LIFEVOL. XXXIII, NO. 1 JANUARY 2003

see Dave’s To-Do List, page 3

see The Vision, page 3

Dave’s To-Do ListPresident Dave Brandt and the board of trustees have created a three-yearagenda for strengthening the university

“The challenges and

opportunities have

never been greater for

George Fox University.

We will address each

issue in a deliberately

Christian way.”

— Dave Brandt, President ofGeorge Fox University

To-do lists are useful things. Wetake them to the store to ensurewe bring home a light bulb for the

dark hallway and milk for our morningcereal. We scribble them to track ourweekend household chores. Lists help usdecide what’s most important and let uschart our progress.

George Fox University PresidentDave Brandt and the board of trusteesthis fall agreed on a type of to-do list forGeorge Fox University. At the end of therecently adopted Strategic Plan forGeorge Fox University are six goals.They are more formal and comprehen-sive than a to-do list President Brandtmight make around his home. But if itwere that type of to-do list, it might looksomething like this:

1. Go to the bank 2. Discuss community standards with

neighborhood association3. Finish projects around the university4. Call the nurse5. Check out property for sale next door6. Meet with landscaper and architect

about future additions

Here’s what President Brandt and theuniversity will be working on during thenext three years:

1. Go to the bank(i.e., Goal I: Establish and improve thefinancial health of the university)

Growth in graduate programs hashelped George Fox weather the econom-ic downturn, but the budgeting processhas been bumpy in recent years becauseof fluctuations in traditional undergradu-ate enrollment.

“George Fox is not a wealthy institu-tion,” says Brandt. “We can’t smooth outbudget problems with income from alarge endowment fund. The universityfunctions with money it receives fromtuition each year.”

The plan lays out three areas of finan-cial focus: stabilizing traditional under-graduate enrollment, centralizing mar-keting efforts, and building and main-taining relationships with major donors.

Brandt’s top priority for the universitywill be eliminating the recent spikes andplunges in the numbers of enrollingfreshmen. While overall university

enrollment has grown each year, thenumbers in incoming undergraduateclasses have fluctuated unexpectedlyover the last five years, stressing the bud-geting process. The strategic plan callsfor small increases the next three years,resulting in a traditional undergraduatestudent body of approximately 1,500 byfall of 2005.

2. Discuss communitystandards with neighbor-hood association(i.e., Goal II: Develop an operationaldefinition of quality)

George Fox has undergone dramaticgrowth in enrollment and programs overthe last decade and a half. The strategicplan states that the traditional undergrad-uate college will remain the core identity

of the university. However, George Foxis a complex institution offering dozensof types of degrees in multiple locationsin two states. No matter where studentstake their classes, all graduates receive adiploma that says George Fox University.

The strategic plan calls for the univer-sity to set a standard of quality that willbe applied to all programs. This will beaccomplished by evaluating and settinggoals for the university’s programs, peo-ple, facilities, and equipment in the lightof George Fox’s academic and Christianmission. “When a program is at thisestablished level of quality, we willknow it,” says Brandt. Areas to be con-sidered could include faculty research,

The VisionThe creation of George Fox’s six

strategic goals were guided by avision laid out in the Strategic Planfor George Fox University, fromwhich the following is adapted:

What does it mean that GeorgeFox University is Christ-centeredand how will we know that we are?Christ-centeredness is the process,for those who follow Jesus, thatbrings coherence to life. Today’sAmerican culture emphasizes spe-cialization and individuality. Theuniversity claims the gospel intendsthat people’s lives make sense — thatwork, family, worship, and leisure

JEROME HART

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LIFE STAFF

EditorAnita Cirulis

Contributing WritersBlair CashAnita CirulisRob FeltonBarry Hubbell

PhotographersAnita CirulisJerome HartKirk Hirota

DesignerColin Miller

George Fox University LIFE (USPS 859-820) is published four times a year byGeorge Fox University, 414 N. MeridianSt., Newberg, OR, 97132-2697, USA.Periodicals postage paid at Newberg,Oregon. Postmaster: Send addresschanges to LIFE, George Fox University,414 N. Meridian St. #6069, Newberg, OR97132-2697.

Please send letters, alumni news, andaddress changes to LIFE, George FoxUniversity, 414 N. Meridian St. #6069,Newberg, OR 97132-2697.Phone: 503-554-2126. Use ourWeb site: www.georgefox.edu/alumni,and click “Send Us Your News.”E-mail: alumni@georgefox.edu.

GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITYADMINISTRATION

PresidentH. David Brandt

ProvostRobin E. Baker

Vice President for Marketing andAdvancementDana L. Miller

Vice President for Financial AffairsG. Michael Goins

Vice President for Student LifeBradley A. Lau

Executive Assistant to the PresidentBarry A. Hubbell

be accomplished within several years so they will affectand benefit the current university. This means that we mustboth address current needs and seek stability for the future.

The fun part of planning is thegoals that add programs and facil-ities. The harder aspect is thatgood planning needs to considerreductions as well as additions. Itis poor stewardship to continueprograms that are not servingintended goals or are impossibleto support financially. Accreditingagencies are requiring assess-ments that will help us to evaluateall aspects of the university tomake sure we are fulfilling our

mission in a way we can afford.A fatal flaw with many strategic plans is that they are

developed, adopted by the appropriate governing body, andthen put on the shelf not be seen again until an accreditingagency is due to visit. Sometimes this is the result of plansthat are unrealistic, or plans that have not involved the peo-ple who are responsible for their implementation. The planadopted this fall by our board of trustees is not simple oreasy, but I believe it is realistic. The vice presidents respon-sible for implementation of the plan have been involved atevery step and have bought in to these goals.

I am personally excited about the six strategic goals inthis plan. Successful implementation of these goals willmove George Fox University to a new level of quality andsuccess. Many other things will occur at the university inaddition to these six goals, but these goals will be the focusof my activity and efforts as president.

George Fox provides outstanding education for our stu-dents now. My goal is to build on our current strength.

Dave’s Mission Statement

Acompleted institutional strategic plan seldom reflectsthe time, energy, and assumptions necessary to create

the finished product. The George Fox University planreported in this issue of Life has been several years in themaking, with input from employees, students, alumni, andthe university board. But what are the basic principles andthe “drivers” behind this plan?

Plans are forward-looking and articulate change thatwill take place. One of the most important features of aplan, however, is that it be clear about what must not andcannot change. This list of “don’t you dare touch” has to beclear and short. If the list is long, change becomes difficult.If the list is unclear, essentials can be lost.

The new strategic plan for George Fox University isvery clear that we will continue to be a Christ-centered uni-versity working within our historic mission to “demon-strate the meaning of Jesus Christ by offering a caring edu-cational community in which each individual may achievethe highest intellectual and personal growth, and by partici-pating responsibly in our world’s concerns.” We look forchange within, not outside, our mission.

Because of the rapidity of change in our society, it ismore important than ever to articulate the long-term valuesand principles of the institution. We tend to respond morestrongly and more quickly to events that are recent andlocal. In order not to overreact, we must make sure thatlong-term principles are present and clearly stated.

Another reason to keep the long-term clearly in view isthat we must not forget goals that are very important, butnot quickly attainable. For example, George Fox Universi-ty needs to increase its endowment fund, but endowmentfunds grow relatively slowly. This goal must always bekept alive, even though it will take time to achieve anappropriate level of endowment funding.

The converse of the importance of long-term goals isnot to sell out the present for the sake of the future. Wemust serve today’s students to the very best of our ability.Because of the rapidity of change, long-term is shorter thanit used to be. I hope the goals of our new strategic plan will

PresidentDavid Brandt

George Fox Graduate Dies in Terrorist Bombing in Bali

She believed “all plaids match.” Sheloved to travel, the color purple,and cheesecake. She wanted to be a

professional photographer. She was alsoGeorge Fox’s first victim of terrorism.

