The purpose of the Concordia College Alumni Achievement Award and Sent Forth Award is to honor alumni who have exemplified the ideals of Concordia College through outstanding service and leadership in their profession, community and church. These individuals have profoundly influenced the affairs of the world through thought, word and deed.
Nominate someone for either of these awards.
2012 Alumni Achievement Award Recipients
Dr. Thomas Berquist ‘67
Dr. Thomas Berquist, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., has served in the highest
leadership and teaching positions at the Mayo Clinics, and is one of the
founding doctors who pioneered the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville site, where
he established the first residency program in radiology and chaired the
radiology department. Berquist has distinguished himself as an internationally
and nationally recognized diagnostic radiologist with specialty expertise in
musculoskeletal imaging. He is the author of hundreds of peer-reviewed articles
in medical journals and has written several radiology textbooks. He is credited
with providing the vision and direction for all educational activity at Mayo,
where he is revered as a model educational leader.
Ronald Gadberry ‘58
In his 45-year teaching and coaching career, Ronald Gadberry, Fargo, N.D.,
influenced young lives as a model of integrity and good character. He built
perennial powerhouse wrestling programs at Moorhead and Hillsboro high
schools, and has the rare distinction of being chosen to coaching halls of fame
in two states – Minnesota and North Dakota. A man of faith, Gadberry is well
respected and well known for building deep and life-changing mentoring
relationships with hundreds of students who credit him for being a lasting
influence in their lives.
Dr. Patricia Kubow ‘89
Dr. Patricia Kubow, Bowling Green, Ohio, has built an international reputation
as a leading voice in collegiate education. The themes of citizenship and
democratic education has been at the heart of her work. Kubow is an education
professor at Bowling Green State University, where she has built close contacts
and associates in all corners of the globe, and her national and international
networks continue to grow. She is the recipient of the Outstanding Citizen
Achievement Award by the United States Agency for International Development.
She is a member of the 1988 Concordia women’s basketball national
championship team, a two-time academic All-American and a member of the
Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame.
Allan Stokke ‘62
Allan Stokke, Newport Beach, Calif., is generally regarded as one of the finest
criminal defense attorneys in southern California and one of only a handful to
be included in the “Best Lawyers in America” listing. Stokke has co-authored
legal textbooks and is a frequent speaker on legal and ethical issues. During his
47-year legal career he has earned a solid reputation for high integrity, strong
work ethic and as a dedicated community volunteer. Ever true to his rural
upbringing, he returns to his family’s Red River Valley grain farm each summer to
help with harvest.
2012 Sent Forth Award Recipient
Joanna Thiele '97
Joanna is a registered nurse specializing in labor and delivery at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minn. She is the co-founder and former board member of the nonprofit Haiti Mission Project, which brings much-needed relief to the impoverished island nation.
Since 2005, Joanna has been both missionary and fundraiser for the Haiti Mission Project. Her efforts have helped build an orphanage, medical clinic and food storage building, in addition to helping countless individuals. Joanna’s work in Haiti exemplifies her sharing of God’s hope and love with those who feel hopeless, all the while making enduring friendships. She is about to embark on her 15th volunteer trip there.
After narrowly escaping injury in the 2010 earthquake, Joanna helped organize a field hospital and personally staffed the pharmacy, working each day until the job was done. The director of a maternity center in Port-au-Prince recalls Joanna’s 16-hour workdays and her calm, level headed, kind and affectionate care to the hundreds of wounded.
Joanna’s response to the call to serve is an inspiration to others who are moved by her vision for helping the people of Haiti. Because of her, many others have volunteered in Haiti and have fallen in love with the people of that beleaguered country.
Joanna’s volunteer work has included mentoring high school and college students, food packing at the Feed My Starving Children program, and hospice. In recognition of her volunteerism, she has received the Park Nicollet Health Services Community Service award and the Sarah Harrison Knight award.