Fall 2016 Westwind

LOVE LETTERS

FAITH AND LEARNING

The growth of unconditional love P. 10

A glimpse at five years of progress P. 18

THE JOURNAL OF WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY FALL 2016

OCEANS AWAY Alumni Bethani King and Tirzah Bennette bridge a gap an ocean wide to extend hope and healing P. 12

WWU's 125th birthday, the 10th anniversary of the WWU student chapter of Engineers Without Borders, the 50th anniversary of the aviation program, and a Messengers reunion.

HOMECOMING ALUMNI WEEKEND

at Walla Walla University April 27–30, 2017 W E E K E N D E V E N T S I NC LU D E:

Alumni homecoming banquet, Prism vespers, honor class reunions and photos, seminars

HONOR 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977 YEARS 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2007

For more information and the weekend schedule, go to wallawalla.edu/homecoming.

Or call Alumni and Advancement Services at (800) 377-2586.

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FEATURE // LOVE LETTERS

“I remember just coming back from work every day looking for her handwriting on a letter.”

Elmar Sakala

p.10

THE JOURNAL OF WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY // FALL 2016

LOVE LETTERS

FAITH AND LEARNING

The growth of unconditional love P. 10

A glimpse at five years of progress P. 18

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Faith and Learning

26 About the cover

Alumni Bethani King and Tirzah Bennette bridge a gap an ocean wide to extend hope and healing P. 12

An ocean expanse was no barrier for two alumni with hearts full of compassion and nerves of steel.

PHOTO: CHET WILLIAMS

From the President

THE JOURNAL OF WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY FALL 2016

OCEANS AWAY

PHOTOGRAPH © “MEER” BY ANDREAS SCHIMANSKI/SCHIMANSKI.NET 1_Fall16_Cover_v4.indd 1

4 5 12

10/26/16 6:42 PM

Westwind Fall 2016, Volume 35, Number 3 / Westwind is published three times a year for alumni and friends of Walla Walla University, a Seventh-day Adventist institution. It is produced by Marketing and Enrollment Services/ University Relations. This issue was printed in October 2016. Third-class postage is paid at College Place, Wash. © 2016 by Walla Walla University. Westwind/University Relations, 204 S. College Ave., College Place, WA 99324.

Telephone (509) 527-2363 Toll-free (800) 541-8900 E-mail westwind@wallawalla.edu Online westwind.wallawalla.edu Editor Kim Strobel Staff writers Alex Aamodt, Elisabeth Brassington, Caleb Riston Design L/Bailey Design

A call to live “big picture” lives

College Avenue

The latest from across campus

Oceans Away

Two alumni make radical sacrifices when curiosity and compassion call.

Gratitude is at the heart of this report on how much alumni have given and how much WWU has grown.

Alumni Currents

26 Alumnotes, 29 In Memory, 30 Back to You

FROM THE PRESIDENT

THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF

Gratitude As I write these lines to you, the 2016–2017 academic year is beginning at Walla Walla University, accompanied by a lot of hard work and a flood of amazing privileges.

Some of those privileges are large-scale ones, such as stepping before our student body at our opening convocation, seeking to set the tone for the year. In my remarks, I encouraged my student friends and faculty and staff colleagues to activate the “big picture” of God’s plan for our world, to unify all things in Christ (Eph. 1:10) by living “big picture” lives that cohere with that vision (Eph. 4:25–32). It was a privilege during convocation to watch students lay their hands on the new chair of the board of trustees, John Freedman, and pray for him.

experience and helps to guide them through their first year.

At lunch, Pam and I sat down to eat at a table with two freshmen students. One, Robbie, is a delightful student from Guam who is interested in aviation and exploring a career in medicine.

The other, Kahlil, likewise delightful, is from another island, rather a long way from Guam—Bermuda. He has come to study engineering. What a treat to sit at table with these two sons of distant isles and see them building an eternal friendship … and beginning to dream about how they can practice “generosity in service” just like the amazing alumni highlighted in the feature story, “Oceans Away,” on page 12 about alumni working in Beirut with Syrian refugees and providing medical care in Africa.

As you read these lines, we will be well into the 2016–2017 academic year—WWU’s 125th. (Get set for our year-long birthday celebration by testing your WWU historical knowledge with the crossword puzzle on the next page.)

Just as WWU did in the beginning in 1892, we will be in need of prayer and support. Thank you for both.

Cordially, John McVay President

FIND MORE NEWS ABOUT WWU AT WALLAWALLA.EDU/NEWS.

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PHOTO: CALEB RISTON

Other privileges are smaller in scale and yet incredibly fulfilling in their own right. In the space of a couple of hours yesterday, I had a string of rewarding experiences, all indicative of the fresh energy of a new year. I participated in a most interesting meeting of the University Master Planning Committee, working on the materials and finishes for the transformed Bowers Hall. Why was it so interesting? Some 20 students were present from the Introduction to Marketing class led by Dr. Josefer Montes, dean of the School of Business. With a variety of materials spread out on the large conference table, students participated in choosing what the new home of the School of Business will look like. (You will not miss the implied and gentle invitation to give to this transformative project, following the inspiring example of Elmar and Darilee Sakala. [See “Love Letters” on page 10.])

A bit later, I had the privilege of spending a few minutes in the office of Dr. Doug Logan, dean of the School of Engineering, and learned that we have the largest freshmen class of engineers that we’ve had in over 15 years—more than 80 of them.

On my way to the cafeteria, I passed a freshman student walking and chatting with her mentor. That planted a satisfied smile on my face, recalling that each freshman student who steps onto the WWU campus is matched with an able mentor. That mentor becomes acquainted with the totality of the freshman student’s

College Avenue The latest from across campus

WWU 125th anniversary celebration On Dec. 7, 2017, Walla Walla University will celebrate 125 years since classes began in 1892.

This calls for a party, and we have several planned throughout 2017 leading up to the official December birthday party. Events will include a special “Celebration” homecoming weekend April 27–30. (See page 2 for details.) Watch for a full schedule of events in the Spring 2017 issue of Westwind. Here’s a pre-birthday warm-up quiz to test your WWU historical knowledge.

Visit wallawalla.edu/homecoming for crossword puzzle answers.

ACROSS 2. The WWU school song begins with the line: “Out where the west _______ blow.”

PHOTO: WWU ARCHIVES CREDIT TK

3. In 1992, Terrie Dopp Aamodt, WWU professor of history and English, published a book about the history of WWU called Bold _______.

1 2

3 4 5

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the gymnasium, was home to the College Church for 23 years, and held 20 simultaneous Sabbath School classes each week.

10.. A building on campus bears the name of 5. The school colors this man who served of orange and green as dean of men, was were adopted from head of the education this official school department, and also tree, the Mountain taught woodworking, ______. The first of these German, and mathtrees was planted on ematics. campus in 1897 by 11. The first president of Greek teacher Lydia Walla Walla College Sutherland Droll as was William W. _______. part of a ceremony to reassert the importance of the ancient DOWN languages.

1. This building was 6. In 1938 possessing initially called “the these “lays the college building” and student liable to housed classrooms, immediate dismissal.” dormitory rooms, faculty homes, admin9. This auditorium, which istrative offices, and housed many lyceum the cafeteria. programs, served as

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4. For a time, registration was not considered complete for female students until this had passed inspection.

7. For many years, these went out at 10 p.m. every evening in the residence halls.

8. This professor taught in the mathematics department from 1957 to 1994.

11. The 1938 WWC student handbook quotes the book Education as saying that “True education means … the harmonious development of the _______, the mental, and the spiritual powers.”

SOURCE: 1938 Walla Walla College Student Handbook and Bold ________: A History of Walla Walla College by Terrie Dopp Aamodt.

Westwind Fall 2016

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College Avenue The latest from across campus

MONITORING THREATENED SPECIES:

A fish story Biology students assist with bull trout redd count in mountain streams

Ask. Anything.

University Church addresses the tough questions “The entire purpose of this Ask. Anything. series is to open up the floor to literally any question,” says Zack Brenes, president of the Associated Students of Walla Walla University.

“I believe that we get comfortable engaging with the topics that make us feel at peace rather than tackling

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the things that we wrestle with daily.”

Brenes is describing an innovative series underway at the University Church in which students and community members can ask the pastor anything.

Sermon topics are determined weekly by a student committee led by Brenes, which sources questions

with the #wwuask hashtag from Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Nobody knows—not even University Church senior pastor Alex Bryan who is the speaker for the series—what the topic will be until one week before the next sermon. Bryan has a week to prepare a sermon on the topic and present it to

Biology students at WWU get valuable field experience in the Umatilla National Forest.

easily spotted by the surveying scientists. Each redd is carefully catalogued and marked.

Bull trout are an especially sensitive species. They need clean, cold water to successfully reproduce, and silt buildup between gravel in the redds can suffocate eggs. This makes them much more vulnerable to changes in environmental factors, such as human projects that cause silt to increase in streams and other factors that increase water temperature.

“Since they are so sensitive to environmental conditions, they are an important environmental indicator—like the canary in the coal mine,” says Cowles. “They are one of the first species that starts running into trouble if conditions start to deteriorate.

“This project gives us a chance to contribute to our community in ways that are natural and exciting for biologists,” says Cowles.

“If students do have interest in pursuing a career in field biology, it also gives them invaluable contacts and knowledge that can help them get started.”

The Ask. Anything. series began Sept. 24 and will conclude Nov. 21.

Submit your questions on social media using the

#wwuask

hashtag or email church@ wallawalla.edu.

Watch Alex Bryan’s answers live each week online at wwuchurch.com, where you can also find archives of previous presentations.

the congregation the following Sabbath.

Many college students face tough issues on a daily basis that are often not addressed in church sermons. Church is not often viewed as the place to tackle these problems head on. Bryan wants to dispel that myth with this series.

“In healthy families, no subject is off limits,” says Bryan.

“Parents engage their children in subjects that count, in topics

the next generation is curious about.

This is a series where college students (as the up-and-coming generation) are able to engage the church in matters they deem important.

“This isn’t just about having difficult or even provocative conversations,” says Bryan, “but about talking and listening to one another with care, with concern, with a desire to move toward places of health, holiness, and love.”

READ WESTWIND ONLINE: WESTWIND.WALLAWALLA.EDU

PHOTOS: DAVID COWLES AND JOEL SARTORI, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

E

ACH FALL FOR the last 10 years, WWU professor of biology David Cowles has joined the Umatilla Forest Service on their annual survey of bull trout spawning. WWU students often join Cowles to obtain valuable real-life biology experience while working with professional field biologists.

The Umatilla National Forest is home to mountain streams where the threatened fish species comes to breed. During the survey, team members put on waders and hike up streams searching for characteristic “redds”— the places where the trout lay their eggs.

“Once the bull trout have reached the area of the stream they were born in, they pair off,” says Cowles. “The female finds an area of clean gravel and moderate current and begins digging a hole with her tail. After a hole is dug, she lays her eggs on the gravel while the male swims around and releases milt (sperm) to fertilize them. Then she moves slightly upstream and digs up more gravel to flip over and cover the eggs. After laying the eggs, the bull trout watch over the area for several more days or weeks until they die.”

The redds create a distinct disturbance in the streambed that is

Couples counseling School of Social Work incorporates training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy

Starting this fall, the School of Social Work began offering couples therapy clinical training and certification as part of the master of social work program. Graduate students will receive level one certification from the Gottman Institute by the time they complete their master’s degree. Through this training, graduates will be better equipped to help couples work through problems and build stronger marriages.

“We feel that students having a certificate in level one training will be tangible evidence to future employers of our graduates’ introductory training to work with couples,” says Susan Smith, dean of the School of Social Work.

Level one is the first of a three-step program that graduates can complete later in their careers.

WWU REPORT TO THE CONSTITUENCY WWU president John McVay presented a quinquennial report to the university constituency last September at the 28th North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) Constituency Session in Portland, Ore. An abbreviated version of the printed report is included in this issue of Westwind beginning on page 18.

Walla Walla University

NEW FACULTY

PHOTOS: CALEB RISTON, CHRIS DRAKE

Walla Walla University welcomed 10 new faculty for the 2016–17 academic year.

Front row from left: Jinhyang Park, instructor in music; Jody Washburn, assistant professor of biblical studies: Hebrew and Old Testament; Norma Flores, associate professor of chemistry; Susan Gardner, professor of English; Preston Carman, assistant professor of computer science.