Megan Heffernan, 28, was amongmore than 180 people killed in a terroristbombing in Bali, Indonesia, Oct. 12.

The 1996 George Fox graduate, whohad been teachingEnglish at a col-lege in Korea, wason a brief holidaywith four friendsat Bali’s KutaBeach. After scubadiving during theday, the two menin the group wentback to their hotel,

while Heffernan and two girlfriends wentto a shopping area near where the blastsoccurred. All three were killed, althoughit was three weeks before Heffernan wasidentified. Her body was returned to herhometown of Eagle River, Alaska.

A memorial service was held Nov. 23at George Fox, where Heffernan’sfriends gathered to pay tribute to her freespirit and struggled to make sense of herdeath. As they reminisced, a portraitemerged of a young woman who wascheerful, daring, fun, a little eccentric,and a devout Christian.

Her friends laughed as they recalledher practical jokes, such as the time shesent a gift set of Spam to a friend inAmerica. They remembered her love of

learning that spurred her to read nonfic-tion books and take an afternoon lan-guage class while on vacation in Thai-land. They marveled at her sense ofadventure that saw her try skydiving,earn a black belt in Hapkido, and scubadive without a license.

As a friend in Korea wrote in a Website tribute to Heffernan, “If you wereplanning a trip to Jindo Island [Korea],Megan was game. Thinking about moun-tain climbing? Megan was interested.Going rock climbing? Megan wanted totry it. She lived her life actively seekingnew experiences, and preferably, shewanted to take her camera with her.”

This same friend recalled the first timeshe met Heffernan shortly after arrivingin South Korea: “I crashed her birthdayparty and discovered that she was friendswith just about everyone. She was friend-ly, interesting, and articulate. When shelater hosted a party at her house, so manypeople came that there was no place tosit. Yet she made everyone feel wel-come.”

It was Heffernan’s ability to connectwith others that was the source of herwanderlust, according to Gregg Lamm,George Fox University’s campus pastor.

“She loved to travel,” he says. “Somepeople travel for the experiences, but shetraveled to meet people.”

And wherever she went, she had hercamera.

Heffernan’s father says she was sav-ing money to go to photography schoolin Paris or London. The day before she

left for Bali, she told a friend, “I have tobecome a photographer. It’s just too fun.”She had spent the previous weekend tak-ing pictures at a mask festival, and in“classic Megan form,” leaped up on thestage reserved for professional photogra-phers and shot 10 rolls of film. Upon herreturn from Bali, she planned to visit air-line magazine offices and show them herportfolio.

Now that such dreams will never befulfilled, those who loved Heffernan areleft to grapple with how God wants themto respond to the loss of their friend.

Lanette Smith, a former college room-mate of Heffernan, tells how she foundherself moved to tears as God led her topray for the terrorists after the Bali attack— and how she learned three days laterthat her friend was missing as a result ofthe bombings.

“God, you knew,” Smith recalls say-

ing to the Lord. “You werepreparing me personallythrough my prayer time tohave compassion for thesepeople.”

Chris Benham relates aconversation he had withhis 4-year-old daughter,Naomi, to whom he’dbeen explaining the reali-ties of life and death. Heand his wife, Charity, bothGeorge Fox graduates,taught English in SouthKorea with Heffernan.

As Naomi was taking abath one evening, she announced to herfather:

“I love everybody, even strangers, butI’m kind of mad at them.”

“Why are you mad at strangers?”Benham asked her.

“Because they made Mommy’s frienddie.”

“But you still love them?”“Yeah,” the child replied, “because

Jesus said we should love everybody.”And that, Benham told Megan’s

friends at her memorial service, is whatGod calls his followers to do.

— Anita Cirulis

Tributes to Heffernan, along with someof her photographs, have been posted toa Web site by her students at Pusan Uni-versity: www.pusanweb.com/community/memorial.htm

Megan Heffernan

Heffernan with “The Soul Trolley,” her wildly paintedcar with a leaky roof and broken windshield wipers.

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PROPOSEDSITE OF NEWATHLETICSFIELDS

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Essig WinsWoolman AwardAs a business professor at George Fox, BillEssig never abandoned his first love: helpingothers. Even while teaching, he traveled toAzerbaijan, Albania, Kosovo, and Afghanistan.

Now back ininternationalrelief and devel-opment work fulltime, he is therecipient of theuniversity’s 2002Woolman Peace-making Award.

Essig, vicepresident of international programs for North-west Medical Teams International Inc., joinedthe George Fox faculty in 1995. He taught inboth the undergraduate and graduate busi-ness programs for five years, then half timein the M.B.A. program until last spring. Histeaching specialties are leadership and inter-national business.

Essig describes himself as a relief anddevelopment entrepreneur. “I’m always look-ing for opportunities to help people and alsoto expand the reach of the organizations I’veworked for,” he says.

Since 1980, he has lived, worked, or trav-eled in more than 70 countries while servingwith World Concern and Mercy Corps Interna-tional. His most recent work with NorthwestMedical Teams includes mobilizing counsel-ing teams in New York City after 9-11 andorganizing relief and rebuilding efforts inTajikistan and Afghanistan.

“Practical service like this is at the heartof effective peacemaking,” says Ron Mock,director of the university’s Center for PeaceLearning. “We think Bill is, in his own way,living a John Woolman kind of life.”

Woolman was an 18th-century AmericanQuaker who challenged slavery, worked forfairer treatment of Native Americans, andquestioned the justifiability of war.

Dizer Receives“Achiever” Award

M.B.A. student Brenda Dizer in Novemberreceived an “Achiever” award from AstraSociety International, a nonprofit agency thatpromotes womenin business. Dizeris manager ofthe supplierdiversity programat Nike. Dizerpreviously hasbeen honored byThe NorthwestMinority Busi-ness Council with their Minority BusinessAdvocate Leadership Award. She also hasreceived the Corporate Award from theOregon Association of Minority Entrepreneursfor outstanding service and commitment toOregon’s minority business community.

Bruins Score Wellin Battle of BrainsThree teams of George Fox students placedin the top 25 at the Pacific Region Program-ming Contest. “That’s phenomenal for aschool our size,” says Brent Wilson, assistantprofessor of computer science. Sixty-seventeams of three students each had five hoursto solve computer problems. Stanford Univer-sity was the only other university to placethree teams in the regional top 25.

Dave’s To-Do Listcontinued from page 1

job and graduate-school placement, racial and ethnic diversi-ty, equipment, and facilities.

3. Finish projects around theuniversity(i.e., Goal III: Complete several important current initiatives)

The science and athletics departments are considering sig-nificant projects. ❑ Building on its current science outreach efforts, George

Fox plans to create a science education center to providesupport to K-12 schools in the Northwest.

❑ Thanks to a recent gift of land (see story on Austin proper-ty donation, below), the university plans to construct anoutdoor athletics complex about half a mile from campus.The athletics fields on the central campus then will beavailable for future development.

4. Call the nurse(i.e., Goal IV: Bring health care programs to George FoxUniversity)

George Fox administrators and faculty will explore the pos-sibility of offering degrees in nursing and pharmacy. The

Generous NeighborsA Newberg couple makes a $2.7 million propertydonation for outdoor athletics fields

Newberg business owners Ken and Joan Austin in Octoberannounced they will give George Fox 24 acres of unde-

veloped land in north Newberg for future outdoor athleticsfields. The property is worth $2.7 million, but is invaluable tothe university because it will free up the current track facilityand soccer, baseball, and softball fields for other uses. The ath-letics fields are located near the central part of campus.

