Westwind, Summer 2010

The Power of the Pipe Organ

The Full Plate Diet

Working Toward WakefulnessHow Humanities Shape Us

WestwindThe Journal of Walla Walla UniversitySummer 2010

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THE WWU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION E-NEWSLETTER

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4 Campus Current

9 Bits and Pieces

10 New Alumni Officers

11 Working Toward Wakefulness

15 Pulling Out the Stops

18 Making Positive and Lasting Changes

20 Making Their Mark, 2010 Alumni of the Year

22 Alumnotes

29 In Memory

31 From My Point of View

32 College Avenue CrossingsMusical Masterpiece15

Summer 2010 Westwind 3

Contents

Westwind is published three times a year for alumni and friends of Walla Walla University, a Seventh-day Adventist institution. It is produced by Marketing and Enrollment Services/University Relations. This issue was printed in July 2010. Third-class postage is paid at College Place, Wash. © 2010 by Walla Walla University.

Westwind/University Relations 204 S. College Ave. College Place, WA 99324 Telephone: (509) 527-2397 Toll-free: (800) 541-8900 E-mail: [email protected] Online: westwind.wallawalla.edu

Westwind Summer 2010, Volume 29, Number 2

Editor Lisa KruegerWriters Nicole Batten, Rosa Jimenez, Becky St. Clair Cover Photo Chris Drake Design Robert Car Graphics

About the cover Dan Lamberton, professor of English, leads the humanities program at Walla Walla University.

Walla Walla University is a community of faith and discovery committed to – Excellence in thought– Generosity in service– Beauty in expression– Faith in God

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Walla Walla University welcomed 347 new graduates into the alumni family on June 13 at the 114th com-mencement service. The class of 2010 was an impressive group, with 47 cum laude graduates, 34 magna cum laude and 17 summa cum laude, as well as one nursing student who maintained a flawless 4.0 grade point average. In addi-tion, there were 10 graduates with double majors and one graduate with a triple major.

Graduates ranged in age from 20- to 57-years-old—proof that it is never too late to go to college.

The top three majors were nursing, business, and engineering. While more than half of the graduates had roots in the Northwest, the entire globe was represented with students from Bulgaria, Canada, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia.

Approximately 50 of the gradu-ates had served as student mission-aries while at WWU, which seemed appropriate as this year is the 50th anniversary of the university’s stu-dent missions program.

The speaker for the commence-

ment service was Eric Anderson, president of Southwestern Adven-tist University in Keene, Texas.

Ginger Ketting-Weller, vice presi-dent for academic administration, summed it up well, “We are confi-dent that wherever these gradu-ates are found next year, they will be known as alumni who embody the mission of WWU. They will par-ticipate in their communities as people committed to: Excellence in thought, Generosity in service, Beauty in expression and Faith in God.”

4 Westwind Summer 2010

Campus Current Freshman Mentoring CommUnity Summer Reading Book Picks

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Walla Walla University wel-comed 347 new gradu-ates into the alumni family

on June 13 at the 114th commence-ment service. The class of 2010 was an impressive group, with 47 cum laude graduates, 34 magna cum laude, and 17 summa cum laude, as well as one nursing student who maintained a flaw-less 4.0 GPA. In addition, there were 10 graduates with double majors and one graduate with a triple major.

Graduates ranged in age from 20- to 57-years-old—proof that it is never too late to go to college. The top three majors were nursing, business, and engineering. While more than half of the graduates had roots in the North-west, the entire globe was represented with students from Bulgaria, Canada, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Kenya, Korea, Trini-dad and Tobago, Uganda, and Zambia.

Approximately 50 of the graduates had served as student missionaries while at WWU, which seemed appropri-ate as this year is the 50th anniversary of the university’s student missions program.

The speaker for the commencement service was Eric Anderson, president of Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas.

Ginger Ketting-Weller, vice president for academic administration, summed it up well, “We are confident that wher-ever these graduates are found next year, they will be known as alumni who embody the mission of WWU. They will participate in their communities as peo-ple committed to: Excellence in thought, Generosity in service, Beauty in expres-sion, and Faith in God.”


W hat is an immortal-ized Schwann cell?” Walla Walla University

president John McVay asked senior biochemistry major Lisa Barcelo from the platform of the University Church.

It was WWU’s annual Alumni Homecoming Weekend Awards Celebration, when the president takes a few minutes to highlight a few of the many high-caliber proj-ects students are working on.

“My research studies cells to determine if there’s too much sugar,” Barcelo explained. “This can eventually have implications for people with diabetes.”

Barcelo was one of several stu-dents who shared their research with students, staff, faculty, and alumni. The Awards Celebration is held during Alumni Homecoming Weekend so that the many alumni who give to scholarship funds can be there to see their generous gifts in action. At this year’s Awards Celebration, 504 students were recognized for their achievements and $576,570 was given out from 176 scholarship funds.

McVay also uses this opportu-nity to demonstrate how involved WWU students are in research in their fields of study.

Andrew Sell, senior mechanical engineering major, talked about his project using sunlight to heat water, even when there is no sun.

“This is possible because we use a molecule called a zeolite,” said Sell. “Zeolites get hot when they suck up water, and they can

then transfer that heat into the water itself.”

Aric Vyhmeister, Kyle Lafferty, and Kevin Starkey made a team of three engineering majors who shared a little bit about their cur-rent project to design and build a solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle capable of self-sustained flight. To accomplish this, they are using lightweight materials, efficient aerodynamic design and a strategically formed array of solar cells on the top surface of the wing that will power a small electric motor and propeller.

Tiffany Thiel, senior chemistry major, spent last summer working in the National Security Intern-ship Program through Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. She worked in a lab developing methods to iden-tify the source of organisms used

in biological warfare, such as anthrax.

After sharing about their research, several students received awards for their academic achievements.

“Recognition is given to students who engage in original research, immerse themselves in perfor-mance, distinguish them-selves in the academic area, challenge themselves by participating in the honors program, and maintain outstand-ing academic records,” said Scott Ligman, associate vice president for academic administration.

Nine students received awards of over $7,000 each, one of whom has completed over 300 hours of coursework. More than 250 stu-dents who received awards main-tain a GPA of 3.75 or higher, and

one senior was set to graduate with a 4.0 cumulative GPA.

“Although many of the awards focus on academic achievement,” said Ligman, “award decisions often involve broader consider-ation of the student’s contribu-tion to WWU, their professional potential, and their commitment to service.”

“It has been so much fun to learn in some detail about the projects and research these stu-dents have been a part of,” said McVay after the brief on-stage interviews. “Thank you all for your excellence in thought.”

Would you like to support a WWU student by funding a scholarship? To learn more, call (800) 377-2586. n

Students Recognized for Research, Scholarship

Campus Current

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Senior biochemistry major Lisa Barcelo was one of several students selected to share about her research at the annual Awards Celebration, a time when students are recognized for their academic achievements and commitment to service.

In support of its mission to promote excellence in thought, Walla Walla University has added or reconfigured some majors in its more than 100 areas of study. The following degree programs will be available starting fall 2010:

- Bachelor of Business Administration: New concentration—Health and Senior Care Management

- Bachelor of Arts in International Communication- Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science: Concentrations—Busi-

ness and Industry, Human Thought and Culture, Communication- Bachelor of Science in Health Science- Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion- Bachelor of Science in Web Design

The university has also added an Athletic Coaching Minor to its Health and Physical Education program, and will also offer two-year degrees in Pre-Nutrition and Dietetics, Pre-Dental Hygiene, Pre-Physical Therapy, and Pre-Occupational Therapy.

Adding to the List


The move from high school to college can be a difficult one, to say the least. Stu-

dents have to transition from liv-ing at home and relying on Mom and Dad for everything, to keep-ing track of curfews, assignments, and appointments on their own, becoming virtually independent overnight. For many, the college years will present their first ex-perience in the working world, and some will be 100 percent responsible for their own school finances. All of this is in addition to any stressful situations taking place in their personal lives, such as an illness in the family, rela-tionship issues, and more.

Three years ago, after much research into what other schools were doing, Walla Walla University instituted the Freshman Success Program. Aimed at helping incom-ing freshmen have a positive experience that would give them confidence to continue their edu-cation and complete their degree, the program initially utilized half a dozen mentors and 75 randomly selected college freshmen.

Mentors were expected to meet with their mentees weekly, either in person or by phone, with personal visits expected at least biweekly. In turn, the mentors would meet each week with the director of the program to discuss successes and areas of concern.

“In addition to providing aca-demic assistance, mentors were also expected to provide spiritual and social support,” says Mel

Lang, program director. “We believe progress in all three of these areas is necessary for a suc-cessful college experience.”

The pilot program was a resounding success, with the coaches, as they prefer to be called, spending over 1,000 hours with their mentees. The sec-ond year saw WWU connecting each of the over 300 incoming freshmen with one of nearly 30 coaches, several of whom have master’s degrees. Most are gradu-ates of WWU, and are therefore well versed in its resources.

“The goal is to improve fresh-man satisfaction and success,” explains Lang. “Coaches provide support contributing to a success-ful first year. They help students stay on course, direct them to get the help they need, and discuss issues that may be personal, social, academic, or spiritual.”

Coaches are selected through an extensive interview process. During their first week on cam-pus, freshmen are given biograph-ical sketches of all 28 coaches, and are asked to indicate their top five choices. Most are given their top pick. Coaches are also expected to attend special training and addi-tional seminars throughout the year to keep them on top of their game to best serve the students they mentor.

Today, three years later, the statistics look good, and WWU’s students look even better. Seventy-seven percent of the men-tored freshmen returned to the

university in fall 2009 for their sophomore year, a seven percent increase from the average over the last 20 years. Winter and spring quarter retention went up six and seven percent, respectively, from the past two decades.

“Retention isn’t reliant solely upon academic success,” says Scott Ligman, associate vice president for academic adminis-tration at WWU. “Many factors cause students to leave college: relationship issues, family health concerns, spiritual questions, etc. The mentorship program deals

with all of these and more, allow-ing students to address and work through anything and everything that might be detrimental to their college experience.”

Ligman and Lang are both excited to see where the numbers go from here as the Freshman Success Program excels and grows. Not only have retention numbers grown, but the number of stu-dents on academic probation is notably lower.

“Our goal is to see students suc-ceed,” says Lang. “Our coaches are committed, caring individu-als who will do everything within their power to help these young people move forward and make their lives something to be proud of. So far, freshman mentoring has been a resounding success, and I am thrilled to be able to lead a program like this.” n

Campus Current

Freshman Success Continues Through College

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Julie Sanders-Keymer ’93, coach for the WWU Freshman Success Program, shares a laugh and a bit of advice with freshman Kathleen Schaefer to help her navigate the daily challenges of the first year of college.

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CommUnity Connection

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Many things set Walla Walla University apart from other colleges across

the nation, but one thing in partic-ular has been part of the university’s culture from the day of its found-ing in 1892: a weekly convocation.

“It’s one of the pillars of paro-chial education,” says Ken Rogers, WWU vice president for student

life. “We still consider that gather-ing very important here.”

Up until three years ago, the weekly Tuesday morning meet-ings were known as Chapel and were usually some type of worship service, much like Friday night vespers. Students were required to attend a certain number of them every quarter, and sometimes they felt like they were being required to worship, says Rogers.

With that in mind, WWU began to re-evaluate Chapel in 2007. Even though the variety and frequency of WWU’s worship opportunities serves the campus well, the university needed an opportunity to come together to celebrate various school activities and to engage in civic, national, and international causes.

“There was never any discus-sion of canceling the weekly gathering,” Rogers says. “We just needed a broader platform for it. Such a change would allow for greater freedom, allowing for

worship, civil enlightenment, and academic pursuits.”

When WWU decided to make the change, the Campus Life Committee, made up of students, faculty, and staff, discussed the issue extensively, and together they decided to make the change. Combining community and unity, CommUnity was born.

While the Tuesday morn-ing meet-ing is still the primary option, there are a variety of other options that allow for CommUnity attendance credit. The commit-tee looks for programs such as spe-cial Campus Ministries-sponsored concerts or ASWWU

(Associated Students of WWU) events that engage the whole campus, as well as events that address political issues, race and diversity issues, health issues, and many more.

“If students aren’t exposed to those important things here, where are they going to get it?” asks Rogers. “We needed a vehicle to provide this exposure to stu-dents, and, so far, they really

seem to appreciate the variety of options we offer now.”

The greater number and variety of CommUnity events has made a marked improvement in atten-dance. Previously, policy stated that those missing more than the allowed number of meetings were to listen to recordings of the events and write a report. Rogers’ office regularly received more than 700 papers per quarter.

