Vol. 5 Issue 3
Fresh news every day at www.rocky.edu
March 2010
All About Our Students
Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMC
Prof. Gerry Roe directs rehearsal for the upcoming Rocky Mountain College Theatre Arts performance of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMC
Kyoko Nishiyama, standing with a tree from a set design she worked on, dreams of a career in film production.
An interview with cinema star Johnny Depp solidified Kyoko Nishiyama’s desire to pursue a career in film production. Kyoko won the opportunity to interview Depp for a Japanese television station as part of a promotion for “Pirates of the Caribbean.” “I did get to interview him, and that was the moment when I truly believed in my dream and myself, that I can really make my dream come true. I was not sure about my future when I was in high school because people didn’t think that I was serious about getting a job in Hollywood, but after this experience, I made my decision to follow my dream and make it come true whatever it takes,” the RMC junior said. She’ll take another big step along her career path this summer when she interns for Paradox Pictures. According to an executive producer with Paradox, Kyoko will be involved with development of ongoing screenplays and future projects. From a production standpoint, she will deal with post production schedules on Paradox’s Sufi Originals. Kyoko will be involved working with visual effects (VFX), editing and (Please see Students on back page)
BEE HERE! BE THERE! You won’t want to miss the newest RMC peformance Rocky Mountain College Theatre Arts presents “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” a hysterically funny musical, sponsored by NorthWestern Energy and Streeter Brothers Insurance, March 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27, 2010, at Billings Studio Theatre. All shows begin at 8 p.m. This Tony award-winning play centers around six 12-year-old misfits (all played by adults) who compete in a spelling bee that will send the winner on to the national level. The Bee is run by equally quirky grown-ups, according to Gerry Roe, RMC professor of theatre arts, who directs the play. For each performance, another group of spelling competitors will be chosen from audience members before the show. Part of the fun is in seeing how the cast members improvise around the newcomers and include them in the spelling bee. Roe was fortunate enough to see the original production in New York City. “I found myself totally engrossed in one of the funniest shows I’d seen in a long time. Much to my surprise, I discovered the witty script and catchy music kept me howling throughout,” Roe said. “Make no mistake, the Bee is blow-milk-out-your-nose funny.” This musical also has a heart, Roe added. It makes simple but profound statements about our competitive nature, the recent developments of modern “families”, expectations, puberty, disappointments, and wanting to be loved. The cast consists of six over-achieving spellers: Shad Scott, Tyler Kaufmann, Bekah Kellison, Chris Decker, Faith Greenlee, and Alyssa Guarino. Don Havig, Wendy Carlin, and Justin Rife play the adults in the cast. Also in the cast are four audience volunteer “spellers” who change nightly. Kathy McLain provides professional musical direction with a small orchestra and the cast. The delightful set was designed by Beccah Maier as her senior theater project. Jennifer Rassley handles the duties of the stage manager.
Birthday in the ‘Rock Lab’
Insider by Michael R. Mace, President
At RMC, We Are Engaged in Transformational Leadership The word “transforms” dates back to the 14th century Middle English from the Middle French word transformer and Latin transformare. By definition, it means to change in composition or structure, to change the outward form or appearance, or to change in character or condition: in essence, to convert, if you will. Transformational college presidents understand and deeply appreciate the mission, value, and qualities of the institutions they lead. They are neither caretakers nor revolutionaries. Whatever change they feel needs to be made, no matter how subtle or substantial, is invariably motivated by a desire to improve the institution’s ability to become its best self. Transformational presidents understand where their institutions need to go and what they are up against in their effort to get there. They are always ready to make the difficult decision -- what one presidential consultant calls “the 100 year-storm kind of decision.” These are the leaders who genuinely love and respect the institutions they serve and the people who form them, and who, at the same time, stand ready to deliver the creative jolt that is necessary to ensure real, sustainable progress. Progress like this takes teamwork. When I look around this campus, I find everyone pitching in. We all know we are here to be servants to our students. From the custodians to the professors, from the coaches to the provost, from the deans to the vice presidents and staff, we all come together to serve one purpose: the transformation of outstanding students into the creation of their hopes and dreams for their own future. A new example of this transformational process has come from within our own academic offerings at Rocky Mountain College. Recently, the faculty and trustees approved a new academic program. We are calling it a degree in Environmental Management and Policy. Using courses already offered, we repackaged our own brand of economic environmental policy along with one of our core themes centered on leadership. Recycling what we already have, we have transformed it into something new and exciting. Mary Ann Brussat, who, with her husband Frederic, is director of the multi-faith website, Spirituality and Practice, says it so well: “Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives.” That is what I believe we accomplish here at the College every day. I think that happens to all of us at Rocky, and we are all the better for it. We see it in our own transformation in service to our students.
