Wenger taught nursing at Goshen College from 1962 to 1990. In the 1980s, she also served as the director of the nursing department. Wenger emphasized the nursing mission statement “to teach the importance of culture crossing” by motivating students to understand their patients’ behaviors, values and beliefs. Her passion for transcultural nursing continued as she taught nursing education at Emory University’s School of Public Health and the Carter Center in Atlanta, Ga.

Goshen College Professor of Nursing Brenda Srof, department chair, remembers Wenger as “all the right mix of warmth and strength” and a “positive force for promoting nursing.”

Wenger was born in Blue Ball, Pa., in 1933 to Mary Ellen (Martin) Zimmerman and Eli B. Zimmerman. After graduating from Eastern Mennonite College (now University), Wenger joined a three-month study-travel trip to Europe with the Mennonite Board of Education. Her overseas experience motivated her to bring a positive change to the U.S. healthcare system.

Wenger held a variety of roles in her pursuit for the intersection of nursing, cultures and faith. She received her doctorate in nursing in 1988 from Wayne State University in Detroit. In 1989, she conducted a three-year study on the way Amish people care for one another in times of need. She wrote for nursing journals, textbooks and health care manuals. She mentored students, led Study-Service Term groups to Haiti, Nicaragua and Germany, and advocated for culturally appropriate health care.

“The focus of nursing is a science of caring,” Wenger said in a 2003 interview. “The more I learn about caring and the more I continue on my faith journey, the more I realize they are deeply connected.”

Goshen College Professor Emerita of Nursing Fran Wenger, 1989 

After 30 years of teaching nursing at a post-secondary level, Wenger moved into the non-profit sector, serving as liaison for the Faith & Health Consortia to cities in California and South Africa. She promoted health care at the grassroots level by being part of a teaching team enabling Ethiopian university faculty in health sciences for the Carter Center’s Ethiopian Public Health Initiative for a decade. This work is summarized in a co-authored manual, “Educating Health Professionals in Low Resource Countries; A Global Approach” (Mosby, 2010). She also volunteered on the Greencroft Goshen Board and was involved in curriculum planning with her home church, College Mennonite Church.

One of Wenger’s legacies as nursing department chair at the college is having cultivated an endowed fund to promote nursing faculty development. “The endowment continues to bear fruit and allows current faculty members to attend various professional meetings and stay current in the field,” Srof said.

During these years of service in the health care field and many global travels, Wenger was also deeply committed to her family as a loving wife and mother and grandmother. Wenger married Marion (Mario) Wenger in 1975 and raised three children, Mark Wenger, Elkhart, Ind.; Joel Wenger; Fortville, Ind.; and Maria Wenger; Atlanta, Ga. Mario was a professor of German at Goshen College from 1963 to 1988. She and Mario have five grandchildren: Holly, Lindy, Adam, Hayden and Coel Wenger.

A memorial service was held for Fran on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at College Mennonite Church in Goshen. A memorial will also be held on Feb. 24 near her parental home in Blue Ball, Pa. Memorial contributions may be made to the Goshen College Department of Nursing by visiting www.goshen.edu/give or to Mennonite Central Committee United States. Online condolences may be shared at www.yoderculpfuneralhome.com.

-By Becca Kraybill

Dwight Weldy waits with Mary Oyer during a Bach Festival concert at Goshen College in 1978.

At the age of 95, Goshen College Professor Emeritus of Music Dwight E. Weldy died on Jan. 12, 2013, at Greencroft Healthcare Center in Goshen.

Weldy taught in the music department from 1948 to 1983, where he led courses in music education, music theory and music appreciation. He also gave individual voice lessons and directed the Goshen College a capella touring choir and freshman choir.

“He had a kind and willing spirit, available, and always cheerful. He seemed never to have a depressing day,” said Mary Oyer, Goshen College Professor Emerita of Music. “His natural tenor voice was a gift to his voice students and to the a cappella chorus which he directed for many years. He was a valued soloist for cantatas and oratorios. I remember especially his singing the narrators part in in the Passion according to St. Matthew by Heirich Schütz.”

Weldy began teaching in a one-room schoolhouse while he finished his own education at Goshen College. He graduated in 1940 with an education degree, and spent several years teaching elementary school in the area. He married Marjorie Conrad on June 8, 1941 in Smithville, Ohio.

Weldy spent almost three years in Civilian Public Service before returning to education, teaching high school vocal music in Akron, Ohio. He soon became a voice instructor at Kent State University, and in 1948 he returned to Goshen College to join the music faculty.

While teaching at Goshen College, Weldy took two years of study leave to serve as a choral assistant at Northwestern University in Chicago, where he directed the men’s glee club and collaborated with the Chicago Symphony. Weldy later received a Doctorate of Music in Vocal Performance from Northwestern in 1963.

During his two sabbaticals in 1969-1970 and 1976-1977, Weldy served as a visiting professor and music director at Sulliman University in Dumaguete City, Phillipines.

He also served many years as a judge for Indiana high school vocal contests, conducted high school music festivals in various communities, directed the Goshen Community Chorus for over a decade and performed as soloist for churches and synagogues around the Midwest.

He was a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the American Choral Directors Association and the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild. He served on the Mennonite Church denominational music committee and hymnal revision committee.

After he retired, Weldy continued to sing and direct music for churches. He served as music director at First Presbyterian Church in Elkhart, Ind., for five years and was a member of College Mennonite Church in Goshen.

“In retirement, he maintained a lively mind, phoning his friends with his comments on his reading and performances he had heard. His contribution to vocal music will be remembered long among his students, his congregation and the wider church,” Oyer said.

Weldy was born on Jan. 10, 1918, to Jacob and Rhoda (Landis) Weldy of Wakarusa, Ind. He is survived by four children, Cheryl (James) Martin, Greenwood, Ind.; David (Ann) Weldy, Manclova, Ohio; Mary (Tony) Clasen, West Liberty, Ohio; and Ruth (Kevin) Fitz-Gerald, Lexington, Kentucky; 15 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Marjorie; a sister, Bertha Harter; and three brothers, Arthur, Eldon and Myron Weldy.

A memorial service was held on Saturday, Jan. 19 at College Mennonite Church in Goshen, which followed a family burial at Olive East Cemetery in Wakarusa, Ind.

Memorial contributions may be made to Goshen College by visiting www.goshen.edu/give, or to Goshen Care at Home Hospice. To leave condolences for the family, visit www.yoderculpfuneralhome.com.

Samuel L. Yoder, April 2011

Goshen College Professor Emeritus of Education Samuel L. Yoder died on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012, at the age of 92.

Yoder began teaching education and psychology at Goshen College in 1961, and became director of teacher education in 1969. He retired in 1986.

