Up Front
Integrity—A Distinguishing Attribute
COURTER PHOTO GRAFX
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nron, Arthur Anderson, Adelphia, WorldCom, Quest Communications . . . what do these major U.S. corporations have in common? You already know the answer: the top management of all five have been accused of conspiracy or fraud. Once again the integrity of corporate America is being seriously questioned, and rightly so. Fortunately we have laws to deal with this kind of behavior, and by enforcing these laws we protect our freedom. The problem, of course, does not lie in the business world itself but in the heart of man. Jeremiah 17:9–11 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things.” It also tells us that “like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. . . . In the end, he will prove to be a fool.” There’s an old saying that the stock market is driven by two things, fear and greed. A little over 10 years ago, when companies and individuals were borrowing large sums of money and gobbling up over-capitalized and often weaker companies (the so-called leveraged buyout), the names were different but the headlines were similar. The problem was the same one we have today: greedy people who are unable to resist the temptation to lie, cheat and steal for personal gain. After the problems of the late 1980s, a leading business school decided to add several courses on business ethics. However, when Chuck Colson was invited to speak on the subject, he told them ethics cannot be taught at secular schools because they have no moral foundation on which to base their teaching. This did not go over very well, but Chuck was right . . . ethics under whose authority? At Gordon College we work very hard at integrating faith and learning, and we trust this will extend beyond the college years to every graduate’s profession, vocation and family. Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us to “serve the Lord your God with all your heart,” and Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” Ultimately, integrity and honesty flow from a heart that is pure in God’s eyes. Based on my own experience, a high sense of integrity is what distinguishes Christians in the business world. While cutting corners may allow some to move ahead a little faster in the short run, there’s no question who wins in the long run. Show me a person who is reasonably intelligent, hardworking, fair-minded and honest, and I will show you a person who is well on his or her way to a successful career. Honesty pays because it’s God’s way. The disclosures of the past several months have certainly been very disturbing, but there does seem to be some good coming of this. New laws dealing with corporate accountability and pension reform are clearly steps in the right direction, and, if nothing else, there is new awareness of the need for people with a high sense of integrity in positions of responsibility. This should provide new and special opportunities for those whose goal in life is to serve the Lord with all their heart, soul and strength.
Peter Bennett Chair, Board of Trustees, Gordon College Retired Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer State Street Research & Management Company, Boston
T.S. Eliot, in his poem Four Quartets, refers to God as the “still point of the turning world.”
Editor Patricia C. McKay ’65 Director of College Communications and Marketing Patti Sellers Bubna Public Relations Specialist Chris Underation Publication Design Lora E. Maggiacomo ’92 Printer DS Graphics Lowell, Massachusetts Stillpoint the magazine for alumni Stillpoint, and friends of the united college of Gordon and Barrington, is published three times a year and has a circulation of 23,000. Send address changes to the Development Office, or email to jhokanson@hope.gordon.edu. Send other correspondence to: Editor, Stillpoint Gordon College 255 Grapevine Road Wenham, Massachusetts 01984 mckay@hope.gordon.edu Visit our website at: www.gordon.edu Reproduction of Stillpoint in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Gordon College is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, or national or ethnic origin.
Volume 18, Number 1 Fall 2002
got integrity? IFC
Up Front by Peter Bennett Integrity—A Distinguishing Attribute
2
On & Off Campus by Chris Underation
4
Ken Olsen Science Center Launched by Patti Sellers Bubna A naming-level gift has been received for one of two proposed science buildings.
7
Healthcare: A Right or a Privilege? by James Paskavitz ’86 Neurologist James Paskavitz weighs in on the national debate about healthcare for all—or only some.
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Homecoming 2002
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Creating Memories Worth Repeating by Pat McKay ’65
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Peter Herschend tells how his family built a dream into a world-renowned entertainment enterprise.
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What I Did on My Summer Vacation by Bai Yun ’03, Chris Byers ’04 and Jeong Dae (Daniel) Lee ’04
A school founded in the city returns to its roots through a new urban educational offering.
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Gordon students take a break—but not a break from learning. Three of them tell about their experiences around the world.
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Point of View The Death of Character by Daniel Johnson
Bought with a Price by Kristin Schwabauer ’04 Student Kristin Schwabauer reports on John Eibner ’74B and his controversial work to redeem slaves in Sudan. Gloria White-Hammond, who organizes trips from Boston, talks about her experiences.
Alums at Large From Grapevine Road to Winfield House by Bonnie Yule-Kuehne ’96 Alumna Bonnie Yule-Kuehne talks about her unexpected move from the Gordon-at-Oxford program directly to the American ambassador’s residence in London.
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Professor Johnson, a researcher for a book by James Davison Hunter ’77, discusses how our prevailing paradigm for character formation is failing us.
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Profs & Programs Boston Urban Semester by Craig McMullen
Gifts & Giving One Common Purpose by Rick Klein ’93 The Clarendon Society assists students like Kristie Rose ’04 and helps ensure the future of the College.
IBC BC
PHOTOS ON COVER AND PAGES 6 AND 27 BY FRANK SITEMAN. ON THE COVER, THOMAS (TOBY) HANCHETT ’99.
Raves & Rebuffs Events Calendar A Mighty Season for the Mighty Scots by Stephen Leonard ’94 Gordon athletics: the definition of success.
On & Off Campus
BY
CHRIS UNDERATION
(Ac)credit(ation) Where It’s Due After more than a year of work assessing Gordon, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges will renew the College’s accreditation for another 10 years. In April the accreditation team visited campus to see how our institutional self-study matched up with what they observed in all areas during their visit. The NEASC was complimentary of Gordon’s mission, the clarity and candor of the self-study, and the quality of the academic and athletic programs. The accreditation team also recommended that Gordon address the issue of racial and ethnic diversity in the student body, faculty and staff in addition to providing more resources for the library.
A First-Class College Gordon has once again taken its place in U.S. News & World Report’s annual listing of the nation’s best colleges. Gordon was one of only five Council of Christian Colleges and Universities schools on the national list (the others were Wheaton, Houghton, Goshen and Westmont). Overall U.S. News ranks 540 colleges. Out of this number 322 are listed as regional colleges, and 218 are national colleges. U.S. News says national colleges require higher scores on entrance exams and are generally more selective than regionally ranked institutions.
A First-Class Class In August Gordon welcomed 468 new students to campus, giving Gordon a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,631. Like the classes before it, this class continues the trend of academic excellence and increasing selectivity. 2
GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
“This continues a very positive upswing that we’ve been seeing at Gordon for the last several years,” said Silvio Vazquez, dean of admissions. “Because we are rated as one of the best liberal arts colleges in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, we have seen top students Report choosing Gordon in increasing numbers.” For the first time in the school’s history, the average freshman SAT score topped 1200, with the average SAT coming in at 1202. The student acceptance rate fell to 73 percent. Eight members of the class are National Merit Finalists. Overall the student body draws students from 46 states and 25 nations.
their callings to the highest possible level and to learn how to deal with specific problems in their field without compromising their faith or standards of artistic endeavor. The organization also works to provide opportunities for sharing work and ideas; to foster understanding, trust and cooperative relationships between those in the arts, the church and society; and ultimately to foster a Christian presence in the art world.
Keeper of Gordon’s History to Retire
This fall John Beauregard announced to the campus that he will retire at the end of this academic year. To say Beauregard has been instrumental in shaping Gordon’s library and curriculum over the years is an understatement. Over the last three decades, he has helped integrate many new techChristians in the Visual Arts, an nologies and resources into Gordon’s international organization founded library program and has been very active in organizing collaborative ventures with other academic libraries in the region. But perhaps his most important contribution has been as the archivist of Gordon and Barrington histories. It takes a visit to the archives to truly appreciate his work, which includes informaSandra Bowden, president of CIVA, and Provost Mark tion on the beginnings of Sargent sign the contract for housing CIVA at Gordon. both schools and historical documents relating to the land on in 1979, relocated from Minnesota which the school is now located, as to Gordon College late last summer. well as the most recent edition of the CIVA’s offices are now located in campus newspaper. His institutional Gordon’s Barrington Center for memory is impressive. the Arts. During his time here he has served “We are delighted that CIVA has as a pastor at many churches in the found a new home at Gordon Colregion, most recently taking on interim lege,” says CIVA Executive Director ministries on the North Shore. Dan Russ. “Gordon enables CIVA to be based in a Christian community of intellectual thought and artistic creativity and to be centered in a facility that better serves CIVA’s 1,500 members in the U.S., Canada Alumnus and former Director of the and 40 other countries.” Wilberforce Papers Project Kevin CIVA’s mission is to encourage Belmonte has seen a good deal of Christian visual artists to develop positive feedback on his book Hero
CIVA Now at Gordon
Watching for Wilberforce
FALL 2002
Kevin Belmonte ’90 at a booksigning in Gordon’s Bookstore at Homecoming.
for Humanity: A Biography of William Wilberforce. Released in October, the book has been lauded by Chuck Colson, J. I. Packer and Os Guinness. Focus on the Family magazine will feature a story about the book in its January issue, which will also carry an article about Wilberforce by Belmonte.
In addition, Walden Media is producing a film based on the book. The screenplay is being written by Colin Welland, Oscar award-winning writer of Chariots of Fire. For information about the book and a PDF sample, visit http: //www.navpress.com/ download/pdf/ 1576833542.pdf.
