From the snowcapped mountains of Lucerne, Switzerland, to the rolling flowered foothills of Appalachia, Monika Lumsdaine, a resident at Morning Pointe of Knoxville, has vibrant stories to share of adventures and God’s leading in her life in an unconventional way.
Youth in Switzerland
Monika was born in Lucerne in February 1939, a turbulent time in Europe. Her childhood was heavily influenced by World War II, despite her home country’s formal neutrality.
She was the oldest daughter of Angelo and Rose Amsler, with younger sister Lili just a year younger than her. During the war, Angelo served the Swiss Army as a corporal in the artillery along the southern border. As Monika put it, “We were surrounded by enemies.”
The war cut off a lot of the usual supplies from the Swiss people, especially heating sources such as coal and wood, and winters were the hardest time for families. In the summer, they grew their own food as much as they could, planting vegetable gardens.
Monika remembers her upbringing being rather strict, though she knew her family wanted the best for her. She graduated from high school with an interest in pursuing knowledge in fields not typical for women at the time.
She shares in “Chopsticks and Chocolate: A Love Story Bridging Time and Cultures,” which she co-wrote with her husband Edward, “Very few girls were supported for advanced education – most families considered it a wasted expense since typically girls would marry and raise a family instead of having a career.”
Monika got a job at the tourist office in Lucerne, doing typing. On her off time, she also learned how to fly an airplane.
Her job opened doors for her she didn’t expect. The Rotary Club had an international conference in Lucerne in 1957, and Monika was among several girls helping with registration. These girls had the privilege of hearing Helen Keller speak. An American family sat directly in front of the workers and struck up a conversation with the girls.
Monika came up with a bold idea: having the Americans over to her house to see how a Swiss family really lived. She asked them, and they were intrigued. They visited the Amslers and were impressed with Monika. The family, in turn, had an idea. They would ask if she could participate in the Rotary’s exchange student program. She would come live with them in Ventura, California, while going to college in the community.
With her broad mind, her family’s permission, and the blessing of the Rotary Club, Monika jumped at the opportunity.
College and Courtship in California
Monika started classes at Ventura Junior College in September 1958, staying with the Langford family: Art and Esther and their daughter Artie. To her delight, classes were open to her in America that were not available to her in Switzerland as a woman. One of these was mechanical drawing class. Even so, at the door of the classroom, a handsome young man addressed her at the beginning of the first day of class, “You’ll be the only girl in this class.” That man was Edward Lumsdaine.
The comment didn’t daunt Monika, who sat in the front row of the class and excelled at the subject. Meanwhile, Edward started taking interest in Monika, not only because she was boldly studying traditionally masculine classes but also because he found out she had a pilot’s license. He himself had served in the U.S. Air Force.
One day, as Monika recounts it, “He said, ‘I’m going to drive you home.’”
The two went on a few dates and got to know each other better. Edward was born in Hong Kong to an American father and Chinese mother, and he grew up in Shanghai, China, during World War II. He had faced hunger and fear during that time, including having his father imprisoned in a concentration camp. Being biracial didn’t make life any easier.
Eventually, Edward came to the United States with a true hunger for a good education, and serving in the Air Force gave him access to the GI Bill. He had a passion for taking care of his family, especially his mother and younger siblings, and helped support them as they came to the US.
Edward and Monika dated. In “Chopsticks and Chocolate,” Edward shared his part: “I was sure this woman had everything I wanted in a wife: beautiful, intelligent (especially in math), and frugal.”
“I guess we just fell in love,” said Monika. In their book, she wrote: “I was overwhelmed that I had gained a smart and handsome fellow who professed to love me, having never been in a serious relationship with anyone before. In those days, most guys were not interested in a woman who might be more intelligent than they were.”
They married on Sept. 8, 1959.
Family, Degrees, and Faith
Since Ventura only offered a junior college, the young couple had to go somewhere else to finish their degrees. After looking around, they found that student housing in New Mexico was pretty cheap, so they moved to New Mexico State in Las Cruces.
