Clovia - University of Minnesota

C L O V I A B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S President Maureen Meier '75 maureen.meier75@gmail.com Vice President Rachael Rostad Peterson '16 rachael.peterson021@gmail.com Secretary Deb Mayo Binder '91 dckbinder@gmail.com Treasurer Sally Frandrup Borst '20 cloviatreasurer@gmail.com Alumnae/Active Liaison Kirsten Pagel '14 pagel.kirsten@gmail.com Property Maintenance Linda Grieme '77 lindagrieme85@gmail.com Sisterhood Engagement Brenna Connelly '23 blconnelly4@gmail.com Finance and Fundraising Julie Bosch Drechsler '91 juliedrechsler1968@gmail.com Communications Karla Krenik Mayer '82 jkmayer4@msn.com Active Chapter President Natalie Beckendorf beck1816@umn.edu Written by Jan Strand '62 B etty Brakken Sandager '48, a farm girl living in rural Carlos, Minnesota, was a good student and looking forward to graduation when a teacher encouraged her to consider attending the University of Minnesota. She had traveled to St. Paul before to exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair, so she was eager to accept this new challenge. After one quarter, she pledged Beta of Clovia and found the Clovia sisters a wonderful addition to college life and a new experience, as her family consisted of just one brother. Betty recalled that Mother Foster sewed wedding dresses for the Clovia girls during her time in the house. After World War II, as the GIs were returning to campus, the members found many opportunities for dates! Betty met Lee Sandager on campus; they were married when they graduated in 1948. After teaching for two years in Climax, Minnesota, the couple moved to Forest Lake where Lee taught and continued academic coursework. Betty stayed at home with the children for a few years. While reading an educational journal, Betty discovered that Columbia University was recruiting experienced professionals for a teacher training program in Kenya. She encouraged Lee to apply, and after some convincing, he agreed. They accepted a two-year assignment in Kenya, East Africa, taking a leave of absence from Forest Lake schools. The assignment included training teachers and writing agricultural curricula for Kenyan schools. While they were stationed 90 miles from Nairobi on a small campus, their sons (4th and 6th grade) attended a boarding school in Nairobi, populated by privileged African children and children of missionaries. Their 9th-grade daughter attended an American school in Germany, living with their former German exchange student and his wife. Their oldest son, a recent high school graduate, lived with them for the first year, working in the campus library, before returning to study at the University of Minnesota. It was an unforgettable opportunity for the children! During those two years, Betty taught English and home economics to tribal students who attended for months at a time. They were one of 17 couples from the U.S. offering coursework in the sciences, music, English, agriculture, home economics, etc. At the end of their leave of absence, Betty and Lee returned to their teaching positions in Forest Lake. About 10 years later, they took another two-year leave, this time working in Tanzania. Their children were not involved on this assignment. Betty said this was a more difficult service because the Communists had left the area in poor condition. In total, Lee taught for 34 years, and Betty taught for 19 years. During the later teaching years, Lee also did voluntary short-term assignments for USAID in Uganda, Ethiopia, Russia, Hungary, Central America, and China, with Betty and the kids coming along for several of those adventures. All four children are now graduates of the University of Minnesota. Now widowed, Betty, 98 years young, spends summers at her home in the Scandia area and winter months in her home at Sun City West, Arizona. She is very interested in the Clovia efforts to rebuild and remains engaged with the sisterhood! FROM MINNESOTA Full Steam Ahead UPDATES ON BUILDING THE BEST BETTER PROJECT S ince our last Clippings, the committee and our architect, Tim Fuller, have been hard at work. Tim guided the group through the design development phase, which included everything from finalizing an interior floor plan and confirming ADA requirements are met to making preliminary choices around flooring, bath fixtures, and more. We recently engaged LoriLynn Olafson Uter '92, a professional interior designer, to assist with the next phases of the project. Her experience in the field, collaborative approach, and understanding of our sisterhood will be an asset to the project team. With initial design choices in hand, the design development phase culminated in a first-pass cost estimate for the project. The committee received this estimate in early June and is reviewing it. We are grateful for the continued engagement of our project committee, Liz Rabbe Knutson '14, Randy Knutson, Johanna Knorr '17, Robin Tidd '21, Linda Grieme '77, Julie Bosch Drechsler '91, and Lauren Servick '15. We also welcome your questions and feedback! Contact Linda Grieme at lindagrieme85@gmail.com for more information and to find out how you can get involved in the exciting process. The Life Journeys of Betty Brakken Sandager '48 TO AFRICA...AND BACK! Jan (left) shares coffee and cookies with Betty.

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