Northwestern College | Classic - Winter 2003-04

A publication for Nort h w e s t e n rCollege alumni & friends • Winter 2003-04A Place to Cre a t eK o rver Visual Arts Center Opens

P re s i d e n sre t ’ p o rtN o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cD r. Bruce MurphyP re s i d e n tThe seven distinctivesof Nort h w e s t e nrHow do we communicate the character of Nort h w e s t e rn top rospective students, to the public in general, to each other? What doesit mean to be a Christian liberal arts college today? Is there a concise,convincing way to describe the Nort h w e s t e rn experience?For several months, our admissions and public relations staffs havebeen wrestling with these questions. They have created a list ofN o rt h w e s t e rn Distinctives. I commend them to you.N o rt h w e s t e rn is . . .Academically excellentN o rt h w e s t e rn challenges your mind.A small campus with a large worldviewN o rt h w e s t e rn provides opportunities to explore the world, and to study in the security of a small town.C h r i s t - c e n t e re dN o rt h w e s t e rn offers a college education that will strengthen your faith.C o m m u n i t y - f o c u s e dN o rt h w e s t e rn offers a place to live and learn within an active, caring community.R e s u l t s - o r i e n t e dN o rt h w e s t e rn offers a whole education for your whole life.Valuable and aff o rd a b l eN o rt h w e s t e rn provides added value for what you pay for your college education.Committed to each student’s callingN o rt h w e s t e rn helps you discover your gifts and find your place in the world.▼“Our faculty and staff investin students’ lives and continueto learn themselves.”Each of these characteristics is worthy of extended explanation, but follow me as I take the first and see where it leads.“Academic excellence” is the mantra of every higher educational institution. What does it mean? One common point ofre f e rence is the many national re p o rts that receive public notice: U.S. News & World Report, P e t e r s o n ’s Guide to CompetitiveC o l l e g e sand others. Nort h w e s t e rn does well in these guidebooks, regularly being named as a top-tier Midwestern compre h e n-sive college by U.S. News, and receiving similar recognition by P e t e r s o n ’s a n d R u g g ’s Recommendations on the Colleges.Another standard is the number of faculty with terminal degrees, particularly from highly re g a rded graduate schools. Hereagain, Nort h w e s t e rn fares well, with 85 percent holding doctorates or the equivalent from institutions like Cornell, Duke, NotreDame, UCLA, the University of Chicago, the University of Iowa and Vanderbilt.These measures only begin to tell the story, however. While often interesting and sometimes revealing, quantitative datar a rely uncovers the ethos of a school and how much educating actually takes place. A better definition of academic quality, asnoted by Professor Carl Va n d e rmeulen of our English and communications departments, appears in Emblems of Quality inHigher Education: “High-quality programs are those in which students, faculty and administrators engage in mutually support i v eteaching and learning” (27).H e re is where I believe Nort h w e s t e rn excels—and is getting even better. Our faculty and staff invest in students’ lives andcontinue to learn themselves. This past summer, seven of them took trips to explore future learning opportunities at locationsa round the world. Each spring, faculty and staff lead service projects to New Orleans, Seattle, Amsterdam and beyond. As Iwrite this article, faculty and staff are leading groups of students who are attending professional meetings and visiting seminariesand graduate schools to test God’s calling for their future. On road trips and in classrooms, not to mention dorm rooms andathletic fields, “more mature and unified understandings” (E m b l e m s. . . 28) of the world and one’s place in it are emerging.Academic excellence is not merely a marketing slogan on Nort h w e s t e rn s ’ campus. Nor is it merely one of seven distinctives.It is rather the product of the other six—a worthy calling of a caring Christian community committed to helping studentsd i s c e rn their place in God’s world.▲2 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

N o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cC l a s s i cc o n t e n t sc l a s s i cp e o p l eWinter 2003-04 Vol. 75, No. 4E d i t o rDuane Beeson( 7 1 2 - 7 0 7 - 7 1 1 6 ,b e e s o n @ n w c i o w a . e d u )S t a ff Wr i t e r sDuane BeesonAnita Ciru l i sTamara Fynaard tContributing PhotographersTom BeckerDuane BeesonDoug BurgRod Hop ’80Wanda McConnellDan RossK a ren (Hop ’74) Van Der MaatenD e s i g n e r sAnji BennettJohn Vander Stelt ’83T h e C l a s s i cis published quart e r l y– –in March, June, October andD e c e m b e r–– for alumni and friendsof Nort h w e s t e rn College. So namedbecause it served what was thenknown as the Nort h w e s t e rnClassical Academy, t h e C l a s s i cw a sthe school’s first student newspaper,begun in 1891. It has been analumni publication since 1930.Send correspondence or addre s schanges to the C l a s s i c,N o rt h w e s t e rn College, 101 7th St.S W, Orange City, IA 51041-1996.Visit us on the Web at:n w c i o w a . e d u1 2p a g e4Campus News9p a g e9Teaching Tru s tP a rents of the Ye a rp a g e10A Reform e dM e n n o n i t eFaculty Pro f i l eD r. Mike Yo d e rp a g e1 2A SavoryL e g a c yAlumni Pro f i l eVi rg Muilenburgp a g e1 4D e e p - S e aA d v e n t u erAlumni ProfileFrank Heemstrap a g e1 5Doing What’sA s k e dAlumni Pro f i l eFannie Menningp a g e1 6Building onTr a d i t i o nHomecoming 2003p a g e1 8Meeting a NeedK o rver Visual Arts Center2 3p a g e2 3Irish AngelStudent Pro f i l eMaggie Keelanp a g e2 4S p o rts Updatep a g e2 6Alumni Newsp a g e3 5Faithful Supportof ArtClassic Thoughts1 83 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

C a m p u sn e w sN o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cF a c u l t / ys t a f fnewsK a ren Acker, art, had twos c u l p t u res included in the“Feed the Body, Feed the Soul2003: Gifts from the Eart h ”exhibition at the Fitton Centerfor the Creative Arts inHamilton, Ohio, this fall.“Covenant,” a wall-hung re l i e f ,received an honorable mentionaward. The exhibitionalso included “Remnants,” ap o rcelain vessel.D r. DouglasF i rt hA n d e r s o n,h i s t o ry, wasa w a rded the2 0 0 3A rr i n g t o n -P rucha Prizein We s t e rn AmericanReligious History in October.The prize is given by theWe s t e rn History Associationfor the best essay of the yearon religious history in theAmerican West. Andersonreceived a plaque and a $500cash prize. The award wasgiven in recognition of hise s s a y, “Pro t e s t a n t i s m ,P ro g ress and Prosperity: JohnP. Clum and ‘Civilizing’ theU.S. Southwest, 1871-1886,”which was published in theWe s t e rn Historical Quart e r l ylast fall.D r. Keith Anderson, dean ofspiritual formation, gave anOctober presentation onspirituality and vocation,based on the thinking of secon d - c e n t u ry writer Gre g o ryof Nyssa, to the JoshuaFoundation in Los Angeles.In addition, a Spanish versionof Anderson’s book,Friendships That Run Deep,has been published inA rgentina and Mexico underthe title of A m i s t a d e sP ro f u n d a.D r. Mike Av e ry, business,has been named to theCouncil on Faith andI n t e rnational Affairs at theE a s t e rn University Institutefor Global Engagement. Thecouncil provides opport u n i-ties for community buildingamong Christian pro f e s s i o n-als in international affairs andfosters critical, constru c t i v edialogue and analysis amongpeople of faith about the ro l eof religion in global issues.D r. Paul Bart l e t t, kinesiology, was the Fellowship ofChristian Athletes chapelspeaker at the Iowa Wre s t l i n gCoaches and Off i c i a l sConvention in Des Moines inO c t o b e r.D r. Sean Cord ry, physics, isthe author of an article publishedin the October issue ofThe Physics Te a c h e r. Thep a p e r, “A Projectile Model,”shows how to build and usea model illustrating thee ffects of launch angle andinitial velocity on a pro j e c t i l e .D r. Laird Edman, psychology, presented two papers atthe annual meeting of theNational Collegiate HonorsCouncil in Chicago inN o v e m b e r. He gave a workshoppresentation for honorsp rogram administrators andf a c u l t y, “A Few Nuts andBolts for Teaching Thinking,”on how to infuse criticalthinking instruction intotheir courses. He also presented“EmotionalIntelligence and HonorsStudents.” As president ofthe Upper Midwest HonorsCouncil, Edman pre s i d e dover the regional businessmeeting at the confere n c e .Biology faculty D r. LaurieFurlong and D r. Byro nN o o rd e w i e reach spent aweek this fall teaching in theC reation Care Study Pro g r a min the Central Americanc o u n t ry of Belize. Furlongtaught stream ecology as partof the pro g r a m ’s course ont ropical ecosystems.N o o rdewier taught micro b i-ology to nursing students.D r. Juyeon Kang, music,p e rf o rmed a faculty recital inO c t o b e r. A pianist, she presentedworks by Mozart ,D e b u s s y, Liszt andR a c h m a n i n o ff .Deb Menning, English, andfour juniors who weree n rolled in her Intro d u c t i o nto Literary Studies sectionlast spring presented two sessionsat October’s IowaCouncil of Teachers ofEnglish conference in DesMoines. Menning, along withMegan Coe, HeatherL a m b e rt, April Olivares andRegina Prokop, pre s e n t e d“Finding Multigenre sMeaning in Old and NewPrize Winners.” TheN o rt h w e s t e rn gro u p ’s secondsession was entitled “OB ro t h e r, Can You FindCommunity in Yo u rL i t e r a t u re Classroom.”A chapter on “TheAmbiguities of AboriginalChristian History in Ta i w a n ”by D r. Jim Rohre r, re l i g i o n ,is included in Cro s s - C u l t u r a lPublications’ Christianity andNative Culture s, edited byCyriac Pullapilly. The paperwas originally presented atan international confere n c eon Christianity and nativec u l t u res held at St. Mary ’sCollege. In addition, Rohre rhas had numerous haiku andtanka recently published insuch literary magazines asAmerican Ta n k a, P re s e n c e,Tangled Hair, Lilliput Reviewand Bottle Rockets.D r. Andrew Sauerw e i n,music, developed a newa rrangement of The King ofLove My Shepherd Is for thededication ceremony of theThea G. Korver Visual Art sCenter in October. The songwas sung by D r. KimberlyUtke Svanoe, music, withaccompaniment by two stude n t s .D r. Sara To l s m a, biology,spoke at the Hope CollegeCritical Issues Symposium,“Putting Science in Its Place:D i s c o v e ry and Responsibility, ”this fall. She gave a talk on“The Creation and Use ofHuman Embryonic StemC e l l s . ”continued on page 118 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

