How many times have we said, "Just a minute,” either in celebration, humiliation and sometimes in devastation?  How much power does one moment of our lives have over what we are and do?

It was the 17th of June, 2010 when the tornado struck its ugly blow on the areas around here.  It has been a year since people have been trying to undo some of the unique ways of destruction that took place in that second. 

It is still sad to see all of the many, many beautiful trees that were destroyed or damaged in that "second of time.” I am so very thankful that no lives were lost here in our immediate area.

Luckily, the tornado struck when it did and not a few hours later when people would ordinarily have been in bed.  It is enough to make one cringe at the thought.  Bad as it was, it could have been worse.  Time has not erased the thoughts and sight that followed this devastation.

I recently took a mini tour of the area to see what a difference a second made, and how much difference a year makes. Evidence of that tornado is everywhere. 

As I looked at all the tattered oaks still standing, I could see the empty spaces, but there are leaves struggling to come out and grace the limbs. It’s a sign of God, giving hope and promise. 

Thank goodness the people here in our corner of the world were able to rely on themselves, their families, friends and neighbors, not allowing the tornado to completely destroy them. They just got busy and picked up the pieces, so to speak, and have been doing what they could to move forward and be thankful for each and every day.

My mind wanders to Joplin, Missouri and the havoc caused there recently. I think of those parents whose joy changed to tears over their young people who made it through 18 years and lost it all in a second.

When I heard of the miracles that occurred recently from the tornados, like the baby crying in a tree top, still strapped in its infant seat, the song, "Rock a bye baby, in the tree top - when the wind blows the cradle will rock" took on new meaning. I quickly said a prayer to our Lord up above.

 I am reminded of the tornado that hit "in a second" in Roseville when my husband, Daryl, was playing fast pitch softball.  My own little girl was there with us and in a second - gone.  We frantically searched through the storm and rain to find her. 

We are so very thankful we had a happy ending to our story, as another ball player picked her up to find a place of safety. He did not know who she was. He just wanted to help her.

It wasn't until another ball player remembered that an opposing team member had a little girl, that he brought her to us.  We didn't know where she was for a long time. It would be impossible to describe the feeling of desperation, helplessness we felt during that time. We were fortunate. 

I can only grieve and pray for those people whose search must be endless. It saddens me to see the face of a father on television who had looked for three days steady and said, "dead or alive, I have to find him.”

Even our daughter, Keralyn, still remembers that awful day, even though she was just a toddler.   Lest we forget, prayers are always said in good times and in bad.  Prayers of thankfulness and prayers of need.

When someone says just a second or just a moment, remember how important that moment of time may be.

How can some people blame God when He is all we have to depend on?

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented that they like to read about the local happenings and family events such as family and school reunions, birthday and anniversary celebrations, and birth and wedding announcements. In order to read about these important things, we need our faithful readers to pass along the information to us, so we can then pass along the news to you.  If you have news to share, please contact me.

Also, if our NRHEG Star Eagle readers would like to share birthdays and anniversaries of your family and friends, or you know of some that should be deleted, or names have changed, please contact me via e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; by postal mail, P. O. Box 192, Geneva, MN 56035 or telephone, 507-256-4405.

• Thursday, June 9th: Torsten & Melissa Wayne, Rhonda (Lund) & Troy Thevenot, LeRoy & Gladys Peterson, Lexi Wayne, Ahinka Jensen, Sharon Lageson, Bennett Ver Hey, Carrie Paulson, Karen Swearingen Cox, Dana Waltz, Greg Smith, Tait Ingvaldson, Kenny Toft

• Friday, June 10th: Arnold Lund, his 92nd; Warren Wayne, Samantha Mae Schumacher, Kathy Allard, David Ellis, Chuck Groth, Jamie Weller, Margaret Reese, Forest Peterson, Adam Wacek, London Avery, Sarah (Cornelius) & Rob Routh, Marv & Pat Schulz, Missy (Lonning) & Paul Richards

• Saturday, June 11th: Bill & Ann Klemmensen, Angie & Thad Aaseth, Rick & Becky Johnson, Andy Lerberg, Zoie Marie Jensen, Diana Ritz, Matthew Horan, John Xavier, Mary Simon, and Karen Carlsen

