University of Minnesota Alumni Association : Past Presidents


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Past Presidents
7/12/2004

Henry Nachtrieb, 1904-15
Nachtrieb ('82) was the first and longest-tenured president of the General Alumni Association. He was the driving force behind the creation of the association and was instrumental in shaping its agenda. Nachtrieb taught biology at the U for many years and headed the state's zoological survey. He was a tireless advocate for alumni, faculty, and the University and made the alumni association a political force to be reckoned with on campus and throughout the state.

William Gray, 1915-18
Gray ('92) succeeded Nachtrieb and that same year was elected president of the Minneapolis Builders' Exchange. During Gray's two years in office, the University, with alumni assistance and counsel, underwent a campus beautification project and forged a partnership with the Mayo Clinic.

Charles Keyes, 1918-21
Keyes ('96, '99) was a lawyer with Helliwell & Keyes. During his first year in office, the association voted to erect a state memorial for the men and women of Minnesota who had served the nation in World War I. This effort would ultimately result in the construction of Memorial Stadium. In 1920, E.B. Pierce ('04) replaced E.B. Johnson ('88) as executive director.

Charles Ireys, 1921-26
Ireys ('00), a director of the Russell-Miller Milling Company, became president as the association began raising funds for the stadium and Northrop Auditorium. He had led Minneapolis' successful Red Cross War Fund drive in 1917 and would realize a similar triumph in raising funds for the U and witnessing the construction of Memorial Stadium.

Edgar Zelle, 1926-29
During Zelle's presidency, Northrop Auditorium was completed and opened to much fanfare in 1929. Zelle ('13) owned Motor Truck Service Company. He had served as treasurer for the association under Keyes and would stay involved with the association into the 1940s.

W.F. Braasch, 1929-30
The association began to take a more active role in legislative matters during the tenure of Braasch ('00, M.D. '03). He came from the Mayo Clinic, where he headed the Department of Urology. State cuts to the U budget prompted the association's increased interest in the political workings of the state.

George Martin, 1930-34
Martin ('02, '03) was vice president of the Great Northern Railway Company when he took the helm of the association. Budget woes continued as the Great Depression settled over the nation. Nonetheless, plans were begun to create a campus club for alumni and faculty.

Orren Safford, 1934-37
Minneapolis attorney Orren Safford ('10) became eighth president of the association. During the late 1930s, the alumni association became an instrumental partner in efforts to erect a student union on campus.

Erling Platou, 1937-41
Platou (M.D. '20) was a member of the 1919 undefeated U men's basketball team. He was a professor of pediatrics in the Medical School and maintained a private practice in Minneapolis. Platou was in office during the completion of the student union and its dedication to the recently deceased University President Lotus Coffman.

Ben Palmer, 1941-43
A prominent Minneapolis attorney and lecturer in the U's business school, Palmer ('11, '13) oversaw the association through many of the trying years of World War II. The alumni magazine and association staff maintained files on nearly all Minnesota grads serving the nation in the war effort.

George Earl, 1943-46
Another U Medical School graduate, Earl ('06, M.D. '09) saw the war come to an end while in office. Student enrollment surged, and the association saw commensurate growth. Wartime austerity measures, including gas rationing, were lessened, and alumni began to gather again across the state and nation.

Arthur Hustad, 1946-49
Hustad ('16) was Twin Cities manager of the Northwestern National Life Insurance Company. After a brief stint by acting director William Gibson (B.A. '27), Ed Haislet (B.S. '31) was hired to replace long-time executive director E.B. Pierce. As the association grew in size, it began to modernize its offices and increase its staff and services.

Arthur Lampland, 1949-50
Noted for his ability as an organizer and administrator, Lampland (B.B.A. '30, L.L.B. '34) oversaw the continued expansion of program activities in the post-war years. His presidency also established the precedence for one-year terms in office. Lampland was president and chair of the Lampland Lumber Company.

Harvey Nelson, 1950-51
Nelson (B.S. '22, M.D. '25) was chief surgeon for the Soo Line Railroad Company. A board resolution at the end of his term as president lauded his "unceasing" efforts at increasing membership in the association and his efforts at improving its field services.

