IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TRY SOMETHING NEW P. 18 GRAMMY NOMINATION LORI HENRIQUES DREAMS BIG P. 29
THE JOURNAL OF WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY SPRING 2016
ndelible Line THE DISTINCTIVE
APPEAL OF WWU
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Walla Walla Walla Walla University University touring choirs touring choirs
Join Professor of Music Kraig Scott and former choral Join Professor of Music Kraig Scott and former directors John Dennison, Bradley Krueger, Stephenchoral Zork, directors John Dennison, Krueger, Zork, Ralph Coupland, and othersBradley for a reunion of theStephen WWU touring Ralph and otherswill forinclude a reunion of the WWU touring choirs.Coupland, Musical selections favorites from 1965 to choirs. Musical selections includeafternoon, favorites from to 2015. Rehearsals will beginwill Thursday April1965 21, and 2015. Rehearsals will begin Thursday afternoon, 21, and will lead to performances Sabbath afternoon andApril evening. To will leadyour to performances Sabbath afternoon and evening. To reserve spot in the reunion chorus and to receive music reserve spot inregister the reunion chorus and to receive music prior to your the event, at wallawalla.edu/touringchoir. prior to the event, register at wallawalla.edu/touringchoir. EVENTS INCLUDE:
Homecoming banquet, a catered Sabbath dinner with honor classes seated together, EVENTS INCLUDE: honor class reunions, Plant Services and Facility Services reunion, and a Prism vespers concert Homecoming banquet, a catered Sabbath dinner with honor classes seated together, honor class reunions, Plant Services and Facility Services reunion, and a Prism vespers concert For more information and the weekend schedule, go to wallawalla.edu/homecoming. Or call Alumni and Advancement Services at (800) 377-2586. For more information and the weekend schedule, go to wallawalla.edu/homecoming. Or call Alumni and Advancement Services at (800) 377-2586.
ALUMNI CURRENTS
“She has this theory that the way we can solve many of our problems on this planet is to connect our ‘big brains to our p. 29 hearts...’” 4
the President From Shaping the future of Adventist higher education
THE JOURNAL OF WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY // SPRING 2016
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TRY SOMETHING NEW P. 18 GRAMMY NOMINATION LORI HENRIQUES DREAMS BIG P. 29
THE JOURNAL OF WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY SPRING 2016
ndelible Line THE DISTINCTIVE
APPEAL OF WWU
About the cover
Alex Bryan, senior pastor of the University Church, makes a case for an urgent call to arms for the cause of Adventist higher education. ILLUSTRATION BY JOEL LIBBY, CHAIR OF THE ART DEPARTMENT
Westwind Spring 2016, Volume 35, Number 1 / Westwind is published three times a year for alumni and friends of Walla Walla University, a Seventh-day Adventist institution. It is produced by Marketing and Enrollment Services/ University Relations. This issue was printed in February 2016. Third-class postage is paid at College Place, Wash. © 2016 by Walla Walla University. Westwind/University Relations, 204 S. College Ave., College Place, WA 99324. Telephone (509) 527-2363 Toll-free (800) 541-8900 E-mail westwind@wallawalla.edu Online westwind.wallawalla.edu Editor Kim Strobel Staff writers Alex Aamodt, Libby Knapp, Zachary White
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It’s Never Too Late
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Alumni Currents
The latest from across campus
Indelible Lines
A time for war, and the distinctive appeal of Walla Walla University There is no age limit to finding joy while following your dreams 24 AlumNotes 27 In Memory 30 Back to You
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Shaping the future of Adventist higher education Thinking about the future of Walla Walla University is a preoccupation of mine. In recent weeks I have been even more immersed in it than usual. I was privileged to attend an excellent Presidents Institute hosted by the Council of Independent Colleges, an organization to which WWU belongs. I participated in inspiring sessions celebrating the value of independent colleges to the wider society and workshops offering case studies of how institutions are dealing with the array of issues that present themselves today. To cite a few examples of those challenges: How can we establish a more sustainable business model for private higher education? How do we make the case for residential, private higher education in an environment where quick, inexpensive, credential-oriented education seems in vogue? How do we relate appropriately to a withering array of new governmental intrusions into the educational process? How do we take advantage of new technologies and resources to add—rather than subtract— quality and effectiveness? How do we deliver quality higher education efficiently, making it available to as many as possible? And, most importantly of all for an institution like Walla Walla University, how do we draw students into lives of moral courage?
A couple of weeks have passed, and three convictions have emerged from those experiences: (1) WWU is positioned well to tackle the challenges of the future. We have been judicious in our budgeting and borrowing. And in the 2013–2023 Sabbath Jubilee Vision we have set out priorities and initiatives that address the realities we confront. We need to continue to work hard to fulfill
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them. (2) We are not alone. In our partner institutions within the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the wider community of private higher education institutions, we have a strong and willing support system. (3) Excellent, values-based higher education, offered in a residential setting, has never been more important or worthwhile. (In support of that assertion, I encourage you to read the lead essay in this edition of Westwind, “Indelible Lines: The Boundaries that Make WWU Beautiful” by our senior pastor, Alex Bryan.) As always, the best part of being away from the campus of Walla Walla University is coming home. As I returned, Student Week of Worship was underway. In the passionate, authentic testimonies of our students, I found deep meaning and a poignant affirmation of the value of WWU. Sitting at table again with real WWU students turned me from the theoretical to the actual, to the value WWU is adding to lives right now. Thank you for joining me in thinking and praying about the future of Walla Walla University and in celebrating the transforming difference your alma mater is making in our world.
PHOTO: COLBY KUSCHATKA
On the heels of the CIC meeting, I joined with the other presidents of Seventh-day Adventist higher education institutions in North America and with our board chairs to think about the future of Seventh-day Adventist higher education. We gathered at the Florida Hospital Innovation Lab in Orlando, Florida, and focused on another set of questions, with some of the same challenges in view: How can Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities support one another in facing all that is before us? Could we function more truly as a system, to the benefit of all? How could we establish a more effective brand for Seventh-day Adventist higher education, one that celebrates the excellence already exhibited in its institutions? I very much appreciated the spirit my colleagues brought to this conversation, a spirit of deep interest in a shared future.
College Avenue The latest from across campus
100 years of The Collegian 1916
IN NOVEMBER 1916 the first issue of The Walla Walla Collegian was published. The lead story was a biography of WWC president Ernest Clinton Kellogg, who was described as having the skills of “leadership, initiative, and power to do.” In just six months the United States would join World War I and the campus newspaper would note: “For the first time in twenty-five years, the stars and stripes now float from the top of the College building.” Future issues of the paper would include a regular column titled “Our Soldier Boys” that featured letters written by students from the front lines in Europe.
1945
THROUGHOUT WORLD WAR II, a column titled “Service Slants” featured letters from WWC students in the armed forces. One such letter from November 1944 by Galen R. Martin, a serviceman stationed in “the tropics,” reads, “We had a little trouble about the Sabbath here and were put in the brig for five days, but I’m glad it was because of religious scruples rather than for any other thing. That shows a person what we will have to go through before the end. I think it woke our whole group up and brought us much closer to God.” After the war ended, headlines included, “Enrollment equals record: War’s end fills school; dormitories overflow.”
1987
DISCUSSIONS, DISPUTES, and debates about issues on campus and across the nation began to take the spotlight in The Collegians of the ’80s. Headlines included: “Students talk about alcohol,” “Forum offers floor for worship debate,” “To be or not to be: The nuclear threat,” and the cover at right that features a scarlet letter “A” and the simple headline “AIDS.” Stories covered offcampus housing options and the installation of new “computer clusters” on campus. The use of color in the paper was introduced, as was the ever-clever April Fools’ issue.
1929
THERE WAS NO MENTION of the stock market crash of 1929 in what was by then called The Collegian. In the two issues following Black Tuesday, headlines included: “Romance found in cake of soap” and “Two rats killed in bold attempt to obtain supper.” The effects of the Great Depression were only alluded to in subsequent years in stories with headlines such as: “College makes its own power: Project saves money” and “Prof. G. G. Kretchmar [sic] tells of heat costs: Wasted energy to be used in the newly installed electric generator.”
1974
A SHIFT IN THE DESIGN of the newspaper gave it a distinctive ’70s vibe as did a headline from October 1974, which reads, “The $3500 question: Is college worth it?” The article reports: “Siver [vice president for financial affairs] believes that students will have to help themselves more in the future. Though more grants and loans will be available, inflation is driving college costs still higher.” Other headlines throughout the ’70s represented societal changes including “Depression—a fact of life?” “Knights in white satin? Men make inroads into nursing monopoly” and “WWC Church ordains women elders.”
2014
A REFINED VISUAL PRESENTATION has characterized The Collegian in recent years with increased use of color and polished graphic design. In 2000, The Collegian staff made the move from manual paste-up production to digital printing. Files were delivered to the press on CD for the first time. Columns focus on lifestyle issues including humor, food, clothing, arts, and travel. Themed issues cover topics such as health, caring for the Earth, rape, the costs of college, religion, and social media.
College Avenue The latest from across campus
Scene 1, take 3
Students and faculty recognized for outstanding communications projects
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hree Best in Class awards were presented to Walla Walla University students at the annual Society of Adventist Communicators convention last October. Ricky Barbosa, senior international communications major, received the Best Design Project award for “By Heart: The Words That Drive and Define Us,” a special publication of the Associated Students of Walla Walla University that profiles quotes and phrases that define WWU students. The editorial staff of the student newspaper, The Collegian, received the Best Newsletter award. Staff included Barbosa; Karl Wallenkampf, senior biology major; Mindy Robinson, sophomore graphic design major; Andrea Johnson ’15, English; Carolyn Green ’15, mass communications; Alex Lemnah att.; and Benjamin Ramey att. “The Exquisite Outdoors” received the Best Video Project award. Recipients were Jacob Patterson, senior industrial design major; Grant Perdew ’15, international communications; Erik Edstrom ’15, industrial design; Eric Weber ’15, international communications; Nate Stratte att.; and Joel Willard, senior music and chemistry major. A team of communicators that included David Bullock, WWU professor of communications and chair of the Department of Communications and Languages, received an honorable mention for Best Radio or Podcast for their work to produce a daily podcast during the 2015 General Conference Session of Seventh-day Adventists in San Antonio. Watch "The Exquisite Outdoors" at wallawalla.edu/exquisiteoutdoors.
BY THE NUMBERS
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Number of economists on staff in the WWU School of Business.
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Number of faculty in the WWU School of Business who have international business experience.
The 2014–15 WWU women’s volleyball team led Wolves athletics for the NAIA academic achievement award.
Score!
NAIA Scholar-Team list includes all WWU athletic teams
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he National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) named each of the WWU athletic teams to the 2014–15 NAIA ScholarTeam list. To make the list, members of a team must have a combined grade point average of 3.0 or above. The five teams and their respective GPAs were women’s volleyball (3.50), women’s basketball (3.46), men’s basketball (3.30), women’s softball (3.27), and men’s soccer (3.20). The sixth WWU athletic team, men’s golf, was not added to the
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roster of teams until the 2015–16 academic year. Don Hepker, associate athletic director for sports information and women’s volleyball coach, said on average students who are part of an organized group have higher GPAs. “Athletes learn from an early age how to balance school life, social life, spiritual life, and athletic life,” he said. The complete list of NAIA teams to receive the Scholar-Team award is available at naia.org.
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Number of faculty (out of seven) in the WWU School of Business who have direct work experience in what they teach.
