Concordia confer honorary degrees at commencement

Published by Concordia University, Nebraska 14 years ago on Fri, Apr 29, 2011 12:28 PM

Five individuals and one couple were recognized with awards and honorary degrees at Concordia University, Nebraska’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 7.

Distinguished Service Award

Roger Glawatz, Seward, Neb., will receive the Distinguished Service Award. It is presented to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding public service. A 1966 graduate of Concordia, Glawatz was an educator at St. Paul Lutheran School in Strasburg, Ill., for seven years. He returned to Seward in 1973 and began his work as a vocational rehabilitation specialist with the Nebraska State Department of Education. Soon after his return, he became involved in public service, serving on the planning commission, city council and as mayor. He is the longest-serving mayor in Seward’s history. Glawatz is a past Concordia Board of Regents member and Alumni Council president and is currently a Concordia Foundation Nebraska Director.

Master Educator Award

Because of his dedication to the music education of students at Immanuel Lutheran School for nearly four decades, Allen Loesel, St. Charles, Mo., is being honored with Concordia’s Master Educator Award. After earning his bachelor’s degree in teaching at Concordia in 1973, he continued his education and earned a Master of Church Music degree from Concordia University, River Forest, Ill., in 1981. He also has served as music director for national events including the opening worship service for a Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod national convention and LCMS Great Commission Convocation worship services. He directed worship life for LCMS National Youth Gatherings in 2004, 2007 and 2010.

Crest of Christ Award

The Crest of Christ Award recognizes those who support and sustain the public ministries and work of the church-at-large in a quiet and deliberate fashion. This year’s recipients are Richard Buethe and William and Leona Kernen.

Richard Buethe, Lincoln, Neb., graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1962 with a degree in education and taught music in Plymouth, Neb., public schools. Buethe later worked as an underwriter at State Farm and a loan officer at First Federal before starting his own insurance firm in Lincoln in 1972. He traveled to Haiti for the first time in January 1980, working with Rev. Dr. Doris Jean Louis, the founder of the Haitian Lutheran church. Buethe helped Louis gain official governmental recognition for the church body, now called the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti. Buethe is the executive director of the Haiti Lutheran Mission Society, USA, formed in the 1980s to help the churches in Haiti.

William and Leona Kernen, Omaha, Neb., have used their resources and knowledge to further the Christian Gospel around the world. After graduating from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Bill began his career as an accountant at Peter Kiewit Sons and then joined the Omaha World Herald Company in 1974, where he worked his way up to senior vice president and CFO. Bill uses his financial expertise to assist educational and charitable organizations. He helped establish foundations for the United Way of the Midlands and Concordia Lutheran Schools of Omaha. He is a past member of the Board of Regents at Concordia University and continues to serve as a Concordia Foundation Nebraska director. Leona began her career at the Carpenter Paper Company after graduating from the American Institute of Business with an executive secretary degree. She then became a full-time homemaker, mother and volunteer. The couple supports the ministries of Lutheran Family Services in Nebraska. The Kernens founded Kernen Partners LLC and Kernen Family Investments LLC. Through these vehicles, they now manage their investments as well as pass on their knowledge of personal financial management and the importance of Christian stewardship.

Doctor of Letters

Concordia will award a Doctor of Letters degree to Dr. Sandra Hodges, Omaha, Neb., for her distinguished and creative contributions to the world of learning and service. After her graduation from Wayne State College with a degree in education in 1973, Hodges spent nine years teaching first through fourth grade in the Omaha Public Schools. She earned her master’s degree in educational administration in 1982 and became the principal of Mount View Elementary in Omaha. After seven years as principal, she joined the OPS district offices in the human resource department and in 1999 was appointed assistant superintendant. A frequent presenter, she served the Nebraska State Department of Education as a member of the No Child Left Behind and the Substitute Teacher task forces, was a panelist on the Congressional Debriefing on Teacher Quality in 2009 and traveled to South Africa for the National Alliance of Black School Educators 2004 International Educational Symposium.

Doctor of Laws

David Sommermeyer, Fort Wayne, Ind., will be awarded a Doctor of Laws degree for the prolonged demonstration of superior service and dedication to a field of study. Following his graduation from Concordia in 1966, Sommermeyer moved to New York where he taught at Long Island Lutheran High School. He remained there for 14 years, during which time he was a teacher, coach, junior high principal, assistant high school principal, athletic director and business administrator. In 1980 he moved to Houston to help lead the new Lutheran High North, which tripled in enrollment during his eight years there. In 1988, Sommermeyer became the director of the Lutheran Education Association of Houston. In his time there he assisted in the relocation and growth of Lutheran South Academy and the opening of Westlake Preparatory Lutheran School.

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