N o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cP a re n t of sthe Ye a rTeaching Tru s tSmits model faith in the face of adversityby Anita Ciru l i sJim and Sharon (Mol) Smits admit the past 16 monthshave been difficult. First there was the loss of a job, then thedeath of two parents and a diagnosis of cancer. How theyresponded to adversity earned them the admiration andrespect of their children—and the honor of being namedN o rt h w e s t e rn College’s Parents of the Year for 2003.“Not only did our parents tell us what to do in times oft rouble, they showed us,” wrote the Smits’ daughters, Andre aand Maria, in their nomination letter. “Our parents deserv ethis award. Not because they are perfect parents or have perfectkids, but because they have given us a gift much gre a t e r :an example of trust in our perfect Lord . ”N o rt h w e s t e rn recognized the Smits during Pare n t s ’Weekend in October. Residents of Orange City, Jim andS h a ron grew up in Maurice and Sioux Center, re s p e c t i v e l y.They met through an area youth ministry and married in1 9 7 5 .Jim is a sales re p resentative for Roda Manufacturing inHull; Sharon, a psychotherapist for Bethesda ChristianCounseling in Orange City. They also are the parents of fivec h i l d ren ranging in age from 18 to 27—four of whom followedtheir mother’s footsteps to Nort h w e s t e rn. Angela, theoldest, graduated in 1998, while Andrea Hydeen, a senior;Maria, a sophomore; and Melinda, a freshman, all are attendingNort h w e s t e rn this year.S h a ron graduated from NWC in 1979 with a degree inChristian education and earned a Master of Social Wo r kd e g ree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.Since freshmen are n ’t eligible to make nominations forP a rents of the Ye a r, it was Andrea and Maria who told theirf a m i l y ’s story to the award committee: Not only did theirfather endure six months of unemployment before finding hisp resent job, but simultaneously, their mother was diagnosedwith breast cancer. Surg e ry, chemotherapy and radiation followed.Added to this were the deaths of two grandpare n t s —S h a ro n ’s dad and Jim’s mother—and an apartment fire thatd e s t royed the belongings of their bro t h e r.“ We’ve gone through some hard times as a family together,” says Jim, “but they’ve really brought us closer to eachother and to God.”“My parents have taught us so much about loving eachThe daughters of Parents of the Year Jim and Sharon Smits– –N o rt h w e s t e rn seniorA n d rea Hydeen, freshman Melinda, sophomore Maria and 1998 graduate Angela( f rom left)– –say the trials that their family endured brought them closer to eachother and to the Lord .o t h e r,” Melinda agrees. “They’ve shown just an awesomeexample of having a married life and being able to focus onGod and loving each other through the hard times andt h rough the good times.”She and her brother and sisters also appreciate the goodcommunication their parents modeled for them, as well as theencouragement to discover their own separate identities.“One of the things we d i d t ry to do is to have each of thekids be their own individual,” Sharon says. “We tried hard notto compare them to each other and to have each one explorewhat they felt their own talents were . ”The Smits are quick to praise their children for the kindof people they’ve become, describing them as “wonderf u l ”and themselves as “blessed” to be their pare n t s .“When any of us would get any recognition or anyonewould compliment them, they wouldn’t take any cre d i t , ”A n d rea says. “They don’t want to take any recognition forwhat we do, but we know it has a lot to do with how they’veraised us and what they’ve taught us.”The Smits also give credit to Nort h w e s t e rn for the ro l ethe college has played in their daughters’ lives. “They knew itwas a great experience for me,” Sharon says of their decisionto attend her alma mater. “I wasn’t told what to believe. Eventhough it was a Christian college, we were given the fre e d o mto question and to make our faith our own.”Youngest daughter Melinda agrees. “I’ve just seen whatcontinued on page 119 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

N o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cF a c u l t yp ro f i l esiders together, so to speak.Yoder began teaching at NWC in 1982, and since then,h e ’s grown to love the school and its Reformed beliefs. “Theg reat genius of Nort h w e s t e rn is that it’s managed to do whatv e ry few Christian colleges have done: remain true to its ro o t sand Reformed beliefs, yet be accepting of faculty and studentsf rom other denominations,” he says. “It has allowed me toc o m p a re the Mennonite tradition I grew up in—and still cherishvery much—with the Reformed tradition I’ve come toa p p reciate and claim as my own. I now callmyself a Reformed Mennonite.”Links to his heritageNot that he’s entirely relinquished hisMennonite beliefs. Yoder still embraces thepacifist stance that’s an integral part of thatfaith. He’s opposed to war and all other form sof violence, including abortion and capitalpunishment.He explains his reasoning simply: “I can’tsee how I can kill someone, even an enemy,while following the commands of my Lord andSavior to love them. And I am not willing to letpoliticians and generals decide for me whenviolence is justified. If they want to go to war,they will nearly always find evidence that theybelieve justifies it. I might be willing to considera ‘just war’ position if they would turn to Christian leadersfor truly independent advice on whether a given war is justified,but how often does that happen?”This stance sets him apart from many professors and studentsat NWC, but, as with most of his diff e rences, Yoder re l-ishes it as an opportunity for discussion. “Frankly, I think Ibring something to the campus in this re g a rd,” he says. Forthe last two years, he’s been teaching an Introduction toChristian Liberal Arts course called Wa r, Peace and Te rrorism.▼“The great genius ofN o rt h w e s t n e ris that it’smanaged to do what veryfew Christian collegeshave done: remain true toits roots and Reform e dbeliefs, yet be accepting offaculty and students fro mother denominations.”▲Connecting with other culture sOne of Yo d e r ’s passions is Latin America, an interest thatdates back to his college days. A professor who had been am i s s i o n a ry in Brazil inspired Yoder to spend two-and-a-halfyears there teaching English as a second language after graduatingfrom Goshen. His wife shares his interest, having livedin Mexico before their marriage. After marrying in 1975, theylived in Costa Rica for a year.C a rolyn now teaches Spanish at MOC-Floyd Valley High School, and Yo d e r, who isfluent in Portuguese and Spanish, continues toenjoy reading literature in those languages andwatching films about those cultures. In re c e n tyears, they’ve had the opportunity to re t u rn toCentral America, Mexico and Brazil, and Yo d e ris planning to lead a study abroad trip to Brazilnext summer.“I think a lot of us, including Pre s i d e n tM u r p h y, see international study as a vital partof liberal arts studies,” Yoder says. “We live inan interconnected world, and a truly liberal art sperson today needs to be able to understandand communicate with the world outside theUnited States.”Remaining connectedDuring Yo d e r ’s time at Nort h w e s t e rn, he’s seen the collegeg row from 850 to 1,300 students. Although he misses thedays when most faculty and classes were together in Va nPeursem Hall, he’s pleased that one thing has not changed: theemphasis on making connections—among diverse disciplines,among diff e rent cultures, among people of diff e rent backgrounds. For a Reformed Mennonite, Nort h w e s t e rn s ’ willingnessto explore diff e rences always makes him feel right ath o m e .F a c u l t y / s t f a news fcontinued from page 8D r. Barb To p, education,received an award from theL e a rning DisabilitiesAssociation of Iowa inO c t o b e r. She was re c o g n i z e dfor her role in administeringthe org a n i z a t i o n s ’ studentscholarship pro g r a m .D r. Joonna Tr a p p, English,assembled and chaired a sessionof film scholars for theannual meeting of the Societyfor the Study of AmericanWomen Writers held in FortWo rth, Texas. The sessionwas entitled “19th CenturyWomen Writers on the BigS c reen.” The panel addre s s e da range of topics, from anunseen silent film found onlyin the nation’s archives to themany filmed versions of L i t t l eWo m e n.Teaching Tru s tcontinued from page 9N o rt h w e s t e rn can do for aperson,” she says. “I’ve hadfirsthand experience with mysiblings, seeing the gro w t hthat can come spiritually,mentally and socially, too.E v e rything that I have wantedor expected from college,I was able to see in my siblings,and so that made mewant to come here. Thea t m o s p h e re of this college isd i ff e rent from any other collegethat I’ve visited or seen.”N o rt h w e s t e rn s ’ Pare n t sof the Year award has beenp resented annually since1977. The Smits are thef o u rth parents from OrangeCity to win the honor.1 1 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

