N e w s f r o m U n i o n C o l l e g e s u m m e r 2 0 0 7N e w s f r o m U n i o n C o l l e g e s u m m e r 2 0 0 7

Travel� � Purpose

with�aTravel� � Purpose

with�a

Also . . .● Nursing in Nicaragua● IRR students find service and adventure in Venezuela● Home School Sneak Peek

Also . . .● Nursing in Nicaragua● IRR students find service and adventure in Venezuela● Home School Sneak Peek

UNION STUDENTS, STAFF AND ALUMNI MAKETHE MOST OF THEIR JOURNEYS

. . . build the future with ForeSight.

The past was built with vision . . .

You have worked hard for your assets during your life.

A valid will or trust gives you the ability to determine how those assets are

distributed at your death to the individuals and organizations of your

choice. Using a bequest in your will or trust is simple; it gives you the

ability to make changes and may even offer tax advantages.

To find out more about eight generally accepted methods of bequests, please request

our complimentary e-brochure “How to Make Effective Bequests” by contacting

Todd Mekelburg or visiting

www.ucollege.edu/advancement/plannedgiving.

It takesForeSight...

Todd MekelburgDirector of Leadership Giving

Union College3800 South 48th Street Lincoln, NE 68506

402.486.2503 or tomekelb@ucollege.edu

CORDCORDmagazine staff: Jacque L. Smith Director of Public Relations/Editor

Steve Nazario Director of Visual Communications/Designer

Scott Cushman ’03Assistant Director of Public Relations/Assistant Editor

Kristina Johnson ’06Kate Simmons ’06Rachel Turner ’07Graphic Design Assistants

Becky Dewey ’07Jimmy Phillips ’08Todd Richardson ’07Lauren Bongard Schwarz ’04Kate Simmons ’06Tara Taylor ’08Rachel Turner ’07Tompaul Wheeler (’95)News Writers

Articles and photos as credited.

p Indicates more information is available onUnion’s Web site or read CORDmagazine online:www.ucollege.edu/cordmagazine.

Union College Alumni AssociationOfficers and Board Members:

Darrel Huenergardt ’65 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PresidentDavid Nowack ’76 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .President-electLoren Dickinson ’57 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Past President Gale ’72 and Sheryl Rivinius ’73 Page . . . . Board members at largeCleo Johnson ’58 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Golden Club PresidentGreg ’00 and Kim Childers ’01 Steiner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOLD Rep ’98-’07Dan Klein ’90 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Class Rep ’78-’97Joann Herrington ’74 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Class Rep ’58-’77Jim ’56 and Patricia Gordon ’57 Spaulding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Class Rep up to ’57Janya Nordgren Mekelburg ’86. . . . . . . . . . . . .Alumni Activities DirectorLuAnn Wolfe Davis ’82 . . . . . . . . . . .Vice President for Advancement

About the cover: For 42 years, Jerome Lang ’65 has providedbus transportation for Union College groups.Photographer: Steve Nazario

© 2007 Union College all rights reserved. No material may be reproduced without permission.CORDmagazine is published as a service to UnionCollege alumni and friends. We encourage readersto submit letters and article ideas. Please sendinquiries, submissions and address changes to:

CORDmagazine Union College 3800 South 48th Street Lincoln, NE 68506 or alumni@ucollege.edu

Editorial/4 Campus News/5

CORDmagazine 3

CORDVol. 72, No. 2 Summer 2007

Escaping the TouristTrap/15Shelanne Bunker Lighthouse ’98

Six continents and counting/24

Nursing in Nicaragua/26 IRR students in Venezuela/28

Class-ifieds/31 In Memory/32

photo: Steve Nazario

Christianity in WorkingClothes/20

Ralph S. Watts Jr. ’56

photo: courtesy of Ralph S. Watts

Road Warriors/10Recruiting team

rallies students for Union

www.ucol lege.edu

photo: Steve Nazario

magazinemagazine

Investing in Union One Bus

Ride at a Time/18Jerome Lang ’65

photo: courtesy of Shelanne Lighthouse

4 SUMMER 2007

he first year of retirement was sup-posed to be quiet. However, I retireda year ago from the GeneralConference Office of General Counsel,but remain “of counsel,” meaning I’mon-call for both the GeneralConference and the North AmericanDivision. During the last 12 monthsthat role has taken us to 13 countrieson four continents. Most recently, itled to the Fifth World Congress of theInternational Religious LibertyAssociation, held in Cape Town inMarch. This visit, like many before,included one of my favorite travelpleasures: reuniting with friends andco-workers from hither and yon. Thistime, it was Mutuku Mutinga ’65, nowField Secretary for the Eastern AfricaDivision. Dr. Mutinga has had a distinguished career serving thechurch in both academic and adminis-trative capacities. He’s also a formerclassmate—a Unionite. When wemeet, usually somewhere in Africa, wemay burst into a round of “Dear OldUnion, Loyalty To Thee,” and watchthe cognitive dissonance develop inthe rest of the group.

This was not an isolated experi-ence. I’ve encountered Unionites fromIceland to Indonesia to Idaho and ahost of other places on every inhabit-ed continent. Those encounters haveled me to four conclusions.

First: Union has had a disproportion-ate impact on our world church.

Unionites are everywhere! Just look atthe Golden Cords display sometime,and think about the number represent-ed and the proportion to total churchmembership and workforce. The per-centage of church employees fromUnion is far greater than its enrollmentthrough the years would lead one toexpect.

But Union’s contribution to thechurch is not only numbers: it’s qualityas well. Union has produced the sortof leadership that was—and is—need-ed. My sense is that something in theUnion experience produces a produc-tive combination of idealism and prag-matic realism that has served us well.One of my most rewarding experi-ences in church service was as amember of the Christian View ofHuman Life Commission, tasked todevelop positions on a range of bio-ethical issues: abortion, in vitro fertil-ization, surrogate parenthood, activeand passive euthanasia, etc.* Amongthe voices of calm rationality that per-vaded those sometimes divisive discus-sions were those of Beatrice and RalphNeall (former faculty) from UnionCollege. Their contributions were lowkey, modest and invaluable.

Second: Union is still at it. Leadersfrom Union are not merely a productof years gone by. I recall an e-mailinquiry from a Union student who wasconsidering law school. He asked whatI did, how I did it and if he could

EDITORIAL TRAVEL WITH A MISSION_______________________________________________________________________________

TT

photos: courtesy of Mitchell Tyner

Mitchell ’63 and Patsy Monzingo Tyner ’63 visited the former royal palace in Seoul lastDecember.

n my more fanciful daydreams, I’ve often thought of what Iwould do with unexpected wealth. The first luxury idea thatcomes to mind in my what-if scenario is always the same: travelwith family and friends to exotic destinations. I would like tothink I would do some good along the way and then someworthwhile philanthropy when I return (including, of course, alarge gift to Union College), but I must admit, my first thoughtis usually of the wonders of the world I long to experiencefirst hand.

In this issue of CORDmagazine, we examine travel as aspringboard for doing more than checking off sites on a must-see dream vacation list. You will meet the college’s recruitingroad warriors who share Union’s spirit all over the world while

inspiring the next generation of Unionites (p. 10). You will seehow results of a young graduate’s experiences in Africa stretchbeyond her weeks away from home (p. 15). Stories from aworld travel veteran will give you a taste of mission and devel-opment service in a few of the numerous countries he has vis-ited. From the open road miles on Jerome Lang’s bus (p. 18)to mission flights in Venezuelan villages (p. 28), Union travel-ers are finding ways to shape adventures into an investmentthat outlasts souvenirs, suntans and snapshot smiles.

Before you begin your journey through this issue, I inviteyou to hear from Mitchell Tyner ’63 who explains how hisyears of travel have led him to four conclusions about hisbeloved alma mater.

Introduction by Jacque L. Smith, Editor

II

What travel teaches me about Unionites By Mitchell Tyner ’63

helli Johnson wrote the book on beinga senior. Elected class president at thebeginning of the year, she found she did-n’t know what was expected of her. “Ihad to track down what duties I neededto fulfill and who I needed to work with,”Johnson said. “I wanted next year’s officers to be able to build on my experiences and make the position more meaningful to the officers, the class andour community.” From those beginnings,she compiled a how-to guide for future officers and organized a class-sponsoredcommunity service event she hopes willbecome a tradition. That’s the sort of initiative and stewardship that made theweekend of May 11-13 bittersweet asUnion College said goodbye to the Classof 2007.

“Every year we lose campus leaderswho have developed to a point thatmakes them seem irreplaceable, then eachfall new leaders,” said Rich Carlson, vicepresident for spiritual life. “Our job is tonurture and develop the God-given talentsof our students and empower them inservice as they leave Union and becomeactive in society and the church. Themembers of this year’s class have shownsuch incredible leadership throughouttheir years at Union that we hope God issending some pretty incredible students togrow into the gaps left behind.”

For some students, just graduatingwas an act of historic leadership. Uniongranted the first master’s degrees in itshistory to 23 physician assistant studiesstudents. Michael Liebelt and Leslie deFluiter similarly made history, earning thefirst Bachelor of Science degrees fromUnion’s newest field of study, internation-al rescue and relief.

Two Union alumni, Calvin (’54) andSue (’54) Krueger, were honored for their

community leadership and accomplish-ments in commercial enterprise. Fifty-three years after exchanging school formarried life, the Kruegers were grantedhonorary degrees in business administra-tion during the same ceremony in whichtheir grandson, Christopher Krueger, graduated with a Bachelor of Science inbusiness administration.

In total, 199 associate, baccalaureateand master’s degrees were conferred on185 graduates. Of this group, 13 studentscompleted two degrees, one earned threedegrees, and six graduated as UnionScholars, which requires advancedcoursework, community service and original research.

Graduation is as much a beginning asan end. Still in her cap and gown follow-ing commencement, Dana Connell talkedabout moving on to whatever her futureholds. “I know this sounds weird, but, asmuch as I like Union, I already look backat college and think, that’s a young thingand I’m ready for grown up things.” ~SC

CAMPUS NEWS_____________________________

photos: Steve Nazario

expect to serve the church in the legal profession. We had sev-eral exchanges of e-mail, in which I detected in him the modernversion of the same high ideals of service that I encountered atUnion half a century ago. He should be finishing law schoolabout now, and I’m interested to see where his career path maylead. From my observation, Union is still producing the productthat the church needs.

Third: I’m thankful the Lord, through His church, guided me toUnion College. The combination of solid doctrine and practical

nuts-and-bolts preparation for actual pastoral functions was justwhat I needed.

Fourth: Having duly considered the previous three points, Iwant to support Union College, and I hope you share that dedi-cation. By word and deed we must help Union keep on keep-ing on, to continue tradition that has been so remarkably help-ful to the church for over a century.

*These position statements are available on the General Conference Web site:pwww.adevntist.org/beliefs.

Union says goodbye to the Class of 2007SS

Calvin and Sue Krueger are honoredwith degrees in business administration.

Recognized for her leadership andorganization, Aileen Schuh was hired byUnion’s Division of Health Sciencesbefore finishing her business degree inDecember.

Dharmawan Sentosa, Sirak James andAntonio Lopez share their enthusiasmbefore marching.

Sara Arnott, Darby James and RillaWestermeyer celebrate completing theirdegrees.

CORDmagazine 5

CORDforKKiiddss

With over 130 species of trees oncampus, Union College is loved bysquirrels. This time of year, squirrelsare busy all over campus finding nutsand hiding them for the winter.Follow the maze below to help thesquirrel find the perfect hiding spotfor her acorns.

CORDfor

6 SUMMER 2007

CAMPUS NEWS_____________________________

Squirrel Searchn all walks of life we have chal-

lenges that we face,” says Amber whograduated from Union in 1992.* “Someof those challenges are visible to theeye, while others creep beneath. It hasalways been difficult for me to bringtogether my thoughts and feelings. I findstrength in knowing that I do not standalone when I have an ADD [attentiondeficit disorder] day.”

Amber found the help and supportshe needed at Union’s Teaching LearningCenter (TLC). “The guidance and direc-tion I received from the TeachingLearning Center helped me becomemore of who I am than any of the class-es I took at Union College,” Amber said.“The classes got me where I am, but theTLC made me who I am.”

The TLC opened in 1978 to serve stu-dents with academic differences. The cen-ter offered career guidance, tutoring, andcounseling. It was the first program of itskind offered by a Seventh-day Adventistcollege or university. That was almost 30years ago.

Today the TLC is committed to

TLC: 30 years of academic coaching

“I“I

Two communicators from UnionCollege were recognized during theInternational Association of BusinessCommunicators (IABC) awards luncheon.Marcia Ashcraft ’07, received an IABCStudent Bronze Quill Certificate of Merit forher work on a press kit for Jerry Cahill’sCystic Fibrosis Podcast through a marketinginternship at the minnow PROJECT (see

article p. 9). Jacque Smith, director of pub-lic relations, received the Bronze QuillAward for the Project Impact 25 media kit.The entry for this project received the onlyperfect score for projects from the Lincolnand Omaha IABC chapters.

In June, Smith was also named a 2007recipient of the Lincoln Business Journal 40Under 40 Award. This is the second year aUnion College employee has been a 40Under 40 Award winner; Lisa Forbes,accounting professor, was a 2006 recipient.

For the first time, Union College’s nursingprogram began admitting new students inboth the spring and fall. “Given our nurs-ing program’s high completion rate andreputation, we have more talented appli-cants than we can serve with only oneadmission cycle per year,” said MalcolmRussell, vice president for AcademicAdministration.

“Over the last several years, we have

admitted classes of 28, 30, and even 36 stu-dents,” said Jeff Joiner, chair of the healthsciences division. Those numbers placed astrain on a program designed for only 24incoming students per year.

