Footnotes: News
195o-7os | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s
Reunion Classes: Read the news from your classmates, and plan to see them in person at Homecoming! To submit a Footnotes item, visit Response Contact or email response@spu.edu. We print items we receive in the first available issue.
1954
EUGENE PETERSON, author of The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, is the recipient of the 2010 David Steele Distinguished Writer Award, presented by the Presbyterian Writers Guild. Previous winners of the award, named for the late poet-essayist-humorist-pastor R. David Steele, include Frederick Buechner, Kathleen Norris, and Gustav Niebuhr. In a prolific career spanning more than 30 years, Eugene has published more than 30 books, including five volumes on pastoral theology. He also served for 29 years as pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, a church he helped to found. Eugene and his wife, Janice, live in Lakeside, Montana.
1964
LINDA BROWN MIDDLE¬BROOKS was named a 2009 Outstanding Citizen by the city of Renton, Washington. Besides teaching in the Renton School District for more than 25 years, she has managed the Renton Farmers Market, helped plan the Renton Annual Art Show, and is a member of the Paramount Theater Volunteer Council Board. Linda also supports many other arts and community organizations. In recognition of her community service, the Renton Reporter awarded her first place among volunteers in their 2010 Best of Renton honors. SPU is also a direct beneficiary of her “can-do” spirit. Along with her cousin KATHLEEN “KATHY” BLAIR MAYHLE ’58, Linda is co-president of Sigma Rho, a longtime service honorary that provides one of the largest SPU endowed student scholarship funds. Linda and her husband, John, have two adult children and reside in Renton.
1973
PAUL HAYDEN, senior pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was chosen the 2010 Citizen of the Year by the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce. Paul helped establish and serves on the board of the Community Resource Center, has served with the Good Samaritan Mission and the Center for Resolution, and was integral in creating the free Wednesday night community dinners program at the church that served more than 5,500 during its first year. A member of the Falcon baseball team until it was discontinued, Paul toured the country after graduation as part of The Free Spirit, a Christian music team of the Free Methodist Church. He started his current church in 1994. The Hayden family lives in Jackson Hole.
LYNN DEFFINBAUGH HEINOLD and her husband, Curt, spent July and part of August in Karpacz, Poland, teaching English with the mission organization International Messengers. The Heinolds attend Timberline Baptist Church in Lacey, Washington, and reside in Olympia, Washington.
1977
BARBARA RAYMOND JOHNSTON was named School Counselor of the Year by the Washington School Counselor Association. For 25 years, she has been a counselor in the Everett (Washington) School District, mainly at the elementary-school level. The WSCA honored her for “running a top-notch, comprehensive school counseling program.” Barbara and her husband, Chuck, reside in Everett.
1978
DAN DAPPER is vice president of sales and business development for Right Hemisphere, which provides visual enterprise software and solutions to manufacturers to help them optimize such business processes as sourcing, manufacturing, marketing, and customer support. He determines the company’s sales strategy, grows and manages the global sales organization, and develops new and existing business partnerships. Dan has worked in sales and executive management for 27 years. He lives in Edmonds with his wife, Susan, and their two daughters and son.
1979
WESLEY “WES” JOHNSON is lead pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Everett, Washington. He and his wife, KATHRYN DUNCANJOHNSON, a teacher at Everett Community College, have been at Bethel since 1993. “I got a sense I could reach the world from here,” says Wes, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, of his role in the Bethel church community. Wes also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Bakke Graduate University, where he received his doctor of ministry degree. The Johnsons live in Everett.
1982
JOHN GOODALE is associate pastor of community life at First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he has served for 15 years. John, his wife, Deborah, and their teenage daughter and son reside in Colorado Springs.
1983
RODGER NISHIOKA is associate professor of Christian education at Columbia Theo¬logical Seminary. He focuses on equipping pastors to be teachers and leaders in the church’s educational ministry, especially in building a congregation’s youth and young adult ministries. He joined the faculty at Columbia after 12 years as denominational staff in youth and young adult outreach for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). A former staff member of SPU’s The Falcon student newspaper, Rodger resides in Decatur, Georgia.
1984
DOUG BACKOUS has joined the Swedish Neuroscience Institute, part of Seattle’s Swedish Medical Center, after 12 years with Virginia Mason Medical Center. He specializes in otology, neurotology, and skull base surgery. Among his particular interests are cochlear implants, facial nerve disorders, inherited ear malformations, and childhood hearing loss. A member of the Best Doctors in America roster since 2007, Doug is chairman of the Skull Base Surgery Committee for the American Academy of Otolaryngology.
DEBRA COHU DEMIERO is a pianist, accompanist, teacher, and singer who lives in Brier, Washington, with her husband, Vince, and their four children. A member of the music faculty at Edmonds Community College, Debra also teaches privately in her own piano studio. She frequently accompanies honor choirs and all-state music groups, as well as the Sno-King Community Chorale and the Seattle Children’s Chorus. Formerly the musical director and accompanist for La Stella Duo, Debra also serves as a vocalist and pianist for her church.