A l u m n p iro f i l eN o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cA Savory LegacyP rof impacts students in classroom and kitchenby Tamara Fynaard tDuring his almost fourdecades as a professor atN o rt h w e s t e rn College, Vi rg i lM u i l e n b u rg taught countlessbiology classes and labs, andm e n t o red numerous studentson their way to biology classrooms,re s e a rch laboratories,n a t u re conservancies, gradschools and medical schools.He watched Nort h w e s t e rn ’sbiology department gro wf rom two professors and 20majors to a faculty of fivewith over 120 majors.He also has served over6,000 pizzas to more than700 students during meals athis home.M u i l e n b u rg, a lifelongresident of Orange City,received the 2003Distinguished Service toN o rt h w e s t e rn College Aw a rdduring the college’s OctoberHomecoming celebration.M u i l e n b u rg graduatedvaledictorian fro mN o rt h w e s t e rn ClassicalAcademy (1958), salutatorianf rom the junior college(1960), and was a MagnaCum Laude graduate of then e w, four-year Nort h w e s t e rnCollege in 1962. He also wasa Faculty Honors re c i p i e n t .After earning a master’sd e g ree in natural sciencef rom the University of SouthDakota, Muilenburg wasasked by President Pre s t o nStegenga to re t u rn toN o rt h w e s t e rn as a sabbaticalreplacement for biology professorTom Ten Hoeve in1963. Ten Hoeve extendedhis sabbatical; Muilenburgstayed.When Ten Hoevere t u rned and was namedN o rt h w e s t e rn s ’ academicdean, Muilenburg stayed at h i rd and fourth year. “Iended up filling in for 37years,” he says with a laugh.During his years atN o rt h w e s t e rn, Muilenburgmoved offices several times,s t a rting with a space behindthe lab storage room andending in a renovated off i c ewith a view of campus andAlbany Av e n u e .Among his studentsw e re some who eventuallybecame colleagues, includingD r. Sara (Sybesma ’84)Tolsma, who earned a doctoratefrom Nort h w e s t e rnUniversity and joined thebiology department in 1995.M u i l e n b u rg also taughthis nephews Jay Wi e l e n g a’82, director of development,and Ron De Jong ’71, dean ofe n rollment services. “Ronwas a biology major,” heremembers. “I used him asan example with students. I’ds a y, ‘If you really study hard ,really buckle down, youmight become a doctor or abrain surgeon. Or you cans c rew off and becomeN o rt h w e s t e rn s ’ director ofa d m i s s i o n s .’”When Muilenburgre t i red in 2000, Dr. RobinP a l s - Rylaarsdam ’92, whoalso received a doctoratef rom Nort h w e s t e rnUniversity and now teachesat Trinity Christian Collegenear Chicago, wrote, “Thankyou for loving students andN o rt h w e s t e rn so much. IfI’m re m e m b e red only a tenthas fondly as you are, I’ll considerit a real compliment.”D r. Bryan Den Hart o g ,an ’81 alum who now is anR e t i red biology professor Vi rg Muilenburg is now serving pizza to a second generation of Nort h w e s t e rn students, one of manyreasons he was honored this fall for his decades of service to the college.1 2 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

A l u m n p iro f i l eN o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cD e e p - S eaduring Homecoming inO c t o b e r.Under the tutelage ofc h e m i s t ry and math pro f e s-sor B.E. Fahl, Heemstra’s scientificinterests were honedA d v e nbytDuaneuBeesonerin the classical academy andN o rt h w e s t e rn Junior College,f rom which he graduated in1941 and 1943, re s p e c t i v e l y.Even though no physicscourses were off e red atN o rt h w e s t e rn, Heemstrawent on to major in physicsat Hope College and earn am a s t e r ’s degree in that subjectat Iowa State University.“I wanted a job where I▼“I developed a love for thesea as well as science.”▲Heemstra adjusts instrumentation on“The Fish,” a probe used on manydeep-sea search missions.Frank Heemstra holds a photograph of Mizar, the re s e a rch ship from which hehelped locate the wreckage of sunken submarines and nuclear and biologicalw e a p o n s .The tinkering told thet a l e .Jacob and HannahHeemstra, Nort h w e s t e rn s’first family from 1928-51,hoped that Frank, their oldestson, would become am i n i s t e r. But all the timeFrank spent in his father’sbasement workshop was aclue about his future care e r.“I was fascinated byphysical things. I re m e m b e rbringing home Model Tspark coils from Henry Va nWe c h e l ’s junkyard,” saysHeemstra. “I was alwaysplaying with electricity; Iblew out fuses in the housemany times.”H e e m s t r a ’s accomplishmentsin science, includingm o re than 31 years as are s e a rch physicist for theU.S. Naval Researc hL a b o r a t o ry in Wa s h i n g t o n ,D.C., sparked his selection asN o rt h w e s t e rn s ’ 2003 re c i p i-ent of the DistinguishedP rofessional AchievementAw a rd. He received theAlumni Association honorcould use my knowledge ofphysics,” says Heemstra, nowre t i red and living in Ya n k t o n ,S.D. “The Naval Researc hLab seemed like a good placeto work, but I didn’t haveany idea what I’d do.”In the early years of hisc a re e r, he was involved in thedevelopment of long-rangesonar systems and the studyof sound propagation pathsin the ocean. For the last 20years, before retiring in theearly 1980s, he specialized indeep-sea instru m e n t a t i o nused for numerous searc hand surveillance missions.A b o a rd the re s e a rch shipM i z a r, Heemstra and histeam developed new techniquesused to locate thew reckage of Thre s h e r, acontinued on page 251 4 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

HomecomingNorthwestern ClassicHomecoming 2003Building onTraditionHomecoming 2003Oct. 10-12Face painting is always a popularactivity at Morning on the Green. Thecarnival was held in the RowenhorstStudent Center for the second year ina row due to rain.Professor Emeritus of Religion LyleVanderWerff greets former presidentPreston Stegenga following the rededicationof Stegenga Hall, the women’s residencehall formerly known as North.National Alumni Board member Tonya Van Peursem ’94 hands booth tickets to children at Morning on the Green.16 ▲ Winter 2003-04

N o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cH o m ec o m i n gEvan Peuse ’76, left, and Rob Va n ’t Land ’78 reminisce with RalphM o u w, professor emeritus of mathematics.Members of the Juggling Club entertain alumni and communitymembers at Morning on the Green.The jumping house was popular for children attending Morning on theG reen.1 7 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

C o v e rs t o ryN o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cMeetinga NeedC o n s t ruction of Korver Visual Arts Centerp roved best solution to growing pro b l e mby Anita Ciru l i sThe Thea G. Korv e rVisual Arts Center as itnow stands wasn’t inN o rt h w e s t e rn s ’ campus masterplan.No building was earmarkedfor the space thecenter occupies. No widesp read, all-inclusive fundraisingcampaign was held.In fact, its construction raisedquestions: Why was the collegespending money on ana rt building while simultaneouslyraising funds for a theat re arts center—and when anew library had been identifiedas the next capital pro j-e c t ?The answer has more todo with Nort h w e s t e rn ’s missionthan with the number ofa rt majors, with good stewardship rather than a patchworksolution for ap re s s i n gneed. It also emphasizes ani m p o rtant fact about masterp l a n s .“Master plans are meantto be a guide to institutionalplanning,” says Pre s i d e n tB ruce Murphy, “but in everyplan, there needs to bef l e x i b i l i t y▼“Master plans are meant tobe a guide to institutionalplanning, but in every plan,t h e re needs to be flexibilitybased on current needs.”▲based on current needs.”Doug Beukelman, vicep resident for financial aff a i r s ,oversees the college’s const ruction projects. The decisionto build, he says, wasdriven not by 15 art majorsbut by the more than 150students who every year takethe hands-on Introduction toStudio class.“Because Nort h w e s t e rnis a liberal arts school, a lotof students go through thea rt department,” he explains.“The department was neverThe Te Paske Gallery, pre v i-ously located in theRowenhorst Student Center,is the focal point of theK o rver Center’s two-storyfoyer entrance. Theg a l l e ry—like the rest of thebuilding—is clearly visiblef rom Highway 10, makinga rt on exhibit more accessibleto the public.1 8 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

N o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cC o v e rs t o ryv e ry big from the standpointof majors, but for students toaccomplish their generaleducation re q u i rements, theyhave to do a rotation thro u g hthe arts—and for many students,their choice is thevisual art s . ”Limited space in theBushmer Art Center alre a d ymeant computer graphicsclasses were taught in Va nPeursem Hall and photographycourses in GranbergHall, while the art gallerywas located in the RowenhorstStudent Center. WhenK a ren Acker was hired in2002 as a third professor inthe art department, conditionsbecame even morec ro w d e d .“ K a ren was doing sculptu re and ceramics,” Beukelmansays, “and we didn’thave a place for that. Hiringher really rounded out thecourse offerings in the are a ,but what she was going to▼“ We were at a critical stageof really having to make acommitment to the artd e p a rtment in order tomake a statement to ourstudents.”▲o ffer re q u i red space.”The combination of limitedfacilities and highdemand was interfering withl e a rning. Peter De Jong, ajunior elementary educationmajor from Alton, recalls hisexperience in a ceramics classin Bushmer.“I’d get frustrated havingto wait for other people toget out of the way,” he says.“I couldn’t get work done, soI’d just take off. It was at h ree-hour class, and I’dleave an hour early. Therew e re no wheels and no tables p a c e .”Even more critical wasthe need for a clean, safeworking enviro n m e n t .Various art materials andtechniques produce re s i d u eand fumes that are unsafe tob re a t h e .“ P a rt of the pro b l e mwith Bushmer was it wasn’tdesigned as an art building,”Beukelman says. “It was a littleold cre a m e ry. So any ventilationissues got handledhowever best you could in anold building.”Such health and safetyissues made it cost pro h i b i-tive to add on to Bushmer.Any addition would havere q u i red upgrading the oldbuilding to current standa rds. Adding on also meantN o rt h w e s t e rn s ’ art facilitieswould continue to be locatedo ff campus.College administratorsc o n s i d e red and rejected theidea of converting RamakerL i b r a ry into an art buildingafter a new library is built.Not only would Ramakerre q u i re extensive re n o v a t i o n ,but it’s better suited formuch-needed classroom andfaculty office space—plus itw o u l d n ’t be available foranother five to seven years.“ We were at a criticalstage of really having tomake a commitment to thea rt department in order tomake a statement to our students,”Beukelman says ofthe decision to construct anew building.The Korver Center wasbuilt on land the collegea l ready owned. With theb o a rd ’s approval, NWCfinanced construction costswith $1.2 million in taxexemptbonds, a naming giftf rom the Clayton (Paul)K o rver family, and the balancefrom the college’s plantfund—money already budgetedfor campus constru c-tion and re n o v a t i o n .The result is a buildingthat makes a bold statementabout Nort h w e s t e rn ’s commitmentto the visual art s ,and that will serve studentswell for decades to come.One hundred fifty students every year take an intro d u c t o ry art class.1 9 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

