Alumnotes [ 50s | 60s | 70s | 80s | 90s ]
1950s Top
Leonard L. Ayers ’54 and his wife, Vera (Curtis) att., make their home in Vancouver, Wash. Leonard is a retired pastor, and he and Vera have three children; Douglas ’76, Marlon att., and Kevin att. EMAIL
Gerald Brass ’54 and his wife, Beverly (Jones) att., reside in Ryderwood, Wash., and spend the winters in sunny southern California. Between the two of them they have served as teacher, pastor, and department secretary totaling 40 years of service. He and Beverly have two daughters, Donnetta Hesgard ’73 and Vicki Stollberg; and four grandchildren, Tim Hesgard ’99 and ’01, Joel Hesgard ’01, Tyler and Reid Stollberg. EMAIL
Olla Gillham ’54 is retired and living in Wayside, Texas. She enjoyed working 40 years with young people as their teacher, dean of girls, librarian, and friend. To her, the Friday evening residence hall worships are “never to be forgotten moments.” EMAIL
James Ralph Harris ’54 and his wife, Esther, make their home in the Linda Valley Villa retirement home of Loma Linda, Calif. They are enjoying retirement after a life full of teaching and work with Maranatha and Mission Church Builders. They have three children, Jay, James Perry ’61 and Roger Perry ’63; eight grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren! EMAIL
Ettine (Norman) Iverson ’54 is retired in Riverside, Calif. She taught for 40 years and also spent time as a girls’ dean. Ettine has survived two bouts with cancer and writes “the Lord has spared my life for some purpose and I hope to finish His will for me.” Hobbies include traveling through Europe and taking pictures. She has two daughters, Jeri Barnhill and Sherri Travillion; two grandchildren; and one great-grandson. EMAIL
Roland Moody ’54 resides in Aleknagik, Alaska. He is self-employed and has two sons, Frank and Richard; and five grandchildren. EMAIL
John “Leo” Parks ’54 and his wife, Betty (Johnston) att., make their home in Collegedale, Tenn. Leo is retired after being vice president of corporate engineering with McKee Foods, the maker of Little Debbie snack cakes. They have three children, David, John and Debra; and six grandchildren.
Marilyn (Johnson/Rieseberg) Morgan ’54 and her husband, Fred, live in Bloomington, Ind. Marilyn spent nearly 10 years in West Africa as a missionary with her first husband, Henry. Henry died on a furlough in 1965. In 1978, Marilyn married Fred. She taught at several academies for 36 years, and currently is teaching part-time at a local community college. In her free time Marilyn enjoys freelance proofreading and planting flowerbeds. She has four children, Ted, Mike, Ellen Prest, and Loren; and six grandchildren. EMAIL
Marjorie (Drayson) Rembold ’54 is retired and living in Roseburg, Ore., with her husband, Duaine ’73. During her career, Marjorie worked as a nurse at various posts and writes, “all were interesting and had different challenges.” Since retirement the Rembolds have moved into their motor home and spend a lot of time traveling. They have three children, Marjaine Batiste att., Anita Dickinson att., and Melvin; and seven grandchildren. EMAIL
Robert Rush ’54 and his wife, Evelee, live in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. Robert is a retired doctor, who now shares his knowledge as a teacher at Idaho State University. He and his wife have a motel and convention center in their town, and enjoy life with their many pets. They have four children, Douglas, Jenifer, Trenton Hill and Marcy Hill; and three grandchildren. Some favorite memories of wwc include “putting a snake in the card box at the library” and being O.P.S. president. EMAIL