In their research prior to the change from Chapel to CommUnity, Rogers and his team discovered that a lot of other Christian universities fine stu-dents who do not attend the regu-lar worship meetings, which often boosts their funds significantly for programming.

“In spite of the huge incentive we get from imagining that amount of money in our speaker budget, we have shied away from that approach,” says Rogers. “Writing papers wasn’t achieving community. Instead, we’ve leaned toward pro-viding what the students were ask-ing for: more options. Attendance issues are much better as a result.”

“We place a high value on regu-lar convocation and community. CommUnity is central to who we are, and what we want to empha-size in our Christian education philosophy,” says Rogers.

If you know of someone who would be a thoughtful and engag-ing speaker for one of WWU’s CommUnity programs, please call Rogers’ office at (509) 527-2511. n

More Options Reach More Students

Picking up a piece of pizza and a Mt. Ash yearbook—that’s CommUnity and a good reason not to miss the last gathering of the school year.

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Paddy McCoy ’99, campus chaplain, recommends “Dan-gerous Wonder” by Michael Yaconelli. “It’s one of my all-time favorite books because Yaconelli

is a kindred spirit. He talks wildly and passion-ately about a life following after Christ, and he’s not afraid to get messy in the process. The book specifi-

cally focuses on living with child-like faith, encouraging us to get to the place in our walk with Jesus where we jump first and fear later … or never.” McCoy enjoys Yaconelli’s discussion of having the life of a disciple full of passion, “strapped in for the ride of a lifetime.”

Austin Archer, professor of psychology and education, recommends “Picking Cot-ton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption” by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton (with Erin Torneo). “This book doc-uments a sober-ing story of how the limits of human memory and resultant errors in eyewit-ness testimony can lead to a

devastating miscarriage of justice. It alerts us to the ways in which our desire for retribution must be tem-pered by an insistence that the right person is brought to justice. Written jointly by the accused, now vindicated, and his erstwhile accuser, it is also an uplifting account of how the truth can be redemptive, and how forgiveness can bring reconciliation.”

Kyle Craig, associate professor of chemistry, recommends “Stones into Schools” by Greg Mortenson. The book is the follow-up com-panion to the 2006 best-seller “Three Cups of Tea.” Craig says, “These two books show that while military action in these coun-tries can be debated, one thing cannot: The people there need schools. The only way to counter-act extremist madrassa that fuel hatred is to build neutral schools.

It is also important that the women of the region be educated because evidence shows that with education of the women, society’s liv-ing conditions improve dra-matically. In short, here is the story of a guy who got it right about how to ‘win the peace’ in this far corner of the globe.”

Bruce McClay, Portland cam-pus librarian, recommends “Through the Valley of the Kwai” by Ernest Gordon. “Few come to the brink of the abyss like those

interned in the World War II jungle prisoner-of-war camp on the banks of the river Kwai. This moving and powerful account shows how faith, love, and fellowship transcended

the horrors and hatred of war and transformed the hearts and lives of men on both sides. For these POWs, the law of the jungle was replaced with the rule of love and compassion, not only for each other but also for those who held them captive. I read this book over 40 years ago while a young college student. It helped me

understand then the real mean-ing of religion, learning, and a spiritual experience and edu-cation. Ernest Gordon’s story shows that through our living example of Christ’s love, we can bring hope to others and create a ‘church without walls.’”

Melodie Selby ’86, assistant pro-fessor of engineering, recommends “The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right” by Atul Gwande. “This book is interesting, read-able, and useful, and its lessons are applicable to everyone. The basic

question he’s addressing is: How do you deal with human error in fields where error is unacceptable? We all know that humans make mistakes. But when you’re building a skyscraper, flying a plane or operating on another human, mis-takes are not acceptable. He points out there are really two kinds of mistakes: stupid mistakes—when we know better—and one-time events—when we don’t have the right information or knowledge. His approach works for both and will work in any field.”

Susan Smith, professor of social work and sociology, recommends “Mountains Beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder. “This book is both disturbing and inspiring. It gives a shining example of how one passionate and quirky person can make such a phenomenal dif-ference in the world. This book tells the story of medical doctor-anthropologist Paul Farmer who is

a compassion-ate servant to those with the greatest need and dogged champion of social justice to address health dispari-ties and access to high-quality care. The way

Farmer lives his life gives authority to his scholarship. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone I can.” WWU’s School of Social Work and Sociology gave the book “Mountains Beyond Mountains” to its 2010 graduates. n

Project Prompts Outpouring of Support

Summer Reading Book Picks

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Faculty and Staff Recommend Their Favorites


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Bits & Pieces

Pulling Strings After an official application and 10 months of waiting, the Walla Walla University string quartet were invited to play on opening day of the 2010 General Conference Session in Atlanta, Ga. The group performed two pieces arranged by music professor Lyn Ritz: “God Is Here,” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Ritz also directs the quartet, which includes students Noel Jabagat and Nolan Kinne on violins, Kelsey Zuppan on viola, and Jonathan Woodruff on cello.

To Your HealthTake a step to improve your health today. An hour-long fitness DVD, led by Linnae Davis ’03, fitness instructor at Walla Walla University, offers a full-body workout that includes stretching, cardiovascular exercises, and strength training. The DVD is available for $13 (plus shipping) through the Health and Physical Education Department. Proceeds will go toward the WWU Communications and Languages Department, which had an advanced film class do the camera work. Proceeds will also benefit the Teri Kuhlman Fitness Center in the Winter Educational Complex. To purchase your copy, go to wallawalla.edu/fitness.

Robotic RumbleTwo hundred students between the ages of 6 and 14 along with their programmable LEGO robots and nearly two dozen Walla Walla University engineering majors came together this spring for the annual FIRST LEGO Regional Robotics Challenge on the university campus. Students from the School of Engineering volunteered as judges, information contacts, referees, pit crew staff, and photographers. The theme of the LEGO event this year was “Smart Move,” with a focus on transportation.

Quilted WWUMarlene Oddie has excitedly picked up a hobby she’s been fostering for several years: quilting. Her love of the Walla Walla area and the university inspired her to create quilt designs representing the two. Since 2004, Oddie has designed quilts, table trivets, lap blankets, and baby quilts based on a WWU and Walla Walla Valley theme, as well as two additional patterns that have received recognition for their design and will be featured in the product catalog of the fabric manufacturer this year. Want to express your love for WWU by displaying a handmade quilt? You can make your own from patterns ($8), or you can commission Oddie to create one for you. Place your order at [email protected].

CalledDuring the 2009-10 school year, the Walla Walla University student missions program celebrated 50 years of service to the world. In the last five decades, over 2,200 students have served as medical workers, orphanage volunteers, teachers, assistant deans, maintenance workers, and more. To read their first-person stories, request your copy of “Called: Our Journey Into Faith and Discovery.” Send your request by e-mail to [email protected], or visit wallawalla.edu/called. A student missions cookbook is also available by calling (800) 541-8900, ext. 2633.


Alumni Association

WWU Alumni Elect New Officers

The alumni of Walla Walla University have elected four new officers to serve on

the Alumni Association board of directors. They are Clarence An-derson ’78, president-elect; Matt White ’02, treasurer; Heather Jarnes ’02, board member posi-tion 1; and Alan Coffey ’79, board member position 2.

Anderson is president and CEO of Blue Mountain Credit Union. Prior to that, he served as the Dean for the School of Business at WWU. Anderson serves as a Commissioner on the County of Walla Walla Housing Authority Board and has previously served on the Blue Mountain Action Council Board. He and his wife, Judy (Newell) ’78, have two chil-dren, Cordel ’05 and Talea ’07.

White is a commercial loan officer at the Bank of Whitman. He and his wife, Carrie (Biegel) ’05, have 3-year-old twins, Landon and Lillian.

Jarnes is a consumer under-writer at Banner Bank in Walla Walla. She and her husband, Ted

Swinyar ’02, have a 1-year-old daughter, Veronica.

Coffey is the CEO for Coffey Communications, a family-owned

advertising and marketing agency based in Walla Walla. He was awarded the 2009 Alumni of the Year award from the WWU

Alumni Association. Coffey is married to Sherilee (Goerlitz) ’91, and has a stepson, Seth.

The president-elect of the Alumni Association is elected annually and serves a three-year term—one year as president-elect, one year as president and one year as the board chair. The treasurer serves a two-year term and board members serve three-year terms.

WWU students, faculty, and staff are members of the Alumni Association and can vote; more than 700 alumni voted in this year’s election.

The association provides support in planning events, programs, and services for its alumni, as well as overseeing the use of the Havstad Alumni Center and managing an endow-ment that provides funding to the university. The association is incorporated and has its own bylaws and officers, separate from the university.

To learn more about the alumni association, visit alumni.walla-walla.edu/alumni-association. n

Clarence Anderson ’78 Matt White ’02

Heather Jarnes ’02 Alan Coffey ’79

For cabin rentals, meal tickets and additional information, call (800) 377-2586 or visit alumni.wallawalla.edu/rosario-weekend.For cabin rentals, meal tickets and additional information, call (800) 377-2586 or visit alumni.wallawalla.edu/rosario-weekend.


Walla Walla University has a long tradition of placing strong curricular emphasis on the

humanities, which the Cambridge Dictionary defines as “the study of subjects such as litera-ture, language, history, and philosophy.”

Every Walla Walla University student takes courses in the humanities. Every bach-elor degree but one (bachelor of science degree in engineering) requires at least 12 credits of humanities classes in the general studies curriculum. Students at Walla Walla University can choose from rich, thought-provoking classes such as World Music, Aesthetics and Photography, The African-American Experience, Latino Literature, Moral Philosophy, Film Studies, and Shakespeare at Ashland—all designed to prepare them to understand and participate thoughtfully in the world around us.

In addition to majors in the humanities, we also offer an interdisciplinary humanities major with concentrations to choose from in English, fine arts, history, languages, philosophy, or reli-gious studies.

We believe—and reports from alumni have affirmed—that this kind of pursuit of excel-lence in thought has positive and lasting affects far beyond the ability to complete a specific job function.

This recent conversation with Walla Walla University Professor of English Dan Lamberton reveals how and why we continue a strong tradition of teaching the humanities within Seventh-day Adventist higher education.

By Ginger Ketting-Weller

Working Toward WakefulnessHow Humanities Shape Us


GKW: With 70 percent of our students enrolled in majors preparing them for the professions, what do we achieve by offering a strong core of humanities in the education of all WWU students? We do all we can in the humanities to help students gradu-ate with confidence and continued curiosity about the ideas and skills our departments represent—art, drama, English (literature and writing), history, languages, music, phi-losophy, and religion. Most graduates will remain deeply involved in these subjects day by day, employing critical thinking, forming political viewpoints, making decisions about religion, and making choices about film, books, and the electronic media. We hope what we teach sticks, but more importantly, we hope students develop lifelong appetites for solid, well-con-sidered fare in the humanities.

In a good college, humani-ties opportunities should be available [more] through the curriculum. Chances are, a student might not remember a particular principle of rheto-ric from one of our English or philosophy courses, but if all of the faculty are reasonable in their speech and respon-sible in their thinking, the particular principles our depart-ments teach are reinforced, and students are reminded in all departments how important style and clarity should be.

In a good college, there should always be extracurricular opportunities for discovery—persuasive evidence of humani-ties for all of our students, whether they are engineers, or nurses, or business students. If our college and community provides visiting speakers, film series, or challenging public discussion, we then offer the humanities systemically, in life-altering ways.

It worked that way in my own education: I went from the farm, where we got a small town weekly newspaper and two timid radio stations, to a college where my roommate was

from the Philippines. Soon, I was confused but involved in cafeteria discussions with faculty and graduate students, I was traveling to various colleges to hear national figures debate, and I became involved with Model United Nations and voter registration. This was against my expected agenda—I was a physics major then, and had a family who expected to see me in medical school, and though I con-tinued to study science through college, the experience of humanities-in-action bit me, and I stayed bitten. So classes are one thing, a community of thinkers, readers, speakers, and listeners is another. The humanities core should be vital in every student and faculty member’s spine, and should be

obvious on the college bulletin boards, entertainments, cha-pels, and publications.

College humanities should insinuate themselves. True, one will leave a good humani-ties class watching one’s step, thinking hard. But humanities are also in the college’s external things. What kind of sculp-tures do we have, what kind of designs do we use, how do we address each other on cam-pus signs, in general e-mails and syllabi—what are the evi-dences that humans matter?

There are so many ways for a campus to say, “This place is about respect; it displays how to be humane.” We design places to read and discuss, bring important lectures to hear, provide news of the outside so that we won’t remain small and parochial.

