Brown Bulletin - John Brown University€¦ · fund to benefit students in the biblical studies...

a publication for alumni & friends of JOHN BROWN UNIVERSITY

Summer2006

Brown BulletinAlumni and

Awana Clubs:Dedicated to

Children’s Ministry

Cole Breaks National

Basketball Records

9 MoreThanJustChild’sPlay AlumnusLarryFowlerisleadingAwanaClubsInternationaleffortstoreach childrenaroundtheworld. byMelodyMiller

18 SharpShooter JBUseniorBrandonColeisnotonlyamodelstudentandathlete,buthasalso brokenseveralnationalcollegebasketballrecords. byDustinTracy

John Brown University provides Christ-centered education that prepares people to honor God and serve others by developing their intellectual, spiritual, and professional lives.

5 JBUinFocus

8 Chaplain’sCornerbyTracyBalzer

15 PerspectivesOn... “NurturingSpiritualityinourChildrenandGrandchildren” byHollyCattertonAllen

16 $10MillionChallengeUpdate

17 StudentJournal“AGirlNamedNorma”

21 JBUAdvancement CorporateandFamilyFoundationsSupportJBU byAprilL.Moreton

22 StoriesfromtheRoadbyEricGreenhaw

23 AlumniNews

35 FlashbackJBUStarAthletes

Summer 2006

Editor Andrea Phillips

Contributing Writers Lindsay Larsen Andrea Phillips Lead Designer Andrea Phillips Design Assistance Allen Dempsey Amanda Babcock

Production Assistance Christine Mescher

Proofreaders Cheryl KesterSharon Smith

Photographers Mark Jackson Cade Truitt

Printer Magna IV Printing

The Brown Bulletin is the official publication of John

Brown University. It is published at 2000 West Uni-

versity Street, Siloam Springs, Arkansas 72761.

To submit story ideas, photos, feedback:

Andrea Phillips

Director of University Communications

[email protected]

Alumni information:

Jerry Rollene

Director of Alumni and Parent Relations

[email protected]

Admissions information:

888-JBU-INFO

[email protected]

www.jbu.edu/admissions

To submit alumni news and photos:

[email protected]

www.jbu.edu/alumni/magazine/index.asp

For information about giving to JBU:

www.jbu.edu/giving or (800) 446-2450

Dear Alumni and Friends of JBU,

Greetings.Wehavejustfinishedgraduatingarecordnumberof studentshereat JBU, and it is deeply satisfying to watch faculty, staff, students, and families come together to celebrate during graduation ceremonies. We have added a baccalaureate worship service on Friday evening for the traditional undergraduates and their families, andatthisservice,IspoketothemfromIsaiah40:28-31.Iwantedtousethisfinaltimeof worship in the Cathedral to remind them of some of God’s attributes. We have a God of the long view. He accomplishes His purposes over the long haul. He measures results over a lifetime, not over a semester or even over four years. He sees the trajectory of our lives, and He understands how hardship, success, and challengefitintothattrajectory. We have a God who does not grow tired or weary. We grow tired and weary from the strain of life. However, we serve a God that is with us in our weariness because He neither slumbers nor sleeps. He restores, sustains, and renews us through even the mostdifficultof circumstances. We have a God whose understanding we can never fully fathom. God’s mind isnotourmind,andthattruthisdifficulttoacceptwhenconfrontedwithlife’ssuffering.We want to understand God’s mind about the stillborn child, the AIDS victims in Africa, the tsunami in Asia, the divorce of our parents, or the rejection of our friends. But the prophet rightly reminds us that we will never fully probe the mind of God, that we will never fully have His perspective. We must trust now and understand later. I ended my baccalaureate message by reading a note that I had received from a student the week before. He writes: “When I came to JBU I was a person that had my life compartmentalized; in one box I had my Christian ideals, and in another box I had the way I actually lived my life. Over the years here I started to meet students, professors, speakers, and others who were unlike most of the Christians that I had known before; their Christian walk was personal, and their faith was actually tangible. ... Eventually, it made me turn back to the Bible. I turned to God, and He started to redefinemyfaith....Icameinasawoundedsoul,andIamleavinghereasapersonsolidifiedinChrist,weakinmyownnaturebutstrengthenedbeyondmylimitationsbyGod’s presence. Thank you.” Notes such as this one remind me of the good work being done by so many here at JBU. The rest of this Brown Bulletin has other reminders of that good work. I trust that you will be as encouraged as I have been in reading these stories and recognizing that God continues to be at work through John Brown University.

God-speed,

Dr. Charles W. Pollard

features

departments

presidentletter from the

Brown Bulletin

JBUenjoysawardseason5 AlumniandAwanaministertochildren9

c ov e r p h oto Mark Jackson ’90

p i c t u r e d Alex Larsen, son of Lindsay (Dikes) Larsen ’03

Record-breakerBrandonCole18

� Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 �

jbuinfocus

WalkerGiftAdds$1MilliontoEndowedScholarshipFunds

In January, the Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Founda-tion, Inc. pledged $500,000 to JBU’s endowed scholarship fund to benefit students in the biblical studies division. Be-cause the Walker Foundation gift qualified for JBU’s $10 Million Challenge campaign, it was matched with $500,000 from an anonymous donor to create a $1 million endow-ment. This Walker endowment fund will provide significant scholarships to 15 to 20 students each year beginning in the fall 2006 semester.

“JBU is deeply grateful to the Walker Foundation for this wonderful gift. It will benefit JBU students for genera-tions,” said JBU President Chip Pollard. “The students in our biblical studies division are some of our finest. They go out from JBU to become leaders in churches, camps, youth programs, missions, and social services organizations throughout Northwest Arkansas and around the world. The Walker scholarship fund will make a great difference in helping these students earn their JBU degree and continue to serve others.”

The Walker Foundation designated its funds to students working toward a degree in the biblical studies division. This includes students who are studying biblical and theo-logical studies, cross-cultural services, children and family ministries, outdoor leadership ministries, youth ministries, and family and human services.

KLRCNamedRadioStationoftheYearJBU radio station 101.1 FM KLRC was selected by the

Gospel Music Association (GMA) as Radio Station of the Year from a national pool of small-market Christian radio stations. KLRC is the only college station to win the award in GMA’s history.

GMA awarded KLRC this most prestigious honor in Christian radio (formerly known as the Dove Award) based on industry leadership, ratings, overall on-air sound, as well

as community involvement. This is KLRC’s third Station of the Year award in the past five years. Sean Sawatzky ’96, station manager, attributes the station’s success to its focus on community involvement.

“If we aren’t serving the people who listen to our sta-tion, we are no different than a CD player, iPods, or satellite radio,” he said. “Christian radio is a partnership—a relation-ship, and we must never lose sight of this.”

In the past year, KLRC experienced record growth as it became one of the top stations in Northwest Arkansas with 50,000 lis-teners.

“I am excited to share this award with our listeners,” Sawatzky said. “They play such an important role in KLRC’s success. This honor is their’s as much as it is our’s!”

Since KLRC features many stu-dent disc jockeys, program director Melody Miller ’00, emphasized the value of the award for undergraduates in JBU’s communication division. “It is exciting for our students who get to learn at an award-winning station,” Miller said. “Also, it is great for JBU and KLRC to be recognized in this way.”

KLRC received the award statuette during the 37th Annual GMA Music Awards, formerly the Dove Awards, on April 5. The program was broad-cast through national syndication at various times in April and May.

JBUSIFESweepsRegionalCompetition,HeadstoNationals

JBU’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team presented their projects and were named regional champions at the 2005-2006 SIFE regional competition in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, April 12. The team advances to the national SIFE competition in Kansas City, May 21-23.

During com-petition, each SIFE team gives a well-rehearsed, extensive multimedia presen-tation explaining their projects, which support and promote free enterprise in their communities and beyond, educate

others in personal

Appreciation for Katrina Help

My name is Diane Phillips, and I live in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. Week before last, we noticed buses from JBU in the area. I wanted to take just a second of your time to express our appreciationtothestudentsof JBUfortheirtimeandselflessefforton behalf of the people of St. Bernard Parish. Without the time donated by the many university and church organizations, many of the displaced people would be unable to return. The neighborhood your bus was in is made up of many older couples, at or near retirement age. Many of them had no floodinsuranceandsimplydonothavethefundsneededtorepairtheir homes. The students have helped lift the spirits of many forgotten victims of the storm. They give us hope that maybe the world hasn’t forgotten us after all. We pray that God will continue to bless JBU and the students, as well as the parents and teachers that encourage these young people in their charitable work. Thanks to them and the many other students from across the nation, this small section of St. Bernard Parish has a good start on rebuilding and repairing their lives. Please keep our community in your prayers and thoughts.