Research on chronic pain in teens
Firestone named Jonas Nurse Leader Scholar
K A new face on campus
New machining equipment installed in School of Engineering lab A Mori Seiki NVX 5080 three-axis vertical machining center, donated by DMG Mori Seiki Corporation, is the new star of the Kretschmar Hall machining lab. The NVX features computer numerical control and an automatic tool changer that can switch from one tool to another in less than three seconds. Using a two-axis rotary table, the machine can automatically mill five sides. The mill also includes simulation software that allows students to see how the milling process will work before doing the actual manufacturing. Adam Hansel ’98, mechanical engineering, president of a United States subsidiary of DMG Mori Seiki Corporation, was instrumental in facilitating the gift. It is a “fantastically generous donation,” said Ralph Stirling, WWU project engineer and instructor of the Manufacturing Systems class. The NVX 5080 is valued at more than $200,000. In addition to the equipment donation, Mori Seiki paid to ship the 7-ton mill to
College Place. Walla Walla-based Nelson Irrigation also contributed $8,000 to the project. Nelson Irrigation, a world leader in design and manufacture of sprinklers for agricultural and industrial applications, uses Mori Seiki machines to manufacture components. It took some engineering work to get the NVX into the basement lab in Kretschmar Hall. A 9-foot doorway was cut into the south wall near the Physics Lecture Hall, ceiling lights were moved, and a new electrical plan with a subpanel in the lab was implemented. “The mill will be primarily used by mechanical engineers in Manufacturing Systems class,” said Stirling. “In that class, students implement a manufacturing system, which requires a lot of CNC machining.”
ari Firestone, associate professor of nursing and associate dean of the WWU School of Nursing, is one of 200 nurses from across the country to be named as a 2014–2016 Jonas Nurse Leader Scholar, a program that supports doctoral nursing students. With the award, Firestone is pursuing a doctor of philosophy degree from Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Ore.; is receiving leadership training; and has participated in nursing leadership activities in Washington and Oregon. Firestone’s clinical and academic interests center on advancing health for children and families, with particular focus on enhancing quality of life through management of chronic illness, symptoms, and pain. Her doctoral research, which is now in the dissertation stage, examines the use of low-intensity exercise focused on strength, balance, and flexibility for pain-management in adolescents experiencing chronic, widespread pain. “One of the biggest areas of interest to me was how much kids who experience chronic pain do not participate in the ‘work’ of childhood—playing with other kids, participating in school and sports, etc.,” says Firestone. “There has been a lot of research in adult populations using various forms of exercise for the deleterious effects of chronic pain, but scant evidence in children. Thus, I decided to focus on the effect of exercise in teens with chronic pain on their functional abilities. Thus far, my preliminary study results appear positive in improving the
overall well-being of these teens.” Firestone presented her research last October in Washington, D.C., at a national conference on the future of nursing. “As a Jonas Scholar, I’ve learned that my voice really matters,” says Firestone. “Not just at a legislative level, but even more so in the classroom in shaping the future nursing workforce, teaching them how to care for the future needs of patients whilst providing compassionate, competent nursing care.”
Kari Firestone’s research is focused on the effect of exercise in teens with chronic pain.
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College Avenue The latest from across campus
books sites Calling
FitBunch
WWU employee wellness program recognized by Chamber of Commerce
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he Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce recently recognized the WWU employee wellness program with their Business Award Showcase Health and Wellness Award. The Chamber commended the 85 percent participation rate of WWU employees and the efforts of the university to encourage permanent positive changes in employee health habits. The award also recognized the efforts of the
program to improve balanced living by focusing on professional, physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, social, environmental, and financial health. The program was introduced in January 2015 and was developed by the WWU human resource office with help from students enrolled in Human Resource Management and Principles of Advertising classes and with input from WWU employees and their spouses.
Toews completes doctor of business administration degree Congratulations to Bruce Toews, associate professor of business, who recently completed a doctorate in business administration with a concentration in finance from Walden University. Toews successfully defended his dissertation on the question of whether the religious culture of faith-based credit unions influenced their financial results. “I found some significant differences at faith-based credit unions, which indicated that religion may indeed affect financial performance and risk tolerance,” said Toews.
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NEW DEVOTIONAL BOOK EXPLORES UNDERSTANDING GOD’S CALLING A 52-week devotional book titled “Calling” by Troy Fitzgerald, University Church youth and collegiate pastor, was released last fall. “Calling” is the first of five books by Fitzgerald to address young adult disengagement in the church. After five years of research interviewing young adults from around the world, Fitzgerald identified five faith tasks that were important to the majority of survey participants. Each of the books will focus on one of these faith tasks: calling, convictions, community, commitment, and compassion. The first task, calling, addresses developing an understanding of God’s plan and calling.
“Calling” is available through the General Conference Youth Department or by contacting LeadOut Ministries at leadoutministries.com.
Reading and browsing recommendations from our experts
Suffering and the Search for Meaning: Contemporary Responses to the Problem of Pain By Richard Rice (InterVarsity Press, 2014)
All people experience pain. Some people ask why. Richard Rice’s book explores seven different theodicies (answers to the question of why God allows manifestations of evil). From God being the cause of everything, including the pain, to a comforting God who has no sovereignty, to a cosmic conflict, this book helps readers analyze their own beliefs and consider their faith framework. Rice examines the assumptions and biblical support for each perspective and addresses the questions raised. He concludes by helping readers create a personal understanding of God in this world of hurt. —Cindee Bailey, professor of social work and sociology
All the Light We Cannot See By Anthony Doerr (Scribner, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2014)
This novel, set in German-occupied France during WWII, is a beautifully narrated story of a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths cross during the war. At heart, set against the brutality of war, it is a story of kindness and the goodness of human nature despite the odds and circumstances. This book is a must read if you enjoy historical fiction! —Kari Firestone, associate professor of nursing and associate dean of the School of Nursing
The Cross of Christ By John R.W. Stott (InterVarsity Press, 1986)
Anyone who has learned the basic features of the life of Jesus is no doubt aware that he died on a cross at a place called Calvary. Yet while many know of Jesus’ death, many more are unaware of the reasons for that death. In this very readable book, the late, notable biblical scholar Dr. John R.W. Stott expounds on the significance of Jesus’ death. His book is captivating particularly as he explains the great tension between holiness and love, justice and mercy. How this tension was resolved at Calvary makes for fascinating reading. Some think The Cross of Christ was Stott’s greatest book. It is the best book on the significance of the cross in the last 100 years, and reading it will make you a better and more informed believer. I find myself drawn to read it again every time a new year rolls around because of its effect on my own thinking and life. You do yourself a great disservice if you do not read this book. —David Thomas, professor of theology and chair of the School of Theology
From the archives
The chemistry team was no match for the School of Theology’s “Maxwell’s Marauders” in the 1978 College Bowl quiz competition finals. Greg Brothers, Leonard Soloniuk, Rick Gage, and Ron Woodard accepted the championship trophy for their team named in honor of Malcolm Maxwell.
CREDIT TK
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Faculty in first person
TIMOTHY GOLDEN T
he word “philosophy” is a combination of two Greek words: philea (meaning love) and sophia (meaning wisdom—intellectual understanding and comprehension). Taken together, philosophy is the love of comprehension and understanding about what is. This is often called “ontology” or “metaphysics,” which is the study of being that attempts to render a rational, comprehensive account of reality. Western philosophy introduces a rational way of thinking that differed from the theological speculation of Greek paganism. Since philosophy relies heavily on logical analysis, it is known for its inclination toward critique. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about philosophy is that its use of critique is so extensive that it even applies to itself. That is, philosophy itself is not immune from criticism. Philosophy submits to its own critique. My interests in philosophy center around four philosophers whose work is a critique of philosophy itself: Immanuel Kant, Søren Kierkegaard, Frederick Douglass, and Emmanuel Levinas. Immanuel Kant sought to simultaneously vindicate Newtonian physics and articulate a compelling account of morality. Kant thus attempted to find a place for human freedom in a world of mechanistic, scientific causality. So Kant articulated the extensive powers of human reason and then limited their ability to yield knowledge to the realm of mathematics and natural science. Kant argued that if reason did not check itself, human beings would compromise their moral freedom, which he believed was the foundation of both morality and religion. Kant thus placed restrictions on the acquisition of human knowledge, providing a picture of the world where morality, scientific investigation, and God can all coexist.
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Frederick Douglass lived in a community of Christians much like the community that Kierkegaard criticized. Douglass lived in a world where Christians faithfully attended church on Sunday and yet participated in the slave trade, purporting to “own” human beings throughout the week. One theologian attempted to justify slavery by arguing that the earthly slave master owned the slave’s body, but that God owned the slave’s soul. It was thus okay to baptize a slave. In one fell swoop, Christianity was interpreted to both baptize slaves and yet permit slavery! But Douglass criticized this argument, calling it “metaphysical.”1 Douglass thus used philosophy to critique a philosophical intrusion into Christian theology that distorts sound moral practice, as Kierkegaard did.
Philosophy itself is not immune from criticism.”
Søren Kierkegaard used philosophy to critique philosophical pretensions that he thought intruded upon key Christian doctrines and thus led to Christianity’s moral decline. For example, Kierkegaard argued that the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation defies rational, philosophical explanation. If we render the Incarnation “philosophical,” we can comprehend it. And if we can comprehend it, then being a Christian becomes merely an objective and theoretical matter as opposed to a subjective and practical matter. One can be a “Christian” simply based on the objectivity of belief rather than on the subjectivity of practice. We then form communities of people who hold this view and we call them “churches.” In these communities, people often reduce their Christianity to objective factors like church attendance and familial affiliation. Sound familiar? Kierkegaard wanted to keep Christianity honest, so he used philosophy to critique a philosophical rendering of Christian doctrine because of how much it hurt Christian morality.
Professor of Philosophy
Emmanuel Levinas considered philosophy’s quest for wisdom turned political. Levinas argued that the pursuit of knowledge is what undergirds unjust systems of oppression and what allows for our fellow human beings to be slaughtered in the name of law. As a survivor of the Jewish Holocaust, Levinas saw this sort of slaughter firsthand. Philosophy, in making its first step the attainment of knowledge, disregards ethical demands not to harm others, which should always precede our desire to know. In sum, for Levinas, philosophy should not be the love of wisdom, but rather the wisdom of love—a love for others that precedes my philosophical desire to comprehend all that is.
My own work resonates with all four of these philosophical giants. Like Kant and Kierkegaard, I am skeptical about reason’s ability to comprehend all that is; especially when it comes to God. Like Douglass, I engage in critiques of corrupt Christian communities that dilute religious passion in favor of a stale, complacent religiosity. And like Levinas, I argue that knowledge becomes political when our stereotypes are sedimented in social and cultural practices and lead to injustice.2 In short, I am a philosopher who critiques philosophy.
1 Frederick Douglass, “Why Is the Negro Lynched,” Frederick Douglass: Selected Speeches and Writings, ed. by Philip S. Foner (Chicago, IL: Lawrence Hill Books, 1999), 774-75. 2 See my essay, “Two Forms of Transcendence: Justice and the Problem of Knowledge,” in Pursuing Trayvon Martin: Historical Contexts and Contemporary Manifestations of Racial Dynamics (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2012), 73-84.
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PHOTO: KURTIS LAMBERTON
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THE BOUNDARIES TH MAKE WWU BEAUTIF
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HAT FUL
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AS QUESTIONS PLAY OUT ON A NATIONAL LEVEL ABOUT THE VALUE OF LIBERAL ARTS– ORIENTED EDUCATION, ONE THOUGHT LEADER WITHIN ADVENTIST EDUCATION ARTICULATES THE DISTINCTIVE APPEAL OF WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY.