American industrialist J. Irwin Miller said, “The calling of the humanities is to make us truly human in the best sense of the word.” How exactly do you see Walla Walla University going about making our students “human in the best sense of the word?”I really love an obtuse phrase from “Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts,” a book about teaching history by

Our theology strongly argues that humanities questions are of paramount importance, not just for ourselves, but for the lives we will and do live in this world.

—Linda Emmerson, assistant professor of philosophy


Stanford University’s Sam Wineburg. He says what defines a considerate human is a mind that “cultivates puzzlement.” That is, the humanities teach us not to avoid difficulty, but to pause, habitually, over “received” and easy wisdom and say, “What more can be learned and expressed about this?” Rather than accept the first answer, we need to stir ourselves to restlessness, to stay puzzled. By the way, I don’t mean the idea of “mystery” or perpetual intellectual suspension. Rather, I mean we dig, and good students will learn that to be human is to wonder what others are going through, how a historical idea evolved, and how science continues its restless inquiries. That’s a challenge because we have all kinds of pressures to “close the loop.” The humanities should show how to cultivate puzzle-ment, open the eyes, and ultimately, to make the world more open, and to help people who simply have to close down in order to survive.

I see two principles for the university. First, to cultivate puzzlement by teaching what is importantly provocative, while simultaneously providing comfort in the humane sense, that is, to make a place where students are challenged and respected, so they can study safely.

Second, the core has to be a true core. Nobody remem-bers everything one is taught. The student has to rehear it, rehearse it, learn it again, and again, and again. We forget. So to claim we have a humanities core should imply that the core has to be constant. For example, we don’t teach a writing class and then say, “Now you know writing.” Throughout college and after, every writing problem may be as hard as the last one. It’s never easy to form a thesis; it’s work to think critically and freshly. It’s not a one-time thing you do when you’re a freshman, or in a major’s few humani-ties requirements. Humanities should be systematic and dif-ficult. The classes are the vital beginning to guide students in important directions, but humans will face humanities’

struggles and joys continuously. Humanities aren’t a body’s decorations; they’re its spine. Why should today’s students study the humanities when there are some who argue that the world is calling for “real job skills” in business, science, technology, and other professions? I don’t see evidence for national alarm that humanities majors don’t get jobs. I’ve reviewed the last 20 years of

humanities graduates, and they’re doing fine, and, in many cases, doing very well.

Even in these difficult times, this year’s humanities gradu-ates are placed in significant work—in Teach for America, in JET (Japan English Teachers), in AmeriCorps. These are competitive place-ments. Most of our majors go to graduate and professional school, and these recent gradu-ates I mentioned have post-

poned acceptances to excellent advanced degree programs. It’s fair to ask why these students are hired, when they’re

stereotyped to live with their parents and pull espresso at Starbucks. Here are three reasons: The students are refined—they speak well, and write very well. Their applica-tion letters and interviews prove it. The students have faced real difficulty academically and can prove it. Their seminar papers are strong evidence of critical thinking for employers who desire such skills. Finally, the students embody WWU’s mission—integrity and rigor.

I would assure any employer of another, less obvious trait. These students, who have learned to think for themselves, have also learned to listen and be a part of an honorable organization. They can herd cats, make systematic those difficulties we call individualistic. We often don’t do the right thing when we give up on an argument by saying, “It’s up to the individual.” Humans do act collectively; we have collective good to consider. We have to think about what

The humanities should show how to cultivate puzzlement, open the eyes, and ultimately, to make the world more open.

—Dan Lamberton, professor of English


ideas in art, music, theology, history, and literature mean to community. Because our students practiced it in classes and seminars, they listen and apply those ideas that help us all make sense of difficulty.

Good training in the humanities stays with us. When you hear the news, see a film, or read a book, and someone asks, “What do you think about it?”, training in critical thinking and in the traditions of the arts, helps us respond to that question thoughtfully and responsibly. Study in the humanities imprints how we read, how we hear a sermon, how we spend time on our computers. It all entails a public responsibility.

You hope, when you send a child to college, he or she will have professors who require careful discussion, who expect students to speak clearly in class discussions, and, if the discussion is care-less or casual, say, “That won’t do, think again and say it bet-ter.” Faculty should say to a student who speaks thought-lessly, “What you’re saying here affects this culture of stu-dents, it reflects the way your life’s education has informed this thing you just said. Do you remember what Socrates said about that, do you recall how historians have debated what you just claimed? Remember what you read, figure it out, and say it again.” But this takes close listening on my part, and, in class, stu-dents should listen to each other carefully, and speak with reference to each other.

To practice such listening every day, I’ve designed a class roster with space to write under each student’s name, and if a student says something significant, I try to write it down. But if they say something poorly or in an unformed way, I ask them to go back and say it again with more thought. That fusing of memory and expression is a way the humani-ties meet every other discipline. One can ask a marketing student, “How do business ethics inform this film about the oil industry?” One can ask an engineer, “How does the design of that freeway divide the neighborhood in this story?” Then these students educate us all together. I think faculty in all disciplines employ these techniques. Science and humanities are elements of the same story, though they may organize themselves differently.

If Adventist education endeavors to educate students to be “thinkers, and not mere reflectors of other men’s thoughts,” is it possible that once we teach students to be thinkers, they may just think themselves out of the church? With the emphasis on careful, analytical think-ing in the humanities, is this not a risky business to be in, teaching in this field of study?Our task isn’t to work toward comfort, but toward wakeful-ness. I believe one of the great contributions of Adventism is the way it encourages its membership to be open-eyed, to be

fully alive. One sees this certainly in Adventism’s care for the human body. There are lots of things about this denomina-tion that are really admirable, and each of those things dis-courages a tepid, “Laodicean” life.

Consider this very carefully and don’t misconstrue. Every day I see amazing things—today, a baby humming-birds’ tongue. But I also treasure things I don’t see. I stay in the faith through the unbelievable. The virgin birth is not believable. The resurrection is not intuitive. But that’s exactly the point for me. If I didn’t see them as unusual, if I accepted these miracles stories straight out, then what is wonderful anymore? That very discomfort about the unbe-lievable is what keeps me humane, keeps me amazed, keeps me interested. If I accepted it straight out, I’d be as my

father said, “in the traces,” exer-cising no faith at all. I’d be in this belief system for the soci-ety. Without continual puzzle-ment, we’re not practicing, not renewing, the belief.

One of the things I think the humanities must do is study Jesus in a way that speaks to the skeptical student. For instance, story-by-story the parables mix messages and you need to think again. For example, in the Gospels, the discussion of Mary and Martha is followed by the story of

the Good Samaritan. In one, Mary “has chosen that good part” and is sitting and listening, but in the next one, the Samaritan is doing what Martha was doing, in essence. There are so many ways that the gospels can intrigue you, puzzle you, call you to bring every sense alive, every ana-lytical skill you have into play. What Jesus said is profound, it will change your life. Tolstoy thought so, John Updike thought so, the poet Denise Levertov thought so. I can give students name after name of people who have thrown their art at Christ and said, “OK, everything I do will be a way of meditating on what You did.”

Humanities, from art to theology, may break the world open and give you the tools to reform, but remember, as the poet Leonard Cohen says, “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets through.” We have to see our imperfections as avenues for the Spirit. The humanities pres-ent our human condition, our flawed selves, beautifully. We teach what has remained, what exists because of its quality. Quality—a masterpiece of music or art, a novel, a poem, a brilliant analysis of history or theology—is what we hold in memory. The humanities are, finally, those things we want to recall, reuse, and reinvent throughout our lives. n

Ginger Ketting-Weller ’85, is the vice president for academic administration at Walla Walla University.

Writers show us how we fail to think and then teach us how we can redeem ourselves; they invite us to misread so they can teach us to read.

—Kellie Bond, associate professor of English

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A sense of quiet anticipation hovered over the valley.

In hushed tones, people talked about what they’d heard of a massive, one-

of-a-kind pipe organ being built for the church by renowned organ builder Casavant Frères in Canada.

Was it true? If so, how would it sound? What would it look like? And how would it travel all the way to College Place from St. Hyacinthe, Quebec—more than 2,000 miles away?

A flurry of articles started cropping up in The Collegian and the North Pacific Union Gleaner. As readers learned that the organ—all 14 tons of it—had chugged into Walla Walla by freight train, suspense grew even more.

“A Canadian National Railway boxcar sat on a siding in town last week,” reported the Feb. 14, 1963, issue of The Collegian. “Under the metal seals and custom stamps lay the mystery—the new Casavant organ for the College Church ….”

Of all the curious locals, perhaps none were so delighted to witness delivery as Melvin K. West, chair of the Music Department who had spearheaded the pipe organ project from the beginning.

“I could hardly wait for each box to come through the side door [of the church],” West recalls.

Even the console—the wooden part of the instrument that the organist sits at and plays—arrived in multiple boxes since it was too bulky to travel as an assembled unit, says engineering profes-sor emeritus Fred Bennett, who helped design and construct key sections of the sanctuary where the organ sits.

Over the next month or so, each organ piece and pipe was care-fully installed and precisely tuned by Casavant experts. Meanwhile, formal invitations rolled off the press. Thick, ivory cards inked with an elegant script cordially invited people to “attend the initial concert featuring the Casavant pipe organ in the College Church.”

Finally the long-awaited evening arrived— April 26, 1963.

Students, faculty, staff, and local church members filed down aisles, whis-pering as they slid into the pews. The college’s brass ensemble, percussionists, and choirs gathered in their respective places, adjusting their instruments and clearing their throats.

Pulling Out The StopsHow the pipe organ came to be at the

Walla Walla University Church

By Loree Chase-Waite

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Then the sanctuary fell silent.As 8:00 drew near, eyes turned to

West. In a long, black robe typically worn by organists of the day, he strode up to the console, took his seat on the bench, and pulled out the stops.

In an instant, suspense became music.“West began with the quiet chords

of a country chapel, and built up to the reverberating full-organ most often heard in European cathedrals,” reported an article in the May 2, 1963, issue of The Collegian.

In a lavish and inspiring program, West featured nine numbers that demonstrated the wide versatility of the organ as a solo instrument as well as one that could accommodate large groups, college choirs, brass ensembles, and percussionists.

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS“The acquisition of a pipe organ was a condition for West’s coming” to Walla Walla College, writes Dan Shultz, for-mer chair of the Music Department, in the book “A Great Tradition: Music at Walla Walla College, 1892-1992.”

West’s vision, however, was not heart-ily endorsed at first. Controversy brewed

over which was better for the church: a pipe or electronic organ.

At a student assembly in January 1961, West spoke in support of a pipe organ, and students launched a cam-paign to raise $10,000 for an organ, regardless of the type or ultimate price.

Following that assembly, West wrote an editorial in The Collegian, which said, in part: “By virtue of the very nature of electronic reproduction, with its unnat-ural exactness of sound, an electronic organ can do no more than imitate the genuine …. True, it will cost consider-ably more to have a pipe organ than an electronic one, but in view of the role in which Walla Walla College finds itself, can we afford to be less than leaders—leaders in the spirit of worshiping God?”

History speaks for itself: A con-tract for a pipe organ was signed with Casavant Frères in December 1961.

“The organ was built to specifications agreed upon by West and Casavant,” Shultz writes. “Only three [divisions] were installed initially, with the final two to follow as funds became available.”

“I felt that it would be many, many years before the remaining stops would

be added to make a complete instru-ment,” West recalls.

Little did he know at the time that completion would be just around the corner.

After West played an organ solo at camp meeting a few years later, Shultz reports, a semi-retired musician and church leader named Lloyd Biggs walked up and said, “Dr. West, I really appreciated hearing you play, but I think your organ is minus quite a few stops,” which he proceeded to list. Then he looked right at [West] and asked, “Would you mind if I raised the rest of the money for the organ?”

“I nearly fainted on the spot,” West says. “Fabulous leading by our wonder-ful Lord.”

Biggs followed through, challenging the board to match him on a two-to-one basis, and ultimately raising the final $44,000 to complete the organ. The second (and concluding) installment, which took place in 1967, supplied two new organ divisions and several other stops, including beautiful new flutes, a fresh family of reeds, and expanded solo possibilities.

From the twinkling of flutes to the rum-bling of reeds, a pipe organ can play the sounds of a whole orchestra in one majes-tic, yet nimble instrument.

But showcasing a wide array of voices, colors, and harmonics doesn’t begin to describe the mission that a pipe organ can fulfill in a sanctuary setting, says Kraig Scott, minister of music at the Walla Walla University Church and WWU professor of music. During worship, the pipe organ can serve by:

Bringing words to life. “The words are really what it’s all about,” Scott says. “The combination of the words and the music, of course, is larger than the sum of the parts. Nevertheless, the words are really why we sing hymns. If we just plow through without focusing on the words, we miss a worship opportunity. So I like to pay par-ticular attention to each stanza and alter my playing based on what we’re singing at the moment. Our organ has a wide variety of sounds, so there are many possibilities at my disposal to bring the words to life.”

