In our Summer 2024 issue, we asked you to tell us about your family’s history with the U of M. We were frankly astonished at the response! Many wrote to tell us about your multigenerational Gopher families—and your fervent hopes for future generations to join that legacy.

Below, we share a few of the stories of those who wrote about their treasured third-, fourth-, and even fifth-generation history with the U of M.

May I introduce my family? ↗ [not all pictured]

Generation 1: Father Robert Buscher (’51), mom Marilyn Cowden Buscher (’50), and father-in-law: Vernon E. Sieling (’54)

Generation 2: Me, Mary Lisa Buscher Sieling (’80)

Generation 3: Ryan S. Sieling (B.S.B. ’06), Megan Sieling (B.S.B. ’08), daughter-in-law Mary F. Ahrens Sieling (B.A. ’05) and Benjamin R. Rogers (B.A. ’06)

And we have four potential future family Gophers ranging from the classes of 2031 to 2034!

Lisa Sieling (B.S.N. ’80, center, in light shirt)
Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Our family has a long and proud history at the U of M. Four generations of women graduated, some with more than one degree.

I suspect we are in a small group in that our graduates were all women.

Diana Burnes Campbell, our great grandmother, (standing in photo) graduated in 1881. Catherine Burnes, her sister, (seated) received her degree in 1879 and her M.D. degree around 1886. [Ed note: According to the Hopkins Historical Society, from 1886 to 1892, Catherine was the only doctor in Hopkins. She would practice there for 30 years. And according to U of M records, Catherine was also one of the very first women to receive an M.D. at the University.]

Our grandmother, Anne Campbell Borland, Diana’s daughter, graduated around 1907, and our mother, Cecelia Borland Holst, graduated in 1938.

I earned degrees in sociology in 1976 and an M.B.A. in 1990. My sister Minda Holst earned degrees in child psychology and physical therapy in 1975 and 1977.

Karla Holst Jennings (B.A. ’76, M.B.A. ’90)
Minnetonka, Minnesota

My family has a four-generation U of M history, with many graduates in agriculture. It started in 1911 with Nels Sandager, an immigrant from Denmark who graduated from the School of Agriculture in St. Paul. His son, Lee Sandager, taught high school agriculture in Climax, Minnesota, and received his master’s in ag education in 1951. He married Betty Brakken, a member of the Clovia Sorority and a graduate of the College of Home Economics, in 1948. And their four children, including me, all went on to graduate from the College of Agriculture, and three of us also married U of M graduates.

Today, five of Lee’s and Betty’s grandsons are graduates of the U of M with degrees in business, marketing, and pharmacy.

Patricia Thomas (B.S. ’78)
Scandia, Minnesota

I graduated in 1994 from the Carlson School of Management with a B.S.B. My mother, Ginny (Virginia) Pease, worked at the U of M and earned her Ph.D. in 1995. My brother, Ryan Krohn, graduated from the U of M in 1997 with his bachelor’s in Kinesiology and his master’s in education in 1998.

Our youngest brother, Dan Krohn, graduated in 2003 with his bachelor’s in cultural anthropology.

Finally, my daughter, Arielle Miller (above), is an incoming freshman this fall in the College of Science and Engineering to study biomedical engineering. She is very excited to join her family as a Gopher!

As you wrote in the magazine, being part of the alumni community is a “bond and distinction that lasts for a lifetime.” Go Gophers!

Jane Krohn (B.S.B. ’94)
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

We’ve been Gophers since 1918, and all of us have many U of M stories to tell at our family reunions!

My maternal grandparents, Henry W. Larson (B.S. ’21) and Hazel Lodmil Larson (originally class of 1923, but her schooling was interrupted) both attended ‘the fine institution of higher learning right in our backyard,’ (quoth Henry).

When my mother, Karin Larson Nordstrom (B.S. ’62), started her junior year at the U of M in 1960, my grandmother returned also.

