Campus News

Campus News

Faculty Leave Legacy of Leadership

Five long time Walla Walla College faculty members retired from full-time teaching after the 1999-2000 school year. They represent 147 years of teaching experience and 84 years of service as department chairs.

Claude Barnett, professor of physics, taught at WWC from 1957 to 2000 and chaired the Department of Physics from 1961 to 1983.

His professional highlights include participation in several physics conferences and work at the University of Washington, Cornell University, and Princeton University. He also conducted research leading to a patent on an emotional stress detector.

Barnett developed a software package called micro PASSIM for computer modeling and simulation. He published many papers on computer simulation, chaired two conferences on simulation of microcomputers, was program chair for the Summer Computer Conference of 1988, and served on the Board of Directors of the Society for Computer Simulation in 1992.

Roland Blaich, professor of history, taught at WWC from 1968 to 2000 and chaired the history department from 1986 to 2000.

The focus of his professional research centered on the role churches played in Nazi Germany. He published numerous articles in journals such as European History and was instrumental in establishing WWC’s Fine Arts and Humanities Month festivals as well as directing the WWC Distinguished Scholar Series and a recent Middle East Lecture Series.

“WWC faculty,” he says, “form a close community, united in a spirit of collegiality and dedication that is unique, even in the Adventist system.”

Loren Dickinson, professor of communications, taught at WWC from 1962 to 2000 and chaired the communications department from 1967 to 1994.

During his time at WWC, Dickinson received numerous awards including the Burlington Northern Award for Teaching Excellence, the Alumni Association Honored Teacher, the Education Club Honored Teacher, and the Distinguished Faculty Lectureship. He was the general manager of KGTS, WWC’s radio station, from 1963 to 1984, president of Adventist Radio Network, and a sought after speaker. He will also be remembered for his spoken word in Evensong.

“Let me use an old fashioned term,” says Dickinson, “to tell you why WWC is a good place to be. The blooming place is wholesome. It always has been and still is.”

Carlyle Manous, professor of music, retired after 35 years of teaching.

During his 13 years at WWC, he performed two horn solos with the Walla Walla Symphony. He published articles such as “Clear Thinking on Articulation” in Instrumental Magazine and conducted numerous band clinics and festivals. Manous also performed frequently in faculty and faculty/student recitals. Prior to coming to WWC, Manous served as chair of the music department at Pacific Union College.

“When I think of teaching, I think of the stimulation of ideas, contact with inquiring minds, and the excitement of creativity,” says Manous. “Teaching is the nicest work ever committed to human beings.”

Dan Shultz, professor of music, taught at WWC and chaired the Department of Music since 1979.

During his time at WWC, Shultz wrote “A Great Tradition,” a book about the college’s musical history. He has been president of the International Adventist Music Association since its founding in 1982 and was elected president of the Walla Walla Symphony Board of Trustees in 1985. Another career highlight was having two compositions named as official bicentennial performances in 1976. He has also been a consultant, reviewer, and critic for several music textbooks.

“I am proud to be part of a program where academic integrity, excellence, and genuine spiritual values are honestly pursued,” says Shultz.

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