S. Phyllis Plantenberg (1926-2021) High School and College Faculty
Sister Phyllis Plantenberg was born on February 27, 1926, in St. Cloud, MN, to Bernard and Evelyn (Thompson). Her mother died when she was six but said she had the best dad in the world. Her appreciation for gardening came from experiences as a child as a necessity during WWII. She was educated her whole life by Benedictines until she was a college senior. She rode the Bennie bus to college (a day hop) and worked in the airplane factory in St. Cloud as one of the Rosie Riveters, and worked the night shift to pay for college, graduating in 1948 with a B.A. in biology with minors in chemistry, education, English, and philosophy. She recalls the relationships she made on the Bennie bus and had fond memories of the father/daughter banquet (now the Bennie Ball).
She became friends with Sister Mary Grell and entered the community in 1948, and was given the name Dunstan. She later returned to her baptismal name Phyllis in 1984. She taught high school at St. Benedict's High School and St. Boniface and spent the rest of her career teaching at the College of St. Benedict. She earned an M.S. degree in ecology in 1961 at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. She also attended St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN, St. Mary’s College in Winona, MN, St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN, the University of SW Louisiana in Lafayette, LA, the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM, Drew University in Madison, NJ, Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, the University of Washington in Pullman, WA. and Shoals Marine Laboratory in Appledore Island, ME. Despite her extensive studies, she never finished a Ph.D.
Sister Phyllis spent many summers with the National Science Foundation, which funded research and study. She traveled to New Zealand, Hawaii, Alaska, and the Bahamas. She and other sisters in science took a group of students on a biology road trip to the Pacific Northwest via a bus and big canvas tents for overnight camping. J-term trips included three trips to New Zealand and three J-Terms as boarders with the poor in El Paso and Juarez, Mexico. She wanted the students to experience different cultures and surroundings and learn to appreciate each. She saw that it was good and today the college continues to offer study abroad experiences.
A significant event in her life was a sabbatical at Genesis Farm in Blairstown, New Jersey, an ecological and earth spirituality educational and retreat center. On her return, she taught more environmental sciences. She started the Common Ground Garden and with Angeline Dufner started the St. Joe Farmer's Market. Both endeavors had a ripple effect for the formation of more CSAs and farmer's markets in the area. She wanted a sustainable and chemical-free garden that would give promise to the future. She was denied a promotion to full professor in 1985, without an earned doctorate. But instead, a special award for outstanding faculty was developed and she was the first recipient.
At age 80, she started raising bees. She became involved with environmental organizations such as Saint John’s Arboretum, Avon Hills Association, and Minnesota Land Trust. She, along with Sister Paula Revier, was instrumental in putting some of the monastery lands into a conservation easement. She was pleased to have the 26 acres of Oak Savannah monitored and protected forever. In 2019, an anonymous donor created the Sister Phyllis Plantenberg Endowed Fund for Student and Faculty Research for Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict in her honor.
