The Experience Magazine - Fall 2007

THE EXPERIENCE The magazine of Warner Pacific College

Fall 2007

Mysteries Made Known

FROM THE PRESIDENT

THE EXPERIENCE

Remembering the source of all knowledge

I

f you are like me, you wonder about many things that are happening in our world today. How many times have you uttered the rhetorical question, “What’s the world coming to?”

At Warner Pacific we encourage our students to grapple with that very question, to wrestle with unanswerable questions.

But we issue this challenge within the clear context of being a Christ-centered liberal arts college. Our tag line, “Mysteries Made Known,” from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus, reminds us that, in Christ, we have the source of all knowledge and as we focus on Him and put our faith and trust in Him, “all will be made known.”

Jesus assured his disciples, and all of us as we grapple with the questions of life, when he said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have Jay A. Barber, Jr. ‘64 overcome the world” (John 16:33).

President I am honored to serve at Warner Pacific College. The ranking of the college by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top eleven baccalaureate institutions in the West is recognition of the college’s growing reputation. I believe some of the reasons for this include the outstanding showing of our ethics debate team; our strong, character-driven Athletics program; our First Year Experience and Mentoring Program; new admissions and marketing materials along with a crisp new WP logo; financial stability and strength; our dynamic and growing Adult Degree Program; and the impressive accomplishments of our alumni.

Warner Pacific is moving forward, and students are attracted to a school that can offer an excellent education, along with those intangible qualities that are evidence of Christ working among us.

May we always keep sight of that.

Blessings,

TheExperience@warnerpacific.edu EDITOR / PHOTOGRAPHER / DESIGNER SCOTT A. THOMPSON sthompson@warnerpacific.edu 503-517-1123 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS JAY A. BARBER, JR. ’64 JESS BIELMAN ’00 SAM HOOKER ’45 SUSANNA LUNDGREN DR. LOU FOLTZ DR. DENNIS PLIES CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS DEREK BRADFORD ’90 TROY HUTCHINSON “The Experience” is produced three times a year

by Warner Pacific College for its alumni and constituents. Opinions expressed are those of individual authors and do not necessarily reflect official policies of Warner Pacific College. Contact us at TheExperience@warnerpacific.edu or write to The Experience, Warner Pacific College, 2219 SE 68th Ave., Portland, OR, 97215.

Warner Pacific is an urban, Christ-centered liberal arts college dedicated to providing students from diverse backgrounds an education that prepares them for the spiritual, moral, social, vocational, and technological challenges of the 21st Century. WPC is affiliated with the Church of God, Anderson, Ind. PRESIDENT JAY A. BARBER, JR. ’64 jbarber@warnerpacific.edu 503-517-1212 VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT ANDREA COOK, PH.D acook@warnerpacific.edu 503-517-1246

President Jay A. Barber, Jr.

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COLLEGE RELATIONS KATY STEDING ksteding@warnerpacific.edu 503-517-1369 Warner Pacific College 2219 SE 68th Ave Portland, OR 97215 503-517-1000 www.warnerpacific.edu

Cover art: Untitled painting by Heather Hopfer ’02. Photographed by Scott A. Thompson.

©2007 Warner Pacific College All rights reserved.

THE EXPERIENCE Fall 2007

FEATURES 8 MISSION TO MYANMAR A six-member team from Warner Pacific teaches at a conference for the Myanmar Church of God.

9 MINDFUL LEARNING In a lecture series on learning and the brain, Dr. Lou Foltz

and Dr. Dennis Plies share how learning happens best when emotions are considered first.

11 MYSTERIES MADE KNOWN (yes and no) Reflections on faith, paradox, and an unfathomable God

BY JESS BIELMAN ’00.

13 THEATRE’S CHAMPION

Lyla (Loehr) White ’63 helped the historic Pasadena Playhouse return to greatness as its Executive Director.

14 HIGH TECH CEO

From military satellites to touch screen navigational systems, business leader Dean Senner ’79 has managed cutting-edge projects in Silicon Valley.

The spire of Schlatter Chapel photographed by Scott A. Thompson.

19 ANGELS BY THE DOZEN

A retired minister recalls a cross-country road trip in his beloved Model A Ford and the saving grace he discovered along the way.

BY SAM HOOKER ’45

DEPARTMENTS 2

From the President

4 Campus News 12

Class Notes

17

In Memoriam

3

COLLEGE NEWS

Warner Pacific ranks 11th among top baccalaureate colleges in the West

W

arner Pacific College earned the #11 spot among Western Region Baccalaureate Colleges in the 2008 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S.News & World Report, one of the nation’s leading sources of service journalism and news.

This is the first time Warner Pacific has made the U.S News rankings.

U.S. News groups schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

WP faired well in a region comprised of 15 western states, including Oklahoma and Texas.

“We are thrilled with our ranking and we feel it is a good reflection of the quality of education we offer, including our humanities core curriculum,” said WP President Jay Barber ’64.

Murdock grant multiplies online library offerings

W

arner Pacific received a $231,000 grant from the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust this summer to support its participation in the Orbis Cascade Alliance, a library-resource organization that shares access to 27.8 million items between 35 member institutions in Oregon and Washington, including all major public university libraries. Currently, Warner Pacific is a member of a consortium of eight private college libraries with a collective volume count of 500,000.

With the Orbis system, students and college employees will be able to request books from member insitutions directly online through an automated process.

“Orbis Cascade Alliance was a grassroots effort that the libraries organized themselves,” said WP Library Director Sue Kopp. “Libraries in the Northwest like to help each other. Orbis is very well-organized.”

The grant will specifically support the purchase of necessary software, the cost of transferring current data into the new system, and membership dues.

Adult Degree Program opens new sites In addition to its main campus in East Portland, ADP now offers classroom space in Vancouver, Wash. and SW Portland.

W

arner Pacific’s booming Adult Degree Program is getting some sorely needed elbow room. ADP has reached an agreement with King’s Way High School - next door to Vancouver First Church of God in Vancouver, Wash. - and Portland First Church of the Nazarene in West Portland, to use classroom space for ADP courses. With 440 students registered as of September 30, ADP enrollment has more than doubled in the last year, and its main campus at SE 98th and Division, in Portland, is nearing capacity.

“The growth has exceeded our forecasts,” said ADP Director of Enrollment Stephen Prisby. “We’re serving a market of adults who are busy - most working full-time - and who want to go to school in an environment that is a bit different than what they’ve seen in our market.”

Initially, ADP will offer an associate’s degree in Organizational Dynamics and baccalaureate degrees in Business Administration and Human Development at its two satellite campuses, followed by the master’s degree in Management and Organizational Leadership in early 2008.

With significant competition in the adult degree industry, ADP’s Dean, Dr. Toni Pauls, attributes Warner Pacific’s success to its extensive customer service from the day students walk in the door to the moment they walk across the stage at graduation.

“You have a lot of adult students who have been out of the classroom for ten or The Experience

Photo by Nathan Allworth

Otto F. Linn Library will have access to 27.8 million volumes from other Northwest schools.

U.S. News provided Warner Pacific with a 70-page survey of 614 questions, asking for a broad range of information, from degrees offered to the accomplishments of alumni. Social Science professor Dr. John Fazio completed the survey on behalf of the college.

“What I found interesting was their interest in the majors and our alumni where they go to graduate school, where they are currently working,” said Fazio.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to brag a little bit about where our graduates have gone for further education and where they’ve been hired.”

A complete summary of the methodology U.S.News & World Report used to rank schools is available online at www.usnews. com/colleges.

King’s Way High School, next door to Vancouver First Church of God, in Vancouver, Wash., is one of two new classroom sites for WP’s Adult Degree Program.

fifteen years and who are terrified to go through that process,” said Pauls. “So the care that our enrollment, academic and financial aid counselors offer is really the piece that keeps our enrollment growing.

We walk them through everything they need to do.”

The Adult Degree Program began in 1989 as the The Degree Completion Program. The name change came in late 2004, along with the opening of ADP’s East Portland headquarters.

Renowned author, preacher Dr. James Earl Massey to speak Nov. 13-15

O

A pristine Saturday afternoon was the backdrop for Warner Pacific’s second annual summer party, Warnerpalooza, held on campus September 8. Guests enjoyed the sounds of uptempo gospel music, smooth jazz, burgers sizzling on the grill, and plenty of laughter among the many carnival games.

Warnerpalooza began last year as a way to launch the college’s new logo and marketing identity. This year, the event celebrated Warner Pacific’s ranking as the 11th best bacalaureate college in the West, complete with new blue and green teeshirts displaying the number “11.” Pictured above are (left, clockwise) Melissa (Chandler) Marble ’08, Destinee Kohl ’08, David Christian ’06, and Joel Marble enjoying the velcro wall; (upper right) Gabe Nuñez ’10 performs with the studentled worship band, Plan A; (lower right) College president Jay Barber ’64 and his wife, Jan, greet guests from the music stage.

