new church life: november/december 2017
The Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Volunteers are honored that
night at a dinner with their spouses, the school principals, and guests from the
Academy faculty and administration. This year’s honorees are:
Distinguished Alumni
Maj. Gen. Fred Fiedler, U.S. Air Force (Retired) (BS 1957):
Fred grew up in rural Colorado, attended the Boys School for two
years and Bryn Athyn College for one year. He graduated from
the United States Air Force Academy and had a distinguished 30-
year career as an Air Force pilot. Since his retirement in 1992 he
has consulted in the defense industry. He served for six years of
the Academy Board of Trustees, chairing a joint board/community
committee to make all Secondary Schools and College buildings as accessible
as possible. This was inspired by a serious brain injury to one of his sons. He
was appointed by the Governor of Arizona to two terms on the Council on
Head and Spine Injuries. Fred also served six years on the General Church
Board of Directors. He and his wife, Barbara (Allen), live in Arizona. They
have four children – all of whom graduated from the Secondary Schools, and
six grandchildren.
Burton Friesen (BAC AA 1959): Burt was born in Boggy
Creek, Manitoba, Canada, one of 11 children. He is grateful
for loving parents and has lived a blessed life “thanks to Divine
Providence for stewarding me in my journey.” He says attending
Bryn Athyn College was a life-changing experience. He graduated
from Penn State University and got his teacher certification from
the University of Manitoba. After his first day of teaching he knew
he had found his calling. He married “the only girl I’ve ever loved”
– Margaret (Rae) Champion. They raised their family in Bryn Athyn where
he began teaching science and coaching ice hockey in the Boys School in
1968 and served as Principal from 1982 to 1989. He says: “It was a wonderful
experience to work with a dedicated New Church faculty, not to mention
all the great memories of having been involved in the education of so many
wonderful young people in the Church.”
Sharon Jungé (GS 1977): Inspired by Margit Boyesen’s
course on Anatomy and Physiology in the Girls School, Sharon
went into health care, completing college, medical school and a
family medicine residency, then embarking on a career focused on
underserved populations. She has worked in seven states and five
continents – from the Outback in Australia to the jungles of Brazil
and an island in Alaska. Her most recent adventure was teaching
in a medical school in Tanzania, East Africa, through an assignment with the
Peace Corps.
540