Many Miles for Milne In the Summer 2002 Stillpoint we wrote about Gordon student Shawn Milne and his desire to become the best bike racer he could. Shortly after
Beyond President Jud Carlberg’s essay “The
Evangelical Vision: From Fundamental Isolation to Respected Voice” appears in the book The Future of Religious Colleges, published by Eerdman’s. The essay is taken from the October 2000 Harvard Conference on the future of religious education. Peggy Hothem, professor of leisure studies, and Valerie Gin, assistant
professor of recreation and leisure studies, presented papers at the Association for Christianity, Sport, Leisure and Health at Wheaton College (IL). Hothem’s essay was titled “The Redemptive Nature of Leisure,” and Gin spoke on “Unleashed Frontiers of Sport in Ministry.” Grace Ju, adjunct professor of biol-
ogy, praised the work of Gordon students Rachel Parsons and Jen Bonina at the American Society of Plant Biology meetings in Denver
that story came out, Milne received a call from U.S.A. Cycling, who invited him to Europe to try out for a spot on the U.S.A. national under-23 team. He was one of five selected and has spent the last several months taking part in races across Europe. At this high level (which is one step from the U.S. Postal Service team led by Lance Armstrong), Milne has more than held his own. He was the top American finisher and came in 22 overall. All 176 racers were the top U23 riders from each nation. In order to pursue this dream, Milne has deferred his study at Gordon. Early returns from the classroom of life are positive though. “Shawn is a tough kid,” said former racing teammate Curt Davis. “He’s on track to be a professional, and I think it’s in his future.”
the Lectern A sampling of faculty accomplishments and activities outside the classroom
during the summer. Ju said both students “did a great job presenting their work and were great ambassadors for Gordon and a wonderful witness for the excellence of Christ” at the conference. Parsons and Bonina are 2002 graduates. Nicholas Rowe, special assistant to
the president for diversity, has published an essay titled “Our Brother’s Keeper” in Regeneration Quarterly. The essay discusses Glenn C. Loury’s The Anatomy of Racial Inequality. David Shull, assistant professor of
biology, has had a grant proposal accepted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This grant funds studies to investigate toxic or harmful algal blooms in the coastal marine environment. Stephen Smith, professor of econom-
ics, has been published by the journal Ethics and International Affairs. The review essay by Smith discussed two
recent books released by Princeton University Press: Free Trade Today by Jagdish Bhagwati and Free Trade Under Fire by Douglas Irwin. Ronald Waite, professor of busi-
ness, received the Merrimack Valley Regional Service Award for 15 years of service with the federally mandated regional planning agency for cities and towns along the Merrimack River, including his town of Newburyport, Massachusetts. Dong Wang, Gordon’s new professor
in Asian history, has been appointed a research associate at the Fairbanks Center for East Asian Research at Harvard University. Marv Wilson, professor of biblical
and theological studies, was honored as Person of the Year by the North Shore B’nai B’rith on October 27, as we went to press. More in the next issue of Stillpoint. 3
The Ken Olsen Science Center
new science center for Gordon College has been on the hearts and minds of many for a long time. Those closely associated with the College have known for years that a new facility was imperative to keep step with the sterling quality of its faculty and students. While Peterson’s Top Colleges for Science guide has recognized Gordon’s science programs for their distinction, professors and undergraduates have been operating in cramped and outdated laboratories and research classrooms. The challenge to move this noble desire to solid reality was daunting. If it were to happen, hard work, prayer and the generous response of God’s people would be essential. Now, after years of careful planning, Gordon has begun its most formidable project to date. Recently the College received a significant gift commitment to launch fundraising efforts for a new science complex. Cheering students, faculty and staff responded to the sur-
Ken Olsen is founder of Digital Equipment Corporation. He is one of the few who has received the National Medal of Technology from the U.S. Commerce Department—the nation’s highest award for achievement in commercial technology. Mr. Olsen served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Gordon from 1961 to 1993 and since then has been Board member emeritus.
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GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
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prise announcement, made at the close of a chapel session in September. Ken Olsen, for whom one of two new proposed science buildings will be named, says, “Science is more than a study of molecules and calculations; it is the love of knowledge and the continued search for truth. Science furnishes a common denominator that can break down the walls of bias and disagreement among peoples, regardless of race or religion.” A long-time benefactor of Gordon, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Museum of Science and other organizations, this is the first time Mr. Olsen has agreed to have his name associated with a particular building. The new science complex will greatly enhance the College science program. The total estimated cost for both buildings is $24.5 million and will bring together all of Gordon’s sciences—everything from computer technology to movement science to
BY PATTI SELLERS BUBNA
KEN OLSEN SCIENCE CENTER LAUNCHED A naming-level gift has been received for one of the two proposed science buildings.
marine biology to chemistry. At a time when many Christian liberal arts colleges are moving away from the hard sciences and leaning more toward the applied sciences, Gordon College has distinguished itself by its commitment to prepare men and women for roles of leadership in this field. Long before Gordon earned the select status it enjoys today, Ken Olsen faithfully embraced and supported its mission—to foster freedom of thought within the framework of faith. Indeed, Mr. Olsen encourages the College’s quest for quality and excellence, all the while sustaining cre ative free-thinking among its professors and students. “The study of the sciences promotes humility,” Mr. Olsen thought ful ly attests, “leaving us with the clear sense that we will never understand all there is to know. At the same time, science provides a defense for truth, authenticates Christianity and stems from the nature of God.”
Mr. Olsen believes immersion in the sciences is one way young adults can effectively prepare for life. “It provides students with a basis of thought that will enable them to approach and solve life’s problems. A study of the sciences encourages discipline, critical inquiry and integrity.”
Ken Olsen’s challenge gift sets into motion a building program that will ultimately be much more than bricks and mortar. Rather, students will find the science complex a hub of scholarship—providing a place where they are equipped to lead the way in years to come.
Proposed second science building
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GORDON STUDENTS ACCEPTED INTO MEDICAL SCHOOLS During the past five years, Gordon premed students enjoyed a 93 percent acceptance rate into the schools of their choice. Listed below are U.S. medical schools that have accepted Gordon students since 1998.
ALLOPATHIC
THE CHALLENGE
Boston University School of Medicine Georgetown University School of Medicine New York Medical College University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine University of Colorado School of Medicine University of Connecticut School of Medicine University of Massachusetts Medical School University of South Dakota School of Medicine University of Vermont College of Medicine
“Mr. Olsen’s generous gift enables Gordon to begin fundraising in ear nest for the new academic building we need the most—a science center,” notes Robert Grinnell, vice president for development. Fundraising and construction are expected to be completed in two phases. Phase One will seek to use Mr. Olsen’s challenge grant to raise $13 million by the spring of 2005. It is important that all the funds be given or pledged before con struc tion begins. “Our hope is that science alumni, parents of both current students and graduates, and friends will rally behind this effort. This is the key gift we have been looking for to propel a campaign for the sciences forward,” Grinnell says. Phase Two will begin once a nam ing-level com mit ment has been identified for the second science building. We continue to pray for God’s provision and leading in making this new science complex a reality. Inquiries may be directed to Robert Grinnell at 978.867.4204, or email grinnell@hope.gordon.edu.
OSTEOPATHIC
New York College of Osteopathic Medicine Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
DENTISTRY
Tufts Dental School University of Maryland Dental
OTHER
Southern California School of Optometry Creighton University School of Pharmacy
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GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
FALL 2002
A Right or a Privilege? BY JAMES
PASKAVITZ, M.D. ’86
Dr. James Paskavitz says now is the time for the public to organize for better health care for all—including a system that allows doctors to fully implement their knowledge and skills to heal. physician interacts with people from every walk of life, all united by a common bond: their health needs. All of us are susceptible to disease, regardless of socioeconomic status, and every patient comes with a different vulnerability and need. Numerous people bear the psychological scars of a difficult life, manifested in physical symptoms. Many who aren’t ill want to be, enabling them to control some elements of their world. Patients with real and devastating neurological illnesses teach me about life and death. I follow Alzheimer’s patients and families who are so grateful for the littlest bit of advice or modestly beneficial medicine. I watch people with cancerous brain tumors prepare to die, and have a bittersweet sentiment about my role in getting them ready. The rewards in neurology are rarely found in the cures—more in trying to treat symptoms while helping people adapt to their illnesses. Being a physician is not a status symbol or an ego-building experience; it is a job of service and humility. And it’s hard. I rejoice in treatment successes and toil over patients
who don’t follow treatment plans. I argue with those who disagree with my approaches and lose sleep worrying about patients who are doing poorly. Still, none of these tensions overshadow why I chose this profession . . . I think I can help people. Inside my office, I think I do help people. In the larger medical arena, however, a struggle exists. Healthcare is in crisis, and doctors are stuck in the middle trying to balance diagnosis and health management while being fiscally responsible and avoiding legal confrontations. Physicians are overloaded by paperwork and phone calls to justify tests and make sure details are handled correctly. This takes time away from patient contact. From the patient’s perspective, physician access has become more difficult, placing the patient at potential risk. If the healthcare system is to see significant change, patients must take a leading role.
Then and now Academic medical centers have changed dramatically in recent years. Past research suggested that hospitals with physician training pro-
grams gave better care and enjoyed better end results than nonacademic medical centers, probably due to multiple levels of attention given to patients. Today the task of training new physicians and medical students has become more difficult. When I was in training 10 years ago, I was able to sit down with my professors, gleaning as much as I could from their knowledge and experiences. By contrast, in healthcare’s present crisis it’s harder for professors to take the necessary time to teach. And, despite their interest, residents have even less time for protracted learning. Patients are expected to move quickly in and out of the hospital, often before their diagnostic evaluations are completed. This gives residents no mechanism to evaluate whether or not they gave the patient adequate care, and the intensity and rapidity of this system stifles their learning.
Healthcare Cost and Access Another difficulty is the disparity between the cost of providing ser7
As people realize they are not getting what they’re paying for and that their healthcare may be compromised when
doctors can’t be doctors, they must ban together and take the steps necessary to remedy the situation.
Some 40 million persons in the United States have no health insurance. These people wait until they are very ill and must seek medical attention in an emergency room, where care is guaranteed but more expensive, less efficient and without long-term care.
Promoting Change Our rags-to-riches work ethic and self-made mindset have created the great educational, scientific, medical and technological advances here in America. Unfortunately it has also created a sense of entitlement and a consumerist mentality that influences healthcare. People join health plans by choosing the product that best suits their needs. With that they expect to get customer service reflecting what they’ve paid for. Patients often come into the office insisting on tests or drugs without any background medical knowledge. If they don’t get the opinion or test they want, they
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SCHOOL
vices and the decrease in funding and reimbursements. As hospital expenses (including drugs, technology and workers) have steadily increased, government and private healthcare management and insurance companies have decreased reimbursements. Additionally, funding for resident training programs has declined. Access to healthcare in general has been affected by the continued cost increases of drugs and technology. Employers offering health plan coverage must contain their costs or pass the expense on to employees for better coverage. States struggle to control costs for healthcare and prescriptions for low-income people without raising taxes or getting more federal money, which would raise federal taxes. Many people have little or no prescription coverage, causing some to take half or less of the dose prescribed to save money. This puts a physician in the difficult predicament of choosing cost-effective options so patients will comply, even though those options may not provide optimal treatment.
