Westwind, Spring 2020

Seeing is knowing

Archaeology abroad

Using visual images in teaching p. 10

Storfjell career bridges continents p. 28

Coming of Age Edna Maye Loveless is helping define what it means to age with grace and vitality P. 12

THE MAGAZINE OF WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY SPRING 2020

Homecoming 2020 is postponed.

Out of caution and concern for the health and safety of our alumni— and recognizing our responsibility to help maintain a healthy university family and local community, Walla Walla University is postponing this year’s alumni homecoming weekend until April 22–25, 2021. We hope you’ll join us in April 2021 to celebrate Mosaic Moments.

EVENT RESCHEDULED Homecoming Weekend April 22–25, 2021

Homecoming Weekend

Coming April 22–25, 2021 We have big plans for the combined Homecoming Weekend 2020 & 2021 where you will have double the number of friends to visit with and lots of events to enjoy!

Look for more details to come online and in future issues of Westwind.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions!

(509) 527-2631 or (800) 377-2586 alumni@wallawalla.edu wallawalla.edu/homecoming

Celebrating art, service, and a time-honored space Honor Years: Vanguards, 1960, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981 1985, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2010, 2011

Seeing is knowing

Archaeology abroad

Using visual images in teaching p. 10

Storfjell career bridges continents p. 28

THE MAGAZINE OF WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY SPRING 2020

Coming of Age Edna Maye Loveless is helping define what it means to age with grace and vitality P. 12

About the cover

At age 91, Edna Maye Loveless still takes every opportunity to live well in sunny SoCal. ILLUSTRATION BY ALVARO TAPIA HIDALGO

THE MAGAZINE OF WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY // SPRING 2020

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From the President

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College Avenue News from across campus

From the faculty Education professor Debbie Muthersbaugh shares findings on visual images and learning

It’s a long story Treasured alumni share their best advice for a life well lived

Willing to help All that’s needed to be a missionary in 2020 is a willingness to say yes

Currents

22 Alumni 22 AlumNotes 27 In Memory 28 Bjørnar Storfjell 30 Richard Dower

Westwind Spring 2020, Volume 39, Number 1 Westwind is published three times a year by Walla Walla University, a Seventh-day Adventist institution, and is produced by the WWU Marketing and University Relations office. This issue was printed in March 2020. © 2020 by Walla Walla University.

Mail Westwind, 204 S. College Ave., College Place, WA 99324 E-mail westwind@wallawalla.edu Telephone (509) 527-2363 Toll-free (800) 541-8900 Online westwind.wallawalla.edu Editor Kim Strobel Staff writers Kiersten Ekkens and Makena Horton Design L/Bailey Design

NEWS // KENNEDY CENTER AWARDS

“As soon as I have got flying to perfection, I have got a scheme about a steam engine.”

—Ada Lovelace played by Macy Moon

PHOTO: CLAYTON KRUSE

p. 9

FROM THE PRESIDENT

The hope of every generation It occurs to me that adventure is, to a significant degree, dependent on a mindset, a way of viewing the future and the world. In these lines, I would like to draw you afresh into one of the great adventures in our world—the adventure of Christian higher education. It may seem that alumni by definition look to the past, comparing the glories of the past to the sad realities of the present. It can be entertaining to tick off the ways members of generation Z (those born in the late 1990s through the early 2000s) fail to live up to the expectations and standards of earlier generations. Where, though, is the adventure in that? Such a mindset is for those who folded their tents and stored their hiking boots years ago!

It is more adventuresome to enter into the new challenges and fresh visions that inspire current university students. Instead of sitting in the boring, stagnant seats occupied by judge and jury, it is far more energizing to step into the roles of mentor, admirer, and friend (and interestingly, recent studies suggest that today’s university students long for those ahead of them in the trek of life to play just those roles).

Our mindset toward today’s university students will dictate the questions we frame about them. If we inhabit the lazy critic’s corner, we will ask questions like these: Why can’t they be more like we were? Why can’t they be as excited about God and the teachings of the Bible as we were? Why can’t they listen to great music like we did? Why can’t they dress and act like we did? If, instead, we take the admirer’s active stance, we will ask: What unique gifts and qualities has God planted in the hearts of this generation? How is God drawing this generation into truth and service? What passions has God planted in their hearts?

If you keep at this over a sustained period of time, you will develop important convictions about today’s students on Christian campuses like Walla Walla University: • God is just as powerfully—though differently—at work in this generation as He was in our own.

• God is tuning the hearts and developing the talents of today’s college students to meet the needs and challenges of a dynamic, changing world.

• Today’s students face a daunting set of challenges and emerging problems, ones that miniaturize the issues at play in our college years. Yet God is clearly at work preparing them to be agents of blessing, transformation, and healing in this new setting.

• “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 ESV) is a divine assessment that has rung out over every generation from the first century to the 21st century and includes today’s university students in its buoyant assessment.

Thank you for joining in the grand adventure of Christian higher education and teaming up with all of us at Walla Walla University to lend lift, courage, and hope to this amazing generation.

Cordially, John McVay

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

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PHOTO: CHRIS DRAKE

As you read this issue of Westwind, you will find it packed with adventure. Two Walla Walla University students, Xander Culver and Grant Hartman, equipped with crampons and ice axes and headed for the summit of Mount Hood, participate in the high-octane rescue of a fallen climber.

The academic adventures of students and faculty are detailed here. A centenarian and three nonagenarian alumni describe the adventures of long life. We read about the exploits of a career in archaeology and the joys of sailing a boat named …

Westwind. We are inspired by the up-tothe-minute adventures of alumni activated to meet pressing needs in our world.

College Avenue The latest from across campus

Mountain adventure Emergency situation during Mount Hood climb tests skills of ASWWU Outdoors leaders

PHOTO: WILL HOWARD

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t takes approximately five hours of solid hiking across the Palmer Snowfield to get to the Hogsback from Timberline Lodge on the south side of Oregon’s Mount Hood. At 3 a.m. on the morning of Monday, Dec. 30, Walla Walla University engineering students Grant Hartman and Xander Culver set out.

They slept the previous night in Hartman’s car in the parking lot at Timberline in order to get an early start. Their goal was

to summit the 11,250-foot mountain that day, but higher plans were in play.

This was Hartman’s first attempt at the summit; Culver was the more experienced climber on Mount Hood, having summited once before.

Mountaineers have a habit of naming sections of popular climbs. On Mount Hood, nicknames like the Hogsback, Pearly Gates, and Devil’s Kitchen serve at least two purposes: first, as graphic descriptions of specific

geographic characteristics, and second, as verbal shorthand to use when discussing the climb with other climbers.

Devil’s Kitchen would otherwise be known as “the fumarole above Triangle Moraine where dirt, ice, and rock form a bulge on the mountainside.” Devil’s Kitchen is shorter and, in some ways, more apropos.

By 8:19 that morning, Culver had reached a flat spot at the lower end of the Hogsback about 10

minutes ahead of Hartman. The Hogsback is a ridge at just over 10,000 feet that climbers hike along before the final push to the summit. Culver stopped to wait for Hartman and prepare for the rest of the climb.

“This is a nice place to sit before going for the final summit push,” said Culver.

“If you don’t already have your crampons on and your ice axe out, you get those out, because the last little bit is where it starts to get steep.”

Xander Culver (left) and Grant Hartman enjoy frequent climbing expeditions together like this one at Red Rock, Nevada.

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College Avenue The latest from across campus

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Find more online about the activities and outreach of the Associated Students of Walla Walla University at ASWWU.com.

ost of the roughly 10,000 climbers who attempt to summit Mount Hood each year do so in spring.

Winter weather conditions can be more challenging, and for that reason winter climbers will often take the first-ascent route from the 1800s known as the Old Chute. On this particular day the sky was clear.

Culver and Hartman had talked with other climbers descending the mountain that morning who said the Old Chute was in good condition. That was the route they decided to take instead of the route over the Pearly Gates.

“The Pearly Gates at this time of year has an ice step, which is a near vertical cliff of ice,” said Culver. “I never got a good view of it that day, so I don’t know how tall it was, but from talking to other climbers it sounded like it wasn’t that big, maybe 20 to 50 feet high.”

Culver had been at his rest spot on the Hogsback about five minutes when a swift movement on the mountain caught his attention. Someone was sliding out of the couloir in the distance to the right at roughly 30 to 40 miles per hour. A climber from a group ahead had fallen from the Pearly Gates and was plummeting down the side of the mountain.

“I stood up, and there were a couple of people on the Hogsback next to me who were shouting ‘Arrest!

Arrest!’” said Culver.

“Self-arrest is basically using your axe and digging it into the ice and snow to

GET OUTSIDE!

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Westwind Spring 2020

slow yourself down,” said Hartman, who explains that fellow climbers yell reminders when someone is falling because sometimes in a moment of panic beginners don’t have the instinct to remember how to stop their fall.

The climber fell more than 500 feet and came to a stop at Devil’s Kitchen, a few hundred feet below the Hogsback.

“We shouted down to him, ‘Are you okay?’” said Culver. “He kind of groaned a couple of times, and we all got ready to jump into action.”

Hartman was about 100 feet above and left of Devil’s Kitchen when he saw the climber falling. During high school Hartman did four years of search and rescue with the Linn County Sheriff ’s Office out of Albany, Oregon. “That’s where I really gained a passion for helping people in times of need,” he said.

Hartman is director of ASWWU Outdoors, the WWU student-led outdoor program, and is a Wilderness First Responder certified by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).

This intense 10-day wilderness first-aid training prepares participants to respond to high-risk scenarios like the one he and Culver were in.

Hartman’s training kicked into gear, and he began to assess the situation and the conditions on the mountain. “I immediately saw an old avalanche slide above where he fell from and where people were sort of running across the

ASWWU OUTDOORS is a division of the Associated Students of Walla Walla University that facilitates recreational opportunities, courses, and gear rental for outdoor adventures in the great Pacific Northwest. Student leaders work to help WWU students, faculty, and staff relieve stress, make friends, and grow closer to God.

slope toward him,” said Hartman. “This was a place that typically has slides, so that was one of the things I had to consider for sure.

But the snow looked pretty stable, and I didn’t think there was risk for another one, so I cautiously made my way across the slope toward him. I prayed as I was walking across that slope—prayed for the patient’s safety, for everybody else’s safety, and for God’s guidance.”

Falls on Mount Hood aren’t unheard of. In 2017 a climber who fell from just below Pearly Gates and ended up in Devil’s Kitchen died after more than five hours on the mountain before a helicopter could evacuate him.

By the time Hartman reached the patient, Culver and three others were there. Culver, an ASWWU Outdoors trip leader, has completed a two-day course in Wilderness First Aid training also from NOLS. As a result, he and Hartman understood similar patient assessment protocol, terminology, and first-aid response.

“He was groaning. We were talking to him. He was definitely in pain,” said Hartman. “Nobody was holding his head at that time, and in my training that’s the first thing you learn to do is hold the person’s head. Even if you don’t know if there’s any risk of spinal cord or brain injury, you hold the head until you can rule that out.

“The most important thing from the training that you learn is how to react under stress. That’s super crucial,” said Hartman, who quickly assessed the situation and the need for someone to take charge and start giving people and the patient tasks to do.

“That can really help ease the stress in the scenario.

“We started getting

ON THE MOUNTAIN WHERE IT HAPPENED Every inch, foot, and mile takes on special meaning when climbing a mountain. Being in the right (or wrong) place at any given time can completely change the course of a day.

him warm. I did a patient assessment and tried to see what else might be hurt on him. We found out he had a hurt leg, and we knew the leg was the biggest thing,” said Hartman.

The response team went into action. Using their NOLS training, Hartman and Culver stabilized the patient’s head and spine and rolled him to get sleeping pads and clothing between him and the snow.

“He was getting really cold and shivering really hard.

