Reunions/News
1947
DORIS HUNTER WILSON, a physician for
more than 50 years, was the subject
of the August 18, 2005, cover story
of Senior Living, a supplement to the
Shelton-Mason County Journal. The
feature detailed her career in the
United States and in the Sudan. In
1981, Doris joined the Shelton Family
Medicine Clinic in Shelton, Washington,
where she now practices three
days a week. Doris and her husband,
TALMAGE WILSON, live in Shelton.
1953
GORDON BOSTROM and his wife,
Barbara, moved to Arizona four years
ago. They now make their home in
Sun City West, Arizona, where Gordon
is director of church-growth ministries
at the Shepherd of the Hills United
Methodist Church.
1958
LEROY LANE is a professor emeritus
of communication and management
at Northwest Christian College in
Eugene, Oregon. In July 2005, his
college textbook, By All Means Communicate,
was reprinted by Wiph &
Stock. Leroy lives in Eugene.
JUDY WALLACE will soon retire after
45 years of working with Wycliffe
Bible Translators in the Philippines
and in Vietnam, where she served
as an academic computer-use consultant
and where she facilitated
translations of the New Testament
and Old Testament. Judy now resides
in Claremont, California.
1959
BYRON BIRDSALL and his wife, Billie,
were in Rome, Italy, from mid-October
2005 to early January 2006. Byron
took part in a “visiting artist” program
at the American Academy there.
The Birdsalls have since returned to
Anchorage, Alaska, where they make
their home.
LEIGH NYGARD is a pastor-counselor
at the Galesburg Rescue Mission,
a homeless shelter for men, women,
and children in Galesburg, Illinois.
He previously pastored Free Methodist
and Wesleyan churches in the
states of Washington and Illinois.
Leigh and his wife, Judy, have been
married for 43 years and live in
Galesburg. They have three sons and
seven grandchildren.
1960
ARLENE BETHKE HALL is in her 46th
year as a kindergarten teacher at
Patten Academy of Christian Education,
a private K–12 school in the
Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland,
California. Arlene has taught multiple
generations of students, including
some who are now faculty and administrators
at the school. She was
honored at the 2005 graduation ceremony
for her many years of service.
Arlene resides in Oakland.
CAROL HILL GILL recently moved to
Federal Way, Washington, where her
husband, Garth, is pastor of Calvary
Chapel. The couple previously lived in
Costa Mesa, California, where Garth
was pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa
Mesa. Writes Carol, “Garth is not an
alumnus; however, we have both been
interested in the progress and happenings
[of SPU ] … and now especially
since we returned to the
Northwest.”
ELWAIN MCKEEN and his wife, LOIS
MORGAN MCKEEN, were missionaries
to Liberia, Africa, in the 1960s. When
they returned to the United States,
Elwain pastored churches throughout
the West. Now retired, the McKeens
serve as jail chaplains in Baker City,
Oregon, where they live in a large,
100-year-old home with two of their
married children, their spouses, and
several grandchildren.
1963
ARTHUR TETRICK CC recently retired
as director of the library for Warner
Southern College in Lake Wales, Florida,
after 30 years of employment. He
and his wife, Faith, live in Lake Wales.
1964
JUDI STEWART FORTUNE and DAN FORTUNE ’62 both retired from
Simpson University in Redding, California,
in June 2005. Judi was provost
and Dan a network administrator.
Judi worked for 34 years in Christian
higher education as a faculty member
and administrator, 20 of those years
on the faculty of SPU. Dan, an electrical
engineer, spent the last 11 years
of his career working in higher education
at Simpson. The couple has relocated
to Yakima, Washington, to be
near their extended family.
1968
RICHARD ERICKSON and his wife,
Barbara, are co-directors of the Latin
American Lutheran Mission, which
represents 20 Evangelical Lutheran
churches in Northeastern Mexico.
After graduating from SPU , Richard
taught elementary school before he
and his wife became missionaries
to Southern Ecuador, where they
served for nine years. After returning
to the United States, the Ericksons
served in two different parachurch
ministries. They now make their home
in Laredo, Texas.
