the Entire Spring 2006 Issue

Transcription

VU Mag Spring 06 web
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VANGUARD UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
vanguard
spring 2006
A Gala
Career
Alumnae Robin Fischette and husband built a leading
event company that specializes in ‘spectacular’
A Gala Career 2
The Bridge Builder 5
Servant Leader
7
The Legend
18
VU’s Best Team Ever 25
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www.vanguard.edu
2
7
5
18
25
mission statement
Vanguard University of Southern California (VUSC), founded in 1920, is a Christian
Comprehensive University of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. At the heart of its
mission, VU is committed to preparing students through an education marked by
academic excellence and spiritual vitality for productive service in a variety of vocations and ministries that are matched to the marketplace of the 21st century.
2 vanguard magazine spring 2006
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Contents
In This Issue
Volume 6 number 4 • spring 2006
features
A Gala Career...................................................................2
Robin Fischette studied theater at VU, intending to become a singer and
actress. But her career took a rewarding detour as she helped build one of
the top event production companies in the country. Now she’s making
time to return to her first loves.
The Bridge Builder ...........................................................5
Jeff Hittenberger helped turn VU’s graduate program in education into
one of the best in Orange County and the first in California to adopt
stricter standards for teacher credentialing. His passion for changing the
world through teaching springs in part from the lessons he’s learned from
his son, Ben, who has Down Syndrome.
Servant Leader .................................................................7
Kayli Cotten came to VU with a heart to serve, and has been one of the
campus’s most influential student leaders, even creating a campus chapter
of Habitat for Humanity. But when tragedy struck Cotten’s family, she
had to learn to let others minister to her as well.
The Legend ....................................................................18
Coach Bill Reynolds led one of the most storied runs in VU sports
history, with seventeen consecutive seasons of twenty or more wins in
men’s basketball. His former players have emulated his techniques and
become winning coaches throughout Southern California. Now that
Reynolds is battling cancer, they are rallying to his support.
departments
From the President...........................................................1
Class Notes ......................................................................9
Advancing Vision 2010...................................................16
Windows.........................................................................17
A Vine of His Own Planting ............................................21
On Campus ....................................................................22
Sports.............................................................................25
Calendar .........................................................................28
Postcards .......................................................................29
University Governance
Chair, Board of Trustees
T. Ray Rachels
University Administration
President
Murray Dempster
Provost and Vice President for
Academic Affairs
Russell Spittler
Vice President for Advancement and
Enrollment Management
Rick Hardy
Vice President for Business
and Finance
David Alford
Interim Vice President for
Student Affairs
Ed Westbrook
Editor
Joel Kilpatrick
Art Director
Chauncey D. Bayes
Director of Marketing and
Communications
Patti Ammerman
Director of Alumni Relations
Colette Smith
Vanguard University of Southern California, in compliance with laws
and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
gender, age, disability, national origin, or status as a veteran in any of
its policies, practices, or procedures.
vanguard magazine is a free publication published quarterly by
Vanguard University of Southern California. All contents copyrighted,
2006, Vanguard University of Southern California.
recently traveled to Jackson, Tenn., to watch our outstanding
women’s basketball team play in the national tournament. From the
rumble of the stands and the roar of the crowd, to the squeak of
shoes on the court and the swish of the ball into the net, it was a thrill to
watch these top athletes compete for a title. Our Lions were ranked #1
for the entire year and were even featured in The Wall Street Journal. Our
team was considered the best in the NAIA, better even than most
NCAA teams according to national ratings. Make no mistake – this was
one of the very best sports teams of any kind VU has ever produced.
I
As I watched our players and coach, Russ Davis, demonstrate the highlevel skill and split-second timing that have made them a dominant
force in women’s basketball, I was proud of their pursuit of excellence. I
get that same feeling when I consider the people in this issue of
vanguard magazine. These pages are packed with profiles of alums and
friends of VU who are among the best in their fields.
The cover story is about Robin Fischette who, with her husband, built
a top event production company. They produce wildly creative parties
and expos for major corporate clients. But they have distinguished
themselves by putting heart and warmth into their productions as well.
You’ll enjoy reading about Fischette’s life journey and her spectacular
line of work.
We also profile another great member of the VU community, coach Bill
Reynolds, who is well loved among former players and VU sports fans.
Bill had a tremendous amount of success in seventeen years as coach of
our men’s basketball team. Because of his example, both as a person and
a teacher of the game, his legacy continues in his former players who
now coach some of the best teams in Southern California high schools.
Student Kayli Cotten came to campus wanting especially to fulfill the
“Service” aspect of our “Truth, Virtue, Service” motto. Her trailblazing
efforts created outreach and service opportunities that had never existed
at VU before, like a Habitat for Humanity chapter. Cotten’s quiet diligence has opened doors for the next generation of VU students to serve
in ways that were not previously possible.
This issue also includes stories on alums like Jim Young ’94, who acts
and writes for a pioneering Christian sitcom, and Albert Carrasco ’87
who as a U.S. Marshal has protected people like Sandra Day O’Connor
and Martha Stewart. Class Notes, On Campus and our regular columns
round out a terrific issue.
I also want to congratulate vanguard magazine editor Joel Kilpatrick on
the release of his satirical book, A Field Guide to Evangelicals and Their
Habitat, published by HarperCollins. It’s a delight!
At Vanguard, our passion is to continue producing people who are the
best in their fields. We hope this issue inspires you to similar heights.
Read and enjoy!
Bulk rate postage paid at Santa Ana, CA. POSTMASTER: Send
address changes to: VUSC Alumni Relations Office, 55 Fair Drive,
Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
vanguard magazine spring 2006 1
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Alumni Feature
A Gala
R
obin (Severn) Fischette and husband David used their theatre
and music training to build one
of the top event companies in
the U.S. Today, their GO West Events &
Multimedia puts on million-dollar galas and
corporate conventions for companies like
WellPoint, Amgen and Countrywide. The
events go well beyond party favors and flowers to include eye-popping spectacles and
dazzling multi-media experiences.
And it all started with a DJ service in
the 1980s.
“Our goal is, how can we blow people away?
What’s something they’ve never seen or done
and would never forget?” Robin says. “It
takes big vision.”
This year Robin and GO West Events have
been nominated for the industry’s highest
honors. But, after building GO West into an
industry leader, Robin is now getting back
to her first loves, singing and acting, which
were a major part of her life at VU.
Robin, the daughter of VU alums Bill
Severn ’61 and Barbara (Severn) McNutt
’61, enrolled at VU in 1981, undecided
about whether or not she would stay.
Career
“I wanted to go to arts school, but I ended up
loving Vanguard after the first year,” Robin
says. “I have huge respect for the professors. I
learned a lot from them, learned many life
lessons while there and grew to love many
friends. I appreciate those years a lot.”
At the same time, Robin’s music career was
taking off. She had a top manager and her
groovy R&B-influenced demo had earned
an offer from music magnate Jimmy Iovine.
MCA Records was interested in her original
song “Kiss Me With Fidelity.”
She immersed herself in the theatre program
and became a double major in cultural
anthropology due to Vince Gil’s influence.
Under Morris Pike she acted in many plays
and musicals including “Fiddler On the
Roof ” and “Man of La Mancha” in which
she played the lead role. She also started a
band, the Late Arrivals.
But Robin struggled to reconcile her commitment to the gospel with her secular
music career.
But her father died unexpectedly during her
sophomore year. Robin continued through
her junior year, but then quit school in 1984
to pursue singing and acting. She moved to
Studio City with sister Belinda ’84 and met
David Fischette, who was deejaying at
Universal Studios. She saw promise in his
mobile disc jockey business, and in their relationship, and she helped him build the company into the number two DJ service in the
Los Angeles area, producing events for major
record release parties and Hollywood premieres. Robin and David married in 1990.
“At that time it wasn’t as easy to find a career
as a Christian without defining yourself as in
or out of the Christian market,” she says.
“My heart was pushing me to be something
so much more, and to present the message
of the gospel underneath everything I do. I
didn’t know how to make these colliding
worlds come together.”
She was on the verge of signing a contract
with a producer who wanted to turn her
into a disco diva in Germany. But the day
before signing, she and David visited their
pastor’s house and she glimpsed what her
future might become.
“I would have been stuck in a contract in
Germany being a disco queen. It would have
pulled me away from my marriage, my
Christianity. I felt this icky sense inside that
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Alumni Feature
“David and I both had theater
training, so that’s how we approach
it,” Robin says. “We tell stories from
every aspect of what we’re doing —
every piece of décor and media.”
it was wrong,” she says.
She turned it down and her pursuit of a secular music career abruptly ended. Within
months she became pregnant with twins and
“my life changed completely,” she says.
Daughters Chalice and Brianna, now 12,
played “Belle” on “Days of Our Lives” while
they were infants. Two years later Victoria
was born, now 10, who also did studio vocal
work and productions.
Robin still sang and wrote musicals for her
church of 5,000, but her energies shifted to
GO West Events & Multimedia, which
she and David had moved into and
incorporated in 1992. Their goal was to
produce full-scale corporate events. They
began with video walls, theme décor and
centerpieces but soon graduated to elaborate custom décor, multi-media saturation and jaw-dropping spectacles.
“We brought our collective backgrounds in
music, technology and theater together to
build a top-quality production company,”
she says. “Our curiosity kept pulling us to
the next level.”
With each event, GO West set a higher bar
for the “wow” factor. At a corporate event
headlined by Pat Benetar, the Fischettes’
production followed a “Fire and Ice” theme.
An ice sculptor carved a 20-foot Gibson guitar from a block of ice while plumes of fire
leaped around him.
At another event an unchained giraffe and
elephant, and a caged lion, occupied the
center of the ballroom. Top executives petted the animals.
But GO West’s approach was more than
just pizzazz. They wanted to tell a fun,
even meaningful story through the entire
experience.
“David and I both had theatre training, so
that’s how we approach it,” she says. “We
tell stories from every aspect of what we’re
doing — every piece of décor and media.
We even do subtle stuff that people probably
don’t notice.”
As the events became more complex, Robin
exercised new aspects of her creativity, from
set design to singing to utilizing digital
motion environments. Soon they were handling huge $1.5 million expos, the Staples
Robin Fischette, continued on page 4
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Alumni Feature
Robin Fischette, continued from page 3
Center grand opening and “incredibly posh
events” that required actors, fragrance
machines, indoor waterfalls and custom
chandeliers.
Their proudest moment was the event
industry’s own annual awards meeting in
2004 at Constitution Hall in Washington,
D.C. The Fischettes produced the award
gala, pairing baroque elements with new
technology for their theme, “The
Reinvention.” They hung a 360-degree curtain around the entire room and projected
video onto it throughout the event. There
was even a Benjamin Franklin impersonator.
That night Robin sang with Sean
McDermott of Broadway fame and David
was named producer of the year. The following year Robin received a nomination for
designer of the year.
“GO West Events stands out as an event
industry company because they have fabulous technology and multi-media, and they
can create all the décor and entertainment
necessary to deliver the theme and message
of the event,” says Carolyn Baragona, vice
president for Event Solutions, a trade magazine covering meeting and event planners.
