the community who wants to join them for Thanksgiving dinner. We did this year for the first time and it was very nice.

In our town, Northfield, there are two prestigious, private, liberal arts colleges: St. Olaf College established in 1874 and Carleton College established in 1866.

Northfield is also the home to Laura Baker Services Association, which was established in 1897. It provides housing, education and support services to mentally and physically challenged people so families can have options for their loved ones.

Eleven miles south of Northfield in Faribault, Shattuck-St. Mary’s School is a well-known, private, boarding school that excells in academics and hockey. It was established in 1858.

Down the street from Shattuck’s are two Minnesota State Academies, established in 1863. The academies offer two separate schools, one for the deaf and one for the blind. Their mission (taken off their website) is “to educate, create opportunities, and motive students for an independent future.”

I don’t know what attracted theses institutions to settle in Northfield and Faribault but people from all over the United States, and the world, come to seek out these special places. I believe they add diversity and richness to our towns. What wonderful gifts they are to our communities.

Monster Concert

We are fortunate to live in a town that offers a variety of experiences, especially musical ones, especially from our colleges. Over the weekend I attended the Monster Concert, a piano recital. Actually it was four pianos, and 16 hands…which means two musicians at each of the four grand pianos (one song used eight pianos and 16 hands) all playing classical music and modern pieces together – wonderfully. That’s eighty fingers flying across the keys!

The pianists were mostly St. Olaf faculty and students, dressed in costume, and performing as a large piano ensemble. The concert was geared to all ages and the young children were encouraged to dressed in costumes.

It took place in Urness Recital Hall at St. Olaf College. It’s a beautiful, intimate space, which – for me – always adds another special dimension to performances there.

Urness Recital Hall, Christiansen Hall of Music
St. Olaf College (looking towards balcony)

I was all ready to take photos but at the beginning of the concert they asked the audience not to photograph. It was a fun and festive hour-long concert that was professional and inspiring.

Retirement, so far…

Over the summer people asked me if I was enjoying my retirement and I answered, “I’m not sure yet since I always had summers off. I’ll see what it’s like this fall.”

Well, fall has come and it has been busy with our annual trek to the north shore, our son home from Africa for a week and going to New Mexico to see the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Those activities were wonderful, and a sign of retirement, but it wasn’t until last week that it really hit me.

Last Monday was the first day of Christmas Festival ticket sales. That was part of my job for the last 12 years so when the clock struck 9 on Monday morning I visualized the hustle and bustle going on in one little office area of St. Olaf College…producing huge results. I thought of all the folks racing the clock to order their tickets online and all the chaos of the moment. A wonderful and smart 2016 St. Olaf graduate took my job. He worked with me last year on the Christmas Festival so he knew the ticket sales system, and he knew of the usual chaos that goes along with it. It made for a smooth transition.

My supervisor, who became a dear friend, also retired in July (that was instrumental in my decision to retire). She had been at St. Olaf College for 31 years and the two of us were responsible for the C’fest (our affectionate term) ticket sales. We got together last week for coffee, which turned into 2 1/2 hours of conversation. On our way out of the coffee shop a retiree from St. Olaf stopped us to ask about Christmas Festival tickets…we smiled…and there we were…talking tickets sales once again.

It was fun to sit down with my friend and visit without time constraints. It is peaceful to go to the doctor’s office and not feel hurried to get back to work. The freedom in retirement is nice.

I’m grateful for the interesting job I enjoyed for 12 years. And I am grateful that I am healthy and able to enjoy retirement.

So now when people ask me, “How’s retirement?” I can truly say it’s great!

When I’m Sixty-four

Today I leave the St. Olaf Campus for the last time as an employee of the college. It’s a little surreal to call myself retired but I look forward to the next season of life.

I became curious as to how old my mother was when she retired so I looked back in our photo albums and found pictures from our family retirement party for her. I have such a different perspective now of that time in her life…she was alone (my dad died right before his retirement in 1974) and my mom lived another 22 years after her retirement.

She was 64 years old when she retired and so am I! Somehow it seems to be another confirmation of this step!

Commencement Weekend at St. Olaf College

I surprised myself when tears came to my eyes as I walked through St. Olaf campus very early this morning. I thought to myself this is the last commencement weekend I will work. It was such a beautiful morning, and it was so quiet and peaceful as the sun rose to display a gorgeous blue sky which made it apparent the ceremony would be held outdoors – that is always the preferred plan and the one we hope for.

The outdoor location was moved from the Manitou Field (the football field) up to the Campus Green for the first time this year. Mellby Hall was the wonderful backdrop for the party platform. 5,000 chairs were set up for the graduates, faculty, family, friends and guests and jumbo screens were put in place to offer up close views for the folks in the back.