To meet the demand, the college priori-tized expanding the program’s human andphysical resources, hiring two new facultymembers last summer with plans for more.This allows the program to now accepttwo classes of 24 students each yearinstead of one class of 30. Over time, thismove will bring a 60-percent increase innursing enrollment.

“I love it here at Union,” said JasonOdenthal, one of the students admitted inthe spring. “Expanding the program madeit possible for me to stay.” ~SC

For more campus news visit pwww.ucollege.edu/cordmagazine.• First Book-Union College receives grant• Students launch Virtuous Women ministry• Chris Blake releases new book: Swimming Against the Current

providing reasonable accommodations forstudents with disabilities, supporting themtoward their academic and personal suc-cess. Reasonable accommodations includeaudio books and note takers for class;proctors, readers, and scribes for exams;and assistive technology. TLC students alsohave access to peer tutoring and academiccoaching, through which they develop timemanagement, organization, good studyhabits and effective communication. As aresult, students’ lives are transformed.

“I found strength in learning how todeal with the struggles of a learning disabil-ity,” Amber said. “The TLC opened my eyesand helped make me successful.” ~KC

*Name has been changed to respect privacy.

Next year the Teaching LearningCenter celebrates its 30th anniversary.If the TLC impacted your life whileyou attended Union and helped youbecome who you are today, pleasecontact the center’s director withyour story so we may include it as apart of our celebration: DebbieForshee-Sweeney, 3800 S. 48th St.,Lincoln, NE 68506, 402.486.2506,deforshe@ucollege.edu.

Celebrate with us

High demand spurs growth in nursing

Communication awards

CORDmagazine online

Lisa Forbes and Jacque Smith

photo: Steve Nazario

CAMPUS NEWS_____________________________

CORDmagazine 7

or the second year, Union hostedSneak Peek (April 26-28), an eventfocused on introducing home-school stu-dents and their parents to college life.Much like College Days for academy sen-iors and Preview Days for high schooland transfer students, Sneak Peekincludes touring the campus and Lincoln,sitting in on classes, learning about finan-cial service options, making new friendsand experiencing the campus’ ambiance.

“We started Sneak Peek because apersonalized approach is what Uniondoes best,” said Paula Carlson, EnrollmentServices operations manager. “Home-school students have different needs andquestions than high school and academystudents. The more we can tailor theexperience to their needs, the more aptthey are to connect with people here andfeel at home.”

With shrinking enrollments atAdventist academies, Union has recog-nized a need to target more diversegroups of students than it once relied on.Home-school enrollment tripled in theUnited States between 1993 and 2003and continues to grow.* Because of theinfluential role of Seventh-day Adventistssuch as Raymond Moore in the foundingof the home-school movement, home-school educational practices and theoriesare closely aligned with the tenets ofAdventist education. Sneak Peek is oneway Union shows home-school families

that college doesn’t necessarily mean giv-ing up their belief in a personalized andcaring education.

“One parent who brought a group ofstudents said that some of them hadn’teven been interested in college,” Carlsonsaid. “After Sneak Peek, the entire grouphad decided to attend college, and manywere planning on Union.”

“Union College has a lot to offerhome-school students,” said Rob Weaver,vice president for Enrollment and StudentFinancial Services. “Our small campusfamily allows for more one-on-oneinstruction and a flexible and accommo-dating environment to match the students’needs. Home-schoolers have had verydifferent educational experiences thanhigh school students and are accustomedto the individual attention larger schoolscan’t provide.”

Part of that flexibility regards educa-tional records. “Students at this eventoften ask how to translate everythingthey’ve done for the last four years into atranscript,” said Marci Scott, one of theevent’s student organizers. “Few schoolsgo out of their way to answer questionslike that.”

“Because home-schooled studentshave a less standardized education, col-leges are often reluctant to accept them,”Weaver said. “At Union, we want them toknow they are welcome on our campus.”

“The high level of spirituality is awe-

some,” said Rebekah Harris, a visitinghome-school student. Union’s atmosphereof spiritual growth is key to attractinghome-schooled students, with one thirdof home school families in the U.S. citingreligious reasons for keeping their stu-dents at home.

Another prospective student, IzraiasUribe, echoed the importance of spiritual-ity in his college choice. “I really hope Iget to come to Union,” Uribe said. “It’s aplace to find God and life long friends.”

“As a mother of a potential student, Iwas greatly impressed by the atmosphereand the quality of the staff and students.Students seem genuinely happy here,”Cora Grannan said. “Sometimes home-school families get overlooked, but youmade us feel special.” ~SC

* According to a 2003 study conducted by theNational Center for Education Statistics, the mostrecent data available.

photo: Steve Nazario

A Sneak Peek of a home away from home FF

Marci Scott, Kortnye Hurst, Lhorraine London, Paula Carlson, Anna Balsanek, BrittanyMiller and Jeaneen Gates comprise the hosting team that helps Union put its best footforward during events like Sneak Peek.

2007-2008 Campus Calendar

New Student Orientation Aug. 16-19

Registration Aug. 20

Fall Semester Classes Begin Aug. 21

Project Impact Sept. 6

Fall Preview Days Oct. 4-7

College Days Nov. 4-6(MAU academies)

Parents Weekend Nov. 9-11

Registration Jan. 7

Spring Semester Classes Begin Jan. 8

Homecoming Weekend Apr. 3-6

Spring Preview Days Mar. 27-30

Home–School Sneak Peek Apr. 17-20

Graduation Weekend May 9-11

8 SUMMER 2007

CAMPUS NEWS_____________________________

Homecoming 2007 Highlights

II

photo: Steve Nazario

nspired by the front campus landmark,the theme for Homecoming 2007 was“Meet at the Rock Pile.” This theme isalso the name for the for Union College’sonline community, the Rock Pile (see inforight). Featured speakers for the weekendincluded Greg Hodgson ’82, Ron Carlson’77 and Kermit Netteburg ’67. Other high-lights included Valentino’s buffet, campusluncheons and the Hanging of theGolden Cords vespers. The weekend wascapped off with an ice cream social onSaturday night. To view photos from theweekend including honor class groupshots, go topwww.ucollegecommunity.org/home-

Homecoming 2008Save the date: April 3-6

Make plans now to attendHomecoming 2008. Many specialevents are being planned especiallyfor you. Honor classes are 1948, 1953,1958, 1968, 1978, 1983, 1988 and1998. Registration information will beavailable by November. For moreinformation, contact the Alumni officeat 402.486.2503 or e-mailalumni@ucollege.edu.

Gather at the Rock PileThe Rock Pile Alumni Community

(pwww.ucollegecommunity.org) hasexceeded the goals set for its firstyear, with 1,043 registered users, aboutone eighth of addressable alumni.Rebekah Rogge Westermeyer ’97 wasthe 1,000th user to register and won aUnion College shirt. Visit the Rock Pilefor yourself and post updates, contactlong-lost friends, and start receivingUnion’s e-mail newsletter, Around theClock News. To log in for the firsttime, all you need is your constituentID number found on the back of thisissue of CORDmagazine.

edication to Union and the lure of thegreen caused 57 golfers to brave 25-degreeweather and gusting winds to play in the2007 Wayne Fleming Union College GolfClassic at Woodland Hills Golf Course.

Despite the blustery conditions, thisyear’s event had the second highest participation in recorded history of thetournament, trailing the mark of 62 set in1995. According to Ric Spaulding, Union’sathletic director, the chilly conditions werenot unusual. “We’ve had some decentweather from time to time,” commented Spaulding, “but this has been pretty typical for the tournament.”

Janya Mekelburg, alumni activitiesdirector, says a lot of credit for the highturnout should be given to Rob Beck ’01.Beck works in the finance department atShawnee Mission Medical Center.

After seeing the tournament barelybreak even the last couple years, Beckdecided that Union was missing out on agreat fundraising opportunity. He startedsmall by involving his employer, ShawneeMission Medical Center, and before long hehad garnered a sponsor for every hole.

“I haven’t been involved with verymany tournaments that weren’t fundrais-ers,” said Beck. “I thought it would be agreat way to make money for Union andbring people together from the community.”

Spaulding said Beck’s efforts led to suc-cess. “This year’s tournament has raised

over $8,000 for the athletic department andthe worthy student fund,” he said. “Thedollars raised came from Rob’s hard workgathering sponsorships.”

Beck said he hopes to have the tourna-ment grow even larger and more profitablenext year. “Hopefully we can get morepeople involved and pass the $10,000mark.” ~JP

Championship Flight Team WinnersTerry Bock and Phillip Thompson (current student)

First Flight WinnersTony Scott ’99 and Marcus Mullins ’99

Golf tournament raises $8,000

DDphoto: Emily Yancer

CORDmagazine 9

arcia Ashcraft sits with her stitched brown heelskicked up on a footstool in her advisor’s office. Originating from Florida, she’s a senior business

administration major with it all–including 50 adorable pairs ofshoes in her closet and a very bad case of senioritis.

Now that the rays of graduation are starting to peek aroundthe angry clouds of homework, Ashcraft’s looking forward toeternal summer doing exactly what she loves: marketing.

She’s gotten a taste of the professional world this yearwhile interning at the minnow PROJECT, a Lincoln advertisingagency, and she savors every bite.

During group projects throughout her school career, there hasalways been at least one slacker. But it’s not like that at the min-now PROJECT, says Ashcraft.Everyone’s going for the A+.

“We work hard, play hard anddo good work,” Ashcraft sayswhile leaning back in her chair.“We hold each other up and areaccountable. I really feel like Ibelong.”

Ashcraft was introduced tothe minnow PROJECT throughBusiness Field Day, an annualevent organized by the UnionCollege Business and ComputerScience Club. The event provideseach junior and senior in theDivision of Business andComputer Science a job shad-owing placement to expose students to careers in their majorand to network with local busi-ness leaders.

Ashcraft spent the day at the min-now PROJECT and even contributed toa creative meeting when asked heropinion. As she was leaving the officewith a stack full of business cards,Ashcraft knew she’d found her dreamjob. She’d also left behind a positiveimpression with the boss, Marty Hager.

“Marcia exudes confidence, whichmade her stand out immediately,”Hager said. “She got my attention rightoff the bat, and then I spent a coupleof months trying to figure out if shewas for real.” Confidence in the guiseof hot air is typical. Confidence createdfrom intelligence, preparation and atten-tion to detail is not, Hager explained.“Once I figured out she had all thetools for greatness, we just had to reelher in.”

“Union didn’t set me up with my internship, but providedme with the tools I needed to find the right one,” Ashcraftsaid, citing two classes—Creative Leadership and BusinessPolicies—as especially helpful in preparing her for the profes-sional world. “I followed up, with the business division facultyand staff cheering me on.”

A few days before Ashcraft was scheduled to start theinternship at the minnow PROJECT, she confessed her nerv-ousness to her advisor and associate professor of business,Barry Forbes. “I’m just scared that I don’t have what it takes,”she told Forbes.

“It’s OK to be nervous,” he replied, adding a phrase she’llalways remember. “If the experience isn’t a little bit scary, it

will be a huge waste of timebecause you won’t be learninganything new.”

Now Ashcraft is definitelyhooked on the minnow PROJ-ECT. “It’s small enough thateverybody has a say in whathappens,” Ashcraft says with asmile.

“Marcia’s work is always builtaround a solid foundation ofresearch; she makes informeddecisions we can count on,”Hager said.

So far, Ashcraft loves that itis so hard to get bored at theminnow PROJECT. She hasassisted with the marketing ofseveral of the agency’s clientsand was given the creative leadon an awareness project for

Jerry Cahill, a man with cystic fibrosis.Causing progressive disability and earlydeath, cystic fibrosis affects 30,000American lives. Cahill has created a pod-cast to raise awareness about the diseaseand encourage others that have the afflic-tion. In 2006, the average life expectancyin the United States of someone with cys-tic fibrosis was 37 years old. Cahill is 50years old and a miracle, says Ashcraft.She’s excited to be able to lead the teampromoting his cause. (To listen to Cahill’spodcast, check out www.jerrycahill.com.)

Ashcraft hopes one day to see Cahill ona TV interview and know she helped makethat happen. “It’s really cool to see yourwork in society,” Ashcraft says, her eyesgleaming. “It’s good to see your work out inthe world making a difference.”C

HOOKED ON THE MINNOW PROJECT_____________________________________________________________________________________________by Becky Dewey ’07

Marcia Ashcraft was introduced to the minnow PROJECT, aLincoln advertising agency, by job shadowing on the Divisionof Business and Computer Science’s Business Field Day. Theexperience helped her land an internship for the school year.

MM

by Kate Simmons ’06 photos by Steve Nazario

10 SUMMER 2007

Recruiting team rallies students for Union

Recruiting team rallies students for Union

Anatomy of a recruiting tripEach year, recruiters from 14

Adventist colleges across the UnitedStates visit more than 100 academies,interacting with seniors and explainingthe strengths and attractions of theirrespective institutions. The tour lastsfrom September to the end of January,with a packed schedule mitigated onlyby breaks for Thanksgiving andChristmas.

Rob Weaver, Union’s vice presidentfor Enrollment and Student FinancialServices, explained that preparation foracademy tours includes booking flights,hotels and rental cars—usually through atravel agent—as well as packing promo-tional materials such as brochures andview books, a photography book show-casing Nebraska, a DVD and a laptop toplay it on.

Unlike scheduling for academy tours,recruiters are responsible individually forplanning follow-up visits. “We make allthe arrangements,” Weaver said. “Wecommunicate with the academy’s princi-pal and class sponsor, find out whenseniors will be there and not on trips,and book travel on our own.”