During his tenure, Yoder oversaw the adoption of programs in early childhood education, junior high/middle school education, bilingual/bicultural education and family life education. He led Study-Service Term to Belize in 1977-78 and to China in 1983.

After he retired, Yoder worked as an interim director of the instructional materials center and interim director of international education at Goshen.

“He was a story teller and had a good sense of humor,” said Kathy Meyer-Reimer, professor of education at Goshen College. “He would sometimes tell jokes with a straight face, but there would be a twinkle in his eye. He was an encouraging person and was always interested in others. He enjoyed being with people and could always keep an interesting conversation going.”

Born into an Amish family on Jan. 14, 1920 in Hutchinson, Kan., Yoder and his family moved to Northern Indiana in 1938, where Yoder graduated from Shipshewana High School. During World War II, he served in Civilian Public Service (CPS), fighting forest fires in California and serving as an assistant in hospitals. It was during this time that he decided to leave the Amish church. After the war, he spent more than two years as part of a Mennonite Central Committee relief unit in Holland and Germany, working with war refugees.

Yoder returned to Indiana in 1948 to attend Goshen College. He met Lillian Zook and the two were married on June 15, 1951 in Orrville, Ohio. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in education, he spent nine years teaching and counseling in the Mishawaka public school system. He received his master’s degree in counseling and guidance from Western Michigan University in 1961 and in 1967 he completed a doctor of education degree at Indiana University.

In his retirement, Yoder enjoyed traveling, gardening and golfing. He volunteered at College Mennonite Church, where he was a member. Yoder continued to be an observer of Amish society and gave lectures about Amish life and culture for Elderhostels, an educational program for senior citizens, and as part of a lecture series sponsored by Greencroft Senior Center in Goshen. He was a frequent commentator on the Amish.

Because of his conscientious objector status in WWII, Yoder was featured in a documentary film called “The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It,” which aired on PBS in 2002. In the film, Yoder spoke about his decision to become a conscientious objector and described his experience in CPS.

He was preceded in death by a son, Michael Lee Yoder in 1986, and three sisters, Anna Troyer, Edna Troyer and Polly Mast.

His wife Lillian survives along with a son, John S. (Queen) Yoder, Elkhart, Ind.; three brothers, Alvin Yoder, Middlebury, Ind., B. William Yoder, Goshen and Lee (Pensri) Yoder, Thailand; and three sisters, Sara Miller and Mary (Alvin) Miller, both of Goshen and Gertie (Orvil) Christner, Wolcottville, Ind.

Miller spent his entire career at Sauder Manufacturing, Inc., rising from salesman to president and chief executive officer and later, chairman of the board. He gave his time generously to many nonprofit and charitable organizations and served as chair of several boards. He was appointed to the Goshen College board in 1997, became chair in October 1999 and served as the board’s leader until he stepped down in 2009.

As Goshen board chair, Miller helped the college achieve many of its major goals over the past 15 years, such as establishing new academic programs, maintaining financial stability amid economic downturns, building the Music Center and student apartments, moving to a new policy governance model for the board and mentoring two presidents.

Goshen College President James E. Brenneman said Miller was a friend and adviser whose life exemplified servant leadership.

“In 2002, Virgil said these words at a campus convocation: ‘The more I pay attention to my inner life, the more I see my work as service — service out of desire, not out of obligation. The more I see my work as service, the more I enjoy what I do.’ Virgil had a good journey and an amazing life of service,” Brenneman said. “For many years, as board chair, Virgil gave wise counsel and visionary leadership that profoundly strengthened the mission of Goshen College. He was an irreplaceable mentor to me, an intellectual and spiritual conversation partner, and a lasting friend.”

Besides his steady leadership, Miller and his wife, Mary Ann, donated to Goshen College for 37 continuous years. They gave generously for the construction of the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center and the Music Center and were members of the President’s Circle, which is made up of households that donate $25,000 or more annually to the college. Still, it is Miller’s board leadership that will be remembered most at the college and the close relationships he maintained with board members and administrators. Former President Shirley H. Showalter said Miller was a valuable role model.

“Virgil Miller did not experience life as divided, the way most people do. For him, the sacred and the profane were one reality. The twinkle in his eye never disappeared, and he was a man unafraid of his tears. As GC board chair, he rejoiced when the news was good and rolled up his sleeves when we had work to do, leading by example. He never dictated policy. He led by serving and caring and giving,” Showalter said.

“Virgil craved intellectual and spiritual growth for himself and others. That’s why he loved Goshen College. He knew that life was a journey toward God, and he never stopped encouraging and thanking his fellow pilgrims on the way. Working with and for Virgil Miller and the board he led was the greatest honor of my academic life,” Showalter said.

Virgil L. Miller was born May 10, 1940, near Pettisville, Ohio, the son of Charles and Bessie (Frey) Miller. He graduated from Pettisville High School, performed two years of 1-W service as a conscientious objector in Denver, Colo., and attended Goshen College. He married Mary Ann Zook Miller of Honey Brook, Pa., on Aug. 15, 1964.

He spent his 46-year career at Sauder Manufacturing, Inc. He served as president and CEO for 32 years until he retired in October 2005, after which he served as chairman of the board until December 2009. Miller also served as chair of several other boards, including the Archbold Area Schools Board of Education, and Four Seasons International, Inc. (Pennsylvania), as well as a board member of Sunshine Children’s Home (Toledo), Sunshine Foundation (Toledo), Mennonite Health Alliance (Goshen) and Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (Elkhart). He greatly enjoyed his memberships to Zion Mennonite Church and Rotary International.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann; two children Audra (James) Mark of Elkhart, and Brian (Tonya) Miller of Boston, Mass.; four grandchildren, Alex Mark and Nicholas Mark of Elkhart and Tenley Miller and Sydney Miller, Boston, Mass.; three brothers, Robert (Norma) Miller of Wauseon, Ohio, Glen (Marilyn) Miller of Goshen and Dale Miller of Bellingham, Wash.; and two sisters, Ada (Andy) Brenneman of Lima, Ohio, and Marilouise (Virgil) Waidelich of Archbold, Ohio. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Bessie (Frey) Miller, two brothers, Kenneth Miller and Marlin Miller, and a sister, Lois Short.

President Brenneman said Miller would be missed and remembered.

“I mourn his death even as I embrace the eternal hope he inspired in all of us who knew and loved him. We offer our prayers for Mary Ann as well as for his children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters. Virgil’s legacy of servant leadership will forever live on in the lives of future graduates of Goshen College. For his Christ-like life, we are eternally grateful.”

The family suggested that memorial contributions go to Goshen College or the Mennonite Economic Development Association (MEDA).