Constance (Rimmer) Tiffany ’54 is retired and living in Kingsley, Mich. Constance taught for 24 years at Andrews University. She enjoys traveling and even lived in Germany for a short period. She keeps busy with church work, chairing school boards, and giving Bible studies. She enjoyed classes in weaving and tailoring while at wwc and bike rides to Whitman Mission. Constance has two children, James ’85 and Joella Martin. EMAIL
Kirby Davis ’59 and his wife, Shirley (Van Derschelden) ’65, live in Malo, Wash. Both Kirby and Shirley are enjoying retirement from their careers. They established the first Seventh-day Adventist church school in their county; holding it in their home until the church was built in Republic, Wash. “My greatest pleasure is traveling and spreading the gospel,” Charles writes. In fact, in 2000 and 2003, he went to Africa where he helped lead out in evangelistic meetings. He is very thankful for the friendships he made while at wwc, as many of them have become lifelong ones. EMAIL
Ellen (Mattison/Larrabee) Drachenberg ’59 and her husband, Robert, live in Mount Dorn, Fla. Ellen is retired from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and enjoys playing the piano and reading. She has two children, Patricia Dalton, and Kenneth Mattison. “After my first husband of 52 years died, God gave me another chance to love,” she writes. She married Robert in July of 2003. EMAIL
Elsworth Hetke ’59 and his wife, Eleanor (Brady) ’59, reside in Moorpark, Calif. Elsworth has logged 44 years of denominational service so far, and he is not done yet. When asked when he will retire he replies, “I dunno!” Currently, he is the director of human resources for the Adventist Media Center. Elsworth and Eleanor went as missionaries to India from 1962 to 1985. Eleanor writes, “Being a ‘missionary’ has defined who I am. I wouldn’t exchange that experience for all the money in the world.” She is presently working as a nurse part-time and “wants Jesus to come soon!” They have three children, Tad ’90, Eric, and Sarekha; and seven grandchildren. Elsworth EMAIL; Eleanor EMAIL
Ivan Nelson ’59 and his wife, Donna (Buckendalh) ’59, live in Riverside, Calif. Donna works part-time at Loma Linda University Medical Center where she has worked for more than 20 years. Ivan has worked 44 years in denominational service and presently works part-time as assistant to the associate treasurer of Southeastern California Conference. They have four children, Bruce, Donald, Timothy, and Cynthia Nelson-Norton; and nine grandchildren. For fun, they enjoy hiking and swimming, and camping in their 34-foot motor home.
Grace Wetter ’59 is a retired nurse in Alberta, Canada. Besides being a nurse, Grace has also been a caregiver to her now departed mother and currently serves as Sabbath School superintendent in her local church. She loves to garden and is “looking forward to Jesus’ return.”
1960s Top
Susan (Powell) Barrett ’64 and her husband, William ’65, live in Greeneville, Tenn. Susan is a retired nurse who spent time in pediatrics, the Milwaukee Blood Center, and then in the operating room for her last 23 years of nursing. She is now busy with gardening, church duties, traveling, and being a grandmother. Susan and William have two children, Brent, and Brenda; and two grandchildren.
Nathalie (Ladner) Bischoff ’64 and her husband, Marvin ’52, are retired in Walla Walla. Nathalie spent her career in the nursing profession. Now that she and Marvin are retired, they both volunteer at the Walla Walla General Hospital and at Gospel Outreach. Nathalie has written and published three books in her spare time and loves gardening and snow skiing.
Geraldine (Rieck) Boundey ’64 is a realtor in Oxnard, Calif., where she lives with her husband, Burton. Geraldine has been a pastor’s wife for 54 years, and taught school for 15 years before becoming a realtor in 1976. They have traveled through 29 countries including a recent trip through Turkey. They have three children, George ’73, Carolyn Schwindt ’76, and Beverly Porter att.
