North Parker
The magazine for alumni and friends of North Park University
Haiti
on our hearts
SPRING 2010 / Volume 70 / Number 2
Faculty From Around the World – 14 Storefront Theatre – 20
A Place With Soul
Without its people North Park University would have no soul.
People have always been central to the mission and identity of
this place. We educate toward “lives of significance and service.”
We reach this end only in and through the people who are part
of this community of learners.
Our university family reaches in many directions—undergraduates, graduate students, seminarians; faculty, administrators,
staff; alumni, parents, friends. These are—we are—the people
of North Park.
In this issue of the North Parker we tell the story of the people
of North Park. We speak its soul.
• The story of alumni who mourn the personal loss of family
members and loved ones in Haiti, and who have been there—in
the streets, in the health clinics, in the schools—to serve those who mourn with
them . . . those without shelter and food, the injured and the brokenhearted.
• The story of faculty members who bring to North Park classrooms their home and
family cultures and perspectives from around the world—India and China, Canada
and Nigeria, Greece and Scotland, and far beyond.
• The story of an undergraduate in her junior year who writes for the theatre, studies and acts with troupes from Second City, and is making a name for herself in
Chicago’s storefront theatre community.
Through each person’s story we glance at, and stare into, the heart of North Park
University—people living with significance, in service.
At its very best, this is the story of North Park University—a place with soul.
NORTH PARKER STAFF
MANAGING EDITOR
Jessica Allen Bernthal
University Editor
EDITORIAL BOARD
David Parkyn
President
Daniel W. Tepke C’70
Senior Vice President
Lilian Samaan G’2008
Director of External Relations
Joseph Jones
Provost
Charles Peterson C’73
Dean of the College
Mary K. Surridge
Vice President of Development
and Alumni Relations
Melissa Vélez-Luce C’2004
Alumni Relations Manager
Marit (Johnson) Awes C’2003
Alumni Stewardship Coordinator
EDITORIAL STAFF
Lilian Samaan G’2008
Art Director
Emily Wulff C’2009
Designer
Rebecca Padgett
Publications Project Manager
Eric Staswick C’2009
Photographer
The North Parker is published three times a year
for alumni and friends of North Park University,
3225 West Foster Avenue, Chicago, Ill. 60625-4895.
For mailing list adjustments and address changes,
please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at
(773) 244-5273. Questions, letters, or suggestions for
the editor should be directed to the Office of External
Relations at the above address, or (773) 244-5796.
On the cover: The earthquake in Haiti hit close to
home for Djougine Desrosiers C’2009 (pictured) and
two other North Park alumni who share their stories
on pages 8–13.
The magazine for alumni and friends of North Park University
Spring 2010 / Volume 70 / Number 2
FEATURES
Haiti on Our Hearts
8
While the earthquake in Haiti may now seem like old
news to most of the world, three North Park alumni with ties
to the devastated nation remind us why we shouldn’t forget.
by Stan Friedman S’93 and Jessica Allen Bernthal
Page 14
International Intelligence
14
Faculty from around the world reveal how their global
perspectives shape their lives and their teaching.
by Jessica Allen Bernthal
Making a Scene
20
Student playwright Stephanie Weber C’2011 discusses the
inspiration behind her play, “Legitimate Geniuses,” which was
performed by the North Park theatre program this spring.
by Stan Friedman S’93
DEPARTMENTS
Page 20
News From Around Campus
Faculty Essay
2
24
Jennifer Morrissey, Assistant Professor of French
Donor Profile
26
Randy C’61 and Judy (Gotberg) Johnson C’63
Alumni Notes
Page 24
27
News from around campus
Enrollment for Criminal Justice
Programs Begin
and Steinhart expects overlap in some of the
coursework for both degrees.
North Park Receives National
Recognition for Community Service
If the popularity of crime dramas such as “CSI”
and “Law & Order” isn’t enough to substantiate a growing interest in criminal justice,
North Park professor of sociology Dr. Frank
Steinhart can easily point to much more
ubiquitous evidence.
Although he readily admits there is a place for
vocational programs, he advises students not to
expect police academy-style training at North
Park. Graduates will find themselves prepared
for careers in everything from Christian ministry, to social work, to positions in the criminal
court system.
For the second consecutive year, North Park
University was named to the President’s Higher
Education Community Service Honor Roll
for its exemplary service efforts to the Chicago
community. Launched in 2006, the Honor Roll
is the highest federal recognition a school can
achieve for its commitment to service-learning
and civic engagement.
“From airport scans to email intercepts, we live
in a society significantly different than that of
our parents,” says Steinhart, who notes that
heightened concern for our security is likely a
contributing factor.
But there are also academic reasons for the
increased fascination, which have led North
Park to introduce a new undergraduate degree
in criminal justice beginning this fall. Steinhart teaches Research Methods, one of the
required courses. Other foundational classes
for the degree include American Government,
Introduction to Sociology, and Introduction
to Statistics.
North Park Provost Dr.
Joseph Jones, a criminologist
who helped create two criminal justice programs in his
career, has been closely involved with the preparations.
Last year, the University also
introduced a criminal justice
major in the School of Adult
Learning (SAL), its adult
degree-completion program.
The idea of restorative justice is especially
relevant amidst the doubts that many have
about the status quo. While the government
has been building prisons at a record pace,
Steinhart says, that effort will be unsustainable
over time, and the “lock ’em up and throw away
the key,” method has yet to be proven a viable
strategy for maintaining social order.
The Corporation for National and Community
Service, which administers the annual Honor
Roll award, recognized more than 700 colleges
and universities for their impact on issues from
poverty and homelessness to environmental
justice. Students at North Park joined faculty
to develop innovative programs and projects to
meet local needs, combining skills gained in
“What, exactly, are we to do with all those the classroom with a passion for social justice.
ex-offenders who have been released from in- A few of the University’s notable service efforts
carceration?” he says. “How do we reengage in 2009 include its annual Community Service
them in society? Clearly we need to do that and, Day, a Music for Peace Festival, a sponsored
equally clearly, we are often walk to fight human trafficking, and a number
not doing that very effec- of additional campus fundraising efforts and
tively. . . . Criminal justice independent student initiatives.
is a complicated process with
many links to other social “Our nation’s students are a critical part of the
equation and vital to our efforts to tackle the
structures and processes.”
most persistent challenges we face,” said Patrick
Ultimately, Steinhart an- Corvington, the Corporation’s CEO. “They
ticipates the degree will have
longevity expressly because
of its interdisciplinary nature.
“On the one hand, we will
always need folks who
“Our courses explore such
provide security and who
topics as restorative justice,
administer our courts or
ethics, and diversity,” says
prisons,”
he notes. “On
Dr. Frank Steinhart
SAL Dean Elizabeth Ritt.
the other hand, this is
“They are also taught by pronot a narrow major. It
fessionals in the field—attorneys, social workers, blends sociology, politics and government,
police officers, sociologists, and administrators.” and criminal justice courses in ways that is
very consistent with the liberal arts tradiThe new undergraduate criminal justice major tion. This really does look like a good fit for
will likewise have a decidedly liberal arts focus, North Park.”
2
North Parker | SPRING 2010
News from around campus
have achieved impactful results and demonstrated the value of putting knowledge into
practice to help renew America through service.”
In 2009, 3.16 million students performed more
than 300 million hours of service, and college
students continue to make a significant contribution to the volunteer sector, the Corporation
reports. Each year, it invests more than $150
million in fostering a culture of service on
college campuses across the country.
Grant Funding Supports Interdisciplinary
Studies in the Sciences
The Max Goldenberg Foundation, which
last year provided $10,000 in grant funding for North Park University’s chemistry
laboratories, recently awarded a second grant
to the University to purchase ref lectance In chemistry, reflectance spectroscopy can be
spectroscopy instruments for the biology and used to analyze the color of paints, allowing
chemistry departments.
students to understand how dye molecules
cause paint to have certain colors. It can also
The foundation supports projects in medical enable a person to match paint samples with
research, laboratory science education, and more accuracy than the human eye, as is often
charitable endeavors, explains biology profes- done in the field of forensic chemistry for insor Dr. Linda Vick, who applied for the $7,100 vestigations of paint chips found at the scene of
award with chemistry colleague Dr. Jonathan car accidents.
Rienstra-Kiracofe.
“Such experiments introduce students to the
Ref lectance spectroscopy measures wave- fundamental chemical principle of color and
lengths and the intensity of reflected light, how specific molecules are responsible for the
Vick describes. It can be used to precisely and colors we see in objects all around us—from
objectively determine the color of an object or paint to the color of leaves in the fall, to skin
organism noninvasively.
and scale colors in animals,” Rienstra-Kiracofe explains.
“In biology, I expect to initially use the reflectance spectroscope in ethology laboratories,” He and Vick have actively discussed the value
she says. “In many organisms, body color of developing programs that increase collaboracan be used in individual recognition or in tion between the biology and chemistry departcommunication. For example, the green anole ments, seeking new ways to infuse technology
is a small reptile capable of rapid color changes and analytic equipment into basic science
from brilliant green to dusk y brown. The courses and to reinforce the integration of the
reflectance spectroscope can be used to moni- two fields.
tor these changes, allowing the study of the
relationship between surface body color and “Biology and the understanding of biological
environmental conditions or the motivational processes can be enhanced through a better
grounding in chemical concepts,” Vick says.
state of the animal.”
“In turn, biology provides a framework for the
practical application of chemical principles
and methods. With the initiation of the new
environmental science major last semester and
its interdisciplinary science focus, the impetus
for collaboration between our departments has
been strengthened.”
Students Share “My Story”
in 2010 Campaign
North Park unveiled its 2010 Chicago-based
outdoor advertising campaign on January 4
with a series of advertisements that feature
current North Park students and introduce
audiences to mystory.northpark.edu, a website
where these students discuss the impact of a
North Park education on their lives, goals, and
aspirations in brief video segments.
While the University continues to focus its
outdoor advertising efforts primarily on El
trains, buses, bus shelters, and bridge bulletins, this photographic campaign represents
a departure from its text-only campaigns in
preceding years.
“We’re allowing the faces and the voices of our
students to tell North Park’s story through
North Parker | SPRING 2010
3
North Park and St. Augustine Partner to
Enhance Degree Programs
North Park University has partnered with St.
Augustine College to increase the accessibility
of higher education to Chicago’s Latino and
adult students.
mystory.northpark.edu
BE INTENTIONAL.
News from around campus
On Thursday, January 28, President David
Parkyn and St. Augustine President Andrew
Sund signed an articulation agreement that
would allow students from both institutions to
benefit from course offerings at either location.
Latino, and the majority are adults who speak
English as a second language. Many are from
low-income backgrounds and are the first generation in their families to attend college.
St. Augustine differs from traditional models
of higher education, which typically require
extensive English language training before ESL
students can begin courses in core subject areas.
At St. Augustine, students can take content
classes in Spanish, their first language, while
at the same time improving their English. As
a result, many can earn their associate’s degrees
far more quickly and affordably.
The agreement would ease the transition for
students receiving associate’s degrees from St. According to Sund, enrollment is up 14 percent
Augustine who desire to complete their un- this semester. Given the current economic clidergraduate studies at North Park. Likewise, mate, he believes the growth is directly related
students enrolled in North Park’s School of to the quality of St. Augustine’s programs and
Adult Learning (SAL), the University’s adult the competitive pricing. Other personal touchbachelor’s degree completion program, will es make the college inviting—from convenient
soon have the option of completing some of morning and evening class schedules, to the
their coursework at St. Augustine. Because the availability of childcare, to easily accessible and
private junior college is located just three miles ample parking.
theirs,” explains Director of External Relations east of North Park’s campus, it is an ideal satelLilian Samaan G’2008.
lite location for SAL courses.
