Friends of Björklunden

I first became aware of Bjorklunden when I worked there as a student and have since taught seminars during the summer. More recently, I founded and run the Door Kinetic Arts Festival, a multi-disciplnary arts festival, which makes its home at Borklunden every third week of September.

After retiring from a thirty-year teaching career in 2003, I quickly became involved as a volunteer with the Chicago Architecture Center where I regularly give tours that celebrate the Windy City. My connection to Door County began in the 1950s on annual family vacations. However, my first major Bjorklunden experience didn’t occur until the summer of 2012 when I signed up for my first seminar. I found both the presenter, James Cornelius, and the group of lifelong learners attending with me wonderfully inspirational. I was hooked, and it did not take much arm-twisting on the part of Mark Breseman, then director, to recruit me as a volunteer at Bjorklunden. I started out giving chapel tours and then became a member of the Bjorklunden Advisory Committee, now the Friends Leadership Team. By being involved with Bjorklunden my Door County life has been deeply enriched.

For several decades I have been devoted  to environmental conservation and teaching, land trust education and management, and nonprofit leadership. My love of Bjorklunden spans nearly 50 years! I was privileged to be one of the few to stay in the original Boynton Lodge as a biology student in the late 1970s and as a student worker in 1980, summer of the first seminar offering! My family has spent numerous weekends over the years exploring the woods and meadows, wandering the lakeshore and gazing at the brilliant night sky watching over Bjorklunden! To sum it up, Bjorklunden is my happy place and I am dedicated to making it accessible and sustainable for all students and others to enjoy!

After I received an MBA from Northwestern, I then worked for several companies before creating my own business, National Spring, Inc. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After thirty years of being president and owner, I recently retired. Besides volunteering for several community outreach programs in Milwaukee, I look forward to working on the Friends of Bjorklunden Team to promote the special place of Bjorklunden and the influence of Lawrence University in Door County.

I first connected with Björklunden as a Chapel Tour Guide in 1970, then continued as a volunteer throughout the decades, serving as Co-Chair of the Boynton Society in recent years. Our daughter was married in the Chapel. I’ve attended several Summer Seminars. We have a home “across the way” in Baileys Harbor and seek to promote Björklunden as an asset to the Town.

I discovered Bjorklunden about a dozen years ago, I arrived as a watercolor painter and was enchanted by the beauty of the land, the lake, and the people.  After completing a career in architecture and higher education, I now can enjoy visiting several times a year and experience a soulful calmness upon arrival.  I feel honored to be a part of the Friends group and hope that I can use my organizational skills and artistic pursuits to assist Bjorklunden in keeping this special place alive for future generations to cherish as I do.

Joe Hopfensperger, the first Björklunden caretaker and visionary, was my freshman advisor. Always interested in the Boynton family and its history, in 1984 he wholeheartedly welcomed me and a Boynton granddaughter to Björklunden, reconnecting the Boyntons to the Björklunden they had seemingly lost. A year later, we were married in the chapel.

I, like many of the Friends of Bjorklunden, spent summers working at the Estate during my college years working for Norb Vonck and Joe Hopfensperger. It was Joe who brought a broader vision to Bjorklunden as a greater asset to Lawrence. My work background is in large industrial operations and the strategic plans that make them successful.  My goal is to do the same for the long-term success of the physical and academic assets of Bjorklunden. I’m pleased to see Björklunden become a valuable asset to Lawrence students and staff and its contribution to the growth of Door County tourism.  I look forward to working on a plan for the future that will keep the estate in excellent financial and operational health.

I am a granddaughter of Donald and Winifred Boynton, so I was baptized and married in the Chapel.  I am a Friend of Björklunden because I am deeply attached to the Chapel and concerned about its long-term conservation.

I was introduced to Björklunden through the geology department and as a summer worker in 1979 and 1980.   We worked hard and I feel lucky to have had such a ‘hands on’ experience there.  Björklunden is a rare gem on lake Michigan and deserving of more public awareness.

My connection to Björklunden began when my family moved from New Haven, Connecticut to Appleton, Wisconsin because of my dad's job at Lawrence University. My favorite memories include sleeping in the old lodge on a four-poster bed that had steps, and swapping jokes and laughs with Lawrence students over card and board games they were kind enough to invite me to join as a 5 year-old. Over the years, and into their retirement, my parents enrolled in and shared their seminar experiences with great admiration and enthusiasm for their instructors and topics, respectively. Outside the classroom, our family and friends have savored walking the grounds, exploring walking trails, and watching countless sunsets. While I no longer live in Wisconsin, whenever I come back to Björklunden, it feels like coming home; I am glad to be a Friend of Björklunden member to ensure it continues to be a destination for connection and learning for all.

Björklunden captivated me decades ago during my first seminar with Lawrence University's Hurvis Professor of Theater and Drama, Tim Troy.  Many seminars, concerts, and trail walks later, Björklunden is still my place to renew the spirit, learn new ideas, savor fellowship and immerse in nature.

As a K-12 teacher, principal, and school district administer, Björklunden aligns with my career focus on life-long learning.  As a teacher of undergraduate  and graduate students, my heart soars when I visit Björklunden and see Lawrence students actively learning or enjoying a well-deserved break from their usual routine. Every experience at Bjorklunden has positively influenced my life. Becoming a member of the Björklunden Advisory Committee, now  Friends of Björklunden Team with Tom McKenzie, are opportunities to serve a place I love and the students and adult learners who also feel this is a substantive and magical place.

I have a lifelong connection to Door County and grateful to live in Chicago and be close enough to easily visit.  My exposure to Björklunden was limited to stories while I was at LU and I finally visited during my time on LUAA.  I immediately fell in love.  My passion for life-long learning continues to fuel my connection.  Lawrence is incredibly fortunate to have Björklunden’s as part of its experience and I am committed to fostering connection between all alumni and this special part of Lawrence.

Boynton Chapel—a testament of hope—was my introduction to the “northern campus” years before Lawrence became my employer. Once I started teaching at LU (1988) and saw the potential for student weekends as a unique opportunity for intensive academic work leavened with respite and socializing, I scheduled myself for Bjork weekends two or three times a year. I’ve also known the sheer joy of teaching summer adult seminars (no grading is a plus!). Three years into retirement I gladly volunteer--clean-up and decorating being my preferred labors of love--in the hopes we can preserve for many years to come Bjorklunden’s exquisite natural beauty, its possibilities as a haven, and its aura of unhurried intellectual engagement.

My matriculation at Lawrence was overshadowed by the 9/11 attacks. I still remember the first time I visited Bjorklunden that fall; there was such a sense of peace. For four years I was able to visit a number of times and build friendships with fellow Lawrentians from across the country and the world. It opened my eyes and has remained my refuge ever since. As an adult I've enjoyed participating in various seminars, taking advantage of the trails, attending Door Shakespeare, and meeting friends old and new. I look forward to using my diverse experience in the finance arena to help shape the future of Bjorklunden for generations to come.