Mark and Barbara Denton Scholarship Endowment to help ChOG students

DR. JAMES EARL MASSEY SPEAKING SCHEDULE

M

ark and Barbara Denton, of Shelton, Wash., have established an endowment in their name to support the education of Church of God (Anderson, Ind.) students at Warner Pacific College. Scholarships will be granted to students enrolled in the traditional undergraduate program, with preference given to those with a 3.00 or higher grade Mark and Barbara Denton point average.

Mark served as a Church of God pastor in Glendale, Calif., as well as a teacher, principal, and a developer. Barbara worked as a librarian in public schools in California.

“We chose Warner Pacific because we were impressed with the concept of paradox as a way of looking at the world, and as a path to integrating curriculum,” said Barbara.

“The emphasis on service is another important element. Living in the Northwest, we constantly see the positive influence that Warner Pacific College has in our churches and in the lives of our friends.”

Fall 2007

Tuesday, Nov. 13 @ 10:30 a.m.

(Pastors’ luncheon to follow. RSVP at dkoeth@warnerpacific.edu or at 503-517-1114.)

Wednesday, Nov. 14 @ 7 p.m.

Public reception to follow

Thursday, Nov. 15 @ 10:30 a.m.

McGuire Auditorium Warner Pacific College Admission is free

Photo courtesy Anderson University

Photos by Scott A. Thompson

Fun in the sun at Warnerpalooza

ne of the Church of God’s most heralded authors and preachers, Dr. James Earl Massey, will visit campus November 13-15. He will speak in McGuire Auditorium during regular community chapels on November 13 and 15 at 10:30 a.m., and at a special evening service on November 14 at 7 p.m.

A luncheon for all pastors will be held immediately following the November 13 chapel, and a reception for the general public will follow the Wednesday Massey evening talk.

Several events will also revolve around his visit.

Dr. Massey spent his career in ministry. He was a senior Church of God (Anderson, Ind.) pastor in Detroit, Mich., a missionary to Jamaica, and the voice of the Christian Brotherhood Hour radio program, the Church of God’s international radio ministry.

Dr. Massey also served as Dean and Professor of Biblical Studies and Preaching at Anderson Seminary. His many books include “The Responsible Pulpit” and “The Burdensome Joy of Preaching.”

COLLEGE NEWS

Troy Hutchinson

The Warner Pacific weight room received a new name and some well deserved upgrades this summer. The exercise area, located inside the Student Union Building, was fitted with $37,000 worth of new equipment, including new orbital climbers and cabled weight machines. Of the funds used, $17,000 came from donations. The room is now known as the WPC Fitness Center.

Scott A. Thompson

Remodeled Fitness Center opens

Scott A. Thompson

Warner Pacific College will be adding Golf to its roster of intercollegiate sports, beginning in 2008-09. Professor Tom Kunke has been tapped as the first-ever Golf Coach at WP and has already started recruiting student athletes and looking for a home course.

Scott A. Thompson

Knights Athletics adds golf team

By Alex Kuechler ’07

The Warner Pacific drama department will present the musical “Once Upon a Mattress,” a comical take on the fairy tale of the princess and the pea.

Evening performances are Nov. 9, 10, 16, 17 at 7:30 p.m. and matinees are Nov. 11 and 18 at 3 p.m. in the Cellar Theatre. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. They are available at the door or reserved at 503-517-1207.

O’Gallagher named ’06-’07 Male Athlete of the Year

Warner Pacific basketball standout Scott O’Gallagher ’08 was selected the 2006-2007 Male Athlete of the Year by the Cascade Collegiate Conference. O’Gallagher was also selected as an NAIA First Team All-American, a first for a Warner Pacific basketball player.

Alumni musicians sought for community wind ensemble

The WP Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Rick Adams ’75 invites alumni and community members to participate in a community ensemble on Thursday evenings at 6:30-8:30 p.m., in McGuire Auditorium. The ensemble is seeking woodwind, brass and percussion instrumentalists. Adams joins WP after most recently teaching music and drama at Glencoe High School, in Hillsboro, Ore.

WP classes open to audit

WP graduates, Church of God clergy, and friends of the college are able to audit select traditional undergraduate courses for a cost of $150 each. Classes are available pending space and are not eligible for credit. Check www.warnerpacific.edu/ academics for more information.

Derek Bradford ’90

Once upon a musical farce

A GREAT DAY OF SERVICE

W

arner Pacific closed up shop Sept. 19 PITCHING IN Students and to allow staff, faculty, and students to employees who participated participate in the college’s third an- in the Common Day of nual Common Day of Service (CDS) community Service included (clockwise) outreach. At area elementary schools Bridger, K e a l a n i G a n g w e s ’ 1 0 ; Atkinson, and Pioneer, work included general J e r e m y R e e d a l ’ 0 9 landscaping, painting, and classroom assistance. (playing with children); In Mt. Tabor Park and the Ridgefield Wildlife Amanda Duchien ’11, Reserve, in Ridgefield, Wash., teams removed Tajai King ’11, Samantha Westlake ’11 and Lauren invasive plants like ivy and huge irises.

The women’s volleyball team visited the Ra- Bennett ’11 (in Mt. Tabor phael House women’s and children’s shelter, in Park); Titus Palmquist ’11 Portland, and the 15-member men’s and women’s (helping a kindergartner); cross country teams cleaned up broken glass and and Residence Life Area garbage in a park adjacent to Floyd Light Middle C o o r d i n a t o r K a y l e e (Stone) Krout ’06.

School, in Portland.

The day didn’t only involve current students.

ADP alumna Elana Brazile ’07, a business manager at the American Red Cross, used some of her employer-provided community service hours to do landscaping at Bridger Elementary.

“It’s a great idea,” said Brazile. “I heard about it from an email. It would be nice for [more] alumni to be included.”

Music major performs in Asia with Portland Youth Philharmonic

Oboist Rebecca Nederhiser ’08 (pictured on the right with friend Lana Christensen) traveled to Taiwan and South Korea last summer as a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Highlights included a sold-out performance at Taiwan’s National Concert Symphony Hall in Taipei, and a visit to a museum in Korea that houses priceless Stradivarius violins.

The Experience

READY FOR THEIR FINAL SHOT After consecutive trips to the national tournament’s Sweet 16, the men’s basketball team is loaded with seniors set on bringing home a championship trophy.

he Warner Pacific men’s basketball team intends to make its ultimate statement this season.

After two consecutive conference championships (one shared with Oregon Tech), Warner Pacific has proven itself a regional power. However, two straight trips to the national NAIA Div. II tournament have also seen the Knights knocked out by the second round.

With seven key seniors returning this season, including First Team All-American Scott O’Gallagher ’08, Honorable Mention All-American Josh Jackson ’08, and 2007 Cascade Conference Newcomer of the Year Jolanta (Jo - LAN - tey) Martin ’08, the Knights believe they have the talent and maturity to go all the way.

“Last year was bittersweet,” said O’Gallagher. “We got to nationals and we didn’t do what we wanted to do, but we’ve got everyone coming back and have one more chance to do it.”

One of the lessons the uptempo Knights learned at the national tournament is that they have to play a more physical, toughnosed brand of defense. Head coach Bart Valentine ’75 has added some needed size inside with 6’ 10’’ sophomore transfer Travis Derochowski ’10, a reserve last year at Montana State University. He joins 6’ 9’’ senior Shane Stewart ’08 in the middle.

“We’re deep and we’re experienced,” said Valentine. “Our guys have been working hard in the weight room to get stronger. We’ve got good balance inside and out. It’s a real strong group.”

Touring music, drama troupe to begin visiting churches

A new team of students will bring their musical and theatrical ministry to churches throughout the West. The troupe, which has yet to be named, will travel in the Pacific Northwest on select

The Knights opened their nonconference schedule with an exhibition game against Oregon State University, in Corvallis, Ore. on Nov. 4. The Knights will also be tested against NAIA Division I teams at tournaments in Utah, and California this fall.

Cascade Conference play begins on Dec. 1 in Eugene, Ore. against new conference member Northwest Christian College. Key road swings include Puget Sound schools Northwest University and Evergreen State, January 4 and 5; Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech January 18 and 19; and Eastern Oregon University and College of Idaho January 25 and 26.

Follow all WP athletic teams on the web at www. wpcknights.com.

(R to L) Key seniors Jolanta Martin ’08, Josh Jackson ’08, Scott O’Gallagher ’08, Keegan Cooke ’ 0 8, a n d S h a n e Stewart ’08 have high hopes this season.

weekends during the academic year, California during spring break, and many of the western states during the summer.