— Written by Richard R. Aguirre

Editors: For more information about this news release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Director of Public Relations Richard R. Aguirre at (574) 535-7571 or rraguirre@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.

GOSHEN, Ind. – Kathryn Sherer, a pianist who instructed hundreds of students and together with her violinist husband performed around the world, died at home on Feb. 28 after a long illness. She was 79 years old and an associate professor emerita of music at Goshen College.

During the course of her six decades as a piano teacher she instructed students at all levels and, together with John T. O’Brien, launched the piano pedagogy program and the annual piano workshop at Goshen College.

“As long as I can remember there were students in the living room taking their lessons from my mother,” said her son Michael Sherer, director of information technology systems at Goshen College.

The musical collaboration of Kathryn, and her husband, Lon, began nearly 60 years ago in a theory class at Michigan State University, where they met. The relationship blossomed when he needed an accompanist for the Mendelssohn violin concerto.

Their romance had more than the usual degree of chance. Kathryn had transferred from Goshen College to Michigan State as a junior for what she knew would be only one year of piano study.

She had pledged to begin and end her college studies at Goshen, where her mother had graduated in 1928. Kathryn graduated from Goshen College in 1954.

Soon after their marriage, in 1954, the Sherers left for their first shared assignment at Woodstock School in Mussoorie, India. From 1956 to 1959 they taught at Woodstock and performed across India.

They returned to the United States in 1959, joining the faculty at Goshen College. They timed their arrival with an emerging openness in the church to instrumental music.

Their musical tours took them across the country and to Central and South America, the Caribbean Islands and Japan.

Although Kathryn retired from the college preparatory program several years ago, she continued to teach students in her home, well into 2011.

Kathryn Loraine Summers Sherer was born to Raymond and Edna Cook Summers in Lansing, Mich., in 1932. Recognizing her early love for music, Kathryn’s parents drove her to group and private lessons in Lansing through grade school and then switched to a professor at Michigan State for more advanced training.

Kathryn earned a master’s degree in piano performance at Southern Methodist University in 1979. She also studied with the internationally renowned music educators Frances Clark, John Owings and George Sebšk.

She is survived by her husband and their children, Mark (Rhonda) of Indianapolis, Karen (Duane) Stoltzfus of Goshen, and Michael (Patsy) of Goshen; four granddaughters; and a brother Robert (Edith) Summers of Iowa City. A grandson died earlier.

Visitation is scheduled for 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, at College Mennonite Church in Goshen. A memorial service will be held on Friday, March 9, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at College Mennonite, with a luncheon following.

The family suggests that memorial gifts be sent to the Lon and Kathryn Sherer Preparatory Music Endowment Fund at Goshen College or the MCC-East Africa Fund for Hunger.

In a Christmas letter written two months ago Kathryn gave thanks for: “a life blessed with beauty – great music and good books. For the opportunity to see our four granddaughters grow up in this community. For the opportunity to have had a teaching job that I loved, and most of all, for 57 years of marriage to a wonderful husband and musician, doing the things we love to do together.”

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s ”America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.

GOSHEN, Ind. — Members of the Goshen College community reacted with shock, disbelief and sorrow when they learned about the homicide of Professor of Biology James S. Miller. Since then, a candlelight vigil and convocation on campus and visitations and two church services have helped students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends cope with the tragic death and given them a deeper appreciation for Professor Miller’s many contributions to Goshen College.

The Goshen Police Department reported that Professor Miller, 58, was killed during a home invasion robbery at his home about 1 a.m. on Oct. 9. Linda Miller, Professor Miller’s wife, was wounded in the attack and was hospitalized for five days. She continues to recover.

While police spent countless hours investigating the case, family, friends and members of the college community gathered six times over nine days following the homicide to praise God, pray for the Miller family and to remember Professor Miller’s 31 years of service to the college.

At the most recent gathering, two hours after his burial on Oct. 17, nearly 900 people crowded into Clinton Frame Mennonite Church in Goshen for a memorial service led by Terry Diener, lead pastor at the church. Two of Professor Miller’s children played a duet on flute and piano while his brother and sister offered recollections of their childhood with Professor Miller.

President James E. Brenneman offered condolences to Linda Miller, and their children, Lisa Rose Martin and Leanne and Robert Miller. In a moving tribute, the president said that Professor Miller understood better than most the Scripture’s claim that  “If one part of the body suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part experiences joy, every part rejoices with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

“We not only suffer with you in your loss, we extend to you our deepest heartfelt sympathies, our ceaseless prayers and abiding support. We, along with you, will lose parts of Jim in bits and pieces for a long, long time to come. The body is broken,” Brenneman said.

“We also rejoice with you in the human, loving, thoughtful, fallible, quirky, gift that was Jim’s person. We are thankful that in major research facilities and makeshift medical hovels, at countless bedsides, in operating rooms and drop-in clinics all across the globe and right across the street, thousands are being tended to, cared for, blessed and will be so for years to come by those taught by Dr. Jim Miller,” Brenneman said. “Jim was passionately driven to keeping Goshen College among the top colleges and universities in the nation for getting pre-med students into medical school.  He wanted our future nurses, our budding research scientists and physicians to be among the best in the world, as they are.”

Brenneman described Professor Miller as a man of faith who was dedicated to science, fascinated by the human body and committed to helping his students. To better connect with students, Professor Miller told jokes and puns, faithfully attended campus athletic events, worked long hours and maintained an open-door policy. He also supported his faculty colleagues.”Faculty members remember Jim as someone who would go the second mile for his students, giving retakes on exams, coming back to the office on Sundays to help a student prepare for the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). He was someone to emulate in his availability and the number of student scholars he mentored,” Brenneman said. “He reached out to new faculty time and time again to make them feel at home at Goshen College.”

President Brenneman also recalled Professor Miller’s pride in Robert and Leanne, who are members of the Goshen High School band. The entire Crimson Marching Band attended the memorial service and played three hymns, which drew tears from some people.

Brenneman ended his remarks by returning to the theme of the body, saying, “We are, along with you, part of what Scripture calls ‘the body of Christ.’ Like the human body, such a body with its spiritual DNA is a miracle to behold, able to decode beauty, experience joy, bear pain, and generate healing.

“On behalf of all of us at Goshen College, I pray that each one of us — touched as we were by the life of Professor Jim — will discover here on earth what he now knows in heaven. Discover that wondrous new and living body that is now his forever and ever. So, as Leanne has taught us with such poise on the performance field, here’s to you, Jim,” Brenneman said as he raised his head and right arm and blew a gentle kiss toward heaven.