The partnership with North Park can only benefit both schools, he believes. “There is a contiThe students, like Colombian-born sophomore The two schools are a good match, affirms nuity between both institutions that is helpful,”
Valentina Rodriguez C’2012, represent a diver- Parkyn, who notes, “Our commitment to stu- Sund says, adding that he hopes St. Augustine
sity of backgrounds and interests, as well as a dents is something we each hold very dear, and alumni can inspire their children to be secondvariety of disciplines—from media, to music, to we each have something valuable to offer the and third-generation college graduates. Many
ministry. The advertisements also include three other.”
messages—“Be Distinctive. Be Intentional. Be
Presidents David Parkyn (left) and Andrew Sund
Purposeful”—that underscore the University’s Established in 1980 to serve
“distinctively Christian, intentionally urban, the Latino community, St.
purposefully multicultural” core values.
Augustine was the first bilingual institution of higher
Rodriguez, a member of the University’s rowing education in Illinois, and
team, explained in her video profile that rowing continues to offer a dualfor North Park has taught her the perseverance language curriculum. The
needed to live her life more intentionally. Senior school’s programs in culinary
Bishara Kuttab C’2010 noted that North Park arts and social work are
has allowed him to explore his creativity in among its most popular, and
media studies while intentionally connecting the latter is St. Augustine’s
with students from different cultures.
sole bachelor’s degree offering.
Profiles of all nine students can be viewed on- Today, 86 percent of the
line at mystory.northpark.edu.
college’s student body is
4
North Parker | SPRING 2010
News from around campus
students may not think they can complete their
associate’s degrees, but when they do, they are
encouraged to take the next step. “North Park
University can offer our graduates that opportunity,” he says.
Center for World Christian Studies
Receives $270K
The Center for World Christian Studies
(CWCS) at North Park Theological Seminary
received a large boost recently, when it was
given $270,000 from the Evangelical Covenant
Church Department of World Mission.
The funds came from the sale of the Covenant
Bible College (CBC) campus in Le Merced,
Ecuador. The campus was sold in June 2009 to
Ecuador’s National Police for $1.5 million. It
was the last of three campuses to be sold.
CBC, which offered a one-year intentional discipleship program, closed the campus in 2007,
along with its site in Strathmore, Alberta, Canada. The campus in Windsor, Colo., was closed
in 2006. Declining enrollment and increased
costs forced the school closure.
Seminary Professor’s Book Gets A
Golden Touch
Leadership journal, a publication of Christianity Today International, has named Rev. Dr.
Soong-Chan Rah’s book The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity, one of the top 10
books of 2009.
materialism. These trappings have ensnared
megachurches and emergent churches alike.
If evangelicalism is to reflect the body of
Christ, he asserts, it must draw from the
experience of Native Americans, as well as
The journal bestows its Golden Canon
Book Awards on the titles it considers
most valuable for church leaders. This year’s
winners were selected by a diverse group of
more than 100 pastors and leaders, including Leadership’s contributing editors.
“Scholarship gives this book a depth beyond many similar tomes that are based
mostly on experience,” judge Katherine
Callahan-Howell said of The Next Evangelicalism. “Rah leaves us with real hope.”
Rah is the Milton B. Engebretson Assistant
Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism
at North Park Theological Seminary and also
serves on the board of the social justice ministry Sojourners.
The gift to the Seminary was presented to Carl
Balsam, North Park’s executive vice president
In his book, he maintains that the North
and chief financial officer, and will serve as a
American church is captive to Western
trust fund for the program. The initial outlay
cultural ideologies of individualism and
from the fund will be a $25,000 grant this year
and $30,000 a year in the future, says Byron
Amundsen, World Mission director of adminis- Initial activities sponsored by the center will
tration and finance.
include a course in which students travel to
Ecuador to learn of the ministry challenges
Paul de Neui, associate professor of intercul- in that nation. The CWCS also will sponsor
tural studies and missiology at the Seminary, a Seminary faculty member to teach at the
will direct the CWCS. The cooperative venture Confraternity of Hispanic Covenant Churches
with World Mission aims to enhance the ability Triennial that will be held in Argentina later
of students to minister cross-culturally abroad this year.
and in the United States.
“We feel it is especially important to have a
De Neui, who was in Thailand when the cer- multidirectional relationship between the
emony was held January 14, said, “It is amaz- Seminary and many national churches that are
ing to see the gift of CBC continue to give and now mature and asking us for partners to join
promote a new generation of missional leaders.” them,” De Neui said.
the minority and immigrant churches. The
resulting change will include incorporating
a theology of suffering as well as a theology
of celebration.
Rah formerly taught at Gordon-Conwell’s
Center for Urban Ministerial Education in
Roxbury, Mass., and before moving to Chicago, was the pastor of Cambridge Christian
Fellowship Church in Cambridge, Mass., for
more than a decade.
The CWCS will also coordinate regional
seminars, provide non-formal theological
training opportunities around the world,
develop a means of testing and measuring
improvement of intercultural ministry skills,
and develop interdisciplinary courses and
ministry experiences.
Students at North Park University also will benefit from the gift. The CWCS will coordinate
with the University Ministries Global Partnership Program and open one mission course per
year to undergraduate students.
North Parker | SPRING 2010
5
News from around campus
Nursing Students Assist With Camp for
the Young at Heart
which includes volunteer-supported nonprofits “The students love it,” DeWaters says of workaround the country.
ing with Little Brothers. “It’s one of the best
programs we’ve ever done.”
“Flowers before bread,” may sound like an un- As they outlive their circle of friends and family
usual take on the hierarchy of human needs, but members, many senior citizens become isolated North Park Commended for “Advancing
for the Little Brothers: Friends of the Elderly from the outside world, DeWaters observes. The Racial Harmony”
organization, the motto perfectly reflects its medical problems, financial challenges, funcphilosophy of caring for the aging.
tional decline, and other issues compound their North Park University was recently honored by
sense of isolation and loneliness. Sometimes the the Council of Christian Colleges and UniverWhat it means is that for those without family staff and volunteers with Little Brothers are the sities (CCCU) with the Robert and Susan Anhelp as they age (which is almost half of Chi- only ones to attend their funeral, she notes.
dringa Award for Advancing Racial Harmony.
cago’s elderly population), receiving the “special
pleasures in life” can provide as much joy as Once the elderly begin with Little Brothers, the Established to recognize CCCU campuses that
receiving the basic necessities.
organization continues with them until their have “best practice” programs in areas of racial
death, says Christine Bertrand, intergenera- and ethnic diversity, the award acknowledges
It’s a concept that makes North Park’s partner- tional program coordinator. It facilitates home innovative and effective programs, partnerships,
ship with the Little Brothers organization that visits, celebrations throughout the year, and or other strategic initiatives that have helped
much more meaningful. Each year, about 15 book and art clubs. Little Brothers also provides to create a welcoming climate for ethnic and
students in the University’s nursing program practical services, like running errands.
minority students. It was presented to President
join the Chicago chapter of Little Brothers for
David Parkyn at the Council’s fourth internaa weeklong summer camp for the elderly. Each Students get credit for participating in the tional forum on Christian higher education,
student is assigned to a participant, helping program for one summer, but many return to which was held February 23–26 in Atlanta and
him or her to various activities that are similar volunteer. “We have students come back over attracted more than 1,000 attendees from 123
to any other summer camp.
and over again,” says Bertrand, adding that it is campuses and 25 countries.
not unusual for friendships to develop.
The CCCU acknowledged North Park for its
This year, the students will spend a Monday
through Thursday at the camp, which will be Many of the students also assist with the commitment to “reaching across boundaries
held in Mundelein, Ill. On Friday, the students Christmas program. They raise funds to pur- of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, age, and
will do home visits and help Little Brothers pre- chase gifts and then hold a “wrap” party before status in the cultivation of communities of
life and service.” All told, North Park enrolls
pare for the next week.
delivering the presents.
nearly 3,200 students from 40 states and 33
countries. Underrepresented minority students
Although the students don’t
comprise 26 percent of the University’s tradiprovide medical care, frequently, the only previous
tional undergraduate student body, in addition
to multiracial and international students.
experience they have had with
the elderly is with frail patients
Located in one of the most diverse neighborin the hospital. But at the
hoods in Chicago, North Park has fostered
camp, “They get to experience
relationships with a number of community
the elderly as people and not as
and faith-based organizations, such as Casa
patients,” says nursing professor
Central, the largest Latino social service
Trudy DeWaters.
agency in the city. Casa granted North Park
its Faith in Action Award last fall for its
Little Brothers works with
engagement with and service to the SpanishChicagoans 70 years of age
speaking community.
and older who live alone and
who are without meaningful
On campus, several academic departments associal or family contacts. Chisist in sponsoring diversity, including the Office
cago is also the headquarters
of Diversity and the Collaboratory of Urban
for the national organization,
6
North Parker | SPRING 2010
News from around campus
and Intercultural Learning. Within the last
year, North Park has hosted the Re-Centering:
Culture and Conflict Symposium, the Chicago
Latino Film Festival, and the Student Diversity
Leadership Conference, among other events.
North Park also offers a variety of courses that
contribute to students’ knowledge and comfort
with diversity, from African History, to Culture and Identity in Korea, to the Politics of the
Middle East, and more.
President Parkyn (left) and Provost Joseph Jones
are greeted by Robert and Susan Andringa, for
whom the award is named.
President Parkyn notes that the Andringa
Award reaffirms North Park’s claim on a
unique, ownable, and sustainable space in
American higher education—one that is “distinctively Christian, intentionally urban, and
purposefully multicultural,” like the University’s core values.
The results of the 2009 National Survey of
Student Engagement (NSSE) further solidify
this claim. North Park markedly outscored
10 benchmark and about 70 peer institutions
in the Enriching Educational Experiences
category, in which between 50 to 75 percent
of North Park students reported they “frequently have serious conversations with students who are different from them in terms of
religious, political, or personal beliefs,” “frequently have serious conversations with those
of a different race,” and “engage in spiritually
enhancing activities such as worship, meditation, or prayer.”
North Park Highlighted in New Book on
Christian Colleges
Retired University of Minnesota chancellor
Samuel Schuman gives North Park University
a glowing review in his new book, Seeing the
Light: Religious Colleges in 21st Century America
(Johns Hopkins University
Press, 2010). An analysis
of faith-affirming higher
education, it evaluates 10
institutions of note from
across the country, including Wheaton College, Calvin College, Baylor University, and others.
In the book, Schuman marvels at how North Park’s
strong connections to
the Evangelical Covenant
Church and its Swedish
heritage seamlessly coexist with its openness to
and encouragement of
religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity.
“As a visitor to [North Park] I was impressed
and surprised by the way in which NPU has
combined a vigorous and unapologetic Christian mission and identity with an openness to
a student population that is widely eclectic in
terms of race, ethnicity, economic background,
and yes, religion,” writes Schuman. “Perhaps
most impressive and surprising, not only is North
Park University Christian,
urban, and multicultural,
but it has managed to be all
those things and also to be
coherent.”
Of all the institutions he researched, Schuman also calls
North Park “the most assertively outward looking in its
philosophy,” applauding the
University for “[working]
vigorously to push students
out into the complexity of a
modern urban environment
and to pull into the orb of
the university the multifaceted neighborhood around it.”
A day on the fairway for the sake of our children
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 • Chevy Chase Country Club
Space is limited • Visit us at www.northpark.edu/golf
Continue the 16-year Tradition of golf for kids
North Parker | SPRING 2010
7
Feature Article
Haiti on Our Hearts
Three alumni with ties to Haiti tell of suffering,
solidarity, and life after the earthquake.
by Stan Friedman S’93 and Jessica Allen Bernthal
8
North Parker | SPRING 2010
Feature Article
“Everyone around me was in
deep pain . . .”
T
here’s something about having too comfortable of a life
that makes Djougine Desrosiers C’2009 downright
uncomfortable.
Perhaps it’s the feeling of surrealism. After all, she was born and
raised in a country now infamously known as the poorest in the
Western Hemisphere—whose recent history is marred by military
coups, political corruption, various human rights abuses, systemic
economic and social inequities, and now, one of the most devastating earthquakes the world can remember.