“Robin brings this extra sense of style to the
room and creates an ambience. ... Not only
is she visionary, she’s multi-talented and
grasps every element it takes to produce a
spectacular event.”
GO West has won many industry awards.
But just as important to Robin is the
warmth they have been able to inject into
their events.
“We try to be light and salt in what can be a
dark industry,” she says. “We don’t take jobs
from companies we don’t agree with. We
don’t provide fortune tellers. We try to bring
love and light into what we do because it
can be really cold and indifferent. We said,
‘Okay, God, you show us, because you’re the
one who walked among everybody.’ That’s
our goal in life.”
For instance, at one event the Fischettes
wanted to include a prayer, so Robin sang
“The Prayer” as an invocation before the
meal.
Still, for Robin, her success in the event
industry has felt, at least in part, like a
departure from her real purpose.
“I never thought I’d be doing this,” she says.
“My plan was music, but it ended up being
producing. Music is where I started. It was
my passion. The beauty is that God has
taken me and re-molded me into what he
wants. He’s changed me a million times. I’ve
done incredible things along the way.”
She has incorporated music into what she
does, writing corporate songs and singing
them for thousands of people, writing musicals and jingles, performing voice-over work
for Blue Shield’s online training program
and for Gospel Light Sunday school curriculum and video training series.
But now she is determined to re-launch her
careers in music and acting before it’s too
late. Now that GO West is thriving and has
attracted a host of creative people, Robin
has stepped out of day-to-day production to
spend time with her three children and
develop her album and television projects.
She remains active as chairperson.
This year GO West Events (www.gowestevents.com) is nominated for event company of the year, and for five Tellys (a separate
award). During a tour of the company’s
offices in Westlake Village, the sparkle that
marks their productions is evident in their
interior design. The offices are boldly and
tastefully decorated; the hallways are lined
with framed magazine spreads about the
company.
We step into Robin’s office where two letters
from the event industry’s awards committee
have just arrived. Robin opens the nomination for GO West Events as company of the
year — it is expected. But the second letter is
a surprise, and Robin discovers she has been
nominated for designer of the year.
“You’re witnessing it,” she says.
She’ll find out if she won this fall. It’s yet
another welcome surprise in an unexpected
but rewarding career.
Planning the ‘wow’: Robin and David Fischette at
a meeting at the GO West Events offices in
Westlake Village.
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Faculty Profile
The
Bridge Builder
U
nder Jeff Hittenberger’s leadership, VU’s graduate program in education has become one of the best in
Orange County and was the first program in the state
of California to have its elementary and secondary credential programs accredited under new statewide regulations.
Because of Hittenberger’s mission-minded, relational approach to
teaching and the program’s outstanding faculty and staff, VU grads
are in high demand in a growing number of schools and
districts throughout California.
For Hittenberger, creating an outstanding program is part of his
calling to build bridges between teachers and students and among
people of different cultures. He has followed that calling even
though unexpected challenges radically changed his career and
family plans.
Hittenberger grew up as a missionary’s kid in Haiti during the
brutal reign of dictator Papa Doc Duvalier. (Hittenberger’s father
had graduated from VU in 1957.)
“We frequently heard machine guns at night,” Hittenberger says.
“Planes flew over my school to drop bombs on the palace. We
often had dusk to dawn curfews.”
But he loved growing up in Haiti, where he learned to embrace
true hope, independent of the circumstances.
“Believers in Haiti have a vibrant daily walk with God in the midst
of what seem like impossible conditions,” he says.
Hittenberger left Haiti to attend Evangel University in Springfield,
MO., and then spent a year studying in Morocco on a Rotary
Ambassadorial Scholarship. There, among wonderful people of
Muslim faith, Hittenberger experienced a year-long crisis of belief
which was gradually resolved when he began teaching fourth grade
at a Christian school upon his return to the U.S.
“As I thought about what to teach these kids, many of whom were
in difficult circumstances, it became clear to me that they needed
to know God loves them,” he says. “Following that year of ambiguity in Morocco, my increasing conviction was that Jesus uniquely incarnates the Father and expresses the depth of God’s love.
Because of Christ, I can say unambiguously, ‘God loves you and
your life matters to him.’”
Hittenberger felt freshly called to use education as a “ministry of
reconciliation.” He earned his doctorate at USC, and met wife
Christine, an missionary’s kid from Africa whose grandparents,
Harold and Margaret Jones, had graduated from VU in the
1920s. The Hittenbergers took jobs in Santa Ana public schools,
intending to move overseas, where Jeff had already spent significant time in Africa training rural teachers.
But they were rocked when their first child, Ben, was diagnosed
with Down Syndrome. Later, they would learn that he was also
autistic. Ben would require constant care and the kind of education that could best be found in the U.S. The Hittenbergers had to
completely relinquish their future plans.
“It was hard to let go of going overseas,” says Jeff. “But it was even
harder giving up our expectations for Ben’s future, the expectations
of particular milestones at particular ages. We had no idea what
the trajectory of his life would be. We had to learn to trust God
Jeff Hittenberger, continued on page 6
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Faculty Profile
(right, counter-clockwise) Hittenberger with Antonio
Espinosa, principal of Valley High School in Santa Ana,
and Michael Parra, Title I coordinator for Valley High.
(bottom) Hittenberger with children Brianne and Ben
Jeff Hittenberger, continued from page 5
for Ben’s future and for our own. In our
pain, God assured us that Ben was a gift,
that his life was not a mistake, and that he
would convey God’s love in profound ways
to us and to others.”
Jeff served as an adjunct at VU in 1995-96
while he was still teaching at Valley High
School in Santa Ana. He then worked at
the Monterey County Office of Education
before returning to VU in 1999 to direct
the graduate program in education. His
goal at VU was to create a Christ-centered
program to equip teachers whose life calling
is to serve others through education.
“Our mission is to equip teachers to serve,”
Hittenberger says. “Our students feel a calling to love, equip and make a difference in
the lives of their students. The connection
between our faculty members and their students, some of whom are new teacher candidates and others of whom are full-time
teachers pursuing a master’s degree, is not
just professional, but profoundly spiritual
and personal. That combination is powerful
stuff and it’s a rare program where you get
that level of connection. I’m convinced it
produces the kind
of teachers who
can convey a sense
of commitment,
love and empowerment to kids.”
Local educators agree. Says Al Mijares,
Superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified
School District, “We love hiring Vanguard
graduates because they see teaching as a
calling. When things get hard, they’re still
committed. And
their preparation
is unbeatable.”
At work, Jeff sometimes takes a break to
“The connection between our faculty
members and their students … is
not just professional, but profoundly
spiritual and personal. That
combination is powerful stuff.”
Christine Jurenka,
director of
instruction and
leadership development for the
Newport-Mesa
Unified School
District and an
adjunct faculty member at VU, says
Hittenberger’s approach to teaching
“changed my life and my thinking.”
“He got me back to my roots about why I
became a teacher,” she says. “He builds such
strong relationships with people. I credit a
lot of what I do, and my beliefs, to Jeff and
the teachers he sends us. I love the young
people they bring to us because teaching is
a calling for them. Jeff gets phenomenal
results from his students.”
In 2002, Hittenberger and the VU education team undertook the major challenge of
making VU an early adopter of California’s
new, more rigorous credentialing standards.
VU became the first university in California
to be approved for this new credential
training, sending a signal that VU was
ahead of the pack.
Today, the graduate program in education
continues to equip committed, loving, academically excellent, professionally prepared
teachers to serve in schools throughout
California and around the world.
enjoy Noon Hoops, a VU tradition of
lunch-hour basketball which he says “captures what’s best about Vanguard” by bringing together students, staff and faculty
together in friendship.
At home, the Hittenbergers continue to
enjoy their daughter Brianne, 11, who is
gifted, theologically curious, and “an
absolute delight,” Jeff says. And they all love
and learn from Ben, who is now 13, and
thriving in a special needs class.
“Ben is radiant, full of love and an incredible blessing to everyone who knows him,”
Jeff says. “He brings this uncomplicated
desire to love and be loved. In a lot of ways,
that’s the gift God has given him to share
with the world. Ben teaches us about the
kingdom of God because it’s not about
being the best or smartest or richest. It’s
about receiving God’s love and grace and
passing it on.”
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Student Profile
Servant Leader
ayli Cotten has been the quiet engine behind VU local
student outreaches for four years on campus. She started
the campus Habitat for Humanity Chapter, and has led
or volunteered in nearly every local student outreach
from soup kitchens and homeless shelters to impoverished neighborhoods. “Much of Vanguard’s community service presence has her fingerprints on it,” says Jamie Brownlee, director of outreach ministries.
K
But when tragedy struck Cotten’s family last year, she had to learn a
harder lesson: how to become vulnerable and receive support from
the VU community she had spent her undergraduate years serving.
Cotten was born and raised in Vista, and her step-mother introduced her to the Lord when she was nine. By high school Kayli was
exercising her leadership skills as vice president of the largest
Christian student club in San Diego county, with 300 people. She
also threw herself into outreach efforts, adopting struggling families
for Christmas and serving as counselor at a camp for foster kids who
have been physically and sexually abused. That stoked her passion
for social work.
“I learned compassion through my step-mom and dad,” she says. “I
continually saw my step-mom give of her time, energy and
resources. I saw what a godly woman was. I wanted to model my life
after that.”
Cotten was introduced to VU through Entouräge, the school’s allfemale traveling comedy-and-ministry team, and after one visit to
the campus she knew it was right for her.
“I felt so comfortable at VU. I loved it,” she says. “My professors
have been amazing.”
Kayli Cotten, continued on page 8
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Student Profile
“I learned compassion through my
step-mom and dad. I continually
saw my step-mom give of her time,
energy and resources. I wanted to
model my life after that.”
Kayli Cotten, continued from page 7
She plugged in to local student outreach
after God spoke to her heart during a chapel
service led by Mark Orphan, then director
of outreach. She became an intern in
Orphan’s office and he became “like my
second father,” she says.
“After I got hooked up with the outreach
department, it was all outreach for me,” she
says. “That’s my heart.”
She helped set up Hands Across the Border
trips, House of Hope outreaches and volunteered at the Orange County Rescue
Mission. She even helped start a non-profit
community development organization called
Mika. Her biggest accomplishment, she
says, was setting up a Habitat for
Humanity chapter.
Orphan soon realized Cotten had a unique
work ethic, and a unique gift.
“Within the semester she ended up taking
over our whole office operation and organizing everything we were doing with new
teams,” he says. “She jumped in to some significant involvement. She has a gift of compassion, and I think it’s a deep spiritual conviction. She is also a natural leader. Other
students are drawn to her, ask advice of her
and are mentored by her, but she doesn’t
position herself to be that. But people recognize her character.”
Then, on May 6, 2005, Cotten’s family suffered a major blow. Kayli’s step-sister Annie,
16, died in a car accident. Two weeks later,
Kayli was supposed to lead a VU-sponsored
missions trip to El Salvador. She struggled
with the decision, but decided to go.