Less than 19 hours after Professor Miller died, President Brenneman and Campus Pastor Bob Yoder led an equally emotional candlelight vigil on campus, which was attended by nearly 500 people. The crowd gathered beside the south entrance of the Science Building and heard words of comfort and sorrow from Brenneman and Yoder. Many people prayed, cried and sang hymns.The next morning, President Brenneman led a convocation to remember Professor Miller. The convocation began with the lighting of an oil lamp while the president said: “We light this lamp in prayer, remembrance and recognition of the life and light of Christ and his servant Professor Jim Miller. In so doing, we are reminded that light overcomes all darkness, love overcomes all hate, and life overcomes even death itself.”

In between hymns and periods of silence, students, faculty and staff members offered brief comments about Professor Miller, which evoked tears as well as laughter. Throughout the week, sorrow, joy and gratitude were common emotions expressed as students and colleagues coped with Professor Miller’s death and recalled his legacy amid extensive news media coverage.

Meanwhile, administrators kept the campus community informed about the status of the homicide investigation and encouraged students and employees to keep safety foremost on their minds. The Goshen Police Department provided extra patrols around campus and adjacent neighborhoods.

In the following days, prayers for the Miller family as well as for friends, students and colleagues were offered both on campus as well as during a prayer service at Clinton Frame Mennonite Church on Oct. 12 and during two periods of visitation at the church on Oct. 16. Professor Miller’s life was celebrated in displays of photos, documents, personal items and written reflections at the visitations and the memorial service.

Clinton Frame Pastor Terry Diener gave a call to worship to the nearly 900 people who gathered at Clinton Frame Mennonite Church on Monday, Oct. 17 for a memorial service for James Miller.

James Steven Miller was born Aug. 6, 1953, in Millersburg, Ohio, to Oscar Miller and Elizabeth (Bixel) Miller. He grew up in Berlin, Ohio, and graduated in 1971 from Hiland High School, where he was valedictorian. He also was a member of the National Honor Society, the Science Club, the Quiz Team and the yearbook staff and was the statistician for the basketball team.He graduated summa cum laude from Bluffton University in 1975 with a B.S. degree in chemistry. He was a C. Henry Smith Fellow, a member of the Academic Policies and Services Committee and secretary of the Investment Club. During summers, he did factory work at Berlin Wood Products.

He completed his doctorate degree in physiological chemistry (now known as medical biochemistry) at Ohio State University in 1980. His research interests included lipids, prostaglandins, platelets, tissue culture, atherosclerosis and nutrition. At Ohio State, his work experience included serving as a graduate research assistant, a computer programmer and a laboratory assistant.

He came to Goshen College to teach in 1980. The Goshen College Board of Directors granted him tenure as associate professor of biology in June 1985. He primarily taught upper-level courses taken by students in health-related tracks. He taught pre-med students, counseled them about medical school applications and wrote many references for students resulting in admission to medical schools. He also was chair of the Pre-Med Committee and adviser to the Pre-Med Club and supervised Maple Scholar researchers in the summer and numerous lab assistants.

As department chair, he was chief spokesperson for the Biology Department on the committee for the renovation of the Science Building. He took the lead in selecting and purchasing new lab equipment for measuring metabolic rates of individuals and supervised other faculty in learning to use this equipment. His “Fetal Pig Dissection Guide, Including Sheep Heart, Brain and Eye,” which was copyright in 1993-1994, is still used as a major resource in this area.

Professor Miller was known as a serious and dedicated academician and researcher. Family members and colleagues say he loved computers and applied a rigorous scientific approach to much of what he did — from teaching and administering tests to researching ways to ease his chronic back pain and improving his sense of humor.

After noting that some students gave him low marks for his sense of humor, he set about to change that. He collected jokes, eventually compiling an extensive database of jokes and puns, and practiced his delivery by telling jokes to family members. When he was off campus and an administrative assistant was assigned to administer a test in his absence, he would leave a joke to be delivered to students his behalf. Eventually, student evaluations confirmed an increase in his humor scores.

“Professor Miller was highly respected by students for his knowledge of the content he taught and for his understanding of current developments in the biological sciences,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean Anita Stalter.”His classes were difficult but as one student noted, ‘Dr. Miller does a good job of relating course material to real-life situations and problems, which helps to keep students focused and interested.’

“Jim cared deeply about student learning and often worked with students outside of class who needed additional instruction. He will be missed at Goshen College as a teacher and colleague,”

Ryan Sensenig, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences, said Professor Miller’s death has left a void in the Biology Department that will not be easily filled. In the short term, however, retired and adjunct faculty will teach Professor Miller’s students for the rest of the fall semester.

Professor Miller was an active participant at Clinton Frame Mennonite Church, and before that College Mennonite Church. He was an avid member of the Millersburg Radio Control Modelers (airplane) Club.

He married Linda Suderman July 7, 1991, in Fresno, Calif. She survives.

Also surviving are two daughters: Lisa Rose (Jeff) Martin, and Leanne Miller, both of Goshen; a son, Robert Miller, Goshen; a grandson, Jared Martin; and his mother, Elizabeth (Marlin) Jeschke, Goshen; a sister, Kathy (Willard) Fenton-Miller, Marcellus, Mich.; and a brother, Tom (Crystal) Miller, Portland, Ore. Professor Miller was preceded in death by his father, Oscar Miller.

—Written by Richard R. Aguirre

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Director of Public Relations Richard R. Aguirre at (574) 535-7571 or rraguirre@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.

GOSHEN, Ind. – Goshen College music professors Dr. Debra Brubaker, mezzo-soprano, and Dr. Scott Hochstetler, baritone, will perform a vocal recital with Goshen College music students on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in Goshen College Music Center’s Rieth Recital Hall. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students, available at the door an hour before the concert.

Brubaker and Hochstetler will perform solo and ensemble works, highlighted by a performance of Johannes Brahms’ “Liebeslieder-Walzer,” featuring GC students pianist Ben Breckbill, a junior Bible and religion and music double major from Lincoln, Neb.; tenor Luke Slagel, a junior youth ministry major from Goshen; and soprano Adrienne Yoder, a senior music and psychology double major from Lititz, Pa. Pianist Christine Larson Seitz will also perform. The program will also feature J.S. Bach’s Cantata No. 56, “Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen,” for baritone voice.

Brubaker, professor of music at Goshen College, teaches in the areas of vocal and choral music. She holds a doctorate of musical arts from the University of Kansas, a master’s of music from the University of Northern Colorado and an undergraduate degree in music from Goshen College. Brubaker was assistant professor of music at Bluffton (Ohio) College for 10 years, and has also taught choir in public schools in Indiana and Colorado.