Perhaps it’s her own esprit de corps—an empathy that charges her
to suffer in solidarity with her fellow Haitians, even when she’s
thousands of miles away on U.S. soil.
Regardless of her reasons, Desrosiers remains unequivocal about
one thing: Haiti is still home. And that means for this recent graduate, confronting the nightmarish realities now facing her blighted
country is a priority far greater than chasing the American Dream.
“We have a saying in my country—Lakay se la kod lonbrit mwen
antere. In English it means ‘Home is where my umbilical cord is
buried,’” she says. “It comes from our custom of burying the umbilical cord after a child is born. My belly cord is in Haiti. . . . Even
if I eventually become an American citizen, I will always consider
myself ‘Ayisyen’ [Haitian].”
Seeing her homeland in ruins just one month after the disastrous
January 12 quake was sobering for Desrosiers, to say the least. The
political science and French major had hopes of returning to Haiti
to help young girls victimized by sexual abuse, unmasking the culture of shame that often silences their voices and perpetuates the
vicious cycle. “My goal is still to someday build homes for young
girls in Haiti, to give them spiritual as well as financial support,”
says Desrosiers, although she is quick to acknowledge the country
and its people now face much more immediate obstacles.
When she visited in July 2009 with Haitian Congress, (an Evanston,
Ill., nonprofit with whom Desrosiers serves as a board member) the
situation actually seemed hopeful. After President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide was exiled in 2004, life for Haitians grew worse before it
finally began to improve. But by 2009, Desrosiers says, optimism
had actually returned, along with a number of the diaspora with
hopes of rebuilding.
Photos by Djougine Desrosiers C’2009
North Parker | SPRING 2010
9
Photo by Eric Staswick C’2009
Feature Article
Desrosiers’ mother (left) was forced to live in the streets after the earthquake destroyed her home. Desrosiers herself (right) visited Haiti in February and returned in April.
“Money was starting to flow more freely, and people had every reason to believe the situation was getting better,” she says.
It was a stark contrast to what she witnessed just eight months
later—a wasteland of broken buildings and broken bodies, resulting
in what has been called one of the greatest humanitarian emergencies in the history of the Americas.
“I’ll never forget the smell of the Caribbean market,” describes Desrosiers. “I’ve never smelled anything like that. I lived in Haiti in the
1990s when people were
dying in t he streets,
and I remember as a
child the scent of rotten
flesh, but nothing like
this. It’s worse than the
smell of any other kind
of rotting meat. If you’ve ever smelled a decomposing body, you
will never forget it.”
“She told me, ‘I almost
died, but God saved me.’”
Another thing she’ll never forget is the look on her mother’s face when
she arrived in Haiti, after landing in the Dominican Republic and
traveling eight hours by bus from Santo Domingo to Port-Au-Prince.
“I saw misery in her eyes,” Desrosiers says. “Everyone around me was
in deep pain, even though they were trying to suppress it. It was a
sense of hopelessness and helplessness—nou oblije, as we say. There
is nothing we can do.”
Two of her cousins were killed in the earthquake, and her mother
only narrowly escaped being crushed by a wall as she cooked rice
in her kitchen. When the earth began to shake, she crawled under
a table, which protected her from the falling debris. Desrosiers was
working at a temp agency in Downers Grove, Ill., when she heard
10 North Parker | SPRING 2010
the news of the quake, and vividly recalls the anxiety and fear she
experienced in the two tense days she spent waiting to hear that her
mother was still alive.
“They were the worst two days of my life,” she says. “I would call
every five minutes, and there would be silence on the other end of
the line. In my heart, I believed she was okay, but I was still afraid.”
Finally on Thursday around noon, Desrosiers’ mother called, crying. Six months pregnant, she had walked 15 miles over two days
to reach the nearest working phone (a satellite phone in the town of
Carrefour), and waited in line for three hours to use it.
“She told me, ‘I almost died, but God saved me,’” says Desrosiers,
adding that her mother’s survival is a miracle. “She had bruises, but
no open wounds, so I know it was God.”
When Desrosiers visited in February, her mother was sleeping on
the streets on the steps of a friend’s home. Several nights, it rained.
She notes that many Haitians—even the few whose houses were
not destroyed—slept on the streets for weeks, in fear of numerous
aftershocks. Months later, some are still living in the streets with
no money to repair their homes, including her mother. Desrosiers
herself stayed at an undamaged house used as missionary quarters,
but confesses that the roof over her head provided little comfort
knowing she could do nothing to help her own family.
While in Haiti she gave her mother suitcases to store the remainder
of her belongings, and has since sent her a few hundred dollars for
the sand, cement, and metal beams needed to build a one-room
shelter near where her house used to stand. Unfortunately, the work
was short-lived due to inadequate funds. After returning to the Chicago area, lingering concern for her mother prompted Desrosiers to
apply for American citizenship, although it comes at a high price.
Feature Article
“This was the first ‘sheet city’ I saw,” says Desrosiers upon arriving home to Haiti.
“It would require me to give up my Haitian citizenship,” explains
Desrosiers, a permanent resident who came to the States with her
father a decade ago after her parents divorced. She later moved
to Chicago with guardians from her church who helped put her
through college at North Park University. Ultimately, she wants to
bring her mother and her unborn brother to safety in the U.S.
Desrosiers says that none of her family has received any aid, although, since her initial visit, a huge donor’s conference was held in
March at the United Nations headquarters in New York, drawing
government officials, financial institutions, and charitable groups
to discuss Haiti’s future.
She hopes that public concern for her country doesn’t wane before
hope is restored and Haitians are once again empowered. “There’s
still so much to do,” she says.
the agency, along with the Department of Defense, has contributed more than half of $1 billion in aid to Haiti, according to a
USAID release.
Boncy works to ensure full cooperation between initiatives “on the
ground” and headquarters throughout that region. He also supplies
information to Congress and fields queries from the public.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, Boncy was specially assigned
to help plan USAID’s transition from disaster relief to recovery
efforts—a work that is deeply personal.
Two cousins in Boncy’s large extended family were killed by the
earthquake. One was a mother of two children, and another was
the father of three. “We lost two wonderful people,” he says.
ellow Haitian native Robert Boncy C’71 also understands
that his country has a long road ahead of it. A former North
Park University professor, he led the school’s first ever mission trips to Haiti back in the 1980s. Today, he is helping coordinate the U.S. government’s recovery efforts in the island nation,
where, like Desrosiers, he lost two relatives.
F
He has helped provide assistance to numerous countries following
ecological calamities and wars. This is the first time he has been
involved in work following a natural disaster such as an earthquake.
Boncy says he is especially grateful for the opportunity to play a
significant role in helping his native country. He first learned of
the earthquake about 20 minutes after it struck. Since then, he has
worked from early in the morning to late at night with little rest.
Boncy graduated from North Park with a bachelor’s degree in political science and taught the subject at his alma mater from 1980 to
1984. He now serves as a desk officer with the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) in its Office of Caribbean
Affairs. He has also worked extensively throughout Africa and in
Washington.
Boncy has been working for years to expand others’ understanding of Haiti and to generate assistance for its people. Along with
philosophy professor Mel Soneson, he led the first work trips of
North Park students to Haiti in 1983 and 1984. The students built
a fishpond in Furcy, a rural community located more than a mile
high in the craggy Haitian mountains.
USAID is the principal government agency to extend assistance to
countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms. In the aftermath of the earthquake,
Although the students knew Haiti was impoverished and a dictatorship under the rule of Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier they could
not begin to comprehend the implications until they arrived.
North Parker | SPRING 2010 11
Feature Article
Boncy, the only Creole-speaking member of the trip, had to navigate the Haitian bureaucracy to get back film that was confiscated
at the airport when the team arrived on the first trip. North Park
junior Susan Eckhardt wrote in the June 1984 issue of The Covenant
Companion that a woman offered to sell one of her children to
Boncy for five dollars. She eventually lowered her price to 20 cents
in an attempt to lessen the number of family members to feed.
Eckhardt asked of herself, “How does one act—react—to this?
Why am I so privileged? When am I going to take responsibility for
this problem? After dinner?”
In a 1983 article for the magazine Boncy wrote, “Being originally
from Haiti, the project had special significance to me. It reaffirmed
the linkage of my worlds, and in however small a way, represented
the possibility of reconciliation through understanding and caring.”
Boncy already knew firsthand the power of getting a helping hand
from others. His father, Roger, was a judge in Haiti, but fled with
his family to Congo when his life was endangered under the dictatorial rule of FranÇois “Papa Doc” Duvalier.
While in Congo, the Boncys met Evangelical Covenant Church
missionaries. Two of them, Daniel and Anne Ericson, met the
family at a worship service. They ultimately connected them with
North Park Covenant Church in Chicago, which sponsored the
family and enabled them to get permanent visas. Boncy’s mother
and three siblings arrived in the city in 1963. His father followed
later and subsequently taught Latin and French at North Park
University.
Boncy married Ginny Westberg C’68— the daughter of Sigurd and
Ruth Westberg, two missionaries that helped his family in Congo.
She is now a support services officer in the Casualty Assistance
Office of the U.S. State Department, working with families of State
12 North Parker | SPRING 2010
Department employees who die overseas. “She puts a human face
on the bureaucracy,” Boncy says.
After the earthquake in Haiti, she was responsible for making sure
the body of an embassy employee who was killed was returned to
the United States and that all necessary assistance was available to
the family.
O
ther Americans in Haiti, like Heather Vruggink C’2005,
were fortunate to make it out of the country alive. Vruggink had been serving with a missions team at a mountaintop clinic in Haiti when the earthquake struck. She and her
teammates left Port-Au-Prince on January 15 on a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sponsored aircraft thanks to
the help of a U.S. Embassy representative.
The team had been spending a quiet week treating common ailments such as skin infections and intestinal problems that are easily
healed and preventable in the United States.
“I knew that it was going to be life-changing,” said Vruggink, a
graduate of North Park’s School of Nursing. “I was really looking
forward to serving a population that truly and badly needed care
in even the smallest way. I knew it was going to be a hardworking,
busy week.”
They finished seeing the last clinic patients at 4 p.m. on Tuesday,
January 12. At 4:53 p.m., the earthquake struck, killing more than
200,000 people and injuring another 300,000. Over the next several days, Vruggink and her team treated more than 200 injured
patients in the most rudimentary conditions.
The experience put her skills to the test. Until recently moving to
Michigan, Vruggink worked as a trauma nurse in the emergency
room at Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital and was studying
Feature Article
“This was all over the city in almost every neighborhood,” Desrosiers says of
the graffiti above.
to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. That training proved invaluable
when the earthquake hit.
On the day of the earthquake, Vruggink and team member Sarah
Kane had run down the mountain from the clinic to return to their
room, where they began getting cleaned up for dinner.
“The floor started shaking like a big semi was going by,” she recalls.
“Then all of the sudden I was knocked to my knees. The floor rocked
back and forth, and Sarah and I looked at each other terrified until
someone yelled at us to get out of the house.”
Vruggink and others stood on the lawn trying to guess how bad the
earthquake had been. “We didn’t really understand the aftermath
of the earthquake until we were deployed to the Mission Baptist
Hospital and saw the devastating injuries that awaited us.” When
they arrived, there were scores of wounded—and only one doctor,
several nurses, and limited medical supplies.
“It was shocking to walk past so many hurt people,” Vruggink says.
“We saw and stabilized more than 100 pretty severely wounded
patients that night, working well past midnight.” While treating
patients on Thursday, two days after the quake, the team heard the
sounds of people singing. It was the funeral for the first girl they
had treated.
Vruggink says she hopes to return to Haiti within the next year to
continue the recovery work in the country. Above all, she says, she
wants to see the people her team helped care for before and after
the earthquake, and continue the relationships built with these
Haitians.
“I will never forget the faces of the patients and families we saw,” she
says. “They were faces searching for hope.”
Call and
Response
North Park partners with Covenant World
Relief to lend a helping hand.
