Crossroads Spring/Summer 2017

CROSSROADS

SPRING-SUMMER 2017

THE MAGAZINE OF EASTERN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY

100 YEARS

VOL. 98 / NO. 1

CROSSROADS SPRING/SUMMER 2017 / VOL. 98 / NO. 1

FROM THE PRESIDENT

ENTER THE STORY SUSAN SHULTZ HUXMAN

Crossroads (USPS 174-860) is published three times a year

by Eastern Mennonite University for distribution to 14,000 alumni, students, parents and friends.

A leader among faith-based universities, Eastern Mennonite University emphasizes peacebuilding, creation care, experiential learning, and cross-cultural engagement. Founded in 1917 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, EMU offers undergraduate, graduate, and seminary degrees that prepare students to serve and lead in a global context.

EMU’s mission statement is posted in its entirety at www.emu.edu/mission.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES KATHLEEN (KAY) NUSSBAUM, CHAIR / Grant, Minn.

MICHELLE ARMSTER / Wichita, Kan. EVON BERGEY / Perkasie, Pa. MYRON BLOSSER / Harrisonburg, Va. HERMAN BONTRAGER / Akron, Pa. SHANA PEACHEY BOSHART / Wellman, Iowa JONATHAN BOWMAN / Manheim, Pa. RANDALL BOWMAN / Richmond, Va. JANET BRENEMAN / Lancaster, Pa. CHARLOTTE HUNSBERGER / Souderton, Pa. CLYDE KRATZ / Harrisonburg, Va. CHAD LACHER / Souderton, Pa. KEVIN LONGENECKER / Harrisonburg, Va. E. THOMAS MURPHY, JR. / Harrisonburg, Va. DANNIE OTTO / Urbana, Ill. ELOY RODRIGUEZ / Lancaster, Pa. AMY L. RUSH / Harrisonburg, Va. JUDITH TRUMBO / Broadway, Va. ANNE KAUFMAN WEAVER / Brownstown, Pa. TWILA K. YODER / Corporate Secretary to the Board CROSSROADS ADVISORY COMMITTEE SUSAN SCHULTZ HUXMAN / President KIRK L. SHISLER / Vice president for advancement ANDREA WENGER / Marketing and communications director PHIL HELMUTH / Development and church realtions director JEFF SHANK / Alumni and parent engagement director STAFF LAUREN JEFFERSON / Editor-in-chief JON STYER / Designer/photographer LINDSEY KOLB / proofreader JENNIFER NORTH BAUMAN / Mileposts editor JOSHUA LYONS / Web designer BJ GERBER / Mailing list manager All EMU personnel can be reached during regular work hours by calling 540-432-4000, or via contact details posted on the university website, www.emu.edu.

POSTMASTER: Submit address changes to: Crossroads Eastern Mennonite University 1200 Park Road Harrisonburg VA 22802

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, Mennonites in the East had a bold, faith-inspired dream to start a school in Virginia. What a dream! What an act of faithfulness.

It all began in 1917, when a timely advertisement was placed in the Gospel Herald with the high hopes of creating great interest among Mennonite students: Announcement is herewith made that the Eastern Mennonite School at Assembly Park near Harrisonburg, Va., will be ready, the Lord willing, for students to matriculate for the opening exercises on October 9, 1917.

The Lord was willing! From 40 students in 1917 to nearly 2,000 students today, here we are, poised to celebrate a centennial.

I am honored and humbled to lead this Christ-centered university into its second century. Five months into the job, I can say it has been immersive and invigorating. I am here because I am a fervent believer in Mennonite education that connects head, heart and hands in a particularly distinctive and attractive way. I am here because EMU is a premier Christian university that has made peacemaking, formation and cross-cultural encounter its liberal arts core. That precious EMU distinctive radiates around the globe.

Over the course of the next year, as a university community, we want to cherish our founding and what has occurred in the dash of its first century, 1917-2017. With grateful hearts, we take sustenance from our past, the school’s humble origins and its mission as a Christian school steeped in Mennonite values of discipleship, service, community and peacemaking.

“Serving. Leading. Transforming.” – the theme of Eastern Mennonite University’s Centennial year – marks the transformation of a quiet school on a hill meant to protect its students from the world, into a place that prepares graduates to engage with the world and all its complexities.

This issue offers a look back, through photographs and chronology, and through objects (we call them “artifacts”) both old and new – that bring alive the varied richness of our history. It celebrates the many people who were part of this experiment in Mennonite education and how it evolved over 100 years. You know the old African proverb: “If you inherit land, you have to farm it; if you inherit a story, you have to tell it.” We encourage you to share your stories about how EMU transformed your life at emustories.com too!

Enjoy this special Centennial issue prepared by our dedicated marketing and communications staff. And Enter the Story!

Warmly,

IN THIS ISSUE FEATURES

10

2 COMMENCEMENT 2017 Photos of EMU's 99th graduation ceremony

27

EMU ARTIFACTS

6 EMU'S NINTH PRESIDENT Inauguration festivities

24 AN EXPERIMENT LIKE NO OTHER Q & A with Donald Kraybill '67, author of EMU's Centennial history

ON THE COVER Old and new combine in these aerial photos of campus, taken in 1950 and 2017. Recent photo

by Andrew Strack. Composite by Jon Styer

CENTENNIAL HOMECOMING AND FAMILY WEEKEND 2017 43 ALUMNI AWARD WINNERS

48 HOMECOMING EVENTS

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ROYAL FILES

PHOTO

2017

COMMENCEMENT Nearly 500 undergraduate and graduate degrees were awarded at EMU's 99th Commencement on Sunday, April 30.

PHOTO BY ANDREW STRACK

Diana Tovar Rojas (left) and Isabel Castillo Ressler celebrate their master's degrees in conflict transformation.

PHOTO BY JON ST YER

Oksana Kittrell, wearing her Cords of Distinction, shakes hands with President Susan Schultz Huxman.

PHOTO BY ANDREW STRACK

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ROYAL FILES

Howard Zehr, distinguished professor of restorative justice at EMU, gave the commencement address.

PHOTO BY DYLAN BUCHANAN

A crowd gathers outside the tent after the warmest Commencement day in recent history. Though no one is in the fountain at this point, the cool waters attracted some seeking relief during and after the two-hour ceremony.

PHOTO BY ANDREW STRACK

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ROYAL FILES

SPECIAL EVENTS

CROSSING THE LINE EMU to host June 22-25 conference on border- and boundary-crossing women in the Anabaptist tradition

Photos: (top) Mennonite Library and Archives, Bethel College, North Newton, Kansas; (center) engraving by Jan Luiken in Martyrs Mirror, v. 2, p. 30 of Dutch edition, source: Rijksmuseum; (bottom) Virginia Mennonite Conference Archives.

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FROM JUNE 22-25, Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) hosts “Crossing the Line: Women of Anabaptist Traditions Encounter Borders and Boundaries,” a conference on the theme of women in the Anabaptist tradition who have crossed lines, borders and boundaries in contexts ranging from family structures to gender and race politics, leadership roles and migration.

Twenty-five concurrent sessions feature scholars and artists from around the United States and Canada, as well as India, Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Germany, Mexico and Columbia.

“I anticipate that the breadth of scholarship, artistic engagement, as well as ethnic, racial and gender identities of the presenters and artists will provide rich comparative, cross-disciplinary and crosscultural analyses,” says Kimberly Schmidt, professor of history and director of the Washington Community Scholars’ Center in Washington D.C. Professor Hasia Diner will begin the conference with a keynote address on Jewish women in America.

Schmidt says this choice was purposeful. “Comparative studies enable us to engage in the broader scholarly world. This lecture forces us to think of Mennonite women’s history not as separate and apart from the history of women, but as part of it. Mennonite women, like Jewish women, are members of distinctive ethno-religious communities and one of the key questions we’re asking at this conference is how that specific identity informs women’s agency.”

Professor Sofia Samatar and veteran international aid administrator Cynthia Peacock provide plenary sessions. Two bus tours on the theme of Mennonite women in the Shenandoah Valley are also offered. Evening sessions offer a different experience in the arts: a visual gallery, poetry recitation and reading performance, and dance exhibition.

In addition to major sponsorships by Marpeck Foundation, Mennonite Quarterly Review, Just Pax Fund, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the conference is also funded by individuals honoring special women in their lives, including pastors, professors and family members.

The conference builds on a 21-year-old legacy of a groundbreaking conference on women of Anabaptist traditions in history at Millersville University (Pa.) in 1995. That conference was titled “The Quiet in the Land? Women of Anabaptist Traditions in Historical Perspective.” —LAUREN JEFFERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT emu.edu/academic-conferences/women-of-anabaptist-traditions

ROYAL FILES

HISTORY

THE SNACK SHOPPE Longtime manager Helen Ours talks about the favorite campus gathering place SAY “SNACK SHOP" and you’ll conjure a lot of warm memories for alumni of Eastern Mennonite College—and yes, we’ll say EMC because that was the institution’s name when the Snack Shoppe was in its heyday. Food has always been an important part of the community experience at EMU. Decades ago, the Snack Shoppe – as it was spelled on the north entrance sign – was a central gathering place for food and more.

“There wasn’t a 7-11 on the corner, so this is where you came,” says Helen Ours, manager from 1974 through the mid-1990s.

Ted Swartz '89, MA '92 says the hospitality and ambiance attracted many. “It felt like a 1950s soda shop or something… intimate, cozy, friendly.”

“I remember going to the Snack Shop after chapel and checking my mailbox next to the bookstore [all in the lower level of the same building] and then heading for my coffee and cheese danish or funny cake [a pie with a white cake topping and gooey chocolate bottom layer] courtesy of Helen,” recalls Joani Schweitzer Miller '87.

“Going to the snack shop after basketball practice back in the late ‘80s was the closest thing most of the guys could do that felt like home,” recalls Kirby Dean '92 and head men’s basketball coach at EMU since 2002. “Helen treated all of us like we were her own sons.”

The “Royals’ Den” atmosphere is different and the snack shop era is passed. Thanks to Helen Ours and her colleagues, however, many friendships were deepened, problems were

Longtime Snack Shoppe manager Helen Ours still works in the Eastern Mennonite University Dining Hall and treasures her relationships with students. Here she is with Travis Clower, head basketball coach Kirby Dean '86, Jonae Guest and Christian Taylor.

Dean has fond memories of eating there after basketball practice, "the closest thing to going home," he said.

PHOTO BY ANDREW STRACK

solved, and souls fed through the hospitality and home-like comfort they cooked up.

In her role today with the EMU dining hall, Helen remains a beloved community member, greeting students by name and sometimes with a hug. She is special to athletic team members in particular. She and her husband support them by attending every game or match they can get to.

“I enjoy watching Helen interact with my basketball players now,” says Dean. “It reminds me so much of how she treated me when I was a player hanging out in the snack shop. There is a special relationship that develops there … food, hospitality, genuine care. It is hard to explain, but you know it when you see it. And it doesn’t seem to change with time.”

— ANDREA SCHROCK '86 WENGER

Helen Ours and Lois Shirk in the Snack Shoppe, 1982.

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T H E

I N AU G U R AT I O N

O F

DR. SUSAN SCHULTZ HUXMAN

AS NINTH PRESIDENT OF EASTERN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY

“BEHOLD! AND ENTER THE COUNTERCULTURAL STORY!” An address by Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman on the occasion of her inauguration, April 7, 2017

Surrounded by dignitaries, Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman speaks during the inaugural ceremony at Eastern Mennonite University. She is the university's ninth president.

PHOTO BY ANDREW STRACK

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FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2017

TODAY, I want to speak about an important word and an important story that I think captures our calling as academic leaders deeply invested in equipping our students for meaningful work and service in our world today.

One year, I was teaching middle school Sunday school in Wichita, Kansas.

(Yes, I drew the short straw among parents with “spirited” middle school children at that time.) Teaching children age 11-13 is not for the faint-hearted.

For me, as a university professor, it was a good weekly dose of humility!

One Sunday morning, we examined this question: Which words in the Bible are the most fascinating or mysterious to you? You should know that I’m a rhetoric scholar, so of course this question was especially important to me. And like a good researcher collecting field notes, I thought what would the “tribe” of 11-13 year olds tell me?

All sorts of words were submitted amidst tussles and pillow fights and snacks: In the end, the kids selected the word Behold and the even more archaic Lo and behold. We soon discovered that behold is mentioned 1,326 times in the King James Version (somebody had an app for that). Interestingly, the word is used far less in contemporary versions.

Some of our favorite passages were: Behold, the Lamb of God and Behold, I stand at the door and knock. And especially: Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.

On one level, the word behold means “to see, to face, to apprehend, to consider intensely, to observe fully.” It is a call to keep our eyes open wide to make sure we are seeing and hearing clearly and accurately. On a deeper level, the expression lo and behold often is accompanied with an exclamation mark. It means Stop!

Suspend time! An Awesome Mystery, or something unusual and unconventional, is unfolding before you – and you will miss it if you are not perfectly still and attentive! As the psalmist reminds us: “Be still and know that I am God!”

PHOTO BY JON ST YER

Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman is congratulated by her father, Dr. Harold J. Schultz, president emeritus of Bethel College. Both father and daughter share the distinction of becoming their respective institution’s ninth president.

Our fascination with the word behold is partly because it feels so out of place in our overwhelmingly fast-paced, hurdle-head-first-into-the-future-whilewe-juggle-multiple-digital-devices daily routines. A contemporary substitute for the word behold is be mindful...

A behold moment came in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the fall of 1917. After nearly a decade of debate over location, leadership, mission, name, cost and curriculum, the Mennonite Church took a deep breath and a giant leap of faith and opened Eastern Mennonite School.

Students were literally waiting on the road for the first president – J.B. Smith, originally from St. Jacobs, Ontario – to get off the train and open the doors to the school! Four faculty, including the president, were hired to teach three subjects: Bible, literature and agriculture. Vocal music was allowed, but NOT instrumental music. Sports were allowed (for boys), but no varsity competition.

And a plain dress code for men and especially for women was codified long before lesson plans or food choices.

Lo and behold! Here we are 100 years later. And just let me say – how amazing

is this – that I have this blessed opportunity to serve this crown jewel of a school just as it is launching its centennial celebration!

Today, in 2017, we have nearly 2,000 students, two additional instructional sites, well over 100 faculty, more than 60 programs of study, and 17 varsity sports teams open to men and women.

We have team colors, yes, but no dress code. And we offer all kinds of music, including the originally forbidden kind: instrumental music.