All in a day’s workWinning a race depends not only on

initial energy, but on staying power.

Perhaps the best proof of the enduranceof Union’s recruiters is their ability totake unexpected and often strange hur-dles in stride.

Nathan Shields, enrollment advisor,fell asleep in the passenger seat asanother recruiter was driving fromBoston to Maine during the AtlanticUnion tour. When he awakened, theywere in Vermont. “Which is not on theway to Maine,” Shields emphasized. “Weraced through the night to get to PineTree Academy 20 minutes before thecollege fair began.”

Katie Carlson, junior communicationmajor, traveled to Dallas, Texas, for JustClaim It World Youth Prayer Conferenceas part of Union’s presence there. Sheexplained to one interested passerbythat Union College is in Nebraska. “Sheasked me what country that was in,”Carlson said.

Weaver and Richard Young, assistantenrollment advisor, recently followed sixleads in Missouri over only two days.While speaking with a public schoolsenior, police entered the school andlocked the doors to perform a drug raid.The recruiters’ 45-minute interview withthe prospective student was extended by20 minutes because the school was stilllocked down. “The next morning, wemet with a young lady in an Amish

ecruiters show prospective students the Unionexperience that keeps current students coming back.These are Union’s recruiting road warriors, pavementpounders and marathoners: staff and students who,through traveling ministries, guest appearances andpersonal visits to academies, public high schools andhome schools, carry the torch of Union’s unique andvibrant spirit to young people across the nation.

RR

nathan shields

By the numbers:

Last year Nathan spent the equiva

lent of

two weeks in a car covering 20,00

0 miles

plus 40,000 air miles.

Traveler’s pet peeve:

Being awakened when you’re lying a

cross

three seats to be asked if you want

a drink.

Airport I would least like

to be stuck in and why:

A dark cloud of evil surrounds O’H

are.

The things in my carry-on bag

I can’t live without:

iPod shuffle, my journal (yes, I journ

al)

and my laptop for those long layov

ers.

Buell Fogg

Rob Weaver

CORDmagazine 11

community, another young lady ata Christian academy, and another atthe convenience store where sheworked. All in a day’s work,” Young said.

The most seasoned of recruiterson the Union College team is BuellFogg, assistant to the president anda longstanding member of theenrollment team. A significantnumber of students who havematriculated through Union tracetheir initial contact with the col-lege back to him. “Buell is hands-down the road warrior of UnionCollege,” Weaver said.

In his 17 years of recruitingexperience for Union, Foggnamed two medical incidents asthe most challenging: First, heended up in the emergency roomwith a nasty reaction to medicinehe was taking for a sinus infection.He left the hospital in time toascend the podium for his gradua-tion address at Campion Academy,but admits to feeling like “a limpdishrag.” Second, another reaction toan antibiotic—this time in Dayton,Ohio—landed him in the emergencyroom from 2-4 a.m., after which hegot up at 7:30 to preach two sermonsat Kettering church. “Another limpdishrag experience. But God has beenfaithful in blessing me with goodhealth—despite the drug reactionsmentioned above. Those were not Hisfault,” Fogg said with a laugh.

What UC is what you getWhen a college’s current students

are as enthusiastic about promotionas are the salaried employees, theschool obviously has something spe-cial. At Just Claim It youth prayerconference in Dallas some ofUnion’s strongest recruiters were stu-dents sharing their experiences.

“The best part of telling peopleabout Union is that you don’t haveto ‘sell’ them on it,” Carlson said.“Union is so awesome that you canjust tell them the truth. That’s whyI’m at Union—because people toldme how much they loved it.”

The college’s booth at JustClaim It included a rock climbing

wall. The wall, an educational tool ofthe international rescue and relief major,was one of the biggest attractions at theyouth conference. “I’m not sure it wasfair competition to the other booths,”said Sierra Phillips, senior social workmajor. “It certainly piqued interest in our programs.”

In addition to specifically recruitment-driven tours, traveling ministries involving drama, music andthe personal testimonies of studentsmake great strides in connecting withyoung people considering their optionsfor higher education.

“I have been a part of MatchboxMinistries, which is a group that goes tohigh schools and spreads the good newsabout Christ and Union,” said MicHenton, a sophomore theology major. “Iknow a couple of students who havechosen to go to Union because of theteam I was on.”

“Union is a remarkable place withremarkable people, but without Christwe would just be another common college. Christ enhances all aspects ofUnion: academics, athletics, professionaltraining,” Phillips continued. “He is present in everything.”

Tracking the fieldHoning an efficient and effective

recruiting strategy doesn’t happen overnight. Among more temporal notes on awhiteboard in Weaver’s office are thewords, “The meaning of communicationis the response you get.” Determiningthe best way to retrieve response is anever-evolving process.

“Here’s the biggest challenge inrecruiting,” Weaver said. “You knowwhether you did a good job once ayear. There’s not a lot of feedback in theinterim.” Currently, the best gauge ofrecruiting success is the number ofenrolled students each fall. A sophisticatedadministrative software system will beimplemented next year that will moreprecisely track prospective students.While Weaver feels recruiting goals aremet very well, he acknowledges that thedeclining number of academy seniorshas presented a unique challenge. Newmarketing angles and a fresh look at target demographics are necessary just

Buell Fogg

Airport I would least like to be

stuck in and why:

If you have time to spare, fly O’Har

e.

By the numbers:

Last year Buell traveled 141 days, 8

8,202

air miles and spent a total of two w

eeks

in an airplane or airport.

Most unusual question about Union:

Are you guys near skiing?

The things in my carry-on bag I ca

n’t

live without:

Healthy snack foods, reading mater

ial

and my computer.

rob weaver

Most frequently asked question

about Union:

It’s in Nebraska? Where’s that?

Best conversation starter with

a person on a plane:

Where’s home for you?

Number one indicator

of a traveling novice:

Too much carry-on luggage.

The things in my carry-on bag

I can’t live without:

An extra Blackberry battery.

Nathan Shields

12 SUMMER 2007

to keep enrollment even. “We’re doing that,” Weaver said.

“Expanding the nursing program hashelped. The international rescue and reliefmajor is attracting many students from outside the Mid-America Union. Do wewant to grow? Of course. And we’re tak-ing steps to position ourselves to do that.”

In nearly two decades of experience,Fogg has learned that as athletes stretchbefore a run, flexibility in recruiting isalso essential. “Kids do change as timepasses,” he said. “Learning what thosechanges are and adapting to meet thecareer needs of prospective studentsrequires focus and determination.”

The finish linePart of what makes Union’s staff and

student recruiters so effective is thediversity in their definitions of success.“When a student is sold on Union andrealizes this is where he or she can getthe best preparation for a career, thengraduates with glowing results—that’s thebest part of recruiting,” Fogg said.

“How do you define success?” askedPhillips. “I define it as any experience

where I am able toshare the love ofGod and how it is aliveand well on Union’scampus.”

During this past year,Shields visited Mt.Vernon Academy andseven of the seniors hespoke to enrolled atUnion in the fall.“Experiences like myreturn trip to BlueMountain Academy—where one student cameto Union—was extremelyamazing because that onestudent could lead to fouror five to Union next year,”he said.

Henton’s advice for suc-cess is simple: “Be yourself. People loveUnion because of the atmosphere. Theylove the student body, and they love itbecause it’s real.”

As the world changes, growing wearyof false impressions and overloaded by

RICH CARLSONAirport I would least like to be stuck in and why:Woja [Marshall Islands] because it closesdown after its weekly flight and thatwould be a long wait!

Best airport to get stuck in and why:Lincoln, because I could just go home.Biggest lesson from travel:Pack light.

Components of my dream vacation:Going with my wife to see our moms or kids or grandkids, or just staying home!

CORDmagazine 13

Richard Young David Smith

During the Just Claim It prayer conference

in February,

10 students and five staff shared Union Col

lege with

more than 2,000 booth visitors in the Dallas

Convention

Center. To capture attention from the energetic young

crowd, Union’s 800-square-foot booth inclu

ded a hot-

shot mini basketball machine and a climbing wall.

Over three and a half days, more than 900 visitors

climbed the 25-foot wall sampling skills that reflect

Union’s international rescue and relief pro

gram.

photo: Jacque Smith

the static of presumptive claims, authen-ticity becomes more and more an attrib-ute of the winning team. As Carlsonsummarized, “Honesty, openness and agood experience are the best recruitingtools.”C

What was your most interesting experience traveling on behalf of Union College?

Seeing the Pope, getting bitten by a piranha, watchinganimal sacrifices, baptizing people in the Amazon, seeing the prospective students I have visited whenthey become students at Union—there have been somany experiences that I’m not sure which one to pick.

One of my best experiences was helping fly a plane to Siberia, where we left a student missionary andrecruited for the college. Then I was able to watch one girl for whom we found sponsors as she came toUnion, flourished, was baptized and became a productive member of our church.

What was your worst experience?

I don’t have any worst experiences. They are all justlearning experiences!

What has to happen for you to feel successful in yourtraveling?

I have to make it home. I have to know that Union’spresence in the world is clearer. (And we have to havemore students at Union the following year!)

What have you learned while traveling for Union College?

I’ve learned that Union has a very good reputationaround the world with those who have heard of us. We are still unknown to too many. I’ve also learnedthat Union is a good place to come back to.

Rich Carlson is Union’s vice president for spiritual life. Fulfilling this role takeshim around the world on the college’s behalf, both by recruiting students fromthe most remote places in the world and by helping Union College give back tothese same areas through student missionaries. Whether he’s crossing state linesor oceans, Carlson is one of the most recognizable faces of Union College.

richard young

Most frequently asked question

about Union:

Oh, you guys are from Atlantic Union

College? No, just Union. Oh, you mean

Columbia Union College? No, still just

Union. Oh, you mean the one in Canada?

No, not Canadian Union College, just

Union!

Best conversation starter with

a person on a plane:

Do I have something on my face? (

Make

sure you have something on your fa

ce.)

Traveler’s pet peeve:

Sitting next to a big fella who asks y

ou if

he can lift up the arm rest. No, you

can’t

lift up the arm rest!

David smith

Airport I would least like

to be stuck in and why:

O’Hare–too many planes and peo

ple

and unpredictable weather.

Number one indicator

of a traveling novice:

No knowing what to do when the

y go

through airport security.

Biggest lesson from travel:

The best travelers, like the best

Christians, are flexible people who

see

challenges as opportunities to learn

and to do God’s will.

Rich Carlson

14 SUMMER 2007

helanne Bunker Lighthouse grew up in Africa,the child of missionary parents, and lived in

Tanzania until she was eight. “I was pretty youngwhen we left, but I was old enough to remember,and I’d always wanted to go back and find outwhat it was like to be there as an adult,” saysLighthouse. “I went into nursing specificallybecause I wanted to be a missionary nurse.”

What she got was so much more than a nursingdegree and a trip back to her childhood home.

After graduating from Union in 1998, Lighthouseworked stateside for a year and a half. Then shetook the plunge and accepted a position at HeriAdventist Hospital in Tanzania. “I wanted to volun-teer somewhere, and I’d always wanted to go backto Tanzania,” says Lighthouse. “I didn’t really havea clue what I was getting into.”

During her nine-month service, Lighthouserelearned everything she thought she already knew.“My nursing training was geared to help me workin the United States not in Africa,” remembersLighthouse. “Here we have chronic diseases; theyhave malaria, intestinal parasites and things wedon’t deal with, so I had to learn the medicationsall over again.”

When Lighthouse returned to school in the UnitedStates to earn a master’s degree, she decided to pursuean independent study degree in international health.Through her younger sister’s adviser at Loma LindaUniversity, Lighthouse spent six weeks in 2005 as anurse consultant at a Rwandan hospital helping withquality assurance issues.

“It was a different kind of involvement. As aconsultant, I wasn’t directly involved in care,” saysLighthouse. “The plan was that I’d go over there,work with them for a little bit, and then come backand keep in touch via e-mail.”

Africa grips the heartof a mission nurse.by Lauren Bongard Schwarz ’04photos courtesy of Shelanne Lighthouse

Africa grips the heartof a mission nurse.

CORDmagazine 15

SS

16 SUMMER 2007

Working out the detailsIn summer 2006, Lighthouse decided to return to Africa to

check on her contacts’ progress. “I bought tickets for sixweeks, without having a plan for what I was going to do dur-ing that time,” says Lighthouse. “I wanted to touch base withthe hospital, but I didn’t have a plan for the six weeks.”

When she received a fundraising letter from a friend atUnion inviting her to help sponsor his mission trip throughShareHim.org, Lighthouse visited the group’s Web site for moreinformation. On the trip profile, she noticed several remainingopenings for speakers. A flashing icon lit up the screen. “It said,‘Seven hours left to apply,’” laughs Lighthouse. “I was looking atthat, and there’s no other way tosay it except I just felt the call ofGod. I had this burning desire tobe involved in this evangelisticcampaign. I had never done any-thing like it in my life.”

The evangelistic series, inIringa, Tanzania, ran from May26 through June 11, in the mid-dle of Lighthouse’s planned trip.Her dilemma of how to spendher time in Africa was suddenlysolved.

Lighthouse called her hus-band, Harvey, and told him ofher new plans. His supportencouraged her to apply, and infewer than 24 hours—a merefour days before her plane tookoff—she was approved to jointhe campaign. Never mind shehad no preaching experienceand lacked the required equipment.

Others on the trip suppliedthe needed projector and lap-top computer, and she didsome quick work to make theprewritten sermons her own.“It was a lot of preaching in ashort time, there was so littletime to prepare,” saidLighthouse. “But God workedout the details. It was an awesome experience.”