The donated land is bound by Crestview Drive, Villa Road,and Mountainview Drive. A future extension of Center Streetwill form the western boundary of the property. The gift waspart of a 36-acre donation intended to solve a university needand promote community partnerships between George Fox,Newberg Public Schools, and Newberg Christian Church. Thethree organizations will share parking and site developmentcosts. A new elementary school will be built on the land donat-ed to the school district. The entire Austin property donation isappraised at $3.9 million.

The Austins are the owners and founders of A-dec dentalmanufacturing company and are longtime supporters of the uni-versity. Ken is a member of the George Fox board of trustees.

Plans for the fields are being created. The timeline for con-struction will, in part, be determined by fund raising.

strategic plan notes the shortage of health-care professionals inthe world, as well as the program’s fit with the university’smission to demonstrate the meaning of Jesus Christ. “Our mis-sion statement not only allows for, but also begs us to offerprograms in health care to students,” says the plan. “Jesus wasa healer when he lived on earth. For us to demonstrate themeaning of Jesus Christ to the world, we should be preparinghealers of various kinds.”

George Fox offers bachelor’s degrees in biology and chem-istry, but students desiring a health-care degree must transferto another school.

5. Check out property for sale next door(i.e., Goal V: Investigate the possible acquisition of the prop-erty belonging to Providence Newberg Hospital)

If George Fox adds health-care programs, additional spacewill be required for classrooms, labs, and offices. A rareopportunity to expand the campus is approaching.

Providence Newberg Hospital borders the George Fox cam-pus on the east. This coming fall, Providence plans to beginbuilding a hospital at a new site in east Newberg. It is expect-ed to open in 2005. George Fox will pursue the possibility ofpurchasing the current hospital property. The site could beused for health care or other programs.

6. Meet with landscaper and architectabout future additions(i.e., Goal VI: Prepare a new campus plan)

George Fox has nearly completed the campus master plancreated for the university in 1991. Now, the university willbegin designing a new comprehensive campus plan focusingon the facility needs of its Newberg campus, Portland Center,Salem Center, and Boise Center.

— Rob Felton

The Visioncontinued from page 1

NewbergCampus

time fit together to form a “wholecloth.” At the heart of the university isthe ongoing, never-completed effort tocoordinate all parts of one’s life.

Employees will deliberately seekcoherence in their own lives and willthen work to help students be wholepersons. The faculty will teach all dis-ciplines from the perspective of aChristian framework for life and willseek all truth as God’s truth. Employ-ees who supervise student workers willseek to share how their faith commit-ments affect their vocation. Adminis-trators will manage according to princi-ples consistent with a Christian world-view. Such behaviors will help studentsdevelop their own noncompartmental-ized, coherent lifestyle.

To combat rampant individualism,the university will seek to foster com-munity among students and employees.The challenge we face is how to obtaincommunity as we grow larger and morediverse. We have the potential to be acommunity because we have at leastone thing in common — our faith com-mitment to Christ. It is unlikely that ourcommunity will come through gover-nance that depends on the “communityas a whole.” We need to seek other waysto be joined to each other. Each vicepresident will work in his or her area togenerate ideas for what it means for theuniversity to be a community.

A major goal of all universities is toprepare students for careers. TheFriends (Quaker) heritage of George

Fox has always considered career to bea vocation — a calling from God. Allemployees of the university will delib-erately support and help students tofind their call to life’s work. Calling isnot only for those who enter “ministry”careers; it is for all those who followJesus.

Ultimately, the university is aboutspiritual formation — we exist as anarm of the body of Christ. The universi-ty will evaluate existing structures andsystems intended to help students pur-sue spiritual maturity. If these are noteffective, we will change our systemsand try new ways to enable both stu-dents and employees to become spiritu-ally mature so we can all be effectiveservants of Christ in the world.

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Handle With CareThe renovation of Wood-Mar Hall triggers the complex moveof a 600-pound century-old Quaker artifact

Beds were made and dorm rooms looked a bit tidier duringthe first weekend of November when more than 750 par-

ents, grandparents, and siblings of George Fox students visitedthe Newberg campus during the university’s Family Weekend.

The annual event attracted record numbers of family mem-bers who came to spend time with their student, meet friendsand professors, participate in workshops, hear lectures, andenjoy performances by university musical and theatrical groups.

New this year was an hour set aside for parents to pray fortheir children and the university. Participants shared prayerrequests, prayed, and explored the university’s Web page wherestudent and parent prayer requests are posted (www.georgefox.edu/parents/services/posted_prayer.html).

As is typical, the popular Family Weekend luncheon Satur-day noon was sold out.

"For me, the crowning jewel of the weekend was the wor-ship service on Sunday morning," says Sheri Philips, executivedirector of alumni, parent, and church relations.

Sandy and Frank Hanson, George Fox parents from Coos

Family Members Get a Glimpse of College Life

Bay, Ore., spoke about raising and releasing godly children.The Hansons’ daughter, Kristina (’01), works in the universi-ty’s student life office; their son, Jonathan, is a freshman atGeorge Fox.

Next year’s Family Weekend is scheduled for Nov. 7-9.

Ochsner Honoredat Book Awards1992 George Fox graduate Gina Ochsner inNovember was awarded the H.L. Davis Awardfor Fiction at the annual Oregon Book Awards.

Ochsner, a writing/literature major, won theaward for her collection of short stories called

The NecessaryGrace to Fall. Herbook previouslywon the FlanneryO’Connor Award,and individualstories in the col-lection have wonnational and inter-national awards.

“Gina Ochsner writes with courage, confi-dence, and a lush poetic style that draws meinto the familiar world her people inhabit,” saidfiction judge Chris Offutt.

McKee NamedAlumni DirectorGeorge Fox University’s new director ofalumni relations has a head start on getting toknow alumni: she’s a sister to five of them.

When Penny McKee graduated fromGeorge Fox in 1998, she was the sixth siblingin her family to attend the university.

“There was noquestion in mymind I would goto George Fox,”says McKee, whoremembers visit-ing campus as afirst-grader andstaying overnightin Edwards Hall

with her oldest sister, a college sophomore. “Iknew this is where I wanted to go to school.”

Sheri Philips, the university’s director ofalumni, parent, and church relations, saysMcKee is a natural leader chosen for her“confident, gracious nature and the way sheconnects with people.”

“I’m very excited about working with her,”Philips says, citing her new colleague’s experi-ence in event planning as another reason shewas hired.

For the past two years, McKee was theevents specialist for members of Portland’sMultnomah Athletic Club. She also led internorientation training and workshops while thedirector of communications for the TeacherAmerica summer institute in Houston, Texas.And as a George Fox student, she spent threeyears as the events coordinator for the studentgovernment Activities Committee.

McKee joined the George Fox staff inDecember. “I had a really amazing experiencehere as an undergraduate,” she says of hernew role, “and I’m looking forward to servingthe university in this way.”

George Fox University’shistoric William Penntapestry has survived —

one more time.The 127-year-old tapestry

has a new home on the Newbergcampus after more than 70 yearsof being encased in the mainhallway of Wood-Mar Hall.

The 8-by-12-foot linen tapes-try, weighing 600 pounds in itsframe, emerged unscathed fol-lowing its blocklong journeyacross campus to its new loca-tion in the Murdock LearningResource Center, the universi-ty’s library.

The safe move took place inOctober and brought a sigh ofrelief from George Fox officials,who were prepared for theworst: that the rare tapestrymight crumble to bits of clothand dust if shifted in its case,where it is held in place by asheet of plate glass.

The tapestry is believed to beone of just three William Penntapestries in the world, eachwoven in 1875 for a display atthe U.S. centennial celebrationin Philadelphia in 1876.

A four-man work crew spenta combined 80 hours movingthe tapestry and case. The planincluded crating the case in ply-wood, removing it from itsWood-Mar location, and thentransporting it across campus onfurniture dollies.