“If I hadn’t gone to El
Salvador with VU, I would
have gotten stuck in grief and
mourning and not come back
to school in the fall,” she says.
“On that trip I got my perspective back. The situation
was still difficult, but I was
able to see how God is bigger
than my situation.”
On the painful trip, Cotten
learned to let others serve her. One day her
grief was so intense she could only sit and
watch the others work. A VU professor put
his hand on her shoulder and said, “It’s okay
not to do anything.”
“That was a hard statement for me because I
was used to doing so much stuff,” Cotten
says. “It was hard for me to receive from
people, but I had to learn how to let other
people support me. We’re not all strong at
the same time. It was a tough lesson to
learn, but I was so grateful to learn it.”
Annie’s death caused Cotten to value relationships more than ever, and to take risks
in life. In her sister’s honor, each member of
the Cotten family got a tattoo of an electric
guitar, which Annie had always dreamed
of getting.
with ASB, she learned again the value of
community.
“During the training session for leadership, I
told my group what had happened and
where I was at,” she says. “Being vulnerable
is part of what true community is. I understand now.”
She is now the local outreach intern. Having
experienced the community’s support during
this difficult time, she appreciates VU even
more.
“My professors are not just instructors, but
friends and brothers and sisters in Christ,”
she says. “They’re not just there to give me
academic knowledge; they’re there at a
life level.”
“My parents were always the hard core ‘not
under our roof ’ kind,” says Kayli. “But it’s
been a neat bonding thing that the four of
us have the same tattoo.”
She still plans to be a social worker and to
“try to live how Christ lived his life, seeing
the needs around him and being others-centered.” She sees her role on campus as opening doors of opportunity for others to serve
in ways they may not have imagined.
Kayli found it difficult to return to VU to
finish her final year. She could hardly bear
large crowds. But through her involvement
“This is not the year I would have chosen,”
she says, “but at the same time I can’t think
of a better year.”
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Page 11
Class Notes
Let us know what’s going on with you! Email Colette Smith, director of alumni relations, at
[email protected], visit the Vanguard Connection at www.vanguard.edu/alumni or call 714-966-5494.
’30s
Paul Cooper ’36 is an ordained minister with
the Assemblies of God. He and his wife of 55
years were pastors for 14 years in the U.S.
before becoming missionaries to Central and
South America for 35 years. Paul lives in the
Golden Pond retirement community in
Sacramento. The Cooper family includes two
daughters and two sons, four grandchildren
and five great-grandchildren.
’40s
Robert Egigian ’48 served as a Berkeley
Baptist Divinity chaplain for 20 years and
lives in Grass Valley.
Atarah (Schliebe) Stading ’49 is enjoying
life in La Habra Heights. She recently started a new ministry playing organ at a local
assisted care center.
’50s
Don ’52 and Evelyn (Crandall ’49) Boyce
are retired and living at Maranatha Village
in Springfield, Mo. Don has served as pastor, school teacher and school principal in
Hacienda Heights. He also earned a degree
in marriage and family counseling from
Zion College. Don and Evelyn will celebrate
their 56th wedding anniversary this year,
and have two children, five grandchildren
and a great-grandchild.
Lorna (Sumner) Dean ’56 assembles volunteers to support her ministry which helps
women to transition out of Mexicali prison
systems. Lorna makes her home in
Tuolumne.
Doug Rees ’58 has worked for IBM for 40
years. He and wife Janice live in Morgan
Hill.
Don Silvius ’52 loved his time at SCBC in
which he sang and played bass trombone
and met his wife Jean (Abel ’50) who played
the violin. Don plays at services at Canyon
Hills Assembly of God, performs at open
mic venues and acts in local community
theaters, most recently in “The Crucible.”
Recently widowed, Don lives in Bakersfield
with his two dogs.
’70s
’60s
Clyde and Denise (Goble) Floyd ’78 will
celebrate their 27th wedding anniversary
this year. They have three children: Chad,
22, Cory, 21, and Corin, 17. Clyde is a
zSeries sales specialist with IBM. The Floyd
family lives in San Jose.
Joy Anderson ’69 teaches special education
students and lives in Whittier.
Donald Geiman ’60 and wife Ramona live
in Chambersburg, Pa. Donald operates a
filling station, is a sales representative for
Skyangel and is the owner and advanced air
smith for Doedgi Enterprises, a paintball
marker repair company. The Geimans have
four grown children: Donald Jr., Cheryl
Ann, Motique Michelle and Monty Troy.
Floyd McClung ’67 and wife
Sally have been married for
nearly 40 years and make their
home in Kansas City, Mo.
Floyd loves to hunt, hike and have adventures. After living in Kabul, Afghanistan,
and Amsterdam, Holland, for more than 20
years, the McClungs started All Nations, a
ministry that makes disciples, trains leaders
and plants churches. Their organization now
works in 18 countries. Floyd has authored
12 books, spoken in many universities and
colleges and traveled to 186 countries. The
McClungs have two grown children, Misha
and Matthew, and two grandchildren.
Details about All Nations can be found at
www.floydandsally.com.
Elaine (Price) Morgan ’63 has been a children’s minister and teacher for the past 25
years. She makes her home in Riverside.
Frances Roberts ’68 lives in San Pedro. She
was a teacher for 18 years and an administrative assistant for the past 19 years.
Linda (Piper ’72) and Derald Dadson ’71
make their home in Lake Oswego, Ore.,
where Linda teaches special education.
Lewis Davis ’74 works for Kraft Foods and
lives in Nixa, Mo.
David Hall ’70 and wife of nine
years, Lydia, are missionaries in
Auckland, New Zealand. David
is the director of communications at Across Ministries (http://across.co.nz)
while Lydia works with Youth With A
Mission. They have two children, Jonathan,
23, and Leilani, 20.
Janice (Johnson ’70) and Lynn
Hethcock ’71 live in Modesto
where Lynn sells insurance and
Janice is a school office manager.
Lafe Murray ’70 and wife Lori live in
Marble, Colo., where Lafe pastors Marble
Community Church. Their daughter Star
’05 just graduated from VU with a chemistry degree.
Ramona (Jensen) Musch ’73 has worked on
six continents for Youth With A Mission.
She is the East Coast USA YWAM director
serving on the North American Council and
as the Atlanta base director. Ramona and
husband Greg live in Grayson, Ga., and
have three grown children.
Robert ’74 and Betty Cheryl (Wallace ’71)
Richardson live in Portland, Ore., where
Robert teaches Sunday school and works at
a hardware floors business.
Kerry Sweet ’78 is a podiatrist and chief
program director for surgical residency with
the U.S. Army in Tacoma, Wash. He and
Class Notes, continued on page 10
4/4/06
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Page 12
Class Notes
Screen
Test
Jim Young ’94, a
former Delivery
Boy, followed his
acting dream and
landed a lead role
in what is being
called the first
Christian sitcom.
“It’s extremely exciting,” Young says. “Every
day [when we were taping] I got up and
thought, ‘I’m doing exactly what I always
wanted to do. This is my passion and I’m
living it right now.’”
Young grew up near Bakersfield. His faith
was deepened at VU, where he decided to
give up money-and-career goals to follow
God’s plans. VU artist-in-residence, and
professor emeritus of humanities H. Keith
Ewing, was instrumental in helping him
identify his passions.
Young became a theatre major after friends
dragged him to an audition where he landed a lead role in VU’s “As You Like It.”
tion. Three days later the speaker at a summer camp, whom Young had never met,
pulled him aside and said the Lord was
telling Young to pursue acting.
“That freaked me out,” says Young. “Now I
knew what I was supposed to do, and I had
to go do it.”
He joined a Christian drama ministry and
enjoyed “every moment of my waking
hours” acting and traveling. He and wife
Shelby, a fellow actor, left the road when
she had their first child.
Then an independent producer asked them
to star in his Christian sitcom, “Pastor
Greg”. The show follows the happenings at
a small-town church whose members are
set in their ways. Young plays the church’s
finance director/worship leader. His wife
plays the lead female role of church secretary. They taped 22 episodes for
Cornerstone Television in Pittsburgh in
2005. Young wrote two of the episodes.
“Good Morning America” aired a story
about the show in October.
“I was hooked after that,” he says.
“I think often when we’re laughing, that’s
when we’re open to hearing things in a different way,” Young was quoted on GMA.
During a summer tour as artistic director
for the Delivery Boys, Young asked the
Lord for guidance about his career direc-
The Youngs and the rest of the “Pastor
Greg” team are gearing up for a second
season. (See www.pastorgreg.tv.)
Class Notes, continued from page 9
wife Jennifer have three children: Erika, 20,
Lauren, 16, and Colton, 12.
Gloria (Carlson ’78) and Richard Tizzano
’72 have been married for 20 years. Gloria
earned an MBA from Pepperdine University.
They live in Poulsbo, Wash., where Gloria
homeschools their four children.
Rebecca (Stewart) Wright ’74 and her husband recently celebrated their 34th wedding
anniversary. They live in Lake Forest and are
especially proud of their daughter, a
senior at VU.
’80s
Gerard Beenen ’84 earned a theology degree
from Fuller Seminary, a business degree
from Northwestern University and a degree
in organizational behavior from Carnegie
Mellon University. He is a PhD candidate.
Gerard and wife Mary celebrate six years of
marriage this year and have two children,
Matthew and Hannah. The Beenen family
lives in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Bruce Cowan ’83 lives in Willow Street, Pa.
He works with Prince of Peace Counseling
Center, preaches at evangelism meetings
and has businesses in transportation and
construction.
Gerald ’83 and Tracie (Towner ’94) Davis
recently celebrated their tenth wedding
anniversary. They are parents to Carson, 6,
and Madison, 3, and live in Fillmore. Tracie
teaches in the Fillmore Unified School
District while Gerald is a manager of analytical laboratories for Amgen, a biotechnology
and pharmaceutical company.
Penny (Howard) Donley ’84 lives in
Fontana with husband Robin, a pastor.
Their son Lucas is 14.
Casey Giffen ’81 is an eighth grade teacher
and plans on teaching English as a second
language in China this summer. He makes
his home in Hughson.
Daniel Hansen ’88 works as a physical therapist and lives in Aurora, Illinois.
Richard Jessup ’81 and wife Lisa celebrated
their 23rd wedding anniversary in February.
Richard is an administrator at North
County Christian School in Atascadero and
is involved in a national sports outreach program. The Jessup family also includes children Larissa and Richard Ryan.
Thomas Khazoyan ’84 lives in Highlands
Ranch, Colo., with his wife and three children. He is vice president for the products
group and resource development of Caleb
Project, a missions mobilization agency that
offers media resources and training seminars.
Thomas is involved with a feature film project, “The Enemy God,” about a primitive
tribe deep in the Amazon jungle. Details can
be found on www.calebproject.org.
Mary Mahon ’81 is an ordained minister
and missionary to Venezuela with the
Assemblies of God. She is living in Irvine on
furlough and doing doctoral studies.