1969
ROBERT THOMPSON and WIL LOOK ’71 were partners on an over-50 tennis
team that won the U.S. Tennis Association
national championship in Palm
Springs, California, in October 2005.
It was the first time a senior team
from the Northwest had won the
championship. Prior to this, the team
won the June 2005 regional tournament
in Sunriver, Oregon, where they
competed against teams from Oregon;
Washington; Idaho; Alaska; and British
Columbia, Canada. In 2004, Bob was
part of the second charter class
inducted into SPU ’s Falcon Legends
Hall of Fame. He lives in Salem,
Oregon, and Wil lives in Seattle.
DARREL WHITEMAN is now the vice
president and resident missiologist
for The Mission Society, an organization
based in Norcross, Georgia, that
recruits, trains, and deploys missionaries
around the world. A faculty
member of Asbury Seminary for 22
years, Darrell served as dean of the
Seminary’s E. Stanley Jones School
of World Mission and Evangelism.
He is president-elect of The American
Society of Missiology, president of the
International Association for Mission
Studies, and chair of the Network of
Christian Anthropologists. Darrell was
a missionary for nine years, and has
researched and studied extensively
in the Solomon Islands; Australia;
Papua New Guinea; and Zaire, Africa.
He and his wife, DELORES “LAURIE”
BISHOP WHITEMAN ’71, reside in
Norcross, Georgia.
1970
DAN PARKER was recently promoted
to colonel in the U.S. Army and is the
installation chaplain at Fort Leonard
Wood, Missouri. His wife, IONA PORTER
PARKER ’73, teaches nursing at Lincoln
University. Dan and Iona make their
home in Fort Leonard Wood.
DANIEL TANITA was named president
of the Pacific Dental Education Foundation
(PDEF) Board at University of
the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of
Dentistry in October 2005. PDEF is a
volunteer organization that promotes
philanthropy, and Daniel has been on
the board since 1998. Active in the
West Contra Costa, California, community,
he holds a free dental clinic
at a local elementary school in Richmond,
California. He has also sponsored
free sealant and dental clinics
for low-income patients in San Pablo.
Daniel was named Volunteer of the
Year and Humanitarian of the Year by
the YMCA of West Contra Costa. He
lives in San Anselmo, California.
1972
MIKE SULLIVAN is superior court judge
for Washington state’s Wahkiakum
and Pacific counties. A resident of
South Bend, Washington, he was
appointed to the position in October
2005 by Washington Governor Christine
Gregoire. In his 21-Year legal
career, Mike served as Wahkiakum
County deputy prosecutor, Pacific
County prosecutor, and North Pacific
District Court judge. Before entering
the field of law, he taught junior and
senior high school for nine years in
Pacific County, Washington.
1973
BARBARA LARSON FINNEGAN received
a master’s degree in business administration
from James Madison University
in August 2005. After raising
three sons, teaching school, and managing
a radio station, she is now
director of development and finance
for the Massanutten Regional Library
system, which serves Virginia’s central
Shenandoah Valley. Barbara and
her husband, Basil, live in Broadway,
Virginia, and are active in a writers’
group. They also serve on the board
of a literacy organization that trains
adults in reading and teaches English
as a second language.
CANDI HORTON SMUCKER was one
of a group of 1,000 women nominated
for the 2005 Nobel Peace
Prize. Candi works for the Mennonite
Church’s fair-trade movement, which
is committed to providing fair wages
and employment opportunities to economically
disadvantaged artisans and
farmers worldwide. After managing
Ten Thousand Villages, a store that
supports international artisans, Candi
and her husband, Brian, opened Baksheesh,
a fair-trade store in Northern
California. In order to meet worldwide
artisans, the couple travels regularly
to Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The Smuckers make their home in
Sonoma, California.
1974
EDWARD DOLTERTY resides in State
College, Pennsylvania. Since graduating
from SPU, his career has included
adult education, veteran counseling,
and service with AmeriCorp.