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GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
see another doctor. The medicolegal system drives this as well by encouraging patients to get opinions for injuries and disabilities to settle legal cases or worker’s compensation issues. However, it is this same sense of entitlement and a growing sense of dissatisfaction that may be useful in enacting change. As people realize they are not getting what they’re paying for and that their healthcare may be compromised when doctors can’t be doctors, they must ban together and take the steps necessary to remedy the situation. Physicians cannot carry the torch because they are viewed as well-to-do professionals fearing personal financial loss—not as caregivers trying to help people. The voices of the pharmaceutical, insurance, political and legal industries are comingled, not necessarily as a conspiracy but because they are more organized and have much at stake. Healthcare policies and regulations are not accomplished with the greatest good for the most people in
Dr. Paskavitz has uncovered a new physiologic brain mechanism which will allow the study of differences in the interacting neural networks in diseases such as Alzheimer’s. It will be presented at the International Neuropsychological Society meeting in February.
FALL 2002
mind. Instead the industry looks to give as much as possible at the least expense. Presently healthcare is not a right in America. For healthcare to become a right, present and future patients need to organize proactively. For healthcare to become a right, Americans must expect a very expensive system and be prepared to pay for it. For healthcare to become a right, doctors must be directed to develop a system of equality, access and reasonable resource utilization, because they are the ones seeing system failures every day. For more information on healthcare issues, Dr. Paskavitz suggests contacting the AARP or Congress, or checking the website of Physicians for a National Health Program, www.pnhp.org (while this website is biased toward a particular solution, their database is extensive).
Jim and Darrelyn ’86 with their children, Rachel, 4, and Amanda, 7. Darrelyn earned her M.S.W. from Boston College and is a licensed independent clinical social worker.
HOW GORDON FIGURED INTO MY DECISION TO BE A DOCTOR
W
hen I entered Gordon in the fall of 1982, I planned to become a marine biologist. By the next fall I wanted to be an academic behavioral neurologist and care for people with memory and cognitive disorders. Freshman courses in biology and psychology prompted me to ask how the brain interacts with the world to create an individual with body, soul and spirit. I became a premed student as a sophomore at Gordon, and with the help of the Kenneth L. Pike Scholars program developed a double major in biology and psychology. It became more of a neuroscience major as I tailored independent studies and correspondence courses toward brain and behavior. When I was a junior I had the opportunity to care for a local wellknown outdoorsman and author who suffered with Alzheimer’s disease. I read his own outdoor fictional novels to him because he could no longer read. I was stunned at how an illness could steal the genius of an individual, leaving him vulnerable and dependent . . . on me. My college experience culminated
in a senior thesis on memory, melding together different theories of neuroscience, neuropsychology and theology to form a model of the body, mind and soul—largely erroneous in retrospect, but a worthwhile effort. My 11 years of training after Gordon prepared me for where I wanted to be. Along the way I married my good friend from Gordon, Darrelyn Ripley ’86; became the father of two beautiful daughters; did research in the neuropathology of Alzheimer’s; and started a human brain mapping research program. The more I learned about the brain, the more humbled I was by God’s creative genius. I spent a few years in a private neurology practice but was drawn back into academic medicine because I wanted to teach, learn more about brain function and be more involved with evolving treatments for neurologic diseases. In addition to having my own practice, I teach clinical neurology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts. And in my research lab physicists and neuropsychologists help me unravel
mysteries of the brain and mind using a technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Despite great technological advances in medicine, neurology remains more an art than a science, requiring medical knowledge coupled with an extensive patient’s story to arrive at a diagnosis. God has granted me the honor of contributing to the knowledge base of brain function as well as teaching medical caregivers how to diagnose and manage neurologic diseases. I’m excited for Gordon to develop science programs, particularly in neuroscience. Neuroscience is the next great scientific frontier to be expounded upon, with great promise for the future of medicine. Gordon needs the new proposed science center to meet academic demands but also to attract the best and brightest students with a Christian worldview, who will influence the future of science and medicine. The field of medicine is a calling and a mission. There are few colleges capable of developing that combined perspective, and Gordon is one of them.
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HOMECOMING
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GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
юБо
FALL 2002
2002
Though a light rain kept the ’50s hot rods from exhibiting on the quad, spirits didn’t seem to be dampened otherwise. Free popcorn, cotton candy and student missions fundraisers were a draw under the tent; children enjoyed the annual science fair and other treats planned just for them; classes and majors gathered for reunions; and—tradition!—old friends discovered each other and favorite profs around the soccer game. The jazz band played, the choir sang, alumni athletes dusted off their skills to see if they still had the right stuff, and La Vida raised funds with its annual Bike-a-Thon. If you missed this reunion of kindred spirits in 2002, plan now to join us in 2003—Columbus Day Weekend.
Professor Jim Zingarelli was commissioned by the Class of 1999 to create a sculpture to permanently reside in the lobby of Phillips Music Center. Several members of the class, which had a number of fine arts majors, were on hand for the presentation of the gift. Beboppin’ Eden is a part of a larger body of sculpture called The Dance Series, which is a celebration of marriage through the metaphor of dance. In marriage we learn the steps together in a daily act of rhythm, commitment and love. The work is not so much about the individual dancers as it is about the two becoming one in the spirit of the dance—hence its more abstract nature and improvisational paths. The Alumni Office works with each graduating class to select a class gift. When enough money is raised from class members, the gift is presented to the College—usually within two or three years of their commencement. 11
Memories
Creating
Worth Keeping
BY
PAT MCKAY ’65
From humble beginnings to a multifaceted, world-renowned entertainment enterprise, one family dared to do things the right way—with no shortcuts.
What
serious-minded businessman wouldn’t sell his birthright to acquire a hugely successful company? And what enterprising owner wouldn’t sell for the right price? Herschend Family Entertainment Inc. in Branson, Missouri, owned by Gordon trustee Peter Herschend, his brother, Jack, and their families for half a century, has had several opportunities to sell. But one of the most lucrative possibilities would have raised some ethical eyebrows, Peter says. Some in the business world wouldn’t think twice about negotiating such a deal. At a time when many believe corporate greed and lawlessness is on the rise, such integrity may be rare. And while staking out firm moral boundaries could slow down a company’s ability to pull out ahead of the pack, quite the opposite has happened with the Herschends. Good guys can finish first. 12
GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
FALL 2002
Christian Integrity in Practice A brochure outlining the company’s commitment to employees and the community states that all is done “in a manner consistent with Christian values and ethics” . . . “caring for each other, for a community and for an environment blessed by the hand of God.” Undergirding their successful business sense is a commitment the brothers made in 1960. Both new Christians at the time, they invited God into their business. They held their first “board meeting” on a log bench behind Wilderness Church at their first theme park, Silver Dollar City (SDC), and coined the saying “Making decisions with Christ in the room.” Peter says that while it’s ill-advised to run to the Bible for specific answers in professional decision-making—for example, “Is this the best TV ad we can run?”—they pray for guidance and make choices based on ethical standards the Bible sets forth. He does not believe capitalism is inherently evil or that being motivated by profit is a flaw. The Bible encourages us to be smart with what God entrusts to us and to be good stewards of the financial blessings He allows, Peter says. And with the profit comes responsibility. In a little play on the golden rule, the Herschends are fond of saying, “Do unto others as they expect you to do to them.”
What sinful man sometimes does with money is what creates problems, Peter reminds us, laying the current abuse in business at the feet of “dubious characters and the boards of their companies.” He says, “A board that’s doing its job keeps a company on track.” About 35 years ago the brothers realized they were neck-deep in operations and needed a real board of directors. They chose members who had no affiliation with the company whatsoever—he and Jack are the only two internal members. That means the board can outvote them—and has on a number of crucial occasions. “They’ve been right every time,” Peter says. It is clear to prospective employees that the company upholds a high standard of values. Not all employees are Christians, but those who aren’t have every opportunity to see the effects of glorifying Christ, Peter says. The corporation offers very good employee benefits, and a unique outreach program supports employees who have needs financially, emotionally and spiritually. SDC has two ministers on staff and provides weekly Bible studies for employees. The company also reaches out to surrounding communities by sponsoring a plethora of organizations which address family, health, education, housing and environmental issues, to name a few. “We look for ways to share the Lord Jesus,” Peter says, “but we’re
not in your face. For instance, we find new and creative ways of telling the real Christmas story, and actual services are held every Sunday in Wilderness Church. We communicate the gospel by example—by showing our guests and each other respect, friendliness, openness, love and concern. We are not a closed circle; we need to invite in new, interesting and diverse people.”
The Shaping of a Business Long before Branson became a rival for Nashville, the Herschend family was there paving the way for Branson’s incredible growth. They vacationed there in the 1940s and in 1950 leased Marvel Cave, one of the largest accessible caverns in the United States. Immediate improvements included installing electricity, which greatly enhanced the natural beauty seen only by candle and lantern light until then. Cement replaced wooden steps, walkways and the treacherous structure that descended into the huge sinkhole at the entrance of the cave. Those changes alone brought much larger crowds that first year. After their father died unexpectedly in 1955—with Peter finishing college and Jack starting his own family—both young men returned to help their mother run the business. In 1958 they blasted a new exit from the cave and added a train to
“To operate a successful business you have to find ways to bring people back.” Jack, left, and Peter Herschend
13
take guests back to the surface. What had been a challenging trek became a pleasant tour. In 1960 the boys and their mother opened Silver Dollar City at the mouth of Marvel Cave. It’s a working 1800s Ozark village fashioned after a mining town that stood on that spot until a fire destroyed it in the mid-1800s. Visitors explore traditional lifestyles and crafts of the region while they wait to descend into Marvel Cave. It is around these two booming attractions that Branson later sprouted its current celebrity.
A Burgeoning Enterprise To the advantage of the company, the brothers are opposites in personalities and gifts. Jack is the left brain of the operation, the business and project manager. Peter is the visionary, marketing guru and out-front man—“Which means,” Peter says
with a chuckle, “Jack does all the work and I get the credit.” Today Herschend Family Entertainment is comprised of three worldclass entertainment enterprises in three states, and several smaller businesses. More than eight million people visit their properties annually. Branson holds three of their most popular attractions: Silver Dollar City, so named by an early press agent who thought of giving silver dollars as change; the Branson Belle, a paddlewheel showboat that handles 675 guests for a gourmet dinner and a show; and White Water, their popular water park. They are also partners with Dolly Parton, operating Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. An unusual aspect of that theme park is its federally registered sanctuary for wounded eagles. And their newest venture is Crossroads, a working 1870s southern town at the stateowned Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta, Georgia, built on only 50
of the 800 acres of a granite monolith that was once a volcano.
