Whitworth Today: Fall 2021 by Whitworth University

COMMUNITY VOICES

Alumni celebrating their milestone 50th, 40th and 30th class reunions this fall share their favorite Whitworth memories. “Rick [Hardt ’71] and I met in badminton class – we were assigned to be partners and it stuck! We married between our sophomore and junior years and lived in married student housing on the edge of campus, dubbed ‘Ball and Chain Lane.’ The rent was only $32 a month and Whitworth allowed the scholarship money originally meant for living in a dorm to cover our apartment rent. The friendships we formed with other married students in our fourplex have been lifelong and precious.” Vicky (Westman) Hardt ’71 “There are many, but I’m going to have to say that the 1980 France study tour stands out above them all. It was a giant leap out of my comfort zone with classmates who became lifelong friends.” Andrea (Knappen) Neault ’81 “I was on the swim team, and that was primarily my life from October until March. Most of my memories are centered around the swimming pool and the friends that I had through swimming, the early morning practices and training during the cold winters. One of my other favorite memories is going with two friends up to Manito Park and playing Frisbee on the frozen pond there.” Keith Lambert ’91

Clockwise, from left: Andrea (Knappen) Neault ’81; Vicky (Westman) Hardt and Rick Hardt, both ’71, in Graves Gym; Chris Tweedy ’91 (left) and Keith Lambert ’91; Steve Mercer ’90

ON THE COVER: Mario Gonzalez ’23 captured aurora borealis, or northern lights, from the Back 40 on campus at about 11 p.m. on Oct. 11, 2021. The shimmering yellowgreen light was caused by a geomagnetic solar storm.

STAFF Julie Riddle ’92 (Editor), Heidi Jantz (Art Director), Elizabeth Strauch ’04 (Photography Coordinator and Writer), Garrett Riddle (Project Manager and Writer), Trisha Coder (Writer), Megan Jonas (Writer), Anthony Davenport (Digital Media Specialist), Kathryn Wagner ’10 (Photographer), Nate Lewis ’11 (Videographer) CONTRIBUTORS Shelby Baldwin, Nancy Bunker, Ayaka Dohi ’19, M.A. ’21, Mario Gonzalez ’23, Dale Hammond ’98, Denali Herrick ’24, Reegan Horton ’24, Maxine Lammers, Stacey Smith ’86, Dale Soden, Keith Wyma EDITORIAL BOARD Trisha Coder, Dale Hammond ’98, Nancy Hines, Heidi Jantz, Megan Jonas, Greg Orwig ’91, Garrett Riddle, Julie Riddle ’92, Stacey Smith ’86, Elizabeth Strauch ’04, Madison Tobin ’19, Tad Wisenor ’89 ADMINISTRATION Scott McQuilkin ’84 (Interim President), Stacey Smith ’86 (Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement), Nancy Hines (Associate Vice President of University Marketing & Communications)

WHITWORTH TODAY whitworth.edu/whitworthtoday Fall 2021 SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH US! Email today@whitworth.edu or write us at Whitworth Today, University Marketing & Communications Office, Whitworth University, 300 W. Hawthorne Road, Spokane, WA 99251. ADDRESS CHANGES: Alumni, submit online at whitworth.edu/ alumniupdate. Parents of students and friends of Whitworth, email to updates@whitworth.edu. Or mail to University Marketing & Communications Office, 300 W. Hawthorne Road, Spokane, WA 99251.

COLLABORATION BUILDS COMMUNITY I had plenty of interdisciplinary experiences growing up, but they were neither pleasant nor enriching. Mine typically involved Mom and Dad huddling to decide my fate after conferring with the babysitter. Would it be a one-week grounding, more chores, or no Gilligan’s Island? My parents’ united front, with an assist from their teenage collaborator, put the “inter” into “interdisciplinary.”

Within this issue, you will read about how two Whitworth professors from different academic disciplines have identified a struggling population that perhaps few of us would have recognized. Their “enriching intersection” is but one example of how smart, insightful and empathetic faculty members collaborate across areas of expertise; in this case, researching the pandemic’s impact on new mothers.

At Whitworth, we do “interdisciplinary” in far more meaningful ways.

You or your loved ones may be among those new parents beset by the loss of vital sources of social and familial support. The research of professors Stacy George and Robin Pickering and their student assistants will serve counseling and health professionals as they help fortify young families coping with the effects of isolation.

I find myself talking about the pandemic in terms that may prove inaccurate: “When this thing ends.” “When life returns to normal.” The pandemic – with the disruptions in health, work, education, travel, relationships, presence with loved ones – will end. Yet there’s too much evidence to suggest that, at least in some ways, daily life will not go back to the way it was in early 2020. We will no doubt identify some societal changes for good. And we can also be certain that a pandemic echo will reverberate for years to come. The pandemic’s aftereffects will assume permanence in ways we’ll be assessing and defining for years. 4

This kind of interdisciplinary collaboration is of the Kingdom sort.

Scott McQuilkin ’84, Interim President

2021

ALUMNI AWARD HONOREES

Our award recipients share what they hope is the legacy of their life’s calling. (Clockwise, from top left.) MIND & HEART AWARD Mark Finney ’03, Ph.D. | Executive Director,

EMERGING LEADER AWARD Lauren (Thompson) Taylor ’07, M.Ed.

“I hope I can leave a legacy of leaders behind me. I hope there will be women and men leading all over our city, our nation and our world who can trace some of their early leadership formation back to being part of a place where I helped shape a healthy culture – like World Relief Spokane and Emmaus Church and some of the places I’ve taught and trained.”

“I hope my legacy is that the Manitou community – the community in which my school is based – becomes the community that came out of ‘left field’ in terms of surprising the world with its beauty. I see so much in Manitou’s students and people, and I pray that the Lord gives me the tools to truly ‘show them off’ to the world.”

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD Kyle Orwig ’90, Ph.D. | Professor, Department

SERVICE TO WHITWORTH AWARD Frank Knott ’64 | Retired Owner, Ott-Knott Inc.

World Relief Spokane

of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

“I hope my legacy will be the ongoing work of the many people I have trained in science. I also hope that our work will change the future of reproductive medicine, allowing people with the most difficult infertility diagnoses to have children.”

Manitou Park Elementary Principal, Tacoma Public Schools

“As far as a legacy, that sounds a bit grand for me. But athletics, when combined with a primary emphasis on scholastics, can make an enormous and positive lifelong impact. I can pinpoint one person who changed the entire course of my life and my loyalty to Whitworth: Estella Baldwin, who made it possible for me to attend Whitworth.” Estella Baldwin served as Whitworth’s registrar from 1935-70. 5

meet

Xiaosha Lin

BY ELIZABETH STRAUCH ’04

Xiaosha Lin, Whitworth’s new director of choral activities, grew up feeling certain that she never wanted to be a teacher. She discovered, however, that there was something powerful about connecting with college students and participating in their transition to adulthood. “I met different professors at different stages of my life,” Lin says, “and I realized how important that was for me and how much that shaped me.” 6

Today, this dynamic conductor is committed to motivating Whitworth Choir students to achieve the highest standard and best versions of themselves while fostering an environment built on connection and openness. Just after auditioning 83 singers for this year’s ensemble (whew!), Lin explained how the collective experience of choir shapes lives.

EDUCATION › Xinghai Conservatory of Music, B.A., music education › Hong Kong Baptist University, M.A., music

› Westminster Choir College, M.M., choral conducting

› Michigan State University, D.M.A., choral conducting

Spotlight On Lin That Feeling When

Director of Choral Activities Xiaosha Lin leads a choir rehearsal in Cowles Music Center.

You, Unfiltered

“Choir music is so different from other ensembles because you have no instrument to hide behind. It is a very vulnerable moment when you need to use yourself as an instrument. So, a comfortable environment really helps students feel able to open themselves, not just to the music but to their fellow singers who are standing right next to them, to build a bond and to not feel intimidated to sing softer or louder.”

We See What You Did There

On performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Westminster Symphonic Choir accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall in New York: “It was my first year, first semester in the U.S. When I applied to school and flew across the world [from Hong Kong], I never imagined that would happen to me. I was like, is this a dream? I just couldn’t believe it.”

Music Nerd Alert

“The stereotype of classical musicians is true... we don’t listen to pop music that much. In my car, I’m listening to Bach. Something about baroque music just really excites me, especially in the mornings. Also, Disney music. I love Disney music.”

“I love Disney music.”