Mike McAteer ’83 and wife Liselott celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary this
4/4/06
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Page 13
Class Notes
year. Mike is a senior loan consultant for
Home Financing Network, a mortgage
financing company that he started in 2003
with four other Christian partners (see
www.homefi.net). Mike and Liselott are
proud parents to Bryce Gunnar, 11,
Nicholas James, 7, and Isabel Grace, 4, and
live in Mission Viejo.
Sheryl (Ganskie ’83) and Matthew Nelson
’82 live in Kirkland, Wash., where Sheryl
transitioned from her job in corporate marketing and sales to be a preschool director.
Gary Paulson ’82 works in his home church
and manages an insurance agency. He lives
in Kennewick, Wash.
Michael and Michelle (Hartke) Peterson
’85 have four children and live in Federal
Way, Wash. Michael worked in the hotel
industry and is now a telecommunication
sales director.
Lonna (Walker) Pettit ’86 received a teaching credential and master’s degree in education from CSU Long Beach. Lonna works
in behavior modification with the Long
Beach Unified School District. She and husband Dan, a USPS mail carrier, celebrate
their 21st wedding anniversary this year.
They are proud parents of James, 18, Laura,
16, and Renee, 12.
Jerry Stinger ’85 makes his home in
Longview, Wash., where he is the
recycling manager for the city and
works at a local insurance company.
Patricia Turner ’88 was a high
school teacher before entering the
business marketplace. She lives in
Brawley.
Mary Wells ’87 has taught second
grade for 20 years. She and husband
James live in Fountain Valley.
’90s
Alice (Steadman ’98) and Scott
Asher ’99 are parents to Ariel,
6, and Maggie, 3. Their family
lives in Garden Grove where
Alice is a credit analyst for Cingular and
Scott is a Verizon Wireless supervisor.
David Black, Jr. ’92 has traveled extensively
with the television and film industry. He is
now a life coach and spiritual advisor with
Infinity Group (www.infinitygroup.info)
and lives in Laguna Niguel.
Lisa (Goodman) Boehm ’94 is a proud
mother of twins who are almost 3 years old.
Lisa lives in Arlington Heights, Ill.
Shane Boehm ’92 continued his studies at
Fuller Seminary while working as a senior
financial consultant at US Bancorp. He and
his wife have three children: Sebastian, 11,
and twins Jakob and Jordan, 3. The Boehms
live in La Grande, Ore.
Gidelyn (Banez) Bonine ’96 and husband
Kevin live in Westminster. Gidelyn worked
as assistant to the vice president of
Qualcomm before becoming a stay-at-home
mom to their son.
Rina (Taniguchi ’00) and John
Campbell ’96 moved to Fresno
where John is a business
administrator and discipleship
pastor at West McKinley Assemblies of God.
Rina is the director of the graduate and
degree completion office at Fresno Pacific
University. Their daughter Faith is 2.
Kimberly (Reeves) and James Chacon ’91
will celebrate their fourteenth wedding
anniversary this year. They are parents
to Ryan Anthony, 6, and live in
Chandler, Ariz.
Deborah (Vickers) Dean ’96 and husband
Eric married in May 2004. Eric is a graphic
designer, and Deborah is a music director
for Woodbridge Community Church. They
live in Laguna Beach.
Anna Ferraro ’99 lives in Jacksonville, Ala.
She works in the budget office at a nearby
Army installation.
William Gartner ’94 works at Harbor
Christian Fellowship and lives in
Costa Mesa.
Wendy (Harris ’93) and Chad Hammitt ’91
live in Orange with their two children,
Victoria Lynn, 6, and Brenden James, 3.
Wendy teaches elementary school; Chad
is a principal in the Santa Ana Unified
School District.
Adam Kim ’97 is an institutional consultant
with Money Management and makes his
home in San Mateo.
4/4/06
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Page 14
Class Notes
retiring from the bench; last year Carrasco
protected rapper Li’l Kim.
“Some of them are very friendly. Some
don’t want to be bothered with,” he says.
“That’s life in the fast lane.”
Federal Protector
When Albert Carrasco ’87 goes to work, it
may be with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Or
Bernie Ebbers. Or Martha Stewart. Or anyone else visiting New York City who needs
federal protection.
Carrasco works for the protection
intelligence unit of the U.S. Marshals
service, protecting federal judges and
federal prisoners.
“God’s hand has been with me. I never
dreamed I could get this far,” he says.
Carrasco graduated from VU with a
sociology degree and took his first job offer:
a law enforcement position with the Dept.
of Agriculture. For nine years he worked
undercover to bust food stamp rings.
In 1996 he transferred to the U.S.
Marshals service, where he has worked ever
since. His unit protects Supreme Court justices and high-profile defendants. One
recent assignment was with Sandra Day
O’Connor, who visited New York before
His career highlight was the Martha
Stewart trial. Carrasco gave her safe access
into the building. He also worked the trial
for U.S. v. Osama bin Ladin, which took
place just before September 11, 2001. The
case tried five Al Qaeda terrorists for
bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Carrasco
was with the men for long stretches of time
over the course of a year, and even
exchanged ideas about the
Bible and Koran. The defendants received
life sentences and are now incarcerated
in Colorado.
Carrasco also travels to other countries to
retrieve prisoners who are being extradited
to the U.S. He has been to Canada,
Columbia, Switzerland, Germany, Jamaica
and Panama on extradition. His favorite
part of the job is conducting background
investigations on potential threats to federal judges.
After nineteen years in law enforcement,
he’s close to retirement. He and his wife,
step-children and step-grandchildren live in
Virginia; Carrasco commutes to New York.
“I enjoy my work,” he says. “I have to
thank God for what he’s given me.”
Reece and Kimberly Lemmon
’98 celebrated their eighth
wedding anniversary and have
two daughters, Megan, 7, and
Shannon, 5. Reece is a youth pastor in
La Verne; Kim is a kindergarten teacher
in Fontana.
Audrey Madrigal ’91 works with the city
government redevelopment offices for the
Historic Downtown Los Angeles Project that
seeks to establish a downtown community
for residents, tourists and businesses. Audrey
lives in Van Nuys.
Jennifer (Bloemendaal ’94) and
Mark Merrick ’93 live in Lake
Forest. Jennifer is a teacher at
Costa Mesa High School and is
pursuing her master’s degree in education.
Mark worked in programming for 7 years
before returning to VU as the university
webmaster. Mark is also working toward a
master’s degree in clinical psychology and
has his own company (see www.elephantmanmusic.com).
David Monderine ’98 works in the service
industry at the Chat Noir French Bistro and
lives in Fullerton.
Melissa Nygaard ’92 attained certification to
teach overseas and has done so in Nepal
twice. She lives in Vista.
Crystal (Carson ’92) O’Connor
and husband Phil, a truck driver, live in Rocklin. They are
active in the children’s ministry
at Abundant Life Fellowship in Roseville.
Crystal is a homemaker and homeschools
their five children.
Rob ’97, ’03 MA and Angela
(Minor ’97) Pegg make their
home in Lakewood, Colo. After
graduation, Rob played professional baseball with the Canton Crocodiles
before returning to VU as the lead assistant
baseball coach and as an admissions counselor. Now Rob is the head coach for the
inaugural men’s baseball team at Colorado
Christian University.
LaVonna (Purdy) Strope ’94
and husband Michael will celebrate their seventh wedding
anniversary this year and are
parents to Brayden Eugene, 3, and Jonathan
Homer, 1. LaVonna and Michael teach at
Bakersfield Christian High School. LaVonna
is also a second grade Prims sponsor, the
activities director for Missionettes at
Bakersfield First Assembly and a sales consultant for Pampered Chef.
Jill Tatum ’92 has been living in Yorkville,
Ill., where she works as an independent
tutor mostly for homeschooled families.
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Page 15
Class Notes
Sheri Treadwell ’95 is a proud
mother of Marat Jerron-James,
9, adopted from Uralsk,
Kazakhstan. She is a family
health and physical education teacher at
Marshfield High School. Sheri and Marat
live in Coos Bay, Ore.
David ’94 and Laura Michelle
(Hatcher ’94) Trotter have
been married for 12 years. They
have two sons, Waverly, 5, and
Emerson, 2. David is the lead pastor of
Revolution Church in Long Beach
(www.iNeedARevolution.com).
Daniel ’91 and Lisha Rae (Claydon ’92)
White returned to Orange County from
Illinois to pastor Yorba Linda Presbyterian
Church. Danny attended Princeton
Seminary and is pursuing a DMin at Fuller
Seminary.
Tiffany Worthy ’97 lives in Glendale, Ariz.,
where she is pursuing a doctorate at the
Argosy University-Phoenix School of
Psychology. She is the direct support specialist
at a child and family support services office.
Do you know
someone who
deserves an alumni award at
homecoming 2006?
If so, visit
www.vanguard.edu/alumni
or call 714-966-5494
for more information.
’00s
Michelle Armstrong ’01 moved to Austin,
Tex., after teaching in the communications
department at VU. She received a master’s
degree in journalism from Regent University
and works as a publicist for Clean Energy
Incubator, an organization that helps clean
energy companies, and freelances in design
and photography. Michelle is involved in
her church, The Austin Stone, where
she helps with the creative team and
softball team.
Jeremy Beye ’03 teaches math and history at
Pacific Harbor Junior High and lives in
Bellflower. In addition to working on his
master’s degree, Jeremy enjoys coaching a
basketball team of 12- to 14-year-old boys.
Jessica Blair ’00 is a real estate appraiser in
Youngtown, Ariz.
Dawn (Michauz) Bracy ’01 and husband
Tony have been married for 3 years. Dawn
earned a master’s degree in educational
counseling from National University and is
pursuing her doctorate in education from
Tourou University International. She is the
provost at the Bible college affiliated with
her church, Full Harvest International, and
teaches interpersonal communication and
leadership courses at Biola University. Dawn
and Tony live in Los Angeles.
Josh and Nicole (Benning) Case ’01 were
married June 2001. Nicole is a teacher at
Liberty Christian and Josh is a youth pastor
at Shorelife Church in Huntington Beach.
The Cases just returned from a two-week
missions trip to Tanzania.
Melissa Dittrich ’04 finished the teaching
credential program at VU and is a substitute
teacher in the Newport Mesa Unified
School District.
Marian Galang ’01 married on November
4, 2004. She lives in Torrance and works as
a part-time assistant. Marian and her husband, who’s in the Navy, are expecting an
addition to their family in April.
Luke Hagenbach ’00 attends Faith Worship
Community Church and lives in Costa
Mesa. After graduating, Luke managed the
musical group POD, went to Europe for
modeling and worked as the marketing
regional manager in Philadelphia for Viable
Marketing. Now he is a Realtor.
Matt “Chick” Hearn ’03, ’05 MA is the
West Coast project manager for JB Hunt
and coaches a club volleyball team called
Protégé. Matt lives in Whittier where he
enjoys restoring his ’67 Mustang.