Everybody pulled their big puffy jackets out of their

PHOTO: XANDER CULVER

ber of the search and rescue team showed up about four hours after the fall, and the entire EMT crew arrived an hour after that. It then took three hours to evacuate the patient down the mountain.

After the rescue crew took over care of the patient, Hartman and Culver collected gear and descended the mountain together without having made the summit. By the time they reached the parking lot at Timberline, the rescue team was there as well after transporting the patient down with a snowcat.

His most severe injury was a broken leg.

backpacks and donated them to the cause,” said Culver.

“We made a nice toasty bundle called a hypo-wrap to prevent hypothermia and that also works well for shock,” said Hartman. “While I was doing the patient assessment, it was really nice to have Xander there because we have training from the same organization, so we have very similar ways of thought.

While I was doing the assessment, I had Xander write down all the information about vital signs and medical history so we could work together to get it correct.”

Culver and Hartman made a hypo-wrap to keep the patient warm while they waited for the emergency response team.

They had cell service, and someone called 911. For the next four hours they regularly provided patient vital signs— pulse rate, skin color, skin temperature—to the search and rescue team and emergency medical technicians who were deciding how best to respond to the call for help.

The sun was cresting the edge of the mountain around the time Hartman and Culver

map illustration by LUCY ENGELMAN

first arrived at the scene.

They estimated it was around 29 degrees, but with the sun shining on the snow, it felt more like 35 or 40. As they waited and the snow warmed in the sunshine, a few falling chunks of snow and ice reminded them they were working on an avalanche slope.

The professional rescue crew ultimately decided to hike to the site rather than helicopter in. The first mem-

Culver and Hartman are both grateful they had the training they needed in order to help. “It’s a good feeling when you’re there and you know God put you there in the right place at the right time,” said Hartman. “The other people who responded didn’t have basic wellness first aid training, so even my simple training ended up being quite valuable. If the two of us hadn’t been there, the situation could have been much different.”

Through their work with ASWWU Outdoors, Hartman and Culver are staunch advocates for getting outdoors and enjoying nature. “It’s how I connect with God in one of the most powerful ways. A lot can be learned in the outdoors. It’s something I think everyone should have the opportunity to experience. Even normal, everyday stresses can become easier to handle because of tools you learn in the outdoors,” said Culver.

That evening Hartman and Culver joined a somewhat surreal Christmas party at Culver’s family’s house in Portland. They hadn’t made it to the summit that day, but “the safety of those around us always takes precedence over getting to the summit,” said Hartman. “The mountain is always going to be there. It’s not going anywhere,” said Culver. “We’ll just have to go back and do it again.”

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College Avenue

CLEANER AIR

The latest from across campus

WWU partners to open electric vehicle charging station in College Place

Finish strong

Walla Walla University has partnered with the city of College Place and Columbia Rural Electric Association to open the first public-access electric vehicle charging station in College Place.

Glubay competes in national cross-country meet

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pencer Glubay, senior bioengineering major, finished 48th out 335 cross-country runners at the 64th annual National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics cross-country meet. The competition took place over a five-mile (eight-kilometer) grass track at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Glubay ran a time of 25:52.8, crossing the finish line one minute and 13 seconds behind the first-place finisher.

“I didn’t start out as fast as

I usually do, so I got stuck in about 70th place for the first Read more two laps,” Glubay said. “I was about WWU stressed at the beginning cross-country because it was so crowded, running at uwolves.com. but during the last two laps

I made up a lot of ground. I just tried to run relaxed and push myself.

“I’ve learned from running that life isn’t easy and there is always someone better than you, but if you put the time into something, you’ll reap the reward.”

The charging station is located at The Express/ Shell gas station on the corner of 4th Street and College Avenue.

Richards’ research was conducted at the Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory.

WWU to offer doctor of social work degree

The WWU School of Social Work and Sociology will offer a doctor of social work degree beginning June 2020. The 2.5-year online program will provide a focus on teaching in higher education and preparation for management in the social work profession. The program is designed to be accessible for working professionals. Classes will be taught in real time using videoconferencing, online asynchronous coursework with a learning management system, and weeklong summer residencies.

The WWU program will be the only D.S.W. offered in the Pacific Northwest and one of only two D.S.W. programs on the West Coast. WWU is also one of only a handful of institutions across the country to offer a faithbased social work program.

To learn more about the program and how to apply, visit wallawalla.edu/DSW.

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A ribbon-cutting ceremony in December included Norma Hernandez, College Place mayor; Mike Rizzitiello, College Place city administrator; John McVay, WWU president; and Dan Andrews, Columbia REA field engineer.

Two vehicles can charge concurrently at parking spaces that are designated specifically for the charging station.

Charging is available free.

Research passion Biology student receives Murdock Poster Prize

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allan Richards, sophomore biochemistry major, received a Murdock Poster Prize in the category of Ecology-Evolution-Biodiversity at the 2019 Murdock College Science Research Conference. Richards was one of six WWU students to present at the conference. She is conducting research with C.J. Brothers, assistant professor of biology, on seagrass wasting disease in the Salish Sea. “I found out my presentation had received an award the next day when the director of the conference emailed me.

I had to read the email a few times before it sunk in. Then, of course, I called my mom,” Richards said.

Attending the Murdock Conference helps undergraduate biology students gain understanding and experience in the type of research that other undergraduates are conducting.

It is also useful in preparation for graduate school.

ERRATUM In the Fall 2019 issue of Westwind, we neglected to include a fifth WWU biblical scholar who contributed to the recently released Andrews Study Bible New International Version.

Carl Cosaert, WWU professor of biblical studies: Greek and New Testament, and chair of the WWU School of Theology, rewrote and amplified the study notes for four of the New Testament epistles.

READ WESTWIND ONLINE: WESTWIND.WALLAWALLA.EDU

PHOTOS: LOGAN ADAMS, CHRIS DRAKE

First WWU doctorate

WWU added cross-country as a varsity sport in 2018.

Macy Moon shines as Ada in Ada and the Engine.

books + sites Reading and browsing recommendations from our experts

Spreadable Media:

Creating value and meaning in a networked culture

By Henry Jenkins, Sam Ford, and Joshua Green (New York University Press, 2013)

wwudrama Drama production wins Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival awards

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he WWU production of Ada and the Engine received five awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival and additional recognition for two student actors. The play tells the story of mathematician Ada Byron Lovelace and her work with Charles Babbage to develop the programming that enabled the development of the first mechanical computer.

Meritorious Achievement Awards were presented to Kristen Taylor, producer (director of Residential Life and Housing), Nathan Pittenger, student producer (senior graphic design major), Rylee Blake, stage management (junior psychology major), Kyle Lambert, lighting design (senior mechanical engineering major), and Michael Iseminger att., lighting technician.

Actors Macy Moon, freshman English major, and Jared Sexton, senior physics major, received Irene Ryan nominations to compete in the KCACTF regional festival.

What types of pictures and article links do you tend to click on most when you scroll through your Facebook feed? What kinds of YouTube videos do you tend to share?

Throughout my undergraduate and graduate study, most of my research focused on media and what makes some content more effective and captivating than other content.

I am interested in how news articles provide value, how social media graphics and TV shows tap into emotions to keep viewers hungry for more, and how to keep media relevant in a fast-paced, technological world.

I came across the book Spreadable Media in graduate school as a required text and although required textbooks aren’t always exciting reads, this one was. The authors seem to really get media, and they have provided a successful examination of what makes media so spreadable.

—Aaron Nakamura, director for Marketing and University Relations

Sandstone Spine: Seeking the Anasazi on the First Traverse of the Comb Ridge

Commitment to service

PHOTOS: CLAYTON KRUSE, CHRIS DRAKE

Annual WWU Community Service Award presented to Austin Archer Austin Archer, professor of education and psychology, received the 2019 WWU Community Service Award at the 137th annual Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet in December.

Since joining the WWU faculty in 1991 Archer has served on many WWU governance committees and has been elected twice as Chair of the Faculty. He has also been a member and chair of the Rogers Adventist School board, has been an elder at the University Church,

and served two terms as head elder. He has been a section leader for the Congregational Church choir and has performed with the Walla Walla Mastersingers.

Archer joined a group of volunteers doing re-entry work at the Washington State Penitentiary 15 years ago. The group worked with inmates to help them prepare for release. Archer was part of a group of these volunteers who formed a nonprofit organization called the Successful Transition and

By David Roberts (Mountaineers Books, 2006)

Re-entry (STAR) Project.

Archer also helped draft the constitution for the SonBridge Community Center and has served on the SonBridge board since 2005. He was appointed as a trustee of the Walla Walla County Rural Library District in 2017 and was elected by fellow trustees in 2019 to serve as chair.

In this hiking adventure, the author and two friends trek the 100-mile Comb Ridge from northeastern Arizona into Utah. Along the way we learn how several cultures—Anasazi, Navajo, Paiutes, Utes, and Mormon settlers—encountered each other and left their mark on the land. We also learn the importance of leaving archeological artifacts in place so others may enjoy the thrill of discovery. This book predates the Bears Ears National Monument controversy (Comb Ridge is part of the area), but it provides important clues for why people are passionate about this part of the Southwest.

—Kyle S. Craig, professor of chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry

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Faculty in First Person

Debbie Muthersbaugh

Professor of education and dean of the School of Education and Psychology

The 2019 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer considers the impact of visual images on the art and science of teaching and learning

Latin meaning “to know” and refers to the artistry of education. Educational connoisseurship emphasizes cognitive aspects such as knowing, perceiving, and reasoning, but also encompasses the art of observing, picturing, and experimenting. Being an educational connoisseur includes the ability to understand or identify with the process of artistic creativity as well as scientific observation; it is the bringing together of the different elements into a whole for all students.

As an educator for nearly 40 years, I have long been interested in how students learn. Research shows that learning takes place in a variety of ways using our senses: More than 75% of information comes to us visually, 13% through hearing, and 12% through smell, taste, and touch combined. Researchers recognize that students do have learning style preferences, but also acknowledge that most can learn in a multitude of ways (Ormrod and Anderman, 2017). Nevertheless, knowing a student’s preference of learning style will help individualize instruction and provide motivation.

The teaching and learning challenge

Seeing is knowing Seeing is knowing, and knowing is best supported through careful evaluation of our methods of teaching and learning. When visual representations are used in instruction, it is imperative to be purposeful and to use sound criteria.

Many sources of explicit and implicit information are embedded in an image, and those visual representations have the capacity to assist in reasoning, communicating, documenting, and retaining knowledge (Tufte, 1990).

Some of my recent research has focused on best practices for choosing illustrations in teaching, including criteria such as content (is the substance of the picture clear), context (does the picture depict content in accurate context), data ink (how much of the picture is devoted to content), causal reasoning (does the picture cause the viewer to ask questions), integrity (is the source of the picture reliable and trustworthy), and visual emphasis (does the picture have aesthetic appeal). Recognizing that visual images contain knowledge that is useful to learning uncovers a powerful way to add meaning while at the same time helping to lead students to deeper inquiry.

Self-efficacy and connoisseurship How much does a student believe in their own abilities? Do they believe they can succeed? Three studies I conducted during the past seven years using visual representations with elementary and middle school students indicated that when teachers use pictures in their teaching, student self-efficacy— confidence in their capacity to succeed and accomplish tasks and challenges— increases. Students who created pictures and drawings during learning also experienced a more positive belief in their ability to learn and had more persistence toward growth in knowledge and skill.

Another concept uncovered during my research on learning using visual methods was the educational model of connoisseurship, which is an idea advanced by educator Elliot Eisner (2017). Connoisseurship comes from the

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The challenge we have in a higher educational setting is finding more opportunities to be intentional in our teaching practices. Reaching diverse learners through inclusive teaching involves recognizing that each student comes with individual needs. An inclusive campus allows for and requires multiple practices. The mission statement of the WWU Office of Diversity and Inclusion states that we are to “encourage understanding and respect for differences in culture, ability, and thinking patterns.” The WWU School of Education and Psychology’s Center for Educational Equity and Diversity was founded on the belief that we are all God’s children with uniquely diverse gifts. This diversity encourages critical thinking in order to communicate effectively with people of varied backgrounds and learning needs.

