2007 News

Jan. 2
Barrett Chase (class of 1991) is a cartoonist, blogger, writer and postal worker.

Jan. 3
Denfeld defeats Milford in Gil Thorpe comic strip.

Jan. 24
Steve Birman scores 25 points as Denfeld beats East in boys basketball.

Feb. 5
Restoration of the Denfeld Auditorium is now complete and a grand reopening has been scheduled for March 17.

Feb. 21
Collin Wynn has been chosen as the Duluth Boys & Girls Club's Youth of the Year.

Feb. 23
Denfeld routs Central in Section 2A boys hockey playoffs.

March 5
Denfeld physical education teacher and former baseball coach Thomas "Dukes" Knutson will retire in June. He taught at Denfeld from 1973 to '82 and 2003 to '07.

March 5
Musician Dave Mehling (class of 2005) has released a new CD, How Do I Make You Lonesome?

March 11
Joe Vukelich (class of 1977) discusses the Denfeld Auditorium's legacy and appeal.

March 12
Tracy Lundeen (class of 1972) is a partner in a new online store called the Rock Shop.

March 16
Jack Puglisi (class of 1960) purchased a shotgun manufactured in 1914 for Czar Nicholas II of Russia.

March 17
Duluth News Tribune columnist Chuck Frederick reports that the legacy of Ray Peterson (class of 1926) will live on at the new Duluth Heritage Sports Center.

March 20
Denfeld High School will either be expanded or converted into a junior high, according to the Duluth School District's three long-range plan options.

March 24
Denfeld art students paint portraits of orphans as a rare keepsake of their childhood.

April 4
Kevin Kolquist (class of 1972) has died from complications of ALS.

April 8
In his second year as Denfeld's head baseball coach, Dan DuPay sees cohesiveness as one of the team's strengths.

April 18
Denfeld's boys hockey team will move from Section 2A into 5A in the 2007-08 season.

April 22
Pitching will be an asset for Denfeld's fastpitch softball team this season.

April 29
Denfeld's boys and girls golf teams will see few returning starters this year.

May 2
Laura Bellamy scattered six hits and fanned three as Denfeld defeated Hermantown in fastpitch softball.

May 16
Aprofessional public opinion survey finds Duluth residents prefer maintaining Denfeld as a high school.

May 17
Two Denfeld students made their own formalwear for prom out of duct tape.

May 19
Denfeld will remain a high school and Central will close under a plan to be sent to the school board.

June 3
Denfeld's baseball team ends the 2007 season with a loss to Central.

June 3
Kevin Kolquist (class of 1972) inspired others to raise money to fight Lou Gehrig's disease, and continues to do so after his death.

June 13
Dave LeGarde (class of 1985) has been named head basketball coach at Central High School.

June 20
The Duluth School Board voted 6-1 in favor of a plan to consolidate schools, expanding Denfeld and East, and closing Central.

June 29
Greg Anderson (class of 1979) is back atop the NHRA's Pro Stock standings after taking second in 2006.

July 1
Former Duluth police detective Gary Waller (class of 1963) looks back at the Glensheen killings.

July 1
Derek Eckstrom (class of 2001) is struggling to readjust after serving as part of an elite unit in Mosul, Iraq.

July 10
With the help of people from 12 churches and organizations, Val Gow (class of 1966) is organizing the Lincoln Park United Celebration.

July 15
Matthew Pursi (class of 2001) is directing Duluth's all-city high school musical, "Fame."

July 15
Mark Sertich (class of 1939) may be the oldest American playing competitive hockey.

July 16
Chuck Oliver and Steve Abramson (both class of 1979) are part of a group trying to repair the Norton Park Community Club's old hockey rink.

July 18
Among the candidates in Duluth's city council races are Denfeld grads Allan Beaulier (1962), Jon D0nahue (1983), Jay Fosle (1979) and Russell Stover (1973).

July 21
Dave Sabick is promoting a professional wrestling card at Superior’s Wessman Arena.

July 21
Wally Gilbert (class of 1919) was one of Denfeld's finest athletes, and a legend in pro sports as well.

July 26
High school students are in the spotlight as the school district brings back its summer musical.

July 27
Pat Francisco (class of 1963) is passionate about raising money for the Duluth Heritage Sports Center.

July 27
Elna DeHarpporte (class of 1931) is Denfeld's oldest known female graduate.