As importantly, EMU went from a handful of nearly all white Mennonite kids from rural communities in 1917 to significant diversity of color, ethnicity, nationality, geography, identity and faith backgrounds in 2017.

Yes, we’ve been on quite an amazing growth trajectory these past 100 years.

And we’ve had beautiful and brazen behold moments at EMU ever since! –way too many to enumerate here today, save one…

One such precious stop-and-marvel moment includes this gem: The first African-American student admitted to college in the state of Virginia was right here at Eastern Mennonite. The year www.emu.edu | CROSSROADS | 7

T H E

I N AU G U R AT I O N

O F

DR. SUSAN SCHULTZ HUXMAN

AS NINTH PRESIDENT OF EASTERN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY

was 1948. Segregation was the law of the land. This was a decade before the Civil Rights Movement. The first AfricanAmerican student graduated from EMU in 1954, the same year Brown v. Board of Education was decided. Virginia public schools would not integrate for four more years...

Indeed, careful attention to diversity continues to be a goal at EMU. It is critical to the fulfillment of our mission. It is one of the reasons that I am here. We still have our work cut out for us on the diversity front, no question, but we’re moving in the right direction!

The EMU story in all of its expanding chapters is cast upon a much larger canvas – the Christian story – steeped in unconventional “behold” moments that cascade one after the other from beginning to end.

Is it any wonder that the biblical story interjects so many angelic messengers to bring behold announcements to God’s unsuspecting people? Who would believe it otherwise? God uses Esther, a Jewish woman, to risk her life to save God’s people? Really? An unwed teenager will birth the Son of God? Really? Jesus will call his disciples from the blue collarclass-fisherman? Really? Jesus will consort

with misfits, outcasts, and unbelievers?

Really? The last shall be first? Really? The first “witnesses” of the resurrection are all women – scandalous.

Jesus was all about unconventionality. He was human and divine, lion and lamb. The axis of the cross reminds us we need contemplative prayer and bold practice; we need to be redeemed and repair the world! And yet our default mindset, in the West, is to forever bifurcate, divide and analyze in either/or, for or against, problem-solution thinking.

Mennonite schools were founded on the impulse to capture the unconventional both/and ethos of a Christcentered story. We aim to educate mind, body and spirit. To very intentionally nourish head, hands and heart.

How this kind of educational ethos plays out on our campuses is often referred to as the “invisible curriculum.” It begins with a sacred premise: all students are viewed as gifted people created and loved by God. This is followed by careful attention to layers upon layers of community building – layers as thin yet as durable as paper mache to the formation of artistic creations.

How valuable is such an aspiration?

One of my favorite literary and journalisPHOTO BY ANDREW STRACK

Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman and husband, Jesse, head to the dance floor at the student-planned inauguration gala.

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tic writers, Anna Quinlin, says this: “It’s so much easier today to craft a résumé than to craft a soul.”

Put simply: The invisible curriculum helps students craft souls. This unconventional curriculum includes a large supporting cast of “salt of the earth” people: professors, librarians, coaches, cooks, custodians, carpenters, counselors, chaplains and a whole assortment of other critical staff, all employees at our schools – who are full of joy and curiosity and who view their interactions with students as spirit-filled encounters that happen every day inside and outside the classroom.

When you pair the rigorous academic and visible curriculum at EMU with the communal formation of the invisible curriculum, what do you get? Quality education! And, it gives our students life-changing, eyes-wide-open, stop! apprehend! and breathe deeply experiences.

And those life-changing experiences really become counter-cultural stories to be treasured, told and retold for a lifetime.

You heard my father share the African saying, “If you inherit land, you have to farm it. If you inherit a story, you have to tell it."

I have inherited a powerful “Behold!” story that is now my duty to tell. As Eastern Mennonite University’s ninth president and first woman president, at the dawn of our second century, I welcome the opportunity to shine the light of our distinctive mission, elevate our bold vision to be a Christian university like no other, and build innovative partnerships that are steeped in great faithfulness, countercultural practice and reverent “lo and behold” attentiveness.

I love to tell our unfolding, unconventional story in harmony with the “old, old story of Jesus and His love.”

May it be our glorious theme today and always!

THIS ADDRESS HAS BEEN EDITED FOR LENGTH.

CENTENNIAL

HOMECOMING AND FAMILY WEEKEND

emu.edu/homecoming

October 13-15, 2017

Centennial century bike ride: 100K bike ride through the Valley; 50K and five-mile family option also available. 10 x 10 x 100 Centennial Art Show featuring six prominent alumni artists and their 100 works, each measuring 10" x 10". Fall Festival with food trucks, lawn games, inflatables and tailgating. Concert on the lawn with The Steel Wheels. What we bring. What we take. What we leave. A theater production by Ingrid DeSanctis '88 and Ted Swartz '89, MA '92, commissioned for the Centennial

by EMU, performed by alumni and sponsored by Everence. Alumni gathering by decades on the lawn with Kline's Ice Cream special Centennial flavor. Book signing and presentations with Donald Kraybill '67, author of Eastern Mennonite University: A Century of Countercultural Education (Penn State University Press). Class reunions for those whose class year ended in 2 and 7. Affinity group gatherings for cross-cultural, athletic teams, academic departments and more.

See the full schedule and registration on the inside back cover!

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Special thanks to Simone Sommers '12 Horst, special collections librarian; Nathan Yoder, archivist; and Andrew Strack, photo and video manager.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EMU ARCHIVES/MARKETING AND COMMUNIC ATIONS

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1917-2017

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1917

1917

1919

J.B. Smith is the school's first president. He will serve until 1922.

1917

1918

A former resort hotel known as “The White House” in the Assembly Park area of Harrisonburg houses the school, which opens for its first term in October with five faculty members and six students.

1919

Construction on the Ad Building begins.

1919 The first class of four women and three men graduate.

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1920

The south annex of the Ad Building and the Exercise Hall, known as X-Hall, are built at costs of $45,000 and $500, respectively.

Three literary societies – Smithsonians, Philomatheans, and Armerians – provide social, cultural and athletic pursuits.

1921

The issue of the EMS Bulletin (now Crossroads) is printed.

1922

1923

Young People's Christian Association (YPCA) is formed.

A.D. Wenger becomes the second president, serving until 1935.

1924

1925

1926

1921

1922

1922

1928

The area where EMS is located, previously known as Stringtown for its “string� of houses along the road, is formally changed to Park View.

1927

1928 The school motto and seal are created.

1929

1935

The junior college is accredited by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

1930

1931

1932

1933

A toy factory provides jobs for EMS students during the Great Depression.

1934

1935

1936

John L. Stauffer is the third president. He serves until 1948.

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1939

1948

1943

A four-year Bible program, leading to a Bachelor of Theology degree, is offered.

1937

1938

Students are allowed to leave campus without asking for permission.

1939

1940

The first issue of the Weather Vane newspaper is published.

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“The Chapel,� later named Chester K. Lehman Auditorium, is built for campus worship.

1941

1942

The north annex of the Ad Building is completed.

1943

The first international student is admitted.

1944

1945

During World War II, many male students serve as conscientious objectors in Civilian Public Service.

1946

1954

1954

The first African American students are admitted.

Peggy Webb Howard is the first African-American student to graduate. She earned a bachelor's degree in music, social science and secondary education.

John R. Mumaw is the fourth president. He serves until 1965.

1947

1948

EMS changes its name to Eastern Mennonite College and receives state accreditation for various bachelor's degree programs.

1949

1950

1951

1952

1953

1955

1954 WEMC radio station is founded.

1956

The Board of Trustees is enlarged to include church conference representatives.

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1958

1959

1962

1963

1964

Royal blue and white are selected as the school colors.

The high school is accredited

by Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools (SACS).

1957

1958

EMC is accredited

by SACS.

1959

The new student center (on the site of the current University Commons) opens with a gym, bookstore, snack shop, post office and classrooms.

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The high school builds its own building.

1960

1961

1962

The men’s basketball team plays in a small number of intercollegiate competitions.

The team is known as the Courtiers.

1963

The Drama Guild puts on its first production ("The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden" by Thornton Wilder).

1964

1965

The seminary is formalized with appointment of a dean.

Myron S. Augsburger is the fifth president. He serves until 1980.

The nursing program expands to include a four-year program.

1966 A women’s basketball team, the Courtierettes, begins competition.

1965

1969

1968

EMC hosts its first “international guest professor" from The Netherlands.

1967

1968

The Suter Science Center is completed.

Students raise $111,000 in four days in order to receive a federal grant and build a new library building.

1969

1970 The Courtiers become the Royals.

Students participate in the first overseas cross-cultural study term in Europe.

1971

1972

1973

The Washington Study Service Year program begins.

1974

1975

1976

EMC joins the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

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1980

1984

1986

The recycling group Earthkeepers wins first place in the colleges and universities category of the nationwide “Keep America Beautiful� contest.

1977

1978

The seminary receives accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).

Eastern Mennonite High School incorporates separately from EMC.

1979

1980

1981

Richard C. Detweiler becomes the sixth president. He serves until 1987.

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1982

1983

1984

The Ad Building burns during a major renovation.

1985

1986

The new Campus Center is completed on the site of the former Ad Building.

1987

1992

1994

1995

The Adult Degree Completion Program in Harrisonburg begins.

Joseph L. Lapp becomes the seventh president. He will serve until 2003.

1987

1988

After hosting classes in the area since the mid-1950s, the EMU at Lancaster (Pa.) program is formally established.

Ground is broken for new seminary building.

1989

1990

1991

1992

EMC becomes Eastern Mennonite University.

1993

The master’s in counseling program is the first of four graduate programs to start in the early ‘90s.

The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir is founded.

1994

1995

The Center for Conflict Transformation is established.

It offers a master’s degree in conflict transformation.

The Shenandoah VAlley Bach Festival begins.

1996 Summer Peacebuilding Institute begins, after three years of successful shortterm “Frontiers of Peacebuilding” trainings.

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2000

2003

2010

2011

Loren E. Swartzendruber becomes the eighth president.

He serves until 2016.

The MBA program begins.

1997

1998

1999

2000 University Commons is dedicated.

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2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

The Center for Conflict Transformation becomes the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.

2007

2011

2011

2015

2016

2015

2016

Abraham’s Tent: A Center for Interfaith Engagement is founded to bridge divides and educate about the three world religions that worship one God – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The organization eventually becomes the Center for Interfaith Engagement.

2008

2009

Phase II ($2.7M) renovations of University Commons are completed.

Leymah Gbowee MA ‘07 is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

2010

The first commercial-scale solar array in Virginia is installed on roof of Hartzler Library.

2011

2017

Mary Jensen becomes EMU at Lancaster’s first provost.

Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society is founded.

2012

Cedarwood Residence Hall is the first LEED-certified residence hall in Virginia.

Maplewood and Elmwood become LEED-certified the next year.

$7.3M renovations of Suter Science Center East are completed.

2013

2014

The School of Graduate and Professional Studies is established.

2015

The Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions at EMU is established, with Goshen (Indiana) College and Mennonite Central Committee as founding institutions.

2016

The four-year engineering program begins.

EMU starts the master’s degree in restorative justice program, one of the first in North America.

2017 Susan Schultz Huxman becomes the ninth president.

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“EMU ENGINEERING STACKS UP!” Competing with students from top engineering programs around the country, EMU engineering majors Dylan Grove (far left) and James Paetkau (far right) were delighted and not a little astonished to find out their poster about a sustainable bike project took top honors in the undergraduate design team division at the American Society for Engineering Education’s Zone 2 Conference.

PRESTIGIOUS SUMMER RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS EMU has outstanding success placing students in prestigious National Science Foundation summer research grants. Last summer seniors Eli Wenger, Hannah Daley (left), and Janaya Sachs, and junior Amanda Williams investigated zooplankton, measured light in forests, and explored photocatalysts at top research institutions around the country and overseas.

SELECTED FROM 1,200 APPLICANTS Sanjay Dick ’11, MA ’17 became the first MA in Biomedicine graduate to be admitted to veterinary school. He is one of 120 students in his class at Virginia Tech.

INSPIRING YOUNG SCIENTISTS A new museum outreach program of the D. Ralph Hostetter Natural History Museum will introduce Shenandoah Valley students to the sciences – and to EMU.

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RENDERING BY BLUE RIDGE ARCHITEC TS

CAMPAIGN FOR SUTER WEST RENOVATION ENTERS FINAL PHASE Suter West renovations will build on the exciting realities of Phase I renovations by adding:  A rapid prototyping lab with 3-D printers, computer design lab, engineering support lab, and spaces for faculty/ student collaboration to support engineering and our other strong science programs;  New museum space to continue outreach to thousands of schoolchildren visiting the D. Ralph Hostetter Natural History Museum and to provide science education opportunities to pre-service teachers;  Updated SC-106 lecture hall with new lighting, seating, audio and video technology, and moveable tables for flexible instructional options.

The $4 million fundraising campaign for Suter West recently received a timely boost in the form of a $500,000 challenge gift from an alumni couple who wish to remain anonymous. The donors will match all gifts, dollar for dollar, up to $500,000 through December 31, 2017.

"We deeply appreciate this couple's generous commitment to EMU and to the sciences," says Kirk Shisler '81, vice president for advancement. "Because of the urgency of completing Suter West renovations in 2018, our goal is to secure matching gifts and commitments well before the end of 2017.”

Total gifts and commitments now exceed $2.7 million toward a goal of $4 million.

Learn more about how you can participate in bringing the Suter West campaign to a successful conclusion this year!

Contact us at 540-432-4203 or make your gift online at emu.edu/campaign

THE CASE FOR SUTER WEST www.emu.edu | CROSSROADS | 23

‘An Experiment Like No Other’ Centennial historian Donald B. Kraybill '67 reflects on six years of research.

"Change is a constant theme in any centennial history. But which changes merit attention? In telling this story, I pursued two questions. First, how did EMU grapple with modern culture as it challenged traditional Mennonite values? How did its leaders sort out what they would embrace, reject, or modify? And how did those negotiations transform a separatist ethnic community in 1917 into a world-engaged people by the early twenty-first-century? Second, what is Mennonite about Eastern Mennonite? To say it another way, what did it mean to be a Mennonite at the fledgling school in 1917 and how was that identity transformed in new ways at EMU by 2017?"

