The Beacon - Summer 2021

Summer 2021

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Dr. Joseph Womack, President

Dear friends, No Beacon magazine in my tenure captures my enthusiasm like this one. After eleven years of faithfully responding to needs and creating opportunities, the Bushnell campus community is entering into an extraordinary season of answered prayers and real momentum. In the following pages, you’ll read about God’s provision in the middle of a pandemic. You’ll see our agile response to a shifting vision. You’ll be invited to play a key part in building the next iteration of our future.

Our Beacon community shines because 10,000 alumni and thousands of others care, pray, and give.

As you read articles about new developments and inspiring people, please consider what your future involvement might be. For some, college is a transactional experience where a student pays for an educational experience and receives the best that the institution has to offer. Here at Bushnell, college is a transformational experience that includes deep interest in the whole person, with a shared faith that drives a wider, more compelling vision. While our academic pursuits are rigorous, our purpose is never merely academic. We equip students to discover and answer God’s call in their lives.

We believe that more and more students should enjoy the Bushnell experience. To reach and teach more students, we need more space. We need ever-expanding programs that unleash the talent and curiosity of every Beacon. We need partners to make sure that our doors are open wide and that our costs are not exorbitant. We need the whole Bushnell community to come together.

This magazine sets the table for an aggressive capital campaign at an important time in our history.

As every generation contributes something to the growing impact of our mission, this is our moment.

This is our time to Venture Forward, confident that with God’s help and a united sense of adventure, we’ll see visions come true.

Thank you for your place in our unfolding story. You are a valuable part of our mission.

Yours,

Joseph Womack ’89, Ed.D. President

IN THIS ISSUE

Summer 2021

President Joseph Womack ’89, Ed.D. Vice Presidents Gene De Young, MBA Michael Fuller, M.A. Dennis Lindsay, Dr.Theol.

Keith Potter ’84, D.D. (hon) ’11 Editor Corynn Gilbert, M.Ed. Contributors Nick Askew Angela Doty ’00, M.A. ’05 Michael Fuller, M.A. Corynn Gilbert, M.Ed. Emily Johnston, M.A. Payton Martin ’20 Cami Ogden, M.A. Alyssa Perovich ’21 Keith Potter ’84, D.D. (hon) ’11 James Watson, Ph.D. Joseph Womack ’89, Ed.D. Photography Tom Boyd, AHM Brands Tomas Carradero ’19, MBA ’20 Jeremiah Leslie Art Direction, Design, and Production AHM Brands The Beacon is published by Bushnell University as an information service and is posted on the Bushnell University website. For information, call 541-684-7318. Readers are encouraged to submit text for publication via email to alumni@bushnell.edu or via mail to: Office of Advancement Attn: Corynn Gilbert, Editor 828 E. 11th Avenue Eugene, OR 97401 Bushnell reserves the right to edit all copy. Articles should include names and class years (if applicable) for all individuals mentioned.

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CAMPUS EXPANSION • Our Newest Residence Hall • The Need for a Student Commons • Goodrich Hall for the Next Season

GROWING OUR SCHOOL OF NURSING

Healing and health for the world through expansion of nursing education.

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BASEBALL IS BACK

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RHEE HONORS PROGRAM

After a 50-year hiatus, collegiate baseball returns through vision and partnership.

Bushnell University interdisciplinary program serves undergraduates seeking a higher level of scholarly pursuit.

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Student Spotlight: KidSports Interns

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Introducing the School of Business, Leadership, and Technology

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Dr. Ernest Bonat and Software Engineering

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Beacon Athletics: The Covid Season

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In Memorium

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Remembering Dr. Terry O’Casey Through Endowed Scholarship ALSO IN THIS ISSSUE President's Letter – Inside Front Cover Legacy Voices – Pages 6-7 Baccaulaureate Celebration – Pages 22-23 Meet the New Trustees – Page 41 From My Point of View – Inside Back Cover

IT'S TIME TO...

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teady growth and expanding opportunities.

Those two unfolding realities describe the Bushnell experience over the last many years.

With growth came fiscal viability and then health, along with pressing growth pains. We needed more space.

In 2017, the University’s Board of Trustees adopted an aggressive campus expansion plan to increase capacity.

The 2017 plan placed a priority on the replacement of the historic Goodrich Building, which lacked accessibility and modern teaching modalities. A much larger, modern replacement building would have pulled a host of campus activities into a campus hub, allowing us to chip away at other pressing needs like housing and parking in other parts of campus.

Then Covid came. While we were adjusting and praying, God created a pathway that reshapes the vision and reorders our priorities. Our long-term lease agreement with the Phoenix Inn came to an end early, allowing us to own and occupy the hotel as our largest and best residence hall.

Moving the majority of our resident students to the north side of campus compels us to build a large Student Commons building, with dining for 600 and a new student center for recreation and social gatherings.

This new hub of student life will be built on the site of Richardson Hall, including the lawn that runs down to the millrace.

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To revitalize Goodrich a tower will be built on its southwest corner, with an elevator and bathrooms for each floor. The beautiful but tired old building will get refreshed and the tower, with bells and a cross on top, will stand as a call to worship and a symbol of our Christ-centered community.

Buildings help, but they aren’t enough. We’re expanding our nursing offerings to include an on-campus, face-to-face Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN). At the same time, a committed group of community leaders came together to build a new baseball stadium in Springfield, with Beacon men’s baseball as the centerpiece. All the while, we’ve been growing our commitment to the Song Nai Rhee Honors Program, allowing us to deepen and sustain our commitment to highly motivated scholars.

Venture Forward, then, is a six-pronged campaign to raise $14,000,000 in three years.

On the following pages, you’ll see each project highlighted in more detail with the hope that one or several will light your fire—or rather your torch. While the campaign is already fueled by a number of large gifts, we will need the participation of our whole community to see the vision fully realized.

PROJECT COSTS Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program

$1,000,000

Beacon Baseball

$1,000,000

Honors Program Campus Buildout Goodrich Hall Renovation Student Commons Residence Hall

TOTAL

TIMELINE Fall 2021 Campaign Begins Residence Hall Ribbon Cutting Baseball Program Begins 2022 Goodrich Hall Tower Groundbreaking Student Commons Groundbreaking Accelerated Nursing Program Begins Rhee Honors Program Endowed 2023 Dedications Ribbon Cuttings

$1,000,000 $3,160,000 $7,200,000 $540,000

$14,000,000

Legacy Voices: Our View of Today’s University From the President Emeritus, Dr. James Womack ’63

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parked and walked around campus the other day, thinking about the 126 years of this remarkable University.

As I walked, two things pressed on my mind. First, for a campus to thrive in three centuries requires a succession of superior leadership. Studies today have concluded that institutional success is all about leadership. Second, resources play an essential role in a university's achieving its mission. Where students study, eat, sleep, and worship makes a difference in their education.

From my perspective, Bushnell University has superb prospects looking forward. It has a strong heritage of courageous leaders, beginning with its namesake, James Addison Bushnell. What a great name.

Look at its present leaders. It has a forward-thinking Board of Trustees and a management team of a president and vice-presidents who are uniquely qualified by education and experience. Their example as church leaders is impressive, too.