The group includes (pictured, clockwise) Jon Quesenberry ’11, Blake Ettestad ’11, Sophia Burgen ’11 and Kaya McGrath ’10. Other members are Caleb Kowalko ’10, Gabe Nuñez ’10, Destinee Kohl ’08, and Travis Derochowski ’10.

Churches wishing to schedule a visit from the WP music / drama team can contact Director of Alumni, Church, and Parent Relations Dana McGuire at 503517-1026.

Scott A. Thompson

Scott A. Thompson

T

Summer Golf Tournaments net over $30,000 for scholarships The ninth annual Warner Pacific Athletics Golf Tournament, held June 19 at Langdon Farms Country Club, in Aurora, Ore., featured a field of 141 golfers and netted over $30,000 towards athletics

Fall 2007

scholarships. Mid Valley General Agency was the tournament’s title sponsor, and Portland’s Surburban Door and Majestic Eagle Agency were gold sponsors.

A smaller field of approximately 60 golfers braved soggy conditions at the 32nd annual Torchbearers Golf Tournament, held Sept. 28 at Mountain View Golf Course in Boring, Ore, enroute to raising $3,000 in scholarship funds.

Name that mascot contest

Warner Pacific has approved the design of a new mascot for indoor sports, but the friendly knight needs a name. Please submit suggestions to Katy Steding, Director of Marketing and College Relations, at 503-517-1369 or at ksteding@ warnerpacific.edu. Anyone interested in auditioning to serve as the school mascot can also contact Steding.

MISSIONS

Mission to Myanmar

A six-member team from Warner Pacific teaches young leaders at a conference for the Myanmar Church of God.

R

(Top) College president Barber sits while a volunteer washes hit feet during a footwashing ceremony.

(Middle) Young church leaders listen to a teaching.

(Bottom) The Warner Pacific team visits sites in Myanmar. Pictured (left to right) are Myanmar church leaders Dorothy Colney and Shelly Win with Gwen Johnson, Katie Doran ’09, Robbie York ’10, Ruby Mitchell ’09, and college president Jay Barber ’64.

(Top right) Robbie York teaches at a convention for the Myanmar Church of God with the help of a translator.

Photos by Dr. John Johnson

uby Mitchell ’09 joined a Warner Pacific missions team to Myanmar last May because she wanted to serve the church. Once there, it didn’t take long for her to realize she was going to learn a lesson in servanthood in the process.

“The level to which people were willing to serve us was amazing,” said Mitchell, a cross-cultural ministries major from Milton-Freewater, Ore. “Even though we went to serve these people, we continually found ourselves outdone by their service to us.”

The Warner Pacific group included Mitchell, fellow students Robbie York ’10 and Katie Doran ’09, religion professor Dr. John Johnson and his wife, Gwen, and college president Jay Barber ’64. The team traveled to Myanmar (formerly Burma) to teach at a week-long Church of God leadership conference in the central city of Maymyo. Most of the approximately 150 attendees were young church leaders from around the country.

Myanmar is a predominately Buddhist country ruled by a military junta that is hostile toward the Christian Church.

Nonetheless, the Christians at the conference worshipped with passion and shared a desire to spread the Gospel to their Buddhist neighbors and family members.

“They love the Lord and they wanted to learn,” said York, the youth pastor at Tigard Church of God, in Tigard, Ore. The Experience

and a part-time WP student. “Many of them were first-generation Christians and dealing with all of the struggles that go along with being in a Buddhist country and having Buddhist families.”

Examples of the Myanmar church’s service to the team were numerous. At the conference center, church members insisted on preparing lavish meals for the Warner Pacific team while attendees ate simple dishes of rice and meat. When three WP team members got food poisening, a medical doctor at the conference administered IVs and medications and sat bedside until each had recovered. Church volunteers also took turns fanning the patients as they recovered.

The conference - which the Warner Pacific team paid for through fundraising efforts back home - concluded with an emotional foot-washing ceremony.

“That was an eternal investment that will pay dividends for years to come,” Barber said.

The trip marks a renewed commitment by the college towards global missions. The Johnsons, former Church of God missionaries, have established the Johnson Missions Endowment in honor of John’s parents, Dr. Donald ’51 and Betty Jo (Hyman) Jonnson ’50. The endowment will support students’ costs on college-sanctioned missions trips.

John and Gwen Johnson will lead mission teams to Bangledesh in the summer of 2008 and to Honduras in 2009.

DISCUSSION

T

here used to be the understanding in western society that human beings go through the world structuring experience or information and adding feelings to it. However, there’s a radical change going on in learning theory today. We used to assume that people are thinking creatures who feel. Research now suggests, instead, that humans are feeling creatures who think.

The part of the brain that you use to reason with – the cerebral cortex - is processing about 2000 little connections per second. The lower part of your brain - which is concerned with emotions, safety, and context - is processing 4 billion parts per second. Any information that we take in - from a handshake with a friend to a new algebra problem - always comes with feelings of emotion, safety, or threat. So as we examine our curriculum and how we are going to present material to students, we have to take a look at that.

Being present One of the most interesting pieces of neurophysiological research to be found in the last two years is the existence within your head of what are called mirror neurons. There are a set of nerves which are physiologically changing in response to the perceived body language of those around you. That’s where yawning and mimicking reflexes come from.

A lot of what you learn comes from the emotional context of the people around you, which of course, for us, means the emotional context of the office or the classroom. If you work with people, you are actually pruning, or helping to prune, the shape and the pathways of their brains as you interact with them.

In one sense, that’s what you do to become accustomed to and sophisticated in your culture. The culture you’re around tells you what to look at, tells you what is good, tells you what’s safe. And literally the pathways are going to grow to make your sensitivity to those areas stronger. It will also allow you to drop unnecessary cells – it’s sort of a “use it or lose it” situation – so that your brain won’t be hindered by neurons that are not going to help it in the long run.

Top down vs. bottom up The way we have historically approached teaching is called “top down” learning, where we give information to students and then we ask them to appreciate it. There is research that now suggests this is the wrong order. Instead, we need to focus on what’s called “bottom up” learning, in which we establish appreciation for being in the room first, and then add the new content in such a social way that the emotion incorporates the content,

Mindful Learning In a lecture series on learning and the brain, social science professor Dr. Lou Foltz and music professor Dr. Dennis Plies share how learning happens best when emotions are considered first.

EDITED BY SCOTT A. THOMPSON rather than the content incorporating the emotion.

Mindful awareness Dr. Daniel Siegel, a researcher at UCLA, is intrigued with the notions of “mindful awareness of context and safety” leading to “mindful learning.” The number one

understanding. Mindful learning occurs in a classroom that is open to novelty, alert to distinctions. Students should have room to say that a certain approach works while another doesn’t. This answer is correct, that isn’t. But it’s the students who should be alert to this, and not we who hand it to them.

We used to assume that people are thinking creatures who feel. Research now suggests, instead, that humans are feeling creatures who think.

thing educators have to do is get learners emotionally “in the room.” Taking this mindful awareness of being present in the room and turning it into being present to subject matter is the challenge for educators, whether they be teachers, counselors, or pastors.

We need to allow students to act on things with as much decision as possible, reflect on the novelty, compare it with the reflections of how they think the world is, and then go out and act on the way things are. We need to do away with top down learning and, instead, be engaged together and see if we can mess around with this material. It honors uncertainty.

I think for a Christian liberal arts college which is biblically based, Warner Pacific does a fantastic job of letting students explore and honor the uncertainty of Fall 2007

If you hand it to them, it’s top down, but if they receive it almost in puzzle form, they’ve got to figure it out. This approach affects anything that we may teach, from math to history to philosophy to music - it’s context-sensitive.

Context sensitivity What’s so exciting is that at Warner Pacific, we practice these techniques all the time, maybe much more than other institutions do. It’s verification about how God put the brain together and it shows that what we do is worthwhile.

Professors Foltz and Plies will be offering free noontime lectures on learning and the brain throughout the academic year. Visit www.warnerpacific.edu for times and locations of upcoming discussions.

ART & CULTURE

Andrey Dolbinin ’04

Heather Hopfer ’02

Bree Robinson ’05

Jamie Mitchell

Shaun Hilby ’02

Corey Sippel ’06

Emily (Tompkins) Duhrkoop ’05

Cheryl Good ’01

Heidi Samberger ’03

Tim Morris ’02

Tim Morris ’02

Ryan Shrout ’01

Vera Widmar ’04

Lisa Kayton ’01

Daniel Erhadt ’02

Gloria Doud ’02

Cassie Lloyd ’02

Riuko Yamamoto ’02

Tim Morris ‘02

Eddie Tate ’03

Katie Wyant ’04

Crista Bresnahan ’02

Lisa Kayton ’01

Tim Morris ’02

Faces of Christ

BY SUSANNA LUNDGREN

In 2001, a group of beginning art students painted images of Christ on glass panels that now grace the inside of Otto F. Linn library. Here’s how the innovative project came to be.