Sometimes our students make an extra effort to share their excitement about their studies with much younger students. A case in point was when Mandy Kapalka, a geology major who will graduate from Rocky Mountain College this spring, volunteered to help a mother whose son “loves rocks.” The mother wanted her son’s birthday to be special, and RMC geology professors hoped to accommodate the youngster with a tour of the RMC department. The daughter of Nancy and the Rev. Ron Kapalka of Evangelical Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMC Methodist Church, Mandy, who is Mandy Kapalka volunteered a dean’s list student, plays in the to help a group of youngsters RMC concert band, and was one celebrate a birthday and an of six nominees for outstanding interest in geology. student employee of the year, was willing to help. Here is her report of the elementary student’s birthday party expedition to the RMC “rock lab,” which is also an example of how our students learn leadership and “pass the torch” of learning to younger generations: “The birthday boy has had a growing interest in rocks and his parents were wonderful to try out such a creative route to feed his interest. About five or six kids, along with a few parents, came to Rocky’s campus to see our department’s geology lab. I started out by showing them the computer monitor that Dr. Larry Jones has set up to display our seismometer and the printouts of various earthquakes that have been picked up at the Rocky station. I showed them the different tools that a geologist would possibly need in the field or the lab. What they were most excited about was when I showed them different rock, mineral, and fossil examples. I brought pieces of my own collection to show and also used our program’s samples. The kids were shown everything from invertebrate fossils to mineral collections to donated core samples from a former student who interned at the Stillwater Mining Company mine near Nye, to whatever caught their eye displayed around our lab. Some of the children’s attention spans were better than others, but everyone seemed to have a great time. I was not certain what I was going to do besides show-and-tell, but children have a way of making everything more interesting than a person can present it to them. I was motivated to help out because I, too, was interested in rocks and fossils at a young age and it eventually lead me to pursue a geology degree. Even if none of these kids end up in science degrees, at least they have adults around them that give them an opportunity while they have a curiosity for learning.”
Student Employee of the Year Nominated by the Rocky Mountain College Services for Academic Success department, Rachel Luddington was chosen for this year’s Student Employee of the Year honor. Rachel was the featured student in the November 2009 Rocky Now. “Rachel has been a star fixture in Rocky’s tutoring program and a major contributor to the Rocky community,” according to the Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMC nominating letter. Rachel Luddington sings with The judging committee the RMC Choir at the annual stated it had a difficult job Festival of Lessons and Carols. because they had six excellent nominees, according to Blaire Martin, RMC career service director. Recognized for their stellar accomplishments were Sean Coleman, Rhonda Sappington, Casey Worth, Mandy Kapalka, and Gretchen Sherzinger.
Focus on Faculty & Staff
Working Behind the Scenes At one time, and not too long ago, Sarah Brewer imagined teaching at a large university or designing sets for major theatre productions. “Although I am qualified in all areas of technical theatre, scene design and painting are my passions. I trained at a scenic studio in upstate New York shortly before coming to teach here, and Rocky came very close to being put on the back burner for me to pursue scene painting in New York,” she said. Fortunately for Rocky, she chose a different path. “I cannot imagine my life anywhere else. I have loved this College from the moment I stepped foot on campus,” the assistant professor of theatre arts said. A graduate of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, with a master’s of fine arts from Western Illinois University, Brewer has become one of the College’s most popular instructors since she arrived in 2005. “I adore her,” said Gerry Roe, RMC theatre arts professor. “We share the same passion for our students’ success. I don’t know of anyone who cares as much as she does about the accomplishments of her students.” With her expertise in technical theatre, Brewer had a defining hand in the department’s outstanding regional showcase production award for “Almost, Maine.” The production was honored at the Rocky Mountain Theatre Association convention in February. It was one of only three plays selected from 50 plays performed by colleges from a fivestate western region. Brewer is an active member in USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technol-
ogy, Inc.), which keeps her in touch with leading professionals in the theatre industry. Each year she and her students work on the decorations for RMC’s scholarship banquet, Black Tie Blue Jeans Scholarship Benefit. “If I have an opportunity to pull out my paintbrushes, I take it,” she laughs. Her hands-on approach includes operating the Photo: Dave M. Shumway, RMC table saw, hefting large canvas rolls, and anything else it takes to get Sarah Brewer dabs make-up on an actor in preparation for a stage the job done. performance. That’s a lesson her students learn quickly. office, we knew that we could walk in and “I have discovered the joy in exposing stusit and he would be back in few minutes,” dents to all areas of technical theatre and I take she said. such pleasure in the fact that I get to work with Rocky has become Brewer’s home. each student on an individual level,” she said. “It’s an environment I’m very comfort“The students who come through my office able in. To quote our students ‘it feels door are from all walks of life and all levels of like home.’ Here I have the opportunity to experience. My goal is to take them from whatinteract with people outside of my departever level they are at and help them achieve ment and become a part of campus in a their goals.” way unheard of at larger universities,” she As a product of small schools, she likes that explained. aspect of what she can offer. The tradition at Theatre is a challenging field of study, Rocky, once dubbed the “college of the open according to Brewer. The hours are often door,” is literal for her. very long. “My own schooling was very “I want to make myself available to help, fast-paced and the learning curve very whether it be getting ready for a class assignsteep. I consider it a luxury that I can work ment or deciding what to do after college. One with students in a setting where each gets of my professors in graduate school had a habit the time and attention necessary to be truly that I have adopted. If he was on campus and successful. “ not in class or at lunch, his door was open. He was there to help solve problems or just listen to the stress of the day. If he wasn’t in his
Focus on Alumni & Friends
Campus Chaplaincy Endowment Honors Beloved Bill Burkhardt A man who made his ministry “all-welcoming” during a career that spanned half a century of service to his church and community, will be remembered through a special endowment established by his friends and family at Rocky Mountain College. Bill Burkhardt died in February 2009. Donations and pledges to the Bill Burkhardt Campus Chaplaincy Endowment exceed $40,000, only a year after his death, according to Obert Undem, Rocky Mountain College director of planned giving. Contributions may be made to the endowment by contacting Undem. “He was a beloved friend of this College who was widely admired and respected for his warm and wise leadership, and for his devoted service,” Undem said. “This endowment is an important affirmation of the historic role played by the affiliated denominations in the long story of the evolution of Montana’s oldest College.” Burkhardt graduated from William Jewell College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He became student body president, participated in intercollegiate football, was a dormitory counselor, and was selected for a number of honors including
Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities, Phi Beta Kappa, and “Outstanding Man on Campus.” He graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in divinity from Yale University Divinity School and served as the associate minister at the First Congregational Church of New Canaan, Conn., where he had served as a student minister during his senior year at Yale. In 1954 he met and married Kathleen “Kay” McLaughlin (also a divinity student) with whom he raised their three daughters. They divorced and, in 1982, he married Pat Bovington. He first came to Montana where he was minister of the First Congregational Church in Hardin for five years and then moved to Helena, where he became full time pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church, which he served for nearly 20 years. He next became pastor of Mayflower Congregational Church in Billings, leading the church in a period of substantial growth, including the building of a new sanctuary. Burkhardt was past president of the Billings Mental Health Association’s board of directors, and was active on the boards and committees of the Montana-Northern Wyoming Conference of the UCC until his retirement in February 1993. He received an Honorary Doctorate of
Photo: Courtesy Pat Burkhardt
Pat & Bill Burkhardt
Humanities from Rocky Mountain College in 1994. Bill’s church leadership was characterized as “all-welcoming,” even before that concept became an intentional church discipline. His church became “home” to countless people who were drawn to his warm (Please see Chaplaincy Endowment on back page)
Neighbor to Neighbor We Are the Invincible Spring By Barb Skelton, Chairman of the Board of Rocky Mountain College Bill Burkhardt, whose family and friends have established an endowment in his memory, was a thoughtful poet as well as a pastor. You can read about Bill elsewhere in this issue of Rocky Now. I want to borrow from one of his prayers, contained in a book his family complied with some of his poems, reflections, ponderings and sermons, called “Mountain Meadow Grace.” Bill, like many of us, valued faith, family and fellowship above all else. He must have had, as we all do, those moments of doubt and depression, but he wrote in one prayer, “Suddenly in the midst of winter, I found a deep within, an invincible Spring.” I think this speaks to that fundamental rejuvenating hope we all have. Spring always means new beginnings. I think of the courageous crocuses that raise their tiny fists up out of the snow. A single leaf sprouts, the first signal of life and renewal. It then takes nurturing from nature
or us, to water it and feed it and see it develop into a beautiful blossom. This is similar to what I see at Rocky Mountain College, rather like a student blossoming into a new leader, a caring physician assistant, or a strategic thinker, under the care and instruction of our fabulous faculty. They also develop under our care, those of us who donate to help with their scholarships or contribute to the general fund. Without those efforts, their educational experience would wither, just as untended plants. I’m proud and grateful to say we never let that happen. These students become an important part of our community and that is because we help each other. Each generation a neighbor to the previous and the next. We are the invincible Spring. Please join me in supporting the Bill Burkhardt Campus Chaplaincy Endowment. To contribute to the endowment, contact Obert Undem, RMC director of planned giving, 406-657-1142 or email, undemo@rocky.edu.
