MUDEC Méinden Alumni Takeover Edition
MUDEC Méinden Alumni Takeover Edition
Miami UniversityJohn E. Dolibois European Center logo
MUDEC Méinden-Weekly news from the MUDEC community for the MUDEC community-#lifelongMUDEC

Summer 2020 #12-Alumni Takeover Edition

 August 10, 2020

The "First" MUDEC Class

The 20th Anniversary Class of 1988-89

MUDEC 1988 Fall Class Picture
MUDEC 1988 Fall Class Picture
MUDEC 1989 Spring class picture
MUDEC 1989 Spring Class Picture
Although the program started in 1968, the first "MUDEC" class was actually the class of 1988-1989, which is when MUEC became MUDEC when the Center was renamed in honor of Ambassador Dolibois. As 1988 was the 20th Anniversary of the Center, a major celebration took place that November. Read more about the "first" MUDEC class below in this special 1988-1989 Throwback edition of the MUDEC Méinden!

30 Years Later

I routinely talk about how spending a year in Luxembourg was one of the best years of my life. What I had forgotten, after 30 years, is just how much fun I had, how many places I visited and how absolutely lucky and blessed I am to have experienced it.

When I volunteered to help with this newsletter, I thought it would be work, but fun. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy looking at photos, reading people’s stories and re-living this amazing year.

Enjoy the Class 1988-1989 MUDEC newsletter!
Gibson Olpp
1988-89 Class Captain
Gibson Olpp and Miami President Paul Pearson in 1988
Gibson Olpp and Miami President Paul Pearson at the 20th Anniversary
Study:
  • Faculty and Staff of 1988-89
  • Class Trip Memories
Engage:
  • The 20th Anniversary Celebrations
  • MUDEC Student Life
  • The Legend of Pink Bunny
Travel:
  • Greece is the Word-Spring Break Sailing Trip
  • Other travel pictures
Where Are They Now?:
  • What MUDECers from 1988-1989 are up to nowadays
Study

1988-89 Faculty and Staff

MUDEC, you got this. Two group pictures to get you primed, and then a series of individual pictures to test you. Do you know the name of each of these MUDEC legends? Some will be easy, others won't.
Complete 1988-89 MUDEC Faculty and Staff Color picture of some faculty and staff
Emile Haag Tessy Gaasch
Ekkie Stiller Jerome Stanley
1988-89 MUDEC Calendar

1988-89 MU(D)EC Calendar

It was technically still "MUEC" when the year started. Back in the days, MUDEC worked with an annual calendar as up to half the students came to MUDEC for a full year. 1988-89 was no exception with 100 students each semester, with 40 staying for the full year and 60 new students coming spring semester to replace those that had gone home.
Study Tours at the time were called Field Trips and there were 2 per semester. They were organized by each of the two "Core" professors, so there were two groups traveling at a time. Among the destinations in 1988-89 were Bruges, London, Paris, Cologne and Berlin.

Verdun-Maginot Line Class Trip with Dr. Haag

MUDEC Students see history in person

Dr. Haag organized a trip to see the World War I battlefield and museum at Verdun and also Fort Hackenberg, part of the Maginot Line which was supposed to protect France from Germany in the 1930s. Let's just say that that one didn't turn out like they expected, as the Germans went right around the Maginot Line through Belgium. This trip brought MUDEC students up close and personal back into two incredible important historical locations less than 1 1/2 hours drive from Luxembourg.
Dr. Haag inside of the kitchen
Dr. Haag "inside" of the Fort Hackenberg kitchen
Students listening to Dr. Haag's explanations
Students listening to Dr. Haag's explanations inside the fort
Fort Douaumont at Verdun
Fort Douaumont at Verdun
Bayonet trench at Verdun
Bayonette trench at Verdun

Study Tour Pictures

Paris Study tour group picture behind Notre Dame Cathedral
Paris Study tour group picture behind Notre Dame Cathedral
Paris Field Trip Itinerary
Paris Field Trip Itinerary
Shattered picture of students at the Berlin Wall
Karen Walker's "shatteringly" beautiful picture at the Berlin Wall
Checkpoint Charlie on the Berlin field trip 1989
Checkpoint Charlie on the Berlin field trip 1989
Engage

