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MedicalResearch

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MedicalResearchUNION STUDENTS AND GRADUATESMAKE DISCOVERIES THAT CHANGE LIVESAlso . . .

� Union launches biomedical major� Spiritual mentorship program helps searching students� Science and math building update

UNION STUDENTS AND GRADUATESMAKE DISCOVERIES THAT CHANGE LIVESAlso . . .

� Union launches biomedical major� Spiritual mentorship program helps searching students� Science and math building update

Little turns intomuch

D r. Dalrie Berg ’50 spent only four of

his 84 years at Union College—less than

5 percent of his life—yet he remembers

those four years as the happiest of his life.

He remembers the excitement watching

Jorgensen Hall take shape during his years

at Union, and wanted to help make

Union’s replacement for Jorgensen a real-

ity by contributing to Union’s $14.5 mil-

lion Our Promising Future capital campaign.

Dr. Berg has made a practice of giving

to various organizations, and he put Union

at the top of the list. “When you die, you

shouldn’t have too much money on the

books,” he explained.

He wanted to help build the new sci-

ence and mathematics complex, but he

had a problem—no cash. Dr. Berg had

wisely diversified his investments between

real estate and stocks, and he couldn’t

simply write a check for the size of the gift

he wanted to make. Because his assets

had appreciated over time, selling any of

them would result in a large capital gains

tax payable to Uncle Sam—money that

could be used to help the college.

What was he going to do?

It takesForeSight...

Dr. Dalrie Berg ’50 remembers watching Jorgensen Hall being built when he was a student. Now he wants to help Union College create a promising future for the science and mathematics program.

(continued on page 31)

CORDmagazine staff:

LuAnn Wolfe Davis ’82Vice President for Advancement/Publisher

Ryan Teller ’98Director of Public Relations/Editor

Steve Nazario Director of Visual Communications/Designer

Scott Cushman ’03Director of Digital Communication

Kenna Lee Austin Carlson ’73Class-ifieds Editor

Kelly Phipps ’12News Writer

Joellyn Sheehy ’14News Writer

Ruby Ruano ’14News Writer

Articles and photos as credited.

p Indicates more information is available onUnion’s Web site or read CORDmagazine online:www.ucollege.edu/cordmagazine.

Union College Alumni AssociationOfficers and Board Members:

Ardyce Dick Stenbakken ’62 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President

Larry Christensen ’72 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .President-elect

David Nowack ’76. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Past President

Larinda HoskinsonFandrich ’86 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Board member at large

L. Steve Gifford ’63. . . . . . . . Golden Club Co-President

Matthew Roque ’05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOLD Rep ’02-’12

Brad Forbes ’82 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Class Rep ’82-’01

Karen Affolter Johnson ’72. . . . . . . . . Class Rep ’62-’81

Anita Keith Kidwiler ’61. . . . . . . . . . Class Rep up to ’61

Kenna Lee Austin Carlson ’73. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alumni Activities Director

LuAnn Wolfe Davis ’82 . . . . . . . . . . .Vice President for Advancement

About the cover: Vicki Schlegel '84 has spent her career researching the healingpower of food as an associate professor at the University of Ne-braska-Lincoln..

Photo: Steve Nazario

© 2012 Union College all rights reserved. No material maybe reproduced without permission. CORDmagazine is pub-lished as a service to Union College alumni and friends. Weencourage readers to submit letters and article ideas. Pleasesend inquiries, submissions and address changes to:

CORDmagazine Union College 3800 South 48th Street Lincoln, NE 68506 or alumni@ucollege.edu.

Editorial/4 Campus News/5

Vol. 76, No. 2 Summer2012

Fighting a ForbiddenFoe/12I. Jon Russell’s fibromyalgia researchhas been instrumental in the development of pharmaceuticalsand other treatments for the much-maligned disorder.

Medical research at Union College/16

Science building update/18

Class-ifieds/24 In memory/26

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hn Eng

enFinding the HealingPower of Foods/22

Vicki Schlegel ’84, has a passion forfinding the chemicals in food that

can prevent and heal disease.

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terve Nazario

Reinventing ProteinStructure Research/10

John Engen ’94, has developed anew tool to help doctors more

easily treat HIV/AIDS.

pwww.ucol lege.edu

phot

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ourtesy of Jo

n Ru

ssell

CORDmagazine 3

CORDmagazine

4 SUMMER 2012

an you imagine our world withoutits great scientists?

Every day we interact with scientificdiscoveries so well known they havebecome common sense. Yet at sometime, a person of uncommon sense wasneeded to discover these truths—menand women like Galen, who learned thebrain controls the nervous system, orLise Meitner, who discovered nuclear fis-sion, and countless others through theages who transformed both our worldand our perception of it.

It fills me with wonder contemplatingeven the discoveries that were entirelyunknown in my youth, but I now takefor granted. Many of them haveimproved our lives and environment,but unfortunately, not all.

In The Value of Science, RichardFeynman wrote, “Of course if we makegood things, it is not only to the credit ofscience; it is also to the credit of themoral choice which led us to the goodwork. Scientific knowledge is anenabling power to do either good orbad—but it does not carry instructionson how to use it.”

Feynman was not a Christian, yet I

believe his statement is a powerful argu-ment for Christian education. At UnionCollege, learning facts and methodolo-gies are crucial, but are not enough ontheir own. A spiritual connection to theCreator is necessary to place our under-standing of creation in proper perspec-tive.

I am so proud to know men andwomen of uncommon sense at UnionCollege. These students, faculty mem-bers and alumni have a God-given joyof discovery paired with a sense of dutyto apply their results for the bettermentof society.

In this issue of CORDmagazine, you’llmeet a few of these researchers. Youcan also read an update on the construc-tion of a new science and mathematicscomplex—a facility designed to propelour students and faculty to new heightsin their scientific and professional pur-suits. And throughout this issue, I hopeyou see the foundation of scientific edu-cation at Union College is not humanaggrandizement, but God’s glory—guid-ing our students to not only work hard,but to do good work. C

EDITORIAL UNCOMMON SENSE_______________________________________________________________________________

by John Wagner, Union College president

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By Ruby Ruano

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CORDmagazine 5

s a student, Theresa Flowers Stimson’94 appreciated the preparation she re-ceived in the Union College Nursing Pro-gram. But, after 19 years of professionalpractice ranging from acute care to educa-tion, her career has come full circle andshe is serving as chair of the Division ofNursing. Now she and her fellow profes-sors are rewriting the curriculum to meetthe demands of an ever-changing health-care field.

“The Institute of Medicine sent out ini-tiatives for both physicians and nurses thatindicate certain areas of care need moreemphasis in the curriculum,” explainedStimson. “The way technology and proto-cols are today, nurses need to be thor-oughly prepared in all areas and not just aspecific specialty.”

According to Stimson, a nurse’s roleand responsibility has changed dramati-cally in the last decade. Patient medicalrecords and medication records that usedto be kept in writing are now accessiblewith a keystroke. Technology has com-pletely revolutionized healthcare, leavingphysicians and nurses with less room formedical mistakes and holding them to ahigher standard of care. This ultimatelyleads to higher quality and safety standardswhile achieving better patient outcomes.

“Providing quality, cost effective care isour underlying goal as nurses,” said Stim-son. “But a higher expectation from in-formed healthcare consumers, changes intechnology, and hospital budget con-straints imposed by changing reimburse-ment legislation has created a need forinnovation in the education of nurses.”Stimson and her colleagues worked to de-velop a curriculum that will prepare stu-dents for the demanding healthcareenvironment and also prepare them forone of the most important parts of theirnursing careers—the NCLEX-RN exam.

Every student must take the nationalNCLEX-RN exam in order to be licensed topractice. “This is a very difficult exam,” saidStimson. “Changes to the exam in the lastcouple of years have made it even morechallenging for graduates.” But Union stu-dents pass the NCLEX-RN on their first try97 percent of the time—consistently rankedat the top of nursing schools in Nebraskaand 12 percent above the national average.

In the past, students finished their

coursework and prepared for the NCLEX-RN on their own. “As a student I didn’t re-ally understand how to best prepare for theNCLEX-RN,” said Stimson. “Now we are in-troducing new courses to the program tohelp students better prepare for the exam.”

Students will also benefit from othercourses, some of which are student recom-mendations, and others to address societalchanges such as Disaster Nursing andGerontology. “Our society continues to ageand live longer because we have more ad-vanced medical care, resulting in a largerpopulation of elderly than we have everseen.” said Stimson. “It is very importantour students understand the unique needsof older patients.”

While students currently spend a signif-icant amount of time in clinical rotations,even more acute care experience will bet-ter prepare students for professional prac-tice after graduation. “We have addedanother credit to our clinical courses,which means students will spend an addi-tional 45 hours every semester in clinicals,”explained Stimson.

While the length of time students spendin the nursing program has been shortenedfrom six semesters to five, the overall

Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree willstill take four years. Now incoming fresh-man will complete three semesters of pre-requisite and general courses beforeentering the nursing program. “The facultythink it will help students better preparefor the program,” said Stimson. “When theyare introduced to nursing material they willhave already taken valuable classes thatserve as a foundation to their knowledgesuch as psychology and microbiology.”The Division of Nursing will admit the firstclass under the new curriculum in springsemester 2013.

In the end, Stimson believes the newcurriculum is important, but not the mostimportant reason to study nursing atUnion. “Adventism is something that setsus apart—our philosophy and mission,”she said. “We have excellence, but I be-lieve it is because our program is foundedon Jesus Christ and His mission to heal andserve others. I believe God has led everystudent and faculty here for a reason. Weall have something to contribute, and Ithink that is why our students are so successful.” C

Union develops a new nursing curriculumA

Division of Nursing chair Theresa Stimson instructs students Gary Obreque and StephenBaker on SimMan 3G, Union’s high tech patient simulator.

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n the school year marking 120 yearssince Union College held classes for thefirst time, the school celebrated anothersignificant milestone during the 2012 com-mencement ceremony on May 6. WhenChristopher Mercill crossed the stage to re-ceive his diploma, he became the ten thou-sandth graduate from the Lincoln campusof Union College.

“It’s an honor to be part of this historicevent,” said the international rescue andrelief graduate. “I came to Union for theIRR program and because my mother is agraduate. It feels great to be the ten thou-sandth.”

Mercill, who hopes to get a job with theNational Park Service and work at GlacierNational Park, joined 155 other graduatesin receiving 170 diplomas including 25 stu-dents graduating with a master’s in physi-cian assistant studies. Of the 36 differentmajors earned, the most popular are nurs-ing with 31 graduates, physician assistant

studies with 25 and business with 18.The senior class unveiled the class gift

during the ceremony—a four-by-five-footpainting to be hung in the lobby of thenew science and mathematics complex.The seniors commissioned Colorado artistRandal May, a Union College alumnus andthe father of two Union students, to createthe piece to represent the mission of UnionCollege.

“Even though I didn’t graduate fromUnion, I’m still very fond of it and considerit my school,” said May. “It’s an honor forme to have a piece in the new complex.”

Union celebrated a similar graduatemilestone in 2008, when Raven Under-wood became the ten thousandth graduateto join the Union College Alumni Associa-tion. The Alumni Association includes anumber students who received degreesfrom Union College, but trained at BoulderSanitarium or in programs in Costa Ricaand at Canadian Union College. C

6 SUMMER 2012

CAMPUS NEWS_____________________________

Union recognizes 10,000th graduate duringcommencement ceremony by Ryan Teller

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nion College has long been known forthe spirit that pervades the campus andthe people who work and study here. Butsometimes it takes intentionality to helpnewcomers experience the Union spirit.Last school year, the college began a men-torship program for new staff members togive them the opportunity to learn fromthe many other employees who have ded-icated much of their lives to Union.

“I enjoyed learning about what hap-pens in other departments,” said SalliJenks, administrative assistant in FinancialAdministration who joined Union’s staffone year ago. “But I really enjoyed gettingto know my mentor, Cheri Blue. Shetaught me a lot about Union’s culture. Icame from a large medical facility and Ihad a lot of adjusting to do. Union is morelike a family and Cheri really helped me.She has been here a long time and herlove for Union College was very evident inour conversations.”

The two met for lunch once eachmonth throughout the school year. Some-times they discussed the questions in the

provided outline, and other times they ad-dressed pressing issues that one or theother faced.

“Our goal was to find a way to helpnewer staff transition into successful, long-term employees at Union College,” saidBecky Daniel, chair of the staff advisorycommittee who, along with human re-source director Jonathan Shields, devel-oped the program. “We wanted to provideprofessional growth for young employeesand a support system for recently hiredstaff.”

“As the human resource director, I wasstartled when I saw a report that of 150full-time employees, 35 are age 60 orolder,” Shields explained. “These workerswill soon start to retire, so we needed todevelop a more strategic transition plan.Many of our long–term employees arehappy to pass on their experience andcommitment to more recent hires andhelp keep the Union spirit alive for manyyears to come.”