C o v e rs t o ryN o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i c▼“ T h e re s ’ an airiness inthe building that is veryconducive to doingc reative work, andhaving the gallery inthe Korver Center isdefinitely a plus.Students can see creativework within thebuilding itself and use itas inspiration.”▲N o rt h w e s t e rn s ’ art department makes the intro d u c t o ry course students take to fulfill their fine arts re q u i rement as much like astudio class as possible. “We ’ re very adamant that it is not a cerebral experience but a hands-on experience,” says Pro f e s s o rRein Va n d e rhill. “That’s how you really learn about art: You do it.”A Beautiful PlaceStudents now have attractive, spacious setting in which to cre a t eby Anita Ciru l i sErin Patterson, a fre s h-man from Three Lakes, Wi s . ,got a tour of the new Korv e rVisual Arts Center when shevisited Nort h w e s t e rn ’s campusthis past summer.“ P o t t e ry is my favoritething to do,” she says, “andwhen my tour guide bro u g h tme in here, I was, like, ‘Ye a h ,this is awesome!’”Patterson saw the buildingwhile it was still underc o n s t ruction. Now that it’scompleted, others are echoingher sentiments. Studentsand faculty alike appre c i a t ethe new facility’s attractivef o rm-follows-function designand open feel, with oversizedc l a s s rooms, large windowsand high ceilings.“ T h e re ’s so much moreroom,” says junior art majorSophia DeBoer. “It’s big, openspaces. This building wasmade for doing art. It’s justan amazing diff e rence fro mthe old one.”A rt department facultymembers were involved ine v e ry aspect of the building’sd e s i g n .“ We would state ourneeds and the architect cameup with the solutions,” saysRein Va n d e rhill, one ofN o rt h w e s t e rn s ’ three art professors.“It’s a good axiom tofollow: Build a building thatworks well, and it will lookgood. You’ll be happier in it,t o o .”Among the art departme n t ’s needs were plenty oflight, space to create, andgood ventilation and air filtrationsystems.“ T h e re ’s an airiness inthe building that is very conduciveto doing cre a t i v ework,” says Karen Acker, artd e p a rtment chair. “And hav-▼“This building was madefor doing art. It’s just anamazing diff e rence fro mthe old one.”▲2 0 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

N o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cS t u d e n p tro f i l eIrish Angelby Emily Hennager ’06As sophomore MaggieKeelan confidently plucksout chords on her harp, sheconverses easily over them e l o d y. Her hands seem tomove on their own while sheexplains playing techniquesand shares information aboutthe latest trends in harpm u s i c .Though her skill appearse ff o rtless, Keelan, a writingand rhetoric major fro mLincoln, Neb., has years ofh a rd work behind her.Playing since age nine andp e rf o rming solo since 12, shenow spends at least an houra day practicing diff e re n tmusical genres like classical,Renaissance, popular andIrish Christmas music.H o w e v e r, the hours of practiceare n ’t just another itemon her schedule.“I can’t interpret it as atask but as a calling,” Keelansays. “A calling is when yourh e a rt is devoted to a higherpurpose than just the noteson a page.”To fulfill this calling,Keelan volunteers her talentat re t i rement homes, oftenplaying seasonal music likeChristmas carols or ’30s and’40s Broadway love songsa round Va l e n t i n e ’s Day. Shealso takes her lap harp andgoes from room to room inthe Alzheimer’s unit, lettingthe residents choose whatsongs they want to hear.“Always, the Alzheimer’spatients—people who don’teven know their namessometimes—will know thesongs,” Keelan says. “It’s ablessing to be able to connectwith the older generationand hear how music hastouched their lives.”Keelan also uses her lapharp to play Disney songs forc h i l d re n s ’ programs at thel i b r a ry and at a daycare forhigh-risk kids.▼“ I t s ’ a blessing to be able toconnect with the older generationand hear howmusic has touched theirl i v e s .”▲Besides volunteering,Keelan perf o rms between 50and 75 times a year. She hasplayed with the Lincoln CivicO rchestra, the Lincoln Yo u t hSymphony and several chambergroups. Her music hasgraced over 400 weddings.For Maggie Keelan, playing her harp is a calling––one that makes perf o rming forA l z h e i m e r ’s patients as fulfilling as perf o rming with an orc h e s t r a .Though she perf o rm sless during the school year,Keelan has used her talentsin numerous ways on campus.She occasionally plays atchapel and at the Sundaynight praise service, whereshe plays contemporary worshipmusic. She also perfo rmed at Christmas Ve s p e r sand a Lilly Grant celebration,and has been known to givei m p romptu concerts for anyi n t e rested students.“If they want to playa round, I’ll give them a lesson,”Keelan says. “A lot ofpeople are curious becausethey’ve never seen a harpb e f o re.”On campus, Keelans t o res her mid-sized harp,which weighs 75 pounds, inD e Witt Music Hall. She hast h ree other harps at home,including a concert grandweighing over 100 pounds.Music is a family activityfor Keelan, whose bro t h e rand parents are musicians aswell. Her family was part ofthe reason she chose to playharp in the first place.“ We perf o rm as a familyso it was a nice complementto the ensemble,” sheexplains. “Also, I’m Irish, andi t ’s the national instrument ofI re l a n d . ”In 2001, Keelan re l e a s e dher first solo CD, A s c e n s i o n.The title reflects music’s abili-continued on page 252 3 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

N o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cA l u m n ie w spositive attitude and his perseverancein overcoming adversity. ”After resigning fro mN o rt h w e s t e rn because of severec o ro n a ry art e ry disease that re s u l t e df rom diabetes, Vander Stoep operateda fund-raising and strategic planningconsulting firm and served asc o o rdinator of special gifts for theR e f o rmed Church in America’sFoundation. He also was OrangeC i t y ’s mayor from 1994-2001, originallyelected as a write-in candidate.Vander Stoep, who earned am a s t e r s ’ degree in educational psychologyfrom the University of SouthDakota, served as a teacher, coachand guidance counselor in theMaurice-Orange City School Districtfor 15 years before joining Nort h -w e s t e rn s ’ staff. He had been a consisto ry member at First Reform e dC h u rc h .Among his survivors are hiswife, Alyce Faye; three daughters, J i l lPluim ’87, Alyson ’93 and Emily ’95; ason, Jack ’90; and a sister.’51Andy Miedema, Alton, Iowa, taughtschool for 36 years. All five of hisc h i l d ren have taught school; thre estill do. Son Rob works for theFellowship of Christian Athletes andhas an office on Nort h w e s t e rn s ’ campu s .’63LeRoy Kraai, Albert City, Iowa,re t i red from teaching four years ago.Since then, he has been busy traveling,working around the house andhelping to make stained glass windowsand panels for Kountry Glass.’64Roger Wy n g a rd e n, Constantine,Mich., is praising God that his wife’sovarian cancer has been in re m i s s i o nfor a year. Roger and Leona havefour sons and six grandchildre n .’68Ted De Hoogh and his wife, N o re e n(De Jager ’65), Sioux Center, areenjoying re t i rement and their grandch i l d ren. Ted was an art teacher for33 years. Noreen spent 27 years ineducation—six as a teacher and therest as a business manager. She alsore t i red after directing the childre n ’schoir at First Reformed Church inOrange City for 38 years.’73C o rnie Wa s s i n k, Nort h w e s t e rn s’d i rector of planned giving, served ashead umpire at the NCAA Div. Inational cross country meet at theUniversity of Nort h e rn Iowa inN o v e m b e r.’78Bev (Bouwman) Rosenboom is in herfirst year as an elementary principalfor the Meade School District inS t u rgis, S.D.L a Vonne (Meyer) Wi t t eteaches eleme n t a ry special education in theRock Va l l e y, Iowa, CommunitySchool District as an employee ofA rea Education Agency Four. Herhusband, Scott ’79, is an administratorwith Hope Haven. The Wi t t e shave three children: Seth, a sophomo re at Northwest Iowa CommunityCollege; Sara, a high school sophomo re; and Erica, an eighth grader.’79Lisa (Tutt) Jones teaches fourth gradein the Iowa City Community SchoolDistrict.’81Chuck (Steve) Stevenson and his wife,Jane, live in Laughlin, Nev., wherehe has worked for the EdgewaterHotel and Casino as a waiter in theb u ffet for the past 15 years. He wasselected as the company’s employeeof the month last November.’82Debi De Va l o i s, Hemet, Calif., writesthat she has discovered a love for thet h e a t re and is enrolled in theatrecourses at Mount San JacintoCommunity College. She just finisheddoing a classical theatre showcasein which she perf o rmed twosoliloquies with some seasonedS h a k e s p e a rean perf o rm e r s .K u rt Rubsam, a biologist for Eart hTech, was on the crew that cleanedup after the Columbia space shuttledisaster last March. He spent thre eweeks in Texas looking for shuttlep a rts and working as the health andsafety training officer for the entirework crew (Enviro n m e n t a lP rotection Agency, NASA and subcontractors).His wife, D i a n e(Inselman ’81), is a certified medicalassistant in medical transcriptionwith Aurora Health Care inSheboygan, Wis. The Rubsams livein Oostburg with their four childre n :J e ff (18), Stephanie (13), Jacob (11)and Matthew (7).’ 8 3John Vander Stelt was commissionedto create a painting commemoratingthe 90th anniversary of Wells’ Dairy.The painting was unveiled Sept. 30at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlorin Le Mars. “Ice Cream Daze” showscompany founder Fred Wells Jr.scooping ice cream at an old-fashionedsoda fountain to a young manin a baseball uniform. Models for thepainting were Austin Janssen ’07 asthe baseball player and John’s son,Jack, as the little boy. John is seniordesigner at American Identity inOrange City.Lee Van Wy h e is now the vice pre s i-d e n t / i n f o rmation technology managerat First Federal Bank in SiouxC i t y. He previously was director ofi n f o rmation technology at Te rr aI n d u s t r i e s .’84Donna (Heerspink) Bunce has a newposition as classis youth coord i n a t o rfor the Christian Reformed Churc hin Zeeland, Mich. Her re s p o n s i b i l i t i e sinclude training, supporting anddeveloping youth programs withinthe Zeeland Classis, which includes20 churc h e s .’85Bob Vander Plaats has formed a consultingfirm, MVP Leadership Inc. ARepublican Party candidate for governor of Iowa in 2002, Vander Plaatss e rved Opportunities Unlimited inSioux City for seven years untilresigning in Febru a ry.’88Kevin Van Ve l d h u i z e nhas been playingprofessional basketball inE u ro p e s ’ International BasketballFederation for 13 years. He has beenwith the Oliveirense team inP o rtugal for four seasons.’89Kim (Cook) Looman, Holland, Mich.,is enjoying being a stay-at-home momfor the second year. Her oldest son,Tre v o r, is attending kinderg a rten atHolland Christian, where Kim taughtfor eight years. Kim’s husband, Ti m ,continues to work at Herman Millerin computers.Michelle (Skinner) Ritenour has quitteaching seventh grade to be a stayat-homemom. Her husband, S h a w n,is an assistant professor of economicsat Grove City College in Pennsylvania.The Ritenours can bereached at ritensr@yahoo.com.Paula Wa n k e nhas moved from theChicago area to near San Antonio tobe close to her sister, Julie (Wa n k e n’85) Gillen, and her family. Paula isthe administrative assistant to thedean of the School of HealthP rofessions at Baptist Health System.2 7 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