Sincerely,

Diane PhillipsSt. Bernard Parish, LA

Thank You, Professors

Dear JBU Professors: Greetings from sunny San Pedro Sula, Honduras! After four years at JBU, now I am back in my home country. I work for the Coca-Cola Company as a market and operations analyst. It has been always my dream to work for a global company, and what a better opportunity than The Coca-Cola Company that has operations worldwide. I am using all the knowledge that every one of you taught me while at JBU. For you to have an idea, I use:

• Micro/Macroeconomics: This has helped me a lot in order to prepare weekly and monthly reports about our business. (Thanks, Dr. Butts.) •Financialspreadsheets,accounting,finance:IuseExceltoproduce reports every single day! (Thanks, Mr. McCullough and Dr. Kenelley.) • Statistics,financialmath: Mostof my jobhas todowithinterpreting numbers from HUGE database systems and making analysis of these! (Thanks, Walito.) • Leadership and management: I have to negotiate with our bottler every day, so I make use of all the concepts and techniques thatIlearnedintheleadershipclassestoalwaysfinishinawin-win situation. (Thanks, Dr. Haak.) • Project management: I have to be very careful with everything that has to do with project management. (Thanks, Mr. O’Brien.) • Ethics: Every day at work I remember the principles and ethics values that I learned as a business student at JBU, in my

classes and every day living at JBU! (Thanks, Dr. Copeland and everybody.) • International marketing: Working for such a global company, I better know how to interpret and understand international issues affecting our business. (Thanks, Mr. King.) • Business communication: I have to prepare a lot of business presentations, and I need to be clear and concise in order to communicate effectively. (Thanks, Mr. Balla.)

I always remember my time at JBU, and I hope I can visit you soon. Thank you for being such wonderful teachers, mentors, and friends! God bless you all.

Sincerely,

Hernán A. Reyes ’05 Market & Operations Analyst - HondurasThe Coca-Cola Company, Latin Center Division

No Escaping JBU or Rose Bud

JBU Friends, I just got a phone call from a friend, Paul, from Rose Bud, Arkansas (where I grew up). He was in the Viet Nam war and just returnedfromvisitingVietNamforthefirsttimesincethewar.In Saigon, he sat down in a restaurant and started visiting with a husband and wife who, as it turned out, are American missionaries to Saigon. They asked him where he’s from, and he laughed and said, “A place you’ve never heard of: Rose Bud, Arkansas.” They started laughing and said, “Yes, we have. We both graduated from a little private college in Northwest Arkansas in the ’80s and had an English teacher who told wild stories about Rose Bud.” Paul said, “That must have been JBU and Shirley Thomas.” They screamed, “Yes!” It was Jennifer (Foy) Hetrick ’85 and her husband Tim ’85. What are the chances that in Saigon someone from Rose Bud, Arkansas, would run into someone who graduated from JBU, much less who knew someone from Rose Bud? Paul said, “Shirley, I went 15,000 miles! Woman, there is no getting away from you!” The world is small and JBU really is internationally-known, both in Rose Bud and Saigon. I guess we’d better behave ourselves because we can never escape.

Shirley Forbes Thomas, Ph.D.President, Thomas-Forbes & Kester, LLCFayetteville, AR

Letters are published with the permission of the author. Some letters have been edited for length. Not all letters can be published. Published letters will be selected based on the value of their content, tone, clarity, and other similar characteristics. Send your letters by e-mail to Andrea Phillips at [email protected] or by U.S. mail to: Andrea Phillips, Brown Bulletin Editor, John Brown University, 2000 West University Street, Siloam Springs, AR 72761.

Letters

Pat Walker and Debbie Walker stand with some of JBU’s biblical studies students. The Walker Foundation scholarships will

benefit students in the biblical studies division.

KLRC is the only college radio station in the history of the GMA awards to be named Radio Station of the Year.

JBU’s SIFE team celebrates their win at the regional competition in Dallas.

6 Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 �

and professional finance issues, and impact the lives of others through entrepreneurship. JBU’s team highlighted only a few of their projects, including community develop-ment in Guatemala, financial education for single parents in Northwest Arkansas, and training in small business funda-mentals for school-aged children.

Each team in the regional competition was assigned to one of ten different leagues for the process of elimination. Each league names six finalists for Individual Topic Compe-titions (ITC). The ITCs include: the Aflac Market Econom-ics Competition, the Discover Financial Services Success Skills Competition, the Sam’s Club Entrepreneurship Com-petition, the HSBC Financial Literacy Competition, the Campbell’s/Sealed Air Business Ethics Competition, and the GE Consumer Products Program Sustainability Com-petition.

JBU’s SIFE was the only team called forward in its league and was named a national finalist for all six catego-ries. The team received $500 for each of the six ITC awards and $1,500 for being named regional champion.

The JBU team’s success is more remarkable than usual because, for three of the four student presenters, English is their second language.

JBU’s team has continually ranked among the top teams in the nation. Three years ago JBU SIFE placed third in the nation, and the last two years JBU SIFE has tied for fifth in the nation. For results of the 2006 national competition, visit www.jbu.edu/news.

JBUBusinessTeamsWin1st,2nd,and3rdinGovernor’sCup

JBU students who prepared business plans for Donald W. Reynold’s Governor’s Cup for Entrepreneurial Devel-opment took three of the top six awards in the statewide competition. The awards were presented in Little Rock, Ar-kansas on April 12. Of the 63 undergraduate business plans submitted for the 2006 competition from four-year institu-tions around the state, four from JBU were among the 12 chosen to compete in the semi-final round.

The AgSolutions Corp. team, made up of JBU seniors Shawn Gatton, Meghan Kelly, Melody Masis, and Laura Redmond, received first place for the technology award (a $5,000 prize) and placed second overall (a $10,000 prize) in the undergraduate division. They presented a plan for creat-ing “Bio-Energy” pellets from poultry litter and corn for use as an alternative heating source in poultry houses and large manufacturing facilities.

Sabor Latino, comprised of JBU sophomore Seth

For more information about these and other news stories, visit www.jbu.edu/news

Hildenbrant and seniors Emily McGuire, Ellie Thoene, and Leidi Urbina, won third place (a $5,000 prize) in the un-dergraduate division for their proposed Spanish language entertainment center, which would be the largest supplier of Spanish-language movies, books, and music in Northwest Arkansas.

In addition to prize money for those who won, students involved in the competition gained access to networks of successful entrepreneurs, leaders, and investors from Ar-kansas.

VilaAwardedFulbrightScholarGrantDr. David Vila, associate professor of biblical studies,

has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant as a lecturer and researcher at Yarmouk University in Irbid, Jordan. Vila will work in Jordan August 2006 through June 2007. He will teach History of Western Thought to graduate-level students in the English department.

Yarmouk University is a state university that has approx-imately 20,000 students. Vila’s research project, titled “The Churches of Abila: From Byzantine to Islamic Rule,” will be an archaeological investigation of the transition from Byzantine to Islamic culture in northern Jordan and its impact on the Christian populations of the region.

The Fulbright program, the U.S. government’s flagship program in inter-national educational exchange, was de-veloped in 1946 for promoting “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries of the world,” according to the program web site. Fulbright Scholars lec-ture or conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields.

JBUVirtualTourReachesTopHonorsNot only is the JBU virtual tour a practical tool allow-

ing web site visitors to see the JBU campus, but it is also an award-winning multimedia presentation. Launched on the JBU web site in 2005, the virtual tour was awarded the highest rating—four stars—by CampusTours.com and was selected as the feature tour on their home page in Decem-ber. In April, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) recognized the JBU virtual tour with their highest award—the Grand Award—in the category of Audiovisual Communications—Multimedia Presentations for CASE District IV. (District IV includes state and pri-vate colleges and universities in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico.)

The virtual tour was created by Chad Weaver ’05 as his digital media senior project. Weaver worked with JBU Uni-

versity Communications in the development process.“Chad did a fantastic job putting the tour together. It’s

both functional and visually appealing,” said Andrea Phil-lips, director of university communications. “I’m thrilled that it not only shows off our beautiful campus, but also the abilities and talents of one of our own students.”

The tour, which is hosted by junior Daniel Ostendorf, al-lows viewers to watch an automated presentation featuring the buildings and areas of campus or to take a self-guided tour by navigating and clicking on a campus map.

Because the tour was created before the completion of the Soderquist Business Center (SBC), the original version only mentioned the new building but did not have images or information about it. Anticipating the future need to include the SBC, Weaver and Ostendorf prepared the SBC sections of the tour to be added later. Once the building was com-pleted, University Communications worked with Weaver to insert photos and the prerecorded material into the tour.

To view the JBU virtual tour, go to www.jbu.edu and click the “Virtual Tour” link.