Commencement 2010 Avid Conservationist Selected to Deliver Address and development strategist for the mortgage banking and Lowell E. Baier, who has donated 37 years to wildlife development firm of The Rouse Company (formerly James conservation, will deliver the address at the 128th annual W. Rouse & Company, Incorporated). Rocky Mountain College Commencement, Saturday, May 8, Baier is a member of the Urban Land Institute. In 1986, 2010. Baier received the Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award Baier, president of Baier Properties, a commercial from the city of Rockville, Maryland’s, second largest real estate development firm, has been honored for his community and county seat of Montgomery County. involvement in conservation protection efforts since the late Baier served as chairman and spokesperson in 1988-1989 1960’s when he helped organize the National Capital Area to draft a conservation and natural resource agenda for Chapter of Safari International. He was elected a member President George H. W. Bush’s administration, an initiative of The Explorers Club in New that became the foundation for a York in 1976, and the Boone & subsequent agenda drafted for President Crockett Club in 1980, where he George W. Bush. currently serves as its President He is vice chairman of the board of and Historian. directors that established the National Baier is the principal Conservation Leadership Institute in spokesperson for more than 2005-2006, an advanced leadership 100 national conservation training school for mid-career state organizations and many and federal fish and wildlife agency prominent individuals that wildlife management professionals facilitated acquisition of across the United States in cooperation Theodore Roosevelt’s 23,550 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, acre Elkhorn Ranch in Medora, Department of the Interior, and the North Dakota, into federal Kennedy School of Government. government ownership in 2007. Classes began in 2006 at the National This effort virtually expanded Conservation Training Center, the Theodore Roosevelt National Park by 33.5%. From this Photo: Courtesy Shepherdstown, West Virginia. An inveterate traveler and sporting achievement, the National Fish Lowell E. Baier, currently serves as president and historian of the enthusiast, Baier’s penchant for travel and Wildlife Foundation and Boone & Crockett Club, will be this year’s RMC Commencement has taken him to many remote areas of Anheuser-Busch named him speaker. North America, Europe, and Asia. He America’s 2008 Conservationist was one of 20 charter members that of the Year. founded the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep Baier was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1940, and raised on a headquartered in Cody, Wyoming, in 1972, and served as an farm in Indiana and ranch in Montana where his grandfather officer and board member for two decades. He has been homesteaded in 1915. Educated in the midwest, Baier has a life member of the National Rifle Association since 1965. enjoyed an active career since his graduation from Indiana Baier is an avid art, antique and Indian artifact collector, University Law School (J.D., 1964; B.A., 1961, Valparaiso maintaining collections in his homes in Potomac, Maryland, University), and his admission to the practice of law in the Billings, Montana, and at his ranch in Pray, Montana, located jurisdiction of Indiana, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. in Paradise Valley just north of Yellowstone Park. Select Concurrently, he practiced law privately in Washington, D.C., items from the collections are on loan to museums and organized Baier Properties, Inc., and launched its activities institutions in Wyoming, Montana, and Washington, D.C. in 1966, and served as house counsel, investment analyst
ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE’S LEADERSHIP GIFT ANNUITY
You don’t have to be wealthy to give to Rocky . . . Obert Undem, RMC director of planned giving
You just have to believe Rocky still makes a difference in the lives of its students. You can do so with a Rocky Gift Annuity qualifying for the 40% Montana income tax credit; secure a big federal charitable tax deduction; receive a higher return than savings certificates; and, eventually fund scholarships for Rocky students. Call for a confidential review of this cost free opportunity. Many people enjoy this tax benefit and have more money to spend. For information, call Obert at (406)-657-1142 or e-mail undemo@rocky.edu.