Back row from left: Pablo Wenceslao, visiting professor of technology–industrial design; Albert Diaz, visiting assistant professor of music; Neria Sebastien, assistant professor of education; Bob Gardner, professor of sociology; and Brian Hartman, director of institutional research and effectiveness.

Report to the Constituency September 25, 2016

To see the full report online, visit

wallawalla.edu/ constituencyreport or request a hard copy at westwind@ wallawalla.edu.

John and Pam McVay have brought energy and thoughtful, prayerful leadership to WWU for more than 10 years.

A decade of leadership

O

N JULY 1, 2006, John McVay became the 23rd president of Walla Walla College. With a decade of leadership completed, McVay will soon become the third longest leading president in the history of the university. Walter I. Smith served as president for 13 years (1917–1930); George W. Bowers served as president for 17 years (1938–1955); and N. Clifford Sorenson served as president for 10 years (1976–1985 and 2001–2002).

Under McVay’s leadership, a wide array of improvements to campus infrastructure have been completed including the construction of the new Administration Building, several new cabins and a new boat ramp at the Rosario Marine Laboratory, remodeled facilities for the College Place campuses of the School of Social Work and the School of Nursing, a remodeled gymnasium including new team rooms, locker rooms, and a new gym floor, and most recently the completion of front-campus improvements related to the College Avenue/Rose Street project.

McVay implemented long-range budget planning processes, resulting in a WWU Composite Financial Index (CFI) score of 6.4 on a scale of -4 to 10 and tuition increases of not more than two percent over the last several years. (A CFI score higher than three is considered very good. WWU has the second highest CFI score of all Adventist colleges and universities by a wide margin.)

McVay led the university through the name change from Walla Walla College to Walla Walla University, and led in the starts of the $35 million Life.Changing. comprehensive campaign and the WWU 2013–2023 Sabbath Jubilee strategic initiative.

Under his leadership, the university welcomed the largest freshman class in 17 years, retention rates have improved, in part due to the implementation of the new mentorship program for freshmen, and diversity has increased in undergraduate student enrollment from 21.7 percent (2006–2010) to 32.5 percent (2011–2015).

In a recent report to WWU constituents, McVay was quick to credit “God’s amazing blessings over these five years,” adding “God’s blessings, though, have outstripped our efforts, diligent as they have been. He has taken our little and made much of it. … We invite you to join us in giving thanks to God from Whom all blessings flow.”

Westwind Fall 2016

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College Avenue The latest from across campus

Students create and test biomaterials.

BY THE NUMBERS

WWU School of Business

books sites Reading and browsing recommendations from our experts

The Culture Map

by Erin Meyer (Public Affairs, a member of the Perseus Books Group, 2014)

Interdisciplinary project involves students in bioengineering research process

F

OR NEARLY FOUR years, students at Walla Walla University have been conducting research on the process of repairing biological tissues. Their end goal is to make a material or product that can be used in the human body to bridge gaps in tissue. It turns out, however, that there is more to growing tissues than simply caring for a few cells in a petri dish.

Throughout the school year and during the summer, up to 20 students work on a variety of bioengineering projects with Janice McKenzie, associate professor of biology and research lead, and Ralph Stirling, WWU project engineer. The students involved are studying in a variety of areas, including biology, bioengineering, engineering, and chemistry.

“The basis of the project is that we make biomaterials to be implanted into the human body to grow, augment, or repair tissues that need it,” says McKenzie.

“For example, if there are large gaps in neural or bone tissue, the body won’t span that gap unless there is a bridge. We want to provide a bridge across that gap.

“Developing equipment is a big process,” says McKenzie. Most research to this point has focused on developing the tools needed to make the biomaterials—tools such as 3-D bioprinters, electrospinning machines, and bioreactors. This equipment is useful for creating and testing biomaterials that can mimic tissue structures within the body.

Along with the simple desire to conduct research about something interesting, other incentives of being involved in the project include paid internships and college credit. Engineering students are also involved in developing equipment as part of work on their senior design projects.

“We’re not just doing this because it’s fun and exciting. We’d really like to make something that would improve the field and become a product,” says McKenzie. While this end goal is still far from being fully achieved, the progress made thus far is tangible and encouraging for the future.

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States students come from to attend the WWU School of Business

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Business students worked in internships across the country during summer 2016

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Students that graduated from the WWU School of Business in 2016

Find more WWU news at wallawalla.edu/ news.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity

by Nabeel Qureshi (Zondervan, 2016)

This is one of the best books I’ve read recently. What makes the story so fascinating is that Nabeel was not seeking to leave Islam.

On the contrary, it was his genuine love for Islam and his Muslim upbringing that led him to share his faith with others—a process that to his surprise led him to see that he had never truly understood Christianity. It is a wonderfully insightful story of redemption that will encourage you in your own Christian walk.

—Carl P. Cosaert, professor of biblical studies

When Breath Becomes Air

by Paul Kalanithi (Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, 2016)

While it might be natural to assume Paul Kalanithi’s memoir is on his field of expertise, neurosurgery, such an assumption would be in error. Instead, he masterfully draws the reader to an intimate view of cancer, suffering, and life’s meaning. In a deeply spiritual exploration of the most important things, Kalanithi points us to the paramount importance of grace and the balm of trust. Highly recommended.

—Kris Loewen, University Church pastor for worship and communications

PHOTO: BRANDON HILL

Growing tissue

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Countries represented by students studying in the WWU School of Business

I’m fascinated by the way our values and culture inform our behavior. So this summer when I attended the Global Leadership Summit hosted by the University Church and heard Erin Meyer describe her research on the differences in workplace behavior across cultures, I knew I needed to learn more. In The Culture Map, Meyers summarizes her findings from decades of research on this subject with ease and approachability. This treasure of a book is full of helpful graphics and elucidating anecdotes to aid our interactions in an increasingly globalized world.

—Emily Muthersbaugh, director of Marketing and University Relations

From the archives / If memory serves

’73

In the beginning God …

CREDIT TK

“The reason for doing this work is the basic need of expressing gratitude to God for his gifts,” said Ken Mackintosh, professor of art, 1961–95.

Find a selfguided WWU art Mackintosh is pictured here with his hand on the letters below his tour (and seven mosaic mural titled “Seven Days of Creation.” The mosaic hangs in the other tours) on the WWU app, which can lobby of the Fine Arts Center. It was made with Byzantine smalti be downloaded free from of Murano glass from Venice, Italy, and was completed in 1973. your favorite app store.

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LOVE

How a romance blossomed at WWU across time and distance

BY ALEX AAMODT

LETTERS

I

T WAS ONLY because he had to clean out his garage a few months ago that Dr. Elmar Sakala ’65 found the letters, forgotten in a dusty box, untouched for years. He and his wife, Darilee ’69, were busy preparing to leave on a trip, yet the letters stopped him in his tracks. “Elmar would come to me and say, ‘You’ve got to listen to this letter!

Listen to what you wrote!’”

Darilee remembers. Over the next several days Elmar kept opening more and more of the letters and reading them to Darilee as they went about their daily work, the memories continuing to flood back from 50 years previous, when their lives lacked the stabil-

Elmar and Darilee Sakala found a bundle of long-lost letters in their Loma Linda, Calif., garage.

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photographs by CHET WILLIAMS

Rendering of new Bowers Hall space.

ity they now enjoy in their Loma Linda, Calif., home.

The story of their relationship was there in the sheets of paper where it had been inked all those years ago.

Elmar and Darilee grew up in Canada, and although they met when they were younger, it wasn’t until college that their story really began. In 1963, Elmar transferred to Walla Walla College for his junior year. Soon someone else also made the trek southward.

“When Darilee came in ’64, she came as a lowly— very lowly—freshman.”

“You don’t have to emphasize lowly!” Darilee says, laughing. “Yes, I was a freshman, scared to death.

Elmar asked me out maybe in November, but I never heard from him again, so I just kept dating other people.”

“I can tell you though, I can remember the exact clothes she was wearing. I can see it in my mind’s eye,” Elmar says of their first date.

It wasn’t until several months later when Elmar asked Darilee to the OPS banquet that they began to date steadily. The remaining months of the school year ticked by as Elmar finished his business administration degree. After graduation, he got a job in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the two continued to develop their relationship throughout that summer back in Canada. Then the realities of geography hit.

In the fall, Darilee went back to Walla Walla to continue her studies. With his student visa now expired, Elmar couldn’t follow her; he was stuck in Vancouver.

International phone calls were charged by the minute.

All they could afford to do was write letters. So letters they wrote, every second or third day.

“It was very tough, and I remember just coming back from work every day looking for her handwriting on a letter, and when I would see her handwriting my

heart would pitter-patter a little faster.”

Darilee laughs, “When we pulled out these letters I can’t even remember how I would have had the time to write all of them.” She worked multiple jobs and took a full load of classes.

“So some of the letters that come out I say, I don’t remember writing that!”

The year was especially hard on Elmar, away from the college community and the woman he was beginning to love. So every other weekend he would drive the 800-mile round trip, across the border and down through Washington, to spend a few hours with Darilee and then race back for work Monday morning.

“It was tough, let me tell you, but that year in Vancouver gave me a chance to really do a lot of thinking and sorting out what love is. I can tell you that Darilee taught me what unconditional love was because I didn’t know it beforehand.”

Every other weekend Elmar spent alone in Vancouver, often going to the beach. “I can remember I wanted to get a picture of a beautiful sunset that I could send to Darilee. I was watching the sunset and thinking I’ve got to wait because I only have one picture left on this roll, and I want to get the best one. I would wait and wait and then I saw the sunset was fading and I missed it. I missed it.

And then I realized that I have such a good woman in Darilee, I don’t want to be like that last picture of the sunset and miss it. I remember writing in the sand with

a stick ‘Darilee I love you’ and taking a photo of that and I sent it to her.”

“Oh yes, it was huge letters on the beach in the sand,” Darilee remembers.

“Really big and done so nicely. It was perfect.”

Arranged chronologically, the letters show their relationship maturing throughout that year apart, culminating with their engagement. The next year Elmar found a way to return to Walla Walla as a graduate student, and the two would never have to be apart again. The letters, no longer needed, were soon forgotten. Yet somehow they survived multiple moves and different houses until they came to rest in Loma Linda where Elmar has taught in the School of Medicine for 38 years.

“It was breathtaking,” Elmar describes of reading the letters. “It was like we were back there again.

It just brought back to my consciousness the significant role that Walla Walla had in our lives. Walla Walla provided the environment in which [our relationship] could happen. We are making a substantial contribution to Bowers Hall, and to a great degree the motivation to do that arose because of the feeling these letters generated.”

Life today is far removed from the mid-60s for the Sakalas. Now Elmar and Darilee text back and forth as often as they want throughout the day. But there is still something special in those letters, which will not be forgotten in a garage again any time soon.

Strategic transformation planned for business space The Walla Walla University School of Business is growing. Performance metrics routinely confirm the quality of the program, and employers applaud the skills of our student interns and graduates.

To ensure that we continue to develop excellent business leaders, the university will invest $4 million to transform Bowers Hall into a modern, collaborative, efficient, and flexible space for the School of Business.

Plans call for the addition of more than 3,000 square feet to the existing building, as well as classroom and office reorganization. The transformed facility will include an innovation classroom/laboratory, technologies that enhance digital learning, efficient group study spaces, and multifunctional meeting spaces.

“The strength of our School of Business lies in the strong relationships our faculty build with their students, relationships that result in highly effective student learning,” says Bob Cushman, vice president for Academic Administration. “For example, in 2015 our School of Business graduating class scored in the 96th percentile out of 68,594 examinees from 563 U.S. colleges and universities. This project will improve those collaborative, mentoring relationships, and increase learning opportunities among students and staff.”

As part of the transformation planning, a project committee reviewed everything from classroom capacity and future business curriculum to Read the latest news about best practice teaching the School of Business methods for tomorrow’s in the online newsletter digital world. Jodi Wagat wallawalla.edu/ ner, vice president of business-report.

University Relations and Advancement, expects the transformation to be completed during the 2017–18 school year and that it will help the university attract more business students.

“Bowers Hall has durably served Walla Walla University in so many ways,” says Wagner. “Now, generous donors are ensuring that this tradition continues by transforming the space for the future. Their gifts are truly investments in tomorrow’s business leaders and in Walla Walla University.”