To help facilitate the mentorship meet-ings for staff, the college administration

agreed to subsidize the cost of themonthly lunch meetings. The program’strial run during the 2011-12 school year in-cluded 11 mentorship pairs from depart-ments all across campus. “Participants feltthe program was worthwhile,” saidDaniel. “Sometimes colleges focus on pro-viding growth opportunities for facultyand overlook the support staff. I’m veryexcited that Union has made this invest-ment.”

“The most valuable part for me wasgaining a lifelong friend,” said Cheri Blue,administrative assistant in Information Sys-tems. “Salli and I had an instant connec-tion and were able to freely share ourproblems and our triumphs.”

As an employee of Union College for32 years, Blue understands the importanceof helping new staff understand Union’sunique culture. “We are like a family per-sonally and professionally,” she explained.“New staff need to know that we are ateam and we support each other in goodtimes as well as bad.” C

Union launches staff mentorship program

Uby Ryan Teller

President Wagner congratulates Union Col-lege’s 10,000 graduate, Christopher Mercill.

CAMPUS NEWS_____________________________

CORDmagazine 7

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Give To Lincoln Day

ictoria Tobing’s faith collapsed around her.No longer sure of what she believed or

the meaning of faith and God, the sopho-more history and religious education majorturned to Union College’s new spiritualmentorship program for spiritual support inher time of need.

In fall 2011, Union College launched apilot spiritual mentorship program which al-lowed students to develop a spiritualgrowth plan with the guidance of a mentorinstead of having the traditional worshipservice attendance requirements.

“It was something different and itsounded challenging,” said Tobing. “I’m avery private person and I hoped that Iwould grow more when I confronted myspiritual walk during one-on-one sessionsrather than only group settings.”

Each participant was paired with a spiri-tual mentor from Union’s faculty or staff anddeveloped a spiritual plan based on thethree phases of a healthy spiritual life: a per-sonal commitment, fellowship and worship,and response through outreach and service.

“Students are more likely to develop alasting walk with God if they can do it intheir own way,” said Pastor Rich Carlson,Union’s chaplain. “This pilot program is onemore way our campus can be a place ofspiritual learning and growth.”

Fifteen students joined the plan in thefall and met with mentors several timesthroughout the semester to review the planand progress. Ten more joined the programin spring semester.

“I enjoyed the thought of someone tak-ing time to focus on what I was grapplingwith,” explained Tobing. “I thought, ‘Ah, fi-nally, all of my questions can be answeredand all of my stories can be heard.’”

She met with her mentor, Dr. Y.J. Moses,professor of education, and began to de-velop a spiritual plan. But not far into theschool year, Tobing experienced her firstsignificant test.

As a professor in one of her religionclasses discussed the variety of views of thenature of Christ during His time on earth,Tobing began to question if her simplisticfaith in His sacrifice was enough.“Was Jesus’ human nature like that of

Adam and Eve before they sinned?” she won-dered. “If so, Jesus would not have dealt withthe sinful tendencies of a fallen nature.”

But what if the opposite were true? IfJesus possessed the nature of humans aftersin, was his sacrifice sufficient to cover oursins? The whole idea blindsided Tobing andshook her faith to its core. “I was frightenedto think that maybe the faith I had rested onmy whole life wasn’t enough,” she remem-bered.

She turned to Moses, but her mentorpointed her to Jesus. “He didn’t coddle meor tell me everything was okay,” she said.“He knew that it was a major growing painthat I’d have to face, so he prayed with meand listened to me.”

Through prayer and tearful sessionswith her mentor—many more than theusual three or four—Tobing began to builda faith based on her own experience, notthe ideas passed down from her parents.

“These past few months I have comecloser to realizing what it truly means to bein a relationship with Jesus,” she said. “Iknow now what it’s like to wrestle withGod.” C

A test of faith

Vby Kelly Phipps

When Victoria Tobing experienced a crisisof faith, her spiritual mentor pointed her to Jesus.

by Ruby Ruano

nion College enjoys one of the highestrates of alumni giving in the country, thanksto loyal graduates and hard-working em-ployees. When the city had a chance tosupport Union in a new way during the firstGive to Lincoln Day in May, Union’s alumnicame through again—to the tune of nearly$20,000.

On May 17, the Lincoln CommunityFoundation collaborated with online dona-tion processor Razoo to sponsor a day topromote philanthropy in the Lincoln com-munity. The more than 180 local non-profitorganizations that participated received afree page on the Give To Lincoln websiteand became eligible to receive part of a$200,000 grant provided by the LincolnCommunity Foundation.

That day, a local media advertising cam-paign encouraged Lincoln residents to visitthe site and give a gift to their favorite char-ity. Social media and email also helpedUnion spread the news to alumni, studentsand faculty.

“This event provided a great opportu-nity for us to promote Union to donors inthe city of Lincoln,” explained LuAnn Davis,vice president for Advancement. “Many ofour own faculty and staff participated, too,giving us one of the top spots on the list.”

At the end of the day Union raised$15,270 and was ranked number 18 in totaldonors, giving the school an additional$2,736.77 from the Give To Lincoln Daygrant. Donations continued in the days thatfollowed adding another $5,170, and bring-ing the total to $20,440 from 88 donors. Thefunds will be added to the Union Collegefund, which helps provide scholarships,technology and resources.

“It was a great and unique event for allof Lincoln to get involved,” said Chris John-son, a 2008 graduate who coordinated theevent for Union. “People had the opportu-nity to donate from any location in theirown time.” C

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nion College’s exhibit at the 2010 Gen-eral Conference Session in Atlanta recentlywon a prestigious 2012 Gold Quill Awardfor Excellence in Business Communication,presented by the International Associationof Business Communicators (IABC).

When preparing for the meeting of theworld Seventh-day Adventist Church,

Union Collegeteamed up with VisionExhibits, a local exhibitservices company, todevelop a booth dis-play designed to createa memorable experi-ence for the 70,000 Ad-ventists who attendedthe convention(CORDmagazine,Winter 2012, p. 6).

The 20x60 footexhibit featured a 25-foot high climbingwall, along with theVolkswagen bus asthe main attraction,allowing parents andprospective studentsto “Experience theSpirit” of Union. Asparents from differ-ent states and coun-

tries stopped to talk about theirVolkswagen memories, prospective stu-dents explored the stations, watched thefilm, Amazing Race to Union College, andtalked to enthusiastic recruiters. The climb-ing wall alone had more than 500 climbersper day. The interactive nature of the ex-hibit is what ultimately won the award.

“The bus turned out to be a huge hit atthe session,” said Steve Nazario, director ofvisual communication for Union College.“The Union College booth received lots ofattention from attendees and the media.”He and the Marketing Communicationteam at Union developed the design,videos and materials for the display and Vi-sion Exhibits helped the team fit their ideasinto a convention exhibit in a cost-effectiveway.

Janet Denison, president of Vision Ex-hibits, recognized the unprecedented im-pact and popularity of the booth andentered it into the 2012 Quill Awards. The2012 IABC competition received nearly 700entries from 23 countries. Of these, 24 wereselected to receive awards of excellence.The Gold Quill Award entries endured tworigorous rounds of judging by top seniorcommunicators from around the world, andDenison received the award on behalf ofVision Exhibits and Union College at theGold Quill Awards gala dinner on June 25at the IABC 2012 World Conference inChicago.

“It's an honor to represent the achieve-ments of Union College and to have our ef-forts recognized with the IABC Gold QuillAward of Excellence," Denison said.

The Amazing Race to Union College

As part of the exhibit, visitors were in-vited to watch Union’s film, Amazing Raceto Union College, which provided a glimpseof life in Lincoln and on Union’s campus inthe form of a parody on the popular realitytelevision show, The Amazing Race. Thefilm also won a Best of Show award in theHigher Ed Marketing Report’s 26th annualEducation Advertising Awards. Union Col-lege partnered with Andy Seiler ’08, ownerof CueMotion Studios, to create the video,one of 16 “Best of Show” winners among2,500 entries from colleges across theUnited States. To watch the film go to p www.ucollege.edu/amazingrace. C

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Union College Exhibit Wins International CommunicationAward by Kelly Phipps

or Eden Sang, sophomore engineeringmajor from Minnesota, Union College wasalways just a name he saw from time totime in Outlook. He never considered at-tending until Union’s newest icon and acampus visit reeled him in.

While attending the 2010 General Con-ference (GC) in Atlanta Ga., Sang stum-bled upon the Union College booth.Remembering it from the magazine ad, hedecided to take a look. Expecting justpamphlets and brochures, Sang, wholoves cars, was immediately drawn to the1967 Volkswagen Microbus.

That trip to the GC inspired Sang and afriend to visit for a Preview Days. Thewarm atmosphere created in the studentbody surprised him.

“I loved the reception I got here oncampus,” recalled Sang.

The more Sang thought about it, he re-alized Union was where God wanted himto be. Since attending Union, Sang hasseen God work in his life.

“The people I have met are genuinelyseeking God,” said Sang. “This is some-thing I value.”

Sang was also deeply inspired by thecountless chances to volunteer on cam-pus, in the community and abroad. Sang isinvolved in Job Ministries and LaboringYouth for Christ.

While Union College received anaward for therecruiting ex-hibit, the truereward is stu-dents likeSang who be-come part ofthe Union ex-perience.

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ric Bing knew that he wanted to stay atUnion and he wanted to be a doctor, buthe couldn’t find a course of study that fithim. “I loved the environment and thepeople, but I just didn’t feel like any ma-jors were right for me,” said the junior pre-med student. “I left Union for a while togo searching. While I was away, I solidi-fied my dream of becoming an emergencyroom doctor and realized that Union reallyis the best place for me. I’ve been to abunch of different schools and Union is byfar my favorite.”

Now, thanks to the work of Bing andseveral other students and professors,Union College is launching a new majorfor students like him with an interest inbiomedical science, the study of sciencesthat pertain to the human body and medi-cine. Previously atUnion, and at mostother colleges,those planning toattend medical,dental or other bio-medical profes-sional schools haveto take their prereq-uisite scienceclasses as electivesin an unrelatedmajor or choose acompletely science-focused degree pro-gram such asbiology or chem-istry. Frankie Rose,assistant professorof biology at UnionCollege, and a group of pre-professionalstudents hope the new biomedical majorwill help fill the gap for students who areforced to compromise their passions inpursuit of a profession.

“I was talking to a friend who reallywanted a biomedical major and who hadspoken with Dr. Rose,” said Bing. “I gotcurious so went to speak with him as well.When we came in, the idea was still just asketch. We didn’t talk about it with otherpeople, but we toyed with the idea ofmaking a biomedical degree. When westarted looking at other schools’ programsonline, we began to realize that this wassomething Union could do.”

The new major contains a large section

of study devoted to another field, or sup-porting area, outside of science. Students,with the help of advisors, will be able tochoose classes or possibly an entire minorin other areas of study. “Our initial ideawas to make it just about science,” saidRose. “The key turning point was whenBen Herzel, a junior international rescueand relief and pre-med major, was work-ing with me in the lab. He said the core ofthe degree should be science related tomedicine, but that another componentshould be elected purely by the student inanother area of interest.”

Rose emphasizes that this major willnot replace any other degree, but insteadfill a gap for students who don’t feel likethey belong in other programs. “Someprograms, such as international rescue

and relief and business, have gone out oftheir way to help students integrate theirmedical or dental school prerequisites,” hesaid. “This program is not meant to com-pete with what they have or take awayfrom them at all, it is just another option.”

The development of the new programis timely as it coincides with changes inmedical schools’ requirements and theconstruction of the science and mathemat-ics complex. The high-tech labs and in-creased lecture space of the new buildingwill be important in making a biomedicaldegree at Union possible. “The improvedfacilities are really vital for this newmajor,” stressed Rose. “We need to contin-ually progress and evolve our programs to

match the facilities that are being created.”Changes to the Medical College Admis-

sion Test (MCAT) in 2015 will add a sec-tion on social and behavioral science andmodify other parts that test students’ criti-cal thinking, placing even greater empha-sis on students’ well-roundedness. “Thetopic of biomedical science is broadly im-portant because of how changes in thecontent of the MCAT will affect the recom-mended courses taken by pre-med stu-dents,” said Malcolm Russell, vicepresident for Academic Administration.

The new major has been inserted intothe 2012-2013 academic bulletin. Thismeans students who meet all the require-ments could be eligible to graduate withthe major as early as the coming academicyear. “Amazingly, everything has gone

very smoothly,” saidRose. “I keep expect-ing to find barriers,but so far every doorhas opened wide.”

The idea of a bio-medical major is notnew, but the plans forUnion’s program dis-tinguish it from therest. “What we’re cre-ating here, with thesupporting area, iscompletely unique inthe U.S. as far as wecan find,” said Rose. “Icannot take credit forany of the key fea-tures, it has beenshaped by students

and alumni. Students really have designedthis degree.”