JBUAdvancePrograminEarlyChildhoodEducationTakesOff

Recognizing the need for qualified teachers in Arkan-sas and the desires of many adults wanting to move into the education field, JBU launched a new degree program in early childhood education in 2005 as part of the already successful Advance Program. Since the education program began in January 2005, demand has been so great that JBU is expanding the education program to its Springdale and Fort Smith centers for spring 2007. Plans are being made to take the program to Little Rock in January 2008.

The Advance Program is a degree completion program designed specifically for working adults who wish to com-plete a bachelor’s degree while continuing their work and family responsibilities. Advance Program stu-dents can choose from the organizational man-agement, business in-formation systems, and now early childhood education programs. Students who complete the education program will receive their bach-elor of science in edu-cation (B.S.E.) and be eligible for licensure to teach preschool through fourth grade in Arkan-sas.

“This program is rig-orous,” Dr. Gloria Gale, associate professor of teacher education, said. “It is a mirror of our NCATE-accredited tra-ditional format program for teacher education.” NCATE is the National Council for Accreditation of Teach-er Education.

Since 1993, nearly 2,000 working adults have completed bachelor’s degrees through JBU’s Advance Program. The first cohort of education program students will graduate in December 2006. ■

JBU SIFE was named a finalist in all six categories in the competition and took

home the regional title.

JBU students’ business plans earned them a combined total of $20,000 in cash prizes at the 2006 Arkansas Governor’s Cup competition. At the competition, JBU students were able to snap a photo with sponsor Dr. Delia Haak and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Dr. David Vila, Fulbright Scholar

Take a virtual tour of the JBU campus at www.jbu.edu

Adult students will soon have more opportunities to complete a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education through JBU’s Advance Program.

jbuinfocusjbuinfocus

Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 �

chaplain’scorner

Spiritual Claustrophobia or Leave Them Wanting Less

by Tracy BalzerDirector of Christian Formation

My friend and I were killing time in a London airport giftshop a few

years ago when we came upon a delightful tome of practical wisdom,

Eeyore’s Little Book of Gloom. Its contents sent the two of us into spasms of

laughter, as it was so completely the opposite of the fluffy, feel-good, gifty

books one typically finds in airport shops. (Reading it aloud in a languid,

quasi-bass voice also helped.) An example: “You can give the donkey a

happy ending...but the miserable beginning remains forever.” And, under

the title “Accentuate the Negative,” Eeyore bemoans, “We can’t all, and

some of us don’t. That’s all there is to it...I’m not complaining, but There

It Is [sic].”

Easy for me to laugh; I don’t have to go through life with my tail

thumb-tacked on. But I do have a wee bit of misery of my own that enjoys

Eeyore’s company, particularly as illustrated in the following excerpt

entitled, “Leave Them Wanting Less”:

Everybody crowds round so in this Forest. There’s no Space.

I never saw a more Spreading lot of animals in my life, and

all in the wrong places [sic]. Can’t you see that Christopher

Robin wants to be alone?

The fact is, I need a little space now and then. My world gets too

crowded with noise and activity. God’s voice is barely a squeak in the

midst of it, because apparently, there is a “Spreading lot of animals” filling

up my life. Eeyore knows a profound truth: “There’s no Space.”

I’m certain my students need space as well. They’ve been very

productive, but in their crowded lives they, too, find it hard to hear God.

So, twice a semester, I take groups of them away for the day for what is

classically known as a silent retreat. They submit (reluctantly, at first) to an

afternoon of no talking and no iPods, away from perfectionism and the

stress of relationships, away from the “animals” that are “all in the wrong

places.” We sit alone. We pray in silence. We listen for the whispers of the

Holy Spirit through His Word. We make space for God.

In doing so, we discover the kind of

joy that comes when the obstacles are

removed, and the Holy Spirit of God is once

again allowed to roam freely in and through

us. It is a brilliant trade. “This is what the

Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:

‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in

quietness and trust is your strength,’” (Isaiah

30:15). If a cynical old stuffed donkey can

recognize this, surely we can, too.

We need to be deliberate about making

space for God. There It Is. ■

� Brown Bulletin Summer 2006

A group of young Iraqi children approach an American soldier in a city outside of Baghdad

in an attempt to persuade some of the soldiers to join them in a game of soccer. The solider is a believer and says to the children, “We’ll play your games with you if you’ll play our games with us.” The soldiers play soccer with the children. Then they draw a game formation in the dirt and begin to teach the children their games. As the children play relay games, running around the circle and lines drawn on the ground, it begins to feel as though, for the moment, these children are no longer living in the middle of a war-zone. When it is time for the children to leave, they beg the soldiers for permission to come back the next day. The next day, 40 children show up to play, bringing their parents along to watch.

What seems like a simple community activity to the children and their

parents is, to the American soldiers, the beginning of a new Awana club.

For JBU alumnus Larry Fowler,

leading a global ministry

is more than just

Child’s Play

by Melody Miller ’00

10 Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 11

The soldiers, who have been Awana leaders in their churches at home, continue introducing activities to the families, sharing the Gospel through the tools of Awana. Within a few weeks, many Iraqi parents and children trust Christ as their Savior.

A world away, children in an Awana club in Arkansas are playing the same kinds of games on a formation drawn onthesanctuaryflooratSiloamSpringsBibleChurch,lessthan a mile from JBU. The children in Arkansas, like the children in Iraq, are hearing the Gospel through the tools of Awana. For decades, JBU students and alumni have been among those serving in various ways with Awana clubs in local churches and communities across the nation and around the world.

Forthelast27years,LarryFowler’74hasbeenasignificantpart of the growth and vision of Awana Clubs International, serving as an Awana missionary in California, creating the Awana curriculum used to reach junior high students, developing training materials for Awana missionaries, and overseeing what has become a worldwide Awana movement. Fowler currently serves as the executive director of programs and training for the organization, which is the leading ministry in the effort to help local churches reach children and youth for Christ.

The word Awana is an acronym that stands for “Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed,” taken from 2 Timothy 2:15, a verse that millions of children in the Awana program have memorized through the years: “Do your best to present

yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (NIV). Most people who have experienced Awana will tell you that scripture memory is a cornerstone of the Awana program. A student who participates in Awana from the age of four until he or she graduates from high school will memorize more than 800 Bible verses.

Often Awana clubs form at the request of a local church seeking a supplemental program for their children’s ministry. Many times, however, Awana clubs become the catalyst for church growth when a community Awana club, established by Awana missionaries, reaches out to children and their families, spurring the formation of a new church.

Awana operates as a weekly club for children who play games, hear Bible stories, recite Bible verses, and take part in the kinds of ceremonies and competitions youwouldexpect tofind inanyclub for children. Awana clubs around the world look very similar; however, the curriculum foreachclubistailoredtofitthelocal community and culture.

Fowler has invested his life in the spiritual training of children through Awana Clubs International. His call to serve in

children’s ministry came when he was young, after his own childhood limited his opportunities to interact with other children. Growing up on a cattle ranch in a small town in western Nebraska, he attended school in a one room school-house with no one in his grade, no one in the grade below, and only one girl in the grade above.

“[It was] a very sparsely populated part of the U.S.,” Fowler says. “There were no other children my age.”

A weeklong Bible camp was the highlight of Fowler’s summers. He enjoyed every moment spent with other children. In excited anticipation, he would begin packing for camp at least a month before he was to leave.

At the age of 13, while at camp, Fowler knew that God was calling him to a life of full-time ministry. That call was clarifiedlaterthatsamesummerwhenhewasinvitedtohelplead a Vacation Bible School.

“It was the greatest honor to be asked [to lead VBS], and I took it very seriously. That was the beginning of God putting a passion in me for children’s ministry,” Fowler says. This passion for reaching children would be further encouraged during his years attending JBU.

Fowler describes his JBU experience as an “absolutely superior Bible education” that was foundational to his ability to serve and grow the ministry of Awana. In a time before there was a children and family ministry degree at JBU, Fowler learned how to apply knowledge to his calling through the godly examples of Dr. Jim Walters, Dr. Gil Weaver, and his mentor, Dr. Richard Ruble. “They helped

me cut my teeth on children’s ministry,” Fowler says.After graduating from JBU, Fowler moved to California

with his wife Diane (Lindsay) ’73 to attend Talbot Seminary. Four years later, while working full time as a youth pastor at a church in Riverside, California, Fowler learned about the Awana program. He began using the program in their church, and in a short time their ministry exploded.

“Within a year, we were having more children attend our Awana meeting than were attending the church on Sunday morning,” Fowler says. Through that experience, God gave Larry and Diane a love for Awana and a call to work with Awana in their ministry to children and youth. Awana would be the tool they would use to share the Gospel.

