About Barry: After graduating from LHSW, Barry took the customary route to ordained ministry in the Missouri Synod. He attended and graduated from Concordia Jr. College, Ann Arbor and Concordia Sr. College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. While attending seminary in St. Louis, two life shaping things happened to him: he married Karen in 1971 who had just graduated from Valparaiso University in the Lutheran Deaconess program and in December of 1973, they walked out of the seminary with the majority of students and faculty to create Concordia Seminary-in-Exile. Karen and Barry graduated in the Spring of 1974 with Master's degrees (under the academic aegis of the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago). The road next led them to the University of Michigan where Barry earned an M.A. in Old Testament.

Since 1977 he has served as Senior Pastor in congregations in Madison Heights, Michigan (Our Savior Lutheran Church - AELC), Marysville, Ohio (Trinity Lutheran Church & Grade School - ELCA) and from 1999 to present, in Ann Arbor, Michigan (Zion Lutheran Church - ELCA).

[A first-person caveat here: In advance of our last reunion, which I was unable to attend, one of our classmates contacted me and when it was discovered that I was a pastor, she exclaimed, "A pastor? Really? A Lutheran pastor? In high school you never acted very religious." Nevertheless, I thank God that my Lord Jesus Christ has a place in his heart even for irreverent souls like me and has never given up on me.]

Over the decades, Barry has: participated in a summer dig in the Holy Land, been an adjunct seminary instructor, served on the board of directors for Wittenberg University, served on the Synod Council of the Southeast Michigan Synod of the ELCA, served on more community and synodical committees than he can count on his fingers and toes, married hundreds of couples, baptized, taught and confirmed many hundreds of children, said farewell to hundreds of saints in Christian burial, made thousands of hospital and shut-in visits, and preached more sermons than he cares to remember (and could not remember even if he did care).

Karen, during the Ludwigs' "Ohio years", added an MSW to her vita from the Ohio State University (may the Lord forgive her), and currently is a half-time social worker at a local hospice while concurrently doing parish interims for the Synod as a rostered church professional in the ELCA.

That for which Barry is most thankful and for which he stands in awe is that Karen has put up with him for 41.5 years and that God has blessed them with two wonderful daughters. The oldest is the Director of AP English Programs at The National Math and Science Initiative in D.C. and the other is a Lutheran (ELCA) pastor who is married to yet another Lutheran (ELCA) pastor. They have a son, who with grandparental tutoring, stands a good chance of one day becoming a pastor.

Message to Classmates: Many years ago as I brushed away the sands of time (literally) at Caesaria Maritima in Israel, there emerged a 4th century AD Greek inscription with these words, "The Lord keep your coming in and your going out, now and forevermore" (Psalm 121:8). I pray this for all of you, my classmates.