Gazette
WWC Salutes Honored Alumni
by Gillian Fisher
BRUCE JOHNSTON ’50 Bruce Johnston’s life of ministry is an inspiring story of overcoming childhood hardship.
When he was seven years old, Bruce’s father was murdered, leaving Bruce’s mother to care for three children alone. That same week the family began attending the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and at age eight, Bruce was baptized. He says, “It was the beginning of a forever friendship with Jesus Christ that would someday take me to the ends of earth preaching the Good News to thousands.”
After graduating from WWC in 1950, Bruce taught at Andrews University and Southern Missionary College, where he was also chair of the theology department. In 1968 he was called to the Far Eastern Division, where he conducted field schools for pastors and students in scores of cultures.
Later, Bruce worked as a church growth consultant in the North Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. He also served as president of the Idaho and Washington conferences and the North Pacific Union. He became chair of the WWC Board of Trustees, where he served for 19 years until 1996.
After 46 years of service, Bruce retired, but did not stop working. He conducted leadership seminars and evangelistic meetings. He also taught classes at the SDA Theological Seminary, the SDA Theological Seminary of the Far East, and Weimar College. Bruce also assisted at a training school in India to prepare volunteers for village evangelism.
Bruce holds a master’s degree in systematic theology and a doctorate in missions from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Bruce and his wife Marianette live in Medford, Ore. They have three children, Jerald, Kathleen, and Cyndee.
LEONARD HARMS ’70 Leonard “Len” Harms, an engineering graduate, contributes time and guidance to his church and WWC while also operating a successful business.
Len is president and principal engineer of Harms & Associates, a 20-year-old Pasco, Wash., civil engineering firm that often employs engineering alumni and WWC student interns.
Len serves as vice-chair of the college’s board of trustees and as chair of the board’s facilities committee. He is also on the advisory council for the School of Theology and was part of the Chan Shun Pavilion design team.
At the Richland Seventh-day Adventist Church, Len’s peers say he has shown a remarkable ability to see the future and lead church members together toward that future. He has held several church offices and has been board chair at Tri-City Junior Academy.
Len has also made valuable contributions in church administration. He was instrumental in developing the Upper Columbia Conference’s Project 90. In the North Pacific Union, Len served on the executive committee and was chairman of the constitution and by-laws committee.
He and his wife, Ruth, have two daughters, Sherilyn and Renee.
BETH DENNIS ZACHARY ’80 As chief operating officer at White Memorial Medical Center, Beth Dennis Zachary is passionate about the medical center’s mission in the community.
The 375-bed not-for-profit hospital is located in the low-income community of East Los Angeles. In the 10 years Beth has been at White Memorial, she has led development and reorganization efforts that have helped the hospital recover from near financial collapse and also positioned it as a leader among healthcare providers.
In 1995, White Memorial placed fourth in the nation for the Healthcare Forum’s prestigious WITT Award for quality.
Among the hospital’s achievements are a groundbreaking partnership with physicians and two sister hospitals, and more than $100 million in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to upgrade earthquake standards for medical center buildings.
As a champion of community involvement, Beth spearheaded many initiatives including a community education team, a children’s activity center, clinics in local schools, and a healthier communities initiative, which involves partnering with more than 60 businesses and organizations to make positive changes for community needs, such as immunizations and the prevention of gang violence.
Her colleagues describe Beth as a gifted leader who faces challenges with courage and intelligence. In her accomplishments, she is the first to give credit to others.
Beth holds a master’s degree in management from Claremont Graduate School. Her commitment to Adventist healthcare stems from childhood when her parents served in mission hospitals in Libya, Lebanon, and Kenya. She and her husband James have a daughter, Alexandra Elizabeth.
C. ERWIN SYPHERS ’40 Known for his gift of healing, C. Erwin Syphers is an excellent example of service to others.
After graduating from WWC, Erwin attended the College of Medical Evangelists (now Loma Linda University). He interned at Portland Adventist Sanitarium and set up his first practice in Rosalia, Wash.
After World War II, Erwin and his wife Ann became missionaries in Japan. He and another missionary doctor were the first foreigners to complete Japanese medical exams. Serving as the medical director, he helped salvage Eisei Byoin, an Adventist hospital. It became the first postwar hospital in Japan to offer birthing facilities, bedding, heating, central laundry, a central kitchen, and an in-house pharmacy. Erwin and Ann also developed Japan’s first school of nursing.
Erwin and his family returned to the United States in 1956. As a surgeon and medical staff president, he helped establish the first intensive care unit at Portland Adventist Hospital.
Although retired, Erwin continues to give time and energy to his church, where he and other members of the Mt. Tabor Seventh-day Adventist Church started a childcare center. For the past 10 years, the church has been open five days a week, 11 hours a day, providing care for community families. Erwin and Ann have four children.
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If you wish to nominate someone for Alumni of the Year, complete a ballot
available on the Alumni Central page of WWC’s website (wwc.edu) or send
an email to Gillian Fisher, director of alumni relations at fishgi@wwc.edu.