Among the most historical buildings on campus, initial construction on Bowers Hall was completed in 1924 and in 1955 named in honor of George Bowers, the college’s 13th president. It has been home to WWU science programs, the history and philosophy department, the archaeology laboratory, and the School of Theology. The School of Business moved into Bowers Hall in 2009.

The Bowers Hall project helps launch the WWU $35 million Life.Changing. comprehensive campaign, which in addition to the Bowers transformation includes creating a Student Life and Ministry Center and growing the university’s endowment.

OCEANS

Alumni Bethani King and Tirzah Bennette bridge a gap

S AWAY an ocean wide

to extend hope and healing.

by AMY WILKINSON photograph by Gary John Norman

Westwind Fall 2016

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It’s a sentiment you’ll hear repeatedly when talking to BETHANI KING, a 2011 biblical languages graduate, about her work with Syrian refugees—and a major driving force behind the month-long trip she took to Lebanon on a literal wing and a prayer.

Here, she looks back on her time teaching the youngest victims of ISIS’ reign of terror.

Bethani King, top right, taught at Camp Taanayel, 12 miles from the Syrian border, where more than 1,000 people live on just a couple of acres. “When they turn ten, kids begin working in the fields to help support their families and can no longer come to school,” she says.

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The refugee children love to sing, and “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” is a special favorite.

WESTWIND: Let’s start at the beginning: What inspired you to go to Lebanon this past summer?

BETHANI: You know, I’d been watching and reading the news for about a year, and the more I read about it the more I thought, “This is really terrible.

I can’t believe this is happening in our world, and we’re not doing anything about it.” It’s a really terrible season of world history right now, and I wondered, “Is this real? Are these stories propaganda? Is it really this bad? If it is, it’s really unspeakable.” I felt like I wanted to go and see for myself. I also feel like whenever there are terrible things happening, there are always people doing good.

I wanted to go and be a part [of the work being done] for what little time I could. I wanted it to be personal. So that’s why I went. I didn’t have a lot of connections before going. I bought a ticket in March—I just felt like God placed it on my heart to go to Lebanon, but I didn’t have a specific organization or entity to work with. I hadn’t made any headway finding a volunteer opportunity. So I didn’t have a plan. I just bought a ticket to Beirut and things just fell in place in a matter of days before I left.

It’s really ironic given how much help is needed that you had to work so hard to find a volunteer opportunity.

A lot of people say [to me], “Hey, I want to do what you did, but I haven’t been able

to find or connect with other people.” The organizations over there are desperate for help, but it is really hard to find people and organizations and ways to help.

What was the turning point for you?

I just started telling people that I was going to Lebanon and was looking for refugee camps. It happened by word of mouth.

You tell enough people and one person says, “Oh, my college roommate’s sister … . Oh, I met this guy once on an airplane, and he was just in Greece, and we’re Facebook friends ... .”

There were just enough little things like that that I ended up through Facebook connecting with people.

Your first two weeks in Lebanon were spent living with a refugee family and teaching at the Adventist school. What were your hosts like?

The family that I lived with was just incredibly beautiful.

They have five kids: 16, 15, 13, 10, and 8 years old. They’ve been in Beirut for five years.

They were some of the first refugees to get out of Syria.

They’ve learned English, and they’re going to school at the Adventist center—the younger kids are. The dad works construction six days a week, nine hours a day. The 13-yearold boy has been working in a shoe shop since he was 11 to help support the family, and the mom works at the school.

They’re barely scraping by. In

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BETHANI KING

“Whenever there are terrible things happening, there are always people doing good.”

The Adventist school in Beirut hosts a luncheon for refugee mothers, allowing them a rare opportunity to rest.

Lack of food and proper nutrition means a lot of refugee babies are born prematurely, like baby Ali, here 8 days old and only 4 pounds.

Syria they were an upper-class family. They owned a chain of grocery stories, they lived by a lake, they had a big house, and they lost everything. They only had the clothes they were wearing when they left. They just welcomed me like I was another daughter. They were so gracious and loving, and I had a wonderful time living with them.

With the influx of refugees, the Lebanese school system is overflowing. Can you explain a bit about what’s going on there and what your job was?

The schools are bursting because there are so many refugees that they can’t take them all. So the Adventist conference started this school for refugees who are in first through sixth grades. The refugees that are accepted get free tuition and books, and they also provide assistance for the family. They’ll do intakes and visit the family and see if the family needs mattresses or care packages. I was so impressed with this program.

I had six kids that I tutored for an hour at a time. And because the director told me, “You’re going to have the kids that are supposed to be starting fifth grade but they’re not ready,” I thought that I had the poor students. But it’s really that they’re behind because they missed three years of school because of fleeing. They’re not learning English in Syria if they haven’t been in school,

and they’re trying to learn all these subjects in English. But they were so great and so kind and so loving and so anxious to please me and so willing to work hard and excited every day to come to school and learn.

During the second half of your trip you spent time working at refugee camps through the nongovernmental organization Salam LADC. What is that organization’s mission?

Salam doesn’t have an agenda of its own beyond food distribution every week. Other than that, they just facilitate what volunteers want to do. So one group started a game day twice a week. They would take a jump rope and chalk and other games to the kids. They would go to different camps and have 30 to 40 kids come for games, and it is kind of an informal English-learning session.

Another group had the idea of doing an open-air cinema.

They bought a projector and a screen and found some movies that were dubbed in Arabic and subtitled in English. They had popcorn for the kids. They showed Ratatouille first, then Aladdin and The Lion King. In order to keep those projects going, when a group leaves they’ll find someone who’s going to be there for a couple months and teach them everything and pass it on.

So what ended up being your project?

Interestingly I didn’t have one.

Abdulal and Nafisa are the two youngest children from the refugee family that Bethani lived with.

I just figured I’d go help with whatever they needed, and right when I got there they were starting up a Teachers Without Borders Norway chapter in Lebanon. I ended up being their first teacher for the two weeks I was there.

It worked out really well.

The kids themselves in the camp—it’s just heartbreaking.

They have so little. When we’d show up, we went to each camp twice a week so these kids would see us twice a week and it was just the highlight of their week. It’s a pretty bleak existence.

The news is filled with plenty of opinions about Syrian refugees, which now number more than 1 million in Lebanon alone.* What would you say from your experience is the biggest misconception?

I realized they are really stuck in the middle of something terrible, because they are kicked out of their own country by ISIS, but no one else will let them in because they associate them with ISIS. These are the victims of ISIS, but America and other countries treat them like they are ISIS. They would be the first to condemn the extreme measures of ISIS. They know more about it, and they’re more against it than any American is.

What was your biggest reward from your month in Lebanon?

I think my relationship with the family was the best thing.

Will you be able to stay in touch with them?

Yes, they have internet acess because one of the girls has been sponsored to do online school, and I’ve been able to Skype with her a couple of times. There’s an app called WhatsApp that I use to text them and send them voice messages and pictures. So I have been keeping in touch with them. I told them that I would sponsor the 13-yearold, Abdel Rahmman, to go to school. In order to do that, I just moved up to Burlington, Wash., and I’m living like a refugee—that is the idea. I’m asking people from the community, “If you want to host me, let me know.” And for every week that I’m hosted by a family instead of paying rent, I’m sending rent money to their family. With five months of rent I can pay for his whole year of school. It’s been a really great response here. I’m living right now with an older retired woman for a month, and then in October for two weeks I’m going up to Bellingham to live with another family.

Then for another two weeks I’ll be in Sedro-Woolley. Going back to that theme of, “Is there more good than evil in the world?” I’m really attached to this kid, Abdel, because I lived with him and grew to love him.

People have been so generous in wanting to help him. *SOURCE: https://www.amnesty.org/en/

latest/news/2016/02/syrias-refugee-crisisin-numbers/

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For 38 years, this fleet of floating hospitals has set sail for some of the world’s most impoverished, far-flung locations to provide hope and healing, free of charge.

Living on a cramped boat for months on end alongside hundreds of other volunteers isn’t for everyone—but it was just the thing for TIRZAH BENNETTE, a 2010 nursing graduate. She first stepped aboard the Africa Mercy docked in Madagascar in August 2015 for a six-month stay. But that wasn’t long enough for her—which is why she returned to Africa (this time Benin) in August 2016 with plans to volunteer for nearly a year. Bennette gives us a glimpse below deck.

Tirzah and an orthopedic patient enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and little play time on deck.

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Westwind wind Fall 2016

WESTWIND: How did you get involved with Mercy Ships?

TIRZAH: I first heard of Mercy Ships while I was working on my prerequisites for nursing school—one of my friends had just returned from serving with the ship for a two-year stint. At the time, I had no plans or idea that I would ever find myself here as well. I had wanted to do medical missions since before beginning nursing school but didn’t have any idea of what that would look like. After being a nurse for five years, I decided that it was time to act on that calling to take my skills to do medical missions. After doing a lot of research into different organizations, Mercy Ships seemed like the right fit. Their mission statement was exactly what I felt called to.

How do the cases you see on board compare with what you see stateside?

People come with different kinds of diseases to be treated, many of which would never be seen in a hospital in the U.S. We do facial reconstructions after a patient has suffered from noma, cleft palate and lip repairs, encephaloceles, women’s health surgeries for fistula repairs, hernia repairs, goiter removals, and orthopedic surgeries. All procedures done by Mercy Ships are free of charge.

The ships provide surgeries for the people they are serving, but also spiritual and emotional healing. The ships have a chaplaincy for the hospital, which

Tirzah Bennett cares for a patient in one of five wards on board the Africa Mercy floating hospital ship.

works very closely with each patient. There are five wards that patients can be admitted to, each for a different surgical specialty. As a ward nurse, you get the honor of taking care of these patients both pre- and postoperatively.

What is the ship culture like?

Do you become close with your fellow volunteers?

Making friends on the ship is an integral aspect of being part of the crew. The ship is all about being a community to serve in one purpose and goal. Typically there are a little over 100 healthcare professionals on the ship at one time, with new crew coming and going every week.

Living onboard is unique. We live in cabins of varying sizes.

I live in a six-berth cabin, with five other girls and one bathroom. There are community areas on the ship for games and visiting along with a large dining room where everyone can eat together.

Are there any particular cases or patients that stick out in your mind from your time in Madagascar?

One little girl, in particular, when she first arrived to have surgery, was so scared of us and the newness of the ship that she screamed whenever any of us went near her. She would spit out any medicine we would try to give her, just because she didn’t trust us. But as the days went on, and as each of us tried to win her trust and love

CREDIT TK

They call themselves Mercy Ships, but maybe The Love Boat would be a more accurate moniker.

Fifalina’s legs were normal when she was born and then slowly started to bend until she could no longer walk. Tirzah assisted with Fifalina’s care before and after complex surgeries to straighten her legs. Watch a video about Fifalina’s story at wallawalla.edu/Fifalina.

by playing with her, she began to open up. Within a week she was all smiles, dancing and playing with us. She would cling to our legs and help us with taking temperatures and with anything else we’d let her.

She radiated happiness. Watching that transformation in her and many others is what makes coming here worth it.

PHOTOS: KATIE KEEGAN AND DEB LOUDEN © MERCY SHIPS

CREDIT TK

What’s the most challenging part of your time with Mercy Ships?

The biggest challenge was getting used to the community life of the ship. At home, you get used to having your own space, but here on the ship, you live with 400 other people and you share a room with several people. It is fun once you are used to it, but there is a bit of an adjustment phase.

You’re now on your second leg with Mercy Ships: Why did you decide to return?

Before leaving Madagascar, I knew my time with Mercy Ships was not over. I knew I would return. Working with this organization is like an addiction—you just want to come back for more time. The community and work is very rewarding in many ways. As your patients go through their fears and excitements, you experi-

ence those same emotions with them. It is an experience you can’t get anywhere else. Madagascar was an amazing country to be able to experience for the short time I was there, and I am now very excited to be able to spend the next 10 months in Benin, learning about this wonderful country.

How do you balance your volunteer work with Mercy Ships and your nursing career stateside? And practically speaking, how do you afford to volunteer for such long stretches?

I quit my job in the ICU to be able to leave from August 2015 to January 2016 to serve with Mercy Ships in Madagascar. Each person [on the ship] volunteers their time and pays for their own travel expenses and crew fees on board. To be able to afford to do this, I rent my house out to cover the mortgage, raise support through donations, and save my money from my jobs when I am in the U.S.

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Faith & Learning A REPORT TO THE ALUMNI OF WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY

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Westwind Fall 2016

AT WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY, LEARNING TAKES PLACE WITHIN A FRAMEWORK OF FAITH.