Each day, choir members write anonymous notes of affirmation for fellow choir members and Lin reads the notes aloud. “It could just be someone holding the door for you earlier in the day or someone saying, ‘I’m here for you.’ These are the moments that help us get to know each other’s names, help us open up to each other and appreciate each other. Sometimes a slip of paper can really make someone’s day.”

Words Matter

“Another beautiful thing about choir music is that you have lyrics, text. And those are the moments when you can connect with a student on faith – what’s behind these words? What does it mean? There’s always a moment to have a discussion, to connect with the student, and deepen communication on faith and societal issues.” 7

SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES Alumni in Their Own Words EDITED BY JULIE RIDDLE ’92 We asked six alumni from five decades to share about significant experiences in their lives. Following are excerpts of their full stories, which are available at whitworth.edu/significant-experiences.

1950s

STEPHEN STEVE FOX 58 • Whitworth Major: Education • Retired Educator • Washington State P.E. Elementary Teacher of the Year, 1989 • Pacific Northwest P.E. Teacher of the Year, 1990 • Disney American Teacher Award for Elementary Physical Education, 1991 • Residence: Puyallup, Wash.

Steve Fox has taught English to students in Poland every summer since 2015. (Photo taken in 2018.)

‘Keep moving on’ I have enjoyed sports all my life. I played baseball in high school, and then I walked on at Whitworth and started as a freshman on the baseball team. I turned out for centerfield, and we did well. Art Smith was the coach at that time, and he expected the best of us. I wish I would have listened to him a little bit more, especially when he talked about hitting. Paul Merkel ’44 was the coach for 1957 and ’58. It was a good four years of playing ball.

I’ve been going to Poland every year since 2015. I have fallen in love with the country and the people and the kids over there. I teach English at a summer camp for youths from ages 12 up to 17. There are usually six volunteers and about 60 campers. Our job is to work with the children on conversational English. I have about 18 students from over the years who I’m in touch with all the time. I just chatted with two of them online this morning.

The summer after my freshman year, I was sitting on the davenport at home, reading the Bible, and I thought, “What do I really want to do?” It was like God told me to be a teacher, and that’s what I did. I taught for a total of 40 years, and I never had a bad word written about me on the school walls!

I try to ride my bike at least 60 miles a week when the weather is decent. The last five years I’ve put pretty close to 10,000 miles on my bike. I have biked the length of the Erie Canal and I also biked the Netherlands. Last year, because of the pandemic, I rode 2,200 miles. I put more miles on my bike than I did on my car. God has always been an important part of my life. I can’t preach or convince people very well, but I can live by example. That’s what I’ve been trying to do. Life doesn’t end when you retire – keep moving on. There are other things to do out there. Travel has become my hobby. When I’m sitting at home, I’m working on plans for my next trip. Right now, I’m planning my trip to Poland next summer. Left: Fox comes eye to eye with a Western screech owl while doing a study for the Earthwatch Institute.

After I retired, my wife, Janice, and I made it our goal to do two major trips a year. A major trip for us was a minimum of six weeks. We did a couple that way and then she passed on in 2000. There was a year or so after my wife died that was pretty tough. But then I thought, “You know, I’ve got to do something different.” One of my wife’s friends had done a Global Volunteer project in Romania. I signed up, and my first volunteer project was in Worthington, Minn., in 2003, helping immigrants converse in English. It was a total disaster, but I thought, “Can it really be this bad?” I did another, then I did an Earthwatch Institute project and I thought, “Oh, this is fun.” Altogether I did 22 service projects with Global Volunteers in countries including Vietnam, Cuba, Peru and Ecuador. With Earthwatch I did seven archaeological digs in Italy, Thailand and other countries, and I did seven animal studies. I tracked brown hyenas in South Africa and small mammals in Nova Scotia. I tracked koalas in Australia and studied how they were impacted by deforestation, and I tracked owls in Arizona. 9

1970s

JEAN (TOLSMA) BRENDER 74 • Whitworth Major: Nursing • Master of Nursing, University of Washington • Ph.D. in Epidemiology, University of Washington • Professor Emerita, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Texas A&M University School of Public Health

DENNIS BRENDER 75 • Whitworth Major: Chemistry • DDS, University of Washington • Dental Practice Owner, 1984-2018 • Residence: Austin, Texas

‘You’ve got to take care of the stranger’ JB: We met at Whitworth on a Saturday night. In those days we had “steak night” at SAGA. It was always a special night. I was sitting with my dorm friends, and we were talking about how hard it was to get a date. A young man was sitting to the right of me, and I turned to Dennis and said, “Well, I guess I should introduce myself.” We married four years later. DB: When I sold my dental practice and retired [in 2018], I was trying to give away my dental chair. I went to tattoo parlors and everywhere else I could think of. The free Catholic community clinic had just started, and they had opened a small dental clinic. I thought they’d need a dental chair, but they had gotten a grant from a local hospital for that. They said, “What we really need is you and your dental license.” So I do that now. A lot of people the clinic treats have lost their job, especially with COVID, and they just need help. It’s been very good – you are taking care of someone who is grateful to be taken care of. JB: My main volunteer activity has been with the Austin Street Youth Ministry, where I volunteered for about five years. Since the pandemic, I’ve mainly been bringing food and supplies to the ministry each week, and Dennis helps me. I am also an ordained deacon with the Presbyterian church, and I am working on an M.A. in theology from Fuller 10

& Theological Seminary. Being a deacon, I have the opportunity to support people who are dying and pray for them in their last days, and that’s been meaningful. DB: The Gospel of Matthew says you’ve got to take care of the stranger. Everybody I treat [at the clinic] is a stranger and they don’t have any other way to get help. It’s kind of living out my faith – you know you’re making a difference and you’ll probably never see them again. JB: It was because of Whitworth’s generosity of giving me a scholarship that I’ve been able to accomplish what I have accomplished in my life. [The Brender Scholarship*] is a way to give other students a chance that was given to me. I’ve been so grateful for the opportunity I had. DB: My Whitworth professors took me under their wing and got me through science. I wouldn’t have

made it otherwise. I was part of a group [of students] that was well taken care by Robert Winniford, Robert Bocksch, Ed Olson and Howard Gage. They were dedicated. We weren’t there for a grade – we were there to learn and to pass the baton on. We sensed that. JB: For one of my Fuller classes we had to visit a cemetery. Dennis and I visited two cemeteries, and I think that really brought to me the focus of a legacy, reading what was on people’s gravestones, seeing what people wrote about [their loved ones] and how they remembered them. I think we all probably need to go visit a cemetery once in a while. *The Brender Scholarship, established in 2016, supports Whitworth athletic training, pre-med and health science majors.

1990s

EMERLYNN LAMPITOC 95

• Whitworth Major: Journalism • Vice President of Creative Talent & Content, Film – Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Global Talent Development & Inclusion Department • Residence: Hermosa Beach, Calif.

content and within production, but those departments really didn’t exist in film. Universal recruited my boss, Janine Jones-Clark, who brought me along to start up film’s creative diversity and inclusion department. They were the first studio to do so, which speaks to their commitment and efforts in this area. I primarily oversee creative program strategies to develop talent focusing on underrepresented writers and directors and, soon, actors! My team and I also review content for potential diversity, equity and inclusion sensitivities such as stereotypes and tropes, providing guidance and options to address issues. I see change is happening when it comes to increasing representation. There’s a lot more work to do in the industry, whether it’s increasing Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian American Pacific Islanders, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, veterans or female representation. People want to see themselves represented. I’m working on ways to make certain people understand the work I do and why it’s important. Each year, I’m surprised by and really proud of all that the team has accomplished as well as the “lean in” from senior leadership and creatives. I see it as a win when a producer considers the writers and directors from the programs. I’m inspired by those who are really committed to walking the walk, and when a program alum gets that first credit, it’s super rewarding. But we try not to rest on our laurels.

‘People want to see themselves represented’ After graduating [from Whitworth] I moved to California, not knowing how long I’d stay. I was temping in various marketing and communication jobs in the entertainment industry. Eventually I ended up at Disney-ABC, working on their writing and directing programs. In 2016, Universal reached out after learning about the work we were doing at Disney-ABC. TV networks/studios have dedicated departments focused on increasing diversity and inclusion in their 12

One conversation that made quite an impact on me [at Whitworth] was with Jay Kendall [former professor of business]. He asked why I hadn’t taken more marketing classes and said I have a talent for it. I was a senior and had already filled out my semester schedule, and it was just too late. Jay pointed out that I could apply my journalism degree to marketing, and he urged me to think about how I could do that. All along I thought I’d be a journalist, but Jay opened my mind to other possibilities of what I could do. That conversation lasted fewer than 10 minutes, but it led me to all the different experiences that are helping me in my current role. He saw potential in me that I didn’t know I had.