Adventist educational thought leaders Ellen White (2002) and George Knight (2006) noted that the most effective teacher of all time, Jesus Christ, used illustrations as a learning method to engage people from all walks of life. The images He created through object lessons were meant to engage the diverse populations who flocked to his teaching, urging them to view the lilies of the field or birds of the air, for example, or even teaching by drawing in the sand. Jesus taught with confidence and artistry, seeing the best in others.

Successful use of visual images urges the viewer to ask questions about the world. Eisner (2017) stated that seeing is knowing, implying that there is importance to finding meaning through visual representation. Using images in education matters.

Eisner, E. (2017). The enlightened eye: Qualitative inquiry and the enhancement of educational practice. Teacher College Press: New York, NY. • Knight, G. (2006). Philosophy and education: An introduction in Christian perspective.

Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press. • Ormrod, J.E., Anderman, E.M., & Anderman, L. (2017). Educational psychology: Developing learners. 9th ed. Harlow, Pearson. • Tufte, E. (1990). Envisioning information. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press LLC. • White, E. G. (2002). True education: Adapted from Education by Ellen White. Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing.

READ WESTWIND ONLINE: WESTWIND.WALLAWALLA.EDU

“Recognizing that visual images contain knowledge that is useful to learning uncovers a powerful way to add meaning.�

photograph by CARLOS LOPEZ

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COMING OF AGE For these four alumni who are thriving into their 90s—and even 100s!—age really is just a number. Here’s how they’re preserving their health and happiness.

FORGET THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. When it

comes to the question of how to live a long and healthy life, Seventh-day Adventists know where to find the answers—and they’re not hidden at the bottom of a mythical spring.

No, the scriptures have long served as the backbone for Adventism’s healthy-living tenets, which include a vegetarian diet, frequent exercise, and a close personal relationship with God. And the results aren’t simply anecdotal—they’re scientifically sound.

Researchers began looking into the Adventist lifestyle decades ago, identifying Loma Linda, California, and its high concentration of Adventists as one of the five original “blue zones”—areas in the world where people live the longest and healthiest.

In fact, the first Adventist Health Study found that if five simple lifestyle choices were adhered to—not smoking, maintaining a normal body weight, getting regular exercise, being a vegetarian, and frequently eating nuts—an Adventist could expect to live 10 years longer than their non-adhering counterparts.

This has proven true for a handful of Walla Walla University alumni who are not only living but thriving into their 90s and 100s. Meet four graduates for whom age is only a number.

BY AMY WILKINSON ’04

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ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALVARO TAPIA HIDALGO

EARL BOLTON CLASS OF 1936

AGE: 105

While today’s student might help pay tuition by stocking shelves at the university bookstore or grading exams for the biology department, Earl Bolton funded his Great Depression-era education through quite different means—by making and selling brooms.

Born on a Saskatchewan homestead in 1914, Earl and his family moved to Pomeroy, Washington, when he was 9 years old so his parents could pursue careers in teaching. They later relocated to

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COMING

OF

AGE

Walla Walla, where, during Earl’s third year of college, his parents lost their jobs. Earl and his brother, Glenn, quit school to help support the family by crafting brooms on a machine in their garage. When the college’s business manager got wind of the operation, he offered to buy the brooms in exchange for tuition, allowing Earl to complete his education. He and his brother would continue making five to six dozen brooms a week for the college.

“We made three different types—the cheaper, middle, and upper class,” Earl recalls. “Those most expensive ones were really masterpieces, in my opinion.” (All these years later, Earl has managed to hold on to one of those beautiful brooms as a memento.)

Broommaking wasn’t Earl’s only endeavor in those days. The collegiate also hauled grain—a pivotal job, as it turns out, since the rigorous work not only whipped Earl into tip-top shape (“I developed an enormous physical strength,” he recalls), but served as the catalyst to meeting his wife of 73 years, Marjorie, the proverbial farmer’s daughter. The two married while Earl finished school. He graduated in 1936 with a major in mathematics and then, with Marjorie working to support him, enrolled at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, where he earned his medical degree in 1942.

Earl then enlisted as an officer in the 15th Air Force, working as a medic in Southern Italy during World War II. “I was delighted to fly home,” Earl says of the end of the war in 1945.

A year later, he and Marjorie settled in Wenatchee, Washington,

curious looks from passersby. Recalls son Bob: “One time somebody stopped the car and rolled down the window and said, ‘Sir, are you okay? Do you need a ride?’”

Undaunted, Earl extended his athletic pursuits far beyond the confines of his own neighborhood.

He was an avid backpacker into his late 70s, climbing many of the major peaks in Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Nevada. Perhaps most notably, he climbed Mount St. Helens twice—once before it erupted in 1980 and once after in 1993.

That final climb was a three-generational ascent with Earl, Bob, and Bob’s son, Ryan, making the trek.

Earl also credits his longtime vegan diet with fueling his vitality.

“It’s a very healthful diet,” he says of his approach to nutrition.

“You can get used to it quite easily— at least I did.” It probably helped having a large, lovely garden in his backyard. Earl and Marjorie routinely filled their plates with so much fresh produce that one year their entire grocery bill was just $900.

Now, at 105 years old, Earl admits he’s slowed down a bit. He retired at the age of 71 and stopped jogging at 87 because of arthritis in his foot, stemming from an injury during his teens. He scaled back to 3-mile walks until 2016, when, after his wife died, he left Wenatchee for Vancouver, Washington, where he now lives with son Bob. “I’m kind of lazy now,” Earl explains, with mischief in his voice.

What he may lack in physical strength Earl makes up for in mental acuity. He is remarkably sharp for his 105 years— working the daily crossword puzzles published in the local newspaper and reading Scripture for 20 to 30 minutes a day. In fact, over the course of about 30 years, Earl managed to translate the entire Bible into his own words. In 2015 his translation of the New Testament “A Physician’s Paraphrase” was published by TEACH Services, Inc. It’s been a robust life, indeed.

And if you were to ask Earl if anything remains on his bucket list—after explaining what exactly a bucket list is—the centenarian would answer no.

“Life has been, I think, extremely good to me,” he says upon reflection. “I have no regrets.”

“Life has been, I think, extremely good to me.

I have no regrets.” where Earl worked as a general practitioner and the couple raised four kids (son Bob att. and daughters Elsie Quittmeyer ’60, Erlene Lau ’67, and Alice Brown ’74).

Despite his busy medical practice, Earl continued to make fitness a priority, maintaining a consistent jogging routine long before it became fashionable. (This was the 1960s, before Nike extolled us all to “Just Do It.”) In fact, Earl’s thrice-weekly, 3-mile runs sometimes earned

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VERONA (MONTANYE) SCHNIBBE CLASS OF 1948

AGE: 96

The day Verona (Montanye) Schnibbe turned 18 years old, Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, ushering the U.S. into an already-raging global conflict.

Ask the now-96-year-old about sharing a birthday with such a historical moment and she’ll be quick to remind you: “Pearl Harbor and I share the same date, but I had it first.”

This wry wit remains on full display as Verona continues her recollections of life during World War II. How she vied for a $400 valedictorian scholarship as a student at Auburn Adventist Academy, only to arrive at Walla Walla College and be told that funds were depleted because of the war and she would receive a Reader’s Digest subscription instead. Or how the campus was so short on men for her first two years that the girls would double or triple up to take one boy to the banquet.

That would all change by her junior year, however, when the troops returned from their posts and Verona laid eyes on one very special soldier: a Brooklyn-born surgical tech named Fred Schnibbe. Verona was working in the registrar’s office at the time, and Fred couldn’t seem to commit to a freshman English class, changing courses several times during the first few days of the semester and necessitating several trips to the registrar’s office. The rest, as they say, is history. Verona and Fred’s first date was to see the U.S. Navy band play.

“From then on, we dated,” Verona says.

“And I thought he was a wonderful man.

I just really liked him. And he liked me enough that we kept going together, and when he asked me to marry him I thought I shouldn’t say yes at the very first minute, so I said I’d tell him tomorrow ... I don’t know why I did that.”

The couple married two weeks after Verona graduated with an English major in 1948.

After Fred completed his degree in 1950, Verona took a job at the registrar’s office at Loma Linda University so Fred could attend medical school. The two would eventually settle in Brewster, Washington, where Fred had his practice and Verona raised their three boys, Robert ’74, Richard ’83, and Norman att. They lived in Brewster for 50 years before returning to College Place in 2008.

Verona and Fred kept themselves busy during retirement, working as volunteers at the General Hospital, serving as greeters at the University Church, and visiting the campus fitness center three or four times a

“Make God a priority. And then keep involved. Get involved in helping others.”

week, where Verona would walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes. The couple supplemented their physical fitness regimen with a healthy diet—Verona, in particular, has always been a strict vegetarian, despite a childhood spent around livestock.

“It’s funny to a lot of people that I’m a vegetarian and came from a cattle ranch,” she says of her childhood in Okanogan County, Washington.

In 2019, Fred passed away.

“I thank God every day for 71 years together,” says Verona. “God brought him out from Brooklyn for me. I have really been so blessed, and I look forward to Jesus coming because I think we will be

seeing each other again soon.”

It’s that faith to which Verona largely credits her longevity.

“Make God a priority,” she says. “And then keep involved. Get involved in helping others.”

To that end, Verona continues to volunteer, now at the WWU Havstad Alumni Center information desk, where she greets guests and answers questions every Tuesday morning. Monday prayer groups are also a standing appointment on her calendar.

“Since Fred died I’ve so appreciated friends,” says Verona, who still lives independently at the couple’s home. “I’ve just

been surrounded by hugs and people.”

About a year before his death, Fred and Verona celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in grand style, with their children treating them to dinner and a night at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. It was a full-circle moment for the college sweethearts, who had stayed at that very same hotel after their wedding 70 years before.

“We thought that was so special,” says Verona, who by all appearances, has approached all of her 96 years with an open, lively spirit.

“God gave me a happy heart,” she says.

“And I think that has a lot to do with how long I’ve lived.”

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EDNA MAYE (ALEXANDER) LOVELESS CLASS OF 1950

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AGE: 91

Edna Maye (Alexander) Loveless has always been a woman ahead of her time. As a student at Walla Walla College in the late 1940s, she was keen to study journalism. But the school didn’t yet offer such a program so she channeled her creative energies into the next best thing: the student newspaper.

“I loved working on the Collegian,” says Edna Maye, who started as a writer her sophomore year and became the editor in chief her junior year. Her tenure, however, wasn’t without a hiccup or two—most notably when one of the staff’s witticisms drew the attention of the administration.

“The veterans were back in full force,

and we had a column in the paper every week listing the baby births. We titled it, ‘Bawlroom,’” Edna Maye recalls. “Well, we got word from the president we could not use that. It would be just too much favoring the secular world to call it a Bawlroom, so we had to change the title.”

Edna Maye would graduate the following year with a major in English—and firmly single.

“In those days, Walla Walla College was considered kind of a marriage mill,” she says. “You were really a ‘miss-out’ if you got through college and weren’t at least engaged, if not married.”

Little did Edna Maye know at the time that she was already acquainted with her

COMING

future husband, fellow student and “miss-out” William “Bill” Loveless ’49.

“He knew who I was, but I don’t remember that I ever spoke to him during the two years he was on campus,” says Edna Maye. “I was from Nebraska and he was from California, and the California crowd and I didn’t run in the same circles.”

Their eventual meeting a few years later was at the prompting of a mutual acquaintance who encouraged Bill—who had become a pastor—to invite Edna Maye—who was a dean at WWC—to a party. Bill sent Edna Maye a letter; she never responded.