Upon arrival at the tapestry’s newlocation, entrance doors to the librarywere removed, along with obstructionssuch as the security sensors and overheadlights. The tapestry was hoisted to thelibrary’s second floor though an atriumbefore it was moved down the hall,around a corner, and down stairs to alanding area. Some of the move involvedmaneuvering with less than an inch ofclearance.

The unusual tapestry was a gift toPacific College, George Fox University’spredecessor, at the end of the 19th centu-ry. The beige and black tapestry depicts amilestone in U.S. history: a treatybetween William Penn and the Lenni-Lanape, Mingo, and Shawnee tribes.

Four people are represented on thetapestry: Penn, a Quaker associate, and

two Native Americans. Above them aretwo crossed American flags on bothsides of an eagle above a banner with theword “Excelsior” (upward/heavenward).Below the figures are a crossed peacepipe, spear, arrow, and tomahawk.

Commemorated in the tapestry is thesigning of an agreement at Shackamax-on, a Native American meeting ground,in 1862. Penn pledged to treat the NativeAmericans as if they were a part of hisbody. A wampum belt was exchanged.French author/philosopher Voltaireextolled the virtue of the agreement byproclaiming it “the only treaty never rat-ified by an oath and never broken” —words that appear on the tapestry.

Who initiated the idea of making atapestry for the centennial exhibition isuncertain. The original tapestry appar-ently was woven of silk and linen by J.N.

Richardson, Sons and OwdenLtd., with headquarters inBelfast and London. While thepattern was set for the displaytapestry, two linen tapestriesalso were created.

In the early 1890s, Newbergphysician Elias Jessup, a formerYamhill County senator in theOregon legislature, took thelead in soliciting funds for thenewly founded college. Thetask of fund raising took him toQuakers in England. There, heencountered Stephen Richard-son, head of the Bessbrookmills. Richardson, perhaps inlieu of a monetary donation,gave Jessup the Penn tapestry.

The cloth was put into stor-age for several years. In 1904, acleaning woman discovered thetapestry on one of the dormitoryfloors, where students wereusing it as a throw rug. It wasrecovered and hung on a dormi-tory wall.

Then Pacific College presi-dent Levi Pennington becameinvolved. He expelled a studentwho was found sticking hisknife into the tapestry, and thetapestry was rehung in the pres-ident’s office for several yearsto protect it from further harm.As a still greater precaution,Pennington later folded thetapestry and placed it in hissafe. Unknown to him at the

time, linen, when folded for long periodsof time, tends to crack.

To Pennington’s dismay, he later dis-covered the tapestry broken along itsfolds. He took it to Meier & Frankweavers in Portland, where the torn areaswere skillfully repaired. In 1932, thetapestry was placed in its seven-decadelocation in Wood-Mar Hall.

The move to a new location wasforced with a renovation now under waythat is changing the lower two floors ofthe building to new offices and to newengineering classrooms and labs.

After searching for an appropriate newhome, the Murdock Learning ResourceCenter stairwell was chosen because ofits available height, easier public access,and proximity to the university archivesand Quaker Reading Room.

— Barry Hubbell

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Above: The art in the middle of the tapestry depictsthe ceremony between Pennsylvania Quaker WilliamPenn and the Native Americans. Below: A quotefrom author/philosopher Voltaire illustrating theunique quality of the Quaker treaty.

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Second Language, First DegreeDespite working full time and having to learn English along the way, Chinese-American Youqing Ma earns a George Fox bachelor’s degree

Think it’s tough earning your col-lege degree while working fulltime? Try doing it in another

country — in a language other thanyour own.

That was the challenge facingYouqing Ma when she entered GeorgeFox University’s degree-completion pro-gram in June of 2000. Born and raised inChina, she came to the United States in1996 after meeting and marrying herAmerican husband while he was teach-ing English at Zhengzhou University.

Five years later, she is a college grad-uate with a bachelor’s degree in manage-ment and organizational leadership. Sheis also the manager of China trade for theInternational Trade Division of the Ore-gon Economic and Community Develop-ment Department.

While Ma and her husband knew shewould have more opportunities in Amer-ica, that didn’t make the transition anyeasier. Arriving in Portland, she experi-enced culture shock, the adjustments of anew marriage, and homesickness.

Like many Chinese who have studiedEnglish in China, Ma could understandthe language but not speak it very well.

“One of the biggest frustrations was Icouldn’t get my message across,” sheremembers. “I had a great level of diffi-culty, because I’d get information inEnglish, translate it in my head to Chi-nese, then back into English, and then

speak. I was always 10 seconds slowerthan everyone else. And my vocabularywas not big enough for me to fully beable to express myself.”

Such difficulties, however, didn’t keepher from landing her first job processingchecks for a bank — a good job for her atthe time, she says, “because I didn’t haveto talk so much.”

As her English improved, she movedon to jobs with firms involved in interna-tional exports and began taking classes atPortland Community College.

“I strongly believed going to collegewould be a shortcut to get to know thissociety, to get to know the language,and to get to know this country better,”she says.

And, like her American classmates, itwas important to her to earn a bachelor’sdegree. Her parents and an older sisterare college-educated. Ma felt internalpressure to complete her degree.

When her mother-in-law was check-ing out college degree-completion pro-grams, Ma noticed a brochure for GeorgeFox University and attended an informa-tional meeting.

“I really felt this was doable,” she saysof her choice. “It was a perfect fit for me.”

Ma’s decision to complete her collegedegree paid off immediately. She gradu-ated in December 2001 and started hercurrent job Jan. 2. Now she helps heragency establish and promote Oregon

businesses and their products overseas,specifically in China. In November, sheled a trade mission to China, working inOregon to organize the trip and servingin China as the delegation leader.

Ma recognizes the preparation shegained through George Fox University’sprofessional studies department.

“A college degree was not a pressingrequirement for the job,” she says, “butall the people who work in our divisioneither have a college degree or a graduatedegree. Now, looking back, I think hav-ing a college degree was automaticallyrequired. Having a college degree defi-nitely put me in a better position than nothaving one.”

Ma appreciates the leadership trainingshe gained from the program.

“I learned how to deal with peoplemore effectively,” she says, “to workwith them in a collaborative way, as partof a team.”

She also cites the values that are partof the program.

“I’m not religious, but I appreciatedthe religious value I learned so muchfrom George Fox,” she says.

Recalling her professor’s challenge todo the right thing even when other peoplearen’t watching, she says, “We all have atendency to present ourselves well infront of people but don’t do it whenwe’re alone. I’m trying to be the sameperson when I’m alone.”

— Anita Cirulis

“I learned how to deal with people more effectively, to work with them in a collaborative way, as a part of a team,”says degree-completion graduate Youqing Ma, who recently led a trade mission to her home country.

Applications for student awards and scholarships funded bythe George Fox Alumni Association are due Feb. 1, 2003.

Applicants must be traditional undergraduate students duringthe 2003-04 academic year and the children, grandchildren, orgreat-grandchildren of George Fox University alumni.

The GFU Alumni Association recognizes as alumni thosewho have completed one year or more of academic work orwho have received a degree from George Fox University (for-merly Pacific College and George Fox College), George FoxEvangelical Seminary (formerly Western Evangelical Semi-nary), or Cascade College (provided alumni from the latterinstitution have had their alumni status transferred from SeattlePacific University to George Fox).

Death Claims ThreeInfluential Alumni In the last two months, the university haslost three alumni who made significant con-tributions to George Fox.

Marge WeesnerLongtime professor and coach Marge

Weesner died of cancer Nov. 10 in BattleGround, Wash., at the age of 72.

A 1953 graduate of George Fox, Weesnerreceived nearly every award given by theuniversity. She spent 31 years teaching andcoaching at her alma mater, retiring in 1993as professor emerita. During her tenure, shehelped form and chaired the health andhuman performance department, establisheda physical education scholarship for womenin 1973 prior to federal legislation requiringequity in sports, and helped organize one ofthe first women’s athletics conferences in thePacific Northwest.