I

n the spring of 2001, I had a pile of glass panels from a set of old French doors and they inspired me to teach the technique of reverse painting on glass in my summer and fall ART 100 classes. Students looked through several books featuring artistic interpretations of Christ through the ages and chose images to emulate.

I made enlarged photocopies of the students’ choices and taped them to the back of each panel. Students then drew main lines on the front of the glass with black grease pencil, before removing the photocopy and turning the panels over in order to paint on the backside. The reverse painting technique is counter-intuitive, because the bottom layer of color is seen first from the frontside, so all of the details and textures had to be put down first before color could be filled in.

10

In the fall class, we had just begun this project when 9/11 occurred, leaving us all in shock and grief. Yet somehow, this project’s theme and technical demands increased our focus and determination.

After the students had completed their panels, we still had no funds to display them. They were stored away for about three years until Ben Inverarity, an accommodating member of plant services, agreed to construct six painted frames, each with four panels.

Library Director Sue Kopp offered a permanent mounting space in the library stairwell. A couple of cracked pieces had to be repaired, which only attests to the fragile and precious nature of the sacred. Perhaps it adds a sense of ancient history to the bargain.

Susanna Lundgren teaches art and art history at Warner Pacific.

The Experience

ESSAY

Mysteries made known (yes and no)

I

Reflections on faith, paradox, and an unfathomable God.

BY JESS BIELMAN ’00

n his book “The Fingerprints of God: Tracking the Divine Suspect through a History of Images,” author Robert Farrar Capon says that “the trouble with a lot of mystery stories is that they’re nothing but puzzles to be solved by plausible explanations. When you finally get to the end, the ‘mystery’ turns out to be sensible stuff the author simply kept hidden from you. It doesn’t lead you deeper into mystery. As the ultimate mystery story, however, scripture works by an entirely different set of rules.”

Warner Pacific’s tagline “Mysteries made known” comes from Christian faith that are unexplainable. As author Steven James Ephesians 3, part of a New Testament letter written by the Apostle says of Christian spirituality, “The foundation of this faith is Paul to the new believers in Ephesus. Paul tells the Ephesians that paradox - not common sense - because logic can only take you as they have heard about the grace given to him for their sake. Paul far as the confines of language and reason, but paradox can lead is a steward of this grace and a mystery was made known to him you all the way to truth.”

by God, through revelation.

At Warner Pacific, students will encounter both of these ideas The mystery was this: Prior to Christ, God worked on the basis of mystery in abundance. They will study, learn, and gather the of a chosen people, the Jewish nation. However, through Christ, knowledge they’ll need for their careers. That’s a given. However, God threw the doors open and proclaimed “all come.” Gentiles, it is this second notion of mystery that keeps me up at night and like the Ephesians, were heirs together with Israel, members to- that makes a Warner Pacific education so compelling. gether of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ We expose the unknowable for what it is, and we don’t pretend Jesus. that we can resolve it. We ask the questions that lead to more The early church was chaotic because of the new development. questions rather than answers. We explore the idea of paradox, The book of Acts describes how the Jerusalem counsel met to which creates mysterious and unanswerable questions. Classes on decide what to do with all of the gentiles who were originally war and peace, free will and determinism, a final paper that is an not part of God’s chosen people but, because of Christ, were now inquiry into the unanswerable are all parts of a curriculum that included. The Jewish Christians did not know what to do. They explores the second definition of mystery. We ask students to work had to figure out how “Jewish” the converts needed to be. with an idea that they can explore, but can’t fully resolve.

In the mind of the early church, Christ was not creating a new We understand that we can have a personal relationship with religion but was, rather, making the Jewish religion better. He Christ, and yet, we also ask how we are supposed to relate to a fulfilled the law by making devotion a matter of the heart and including everybody. Paul felt a responsibility for that knowledge. We should too.

“We expose the unknowable for what it is, and Looking back, this is good news for you and me, we don’t pretend that we can resolve it. We as we are probably all gentiles. Jesus came and valued Romans, Samaritans, poor, women, and others ask the questions that lead to more questions, that normal Jewish rabbis did not. Jesus valued rather than answers.” those that the previous religious system did not.

This new work of Christ is a great idea for a community to hang its hat on. In our day, we still live in a world that separates people based on class and socioeconomics, gender, race, religion and national boundar- God that is invisible, and often silent. We understand that we ies. However, Paul said that, in Christ, there is neither Jew nor are to love our neighbor as ourselves - and that everyone is our Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. The founder of our religion neighbor - but we also strive to figure out what we can do about made a clear point in breaking down the walls of religion. This poverty at home and abroad. We come to understand that God is good but we can never know why there is so much suffering is a truly radical message.

This idea alone is more than enough for the college to claim as a in the world.

As James says, “The mysterious aspects of God aren’t diminished central piece of its identity. It is revolutionary and beautiful. We are responsible for a piece of knowledge that is unknown by many or disguised or swept under the rug. If anything, God becomes in our lives, our city, and our world. All have been redeemed by more indefinable and mysterious than ever. It keeps God where he should be - within reach of my heart.” Why do I love the tagline Christ. Let’s tell that secret, let’s make known that mystery.

If our tagline only represented this concept from Ephesians Mysteries made known? Because we declare our allegiance to a 3, I’d still come to work every morning. But the word mystery paradoxical, unexplainable God for everyone to see. This is where also describes things that are not fully knowable. In other words, I have come to meet and love that God. mystery has at least two angles to it.

One is understanding information we previously didn’t have Jess Bielman ’00 is the Director of Campus Ministries at Warner access to. The second is coming to terms with those aspects of Pacific College.

Fall 2007

11

CLASS NOTES

40’s

FROM THE DIRECTOR

H

Adele (Gwinner) Hooker ’44 has selfpublished a new book entitled “Close Encounters of the God Kind: Exploring the Infinite Riches of God” (Baltimore, PublishAmerica, Hooker 2007). The book is a collection of 62 short non-fiction stories describing miraculous experiences. Hooker spent four years collecting anecdotes from friends and acquaintances. Many of the stories Hooker writes herself, based on her family’s experiences, but other contributers included C. Dale Warman ’52 and retired Church of God missionaries Stanley and Marion Hoffman.

Hooker is a retired school teacher and pastor’s wife. This is her fourth book.

omecoming 2008 is just around the corner, February 8 and 9, and I look forward to seeing you for a great weekend of activities, fellowship, and reflection. As we do every year, we will be honoring a number of distinguished alumni. This year’s distinguished alumni are:

50’s

WPC Alumni Choir Concert, Dec. 2, 2007 Those interested in singing in an alumni choir for our December 2, 2007 holiday concert in McGuire Auditorium can contact choral director Dr. Tom Miller at 503-517-1059 or dmiller@warnerpacific.edu.

James Zazanis ’51 is a retired financial planner living in Cincinatti, Ohio. He owned and operated his own company called The Financial Edge Corporation.

Marvin “Earl” ’52 and Lorna (Gardner) Petersen ’52 are retired and reside in Richmond, Ky., where they attend Fountain Park Church of God. Earl was a salesman, and Lorna a homemaker. The have four adult children and eight grandchildren.

Roberta Pauline (Beresford) Underwood ’53 is retired and lives in Vancouver, Wash.

She volunteers at Vancouver First Church of God. She has five children, 20 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading and Hardanger needlework.

Martha Jeanette (Kaufman) Perry ’54 is retired and lives in Clackamas, Ore. with her husband, Walt. They have five children, and twelve grandchildren.

Kenneth ’55 and Marjory (Gillespie) Renfrow ’54 are retired and live in Sacramento, Calif., where Kenneth enjoys skiing, racquetball, and golf. The Renfrows have two adult children.

Barbara (Stevia) Tunnell ’55 is retired and resides in Portland, Ore., where she attends Mt. Scott Church of God. She has two adult children.

Continued on pg. 15 12

Ben ’60 and Marjorie Chandler ’59 Church of God ministers (Legacy Award) Bill ’53 and Honerhea Martin Church of God ministers (Ministry Award)

Dana McGuire Director of Alumni, Parent, and Church Relations

dmcguire@warnerpacific.edu

Fred Douglas ’78 Executive Director - Portland Youth for Christ (Service Award) Kordell Kennemer ’96 Clinical Psychologist (Young Alumni Award)

We will also induct the Class of 1958 into the Gold Torch Club. Please read the enclosed brochure for all of the details and “early bird” specials.

Biblical Tour of Turkey, June 14 - 27, 2008 WP is organizing a biblical tour of Turkey and the seven churches of Revelation, June 16 -29, 2008. WP religion professor Dr. John Johnson will lead the group and share biblical insights. Contact my office at 503517-1026 or dmcguire@warnerpacific.edu for information.