Guiding with grandeur and grace. “I tell my organ students that the single most important thing they do is accompany con-gregational singing in a worship service,” Scott says. “Preludes and offertories and postludes are important, but not as important as help-ing the congregation with their own song.

“The University Church organ is power-ful enough to lead a large congregation. Everyone can be singing full-throatedly, but the organ can envelop, it can support, and it can still be heard. It has such a wide pal-ette and range of colors and possibilities; it can be very strong or it can lead quietly.”

Resonating with hearts. “The organ is a marvelous instrument to mellow the soul,” says engineering professor emeritus Fred Bennett, who helped construct key areas of the sanctuary where the organ is installed. “Music … is a neat accumulation of psychology, physiology, consciousness, awareness, and mood-minding. Noise can be sharp and bright, or it can be warm and friendly. Our organ can speak those voices and many others. I’ve listened to a lot of

organs, and of all of them I would choose the Casavant, easily, because the tonalities you get out of it are just gorgeous.”

Adds Scott: “The organ is capable of conveying all of the emotions common to humanity. Since ours is in a beautiful, dedi-cated house of worship, I want it to convey not just the human condition as people experience it coming into that room, but the human condition as it is capable of being when people have come to that sacred place, encountered God, and then left with a different frame of reference and with the assurance of salvation.”

Making meaningful memories. Melvin K. West, who led the efforts to procure the pipe organ we have today, says, “I recall so vividly that students used to head out after graduation only to realize that the mag-nificence of the Sabbath morning worship experience turned out to be perhaps one of the most cherished memories of their WWU years. I personally feel there is no spiritual experience that can equal the praise of God with an organ assisting in the service.”

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A MUSICAL MISSION


At last the organ was paid for in full. The total cost—paid for by dona-tions, student campaigns, and matching funds—just over $100,000. By com-parison, in today’s market, an organ of that caliber would cost about $2 mil-lion, Kraig Scott, minister of music at the Walla Walla University Church and WWU professor of music, estimates.

STAYING STRONGOver the years, the pipe organ has con-tinued to prove it was the right choice, Shultz says. Had an electronic model been purchased back in the ’60s, the church might have gone through six

or seven generations of organs and still have an inferior product to the pipe model we have today.

In other good news, the basic struc-ture and pipes have held up soundly.

“None of the pieces that we’ve had all these years have split or anything. They remain good and solid,” says Bennett.

Twice a year, typically, the pipes are professionally tuned, Scott says. And he personally cleans the keyboards and con-sole on a routine basis.

Several years ago, the organ was in dire need of a thorough cleaning.

“We live, as you know, in a dusty place,” Scott says. “If you didn’t clean or dust your house for 40 years in the Walla Walla Valley, think of what it would look like. The organ was unbe-lievably filthy.”

Thus, each pipe—except for the very largest ones which were cleaned in place—was carefully removed, taken outside and either washed, bathed in a bath, or blown out with compressed air.

“Every single pipe was individually cleaned and polished,” Scott says. It was no small feat, considering there are nearly 5,000 pipes.

In addition to keeping the instru-ment clean, efforts have been made in recent years to boost the acoustics of the sanctuary for the music of the pipe organ, choir, and other instruments. Starting in 2000, over the course of four summers, the project involved, among other things, building a new ceiling above the platform, adding curved pan-els to the walls and ceiling, enlarging the platform area, and replacing carpet with slate tiles.

“The panels make it so sound doesn’t just hit and bounce around, but rather curls and peels off like the skin off an orange,” Bennett explains.

“The end result turned out better than I had hoped,” Scott says. “It is fabulous.”

All of this thought and care continue to pay off: “Here we are in the desert of eastern Washington and we’ve got this glorious instrument—a hidden marvel. It’s one of the wonders of the region,” says Scott. “We owe Mel West and his vision of procuring this kind of instrument—so much. We’re very fortunate.” n

NOTABLE NUMBERSOne of the largest pipe organs in the Pacific Northwest, the organ at the Walla Walla University Church has:

. 4,982 pipes. The smallest pipe is about an inch in length and about as wide as an adult’s little (pinky) finger. The largest pipe is 32 feet in length and about 20 inches in diameter.

. 92 ranks, or sets, of pipes—some of metal and some of wood. Each rank contains one pipe for each note of the keyboard.

. Three manuals, or keyboards, on which the fingers play. Each manual has 36 white notes and 25 black notes, making a total of 183 notes in all.

. 32 foot pedals—19 white notes and 13 black notes.

. Five divisions—five separate, dis-tinct organs that comprise one large instrument. Each division is housed in a chamber of its own behind the platform.

. About 142 things an organist can move to alter the sound, not counting the keys and pedals that are played. Options include stops, couplers, thumb pistons, toe studs, and expres-sion pedals.

. A 10-horsepower motor and large fan, located in the basement below the baptistry, that pump air up into the pipes. The air pressure is con-trolled by two large baffles, each the size of a couple of bedsprings, that, in essence, help the organ “breathe.”

Kraig Scott, minister of music at the University Church, feels honored to play the pipe organ for Sabbath services and special events. Having taught music at Walla Walla University for 23 years, Scott says many of his organ students have gone on to earn advanced music degrees at notable institutions such as Yale, Julliard, and the Cleveland Conservatory.

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Interview

How did you become interested in health?When I was in college in 1975, I went as a student missionary to Bangladesh and assisted with sur-geries in a local hospital. During my time there I was convinced that what those people really needed was preventative health care; they honestly just needed health education. With that, they could be rid of most of their treat-able problems, even if we just educated them on the basics of hygiene. I came back to college passionate about public health and health education.

During this time I also taught missionary kids in a homeschool setting and decided to make my secondary focus education. I was a teacher for six years before I went into the business world. It all came full circle when I got into health for this job, which gives me the opportunity to run a business that thrives on educating people. It’s always amazing to watch how God leads and equips you for the next step in life.

Did you grow up in a family with a healthy lifestyle?My father was an Adventist medi-cal technician, so we grew up with traditional Adventist health values. At various times in my childhood we were vegetarian, and we even tried being vegan once. Since I was young I can’t explain why we switched back and forth so often. That’s just the way it was. But I at least understood the Adventist health message and lived it as a child.

What is the Lifestyle Center of America?At its most basic, it’s an organiza-tion founded by a Seventh-day Adventist physician with the idea to create something similar to the sanitarium in Battle Creek, Mich. In the end, it became a sort of health resort.

We opened the business in 1996, and over time began to focus on people suffering from diabetes. When they came to LCA, we changed their eating habits, their exercise habits, and

their rest habits all at once, and enforced these changes for 18 days. We saw dramatic results from this program. Folks would come to LCA hardly able to walk—in wheelchairs even—and by the end of the 18 days they would be walking several miles a day. Others would be on some-where around 17 medications, and would leave taking only two or three.

I understand your approach is different these days. What changed and why?I eventually became concerned about the long-term benefits of the positive results we were see-ing, so we started doing research on those who had previously par-ticipated in our 18-day program. We found that after two years only 10 percent were experiencing sustained change. We had spent $44 million helping 4,000 people, and only five to 10 percent were still living the changes we’d helped them make.

This sobering realization

led us to investigate what the research says about how people change their behavior. It turns out that most people most of the time change their behavior one small step at a time. While Christians are used to epiph-any-based change, in general the research shows that lasting behavior is incremental, not rev-olutionary. This was very tough for our organization to accept culturally, but the evidence was overwhelming.

So we did away with the 18-day program. We began five-day workshops on the Full Plate Diet instead, which encourages people to slowly add fiber-rich foods into their diet. All change is self-change. For instance, we don’t serve meat at LCA, so people were vegetarian while they were there. But once they left they went back to eating meat. But if you empower peo-ple to make good choices and help them through the stages of change, then they will make last-ing changes over time. A great

Making Positive and Lasting ChangesBy Becky St. Clair

Sid Lloyd ’79 has a passion for being healthy. It’s an interest that has spilled over into his career, giving him opportunities to help others become healthy as well. As president and CEO of Lifestyle Center of America, Lloyd has seen transformations that seem nothing short of miraculous. LCA published the popular “Full Plate Diet” in early 2010, which made an appearance on several best-seller lists including The New York Times, where it stayed for three straight weeks.


“Most people most of the time change their behavior one small step at a time,” says Sid Lloyd ’79, president and CEO of Lifestyle Center of America. “While Christians are used to epiphany-based change, in general the research shows that lasting behavior is incremental, not revolutionary.”

Interview

book on this topic is “Stages of Change” by Dr. James Prochaska.

Tell me more about how the Full Plate Diet works.The question we ask in the FPD program is, “Are you eating enough to lose weight?” Most people think they are overweight because they are eating too much. So they go on a diet that deprives them and makes them constantly hungry. Plus, diets can be expen-sive, depending on what kind you participate in.

The FPD has people add high-fiber foods slowly, and then start replacing low-fiber foods with high-fiber foods. Really, it’s the Adventist health message hid-den in a weight-loss wrapper. Self-image is a huge motivator

of human behavior, so we’ve used that fact to help people get healthy. We don’t shake our fin-gers in their face saying, “You’ve gotta be vegan!” We simply talk about losing weight with a high-fiber diet, and everything falls into place. Fiber is only found in plant-based food. So really, a fiber-rich diet pushes people toward vegetarianism and vegan-ism anyway.

Have you been surprised at the book’s success?No. I knew we had a spectacular book, and I knew the amount of work and strategy that went into creating it. It was planned to succeed.

The most common response to the FPD is, “Wow! I can do that!” Over 30 Adventist organiza-tions, including Walla Walla University, have purchased copies of the FPD book for their employees. In May, we facilitated a pilot program for nonprofessional groups such as churches, to teach them how to run weight-loss programs using the FPD book.

What are the biggest challenges to a healthy lifestyle?Culture. The American culture is aimed at short-term rewards and instant gratification. If we don’t see results almost immedi-ately we give up and consider the method worthless. If it feels good, we’ll do it; if it tastes good, we’ll eat it. Our culture as Americans completely goes against a healthy lifestyle.

As president of the company, you must travel quite a bit. How do you manage a healthy lifestyle on the road?I practice what I preach. I pur-chased a video recorder and am continuing to build a library of videos at common on-the-go din-ing places. In these videos I show

people how to order items from their favorite restaurants and still eat high-fiber, tasty meals. I’ve done places like Taco Bell, Baja Fresh, and the Old Spaghetti Factory. For instance, in my Taco Bell video, I demonstrate how peo-ple can order a delicious, fiber-rich, filling meal for under $2. I’ve even done a video featuring a home bar-becue, including grocery shopping.

To order the videos or see other materials related to the Full Plate Diet, visit fullplatediet.org. n

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Improve your eating habits, get a free bookWould you like to prevent heart disease? Diabetes? Cancer? Weigh less and have more energy? Built on simple concepts and filled with more than 100 full-color photos, the book “The Full Plate Diet” will give you the information necessary for improving your health and your diet. Be part of a drawing to receive one of 10 free copies of this book. To enter, please send your name, phone number, e-mail and mailing address to [email protected]. Entry deadline is Aug. 31, 2010.


Making Their Mark Alumni of the YearIntroducing people to Christ through evangelism has been the lifework of Lyle Albrecht. For 40 years, Lyle and his wife, Peggy, have brought God’s message to thousands of people in the United States and throughout the world. However, his path to the ministry began in a much different place.

When Lyle was born, his parents owned and operated a nightclub and his father was an alcoholic. After a visit from a col-porteur, his father began Bible studies, and the family became Seventh-day Adventists.

As a young man Lyle was on track to work in the logging industry, but a serious logging accident and a visit by evangelist Glen Aufderhar changed his direction. Glen invited Lyle to sing for evangelistic meet-ings Glen was holding in Lyle’s hometown of Baker, Ore. After the meetings, Lyle and his wife, Peggy, decided to enter the ministry and headed to Walla Walla University.

Lyle and Peggy began their min-istry in the Idaho Conference where they held their first evan-gelistic meet-ings. Since then, Lyle has conducted

nearly 200 evangelistic series and has seen more than 5,000 people baptized in the United States alone. Lyle became well-known to television audiences during his 15 years as a dynamic speaker for the Three Angels Broadcast Network.

Even though Lyle and Peggy officially retired last November, Lyle continues to accept requests to speak for evangelistic meetings. “My motivation is to hasten the return of Jesus,” he says.