Austin Henken ’04 is the sports administrator for National Junior Basketball, a nonprofit organization that organizes events for
sports teams throughout the western U.S.,
and is an assistant men’s basketball coach at
Calvary Chapel. He attends Newport Mesa
Church and lives in Costa Mesa.
Jennifer (Cannon ’00) and Peter Johnston
’97 live in Mammoth Lakes where Peter is
the worship pastor at The Lighthouse and
works in the finance department for the city.
The Johnstons own a property management/vacation rental company called
Mammoth Front Desk (www.mammothfrontdesk.com). The family includes sons
Mark, 14, and Alex, 2.
Michael and Rebecca
Johnstone ’05 are proud parents of Justin, 6, who’s in
kindergarten at St. Paul’s
Lutheran and plays baseball. Michael works
at the Josephson Institute of Ethics in the
4/4/06
4:03 PM
Page 16
stay connected.
• The best way to stay connected with your college friends.
• Post photos of your family, travel or favorite campus moments.
• Get info about alumni events near you.
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For help logging on call 714.966.5494
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Character Counts department and coordinates seminars provided by the institute. He
is also pursuing a master’s degree at CSU
State Long Beach. The Johnstone family
lives in Garden Grove.
Nicole (Thorn ’03) and Randy Miller ’02
are excited about their first apartment in
Midway City. Randy works at Kelly
Scientific and Nicole teaches third and
fourth grades at a private Christian school.
Rebecca Karr ’00 lives in Gardena where
she is a children’s pastor and computer
teacher at Gardena Valley Assembly. Rebecca
is also working toward a master’s degree in
education from VU.
Matthew Moore ’02 and wife Nicole, a
stay-at-home mother and former management consultant, are parents to Braeden.
Matthew is a corporate account executive
for Inovis Inc. which supplies chain
software. The Moore family lives in
Ladera Ranch.
Benjamin Larson ’03 lives in Kent, Wash.,
working as a DJ for the Seattle radio station
107.7 FM.
Donald Thompson ’01 received his teaching credential from National University and
assists inmates at the California Correctional
prison to complete their high school diplomas. Donald lives in Tehachapi and loves his
daughter Mary.
Eric Vegh ’00 is home in Salt
Lake City from his missions
work in Italy. He works as a
cable television technician,
installing satellite equipment in apartment
and small housing communities. He also
manages the TV/video department at The
Adventure Foursquare Church.
4/4/06
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Page 17
Class Notes
Future VU Alumni
George Chavez ’00 is a fifth
grade teacher at Montague
Charter Academy, where he
attended as a child. His wife
Kelli of 8 years works in customer assistance
for Princess Cruises. They are proud parents
to Georgie Mojica III, born May 9, 2004.
The Chavez family lives in Sylmar.
Heather (Bruton) Hilscher ’95
and husband Rylie live in
Clovis. Heather is a stay-athome mom to Hayden, 3, and
Hadley, born May 31, 2005.
Laura (Rediger ’98) and
Stephen Larson ’95 are planning a return to Southern
California this year, where
Steve will work as an attorney in Newport
Beach. Steve is working for a federal appeals
court judge in Washington, D.C., while
Laura stays home with Anna Rain, 3, and
Jonathan Shane, born May 6, 2005.
Richard Sawczuk ’03 and wife Elizabeth are
proud parents of Mary, born in March
2005. The Sawczuk family will be moving
to Everett, Wash., where Richard will be the
missions pastor for New Life Community
Church.
Christina (Blankenship ’01) and Grant
Stafford ’98 live in Los Angeles where
Christina is a store manager for Coach.
They just welcomed Mae Yuriko on
May 27, 2005.
Dwayne Striven ’91 and wife
Rose have been married for 3
years and live in Costa Mesa.
Dwayne is the owner of Striv’s
Signing Service, a mobile notary business,
and works as a paralegal. They are excited
about their son Ryan Daniel, 10 months.
Rose (McClure) Winn ’01 is a stay-at-home
mother of Sharon, 4, and Emily, 4 months.
Radio host publishes
book of interviews
Larry Mantle ’79, host of the longest continuously airing daily talk program in
Southern California, has published a book
celebrating his twentieth anniversary on
the airwaves.
This is AirTalk: 20 Years of Conversation on
89.3 KPCC includes an introductory
memoir and an anthology of interviews
including conversations with President
Jimmy Carter, Steve Martin, Senator John
McCain, Anne Garrels, GE CEO Jack
Welch, Rosa Parks, Maurice Sendak, Carl
Reiner, Milton Berle and many more.
“As a fourth-generation Angeleno, I am so
fortunate to have found a long term home
at KPCC,” says Mantle. “The station has
consistently grown in quality and size
since my arrival 22 years ago, and that has
allowed my career to progress without
having to leave the region, or station, that
are truly my homes.”
KPCC launched “AirTalk” on April 1,
1985. Interview/call-in shows were rare in
public radio at the time, but “AirTalk”
quickly caught on with KPCC listeners,
and gradually expanded its daily length
and the size of its audience. Mantle and
the “AirTalk” team have received six
Golden Mikes from the Radio & TV
News Association of Southern California,
Best Talk Show from New Times LA, and
several L.A. Press Club and Associated
Press awards.
Her husband James works from their home
in Tollhouse.
Snohomish School District near their home
in Bothell, Wash.
Just Married
Laurie (Sowers ’04) and John Collier ’05
were married September 3, 2005. John is
working as an accountant for Crowley
Properties in Rocklin. They live in Roseville.
Elizabeth (Troncozo ’93) and
Aaron Barber ’01 were married
April 16, 2005 at Newport
Mesa Church. Aaron is the
youth pastor at Celebration Church in Aliso
Viejo and is a part-time music instructor at
a local fine arts academy. Liz is the director
of the Celebration Church before and after
school daycare program. Aaron and Liz live
in Aliso Viejo.
Rochelle (Bazan) Hume ’99 married Keith
Bryon, a civil engineer, on December 30,
2005. Rochelle is a music teacher in the
Send us your photos!
We would love to showcase pictures of your
new baby, wedding or anniversary. Email your
photos (at least 1 megabyte in file size ) to
[email protected] or mail your prints (at
least 3” by 4”) to Alumni Relations, 55 Fair Dr.,
Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Prints will not be
returned.
4/4/06
4:03 PM
Page 18
Advancing Vision 2010
A
Fruitful Life
B
owyer “Ozzie” Osgood ’36, an alum of the original
Southern California Bible School, left a bequest of more
than $250,000 to Vanguard University after he passed away
in December 2005.
“We are so grateful for the generosity of Ozzie Osgood in remembering his alma mater in his estate planning,” says VU president Murray
Dempster. “Ozzie said he wanted to give back to Vanguard in memory
and appreciation for ‘Brother Needham’ and the faculty who helped
him to understand and treasure his Christian faith.”
Dempster and wife Coralie visited Osgood in Florida in December.
“He was upbeat, had a twinkle in his eye, and we laughed a lot as he
remembered tales of God’s goodness in his life as a young student, and
then with his wife, Dorothy, and his four children,” says Dempster.
Osgood grew up on his father’s cranberry bog in Duxbury, Mass. He
met Dorothy “Dodie” Orr ’36 at SCBS, and they married and moved
to Everett, Wash., where Osgood pastored an Assembly of God
church. He then pastored in Coeur d’Alene, where he was sometimes
paid with chickens and vegetables. His first two children were born
there, and in the 1940s the Osgoods moved to Florida to work on the
family’s 100-acre orange grove. Ozzie’s career was devoted to the grove
from then on.
Bowyer “Ozzie” Osgood ’36 at his orange grove in
Florida. (inset) President Murray W. Dempster and VU
special assistant to the president Rosemary Jackson
receiving Osgood’s bequest from Paul Grasser ’75.
Ozzie kept a pocket Bible in his truck and would read while tending
the grove. He was a longtime church usher, and went on his first missions trip in 2005, to Thailand, where he and a team ministered to
street people. Also last year, he and his sister, who is in her nineties,
drove from Florida to Massachusetts for a prayer retreat.
Rosemary Jackson ’84 and her late husband, John ’44, had developed
a close relationship with the Osgoods over the years. The Osgoods
attended several VU homecomings.
Dodie passed away in April 2001, and Ozzie sold the grove in 2005.
What struck Dempster most during his visit in with Osgood in
December was his affection for founding president Harold Needham,
who, Osgood recalled, loved students and invested himself in their
lives, including helping them financially. When Dempster showed
Osgood the picture of VU’s new campus master plan, Osgood said
with a genuine sense of passion, “Perhaps not exactly in the same way,
but this is Brother Needham’s vision.”
Five days later, Osgood died unexpectedly. His gift to VU was delivered by Paul Grasser ’75, a financial planning consultant for the
Assemblies of God Financial Services Group. Ozzie had set up his
estate plan with Bruce Durkee ’90, the president of the Legacy Group
at AG Financial Services Group.
The Osgoods grew oranges, grapefruits and tangerines at the grove two
miles from their home. Ozzie eventually served as CEO of the Lake
Region Packing Association, and was president and owner of Osgood
Groves, Inc.
“It gave him fulfillment to help financially struggling students,” says
Lavender. “But he did it in a subtle way. He was humble about it.”
“Every day he was out in the grove in his little truck,” says daughter
Kathleen Lavender. “He’d hoe to keep the weeds down and vines off
the trees. It was constant work, but he loved it.”
“Ozzie identified his future contribution to Vanguard’s Vision 2010 to
fulfilling the vision of Brother Needham, a person whom he deeply
admired and loved,” says Dempster. “In Ozzie’s view, Vanguard
University still embodied the mission, identity, and spirit of SCBS.
Rejoice with me in this genuine investment in Vanguard’s future by
one of Vanguard’s world changers.”
Ozzie sprayed for pests and laid the irrigation pipes himself, with the
help of Dodie and the children. The business survived several freezes
which forced him to re-plant several acres. Dodie often said he knew
every tree by name.
Ozzie is survived by his four children, Esther Johnson, Bill Osgood,
Richard Osgood and Kathleen Lavender.
4/4/06
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Page 19
Advancing Vision
2010
Windows
Christine (Smidt) and Sean Moglia ’03
were married April 3, 2004. Sean is the vice
president of Cedar Mountain Northwest,
and Christine is a special education
assistant for Lake City High School. The
Moglias live in Post Falls, Idaho.
Brett Overfield ’04 and wife Jill were married June 11, 2005. Brett is the property
and field manager for Bodine Enterprises, a
warehouse and small business leasing
company. They make their home in
Tacoma, Wash.
Joy (Andrick) Qualls ’99 and husband
Kevin were married August 13, 2005.
Kevin is the director of family life at Glad
Tidings Church. Joy completed her master’s degree in communication studies from
Regent University where she is also an
adjunct professor and doctoral fellow. She
teaches a variety of undergraduate and
graduate courses, is appointed to a number
of administrative committees and duties
and is a private contractor in corporate
training and education. The Qualls make
their home in Norfolk, Va.
Melissa (Ramirez) Saldana ’05
married Gilbert on May 13,
2005. Melissa is a foster care
social worker at Serenity Infant
Care Homes and Gilbert is a fire alarm
technician for GE Security. They live
in Whittier.
