Valpo alumni are doing amazing things across the country and around the world — in their professional and personal lives. They’re leading industries, contributing knowledge, and serving in a multitude of ways. These class notes offer a glimpse into their activities, accomplishments, and milestones. If you have news to share with your fellow Valpo alumni, please share it below.
Published Fall/Winter 2017
Bruce Lindner
Bruce Lindner ’71 has been the executive director of the Porter County Council on Aging and Community Services for more than a decade, serving elderly, disabled, and low-income people. He has more than three decades of experience in the nonprofit sector, including 17 years as the executive director of the Portage YMCA and four years directing the Hammond YMCA.
Published Fall 2023
Donna Jean Simon
On May 8, 2023, Donna Jean Simon ’71 was sworn in as village trustee for Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She is one of six village trustees and will serve a four-year term. Trustees are the governing body for the Village of Glen Ellyn.
Deanna Schoenfeld
Deanna Schoenfeld ’71 and the Rev. King Schoenfeld have relocated to Tacoma, Washington. They are proud of their two sons, Jeffrey, the world-traveling thespian, and Jeremy, an architect in Seattle. She received a master of social work from Washington University in St. Louis and worked as a social worker for the state of Missouri until her retirement in 2009. After 50 years in St. Louis, being active in Historic Trinity Lutheran and working with community service agencies, she is ready to explore the beautiful Pacific Northwest with new friends and life in a new, old home and parish.
Published Fall 2022
Donna Jean Simon
Donna Jean Simon ’71 began her two-year term as Illinois state president of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) on July 1, 2022. AAUW began in 1881 and is one of the major funders of scholarships and graduate fellowships for deserving women worldwide. AAUW supports and promotes gender and pay equity for women and girls. Donna Jean was formerly the Northern Illinois district director and co-vice president of programs, and formerly served as the co-president of the Wheaton Glen Ellyn AAUW branch.
Published Winter 2019
Phi Sigma Epsilon
Phi Sigma Epsilon, now Phi Sigma Kappa, held a 50-year reunion for 12 members of the spring 1968 pledge class on the outer banks of North Carolina in September 2018. Members included two pastors, two lawyers, two railroad executives, a doctor, an engineer, a bank vice president, a college dean, a real estate magnate, and a government operative. A decision was made to not wait another 50 years for a reunion.