An emotional farewell

Luther College President Rick Torgerson not only hosted the annual Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Peace Dining Room at Luther on Monday--he was the featured speaker.

Torgerson used the opportunity to review his 14 years on campus, highlighting the improvements in town--gown relations that have happened during that time.

He praised the Decorah community for its partnership with Luther on projects such as sustainability and lauded community volunteers for their work in turning Decorah into a major asset for the college, saying Luther's location is now something the college promotes heavily.

The luncheon will be the last time Torgerson will speak to the community group, since he is retiring at the end of the year.  He told the luncheon he and his wife would be "forever grateful for the people in this community."  After a long pause, he told the group, "You have welcomed us, you have supported us...thank you for your graciousness."

Torgerson said he and his wife Judy would always consider Decorah "a very special place."