$25,000 ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE GIFT ANNUITIES (CASH) Age(s) & Rate at Issue
Tax Saving “Income Deduction (Federal) on annuity (Federal) Tax for life (1099) (25% Rate)
Montana Tax Credit Total Savings Tax to Donor Savings
One Annuitant 55 @4.8%
$1,200
$5,017
$1,254
$2,007 $3,261
60 @ 5.0%
$1,250
$6,522
$1,631
$2,609 $4,240
65 @ 5.3%
$1.325
$7,975
$1,994
$3,190 $5,184
70 @ 5.7%
$1,425
$9,535
$2,384 $3,814 $6,198
75 @ 6.3%
$1,575
$11,040
$2,760 $4,416 $7,176
80 @ 7.1%
$1,775
$12,557
$3,139
85 @ 8.1%
$2,025 $14,118
$5,023 $8,162
$3,530 $5,647 $9,117
Two Annuitants 65 @ 4.9%
$1,225
$5,649
$1,412
$2,260 $3,672
70 @ 5.2%
$1,300 $7,205
$1,801
$2,882 $4,683
75 @ 5.6%
$1,400 $8,904
$2,226 $3,562 $5,788
80 @ 6.1%
$1,525
$10,748
$2,687 $4,299 $6,986
85 @ 7.0%
$1,750
$12,147
$3,037 $4,859 $7,896
For a free consultation, contact Obert Undem, director of planned giving Email: undemo@rocky.edu Phone: 406-657-1142
Coming Attractions MARCH 19 Rocky Mountain College will host more than 130 high school students and their parents for the spring visit to campus. These prospective RMC students will be coming from across the U.S., some for their first visit. The Admissions Office is very excited about this event and the expected large attendance. MARCH 19 “The Music of Duke Ellington,” a piano solo recital by David Morgenroth, will be presented in the Taylor Auditorium of Losekamp Hall, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public. Morgenroth is a classical and jazz pianist who has performed across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia. He has performed with Lionel Hampton, Joe Williams, Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, and Toots Thielemans, to name a few. In February, he released his first solo recording, “Alone with Duke.” For more information, contact Tony Hammond, RMC director of bands, (406) 238-7283 or email tony.hammond@rocky.edu. MARCH 13 - 19 The Rocky Mountain College Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) will host Canstruction® to stock the shelves of the Billings Food Bank with canned goods. Teams of architects, sponsoring businesses, and organizations compete to design and build colossal structures from food cans which are then judged by the public and a panel of judges. The structures will be built March 13 & 14. The public may view the structures at the Billings Food Bank, March 15 -18. MARCH 27 The Rocky Mountain College Easter Egg Hunt, for children ages 1 -10, will be held on the RMC Green, north of Poly Drive, beginning at 10 a.m. For more information, contact Vicki Davison, (406) 6571005 or email vicki.davison@rocky.edu. APRIL 11 The Rocky Mountain College Alumni Association invites the Rocky community to join them for a Billings Outlaws vs. Colorado Ice football game at 4 p.m., at the Rimrock Auto Arena at Metra Park. Special end zone seating will be provided. Kids Children scramble for eggs during last will get to line the entranceway at halftime to year’s Easter Egg Hunt. “high five” players. Tickets are $15, which includes a burger and drink from Fuddruckers’ concession stand. For more information, contact Vicki Davison, (406) 657-1005 or email vicki. davison@rocky.edu. APRIL 16 The Third Annual Bear Bash Fundraiser for RMC Athletics will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Grand Ave. The event is a $100 per plate dinner, including a silent auction with all the proceeds going to benefit the athletes at Rocky. There is a social hour beginning at 5 p.m. with dinner and drawings to follow. Each person who purchases a ticket will have their name entered into a drawing for a chance to win cash and prizes. Tickets will be available up until the event and also can be purchased from athletic staff at RMC. For more information or for tickets, contact Robert Beers, RMC athletic director, (406) 657-1124 or email Robert.beers@rocky.edu. APRIL 22 The Rocky Mountain College staff, faculty, students and friends are invited to pitch in to help with a Habitat for Humanity work day. Shifts are 9 a.m. – noon and from 1 – 4 p.m. Ten workers are needed for each shift. (You are more than welcome to work 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., if you want.) Lunch break is at noon. For more information, contact Vicki Davison, (406) 657-1005 or email vicki.davison@rocky.edu. JUNE 25 The Rocky Mountain College 10th Annual Alumni & Friends Golf Tournament will be held at Peter Yegen, Jr. Golf Course, beginning at 1 p.m., with a shotgun start. The tournament features a $10,000 hole-in-one prize with other prizes on each hole, first and second place Bill Ballard is a loyal pargross prizes, and first place net prizes. $85 per person. ticipant in the RMC Annual RSVP to Vicki Davison, (406) 657-1005 or email Alumni Golf Tournament. vicki.davison@rocky.edu.