Douglas Cooper ’64 and his wife, Pam, make their home in Angwin, Calif. Douglas runs a wholesale business and is busy writing books and giving seminars in churches. He received his doctoral degree in marriage, family, and child counseling in 1992, and continues to fish commercially in Alaska each summer with his family. Douglas and his wife have four children, Scott, Shana, Vanessa, and Dan. EMAIL
John Curnutt ’64 lives in Madras, Ore., with his wife Brenda. John has had a full career in which he has been a teacher and built, owned, and operated retirement apartments. He also helped his wife operate a flower shop. Currently they direct the operations of the Madras Seventh-day Adventist Community Services. John won an Angel award for his Christian country album: “Minute by Minute.” They have two sons, Chad, and Cameron, who is deceased. EMAIL
Rosemary (Grove) Dressler ’64 is a homemaker living in Walla Walla, with her husband, Andrew ’65. They have two children, Michelle (Ojeda) ’89, and James ’92. EMAIL
Myrna (Shultz) Long ’64 and her husband, Al, live in Ooltewah, Tenn., and are making plans to return to the Northwest to retire. Myrna and Al served 14 years in Africa as missionaries, and since returning to the states, Myrna has worked in public health. They have two children, Valerie Long-Radu ’91 and Kevin; and three grandchildren. EMAIL
Barbara (Vaughan) Lonnstrom ’64 and her husband, Donald ’69, are retired in Groveland, Calif., near beautiful Yosemite. They were missionaries to Haiti and, on returning stateside, spent their careers working in the Bay area. Don was manager of the West Coast transportation department for the General Conference, and Barbara worked as a nurse. Both enjoy staying busy with their local church and have many responsibilities, including the yearly chip program to promote better health. They have three sons, Corey, Terel, and Marc ’92. EMAIL
Marilyn (Banek) Nelson ’64 and her husband, LaVerne att., make their home in College Place. Marilyn is a homemaker with great experience in teaching and day care. She enjoys reading, letter writing and collecting stories. She is head Sabbath School secretary, personal ministry secretary, and coordinator of women’s ministries for the Blue Mountain Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church. Marilyn and LaVerne have three children, Darla Thomas att., Vicki Brock ’91, and Bradley ’01; and four grandchildren. EMAIL
Ron Quiring ’64 and his wife, Kamini, live in Vallejo, Calif. Currently Ron is a teacher in the Vallejo high school, though he is making plans to retire to the Spokane, Wash., area. He has five children, Ladan ’87, LeMont ’86, Loren ’87, Kendall, and Michelle. EMAIL
Beverly (Paladeni) Riter ’64 resides in Everett, Wash., with her husband, Ronald ’65. Beverly has spent the last seven years as a disaster response nurse. Most recently she helped in American Samoa after typhoon Heta in 2003. She also assisted after the 9/11 attacks in New York City, as well as in India, Kosovo/Albania, Romania, and England. She loves to hike and recently spent a month hiking through Italy with a stop in her ancestral village. Beverly and Ron have three children, Marianne Cursetjee ’91, Dianne Hill att., and Richard ’95; and two grandchildren. EMAIL
Florence (Johnstone) Schaffer ’64 is a retired teacher, living in Warden, Wash. Florence and her husband, Ben, have enjoyed volunteering at Holbrook Indian School and spending time in the desert of Arizona. She enjoys traveling and recently went to Hong Kong, North Island, New Zealand, and Australia. EMAIL
Loren Starr ’64 lives in Chase, Mich., and works as an anesthesiologist. Loren enjoys traveling and serving at international mission sites, including Fuji, Mexico, and Peru. He writes that he has enjoyed “teaching health in Tanzania to building pews in Chile.” His two most loved hobbies are digital photography and woodworking. Loren has two daughters, Julie, and Lori Desjardins; and two grandchildren. EMAIL
Gwen (Fry) Smith ’64 and her husband, Raymond, are retired in Macrorie, Saskatchewan, Canada. They have two children, Todd ’96 and Glenda Shaw; and twin granddaughters. Gwen does some catering on the side and travels frequently. They recently went on a cruise to Alaska. EMAIL
Henry Yeo ’64 and his wife, Doris, live in Redlands, Calif. Henry is a medical doctor and in his free time enjoys music, photography, writing, and publishing activities. He and Doris have two children, Jeremy and Emily. Henry arrived to study at wwc “just off the boat” from Penang, Malaysia. While here his roommate introduced him to tacos and Henry was told that “slathering the taco with that red pasty condiment was essential to its taste.” Henry also learned the eccentricities of the English language, and appreciated the wonderful community of teachers and classmates.