Larry and Diane served as faith-supported Awana missionaries to churches in the Los Angeles area from 1979 until 1996. During this time, Larry completed an independent study of the junior high Awana program as one of his last seminary requirements. He realized through his research that Awana was not retaining students in the seventh and eighth grade. He submitted his recommendations to both the seminary program and Awana headquarters. Accordingly, Awana asked him to develop the curriculum for a new program geared to reach junior high students, now known as the Awana Jr. Varsity Program.

In 1996, the Fowlers moved their family to Illinois where Larry accepted a position at the Awana Clubs International headquarters, training Awana missionaries, most of whom were in the U.S. “We enjoyed the opportunity to do a lot

right: Larry and Diane Fowler (shown with their children)

serving as Awana missionaries in 1992.

Some photos were provided courtesy of Awana Clubs International.

right: The Fowlers’ local Awana Clubs raised $28,000 in a week

to get the Awana ministry started in Russia. “We covered half a gym floor with fake dollar bills to illustrate how much was

raised,” Fowler says.

Larry Fowler is executive director of programs and training with Awana Clubs International.


of creative things in innovative ways in doing our ministry, and the administration wanted others to learn about that,” Fowler explains.

Fowler soon realized, however, that international missionaries would benefit most from additional training.He began traveling more internationally, serving the 40 to 50 international missionaries who were taking the Awana movement abroad. As Fowler focused on Awana’s global expansion, the number of international Awana missionaries grew to more than 300.

Through his years of involvement in the ministry of Awana, Fowler’s own spiritual growth has been challenged as he memorizes God’s Word. Because scripture memory is such a vital part of the Awana program, Fowler strives to lead by example in memorizing verses, just as the children and leaders do.

JBU freshman Scott Key has learned over 800 verses as part of the Awana program. Key grew up in Temple, Texas and attended the Awana program through high school. He now volunteers as an Awana leader for third- through sixth-grade boys at Siloam Springs Bible Church. “You memorize a lot of verses,” Key says. “Those verses have helped me through my life, and I thought it would be a good thing to encourage those students [at SSBC].”

Glenda Manos ’75, head of the Awana program at Siloam Springs Bible Church for 21 years, says she has chosen to give her time to serving in the Awana ministry because she

believes in the biblically-based Awana philosophy, particularly the emphasis on memorization and the opportunity for parents to discuss biblical principles and concepts with their children. When children leave the Awana program, Manos says, her prayer is that “when the times get rough, there will be some Bible verse that comes back to heart, and they will say, ‘Oh, yeah—that’s what it’s all about—God says this.’”

In 2003, Awana Clubs International established a new effort focused on redesigning Awana programs to keep up with technology and trends. Aware that the current generation of children is growing up in a different world than the generations who went before, Awana is committed to keeping biblical messages consistent while addressing the needs and culture of today’s children. Fowler was named executive director of programs and training over the new divisionaimedatleadingtheorganizationtofindthemosteffective ways to communicate the Gospel to today’s kids.

Awana is also addressing the needs of the family by increasing its focus on encouraging parental involvement. Awana recently established the Rorheim Institute, a leader and parent development network that provides training through studies, conferences, and seminars across the country. The Institute offers education and resources to help parents in the biblical concept from Proverbs of “training up a child in the way he should go.”

“God began to burden my heart and the hearts of all of us around the need to get back to scripture’s model and engage parents more in raising children,” Fowler says. “We began to

understand that Christian parents have been doing a lot of delegating

of the responsibility, instead of doing it themselves.” Dr. Holly Allen, associate professor of Christian minis-

tries and director of the children and family ministries pro-gram at JBU, agrees that an emphasis on parents being the spiritual leaders for their children is crucial.

“The biblical imperative is for parents to train up a child in the way they should go. The church’s responsibility is to come alongside parents, to help in that intentional aspect,” Allen says.

Allen describes that parents are often relieved to turn over this responsibility to the church, and then they findthemselves feeling unable and incapable of training their children. One way that Awana helps parents feel empowered to teach and train their children is in encouraging parents to help children memorize Bible verses. This opens doors for family conversations about biblical principles.

JBU senior Laura Kiehlbauch, one of Allen’s students and an Awana volunteer, says her work with Awana has enabled hertoseefirsthandtheconceptsthatsheislearningintheclassroom and the importance of children having godly adults in their lives. She is excited about the new Awana initiatives to intentionally include parents.

“Parents are the primary source of their children’s spiritual education, whether or not they recognize it. Parents need to realize that teaching their children is ultimately their responsibility, and a local church’s children’s ministry needs to focus on empowering the family to do just that,”

Kiehlbauch says.As Fowler has worked with Awana through the years, the

importance of children’s ministry has become an urgent message that he desires to share with the world. In many cultures, children are viewed as insignificant, and manychurches do not see children’s ministry as a high priority. Fowler speaks of the importance of children’s ministry in his book, Rock-Solid Children’s Ministry: Building Your Ministry to Kids Upon a Scriptural Foundation, saying, “Sometimes children are viewed in terms of their future value. But to Jesus, children were precious in the here and now, and He gave them His full attention and love.”

Fowler explains, “There is a window of opportunity that many people are not aware of that exists from the ages of fourorfivetoage12, inwhichnearlyeveryindividualonthe face of the earth is most open and most receptive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And, once a person hits the age of 12 or 13, the window of opportunity to their receptivity of the Gospel begins to close.”

Awana clubs are active in 12,000 American churches in all 50 states and in 4,000 churches abroad in more than 100 countries. The number of children Awana reaches each weekisabout1.2million,enoughtofill20footballstadiumslined end to end, Fowler describes. However, the number of children who have not yet heard the Gospel is far greater. These children are close to Fowler’s heart as he continues to dedicate his life to reaching children. ■

left: Fowler prepares to speak for Awana at a church in Venezuela in 2003.

right: An AwanaGamesTM event at UCLA’s Pauley Pavillion led by the Fowlers in 1994. About 4,000 children and youth from local churches competed in different activities. “The great joy was we witnessed 60-plus parents saved that day,” Fowler says.

1� Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 1�

Perspectives On ...Nurturing Spirituality in our Children and Grandchildren

by Holly Catterton Allen, Ph.D.

A common refrain I hear from younger parents is, “I don’t want my kids to just know Bible facts; I want them to know God.” These parents are echoing the current quest to raise children who are spiritual—that is, children who know God. In my course for children and family ministry majors on children’s spirituality, we explore seven ways to nurture, enhance, develop, and pro-mote spiritual development in children. Iwouldliketobrieflydescribethreeofthose seven ways.

The Master Story Part of knowing God is know-ing about God. Hearing the Christian master story is an important way that children come to identify with the peo-ple of God and come to know God as their own God. What is the master story? It is God’s story: God has worked through-out the ages to draw people to Him-self—Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, the Israelites, the kings, the prophets. Mostly, they rejected Him. Then He sent His Son to make a bet-ter way for His people to come to him. And now—we tell our children—God is calling you, just as he called all the others we read about. Your story is part of the master story. How can we share the master story? • Tell the Bible stories. This may seem obvious, but when we are con-cerned that children know God, we may skip over the importance of know-ing about God. • Add the faith stories from those in your church to the Hebrews 11 lineup: By faith, Noah... By faith, Mo-ses... By faith, Latisha Banks pursued the call to go to China... By faith, the Turners adopted their grandchild.... • Share your own stories of faith: when you gave your life to God, when God convicted you of sin, how God rescued you from a dangerous place, when God came near.

• Allow your children and grand-children into your current story: how God is still calling you, how you still struggle, and how you are answering His current call on your life. Children come to meet God and know the deep realities of faith through stories. Through hearing God’s story, the stories of the Bible, and family sto-ries of faith and struggle, they come to see that they themselves are part of that Christian master story.

A Sense of Wonder Children think deeply about God and wonder what He is like. We need to allow time for spiritual knowing, time for children to think, contem-plate, listen, perceive, and receive. We need to allow time for children to ex-perience the wonder of God. How can we encourage a sense of wonder? • Take time for unhurried walks and ask questions like, “I wonder how the dogwoods know when to bloom?” or, “I wonder why there are stars?” • Allow children to attend fu-nerals or memorial services. Listen to their reflections concerning death.Ask questions like, “I wonder what it willbeliketoseeJesusfortheveryfirsttime?” • When you tell the parables that Jesus taught, ask questions like, “I wonder how the sheep that was lost felt when the shepherd came?” Children love to wonder. Encour-aging wonder taps into that deep spiri-tual realm where God and child can meet.