August 11
In 1960, Thomas Miletich (class of 1955) spread dirt from his mother's West Duluth garden on the North Pole.

August 18
Tom Tesser (class of 1963) spent much of the Vietnam War on the USS Forrestal, where 132 crewmen died in 1967 after a missle was accidentally fired across the carrier's deck.

August 19
Kayla Moore and Ringo Kienitz have been crowned as 2007's Miss West Duluth and Miss West Duluth Princess.

August 19
Rory Johnson (class of 1974) is the new athletic director at Proctor High School.

August 21
Andrew Gunderson (class of 1993) won $58,750 in the World Series of Poker.

August 24
For 35 years, the Tessier-Waltman women's slowpitch softball tournament paid tribute to Diane Tessier and Chris Waltman (class of 1971).

Sept. 1
Denfeld's football team lost the opening game of the season to Hermantown by a score of 12-10.

Sept. 2
Mark Munger (class of 1973) is writing a biography of his uncle, the late Willard Munger.

Sept. 2
With seven returning seniors, the Denfeld volleyball team hopes to improve on a disappointing 2006 season.

Sept. 9
Heath Hickok (class of 1994) is the new executive director of the Lincoln Park Business Group.

Sept. 12
Denfeld grads Russell Stover (1973) and Jay Fosle (1979) will vie for the Duluth City Council's District 5 seat this fall.

Sept. 26
Scott Gernander (class of 1965) will be inducted into the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame.

Sept. 29
Scott Gernander reflects on his time at UMD following his induction into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Oct. 1
Click to download the first issue of the Denfeld Alumni News. (Requires Adobe Reader program.)

Oct. 6
Matt Lien (class of 2004) has blossomed into one of Augustana College’s top football players.

Oct. 9
Jack Puglisi (class of 1960) has purchased the former Congress Bar to expand his gun emporium.

Oct. 12
Tom Tusken (class of 1990) won a $25,000 national teaching prize. He has taught social studies at Denfeld for 13 years.

Oct. 21
Robert Lund (class of 1938) died on Oct. 18. He worked for General Motors Corp. for 38 years, rising to the level of executive vice president.

Nov. 12
Three Denfeld players will play in the North Central High School Volleyball All-Star games at Bemidji State University.

Nov. 14
A new initiative at Denfeld has teachers comparing notes on students' behavior and performance to strategize on improvements.

Nov. 17
Jodi Stauber (McCauley, class of 1986) will become the first woman to be command chief of the 148th Fighter Wing, the highest ranking enlisted position on the base.

Nov. 18
Dan Simonson (class of 1949) joined with neighbors to pressure the Environmental Protection Agency and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to clean up Stryker Bay.

Nov. 25
Tony Bennett (class of 1994) is the frontman of Cars & Trucks, a Duluth-based band releasing its first album.

Nov. 25
Denfeld assistant hockey coach Bryan Lent predicts the team will win 20 games this season.

Nov. 25
Eric Nilsen, senior midfielder for Denfeld's soccor team, has been named to the Duluth News Tribune's All-Area Team.

Nov. 30
Denfeld snapped Hermantown's 32-game winning streak with a 1-0 hockey victory.

Dec. 1
Denfeld's class of 1955 has donated over $50,000 to the Greater Denfeld Foundation for grants to be used by staff at the school.

Dec. 2
Summer Emison (Lepak, class of 1992) has started an online group called Helping Neighbors With Open Hearts.

Dec. 6
Section realignment and construction of the Duluth Heritage Sports Center are key stories at the onset of Denfeld's 2007-'08 hockey season.

Dec. 6
Many top high school hockey players, like Denfeld's Jake Johnson, must decide whether to stay with their teams or play junior league.

Dec. 6
Denfeld's Jake Johnson and Chris Stafne are players to watch this hockey season.

Dec. 7
Marcia Hales (Nyquist, class of 1963) consistently puts on one of Duluth's best Christmas light displays.

Dec. 11
With plenty of upper classmen, the Denfeld girls basketball team is expected to improve this year.

Dec. 18
Dave LeGarde (class of 1985) is settling in as head basketball coach at Central.

Dec. 18
Inexperience could be a problem for Denfeld's basketball team after losing four-year starter Steve Birman.

Dec. 25
Former Denfeld students Jeff and Patty Hughes are setting into an apartment in Duluth thanks to help from a Luthern Social Services program.

In Loving Memory
A list of Denfeld alums who died in 2007.