— FROM THE PREFACE

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eastern mennonite university A Century of Countercultural Education

donald b. kraybill

PHOTO BY ANDREW STRACK

IN 2011, ESTEEMED AUTHOR DONALD B. KRAYBILL ’67 WAS COMMISSIONED TO WRITE A FRESH HISTORY OF EMU. “We couldn’t imagine a better person to undertake this project,” said Provost Fred Kniss, in announcing the appointment. “Don brings a unique perspective as an EMU graduate, sociologist, theological and cultural interpreter, and prolific writer of widely read scholarly books.”

The Centennial history project took six years. Kraybill began part time on it in 2012 and full time through 2015 and 2016. Penn State University Press will release Eastern Mennonite University: A Century of Countercultural Education in September 2017.

A 1967 graduate from EMU, Kraybill holds a doctorate in sociology from Temple University. He served on the EMU Board of Trustees from 1986 to 1995, and chaired it from 1989 to 1995.

Kraybill joined the Elizabethtown College faculty in 1971 and spent his academic career there, with the exception of six years as provost at Messiah College. He recently retired as a senior fellow at Elizabethtown’s Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, which he had directed from 1989 to 1996.

When he was invited to write the history in 2011, Kraybill said that “at this stage of my life, this project captures my interest because it offers a unique opportunity to investigate a case study of the transformation of Mennonite/Anabaptist identity in the twentieth century.”

Now six years later, he reflects on the research experience in an interview with Crossroads.

HOW DOES THE LENGTH OF TIME SPENT ON THIS PROJECT COMPARE TO YOUR MANY OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS? Each project has its own quirks. I’ve completed some short books in two or three months. Others have taken ten years. And several others I’ve never finished! The EMU history was especially complicated. I faced over 100 years of time and an archive brimming with thousands of rich original sources. To hazard a wild guess, I probably only looked at 10 percent of the available primary sources.

WHAT WERE THE MOST REWARDING PARTS OF THE RESEARCH AND WRITING? Discovering three distinctive educational paradigms that reflected the three stages of the institution: school, college and university. To share in that discovery, you’ll have to read the book!

CAN YOU SHARE ABOUT THE RESEARCH AND WRITING PROCESS? In most of my projects, I’ve been fortunate to have a team of two or three skilled associates. This time I had the university’s support – in particular Provost Fred Kniss and the expertise of archivist Nate Yoder and special collections librarian Simone Horst, as well as my editorial associate Cynthia Nolt. A major challenge was how to organize thousands of copies of documents into a little research archive at my home.

When it comes to writing, my rule of thumb is make a mess and clean it up at least 10 times.

I’m a better editor than a writer, but I’m not a copy editor. The editing is what makes the writing sing. I’ve rewritten many of the sentences in this book at least a half dozen times – attending to alliteration, clarity and a graceful flow. Even so, I’m still plagued with prolixity.

WHAT WERE THE CHALLENGES OF THIS PROJECT? One challenge involved the multiple expectations of my diverse readers: current faculty and staff, older alumni, recent alumni, donors, development and marketing staff, historians and other scholars. I even hope a few current students will read it!

Each sector of that multifaceted audience holds different expectations. How could I craft a narrative grounded in primary sources with some analytical depth that was readable, engaging and interesting for such a mixed audience?

The second challenge was interpreting the last 25 years. It’s hazardous to interpret recent history. I felt much freer to analyze the conflicts and failures of the players in

www.emu.edu | CROSSROADS | 25

the first 75 years. Most were no longer living and their issues were often less pertinent in the 21st century. I had to treat the last quarter century more gently – with little analysis and more description. Most of the recent players are still living and many remain employed by EMU. I am quite vulnerable as a writer because they know more about the issues and conflicts than I do.

A third challenge was reconciling the diverse views and suggestions of 15 readers of an early draft and three copyeditors. I was fortunate to have their generous advice and perspectives. In the end, I have to assume responsibility for the final text.

WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT EMU’S HISTORY? Four things come to mind. I didn’t realize that the school had failed twice in Virginia (Newport News and Alexandria) before it was founded at Harrisonburg.

Second, I was amazed that Virginia Mennonite Conference had no control over the school until 1924.

Third, the toxic relationship between Goshen College and EMU until the mid-20th century astonished me. EMU was founded as a conservative alternative to Goshen College and the ideological strife between the two institutions was intense in the first three decades.

Finally, although I graduated in 1967, I had not known that EMU was the first private college to accept African-American students (1948) in the state of Virginia and one of the early ones in the entire South.

WHO WERE THE EARLY HEROES OF THE SCHOOL? In my mind, there were three. Beginning in 1912, bishop George R. Brunk I – a self-educated, brilliant theologian – provided the most articulate and persuasive arguments for why Mennonites in the eastern states needed to establish a conservative school.

Second, after two aborted starts, Mennonite bishop L.J. Heatwole almost single-handedly resuscitated plans for an eastern school at Harrisonburg.

Finally, A. D. Wenger, the second president from 1922-35, provided the managerial skills and financial acumen to stabilize the fledgling school and to keep it afloat during the depression. His short booklet 'Who Should Educate Our Children?' made a convincing case for why EMU mattered to skeptics in the church.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT HISTORY IN GENERAL? We tend to assume that there is one true story of the past. This is the myth of the single narrative. Histories however are socially constructed. I could have crafted several different narratives. A Century of Countercultural Education is my particular story. Other writers and other scholars might have crafted quite different narratives about EMU’s past.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY IF YOU COULD BEGIN THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT AGAIN? I conducted about 40 interviews early in the process. I would conduct them later after becoming more familiar with the primary sources. Interviews are very time-consuming. I would likely do fewer of them.

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST TEMPTATION? James Wert ’68 reminded me, 'History is messy and historians shouldn’t try to clean it up too much.' Historians are apt to flatten, smooth out, amplify issues, skip over other ones, and tidy up the past. We also are tempted to patch fragments of the past together into a single linear narrative to make sense of the past. History is not always linear. Historical events have multiple causes. I struggled to keep fidelity with the messy past while still fitting parts of it into a satisfying narrative.

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WHAT’S UNIQUE ABOUT THIS INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY? This is a social history. I selected particular topics – gender, race, dancing, instrumental music, biblical interpretation among many others – which I found interesting from a sociological perspective. I also explored conflict.

We often express our most deeply held values and beliefs more explicitly during conflict than in the routine flow of life.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PLEASED ABOUT? I visited Hubert Pellman, emeritus professor of English, in the fall of 2016 a few weeks before his 98th birthday. He had written a history of EMU’s first 50 years (1917-67). A few weeks before my visit, he sent word through Professor Marti Eades asking if he could see an advance copy of the book.

He told her that he 'would wait for the Lord to call him home until he could see a sneak preview of the book.'

Not wanting to hinder divine providence, I sent him several draft chapters.

When I met him, he praised the chapters as 'elegant,' and repeatedly told me, 'Now I can die a happy man.' We had a wonderful hour-long visit. His eyes sparkled, his mind was sharp, and as always his spirit was gracious. It was an unforgettable sublime hour. [Hubert Pellman passed away March 20, 2017.]

WHEN YOU FINISH SUCH A LONG PROJECT, WHAT DO YOU DO TO CELEBRATE AND TO MARK THE ACHIEVEMENT? The first day after transmitting the manuscript to the press feels odd.

Suddenly there is silence. No need to think about or worry about the project after several years of being obsessed by it. I savored roasted salmon over a large spinach salad in a quiet corner of a restaurant to enjoy the sudden lull and read the Chronicle of Higher Education, one of my favorite periodicals.

DID YOU “MEET” ANY PEOPLE IN EMU’S HISTORY THAT YOU WOULD HAVE ENJOYED LEARNING MORE ABOUT? I would enjoy speaking with Ada M. Zimmerman, who became the first dean of women in 1940. She was a progressive thinker and articulate writer.

Hubert Pellman described her as the seed of women’s emancipation at EMU. IS THE MOTTO “THY WORD IS TRUTH” STILL RELEVANT FOR EMU? In the course of the research, I discovered a fascinating essay by C.K. Lehman, academic dean (1923-56) when the motto was adopted in 1928.

He points out the multiple layers of interpretation for the phrase. In the context of John’s Gospel, Jesus is the Word and the Truth that sets us free.

I think the motto remains pertinent today for keeping EMU centered on Jesus and the perennial search for truth in the midst of a world of lies, fake news and propaganda.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR EMU’S NEXT CENTURY? I hope it continues to promote a resilient, robust and engaging AnabaptistMennonite identity of peacebuilding.

Learn more about these EMU artifacts at emu.edu/centennial/objects

EMU

Artifacts Taxidermied head, from SC-104, the famous “Head Room” in the Suter Science Center.

PHOTOS BY JON ST YER

www.emu.edu | CROSSROADS | 27

Literary society banners and small megaphone, c. 1930s. Societies provided a variety of campus entertainment and competitive outlets, including debates, readings, lectures, orations and “musical numbers.”

Mennonite Community Cookbook author Mary Emma Showalter Eby, class of '42, was the first female professor to hold a doctorate.

The cookbook was essentially her master’s thesis, which she earned at University of Tennessee shortly after founding the home economics department.

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Items from the Egyptian collection, D. Ralph Hostetter Museum of Natural History, donated by Joseph E. Stuart, of Altoona, Pa. in 1959.

Mennonite Hymnal (red) and Hymnal: Worship Book (blue) in Lehman Auditorium.

The hymnals symbolize the legacy of music, communal singing and church leadership emanating from campus. The red hymnal is from a set donated to nearby Mount Clinton Mennonite Church in remembrance of Chester K. Lehman, pastor and associate pastor from 1947-73. Lehman was dean for 32 years and professor of advanced Bible for 43 years, retiring in 1966. The “blue� hymnal commemorates the work and legacy of Professor Kenneth J. Nafziger, who served as music editor for this hymnal and two song supplements. Nafziger retired in May after 40 years with EMU.

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George R. Brunk III '61, BD '64, dean emeritus of the seminary, with a commemorative butter churn purchased at a student-initiated auction in 1989 to raise funds for the new seminary building.

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A collection of equipment, uniforms and memorabilia representing each sport. To learn more, visit emu.edu/centennial/objects. The cord, for example, is a piece of the net from the 1985 ODAC women's basketball championship, the first ever held. EMC won and Coach Sandy Brownscombe was the ODAC Coach of the Year.

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Toy cars, manufactured by the student employees of the school-owned Sharon Manufacturing Company in 1933-34.

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Two items of clothing and a sculpture represent cross-cultural outreach and leadership: a statue presented to President Myron Augsburger '55 (196580); a keffiyah purchased by President Joseph Lapp '66 (1987-2003) while with a fall 1993 Middle East cross-cultural; the stole made of fabrics symbolizing countries visited by EMU cross-cultural groups gifted by the faculty to President Loren Swartzendruber '72, SEM '79.

The Spitz A-1 star projector, c. 1942, with plaque recognizing Professor Maurice T. Brackbill, founder of Vesper Heights Observatory and director from 1946-56, and Brackbill’s “Astra-Guide for Northern Hemisphere” (1934), a chart illustrating the night sky and its movements.

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Stethoscope and model of the brain. EMU has graduated countless alumni who have gone on to work in nursing, health care and mental health.

Briefcase belonging to Mary Jensen, EMU Lancaster’s first associate provost. Her briefcase symbolizes the site’s history of offering education and training to working professionals, as well as women in leadership. (Jensen is the university's first female associate provost; Beryl Brubaker '64 became EMU’s first provost – and first female provost – from 2000-08.)

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“Indecks,” an early prototype of the computer, owned by sociology professor Paul Peachey '45. Information was recorded and stored on cards, which were “coded” with notches using the hole-punch.

Information could be sorted and retrieved with a sorting rod.

This collection of talking sticks and talking pieces, held by faculty and staff of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, represents the global impact of the center’s work and the transformative power of the circle process often used in restorative justice practices. All of the objects pictured were gifts from students; many come from the personal collection of Professor Howard Zehr, widely considered the “grandfather of restorative justice.”

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Sign for “Middle Earth,” the college’s first intentional community located in a house on the corner of Smith Street and Mount Clinton Pike, 1972. Twelve male and female students lived with a faculty couple and their toddler son.

The sign was made by Joe E. Miller ’72 and donated to the university in 2002.

Learn more about these EMU artifacts at emu.edu/centennial/objects A collection of official seal embossers from different eras.

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MILEPOSTS FACULTY & STAFF Daryl Byler '79, executive director of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, participated in a 40-day "Healing Justice Fast" in March and April. He published a daily reflection, based on the Presbyterian lectionary – the faith tradition of President Donald J. Trump – to call attention to justice issues. Read more at healingjusticefast.wordpress.com.

Penny Driediger '85, SEM '08, supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and adjunct faculty at the seminary, was confirmed in March as a fully certified supervisor by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. This is an “uncommon and distinct achievement and the result of years of hard and fruitful work,” says Professor Kenton Derstine, director of the CPE program.

Ryan Keebaugh, assistant professor of music, was awarded honorable mention in the 2017 Raabe Prize for Excellence in Sacred Composition for the a cappella composition “The Suffering Servant,” a meditative tableau on the text of Isaiah 53.

Seventy-eight entrants competed for the prize, offered every two years by The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.

Steve Kriss '94, associate director of pastoral studies at EMU Lancaster, was named executive minister for Franconia Mennonite Conference. His most current role was director of leadership cultivation and congregational resourcing for Franconia Mennonite Conference.

Irma Mahone '80, RN to BS program location coordinator, was honored as co-founder by the Virginia Association of Community Psychiatric Nurses in April.

An annual award will be presented in her name.

J.D. McCurdy, head softball coach, notched 300 wins in April, a record for the athletics program. He is his 14th season with the program and holds a career mark of 301-213-1.

Zeljko Mirkovic, professor of digital media, has won numerous prizes for his documentary The Promise, about French winemakers who move to Rogljevo, Serbia, to revive the ancient tradition of Serbian winemaking. The embassies of France and Serbia co-hosted a screening as part of the D.C. Francophonie Festival. Among six other awards, it was recently an official selection of the Belgrade Documentary Film Festival and awarded Exceptional Merit in the Depth of Field International Film Festival, Delaware.

Travis Pettit '08 joined the enrollment division in a newly created role of director of admissions and marketing for graduate, seminary and professional studies. He previously served as program representative for the adult degree completion program and is an adjunct professor in the business department.

Tim Seidel, professor of applied social sciences and Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, successfully defended his dissertation entitled Where is the Palestinian Gandhi?: Power and Resistance in Late Modernity. He earned his doctorate at American University in December.