THERE IS A TIME FOR WAR.
BY ALEX BRYAN
So say the ancient scriptures. Yes, the aged sage warns, there is a time for every activity under heaven, including open warfare.1 And that time, I propose, is now. The hour of battle is upon us. The day for fight has arrived. The season for unbridled bravery, for stunning sacrifice, for unflinching resolve, has come. Today is the day for me, for you, for us, for the band and bond of brothers and sisters named Walla Walla University, to declare war. Now if such alarming language seems overblown, I invite you to hang in there, and read on. Why an urgent call to arms? The state of affairs in the territory has become untenable; civilization, unsustainable; public discourse, unacceptable; life, undone. Conversation in the town square, intensified in this political season, is septic. Shock value has replaced thought value, shouting has replaced substance, cacophony has replaced symphony, demeaning has replaced dreaming. The love of many has waxed cold. A polarized age has enveloped us all in a deep chill.
ILLUSTRATION BY JOEL LIBBY Westwind Spring 2016
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Community, therefore, is fraying at the seams, for words actually do matter. Racism proves dangerously durable. The mistreatment of women continues to diminish both female and male alike. Economic fault lines shake our faith in society and in one another. Poverty, addiction, loneliness, and malaise: each of these maladies endures to plague our sense of togetherness. Family itself is on life support: the Pew Research Center tells us nearly four in 10 Americans now believe the institution of marriage is no longer pertinent.2 Technology, once designed to serve us, has now, in too many ways, become our master. And the freedom we have lost to our machines inflicts its heaviest expense on our most important relationships. Do we look at one another, uninterrupted, anymore? And we also must add to the list that ancient scourge, for now, as was in the days before the great flood, “The earth is full of violence.” It’s true: our home planet is in a heap of trouble.3 There are some tough and honest questions we must ask one another about our willingness to tolerate the status quo. Here are a few to ponder:
WWU ON A WAR FOOTING
»» Can we accept crowd absent community? »» Will we embrace so-called progress devoid of purpose? »» Can we consume reality emptied of revelation? »» Will we celebrate sex naked covenant? »» Can we endure civilization sans civilization? »» Are we willing to abide creation without a Creator? »» Will we surrender as victorious a philosophy of life constructed upon a sandy foundation missing the surefooted granite of God? The answer to these questions must be “no.” A world without community, purpose, revelation, covenant, civilization, Creator, and God is unthinkable. Walla Walla University: we must marshal the troops and move in. Posthaste. I believe it is this timely, titanic mission that gives our learning community a historically irresistible and contemporarily convincing purpose. In fact, anything less than “turning the world right side up” in the way of Jesus leaves us without a compelling rationale to go on.4 For 124 years, since its birthday in 1892, this campus has done good and great work. But now, at last, we enter what will surely be our finest hour, the moment for which we were called into existence over a century ago. This is our time. And here is the strategy. Our arsenal is not comprised of smart bombs but smart people. Our munitions are men and our weapons are women: physicians, dentists, nurses, therapists, engineers, biophysicists, attorneys, economists, social workers, teachers, and even a few preachers—human beings, fully alive; disciples, fully engaged; missionaries, all in.5 Our strategy does not involve the release of unmanned drones designed to kill, but rather the deployment of human beings, in the flesh, equipped to cure. The battle plan is not thoughtless destruction, but soulful, intelligent construction. We are summoned to critique bad ideas and bad behaviors. We are called to offer brighter ideologies, stronger theology: God is. And God is love. We will testify, in how we listen, in how we laugh, in how we learn, in how we love, in how we live with one another. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood,” the apostle writes, removing any improper impulse that our enemy is our neighbor. No, it is “against the rulers of darkness of this world” that we sound the battle cry. We are taking the fight to none other than the devil himself.6
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What does it mean for Walla Walla University to be on a war footing? First and foremost, it means trustees and alumni, faculty and staff, administrators and students, philanthropists and stakeholders—all of us—must be crystal clear about who we are and who we are not. The lines of institutional identity must be etched with indelible clarity. Here are three.
GOD
THE 1650 CHARTER for Harvard University includes the following language: Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottome, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and Learning.7 Much has changed in the past 350 years: at Harvard, in the Ivy League, on college campuses across the land. George M. Marsden, American history scholar, who taught at both Duke University and the University of Notre Dame, argues that Christian professors must now “act as though their religious beliefs had nothing to do with education.” In fact, says Marsden, teachers “are expected to analyze subjects such as the nature of reality, beauty, truth, morality, the just society, the individual, and the community as though deeply held religious beliefs had no relevance to such topics.”8 Notre Dame historian Mark Noll agrees, lamenting that in higher education “it has become conventional to think that belief in the Christian story opposes serious commitment to the intellectual explorations of the world.”9 More recently, Ross Douthat, columnist for The New York Times, argues that during the past 200 years as “the university system became increasingly rich and powerful… it slowly lost the traditional sense of community, mission, and moral purpose.” God, it seems, has time and again been expelled from the contemporary American classroom. Keep your prayer out of my school, the bumper sticker crows, and I’ll keep my brain out of your church.10
I find myself dismayed, given this great divorce between classroom and sanctuary, when I occasionally hear Christian parents, under the guise of choosing the “best,” urge their child to sign on for four years of undergraduate education at an institution where God is either banned or belittled. “I want my boy to go to a top school,” they say. “I want my girl to study at a college in the top tier of U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the best universities.” But are they really choosing the “best”? First off, the notion that all colleges should be evaluated precisely by the same narrow criteria has, appropriately, come under fire in recent years. An assumption that all students are alike and should be educated alike is now widely challenged. Blind acquiescence to uniform evaluative tools fails to consider the student’s unique personality, learning objectives, and, most importantly, worldview.11 In addition, current criteria often employed to rank academic institutions, while helpful, are woefully inadequate for the alert student and her parents. Certain factors (graduation rates, class size, faculty educational level) merit positive consideration. Others (acceptance rate, alumni giving, faculty pay) may have little or nothing to do with academic quality.12 And the most important consideration, of course, is glaringly omitted. Now and always, the preeminent question must be: What is the underlying philosophical foundation for education at your school? Or to put it another way: What is the purpose of learning at your university? This is why an institution, like Walla Walla University, which grounds all instruction, in every area of study, upon the reality of God as revealed in Jesus Christ and Holy Scripture, cannot clumsily benchmark itself against schools that don’t begin with God as Creator and Sovereign. For example: »» We will not, we cannot, carelessly measure ourselves against departments of philosophy that teach that the most logical basis of reality is an accidental explosion of something from nothing. »» We will not, we cannot, thoughtlessly measure ourselves against departments of anthropology that teach that human beings enjoy no grand, God-imagined, material beginning point. »» We will not, we cannot, sloppily measure ourselves against departments of history that claim the Christian movement arose through an inexplicable resurrection hoax. »» We will not, we cannot, inappropriately measure ourselves against schools of engineering, business, technology, nursing, political science, mathematics, and physical education whose definition of beauty, truth, and goodness stops short of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
PEOPLE
»» We will not, we cannot, inexcusably measure ourselves against departments of religion that are populated with faculty who do not believe in God. Should Walla Walla University be carefully judged for its ability to prepare students for graduate school, for career accomplishment, for life success? Absolutely. And the data says we are doing very, very well. One piece of evidence, according to data collected by the U.S. Department of Education and published by The Economist, ranks Walla Walla University among other colleges nationwide whose alumni outperform income expectations for the 10 years following graduation.13 This isn’t surprising given the strength of academic programs at WWU and the quality of the students WWU attracts. What is surprising is that some well-known universities didn’t rank well when graduate earnings were analyzed. But there is a more substantive scrutiny we are due. Our campus professes something more, something deeper, and that something is a coherent, integrated understanding of the Word and World of God. This is why we cannot settle for lists that employ insufficient standards. This is why we cannot cower before so-called “top-tier” schools, which often offer students a positive experience, but too frequently appear in the news as collective frat houses of public drunkenness, where a culture of inebriation is not only acknowledged, but often celebrated, where God is mocked, in the classroom, in the lab, in the faculty lounge. We will not, and we cannot, be measured by a badly broken yardstick. Belief in God is definitive for who we are and for the sort of education Walla Walla University advocates and provides.
IF CHRISTIAN THEISM is the first indelible mark proscribing our institutional identity, appreciating and approaching our students as people, fashioned by the Deity Designer, is the second. David Brooks, in his monumental work The Road to Character, warns that we moderns too often “foolishly judge other people by their abilities, not by their worth.” He applies this critique to society-at-large and specifically to American higher education. We are, increasingly, he believes, treating students as useful machines rather than intrinsically valuable human beings.14 A mob has gathered, and appears to be growing, which faithfully chants this mantra: college is about job training, nothing more, and nothing less. Demanding questions are repeated: »» Why not shorten college to a year, or two, and just teach necessary workplace skills? »» Why require subjects like literature, art, philosophy, and religion? Aren’t all these extra credit hours just an expensive waste of clock and coin? »» Why not shift all education online? Can’t information be transmitted much more cheaply, without the high cost of physical classrooms and countless professors? »» Why not allow industry to take over higher education? Wouldn’t smart business people make the learning process much more efficient? Proponents of an affirmative answer to the above questions envision school primarily as a tool for students to gain technical means to provide for themselves and to contribute, through material productivity, to the global economy. And there are many such institutions touting “career-focused education” with the lure of “accelerated classes” promising students that they “can use what they learn in class the very next day they’re at work.”
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Preparation for a lifetime of productive labor is laudable. And, it bears repeating, Walla Walla University has an enduring track record of sending students into noteworthy careers in healthcare, aviation, finance, engineering, education, law, international business, and more. But WWU does not tout “career-focused education” with “accelerated classes” promising students that they “can use what they learn in class the very next day they’re at work.”15 No. In stark contrast: »» We celebrate people-focused education. We affirm a “belief that every person is created in the image of God as a being of inestimable value and worth, imbued with powers of intelligence, stewardship, and creativity akin to those of the Creator.”16 We don’t teach engineers; we teach people, who happen to choose the work of engineering. »» We offer decelerated classes. What does this mean? Our professors are gourmet chefs, not fast food dispensers. Our instructors slow cook rather than microwave. Our teachers favor homemade apple pie over gas station snack cakes. Absorbing both how and why takes time. »» We promise students they can use what they learn in class the very next day they’re at life, which expands the meaning of debits and credits, molecules and moles, proofs and calculations. There is a difference between punching a clock and plying a vocation. It is true that the substance of college is mainly the meaningful (and often magical) interaction between faculty member and student scholar. Walla Walla University, however, enjoys an additional gift, which deserves a moment of reflection. Two words: College Place. Scot McKnight, professor of biblical and theological studies at North Park University in Chicago, has written an intriguing book titled Turning to Jesus: The Sociology of Conversion in the Gospels. The author’s premise: certain environmental factors contribute to the possibility and likelihood of conversion, of growth, of life change. Included in McKnight’s research is the concept of encapsulation. Encapsulation is described as “initiation and exposure of the convert to a self-contained world of constructed religious meaning to facilitate conversion.” McKnight reminds us of some well-known examples: Parents of all faiths shelter children from outside influences; pastors warn parishioners about inadequate theologies, and both Christians and potential converts attend retreats ‘to get away from it all’ so they concentrate their spiritual energies. Three types of encapsulation are relevant: »» Physical, which provides spatial distance. »» Social, which trades former relationships for newer ones.
