Winter 2010 | Volume 4, Issue 1
Keatley Snaps the Big One?
John Keatley '03 is a fast-rising star in the photography world. A specialist in advertising and editorial portrait photography, his growing client list includes the Discovery Channel, the Pacific Science Center, Seattle Sounders FC, and numerous national magazines such as Forbes, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and Time.
His celebrity photo list includes Hollywood icon Anthony Hopkins and Project Runway fashionista Tim Gunn.
Perhaps his biggest coup yet came last fall when he was chosen by HarperCollins Publishers to photograph Sarah Palin for the cover of her new book, Going Rogue. Keatley's cover photograph of the possible 2012 presidential contender has been seen by millions on television and the Internet. "This was a really big opportunity for me professionally," Keatley blogged, "and I enjoyed it immensely. I am excited to see what happens next."
Keatley's work is regularly seen in Response and other SPU publications.
Networking Pays Off for Eby
 It helps to have connections, and perhaps no one knows that better than Marcus Eby '09. His exciting first job as the mobile Science Adventure Lab scientist for Seattle's Children's Hospital is a direct result of taking a general studies class in career and calling taught by SPU career counselor Karen Altus.
Besides facilitating good job search practices like precision resume- and cover-letter writing, the class learned effective networking skills such as keeping the business cards of others and following up on those contacts. After hearing Mikke Lindblom, research human resources consultant with the Seattle Children's Research Institute, present in class, Eby gave her a call. Within the month, she needed a scientist for the new lab. Her recent conversation with the biology major was on the top of her mind. He got the job.
"We're thrilled to have him join us," says Lindblom. "He's my new 'see what can happen' example."
"It was Seattle Pacific which enabled me to land a wonderful job fresh out of college during a very competitive time," says Eby. Since September, he has traveled Washington state and visited thousands of students at underprivileged and under-resourced schools. In the 45-foot state-of-the-art mobile lab, the children receive innovative, hands-on science experience, including isolating their own individual DNA (see photo).
"I truly enjoy working with children in a scientific setting," says Eby, who hopes to enter the field of pediatrics after medical school. "Nothing is more rewarding than to see their faces light up as they grasp a new idea. The cure for cancer could potentially be resting inside the mind of any elementary student."
Multiple Alumni in Haiti Help Earthquake Victims
 Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, is often wracked by natural disaster, and its people live in poverty and illiteracy, burdened by superstition and voodoo. As this article went to press, the devastating 7.0 earthquake struck. A number of Seattle Pacific University graduates, highlighted here, live and work in Haiti, dedicating their lives to countering the bad news with the Good News and practical assistance.
We have added updates in italics on each one since the earthquake. Please hold them all in your prayers.
Among the SPU young alumni living and working in Haiti:
Corrigan and Shelley Clay, Class of 2000, are co-founders of the Apparent Project, a nonprofit organization providing artisan training to produce a sustainable income, and an orphanage that facilitates adoptions. When the Clays first arrived in Haiti in 2008, they were the house parents for an orphanage of 24 boys. Though their house is not structurally sound, the Clays are safe and have been sleeping outside.
Brooke James '03 works with Child Hope International, a charitable Christian organization dedicated to rescuing suffering and abandoned children in the capital of Port au Prince, Haiti. She assists in the orphanage of Maison de Lumiere (The Lighthouse). Child Hope reports all staff and children safe, but running low on medical supplies. Their schools have suffered severe damage. Of Brooke, they write, "Brooke and Ashley, our nurses, haven't stopped. I know they're tired, but they go from one person to the next. It's been a blessing to see them do what they do, be stretched, and continue to smile, even after a good cry."
Kurt Hilderbrand '00 is the head of the Mennonite Central Committee in Port au Prince, helping the populace with disaster relief and development assistance. Kurt is well and busy distributing aid and helping an injured member of his staff evacuate. "I feel very supported, though I have no idea what I need right now."
Stephanie Kotecki '00 works in the U.S. Embassy in Port au Prince. Stephanie Kotecki at the U.S. Embassy is confirmed safe by Wendy Moy '99 who heard from her the day of the quake.
