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Alumni News
A lesson in vulnerability, on two wheels
Dock and EMU grad’s bike-packing trip across the Continental Divide was a source of fear, joy—and reflection.
In the spring of 2019, Ryan Swartzentruber (’12) was writing his thesis as he wrapped up his master’s degree in agricultural and resource economics at Colorado State University. His wife-to-be, Rita Cohen, had just started a new job teaching high school math. It was a stressful time, and they both wanted something to look forward to—an opportunity to step away from “real life” for a bit.
What better way than by biking the Continental Divide, a 2,900-mile trip from Mexico to Canada that took 48 days and included 200,000 feet of climbing on one of the most difficult and dangerous routes the United States has to offer?
“For a trip like the Divide, about all you can do is hope for the best,” said Swartzentruber. “I had done two longdistance bike trips before, but this trip was demanding in many different ways.”
Demanding, as in some sections where they had to carry enough food for the next three-day stretch. Demanding as in there were days where they had one opportunity to fill up water for the whole day. Demanding as in, pushing and pulling their bikes through mud and snow, rain and hail, once for half a mile straight up the notoriously difficult Fleecer Ridge near Butte, MT. Demanding as in, they had to ford a rushing stream with water up to Ryan’s waist.
“There were many mornings I laid in the tent wondering if I had to get up that day,” he said.
The trip was undeniably hard, but looking back now, Ryan said the difficult experiences “create the background to further emphasize the most memorable, positive moments.” He and Rita came to appreciate what he calls “small luxuries”—a can of Pringles, a warm shower, a euphoric moment on the side of the road after a particularly hard stretch, eating jelly beans, grinning ear to ear.
Ryan and his wife Rita were sponsored on their trip across the Continental Divide by the Eastern Mennonite University Bike Club. Ryan graduated from EMU in 2016.
It’s been almost a year since Ryan and Rita pedaled across the country, but they frequently reminisce, and reflect, about the experience. “I attribute the joy of bike-packing to vulnerability,” he said. “You are subjected to every possible weather condition, without options to escape, even for a moment. There are no guarantees the store will have the food you want or the well will have water available. You are at the mercy of cars that don’t know how to share the road. I am privileged enough to say that I do not typically have to worry about any of these things. I take shelter, food, water, and safety for granted every day.
“Voluntarily subjecting yourself to this type of vulnerability shifts your perspective to what is truly important,” he added. “This vulnerability also provides opportunities to see the best in the world. Countless small acts of kindness from strangers can make your day. We received Gatorade a couple of times from strangers in the desert. A number of folks along the route open up their property for riders to have a bed to sleep in. These small acts don’t take much effort, but they can make a world of difference.”
Being house-bound due to Covid-19 has caused Swartzentruber to long for the open road again. “I find myself longing to hop on my bike and ride away from everything,” he said “It’s easy to become frustrated at others who do not share my beliefs. The atmosphere grows more tense every day as people lose patience with one another and the situation. I chose to make myself vulnerable on the bike ride, but at-risk populations have been forced into a vulnerable position. I am extremely privileged that the pandemic has not directly affected my health or economic situation. Others have not been so fortunate. I remember moments of both fear and joy caused by others’ actions. Now I have the opportunity to pay it forward to others.”
PUTERA ROCKS HER SENIOR YEAR
Halle Putera (’16) finished an eventful senior year at Franklin & Marshall College, graduating cum laude with a major in geoscience, winning two awards from F&M’s Department of Earth and Environment, and participating in a flurry of internships and field experiences.
In the spring between her junior and senior years, Halle spent five weeks in Montana attending the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Black Hills Field Camp. Then, last summer, she and another geoscience major were selected to assist F&M professor Stanley Mertzman in conducting geological fieldwork at Mt. Shasta, a 14,000-ft. active volcano in California. Halle mapped igneous flows and studied the cilica content of molten rock around and under the volcano, which last erupted 300 years ago. Her work could help scientists determine when the next eruption is likely to occur.
Halle’s work at Field Camp paid off when her camp director nominated her to participate in the 2020 Cooperative Summer Geosciences Internship Program sponsored by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). After a rigorous interview process, Halle was selected to work with Dr. Walter D. Mooney, a research seismologist and geophysicist with the USGS and a world leader in geophysical studies of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle. Dr. Mooney currently is a visiting professor at Stanford University. Read more about Halle’s experiences online at dock.org/LamplighterExtra
John Lichty (’85) was recognized with an article in the Goshen News for running his first ultramarathon, and using the run as a fundraiser for a charity his church supports. Lichty has run marathons before, but was scheduled to run in his first ultramarathon in April when it was canceled due to Covid-19. Lichty mapped out his own course in and around Goshen, and ran 40 miles on Saturday, April 26—raising more than $4,000 for The Window, a charity providing food, clothing and other services for low-income residents in the community.