N
orth Park University students, faculty, and staff
recently contributed $10,000 to benefit relief work
in Haiti. More than half of that total was collected
during a special chapel service on January 27. By the following week, more than $9,000 had poured in, and that number
continued to climb.
“Students heard the cry of those in need and opened their
hearts and bank accounts to meet that need,” says Campus
Pastor Judy (Howard) Peterson C’92 S’2001.
One student had stayed in Chicago over Christmas break
to save money for a new laptop and felt God prompting her
to give it to the offering instead. Another took $1,000 from
savings to contribute, and still others gave the money they had
for food that week.
“I am always amazed and constantly encouraged by the
generosity of the North Park community,” says Peterson. “It
consistently goes above and beyond, and I couldn’t be more
thankful that these are my brothers and sisters in Christ.”
The funds were distributed through Covenant World Relief
(CWR), a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church with
a 60-year history of providing relief, rehabilitation, and transformational development.
Within hours of the devastation caused by the earthquake in
Haiti, CWR funds were already at work through a partnership with World Relief International. CWR maintains a crisis
response fund with World Relief that the agency can immediately tap to purchase and provide basic necessities like food,
water, and medicine.
North Parker | SPRING 2010 13
Feature Article
International
Intelligence
North Park faculty bring a world of wisdom to
their classes—and we mean literally.
by Jessica Allen Bernthal
The international migration of students and faculty is a major trend in
higher education, U.S. News and World Report announced just prior
to publicizing its ranking of the world’s best universities last year.
“International reputation is an undeniable component of today’s
world-class universities,” the magazine noted. “How better to
evaluate that than to assess to what degree international students
and international faculty are attracted to a given institution?”
By this criteria, North Park University does more than hold its own
among its liberal arts peers. Not only do students come from 40
states and 33 countries, but the faculty also represent an equally
eclectic mix. Hailing from as nearby as Canada and as far away as
Taiwan (not to mention from dozens of nations in between), North
Park professors bring with them perspectives as rich as their
culural backgrounds. They have come to teach in Chicago for a
variety of reasons, not least of which is its reputation as a worldclass city (and the second best global city for getting an education
according to Foreign Policy magazine in 2008). They have come
to teach at North Park for the high caliber of its student body,
whose commitment to faith and learning is equally impressive.
Meet just a few of North Park’s international faculty “ambassadors,”
and learn how their experiences from living abroad not only
enhance the life of their classrooms, but also enrich their
approach to mentoring students and teaching them what it
means to be global citizens.
14 North Parker | SPRING 2010
Feature Article
Rajkumar Boaz Johnson, Professor and Chair of Biblical and
Theological Studies
Home County: India
He is casually known as the “slumdog professor”—a take on the 2009
Academy Award winning movie, “Slumdog Millionaire.” That’s because, like the title character in the film, Boaz Johnson grew up in the
slums of India. Most of his childhood friends were illegally trafficked
into slavery, and none that he can recall lived beyond age 30.
“I pinch myself every day to see whether this is a reality—teaching at
North Park,” says Johnson. “God must have a purpose!”
His classes are filled with international illustrations from his younger
days in India and teaching experiences in different parts of the world,
including Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe. In March, Johnson took a group of North Park students to India to visit the New Delhi
slum where he was raised and to see the high school he attended as a
teenager.
“My style of teaching is quite ‘Indian non-linear,’” he describes.“It is
more in line with making disciples, just like the rabbis in the Bible and
the gurus in India.”
Although he has taught around the world, Johnson says North Park University is still one of the most fascinating places to educate. “We have
the world here,” he says. “We have Christian students who are very serious about their faith, and non-Christian students who are quite keen on
learning about Christianity, all based in this huge center of rich culture
called Chicago. I would not want to teach at any other place.”
Ida Maduram, Associate Professor of Education
Home Country: India
Ida Maduram knows it was God’s guidance that brought her to Chicago
all the way from Nagercoil, a small town at the southern tip of India.
She teaches the first courses of the teacher education program as well as
method courses, and observes students from the time they begin their
studies until they graduate as prospective teachers. As students prepare to
teach the children of the world in Chicago and beyond, she helps facilitate
their shifts in perspective on diversity and their ability to adapt to other
cultures.
“India is a potpourri of many cultures, languages, traditions, religions, and
ethnicities,” Maduram says. “It has added rich and intimate perspectives
to my understanding of the universal similarities within different cultures
and how to celebrate human experiences that make us who we are.”
North Parker | SPRING 2010 15
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Before coming to teach at North Park Theological Seminary in 2006,
Stephen Chester spent all of his life in Great Britain—a fact that his accent,
if not his teaching style, betrays. “I suspect my students feel that British
educational culture has left me with a regrettably robust attitude toward
grade inflation!” jokes Chester, who was born in Liverpool, England, lived
in Wales, and studied at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.
In addition to spending 18 years in Scotland, he married a Scottish
wife (Betsy, with whom he has two sons, Iain and Mark), and became
a minister of the Church of Scotland. He and his family currently worship at Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church/Community Covenant
Church—a partnership of two diverse congregations. “It has been a
privilege and a joy to see the reality of the grace of God cutting across all
human distinctions and bringing together those so different from each
other in the name of Christ,” he says.
Stephen Chester, Professor of New Testament
Home County: England/Scotland
16 North Parker | SPRING 2010
Chester adds that he has been thoroughly impressed with the North Park
students he’s had the pleasure of teaching. “I most enjoy their commitment—to understanding the Bible, to ministry, to truth, and to Christian service.”
Feature Article
Anyone who thinks that art and science make strange bedfellows might
enjoy a conversation with Tom Zelle. This longtime musician and skilled
conductor is also a closet scientist, taking lessons in quantum physics
and global scaling in his spare time. The subjects are deeply intriguing,
says Zelle. “I seek some sort of Renaissance diversity in my studies and
life—such as looking through a telescope at night, understanding nature,
writing literature and poetry, learning other languages, and much more,”
he explains.
Tom Zelle, Professor of Music
Home County: Germany
Zelle, who hails from Hamburg, Germany, says his German European
heritage figures prominently in his pedagogical approach. “I remember all
things that served me as a student and that helped me in my education and
I try to pass them on,” he says simply. Strong influences include German
language, grammar, and literature; philosophy; nature; and European
Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical music. An international perspective,
Zelle notes, is a lens that “creates more relativity”— although not the type
we associate with a famous physicist. It’s an attitude of “not knowing
rather than knowing,” he explains. “The ability to see things from other
points of view can be quite liberating.”
French, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian—Anne Marie AndreassonHogg has an impressive repertoire of languages that she can speak as well
as teach. The daughter of Scandinavians, she was raised and educated
in France. Today she teaches Scandinavian language courses (primarily
Swedish), as well as literature and Viking mythology, and an occasional
course on French pronunciation. Her interest in English first blossomed in
high school, when, to improve her listening comprehension, she would tune
in to American radio broadcasts such as “Unshackled,” from Chicago’s
Pacific Garden Mission. “I can still remember the voice of the announcer
welcoming the ‘many listening friends at home and abroad,’” she says.
“I never thought that one day I would live and work in that very city and
even get to see the Pacific Garden Mission building!”
Watching her own students realize the wonders of another culture still
excites Andreasson-Hogg. “Some students have no prior knowledge of
Scandinavia. . . . Others have Scandinavian ancestors, and for them,
learning the language and deepening their understanding of the culture is
an important part of understanding who they are as young adults. I really
enjoy sharing this process of self-discovery.”
Anne Marie Andreasson-Hogg, Professor of
Scandinavian Studies
Home Country: France
From philosophy, to democracy, to the arts and medical sciences, Greek
contributions to Western civilization go on an on. And students in Dimitra
Loukissa’s undergraduate, graduate, and RN-completion nursing classes
are sure to benefit from several aspects of this fruitful legacy. “I incorporate the Socratic dialectic method in my teaching approaches to promote
analytical and critical thinking,” says Loukissa, a native of Athens, Greece.
“I encourage my students to be intellectually curious—ask a lot of ‘why’
questions and search for possible answers, and make connections between
relationships and facts. Missing to see even a small correlation can make a
huge difference on someone’s state of health and its progression.”
Dimitra Loukissa, Associate Professor of Nursing
Home County: Greece
While still living and practicing in Athens, Loukissa participated in World
Health Organization (WHO) projects in various European countries.
“This exposure offered me the opportunity to collaborate with other
professionals having a variety of perspectives and cultural backgrounds,”
she explains. Another unique story she can share with her students is her
experience attending the 2004 Olympics in her hometown. “This was a
life-altering experience that will stay with me forever!”
North Parker | SPRING 2010 17
Nnenna Okore, Assistant Professor of Art
Home Country: Nigeria
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is more than just a
well known axiom—it’s also a truth upon which Nnenna Okore
has built her reputation as an internationally acclaimed sculptor and installation artist. Born in Australia, raised in Nigeria,
and educated in Swaziland and the United States, Okore creates
works that incorporate materials found in urban environments,
reflecting the way natural and man-made materials evolve, decay,
and transform.
“I try to broaden my students’ understanding and perspective of art by showing them non-Western art, especially works,
techniques, and processes by African artists,” she says. “I enjoy
the great sense of community at North Park, the high level of
engagement and enthusiasm of my students, and the collegial
and collaborative spirit promoted across disciplines.”
Nursing is a profession based on caring for others, which is perhaps one of the reasons Ching-Eng Wang was drawn to it.
A native of Taipei, Taiwan, Wang remembers going with her
grandmother to deliver food to poor neighbors as a child. “We
were poor, too, but she always told us that we needed to share
food with those who were less fortunate than us,” remembers
Wang, whose grandmother passed away at the age of 105. “She
was the most kind person I’ve ever known.”
Ching-Eng Wang, Associate Professor of Nursing
Home Country: Taiwan
18 North Parker | SPRING 2010
Wang adds that she enjoys the “creativity, spontaneity, and kindness” of the students she teaches at North Park. She came to
the University because of its Christian identity, but notes that
growing up overseas has helped her to “see things from many
different perspectives.”
Her decision to teach was ultimately a cultural one. “Educators
are well respected in my native country,” she explains, “and
we follow Confucius’ philosophy about setting high standards
for students.”
Feature Article
Linda Cannell, Professor and Seminary Dean of
Academic Life
Home Country: Canada
As the leader of CanDoSpirit Network, an international
community of Christian leaders seeking to transform congregational life and theological education worldwide, Linda Cannell
understands the challenges of promoting unity in the face of
diversity. She also knows the importance of seeing singular
issues from myriad perspectives. “Since I have been to several
countries, I’ve found that having an international perspective
makes a great deal of difference on how one views things,” says
the Winnepeg, Manitoba native. “And by the way, Canada and
the United States really are different!”
In addition to serving as academic dean of the Seminary, Cannell
also teaches educational ministry. She says it’s a pleasure to
work with North Park students. “They are bright and committed
to ministry.”
Jim Dekker, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the
Center for Youth Ministry Studies
Home county: Canada
Canada may be popularly known for maple leaves and hockey,
but it is also a country defined by diversity. Like its neighbor
to the south, it is a country populated by immigrants and their
descendants.
“Diversity is woven into our history, politics, religions, and economy,” says professor Jim Dekker, an Ontario native who teaches
undergraduate and Seminary courses in youth ministry.
“My parents knew we were a minority among many minorities
so we needed to listen closely to pick up nuances of differences,”
he explains. “I find myself offering our students more diversity in
thinking about issues, going beyond arguing the poles—seeing
beyond the single apparent factor and learning to listen to the
nuances.”
While Dekker enjoys travel and likes to visit the Philippines “whenever I can,” when he’s States-side, students might find him indulging in a number of other unique interests.
“I love being in nature and building computers, and I invented a
multilayer strategy game,” he says. “Any challengers?”
