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Winter 2009 | Volume 32, Number 1 | Footnotes

2009 Reunion Footnotes


These special “Footnotes” include news briefs about members of reunion classes of 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, and 2004. Reunions for these classes will be held during Homecoming, January 29–31.

Class of 1959


PATRICIA WARFIELD EHLE and her husband, Byron, who is retired from the University of Victoria (British Columbia), enjoy caring for their grandchildren, traveling, spending time at their cabin on San Juan Island in northwestern Washington state, and being active in their church. They live in Victoria.


JOHN HARRELL ENSEY is a retired principal, and his wife, PATRICIA CARR ENSEY, also a retired principal, is the director of principal credentialing at the University of LaVerne (California). They live in Riverside, California.


WARREN GRAHAM and his wife, LINDA DAVEY GRAHAM, were missionaries to Israel for 43 years. They retired in June 2007. During October 2008, the Grahams returned to Israel to help with a children’s literature project they founded. During their time in Israel, they visited the Old City in Jerusalem, where one of their daughters and her family live. The Grahams reside in Everett, Washington, and have five children and 15 grandchildren.


ARMIN KLATT retired in June 2007 after 48 years of teaching, 41 of which were overseas in Japan, Turkey, and the Autonomous Region of Azores, a Portuguese archipelago, with the Department of Defense Dependents Schools. In retirement, Armin and his wife like to play golf, and he enjoys painting in his studio at their home in Camano Island, Washington.


GEORGE KUPFER works in the facilitation, mediation, and regulation of matters related to industrial projects and their impacts on communities and the environment. His specialty is consultation related to aboriginal peoples in the Canadian province of Alberta. He lives in Sidney, British Columbia.


JAMES LINDE taught all grades during his 35-year career as an educator. His last 17 years of teaching were spent in alternative education. James retired in 1997 and resides in Point Roberts, Washington.


RITA MILLIGAN spent 33 years in Japan working with Overseas Missionary Fellowship, and 13 years ministering among Japanese people in Seattle. She has worked with students, wives, and seniors through Faith Bible Church, and she continues to do so in retirement. Rita resides in Shoreline, Washington.


MERLON PETERSON was a pastor in evangelical Montana churches for 27 years. Retired since 1987, he lives in Roseburg, Oregon, and attends Roseburg Alliance Church.


LLOYD PUGH, a retired teacher and track and field coach, resides in Port Orchard, Washington.


CAROL MODIN WILDER spent time as a junior high school art and language arts teacher before turning to her art full time. An artist who works in watercolors and pastels, Carol has paintings in galleries in Mt. Shasta and Carmel Valley, California, and in a gallery in Ashland, Oregon. She and her husband, ROGER WILDER, who spent 35 years as an elementary school principal, built their retirement home in Mt. Shasta. They say they enjoy having a 14,162-foot mountain “in the backyard.” The Wilders have two sons and two granddaughters, and in August celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.


EMILY GANNAWAY WILLECKE spent 23 years in full-time children’s ministry. Retired since June 2005, she has been involved in short-term missions in Africa, Brazil, and Guatemala training children’s ministry workers. She and her husband, Waldo, have two children and three grandchildren, and live in Centennial, Colorado.


SHIRLEY NINMAN WRIGHT volunteers at St. James Cathedral in Seattle. Her husband, Dave, died in 2005. Her son, Brian, works in wireless data services, and daughter Lisl in television production. Shirley lives in Seattle.



Class of 1964


NANCY BALLANTYNE says she travels the world doing various missions work. When she is not traveling, Nancy resides in Dufur, Oregon. She has 37 grandchildren.


WANDA PACE DAVIES has worked in Mexico, Sudan, and East Africa for Wycliffe Bible Translators. She now teaches at the Canada Institute of Linguistics in Langley, British Columbia, where she makes her home.


DALE KING and his wife, Helen, say they enjoy “living and abiding in the presence of God” as they work in itinerant ministry. The Kings make their home in Houston, Texas.