I

PHOTO: BRANDON HILL

t’s the context in which we conduct our academic pursuits,” says Bob Cushman, vice president for Academic Administration. “Faith pervades the entire range of life and learning here.”

Many faculty members start classes with a devotional thought, discuss faith issues that intersect with subject matter, and pray with students. Faculty encourage exercising faith as they model their own commitment to Adventist beliefs and prepare students to speak intelligently in a secularized world.

A prime example of the many tangible ways that students, in turn, apply what they learn is the ICW Ethics Bowl, a full-day competition among student teams from the 10 member colleges of the Independent Colleges of Washington (ICW). Each college sends a team of up to five students to debate in a competitive setting, using cases that explore ethical issues that are relevant today.

“We prep during fall quarter by reading notable ethicists and studying ethical theories, then get together weekly to go through the difficulties and discuss how the theories can be used based on the cases that we have seen in the past,” says Montgomery Buell, associate professor of history and coach and coordinator of the WWU Ethics Bowl team.

Students who participate in Ethics Bowl say it is one of the most valuable things they have done at WWU, Buell says. One such student, Acacia Chan ’16, was a member of the team for three

years and starting this fall is pursuing a master’s degree in religion at Yale Divinity School.

“Throughout my childhood, I loved gathering useless information, but in Ethics Bowl I was able to gather useful facts and apply them in a way that blended classical moral theories and current events,” says Chan.

“Tolerance was another aspect of our education. Through different lenses, we were each able to discover our own stances on the case, but we also had to work with the stances of our teammates and come to a consensus to present as a unified team. We learned to trust one another. The pressure can be high within rounds, and we need to be able to let other people fulfill their roles, even when we don’t completely agree. By the time competition happened, I was confident that every person on the team could give a coherent, concise, and nuanced answer to any question we might encounter.

“Because of this experience, I am an informed, active participant in political and social discussions,” says Chan. “I’ve learned to structure my thoughts in a way that conveys information to other people in winsome and easy-tofollow ways. Going into academia and education, this lesson is hugely important and will influence my teaching style for the rest of my career.”

This union of faith and learning is also evident in student-led global projects, such as To Build a Home, a two-year orphanage project in Kasese, Uganda. From 2013– 2015, the Associated Students of Walla Walla University (ASWWU)

raised more than $100,000 for the project and partnered with the WWU School of Engineering to design the new buildings. During the past two years, six student missionaries have gone to serve at the orphanage.

“We really had to think outside the box while fundraising and reach beyond the borders of our campus to churches and other contacts,” said Elise Kinne ’16, project coordinator. “Those challenges helped us grow as a team, and I’m thankful for each one.”

Within computer science classes, “The concept of service is built into our curriculum from freshman-level introductory courses, which include contributing to free open-source projects, to senior-level capstone experiences, which require students to take on a major programming project,” says Jonathan Duncan, chair of the computer science department. “[We] encourage students to approach computer science from a Christian worldview, examining concepts such as artificial intelligence and ethics from the unique perspective of a believer.” Enrollment in the program is at a 10-year high.

“I am continually amazed and impressed by the commitment and dedication of our faculty,” says Cushman. “They go above and beyond in teaching, supporting, and mentoring our students and are wonderful role models for what it means to be Christian scholars. They walk with students in exploring some of life’s larger questions, such as: Who am I? Why am I here? What is the meaning of life?”

THIS REPORT is an abbreviated version of the Walla Walla University report for delegates to the 2016 North Pacific Union Conference Quinquennial Constituency Session that took place Sept. 25, 2016.

To view the full report, visit wallawalla.edu/constituency-report.

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EXCELLENCE IN THOUGHT and Purposeful Stewardship

FIVE-YEAR CHANGE IN FRESHMAN ENROLLMENT AT THE 12 ADVENTIST COLLEGES IN NORTH AMERICA 30% 20%

AMONG THE MANY HIGHLIGHTS ON CAMPUS DURING THE LAST FIVE YEARS ARE:

» Competitive exam results.

WWU students consistently score at or above national averages on standardized tests in a wide range of fields, including chemistry, business, literature, and biolo�y.

» Courses offered online.

Disciplines that offer online classes include social work, education, psycholo�y, math, religion, history, English, business, computer science, and graphic design.

» Global Citizen Certificate

in development. This new opportunity for students will include academic and experiential components that build leadership skills, such as critical thinking, oral and written communication, and applying a sense of global citizenship to real-world concepts.

» Increase in first-time

freshman enrollment. In fall 2012, WWU enrolled the largest freshman class in nearly two decades. In each year since then, the freshman class has been larger

than classes recorded in the 17 years prior to 2012.

» Higher average GPA. The

high school grade point average for 2011–2015 prospective student cohorts averaged 3.512, up from 3.420 for 2006–2010 cohorts.

» Improved communica-

tion with key audiences.

We rolled out a new website that is more accessible and works well on mobile platforms, improved online enrollment tools for students, and developed a WWU smartphone app.

» Minimal tuition increases.

development activities, and service activities.

» Campus improvements.

Improvements include ADA accessibility, installation of fire sprinkler systems in several buildings, new and improved outdoor lighting, creation of collaborative learning spaces, improvements to residence halls, remodeled building for the School of Social Work in Missoula, Mont., new cabins at the Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory, and a remodeled �ym and the addition of a new wood �ym floor.

COLLEGE 1

+30.9 %

WWU

+1.22%

10% 0% -10% -20%

COLLEGE 12 -33.1%

-30%

The WWU average first-time freshmen enrollment rate has been steady, increasing overall by 1.22% since 2011.

As this comparison with other Adventist colleges and universities in North America shows, this is not the trend in Adventist higher education. Our challenge is to continue to attract new students in a changing market.

SOURCE: Adventist Enrollment Association 2015 data

Thanks in part to a generous scholarship program, tuition costs haven’t been raised by more than 2 percent in any of the last five years.

» Launch of a cocurricular transcript. This collection of student activities and involvement outside the classroom provides an official record of awards received, leadership positions held, professional

New steps lead from Centennial Green to the Administration Building.

2015–16 ALUMNI CLASS GIVING AWARDS

THANK YOU

ANNUAL GIVING REPORT Walla Walla University seeks to foster the unique gifts of every individual within a Christian community of faith and discovery. In support of this mission and philosophy, from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, the university received gifts totaling

$12,153,990.

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Westwind Fall 2016

Gateway Award

Mountain Ash Award

CLASS OF 1983

CLASS OF 1948 & CLASS OF 1955

Highest total giving by class

$145,936 This year, the class of 1983 more than doubled last year’s award-winning amount of $62,392 by the class of 1985.

Consider the gauntlet thrown down.

Highest class participation

27%

participation rate With a giving participation rate of 27 percent, the class of 1948 and the class of 1955 tied for the Mountain Ash Award.

Last year the class of 1955 had a participation rate of 37.7 percent.

Orange and Green Award

Highest participation of a class to graduate in the last 10 years CLASS OF 2006 & CLASS OF 2007

Special Mention

Most improved participation CLASS OF 1967

2.9%

3.4%

improvement from last year

The class of 2006 and the class of 2007 share this award with 3.4 percent of the class giving to WWU. Last year the class of 2006 had a 4.7 percent giving rate.

In the 2014–15 fiscal year, 16.6 percent of the class of 1967 gave donations to WWU. That number increased by 2.9 percent in 2015–16 to 19.5 percent.

participation rate

PHOTO: BRANDON HILL

Brandon Spangler ’16 My social work practicum was at a homeless shelter in Walla Walla where I taught a behavioral therapy class. A resident who had a tough life finally opened up. He told me that though he rarely spoke, he took in every class, read all the literature, and did all the homework.

He admitted that because of the shelter and this class he was slowly starting to think more positively and, for the first time, to have hope that he could get out of his life rut.

“This struck me so intensely. Until then I felt like I was just speaking to deaf ears. It taught me a huge lesson: to keep doing your work with love and compassion. At some point, when it’s time, the seeds you plant will lead to change. I will never forget that moment when I learned to be calm and patient and to have faith.

“The ‘book knowledge’ is the foundation of helping others, but the actual work itself is where the bread and butter of our profession sits. My time here has brought me closer to God and my fellow man and has been critical to how I connect with people as a social worker. This is a school that practices the basic principle of ‘love your neighbor.’ I could not have chosen a better school for helping others.”

“

FAITH PERVADES THE ENTIRE RANGE OF LIFE AND LEARNING HERE.” —Bob Cushman, vice president for Academic Administration

ALUMNI CLASS GIVING Class Year

Total Giving

Class Year

Total Giving

1936-1947

$2,882.54

Participation

10.0%

1965

$56,245.00

Participation

24.8%

1983

Class Year

$145,936.29

Total Giving

Participation

10.7%

Class Year

2001

Total Giving

$14,120.00

Participation

3.6%

1948

$1,580.00

27.0%

1966

$29,676.37

25.8%

1984

$4,847.41

9.7%

2002

$4,050.00

2.6% 3.0%

1949

$6,095.00

16.1%

1967

$4,567.00

19.5%

1985

$81,125.75

11.8%

2003

$890.00

1950

$12,070.00

13.6%

1968

$17,065.00

14.5%

1986

$10,450.72

11.6%

2004

$32,406.67

3.8%

1951

$3,927.89

20.5%

1969

$9,451.00

14.3%

1987

$18,500.70

9.2%

2005

$2,235.00

2.9%

1952

$3,270.00

24.7%

1970

$18,480.00

16.5%

1988

$10,218.88

7.3%

2006

$3,442.72

3.4%

1953

$6,605.00

18.8%

1971

$8,011.00

13.1%

1989

$7,865.00

5.2%

2007

$4,787.00

3.4%

1954

$20,231.00

22.6%

1972

$12,115.00

11.7%

1990

$3,645.00

9.1%

2008

$311.80

1.2%

1955

$12,480.00

27.0%

1973

$119,025.00

9.4%

1991

$12,562.94

6.4%

2009

$1,540.00

2.2% 2.3%

1956

$2,290.00

24.7%

1974

$15,815.00

13.1%

1992

$3,841.80

6.6%

2010

$2,347.00

1957

$8,805.00

24.2%

1975

$6,980.00

8.4%

1993

$2,193.00

4.1%

2011

$2,250.00

1.8%

1958

$6,475.00

23.9%

1976

$31,250.00

11.1%

1994

$51,947.00

6.7%

2012

$4,562.00

2.9% 1.5%

1959

$4,640.89

26.1%

1977

$10,935.00

11.9%

1995

$1,085.00

4.8%

2013

$1,620.00

1960

$13,084.87

24.5%

1978

$17,466.26

12.9%

1996

$24,515.00

5.5%

2014

$2,723.80

2.1%

1961

$11,935.00

24.1%

1979

$16,525.75

10.5%

1997

$6,932.81

5.4%

2015

$4,993.54

2.4%

1962

$11,950.00

26.5%

1980

$17,330.70

10.5%

1998

$2,380.00

2.9%

2016

$3,547.78

3.8%

1963

$9,245.00

20.1%

1981

$25,957.45

10.5%

1999

$3,390.75

3.9%

1964

$8,990.00

21.7%

1982

$15,761.20

8.7%

2000

$7,066.00

4.1%

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21

AS WE MOVE FORWARD THE CHALLENGES WE FACE INCLUDE:

» Growing and developing

prospective students that govern enrollment decisions, such as demand for athletic scholarships or preference for off-campus housing.

new and existing academic programs in an environment where resources are limited.

» Balancing our mission with

the market and maintaining our identity and purpose in a culture that is rapidly shifting toward challenging Christian ideals.

» Increased activism and more

communication channels in new markets given lower enrollment in Adventist academies.

» Updated and renovated

» Finding and establishing

» Different expectations from

vocal protest about social-justice issues by students.

» State and federal regulations related to Title IX and LGBTQ compliance.

residential living spaces for students that integrate technolo�y.

➜ Keeping tuition affordable.

STRENGTHENING OUR TIES Alumni relationships are crucial to continue the tradition of excellence at WWU.

2013–2014

34

alumni events

4,453

alumni attending

2014–2015

38

alumni events

5,238

alumni attending

2015–2016

35

alumni events

5,152

STUDENT FINANCES: Numbers to Know

90% Percentage of WWU students who qualify for financial aid

$ 21,674 Average annual financial aid award

$ 9,698 Average family contribution for students who qualified for financial aid

$41.9

MILLION Financial aid awarded each year

by WWU

alumni attending

ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS

»

The endowed scholarship funds listed here provided $851,969 in scholarships for WWU students during 2015–16. Your investments today help to secure the future success of Walla Walla University and generations of students to come.