She was a member of the inaugural classof inductees in the George Fox Sports Hall ofFame in 1996, and in 2001 was namedAlumna of the Year. Also in 2001, she wasawarded the university’s Woolman Peace-making Award. The award recognized herservice as president of Yamhill County Media-tors, and for her work with female prisonersand with abused and neglected children.

Weesner’s passion for justice made her“willing to be the answer to the prayers sheprayed,” says former colleague Jo Helsabeck.

When Weesner earned a doctorate in edu-cation at the University of Oregon, she initial-ly was the only woman with a doctorate onthe George Fox faculty.

“She was demanding and fair andstraightforward and funny,” says BeckyAnkeny, a former student and now professorof English at GFU. “She was a good rolemodel of a Christian woman in Christianhigher education.”

Frank ColeFrank Cole, a George Fox alumnus,

administrator, board member, and volunteer,died Dec. 7 in Newberg. He was 94.

A 1930 graduate of Pacific College(George Fox University’s predecessor), Colewas the university’s Alumnus of the Year in1974 and was inducted into its Sports Hallsof Fame in 1999. He joined the George Foxadministration in 1963 after serving a decadeas a member of its board of trustees. Afterretiring, he served as university archivist inthe 1980s and 1990s.

In his other volunteer roles, he was presi-dent of the alumni association, a member ofthe university’s Centennial Planning Commit-tee, and chair of the alumni portion of theCentury II fund-raising campaign.

Curtis MorseFormer George Fox athlete and longtime

athletics booster Curtis Morse died Dec. 10 inNewberg at the age of 97.

A native of Newberg, Morse graduated in1933. He returned to his hometown in 1973after his retirement and, with his wife, Mar-garet, became an avid supporter of the Bru-ins athletics program. The school’s baseball,softball, and soccer fields were dedicated asthe Curtis and Margaret Morse Athletic FieldsComplex in 1989, honoring the couple whohad funded the project to upgrade and devel-op the playing fields. Both were inducted formeritorious service into the university’sSports Hall of Fame in 2000.

Application forms are available from the university’s alum-ni, financial aid, and admission offices. Returning studentsmust submit their applications to the alumni office, while newand transfer students should turn in their applications to theundergraduate admission office.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative grade pointaverage (GPA) of 3.0. The granting of Alumni Awards andAlumni Scholarships follows the regular application and awardpractices of Student Financial Services. The alumni board’sScholarship Committee selects the recipients.

For more information, contact Sheri Philips, executivedirector of alumni, parent, and church relations, at 503-554-2114 or sphilips@georgefox.edu.

Applications Due Feb. 1 for Alumni Association Scholarships

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The VagabondRolf Potts (’93) has a well-worn passport, a new book, a growing reputation as a literarytravel writer, and no permanent address

Rolf Potts is 32. He doesn’t have a respectable9-to-5 office job. He doesn’t have a wife or acar. He certainly doesn’t have a mortgage. Rolf

Potts has a Web site (rolfpotts.com), a pen, and the road. Middle-class American respectability isn’t on the

horizon for Potts — who’s been traveling nonstopthrough more than 30 countries since 1998. He’sbecome an award-winning travel writer and an advocatefor “the ethic of vagabonding.” He’s written an adviceand philosophy guidebook about extended budget trav-el. It urges readers to pursue not material wealth, but asimpler life rich in personal and spiritual experiencesfound in travel and outside the sterile world of packagevacations. Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to theArt of Long-Term World Travel is being published thismonth by a division of Random House.

Those who knew Potts at George Fox might haveexpected something countercultural like this from thelonghaired runner who wrote a satirical column in thestudent newspaper. Potts’ column, Standing in the Show-er, Thinking, ran next to a photo of himself standingbare-chested and unsmiling in a shower stall. His col-umn comparing George Fox’s homecoming to prostitu-tion by the school led to a heated memo exchange withthen-President Ed Stevens. Potts describes the dialogueas ultimately constructive. “While I said a lot of things[in the column] that people didn’t like, I’ll still assertthat I was always humorous, never slanderous, and Imost always had a serious point to make,” he says.

Former classmates tell him now he scared them.Potts’ longhaired, grunge-dressed friends, his organiza-tion of underground off-campus dances, and a series ofcampus pranks established him as a self-described blacksheep. It was a misperception he encouraged. “I invest-ed most of my time into studying and running, and myreputation as a ne’er-do-well was largely a rumor.”

A native of Kansas, Potts was a straight-A studentand the son of teachers. His father, George, taught biol-ogy in high school and at Friends University and wrotewildlife guidebooks. Potts’ mother was a grade-schoolteacher who, he says, “once led a fearless campaign tomake the salamander the Kansas state amphibian."

The Renegade RunnerPotts transferred to George Fox as a sophomore, pur-

suing a screenwriting career by majoring in both writ-ing/literature and communication/video production. Hisolder sister, Kristin (’91), was already at George Fox.Both were key runners for George Fox’s nationallyranked cross country and track teams. He raced his wayinto the Bruin record book,becoming one of the school’sall-time top-10 fastest crosscountry runners and an NAIAAll-American Scholar-Ath-lete.

Potts says his George Foxfriends and the camaraderieand excellence in the track andcross-country teams helpedshape him. Intellectually, hisreligion and philosophy class-es provided his most affect-ing classroom experience. “Iarrived at George Fox kind ofburned out on what I perceivedto be evangelical phoniness,and my religion classes helpedme discover a whole newdepth and integrity to theChristian faith,” he says.

After graduation, he brieflyworked as a landscaper to fundan eight-month, 38-state roadtrip with friends. “At the time,I thought that this would gettravel out of my system beforeI went on to a more respect-able life.” It didn’t. After a couple years doing oddjobs in Kansas and a failed attempt to write a bookabout his U.S. travels, he joined a small migration ofGeorge Fox young alumni who went to Korea in the1990s to teach English.

“Those early months in Korea were a low point forme, since I sort of considered myself a failed writer,” hesays. “But it turned out that Korea was just what I need-ed. Teaching in Korea was hard work, but I learned howto operate and interact in a foreign culture — whichbecame invaluable to me later as a traveler. I also did lotsof reading and dreaming about travel. My plan was teachfor a couple years, travel as long as I could on my sav-ings, and then figure something else out.”

In the spring of 1998, Potts e-mailed several essaysfrom his failed U.S. travel book to online magazines.The most prominent of the e-zines, Salon.com, pub-lished his Las Vegas chapter. Flush with success, hebegan writing essays about Korea; Salon published five.

When school ended, Pottsset out across Asia. He decid-ed — motivated by “a kind oftraveler’s angst” — to infil-trate the restricted islandwhere Leonardo DiCaprio’smovie The Beach was beingfilmed. Potts’ midnight boatassault failed, but his essayStorming The Beach landedon the front page of Salon andin Houghton Mifflin’s annualBest American Travel Writing.

Salon promoted him to beits “Vagabonding” columnist.Having written less than adozen travel stories in his life,he now was appearing along-side Garrison Keillor andother established writers.“Nobody knew I was justsome schmuck with a back-pack wandering around Asia.”

Traveling through Asia,Europe, and Africa can bedangerous. He’s been strandedin Siberia. A pair of Moroc-cans in Turkey stole his money

and passport after giving him a crème-sandwich cookielaced with a date-rape drug. A leaky water bottle turnedhis quest for serious solitude in the Sahara into a forcedmarch for safety. Each adventure appeared in Salon.

Adventure to Potts isn’t seeking danger; it’s being

open to the unexpected. Rather than mountaineering orkayaking, “you can have a truer adventure simply bytaking a bus to an unfamiliar village on the map, goingfor a stroll through some untouristed corner of a big city,or patiently using your phrasebook to understand thewacky old man who chats you up in the local market.”