MUEC Becomes MUDEC

The 20th Anniversary Celebrations

Cover of the 20th Anniversary Brochure
Cover of the 20th Anniversary Brochure



During the 20th Anniversary celebrations in November 1988, Miami University's European Center (MUEC) became the Dolibois European Center (MUDEC). As anyone who has participated in the anniversary celebrations knows, it is an unforgettable and moving experience, but this one was special.
See enclosed pictures from the different events from that memorable Thanksgiving week in 1988, including the unveiling of the new MUDEC plaque in front of 45a avenue Monterey.
RTL television did a report on MUDEC that was recently posted online. Check it out here: https://www.rtl.lu/tele/hei-elei-retro/v/3132301.html. The MUDEC report starts at 38:12 and lasts around 10 minutes (in two different pieces).
Highlights include the entire class singing the Luxembourg national anthem Ons Heemecht and Jill Braverman showing her chops in French.

Miami officials and John Dolibois and family in front of the plaque bearing his name
Miami officials and John Dolibois and family in front of the plaque bearing his name
John Dolibois in front of the MUDEC plaque
John Dolibois in front of the MUDEC plaque
The 20th Anniversary class getting ready to sing the Lux National Anthem
The 20th Anniversary class getting ready to sing the Lux National Anthem
Students singing
Students ready to sing
Students singing
Students singing

MUDEC Student Life

What was MUDEC Student life like in 1988-89? Check out this retro Newsletter from October 1988 as well as pictures from throughout the year.
MUDEC newsletter from 1988 MUDEC newsletter from 1988 second page
students in front the MUDEC sign
Rob Cunningham, Chris Soechting, Claire Bigley, Beth Matthews, Gibson Olpp, Jamie Schlueter, Daniel Schroeder
Students next to orange lockers
Deb Delaet, Amy Trace, Lisa Ruskin and Erika Audiutori in the Cave (those lockers still exist at the Château!)
Dr. Lakos, ? and Robyn Hartwig
Dr. Lakos, Sally Stephens (?) and Robyn Hartwig at the end of semester ball
Dr. Stiller imitation at the ball?
Ned Flanagan with a Dr. Stiller imitation at the ball?
4 students in front of sign for Pacha
Karen Simonian, Lynn Paulo, Karen Walker and Mark Dessauer at Pacha
Gibson Olpp and Shady at Pacha
Gibson Olpp and Todd Armstrong, aka Shady, at Pacha
Mark Matheney, Traci Kostak and Dr. Stiller at Pacha
Mark Matheney, Traci Kostak and Dr. Stiller at Pacha

The Legendary Pink Bunny

stuffed bunny
Who was Pink Bunny and why is it in this newsletter? No one really knows, but Pink Bunny became the MUDEC Spring 1989 mascot at the end of the semester. Enjoy the only known photographs of Pink Bunny, including its final resting place after exam week.
Two male students holding stuffed bunny
John Manthei and John Orlando with Pink Bunny
male student throwing stuffed bunny
Shady, (mis)treating Pink Bunny like a football
stuffed bunny in a tree
RIP Pink Bunny
Travel Section Banner