Many Christian universities in the United States have lost the advantage of geographical isolation. Small towns have exploded into full-fledged cities. Nearby metropolises have spawned suburbs upon suburbs, annexing formerly rural collegiate grounds into part of new bustling urban realities. The quadrangle is no longer quite so quiet. Residential campus life, once somewhat retreat–center like, now competes with countless malls and movie theaters just minutes away. What once was an invaluable (Adventist) asset is now a thing of the past: encapsulation has been eroded. Students don’t hang around on the weekends anymore. Urban sprawl has not touched the campus of Walla Walla University, however. Spokane is three hours away; Portland, four; Seattle, five. Walla Walla County’s 1,299 square miles of rolling vineyards and wheat fields are home to fewer than 60,000 people.18 We are in the middle of nowhere. And as a result, campus life is flourishing: vespers and Sabbath School, church and Sabbath lunch, picnics in the park, hikes along the river, conversations around dining room tables, fireside chats, vibrant play. Many of our students know they will end up one day working and living in major metropolitan areas. But there’s something about getting your head screwed on straight, academically, socially, spiritually, in a place like Walla Walla, Washington, that is too good, too important, to pass up. It’s a fantastic environment in which to learn, nourished in a Christian worldview, surrounded by Christian friends, taught by Christian teachers, who enjoy the Sabbatical rhythm. It’s a great place to be a human being.
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»» Ideological, which “regards other worldviews as inferior and thus inoculates the convert from other systems of thought.”17
1.
Ecclesiastes 3:8
2. Accessible online at http://www.pewresearch. org/daily-number/marriage-is-obsolete/ 3. Genesis 6:11
IF CHRISTIAN THEISM OVER MATERIALISM and
Christian humanism over utilitarianism each define Walla Walla University, these two are joined by a third non-negotiable identification: we choose to be meaningfully engaged, rather than uselessly disengaged, with the world. This incarnational impulse of ours means we cannot share the perspective of some Christian schools, which have no use for society. These are communities settled on private holiness, hoping to “ride out” the storm until the end of all things. Such colleges may well send out missionaries, train evangelists, or broadcast messages of warning and woe through available airwaves. But they may not teach students how to become salt and light in the world, loving it, as Christ did. Walla Walla University functions at its very best as it faithfully charges students with spiritual, intellectual, social, and professional intelligence, sending young men and women into their Father’s maligned world. This place is uncanny for its ability to attract and equip amazing students who burn with a holy desire to pray and then obey, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our graduates seem to understand the advantage of proactive, rather then reactive, living. Our student scholars substantially grasp the challenge and opportunity of the day to which they have been given breath. They get it: the world is hurting; this is a time for war. The battle before them, and before us, is not defensive, but offensive. C.S. Lewis wrote that members of the Jesus revolution take up residence in “enemy-occupied territory,” for our “rightful King has landed,” and we are, as people of His Spirit, to wage the “great campaign of sabotage.” We are spies behind enemy lines, operatives shaking the foundations of an evil empire. Jesus, who did not “come to bring peace but a sword,” proclaimed confidently “the gates of hell will not prevail” against the surge of His holy revolution.19 Christ-followers, then, are not to think of themselves as defending territory against a big bad world. No. We are taking territory. To the kingdom of satanic hate we declare unequivocally: it’s high time for a regime change. Beware, the forces of the Kingdom of Heaven draw near.20
4. Acts 17:6 5. The scriptures invite all Christians to be Adventists, hoping and readying for Jesus’s second coming as if it will happen tomorrow, but patiently and faithfully ministering in the world should it be 1,000 years from now. Walla Walla University should pray for Christ’s immediate return, but plan and prepare as if we will be asked to continue to bless the world, here and now, for another millennium. (2 Peter 3:3-18, Matthew 25:1-46, Acts 1:6-8) 6. Ephesians 6:12 7. Accessible online at http://library.harvard. edu/university-archives/using-the-collections/ online-resources/charter-of-1650 8. Marsden, George M. The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship (Oxford University Press, 1997). Kindle version, location 292 of 1779. 9. Noll, Mark A. Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2011), page 41. 10. Douthat, Ross. The New York Times (November 14, 2015). Accessed online at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/opinion/ sunday/a-crisis-our-universities-deserve. html?_r=0 11. For a summary of recent articles challenging newsweekly rankings, see http://www. theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/ your-annual-reminder-to-ignore-theem-us-news-world-report-em-collegerankings/279103/ 12. http://www.usnews.com/education/bestcolleges/articles/ranking-criteria-and-weights
ENGAGEMENT Walla Walla University is the school of the hour! In an agnostic age, we are grounded in God alone. In a materialistic age, we teach not machines, but human beings, who are made in His image. In an age of recoil and fear, we work to inspire and unleash elite men and women for compelling engagement on planet earth. Current circumstances summon the very best from us: the bravest leadership, the grandest generosity, the brightest teaching, the heartiest learning, and the humblest praying. God has called us. The world needs us. Fellow members of the Walla Walla University family: this is our story; this is our irreducible purpose.
13. www.economist.com/blogs/ graphicdetail/2015/10/value-university
14. Brooks, David. The Road to Character (Random House, 2015), page xiii. 15. http://www.phoenix.edu/cmp/career-focusededucation.html 16. https://wallawalla.edu/about-wwu/generalinformation/our-mission/ 17. McKnight, Scot. Turning to Jesus: The Sociology of Conversion of the Gospels (Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), pages 92–93. 18. https://wallawalla.edu/about-wwu/generalinformation/our-mission/ 19. Matthew 10:34; 16:18
JOEL LIBBY is an instructor in art at Walla Walla
University and chair of the art department.
20. Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity (Harper Collins, 1952, 2001), pages 45–46.
ALEX BRYAN is senior pastor of the Walla Walla University Church. Westwind Spring 2016
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IT’S NEVER TOO LATE
“Someday,
I’m going to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, from Mexico all the way to Canada.” “I love baking—what if I could turn it into a business?” “I wish I could spend a summer road tripping through Central and South America.”
BY TARA JESKE
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What have you always wanted to do? What stops you from turning it into reality? Maybe you think you’ve waited too long. That you should have started before you had a family, while you were still in your 20s, or before you settled into your career. But as these Walla Walla University alumni prove, it’s never too late to...
Climb a mountain There are 53 “14ers”—peaks exceeding 14,000 Colorado, and Michael Boyson is on a Michael Boyson ’81 feet—in quest to climb each one. Michael works for a AGE: 58 population health management company. He DENVER, COLORADO and his wife, Shelley, have two children, Trevor ’14, 25, and Madeleine, 22, a current WWU senior. I started hiking in the high Sierras at a very young age. Later, my parents let me go on backpacking trips with my older brother in and around Yosemite National Park. One of my earliest memories is hiking with him and his buddies up a small, granitedomed peak that overlooked Dardanelles Lake. I remember reaching the top and being able to see for miles in all directions, including into Yosemite National Park. The carved granite landscape looked really cool, and right then I wanted to explore it all. I’ve hiked several peaks in Yosemite. I grew up spending up to six weeks each summer at Camp Wawona. Every year I took the hiking class and we climbed one or two peaks. My favorite was Half Dome. At Gem State Academy, the hiking club did backpacking trips in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. From there, we climbed the Three Sisters and several other dormant volcano peaks. With my own kids off to WWU, I realized a couple of years ago that if I don’t climb the 14ers now, I’ll never have a chance to do it again. I’ve summited 14ers 49 times, but only 28 are unique. So I have 25 to go. In 2015, I summited 14 out of 20 attempts. In 2014, I summited 19 out of 24 attempts. Many times I’ve turned back due to weather. Most recently, I summited Longs Peak (14,255 feet) in late September on my fourth attempt. I either hike in Rocky Mountain National Park or climb 14ers most weekends. Hiking 14ers requires you to hit the trail before sunrise to avoid afternoon thunderstorms. During these early mornings you sometimes encounter wildlife on the trail. While hiking Quandary Peak (14,265 feet) last spring, I took a break around 13,200 feet to watch the sunrise. Within a minute, I had a feeling I was being watched. Glancing left and right with my headlamp, nothing stood out. After a quick snack, I started packing up to hit the trail. That’s when I felt hot air breathing down my neck. Turning quickly, I saw a mountain goat less than two feet away. I froze. I had read about nannies protecting their kids by going after humans on this peak. But after a minute, I realized she was just checking to see if I would share my food. When she realized I wouldn’t, she and her two kids slowly moved past me, down over the steep ridge. When I peered over the ridge I couldn’t pick them out among the rocks and snow. It was as if they had vanished into thin air. I like how naturalist John Muir put it: “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” The Colorado mountains are inspiring.
“With my own kids off to WWU, I realized a couple of years ago that if I don’t climb the
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MICHAEL BOYSON
14ers now, I’ll never have a chance to do it.”
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: Where else can you find such beauty this world has to offer while cleansing your body and renewing your soul? To me, it’s the mountains. John Muir said it best: “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to the body and soul alike.”
TO WOULD-BE CLIMBERS: Hiking a 14er is a bit like life. “The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other...again and again and again. And if you allow yourself opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness [God’s] beauty in every step of the way, not just at the summit.” (Author unknown)
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Sandy Zaugg’s career in education has spanned the globe—and every grade from first through college. Her years teaching abroad also helped inspire the next chapter of her life. After retirement, she segued into teaching English in Asia and then at age 60 began a new career writing adventure novels for kids, Christian fiction, and other books. My career was slowing down, retirement was nearing— and a person shouldn’t just retire and vegetate. I didn’t want to run a bed-and-breakfast, work in McDonald’s, or drive a cab. So I figured it was time to follow a lifelong dream. I’d always wanted to write, but I was a poor reader from an uneducated family and didn’t know real people did things like this. Then I married, and my husband, Wayne ’61, was a chemistry professor, first at Walla Walla University, then at La Sierra University. It was encouraging to me when he was published in a few journals. But I didn’t want to write for the Journal of American Chemistry. I wanted to write a book called Don’t Eat Your Rubber Pants! (You’ll have to check with your grandmother to know what rubber pants are.) My husband passed away in 1979. I became a widow when my kids were 8 and 13. A few years later, I got a
“A person shouldn’t just retire and vegetate. So I figured it was time to follow a lifelong dream.”
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: Writing has taught me to be quiet! I get more inspiration when I look and listen and experience than when I rattle on. It has taught me to accept criticism—and when to ignore it. Writing and travel have taught me to enjoy the unusual things about those I meet and to see God’s hand in the affairs of my life.
Write a book
job in Singapore, and we moved. Since age 45, I’ve been around the world twice and taught in four countries in Asia. I’ve taught in the United States, the Philippines, China, and Hong Kong. I’ve also served as a girls’ dean in Singapore, then as an associate dean of women at Walla Walla University. For me, living abroad was—and is—an adventure. That’s where I get a lot of my ideas. Even in later years when I traveled without my kids, I had adventures I could easily insert children into when I wrote about them. I’ve only written one manuscript about a place I haven’t been—and it hasn’t been published. My first book was published after I turned 60. The Rockslide Rescue, book number eight in The Shoebox Kids series for Pacific Press, was published in 1998. Writing kids’ mystery/adventure books came from my own love of a good mystery. I have published 12 adventure books for middle school–aged children. I have also written a biography of a Seventh-day Adventist missionary to China, titled Lotus Blossom Returns: The Remarkable Life of Florence Nagel-Longway-Howlett, at the request of the publisher. My book Surviving Grief came from a longing to share with people what others did for me when my husband and son died. People were so good to me. So I also wanted to give others ideas on how to help grieving friends. Currently, I have a Christian fiction manuscript in progress and four more manuscripts I need to submit— two books for children and two Christian fiction books. If you feel passionate about a new career, go for it. Sure, it may scare you a bit—but so what! For me, approaching retirement was the right time.