Dock grad Janine Geddis (’11) took a step toward her dream with the purchase of a food truck last summer— and she’s not looking back.
Janine (Powis) Geddis (’11) remembers the night she got the idea to operate her own food truck like it was yesterday. “I was working at a bakery/deli that had just reopened after being remodeled,” she said. “The new owners would not let me try my recipes or ideas—they wouldn’t let me make something as simple as mac-and-cheese because they ‘wanted to make sure it was done right.’ I knew I needed to get out of there and do my own thing, but I didn’t know how.”
Her husband, Eric, came home from work, sensed her frustration, and suggested the idea of a food truck. “It was like fireworks went off in my head,” she said. “I couldn’t stop thinking about the idea—it was one of those moments that just felt right.”
So she began to do some research. Where would she get the truck from? Should she buy new or used? Truck or trailer? After hours and hours of online research and phone calls, Janine settled on United Food Trucks, a custom outfitter based in Miami, FL. She made her first call to them in February of 2019, and her truck was delivered roughly three months later. Her first day selling from the truck was June 26, 2019.
She named the truck the “Winni Wagon,” because she planned to make it a fixture in the recreational areas around Lake Winnipesaukee, the largest lake in New Hampshire.
She decided to operate the truck part-time the first season, and so she kept her jobs at Ames Farm Inn, a lakefront resort, and nearby Lakeport Landing Marina. “I didn’t take a paycheck from the truck because I wanted it to earn as much money as possible,” she said. “There was not a lot of sleep during that time, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
There were lots of lessons learned in her first season with the truck. For a few events she ordered too much food—but it forced her to be creative. “For example, I had a lot of leftover thawed-out burgers that could not be refrozen, so I turned them into meatballs,” she said. “My goal is to have little to no waste, and for my first season, I did pretty well with that. I can’t recall a time when I threw out a large amount of food.” She also wrote notes in her food truck “calendar” so she would remember what those events were like.
“Goals in life should excite you and scare you at the same time,” says food truck entrepreneur Janine (Powis) Geddis (’11), “because if they scare you, that means you’re taking a chance rather than playing it safe.”
“I absolutely love my food truck because it’s mine,” Janine says. “The food truck is just the first step to what I want to do. My big dream is to own my own café one day, and continue using the food truck for catering events.”
Starting up her own business definitely wasn’t easy, and there were quite a few speed bumps, especially with permits and licenses. “I was excited but scared when the dream started becoming a reality,” Janine said. “But thankfully I had support from Eric, my mom and dad (Shirley and Mark Powis), and my family and friends who all believed in me. I strongly believe that goals in life should excite you and scare you at the same time, because if they scare you that means you’re taking a chance rather than playing it safe.”
Read more about the Winni Wagon, including insights into the design of the truck and why Janine chose its name wisely, online at dock.org/ LamplighterExtra.
ALUMNI NOTES
1958
Doris Kolb, of Lancaster, PA, married Ralph Alderfer of Souderton, PA, on May 19, 2020, at Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster. Ralph taught music and math at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School from 1967 to 1987. Doris was a community health nurse in Lancaster. They will reside in Lancaster until 2021.
2009
Curtis Denlinger married Betsy Dennis on April 20, 2020 at Deep Run East Mennonite Church. They reside in Telford.
2010
Morgan Kratz married Dylan Shull on April 25 at Plains Mennonite Church in Hatfield. They reside in Green Lane.
2014
Vanessa Miller (’14) began a new job in May as a Junior Designer for DSK Architects in their Los Angeles office. The firm designs buildings for education and healthcare.
2016
Logan Moyer graduated from Pennsylvania College of Technology with an Associates in Applied Science degree in both Building Construction Technology and Masonry. He is working for Gehman Design Remodeling in Harleysville.
On page 25 of the Winter 2020 Lamplighter (Class of 1964 photo), Donald Stoltzfus is incorrectly listed as Dwight Stoltzfus. Lamplighter regrets the error.