Bill persisted, and over the Christmas holiday, asked Edna Maye to accompany him on the piano while he played the saxophone at a friend’s wedding. She agreed even though she was dating someone else.

“I posted one of the girls at the door to the wedding reception and I said, ‘If my boyfriend shows up from Loma Linda, let me know.’”

The boyfriend eventually did show up and was none too pleased to meet his competition.

teaching at La Sierra University. Her final two years there she held the position of chair of the Department of English and Communication.

In 2001, at the age of 72, Edna Maye decided to slow down—just a bit—leaving La Sierra and taking a part-time job writing and editing for Loma Linda’s dental school. She would continue working for them on a part-time basis until 2019. Yes, Edna Maye didn’t technically retire until the age of 90.

Today, Edna Maye continues to live independently following Bill’s death in 2014. She still drives (though only on local roads—no freeways) and receives frequent check-ins from her daughters who both live nearby.

“They’re just really very, very dear to haul me around,” she says.

To stay socially active after Bill’s passing, Edna Maye says she accepted every invitation she got, and as a result, is now a member of more than half a dozen groups that meet once a month—everything from “lunch bunch” and Bible study to a “friendly Tuesday evening club” and “gourmet club.”

“When I think of an afterlife, I am delighted to think I can be with my husband again.”

Recalls Edna Maye: “He said, ‘I don’t like this.

He’s a professional persuader.’”

And persuade Edna Maye, he did: She and Bill became engaged and got married in 1952.

The couple spent the first years of their marriage crisscrossing the country, following Bill’s ministerial callings. Edna Maye gave birth to two daughters: Marti Olson att. and Marilynn Howard att. When Marilynn was just seven months old, the couple settled in Takoma Park, Maryland, where they remained for 12 years.

Edna Maye got her doctorate in English teaching from the University of Maryland and took a job with the General Conference, writing and editing Bible textbooks for fifth- and sixth-graders. Once again, her forward-thinking approach raised a few eyebrows.

“I can remember when we started assigning memory verses that weren’t King James,” she says. “The head of the education department of the General Conference said, ‘You need to keep using the traditional King James.’”

However, Edna Maye felt strongly that modern translations would make the texts more accessible to kids, and she ultimately offered to leave her post over it.

“When I volunteered to quit, they backed up and let us use the various versions for memory texts,” she says.

She continued to work on textbooks remotely when the couple relocated to Loma Linda.

They returned to the East Coast when Bill became president of Columbia Union College, and Edna Maye became a professor of English and journalism at CUC. Twelve years later, Bill once again became the pastor of the Loma Linda University Church, and Edna Maye began

“I thought, ‘This is something I need to do,’” says Edna Maye. “I have entered into some circles that I probably never would have otherwise.”

To stay physically active, Edna Maye goes to the gym three days a week for an hour-long senior aerobics class. (“The best thing about going to the gym is leaving it,” she quips.) And she complements her cardio workouts with once-a-week strength-building Pilates sessions.

(She admits to liking the Pilates much better than the aerobics.)

And to stay mentally active, Edna Maye loves to read and also uses the language-learning app Duolingo every night to strengthen her Spanish skills. (“But don’t talk to me in Spanish,” Edna Maye warns, explaining that her reading comprehension is much better than her verbal.)

Despite all the things Edna Maye is doing to stay active, engaged, and fit, she’s loath to take much credit. She says she’s simply been blessed by God—and good genes. Her father lived just shy of 100 years old, and her mother into her early 90s.

“I don’t feel like an old lady,” says Edna Maye. “I can still walk upright and move around, and that’s a blessing.”

And, as always, she continues to be a forward-thinker.

“I have a very minuscule understanding of the universe and what’s going on and what God’s plan is,” she says. “I think where I really need to mature is in my understanding of God. When I think of an afterlife, I am delighted to think I can be with my husband again. And I’m sure there’s a whale of a lot to know in the afterlife.”

OF

AGE

TIPS FROM

CLARENCE CHINN

CLASS OF 1951 AGE: 94

Clarence Chinn taught chemistry at WWU from 1967 to 1982. He now lives at Wheatland Village in Walla Walla.

1

Trust in God and cultivate an active faith life.

Clarence attends prayer meeting and church service weekly, engages in discussions and revels in the fellowship of other Christians.

2

Get adequate sleep. A selfproclaimed night owl, Clarence still gets eight hours of sleep each night.

3

Enjoy outdoor activity. Clarence enjoys birdwatching, hiking, and gardening. He even gardened out of window boxes in Sittner Hall when he was a WWU student.

4

Eat a whole-food, plant-based diet.

For Clarence this also means getting to know the farmers and orchardists who grow the best local crops.

5

Maintain balance.

Clarence recommends developing a lifestyle that emphasizes what is truly important and minimizes distractions. He enjoys reading and learning new things.

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willing WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY ALUMNI MINISTER AROUND THE GLOBE

By Mark and Conna Bond

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BELOW: Bethani King snaps a selfie with Marta, a local Colombian woman who feeds 300 refugees each day and hosts 50 to 60 women and children each night.

RIGHT: Elena Rohm

tends to the needs of a malnourished refugee in the Al-Hawl camp in northeast Syria.

BELOW: Weston Davis works in New Delhi, India, with a few of his ADRA team members.

BELOW: Rick and Marcia McEdward visit ancient Egyptian ruins near Cairo.

T

HE TRADITIONAL STEREOTYPES of what it means to be a

missionary are no longer the norm. In 2020 many Walla Walla University alumni simply see a need in the world around them or on a news broadcast from halfway around the world and feel compelled to fill it. The images of service that emerge are as unique and varied as those who respond to the needs they see.

These stories represent just a handful of modern-day missionaries who go wherever there’s a need, whether it’s across the ocean or across the street.

They are students, recent graduates, and people who have already worked at lifelong careers. They do whatever needs to be done. They care for those who would otherwise fall through the cracks. They are willing.

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willing

// MISSIONS IN 2020

BUILDING COMPASSIONATE RELATIONSHIPS Waking up each morning in a Syrian refugee camp isn’t something the average American aspires to do. But Elena Rohm ’13 does exactly that several times a year. For periods of a month or two at a time she volunteers as a nurse in the Al-Hawl refugee camp in northeastern Syria for the humanitarian organization CADUS. When she’s there, Elena makes rounds each day with a doctor and a translator, tending to the needs of sick and wounded Syrian and Iraqi refugees, also known as internally displaced people (IDPs). The camp is an overcrowded temporary home to more than 68,000 women and children, many of whom are family members of ISIS fighters.

During her final year in high school, Elena’s senior project included a two-week trip to Africa. She was invited back to serve as a student missionary at Riverside Farm in Zambia for a year before starting college. That experience sparked her interest in international service. Elena says her goal through nursing school “was to be able to reach the unreachable—those who have the hardest time getting healthcare.”

Elena has chosen to keep her life uncomplicated in many ways. She imagines that someday she will have a relationship, but she concedes that it’s kind of nice not having to worry about a family and to be free to travel without impacting people back home. Currently living and practicing as a nurse in Ardmore, Oklahoma, she looks forward to each return trip to Syria.

Being involved in relief work has helped her grow spiritually.

“When you read through the Bible when Jesus was on earth reaching people, you see that there was so much need,” she said.

“And it’s still there. There’s a need in the states as well, but internationally you see it so much more. Being over here, I try to put myself in other people’s shoes and just be more understanding.”

There are challenges working in an environment that is largely hostile to Christianity.

“Yes. I’m a Christian,” she said. “I’m not afraid to share it. And I’m more than happy to talk about it, especially to answer questions when people ask. But being there is more about building relationships. I think that’s the foundation—building relationships with people and getting to know them with no agenda. Just being compassionate and empathetic. And that, I think, goes a lot further sometimes than going straight in full force with books and literature.”

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A GOOD PLAN Christian ’08 and Alexa Sharma ’08 work with Adventist Frontier Missions (AFM) in an undisclosed country in North Africa. They choose to keep their direct ties to Adventist missions a secret because the area where they live is hostile toward Christian evangelistic efforts. (We’ve agreed to not use their real names in print in order to protect them in the mission field.) Christian works at an English language school with nearly 7,500 students.

Christian and Alexa’s commitment to mission work ties directly back to their years as WWU students. They recall being inspired by a chapel program where a missionary from Wycliffe Bible Translators shared her experiences in Papua New Guinea. They each eventually became student missionaries—one in Yap, Micronesia, and the other in the Philippines. That year of service was pivotal in their lives.

After getting married their junior year and then graduating, they worked in Pendleton, Oregon, for two years, Christian as a Bible worker and Alexa as a kindergarten teacher. They left Oregon for India, where they stayed for seven years and had their two children. Today they are stationed in North Africa.

“Mission work lights this fire inside of you,” Alexa said. “We feel like we have to do something. We have to constantly be asking ourselves, ‘Are we on track here?

Do we need to be doing more? Or do we need more of a break because we’re burning out?’ We’re always trying to ask what our next step is in reaching people.”

Their daily experiences reveal to them the nearness of God. “It’s like He is definitely, definitely there,” she said. “We’ve seen so many miracles.

He’s real and he notices us. He cares. And He has a plan—a good one.”

FOLLOWING GOD’S LEAD Max Woesner ’00 spent a year as a student missionary on the island of Guam before graduating from WWU with an engineering degree. He knew early on that he wanted to return to Guam to work for Adventist World Radio (AWR).

AWR’s shortwave towers in Guam reach nearly one third of the planet with biblical programming in dozens of languages. Max spends his days maintaining the equipment and transmitters and occasionally scales the towers with climbing gear.

Physically, he’s thousands of miles from the people who listen to AWR programming, but he believes in the value of radio.

“It takes a bit of faith, but I believe what we’re doing makes a huge difference,” he

Student missions at WWU

WWU alumni often get their first taste of serving others through student missions.

Alexis Winkle, sophomore nursing major, who is currently working in Malawi says that her experience is expanding her desire to give “unjudging, selfless love.

I want to do that by caring for people when they are most vulnerable.”

said. “The Spirit of God is touching lives.”

Although Max doesn’t consider himself a “front-line” missionary, he’s thankful to be part of God’s work. He and his wife, Christy, also recently presented a series of meetings in Zambia and saw people make decisions for baptism.

“It was an amazing experience,” he said.

“As long as God is leading, we’ll continue to follow.”

OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE For nearly three years, Rick McEdward ’90 has served with his wife, Marcia ’89, in Beirut, Lebanon, where Rick is president of the Middle East and North Africa Union of Seventh-day Adventists. He oversees

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAX WOESNER, BETHANI KING, WESTON DAVIS

LEFT: Max Woesner climbs one of the Adventist World Radio towers in Guam. BELOW: Weston Davis and his wife, Michele, enjoy the sunrise at the Taj Mahal. SECOND BELOW: Bethani King (right) and her sister, Willa (left), pray over refugee children as they pass through the city of Pamplona en route from Venezuela.

Adventist churches and institutions in one of the most challenging areas of the world—North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, West Asia, and the Middle East.

“In the U.S., a typical union covers four or five states,” Rick said. “We have 20 countries. The population in our territory is nearly half a billion people—mostly from a non-Christian background. There are only about 5,000 Adventists in our region. To put that in perspective, there are more than 5,000 Adventists in and around Walla Walla.”

Rick believes the Lord was preparing him for this position his entire life. His overseas experience extends back to his teen years when his father worked at a hospital in Saudi Arabia. Later, Rick spent a year as a student missionary in Palau.

He has been involved in mission work for most of his adult life, serving also in

Sri Lanka and Manila. Prior to his call to the Middle East, he worked in the area of Muslim relations.

“I was kind of wired for it because, once you live overseas, you always have something incomplete in you until you move out of the comfort zone of home and connect in cross-cultural service of some kind,” Rick said.

Much of Rick’s time is spent traveling from city to city overseeing community outreach efforts. Marcia, who is a nurse, helps with health ministry programs.