Don Abbey ’69 and ’71
lives with his wife, Janella (Harvey) ’70, in
Denton, Neb. Don is the chair of the division of science and mathematics at
Union College. He enjoys traveling and has coordinated field trips to Central
America for students interested in
tropical biology. He also led an ADRA trip to the Philippines, which he says
was a life-changing experience. He remembers fondly his time and classes spent
at the marine station at Rosario Beach. Don and Janella have two daughters,
Karen and Kelly Goertzen att.; and one granddaughter.
EMAIL
Virginia (Sukow) Acker ’69 lives in Kirkland, Wash. She is an obstetrics nurse and enjoys hiking and traveling in her free time. Virginia has three children, Taresa Georges ’97, Carol Hartzell att., and Kris curr. att.; and three grandchildren. She enjoys visiting her daughter Carol in Kenya, and has done several medical missionary trips. These experiences have made her thankful for her own education and health care, but also given her “an appreciation of the uniqueness of each country.” EMAIL
Ronna Archbold ’69 makes her home in Clinton, Mass. She works as an international sales consultant for Biomedical for EBSCO Informational Services. Ronna has been the organist and the director of the choir at the First Church in Sterling since 1983, and is also a hospice volunteer for University of Massachusetts Memorial Hospital. EMAIL
Cathy (Rhoads) Fowke ’69 and her husband, Ernest, are retired in Goldendale, Wash. Cathy worked as a nurse and now enjoys being a homemaker and having more time for hobbies. She is learning to play the harp, and loves reading, needlework, and spending time with family and friends. Cathy and her husband have two children, Jeremy Johnson ’97 and Christina Nicolici. EMAIL
Eloise “Elly” (Fisher) Gay ’69 and her husband, Alex, live in Tucker, Ga. Elly has worked as a flight nurse for the Air Force, and while in the service earned her master’s degree in public heath and counseling. A life-changing experience occurred when “I was taken off the crew of a C-S aircraft in the spring of 1975 that crashed during ‘Operation Babylift’, killing my replacement medical staff and many Vietnam children.” She goes on to write that her time at wwc “prepared me very well for my career and life experiences.” Elly and Alex have three children, Jonathan, Patricia, and Lesley Ann, deceased. EMAIL
Helen (Lingscheit) Heavirland ’69 and her husband, LeRoy att., live in the Walla Walla Valley. She is a writer and her second book, Zion: Champion for God was released last year.
Arsenio Hernandez ’69 and his wife, Iona (Thompson) att., make their home in Weslaco, Texas. Arsenio has spent 33 years in Seventh-day Adventist education, and is currently the principal of Valley Grande Academy. In his free time he enjoys traveling, golfing, and fishing. Arsenio and his wife have two children, Ricardo ’94 and Melissa ’96; and two grandchildren. EMAIL
Jeanette (Hawley/Anderson) Reed ’69, and her husband, Earl, live in Chehalis, Wash. Jeanette taught school for more than 27 years, and writes that “teaching was a joy.” She has enjoyed doing quite a bit of singing for both churches and in the community. She has three children, Janet Anderson att., Daniel Reed att., and Thomas Reed; and three grandchildren.
Jan (Gaunt) Sifford ’69 lives in Portland, Ore., with her husband, Dale att. Jan has worked 35 years at Portland Adventist Medical Center, mainly in labor and delivery. She enjoys scrapbooking, quilting, hiking, camping, and traveling. A fun memory from wwc was the year that Jan and a friend climbed the College Place water tower. She writes, “we were scolded big time when we got down!” Jan has two children, Angela Morgan ’02 and Scott Morgan. EMAIL
1970s Top
Sharon (Kettner) Brooks ’74 and her husband,
Robert, live in Portland, Ore. Sharon is a quality coordinator nurse who enjoys
reading about the Civil War period. She has participated in Civil War reenactments
and collects medical books and medical instruments from that time period.