Wells Wright, 1951-52
Wright (B.S.L. '36, L.L.B. '36), a partner in Vennum, Neville, Wright & Newhall law firm, a former Gopher basketball player, and a former president of the M Club, was a strong advocate for linking constituent alumni organizations with the General Alumni Association.

Victor Christgau, 1952-53
Christgau (B.S. '24) was director of the state's Division of Employment and Security. During his tenure, the association continued its program growth and began to look for new streams of revenue through sales of class rings and "loyalty" items.

Theodore Christianson, 1953-54
Christianson (B.S.L. '37) was an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and son of a former state governor. He was particularly proud of his efforts at boosting the association's legislative activities. During his year in office, the number of alumni groups jumped to over 100.

Francis "Pug" Lund, 1954-55
Lund, who worked for the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company, attended the University from 1931 to 1935 where he was a stellar halfback on the Gophers 1934 national championship team. He continued efforts at improving the legislative program and adding constituent groups to the association.

Hibbert Hill, 1955-56
Hill (B.S. '23) was chief engineer for Northern States Power and served as a lieutenant colonel in the Corps of Engineers during World War II. Hill was interested in establishing an educational program through the alumni association, with speakers and symposia focusing on "state problems."

Glenn Seidel, 1956-57
Seidel (B.M.E. '36), a former captain of the Gopher football team who later coached at Tulane University, was vice president of engineering at Honeywell in Minneapolis. During his year at the head of the alumni association, he felt "a real gain" had been made in establishing a better working relationship with U administration.

Leif Strand, 1957-58
Strand (D.D.S. '29) felt that the association's greatest benefits during his tenure came through adding constituent groups. Three alumni organizations became affiliated with the alumni association: the veterinary, dentistry, and pharmacy alumni groups.

J.D. Holtzermann, 1958-59
Holtzermann (B.A. '21) was president and general manager of Holtzermann's, Inc., an imports and food company. He led a successful effort to increase membership by more than 1,000 and helped guide the association through its implementation of an IBM punch-card record-keeping system.

Wendell Burns, 1959-60
Burns (B.A. '16) was a recently retired senior vice president at Northwestern National Bank. The drumbeat for new quarters for the association grew louder during his year in office. A special Office Quarters Committee reported that "new quarters for the Association should be sought actively."

Russell Backstrom, 1960-61
Backstrom (B.M.E. '25, M.S. '27), a manager for the Wood Conversion Company, headed a growing association that reached a new high in membership at 17,000. For the first time ever, the Golden Gopher football team went to the Rose Bowl, and the alumni association was instrumental in organizing tours to southern California.

Virgil Lundquist, 1961-62
Lundquist (B.S. '42, M.D. '43), a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, had previously headed the U's medical alumni association. The continuing quest for office space and increasing membership were the association's priorities during his term. But a highlight was the Gophers winning the Rose Bowl.

Joseph Maun, 1962-63
Maun (B.A. '32, L.L.B. '35), a partner in Maun, Hazel, Green, Hayes, Simon & Aretz law firm, was the fourth graduate of the U's Law School to become president. During his tenure, the association established its group life insurance program, converted alumni records to a computer system, and moved to create a downtown Minneapolis alumni club.

Franklin Gray, 1963-64
Gray (B.A. '25) became the first son of an alumni president also to hold that office. His father, William, had been the association's second president. A partner in Cant, Haverstock, Beardsley, Gray & Plant law firm, Gray guided the association through the opening of its alumni club in Minneapolis' Sheraton-Ritz Hotel.

Charles Judd Ringer, 1964-65
Ringer attended the U from 1938 to 1941. He served as a fighter pilot in the South Pacific during World War II and was founder, president, and CEO of the Judd Ringer Corporation. The social work alumni group became the 15th alumni organization to join the association, and new alumni chapters were opened in Korea, India, Hawaii, and Akron, Ohio.

Edwin Willson, 1965-66
Willson (B.E.E. '30) came to the association by way of Northern States Power Company, where he served as vice president of operations. He helped boost the coffers of the Alumni Fund, managed by the University Foundation, by almost 15 percent during his term, and donors jumped by nearly 50 percent. Membership was boosted to nearly 25,000 and two more constituent groups were added.

