Todd Ericson ‘93 has been a public relations major, a kayaking instructor, a Susquehanna wrestling coach, and an English and Spanish teacher. Now he does a little of all of these things in his current job as a founder, co-owner and guide of a travel business called Chilean Adventures.

Todd Ericson '93

Among the adventures that Ericson’s company runs are wine tours, a month-long educational kayaking trip for high schoolers (complete with tutors and a river ecologist), mountain biking trips, and a collaborative trip with the California Universities System which earns college credit over winter break. Such trips can include Chilean barbeques, volcano hiking, horseback riding, open air markets, and kayaking at a variety of levels of difficulty.

“I actually knew I wanted to explore. I could picture myself swinging in the jungle somewhere,” says Ericson of his wanderlust. “After teaching for three years in Colorado, I found myself making goals for other people, which was great, but I needed to make my own goals,” he says. “I figured I knew a lot more than most people did about Chile, I was a pretty comfortable raft guide and kayak instructor, “ he added. “I didn’t have much business background so I went back and picked that up.”

Ericson says he struggled with the few Spanish classes he took in college. However, his time in Chile has inspired him to resume the study. The real world experience has made all the difference. “I can remember learning something and thinking, ‘that’s what they were trying to tell me!’ and now I have to say that I feel all but fluent.”

Since starting his business with Chilean partner Eduardo Doerr in 2002, Ericson lives half of the year in Chile and half in Idaho. That way he can be available for the North Americans interested in his trips, and recruit customers from trips he guides in South America. He had 30 customers during the popular Chilean summer months of January and February last year.

“It’s really special to do these trips and get to see people at their best moments. They want to see stuff that they’ve never seen before, they want to experience things, smells, sights that they’ve never seen before,” he says. “I originally thought that 12 days was a lot of time for some people, but people ask me if they can stay longer. That makes me happy.”

Alumni can contact Ericson at www.ChileanAdventures.com or Casilla 709,Curicó, Chile, Telephone: 011-56-9-513-3193, or in the States at: PO Box 187, Horseshoe Bend, Idaho 83629, Telephone: (208)859-7768.

-- Erin Markel ‘07

Ben Eiben ’01: Up Close and Personal with Blue Dart Frogs

Ben Eiben ’01 fearlessly holds a beautiful, but poisonous, blue dart frog as he describes its anatomy and habits to a group of Susquehanna alumni who recently visited the Baltimore National Aquarium on the Inner Harbor in Maryland. Eiben, a herpetologist for the aquarium and resident of Codurus, Pa., explains a little known fact about poisonous frogs: when many of them are kept in captivity and fed a strict diet of fruit flies, their toxicity is greatly reduced.

Ben Eiben '01

The aquarium, houses the largest dart frog collection in captivity in the world and Eiben’s job is the general husbandry of poison dart frogs. This involves setting up and maintaining fruit fly cultures and farming crickets to produce food for the frogs. He also tracks all frog offspring and handles exhibit upkeep and renovation. Cleaning cages and managing reproduction are among his least favorite tasks, he admits, though all part of the job he has held since graduation.

Working at the aquarium fulfills “some strange naturalistic voyeurism hang-up,” says Eiben. He has always been interested in amphibians, creating terrariums as a child “for the sole purpose of getting as close as possible to the animals and to observe their lives on their turf.”

“On some levels, the happenings in the terrarium are much more interesting than what is going on around me in ‘the real world,’” Eiben added.

Though nature has always held his interest, reptiles and amphibians stood above all else for him. “Because of the interrelated aspects of ecology, I have found that pure appreciation of one group of animals will eventually lead you to a great appreciation of everything else,” he said.

He came to Susquehanna with a broad knowledge of reptiles and amphibians, but college study helped hone that knowledge with classes like limnology and invertebrate zoology. He said his senior research project aided him most in solving problems and questions at work.

Eiben added that he is often asked, “Why herpetology?” and his reply is generally, “how can someone not be interested in it?”

- Joanne Marquardt ’00 Troutman

Betsy VanTuyl ’90 Mitchell: She Spies

One could say that Betsy VanTuyl ’90 Mitchell married into the family business. Her husband, Ken, became a private investigator in 1987, working for a group of New York lawyers. Witness interviews and photographs of injuries dominated much of his work day.

Betsy VanTuyl '90 Mitchell

“He also spent a lot of time photographing hazards of all sorts; the kinds of hazards that routinely cause wounds and other injuries – potholes, broken slabs of pavement, uneven sidewalks, torn carpets and grapes on supermarket floors,” Betsy says.

“Take one grape, one polished vinyl floor and one misplaced foot, and you have a recipe for disaster and litigation. Ken learned that it is best to purchase and consume grapes only after they are safely liquefied and thoroughly fermented,” she jokes.

In 1994, the Mitchells moved to Colorado where Ken joined the Koenig Investigative Agency in Fort Collins. Ken and Betsy bought the firm in 1997, fulfilling Betsy’s dream of owning a business. Although she was a communications graduate who worked in sales and management as well as a previous stint in the Susquehanna University Office of Development, Betsy became the other half of Pathfinder Group LLC.

And being a private investigator isn’t as dangerously glamorous as portrayed on TV, she says. “The work of a private investigator is invariably misrepresented by outsiders who endeavor to describe it. We do not get pistol barrels jammed in our ribs in dimly lit parking garages, nor do we get assaulted by intruders when we go to the office at night,” she adds.