Intergenerational Settings Children want to do things with adults. Yet, the societal trend to-ward age segregation has moved into churches also. Age-based classes, teen programs, and separate worship ser-vices for adults and children tend to separate families and age groups from each other. But children grow spiritu-

ally when they are with others who are farther along in the Christian journey, participating with more mature believ-ers doing authentic Christian things. How can we encourage intergenera-tional interaction? • Promote intergenerational wor-ship in your church—all the genera-tions together. • Take your children to weddings, to funerals, to church potlucks, to grad-uations, to baby dedication services, to send-off parties for missionaries. • With your children or grand-children, take food to a needy family. Go on a mission trip with the youth group. Ask three of the widows in your church to Sunday dinner—or take them out—with your children. • Join an intergenerational small group where each family is prayed for every week, where everyone answers an icebreaker question like “What is your favorite ice cream flavor?” andwhere everyone knows your name and the names of your children. The spiritual needs of adults and children are not vastly different. Needs of both can be met in mutual settings. In his book From One Generation to Another, Eddie Prest writes: “The optimal spiritual impact upon children will take place in a warm, belonging, caring, and concerned interaction with the gathered people of God....” Let’s gather our children around us, tell them the master story, allow time for wonder, worship together with all the generations present, and come to know God together. ■

Dr. Allen is associate profes-sor of Christian ministries and director of the children and fam-ily ministry program at JBU. She speaks regularly at conferences and churches concerning children’s spirituality and intergenerational issues. She has written about these subjects for professional journals and other Christian publications. Her book on children’s ministry is expected to be published next year.

NEEDS YOU!

Just �ll out the postage-paid reply card in this magazineor go to the JBU web site:

www.jbu.edu/admissions/forms/referral.asp

Help us spread the word about JBU!

Did you know that MOST of the students at JBUare referred to us by

people like you?

*Comprehensive Colleges - Bachelor’s Southern Region,2006

If you know a high school student preparing for college,

refer them to JBU!

Student JournalA Girl Named Norma

Sometimes God puts people in our lives whether we like it or not. Her name is Norma.* She is the person who eats alone at lunch and confesses to have self-esteem and image problems and will share about how hard it is to make new friends.

DuringthefirstfewdaysatJBU,Icalledhomecomplainingselfishlyabouthowitwasdifficulttomeetpeoplewho actually cared who I was. Yeah, everyone was very nice but I wasn’t feeling like people were taking an interest in me as a person. My dad, in all of his wisdom said, “Jill,* be there for other people who are even less comfortable thanyouare.Youthinkthisisdifficultforyou?Whatisitlikeforpeoplewhoarereallylonely?Workonreachingout to others in need.”

Okay… Maybe I don’t want to. It’s easier to stay in my bubble and enjoy meeting people who I connect with. I’ve noticed myself sitting with the same eight or ten people at meals and hanging out with the same people. Is this a bad thing? Is developing relationships with people something that can be seen as bad?

Her name is Norma. I’ve talked to her several times, and her social awkwardness is no secret. During the course of our lunch conversation, she begins to go into detail about her problems with warts and how herbal remedies haven’t helped them yet. Then somehow she switches topics to other personal health issues that cause a variety of problems for her. All I can think about is what people at the tables nearby must be thinking if they are hearing any part of this conversation. I don’t know how to respond to her, and I don’t really need to; she just wants someone to take the time to listen to her. It’s apparent that she’s not used to having friends.

Several days pass, and I don’t see her. I am thankful because then I won’t have to choose between my group of friends and Norma. I walk into the cafeteria with friends and head up to the lunch line. There she was with her back turned to me, but I knew it was her. Great!! Now I have to choose again: do I sit with her or with my friends? They’ve alreadysatdown,andthere’sdefinitelynomoreroomatourcrowdedtable.WhatamIgoingtodo?Thoughtsracethrough my head as I reach the end of the line, Jill, someone else will sit with her… it’s not YOUR job to be the ONLY one to reach out to her… you need to make good friends too… ME, ME, ME… What am I going to do!?!?

More importantly, what would Jesus do? WOW… not exactly what I wanted to be thinking about at that moment. I tried desperately to push these thoughts out of my head. But Jesus is supposed to be my model. I long to be more like Him. He didn’t hang out with the popular crowd of priests and Pharisees. Rather, He spent His time with the outcast, the friendless; this is not a strength I possess.

Then a picture comes to my mind of my dad. He is sitting in a back corner of our church talking to a guy named John. John’s tattered clothes and ragged appearance weren’t what people were attracted to. My dad, though, reached out and touched him in a way few people can do. I want this quality in me. I often shy away from these chances.Why?Mypridegetsintheway,andmyselfishnessgetsthebetterof me.

I was so wrapped in developing my own friendships that I forgot about loving those who needed it the most. “Why?,”IaskedGod,“Ineedpeopletoo;Iwanttobelovedtoo!”Thisiswherelonelinessturnsintoselfishness,when I’m so wrapped up in who wants to place value in me, I forget people like Norma. Her desire to be loved and her feelings of rejection are SO much more important than my desire for close friendships.

Ireachtheendof thelunchline…nowIhavetochoose:atableof peopleIfitinwithordiscussionsaboutwarts and health problems? What would you do, Jesus? Knowing that answer very well, I walked by Norma’s table, hoping she wouldn’t notice me, hoping I wouldn’t have to acknowledge her. Then I even had the gall to pray before I ate. Sure I can bow my head in a crowded lunch room, but I can’t love. What a hypocrite I am. About two minutes into the meal, I picked up my tray and told my friends I’d catch up with them later. Every ounce of me wanted to stay where I was. Walking up to Norma’s table, my feet felt like lead.

Why, God, do I have to love her? Why ME? Then my answer came. I could just picture Jesus on the cross. “Jill, why did I have to die on the cross for you? Did I have to? I love you, why can’t you love her?” Amazing how things can be put into perspective so quickly. “Jill, love her like I love you.”

I set my tray down across from her. A wave of excitement must have surged through her body. The slumped demeanor and melancholy countenance of a lonely girl in seconds turned to life. Her big blue eyes were glowing; her smile encompassed the majority of her face—she was beaming. “If you do these unto the least of them, you’ve done them unto me.” Jesus is so good. ■

*To protect Norma’s dignity and her relationship with Jill, their names and identifying details have been changed.

The following is an actual journal entry written by a current JBU student. With the student’s permission, we share it with you to give you a glimpse into the hearts and minds of our students.

Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 1�

“We’re excited and we’re thankful!” This is the feeling of all of us at JBU when it comes to the $10 Million Challenge. As reported in an earlier issue of the Brown Bulletin, the $10 Million Challenge is a challenge made by an anonymous donor to alumni and friends of JBU to add $10,000,000 to existing and new endowed scholarship funds. This friend of JBU has pledged up to $5,000,000 in matching funds for all cash and deferred gifts designated to endowed scholarships that meet minimal criteria.

• JBU has already received over $3.5 million in gifts and matching funds toward the $10 million goal.

• Who has been giving to the Challenge? JBU alumni, friends, parents, JBU faculty and staff, corporations, and foundations have all given to the Challenge.

• What kinds of gifts are they giving? We have received cash, real estate, stocks, and mutual funds. We have received deferred gifts in the form of charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts.

• As a result of these gifts, over $100,000 in new student scholarships will be awarded for the 2006-2007 academic year!

One Example:

The $10 Million Challenge has given Bobbie and many other JBU alumni and friends a vision for scholarship development! For this we are excited and thankful!

If you would like more information about the $10 Million Challenge, please contact Jim Krall, Paul Eldridge, or your regional director of development, James Elliott or Eric Greenhaw, by calling (800) 446-2450.

Thanks to the generosity of JBU alumni and friends

JBU will award over $100,000in new scholarships in 2006!

THE $10 MILLION CHALLENGE!

UP

DA

TE

Bobbie Laughlin ’55 graduated with a degree in math. She taught for 35 years in Detroit area public schools, and she has been a JBU supporter for many of those years. In 2001 Bobbie established an endowed scholarship that gives preference to female math majors. When she heard about the $10 Million Challenge she was inspired to dramatically increase her giving to her existing scholarship. To take advantage of the matching opportunity, Bobbie gave gifts of vacant land and cash, and now is in the process of giving a rental property to JBU. JBU will sell the land and rental property and place the proceeds of the sale with her cash gift into Bobbie’s existing scholarship fund. The total amount of Bobbie’s gifts added to the fund will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the anonymous donor. The matching funds will also be placed into Bobbie’s scholarship fund.


SHARPSHOOTER

::BRANDON COLE SETS NATIONAL RECORDS

for the longest string of games with made three-point shots in college basketball history. Cole continued his streak for 120 games until his three-point game was shut-out by St. Gregory’s University in January. The St. Gregory game is the only game in his college career in which Cole failed to hit a trey.

In February, Cole hit the 517th three-point shot of his career, giving him the record for the most career three-pointers of any player at any four-year college or university in the nation. Cole went on to set the new all-collegiate record at 527 successful three-point shots.