Sandy (Leach) Zaugg ’61 AGE: 77 GRESHAM, OREGON
ADVICE TO ASPIRING WRITERS:
PHOTO: BRANDON WITZEL
Don’t make the first thing you write be your surefire blockbuster novel. You need to crawl before you run. Personally, I wrote poems for kids, magazine articles, and devotionals. Don’t expect to get rich—unless your name is Stephen King. The publishing industry is saturated.
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Herbert Bork ’51 AGE: 94 PENDLETON, OREGON
Start your own business
PHOTO: CHRIS DRAKE
Herbert Bork runs a one-man foundry, Bork Saddlery Hardware, located west of Pendleton, Ore. After a 25-year career in education, he started the business at age 80 and still runs it singlehandedly 14 years later. He offers more than 150 different products and his brand is recognized worldwide for its high quality. I was principal for Harris Junior Academy here in Pendleton. I taught a business class, and for the class laboratory work, I started a business where the students could work to earn money to pay their tuition. They made saddle cinches. I paid them for and graded them on the cinches they made. Every school should have an industry. It’s a character education, learning how to work and be a productive citizen. We made our own diecast metal buckles and rings for the ends of the cinches. The saddle-makers then told people we could also do foundry work, and the business grew out of all proportion. We had a big demand for cinch buckles and other saddle hardware. At that time I was the largest cinch-maker in the country. We had about 30 people making them, used nearly a ton of mohair cord each month, and needed more help. So I sold the cinchmaking part of the business and kept and expanded the foundry. I’m lucky: I have a hobby that I can more or less make pay, rather than just go out and play golf. The fact that you’re 65 and going to retire doesn’t mean you should just fold it up and go on vacation. I have a ranch with a shop, so I use that for my foundry. I get up every morning and take the dog the 20 miles out there and fire up the smelter and crucible and get things going. I pour manganese bronze, and I make the hardware, the rigging plates, and the D-rings that go on the saddle. I pour a lot of trick horns for trick riding, bronze oxbow stirrups, and bronze arches for packsaddles for the Grand Canyon. The techniques are the same as 100 years ago. You have sand mixed with clay. You make molds by hand or with a jolt and squeeze molding machine. I make match plates, with half of the pattern on one side, half on the other. You use the match plate to impress it in there. When you take it apart you have holes where you pour the metal in and it fills in those voids. Then you break it up. The crucible holds the metal ingots, which you melt with propane. You bring it up to 1,850 degrees Fahrenheit in the smelter, lift it out with tongs, and put it in the pouring shank with ceramic blanket protection. It’s pretty close to 100 pounds. You hold it with one hand and go down the row pouring the metal into the molds. It’s interesting work. I think with anything you do, you have to have a passion for it or it isn’t going to work out very well. Work doesn’t have to be drudgery when you’re in good health and you’re making something that people really want. There is satisfaction in what you do.
ADVICE TO WOULD-BE BUSINESS OWNERS: It isn’t for everybody. Some people have to work for somebody else and get a paycheck. But I think that if young people start out earlier and look around, there is work out there. Look around. See if there is a need. The idea is you do it a little at a time and feel your way; don’t go borrow a big amount of money and go bankrupt. Build up your clientele over the years, and the work is out there. Then you’re not dependent on someone who can decide they don’t need you. It’s happened to a lot of people who thought business was going well, and it goes bankrupt.
“The fact that you’re 65 and going to retire doesn’t mean you should just fold it up and go on vacation.”
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Become a painter WHAT INSPIRES ME: I am sure God is at the root of creativity. Sometimes, just a concept or memory, a breathtaking moment, a scene of nature, or a need inspires me. I have many creative ideas, more than I can ever get to.
TO ASPIRING ARTISTS AND WRITERS: Jesus accomplished more in three years than the rest of us accomplish in a lifetime. He stuck to His mission. So I suppose, if you want to make a mark in the world, you should stick to your mission. When you are expressing yourself, never measure yourself by men’s standards. There are many petty things that men will criticize you over that God really doesn’t care about. Ask Him how He feels about your motives. Settle it with Him, and move on.
Judi Dear has filled many roles in her career, including children’s/drama pastor, librarian, reading specialist, and wedding officiant. Though diverse, many of her jobs have made use of her lifelong love of art, music, and writing. In 2012, Judi took a fall that left her seriously injured. She has used her recovery period to focus on her art—in particular, her love of painting. In every undertaking, I have needed to use art of various kinds. I’ve painted huge backdrops for school programs, dramas, and Sabbath School. I’ve made costumes for the Christmas play and created games and coloring pages for kids to accompany the sermon. I really don’t know how many plays I’ve written for church or Sabbath School. I love drama because it brings everything I am passionate about together: scripture, art for backdrops and costuming, music and writing. I cannot remember a time when I didn’t want to express myself creatively. My whole family sang and played instruments. I have led small choirs and sung with various groups with my husband. I have written 41 sets of sacred lyrics, many with music. When I was a small child, my parents loved music and my mother also loved art. She would get a roll of butcher paper and lay it out on a tall table. Friends would come and sit on the other side of the table to be drawn. I would pull up a stool and draw beside her. When I was about 5, one of my older brothers bought me finger paints. I loved the slippery feel of the paper and the heady smell of the paints and the thickness of the paint on my fingers. I was hooked on painting. By sixth or seventh grade I could make realistic likenesses from life or photos. I have always done art—but I have always thought someday I would have more time for it. I am a person who finds it easy to drop my interests to take care of a need I see that someone else has. While I have done art for other purposes all along, the last oil painting I had done was in 1983.
Judi (Light) Dear ’71 AGE: 69
WASHINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA
In 2012, I fell and broke some bones and developed nerve damage and could no longer drive. So I took up art, music, and writing in my free time. Recently I began oil and acrylic painting again, encouraged by my husband. He began renewing my art supplies, as I was mostly housebound. I’ve painted landscapes, portraits, and biblical paintings. My current painting is my eldest son and his wife in a steampunk setting discussing John 3:16 with Jesus. I’d love to sell some paintings, but I’m just getting a feeling for it again. I always fall short, but I enjoy the process. In art I can make what I wish or dream of. No one has to like it. For me art is relaxing. It is a sensory experience. I can share, in a small way, an experience of my Creator.
“In art I can make what I wish or dream of. No one has to like it. For me art is relaxing. It is a sensory experience. PHOTO: THOMAS GRIMES
I can share, in a small way, an experience of my Creator.”
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“It’s good to not get complacent, to put yourself into unknown situations where you have to ‘figure it out’ anew.”
ON TAKING YOUR OWN EPIC JOURNEY:
Take an epic journey
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CURTIS BRODERICK
Curtis Broderick’s 10-country, Paris to Istanbul motorcycle trip with his son in August last year took them through Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, and into Turkey on a 2005 Suzuki V-Strom 650. Curtis lives just outside Paris with Joan, his wife of 25 years, his daughters Rachel, 22, Laura, 20, Sophie, 18, and his son, Aaron, 15. He works near the Bastille at a 50-person health information systems company. When I sold my motorcycle after graduation in 1990, I had been riding for 11 years. Marriage and a brood of little children don’t mix well with motorcycles, so it would be another 21 years before I would sit in the saddle on my own motorcycle again. A motorcycle to me is probably like a horse was to a cowboy. It’s a cliché, but it is a great feeling of freedom. Since “Long Way Round,” the televised world motorcycle tour by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman in 2004, adventure touring has become big, with many blogs and websites dedicated to it. Reading online stories of long motorcycle rides through interesting places and meeting interesting people tickled my sense of adventure. I thought, “What’s something BIG I can do?” I had to have a challenge. Something a little edgy. Something doable, but into the unknown, and certainly something that
Curtis Broderick ’90 AGE: 52 CLAMART, FRANCE
wasn’t an easy win. It’s good to not get complacent, to put yourself into unknown situations where you have to “figure it out” anew. Going all the way to Istanbul, the front door to Asia, seemed like a worthy challenge—very big, but also doable. So that would be the destination. I really got a kick opening up my first issue of Road Trip magazine. I do not lie; the very first page I opened to was “Readers’ trips: Paris–Istanbul.” I read the article five times and contacted the guy for all the preparation tips I could get. I wanted to broaden Aaron’s horizons by visiting new places and meeting new people. I also wanted to teach him that you can do whatever you want if you plan it well in advance. Some particularly memorable moments from the trip are riding through the rain in the mountains of Montenegro as the sun set, which took a toll on my nerves; standing on the ledge of 37-story building in Istanbul; swimming in the Black Sea; visiting fifth-century Byzantine church ruins in Albania; feeling like my clutch cable could give out at any moment on a Slovenian mountain pass; and being invited to stay in the home of a complete stranger—that was very memorable and touching. This trip showed me that wherever you go people are not really that different from you and me. We want to live in a safe place, have a decent job, enjoy big meals with family, hang out with friends, pursue hobbies, go on adventures, and be a little mischievous now and then. Outwardly, we look and do things differently, but inside we all have the same hopes and desires.
Make the mental decision that it WILL happen, no matter what, and give it a definite date, like June 2017. Start stashing away a little money every month—and prepare, prepare, prepare. Tell others about it, and they’ll be rooting for you. Never mind that you’ll feel sheepish if you don’t actually go and do it.
ON TAKING RISKS: I don’t want to risk the regret of not having tried, of wondering what such a trip might have been like. Don’t start with a huge, overwhelming goal. I did a five-day trip with Aaron in 2014 within France. That worked out fine. Do something a little bit out of your comfort zone and once you see that it’s easier than you thought, that gives you the confidence to try something a little more daring next time. There is a quote from Helen Keller that I find to be a great motivator: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
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AlumNotes
retiring just six years ago. He has been an active community leader in Emmett and Gem County and currently runs a u-pick apple orchard. Carol and Burton have two children, Susan Chapman att. and Cynthia ’93. Burton recalls tennis tournaments, gym night events during test week, and the “great chemistry faculty” from his years at WWU.
Get up to date with fellow WWU alumni. Submit your information for AlumNotes at wallawalla.edu/alumnotes.