North Parker | SPRING 2010 19
Feature Article
Making a Scene
Up-and-coming stage talent Stephanie Weber C’2011
demonstrates how to construct a play from scratch.
by Stan Friedman S’93
20 North Parker | SPRING 2010
Feature Article
N
orth Park student Stephanie Weber C’2011 may not be widely
considered a legitimate genius yet, but her work as a comedienne
and writer is catching people’s attention.
“She’s on the cusp of going national,” says professor of communication arts Chad Eric Bergman, who calls Weber “a wonderfully
talented improvisation performer and writer.”
Her play “Legitimate Geniuses” was this year’s spring performance
for North Park’s theatre program, and was performed at the
Neo-Futurarium in April. The local storefront venue is home to the
Neo-Futurists, a well-known Chicago troupe.
Weber’s ability to tell a multifaceted story is evident in “Legitimate
Geniuses,” which Bergman calls an “amazing script.” He first
caught a glimpse of just how talented she was during her freshman
year, when he cast her as the “young ingénue” in Tom Stoppard’s
play “Arcadia.” Says Bergman, “She did a brilliant, brilliant job.”
Bergman recalls asking her to write a piece last summer for nine
women, given the student composition of North Park’s program
at the time. “Two weeks later, she hands me a script with nine
women,” he marvels. Weber then asked if he would read another
one of her plays. When he finished, she told him of a third play she
had authored, which turned out to be “Legitimate Geniuses.”
The 21-year-old Weber has supplemented her experience at North
Park by taking classes through the nationally known Second City
Conservatory and Annoyance Theatre. Second City has trained
numerous performers including Steve Carrell, Amy Poehler, Mike
Myers, Tina Fey, and Stephen Colbert. In only her second year
with Second City, the troupe invited Weber to perform with one
of their teams. She has also performed at numerous other theatres
in Chicago.
“She is a wonderfully talented improvisation performer and writer,”
says Bergman.
“Legitimate Geniuses” tells the Millennial Generation’s story of
transition, relationship, transportation—and burritos. The unpredictable, quirky romantic comedy follows the relationship of three
Chicago couples that are at different “stops” on the relationship
“route.” Using the CTA as a central image of storytelling, the additional characters the audience meets on the bus underscore the
idea that it is not the destination that matters, but the verve we
share on life’s journey.
“Especially for a Chicago audience, it’s really brilliant,” notes
Bergman. “It’s tense, it’s funny—there are some really poignant, sad
moments, and romance.”
Weber and her boyfriend, Brad Einstein, make up the eponymous
duo of Weber and Einstein. They received rave reviews in February
at Penn State, where he attends, when they opened an evening of
improv comedy that included several groups. A reviewer for The
Daily Collegian wrote that the two “brought the audience to tears
as they went from characters such as a southern socialite couple, to
high school students who are awkward with each other—all without missing a beat.”
Weber and Einstein were chosen to participate in this September’s
first-ever Chicago Fringe Festival, where they will perform, “Please
Love Me, High School Boyfriend,” which they co-wrote. Similar
festivals have become fixtures in cities, including New York and San
Francisco, and target primarily new talent. Shows are performed in
small, unusual venues throughout the cities.
Stephanie Weber C’2011 and Professor Chad Eric Bergman
“The thing that was really remarkable to me was that the three plays
she wrote for me last summer were all different,” Bergman says.
“They were all different styles, and they all represented different aspects of her. Her interior process shifted so drastically from story
to story, that by the time I got to the third one, I was ready for
that voice.”
Bergman says he was immediately struck by Weber’s awareness of
her generation, which comes from having a well-tuned ear. She carries a notebook everywhere so that she can capture ideas as well as
conversations she hears. “I really do like sitting in crowded coffee
shops,” Weber says somewhat sheepishly. “It might not be a conscious effort. I might just overhear something and have to write it
down.”
Naturally, some of the lines for “Legitimate Geniuses” came from
hours spent riding the bus. If the notes she takes don’t make it into
North Parker | SPRING 2010 21
Feature Article
her plays, they are frequently fodder for other performances. “I use
them in improv as opening lines all the time,” Weber says.
She began writing “Legitimate Geniuses” after her freshman year,
but didn’t realize it then. She was working at Trader Joe’s and would
spend her breaks writing random scenes, again rooted in conversations she heard. In November 2008, she began to realize the stories
could be strung together.
“Once I started to look at it as a whole, I couldn’t believe these
things worked together,” Weber reflects. “There were so many times
I would look at it and say, ‘Why am I writing this?’”
Unlike traditional theatre, storefront theatre is done in what Bergman calls “unrefined and intimate environments.” Small budgets
make it necessary for participants to possess multiple skills. This is
why North Park cross-trains students across the technical, acting,
and writing disciplines, explains Bergman.
The University’s philosophy of performing storefront productions
is preparing its students for the “real world” of theatre, he adds.
While many school programs focus on training for large productions, most actors and designers will likely work in smaller venues
during their careers.
Bergman has experience in both realms. While a doctoral student
She was also hesitant to share the play because it was heavily inat the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, he directed several
fluenced by a relationship that had ended. “I guess just because it
plays and had a budget of more than $50,000 for a single producwas so collected and pulled together and personal, I didn’t know if
tion. The stage size was similar to that of Lincoln Center or the
anyone else would be interested,” explains
Kennedy Center.
Weber, who had completed the rough draft
months before handing it to Bergman. He
Then there was reality. His first job in Chicago
quickly assembled a group of Chicago
We are at the center of the
was directing a play for a theatre with only 49
actors for a read-through.
seats and a budget of $200 that was supposed
storefront theatre capital of
to cover building materials, costumes, props,
the world.
“Everyone at the reading was really excited
sound, lights, and publicity.
about this play,” he recalls. “They were
pretty much bowled over that she was a junior in college.”
Bergman says he had to develop the storefront program due to
economic necessity. North Park didn’t have the funds or facilities
Chicago professionals are also becoming excited about the North
to consistently put on large productions. “I’m especially grateful
Park program, which focuses on training students for storefront theto professor Bob Hostetter and the administration who have unatre. With more than 200 producing theatre companies, Chicago
derstood that this is a vision that works particularly well at North
is world renowned for its contribution to the storefront movement.
Park,” Bergman says.
“We are at the center of the storefront theatre capital of the world,”
says Bergman. He recently received a phone call from a representative of the critically acclaimed Halcyon Theatre, which wants to
establish a storefront presence in Albany Park.
22 North Parker | SPRING 2010
Nevertheless, his design staff is comprised of working professionals,
who know the capabilities of the students and readily grab them as
assistants. “On any given weekend, we’ll probably have a student or
two who is working side by side with these designers,” notes Bergman.
Feature Article
Weber especially appreciates the instruction she’s receiving. “It’s
so do-it-yourself,” she says. “You’re in a small space. You have to
problem-solve. You do your own lights . . . do your own sets. I’m
glad that we’re all prepared to that.”
Weber says she is very self-motivated. Despite carrying a full load
of classes at the University, she has also made time to study with
the other programs and perform. “I have to keep doing the things
I love,” she explains.
The program makes the students more marketable, she adds, noting
she now has a better eye for design because of this kind of training.
“People were impressed that I could put on a show with basically
nothing, and I learned that here.”
She adds that the improv training has contributed significantly to
her personal growth, especially when it comes to taking chances
and being vulnerable. “You just can’t be afraid to fail because nothing is ever really failure. Everything is a learning experience. If you
don’t try—that is failure.”
Bergman says having a small program provides other advantages.
“Because our program is small and yet strong, I can see where the
talents of my students are and push them in that direction.” Weber
is a prime example.
North Park’s storefront philosophy helped attract Weber to the
school, she says. She also appreciated that the University, unlike
another school in the city, would let her take classes at places like
Second City and Annoyance Theatre. “I knew for some reason I
wanted to try improv classes but I don’t know where that came
from,” she says.
Weber grew up in the small town of New Lenox, Ill., and there
certainly were no early signs that she would one day be acting on
stages across Chicago. Quite the opposite, in fact.
“I was cripplingly shy,” Weber says. “I would want to cry every time
the teacher called on me.”
But Weber developed a vivid imagination and began to write
scenes about what her fellow students might do when they got
home. “It was nothing fantastical. It was, ‘T. J. went home and
had a birthday party.’” She began to get more serious about writing when she was in high school and penned scenes with her
brother and a friend.
Improv and sketch comedy has also taught her to trust her choices
and her peer performers, and that the key to improvisational comedy is not going for the easy laugh. “The worst thing you can do
is try to go out and be funny,” she says. “That was a huge lesson to
learn. It’s about being truthful, actually. That’s where you find your
comic voice. Vulnerability is actually very funny.”
In addition to experiencing personal and professional growth,
training at Second City also gave Weber an evening she will always
remember. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary last year,
and numerous graduates returned for the event. “They let the students volunteer there, and we got to meet our idols while doing coat
checks and other jobs,” she says. For Weber, that was Amy Sedaris
and Stephen Colbert. A friend had to coax her into talking to them.
“I was so starstruck,” she says.
As for her future, Weber says she eventually would like to write
comedy for television but also perform. “I see myself as both a
writer and a performer. Tina Fey, who started as a writer for “Saturday Night Live,” says if you don’t write, you won’t get very far in
this business.”
Bergman has no idea what lies ahead for Weber, but says, “I feel
really privileged to be part of her journey.”
North Parker | SPRING 2010 23
Faculty ESSAY
24 North Parker | Spring 2010
Faculty ESSAY
Who Is My Neighbor?
by Jennifer Morrissey, Assistant Professor of French
A
ujourd’ hui, nous sommes tous haïtiens! A rallying cry for solidarity with
Haitians in the midst of one of the greatest humanitarian emergencies
in the history of the Americas, the words hang in the air. Today we are all
Haitian! But what of yesterday? What of tomorrow? Does it take devastating earthquakes for us to turn our attentions to the plight of our neighbors?
How long until we cast our eyes elsewhere?
As politicians, the military and nongovernmental organizations
scramble to address Haiti’s immediate and long-term needs, so too have
ordinary citizens pledged to help. The outpouring has been tremendous.
Hundreds of millions of dollars from nations all over the world will help
Haiti rebuild its capital city, its residential areas and infrastructure, and
its industry. All hope that Haiti will ultimately
have stronger buildings, better services, and
more jobs.
What enmity
never saw a soul visit him. Then one August, I called the janitor because
the smell emanating from the fourth floor was noxious. The old man
had died.
I was never unkind to the old man. But not once had I knocked to see
that his heat was on or that his air conditioning was working. Never
once had I left a bag of groceries at his door or shared a bowl of soup
from my crock-pot. It never occurred to me to invite him to my annual
“stray dog” Thanksgiving gatherings. I simply went about my business
and let him go about his.
When he passed, I mourned the old man. I wondered what his life must
have been like. What sorrows and joys had he
known? I marveled at his resilience and his digdo we sow in the nity. I imagined he might have been a fighter pilot
or a musician or a beatnik when he was young.
world by our indifference to
Had he had a family? Where were they? I wished
human suffering?
I had even once offered him a small kindness.
Yet will the giving meet the need? Already, the
same media that projected into our every waking
moment wrenching images of the devastation in
Port-au-Prince now bandies about “donor fatigue.” Official estimates
suggest that rebuilding Haiti will require 10 years of sustained effort
and resources.
How long before we as nations and as individuals are worn out by the
mere mention of Haiti? We have a track record of complacency vis-à-vis
our little neighbor to the south. Haiti has long been the poorest country
in the Americas. Before natural disasters came colonialism, war and,
finally, an improbable freedom. Yet even in the midst of the earthquakes, American cynics publicly disparaged Haitians for their plight.
So what is the responsibility of the rich nations toward nations in need?
After all, the U.S. is in the worst recession since the end of World War
II. And what is our responsibility as individuals toward other human
beings in need? How we respond to these questions both as a people and
as individuals demonstrates our beliefs about what it is to be rich, to be
human, and to be persons of faith.