Giving Back to the Environment The Herschends are passionate about the environment and what they can do to protect it. To prove they mean business, they replace every tree they take down with two more. “Our mother would fire on the spot anyone who unnecessarily took down a tree,” Peter says. Consequently there are odd-shaped buildings and walkways on their properties—constructed around trees. Jack has received several awards for his efforts “in the cause of tree planting, conservation and environmental stewardship.” With a goal to plant a million trees in his lifetime, he’s already planted 100,000. Several years ago Jack facilitated a contract in which the State of Missouri promised that when building superhighways,
Top left clockwise: the Branson Belle; fun at SDC; Wilderness Church; Marvel Cave; World-Fest. The Ozarks is a plateau of ancient sea sediments from the Paleozoic era. These 200-million-yearold carbonate rocks are soluble in the acidic ground water, causing water-filled cavities to form over time. As the limestone dissolves and the water table drops or the region is uplifted, a collection of rooms and tunnels emerges as in Marvel Cave.
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GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
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they would plant two trees for every felled tree over six inches in diameter.
How to Succeed in Business “To operate a successful business you have to find ways to bring people back,” Peter says. In fact, their mission statement is “To create memories worth repeating.” Their theme parks provide superior service, entertainment of the highest caliber and wonderful food. Mary Herschend established early on that any project they undertook would be the best it could be—no shortcuts. Every day 400 guests are asked to assess the parks—40–50 a day are asked to do extensive reports. Their feedback is taken very seriously, and managers are evaluated by how well customers respond. The Herschends believe five types of customers must be satisfied with memories worth repeating: 1. All types of families—couples as well as those with several children—must want to come back. 2. Employees (over 5,000 of them) must feel they are valued and that their contributions to the parks’ operations are worth repeating day after day; each one must be attuned to pleasing the visitors. 3. Stockholders must feel the company is worth owning as a memory they want to keep—a good financial investment. 4. Suppliers must feel it’s worth repeatedly delivering the materials needed to run the business. 5. The community must affirmatively answer the question “Would you like your children to work at Silver Dollar City?” Because they take so seriously this commitment to creating memories worth repeating, their Missouri and Tennessee enterprises have the highest visitor return rates of any theme parks in the nation. They are not, however, immune to economic cycles. In tough times they simply try a little harder to tackle problems with creative solutions. For instance, during the oil embargo in the spring of 1979, the Herschends had three-quarters of a million gallons of gas delivered to local vendors, guaranteeing visitors within a 250-mile radius enough gas to get home. Attendance at their parks was off by only two percent that year compared to an average decline of 15–20 percent across the nation.
Holding the Line The Herschends’ dream is that the company would be familyowned forever. All stockholders are the children and grandchildren of Peter and Jack—30 in all. About 10 years ago Jack and Peter determined to make sure their families were trained to own the company properly. They have taught them what good management does and does not do, knowing the downfall of many owners is that they get in the way of their managers. The company hires professionals in their own right and sets them free to do their jobs. Just as they established it a half century ago, the Herschends continue to lead the company with a focus on the Ozark region and its pioneer spirit, the deeply-rooted Christian values which precede profits, preservation of the natural landscape, loyalty to employees, and providing unforgettable experiences for their guests—all of which create memories worth repeating. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SILVER DOLLAR CITY PROPERTIES
Left, JoDee and Peter; Below, Jack and Sherry
The brothers honor their wives as a source of much strength—“the unsung equal partners in every aspect of developing and growing the company.”
Left, Jacob; Below, Joe and Anne
Two of Peter Herschend’s five children graduated from Gordon: Anne (Herschend) Ficarra in 1998, and Jacob in 2000. Anne married Gordon grad Joseph Ficarra Jr. ’95, and both serve on Gordon’s La Vida Advisory Board. “We know about Gordon because of Anne,” Peter says. “She could have gone anywhere to a Christian college. But out of the blue three people called to encourage her to go to Gordon, including then Senator John Ashcroft, a good friend of the family. Anne investigated and chose Gordon.” Her brother Jacob later selected Gordon as well. Peter has been a leader in public education for many years, sitting on the Missouri State Board of Education for the past 12 years and currently serving as vice president. Whether it be in public or private education, the key to a great program is the leadership, he says. He has been a member of Gordon’s Board of Trustees since 2000 and serves on the Academic Affairs Committee. Peter says, “Gordon has an incredible opportunity to become a leader in the Northeast and a runaway leader in the Christian market in biotechnology. The new Ken Olsen Science Center will not only be a state-of-the-art building but will also support a tremendous reputation in biotechnology for Gordon.”
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Student Stories
What I Did
on My
Summer Vacation Here’s what a few Gordon students did last summer— around the world, in various venues.
BAI YUN ’03 BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, ECONOMICS AND ACCOUNTING MAJORS SHENZHEN, GUANGDONG, PR CHINA BY
I
Bai Yun
16
was sitting in front of the telephone, miserable and inarticulate, trying to think of something a little more exciting to tell my parents than just that I had to stay and work on campus this summer. Suddenly the phone rang. It was Howard, an artist and owner of a design company, whom I knew through my friend’s friend’s . . . friend. He was working for General Electric Plastics on a trade show called Chinaplas to be held during the summer in Shanghai. Howard was conducting auditions to select someone to demonstrate GE’s new products and technology applications at Chinaplas—someone who would be “convincing, appealing, professional and fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese.” He asked me to accompany him to New York and assist in judging the candidates’ Mandarin fluency and accents. We spent a whole day in a little studio on Sixth Avenue shooting videos of 18 candidates. While waiting for the last candidate to show up, Howard suddenly turned to me and said, “Hey, Bai Yun, why don’t you stand in front of the camera and read the script?” Two weeks later Howard called to say I had been chosen. Chinaplas is Asia’s premier plastics and rubber industries exhibition, held in Shanghai’s New International Expo Center. GE’s stage was the largest one there, taking up 20 booths and presenting a series of cutting-edge resin products for a wide array of market segments including telecommunications, construction, media, business equipment and transportation. My presentation lasted 20 minutes, running once every 45 minutes for seven hours every day. While I was speaking, I also controlled the background screen video, did several chemical and physical experiments, pulled props from seven secret places on the stage (and, most importantly, put them back without breaking them), and answered random questions from the audience. It was a dynamic experience. That wasn’t the best part of my summer, however. My parents can tell you how wonderful it was when we were finally together again after two years. They also enjoyed the company of cue cards that were always in my pocket, helping me remember all those plastics terms composed mostly of consonants—like NORYL PPX.
GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
FALL 2002
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLORADO WHITEWATER PHOTOGRAPHY
appeared out of nowhere and thrashed my raft on those initial runs, and I didn’t know if I had what it took to be a river guide. This past summer, however, the doubts and fears of the four rigorous weeks of training were just a memory. I accepted much more responsibility and was able to reflect on the more intricate points of my experience. What I’ve discovered is that any technical aspect of my job was in no way as valuable as the relationships I built with the customers and staff at Noah’s Ark. It truly is a peopleoriented business. I desired to know the people in my boat and see their time in the raft as an opportunity to share my life and find out about theirs as well. There is a sense of aliveness embodied by Noah’s Ark staff, who come from all corners of the United States. Some have played key roles in my life, influencing me far beyond the realm of rafting. To be encouraged by those you live and work with, day in and day out, makes for true lifelong friendships. They are people who exemplify in word and deed what Christ calls us to be. Rafting has taught me to pursue my dreams. God places desires and aspirations in our hearts because He wants us to become alive in His presence. We are called to lead lives of adventure and passion. We can never settle for complacency, because as we pursue our dreams, God gives us opportunities to grow and learn in order to prepare for the next thing He leads us to.
Chris Byers, center
S
pending the past two summers as a guide for Noah’s Ark Rafting has been pivotal in developing my worldview and furthering my relationship with Christ. Working for a company owned and operated by Christians on the Arkansas River means more than just having one of those crazy jobs that seem out of reach past the college years. With zero rafting experience on my resume, I trained to be a first-year guide during the summer of 2001. Rocks
CHRIS BYERS ’04 SOCIAL WORK MAJOR BROWNSVILLE, VERMONT BY
BY JEONG
DAE (DANIEL) LEE ’04 ECONOMICS AND ENGLISH MAJORS GUISAD BAGUIO CITY, PHILIPPINES
T
he time was early June, the place Hong Kong. My desk was piled up with newspaper clippings on union resistance against pay cuts, the financial secretary’s Budget 2002–03, and books on foreign experiences of public sector reform. I was an intern in the office of Mr. Bernard Chan, a legislator and key person in the ongoing debate on Hong Kong’s civil service pay reform. My job was to stay on top of that debate and make suggestions from an outsider’s view. Hong Kong is a city of 7 million but also a semi-independent entity in itself. The place is so dynamic and yet small enough for a first-timer to get a rough idea of its governing bodies and how they relate to each other. To an economics major, it was an unbelievable experience. In mid-August I handed in my final report, and with cupnoodles and a backpack I hopped onto the train for a 28-hour ride to Beijing. I had always wanted to go to China, and this was my chance. I spent almost a month traveling through Tianjin, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. I can tell you what it feels like to stroll around Tiananmen and the bustling streets of Pudong—a glimpse of the past and the future together. I can tell you how good it was to fill my stomach with Canton cuisine in its original southern town, and about my two days working on a farm—which shattered my romantic notion of being a farmer.
There was immense exposure, but my time was too brief to give a proper account of something as big as China; I felt like an ant swimming across a gigantic cup of tea. One thing I can say for Dan, right, with Mr. Chan. The East-West Institute sure: there exists a strong, Hong Kong offices are in the Lippo Centre tower faithful body of believers in the distance. in China. I met several missionaries who reach out to university students, train underground church leaders, build better relationships with the official church of China, and do Bible recordings for minorities in rural areas. Traveling is not simply a drive to experience something different. It’s a quest for a fuller vision of life, of human nature itself. When I saw a crooked old man scraping for food in fly-infested garbage cans, I asked myself: What’s his life like? What does sin mean to him? What’s his soul worth? In my unfinished account, it was the people more than the places I visited in which I found inspiration and learning. It was an ironic summer of more doubts and more assurances. 17
Thousands of studies reveal the reigning strategy of moral education does not appear to work, so say sociology professor Daniel Johnson and sociologist James Davison Hunter ’77. recent survey of American adults asked how much respondents agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “Our values are something that each of us must decide without being influenced by anyone.” What is most striking about their responses is not that more than 85 percent of respondents voiced agreement, or even that evangelical Christians were just as likely as anyone else to agree. Rather, it is that in face-to-face interviews in which they were encouraged to ask questions, out of several thousand respondents not one felt compelled to say “I don’t get it. How could anybody determine their own moral values without being influenced by anyone? anyone?” Even the small handful of folks who disagreed with the statement were apparently able to imagine a character that can only be pure fiction: a perfectly autonomous, freely choosing moral agent, wholly unfettered by social, cultural and historical ties.