Train in Vain to Greece

Traversing Yugoslavia in a couchette for 48 hours
Remember couchettes? The class of 1988-89 does. The question is how many people CAN you fit into one couchette?
10 students in one couchette Multiple students in a couchette 3 MUDEC girls in a couchette
A highlight in the MUDEC calendar way back when was sailing in Greece for 3-5 days over Spring Break. The fine print failed to mention that 3-5 days would also be spent on a train getting there and back, as this was long before the days of EasyJet and Ryanair. There were only two possibilities to get to Greece: Take an over-overnight train through Yugoslavia or take an overnight train to Brindisi in Italy and then take an overnight ferry to get to Greece. 
An added complication in spring 1989 for those training it through Yugoslavia was the unrest which had broken out which would eventually lead to the Yugoslavian civil war in the early 1990s. Not only was a 48-hour train ride from Munich to Athens not very appealing, but seeing all kinds of Yugsolav soldiers with Uzis in every train station along the way even less. MUDECers were not daunted, though, and a big group made it to Greece and had an amazing time with Sottos and his team sailing around the Greek islands.
MUDECers at Gevgelija, now part of North Macedonia, before crossing into Greece
MUDEC students in front of the Acropolis
Before sailing, MUDEC students visiting the Acropolis
Das Boot, 1980s style
Das Boot,1980s style. Or was it The Love Boat?
Students on a sailboat
Sailing
SAC Andy Adams, boat skipper Vangelis, along with 4 Shelley Lewis, Dana Smith, Lisa Tintera and Katie Fuller
SAC Andy Adams, boat skipper Vangelis, along with Shelly Lewis, Dana Smith, Lisa Tintera and Katie Fuller.
Three girls on a boat
Erika Audiutori, Susan Grau (?) and Debbie Kikendall

Other Travel Pics

3 girls jumping in front of Baden Baden train station sign
Shannon Porter, Sarah Norton, and Hattie Harmon jumping for joy.
MUDEC girls with masked people at Carnival in Venice
Erika Audiutori at Carnival in Venice
students on a tank in Normandy
MUDEC students on a tank in Normandy
Odds and Ends

Where Are They Now?

What are MUDECers from 1988-1989 up to nowadays? See below.

Trena Bayowski (left)
Trena Bayowski (left)

MUDEC: A Dream-shaping Experience

Trena Bayowski Slovenski


I always knew I wanted to study abroad and MUDEC was the place. Going to Luxembourg 30 plus years ago was a game-changer for me. My pull towards all things intercultural eclipsed my inner fears about leaving what was familiar, and soon I found a wonderful group of friends upon arrival in Luxembourg. Studying music, German, and European history was tough but worth it. I realized that Debussy and Monet paired nicely together, my first semester of German made me wonder why I was a French minor and I still am amazed by my fellow classmates’ knowledge of “Russia in Revolution” when I struggled to connect any of the dots. The best part about MUDEC was how experiential and engaging the whole program was. I can’t even begin to write about the fun memories I had; they are countless, though I must recount the time my friends and I went skiing in Innsbruck and found ourselves without a way to get off the mountain because apparently all busses and modes of transportation off the mountain depart seconds after the skiing ends. Thanks to a US military bus, we had a ride, a meal, a hotel room, and a fond memory—one of many. 

MUDEC was an adventure that shaped the dreams I wanted to pursue and where I realized it’s all about the people and their cultures. I worked at Boston University’s International Programs Office, lived in Toronto for 12 years, worked as a coordinator for an intercultural program called Round Square and am currently at the University of New Hampshire’s Office of International Students and Scholars. I don’t believe I would have had any of these opportunities if I didn’t first have the global education experience that MUDEC provided. I thank my buddies there for their friendship, the teachers and staff for the depth of their knowledge, and I thank Luxembourg for pushing me beyond my comfort zone and showing me a different world so that I could help others do the same.

Trena (Bayowski) Slovenski MUDEC Fall 1988
Leigh Lane
Leigh Lane nowadays
Leigh Lane
34 years after attending MUDEC, I currently live in River Vale, NJ, right outside of NYC. I am Senior Director of Marketing for a nonprofit, Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), that produces educational assessment reports for international students looking to study in the U.S. I kind of fell into it about 4 years ago and couldn't be happier to work in the international education space. I am married with one daughter, 11 years-old, and 4 cats. 

Leigh Lane

Gibson Olpp and her husband Jeff
Gibson's calls to husband Jeff are probably less expensive

Pay Phone Bling

Gibson Olpp

I had heard about the Luxembourg program and thought it sounded like a great experience and I was definitely interested. Like everyone who is lucky enough to study abroad, you have no idea at the time how it will change your life. 

Oxford is about 3.5-4 hours from Mentor, Ohio, where I’m from. Luxembourg was multiple time zones and thousands of miles away. I was away from my family, my sorority sisters, my boyfriend and my close friends, and I was going to be there for a year. When I applied, I thought a year sounded like a great idea, but as leaving got closer and closer, I thought that maybe that wasn’t the best idea, but told myself I’d be home for Christmas and that was only a few short months away. 