A l u m n ie w sN o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cM i n ip ro f i l eGratefully Busyby Amy ScheerTalk to Lois (Litka)G ruis some Sunday afternoon,and you’ll find she’sa l ready had a full day. Tw oSundays a month she playsthe organ and directs the bellchoir for Sheldon UnitedMethodist Church in Iowa;the second Sunday, she’s theo rganist for EmmanuelP resbyterian of Rushmore ,Minn.; and on the fourt hS u n d a y, she directs the bellchoir at First Lutheran ofWo rthington, Minn.Add to that her weekly50-60 private organ, pianoand vocal students (she’s lostcount), and she’s hardly gottime to sort the music that’sbeen piling up in her van.A demanding schedulefor anyone, not just for 76-y e a r-old Gruis. Even moreremarkable than her energeticlifestyle, however, isthat 30 years ago she hadd i fficulty speaking, let aloneteaching or directing music.B o rn with a cleft palate,the Bigelow, Minn., nativealways had put aside herd ream of becoming a classroomteacher. She studiedo rgan and taught a few studentsprivately, but it was notuntil 1972 that Gruis got her“miracle”: the ability to speakc l e a r l y, thanks to a pro s t h e t i cdevice called an obturator.She was quick to enroll atN o rt h w e s t e rn, taking asmany credits as she couldmanage with two kids athome in Sheldon. And in1976, at the age of 48, Gru i sgraduated with a musicmajor and an English minor.“I thanked God for thechance to be a teacher,” saysG ruis, who taught music forthe next 14 years, sharingtime between schools inAlumni: What’s New with Yo u ?Sioux City, Le Mars andOcheyedan, Iowa.In 1989, she paused tom a rry Hank, who showedup at her doorstep 50 yearsafter they last saw each other,saying, “Remember me?”Their 100-year-old farmhousein Wo rthington hasseen and heard many studentssince then, somepounding out notes withmom close at hand (Gru i sasks that parents attend thelessons—the “triangle oflove,” she calls it), manyre t u rning for a visit to theirLet us know so we can tell your friends and classmates. Send to: Office of PublicRelations, Nort h w e s t e rn College, 101 7th St. SW, Orange City, IA 51041. Or e-mail tobeeson@nwciowa.edu; fax number is 712-707-7370. Deadline for the spring C l a s s i ci sJan. 16.At age 76, Lois Gruis still makes music with scores of piano, organ and vocals t u d e n t s .f o rmer teacher.When Gruis isn’t teachingand Hank isn’t helpingsomeone farm, they maketime for travel. They’ve seenmost of the country by train,and Alaska by van, sleepingon their vehicle’s floor atnight. Hank has prostate cance r, so they live day by day,says Gruis. “That’s what youhave to do, don’t you?”This Christmas, Gru i sassembled her students andbell choirs for their fourt hannual Christmas recital inthe Wo rthington area. It’sh a rd to believe all thisseemed impossible at onetime. “I just needed achance,” she says of her longj o u rney toward becoming at e a c h e r. “Nort h w e s t e rn suregave me the chance.”She also puts her teaching degree touse as a part-time tutor with SylvanL e a rning Center.Name _________________________________________________________________A d d ress ________________________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Home Phone ________________________________________ Class of ____________E-Mail ________________________________________________________________’90Dawn (Knipple) Huizinga, Owatonna,Minn., writes to relate a story of Godanswering prayer at the right time.She and her husband, Tony ’89, hadbeen planning on going to October’s2 8 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

N o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cA l u m n ie w sPraise Gathering in Indianapolis formonths, but as the date neared, theyfelt they couldn’t aff o rd the cost ofmeals and lodging. The day afterthey started praying about whetherthey should go, Dawn found outthat her recipe for Pork Chop andPotato Bake won the $500 first-placeprize in Quick Cooking m a g a z i n e s’slow-cooker contest. The recipe willbe featured in the magazine’sJ a n u a ry / F e b ru a y r2004 issue. TheHuizingas used their winnings toattend the conference, and said theyhad a wonderful time worshipingwith 11,000 other people.’91Tim Snyder, Larchwood, Iowa, is inhis third year as principal at We s tLyon Elementary School. His wife,Sheri (Hoogeveen), is an office managerat Howalt McDowell Insurancein Sioux Falls.’92Capt. Lisa (Burris) Ciccare l l i ’s f a m i l ynow lives in Santa Clara, Calif.,w h e re she is a flight commander inc h a rge of satellite operations for amulti-billion dollar space program atOnizuka Air Force Station. Her husband,Chris, heads up the machineshop at Hi-Tech Manufacturing inCampbell. Their daughter, Ally (4), isin pre - k i n d e rg a rt e n .Mike Jacobsma is now a full part n e rwith the Klay, Veldhuizen, Bindner,De Jong and Jacobsma law firm inOrange City. He also teaches constitutionallaw and criminal law classesat Dordt College. His wife, J i l l(Huisken ’93), has been promoted tothe scheduling department at MED-TEC as a production planning coordi n a t o r.The Rev. Jason Olson, a May graduateof We s t e rn Theological Seminary, ispastor of Cro s s roads CommunityC h u rch in Estherville, Iowa.’93Brian Dirkx teaches third grade atS a c red Heart School in Spencer,Iowa, and serves as assistant baseballcoach. His wife, Michele (Koopmans),teaches English and is the head volleyballcoach at Spencer HighS c h o o l .Members of the Class of 1963 gathering at Homecoming included: (front ro w, left toright) John De Zeeuw, Ella (Duistermars) De Zeeuw, Twila Netten, Ken Netten;(second row) Paul Aykens, Carole (Kolenbrander) Aykens, June Van Oort, Betty( F o n k e rt) Ferrell; (third row) Jan (Hoogeveen) Peters, Judith (Herzog) Symens andD a rryl Tu rn w a l l .Lori De Jongh-Slight is the head volleyballcoach at Northwest MissouriState University. She was head coachat Des Moines Area CommunityCollege for the last four years. Herhusband, Jay, is principal and athleticdirector at Nodaway High Schoolin Hopkins. They live in Mary v i l l ewith their son, Nicholas (2).’94Jamie (Van Ruler) DeJong is a stay-athomemom in Leota, Minn. She alsos e rves as bookkeeper for the tru c k-ing business that her husband, Ivan,operates.’95Joel Kraai works at a bank in Denverand attends seminary part time. Hiswife, Lisa (Jarv i s ), is a paralegal.’96B ryce Assink is a re s e a rch chemist forPfizer in Portage, Mich. His wife,D a rcie (Dop), is a stay-at-home mom.The Rev. Jill (Zeiger) Ver Steeg is ministerof spiritual formation at Mere d i t hDrive Reformed Church in DesMoines. She graduated from We s t e rnTheological Seminary in May.’97Shannon (Claude) Cagle and her husband,Wayne, live in Kent, Wa s h .She is a stay-at-home mom for theirc h i l d ren, Jenna (4) and Noah (2),and is working toward a master’sd e g ree in teaching.Celebrating their 25th reunion were these members of the Class of 1978: (front ro w, left to right) Evan Peuse ’76, Shawn( D u i s t e rmars) Peuse, Shelley Heijerman, Mark Heijerman, Ruth (Korver ’81) Landegent, David Landegent; (second row) DuaneBeeson, Aletha (Koele) Beeson, Rob Va n ’t Land, Bonnie (Hoskins ’82) Va n ’t Land, Debbie (Sinkey) Rensink, Clyde Rensink ’77;( t h i rd row) Duane Feekes, Marilyn (Tjeerdsma) Feekes, Jim Mickelson, Kim (Witte) Mickelson, Deb (Dunlop) De Haan, DennisDe Haan, Lori (Vander Veen ’82) Vander Laan, David Vander Laan; (fourth row) Earl Woudstra, Karen (De Boer ’79)Woudstra, Jeff Meyn, Cheri (Block ’77) Meyn, Connie (Burg a rdt) Eekhoff, Tammy (DeNeui ’77) Sneller and Wayne Sneller.Shiran Nathaniel, Monte Vista, Colo.,is the operations manager forSodexho Campus Services at AdamsState College. His wife, K r i s t i(Nieuwendorp ’98), stays at homewith their three childre n .’98Lisa (Van Middendorp) De Smit a n dher husband, Tro y, live in Carm e l ,2 9 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