In Place of Character Sociologist James Davison Hunter chronicles the rise of this fictitious figure in his latest book, The Death of Character (Basic Books, 2000). Hunter uses the more than three centuries of moral education initiatives in America as a window into the changing moral constitution of American culture. What he sees there is a long, inexorable movement away from moral orders grounded in transcendence and lived out in communities of particularity. The principal moral universe that has risen in their stead is a psychological one wherein therapeutic values and language reign supreme. Along the way, moral instruction has generally been emptied of specific content. Direct injunctions—against lying or for treating others fairly, for example—give way to the premise that the unconstrained individual, given a healthy environment, will naturally choose the proper moral paths. The job of the moral educator thus becomes one of teaching the principles of personal well-being and the process by which moral decisions are made. Even where specific virtues like honesty or fairness are endorsed, the reasons given for choosing such behaviors are wholly self-referential. What makes a behavior valuable is its capacity to better the individual’s life, especially in psychological and emotional terms. So honesty is valued not because it accords with a transcendent moral code, but because telling the truth leads to a healthier self-concept. Fairness is favored not because it enjoys divine sanction, but because it helps the individual get along better with others. So pervasive is this psychological framework of moral reasoning that Hunter refers to it as a veritable “regime” governing contemporary moral education efforts. It dominates classroom-based moral education in both public and private schools. It suffuses popular parenting literature and the parental training programs sponsored by social service agencies. And it has radically transformed the rhetoric and practices of such self-styled character building organizations as the YMCA and the Scouts. The writings and programs that advance moral education today are many and varied, but nearly all are rooted in the same basic moral cosmology. 18
GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
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Point of View
BY
DANIEL JOHNSON
Challenges to Psychological Regime The psychological regime in moral education is not entirely unopposed . . . in theory at least. Two of the most conspicuous challenges to it are found in the neoclassical and the communitarian movements. The neoclassicism of William Bennett maintains that transcendent moral truths are revealed by their endurance across time and cultures. Since these truths are most faithfully carried in story form, exposing young people to these stories is the starting point of sound moral education. The communitarian movement, by contrast, holds that the demands of life in community carry a moral authority that transcends the self. Responsibility to community thus trumps responsibility to the self as the basis for moral reasoning. Yet neither of these movements has advanced much beyond cultural critique and political declamation. Indeed, the few alternative educational resources they have produced actually end up repackaging the very moral framework they seek to counter. For all their insistence on transcendent sources of moral authority, when it comes to explaining why any particular behavior should be embraced, they revert to the same old self-referential, therapeutic reasoning. Even the practices of our dominant religious institutions bear the telltale signs of the psychological regime’s influence. The Sunday school curricula, video and audio materials, and parenting literature produced in mainline and evangelical Protestant circles typically affirm a divine moral code. Yet they resort almost exclusively to therapeutic language when articulating reasons for adhering to the specific elements of that code. This tendency is far less pronounced in the resources produced for Catholic and Jewish audiences, but even those resources are often translated into such terms when used in instructional settings. While religious institutions have been relegated to the sidelines of modern efforts at moral education, the extent to which they have been colonized reveals just how thoroughly the psychological regime has reshaped the moral landscape. What makes these developments all the more remarkable is that the reigning strategy of moral education does not appear to work. In literally thousands of studies conducted since 1970, the relationship between psychological well-being (however defined) and moral conduct has proven weak at best, and moral education programs building on psychotherapeutic premises have been found to have little or no positive impact on moral behavior. Indeed, some of the evidence suggests they may have the opposite effect.
No Offense So if it is not a matter of efficacy, what explains the emergence of psychotherapeutic discourse as the dominant moral discourse of the day? In short, it’s the promise of
COVER AND TITLE USED WITH PERMISSION; THE DEATH OF CHARACTER BY JAMES DAVIS HUNTER, 2000, BASIC BOOKS.
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The reigning moral discourse . . . abandons us to a morality that begins and ends at the borders of the self, which is no morality at all.
inclusiveness—a way of thinking and talking about moral matters that does little to offend or slight even the most diverse moral communities. But the inclusiveness it offers is on the cheap. It is achieved only by denying the particularity of moral orders and their embeddedness in real-world, historic communities. It comes only by pretending that differences in moral understandings are not there—reducing our moral lives to their lowest common denominator (and what a low common denominator it is). This bypasses the hard work of genuine pluralism: of identifying similarities and differences in the worlds we inhabit; of tracing our differences to their sources; of negotiating our differences and seeking ways to order our lives together, perhaps even finding new and unexpected harmonies in the process. The reigning moral discourse offers us moral instruction without the potential for discord, misunderstanding, hurt feelings or conflict, but it exacts a high cost in doing so. Bad enough that it dismisses out of hand the experience of millions whose moral lives are rooted in transcendence. It also forfeits the opportunity for enrichment and understanding that cultural diversity provides, simply paving over all the messiness associated with genuine dialogues of difference. Worst of all, it abandons us to a morality that begins and ends at the borders of the self, which is no morality at all.
Framing a New Moral Discourse There are those who would have us respond to all this with a return to the halcyon days when a broadly Judeo-Christian normative order was supposedly assumed by all. Yet Hunter’s analysis raises deep questions about whether such a return is possible or even desirable. In any case, efforts to turn back the clock by foisting an absolutist moral vision on a restive culture are not the way forward. The more urgent task confronting all Americans, and Christians not least, is one of forging a framework of moral discourse within which they can express and negotiate their deepest moral differences—a discourse that takes divergent moral visions seriously and does honor to the communities that make them lived realities. For the reigning fiction of a perfectly autonomous, freely choosing moral agent is simply not up to the task of building the genuinely democratic, pluralistic society we seek.
Dr. Daniel Johnson, left, has been teaching at Gordon since 1998 and is currently chair of the Department of Sociology and Social Work. He holds a doctorate from the University of Virginia. Johnson has worked alongside James Davison Hunter, right, and provided statistical research for The Death of Character. Dr. Hunter graduated from Gordon in 1977. He is professor of sociology at the University of Virginia and the author of several books including Culture Wars.
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GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
FALL 2002
PHOTOS OF JOHN EIBNER COURTESY OF CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY INTERNATIONAL
Bought with a Price John Eibner ’74B cannot turn his back on the plight of Dinka women and children sold as slaves in Sudan. Through Christian Solidarity International John buys their freedom for $33 each.
BY
KRISTIN SCHWABAUER ’04
xhausted and dirty, a young Sudanese woman sits in the shade with a child plastered to her body. She waits. She is not afraid as she sits in scorching heat with 400 other Dinka women and children. The worst has already been done. She has been abused, raped, and treated like an animal. Abducted by Arab raiders, these Dinka women are distributed among the raiders or sold into slavery. Some are forced to march on a two-week trek to the north. Raiders gang-rape the women before they sell them to their Arab masters, who use them to fetch water, clean house and as concubines. Many are subjected to genital mutilation, given an Arab name and forced to say Muslim prayers. Sometimes young males also suffer gang-rape by their owners. For the last 20 years the government has armed Arab militiamen to storm
south ern African villages in an attempt to Islamize the country by force. The raids are sponsored by an Islamist regime in the context of a declared jihad. Coupled with conventional warfare, the raids have been the most powerful means of carrying out this policy. All non-Muslims are targeted; men are killed while women and children are taken by raiders. John Eibner, a 1974 Barrington graduate, has been in the middle of this dilemma since 1992. Under the banner of Christian Solidarity International, an organization that fights global repression of all kinds, John is involved in an activity that appears anachronistic for the 21st century—the freeing of slaves. On October 21, 2002, President Bush signed The Sudan Peace Act, cor rect ly identifying the government of Sudan as being responsible for “acts of geno cide” including slavery. Eibner feels this law will add
enormously to the pressure on the Sudanese government to desist from committing such internationally recognized crimes against humanity. Were it not for organizations like Christian Solidarity International, there would be little hope for these women and children. CSI, which is nonprofit and Swiss-based, advocates global respect for humans, relief from religious repression and other victimization, and gives assistance in disasters. CSI uses the Bible and prayer as its foundation, quoting I Corinthians 12:26—“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” Other organizations involved in anti-slavery work in Sudan include the American Anti-Slavery Group (see the article by Gloria WhiteHammond on page 22), the STOP Campaign and the National Black Leadership Roundtable. Eibner is currently the acting executive director. He says the char21
“The work we do to redeem slaves is a physical reflection of acter of Barrington College helped him look at history and world affairs with a Christian perspective. Eibner’s first fact-finding visit to Sudan horrified him. By 1995 Eibner and other members of CSI had discovered that chattel slavery is a thriving practice between southern Sudan and the regions of Darfur and Kordofan in western Sudan. After speaking to sur vivors, Eibner was invited to support local community efforts to free the Dinka. Today Eibner travels to Sudan every two months. Since 1995 more than 70,000 slaves have been freed through CSI. Recently CSI has been promoting local peace agreements between the Dinka and their Arab neighbors, and, as a result, slave raids have diminished rather than increased. The rate of release has accelerated, and some slaves have even been returned free of charge. However, two basic controversies dog Eibner’s work of buying back slaves. First, many believe buying slaves fuels the slave trade. But CSI’s monitoring shows far fewer slave raids since 1998. Though there are no official statistics, Eibner witnesses regularly the security conditions and receives reports from local civilians
and resistance fighters. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on Sudan Gerhard Baum has con firmed these reports. Antislavery organizations work with Arabs who go underground to buy slaves from Arab masters or to help slaves escape. The antislavery groups pay the slave retrievers $33 for each slave recovered—a price that has remained fixed since Arabs and local Dinka leaders agreed on it 10 years ago. The second criticism claims the people freed are not slaves but rather players in a large-scale fraud. To refute this, Eibner allows independent journalists and researchers to accompany him and witness the buybacks. Journalists from CBS News, the BBC, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Times (London), and many newspapers from around the world have confirmed the reality of slavery and not found a single in stance of fraud u lence. In stead many have provided publicity and support for Eibner’s work. Despite the challenges, Eibner considers it an act of Christian integrity to continue the work because of the knowledge he has acquired. “My faith has a lot to do with keeping me
going,” says Eibner. He also clings to I Corinthians 7:23 as justification for redeeming others: “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” “The work we do to redeem slaves is a physical reflection of our own spir i tu al redemption. We have to be aware that the same demonic powers and principalities that placed Christ on the cross also strive to foil the redemption of slaves. We stand in a long JudeoChristian line of redeeming slaves,” says Eibner. Eibner has great admiration for the Sudanese who remain hopeful in the face of their desperate situation. They lift his spirit when he’s there. Conversely, he feels disheartened when surrounded by the affluence and apathy in Europe and America, particularly when he sees it among Christians. “If my right hand were in the fire,” Eibner says, “my left hand would instinctively pull it out. The body of Christ is not working that way in many cases, and eventually the deep burns will become infected and the body will die. As Christians we have an obligation to use what God has given us to make the world a better place.”