By 2000, five of his Salon essays had been publishedin award anthologies. His increased visibility led to bet-ter-paying work for several glossy travel magazines.

The Monastery-Disco MixTravel writing is not an escape from work; it requires

both travel and the solitary discipline of writing. “Mix-ing these two elements, again and again, is like workingin a disco while living in a monastery,” he says. “Unlessyou can sequester yourself into a room or a library fordays and weeks and focus on your craft, you aren’tgoing to write in a way that stands out from the othermillions of people who want to be travel writers.” Trav-el writers also face unrealistic expectations. “People getconfused and disappointed when they find out that youdon’t make very much money, you can’t swing from treeto tree on vines, and you sometimes get lost in your ownhometown,” he says.

Potts says he’s a confirmed bachelor. “I’ve probablyhad enough doomed relationships with European andEast Asian lasses in the last six years to write a ‘Cross-Cultural Romance for Dummies’ book.”

He’s recently been writing in Thailand, where ––along with Oregon, Kansas, Egypt, and Korea –– hesays he feels vaguely at home. Still, he’s having toomuch fun to stop traveling.

“I get the privilege of learning or seeing somethingnew every day,” he says. “Sometimes I feel like a madscientist who forgets to eat or change his clothes becausehe’s always obsessing on some new equation. I’m sowrapped up in the ongoing experience of travel, writing,and research that I don’t dwell much on settling down orearning a more reliable income. I’m sure I will in time,but I’m certainly not going to force the issue now.”

Potts thinks he might have a future in teaching. Hetaught a travel-writing seminar in Paris last summer. Fornow, he has plenty of writing projects to keep him busy.A second book about his travel through the Orient isscheduled for print in 2004.

Oddly, Rolf Potts is sounding rather respectable.— Rob Felton

CATHRINE WESSEL BOOK COVER COURTESY V ILLARD BOOKS

You Must Be Filthy Rich …Interestingly, some of the harshest responses I’ve

received in reaction to my vagabonding life havecome while traveling. Once, at Armageddon (the sitein Israel, not the battle at the end of the world), I metan American aeronautical engineer who was so tick-led because he had negotiated five days of free timeinto a Tel Aviv consulting trip that he spoke of littleelse as we walked through the ruined city. When Ieventually mentioned that I’d been traveling aroundAsia for the past 18 months, he looked at me as if I’dslapped him. “You must be filthy rich,” he said acidly.“Or maybe,” he added, giving me the once-over, “yourmommy and daddy are.”

I tried to explain how two years of teaching Englishin Korea had funded my freedom, but the engineerwould have none of it. Somehow, he couldn’t acceptthat two years of any kind of honest work could havefunded 18 months (and counting) of travel. He didn’teven bother sticking around for the real kicker: Inthose 18 months of travel my day-to-day costs weresignificantly cheaper than they would have been backin the United States.— from Vagabonding by Rolf Potts, © 2003 by RolfPotts. Printed by arrangement with Villard Books, adivision of Random House Inc.

Rolf Potts was astraight-A student-athlete with a renegadereputation. Since grad-uating, he has run outof water in the Sahara,caught cholera in Laos,been drugged androbbed in Istanbul, andlived to write about itall. His essays haveappeared in NationalGeographic Adventure,Condé Nast Traveler,Islands, and on Nation-al Public Radio’s SavvyTraveler program.Potts’ first book,Vagabonding, comesout January 2003.

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Delbert Rice (GFES55) has written a booktitled The Quiet Ones Speak: Testimonies Con-cerning Christian Beginnings. He is the exec-utive director of Kalahan Educational Founda-tion Inc. in Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines.

Stephen Ross (G57) in June was a member ofthe Western Association of Schools and Col-leges team viewing the application for candi-dacy of American University in Yerevan,Armenia. He is a professor emeritus in the lin-guistics department at California State Univer-sity, Long Beach, Calif.

Charles (Chuck) Mylander (G64) is the newexecutive director of Evangelical Friends Mis-sion, Arvada, Colo.

Gordon Crisman (G69) has been appointedmanager of the Tigard branch of Eagle HomeMortgage. He has been active in the OregonMortgage Brokers Association and the OregonMortgage Bankers Association.

Gary (n75) and Irene (Jacques) (n75) Merrittlive in Palm City, Fla., where he is executivepastor of the New Hope Fellowship Church.Irene leads special events for women’s min-istry and directs children’s programs.

Nancie Thompson (G77) and Ian Reschke(G96) were named district soccer coaches ofthe year in the Tri-Valley League atWilsonville High School, after guiding theirteams to league championships.

Melanie (Watkins) (G82) and Mark (G84)Erickson, live in Wolf Point, Mont., whereMark is the manager of Clayton MemorialChapel, and Melanie is a paraprofessional atthe grade school where their two daughtersattend. Mark carried the Olympic Torchthrough Billings, Mont., on its way to SaltLake City, Utah, for the 2002 WinterOlympics.

Kelley (Duncan) Brewster (G83) has beenpromoted to associate vice president of Norris,Beggs and Simpson, Portland.

Darci (Nolta) (G92) and Kirk (G93) Vanden-Hoek live in Hillsboro, Ore., where she is acrime scene technician with the HillsboroPolice Department, He works for NorthwestMedical Teams as a manager for the mobiledental unit.

Jonathan Huwe (G94) is assistant athletictrainer at Portland State University. He over-sees women’s volleyball and softball and trav-els with the women’s basketball team.

Rodney Robbins (G94, MA96) is the owner/director of First Step Adolescent Center, withoffices in Hillsboro, Ore., and Tigard, Ore. Theagency is a state-approved outpatient chemicaldependency treatment center.

Anne (Basden) Dunlop (G95) and her hus-band, Chris, have returned from teaching innorthwest Kenya, where they worked with theTurkana tribe and an American missionaryschool. They were affiliated with ChristianMissionary Fellowship.

Lanette Smith (G96) has been the children’spastor at Tualatin Foursquare Church since1997. She is currently working on her master’sin Christian ministry at George Fox Evangeli-cal Seminary.

Michelle (Quaas) Whitmire (G96) has starteda motivational speaking business, Up2U, thatpromotes purity to teens and young adults.

Jennifer (Mardock) (G97) and Matt (G01)Lusk live in Springville, Calif., where Matt isthe camp manager of Quaker Meadow.

Nathan (G97) and Angela (G98) White live inGreat Falls, Mont., where Nathan is stationedat the Malmstrom Air Force Base and was pro-moted from 1st lieutenant to captain. They willbe moving in the spring for a new assignmentat Buckley Base in Denver, Colo.

Bryan Bredell (MBA98) has been promotedto vice president, branch manager for theBusiness Bank of California’s Petaluma office,San Bernardino, Calif.

Scott Goodwill (MBA98) is managing princi-pal and technical marketing leader for EYPMission Critical Facilities Inc., in New YorkCity. His company provides design, consult-ing, and management of critical facilities. Hisresponsibilities include client and project man-agement, business development and market-ing, and technical design review.

Jason Miller (G99) was part of a 22-personteam that went to the Siberia region of Russiaon a dental mission trip in May 2002. He is inthe process of creating a documentary on thetrip, which will include their work in a prisonand a Bible college.

Ben Smith (G99) and his wife, Heidi, are nowstationed at Fort Hood, Texas.

Casey (G00) and Kristin (Herkelrath) (G01)Jones reside in Tigard, Ore., where Casey ismanager of T-Mobile Cell Phones in Portland,and Kristin is assistant manager of Nord-strom’s in Tigard, Ore.

Jason Schilperoort (G00) has reached his$1 million career sales milestone as districtmanager of Vector Marketing Corps’ Beaver-ton operation, based in Lake Oswego, Ore.