Administration Building Maintenance Advancement of Chemical Research at Walla Walla University ASWWU Student Aid Endowment James and Ruth Bebee Computer Science Scholarship James and Ruth Bebee Nursing Scholarship Beverly Math Faculty Improvement Shannon Marie Bigger Memorial Christian Service Volunteer Scholarship Lester and Geraldine Border Christian Service Scholarship

Alice I. Bowden Memorial Theology Scholarship George W. Bowers Excellence in Chemistry Scholarship Boyson Family Communication Scholarship John F. Bregar Memorial Scholarship Junior Senior Business Scholarship School of Business Fund Clair and Myrtle Calkins Library Book Fund D. Ordell and Margaret A. Calkins Business/ Education Faculty Development Merle Clairon Calkins Computer Science Faculty Development

Lewis Canaday Memorial Technology Scholarship Dr. James R. Chambers Memorial Scholarship Janice P. Chance Memorial Nursing Fund Dr. Muriel Chapman Nursing Scholarship Percy W. Christian Excellence in History Scholarship A. J. and Gladys E. Christiansen Memorial Scholarship Class of 1954 Scholarship Class of 1955 Scholarship Class of 1957 Scholarship Class of 1959 Student Missions Scholarship Class of 1960 Student Missions Scholarship Class of 1961 Student Missions Scholarship Class of 1965 Scholarship Class of 1971 Scholarship Class of 1978 Scholarship Class of 1983 Scholarship Class of 1984 Scholarship

Class of 1989 Edwin Zaugg Memorial Scholarship Class of 1996 Scholarship Class of 1997 Scholarship Class of 2003 Scholarship Class of 2009 Student Missionary Scholarship Class of 2011 Shari Booth Memorial Scholarship Class of 2012 Scholarship Class of 2014 Scholarship Verlin L. and Thelma (Kumalae) Cochran Memorial Scholarship Communication Development Course Computer Science Magazine L. P. “Jim” Corbett English Scholarship L. P. “Jim” Corbett History Scholarship L. P. “Jim” and Jane B. Corbett Student Aid Scholarship Lee Crain Memorial Music Scholarship

Edward F. Cross Engineering Scholarship Nancy Cross Memorial English Faculty Development Fund Vera Davis-Michel Memorial English Scholarship Edward F. and Clara M. Degering Memorial Educational Scholarship Claude and Annie Deming Memorial Fund Loren Dickinson Communications Scholarship Dietrich/Wilkinson Aviation Scholarship Frances Dixon Special Education Dr. Ralph A. Drake Scholarship Lars and Anna Dybdahl Scholarship Josephine Cunnington Edwards Memorial Scholarship H. Russell and Genevieve Emmerson Memorial Scholarship

Engineering Chair Endowment NEW! Engineering/ * Computer Science Endowment Fund Mary Garner Esary Memorial Scholarship Faculty/Staff Scholarship Dena W. and R. B. Farnsworth Nursing Scholarship Ray and Alice Fowler Scholarship Norma S. Gardner Memorial English Scholarship Wilford and Emma Goffar Scholarship Graduate Dean’s Award Albert E. and Reta J. Graham Memorial Scholarship Grellmann Family Scholarship John J. Hafner Music Scholarship Lovyl and Mary Hagle Memorial Worthy Student Scholarship

LEGACY SOCIETY The Legacy Society honors donors who have made an estate gift or deferred gift of any size to provide for the work of Walla Walla University.

Alix Harris ’16

THIS FUND

was established

by Bernard Pham ’83 and Alwin Vyhmeister ’87 to provide scholarships for students studying engineering and/or computer science and to recognize excellence in teaching and outstanding contributions to industry by WWU faculty who teach in these areas.

Richard and Dena Hammill Memorial Scholarship Thomas Hampson Humanities Merit Scholarship Howard E. Hanafin Scholarship Clyde and Mary Harris Challenge Grant Pauline Hart Memorial Social Work Scholarship Richard and Georgiana Hayden Christian Service Scholarship Rodney Heisler Engineering Scholarship/Grant Robert A. Henderson Memorial History Scholarship Wilma E. Hepker Scholarship Paul and Frances Heubach Memorial Theology Scholarship Jess Holm Memorial Scholarship Juanita Wagner Holm Memorial Nursing Scholarship →

Attending WWU meant leaving home and starting a life full of new places, people, and experiences.

“At the beginning of my freshman year, I was terribly homesick. I missed my family and friends and the familiarity of home. One evening near the end of my first quarter I was sitting in Heubach Chapel at a worship service, and I suddenly realized that I wasn’t so homesick anymore. Listening to the students around me singing praises to God in the low candlelight of the chapel, I realized that WWU was a family and I wasn’t alone. To me, that’s why this is such a special place—WWU is family.

“Earning my degree at a university where faith in God is a central theme has shaped the way I look at my future. Studying at WWU has shown me how service and faith go hand in hand.

I want my career to be one of service to God and my community.”

Anonymous donors (14) Alice Ames Kirk and Melody Ayers Beverly Beem Jack and Evelyn Bergman Darold and Barbara Bigger Maxine Blome Bob and Georgene Bond Marjorie Bregar Robert and Treva Burgess Daryl and Patricia Burghart Grace Cafferky Merle Calkins Lois Carscallen Challis Casebolt Sue Cason Douglas and Carmen Clark Bernard and Margaret Cook Carlton and Nancy* Cross Dorothy Curameng Walden* and Ellen Davis Don and Orletta Dealy Paul and Kristyn Dybdahl Jon and Kathryn Dybdahl Jim and Vicky Edwards D. Joyce Engel Kerry Ferris Allen and Donna Fisher Darius and Amanda Fleck Kerry and Marian Forschler Jim and Christie Forsyth Brant Foster Gary and Udell Fresk Leslie and Barbara Ann Fromm Henry and Mayme* Gerber Keith and Elizabeth Gibbons Theo and Marianne Goltz Don and Phyllis* Hall Jim and Ruth Hall Howard* and Elizabeth Hanafin Lewis* and Ruth Hart Gerald and Orah* Hixson Stan and Irene Hixson Jeanie Hixson Lloyd* and Lorena Hoffman Archie Howatson Delta and Harold* Huber Wynelle Huff Eunice Johnson Ed and Marilyn* Karlow Robert and Peggy Kaye Susan and Alvin* Kincaid Clarence and Helen Klopfenstein Mel and Joyce Lang Walter and Luella Litchfield Sandra Love-Dahl Dan and Betsy Matthews Marja-Leena McChesney Walt and Bonnie Meske

David and Florence* Miller Eldon* and Opal Mills Lloyd and Maud* Moody William and Marjorie Moreno James* and Alice Nash Olen and Mary Nations Ted and Nancy Nedderman Jim and Nancy Nestler Joan Ogden Calvin* and Alyse Olson Howard* and Monta Osborne Eff ie Pampaian James and Della Park Troy and Renee Patzer Beulah Payne Tom and Barbara Pelett Lawrence Perrigoue and RuthAnn May Jim and Jen Pinder Lloyd and Fern Piper Marvin A. Piper, MD Zelma* Nethery Wells Piper Hoe and Mary Poh Avonelle Remboldt Bob and Barbara Richards Norton* and Lois Ritchie-Ritter John* and Kathy Robertson Nancy Ann Romine Alberta Roth Glenna Ryder Jimmy Sadoyama Doyle* and Lorelei Saxby Robert and Janelle Schmidt Don* and Marcella Schwisow Jaclin Smith Louis and Marguerite* Smith Samuel and Carol Smith Ralph and Franice Stirling Eldon* and Barbara Stratton Mark and Dorita Tessier Everett and Shirley Tetz Griff ith and Shirley Thomas Alden and Wanda Thompson Kelly Turner Philip and Reid Wasser Ray and Pat Watson Dorothy Weisz Betty and Melvin West Keith and Joyce Wilkens Stephen and Kelly Wilson Virginia Wilson Tim and Cheri Windemuth Vicki and Gerald Winkle Helen Thompson Zolber *Deceased prior to June 30, 2016

To learn more about joining the Legacy Society, contact Dorita Tessier at (509) 527-2646 or visit legacy.wallawalla.edu/legacy-society.

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MAJOR FIELD TEST SCORES Students in five academic programs scored at the 90th percentile or above on Major Field Tests in 2015. Seniors at more than 350 colleges and universities in the United States take these standardized tests each year.

92nd percentile

BIOLOGY

96th

BUSINESS

99th

CHEMISTRY LITERATURE MATHEMATICS

93rd 90th

NURSING BOARDS PASS RATE KEY:

WWU

2012

2013

NATIONAL

100% PASS RATE 80%

60% 2014

2015

First-time pass rates on the nursing licensure exam (NCLEX) exceed the national average. The School of Nursing has the second largest student enrollment at WWU after the School of Engineering. In 2016, the School of Nursing was granted accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) through the maximum eligible time frame of June 2021.

“

“OUR FACULTY GO ABOVE AND BEYOND ...

AND ARE WONDERFUL ROLE MODELS.” —Bob Cushman, vice president for Academic Administration

(continued from page 23)

Helen and Archie Howatson Nursing Scholarship Oland F. Hubbs Memorial Theology Scholarship Vera Johnson Hubbs Memorial Business Scholarship Dr. and Mrs. Harold Huber Scholarship Wynelle J. Huff Nursing Scholarship Jess M. Hutson, M.D., Memorial Scholarship IBCC Jensen Memorial Math Scholarship Dr. Gordon Johnson Physics Scholarship Murray L. and Ilene Johnstone Scholarship

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Carl and Lucile Jones Nursing Scholarship Peggy Henderson Kaye Nursing Scholarship Helen Wineberg Kendall Women in Business Scholarship KGTS Betty Klein Engineering Scholarship A. H. and Mary Koorenny Memorial Scholarship Robert H. and Thorna Koorenny Scholarship Kretschmar Hall Maintenance Luella Latham Kretschmar Memorial Scholarship Laura G. Larson Memorial Nursing Scholarship

Rudolf and Anna Klimes Learn Well Physical Education Scholarship H. Lloyd Leno Memorial Music Scholarship Lewiston/Clarkston Scholarship Jennie M. Livingston Memorial Library Fund Dr. C. Stanley Lloyd Jr. Scholarship Kelly Logan Social Work Scholarship Romulo and Mercedes Lozano Scholarship Mary E. Marker Memorial Theology Scholarship Roy and Lois (Dorland) Martin English Scholarship Sukhdev Mathaudhu Engineering Scholarship

Mathematics Alumni Scholarship Dorothy and Byron Miller Mathematics Scholarship Warren Matheson Memorial Christian Service Scholarship Matiko Theology Award Harden M. McConnell and Alvin L. Kwiram Award Eldena McDow Scholarship Jacob G. and Lois A. Mehling Business Scholarship Messenger/Loewen Scholarship Jack Evan Miles Memorial Scholarship MariAnne Jensen Moore Memorial Nursing Scholarship

Joseph and Beth Murray Memorial Scholarship for Resident Assistants Music Scholarship Dan and Mary Morrison Necker Scholarship Llewellyn and Vivian Nixon Scholarship Nursing Scholarship Daniel A. Ochs Memorial Theology Scholarship Dr. and Mrs. Howard Osborne Scholarship Blythe Owen Music Scholarship Doreen Paulson-Evans Memorial Scholarship Yvonne Pickett Memorial Scholarship Piper-Johanson Scholarship

Helen L. Popoway Endowment Robert L. Reynolds Excellence in History Scholarship Robert M. Reynolds Memorial Scholarship Donald W. Rigby Biology Award Donald W. Rigby Biology Faculty Research Donnie Rigby Drama Award Rigby Hall Maintenance John D. Rogers, M.D., Memorial Scholarship Rosario Marine Station Maintenance Thomas C. Rowsell Memorial Scholarship Thais Thrasher Sadoyama Scholarship

PHOTO: CALEB RISTON

ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS

WWU Board of Trustees Max Torkelsen II, CHAIR Bruce Thorn, VICE CHAIR John McVay, SECRETARY MEMBERS