MARTIN SMITH is president and actuary for National Associates Inc. The company is an actuarial and benefits consulting firm with offices in Oregon and Washington. Martin and his wife, Debbie, who is the director of operations at National Associates, reside in Buckley, Washington. Martin says they both enjoy competing in local fun runs.
1985
MARK SHIPLEY and LYNDA ASTIN SHIPLEY ’84 are teachers in the Bremerton (Washington) School District. He teaches special education at Mountain View Middle School, while she teaches technology at View Ridge Elementary School. The Shipleys make their home in Silverdale, Washington.
1987
DARREN LOKEN is vice chairman of the National Association for Printing Leadership, and president and CEO of Telepress in Kent, Washington. He is former president and CEO of Valco Graphics in Seattle; when it was sold to Cenveo he became that company’s general manager. He lives in Issaquah, Washington.
1992
DARRIN BODE is a residential HVAC estimator with Barron Heating and Air Conditioning. With more than 15 years of sales experience, he focuses on choosing heating and cooling systems that make peoples’ homes more comfortable and efficient. Darrin and his wife, JENNIFER WILLIAMS BODE, have three children and live in Lynden, Washington.
ADAM WELTER commands the USS Ingraham, a naval frigate stationed in Everett, Washington. He has served aboard several naval vessels, including the USS Kitty Hawk and USS George Washington aircraft carriers. His duties have included counter-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa and service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He earned a master’s degree in operations logistics (Naval Postgraduate School) and a master’s degree in military operational art and science. Adam’s service awards include the Meritorious Service Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal.
1994
DEONNE BROWN BENEDICT opened Charis Family Clinic in Edmonds, Washington, in 2009. The family practice treats infants through adults, with special access programs for the uninsured. While serving clients under most insurers, Deonne offers the uninsured one of the low¬est monthly fees in the state and free care to those who fall below certain income guidelines. Recipient of the 2010 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners’ Washington State Nurse Practitioner of the Year Award, she promotes family wellness and provides chronic disease treatment. A runner and hiker, she is on the board of ARNPs United of Washington State, the state’s nurse practitioner organization, and has been published in a number of professional publications including The Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Deonne and her husband live in Shoreline, Washington.
1995
JAMES FORSLUND is the owner of Belvedere Builders, a Seattle construction company that provides artisan-level home remodeling and new construction. James, who started Belvedere Builders in 2008, holds a certificate in construction management from the University of Washington. Outside of Belvedere, James enjoys woodworking and the outdoors. He and his wife, Katherine, live in West Seattle and welcomed their first child in August.
JACQUELINE LEKSEN offers spiritual accompaniment as a spiritual director in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. She works with women who are homeless, and says she “loves to listen for God’s voice in all of life.” A former undergraduate academic counselor in SPU’s Student Academic Services, Jacqueline completed master’s degrees in pastoral studies (2006) and transforming spirituality (2008) from Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry. She lives in Lynnwood, Washington.
1997
AMY ROBERTS ROHLER is director of ministries for Community Helping Hands, a nonprofit outreach to low-income families in Jamestown, New York. Amy is a minister in the Covenant Church and wife of ADAM ROHLER ’98, the pastor of First Covenant Church in Jamestown. At CHH, she advocates for helping the poor, serving the community, and recognizing the dignity of people no matter what hardships they face. CHH occupies 160,000 square feet of what was an abandoned factory building, and runs a thrift store, a furniture showroom, and a family center that includes an indoor skateboard park, café, and game room. It is nearly all staffed by volunteers, individuals receiving social-service benefits, and those required to perform community service.
1999
WILLIAM “BILL” FRITZ M.ED. is the superintendent of Steilacoom (Washington) Historical School District and its 5,500 students. A past principal and mathematics teacher, he is the former human resources director of the Shoreline (Washington) School District. Bill is the seventh superintendent in the district’s more than 150-year history. He lives in Seattle.
MEGAN SCATES LYKKE completed her medical residency training in family practice. She works with the Northeast Washington Medical Group in Colville, Washington, as a family practice physician. Megan and her husband live in Colville.
2000
RYAN HENDERSON is principal of Lakewood (Washington) Elementary School. He received his master’s degree in educational administration from Western Washington University in 2009, and he says his time at SPU in student ministry and student government is particularly relevant now in his daily work. He and his wife, Sarah, also an educator, live in Marysville, Washington.
JOSIAH WALLACE is on a full-ride graduate fellowship in the M.F.A. theatre program at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. While at SPU, Josiah acted in several plays, including the lead role, Atahuallpa, in The Royal Hunt of the Sun. He also toured with SPU’s University Players for three years, and served as the group’s director for another two years. Before heading to Texas, Josiah worked for Taproot Theatre Company in Seattle. Josiah and his wife, actress BETHANY MCNICHOLS WALLACE ’02, have two sons and live in Waco.