Since coming to Goshen in 1999, Brubaker has directed the Goshen College Chorale and Chamber Choir, and has created the Women’s World Music Choir, which performed in Grand Rapids (Mich.) at the American Choral Directors Association’s (ACDA) North Central Regional Convention in February, 2008. She and her choirs have collaborated and performed with such noted conductors as Alice Parker, Vance George, Donald Neuen, Gregg Smith and Augusta Read Thomas. A focus of BrubakerÕs research and teaching explores how the use of singing can become a catalyst for connection between people of differing cultures, faiths and circumstances, also highlighting the role of women as creators and sustainers of art and culture.

Hochstetler, assistant professor of music at Goshen College, teaches in the vocal, choral and opera theater programs. He holds a doctorate of musical arts in choral conducting from Michigan State University, a double master’s of music in conducting and voice from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor of arts degree in music and biology from Goshen College. Under his direction, the Goshen College Men’s Chorus has been selected to perform for the ACDA regional convention in March 2012. He is also the newly appointed director of the St. Joseph Valley Camerata, an area professional choir. Previous appointments include Western Mennonite School (Salem, Ore.), the University of Michigan and Corban College (Salem, Ore.).

The Choral Journal has published his scholarly work on Vaughan Williams, and he is the co-author of the “IPA Pronunciation Guide to Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire, German Texts.” As a baritone, he has performed opera and oratorio roles and given recitals in Indiana, Michigan and Oregon.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Acting News Bureau Coordinator Alysha Bergey Landis at (574) 535-7762 or alyshabl@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report‘s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.

GOSHEN, Ind. — Goshen College President James E. Brenneman today sent the following statement to students, faculty and staff:

“It is with profound sadness that I inform you of the death this morning of Professor James S. Miller, 58, a professor of biology at Goshen College since 1980.

“The Goshen Police Department has issued a press release to the news media reporting that as the result of a home invasion robbery, Professor Miller and his wife, Linda, were attacked early on Oct. 9. Jim died at the scene and Linda was wounded, and was being treated at a regional hospital.

“Police are conducting an investigation into the death, so we encourage all members of the campus community to cooperate fully. Police have asked anyone with information in connection with the case to please contact the Goshen Police Department at (574) 533-8661 or the Michiana Crime Stoppers at (800) 342-STOP.

“Words cannot adequately convey our grief over the enormity of this tragedy. We offer our prayers and support to the Miller and Jeschke families and we ask that you please keep them in your prayers. We also will be holding in our prayers Professor Miller’s students, colleagues, friends and alumni.

“In the coming hours we will pass along any information we receive about arrangements. We also will be contacting Professor Miller’s students about arrangements being made for his classes.

“At 8 p.m. tonight, there will be a brief time of prayer and reflection for the campus community outside the south entrance to the Science Building to give all an opportunity to grieve and to pray for our brother and friend.”

Professor James Steven Miller came to Goshen College to teach in 1980, the same year he completed his doctorate degree in medical biochemistry at Ohio State University. He received his undergraduate degree in chemistry in 1975 from Bluffton (Ohio) University. The Goshen College Board of Directors granted Professor Miller tenure in June 1985. He primarily taught upper-level courses taken by students in nursing, pre-medical and other health-related tracks.

Professor Miller is survived by his wife, Linda, three children, his mother and other family members.

We do understand that this tragedy will be of interest to the news media as well as other members of this community. However, we hope that the news media will respect the privacy of the family and our campus community for the next few days. If further information is needed, please contact Richard R. Aguirre, director of the Public Relations Office, at (574) 535-7571 (office) or (574) 524-5946 or rraguirre@goshen.edu.

 —Information provided by Richard R. Aguirre

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Director of Public Relations Richard R. Aguirre at (574) 535-7571 (office) or (574) 524-5946 or rraguirre@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.

President Burkholder, 92, an influential figure in the Mennonite church, died on June 24. He played many significant roles throughout the 20^th century as a pastor, professor, pilot, philosopher, civil rights activist, wartime relief worker and Goshen College president, from 1971 to 1984.

After his burial Wednesday morning at Elkhart Prairie Cemetery in Goshen, about 350 family members and friends gathered at College Mennonite Church for a memorial service led by Pastor of Fellowship Rosemary Widmer. The call to worship and opening prayer was followed by the hymn, “O God, our help in ages past,” led by Pastor of Music and Arts Lee Dengler.

Former Goshen College Provost John A. Lapp, who delivered the eulogy, described Burkholder’s many contributions as a husband, father, grandfather, brother, brother-in-law, uncle as well as a Mennonite church member and a pastor, a China relief worker, a scholar at Princeton and Harvard universities, a philosopher and a president.

Commenting on Burkholder’s devotion to the church, Lapp said, “In his baptismal vows he committed himself to be available for service in the family of God. At Goshen, Shanghai and Princeton he made decisions not to pursue in his words ‘a career in the secular world’ choosing rather ‘a vocation in the church.’ When Goshen College called him to serve as president, there was little doubt how he should respond.”

Lapp said that Burkholder was deeply influenced by his love of aviation and piloting airplanes, his experiences as a relief worker in China during the war-torn years of 1944 to 1948 and his love for and partnership with his wife, Harriet, to whom he was married from 1939 to 2007. He also lauded Burkholder’s contributions as a college president.

“He embodied the institution and its tradition,” Lapp said. “There was no doubt who was the campus leader. He was the silent cheerleader frequently dropping in on athletic events. He rarely missed a drama or a musical program.”

Lapp said that Burkholder also was an eloquent speaker, whether in the classroom or during chapel, and an effective fundraiser. Burkholder’s most public contribution, Lapp said, was establishing a relationship that led to Goshen students going to China for study and Chinese teachers coming to Goshen to study English, U.S. culture and theology.

“Lawrence was indeed an admired college president, a well-regarded teacher at Goshen and Harvard, and a friend of many. He was, without a doubt, one of the 20^thCentury Mennonite movement’s most provocative and creative thinkers,” Lapp said. “(But) Lawrence was a modest man … Several years ago he told me his primary role in life was to try to keep himself, the church, and the college honest.”

Goshen College President James E. Brenneman offered a remembrance in which he began by noting the coincidence of Burkholder, whom he described as a “mighty oak,” dying the very evening a tornado touched down in Goshen and toppled giant oak trees across Eighth Street.

Brenneman, who began his studies at Goshen College in 1974 – the third year of Burkholder’s presidency – praised his predecessor’s many contributions to the college.

“Without question, the Goshen College we love so much today was strengthened in immeasurable ways by the wise and innovative leadership of President Burkholder,” Brenneman said. “His global vision, his passion for learning, his advocacy of the liberal arts, his appreciation of sports and other co-curriculars, his commitment to expanding the endowment 10-fold, befriending the community at large, deepening connections to the church, all made his 13-year tenure as the president of Goshen College a truly remarkable landmark in our 116-year-old history.”