The family story goes that my mother was so excited by her mom returning to school with her, she helped select just the right trench coat and white Keds’ sneakers so the 58-year-old would ‘fit right in.’

Hazel graduated alongside my mother two years later with gold “honor cords” adorning her robe. My grandmother and then my mother proudly kept those cords until the end of each of their lives.

And then there’s my father, Donald W. Nordstrom (B.S. ’58), brother, Paul D. Nordstrom (B.A. ’91); my husband, Kurt T. Waltenbaugh (M.B.A. ’12), and my oldest son, Tucker C. Waltenbaugh (B.A. expected in ’25).

Ski U Mah!

Tracy Nordstrom (M.P.A. ’14)
Minneapolis

My father, Thomas Kotula, graduated from the dental school in 1954. My husband, Kevin Dens, also graduated from there in 1985, and purchased my dad’s dental practice. Our son, Christopher, graduated from dental school in 2014 and purchased my husband’s practice!

My mother, Bette Kotula (Spaeth), graduated with a physical therapy degree in 1953. (She and my dad met at a dance at Comstock Hall and celebrated their 70th anniversary this summer.) I graduated from the school of physical therapy in 1983 and met my husband while living in Centennial Hall. We celebrated our 40th anniversary this summer.

My daughter, Jennifer Dens Higano, received a B.A. in architecture in 2010, and a master’s in public policy in 2017. Her husband, Alexander, got a B.A. in music in 2010, and a master’s in school counseling. They met in marching band.

Our son Christopher’s wife, Amanda Dens (Braduc), received a master’s degree in elementary education in 2014. They met at the U of M Newman Center playing volleyball.

And my uncle, Frank Kotula, was an inventor and worked for many years with Kurt Amplatz at the U of M and they shared many patents together in the medical field.

Finally, my daughter, Sarah Salo (Dens), received a B.A. in mathematics with a teaching license from U of M-Morris.

The maroon and gold runs deep in our family!

Cathy Dens (Kotula) (B.S. ’83)
Brainerd, Minnesota

After WWII, my dad, William, class of 1948, returned to the U after serving in the Navy during the war. He commented years later about the packed classrooms, owing to the GI Bill enabling so many who had served to continue their education. He graduated with an electrical engineering degree.

My mom, Lillian, worked in the Office of Civil Service Personnel as a secretary in the 1940s, and she recalled former Vikings football coach Bud Grant was then a well-known campus athlete. Many of the historical leaders of the University were, at that time, still in positions on campus. For instance, Middlebrook was a vice president, not yet a dormitory.

The next generation was my sister, Jean, who graduated in 1975 with a degree in biometry. My husband Pete graduated in 1982 with a degree in public administration. As a student, he worked in the sports information department, and also at Gold Country Sporting Goods. Our daughter Laura graduated in 2015.

This photo is my mom at a Gopher football game sometime in the 1940s. Thank you for the opportunity to share my family’s Gopher connection.

Kati Garvey
St. Charles, Illinois

My paternal grandfather, Alfred Anderson Sr., founder of Anderson Chemical in Litchfield, Minnesota, graduated in 1902 from a buttermaking program and later taught at the University. My father, Alfred Anderson Jr., graduated in 1938 in Mechanical Engineering. And my husband, Stephen Yanli Zheng (Ph.D. in mathematics ’90), and I met (and fell in love) at the U.

My father told many stories about his experiences at the U. Without fail, when we would turn on Pleasant Street from University Avenue, he would announce that “This is where the old streetcar used to turn around!” Decades later when I enrolled, he had me hunt down Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma pins he had earned but never purchased. And our legacy may very well go back to 1892, when my grandfather’s cousin, Jennie Lindstrom, purportedly attended the University, but I have not yet been able to substantiate that.