GARY NEWBILL M.ED. ’70, ED.D. ’99, is a dean and professor at Northwest University. His wife, KAREN JACOBSON NEWBILL ’67, is an adjunct professor of education at the same institution. In addition to “preparing teachers and guiding graduate students,” Gary says they enjoy their first grandchild, born in December 2007. The Newbills live in Issaquah, Washington.


DENNIS YULE is a Benton-Franklin County (Washington) Superior Court judge and recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award for emulating the spirit of the civil rights leader and making a positive social change in the community. The Vietnam War veteran was instrumental in creating local drug courts in an effort to cure drug addiction and prevent the crimes resulting from drug abuse. Dennis presides over the adult drug court in his jurisdiction and chairs the Youth and Justice Forum held annually at Columbia Basin College. In 2006, he was named Superior Court Trial Judge of the Year by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association. He and his wife, LYNDA RANDALL YULE, have four children and live in Prosser, Washington.




Class of 1969


RICH COGHILL retired in 2007 after 37 years as a pastor in the United Methodist Church. He continues to preach, working part time for the Quincy (Washington) Presbyterian Church, and is a substitute teacher in the Quincy School District. He and his wife, LELIA GARRETT COGHILL ’68, reside in Quincy.


ART DUNLAP was a pastor with the Evangelical Free Church in Minnesota until 1992, when he became disabled with Huntington’s disease. He lives in an assisted living home in Forest Lake, Minnesota, and is married to Connie, a retired registered nurse.


SUSAN LANDIS MARTINEAU says that as a cancer survivor she praises God for every day. She and husband, Don, have been married 37 years and have two adult sons. The Martineaus have traveled extensively since his early retirement in 2002, and they reside in Village of Loch Lloyd, Missouri.


SUSAN SCHLICKER MOEN received her master’s degree in education from the University of Wales, Bangor, in the United Kingdom in 1989. She retired from the Beaverton (Oregon) Public Schools in 2004. She says she enjoys traveling, reading, gardening, and tutoring young ex-felons to help them gain their general equivalency diplomas. Susan also says she enjoys “participating in the body of Christ” while residing in Portland, Oregon.


CHERYL KLUTH PATTON is a retired school counselor ministering with an optometric team in Ukraine and Romania. She also visits and supports family members, including her 11 grandchildren. She and her husband, Gary, live in Goldendale, Washington.


RICHARD “DICK” PATZER is a teacher and golf coach for Goldendale (Washington) High School. Also known as “The Voice of the Timberwolves,” he announces Goldendale High School football, basketball, and state volleyball matches on KLCK radio. His wife, MARILYN KEESECKER PATZER, is a registered nurse at Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles, Oregon. They have three sons and four grandchildren, and live in Goldendale.


KATHRYN GANFIELD RICKERT completed work for a doctoral degree in interdisciplinary studies through the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio. The title of her dissertation is Talking Back to God: Implications of Narrative Laments of the Hebrew Bible for Christian Worship. An adjunct faculty member at Seattle University, Kathryn lives with her husband, Gary, in Richmond Beach, Washington.


PHILIP WHITMARSH works part time at The Watermill, Inc., a pool and spa service company located in north Seattle. He and his wife, BARBARA KNIPE WHITMARSH ’58, have been married 44 years and have three children and two grandchildren. They reside in Shoreline, Washington, and are active in the Shoreline Covenant Church.


ROBERT WINCHELL received a master’s degree in social work from the University of Georgia in 1975. He resides in Anchorage, Alaska.


AL ZIMMERMAN, director of planned giving at George Fox University, received the 2008 Distinguished Service Award from the Northwest Planned Giving Roundtable. He was honored for his demonstrated leadership and service to the public and the planned giving community, and in recognition of his mentoring of members of the planned giving profession. Al lives in Gladstone, Oregon.


Class of 1974


JENNIE MITCHELL ALBERTSON and her husband, David, work with the Josh McDowell Ministry and live in McKinney, Texas.


GREG ASIMAKOUPOULOS is senior pastor of Mercer Island (Washington) Covenant Church and the author of 10 books. His most recent is Rhymes and Reasons (CreateSpace, 2008). He and his wife, WENDY STEVEN ASIMAKOUPOULOS, reside in Mercer Island.