Their main goal is to establish multidisciplinary teams in every large city in their territory—health workers, educators, language teachers—to connect with people using Christ’s method of mingling, meeting needs, and earning the right to talk with people.

“We see a lot of miracles happen that are pretty amazing,” Rick said. “And people becoming believers through miraculous intervention. We are humbled to be here. We just cry out to God and say, ‘Lord.

Help us. Be our strength.’”

in as part of her work as a current WWU student missionary.

“Some days we would set up an aid tent along the side of the road offering food, water, foot washing, and massages to walkers as they came by,” said Zuppan.

“Other days we would drive up the hill giving as many people rides as could fit in the van and offering food and water to the rest as they walked. In the evenings we would go to the shelters and do kids programs and medical clinics for the walkers.”

“Sometimes people have a rosy image of humanitarian work,” Bethani said. “You think you’re going to be on a high all the time. But there are just as many hard times being here as the good times.

It’s easy to get discouraged about all the things you can’t do instead of being happy about the things you can do—when the need is huge and you feel so small.

But when you realize God is helping you feed and house 200 to 400 people every night—and that’s really huge for those people—you realize there are definitely just as many good times as bad times.”

HELP FOR WEARY WALKERS

LIFE WITH NO REGRETS

Bethani King ’11 spent much of 2016 working with displaced populations in Syria. Now she’s in Pamplona, Colombia, near the western border of Venezuela.

Before moving to Colombia Bethani read news stories about “walkers”—people walking out of Venezuela because of the economic crisis in that country. Many are well-educated and once were wealthy.

They’re now destitute; their money worthless. They travel on foot by the thousands through Pamplona on their way to the capital of Colombia in search of relatives and new opportunities.

Bethany discovered there were very few organizations helping the walkers on their journey so she booked a flight to Colombia to check things out firsthand.

Her three-month fact-finding mission developed into On the Ground International, a full-fledged NGO mission post registered in the U.S. and Colombia.

Each day, anywhere from 100 to 500 people pass through Pamplona. They have no place to sleep, no food, and no resources. In addition to providing food and funds, Bethany’s NGO is in the process of securing property to provide some of the refugees with physical shelter.

Other WWU alumni have joined Bethani to help with her work in Colombia.

Kelsey Zuppan ’13 spent a month helping out over the Christmas holiday, and Bethani’s sister, Willa, has also pitched

Weston Davis ’82 graduated from WWU with a business degree and dove into a career in healthcare administration. Several decades later he and his wife, Michele, had five grown children and a busy, comfortable career.

During a “chance” encounter with the former president of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), Weston casually said, “Yeah, when I retire, it would be fun to work in India at an orphanage or something.”

His new friend replied, “Really? Let’s have lunch!” That lunch date eventually led to an offer to direct ADRA’s efforts in India.

Weston had plenty of valid reasons not to accept the offer. As he and Michele prayerfully discussed the opportunity they decided they didn’t want to reach the end of their days and wonder, “Why didn’t we?”

Weston now oversees a large number of programs in India where he also does a lot of hands-on work. They provide education to help eradicate diseases like polio and tuberculosis, and they bring mobile school programs to areas where educational resources are lacking.

“This choice to serve wasn’t altruistic in that we had some lofty vision that we could make a significant dent in the needs here in India,” Weston said. “I’m humbled every day and full of mysterious bewilderment. I’m just glad we just didn’t say no.”

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21

Alumni Currents

Staying in touch with our family of graduates

AlumNotes

Get up to date with fellow WWU alumni. Submit your information for AlumNotes at wallawalla.edu/alumnotes.

1950s Elsworth Hetke ’59 and his wife, Eleanor (Brady) ’59, live in Vancouver, Wash. Elsworth and Eleanor were married in the former Village Church two days after Christmas the same year they graduated from WWU. After graduation they moved to Andrews University where Elsworth enrolled in the seminary.

Elsworth did an internship in Nova Scotia where he pastored two churches and writes that he “had nearly half of the province as my territory.” In 1962, the Hetkes set sail for India as missionaries where they spent 23 years in numerous positions. Elsworth was a chaplain in two hospitals, a teacher and boys dean, pastored in Bombay and Surat, organized a mission territory as its president, served as a departmental director in the union conference and the Southern Asia Division, was an editor for the Oriental Watchman Publishing House, and eventually became secretary of the division.

Upon returning to the States, he became the human resources director for Pacific Press, served a short stint as president of the conference office in British Columbia, Canada, and served for 10 years as director of the personnel department at Southern Adventist University. He retired after 47

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years of denominational service.

Of some of his favorite WWU memories, Elsworth writes: “I took introduction to biology and made a collection of insects both flying and crawling and placed them on a board with labels. When it came time to take them out of the dresser drawer where I had placed them for safekeeping, I was rather dismayed to discover that mice had made some good meals out of my collection. Dr. Ashley was not very sympathetic to my plight and I received a rather poor grade.” Recently the Hetkes have been busy volunteering for Clark County Adventist Community Services. Elsworth writes, “We are ready to retire again to play some golf, do some travel, and maybe get a little more rest!” The Hetkes have three children: Theodore ’90, Eric, and Sarekha Myers.

1960s Raleigh Hardin ’60 and his wife, Dorothy (Hooker) att., live in Port Orchard, Wash. They have two sons: Don and Mike ’75. Raleigh writes that his favorite memories of WWU include playing music with his friends, learning to fly and serving with the civil air patrol, scuba diving, constructing buildings, and church treasurer work.

John Hodgkin ’60 and his wife, Jeanie, live in La Mesa, Calif. John graduated from the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 1964. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. Following his Army service he trained in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the Mayo Clinic. Throughout his career he has been on the faculty at the LLU School of Medicine and at the University of California, Davis. From 1983 to 2017 he was on the medical staff at St. Helena Hospital in St. Helena, Calif. He has been president of the American Association of Cardiovascular and

Pulmonary Rehabilitation, has authored more than 200 scientific medical articles, and has been the editor for 13 medical books.

Most recently he developed a stop-smoking app called Quit Right that is available in English and Chinese. Some of John’s favorite memories of his time at WWU are of being a member of the band, serving as president of the Missionary Volunteer Society, and the summer he spent at Rosario as a biology major.

The Hodgkins have five children: Steve, Kathryn Glendrange, Carolyn Bakland, Jonathan att., and Jamie Sweigert.

Margaret (Dubyna) Hodgkin ’60 is retired from her career as a nurse. She and her husband, Williard ’57, live in Clear Lake, Calif.

Throughout her career, Margaret worked as the school nurse at Laurelwood Adventist Academy where she also taught classes.

From 1963 to 1967 she was a nurse on the heart team at Loma Linda University. Following a move to Visalia, Calif., she worked as a surgical nurse for 35 years doing microscopic ear surgeries.

In retirement she enjoys gardening, knitting, oil painting, and crafts. She writes that her favorite memories of WWU are of “nursing classes in Portland including our surgery instructor Phyllis Miller and our dean of nurses Blanche Jones, both of whom greatly influenced my life.” The Hodgkins have two sons: Douglas and Robert.

Beverly (Chappell) Holland ’65 and her husband, Gary, live in Gresham, Ore. After graduation from WWU Beverly worked at Portland Sanitarium and Hospital and then in a doctor’s office for several years. For the last 39 years she has worked in an extended care facility. When she isn’t working, Beverly takes care of two homes and enjoys spending time with her niece who is a current WWU student. She also is involved with sponsoring a student at Bangla Hope in Bangladesh. Beverly’s favorite memories of her time

at WWU include the applesauce donuts and peanut butter milkshakes at the bakery, Dean Evans, “the beautiful campus,” vespers, and graduation!

Kenneth James ’65 and his wife, Janice, live in Camas, Wash.

Kenneth is a professor of public health and biostatistics at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore. Throughout his career he has been the director of the clinical trials coordinating center for the Department of Veterans Affairs and a consulting professor at Stanford University.

He has also been an elder, treasurer, and home missionary leader in several Adventist churches. He lists one of his favorite memories of WWU as meeting his wife-to-be, Janice, which he also refers to as a “life-changing experience.” His favorite WWU teachers were Gordon Hare for mathematics, Helen Evans for English, and Elder T.K. Ludgate and Elder Balharrie for religion. He writes that his favorite dean was Dean Upchurch. The Jameses have two children: David and Tamara Frace att.

Larry Magnussen ’60 is retired from his career as an orthopedic surgeon and lives in Lawai, Hawaii.

He has two sons, Christopher att. and Jon. From 1965 to 1973 Larry worked as a missionary doctor at Masanga Leprosy Hospital in Sierra Leone, West Africa, after receiving training in reconstructive surgery at Christian Medical College (Karigiri Hospital) in Vellore, India. Larry’s fondest memories

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Charlie Smith ’60 Charlie Smith ’60 and his wife, Joan, live in College Place. After graduating from WWU with a bachelor’s degree in biology, Charlie did graduate studies at Montana State University in bacteriology, pathology, immunology, and immunopathology. Throughout his career he has worked as a fishery research biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including research at the Western Fish Nutrition Laboratory in Willard, Wash., and the Bozeman Fish Technology Center in Bozeman, Mont., where he became director in 1985. He served as director of the center for 32 years until his retirement in 1993. While at the center he worked with L.M. Ashley, a pioneer fish histopathologist, on studying the cause of liver cancer in rainbow trout. During this time he also conducted research on the hematology and clinical chemistry of nutritionally deficient salmon.

He has authored more than 90 scientific manuscripts and book chapters related to diseases in fish. After retiring from his work with the USFWS, he has worked as a consultant in fish pathology and aquaculture and for more than 20 years and has taught classes at the USFWS Training Academy and the National Conservation Training Center, both in West Virginia.

Among numerous awards, Charlie has received the American Fisheries Society Fish Culture Section Hall of Fame Award, the USFWS Region 6 Special Recognition Award, the United States Department of Interior Meritorious Service Award, and the Northwest Fish Culture Hall of Fame Award. Perhaps more importantly, Charlie was listed in an American Fisheries Society biographical sketch as being “known for his kindness, and gentle, friendly manner.”

Charlie continues to provide diagnostic histopathology services for fisheries agencies in Colorado, Idaho, and Wyoming, and for the Bozeman Fish Health Center. He and Joan have three children: Greg, Cheri Kirkpatrick att., and Shellie Smith att.

of his time at WWU include being editor of the Mountain Ash yearbook in 1960, skiing in the Blue Mountains, bird watching, and studying at Rosario Beach for two quarters with Don Rigby, professor emeritus of biology.

Gerald Miller ’65 lives in Friday Harbor, Wash., with his wife, Nancy (Carpenter) ’76. They have two daughters: Kimberly Andria ’90 and Jodi Hilder att. Gerald completed a master of divinity degree at Andrews University in 1967.

During his early career, he was a pastor, academy teacher, college teacher, and WWU chaplain. He was an associate pastor at the University Church from 1966 to 1976.

In 1979 he completed a doctor of jurisprudence degree at Willamette University College of Law, and since then has worked in private, public, and corporate law practice.

Perry Parks ’60 and his wife, Gloria, live in Medford, Ore., where Perry is retired from his career as a pastor. He writes that he has been “in the Lord’s work for the Seventh-day Adventist Church for 60 years.” Perry shares a letter dated March 11, 1959, in

KEY: att. = attended

which the WWU dean at the time, F.A. Meier, encouraged Perry to become a teacher. The letter says in part: “This letter is to inform you that you have been nominated by our faculty as having those qualifications necessary for success in the profession of college teaching. It is an attempt on our part to have you seriously consider the possibility of serving humanity as a member of a learned profession. While you may have already formulated other plans for the future, please accept this letter as a measure of our esteem.” Perry took another path and now lists his employer as “the God of heaven.”