Brenneman described Burkholder as a president who was approachable, fun loving, friendly, thoughtful and inspiring – “someone I wished to emulate then as now.” He said Burkholder also challenged students to examine life’s difficult issues, such as trying to understand God’s will.

After becoming president four years ago, Brenneman said he appreciated visiting with Burkholder and speaking to him by phone about the college, the community and deep philosophical questions. Brenneman said Burkholder also challenged him to more fully realize the college’s vision as an intercultural and international learning community.

“He did lament with me that our campus was not yet a reflection of the actual cultural diversity of the global Mennonite Church or of our own surrounding community right here in Goshen. For him, a Christ-centered liberal arts education worthy of the name required such cultural diversity,” Brenneman said. “As he wrote elsewhere, ‘there is no turning back’ … ‘come what will, Goshen College is committed to being cross-cultural.’ Would that we honor his legacy by making that vision come to reality on our campus as it is off, as a matter of deed over good intentions.”

Janet Friesen, daughter of President Burkholder, offered a warm remembrance on behalf of the family in which she recalled her father’s “wry sense of humor, love of high-flying adventure, enduring curiosity about people, events and ideas, articulate expression of thought and his calm demeanor in the face of life’s challenges.”

“We each have our own memories of our life together as a family. Despite our varied experiences, above all, we feel grateful and privileged to have had such a remarkable and caring father, grandfather and great-grandfather,” Friesen said.

“We remember his dedication to family, education and the church. We felt secure in knowing that our parents were devoted to us and to each other and that home was always a safe place to live and grow.”

Friesen recalled her parents’ love of the Mennonite church and how much they enjoyed welcoming guests into their home. She also recalled her father’s kind parenting style, his devotion to his family despite his heavy schedule of studies, work and travel and his support for the education and activities of his children.

“There was never any doubt about our father’s deep religious faith which he demonstrated through leadership in the church, world relief, civil action, scholarship and teaching. At home he freely discussed his ideas with us which were often shared during lively dinner-time discussion,” Friesen said.

President Emeritus Vic Stoltzfus, who succeeded Burholder as president, offered a meditation on the grace of God – a subject Burkholder had requested that he address. Stoltzfus described four biblical meanings of grace, such as gracious hospitality and saving grace, and directly related them to Burkholder’s life. For example, he said Burkholder “lived a life of costly grace, which compelled him to follow Jesus Christ despite any personal sacrifices.

“It cost him to be separated from his family for a time, flying food to China. It cost him to write a Princeton doctoral thesis several decades ahead of its time in tension with mid-century Mennonite academics. It cost him to witness for racial justice and spend a brief time in a Florida jail. It cost him to leave the nation’s best-endowed university, for, at the time, one of the least endowed colleges – in Goshen,” Stoltzfus said.

Lawrence knew and embodied another meaning of grace – common grace – Stoltzfus said. “This is the claim that God graces all humanity, regardless of religious faith with wisdom, talent and skill,” Stoltzfus said.

“Lawrence recognized God’s work of common grace beyond the boundaries of his own Mennonite tradition. He studied in Mennonite, Lutheran and Presbyterian schools. His friends were Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and secular. He learned from – and taught people – from many faith perspectives.”

Stoltzfus said that Burkholder accomplished all that he did because of his “capacious mind,” his command of language and because of was a philosopher who also was a minister of the Word of God. “Lawrence was a large man who lived a large life, transformed and graced by a humble spirit.”

The memorial service also included the reading of Scriptures, the singing of “Deep River” by a choir made up of Goshen College students, faculty and staff members and retirees and the reading of the beloved Robert Frost poem “The Road Less Traveled” by Lauren Friesen, President Burkholder’s son-in-law and the husband of Janet Friesen.

Following the service, friends shared more memories of Burkholder during a lunch in the Fellowship Hall of College Mennonite Church. Many people lingered for hours recalling the popular president and viewing exhibits on Burkholder’s life.

Burkholder received his bachelor of divinity degree from Lutheran Seminary (Gettysburg, Pa.) in 1942, and then was ordained as a minister by the Mennonite Church and served as the pastor of Croghan Mennonite Church in New York. He earned his master of theology degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1951 and his doctor of theology degree summa cum laude from Princeton in 1958.

In 1944, he volunteered to be an administrator of a relief program in India, serving as a representative for Mennonite Board of Missions. He then went on to serve in China until 1948, where he acted as associate director of Church World Services with Mennonite Central Committee, directed the activities of the National Clearing Committee and flew DC-3′s over the Himalayas to deliver supplies to Chinese refugees.

Upon his return to the United States in 1949, Burkholder became a professor in Goshen College’s Bible, Religion and Philosophy Department. In 1961, Burkholder was called to serve as a professor at Harvard Divinity School, where he was a part of the faculty until 1971. At Harvard, he was named chair of the Department of the Church and chair of Victor S. Thomas Professor of Divinity.

He returned to Goshen College to serve as its 11^th president in 1971 and served until 1984. While at Goshen, he played a large role in developing the first undergraduate exchange program with the People’s Republic of China that began in 1980. He also helped build the college’s endowment and strengthened the relationship between the college and the community.

In his private time, Burkholder loved to fly airplanes, play tennis and fish. He also had a life-long passion for listening to classical music, especially organ music.

Burkholder is survived by his children, Howard Burkholder, Boston, Mass.; Janet (Lauren) Friesen, Flint, Mich., and Myrna Burkholder, Goshen, Ind.; two grandchildren, Eliot (Carrie) Friesen-Meyers and Erica (Blair Franklin) Friesen); one great-grandson, August Franklin; and a sister, Evelyn Kreider, Goshen, Ind.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Harriet, on Sept. 5, 2007; his son, Gerald Burkholder on April 19, 1981; a brother, Harold Burkholder, and two sisters, Mildred M. Hackman and Verna Troyer.

Memorial gifts can be made to the J. Lawrence and Harriet Burkholder Merit Scholarship Fund at Goshen College. For information about ways of donating, go to www.goshen.edu/give. To make an online contribution, click on “one-time credit card gift,” choose the “other” box option for designation and type the fund name into the blank box.

– Written by Richard R. Aguirre

Contribute your memories

Goshen College invites you to share your memories and reflections on the life of J. Lawrence Burkholder. E-mail your thoughts to pr@goshen.edu and we will post many of them below this article, though only letters that include the writer’s name, city and province/state, and country (if outside Canada and the U.S.) will be posted. Letters may be edited for clarity and length. You can also post your comments at www.facebook.com/goshencollege/

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Director of Public Relations Richard R. Aguirre at (574) 535-7571 or rraguirre@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.