DAVID BOXLEY of Metlakatla, Alaska, is a Tsimshian carver and preserver of the Tsimshian tribal culture. His Northwest Coast native art includes bentwood boxes, rattles, masks, prints, and panels. He has shaped pieces found in numerous collections such as those of the king and queen of Sweden, the emperor of Japan, Microsoft, and Walt Disney World. As leader of the Git-hoan (People of the Salmon) Native Dance Group, he has incorporated his masks into their dance and storytelling. With his degree from Seattle Pacific, David became a teacher and basketball coach in Alaska and Washington. He learned the Tsimshian traditions and language from his grandparents and now resides in Kingston, Washington.


CAROL AUSTEN CARLSON is a registered nurse. She and her husband, Jeff, live in West Linn, Oregon. They have two children, including ANNA CARLSON, a senior at SPU.


CLETIA WALTER CHANDLER and her husband, Bill, own a biodiesel fuel business and live in Eagle, Idaho. She says they “enjoy living in God’s country.”


STEPHEN GEORGE is news director for KGY Radio in Olympia, Washington. During his freshman year at Seattle Pacific, he volunteered at the student radio station and continued to do so until graduation. His first paying radio job was with KIRO-FM in Seattle. At another small radio station — KMAS in Shelton, Washington — he held several jobs over six years, including program director, host of a daily music show, and manager of the news department. Stephen lives in Rochester, Washington.


CHRIS PUTER SOLOMON teaches elementary-level music. In 2005, she and her husband, Ron, started Kids’ Backporch Productions, a Christian children’s theatre. They have mounted 13 shows since its opening. Chris says they enjoy giving kids “a little taste of Broadway.” The Solomons live in Pearland, Texas.


TIM WAGONER is an Air Force chaplain assigned to Headquarters Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base in Langley, Virginia. He has served in the United States Air Force chaplaincy for 17 years.


GAYLE BARKER WOODY is now a full-time art teacher, after years spent raising four children and working part-time as a health educator teaching sexual abstinence in public schools. She lives in Sylva, North Carolina.


Class of 1979


HARRY BICKNELL is senior pastor of Summit Drive Baptist Church in Kamloops, British Columbia. His wife, LORI YOUNG BICKNELL, is part of a home-based chocolate-making enterprise. They have two children and live in Kamloops.


KIM HUNTER BOWSER teaches second grade for Rainier Christian Schools in south King County (Washington) where she has been involved since 1982. Kim says she and her husband look forward to building a home and retiring in the Spokane, Washington, area on their 50 acres of land. Daughter BRYN BOWSER is a sophomore at SPU. The Bowsers live in Kent, Washington.


RICHARD DAHLSTROM received a starred review from Publishers Weekly for O2 – Breathing New Life Into Faith, his book on spiritual discipline and kingdom living. The reviewer calls Dahlstrom “an original and welcome evangelical voice of reason who offers skeptics and Christians alike compelling advice on living out their faith, Jesus-style.” Richard lives in Seattle and is pastor of Seattle’s Bethany Community Church.


GARY GAMBLE teaches the advanced-placement levels of economics and U.S. history at Roseburg (Oregon) High School, where he has taught for 24 years. He lives in Roseburg with Jayne, his wife of 20 years.


STEVE JESPERSEN has been with Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago for more than 10 years. He is on staff as a community pastor and lives in Algonquin, Illinois.


JOY POWELL MCCALL is a homemaker and a volunteer school nurse assistant. Joy teaches adult Sunday school class with her husband, John, a pharmacist. They have two children and live in Chugiak, Alaska.


JOAN HUFFMAN MCCARTHY works for an elementary school in the South Kitsap School District. She and her husband, Robert, have two children at SPU: Doug is a senior and Melanie is a junior. The McCarthys live in Port Orchard, Washington.


CAROLINE MILLER retired from teaching and is a caregiver for a disabled child. She also teaches piano and plays church organ. She lives in Federal Way, Washington.