The new major will help students in-terested in pursuing science take controlof their education and what they need tolearn. “We really designed it to be a goodpreparation for professional school,” ex-plained Bing. “I feel like it will fill a gapbetween undergraduate studies and thefirst year of medical school, when you getslammed with information. It’ll give stu-dents more of a feel for what they’re goinginto. It’s such an honor to be able to helppeople in a way they can’t help them-selves. That’s why I want to go into medi-cine.” C

Students shape new biomedical science major

Eby Joellyn Sheehy

Eric Bing and several other premed majors helped Dr. Frankie Rose, associate professorof biology, develop a new major designed for medical preprofessional students.

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CORDmagazine 9

created the necessary tools by patching together pieces of existinglaboratory equipment.

And when his research surpassed the limitations of those cus-tomized tools, he approached the biotechnology firm Waters Corpo-ration with his idea to use liquid chromatography technology toseparate protein molecules in a way that had never before beendone.

Now, seven years later, that idea has come to life in the form of aunique temperature-controlled cooling instrument that measures thedynamic structure of proteins in a faster and more accurate waythan ever before. This new system holds the potential to allow re-searchers to develop new treatments for some of the world’s mostcommon diseases.

Biopharmaceuticals—including those used to treat patients withcancer and HIV/AIDS—are becoming increasingly common, and re-searchers and drug developers need a system to discover and en-sure the safety and effectiveness of new medications. For years, onlya few analytical chemists were able to perform the existing tech-niques. But Engen’s system, recently released for commercial use,

Reinventing Protein S Reinventing Protein S

10 SUMMER 2012

Union College alumnustakes mass spectrometryanalysis to new levels

When chemistry professor and Union College

graduate John Engen ’94 realized the equipment

he needed to move forward with his hydrogen-

deuterium exchange mass spectrometry research

on protein structure didn’t yet exist, he

photos: courtesy of John Engen

Structure Research Structure Research

CORDmagazine 11

gives researchers in laboratories and pharmaceutical companies ac-cess to the equipment needed to identify and learn about these pro-teins and their implications in medicine and disease treatment.

The Road to Research

John Engen grew up in Boulder, Colo. His father was a forensicchemist and his mother, also a Union graduate, used her master’sdegree in public health at a local health department. Engen, who re-calls playing with his father’s lab equipment as a child, graduatedfrom Union College in 1994 with a degree in biology and returnedthe following year to complete a degree in chemistry.

He stayed in Lincoln and earned his Ph.D. in chemistry at theUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, and then completed postdoctoralstudies at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg,Germany, and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

In the years since graduating from Union, Engen has becomerecognized as an expert in the use of mass spectrometry and hydro-gen-deuterium exchange to study protein structure and dynamics.

Engen first opened an independent laboratory facility at the Univer-sity of New Mexico, and in 2006, he accepted a position as professorof bioanalytical chemistry at Northeastern University in Boston,where he opened the John R. Engen Laboratory. Engen also servesas Faculty Fellow in the Barnett Institute of Chemical and BiologicalAnalysis.

In June 2012, the John R. Engen Laboratory moved into a newbuilding in downtown Boston, designated as a Waters Center of In-novation based on the university’s decades-long partnership withthe Waters Corporation.

The John R. Engen Laboratory is an analytical chemistry labora-tory, focusing on measuring proteins and protein-related moleculesusing mass spectrometry. Using this method, the researchers weighatoms and use the resulting calculations to learn more about theatoms’ structure and dynamics. That information helps them learnmore about how proteins relate to illness and disease, includingviral replication, strokes, HIV and cancer proteins.

Engen and his students and staff collaborate with local medical

by Lauren Bongard Schwarz ’04

(continued on page 30)

ost everyone had long since gone home, but a small groupstill pressed around him, asking questions, desperate for an-

swers. When I. Jon Russell ’65, M.D., Ph.D., American College ofRheumatology (ACR) Master, visited Union College in April 2011,nearly 600 Lincoln residents gathered to hear him talk about ad-vances in treatment for fibromyalgia, a disorder often marginal-ized by the medical community.

Late into the night he continued to field questions, trying tobring hope to many who have suffered without answers. Thisscene has been repeated many times over the years, as Russellhas traveled the world, drawing on his more than 30 years of re-search and teaching experience in an effort to support the suffer-ers who, when he began, had virtually no champion in the worldof medicine. He finds that even today, many people, especiallyoutside medicine, believe the disorder simply to be widespreadpain or a catchall when doctors can’t make a diagnosis.

Russell first became interested in the topic after examining fi-bromyalgia patients during his rheumatology fellowship in themid 1970s at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “I was con-vinced they were telling us the truth about their symptoms, butmany of my colleagues did not consider the patients’ condition tobe real,” Russell said. “I’m naturally a supporter of the underdog,so I felt a responsibility to try to help.”

He spent the next 32 years researching the disorder while onfaculty at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San An-tonio. Even when faced with censure from his division chairmanbecause the chairman didn’t consider fibromyalgia to be an ap-propriate topic for research, Russell persisted and outlasted hisdetractor. When the university eventually chose to transition froma research model to a clinical model, Russell was already 67 yearsold. He decided to retire and start a research clinic in the San An-tonio community where he could continue his work.

Russell founded the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain 18 yearsago, and still serves as its editor-in-chief. A senior editor at Taylorand Francis Press in London, he has also published over one hun-dred research articles on fibromyalgia and related topics.

Having led or participated in many groundbreaking researchprojects over the years, Russell is probably best known for a se-

ries of studies showing biochemical abnormalities in the spinalfluid of fibromyalgia sufferers. More recently, “we’ve discoveredtwo genes and a dysfunctional G protein-coupled receptor associ-ated with fibromyalgia,” he said.

While still at University of Texas, pharmaceutical companiesbegan taking notice of Russell’s work as they saw a possible mar-ket for treatment of fibromyalgia. “Our research reports had iden-tified therapeutic targets for the development of medications forthe treatment of fibromyalgia patients, so the companies askedme to consult,” he explained. Russell has consulted with six dif-ferent companies on a host of medications, three of which arenow approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)for this indication and are commonly used to treat fibromyalgia.

What is fibromyalgia?

“A common misconception is that fibromyalgia is just aboutpain,” Russell said. “It is a painful condition, but people with fi-bromyalgia are very troubled by cognitive dysfunction. Theydon’t feel like they can remember things. If a clinician performs acognitive assessment of a person with fibromyalgia, the resultsare consistent with someone much older. That would suggest thatfibromyalgia is a condition of premature aging.” Sufferers also ex-perience fatigue, chronic headaches, chest and neck pain, irrita-ble bowel and bladder and often, such severe sleep dysfunctionthat they are not able to replenish vital energy.

Russell’s own research has shown that symptoms stem fromsomething more than imagination. “We have many pieces of in-formation—including spinal fluid studies and images of the brainshowing altered central nervous system function in fibromyal-gia—all of which support the concept that fibromyalgia is a realmedical disorder,” he explained.

The research findings have been critical to establishing the na-ture of the fibromyalgia syndrome, but he contends that the clini-cal signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia are so consistent that it isreally unnecessary to document biochemical changes in thespinal fluid or to conduct medical imaging for every fibromyalgiapatient who comes to the physician for medical care.

Union alum spends career searching for answers about fibromyalgia

12 SUMMER 2012

by Ryan Teller

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Fighting aforbiddenfoe

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How widespread is it?

In a city the size of Lincoln, Russell believes that as many as5,000-6,000 people suffer from fibromyalgia. “Based on a studyconducted in Wichita, Kan., 10 percent of the general populationhas chronic widespread pain,” he explained. “Twenty percent ofthis number [about two percent of the general population] suffersfrom fibromyalgia—a subset of those with chronic widespreadpain.”

Fibromyalgia is most likely to strike women during or aftertheir childbearing years and then does not resolve. “Nearly 10percent of women in their fifties and sixties suffer from fibromyal-gia,” Russell said. “And more than seven in ten cases are female.”

Is there treatment?

Although fibromyalgia is treatable, it is not yet curable. Russellhas seen promising results from a variety of treatments. Using acombination of medications and lifestylechanges, “we have seen patients who aredramatically improved,” he said.

Russell believes physicians are nowunder pressure to take fibromyalgia moreseriously. “But they have many disordersto care for,” he explained. “Their trainingand continuing education may not haveprepared them for treating fibromyalgia.”But because there are now medicationsapproved by the FDA for treatment of fi-bromyalgia, “pharmaceutical companiesare helping with the effort to educatephysicians about fibromyalgia and abouthow to use the new medications most ef-fectively.”

It started back at Union

Russell arrived at Union College withan interest in researching medical dis-ease. He enrolled in the pre-med pro-gram with a major in chemistry. He thenearned a master’s and a doctoral degreein biochemistry and nutrition from theUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln beforegraduating from Loma Linda UniversitySchool of Medicine. He completed a resi-dency in internal medicine and a fellow-ship in rheumatology at the Mayo Clinicin Rochester, Minn., before joining the rheumatology faculty ofthe University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Russell feels his courses and teachers at Union gave him astrong foundation for graduate education. “I didn’t have to strug-gle in the graduate school program because I was well preparedat Union,” he said. “I think the same was true for the sciencecourses in medical school.”

His first year at Union proved very different, however. “I hadnot studied chemistry in high school. Many of my classmates inUnion’s General Chemistry course came to college having hadhigh school chemistry. They started the course with a much bettergrasp of chemistry terminology and concepts than I did,” he said.“I was so grateful to teachers like Dr. Warren Murdoch ’52, Dr.

René Evard and Dr. Earl Leonhardt ’50 who helped me throughthat first year and helped me to enjoy classes like organic andphysical chemistry.”

“Dr. Murdoch was probably my favorite teacher,” Russell re-membered.” He was very tall with curly black hair, a big unrulymustache, and a quizzical smile—he looked like the stereotypicalabsent-minded professor. He would draw out on the blackboard asequence of organic chemistry synthesis steps and then say, “‘Isn’tthis fun?’ He really went out of his way to help students whowanted to learn.’”

But life at Union wasn’t all science. “I probably spent 90 per-cent of my time on science and math,” he said. “But the social ac-tivities are what I remember most. I met my wife, Barbara RunnelsRussell ’63, M.Ed., at Union and we married during the summerbefore my senior year.”

Russell also traces a love of art back to an elective art historycourse at Union. “I ate it up,” he said. “I have since become anamateur artist.” Russell’s paintings hang on the walls of his prac-

tice and he is preparing a series of coffeetable books to display the more than1,000 pencil portraits he’s drawn of peo-ple he has met all over the world. Hislove of art also seeped into his scientificworld when he began using portraits byfamous painters on the covers of hismedical journal. For each issue, hewrites a brief biography of the featuredartist, of the artist’s model, and of theartist’s contemporary supporters. “Forme, this is Art History-202,” he said.

Family and future

Russell and his wife have been mar-ried for 48 years and have three children.Their oldest son followed in his father’sfootsteps, earning a Ph.D. and M.D., andis now on the faculty at Harvard Schoolof Medicine, leading a program to de-velop an artificial pancreas for the treat-ment of diabetes. Their second son is acomputer engineer and musician, andtheir daughter is a personal trainer with aphysical education degree. “Our childrenare all married. We love each of theirspouses and our three little grandsons.”Now nearly 70 years old, Russell contin-ues to see patients, test new fibromyalgia

drugs, write teaching materials for patients and physicians, andlecture around the globe. “Right now, one of my projects is help-ing juveniles with fibromyalgia to find effective treatment,” hesaid. “I still have energy and can still tie my shoelaces. I think thegood Lord is keeping me healthy, so I should repay.”

Russell feels grateful for his time at Union. “When I was atUnion, the education was very good. Our facilities were adequatefor the time, but the building really looks dated now,” he ex-plained. “A new science complex is needed for Union to continueto grow in the science arena. This new physical plant for scienceand mathematics will serve the immediate needs and will provideroom for expansion.”C

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Dr. I. Jon Russell ’65 gave a lecture about fibromyalgia at Union College in April 2011.

Vicki Schlegel: Finding the healingpowers of food

Vicki Schlegel: Finding the healingpowers of food

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icki Schlegel ’84 is passionate about food—but she’s not look-ing for the next secret sauce featured on the Food Network or 13exquisite ways cook a potato. As an associate professor at the Uni-versity of Nebraska Food Science and Technology Department,she heads a research team working to uncover the hidden healingpowers of food—a journey that began in Jorgensen Hall more than30 years ago.

“I developed a love for chemistry from my dad, a high schoolteacher. He taught chemistry and math for 40 years,” she recalled.As a child, when Schlegel and her two sisters asked questionsabout nature and life, he always opened his response with, “ac-cording to the laws of chemistry and physics.”