Her greatest accomplishment, she writes, is “having a very happy home
with a wonderful husband and two wonderful daughters, Michelle and Mindy.”
Richard Flaiz ’74 lives in Hermiston, Ore. He has an ear, nose, and throat surgical practice, and enjoys taking trips abroad for tourism and mission work. He is glad he took the opportunity to study abroad one year, as well as being a student missionary. He has four children, David curr. att., Jonathan, Rebecca curr. att., and Mark.
Antoinette LaRondelle ’74 is self-employed living in College Place. She loves to hike, entertain, and has helped cook for mission trips, school trips, and wwc’s and Walla Walla Valley Academy’s international food fairs for 25 years. A life-changing experience for her was traveling through Israel as an Arab-American, and as a native Syrian, trying to enter her homeland for a visit. She is grateful to the teachers at wwc who were “patient and kind, explaining each difficult word as needed.” She has three children, Serge att., Andre, and Chantal.
Jana (Unterseher) Luce ’74 and her husband, Larry ’75, make their home in Harker Heights, Texas. She works as a nurse in the post anesthesia care unit of Metroplex Hospital. Jana and Larry have three children, Jeffrey, Jamie, and Jill. EMAIL
Lee Malott ’74 and his wife, Lyn (Schoepflin) att., live in College Place. Lee is working as administrator for McKay Healthcare and has previously worked as a realtor and in office administration. One of his favorite memories of wwc is sneaking onto Sittner’s roof with fellow conspirators during a baseball game, and dumping water over the fire escape packed with viewers. He writes that “we were not seen and helped with the search for ‘those guys’ but never found them!” Lee and his wife have two children, Shawn ’01, and Michelle ’99 and ’00. EMAIL
Gary Reinbold ’74 and his wife, Verna, live in Eagle, Idaho. He works as an air quality analyst for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. He previously taught in Seventh-day Adventist elementary schools for 14 years. In his spare time Gary enjoys dabbling in model rockets, teaching adult Sabbath School classes, and various other interests. Gary and Verna have two children, Hauss ’98 and Joshua ’03. EMAIL
Kathleen (Briggs) Rogers ’74 and her husband, Richard, live in Eugene, Ore. Kathleen is a homemaker and she home-schooled their three children, Heather, Holly, and Keelan, through high school. Kathleen has continued to be involved in home school and also is a Creative Memories consultant. Favorite memories of wwc include marrying Richard the afternoon of her graduation day, chapels, and the beautiful sunsets. EMAIL
Nancy Harms ’76 and ’79 and her husband, Larry ’79, live in Redlands, Calif. Nancy is a homemaker and the couple has two children, Casey and Cory.
Kerri Bechtel ’79 lives in College Place and works as an allied heath instructor. She has three children, David Lopez ’04, Esther Lopez, and Ruth Lopez. EMAIL
Donna (Ochsner) Christian ’79 and her husband, Rick, live in Walla Walla. Donna was certified as a professional physicians coder in 1999 and works at a local hospital. She enjoyed taking golf lessons with her son recently, and now has become a devotee. She also has a daughter, Crystal Rose curr. att.
Karen (Johnson) McWilliams ’79 and her husband, David, live in Berrien Springs, Mich. Karen works as an adjunct professor of English, and in her spare time enjoys reading, writing, hiking and gardening. She has good memories of wwc including competing for the English team against the history team in college bowl days, and the creative writing club called the “Golden Bridle.” Karen and her husband have two children, Kelly and Timothy. EMAIL
Ritchie Pruehs ’79 along with his wife, Shelia (Walrath) att., live in Allen, Texas. Ritchie works as a pastor in a church he planted four years ago. He enjoys people, music, boating, reading and worship. Ritchie and Shelia have two children, Shastin and Brooks.
