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Spring 2013 | Volume 6, Issue 4
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| Sala Garncarz Kirschner |
A Night at the Theatre
Letters to Sala
Friday, April 19
Sponsored by the SPU Alumni Association, President's Circle, and Wellspring Society
Reception 6 p.m.
Gazebo Room, Student Union Building
Curtain 7:30 p.m.
E.E. Bach Theatre
Cost: $15/person (limited seating)
Don't miss the rare opportunity to be among those who see the Northwest premiere of this harrowing and moving play based on the true story of Sala Garncarz, a young girl who spent five years in Nazi forced labor camps. What kept her alive were the more than 300 letters that were mailed or smuggled to her by family and friends on the outside.
The special April 19 evening ticket of $15 includes a pre-play hors d'oeuvre reception with the director George Scranton '69, the playwright Arlene Hutton, and Ann Kirschner, Sala's daughter and author of Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story, the book upon which the play is based. You'll also enjoy See's Candies at intermission and a post-play talk back session with the playwright and the author.
A Night at the Theatre is presented by the SPU Alumni Association in partnership with President's Circle and Wellspring Society. Check here for more details or order your tickets now. Questions? Call 206-281-2723.
The April Letters to Sala production is an Academic Showcase event for the Inaugural Year of Daniel J. Martin, SPU's 10th president.
Photo courtesy of the Sala Garncarz Kirschner Collection/Dorot Jewish Division/New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden foundations
President Martin Inaugurated April 2
President Daniel J. Martin was inaugurated as Seattle Pacific's 10th president on April 2. The day's festivities included a morning commissioning ceremony and the inauguration held at McCaw Hall in the afternoon, with more than 60 college and university dignitaries from around the country in attendance.
To post a congratulatory message to President Martin, visit spu.edu/inauguration, spu.edu/facebook, or use #spuinaug on Twitter or Instagram.
SPU Alumni at Microsoft – Let's Connect Over Lunch
Thursday, May 2, 2013
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
Building 50
Lunch is on us!
A little known fact is that there are close to 150 Seattle Pacific University graduates employed at Microsoft! We'd love for all SPU alumni working at Microsoft to join one another for lunch and to meet SPU's newly inaugurated president, Daniel J. Martin. The meal is complimentary, the atmosphere relaxed, and the opportunity open to find out who works where and what's happened since graduation – goals, hopes, activities, updates, and maybe even a tall story or two.
RSVP for the SPU Alumni at Microsoft Luncheon by contacting 206-281-2587 or alumni@spu.edu today!
Class of 1963 50-Year Reunion June 7
The Class of '63 reunion committee is hard at work planning an exciting day of events in celebration of that most unique of all Seattle Pacific reunions, the milestone gathering when a 50-year class is inducted into the Founders Circle.
On June 7, 2013, this year's graduating class will put on their regalia and form a giant circle in Tiffany Loop for the Ivy Cutting ceremony. Among the many witnesses present will be the honored and newest members of the Founders Circle.
The day also includes a group photo, campus tours, time to reacquaint, and lunch and dinner. Just before dinner, Alumni Director Kenneth Cornell will conduct the 50-Year Ring presentation of pins and certificates.
Members of the Class of 1963 are invited to reserve their place at the reunion. Class members Jerry and Kathi Teel will also host a barbecue at their home on Saturday, June 8, for all 1963 graduates. Watch for a mailed invitation with complete details, or register online.
Military Support Cadre Increases Its Presence
The Veteran and Military Support Cadre was formed Autumn Quarter 2011 by faculty veterans in support of student veterans. The Cadre, which represents the approximately 75 U.S. military veterans attending classes at SPU, recently announced two milestones:
- The Military and Veteran Support Club is now an official ASSP-funded organization.
- Student Nicholas Konopik, a veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, is the first official student Vet Corps representative on campus. Vet Corps helps veterans make transition to civilian life.
Gary Newbill '64, MEd '70, EdD '99, chair of the SPU Alumni Association, spoke at the February 19 meeting of the support cadre. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1962 to 1976, including a combat tour in Vietnam.
On Memorial Day, the Veteran and Military Support Cadre will host a campus observance to honor SPU students and alumni who lost their lives in military service.
Alumni Light Up Homecoming 2013
When alumni and students take one another on in Ultimate Frisbee or the Crew Regatta, trash talk flows whatever side wins. Homecoming 2013 was the battleground for alumni present and future. Alumni rowers and disk tricksters overcame strong student opposition to post wins in both events. The students have vowed to strike back at Homecoming 2014.
Hundreds of SPU alumni and their families converged on the campus in January for a weekend of fun, food, friends, and inspiration. They packed out the Homecoming Luncheon in which many heard from SPU President Daniel J. Martin for the first time. Celebrated were Alumna of the Year Margo Jarvies Engberg '89, CEO of PinkaBella Cupcakes, and these Medallion alumni recipients: computer language pioneers Larry Wall '76 and his wife, Gloria Biggar Wall '79, and life-long missionaries John Emra '75 and Sheryl Erickson Emra '76.