2000s

PATRICIA BARTELL 00

• Whitworth Majors: Music – Accordion Performance and Music Education • CEO and Owner of Bartell Music Academy; Professional Musician; Business Coach • Residence: Spokane

‘God kept me strong inside’ I’m originally from Bolivia. I was adopted at age 5 into a family in Montana, and I’m one of 18 in the family. My adopted family was more like a children’s home than a family. There were 12 of us that were adopted, and out of the 12, I felt like the “black sheep” of the family and didn’t really grasp until later the extensive abuse I had gone through. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, but I am grateful for the strength and resilience I learned because it made me who I am today. Music was a life support for me. The accordion is a physical instrument – you really feel the nuance of the music. When a child isn’t allowed or encouraged to voice their thoughts, opinions or viewpoints, their voice is taken from them. Music and the accordion became my voice until I discovered and could use my own voice. I wanted to get my degree in accordion, and I applied to Whitworth and was initially turned down because they didn’t have an accordion program. I called the music department chair who said, “I’ll tell you what – if you can find someone who can teach you at the college level, then we’ll take it into consideration.” I knew just the teacher. He lived in Spokane, I competed against his students at international competitions, and he was good. The next thing I knew, I got a call [from Whitworth] to audition, and I was accepted. They said they would make accordion performance a degree, and they hired the teacher just to teach me.

love and acceptance, from the staff, the teachers and my friends. For a lot of my students, music is their only voice. Allowing them to learn to express themselves through music and break that barrier to where they can learn to put words to their emotions and be able to confidently express themselves verbally is transformational. Some of those students are now teaching for me, and I’m so proud of them. When I perform, I want to be there to serve my audience. When we set our intention and focus, amazing things really happen. My intention has always been to be a shining light and an inspiration. I have had a lot of interesting things happen after concerts as people come up to me and say, “I came in completely depressed, and in the middle of you playing I felt something break off of me. I feel so free.” I allow God to use me and my music to serve his people, and those are very powerful moments.

So many people [at Whitworth] played such a beautiful part in my journey. That was the first four years of freedom I had ever experienced, the first four years of feeling

God kept me strong inside while I slowly discovered my voice and my true identity. I learned the tools to get from where I was to where I am today. It’s those tools that I want to share, to help people know that there’s more in life. I hope that my voice will be heard by millions of people, to bring them healing and to know that they are worth so much. And they are so loved. 13

2010s

EMILY (TRAVIS) SHULL 13 • Whitworth Majors: Health Science and Kinesiology • M.S. in Exercise Science, Eastern Washington University • Ph.D. in Exercise Science, University of South Carolina • Clinical Research Coordinator, Shriners Hospitals for Children • Residence: Greenville, S.C.

‘My whole world had flipped’ My husband and I got married in 2015, and we moved to Greenville, S.C., for me to pursue my Ph.D. in exercise science from the No. 1 program in the country. I had felt sick for quite a while, and I thought it might be stress from moving across the country and starting a rigorous academic program. I visited the doctor multiple times over five months. I eventually got a mass on the side of my neck and I was sent to get it biopsied. That’s when I was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma. I was just finishing the first year of my Ph.D. program, my first year of marriage, and was about to turn 25.

school, and my husband was also in school at the time, and I thought we could handle it. Trying to juggle school, work and my treatments, I was really struggling. And it was hard for me to be away from home [in Spokane]. My whole world had flipped.

I was told that if you were to get cancer, this was a better type to get. I was expecting a six-month treatment, getting chemotherapy every other week. I didn’t want to stop

The initial treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma typically works, but it didn’t for me. My oncologist knew of a clinical trial going on at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, so during

During my treatments I pretty much had every side effect you could get, so I wasn’t feeling great. I ended up moving back home to finish my chemotherapy treatments because I had such a great support system there, and I really wanted my husband to be able to finish his school semester back in South Carolina.

winter 2017 I flew back and forth between Spokane and Seattle for treatments. The plan was to have the treatments be effective for me to have a clean scan, and then undergo a stem cell transplant to hopefully keep the cancer at bay. I was in the hospital 18 days for the stem cell transplant. That was, by far, the most difficult time for me mentally and physically. As treatment went along and as complications came up, it was the first time in my life of realizing that I can’t plan everything and that not everything is going to go according to how I think it is. It was the first time I could apply my faith to my life as far as trying to look to God and not myself or my doctors. Thankfully, since my stem cell transplant, I have been cancer free. I received incredible support from my loved ones, especially my Whitworth family. My former basketball coach and close friend, Helen Higgs [kinesiology & athletics], started a fund to help with medical costs, and she was by my side through many treatments and my recovery. Matt Silvers [health sciences] put on a fundraiser in the Human Performance Lab, and so many Whitworth friends and former professors, and family members participated. Randy Clark [former trustee], who was a big part of women’s softball, helped pay for flights for my husband and me to travel across the country. Basketball and golf teammates donated money and set up fundraisers, and classmates constantly sent me gifts and uplifting messages. The list goes on. I have learned that you have to be OK with leaving your plans with God and trusting your faith, and allowing people to help you when you need help. My husband and I struggled with that when I was first diagnosed – all these people donated and put on fundraisers for me. I almost felt undeserving because everyone went above and beyond. I had to learn to give myself some grace and let that love come in. With gratitude to Dale Hammond ’98, Megan Jonas, Maxine Lammers and Stacey Smith ’86 for their contributions to this feature.

Above: Matt Silvers (health sciences), left, leads a cycling fundraiser for Emily Shull, right, in Whitworth’s Human Performance Lab, where Shull had conducted undergraduate research. Blondel Assonken, center, serves as emcee. Participants raised nearly $10,000 at the February 2017 event to help cover Shull’s cancer treatments. Opposite Page: Emily Shull competed on the golf and basketball teams for four years.

Helen Higgs (kinesiology & athletics), left, Emily Shull's former basketball coach, attends a “haircut party” in June 2016. Shull had her hair cut before starting chemotherapy and donated her hair to Wigs for Kids.

WhitworthRetro  Women at Whitworth began playing basketball fewer than 20 years after James Naismith first hung peach baskets in Springfield, Mass., in 1891 to entice young men at the local YMCA to stay active indoors during the winter months. As the game spread west, colleges organized intramural and some intercollegiate competition. For much of the first half of the 20th century, the women’s rules prohibited more than one dribble, and the court was divided into three segments (forward, center and guard). As the game developed midcentury, a team comprised three forwards who could score and three guards who remained in the back court. Whitworth women played college teams including Spokane College and Spokane University (both no longer in existence) as well as area high school teams and city teams such as a powerhouse sponsored by the Yellow Cab Co. in the 1950s. The passage of Title IX legislation in 1972 pushed women’s basketball toward roughly the same rules that applied to the men’s game and increased competition opportunities for women at the college level. And for that we can be thankful. Dale Soden | Professor Emeritus of History, Director of the Weyerhaeuser Center for Faith & Learning, Campus Historian

“It’s only the last seven to 10 years that growth in women’s sports has really started. I can remember the first few years I was here it took a very strong woman to come out for sports – one who really couldn’t care less what somebody else thought! She had to be a very independent, self-confident person. I don’t think that is nearly as much of a problem now. I have been really pleased with the way [women’s sports have] come along at Whitworth.” Excerpt from a March 1980 interview with Jean Anderson, women’s basketball coach, associate professor of physical education, and Region IX representative of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. The interview appeared in Today Whitworth College, as the alumni magazine was titled then. Lower left: 1933; top: Ruby Mary McRae, 1908-09; middle: 1921 16

1950-51

ENRICHING INTERSECTIONS Sociologist, Health Scientist Examine Pandemic’s Impact on New Mothers

18 Designed by Starline - Freepik.com

BY MEGAN JONAS When Associate Professor of Sociology Stacy George’s second child was born in fall 2019, she was reminded how hard parenting an infant can be. Even for new mothers who can rely on help from family and friends, support groups and frequent doctor visits, George says, “there’s still a sense of isolation when you have young children.” Several months later the COVID-19 pandemic began, and George witnessed and experienced the resulting restrictions on social opportunities and medical care. “COVID certainly exacerbated that sense of isolation for people in general,” George says, “but how much more so for young parents?” This academic year, George is investigating this question with Associate Professor of Health Sciences Robin Pickering, who teaches courses in community health and directs the women’s & gender studies program. Supported by a Hugh Johnston Interdisciplinary Research Grant from Whitworth, the pair will survey first-time mothers whose children were born during the pandemic about the social support they received, and will analyze the results using their distinct academic expertise.