Janna (Bennett) Quaile ’79 and her husband, Leonard ’84, make their home in Pendleton, Ore. Janna works as a math and science tutor at a local college and is the Pathfinder Club director. Leonard works as head teacher at Harris Jr. Academy. They have four children, Jannetta curr. att., Marianne, Leanna, and Nathan att., who is deceased. EMAIL
Nancy (Larson) Saunders ’79 and her husband, William ’79, live in Tracy, Calif. Nancy has returned to teaching after taking time to raise their two children, Melissa and William. She teaches multi-grades in her local Seventh-day Adventist school, and enjoys boating, swimming and church activities. She writes that “I’ll never forget the horror I felt as I walked toward Columbia Auditorium and realized it had burned the night before.” EMAIL
1980s Top
Fred Cornforth ’84 and his wife, Charlene, live in Caldwell, Idaho. Fred is the chief executive officer for community development, and enjoys building orphanages, stamp collecting, and spending time with his family. Fred and Charlene have five children, Erik, Tyler, Kadie, Brady, and Charlie. EMAIL
Valerie (Knapp) Iwasa ’84 and her husband, Bruce ’84, live in Payette, Idaho. Valerie is a homemaker for her husband and four children, Aubrianne, Andraly, Joben, and Jillana. EMAIL
Trudy (Preston) Rankin ’84 lives with her husband, David, in Churton Park, Wellington, New Zealand, where she is the manager of the state services commission. Trudy writes that she is grateful for “being challenged by professors and suddenly realizing I was capable of far more than I thought I could do.” The couple has two children, Daniel and Sarah. EMAIL
Ken Rose ’84 and his wife, Lana, live in Niles, Mich. In 2001 they returned to the states after serving eight years in Guam, Malaysia, and Ethiopia in various medical positions. Ken is now working as a surgeon stateside, and is very thankful for his rewarding time abroad. Ken and Lana have four children, Kalyne, Kami, Kristi, and Kari. EMAIL
Daniel Royal ’84 and his wife, Katie, make their home in Shoreline, Wash. Daniel works as the senior applications manager for Prolance Surgeons. He keeps busy serving on several boards of directors, helping in youth basketball, and participating in his church’s men’s fellowship group. He enjoys playing basketball, baseball, and pickle ball. Daniel and his wife have a son, Matthew.
1990s Top
John G. F. Carey ’94 and his wife, Khichala live in Nassau, Bahamas. John is working as the parliamentary secretary and is also a member of the Bahamas parliament. He enjoys travel, public speaking, golf, and writing. John and his wife have a son, Khalil. EMAIL
Stephen Hyland ’94 is currently working as physician in the U.S. Army. EMAIL
Glendon Potschka ’94 and his wife, Gretchen (Canaday) ’95, live in Longview, Wash. Glendon is a senior software developer for Misys Heathcare Systems. His favorite memory of wwc is meeting his future wife during his first summer at college. EMAIL
Steven Reitz ’94 and his wife, Tammy (Teed) ’95, live in Spokane, Wash. Steven is in an anesthesia program at Gonzaga University and will be working as a certified registered nurse anesthetist in Spokane. They enjoy many outdoor activities and have a son, Braden. EMAIL
David Smith ’94 and his wife Janelle (Denney) ’01 live in Colton, Calif. David just graduated from Loma Linda and is now working on paying back his Navy scholarship. They are currently making the transition to Yokasuka Naval Hospital where David will work as an urologist. David enjoys hiking, rock climbing, flying and spending time with Janelle and daughter, Ainsley. EMAIL
Diane (Wood) Stief ’94 lives in Corbett, Ore. Diane is the clinical manager for the Portland Veteran Affairs Medical Center; she also runs a flower business on the side. A life-changing experience for her was her husband’s death from cancer in 2000. Diane has two children, Jamie and Kelly. W