In Memory
Jenay Hestor ’00 passed away
March 7, 2006.
Lawrence Spratt ’29 passed away
March 9, 2005.
James Warren ’64 passed away
January 28, 2006.
Editor’s note: Windows gives a view into student
and university life from the perspective of a
different staff or faculty member each issue.
Cecil Miller
Dean, School of Natural Sciences
and Mathematics
The View From the Chair Lift
have taught at VU for the past twenty
years, and one of the most important
lessons I have learned is how crucial it is
for professors to understand the culture
and mindset of their students. The way we
did things even ten years ago isn’t effective
anymore.
I
That’s why, for the past decade, I’ve taken
science students to the ski slopes every
year. As a Canadian I am naturally drawn
to Mammoth every winter to shoosh
down the slopes and enjoy the exhilarating
beauty. When I first invited students to go
along with me, the groups were rather
small. They were shy about going away for
a weekend with a professor. Spending two
days at a condo is different than going out
for coffee. But soon the trips gained
momentum. Today I have only to
announce the date and the slots fill
up quickly.
that when you walk on snow, you sink
into it. Another student fell asleep on the
chair lift with me. While I was engrossed
in the beauty of the mountains, he was
out cold. I realized that some students
probably have a legitimate biological challenge staying awake in my morning classes. I also realized that some students simply stay up too late!
The biggest lesson I’ve learned about
today’s students is how relational they are.
You can give fabulous lectures and be well
prepared, but if you don’t connect with
them at a personal level, they won’t learn
or be motivated to study. They expect a
relationship with their professors. I’m
reminded of 1 Chronicles 12:32 which
talks about the men of Issachar “who
understood the times.” Understanding the
times today means understanding that our
students are relational.
The benefits to me as a person and professor are enormous. When you drive for five
hours with students, they begin to include
you in their conversation. They talk about
their challenges and you get a clear insight
into their daily lives. On the latest trip I
learned about the difficulties of MySpace,
where some people say nasty things about
each other that they wouldn’t dare say face
to face. I would never have known what a
challenge this is to students had I not
spent a weekend with them.
Without my annual ski trips I would be
more isolated from students, less informed
about them and less able to relate. That
would seriously affect my classroom effectiveness and my own enjoyment of them.
Thankfully, at Vanguard, professors are
encouraged to make relationships a value.
Many students come to our university for
that reason. Whether it’s in the classroom,
the cafeteria or on the ski slopes, students
learn from us up close, in the context of
genuine relationships.
There are other fun lessons as well. Two
girls came along recently who had never
seen snow. One was surprised to discover
Cecil Miller ’84 is dean of the school of
natural sciences and mathematics.
John “Bob” Wolfe ’64 passed away
March 3, 2006.
4/4/06
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Page 20
VU Profile
I
n seventeen seasons as head coach of VU’s men’s basketball team, Bill Reynolds established himself as one
of the most beloved and successful coaches in VU’s
history. His teams made the playoffs every year, won
an average of twenty games a season and proved that
sometimes-motley groups of players could win, if
coached well.
Amazingly, Reynolds did it all after hours while working
a full-time job as a high school counselor. Because of his
influence, former players now coach top high school
teams in Orange County and elsewhere. And now that
Reynolds is fighting cancer, his former players have rallied around
their mentor.
Reynolds knew at an early age that he wanted to be a coach.
“I enjoyed the competitiveness, the camaraderie, the discipline, all
those things you experience being part of a team,” he says.
He attended UC Santa Barbara on a baseball scholarship but was
drawn to basketball where “there was always something new you
could work on to improve. It was like military strategy, preparing to
counter your opponent,” he says.
His first head coaching opportunity came at La Quinta High School,
where, at 24, he became the youngest high school basketball coach in
Orange County. But in his first game, Reynolds took a drubbing.
“I was humbled,” Reynolds says. “I learned more in that year than all
the years that followed.”
Reynolds then coached at Bolsa Grande High School. In 1976 he
made a major life change when he became a Christian at a Fellowship
of Christian Athletes camp. He was 35 years old.
“It meant all the difference in the world for my wife and me,”
he says.
In 1979, his wife fell mysteriously ill, and Bill quit coaching to be
with her. After the illness was diagnosed and treated, he began looking for coaching opportunities, and came across VU.
“The Lord had to be involved in that somehow,” he says. “I heard
about this little college in Costa Mesa, so I went by to check it out.”
After watching one practice Reynolds was convinced the team had
outstanding players. He became an assistant, and the next year, when
the head coach retired, the players asked the administration to hire
Reynolds, which it did in 1981, making him the only walk-on coach
at a four-year college on the west coast.
“It turned out to be a wonderful marriage, completely enjoyable and
rewarding,” says Reynolds.
The
Legend
He continued working full-time as a high school counselor during his
seventeen years at VU, leaving his job at 4 p.m. and heading to VU
for practice, changing his shoes at red lights.
“I took it as a challenge to succeed and do the things other schools
took for granted with full-time staff,” he says. “We were blessed
with great student athletes, which made being an absentee
coach workable.”
Reynolds drilled players on the fundamentals, and built “running
teams” who were constantly fast-breaking. He trained his players to
be generalists, not specialists because “in basketball you can’t be excellent and be a specialist because you’ll have your weakness exploited.”
He told players to “execute the fundamentals, play hard, play smart,
play together,” he says. “We emphasized that all the time.”
His first-year record was 21-10. VU became the darling of major area
newspapers which called it “the little school having big success.” That
visibility made it easier to recruit better players.
In Reynolds’ best year, 1989, the team went 29-5. In 1990, the team
won the district title and advanced to the NAIA “sweet 16” at
Kemper Arena in Kansas City. It was his only district title, and the
only time until this year that VU’s men’s basketball team has gone to
the national tournament.
But his program was proving productive in another way, too: as
players graduated, they became successful coaches in their own right.
Larry Hirst ’84 played under Reynolds for three years and was his
assistant for two more. He then coached at Edison High for nine
years, and has coached at Newport Harbor High for eleven years. He
named the school’s annual basketball tournament the Bill Reynolds
Classic. Of the six original teams in the tournament, five were
coached by former Reynolds players: Andre Smith ’95 (Perris HS),
Todd Dixon ’88 (El Toro HS), Mike West ’94 (Fallbrook HS),
Randy McAllister ’86 (Rancho Verde HS) and Hirst.
“It was tough because we all used the system we learned under Coach
Bill Reynolds, continued on page 20
4/4/06
4:03 PM
Page 21
VU Profile
“[Reynolds] took a bunch of misfits
and turned us into winners. It was
more than just coaching. It was
how he talked to you off the court
and between drills. You wanted to
play hard for Coach Reynolds.”
4/4/06
4:03 PM
Page 22
VU Profile
(left) Bill Reynolds with
former players and Bob
Wilson when Reynolds was
inducted into the Vanguard
Athletic Hall of Fame at
Homecoming 2004. Lifetime
relationships with his players
have been “one of the great
rewards of coaching,”
Reynolds says.
(below) Shirley and
Bill Reynolds
Bill Reynolds, continued from page 18
Reynolds,” Hirst says. “A couple of us had to
change up our numbering system because the
other guy knew what we were doing.”
Hirst and the other players testify that
Reynolds was more than a coach; he was a
mentor and friend.
“He took a bunch of misfits and turned us
into winners,” Hirst says. “It was more than
just coaching. It was how he talked to you off
the court and between drills. We never got a
fiery pep talk. He just expected it from you
and you wanted to play hard for Coach
Reynolds.”
Mike Roberts ’83 played on Reynolds’ first
VU team, and has been an assistant high
school coach for seven years.
“Coach Reynolds has a knack for taking a
group of players and getting the most out of
their abilities,” Roberts says. “He was constantly going over how to the play game correctly. Anyone who’s ever played in his program could coach and be successful, just from
the way he taught the game. He probably has
a dozen former players now coaching at the
high school level. Countless are coaching
youth league teams.”
Dave Corsi ’84, who today handles major
accounts for shoe company New Balance,
played three years under Reynolds.
“To me he is like a second father,” he says.
“We weren’t the most talented players in the
league, but he has a way of getting every
ounce of ability out of you and onto the
court. There are very few people you meet
who have a tremendous impact on your life.
For me he’s one of those.”
In 1998, after seventeen dazzling seasons,
Reynolds retired, believing that his family had
sacrificed enough for his coaching career, and
that VU needed a full-time coach.
“I didn’t realize how much I would miss it,”
he says. “It took five years for me to fully
divorce myself from the passion for it. But it’s
been wonderful because I spend so much time
with my grandchildren and wife, and still follow the sport. It’s given me more balance to
my life.”
The unexpected blessing from his coaching
career is his on-going relationships with former players.
“I didn’t even think about that when I was a
coach,” Reynolds says. “I didn’t anticipate that
when these guys graduated we would stay in
contact. Then I went to their weddings,
watched their children grow. It’s one of the
great rewards of coaching. If I were in a situation again to speak to potential coaches, the
advice I’d emphasize is the expectation that
you could have relationships that would hopefully last a lifetime.”
Those relationships became
especially important two years
ago when Reynolds was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive
form of cancer.
“The support from my players
has been unbelievable,” he says.
“They have rallied around me.
That’s been so humbling and
I’ve been so grateful.”
Though a bone marrow transplant last year
failed, Reynolds says that “meeting the challenge is the centralmost thing. For the most
part I have come to grips with the fact that I
have cancer. It’s drawn me closer to my family
and to the Lord, and in that sense it’s been
a blessing.”
Reynolds was an usher for eleven years at
Saddleback Church. His daughter and son-inlaw graduated from VU, and his wife worked
there for five years.
Today, Reynolds’ former players continue to
call and visit their coach as he receives further
treatment. Reynolds follows their high school
teams’ progress in the newspaper and calls to
congratulate them when they do well. When
he can, he attends a game.
Recently, Roberts visited his old coach and
asked him, “Do you ever want to stop battling
this stuff? To quit going through it?”
Reynolds replied, “When you’re down by
twenty in the second half, you don’t quit. You
keep playing.”
4/4/06
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Page 23
A Vine of His Own Planting
Editor’s note: This column looks at major
episodes in Vanguard University’s history.
Lewis Wilson
Academic Dean Emeritus
Vanguard and
the Azusa
Street Revival
he centennial of the Azusa Street
revival, which began in April 1906,
is upon us. When that revival broke
out, reports of the supernatural work of the
Holy Spirit, including glossolalia and healings, at a small, inner city Los Angeles mission radiated rapidly through the U.S., parts
of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Other
antecedents can be claimed, but the next
eight years at the Azusa Street Mission virtually gave birth to the modern PentecostalCharismatic Movement which a century later
is estimated at nearly a half billion adherents.
Many of the Movement’s earliest churches,
missionaries and schools had some roots in
the revival. But Vanguard University’s original Los Angeles location gave it a unique
relationship with Azusa Street.