Jonathan Swartz, SEM '14, MA '14 (conflict transformation), transitioned from his role as restorative justice coordinator to director of residence life, restorative justice and student accountability. Jon is responsible for developing and maintaining residential learning communities that provide a safe, secure and comfortable environment, centered around a campus culture sustained by restorative justice practices.

Kendra Litwiller '14 Yoder, Harrisonburg, Va., is surrounded by illustrations for the children's book Messages From Maryam written by a friend and local ESL teacher Lauren Pinchon. The book chronicles the travels of an Iraqi refugee child and is based on Pichon's experiences with students. Kendra and husband Tyler '14 serve with tranSend in partnership with Eastside Church. She is working on an art education credential at James Madison University. (Also see Bookshelf, page 39.) (Photo by Jon Styer)

1950-59

1970-79

Luke Drescher '57, Harrisonburg, Va., was honored at Messiah College’s Athletics Hall of Honor Banquet in February. He worked as an administrator at Messiah from 1961-70 and served as their first athletics director.

Daniel Longenecker '70 and Catherine Martin Longenecker, Lititz, Pa., celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in their home at Landis Homes. They served for 20 years as chaplains at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community. Daniel was one of the founders of Haverim, the alumni advocate group for the Bible and religion department.

Calvin Kaufman '59, Goshen, Ind., is retired from full-time pastoring, but he and wife Loretta are pastoring Goshen House Church which they started in November 2003.

1960-69 Lee M. Yoder '63, Harrisonburg, Va., has served since January as interim head of school at Narmer American College in Cairo, Egypt.

He helped to found the school in 2000 with 20 students in grades 9 and 10. It now has more than 1,500 students and 200 faculty. Spouse Laverne Zehr '63 Yoder is an instructional coach in the early childhood education program.

Ken Yoder Reed '66, San Jose, Calif., presented a Writers Read event about Both My Sons (Masthof Press, 2016), his third historical novel.

Dick Benner '69, Waterloo, Ontario, retired March 31 as editor and publisher of the Canadian Mennonite after an eight-year tenure. He has moved to Charlottesville, Va., to be closer to family and his wife, Marlene K. Benner '63, who suffers from dementia, having been diagnosed in April 2014. Benner wrote about his encounter with this disease in an editorial titled "A Living Death."

Norma Shantz '71, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, continues her genealogy work. Visit her website Norma Shantz’s Genealogy for information regarding Mennonite names in Waterloo County.

M. Kate Hess '72 Kooker and husband Dr. Harley Kooker '73, Christiana, Pa., appeared in a Washington Post article about the East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church’s sponsorship of Syrian refugee families.

Eldon Miller '73, Lederach, Pa., retired from Christopher Dock Mennonite High School after teaching Spanish for 43 years, and also serving as audio visual coordinator. “I find that I have no problem filling up my time with woodworking, gardening, cooking, grandkids, volunteering, and general ‘fiddling,’” he says, but adds that he misses the high school students and his faculty friends.

Cathy Spory '73, Boswell, Pa., elementary school principal and kindergarten teacher at Johnstown Christian School, was named the 2015 Education Honoree in the YWCA of Greater Johnstown “Tribute to Women.” The honorees are women of vision, conviction

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and dedication. Additionally she was awarded Elementary Administrator of the Year by the Pennsylvania Affiliate of the Council of American Private Education.

D. Michael Hostetler '75, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, and friend Will Winterfeld, created a documentary “Hope Was Not On the Ballot,” about their travels in Washington D.C. around election time. Among others, they interviewed Lawrence Ressler '76 and Sharon Martin '78 Ressler, hosts of The International Guest House. The documentary explored the question of Christian witness in divisive times. It can be viewed on the Canadian Mennonite magazine website, where Michael is advertising director.

BLOSSOM HILL FUTBOL CLUB The Blossom Hill Futbol Club, Lancaster, Pa., is an indoor soccer team comprised of EMU alumni and spouses of alumni. “It has been so much fun to play together, just the right balance of getting the competitive juices going again while also knowing the first goal is to have fun and to be able to go to work again the next day without crutches,” says Lynn Longenecker '94. “A lot of us watch our kids play sports and other activities, so it's fun to have our kids come watch us for a change and see that there's life after 40!” Back row, from left: Lyle Hershey (married to Jeane Horning '94), Brian Keener '98, Doug Friesen '91, Andy Dula '91, Landon Miller '97, Rob Carter, Zach King (married to Laura Hess '00). Front: Andres Martiny, Jeff Eshleman '99, Lynn Longenecker '94, Ryan Linder-Hess '98, Eric Linder (married to Laura Hurter '02).

Virginia Schwartzentruber '77 Hostetler, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, was named executive director of Canadian Mennonite magazine, expanding the position she has held as web editor since 2013. She will be responsible for content of the magazine and its digital products. She is married to D. Michael Hostetler '75, the magazine’s advertising director. They are members of Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church.

Richard Moyer '78, Green Lane, Pa., wrote booklets entitled My Old Farmstead and My Old Neighborhood with memories, stories and history from his childhood home along the Branch Creek in Montgomery County, Pa. The homestead was a half-mile from ancestor Hans Meyer’s farm, settled in the early 1700s.

Helen Stoltzfus '78, Oakland, Calif., and her husband/artistic partner, Albert Greenberg, have revived their original performance work on immigration entitled "Heart of America: Stories from the New Ellis Island," which depicts oral histories of local immigrants through aerial arts, dance, music, puppetry and video effects. Black Swan Arts & Media, Helen and Albert's company, also recently produced a multimedia performance event on the 9/11 wars that includes a feast for 100 guests called "The Prepared Table: A Feast of Foods, Live Performance, and Stories from Iraq, Afghanistan, and the FOB (Forward Operating Base of the US Military)."

Kaye Brubaker '79, Washington D.C., is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Her current research focus is on future precipitation frequency for the state of Maryland.

She also works with students on water quality modeling, such as anticipating algal blooms and river erosion and sediment. She visited campus for a colloquium lecture in March.

CJP ALUMNI AWARD Jean Claude Nkundwa MA '14 is being honored as the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding’s Peacebuilder of the Year. Since May 2015, he has been living in exile in Rwanda while advocating for sustainable peace and human rights in Burundi. He was elected as executive secretary of a new advocacy group he helped to found, Burundi Citizen Synergy. The award honors Nkundwa’s “creative and courageous peacebuilding work that combines grassroots education and networking, trans-Africa coalition-building, engagement with multiple stakeholders, effective use of the media, and strategic advocacy at the United Nations and in Washington D.C.,” said CJP Executive Director Daryl Byler. Jean Claude will accept the award during a ceremony at the 2017 Summer Peacebuilding Institute.

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Alden Hostetter '79, Harrisonburg, Va., presented a Suter Science Seminar on “Case Studies on Human Dis-Ease: Reflections on Health and Wellness through the Lens of a Microscope.” Alden is a pathologist and director of Sentara Rockingham Memorial Hospital’s medical technology and histotechnology training program. He is also a fellow and laboratory inspection team leader in the College of American Pathologists.

1980-89 Edward A. Sandy II '81, Port Republic, Va., was named president of the Sentara RMH Medical Group in the fall. A native of Timberville, he graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School and the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business at Auburn University. He completed post-graduate studies in obstetrics and gynecology at the Ohio State University Hospitals and Clinics in Columbus, Ohio. He was previously associate professor and vice chair of community practices in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproduc-

tive sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Magee-Women’s Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Carl Geissinger '82, Reedsville, Pa., was featured in a Lancaster Farming article about his two vocations as sheep-shearer and part-time pastor at Barrville Mennonite Church. He began shearing while a student at EMC to make extra money.

Sharon R. López ’83, Lancaster, Pa., became the first Latina president of the 27,000-member Pennsylvania Bar Association in May. She is a partner in Triquetra Law. In her former role as president-elect of the organization, López created the Membership Enhancement Blue Ribbon Panel on Millennials, Mothers and Minorities in the Profession, an appointed group of PBA members who are identifying new approaches to increase association membership through outreach, marketing and mentorship.

J. David Shenk '83, Telford, Pa., was named president and chief executive officer at Tel Hai Retirement Community. He had been executive director of Souderton Mennonite Homes and Dock Meadows.

Phil C. Kanagy '84, Harrisonburg, Va., completed his Master of Divinity degree at Eastern Mennonite Seminary in April. He is lead pastor at Weavers Mennonite Church Marie Schuessler '84 Morris, Anderson, Ind., delivered the nursing pinning and commencement addresses during Hesston College’s Commencement. Marie formerly served as Hesston College’s vice president and academic dean as well as the nursing department chair. She currently is the provost at Anderson (Ind.) University.

Jeanne Zimmerly '86 Jantzi, Kidron, Ohio, begins as superintendent of Central Christian School Board of Trustees in August. Jeanne is a 1982 Central Christian alumnus, originally from Orrville, Ohio. She earned a degree in early childhood education at EMU and a master's in international economic development from Eastern University. She spent 24 of the last 28 years serving with Mennonite Central Committee in Congo, Nigeria, Indonesia and Thailand.

1990-99 J. Mark Zook '90, Orrville, Ohio, was named 2016 Paul L Powell Citizen of the Year. He has been involved in youth sports, the Orrville Rotary Club, Orrville Area United Way, Heartland Education Community, Orrville Athletic Booster Club, the chamber of commerce and Orrville Area Development Foundation, among others.

He is vice president of underwriting at Mennonite Mutual Insurance Company.

Timothy Shenk '92, Lancaster, Pa., is program director for Lancaster Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13’s Community Education Program, serving Lancaster and Lebanon counties. His program is the lead agency for a refugee center and community school at Reynolds Middle School in Lancaster City. He and Christine Kaufman '92 Shenk have two children.

Kris Short '93, Berryville, Va., is a child and adolescent case manager at the new Northwestern Community Services Board Children’s Center in Winchester.

Allen Umble '95, Christiana, Pa., has returned to the United States after eight years of service with Virginia Mennonite Missions in Albania.

Rose Stoltzfus Huyard MA '96 (counseling), Harrisonburg, Va., published a memoir Children of the River: Growing up with 18

brothers and sisters along the Susquehanna (Little Big Bay, 2016). A licensed professional counselor, Rose works at Newman Avenue Associates.

Emily Buller '97 Bollman, Maumee, Ohio, works for Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Rick Jasnoch '97, Hermitage, Tenn., is team leader for a 90-day mission trip to Slovenia through nonprofit Christian Light Ministries, a missionary sending organization based in Jacksonville, Fla. Anna Creech '98, Henrico, Va., is head of resource acquisition and delivery at Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond. She serves as president of NASIG (formerly the North American Serials Interest Group, Inc.), an independent organization that promotes communication, information and continuing education about serials, electronic resources and the broader issues of scholarly communication.

2000-09 Wendell Nofziger '00, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, is principal of Los Pinares Academy, a bilingual Christian school founded by Eastern Mennonite Missions.

Alexandra Nunez '00, Santo Domingo, DR, is the executive director of Esperanza, a program that helps families overcome poverty.

She served as vice president of public affairs and Caribbean investment before moving into the executive director position. She earned an MBA at Belhaven University.

Brad Fair '02, Lancaster, Pa., is director of development for Mennonite Disaster Service in Lititz, Pa. Hans Harman '02, Harrisonburg, Va., earned the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce. He is president of Momentum Earthworks.

Devin Yoder '02, Green Bay, Wis., works for the Brown County Planning Commission as a transportation/GIS planner. He previously worked in Aurora, Colo., for the last two years in the City Planning and Development Services Department.

Phouthone Liambounheuang '04 Wilson, Warrenton, Va., is clinical coordinator at Easterseals UCP North Carolina and Virginia.

Rebekah Hoffer '04 Miller, Ephrata, Pa., blogs about parenting, frugality, food and green living at SimplyRebekah.com. She’s released an e-book about excess lipase activity, a rare breastfeeding problem, to help educate families.

Kimberley Clark '05, Mount Sidney, Va., is assistant to the vice president for advancement at EMU. She was previously a purchasing/inventory coordinator for AGS Manufacturing and an office manager for two health organizations.

Misty Ward '05, Harrisonburg, Va., a midwife, has assisted at more than 500 births. She founded Brookhaven Women’s Health and Natural Birth Center in 2010.

Caleb Yoder '06, North Newton, Kansas, is pastor at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church in Goessel, Kansas.

Emily Derstine Friesen '07, Sellersville, Pa., an attorney with Console Mattiacci Law LLC, and her co-counsel secured the largest verdict ever obtained by an individual plaintiff in an age discrimination suit.

Brenna Steury Graber '07, Goshen, Ind., recently finished a 3.5-year service term with

Mennonite Mission Network as youth pastor in Paris, France, with spouse Bradley Graber.

Aaron Trimble '07, Chapel Hill, N.C., is a research fellow in pulmonary and critical care medicine at University of North Carolina. He presented a Suter Science Seminar in February about mucus clearance in cystic fibrosis.

Sabrina Tusing '07, Oakland, Calif., completed her Master of Library and Information Science degree from San Jose State University.

She is employed with University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

PRESENTS...

Chris Lehman '08, Chambersburg, Pa., has led the Shalom Christian Flames soccer team to two straight Mason-Dixon Christian Conference titles, with a team record of 17-3 this fall. This earned him Public Opinion coach of the year. He teaches Bible and science at the middle school.

Patrick Monk ‘08, Brooklyn, N.Y., teaches eighth-grade language arts. After graduation, he served with Mennonite Central Committee in Uganda until 2011 and then married his wife, Avery, in 2014.

Justin Walzl '08, Ephrata, Pa., is a cardiology nurse practitioner at WellSpan Cardiology in Lancaster. With an upcoming publication in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare, he joins the prestigious ranks of the International Nurses Association.

Michael Charles '09, Lancaster, Pa., has been named principal of Lancaster Mennonite School’s Kraybill Campus in Mount Joy effective this fall. For seven years, he taught in LMS’s history and social studies department.

He received his master’s degree in educational leadership with a principal’s certification from the School Leadership Program of the University of Pennsylvania.

Jordan Good '09, Harrisonburg, Va., was recognized as Volunteer of the Month by the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad, an all-volunteer unit that he joined in October 2013. He is an EMT-B/Attendant-in-Charge (AIC), driver and a preceptor (mentor) for both. He works as a team leader at Gift & Thrift Inc.,a retail store that raises funds for the Mennonite Central Committee. It also provides a space for retired persons to use their skills in a meaningful way, and for community members to find low-cost necessities. “Whether it’s at my job-job, or my hobby-job, there’s a lot of volunteers, and a lot of good being done,” Jordan said.