SONIA JORDETH SHAW and her husband, Bill, have worked as Assemblies of God missionaries in Africa for more than 20 years. Located in the Central African nation of Chad, Sonia teaches English as a Second Language and Brad is director of the Bible Institute. The couple lives in N’Djamena, Chad.


JOHN SWINGLE has been an appliance repair technician for 25 years. His wife, MARY ANN RICHARDSON SWINGLE, is a childcare teacher for the Shoreline (Washington) School District. They are active at North Seattle Alliance Church and in AWANA. The Swingles have three sons and reside in Lake Forest Park, Washington. They state, “Our lives have been full of ministry, family, music, and travel.”


THOMAS THWING raced across America and back this past summer by bicycle –– his 30th and 31st bike treks across the nation. The west to east leg was his second fastest time ever –– 16 days, six hours, 20 minutes. On his return trip in July, Thomas dedicated the 7,000-mile journey to Cassie Bernall, a victim of the Columbine High School shooting. Thomas and his wife, SANDRA MEARS THWING ’06, live in Port Orchard, Washington.

JANET JOHNSON WASHBURN traveled to France in 2006. In November 2007 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now a breast cancer survivor, she and her husband, Bob, have two daughters and live in Seattle.

MELEANI HUTTON WHEELER sings with the Sacramento Opera Chorus and works with the worship and arts ministry at Big Valley Grace Community Church in Modesto, California. Her daughter is a professional writing major. Meleani makes her home in Modesto.


Class of 1984


KATHY BOONE is a member of the adjunct music faculty at Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington. She also teaches private lessons on clarinet, flute, guitar, and saxophone to all ages. She lives in Bothell, Washington.


GARY DEAN became a registered nurse in 2007 and works at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane, Washington. He, his wife, Bonnie, and the two youngest of their three children live “on five acres of paradise” just north of Spokane in Cobert, Washington.


CAROLYN DOURAS FALLIN is a vocal coach for singers and actors in Los Angeles, California. Her business, Vocal Image, provides a range of training, from commercial voice-overs to audition preparation. She resides in Stevenson Ranch, California.


LESLIE THOMPSON GRUGINSKI works at the Olympia (Washington) Eye Clinic. She and her husband, Larry, have a son and live in Olympia.


J. GREGORY KILLINGSWORTH is a case resource manager with the Washington State Division of Developmental Disabilities. He is also senior commander, Outpost 151, of the Royal Rangers, a Christian organization that develops spiritual growth in boys. He lives in Gold Bar, Washington.


RANDY “ORAL” LITTLE is associate pastor at First United Methodist Church of Moore, Oklahoma. He is in charge of spiritual formation, evangelism, and pastoral care. Ron is also in the dissertation phase of his doctor of ministry degree at Asbury Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Colleen, reside in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.


SANDRA OLSON MERROW and her husband, Michael, adopted twins (brother and sister) from Russia this past fall. The Merrows live in Dobbs Ferry, New York.


LARRY “TALL GUY” OLSON owns and operates Lucky Lady Interactive Events, a Kent, Washington, company that provides fun programs such as murder mystery parties, fundraisers, and golf-putting challenges for corporate and personal clients. Larry, who lives in Seattle, sends a shout out to his class at Homecoming and says he would especially love to hear from 5th Hill alumni.


DAN PINGREY is the chief of police for Shoreline, Washington. He played Falcon soccer from 1979 to 1982 and was a captain of the SPU team before being drafted by the Seattle Sounders. He has coached both the boys and girls soccer teams at Snohomish (Washington) High School, winning the 4A State Championship in 1999 (Girls), 2000 (Boys), and 2006 (Boys). He was a volunteer assistant coach this season for the Falcons. Dan and his wife, Gillian, live with their two children on acreage in Snohomish.


RICHARD RICE has been active as a Catholic Church musician in the Washington, D.C., area for more than 20 years, specifically as a composer, conductor, and singer. He serves as editor of Gregorian chant publications for the Church Music Association of America. His setting of the traditional Latin text, Salve Regina, for mixed choir a cappella received its premiere performance by the New York Virtuoso Singers in 2006, and has since been published by G. Schirmer, Inc., the nation’s leading music publisher. Richard lives in Alexandria, Virginia.