1975
KATHY HERMAN DAHLEN was featured
on the October 31, 2005, edition of
National Public Radio’s All Things
Considered, a daily broadcast that
reaches more than two million listeners.
Her essay was selected from
more than 7,000 submissions. Past
contributors include Colin Powell,
Bill Gates, and John McCain. Kathy’s
commentary described how a human
anatomy class that she took at SPU
helped shape her beliefs. She and her
husband, Donald, live in Stow, Ohio.
1976
MARILYN JANE BEASLEY OVERMAN, her
husband, Kenneth, and their eight
children perform as the Overman
Family Musicians — known by friends
as the “Von Trapp Family of Arlington,
Washington.” Together they have performed
sacred, classical, vocal, and
instrumental music for more than 20
years. Marilyn teaches violin and
homeschools the children, many of
whom began playing stringed instruments
as early as age 3. Kenneth is
a physical therapist at Warm Beach
Retirement Community in Stanwood,
Washington. Kenneth’s mother,
MARI ANNA PIKE OVERMAN, spent five
years as a grade school student
under GRACE MARSTON, who taught
at SPC from 1914 to 1944.
1978
JOSEPH TAM and his wife, Lin, have two
young daughters and live in Toronto,
Ontario, Canada. Joseph is an endodontist
(root canal specialist). He has
a private practice in Toronto. Until
1991, he was a faculty member at
New York University and the University
of Toronto Dental School.
1979
SHIRLEY BROWN VAN BEEK earned a
master’s degree in nursing from the
University of Washington in 1984.
She is a school nurse at Syre Elementary
School in the Shoreline (Washington)
School District. Residents of
Everett, Washington, Shirley and her
husband, Dennis, have two children.
1983
STEPHEN BELGUM was featured in the
November 2005 issue of National
Geographic, along with his wife, Lynda,
and their two young children. The photographic
feature was about letters
sent home from war. The Belgums,
who met as pen pals during the
first Gulf War, make their home in
Irvine, California.
PRISCILLA SCHLEIGH KIMMEL manages
The Herons Nest, an arts-and-crafts
gallery for Vashon Allied Arts on
Vashon Island, Washington. The gallery
represents more than 100 local
artists. Priscilla’s husband, James,
works in construction, and the couple
has adopted a dog “to round out our
family,” she writes. The Kimmels live
on Vashon Island.
1985
KAREN ASP was included in the
2004–05 edition of Who’s Who Among
America’s Teachers. The nomination
came from a former student. Karen
teaches first grade at Conway Elementary
School in Mount Vernon, Washington,
where she makes her home.
1987
BETH FAHLBERG lives in Issaquah,
Washington, with her husband, Tim,
and their young daughter. She is a
doctoral candidate at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is
completing her doctorate in nursing.
Her dissertation will examine the
needs of older adults who have
heart failure.
1988
CURTIS FINCH is superintendent of the
Mecosta-Osceola (Michigan) Intermediate
School District, which includes
11,000 students across two counties.
He and his wife, Angie, have two
teenagers. The family resides in Big
Rapids, Michigan.
1990
JULIANNE KANO WINEGARDNER and
SCOTT WINEGARDNER live with their
young son in Vancouver, Washington,
in a house that they built in 2002.
Scott is director of sales and marketing
for Nautilus, and Julianne teaches
piano part time and attends the
University of Puget Sound with the
intention of earning a doctorate in
music and piano performance.
GERALD WARD and his wife, Agnes,
make their home in Edmonds, Washington.
Gerald was awarded the 2005
George R. Bordewick Literary Achievement
Award for his published articles
and lectures about George Washington.
In addition to writing and publishing,
Gerald has traveled with Agnes to
Italy, Greece, Turkey, China, Africa,
Egypt, and several other countries.
1991
DENYC MUNSELL BOLES is legislative
assistant to Representative Kevin
Cameron of Salem, Oregon. She
and her husband, Jeff, have two
daughters and a son. The family
resides in Salem.