DeLona Bell Daniel M. Bergeron Andrew O. Carrington Kenneth Crawford Larry Dodds John Freedman Stephanie Gates Paul Hoover Monty Knittel Merlin Knowles Rhona Kwiram Gordan Lacey

John Loor, Jr. Gregory Paskell Dennis Plubell David Prest Barbara Prowant Al Reimche Mark Remboldt Kevin Rogers Sandy Schnell Linda Sloop Oswaldo Villalobos Rodney Wehtje

WWU Alumni Association Board Ted Swinyar, CHAIR Richard Flaiz, PRESIDENT Ken Aso, PRESIDENT-ELECT Heather Schermann, TREASURER Patti Green, SECRETARY Jodi Wagner, VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY RELATIONS AND ADVANCEMENT, EX OFFICIO

Terri Neil, DIRECTOR FOR ALUMNI AND PARENT RELATIONS, EX OFFICIO

Twyla Leiske Bechtel, MANAGER OF HAVSTAD ALUMNI CENTER, EX OFFICIO

Christian Bell, BOARD MEMBER Greg Brooks, BOARD MEMBER Jaci Cress, BOARD MEMBER Johannes Fackenthall, BOARD MEMBER Larry Swisher, BOARD MEMBER Michael Walter, BOARD MEMBER

Gayle L. Saxby Memorial Scholarship Lilah S. Risinger Schlotthauer Memorial Mathematics Scholarship Eleanor B. Schofield Memorial Teachers Scholarship John Montgomery Schultz Engineering Fund Seibly Family Endowed Scholarship Cecil W. Shankel Memorial Chemistry Scholarship Shattuck/Zitterbart Memorial Nursing Scholarship Donald and Virginia Sherwood Memorial Scholarship NEW! Herbert Z. and * Jessie K. Shiroma Scholarship Endowment

THIS ENDOWMENT

was established by the family of Herbert and Jessie Shiroma to honor their parents’ hard work and determination. After Jessie was widowed in 1956, she followed God’s leading to leave Oahu and move to the Walla Walla Valley where she created a home-away-from-home for many students from Hawaii and Southeast Asia and where many of her children and grandchildren attended WWU.

Carolyn Stevens Shultz Scholarship Dan Shultz Music Scholarship NEW! Robert and Susan * Smith First Generation Endowed Scholarship Solomon Scholarship Gene and Betty Soper Music Scholarship Robert L. Spies Memorial Scholarship Glenn Spring Music Scholarship Joseph L. Stubblefield Memorial Scholarship Janis Suelzle Memorial Student Missionary Fund T5 Foundation Business Excellence Fund

GIVING THANKS “The Apostle Paul urges us to give thanks ‘always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’” says WWU President John McVay quoting from Ephesians 5:20, ESV. “Such thanksgiving is rooted in reflecting on the past, recalling blessings and challenges. As we at Walla Walla University have reviewed the quinquennium just past, 2011–2016, it has indeed cued thanksgiving to God. “You have read here record of initiatives to further strengthen the excellent spiritual and academic mission of Walla Walla University,” says McVay. “God’s blessings, though, have outstripped our efforts, diligent as they have been. He has taken our little and made much of it. We invite you to join us in giving thanks to God from Whom all blessings flow.”

THIS ENDOWED FUND

was created by Robert and Susan Smith to provide scholarship funds for students who are the first person in their family to attend college.

Theology Library Book Fund George and Lola Thompson Memorial Scholarship Thomas M. Thompson and Kenneth L. Wiggins Excellence in Mathematics Scholarship Harry and Ella Thornton Memorial Scholarship E. E. and Jane Breese-Trefz Christian Service Scholarship Clarence O. Trubey Memorial Music Scholarship Undergraduate Advanced Study Marilyn K. (Dammrose) Van Stee Memorial Nursing Scholarship Verde Fund for Graduate Marine Research

Eva Stratton Vliet and Jess Vliet Scholarship Stanley E. Walker Music Scholarship Francys C. Welch Scholarship Melvin K. West Music Scholarship Lois Whitchurch Nursing Scholarship Monte Wilkins Memorial Scholarship John and Inez Willey Family Memorial Scholarship WWU Student Aid Randy Yaw Pi Contest Scholarship Young Memorial Lecture in Biology Norma R. Youngberg Scholarship

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Alumni Currents Staying in touch with our family of graduates

WWU to 2015 when she retired. She worked in many areas of nursing including in hospitals, offices, a nursing home, and at a community college where she taught CNA and CMA classes. Laurine fondly remembers the friends she made during her time as a student at WWU. Laurine has three children with her late husband, Daniel Kites att., Vern ’86, Lynnette att., and Kenneth.

AlumNotes

Get up to date with fellow WWU alumni.

Submit your information for AlumNotes at wallawalla.edu/alumnotes.

1950s

Marie (Jenkins) Adams and her late husband, Earl, both graduated from WWU in 1951.

They both started teaching right after graduating and taught in Adventist schools for 40 years. After Earl died in 2004, Marie moved to Arizona. She says, “We were in many places so it seems wonderful to have been settled in one place for 12 years here in Arizona.” Marie attends the Prescott Adventist Church, where she says she stays busy filling many different roles. The Adamses had four daughters: Carol Swinyar, Patty Denison, Nancy, who is now deceased, and Krista Leirmoe. Marie says that there were so many good things that happened to her while she was a student at WWU—“one being meeting then marrying my husband, Earl.” She remembers fondly the feeling that all of the music majors, which she was one of, and the music department felt like “one big, happy family.” She enjoyed being part of singing bands, specials in the church, recitals, and band and choir performances. She directed the Prescott Church Choir until she retired last year. “Music in heaven will be one of my greatest joys,” she says.

1960s

Fekede Gemechu ’66 lives in Loma Linda, Calif. After graduating from WWU, Fekede attended medical school at Loma Linda University.

From there he completed his clinical internship at Kettering Medical Center in Ohio and a rigorous surgical residency at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, Md. He

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then joined the Southern California Permanente Medical Group where he was a surgeon for many years.

He established the nonprofit charitable organization, International Medical and Academic Alliance, to help support and guide the Kalala Learning Village projects, a community resource center he founded for the promotion of health and education in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Some of his favorite memories of WWU are having his name changed from Fekede to “Fred” by his fellow students, meeting on Sunday afternoons to play soccer, and the lifelong friends he made as a student who made him feel welcome in his new home in the states. Fekede and his wife, Azeb, who is now deceased, have two daughters: Rahel and Aida.

Richard Hart ’66 and his wife, Judith (Osborne) att., live in Yucaipa, Calif. Richard is the president of Loma Linda University Health and has been at LLU since 1977. While the Harts have called the Loma Linda area home for many years, they have also worked in Tanzania.

Richard and Judith have three daughters: Chandra Baier att., Briana Jack, and Kari Hidalgo att.

Joe Humble ’61 and his wife, Patricia K. (Pierson) Johnston ’58, live in College Place. Joe is retired after teaching for 37 years in public schools and the Adventist school system. Joe lists some of the high points of his career as when he was chair of the English department at Libby Mt. Senior High School and when he received the Zapara Excellence in Teaching Award. Joe enjoys fishing and other outdoor activities.

Some of his favorite memories from WWU are of the talent programs and of listening to “Dad” Aplington tell stories of the Snake River breaks. Joe and Patricia have one son: Bryan.

Rose (McCallum) Jacobus ’61 and her husband, LeRoy, live in Spokane, Wash. Rose is a retired nurse who worked at Portland Adventist Medical Center for 35 years. She received

a master’s degree in nursing administration in 1984 from Andrews University and for 10 years of her career worked as an office nurse.

Some of her favorite memories from WWU are walking back to the dorm from the library at night and having Dr. Christian’s bulldog follow her and her friends, and trying to avoid hitting her head on the 4½-foot-high doorway of her closet. Rose and LeRoy have two children: Sharon Dietrich ’87 and Michael att.

Gordon Johnson ’66 and his wife, Patricia (Pudlo), live in College Place.

Gordon taught in the physics department at WWU for 27 years from 1974 to 2001.

He then moved to Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., where he retired in 2011. A year later he and his wife moved back to College Place “to enjoy warmer winters and many old friends.” He is now a freshman mentor for new students at WWU. A couple of his favorite memories from WWU are going on weekend adventures with classmates in the Blue Mountains and not having to take the final exams in Dr. Gordon Hare’s math classes. Gordon and Patricia have three children, all graduates of WWU: Wendy ’93, Darrin ’98, and Aimee ’99.

William “Bill” Johnson ’66 and his wife, Dorothy (Tanner) ’62, live in Tillamook, Ore. Bill was a family nurse practitioner for 32 years and has also worked as a public health nurse and a nurse in a small hospital. He retired in 2007. The Johnsons have three children: Darrin ’91, Kevin, and Carla Hockley.

Laurine (Wright) Kites ’61 lives in Pendleton, Ore. She is a retired nurse who was active in the field of nursing for more than 50 years, from 1961 when she graduated from

Beverly (Bretsch) Klein ’61 and her husband, Edward ’66, live in Milton-Freewater, Ore. Throughout their careers, they lived in Pennsylvania and in Spangle, Wash., where Edward taught industrial education and vocational programs at Adventist academies, and Beverly worked as a nurse. They also spent time working at the Adventist college in the Philippines where Beverly worked in the library. She says, “We have enjoyed travel around the world in our comings and goings overseas. Now we are retired and still travel to see our kids and grandkids.” Some of Beverly’s favorite memories from WWU are of enjoying the church and social events in the old Columbia Auditorium. The Kleins have two children: Scott att. and Sandi Phillips ’90.

Dale Lent ’61 and his wife, Myrna (Fowler) att., live in Cinebar, Wash.

He has enjoyed working at many Seventh-day Adventist academies, such as Hawaiian Mission Academy for eight years, Wisconsin Academy for eight years, and Forest Lake Academy for seven years. He received a master’s degree from Pacific Union College in 1968 and held a managerial position at Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory from 1984 to 1996. He recalls his time at Rosario with great fondness where he experienced singular moments and great working relationships with people like Joe Galusha. Some of Dale’s hobbies include photography, art, and shell collecting. He has thousands of shells that he has collected from all around the world. He has been the president of the Central Florida Shell Club in Orlando, Fla., the Pacific N.W. Shell Club in Seattle, and vice president of the Hawaiian Malacological Society in Honolulu, Hawaii. Some memories of WWU that Dale keeps close to his heart are student days, the staff, Temple’s art classes, industrial arts classes, and hiking up South Fork and in other areas of the Blue Mountains. The Lents have four children: Kathyrn Akins, Karen D. West, Jeanne L. Norris ’87, and Joseph who is now deceased.

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Lois Moore Lois (Wilson) Moore ’61 and her husband, Marvin att., live in Caldwell, Idaho, where Lois serves as an elder in the Caldwell Seventh-day Adventist Church. Throughout her career, Lois has worked in numerous nursing leadership positions including teaching on the Portland campus for the WWU School of Nursing, working as the director of nursing at the Seventh-day Adventist hospital in Bandung, Indonesia, serving as the director of a school of nursing in Seoul, Korea, and working as an assistant professor in nursing at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas. She retired from a CNA teaching position at College of Western Idaho.

Lois has a master’s degree in nursing from Oregon State University School of Health and a master of public health degree from Loma Linda University School of Health. She has also taught in the children’s Sabbath School divisions in her church every year since 1976 and served on short-term mission trips to India every year from 2005 to 2014. During her mission trips, Lois worked with her husband, Marvin, to present health messages and evangelistic messages. She met Bible worker volunteers in India who wanted to send their children to Adventist schools and couldn’t afford to do so. “I would agree to sponsor kids to Adventist Child India (ACI),” she writes.

“Currently and for the past four or five years, I have sponsored 12 students per year ($420/month x 12 months) to attend our ACI schools.”

Some of her fondest memories of WWU are of working in the rain with her sister, Dr. Stohr’s class, and the smell of pea silage! “It was at WWC that I developed the habit of attending prayer meeting,” she writes. “I have continued that to this day, and it has helped shape my life.” The Moores have two children: Sheri and M. Barton (Barry).

David Ludden ’66 and his wife, Marilyn (Sampsel) ’67, live in Athol, Idaho. Throughout his career, David taught at Adventist schools in Washington, New Hampshire, Oregon, Alaska, Zambia, and Idaho.

He fondly remembers his time working in the cafeteria at WWU, but his favorite memory during his college days is of meeting his wife. The Luddens have one daughter: Julene Cole ’93.