A l u m n ie w sN o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cM i n ip ro f i l eAlumna collects library awardby Emily Hennager ’06As a library work-studystudent at Nort h w e s t e rn ,Deborah (Van Egdom ’76)Hagemeier never dreamed ofsomeday being named SouthD a k o t a ’s Librarian of theYe a r. Yet that’s exactly whathappened this fall.H a g e m e i e r, technicals e rvices librarian atAugustana College’sMikkelsen Library, was re c-ognized by the South DakotaL i b r a ry Association for outstandingcontributions toe ffective and impro v e dl i b r a ry service in the commu n i t y.“I’ve been very involved,to the point where I knowmost of the librarians in thestate,” Hagemeier says. “I’vebeen fortunate enough to beincluded in key groups whow e re making decisions.”H a g e m e i e r, who hasworked at Augustana inSioux Falls for 18 years, alsoc redits her co-workers forhelping her succeed.“I have tremendous colleagues.They’ve made workingat Augustana a real pleasure. We encourage eachother to try new projects ands u p p o rt each other in thatre g a rd,” she says.Ronelle Thompson,d i rector of Mikkelsen Library,was a member of the gro u pthat nominated Hagemeierfor the award .“Her vision of whatlibraries can and should be,coupled with her passion top rovide excellent librarys e rvices, is an amazing combination,”says Thompson.Hagemeier understandsthe changing role of librariesin the community.“ We ’ re not a buildingwith walls anymore,” sheexplains. “We provide a servicethat extends beyond that.The easier we can make it forpeople to access the inform a-tion they need when theyneed it, the better we are . ”Technology has transfo rmed the way Hagemeierand her colleagues pro v i d ethese serv i c e s .“What I do now hard l ybears any resemblance towhat I did 18 years ago,”Hagemeier re f l e c t s .“ Technology has changede v e rything. When I firsts t a rted, the library had thre ecomputers. Now we have 30for the staff alone and another30 for visitors to use.”A biology major atN o rt h w e s t e rn, Hagemeierwas considering going intoo p t o m e t ry after graduation.H o w e v e r, as a senior she nolonger could see herself inthat field. She realized howmuch she enjoyed her workstudyjob in the library andbegan to think about re l a t e dc a reer possibilities.“I found there was sucha thing as medical libraries inhospitals and medicalschools, and I started lookingat library science as an alternative,”she re c a l l s .Hagemeier went on toDeborah Hagemeier, named SouthD a k o t a ’s Librarian of the Ye a r, firstbecame interested in her career as awork-study student at NWC.e a rn a master’s degree inl i b r a ry science from theUniversity of Iowa. Beforemoving to Sioux Falls, sheworked at the Iowa HospitalAssociation and at an environmentalengineering firm .Still, she looks back at hertime at NWC as being fundamentalto her care e r.“My experience atN o rt h w e s t e rn really gave methis sense of purpose andvocation. I feel that being alibrarian is God’s calling forme,” she said. “To me, winningthe award is an aff i rm a-tion of that calling.”Iowa. Lisa is publications secre t a ry atFirst Reformed Church in SiouxC e n t e r.Dawn Huibre g t s egraduated with anM.B.A. in finance and strategic managementfrom the University ofChicago in June. She works in corporatefinance for Harris Bank inC h i c a g o .Cam Olson received an M.B.A.d e g ree from Palm Beach AtlanticUniversity in May. He serves as athleticdirector and coaches varsitybasketball, track and cross country atLake Wo rth Christian School inF l o r i d a .C o ry Petersen is a marketing re p resentativefor Auto-Owners InsuranceCompany in Lincoln, Neb. His wife,Daphne (Baack ’01), is employed byMcBride and Associates as an executivedirector/lobbyist for several professionalassociations. They serve asyouth group sponsors at theirc h u rc h .Amanda Reeves is now the cre a t i v ed i rector for Family Harvest Churc hin Tinley Park, Ill.Ryan Stander graduated from Nort hAmerican Baptist Seminary after presentinga master’s thesis on theologyand the arts. He lives in Sioux Fallsand works as an admissions counselorfor the seminary.Betsy Van Noord is pursuing a Masterof Social Work degree at theUniversity of Illinois-Chicago. Shealso is completing an internship atthe Salvation Army and serving as an a n n y. Pre v i o u s l y, she taught fourt hgrade at a small Christian school inG u rnee, Ill., and fifth grade in a publicschool on Chicago’s West Side.’99Karla Cook moved in September toLas Vegas, where she works forHealthSouth. She assists physicaltherapists with patient tre a t m e n tt h ree times a week and works weekdayafternoons as head athletic trainerat Cimarron Memorial HighSchool, supervising high school studenttrainers.3 0 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

N o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cA l u m n ie w sRebecca (Vu g t e v e e n )and J a k eK i l l i n g e rhave moved from RapidC i t y, S.D., to Springfield, Ill., whereJake is enjoying his work at HopeEvangelical Free Churc h .Laura Netten is participating in am i s s i o n a ry internship program, theLuke 10 Challenge, for Mission toU n reached Peoples. She is serv i n gwith a team of missionaries inG o rz o w, Poland, through June 2004.She was youth director for OrangeC i t y ’s Trinity Reformed Church forfour years.Amy (Harder) Schumann received am a s t e r s ’ degree in Spanish with ateaching emphasis through theUniversity of Nort h e rn Iowa in May.She lives in Waukee, Iowa.’00Melissa (Muecke) and Jason Flanaganhave moved from Iowa City toO regon, Wis. Melissa graduatedf rom physical therapy school inDecember 2002. Jason is workingt o w a rd a master’s degree in geneticc o u n s e l i n g .The Rev. Michael Hard e m a ng r a d u a t-ed from We s t e rn TheologicalS e m i n a ry in May and is pastor ofAlumni from the Class of 1993 enjoying their class reunion were: (front ro w, left to right) Corey Hart h o o rn, Sharon (Davidson’94) Hart h o o rn, Rebecca (Luken) Jacoby, Troy Tu rnwall, Ann (Sybesma) Korv e r, Kris Korver ’92, Jeremy Vance, Jill Va n c e ;(second row) Wendy (Tigchon) Sterk, Shane Sterk, Dana (Smith) Daniels, Jill (Wassenaar) Reindl, Steve Korthuis, Robin(Bajema) Korthuis, Kristin (Fischer) Smith, Paul Smith; (third row) Brett Groen, Joline Schultz, Amy deVries, Nathan deVr i e s ,Jason Olson ’92, Kristen (Te Grotenhuis) Olson, Wendy Jo (Fastenow) Meyers, Stephen Meyers; (fourth row) Amy Whetsel,Kent Redeker, Heidi (Hensley ’94) Ts c h e t t e r, Brian Ts c h e t t e r, Darla (Hansen) Ubben, Eugene Ubben, David Hanson and Rachel(Zylstra) Hanson.Alton, Iowa, Reformed Churc h .The Rev. Troy Van Beek, a May graduateof We s t e rn Theological Seminary,is pastor of First Reformed Churc hin Fremont, Mich.’01Stephen Bloom, Marathon, Iowa, isoperations manager for BloomF a rms and Bloom Farms InterstateH a rv e s t i n g .Malissa Kraft is in her third year ofthe Doctor of Psychology degre ep rogram at Wheaton CollegeGraduate School.A paper on Genevieve Ta g g a rd byAlison Van Nyhuis has been publishedin HOW2, an online journ a lfor modern and contemporaryw o m e n s ’ writing. Alison is a Ph.D.student in English at the Universityof Florida.’02Nathan Huisman and his wife,Stephanie (Ells ’03), are both pursuinga Master of Divinity degree atWe s t e rn Theological Seminary.Amanda Magnuson is a graduate studentat the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is pursuing a master’sd e g ree in English with a cre a t i v ewriting emphasis.Sarah Yo d e ris a graduate student inEnglish and rhetoric at Te x a sChristian University, where she is therecipient of the Radford Fellowshipin Rhetoric and Composition.1998 alumni gathering for their reunion at Homecoming were: (front ro w, left to right) Brian Boote, Jim Daniels, JulieHofkamp, Jen (Rhinehart) Nathaniel, Sean Nathaniel, Damon Huibregtse, Jon Oosterhuis; (second row) Tara (Meyer)Madsen, Paul Smith, Jennie (Wolf) Smith, Jason Robertson, Kristin (King) Robertson, Emily (Eller) Vander Waal, Betsy Va nN o o rd, Sarah (Ubben) Hofland, Amber (Soldan) Wi d s t rom; (third row) Marla Van Steenis, Jill (Godeke) Hugen, Matt Hugen,Amy Wallace, Sarah (Huizenga) Kinne, Patrick Kinne, Leah (Evans) Schmidt and Cathy (Painter) Vande Hoef.’03Amber Bolkema is employed at We l l sF a rgo Financial Bank in Sioux Falls.Ajay Eshcol is a re s e a rch assistant fora cardiologist in the internal medicinedepartment at the University ofIowa Hospital.3 1 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