Boston Physician-Minister Involved with Slave Buy-Back BY
GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMERICAN ANTI-SLAVERY GROUP
Gloria and Ray with the Sudanese people.
22
I
GLORIA WHITE-HAMMOND
FALL 2002
’ve always played life by the book, inside the box, according to the rules. However, my efforts to confront the tragedy in Sudan find me right in the middle of controversy. This tragedy is not just about war and slavery. It’s also about rape and gang-rape. It’s about female genital mu ti la tion and forced re li gious conversions. It’s about stabbings, burnings and beatings of innocent women and children. Thus I went to Sudan in the spirit of Moses and Harriet Tubman. Herein lies the controversy.
our own spiritual redemption.” The young Dinka woman continues to sit in the scorching heat. She looks up to see a man standing before her. “You are all free,” he says. Free? She can hardly understand those words. A surge of strength rushes through her body as she searches the surrounding crowd for a family member’s face. John Eibner stands, watching the excitement in each Dinka’s face, and realizes these people who have suffered intense brutality have just been given a second chance.
Kristin Schwabauer is a junior English major at Gordon. Last summer she led a youth missions trip for racial reconciliation to Jackson, Mississippi. She has also worked with the Cherokee Indians in North Carolina, the Pima Indians in Arizona and the Portuguese in Lisbon, Portugal.
One concern is that returning slaves in the midst of ongoing slave raids creates the risk of reenslavement. Documentation cited in the preceding article concludes that while reenslavement is a possibility, it is not a probability. The greater concern is the potential for fraudulent schemes. While these concerns are possibilities, there is no documentation that they are realities. None of the critics of this work has ever specifically identified and interviewed any dishonest beneficiaries or fake slaves. Competent European and American jour nal ists who have traveled to Sudan have monitored and verified the integrity of the operation. I continue to do this work despite the controversy. How could
One of the preeminent antislavery campaigners of modern times, John Eibner has served as CSI’s main representative at the United Nations, Geneva. He has appeared before the U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Africa, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. In this role as advocate, Eibner has testified on behalf of the Sudanese slaves and other victims of the National Islamic Front’s jihad (Islamic Holy War) against the country’s Black African Christians and other minority groups. He has frequently briefed senior policy makers at the White House and State Department. His writings on advocacy have been published in newspapers around the world. John holds a doctorate degree in history from the University of London. Visit CSI’s website at www.csi-int.org or email CSI’s office at csi@csi-usa.org.
I over look the 11-year-old boy whose nose was chopped off when as a young servant he lost a cow? How could I dismiss the young boy who trembled as he recalled watching another slave boy sodomized by the master and four other men until the victim hemorrhaged, developed abdominal distention and became unconscious? How could I say to him, “Relax, remain enslaved, take it like a man”? I am not special. I find each trip is physically stressful, emotionally draining and spiritually challenging. Like my colleagues, I go forth with the strength of Him who compels me to bind up the brokenhearted and proclaim freedom for the captives. I am among those of whom Maya
Angelou spoke when she declared, “You are the hope and the dream of the slave.” Gloria White-Hammond is on the boards of both the American AntiSlavery Group and Christian Solidarity International. Since the summer of 2001 Gloria has traveled to Sudan three times, organizing a trip last July for a largely female delegation called My Sister’s Keeper, which has an ongoing ministry to the women of Sudan. Gloria and her husband, Ray, are both physicians in Boston. Ray is pastor and Gloria is copastor of Bethel AME Church in Jamaica Plain. Both are involved with slave buy-back.
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Gordon is reconnecting with its roots in “this city on a hill” through a new off-campus program.
Boston hen Gordon was founded in Boston in 1889 as an urban school for missionaries and ministers, it was a radical educational experiment. With students from varied backgrounds and often poor, Dr. F. L. Chapell, the school’s first instructor, described it as “an unconventional gathering of earnest souls to get what preparation they can in the time they may command for whatever work the Lord may induct them into.” Dedicated to upholding God’s sacred Word while ministering to the whole person, the program involved students in city ministries and encouraged them to learn from the diverse cultural opportunities all around them. Over the years Gordon evolved into a Christian liberal arts college and in 1955 moved to its suburban 1,000-acre campus in Wenham. While the school never lost its love of the city and ministries there, students could no longer immerse themselves in urban life as they once had. The merger with Barrington College of Providence, Rhode Island, in 1985 renewed interest in reconnecting Gordon to its roots in the city. Several ideas have been explored since that time, culminating this fall in the launching of the Boston Urban 24
GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
Semester (B.U.S.). We extend special thanks for the persistence of former Associate Dean of External Education Dr. Diane Blake; economics professor John Mason, who leads Gordon’s Urban Presence Committee; and the support of Provost Mark Sargent and Associate Provost Herma Williams. Dr. Sargent says, “I am excited about the possibilities for our students to live in a multiethnic community and to learn about the history, art and sociology of Boston.” On August 28, 2002, in Dorchester, Boston’s largest innercity neighborhood, close to one hundred Gordon faculty, staff and administrators held a celebration luncheon and dedicated the Boston Urban Semester program, taking long-awaited steps toward bridging the gap with our urban brothers and sisters in Christ. B.U.S. will host students from Gordon College and the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities for a unique semester of studies focusing on the multifaceted dimensions of urban life. B.U.S. offers six specially designed courses. Two quad courses deal with social, economic and political realities. In Art in the City, students travel for classes to the many popular art venues in Boston. The hands-on courses The History FALL 2002
of Boston and Church in the City round out the course offerings. Professors for the program are drawn from Gordon and other local higher education institutions. Home base for the program is Jubilee House, a 23-room Victorian mansion built in 1880 in the heart of Boston’s most diverse community, Codman Square. The Salvation Army purchased the home in August of 1996 and has turned it into an exciting urban church ministry. Each student will also participate in a service learning internship to gain firsthand experience in their career path while serving the people of Boston. Current internships include A Woman’s Concern Medical Center; Neighborhood House Charter School; Bluehills Boys and Girls Clubhouse; and Abundant Life Youth Department. Majors William and Susan Dunigan, whose son Brian is a junior at Gordon, are the resident directors for the B.U.S. program. They believe this partnership between Gordon and the Salvation Army is “a match made in heaven” and hope it will open the eyes of more people to the possibilities of life and ministry in the city. Five students initiated B.U.S. in September. Student Rebekah
Profs & Programs
Urban Semester Puz ’04, says, “The relationships with the Jubilee House family really enhance the program—I love Jubilee House!” Sharon Patterson, a recent transfer student, chose to begin her first semester with Gordon at B.U.S.: “It’s excellent for building bridges of diversity and between cultures.” Chris Ryan ’04 says he likes the small and personalized classes, with professors taking the students out into the field to see firsthand what they’re learning about.” Integrity in the city is measured by long-term commitments. As the great migration of Puritans sailed to Boston in 1630, Governor John Winthrop assured them the world would be watching to see if they could remain faithful to their Christian calling. “For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill,” Winthrop said, “the eyes of all people are upon us.” The Boston Urban Semester program has been established in this “city on a hill” to connect Gordon to the heart of the city and to prepare students “for whatever work the Lord may induct them into.” For more information on B.U.S., email cmcmullen@faith.gordon.edu, call 978.867.4399 or write to the Office for External Education at Gordon.
BY
CRAIG W. MCMULLEN
Photos from top left clockwise: Director Craig McMullen (front left) with B.U.S. students in front of Jubilee House. Others in front, left to right, Rebekah Puz ’04, Sharon Patterson ’06, Chris Ryan ’04; in back, Sarah Perruccio ’05, Ashleigh Foote ’02. Professor Larry Mayes (center), director of Log School Settlement House, a social service agency in Dorchester, teaches selected topics on urban sociology. Student Rebekah Puz. The U.S.S. Constitution, a famous Boston landmark.
The Rev. Dr. Craig W. McMullen is the director of B.U.S. and developed the program and curriculum. He was formerly copastor of the Dorchester Temple Baptist Church in Boston. McMullen holds a doctorate from GordonConwell Theological Seminary.
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Alums at Large
From Grapevine Road to
Bonnie says Gordon prepared her well for the opportunities that have come her way. Here she meets Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Winfield House BY
BONNIE YULE-KUEHNE ’96
s I walked up the curved drive to the sprawl ing mansion in Regent’s Park, Lon don, my palms were get ting increasingly sweaty. I pressed the ornate brass buzzer and waited only seconds before the high, arched door swung open to reveal a butler—a real, live English butler, resplendent in his full morning suit. He escorted me into the drawing room, poured me a cup of coffee from a magnificent silver service and left to inform the mis tress of the house that I had arrived . . . and had I ever arrived! The grand opulence was like stepping into a fairy tale. Momentarily left alone, my thoughts flew around my head in complete disarray. What was I doing here? Five years earlier I had chosen to attend Gordon College because of the outstanding Off-Campus Programs Department, which proved to be the beginning of an international adventure. I took advantage of the opportunities presented by studying with Dr. Skillen in Italy, participating in the Latin American Studies Program and spending my senior year in the Gordon-at-Oxford program, during which time I met my husband-to-be, Ross Kuehne ’84. After graduating, I chose to stay on in the United Kingdom to enroll in a master’s degree program in social anthropology at the London School of Economics. At the completion of 26
Graduate Bonnie Yule-Kuehne’s mission—should she choose to accept it—was a world away from the setting in which she expected to serve.
GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
our course, my LSE classmates dispersed to the far corners of the earth to pursue anthropological studies. Meanwhile I found myself in the Amer i can am bas sa dor’s draw ing room at Winfield House in London to interview for a job I learned of through a connection the ambassador and his wife had with Gordon. I was hired on the spot and put straight to work managing the many details of their personal lives. My new work environment was luxurious—very different from what I had pictured my first real job would be. During high school sum mer va ca tions, I had worked in a Nicaraguan refugee camp in Costa Rica, a Haitian cane-cutters village in the Dominican Republic, a Christian children’s camp in Pakistan and an orphanage in Egypt. Those experiences left me feeling pretty confident the Lord was preparing me to work with those whom society marginalizes, and my master’s in anthropology seemed to fit right in with that plan. Instead I found my self living at the am bas sa dor’s residence—36 elegant rooms in the midst of 12 manicured acres of gardens in the middle of London. So out went the steel-toed work boots of the mission field and in came the glamorous hats for Royal Ascot. Instead of laboring in impoverished conditions amongst the voiceless, I found myself in grand surroundings meeting global leaders, including FALL 2002
President Clinton, Vice President Gore, Prime Minister Blair, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, senators, Supreme Court justices and many others. The residence proved to be very busy indeed, hosting an average of 45 events a month—everything from intimate ladies’ teas to the July 4th party for 4,000 people. The hours were often long and the work challenging, but it was certainly rewarding and never dull. After three and a half very full years, my work at Winfield House drew to a close. The change in administration brought a new U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James, and it was time to move on. It felt slightly odd to leave—not just a job but also my home—for the last time, but I felt ready for new opportunities. Ross and I decided to remain in England. I now work for the executive director of the charity Alpha International, probably best-known for its Alpha course, a practical introduction to the Christian faith aimed primarily at nonchurchgoers. Developed over 20 years ago, it operates in 133 countries with almost 24,000 courses running in a wide range of settings. I certainly don’t know what the future holds. What I do know is that God is guiding each step along the way and that Gordon prepared me well for whatever the future may be.
Gifts & Giving
One Common Purpose Clarendon Society members help ensure Gordon’s financial future and assist students in getting a Christian education.
arbara Hackett, Gordon Class of 1933, blessed the College throughout her life. The last communication the College received from Barbara was a response card she mailed in January 2002. She had committed to pray for a team of Gordon stu dents serv ing the Lord in Managua, Nicaragua. Her handwriting was shaky: “May all be blessed with good health and safe travel.” A few months later, Barbara went home to be with the Lord. Two words describe her life focus: Christian education. At Gordon she majored in Christian education; in graduate school she mastered it. She promoted it by serving as a director of Christian education programs. In a recent phone conversation with her nephew, Com mand er Douglas Hackett said, “Please use her gift to help your students with tuition. She’d be glad to know she’s still helping young people receive Christian education.”
If the Clarendon Society had a signature verse, it might well be Matthew 6:20—“Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” The Clarendon Society is the planned giving organization of Gordon. It was named for the Clarendon Street Baptist Church in Boston, where Rev. A. J. Gordon was the pastor. He was also the founder of the Boston Missionary Training Institute, which later became Gordon College. Those who have named Gordon as a ben e fi cia ry of wills, trusts, retirement accounts, life insurance and annuity agreements are welcomed as Clarendon members as soon as we learn of their intentions. If Matthew 6:20 is the signature verse of the Society, the second half of Mark 12:44 may best describe its spirit—“They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on” (Mark 12:44, NIV).
BY
RICK KLEIN ’93
Jesus was looking at the heart of the giver—not the size of the gift. The College is continually blessed by gifts of all amounts. They signify to us our donors’ commitment to Christian education. People from all walks of life and economic means have one common purpose in the Clarendon Society: to help ensure Gordon’s financial future through scholarships, the library endowment fund and the diversity initiative, to mention but a few. Listed on page 28 are the names of current Founding Members of the Clarendon Society. If you have already named Gordon as a beneficiary in a will or estate plan and would like to be added to the Founding List, please contact the Development Office. They will want to thank you and welcome you into the Society. Your inquiries about how you can name Gordon as a beneficiary are welcome. Call Rick Klein, director of special and planned gifts, at 978.867.4002, or email rklein@hope.gordon.edu.
The Clarendon Society provides scholarships for students like Kristie Rose ’04, who delights us with her enthusiasm for life and ministry. She told her story at the Clarendon Luncheon last spring.
A
s a junior here at Gordon, I am able to look back on how God’s hand has been upon me, protecting and leading me from the time I was a small child. I distinctly remember feeling God’s love for me as I sat under a playground jungle gym when I was about 6 years old. In spite of my father’s drug addiction and the brokenness it brought to my family, I became a Christian when I was 12. Growing up was difficult because I knew my dad was different, and that made our household different. I held back in establishing relationships because you usually invite friends to your home, and I knew I couldn’t do that. When I was in the ninth grade, my father’s addiction escalated to crack cocaine. My mother became very depressed, and my two little sisters had no idea what was happening. It was at that low point in my life I heard God speak into my very soul: “Kristie, your life does not have to be like this. I have plans for you that are much 27
bigger than the things you are facing right now. Follow and listen, and I will lead the way.” I grabbed onto those words and held them close, and the Lord was faithful. While I was in high school, God gave me a passion to see His Kingdom grow. People began to tell me I would be great at youth ministry. I thought, “Why would the Lord call me into youth ministry? That isn’t what I’m sup posed to do—I’m going to be a veterinarian.” Wow, was I wrong.
FOUNDING MEMBERS
OF THE
C LARENDON S OCIETY
Frank L. ’59 and Frances B. ’55 Accardy Margaret C. Alsen ’54 David L. and Carolyn Ames Agnes Anderson ’58B Harold R. and Joyce P. ’58 Anderson John F. ’82 and Jan B. Anderson Barbour Family Kenneth E. ’37 and Jane Bath John Beauregard ’53B George Bedigian Margaret Ann Bentley ’78 Kenneth R. and Dorothy Bernard Anna G. Beveridge ’41B Diane E. Blake ’58 Phillip M. ’64 and Linda ’65 Bonard Dudley L. Bowser ’45 Cecil C. ’52 and Florence E. ’51 Breton Tori Jaye Britton ’84 Kenneth R. and Polly Brown Arnold S. and Betsy Bruce Carl F. ’50 and Caroline Burke Helen Burrill Betty E. Burtsche ’56 Frank A. and Ruth Butler James R. ’54B and Gertraud ’52B Campbell Robert L. Carlberg R. Judson and Janice D. Carlberg Carl A. and Randi Carlson Paul R. ’54B and Myrtle Carlson Roy C. and Barbara M. Carlson Jr. G. Lloyd ’64 and Gwendolyn Carr Virginia B. Carvell Carolyn J. Cassidy ’63 Donald P. and Barbara S. Chase William W. and Betty Clay John L. Coulson John D. Craig ’43 Francis F. and Elizabeth W. ’39 Crisci Eva Cross ’46 Joanne W. Davis ’61B Richard E. Detrich ’50 Judith S. Dolezal Norman and Alys R. Dorian ’64 Henry E. ’53B and Ruth ’54 Doughty Mabel U. Downing ’32 Joyce B. Duerr Kenneth B. Durgin Harry M. Durning
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I finally gave into God’s calling on my life, and Gordon has been a tremendous blessing on my journey. Here I am being prepared to accomplish the vision and dream God has given me. The opportunities to grow and be challenged have been innumerable. Last March I went on a mission trip to Wales, where I had the privilege of helping others see God. And my own faith was stretched as I began to understand just how big this world is. I am fortunate to be completing the practicum requirements for my
Esther D. Eichelberger Ethel N. ’53 Fern Virginia A. Fernald Eric S. ’76 and Robin M. ’80 Feustel Winston E. and Ruth Fox David L. Furman ’57B Olive Garde Calvin B. and Barbara Geary Lillian C. Gemkow Mary L. Gibbs ’64 Robert W. Goodwin ’59 Margaret Goodwin ’59 Judson C. ’69 and Joan L. ’74 Guest Chester Gushee ’50 Barbara W. Hackett ’33 Eldon C. and Grace Hall Leona A. Harmon ’41 Glen L. ’64 and Marcia Harrington Grace L. Hawkins ’38 Laura Headley George Hein Thomas J. ’65 and Charla W. ’65 Holt Sr. Roy D. and Beverly Honeywell David and Cecelia Horn Nathan C. and Jewell Hubley Jr. Edward R. and Ellen Huff Joseph and Margaret Hunt Elizabeth J. Hunter ’75B Leslie W. Irving ’36 T. David ’53 and Margaret Jansen Raymond W. Jarvio Philip and Judith M. ’60 Johnson Ruth Jones Ruth M. Josephson William E. ’78 and Jane Keep Robert D. and Miriam Kenyon Andrew M. ’50 and Mary ’70 Kilpatrick Richard T. ’93 and Sherrie Klein Jr. Daniel ’57 and Ronnie Jean Klim Paul C. ’43 and Madelyn C. ’47 Klose Rosalie C. Kollett ’61B Daniel M. ’74 and Darlene A. ’74 Kuzmak Sarah W. Lake Richard S. Lane Veronica H. Lanier ’54 Roger A. ’58B and Mary A. ’54B Lark Raymond C. and Priscilla Lee
GORDON COLLEGE STILLPOINT
FALL 2002
youth ministry major with Professor Bob Whittet, who established the Center for Student Leadership a few years ago to train student leaders across New England. This internship is right in line with what God has placed on my heart, and I look forward to growing with this ministry. God is truly blessing my life. I am so grateful for the en cour agement and the financial assistance the Clarendon Society has provided to help me continue my Christian education.