THE STEEL WHEELS

4 P.M., SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14

Trent Wagler '02, Eric Brubaker '01, Brian Dickel, class of '98, and Jay Lapp (Goshen College) bring their head-bobbing, toe-tapping awardwinning Americana roots music to EMU on Homecoming and Family Weekend. The Steel Wheels play at 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 14. Tickets are required. "Imagine a blend of the passion of the Avett Brothers, the instrumentals of Old Crow Medicine Show, and then sprinkle in the backwoods feel of The Legendary Shack Shakers,” says John Walker of Americana Roots. “In truth, attempting to compare The Steel Wheels to anyone is an injustice, since after one listen, you can hear that they stand very well on their own perch." Together since 2004, the quartet’s name pays tribute to both industrial progress and the buggies of their Mennonite heritage. They host a rousing celebration called the Red Wing Roots Festival each summer at Natural Chimneys. Come enjoy stellar harmonies and a rockin’ string band! (Photo by Sandlin Gaither)

Tammy Stinson '09 Pereira, Woodstock, Va., works with Valley Health in human resources.

Rachel Mast '09 Reesor, Stoufville, Ontario, Canada, is a child and family therapist with Blue Hills Child and Family Center. She is married to Justin Reesor ’10.

2010Amy Histand ’10 Eanes, Harrisonburg, Va., works for Mennonite Central Committee, Colombia, as a specialist in PMER (planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting), advocacy and delegations. She is married to Giles Eanes ’11.

Dan Martin ‘10, Wauseon, Ohio, is associate pastor at North Clinton Church, where he leads youth ministry and discipleship and works with Sunday School teachers. He and Tamara Meyer '10 Martin have two sons. They moved from Virginia to Ohio in September 2016.

Claudette Monroy '10, Washington, D.C., made Washington Post front-page news on Feb. 8, sharing her story among the country’s 11 million undocumented immigrants. She is a graduate student at George Washington

PEACE, LOVE AND LITTLE DONUTS "Feed your inner hippy" is the motto of Peace, Love and Little Donuts, "the grooviest donut shop this side of the Milky Way." The Harrisonburg, Va., franchise, which opened this spring on Port Republic Road, is owned by Kaitlyn Troyer '15, J. Matt Hershey '15 and Cody Troyer '13. The funkadelic flavors, like maple bacon, s'mores, apple pie and raspberry lemonade, are already a hit around town.

(Photo by Joaquin Sosa)

www.emu.edu | CROSSROADS | 39

University and director of education with a family literacy program.

Sanjay Dick '11, Harrisonburg, Va., begins studies at the Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in August. He graduated from EMU with an MA in Biomedicine in April.

He was among 120 selected from an applicant pool of 1,200.

Chris Miller '11, Harrisonburg, Va., is a mortgage loan officer with Park View Federal Credit Union. He previously specialized in lending and branch leadership.

LATINO STUDENT ALLIANCE Latino Student Alliance welcomed club co-founder Rick Castañeda ‘98 (front row, middle) to campus this spring to talk about the origins of Latino Student Alliance. Rick, his sister, Moniqua Castañeda Acosta '98, her husband Nick Acosta '97, and their friends Dave '98 and Liliana Vega '99, founded the club. Costa Rican graduate student Willroy Grant MA '01 (conflict transformation) was their first adviser in the fall of 1996. (Photo by Joaquin Sosa)

Maria Yoder '11 Swartzentruber, Harrisonburg, Va., a fifth-grade teacher at LinvilleEdom Elementary School, received the 2017 William C. Lowry Mathematics Educator of the Year Award for the elementary school level.

Five teachers from Virginia receive the annual award, presented by the Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Misty Weekley '11 Cook, Dayton, Va., is director of finance for Augusta County. Formerly a practice manager at Rockingham Dermatology, she is studying for a master's in business administration from Liberty University. She was honorably discharged from the Virginia Army National Guard.

Dustin Stutzman '12, Sarasota, Fla., is a financial representative with Everence Financial Advisors and has successfully completed the Series 7 licensing exam. This qualifies him to offer investment products such as stocks, bonds and fixed-income investments.

Christine Baer '14, Lancaster, Pa., is congregational resource developer at Church World Service.

EMU BASKETBALL ALUMNI GAME The men’s basketball team hosted an alumni game in early winter.

From left: Assistant coach Bill Hale, RJ Sims '15, Eli Crawford, class of '11 (pointing) Cutter Chisnell '13 (kneeling), Owen Longacre '13, assistant coach Matt Huff, Ryan Yates '15, David Falk '15, Marcel Crump '15 (towel on head), George Johnson '11 (55), Austin Twine '11 (barely visible), James Williams '15, Andrew Thorne '14 (32), Orie Pancione '12, Head Coach Kirby Dean '86. (Photo by Josh Calderon)

Mariah Elliott '14 Leonard, Goochland, Va., works with survivors of sexual and domestic violence as a crisis hotline specialist for Virginia Action Alliance. She married Kevin Leonard in 2014.

Michelle L. Mitchell '14, Staunton, Va., a photographer at the Staunton-based News Virginian, won three Virginia Press Association awards this spring. She won first place picture story or essay award for photos of Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence at a Rockingham County rally in October 2016; a second-place general news photo award for her photo of a bomb threat at Waynesboro High School in October 2016; and third place in the breaking news photo category for a photo of the Shenandoah National Park fire in April 2016.

Rebecca “Becca” Martin '15, Akron, Pa., works at the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) as a protection counselor.

Timothy Smith MBA '16, Saline, Mich., is vice president of HIBLOW USA, an industrial vacuum equipment supplier.

CENTER FOR JUSTICE AND PEACEBUILDING

DAD CADDIES FOR SON Senior Josh Alderfer got some help on the last hole of the ODAC golf championships April 26 at Wintergreen Resort. Seniors were allowed to have their fathers carry their bags, so Steve Alderfer '86 did the honors for the last hole of Josh’s four-year career at EMU while mom Lois Ann Waybill ’86 Alderfer took photos (and cried, she says). Josh’s younger brother Andrew, also a golfer, was on cross-cultural to the Middle East this semester. Older sister Elizabeth is a 2015 nursing graduate. (Photos courtesy of Alderfer family)

40 | CROSSROADS | SPRING/SUMMER 2017

Pat Hostetter Martin MA '98, Harrisonburg, Va., is a chaplain at Sentara RMH Medical Center. She has fond memories of her 10 years with the Summer Peacebuilding Institute, “a great gift that opened my heart and mind to the beautiful diversity of the human family.”

Jarem Sawatsky MA '01, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, published Dancing with Elephants: Mindfulness training for those living with dementia, chronic illness or an aging brain. He’s also published a 5-part video series with five featured teachers, including CJP co-founder John Paul Lederach, on facing disease. More information is available at jaremsawatsky.com.

Jeremy Simons MA ’02, Davao City, Philippines, was accepted to a PhD program at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.

He plans to focus his research on restorative justice and leadership in the Philippines context, which will involve some travel back and forth to the Philippines, continuing to engage and build on the relationships developed over the past eight years.

Valerie Helbert MA '08, Durham, N.C., is program coordinator for the Summer Institute for Reconciliation at Duke Divinity School.

Marshall Yoder MA '10, Harrisonburg, Va., was named 2017 Charlottesville Best Lawyers Collaborative Law: Family Law Lawyer of the Year, cited by a peer-review publication Best Lawyers. He is considered a pioneer in the use of collaborative practice in the Shenandoah Valley and Virginia, an approach to resolving disputes in which the parties explicitly agree that their attorneys should assist in resolving the dispute outside of the court system.

Patrick Campbell '12, MA '14, Charlottesville, Va., was honored with the Governor’s Fire Services Award for Civilian Excellence in Virginia Fire Service Support. As senior disaster program manager for the American Red Cross Virginia Region, Campbell helped launch a campaign in 2015 to reduce home fire deaths and injuries by 25 percent by the end of 2019.

Dominggas “Donna” Nari MA '13, Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia, is a lecturer and consultant in education, working with women and children to create a space for peace.

Woré Ndiaye MA '13, Dakar, Senegal, leads the Senegalese Section of the Women, Youth, Peace and Security Working Group, created in 2009 by the UN Office for West Africa and several other organizations. The working group represents tens of thousands of people through thousands of member organizations.

Aala Ali MA '14, Kirbil, Iraq, is the social cohesion and community mobilization specialist for UNDP’s Iraq office and has been the driving force behind a project that CJP is involved with there. As a result, five Iraqi universities (Baghdad, Duhok, Kufa, Mosul and Tikrit) are now making plans to form a consortium with the aim of developing a joint peace education curriculum.

Sarah Roth Shank '10, MA '14, Harrisonburg, Va., begins a doctoral program in August at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She will study restorative justice with Professor Chris Marshall, the Diana Unwin Chair in Restorative Justice in the School of Government. She is currently CJP admissions director.

Fabrice J. Guerrier MA '15, Coral Springs, Fla., is a management specialist within the Bureau of Western Hemispheric Affairs at the U.S Department of State. He is president of Coming to the Table, a national racial reconciliation organization founded by descendants of slaveholders and enslaved people in partnership with CJP. Bridget Mullins MA '15, Pittsburgh, Pa., is currently the senior program coordinator with Amizade, a Pittsburgh-based education nonprofit. Bridget is a liaison to Amizade’s sites in Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, and Washington D.C. and helps to coordinate 60-plus programs a year.

Jodie Geddes MA '16, Oakland, Calif., is a community organizer for Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY). She was elected vice president of Coming to the Table.

SEMINARY Theda Good SEM '06, Denver, Colo., was ordained by Mountain States Mennonite Conference in December. She is the pastor of nurture and fellowship at First Mennonite Church of Denver.

Maria Hosler Byler SEM '16, Telford, Pa., is the associate pastor for youth and family formation at Salford Mennonite Church.

Jeongih Han SEM '16, Harrisonburg, Va., was licensed at Cross Way Mennonite Church Sunday, April 23.

MARRIAGES Galen Wenger '07 to Tiffany N. Yoder, Lancaster, Pa., May 20, 2016.

Patrick Monk '08 to Avery Gaskin-Monk, Brooklyn, N.Y., May 29, 2014.

Pat Ressler ‘09 to Isabel Castillo Zaldivar '07, July 15, 2016.

Brent Beachy '10 to Kara Tindor, Sept. 3, 2016.

Philip Yoder '14 to Chaska Yoder '14, Oct. 1, 2016.

Yooneso Park MA '16 (conflict transformation), to Abby Long, Dec. 3, 2016.

BIRTHS & ADOPTIONS Tim '94 and Rachel Smith '02 Swartley, Telford, Pa., Zachary Allen, Dec. 31, 2016.

Jeremy Good '03 and Joanna Snyder, Bethesda, Md., Eloise, May 31, 2015.

Nate '03 and Rebekah Miller '04 Hoffer, Ephrata, Pa., Isaac, Jan. 25, 2017.

David '04 and Anna Dintaman '05 Landis, Harrisonburg, Va., Eleanor Keziah, Jan. 27, 2017.

Brian '05 and Lauren Spicher, East Petersburg, Pa., Jonathon Brian, June 18, 2016. He joins brothers Josiah Thomas and Jackson Dietrich.

Derrick '06 and Rebekah Good '07 Charles, Nicaragua, Miriam Good, Dec. 27, 2016.

Brenna Steury '07 and Bradley Graber, Goshen, Ind., Caleb Bradley, April 30, 2016.

Krista Johnson MA '10 (conflict transformation), and Clint Weicksel, Lancaster, Pa., Beatrice Johnson, Feb. 13, 2017.

Ryan MA '11 (conflict transformation), and Janie Beuthin, Flint, Mich., Goshen Marcus, Dec. 12, 2016.

Ben '12 and Hannah Beachey '12 Bailey, Harrisonburg, Va., Otis Theodore, Nov. 22, 2016.

Michael '12, MA '14 (counseling) and Simone Sommers '12 Horst, Harrisonburg, Va., Emerson Frederick, March 31, 2017.

Erica Lehman '12 and Jamie Weaver, Culpeper, Va., Lyla Grace, Oct. 20, 2016.

Charles MA '14 and Helen Kwuelum, Harrisonburg, Va., Sophia Chidalu, Feb. 27, 2017.

Joshua, web developer and analyst in marketing and communications, and Katherine Lyons, Chase Edward, Nov. 1, 2016.

Isaac, director of cross country, track and field, and Emily Bryan, adjunct professor of language and literature, Elizabeth Kate, Feb. 2, 2017.

DEATHS Harold Kuhns, Harrisonburg, Va., died Feb. 26, 2017, at 91. He and his wife, Vera Mae Martin, came to EMC in 1980 for voluntary service. They had previously owned a radio/ television repair business for 30 years. Vera

was campus hostess in the guesthouse and Harold worked in the grounds/maintenance department. They were members of Park View Mennonite Church.

Ethel Leaman Mellinger HS' 38, '59, died March 28, 2017, at 97. She graduated from EMHS and later, at the age of 40, attended EMC and earned a degree in education. She taught at the Sarasota Christian School for 23 years. In 1990, she moved to the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community where she resided until her move to the Mennonite Home. She was a member of the Park View Mennonite Church.

Hubert R. Pellman '38, Harrisonburg, Va., died March 16, 2017, at 98. He taught English at EMC from 1941-43, and from 1947 until his retirement in 1984, when the university named him a professor emeritus of English. His legacy continues under the Hubert R. Pellman and Mildred Pellman Literature Scholarship fund, established under the Hubert Pellman Endowed Chair. He was also ordained as a minister in 1953 and pastored Mount Vernon Mennonite Church, Grottoes, Va. Hubert authored a number of published histories: Eastern Mennonite College, 1917-1967 (1967); Mennonite Broadcasts (1979); Seventy-five Years of Mutual Aid (1989); and A Pellman History (1996).

Ruth Yothers '38, Souderton, Pa., died Nov. 16, 2016, at 108. Ruth worked as a nanny for a local attorney and then as a seamstress for Hanson Textile for 35 years. She also volunteered at the Norristown State Hospital, the Care & Share Thrift Shoppes and Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pa. She was a lifetime member of Deep Run Mennonite Church East.

Elwood Weaver '39, Rockingham, Va., died Sept. 13, 2016, at 94. Elwood and his father, started Weaver Hatchery, which he owned and operated for more than 30 years. He was a charter member of the Chicago Avenue Mennonite Church. As a member of Harrisonburg Mennonite Church, he and his wife served on a visitation team for the elderly. He became a licensed private pilot in the 1940s.