Patricia Anderson (B.A. ’88, M.A. ’90)
St. Louis Park, MN

My great-grandfather, Robert Barnitz, earned a degree in dentistry at the U of M in 1907. His son-in-law, George Matison (my grandfather), was a gymnast at the U, earning Big 10 Championships when Jules Perlt was the head coach. My grandmother, Marie Barnitz Matison, may also have earned her teaching credential at the U.

Two of their children, Karen Matison Hess and Jim Matison, attended the U. Karen (my aunt) was active in sorority life on campus and earned multiple degrees, including her Ph.D. Jim (my dad), earned his master’s there. Karen’s daughter, Christine HessOrthmann, earned her B.S. at the U, and her daughter, Katrina Orthmann, earned her bachelor’s degree.

Jim’s daughters, Amy (me) and Sarah Matison Kantola, both attended the U and I earned my B.S. in education in 1986. Sarah’s daughter, Kristin Kantola Hegg, earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the U.

Thanks for the opportunity to tell our U of M story. Ski-U-Mah!

Amy Matison (B.S. ’86)
Fridley, Minnesota

We are a three-generation, multiple-degree U of M family! My folks came to Minnesota in the 1950s so that my dad, William Walter Mamel III, could attend the U. He earned a bachelor’s in education in 1959 and his master’s in the early ’60s.

My parents first lived in a Quonset hut near the fairgrounds, and then moved into the married studenthousing on Gibbs Avenue. Both my sister and I were born at the University Hospital, joining our older brother.

I graduated with a B.S. in pharmacy in 1980, and a B.S. in education 1987. My sister, Joanne Mamel Kaiser, received a B.A. in music in 1980, and my son, Craig Andrew Larsen, received a B.A. in history in 2014.

There are six grandchildren so far between my sister and me. Let’s hope at least one will attend the U! Go Gophers!

Jill Larsen (B.Sc. Pharm. ’80, B.S. ’87)
Bloomington, Minnesota

I think my family bleeds maroon and gold and we have at least 15 family members with U of M degrees!

My grandparents would come down from Duluth to watch the Gopher football games, and my parents [left, with Tubby Smith] had season football tickets for more than 50 years. During that time, my dad only missed three home games (one when I was born). My parents also held season tickets for basketball, and my nephew is now going to all of the games.

Marilyn Porter (B.S. ’75)
Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota

My dad Edward Ozga (above) graduated in 1958 with a B.S. in education and my mom, Marlys Ozga, graduated in 1964 with the same degree. They met near the U at the Marigold Ballroom (which no longer exists), became engaged a couple of months later, then married in 1956. They had three girls, and we all graduated from the U of M. And my husband and I have three children, and they’ve all graduated from the U of M, too!

Sharon Murphy (B.S. ’79)
Plymouth, Minnesota

My story is certainly not one that involves the most generations, but it is one with a lot of breadth, extending back nearly a century. My father (later a U of M professor and department head) and his eight siblings all came off the prairie of western Minnesota to go to school at the U. He met my mother (also a U of M grad, along with her three sisters) on campus in the 1930s. (Most of their 11 siblings also met their spouses here while going to school, and many of the next generation of all those families—my cousins—also came to the U for their undergraduate work.)

My brothers and I got our undergrad degrees here (and one brother his J.D.). I met my husband-to-be when he was working on his Ph.D. here, and we married in 1970, the same year I graduated. I went elsewhere for graduate school, but returned to the U in 2012, when I took up the job of executive vice president and provost.

So, again, perhaps not so many generations, but the U of M was formative in a very large extended family, and we’ve had our stretches of being deeply involved as faculty and administrators.

Karen Hanson (B.S. ’70)
Minneapolis

Our family’s story is probably not the deepest (three generations) but it is as wide as it is deep! My mother-in-law Judy (Buetow) Stowe earned a B.S. in business in 1962. Her oldest child—my husband, John—received his B.S. in 1985 from the School of Management and a master’s in business taxation in 1995. I graduated in 1986 with a B.S.B. and we were married in 1988. I met him in class.