Waldo Hardell, 1966-67
President of insurer Charles W. Sexton Company, Hardell (B.S. '26) stated that his goals were to make the association a more effective agent for helping the U find good scholars and to "vigorously support" University Foundation fund-raising. Under his watch, a new scholarship recruitment program was begun in several state chapters and the number of Alumni Fund donors again jumped by nearly 50 percent, from 8,835 to 12,953.

Albert Heimbach, 1967-68
Heimbach (B.B.A.'42), a vice president for Farmers & Mechanics Savings Bank, had a long history of civic involvement. During his term, the association sponsored a first-ever alumni study retreat in Little Falls. The association and Heimbach's bank also co-sponsored an alumni film called Minnesota, Then and Now.

Kenneth Glaser, 1968-69
Glaser (B.B.A. '42) was a founder and chair of National Car Rental. During his tenure the Alumni Fund had another banner year, the group life insurance program continued to grow, and a second alumni film, Our Changing University, was produced with the help of Glaser's company. A renewed effort at finding a new home for the association also began.

James Watson, 1969-70
Watson (B.A. '42), president of retailer Gamble-Skogmo, Inc., had served as a captain in the Air Force before beginning his business career. The association conducted two tours to Scandinavia and Russia during his term and moved offices to an off-campus building on University Avenue in St. Paul.

Harry Heltzer, 1970-71
Heltzer (M.S. '33), CEO of 3M, had begun his career unloading freight cars at 3M before rising to the top rung at the company. He was instrumental in improving communications with alumni across the state and nation—a vital need given the campus turbulence and unrest of the era.

Oscar Knutson, 1971-72
Knutson (L.L.B. '27) was appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1948 and became chief justice in 1964. He continued the association's emphasis on improving communication with alumni, the president's office, and the office of alumni relations. More alumni tours were offered, and the insurance program was expanded.

John Carroll, 1972-73
Carroll (B.S. '33) was president and CEO of American Hoist & Derrick Company. In his term, plans were well under way to open a new alumni club at the top of the just-completed IDS Tower, and efforts were made to reinvigorate alumni efforts to the U's legislative initiatives.

Harry Atwood, 1973-74
Atwood (B.A. '31) became editor of the Minnesota Daily when editor Harrison Salisbury (B.A. '30) was suspended from the U for smoking in the library. Atwood went on to become president of Northwestern Life Insurance Company. Atwood helped steer the association toward a more active role in University matters, including in the selection process for a new president.

George Pennock, 1974-75
Pennock (B.S. '34), head of the Tennant Company, was instrumental in helping to establish an advisory committee for new President C. Peter Magrath. The committee looked into the U's various external affairs offices, including the alumni association, in an examination of how they might better coordinate their efforts.

Wallace Salovich, 1975-76
Salovich (B.B.A. '50, M.A. '56) was a management consultant and former president of the Spray Tech Corporation. Long-time executive director Ed Haislet retired during Salovich's tenure, and the Salovich helped smooth the transition into a new era at the association.

Thomas Swain, 1976-77
Swain (B.S. '42) was executive vice president of the St. Paul Companies. During his tenure, Swain was instrumental in helping the association become a more supportive arm of the U. He also welcomed a new executive director, Vince Bilotta, to association offices.

M. Elizabeth Craig, 1977-78
Craig (B.S. '43, M.D. '45), the first woman to be elected to alumni president, was a pediatrician with a practice in St. Louis Park. The association planned a move to Morrill Hall during Craig's term, saw continued growth in membership, and handled the ongoing adjustment to new leadership.

Alan Ruvelson, 1978-79
Alan Ruvelson (B.B.A. '36) was president and director of the First Midwest Corporation and a past president of the National Association of Small Business Investment Companies. Attempts to better connect with younger alumni and constituent alumni societies were instituted during Ruvelson's tenure. Membership continued to rise in both the alumni club and the association.