“...we build health by building communities, and we have a breakdown in community right now.” While many COVID-related studies have focused on families of school-age children, George says the population they are studying has been vastly under-researched. “I hope this will bring social awareness of the impact,” she says. The pair also expect their research could inform policy decisions, health promotion programming and counseling approaches. “This project has so much potential,” George says. “Our questions are purposefully vague because we don’t know what we’re going to find. I am excited to discover what is worth investigating in more depth.”

Pickering has long been interested in the role of social support in postpartum health. “From a community health perspective, we build health by building communities, and we have a breakdown in community right now,” she says. “I’m interested in looking at how the presence or absence of social support during the pandemic has impacted mental and physical health outcomes.” George will examine the data from her training as both a sociologist and marriage and family therapist. She believes the different theories and perspectives she and Pickering bring to the project will provide a more comprehensive assessment of what has been happening “interpersonally, in the family, and for women’s and gender issues.” Pickering adds, “Our fields are both interested in building community and optimizing social groups and family connections, and there’s much to be gained by having these conversations and looking at data using slightly different lenses.” She believes their research will identify broad effects from the changes in family and social dynamics.

Robin Pickering, Associate Professor of Health Sciences

Stacy George, Associate Professor of Sociology

The Seven Deadly Sins What Does It Take to Make the List?

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BY KEITH WYMA, PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY

’ve long taught a Whitworth Jan Term course called The Vices, about the so-called “seven deadly sins”: pride, wrath, lust, envy, gluttony, avarice and sloth. A frequent question is, why those sins – what’s special about them to put them in the top seven? To understand the answer, we need to see the sins’ old name: the capital vices.

When medieval Christian theologians and philosophers examined ethics, they understood the moral life in Aristotelean-influenced terms of virtue and vice. Virtues are functional excellences, character traits (habits that we build through action) that help us flourish both as individuals and in society. Vices, on the other hand, are character traits that hinder our functioning, again both personally and socially. So, we start with the concept of the deadly sins as vices, traits destructive to us. But to call them capital vices means something more: pride, lust and the rest are vices that generate other vices. They’re the head, or capital, vices (in Latin, “head” is “caput”). They’re like the generals of the enemy army of the vices (an image from Pope Gregory the Great), and they lead other vices in their service. But how do they do that? As it turns out, each of the deadly sins warps a desire so fundamental to our existence that once we start to overindulge it, it can take over and become what we live for. Our desires for pleasure (lust and gluttony), status (envy, wrath), self-exaltation (pride, sloth) or security (avarice) can become the overall goal of our lives. Once we start living for the end or goal of the vice – in a very real sense it can become our god – then other, related (morally problematic) actions will emerge as necessary to that goal, and we’ll pick up other vices in those regards.

Each capital vice breeds what Aquinas calls “daughter” vices. Take avarice as an example. Avarice concerns excessively desiring the kinds of goods that can be interchanged with money. We want shelter – money can buy that. We want food, or transportation, or cool clothes – money can buy all of them. Now, notice all those things really are goods; they’re needful to some degree in our lives, and it makes sense for us to desire them. But avarice runs away with that desire and tells us that therein lies our security and happiness. “Money answers for everything,” goes the old proverb, and avarice tells us we’d better make our lives about getting and keeping it.

“Our faith in things... can’t succeed in making us happy, given how we’re built for relationship with God and others.”

Keith Wyma co-coaches the Whitworth Ethics Bowl team with Director of Forensics and Professor of Communication Studies Mike Ingram. Since 2008, the team has won three Independent Colleges of Washington championships, four Northwest regional championships, and three intercollegiate national championships, most recently in 2019.

Now, that’s what makes avarice a sin and a vice. It leads us to think our happiness and fulfillment lie in something other than God and loving community with others. Avarice aims at putting those things under our control, making them achievable by our own effort and keeping ourselves at the center of our priorities. It puts our faith in things – material goods and our own efforts – that can’t succeed in making us happy, given how we’re built for relationship with God and others. But that faulty goal breeds more faults. In avarice’s case, the daughters Aquinas identifies include mercilessness (“It’s too bad I’m evicting that poor widow, but I need that rent money”), restlessness (“Are my investments earning? I’d better check the Nikkei one more time”), as well as deception, fraud, perjury, violence and treachery (“If I’m going to get that money, I can’t let anything or anyone stand in my way”). Each of the daughter vices represents the kinds of actions and traits that simply become the next, necessary thing to do, given avarice’s guiding end. All the other capital vices work similarly. And that’s what it takes to make the list.

CLASS NOTES Let us know what you’re up to! Update us at whitworth.edu/alumniupdate, email us at alumni@whitworth.edu, or write us at Alumni & Parent Relations Office, Whitworth University, 300 W. Hawthorne Road, Spokane, WA 99251. Submissions received March 1-Sept. 30 appear in the fall issue of Whitworth Today. All cities listed are located in Washington state unless otherwise noted.

2020s-10s

2021

Justin Stanton is a clinician with Frontier Behavioral Health in Spokane Valley.

2020

Jillian Hines is a security assistant for the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. Julie Lilienkamp founded Let’s CHAT, a consulting and educational services company in Hayden, Idaho. Bryn Redal is a community health navigator for MedZed in Spokane. Robin Schuh is an accountant for Environmental West Exploration in Spokane Valley.

2019

Misikir Adnew earned her master of public health degree in healthcare management from Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn. Michael Durka is in his first year of medical school at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine through Washington State University, in Spokane. Derrick Phelps is director of business development for The Quantum Group in Scottsdale, Ariz. Hunter Smit MBA ’20 is a marketing strategist for F5 Networks Inc. in Seattle. Andrea (Rupke) Smith and Brian Smith were married on Aug. 10, 2019. They live in Olympia, and Andrea teaches eighth grade English language arts and leadership in the Shelton School District. Christopher Zuniga is a nursing facility administrator at Creative Solutions in Healthcare in Big Spring, Texas.

2018

Melia Deters is a community connect coordinator for Community Action in Hillsboro, Ore. Miriam (Hamilton) Durr and Parker Durr ’19 were married on June 12. Sonia Klouse and Devon Clements relocated to Kansas City, Mo., where Sonia is a senior proposal coordinator at Wellington and Devon is a copywriter at J. Schmid & Associates. Gracie Miller is an account executive for Ethicon, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dylan Reyes is enrolled in the M.A. in mental health counseling program at Boston College.

2017

Bret DeGraaff and Dominique DeGraaff were married on May 23, 2020. Rachel Rogers, of Portland, Ore., published her first book, Tweet: The Great American Novelty. Kimberly Trask is a human resource specialist for Puget Sound Energy in Bellevue.

2016

Katie (McKay) Adams and Drew Adams were married on Aug. 8, 2018. Katie is a registered nurse and Drew is a physical therapist. They live in Missoula, Mont., with their German shorthair dog, Otto. Kimberly (Tadlock) Anderson and John Anderson were married on Nov. 14, 2020. Brittany Roberson is a communications coordinator at Gateway Church in Visalia, Calif. Jenna Reardanz, of Chicago, Ill., completed her Ph.D. in developmental sciences at the University of Alabama. Katie Waltar is a pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Reardan. She produces a weekly podcast, For Narnia and for Aslan. Angela Shope is senior director of development operations for Food for the Hungry in Phoenix, Ariz.

2015

Katelyn Andrews and Jesus Daniel were married on April 6, 2018. Katelyn earned her master of arts in teaching – elementary education from Western Governors University in April and teaches kindergarten. Tayler (Wood) Jakeway moved to Tri-Cities with her spouse to take a job in a new field; Tayler works on her art career in her free time. Kelley (Boblick) Olson teaches third grade at Oakville School District. Bethany Scharer is an emergency medical technician for AMR Corp. in Fife. Andriana Siefe earned her medical degree and is in residency at Kadlec Family Medicine in Richland.