Gazing at the donor recognition wall in the Morse Center, I realized many generous contributors still support the University. Numerous new donors have joined them. Several years of income exceeding expense, including funding depreciation, is evidence of fiscal discipline. The financial leadership of benefactors and administrative budget restraint is a consequential strength.

The University's faculty has achieved degrees from an impressive variety of notable universities, nationally and internationally. They are a faculty with broad experience to create degrees, craft curricula, develop academic policy, and design internships. They are spiritual mentors as well. Many counselors and directors are life coaches in the residence halls, library, business office, and student life offices. Bushnell students are blessed.

Present-day student leaders continue the tradition of mature, energetic, community-minded involvement that enriches the city and campus. And they are open about their Christian faith.

As I walked through the Goodrich Administration Building, it became clear that some facilities are inadequate. University leaders can overcome some dull resources. However, the campus needs attention, and program areas require growth and enrichment. Of course, campus leaders know this better than anyone.

I am delighted with the people, programs, and plans of the University and pray for God's continued blessings.

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From Dr. LeRoy Lawson ’60, former President of Hope International University

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n my home church, the children’s choir announced Sunday evening service by singing, “NCC, NCC, we all want to go to NCC!” It might have sounded like blatant propaganda to the adults, but to us kids it seemed entirely appropriate, especially since First Christian Church regularly sent support checks to Eugene to keep open “our” college’s doors.

When I headed for Northwest Christian College, I had no money.

My dad lost his business my senior year. I got “to go to NCC,” though, because that same loving church crafted a full-tuition scholarship for me. That’s how much they believed in NCC. In 1959, North Willamette Christian Evangelistic Association planted Tigard Christian Church. The NWCEA board called this young man from Tillamook, not yet a graduate of NCC, to be the founding pastor. One of our first orders of business was to develop a robust missions program. We made certain NCC was a major recipient. The new church already had some young people who deserved the privilege of a Christian college education.

I’m sharing this bit of biography as a way to express my debt to my home church, my early partners in Tigard Christian Church (now a campus of Northwest Christian Church), and my alma mater. I owe them much. In those days, by the way, the college was considered an integral component of a local church’s Christian education program.

Bushnell University has come a long way from the Bible college I knew in the 1950's. But if NCC hadn’t morphed into NCU and now Bushnell University, it would not exist today. These days, change is not only inevitable but essential. We simply can’t do college now as we did it back in what we old grads like to call “the good old days.”

I’m grateful that Bushnell’s leaders are facing the future, determined to remain true to NCC’s vision and values while becoming ever more responsive to today’s academic, cultural, and spiritual challenges.

Do you know that saying, “Put your money where your mouth is”? Just so you know—I’ve already sent in my check.

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Front of Phoenix Inn along Franklin Blvd.

Back of Phoenix Inn along the millrace

A Dream Deferred, Delivered Early Our Newest Residence Hall for a Growing Campus

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wenty-seven years ago, University leadership decided to tear down the scattered houses on the northern part of campus. The homes were getting old and the grounds were hard to keep up. Thinking on behalf of our future, President Jim Womack and board members Frank Morse and Rod Tibbatts led the effort to secure a long-term lease agreement with the Phoenix Inn on University property. The agreement allowed The Phoenix Inn to build and occupy a hotel for a few decades, with the intention that the building would come to the University, free and clear, in 2026.

Instead, those plans have come to fruition early.

In the midst of the demands of Covid, our partners decided to relinquish occupancy on August 1, 2021.

On that day, we will begin repurposing the hotel as our largest and best residence hall. With close to 200 beds, we have the chance to nearly double our on-campus community. "There is a sense of excitement among the students both in looking forward to having more living space options, and to seeing the logistics of how transforming an inn to student housing is going to work,” says Cameron Binaley ’22, incoming ASBU President.

Renovating several excellent offices and spacious meeting rooms, the University will relocate student life, campus ministry, and recruitment offices to the first floor. This effectively turns the new residence hall into the threshold to our campus.

Long-awaited Franklin Boulevard access allows us to build a beautiful marquee that will announce the presence of Bushnell University to everyone coming to the campus district. Old comments like “you are the best kept secret in the region” will give way to a growing sense of our permanence and purpose in the heart of Eugene.

In addition, we will have more parking, an attractive strip of grass and trees between the millrace and the residence hall, and a nice space at the east end of the building for students to meet and play.

All in all, this new development is a culture changer—all for the best—and one more evidence of God’s provision through thoughtful people during our long and growing history.

The addition of this new residence hall gives us one more opportunity to better serve our students. It will be a strong space for building community and it is already exciting to think about the relationships, programming, and lifelong memories that will be made in this building.”

– Michael Fuller, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Development

Campaign Goal: $540,000 / September 2021: Ribbon Cutting

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Community and Belonging at Bushnell The Need for a Student Commons Building

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uch of the student experience happens outside the classroom. From formal roles to informal relationships, our Beacons participate in campus ministry, student leadership, campus life, intercollegiate and intramural athletics, clubs, and much more. As we continue to grow and expand our campus, one area of absolute need is a gathering place large enough to accommodate our growth.

During our recent transition from Northwest Christian University to Bushnell University, we were reminded of the impact of community life on campus. We spent hundreds of hours interviewing constituent groups (current students, alumni, friends, community partners, faculty, and staff) and talking about what makes our University special. The answer that every group referenced over and over is our Christ-centered community. We heard hundreds of stories about meaningful relationships and lifelong friendships forged through student activities, mentoring opportunities, and meals shared.

constant that brings college students together, we are excited to offer a modern dining facility that gives more options and better spaces for both larger and smaller groups.

On a practical note, studies indicate that students who are more involved on campus have a greater likelihood of graduating. While academics will always provide the cornerstone of knowledge, the key to sustaining well-balanced students is the co-curricular experience. This is not only true for our residential students. For our commuter population, our Student Commons will create a sense of place where they can choose involvements beyond the classroom and create meaningful connections.

We have grown as a university and we are bursting at the seams. We are in dire need of more places and better spaces for building community. Our new Student Commons will answer that need.

Our new Student Commons will give us a dedicated center to promote community—a place where students and employees gather daily for meals, programs, and socialization. Since food is often the

Campaign Goal: $7,200,000 / 2022: Groundbreaking / 2023: Ribbon Cutting

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Giving Our History a Future Goodrich Hall for the Next Season …it is a building that would reflect credit upon any city, no matter what its size”

– Eugene Daily Guard, October 19, 1908

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he Martha Goodrich Administration Building, now Goodrich Hall, has stood the test of time since 1908. As the central building on the Bushnell University campus, it has housed classrooms, administration, staff and faculty offices, and even the University library for a season. For thousands of alumni, the hallowed halls resound with echoes of honored professors and memories of deep friendship. The building has been a sacred space.

During pre-pandemic growth, the next best move toward campus expansion was the replacement of Goodrich Hall with a more sweeping and modern hub. The plans were beautiful and the process emotional. Goodrich Hall, a place so rich in history, would give way to the future.