I remember getting there and moving into my room at my host mom’s house. At first I was excited because I had a room all to myself, in the basement. I soon figured out that I was lonely and desperately homesick. It’s funny to think about that because that year, looking back, was one of the best years of my life.  But at first, it wasn’t fun AT ALL.

Imagine, no internet, no FaceTime, no messenger, no texting. I had to talk to my family and my boyfriend on a payphone. One month, my phone bill was so high that my father told me my mother opened it, and went to bed - she opened the bill and almost vomited. The total bill to my boyfriend in the states was more than my dad’s weekly paycheck. I was in some SERIOUS, SERIOUS trouble at home. Luckily, I was over 4,000 miles away and 6-7 hours ahead of them. Even then, I’m pretty sure I still heard my mother’s head exploding.

While I remember so much of the year and the fun I had, the things I remember most are strangely enough, the regrets that I have about things that I DIDN’T do/experience. 

The 2 that really stick out are:
  • I should have gone to Egypt and instead I picked going to class - if I had known how much I would regret that decision 30 years later, I would have chosen to travel.
  • I should have broken up with my boyfriend before I left so when a gorgeous classmate said, “let’s go spend a romantic weekend in Brugge”, I could have said an emphatic YES! 
The 2 main lessons that really stuck with me:
  • If you’re in love and thinking about getting married, go backpacking in Europe for a few weeks first. Nothing brings out the best and worst in someone like being stranded in a country where you don’t speak the language, haven’t slept in 36 hours and have no idea where the nearest WC is. If you can get through that, you can get through almost anything. My husband and I put this into practice and we’ve been married 17 years and counting. Our trip got off to a rough start before he even made it out of the airport concours in Amsterdam, but it really showed me the kind of person he is and how he handled stressful situations.
  • Take a chance, get off the beaten path and explore, explore, explore! My husband and I still put this into practice, even in Cincinnati. We love to just wander. That’s when the best adventures happen. 
Gibson Olpp
Full Year 1988-1989
Lori Timm nowadays
Lori Timm nowadays

Do Talk to Strangers

Lori Timm

One of the most memorable experiences during my year in Luxembourg was an ill-fated trip to Baden-Baden. Nearly every student at MUDEC made plans to visit the German town to enjoy the spa's thermal waters. Planning a trip there was a bit tricky, though, since bathing suits were not typically worn at the spa. I was shy about getting naked in front of strangers, much less my MUDEC classmates. When it came time to plan my weekend travel, I decided to keep my destination a secret and limit the group to just one equally-shy friend. Robyn and I made the journey to Baden-Baden and after leaving our belongings at a small inn, we spent the day hiking through the nearby Black Forest. We reasoned that after exercising, the evening spa treatment would ease our aching muscles. Little did we know that all that worry was unwarranted and that we would never make it to the spa.

I remember so clearly our delight in experiencing such extreme independence. After all, no one in the world knew exactly where we were that day. To my 21-year-old self that was something to celebrate, but as a 50-something parent today it makes me shutter. As latch-key kids, we had learned early in life to fend for ourselves and we had not yet become dependent on cell phones to solve our problems. Like a modern-day Hansel and Gretel, we were completely oblivious to the dangers of the forest. At the precise moment that I marveled at how we had not seen a single soul on the trail, I clumsily misstepped and sprained my ankle. It swelled up instantly, doubling in size and throbbing painfully. I quickly realized that I would not be able to walk out of the forest unassisted and how ill-equipped Robyn was to help me. We were far from the trailhead and the afternoon sun was making its steady descent.  

Just as I entered into freak-out mode, I saw what appeared to be a German family approaching us on the trail. Detecting our distress, they stopped to inquire about our predicament. Because we were able to communicate with them in their language, they offered to help. Not only did they carry me out of the forest and take me to the nearest hospital, but they waited there patiently while my ever-expanding ankle was x-rayed and treated. Then they generously invited us into their home for a warm meal and a couch to sleep on before driving us to the train station the next morning so that we could return to Luxembourg City. 