KATHLEEN “KATE” ROGERS, M.S.N. ’89, has won the 2008 Award for Outstanding Achievement in Perioperative Nursing Management from the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses. In 2004, SPU’s School of Health Sciences named Rogers its R.N. to B.S. Alumna of the Year. In 40 years of nursing, Kate, who recently retired as the administrative director of surgical services at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, has done it all from swab operating room floors to oversight of 55 operating rooms performing a collective 37,000 procedures annually. She lives in Bellevue, Washington.


VICKY SCOTT WESTLAND is the school nurse for Brussels American School. Her husband, Eric, teaches computer-aided drafting. They have two teenage sons and enjoy living in Belgium and traveling in Europe.


Class of 1989


KATHRYN EILERS BAAK, her husband, John, and their four children live in Veenendaal, The Netherlands. At Ede Christian University, she instructs future elementary school teachers in how to teach English. John is a family-practice physician with a country practice near the Rhine River.


BILL DOUGHERTY is a self-employed sales representative selling implants for spinal fusion. He and his wife, Jeannine, have two children and live in Kirkland, Washington.


KEN FRIESEN M.ED. is superintendent of Salem (Oregon) Academy Christian Schools and has spent his entire career in some aspect of Christian schooling. He was an administrator for CRISTA Ministries’ King’s Schools in the Seattle area and the assistant to the president for the Association of Christian Schools International in Colorado Springs. Ken resides in Salem.


RICH OVERHOLT works for Wells Fargo Financial in Des Moines, Iowa. He and his wife, Judi, and their four children worship at Valley Church in Des Moines and live in Urbandale, Iowa.


MONA POMRANING is employed as an exploration and production enterprise data architect by BP America in Houston, Texas. Mona resides in Houston.


MICHELE ZERBETZ SCOTT operates her own business as a consultant in community planning, management training, and grant writing. She and her husband, Randy, reside in Ward Cove, Alaska.


LISA WELLS TURNER has a private psychology practice and serves on the Alaska State psychology licensing board. She and her husband, Paul, live in Kenai, Alaska.


STEVEN YARBOROUGH teaches English at Bellevue (Washington) Community College. He and his wife, CHARISE STEVENS YARBOROUGH ’91, have three children and live in Bothell, Washington.


Class of 1994


JOHN “JOHNNY” ANDREU is director of contemporary worship at the Presbyterian Church of the Master in Mission Viejo, California, and continues to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. His wife, Angie, is director of high school ministries at Forest Home Christian Conference Center. The Andreus reside in Mission Viejo.


DANIEL GATES received his doctoral degree from Notre Dame University in 2003. Since then he has taught English at Rhodes College and at Tulane University, and this fall began teaching as an assistant professor of English at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan.


JENNIFER VANDERPLOEG LAWRENCE teaches at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington, where she lives with her husband, Lance, and four children.


JOHN LOW teaches technology classes at Everett (Washington) High School and coaches basketball and golf. His wife, KATRINA RUCHTY LOW, is a loan officer for Alpine Mortgage. They have two children and live in Everett.


JANANNE NEWLAND MEYER is a stay-at-home mom who enjoys traveling with her husband, William, a fishing guide. They have two children and live in Bothell, Washington.


JEFF PARKINS M.B.A. is vice president of clinical development for Koronis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Koronis is a privately held biotechnology company developing anti-viral therapeutics based on a novel mechanism known as “viral decay acceleration.” Among their most promising products in development are HIV and hepatitis C treatments. Jeff lives in Seattle.


KRISTIN JOHNSON PERRY is a meeting planner and event coordinator. She and her husband, Bob, have two children and live in Sultan, Washington.


CARMEN WALL SCHABEL and her husband, Tim, say, “We love our new church” in Sublimity, Oregon, where they moved a year ago. They have three children.