I am struck by how deeply the news of the earthquakes in Haiti unsettled me. Yet the images that woke me in the middle of the night
were not Haitian. The disaster in Haiti made me relive a human tragedy
that unfolded while I was a student in New York. A lone resident from
my building still held onto his rent control apartment decades after the
university had bought the building and gentrified it for student use. He
was an old stooped Asian man. Maybe he was Korean? I don’t know. I
never spoke to him.
I remember noticing that the old man sure liked onions. He would carry
bags and bags of them from the train, across the expanse of the large
campus, and up four flights of stairs. The janitor mentioned once that
the old man was a widower. I figured he didn’t know how to cook. Year
after year, I saw the man trudge up those stairs, thinner and thinner. I
The experience of turning a blind eye taught me to at least try to be
fully present to my fellow sojourners in this life. I want to pay attention.
I want to notice. I want to help out. As an individual, I have grown
to feel a spiritual imperative to love others, even when love demands
putting myself out. Embracing this visceral need to connect—despite
competing priorities—has put me in touch with my own humanity, has
brought me meaningful relationships, and has affirmed my faith in a
loving God.
As a nation, I wonder whether we too might ultimately be restored to
health and stability by tightening our belts, rolling up our sleeves, and
helping out in the world. It is worth considering the toll of ignoring
our neighbors in need. What remarkable leaders, artists and inventors, and great thinkers do we go without because they do not survive
poverty, injustice, or despair? What enmity do we sow in the world by
our indifference to human suffering? How does our negligence actually
dehumanize us?
When I reflect on the faith and courage and strength and dignity of the
Haitian people, those proud descendents of heroic slaves who attained
freedom against all odds and then elected a priest as president, I am
humbled and grateful to take part in North Park University’s campuswide initiatives to establish a benevolent relationship with Haiti and to
help rebuild Haiti—however long it takes.
Dr. Jennifer Morrissey heads the department of French and French studies. She holds a Ph.D. in French and romance philology from Columbia
University, a D.E.A. in French literature from the Université de Paris,
and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania.
Recently, she was nominated to the executive committee of the American
Association for Teachers of French. Her passions include French advocacy
and volunteer work.
North Parker | SPRING 2010 25
DONOR Profile
Agents of Change
These alumni not only embraced North Park University’s growth over the years—they are contributing to it.
by Melissa Vélez-Luce C’2004
L
egacy and faith have been predominant themes in the lives of
Randy C’61 and Judy (Gotberg) Johnson C’63. Each was inspired
to attend North Park by their older brothers Dr. G. Timothy Johnson
S’63, H.M. “Marv” Gotberg C’53, and Russell Gotberg C’56. Neither
Randy nor Judy visited campus before submitting their applications,
but trusted it was the right choice. Little did they know that decades
later, their relationship with North Park would continue to play a vital
role in their lives.
While Randy and Judy were students, North Park’s campus underwent several significant changes. Randy came to North Park Junior
College and moved into Burgh Hall, a building that had only been
in use for one year. The campus continued to evolve throughout
the Johnsons’ time at North Park. Randy recalls that he was one of
an assembly line of students who helped pass books from the third
floor of Old Main to the newly built Wallgren Library in 1958.
Three years later, when Randy crossed the stage at commencement,
North Park had transitioned to an accredited four-year program.
The Johnsons annually visit campus for Homecoming and attend
concerts throughout the year, taking note of the exceptional progress still being made. In October 2001, they were present for the
dedication of Brandel Library.
“I bet they didn’t have students move all the books into the new
library this time around!” jokes Randy.
Judy reflects that the changes throughout the years bring new life
to campus. “As students, we didn’t think about the efforts required
to provide the buildings we lived and studied in, but now we realize just how important it is to support the University and provide
exceptional facilities for new students coming in.”
Eventually, these students included the Johnsons’ sons and their
wives, Peter C’88 (who married Julie Nilsen C’93) and Mark C’92
(who married Jodi Monkowski C’2007).
“They were familiar with the campus because we brought them to
basketball games as they were growing up,” says Judy, “but we never
pushed them to attend North Park. We wanted them to make the
choice that was right for them. In the end, I believe they observed
our appreciation for North Park and wanted that experience for
themselves.”
Randy and Judy agree that what North Park has given to them and
their children is much more than a degree. “The relationships we
formed at North Park are so special to us,” she says. “In fact, when
we brought each of our boys to campus for college I think we had
more fun than they did—reconnecting with so many classmates
who were dropping off their children as well!”
These special friendships and memories are all part of the reason
Randy and Judy wish to give back to the school that has given so
much to them. Randy, who serves as co-chair of North
Park’s President’s Club executive committee, says it has always been an easy decision. “North Park fostered our faith
and provided us with an education, and continues to do
that for others,” he says.
For 20 years, the Johnsons have been proud members of
the President’s Club, one of many giving clubs that allow
alumni and friends to partner with North Park financially.
There are numerous opportunities to give back, and Judy
encourages those who wish to get involved that no gift is
insignificant.
“If everyone could consider giving something—even something small— it would make a meaningful difference in the
lives of students,” she says. “North Park has added so much
to our lives. . . .We want it to be around for years to come so
others may benefit from all it has to offer, as well.”
For more information on the President’s Club and other giving
opportunities, visit www.northpark.edu/Giving.
26 North Parker | SPRING 2010
[email protected]
Alumni Notes
[email protected]
| SPRING
| Fall 2006
North
North
Parker
Parker
2010 27
Alumni Notes
4
2
10
12
5
9
3
1
14
11
13
Swedish Covenant Hospital recently welcomed Charles L. Adair C’74 and Rev. Mary
C. Miller S’80 to its 20-member board of
directors. Adair has an M.S. in resource
economics from Michigan State University,
and nearly 30 years of experience in the food
and agribusiness marketplace. Over the
years he has been responsible for executing
investment banking transactions in these
sectors in North America, but he also served
as director of mergers and acquisitions for
Elders Grain, Inc., an Australian agribusiness firm. The former senior vice president
and manager of the Harris Capital Markets
Group, Adair is currently managing director in the BMO Capital Markets Mergers & Acquisitions Group. He previously
served on the board at Swedish Covenant
28 North Parker | SPRING 2010
Hospital for 16 years, which included a term
as chairman.
Miller has nearly 20 years of pastoral experience and serves as the director for the Making
Connections Initiative at North Park Theological Seminary. A former vice-president for
administration in the Evangelical Covenant
Church, she has also been a columnist for The
Covenant Companion and has written and contributed to several books. She received her master of divinity from North Park Theological
Seminary and her doctor of ministry in spiritual direction from the Graduate Theological
Foundation. Miller also studied at University
of Detroit Law School and DePaul University
College of Law. She and her daughter, Elizabeth Coyle, currently live in Lake Forest, Ill.
[email protected]
Alumni Notes
40s
1. Lenore (Johnson) Larson A’46 married
Robert S. Johnson C’47 on November 28,
2009. The wedding was officiated by Dr.
Arthur A. R. Nelson A’52 C’54 S’60 at the
Winnetka Covenant Church in Wilmette,
Ill., and followed by a reception at the Swedish American Museum in Chicago.
50s
2. Wanda (Peterson) Hollensteiner A’50,
a 1954 graduate of Beloit College, was
awarded the Distinguished Service Citation
from her alma mater. The highest honor
bestowed by Beloit upon its alumni, the
award recognizes Hollensteiner’s service,
personal and professional achievements, and
civic contributions. She also presided over
the dedication of the Wanda Hollensteiner
Gallery at the Wright Museum of Art at Beloit, known for its world-class works of art.
North Park alumni in attendance included
her husband, Jim A’49, Louise (Shumaker)
Woodier A’50 JC’52, Vivian (Anderson)
Johnson A’50 JC’52, Ernest Johnson JC’47,
Judy (Erickson) Anderson A’50 JC’52,
Howard Anderson JC’52, Marilyn (Mueller)
Pojlhammer A’50 JC’52, and Donald Pohlhammer JC’52.
70s
3. Cy Taggart has released two CDs, “It’s
Alright,” and “Beet the Meetles.” He performs regularly as a solo musician and with
his band, The Cy Taggart Band. Taggart
and his wife, Connie, have been married for
25 years, have two children, and reside in
Richmond, Va.
4. Judith Johnson C’71 has been named
health care administrator for Covenant
Village of Florida, a nationally accredited continuing care retirement community.
Johnson serves on the board of the Florida
Association of Homes and Services for the
Aging and is chairperson for the Plantation
Chamber of Commerce. Before joining
Covenant Village, she served in a variety
of academic and clinical settings, including
a position as vice president for patient care
services at a 150-bed acute-care community
hospital in Turlock, Calif. She resides in
Plantation, Fla.
5. Marvin Curtis C’72, director of the South
Bend Symphonic Choir in South Bend,
Ind., was invited to bring 20 members of the
44-voice ensemble to perform at the White
House on December 21, 2009. The 75-minute concert included a repertoire of holiday
selections performed on the State Floor of
the presidential mansion.
6. Candace (Langenberg) Cesarz C’73
retired from General Motors in October
2009 after 32 years with the company.
7. The Connecticut Association of Notfor-Profit Providers for the Aging named
Burton P. Johnson C’73 recipient of its 2009
Humanitarian Award. Johnson is the executive director of Covenant Village of Cromwell, and has served there since 1996. The
award recognizes his personal integrity, decency, and contributions to the elderly. “This
is truly an honor for Burt and the Covenant
Village community,” said Terri Cunliffe,
Covenant Retirement Communities senior
vice president. “He exemplifies our commitment to senior adults and to the service
and care we provide residents at Covenant
Village of Cromwell.”
8. Tim J. Johnson C’79 S’98, who currently
serves as curator of special collections and
rare books at the University of Minnesota,
has been named E. W. McDiarmid Curator for the Sherlock Holmes Collections at
the university, where he oversees the world’s
largest collection of memorabilia related to
the detective. Johnson and his wife Beth
(Holmberg) C’79 have a daughter, Clarisa
C’2012, in her second year at North Park,
and a son, Joel, who is a Kern Scholar at
North Park Theological Seminary.
80s
9. Diane (Swanson) Kleinke C’84 was accepted into the Fine Art Competition at
the 2009 Minnesota State Fair with her
painting “Nature’s Mountain Song” (pictured). Diane continues to work from her
studio in Stillwater, Minn., and has some
original work at the Stillwater Art Guild
Gallery, which can be viewed online at
artguildgallery.com. Diane’s husband,
James, specializes in family law and estate
planning at his law firm, Lighthouse Law,
PLLC, located in White Bear Lake, Minn.
10. Kathryn (Schwartz) Abele C’85 lives
outside of Rockford, Ill., with her husband
Bob and three children. Bob is an engineer
and small business owner, and Kathy is a
new products administrator turned stay-athome mom. The family welcomed son John
Emmanuel in October 2008. He joins siblings Lucas (4) and Claire (12).
11. John C’85 and Lida (Bond) C’85 Kuehn
live in Aurora, Ill., and are parents to teenagers Scott, Stephanie, and Justin. John works
for SUA Insurance Co., and Lida works part
time as a nurse for a home health agency and
enjoys swimming in her free time. She had
five first place finishes at the Illinois Masters
State Swim Meet in April 2009, and many
other wins in the last year.
90s
12. Kristin (Anderson) C’91 G’93 and Paul
C’92 Hawkinson welcomed Carson Gustaf
Hawkinson on December 20, 2009. Carson
weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and was 20 3/4
inches long. He joins proud siblings Annika
(12), Colin (9), and Kajsa (7).
13. Ken C’94 G’2004 and Jenny (Rippe)
C’95 Henrikson welcomed Andre and
Gregory (born in Kazakhstan in 2005 and
2006, respectively) as their sons on February
4, 2009.
14. Daron C’94 and Kristin (Halverson)
Jagodzinske C’96 adopted children Fia and
Kwame in February 2009. They traveled to
Ghana in 2008 to meet the children before
Kristin and her mother returned in 2009
to bring them home. The Jagodzinske family lives in Poulsbo, Wash., where Daron
serves as pastor of Alive Covenant Church
(www.kitsapalive.com), a church plant that
they began in 2005.