“The closest I ever came to risking serious bodily injury happened during a surveillance assignment involving an insurance claimant who had gone elk hunting. While scouting out a location from which to monitor the claimant’s activities, we took a short hike through the forest (and) lingered a bit too long under a tree with strange gouges in the bark,” she explains. “The source of the gouges became clear to us when a mountain lion growled to signal his displeasure at our presence 10 feet below his perch. We made a cautious retreat to our camp, and decided our vehicle and pup tent were more secure locations for getting the video footage we needed.”

-- Victoria Kidd

Alumni Contribute Strong Presence in ELCA

Executive Director of Outdoor Ministries Mark Burkhardt ’76
Women of the ELCA Executive Director Linda Post ’81 Bushkofsky
Trinity Lutheran Seminary Professor C. Lynn Nakamura ’78
Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod Bishop Kevin Kanouse ’75
Luthercare President Foster McCurley ’59

Given the university’s longstanding ties with the Evangelical Lutheran Church, it’s not surprising that Susquehanna alumni currently hold key positions in the church. But the variety of the activities those positions encompass might surprise you. Writer Mary Cammerata Markle brings us up to date with five educators, clergy, and executives.

Outdoor Ministries ‘More than Summer Camp’

Mark Burkhardt '76

What do a teenager from Tanzania and a grandmother from Illinois have in common? The opportunity to share the outdoors, fellowship and the arts through the Outdoor Ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) headquartered in Chicago. As the ELCA’s Executive Director of Outdoor Ministries, Mark Burkhardt ‘76 is determined that his program remain strong and diverse. “We are much more than summer camp with a side of religion.”

Campers come to any one of the 145 camps and retreat centers throughout the country. There they experience spiritual growth through music, the arts and connecting with nature. Burkhardt says a particularly popular camp invites grandparents and grandchildren to come and connect or reconnect. Beyond the camps, participants have the opportunity to serve in homeless shelters, and soup kitchens. Some travel abroad with Habitat for Humanity and Lutheran World Relief. “One of the great joys of my ministry is our work with the international counselor program which brings 40 young adults from partner churches throughout the world to our camps, “ says Burkhardt. “We are also currently involved in building some camping programs in Africa.”

ELCA Women Tackle Local and Global Issues

Linda Post ’81 Bushkofsky

The mission of the Women of the ELCA’s mission is to mobilize women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ. And Executive Director Linda Post ’81 Bushkofsky takes on the job of making it all happen. Also headquartered in Chicago, the organization provides support for women throughout 11,000 congregations, publishes a magazine and newsletter, and orchestrates personal consultations on leadership and stewardship.

The group’s ministry is dedicated to women and children living in poverty. Many units run thrift shops and latch key programs and often participate in local government to change situations that perpetuate poverty. Involvement in Lutheran World Relief extends the efforts internationally. Women also sponsor prayer ministries, bible studies, and book groups in local congregations. Bushkofsky says her experience at Susquehanna, and later practicing law and being professionally involved with the church since 1993, prepared her well for this job. “When I heard about the position, I saw it as a call. My passion has always been about the voice and role of women. That, along with my professional experience, seemed to make me the right choice,” she explains. “I’d like to grow old in this position.”

Leading Seminarians to the Questions

C. Lynn Nakamura ’78

“Reading the Bible is a lot like playing Jeopardy. We’re given the answers and we just need to figure out the questions,” says C. Lynn Nakamura ’78, a professor at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. Nakamura has been teaching the Old Testament to seminarians for 16 years, and, she insists, students do figure out the questions. “The biggest hurdle in covering the Old Testament is to understand the context from which it arises and so much of that is foreign to students. If we believe that Christ interacts with people wherever they are, then we need to understand those contexts.” Nakamura gauges success with students by how much they have grown in their faith and understanding of the word of God and whether they understand it in enough depth to teach or preach themselves.

Since 1996 Nakamura has also been teaching Learning Technologies at Trinity. Outside of Trinity Beyond the Seminary, she is a facilitator of the Love and Logic parenting approach.

A More Inviting Church

Kevin Kanouse ’75

When Kevin Kanouse ’75 was elected bishop of the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod of the Lutheran Church, he described his first order of business as to “listen to the parishes and respond to what I hear.” Three years into his service, he shares both stories and responses. “I heard so many stories of congregations losing their young people. These once strong parishes were dwindling and struggling to keep their doors open. I knew we needed to fulfill the Great Comission; to make disciples of people. We train ministers and lay people to reach out, teaching longtime Lutherans to recruit.” And that, says Kanouse, requires overcoming a significant obstacle. “Lutherans can often be private about their faith and that is not what Christ taught us. It’s ok for faith to be personal but not private. We are learning to be a more inviting church, learning how to talk about how Christ saved us, how to go beyond the personal to community. That’s the trick.” Kanouse adds that he is encouraged by the growth of youth ministry. “Young people are energized and learning that there is a place for them.”

Helping Luthercare Focus on Mission

Foster McCurley ’59

A year-and-a-half ago Foster McCurley ’59 was counting the months till retirement. A seminary professor for more than 25 years and author of more than 20 books, he was looking forward to more time to write. Then last May, Luthercare, a social service organization operating nine facilities for senior living and childcare in the Mohnton, Pa., area, convinced him to take on a challenge and become their president.

“For me, being president of Luthercare is a culmination of my experiences in teaching and social ministry,” Says McCurley. And serving as both Theologian-in-Residence for Lutheran Services of America and President of Luthercare allows him to connect broader issues and local ones regarding health care and the needs of people, he adds. “That’s good for Luthercare and for LSA.” And though he sees the Luthercare board and staff struggle regularly to carry out their mission while meeting budget demands, McCurley remains hopeful. “I think this management and board have a good sense of why they exist. They are able to weather these times because they keep that focus.”