KURT GOERING has been the director
of men’s ministries at Cascade Community
Church in Monroe, Washington,
since 2004. He also works as an analyst
at Cingular Wireless in Bothell, Washington. His wife, DEBBIE OLSHEF -
SKY GOERING ’92, is a homemaker
and takes care of their son and two
daughters. She is also active with
women’s ministries at Cascade Community
Church. The Goering family
lives in Monroe.
DON JAQUES is pastor of Christ the
King Community Church in Oak Harbor,
Washington. The church, and its
café, Solid Ground Coffee Shop,
meets at the Oak Harbor Senior
Center. Don, his wife, Ann, and their
daughter and son live in Oak Harbor.
BENJAMIN STAPLES , his wife, Brenda,
and their teenage son live in Durham,
North Carolina. Last year, Benjamin
was named the executive director of
NAMI North Carolina, part of the
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill,
which includes more than 210,000
members nationwide. Prior to this,
Benjamin led the clinical psychiatry
business of Duke University Hospitals
and Clinics. He also worked as a substance
abuse counselor and rehabilitation
consultant in the states of
Washington and North Carolina.
1993
MATT CHILES and his wife, LISA MOORE
CHILES , live in Centerville, Washington,
where Matt is a ranch manager
and Lisa is a homemaker. Matt
writes, “We are homeschooling the
kids and enjoying country living.”
GINNY RAE HUGHES JOY received a
master’s degree in Christian leadership
from Fuller Theological Seminary
in June 2005. She, husband RYAN
JOY ’94, and their two children live in
Austin, Texas.
1994
JOHNNY ANDREU, a part-time college
director at Presbyterian Church of the
Master in Mission Viejo, California, is
pursuing an acting career. His wife,
Angie, is the director of high school
ministries at Forest Home Inc., a
camp in Southern California. The couple
and their infant daughter reside in
Rancho Santa Margarita, California.
ANTON FAULK recently celebrated 10
years with Concur Technologies, which
automates corporate expense management
for businesses in 60 countries.
He writes that he enjoys
remodeling his home in Bellevue,
Washington, building furniture, and biking
to work. His wife, MELANIE PRESTON FAULK ’97, is a stay-at-home mom
to their two daughters. She is also the
coordinator for a Mothers of Preschoolers
(MOPS ) group at their church. In
her spare time, Melanie enjoys scrapbooking,
sewing, and gardening.
MICHELE SEGISMUNDO-REEVES and
her husband, Thomas, make their
home in Van Nuys, California. They
are both ordained ministers who
serve at West Valley Christian Center
in Chatsworth, California. Thomas is
also a U.S. Army lieutenant and chaplain.
Michelle, who travels internationally
as an evangelist, is a marriage
and family therapist, and the president
and founder of Heart and Soul
International Ministries.
1995
JENNIFER ANDERSON has earned three
master’s degrees in New Testament
since graduating from SPU — two
from Fuller Theological Seminary in
Pasadena, California, and one from
the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
She now lives in Indianapolis,
Indiana, where she teaches New Testament
at the University of Indianapolis.
“I love teaching undergraduates!”
she writes. “My hope is to complete
my Ph.D. within the next five years.”
AMY DENNIS MACKIE is a stay-at-home
mother to three young sons. Her husband,
Brent, is a youth minister at
Immanuel Lutheran Church in Moses
Lake, Washington, where the family
makes their home.
1996
JANELLE DUBRAVETZ DAVIS , after working
for nine years in the Social Work
Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center, is now a stay-at-home
mother to her two daughters.
Her husband, Jason, is a marble
mason. The Davis family lives in
Marysville, Washington.
1997
KERIS BUSH HORDYK and her husband,
DAVID HORDYK, recently opened a
coffeehouse franchise called “It’s a
Grind” with David’s parents, DENNIS
HORDYK ’71 and PAULETTE “PINKY” CLIFTON HORDYK ’71. Writes Keris,“We
have found this venture to be the most
exciting thing we have ever accomplished.
We have the opportunity to
reach so many people in our community.
It will be fascinating to see how
God uses us.” Keris and David reside
in Lincoln, California. Dennis and Pinky
live in Long Beach, California.