Our oldest, Kyle, graduated in journalism in 2014. He wrote for the Minnesota Daily and spent time (walking backwards!) as a campus tour guide. Our daughter followed in 2012, followed by another son in 2014, (“I’ll tour any college you take me to, but it will be a waste of time because I’m going to the U of M”). Another son followed in 2017, and in 2019, our youngest, Casey, was recruited for a spot on the men’s swim and dive team at the U. (Having grown up swimming at the Jean K. Freeman pool in club competition, being a Gopher athlete was always his goal.) He began college in 2020, a Covid freshman, and graduated this spring with a bachelor’s in biology. He is continuing this fall as a fifth-year athlete, now pursuing his masters in public health.

Our sixth child threw us for a loop when she elected to “do something different” at the University of St. Thomas in 2023, but by January 2024, she too had succumbed to the maroon and gold; she’s transferring as a sophomore this fall.

And our oldest son now lives in D.C. and is connected with the Alumni Association group there—and last summer, he traveled to the Greek Isles with the UMN Young Alumni Travel group.

Go Gophers!!!

Marsha Stowe (B.S.B. ’86)
Minnetonka, Minnesota

We have four generations of U of M graduates, all named Arthur Ludwig Herman, which was a real mess when it came to getting grade transcripts!

My grandfather, Arthur I, attended law school, graduating in 1894. My father, Arthur II, received his bachelor’s, master’s, and graduated from the medical school in 1922. I, Arthur III, earned my bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate in 1978. My son, Arthur IV, received his bachelor’s at the U of M but finished his master’s and doctorate at John Hopkins University.

Arthur Ludwig Herman III
Stevens Point, Wisconsin

My grandfather, my dad, and I all got our Ph.D.’s from the U, all on the same stage, and all in the same robe. But there’s more to it than that.

My grandfather got his Ph.D. in biology in 1930 (would have been entomology but they didn’t have such a major back then) and met my grandmother, Olga Stehr, née Storm, in one of his classes. My dad also met my mom when he was a grad student (in entomology) at the U. They met at a dance in the basement of Comstock Hall. My dad certainly graduated in grandpa’s robe—we have pictures of him flapping it around like a bat on the front steps of Northrop Auditorium in 1964.

I got my Ph.D. in physics (yep, black sheep of the family) in 1995, graduating in the same gown that my dad and grandfather wore, on the same stage. And I do still have the robe!

Jeff Stehr (Ph.D. ’95)
Gaithersburg, Maryland

My mom and dad received their nursing and law degrees, respectively, in the early 1950s. I graduated in 1985, and my son, Jacob, is a 2019 CFANS graduate! Jacob’s dad is also a graduate, as is my sister, Susan Olson Riley Parham (on the right, with me), who earned her bachelor’s and master’s in nursing there. And Jacob’s great grandmother on his dad’s side received a B.A. from Crookston!

Judy Sutterfield (B.A. ’85)
Eden Prairie, Minnesota

I’m a 1972 graduate of the medical school. My father, Russell J. Edwards, graduated from the U of M before he fought as a combat engineer in WWII.

My wife, LeeAnn, worked at the U of M Hospital and put me through med school! We celebrated our 56th wedding anniversary on August 31st. Our first child, Holly, was born at the U hospital during my first year of med school.

Our four children all attended the U, and Holly met her husband Mike at the U. They have had four children attend, with three continuing in postgraduate schooling. The oldest will be starting a radiology residency and another grandchild obtained a doctorate at the U. The fourth is a junior this fall, and her older sister has completed her undergraduate and master’s studies in education.

Our family is very thankful for the U. Ski-U-Mah!!

Thomas R Edwards (M.D. ’72)
Richmond, Minnesota

My grandfather, Carlus Selvig, graduated from the School of Dentistry in 1900 and my grandmother, Blanche Hellickson Selvig, graduated from the School of Education inthe same time frame. My mother, Doris Selvig Althoff, graduated from the College of Education in the early 1930s, as did her sister, Eleanor Selvig Thorne, who was a couple years younger.