• Sunday, June 12th: Nancy Ver Hey, Hanna Gail Crabtree, John Wallace, Charlotte Hill, Grant Pavek, Keith & Teresa McDonald, Ryan & Amanda (Reese) Beavens and Ron & Julie Peterson

• Monday, June 13th: Ron & Joanne Christensen, Steve & Rhonda Christensen, Fran & Fred Kenady, Marilyn & Gary Ulland, Keith & Kristin Hamberg, Kaden Jon Homuth, Ellis Reese, Cory Donald Haberman, Brent Reese, Ray Otteson, Tira Vangen, Corey Haberman, Tristan Richards, and Gary Jepson

• Tuesday, June 14th: Camille Marjean Dunlap, Summer Stieglbauer, Kelly Wacek, David Broskoff, James Deml, Obert Osmundson Jr., Richard Peterson, Mitchell Kubat and Michael & Stacy Keith  

• Wednesday, June 15th: Donny & Mavis Bartsch, Dale & Nadine Strenge, Dale & Marlene Peterson, DeWayne Hagen, James Bremer, Dale Anderson, Jennifer Robertson, Kathy Jensen, Kim Nelson, Logan Vietze, Ken Sable, and Ovanna Haried

• Thursday, June 16th: Andren Richard Aaseth, Aven Leo Aaseth, Emily Otto, Bethany Otto Mikesell, Doug Smith, Lorraine Wallace, Vonda Humburg, Kenny Evenson, Kari Ingvaldson, Heather (Crabtree) & Keith Krenke, Rochelle (Butler) & Brent Chapman, Tracy & Paul Marcus, Richard & Becky Axmann, Kim (Anderson) & Rich Schneider and Dale & Marlene Peterson

• Friday, June 17th: Kimberly & Mike Luhring, Jim & Jeanne Worrell, Tiffany (Moon) & Josh Krueger, Natalie Jean Aaseth, Jim Hohansee, Eric Tobiason, Joshua Churchill, Aaron Casterton, Matthew Xavier, Tim Butler, and Anna Kay Hardyman.

Wishing you quiet moments of beauty on your special day!

Each year, we celebrate Memorial Day to pay tribute to our fallen service men and women and to honor those who served. This past week, we also saw the soldiers of Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division deployed for active duty in Kuwait. As a veteran, I can only wish them well and say that I’m proud to call them my neighbors.

In looking back over the years, I can say that I have done my share of camping and fishing on Memorial Day weekend. There were very few of them that were sunny, mild and dry. It seemed that every Memorial Day weekend was either rainy, cool or both, but that has never stopped me from trying it again.

There were many years that a group of us would stay at the same campground in Waterville on that weekend. I always brought the boat and my fishing gear along just in case the weather was nice enough for fishing. I finally am able to admit that camping without fishing was pretty hard for me to do.

Over the years, we actually had some pretty good luck fishing on that weekend. On one of those occasions, my friend Russ and I ventured to a little lake west of Waterville. I am sure that Russ had the same line on his reel that came with it when he bought it. I, on the other hand, had meticulously taken my reels apart and greased and lubed all the moveable parts. After the maintenance was done, I replaced all the line with new as instructed by Al Linder who I considered “the” fishing guru back then. According to In-Fisherman, “the fisherman’s bible,” I was set to go.

As we started fishing on that little lake, I noticed Russ had about five split shots on his line from past years, along with this dusty old Mister Twister jig. I mentioned to him that he didn’t need all that weight and should probably use a different jig, but he said he was fine and would stick with what he had. After he had reeled in his fifth or sixth fish and I had finally battled my first one to the boat, I decided that giving fishing advice should probably be left up to others.

On one of those memorable weekends, it rained almost the whole time and we were still tenting at that time. Brad, my youngest, came down with “pink-eye,” but by the time we noticed it, he had already shared it with the other kids that were camping with us. I think that we heard about that from their parents for quite a few years to follow.

Over the years, I have been able to start each of my grandsons out on their fishing endeavors with some pretty good success. Trevor, my oldest grandson, has turned out to be quite the fisherman. His love for fishing and the outdoors reminds me of when I was younger. As a kid I lived to fish, especially in the summertime. Trevor fishes pretty much year-round except for a little break in the fall when he takes time out to hunt.

