4 minute read
Daniel Persinger ’21: “I have more to give”
A visit to a “Chicago Fire” set with Jay Booras ’20.
As a child, Daniel Persinger ’21 was very confident about his future. After watching reruns of the show “Emergency,” enjoying a birthday party at a fire station, and, later, participating in Boy Scout experiences with the Rockford (Ill.) Fire Department, he knew he was destined to become a firefighter.
Then his plan was derailed by his health. “I was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy on July 5, 2012,” he explained. “The doctor said, ‘You can’t be a firefighter’ and that squashed my dreams.”
Persinger knew in his heart that “I have something to give.” As he searched for a new career path, he learned about the chaplains who serve fire departments. “My plans exploded from there,” he said. “I had grown up in the United Methodist Church and wanted to find a way to help people.”
Six years ago Persinger began shadowing a fire chaplain in Machesney Park, Ill., near his hometown of Rockford. He witnessed how first responders must handle a variety of emergency calls. “Being present with (first responders) is the most important thing,” he explained. “If people know you, they’ll feel comfortable talking to you when the need arises.”
Persinger then became a “volunteer” chaplain for the Rockford, New Milford and Blackhawk fire departments. Chaplains must apply for their positions, which require 24/7 availability for a small stipend. “You have to know the culture … and reassure [firefighters] that it’s okay to not be okay and to take time off if necessary. Their mentality is that 'I’ll be just fine.’”
Along the way he also gained experience as a volunteer chaplain at Mercyhealth Hospital in Rockford up until the start of pandemic. There, he completed a course called Clinical Pastoral Education. “I loved it,” he added.
After Persinger finished an associate of arts degree from Rock Valley College, he wanted to earn a four-year degree and major in religious studies. On his visit to North Central College, he met Perry Hamalis, professor of religious studies, and immediately found a mentor and friend. “I took a class from him every semester,” added Persinger. “My favorite was Death and Dying. I’ve witnessed death (in my chaplain role) and it’s vital to talk about it.” He wrote his senior capstone paper on suicide.
As a North Central student, Persinger was active with campus ministry
through Focus and helped build a new organization, NCC Dream. The group encourages students who have a disability to gather and support each other and helps students, faculty and staff better understand the disability community.
Now Persinger is determining his future career, perhaps as a counselor or a funeral home director. “As I’ve dealt with MD, I always think ‘how can I fit into the world and be a light to someone else?’”
Focus worship services were part of Persinger’s campus experience.
Death and Dying becomes timely topic during pandemic
Teaching the Religious Studies course Death and Dying in spring 2020 provided students with an “unusual experience,” said Perry Hamalis, Cecilia Schneller Mueller Professor of Religion. As the course unfolded, the topic of the COVID-19 pandemic was not on the syllabus. “As the semester progressed, we used our discussions to help students process the pandemic and their grief as we tried to make sense of it all,” he said.
The ever-popular course was taught over many decades by Rev. Dr. Howard Mueller’58, Dr. C. Toenniges Professor of Religious Studies Emeritus. Its offering returned after the transition to semesters in fall 2019 and Hamalis had time in his schedule.
As the course began, the first conversations considered the untimely death of former NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant and the ethics of photojournalists covering the tragedy. Later, a local funeral director visited and the class also tackled topics like suicide and the endof-life medical decisions. In March 2020, students began to meet remotely when the campus closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In all of Hamalis’ courses in 2020-2021, the pandemic meant that grief was a constant theme for discussion because so many students were grieving the loss of something in their lives. “They might have lost a loved one, were missing an athletic season,campus life, dances— there were so many things they missed,” Hamalis said.
The students in Death and Dying addressed their emotions by “talking in small groups on topics most people don’t have the opportunity to talk about,” Hamalis said. “Some had more experiences and perspectives on death than others—like Daniel in his chaplain role and another student who was a military veteran.”
One assignment had students writing letters to someone they wanted to reconnect and/or reconcile with. “I didn’t ask them to share the letter but I did have them write a paper reflecting on how writing the letter affected them,” Hamalis said. “Several students had major breakthroughs in their lives as a result. It's such a privilege to establish trust and shepherd students through this process.”
Death and Dying will be offered every two years (spring 2022) but going forward, the 2020 version will always be memorable for Hamalis and his students.
“I consider it an honor to teach a course that was so loved by alumni of Howard."
Perry Hamalis, Cecilia Schneller Mueller Professor of Religion
Reading List
Here are some of the readings and a video that Hamalis assigned his students in Death and Dying:
• “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom
• “The Death of Ivan Ilych” by Leo Tolstoy
• “Being Mortal” (video) with Atul Gawande