Hillary Prag '06 taught at Quisqueya Christian School, where more than 250 students study. Most of them are children of missionaries or "business class" Haitian children who have a strong chance of becoming members of the ruling government. Hillary Prag moved from Haiti a month ago and was not in-country at the time of the quake. Her boyfriend is Kurt Hilderbrand (see above). "I have a feeling he'll also be translating for aid workers and the international community as they come in to assess and make decisions."
Trisha Koorn Zakhour '00, has taught at Quisqueya Christian School for 10 years. In that time she has survived a hurricane, been awakened by gunshots in the early morning hours, and teaches in a fourth-grade classroom with bars across the windows for safety. "Parents have come to know the Lord through their children, and when they are in trouble, they turn to God for help." Trisha is safe (was on maternity leave) but there are fears that her father-in-law died in the quake.
Not Your Grandmother's Yearbook - or Was It?
With some tongue-in-cheek, Bill Meyer Jr. '84 recently wrote the SPU Alumni Center with two persistent questions:
"What does Tawashi mean. I know it (was) the yearbook, but where does the word come from? Second question: Does SPU have a fight song, or is that not really Christian? These questions have haunted me for over 20 years. I'm having trouble sleeping at night. Thankfully, work provides a needed solace to catch up on the sleep I miss. I've tried contemplation, supplication, sackcloth, ashes, fasting, and even feasting. Nothing seems to provide the answers … Please, can you help!?"
In order to ensure the man gets his rest, Laila Sharpe, associate director, alumni and parent relations, researched the puzzles he posed and responded:
"Hello, Bill, let me hopefully give you some peace of mind. 'Tawashi' is an Indian word meaning 'friendship.' The yearbook, originally named Cascade, was changed in 1950 to Tawashi to symbolize joyous associations at SPC ..." In 1985, the name changed back to Cascade to make that year stand out as special, a year, wrote yearbook editor Mark Shipley '85, 'in which so many megatrends were beginning, and SPU was in transition.'
"Your second question may be a little more challenging to answer. According to the book A Growing Vision, there have been seven school songs. The first one, 'The Dear Old Sem,' dates back to 1914 when we were still a seminary. Our current alma mater was derived from the 1922 school song written by Frank Warren '22, which was updated to reflect our university status and abridged in 1986 by Ruth Elkin Booth '27. Whether these are 'fight songs,' I'll leave to your discretion. Peace, my brother!"
Meyer's last word? "Thanks to you and your crack team of SPU historians, I now have no choice but to become a contributing member of society."
A Lifetime of "Drawing" Others to Christ
Career Free Methodist pastor and missionary Ray Streutker '48 used his God-given artistic talents as a means of "illustrated" evangelism.
Discipled by Philip Capp '50, grounded by Seattle Pacific College, guided to ministry by roommate Byron Jacobson '46, and saved from bachelorhood by his wife, Lorraine Johnson Streutker '48, Ray spent 30 years in the Philippines. Audiences in isolated coastal villages were held spellbound by Gospel sermons illustrated in vivid oil-based chalks as Ray talked and drew. Sales of his original drawings supplemented his missionary salary. Few would guess that he had limited eyesight so severe that the Army refused him for service in World War II.
 "Many have inquired as to how I could draw in spite of my visual deficit," says Streutker. "I cannot explain it myself. It may just flow out in conformity to the mental image already formed.
"Every day I thank God that I can see at all, if not all."
The Streutkers and their four daughters endured fire, flood, robbery, typhoons, earthquakes, and remote frontier deprivation in the service of Christ. During 38 years of full-time and 24 years of part-time service, Ray and Lorraine moved 37 times, including 12 trans-oceanic voyages.
Partners for 60-plus years of marriage, the Struetkers now make their home in Chula Vista, California.
Event Brings Moms Together
 The first SPU Mom's Day, November 7, drew 120 mothers (including six alumni parents) and their 120 current students to the full slate of events. Another 20 mothers came for the athletic events only.
"Our goal is to create a vibrant parent community at SPU, one that develops life-long relationships among parents and with the University," says Laila Sharpe, associate director of alumni and parent relations. "This event was one of the first steps in that mission."
Hosted by SPU Parent Council and the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, the day included brunch with SPU First Lady Sharon Eaton, special speaker Professor of Clinical Psychology Beverly Wilson, the Gospel Ensemble, and Falcon volleyball and soccer competitions in the afternoon. Student art was on display and printed questions based on the theme of "Sharing the Journey" helped mothers get acquainted with one another around the brunch tables.