Lighthouse is eager to do another evangelistic series. “It’san incredible experience, working alongside God every day allday long. It’s your total focus. I saw people who were so dedi-cated to His cause,” says Lighthouse. “After 16 days, 45 peopleat my site—just a tiny village—were baptized. It basically dou-bled their congregation.”

Building relationshipsNot content to only fill the church, Lighthouse is trying to

build one as well. With the congregation’s dramatic increaseafter her evangelistic series, the group no longer fits insidetheir original church. The members asked her to help raisefunds for a new house of worship. Lighthouse is finding thisharder than baptizing people into the church. “I’m passionateabout it—I’ve been over there,” says Lighthouse. “I love the

people and get excited about the possibilities. But I’ve foundpeople don’t like to give to something they don’t have a per-sonal connection to.”

Lighthouse’s personal connection to the African people wasstrengthened by her early visits. “My life has been so impactedby the generosity and hospitality of the people. My first threevisits, I traveled as a single woman. Many people asked me,‘You would travel by yourself? Aren’t you scared?’” Lighthousesays. “But most of the people are wonderful; they’re helpfuland hospitable.”

Lighthouse recalls being invited into the homes of so manyindividuals, and says she never had to buy her own food

while traveling in Africa. “Icome back every time won-dering what our lives wouldbe like here if we valued andtreated people so richly,” shesays. “They are honored andoverjoyed to have me as partof their lives, and it just blowsme away.”

Regular contact helpsLighthouse bridge the 9,000miles between her Washingtonhome and her African friends.

“After my year there in2000, I started getting involvedin sponsoring students,” saysLighthouse. She began by pay-ing half of the school bill fortwo students. She now spon-sors in full three students. In2005 and 2006, Lighthousetraveled to see her students atschool and check on theirprogress.

This May, Lighthousereturned to Africa with family.She and her husband workedat the hospital in Rwanda, andthen traveled with her brotherto Tanzania to visit their spon-sored students and preach anevangelistic series of theirown.

She and Harvey also packed school supplies. “On my lastvisit, I went to one of our Adventist schools and saw that theyhave nothing in the way of resources,” recalls Lighthouse. “Athome, we have bookcases full of books, and this schoollibrary has nothing. We are one family, and we have morebooks than they have in the school library.”

Lighthouse is also taking with her boxes of excess feltsfrom her church’s kindergarten division, and she is working tofind ways to bring other useful materials to the schools andchurches she works with.

Making an impactThis spring, Lighthouse visited the hospital in Rwanda to

encourage their efforts in improving quality of care. As part ofher master’s thesis research, Lighthouse is working to developa system of quality assurance checks within the hospital. Unlike

“When I travel now, I go with a

purpose. It’s not just me going to see

the country; I’m going to make a

difference in someone’s life.”

“When I travel now, I go with a

purpose. It’s not just me going to see

the country; I’m going to make a

difference in someone’s life.”

Making an impact

Working out the details

Building relationships

During a Share Him Evangelistic Campaign in a small villagenear Iringa, Tanzana, Shelanne Bunker Lighthouse ’98 preached18 sermons in 16 days with the help of an interpreter. “I havedone a lot of traveling in Tanzania, but this was the most awe-some experience I’ve had in Africa,” she said.

CORDmagazine 17

American hospitals, which are monitored by state and govern-ment quality controls, African hospitals are in the process ofcreating better across-the-board health care standards.

While these standards are what Lighthouse was initiallyasked to help create, and what she is still working toward, shefound reality called for a more elementary approach. “I discov-ered the hospital was so far behind they weren’t ready toimplement the changes. I’ve been talking to them, educatingthem, giving presentations and working alongside them,” saysLighthouse. “I’ve pointed out universal precautions, measureshealth care providers can take to protect themselves from dis-eases like AIDS, such as needle safety and wearing gloves.”

While these items may seem like common sense,Lighthouse knows it’s more a matter of schooling. “Their edu-cation system is based on rote memorization, so it’s a chal-lenge in itself to get them to see there’s a problem,” she says.”

Lighthouse would like to live in Africa for at least a year tohelp tackle the problem of trust. “My first stay was six weeks,but it took three weeks for me to develop the trust level forthem to listen to me,” she says. “Then I had the trust, butthere wasn’t much time to make an impact.”

Even through the time constraints, Lighthouse sensesimprovements. “I feel God has been leading,” says Lighthouse.“It’s interesting to go back and see how much good has stuck;the hospital was better last time I visited; it was cleaner and

more organized. There are still a lot of problems, but it’s asmall step.”

Lighthouse’s husband, a civil structural engineer, is key toanother small step at the hospital—providing a clean, consis-tent water supply. This spring, he will tackle the hospital’sunreliable water system and see what improvements he canoffer to increase the hospital’s quality and quantity of water.

“After having these experiences, I don’t really like to travelfor the sake of travel. It’s so much more meaningful to go tomake a difference in others’ lives and to develop personalcontacts,” says Lighthouse. “Experiences such as growing up inTanzania, building a church in Mexico and participating in amedical mission trip to Peru with Union geared me to keephelping others. When I travel now, I go with a purpose. It’snot just me going to see the country; I’m going to make a dif-ference in someone’s life. I love to travel, but I’ve discovered Ilove it even more when I have a sense of mission.” C

What Can You Do?

t’s one thing to be concerned,” says Lighthouse,“But it’s more beneficial to take an interest in some-thing specific and stay committed.”

Alongside mission trips, letters of support andother long-term, relationship-building contacts, finan-cial assistance is a great need. Lighthouse advisescharitable contributions through an organization suchas a church or aid organization to encourage account-ability and ensure your financial support reaches theright group or person.

Most non-profit organizations exist to help others.Unfortunately, good deeds aren’t always repayed withkindness. If you decide to donate, there are a feweasy steps you can take to help protect yourself fromfraud.

• Research the charity. Make sure you’re donatingto a legitimate non-profit organization in good standing.

• Request a copy of the charity’s annual report. Less than 10 percent of funds should go towardexpenses; high administrative costs keep your donation from being passed on to those you are trying to help.

• If you are donating via the Web, make sure the site uses encryption technology before entering sensitive information such as your credit card number or bank information. Call or e-mail the nonprofit before you donate if you are unsure.

• Always review the charity’s privacy policy. You have a right to know who is collecting your personal information and how they plan to use it.

• Ask for a receipt for tax reasons and your personal records.

• Be wary of e-mail or phone solicitations. Some charities will contact previous donors via e-mailor telephone, but do not respond unless you are familiar with the organization.

• Donate directly to aid organizations to ensure your money goes where you want it to go.

• After a natural or manmade disaster, new charitiesoften surface. Work through an established non-profit, such as the American Red Cross or Adventist Development and Relief Agency to help disaster victims most efficiently and decrease your risk of being taken advantage of by unscrupulous charities.

For more information on how to partner with achurch in Africa, contact Shelanne Lighthouse atslighthouse36@yahoo.ca.

“I“I

Lighthouse’s care for her friends in Africa lasts beyond her trips. She and her husband are sponsoring three students includingJohosaphat who attends the Adventist university in Tanzania.

t was my first Unionaires tour. Bus travel was new to me. I didn’t attend an Adventist academy and had never expe-

rienced a choir trip. I was fairly enamored with our elevation,a few of us chorusing, “From way up here, you all look like littleants,” as our driver maneuvered the bus around the nervous-looking drivers of compact cars in tight traffic. Air conditioningmade for easy napping, and built-in video screens didn’t exactlymake the trip laborious.

Yet what stands out in my mind as truly novel was the har-mony. As the sun went down on Friday night, cornfields blend-ing into city lights and then into open highway outside ourwindows, we all started singing. First it was “Sanctuary,” then“Amazing Grace” or “The Old Rugged Cross.” I don’t remember

which. Our voices integrated as if the music had a mind of itsown and knew Sabbath was beginning. Textbooks were putaside in the filtering light and we found four parts to sing har-mony in a way that had nothing to do with the pressures ofperformance or practice hours or grades. It was just us. It wasjust Sabbath. It was just the open road.

I wasn’t the only one touched by the music. Jerome Lang hashad 42 years to determine his favorite aspect of driving the busfor Union College’s choir trips, and the customary but unofficialsundown song services rank among the top.

Lang has driven approximately half a million miles for UnionCollege and College View Academy choir, band, athletic andmission trips since he graduated from Union in 1965. “I had driv-

II

by Kate Simmons ’06photos by Steve Nazario

Jerome Lang transports the messageand mission of Union College

Jerome Lang transports the messageand mission of Union College

18 SUMMER 2007

en transport when I was younger,” he said.He drove Union College’s aging bus for fiveyears, until the college decided the bus wasno longer roadworthy. “They chartered for ayear, then I made them an offer that I wouldbuy a bus. I didn’t think it would turn into 42years.” He purchased a bus and offered UnionCollege his services at half the price of char-tering a bus. Then, in 1995 when he bought anew bus, he decided he would charge thecollege nothing at all.

After graduating from Union with a busi-ness administration degree, Lang was offereda position as assistant treasurer for the IowaConference. “I really thought I might go intochurch work,” he said. “But I was older, andmy children were older; there was a lot toconsider. A friend of mine who worked in thechurch told me, ‘You don’t have to beemployed by the church to further God’swork.’ I always kept that in mind.”

Through the years, Lang put his businesstraining into action through entrepreneurialventures. Currently, he owns and managescommercial properties through his Lincoln-based business, J.S. Lang Enterprises. In addi-tion, he has business interests in multiplestates.

When one stops to observe the manyways Jerome and his wife, Ramona (’65), haveused their success to benefit Union College

through the years, any list ordescription seems inade-quate. The Langs were lead-ership donors in Union’scapital campaign to build the

Ortner Center. They werealso among the first to identify

themselves as members of ForeSight, which serves as ameans for individuals to include the college as part of their will.

“Jerome Lang is one of the most selfless people I know,” saidDavid Smith, president of Union College. “His altruistic spirit hasbeen evident for many years at Union College where he has pro-vided bus service, significant financial support and wise leader-ship on our board.”

The Langs have made a lifestyle of aiding Union Collegewith every type of resource. After paying a degree’s worth oftuition, many graduates are more than satisfied to call it even,but Jerome always wanted to do more. “I was old enough whenI came to school to realize that folk who came ahead of me hadbeen generous.”

Lang arrived at Union College at age 31. Already a husband

and father of three by this time, he recognized that the facilitiesof the college institution and its affiliates such as Helen Hyatt,the Adventist elementary school his children attended, would nothave been there to benefit him if others had not made sacrifices.“It just costs money to operate a school. The Lord’s been goodto me and blessed me, which has made it possible for me tobenefit others.”

As vital as financial support is to the maintenance andprogress of Union College, his time and interest in the collegeare also recognized across campus. “Jerome’s generosity with his

bus has allowed Union to make recruiting trips we would nototherwise be able to make,” said Rob Weaver, vice president forEnrollment and Student Financial Services.

Joe Allison, chair of the Division of Human Development,noted that without the gift of Lang’s travel services, several senioreducation majors would have missed out on an opportunity toattend the North American Division Teachers’ Convention, whichhappens only once every six years. “We were the only college tobring students,” Allison said.

While the use of Lang’s bus is a blessing to the students andfaculty, the real value of the gift ripples far beyond campus.Congregations and school audiences throughout the country areinspired by Union’s touring student groups; prospective studentsand their parents are introduced to Union’s spirit; and alumnihave the chance to interact with campus representatives withoutarranging a trip to Lincoln. While making his bus available tomove people, Lang also transports the message and mission ofUnion College.

Dan Lynn, professor of music and director of Unionaires,makes certain on every trip to take a moment with the choirand raise a round of applause for what Jerome has given. “Hiscare and consideration for each of the students, our schedules,our purpose on our tours, has been nothing short of aGodsend.” Lynn said. “His impact is unimaginable.” C

CORDmagazine 19

20 SUMMER 2007

by Lauren Bongard Schwarz ’04photos courtesy of Ralph S. Watts

From Rwanda to Vietnam, former ADRA president makes his family’s mission heritage his own.

From Rwanda to Vietnam, former ADRA president makes his family’s mission heritage his own.

alph S Watts, Jr. embodies a legacy of serving others through travel. Born in Korea to

missionary parents, Watts found himself responsible at age 12 for his 11-year-old broth-

er when the political situation in Korea made it impossible for missionary dependents to reside

in Korea following World War II. Watts, with his brother, Mardon, as his legal dependent, sailed

from San Francisco to Shanghai, China, where they enrolled in the Far Eastern Academy, Ralph

as a seventh grader and Mardon as a fifth grader. A few years later, due to the Communist

uprising in China, they were evacuated to Hong Kong and then on to Singapore.

RR

CORDmagazine 21

Life for Watts continued at this frenetic pace through hischildhood. “I transferred into a new school each calendar yearof my schooling as a child,” says Watts. He was the new kid inclass each year until he enrolled in Union College in 1951.

Initially, Watts wanted to pursue a career in medicine. “Iplanned on being a physician upuntil my junior year of high school,but because I moved around somuch during my early educationyears, I had very little consistenttraining in math and science,” recallsWatts. “I just thought God was steer-ing me in a different direction.”

While studying speech, religionand history at Union, Watts datedPatricia Ortner and the couple mar-ried after their freshman year.Although Watts’ mother couldn’tleave her post in Cape Town, Africa,to attend the wedding, she supportedthe couple’s decision to marry young,believing that if Watts had traveledthe globe alone as a child, he wasmore than responsible enough toprovide for a wife.