It makes me feel good when I watch him and his brother Taylor enjoy fishing and hunting as much as they do. Their cousin Dylan also likes to fish and has also started to hunt.

Trevor still likes to go to Twin Lakes and fish for carp in the “crick” whenever he has time. Grant, the youngest of my grandsons, also enjoys hunting carp in Twin Lakes, although spearing is more to his liking. His older brothers said that he usually just bounces the spear off the fish. When they are done fishing, they still take all the carp that they catch home and plant them in the garden for fertilizer.

Carp fishing in the spring in that fast moving stream of water is really a challenge and it can be a load of fun. I have hooked into a few of them. One fish took me on a run down the “crick” before it finally prevailed, spit the hook and lived to swim another day.

It is sad to think there are less and less fishing and hunting licenses being sold each year. We need to “unplug” and introduce our youth to the natural entertainment that exists in this great state of ours. We have to remember that the youth of today are our sportsmen of tomorrow.

If you take a little time to go fishing with a kid, it will introduce them to a sport they can enjoy for the rest of their lives. Taking the time to share the outdoors with our youth will ensure that we have future sportsmen to carry on our outdoors heritage.

Until next time, let’s go fishin’ because now is a great time to enjoy our great Minnesota outdoors.

Remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers.

Coming from behind is an honored tradition in American sports. It’s something all sports fans of losing teams hold onto in the face of continued losses; that almost up to the certainty of mathematical elimination, there is a faint hope. You may not always acknowledge it, but it’s there. After all, as Yogi Berra once said, "It’s ain’t over ‘til it’s over."

When I first thought of this column, the Twins were mired in last place, 16 and a half games off the pace in the Central Division. They had the worst record in the Major Leagues by a wide margin. Half of their starters were injured and hope for a marvelous comeback seemed very dim. Things have changed somewhat. Our boys have won five straight and went from sixteen and a half games back to 11 and a half. Our heroes’ chances went from darn near impossible to "maybe they have a chance." The following is a rose-colored glasses look at what could happen: Not that it will, but it’s possible.

First of all, the Twins are not trailing the New York Yankees. They are twelve and a half games behind the Cleveland Indians, who for the first part of the season led a charmed life. I think the Indians will eventually settle into fourth or fifth place. So, discounting the Indians lead, the Twins are nine games behind the Detroit Tigers. That sounds a little more doable.

Secondly, the long season works on behalf of the Twins. As the Indians are going to find out, the breaks tend to even out over a 162-game schedule and the Twins are overdue for some breaks. Perhaps injuries will even be kept to a minimum

Thirdly, both Nishioka and Mauer will be back. That’s not just a rumor. They will play in the last half of the season, according to all reports. Both are all-stars, one from the Japanese league the other from the American League. If they perform at the level they are capable of, what a boost for the Twins.

Justin Morneau seems to be in tough shape and, while we admire his grit and determination, perhaps he needs to sit for awhile. I never thought I’d say this, but I feel better with Cuddyer playing first base. Get yourself well Justin, for a possible playoff drive. The Twins won the division last year without Morneau and if the fates smile on us, maybe it can be done in 2011.

Fourthly, counting on the law of averages, Delmon Young and Danny Valencia may well hit their batting average and power numbers of last year during the rest of this season. What an offensive boost that would be.

The pitching could be very good if they stay away from sore elbows and are consistent. All of the starters have pitched very well on occasion. Put it together guys! The relief pitching has been somewhat encouraging over the last few days. Soon we will have Glen Perkins back and with Mijares, James, Swarzak and Capps and a little help from Hoey and the rest of staff, they may provide adequate relief.

But perhaps this is the year that Ron Gardenhire earns his last year’s Manager of the Year award. He is going to have a difficult time mixing and matching players on this team. The Twins look much better with more speed in the outfield. Should Gardenhire continue to play Ben Revere? The little guy provides a spark the Twins need desperately. Does he play left field in place of Young? How well Gardy uses the Twins’ pluses and minuses may well determine the Twins’ pennant chances.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

“May I help you?”

“I need a dollar’s worth of gas.”

“Eat a radish.”  