Katherine A. Lindsay Richard and Marsha K. ’63 Littler Thomas W. Lorenz Sr. Willis W. and Margarie Lund Charles S. ’46 and LaVonne MacKenzie Ronald P. ’81 and Jerilyn ’82 Mahurin Raymond Mann ’61 Don L. ’51 and Cora Marcum Elizabeth Marstaller ’43 Graham E. Mason R. Preston ’85 and Pamela E. Mason Mabel A. Matheson Margaret E. Mattison ’79 Peter ’63 and Julie M. ’64 McClelland Peter B. ’65 and Patricia C. ’65 McKay Billie McKinney John L. and Jacquelyn E. Meers Richard K. ’45 and Joyce Mercer Irving E. Mitchell ’43 Doris P. Monroe Inez B. Moores William and Kari H. ’91 Myers Evelyn C. Nelson Ruth E. Newhouse Arthur M. ’45 and Opal Norton David N. ’50B and Shirley A. ’47 Nystedt Wayne L. ’56B and Kathleen Owens Ida H. Parker ’50 H. Leroy and Inez Patterson Ronald A. Perry ’65 W. Ross ’51 and Lucille Petersen Leonard J. and Judy Peterson David P. ’52 and Margaret Picciano F. Grace Pierson ’33B Marc A. ’95 and Emily J. ’96 Pitman Lois D. Pollard Elinor Pouliot James R. ’70 and Patricia L. ’70 Rahn Grace B. Raymond Caryl A. Reid Walter E. ’49B and Audrey J. ’53B Rice Glen A. ’77 and Leigh Anne ’79 Rines Eleanor R. Roberts
Harold F. Roberts ’46 Elizabeth M. Robertson ’33 Earl B. ’63 and Linnea Robinson Alexander M. Rodger ’36 Thomas P. and Carolyn Rodger Monroe L. Rosenthal Richard C. ’53 and Dorothy H. ’50 Rung Edwin T. Schempp Charles L. Schenck Jr. ’48 Inez Schumacher Diane Shaw James H. and Vera Shaw Thomas and Madelyn Shields Priscilla B. Shorey Ernest D. ’35 and Aldine ’35 Sillers George W. ’36 and Jean L. Smart Frederick R. ’53 and Margaret C. ’58 Smith Mark A. ’80 and Jill Smith H. Sue Snyder ’78 June Spaulding Edith J. Spinney ’57 T. Grady Spires Frances K. ’36 and Barbara ’40 Steeves Edward L. and Marjorie Steltzer Arnold G. Stephens Peter W. and Betsy Stine Robert E. ’54 and Charlotte S. ’54 Stuart Robert A. and Jean Svoboda Ann Tappan Ruth M. Taylor Elizabeth Gordon Thompson Edna S. Tobey ’29 Susan C. Trafton ’63 Lester E. ’53 and Ruby M. ’53 Tufts David A. Vander Mey James E. and Barbara Vander Mey Violet E. Vogel ’47B Robert L. and Nance Ware Olga Washburn Ruth C. Wessel ’49 Eleanor C. Wilson ’61B Helen R. Wilson Mary D. Wilson ’49B Florence M. Winsor ’56 Ralph and Barbara Wolf Walter R. Wood ’47 Warren C. ’42 and Alda H. ’45 Young Thomas E. ’68 and Linda H. ’69 Zieger
Raves & Rebuffs In this column our readers can respond to articles in STILLPOINT or voice thoughts about Gordon in general. Reserving the right to edit for space, we will attempt to publish a balance of positive and negative comments. We hope to hear from you. Write to Editor, STILLPOINT, Gordon College, 255 Grapevine Road, Wenham, MA 01984, or email: mckay@hope.gordon.edu. Anonymous letters will not be published. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO HAVE EXCERPTS OF YOUR CORRESPONDENCE PUBLISHED, PLEASE NOTE THAT. Letters written to individuals other than the editor are forwarded to those persons whenever possible.
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e were [house parents of Bruce Wilkinson and Jim Bennett, “The Mt. Whitney Fiasco”]. The soccer team basically occupied all of Conrad house, and it was a most interesting and rewarding year for us. It encourages us, both Gordon alumni, to hear years later how God was building something special through the bond of friendships when we as houseparents wondered, “What will happen to these guys?” Glenn ’73 and Marie (San Filippo) White ’72
[M
arv Wilson is] right on target [“Seek Justice: The Christian Response to Israel”] and able to say it very well in concise, powerful prose. I am going to put the column up on the bulletin board at the School of Social Work at Baylor University. David Sherwood, former professor of social work at Gordon Editor’s note: The title of Dr. Wilson’s article was misprinted in the Summer 2002 Stillpoint. The actual title was “Seek Justice: A Christian Response to Israel.” We apologize for this error.
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’m afraid [Paul] Carlson’s rather onesided account [“Elusive Shalom”] perpetuates the often ungrounded favoritism toward Israel that I perceive among many American Christians, often typified by highlighting only Arab wrongs. [David Cashin, who] had some important things to say about the roots of militant Islam [“Roots That Go Deep”], seemed to make the coverage even more lopsided. At my job at the Associated Press, where I edit international news, [we] are constantly under pressure to present all the facts possible and include opposing views. I was glad to see Dr. Marvin Wilson’s column come through with a warning on that. At the same time, I was glad to read Peggy Wehmeyer’s commencement address. God cares deeply [about journalism] because He cares about truth and justice. There are enormous opportunities for Christians in journalism. Malcolm Foster ’88
I
must write to express my surprise and dismay at the article “Ambassador for
Christ in Peace and War.” I am a Vietnam veteran—a navy hospital corpsman stationed with the marines. The Viet Cong were not my enemy, nor were they God’s enemy. That Vietnamese soldier I might have faced was created in the image of God and was one whom Jesus came to redeem. It was not my job to take his life, regardless of what my country’s leaders thought. I witnessed the destruction of life for the purpose of “protecting American interests.” I hear the same words today. Those aren’t my interests, nor do I believe they are God’s interests. We must each face our own conscience, but I cannot “kick butt and take names, and at the same time enjoy great spiritual growth.” To my way of thinking, those are incompatible. Dale Herman ’66
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e have been receiving your lovely magazine since 1987. I read it from cover to cover and it has been shared by all kinds of visitors in the reception area of my office over the years. We look forward to receiving it. Harry K. Panjwani, M.D.
Events Calendar JANUARY 16–February 12 Art Exhibit—Seeing Is Believing: Drawing as Insight Insight; an exhibition of faculty artwork in both traditional and innovative materials
FEBRUARY 15–March 28 Art Exhibit—Both Sides of the Cut; photographs by six Cape Cut Anne-based photographers 7 Thompson Chamber Music Series; 8 P.M., PRH 14 Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble; 8 P.M., GC 15 Salvation Army Band Band; 7 P.M., GC 17 Jazz Ensemble; 8 P.M., Lane 23 Gordon Symphony Orchestra; 3 P.M., GC
MARCH 29 College Choir Home Concert Concert; 7 P.M., GC 30 Bach Recital by James Buswell and Carol Ou; 3 P.M., PRH
APRIL Art Exhibit—Senior Art Major Thesis Exhibits 4, 5, 8, 9, 10–12 Theatre Production— Production—A Tale of Two Cities, adapted from Dickens by Robin Olson; 8 P.M. performances and 2 P.M. matinees on April 5 and 12 5 Pops—Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band Band; 7 P.M., GC 25 Choirs! Choirs! Choirs! Choirs!; 7:30 P.M., GC 27 Gordon Symphony Orchestra; 3 P.M, GC
MAY 2 Scenes from Operas by music majors; 8 P.M., PRH 3 Wind Ensemble Home Concert Concert; 7 P . M , GC 4 Scenes from Operas by music majors; 3 P.M., PRH 5 Jazz Ensemble; 8 P.M., Lane 16 Baccalaureate 17 Commencement
For info, updates and tickets, call 978.867.3400 for music events and 978.867.3200 for theatre productions. Music events are held in Phillips Recital Hall (PRH), located in Phillips Music Center, in A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel (GC), or in Lane Student Center. Art exhibits and theatre productions are in the Barrington Center for the Arts (BCA).
A Mighty Season for the Mighty Scots T
he fall season was a winning one for the fighting Scots. As Stillpoint goes to press:
Total wins and losses for the Fighting Scots are 76-9-2 (.885 winning percentage). The all-time school best win-loss record of 29-1 goes to the women’s volleyball team. Women’s volleyball is also ranked #22 in the entire nation for NCAA Division III athletics. Three teams are ranked in the New England region for their sport— women’s volleyball–#1, women’s field hockey–#3 and women’s soccer–#9. Three teams lead or share the lead in their Commonwealth Coast Conference standings—women’s volleyball–lead, women’s soccer– lead and women’s tennis–share.
With three teams in defense of their 2001 Commonwealth Coast Conference championships (women’s volleyball, women’s field hockey and women’s tennis) and three athletes returning as reigning Commonwealth Coast Conference Players of the Year (Lauren Barnes–women’s volleyball, Lindsey Benson–women’s soccer and Jen Anderson–women’s tennis), could things look any rosier for the Fighting Scots? For the first time since joining the NCAA Division III and Commonwealth Coast Conference, Gordon College athletic teams had a legitimate shot at finishing as conference champion or conference
FRED POTTER
runner-up in each of the seven fall sports. Three teams, if advancing in the conference tournament, would have an opportunity to earn championships on November 2; the remaining four teams would have their turn on November 9. Individually the Fighting Scots boast conference and national leaders among women’s volleyball players (Lauren Barnes and SaraBritt Johnson, juniors; and Joy Potter, senior); women’s soccer players (Lindsey Benson, junior; Bess Watson and Anna Stempien, seniors); men’s soccer players (Matt Smith and Scott Brooks, freshmen; and Mike Egan, senior); and women’s field hockey players (Megan Benevides and Krista Yoder, freshmen; Brianna Riddell and Becky Hughes, juniors). Freshman cross-country runner Courtney Hopkins is a favorite in the women’s conference race, and junior tennis player Jen Anderson has won
JIM DALY
27 singles matches with only one loss dating back to October 2000. Finally, school record books are presently being rewritten in nearly every fall sport. Women’s soccer forward Lindsey Benson has already become the Fighting Scots leader in goals in a season, points in a season, goals in a career and points in a career. The 28-0 start by women’s volleyball is the most wins without a loss and longest win streak for a Fighting Scots team in Gordon history. Keep your eyes and ears open for more names and numbers from the Fighting Scots fall teams when the dust settles in late November. Sports stats are updated frequently on Gordon’s website— w w w. g o r d o n . e d u / a t h l e t i c s / scoreboard.htm. Look for final fall updates in the next Stillpoint. —Stephen Leonard ’94 Sports Information Director
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