Robert Sheran, 1979-80
Sheran (J.D. '39) was the second Minnesota Supreme Court chief justice to become president. During his year in office, the association continued to make progress in all its operations and settled into new offices in Morrill Hall.

Ron Simon, 1980-81
Simon (B.A. '54, J.D. '57) was an attorney with Simon, Schneider & Zimmerman law firm. The association continued its efforts at reaching out to young alumni, including conducting a survey of recent grads to learn their attitudes toward the alumni group and creating a student alumni board.

Diana Murphy, 1981-82
The alumni association had grown to 23,000 members in 50 states and 78 countries by 1981, when it elected Murphy (B.A. '54, J.D. '74), a Minnesota Federal District Court judge. During her tenure, a number of future leaders of the association became involved in its workings, and efforts at vitalizing the organization continued.

John Mooty, 1982-83
Mooty (B.S. '43, J.D. '44), a partner in Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett law firm, became 46th president. An Alumni Volunteer of the Year Award was created during his year in office, and the association witnessed steady successes in its programs.

Thomas Holloran, 1983-84
Holloran (B.S. '51, J.D. '55) was chairman and CEO of Dain Rauscher. He served as association president during its 80th year and hosted a celebration that emphasized the spirit of volunteerism. The association began to focus on public policy issues during his term.

Charles Osborne, 1984-85
Osborne (B.B.A. '75, M.A. '83), a vice president of finance at Deluxe Check Printers, oversaw a year of change. Steve Roszell, who had been executive director, moved on and James Day became interim director. An award-winning ad campaign, "Some of Our Grads," was devised by the alumni communications committee and was a finalist for a Clio Award.

Penny Winton, 1985-86
Winton (B.A. '74), daughter of former regent Rufus Rand (1931-37) and a community volunteer, was instrumental in revitalizing the annual meeting and boosting attendance from 150 to almost 900. Under Winton and new executive director Margaret Sughrue Carlson (Ph.D. '83), the association began to involve itself more actively in regent selection, appointing a committee to make recommendations on changing the process.

Harvey Mackay, 1986-87
Under Mackay (B.A. '54), best-selling author and head of the Mackay Envelope Corporation, the alumni association's political work continued with a revitalized Legislative Network. Mackay vigorously promoted membership, and in his words, the alumni association was determined to stand "beside" rather than "behind" the U. A program to improve the student experience and accelerate recruitment was launched.

Fred Friswold, 1987-88
Friswold (B.S. '58), president of Dain Bosworth, oversaw continuing efforts at reforming the regent selection process as well as improving student recruitment efforts. This Is It, a film aimed at attracting high-ability high school students to the U, was presented by the association to the University. Alumni also committed to funding the U's Morse teaching awards, which became the Morse-Alumni Awards.

Kenneth "Chip" Glaser, 1988-89
Glaser (B.S. '75), the son of one past alumni president (Kenneth Glaser, 1968-69) and the stepson of another (John Mooty, 1982-83), was president of K. Charles Development Corporation. He helped create the "There's Just One U" celebration for the finale of the U's capital campaign, participated in the search for a replacement for University President Ken Keller, and mobilized alumni support for legislation that changed the regent selection process.

Steven Goldstein, 1989-90
Goldstein (B.A. '73), vice president and general manager of WCCO Radio, was a prime mover in the creation of alumni ad campaigns and the This Is It recruitment film. He was a strong advocate for keeping sports on campus and for supporting academic freedom at the U. The association's Legislative Network was strengthened under Goldstein's watch.

Sue Bennett, 1990-91
Bennett (B.A. '65, M.S.W. '67) was director of community relations for Pillsbury when she was tapped to lead the association. Among the highlights of her year in office were an extensive study of diversity at the U and the creation of an endowment for a scholarship in the name of playwright August Wilson.

John French, 1991-92
Under French (B.A. '55), managing partner in Faegre & Benson law firm, the Legislative Network helped restore $23 million in vetoed state funding. The association continued to promote diversity and published a "report card" of the U's diversity efforts in Minnesota magazine and advanced plans for an alumni center that would be a "gateway" to the U.

