As tribute to the 175th Anniversary of the FSPA, alumni reminisced about the well- respected and admired Sisters who had a large campus presence and an even larger impact outside of the classroom. The Sisters were teachers, mentors, role models, and friends to the Viterbo community. Sometimes funny, other times sassy or stern, but always with lifelong lessons to show up and work hard.

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A late night celebrating the closing of a theatrical production was no excuse to miss early morning French class, Bill Buros ’82 recalled. When Sr. Bernyne Stark noticed that student John Hilber ’90 was not in his seat, she sent fellow classmate Marsha Rubinelli ’82 to rouse him from bed and tell him to get to class.

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Emily (Hund) Dykman ’98 recalled a similar situation in music education class with Sr. Anna Rose Glum, where an 8 a.m. class could be challenge. Sr. Glum did not accept their excuses on missing class. “She was super strict,” Dykman explained. “Sr. Anna Rose had high expectations of how you presented yourself.”

“She was always looking at the bigger picture,” Dykman recalled. “Sr. Anna Rose was not just teaching students, she was training teachers. A teacher could not be late for class, so neither should students who were preparing to be teachers.”

Dykman explained that the first letter of each of Sr. Anna Rose Glum’s names put together coincidentally spelled Sarg, and many students thought that was an appropriate nickname. “The Sisters were tough,” Dykman recalled. “They had high standards. But they offered encouragement to students, to raise yourself up to their standards.”

“Sr. Anna Rose really helped me to understand that I was not ready for my senior piano recital,” Dykman said. “She talked me through my disappointment.” One month later, Dykman was prepared, and there was Sr. Glum, seated in her usual corner in a back row. “It did not matter if she knew the student, she was at every recital.”

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Dave Schoonover ’76 echoed the sentiment that the Sisters offered constant support, including co-curriculars. “A men’s basketball team may not have happened without the Sisters’ support,” Schoonover shared. “The Sisters were a big influence in trying to recruit more males to attend Viterbo. They supported the basketball program, they were always in the front row, cheering us on.”

“It’s uncanny how the Sisters could tell what your strengths and weaknesses were,” Schoonover continued.

He had declared English as his major, although a D minus from Sr. Celestine Cepress on his paper gave him pause to reconsider. “I gave my D-minus paper to Sr. Rita Rathburn to read to see what she thought,” and after she asked if Sr. Cepress was the one who doled out the D, she suggested Schoonover switch majors. “I changed to social work and never looked back,” Schoonover said.

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Carrie Bergum ’84 was a nursing major in a Shakespeare course and Sr. Cepress was the teacher. Sr. Cepress told Bergum she will be a great teacher and that she needed to quit skipping class. She changed her major and did not miss class. “She just kept you on the straight and narrow,” Bergum said.

Close to graduation time, Sr. Cepress asked Bergum to report to her office in Murphy Hall. “She told me to bring the biggest box I could find,” Bergum remembered. “I wasn’t sure what the box was for. When I showed up, Sr. Celestine told me to fill the box with books for my own classroom. I still have Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle with Sr. Celestine’s handwritten notes in it. It always made me feel like she was right there.”

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Schoonover dated and later married Carole (Fell) Schoonover ’77. “Sr. Rita Rathburn was trying to match-make us,” he chuckled. “She played a role in getting and keeping us together. We have been married 47 years.”

Schoonover reflected on the holiday meals that his house members enjoyed with the Sisters, recalling Sr. Ladonna Kassmeyer, Sr. Cepress, and Sr. Rathburn.

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Alumna Jody (McGarvey) Farmer ’68 echoed the memories of sharing meals. She learned about Gaudete Sundays from the Sisters, an event she has never forgotten. “The Sisters would put on these gorgeous feasts for Gaudete Sunday, which is the third Sunday in Lent,” Farmer shared. “They set up tables in the gym. There were all kinds of delicious food, candy, and desserts.”

Farmer spent her second year in Agnes Hall, a two-house dorm. “One Sister had to live with us,” she remembered. “That was Sr. Mary Medard, and she was probably amazed living with college girls.”

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When alumnus John Rice ’83 was a student in the theatre department, Sr. Grace McDonald lived in a small house on the southwest corner of campus, where the Fine Arts Center now stands. “Every day, she would stop by the construction site to check on the progress of the Fine Arts Center,” Rice said. “She told the construction manager that they were doing a great job, but that the workers used inappropriate language.”

The construction manager apologized, adding that they tend to call a spade, a spade. “No, they don’t,” Sr. McDonald said. “They call it a ______ shovel.”

Many of the Sisters were closely involved with theatre and the arts. Rice shared, “In the production of Oedipus, Sr. Marie Leon LaCroix thought we would use incense from the chapel,” he laughed. “She lit them and they kept smoking.” During Rice’s monologue in his role as Oedipus, he started coughing. Another time on an opening night, Sr. LaCroix called Rice into the laundry room of the costume shop. “She closed the door and told me to get on my knees. She pulled down a bottle of Lourdes Water and she blessed me with it.”

“We loved all of the Sisters at that time,” Rice remembered, “We would have beer or wine with them in the Hub.” Buros recalled a time when Wayne Clark ’79 was serving cocktails before a show, and he mixed a double or more for Sr. Cepress.

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Doreen Brostrom, retired nursing faculty member, recalled that Sr. Grace Clare Beznouz enjoyed a party. “She was a good cook as well,” Brostrom remembered. “Sr. Grace and Sr. Marie Leon opened their home to making and serving meals to the hungry and were an important part of that program.”

“Sr. Grace was connected to the lives of her faculty and their families,” Brostrom added. “We always felt welcome in her office.”

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Beth Dolder-Zieke ’88 shared how Sr. Rosilda Thienel taught her the math she needed as a base for chemistry class. “She helped me to find my feet as a student,” Dolder-Zieke explained. “So many of the Sisters were like that.” They became fast friends. Sr. Thienel and Dolder-Zieke enjoyed going to restaurants. “She loved to go out to eat. Hunan’s was her favorite.”

Dolder-Zieke recalled how a group met for tea each week in Marian Hall, including Sr. Josalia Thering, who was a housekeeper, the dean of students, and department director. “I still have Sr. Josalia’s raspberry coffee cake recipe,” she shared. “One day a week, we shed our titles. It was a community with great relationships.”

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Sr. Laurian Pieterek taught philosophy, and yet today, Bergum carries a coloring book and colors in her bag. “We were studying the philosophy of living, and we colored. It wasn’t about memorizing, she wanted you to know how the thought process works.”

Dolder-Zieke said. Sr. Pieterek’s philosophy class was the first she took at Viterbo. Her teaching techniques, including lighting a candle and journal writing, were some of the things that nudged Dolder-Zieke to attend college full-time.

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“Their work, their career, and their God was their focus,” Buros summarized. He shared his feelings on the exceptional education he received at Viterbo. “They taught you how to think.”

“I know I wouldn’t be where I am if it was not for the interest the Sisters took,” Bergum said. “I saw what they did with me, and that transferred to my teaching. That’s where I learned to create those relationships. They were amazing.”

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Sr. Josalia's Raspberry Coffee Cake

• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup raspberry preserves
• Confectioner’s sugar icing

In food processor, mix cream cheese and butter into Bisquick until crumbly. Blend in milk. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead 8–10 strokes. On waxed paper, roll dough to 12"x 8" rectangle. Turn onto greased baking sheet; remove waxed paper.

Spread preserves down center of dough. Make 2 1/2" cuts at 1" intervals on long sides. Fold strips over filling. Bake at 425° for 10–12 minutes. Drizzle warm cake with confectioner’s sugar icing.