Alumni@warnerpacific.edu As always, we need your news, so please remember to contact us regarding any updates, such as new babies, new jobs, and other milestones. Feel free to include a picture. Submissions can be sent directly to alumni@warnerpacific.edu.

Alumnus honored with Portland Police achievement award

T

he Portland Police Bureau awarded officer Tom Rhodes ’80 with a 2007 Achievement Medal for his work on a case involving the capture of an ex-con suspected of domestic violence, drug trafficking, and weapons possession. The case occurred in 2004 when Rhodes was working in the Bureau’s Domestic Violence Reduction Unit. Rhodes received a report describing how the suspect had allegedly assaulted the mother of his 18-year-old son and threatened her with a gun. Rhodes Rhodes prepared the search warrant that allowed officers from the Bureau’s special SIRT unit to surprise the suspect at the residence at which he was staying and take him into custody. “[The suspect] was sitting right by the front door and had a couple of guns with him and some narcotics,” said Rhodes. “He was probably waiting for a drug deal.”

Rhodes has been with the Portland Police Bureau for 21 years. He played soccer for a couple of years at Warner Pacific before transferring to Oregon State University to study agricultural engineering technology. He worked briefly at an engineering consulting firm, before applying with the Portland Police. He currently works days doing routine patrol work out of the SE Portland Precinct.

The Experience

ALUMNI PROFILE

Photos courtesy of the Pasadena Playhouse

White was no stranger to the Arts when she joined the Playhouse. In her college days at Warner Pacific, she was active in theatre and also produced a news segment on a weekly television program hosted by her former husband, Mel White ’62.

After graduating, White taught English at Crescenta Valley High School, in La Crescenta, Calif., until taking time off in 1969 to raise two young children. In the 1970s, she and Mel co-pastored Pasadena Covenant Church for four years and also operated an educational and religious film company.

In 1986, White became the Director of Stewardship for All Saints Church in Pasadena. In 1994, she moved to San Francisco and led a $16 million campaign

W

hen Lyla (Loehr) White ’63 took over leadership of the Pasadena Playhouse in 1998, she was stepping onto a sinking ship. The state theatre of California was almost $3 million in debt.

Undeterred, White rolled up her sleeves and got to work. Under her leadership, the Playhouse not only survived, it thrived.

Currently, the Playhouse produces seven plays a year, including the likes of “Fences,” starring Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, and “A Life in the Theatre,” starring Hal Halbrook.

Before retiring last year, White led a successful $8 million capital campaign to renovate a portion of the 85-year-old theatre.

In honor of her retirement, the Playhouse threw a celebrity-filled gala last fall. “[The Playhouse] experienced a healthy turn-around,” said White, “I knew Pasadena and I knew where the money is.”

Recently retired Pasadena Playhouse Executive Director Lyla (Loehr) White ’63 (right) shares the stage with actress Diane Keaton at a Playhouse fundraiser.

“I think my main strength is empowering young people to achieve their goals,” said White.

White plans to stay in Pasadena so she can be near her children and grandchildren. Her daughter, Erinn, is a secondgrade school teacher and the mother of two.

Theatre’s Champion Lyla (Loehr) White ’63 helped the historic Pasadena Playhouse return to greatness as its Executive Director.

as the Canon for Development for Grace Cathedral.

Two years later, she returned to Pasadena to work part-time as the Missioner of Stewardship for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and at the Pasadena Playhouse. She became interim Executive Director of the Playhouse in 1997 and permanent director the following year.

White is quick to praise her staff as the reason behind the theatre’s success. White says she drew upon her background as a teacher to guide her younger staff.

Her son, Michael, is an A-list screenwriter and director.

White says that though she still rubs shoulders with the Hollywood elite, celebrities don’t bring in the money for the Playhouse. Rather, the theatre is sustained by everyday people who catch the vision and who give generously.

“When you can help [a donor] to a place of generosity, you’ve changed their lives,” said White. “Whether it’s in theatre, or church, or a school like Warner Pacific, generous people are transformed people.”

Petersen receives Caldwell award

W

Scott A. Thompson

arner Pacific honored retired employee Roberta (Bunnell) Petersen ’54 with the Mack and Irene Caldwell Leadership Award during Convocation, August 28, in McGuire Auditorium. The award is named for two former professors who were influential figures in the early days of Warner Pacific.

Roberta worked at Warner Pacific from 1979 to 2006. During her twentyseven year career, she served in multiple roles, including Director of Admissions, Director of Auxiliary Services, Director of Alumni and Church Relations, and Torchbearers’ President.

Friends and family celebrate with Roberta (Bunnell) Petersen ’54 (center, with plaque) following Convocation on August 28. Pictured are (back row, R - L) Pam (Petersen) Newby ’75, Jim Newby ’82, Sam Hooker ’45, Steve Pollard, Cindy (Petersen) Pollard ’03, Al Bunnell ’66 , Greg Pollard, Karen Bunnell, Michael Pollard ’02 , Darlene Goin ’86, and Ray Cotton ’73. (Front row) Adele (Gwinner) Hooker ’45, Dan Petersen ’56, Roberta (Bunnell) Petersen ’54, Orla Lee, H. Bransford Lee ’51, and Jay Barber ’64.

Fall 2007

13

ALUMNI PROFILE

High Tech CEO From military satellites to touch screen navigation systems, business leader Dean Senner ’79 has managed cutting edge projects in Silicon Valley.

A slight detour Senner, 50, landed his first job right out of college almost as a fluke. He moved to central California after graduating from Warner Pacific in 1979. He was driving along a stretch of highway near San Jose when he noticed some huge antenna dishes off in the distance. He took the next exit to investigate and found his way to the headquarters of aeronautics giant Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). He walked into the human resources department unannounced and walked out with a job managing spare missile parts.

“That’s literally how I ended up at Lockheed,” Senner said, “driving down the freeway.”

Dean Senner ’79

Getting his life back As promising as his business career was, Senner radically changed his priorities in 2003, after his wife, Tami, developed cancer. He resigned from Thales and spent the next year and a half at home with Tami and their three teenaged children while she underwent cancer treatment.

“It was a true blessing to be able to do that,” Senner said. “As of right now, she has a clean bill of health.”

The big break Over the next ten years, Senner worked his way up the ranks until his big break in 1989, when he became a deputy program manager for a NASA project involving the design “We’d launch a satellite ... and we would of a manned space crew rescue vehicle for a future space station. A few years later, he became the Vice President of have a billion and a half dollars [riding] on Lockheed Martin’s entire Military Satellite Communicathat single launch. And if it didn’t go right, tions division. He oversaw 1000 local employees and an additional 3000 subcontractors. Needless to say, Senner it would make for a very long night.” developed a few gray hairs in the process.

“We were doing things that had never been done before,” Senner said. “[We’d] launch a satellite ... and we would have a billion and a half dollars [riding] on that single A new opportunity launch. And if it didn’t go right, it would make for a very long night.”

In 2005, Senner was still enjoying time off In 1995, Senner led a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and British Aerospace and British Telecom to develop communications satellites for the European when investors in an early stage company in market. Then came a position as Executive Vice President and GM of the Lock- Campbell, Calif. persuaded him to become their heed Martin Commercial Space Systems company. Customers included the likes CEO. The company, AOptix Technologies, Inc., develops technology that improves the use of of General Electric and the Dish Network. light to optically transmit data in free space, and is also involved with advanced biometric systems Time for a change By 1999, after twenty years at Lockheed Martin, Senner was looking for some- for stand-off iris scanning.

“I saw some things in this company that are thing new. He left the company and spent a year as the COO of a small internet start-up company just before the “Dot.com” bubble burst in 2000. He then accepted going to have huge payoffs in the market,” a position as the CEO of Magellan GPS Systems, Inc., later acquired by the French Senner said.

Senner and his wife are active in Calvary company Thales Navigation Systems. The company produces highly accurate devices that utilize GPS technology. Oil and gas companies were major customers, Church of Los Gatos, Calilf., and have taken as were engineering firms. time to go on mission trips. Senner isn’t sure However, Senner wanted to do something revolutionary. He shepherded a joint how long he will stay in the business world, but venture between Thales and Hertz Rent-a-Car to develop the first automobile he wonders if the third chapter of his career navigation devices with a touch screen interface. might not involve doing some significant mis“We captured the #1 market share in the world within six months of launching sion work. [the product],” Senner said. “People in the general public will never know how “If my wife had her way, we’d be [missionarsuccessful that was.” ies] in India right now,” Senner said.

14

The Experience

Photo courtesy of AOptix Technologies, Inc

T

he next time you watch a TV program via satellite or find directions using a computer screen in your rental car, you just might have Dean Senner ’79 to thank. As an accomplished leader in the aeronautics and high tech industries, Senner has built military and commercial satellites, led an international company involved with global positioning systems (GPS), and currently serves as the CEO of a California-based company on the cutting edge of laser-based communications. Not bad for someone who attended Warner Pacific on a music scholarship, albeit to study business.