TONY SCHERRER is senior vice president and portfolio manager for Seattle-based Smead Capital Management. He is experienced in stock portfolio management for both institutions and high net worth individuals. Tony and his wife, AMY GRANT SCHERRER ’95, raise their family in Seattle.


ROGER STEPHAN teaches 6th grade in Apple Valley, California. Roger says, “Enjoy the reunion!” to his fellow classmates.


JENNIFER SUMMERS SWARDSTROM is a stay-at-home mom with two boys, and volunteers with Young Life in Mukilteo, Washington. She and her husband, Peter, who works for Cascade Controls Corporation, live in Everett, Washington.


BRANDON WILHITE is a software developer for the Consona Corporation. His wife, KRISTIN SWANSON WILHITE, owns The Grinder, a coffee shop popular with the SPU community and located near SPU’s campus. The Wilhites reside in Shoreline, Washington.



Class of 1999


JOEL DEJONG, who is studying for his M.B.A. at Seattle University (SU), is a member of the team that won the 2007 Seattle University Business Plan Competition sponsored by SU’s Albers School of Business. Their winning project, Vera Fitness, opened its first location in the Greenlake neighborhood of Seattle in March 2008. Vera Fitness is a group personal training studio for women that attracted an initial $400,000 from investors. Joel and his wife, MARY PLATE DEJONG ’99, live in Seattle.



ANNE GRAHAM GILL is a licensed clinical social worker helping attachment-disordered foster and adopted children. Most of her time at present, however, is spent with daughter Madeline Grace born in October 2007. Her husband, Stephen, is co-founder of and chief scientist for Team Cymru, a specialized Internet security research firm. The Gills reside in Glendale, Arizona.



JASON HICKS worked for a while in the glass and lighting industry, earned a master of fine arts degree from the Minneapolis (Minnesota) College of Art and Design, and traveled to Spain a few times. He says he is now transitioning into being an art teacher. Jason and his wife, Diane, have two daughters and reside in Twin Falls, Idaho.



SUMMER REYNOLDS KRAUSE is a licensed professional counselor practicing at Western Psychological and Counseling Services in Gladstone, Oregon. She and her husband, Dale, welcomed their first child, daughter Cadence Lydia, this summer. They live in Gladstone.



BRIAN KUNS works for the Intel Corporation and his wife, KARISSA SULLIVAN KUNS, has delayed her teaching ambitions to stay home with their two daughters. The family lives in Beaverton, Oregon.



MANDI LARSEN is researching Germany’s national policy on violence against women through a fellowship from the Humboldt Foundation. She lives in Hamburg, Germany.



SANDRA GUZMAN LOPEZ-APPELO M.S., Ph.D. ’07, maintains a private practice that offers psychotherapy, assessments, and consultations. She says, “I love my job.” Sandra is planning to submit for publication her dissertation addressing cultural competency and biopsychosocial interventions in mental health practices. She is the care provider for her ailing septuagenarian mother. Sandra and her husband, J.T., live in Woodinville, Washington.



LINDSAY LUNNUM was ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church in September 2008. The ordination took place at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. She earned her master of divinity degree from Yale Divinity School and a diploma in Anglican studies from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. She serves as assistant rector at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Providence, Rhode Island, where she lives.



WENDY MOY received her master’s degree in music from Westminster Choir College in New Jersey. She teaches choir and orchestra at College Place Middle School in the Edmonds (Washington) School District. Wendy resides in Lynnwood, Washington.



JOHN OTT and his wife, Tikvah, met one New Year’s Eve at Succat Hallel (Hebrew for “Tabernacle of Praise”) in Jerusalem, a house of 24-hour music and prayer. They both now volunteer at Succat Hallel, where people pray for a peaceful Jerusalem and intercede for Israel. Tikvah is one of 11 children and the only member of her family at this time to believe in Jesus Christ as Messiah. John asks his classmates for prayer for the persecuted believers in Israel.



JAMES SHATTENBERG is studying at Fuller Seminary in California and managing Eden Projects, a reforestation project in Madagascar. He and his wife, ALISSA WUERTZ SHATTENBERG ’00, have two daughters and plan to return to Madagascar in the fall of 2009. They live in Santa Barbara, California.