Carlotta (Day) Munson ’61 lives in Sedan, Kan. She writes that the highlight of her career was working for Elder Harold Richards at the Voice of Prophecy. She helped found a historical society for Chautauqua County, Kan., and is active in the Daughters of the American Revolution. She has traveled to 25 countries on four continents. Her favorite WWU memories “are all about the teachers.” She writes, “It thrills my soul that my granddaughter is now living in Conard Hall. I hope she experiences the same kind of caring.” Carlotta’s first husband, Paul att., is now deceased. Her second husband, Harold, is also deceased.

She has three children: Stan Schuett, Andrea Griggs, and Greg Schuett.

KEY: att. = attended

Sandra “Sandy” (Leach) Zaugg ’61 lives in Gresham, Ore. During her teaching career, Sandy taught every grade—first grade through college. She completed a master’s degree at Loma Linda University at age 50. Since retirement, Sandy has taught at a language school in China, in the English Center at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in the Philippines, and at Hong Kong Adventist College. Sandy is also an author, mostly of children’s books. Sandy writes that one of her favorite memories of WWU is that she “got engaged to my husband there—what else can I say?” Her husband, Wayne Zaugg ’61, passed away in 1979. Sandy and Wayne had two children: Kimberly att. and Edwin att., who is now deceased.

1970s

Barbara (Robertson) Collins ’75 and ’81 and her husband, Lanny, live in College Place. Barbara received two degrees from WWU: a bachelor of science in nursing and a bachelor of arts in music. Throughout her career, she has worked as a registered nurse and as a staff section leader for the Trinity Cathedral choir.

She was executive assistant to the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon until 2008 and was an administrative assistant in the Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church. She is currently the choir director at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Walla Walla.

Some of her favorite memories of WWU are coming home from swimming laps during winter quarter and finding her hair frozen solid, the excitement of trying to find a ride into Walla Walla to shop, carpooling to Portland for only $5 round trip, and Albert Grable’s microbiology class.

Russ Davidson ’71 and his wife, Francie (Glenn) ’69, live in Rhododendron, Ore. He has been a civil engineer for the United States Army Corps of Engineers for 40 years. Russ and Francie got married the day after her graduation in 1969.

A life-changing moment for Russ was when a beloved neighbor used him as a practice audience for a presentation he was working on of the “Four Spiritual Laws” from Bill Bright.

Russ says, “My faith was settled in my commitment and love for Christ.” Some of his hobbies include hiking, skiing, knitting, and wildflower photography and identification. A few of his favorite memories of WWU are Evensong, pipe organ music, choral music, exploring with friends on the Walla Walla River and Mill Creek, and working at the pool as a lifeguard. The Davidsons have two children: Caryn Pierce and Peggy Evans.

Steve Davis ’71 and his wife, Jan (Thietten) att., live in Walla Walla where he is the director for student information in the WWU marketing

and enrollment services office. After graduation, Steve spent the next eight years in ministry and graduate school. After he was ordained, he became campus chaplain and Bible teacher at San Pasqual Academy.

The next 28 years were spent in K-12 education in teaching, being a principal, and in other administrative roles. In 2006, WWU asked him to join their office of enrollment, and that is where he has served since.

Some memories he has from his days at WWU are of enjoying the various lyceum programs that featured guest artists and the moonlit walks after vespers and Saturday night programs. Steve and Jan have three children: Angela Prunty, Linnae Hays ’03, and Todd.

Carol (Pudleiner) Ellstrom ’70 and her husband, Ken, live in Hutchinson, Minn. Carol retired not long ago from a 45-year career in nursing. The Ellstroms have two children: Jeanette Griego and Wendy Porter.

Dawn (Zelka) Hainey ’76 and her husband, Herb Hainey ’78, live in Arlington, Wash. Before their children were born, Dawn taught junior high classes at Kirkland Seventh-day Adventist School in Kirkland, Wash.

Dawn is an active volunteer for her church and for other community organizations. One of her favorite activities is baking bread and giving it to those in need. She has been conducting vegetarian cooking classes since she was a student at WWU 43 years ago. Some of her favorite memories of WWU include helping with church in Waitsburg, cooking and baking for Dean Howard, meeting her husband, being a lab instructor for foods class under Mary Schwantes, and walking out to Whitman Mission. The Haineys have two children: Lisa ’06 and ’08 and Brian att.

Edward Alan Harris ’76 and his wife, Sally, live in Poulsbo, Wash.

After leaving WWU in 1976, Edward pastored a church in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, before attending Andrews University where he earned a master of divinity degree. He was then assigned to three churches in the Colville, Wash., area, which he cared for until 1982. He then joined the Stevens County Sheriff’s Department before being transferred to the Seattle Police Department in 1988. Throughout his career as a police officer, Edward spent time in numerous units: patrol, training, policy writer, gang detective, and traffic enforcement. His last 15 years

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Alumni Currents Staying in touch with our family of graduates

as a police officer were spent in the traffic section where he was also the lead drug recognition expert trainer. He writes, “Everything I learned from my time at WWU and AU I used in my profession of law enforcement.” He retired in July 2014 and now in his free time enjoys ham radio, golf, and working in his wood shop. Of his time at WWU, he writes, “I was fortunate to have been selected as a resident counselor in Sittner Hall and work under the guidance of deans Loewen and Meske. I looked forward to our daily evening meetings in the deans’ office where we were challenged in personal growth and thought.” The Harrises have four children: Megan, Lindsey, Michael, and Brian.

Jon Kattenhorn ’71 and his wife, Jeanette, live in Boise, Idaho. He is a physician for Saint Alphonsus Medical Group in Boise. His favorite memories from WWU are anything related to his friends, the faculty, and the College Church. Jon and his wife, Jeanette, have three children: Sara Schilt ’04, Dana Rhynus att., and Jordan ’12.

Ann (Fulton) Larrabee ’76 and her husband, Mark att., live in Sandy, Ore. She is a nurse at Portland Adventist Medical Center where she has worked since 1975. She currently works in the Family Birth Place/ Women’s Services department and also works for her husband’s business. Her hobbies include scrapbooking, tole painting, gardening, and grandkids. The Larrabees have two children: Paula (Shearer) Wu att., and Peter Shearer.

Raymond J. Lenz ’76 and his wife, Judy (Lindquist), live in Suffolk, Va. He is currently a senior radio engineer for WHRO-FM/WHRV. Starting in 1980, Raymond spent two years in Lima, Peru, working for ADRA and La Voz de la Esperanza. He then spent six years at WAUS at Andrews University as chief engineer, six years in Costa Rica as chief engineer of Adventist World Radio, and several years at the Upper Columbia Conference working in information technology and taking care of the radio and TV station there. In 2002, he moved to Virginia where he worked for WVEC-TV before moving to the local public media outlet. He met his wife, Judy, a graduate of PUC, in Peru in 1981. “Judy has been my ‘engineering assistant’ for 33+

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Westwind Fall 2016

years,” he writes. They enjoy gardening and exploring the Bible and other biblical literature together.

Raymond’s favorite memories of WWU include working at KGTS, taking classes from Al Liske and Garth Fisher, and exploring the underground tunnel system while working for Plant Services. The Lenzes have two children: Angela and Benjamin.

ghost towns, Northwest history, Native American history and culture, “the ‘bigfoot’ question,” music, gardening, construction, Adventist history, Bible study, investing, solitude, friendships, philosophy, conspiracy theories, mythology, ancient history, archaeology, poetry, healthy cooking, romanticism, and logic. His favorite memory of WWU is graduation day.

Gina Marie Lindsey ’76 and her husband, Thomas Dow, live in Ukiah, Calif. Her career included managing and developing airports in Anchorage, Alaska, Seattle, Wash., and Los Angeles, Calif. She retired in 2015 in northern California where she and her husband grow olives for olive oil, are learning Spanish, and are pursuing their musical interests.

Her favorite memories from WWU include great professors, making lifelong friends, and studying drama and music.

Chara Sullivan att. and her husband, Samuel Zervitz, live in Westminster, Md. She is retired from her career as a self-employed senior lead technical recruiter. She worked for more than 16 years as a contractor in corporate, agency, and educational settings including for the intelligence community, such as the NSA and the CIA; the scientific community, such as NASA and Stennis Space Center where she recruited for positions working in satellite-aided search and rescue and research and applications for climate and atmospheric studies; and for national labs, such as Sandia National Lab, Los Alamos National Lab, and Pacific Northwest National Lab where she recruited for software and systems engineer positions. Chara’s fondest memories of WWU include “the great students and faculty in the music department” and their dedication.

Chara has two daughters: Charisse Sullivan-Thompson Mensah and Scharais Sullivan-Thompson.

Marilyn (Dinwiddie) May ’76 and her husband, Timothy ’80, live in Seabeck, Wash. Marilyn is a teacher’s aide at Poulsbo Adventist School where she also teaches Bible for grades one through four and core subjects for grades one and two. She writes, “I really enjoy the students and working with Susan Schilt, the teacher and principal.”

Her hobbies include making photo books, biking, swimming, hiking, and camping. “I think I enjoy our grandchildren the most!” she says.

“My fondest memory of Walla Walla is meeting my husband, Timothy.”

He asked her to a party and she says, “We have been together ever since.” The Mays have two children: Andrew att. and Carrie Gordon att.

Clinton Schultz ’75 and his wife, Linda, live in Spokane Valley, Wash.

He has been a pastor for the Upper Columbia Conference for his entire pastoral career and has served as a clinical counselor for Christian Counseling Northwest. Clinton enjoys a wonderful array of hobbies: the outdoors, camping, walking, hiking, dogs, horses, exploring old

Larry Swisher ’71 and his wife, Suzanne (Shephard) ’72, live in Pasco, Wash., where he is a dentist and orthodontist who also is currently serving on the WWU alumni board. His hobbies include playing trumpet in a brass choir, all sports, and spending time with his grandkids. The Swishers have three children: Jason att., Christopher ’01, and Jennifer ’04.

1980s

Hoi Young Chan ’81 lives in Happy Valley, Ore. He is a medical physicist for the California Cancer Center in Fresno, Calif. He has one daughter, Rachel.

Kevin Renshaw ’86 and his wife, Stephenie (Nelson) ’88 and ’94, live in Waitsburg, Wash. He is currently a mechanical engineer working for the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

1990s

Beth (Kopplin) James ’96 and her husband, Matthew, live in Hillsboro, Ore. She is a mental health counselor for Western Psychological and Counseling Services in Portland, Ore. Beth and Matthew have two sons: Seth and Luke.

Juliana (King) Montooth ’96 and her husband, John, live in Dillingham, Alaska, where she works part time as a family medicine physician for Bristol Bay Area Health Corp and homeschools two of her children.

Her husband, John, is an alternative high school teacher and a real estate agent. Juliana looks back on her days at WWU warmly. Her favorite memories are friendships becoming stronger while rock climbing at Smith Rock; hiking, skiing, sledding, and camping in the Blue Mountains and Wallowas; classes and extracurricular events in the biology department; and the spiritual growth she experienced through classes, mentoring from teachers, conversations with friends, and vespers/religious programs. Juliana and John have four children: Kaleb, Jimmy Prunes Jr., Annjuli, and Zakarias.

2000s

Wendy (Wolfswinkel) da Silva ’00 and her husband, Daniel, live in Plymouth, Minn. She works in ministerial support for the Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Wendy and Daniel were married in Vancouver, Wash., in 2012. Since then they moved from Tennessee to Minnesota after Daniel graduated from Southern Adventist University and took pastoral positions at The Edge Christian Worship Center in Brooklyn Park, Minn., and at the Cambridge Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cambridge, Minn.

Wendy also serves as the Pathfinder Teen Leadership training coordinator for the Minnesota Conference.

Her favorite memory from her days at WWU is taking Intro to Film Lit with Dr. Wiss—“the only class where you could watch movies all afternoon and have fun taking the final exam,” she says.

READ WESTWIND ONLINE: WESTWIND.WALLAWALLA.EDU

In Memory Anderson—Eric ’06 was born Oct. 20, 1983, in Ventura, Calif., and died April 13, 2016, in Mansfield, Texas.

Surviving: wife Megan (Melashenko) ’06 of Mansfield; sons Seth and Bennett of Mansfield; sister Renee Aguilar of Oxnard, Calif.; mother Debra and father Jack of Oxnard.

Everett; daughter Karen Brendan; and son Richard of Everett.