All About Our Students (Continued from front page)
story meetings with directors, editors, producers, and studio executives. She will also play a role in day-to-day operations, meaning she will work with agents and talent. It’s the kind of opportunity and experience Kyoko loves from her RMC education. Living in Montana, Kyoko is 5,500 miles from her native Japan, but she said people here make her feel at home. “I love this College. People have been very friendly to me. If I ever need help, I know it is there,” she said. She has adjusted to significant challenges coming to Montana. Raised in Kumamoto, which has about 660,000 people, she quickly accepted the less populated open space of Big Sky country. “I like the weather here. It’s very different from where I’m from because we never get snow back home in Japan,” she laughed. More importantly, she appreciates the advantages of a smaller school. “I like how I can get access to professors when I need help. I love living in the dorms with my friends. I made lots of friends even though we didn’t have class together,” she added. The daughter of an engineer and a stay-at-home mom, she discovered Rocky through Brad Nason, RMC vice president and dean of student life.
“He is one of our old family friends. When I received the catalogs from Rocky, I was sure that RMC was the place where I wanted to spend my four years of college,” she said. Her future? Maybe graduate school. Maybe Hollywood. “It would be best if I could work in the film industry right away,” she said. “The Paradox internship means the world to me because it might open that door.” Kyoko’s time at Rocky has been impressive. A 4.0 honor student majoring in theatre arts, her resume is replete with her work on many of RMC’s most formidable theatre productions. She served as assistant scenic and properties designer for “Almost, Maine,” which was selected from 50 college productions from five states to be presented at the Rocky Mountain Theatre Association convention where it won the outstanding regional showcase production award. She also served as assistant art designer for “Antigone,” and as scene painter and with set construction for “Once Upon a Mattress,” “The Shadow Box,” and “Moon Over Buffalo.” “Kyoko is a bright and energetic student. She is truly a joy to teach -- always attentive, hard working, and fully committed to whatever project she is working on. I have always found her to be extremely reliable and I never worry about giving her responsibility,” said Sarah Brewer, RMC assistant professor of theatre arts.
Chaplaincy Endowment (Continued from Inside) and wise leadership style. He was an avid reader, a scholar and eloquent in the pulpit, but most importantly, he was a caring listener. His uncanny memory for names will very much be a part of his life legacy. Not as many people will remember him as their preacher as will remember him as their friend. “Decent” was an adjective often used in reference to Bill. He was extremely proud to have been one of the 100 delegates elected to re-write Montana’s constitution (‘71-’72). His keenest interest focused on how environmental issues needed to be framed in that new document. He was essentially wantless and needless as to worldly possessions, but it would have taken a terribly brave person to try and take away his treasured gray Land Rover that was a frequent sighting in the Helena area during his ministry (very small car, very tall minister). Bill loved poetry, particularly Robert Frost, whose verse was in the weave of many of Bill’s sermons. Fishing was Bill’s lifelong and favorite avocation. His casting was exquisite to watch and so finely tuned that fish hadn’t a clue that he was nearby. Countless young people enjoyed
weeklong backpacking expeditions with him. Montana’s trails, rivers, mountains, and streams will long remember his stride. Bill is survived by his three children: Kerry (Chick Beckley) Burkhardt, of Potomac, Mont., Lindy (Jim) Bartruff, of Emporia, Kan., and Cindy Santos, of Salida, Colo.; their mother, Kay; his two grandchildren: Sarah and Taylor Beckley; his sisters: Bessie Linvill, of Pacific Grove, Calif., and Patsy Morris, of Owasso, Okla.; brother Carl (Maxine) Burkhardt of Lincoln, Neb.; his wife, Pat, and her children: Jill (Jerry) Duke, of San Francisco, Calif., Jock (Tere) Bovington, of Helena, Mont., and their four children: Samia (Georg) Kornweibel, of Seattle, Wash., Tivan Bovington of London, England, Jock Bovington of Santa Barbara, Calif., Jace Bovington of Spokane, Wash., Kim (Ted) Mead and their two children: Patrick and Ben Mead of Missoula, Mont.; Sam (Teri) Bovington and their two children: Megan and Sam, of Oak Harbor,Wash.; and Tom (Judy) Bovington and their two children: Helen and Neal, of Helena, Mont.