I still marvel at the kindness of strangers and the great fortune we had to have encountered this kind family when we had. This experience taught me several lessons that have stuck with me all these years:
  • No one is invincible, not even a young college student. At one time or another, we all need to lean on others and accept help when it is offered. Look for opportunities to pay it forward.
  • It is always a good idea to let people know where you are, whether you are traveling overseas or down the street. Your safety and security just may depend on it. 
  • Speaking a foreign language can open doors to opportunity and assistance from strangers who become friends through a shared linguistic bond. Having respect for other cultures is essential to bridging the gaps that divide us as people.
  • Having a friend you can count on in a crisis is priceless. The best kind of friend is one who puts your needs ahead of their own. Be extravagant with your gift of friendship.
When I reflect on my time in Europe during the late 1980s, I realize how many life lessons learned back then — like trusting your intuition, creative problem solving, and self-reliance — have served me so well in adulthood. Like so many people before us and those who came after us, the MUDEC experience changed us forever. 

Lori K Timm

Bust a Move

Michael Turner

Michael Turner (right) trying to increase his rank ordering as a dancer
Michael Turner (right) trying to increase his rank ordering as a dancer, with, from left to right, Rob Cunningham, Chris Soechting, Jay Volk, Gibson Olpp, and Jamie Schlueter
It's amazing how many years have passed and how quickly (trite and cliche, I know). This year is also the 30th for the MU graduating class of 1990. What an absolute s*** year for a reunion. I suspect homecoming on campus has mercifully been cancelled. 

I think it would be great to reschedule another reunion for those of us who could not trek to Lux for the 50th after the pandemic is under control. I miss so many of my friends and colleagues from that era, and would welcome a chance to reconnect--even if only briefly. 

That was such a formative year, filled with adventures that challenged and inspired us to become who we are today. Beginning with learning the bus schedule and where to get off for classes; avoiding the flashers in the park; caffeinating pre-class at Café Belim; gradually meeting so many new and amazing friends; slowly engaging with the Luxembourg community (I even coached the local wrestling club and won the national championship in Greco-Roman wrestling); and then finally breaking in a multi-month Eurail pass with a vengeance. 

Ah the memories... Euchre in the lounge area (little Ekkie and Theo table talking in Japanese); collaborating on the subversive underground student newspaper "Trump My Ace" (with Bill Donabedian and John Latona); working with Ned the Sled and Bloop to organize a group ski holiday to Austria (with very favorable exchange rates at our hotel, and a true European-style spa experience). Ned even declared, after a few boots of beer, "Everyone can have fun here--Democrats and Republicans!"; learning how to dance at Pacha (and discovering the girls were rank ordering the boys as dancers); being "thunderstruck" and falling in love in Echternach and having my heart broken when she left after "just" one semester. We stayed in touch by writing letters--remember the joy from sending and receiving written words?--as phone calls were prohibitively expensive. 

Ultimately, my time in Luxembourg forged my career path. I became so interested in political theory (the EC then was based upon functionalist/neo-functionalist theories--a fact I used to discuss with Janine Gustavson) I decided to commit my life to influencing national and global policy through ideas. I went on to earn my doctorate in Political Science while working at the Institute on Western Europe at Columbia University--and have been working with multilateral policy institutions (World Bank, UN, APEC, regional development banks, and yes even the EU), governments, and other stakeholders to promote policy harmonization and integration for social and economic betterment owing largely to the policy successes I witnessed first hand across Europe during my time in Luxembourg. 

I am saddened I cannot flood you with a deluge of images from that magical year. But to me, and I am sure I am not alone on this, the view from one's mind's eye is the best way to relive those experiences (and attending a damn reunion, which we have to organize before we're all too flipping old to enjoy ourselves).

Peace out.
Michael A. Turner, Ph.D.  |  President & CEO |  PERC

4 girls
KStephanie Verkamp Midkiff (2nd from left) with, from left to right, Shelly Lewis, Jill Braverman, and Lisa Tintera

Sense of Direction
Stephanie Verkamp Midkiff


My dearest MUDEC 88-89 friends, it took me a while to figure out how to start this. It occurred to me to remind myself how I ended up in Lux in the first place. I can certainly thank my mom for planting a seed, as she loved telling me about her adventures traveling in Europe with her 3 best college friends. 