Throughout his career he was a pastor in the North Pacific Union Conference for six years and a missionary in Malawi, Africa, from 1966 to 1976 and in Zimbabwe, Africa, from 1976 to 1978. He has also been a department director for the Canadian Union Conference, long-time president of the Montana Conference, and a pastor in Ashland, Ore. His favorite memories of his time at WWU include “being in Bible classes with Elders Paul Heubach, Gordon Balharrie, Paul Grove, and Richard Litke,” as well as history classes with Harry Westermeyer and Frank Meckling. Perry and Gloria have three children: Daniel att., Donita Jensen, and Darlene Perkins ’92.

Shirley (Witherspoon) Schoepflin ’65 and her husband, Gerald ’66, live in Portland, Ore. Throughout her 30-year career, Shirley worked with her husband as a nurse, tax assistant, and business manager. She writes that she “loves bird watching, hiking, gardening, creating a beautiful landscape in a yard, floral arrangements, and cooking vegetarian meals.” She and Gerald have two children: Shelley Sanders ’98 and Todd ’97. Some of her favorite memories of her time at WWU are of attending Sabbath services, singing in the choir, and making new friends.

Cecelia (Hall) St. Clair ’60 is retired and living in Yucca Valley, Calif. She and her husband, Leo att., who is now deceased, have three children: Shelley Howell, Shaun, and Shane. Throughout her career, Cecelia was a teacher for eight years, a literature evangelist for eight years, and worked in clerical administration for eight years. Since official retirement she has been working as an instructional assistant.

Her favorite memories of WWU include the “joy of fellowship with like-minded Christians,” “dedicated and compassionate teachers and deans,” and the “stimulating learning environment.”

1970s Janella (Harvey) Abbey ’70, and her husband, Don ’69 and ’71, live in Coupeville, Wash. They have two daughters: Kelly Goertzen att. and Karen Sky. After they graduated from WWU, the Abbeys moved to Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, where Don taught and Janella took care of their two daughters.

They spent two years at Solusi Mission and then moved back to Lacombe where they spent the next 20 years. During that time Janella completed a degree in secondary education and a master’s degree in counseling.

She taught elementary school and high school, was a school counselor, and worked as a lay pastor. In 1998 the Abbeys moved to Lincoln, Neb., where Janella worked on a research grant with the physician’s assistant program and was an administrative assistant in academic administration.

After retiring in 2011 the Abbeys joined Adventist Frontier Missions and spent six years supervising projects in Asia while living in Thailand. Janella writes that her “favorite memories from WWC include working with Marvin Pinder in the audio-visual service, trips to the mountains, summers at Rosario Beach, and helping the biology grad students collect subjects for their research. I was especially enriched by my research class and project with Dale Clayton.”

Virginia Ballmann ’70 and her husband, Michael, live in Simi Valley, Calif., where Virginia is a dentist in her own dentistry practice. She graduated from the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry in 1976. She and Michael have five grandchildren and two children, Michael and Michaela Utengen. Her favorite memories of WWU include “Friday night sunset worship in the women’s dorm with Helen Evans” and “the summer program at the marine biological station at Rosario.”

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and painting. She has three children: Heidi (Boggs) Nelson att., Kristen (Boggs) Mackenzie, and Nathan Boggs.

Larry Evans ’70 Larry Evans ’70 and his wife, Carolyn (Bigger) ’69, live in Vancouver, Wash. One of Larry’s fondest memories of his time at WWU is of being asked to serve on the Foreign Relations Committee, which he says was “very strange because at the time I had never been outside of the United States!” He writes, “Only two of us showed up.

The other person became my favorite traveling companion and wife.”

Larry’s current work as assistant to the president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for Adventist Possibility Ministries has taken him around the globe to encourage understanding and develop opportunities for people who are too frequently marginalized.

“We have sought to change the thinking of both societies and the church so all can see the person rather than focusing on their limitations or disabilities,” writes Larry. “What started with 40 or 50 deaf people in Nairobi has grown to become a movement of thousands in many countries of the world.”

Adventist Possibility Ministries has been developed with the expertise of hundreds of world leaders and members of the Adventist church.

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“Once called Disability Ministries and then Special Needs Ministries, the name was changed after listening to many who have far too often been neglected, abused, or dehumanized,” writes Larry.

“No one wants to be remembered for what they cannot do. This ministry is about opening doors of understanding and therefore opportunities.”

Larry and Carolyn have two children: Jeffrey att. and Jonathan att.

Louise Bozorth ’70 lives in Woodland, Wash., and is retired after 43 years as a cabinet maker with Hayes Cabinets.

Through her work on more than 50 projects with Maranatha Volunteers International, Louise has traveled to 19 countries from Russia to Australia, all of Central America, and some of South America. “You don’t appreciate what you have until you see what others don’t,” she says. Highlights from her travels include “great bird-watching opportunities” and seeing the Milky Way from 17,000 feet in elevation in Chile. “I’d recommend it to anyone,” she writes.

ple gathered there, ate, played table games, and just visited.”

She and her friends from college still enjoy adventures together.

Mary (Ruiz) Campbell ’75 is retired from her career as a nurse and lives in Vancouver, Wash.

She and her husband, Douglas ’73, who is now deceased, have two sons, Justin and Jared, who is also deceased. Mary worked as an operating room nurse for 40 years. She says gardening is her “love,” and her grandson, Douglas, is her “joy.” Of her time at WWU, she writes that she “loved working at the SAC. Peo-

Michael LeBeau att. lives in Nampa, Idaho, with his wife,

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Will Evert ’75 and his wife, Janet, live in Inchelium, Wash., where Will is director of Young Disciple Ministries. Will was a missionary in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and writes that he is now “in ministry with all my children and grandchildren.” He and Janet have two sons: Anthony and Jonathan. Some of his fondest memories of his time at WWU are of classes from Donnie Rigby and Dr. Troutwein.

Sharon. Michael is a building plans examiner for the city of Nampa. His fondest memories of his time at WWU include singing with the various musical ensembles.

Barbara Miller ’75 lives in Spokane Valley, Wash., where she is a vascular access nurse for Providence Holy Family Hospital. She previously worked as a nurse for the Navy for 11 years, stationed at a communication base in Australia. She was also on the maiden voyage of the United States Naval Hospital Ship, Mercy, and spent three months in Desert Storm. When she isn’t working, Barbara enjoys traveling, sewing, quilting, and drawing. Her favorite memories of her time at WWU are of the classmates she met and had as friends.

Rae (Depner) Rich ’70 lives in Chewelah, Wash., with her husband, Al. She had a 20-year career as a nurse and has been a massage therapist for the past 28 years. In her free time she enjoys sewing, reading, crocheting,

Keith Riese ’70 and his wife, Jacque, live in Lincoln, Neb., where Keith is retired from a 33-year teaching career at Union College. Prior to joining the faculty at Union, Keith worked as an engineer at Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) in Orlando, Fla., and at Bonneville Power Administration in Portland, Ore. He also taught math, science, and engineering for two years in an academy.

Since retiring in 2014, the Rieses have gone on four Maranatha projects to Camp MiVoden in northern Idaho. He plays the organ occasionally at the College View Adventist church at Union College and enjoys stamp collecting. He and Jacque have two sons: Kevin and Kent. Keith writes that his favorite memories of his time at WWU include making friends with fellow engineers and putting a VW Bug in the Sittner Hall lobby.

Gene Roemer ’75 and his wife, Toni (Edgerly) att., live in Wenatchee, Wash. Keith is retired from a 43-year teaching career spent primarily teaching physical education and history at Upper Columbia Academy and Cascade Christian Academy.

He has been on mission trips to Africa, Belize, and Fiji, and has recently enjoyed helping to raise his grandson, Charlie. Gene’s hobbies include swing dancing and golf. He and Toni have two daughters: Kate ’00 and Nichole. His favorite memories of WWU include sports, especially football, basketball, and soccer.

Cherelyn (James) Strickland ’75 and her husband, Dennis, live in Mabton, Wash. They have been married for 45 years.

Cherelyn is an administrator and registered nurse. She worked as a nurse in a doctor’s office for 18 years, and for the past 22 years she and Dennis have owned and managed an assisted living facility. She has been an elder in the Adventist church for 35 years, and she and Dennis owned 200 acres of orchards. They have two daughters: Sara ’03 and Shari ’07. Cherelyn’s best memories of her time at WWU are of the friendships she made and “the beautiful campus.”

1980s James Foster ’80 and his wife, Beverly (Rippey) ’78, live in College Place. James is an assistant professor of computer science at WWU. The Fosters have two children: John ’07 and Laura ’08.

Dawnelle (Deming) Marshall ’80 is director of nursing support services at Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, Ore. She and her husband, William ’77, have one son, Alexander ’14.

Throughout her career, Dawnelle has worked in public health nursing, as an acute care nurse in a rural hospital on the Oregon coast, and as public health director for Douglas County in Oregon. She has served on various community boards and has been a Sabbath School kindergarten teacher and church music leader. She enjoys gardening, water skiing, and baking. Dawnelle’s favorite memories of her time at WWU are of music in the church, snow skiing trips, the friends she made, and meeting her husband.

David Panossian ’85 and his wife, Teresa (Graham) ’86, live in Klamath Falls, Ore., where David is president and owner of Klamath Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Center. In his free time David enjoys traveling, photography, basketball, and tennis and has led three mission trips to Fiji. The Panossians have two children: Nathan curr. att. and Valerie who has been accepted to WWU as a student beginning in fall 2020. His favorite memories of WWU include meeting his wife and “playing basketball

outside at midnight with David Hutton and friends.”

Debbie (Opitz) Reiswig ’80 and her husband, Ken ’79, live in Talkeetna, Alaska, where Debbie works for the National Park Service in Denali National Park in supervisory visitor use. She and Ken have been married for nearly 40 years and have two daughters, Brooke Kisser and Bethany, and two grandchildren.

Debbie writes, “Our favorite activity is spending time with them and our extended family.

We are active in our church and enjoy working with nonprofits in our community.” Debbie and Ken have spent much of their married life in rural Alaska where they enjoy dog mushing, cross-country skiing, hiking, camping, and going on adventures with friends. Of her favorite memories of her time in college, Debbie writes: “I became interested in WWC because of a public high school visit to Rosario Marine Station.

Through a series of events, I

applied for and was accepted as a student although I had no prior knowledge or association with the SDA Church. Because of some very special people who modeled Jesus Christ, I came to know, love and accept Him as my personal Savior and to embrace the teachings of the church. Other memories [include] being a milkmaid at the farm, working on grounds, spending summers at Rosario— but the biggest joys were accepting Jesus into my life and meeting my wonderful husband.”

Sherry Wachter ’85 lives in MiltonFreewater, Ore. She is a contract teacher for Blue Mountain Community College and Walla Walla University. Since graduating from WWU she completed a master’s degree at La Sierra University and has worked as a high school teacher, administrative assistant, and graphic designer. She currently does design work for a studio in

David Panossian ’85 and family

Los Angeles and is an artist who has had her work featured in a show in the Pearl District of Portland, Ore. Sherry has one son, Patrick Dunphy curr. att.

She writes that some of her favorite memories of her time at WWU are of Terrie Aamodt’s American Literature class and the writing center. She specifically recalls “Shelley Weaver and I brewing Hills Brothers coffee in Rob Weller’s little hot pot.”

1990s Christie (Powell) Forsyth ’90 and ’92 and her husband, Jim ’67, live in College Place. She and Jim were missionaries in Hong Kong and Singapore from 1972 to 1981.

She then went back to college and completed a bachelor of social work degree and master of social work degree. She worked from 1971 to 2007 as a school social worker at Berney Elementary School in Walla Walla. She is now retired and enjoys pursuing various artistic endeavors. Her favorite memories of her time at WWU include taking classes in elementary education from Miss Searl. She writes that she also has fond memories of “Jim and I standing under the big tree under our umbrella in front of Conard Hall whispering ‘sweet nothings’ to each other and stealing a kiss or two.” Christie and Jim have two sons: Jerry att. and David ’92 and ’95.