Then the pandemic landed. The Phoenix Inn, planned for Phase 2 of campus expansion, came to us five years early. Since on-campus housing has been a big issue for years, the arrival of our biggest and best residence hall is only good news.

That new reality secured another chapter for Goodrich Hall. Instead of replacing it, we get to refurbish it. The key is an elevator tower that ties the building together, allowing access for all students and greatly increasing potential capacity.

And since the old building has only two first-floor bathrooms, the tower will include two bathrooms at all three levels. Instead of cutting into the stones, hewn from the ground of southern Oregon, breezeways will connect the tower to each floor. The tower will also tie into future construction along Alder Street as later phases of expansion will require.

The tower makes a statement. Three bells will call the campus community to chapel and celebrate occasions such as convocation and commencement.

A cross will stand close to six stories high, representing our faith and the centrality of Christ to a watching world.

The current offices are less than ideal and the classrooms are tired and archaic, with old chalkboards and whiteboards, relics of bygone learning modalities. The nine classrooms and twenty-five offices will receive a fresh coat of Beacon care, and even some restructuring to make each working and learning environment both beautiful and functional for today’s needs.

Goodrich Hall, a building with great history and significance, will once again become a center of the campus experience.

Campaign Goal: $3,160,000 / 2022: Groundbreaking / 2023: Ribbon Cutting & Dedications

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Growing Our School of Nursing Healing and Health for the World

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e’ve all had a moment when the compassion and care of a nurse touched our lives.

Perhaps a smile while holding a new baby, a calm voice in an emergency room, support during an unexpected diagnosis, or prayer while holding the hand of a loved one for the last time. Nurses help heal our losses, comfort our fears, and save lives with medical skill and a heart that beats to serve others first. It is a worthy profession, advanced through education, and a reflection of Bushnell University’s core values: wisdom, faith, and service.

Bushnell has a heritage of healing.

Between 1908 and 1936, the University constructed and operated Pacific Christian Hospital—known today as PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center. In 2015, Nursing returned to the university with our RN to BSN program. A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) followed in 2018, with a focus on leadership in health systems and nursing education. Now we offer an RN to MSN and a post master's certificate in nursing education.

...prepare ethical nurses who demonstrate compassion and respect to all people served, to lead the way to evidence-based, quality improvements...

(Bushnell’s School of Nursing mission statement)

Starting in 2022, we launch an on-campus, face-to-face Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. This will provide the most accelerated opportunity for nursing education in Oregon, allowing people who already have a bachelor's degree in other applicable fields to become qualified as nurses in just twelve months. With other nursing education programs at capacity and an increasing demand for nurses, this program will be a pipeline to fill the regional nursing shortage, providing a minimum of thirty-two bachelor’s-educated nurses every year.

The cornerstone of nursing education at Bushnell will be the new nursing skills lab, serving as a complete clinical space for students to practice and train. Although the program is accelerated, there is no shortage of clinical hours, a feature our partners at McKenzie-Willamette, PeaceHealth, Kaiser, and others understand as critical to fully prepare a nurse in acute care. (continued on pg. 16)

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Dr. Linda Veltri, Dean of the School of Nursing

Bushnell is at the forefront of creating opportunities to advance the careers of nurses in our communities.”

– Ginger Banks, MBA ’01, RN, MSN

The Bushnell difference, however, is heart and commitment, not merely skills. Ginger Banks, MBA ’01, RN, MSN has been teaching a variety of courses at Bushnell for twenty-one years. As a trauma nurse who served in Vietnam and in the Reserves, she has seen it all. Ginger’s experiences speak to the incredible depth and skill that sets a Bushnell University nurse apart. For Ginger, the love of the nursing career unites the community of nurses at Bushnell. “We get to see and be connected to the growth of our students. It’s the best feeling ever—the feeling of doing something worthy.

These programs communicate self-realization as well, since you can’t start and finish as the same person.”

Alumnus Adam Wright graduated with his BSN in 2015 and MSN in 2020.

Adam is an example of how furthering education immediately advances Ginger Banks, MBA ’01, RN, MSN a nurse’s career. Within ten months of finishing his bachelor’s degree, Adam was taking on new leadership positions at Legacy Health. He is now a Nurse Manager at Meridian Park Surgical Specialties with extensive experience and education in critical care, emergency nursing, surgical specialties programs, and vascular access. Adam says he could “take every component of graduate school and apply it to the field. All of it. It is comprehensive and hard, but perfect.”

Adam believes connectivity is another Bushnell distinctive. “In what other program do you have direct access to the program director?” Dr. Linda Veltri, Dean of the School of Nursing, has created a culture of excellence that inspires her students and faculty alike. For Adam, being valued for his calling turned the educational experience into something purposeful.

Trish Estes, a 2018 BSN graduate, also believes she excelled because she was valued. “The support from faculty and staff was wonderful. They were extremely supportive and gave me the tools I needed to succeed.” As a working mom, this was exactly what Trish needed to progress from direct patient care to management at Albany General Hospital. “God opened every door,” and Trish believes all the School of Nursing programs will do the same for others.

Students can apply for the accelerated BSN program in June and the first cohort of students will begin January 2022. The existing RN to BSN and nursing master’s programs will continue to serve our healthcare systems, students, and community during unprecedented times. We believe patient outcomes and experiences, as well as the healthcare system at large, will be served by Beacon nurses leading the way with heart, commitment, and a God-given calling.

Campaign Goal: $1,000,000 / 2022: Accelerated Nursing Program Begins

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Baseball is Back A Home Run for the Community Love is the most important thing in the world, But BASEBALL is pretty good, too.

– Yogi Berra For the love of the game…

For the love of a whole new team of students…

For the love of our community…

Play ball!

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n spring of 2022, the Bushnell Beacon men’s baseball team will be back in business. After a fifty-year layoff, a consortium of community leaders have come together to build a new baseball stadium in Springfield, with Beacon Baseball as the central player in the game.

It started with an honest pursuit of rented fields. There just weren’t enough of them in the Eugene and Springfield communities to make room for an NAIA level team. The pursuit led to various bare patches of ground, with the hope that a field of dreams could grow there.

Finally, in a partnership between local businesses, Bushnell University, the Springfield School District, and a cluster of baseball-minded people, the deal came together as the Springfield Baseball Project. Hamlin Middle School in Springfield has a well-situated, under-used ballfield that needs artificial turf, dugouts, bleachers, and all the other amenities to become a 2,000 seat stadium to house the Beacons, the Springfield Drifters wood bat summer league team, and other competitive teams that use a regulation-sized field. (continued on pg. 20)

NCC Baseball Team, 1950

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Athletic Director Corey Anderson (L) and Head Coach Tommy Richards (R)

One key player is Ike Olsson, owner of Olsson Electric.

Ike’s commitment to Beacon athletics included his construction of a new softball field in Springfield, which gave our Lady Beacons a new place to showcase their talent. Ike loves baseball and softball and believes in his role as a community builder. He founded the Huddle Up Foundation supporting youth sports among low-income students.