Bokovoy—Alexis “Alex” Peter ’45 was born March 3, 1920, in Coaldale, Alberta, Canada, and died March 1, 2014, in Princeville, Hawaii. Surviving: wife Sandra (Sandi) of Denton, Texas; daughter Joanna of Roseville, Calif.; and sons Alex of Allentown, Pa., and James of Sand Springs, Okla.

Harris—Philip ’64 was born July 27, 1941, in Fairfield, Mont., and died April 26, 2016, in Fairfield. Surviving: wife Arlene ’64 of Fairfield; sons Derik ’93 of Auburn, Wash., Darin of Kalispell, Mont., Dallas att. of Fairfield, and Denver ’09 of Fairfield; sister Louella Schultz ’73 of Fairfield; brother Keith ’72 of Fairfield; and mother Betty of Fairfield.

Brown—Ruth “Frances” (Miler) ’62 was born Sept. 18, 1918, in Woodburn, Iowa, and died Oct. 24, 2015, in Barboursville, W. Va. Surviving: daughters Judith Silver ’69 of Huntington, W. Va., and Rebecca Morrison ’68.

Dietel—Robert ’66 was born May 11, 1944, in Palo Alto, Calif., and died Dec. 17, 2015, in Everett, Wash.

Surviving: wife Lorraine (Meier) of

Erntson, Jr.—Verland V. ’66 was born April 2, 1944, in Portland, Ore., and died Feb. 25, 2016, in Laurel, Md. Surviving: wife Janice (Klimpel) of Clarksville, Md.

Hartnell—Calvin ’49 was born Sept. 20, 1923, in Bellingham, Wash., and died April 2, 2016, in Portland, Ore. Surviving: wife Shirley Blehm-Hartnell att. of Portland; sons Bryan of Redlands, Calif., and Bernard of Grand Junction, Colo.; stepdaughter Ronda Blehm att. of Gresham, Ore., and stepson Ronald Blehm of Clackamas, Ore.

McKinstry—Pearl (Maguire) ’49 was born Jan. 18, 1926, in Little Rock, Ark., and died April 13, 2016, in Sandy, Utah. Surviving: husband James ’50 of Murray, Utah; daughter Anne Shihadeh of Portland, Ore.; son Larry of Murray; sister Rose Rearrick of Eugene, Ore.; and brothers Pat ’52 of Loma Linda, Calif., and Munro att. of Long Beach, Wash.

Miller—Arthur C. ’40 was born Oct. 31, 1916, in Takoma Park, Md., and died Dec. 2, 2015, in Days Creek, Ore. Surviving: daughter Judy Peters of Grand Terrace, Calif.; and sons Arthur “Jack” Miller, Jr. ’78 of Days Creek and Ron of Wiliston, N.D. Parks—David M. ’60 was born Dec. 1, 1938, in Lewiston, Idaho, and died Jan. 1, 2016, in Loma Linda, Calif. Surviving: wife Reitha Hutson Parks att. of Grand Terrace, Calif.; daughter Heidi Edberg att. of Brea, Calif.; son Timothy att. of Placentia, Calif.; sisters Patricia Gomes ’60 of Walla Walla, Ruth Massey ’63 of Walla Walla, and Lois Pryor ’90

CREDIT TK

Solange Henderson On Aug. 16, 2016, the Walla Walla University community lost a bright light. Solange “Solita” C. Henderson began teaching at WWU in 1973 and retired in 2001.

Henderson was also very active in the larger Walla Walla community, having worked as an instructor at Walla Walla Community College, a translator for the police departments in Walla Walla and College Place, and teaching conversational Spanish at the senior center in Walla Walla.

Henderson was born on May 9, 1939, in Bucaramanga, Colombia, blessing Gustavo and Marina Carvajal with their second child. She grew up in Colombia and spent a lot of her time with her Aunt Mirian, who was only five years older than Solita. She graduated in 1956 from El Instituto Colombo-Venezolano in Medellín, Colombia, and a few years later enrolled at WWU where she began a long history

on the WWU campus. Henderson met her husband, Bob, at WWU, and they promptly got married in December 1960. The Henderson couple both worked and served at WWU for the majority of their careers, making themselves both invaluable and renowned within the community.

Henderson graduated from WWU in 1971 with a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish. Immediately upon graduating, Henderson began teaching Spanish part time at Walla Walla Community College, and a couple years after that officially joined the WWU faculty. She received a master’s degree in Spanish from Middlebury College, Vermont, in 1976, and also took intensive French and Italian courses in 1985, 1986, and 1993. From 1993 to 1998, Henderson served as chair of the WWU modern language department before her retirement in 2001.

of Vancouver, Wash.; and brother John att. of Walla Walla.

Powers—Edna (Dopp) ’45 was born Jan. 11, 1919, in Bellingham, Wash., and died Oct. 6, 2015, in College Place. Surviving: sister Marilyn Jones att. of Ukiah, Calif.

Redford—John (Bill) ’51 was born Sept. 7, 1924, in Tacoma, Wash., and died Nov. 20, 2015, in McMinnville, Ore. Surviving: wife Angie (Mayo) of McMinnville, Ore.; son Steven ’73 of Sandy, Ore.; and sister Ruth Martin att. of Tacoma, Wash.

Robinson—Robert L. ’66 was born Sept. 11, 1942, in Colville, Wash., and died May 3, 2015, in Sutherlin, Ore. Surviving: wife Brenda ’64 of Sutherlin; daughters Bobbie Jo Srikureja ’92 of Spokane, Wash., and Tonya LeAnn Rogers ’93 of Middleton, Idaho, and son Michael ’91 of Guam.

Smith—Adena att. was born March 18, 1927, in Denver, Colo., and died May 3, 2016, in Estacada, Ore. Surviving: husband E. Preston ’48 of Estacada; daughter Linda Kinne ’69 of Estacada, and son Richard att. of Sherwood, Ore. Watts—Richard N. ’53 was born June 16, 1923, in Riverside, Calif., and died Dec. 24, 2015, in Bend, Ore. Surviving: wife Donna (Brower) att. of Bend; daughters Shirley Middlestetler of Springfield, Ore., and Linda Wilson of Kelso, Wash.; sister Barbara Stadler of Westminster, Colo., and brothers Dave of Loveland, Colo., and Jim of Gulf Shores, Ala. Werner—Lyle att. was born April 9, 1929, in Fox Valley, Saskatchewan, Canada, and died March 22, 2016, in Portland, Ore. Surviving: wife Alice (Goerlitz) of Portland, Ore.; sons David of Loma Linda, Calif., Randy of Orange City, Fla., Barry of Boise, Idaho, and Durwood of Portland, Ore.

Henderson was also very active with the Adventist Colleges Abroad program in multiple countries, including Spain, Argentina, France, and Italy. She received official recognition from ACA for her 20-year support of the program and for sending more students abroad with the ACA program than any other modern language instructor.

Henderson was also a member of the Pacific Northwest Council on Foreign Languages.

She is survived by daughters Karen Henderson att. and Luz Hedmann ’89, and son Rob Henderson ’87.

White—Leslie E. ’47 was born July 19, 1929, in Grandview, Wash., and died Feb. 15, 2016, in Tacoma, Wash. Surviving: wife Luella of Tacoma; daughters Lanya Hayden of Plano, Texas, and Lisa of Tacoma; and son Craig of Tacoma.

Woods—Ron N. ’70 was born Dec. 27, 1943, in Lynchburg, Va., and died Dec. 31, 2015, in Spokane, Wash.

Surviving: wife Joyce of Spokane; daughter Julie of Carson, Wash.; sons Monty of Lake Stevens, Wash., and Paul of Spokane; and brother Duane of Auburn, Wash.

Westwind Fall 2016

29

Back to You A view from the field

BY

Pursuing life with passion

By David Russell

’79 // BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

I

was born and raised in a Seventh-day Adventist family and gifted with God-fearing, Christian parents who consistently conveyed their personal passion and belief in God and Jesus Christ throughout my life. Attending Walla Walla University developed my own appreciation for having personal faith and gave me insight into the positive impact a faith-based, mission-centered organization can have on people.

With a business degree in hand, my wife, Debra Merritt Russell, ’80, and I left Walla Walla to pursue our dreams to work in health care. I began with an internship in the patient business office at Adventist Medical Center in Portland, Ore. This foundational learning and skill-building experience prepared me for my next job as business manager at South Bighorn County Hospital in Greybull, Wyo. I quickly realized I would consistently depend on what I learned in my Principles of Accounting class throughout my career, which remains true today.

Desiring to continue my education, we moved to Loma Linda, Calif., where I completed a master of health administration degree at Loma Linda University. After finishing my advanced degree, I worked in administrative positions for Adventist Health in Central California and as the vice president for finance at the Lifestyle Center of America in Sulphur, Okla., followed by two years as vice principal for finance at Auburn Adventist Academy in Auburn, Wash.

Thirteen years ago, our family returned to Portland, where I began working for Adventist Medical Center once again. I worked in several different leadership positions: clinic administrator, vice president for marketing and business development, and senior vice president and chief operating officer. Each role contributed to my leadership experience in supporting the delivery of mission-centered health services in a rapidly changing, highly competitive health care environment.

Now, as the president and chief executive officer at Adventist Medical Center, I have the privilege of leading an exceptional team delivering high-quality, whole-person care with an emphasis on improving health and providing hope. I look forward to supporting this team as we expand the impact of our mission to the people we

30

Westwind Fall 2016

serve each day and work collaboratively to lead the transformation of health in Oregon.

My passion is to continue helping people find restored health, wholeness, and hope in a setting and culture that demonstrates the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.

Walla Walla University provided the setting for me to find my life partner and spouse. Marrying my best friend, raising two wonderful children—Jessica Russell Lee ’08 married Andrew Lee ’06, and Kevin Russell ’10 married Jennika Hanson Russell ’12—and now enjoying our three grandchildren. These are truly the best things in life.

Success, for me, can be defined as the integration of my love of family, my relationship with God, and a job in which my personal faith and values fit with the mission and values of the organization. Walla Walla University played a significant role in these facets of my life and career, providing me with an excellent foundation, both academic and personal Christian growth, upon which to build my life.

To Walla Walla University students I offer this: Keep Jesus at the center of your life, choose a life goal, and pursue it with passion.

David Russell was named president and CEO of Adventist Medical Center in Portland, Ore., in August of this year.

photograph by BRYAN AULICK

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Help us reach our $255,000 goal Help us reach our $255,000 goal Help us reach our $255,000 goal Help reach our $255,000 goal before June 30, 2017. before June 30, 2017. before June before June30, 30,2017.

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Give today.

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Walla Walla University 204 S. College Ave. College Place, WA 99324

WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY

See you there!

Upcoming events to note on your calendar

April 27–30

Celebrate: Homecoming 2017 Come celebrate the 125th anniversary of the first day of classes at WWU. We’ll also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the start of the WWU aviation program and the 10th anniversary of the WWU student chapter of Engineers Without Borders. Learn more at wallawalla.edu/ homecoming.

January 26–28

Join fellow alumni for dinner at Compadres Rio Grille in Napa, Calif., for

Basketball fans, it’s time

a WWU Northern

California alumni event. Dinner is at 6 p.m. RSVP at alumni@ wallawalla.edu no later than Jan. 18. See details at wallawalla.edu/alumni/ events.

for the Friendship

Tournament, an annual event featuring basketball teams from more than 20 academies.

Come cheer on your favorite team and enjoy the camaraderie of seeing old (and new) friends. Visit wallawalla.edu/friendship to learn more.

February 9–11

February 12

Pie with the President will highlight

Paul Dybdahl, professor of mission and New Testament, will speak for

these California alumni events. The fun begins at Buca de Beppo Italian Restaurant in San Diego and continues in Loma Linda with vespers and supper Friday night, and pizza and pie with John McVay Saturday night.

Details at wallawalla.edu/ alumni/events.

the Distinguished

Faculty Lecture at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center auditorium.

Dybdahl’s lecture will focus on world religions, Christian mission in the context of a global perspective, and the results of listening.

March 2–4 and April 2–4

U-Days are a great

opportunity for students to check out the WWU campus, talk to teachers, learn about financial aid, and discover what life is like at WWU. The early-bird registration deadline for March U-Days (for students living outside the NPUC) is Dec. 15. Learn more at wallawalla.edu/udays.

For a full calendar of events, visit wallawalla.edu/calendar.

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PHOTO: CHRIS DRAKE

January 21