In a television interview after February’s record-breaking game, Cole was asked how it felt to break the

career three-point record at home in Murray Sells Gymnasium. Cole replied, “It’s definitely special. I’ve had a lot of great memories in this gym, in this place, with the fans, my family, my teammates—it’s all amazing. I couldn’t trade it for anything. But we really needed the win tonight, and we got the win even with the record. I’ve just got to give complete thanks to God, because He’s been amazing.”

Cole’s records not only garnered him local acclaim in newspapers and television sportscasts, but they also received national attention on ESPN twice. Some sportswriters even suggested that Cole be included in the NCAA three-point contest during March Madness, but grassroots efforts to secure an invitation failed to get him in.

“It’s been really gratifying to watch Brandon break the records he’s broken, but it’s even more gratifying to know that he embodies everything that college athletics is all about,” Golden Eagles head coach John Sheehy said.

In addition to his shooting skill, Cole is known for his good sportsmanship, his commitment to the team, and his overall athletic ability that earned him respect on the court long before he started breaking records.

Bob Battisti, men’s basketball coach for JBU’s conference foe Northwestern

Wayne Cole, father of JBU star basketball player Brandon Cole,

will be the first to attest to his son’s love for the game of basketball.

“When Brandon was about eight or nine, we built a basketball court at the house,” he said. “At night when it would get too dark for him to see, he would go and turn our truck headlights on. I’d come out, and he’d still be hitting his shots.”

Brandon Cole, the 6-foot 1-inch senior guard from Hector, Arkansas, has seen massive success while wearing a Golden Eagles jersey. He currently holds three Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) records, three NAIA records, five JBU records, and the honor of winning the 2005 NAIA Division I National Championship with his teammates. He was named NAIA National Tournament MVP in 2005; SAC All-Conference first team in 2003, 2004, and 2005; SAC Freshman of the Year in 2003; NAIA National Player of the Year in 2006; and recipient of NAIA’s Champions of Character Award in 2006.

With all of his success, Cole has gotten the most media attention this 2005-2006 season for his three-point shooting alone.

In December, Cole completed a three-point shot in his 112th consecutive game, breaking the record

“It’s been really gratifying to watch Brandon break the records he’s broken, but it’s even more gratifying to know that he embodies everything that college athletics is all about.” :: John Sheehy

by Dustin Tracy, Junior Journalism Major

December 2, 2005:: Cole makes a three-pointer in his 112th game in a row, breaking all college records for the most consecutive games with a made three-point shot.

January 21, 2006:: Cole’s three-point shots are shut out ending his consecutive game streak at 120 games. It is the only game in his college career that he failed to hit a trey.

February 23, 2006:: Cole hits his 517th three-point shot, giving him more career three-point shots than any other player in the history of college basketball.

March 15, 2006:: Cole ends his college career setting the new record for career three-point shots at 527.

:: He holds the JBU record for most treys in a season with 136, set in 2005. Four times he tied the school record for most treys in a game with 9. He holds the JBU record for career scoring with 2,390 points.

:: Cole is the Sooner Athletic Conference all-time leading scorer and was named SAC Player of the Year for 2006.

March 21, 2006:: Cole is named NAIA Player of the Year.

April 18, 2006:: Cole is named the 2006 recipient of the Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award, perhaps NAIA’s most prestigious award.

20 Brown Bulletin Summer 2006

Oklahoma State University, said, “Brandon is mentally tough, and that’s why he is so hard to stop. Brandon is a player that every program dreams of having. He’s a class act and a spokes-person for the SAC, JBU, and the NAIA.”

Dan Hays, head coach of the men’s basketball team at Oklahoma Christian University, also praises Cole, “He plays without the ball. He uses his stamina, and he doesn’t have to be dribbling the ball to be an effective player. I’ve seen guys that run faster, jump higher, and even shoot better, but [Brandon] is as good without the ball as anyone I’ve ever seen.”

Cole says that the work ethic that fuels his determination on the court came at an early age.

“I grew up working on a ranch. My parents taught me to never be satisfied and to always work harder,” Cole said. “At the end of every season [my father] and I would sit down together and talk about all the things I did right, and then look at all the things I needed to do better.”

Cole feels that his teammates have been another key to his success, especially fellow senior guard Alex Terry, whom many call A.T.

“My teammates have done an unbelievable job stepping up in tough situations, getting me open, getting me the ball, and hitting shots themselves,” Cole said. “A.T. is just the glue that holds everything together. A lot of his things don’t show up in the news and don’t show up in the papers, but he’s had everything to do with my accomplishments.”

Terry, who has notched his fair share of notable accomplishments during his career at JBU, said he has nothing but respect for his teammate.

“Brandon’s gotten everything he has because he’s loved it more than anyone I’ve ever seen,” Terry said. “He’s got a

great work ethic and he’s one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen.”

But Sheehy feels Cole’s athletic ability is only a small part of who he really is. “It has been a privilege to see how Brandon has grown over the years,” Sheehy said, “and to know that Cole isn’t just a record setter; he’s one of the finest people I’ve ever met.”

Off the court, Cole has been a big part of JBU’s Champions of Character program for the past four years. The program, initiated by the NAIA, is designed to promote character

development in youth by connecting exemplary athletes with kids through athletics. The program gives Cole and other JBU athletes the chance to speak to young people about basketball, maturity, and character.

“The Champions of Character program has been a really neat experience,” Cole said. “I really enjoy working with the kids, and I enjoy sharing the gift that God has given me

in basketball with other people.”In addition to his work with the

Champions of Character program, Cole also has traveled to Eastern Europe to do basketball missions. In the summer of 2003, Cole and his fellow teammates

traveled to Germany, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland with Crossover Ministries. The team put on basketball camps for local children, did skits, and gave out Bibles.

“At night we’d play games against international teams, and the kids would come out and watch,” Cole said. “It was a really neat and amazing experience.”

Altogether, Cole said he’s happy with his experiences at JBU. “The relationships I’ve formed at JBU have really been awesome,” he said. “It’s been a constant encouragement being surrounded by the friends I’ve made at JBU, and I’ve consistently grown in my faith the entire time I’ve been here.”

Cole doesn’t expect his basketball experience to end with his graduation this year. After his June wedding to former JBU basketball player Bethany Sites ’04, he plans to play basketball for the

Arkansas Archangels, a Little Rock team that is a part of the World Basketball Association (WBA). Cole hopes that scouts who attend WBA games will eye him to play for a team in Europe.

“Basketball has always been a passion of mine, and I hope as life goes on, I can keep on doing it,” he said. ■

Portions of this article were previously printed in the Threefold Advocate, JBU’s student newspaper.

Brandon Cole, with fellow senior guard Alex (A.T.) Terry, whom Cole credits with helping him achieve his accomplishments. Terry holds the JBU

record for career assists with 725.

Youareprobablyawarethatasanon-profitorganization,JBUreliesongiftstotheJBUScholarshipFundtofundneed-based scholarships and work-study jobs for students. You may not know that tuition dollars are not used to pay for new buildings or that tuition dollars do not cover the full cost of operating the university.

So, where does JBU get the resources to expand programs and build facilities?

For new programs and facilities, as well as many scholarships, JBU relies heavily on grants and gifts from family and company foundations, government agencies, and corporate giving programs.

Manyfamilieswhohavebeenblessedwithfinancialresourcesestablishfoundationsthatawardfinancialgiftstocausesthatsupporttheirvision.The Walton Family Foundation, for example, established JBU’s Walton International Scholarship Program to educate Central American students who will be able to impact their countries in the future. The Walker Family established an endowed scholarship for biblical studies majors because they believe in Christian education. The Soderquist Business Center and the Pat and Willard Walker Student Center exist because of families who want to support JBU’s Christian mission by providing state-of-the-art classrooms and comfortable housing for students. Foundations often evaluate JBU’s alumni giving as they determine whether to award a grant. Thus, your gift to the JBU Scholarship Fund not only provides need-based scholarships to worthy students, but it also impacts whether a foundation will support the university.

Government grants are also part of this mix. Last year, the U.S. Department of Education awarded JBU a Student Support Services grantthatprovidesacademicandfinancialassistancetolow-income,first-generation college students and students with disabilities. In 2003, the Arkansas Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (BRIN) awarded JBU a grant that provided the funds to hire a biochemist to teach, conduct research, and develop an undergraduate research program.

Companies, too, contribute to JBU in various ways. Many provide employee-matching programs that double an employee’s gift to JBU by matching it dollar-for-dollar. Others choosetosupportJBUprogramsdirectly.Forexample,Flintco,anareaconstructionfirm,helpssupporttheEagle Development Project in JBU’s construction management program. And, local businesses all over Northwest Arkansas donate products and coupons for JBU events.