“Once I got to Warner and I started business classes, I knew immediately that this felt right to me,” Senner said, who transferred to Warner Pacific in 1977 after attending community college in Vancouver, Wash.

CLASS NOTES Continued from pg. 12 Rev. John Grosvenor ’58 is the director of the NW District of the Church of the Nazarene, First Nations Outreach and lives in Nespelem, Wash. on the Colville Indian Reservation. John is an enrolled member of the Echota (Tsalagi) Tribe (a descendant of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations). His wife, Gerri, is an enrolled member of the Yankton “Sioux” Tribe and a descendant of the Wintu and Wailaki People of northern Calif. John and Gerri work to help the church at large understand the history and development of the United States as well as understanding the uniqueness of First Nations.

Warner Pacific road show hits southern California

60’s Carol (Kuykendall) Walters ’68 is a retired elementary school teacher and lives in Albany, Ore. She volunteers at a pregnancy center and plays piano at a local care facility once a week along with teaching piano.

Carol is involved as a worship chairman at Albany First Church of God and enjoys leading worship, singing solos, singing in the choir and playing the piano and organ.

She has been involved in the Piano Praise Concerts at Warner Pacific and is a member of the Alumni Council.

Monica (Palmer) Monroe ’69 is retired and serves as the Pastor to Senior Adults at Mt. Scott Church of God in Portland, Ore., as well as the Chair of the Credentials and Advisory Board for Oregon and Southwest Washington. Last year, Monica and her husband, Dale ’70, began the Monroe Peacemaking Endowment Fund at Warner Pacific.

70’s Julie Mikalson ’79 has spent 25 years in service to colleges and human service organizations, and the past 15 years as a public-benefit oriented consultant. Julie served on the 2006 Governor’s Renewable Energy Working Group, in Oregon. Her special interests include community and business development for sustainability and Organic Gardening. She lives in Portland, Ore.

80’s Deb (Harlan) Waymire ’80 is a teacher and the Social Studies department chair at Northwest Christian School in Glendale, Ariz. She is married to Kerry and their daughter, Lauren ’09, is a junior at WP. Continued on pg. 17

Alumni and friends of Warner Pacific College gathered at Whittier Church of God, in Whittier, Calif., on Sept. 21, 2007 to hear an update of the College from a four-member Advancement team, including President Jay Barber ’64. Pictured are (Back row, L to R) Rick ’85 and Linda Olsen, Charles and Thelma Wyant, Pastor Dave ’84 and Bobbi Collett, Georgie and Simeon Greene ’95, Pastor Milt and Shirley Culver, Larry and Geri Turner, Emily Simon, Robert Thomas ’53 and Tracey Hartman. (Second row, L to R) Dana McGuire, Andrea Cook, Pastor James Darby, Lola Bixler ’57, Harold Rogers ’46, Sandra Goytia, Joyce (Elias) ’56 and Larry Hartman. (Front Row, L to R) Robert Bixler ’57, Greg Moon, and President Barber.

Have bike, will travel Rev. David Shrout ’75, MRel ’77 rides 2,400 miles solo from Florida to Maine.

A

vid tour bicyclist Rev. David Shrout ’75 got a long look at the East Coast of the United States during a 39-day, 2,400-mile solo ride from Miami, Fla. to Portland, Maine last May and June.

“It’s a great time to be alone, to unwind,” said Shrout, who is the Area Coordinator for the Association of Churches of God of Oregon and SW Washington and a trustee of Warner Pacific. “When there isn’t someone to talk to, you end up talking to the Lord all day long … and there is a new adventure around every new corner.”

Shrout averaged 65 miles a day and passed through thirteen states. He slept in churches, the homes of friends, RV parks, and state parks along the way. Although he didn’t leave himself time to linger at any one spot, Shrout did make time to visit Kittyhawk, N. C., the site of the Wright Brothers’ historic first flight, and to go on a tour of the White House’s West Wing, in Washington, D.C. “I stuck my head into the oval office, and walked in the Rose Garden” said Shrout.

Shrout, 55, first took up cycling eleven years ago when he and his son, Ryan Shrout ’01, rode 1,800 miles from Vancouver, B.C to Tijuana, Mexico as a bonding experience. In addition to covering both coasts, Shrout has ridden cross-country from Virgina to Oregon, and has completed two-thirds of the Lewis and Clark Trail. In 2003, he was clipped by a driver and spent some time in the hospital, but it didn’t deter Shrout from riding. He is always thinking of future trips.

“I’d like to do the West Coast again, and finish the Lewis and Clark Trail, just to say that I did it.”

Fall 2007

Since taking up cycling eleven years ago, Rev. David Shrout ’75 has ridden along both coasts of the United States, as well as cross-country from Virginia to Oregon.

15

ALUMNI PROFILES

Brain Detective Neuroscience researcher Sarah Martin ’02 discovers an increase in brain volume among people who seek out new experiences.

Ph.D. candidate Sarah Martin ’02 in her University of Kentucky lab.

F

or researcher Sarah Martin ’02, the idea of “exercising your brain” may actually have some scientific merit.

Martin, a research assistant and Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Kentucky, was recently the lead author of the first scientific study to find a relationship between a person’s propensity to seek out new experiences and brain volume.

Martin analyzed magnetic resonance (MR) images of young male and female subjects who had completed a personality test measuring, in part, traits of experience-seeking. She found that those who scored high on the experience-seeking scale also had increased volume levels in a section of their hippocampus, a part of the brain that processes new stimuli and that is central to memory function.

“Anything that you’re exposed to … your brain has to decipher if it is new or old,” said Martin. “There is evidence suggesting that the hippocampus is responsible for this process.”

Martin works in the lab of principal investigator Brian T. Gold, Ph.D, whose research emphasizes the cognitive neuroscience of language and memory processes. Martin’s overall research has focused on the effects of aging on the hippocampus, the primary region where brain atrophy caused by Alzheimer’s disease first appears. Understanding changes in the hippocampus region, whether due to genetics or behavior, will eventually help the medical community better diagnose the probability of individuals developing mild or severe cognitive impairment.

“We are looking at ways to diagnose Alzheimer’s before the cognitive signs [appear],” said Martin. “That’s the good thing about what we are doing.”

Martin got the idea for her recent study after learning about research involving nuns who have shown great longevity, many living into their early 100s. One common characteristic among the nuns researched was that they were actively engaged in their community and led nontraditional lives.

Soon after, Martin learned of an unrelated study on campus that was measuring the brain activity associated with sensation-

seeking tendencies among young adults. Martin borrowed some of the team’s brain scans and analyzed them based upon the subjects’ responses to questions concerning new experiences.

Martin found a positive correlation between increased hippocampal volume and experience-seeking tendencies. However, she says it’s impossible to say whether the increased hippocampal volume is genetic or somehow a result of behavior. The Gold lab is doing follow-up research that will involve studying the brain scans of elderly subjects who take the experience-seeking test.

“There have been studies that have shown that there is a significant volume loss in the hippocampus due to Alzheimer’s disease,” said Martin. “We’re trying to find out if there are ways to make your hippocampus bigger and stronger [and] if that would make it less likely to be affected by Alzheimer’s pathology.”

Martin was one of the first graduates of Warner Pacific’s Developmental Psychology program, which was developed in the late 1990s. She credits the Warner Pacific faculty for encouraging her to be curious and to think for herself, traits that have paid off in her graduate work. When Martin completes her Ph.D in a year or two, she’ll seek out a post-doctoral research position. She then hopes to pursue an assistant professorship at a research university.

But while teaching sounds fun, her heart remains in the lab.

“I could never give up research,” Martin said.

Author teaches youth about war - and hope - in Sudan

H

Melissa (Hagen) Leembruggen ’88 describes her church’s relief work in Sudan in her first book.

16

ow does one teach youth about war in a wise and truthful way? That was the challenge before author Melissa (Hagen) Leembruggen ’88, who recently published her first book, “The Sudan Project: Rebuilding with the People of Darfur. A Young Person’s Guide.”

Leembruggen lives near Dayton, Ohio and attends Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church, which funds a large outreach called the Sudan Project.

The church has partnered with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to develop various agricultural, educational, and occupational training programs in Sudan’s Darfur region, which has experienced violent ethnic and tribal conflict since 2003.

Leembruggen felt called to write a book that would describe the work of the Sudan Project to a wide audience. Using photographs from UMCOR, Leembruggen wrote a text that wasn’t overtly religious so the book could potentially be used in libraries and schools. Ultimately, she hopes the book will inspire children to know that even they can play a role in changing their world.

“It’s about helping them understand that God has called them for a purpose and that they can make an impact on the world,” said Leembruggen, who homeschools three children of her own.