“I began to see the world from a chemical perspective,” saidSchlegel. “I took all the high school chemistry classes I could.” Butit was the people in Jorgensen Hall whot helped her bond to aclear vision for her lifework. The close-knit group of students andprofessors created a spirit of camaraderie, and also pushed her tobe her best.

As teaching assistant for new (at the time) chemistry professorCharles Freidline, Schlegel developed a love for teaching new con-cepts to the students in her labs. She also became interested in nu-trition at Union, because the Adventist view of diet made her

curious about the chemical makeup of food.When graduation loomed and Schlegel weighed her options,

Dr. David Duran, a chemistry professor at Union who was finish-ing a doctorate at the time, encouraged her to attend graduateschool to find a teaching career that could help satisfy her desire todo research and teach. Schlegel then earned a master’s in Analyti-cal Chemistry from University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Ph.D. inAnalytical Chemistry from Iowa State University. “I just really enjoyworking with students,” she said. “Graduate school allowed me tocombine my passion for chemistry with both teaching and re-search.”

A passion for food

Schlegel then found an outlet for her interests on the faculty ofthe University of Nebraska Food Science and Technology Depart-ment when she began studying nutraceuticals—the ingredientsand chemicals in food that either prevent or cure a disease.

“At this point we don’t understand how nutraceuticals work,”explained Schlegel. The complex makeup of food creates all sortsof chemical reactions within the body, and she hopes to ultimatelyunderstand how the nutraceuticals in food can be used to preventdisease. Focusing primarily on commodities grown in Nebraska,such as dry edible beans, corn, wheat and soybeans, she believesher work will give back to Nebraskans and provide information topeople throughout the world on what foods best prevent or fight

certain diseases. “As Adventists, we have a health message so we already know

this,” Schlegel pointed out. “A lot of people don’t understand howdiet affects health, but now on a national level we are realizing thatdiet is linked to disease or the prevention of disease. This is one ofthose things I think Adventists need to refocus on.”

Schlegel hopes this research will provide scientific evidence forpeople to use food and diet as an alternative to pharmaceuticalsand help raise their quality of life. She also seeks to better under-stand how to customize diets based a person’s genetic makeup. “Ifyou’re predisposed to diabetes, you can customize a diet to fightthat,” explained Schlegel. “But we have a long way to go becauseit’s a very complex problem. Foods in themselves are complex andso is our body.”

A passion for science

Her passion for science reaches far beyond the walls of her re-search lab and classroom. While in graduate school, she met andmarried Brad Plantz, a microbiologist who recently started work-ing for Cargill. “He is also a scientist,” she said. “I can talk to himabout my research and he understands it.” These similar interests

also lead to shared interests like watching science documentaries,exploring Nebraska state parks and counting fireflies in the back-yard to report on a tracking website. “That may not sound like funto everyone, but it’s fun for us to do together because not a lot ofpeople want to talk about those things with us.”

A passion for Union’s promising future

Schlegel believes it was her experience at Union that led her toa promising future, and now she wants Union students to havethat same experience. “Jorgensen Hall was old when I was there,and I graduated in 1984,” said Schlegel. “But Union has made suchan impact on my life. If it wasn’t for my time at Union, I wouldn’tbe in a career that I absolutely love.”

Schlegel knows that every science department needs to updateto keep up with technology and research, and she is excited to seeUnion is building a new science and mathematics complex to bet-ter meet the needs of students planning to attend medical schoolor other graduate schools. “The only way we can do that isthrough newer facilities and newer instrumentation,” explainedSchlegel. “Although it will be sad to let Jorgensen go, it is time tolet it go.”

Union has raised $12.5 million of the $14.5 million for the OurPromising Future campaign to help fund construction for the newbuilding. If you want to be a part of Union’s promising future,please visit: p http://www.ucollege.edu/ourpromisingfuture C

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haun Lehmann stared at the odd device on his kitchen table–just a plastic tub holding a metal contraption submerged in salt-water solution and connected to an impressive–looking

controller. The 1993 Union College chemistry graduate, always a skeptic, wanted to see if his purchasereally lived up to its maker’s claims. Would the electrophoresis footbath remove toxins from the humanbody? Or was all the junk left in the water simply a chemical reaction from electrolysis?

S Dr. Charles Freidline and Erome Hankore Daniel spent last school year researching the medical benefits ofelectrophoresis footbaths at the request of Union alumnus, Dr. Shaun Lehmann.

CORDmagazine 17

research at Union Collegeby Ruby Ruano

Now a physician in suburban Houston, Texas, who prefers tohelp his patients learn good nutrition and wellness practices ratherthan relying on pharmaceuticals, Lehmann wanted to know if theywould benefit from the footbath treatments. “When the footbathsbegan to show up in our area, people asked us for advice on theproduct,” explained Lehmann. Since he couldn’t find any scientificstudies on the topic, “I didn’t mind researching so I bought one tosee what it was for myself.”

With the help of his father, also a chemist, he began to experi-ment with the device. “The biggest question was whether the elec-trolysis was taking something out of the body or possibly puttingsomething back into the body,” he explained.

Doctors who practice alternative medicine use electrophoresisfootbaths to ‘cleanse’ the body with a low electrical charge be-tween two electrodes believed to bind to toxins and dischargethem in the water.

When a patient undergoes a footbath treatment, the clear elec-trolyte solution turns to a brown thick gel-like material. The brownresidue is thought to be the impurities removed from the bodythrough the therapy, and many patients have reported feeling bet-ter after treatments. During his experimentation, Lehmann and hisfather discovered that the water still turned brown when the de-vice was run without feet being in the solution. “A lot of peoplethink all that gunk is coming from the feet, but they need to knowthat it is also part of the process occurring from chemical reac-tions,” Lehmann explained. “We wanted to find out if there areany organic materials coming from the body.”

For help, Lehmann turned to his old friend and mentor, Dr.Charles Freidline, professor of chemistry at Union College. “Whenwe presented our question to Dr. Freidline, he was immediately in-terested,” said Lehmann.

“Dr. Freidline wanted to create a study for students to work on,and this one was available for me to do,” explained Erome DanielHankore, a senior chemistry major who worked on the project aspart of her Research Methods class. “No one had touched this areaexcept for a recent study done only this year, so it was exciting todiscover new data.”

In fall 2011, Freidline and Courtney Dupper, a December 2011chemistry graduate, began their research with Lehmann’s footbath.Hankore also joined the project and took over when Dupper grad-uated in December.

The students first ran the process with and without feet andtested for nonpolar compounds, which could be extracted fromthe water and tested using gas chromatography mass spectrometry(GC-MS).

Finding nothing, they started testing the water for polar com-pounds—ingredients that could not be separated from the water—using liquid chromatography equipment in the Union Collegelaboratory. “Up until now it wasn’t really known what the foot-baths exactly did for the body,” said Freidline. “It has taken a lot oftrial and error, but we have discovered many new things that weweren’t expecting. For example, the electrolysis only producesfresh, gelatinous, iron III hydride solid that surrounds the feet. The

electrolysis process does not include the patient in any way. Inother words, no current passes through the feet.”

“The footbath is a growing part of medicine and few peoplehave studied it,” Hankore said. “We tried many different samplesof the solution before we even involved people in the testing.When we finally did trials with people, we could clearly identifythe differences in the solution.”

But she allows that it still may be too soon to tell if the footbathhas a significant chemical effect on the body. “It may be psycho-logical as much as it is medical and we may need to study theplacebo effect,” she said. “There are so many possibilities, but Ifeel my contribution was showing that if there are any toxins com-ing out of the body, they are most likely polar compounds.”

Freidline submitted the research abstract to Nebraska Academyof Sciences, and Hankore was invited to present at the 112th An-nual Nebraska Academy of Sciences meeting. She gave a 15-minute presentation to more than 70 professors and students fromvarious colleges and universities from Nebraska and surroundingstates.

Although Hankore gratuated in May, chemistry students CaraFlemmer and Daniel Story will continue to study the chemical ef-fects of the footbaths. “By using high performance liquid chro-matography, we have found several compounds in the water afterrunning the process with feet in the solution.” Freidline explained.“We think some are amino acids, but we don’t have the equipmentto identify them.”

Freidline hopes to partner with Dr. Dan Snow at the Universityof Nebraska Water Sciences Laboratory and use their liquid chro-matography mass spectrometer to identify the compounds histeam discovered in the footbath solution. He also plans to havestudents test the footbath on sick people who presumably havemore toxins to be pulled from the body than do healthy people.

More than providing valuable information for the scientific andmedical community, applying their knowledge through researchprojects and other practical applications helps students find a di-rection for their future. “This project really inspired me to look intoresearch programs in graduate school,” says Hankore, who cameto Union to prepare for medical school. “It helped me link medi-cine to research and I loved finding out about the process thathappens to improve medicine.”

Years earlier, Freidline also altered the course of Lehmann’s lifewhen he called to offer the prospective transfer student a job in hislab as Lehmann weighed his educational options going into hisjunior year. “I would have gone to Walla Walla College to continuemy engineering degree,” Lehmann remembered. “Out of the blue,Dr. Freidline called me one day and offered me a job. It was a bigdeal for me.”

The two still stay in touch. “He is my favorite professor,”Lehmann said. “He is the reason I attended Union College.”

For more information about Union’s science program or up-dates on construction of the new science and mathematics com-plex, visit p www.ucollege.edu. C

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photos: Steve Nazario

Science Build Right: Union College held a specialground breaking ceremony for thenew science and mathematicscomplex during HomecomingWeekend on April 6, 2012.Above: An International tractorhelped break ground for JorgensenHall in 1944 (Sept. 25, 1944).

Above: A last look at the north sideof campus at the end of the 2011-12 school year (May 7, 2012).Right: Immediately after gradu-aion, excavators began digging upthe parking lots behind Rees Hall toprepare the site for the new build-ing (May 22, 2012)Far right: Workmen lay footingsand build basement walls on Jor-gensen Hall.

CORDmagazine 19

lding Update

Left: Workmen continue to clearthe area behind Rees Hall (June4, 2012).Above: Workers lift Jorgensen’ssupport beams into place byhand.

Above: A newly completed circledrive behind Rees Hall will beopen in time for the women tomove into the dorm this fall (June12, 2012).Left: The building site is pre-pared, and workers will beginpouring footings in mid-August(July 19, 2012).Far left: Workmen continue tobrick the walls of Jorgensen Hall,even through winter snows.

historical photos: courtesy of Union College Library

Phonathon callers create c ver since I started doing Phonathon my fresh-

man year, I’ve always felt the need to go back,”said Mandy McCrary ’11. “Union has made suchan impact on my life, helping to raise money forthe school is a great way to give back.”

McCrary came to Union College from herhome in South Dakota to join friends and study ina Christian environment, but has found manymore reasons to stay. “There is so much care atUnion,” she said. “I’ve met so many incrediblepeople and have made friends I know will bethere for life. I can really see Christ in all of the fac-ulty, and I have received such a spiritual blessingeach year that I have been there. Union is home tome now—that is why I keep coming back.”

McCrary plans to earn a doctorate in physicaltherapy after she graduates from Union and use

her education to follow her passion in helpingpeople.

Of the three years she has attended Union, Mc-Crary has worked at Phonathon for all of them.She uses the opportunity to earn extra money as afun way to connect with people and help herschool. “At first it’s a little scary,” she admitted.“Even when I go back after not calling people fora few months I get nervous, but most people havea lot of fun stories to tell. The first year I workedPhonathon I had a conversation with a lady whowas very different from any other. As soon as sheanswered the phone, she started grilling me withquestions about myself. It took me by surprise be-cause I usually ask the questions. Toward the endof the conversation, she asked me if I liked to sing.I said yes and her reply was ‘Well, then sing forme.’ After much objection I finally caved and sang“Amazing Grace.” I chuckled after we hung up be-cause she ended up not donating, but I hoped thatsomething I had said made an impact on her,which is the goal for every one of my conversa-tions.”

Phonathon was started in the early 1980s andhas grown to involve approximately 35 studentsphoning alumni, parents and friends each year.The event raises money for the Union College

Fund, which is used to close the gap betweenthe cost of educating students and tuition. Thefund pays directly for items already on theschool budget that are necessary for the collegeto function and is the only unrestricted fund,meaning the money can be spent on whateverthe college needs most. “Everyone who supportsthe Union College Fund with a gift should knowthat they are the reason for Union being heretoday,” said Andrea Ahrens, director of major giftdevelopment. “There is a group of 1,955 peoplewho collectively make sure that Union defies ex-pectations by giving annually through the UnionCollege Fund.”