1950s
Victor Boyle ’56 and his wife, Arlene (Birchell) att., reside in Colbert, Wash. “All work, no play” is how he described his post-college career, which has included tree farming and raising their children, Beverly and Tab. Julianne (Goodman) Krantz ’56 calls Milton-Freewater, Ore., home, where she lives with her husband, Milton att. She has previously lived in California, Pennsylvania, and Washington, in each of which she has practiced nursing professionally. After retiring from her 55-year career, Julianne now makes time for sewing clothes, embroidery, knitting, crochet, and gardening. She looks back on her memories at WWU fondly, particularly time spent at Peterson Memorial Library and living on the nursing campus in Portland. Julianne and Milton have three children: Tina, Kara, and Charles. She writes that as a family they have enjoyed traveling and “camping various places across the USA—our bountiful, beautiful homeland.” Dale Minner ’56 is a retired public health/occupational medicine physician living in Creston, Iowa. He and his wife, who died in 1999, have four children: LaDeane Minner-Duree, Denise att., Allen, and Jennifer. Dale was a flight surgeon in Vietnam from 1962 to 1963. Throughout his career, he worked in aerospace medicine for the Boeing Company, and as medical director for companies including Western Electric, AT&T, and Idaho National Energy Lab. Dale’s memories of his time in college include making 50 cents a head to show freshmen the cadavers in the basement of the biology building,
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driving to Milton-Freewater on the railroad tracks, and “indentured servanthood at Harris Pine Mills one summer.” Norma (Shearer) Rice ’56 taught nursing at the university level for 23 years before retiring in Diamond Springs, Calif. She met her husband, Floyd att., her first year at WWU. Their marriage, now on its 60th year, has given them four children: Darrel, Douglas, Debra Priest att., and Denise Skinner. Though their children are now grown, Norma and Floyd get to enjoy eight grandchildren. She and Floyd spent four years traveling with their son Darrel and his family working as a nanny for two of
their grandchildren. Norma recalls good times with her fellow nursing students at WWU. She also praises God for the “excellent” professors whom she studied under. Donald Weaver ’56, now retired in Walla Walla, practiced medicine for 50 years in Washington, Idaho, Arkansas, and Mississippi. He has worked in a wide variety of fields including primary care, geriatrics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and longterm care. He and his wife, Valerie, have six children: Gerald ’86, Joel, Jill Hargreaves, Jennifer Aichele, Marc Schelske ’95, and Meribeth Schelske Miller ’99. Donald is thankful for his time at WWU because of the lifelong friendships he began there.
1960s
Dale Bartholomew ’66 and his wife, Louise (Cowin) ’63, live in Draper, Utah. His favorite WWU memory was meeting Louise. He also happily recalls activities with his fellow civil engineering students. Dale received a master’s degree in structural engineering from Washington State University in 1968. He worked as a railroad bridge engineer for 45 years and is now mostly retired, although he does some consulting through his own firm KTG Rail Bridge, Inc. The Bartholomews have two children, Cameron ’94 and Marden Fowler ’97, and three grandchildren. Claire (Minouflet) Bishop ’61 heralds from Goldendale, Wash. Her husband, Blakely, passed away in January 2015. Since college graduation, Claire has been an active businesswoman and community leader. In 1962, she and her husband started Bishop Sanitary Services, for which she served as secretary–treasurer. She has also held leadership positions with Epsilon Sigma Alpha, the Heart Fund, and the American Business Women’s Association. Claire and Blake have two children, Debbie Wilson and Jerry. She remembers making many wonderful friends at WWU, some of which she keeps in touch with to this day. Burton Briggs ’61 and his wife, Carol, call Emmett, Idaho, home. After medical school and his anesthesiology residency, Burton worked for the U.S. Army. He was a member of the faculty at Loma Linda University for 34 years until
Carol (Marsh) Campbell ’61 is retired in Ooltewah, Tenn., after a long career as an invasive vascular cardiology nurse. She and her
husband, Mick att., moved to Tennessee in June 2015 after living in Redding, Calif., for 51 years, where Carol worked at Shasta Regional Medical Center. Her memories of WWU are “positive in every respect.” Mick and Carol have three children: Robert, Brenda Austermuhl, and Marcia McEdward ’89. Ruth (Chen) Davis ’61 and her husband, Jim, live in Northport, Wash. Worship in the dorm, recitals, church services, and chapels are among her favorite memories from her time at WWU. Ruth is an accomplished musician. She has written a number of songs, recorded two CDs, and plays organ for various churches in her community. Jim and Ruth have three daughters: Rae Anne Kinney, Rebecca Howland, and Rochelle Moritz-Seet. Robert Dietel ’66 and his wife Lorraine live in Everett, Wash. After obtaining a master of divinity degree and a doctorate in historical linguistics, Robert spent 37 years teaching and 23 years as an ordained minister. Some of his fondest memories of WWU are of Booth’s cabin and the biology lodge. He and Lorraine have two children: Karen Jents and Richard.
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Larry Smick ’68 and his wife, Dana, live in Bremerton, Wash. After his undergraduate work in biology, Larry studied bioscience and medicine at Kansas City University where he graduated in 1972. After completing his internship and residency, he served as a medical officer in the U.S. Navy. Upon retiring from the Navy, Larry worked at the Occupational Health Clinic at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard until 2015. Larry and Dana have two children.
1970s
Michaelan (McDonald) Bowers ’71 has worked as a paralegal, a teacher at Platte Valley Academy, a chaplain at Portland Adventist Hospital, a wife to her husband, David, and the mother of their two children, David and Kristina Rouse. She also has been an active supporter of her husband’s medical work in Russia. The cou-
ple currently lives in Ooltewah, Tenn. From her time at WWU, Michaelan has good memories of singing in a quartet at different churches in the area, swimming in the pool, enjoying her “crazy” friends, being challenged by her studies, and enjoying Friday evening Sabbath bells. Carey Carscallen ’76 hails from Berrien Springs, Mich., where he is the dean of the School of Architecture and Interior Design at Andrews University. He has recently visited Kenya where, more than a century ago, his great-uncle, A.A. Carscallen, began the Adventist work in that corner of the world in 1906. Carey and his wife, Dorothy (Crumley) ’76, have three children: Jeremy, Peter ’06, and Kristin Parker. Lydia (Bakker) Deiss ’71 has spent over 30 years of her life working in schools at the high school and community college level. She has taught business education in both settings, and for the latter 16 years of
her career, worked as a school counselor. She says that there’s nothing she would change; her career has been rewarding and she is married to her best friend, Gregory Deiss ’73. The couple have two children, Amanda Williams ’96 and Joshua ’05. Lydia has fond memories of candlelit vespers in Conard Hall, veggie burgers at the dairy, pajama parties in the dorm, and walks with her husband through the fog. Today the pair call Cottonwood, Idaho, home. Carol (Tillotson) Lundquist ’71 and her husband, George Lundquist att., have been married for 43 years. They have two children, Karetha Miller and Ericka Edwards. Carol and George have lived in North Carolina, Georgia, and California, and in 1980 they settled in Tennessee. They live in Crossville, Tenn., where Carol recently retired from her work as a personal care assistant. Her favorite memories of WWU are of becoming close friends with her roommate and meeting her husband.
Ed & Teri Boyatt Ed Boyatt ’66 and Teri (Cleveland) Boyatt ’66 are going on 50 years of marriage this year. They live in Riverside, Calif., where Ed teaches part time at La Sierra University (LSU). After graduating from WWU, Ed received a doctor of education degree from the University of Southern California. Since then he has worn many hats, such as pastor, vice president of student administration at WWU, and dean of the School of Education at LSU. His best memories from WWU are of serving as a student missionary to Guyana and meeting his wife. After staying home to raise their three children, Jolene Roeske ’90, Jason ’93, and Jared ’94, Teri began her own impressive career in education. This included both teaching and educational administration in Washington, Oregon, and California. She recalls a vast array of experiences during her time at WWU. She loved her teachers, cherished Friday night worship services in the dorm, enjoyed the blooming trees at springtime, and fondly remembers involvement in student government and walking one Sabbath morning to the new College Church. She feels privileged to still be in touch with many of her college friends 50 years later. Ed and Teri are grateful to now live near their three children and eight grandchildren.
Jim Trude ’76 and his wife, Julie, live in Clackamas, Ore. Jim has worked for General Conference Auditing Service for almost 30 years. Jim says he has “entered a medical odyssey that would be daunting if not for faith in God and support from family, coworkers, and friends.” He received radiation therapy for prostate cancer in 2014 and 2015, which was successful. However, as soon as that concluded, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (bone cancer). After six months of chemotherapy, the myeloma was in remission. To make sure it stays that way, Jim needed a stem cell transplant. Providentially, his identical twin brother, John ’76, was able to provide a stem cell donation. The transplant was performed in July 2015, and Jim now faces at least 30 to 90 days of recovery. Jim says, “Praise God for His promises of comfort now and of a future world without pain and suffering.” Lorri (Buroker) Wright ’76 taught elementary school at Ferndale School in Milton-Freewater, Ore., for more than 30 years before retiring in 2009. In June of that year she lost her first husband, Michael Elkington. Though officially retired from teaching, Lorri has been working as a substitute teacher. She has also been a farmer much of her life, raising hay, cattle, and Welsh ponies. In 2012 she married John Wright. She and John moved to their current home in Wallowa, Ore., in June of 2015. She has two children: Jennifer and Seth.
1980s
“Bitsy” Iretha (Phillips) Ebright ’81 lives in University Place, Wash., with her husband, Thomas. The couple will be celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary this year. After working in intensive care for 18 years, Bitsy decided to change course and pursue a master’s degree in administration and education. She is currently hospital supervisor at MultiCare Allenmore Hospital in Tacoma, Wash. Bitsy’s favorite WWU memories include Friday night vespers,
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cross-country skiing, learning to ride horses, working weekends as a student nurse at Walla Walla General Hospital, and making lasting friendships with her fellow nursing students at the Portland campus. She and Thomas have three children: Heather Barrios, Lori Lindholm, and Traci. They also have two grandchildren. Tereena (Beucler) Gribble ’81 is a resident of Oregon City, Ore. She has been an emergency room nurse all her career and serves on numerous leadership committees at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in the Portland area. She has three children, Arlena Georgeson, Brent Georgeson, and Ashley. Tereena’s hobbies include hiking, camping, traveling, quilting, and spending time with her grandchildren. Her favorite WWU memory is the sound of girls singing during worship in Conard chapel. “It sounded like angels singing,” she said. Diane (Smith) Saur ’81 and her husband, Rune, live in Canby, Ore. They were married in August 2014, and Diane says he is a “wonderful man who has added joy to my life.” Diane works in short stay at Portland Adventist Medical Center. After the tragic loss of her son, Kyle Stevens, in 2009, Diane’s life changed forever. In 2011 she reactivated her nursing license and returned to work. She says that some of her favorite memories of WWU were of attending Fall Classic each year when her son played soccer for Portland Adventist Academy. “I cherish those times of watching students play their hearts out. We made it to the finals each year he played, so I have fond memories of crisp, clear temperatures at 11:30 p.m. Saturday night cheering them on.” Diane also has a son, Andrew Stevens. Linda (LaFave) Seeber ’81 resides in Hillsboro, Ore., with her husband, Lathern. Linda is the church secretary at the Gaston Seventh-day Adventist Church. She has a servant heart and is deeply invested in her community. She is involved in prison ministry, song service at her local church, leads out in women’s ministry functions, and heads up several Bible study groups. Linda has a wide range
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of memories from her time at WWU. She recalls the distinct Walla Walla seasons—including “walking though fallen, crispy, colorful leaves,” as well as “seeing the campus blanketed with pristine snow and the thrill of learning so many numerous new teachings.” She also remembers diving into complex spiritual and intellectual topics in her classes and sharing lots of laughter with her friends. Linda (Speak) Shobe ’81 has practiced nursing in a variety of settings throughout her career including working in the NICU at Loma Linda University Medical Center. She also worked in labor and delivery at Portland Adventist Medical Center for six years, and is now a case manager at a hospice unit in Roseburg, Ore., where she and her husband, William ’82, live. The couple have four children: William “Nicholas,” Andrew ’10, Natalie Dixon, and Tatum curr. att. She has countless wonderful memories from her time at WWU. Her year as a student missionary in Korea impacted her greatly. After getting married, she also recalls living in Sittner Hall for a year while William served as a student dean. It was “quite an experience,” according to Linda.