Called to serveWatts and his wife graduated in

1956 and accepted a ministry oppor-tunity first in Nebraska and then inNorth Dakota. His first international post came when Korearequested his help in 1963. While in Korea, he was involved inhumanitarian activities, and in 1965 received a PresidentialCitation from the president of the country. In 1966 Watts foundhimself traveling throughout the region of the Far East fromJapan, to New Guinea, Micronesia and Burma when a jobopened in Singapore’s division office. In 1969 he was electedSoutheast Asia Union president. His family remained based inSingapore but Watts assumed responsibilities requiring him to

travel throughout Southeast Asia, including Vietnam,Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Borneo.

In 1975, with higher education a family priority, theWattses returned to the United States where their childrencompleted college and Watts became president of several con-

ferences in what is now known asthe Mid-America Union Conferenceterritory. During this time he servedon the Union College Board ofDirectors.

A call to serve the SouthernCalifornia Conference as president in1981 prompted Watts to return toCalifornia, the first part of the UnitedStates he had seen as a child. Forthe first time, all of Watts’ assignedterritory was within short driving dis-tance. In fact, 117 of his 120 church-es were located less than an hourfrom his home.

He was enjoying his assignment,but duty again called in 1985, whenhe was elected president of theAdventist Development and ReliefAgency (ADRA). “I was very happyin southern California and we didn’twant to leave,” remembers Watts. “Atthat point in our lives, we didn’twant to travel anymore, but we feltADRA was where God needed us.”

Watts accepted the post while the organization was still inits infancy. During his 17-year presidency, ADRA flourished tobecome a recognized name in Adventist and international cir-cles and is now among the leading non-governmental organi-zations in the world, with more than 4,000 employees servingin 125 countries.

Before leading ADRA, Watts had not considered a career inhumanitarian relief. He had, however, been involved in life-saving outreach since his tenure in Korea, where he assisted a

Ralph and Pat Watts enjoy a post-retirement trip tothe Swiss Alps.

Throughout his life and throughout the

world, Ralph Watts has helped others as

he’s traveled with the purpose of spread-

ing the gospel and resources to those in

need. With stories too numerous to write

in countries too numerous to name, Watts

shared a few of his most vivid favorites.

With the airport closed to all flights except militaryoperations, Watts was unsure of how he and his staff,including a number of doctors from Loma Linda, wouldget out of the country. He was chairman of the boardfor the Saigon Adventist Hospital and publishing house inSaigon; he and a number of his colleagues in leadershipwere responsible for directing their exodus from thewar-torn region. The group managed to evacuate 410employees and their dependents by April 25, just daysbefore Saigon fell to Communist forces. Watts remem-bers flying back to the United States in a Boeing 747“crammed to the gills” with Vietnamese refugees. Wattslater penned his book, Escape from Saigon, detailingthis experience.

Memories from a lifetime of travelMemories from a lifetime of travel

Vietnam—1975�

22 SUMMER 2007

a public welfare organization and was responsible for helpingsupport more than 100 orphanages, some with as many as1,000 dependent children. When he became president of theSoutheast Asia Union, Watts again found himself immersed indisaster relief in war-torn Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. “Iremember making an emergency air trip to a community inCambodia where we took food, clothing, medicines and blan-kets,” says Watts. “Those were the formative years of thehumanitarian aspect of my career.”

What it’s worthA lifetime of extensive travel and face-to-face meetings

with individuals from so many nations has given Watts aunique perspective on current events. “I think I see the worlddifferently than many other people do,” says Watts. “I’ve beenin these hotspots, whether it’s Rwanda, North Korea, northernIraq, Kosovo, Albania or Croatia.”

Although Watts has spent time with the rich and famous,heads of state and Hollywood royalty, he counts average peo-

ple as those he most remembers. Mothers in disaster-torn areasscraping to provide for their families, individuals enrolled inliteracy programs and microenterprise activities through ADRAand college graduates in developing countries all have a spe-cial place in Watts’ heart.

“There’s nothing more satisfying than putting your head onthe pillow at night and knowing through your effort and theefforts of thousands of people working with you, you’ve savedlives of tens of thousands of people that day,” Watts says. “To

me, the fulfilling, rewarding part of travel is to see how livesare changed through Christianity revealed in working clothes.”

Not just a jobRetirement hasn’t meant much of a reprieve for Watts.

Travel still plays a huge part in his life; he ventured on eightout-of-the-country trips in 2006 and is currently planning sev-eral major excursions. Watts chairs five corporate boards and isa member of a number of other boards and committees, sever-al of which are internationally based. These assignments keepWatts hopping from continent to continent.

He and his wife also lead annual tours to international des-tinations through a friend’s travel agency in Loma Linda, Calif.,University Travel. The contacts and friendships the Wattsesmade while serving the church help them lead individuals vis-iting these countries for the first time.

“There’s a great deal of excitement in getting acquaintedwith other cultures, seeing how people live and carry outactivities of their lives, and the challenges many face to pro-vide for themselves and their families,” Watts says. “We

Ralph S. Watts and Sawarak staff and villagers celebrate anew well and community bath house.

At the dedication of the new ADRA office, the firstlady of Bolivia accepted a gift of $5,000 from Watts onbehalf of her children’s programs. She was so honored andappreciative that she invited Watts and the delegation tomeet with her husband. The president had a full scheduleand hadn’t had time to meet with Watts, but the first lady’sexcitement made way for an impromptu gathering. Duringtheir minutes together, Watts empathized with the presi-dent and his struggles to lead his country through povertyand civil unrest. In a prayer for the president, Wattsimplored God to provide the president with courage, wis-dom and strength for his administration and his people.Following the prayer, with tears, the president told Wattshe was the first man, including the president’s own priest,to enter the presidential office and not ask for anything,but instead offer a prayer.

One of the few Americans to visit North Korea inrecent years, Watts and an ADRA delegation spent fivedays in the country after flooding knocked out much ofthe crops and infrastructure, including bridges, roads andpower plants. ADRA brought medical help and establishedan office that only recently was closed. The people weregrateful for ADRA’s help, but enthusiasm and responsive-ness reached a new level when Watts shared that he hadbeen born in Korea. “The people went crazy,” said Watts.“The night before we left they held a banquet in ourhonor and toasted me as a prodigal son, a son of thesoil.” Watts was given a standing invitation to return to thecountry whenever he wished.

“To me, the fulfilling, rewarding part

of travel is to see how lives are

changed through Christianity revealed

in working clothes.”

Bolivia—mid—1990s North� Korea—1994

CORDmagazine 23

enjoy the opportunities for wit-nessing and providing ministryin helping people. Travel just fortravel’s sake is not important tous.”

His efforts to minister abroadhave reached individuals in 190countries. Many of these visitswere during his ADRA service,when Watts spent an average 200days a year on the road.

Continuing the legacyThe Watts family has a long

history of denominational service,both in the United States andabroad. Watts’ grandfather on hismother’s side was one of Union’s founders and the college’ssixth president. His grandfather on his father’s side graduatedfrom Union as an adult and became a conference presidentand evangelist. Watts’ son, Ralph III ’80 is currently presidentof the Hawaii Conference, making him the fourth generationto serve as conference president, which, according to Watts,may be a first for the Adventistchurch.

This summer, Watts and hisextended family are again trav-eling for the sake of others toHonduras as they host evangel-istic meetings, help with healthclinics, work with orphans andvolunteer for community outreach initiatives. The trip, spon-sored by The Quiet Hour, will give Watts and his family achance to practice his advice to all Adventist travelers.

“We will make a difference in other people’s lives andhave a good time as a family,” says Watts. “We want to have apositive impact wherever we go. That’s what Seventh-dayAdventist Christians can and should do when traveling, leave apositive impression on the hearts and minds of people they

visit whether it’s at the airport,in restaurants or hotels, or onthe streets and in the shops.”

The Wattses currently livein Redlands, Calif., a long wayfrom the world’s most turbu-lent regions, but the peoplethey met along the way arenever far from their minds.

“Seeing this suffering tearsyou up. Resources are there totake care of the people of theworld, but the resolve is miss-ing,” says Watts. “It’s difficult,but you have to look at itfrom a standpoint of the livesyou can touch. You start on

that premise; let’s go to work where we’re at, do what we canwhere we are and try to expand from there.”

This outlook convinces Watts to urge the next generationto follow their dreams. “If your heart is touched by theseplights, by the needs that exist around the world—do some-thing about it. Impact people in a positive way in your own

community if you can’t goelsewhere,” he says. “There arepeople who are hurting inyour own back yard. It’s nothard to make missions a partof your life. If you feel God istelling you where you need tobe, you need to be there.”

And Watts knows firsthand there is no shortage of peoplewho need the help of individuals willing to travel with a pur-pose. “This planet is littered with the wreckage of human suf-fering and pain. Everywhere you look you will see disease,destruction, death and despair,” Watts says. “We’re going to seemore and more of these tragedies and heartaches. It’s notgoing to get better until Jesus comes.”C

Immediately following the bloody mas-sacres, Watts visited hundreds of thousandsof exiles gathered in camps. “I stood on alittle knoll and as far as my eyes could see,there were refugees in makeshift shelters,little spirals of smoke where they were try-ing to cook a few beans or corn for sur-vival,” says Watts. “There are scenes likethat I will never forget as long as I live—they haunt me. I’d look into the eyes of thepeople, and even though I could not speak their language,I’d hear their cries for help, ‘Can’t you do something forme?’ Tears just well up and you say ‘We will as quick aswe can.’ But in many cases it was too late.”

Ralph S. Watts meets with a high-ranking government official in Thailand for a hospital opening.

Rwanda� and� Tanzania—1994 Cambodia—1997An escape from Cambodia was Watts’

fourth evacuation. A coup d’etat eruptedin July when Watts was hosting a groupof Southern Union Conference officers.During the fighting, Watts and his groupwere quarantined in a hotel until thefighting subsided enough for them to getout of the country. “We were in the hoteland shells were going over our heads,tanks rumbling up and down the streets,”

Watts remembers. “They weren’t after us, but we had tobe smart about it.” The group remained in Cambodia forseveral days longer than planned, but was finally ableto secure passage on a chartered flight at an additionalcost they were more than willing to pay in order toleave this tense situation.

“There are people who are hurting

in your own back yard. It’s not hard

to make missions a part of your life.”

24 SUMMER 2007

s my eyes bored holes into the landless horizon, I gripped the

boat’s railing and told myself again thatseasickness was not an option. Ushuaiawas 24 hours gone, and the DrakePassage stretched another 24 hoursahead of the M/S Sarpik Ittuk beforeanchor would be dropped, the Zodiacslowered, and my feet would be able totouch blessedly solid land. I askedmyself again why I had ever listened tomy parents when they said that travelwas fun. I had been very firm as a childabout not going to the swamp to canoewith the alligators like I saw my parentsdoing in some old pictures, but I defi-nitely would prefer alligators to this.

It seems strange to think back nowthat Australia remains the last of theseven continents left on my list, but as achild travel did not top my list of thingsto do. With parents like mine who metwhile volunteering in the Peace Corps inIndia, I knew deep down it would beinevitable, but stories of disease, war,and a misconstrued idea that there wereno paved roads anywhere but in theUnited States kept my little feet firmlyplanted on American soil.

My 11th birthday brought awhole new perspective to my life.That was the day my parents, mygrandpa, and I flew home from CostaRica. I don’t remember what they said toconvince me to go. We went on a tourespecially for families, so our mini-busgot a bit boisterous at times; however,we all grew quiet when looking for poi-son dart frogs or peering through ourguide’s spotting scope at a sleepingsloth. As we flew home and I ate thesundae my grandpa got me from firstclass (since I had to fly on my birthday)I thought, “this whole travel thing isn’ttoo bad.”

It would be three years before Iventured out again; however, this time Ididn’t know a soul, knew only a fewwords in the language, and intended tobe gone for eight weeks. I had just grad-uated from eighth grade, which mademe technically a high school student andtherefore eligible to be part of AdventistColleges Abroad. My mom thought goingto Spain would be a wonderful learningopportunity for me on so many levels. Igrudgingly agreed as I shook in mysneakers, knowing I would regret it if Ididn’t go but still scared to death tothrow everything familiar to the wind. Icried as I boarded the airplane in Texas,

and it wasn’t the last time my eyes grewwatery in those long weeks. But daily e-mails from all my family kept me goingso by the time my parents came to pickme up and spend a few days with me inLondon, I had settled into a new era. Ihad learned and grown in many ways.

I had no plans for wanting to travelmore, but the butterflies of fear were nolonger making hurricanes in my stom-ach. Until, that is, my dad started com-plaining one night about how he hadalways wanted to go to Nepal and noone would go with him.

“I’ll go with you, Dad,” I said. “You will!” he exclaimed with a

huge smile.So the butterflies were still there,

but nowhere near strong enough to stopme from a trip with my dad to see Mt.Everest. I have hundreds of stories Icould tell about Nepal–the airstrip inLukla that has a drop off at the end,waking up to the sound of the templehorns, the way my soul went still when Ifirst saw the highest mountain in theworld. But the most important thing Iexperienced came not as an event but asan inner change. I felt connected to a

people whose whole lifewould never be anythinglike mine. They taught mehow to dodge yaks, and Itaught them how to playCrazy Eights. I had some-thing to give, and I hadmuch to receive. I felt aninner joy and peace aboutmy place in the world.