STEVE MATTEUCI and his wife, BECKY
RICE MATTEUCCI, make their home in
Campbell, California, with their two
young children. Becky is a stay-at-home
mother, and Steve is a sales
manager for Symantec.
JOSH PRATT, after teaching junior
and senior high social studies in
the Northshore (Washington) School
District for eight years, is now a firefighter
for the Kirkland (Washington)
Fire Department. His wife, CAMI
KNAPP PRATT ’96, is a stay-at-home
mother to their two young children.
The Pratts make their home in
Kenmore, Washington.
JAMES PRICHARD is a photojournalist
for the City of Baltimore, Maryland.
His wife, TERESA WESTPHAL PRICHARD,
is a nurse for the neurology unit of
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
The Prichards live in Columbia, Maryland,
with their baby daughter.
Feeling Four-tunate: Alumni Couple Welcomes Quadruplets Into the Family
In 1997, while sitting in a premarital counseling session, Rob Kinard ’97 and Kathy Halverson Kinard ’97 decided they wanted two kids. On December 8, 2005, they got their wish — multiplied by two.
“God has a sense of humor,” says Kathy, smiling. “We’d been trying to have kids for eight years,” adds Rob.
The road to their “mini-daycare,” as Kathy calls it, began when the couple sought infertility treatment. By May 2005, with no clear results, Rob and Kathy decided to pursue adoption. But they were in for a surprise: “We went to an adoption orientation on a Thursday, and that next Tuesday found out Kathy was pregnant,” remembers Rob. Six weeks later an ultrasound confirmed they were having quadruplets.
The four babies — Katarina Grace, Gabriel Joel, Angelina Sue, and Isabella Rebekka — together weighed less than 10 pounds when they arrived. Though three went home in January, Isabella needed further care. “It was an intense couple of weeks, not knowing from hour to hour if she’d make it,” recalls Kathy. Fortunately, the baby responded well to surgery, and the family welcomed her home in March.
Meanwhile, the Kinard household is bustling. “You’ve heard it takes a village to raise a child,” quips the babies’ grandfather, Seattle Pacific University Manager of Copying and Mailing Services Frank Kinard. “Well, it takes a community to raise quadruplets.” Thankfully they’ve found that support in their family, friends, church, and SPU . “The best part is the prayer,” says Rob. “I believe that’s what has carried us through.” |
1998
KRISTI LEKSEN, who makes her home
in Washington’s Skagit Valley, recently
earned a master’s degree in community
counseling at Gonzaga University
in Spokane, Washington. She now
works as a therapist for children and
families at a social service agency.
Kristi writes that she enjoys living
near her friends and family, as well
as hiking and kayaking around the
Pacific Northwest.
STACY DUGAN THORNSBERRY is a
software engineer for Honeywell in
Redmond, Washington. Her husband,
Craig, owns a computer service
company. Stacy and Craig reside
in Bellevue, Washington.
NATHANIEL WETZEL is a software engineer
for Fluke in Everett, Washington.
His wife, SARA ROBERTS WETZEL ’99,
who formerly worked in Disability Support
Services at SPU, is now a stay-at-home
mother to the Wetzels’ baby
son. The family resides in Seattle.
1999
RICHARD CLEVELAND and his wife,
JULIE MATZEN CLEVELAND ’97, live in
Lynnwood, Washington, with their
infant daughter. Richard received a
master’s degree in education with an
emphasis in counseling from SPU in
June 2005. He is now the school
counselor at Woodside Elementary
School in Everett, Washington.
SCOTT GINIS is a youth pastor at First
Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, Washington.
He and his wife, Louise, make
their home in Tacoma and are expecting
their first child in May.
JOY O’NEIL is assistant director of campus
ministries at Asbury College in
Wilmore, Kentucky. She received her
master of divinity degree from Asbury
Theological Seminary in January 2005.
Joy lives in Lexington, Kentucky.