1990s
Pamela (Cornforth) Greenlaw ’95 is a mental health nurse living in Oregon City, Ore., with her husband, Michael att. They have two children, Shannon ’05 and Matthew. Pamela and Michael have also been blessed with three grandchildren. Pamela gratefully recalls all the “caring teachers and office personnel” who supported her “through the thick and thin” of her studies. Wesley Rogers ’96 has worked in the hospice and healthcare profession for 19 years. He currently oversees VITAS Healthcare services for the Inland Empire in Southern California. Wesley and his wife, Josiane, have two boys, ages 4 and 8. The family lives in Redlands, Calif.
Shawn (Watt) Steward ’96 is the vice president of product and cofounder of Caravan Outpost. She’s had an impressive career in sports apparel design, working with companies like Adidas and Columbia Sportswear—leading up to a position as a high-level executive at Bonfire Snowboarding. Her creativity earned her the 2006 SnowSports Industries American Innovation Award. Shawn left Bonfire in 2012 soon after the birth of her first child, Novella. She and her husband, Brad, live in Ojai, Calif. Their company, Caravan Outpost, is an attempt to encompass all of their passions, which include
travel, family, camping, food, and appreciation for other cultures. Shawn has many cherished memories from her time at WWU, including classes taken from Robert Henderson, Glenn Greenwalt, Bob Rittenhouse, Ken Mackintosh, and Tom Emmerson. “I made friends for life at WWC,” she says. Larry Witzel ’91 and his wife, Angela att., have two children: Zoey and Josiah. Larry is the founder and president of SermonView, a church marketing ministry that provides media resources for prophecy seminars and other evangelistic meetings. He counts himself blessed to have the opportunity to support pastors and churches across the country through his company. Larry’s ministry, which began in 2005, has grown immensely in the last three years. He remembers WWU as the “environment where I learned that success requires pursuing excellence with passion, and keeping at it until the very end.” He specifically recalls late nights working on projects with classmates in the audio and video labs. “It feels like every square foot of that place holds a memory,” Larry said of WWU. Larry and his family currently live in Battleground, Wash.
2000s
Camille (Van Hooser) Hearne ’05 and ’06 lives in Richland, Ore., with her husband, Luke. Previously working as a hospice social worker, Camilla now splits her time between a private child and family counseling practice and serving as youth director for her local church. As youth director, Camilla manages an after-school program and leads out in youth ministries for the community. Camilla and Luke have three children of their own, and in the past month have adopted three more children, which they call an “awesome new blessing.” When it comes to her memories of the University, Camilla counts her social work classes—in particular self-care for social workers and school social work—among her favorites. She also fondly remembers shopping at Andy’s Market and visits to Rogers Bakery. Today, her hobbies include leading worship, playing guitar, and hiking. Jason McGill ’06 and his wife, Heidi, have two children: Ethan and Olivia. Since receiving a master of business administration degree from California State University, San Bernardino, Jason has had a diverse career history. He has audited nonprofits, become a certified public accountant, and held the position of chief financial officer at a small nonprofit organization. Today he is the vice president of Thomson and Associates, an organization that does charitable estate planning. From his time at WWU, Jason remembers making friends through group projects, playing on the varsity volleyball team, and serving as a student missionary for a year in the Micronesian Islands. Jason writes, “I continue to play volleyball and stay involved (heavily) with our local church. the biggest life change has been kids, and they’ve been great.” Jessica (Hahn) Neilson ’06 is a systems engineer for Lockheed Martin where she works in aerospace technology development. Jessica’s work has contributed to the success of major NASA operations, including several launches and data recollections.
These projects include GRAIL, which orbited the moon between 2011 and 2012; MAVEN, which has been orbiting Mars since 2014; and Juno, a probe currently on its way to Jupiter, where it will arrive in July 2016 after a five-year journey. Jessica and her husband, Kerry, were married in 2012 and live in Highlands Ranch, Colo. She enjoys running, hiking, skiing, and SCUBA diving. Jessica and Kerry adopted their daughter, Liliana, in 2012. Melissa (MacPhee) Rae ’06 and her husband, Scott ’11 and ’14, live in College Place. Melissa has been representing WWU throughout North America for 10 years as associate director for recruitment. Since graduating from WWU, she has taught fitness classes, volunteered for the Humane Society and animal rescue, obtained a
master’s degree in organizational management from Ashford University, and has served as the college fair tour coordinator for the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. Additionally, her expertise in recruiting has earned her an award from the Adventist Enrollment Association. Her favorite memories of WWU as a student are of leading worship for The Awakening and being involved in 11 drama productions during three years.
2010s
Michael Di Bonaventura ’15 calls Mission Viejo, Calif., home. He currently works as a region operations specialist for the Mazda North American Operation.
In Memory Drury—Elaine (Estes) ’44 was born Aug. 13, 1922, in Kalispell, Mont., and died March 26, 2014 in Troy, Idaho. Surviving: daughters Joy Gauger ’72 of Riddle, Ore., June Miner ’75 of Troy, and Becky Bradshaw att. of Meridian, Idaho; and sons Larry of Las Vegas, Nev., and Charlie ’75 of Vancouver, Wash. Drury—Omer Harvey ’46 was born Oct. 21, 1922, in Emmett, Idaho, and died May 11, 2012, in Troy, Idaho. Surviving: wife Elaine (Estes) ’44 (now deceased); daughters Joy Gauger ’72 of Riddle, Ore., June Miner ’75 of Troy, and Becky Bradshaw att. of Meridian, Idaho; and sons Larry of Las Vegas, Nev., and Charlie ’75 of Vancouver, Wash. Kinnard—Paul G. ’58 was born Jan. 29, 1929, in Dallas, Texas, and died May 26, 2015, in Wichita Falls, Texas. Surviving: wife Mary of Wichita Falls; daughters Janice of Wichita Falls, and Susan Maekawa of Osaka, Japan; sons Robert of Las Vegas, Nev., Michael of Dallas, and Patrick of Dallas; and brother Charlie of Dallas. Lowrie—L. Leroy ’54 was born Feb. 21, 1933, in Amarillo, Texas, and died Aug. 17, 2014, in Walla Walla. Surviving: wife Donna att. of Walla Walla and son Doug. Munsey—Jay Paul ’50 was born Jan. 21, 1924 in Huston, Idaho, and died Jan. 4, 2015, in Boise, Idaho. Surviving: wife Tola Nadine (Gish) att. of Portland, Ore.; daughters Rebecca att. of Moab, Utah, and Jaydine ’76 of Portland; sisters Olive Featherston ’40 of Meridian, Idaho, and Hellen of Huston; and brothers Robert of Huston and Frank ’46 of Huston. Nepple—Roberta ’82 was born Feb. 18, 1943, in Great Bend, Kan., and died Aug. 20, 2014, in Joplin, Mo. Surviving: sister Nancy Evans
of Columbus, Kan., and brother James Phillips Jr. of Omaha, Neb. Noel—Richard Lee ’67 was born Oct. 13, 1943, in San Francisco, Calif., and died July 6, 2014, in Bluefield, W.Va. Surviving: wife Tatyana of Bluefield; sons Andre of Talent, Ore., and Mykola Usatenko of Ft. Bragg, N.C.; and brothers Ted of Maitland, Fla., William of Madison, Ala., Paul of Madison, and Kenneth of Charlestown, W.Va. Powers—Edna ’45 was born on Jan. 11, 1919, in Bellingham, Wash., and died Oct. 6, 2015, in Walla Walla. Surviving: sister Marilyn Jones of Ukiah, Calif. Reimche-Vu—Brenda (Fullerton) att. was born Aug. 23, 1970, in Walla Walla, and died Oct. 2, 2014, in Mexico. Surviving: husband David att. of Goldendale, Wash.; daughters Hannah, Havilah, and Sarah of Goldendale; sons Nathan, Micah, Adam, Isaiah, and Elijah of Goldendale; sisters Alina of Vancouver, Wash., and Nikki Doak of Goldendale; brothers Bryan ’95 of Vancouver, Wash., and Alex att. of Seattle, Wash.; mother Janet of Moyie Springs, Idaho, and father George ’71 of Moyie Springs. Ritz—Francis ’49 was born June 10, 1924, in Lodi, Calif., and died Nov. 25, 2014, in Healdsburg, Calif. Surviving: wife Clyda of Healdsburg; daughter Sue of Loma Linda, Calif., and sons Franklin of Healdsburg and Mark of Tucson, Ariz. Stewart—Sydney E. ’53 was born March 2, 1927, in St. Helena, Calif., and died Nov. 12, 2015, in Walla Walla. Surviving: daughter Cindy ’75 and brother Edwin. Stratton—Eldon ’48 was born May 14, 1927, in Granger, Wash., and died May 25, 2015, in College Place. Surviving: wife Barbara ’49; daughters Yvonne Stratton ’72 of College Place, Aletha Ensminger
of Carmichael, Calif., and Bonnie White of Angwin, Calif.; and son Marc of Redondo Beach, Calif. Travis—Gordon ’51 was born Sept. 2, 1926, in Boise, Idaho, and died Nov. 23, 2015, in Orlando, Florida. Surviving: wife Verna ’51 of Orlando; daughter Ruth Hanson of Orlando; son Jonathan of Fargo, N.D.; and sisters Esther Dunton of Grants Pass, Oregon, Helen Kissee of Rogue River, Oregon, and Aletha Huddleston of Veneta, Oregon. Watts—Raymond ’54 was born Nov. 10, 1927, in Cedaredge, Colo., and died April 24, 2015, in Walla Walla. Surviving: wife Rosemary of College Place, Wash. (now deceased); daughters Linda, Laurie, Donna, Alice, and Mary; sons John, Vernon, and Kevin; and sisters Arlene and Lee. Wheeler—Virginia att. was born Aug. 4, 1936, in Startup, Wash., and died July 9, 2015, in Marsland, Neb. Surviving: husband Glenn of Sandpoint, Idaho; daughters Debra Chadbourne of Riverview, Fla., Desiree Wheeler-Hissong of Jacksonville, Fla., Rochelle Lain of Boise, Idaho, and Marcella Myers of South Bend, Ind.; and son Gregory of Sandpoint. Wolfe—Wade Jr. ’54 was born Jan. 20, 1923, in Huntsville, Wash., and died May 30, 2015, in Walla Walla. Surviving: wife Rosalee att. of Walla Walla (now deceased), and daughter Melissa Wolfe of College Place, Wash. Wolfkill—Louis ’51 was born Feb. 12, 1927, in Mt. Vernon, Wash., and died Sept. 30, 2015, in Walnut Creek, Calif. Surviving: daughter Laurel Anderson of Carmichael, Calif.; and sons Charles att. of Martinez, Calif., and Delmar ’88 of Yakima, Wash.