Miami was my backup school, I fully admit. I think I applied to at least 15 schools all over the country and Canada. There was no rhyme or reason but the common thread was I just wanted to go somewhere geographically different and exciting – not Oxford, Ohio. Miami is where I had gone to tennis camp for several summers. Miami was literally in my backyard, having grown up in Cincinnati.

But circumstances led to the conclusion that Miami was the best choice, under one condition. I was going to Luxembourg for my entire junior year. I’m not sure my parents knew how resolute this condition was, but for me it was non negotiable. I cannot recall how I first heard about Lux but I was hooked. I had also met previous MUEC students, which sealed the deal.

I definitely approached freshman year with limited enthusiasm. I even missed the first few days because I was in France as an AFS (American Field Service) student. That said, I fell in love with Miami and Oxford fairly quickly. Lux however was always top of mind. I am pretty certain I visited Langstroth Cottage the first day I was on campus.

Fast forward and I am driving with my family to Chicago to catch the Iceland Air flight! The rest is the wonderful history we share. It is the one year in my life I would absolutely repeat as long as I could make 2 changes – go to Oktoberfest and take the Greece trip! 

I have no way to summarize the year with out writing a novel. And I cannot name any names because I will most certainly leave someone out. Here is what I can say. We were the first MUDEC class for a reason. We had our closer friend groups, which just happens. But there was never a time I did not feel warmth and inclusion around any of our crew. I wish I had had more time with everyone! The 50th anniversary validated that. Boy, did we have fun!

As most of you know I met my future husband at MUDEC. This was quite unexpected as I was certain, if I did marry, I would marry later in life and I would marry a foreigner. First impressions of Middy were less than favorable. A chance meeting on the back porch of 45 A Avenue Monterey led to a conversation contradicting those first impressions. So I married earlier than expected and married a West Virginian.

Our continued love for being abroad eventually led our family to an expat posting in Dubai. I had always envisioned France but, c’est la vie! Another novel. In short, I would not trade it. And, of course, MUDEC was a significant part of our global citizenship training. Did Dubai have challenges? Of course. Did we feel more intimately connected to the rest of the world? Undoubtedly. I struggle with all the strife our world faces because, as we all know, when we get out, travel, meet locals, have conversations, we embrace, honor and celebrate differences. The world needs more MUDECers!

I do want to name four names – Annette Tomarken, Lanie Kober, Madame Prost and Andy Adams. I’m pretty sure we all can agree they were our shepherds and made it happen. Their devotion to us, and to the program, was incredible.

“Sense of direction” popped in my head as I was thinking about our time in Lux. I am so grateful that we had to read maps and train schedules. And rely on Fodors or word of mouth. I think we always got where we wanted to be or where we were supposed to be. We developed a sense of direction. I am sorry for the tech generations that don’t get to experience finding their way, this way – a lost art.

Sense of direction can be interpreted more broadly. What leads us to a certain place or experience? What led us to Luxembourg? Maybe it was a little bit chance but I think it was more our sense of direction. We knew where we wanted to be, where we were supposed to be. And we most definitely were meant to be together! Our class was a lay-down loner.

With much love to you all, Bloop!

Karen Walker at the end of semester ball
Karen Walker helping MC at the end of semester ball

From MUDEC to the Majors

Karen Walker

The funny thing is, when I think back to my Lux experience (1988-1989) many of my memories involve some sort of public nudity!  From the trench coat flasher in the park, to giggling American girls nervously going topless in Monaco, to my classmates ignoring me in the nude baths in Baden Baden because I couldn’t stop laughing, to our whole crew jumping naked off our yacht in Greece and skinny dipping in the Mediterranean!  