Carrie Breithaupt (G01) was accepted thisfall to Oregon Health and Science UniversitySchool of Medicine in Portland.

Yolanda Karp (DPS01) is president/CEO ofHacienda Community Credit Union, Portland.The credit union offers savings accounts, wiretransfers, car loans, secured loans and semi-nars for the Latino community.

Barbara Baker (G02) has been hired as seniorvice president of human resources at UmpquaHoldings Corporation in Portland.

Ryan Dearinger (G02) has been awarded agraduate teaching assistantship through thehistory department at Purdue University. He isworking on an article based on the hardshipsthat faced the Chinook Indian tribe of thePacific Northwest upon the encroachment ofsettlers on the Oregon Trail.

Kristal Trevino (G02) will teach math atGrandview Middle School to students in sixththrough eighth grades.

MARRIAGESPhil Barnhart (G81) and Jill Jaacks, Aug. 17,2002, Squaw Valley, Calif.

Shannon Killeen (G98) and ChristopherLilienthal, June 1, 2002, Norristown, Pa.

Elise Barrero (G99) and Brian Mathews, Jan.19, 2002, Portland.

Rebecca Larson (DPS99) and Vincent Hof-farth, Aug. 31, 2002, McMinnville, Ore.

Bethany Sonerholm (G99) and Craig Simp-son, June 29, 2002, Beaverton, Ore.

Jared Hinkle (G00) and Shannon Vandehey(G02), June 15, 2002, Newberg.

Casey Jones (G00) and Kristin Herkelrath(G01), Sept. 1, 2002, Issaquah, Wash.

Ryan Kroll (G00) and Amy Fisher, July 14,2002, Longmont, Colo.

Michelle Merrick (DPS00) and ChristopherCate, July 27, 2002, Troutdale, Ore.

Beth Randall (G00) and Travis Armstrong,July 27, 2002, Lynden, Wash.

Darren Weidman (G00) and Tracey Hyde(G00), Aug. 10, 2002, Greenleaf, Idaho.

Aaron Fuller (G01) and Syun Kim, Oct. 30,2002, Seattle.

Terry McGrath (DPS01) and FirouzehNaraghi, Sept. 14, 2002, Eugene, Ore.

Kim Reimer (G01) and David Hale, Aug. 10,2002, Dallas, Ore.

Nicole Balensifer (G02) and Adam Brown,July 13, 2002, Hammond, Ore.

Tanis Culver (G02) and Scott Trapp, July 27,2002, Sequim, Wash.

Matthew Petersen (G02) and Heather Frazier(G02), Aug. 16, 2002, Portland.

Ryan McWayne (student) and Leslie Kring,Aug. 2, 2002, Salem, Ore.

BIRTHSTim (G88) and Lori Oppenlander, a girl,Rachel Grace, June 20, 2002, Portland.

Susan (Barnett) (G90) and Todd (G91, MEd97) Bos, a boy, Benett Aaron, Aug. 9, 2002,Newberg.

Paul (G91) and Maureen Huizinga, a boy,Nathaniel Winston, Aug. 26, 2002, Richmond,Va.

Christopher (G91) and Pamela (Bowton)(G93) Kilpatrick, twins: a boy, BradenChristopher, and a girl, Emily Nicole, Sept.29, 2002, Portland.

Jonathan (G93) and Sara Wright, a boy, Car-son Andrew, Sept. 11, 2002, Boise, Idaho.

Margaret (Adolfo) (G94) and Tom Wethor, aboy, Nathaniel Grant, Dec. 2, 2001, Hillsboro,Ore.

Herberd (G94) and Naedene Duran, a girl,Brianna Jean, May 14, 2002, Hillsboro, Ore.

Edward (G94) and Angela Meyer, a girl,Madeline Elizabeth, Oct. 20, 2002, Medford,Ore.

Shannon (Garvin) (G95) and Mark (G97)Hartley, a girl, Margaret Anne, Aug. 13, 2002,Silverton, Ore.

Chris (G95) and Kristen (White) (G97)Schlitzkus, a boy, Michael Basil, Sept. 2,2002, Forest Grove, Ore.

Myrna (Bonar) (G95) and Scott (G96)Jensen, a girl, Jilene Myrna, Sept. 28, 2002,Minneapolis, Minn.

Laura (Adolfo) (G96) and George Moore, agirl, Emily Grace, March 5, 2002, Hillsboro,Ore.

Jeannie (Ford) (G96) and Shane Lansford, aboy, Jacob Shane, July 20, 2002, Lemoore,Calif.

Michelle (Migneault) (G97) and James Ship-ley, a boy, Josiah Thomas, July 20, 2002, Port-land.

Christina (Stenstadvold) (G97) and StevenJohnson, a boy, Ethan Hezekiah, Sept. 4, 2002,Oregon City, Ore.

Shannon (Winter) (G97) and JonathanMoritz, a boy, Ethan Michael, May 20, 2002,Klamath Falls, Ore.

Morgan Anderson (MBA00) and Dorian Salz,a girl, Kaelyn Renee, July 10, 2002, Portland.

Monika (Mizsei) (G01) and ChristopherThompson, a girl, Kyra Eva Teresa, Sept. 13,2002, Fort Campbell, Ky.

Karen (MEd01) and Mike Prigodich, a girl,Anneka Katherine, April 23, 2002, OregonCity, Ore.

KeyG Traditional graduaten Traditional nongraduateDPS Department of Professional Studies graduate

(MHR, MOL, and MBIS majors)GFES Seminary graduatePsyD Doctor of psychology graduateMAT Master of arts in teaching graduateMBA Master of business administration graduateMA Master of arts graduateMEd Master of education graduate

DEATHSFrank Cole (G30), Dec. 7, 2002, Newberg.

Curtis Morse (G33), Dec. 10, 2002, Newberg.

Chauncey Gettmann (n38), Oct. 23, 2002,Newberg.

Elizabeth (Altig) Roberts (n45), Nov. 11,2002, McMinnville, Ore.

Max Morgan (GFES51) Aug. 28, 2002,Canby, Ore.

Esther (Pierson) House (G51), Oct. 25, 2002,Newberg.

Marge (Larrance) Weesner (G53), Nov. 10,2002, Battle Ground, Wash.

Dwight Fanno (n78), July 17, 2002, EagleCreek, Ore.

Judy Harmon (n80), Nov. 16, 2002, Mil-waukie, Ore.

Megan Heffernan (G96), Oct. 12, 2002, Bali,Indonesia.

Dwight Macy (honorary trustee), Dec. 10,2002, Culver, Ore.

Homecoming 2003January 31–February 2

All alumni are invited to “come home”to George Fox University

during homecoming weekend

Friday, Jan. 31Shaun Groves in Concert

Bauman Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.Alumni $8 (through Jan. 23)

$13 at the door

Friday, Jan. 31, and Saturday, Feb. 1Bruin Basketball

vs. Whitman (Fri.) and Whitworth (Sat.)Women, 6 p.m. • Men, 8 p.m.Tickets available at the door

A Piece of My Heartpresented by

University Repertory TheatreWood-Mar Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets available beginningJan. 16 at 503-554-3844

(Contains strong language andmature themes)

Saturday, Feb. 1Alumni Honors Brunch

Meet George Fox University’shonored alumni for 2003

Klages Dining Room, 11 a.m.$10 tickets by reservation only,

call 503-554-2131

Class Reunions1963 • 1973 • 1978 • 1983 • 1993

Affinity ReunionsFootball alumni

Alumnae from all women’ssports programs1:30–4:30 p.m.

Locations available at registration table

Sunday, Feb. 2Alumni and Student Worship Service

Bauman Auditorium, 10 a.m.

