Eunice (Nordby) Simonson graduated from Oak Grove in 1948. She graduated from Concordia College in 1952, but not before meeting and marrying her husband David in 1951. Eunice attended Fairview Hospital to receive her nursing degree while David went to seminary. They were called by the ELCA as missionaries to the Maasai people in Tanzania. For nearly 50 years whey preached the Gospel, healed the sick and raised a family of five children. They founded Operation Bootstrap and raised over $7 million to build more that 3,000 schools for Tanzanian children. In 2004, the Luther Institute recognized the Simonsons’ mission work with its highest honor, the Wittenberg Award. Eunice wrote the book “I Count My Blessings” to share her experiences and explain why her hearts for Africa.