Mellby Hall in background, setting up 5,000 chairs and jumbo screens for 2017 commencement ceremony at St. Olaf College

Later in the day, after I cleaned up the registration area (my responsibility over the weekend) and folks found their seats, I walked away just as the faculty and graduates were walking to take their seats for the commencement ceremony. Such pomp and circumstance. What a wonderful tradition. What an exciting time for the students and their families

The beautiful sky as I left the campus as the commencement ceremony was just beginning.

Just as I started the morning eight hours earlier, I walked away with tears in my eyes and mixed emotions…this was my last Commencement Weekend “on the hill” as I retire next week.

The beginnings of the mosaic where graduates and family members could pick a “paint chip” (the theme of the Graduation Gala Saturday night) and add it to the board to make a mosaic of what? – they didn’t know.

The mosaic of Old Main on St. Olaf Campus, completed Saturday night at the St. Olaf College Graduation Gala.

Retiring

Flowers and a diploma cover with an official retirement certificate inside were ours to take home after the reception for 40 retirees at St. Olaf College on Wednesday May 17, 2017. I’m retiring from St. Olaf College on June 1st. It has been a great place to work since 1998. I have had an unusual career there, working part-time over the years, in different departments but most consistently as the Christmas Festival ticket coordinator for twelve years. As was noted in my “spotlight” I felt it was a Christmas miracle each year as all the guests settled into 11,000+ seats to listen to their beloved choral tradition, every first weekend in December. It has been very good.. but now it is time for the next season.

Ecclesiastes 3

For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.
²A time to be born and a time to die.
    A time to plant and a time to harvest.
³A time to kill and a time to heal.
    A time to tear down and a time to build up.
⁴A time to cry and a time to laugh.
    A time to grieve and a time to dance.
⁵A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
    A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
⁶A time to search and a time to quit searching.
    A time to keep and a time to throw away.
⁷A time to tear and a time to mend.
    A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
⁸A time to love and a time to hate.
    A time for war and a time for peace.

Adirondack Chairs

The St. Olaf College campus is peppered with gold-colored Adirondack chairs this time of year, and we all – students, faculty and staff – use them. This spring we have two new chairs, a little different from the others, but even more wonderful because they come with a story.

About a year ago a colleague in our building passed away. He cleaned out his office one Friday afternoon and co-workers teased him asking “why?” and “are you not coming back?” Well, he didn’t come back. He had a heart attack Saturday morning and died a few days later. This week two Adirondack chairs were dedicated in his honor.

The rest of the story comes from the wood used to make the chairs. Apparently he saved a pile of wood from a deck he dismantled years ago. He thought the wood was too good to be thrown out. He kept saying some day I’m going to make something from it. He and his family moved the wood pile several times from house to house, much to his wife’s chagrin. After he passed away a friend contacted St. Olaf and wondered if anything could be done with the wood. It was decided chairs could be built in his honor. His wife thought it was a great idea and when she saw how beautifully they turned out she quipped that she now wants the wood back.

The chairs have been placed outside our building, but who knows how long they will stay there…our students move these chairs all over campus and that is a good thing. These Adirondack chairs are a wonderful addition to St. Olaf’s landscape in spring, summer and fall.

This reminds me of the verse in Ecclesiastes… He has made everything beautiful in its time.

St. Olaf’s Collegiate Chorale

I have posted a link to the St. Olaf Chapel service today. It was phenomenal. One of the favorite parts of my job is to be able to attend chapel everyday…in fact it is encouraged. Today the Collegiate Chorale sang. It is a non-auditioned women’s chorus with female students from all four class years, and faculty/staff/emeriti women, conducted by Dr. Anton Armstrong.

The song “Peace, Hope & Love” was written earlier this year by a student from the class of 2019. The lyrics were a balm after these few days of turmoil on campus. What perfect timing. The song is towards the middle of the service.

Listen if you can…click here.

February Heat Wave

It was 56 degrees when we went for a walk in St. Olaf’s grasslands on Saturday. The path was a little wet in places but it was great to be out in the open prairie. We sat on a bench for a while to soak up some sunshine. After our hike we went downtown and there were people out everywhere…enjoying this Minnesota winter heat wave. Most of the snow has melted because of several consecutive warm days, and the forecast calls for these temperatures to continue for a few more. Will winter return?

On these nice days I turn down the heat in the house and open windows to let the “sneezes” out! The fresh air smells so good.

I remember last year we had a couple of warm days and we went on a bike ride in February. Is this the new norm?