Driving by the Bruces

I have two wonderful neighbors — both named Bruce — who live across the road from each other. Whenever I pass their driveways, thoughts occur to me, such as: if anyone has ever offered you a penny for your thoughts, you know their value.

Things I’ve learned

1. Teach a man to fish and he will opt for an early retirement.

2. Happiness is making the least of the worst and the most of the least.

3. A true friend stands beside you when you are beside yourself.

You’re getting older

1. If your life were a slice of pizza, it would be with anchovies.

2. If it feels like the Wheel of Fortune fell on you.

3. If your favorite alphabet soup comes in the large print version.

On the job

What do you do when your zipper breaks?

I was at a banquet when my zipper broke. It wasn’t just a banquet. It was a banquet that I was speaking at. My broken zipper and I.

I wondered what to do. Do I try to keep it a secret? Do I tell everyone?

I opted for borrowing a safety pin from an employee in the banquet hall. I pinned the zipper so that it didn’t look as if the cows were getting out — too much.

I gave the talk — a talk I had just begun when the safety pin broke.

A traveling man

My wife and I were visiting Israel. We were staying in Jerusalem. Each morning, I wandered outside and found the newspaper vendor. I wanted a newspaper to read with my breakfast. The vendor was an 80-year-old fellow with 12 children. He sold a number of different newspapers that were arranged on the sidewalk, each stack held in place by a large rock. Before I purchased my International Herald Tribune, the 80-year-old guy would lift me off the ground to show me what a diet based on falafel could do. He claimed chickpeas made muscles like no other food was capable of doing.

He told me that he wanted to visit the United States. He wanted to spend a week here and visit my home in Minnesota, the Grand Canyon, Alaska, Yellowstone, Disney World, Hollywood, Yankee Stadium, etc. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he couldn’t see all that he wanted to see even if he had his own Learjet.

Israel is not much larger than New Jersey, our fifth smallest state.

He told me that when he comes to Minnesota, he would deliver my newspaper.

Falling off a log

I fell off a log once.

I was jumping from one log to another. Both logs were wet. So were my shoes. I slipped. I fell. I escaped uninjured.

It’s the only thing I’ve ever done that was as easy as falling off a log.

Nature notes

“What do opossums eat?” Just about anything. Carrion, berries, corn, small birds, eggs, insects, small rodents, garbage, and pet food are on the menu. They eat both birdseed and suet. They are able climbers. The opossum is an interesting animal. When confronted, it will hiss, growl, and show its 50 teeth, but "plays dead" when threatened. This response is involuntary.

“I have seen trumpeter swans with a reddish/rust color on their heads. Is that a breeding plumage?” The feathers are stained rust-brown from contact with ferrous minerals in wetland soils.

“What is Canada’s national bird?” It’s not the Canada goose, Canada jay, Canada warbler, or the loonie. Canada does not have a national bird.

From the mailbag

Knowles Dougherty sends along three things he has learned. 1. When in doubt, deduct it. 2. If you can't determine which of two tools to take to a job, take them both. 3. Your mind may forget why you went into another room, but your feet seldom do.

Meeting adjourned

Willard and Marilyn Gerdts of Waldorf were kind enough to send along this bit of poetry they came across. It is titled, “Pay it forward.”

“Do an act of kindness, to your fellow man. Do an act of kindness every time you can. And if you do a good deed every single day, the world will be a better place, in every single way. So do the deed you know you should. It can only work for good. Be thoughtful of your fellow man, and pay it forward when you can. And if you do that kindness, you will find it’s true. Two people will be happier, and one of them will be you.”

Things are getting back to where we were prior to the house fire. (It is now confusion instead of mass confusion.) All of our smoke damaged items arrived back to our house in Albert Lea on Monday, May 23rd. The clothes are on hangers with everything else in boxes — we just have to find the right box for what we are looking for! There are a few things left to do in the house, and then the Albert Lea City Inspector has to give the okay for occupancy before we can move in.

We moved out of the sunshine yellow motel (Knights Inn) of Albert Lea on Thursday, May 26th. (We’re back to the old cabin of 36 years on Beaver Lake.) Many thanks to the Knights Inn Motel for treating us like VIPs, (which we are!)