Lyle and Peggy live in La Grande, Ore., where he enjoys singing and playing guitar in the Blue Mountain Band. They have three children, Tammy ’91, Troy att., and Terry, who died about

two years ago at age 45 from a brain

aneurysm.

To the scores of students who have called Alden Thompson their professor, there is no doubt about his love of teaching. His 40-year career as a biblical stud-ies professor has given Alden an avenue to demonstrate his love for and interest in students, his active and curious mind, and his intense loyalty to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Outside the classroom, Alden’s contribution to spiritual life on campus has been demonstrated by his commitment in leading cam-pus devotional programs for stu-dents, faculty, and staff.

Alden joined Walla Walla University in 1970, taking only two off-campus leaves during his almost 40-year tenure, once for doctoral studies at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and again to serve as an exchange teacher at Marienhöhe Seminary in Germany. He stepped into the role of academic vice presi-dent from 1986 to 1990, and has taught full-time in the School of Theology since then. Alden retired from full-time teaching in 2009, but continues to teach half-time.

An ordained minis-ter in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Alden is a 1965 graduate of Walla Walla University and a 1966 and 1967 graduate of Andrews

University. He received his doc-torate in Old Testament and Judaic Studies from the University of Edinburgh in 1975. Before beginning his service at Walla Walla University, Alden was a pas-tor in southeastern California.

Alden is in frequent demand as a speaker and seminar presenter. His primary interests are the Old Testament, Ellen G. White stud-ies, and Adventist history. He has written extensively for Adventist publications and has authored a number of books.

Alden and his wife Wanda ’65, have two married daugh-

ters, Karin ’91, chair of the

WWU Music Department, and Krista ’92.

Lyle Albrecht Class of 1970, Theology Alden Thompson Class of 1965, Theology


Making Their Mark Alumni of the YearMichael W. Cruz, Lieutenant Governor of Guam, has dedicated his career to healing people and serving the island territory. As a surgeon, a colonel in the Army National Guard, a senator in the legislature and now in his pres-ent role, he has always eagerly answered the call to service.

Michael received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Walla Walla University in 1980, and graduated from Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 1984. Throughout his medical career, he has held various leader-ship positions, including medical director at the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority.

Michael is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. As com-mander of the Guam Army National Guard Medical Command, he provided treatment to sick and wounded soldiers, and while on volunteer deployment to Iraq, he commanded the elite Rapid Advanced Medical Team. Michael has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal, and has received a Combat Medical Badge for service as a battalion sur-geon while under enemy fire in Afghanistan.

His service as an elected

leader began as a senator in the Guam Legislature. He also chaired the Committee on Health and Human Services.

After serving his term as sena-tor, the community elected him Lieutenant Governor in 2007. He co-founded and currently serves as president of the Ayuda Foundation, an organization catering to the health needs of Pacific Island resi-dents. His efforts to improve the quality of life for the people of Guam garnered him a Distinguished Service Award from the National Governors Association.

Michael is married to Jennifer Rosario Cruz and is the father of

Shaunn, Mika’ele, Christine and

Taylor Marie Cruz, and Christian Payumo.

A consummate musical artist, Reginald Unterseher is both an accomplished vocal performer and musical composer. Reginald, or Reg, as most people know him, also fosters future young musical artists through his involvement as a respected presenter at choral clinics and judge at musical competitions.

Born in Walla Walla, Reg grew up in a musical family. From a young age, he took lessons in piano and violin.

During his college years, Reg was well-known for his silky bari-tone voice and performed exten-sively with college groups and the Walla Walla Symphony. He also began his career as a musical com-poser during these years.

After college, Reg and his wife, Sheila Dunlop ‘80, lived in Kansas City, where Reg earned a master’s degree from University of Missouri. He also expanded his performing skills, singing with many regional opera, music theater, and symphony groups, including the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Spokane Symphony, and Opera Theater of St. Louis.

Leaving Missouri, Reg and his family moved to the Tri-Cities area, where Sheila joined her father’s medi-cal practice, and Reg became a

stay-at-home dad. During that time, he became the music direc-tor for a community chorus and Composer-in-Residence at Shalom United Church of Christ. Reg was also one of the founders of Washington East Opera, and formed the Three Rivers Children’s Chorus.

For the last decade, Reg’s com-posing began to take a larger role. His works are now published by Oxford University Press and Walton Music, and are performed in concert and on recordings by choirs in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

Reg and Sheila have three children,

Chance, Faith, and Joy.

Michael Cruz Class of 1980, Biology Reginald Unterseher Class of 1980, Music


1950s Dennis Parks ’58 and his wife, Geri

(Fowler) att., live in Eagle, Idaho.

Dennis has pastored churches in Idaho,

Washington, and California for the past

46 years. In his spare time, he enjoys mis-

sion work in India and Mexico. Dennis

and Geri have four children, Randy att.,

Ronald, Donald, and Jennifer.

1960s Ethel (Wallen) Acosta ’60 and her hus-

band, Jose Sr., live in Renton, Wash. The

couple travel to theme parks in Orlando,

Fla., visit family in Puerto Rico, and

recently attended their granddaughter’s

high school graduation. They have five

children, Jose Acosta Jr. ’90, Gabriel ’83,

Douglas ’87, Karen att., and Richard.

Kay (Webb) Bowers ’60 lives in Milpitas,

Calif. Kay has visited 49 states in her

36-foot motor home. In addition to her

domestic travels, she has lived 12 years

abroad, spending time in Korea, Japan,

and the Philippines. She has three chil-

dren, Dennis, Randall, and Debra.

Esther (Brooks) Bunch ’65 and her

husband, Luke ’50, live in Douglasville,

Ga. In her spare time, Esther enjoys cook-

ing, gardening, and hiking in the Smoky

Mountains. Esther and Luke have two

children, Sandy and Douglas.

Wanda (Leaming) Chipeur ’60

and her husband, Edward ’58, live in

Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada.

Wanda works as a registered nurse at

M. H. Residential Home. From her time

at WWU, Wanda remembers working at

the “college fountain.” Wanda and Edward

have three children, Gerald, Rebecca att.,

and Mark.

John Enstrom ’60 and his wife, Ardelle

(Johnson) att., live in Pasco, Wash. John

spent his career contributing to various

engineering projects for the U.S. Navy,

oil industry, and nuclear industry. In his

spare time, he enjoys pursuing outdoor

activities, such as backpacking, bicycling,

and mountain climbing. John and Ardelle

have three children, Celeste att., Heather

att., and Brent.

Beverly (Preston) Fletcher ’60 and her

husband, Weldon att., live in Winchester,

Ore. From her time at WWU, Beverly

remembers Friday evening vespers with

organ music and the patient teachers.

She and Weldon have three children,

Brenda att., Todd ’89, and Cory att.

Joan (Bauer) Gulbrandson ’65 and her

husband, Larry, live in Vancouver, Wash.

In her spare time, JoAn enjoys interior

decorating, sewing and quilting, and vol-

unteering at community centers and free

clinics. JoAn and Larry have two children,

Robb and Lisa Carr ’89.

Patricia (Parks) Gomes ’60 and her

husband, Leo att., live in Walla Walla. In

her spare time, Patricia enjoys gardening,

cooking, and health ministry. From her

time at WWU, she remembers the chapel

services at Columbia Auditorium and

graduating with her brothers and cousins.

Luther Harris ’60 and his wife, Waneta

(Zehm) ’59, live in Roundup, Mont. The

couple enjoyed 36 years of teaching in

elementary schools together. They have

three children, Tom ’81, Jerry att., and

Archie ’88.

Marlyn Hoffman ’60 and his wife,

Kathleen (Geppert) ’58, live in John Day,

Ore. Marlyn has worked for the USDA

Forest Service. Currently he owns and

Vanguards

Row 1 Roy A. Wesson, Ramona (Bates) Wesson, Wanda (Hellman) Petersen, Irmgard (Siemsen) Hoaper, Ruby (Sulzle) Griffin, Clyde Smith, Mary (Oliver) Pick Row 2 Eugene Bowman, Jean (Gildroy) Hassell, Vivian (Hassell) Black, Doyle B. Saxby, Lorelei (Pierce) Saxby, Dorothy (Kuhn) Holm, Verona (Montanye) Schnibbe, Fred Schnibbe Row 3 Nellie (Soule) Davis, Albert Will, Dale Visger, Helen (Ward) Thompson Zolber, Virginia (Miller) Mabley, Elwood Mabley, Pat (Saxby) Reynolds, Verna M. (Sackett) Travis, Gordon S. Travis Row 4 Catherine Chinn, Clarence Chinn, Darlene (Gerking) Prusia, Clayton Prusia, Lloyd Moody, Beverly (Woods) Moody, Roland Moody, Vera (Wolcott) Young, Robert Graham

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runs his own janitorial service. He and

Kathleen have one son, John ’85.

Duane Johnson ’65 and his wife,

Tamara (Seibly) att., live in Hermiston,

Ore. Duane works as a mortgage banker.

The couple has two children, Libby and

Tyrell ’81.

Ken Ladd ’60 and his wife, Jackie

(Esteb) ’57, live in Orange, Vermont. The

couple has two children, Lisa ’87 and

Mike ’87.

Gloria (Thomas) Matthews ’60 and her

husband, Thomas ’60, live in Lindsay,

Calif. Gloria works

as a choral accom-

panist for the

Lindsay Unified

School District.

Gloria has three

children, Karen,

Kelli, and Kimberley.

Gerry Miller ’65 and his wife, Nancy

(Carpenter) ’76, live in Vancouver, Wash.

Gerry works at Miller Advisory. Gerry and

Nancy have three children, Kimberly ’90,

Jodi att., and Natalie.

Leah (James) Mix ’65 and her husband,

Elvin, live in Sammamish, Wash. Leah

taught swimming for 20 years for the

Issaquah Swim Team. She enjoys work-

ing out daily at the YMCA Fitness Center.

While at WWU, Leah remembers sailing

on the Columbia River.

David Parks ’60 and his wife, Reitha

(Hutson) att., live in Corona, Calif. In his

spare time, David enjoys playing ten-

nis, hiking, and writing. He and Reitha

have two children, Timothy att. and

Heidi att.

Sandra (Jenicke) Monette ’65 lives in

Loma Linda, Calif. Sandra enjoys taking

pictures, walking, and playing table games.

From her college years, Sandra remembers

Class of 1960

Row 1 Jim Zachrison, Hugh Gray, Carter Noland, Ken Ladd, Larry Magnussen, Dennis Parks, George Ulloa, Art Ward, Bob Bond Row 2 Pat (Parks) Gomes, Beverly (Baker) Thygeson, Beverly (Preston) Fletcher, Marion (Park) Smith, Viola (Smith) Peach, Rose (Dubyna) Hodgkin, Anita Isene, Audrey (Newman) Rice, Betty Jean (Anderson) Penner, Dolores (Adams) Lee, Wanda (Leaming) Chipeur, Ginger (Reel) Snarr, Mattie (Knight) Wren, Peggy (Henderson) Kaye, Judy (Elijah) Blackwood Row 3 Shirley A. (Brane) Thomas, Ethel Wallen-Acosta, Ruth (Deming) Roberts, Robert M. Sarve, C. Keith Gibbons, Aletha (Downs) Lawson, Milli (Faris) Schaber, Maxine (MdDow) Johnson, Carol Siaw, Michael Siaw, Thomas Siaw, Bernadine (Paulson) Russell, Joyce D. (Harchenko) Klocko Row 4 Duane Graham, Sam Carvajal, John Hodgkin, Harold Eslinger, Perry Parks, Marlyn Hoffman, Robert Wood, Bill Wagner, Ted Miller, Kenneth Kellru, Bob Tinineuko Row 5 Noel Bixel, Francis Sargeant, David Parks, Dale Clark, Raleigh Hardin, Daryl Wheeler, Norman Versteeg, Allan McDonald, John Engstrom, Delmner Fjarli, Marian (Lowe) Dawes

Vanguards

Row 1 Gloria (Cox) Oakes, Maurine (Carrick) Parnaele, Lois (Coleman) Hall, June (Kyle) Iseminger, Bonny (Kyle) Eichner, Meribeth (Wagner) McFarlane Row 2 Robert Earl Bolton, Ann (Krakenberg) Erlandson, Betsy (Neufeld) Matthews, Paul L. Warden, Florence (Olson) Stewart, Syd Stewart, Glenda (Gimbel) Schafer, Violet Wentland, Bill McFarlane Row 3 Daniel Matthews, James Parmele, Nathan Merkel, Lars Surdal, Bill Oakes, W. Dale Peterson, Harold E. Harvey

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eating Friday evening waffles with her vil-

lage friends.