My generation—our third, was me, Mary Althoff, John O. Althoff, (B.A. ’72), and James (Jim) C. Althoff (B.A. ‘85)—who attended from 1966 to 1971 and took his “last course” to get his degree in the mid 1980s. He wrapped it up as a Christmas present to our mom, Doris.

And his grandson, Cedric Dicke (B.S. ‘16), was on the football team!

Mary Althoff (B.A. ’74, M.B.A. ’91)
Port Townsend, Washington

The University runs deep in our family, back five generations to 1905 when the first graduated from the School of Agriculture. They are all descendants of Carsten Heinrich Schwartau, who came to the U.S. in 1879 from Germany.

Our U of M lineage comes down as far as one of my granddaughters, who graduated in 2022, and her sister, slated to graduate in 2026. I think we count 35 direct-bloodline family member graduates and four spouses. We also have 10 who served from 3-month internships up to 38-year careers in U of M Extension.

My mother used to complain about family dinners because of how many of us (my brothers, one spouse, and kids) used to talk about Extension at the dinner table!

Chuck Schwartau
Retired Extension regional director and Extension educator
Goodhue, Minnesota

My twin brother, William, and I both graduated June 10, 1967 in Memorial Stadium. He received a D.V.M. degree and I received a D.D.S. My brother William’s wife, Jeanine Stanis, also received her Ph.D. at the U!

I have two daughters, Angela and Donna, who both attended the U of M. Angela received a B.A. and Donna received her B.S. and master’s. Angela’s husband, Eric Nevalainen, received his B.A. Angela and Eric [pictured above] met as members of the U of M fencing club! Angela’s daughter, Lindsay, received a B.S.

Thomas Miller (D.D.S. ’67)
Buffalo Lake Minnesota

Our family has at least seven U of M degrees in it. The one who started it all was my grandfather Henry L. Hansen, who received his bachelor’s from the College of Forestry in 1935, and a doctorate from there in 1946. He was a professor in Forest Resources from 1946-82. My brother and I both received degrees in forest resources later on, and now the grandchildren are themselves either graduates or attending the University.

Brenda Hansen (B.S. ‘77)
St. Paul, Minnesota

My husband and I have been married 47 years and we have a blended family, as this was a second marriage for both of us. We are both now in our 90s.

My family is the Hills and Greys. My grandfather Hibbert Winslow Hill was a public health doctor who acted as state epidemiologist and taught at the University in the early years of the 20th century—through the years of the flu epidemic of 1918.

My father, Hibbert M. Hill, and his brothers, Jim and Sam, graduated from the U in the 1920s. They were on the award-winning swim team, and dad later taught some engineering classes at the U.

My mother, Rachel Hanna (Hill), graduated in 1929, leading the Cap and Gown parade. My sisters and I all graduated from the U. Rachel, 1955; myself, 1956; my younger sister, Mary, 1962. I also served on the board of the Friends of the University Libraries for about eight years. My son Hal Grey graduated in 1983, and my grandson, William Grey, graduated from U of M-Duluth in 2021.

My husband, Bert Gross, graduated in 1950. His father, Louis, graduated in 1925, and received the Conference Medal for outstanding athlete and academic achievement. Bert’s mother also graduated in 1925, and his son, Ronald, graduated in 1978. Bert’s granddaughter Shira Gross Zats graduated in 2018.

Bert’s sister, Linda Gross Cohen, served as a regent for two six-year terms: 2007-2019. She earned both her master’s and Ph.D. from the U. Her family has four generations of grads—mother and father, her son, and her son’s daughter. Bert’s other sister, Luella Gross Goldberg, received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the U in 2007. She served on the University of Minnesota Foundation Board, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs Advisory Board, and the Carlson School of Management Advisory Board. And her husband, Stan, completed his B.A., B.S., and in 1956, his M.D. from the U of M. He served as a professor and chair of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the U for 20 years. The Stanley M Goldberg, M.D. Chair in Colon and Rectal Surgery was established on his retirement.