Yvionne Joseph, sophomore elementary education major, enjoyed speaking with alumniand listening to their stories. “You talk to a bunchof people a day, but many were really nice andsome were really excited to talk about Union,”she recalled. “Even if they didn’t donate, they stillwanted to talk. They would tell me about theirgood times or when they went against the rules,and then they’d say not to tell anyone. Someoneeven sent me a letter afterwards thanking me fortalking to him. I don’t know his name, but it waspretty cool.”

Joseph came to Union College after going topublic school all her life in Florida and hopes tosomeday teach in both the public and Adventistschool systems. “I’ve always attended publicschool and that’s what made me want to teach,”she explained. “I want to do public school firstand then switch to an Adventist school. I thinkI’ll want to talk about God while I’m teaching.”

Joseph looked into doing Phonathon whenshe was searching for a job at the beginning ofher freshman year and saw signs around cam-pus. “I loved doing Phonathon,” she said.“Everyone, the whole environment, was reallyfun. It was so chill andby the end I knew allthe other callers.”

Though dauntedby calling strangers,Joseph stuck with itand began to enjoyherself. “Every timewe started I got nerv-ous, but there was noreason to be as thepeople can’t even see

20 SUMMER 2012

by Joellyn Sheehy, junior international rescue and relief and premed major

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David AlboCesar Cabral Pestana

I get nervous, but most people have a lot of fun stories to tell.

photo: Scott Cushman

CORDmagazine 21

you,” she said. “It would always turn out okayand I started to like it. Sometimes the people Italked to would even make your day better.”

“I’m definitely going to do it again and I toldmy roommate and friends to as well,” said Joseph.“You learn a lot about Union and people. I thinkit’s really cool that years from now people aregoing to call me for Phonathon and I can talk tothem about how I did it too.”

As daunting as it is to speak with strangers,some Phonathon participants face even morechallenges in communicating with alumni thanshyness. Cesar Pestana, sophomore music educa-tion major and English for Academic Purposes(EAP) student from the Dominican Republic, hadspent a year and a half in the United States beforecoming to Union. “I did speak quite a bit andwould be considered a ‘fluent’ English speaker,”he recalled. “The only thing was my accent,which is something I am still working on.”

Pestana saw the job at Phonathon advertisedand decided to give it a try. “It was much harderthan I thought it would be,” he admitted. “I hadnever done anything like it before and it was un-comfortable and kind of scary at first. I did notwant anyone to yell at me or get angry, since wewere asking for money, and I also thought thatsome people were not going to be able to under-stand me.”

Though some of his fears were allayed, Pes-tana still had to work hard to be understood bythose on the other end of the line. “I did get usedto it after the first few days and it became mucheasier,” he said. “But it was hard to make a con-nection with some people and there were also afew who said they could not understand me com-pletely. I simply had to talk slower because I wassure it was probably my accent.”

As challenging as it was, Pestana used the op-portunity to improve his English and his skills incommunicating with others. “I would recommend

anyone to do this atleast once,” he said. “Itis an experience worthtrying. It helped me inmany ways, not only inEnglish. Most of myconversations were re-ally short, but I didhave one conversationwith this lady whoshared with me herthoughts on how stu-

dents should try to work and get jobs in order tohelp pay for their education. It was the longestconversation I had and probably the most inter-esting.”

Pestana’s hard work and dedication to im-prove his language skills has led him to discoverone of his greatest passions. “I want to teach andperform music as well as English as a second lan-guage,” he explained. “I love the English lan-guage and I know how exciting it is to learn asecond language. I hope I can share that feelingwith others. I am glad I attended Union and I amabsolutely coming back,” assured Pestana. “I'velearned a lot at Union and I've made goodfriends. I had a really good experience this yearand I am looking forward to my next one.”

David Albo, sophomore engineering student,also experienced the spirit of Union in his firstyear. “A place is only as good as the people in it,”he said. “If Union didn’t have all the people andnice teachers willing to work with you, it

wouldn’t be the same. I enjoy the community,and that’s really what’s key for me.”

Albo found Phonathon to be a good opportu-nity to learn about other people. “Everybody wasdown to earth and they were the ones bringingup conversations sometimes,” he said. “Theyasked me questions about Union and the newstuff they’re doing, and I asked about their experi-ence at college, what their major was or if theymet their spouse. One lady I spoke with wasgoing through quite a lot. She told me all this stuffthat was going on in her life, but was still reallypositive. She kept encouraging me to keep on inschool. I wrote her a letter and she wrote backsaying she enjoyed talking to me and looked for-ward to talking again next year. I really wanted towrite to her so I just sent a paragraph about ourconversation and stuff. I enjoyed Phonathon alot.”

Every year the Phonathon team strives to pro-vide vital funding for the college and stay in touchwith past Unionites. “The best thing aboutPhonathon is that it connects student callers withalumni,” said Ahrens. “They get to hear storiesfrom alumni about what it was like when theywere here and maybe even get inspiration fromthem. When we’re doing Phonathon, it’s a daily

connections to Union College

Yvionne JosephMandy McCrary

I would recommend anyone to do this at least once.”

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NEW ADVANCEMENT STAFF_____________________________________________________________________________________________

by Ruby Ruano

any Union College alumni enjoythe events, letters, magazines and

videos that help keep them connectedwith the college they love. The Advance-ment team at Union College works hardto keep alumni connected and helps gen-erate needed resources for the college tocontinue to provide a high quality educa-tion experience.

Over the past couple of years, the Ad-vancement team has undergone signifi-cant changes as Todd and JanyaMekelburg, Angie Peach and NicoleMeharry have all moved to jobs in otherplaces and new people have arrived totake their places.

“New personnel and staff transitioningto new responsibilities will bring fresh

points of view and an array of additionalworking knowledge to the team,” saidLuAnn Davis, vice president for Advance-ment. “New staff members are here forone reason—to serve stakeholders andbuild meaningful relationships with thosewho are interested in the future of UnionCollege.”

M

ngela Olson Heam ’06 left Union six years ago to be a high school

teacher, but has now returned to Union ina very different role. After graduating fromUnion and marrying Tim Heam, she taughtat Platte Valley and Spring Valley acade-mies as an English and substitute teacher.She enjoyed working with students, butneeded a change of pace after their daugh-ter, Abigail, was born nine months ago.

Heam’s primary responsibility will beto manage the Phonathon and other com-munication strategies to raise more than ahalf million dollars for the Union College

Fund each year. “I am excited to be part ofthe student fundraising activities and alsoto make an impact on current students justlike I experienced when I was a student,”she said.

A Nebraska native and graduate ofPlatte Valley Academy, Heam attendedUnion because it was close to home. “I decided to study education while doing awriting project about careers during mysenior year of academy,” she said. “I real-ized that after my parents, my academyteachers had the greatest impact on my life.”

A

ndrea Ahrens served as Annual Fund Director for just over a year before

transitioning to her new position as Direc-tor of Major Gift Development. Originallyfrom Lincoln, she earned a political sciencedegree at UCLA and an MBA from the Uni-versity of Maryland.

Ahrens helps identify and evaluateprospects to support major gift campaigns,special campus projects and endowment.She also serves as a major gifts officer tosupport the Our Promising Future cam-paign and the Union College Fund.

One of her goals is to raise Union’s

stature in the local business community.“For the folks who do know about Union,we are very respected, but I want to reachthose folks who Union College doesn’teven cross their mind,” explained Ahrens.“I’m trying to make sure they know thatUnion is the best college.” In her most re-cent position as an aid to a Nebraska con-gressman, she has already developed anetwork of contacts in state governmentand the Lincoln community.

She and her husband, Mike ’00, have a16 month-old son, George.

Andrea AhrensA

Director of Major Gift Development

Angela HeamAnnual Giving Director

phot

os: Stev

e Nazario

CORDmagazine 23

ince he was baptized nine years ago, Scot Coppock knew he wanted serve

the Seventh-day Adventist Church in full-time ministry. His unique experiences each

have prepared him to effectively helpalumni and friends find creative ways togive to Union College.

Originally from Michigan, Coppockgraduated from Western Michigan Univer-sity with a degree in English before servingin the army for more than five years. Whilestationed in Germany, he met and fell inlove with Manuela, a Seventh-day Adven-tist. Her example and the book, “The GreatControversy,” convinced him of the truthfound in the beliefs of the Adventist church.

“After I was baptized, I wanted towork for the Adventist church”, said Cop-pock, who worked as a financial represen-tative for John Hancock FinancialCompany before accepting the position atUnion. “God has taken me from helpingpeople manage their debt to building their

wealth. Now I’m helping people give itback to God.”

Coppock’s primary role will be to assistleadership donor prospects who desire tomake current and deferred major gifts, in-cluding gifts of cash and personal prop-erty. “My job is to sit down and talk to thefriends and alumni of Union and find outwhat they want to accomplish with us andhelp them make a smart gift,” he ex-plained. In the future he hopes to be anasset to help projects grow, improve thecampus and be a resource to students. “Iserved the military, I serve my family andchurch and if I can serve this campus, thenI’ll be very happy.”

The Coppocks have three children, An-gela, nine; Mckayla, six; and Christian,three.

S

enna Lee Austin Carlson ’73 is no stranger to Union College. She has

worked at Union since 1994—most of thatin the Records office. “This is kind of an

extension of Records for me,” she said. “Istill get to connect with former studentsthat I used to work with, and I knowmany alumni—both old and new.”

In her new role, Carlson will work tokeep alumni connected to each other andto Union—including alumni events suchas Homecoming Weekend and chaptermeetings around the country. “Eventhough a student graduates and leaves Lin-coln, it’s good to somehow tug on theirheart a little and remind them that this wasa good experience for them,” she said.

She will also connect with parents bygiving them opportunities to purchasecare packages for their students. “We doLifesavor bags and birthday party packs tomake it easy for parents to remind stu-dents they are loved and supported.”

Carlson enrolled at Union because herfather believed his children should havean Adventist education, and he moved thefamily to Lincoln when she graduatedfrom academy in Keene. “I chose to studyelementary education because I alwaysloved children, and I like to see peoplelearn,” she said.

The semester before she graduated,she married Richard Carlson ’73, Union’schaplain for more than 30 years and nowvice president for Spiritual Life. Theyraised three Union graduates: Bryan ’98,Dan ’00 and Greg ’06, and have eightgrandchildren.

NEW ADVANCEMENT STAFF_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Scot CoppockDirector of Leadership Giving

Kenna Lee CarlsonAlumni Activities Director

K

phot

os: Stev

e Nazario

24 SUMMER 2012

CLASS-IFIEDS_____________________________

1950sLaVern Opp ’53 retired in1993. Since then, he has servedas government relations and re-ligious liberty representative forthe state of Idaho; served athree-year term on the IdahoState Elementary ApprovalCommission; served as presi-dent of Idaho IndependentSchool Federation and was in-terim principal of Helen HyattElementary School and CollegeView Academy, in Lincoln,Neb., while Mike Cook was re-covering from an accident. Cur-rently he is planning his fifthmission trip to Iquitos, Perusupporting the People of PeruProject.

1970sHenry Welch ’70, retired inCondor, Alberta, Canada in1998. He earned a master’s de-gree in teaching/curriculumfrom La Sierra University on December 11, 1999. Henry andMay have five children, ninegrandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He enjoys writingpoetry and stories.

1980sPastor John Abbott ’86, hasaccepted the invitation to bepastor of the Lincoln, Neb.,Northside and Hollandchurches. John and his wife,Maria, and children, Noah andHannah, will move from Hawaiiin the summer. Noah will attendCollege View Academy andHannah will be at Union Col-lege. “We’re very excited for thefuture and looking forward towitnessing God at work in mul-titudes of ways!” says PastorJohn.

1990sAmelie Taylor Mejia was bornApril 1, 2012, to Ed ’98 andSenia Roehl ’05 Mejia, a daybefore her momma’s 29th birth-day. Livy, Amelie’s 2 year-oldbig sister is getting used to hav-

ing a baby sister and really en-joys surprising Amelie with ran-dom toys, such as plastic bugsand stuffed animals. Senia is anRN at Saint Elizabeth RegionalMedical Center and Ed is art di-rector at Thought District, anadvertising agency in Lincoln,Neb.

2000sMariah Dawn Fly was bornDec. 27, 2011, to Eric ’01 andDixie Mitchell (’01) Fly. Shejoins big brother Ethan, who isthree. Dixie is an RN and is afull-time mother. Eric is aphysician assistant in the emer-gency department at AlbanyArea Hospital in Albany, Minn.

Tony Rouse ’03, fire claimsrepresentative at State Farm In-surance in Lincoln, Neb., andTaryn Moore Rouse, current

CORDmagazine wants tohear from you. You have toldus this is your favorite sec-tion. Tell us where you are,what you’re doing or justsend greetings.