Darren Hassell ’95 and his wife, Melissa, live in Bend, Ore. After completing a master of social

August 28–30, 2020 Join guest speaker Joe Galusha ’68, WWU professor emeritus of biology, for a relaxing weekend with fellow friends and alumni. Come for Sabbath or the full weekend. Registration will open June 15.

Learn more at wallawalla.edu/rosario-sabbath.

(800) 377-2586

Alumni Sabbath at

Rosario

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work degree at WWU, Darren got a doctorate in psychology. He is a social worker and counselor and has worked in behavioral health and home health for St. Charles Medical Center in Bend for 24 years. When he isn’t working, he enjoys biking and skiing. He and Melissa have four children: Aspen Hassell Dalton, Hunter, Sage, and Forrest. Of his favorite memories of WWU, Darren writes: “My wife loved the campus, local grocery store, and the garden she was allowed to plant and grow behind our student housing. We enjoyed riding our bikes out to the Whitman Monument and skiing and working at Ski Bluewood.”

Michelle (Ritz) MacLachlan ’95 and her husband, Jon ’94, live in Lake Oswego, Ore. Michelle is a registered nurse who is currently working as a member of the School of Nursing team in Portland. She and Jon have two children: Lexi and Finley. Michelle writes that her favorite memories of WWU are of “hanging out with friends.”

Jean Sequeira ’95 and her husband, Emidio “Jack,” live in Gladstone, Ore., where they are busy with Jack Sequeira Ministries. Jean writes that through that organization they have been “privileged to travel to over 50 countries sharing the Love of the Lord.” When Jack was a pastor at the Walla Walla City Adventist Church, Jean was the office manager for the WWU computer center. During that time she completed a bachelor’s degree in English. She writes, “During a senior class with Beverly Beem I

put together a Cockney Dictionary to share with my classmates. They were quite intrigued with the rhyming slang of the people of London where I was born. Then I draped a lace tablecloth over my outstretched arms and head, and with an enlarged cutout of the face of Anne Boleyn placed strategically under one arm, I sang that infamous song, ‘With ’er ’ed tucked underneath ’er arm she walks the Bloody Tower.’ I don’t know how I got through singing without laugh-

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Natalie (Davis) Hager ’00 and son

ing, but it was worth it when the class gave me a standing ovation for my efforts!” Jean also worked as an editorial secretary for the Adventist Review in Washington, D.C., while Jack was a pastor for the Capital Memorial Adventist Church. The Sequeiras have two children: Christopher ’92 and ’14 and Jennifer ’92.

2000s Annalee (Bieber) Brooks ’00 and her husband, Darrin ’98, live in Erie, Colo., with their two daughters, Ella and Katelyn. After graduating from WWU, Annalee completed a master’s degree in speech and hearing sciences at Portland State University. She has worked as a speech-language pathologist since that time in a variety of healthcare and educational settings. She writes that she especially enjoys working with children. “My professors in the biology department were some of the most influential factors in my life, both educationally and spiritually.”

Her fondest memories of her time at WWU include summer at Rosario Beach, the “tower of tires,” and her year spent as a student missionary in El Salvador.

Heather (Enders) Dietrich ’00 and her husband, Shawn ’00, live in Kennewick, Wash., where Heather is the marketing director for TriCity Adventist School. They have two daughters: Emma and Lily. Of her favorite memories of her time at WWU, Heather writes: “I remember many Sabbath afternoons at Rooks Park and South Fork.”

Natalie (Davis) Hager ’00 lives in Princeton, W.Va., with her son, Nicholas, their German Shepherd, Ava, and their three cats, Kuzya, Kira, and Mikey. Natalie completed law school at West Virginia University College of Law and is an attorney with the Public Defender Corporation. When she isn’t working, she enjoys gardening, spending time with family, photography, drawing, weightlifting, and hiking. Natalie’s favorite memories of her time at WWU include, “Going to Whitman Mission on my bike on weekends and spending quality time with God there,” and a surprise 20th birthday party with Ukrainian food, music, and 20 balloons.

Todd Wesslen ’00 and his wife, Christen (Wells) att., live in Visalia, Calif., where Todd is an orthodontist. The Wesslens have two children: Hazel and Henry.

After graduating from WWU Todd completed a master’s degree in computer science at California State University, San Bernardino, before graduating from dental school at the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry. In 2011 he also completed a master’s degree in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics at LLU.

ministry since leaving college.

It has stretched me spiritually, created opportunity to put faith into practice, provided immense growth as a leader, and pushed me to try things and meet people I never would have on my own!”

Her fondest memories of her time at WWU include bed races and studying in “the many nooks and crannies of the library.”

Natalie Smith-Gray ’18 and her husband, Nathan, live in Albion, Wash. Natalie is a graduate student at Washington State University.

One of her favorite memories of her time at WWU is “When it snowed really hard one winter, my friends and I cross-country skied around campus. It was beautiful and a clear starry night.”

Briana (Lanza) Toelke ’10 lives in College Place with her husband, Matthew ’09, and their two children, Fletcher and Emry. While Matthew works as director of the WWU aviation program, Briana is a full-time mom and a part-time student at WWU. She is working on a second bachelor’s degree and teaching endorsement, this time in mathematics. Prior to moving to College Place, she taught third and fourth grades at Anchorage Junior Academy. Briana writes, “When I’m not herding cats (I mean, kids) or doing math, I enjoy listening to music, reading, fishing, camping, hanging out with friends, cooking, and baking.”

She notes that one of her favorite college memories is “One time Dr. Randolph told me I would get a doctorate someday. I don’t remember what prompted her to say that, and I’m doubtful that it will ever happen, but it made me feel really good, and I’ll never forget it!”

2010s Crystal (Uren) Kielman ’10 and her husband, Taylor, live in Vancouver, Wash., where Crystal is an assistant treasurer for the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Crystal writes, “I’ve become very involved with the Pathfinder

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In Memory Phyllis M. (Kivett) Ainsworth ’69 was born in 1931 in Medford, Ore., and died June 30, 2019, in Walla Walla at age 87. Surviving: daughters Liana St. Clair of Walla Walla and Sharon Maness of Pendleton, Ore.; son Kent of Kalispell, Mont.; and sisters Esther Marple of Thermopolis, Wyo., and Bea Downs of Jacksonville, Ore. Marilyn (Sturdevant) Cramer ’55 was born in 1933 in Seattle, Wash., and died April 21, 2019, in Yakima, Wash., at age 85.

Surviving: daughters Sylvia att. of Redlands, Calif., and Linda Sloop att. of Yakima.

Robert H. Dunn att. was born in 1946 and died Feb. 25, 2005.

Surviving: wife Ann Marie of Georgetown, Tenn.

Jere Calvin Franklin ’63 was born in 1939 in Portland, Ore., and died Dec. 29, 2018, at age 79.

Surviving: wife Linda of Chetwynd, British Columbia, Canada; daughter Susan Fontana ’13 of Chehalis, Wash.; son Jed of Chetwynd; and sister Samantha Sackett of Spokane, Wash.

Rodney Green att. was born in 1940 in Mandan, N.D., and died July 18, 2019, in Gresham, Ore., at age 79. Surviving: wife Norma (Stratton) ’60 of Portland, Ore.; daughter Katrina ’86 of Portland; and son Bill ’84 of Beaverton, Ore. Geoffrey Alexander Hughes ’17 was born in 1993 in Boise, Idaho, and died April 15, 2019, in Spokane, Wash., at age 25. Surviving: wife Anisha (Rani) ’16 of Eugene, Ore.; sister Felicia of St. Paul, Ore.; and parents Heidi att. and Kevin att. of St. Paul.

Nancy (Richardson) Johnson ’53 was born in 1931 in Santa Monica, Calif., and died July 5, 2019, in Rocklin, Calif., at age 87. Surviving: husband C. Walter Johnson att. of Rocklin; daughters Judy Broeckel of Yreka, Calif., and Jeanette of Rocklin; and sons John of Salem, Ore., and Jeremy FujimotoJohnson of Roseville, Calif.

Harold H. Lang ’53 and ’54 was born in 1932 in Harvey, N.D., and died Sept. 6, 2019, in Portland, Ore., at age 87. Surviving: sons Robert ’80 of Boise, Idaho, and

KEY: att. = attended

Jerry of Winter Park, Fla.; and daughter Sharon Howard of Portland.

Burton Dwayne Maxwell ’61 was born in 1937 in Modesto, Calif., and died March 4, 2019, in National City, Calif., at age 81.

Surviving: wife Patricia HalseyMaxwell ’59 of Chula Vista, Calif.; daughter Patricia MaxwellRobertson ’87 of Chula Vista; son Daniel ’84 of Gainesville, Fla.; and sister Phyllis Van Santen of Sacramento, Calif.

William A. Moreno ’50 was born in 1926 in Colorado Springs, Colo., and died July 20, 2019, in Kalispell, Mont., at age 92. Surviving wife Marjorie of Kalispell; daughters Marcia Culver ’77 of Kalispell and Lorna att.; son William att. of Kalispell; sister Allyce Mayer of Gladstone, Ore.; and brother Malcolm of Gaston, Ore. C. Arnold Renschler ’64 was born in 1942 in Sioux Falls, S.D., and died May 25, 2019, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., at age 77. Surviving: wife D. Sheryl of San Juan Capistrano; sons Scott of Seattle, Wash., Todd of San Francisco, Calif., Tom Arntson of San Clemente, Calif., and Bryan Arntson of Aliso Viejo, Calif.; and sister Dorothea Amey ’65 of Beaumont, Calif.

William Richards ’62 was born in 1940 in Denver, Colo., and died Aug. 15, 2019, in Denver at age 79. Surviving: wife Barbara of Denver; daughters Alice Waters of Grand Junction, Colo., Kathleen Kahle of Columbus, Ohio, and Laura Fast Bope of Chandler, Ariz.; sons William of Austin, Texas, N. Douglass Fast of Denver, and Bradley Fast of Sendai, Japan; and sisters Barbara Jean Brown of Louisville, Colo., and Evalina C. Blair of Golden, Colo.

Richard Martin Ritland ’46 was born in 1925 in Grants Pass, Ore., and died Dec. 13, 2019, in Olympia, Wash., at age 94. Surviving: wife Juanita att. of Olympia; daughter Beth of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada; sons Stephen of Flagstaff, Ariz., Stanley of Ophir, Ore., John of Olympia, and Forrest of Flagstaff.

Fred Charles Schnibbe ’50 was born in 1925 in Brooklyn, N.Y., and died Aug. 16, 2019, in Walla Walla at age 94. Surviving: wife Verona (Montanye) ’48 of College Place; sons Richard ’83 of Walla Walla and Dale att. of Spokane; and brother Richard att. of Damascus, Ore. Margaret (Osgood) TrautweinCook ’60 was born in 1922 in Chicago, Ill., and died May 16, 2019, in Walla Walla at age 97. Surviving: sisters Charlotte Tillman-Rollenhagen of College Place and Betty Sue Osgood of College Place; and brother DeWitt Osgood of Tigard, Ore. T. Joe Willey ’62 was born in 1938 in Fort Collins, Colo., and died April

23, 2019, in Colton, Calif., at age 80.

Surviving: wife Barbara Orr-Willey of Colton; daughters Christina of San Bernardino, Calif., and Kelly Orr-Boyatt of Temecula, Calif.; sons Bruce of Bishop, Calif., and Mark of Silver Springs, Md.; sisters Marcia Mortensen att. of Arroyo Grande, Calif., and Linda Engeberg of Eagle, Idaho; and brother John att. of Las Vegas, Nev. James Whittington ’68 was born in 1940 in Walla Walla and died April 20, 2019, in Walla Walla, at age 78. Surviving: daughter Jill Johnston of Walla Walla and son Jack of Walla Walla.

