Herb Hedstrom

I was only at Earlham College for two years, since I transferred in from another college.  Nevertheless, those are memorable years.  I particularly cherish the memories of some fine teachers at EC, singing in the choir under Leonard Holvik, and the 1962 Mayday celebration.  Perhaps because my stay at EC was relatively short I haven’t been very good at staying in touch with classmates. 

After graduation I spent a year at Duke in philosophy but soon realized that I could no longer ignore a long-felt call to enter ministry.  (I did eventually finish an MA at Duke.)  So from Duke I went to Yale Divinity School.  At the end of my first year at Yale I married Louise Westberg, and she studied at Yale School of Nursing.  After Yale I spent five years as the co-pastor of an inner city congregation in Chicago, and then moved to Glenview, IL, where Louise and I raised our three children (Elizabeth, married to Scott Ward and mother of twins with a third on the way, Mark (married to Dar Brooks and father of Silas), and Matthew (married to Sarah Mullen).  While in Glenview I received a DMin degree from McCormick Theological Seminary.  After twenty-three years as a pastor in Glenview we moved to Elgin, IL, where I finished my years of ministry and where we still live.  During most of those years of ministry Louise taught nursing at North Park College (now University) in Chicago.

            We have kept busy in retirement, including a five week stay earlier this year in Egypt helping care for our grandson Silas while his mom worked on an archeological dig and his dad finished out the school year teaching high school physics in Dayton.  We will go back to visit them in February—Dar has a Fulbright for the ’07-’08 school year.  I’ve also remained active in church life, including moderating the 2007 annual meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church, our denomination.  Unfortunately I won’t be at the reunion weekend—I long ago promised to fill in that weekend at the Lutheran church we often attend here in Elgin.  Greet everyone for me.

Herbert J. Hedstrom

hhedstrom@sbcglobal.net