Michael Unger, 1992-93
The legislative, mentoring, and recruitment programs continued to be a priority under Unger (B.A. '77, J.D. '81), an attorney in Hvass, Weisman & King law firm. The association forged a solid working relationship with the University Foundation and co-sponsored the Memorial Stadium commemoration program, including the sale of stadium bricks for scholarship funds when the stadium was demolished.

Janie Mayeron, 1993-94
Mayeron (B.A. '73, J.D. '76), an attorney with Popham, Haik, Schnobrich & Kaufman law firm, helped the association establish a five-year strategic plan. The association endowed freshman leadership scholarships, expanded the chapter program, started the credit card program, and began publishing a tabloid mailed to more than 300,000 alumni.

Larry Laukka, 1994-95
Laukka (B.A. '58), president of Laukka Development Company, was the lead volunteer in the building of a campus alumni center and helped pick the Oak Street and Washington Avenue site. The legislative and mentoring networks were expanded during his watch, and Maroon and Gold Fridays were established on campus.

Linda Mona, 1995-96
Under Mona's leadership, the alumni association secured Board of Regents approval for the alumni center, engaged an architect and a developer, and developed fund-raising plans. Mona (B.S. '67) was president of Creative Environments interior design firm.

Marvin Trammel, 1996-97
Trammel (Ph.D. '73), senior vice president of operations for the Metropolitan Minneapolis YMCA, was the association's 60th president and the first African American president. During his tenure, the association collaborated with architect Antoine Predock on the design for the McNamara Alumni Center, hosted NCAA men's basketball tournament pepfests in three cities, and helped salute retiring U President Nils Hasselmo on a national farewell tour.

Ann Huntrods, 1997-98
An attorney with Briggs & Morgan law firm, Huntrods (M.A. '76, J.D. '81) oversaw the groundbreaking on the long-awaited alumni center. During her tenure, the Legislative Network thrived, helping to secure $206 million in bonding for the U at the state Capitol, and the association launched its Web site.

David Mona, 1998-99
Mona (B.A. '65), chair of public relations firm Shandwick, was the second Mona to be alumni president (his wife, Linda, was president in 1995-96). He assisted in fund-raising efforts for the McNamara Alumni Center as the association boosted membership to 42,500, held nearly 200 alumni events, and began collecting books by or about University alumni, faculty, and staff for the Wall of Books in the alumni center's Heritage Gallery.

Nancy Lindahl, 1999-2000
Lindahl (B.S. '68) is the daughter of late University professor Ralph Miller and a longtime community volunteer. The McNamara Alumni Center was completed and opened during her tenure, with more than 10,000 people attending the opening events. The association established a career network and hosted events surrounding the Gopher football team's game against Oregon in the Sun Bowl.

Jean Fountain, 2000-01
Fountain (M.B.A. '74), owner and principal of Via Fountain Associates, an executive search and management consulting firm, became the first African American woman to head the association. During her term, membership rose above 50,000; the Legislative Network mobilized 3,500 volunteers to make more than 15,000 calls to legislators; and the ad campaign "Changing the World One Graduate at a Time" was launched.

Bruce Nelson, 2001-02
Nelson (B.S. '80), senior vice president of merchandising in the Marshall Field's division of the Target Corporation, helmed the association as it witnessed the 100th anniversary of Minnesota, the alumni association's award-winning magazine; boosted membership to over 53,000; and partnered with the College of Continuing Education to launch the Career and LifeWork Center.

Deborah Hopp, 2002-03
Hopp (B.A. '75), vice president for publishing and publisher of Mpls.St.Paul magazine at MSP Communications, helped promote a capital campaign for the University, hosted a kick-off to the 100th anniversary celebration of the alumni association, and assisted a membership drive to an all-time high of 58,000.

Jerry Noyce, 2003-04
Noyce (B.S. '67), a former Gopher men's tennis coach and CEO and president of the Health Fitness Corporation, headed the alumni association as it celebrated its 100th birthday, including a grand finale event in which the association and the U awarded an honorary doctorate to contemporary instrumental composer Yanni Chryssomallis (B.A. '76). Under Noyce, the association gave $1 million to build an on-campus football stadium and another $500,000 to fund scholarships.

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