A l u m n ie w sN o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cPlanned givingn o t e sC o rnie Wassink ’73D i rector ofPlanned GivingSara Grieme received a Pro m i s i n gTeacher Aw a rd from the IowaCouncil of Teachers of English andLanguage Arts in October. She teachesat Hart f o rd, Iowa, Middle School.A n d rew Paterik is the director ofworship and music at Crete, Ill.,R e f o rmed Churc h .A n d rea (Brummel) Ta y l o ris workingfull time at First Reformed Churc hin Rock Valley as the worship, seniorhigh youth and music dire c t o r. Herhusband, Jason, is the churc h ’s education,junior high and young adultsd i re c t o r.Emily Van Roekel is a social workerat Hillcrest Health Plaza in Bellevue,N e b .A u b rey Van Sloten is teaching thirdgrade in Houston. Five other NWCgrads moved to Houston for teachingjobs this year. Aubrey lives withC a rmen Kaemingk and Nicky Sanders’ 0 2. A rt ’02 and Pam (Menschner) DeVo s and Angela Vande Brake ’02 a l s olive in the same complex and enjoyhaving their Texas Nort h w e s t e rncommunity as a home away fro mh o m e .Julie (Rutz) Wo n d e rc h e c kis the childre n ’s ministry director at HopeCommunity Church in Lincoln,Neb. Her husband, J o rd a n, is substituteteaching.Brandon Wo u d s t r ais playing pro f e s-sional basketball in Iceland. He isthe only American on the UMFN-N j a rdvik team, based in a suburboutside of Keflavik. The squad playsin the Epson League, Iceland’s topassociation, in the Intern a t i o n a lBasketball Federation.___ Please send me more information about the endowment program at Nort h w e s t e rn College.’04___ I am interested in establishing an endowment; please contact me.Eric Haley is pursuing a bachelor’sd e g ree in elementary education at___ Please send me information about the Nort h w e s t e rn College Heritage Society.Emporia State University in Kansas.N a m e :____________________________________________________________________ He __ earned _ an associate’s degree fro mJohnson County CommunityA d d re s s :___________________________________________________________________ College ___last summer.City:_________________________________________________________________________New A r r i v a l sState:_____________ Zip:___________________ Phone:______________________________Doris and Jan George ’85, daughter,E - m a i l :_____________________________________________________________________ Sydney __Janea, joins Mikayla andMail to: Development Office, Nort h w e s t e rn College, 101 7th St. SW, Orange City, IA 51041. Peyton.Michelle and Brian Boscaljon ’86,3 2 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4It keeps giving and giving and givingThe little “Energizer Bunny” in the commercial promoting long-lasting batterypower reminds me of the enduring character of an endowment fund. Onceestablished, it just keeps paying out money year after year after year. But unlikethe battery that eventually runs down, the endowment fund lasts in perpetuity.(And perpetuity is a long time.)The permanence of an endowment is exactly what attracts some of ourdonors to this means of supporting Nort h w e s t e rn College. They like the ideathat the principal of their gift will stay intact while the income, or at least a goodp a rt of it, will be used for a worthy cause. They realize they will be gone someda y, and their outright annual gifts will no longer be available to help meet current needs. Butt h rough an endowment, they can keep making their annual gifts.Some endowment donors are attracted to the opportunity an endowment gives to memorializea loved one or other respected person. They use this means to bring honor and re c o g n i t i o n .Some very thoughtful donors want to establish an endowment in their own name as ameans to place themselves on permanent re c o rd as persons who believe in and support a part i c-ular program or cause. In effect, these donors are saying, “My scholarship endowment lets meinvest my name and influence in an area of study or a program I feel very strongly about.”An endowment can be created during life or at death through a bequest or trust re m a i n d e r.It can be restricted to specific needs or unrestricted for general use. You can create your ownendowment or contribute to one that already exists. Endowments can be made at once with asingle gift or established over time with repeated gifts. Endowments can originate from a singles o u rce or through the eff o rts and support of many persons.Endowments are especially useful in drawing other family members into the giving are n a .For example, grandparents who establish an endowment in the family’s name are providing theirc h i l d ren and grandchildren with a continuing tie to Nort h w e s t e rn as well as a means for them toenjoy the satisfaction of seeing “their” annual endowment grant benefit a worthy cause.T h e re are other good reasons for tapping into endowment opportunities at NWC. You oweit to yourself and your family to consider this charitable option.At Nort h w e s t e rn College, we have developed sound policies for creating and managing ourendowment funds. This information is available upon request. Also, we can show you a varietyof ways you can use the tools of gift planning to make an endowment dream come true. We willbe happy to discuss this exciting area of philanthropy with you.The reply form below will let us know how to assist you. Please take a moment to fill it outand mail it in. We will respond immediately. If you would rather talk to someone in the developmentoffice, call us at 712-707-7106 or e-mail me at cwassink@nwciowa.edu.(Please complete and re t u rn this reply form . )

N o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cA l u m n ie w sM i n ip ro f i l eArlis Folkert ’s creativity in getting children to read helped her win a teacher- l i b r a r i-an award given by the Manitoba School Library Association.F o l k e ts r soaksstudents in learn i n gby Duane BeesonF rom her first day as the teacher-librarian at AngusMcKay School in Winnipeg, Manitoba, teachers and studentsalike realized that Arlis (Wassink ’81) Folkerts was not as t e reotypical librarian.The pillow-lined claw-footed bathtub she hauled in hadsomething to do with it.“Kids fight to read in it,” says second-grade teacherNicole Smith.In other eff o rts to immerse students in reading, Folkert shad students make “story gloves” with tiny props on each fingerto help them tell a story visually; assigned children to createa “bio in a box,” a compilation of written information andvisuals about a person whose biography they had re a d ,a rranged inside a pizza box; and taught students how to useplasticine art to create their favorite book characters.“What makes Arlis extraord i n a ry is her cre a t i v i t y, willingnessto try new things, technological knowledge as well asc u rr i c u l a r, and her professional ability to work well withe v e ryone on staff,” says Smith.The Manitoba School Library Association agreed withS m i t h ’s assessment of Folkerts, naming her the 2003Outstanding Te a c h e r-Librarian of the Year for the pro v i n c e .“The award is great,” says Folkerts, “but the value in itfor me is that my staff were the ones who nominated me.Their words of appreciation and support really touched me.”That aff i rmation made it especially tough for the SiouxCenter native to leave her teacher-librarian position this fall tobecome the full-time assessment consultant for the River EastTranscona School Division. She had served half time in bothroles for the previous two years.“I loved taking literature or a curriculum theme andmaking it come alive for kids. I’m sure I’ll come back to thel i b r a ry someday,” she says. “But now I can devote my energ i e sto one job.”As assessment consultant, Folkerts works with administratorsand teachers in 45 schools to measure their success inmeeting standards and strategize on how to improve. Sheo ffers workshops to help new teachers understand classro o m -based assessment, and she organizes divisional tests.“I always find it a challenge to take the numbers—howstudents did in their school and divisionally—and transformit into something that’s meaningful for the school and teacher,to help them see growth over time.”F o l k e rts, who spent 17 years at Wi n n i p e g ’s CalvinChristian School as a teacher and librarian and later served asa regional consultant for the Manitoba Department ofEducation, had an inauspicious introduction to the teachingfield. Planning to attend Nort h w e s t e rn for only one year, shee n rolled in a Foundations of Education course because herroommate, Renita (Te Slaa ’80) Kahlstorf, was in it.“I loved it,” says Folkerts. “It was one of those life-changingexperiences that you don’t realize at the time.”P e rhaps like developing a love for books while sitting ina tub.daughters by adoption fro mHaiti, Wendy Jennifer Michaelle(8) and Seréa Desiree (2), joinJonathan (11), Michaela (8),Jessica (4) and Joshua (2).Tim and Kim (Cook ’89) Looman,son, Wesley Scott, joins Tre v o r( 6 ) .Michelle (Skinner ’89) and S h a w nRitenour ’89, daughter by adoption,Helena Sophia.Jody (Klein ’91) and Milo McDowell’ 9 2, son, Jacob Robert, joinsColin (3) and Ryan (1).Al and Rhonda (Friese ’91) Slight, son,Samuel John, joins Jessica (1).Sheri (Hoogeveen ’91) and Ti mSnyder ’91, son, Payton, joinsBrandon (8), Colin (6) andJaden (4).Michele (Koopmans ’93) and B r i a nDirkx ’93, son, Devin, joinsJenna (4).Jill (Huisken ’93) and Mike Jacobsma’ 9 2, daughter, Brooke Elizabeth,joins Jacquelyn (10) andMatthew (8).Robin and Trent Sorbe ’93, son,Matthew Carson, joins Josh (6)and Kyle (3).Ivan and Jamie (Van Ruler ’94)D e J o n g, son, Adam Wallace, joinsJacob (5), Rachel (5) and Laure n( 1 ) .Heidi (Hensley ’94) and B r i a nTschetter ’93, son, Jesse, joinstwins Chloe and Kelsey (2).D a rcie (Dop ’96) and B ryce Assink’ 9 6, son, Carter Kelly, joins Marisa(3).Nicole (Molnau ’96) and Peter Gepson’ 9 3, daughter, Emma Rose, joinsJack (3).Tim and Karla (Ploeger ’96) Geyer,son, Luke Nathaniel.Melissa (Remus ’97) and B r a dHofmeyer ’96, daughter, Morg a nLynn, joins Cameran.Jason and Missy (Snoke ’98) Bro o m e,son, Josiah Michael.Kristi (Nieuwendorp ’98) and S h i r a nNathaniel ’97, daughter, Alaina3 3 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