2002
BRIAN ACE is executive director of the Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia located in southeastern Washington, which encourages parents to read early and often with their children. Brian came to his position with experience as a vice president of finance for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the region and director of development for The Chaplaincy, a provider of hospice, grief support, and chaplain services. He and his wife, BETHANY SCHENKENBERGER ACE, have three children and live in Kennewick, Washington.
TINA BEVERIDGE directs the Lower Columbia College Concert Choir in Longview, Washington. In addition to conducting and accompanying singers, she has sung professionally as a chorus member and soloist. Her article, “No Child Left Behind and the Arts,” was published in Arts Education Policy Review.
CHRISTOPHER MAHONEY M.ED. is information literacy and assessment librarian at Misericordia University in Pennsylvania. He is respon¬sible for leading instructional seminars on how to use the library’s online databases and other web-based resources. Chris received his master of library and information science degree from Rutgers University.
2003
MATTHEW BASINGER received a master’s degree in earth and environmental engineering (2006) and a doctorate of engineering science (2010) from Columbia University in New York City. He is doing his post-doctoral work at the Earth Institute-Columbia and was in Cambodia this past summer with Advancing Engineering, an engineering consulting firm focused on developing countries. His wife, JACINDA WILEY BASINGER ’02, completed her master’s degree in clinical counseling at Nyack College (2008) and is assistant director of residence life at The King’s College and a counselor for a private practice. The couple resides in New York City.
JAY MAEBORI M.A. is Washington State’s Teacher of the Year for 2010–11. Chosen from among 10 candidates, the language arts teacher at Kentwood High School in Covington, Washington, was in April named Teacher of the Year for his school, and in June Teacher of the Year for the Puget Sound region. Kentwood Principal Doug Hostetter calls him “a humble superstar” who meets the individual needs of his students. A former sports writer, Jay is now a candidate for national Teacher of the Year honors, to be awarded in the spring. He resides in Auburn, Washington.
SUSAN MUELLER has received a doctoral degree in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington. She says a highlight of her studies was her travel to Dharamsala, India, where she worked with Tibetan monks suffering post-traumatic stress disorder from their imprisonment and torture in the Chinese occupation of Tibet and eventual escape on foot through the Himalayas. Susan plans to open a private practice in the Bellevue, Washington, area. Susan says she is forever grateful to Professors Lyle Peter and Greg Phelan for instilling in her a love of chemistry, and for giving her the confidence and solid foundation on which to build her future.
FARAH GREENBERG THAXTON is the new principal of Madrona K–8 School in Seattle. From SPU, she went to the University of Delaware and earned a mas¬ter’s degree in educational leadership and principal certification and worked in the Philadelphia School District. Farah uses both administrative and classroom experience in her leadership duties at Madrona, as well as experience working with a socio-economically and racially diverse population.
2005
REESE ANDE M.ED. is the principal of Blakely Elementary School on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Prior to Blakely, he taught first and fourth grade in Washington, worked as a teacher and athletic director in remote Aniak, Alaska, and served as an assistant principal for Kingston (Washington) High School. He resides on Bainbridge Island.
JONATHAN “J.C.” COOPER completed U.S. Navy basic training in May 2010 at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois. During the graduation ceremony, Jonathan received the academic excellence award for having the highest academic GPA of all of the recruits in his training group. Seaman Cooper remains stationed in Great Lakes while he attends electronic technician school.
BREANNE ROHM DOYLE graduated with a master’s degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in May 2009. She and her husband, James, reside with their daughter in Bryant, Arkansas.
JACOB “JAKE” WHITE M.S., director of training and corporate strategy at Clyde Companies Inc. of Orem, Utah, spoke in March at the National Associated General Contractors 2010 Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida. Jake presented a breakout session titled “Strategic Differentiation Through Learning and Development.” He discussed the three major construction industry chal¬lenges of skill shortage, talent shortage, and innovation deficit, and then offered a solution to these challenges based on the Clyde Companies’ training program. Jake resides in Cedar Hills, Utah.
2007
TANYA DULL MORRISON is marketing coordinator and media buyer for Baron & Company, a public relations, marketing, and graphic design firm in Bellingham, Washington. Her particular experience is with copywriting, branding, and public relations. Besides writing and managing projects, she helps generate concepts for a number of campaigns, including those for outdoor, radio, television, social media, and print. She makes her home in Bellingham.
SCOTT RODRIGUEZ is the owner of StoneWay CrossFit in Seattle. There he uses his degree in exercise science from SPU and more than four years of coaching experience to coach a constantly varied, functional-movement, high-intensity fitness program. Scott resides in Seattle.
2009
MARCUS EBY passed the baton of “mobile lab scientist” to JEREMY KIM ’10. Marcus spent his first year after graduation traveling throughout Washington state in a 50-foot science lab on wheels for Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute. The lab brings science lessons to 6,500 elementary and middle school children in underserved communities. On Marcus’ recommendation, the Institute hired Jeremy. Marcus has been accepted to New York Medical College. He hopes one day to specialize in either cardiology or osteopathic surgery.