2014

Kelsey Marcinko was a visiting assistant professor at Whitworth for 2020-21 and is now a tenure-track applied math professor at Whitworth. Alison (Larkin) McArthur is an executive assistant at Knudtsen Chevrolet in Post Falls, Idaho. Jeremy TeGrotenhuis MIT ’18, of Spokane, published his first novel, the epic fantasy The Hand of the Sun King, drawing inspiration from his study of history and philosophy at Whitworth.

2013

Emily (Travis) Shull earned her Ph.D. in exercise science from the University of South Carolina in August and is a clinical research coordinator at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville, S.C. (See story on P. 14.)

2012

Morgan (McQuilkin) Galle, of Spokane, completed her National Board teaching certification in English as a New Language. Benjamin Jones is 23

CLASS NOTES an international relations officer and English instructor for ITECH Lyon, in Lyon, France. Jess (Shirley) Loomer and Preston Loomer ’13 moved from San Diego, Calif., to Spokane. Jess is an outreach and administration specialist for SNAP; Preston is enrolled in Whitworth’s MIT program and plans to teach at a high school or college. Isabel Nelson works in Los Angeles, Calif., and was recently staffed as a writer on a broadcast television show. Alexa (Foster) Pamer and Nathan Pamer were married on Sept. 18, 2020.

2011

Ashley (Smith) Ashley and Brendan Ashley moved to Plymouth, Mich., where Ashley is associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth. She earned her master of divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and her master of social work from the University of Pittsburgh. Dawn Jamros earned a master’s of library and information science degree in 2015 and received Washington State Librarian Certification in 2021. She is a librarian at Mukogawa University’s Spokane campus. Taylor Warren and his spouse, April Warren, moved to Columbus, Ga. Malia (Walden) Ellcey and Daniel Ellcey were married on Dec. 12, 2020. They both work at L’Arche Spokane and live in community with adults with developmental disabilities. Mychal Zito is an operations manager for HP Inc. in Houston, Texas.

2010

Jesse Prichard co-founded Jubilee Hall, a nonprofit cafe employing people who are refugees and immigrants, providing job training, ESL instruction and access to future employment in Portland, Ore. Katy (Chapin) Foster is a Student Success specialist at North Seattle College. Philip Aldridge is an occupational therapist at Summit Rehabilitation Associates in Spokane. Kimmy (Stokesbary) Briggs is pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Lewistown, Mont. DEBUTS Ryker, to Heather (Lenhardt) Wilks ’15 and Adam Wilks ’15, July 20 Emma, to Alyssa (Crandall) Boileau ’14 and Matt Boileau, Nov. 10, 2020 Juniper, to Jessica (Madden) Bittner ’13 and Joseph Bittner, May 25 24

Samuel, to Morgan (McQuilkin) Galle ’12 and Skyler Galle, Nov. 8, 2020 Danielle, to Catherine (Cook) Tobey ’12 and Adam Tobey, May 22 Evangeline, to Sara (KilbourneBenson) Nkemontoh ’11 and Daniel Nkemontoh, Aug. 7, 2020 Edison, to Katie (Staudinger) Triplett ’11 and Andrew Triplett, April 3 Emma, to Taylor Warren ’11 and April Warren, April 27 Capri, to Mychal Zito ’11 and Natalie Zito, Aug. 24, 2018 Lucy, to Katy (Chapin) Foster ’10 and Ryan Foster, March 15, 2020

2000s

2009

Karen Dirks moved to Wilmington, Del., in 2020 to live closer to her granddaughter. Karen is an administrative specialist in the Office of Anti-Discrimination for the Department of Labor. Jennifer (Miller) McIntyre, of Spokane, is a medical billing specialist with Providence St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Medical Center. Kelsey (Thurman) Spear graduated from Gonzaga University’s family nurse practitioner master of nursing program in May. She relocated from Fort Leavenworth, Kan., to Schofield Barracks, Hawai‘i, and celebrated 10 years of marriage to Maj. Zackery Spear.

2008

Patricia (Rizzo) Meredith, of Spokane, published her debut novel, Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker, the first historical mystery in a planned Spokane Clock Tower Mysteries series.

2007

Megan Stone and Matthew Fritts were married on May 3, 2020. Colin Storm completed his Ph.D., took a job as assistant professor of communication at Pepperdine University, and married Anna Penner. They live in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Kenshiro Uki MBA ’08 and Sakura Uki were married in February and live in New York City. Kenshiro is executive vice president of operations for Sun Noodle North America.

2006

Heidi (Dole) Myers lives in Salem, Ore., and is using her business degree to assist her spouse with his interpreting business. She is also a book consultant for Usborne Books and More. Kadyn (Schmautz) Paya, of Lakeside, Mont., illustrated and published a children’s book, Who Built the Road, Daddy?, about Glacier National Park.

2005

Katie Linder and Benjamin Winter ’04 moved to Denver, where Katie joined the University of Colorado Denver as associate vice chancellor of digital strategy and learning. Tim Grassley is a communications manager for Student Success at the University of Colorado Boulder. Renée Roberts is a stay-at-home mom in Aptos, Calif. She serves as treasurer for the Soquel Parent Education Nursery School and on the MOPS leadership team at Twin Lakes Church. Margie (Jones) Strite, of Bothell, is a product marketing manager at Microsoft on the Commercial Cloud Marketing Team.

2004

Heidi Christensen MIM, of Liberty Lake, is the owner of Heidi Duty, which seeks to support military veterans and prevent suicide through non-medical caregiving. Bill Griffith M.Ed. ’16 is a clinical mental health counselor at Partners with Families and Children in Spokane. He loves summertime and boating at Priest Lake, Idaho.

2003

Jeanette Lantz is a psychologist at Cognitive Behavior Therapy Northwest P.C. in Tacoma.

2001

Peter Olsen, of Annadale, Va., graduated from the Army War College with an M.S. in strategic studies and is assigned to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

2000

Heather (Fletcher) Elder is assistant attorney general at the Attorney General’s Office in Seattle. DEBUTS Aster, to Megan (Stone) Fritts ’07 and Matthew Fritts, Feb. 5

CLASS NOTES Jonah, to Hannah Kimball-Fuller ’06, MIT ’11 and Evan Fuller, Sept. 16, 2020

ALUMNI PROFILE

Louise, to Kadyn (Schmautz) Paya ’06 and Julien Paya, June 30

MEGAN LAU

Charles, to Christopher Parkin ’05 and Kristina Parkin ’08, March 8 Everard, to Katie Carlson-Eastvold ’03 and Jonathan Eastvold, Jan. 29, 2020 Clyde, to Jonelyn Langenstein ’03 and Kurt Maekawa, Feb. 19 Eve, to Jamie (Helwick) White ’03 and William White, June 20, 2020 Becket, to Zack Brown ’02 and Katherine Brown, April 1, 2020 Callum, to Sarah (Hickinbotham) Rose ’01 and Robert Rose ’01, Aug. 4, 2020

1990s

1999

Nicole Polen-Petit is associate dean for the College of Letters and Sciences at National University in La Jolla, Calif. Lu (Beavers) Simpson worked at Whitworth from 1956-63 and returned to finish her B.A. degree in 1999. Her granddaughter is now a first-year student at Whitworth.

1998

Justin Childers finished his fourth unit of clinical pastoral education at CHI Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn., in May.

1997

Sherrie (Hodsden) Kendall is the early learning/early literacy specialist for Multnomah Education Service District, supporting literacy work in eight school districts in Portland, Ore.

1995

Emerlynn Lampitoc, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., is vice president of creative talent & content - film, for Universal Filmed Entertainment Group. (See story on P. 12.)

1994

Brian Scott ’94 is manager of Global Field Workforce Strategy and Employee Optimization for Pitney Bowes in Spokane. Gretchen (Kuntz) Scott ’95, M.A. ’20 earned her marriage & family therapy degree at Whitworth and opened a private

When it comes to efficiency, Megan Lau ’13 is all business. She found her calling in childhood while watching her father run a small business in Hawai‘i. “I was consistently thinking of the most efficient way to operationalize a process, whether it’s loading the dishwasher or bringing a large amount of groceries from the garage to the kitchen,” Lau says. “This translated easily to becoming a business management major at Whitworth.” After graduating, Lau applied at Amazon, where she advanced to her current position as senior business development manager. She manages business relationships and identifies new business partners, helping to grow Amazon with the largest accounts in the industry. Lau serves on the Seattle Leadership Team for the Whitworth Women’s Leadership Network, and she co-leads the Whitworth Career Trek program at Amazon, helping students gain exposure and access to tech jobs in Seattle. “I’m always looking for ways to improve processes so others have an easier time going through the same things that I’ve experienced,” says Lau, who provides students with insights into working at Amazon and living in Seattle, as well as how to prepare for an interview with the company. “Between my passion for process improvements as well as wanting to give back to the Whitworth community,” she says, “it was an easy choice to lead the Whitworth Career Trek at Amazon.” Lau’s top advice to those she mentors includes: Be authentic to yourself and your values; stand up for others; get a mentor (or five); know your worth and don’t be afraid to negotiate.