Bob Myers ’60 and his wife, Betty

(Ashley) ’58, live in Madison, Ala. Bob

works as the CEO for Myers Agency

Services, leaving engineering to start

his own financial planning business. He

received the Master Pilot Award for 50

years of accident-free flying. He and Betty

have two children, Serena and Darren.

Perry Parks ’60 and his wife, Gloria,

live in Medford, Ore. From his time at

WWU, Perry remembers classes taught

by Paul Heubach, Gordon Balharrie, and

Harry Westermeyer. Perry and Gloria have

three children, Daniel att., Donita, and

Darlene att.

Shirley (Witherspoon) Schoepflin

’65 and her husband, Gerald ’60, live in

Portland, Ore. In her spare time, Shirley

enjoys bird watching, wild flowers, and

writing Bible and nature Sabbath School

programs for children. From her college

years, Shirley remembers Friday evening

vespers. Shirley and Gerald have two chil-

dren, Todd ’97 and Shelley ’98.

Cecelia (Hall) St. Clair ’60 and her

husband, Leo att., live in Yucca Valley,

Calif. While at WWU, Cecelia remembers

Columbia Auditorium and the cafeteria

food that taught her the vegetarian life-

style. Cecelia and Leo have three children,

Shelley, Shaun, and Shane.

Shirley (Brane) Thomas ’60 and her

husband, Griffith ’57, live in Tillamook,

Ore. Shirley works as a registered nurse at

Tillamook County General Hospital. Her

hobbies include oil painting, gardening,

and short-term mission projects. Shirley

and Griffith have five children, Marcene

att., Delbe ’82, Lloyd ’89, Jill att., and

Hugh ’94.

Beverly (Baker) Thygeson ’60 and her

husband, Lester ’62, live in Walla Walla. In

her spare time, Beverly enjoys “RVing” and

traveling in the U.S. and abroad. Beverly

and Lester have four children, Laura att.,

Hans ’90, Sonja ’92, and John ’95.

George Ulloa ’60 and his wife, Renate,

live in Battle Ground, Wash. George has

had the opportu-

nity to work as a

pastor, trust officer,

the president of

Whitecoat

Foundation, and

the CEO of

Chamorro Equities,

Inc. He and Renate have three children,

Robert ’96, Joanne att., and Julie ’96.

Lassia (Radomsky) Van Hise ’60 and

her husband, James ’59, live in Angwin,

Calif. The couple has two children, Milton

and Audry.

Velma Vipond ’60 lives in Brewster,

Wash. Velma enjoys volunteering at a

local elementary school as a tutor. Her

hobbies include reading, painting, and

working on family geneology.

Bill Wagner ’60 and his wife, Janet, live

in Beaverton, Ore. Bill retired from work-

ing as a principal engineer for General

Electric in 1994. In his spare time, he and

Janet enjoy traveling and the cultural life

of Portland. From his college years, Bill

remembers working in the College Store

and the college owing him money at

graduation. Bill and Janet have two chil-

dren, Lauren and Nancy.

Virginia “Gini” (Northrop) Woodruff

’65 and her husband, Melvin “Mel” ’71,

live in San Jose, Calif. Retirement has

allowed Gini to travel within the 48 states,

plus Hawaii. While at WWU, she remem-

bers watching the construction of the

cafeteria and attending a banquet in the

basement of the girl’s dormitory. Gini and

Mel have three children, Ben att., Brad,

and Bonnie.

Mattie (Knight) Wren ’60 and her hus-

band, Oren att., live in Menifee, Calif. Her

favorite WWU memories include the beau-

tiful sunsets and Friday evening vespers by

Helen Evans. Mattie and Oren have three

children, Terri ’84, David, and Lori.

Class of 1965

Row 1 Myra (Wilson) Sanders, Beverly (Chappell) Holland, Lois (Holloway) Wilson, Virginia (Northrop) Woodruff, Dorothea (Renschler) Amey, Nancy (Johnson) Teale Row 2 Alden Thompson, Wanda (Hoffman) Thompson, LeRoy Rieley, Ruth (Helm) Hall, Jim Hall, Joan (Riter) Carman, Shirley (Norhton) Panasuk Row 3 Ron Riter, Lester Wright, Andy Dressler, Marolyn (Eiseman) Wagner, Joan (Bauer) Gulbrandson, Richard Worley, John Henriques


Alumnotes

1970s Gary LaCom ’70 and his wife, Margaret

(Connell) ’71, live in Corinth, Miss. Gary

works as a dentist. In his spare time, he

enjoys working with wood and metal.

Gary and Margaret have two children,

Christopher and Joseph.

Len Harms ’70 and his wife, Ruth

(Bettle) ’69, live in Pasco, Wash. Len

works as a principal engineer at Harms

Engineering, Inc. The couple have two

children, Sherilyn ’96 and Renee ’00.

Rick Henderson ’75 and his wife, Kay,

live in Walla Walla. Rick works as an

orthopedic surgeon at St. Mary Physician

Group. Rick has had the opportunity to

perform the first total joint replacements

ever done in Yap, Micronesia, on a short-

term medical mission trip. In their spare

time, the Henderson family enjoys water

and winter sports. Rick and Kay have

two children, Matthew ’08 and Kristen

curr. att.

Mardelle (Kirklin) Jensen ’70 and her

husband, Don, live in Bend, Ore. After

working more than 30 years as a nurse,

Mardelle is enjoying retirement. In her

spare time, she enjoys running, skiing,

and bird watching. Mardelle and Don

have a son, Christian.

Cheryl (Polishuk) Kay ’75 and her

husband, Warren ’79, live in Lacombe,

Alberta, Canada. Cheryl works at Alberta

Health Services as the manager of con-

tinuing care. Cheryl and Warren have

had the opportunity to travel to Israel,

Jordan, and Egypt together. The couple

has four children, Brad, Rachelle, Cristy,

and Kyle att.

Barbara Miller ’75 lives in Spokane

Valley, Wash. She works as a registered

nurse for Holy Family Hospital. In her

spare time, she enjoys cooking and

quilting.

Caesar Nawalkowski ’70 and his wife,

Linda (Lucas) ’62, live in Pnoka, Alberta,

Canada. From his time at WWU, Caesar

remembers working as a maintenance

man at the women’s residence hall

Conard Hall.

Larry Proctor ’70 and his wife, Leonore,

live in Sacramento, Calif. Larry works at

the Elk Grove Unified School District as a

part-time school administrator. While at

WWU, Larry remembers attending classes

taught by Dr. Malcolm Maxwell and Mrs.

Knapp. Larry and Leonore have three chil-

dren, Christian, Thomas, and Elisa.

Class of 1975

Row 1 Daryl Gohl, Temesgen Wakwaya, Rick Henderson, Carol Ann (Albertsen) St. Clair, Dennis David Row 2 Stanley Huzen, Mickey Meyer, Aileen (Howard) Litchfield, Janine (Baker) Hudkins, Judy (Davidson) Fetroe, Maygene Wesslen, Challis (Casebolt) Fry

Class of 1970

Row 1 Del F. Griebel, Steve Dickerson, Jim Klein, Michael Walter, James Newell, Myren Severin, Gary LaCom Row 2 Shirley M. (Starkebaum) Peterson, Robin Lacey, Robert Stumph, Rita (Schaffner) Corbett, Jim Eiseman, Jim Nelson Row 3 Mary (Phillips) Coates, Rae (Depner) Hytinen, Mervin Kneller, Ron Woods, Jerry Meyer, Lester E. Riter Row 4 Don Quiring, Ann (Wilson) Atkins, John Lawson, Douglas Clark


Robert Stumph ’70 and his wife, Gail

(Hubbard) ’68, live in College Place. The

couple have three children, Johnathan

’04, Robert, and Kinley.

1980s Martin Abbott ’85 and his wife, Sheryl,

live in Walla Walla. Martin works as an

anesthesiologist at Walla Walla General

Hospital. In his spare time he enjoys ski-

ing, backpacking, and mountain biking.

From his time at WWU, Martin remembers

playing soccer with friends on Friday after-

noons. He and Sheryl have four children,

Andrew att., Christoffer, Kaelin, and Allysa.

Ron Bacon ’80 and his wife, Melody, live

in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Ron

works as a relation-

ship consultant.

While at WWU, Ron

remembers adding

his name to those

listed in the old

administration

building. Ron and

Melody have two children, Justin and

Mallory.

Michael Bishop ’80 lives in Clackamas,

Ore. While at WWU,

Michael spent a

significant amount

of time in the music

department taking

voice lessons, and

singing with The

Concert Choir and

Schola Cantorum. He released a CD in

December 2002 called, “Rise Again.” His

WWU memories include speeding on his

10-speed bicycle with three friends

through the deserted streets of Walla Walla

during a Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Jeffrey Carr ’85 and his wife, Jennifer, live

in Winter Garden, Fla. Jeffrey works as a

family physician for the Physician Associates

of Florida. He and Jennifer have five chil-

dren, Ashley, Alex, Julia, Liza, and Grace.

Rick Casebier ’80 and his wife, Peggy

(Casteel) ’80, live in Olympia, Wash. Rick

works as a pastor

for the Washington

Conference of

Seventh-day

Adventists. One

life-changing

experience was

being a pastor on

the Big Island of Hawaii for five years. In

his spare time, Rick enjoys art, traveling,

and snorkeling.

Derrick Johnston ’85 and his wife,

Janelle, live in Kelowna, British Columbia,

Canada. Derrick works as a supervisor in

the microbiology lab at Kelowna General

Hospital. In his spare time, he enjoys

reading, mountain biking, and compet-

ing in triathlons. Derrick and Janelle have

three children, Britney, Daven, and Alyssa.

Cheryl (Graham) Klym ’80 and her

husband, Art ’74, live in Kennewick,

Wash. Cheryl works as an ESL instructor

at Columbia Basin College. In her spare

time, Cheryl enjoys genealogy and travel-

Alumnotes

Class of 1985

Row 1 David Hutton, David Panossian, Betsy (Vixie) Caughie, Ginger Ketting-Weller, David Riley, Tammy (Lang) Stream Row 2 Karl Haffner, Brandon Beck, Sandra (Clay) Beddoe, Darrell Jones, Rick Behrens, Paul Stirling Row 3 David Young, Greg Robinson, Brett Robinson, Mark Ranzinger, Bart Beddoe, David Woodruff, Steven Rose, Derrick Johnston

Class of 1980

Row 1 Greg Brothers, Leena (Laitinen) Haveri, Bernice (Cervantes) Hanan, Cheryl (Graham) Klym, Scott Gibson, Sheila Dunlop, Reginald Unterseher, Debra (Merritt) Russell Row 2 Jeff Kinne, Nancy Montgomery, Dorita (Perry) Tessier, Donna Chinn, David Smith, Jim Cain, Sid Rittenbach, Ron Hollenbeck, Nolin Stratton


Alumnotes

ing, especially to Great Britain and Ireland.

She and Art have three children, Graham,

Peter, and Jillian.

Timothy May ’80 and his wife, Marilyn

(Dinwiddie) ’76, live in Vancouver, Wash.

Timothy works as an imaging specialist

for Adventist Health. He and Marilyn have

two children, Andrew ’91 and Carrie att.

Robert (Bobby) McGhee, Jr. ’84 and

his wife, Robin, live near Columbus, Ohio,

where he is a pastor at Worthington

Adventist Church. “Our two boys are the joy

of our lives,” Bobby reports proudly of sons

Lucky Day, age 6, and Caspar Knight, age 4.

“They’re living large and in charge, loving

all of their aunts and uncles, and extended

grandparents and cousins.” Bobby fondly

recalls his WWU days, especially cruising

Umapine in his ’66 Chevelle convertible sta-

tion wagon, programs at Village Hall, mud

football, eating at the Pastime or Red Apple,

and making lifetime friendships with peo-

ple like Walt and Bonnie Meske. He enjoys

music, sports, ethnic food, gardening, and

keeping connected with family and friends.

Jaime Rodriguez ’89 and his wife,

Linda Abdel-Malek ’89, live in New York

City where Jaime is

an assistant profes-

sor of history at St.

John’s University.

Linda is a partner

at the New York

law firm of Moses

& Singer and chairs

the Healthcare and Privacy practice

groups. Jaime and Linda have enjoyed

living in Manhattan over the past nearly

20 years and are now happy to be experi-

encing the city through the eyes of their

daughters, Lina and Selma. They remem-

ber their time at Walla Walla College with

great fondness.

Paul Stirling ’85 and his wife, Judith

(Stilson) att., live in Port Orchard, Wash.

Paul works as a mechanical engineer

for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. He

has traveled for the Navy as the project

engineer for a sea water cooling system

chemical flush team. From his time at

WWU, Paul remembers driving around

the rural roads of the Walla Walla Valley

with his family on Sabbath afternoons.