The Experience

CLASS NOTES

IN MEMORIAM

Continued from pg. 15 Chris Anderson ’88 is extensively involved in Oaxaca, Mexico as founder of Mission Oaxaca. He also serves as Advisor to the Marshall Christensen Foundation, working in Central Asia and developing nations. Chris has two children and lives in Portland, Ore. and is an executive director with Wolf Ed. and Research Center.

90’s Cristobal Martinez-Lozano ’91 has done volunteer paralegal work since 1994, assisting qualified, non-felons, mostly Hispanics, to obtain permanent U.S. residency status. Also, Cristobal provides interpreter services for missionary outreaches to Spanish-speaking countries, raising his own support for those efforts. Cristobal and his wife, Susan, live in Vancouver, Wash.

Raynette Yoshida ’95 works as a personal assistant for Mario Bisio, owner/president of Mario’s. She has worked four years as a volunteer greeter at Portland Classical Chinese Garden, and is a lay Eucharist minister. She lives in Gresham, Ore. with her husband, adjunct business professor Ted Takamura.

Jennifer Hall ’99 works as a pediatric physical therapist at Neuro-Therapeutics, Inc., in Oregon City, Ore. and continues to figure skate (with roller skates) competitively. She lives in Happy Valley, Ore. Edward (Allen) Jones ’99 completed a master’s of Divinity from Corbin College in 2006 and a Master’s of Theology from Princeton University last spring.

00’s Barbara Fullman ’00 is the Coordinator of the Post-Adoption Resource Center (PARC) in Vancouver, Wash., and an employee of the Children’s Center, a counseling center in Vancouver, Wash.

Barbara and her husband, Randy, are licensed foster parents. They also have two adopted teenagers. Read more about Barbara’s work at thechildrenscenter.org by clicking on “PARC Program.”

Holly Grissom ’00 earned her Master’s Degree in Education (Technology) in 2005 and teaches in the Evergreen Public School district. She has two boys and resides in Vancouver, WA.

Bob Burgess ’06 Pastor Bob Burgess died on July 31, 2007 in Longview, Wash from cancer.

He was 58 years old. Prior to his illness, Burgess was the pastor of Chapman Community Church of God, in Scappoose, Ore. Burgess was born on July 29, 1949 in St. Helens, Ore. From 1967 to 1978, Bob served in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged as a sergeant.

He retired from the Army National Guard in 1992 as a major. He worked as an electrician and also operated his own business selling sports trading cards. He married Mary Adenau in 1979. He is survived by his wife and four children, including current WP student Jessica Burgess ’11.

Charles “Duke” Elliott ’53 Charles “Duke” Elliott ’53 passed away on June 21, 2007 in Yuba City, Calif. at the age of 92. Elliott was born on February 4, 1915, in New Madrid, Mo. He married his wife of almost 66 years, Patricia, on July 27, 1941 just prior to entering the U.S. Army.

After Elliot left the service, the couple operated a grocery store in Indiana then moved to Oregon, where Elliott studied Bible at Pacific Bible College (Warner Pacific). Elliott later served as a pastor in Petaluma, Lodi, and Yuba City, Calif. He is survived by his wife and three adult children, including Rick Elliot ’64, six grandchildren, and eight grandchildren.

Rick Eslick ’96 Richard David “Rick” Eslick ’96 died April 12, 2007, at the age of 36. He was born Sept. 18, 1970, in Portland, Ore. He was a former accountant for a Beaverton construction firm. Survivors include two sons; a daughter; his parents; and a sister.

Rev. Leroy Falling ’46, ’80 (Honorary) died September 26, 2007 in Anderson, Ind., following a lengthy illness.

Glenn M. Henrichs ’51 Pastor Glenn M. Henrichs ’51 died peacefully on August 29, 2007 at Hospice House of San Joaquin, in Stockton, Calif. A veteran of WW II and the U.S. Navy, pastor Henrichs served as a minister in the Church of God for 52 years and as a Chaplain for several fire departments. Survivors include his wife, Ruth (Cox) Henrichs ’50; his children, Cindi (Henrichs) King ’69, Paul Henrichs ’74, Douglas Henrichs

’74, Sylvia (Henrichs) Turner ’77, and Judy Alderson; 13 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Glenda Ann Law ’80 Glenda Ann Law ’80 died July 30 in East Los Angeles, Calif. at the age of 47. She was born on May 8, 1960 in Portland, Ore. She was preceded in death by her mother, Gloria (Elias) Law ’46.

Dr. James W. Long Former WP trustee Dr. James W. Long, 86, died suddenly on August 1, 2007 at his home in Suisun City, Calif.

Dr. Long had been an optometrist in Grandview for 50 years before his retirement. He served as a fighter pilot in the Army Air Corp during WWII. He was active at the former First Church of God in Grandview and served on the WP Board of Trustees for 12 years.

Survivors include his wife, Barbara, his son Jerry Long ’72, of Vancouver, Wash.; his daughter Jill (Long) Palmer ’76, four grandchildren, and two greatgrandchildren.

Naomi H. “Becky” Mansfield Former Social Science professor Naomi H. “Becky” Mansfield died Aug. 30 from cancer. She was 83 years old. Mansfield was born Oct. 10, 1923 in Portland. She taught social work parttime at Warner Pacific and at George Fox University in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. She is survived by her husband, Charles; a sister; five adult children; 12 grandchildren; and seven greatgrandchildren.

Victoria (King) Scott ’71 Victoria Ellen “Vikki” Scott of Eugene, Ore. died June 14 at the age of 58 due to multiple sclerosis. She was born Jan. 12, 1949, in Portland. She married Joel Scott Sr. in 1978 and they later divorced. She worked for King Medical Sales and as a home economics and physical education teacher in Portland.

Survivors include a son; a brother; two sisters; and two grandchildren.

Neil Scott Smith ’55 Neil Scott Smith ’55 of Sisters, Ore. died May 10, 2007 at the age of 71. He worked as a sales manager for Pennzoil Oil Co. from 1967 to 1990, and attended Sisters Community Church. Survivors include his wife Priscilla (Morrison) Smith ’55; son Jeff Smith ’82, daughter Miffy (Smith) Davis ’79, and five grandchildren.

Continued on pg. 18 Fall 2007

17

CLASS NOTES

ALUMNI PROFILES

Continued from pg. 17

Couple celebrates diamond days

Kelli (Lander) ’00 and Ben Shular welcomed their first child, Noah, on June 11, 2007 in Vancouver, Wash. Noah weighed 9 lbs. and 6 oz. and was 20 3/4 inches long.

Grandparents include Karen (Rich) ’72 and Phil Lander ’72. The Shulars have returned to Tanzania, where they are missionaries.

Stefanie (Dickinson) Marino ’01 is a third grade reading/math tutor in Lubbock, Texas. She writes that she loves living in the Lone Star State, despite the seasonal tornado warnings.

Diane Bremer ’02 is the new head girls’ volleyball coach at Sisters High School, in Sisters, Ore. Bremer had been an assistant coach for the team for eight years.

Jacob ’02 and Jessica (Weems) Jurado ’02 live in Rapid City, S.D., where Jacob is the senior pastor of the First Church of God, and Jessica is the youth leader. Jacob was ordained August 5. The Jurado family includes Jonah (3) and Rachel (1).

Amanda (Holden) ’03 and Dan Johnson were married in December 2005. She works as a pre-school teacher.

Kirsten Palm ’03 lives in Ha Noi, Vietnam.

She has previously taught English and is currently studying Vietnamese intensively for long-term work in the country.

Sam ’03 and Helen Livingston had their third child, Lily, on May 23, 2007, in San Francisco, Calif. Lily joins siblings Nathan (3) and Joy (2). Sam works full-time as the local church relations coordinator with Joni & Friends, a ministry to the disabled.

During 60 years of marriage, Wilbur ’47 and Vi Miller ’47 had eight children, ran a business in Guam, escaped war in Vietnam, and finally settled back home in Oregon.

W

ilbur Miller ’47 swears he was just minding his own business back in 1947 when he spotted an attractive new student at Pacific Bible College (now Warner Pacific) named Violet Reynolds ’47.

“I knew within two seconds I was going to marry her,” said Wilbur.

On June 1, 1947, that’s exactly what he did. The Millers celebrated their diamond anniversary this past summer surrounded by family and friends at Oregon Baptist Retirement Home, in NE Portland, Ore., where the Millers have lived for the past four and a half years. They live in an assisted living wing, as Vi deals with complications from ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Speaking, for example, is difficult. “[But] she is not in pain and is in good spirits,” said Wilbur Starting in 1947, the Millers spent the first fourteen years of marriage ministering at churches in Wyoming, Montana, and Eastern Washington. In 1960, Wilbur helped a friend hold an evangelistic meeting in Guam, and Wilbur was taken with the island nation. A year later, the Millers and their eight children moved to Guam and opened the country’s first A & W Root Beer drive-in restaurant.