JAMES SHATTENBERG and his wife,
Alissa, make their home in Santa
Barbara, California. James is attending
Fuller Theological Seminary in
Pasadena, California, where he plans
to earn a master’s degree in intercultural
studies. Alissa is finishing a
master’s degree in nursing and a
family nurse practitioner certificate at
California State-Long Beach.
2000
HEATHER WALLACE BOCK and her husband,
Greg, have moved to Knoxville,
Tennessee, where Greg is pursuing a
doctorate in philosophy at the University
of Tennessee. Heather teaches
high school English at Karns High
School in Knoxville.
MICHAEL ORTEGA passed the Washington
state 2005 Summer Bar Exam.
He plans to practice intellectual property
law in Washington.
ROB STERLING completed his seminary
studies at Regent University
in Washington, D.C., in 2005 and
was ordained through the Evangelical
Missionary Board. He is now substitute
teaching on a military base in
Heidelberg, Germany. Rob’s wife,
ANNE MARIE OLNEY STERLING, completed
a year-long Lab Officer Training
program at Walter Reed Hospital in
Washington, D.C. She is now on a
three-year assignment in Heidelberg
as an Army captain. She works in the
Army hospital lab and is responsible
for nine clinical labs in the outlying
areas of the city.
Peace Corps Volunteer
Works in Mongolia
“Greetings from the land of goats, sheep, horses, camels, green hills, and blue sky!” writes Vita Litvin Trujillo ’01 — from Mongolia. Sandwiched between China and Russia, Mongolia is home to nomadic people, the Gobi Desert, and now Vita and her husband, Anthony. For the next two years, they will live in Darkhan, Mongolia’s second largest city, where they are serving in the Peace Corps (PC ).
Vita is a business advisor for the “GER Initiative” in the Community Habitat Finance International (CHF). After the fall of the Soviet Union, thousands of Mongolian herders began moving to the cities to find work and to send their children to better schools. But because not enough housing was available, they built “gers,” roundshaped tents constructed of wooden poles and covered with felt. Settling on the outskirts of the larger cities, the former herders live with no heat, water, or sanitation services, creating impoverished neighborhoods.
In her work, Vita helps migrants start their own businesses and make a better life for themselves and their families. “I am working with CHF staff to assist our micro-entrepreneur clients to improve their businesses — such as vegetable growing, chicken and pig farming, Mongolian traditional handcraft making, etc.,” she explains. Her husband teaches local fifth through 10th graders, and teaches English to Mongolian teachers.
“We were sworn in as PC volunteers on August 20,” says Vita. “U.S. Ambassador Pamela Slutz administered the oath and the Mongolian president encouraged all 52 … Peace Corps volunteers with his speech.” |
2002
CHRISTY WHITLEY CONANT and NATHAN
CONANT ’03 live in Portland, Oregon,
where they are community directors
for Xenos, a community café operated
by Red Sea Church.
MANDY OLNEY is a signal officer for
the 205th Military Intelligence Battalion,
which is stationed in Oahu,
Hawaii. She was deployed to Baghdad,
Iraq, in October 2005 for one
year of service. She is in charge of
telephone and computer systems for
her battalion and will soon attain the
rank of captain.
2004
ALISON OLNEY completed her first year
as a registered nurse at Seattle’s
Children’s Hospital and Regional
Medical Center. She was recently
selected to be a member of the hospital’s
nursing advisory board. She
lives in Seattle.
2005
NATALIE BURGETT is a representative
for SPU ’s Office of Student Financial
Services. Prior to taking the position,
she gained customer service experience
at Coach, Nordstrom, and
Gene Juarez. She also worked as
an executive assistant to the president
of an independent movie production
company.
JOEL JACOBSON is a representative
for SPU ’s Office of Student Financial
Services. He plans to begin a master’s
degree program in teaching
soon. Joel previously worked in SPU ’s
Office of Student Academic Services
as a student employee and temporary
staff member.
BRADY VANDERPOL graduated from
the U.S. Coast Guard Recruit Training
Center in Cape May, New Jersey. He
completed a training curriculum that
included academics, water safety
and survival, military customs and
courtesies, seamanship skills, and
marksmanship.
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