T
The relationship began in Indianapolis,
Indiana, in early 1907 where Glenn Cook, a
Los Angeles newspaper reporter whose life
had been changed at Azusa Street, had
returned home to right some wrongs. He visited the thriving Christian and Missionary
Alliance Gospel Tabernacle where his testimony and reports struck such a responsive chord
that some members began to pray for a similar revival. Their pastor, George Eldridge, was
not convinced. After twenty-seven years as a
Methodist pastor, he had begun to pray for
the sick after his wife’s remarkable healing,
but the decision proved divisive and eventually forced him to leave his beloved Methodist
Church. Nine years later he was cautious
about the Azusa Street reports.
Within a few
months, he
was sent to
Pasadena as
pastor and overseer of
CMA churches in southern California. In
the shadow of the revival, his opinion gradually changed so that by 1910, in his own
words, “we had become interested in the
Azusa Street revival.” That interest intensified when his wife Anna, a gifted administrator and Bible teacher, experienced Holy
Spirit baptism in a prayer meeting in a Los
Angeles home. Though Eldridge visited the
Azusa Street Mission and was prayed for by
its pastor, William Seymour, it was in the
quiet of his personal devotions that he too
had a spiritual experience which he believed
was the baptism in the Spirit promised in
Acts 2. Shortly afterwards, his daughter
Hulda and son-in-law, Harold Needham,
had similar spiritual experiences.
Recognizing that their church did not fully
share their belief that the experiences were
biblical and the work of the Holy Spirit, the
Eldridges and Needhams resigned from the
CMA. By that time the emphasis on the
work of the Holy Spirit had spread to
churches across the nation and around the
world. In 1913 the Eldridges and Needhams
began such a church in the heart of Los
Angeles. Eldridge’s forty-five years of ministry, enriched by his new emphasis on the
work of the Holy Spirit, met such a need
that within two years Bethel Temple, an
Azusa Street Mission, 1928
impressive structure on Justicia Street in
what would become Los Angeles’ civic
center, was erected.
Soon after, as the Eldridges and Needhams
were in prayer, they felt constrained to establish a Bible and missionary training school
which would prepare students both academically and spiritually. Without a constituency
or funds, the project seemed impossible, but
the prophetic reassurance that “This vine is
of my own planting” helped keep them on
task. Eventually Harold Needham, with the
full support of Hulda and the Eldridges,
resigned from his pastoral position to devote
full time to developing the school.
A wealthy member of the congregation who
was fond of the young Needhams had given
them a spacious home in Highland Park. In
time they recognized the gift as a divine provision for the school and donated it for that
purpose. In May,1920 Southern California
Bible School opened its doors dedicated to
encourage the work of the Holy Spirit which
had characterized the Azusa Street revival.
For eighty-six years through moves to two
new campuses, three name changes, the
addition of fields of study, and major enrollment growth, the school has sought to
maintain that spiritual legacy.
4/4/06
4:03 PM
Page 24
On Campus
Cuba, Missouri, that played in the Cove.
Most importantly, the winners of the chili
cook-off were announced: first place went to
Courtney Clark’s “State Fair Kicker” chili;
second place went to “Annie Jean’s Chili”
cooked up by Mary Ginty ’01 and Candi
Booska ’05; in third place was “Cranky
Carl’s Cantankerous Cajun Chili” by
Carl Renold.
True blue fans cheer
women’s team at
national tournament
Fans from Costa Mesa traveled to Jackson,
Tenn., in March to watch the Lions
women’s basketball team reach the semifinals of the NAIA Women’s Basketball
Tournament as part of an exceptional season
(see sports for complete coverage).
Seniors Brady Oliver and Tim Jones and
junior Jason Hardy drove thirty hours
through a blizzard in New Mexico to support their team. Sophomore Chad Blake
joined them by airplane. They wore blue
and gold body paint and Vanguard jerseys
and cheered themselves hoarse, prompting
the Daily Pilot, Vanguard’s hometown newspaper, to dub them VU’s own “Blue Man
Group.”
“We weren’t going to miss this,” Jones told
the Jackson Sun newspaper which ran a
front-page story and photo about the VU
fans during the tournament.
The foursome also drove nine hours to
Kansas City, Mo., from Jackson to cheer
on the men’s basketball team which was
competing in the men’s NAIA tournament before driving all night back to
Jackson for the next women’s game.
Their fan antics even grabbed a mention
in The Wall Street Journal.
“Two of the biggest fans are a couple of
young men who scrimmage with the
team at practice,” the Journal story read.
“Jason Hardy and Brad Oliver have become
fixtures in the stands at home and road
games. “We love those girls,’ says
Mr. Hardy.”
Chili cook-off warms
up Whistle Dinger
In spite of near-freezing weather in early
March, VU’s annual Whistle Dinger, and its
centerpiece chili cook-off, drew hundreds of
students and showcased the growth of outreach ministries.
“Having the missions teams at the event was
beneficial for the support of the teams as
well as for the students to learn more about
the various teams that are leaving this spring
and summer,” said Emily Sloan, director of
on-campus activities.
People enjoyed the live country band from
Participants RELOAD
at conference
A conference for urban youth workers drew
250 people to campus in February. The
event, “RELOAD Orange County,” was part
of a national one-day training tour put on
by Urban Youth Workers Institute, and was
designed to refresh and support urban youth
workers and volunteers.
“People were encouraged and empowered to
pray together, and partner with other
churches and groups to get the job done in
urban youth ministry,” says Jonathan
Calvillo of VU’s Center for Urban Studies
and Hispanic Leadership, who coordinated
the event on campus. “The worship was
energizing. The fellowship time was great.
People were networking and connecting. It
really served its purpose.”
A diverse group of youth workers came
from around Orange County to be trained
in their ministries. The
event ended with a time of
intercession for their cities.
VU’s annual Whistle Dinger
included fundraising for
missions, in addition to hot
competition between
campus chili makers.
4/4/06
4:03 PM
Page 25
On Campus
Forensics team won’t
debate success
The forensics team is making a strong showing this year, even with a young team.
“To be doing this well with such a young
team is remarkable. The students are really
working hard,” says Karen Nishie, director
of forensics. “We’re in the top ten percent in
the nation, just from our fall semester, and
this semester we’ve done even better.”
The team took first place novice sweepstakes in the recent Pacific Southwest
Collegiate Forensics Association (PSCFA)
Spring Championship tournament and tied
for second with two other schools in overall
sweepstakes. Unlike VU’s sports teams,
which compete against schools of similar
size, the forensics team competes against
every team in the nation with a debate team
of similar size. This year they have competed against Berkeley, Claremont, Western
Kentucky, Willamette and UCLA.
In the PSCFA tournament, Emily
VanderBush and Emily Barrett were semifinalists in the novice category. Two teams,
Jerad Graham and Kerry Bonas, and Andy
Long and Will Deans, advanced to the
novice quarterfinal round. Kerry Bonas was
awarded top novice speaker. The team also
garnered several awards in individual events.
Freshman Timotej Soos was a finalist in
novice informative speaking.
VU marketing wins
awards
VU’s office of marketing and communications won three awards for materials produced in 2005. They won a Service Industry
Advertising Merit Award for a series of four
advertisements which ran in the Council
Today, the newspaper of the Assemblies of
God’s bi-annual General
Council meeting. And they were awarded
second place by the Admissions Marketing
Report for the Fall 2005 Pre-VU T-Shirt.
The same organization gave VU a merit
award for the Fall 2005 issue of vanguard
magazine.
Theatre program tops
Daily Pilot year review
“Let’s not mince words,” read the opening
line of the Daily Pilot article, “Vanguard
University’s production of Stephen
Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” is as good as
local theater gets - perhaps better.” Tom
Titus of the Daily Pilot gave VU’s theatre
department his nod for the 2005’s best local
college theater show. Orange Coast College
and the University of California at Irvine
rounded out the top three. In 2004 Titus
gave this same honor to
VU for its production of
“Brigadoon”.
VU awards TEACH
scholarships
As it does every year, VU awarded two
TEACH scholarships to incoming students
who plan to teach in Santa Ana Unified
schools.
Humbelina Arredondo, a senior at Century
High School in the TEACH Academy,
wants to become a third grade elementary
teacher in Santa Ana to “give back to the
schools.” She has maintained membership
on the honor roll, garnered two TEACH
Student of the Month awards, and received
various other academic recognitions. She
excels in technology and has spent hours
tutoring reading and math at both elementary and intermediate schools.
Jeanette Rodriguez is a senior at Century
High School in the TEACH Academy who
VU’s theatre program is
racking up numerous
honors, and competed
this spring for the opportunity to perform at the
Kennedy Center in
Washington, D.C.
Individual Daily Pilot
recognition went to
Susan Berkompas, Paul
Hanegan ’03, Sarah
President Murray Dempster and VU professor Mikki Gil (far right)
Grandpre and Michael
with Humbelina Arredondo (left) and Jeanette Rodriguez of
Mulligan for their roles in
Century High School
“Into the Woods”; Kelsey
wants to become an elementary school
Cooke, Jordan Byers and Michael Mulligan
teacher “to make a difference in children’s
for their roles in “Schoolhouse Rock Live!”;
lives.” Jeanette has maintained a high GPA
Colleen Warner for her role in “As It Is In
with strong academic coursework. She has
Heaven”; and A.J. Teaters and Kathryn
also tutored in elementary schools and
Scott for their roles in “Oklahoma Rigs”.
helped package foods in the Salvation Army.
She has been named Student of the Month,
Student of the Year, and has won the CHS
On Campus, continued from page 24
4/4/06
4:04 PM
Page 26
On Campus
On Campus, continued from page 23
Silver Apple Award. She is eager to get on
with college so she can return to Santa Ana
as a teacher.
Both students received a 4-year renewable
scholarship.
Jesus, CEO author
speaks at VU luncheon
Laurie Beth Jones, author of Jesus, CEO:
Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary
Leadership, spoke at a ladies luncheon hosted
by the Center for Women’s Studies at the
Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. The
luncheon introduced local women to VU.
“I have heard Laurie speak several times,
and this time was special,” says Renée Smith
’01, director of planned giving and donor
relations at VU. “She gave us a taste of one
of her seminars and had us laughing at ourselves and each other.”
The luncheon included a reception on the
balcony overlooking the water.
Laurie Beth Jones burst onto the national
scene with Jesus, CEO, a book which
espoused bringing spiritual principles back
into the business world. That book, and
subsequent books, has been translated into
twelve foreign languages, with worldwide
sales of over one million copies.
Faculty books published
rank D. Macchia’s ’74 book, Baptized in
the Spirit: A Global Pentecostal Theology,
was published by Zondervan this year.
Macchia is a VU professor of Christian
theology and editor of Pneuma: The Journal of
the Society for Pentecostal Studies.
F
book edited by Donald Ratcliff called
Children’s Spirituality: Christian
Perspectives, Research, and Applications was
published in August 2004 by Wipf and Stock
Publishers. A book Ratcliff co-authored,
Introduction to Psychology and Counseling, was
published in Korean in 2005 by Christian
Literature Crusade, and in Indonesia by
publisher Anak Didik Imanuel. Racliff is a
VU professor of psychology.