A l u m n ie w sN o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cM i n ip ro f i l eMom turns political activistby Tamara Fynaard tJennifer Zora took her husband and kids to the state capitol to witness the signingceremony for the bill named for their family.Jennifer (Va n D e r We rff ’89) Zora might have sung alongwith Schoolhouse Rock’s I’m Just a Bill when she was a kid:“I’m just a bill . . . sitting here on Capitol Hill. Well, it’s along, long journey to the capital city. It’s a long, long waitwhile I’m sitting in committee, but I know I’ll be a law someda y. At least I hope and pray . . .”N o w, after spending two years re s e a rching and then campaigningfor passage of Bill 5437—the Zora Bill—maybe the3 6 - y e a r-old mother of four could write her own musicalabout America’s political pro c e s s .Zora argues that the political savvy in her family went tob rother Jeff ’83, a political science professor at Nort h w e s t e rn .“A year into this, I told him, ‘I’ll fall down dead before I getinvolved in politics.’ And he said, ‘Too late.’”The Zoras live near the border between the BattleG round and Hockinson, Wash., school districts. Curre n t l yzoned Battle Ground but closer to the smaller, saferHockinson schools, they and 17 neighbors are petitioning asecond time for a redrawn boundary. Right now familiesapply for border exemptions that are ruled on by Hockinson’sschool board.So far two of Zora’s children are enrolled in Hockinson,her son’s border exemption coming after he’d spent eight daysin a Battle Ground school. But there are two more, and theire n rollment in the same school as their siblings isn’t guaranteed.A former educator, Zora and her neighbors first petitionedtheir regional educational organization for a newb o u n d a ry two years ago. They were denied. Zora made aphone call: “I was told parents had no appeal rights. If we’dhave won, though, the Battle Ground school board did havethe right to appeal the decision to try to keep our childre n —and tax dollars—in their district.” It didn’t seem fair.Z o r a ’s legislator, Senator Don Benton, agreed. He draftedthe Zora Bill, which allowed appeal rights for all parties inschool district boundary disputes.In the following months, Zora spent hours e-mailing andcalling legislators. She testified before the Senate and Houseeducation committees and even traveled to Olympia with hertoddlers to free the bill after a House legislator placed a holdon it. “I gave my kids snacks, knocked on doors and basicallytold legislators, ‘We ’ re not leaving until the hold is re l e a s e d . ’ ”The bill received legislative approval last April, and theZoras attended its signing by Gov. Gary Locke. A fair appealsp rocess secure, they and their neighbors now have drafted asecond petition.“It felt like an internship in politics,” says Zora, addingthat it was more re s e a rch and work than her master’s thesis.“But it made me think that if every citizen did just one bill intheir life, our government might be more accessible—anda c c o u n t a b l e .“I learned, too, that Christians need to be involved ing o v e rnment. I had to check my motives constantly becausethe process doesn’t have a lot of integrity. Luke 8:16 wastaped to my computer so I was always reminded: Be a light inthe political pro c e s s . ”Michelle, joins Lexie (4) andBrian (2).Keith and Jennifer (Wiersema ’98)P ro b s t, daughter, Madison Nicole.Kristin (King ’98) and J a s o nR o b e rtson ’98, son, DevinWilliam, joins Braden (2).Annalisa (De Jong ’98) and To d dSchmidt ’95, son, Luke Donavon.Cathy (Painter ’98) and Jayson Va n d eHoef ’97, daughter, Vi c t o r i aCatherine.Mike and Laura (Schoolen ’98) Va nDer Linden, daughter, BrittanyJ a n e .J e ff and Amy (Harder ’99) Schumann,d a u g h t e r, Mia Elizabeth.K a ren (Van Zanten ’99) and M a t tWe s t e n b e rg ’00, daughter, KaitlynGrace.Gena (Fiihr ’00) and Matt Schmidt’ 0 0, daughter, Gabrielle Rae.Daphne (Baack ’01) and C o ryPetersen ’98, daughter, MadelineSadie.M a r r i a g e sJessica Nissen ’00 and DamonE a rn s h a w, Kansas City, Mo.Megan Bomgaars ’02 and B e n j a m i nRoos ’00, Iowa City, Iowa.Angela Schreuder ’02 and Jason Va nGorp, Pella, Iowa.Erin Bruins ’03 and D e rek Beekhuizen’ 0 2, Oak Lawn, Ill.Stephanie Ells ’03 and N a t h a nHuisman ’02, Holland, Mich.The couples reside in the city listed.3 4 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

N o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cC l a s s i t ch o u g h t sFaithful Support of Artby Dan Addington ’85N o rt h w e s t e n rCollege’s artd e p a rtment has a new building—onethat’s actually oncampus. It’s a good new day.I’ve got to admit, though, that I loved that reclaimed cre a m-e ry. There was something redemptive about working in an oldbuilding like that. An art i s t s ’ studio can be many things—laborato ry, workshop, sanctuary, meditation chamber. A humble corn e rthat Professor Rein Va n d e rhill carved out for me on the top floorof Bushmer was my first taste of those things.God has blessed me. From that humble corner on, I’ve hadthe opportunity to live a life around art. Through my love of art ,n u rt u red at Nort h w e s t e rn, God has made himself known to me,p rofoundly and consistently. Next to his Wo rd, it has been myg reatest source of re v e l a t i o n .But the more I followed this path, the more I became awarethat many of my bre t h ren didn’t share my love of art. At first Ii g n o red it—chalked it up to “taste.” I had other concerns, paintingsto make. But as I continued through grad school, I felt I wasstraddling a gulf that slowly was widening. Many of my art i s tfriends were suspicious of Christianity; many of my Christianfriends, suspicious of art. The former wasn’t a surprise, but thelatter dismayed and confused me.Why were my Protestant and evangelical brothers who had“seen the light” seemingly so blind to the fact that God gives us,t h rough art, a glimpse into his creative nature? One word keptpopping up in my reading: i c o n o c l a s m. Soon I realized this wasn’tabout my friends anymore. It was about Calvin—and the wholeP rotestant tradition.Of course, the Reformers get a bit of a bum rap. There werea number of cultural reasons why the visual arts were marg i n a l-ized by the Protestant church. But they overdid it. Our Reform e dtradition has an iconoclastic history that has left pro f o u n dimprints on the way Christians view art today. Yet while anemphasis is rightly placed on the word in our theology, we can’tf o rget that the Wo rd (logos) became flesh. Our acts of cre a t i o n —making something new from raw materials, giving form to theu n f o rmed—point to the creation, the incarnation and ourre d e m p t i o n .As an artist and a Christian, I’ve had many conversationsabout faith and art which have included questions like, “Howdoes the artist express his faith?” and “Is there such a thing asChristian art?” But these matters work themselves out in an art i s t s’studio. An art i s t s ’ faith and art can’t be separated. Artwork, if madeh o n e s t , l yis a true re c o rd of the journey the artist takes. If faith isp a rt of that journ e y, it can’t help but be part of the artwork.I’m not worried about the practice of Christian artists. But asa Christian who is also a curator and gallery dire c t o r, I’m conce rned about patronage. I believe Christians in the arts can helpt r a n s f o rm not just the church, but the world. But how can awork of art have an effect if it’s not seen?Just as some Christians are called to make art, others mustfollow the calling to support it—to show it, purchase it, curate it,write about it, find it a venue, give it a home. In short, to bep a t rons.Considering its history, can the Reformed church imagine foritself a role in giving the visual arts a venue and voice? Are congregationspre p a red to make a place for Christian visual artists in theirmidst? Are Christians who have the re s o u rces to support Christiana rtists going to help? How can the Christian community imagineways of incorporating artwork into our churches, businesses andh o m e s ?God speaks to all of us through his artists and their art w o r k .The act of living with art transcends consumerism, entert a i n m e n tand decoration. It taps into our imagination and changes us. Itp rovides us with one of the last refuges from the daily soullessb a rrage of advertising and information; it offers an altern a t i v ewith depth, power and spirit. It creates a place for stillness, re f l e c-tion and significant thought.As God’s people, we are called to form culture, not simplyfollow it. Throughout history, the patrons of the art s — w h e t h e rthe church or the individual collector—have done this. It’s timefor both artists and patrons within the church to rediscover waysto impact our visual culture. We’ve seen a renewed patronage inthe church toward contemporary music and theatre. Will thevisual arts be next?In much of contemporary art, there seems to be a re n e w e dopenness to spiritual themes and inquiry. Meanwhile in evangelical,Protestant and Reformed congregations, we see innovativea p p roaches to worship, with simultaneous interest in earlier re l i-gious traditions. Perhaps colleges like Nort h w e s t e rn will be part ofthe vanguard of an artistic revival and cultural shift from withinthe church and in the world. Maybe the power we discovert h rough the appreciation and use of art in our churches andlives might equip us to be a witness to the world in a new andp o w e rful way in the 21st century. Considering our history, that’sa tall ord e r. Are we ready?Dedicating a new facility in the center of a Christian campusto the shelter, nurt u re and pro g ress of future art i s t s — w e l l ,t h a t ’s a good start .Dan is director and co-owner of the Gwenda Jay/Addington Gallery in Chicago.Next March, a survey of his recent work will be mounted by St. Cloud StateU n i v e r s i . t His y artwork can be viewed online at www. d a n a d d i n g t o n . c o m .3 5 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4

Northwestern College101 7th St. SWOrange City, IA 51041Ph. 712-707-7000 (switchboard)www.nwciowa.eduNon-ProfitU.S. PostagePaidSP&DChange Service Requested“Students here take theirfaith very seriously; that’ssomething I admire.”Dr. Bala MusaCommunication Studies ProfessorI am NorthwesternI’m delighted to see students grow. The opportunity to mentorstudents and grow along with them is why I started teaching. Mygoal is to come alongside students, find what they’re passionateabout and encourage them in those areas. I’m continuallyimpressed with the dedication of Northwestern students; theyare very disciplined and diligent. When you support theNorthwestern Fund, you enable faculty like me to continuepreparing students to be vital contributors in the world.NorthwesternCollegeA whole education for your whole life.Contact Jennie Smith, Director of the Northwestern Fund, to find out howyou can help faculty like Bala help students. Phone: 712-707-7110;e-mail: smith@nwciowa.edu; www.nwciowa.edu/giving/dRelive thoseHappy DaysAt the ’50s-themed Gala AuctionSaturday, Feb. 21, 2004Silent auction begins at 6 p.m. • Audible bidding starts at 7 p.m.Roll up those jeans, grease your hair, pull the poodle skirt out of thecloset and enjoy some golden oldies. (Costumes not required.)To donate items, call 1-800-588-6692, e-mail Karen Woudstra atkarenw@nwciowa.edu or go to www.nwciowa.edu/alumni/gala. Check theWeb site after Christmas for numerous items available for online bidding.Call to register for childcare.Auction books available Feb. 13.Last year more than $37,000 was raised, helping fund scholarships for 26 students.36 ▲ Winter 2003-04

Northwestern College | Classic - Winter 2003-04

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