Editor’s Note: Goshen College invites you to share your memories and reflections on the life of J. Lawrence Burkholder. E-mail your thoughts to pr@goshen.edu and we will post many of them below this article, though only letters that include the writer’s name, city and province/state, and country (if outside Canada and the U.S.) will be posted. Letters may be edited for clarity and length. You can also post your comments at www.facebook.com/goshencollege/

GOSHEN, Ind. – Goshen College President Emeritus J. Lawrence Burkholder, an influential figure in the Mennonite church, passed away early on Thursday, June 24 at the Greencroft Healthcare Center in Goshen. Burkholder, 92, played many significant roles throughout the 20^th century as a pastor, professor, pilot, philosopher, civil rights activist, war-time relief worker and college president.

“President Burkholder leaves an enduring legacy,” said Goshen College President James E. Brenneman. “Connecting all of his roles was a love for God and a love for others. For those of us fortunate enough to have been students, staff or faculty during his time at Goshen College, J. Lawrence will always be our president — a true leader and visionary. He has been my mentor, my adviser and my friend — and I will miss him.

“Many of President Burkholder’s contributions to Goshen College are still with us. He made this campus a more beautiful and welcoming place by planting trees. He nurtured closer ‘town-and-gown’ relationships. He helped put the college on sound financial footing. He also showed us that all Christians — Mennonites and others — could be people of strong faith making a difference in the civic, business, political and institutional establishments of the world. President Burkholder felt that Christians and non-Christians alike were to be world citizens, taking responsibility for creating a more flourishing life for all. And for that visionary witness, I will always be grateful,” Brenneman said,

Burkholder was born to Henry L. and Mary (Seitz) Burkholder on Oct. 31, 1917, in Newville, Pa. Upon graduating from Goshen College in 1939, Burkholder married Harriet Lapp, with whom he had four children. Harriet Burkholder grew up in India and became one of the first women to get a bachelor of theology a year later from The Bible School, the forerunner to Goshen Biblical Seminary. “Early on, we made a commitment to devote our lives to the church,” said Burkholder in 2004.

In 1942, after receiving his bachelor of divinity degree from Lutheran Seminary (Gettysburg, Pa.), Burkholder was ordained as a minister by the Mennonite Church and served as the pastor of First Mennonite Church of New Bremen in New York. He earned his master of theology degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1951 and his doctor of theology degree summa cum laude from Princeton in 1958.

In 1944, he volunteered to be an administrator of a relief program in India, serving as a representative for Mennonite Board of Missions. He then went on to serve in China until 1948, where he acted as associate director of Church World Service with Mennonite Central Committee, directed the activities of the National Clearing Committee and flew DC-3′s over the Himalayas to deliver supplies to Chinese refugees.

Burkholder’s time and work in China shaped him in significant ways. “I came out of a background of simplicity. Now I was discovering complexity and ambiguity, and sometimes tragic necessity,” he said in a 2004 lecture. “And not as a military man, not as a government official, just as trying to give something away and giving it fairly and justly.”

Upon his return to the United States in 1949, Burkholder became a professor in Goshen College’s Bible, Religion and Philosophy Department. In 1961, Burkholder was called to serve as a professor at Harvard Divinity School, where he was a part of the faculty until 1971. At Harvard, he was named chair of the Department of the Church and was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Divinity.

Theologian Harvey Cox, Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, said of Burkholder: “His contribution to this school was immeasurable. It could be said that he brought Harvard Divinity School ‘down to earth’ from what had been an over-emphasis on theoretical matters, but he did so with an impressive degree of intellectual acumen. The school turned a corner when he was here, and has continued to strengthen practical ministry ever since.”

While at Harvard, Burkholder also became involved in the civil rights movement, and in 1964 he was arrested during a sit-in at a segregated restaurant in St. Augustine, Fla.

Then, in 1971 Burkholder left the Ivy League to lead the small college in Northern Indiana he knew intimately. He returned to Goshen College to serve as its 11^th president with the conviction that “Mennonites had something to contribute to the world, and I wanted to be part of it,” he said.

Burkholder, who served as president until 1984, began his presidency with a simple religious service and the planting of 138 trees around campus. “I wanted to bring beauty to a campus that seemed somewhat barren,” he said. “And I hoped to soften and humanize the image of the place in the process.”

He and Harriet brought a combined worldview that helped shape the curriculum of their alma mater. Burkholder played a large role in developing the first undergraduate exchange program with the People’s Republic of China that began in 1980. Using connections from his earlier service experience, as well as making trips to China to negotiate, he helped construct the still-functioning program.

Another notable contribution to the college is the large growth in the college’s endowment from the beginning of his term until his resignation. As part of his plan, Burkholder helped to launch the Uncommon Cause, an endowment campaign that helped Goshen bring in a significant amount of financial assistance.

“We’ve worked for a climate where rhetoric gives way to reality, a climate of authenticity,” he said, following his tenure as president. “We have hoped Goshen could be a college that is authentically liberal arts, authentically Christian.”

In the greater Mennonite Church, Burkholder became known for his unique philosophy and school of thought on ambiguity. “…While affirming points of emphasis in Anabaptism, I could not accept it uncritically in its ideological form,” wrote Burkholder in the book, The Limits of Perfection. “I felt that there was more to Christianity than could be contained within the idea of the isolated Mennonite community and theology of dissent.

“And when it comes to ambiguity, I contended that the world is a sea of good and evil, multiple demands, three-way obligations (triage), making ‘tragic necessity’ inevitable,” he wrote. “That is the way that nature and history cohere. That is not to deny untold opportunities to do good in this world. … Ambiguity imposes limits. Hence, Christians experience genuine dilemmas, not just ‘seeming’ dilemmas.”

Although Burkholder’s philosophies sparked controversy within the Mennonite Church, he was a well-respected and active participant of the Mennonite community, including his congregation College Mennonite Church.

Burkholder had a way of being present for many of the 20^thcentury’s major global moments. He and his family lived around the corner from Albert Einstein while studying at Princeton. He gave the opening eulogy and prayer at Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral ceremony at Harvard University. He was in Moscow’s Red Square during the failed coup against Boris Yeltsin. He was in East Germany when the Berlin Wall fell. He was in China, again, shortly after the democracy movement was crushed in Tiananmen Square.

The college opened its doors to the surrounding community in unprecedented ways during Burkholder’s presidency. This included starting the Afternoon Sabbatical Program and a continuing education program. The Umble Center was built on campus during his tenure to offer a venue for theater performances.

Along with his work in the church and collegiate arena, Burkholder had hobbies that he was known for. He could often be spotted in his ultralight airplane, flying over Goshen, or on a local tennis court working on his game. He also had a life-long passion for listening to classical music, especially organ music.