Jerry Mason Jerry Mason is remembered by his colleagues at Walla Walla University as someone with “the uncanny ability to empower his employees.”

Mason devoted 28 years of his career to WWU from March 1985 to July 2013 as a supervisor and department director for computer services, information services, and plant services.

“Jerry mentored me. He believed in me and pushed my thinking,” said Chris Drake ’01, WWU senior media manager. “He was straightforward, innovative, and a great problem solver—ahead of the curve and always looking forward. In his quiet way he had a large influence on my life.”

Glenn Maxted ’77, WWU electrical and mechanical systems manager, said, “Jerry was one of the best. He always had time to listen when you needed to talk with him. He was the type of leader that asked what you needed to get the job done and then worked to get you what you needed. He was a special person.”

After retiring from WWU, Jerry and his wife, Martha, moved to Dayton where he enjoyed gardening and reading and watching baseball on television. He also enjoyed getting to know other residents of Dayton and visiting with them around town.

Jerry was born in 1940 in Lancaster, Calif. He passed away on Aug. 19, 2019, at age 79 in Kennewick, Wash., after a brief and virulent bout of pancreatitis. He is survived by his wife, Martha, of Dayton, Wash., daughter Debbie Nelson of Spokane, son David of Bybee, Tenn., brother Doug of Rock Springs, Wyo., sister Ann Holliday Rice of St. Helena, Calif., and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Jerry’s first wife and the mother of his children, Rosemary Lane Mason att., passed away in 1992 after nearly 30 years of marriage. Their youngest daughter, Deanie Christy att., passed away in January 2019.

A memorial service for Jerry was held in the University Church on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019.

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ALUMNUS OF NOTE

J. Bjørnar Storfjell ’66 Theology alum finds intercontinental career in archaeology and academia By Kyler Alvord ’18

N

obody’s career unfolds quite as planned, but J. Bjørnar Storfjell—whose work has taken him on a serendipitous series of adventures around the globe—understands life’s unpredictable nature better than most.

Storfjell’s many layers make him difficult to summarize: He’s an archaeologist, an educator, a polyglot, an editor, and a former competitive ski jumper. He’s native to Norway, with citizenship in the U.S. and U.K. His story is far from linear and tricky to follow—assuming you’re unfamiliar with soil contexts and ancient Near East history—but in its simplest form, it’s a tale of “time and chance” launching a man to greater heights than he believed possible as an undergraduate.

In the ’60s, Storfjell moved to the States to study theology at Walla Walla University. He wanted to expand his knowledge of ancient history, and under the instruction of biblical languages professor Richard Litke ’48, he saw a larger context to which his studies could be applied. “Dr. Litke was really the person who was most influential in steering me in the direction of archaeology and Semitic languages,” says Storfjell, crediting the professor’s ability to engage students with the material.

Storfjell graduated WWU determined to continue learning. He earned a bachelor of divinity degree from Andrews University, studied at Portland State University, and later completed a doctorate in archaeology at Andrews, which involved research on the Byzantine Period and fieldwork in the Middle East.

Success is difficult to quantify, and though Storfjell’s résumé leaves little room for dispute, it was his partnership with Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl that undeniably proved his prestige. Heyerdahl led the 1947 Kon-Tiki raft expedition across the Pacific Ocean, and in the late 60s, Storfjell named his son Thor in honor of Heyerdahl. Decades later, Storfjell met Heyerdahl in the mountains of Azerbaijan during an excavation commissioned by the

“

Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Heyerdahl was impressed with Storfjell and invited him to Russia to work on what would ultimately be Heyerdahl’s final project. When Heyerdahl passed away in 2002, Storfjell carried on his legacy, directing the Thor Heyerdahl Research Centre for five years.

As Storfjell developed expertise in archaeology and biblical languages, he worked hard to raise a new body of academics in his wake. He’s taught around the globe throughout his career, clocking a year at Auburn Adventist Academy, three at Middle East University in Jordan, nearly two decades at Andrews, a year at Kingston University in London, three years at Open University, and a decade of lecturing at Oxford University.

As a professor, he showed care for his students, even crediting their names first on published articles. While teaching at Andrews, he involved students in excavation work in Michigan, Jordan, and Israel. On dig sites, he continued educating, taking Russian students into the trenches to teach them the latest methodologies.

“I was looking so much forward to having all the time in the world when I stopped teaching at Oxford,” Storfjell confesses, but only two months into retirement, he agreed to step in as editor of the Palestine Exploration Quarterly, where he currently reviews the latest archaeological research. “I think this is probably the last sort of professional thing that I will be doing,” he says, “but who knows. I will meet any challenge if it comes my way. I’m still an archaeologist.”

Dr. Litke was really the person who was most influential in steering me in the direction of archaeology and Semitic languages.”

28

Westwind Spring 2020

photograph by THOM ATKINSON

Storfjell’s work takes him to the reading library at the Palestine Exploration Fund in London.

Westwind Spring 2020

29

Alumni Currents

Staying in touch with our family of graduates

ALUMNUS OF NOTE

Richard Dower ’64 Westwind sails PNW rivers with alumnus at the helm

By Alixandria Reiner Trolsrud ’17

D

ick Dower has loved being in or on the water most of his life, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when he bought his first sailboat in 2013. The surprise came five years later when he bought his third and current sailboat and named it Westwind.

30

Westwind Spring 2020

Dick’s advice to college students: “The four years of your college career should be some of the most joyous years of your life. You are learning, growing, and making lifelong friends. Get acquainted with the teachers and staff members on campus and enlarge your circle of friends.

These are the people who will enrich your experience as you travel through life.”

that Dower enjoys the wind and all that it entails. “I like the wind,” he says.

“There is something special about using the wind to propel the boat. While with a strong, gusty wind there can be moments of terror, most of the time it is just cool to be in the boat, on the water, and letting the wind push you along.”

Throughout his years sailing on both the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Dower has been exposed to the wild and raw nature that only can be experienced when out on the water. He recalls one of his favorite nature encounters while he was sailing on the Columbia: “Ospreys were everywhere, and I liked hearing their cry,” he says. “This one female osprey was on her nest with her chicks, and when I would pass by she would scream at me. I would get as close to her as I could just to hear that wild cry.”

After spending several years living and sailing in the Portland metro area, Dick and Nadine are now anchored in the Walla Walla Valley where they are enjoying retired life.

“We have so many longtime friends here, and we had a great time here as students,” recalls Dower.

“The University Church is here, which was the focus of so many special memories. We are also making many new friends as we meet them as well.”

Dower currently works at WWU as a volunteer in the Havstad Alumni Center and as a freshman mentor.

PHOTOS: CALEB TOL

Dower and his wife, Nadine att., bought the 1976 Aquarius 23 boat in May 2018. “Even though it is an older boat, it has not seen hard use,” says Dower. “A previous owner was a machinist and made several really neat fittings out of stainless steel for it.”

When it came time to name the mint-condition boat, Dower struggled to find just the right name.

“When I bought the Aquarius 23, it had no name,” he says, “and that is what I called it—‘The Boat With No Name.’”

Despite asking friends and family what he should call the boat, it was only after talking to Jodi Wagner ’92, WWU vice president for University Relations and Advancement, that he was finally able to settle on the perfect name. “When I told her the names I was thinking of and mentioned the name Westwind, her eyes lit up,” recalls Dower, “and that gave me the confidence to finally decide on that name. Also, ever since I attended Walla Walla College, I have really liked the name Westwind.”

Dower has been sailing both privately and commercially since 2013. After acquiring his commercial license, he spent four summers taking passengers for 90-minute sailboat rides on the Willamette River in Portland. “It was great fun meeting people from all over the world,” he says. “I would pick them up a little south of the city center and motor up into the city, raise the sails, sail around downtown between the bridges, and sail back to the dock.”

With a sailboat named Westwind, it is only fitting

WWU engineering student Caleb Tol took this drone photo of Westwind while sailing with Dower on the Columbia River.

Invest in your future.

Earn your graduate degree at Walla Walla University.

Learn from faculty with a breadth of knowledge, diverse backgrounds, extensive professional experience, and doctoral education.

Enjoy a low student-to-teacher ratio that facilitates individual attention and meaningful relationships.

Save time and money by earning your degree quickly.

Most programs are completed in two years or less.

Biology (M.S.) Campus: College Place, Washington, with research opportunities available at the Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory in Anacortes, Washington. Ŗ Two-year thesis research program. Ŗ Teaching assistantships available to cover tuition and provide a stipend. Ŗ Dedicated faculty mentors who hold doctoral degrees.

Cinema, Religion, and Worldview (M.A.)

Offered through the WWU Center for Media Ministry.

Campus: Online program with a two-week intensive session once per year in College Place, Washington. Ŗ Two-year completion time with new cohorts starting each summer. Ŗ Courses tailored to your skill level and career goals. Ŗ Networking with professionals in the industry who share your passion for visual media.

Education (M.A.T., M.Ed., M.I.T.) Master of arts in teaching or master of education

(Curriculum and instruction, literacy instruction, special education, or educational leadership with denominational principal certification.)

Campus: Online. Ŗ No GRE required for M.A.T. practitioner degree. Ŗ Limited-time 33% tuition discount available for special education. Ŗ Tuition waivers available for NPUC teachers.

Master of initial teaching

(Elementary or secondary teaching certification.)

Campus: College Place, Washington. Ŗ Two-year completion time or less. Ŗ Washington state and denominational certification available.

Social Work (M.S.W., D.S.W.) Master of social work

Campus: College Place, Washington; Missoula, Montana; or Billings, Montana. Ŗ No GRE required. Ŗ Classes meet only on Mondays. Ŗ Two-year completion time or less. Ŗ Open to applicants with an accredited bachelor’s degree. Ŗ Clinical focus on broad spectrum.

Doctor of social work

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NEW

OGRA M Campus: College Place, Washington Ŗ Expected start of summer 2020. Ŗ Online format with limited-residency requirement. Ŗ Competitive teaching assistantships available with tuition waiver.

Get ready to advance your career.

Learn more and apply today at wallawalla.edu/gradstudies.

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

Paid WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY

See you there!

Upcoming events to note on your calendar

MAY 16 The Department of Music will present their annual Spring Choral Concert at 5 p.m. in the University Church. The concert will feature performances by the general choir, The University Singers, and by the touring choral group, I Cantori. Join us on campus or watch via livestream at wallawalla.edu.concert.

Blake Center Academic Conference on May 14 at 7 p.m. in the University Church.

The conference will also feature presentations on race, ethnicity, and culture. Register at wallawalla.edu/DBC.

JUNE 30 Planning to attend the

General Conference Session in Indianapolis?

You are invited to join fellow WWU alumni for complimentary frozen yogurt at Pearings Frozen Yogurt and Café. For details and to pick up your voucher, stop by the WWU booth. Learn more at wallawalla.edu/alumni-events.

JULY 8 Join alumni and friends in Walla Walla for a Walla Walla

Sweets baseball game

at Borleske Stadium. We’ll cheer on our team, catch a glimpse of the WWU mascot, Wally the Wolf, and enjoy connecting with alumni from around the valley and beyond. Tickets go on sale on June 8. Learn more at wallawalla. edu/sweets or call (800) 377-2586.

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

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AUGUST 28–30

Rosario Alumni Sabbath

will feature guest speaker Joe Galusha ’68, professor emeritus of biology. Come for Sabbath or the entire weekend. We’ll have church, a nature walk, hot dog roast, sundown worship on the beach, a bonfire with s’mores, and more all in the beautiful environment at Rosario. Learn more at wallawalla. edu/Rosario-sabbath.

Stay up to date on the Walla Walla University response to the novel coronavirus, Covid-19, by visiting wallawalla.edu/covid19.

PHOTO: GIANNI PAQUINI

MAY 14–15 Washington state poet laureate Claudia Castro Luna will present the keynote address for the fourth annual Donald