This is prime time at Beaver Lake. It is warm in the day and cool for sleeping at night. The DNR fishing dock is in. There are two new warning signs on the dock with warnings of what you shouldn’t do. (The maker of the signs never heard of i before e as the spelling is “peir.”) The Ellendale-Geneva Sportsmen’s Club has put in their dock at the Beaver Lake landing. (This is a most appreciated act of human kindness every year since 1993.) The fish are biting. Now is the time for all you fisher people to wet a line at Beaver Lake. Remember Beaver Lake can be on your way to or from Home Depot in either Ellendale or Hope.

Tuesday, June 14th is a very important day. Veterans, shine those black shoes, click your heels and give a snappy salute to “Old Glory” on Flag Day. As you do so, with a tear in your eye and the hair on your neck at attention, give thanks to God. Amen.

What do Pastor Todd Walsh of Grace Lutheran Church and Pastor Jeff Laeger-Hagemeister of St. John’s Lutheran Home (both in Albert Lea) have in common? They both have 25 years in ordained ministry as of this June. Thanks guys!

A typical summer day in Minnesota is when the Twins lose. A great summer day in Minnesota is when the Twins win.

Thanks Harmon Killebrew for proudly wearing a Twins uniform, and also for your conduct both on and off the field.

Thanks Oprah for all the memories. You are an example to follow for all of your viewers. You are what an American is all about.

Thanks to the Jacobsons of St. Olaf Lake, faithful readers of this column, for introducing yourselves at the Willows Sunday brunch. As Clint Eastwood said, “You made my day.”

How would you like to be the Grand Marshall of a parade? You could even lead the parade. This will be the tenth annual parade in honor of July 4th. Contact Jeanne at Cabin 79 on Beaver Lake for further info. The qualifications are easy to meet. Put your best volunteer foot forward and you might be a “Grand Marshall.” By the way, you don’t have to know how to swim. Be prepared to say, “I will,” when you call (507) 838-6063. 

 — — —

Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. This is the Hanson’s 36th summer at Beaver Lake. They leave the lake in mid-October to go south — to Albert Lea — and return in April. Bob says if you enjoy his article, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of Wisdom: There is always room for God. 

The scurs were steamrolled by the Monday-Tuesday temperatures. Of course so was almost everyone else who was forecasting the weather or heaven forbid trying to work in it. Temperatures soared to the century mark on area bank thermometers, car thermometers and our official Edna thermometer. Will we see a return to more moderate temperatures? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 85 and lows of 50 – 55. Partly cloudy Thursday and cooler with highs near 70 and lows of 50 – 55. Partly cloudy Friday with a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm by evening. Highs near 70 and lows of 55. Mostly cloudy Saturday with a good chance of showers. Highs around 70 and lows of 50 – 55. Sunday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower. Highs around 75 and lows near 60. Mostly cloudy on Monday with a slight chance of showers. Highs around 80 and lows of 55 – 60. Mostly cloudy again on Tuesday with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs of 70 and lows of 55 – 60. The normal high for June 12 is 80 and the normal low is 55. The sun rises at 5:31 a.m. on the 10th and will continue doing so until June 22nd, the day after the summer solstice. The scurs will be setting their alarm clocks so they can enjoy the best part of the day the only way they know how: By rolling over and going back to sleep.

Next Wednesday ushers in the Full Moon for the month and since those in the country don’t get their paper until Thursday, we’ll cover it this week. It is nearly unanimous between the Farmer’s Almanac, the Ojibwe and the Sioux: This Full Moon is known as the Full Strawberry Moon and rightfully so. While perhaps slightly behind this year, area strawberries are about to come online in full force. This moon is also known as the Moon When Bread Gets Moldy Fast at the ranch. 

What a dynamic week for area crops! Corn fields actually look like they mean business following a week of warm temperatures and some much needed sunshine. Many area fields were starting to sport a fully exposed 4th collar and knee high won’t be long. Soybeans are progressing as well although not as rapidly as the corn. The few pea fields in the area looked good last week although it will be interesting to see how they behave following the extreme heat we saw on Monday and Tuesday. Forage harvest was in full swing with the warm dry weekend and many and area hayfield was baled or chopped. Still tough to beat the smell of curing hay as it wafts in the window at night. 