Weekend Weekend ‘ 20 ‘ 20 October 9 & 10, 2020 October 9 & 10, 2020
SURRENDERING CONTROL
After being engaged for just over a year, Noah Shreiner (’16) and Maggie Frey were married on Saturday, May 30, 2020, in Harleysville. Like many other couples, they struggled to know how to plan for their wedding day in light of Covid-19 restrictions. We asked Noah to share about the experience:
In the weeks leading up to the wedding, Maggie and I received many sympathetic responses as we told people of the many hours spent planning over the course of the past year, only to have just about every one of those original plans fall through. While these sympathies were appreciated and the words of encouragement comforting, we did not find true rest in them.
With no telling when restrictions from the pandemic would be lifted, we knew that likely there would be substantial sacrifices and many changes within the day itself. We experienced a lot of stress and were conflicted about how to handle the rapidly changing situation. It is in times like these when I realize the true power of prayer and surrendering our worries and doubts to God in faith. Maggie and I were able to find not only peace, but true joy and excitement about our big day after our final meeting with Pastor Mark [Wenger, of Franconia Mennonite Church] when we discussed our worries and concerns. Pastor Mark assured us that we had everything we needed to make it happen in the room already—the three of us and God. He added that all other things on a wedding day are “extras”—important extras, but not essential.
Maggie and I agreed after the wedding that God gave us the wedding we needed, not the wedding we planned for. We had an intimate day, celebrated with the ones we love and cherish. It was slightly less formal and more our style. We loved being able to actually talk and hang out with all of those who were able to make it. The best part was the way our friends, family and church community backed us up through the whole thing. It could not have turned out the way it did without the extreme generosity of everyone who contributed—from cleaning the Bernd’s barn, setting up decorations, music, catering, giving much needed haircuts, or hosting and helping with various parts of the weekend. Maggie and I were truly blessed by the gift of being in close fellowship with a community of fellow believers who gave selflessly to make our day surreal.
As we drove down to the Outer Banks for our honeymoon, all we could do was sit in disbelief of God’s goodness and wonder how our wedding ended up better than we could have imagined. Only by surrendering control of the day to the Lord were we able to be completely fulfilled by the goodness he provided.
IN MEMORIAM
Gordon L. Groff (’71), 66, of Perkasie, passed away on Sunday, April 5, 2020 at his residence in Bedminster Twp.
Gordon was born in Lansdale, PA to the late Merrill Groff and the late Shirley (Keeler) Groff.
After graduating from Christopher Dock, Gordon entered Voluntary Service in the Head Start program in California, eventually becoming a teacher in the Head Start program. Throughout most of his working lifetime he was employed as a painter for Aldus and Ron Halteman of Franconia, but also worked at Landis Supermarkets. He attended Bally Mennonite Church.
He had a passion for photography, with shows and weddings filling his free time. He photographed a number of Dock events over the years, including golf tournaments, commencements and others.
A tentative memorial service is planned for Sunday, July 19, 2020 at 3 p.m. at Bally Mennonite Church, 1481 Route 100, Barto, PA 19504.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
EC to Grade 8 Calendar
AUGUST 2020
August 18 — K-Grade 8 Open House, 3:30 p.m. August 18 — New Family Meal, 5:30 p.m. August 18 — New Family Orientation, 6:30 p.m. August 19 — Middle School Bowling, 3:00 p.m. August 20 — First Day of School, 8:25 a.m. August 20-21 — Early Childhood Explore Days August 24 — First Day of Classes for Early Childhood
SEPTEMBER 2020
September 4 — No School September 7 — Labor Day, No School September 18 — Faculty In-service, No School September 28 — Fall Golf Tournament, Indian Valley Country Club
Grades 9 to 12 Calendar
AUGUST 2020
August 11 — New Student Social, 7:00 p.m. August 13 — Prayer Walk, 8:00 a.m. August 17 — Fall Sports Practices Begin August 18 — New Family Orientation, 6:30 p.m. August 20 — First Day of School, 7:45 a.m. August 26 — Pioneer Day All-School Orientation
SEPTEMBER 2020
September 4 — No School September 7 — Labor Day, No School September 18 — Faculty In-service, No School September 28 — Fall Golf Tournament, Indian Valley Country Club
PIONEER DAY
FALL GOLF
FALL GOLF TOURNAMENT
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 Gather your friends and join us for a great day of golf at Dock’s Fall Golf Tournament! We will play at a new location this year, Indian Valley Country Club. Learn more and register to sponsor or play at dock.org/golf.