“That’s how we supported ourselves as we assisted in the Church of God in Guam, which is still thriving today,” said Miller.

The Millers (center) at their 60th wedding anniversary party last summer.

While in Guam, the Millers lost a teenaged daughter to meningitis, and had a falling out with some business partners. In 1967, Wilbur took a job in Saigon, Vietnam with the Philco-Ford Company. Vi and five of their children soon joined him.

Then came the Tet Offensive in 1968.

Wilbur managed to get his family safely to Australia to stay temporarily with relatives, while he continued to work for another year. Then Wilbur returned to the United States to sell books door-to-door with the Zondervan Publishing Company, until retiring in 1989.

“I was in 21,000 homes,” Wilbur said. “I sold more than anyone else in the history of the company. I thank the Lord for it.”

The Office of Alumni, Parent, and Church Relations presents a

Matt Singleterry ’04 and his wife, Lisa, welcomed their first child, Melody Joy on March 15, 2007. Matt is the worship pastor at The Church at Kelly Creek in Gresham, Ore., and coaches football at Portland Christian High School.

Biblical tour of

Turkey

Ashley Valentine ’04 taught English in Madrid, Spain and is now studying at Warner Pacific for her reading endorsement.

June 14 - 27, 2008 Biblical Tour

Emily (Coombs) Chandler ’06 is a graduate student at Fuller Theological Seminary, in Pasadena, Calif. Her husband, Donovan ’06 is an office manager at Azusa Pacific University.

of

$3800 per person *

Shannon Miller ’04 is a nanny in Portland, Ore. and volunteers with the Trauma Intervention Program.

Aaron Walton ’06 is the Youth Pastor at Mt. Scott Church of God, in Portland, Ore.

18

Visit the sites of the seven churches of the Book of Revelation with WP religion professor Dr. John johnson.

* Price includes airfare, lodging, and 2 meals a day.

Gratuities not included.

The Experience

Contact Dana McGuire at 503-517-1026 dmcguire@warnerpacific.edu for more information

FIRST PERSON

Angels by the Dozen A retired minister recalls a cross-country road trip in his beloved Model A Ford and the saving grace he discovered along the way

BY SAM HOOKER ’45

W

hen I went to Pacific Bible College, (now Warner Pacific College) in 1940, I left my ‘29 Model A Ford home with my younger brother, Bob, a high school senior. After my first year, I went home to Carthage, Mo. to see my family and to pick up my car, which I had named Huldie.

On my way back to Portland, Ore., I realized my brother Bob had put some rough miles on my car. Poor Huldie’s motor kept heating up. When I got to Salina, Kansas, I found the exact radiator I needed at a wrecking company. I pulled it, paid six dollars, and left. I drove the car astraddle a ditch, pulled the bad radiator and put the good one on.

I got to thinking that my “hero-brother,” Joe, a genius mechanic, taught me how to fix a car. Was he an angel of God for a time like this? Maybe an angel led me to the wrecking yard with the very radiator I needed? If so, that makes two.

By the time I had Huldie running cool, it was dark. I couldn’t afford a motel, so I bought some baloney and a loaf of bread at a grocery store and kept moving. It was midnight when I reached Twin Falls, Idaho. A few miles farther on, I heard a strange rattle in Huldie’s motor. I got out and lifted the hood. Water spewed everywhere from a busted water pump.

There I was in the dark again. But an angel was there, too. A street light shined on a sign, “Wahl Wrecking Company,” and there was a telephone number, too. Did I dare wake the owner and tell him my sad story? I mustered the courage to call.

Mr. Wahl came right down, wearing slippers, and took me through the yard and found a wrecked car just like mine. Was that the work of another angel? Mr. Wahl had to be one. He helped me pull both pumps and put the good one on. The price? Two dollars. Saint or angel? Maybe he was both.

“Boy!” I thought, “That’s a nice man! I’ll bet he’s a Christian.”

I found out later when his son, Sam Wahl, moved to Portland and we became friends that Mr. Wahl was not only a Christian, but a member of the same church denomination I was. How could that happen without someone bigger than I? When I left Twin Falls, all I had was a little change and a tank full of gas. It wouldn’t get me to Portland, but a couple of PBC alumni were pastoring a church in La Grande, Ore. I picked up a hamburger with my last few cents and drove through the night.

The Idaho prairies were hot. With my window down, I could hear the sound of rushing water. I wondered, there’s no river here.

What could that sound be? I stopped to see. It was water in an irrigation ditch. When I went back to Huldie, another noise hit my ear. A hissing sound came from Huldie’s left front wheel.

Down on my knees, with my ear to the tire, I heard the stem valve leaking. I had a pair of pliers and there was a barbed wire fence near by. With a prayer of blessing for the dear farmer who put it there, I cut a piece of wire out. With that, I wrapped the tire at the stem valve until the hissing stopped. Did an angel make me stop to find out what the running water was, which in turn caused me to hear the hissing tire? If so, that made five. Oh yes, that I was led to stop by a wire fence makes six.

With a prayer and renewed flair for adventure, I was breezing along again, knowing at my next stop were friends who would

help me. But when I got to La Grande, I didn’t have a dime in my pocket to make a telephone call. I went to a phone booth to look up the address of Rev. Harold Lougheed ’41. It wasn’t there. The Lougheeds were just starting a church in La Grande, maybe they still met in their home? Maybe they didn’t even have a phone? Hungry and broke, I drove from one church to another, asking about the First Church of God and Rev. Lougheed. After a number of stops, a minister said he’d just met Rev. Lougheed at a city minister’s meeting. He gave me directions. Believe me, I knew he was an angel.

Florence Lougheed ’47 greeted me with a warm, welcoming smile and took me in. After hearing my sad story, she fed me.

Knowing it was the only meal I’d have all day, I ate accordingly.

Rev. Lougheed took me to the service station, filled my tank, and gave me a hearty handshake. Off I went.

“Thank You, God!” I said, “two more angels!”

With both my stomach and gas tank full, I felt a zesty freedom as I rolled down the highway. I had gas enough to get to Hood River, Ore. There, another couple of PBC students would take me

With my window down, I could hear the sound of rushing water. I wondered, there’s no river here. What could that sound be?

in. I prayed and asked God to see that they were home. The tall pines of Eastern Oregon got to me. I’d never seen anything like them. I had to stop. In awe, I stood beneath and walked among these giants of nature. Five feet ahead was the first deer I’d ever seen in my life.

By evening, I was in Hood River. God saw to it that my friends, Clarence ’41 and Arvella Roper ’41, were home. Arvella cooked me a good dinner. They put me up for the night and fed me the next morning. Clarence took me to the gas station. I added two angels to my list.

The highway to Portland was scenic and awe-inspiring, as it snaked along the mighty Columbia River. Soon Huldie and I were at PBC, home free! However, I found out I had one more hidden angel.

When I got out of the car at the college, I checked my spare tire, curious to see if I could have used it when the valve stem leaked.

The tire was completely blown. My rascal brother had had a flat and didn’t repair or replace it! Does God have certain angels whose only job it is to look after poor students’ tires? He must have. That one made it an even dozen!

This is an abridged version of a chapter from the book “Close Encounters of the God Kind” (Baltimore, PublishAmerica, 2007),

by Adele Hooker, and was used with permission. Sam Hooker is a retired Church of God chaplain and pastor.

Fall 2007

19

instruct. impact. influence.

Calling:

call • ing (kaw-ling) vocation, profession, or trade; a call or summons.

You

make an important

difference in the lives of students and in the future of our communities and nation. Warner

Pacific College has designed a Master of Education degree to

Develop your personal art of teaching.

magnify your effectiveness and to sustain your passion for your work. The faculty invites you to share the joy and rewards of professional study with them.

Portland, Oregon • 503.517.1000 •

www.warnerpacific.edu

UPCOMING EVENTS (All concerts in McGuire Auditorium) Nov. 9-11, 16-18, 2007: Nov. 28, 2007: Dec. 2, 2007: Feb 8 - 9, 2008: Feb. 10. 2008: March 10, 2008: April 6, 2008:

Once Upon a Mattress (Cellar Theatre - 7:30 p.m. / 3 p.m. matinees Nov. 11 & 18) WPC Jazz Ensembles, 7:30 p.m.

WPC Alumni / WPC Concert Choir Concert, 3 p.m.

Homecoming Dennis Plies and Ruth Ann (Helbling) Yerden ’66 (marimba /piano duo), 3 p.m.

Heidi Buxman Williams (solo piano) in concert, 3 p.m.

The Plies-Whitaker Project Jazz Quintet, 3 p.m.

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Portland, OR Permit No. 527

Return Service Requested