Direct your letters to: Class-ifieds Alumni Office Union College 3800 South 48th StreetLincoln, NE 68506

e-mail: alumni@ucollege.edumake changes online atpwww.ucollege.edu/cordmagazine

’67 denotes graduation year(’67) denotes last year attendedor preferred class year

Keep in touch

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Mariah Dawn Fly

Amelie Taylor Mejia

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Joyce Leonhardt ’52 attended a poetry convention in Las Vegasin 1990 to present a poem she wrote. For this presentation, she received a Golden Poet Award. She wants to share it with herfriends and classmates.

The Berlin WallDedicated to Ingetraud Boettcher

On November 9, 1989, new history was made,All peoples of all nations—it will aid,The Berlin Wall is coming down,How beautiful and how joyful is that sound.For 24 hours a day,People were there celebrating, “how good it is,” they say.T’was a miracle, my friend, Inge got out, in May 1961.The next month, the dreadful wall had begun.Two years later President Kennedy was at that terrible wall.His words brought meaning for life to all.A sea of people listened as he spoke.He seemed to bring a glimmer of hope.For 28 long weary, sad yearsThe wall brought violence, death and many tears.

Are we not all separated from God by a great wall?He is King of the Universe and God of all.It’s a wall of sinThat separates us from Him.We can talk to Him now through prayer.Someday soon, we all will be thereIn that beautiful, holy placeAnd talk with our Saviour, face to face.

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Carson Anthony Rouse

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CORDmagazine 25

CLASS-IFIEDS_____________________________

Union College assistant directorof Student Financial Services,welcomed Carson Anthony onOct. 7, 2010. Carson weighed 8lbs 10 oz and was 21.5 incheslong. He loves to be outside,play with cars and trucks and isalready a little football player.

Josh Bascom ’03, vice presi-dent of finance for ChristianRecord Services for the Blind inLincoln, Neb., and Elina Ca-marena Bascom, currentUnion College director of Stu-dent Financial Services, wel-comed Evelyn Noelle on Dec.23, 2010. Evelyn loves music,helping mommy with housechores, and playing with hercousins! In early fall, she willhave a little sister to play withas well.

Tom ’03 and Jennifer Carlsonwere married on June 24, 2012,in Atlantic, Iowa. After honey-

mooning in Canada, the couplemoved to South Williamsport,Penn., where Jennifer will beteaching while Tom will beworking in the area.

Nicole Olson Orian ’04 andher husband, Matthew, arepleased to announce the arrivalof Madison Christine, who wasborn November 18, 2011. Sheweighed 7 lbs 11 oz and joinsolder twin siblings, Jacob andHailey, at home. Matthew isvice president for finance andoperations at Mail Sort Profes-sionals in Lincoln and Nicole isassistant director in the Divisionof Nursing at Union College.

Michael Paradise ’05, youngadult pastor for the CollegeView Seventh-day AdventistChurch in Lincoln, Neb., andAlana Castillo Paradise ’06, abusy stay-at-home mommy,welcomed Simeon John andAnna Laura on December 8,2011. Simeon weighed 4 lbs 8oz, and Anna weighed 4 lbs 1oz. They join big brother Isaiah,age four years old.

Angela Olson Heam ’06 andher husband, Tim, are pleasedto announce the birth of AbigailMarie, born August 11, 2011, atReynolds Army CommunityHospital in Fort Sill, Okla. Sheweighed 8 lb 4 oz and was 20inches long. Tim and Angelamoved to Lincoln, Neb., in May2012. He is an electrical appren-tice with Empire Electric and istaking classes to become a li-censed electrician. Angela is di-rector of annual giving at Union.

2010sAndrew ’10 and Nicole Frank’10 Christenson welcomedZachary Thayer Christenson onJuly 18, 2011, in Lincoln, Neb.Andrew works for the NebraskaDepartment of Natural Re-sources as a floodplain engi-neering specialist. Nicole worksat home full time raising Zach(and deserves a pay raise).

Jeremy Sterndale ’08 andHeather Bohlender ’11 weremarried May 13, 2012. For thesummer they are working atCamp MiVoden in Idaho. Jeremyis assistant director, and Heatheris ACA coordinator. After thesummer, they plan to return toLincoln, Neb., or wherever newjobs will take them.

Former FacultyBetty Biggs Herman, formerUnion College nursing profes-sor ’74-84, was surprised with abirthday cake in celebration ofher 80th birthday on Dec. 2,2011. Her students at the North-land Pioneer College ShowLow-White Mountain Campusplanned the surprise for her—their clinical instructor. Aftershe blew out the candles, Bettytold the students she hadwished for their success ontheir upcoming state certifica-tion exams.

People PlacementsScott Coppock is the new di-rector of leadership giving inthe Advancement office. Heearned an English degree fromWestern Michigan Universitybefore serving in the Army formore than five years and mostrecently worked as an inde-pendent financial consultant forJohn Hancock Financial. Heand his wife, Manuela, havethree children.

Richard Clark ’79 has joinedthe Division of Science andMathematics as chemistry pro-fessor. He graduated from

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Evelyn Noelle Bascom

Madison Christine Orian

Abigail Marie Heam

Jeremy and Heather Sterndale

Zachary Thayer Christenson

Tom and Jennifer Carlson

26 SUMMER 2012

CLASS-IFIEDS_____________________________

Union with a B. A. degree inchemistry and earned a Ph.D.from Kansas State University in1992. He most recently taught atPhilippine Union College andPacific Union College. He andhis wife, Jancie, have four adultchildren.

Angela Olson Heam ’06 is thenew annual giving director inthe Advancement office. Aftergraduating from Union shetaught at Platte Valley andSpring Valley academies as anEnglish and substitute teacher.She and her husband, Tim, re-cently welcomed their first-borndaughter, Abigail.

Paul Jenks has accepted theposition of director of plantservices. Paul comes to Unionwith a rich background in con-struction and management. Heand his wife, Salli, administra-tive assistant for financial ad-ministration, have twodaughters, Megan and Mattison,who currently attend Union.

Jackie Kennedy has joined theDivision of Nursing as full-timeclinical instructor for the Med-ical-Surgical II course. She hasexperience in leading improve-ment studies within nursingworkflow and has been in-volved in multiple quality im-provement initiativesthroughout her nursing career.She most recently worked in theNeuro Progressive Unit atBryanLGH Medical Center Westin Lincoln.

Brianna Payne has joined thefaculty in the Division of Sci-ence and Mathematics to teachbiology. She graduated fromAndrews University with a mas-ter’s degree in biology in lastMay and will be on one-yearappointment to teach GeneralBiology, Human Anatomy andan upper-division biologycourse.

Ryan Perry is the new gymnas-tics instructor and intramural di-rector. He graduated fromSouthern Adventist Universityand spent six years as athletic di-

rector at Spencerville Academybefore returning to Tennessee toteach physical education andserve as cross-country coach atCollegedale Academy in 2004.He and his wife, Jessica, havethree children.

Transitioned:

Andrea Ahrens is the new di-rector of major gift developmentin the Advancement office. Shegraduated with a degree in po-litical science from UCLA andearned an MBA at University ofMaryland. She most recentlyserved as an aid to a Nebraskacongressman and as Union’s an-nual giving director.

Michelle Buller is the new di-rector of the Physician AssistantStudies program. Previously theprogram’s clinical director, shegraduated with a master’s inMedical Science and PhysicianAssistant degree from Midwest-ern University. She enjoysteaching psychiatry to UnionCollege PA students and hasspecial interest in women’smental health and eating disor-ders.

Kenna Lee Austin Carlson’73 is the new alumni activitiesdirector in the Advancement of-fice. She graduated with an ele-mentary education degree andhas worked at Union since1994—mostly in the Records of-fice. She is married to Rich Carl-son ’73, Union’s chaplain formore than 30 years and nowVice President for spiritual life.

Don Murray ’81 is director ofnew construction. Murray waspreviously director of PlantServices. He and his wife, LynaeBednar Murray ’82 have threechildren.

Greg Steiner ’00 is now a full-time institutional researcher inUnion’s new Office of Institu-tional Research. He is also headcoach of Union’s women’s bas-ketball team. He and his wife,Kimberly Childers Steiner ’01,faculty in the Division of Busi-

ness and Computer Science,have two boys, Carter and Ian.

Avery Dick ’38, Loveland,Colo., died May 25, 2012, at age97. He was born on a farm in LaHarpe, Kan., the second of fiveboys. After graduating from En-terprise Academy and UnionCollege, he married Arline Mc-Taggart Dick (’37), who diedin 2005. Avery pastoredchurches in Wyoming, Col-orado, Missouri and NorthDakota; served as a missionaryin China and the Philippines;and taught at Kingsway College,Mountain View College in thePhilippines, and Canadian Uni-versity College. In 1976, hemoved to Loveland to help pas-tor the Estes Park church andwas an active member of theCampion church. He is survivedby his daughter, Ardis DickStenbakken ’62; and brothersWillis Dick (’33), Elwin Dick(’41), and Clyde Dick ’59.

Margaret “Peggy” SmithVikingson ’40, Edina, Minn.,died Feb. 20, 2012, at age 96.Peg was librarian and Englishteacher for Bloomington JuniorHigh School for many years. Shealso taught for several years in

Isle, Minn., with her husbandEarl Vikingson ’49. Peg waspreceded in death by her hus-band, Earl. She is survived bynieces, Patricia RusholdDavis ’54, IvaDawn Parry;nephews, Douglas and MarkJohnson ’80; many cousinsand grand nieces and nephews.

Walter Crawford ’41, West-minster, Calif., died May 6, 2012,at age 93. He was born in Cham-berlain, S.D. Drafted in 1942, heserved as a medic until 1945.Walter earned an M.A. degreefrom Columbia University in1947 and a Ph.D. from the Uni-versity of California, Los Angelesin 1961. He worked as an Eng-lish instructor at La Sierra Col-lege, in the Alumni Associationat Loma Linda University, andfor Meditron before teaching lit-erature at California State Uni-versity, Long Beach from 1963until his retirement in 1988. Hisemphasis on the works ofSamuel Taylor Coleridge re-sulted in his authoring threebooks, with editing assistancefrom his wife. Additionally, heauthored several books andother scholarly journals. He issurvived by his wife of 72 years,Ann Krieger Crawford ’40,sons Eric and Todd and fourgrandchildren.

Ella Schlenker Renk (’41),Overland Park, Kan., died June23, 2012, at age 91. Born Oct 9,1920, in Goodrich, N.D., she wasthe second of nine children bornto Abraham Schlenker andEmma Kreiter Schlenker. Ellagraduated from Goodrich HighSchool in 1939. In the fall, herparents put her on a bus to Lin-coln, Neb., so she could attendUnion College. After her mar-riage to John Renk, the twofarmed in North Dakota for manyyears. After retirement, theymoved to Lincoln, Neb., and thento Kansas City, Kan., when theirhealth began to decline. Ella issurvived by her husband, John;sons, Ron (’68), Norman andKimber ’81; and daughter, IrlysRenk White ’70.

IN MEMORY

Death dates and/or obituar-ies have been received forthe following individuals.

Avery Dick

CORDmagazine 27

IN MEMORY_____________________________

LaVern Huenergardt (’42),Apopka, Fla., died July 9, 2011,in Orlando, Fla., with his familyby his side. He is survived by hiswife Dorothy Rouse Huener-gardt (’42), son Darrel Huen-ergardt ’65, and daughterCheryl Huenergardt Gaul ’76.

Mildred Page Trimble ’42,Sioux City, Iowa, died Nov. 21,2011, at age 94. She was bornJuly 6, 1917, in Sioux City andlived most of her life there—withthe exception of the years shespent getting her college degreeat Union College. In 1947, shemarried Thomas Trimble. Afterher children were grown andher husband died, she turned tocommunity service. She accumu-lated more than 30,000 hours ofvolunteer service at Mercy Med-ical Center. She is survived byher son, Robert; daughterNancy Trimble Reinhardt’69; brother, Walter Page ’48;four grandchildren and threegreat-grandchildren. She waspreceded in death by her hus-band, Thomas; brother, Warren;and sister, Lenora.

Bernice Roth Christensen(’43), Loveland, Colo., died Dec.24, 2011, at age 87. She gradu-ated from Loma Linda Universityin 1947 with a degree in nursing.She met her husband WillardChristensen ’44 in 1948 andspent her career supporting herminister husband while workingas an R.N. for many retirementhomes. In 1958 she and her hus-band retired to Loveland afterserving the church for 38 years.She enjoyed gardening, cooking,entertaining, and spending timewith her family. She was pre-ceded in death by her husband,Willard. Survivors include son,Allan ’73; daughters, KarenChristensen ’72 and DorisChristensen Hanson (’72); sixgrandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Jerry Lien ’44, Ooltewah,Tenn., died June 4, 2011, after alifetime of service to the Sev-enth-day Adventist denomina-tion as teacher, educationaladministrator and pastor. He

served in Minnesota, southernCalifornia, Oregon, Washington,and Tennessee. His two greatloves were teaching and preach-ing the Word. He moved backand forth between these profes-sions as the Lord led. He wasloved for his profound yetstraight forward delivery of thegospel he loved so much.