15. Dan O’Keefe C’95 received the Tony
Lawless Award as the coach of the year in the
Chicago Catholic League White. O’Keefe,
the head football coach at De La Salle Institute in Chicago, also won the award in 2007.
This season he guided De La Salle to a 9–3
overall record, as well as its third consecutive
Catholic League White championship and
third straight state playoff berth.
16. Nate Anderson C’98 married Morgan
Nothwehr on November 7, 2009, at Community Covenant Church in Lenexa, Kan.
Brother of the groom, Joshua Anderson
C’2001, served as best man, and father of
the groom, Rev. Thomas B. Anderson C’67
S’71, officiated. Also participating in the
wedding were grandfather of the groom,
| SPRING
| Fall 2006
North
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2010 29
Alumni Notes
23
17
16
15
20
18
19
Rev. Glenn Lindell C’42 S’46, and mother
of the groom, Sandie (Lindell) Anderson
C’71. Nate is a finance/accounting recruit-
ing consultant with Access Search Inc., in
Chicago, and Morgan works as an account
executive with EuroRSCG. They currently
live in downtown Chicago.
17. Amy R. Coty G’99 is serving as chief
financial officer for Tehiyah Jewish Day
School after many years working in the investment management and financial services
industries. This is Coty’s first time working
with a nonprofit, and she says she is “grateful
every day for my North Park degree hanging
on the wall.” Coty has two children, ages
three and six, and lives in the San Francisco
Bay area.
18. Mai (Khader) Kakish C’99 resides in
Chicago with her husband, David, and
their two daughters, Neda (9), and Julia
(4). Mai works as a PR freelancer for
small businesses and nonprofit organizations and David owns an IT consulting
business. Mai also serves as director of
30 North Parker | SPRING 2010
21
22
TEE (Teach, Engage, Explore), a program
teaching children Arabic language and
culture.
19. Erin (Murakami) C’99 and Jason C’2001
Oleniczak welcomed Kira Noelle on De-
cember 5, 2006, and Emelia Ainsley on May
19, 2009. The family resides in Chicago.
20. Lieutenant Charles Sikorski C’99
married Melissa Mack at Edgebrook Lutheran Church in Chicago on August 23,
2008. A reception at The Cliff Dwellers on
Michigan Avenue followed. North Parkers
in attendance included Chris Lutz C’99,
Ryan Wells C’99, Dana (Gooris) Wells C’99,
Sarah Sikorski C’2001, and Brian Greene
C’2001. The couple resides in Pensacola,
Fla., where Melissa is a station manager with
Clear Channel Radio and Charles is a flight
instructor with the U.S. Navy. He began
a year-long deployment to Afghanistan in
March.
21. Rev. Derek White C’99 and his wife,
Carolyn, were married September 24,
2004. They welcomed Silas Henry White
on February 9, 2010. Silas weighed 7 lbs.,
13 oz. Derek is now the head pastor of First
Congregational Church in Kennebunkport, Maine. He is completing his doctor
of ministry at Gordon Conwell Theological
Seminary.
22. Kirsten (Nelson) Wagenius G’99 S’00
and her husband, Reuben, welcomed twins
Bjorn David Barnes and Soren Fredrik on
December 7, 2009. They join older brother,
Henry.
2000s
23. Sally Carlson C’2000 S’2012 married
Daniel Larson S’2009 on May 30, 2009, at
Sojourner Covenant Church in Evanston,
Ill. North Parkers participating in the ceremony were Rev. Bret Widman S’92, Rev.
Kathy Brawley S’94, Angie Wysocki C’2004
S’2009, Rev. Nils Peterson S’2005, and
Rev. Jodi (DeYoung) Moore S’2006. Dan
and Sally live in Norquay, Saskatchewan,
Canada.
[email protected]
Alumni Profile
Double Play
Two championship baseball titles in one season make the thrill of victory twice as nice for Dan Gooris C’73.
by Jessica Allen Bernthal
S
ome would call it irony. Others might suspect it was the Curse of
the Billy Goat.
Dan Gooris C’73 can’t say for sure. But the retired chief of police
and head of North Park University security has played baseball
most of his life, including more than 20 years in national travel
leagues. And when his team went undefeated in the 2008 season,
only to lose in the Men’s Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World
Series game, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was time to change
the team’s name.
“We had been calling ourselves the Chicago Cubs, which may have
had something to do with it,” jokes Gooris, who is the team’s starting catcher. His team is comprised of doctors, lawyers, and other
professionals who all played college or professional baseball and still
share a passion for the sport.
Fortunately, small changes can make a big difference. And after
honing their skills, acquiring new uniforms, and changing their name to National Pastime, by early November 2009
Gooris and his fellow players were once
again ready for a trip to Arizona and a
World Series berth. And this time they
took the championship.
“Certain things came too easy to us,”
says Gooris, reflecting on how the 2008
title slipped through their fingers. “We
needed to work for it.”
That intentionality certainly paid off—
and in more ways than one for Gooris.
Just weeks later, in Fort Myers, Fl., he
won a second championship at the Roy
Hobbs World Series with yet another
amateur team for which he plays.
“We were elated,” he says. “I basically went
from a heartbreaking loss to winning two
rings within two weeks of each other.”
It’s no small achievement, given that the
MSBL is the fastest growing adult baseball organization in the country, with
45,000 members. The schedule is intense and the competition,
rigorous. But that’s part of the fun of it for the seemingly ageless
Gooris, who is planning to play on two teams again this year, one
in the 55+ and one in the 60+ age categories.
As the head coach of North Park’s women’s softball team for 14
years, Gooris practices what he preaches, and vice versa. He himself
played baseball for the Vikings as a student, leading the conference
in hitting and serving as team captain in 1972. Today he’s in the
University’s athletic Hall of Fame.
“I know what my players’ limits are, because I see what I’m still
doing at this age,” he laughs.
Under Gooris’ leadership, North Park’s softball teams have produced 15 All-Conference players and four All-Region players, as
well as more than 40 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
(CCIW) Academic All-Conference players, including his daughter Dana (Gooris) Wells C’99, a twotime All-CCIW outfielder and hitting
champion.
It would seem that the talent runs in
the family. Gooris and his wife Leslie
(Brostrom) C’72, a former volleyball
player at North Park, also have a son
named Danny who played in the minor
leagues. A graduate of Creighton University, he was drafted by the Cincinnati
Reds and played for the San Diego Padres in 2002. Today, he is a high school
teacher and baseball coach in Libertyville, Ill.
Although Gooris spent 30 years as a policeman, he admits he can still be a bit
of a softie when it comes to coaching. “I
tell the girls you’re here first to get an
education,” he says. “I want to develop
character in these young ladies. We don’t
make a lot of cuts. If I see someone who
loves to play and loves being out there,
I’ll keep her on the team. . . . That’s the
most important quality our players have
to have—a love of the game.”
| SPRING 2010 31
North Parker
[email protected]
Alumni Notes
24
43
32
38
39
34
37
44
27
33
26
35
41
32 North Parker | SPRING 2010
30
29
28
[email protected]
Alumni Notes
27. Erik C’2001 G’2007 S’2007 and Courtney
(Mecher) C’2000 Strom welcomed Emmett
Mecher on September 20, 2009. He joins
brothers Caleb and Jackson.
40
28. Krissa (Harwood) C’2002 and Jonathan Barnes C’2003 welcomed Oliver on
37. Jokya C’2004 and Solagne (Acero)
Sanders C’2005 welcomed Jacob Anthony
on February 1, 2010. He weighed 8 lbs.,
10 oz.
29. Ysenia (Ramirez) Lopez C’2002 and her
husband, David, welcomed David Jovani II
on October 29, 2009. He weighed 9 lbs., 2
oz. and was 21.5 inches long.
38. Stacy Hadley C’2005 married Scott
Birney in 2007. The couple now lives in Kearney, Neb., where Stacy is a stay-at-home
mom to son Elijah Khalil, born April 30,
2009.
October 28, 2009.
30. Annika (Nelson) C’2002 and Lukas
McKnight C’2004 welcomed Aksel Donovan Nelson McKnight on October 8, 2008.
31
25
24. Joshua T. Anderson C’2001 married Miranda Bickford on September 19,
2009 at Community Covenant Church in
Lenexa, Kan. Brother of the groom Nathan
Anderson C’98 served as best man. North
Parkers Ben “Coat” Johnson C’2001, Erik
Ha lverson, and Chad Tebbe served as
groomsmen. Father of the groom Rev.
Thomas B. Anderson C’67 S’71 officiated,
while grandfather of the groom, Rev. Glenn
Lindell C’42 S’46, and mother of the groom,
Sandie (Lindell) Anderson C’71, also participated. Josh is a finance and logistics
manager for Kimberly-Clark Corporation,
and Miranda works as an account manager
for Imaginasium advertising agency. They
currently live in Green Bay, Wisc.
25. Ron Guerrier G’2001 was featured in
the second edition of Who’s Who in Black Los
Angeles, released in November 2009. Ron serves
as corporate manager and divisional Information officer for Toyota Financial Services.
26. Peter Jackson C’2001 and his wife,
Dana, welcomed Leah Marnae on May 3,
2008. The Jackson family currently lives in
Morton Grove, Ill.
Appeals in Nashville, and then pursue a career as a prosecutor.
31. Mark Roberson C’2002 S’2008 and
Kerrie Ann Ellingsen C’2003 were married
on July 17, 2009, at Living Stones Fellowship
Church in Crown Point, Ind. North Parkers in the wedding included Karin Johanna
Campbell C’2002, Tyler Erickson C’2002,
Andrea (Sheldahl) Kaiser C’2002, Kristen
Rae Nelson C’2002 S’2006, Nate Stockamp C’2002, Ernest Sherman C’2005
G’2007, and Hayley (Hastey) Jones.
32. Ryan Cooper C’2003 and his wife,
Sunni, welcomed Benjamin Stephen to their
family. He was born on February 4, 2010,
and adopted on February 22, 2010.
33. Jessica Jafari C’2003 married Patrick
Mottley on July 25, 2009 in Grayslake,
Ill. North Parkers in the wedding included
Sarah Johnson C’2002, Becky Wells
C’2002 , Ashley Balsam C’2002, Diana
Dimas C’2003, Jenny (Wallgren) Evenhouse C’2002, and Kirsten (Anderson)
Sands C’2003.
34. Elizabeth Munn C’2003 G’2008 and
Jason Bulthuis were married on October 24,
2009 at St. Clement Church in Chicago.
They currently reside in Villa Park, Ill.
35. Greta (Wallgren) Bailey C’2004 and her
husband, Scott, welcomed Addison Marie (4
lbs., 5.5 oz.) and Caroline Sere (5 lbs., 3 oz.)
on December 8, 2009. The Bailey family
resides in Arlington Heights, Ill.
36. Lesley Foglia C’2004 is currently in the
top 11 percent of her class at the University
of Tennessee College of Law. After she graduates in May, Foglia will work as a judicial
clerk for the Tennessee Court of Criminal
39. Kristin (Brorson) Johnson C’2005 and
her husband, Ryan C’2005, welcomed Elsa
Elin on November 6, 2009. Elsa weighed 7
lbs., 3oz. and was born at Swedish Covenant
Hospital in Chicago.
40. Genevieve Lechner C’2005 and Austin
Klein were married July 18, 2009, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Wilmette, Ill.
Linnea Ericson C’2003 performed “Clair de
Lune” during the ceremony, Kirsten Boyd
C’2004 served as a bridesmaid, and flowers
were provided by the family of Stephanie
Sheffield C’2004.
41. Erin (Thorson) Rodriguez C’2005 and
her husband, Ramon, welcomed Lucia Rose
on August 19, 2009.
42. Tim King C’2006 recently participated
in the writing of Rediscovering Values: On
Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street by
Jim Wallis. The book was released on January 5, 2010.
