Blessings of a Connection, 46 Years in the Making

This last January, I boarded a plane with 40 people—my fifth trip taking Concordia University students on a journey to the Holy Land. As an adjunct theology professor at Concordia, Ann Arbor, I value the opportunity to teach and travel with my students. This year, to my surprise, I discovered that I had a lot more in common with one of the students. Ryan comes from Appleton, WI, and graduated from FVL. I also come from Appleton and graduated from FVL.

The student graduated in 2019 and studies pharmacology at Concordia, Mequon. Ryan attended WELS schools from elementary through high school. At FVL, he played three sports, excelled in the classroom, and got to attend school in the “new” building. He noted that he has been grateful for the rigor of the classroom and the various teachers he had over the years, and he was clear with me that he felt well prepared for the intensity of his pharmacology program.

The professor graduated in 1973 as the Vietnam War was ending and attended classes in the “old” building. He went to Appleton public schools until high school, when he attended FVL, and then went on to Concordia, Milwaukee. Today, nearing retirement, he is older and shorter than the six-foot Ryan, but still burns to share his faith in Christ Jesus and to have students encounter the land where Jesus walked.

At Fox Valley Lutheran High School, both of us experienced the commonality of faith in Christ through our Religion classes and the integration of that faith throughout the curriculum. Despite a change in buildings and the differences of generations, Ryan and I saw the sameness of faith and a commitment by FVL to sustain the heart of Christian education. This prompted me in 1973 to train to become a high school Religion teacher and eventually work as the Director of Counseling at Concordia, Ann Arbor. While Ryan starts his own journey with his own stories, the foundation of his Christian education will become a lifelong encouragement to him as he experiences the roller coaster of life—both the goods and the bads.

He and I walked the Holy Land together for 13 days in January; each place provoking a conversation. What a surprise—a 2019 alumnus spending time with an alumnus from 1973—and what a blessing it was to both of us!

— Dan Flynn

Class of 1973