Register and pay online atwww.georgefox.edu/alumni/

events/homecoming

Vol 33 No 1 12/20/02 3:31 PM Page 7

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A Change of HeartBruin basketball player Jered Gritters shifts his focus after doctors warnof a potential heart attack

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Diagnosed with a heart condition that prevents him from playing competitive basketball, senior JeredGritters still has a role on the team. “I was confused about my place with the team at first,” he says.“But the players and coaches have made me feel welcome and comfortable with ways I can help out.”

VolleyballBy nearly every measure, the 2002 season was one of

the best ever. The Bruins compiled a 9-1 season start, a20-6 overall record, a third-place finish in the NorthwestConference (NWC) at 11-5behind two nationally rankedteams, and a No. 22 rankingin the American VolleyballCoaches Association/NCAADivision III national poll.

The season was the Bru-ins’ 12th 20-win season inthe last 19 years, all underhead coach Steve Grant,whose career record after21 years is 470-277 (.629).

Setter Mindi Cotner, a senior from Keizer, Ore., andmiddle blocker Shelly Schultens, a senior from The Dalles,Ore., were named First Team All-Conference. Outside hitterNicole Bostic, a junior from Lake Stevens, Wash., was Sec-ond Team, and outside hitter Brandy Mailer, a senior fromHonolulu, Hawaii, was Honorable Mention. Cotner led theNWC and ranked 24th nationally in digs (5.24), and Schul-tens led the NWC and was 16th nationally in blocks (1.60).

Men’s SoccerAlthough the George Fox men’s soccer team finished

with a 4-13-1 record (3-10-1 NWC, 7th), they were com-petitive throughout the sea-son, losing six games by asingle goal. With only fourseniors, the Bruins were ayoung team.

Defender Chris Waters, ajunior from Boise, Idaho,earned Second Team All-Conference honors. Midfield-er Jesse Johnson, a seniorfrom Grants Pass, Ore., andgoalkeeper Ron Besser, ajunior from Kennewick,Wash., received honorable mention recognition. Johnsonled the team in assists (4) and tied for most total points(12). Besser led the conference in saves (109).

Head coach Manfred Tschan completed his 14thseason at George Fox with a 164-103-11 record (.610).He has a 20-year career record of 228-132-20 (.626).

Women’s SoccerWith his arrival on campus late in July and no time to

recruit, new coach Andy Hetherington knew the 2002 sea-son might be a bit of a struggle. It was. But the 1-15record (1-13 NWC, 8th) didn’t reflect a team that showedimprovementas the seasonprogressed.

GoalkeeperCori Wulf, asenior fromSalem, Ore.,was namedFirst Team All-Conference after leading the league in saves(186). She also scored the goal on a penalty kick to defeatWhitworth 1-0 in overtime in the next-to-last game of theseason. She played in every game, sitting out only 30 min-utes during her four-year career.

Midfielder Brooke Pitner, a junior from Vancouver,Wash., was Second Team All-Conference after leading theBruins with nine points.

Cross CountryMichael Owen, a senior

from Nashville, Tenn., earnedAll-Region honors with a29th-place finish in theNCAA Division III WestRegional, and JanelleGoeres, a junior from GoldHill, Ore., was All-NorthwestConference, finishing fifth inthe conference race.

The Bruin men finished eighth in the NWC champi-onships and the women were ninth, capping off a seasoncharacterized by youth (the men’s team had the only twoseniors) and lack of depth (18 total athletes on both rosters).

Senior setter Mindi Cotner

Senior midfielderJesse Johnson

Senior Michael Owen

Coach Andy Hetherington

It was going to be an outstanding senior season forJered Gritters. The George Fox Bruins’ 6-5 postplayer closed out his junior year with some of the

best basketball of his career. He was one of the toprebounders in the Northwest Conference with 5.9rebounds per game. He eagerly anticipated an even bet-ter 2002-03 season for himself and the Bruins.

And then the basketball floor caved in under him.

A Devastating DiagnosisConcerned that he was tiring far too easily during

early summer workouts at home in Oregon City, Ore.,Gritters visited his family physician. The doctor’s diag-nosis — heart trouble — stunned him.

“During the season, I had noticed some occasionalmuscle spasms,” recalls Gritters, “but it really hit mehard in the summer. I couldn’t catch my breath, I had totake frequent long breaks, and I was sleeping a lotbecause I was so tired all the time.”

The problem was twofold. First was a ventricularseptal defect, a small hole in the heart that allows bloodto pass back and forth between two chambers, insteadof allowing the heart to channel the blood to the properveins. The second was ectopic focus, a group of cellsoversensitive to adrenalin that was causing his heart tobeat too fast.

“The first is not too serious right now,” says Gritters,“but the ectopic focus, coupled with the other, could bedangerous. My heart was racing at about 220 beats perminute when I was working out, my blood pressurewould drop, and I would get very light-headed anddizzy because no blood was getting to my muscles orbrain. The doctors told me I was at serious risk for aheart attack.”

The first question Gritters wanted answered was howthe situation would affect his basketball playing. Hewas told he should be able to continue working out andplaying — as long as he didn’t go full speed.

… Yeah, right.“I can jog, play 3-on-3 games, do moderate work-

outs, nothing too strenuous,” says Gritters, “but playingcollege ball — well, there’s no way you can do thatwithout playing hard.”

Wrestling With ChangesThe late-summer loss of their starting center forced

the Bruins coaching staff to reevaluate their options forthe upcoming season.

“Losing Jered when we did was a painful blow to ourteam,” admits head coach Mark Sundquist. “We werereally counting on him for strength and toughnessinside, and had even drawn up some specific plays forhim. Obviously, we had no time to recruit other bigmen, so we had to rethink our game plan. We will prob-

ably be more perimeter-oriented than we had anticipat-ed. We were looking for an outstanding senior seasonfrom him, but of course his health is a more importantconcern than basketball.”

News of his condition was a painful blow to Gritters.“Initially, it was pretty hard to take; I just didn’t want

to believe it,” Gritters admits. “Basketball has been oneof my passions for the last eight years; if I wasn’t prac-ticing or playing during the season, I was conditioningin the off-season to get ready for the following year. Tohave my senior season, my very last year, cut off so sud-denly, really hurt.”

For two months, Gritters wrestled with this unex-pected twist in his life, wavering back and forthbetween trying to play anyway and cutting the ties to hiscollege playing days completely.

“I really believed God had blessed me with theopportunity to play ball at George Fox and to enjoy thefruits of my hard work,” he says. “But now I was ques-tioning why, after all I had done to prepare for this, sud-denly I had nothing. It took time, but I finally realizedthat God was not out to ‘get me.’ Instead, he simply hadother things for me to do, and this was the time to beginmaking changes.”

Focusing on New PrioritiesGritters is going full speed off the court. He is a

house manager for one of the George Fox campus hous-es. He is teaching a Sunday school class on his favoritetopic, the theology of the final events before the returnof Christ. With a major in biblical studies, he is aimingfor seminary — Fuller or Princeton are his top choicesright now. He’s considering pursuing a Ph.D. and acareer as a professor.

And even though he isn’t a member of the varsityteam anymore, Gritters still makes his presence feltaround the Bruin basketball team.

“I was a little confused about my place with the teamat first,” Gritters says. “I attended some early preseasonpractices but quickly realized that I had to completelyseparate myself from basketball for a while or I’d gocrazy. But the players and coaches have made me feelwelcome and comfortable with ways I can help out.”

He leads the team’s devotionals before home gamesand plays “dummy defense” at practices, where he sim-ulates the next opponent’s players for defensive drills.

“Sure, I’ll always miss basketball, but there have cer-tainly been some positive side benefits,” Gritters says.“I’ve discovered that I have more time for developingpersonal relationships with others, more time for mystudies, more time for sleep. The Lord just has newthings for me to do, and now is the time to get started onthose new directions.”

— Blair Cash

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Vol 33 No 1 12/20/02 3:31 PM Page 9