Marie Gingerich '45 Snider, North Newton, Kan., died Aug. 30, 2016, at 89. A writer throughout her life, Marie inspired and empowered thousands of readers with her syndicated column This Side of 60 for the past 24 years. Husband Howard Mervin Snider ‘52 died Aug. 2015.

Mary Kathryn Slagell '49 Lederach, Lansdale, Pa., died Dec. 17, 2016, at 92. Mary taught school in Scottdale, Pa., for 22 years. She retired to Souderton, Pa., with her husband Paul Lederach in 1988.

Leah Kennel ‘50 Magal, Peaks Island, Maine, died Feb. 6, 2017, at 92. She married Ivan Magal '48, who worked as a physician and minister. Their lives centered around their four children and Ivan’s occupations. Leah was also a dedicated volunteer at the Smithsonian Institution’s Natural History Museum in Washington D.C. for over 20 years.

Kenneth Schwartzentruber '55, New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada, died Nov. 17, 2016, at 88.

He served in Brazil with the Mennonite church for 32 years, as well as working in publishing, church ministry and hospitality.

Harry Lefever '55, Atlanta, Ga., died Feb. 3, 2017, at 85. He taught at EMU from 1963-66. He also was professor of sociology at Spelman College from 1966-2003. After working with Mennonite Central Committee in Vietnam in 1955 with his wife Esther, he continued to travel throughout his life. His interest in the Civil Rights Movement and its impact on the

BOOKSHELF

Saigon to Singers Glen: One Hundred Moments in the Life of a Mennonite Farm Boy (2017) is a memoir by Jim Bowman '72, MA '03 (conflict transformation). He grew up in a conservative Mennonite farm family in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, came of age in the war-torn streets of Saigon, and has since lived a life of adventures across the globe, from the farming communities of Indonesia to the cosmopolitan city of Nairobi, Kenya, and back to Virginia.

Luke S. Martin ’62, a missionary in Vietnam from 1962-75, published A Vietnam Presence: Mennonites in Vietnam During the American War (Masthof Press, 2016), a chronicle of the development of the Vietnam Mennonite Church from the 1950s through the end of the war and the involvement of Mennonite Central Committee and Eastern Mennonite Missions in Vietnam.

European Mennonites and the Challenge of Modernity Over Five Centuries: Contributors, Detractors, and Adapters (Bethel College, 2016) is edited by Professor Mary Sprunger, Mark Jantzen and John D. Thiesen. The book includes new material on Mennonites in Russia, Prussia and Nazi-occupied East Europe.

Messages from Maryam (2016) features writing by ESL teacher Lauren Pichon and illustrations by Kendra Yoder '14, both Harrisonburg residents. The story of Maryam, a refugee from Iraq, is based on experiences of Lauren's students.

Wynn Kinder MA '16 (education) provides mindful awareness programs in a variety of contexts through Pennsylvania-based Kinder Associates LLC. Some of those lessons are shared in Peace Work: Mindful Lessons of Self-Regulation for a Child’s Early Years (Spring House Press, 2017).

Wesley Ngwenya '03, MBA '17, Winkler, Manitoba, published Nightlife: Real life stories about women working the streets of Lusaka, Zambia (Kindle) as part of his Collaborative MBA capstone project. The book profiles 25 women and the desperate circumstances that drove them to prostitution.

www.emu.edu | CROSSROADS | 41

A ROYAL LION SCULPTURE BY 100TH COMMENCEMENT? The Centennial planning committee would like to add a Royal lion sculpture to campus in time for the 100th commencement ceremonies May 6, 2018. Graduates could take their picture with the sculpture which will undoubtedly become an iconic spot for visitors, students and graduates to mark their time as an EMU Royal.

Are you a sculptor? What materials would you recommend? How would you envision the lion? Any proposal should incorporate the Royals lion logo as pictured here. Send us your drawings, ideas, cost estimates or offers of donations for this project! Help us create a new campus icon to build school spirit! Send to centennial@emu.edu

city of Atlanta led to writing books about this issue.

Gerald “Jerry” W. Bender '57, Maytown, Pa., died on March 2, 2017, at 81. He received a master’s degree in sociology from Penn State University, was a driver for UPS, and a fabricator for Armstrong World Industries.

Jerry served with the Mennonite Central Committee’s PAX program in Germany. He enjoyed working with the Mennonite Historical Society and was a member of the Lancaster/Franconia Choral Singers.

James “Jim” R. Hertzler '57, Goshen, Ind., died Nov. 18, 2016, at 82. Jim earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in history from University of Wisconsin. He taught at Goshen College from 1966 until retiring in 1999. He was a member of College Mennonite Church.

Mildred Esther Bender '59, Sandy Spring, Md., died Dec. 13, 2014, at 80. She helped people through the fields of counseling and teaching English. She completed graduate studies at the American University of Beirut and further graduate studies in pastoral counseling at Loyola College in Baltimore.

Milton Schwartzentruber '60, Beamsville, Ontario, Canada, died Oct. 11, 2016, at 87. He was ordained at Erb St. Mennonite Church, Waterloo, and served there for six years. He then was managing director of a residential treatment home for recovering alcoholics while earning a master’s degree in education.

He later worked as the director of an addictions day treatment program at the Grey Bruce Regional Health Centre until his retirement.

TRANSFORMING CONFLICT Lydell Steiner MA ’14 (conflict transformation) has joined community partners to found Connexus, a nonprofit organization committed to “transforming the culture of conflict in Holmes and Wayne counties of Ohio.” Steiner volunteers for the organization while working at Venture Products in Orrville. He laid the groundwork during the required practicum to complete his graduate degree. (Photo by Denice Hazlett/Sprouted Acorn Photography)

Ruby A. Brenneman '61, Kalona, Iowa, formerly of Ventura, Calif., died April 15, 2017, at age 81. She taught kindergarten and first grade in Iowa and for 30 years in California, and also volunteered through Mennonite Board of Missions as a teacher from 1961–62 and as hostess for Mennonite Central Committee 1965-67 in Akron, Pa. Ruby attended First United Methodist Church in Ventura, where she taught at the Christian school and generously served in many capacities. She moved to Iowa in 2013 to join family and became a member of Wellman Mennonite Church.

Lois A. Witmer '62, Lititz, Pa., died Jan. 12, 2017, at 88. She received a master’s degree from Millersville University. She started her teaching career at Locust Grove Mennonite School for 15 years, then at Faith Mennonite High and Linville Hill. Lois spent two years working for Choice Books Caribbean Ministry in St. Croix and Puerto Rico from 1989-91. She was a member of the Willow Street Mennonite Church where she taught Sunday School and Bible School.

J. Roy Breneman '67, James Creek, Pa., died Jan. 22, 2017, at 73. Roy grew up on his family’s dairy farm and worked in agribusiness as an animal scientist and nutritionist. He served three years in voluntary service in North Africa.

He loved to fish, hunt, garden, feed wild birds and raise show pigeons.

CELEBRATING 95 YEARS Margaret Martin Gehman celebrated her 95th birthday April 24, 2017, with President Susan Schultz Huxman and Phil Helmuth '76, executive director of development and director of church relations. Gehman earned a two-year degree in 1942 and was one of the first women graduates to earn a doctorate. She taught art and physical education from 1944-87.

Among many other generosities, she has contributed to the art gallery in University Commons that bears her name and a scholarship fund for physical education and art students. (Photo by Andrew Strack)

42 | CROSSROADS | SPRING/SUMMER 2017

Peter Christophel '67, New Haven, Ind., died Feb. 16, 2017, at 73. He was employed with BF Goodrich for more than 30 years.

Patricia Ann Yoder '68, Harrisonburg, Va., died Jan. 5, 2017, at 70. She worked many years at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community as the activities director. She was an active member of Park View Mennonite Church.

Robert Wesley Mast '73, Keezletown, Va., died Nov. 6, 2016, at 64. Robert began his technical career as a senior engineer and built early computers. He then became a systems integrator at Shenandoah Electronic Intel-

ligence and Technology, and later worked as a systems engineer at James Madison University.

He was known for volunteering his computer expertise with nonprofit agencies and friends.

He valued relationships and especially the five families in a community-farm partnership in Keezletown, Va., for over 30 years.

Michael D. Augsburger ’80 died April 11, 2017,at age 63. Michael was the son of Myron and Esther Augsburger of Harrisonburg. Michael co-created with his mother the massive sculpture, “Guns Into Plowshares,” which has stood as a symbol of non-violence in front of police headquarters and the evidence control facility in Washington D.C. since 1997. Michael built numerous custom homes and apartment buildings on his own, with Augsburger Construction and S.M. Nichols Builder, Inc. He was an avid pilot. After retirement, Michael spent much of his time in Thailand.

John J. Gallagher '97, Charlottesville, Va., died March 2, 2017, at 64. He worked as a senior staff professional for IBM Corporation and was an avid musician.

Margaret “Maggie” Lewis Hamblen SEM '98 Wynne, Black Mountain, N.C., died Jan. 24, 2017, at 77. She traveled widely, often with mission groups. Maggie was a long-time member of Edenton Street United Methodist Church where she taught children’s Sunday school. She was active in the Junior League of Raleigh and served as its president from 197980. In the later part of her life, she devoted herself to writing and had poems and a novel Homeward published.

Jen M. Fuller '01, Swoope, Va., died Dec. 3, 2016, at 60. She worked in the telecommunications industry for 30 years.

Michael J. Sharp '05, Hesston, Kan., died March 27, 2017, at 34. He was among those abducted and killed by a militia group while investigating human rights abuses with the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Michael formerly worked with Mennonite Central Committee in the DRC and Mennonite Mission Network in Germany. He was a graduate of Bethany Christian School in Goshen, Ind. (See page 46.)

CORRECTION: Dale Cleo Basinger ‘47, Linville, Va., 93, died May 14, 2016. His name was incorrect in the previous Crossroads magazine.

Degree Key CLASS OF - attended as part of the class of a given graduation year GC - graduate certificate MA - master of arts SEM - attended or graduated from the seminary Mileposts is compiled by Marci Myers, who may be reached at myersmk@emu.edu or at 540-432-4589.

Editorial Policy Milepost entries are printed on the basis of submissions from alumni or on the basis of publicly available information. We do not verify the accuracy of information that alumni provide, nor do we make judgment calls on the information that they wish to be published, beyond editing for clarity, conciseness and consistency of style. The information provided to us does not necessarily reflect the official policies of EMU or of its parent church, Mennonite Church USA.

ALUMNI HONOREES PHOTO BY ANDREW STRACK

EMU ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD: DONNA AND WAYNE BURKHART chair of its nonprofit offshoot, Dow also

Distinguished

BY EMILY WADE WILL Service Award

served as a bishop of the Philadelphia District of Lancaster Mennonite Conference, vice chair of Mennonite Central Committee U.S., and board chair LEONARD DOWDONNA BEACHY WAYNE ’67 AND ’69 BUR-Anabaptist Network of Kingdom Builders of Greater Philadelphia.

KHART WERE BOTH JUST DAYS OUT OF On a fall GRADUATE morning in 1978,SCHOOL Leonard WHEN At firstCOUPLE Dow begged his mother to let THE Dow '87 SPOTTED left his home in class him leave REVIEW Christopher Dock. The racial Aworking MENNONITE WEEKLY Philadelphia arrived at Christopher AND rift, economic divide, foreign Mennonite ADand FOR A “GARDENS GROUNDS Dock Mennonite School in Lansdale, and unfamiliar WORKHigh LEADER.” WAYNE’Sculture ADVISOR AT Anabaptist theology Pa. He was one of 30 black freshmen presented too many hurdles. A top student MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY TOLD HIM and sophomores recruited by Lancaster until then, he struggled with Christopher IT LOOKED LIKE A “DEAD-END JOB.” Mennonite Conference to integrate the Dock’s academic rigor. A public speaking 400-member mostly white student body. THIRTY-TWO teacher surprised Dow by encouraging his WAYNE STILL APPLIED. Dow, a ninth-grader, traveled no more gift inDONNA oratory. Bible and theology classes YEARS LATER, BOTH HE AND CONthan 25 miles but found himself in another set him to pondering. He didn’t know what TINUE TO FIND THEIR WORK AT GOULD world. The jolt would sow questions about to make of Christian nonviolence. “Come FARM AMAZINGLY LIFE-AFFIRMING. faith and society that would ferment teach that at Eighteenth and Glenwood,” and eventually give rise to model of he thought, of his home neighborhood in NESTLED INa MASSACHUSETTS’ SCENIC ministry that knits a congregation intoTHE 650-ACRE which factory closings and crack cocaine BERKSHIRE HILLS, FARM its surrounding community.

The jolt tore families apart.

“I dismissed it but reOFFERED THE COUPLE NOT ONLY JOBS— would also inspire Dow to a lifetime of spected it,” he said, “and later in becoming DONNA ALSO JOINED THE STAFF— BUT service within the Mennonite church. In a Mennonite pastor it did impact me.”

A VIBRANT COMMUNITY AND CALLINGS addition to 19 years of pastoral leadership Basketball helped to smooth the path.

AS WELL. GOULD FARM’S MISSION TO in Philadelphia’s Oxford Circle Mennonite He stayed theIS four years and continued OFFERand OPEN HEARTS DOORS TO at EMC. Thirty years Church (OCMC) 10 years as board ANDsports and studies

later, Dow’s record as the university’s top men’s basketball scorer endures, at 2,192 points, as does his rebounding record. His grade-point average also soared after he met Rosalie Rolón '89, a serious student and his future wife. “Neither of us had cars or money so most of our dates were in the library. My GPA doubled.”

After graduation, Dow took a banking position with Univest in Souderton, Pa. He became OCMC’s lead pastor in 1999, growing both the church and the community with the establishment of the Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Association. The nonprofit offers a summer camp and afterschool programs, day care, adult English classes, workshops on financial literacy, immigration rights and fair housing, and more.

Dow recently wrapped up his tenure as lead pastor. Since April, his calling and vision have been expanded to urban churches nationwide as stewardship and development specialist at Everence, a Christian financial services organization. —EMILY WADE WILL

ALUMNI HONOREES

Centennial Award CHESTER AND SARA JANE WENGER When Chester Wenger '36 became acquainted with Sara Jane Weaver '42, he found her “so beautiful and loveable I couldn’t resist,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. Something else beguiled Chester. “It impressed me to see a young woman stand up there teaching the Bible to a whole roomful of children,” holding their rapt attention. A shared interest in spreading God’s story became the bedrock of a love still luminous as the couple, now 99 and 94 SERVICE and goingEMU on 73 ALUMNI years of marriage, banter AWARD: DONNA AND about their past.WAYNE BURKHART "What better way to celebrate our

BY EMILY WADE WILL centennial than to create a special Centennial Alumni Award to recognize persons who have defined the ethos of EMU in a ’67 AND sustainedWAYNE way for a lifetime," saidDONNA President BEACHY ’69 BURSusan Schultz Huxman.