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Claude Barnett Claude C. Barnett, professor emeritus of physics, was born Nov. 8, 1928, in Woodinville, Wash., to Cecil and Jeanie Barnett. After graduating from high school he joined the Air Force, reaching the rank of staff sergeant by the end of his threeyear service. In 1949 he took his science experience from working with radar in the military to an academic setting, enrolling at Walla Walla College as a physics major. There he met Betty, a fellow student, and in 1951 the couple married. Barnett continued his physics studies after graduating from WWC in 1952, participating in wide-ranging research while earning a doctorate in quantum hydrodynamics at Washington State University. In 1957 he returned to WWC as a member of the physics faculty where he went on to teach for more than 40 years, chairing the department from 1961 to 1983. He not only taught but conducted research on campus and at the Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory, where he also taught biophysics. A lover of beauty in the natural world, Barnett taught astronomy and helped with sailing instruction. In 1995 he was recognized for his academic excellence as the Distinguished Faculty
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Lecturer, and after his retirement in 2000 he was named a professor emeritus. On campus, Barnett was very involved in faculty governance. Tom Thompson, retired professor of mathematics, appreciated his leadership in faculty meetings, remembering how Barnett was “particularly adept at making the appropriate comment at the right time and could really cut through tension in a very special way. “You never found him unpleasant,” Thompson recalls. “He always had a twinkle in his eye and an upbeat comment of some kind.” Thompson saw how Barnett cared deeply for those around him: “He was always very helpful. When people needed help, Claude would really pitch in. When new faculty came, he and Betty would be involved, and he would personally help move into the house and that sort of thing. I really appreciated that about Claude.” Claude Barnett passed away at home in Oak Harbor, Wash., on July 12, 2015. He is survived by his wife, Betty ’52, of Oak Harbor, his children Jeanie ’78 of Issaquah, Wash., and Gerald ’81 of Lynnwood, Wash., and grandchildren.
Virginia Mabley Virginia Alene Mabley lived a life dedicated to service through teaching. She came to Walla Walla College as an instructor of office administration in 1968, where she taught until retiring as an assistant professor of office management in 1987. For the next two years she continued to support the program as a contract teacher. Born Sept. 23, 1922, Mabley lived throughout the Northwest until first coming to WWC as a student in 1942. It was there she met Elwood Mabley, and the two married in 1946. In 1948 the couple graduated and embarked on their teaching careers, with Mabley landing at Auburn Adventist Academy, Glendale Academy, and La Sierra Academy during the next 20 years. Back at their alma mater, she served as a secretary to a vice president in addition to teaching, while Elwood directed the library. Nancy Cleveland, assistant director of Student Financial Services, remembers Mabley’s skill as a teacher: “She was always so patient with students and inspired them to do their best. She had a wonderful sense of humor, which made her classes interesting and fun.” Cleveland also knew Mabley as a colleague and recalls how “she willingly helped me as a novice teacher with any challenges I was having by making suggestions and telling me examples from her prior teaching experiences.” On July 11, 2015, Virginia Mabley passed away in College Place, Wash. She is survived by her husband, Elwood ’48 of College Place, her children, Gary att. of Walla Walla and Jeannie of Spokane, Wash., and grandchildren. Her contributions to education and her impact on generations of young people will not be forgotten. “She has left a lasting legacy of well-trained Christian office administrators who have gone on to serve God and their communities,” Cleveland says. “Her friendship and her kind and gentle spirit will be greatly missed.”
PHOTOS: TYSON KOPFER (CLAUDE BARNETT) AND GARY MABLEY (VIRGINIA MABLEY)
In Memory
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Alumni Currents Staying in touch with our family of graduates
Lori Henriques
Alumnus of note, 1993 graduate
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Grammy-nominated musician discovers how great a day can be
CREDIT TK PHOTO: JOEL HENRIQUES
D
ream Jane Dream,” Lori Henriques sang from her most recent album How Great Can This Day Be. Nominated for this year’s Best Children’s Album at the 58th Grammy Awards, the album contains music as diverse as Henriques’ own interests and influences. There are a number of homages: to Mr. Rogers, to the city of Paris, but this time Henriques got to deliver her song in person, as famed scientist Jane Goodall sat front row. Afterward, Henriques remembers talking with Goodall: “She has this theory that the way we can solve many of our problems on this planet is to connect our ‘big brains to our hearts.’ Science is definitely very important, but one of the biggest ways we can connect our ‘big brains to our hearts’ is through art and music.” Henriques unites many things in her music. She traces her broad range back to Walla Walla College, where she graduated with degrees in music and French and a minor in English. At WWC, Henriques studied classical piano and was introduced to music composition, but also found time for classes like chemistry and children’s literature. “There were maybe a few people who thought I was crazy for getting so well rounded,” Henriques says with a laugh. After graduating, she taught high school English before completing a master of arts in piano from Northern Illinois University. “By the second year [of teaching] I remember sitting in my car thinking ‘I have to play the piano!’” She laughs. “It was a very dramatic experience. I had all these ungraded papers in my trunk… I felt like I was not done with music.” And she hasn’t stopped since, though ending up a successful children’s artist wasn’t necessarily in mind. “It’s not even that I so much said to myself, ‘I’m going to be a writer of children’s music,’ it’s that I said to
myself, ‘I want to write about things that are curious to me.’ And it so happens that since children are the most curious among us, people sort of classify it as children’s music, when in fact it’s probably music for anyone.” How Great Can This Day Be does stand out through its lyrical curiosity, but also through the musical richness of jazz arrangements and blues influences. Back in college, Henriques remembers having an epiphany: “I remember [another student], in a sort of mentorly way, showed me the blues scale on a practice piano. I can see the room right now, that’s how earth enlarging it was for me.” The ability to experiment and be so creative has garnered recognition from The Recording Academy, and Henriques appreciates the impact of her nomination. “The children’s music world benefits from having mainstream press like the Grammys. It elevates all of the children’s music. It elevates children’s music to be something to respect, and to be part of any elevation of children’s music to the awareness of more people is such an honor and such a thrill to me.” Henriques has another album coming soon and continues to be inspired by Jane Goodall’s emphasis on working with children. “Spending a life focusing on children is hopeful and valuable,” Henriques says. “They have so much potential for making great change in the world.” Perhaps, through her music, Henriques can inspire the next Jane to dream big.
Listen to “Dream Jane Dream” and more of Henriques’ music at lorihenriques.com.
Westwind Spring 2016 29
BY
Back to You Alumni Currents Staying A view from in touch the field with our family of graduates
Preaching, knocking, and learnıng
T
he decision to attend Walla Walla College (that was the name back then) was very easy. My father attended WWC in the ’30s; I had a cousin there; and one-third of our senior class from Loma Linda Academy elected to attend WWC. It was teachers like C.W. Shankel, Dr. Claude Barnett, Dean A.J. Johanson, Dean Helen Evans (Zolber), and Paul Heubach, plus others that had a profound influence on my education and philosophy of living. Now when that young person behind the counter automatically gives me the senior discount without asking my age, I realize I have obtained the status of OLD. This status provides the opportunity to reflect over seven decades and portions of two centuries and to see how the Lord has led, guided, opened and closed doors, and provided opportunities to contribute to the care and education of many people. Having completed medical school at Loma Linda University and residency in anesthesiology/ critical care medicine at The Massachusetts General Hospital, my obligation to Uncle Sam was due. It was during the Vietnam War when most of my peers were assigned to an overseas post, and I fully expected to receive a similar assignment. We
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Westwind Spring 2016
were euphoric when the letter arrived assigning us to DeWitt Army Hospital at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It was expected that officers in the military would participate in social activities of the unit to which they were assigned. With this in mind, my wife and I decided that we would participate in these activities, but would hold true to our convictions about the use of alcohol and tobacco. One morning after a party the previous evening, the hospital commander called me into his office. During our conversation he said, “We appreciate your coming to our parties and social events because we know that if anything should happen to any of us, you will be sober and able to take care of us.” Lesson learned: I didn’t have to “preach” to witness. With my ultimate goal of returning to LLU and being involved in the education of medical students and residents, I needed additional experience in an academic setting. After applying to several institutions and not receiving acceptance, I decided to make a quick trip to Boston to talk with my former department chairman. During our conversation he informed me that there were no
by Burton Briggs ’61 open positions in the department. I then went downstairs to visit with a friend who was working in the department and after relating my discussion with the chairman, he said, “Stick around. I was just on my way up to the chief. I am planning to turn in my resignation.” About a half hour later, I received a call with a request to come and see the chief again. During this conversation he offered me a position helping to develop an ICU—an area in which I had a profound interest. Lesson learned: The Lord works in mysterious ways, and only by looking back can we see His guidance, which strengthens our faith in His leading. He closes some doors and opens some doors, but you have to go knocking to find out which doors He will open. As I reflect on more than 35 years at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine, it was a joy to see the lights come on in the minds of medical students and residents as they began to understand the body’s complex response to stress, to trauma, to infection, and its ability to recover or fail to recover.
That opportunity to pass on to the next generation some knowledge that I may have learned provided intangible rewards. Even now, former students will come up to me and say, “Do you remember when… ?” During those 35 years, I have had the responsibility of taking care of several of my teachers. It was then that I began to realize I had to demand that the residents and students learn well because, sometime in the future, I or a member of my family may be in that bed, and when we look up and see a former student taking care of us, we want to know that they learned well. That was consistent with my college teachers who demanded that I learn well. Lesson learned: Keep learning, and share what you have learned. After praying about what new opportunities were before them, Burton and Carol Briggs retired in a small community in southwest Idaho where they run a u-pick apple orchard. Carol is involved with Health Connection in their community and teaches a Fit and Fall Prevention class for seniors. Burton enjoys astrophotography and continues to learn through involvement as a joint city and county planning commissioner.
photograph by Benji Mellish
Invest in our students with your legacy gift. Legacy gifts make a tremendous difference for students by: • Establishing new scholarships to benefit deserving students. • Creating new chairs and professorships to strengthen teaching and learning. • Enhancing academic and cocurricular programs. • Strengthening unrestricted resources and the unrestricted endowment.
Legacy gifts that benefit Walla Walla University include: • Gifts providing income to you or other beneficiaries, such as gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts, with the remainder going to the university. • Future gifts from your estate including bequests through your will or trust, or designation of your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or life insurance.
Learn more about legacy giving by visiting legacy.wallawalla.edu or by contacting Dorita Tessier ’80, director of gift planning, at (509) 527-2646 or dorita.tessier@wallawalla.edu.
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See you there! Upcoming events to note on your calendar
The Blues beckon April 21–24
Join us for “Beauty in Expression” during
Homecoming Weekend 2016.
Events will include a golf tournament, a reunion of WWU touring choirs, a catered Sabbath lunch with honor class reunions, a Plant Services and Facility Services reunion, and more. Register and learn more at wallawalla. edu/homecoming.
The WWU literary and artistic journal The Gadfly is accepting alumni submissions of math, music, literature, photos, art, poetry—anything elegant! Send your original work to gadfly@wallawalla.edu by March 31 to be considered for the next volume of this classic WWU publication.
April 11
It’s that time of year when new Alumni
Association officers are elected. Look for the insert in this issue of Westwind to see who is running for office. Cast your vote by April 11 by returning the enclosed ballot or voting online at wallawalla.edu/ alumvote.
April 15–16
The Collegiate
Couples Seminar
is planned especially for engaged college students or those contemplating engagement. Seminar events include discussions about personality types, relationships with in-laws, finances, sex, and a Q&A session where married couples share their wisdom.
June 10–12
Commencement Weekend 2016 will
begin with a consecration vespers service on Friday, followed by a variety of events throughout the weekend. See the complete schedule at wallawalla. edu/grad.
August 26–28
Join alumni and friends at
Rosario for Sabbath or the entire weekend. Sabbath activities include: worship service, lunch, nature walk, hot dog roast, sundown worship on the beach, bonfire with s’mores, and lots of great music and fellowship. For information and registration, call the alumni office at (800) 3772586 or visit wallawalla. edu/alumni.
For a full calendar of events, visit wallawalla.edu/calendar. Follow us on flickr, Facebook, and Twitter.
PHOTO: CHRIS DRAKE
March 31