Falcon men's basketball thumped the St. Martin's University Saints 82-54 in the annual Homecoming clash, graduating classes ending in “3” and “8” caught up with their classmates at nine different class reunions, and you can catch all the action in these Homecoming photos.
If you missed your reunion, you can console yourself by viewing your yearbook. You can also access the Homecoming Celebration Worship Service and the Homecoming Luncheon.
Make your plans now for Homecoming 2014 and class reunions for years ending in “4” and “9.” Keep an eye on your SPU alumni website, the SPU Alumni Facebook page, SPU Response Online and on each issue of your SPU Alumni Connections to stay current with the latest news and events surrounding the alumni of Seattle Pacific University.
Snapshots of Homecoming 2013
Singing Up a Storm. Sometimes the best Homecoming memory-makers are spontaneous. Like this year's impromptu reunion of members of Seattle Pacific College Singers. Deb Wetzel '73 reports how they found each other, found a practice room in Crawford Hall "to see if we still have it," and "sang our hearts out." From there they gathered at the home of Norm Edwards '55, and his wife Nancy Snelling Edwards '64, for lunch and more catching up. "It was a very emotional and enlightening experience. We all still feel like family and plan to have more reunions, such as in Moses Lake where some plan to retire," says Wetzel. "We had great musicians as leaders in Larry (Edwards '71) and Beth (Kroon Davey '71), and high standards for performing well and doing our best. We really had a special chemistry and still do, especially when singing. And if there were some events you couldn't remember after 42 years, the others reminded you!"
Passing the Torch. The Centurions men's service honorary celebrated 54 years of continuity at their annual Homecoming reunion. Special guests included Mark Cederborg '73, recipient of this year's Roy Swanstrom Distinguished Centurion Award for leading a life of rigorous servant leadership and devout Christian character. It was his 40th reunion year, as it was for guest Sig Swanstrom '73, son of Centurions founder and advisor Roy Swanstrom, who hosted the group's weekly meetings. Sig recalled as a boy lying in his bed on Tuesday nights kept from slumber by his mother playing the piano and the deep-voiced Centurions singing their signature hymn, "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah."
A Doctor in the House. That morning he was in surgery; by that evening catching up with classmates. Dr. Jason Van Winkle '03, who attended medical school at Oregon Health & Science University, hopped the train to Seattle to attend his 10-year reunion. The Class of 2003 reunion brought back more than 40 alumni from Jason's era. The group even traveled to South Lake Union for more time together after the campus event.
Camp Casey: Keeping It Authentic
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Camp Casey Conference Center |
The harsh elements beat year-round against the barracks, houses, and ancillary buildings at Camp Casey Conference Center. Skilled craftsmen employed by Seattle Pacific University work hours on end to repair the wear and tear on 42 structures, and to protect and maintain the original historic nature of the property.
Alumni who know Casey know that the beautiful site and its buildings play an important role in the Ebey's Landing National Reserve. A significant part of the nearly 18,000-acre reserve is the military presence that began in the 1890s when Fort Casey was constructed on the bluff above Admiralty Head to protect the entrance to Puget Sound.
The first contingent of U.S. Army troops reported for duty in 1900, and eventually numbered 400. The fort became a social center for the surrounding community, hosting ball games, dances, and other social events. Today, the handsome wood-framed officers' quarters and rustic enlisted men's barracks often accommodate SPU alumni and their families and friends for a reasonably priced island getaway (at a discounted $20 per person per night; friends and family who are not immediate family members pay a nominal $25 per person per night).
This year, the beginning of summer will feature a remodeled Mess Hall. Auditorium A, and Company Quarters A, F, G, have been resided and the windows refurbished to retain the original look. New doors were purchased that are historically faithful to the originals.
Advancement Core: Students and Alumni Connect
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Just outside President Martin's office, Advancement Core students are all smiles
for I Love SPU Week. |
The last week of February was I Love SPU Week on campus. Students expressed thanks for their SPU education, expressed thanks to donors for advancing the mission of SPU, and themselves made financial gifts to the University – an impressive 11 percent of all undergraduate students gave more than $3,200 to a fund to help fellow students in financial crisis.
It is all part of a concentrated effort by the new Advancement Core team of student philanthropists to build a community of givers that remain invested in their alma mater after graduation. A key element of the effort is connecting with current alumni who can pass on the rich history of Seattle Pacific and who support the effort to keep SPU strong into the future.
Advancement Core is 13 talented student leaders who share a common love for Seattle Pacific and an eagerness to learn about meaningful involvement when they transition to alumni status. They interact with alumni through class reunions at Homecoming, at the President's Circle banquet, and in one-on-one lunch meetings with alumni donors. They spearheaded an effort for students to send personal, handwritten thank-you notes to donors and received thank-you cupcakes in return from President Daniel J. Martin. Each one was a work of art compliments of 2013 Alumna of the Year Margo Engberg '89 and her PinkaBella Cupcakes company. SODEXO generously provided complimentary beverages.