"Chester and JUST Sara DAYS OUT OF KHART WERE BOTH Jane Wenger were unanimously selected WHEN by GRADUATE SCHOOL THE COUPLE our committee as alumni have lived SPOTTED Awho MENNONITE WEEKLY REVIEW rich lives AD of service, and faith AND GROUNDS FORleadership A “GARDENS and defined our mission with integrity and WORK LEADER.” WAYNE’S ADVISOR AT grace for many decades."

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY TOLD HIM Each had firm foundations in Menyear associate’s degrees. He earned a bachIT LOOKED LIKE A “DEAD-END JOB.” nonite communities. Sara Jane grew up in elor's degree in biology at nearby BridgewaLancasterWAYNE City, Pennsylvania, where her pa- THIRTY-TWO ter College. After a year of driving a milk STILL APPLIED. ternal grandfather and parents ran a grocery delivery route, Chester YEARS LATER, BOTH HE AND DONNA CON-returned to Eastern store and several Central Market stands.

Mennonite School to take advantage of its TINUE TO FIND THEIR WORK AT GOULD Chester’s father, A.D. Wenger, was named new offering, an additional year of Bible FARM AMAZINGLY LIFE-AFFIRMING. president of Eastern Mennonite School studies. From childhood, Chester yearned when theNESTLED boy was 4. TheIN family lived to knowSCENIC the Bible, even in an era when MASSACHUSETTS’ on the Harrisonburg campus during the pastors, including BERKSHIRE HILLS, THE 650-ACRE FARMhis two older brothers, academicOFFERED year and returned to their farm in were called lot or vote and didn’t need THE COUPLE NOT ONLY by JOBS— Chesapeake, Virginia, to tend the grapetheological training. In that 1940-41 school DONNA ALSO JOINED THE STAFF— BUT vines when school was out. Both of their year, he met Sara Jane, a first-year student.

A VIBRANT COMMUNITY AND CALLINGS mothers were influential Bible teachers.

Sara Jane had taught in summer Bible AS WELL. GOULD FARM’S MISSION IS age TOof 13, traveling as far as In 1936, Chester graduated from EMS, school from the OFFER OPEN HEARTS DOORS TOeast of Lancaster City, to do which then offered high school and two- ANDPaoli, 60 miles

PHOTO BY GRETA BUCHER

so. “I loved to teach,” she said. “I told stories to get their attention and I didn’t want a single child to drop out. I knew each one by name.”

Chester returned to Chesapeake in 1941 and converted an old store into a primary school, part of a Mennonite movement “because the country was getting ready for war and we didn’t want our children to learn war,” he said. When Sara Jane graduated in 1942 with an associate’s in elementary education, she joined Chester’s sister Ruth in the two-room schoolhouse and taught the lower grades. “The local Mennonite community fell in love with her just like I

CENTENNIAL HOMECOMING AND FAMILY WEEKEND 2017

“IN OUR WORK, IN OUR HOME, AS PARENTS, IN SOLVING PROBLEMS, IN DISCERNING GOD’S WILL, WE HAVE WORKED AS A TWOSOME” did,” Chester said.

They were “friends and courting” but not yet engaged. As Sara Jane settled into Chester’s home community, Chester was sent to Grottoes, Virginia, to a Civilian Public Service (CPS) camp, a legal alternative to military service for conscientious objectors. He worked for 18 months in soil conservation, then transferred to a center for developmentally disabled children in Vineland, New Jersey. Sara Jane joined Chester in Vineland after their July 1944 marriage. They became house parents for 35 adolescent boys. In 1945, Chester was transferred to Gulfport, Mississippi, to join a CPS hookworm-elimination project.

Their first child, Betty, was born there.

After the war, the couple, now with three daughters under 4, settled in Chester’s Chesapeake home community, was asked to move to Ethiopia as educational missionaries. In that Horn of Africa country, they lived at a mission compound with a hospital and school for nurses' aides in Nazareth, some 60 miles southeast of Addis Ababa.

When the government permitted the missionaries to teach Bible in the training school, Chester converted a warehouse into a dormitory and classroom and opened the Dresser Bible School in 1952. Other persons, mostly from EMU, joined the mission team. The Ethiopian Mennonite Church, Meserete Kristos, today numbering close to a half million, emerged from this effort.

While Chester opened schools, Sara Jane homeschooled Betty, Margaret and Jewel.

The couple also welcomed two new babies into the family, Chet and Sara.

As their five years drew to a close, Orie Miller, secretary of Lancaster Mennonite Conference’s mission board, asked Chester

to use their furlough for seminary studies. He graduated from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, in 1956.

They returned to Ethiopia with six children, son Mark having been born during their leave. They temporarily lived in Addis Ababa to fill in for the mission director while he took a furlough. Then it was back to Nazareth for Chester’s assignment of starting a training academy for the emerging Ethiopia Mennonite Church. He eagerly anticipated this opportunity. The government gave permission in 1959 to start this secondary school, the Nazareth Bible Academy. Sara Jane organized the library and taught piano and typing. During this term their last two children were born, Phil and Tom. In 1966, now with eight children and after 17 years of mission, Chester and Sara Jane returned to the United States. Chester became secretary of home ministries and evangelism for Lancaster Mennonite Conference, based in Salunga, Pa., and working with church plantings from Maine to Florida. He worked 13 years in the position, with highlights being initiation of a PaulTimothy mentorship program and the 1971 creation of Keystone Bible Institutes. Keystone seminars brought in professors from EMU, Goshen and other Anabaptist colleges for a week at a time. “I was concerned that we had no trained seminary people in Lancaster Conference,” Chester said.

For both Sara Jane and Chester, used to living in a compound and sharing mission work and family life throughout the day, the readjustment to life in the States, with compartmentalization of work and home, was a challenge. Chester now spent long hours at an office. Eventually Sara Jane

trained to become a remedial reading tutor for children and worked in that profession for 17 years.

In 1981, the couple accepted the invitation to pastor Blossom Hill Mennonite Church in Lancaster. They stepped down in 1991 but still attend.

The Wengers gained attention in 2014 after Chester married their gay son and his longtime partner. The fact that Phil told them about his orientation as a teenager speaks volumes about the couple’s parenting. A respected doctor told Chester and Sara Jane that same-sex orientation was not a changeable trait. “We walked with our son through a deep valley,” Chester said of the rejection Phil experienced.

In an “Open Letter to the Mennonite Church,” published in the December 2014 issue of The Mennonite, Chester said, “I feel that my act of love in signing a marriage license for our son and his companion was in line with the actions of Peter and Paul who led the church of Christ to welcome the uncircumcised into the fellowship of the family of God.” Through the ups and downs of their lives, Chester and his “beloved life companion” Sara Jane have remained a united team.

“In our work, in our home, as parents, in solving problems, in discerning God’s will, we have worked as a twosome,” Chester said in Bearing Fruit, the couple’s memoir compiled by daughter Betty Wenger '67 Good-White and granddaughter Deborah Anna Good '02. —EMILY WADE WILL EDITOR'S NOTE: SEVEN OF CHESTER AND SARA JANE'S CHILDREN GRADUATED FROM EMU: BETTY WENGER '67 GOOD-WHITE, MARGARET WENGER '69 JOHNSON, JEWEL WENGER '69 SHOWALTER, SARA WENGER '75 SHENK, MARK WENGER '79, PHILIP WENGER '82, AND THOMAS WENGER '82.

ALUMNI HONOREES Life Service Award

M.J. SHARP

MICHAEL J. SHARP Seven candles were lit at an April 29 memorial service in Martin Chapel: one for Michael Jesse “M.J.” Sharp '05 and one for each of his colleagues, some like Sharp confirmed dead, others still missing, in the Kasai-Central province area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Sharp was on a UN mission when he was kidnapped March 12, 2017. He was collecting information about the use of child soldiers and massacres of unarmed civilians.

The group also sought dialogue – as Sharp had in his previous position as Eastern Congo Coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee – with stakeholders to promote peaceful solutions to the country’s long conflict. The information would help the UN Group of Experts on the Congo advise the UN Security Council.

EMU will honor Sharp, his commitment to peacemaking and his life of service with a special recognition during the 2017 EMU SERVICE AWARD: DONNA Homecoming andALUMNI Family Weekend.

WAYNE BURKHART “MJ wasAND remembered for his sharp wit, keen mind, restless spirit, tenacious belief

BY EMILY WADE WILL in nonviolent means for resolving conflict, and for following Jesus in being fully with the people with whom he was living or ’67 AND DONNA BEACHY ’69 BURvisiting,” WAYNE said Brian Martin Burkholder, EMU campus pastor.WERE Burkholder attended KHART BOTH JUST DAYS OUT OF Sharp’s memorial service inSCHOOL Hesston, KanGRADUATE WHEN THE COUPLE sas, in mid-April and hosted EMU's service WEEKLY REVIEW SPOTTED A MENNONITE during Commencement weekend.

AD FOR A “GARDENS AND GROUNDS “He knew his work held danger,” said email she received WORK LEADER.” WAYNE’Slast ADVISOR AT from Sharp. “I want Burkholder. “He was willing to take risks to work in crisis zones,” he told her. “My MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY TOLD HIM because he was convinced that working experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel/ IT LOOKED LIKE A “DEAD-END JOB.” toward facilitating the resolution of conflict Palestine over the last couple of years have would build capacitySTILL for peaceAPPLIED. in the midst THIRTY-TWO made it clear to me that this is where I need WAYNE of violence.

In short, he embodied peaceto be.”

He planned to work on a doctorate YEARS LATER, BOTH HE AND DONNA CONmaking asTINUE a faith-informed ethic and a way so that he could teach TO FIND THEIR WORK AT GOULD “after the need to of life both personally and professionally.” work in war zones subsides.”

FARM AMAZINGLY LIFE-AFFIRMING. The recognition will memorialize an She noted the tension in his life – and in EMU alumnus who fullyIN answered a call, all of ourSCENIC lives – “between where you want NESTLED MASSACHUSETTS’ said his former professor Judy MulletTHE '73, 650-ACRE to be and where you need to be,” between a BERKSHIRE HILLS, FARM a person “whose life invites us to do the calling and the risks of that calling.

OFFERED THE COUPLE NOT ONLY JOBS— same, to step into complexity with full acAfter graduating with a degree in history DONNA ALSO JOINED THE STAFF— BUT knowledgement of the risks, but also with and a minor in German, Sharp worked for A VIBRANT COMMUNITY AND CALLINGS faith and with every resource at hand in the three years with the Military Counseling AS WELL. GOULD FARM’S MISSION IS TO He then earned an moment.”

Network in Germany.

OFFER OPEN HEARTS ANDMA DOORS At the April ceremony, Mullet shared the in peaceTO studies and conflict resolution

is the first recipient of EMU's Life Service Award. This honor will be presented on a periodic basis, to recognize an alumnus who has given their life in pursuit of service and peace.

PHOTO BY ZAIDA C ATALAN

"HE EMBODIED PEACEMAKING AS A FAITHINFORMED ETHIC AND A WAY OF LIFE BOTH PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY.” at Philipps-Universität Marburg in Germany. From 2012 to 2015, he worked for MCC in the Congo, and became a contract employee as an Armed Group Expert for the UN later that year.

His home in North America was in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is survived by parents John and Michele Sharp, and two sisters.

THE MICHAEL J. “M.J.” SHARP PEACE AND JUSTICE ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED TO SUPPORT STUDENTS FROM AFRICA IN GRADUATE STUDIES IN CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION AT EMU’S CENTER FOR JUSTICE AND PEACEBUILDING. TO CONTRIBUTE IN MJ’S MEMORY, CONTACT DEVOFFICE@EMU.EDU OR CALL 540-432-4581.

CENTENNIAL HOMECOMING AND FAMILY WEEKEND 2017

Alumnus of the Year ANXO PÉREZ In his native Spain and beyond, Anxo Pérez '97 has become an inspirational speaker and author. His message: “Don’t admire success, admire effort.” Pérez founded 8Belts.com, an internet-based language-learning program centered upon oral repetition and conversation with native speakers, rather than grammar and theory.

The company employs more than 100 people in nine countries, with customers in 50 countries. He also authored Los 88 peldaños del éxito (The 88 Steps of Success), based on tenets to improve the world through personal growth. The 2014 title and the follow-up La inteligencia del éxito (The Intelligence of Success) have rung up $3 million in sales. Los 88 peldaños was the No. 1 nonfiction bestseller of ABC, one of Spain’s three largest dailies, in July 2014,

PHOTO COURTESY ANXO PÉREZ

and ranked high in iTunes sales through the end of that year.

A popular speaker who is fluent in nine languages, Pérez has given some 400 keynote addresses on five continents. In May 2016, Pérez received an alumni award and addressed the graduating class of Bellefontaine (Ohio) High School, where he was an exchange student in 1993. He likened the world’s view of success to a swan. Observers focus on the swan’s elegant plumage and graceful profile and overlook what’s unseen—the legs paddling energetically below the surface.

Outstanding Young Alum LAURA ROSENBERGER Laura Rosenberger '03 was either 4 or 5 when she bounced out of her pediatrician’s office one day exclaiming, “I want to be just like Dr. Kopp when I grow up.” Rosenberger didn’t recall the incident but it became family lore as the years passed and she never wavered in her desire to become a physician.

Her family and the pediatrician both belonged to University Mennonite Church in State College, Pennsylvania, where Rosenberger grew up. Although State College is home to Penn State, Rosenberger said EMU was “the natural place for me to go.”

Parents James Landis Rosenberger '68 and Gloria Horst '70 Rosenberger studied there, as did her brothers Grant '99 and Kurt '06, her sister-in-law Laura Dell’Olio '99 and extended family.

PHOTO COURTESY DUKE UNIVERSIT Y

More than family tradition, though, Rosenberger was attracted by EMU’s premed program. “Historically, EMU has a high acceptance rate into medical schools,” she said, “a combination of top-notch small classes and excellent faculty who are engaged with their students and concerned about their development.”