Edward finished his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering there. Their first son, Andrew, was born in 1962, with their daughter, Anne, following in 1963. In 1964, Edward earned a master’s degree in engineering. 1965 led to more changes with the birth of their second son, Alfred, and Edward earning his doctorate degree.
Monika finally earned her own bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in 1966, having done what classes she could from home with her children. In fact, there was a short hold-up since she had not been able to take the required physical education classes. She convinced the administrators that chasing three young children around constituted plenty of physical activity. She graduated first in her class of 550 students.
The Lumsdaines moved to Seattle for a while when Edward got a job with Boeing. Monika became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1967, and the family moved several times over the course of their careers as Edward became a professor. In South Dakota, Edward worked for South Dakota State University in Brookings, and there they had their fourth child, a son named Arnold.
Monika and Edward had not been super serious about religion to this point, although they both had a respect for Christianity and had married in a Catholic wedding ceremony. When they moved to Brookings, they started attending a church that truly impressed them with the members’ friendliness and living what they believed. Monika responded to an altar call on Mother’s Day 1969, and she began to find peace and deepen her relationship with God.
“I was 30 when I found the Lord,” Monika said.
Edward noticed the positive change in Monika and gave his own life to Christ in 1971.
Knoxville, Michigan, and Solar Homes
The Lumsdaines moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, for the first time in 1971, for Edward to teach as a professor at the University of Tennessee’s college of engineering. Both he and Monika had a large background in solar energy, and they built a passive solar home that Monika designed. The TVA even gave tours of their home to demonstrate how it worked during the 1982 World’s Fair.
When the United States faced an energy crisis during the Middle East oil embargo in the 1970s, Edward was invited to be a senior research engineer and mechanical engineering professor at New Mexico State University, and he grew his role to the director of the New Mexico Solar Energy Institute.
While the family was in New Mexico, Monika entered a competition from the federal government to design a basic passive solar house. She won!
However, publication of the plans of the solar home that Monika designed stalled… simply because she was a woman. Monika took her complaint up to the governor, and the plans were finally published and available for builders to use. “Sometimes you have to fight for what you want,” Monika said of the experience.
Monika used the money from winning the contest to start her own consulting business. She contracted with the U.S. Navy as it was wanting energy-efficient buildings. She also designed an energy-efficient Visitor Center for Lovington, New Mexico.
The Lumsdaines eventually moved back to Knoxville, where Edward became director of the Energy, Environment and Resources Center at UT until the political climate changed from supporting energy initiatives. The family moved to Dearborn, Michigan; then later to Toledo, Ohio; and to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Monika and her husband were very much a team, and they co-wrote several books and papers together, besides “Chopsticks and Chocolate.” She did her own research, including a six-year study that let to the couple’s publishing “Thinking Preferences of Engineering Students: Implication for Curriculum Restructuring” in the Journal of Engineering Education.
Older Years and Morning Pointe
Through the years, Edward and Monika held tightly to each other and to God, and He saw them through many ups and downs, including freeing Edward from a long-time gambling addiction and preserving Monika through breast cancer. From their four children, there are now 14 grandchildren.
As they got older and started having trouble with the stairs in the house, the couple sold their house and moved to an apartment.
Edward passed away of a stroke in 2022, not long after their 63rd wedding anniversary.
Monika decided soon afterward that it was time to find an assisted living community. “I didn’t want to live by myself,” she said. “Morning Pointe of Knoxville was warm and welcoming. It felt comfortable, and it’s close to where my son lives.”
The adjustment to assisted living has been a blessing for her, relieving her of some of the burdens of living alone. “It’s so nice not to have to think about shopping and what to cook,” she said. “It’s like living in a five-star hotel. I really like the food, and it’s nice to have that regular schedule. I’m surrounded by a community of people who I have a lot in common with. It’s like finding new friends.”
Monika stays active in the many activities at the community, from jigsaw puzzles to devotions, outings and gardening, as well as photography. She has shared her photos with her fellow residents.
When she was asked what she is most proud of, Monika shared, “Raising my children. They’re different, but they’re all wonderful people. That and being able to keep my faith.”
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Thank you for sharing your rich experiences with your adopted country and our Morning Pointe community, Monika! We are so glad you are part of our Morning Pointe family!