The relationship JBU enjoys with these foundations, agencies, and companies has resulted in more student scholarships, new academic programs, progressive research, and the facilities that we all enjoy. God has truly blessed JBU by bringing these organizations alongside us to offer students a quality Christian education. ■

Corporate and Family Foundations Provide Financial Base for Programs and Facilities

by April L. Moreton, Ph.D. Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

The Kresge Foundation

The Walker Family Foundation

Flintco Constructive Solutions

Aramark Campus Services

The Soderquist Family Foundation

The Dr. Scholl Foundation

These companies and foundations, just to name a few, supoort the mission of JBU. And they prove it in very tangible ways.

“I enjoy sharing the gift that God has given me in basketball with other people.” :: Brandon Cole

Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 21


We’re now including wedding and birth announcements within the decade sections of the alumni notes. For publication in future issues, please send information and photos to JBU Alumni Relations, 2000 West University Street, Siloam Springs, AR 72761 attn: Alumni News. To submit your imformation online, go to www.jbu.edu/alumni. On the alumni web pages, you can find the most current classmate information, update your own information, learn about upcoming events, and read our standards for publishing alumni news in the magazine.

alumni news

JBU Professor’s Journals Published

Excerpted from John Panage’s journal, The Panage Papers provides a fascinating view of the world during and after the Cold War through the eyes of this former JBU professor.

Get the special price of $15 by ordering from the publisher:

Moon Lake Publishing Co. Moon Lake Publishing Co.14213 Lake Forrest Heights 147 RidgelandSiloam Springs, Arkansas 72761 Maumelle, Arkansas 72113

Also available at regular price from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Borders.com or in bookstores at John Brown University, Hastings in Springdale and Fayetteville, and Air Host at the Northwest Arkansas Airport.

by Eric Greenhaw, Regional Director of Development

I’ve had the privilege to meet many wonderful and interesting people during my travels around the United States for John Brown University. I met Steve Horne ’75 about a year ago during a trip to the Chicago area where he lives with his wife Amy and their two children. Steve has a plumbing business. He also has a particular interest

in missions, so he spends some of his free time in mission work and plans to spend his retirement in mission work as well.

Steve also loves riding his motorcycle and spends time riding cross-country with friends. On a recent trip in August 2005, Steve and John Wiemer ’77, both graduates of the building construction and design program, made a several-thousand-mile motorcycle trip that included roaring through the Black Hills, Grand Teton National Park, the Big Horn Mountains, and Yellowstone National Park. While at the north entrance of Yellowstone Park, they posed for a photo with their Harleys, wearing their JBU t-shirts.

Steve and John were close friends while attending JBU, and they look forward to catching up each year on their annual motorcycle trips. These trips have taken them to most of the lower 48 states in the pastfiveyears.

This year, they plan to take a trip up the coasts of California and Oregon with another alumnus and friend while he is on furlough from the mission field in Africa.Steve keeps an extra motorcycle at home just so missionaries and friends can join him for road trips.

Steve told me that he would love to hear from any other alumni who have an interest in joining him and John in their excursions. Visit the online alumni directory for their contact information, or [email protected](479)524-7212.

stories from the road

John Wiemer ’77 and Steve Horne ’75

When you become part of JBU’s Career Network, you can play a key role in guiding a student’s career path by connecting them with internship and job opportunities where you work.

To learn more, visit www.jbu.edu/alumni or contact:

Dan Noyes, Director of Career Development at (479) 524-7282

Jerry Rollene, Director of Alumni and Parent Relations at (479) 524-7212

Mind your own (and a JBU student’s) business!Get involved in the JBU Career Network

In order to protect the privacy of JBU

alumni and prevent the misuse of

personal information on the Internet, we

have deleted the alumni news from this

online edition.

Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 2�

director’s desk from the

In honor of Dr. Marc D. Gilbert 1913-2006

Soon after I arrived on campus for my freshman year, I met with this elderly butenergetic,scholarly-lookingmaninhisaustereofficeonthesecondfloorof theclassroom wing of the Cathedral building. I can’t remember everything we talked aboutat thatfirstmeeting,but Ido rememberDr.Gilbert saying tome, “Jerry, itdoesn’t matter whether you have a problem with your studies, your faith, or girls, my officedoorisalwaysopentoyou.”Thenhechuckledeversolightlybehindthattightlipped smile of his. And you know, he meant it!

Dr. Gilbert went home to be with the Lord in March this year. At Dr. Gilbert’s memorial service here in Siloam Springs, Travis Jones ’73 who spoke and Mark Cavender ’74 who sent a written tribute in his absence reminded me of the powerful, life-changing impact thisdedicatedprofessorhadon somanyof uswhobenefitedfrom and endured his challenging method of teaching.

Those dreaded “10-point opportunities” (which others might call pop quizzes). Those on-the-spot questions in communications class like, “Jerry, can you please spell ‘entrepreneur?’” That immovable, elusive 94% needed for an A. Those devilish red pen markings on our papers. All these are memories of a man who taught as if our lives depended on his doing it right . . . and we are now glad he did.

“[He] was without a doubt the toughest professor I ever had at JBU. He demanded more from us as students than I sometimes thought we were capable of giving,” Mark Cavender wrote.

“His love for students and their future still inspires me to this day. Dr. Gilbert was amanwhofinishedtheracewithgrace,”TravisJonessaid.

You are invited to participate in a tribute to Dr. Gilbert by e-mailing me your own reflectionsof thismanwho taughtusall sowell. (Mye-mailaddress is [email protected].) We will add them to the alumni web site where you can read Dr. Walters’s sermon from the memorial service, along with the remembrances of Travis and Mark (www.jbu.edu/alumni).

We are told, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Surely, Dr. Gilbert inspired many to glorify our Father. ■

Jerry Rollene ’75Director of Alumni and Parent Relations

I still remember my surprise and delight when Dr. and Mrs. Gilbert showed up at our wedding on a cold, icy day in March 1979. Why did this former professor and his supportive wife drive 700-plus miles, one way, to northern Illinois to attend? Was it because we were so special? No, but because they were!

Amount of time it took to graduate from JBU:

4 years

Cost of a JBU education: Quite a bit

Gratitude to those who gave to the JBU Scholarship Fund to make this moment possible:

PRICELESS

To help students afford a quality Christian education at JBU, there’s the JBU Scholarship Fund. For more information, or to give online, visit www.jbu.edu/giving or call (800) 446-2450.2� Brown Bulletin Summer 2006





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26 Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 Brown Bulletin Summer 2006 2�

If so, you should consider being a part of the JBU Alumni Board!

Do you enjoy creating effective ways to help your classmates stay in touch?

Do you love being on the inside track?

Would you like to join other alumni staying actively engaged in the ongoing life of JBU?

Contact Shawn Toenyes, board president ([email protected]), or Jerry Rollene ([email protected]) right away, and we can talk more about what it means to serve on this dynamic board with people who experienced JBU throughout the decades.





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TransitionsDr. Delia Haak is retiring after 21 years of service. She most recently served as associate professor of business, teaching in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. During her service at JBU, Haak helped design the programs for the M.S. in leadership and ethics and the MBA with an emphasis in leadership and ethics. Haak has been a recipient of JBU’s Golden Eagle Service Award, the Outstanding Alumnus Award, and the Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award. Haak received her bachelor’s degree from JBU and her MBA and Ed.D. from the University of Arkansas. Haak has served in the global ethicsofficeof Wal-Mart,Inc.,asanadjunctprofessor for Trinity Western University, as a member of the Arkansas Governor’s Taskforce for Workforce Development, in the White House Conference on Small Business, and as chaplain of the JBU Lady Eagles volleyball team.

Dr. Lisa Brandom is retiring this year from JBU after 18 years of dedicated service to the university and the English department. Brandom served as adjunct English instructor, associate professor of English, registrar, associate dean for institutional research, associate academic dean, and chair of the English department. She graduated in 1969 from the University of Mississippi with a degree in English and social studies and continued there to earn her M.Ed. in secondary English education. Brandom earned her Ed.D. in higher education with an emphasis in administration and English. While working at JBU, Brandom played an essential role in starting many programs, including the Army ROTC program and online registration. In 2004, Brandom founded Moon Lake PublishingCompanytohelpfirst-timewritersfindanopportunitytobepublished.

Dr. Robert Burns retired this year after serving JBU for 31 years. Burns served JBU as professor of education and physical education for 31 years, division chair of health and physical education for 27 years, and director of athletics for 25 years. He is a two-time NAIA Region VI Athletics Director of the Year recipient. Burns successfully laid the foundation for the establishment of gender equality throughout the athletics program with the addition of many of the women’s programs. He also served as the NAIA region VI chair for six years and was a founding member of the taskforce that developed and implemented the NAIA Champions of Character program.

Class of 1996 10 Year Reunion

Homecoming 2006October 6-7

You’re Always Homeat JBU!