Another key player, coach Kenny Niles from Churchill High School in Eugene, believes it’s time to bring the wood-bat league to the area. After years of coaching at the high school and American Legion levels, he believes that local and regional high school players need more options to see their dreams come true in the sport they love. Kelly Richardson, owner of Richardson Sports, also stepped up to the plate and joined the team to make this dream a reality.

New Bushnell and Drifters coach Tommy Richards joined the Bushnell family after years as an assistant head coach at Whitman College in Walla Walla [see box]. From the Beacon bench, President Joe Womack hit a home run. As a former collegiate baseball player, President Womack has longed for the day when Beacons are rounding the bases. He’s thrilled with the opportunity to watch his favorite sport and even more committed to the transformational aspects of seeing thirty-five young men mentored in the culture of Beacon Athletics.

Recruits and assistant coaches are finding their positions and the field is under construction.

Bushnell’s contribution is $700,000 to the $3M project. Additional startup costs push the price tag for baseball to $1,000,000 for the University, though the program starts paying the University back right away. The field will be ready for the Beacons 2021 fall ball season. Full renovations are expected to be completed by January 2022.

Going back into our history, some of our most supportive alumni played baseball in the 1960s, including Frank Morse '66, whose family gave the lion’s share of the Morse Event Center. Along with very specific memories of his batting average and the wicked curveball of teammate Mike Elder '65, Frank believes that “bringing back baseball is a great idea for the University.”

The Cascade Collegiate Conference will now boast six teams for men’s baseball, including College of Idaho, Corban, Eastern Oregon, Oregon Tech and LewisClark State. As the Beacons get in the batter’s box, we expect to be competitive quickly.

With outstanding facilities, a tested coach, and a highly respected academic community, Bushnell will get the win in one more intercollegiate sport.

We are providing a great place for local student-athletes to come to college and continue their baseball path.”

Kelly Richardson, Ike Olsson, Joe Womack, Kenny Niles (L – R)

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– Corey Anderson, Bushnell University Director of Athletics

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ommy Richards, hired in January 2021, will serve as the head coach for the newly launched Bushnell University baseball team.

Coach Richards will be tasked with building the program from the ground up after spending the previous six seasons as a top collegiate assistant, four at Whitman College and two at Lindenwood University–Belleville.

Richards was a four-year letter winner at Washington State University from 2009-2012 and was drafted in the 24th round by the Baltimore Orioles in 2012. He began his coaching career after three seasons in professional baseball.

“Tommy brings a lifetime of baseball experience and positive energy to the diamond as the head coach for Bushnell Baseball,” said Athletic Director Corey Anderson. “Through his time as a little leaguer up to a professional athlete on through his recent coaching assignments, Coach Richards is ready to accept his first collegiate head coaching position. Tommy brings to us an excitement focused on leadership, hard work, and determination. He has deep personal faith and a hunger to build a collegiate level baseball program with a Christcentered foundation based on character, competition, and academic success.”

“My excitement for this opportunity is off the charts,” said Richards. “Bushnell is a great fit for me and the tri-athlete model fires me up. My faith is a big part of my identity and the opportunity to recruit and coach individuals at this university is the thrill of a lifetime. I can’t wait to assemble the right group of people and start laying the foundation for Bushnell Baseball.

Campaign Goal: $1,000,000 / Fall 2021: Baseball Begins

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WISDOM • FAI

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TH • SERVICE

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“A Low Door in the Wall” An Introduction to the Song Nai Rhee Honors Program WRITTEN BY DR. JAMES WATSON, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, RHEE HONORS PROGRAM DIRECTOR

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n his aesthetic and spiritual masterpiece, Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh conjures up the Oxford of his youth in the 1920’s—an Oxford as yet unsullied, to his mind, by the encroaching efficiencies (and horrors) of modernity. For Waugh, the magic lay not in Oxford’s lecture halls or prescribed courses of study, but in the unfettered exchange of kindred minds. He writes: “I was in search of love in those days, and I went full of curiosity and the faint, unrecognized apprehension that here, at last, I should find that low door in the wall, which others, I knew, had found before me, which opened on an enclosed and enchanted garden, which was somewhere, not overlooked by any window, in the heart of that grey city.”

This vision has always spoken to me. And every university, in some sense, holds out the same promise. For a short season, students on the cusp of life are yoked together with scholars from every discipline in the common pursuit of truth and beauty. Of course, the splendor is not without its attendant drudgery; but as Simone Weil wrote, perhaps the greatest benefit of hard study lies in its development of the faculty of “attention,” which is the precondition both of prayer and of true charity.

And every once in a while, just off the path, one glimpses that “low door in the wall,” and through it, a glimmer of eternity. It is these less-travelled ways which, in the end, tend to lead to the defining moments of our time in college.

The Song Nai Rhee Honors Program at Bushnell University is one such enchanted garden. Named for legendary Professor Emeritus Dr. Song Nai Rhee ‘58, the Honors Program exists as a loose “college within a college,” where students can pursue independent projects of research under the personal tutelage of individual professors. For the past two years, a select group of the most accomplished incoming freshmen has been invited directly into the program via an “Honors at Entrance” track, granting them full membership upon matriculation. Besides the deeper intellectual experience that is the heart of the Honors Program, full membership includes invitations to the Autumn and Spring Honors banquets, discussion colloquia with guest speakers, cultural field trips, informal lunch gatherings, and other exclusive events. (continued on pg. 22)

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Dr. Rhee shares his story with Dr. Watson

The historical interruptions of this past year inevitably caught us off guard, but they are not really so uncommon to human life, even in what we imagine to be the best of times. As C.S. Lewis put it, delivering a sermon to Oxford undergraduates in the autumn of 1939: “There is no such thing as ‘normal life.’” Even as he spoke, Nazi tanks were steamrolling Poland on their way inexorably westward.

If ever there was a life that exemplified this statement of Lewis’s, it is that of our namesake, Dr. Song Nai Rhee. I had the privilege of sitting down with him recently to hear about his boyhood in Korea and the beginnings of his passion for learning—the passion that would come to characterize his later life and reverberate through the lives of thousands of students at the University during his tenure here.

Song Nai Rhee’s early years were a veritable litany of “unprecedented times” (to use a phrase I’m sure we’re all eager to leave behind). He was just five years old at the time Lewis gave his address at St. Mary’s College and the Second World War broke out. At an age when most children are entering kindergarten, Song was forced to work to support the war effort. When the war did end, Song’s educational progress was thwarted again. With the departure of the occupying Japanese, he would now have to learn to read all over again, this time in Korean. “I still remember the morning my father made me sit down and learn the Korean alphabet,” he says. “August 1945. At the age of ten.” He adds wryly: “So even today, I still think a lot in Japanese.”

But even this relative peace would not last. Just five years later, the Korean War broke out, throwing the whole country, along with Song’s education, into chaos once more. This time the violence was right at his doorstep; guerillas from the North roamed the hills around his village, and often came down to harass the communities in the valley. “A lot of schools went up in flames,” Dr. Rhee says, “There were no classes—no schooling, period.” It was in the midst of this impossible time that Song, only fifteen years old, took decisive action. “I realized there was no future for me in Korea,” he muses. “And by that I mean no future for any young Korean.” And so, seeing the thousands of American troops that had arrived “to repel the North Korean invaders,” Song came to a decision born of desperation: “My future is with America.” The next step was clear. As he describes it: “‘Okay, if you want to find your future with Americans . . . study English!’ I said to myself. The problem was, the village I was living in was in the middle of Communist guerilla operations. Anyone who was associated with Americans was executed on the spot.” With the last sentence, he draws his thumb across his neck.

