Distinguished Alumni Award

Jennifer Westendorf ’91 is a recipient of the 2022 University of Minnesota Morris Distinguished Alumni Award for distinguished service to the school and its students. Westendorf graduated from UMN Morris in 1991 with degrees in biology and chemistry from UMN Morris and earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Mayo Clinic Graduate School. She then performed postdoctoral training at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Vanderbilt University, returning to Mayo Clinic to lead a NIH-funded research laboratory. Her research, teaching, and mentoring activities have contributed to important advances in the study and treatment of bone diseases such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and bone cancers.

Falkum earned a biology degree in 1980 and went on to UMN Twin Cities for a Masters in Food Science. His storied career has seen stints at General Mills, Dannon, and, most recently, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas. He played a key role in getting products such as Yoplait and the Silk line of dairy substitutes onto shelves. He’s been a coach and a scout leader for decades, establishing leagues, managing teams, and leading packs and troops of Boy Scouts.

Curt Larson '68 earned the 2019 University of Minnesota, Morris Alumni Association (UMMAA) Distinguished Alumni Award. An inventor by trade, Larson spent his career creating new products at 3M.

Dennis Gimmestad '73 has enjoyed a 40-year career in historic preservation. Through his professional and volunteer activities, he has devoted his life to stewarding Minnesota's history for future generations.

Tom Mahoney ’70, of Hancock, was the creator and founding director of the Grants Development Office at the University of Minnesota, Morris. During his 25-year tenure, average grant awards rose sixfold, to nearly $1 million per year in public and private funds.

Sharon Stewart Reeves ’68, of San Diego, California, spent 38 years as a special collections librarian. As director of library services for the San Diego Union-Tribune newspapers, she was a pioneer in creating online, searchable newspaper archives.

Dr. Wehseler, physician and medical director of physician staff development at Affiliated Community Medical Center (ACMC), has been a respected member of Minnesota's medical community since 1998. His contributions to community and family medicine have earned him such honors as the Mayo Clinic Chief Resident in Family Medicine in 1998, the 2010 Minnesota Family Physician of the Year Award, and the 2011 Physician Excellence Award–ACMC system.

Goodmanson is a respected member of the New York City theatre community. He has been designing professionally for stage and television since 1993. His many stage credits include assistant scenic designer at the Public Theater and the Lyric Opera of Chicago and scenic designer at Westbeth Theatre Center and Waverly Place Theater.

Mathew J. LeFebvre ’87, professor of costume design at the University of Minnesota, began his career at the University in 1996. Since achieving the rank of associate professor in 2002, LeFebvre has produced designs for 52 professional (juried) productions at significant venues, including five off-Broadway productions, 20 for the Guthrie Theater, five for the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, four for the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, and 15 for Penumbra Theatre Company.

Robert Hansen ’73 graduated with a theatre and English double major. He earned a master’s degree in theatre while a student at Florida State University and, later, a doctorate in the same field from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Maddy Maxeiner ’76, as a Morris philosophy alum, has used her numerous talents to benefit the University of Minnesota, Morris community. Beginning her career as a freelance writer, Maxeiner volunteered for state election campaigns and worked on campus through grants.

David Eckmann ’78, chemistry major, graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Medicine and completed a residency in diagnostic radiology. His area of expertise is neuroradiology, in which he completed a fellowship.

Thomas McRoberts ’68 (1946–2010), history major, continued to be a student advocate and campus leader long after he served on Morris Campus Student Government as a student leader himself. After graduating, McRoberts earned a master of arts in history at the University of Oregon.

An award winning journalist and conservationist, Anderson is an outdoor columnist and editor for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. In 1982, he served as a principle founder and first national chairperson for Pheasants Forever, a wildlife habitat and conservation organization that now has more than 125,000 members in the United States and Canada.

With nearly 30 years of varied positions in the food and pharmaceutical industry, Kenneth Bruss ’78, chemistry, currently serves as director of technical operations for sanofi-aventis, a pharmaceuticals manufacturing firm. His role encompasses three major areas including health safety and environment, site security, and the overall facilities and maintenance area for the site including site capital investments.

An associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in the College of Education and Human Development, Michael Rodriguez '89 researches psychometric properties of tests and applied measurement with particular interest in Latino youth development and students with disabilities.

Jon Mukand graduated from UMM in 1980, receiving a bachelor of arts in chemistry and English. He earned a master of arts in English from Stanford University in 1985, a doctor of medicine degree from Medical College of Wisconsin in 1985, and a doctorate in English literature from Brown University in 1995.

Paulette Fairbanks Molin graduated in 1966, receiving a bachelor of arts in French and English. She continued her education at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where she earned a master of fine arts in 1975 and a doctorate in 1987, both in educational administration.

In 1964, Leonard Munstermann was a member of the first graduating class, earning a bachelor of arts in psychology. He was the first senior president of the Morris Campus Student Association, the first undergraduate research assistant and also served as editor of the student newspaper during his undergraduate career.

Bob Gandrud graduated in 1965 with a degree in mathematics. He immediately joined Lutheran Brotherhood, a fraternal financial services organization, as an actuary.