The most meaningful memory though was riding on the city bus on the first day of school and noticing a boy my age in a bright yellow Polo jacket with Nike tennis shoes on.  I knew immediately because of his fashion choices he had to be American and chances were, a Luxer.  That boy on the bus turned out to be Tony Buehler and after a series of European adventures, graduation a year later, and a Miami merger wedding, before too long we welcomed our son, Walker Anthony Buehler, into the world (on the day of the Bar exam I was supposed to sit for BTW)!  

As life went on, the marriage didn’t last, but the friendship did.  Tony and I, along with our separate families, watched as Walker developed an interest in baseball and progressed from tee-ball, to Little League, to high school where scouts began appearing at his games.  Vanderbilt baseball followed with a College World Series Championship in 2014 and ultimately a 24th pick in the 2015 MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Walker’s tribe then sat in disbelief as he made his major league debut in 2017, pitched in Game 3 of the World Series in 2018, and was selected to participate in the 2019 All-Star game.  

If someone had told me that filling out my Lux application would lead to sitting in Dodger Stadium hearing the name of the son I share with the boy on the bus announced over the loud speaker, I would have thought they had eaten a special brownie in Amsterdam!  But I also never thought I would get to travel to 14 different countries while I studied in Luxembourg, walk through the battlefield of Verdun with a History professor who described every moment of the siege in explicit detail, watch Paris come alive through the eyes of a Miami professor as he led us off the beaten path to little known treasures in the City of Lights, and not only photograph, but touch, the Berlin Wall just months before it was torn down.  

Needless to say, I am forever grateful for the Lux program, which began profoundly impacting my life 32 years ago and will for a lifetime!  Moien!

Karen Walker

Jay Volk seated between two women
Jay Volk, with Kristin Whisler (left) and his wife Anne

MUDEC 1988-89 at the 50th Anniversary

Moien all -

October 2018 seems like worlds away with COVID and other changes that we've seen. It was great to see all that made the trip to Luxembourg for a memorable fall visit. We had a chance to catch up, drink some beer (obviously) and reflect on how Luxembourg changed all our lives. 

We missed everyone that didn't make the journey back, and know that we all carry a little bit of the Grand Duchy with us. We hope you have enjoyed this class of 1988-89 newsletter takeover!


Jay Volk
1988-89 Class Captain
1988-1989 picture from the 50th
1988-89 class members at the 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2018
Mark Dessauer at the 50th
Mark Dessauer at the 50th
Tri-colored graphics of the Luxembourg flag
Graphic images created by MUDEC 1989 student Derek Friday for the art exhibition at the 50th
One woman with a man on either side
Chris Eichhorn with MUDEC merger Stephanie Verkamp Midkiff (aka Bloop) and Chris Midkiff at the 50th
Two girls dancing
Lisa Tintera and Bloop at the MUDEC Through the Years night at the 50th
three women and two men in front of a bar
Mark Dessauer, John Orlando, Mary Stephenson, Bill Scroggie and Lisa Namay at MUDEC Through the Years during the 50th
two girls and one guy in a bar
Mary Stephenson, Lisa Namay and Cameron Wall at MUDEC Through the Years during the 50th
This Week's Schedule

As if it were 1988-89

Halloween Party ad
Flyer for the 1st ever Halloween Party in Luxembourg

Monday: Classes
17:00-group shopping trip to the Coop before it closes
19:00-Singing practice for the Luxembourg National Anthem for the 50th with Dr. (Mrs.) Lakos

Tuesday: Classes
18:30-Auschwitz survivors panel in the Library

Wednesday: Classes
12:00 pm-Special lunch at the Convikt Center: Spaghetti Bolognese with no tomato in the sauce

Thursday: Classes
12:50-Walk to Credit Europeen to cash checks and exchange money
21:00-Halloween Party at Casablanca

Friday: Morning Classes
12:50 pm-First train out of Lux


Staff Absences: Andy Adams (Tuesday and Thursday PM), Dr. Lakos (Wednesday), Lucie (Friday)

Château & Administrative Hours
Aerial view of the Château de Differdange, where Miami's Luxembourg campus, the John E. Dolibois European Center, often abbreviated to MUDEC, is located



Administrative Hours

Monday-Friday:  8:30-12:30

                      13:00-17:00


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