But despite the danger, Song went to his mother, asking her for money to buy the books he would need to teach himself English. When she told him what he already knew, that there was no money, he said, “We have rice, don’t we? Why don’t you give me just one bushel, in a bag, and I’ll take it to the city and sell it and buy the books I need.” His mother agreed, and Song took the rice and hid it on his person like a belt,

Decades of students recall Dr. Rhee’s famous refrain: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen.”

26 The Beacon / VENTURE FORWARD / Summer 2021

for fear that he would be stopped by guerillas on his way. He undertook the journey over the mountains to the bookstore, and when he arrived, there on the top shelf were the two books he most desired: an English-Korean dictionary and an English grammar book. He spent all day sitting on the stoop of the shop, gathering the courage to speak to the manager about the books. Finally, as the storekeeper was locking up the shop, he asked Song if he was there to buy books. Song explained that he had no money, but would he accept the rice as payment? Fortunately for him, the war had made staples scarce, and so the storekeeper was all too happy to sell him the books for the bushel of rice.

Armed thus with the tools of his vision, Song set to work. His account of the ensuing weeks is remarkable. By night, he stashed the books in a hiding place cut from a corner of his home’s ceiling, to prevent their being discovered by the Communists, which would almost certainly have cost him his life.

But by day, he says, “I would take them down and study all day. One sitting. I wouldn’t even get up for lunch. My mother would bring me something to eat. And one day I looked down, and my feet were swollen. Like a mountain. Because I wouldn’t stand up or move around. But you can see: I was determined.”

He carried on in this way for three months. By the end of his sequestration, both books had become like “balls of cotton,” nearly disintegrated from handling.

But the result? At the end of those three months, he had memorized both the grammar book and the entire English-Korean dictionary—more than two thousand English words and their definitions.

Over half a century later, in the autumn of 2020, Professor Rhee recounted some of this story at our inaugural Honors Banquet, at which he was the guest of honor. The awe of the Bushnell students,

their faces lit by candlelight up and down the long table, was palpable.

The sheer grit and unyielding determination that Song had shown as a young man was astounding— and hearing about his dodging murderous Communists just to be able to study English certainly put our own intellectual obstacles in perspective! As Professor Rhee said that night: “Nothing good comes easy. If it’s easy, it’s nothing.”

And so ended the first chapter in Song’s journey—a journey that would lead him unexpectedly to a Christian missionary high school in Korea (he had come from a strict Confucian family), and then eventually to a little school called Northwest Christian College, halfway around the world in Eugene, Oregon, to which he would eventually return and teach for decades. These further chapters are for another time. But in these early days of the Song Nai Rhee Honors Program at Bushnell University, may his story be a guide and a bracing draught of courage on those long and wearisome nights of study.

In the coming years, may the Rhee Honors Program truly become the ‘low door in the wall’ of our beloved Bushnell, leading to an enchanted garden— where the Son of Man walks in the cool of the day, hand in hand with those who find a sacred and sanctifying joy in the pursuit of truth and beauty.

Endowment of the Song Nai Rhee Honors Program: • Helps to retain and compensate highly-qualified faculty members • Provides a source of income for program expenses such as guest speakers, books, and special events • Establishes additional scholarship opportunities to recruit talented students • Covers administrative and marketing costs to maintain program excellence

Campaign Goal: $1,000,000 / 2022: Rhee Honors Program Endowed Bushnell University 27

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Student-Athletes and KidSports: A Natural Partnership WRITTEN BY NICK ASKEW, ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR COMMUNICATIONS

N

obody understands the importance of youth sports better than athletes themselves, who usually grew up playing as kids before developing into successful athletes in high school, college, and beyond.

Recently, a unique partnership has developed for Bushnell student-athletes to complete internships with KidSports, a local non-profit organization that specializes in making sure sports are available for all kids, regardless of race, religion, creed, sex, ability, or financial status.

The internships provide an opportunity for Bushnell students to gain realworld work experience and give back to the type of organization that helped so many of them when they were younger.

According to Bushnell junior women’s basketball player Sarah Reinecker ’21, “I have built strong relationships with my supervisor, the staff, the KidSports family, and the community of Eugene. I have learned about the management and organization of sporting events, marketing, and coaching. I have learned how much patience it takes to coach and entertain younger athletes who have never played a specific sport, and I have learned how to facilitate and work with parents.”

Reinecker has gained essential skills in her internship which will prepare her for a career in sports management after graduation. “I want to be a Director of Operations for a basketball team, a recruiting coach, or work with sports public relations in upper division college or professional sports.” (continued on pg. 30)

28 The Beacon / VENTURE FORWARD / Summer 2021

Tea Chatelain ’21, KidSports Intern

Sarah Reinecker ’21, KidSports Intern

KidSports Executive Director Bev Smith

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Reinecker is also blessed to be working directly with someone who has also been through all stages of the sporting life herself, Executive Director Beverly Smith. Smith was an All-American women’s basketball player at the University of Oregon and was the Head Coach for the Ducks women’s basketball team for eight years. She is a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

Smith oversees numerous Bushnell interns including recent graduates Reinecker, Makenna Hadaller ’21, and Taylor Doyle ’21, who she considers to be tremendous ambassadors for Bushnell. “Makenna, Sarah, and Taylor are incredibly brilliant, generous, and dedicated young women,” she said. “All three provided us with critical coverage for our fall sports. The maturity and composure with which they managed their stations was truly admirable and inspirational."

“Their experience and time with us provided an opportunity for them to test their mettle in community relations and they all passed with flying colors. We even had them coaching a number of teams; the kids and parents were thrilled.”

That may have been Reinecker’s favorite part. She said, “I have made great memories coaching the kids. Some brought me gifts, cards, and drawings and told me I was their favorite coach. I had one little girl that would run up to me to make sure I was at each practice or game because she was worried I wouldn’t be there.”

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM AT BUSHNELL

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ushnell requires all traditional undergraduates to complete some form of field experience as part of their degree programs. For the majority of students, that experience takes the form of an internship, during which students complete a minimum of 135 hours. During the 2019-2020 academic year, Bushnell interns contributed over 12,000 hours to the local economy.

Bushnell partners with local employers to provide relevant and meaningful experiences where students develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities to propel them into careers and/or prepare them for graduate school. Another key component of the internship program focuses on mentorship. Students are able to learn from experts in the field and establish positive working relationships in their industries.

If you are interested in hosting a Bushnell University intern, visit: Bushnell.edu/academics/career-development.