CLASS NOTES practice in Spokane. This year Gretchen and Brian celebrated 27 years of marriage and the graduation of their son, Jonah Scott ’21, from Whitworth.

1992

Kalani Fronda, of Honolulu, was appointed director of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ land assets division (Ka Pou Kihi Kanaloa ‘Āina). He previously worked with Kamehameha Schools for 22 years.

1991

Kristen Davis-Coelho lives in Reno, Nev., and is chief behavioral health officer at Northern Nevada HOPES. She creates legislation, policy and community initiatives to support those struggling with mental health and substance use disorders.

1990

Kari (Johnson) Sand M.Ed. taught for 39 years and retired from Mead School District on Aug. 31.

1988

Paul Vanderveen is vice president of real estate planning and development for Sun Health in Surprise, Ariz. He has three daughters, serves on the board of Archaeology Southwest, and is an honorary commander at Luke Air Force Base.

1987

Capt. Debra Arsenault, of Escondido, Calif., retired from the U.S. Navy and is a part-time staff OB/GYN at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. She and her family own and operate BriArs vineyard, which produces grapes for a local winery. Tommy Ellis teaches humanities for Seattle Christian School in Federal Way. Christopher Finnie retired in 2019 and is still serving Jesus. Lois Kotrous is a long-term care nurse at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Home in Butler, Mo. Karen Renner is the bridge pastor at Lacey Presbyterian Church in Lacey.

1985

Susi (Lindsay) Brumett and her spouse live in Arizona, where Susi volunteers with Bethany’s Gait Ranch, an organization that rescues horses and works with military families and first-responder families. Natalie Dong was named a Fellow of the American Psychological Association divisions of Rehabilitation Psychology and the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology, in recognition of outstanding and unusual contributions to the science and profession of psychology. She retired in 2021 to Helena, Mont. Kay (Lawhorn) Jones and Troy Jones, of Caldwell, Idaho, have been married for 38 years and have five children and nine grandchildren. Janet McDowell and her sister travel as much as possible and also care for their parents. Janet was diagnosed with leukemia in 2015 and is writing a memoir about her experience. Kelli (Johnson) Hastings is retired in Lemoore, Calif., with her terrier mix, Izzy. Her son, Tyler, passed away suddenly 2 ½ years ago at age 29.

1984

Erin (Fernandez) Austin, of Portland, Ore., was named senior vice president in her position as general counsel for David Evans and Associates Inc. and was appointed national chair for the American Council of Engineering Companies’ Risk Management Committee.

1982

Noma Hudson retired in June after 37 years with the Longview School District; for the past 14 years she was a building principal in Longview. Madeline Waid retired in 2019 as an anesthesiologist in Randolph, Vt. She and her spouse live in Valencia, Spain.

1981 Flying ace Scott Heinz ’89 drops in for Homecoming 1987.

1980s

1989

Maureen Chene-Andes, of Millwood, retired after working as an educator for Spokane Public Schools and for the Plummer-Worley School District, including serving as principal of Lakeside Elementary. 26

1986

Laura McMillan is chief of staff at Optum Health in Seattle. Kip Winans, of Troutdale, Ore., is now disabled and had to retire early.

Michael Calkins retired in 2019 from AAA and is enjoying life in Florida; he plans to return to Spokane in the next few years. Andrea (Knappen) Neault, of Port Ludlow, retired after 38 years teaching elementary school students. She plans to spend a great deal of time fishing.

1980

Todd Frimoth, of Portland, Ore., retired in 2019 after working in education for 39 years.

CLASS NOTES

1970s

1979

Mary Pat Lorente moved to Belgrade, Mont., in 2019 to be closer to her daughter’s family. She is office manager for Montana State University’s Office of Research, Economic Development & Graduate Education. Steven Sapp is vice president of research and development for Taiwan Semiconductor in Camp Connell, Calif. David Skinner MAT ’86, of Grandview, recently retired after a career in elementary music. He continues to play piano for his church praise team, and he enjoys doing community service projects, composing music and writing science fiction.

1978

Karen (MacKenzie) Baldwin-Kuntz retired after teaching music in the Riverside School District for 40 years. She also taught her last Elementary Music Methods class at Whitworth in spring 2020. Bev (Brown) Killion retired as an elementary school librarian in Elko, Nev. Her spouse, Bill Killion, is a state EMS representative and pastors Greater Life Church. Steve Linn, of Richland, retired in 2015 after teaching for 30 years in the Kennewick School District. He and Linda (Nelson) Linn ’78 have been married for 43 years; they have two daughters and four grandchildren. Kathy (Sellman) Peterson is retired and lives in Bandon, Ore., with her best friend and partner. She enjoys her three granddaughters, fishing, crabbing, doing jigsaw puzzles, walking and cooking.

1977

Pete Hagstrom retired in April as director of logistics for B. Braun Medical Inc. in Fountain Valley, Calif. His retirement goals include traveling; spending time with his spouse, Melanie (McGill) Hagstrom, his children and grandchildren; and enjoying sporting activities. Keola Kana-Wung, of Kailua, Hawai‘i, retired in May as an investigator for the Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission.

1976

Christie (Hein) Morris and her spouse, L. Scott Morris ’77, live in Washougal, where Scott is treasurer and a trustee

for Agape Christian Academy. They enjoy spending time with their four children and their grandchildren.

Becker taught Storytelling: Secrets and Powers! with her spouse, Jim Becker, at Whitworth during Jan Term 2021.

1975

1967

Bonnie Sue Lewis, of Dubuque, Iowa, retired in 2020 after a 40-year teaching career; she is professor emerita of mission and world Christianity at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. Janice (Crandall) Smith, of Mead, teaches private piano lessons and is director of the Spokane Piano Competition. Her family includes her spouse, Michael Smith ’74, three children, three grandchildren and several cats.

1974

Marlene (Madefind) VanBrocklin retired and lives in California after serving for 40 years in Bolivia, Perú, Miami, Montreat College, Honolulu and Sri Lanka.

1972

Brad Beal M.Ed. ’76 and his spouse, Kathy (Keen) Beal ’71, live in Spokane, where Brad is president of Spokane Area Retired Educators and presidentelect of the Washington State School Retirees Association. Carol (Isaac) Huebner and her spouse, Mike Huebner, of San Antonio, Texas, were appointed to the CONNECT National Cabinet by Lutheran Hour Ministries, which equips volunteers to proclaim the gospel worldwide. Mark Snelling and Sue (Julian) Snelling ’71 live in Bremerton. Sue retired from teaching and Mark retired from MultiCare Hospice; he is executive director of GO on the Mission. Their three daughters (all Whitworth grads) and six grandchildren live nearby. Elona (Hatcher) Teague lives in Manson. She enjoys spending time with her three high-school-aged grandchildren and her 3-year-old grandson.

1960s

1968

Packard Brown, of Centennial, Colo., published an article in the spring issue of InTrust magazine; he teaches a course, The Minister’s Job-Hunting Field Guide: Bivocation and Beyond, for Lancaster Seminary. Joan (Quall)

Paul Chaffee, of Santa Rosa, Calif., founded and edited The Interfaith Observer for 10 years, publishing more than 1,500 interfaith stories by authors of various faith traditions. Roger Gray MAT ’68 closed his political consulting business and moved to Tucson, Ariz., with his spouse, Kris Gray, where he enjoys sun, golf and travel.

1965

Phil Eaton is president emeritus of Seattle Pacific University. He and his spouse, Sharon (Kahl) Eaton ’64, M.Ed. ’75, live in Scottsdale, Ariz. Phil is an active writer, mentor, consultant, spouse and father of three children (including two Whitworth alumni). Betty (Garrett) Steinbach does morning warmups and rehearsals

ALUMNI CONNECTION

THERE BE PIRATES AMONG US Thanks to the alumni who identified potential Pirates for the Alumni Referral Scholarship, 21 new Pirates began their Whitworth journeys this fall with an extra $1,000 scholarship. This bountiful booty is renewable annually. Keep the referrals coming! If you know of a current high school sophomore or junior who would make a great Pirate, let us know at whitworth.edu/alumni-referralscholarship. Referrals must be submitted before Aug. 1 of the summer leading into the student’s senior year of high school. 27

CLASS NOTES online with Sacramento Valley Chorus, a chapter of Sweet Adelines. The chorus is scheduled to perform in Hawai‘i in December.

