The Rev. Dr. Patrick Ferry (M ’81), president of Concordia University Wisconsin, called the Alumni Association office a number of months ago to tell us he had recently completed a book entitled, “Faith in the Freshman.”  He asked if the office staff would review it if he e-mailed a copy to us.  After reviewing the book, and I admit that once I started it I couldn’t put it down, I was convinced that this book would be a winner.  I shared it with Wallace Behrhorst and Roland Mueller; and they, too, felt this was an excellent book.  They provided Dr. Ferry with some corrections and additional information.  And now the book has been published as Pat says, “This is recommended reading for parents who have a son or daughter who is going into college or is already in college.”  I believe it is just plain good reading, for it tells the story of a young man from Colorado who came to St. John’s College to play basketball.  This is compared to Pat’s son who overcame adversity to walk on and play basketball at Valparaiso University, an NCAA Division I school.  Great Story, Pat!

    Pat was invited to share some of his story with the alumni who were gathered at the 2010 Winfield Johnnie Reunion this past June at our “Talk About The Times” session on Saturday morning.  At the end of the session Pat told the audience that for every book sold that morning he would match that amount for the Alumni Association to be put into its General Scholarship Endowment.  He also left a number of books with the Association for it to publicize and sell and the same conditions would apply.

   Pat, thank you for a great book and also for helping out with the scholarship program of the St. John’s College Alumni Association.

But best of all, he liked the Model A that the writer below drove to the meeting.

You spoke at the Waukesha Rotary Club on July 26th. I met your Father “Lefty” who was thrilled to see my 31 Ford Model A. Reading about Andrew in your book brought back memories of when I was first dianosed with Type 1 Diabetes 50 years ago. Same symptoms and rationalization. I was taking a physical for flight training in Goose Bay, Labrador. Needless to say I didn’t get to become a pilot which probably saved my life. (Vietnam!) I have a Grandson who is a gym rat at Carroll University and he also conducts basketball camps for girls and boys, . Your talk at Rotary was very inspirational and well received by members I talked to. Keep up the great effort for JDRF. Over $3,000 went to JDRF as gifts for our 50th wedding anniversay. Thank you many times over for what you do! God Bless, Marty Jannsen

Recently I had the opportunity to talk about Faith in the Freshman for the St. John’s College Alumni Reunion in Winfield, Kansas.  Even though our alma mater closed in 1986, Johnnies continue to return to the campus each year for these alumni gatherings.

I have been back to Winfield several times through the years, and each time brings back memories.  Tammy grew up in that town, and so her reflections include much more than just her college experience.  We drove around town, took a long walk, and stepped inside some of the places that were part of our lives once upon a time.

I did not anticipate how poignant it would be to retell the story of my freshman year in the setting where it all started.  Among those present were some classmates, including one former teammate.  Mark Schotte has been principal of Trinity Lutheran School for 19 years.  Our freshman year he was nabbed out of the concession stand to help us finish out our disasterously remarkable season.

Also present were several former faculty who have retired to Winfield or who returned for the reunion.  Among them was Dr. Roland Mueller, who is probably the foremost historian of the story of St. John’s College.  Thankfully, he read my manuscript and picked out a few errors that needed attention before publichation.  Included is a picture with Roland and his wife, Donna.  Also, a photo of Prof. Don Bromlow, and Prof. Lloyd and Alice Miller.

When St. John’s closed after 93 years, the history of the school did not conclude.  “Hail, Saint John’s College, Hail!”  our school song concludes, “Ne’er will thy spirit die, we’ll sing thy praise.  Hail! Saint John’s College, hail! through endless days.”

• Listen to “Lake Effect” on WUWM tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. (or 11 p.m.)   There will be a link to the interview after it airs.
• Visit with him on Saturday, December 5 at 1 p.m. at Books and Company, 1029 Summit Ave., Oconomowoc.
• Visit with him on Sunday, December 6 at 2 p.m. at Little Read Book Store, 7603 W. State St., Wauwatosa.

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In case you missed it, there are two more opportunities to attend readings and signings in December — December 5 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. at Books & Company in Oconomowoc and December 6 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at Little Read Books in Wauwatosa. 

Pick up Faith in the Freshman for someone on your Christmas list!