These young philanthropists have received many inquiries from students who want to serve on Advancement Core next year.
Peak 7 Challenges Body and Spirit
For Brady Hatfield '03, it was a divine chain of events that led to the founding of Peak 7 Adventures.
He met his wife, Alisha Jordan Hatfield '03, at Seattle Pacific University and says their being shaped together was vital for what lay ahead. They learned to work with others and from one another. They identified their strengths and weaknesses, learned to be open to God's direction and not their own motivations, and made their faith their own.
His accounting degree led to Brady becoming a CPA and starting a practice in Spokane. He met others with a passion for a project to take at-risk youth into God's rugged creation and expose them to his majesty. Peak 7 Adventures took flight.
In its first year (2006), the guides of Peak 7 took 137 participants into the outdoors. In 2012, participants numbered 2,818. By working with dozens of other nonprofit agencies, they identified youth from difficult backgrounds
who might benefit most from the grandeur and the demands of the backcountry trips.
"I see how they struggle from generational poverty, abuse, neglect, and distrust," Brady says. "I know they don't deserve it. I know that in their world they are told they're not good enough, smart enough, or strong enough to accomplish anything or be anything, so don't even try."
Brady and others who work with Peak 7 are honored to take God's “underprivileged” backpacking, climbing, mountaineering, and whitewater rafting where they might encounter God in all his glory and goodness. They discover that God loves them as they are and that through him they can accomplish many things. Few return unfazed.
"Not everyone will come to a Bible study or worship time," notes Brady. "When we use God's creation to facilitate conversation, they listen."
Katie Pitt, an SPU senior nursing student who spent last summer guiding rock climbing and backpacking trips, says she'll be back this summer because Peak 7 "uses the mountains to build the kingdom (of God) and I want to be a
part of it!"
"It is such a unique opportunity to show kids how much they are valued," says Pitt. Many of the teenagers come from homes of addiction, abuse, and absent parents. They don't mind personal questions or asking tough questions of their own, such as "How can I believe in God when I have cried so many times and nothing happens?" It is in the outdoors, she says, that "kids open up and show you their hurting hearts."
Brady encourages SPU alumni to volunteer and has been praying for more doors to open, especially in the Seattle area.
Alumni Shorts
Chocolate to Sigh for. When Terri Blair Parkhurst '94 set out to create a healthy chocolate mousse, she knew there were two things she would not sacrifice: taste and texture. High-end baking chocolate, all-natural organic agave nectar, and silky smooth organic tofu meant she could cut 40 percent of the calories and half the fat compared to a “fully leaded” mousse recipe from Julia Child.
Mademoiselle Mousse was born.
Of her mousse flavors, the food and nutrition major says La Menthe reminds her of days worked at the old Frederick and Nelson Department Store “and the Frangos I would devour.” Her vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free desserts are also available in the flavors Café Mousse and L'Orange Mousse. Where to get them?
Culture of Excellence. Megan Brady '07 works in Reservations and Guest Services at Canlis, the dressiest restaurant in Seattle. Actor John Wayne always requested Table No. 1 at Canlis, the only table with a telephone. With its magnificent views, great stone fireplace, and 22,000 bottles of fine wine in the cellar, Canlis caters to refined Northwest palates and has won top awards for cuisine, service, and "best splurge."
Brady, who majored in sociology, oversees nightly reservations, manages all special occasions, and builds relationships. “Some of the most fun is helping plan marriage proposals,” she says. "There is something really humbling about being involved in such a special moment in someone's life." Her hardest job? Having to occasionally turn walk-in guests away when the restaurant is fully reserved.
High-pressure responsibility? Sometimes, but Brady credits the strong sense of teamwork at Canlis with the fact that "the pressure never feels overbearing."
"We consider it a true honor that so many people entrust us with their most treasured moments and celebrations," she adds. It's different for each guest, but may involve a special floral arrangement, tricky dietary restrictions, or seating guests at the same table their family has dined at for 50 years. Brady says her guests' expectations are high and the goal is always to exceed them.
All for One; One for All. Alexis Krueger was recently accepted to Seattle Pacific University and plans to pursue the premed track. That suits her sister, Katarina Krueger '15, a global development major, just fine. And it likewise suits her mother, Marit Knorr Krueger '87, an educator with a degree in communication and a secondary teaching certificate.
The trio says they value that at SPU faith conversations are an important part of the academic pursuit. And that being culturally relevant with a "glocal" viewpoint – growth and change both local and global – is fostered at the community level at home and abroad.
One of their favorite shared SPU experiences was hearing Eugene Peterson '54 speak on campus in 2011. Marit remembers the theologian and author of The Message “was a fire hose of wisdom.”
"It was fun for each of us to think about Eugene himself being an SPU grad and the ways that SPU was a launching pad for him and his ministry." Marit says that she and her daughters were encouraged to imagine how SPU was their launching pad as well. As daughters of an alumna, Alexis and Katarina are Students of Legacy and receive the Alumni Association Scholarship.
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