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CAMPUS UPDATES

Bushnell’s School of Business, Leadership, and Technology: Purposeful Graduates Lead Well

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hroughout its history, the University has developed academic programs to respond to the needs of industry. Business, leadership, and technology are no exception. For over forty years, management courses have been part of the curriculum. In the late 1980's, the degree completion program launched with management as its primary draw, attracting working adults who were seeking to complete their degrees and advance their careers. The program grew through the 1990’s enrolling over 130 students by the early 2000’s and added an accounting major. The University offered a Master of Arts in management in 1999, and within two years converted it to an MBA, a more desirable and recognizable degree. Most recently, the Master of Arts in Leadership and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Software Engineering were added to the offerings to address growing needs in the workforce.

Dean David Walsh joined the University in 2019 to oversee the School of Business, Leadership, and Technology. With over forty years of extensive experience in business, Walsh brings an unparalleled level of corporate expertise.

According to Walsh, “Business, leadership, and technology are interconnected and interdependent.

You cannot have good business without strong leadership and effective technology.” In just a short period of time, Walsh surveyed local business leaders to learn what skills they need among their workers. As a result of this research, Walsh brought together an advisory board

32 The Beacon / VENTURE FORWARD / Summer 2021

to inform the various concentrations within the business administration major, including accounting, general business, international business, management, marketing, and sports and recreation management. Working groups are developing strategies to bolster course offerings and set the stage for curriculum enhancement, thus delivering values-based programs that support the needs of industry and position Bushnell graduates to serve in relevant and purposeful ways.

In addition, the School of Business, Leadership, and Technology continues to integrate a relational approach to education through intentional academic advising, hands-on internships, and collaborative capstone projects. Facilitating connections between students and employers is also a high priority. In support of this effort, the Executive-in-Residence program was born.

In its inaugural year, this program is designed to pair students with local business leaders for on-demand mentorship, providing students with access to expertise and the opportunity to expand their network.

By leveraging existing assets and resources, engaging local expertise, and staying true to the core mission, the School of Business, Leadership, and Technology endeavors to educate principled leaders who will impact the trajectory of the business industry through the lens of wisdom, faith, and service.

LEADING THE WAY: DEAN DAVID WALSH

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ean David Walsh joined the university in August 2019 as the Dean of Bushnell’s School of Business, Leadership, and Technology.

Dean Walsh is the retired President and Chief Executive Officer of the Amalgamated Life Insurance Company in New York. He was the Commissioner of Insurance and Director of International Trade for the State of Alaska from 1990 through 1994.

He served as President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and was the Co-Founder and first Chairman of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors. He served as a member of the United States delegation to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) where he was Vice-Chairman of the Insurance Committee.

A lawyer by trade, Dean Walsh was a prosecutor during the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and, for ten years, served on the Anchorage, Alaska Assembly (City Council). He also taught law for a number of years and served as a scholar-in-residence at Columbia University.

Dean Walsh serves or has served on the boards of numerous professional and charitable organizations, including the Sidney Hillman Foundation and the Boy Scouts of America.

For the past five years, he has been selected as one of the 100 most influential Irish American business executives by Irish America magazine.

Dean Walsh earned a master’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, a master’s degree in Business Administration from Alaska Pacific University, and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. He is currently working toward a Ph.D from the University College Dublin.

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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

FROM RUSSIA… AND CUBA… WITH LOVE: DR. ERNEST BONAT

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r. Ernest Bonat joined Bushnell in 2020 as the first faculty member of the software engineering program. Bonat takes the helm of this new program with a passion to prepare Christian students for the highly competitive world of technology.

Dr. Bonat’s personal story is one of opportunity, perseverance, and faith. He grew up in Cuba under Communist rule. Showing propensity for science and math, Bonat was sent by the government to Kiev (in the former USSR) to complete his education.

Despite not knowing either Russian or Ukrainian, he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. While he was there, the Chernobyl disaster occurred and Bonat was sent to a camp to complete treatment for radiation sickness.

Upon his return to Kiev, he was told to stay and obtain a Ph.D., completing his doctorate in software engineering in five years.

Bonat met and married his wife while in graduate school, but they believed a future in the country was unstable. The USSR had collapsed, and capitalism and democracy were in their infancy. Bonat and his wife chose to defect with only the clothes on their backs, a journey that took them from Cuba to Canada, and later to the United States where they eventually gained citizenship.

Bonat began teaching at the university level in 2000 after many years of service as a software engineer at Intel. He found great fulfillment in the classroom, but notes that teaching at Bushnell in a Christian environment is “like the difference between night and day” from his prior work in industry and for-profit higher education.

Bonat and his wife live in Hillsboro, Oregon where they have three children and still speak Russian at home. Dean David Walsh proudly describes Dr. Bonat as “breathtakingly smart” and believes he will be an anchor for the program as it evolves.

CAMPUS UPDATES

Software Engineering Program

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he Bushnell University software engineering program is one of the newest on campus and is part of the School of Business, Leadership, and Technology. From the onset, there was intention and purpose to make it distinct from other nearby institutions. The team that developed this program spent many hours in the local tech community, asking leaders what skills, abilities, and proficiencies they most looked for in future employees. The team also asked about where tech is headed and what kinds of graduates would be best prepared for that future. This research brought about the software engineering major as it is today. The practical nature of the Bushnell program sets it apart from other programs in the area. Bushnell software engineering students will graduate with a foundation in theory, but the bulk of their coursework is in praxis, giving them the specific skills needed to find a job and succeed in a highly competitive field such as technology.

The Computer Science, Software Engineering program will serve as a springboard into a variety of careers by offering both the fundamental principles of programming and development, as well as a corresponding knowledge of software development, methodology, best-practices, problem solving, and strategic thinking.

With hands-on, pragmatic courses covering industry needs and real-world scenarios, students will be immediately ready to make contributions to the organizations they join. The program aims to prepare students to launch into careers in technology with purpose and passion, enabling students to navigate the technology landscape, continue lifelong learning, and become leaders within their organizations.

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2020-2021 ATHLETICS HIGHLIGHTS • Men’s Golf – CCC Champions • Women’s Basketball – CCC Champions • Women’s Volleyball – NAIA Qualifier • Jon Holzgang ’21 – CCC Men’s Golf Player of the Year • Tea Chatelain ’21 – Women’s Cross Country NAIA Qualifer • Makenna Hadaller ’21 – Women’s Soccer NAIA National Player of the Week • Makenna Northern ’22 – NAIA All-American Volleyball • Stevie Schlabach ’23 – CCC Men’s Basketball Co-Player of the Year • Ethan Crofts ’21 — CCC Champion of Character • 87 Academic All-Cascade Conference • 10 Inductees to Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society • 9 All-Conference Selections

In Memoriam

PROFILES IN LEADERSHIP… THE BEACON WAY OF LIFE Leadership has always been woven into the DNA of this University. Whether in churches or on campuses, in business or in the care industry, in communities or even nations, Beacons have always been shining bright.

While it’s risky to pull a few of our obituaries apart from the others, here are some slightly expanded stories that highlight how our alumni and friends impact the world.

ON OUR CAMPUS ALLENE RAE (JONES) HAYS ’58, of Benbrook,

Texas, passed away peacefully on March 9, 2021 at the age of 94. While her life took many fascinating directions, the Bushnell community will always remember Allene’s gracious presence alongside Dr. William (Bill) Hays, the seventh president of our University.