And so my travelingcareer took off. Mom,Dad, and I took turnsdeciding where to gonext. I rode a horseacross County Claire inIreland; Mom took usto the headwaters of

by Rachel Turner ’07

A Road Well Traveled

Antarctica, 2006

Mt. Everest, Nepal, 2000A

Antarctica, 2006

CORDmagazine 25

the Amazon and then along the IncaTrail to Machu Picchu. I went with agroup of friends from high school to doa week of prayer at the Seventh-dayAdventist academy in Norway, and thenDad took us, along with my grandpaand cousin Amy, to Alaska. I next livedin Mexico with a family for a monthwhile studying Spanish. Egypt was ournext stop to visit my best friend Becky(McArthur) Nelson (’06) while she was astudent missionary, and then I startedtraveling without my parents. Italy,Switzerland, France, Costa Rica,Nicaragua and Honduras were all visitedin the company of college friends.

And then there was Antarctica. Theresponses people give when you tellthem you are going to spend Christmasin Antarctica were usually of two sorts:“Why on earth are you going to dothat?” or “That is amazing–take me withyou!” No other trip has polarized peo-ple’s opinions in the same way. I’ll admitI was nervous, and not all of the tripwas pleasant. Few people have experi-enced two days at sea or have walkedaround remains of huts where men hud-dled together through winters not know-ing if anyone in the world even knewwhere they were on this frozen landdangling at the bottom of the world.

The air had a different quality downthere–clean, harsh, beautiful and formi-dable all at once. I had never felt soalien as I did standing atop a peak ofDevil’s Island, looking down at penguinsand icebergs, listening to glaciers calvingand to the silence of the wind. I felt sus-pended from the bottom of the globe,ready to topple off if only Antarcticagave the word. But the land is too big

and bold and beautiful toeven notice me, and I clungto the rocks and thought,“who is man, God, that youare mindful of him?”

And that is why I travel.For the glimpses of God, forthe magnificence of thisworld that we live in, for theamazing lives of the people Imeet, for how allthese thingsexpand and enrichmy own life inways I never knewwere even possi-ble. C

Machu Picchu, Peru, 2002

Giza Pyramids, Egypt, 2005

Interlocken, Switzerland, 2005

Costa Rica, 1996

Costa Rica, 2006

Lake Como, Italy, 2005

Venice, It

aly, 2005

26 SUMMER 2007

hey’ve already traveled well over an hour by truck, the driver pausing regularly to hack vegetation away from the ever-narrowing path. A fallen tree marks the point

where they jumped out and hiked a trail lined by bamboo.The air is pungent with the sweet, earthy aroma of cilantro,and the sweat soaking their skin is matched only by thesteamy humidity. They head to Kapri, Nicaragua, a small, hillyvillage home to a few hundred people who can’t tell you thelast time they saw a doctor, and whose children have yet toreceive a single checkup.For students in Union’sFrontier Nursing class, thisis a spring break like noother—and a chance to puttheir skills to work whilemaking a tangible differ-ence.

“I think this is whatGod wants everyone todo,” says student AndreaGorton. “We can’t all go toa foreign country, but He’sgiven us blessings andknowledge and wants us to

spread them. It strengthens my faith and it strengthens me as aperson to see these people and do what I can for them.”

The annual medical mission trip assists villagers in andaround the town of Francia Sirpi, Nicaragua. Francia is locatedin the Región Autónoma del Atlántico Norte of Nicaragua, anarea long abused and ignored by whoever happened to be rul-ing greater Nicaragua from the west. The people are membersof the Miskito minority, and speak their own unique dialect.Students from Southern Missionary College (now Southern

Adventist University) startedthe mission in Francia in 1970,only to see it close in 1979when civil war broke out. In1997 a former student mission-ary, Dale Walters, invitedanother former student mis-sionary named Bob Hirschi tohelp reopen the mission hehad once worked at. TodayHirschi is the chairman of themission foundation.

“Within their own countrythey’re a forgotten people,”says Hirschi, who joined the

Story and photos by Tompaul Wheeler (’95)

TT

CORDmagazine 27

Union group for their week in Francia. “The people are suste-nance farmers. They grow what they need to eat and manytimes sell off the seed they need to retain to grow crops for thenext year.”

To fund his student missionary experience in 1976, Hirschisold his ’65 Ford Mustang to a schoolmatehe didn’t know, Jeff Joiner. Today Joiner isthe chair of Union College’s Division ofHealth Sciences and director of the nurs-ing program. As he searched for ways toenrich Union’s nursing and burgeoninginternational rescue and relief programs,Joiner plugged into the mission Southernhad established.

The structure of the Tasba RayaAdventist clinic in Francia shows everyone of its 35 years, and attending physi-cians are infrequent. Even less reliable isthe government health ministry’s supply ofmedicine. The medical supplies Unionbrought down, contributed by drug com-panies, were the first the clinic hadreceived in months.

The group of 21 students and staff,including senior pre-med student RillaWestermeyer, who had served the Miskitopeople as a student missionary for a year,flew to the Caribbean port city of PuertaCabezas. From there they traveled 80dusty miles in 3.5 hours on an unpavedroad to Francia. Founded in the 1960s (with assistance from the French govern-ment) when some Miskito people decidedto move inland from the frequently flood-ed Wawa river, and largely abandoned during the war, Francia today is home toabout 200 families. The Adventist missionstation, which generates a few hours ofelectricity each day from the sun, sits atthe top of a hill, while the clinic sits in theheart of the village.

The village’s young men play baseballin the afternoon, and in the evening theyoung women take their turn on the ballfield. The houses are wooden and builton stilts (before the war they were still bamboo). Thanks to German missionariesin the 1800s, it’s one of the few placeswhere you could yet find the surnameHitler in the phonebook—if there wereone. Children are everywhere, hoistingtheir younger siblings about in the sizzlingsun. So are the farm animals, as ubiqui-tous and ultimately unobtrusive as squir-rels in American suburbs. In such animpoverished rural community, inade-quate nourishment and traditional values mean kids grow upslowly but adulthood comes far too soon. The men work thefields, the women care for the children, and the children haveplenty of room to roam.

At the clinics each day the nursing students listened to their

hearts, scrubbed away their scabies, and prayed they had madea dent. “Out here you have to improvise a lot, especiallybecause we don‘t have all the medicines we need,” said studentBeth-Anne Laspe. “I was trying to give a penicillin shot and wedidn’t have a big enough gauge needle so the penicillin kept

clotting, so we had to keep trying.”The littlest patients etched their minds

the most—the three-week-old with astaph infection, her teenage mother quietbut hopeful, her father long gone. Thealert but merely 11-pound 18-month-oldwhose grandparents met them at 4 a.m.the final morning to travel to PuertaCabezas for proper treatment for his mal-nutrition. Baby Kevin made eye contactand tracked movements but could nei-ther speak nor crawl. The studentswaved his grandparents goodbye as theystepped into a cab for the city hospitaland a chance for a healthy life.

“I had no idea what to expect, sonothing really surprised me. It all seemedto go exactly how it was supposed togo,” student Rebecca Fairchild reflected.“We got a culture shock, roughed it for afew days and thought we were changinglives. But all those people we saw—theywere real people. They have real stories.They couldn’t close the curtains, re-setthe stage, and wash off the makeup afterwe left. Right now those same people wesaw, those same kids we smiled with andI gave stickers to, are sleeping in theirhuts, wearing the same clothes they woreyesterday, and will probably wear againtomorrow. That old grandma who wasdying of stomach cancer; is she still alive?That man with Parkinsons, how is he?And his wife who brought us eggs andgrapefruits after all we could give herwas vitamins? That girl with the gash inher foot, did it get re-infected? Did I real-ly make a difference to someone, or wasI just there so I could say I went? If that’sthe case, then it was a wasted springbreak. I want to have made a real differ-ence, more than just have stories to tell.”

With 650 patients served, invaluableskills learned and taught, and countlesssmiles on servant and served alike, theclass’ trip to Nicaragua has an impactwith eternal dividends. C

Tompaul Wheeler, who attendedUnion for a year in the 1990s, is the

author of the young adult devotional Things They NeverTaught Me, and the upcoming Godspace, both from Reviewand Herald. He’s also a co-author of Putting Families First,coming soon from AdventSource.

Students Joe van den Hoven and JocelynBreuer assess unenthusiastic infants.

28 SUMMER 2007

SERVICE AND ADVENTURE INTERSECT IN VENEZUELA_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Compiled by Becky Dewey ’07 and Jacque L. Smith, photos courtesy of IRR students

Aaron Kent junior from Michigan

Our Venezuela trip, above all else,revealed true character. As part of ourtraining, we spent 24 hours on a survivalraft, floating offshore while the worst stormof the season hit the Florida Keys. At theheight of the storm, people scatteredthroughout the country were awakenedwith an intense desire to pray for us as thestorm mounted in intensity. On board theraft, we began to sing praise songs andhymns, hoping the waves would die downand give us a chance to rest.

We made it through the night secure-ly and were very thankful to see theboat pick us up the next morning.Looking back, I see God’s power pro-tecting us through the difficult experi-ence, revealing His character.

Alicia Archer sophomore from Colorado

After this trip, I am even more proudand passionate about the IRR program. Ihave rediscovered the goals and visionfor my life.

Besides lectures and class work, ourmain objective for Venezuela was toobtain face-to-face experience withpatients by holding clinics in various

uring the spring semester, 21 international rescue and relief (IRR) majors traded dorm rooms for leaky huts, cars

for canoes and laptops for stethoscopes. With the classroomexperience shifting from Nebraska to Florida then Venezuela,the IRR curriculum includes a semester of practical service,learning and adventure.

Two weeks into training in the Florida Keys, the group hadthe opportunity to apply their knowledge. After three tornadosravaged central Florida, the class drove all night to assist ACTS(Active Community Team Services) in the damaged area.

Two days later, the group packed up again to begin theirjourney to Maurak, Venezuela, only a few miles from theBrazilian border. In this southern corner of Venezuela, thegroup continued their training while also assisting with medicalcare for the indigenous people. Providing more than 600humanitarian aid contacts under a physician’s supervision, theIRR students’ experiences included wound care, treating para-sites, testing for malaria and improving unclean water systems.

Four students share their experiences.

DD

CORDmagazine 29

indigenous villages. We traveled bydugout canoe, Land Cruiser, or airplaneto villages near Maurak in groups ofabout 10 students accompanied by oneof the doctors. Each trip was planned sothe group would be gone five to sevendays and visit a new village daily, whilethe other half of the group would doclass work back on campus.

Most of the medical cases we saw inthe villages were ordinary sicknesses:colds, pneumonia, headaches from dehy-dration, skin disorders, worms, etc. Beingable to see some serious cases first–hand,helping local medical personnel with vac-cinations, dealing with wound manage-ment, and, most of all, working togetherin a stressful environment taught all of usmore than we ever expected. God’s handwas evident throughout our trip.

Michelle Halim junior from Nebraska

When I began this journey, flying3,200 feet toward Miami, I knew thiswould be an adventure of a lifetime.Somehow I already knew the biggest les-son would be trust—trust that everythingwould end up OK.

I was one of six students chosen tofly out to Guyana for a couple days toset up medical clinics. I absolutely loveflying into the villages. The flight wasexciting and the scenery breathtaking. Icould have stayed in the sky all day.

When we landed in San Juan, wewere escorted to an old abandonedhouse to set up our equipment. The vil-lage was mainly built on stilts and manyof its people spoke English. We pairedoff into medical teams and saw the mostamazing medical cases. I saw a pro-lapsed uterus, several massive herniasand even a guy with horrible cataracts. Itwas very challenging work diagnosing

and communicating with our patients,but it was so rewarding to make a differ-ence in their lives.

Corrie Sample junior from Nebraska

During the time that we were out inthe villages we saw so much need. Inthe village of Parkupik with Dr. Michael[Duehrssen] and a group of other stu-dents, a man came in who had a fairlylarge wart on his nose that he said wasgrowing in size and pain. Dr. Michaeldecided it was cancerous and then letme remove it. I also learned how to giveshots, pull teeth, suture and do differenttypes of exams.

In addition to medical skills, Ilearned a lot about myself in Venezuela.I now know I don’t panic in emergen-cies, I like helping with surgeries, I lovelearning a new language, and I am com-mitted to serving in the medical missionfield. But most importantly, I learnedwhat it really means to care by bringingsmiles to faces that before held only painand worry. God used the experiences inVenezuela, including the problems withthe government, to continue molding meinto the person He wants me to be andto help prepare me for the work He hasfor me.

30 SUMMER 2007

tudents in Union College’s inter-national rescue and relief (IRR) pro-

gram are taught to expect the unexpected.For 32 IRR students and staff, the unex-pected conclusion to their semester ofstudy in Venezuela included a week inprotective custody while confusion createdby questions from the Venezuelan govern-ment about the group’s documentationwas explored. Following clearance byVenezuelan officials on April 6, UnionCollege representatives welcomed thegroup in Miami on April 10.

“We do not know exactly who or whattriggered concerns over our status in thecountry after several weeks of service,” saidDavid Smith, Union College president. “Thegoal of the international rescue and reliefprogram is to train professionals who canrelieve suffering through emergency serviceand care for those in need. We in no waywish to interfere with government policiesor provide help that is not welcome.”

President Smith says that while

launching the IRR program during thethree years leading up to this year’s trip,Union College representatives completedall paperwork and obtained permissionsthey understood were necessary and cus-tomary for the semester abroad.

Despite the unexpected confusion overdocuments, Michael Duehrssen, IRR pro-gram director and board-certified physi-cian, said they maintained a positive rela-tionship with the local village. “The peopleof Maurak and the remote villages wherewe served were extremely supportive andgrateful for our work,” he said. “The ques-tions about our credentials came from offi-cials beyond the local region.”

While in Venezuela, the group was infrequent contact with campus by phone.The group reported they were not inimminent danger during the delay andmany of the IRR students said they weremore bored than frightened. “We were allvery calm—very chill—with no extremeemotions,” said Alicia Archer.

