A Vietnamese child being adopted by a Walnut Grove woman reportedly was one of four who arrived safely today at Minneapolis International Airport.

Meanwhile the Charles Linds of Win-throp and a former New Ulm couple,the David Ruthenbecks of Mankato, are among those awaiting word on children they expect soon from Vietnam.

DONNA TOMERENKE, a home economics teacher at Walnut Grove, is in Minneapolis today where she is chaperoning students at the Future Homemakers of America convention.

A spokesman at the Walnut Grove superintendent’s office confirmed that Miss Tomerenke is one of the parents adopting a Vietnamese orphan.

Miss Tomerenke, in her 30s,has taught at Walnut Grove for the past seven or eight years. A story on KSTP-TV this morning identified Miss Tomerenke as one of the parents but the Journal was unable to locate her in the Twin Cities.

The Charles Lind family of Winthrop,which has a Vietnamese daughter whom they adopted in September, are awaiting news momentarily on the arrival of a 2-year-old boy.

They hadn’t had definite word on the estimated time of his arrival but expected to hear at any time.

FORMER NEW ULM residents, Mr. and Mrs. David Ruthenbeck of Mankato, who made arrangements through Holt Children’s Service of Eugene, Ore., for the adoption of a 6-year-old black Vietnamese child, have been in touch almost daily with the agency.

Ruthenbeck, former counselor at New Ulm High School, said this morning that Holt told them things were really moving along fast and that they should be prepared any time to go to Chicago to pick up their child.

Ruthenbeck said they already have received pictures of the boy and have renamed him Joel. Case histories have been sent to them and pictures of the Ruthenbeck family should have been received by him, he said. The boy’s father was a black serviceman and the mother was Vietnamese.

THE RUTHENBECKS who lost a son,Daniel, in May, have one son, Paul, who is in fourth grade. Ruthenbeck said they thought originally their new son might arrive in July, but are now hopeful it will be much sooner.

“Paul is very excited, too,” said his father.

Ruthenbeck is assistant to the dean in the school of arts and sciences at Mankato State College.

His wife, Lori, was a social worker with the Brown County Welfare Department before the arrival of their son Paul. She now is employed part-time for the state department of health assessing care in nursing homes in the area.

An Associated Press story says Americans in unprecedented numbers are opening their arms to orphans of the Vietnam war.

A State Department official who coordinates intercountry adoptions reported 200 calls Wednesday from Americans offering to adopt Vietnamese orphans.”Normally we have five a day,” he said.

New Ulm Daily Journal

April 4 1975