Margaret Cook Barnes (’45),Hermiston, Ore., died April 3,2012, at age 99 years. She wasborn Sept. 6, 1912, in SheridanLake, Colo. At age nine, shebegan taking piano lessons,which developed into a lifelongpassion for music. She wouldbegin her 40-plus year career ofteaching piano when she turnedthirteen. She blessed many acongregation as church organistand pianist. Her husband, Lloyd(’45), served as pastor inchurches in Nebraska, Wyomingand Colorado. Margaret activelyworked beside her husband intheir churches. She is survivedby her daughters, LloydeneGriffitts ’55 and Luretta Rand’67; five grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren. She waspreceded in death by her hus-band; sisters, Hazel and Merthel;and brother, Harvey.

Frank Sherrill ’45, LomaLinda, Calif., died Nov. 16, 2011,at age 88. He graduated fromSouthwestern Junior Collegeand Union College in the pursuitof a career in ministry. He pas-tored several churches in Texasand Colorado, worked in theMissouri and Potomac confer-ences and the SouthwesternUnion as youth director. Frankspent eight years as president ofthe Arkansas-Louisiana Confer-ence and 14 years as presidentof the Arizona Conference be-fore retiring in 1988. After retire-ment, he conducted evangelisticcrusades in Arizona, northernNew England and three in theCentral Philippine Union. Hewas preceded in death by hisfirst wife, Joy. He is survived byhis wife Avanelle, his sons, anda multitude of grandchildrenand great-grandchildren.

Violet Eastin Lewis ’47, Lin-coln, Neb., died March 22, 2012,at age 98. She was born August13, 1913, in Decatur County,Iowa. After graduating fromUnion, Violet worked manyyears in the Central Union Con-ference office in education, MV,and the publishing department.She also worked for severalyears at the Nebraska AdventistBook Center. After her officialretirement, she continued work-ing part-time for the Mid-Amer-ica Union Conference until1996. Violet helped many stu-dents attend Union College byproviding them with room andboard. She had many hobbiesthat enriched her life. She waspreceded in death by her sister,Goldie Heifner (’38) andbrother, Oscar. She is survivedby her sisters, Margueriete Hart-man and Freda Gilliland (’49)and brother, Farrell Eastin(’50) and many nieces andnephews.

Lee Davidson Loewen ’47,Spokane, Wash., died Oct. 14,2011, at age 85. She was bornJune 4, 1926, in Harrison, Ark.,where she grew up. Lee at-tended academy in Keene,Texas, graduated from UnionCollege and earned a master’sdegree from Walla Walla Univer-sity. She spent 40 years teachingoffice administration and waschair of the department at WallaWalla University when she re-tired. She loved helping studentsand she loved her family. Shewas survived by her husbandMaynard “Mike” Loewen ’47,son Greg, and three grandchil-dren. She was preceded indeath by her sister, Alita Mae.

Maynard “Mike” Loewen ’47,Spokane, Wash., died May 18,2012, at age 86. He was bornJuly 15, 1925, in Kansas, at-tended Sheyenne River Acad-emy in Harvey, N.D. and earneda bachelor’s degree from UnionCollege. Mike spent 40 years asmen’s residence hall dean andserved as dean and recruitmentoffice for 21 years at Walla WallaUniversity until his retirement in1987. He was preceded in death

by his wife, Lee DavidsonLoewen ’47. He is survived byhis son Greg, his brotherWillard, his sister LorettaLoewen Koenig (’44), andthree grandchildren.

Willard “Verne” Hunter ’48,Salem, Ore., died June 28, 2012,at age 90. He was born July 9,1921, in North Platte, Neb., toEarl and Violet Hunter. Vernewas raised in Nebraska andserved the U.C. Army Air Corpsas a fighter pilot. He marriedMildred “Mickey” Schrader onSept. 11, 1943. After attendingUnion College and the Univer-sity of Nebraska in Lincoln, hetaught school in Emmett, Idaho,for a short time. He began hiscareer with the U.S. Bureau ofMines in Albany, Oregon, in1951. He worked as a researchmetallurgist and was a consult-ant on projects in Cuba andChina. Verne retired in 1979. Heenjoyed golfing, fishing and wasactive in his church. He is sur-vived by his wife, Mickey; sons,Ted and Corwin “Corky”; twograndchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Betty Lou Williams Hartlein’49, Sequim, Wash., died Oct. 3,2011, at age 86. She is survivedby her sons, Wesley, Wayne,Marcus and Ted; sister, BarbaraJean Luther; five grandchildrenand four great-grandchildren.

Charles “Chuck” Leffler, Sr.’49, Lincoln, Neb., died June 16,2012, at age 83. He was bornFeb. 25, 1929 in Amarillo, Texas,to George and Pearl FloodmanLeffler. He married HermineDamkroger on March 29, 1951.Attending schools in severalstates, he earned an MBA de-gree from Columbia University.Chuck worked for GMAC andFirst National Bank of Lincoln,Neb., before purchasing andmanaging several banks in Ne-braska and Kansas. He sold thebanks and retired in 1996. Be-cause he generously served onthe Board of Trustees at UnionCollege, he was awarded anhonorary degree in 1998. He issurvived by his wife, Hermine;

28 WINTER 2012

IN MEMORY_____________________________

daughters, Deb Umberger,Cindy Furrow, DottieSteinacher; and son, Chuck Lef-fler, Jr. and numerous relatives.He was preceded in death byhis sisters Ruth Sonsil and Eve-lyn Thomson, former em-ployee; and brother, GeorgeLeffler, Jr.

Earl Vikingson ’49, Edina,Minn., died Jan. 3, 2008, at age93. He was born May 8, 1914 inBird Island, Minn., to Anna andEric Vikingson. In 1940 he mar-ried Margaret “Peggy” Smith’40. After being drafted andserving in the army duringWorld War II, Earl enrolled atUnion College. He began workin his chosen field of teaching atHighland Academy in Tenn. Re-turning home to Minnesota, hetaught in several rural schoolsand a long stint at Spring LakePark senior high school. He wassurvived by his wife, Peggy;other survivors listed under hiswife’s listing on page 26.

Lloyd Cleveland ’50, LomaLinda, Calif., died June 10, 2012,at age 86. He was born Aug. 24,1925, in Kersey, Colo., toWilliam and Hattie Cleveland.He attended Campion Academyand graduated from Union Col-lege in 1950. In 1954, he mar-ried Laurene Stacey, a studentnurse in Denver, Colo. In 1959they were called to Paraguaywhere Lloyd served as treasurer.Later they worked in the LakeTiticaca Mission where Lloyddesigned and built the FloatingIsland School. In 1965, he be-

came assistant treasurer and au-ditor for the Colorado Confer-ence and in 1976 becametreasurer of the Rocky MountainConference until his retirementin 1988. Before finally settlingdown in Paradise, Calif., theytraveled overseas and across theUnited States. He is survived byhis wife of almost 58 years, Lau-rene Stacey Cleveland ’55;two sons, Scott and Randall; andfive grandchildren.

Dowell Martz ’50, Vancouver,Wash., died Feb. 9, 2012, at age88. He was born in 1923 inGlendale, Mo., where he livedon a farm and grew up duringthe Great Depression. Joiningthe army in 1942, he servedmost of the duration of WorldWar II in Calcutta, India. Follow-ing the war, he met and marriedMabel Hunter while attendingUnion College. After graduationfrom Union, Dowell earned amaster’s degree from VanderbiltUniversity and a Ph.D. fromColorado State University. Hespent nearly 25 years of his ca-reer at Pacific Union College asprofessor of physics. He is sur-vived by his wife, Mabel; twosisters, Marjorie Sandau andEdith Azevedo; four children,Martin, Marjorie, Marcum, andMerri; and six grandchildren.

Helen “Joyce” Suter Whit-comb ’50, Grand Prairie, Texas,died March 31, 2012, at age 82.She taught school, played in theMid-Cities Symphony and wasan award winning author of nu-merous books and poetry. Al-though she dedicated herself tomany civic, community, andneighborhood activities, a hugepart of her life was her churchfamily. The Grand Prairiechurch benefitted from herchoir direction and music min-istry for 40 years. She was pre-ceded in death by her husband,Dale Whitcomb ’50. Survivorsinclude her sons, Craig andLarry; daughter, Karen; andbrother, John Suter.

Mitchell Chunestudy (’51),Lincoln, Neb., died April 1,2012, at age 88. He was born

April 8, 1923 in Stillwell, Okla.,to Robert and Katie Walking-stick Chunestudy. For 36 years,he worked as a boiler room sta-tionary engineer at the VA Med-ical Center and retired in 1988.He was a World War II U.S.Army veteran, member of thePiedmont Park Seventh-day Ad-ventist Church, D.A.V. andCherokee Nation. Survivors in-clude his sons, William ’72 andJoseph; daughters, Loyala NemaHarmon, Mae Dawn Ellis andMitchellene “Mitzi” Sylvester(’79); half-sister, Betty Jane Fos-ter; twelve grandchildren and10 great-grandchildren. He waspreceded in death by wife Bob-bie Jo (’51) in 1997.

Joyce Spears Cotham (’51),Collegedale, Tenn., died April17, 2012, at age 83. She wasborn June 9, 1929, in Alto,Texas, to John and Ola MaeSpears. Joyce worked as assis-tant dean of women for threeyears and an associate professorof office administration for 22years at Southern Adventist Uni-versity. She is survived by herfour daughters, Carolyn, Jean-nie, Nancy, and Laurie; fivegrandchildren and three great-grandchildren; brothers, Don,Gary and Kenneth; and numer-ous nieces and nephews.

Floyd Eichelberg (’51), Har-lingen, Texas, died March 22,2012, at age 79. He was bornOct. 12, 1932, in Leola, S.D., andwas a lifelong, faithful servant ofGod. He sang in quartet groupsin academy and throughout hislife, and served as an elder, cho-rister, and Sabbath Schoolteacher. Floyd touched manylives with his Christ-like, soft-spirited personality. He waspreceded in death by his son,Terry. Survivors include hiswife, Donna; daughters, Cheriand Susan; son, Lonnie; eightgrandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Alfred Bernhardt ’52, Altona,Okla., died November 26, 2011,at age 86. He was a farmer and ateacher. He is survived by hiswife Millicent Gemmer Bern-

hardt ’50; sons, Alfred “Jerry”G. (’73), James, Merle andLeslie; sister Florence Claram-beau ’50; and five grandchil-dren.

Raymond Rouse (’53), AvonPark, Fla., died March 7, 2012, atage 81. He was born August 13,1930, in Elm Creek, Neb., to Jayand Grace Johnson Rouse. Heserved as treasurer of the Okla-homa, Indiana, Illinois and Min-nesota Conferences. Uponretirement in Avon Park, Fla.,Elder Rouse was instrumental infounding Heartland Granary, anon-profit health food storewhich benefited Walker Memo-rial Academy. He is survived byhis wife of 55 years, DarleneHerr Rouse ’57; son, ArdenRouse; daughter, Darla Erhard;sisters, Wilma Gromer andDorothy Rouse Huenergardt’42; three grandchildren, threegreat-grandchildren and manynieces and nephews. Mr. Rousewas preceded in death by twobrothers.

Lloyd Austin Sr., ’54, Eckert,Colo., died March 20, 2012, atage 89. He was born March 22,1922, in Kansas City, Kan. Heserved in World War II. Lloyd re-tired in 1988 from pastoringchurches in Delta, Cedaredgeand Paonia in Colorado. He issurvived by his wife, MarionAustin (now deceased); brother,Samuel Austin Jr.; sons, Don-ald, Lloyd Jr. “Larry”, (’71),and Richard; two children andone great-grandchild. He waspreceded in death by hisbrother, Harold.

Corene Biswell Knopp (’55),Phoenix, Ariz., died April 14,2012, at age 75. She was bornDec. 21, 1936, to Boyd andIrene Biswell in Claremore,Okla. She enrolled at UnionCollege in 1954 where she stud-ied accounting. Here she mether husband, Ivan Knopp ’58.After they married, she workedwhile he completed his degree.Corene worked for more than30 years in the Arizona Confer-ence office. She was a proficientseamstress and made all of theLloyd Cleveland

CORDmagazine 29

IN MEMORY_____________________________

clothing for herself and herdaughters. She is survived byher husband, Ivan; two daugh-ters, Cindy Doles and BrendaSiverio; and six grandchildren.