Susan Hill Gross (B.A. ’56)
Minneapolis

My in-laws, George E. Jonassen and Velma E. (Bietz) Jonassen, received their degrees in the ’40s, George from the dental school and Velma as an R.N. Their son, Robert, graduated from the U, as did their daughter, Diane Lynn (Jonassen) Roers. I received my B.A. from the College of Liberal Arts and my J.D. from the Law School in 1973.

Diane and I met in the University Chorus (a 300+ member choir). We were married in 1972 and enjoyed nearly 40 years of marriage together until her passing in 2011. Our son John obtained his degree in computer engineering from the U of M.

Another generation is coming, so we wait to see what the future holds there.

Rolland (Rollie) H. Roers (B.A. ’70, J.D. ’73)
Hopkins, Minnesota

I suspect I am one of a limited number of surviving people who saw the Gophers originally play in the Rose Bowl, as my dad took me to that game in 1962.

My wife Penny and I will be in the Rose Bowl this October for the rematch with UCLA!

My grandfather, Bert Langland, received his degree in pharmaceutical chemistry in 1920. My father, Harold, received a bachelor’s in chemical engineering in 1946, and my mother, Cecilia Biernat (Langland), received her public health nursing degree in 1947.

My wife, Penny Sugden (Langland), received her B.S. in 1975, and her M.D. in 1980. (We met in a biology class.) Our son, Michael, received a B.S. in business in 2006, and his M.B.A. in 2012. His wife, Ashley (Klontz) Langland, also graduated with a B.S. in business in 2006.

Jim Langland (B.S. ’74, below, third from left)
Minneapolis

We are a solid four generations so far, and nieces and nephews are likely to join us!

My father, Vurnen Leonard, uncle Tom Leonard, and aunt Claire Peske (Leonard) all graduated from the U. There’s also cousins James and Richard Peske; siblings Shawn, Martha, Ben, and myself; and we met some of our spouses at the U, too. The next generation is our son Daniel Schober, and his second-cousin Steve Carlson.

The fifth generation is very interested in science, taking apart things and unlimited questions. We just don’t have them college-aged yet!

Christina Schober (B.M.E. ’80, M.M.E. ’85)
St. Anthony, Minnesota

We have four generations, not including a grandparent that worked at the University for 40 years as an embalmer!

Our great grandmother graduated as a med tech in the 1940s. She was followed by our grandfather, grandmother, mom, dad, and uncle, and then me and now myson, who will graduate in 2028!

As a family of Golden Gophers, we have season tickets to both the men’s and women’s basketball teams! Maroon and gold all the way!

Cindy Schwie (B.S.B. ’99, M.B.A. ’07)
Roseville, Minnesota

My family has a proud legacy with the U of M going back to my mother’s paternal grandfather, Alger Ulstrom.

His son, Robert, attended the U for both undergraduate and medical school and served on the faculty of the medical school until 1990.

Robert married Mary Janet McGrath, who received an associate’s degree from the U, and their firstborn, Jane Ulstrom, attended the U where she worked at the Minnesota Daily and met (and later married) Paul Brissett.

I am their oldest daughter and both my husband, Jeffrey Martin (’97), and I (’96) are graduates.

We now have a 15-year-old daughter who is considering the U. Excited to see if she makes us a fifth-generation family!

Liz Martin (B.A. ’97)
Eden Prairie, Minnesota

My daughter is a fourth-generation graduate, and I’m a third. She has three children, so we are hoping at least one of them continues the tradition. My grandfather, Irwin Wigren, was the first in the family to graduate from the U. I believe his family tree has at least 16 U of M degrees.

I count four doctorates, four master’s, and eight bachelor’s degrees.

Keith Steadland (B.S. ’82, M.E. ’02, above, second from left)
Maple Grove, Minnesota

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