LINDSBORG, KS. MAY 6, 2025 — As Bethany College celebrates the accomplishments of the Class of 2025, one graduate's walk across the stage represents an unfinished dream now fulfilled more than five decades later. In 1970, Marilyn Allen Peterson was just one class away from earning her degree in elementary education from Bethany College. But when her husband, Dr. Thomas Peterson (Bethany Class of 1968), was called into military service during the Vietnam War, the couple relocated to Arizona with little notice. In the midst of the move, Marilyn was unable to complete her final requirement: a single science elective. Earlier this year, Dr. Peterson contacted Bethany College to share his wife’s story and asked a simple question: Could she still finish what she started? Thanks to the efforts of faculty and staff who dug into old catalogs, found the transcripts stored on microfilm, and brainstormed creative solutions for completing that final requirement, we are proud to say: yes, she could—and she did. With her final credit completed, Marilyn became eligible to receive her degree. At age 76, Marilyn Allen Peterson officially joins the Bethany College Class of 2025. During Commencement, she was recognized with heartfelt applause from the entire Bethany community. "Marilyn, on behalf of Bethany College, we celebrate your dedication, your patience, and your enduring Swede spirit," said Dr. Laura Crawley, President of Bethany College. "Let this moment remind us all that it’s never too late to finish what we start, and that some of the most meaningful victories are the ones that take a little longer to reach." Marilyn’s story is not only a tribute to personal perseverance, but also a testament to the lifelong bonds formed at Bethany College and the value of returning to one’s roots to complete the journey. The full Commencement Ceremony is available to view online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0Dee6oUH3k Photos from the event can be found at: https://jimturner.zenfolio.com/bethanygraduation2025 Learn more about our Baccalaureate and Commencement speakers here: https://www.bethanylb.edu/bethany-college-baccalaureate-and-commencement-speakers The full graduation press release can also be found on our website at: https://www.bethanylb.edu/congratulations-2025-graduates Bethany College is a liberal arts institution located in Lindsborg, Kansas, and was established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881. For over 140 years, Bethany has been dedicated to educating, developing, and challenging individuals to pursue truth and excellence while leading lives of faith, learning, and service. At Bethany, students join a community of dedicated educators and caring mentors who support them as they discover, explore, and navigate their purpose. Bethany College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Warren & Lynnda Peterson Olson dated while in high school at Lindsborg and then married while in college. We are blessed with 3 children and 9 grandchildren. Moved back to Lynnda’s home where she grew up in Lindsborg four years ago and so BLESSED to be back home

I met Barb Krone ('81) when she was a freshman and I was a Sophomore. I was looking for recruits for my intramural team. Her brother was an All American basketball player at Bethany so I figured she was athletic too. I WAS WRONG! In early 1981 she not only got a degree from Bethany but a husband too. We were married in the Burnett Center on campus and had our reception in the Levin Room.

Class of 2009. They met early their freshman year when Adam, who lived in the basement of Anna Marm, was being voluntold by his RA that he was going to choir tryouts. He remembers begrudgingly going to the stairs and looking up at this beautiful brunette standing at the top of the staircase! Love at first sight! They reside in McPherson where Kelsey homeschools their 4 children and Adam is a mail carrier.

I am Courtney Lopez (Gallardo) my husband is Robert Lopez! We met in 2008 at Bethany, we were both in Psych 101 together! I ran track, Robert played soccer. We started dating 2009 our sophomore year! We are now married, coming up on 8 years and have two kiddos!

My husband Kirk and I met at Bethany and have been happily married for 33 ½ years. I graduated in May 1987 and Kirk in the summer of 1987 (due to laying out a semester his sophomore year). We were both in Prof Murphy’s statistics class, Kirk an hour prior to mine. So we met each other in the hallway each day and there was the introductory small talk, the fall semester in 1985. We finally both attended a similar function on a weekend (Sled Dog, not too glamorous! ) and the rest is history. Not super romantic, but that isn’t really our style either.