In addition to her academic studies, Rosenberger won four consecutive national titles in the pole vault. Then, in 2002, high school friend Kevin Dare died in a vault-

Pérez played on EMU’s varsity soccer team for three years. One of his best memories was scoring three goals in the 1995 homecoming game. Not only was his high school coach Ken Shank '83 there from Ohio, but the third goal was also a bicycle kick, “the dream goal of every soccer player."

Although gifted linguistically and musically, Pérez had difficulty choosing a profession. He earned a degree in liberal arts with minors in music and English as a second language. While at EMU, he was music minister at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church and an interpreter for the Harrisonburg Police Department, which led to a position teaching legal interpretation at James Madison University after graduation. Pérez earned a master’s in international relations at the Brussels campus of the University of Kent. His charitable interests include occupational training to high-school dropouts; arts engagement for orphans and the developmentally disabled; and cancer research and prevention.

—EMILY WADE WILL

ing accident during the Big Ten track and field championships. Because of this, she stopped vaulting her senior year, dedicating herself to a heavy course load and an evening MCAT exam preparation class.

After graduating in 2003 from EMU, Rosenberger trained for the 2004 Olympics Trials. She then earned a medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, master’s degree in clinical research and surgical residency at the University of Virginia, and a breast surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Rosenberger is now an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

Rosenberger met her husband, David Mauro, now an interventional radiologist, during her general surgery residency at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

They attend Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship with their 2-year-old daughter, Ziva Rosenberger Mauro.—EMILY WADE WILL

Thursday, October 12 Paul R. Yoder Sr. Golf Classic Heritage Oaks Golf Course, 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Sponsored by the Royals Club and athletic department to benefit the EMU athletics program. Cost: $100. Lunch served at noon. Registration required. Contact EMU athletic director Dave King at 540-432-4646.

Campus Activities Council noon music University Commons, Royals’ Den, 12 p.m.

Women’s volleyball vs. Ferrum College University Commons, Yoder Arena, 7 p.m.

What we bring. What we take. What we leave.

Lehman Auditorium, 8 p.m.

A theater production by Ingrid DeSanctis '88 and Ted Swartz '89, MA '92, commissioned for the Centennial by EMU, performed by alumni and sponsored by Everence.

Adults $10 advance, $15 at the door, EMU student ID or 12 and under free. Attention: Separate registration.

Order tickets through the EMU box office. From Aug. 1-31, tickets will be available at www.emu.edu/boxoffice. Starting Sept. 1, call 540-432-4582 or visit our box office Monday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-2 :30 p.m.

Friday, October 13 Common Grounds Coffeehouse University Commons, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. and 8 p.m.-12 a.m.

Welcome center and registration Campus Center, Martin Greeting Hall, 8-10 a.m. and 3-8 p.m.

Homecoming visit day Campus Center admissions office, 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

This is a special day for high school-age children of alumni and siblings of current students to visit EMU. Registration required.

Visit a college class Campus Center, Admissions Office, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Curious about classes at EMU? Alumni, parents and prospective students are welcome to attend one or more classes. Class list and times are available in the admissions office, Campus Center first floor.

Homecoming chapel service Lehman Auditorium, 10 a.m.

Book signing, Donald B. Kraybill ’67 Seminary Building, outside Martin Chapel, 10:30 a.m.

Purchase a copy of Eastern Mennonite University: A Century of Countercultural Education and have it signed by author Don Kraybill.

Centennial century bike ride Lehman Auditorium parking lot.

Gather at 10:30 a.m.; depart at 11 a.m.

Celebrate 100 years of EMU with a 100K bike ride through the Valley. 50K and five-mile family options also available. All rides are fully supported with rest stations and SAG vehicle. Registration fee $15 (12 and under free). $25 day of event. Special centennial bike jersey available for $55 if registered prior to Sept. 18 (indicate size /male or female on order form).

Registration required.

Jubilee alumni program and luncheon (Classes 1937–67) Seminary Building, Martin Chapel, 10:45 a.m.

Gather with alumni who attended EMU 50 or more years ago and enjoy a program, induction of the class of 1967 and lunch. Registration required.

Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society (ACRS) Book Launch Seminary Chapel, 1 p.m.

Launch of Volume IV of "Geography of Our Faith" produced by Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society.

Donald B. Kraybill ’67, Centennial reflections MainStage Theater, 1:30 p.m.

Don Kraybill will discuss his book, Eastern Mennonite University: A Century of Countercultural Education and answer questions. Books for sale at the registration desk and at this event.

President's Forum with Donald Kraybill MainStage Theater, 3 p.m.

Don Kraybill will interview EMU’s current and past presidents. Each president will have the opportunity to share reflections about their experience at EMU. Q&A to follow.

Centennial art show reception with artists’ talks Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery, University Commons, 4 p.m.

10 x 10 x 100 Centennial art show, curated by Ashley Sauder Miller ’03, features six prominent alumni artists and their 100 works, measuring 10" x 10". A percentage of sales will be donated to the EMU arts program.

Donor appreciation banquet (by invitation only) University Commons, Courts B and C, 5:30 p.m. (doors open at 5:10 p.m.)

Book signing, Donald B. Kraybill ’67 University Commons, lower level lobby, 7:30 p.m.

Purchase your copy of Eastern Mennonite University: A Century of Countercultural Education and have it signed by author Don Kraybill.

Women’s soccer vs. Emory and Henry College Turf Field, 7 p.m.

What we bring. What we take. What we leave.

Lehman Auditorium, 8 p.m.

A theater production by Ingrid DeSanctis '88 and Ted Swartz '89, MA '92, commissioned for the Centennial

by EMU, performed by alumni and sponsored by Everence. Adults $10 advance, $15 at the door, EMU Student ID or 12 and under free. Attention: Separate registration. Order tickets through the EMU box office. From Aug. 1-31, tickets will be available at www.emu.edu/box-office. Starting Sept. 1, call 540-432-4582 or visit our box office Monday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-2 :30 p.m.

Campus Activities Council movie Science Center 106, 9 p.m.

Black Student Union sponsored dance Park Cabin, 9 p.m.

Saturday October 14 Registration desk and welcome center Campus Center, Martin Greeting Hall, 7:30 a.m.–12 p.m.

Department continental breakfasts Various locations, 8 a.m. Registration required.

Business networking breakfast and showcase Common Grounds Coffeehouse, University Commons lower level Three alumni business owners will share about their successful ventures and how EMU prepared them to reach their goals.

Hall of Honor breakfast and awards University Commons, Yoder Arena Courts B and C Haverim and Eastern Mennonite Seminary breakfast and program Discipleship Center Education department reception and the Jesse T. Byler Series Seminary building, room 123 Connect with classmates and professors and hear a panel of teacher alumni from across the decades share stories.

Nurses’ reception Campus Center, 3rd floor nursing department

Suter Science Center breakfast and guest lecture Suter Science Center 104 History department breakfast Location TBD Eastern Mennonite School’s Founders’ Brunch* (RSVP required at alumni@emhs.net) Eastern Mennonite School Dining Hall, 8-9:30 a.m.

A brunch and celebration to honor the 2017 Lifetime Service Award Recipient, Dr. Robert Eshleman.

Book signing, Donald B. Kraybill ’67 Main floor lobby of the Campus Center, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Purchase a copy of Eastern Mennonite University: A Century of Countercultural Education and have it signed by author Don Kraybill. Books for sale at the registration desk.

Centennial art exhibit opening Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery, 9:30 a.m.

The 10 x 10 x 100 Centennial Art Show, curated by Ashley Sauder Miller ’03, features six prominent alumni artists and their 100 works, each measuring 10" x 10". A percentage of sales will be donated to the EMU arts program.

Faculty emeritus gathering Lehman Auditorium front lawn, 10:30 a.m.

Homecoming celebration Lehman Auditorium, 11 a.m.

Reunite with class members in this familiar campus landmark. Celebrate alumni award recipients, take class photos (professional photo for classes celebrating 10, 25 and 50 years), and enjoy seeing old friends. All alumni and guests are welcome.

Parent reception luncheon University Commons, Royal’s Den, 12 p.m.

Class reunions for years ending in 2 and 7 Classes meet at various locations and times.

Watch for more information.

Childcare and children’s activities 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Childcare (ages 2-5) at EMU’s Early Learning Center at Park View Mennonite Church, 1600 College Avenue; www.emu.edu/education/elc.

Registration required.

Children’s activities (ages 6-12), led by the EMU Student Education Association in Campus Center 226. Lunch included. Registration required.

Common Grounds Coffeehouse open University Commons, Common Grounds, 1-6 p.m.

Field hockey vs. Roanoke College Turf Field, 1 p.m.

Affinity alumni drop-in - NEW EVENT Various locations, 1–3 p.m.

 Jim and Ann Hershberger Central America crosscultural reunion, 1985-present  Honors program alumni with Mark Metzler Sawin/ Judy Mullet  EMU tutor reunion celebrating 10 years of the writing program with Vi Dutcher and Linda Gnagey  Black Student Union alumni and parent soiree  Latino Student Association alumni and student gathering  Library student /alumni assistants  MA in biomedicine program  Men's soccer alumni with Roger Mast  Alleluia Singers of 1969  Women’s volleyball alumni with Carrie Bert  Other various athletic teams and affinity groups (more info to come) Check emu.edu/homecoming for more options and locations.

EMUTenTalks. Impact. Influence. Inspire.

University Commons, MainStage Theater, 2 p.m.

Ten-minute presentations by each alumnus, followed by Q&A: Jodie Geddes MA '16 (conflict transformation), facilitator for RJOY (Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth), slam poet; Anxo Perez '07, entrepreneur, author, musican from Spain; Trent Wagler '02 of Americana band, The Steel Wheels.

Campus canvas fun run Front lawn, 2 p.m. registration, 2:30 p.m. start time Cruise the two-mile campus course with friends of all ages. Take in the music and positive vibes on the front lawn. Participants will finish the race covered in color. Registration required. See form to indicate t-shirt size.

Decade ice cream social – NEW EVENT Thomas Plaza, 3 p.m.

Sample Kline’s special EMU centennial flavor and meet alumni from your decade of graduation!

Fall festival

Front lawn, northwest corner, 3-7 p.m.

Fun for all ages! Bring blankets and lawn chairs, listen to Americana band The Steel Wheels (purchase tickets through the EMU box office; see concert listing for details), stay for dinner and enjoy the fall setting.

Yard games, inflatables and time to mingle. See highlighted activities below.

Tailgate Designated parking lot, 3-7 p.m.

Bring your own food and grill! Reserve your spot when you register online. Invite friends to join you in our specially designated tailgating area.

Local food trucks, 3-7 p.m.

Area between Lehman Auditorium and Hartzler Library Sample the Shenandoah Valley with a tasty tour of local food trucks. Pay on location for individual items.

Li’l Royals’ Zone - Children’s Games Kids can play games, jump in inflatables, get their face painted and enjoy more fun activities!

Alumni and Parent Reception Tent Visit our reception tent between 4-6 p.m. for a free t-shirt and to chat with EMU staff.

Men’s soccer vs. Randolph Macon College Turf Field, 7 p.m.

The Steel Wheels Concert Front lawn (rain location: Yoder Arena, University Commons), 4 p.m.

Adults $15 advance, $20 at the door, EMU student ID $5, 12 and under free. Attention: Separate registration. Order tickets through the EMU Box Office.

From Aug. 1-31, tickets will be available online only at www.emu.edu/box-office. Beginning Sept. 1, tickets will also be available via phone (540-432-4582) or in person at the EMU Box Office. Box office hours are MondayFriday, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Find out more about The Steel Wheels at www.thesteelwheels.com What we bring. What we take. What we leave.

Lehman Auditorium, 8 p.m.

A play by Ingrid DeSanctis '88 and Ted Swartz '89, MA '92, commissioned for the centennial by EMU, performed by alumni and sponsored by Everence.

Adults $10 advanced, $15 at the door, EMU student ID or 12 and under free. Attention: Separate registration. From Aug. 1-31, tickets will be available online only at www.emu.edu/box-office. Beginning Sept.

1, tickets will also be available via phone (540-432-4582) or in person at teh EMU Box Office. Box office hours are Monday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 15 Eastern Mennonite School Centennial worship service* Eastern Mennonite School Auditorium, 9 a.m.

EMU Centennial worship service Lehman Auditorium, 10:30 a.m.

Award recipient luncheon (invitation only) Martin Chapel, Seminary, 12 p.m.

Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society luncheon “Ministry of the Arts” featuring Esther Augsburger '72 and Burton Buller Northlawn, West Dining Room, 12 p.m.

Esther Augsburger '72 will reflect on her groundbreaking global promotion of art and Christian artists. Burton will share about a documentary film on Mennonites through the eyes of others. Purchase your lunch in the dining hall and gather in the west dining room.

Monday, October 16 Alumni Association annual council meeting Campus Center, 301-302, 8 a.m. * EMU SHARES DECADES OF HISTORY WITH WHAT IS NOW EASTERN MENNONITE SCHOOL K-12. IN 1982, THE THEN- HIGH AND MIDDLE SCHOOL BECAME INDEPENDENT OF THE COLLEGE. MANY CENTENNIAL EVENTS WILL BE OF INTEREST TO GRADUATES OF BOTH INSTITUTIONS. SEE THE EASTERN MENNONITE SCHOOL WEBSITE FOR THEIR SCHEDULE OF EVENTS.

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID Harrisonburg, Virginia

1200 Park Road, Harrisonburg VA 22802-2462 Parents: If this is addressed to your son or daughter who has established a separate residence, please give us the new address. Call 540-432-4294 or email alumni@emu.edu.

JUBILEE FRIEND SOCIETY As we enter our 100th year at EMU, we are excited to invite you to join the newly named JUBILEE FRIEND SOCIETY! Join by including EMU as a beneficiary in your estate plan through the following:  Will or Living Trust,  Charitable Gift Annuity,  Life Insurance Policy,  IRA, 401 (k), 403 (b) or  Donor Advised Fund or as a beneficiary on bank accounts.

Making an estate commitment to EMU is easy, and a gift of any size strengthens the future of your beloved institution. Through our CENTENNIAL BEQUEST CAMPAIGN, we hope to increase estate commitments by 100 new households by June 2018. Please help make the EMU experience available to students for another 100 years!

To learn how you can become a member of the Jubilee Friend Society, please contact Director of Planned Giving Jasmine Hardesty at 540- 432-4971, via email at jasmine.hardesty@emu.edu or visit our website at emuplannedgiving.org to notify us of your gift.