Bert Reid ’59, Madison, Ala.,died May 19, 2012, at age 74. Hewas born Oct. 22, 1937, to ElderDavid and Bernice Reid.Thought to be stillborn at birth,Bert was discarded into a bas-ket—but his Aunt Willsie sawhim move, revealing his resilientspirit and determination to live.He attended Oakwood Collegefor two years and then trans-ferred to Union College to grad-uate with a degree in businessadministration. Bert worked forthe federal government for morethan 30 years in jobs taking himall over the United States. He issurvived by his wife, Geri; chil-dren, Jocelyn and Tim; sister, Jo-celyn Reid Thomas ’60; twograndsons; sister-in-law,brother-in-law, and a host ofnieces, nephews, cousins andfriends.

Guillermo “Bill” Sierra ’62,Lincoln, Neb., died March 26,2012, at age 95. He was bornJuly 23, 1916, in Cali, Colombia,South America. A former highschool teacher, he retired fromthe Lincoln Regional Center. Billwas a member of the CollegeView Seventh-day AdventistChurch. He was a service volun-teer for Maranatha VolunteersInternational and the Lincolnmarathon. He enjoyed photog-raphy, running, building furni-ture and traveling. He issurvived by his wife, Olna(’62); son, William ’72; daugh-ters, Nancy Nelson ’70 andStella Link (’72); seven grand-children; sister, Ana Correa;brother, Luis Correa; and manynieces and nephews.

Grace “Joy” Rosaasen Pastor(’63), Redlands, Calif., died Feb.16, 2012, at age 69. She wasborn Aug. 27, 1942, in SiouxFalls, S.D. She worked mostly inthe field of education and re-tired as assistant to the dean ofstudent affairs at the school ofdentistry in Loma Linda, Calif.

Joy was a lover of music, art, po-etry and children’s stories. Muchof the last decade of her life wassavored by traveling with JamesPastor ’63, her husband of 48years. Survivors include her hus-band, James; daughters, Jamieand Janine; sons, John, James Jr.,Joseph; six grandchildren; andsiblings, Harry, Edward, Robert,Jerry, Thomas, Richard, Kennethand Nancy Baleja.

John Ridpath ’63, Buckhan-non, W.Va., died Dec. 30, 2011,at age 78. He was born July 21,1933, in Van, Texas, and raisedin Madill, Okla. John was a vet-eran of the Korean War, servingin the Medical Corps for twoyears. After he moved to WestVirginia, he served as the statedisaster coordinator for the Sev-enth-day Adventist church. Heretired after 25 years of teachingat Seventh-day Adventist acade-mies in New Jersey, Maryland,Mississippi, California, Georgia,Missouri and West Virginia. Heespecially enjoyed physical edu-cation and coaching and actedas dean of boys in the boardingacademies where he taught.After earning a master’s degree,he taught at Southwestern Ad-ventist University. He alsoworked as assistant purchasingagent for Huguley Hospital inFort Worth, Texas. Survivors in-clude his wife Patricia WiantRidpath; niece, Jessamine Stead-man; step-children, Charles,Cheryl and David Bucklew.

Joanne Perrault ’66, Lincoln,Neb., died Jan. 1, 2012, at age67. She was born Jan. 4, 1944, inSt. Paul, Minn. From an earlyage, Joanne knew she wanted tobe a teacher and her years atUnion College helped her fulfillthat dream. She taught elemen-tary school for 41 years, the last39 at Helen Hyatt ElementarySchool in Lincoln. She is sur-vived by her sister, Judy Per-rault (’67).

Marlene Schneider, ’66, Hay-den, Idaho, died April 20, 2011,at age 75. Born on April 22,1935, in Lincoln, Neb., sheearned a BA degree from Union

College. She fought a good fightin her short battle with cancerand is now resting in Him. She issurvived by her husband,Robert (former staff ’64-’66);sons, Greg and Gary; anddaughter, Mari Lou Meyer.

Judy Burgeson Pogue (’67),Auburn, Calif., died March 6,2012, at age 64. She was bornNov. 12, 1947, in Lincoln, Neb.While at Union, Judy met herhusband, James Pogue (’69).Judy completed the dental hy-giene program at Loma LindaUniversity and practiced for sev-eral years before her childrenwere born. She enjoyed livingher life selflessly and stayinghome to raise her children. Sheis survived by her husband,James; sons, Michael and Jared;daughter Ashley; and twograndchildren.

Michael Dirksen (’78), ParkCity, Kan., died Jan. 25, 2012, atage 59. He was born in Hutchin-son, Kan., on Feb. 1, 1952.Michael served as food servicedirector at Enterprise, Oklahomaand Platte Valley academies. Heis survived by his wife, Linda;daughters, Stacey Parker andKammi Dirksen; sons, Bryanand Bradley; mother, Mildred;sister, Deanna; and three grand-children.

Noeletta “Neta” Lunday Sei-bold ’82, Bismarck, N.D., diedJuly 4, 2012, at age 53. She diedat home after a courageous fightwith cancer. Neta was born Dec.8, 1958, in Hettinger, N. D. Shewas raised and educated in Bis-marck through the eighth gradeand attended high school atSheyenne River Academy,where she met her future hus-band, Mark Seibold ’81. Theygraduated together in 1976 andwere married in August 1979 inBismarck. She was employed asa teacher throughout her life,most recently at Shiloh Christianand Brentwood Christianschools. Though she was abeloved teacher, her life’s pas-sion was being a wife andmother. Neta is survived by herhusband, Mark; children, Arielle

Stevens and Cameron Seibold;parents, James (’61) andBerneice (’53) Lunday; sisters,Marga Carlson (’77), AmyHinger (’80), and BerneldaLehmann; and five nieces and

nephews.

Notice of the following deathshas been received:

Dorothy Lay (’36), Hutchinson, Kan., died Nov. 24, 2011, at age 96.

Phoebe Little ’41, Los Angeles, Calif., died Sep. 17, 2011, at age 98.

Aletha Pfeiffer Knowlton ’42,Grand Marais, Minn., died April 26, 2011, at age 91.

Genevieve McWilliams ’44,Paradise, Calif., died March 28, 2012, at age 92.

Eunice Reitz ’66, Keller, Texas, died Sept. 1, 2007, at age 64.

Mabel Carpenter (’34), Fort Scott, Kan., died Dec. 26, 2011, at age 101.

Neta Lunday Seibold

30 WINTER 2012

schools, cancer institutes, and pharmaceutical and biotechnologyfirms to research how molecules bind to targets within patients’ bod-ies. It was in one such recent collaboration with the Waters Corpora-tion that the Engen team helped create and commercialize the HDExchange nanoACQUITY System.

This is the first commercial system that enables companies tomeasure proteins for therapies to treat individuals with HIV/AIDSand other diseases, rather than relying on a few researchers to pro-vide the data. “The fastest growing sector of the pharmaceutical in-dustry is proteins, and more companies need ways to measure theproteins to create these needed compounds and make sure theirproducts are being manufactured correctly,” explained Engen.

For example, Engen’s system is currently being used in Japan tocheck the insulin supply and ensure the product sold to patientsconforms to the exact specifications necessary to treat those whoneed insulin injections.

Engen is currently on sabbatical to focus on his research. “I loveworking with proteins because of the implications,” he said. “Manyproteins are related to diseases, and we need to be able to under-stand those relationships and strengthenour techniques for measuring and re-searching those proteins so we can betterunderstand what’s happening in our cellsand bodies. The better we understandthese proteins, the better our chances tounderstand and do something about thediseases to which they’re related.”

From Student to Professor

Being a professor of chemistry givesEngen a chance to select top-notch chem-istry students to work alongside him in hislaboratory. “We have access to some of themost promising students in the field,” hesays. “We bring them into our lab to givethem real-world experience in a researchlaboratory that will make them better re-searchers and scientists.”

Along with undergraduate students, theJohn R. Engen Laboratory also selects post-graduate and Ph.D. students to workalongside their skilled senior scientists.Engen explains, “Being in our lab givesstudents experience in this type of setting,and at the end of their time here, they’re accomplished and able togo wherever they want to continue their education.”

Since 2006, Engen has helped more than 12 graduate studentscomplete their degrees, and his laboratory has hosted more than 40students and staff scientists. “I like the interaction I have with stu-dents,” says Engen. “I like to keep track of them and help them besuccessful. That’s the main purpose of working with a university.”

Some of the classes Engen teaches have upwards of 300 stu-dents, but Engen doesn’t let that distract him from his goal to inspireindividual students. “One big thing I learned at Union College is thatsmall is good,” he says. “I spent most of my time in Jorgensen Hall,and I interacted with the same few professors every day. Our classsizes were small, and having that one-on-one time was great. It waseasy to get personalized attention, and I want to bring that with meinto every class I teach.”

That teacher-student relationship is one way Dr. Engen hasbrought a little bit of Union with him to Northeastern. “I care aboutmy students just like my professors cared and still care about me,”he says. “My professors have been such a positive motivator in mylife. Now, I take that same approach with my students. I’m happy tohelp turn these kids into something great, just as my professors werehappy to take on that role with me.”

Even now Engen feels the support he had as an undergrad atUnion. Dr. David Nowack, one of his former professors, recentlycontacted Engen and plans to visit his lab to see his research. Engensays, “It feels good to know my professors still care about what I’mdoing and are proud that I’ve been so successful,” he says.

While he’s become a celebrated researcher and professor in hisown right, Engen still takes an active role in strengthening the sci-ence program at his alma mater. In 2002, he founded the John R.Engen Award in the Chemical Sciences scholarship. The cash prizeis awarded each year to the junior or senior chemistry major atUnion College who shows interest and promise in instrumentalanalysis.

Engen explains that the award is meant to inspire greatness infuture researchers. “Chemistry is a hardmajor and students pursuing it have totake hard classes,” he says. “I know first-hand as a researcher and a professor howimportant it is to have scientists who areskilled at measurements and analysis. Iwant my scholarship to reward students inthat field for their hard work, and to en-courage them to keep pursuing that spe-cialty.”

The Promising Future of Science Education at UnionCollege

Union is also committed to helpingstudents achieve success in the sciences.In April 2012, the college broke groundfor a new two-story, 55,000 square footscience and mathematics complex to re-place the aging Jorgensen Hall and revital-ize the science and math programs.

The building will be located in what isnow a parking area on the north side of

campus between Rees Hall, Larson LifestyleCenter and the Don Love Building, and is slated to be completedend of 2013. The new complex will feature state-of-the-art technol-ogy in 10 laboratories, four lecture rooms, three classrooms (includ-ing a 126-seat amphitheatre), seven research labs and three seminarrooms, and multi-use spaces for collaboration and interactive learn-ing.

Like many math and science graduates from Union, Dr. JohnEngen is excited about the possibilities this new facility presents.“For students to be competitive in the sciences of our time, it is es-sential for them to have modern facilities,” he says. “The teaching,research and general instruction quality will be vastly improved withmodern space. Unquestionably this building will have a long lastingimpact on the future of all Union College students who pass throughit. I am very happy to see the new building take shape and be put touse.” C

(Proetin research continued from page 11)

John Engen ’94, Ph.D.

W

Investing in Union’sFuture hen Dr. Berg reviewed his

situation with the Advancement team

at Union College, together they decided a gift of stock was the best way

for him to help build the new science and mathematics complex. “I didn’t

have the money in cash in a bank account,” he said. “Giving

stock just fit so well.”

It takesForeSight...

By gifting stock to Union College, Dr. Berg gave back to the school he loves without incurring any

taxes. Union College sold the stock and put the money toward the new science and mathematics

complex—truly a win-win scenario.

“When I attended Union I was penniless,” he said. But now after a long career and many blessings

from God, “It made me feel good to be able to make a gift to the college.”

If you would like more information on giving back to Union College, please contact Scot Coppock,

Director of Leadership Giving by emailing sccoppoc@ucollege.edu or calling 402.486.2503. Scot is

eager to help those who want to find the best way to give.

Want to learn more about Dr. Berg’s story? Visit www.ucollege.edu/advancement/donor-stories

Non-profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDLincoln, NEPermit No. 62Published by the

Union College Advancement Office3800 South 48th Street, Lincoln, NE 68506

Address service requested

CORDmagazine

Honor Years for 2013: 1943, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1973, 1983, 1988, 1993, 2003

Remembering Jorgensen Hall

Remembering the people of Jorgensen HallThe new science and mathematics building will al-ready be visible on the north end of campus, and wewant to recognize all of the teachers and students ofscience and mathematics who have walked the hallsof Jorgensen over the past 67 years.

If you have a story about a favorite professor, a class-mate or just a fond memory of your science educa-tion, please send it to us—photos, too We’ll takephotos, too. We’ll make a collection of memories on-line for all to enjoy.

Here’s how:

Send an email to: alumni@ucollege.edu

Mail to:Attn: Alumni officeUnion College3800 South 48th StreetLincoln, NE 68506

or visit: www.ucollege.edu/jorgensenstories

Homecoming 2013

News from Union CollegeVol. 76, No.2 Summer 2012

Mark your calendars for Homecoming 2013, April 4-7.

phot

os: Er

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