Dave Wendt '63 to Receive Fr. Walter Reger Distinguished Alumnus Award

Dave Wendt '63 was presented the Fr. Walter Reger Distinguished Alumnus Award at the 2008 Homecoming banquet.  Wendt was recognized for his nearly four decades of loyal service to alma mater.  In accepting the award, he recounted the kindness Fr. Walter had shown him while hospitalized his junior year at SJU. 

Fr. Walter Reger, OSB was the driving force behind the Saint John's University Alumni Association from the 1930s through the 1960s. He became known as "Mr. Saint John's."  Since 1971, the Saint John's University Alumni Association has presented the Fr. Walter Reger Distinguished Alumnus Award in honor of Fr. Walter's many years of dedicated service to the University.

The Alumni Association Board of Directors selected Dave Wendt '63 as this year's recipient in recognition of nearly four decades of loyal service to alma mater.

Wendt has been his class agent since 1984 and is among the most responsible class agents for the Annual Fund. He's also served as vice president of the SJU Alumni Board, a career networking volunteer and a member of the National Consultation Team for the Campaign for Saint John's and other campaign committees.  He and his wife, Karin, miss very few Twin City Standups or Institutional Advancement functions in the Cities or at Saint John's. They have been members of the Benedictine Legacy Society since 2004.

Wendt is a successful independent insurance professional and teaches a series of professional lectures at the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota. He has just completed a year as president of the Edina Rotary Club and chaired a Twin Cities branch of the Serra Club in 2001-2002. 

"Saint John's remains a beacon in my life," says Wendt. "I hope many more Johnnies will come back to find what a truly peaceful, but powerful resource Saint John's can be to them throughout their lives."