“We were incredibly grateful and

relieved when the group returned homesafely,” Smith said. “While there is muchthat can be learned from this situation, themost meaningful lesson for me has beenthe resilience and positive spirit of our stu-dents and staff while they waited patientlyfor the situation to be resolved.”

Since the group’s return, the interestfor this unique major continues to build.“We look forward to the future of this pro-gram and seeing the impact IRR studentswill have on the world,” Smith said.

Although the returning students startedsummer vacation two weeks early, theywere able to complete the academicrequirements for the semester abroad.Tanned, longing for showers and eager tosee family and friends, the group returnedwith a greater understanding of politicaland cultural perspectives as well as theirown faith and resilience. C

For more information about the IRR major includingfrequently asked questions about the Venezuelaexperience go to p www.ucollege.edu/IRRvenezuela2007.

VENEZUELA DEPARTURE ADDS TO UNDERSTANDING_____________________________________________________________________________________________

by Jacque L. SmithSS

rom academic programs to studentmissions, Union has always focused onservice. This summer Union will seeover 20 students embark to distant partsof the world for a year to share healing,learning, manpower and the gospel. Inaddition to these longer service commit-ments, Union sponsored two short-termmission opportunities this summer.

India/NepalApproximately every other summer

for 23 years, Rich Carlson, vice presi-dent for spiritual life, has led a group ofstudents and health care professionalson a medical mission trip. Groups havegiven immunizations along the AmazonRiver in Peru, built wells and toilets inthe Philippines, and pulled teeth inKenya, serving in many other locationsalong the way. Because student mis-sionary calls are most often for teachers,deans or orphanage attendants, Carlsonbegan the trips to provide missionexperience to students planning formedical careers.

Between May 15-29, 32 medicallyinclined students and alumni traveled toIndia and Nepal. While Carlson’s previ-

ous groups have worked independentlyto provide medical care, this time theywere working with two local organiza-tions: Mother Theresa’s orphanages andhouses for the infirm and dying inCalcutta, and Scheer Memorial Hospitalin Banepa, Nepal.

For a full story about this trip readthe CORDmagazine special online fea-ture at p www.ucollege.edu/cordmagazine/india2007.

BorneoJuly 11-28, seven religion students led

by Tom Shepherd, Union religion pro-fessor, will travel to Borneo for evangel-ism. Spread out in different communi-ties, each speaker will deliver 19 ser-mons over 16 days. The trip allows stu-dents from Union’s Division of Religionto put their ministerial skills into prac-tice in an international setting. Thegroup hopes to baptize more than 100people during the two and a half weektrip. More details about this trip will befeatured in the CORDmagazine Winter07/08 issue. ~TR/KC

More majors, adventures

FF

CORDmagazine 31

1940sGlenn Davenpor t ’43 andhis wife, Bonnie Cozad(’41 ) Davenpor t, have livedin California for more than 14years. They enjoy the warmerweather. Glenn says: “Theweather is better for the threecomplete hip surgeries—yes,I only have two legs!” Glennrecently celebrated his 90thbirthday—and finally stoppedmowing his own lawn whenhe reached that milestone.He is grateful to Union formany things.

1950sMichael Kostenko ’50 livesin Greeneville, Tenn. Hemade the move to Tennesseeto be near his daughter,Lynda Nelson ’70 . His wifeof 62 years, MildredMartindale (’41 ) Kostenko,died July 31, 2005. Michaellives in an assisted living resi-dence, which provides himwith three meals a day, laun-dry service and limousineservice as needed. He has

been retired for a couple ofyears, after working and vol-unteering for 50 years. He’slooking forward to the centu-ry mark in 15 years.

Raymond Herber ’53 livesin Loma Linda, Calif., withhis wife, Marilyn Dar tHerber ’54. On March 6,2007, Raymond received theIner Sheld-Ritchie PresidentialAward from Loma LindaUniversity for his dedicationand action on behalf of theAlumni Association.

G Mackson-Hemphill ’53lives in Loma Linda, Calif.She has continued to teachsince retirement and mostrecently has taught adult edu-cation classes. G was privi-leged to tour China andwould like to take anothertour overseas. She requests,“Pray for me often.”

1960sWilliam Swan ’62 lives inCorpus Christi, Texas, andwas recently named a SuperDoctor of Texas for 2006 bythe Texas Monthly Magazine.The Super Doctor awardshave been given for the lastthree years. Swan has beennamed in each of those threeyears. The recipient for theSuper Doctor award is byvote of peers and less than 5percent of the doctors inTexas are named. For thepast 33 years, he has prac-ticed in Corpus Christi, Texas,as an orthopedic surgeon.During that time he has per-formed more than 7,000 totaljoint replacements and hascared for thousands of highschool athletes. He has beenchief of staff for four of sixmajor hospitals in CorpusChristi, president of the 800-member Nueces CountyMedical Society and is thefounding partner of theCorpus Christi Medical Towerwhich is the largest medicaloffice building in Corpus

Christi. For relaxation, heenjoys ranching and being adoting grandfather.Retirement is not in hisfuture.

Bonnie Harr Gnadt ’64 ,professor of nursing atSouthwestern AdventistUniversity, has published herresearch in the current issueof The Journal of AddictionsNursing. The title of herresearch is “Religiousness,Current Substance Use andEarly Risk Indicators ofSubstance Abuse in NursingStudents.” She has presentedher research findings at anational nurses’ conference atLoma Linda University andthe University of Texas atArlington. Bonnie earned amaster’s degree fromWashington University in St.Louis, Mo., and a Ph.D. fromthe University of NorthTexas. She was a member ofthe faculty of the nursingprogram at Union Collegefrom 1977-87. She and herhusband, Paul ’66 , haveresided in Keene since 1987.

Bruce Wr ight ’64 lives inJackson, Mich., with his wife,Judy Hunter ’65 Wr ight.They have two children. Jeffis an operations manager foran Oregon-based NGO andspends much of his time trav-eling throughout southeastAsia. Their daughter,Rebecca, teaches English andliterature at AndrewsAcademy. Bruce is nearing abelated retirement from a

career as a clinical psycholo-gist for the MichiganDepartment of Corrections.He is looking forward tospending more time withfamily and pursuing hobbyand travel interests. Hewould enjoy hearing fromany of his former classmates.

Sharon Er icson Schwar tz’66 and her husband,Marlyn (’58), just returnedfrom Vijayawada, India,where they helped finishbuilding an orphanage with aMaranatha group. They wereprivileged to help 60 orphansmove into their new building.In January 2008, they will begoing to the GalapagosIslands where Marlyn willoversee the construction of ahigh school.

1970sSylvia Sanders Jar r ettCarcich ’72 lives inMiddleton, Idaho. She is theoffice manager for MiddletonChiropractic LLC. In addition,she and her husband, David,are the owners of FireRescue Safety Products andSylvia’s Design Photography.They do video and still pho-tography for three firedepartments and an outlawkart racing track, as well aswedding and studio photog-raphy. Her two sons, Jamesand Tony, live in Middletonwith their families. She hasseven grandchildren. Lastyear, Sylvia retired from vol-unteer EMT service with theMiddleton Fire Departmentafter 14 years. She has servedas the Middleton BusinessAssociation president for twoyears, served a term on theMiddleton Planning andZoning Commission and hasorganized the MiddletonFamily Fourth of July celebra-tion for three years. Shewould love to hear fromclassmates and invites themto visit her Web site atpwww.wegottheanswers.com.

CORDmagazine wants tohear from you. You havetold us this is your favoritesection. Now tell us whereyou are, what you’re doing,or just send greetings.

Direct your letters to: Class-ifieds Alumni Office Union College 3800 South 48th StreetLincoln, NE 68506

e-mail: alumni@ucollege.edumake changes online atp www.ucollege.edu/cordmagazine

’67 denotes graduation year(’67) denotes last year attendedor preferred class year

Keep in Touch

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CLASS-IFIEDS_____________________________

32 SUMMER 2007

IN MEMORY

Death dates and/or obitu-aries have been received forthe following individuals.

1980sKelley Herr -Roadruck ’81has lived in Loma Linda for24 years and has worked forLoma Linda UniversityPrinting Services during thattime. She has worked as agraphic designer/desktoppublisher using her major,commercial art, from UnionCollege. She has many goodmemories of Union and theart department.

Tami Field ’84 was recentlyhonored by Alegent Health,Nebraska’s largest employer,with the Alegent Health Spiritof Mission Award for hercompassion for staff andpatients and her commitmentto the Christian values andmission embraced at AlegentHealth. Tami manages theICU, IMCU and RT areas ofMidlands Hospital.

Susan LaFever ’86 completeda recital tour of the Midwest,Oct. 2-8, 2006, with herpianist, Ron Levy. She per-formed at Western IllinoisUniversity and the Universityof Iowa—where she also gavea master class for students ofJeffrey Agrell. Finally, sheopened the Keokuk, IowaConcert Association’s 81st sea-son with a two-hour program.

Ann Jarnes Randall ’68 livesin Boise, Idaho, with her husband, Charles. In May,Ann completed a Master ofScience in Adult andOrganizational Learningdegree from the University ofIdaho. This was a goal thattook her nearly nine years to

attain. She now works atBoise State University,Division of Extended Studiesas the project and develop-ment coordinator for distanceeducation.

1990sMorre Dean ’91 was namedpresident and CEO ofGlendale Adventist MedicalCenter. For the past sevenyears, Morre served as presi-dent and CEO at Walla WallaGeneral Hospital. During histenure he oversaw a $4 mil-lion financial turnaround, theinstallation of a permanentMRI and the construction of a$20 million state-of-the-artretirement center. Prior tojoining Adventist Health,Morre was the vice presidentfor Porter and LittletonAdventist Hospitals inDenver, Colo. He earned anMBA from the University ofCentral Florida. Morre and hiswife, Katr ina Bush ’93Dean , have two children,Tyler and Jillian.

Sheldon ’98 and TammyNaranjo ’97 Blood live inLoma Linda, Calif. They cele-brated the birth of JadenLuke on Nov. 3, 2006.

Brian ’98 and KendraPenrosa ’04 Car lson live inLincoln, Neb. They celebratedthe birth of twins, ChandlerBrian and Cadence Lorenneon May 30, 2006. Kendra is ahomemaker and self-employed graphic designer.Brian teaches English atCollege View Academy.

2000sTamara McGee Andersen’01 married Allan AndersenJuly 15, 2006, inLawrenceburg, Tenn. Theylive in Riverside, Calif.

Nathan Helm ’03 graduatedin May from the University ofNebraska School of Dentistry.Last spring, Nathan wasselected to present the resultsof a research project at theHatton Competition inOrlando, Fla. Although hedid not win top honors, hewas selected to present thesame research project ininternational competition forthe International Associationof Dental Research inBrisbane, Australia. Nathan’swife, Abby Page ’05 Helm ,and Abby’s parents, Gale ’72and Sheryl Rivinius ’73Page were fortunate enoughto join Nathan for the trip.Nathan has been accepted toa 34-month residency inorthodontics at Ohio StateUniversity. He and Abbymoved to Ohio in June.

Cheryl Santee ’03 lives inLincoln, Neb., and hasworked with Lincoln PublicSchools for the past fouryears. She has completedsome graduate classes fromOttawa University. Cheryl is ahuge hockey fan and goes togames as often as she can;she also loves shopping,reading and getting togetherwith friends.

PeoplePlacementsTroy Van Horn ’93 rejoinedInformation Systems as a pro-grammer. Van Horn graduatedfrom Union with a B.S. incomputer information systemsand worked at the collegefrom 1999-2002. He and hiswife, Rebeca, have an infantson, Daniel.

Greg Merchant joinedUnion’s staff in the dual roleof institutional research assis-tant and microlab director.Merchant attended SouthernAdventist University where hemet his wife, Lorri, who is thedirector of Union’s social workprogram. He graduated with abachelor’s in telecommunica-tions management from DevryInstitute of Technology in2001 and has previouslyworked as a computer analystin a health care setting. TheMerchants have two youngchildren, Nicholas and Larisa

Several new professors inchemistry, mathematics, com-puter science and music willjoin the campus this fall. Fulldetails will be available in thewinter issue of CORDmagazine.

Elvera “Vera” Swanson Roy’23 , Prescott, Ariz., died Sept.23, 2006, at age 105. She andher husband, Rufus ’23 (d.1977), spent 12 years in Peruas missionaries and anothereight years in Cuba. Vera waspreceded in death by herhusband, Rufus; son,Norman ’47 and daughter,Dorothy Morgan ’48 . She issurvived by daughters,Margie Bassham (’50) andIona James (’50).

Jean Bicek Juhl (’34),Drayton, N.D., died Feb. 21,2007. Jean loved teaching,gardening, crocheting, familyand friends. Jean was preced-ed in death by her husband,Melvin; infant son, Leon;sons, Brian and Ervan; grand-son, John Sato; infant sister,Angeline, and brother,Milton ’49 . She is survivedby a daughter, Myra Meier;son, Kent ’75 ; sister,

Susan LaFever

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Chandler and CadenceCarlson

CLASS-IFIEDS_____________________________

Florence Snide; 10 grandchil-dren; 10 great-grandchildrenand many extended familymembers.

Lillian Hettenbaugh Barger(’35), Caldwell, Idaho, diedAug. 15, 2006, at age 90. Sheand her husband, Kenneth(’33) (d. 1988), moved toCaldwell in 1949 and pur-chased an 80-acre farm.Lillian was preceded in deathby her husband; sister, VioletHeid; and son, Lavern. She issurvived by two granddaugh-ters, numerous nephews andnieces and in-laws.