"I felt I was at a women's retreat," said one mom in an after-event online survey, "with the great food, music, (the) feeling of being pampered, and the pleasure of an excellent speaker ... It's nice for a mom to take her child's 'pulse' early in the school year."
Cheri Miller-Burkhardt '79, who lives in Seattle, shared the day with her daughter, Kaelin, a nursing major (see photo). "We bond more when we're laughing about what it used to be like for her back in the olden days," says Kaelin. "It's fun showing her the changes that have happened since she went here."
Her mom was a student when disco was in and white leisure suits were popular. At Mom's Day, Cheri enjoyed the student presentations and hopes one day to see an expansion into other programs such as acting and fashion. "It would be fun, too, to broaden the event to include crafts like a joint mother/student art project," she suggested.
A Dad's Day is planned for the spring featuring attendance at a Seattle Sounders FC soccer game with President Philip Eaton.
A Stronger Taproot Survives Trial by Fire
"There's no way to describe the surreal feeling of watching 100-plus firemen trying to prevent a three-alarm fire from destroying the theatre as your other building burns to the ground," says Scott Nolte '76, co-founder and producing artistic director for Seattle's Taproot Theatre Company (TTC). "But the staff felt this was an unchosen opportunity that God had placed on Taproot Theatre's mission and staff, and that we would become stronger."
The arson-caused fire October 23 did limited damage to the theatre facility, but the extensive water and smoke damage forced much of the theatre to be gutted. The adjacent Roosevelt Building, owned by Taproot, and the four cafes it housed, was a total loss.
As news of the fire spread, encouraging emails, donations, prayers, and calls poured in from the Seattle arts community, as well as from around the globe.
On December 4-5, TTC presented a "pay as much as you can" reading of "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol" in SPU's E.E. Bach Theatre. The event was a fundraiser for the Greenwood (Community) Fire Relief Fund benefitting the small businesses devastated. More than $2,000 was raised.
As part of Taproot's ongoing commitment to its Greenwood neighborhood, a separate $15,000 in burglary and arson insurance coverage went to a reward fund. The person thought responsible was later apprehended and jailed.
On December 31, Taproot unveiled an 89-foot mural, created by local artists, that celebrates the community. The installation runs along the sidewalk in front of where the Roosevelt Building once stood.
TTC's board of directors and staff are reviewing the long-term vision for the now-empty adjacent property, as well as immediate options. "With God's help, the contractors' efforts, and the support of many friends, the theatre will be restored," says Nolte. A renewed Taproot will open the 2010 Mainstage Season January 29 with C.S. Lewis' "The Great Divorce."
Honor Roll of Donors Available Online
 This year, the Honor Roll of Donors is available online, where you can search for your own name and those of your classmates. You can read a message from SPU President Philip Eaton; watch a new, short video taken during Ivy Cutting; learn about current enrollment milestones; and read stories of other donors (including the successful Young Alumni Council). Best of all, when you visit the site, $1 will be given toward student scholarships by an anonymous donor.
All proud Seattle Pacific alumni are invited to check it out! And thank you for giving to the place where world change begins.
Milestones
Margie Meberg Atkinson '65, a member of SPU's Alumni Board and a vice president of human resources for Young Life (YL), died December 27, 2009, at the age of 66. In a 40-year career with YL, the Fuller Seminary graduate and her husband, Neil, also established YL in Naperville, Illinois; developed YL in Grand Rapids, Michigan; and directed YL in the Mid-America Region. Known as a master of conflict resolution and a pioneer of YL's Women's Leadership Council, Margie is survived by her husband, two children, and three grandchildren.
Jordan Crouch '04, former Centurion and member of SPU's Young Alumni Council, died January 1, 2009, at the age of 28. One of the next generation of marketplace leaders, Jordan not only served in the commercial finance industry, but was a director of the Seattle chapter of Kiros, an organization that helps connect, encourage, and equip Christians in business. His other involvements included youth ministry at Seattle's Aurora Nazarene Church. He is survived by his wife, Staci Goerz Crouch '04, and son Jack.
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