CHRISTIE STABELFELDT teaches at Coe Elementary School on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. She enjoys sports, baking, and trips to such places as Disney World. Her favorite thing about teaching is to “see my kids laughing or discovering something new they can do.” Christie resides in Seattle.



JOHN SUTHERLAND III is the first U.S. military officer to attend Vietnam’s National Defense Academy. In March, John, a lieutenant colonel and Foreign Area Officer assigned to the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii, began a three-month course in Hanoi, studying Vietnam’s history, culture, politics, economy and its military and international security issues. He blogged about the experience at //blog.getiag.com. John also works as a security consultant with the Boeing Corporation. “I started studying Vietnamese on my own when I was 19,” he explained in a press release. “I met my future wife (Mary) … in Seattle. Since she was a recent immigrant from Vietnam, I wanted to learn her language. She was a refugee and a boat person who left Vietnam in 1979. Knowing her and her family gave me a great love for the people of Vietnam and an appreciation for the culture.”


AMY JONES TAYLOR received her master’s degree in counseling from George Fox University in June 2008. She and her husband, Seth, reside in Seattle, where Amy works as a child and family clinician at Valley Cities Counseling and Consultation.



DIANA VADOCZ has her own tutoring business and lives in Tampa, Florida.



Class of 2004


BRENNA THOMPSON ARNESEN works at the Southwest King County (Washington) Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Tukwila Equity and Diversity Commission. She and her husband, Dustin, live in SeaTac, Washington.


WALT BENNETT M.A. is the founder of Village Tutors, a nonprofit agency whose mission is to assist communities around the world in establishing programs offering free tutoring for all K-12 students in all subjects. Walt resides in Enumclaw, Washington, with his wife, Elizabeth. Their son is STEFAN BENNETT ’08.


SARAH HARPER-SMITH earned a master’s degree in biology from Western Washington University and teaches high school biology at Scattergood Friends School in West Branch, Iowa. She is also a dorm parent at the small Quaker boarding school and lives in West Branch.


LAUREN TEN HARMSEL HENRICKSEN is pursuing a master of divinity degree at Emory University while her husband, WES HENRICKSEN, attends medical school at the same institution. They live in Decatur, Georgia.


MARY ALICE HEUSCHEL ED.D. is the superintendent of the Renton (Washington) School District and its 13,000 students. Her experience includes six years as deputy superintendent of learning and teaching at the Washington state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. She has been a school principal, an educational assessment specialist, an instructor at U.S. Department of Defense schools in Europe, and a teacher at West Point Military Academy. She and her husband, Gene, live in Renton.


DONICA GRAHAM LYNCH is a registered nurse in a cardiology office in Reno, Nevada, where she and her husband, Jacob, live.


SHERYL MAHAFFEY volunteered for the Peace Corps in Ukraine, 2005-07. She is now enrolled at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. She lives in San Jose, California.


PAUL MINER is a project manager for Alliance Data Systems Corporation in Seattle. His wife, AIMEE MALAN MINER ’96, is a principal intern in the Shoreline (Washington) School District. They have two children and reside in Seattle.


ALISON OLNEY ROCKAFIELD is a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit of Seattle Children’s Hospital. Her husband, Mat, is employed at The Boeing Company in Everett, Washington. The couple resides in Mukilteo, Washington.


PATRICIA WEBER SWANSON is a labor and delivery registered nurse who gave birth in April to her first child, a boy. She lives in Yakima, Washington.


NELSON TOMAS was recently promoted to captain in the U.S. Army and lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.


MELISSA VETTERLING has been promoted to grassroots organizer in the Government Affairs Department of the Credit Union Association of Colorado and Credit Union Association of Wyoming. She manages a database of 2,000 grassroots advocates and puts on events to help recruit them in support of political initiatives involving credit unions. She has volunteered as a teacher of English as a second language with Orphanage Outreach in the Dominican Republic, and as a tutor to students at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Seattle. Melissa lives in Superior, Colorado.