I was in my Junior year at Bethany College, casting and directing a play I had written as a sophomore for Playwriting class. Casting night had just wrapped up, I had all my parts picked out and was excited for the show. The next day, I get a call from Greg LeGault, the Theater professor, saying "There's a stupid freshmen boy who forgot the dates of the audition, and he still wants to try out for your show. It's up to you - do you want to meet with him and see if you want him?" I said, "Stupid freshmen boy, but yes, I will give him a shot." So, I met with the boy in Burnett, and had to read the lines on stage with him so he could do his part, and we just kind of clicked. I couldn't really shake the "stupid freshmen boy" from my mind, and wanted to give him a good part in the play, but since I had already cast, there wasn't really a good spot to put him. But since I was both the director and playwright, I literally just wrote in a new character the day before we printed scripts, and just created a whole new part and dialogue so that I could cast him and work with him some more in rehearsals. (Total abuse of power, I get it.) AND, since I was his director, I had his cell phone number, and we started talking. We were also in choir together, I was the choir Vice President and Chaplin. I wasn't really sure if he liked me or not, and I was trying to keep it professional since I was his director in the show. But, Dr. Lucas was holding a choir BBQ at his house, right behind the college, and everyone was invited. Noah started texting me all these questions about the BBQ, like what time was it, what to bring, etc., and then finally was like "I have no idea where it's at, can you walk me there?" And I said "It's literally a block behind the school. Walk straight west from Presser and you can't miss it." And I sent him the address and a screenshot from google maps, and still he said, "Nope, I'll definitely get lost, you better just walk me there." And I didn't put together that this was his version of basically asking me out, which would have been a great little intro "date'" except, as mentioned, the walk was literally only a block and then we were with 40 other people, which Noah later admitted he hadn't thought through and thought he had more time, as he puts it, to "put on the moves." The rest is kind of history in a way. Through Theater, we did at least 3 more shows together, either acting, directing or stage managing. Through Choir, we toured all over the country, and then also internationally to Germany and Sweden. (The same choir tour my mom went on exactly 30 years before me at Bethany. You can tell in the pictures she has, and the ones I have, that we are standing in exactly the same spots overseas, decades apart.) Noah was also a Sig, and I was an Omega, so through Greek Life, we were Sig/Omega sweethearts. We also worked together on the Student Activities Board. He first said he loved me, and later proposed, on Coronado Heights. We took our wedding pictures across Lindsborg and down by the Old Mill, some of our favorite dates were going to the Kanopolis Drive in and meals at Farleys for open mic nights, and coffee dates and poetry nights at the White Peacock. Not to mention late night foodie binges to Panchos and KAPS for pizza. The first gift I ever bought Noah, was for christmas, a little red Dala Horse ornament that I had painted our initials on, "N + S" (it was very small, that's all that ever fit, lol.) And we hang it in our kitchen window now. At our wedding - Our programs of the day were called "Playbills", kind of a nod towards us meeting through theater. And Dr. Lucas was in attendance, since he watched us both grow up through his choir, and so were 2 other Bethany faculty and several Sigs/Omegas. I graduated in 2018 - Noah ended up leaving early before he officially graduated, but he is definitely a Swede through and through. He often dressed as the Mascot for different events and sport games. Today, we both work together at Bethany in the Admissions office, and live 3 blocks away from campus with our dog who's our baby, Ranger. We spend all our days in the place we found each other and fell in love, and get to witness and recruit all these new Bethany Swedes and watch them all find their friends and spouses and so much more, and it's really a beautiful thing. And here we are 5 years later - and I married the stupid freshmen boy, and am so very glad that I did. Even though I still have to help him remember deadlines, lol.

Melissa (Pressnall) Mihalcin (class of 2014) and Jason Mihalcin (class of 2013). We met in a Chemistry class with Dr. Lockyear. We were the math/science tutors in the evenings, got to know each other and became good friends. We both dated other people throughout college and we stayed in touch frequently after graduation. It wasn't until late 2015 while I was in graduate school that we started dating. We got married in 2019, moved out to Colorado, and are now expecting a baby boy in May!

My husband Bruce Erickson and I met at Bethany- we were both biology majors. Did not notice each other very much until a summer was spent studying Genetics with Dr. Glenn Bellah. Summer on campus was kind of slow- we started dating at the end of the summer. We just celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary this month. We even got married at Bethany Lutheran Church on Main Street. Many in our wedding party were friends from Bethany. We had to get special permission for them to come back and stay on campus before interterm started. Lambert Dhalsten- was the organist- all musicians participating in our wedding were associated with Bethany.