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In Loving MemoryEffie Maxine (Oakes) Ambler ’39 passed away on January 29, 2006. Her husband, two older brothers, sister, two sons, and one nephew all attended JBU.

Erik S. Barnett ’29 went home to be with his Lord on January 22, 2006 at the age of 95. He was survived by his six children: Charles, Stanley, Paul, John, Elizabeth, and Carolyn.

Michael Crain ’70 passed from this world on June 29, 2005 following a car accident. After graduating from JBU, he taught and coachedinWinfield,Missouri.Hewasdrafted by the Pittsburg Pirates in 1971, and was married to Carita Lipps after his release from the Pirates later that year. He coached and taught school for 34 years. He issurvivedbyhiswife,fivechildren,andtwograndchildren.

Kay Fowler, widow of JBU trustee emeritus Clinton Fowler ’42, passed away on April 7, 2006 in Medford, OR. She is survived by her stepdaughter Deborah (Fowler) Hess ’68.

Mary Lee (Davis Williams) Freeman ’70 passed away on April 23, 2005 in Colorado Springs, CO. She is survived by her husband Dal Freeman, two children, and two grandchildren.

Harris Gregory ’49 went to be with his Lord and Savior on February 7, 2006. He and his wife were in missionary service for 38 years, working in Brazil, the Bahamas, Miami, and Mexico.

Holmfred R. Hokanson Jr. ’62 went home to be with the Lord on March 5, 2006.

Robert “Bob” Johnson, former biblical studies faculty member, passed away on January 9, 2006. He began teaching at JBU in 1975, and he chaired JBU’s biblical studies department for nine years until his retirement in 1984. He most recently made his home in Nashville, Tennessee. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Elizabeth.

Dr. Marc D. Gilbert went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on March 8, 2006, at the age of 92. Born May 19, 1913, he had been a committed Christian since age 12. He was known in Clearwater, Kansas, as the Kansas champion speller during grade school, high school, and college. He served on the Kansas High School championship debating team and was class valedictorian. He received a B.S. in education and a B.S. in commerce from Kansas State Teachers College in 1939. In 1940 he completed the master’s degree in law and business from the University of Denver. In 1964 he was awarded his Ed.D. from the University of Tulsa. He was a CPA and workedintheaccountingfieldformanyyears. His teaching reached from a rural school in Kansas to high schools in Kansas and graduate schools in Texas. His primary college teaching was at JBU where he served as chair of the business and social studies departments. In Siloam Springs, he ministered as pastor and Sunday school teacher at Nicodemus Community Church, Grace Bible Church, Norwood Church, and Siloam Springs Bible Church. He was preceded in death by his wife of over 64 years. He is survived by his son Dean Bruce Gilbert and his wife Sharon and two grandchildren.

Kathryn (Spivey) Jackson ’34, went to be with the Lord on December 27, 2005. Kathryn met her husband, Robert Jackson ’35, while at JBU. She and Robert faithfully supported JBU during their 71-year marriage. Robert served on the Board of Trustees from 1937 to 1985, and Kathryn served on the parent’s council from 1954 to 1959 while their two children, Robert Jackson Jr. ’58 and Janelle (Jackson) Decker ’61 attended JBU. Kathryn, most recently of Austin, Texas, was an accomplished seamstress and was very active in church, civic, and charitable organizations. During their retirement, Kathryn and Robert traveled extensively with their Silver Streak Trailer Club. Kathryn is survived by her husband, her son and his wife Wanda, her daughter and her husband, James Decker ’61, 10 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandson.

Ella May Mason, former art professor, passed away March 24, 2005. She taught at JBU from 1959 to 1973.

Linda Morris, former JBU employee, lost her battle with cancer on March 26, 2005. Linda worked as circulation assistant from 1995 to 2000.

Elizabeth Reeves Reid ’36 passed away on February 12, 2006 at the age of 91.

Myrtie Lew Sawyer ’64 passed away on September 30, 2005.

Paul Whitmore ’47, former music department faculty member, passed away January 17, 2006. In addition to his work at JBU, he was a piano technician, church music director, and music storeowner in Siloam Springs. He is survived by his wife Viola (Walton) Whitmore ’50, their children (Eugene Whitmore ’74; Paula Phillips ’78, who works in the JBU library; Ernest Whitmore ’80, the advising coordinator at JBU; and Marcia Wallace ’85), six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Karine (Sieffert) Melby ’92- After a strong and courageous battle of seven years with breast cancer, Karine passed away peacefully on February 23, 2006. After graduating from JBU, Karine earned her MBA in insurance risk management from St. Thomas College in St. Paul, Minnesota while employed with the Hays Group of Minneaolis, an insurance brokerage and riskmanagementconsultingfirm.Karineenjoyed consulting and extensive travel for work, pleasure, and visits to friends and family. During her battle with cancer, Karine became increasingly aware of a great purpose to her life and the extreme value of friends, family, and faithfulness to God. Even when doctors had given up hope of her survival, Karine continued to bless others with her strong spirit and cheerful attitude. Karine is survived by her father and stepmother, her mother and step-father, and her brother and sister-in-law, Lance Seiffert ’95 and Lisa K. Seiffert.

Share your latest news with your alumni friends. Submit your information to the Brown Bulletin online by visiting

www.jbu.edu/alumi and clicking “online directory.”News and photos can be submitted by U.S. mail or by e-mail, as well.

e-mail:[email protected]: Brown Bulletin Editor, John Brown University, 2000 West University St., Siloam Springs, AR 72761

For information about submission deadlines and policies, visit www.jbu.edu/bbnews





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Leo Peirano ’01 Men’s soccer • 2000 1st Team NAIA All-American• 1999 & 2001 3rd Team NAIA All-American• Four-time All-SAC• 2000 Region and Conference Player of

the Year• Holds school scoring record with 32 goals

in 22 games

As we celebrate the record-setting performance of JBU senior basketball player Brandon Cole, we wanted to look back at some other star athletes in JBU sports history. These athletes earned a number of accolades, some of which are listed here.

David Stockstill ’82 Baseball • 1977 & 1978 2nd Team NAIA All-American • 16-year professional career • Part of Orioles staff since 1994 as a hitting instructor, field coordinator,

farm club manager, and field coordinator • Current director of minor league operations for Major League

Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles

Amber Squires ‘02 Volleyball (#9 in the photo) • 2000 3rd Team NAIA All-American• 1999 & 2001 NAIA All-American Honorable Mention• 2001 SAC MVP• Four-time All-SAC• Holds JBU record for games played and kills• 2001 JBU Champion of Character Award

Matt Pearson ‘85 Cross-country (shown with the track team) • 1984 NAIA All-American• 1982, 83, 84 NCCAA All-American

Nikki Peterson ‘95 Women’s swimming (shown with the swim team) • 1992-93 NAIA National Champion in 100-yard

backstroke as a sophomore• 1992-93 All-American in 200-yard backstroke• 1991-92 All-American in 200-yard backstroke,

400-yard individual medley, and 500-yard freestyle

7Benefits of a JBU

Charitable Gift Annuity1. ATTRACTIVE RATES. When you compare our gift annuity rates with what you might receive from a certificate of deposit you will be pleasantly surprised. (Rates between 4.7%-11.3%*.)2. REGULAR PAYMENTS. When you establish your gift annuity, you decide how often you want to receive your payments (with certain restrictions).3. FIXED INCOME. Your payment rate will be locked in at the time you obtain your gift annuity.4. LIFETIME BENEFIT. Gift annuities are for life. And if you have a two-life gift annuity, when one person dies, the other can continue to receive the same amount for the rest of his/her life.5. DEPENDABLE SOURCE. JBU stands behind each of its gift annuities. Guaranteed.6. RELIEF FROM TAXES. Since part of your contribution for a gift annuity is considered a charitable gift by the IRS, you will receive an income tax deduction to apply on an itemized tax return.7. SIMPLE PROCESS. We can provide you with a tailor-made illustration so you can see how it all works with your age and contribution amount included.

Interested in enjoying these benefits?Are you at or near retirement age?Let us give you more information.

Contact Paul J. Eldridge, Director of Development & Planned Giving

or contact your Regional Director of Development:James Elliot

Eric Greenhaw

call (800) 446-2450

* Rates will vary depending upon age and number of beneficiaries.

John Brown University2000 West University StreetSiloam Springs, AR 72761

Brown Bulletin

You’re alwaYs home at jbu

october 6th ~ 7theAlumni Career Fair on Friday aSoccer and Volleyball Games and Rugby MatchdShowcase Dinner and Alumni PerformancescA Sensitive Comedy by the Drama Team: “The Curious Savage”fClass of ’56 Fifty-Year Reunion as well as reunions for ’61, ’66, ’71, ’76, ’81, ’86, ’91, ’96, and ’01

Homecoming 2006

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