Allene met Bill in October, 1945 and they were married while Bill was still in the Navy. They both attended Bushnell University (then NCC) from 1953 to 1957 and pursued business and ministry roles while raising their family. Dr. Hays served as President of the University from 1978 to 1985.

As a member of many churches in Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Texas, Allene always found a way to serve. She was involved with the Christian Women’s Fellowship for the state of Oregon and traveled to Japan on their behalf through the Woman-toWoman International program. She had three children, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Gifts in her honor can be made to the Hays Scholarship Fund, c/o Bushnell University.

IN THE ACADEMIC, MEDICAL, AND PASTORAL CARE COMMUNITY DR. THOMAS R. MCCORMICK ’56

passed away at the age of 86 on February 12, 2021. Tom was the Senior Lecturer Emeritus at the Department of Bioethics & Humanities at University of Washington School of Medicine (WA) and an adjunct professor in bioethics at Midwestern University School of Medicine (AZ). He had an M.Div. from Drake University and a D.Min. from Southern Methodist University. He was awarded an honorary D.Hum. from Bushnell University in 2007.

Tom held positions as Director of Counseling Services, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle and was a Campus Christian Minister. He served on many boards & community outreach programs and published numerous articles and one book in the field of bioethics, campus ministry, and pastoral care. In addition, he served as Chaplain for the University of Washington Huskies Football Team during the 1970’s and early 1980’s. He is survived by his wife Karen, one son, two daughters, two grandchildren, three great grandchildren, one great great-grandson, and many nephews and nieces.

38 The Beacon / VENTURE FORWARD / Summer 2021

IN THE EUGENE/ SPRINGFIELD COMMUNITY JAMES ALBERT WILDISH, 89,

of Eugene died January 24, 2021. He began as President/ CEO of the family business, Wildish Land Co. and related companies, in 1991. A recognized industry and community leader, Jim received the Exemplary Ethical Leader Award from Bushnell University in 2013, along with Eugene's First Citizen in 2004, Springfield's Distinguished Citizen in 2009, and the Silver Beaver Award for fifty-eight years of service to the Boy Scouts of America.

While not an alumnus of Bushnell, Jim has been a consistent friend and contributor, along with wife Yvonne and their whole family. A friend to several Bushnell presidents, his office was always an early stop on the way to planning campus improvements and launching other growth initiatives.

LAWANDA MANNING, MBA '15, wife and

legislative aide of State Senator James Manning, passed away unexpectedly on June 11, 2021.

Lawanda served as a military wife, followed by a 30-year career in the banking industry. In addition, she served her community in countless ways through her participation in local governance and advocacy, support of the military, community service, and her church body. According to The Register Guard, Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney referred to Lawanda as “...full of love, laughter and joy. Generous and full of compassion, she always looked for ways to make life better for others.”

Lawanda is survived by her husband, children, step-children, and countless extended family and friends.

IN MEMORIAM

IN THE CHURCH REV. DR. F. WAYNE BRYANT ’58 died

on November 1, 2020 after a long life of pastoral influence.

Wayne studied at Bushnell, Drake Divinity School, and San Francisco Theological Seminary.

He served churches in Washington, Oregon, California and Iowa, and retired from First Christian Church of Portland, OR. Wayne served as an interim regional pastor with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and in an interim leadership role for Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.

Married first to the late Dr. Betty Joy Bryant, and then to Dorothy, who survives him, Wayne enjoyed eight children and stepchildren, fifteen grandchildren and twelve greatgrandchildren, including a number of extended family members who have been part of the Bushnell story. His lifelong love of music found expression in church and in community choirs and choruses. Gifts in his honor can be made to the F. Wayne Bryant Scholarship Fund, c/o Bushnell University.

IN INDUSTRY & INNOVATION FRED TINKER,

longtime friend of the University, died on November 30, 2020 in Arizona.

Fred left a legacy of innovation in the realm of music, as well as churches all over the world.

As a co-founder of Rodgers Organ Company, Fred worked with Rodgers Jenkins to pioneer the world’s most advanced digital and pipe organs.

Fred’s numerous inventions in instrumental technology and his gorgeous creations grace the stage of Carnegie Hall and the sanctuary of Houston’s enormous Second Baptist Church. Fred is survived by his wife, Nel. His brother-in-law, Don Kimball, is a Bushnell alumnus and another faithful contributor to our mission.

DAVID JOSEPH WORDEN ’58

passed away October 8, 2020. David is remembered as a father, grandfather, husband, minister, and community leader.

He was born in Beatrice, Nebraska in 1937. David studied at the University and used his degree as a minister for more than fifty years. He served on the board at multiple foundations and churches, as well as serving in the Salvation Army. David’s memory and spirit live on through his family and the many people to whom he ministered.

DELBERT (DEL) DALE ELLIOTT ’59

passed away on February 2, 2021. Del was born in Washtucna, Washington in 1937 on farmland. It was there that he rose to Eagle Scout rank and saved a woman from drowning. He came to Eugene to complete his undergraduate studies at the University. Following this, Del finished his seminary studies and served at various churches until landing at St. Paul United Church of Christ, where he served for twenty-seven years. He is remembered as a loving father and admirer of nature.

Former faculty member DUDLEY CARSON passed away on February 4,

2021 at the age of 103. Dudley loved using his master's degree in Music Education to teach at the University and perform his piano compositions. He was well known for his lively and well-crafted music, exquisite art, and gardening skills. His awardwinning irises live on in his memory, as well as the sound of his piano ringing through the halls. Dudley is remembered by those who knew him most as a kind and loving man.

JAMES LEROY HERSHISER ’56 passed away on February 21, 2021 at the age of 88. LeRoy grew up in Eugene, where he found his passion for music and ministry.

After graduating from the University, he went on to attend seminary and serve churches in multiple states. In Washington, LeRoy retired as a minister and decided to serve as a school bus driver.

He and his wife moved back to Eugene to live out their retirement with their family.

LeRoy is remembered as a brother, father, and grandfather.

LOIS YVONNE (AYDELOTT) BRANDENFELS ’56 passed away

January 21, 2021 at the age of 86. She and her family moved through California in her early years before attending the University. She met her husband,

Fred, during her studies. Together they answered the call of ministry, which allowed them to travel to Mexico and serve. Lois finished her studies and taught elementary education. She is remembered as a loving wife, mother, and servant of the Lord.

CAROL OWEN ’47 was raised in Salem,

Oregon. After graduating from the University, she and her husband went on to serve in ministries in a few states. Carol worked for many years as a Purchasing Agent and Store Manager for Mel James, Inc. She was a beautiful singer and pianist, and was skilled in quilting. She is remembered as a gracious host and amazing cook. Her home was a hub of activity for her large family and network of friends, colleagues, and students.

JANET L. THOMPSON, M.A. ’97 of

Cottage Grove, Oregon passed away on March 22, 2021 in Medford, Oregon after a long battle with her health. Janet was an active member in her church community, Bible Study Fellowship, and was a devoted wife and mother. She graduated from the University with a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy in 1997. She was preceded in death by her husband Dr. Michael Thompson and her parents, Lena and Carl Froude. She is survived by her siblings, children, and grandchildren.