43. Karl Brorson C’2007 and Greta
Lund C’2009 were married on July 25,
2009, in Mount Vernon, Wash. The
ceremony was held at Bethany Covenant
Church and the reception was held at the
La Conner Flats. North Parkers in the
wedding included parents of the bride
Rick C’77 and Vicki (Oldenburger) Lund
C’78 , parents of the groom Jon C’79 and
Linda (Carlson) Brorson C’80, Kristin
(Brorson) Johnson C’2005 , Ryan Johnson C’2005, Tyler Krumland C’2006 ,
Erik Hjelm C’2007, Anders Rosenquist
C’2007, Hannah Landecker C’2010, and
Erik Brorson C’2012.
44. Roseann Ocampo C’2012 welcomed
daughter Lanaeya Skyy on September 2,
2009, She weighed 5 lbs., 12 oz. and measured 19 inches.
| SPRING
| Fall 2006
North
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2010 33
Alumni Profile
Extreme Cycling
One young alumnus is determined to bike the world. . . and live to blog about it.
by Stan Friedman S’93
M
att Kelly C’2006 is riding his bicycle up to 18,000 miles from
Alaska to the Argentinean city considered the southernmost in
the world—because he sat one cold January night in front of his computer reading blogs.
Kelly’s love of cycling grew relatively recently. Although he had a
bike as a child, “It wasn’t much more than a toy or a way to get
around the neighborhood,” he says. Once he moved to Chicago to
go to North Park, he slowly began to ride around the city.
The websites were published by people who had pedaled trips of
more than a year. “I told myself, ‘I’m going to do it, too,” he says.
The summer prior to his senior year, Kelly embarked on his first
extended trip, riding with friends from Chicago to Minneapolis
and back again. He biked trips of several days in length after that.
Kelly started last summer in a town called Deadhorse, along
Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. He hopes to conclude his
sojourn less than a year from now in the city of Ushuaia, considered
the southernmost city in the world.
“Ideally I’ll make it to the southern tip of Argentina, in Tierra
del Fuego,” says Kelly, although he notes, “I try to focus on the
journey itself, as the idea of so many thousand miles left can be
overwhelming.”
There have been a number of times since starting out on June 30,
2009, that Kelly wondered about his decision. The questioning
began almost from the very beginning, in Alaska.
“All of my previous biking could not have prepared me for the ruggedness of the road, most of which was unpaved,” Kelly says. “For
the first 500 miles there were only two truck stops, so you have to
take all your food with you, and that
is heavy. I had no notion of what it
meant to climb a couple thousand feet
through a mountain pass, and I had to
get used to the multitudinous amounts
of mosquitoes.”
Then he read the blogs that night in January 2008. “It is kind of
hard to describe, but I became pretty consumed with the idea,” he
says. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave for another year and a half,
so I had a lot of time to think about what I had just told myself I
had to do, and to research the trip.”
Kelly, who had worked as a computer systems administrator since
graduating, saved money to help fund his trip and has received
assistance from friends and family. He has also depended a lot on
the kindness of strangers he meets along the way.
He is maintaining his own blog as he travels so others can follow his
journey (www.pedalpanam.com). Though Kelly still has months to
go and thousands of miles yet to bike, he already has plans for when
he gets home: “Reconnect with friends and family, and eat some
deep dish pizza.”
Bouts of cold and wet weather or illness have taken enjoyment out of parts
of the trip. “These are the times when
I question having set out to do this
and whether it is all worth having left
a more stable and predictable life and
friends back home,” he says. “These
have been the times I’ve told myself I’m
flying back to Chicago the next time I
get to an airport. Of course this has
happened in the middle of nowhere,
and then after a few days of self-pity,
I feel pumped about the trip and want
to keep on with it.”
34 North Parker | SPRING 2010
[email protected]
Alumni Notes
49
51
Obituaries
45. Marjorie (Hjerpe) Amato A’35 C’37
died on December 5, 2009. She was born
in Chicago on February 3, 1918, to Lucille
and Charles Hjerpe, and married Anthony
Amato on February 24, 1945. She was also
a longtime member of the North Park Covenant Church and attended First Covenant
Church in Iron Mountain. She was preceded
in death by brother, Warren Hjerpe A’39.
46. Elenor (Westberg) Peterson C’40 died
on November 8, 2009. Elenor was born
January 2, 1912. She served as a missionary
with the Evangelical Covenant Church in
Congo, working at the Karawa Hospital and
Gbado Dispensary between 1940 and 1950.
She left Congo when she married Werner Peterson, who preceded her in death. Elenor is
survived by her sister, Gertrude (Westberg)
Habbestad C’46.
47. Gordon Frank Templeman C’42 died on
December 27, 2009. He was a Navy veteran
who served during World War II, and was
a former employee of the Schiele Graphics
Corporation and Continental EMSCO.
48. Elaine (DeMet) Anderson A’44 died on
July 9, 2009, at home in Middletown, N.J.
Anderson worked as a chemical engineer for
Bell Telephone Laboratories. After retiring,
she spent considerable time working in the
Middletown area on the library board, and
served as vice president for the Middletown
Landmark Commission. She also volunteered at Sandy Hook and was a member of
the League of Women Voters.
49. Marilyn Jane (Weiberg) Peterson C’50
died on October 31, 2009, after a long
53
54
struggle with Parkinson’s disease. She is
survived by her husband, Donald Peterson C’50, and several children, including
Debra (Peterson) Seelig C’86 and Bruce
Peterson C’78. She and Don met on their
first day at North Park in 1948, and married in 1952. She spent every summer of
her life except the last at Bethany Beach
on the shore of Lake Michigan. A teacher
for her entire career, Marilyn was also a
foster parent to more than 20 children over
several decades. She was preceded in death
by her sister-in-law Margaret Peterson, who
served as associate professor of speech and
drama at North Park for 40 years and died
in 2006.
50. Joyce (Bjorlien) Jordal A’54 died
on November 4, 2009. Born on March
22, 1936 in Chicago, Jordal was a beloved
mother, wife and grandmother.
51. John H. Nordquist A’49 C’51 died on
August 17, 2009, at the age of 77. He served
in the U.S. Army under the Surgeon General’s office and was honorably discharged
in 1963. Nordquist was self employed and
started the L. P. James Company, named
after his children. He was very active in his
community, serving as city councilman in
Edmonds, Wash., for 35 years. Nordquist
also served on multiple boards and was an
active member of his church.
52. James Robert Olson C’71 died December 27, 2009, at the age of 61. Born April 10,
1948, in Denver, Olson was the director of
operations for Rockford Public Schools, and
later director of marketing at Bradley and
Bradley Architectural firm. He was an avid
golfer, artist and singer. Olson is survived
by a large family, including his wife, Lorane
55
56
(Turnquist) Olson C’69, and brother, John
Olson C’72.
53. Camille B. Conway C’84 died on October 18, 2009. He worked as an attorney for
many years, most recently with Barnes &
Thornburg LLC, in Chicago. He also taught
at Northwestern University Law School.
Conway was a gifted musician who played
the viola and was known for his beautiful
singing voice. He was also an avid golfer.
He is survived by his wife, Karen (Hansen)
Conway C’84, whom he married on August
14, 1992.
54. Robert Vernard Jones C’95 died on
November 16, 2009. A student at North
Park Theological Seminary, Jones served as
Seminary student housing coordinator and
chaplain to the varsity football team. As an
undergraduate student, he was a founding
member of the Gospel Choir.
55. Kathryna Elizabeth “Kat” Perez C’2010
died on January 29, 2010. Born February 1,
1987, Perez enjoyed scuba diving, horseback
riding, and skiing. She was a nursing major
who was eager to help others. Services for
Perez were held at Immaculate Conception
Catholic Church in Chicago.
56. Jessica A. “Jessie” Stotler C’2011 of
Lafayette, Ind., died on Thursday, February
4, 2010. She was born August 2, 1987, to
Judith Stotler and the late Dale Stotler, and
was a member of the Evangelical Covenant
Church in Lafayette. An avid fan of the
Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Cubs, Stotler enjoyed attending baseball games and
Christian music concerts.
| SPRING
| Fall 2006
North
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2010 35
Alumni Profile
Serenading the Sox
The alumna has made a successful career of playing organ for Chicago’s South Side ball club.
by Stan Friedman S’93
W
manager Stu Holcomb heard Faust and offered her a job. Until then,
she had only attended one ball game in her life.
It was she who inspired the tradition of Harry Caray singing, “Take
Me Out to the Ball Game,” during the seventh-inning stretch. The
playing of, “Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye),” when a pitcher
is pulled from a game—she started that, too.
It was in the late 1970s when Caray first started to lead the fans in
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Most people associate the tradition with Caray and the Cubs, but it began during his days with
the White Sox. Faust, whose organ was located behind center field
at the time, played a rousing rendition. An inspired Caray would
belt out the words to himself in the broadcast booth.
hen Nancy (Peterson) Faust C’69 retires as the organist of the
Chicago White Sox at the end of her 41st season with the team
this year, she will leave behind a legacy that should earn her a spot in
the Hall of Fame.
Faust has been called the “Sweetheart of Comiskey Park,” and
Sports Illustrated once named her the Most Valuable Organist. Some
maintain that she was the first ballpark organist to play pop songs
at the games. She has Cal Ripken numbers for game appearances,
performing at more than 3,000 and missing only five—when her
son was born.
She even has a World Series ring from when the team swept the
Houston Astros in 2005. Faust wears it on occasion, but adds, “It’s
very big and very heavy.” Playing during the series was a thrill, and
Faust’s only regret from the season was that the Sox won the final
game in Houston.
Faust was a psychology major at North Park but started playing for
the Sox in 1970, shortly after she graduated. She was hired when
she filled in playing organ for her mother at a banquet. The general
One day, owner and master promoter Bill Veeck heard Caray bellowing the tune and put the public address microphone in front of
him, telling the broadcaster to sing for the crowd. Until the day he
left the team, Caray began every seventh-inning stretch by leaning out the booth, waving his arms to Faust, and yelling, “Okay,
Nancy!” A YouTube video featuring a collection of these moments
can be found on the site by searching for Faust and Caray.
Faust is famous for applying her wit and spontaneously playing
songs as the situation dictates. She tries to apply certain songs to
specific visiting batters when they come to the plate. In the offseason, Faust works up arrangements of pop songs. She learns by ear,
which is a good thing because there are no arrangements for organ.
Fans can expect to hear Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift selections at
some point this year.
Fans have come to adore her and often stop by her
booth directly behind home plate on the 100-level
concourse at U.S. Cellular field, and she loves to take
time to talk with them. The fans will sometimes suggest songs. Some even mounted a “Get Nancy a Driver”
campaign when she began playing only day games following the World Series season. Faust said she made the
switch because the drive was too long from her home in
Mundelein, and travel to the park could take up to two
hours depending on traffic.
Playing the last game at the old Comiskey Park was
“very emotional,” Faust says. She is sure that will be true
when she plays her last notes at the end of this season.
There’s something about hearing the organ that is part of
being at the ballpark. Faust has already imagined what
her last day will look like. The White Sox players will be
celebrating their World Series-winning game—at home.
36 North Parker | SPRING 2010
[email protected]
Significance
Service
&
“North Park University has given
me the opportunity to serve
exceptional young adults from
diverse ethnic and religious
backgrounds. This has enabled
me to guide, advise and most
importantly teach students in the
area of personal responsibility,
which is my life’s calling.”
Sherrie Tillmon C’89 G’94
Director of Student Accounts
How has North Park University made a
difference in your life?
Whether you’re a graduate, parent, friend, or employee of North Park, no doubt the University
has had an impact on you. Your financial support has an enduring impact on us and our students.
Every gift you make to North Park is an investment in a life of significance and service.
Make a gift. Make a difference.
Visit northpark.edu/giving, or call (866) 366-8096
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Save the Date!!!
Homecoming 2010, September 27 – October 3
For more information, visit www.northpark.edu/alumni, or contact the Alumni Office at (773) 244-5273
or [email protected].