Paul and Judith have two children, Brynn

’92 and Joel ’95.

Dorita (Perry) Tessier ’80 and her hus-

band, Mark ’81, live in Walla Walla. Dorita

works at Walla Walla University as the direc-

tor of leadership giving and campaign. In

her spare time, Dorita enjoys scrapbook-

ing, traveling, and spending time with her

daughters and grandson. Her favorite col-

lege memories include work for Dr. Eichner

in public relations and roller skating in

Columbia Auditorium. Dorita and Mark have

two children, Melissa ’05 and Michelle att.

Lisa (Rodriguez) Villeneuve att. and

her husband, Frédéric, live in Cernex,

France. Lisa works in the logistic depart-

ment of MSC, a Swiss cargo shipping

company. Lisa was first introduced to

living in France when she attended

Séminaire Adventiste du Salève (France’s

Adventist university) in 1984–85. The

couple has two children, Vincent and Mia.

1990s Ed Ammon ’90 and his wife Julie

(Padilla) att., live in Castle Rock, Colo.,

with their son, Jared. Ed is the execu-

tive director of the Porter Hospital

Foundation at Porter Adventist Hospital.

Among the many projects he raises funds

for are Kids Alive, a program which assists

children who are coping with a parent

affected by cancer, and Operation Walk

Denver, which assists patients in need of

advanced orthopedic surgical treatments

in Panama and Guatemala.

Vicky (Radke) Duran ’92 and her hus-

band, Michael, live in the Midwest. She is

[Come with us!]

Kommen Sie mit uns!

Alumni German Reformation Tour

March 2-9, 2011

Join hosts Don and Marti Schneider and fellow alumni for a tour of Germany. Sponsored by the Walla Walla University Alumni Association. $875 per person plus airfare. Includes all ground transportation, hotels, two meals per day, entry to more than 15 tourist sitesand travel insurance.

For more information or to register, visitwallawalla.edu/alumni-tour or call 800-377-2586.

a work-at-home, homeschooling mom

who is active at church with children’s

ministries. She supports her son Marc’s

boys’ choir and is helping her daughter

Charity learn violin and piano. During

the school year, Vicky teaches other

students in her home and tutors on the

side. Vicky’s favorite memories are her

close circle of friends at KGTS/Positive Life

Radio and Dr. Dickinson’s prayers.

Jolene (Boyatt) Roeske ’90 and her

husband, Reiner, live in Westlake Village,

Calif. Jolene works as a teacher at Oaks

Christian School. One of her favorite col-

lege memories was cooking meals for her

brother and his friends in her apartment

off campus. Jolene and Reiner enjoy

picnicking, mountain biking, and boogie

boarding. Jolene and Reiner have two

children, Victoria and Max.

Lenden Webb ’97 is a managing partner

in Webb & Walton, LLP, where he practices

business law in San Diego and Fresno,

Calif. He was recently sworn into the

Bar of the Supreme Court of the United

States. Lenden, his wife, Lorie, and son,

Mitchell, enjoy biking, kayaking, surfing,

and sailing. His favorite college memories

include editing the MASK and late night

talks with guys on his halls as an RA.

2000s Carol (Johnson) Edholm ’00 and her

husband, Keith ’02, live in Moses Lake,

Wash. In her spare time, Carol enjoys

stamp collecting, cross-stitching, and

making greeting cards. From her time at

WWU, Carol fondly remembers School of

Business dean Joanne Wiggins.

Damie (Elder) Hiscock ’09 and her hus-

band, Jared ’10, live in Milton-Freewater,

Ore., and are enjoying their busy new life

as parents to daughter, Ryann, who was

born in November of 2009. They are plan-

ning to enter graduate school next year.

Damie currently works as the office man-

ager at WWU’s library.

Tammie (Hood) Knauff ’02 and her

husband Kaleb ’00 live in Nampa, Idaho.

Tammie recently left Pacific Press, where she

spent four years as a copy editor, to pursue

working at home and spending more time

with her girls, Kylie, 3, and Taylor, 1. Tammie

plans to do contract copy editing at home

and build her photography business, Silent

K Photography. Kaleb continues to work

in HVAC and general plant maintenance

at Pacific Press, where he has worked for

almost eight years. Tammie and Kaleb have

been married for eight years and enjoy

doing things with their girls such as camp-

ing, playing at area parks, and swimming.

Christie (Medrano) Lang ’07 and Kuyler

Lang ’02 were married June 20 in Walla

Walla. Christie is the assistant women’s dean

at Foreman Hall and Kuyler is a 1&2 grade

teacher at Rogers Adventist School. They

enjoy cooking and all things Disney. A typi-

cal day in their lives consists of teacher talk,

art, music, and devotional time with Jesus.

Carissa (Agena) Ness ’07 and her hus-

band, Reuben ’07, live in Portland, Ore.

Carissa works as a substitute teacher in

the Vancouver School District. Reuben

is finishing his engineering degree at

Portland State University and will be start-

ing an internship at Stanley Hydraulics. In

her spare time, Carissa enjoys scrapbook-

ing and playing with their Chow Chow-

German Shepherd, Dexter.

Alumnotes


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Class of 2000

Row 1 Jesse Chan, Tim Berthelsen, Sherah (Arthur) Berthelsen, Jacinthe (deChantal) Maw, Janella (McGhee) Riter, Benjamin Riter

Class of 1990

Row 1 Greg Yarlott, Scott von Bergen, Michael Devitt, Denise (Armstead) Colley, Curtis Broderick Row 2 Cheryl (Kronner) Wiley, Constance (Strahle) Corbett, Monty Buell, Felix Tan, Lance Irvine, Ken Busby

In Memory

Axford—Robert ’48 was born Jan. 2,

1923, in Silverton, Ore., and died Oct. 15,

2009, in Kennewick, Wash. Surviving: wife

Beatrice (Oster) ’44 of Kennewick; son

David ’82 of Yakima, Wash.; daughters

Melody ’70 of Prosser, Wash., and Carolee

of Kennewick.

Beddoe—Stanley att., was born May

20, 1932, in Yakima, Wash., and died July

28, 2009, in Hanford, Calif. Surviving: sons

Randy of Hanford, and Richard of Ukiah,

Calif.; daughter Renee att. of Napa, Calif.;

and brother Marvin ’57 of Escondido, Calif.

Bighaus—Vivian (Dietrich) ’66

was born Oct. 20, 1943, in Minot, N.D.,

and died Dec. 25, 2009, in Sandy, Ore.

Surviving: husband Phillip att. of Sandy,

Ore.; sons Michael of Oregon City, Ore.,

and Donald of Gresham, Ore.; and broth-

ers Gerald ’62 of Port Orchard, Wash., and

Bruce of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Coneff—Jean (Stafford) ’79 was born

Oct. 10, 1959, in Memphis, Tenn., and

died Oct. 24, 2009, in Caldwell, Idaho.

Surviving: husband John of Nampa, Idaho;

sons David of Pocatello, Idaho, and Daniel

of Caldwell; and father Richard of Nampa.

Cramer—Nolan W. ’56 was born Aug.

20, 1933, in Tukwila, Wash., and died Feb.

21, 2010, in Long Beach, Calif. Surviving:

wife Anne of Long Beach, Calif.; daugh-

ters Sylvia Cramer-Rolla att., of Redlands,

Calif., and Linda Sloop att. of Yakima,

Wash.; brothers William Cramer att. of

Lawai, Hawaii; and sister Ruth att. of

Chewelah, Wash.

Egolf—George ’66 was born Sept. 30,

1919, in Canora, Saskatchewan, Canada,

and died Aug. 25, 2009, in Trail, British

Columbia, Canada. Surviving: wife Joyce

of Trail; sons Daniel ’89 of Trail, Richard

of Abbotsford, British Columbia, and

Chris att. of Armstrong, British Columbia;

daughter Joy ’79 of Sidney, British

Columbia; brothers John of Wilacoochie,

Ga., Fred of Kamloops, British Columbia,

and Chris of Pritchard, British Columbia;

and sisters Dorothy of Tacoma, Wash., and

Lil att. of Somerset, Calif.

Flaiz—Phyllis (Cox) ’46 was born Dec.

28, 1921, in Camrose, Alberta, Canada,

and died Feb. 25, 2009, in Hermiston,

Ore. Surviving: husband Theodore Flaiz

of Hermiston; sons Theodore ’68 of

Hermiston, and Richard ’74 of Hermiston,

Ore.; and daughter Glenda att., of

Enterprise, Ore.

Glovatsky—Brandon att., was born

April 12, 1985, of Williston, N.D., and died

June 9, 2010, in Fairview, Ore. Surviving:

wife Bethany (Langston) att., of Fairview;

daughter Adriana of Troutdale, Ore.;

mother Dianne of Dickinson, N.D.;

brother Bryce of Fairview; Marlan att. of

Beaverton, Ore.; and sisters Heather of

Fairview, and Priscilla of Orlando, Fla.

Harrigan—Dorothy ’63 was born Aug.

4, 1919, in Seattle, Wash., and died March

26, 2010, in College Place. Surviving: hus-

band Jerome of Walla Walla, sons Sean of

Corona, Calif., Brian of Star, Idaho, Patrick

of Seattle, Wash., and Craig of Milton-

Freewater, Ore.; brother John of Seattle;

and sister Mildred of New Orleans, La.

Hayes—Lana (Agnew) att. was born

Feb. 7, 1941, in Olympia, Wash., and died

Feb. 11, 2009, in Olympia. Surviving: hus-

band Fred att., of Olympia; sons Carl ’07

of Portland, Ore., and Allen, Shawn, and

David, all in Olympia; daughters Biana

att., and Danette of Olympia; and sister

Shirley att. of Olympia.

Hein—Clifford att., was born March

8, 1922, in Enid, Okla., and died April 26,

2010, in Winchester, Ore. Suriviving:

wife Alma of Roseburg, Ore.; sons James

att., of Roseburg, and George ’78 of

Enguera, Spain.

Hendrickson—Roy ’51 was born Sept.

8, 1913, in Chicago, Ill., and died March

18, 2010, in Florence, Ore. Surviving:

daughters Heather ’62 of Walla Walla and

Virginia of Gresham, Ore.

Hixson—Kathleen (Kemph)’41 was

born July 3, 1919, in Absarokee, Mont.,

and died Nov. 16, 2009, in Redding, Calif.

Surviving: daughters Marilea of Redding,

Calif., and Cathy of San Bernandino, Calif.;

and brother Floyd of McLeod, Mont.

Hoe—Raymond ’60 was born Oct.

9, 1923, in Maui, Hawaii, and died April

1, 2010, in Lihue, Hawaii. Surviving:

wife Katherine of Lawai, Hawaii; sons

Raymond ’68 of Lihue, David att. of

Lawai, and Allen of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Klein—Gordon att., was born Dec. 17,

1939, in Arlington, S.D., and died Dec.

28, 2009, in Yucaipa, Calif. Surviving: wife

Dona of Loma Linda, Calif.; son Michael

of Yucaipa; daughter Karla of Las Vegas,

Nev.; brothers Jim ’70 of College Place,

and Ed ’66 of Milton-Freewater, Ore.; and

sister Wilma att. of Rathdrum, Idaho.

For 38 years, Glenn W. Masden was known as an academi-

cally rigorous professor who thought first of his students. His students valued his expertise and the enjoyment Glenn brought to his subject. Glenn, who served as an engineering professor from 1957 to 1995, passed away June 12, 2010.

Glenn was born Jan. 17, 1933, and spent his childhood years on a wheat farm homestead near Adena, Colo. He grew up building his own radios and poring over the pages of Popular Science, which his mother carefully bound. After his high school graduation in 1951, Glenn

received recognition as one of 300 semi-finalists in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search.

With a four-year scholarship he attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he received bachelor and master of science degrees in electrical engineering in 1955 and 1958, respectively. In 1984, he earned a doctorate in mechanical engineer-ing from Arizona State University.

In the early 1960s, Glenn reworked a government-surplus World War II–era transmitter the college had acquired for its pro-posed radio station, KGTS. The college used that first transmit-ter from 1963 to 1970. He was also instrumental in bringing the first academic computer to Walla Walla College in 1972, a PDP 1120 he nursed through multiple daily crashes. In 1993, he was rec-ognized with the Zapara Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Glenn is survived by his wife, Martha (Zimmerman) ’60, daughter Linda Vixie ’85 of Colorado Springs, Colo., and son Larry ’86 of Kent, Wash.