A
ohn R. M. Wilson’s book, The History of the
National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics, was published in March by Coaches
Choice of Monterrey. Wilson is a VU
professor of history.
J
book called Beyond Salvation: Eastern
Orthodoxy and Classical Pentecostalism on
Becoming Like Christ, written by Edmund J.
Rybarczyk ’85, assistant professor of
systematic theology and director of the Lewis
Wilson Institute for Pentecostal Studies at
Vanguard University, was published in the
United Kingdom by Pater Noster Theological
Monographs in September 2004. The VU
School of Religion presented the Pneuma
Book Award to Rybarczyk for the book.
A
aura Desfor Edles, VU professor of
sociology, and Scott Appelrouth wrote
Sociological Theory in the Classical Era,
published by Pine Forge Press in 2005.
L
4/4/06
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Page 27
Sports
VU’s Best
Team Ever
The Wall Street Journal, coaches praise Lions’ powerhouse team
Sports, continued on page 26
“Few teams at any level
of college basketball can
match Vanguard’s recent
run of success.”
The Wall Street Journal
4/4/06
4:04 PM
Page 28
Sports
T
he women’s basketball team completed one of the most successful
seasons in VU sports history with
a season-long #1 ranking and an
appearance in the national tournament’s
final four in Jackson, Tenn.
“Teams like this don’t come around very
often,” says coach Russ Davis. “It’s an outstanding achievement to have a season like
this, especially with such a young team.”
The lady Lions went into the season as the
top-ranked team in the NAIA and stayed on
top throughout, ending 2006 with one of
the best records in school history at 31-2.
The Wall Street Journal’s front page declared
VU’s women’s basketball team was “The
Best Team You’ll Never See” on ESPN. The
feature article (“Under the Radar,” WSJ,
March 13, 2006,) noted VU’s Massey
Rating of 41 among all college women’s basketball teams. Massey Ratings take into
account win-loss records, strength of schedule and other factors to determine the true
strength of a team. According to the Massey
Ratings, VU’s women’s basketball team at
one time ranked higher than NCAA teams
like Indiana State, USC, Notre Dame,
Oregon and Gonzaga. The next highest
NAIA I team to be ranked was Oklahoma
City University at #189.
Arizona State University coach Charli
Turner Thorne called VU “the best NAIA
team in the country.”
The team this year included the NAIA player of the year, and two-time Golden State
Athletic Conference player of the year, Kelly
Schmidt, and Syracuse transfer Jessica
Richter. Schmidt and Richter, both juniors,
were considered the best scoring duo in
Division I. Schmidt led the conference in
scoring, averaging 20.9 points per game,
and broke VU’s scoring record. She is the
second VU player in school history to earn
NAIA Player of the Year in any sport (former teammate and current Lion assistant
coach, Lisa Faulkner ’05, garnered the
recognition in 2005).
Jessica Richter was also selected to the
NAIA All-America First Team. Rachel Besse
and Tiari Goold made the NAIA AllAmerica Second Team and the Honorable
Mention Team, respectively, meaning four
of VU’s five starting players were AllAmericans.
4/4/06
4:04 PM
Page 29
Sports
Men’s basketball team
advances to NAIA
nationals for first time
since 1990
The men’s basketball team had its best season since 1997-98 and advanced to its
first national tournament since 1990.
Ranked 16th in the NAIA earlier in the season, the VU men finished third in GSAC
with a 13-7 conference record.
VU players Horace Wormely and Levi
Seekins were named to the All-GSAC team,
giving Vanguard two players on the AllGSAC team for the first time since 1998.
Wormely was also named GSAC Men’s
Basketball Player of the Year, the first Lion
to earn the award since the 1992-93 season.
For the first time in the history of the
school, the Vanguard Lions swept the GSAC
Player of the Year honors in men’s and
women’s basketball.
Making History: (opposite page, top) The Lions were
ranked #1 from pre-season to post-season and
dominated the GSAC.
(opposite page, bottom) Kelly Schmidt was named
NAIA player of the year and GSAC player of the year
for the second year in a row.
The Lion women set a slew of GSAC
records: most GSAC wins in a season, four
straight GSAC championships, a tie for the
most total women’s basketball conference
titles (7), and the first undefeated conference run by any team since the GSAC
moved to 11 teams and a 20-game schedule.
VU won all 20 GSAC games this season and
have won 26 GSAC games in a row. Three
VU players made the 2006
All-GSAC Team.
The Wall Street Journal story noted that the
VU women’s team has won seven conference
championships in nine seasons, and have
averaged 25 wins a year (more than threequarters of their games) for the past decade.
“Few teams at any level of college basketball
can match Vanguard’s recent run of success,”
the Journal said. The article detailed how
Davis’ astute recruitment has built a
women’s basketball powerhouse.
VU was the favorite to win the 26th Annual
Division I Women’s Basketball tournament
held at Oman Arena in Jackson in March,
but fell to the sixth-seeded Lubbock
Christian (Texas) Lady Chaps in the semifinals. Since VU has no seniors on the roster, the team will almost certainly make a
(above, left) Jessica Richter helped lead the Lions to
the semi-final round at the national tournament. She
and Schmidt were selected to the NAIA All-America
First Team.
run for the title again next year.
Davis, who was the Region 1 coach of the
year, is already looking ahead.
“It’s been history in the making and we’ll try
to build on that next year,” he says. “The
players had tremendous pressure on them
and came through for the most part. We’re
looking forward to watch them grow from
this experience and take that into
next season.”
4/4/06
4:04 PM
Page 30
Calendar
Athletics
Track & Field
Baseball
Softball
Men’s Tennis
Women’s Tennis
Season begins February 2
For a complete listing of schedules please visit
www.vanguard.edu/athletics
Theatre
April 26-27
Vanguard Theatre Department Student Showcase
For box office information and show synopses please visit
www.vanguard.edu/theatrearts
Music
April 23
Pre-Carnegie Hall Concert with SADC Choir
and OCHSA Orchestra
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church
For concert information, please contact the Music Events Office
at 714.662.5272 or [email protected] or visit
www.vanguard.edu/music
{Bequest}
our
University Events
“Southern California Bible School changed the
April 27-28
Simply Youth
direction of our lives. We can’t think of a better
For more information please contact Anita Hann at
[email protected]
students, like we were. We only wish we had a few
institution to support. We want to help struggling
million to give, but what we have, we give with a
May 4
Master’s Degree Hooding Ceremony
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
heart filled with love and devotion to our Lord.”
Dorothy (Haberman) Boyd ’38
Dudley Boyd ’44
For more information please visit
www.vanguard.edu/commencement
May 5
Baccalaureate
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
May 6
Commencement
Pacific Amphitheatre
Featuring Joni Eareckson Tada as Commencement speaker
You can endow the future…
Just like Dudley and Dorothy Boyd. Invest in the world-changers of tomorrow by
leaving a legacy gift to Vanguard University today. Your bequest will help secure
and shape the future of the University and the lives of the students we serve.
To learn more about our Wills and Bequest Program and other giving
opportunities, contact the Office of Planned Giving at 714-556-3610 ext. 314.
55 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, California 92626
p: 714.556.3610 w: vanguard.edu
4/4/06
4:04 PM
Page 31
Postcards
Advancing Vision
2010
Editor’s note: vanguard magazine’s column, Postcards,
features an essay by a different alum in each issue.
Wish you were here!
as there a choice about which college I would attend?
Given my family history at VU, I don’t remember
one, so there I was waiting in line outside the gymnasium to register for classes with all those other scared freshmen in
the fall of 1969. I joined my older brother and sister, Terry ’70
and Tessy ’70, as a student. We followed in the tradition started
by my dad, John A. Lindvall ’50. We were followed by our
brother, John Mark ’75, and countless cousins and relatives. My
mother Mae, although not a VU student, was always behind us in
our pursuits.
W
I remember the sinking feeling in my stomach in my first economics class, taught by Dennis McNutt ’59. He questioned my presence in an upper division class and predicted I would fail it.
(Thanks to Terry for arranging my schedule for me!) I shudder to
recall the tears that flowed in Dudley Boyd’s ’44 speech class as I
faltered during my first speech — unprepared. How wonderful
that he granted me a reprieve with a fatherly hug. Terror that I
would be called on to explain Dante’s meaning in a particular passage gripped me in professor Keith Ewing’s class, and yet my pleasure in his and Shirley Felt’s ’65 classes propelled me to complete
my degree in English, loving those classes.
Those experiences helped me to empathize with the students who
came into my life later in my role as a VU financial aid officer —
students requiring help in so many areas of life, not just finances.
It came naturally to me, as I gave financial aid counseling to a
timid student, to make him feel comfortable with easy chat as I
remembered my first semester as a shy (yes, truly) freshman.
Lunch for my entire fall freshman term had consisted of a package
of peanut butter crackers and a bottle of Coke from the machines
outside the old Lido dorms. Tessy, my roommate, student-taught
that semester, leaving me alone during the day, and I could not
bear to eat in the “cafe” by myself. Terry, of course, was busy entertaining his bevy of women.
My college friends now are precious to me, and I can name them
all, and the things we did and the pranks we pulled. The most
important relationship I made was with Kent ’73, my husband of
thirty-two years. He has experienced the value of relationships at
VU, too. As an adjunct instructor for the last eight years, he has
met countless students, many of whom now work with him in his
real estate firm. One of his outstanding employees was a student
whose application for admissions I recommended that we on the
admissions committee reject. She went on to successfully complete
her degree at VU and has now worked with my husband for more
than twenty years. She is the mother of my godchildren.
I feel so fortunate to have attended VU and made so many friendships, and to have seen student life from both sides of the staff
desk. Now the students I meet are often the children of people
who were part of my college experience and my early employment
at VU. In fact, my son Michael is now a freshman at VU. Being
part of this community has been an invaluable blessing to me, and
I’ve seen that blessing repeated thousands of times since my first
(frightened) day on campus.
Debby Rush ’73
31
4/4/06
4:04 PM
Page 32
Vanguard University MBA
Where business professionals become business leaders.
Enhance your career with a Vanguard MBA!
Vanguard offers a comprehensive MBA for working professionals who want to grow as leaders and take the next step in their career.
• Curriculum develops strong, competent leaders of character who effectively inspire and facilitate growth in both profit and non-profit organizations.
• Complete the Vanguard MBA in just 20 months!
• For over 85 years Vanguard has been developing quality leaders.
We are currently accepting applications for our summer and fall semesters—classes begin on May 9 and August 30. Take the next step in your
career and call us today at 877-669-8872!
“The Vanguard MBA lays the foundation that every professional needs to enter today’s global marketplace.”
Barry J. Meguiar, president/CEO, Meguiar’s Inc.
GRADUATE ADMISSIONS OFFICE
55 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
877.669.8872
www.vanguard.edu/gradinfo
[email protected]
Vanguard University
55 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
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the Entire Spring 2006 Issue

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