The garden is coming along finally. This past Sunday witnessed the planting of the vine crops. They were watered in well but nothing prepares them for 100 degree heat with strong breezes. There are still some cukes and one zucchini to plant. That one plant is usually enough to supply most of a five-county area. Oh well the sheep like them. The bigger the better.

As mentioned while the sun is rising at 5:30 a.m. the birds are rising about 4:30 a.m. Starting with the robins, followed closely by the chipping sparrows who seem to wake up the wrens, the common yellowthroats, tree and barn swallows, the mourning doves, the orioles, a few goldfinches and an occasional blue jay. It gets loud for about 45 minutes and then before sunrise they must be feeding their young or going back to sleep. There were some newcomers noted this past week at the ranch including a bobolink, a dickcissel, and a warbling vireo. There continues to be a pine siskin at the feeder making one wonder if it plans on taking up residence or just appreciates the free breakfast included in the price of the lodging. A gray catbird apparently liked the length of the headed out bluegrass I’d munched off with the weedeater and was busily stuffing its mouth. It didn’t take long to figure out it was heading into the thick brush on the edge of the yard where it could build a well concealed nest.

Ruby had a newcomer this past week as well. In addition to her squirrel and the grackles she detests, we were exposed to some of the fiercest growling one morning we had ever heard from her. She stood at her spot in front of the sliding glass door and just trembled as something had her full attention. Once we got there to see what the commotion was about, a small chipmunk was on the porch taunting her as it scampered back and forth. This is the first one we’ve ever seen at the ranch. Once it saw me it took off and where it wound up I wasn’t certain. The next day however there was a hole with some freshly shelled sunflower seeds outside of it not far from where Chippy had been seen. Luckily for the chipmunk, Ruby is more of a chaser and not a catcher. She is however a digger so that situation will need to be monitored carefully. 

See you next week…real good then. 

Kevin J. Kyte, age 28 of Northfield, died at his residence on Saturday, June 4, 2011.

 Born in Oelwein, Iowa on June 5, 1982, Kevin was the son of Joseph and Bonnie (Harms) Kyte.  He attended NRHEG schools and graduated in 2001.  Kevin had worked for McClane’s and Menards in Northfield, and was most recently working in food service at Carlton College.  Some of his passions included waterskiing, shooting off fireworks, wrestling, working with children, playing baseball, and watching Twins and Vikings games.  He was a member of Christ Community Church in Waseca, where he was involved in the Loving Through Serving Ministry, children’s Sunday School and ushering.  Kevin is also remembered as a wonderful son, brother and uncle.

George William Byron, age 87, of Byron Township died on June 3, 2011, at Immanuel St Joseph’s Hospital in Mankato.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 7, at All Saints Catholic Church in New Richland with Father Swaminatha Pothireddy, Celebrant.  Interment will be in the Calvary Cemetery in New Richland.

Visitation will be held on Monday, June 6, from 4 pm to 8 p.m. at McRaith Funeral Home in Waseca, and will continue on Tuesday morning for one hour prior to services at the church.

George was born April 14, 1924, to Mary Elmira (Conway) and William E. Byron in Waseca. He was brought up on the 1856 Byron homestead farm in St. Mary’s Township, Waseca County, Minnesota. George attended the Gallagher Country School and graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Waseca. He began farming, and during WWII his assignment was to stay home and produce food.  On August 24, 1948, he was united in marriage to Mary Jane Munsch at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in St. Mary’s Township, Waseca County. The Byrons farmed and raised their family of seven children in Byron Township, Waseca County, near New Richland.

Above, Josh Naser receives his diploma and congratulations from NRHEG School Board Chairman Rick Schultz during commencement exercises for the class of 2011 Sunday, May 29 in New Richland. Below, high school instructor Georgia Dinneen congratulates Shelby Mogenson, who’s standing next to Matt Nafe. Commencement speakers, chosen by their peers, were Evan Ferber, Shauntel Thiele and Pieter Majeske. The NRHEG class of 2011 had a total of 66 graduates. Pick up a copy of this week's Star Eagle for a photo page from graduation day. (Star Eagle photos by Jim Lutgens)