The 2011 Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) commencement ceremony held on Friday, May 13, at 10:30 a.m., in the Ronald Younge Gymnasium on the BLC campus.
The commencement speaker was the Reverend Erwin Ekhoff, member of the Bethany Lutheran College Board of Regents. Ekhoff currently serves as the administrative pastor at King of Grace Lutheran Church in Golden Valley, Minnesota.
During the ceremony, the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award was presented to Willis Anthony. Anthony, of Norseland, Minnesota, attended high school and junior college at Bethany before attending Iowa State University and the University of Minnesota (U of M) where he received his bachelor of arts degree. He continued his education at the U of M earning a master’s in agricultural economics and a Ph.D. in agricultural and applied economics. He also studied law at the U of M.
After earning his degrees, Anthony worked two years as an agricultural economist for the United States Department of Agriculture and taught agricultural and applied economics at the U of M between the years 1967 and 1981. He returned to Norseland in 1981 to run the family farm. Anthony Farms, Inc. is a 2600-acre grain farm and Josie’s Pork Farm finishes approximately 24,500 pigs per year. Anthony has provided consulting expertise in a variety of agricultural venues including the Board of Directors of the U.S. Grains Council; and Executive Board of the Council on Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching. Anthony is a recipient of the U of M’s Applied Economics Outstanding Alumni Award and he received the U of M’s Siehl Prize for Excellence in Agriculture in 1999. He currently serves as a member of the Bethany Lutheran College Board of Regents.
Joining Ekhoff and Anthony on the commencement stage will be Dr. Dan R. Bruss, President of Bethany Lutheran College, Rev. Dr. J. Kincaid Smith, member of the Bethany Lutheran College Board of Regents, and Rev. Donald Moldstad, College Chaplain.