1964

Francie (Herrett) Irwin is a greatgrandmother to two little girls. She is retired from nursing and medical practice management in Moses Lake. Mary (Purdon) Sanford and her spouse moved to Waco, Texas, to be closer to family.

1962

Helen Foster is a retired college science professor and lives in Santa Fe, N.M. Lois (Stewart) McDonald is retired and lives in Riggins, Idaho, where she has reestablished and maintains the library for Salmon River Community Church. Ann (Miller) Moore retired from nursing and lives in Pinole, Calif. She treasures the friendships she enjoyed with her professors and the life lessons she learned at Whitworth. Larry Pilcher retired after a great career teaching elementary and high school, and coaching and teaching at Whitworth, where he also served as director of church relations.

1961

Verna “Dusty” (Stillman) Black, of Wenatchee, has 22 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. She enjoys nature, crafts and playing viola for people who are homebound. William Bronson D.Min. ’08 established the Enlighten Education Co-Op in Lehigh Acres, Fla., to improve educational outcomes for K-12 public school students. Judy (Boppell) Peace published a book, Glimpsing the Eternal. Her four children and four grandchildren live on the East and West Coasts and her foster daughter lives in Hawai‘i. She and her spouse, Richard Peace, split their time between New England and California.

1950s

1959

Al Jones, of Danville, Calif., is a retired professor of medicine and anatomy and associate dean at the University of California Medical School in San Francisco. 28

A sextet performs in 1964 for “Hub Night.” From left: Pam (Spear) Scruggs ’64; Margaret “Peggy” Kim ’64; Karen (Saldin) Collins ’64; Walter “Walt” Oliver ’67; Edker “Eddie” Matthews ’65, M.Ed. ’71; and William “Bill” Duvall ’65.

1958

Mary (Latimer) Lee is an active resident at Wesley, a retirement community in Des Moines, Iowa. She enjoys having former classmates Davey Crockett and Dorothy (Tonseth) Crockett, both ’59, at Wesley also. Richard “Dick” Waddell, of Farmington, Maine, is active in his church and community, and he plays tennis regularly.

1953

Harry Lewis lives in Sacramento, Calif. He just passed the 90-year mark and is still moving!

IN MEMORIAM

IN MEMORIAM Obituaries received March 1-Sept. 30 appear in the fall issue of Whitworth Today. Bolded names without class years indicate those who attended Whitworth but did not graduate. All cities listed are located in Washington state unless otherwise noted.

2000s The Rev. Michael Kane ’07, of Spokane, died Aug. 31. Survivors include his spouse, Brenda Kane. Ricky McDuffieDrayton ’05, of Spokane Valley, died Sept. 28.

1990s Kari (Harder) DeMarco MIT ’91, of Wenatchee, died March 20. Survivors include her spouse, Andy DeMarco. Charles Kerl ’92, of Spokane, died July 19. Survivors include his spouse, Holly Kerl. Toby Bingham M.Ed. ’96, of Bandon, Ore., died May 7. Erin (Cole) VerHoeven ’98, of Snohomish, died Sept. 6. Survivors include her spouse, Stephen ’97. Patrick “Pat” Stretch ’99, of Spokane Valley, died May 30.

1980s Mike Charles ’82, of Forest Grove, Ore., died March 1. Survivors include his spouse, Judy (Koth) Charles ’81. Cathy Tao-Alexanderson ’83, of Arlington, died Jan. 27. Survivors include her spouse, Randy Alexanderson. Janelle Case ’84, of San Francisco, died April 2. Ellen Bernardo M.Ed. ’85, of Liberty Lake, died April 17. Survivors include her spouse, Gary Bernardo. Helen (Lynam) Bonser M.A. in applied behavioral science ’85, of Spokane, died June 10. The Rev. Richard Miller ’88, of Arco, Idaho, died July 18. Survivors include his spouse, Dianne Miller. Venny (Olson) Sullivan ’88, of Spokane, died Feb. 11. Survivors include her spouse, Mike Sullivan.

1970s Arlene (Pugh) Olson M.Ed. ’70, of Mesa, Ariz., died April 16. Daryl (Pepper) Stingley ’70, of Edmonton, Alberta, died Aug. 14. Survivors include her spouse, Jay Stingley. Gail (Boulton) Storey ’71, of Tacoma, died March 23. Gerald Bell ’72, of Chewelah, died

June 7. Survivors include his spouse, Patti Bell. Neil Callahan ’72, of Seattle, died Sept. 19, 2020. Survivors include his spouse, Sharon Callahan. Charles Randolph ’73, of Sandpoint, Idaho, died March 16. Anthony Antonucci ’74, of Lynden, died Feb. 18. Survivors include his spouse, Carmen Antonucci. John Gradwohl ’74, of Lincoln, Calif., died July 23. Survivors include his spouse, Cynthia Gradwohl. The Rev. David “Dave” Milotta ’74, of Waialua, Hawai‘i, died Sept. 7. Survivors include his spouse, Sandra “Sandy” (McLarren) Milotta ’73; son, the Rev. David Makana Milotta ’05; and sister, Gaye (Milotta) Tate ’77. Dana Besecker, of Columbia Falls, Mont., died Aug. 14. Ronald Camp, of Yucaipa, Calif., died Dec. 15, 2020. Survivors include his children Ronald Camp, II ’85 and Staci Knight ’87. Boyd Sharp ’75, of Umatilla, Ore., died June 29. Grace Walton ’75, of Spokane, died Feb. 21. Mary (Whiteside) Dewey ’76, M.Ed. ’79, of Yorba Linda, Calif., died June 2. Roger Gehrig ’76, M.Ed. ’79, of Spokane, died July 22. Survivors include his spouse, Luanne Gehrig. John Alston M.Ed. ’77, of Prineville, Ore., died Aug. 11. David Daboll M.A. in applied behavioral science ’77, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, died May 4. Ken Judd M.Ed. ’77, of Spokane, died March 15. Joanne (Lancaster) McGoldrick M.Ed. ’77, of Spokane, died April 18. Ronald Chadwick ’78, of Spokane, died May 31. Dennis Olson M.Ed. ’78, of Spokane, died July 3. Survivors include his spouse, Sharon Olson. Robert “Rob” Peterson ’78, of Salem, Ore., died July 31. Carol Jacobson ’79, of Oakland, Calif., died July 17. Dwight Pflugrath ’79, of Peshastin, died July 11. Survivors include his spouse, Rosemary (MacDougal) Pflugrath ’67; daughter, Jillian (Pflugrath) Bass ’13 and son-inlaw Jeff Bass ’12. Mark Wiser ’79, of Elk, died Sept. 13. Survivors include his spouse, Kate Wiser MIT ’01.

1960s Dennis Hagen ’60, of Newberg, Ore., died March 18. Survivors include his spouse, Janet Hagen. Edward Peery ’60, M.Ed. ’68 of Ulen, Minn., died March 5. Janice (Everson) Rieger ’61, of Redmond, died March 17. Andrew “Andy” Tsoi ’61, of Puyallup, died May 15. Clifford Whitlow ’61, of Salem, Ore., died Feb 11. Mary (Vonderwahl)