GERALD (JERRY) RUDBERG ’64

passed away on May 21, 2021 at the age of 83. Originally from Portland, Jerry spent most of his childhood in Longview, Washington. After completing his Bachelor of Theology in 1964, Jerry went on to attend Emmanuel School of Religion in Johnson City, Tennessee to earn his Master of Religious Education degree. Jerry’s professional career was spent as the Western Representative for Emmanuel during a forty year span of service to the seminary and to God’s church. He and his first wife, Sharon Dalton, raised three sons together. Jerry married Becky Rudberg in 2006 and they enjoyed traveling all over the world, while continuing his long-standing participation in the Oregon Christian Convention and Wi-Ne-Ma Christian Camp. He is survived by his wife Becky, his three sons and their wives, two stepsons and their families, ten grandchildren, and six greatgrandchildren.

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Deeply Loved, Never Forgotten SCHOLARSHIP ESTABLISHED IN DR. TERRY O’CASEY’S NAME

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he late Dr. Terry O’Casey, former Associate Professor of Bible & Ministry, left an indelible mark on the campus community during his decade of service.

Dr. O’Casey brought energy, creativity, humor, and a deep love of Scripture to his role as a professor in the School of Bible and World Christianity. Terry loved nature, wrapping many of his lectures in powerful images from God’s creation. He also loved churches, with a huge heart for helping older churches find a future even brighter than their past.

Terry’s wife Carol, along with children Elizabeth, Michael (and his wife Emily), and Isaac ’16 (and his wife Emily), established the Terry O’Casey Scholarship for Ministry.

The fund currently stands at over $25,000 and will benefit students headed for a life of pastoral service.

If you would like to contribute to this fund in honor of Terry, gifts can be mailed to University Advancement or online with a note that your gift is for this special fund. More information about how to give can be found on page 42.

40 The Beacon / VENTURE FORWARD / Summer 2021

NEW TRUSTEES

Rev. Ron Naff ’74

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riginally from Hermiston, Oregon, Rev. Ron Naff graduated from Northwest Christian College (Bushnell University) in 1974. He earned his M.Div. from Brite Divinity School (TCU) in 1977 and is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Ron has pastored churches in Illinois, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Montana. He was pastor at First Christian Church in Longview from 1995-2010 and previously served on the Board of Trustees (1985 – 1993).

He and his wife Kay (Crewse) ’74, a retired middle school teacher, have lived in Longview for twenty-six years. They have one grown son (Matthew), and are also parents to Michael (who passed away at an early age). Ron and Kay established a scholarship at Bushnell in his honor, the Michael Crewse Naff Scholarship.

DeLeesa Meashintubby

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eLeesa Meashintubby is the executive director of Volunteers In Medicine Clinic of Lane County, a low-income primary care and behavioral health clinic. She is also the pastor of St. Mark Christian Methodist Episcopal Church located in Eugene, the area’s oldest African American congregation. She is a wife, a mother to three adult children, and a grandmother to one grandson.

She serves on multiple nonprofit boards in the Eugene-Springfield community, including the PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center Community Health Board, ShelterCare, Eugene Chamber of Commerce, Love for Lane County, and the Pearl Buck Center.

In honor of the Class of 2021 and their resilience in the face of adversity, please join us in making a gift of $21 or more to the Beacon Fund.

Give $21 or more to the GIVE 21 campaign and receive the Bushnell University license plate cover shown to the right.

GIVE 21

Show your Beacon pride!

Give21 at bushnell.edu/give For more information about the Beacon Fund and more ways to give, please see page 42.

Bushnell University 41

WHAT IS THE BEACON FUND? …AND WHY IT MATTERS

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he Beacon Fund is what keeps Bushnell University affordable and accessible for those students who desire a Christ-centered community and a place to discover and answer God’s call on their lives.

Ultimately, the Beacon Fund is an investment in the lives of students who, through a Bushnell education, live their lives as Beacons of wisdom, faith, and service to the world. The Beacon Fund allows us to award nearly $6.5 million in scholarships per year, supporting academics, athletics, the arts, and campus ministry. Your gifts to the Beacon Fund are the lifeline to a transformational experience for our students.

Did you know?

• Over 95% of students require and receive scholarship fund assistance.

• Tuition and fees from students cover only 50% of the actual cost to educate a student.

• As a student, you were likely a recipient of a gift to the Beacon Fund.

• Because of generous Beacon Fund donors, Bushnell remains the most affordable private four-year university in Oregon.

• 40% of Bushnell University students are Pell-Grant eligible (total family income less than $50,000).

• 1/3 of this year’s incoming freshmen are the first in their family to attend college.

• 37% of students come from underrepresented racial and ethic backgrounds, creating a highly diverse campus community.

WAYS TO GIVE Torchbearer’s Society • Automatic monthly donations make giving easy. atching Gifts M • Many companies will match charitable donations of their employees. ife Income Gift L • You can use cash, stock, or real estate to make this gift.

• If you are 70 ½ or older you can gift $100,000 directly from your IRA without paying additional taxes to transfer funds.

Legacy Giving • Invest in the future through planned giving and including Bushnell in your estate.

HOW TO GIVE

bushnell.edu/give @BushnellBeaconFund 541-684-7318 828 E. 11th Avenue, Eugene OR 97401

FROM MY POINT OF VIEW WRITTEN BY PAYTON MARTIN ’20

I saw the value Bushnell offers that I couldn’t get at any other school: personalized guidance and wisdom from someone as smart and helpful as Dr. Wilmarth."

I

left my hometown of Wasilla, Alaska and came to Bushnell in 2017 for the opportunity to play college basketball. What I found, though, was a school and community with so much more to offer. It was

during my first semester in a class on Differential Equations that Dr. Connie Wilmarth introduced me to the subject of Quantitative Finance. This set me on my current path—I’m headed to Ithaca, New York next Fall to pursue a master’s degree in Financial Engineering

Payton was the recipient of the Harold and Violet Knott Endowed Scholarship, one of many scholarships established by generous Bushnell friends and families in support of Christ-centered higher education.

at Cornell University.

The academic success and experience I had these past four years have only been possible because I chose to attend Bushnell as opposed to a large research university. I took a few high-level mathematics courses across the street at the U of O, and one thing became apparent to me very quickly. Although I was surrounded by students whom I believe had much more talent, they did not have access to the same resources that led to my achievements. I undoubtedly have Dr. Wilmarth and the faculty at Bushnell to thank for that.

However, the aspects that make Bushnell special do not only concern academics. I also spent two years serving as a Resident Assistant for the Office of Student Life. It was during my time in this position that I saw the unique community this college has built. Bushnell is a place where people of different races, cultures, interests, and backgrounds truly find community. I have witnessed complete strangers take the time to understand and care for each other. Participating in this community led me to realize that wisdom, faith, and service are not just words on the wall, or ideals to which we give lip service. They are the pillars on which our community stands. This is where the future of Bushnell must be firmly rooted. It is the experiences gained from this Christ-centered community that will most enrich the lives of students long after graduation.

#CuttingoftheIvy

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