Legendary Engineering Professor


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Kyle—Robert ’52 was born April 2,

1923, in Darby, Mont., and died June 5,

2010, in Dayton, Wash. Surviving: son

Kendall ’83 of Dixie, Wash.; daughters

Kari att., of Bailey, Colo., Kami ’87 of

Port Orchard, Wash., Kathi ’90 of College

Place, Wash., and Karleen att., of Dayton;

brothers Jim of Hamilton, Mont., and

Bill of Darby; and sisters Bonny Eichner

of College Place, and June Iseminger of

Damascus, Ore.

Lamberton—Ilah Bernice (Wall) att.,

was born Sept. 29, 1918, in Macrorie,

Saskatchewan, Canada, and died April 3,

2010, in Walla Walla. Surviving: sons Dan

Lamberton ’71 of Walla Walla, Ronald att.

of Charlotte, N.C. , and Henry ’71 of Loma

Linda, Calif.; daughters Lynda ’67 of Walla

Walla, Bunny ’73 of College Place, and

Katie Crane att. of Republic, Wash.; and

brother Clifford of Pine Grove, Calif.

Lofthouse—Eleanor (Roberts) ’49

was born Dec. 30, 1918, in Seattle, Wash.,

and died Feb. 24, 2010, in Gresham, Ore.

Surviving: son Gerald ’74 of Hinsdale, Ill.

Martin—Joan Shannon att., was

born March 17, 1934, in Republican

City, Neb., and died Aug. 5, 2008, in

Gresham, Ore. Surviving: husband Ralph

’55 of Gresham, Ore., sons Charles Sr.

’83 of Beaverton, Ore. and Paul att. of

Pittsburgh, Calif; and daughter Diana of

Pittsburgh, Calif.

McConaughey—Mary ’41 was born

July 16, 1916, in Galt, Miss., and died May

28, 2010, in Boise, Idaho.

Paulson— Bernard ’65 was born Jan.

7, 1942, in White Salmon, Wash., and died

Nov. 2, 2009, in Portland, Ore. Surviving:

wife Carol (Cobb) att. of Portland; brother

Burnell ’59 of Oregon City, Ore.; and sister

Bernadine ’60 of Washougal, Wash.

Petersen—Clyde Earl ’51 was born

Oct. 4, 1925, in Hawarden, Iowa, and died

July 6, 2009, in Walla Walla. Surviving: wife

Wanda (Hellman) att., of College Place;

son Gary ’85 of Walla Walla; and daughter

Gail ’86 of Battle Ground, Wash.

Peterson—Eileen (Lester) ’61 was

born April 23, 1937, in Rochester, N.Y.,

and died July 21, 2008, in Lanham, Md.

Surviving: son Glenn “Pete” of Baltimore,

Md.; daughter Heather of Greenbelt, Md.;

brothers Dean of Long Beach, Calif., and

Robert of Loma Linda, Calif.; and sister

Llona of Exeter, Calif.

Pihl—Kai Harold att., was born Sept.

27, 1916, in Omaha, Neb., and died Sept.

12, 2009, in Lincoln, Calif. Surviving: wife

Joyce of Auburn, Calif.; son Thomas of

Sacramento, Calif., daughters Aprille att.

of San Francisco, Calif., and Sue Ann of

Albuquerque, N.M.

Pyke—Ted ’62 was born Feb. 2, 1937, in

Vancouver, Wash., and died Oct. 10, 2008,

in Bryant, Ala. Surviving: daughters Emily

of Chattanooga, Tenn. and Nytta Norton

att. of Bryant; and brother Dick of College

Place.

Ringering—Dale ’50 was born Dec. 1,

1927, in Brainerd, Minn., and died Dec.

1, 2009, in Canby, Ore. Surviving: wife

Lillian (Koehler) att., of Hubbard, Ore.;

daughters Dalene ’73 of College Place,

and Candice ’74 of Vancouver, Wash.;

brothers Floyd of Oral, S.D., Elmer of

Pendleton, Ore., and Don of Graniteville,

Vermont; and sisters Elma of College

Place, Viola of Long Creek, Ore., and Irene

of Beavercreek, Ore.

Shreaves—Edward ’55 was born Oct.

31, 1919, in Metompkin, Va., and died Oct.

22, 2009, in Loma Linda, Calif. Surviving:

wife Carmen of Glendale, Calif.

Smith—Edith (Leno) ’69 was born

Jan. 3, 1923, in Tacoma, Wash., and died

Sept. 23, 2009, in College Place. Surviving:

husband Delmer ’61 of Milton-Freewater,

Ore.; son Lowell of LaCenter, Wash.;

daughters Judith ’71 of Milton-Freewater,

and Connie ’67 of Portland, Ore.; brothers

Aaron of College Place, Arlie of Tacoma,

Les of College Place; and sisters Elaine

of Maui, Hawaii, and Lorraine of Toledo,

Ohio.

Spady—Louis ’47 was born June 29,

1923, in Midvale, Idaho, and died Aug.

7, 2009, in Prosser, Wash. Surviving: wife

LaRene (Warren) ’46 of Prosser; son Jay

’75 of Port Orchard, Wash.; and daughter

Billie Knight ’71 of Grandview, Wash.

Sweezey—Robert ’80 was born Sept.

13, 1957, in Upper Lake, Calif., and died

Oct. 16, 2009, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Surviving: wife Karen Piper ’83 of Ellicott

City, Md., sons Herbert of College Place

and Benjamin of Ellicott City; daughter

Kathrin of College Place; brother Ed ’79

of Tulsa, Okla.; and sister Rebecca ’95 of

Escondido, Calif.

Tall—Myrtle (Egelhoff) ’39 was born

Dec. 19, 1919, in Denver, Colo., and

died March 13, 2009, in Moscow, Idaho.

Surviving: daughter Joyce Jordan ’74 of

Fairview, Ore.

Tall—David “Jim” att. was born Aug. 29,

1950, in Pendleton, Ore., and died Sept. 1,

2009, in Kooskia, Idaho. Surviving: sister

Joyce Jordan ’74 of Fairview, Ore.

Webster—James L. ’46 was born Jan.

18, 1923, in Chico, Calif., and died April

30, 2010, in Redlands, Calif. Surviving: wife

Betty (Knowlton) att., of Redlands; and

sons John of Scottsdale, Ariz., and James

of Redlands.

Raised on a peach orchard farm on the Columbia River,

Thais Thrasher Sadoyama set her sights on medical school, a goal she reached after graduating from Walla Walla University in 1952 with a chemistry major.

Thais, also known as “Tish,” received her medical degree in 1957 from Loma Linda University, where she taught pathology from 1971 to 1986. During these years she earned the respect and affection of her stu-dents for her excellent training and her personal interest in them. Thais was brilliant in the class-room. She was a very organized pathology lecturer who talked rap-idly and wrote notes on the black-

board as she lectured. Students recall her exceptional kindness not only during their medical school years but after they left school.

Thais and her husband, James Sadoyama, who was also her class-mate at Walla Walla University and Loma Linda Medical School, shared their medical careers. They were noted in Loma Linda for their hospitality for students and friends, often having parties for groups of 50.

Following another of her medi-cal interests, she became board certified in psychiatry and worked as chief of an outpatient psychia-try clinic from 1990 until retire-ment in 1997.

She and her husband lived most of their retirement years in Walla Walla, where she was a member of the Walla Walla Symphony Board and an active member of the University Church. She and her husband were loyal supporters of various community and church projects.

Thais was born on July 25, 1930, and died April 22, 2010, in Walla Walla. She is survived by her husband, Jimmy, and several nieces and nephews.

Brilliant Medical Educator

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Autism Ambassadors

“

By Helen Heavirland

Why wait?” a volunteer asked.

After two days in airplanes and airports, 20 volun-teers with Maranatha Volunteers International had been intro-duced to our circle of tents near Beira, Mozambique. We delivered suitcases to assigned tents, were shown bottled water, and enjoyed a hot meal.

A few meters away, metal beams stood like a skeleton. The school’s foundation lay ready. Tidy stacks of sun-dried bricks waited.

“There’s a couple hours yet this afternoon,” another volunteer added.

Suitcases released hard hats, trow-els, measuring tapes. Walls began to grow. By supper, we were getting the hang of our work—there was a good start on a long block wall and several sections of brick wall had grown to waist-height.

A previously constructed block wall surrounded the compound, which included the building site, tent village, kitchen (of sorts), eat-ing area, six-stall shower and laun-dry building, and four-stall block outhouse. A guard was stationed by the locked gate. Lying on a com-fortable cot that first night, I could have forgotten where I was, but, out the tent’s screened window, Orion hung to the north and upside down from what I was used to.

Then a sound—from a dis-tance, the soft beating of African drums. The whisper rolled across the night … the music both peaceful and haunting.

I wondered what the drummers communicated. To me, God spoke: “You’re in Africa—just where I’ve called you for this little time.”

Morning had its unique alarm—guinea fowl scratching and squawking. Then other birds. Later, our next-tent neighbor hum-ming, “Oh, victory in Jesus …”

Volunteers from 19 to 70-plus years braved the tropical sun day after humid day. A dozen Maranatha employees com-pleted the team—working on roof beams, welding steel bars at appropriate levels in brick walls, cutting bricks and blocks to pre-cise measurements.

The builders included a phy-sician, three nurses, and others who’d planned medical clinics as well. We sorted supplies we’d brought—medications, vita-mins, eyeglasses—and headed to a church. When we stepped into the sanctuary, the heat was sti-fling. When our eyes adjusted, we saw people crowding pews and standing in aisles.

Only a few years have passed since Mozambique suffered 20 years of civil war. The country, only beginning to rebuild its infra-structure and develop businesses again, defined poverty as a family living on less than the equivalent of $1.00 U.S. per day. With 98 percent of the population meeting that criterion, it’s no wonder many flock to a free clinic.

A few patients had problems so severe we could only urge them to go to a hospital. Some patients

couldn’t see clearly—appropriate eyeglasses spread delight across their faces. Others had infec-tions—they received antibiotics and instructions. The majority had malnutrition, aches, pains, or other complaints that could be relieved with sufficient nutri-tious food and clean water. They received vitamins and instruc-tions. We received grateful smiles and heartfelt thanks. Maranatha is helping meet the desperate need for water by drilling wells beside churches in hundreds of sites around Mozambique.

One patient’s husband had been murdered five months pre-viously. For food, this mother depended on neighbors who sometimes brought their leftovers. She came to the clinic with her five malnourished children. The vitamins will help, but they need so much more.

That night, many from our group pooled resources. When the mother received a bag of clothing, she cried. Later when we delivered 50-pound bags each of rice, beans, and maize, she sat down and wept.

A homeless 11-year-old boy with open sores on both feet hobbled into another clinic. For several days he received baths, antibiotics, bandage changes, and instructions. Now he has hope of not losing his limbs or his life to raging infection. Volunteers also offered to sponsor him at the soon-to-open school. Will this boy get to know Jesus? How will He change his world?

What about the other students in this school built to accom-modate 400? What about adults who will attend health or literacy classes? What about those who will worship in this multi-use building?

The trip changed volunteers as well. A 19-year-old came praying God would use him. A 23-year-old came praying for new life. They became tent-mates and, with the other’s influence, both their prayers were answered.

As volunteers, we learned new definitions for the word need. We were reminded that attitude is not dependent upon circumstance. We learned to care about people we’d never known—both nation-als halfway around the world we came to serve and volunteers we came to serve with. We saw clearly that we can’t meet all the needs, but we can meet some. We watched joy grace both the served and the server.

So … whether the need you see is halfway around the world or next door … why wait? n

Why Wait?

From My Point of View

Helen Heavirland, 1969 nursing graduate, served as a student missionary in college and has volunteered on trips to El Salvador, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, and the Solomon Islands. Heavirland has written three books and numerous articles.

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Nonprofit Org.US PostagePAIDCollege Place, Wash.Permit #11

WestwindWalla Walla University204 S. College Ave.College Place, WA 99324-1198

College Avenue Crossings

It’s like a dream. After weeks of practice, preparation, and five

performances, the more than 60 members of the cast and crew were elated when they learned that their spring drama performance of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” had received six awards. The awards were from The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, a national theater education program. They were for direction, stage management, makeup design, sound design, light-ing design, and ensemble performance. In addition, two actors were nominated to compete in a KCACTF regional festival in February.

Directed by Shane Wood, senior Walla Walla University psychology major, this ver-sion of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was set in a post-apocalyptic world where the line between reality and fantasy is blurred. The show was performed in Village Hall with a larger-than-life set, including a fairy bower stretching 20-plus feet above the stage floor. The show also featured original music written and produced by Ryan Sturges att.

The university’s drama program began in 1961, and has expanded to include at least two fully staged plays each year, in addition to the annual Festival of One-Acts and Festival of the Actors. n

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Westwind, Summer 2010