May 9, 2017
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Three Concordia Lutheran High School alumni are being honored for their service to their communities as well as their alma mater.
Karol (Gill) Selle, a 1963 graduate and a teacher, educator and communicator, is being recognized with the Distinguished Alumnus Award for her achievements since graduation. This award is the highest honor given to a Concordia graduate. It recognizes graduates who have demonstrated an ongoing dedication to Christian principles and the church, with both lifetime and personal achievements.
She is a graduate of Concordia University-Ann Arbor and Seward, Neb., and has done graduate work at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Cardinal Stritch College-Milwaukee, and Concordia-Ann Arbor.
She is employed by International Student Ministry Inc. as a public relations director and with the North Wisconsin District as an editor of The Lutheran Witness supplement. During the school year, she is employed by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point as an instructor in the English as a Second Language (ESL) programs and as a substitute teacher for St. Paul Lutheran School in Stevens Point.
“I have a passion to share the love of Jesus with these guests in our country and to encourage American Lutherans to become active in international student ministries,” she said.
She is a member of the board of the Women’s Leadership Institute of Concordia-Wisconsin and has served on the Board of Directors of the Concordia Publishing House, the Board of Directors for the North Wisconsin District and the Board of Regents for Concordia-Ann Arbor, as well as other district and LCMS boards.
Within the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML), she has served on all levels of the organization. Her last national position was vice president of communications. She is presently serving the North Wisconsin District LWML as the web servant.
She and her husband Carl have four adult, married children and 11 grandchildren.
As a Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient, she will speak at Concordia’s commencement on May 28.
Don Luepke, a 1961 graduate and a retired Concordia teacher, is being honored with the Distinguished Service Award because of his dedicated support, activity and service to the ministry of CLHS.
He served as the mathematics and religion teacher at Concordia from 1974 to 2004. In that time, he was a class adviser, National Honor Society adviser, Fellowship of Christian Athletes adviser, department leader, faculty chairman, chair of multiple accreditation committees, and the “voice” of Concordia basketball for 20 years.
As a teacher, he was recognized with the Presidential Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics from President Ronald Reagan, a State of Indiana Teacher of the Year runner up and a National Science Foundation Teacher in Resident at Purdue University-Fort Wayne, among other accomplishments.
Since his retirement, he has served on the Concordia Educational Foundation board, has led in establishing two endowments for student scholarships, has served as the host and emcee for the Concordia Scholarship Luncheons for many years, and has mentored and served as a member of the selection committee for Concordia Scholars. He is also a past recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award (1992), which is the highest award given to a Concordia graduate.
For six years, he has organized and managed the annual Spring Plant Sale at Our Creator’s Classroom, which has raised $50,000 for the Horticulture Education Endowment. He is also an advanced Master Gardner gold level and a recipient of the Master Gardener Display Gardens Volunteer of the Year award.
Martin Carbaugh, a 1998 graduate and an Indiana state representative, is being recognized with the Neale M. Shank Award. The Neale M. Shank Award, named in honor of an alum who died while serving in Iraq, honors those younger than 40 who have made significant contributions to their given career, community, church or the high school.
He was elected to represent the 81st district, which includes Concordia Lutheran High School, in 2012. He was named “New Legislator” of the year by the Fort Wayne Chamber in 2013. In 2014 he was named AMVETS legislator of the year, and in 2015, he was named Chairman of the House Insurance Committee. Other committees he currently sits on are the Employment Labor and Pensions committee and Small Business, Commerce, and Economic Development. This past summer he was named to the interim study committees of Insurance and Financial Institutions as Chair and a member of the Pension Management Oversight Committee.
For more than 15 years, he has helped business owners and families plan for their financial futures and is currently a financial representative with Tradewell Tax & Financial.
He and his wife Sally have two daughters, Katelyn and Grace. In his free time he volunteers with Junior Achievement to teach students basic financial knowledge. He is a member of the Concordia Lutheran Church and has served on Concordia Lutheran grade school’s school board as well as the boys and girls soccer coach.
He credits much of his success to CLHS because of his spiritual growth, and in particular, the skills he learned from media arts program founder, Will Neumeyer, which, among other ventures, led him to be a cameraman for the NFL Network during 2012’s pre-Super Bowl coverage.
Concordia Lutheran High School, located at 1601 St. Joe River Drive in Fort Wayne, Ind., was founded in 1935 as a private, co-educational Lutheran high school open to students of all faiths and backgrounds. With Christ at the center, Concordia continues to pursue educational excellence that equips individuals for lifelong learning and service as disciples of Jesus Christ. Learn more at www.clhscadets.com.