Laurene Williams Jenkins(’40), Columbia, Calif., diedOct. 21, 2006. For the first 21years of her life, Lincoln,Neb., was her home. She metand married Tom Jenkins’38 (d. 1964). They boardeda ship, the ZamZam, inMarch of 1941, bound forCapetown, South Africa.Hitler’s navy sunk theZamZam on April 17, 1941.They lost all of their belong-ings, but climbed a rope lad-der to lifeboats, many ofwhich sank when they werelowered into the water. Manymiracles followed and threemonths later they foundthemselves back in NewYork. Tom died in 1964 andtheir oldest son, Floyd, waskilled in a plane crash in1979. Laurene is survived byher sister, Elaine WilliamsBerr ett (’40); brother,Gaillard Williams; daughter,Francine Rickard; son, TomJenkins; eight grandchildrenand six great-grandchildren.

Lillian Nash Reiner (’40),Apopka, Fla., died Feb. 22,2007. Lillian graduated fromPlainview Academy in 1937,before moving to Lincolnwhere she worked in theUnion College laundry anddeveloped her lifelong lovefor ironing. She was financial-ly unable to continue classwork at Union College, butPlainview Academy offeredher a job as a secretary.While working at Plainview,

she met Walter; their friend-ship blossomed into a mar-riage that reached the 65-yearmark in 2006. They spent 19years on the farm in SouthDakota and then moved toEllendale, S.D., where theylived for five years. Theythen moved to Lincoln wherethey lived for 38 years. Lillianwas very active in women’sministries at College Viewchurch. In October 2004Lillian and Walter moved toFlorida and warmer weather.Lillian adapted to the moveand was soon busy with fam-ily and friends. She alsoadjusted to living alone whileWalt resided in a nearbynursing home. She is sur-vived by her husband, Walt;sons, Duane (’69) andRichard ’69 ; seven grand-children; sister, MerrylRenner; sisters-in-law,Margaret Nash and MarcellaCampbell.

Mildred Mar tindaleKostenko (’41 ), Greeneville,Tenn., died Jul. 31, 2005. Sheand her husband, Michael’50 , were married for 62years. Mildred is survived byher husband and daughter,Lynda Nelson ’70 .

Mary Long Mer ickel (’48),Chippewa Falls, Wis., diedMay 11, 2006. She is survivedby her husband, Robert; twodaughters, Lynn Ahrens ’73and Wendy Peck; two sons,Robert and James; two grand-children, Levi and JustinPeck; three sisters, NormaCar ter McKellip (’53), HollisGroning and Agnes Maxon;two brothers, Harry and Jack;and numerous nieces andnephews.

Milton Bicek ’49 , Keene,Texas, died Nov. 14, 2006, atage 89. Milton is survived byhis wife, Bever ly Lutz Bicek(’48); sons, Harlyn andCharles; daughters, CherylSchram, Doreen Morris andAngela Robinette; sisters,Jean Juhl (’34) (d. see entryleft) and Florence Snide andfive grandchildren.

Wayne Hooper ’49,Thousand Oaks, Calif., diedFeb. 28, 2007. His work withthe Voice of Prophecyspanned nearly 65 years.Wayne’s best known song,“We Have This Hope,” wascreated for the 1962 Seventh-day Adventist GeneralConference Session in SanFrancisco. His prolific careerincluded hundreds of compo-sitions and arrangements forsoloists, quartets, choirs andorchestras. After joining theKing’s Heralds quartet at theVoice of Prophecy in 1943,Hooper sang baritone forfour years before moving toNebraska to complete hisbachelor’s degree in music.While at Union College, hisobvious talent led his profes-sors to add him to their staff.He coached male quartets,gave lessons, directed choirs,played in the band andorchestra, led music for evan-gelistic meetings—and man-aged to also attend his ownclasses. In 1949, he resumedhis role in the quartet until1962, then continued to servethe Voice of Prophecy asmusic director, producer ofthe Sunday radio broadcastand trust services director.After officially retiring in1980, Hooper coordinated theproduction of the currentSeventh-day AdventistHymnal and a companionvolume giving the history ofthe 695 selections and com-posers. Wayne is survived byhis wife, Harr iet Schwender(’48) Hooper, and their fourchildren and families: Jim

Hooper, Jan Lind, DavidHooper and Dan Hooper.

Alfr ed McClure, Sr. (’51 ),Ringgold, Ga., died Aug. 1,2006. Alfred carried on a tra-dition of Adventist pastoringand ministry and spent 52years holding many positionsof leadership, ending hiscareer as president of theNorth American Division ofSeventh-day Adventists fromwhich he retired in 2000. Heis survived his wife, MaryFrances Taylor McClure; sis-ter, Carol Hart; daughter, SallyLever; sons, Al and Scott; sixgrandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Elmer Widmer ’51 ,Lakeport, Calif., died Feb. 20,2007. A graduate of SheyenneRiver Academy and UnionCollege, Elmer earned aPh.D. and two master’sdegrees as part of his distin-guished career. He served thechurch for 35 years in a vari-ety of capacities, includingprofessor of biology at LaSierra University from 1953-1968 and as professor,department chair and associ-ate dean in the School ofPublic Health at Loma LindaUniversity from 1968-1988.Elmer was preceded in deathby his sister, Esther Chalmers,and brother, Rubin ’44 . He issurvived by his wife of 54years, Eunice Olson ’53Widmer ; daughter, AndreaBarker (’79); son, O. Kris;sister, Ellen Council Croak(’47); and five grandchildren.

CORDmagazine 33

Wayne Hooper

IN MEMORY_____________________________

Elmer Widmer

Mavis White Finch ’54 ,Sioux City, Iowa, died Feb.21, 2007, at age 86. She issurvived by her son, Norm(’77) ; grandchildren andextended family.

Cor iena Lowry Hendr icks’57 , Akron, Colo., died Mar.7, 2007, in Denver, Colo.,after battling cancer for sixmonths. She was a long-timeemployee of the RockyMountain Conference, includ-ing teacher for the MontroseSchool and Mile HighAcademy, summer camp cookat Glacier View Ranch, andmost recently, women’s ministries director. She servedher local church in manycapacities, but her favoritewas Vacation Bible School,where she served the childrenof her church and community

for 37 years. Coriena was pre-ceded in death by her hus-band, John. She is survivedby sister, Vi Case (’58); andbrother, Robert Lowry.

Monte Morr is (’61 ), Lincoln,Neb., died unexpectedly Apr.5, 2007, at age 71. Monte’sentire 55-year business careerwas spent on the south sideof Prescott Avenue between47th and 48th Streets. Whilestill a student, he began hiswork career at SullivanLumber Company, unloadingcoal and lumber. When hewas old enough for a driver’slicense, he became a deliveryman, and was eventuallynamed assistant manager. In1969 he was named assistanttreasurer of the NebraskaConference and then managerof the Adventist Book Center,where he served since 1981.He was to have retired inJune 2007. Monte was preced-ed in death by his parentsand son, Michael. He is sur-vived by his wife, MaryBunton Morr is ’92 ; son,Marcus ’06 ; daughter, Karen’92 ; sister, Shir ley Bur ton’49 and two grandchildren.

Carol Cheadle ’64 , Crowley,Texas, died May 30, 2006,after a brief struggle with can-cer. Carol worked for the

Adventist church for 42 years,including 39 years at theSouthwestern UnionConference. She was a treas-ured member of the unionoffice family. Her mischievoussmile and quick wit endearedher to all who worked withher.

Karen Devitt Clark ’67,Willamina, Ore., died fromcancer on Apr. 14, 2005. Sheworked as a clinical nurse atthe Health and WellnessCenter for the ConfederatedTribes of Grand Ronde untiljust a few months before herdeath. Karen is survived byher husband, Bernie; son,Jonathan; daughter, Jennifer;parents, Archie and MickeyDevitt; and sister, Kathy Moor.

Alfr ed “Al” Mazat ’67 ,Jacksonville, Fla., died Mar.18, 2007, at Haven HospiceRoberts Care Center followingan extended illness. Al was anative of Los Angeles, Calif.,and had lived in Florida forthe last 10 years. He earned amaster’s of divinity fromAndrews University and amaster’s of public health fromLoma Linda University. Al waspreceded in death by hisfather, Alfr ed ’45 . He is sur-vived by his wife, Jeanne;son, Alfred; sisters, Joann

Davidson, Janie Dillow (’71 )and Nancy Crawford; and twograndchildren.

Rebecca Stout Choban ’87,Coos Bay, Ore., died Oct. 11,2006. Becky took joy in partici-pating in church ministries suchas children’s Sabbath schoolclasses, Bible studies, potlucks,community service and missiontrips. She worked as a nursingsupervisor and director of nurs-ing. Most of all, Rebecca wasthe best mother any child couldask for. Rebecca is survived byher parents, Charles andBeverley Stout of Coos Bay;son, Nicholas Choban ofHarrisburg, Pa.; sisters, MargieJohnson and Cynthia Black;and brother, Chuck (’91 ).

Notice of the following deathshas been received:Sandra Raitz, 37, daughter ofRobert ’51 and Vivian Raitz ofDalton, Ga., died suddenly ather home in Denver, Colo.,Oct. 30, 2006. Sandra was agraduate of Southern AdventistUniversity, and attained a CPAand master’s degree in taxation.She was owner and CEO ofPrivate Financial Services inDenver. Survivors include herbrothers, Ron and Ken; sister,Karen Raitz ’84, and other lov-ing family and friends.

Thomas Gardner ’33,Redlands, Calif., died Apr. 6,2006.

Donald Leach (’35), LomaLinda, Calif.

Eleanora Jones Herr (’42),Angwin, Calif., died Nov. 8,2006.

Edward Hon ’50, Duarte, Calif.

Ruby Birch ’51 , Sedan, Kan.,died Jan. 15, 2006.

Kenneth Eager ’51 , LincolnCity, Ore.

Don Hilliard ’52, Yucaipa,Calif., died Mar. 5, 2007. Don issurvived by his wife Leora,Brown ’49 Hilliard.

Robert Townsend ’56, Atlanta,Ga., died Feb. 14 2007.

Glenn Speak ’68, Champaign, Ill.

34 SUMMER 2007

Coriena Lowry Hendricks

IN MEMORY_____________________________

Chloe Vennie Foutz was bornMarch 31, 1938 in rural SeminoleCounty, Okla. She began hercollege career at SouthwesternJunior College (now

Southwestern AdventistUniversity) where she workedas a student employee in thelibrary. Chloe graduated fromUnion College in 1961 andthen the University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign where sheearned a Master of LibraryScience degree. She returned toUnion in 1962 as its first publicservices librarian, and retired 41years later as library director, aposition she held for 21 years.Chloe was an unabashed histo-ry buff, and she reveled in thediscovery, collection andpreservation of history, particu-larly as it pertained to Union.

In 1971 Chloe became thefirst woman alumni associationpresident at Union in 30 years,

and served in that capacitytwice in her lifetime. Duringher second tenure as president,she helped lead the collegethrough its centennial celebra-tion in 1991. It was natural forChloe to be part of any eventthat included college history.

Chloe’s zest for life, leg-endary sense of humor, love oflibraries and knowledge ofcampus history will be sorelymissed. She is survived bynieces, nephews, grandnieces,grandnephews and cousins.Gifts in her memory may bedirected to Union CollegeAdvancement Office, 3800South 48th Street, Lincoln, NE68506 and will benefit the col-lege library.

if you had never experiencedUnion College. Imagine if the

friendships, the learning, the laugh-ter, the late nights had never hap-pened. How different would your lifebe? Jack ’50 and Edna Maier (’48)Harris can’t imagine their life withoutUnion College.

Jack Harris recalls his senior yearas a ministerial student at Union.About a month before graduation, hedidn’t know what the future held. Hedidn’t have a job, didn’t know how toget one and wasn’t sure what his nextstep would be. One day as he wasgoing to class, Jack stopped to assist adistinguished looking visitor on cam-pus. Thankful for his help, the visitorspent some time getting acquaintedwith Jack, ended up arranging a job

interview and eventually hired him as a pastor. This gentle-man turned out to be the president of the Oklahoma Conference.

From this “accidental” meeting, the Harrises have been blessed to servein many conferences and unions across North America as well as in Brazil.The Harrises want to make sure the Union College experience continues.

They have generously provided a portion of their estate to establish the Jackand Edna Harris Scholarship to help a deserving Seventh-day Adventist student

at Union.“We have seen promising young people who must forego a Christian colle-

giate education because of tuition costs and lack of resources,” said the Harrises.“We are delighted to be able to provide scholarship assistance to Union College

students in need through our estate gift. Union College helped us get where we areand do what we did for the Lord’s work. We want to see future students continue

this cycle of service through our contribution.”Like the Harrises, you too can shape the future of Union College with a gift from

your estate. You are invited to visit the Union College Web site atpwww.ucollege.edu/advancement/plannedgiving or contact the Union CollegeAdvancement office.

Union College AdvancementTodd Mekelburg, Director of Leadership Giving

3800 South 48th StreetLincoln, NE 68506402.486.2503tomekelb@ucollege.eduwww.ucollege.edu It takes

ForeSight...

Non-profit Org.U.S. PostagePAID

Lincoln, NEPermit No. 62

News from Union CollegeVol. 72, No.2 Summer 2007

Published by the Union College Advancement Office3800 South 48th Street, Lincoln, NE 68506

Address service requested

Life lessons in Venezuela

“After this trip, I am even more proud andpassionate about the IRR program.

I have rediscovered the goals and vision for my life.”

— Alicia Archer, sophomore international rescue and relief major

Learn more about study in Venezuela on page 28.

photo: James Goff

CORDmagazineCORDmagazine