Hansen ’62, of Tacoma, died April 11, 2020. Survivors include her son, Scot Crandal ’93, and her daughter-in-law, Karen (Gruber) Crandal ’91. Ruth Ann (Ferrall) Dalley ’63 died April 11. Victor Rodriguez ’64, of Hermitage, Tenn., died July 30. Survivors include his spouse, Elaine (Morrill) Rodriguez ’60. Judith “Judi” (Simanton) Stabler, of Portland, Ore., died March 28. Survivors include her spouse, David Stabler. James “Jimm” Edgar ’65, of the San Francisco Bay Area, died July 14. Survivors include his spouse, Bettie Edgar. Gerald “Jerry” Falk ’65, M.Ed. ’71, of Colville, died Aug. 18. Survivors include his spouse, Doris (McCammant) Falk ’62, M.Ed. ’70. Gary Jantz ’65, of Ritzville, died March 7. He was preceded in death by his spouse, Kay (Clinesmith) Jantz ’66. Survivors include his daughter Dione Jantz ’93. Adam Seideman ’65, of Boise, Idaho, died Feb. 18. Survivors include his spouse, Kathleen Seideman. Chuck Holtz ’66, of Ellensburg, died Dec. 3, 2020. Eleanor (Tocaben) Howes ’66, of American Falls, Idaho, died May 20. Janice (Schulz) Jones ’66, of Spokane Valley, died Sept. 6. Wes Leid Jr. ’67, of Dayton, died May 8. Survivors include his spouse, Katie Leid. Betty Jean (Schmidt) Mewhinney ’67, MAT ’70, of Spokane, died June 17. James “Jim” Meyer ’66, of Deary, Idaho, died Sept. 26. Lanny Clegg ’67, of Spokane, died Aug. 8. Survivors include his spouse, Julie Clegg ’70; sons Kenneth Clegg ’92 and Shawn Clegg ’94, MIT ’00; a daughter, Joy (Clegg) Miller ’96, M.Ed. ’02; and granddaughter Mackenzie Clegg ’19. Phyllis (Wilmeth) Shaffer ’67, of Spokane, died July 17. Survivors include her spouse, Fred Shaffer ’65. Harley George ’68, of Queen Creek, Ariz., died Dec. 27, 2020. Survivors include his spouse, Nancy (Felice) George ’67, and his daughter, Nicole (George) Dobmeier MIT ’00. Elva (Dike) Mote ’68, M.Ed. ’73, of Spokane, died Jan. 21. Ralph Prouty Jr. ’68, of Spokane, died April 26. Richi Caldwell M.A. ’69, of Spokane, died June 3. Ronald “Ron” Cramer ’69, of Coburg, Ore., died Feb. 5. Survivors include his spouse, Patricia “Pat” (Harrison) Cramer. Judy (Housekeeper) Kuss ’69, of Walnut Creek, Calif., died Sept. 29, 2020. Survivors include her spouse, Herb Kuss. Carol Snow ’69, of Liberty Lake, died June 22. 29

IN MEMORIAM

1950s The Rev. Charles “Chuck” Bovee ’50, of Sitka, Alaska, died March 18. Survivors include his spouse, Edie Bovee; daughter Michelle Masters ’78; and sons Michael Bovee ’78, Mark Bovee ’83 and Spence Bovee ’84. Esther (Gray) Fraser ’50, of Mount Vernon, died Feb. 14. Survivors include her spouse, Brainerd Fraser. Jeanette (Hannon) Graham, of Santa Barbara, Calif., died Sept. 14, 2020. Survivors include her spouse, Stan Graham ’50. Muriel (Stover) Bailey ’51, of Davis, Calif., died June 14. Dick Guthrie ’51, of Spokane, died April 3. Betty Schneidmiller ’51, of Minocqua, Wis., died Oct. 8, 2020. Lewis “Holland” St. John ’51, of East Wenatchee, died June 3. Joanne Terry ’51, of Friday Harbor, died Jan. 28. Survivors include her spouse, Tom Metke. Patricia Dole ’52, of Moscow, Idaho, died July 21. Norma (Bjorneby) Bennett ’52, of Memphis, Tenn., died March 6. Her spouse, Donald “Pete” Bennett ’53, died July 5. The Rev. William “Bill” Creevey ’53, of Portland, Ore., a former Whitworth trustee, died Aug. 24. Survivors include his spouse, Gladys (Aeschliman) Creevey ’53. Shirley Harlan ’53, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, died May 18. Jack Bishop ’54, of Portland, Ore., died Sept. 23. John Love ’54, of Garfield, died Sept. 17. Survivors include his spouse, Susan (Oliver) Love ’71. Alice (Reeve) Powner ’54, of Huntsville, Mo., died July 12. John Spalek ’54, of Haverford, Pa., died June 5. Oscella “Ann” (Caldwell) Gage ’55, of Centralia, died Sept. 20. Survivors include her children Jenny (James) Barker ’78, William James ’84, and Kathryn (James) Novasky ’81 and her spouse Robert Novasky ’81; and grandchildren Anneke (Barker) Pitini ’04, Rebekah (Novasky) Prior ’04 and her spouse, Matt Prior M.A. in theology ’16, Michael Novasky ’07 and Lydia James ’20. Catherine (Weber) Reasoner ’55, of Spokane, died June 2. She was preceded in death by her spouse, Al Reasoner ’55. Survivors include her children, Don Reasoner, Nancy (Reasoner) Schiller, Carolyn (Reasoner) Ward ’86, and Tina (Reasoner) Amado ’90, M.Ed. ’03 and her spouse, Joe Amado ’92, MIM ’03; and grandchildren Daniel Amado ’16 and Vanessa (Amado) Amorim ’18. Charles “Chuck” Rowan ’55, of Fort Bragg, Calif., died Aug. 16. Survivors include his spouse, Dorothy 30

Rowan. Arnold “Arne” Stueckle ’55, M.Ed. ’62, of Spokane, died Sept. 3. Survivors include his spouse, Diane (Banks) Stueckle ’65; son Matt Stueckle ’01 and daughter-in-law Jennifer (Ratcliff) Stueckle ’99; and daughter, Kelli (Stueckle) Friedlander ’02. Bob Ward ’55, of Dallas, Texas, died June 28. Survivors include his spouse, Joyce (Ross) Ward ’55; daughter Shannon (Ward) Lichty ’79; and son-in-law Mark Lichty ’77. Wayne Barnard ’57, of Canton, Ohio, died Nov. 14, 2020. Survivors include his spouse, Marcy Barnard. Mary Ludtke ’57, of Stockton, Calif., died Jan. 25. Dennis Seibold ’57, of Little Elm, Texas, died May 29. Survivors include his spouse, Anna Suella “Sue” Seibold. Harold Martin ’58, of Waterloo, Iowa, died July 22. Survivors include his spouse, Ruth Martin.

1940s Correction: Joyce (Warren) Starrett ’45, of Redmond, died Feb. 8. She was preceded in death by her spouse, Dr. Jack Starrett ’45, and her son Robert Starrett ’72. Survivors include her daughter, Cindy (Starrett) Rach ’69, and her son Richard Starrett ’77. Joyce’s father, Frank Warren, served as president of Whitworth from 1940-1963. Whitworth Today regrets the error. Alvin “Al” Buchholtz, of Newcastle, died July 12. Survivors include his spouse, Sylvia (Setters) Buchholtz ’51.

EMPLOYEES & FRIENDS Harry Miller, of Pleasanton, Calif., died Aug. 10; former football coach. Survivors include his wife, Georgianne Miller. Clarence Seely, of Spokane, died Aug. 30; former maintenance supervisor for the physical plant (now facilities services). Louise Seely, of Spokane, died Aug. 30; office manager for the physical plant (now facilities services) 1969-99. Arnold Stueckle ’55, M.Ed. ’62, of Spokane, died Sept. 3; alumni director, placement director, associate director of admissions 1962-66. (See alumni in memoriam, above.) Carolyn Williams, of Spokane, died Sept. 13; systems analyst 1991-2018. Survivors include her spouse, DJ Williams.

You will find this land acknowledgment plaque in The Loop, near Warren Hall.

PAYING OUR RESPECTS The Whitworth campus resides on the original homeland of the four bands of the Spokane Tribe of Indians. This land acknowledgment formally recognizes the tribe as the first custodians of the land. The statement’s creation originated through the initiative of Bryn Cavin, Anna Peterson, Nadia Sarfraz and Esther Tsai, all Class of 2020. Whitworth co-established the land acknowledgment in partnership with the Spokane Tribe along with support from the university’s Dornsife Center for Community Engagement. Tribal elders provided “first voice” representation for the statement, which includes words and phrases from the Salish language to honor the tribe and their culture. The land acknowledgment is read at formal university events at the discretion of the president. To hear the statement spoken in both Salish and English, visit whitworth.edu/land-acknowledgment. 31

WHITWORTH UNIVERSITY 300 W. Hawthorne Road Spokane, WA 99251

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SPOKANE, WA PERMIT #387

ROLLOVER Use the IRA rollover to your advantage – tax-free. If you are over 70 ½ years of age, you can use your IRA to make a gift to Whitworth and receive tax benefits in return. Find out more about this win-win that gives as good as it gets. whitworth.giftplans.org