Burkholder is survived by his children, Howard Burkholder, Boston, Mass.; Janet (Lauren) Friesen, Flint, Mich., and Myrna Burkholder, Goshen, Ind.; two grandchildren, Eliot (Carrie) Friesen-Meyers and Erica (Blair Franklin) Friesen); one great-grandson, August Franklin; and a sister, Evelyn Kreider, Goshen, Ind.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Harriet, on Sept. 5, 2007; his son, Gerald Burkholder on April 19, 1981; a brother, Harold Burkholder, and two sisters, Mildred M. Hackman and Verna Troyer.

The Burkholders were awarded Goshen College’s “Culture for Service” Award in 1990. Their legacy will live on through their family and in the form of scholarships awarded at the college in honor of the Burkholders.

Memorial gifts can be made to the J. Lawrence and Harriet Burkholder Merit Scholarship Fund at Goshen College. For information about ways of donating, go to www.goshen.edu/give. To make an online contribution, click on “one-time credit card gift,” choose the “other” box option for designation and type the fund name into the blank box.

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 29 in the Koinonia Room of College Mennonite Church. Family and close friends will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30 for a procession to burial at Elkhart Prairie Cemetery in Goshen. The funeral service will begin at 11 a.m., also on Wednesday, June 30, at College Mennonite Church.

– By Jennifer Steiner and Jodi H. Beyeler

Memories and reflections on J. Lawrence Burkholder

Editor’s Note: The following are memories and reflections on the life of J. Lawrence Burkholder from those who knew him well and appreciated his many contributions to Goshen College, the Mennonite Church, Elkhart County and the world. We welcome additional contributions. Please e-mail your thoughts to pr@goshen.edu and we will post many of them below this article, though only letters that include the writer’s name, city and province/state, and country (if outside Canada and the U.S.) will be posted. Letters may be edited for clarity and length. You can also post your comments at www.facebook.com/goshencollege/

A Fourth Freedom Forum tribute to J. Lawrence Burkholder

Lawrence Burkholder did much in his life to advance justice and peace. One of his important but less well known contributions was as a founding director of the Fourth Freedom Forum. Burkholder served on the board of the Fourth Freedom Forum for more than 20 years and played a vital role in assuring its creation and growth into a significant voice for developing alternatives to war.

Burkholder was decisive in providing encouragement to Howard Brembeck to found the organization. Brembeck declared often that “without Lawrence Burkholder there would be no Fourth Freedom Forum.” He said this to me personally on numerous occasions and he stated it publically at foundation board meetings.

When Brembeck first decided in the early 1980s to use his wealth to create a foundation for world peace, his conservative Republican business friends were skeptical. No one seemed supportive, except Lawrence Burkholder. Howard went to speak with Lawrence, who praised his bold vision and urged him to proceed. Lawrence provided constant assurance and advice and agreed to serve on the foundation’s board of directors. His leadership was especially crucial in the early years of the foundation.

When I became president of the Forum nearly 20 years ago Lawrence Burkholder was one of my strongest supporters. When I first came to Goshen Harriet and he invited Karen and me to dinner and introduced us to wonderful Goshen colleagues and friends, Evelyn and Carl Kreider, Sue and J.R. Burkholder and many others. He was a stalwart supporter of the Fourth Freedom Forum throughout my term as president. His role on the board was indispensable in advancing the Forum’s work for nuclear disarmament and the prevention of war. All of us who serve the mission of the Fourth Freedom Forum are grateful for the leadership Lawrence Burkholder provided in making the creation and the work of the foundation possible.

David Cortright, Goshen

I will always be grateful to Larry not only because he arranged for the invitation to me to teach at Harvard Divinity School, but once I came here, became my mentor and adviser as well as my friend. His contribution to this school was immeasurable. It could be said that he brought HDS “down to earth” from what had been an over-emphasis on theoretical matters, but he did so with an impressive degree of intellectual acumen. The school turned a corner when he was here, and has continued to strengthen practical ministry ever since.

Harvey Cox Hollis Research Professor of Divinity, Harvard Divinity School

J. Lawrence Burkholder spent his life building bridges in our community and around the world. He connected men and women of differing beliefs and backgrounds. He inspired them to build a renewed society based on personal honor and mutual respect. He was a visionary leader who gave his very best to his family, his church, his community, his country and to the dozens of institutions and causes that benefited from his service during his long and productive life.

Lawrence was an inspiration to me and to dozens of our colleagues in Goshen and Elkhart. He played a key role in creating a community that seeks to live up to the expectations of all of its people. With the force of his intellect and the power of his prayers on our side, we were confident we could meet any challenge and overcome any obstacle.

Thank you, Lawrence, for the generous gift of your grace and the enduring pleasure of your friendship.

Art Decio, Elkhart, Ind.

J. Lawrence and I had had many good discussions. Our times together began with he and Harriet inviting my wife, Mary, and me to their house for tea. Subsequently we had many good visits including those in Switzerland and in Northwest Arkansas in a lake setting. His concerns, while often relating to Goshen College and the Mennonite Church, went far beyond the confines of his immediate surroundings.

When he crossed over to the other shores, I expect that he was met God in whom he believed. He taught me that even though we do not comprehend the full essence of God, we can believe in him. I can also imagine his finding those who went before him and with whom he was intrigued – Bonhoeffer, Barth, Immanuel Kant, Tillich, Kierkegaard and others – who, like Lawrence, struggled to know the truth and determine justice and to co-exist peacefully with all.

I will miss him as will many others.

Herbert Fransen, M.D. Retired medical director of Mennonite Mutual Aid

Sitting in J. Lawrence Burkholder’s philosophy class at Goshen College in the early-1950s was my initial exposure to this man’s knowledge and ability to communicate profound wisdom. That first impression escalated when he returned to Goshen, especially through the multiple contacts with him during the years I worked with the Chinese exchange scholars. I witnessed his amazing ability to converse with a wide variety of persons about everyday or depth issues effectively. He could hold the rapt attention and interest of literally any group.

In these last years, JLB has become to me not only a truly great human being but also my friend. Thanks be to God for the gift of this marvelous model we have had in our midst!

Ruth Gunden, Professor Emerita of Physical Education 
and Director Emerita of International Education, 
Goshen College, 1953-1994

Lawrence Burkholder and I have been friends for many years. We had met a few times long before we found ourselves teaching together on the faculty of Harvard Divinity School, but it was there that we really became close friends: two Mennonites on the faculty of HDS!

We had much to think about and talk about, and much to learn about our Mennonite convictions, as we worked with our students and fellow teachers – all of them interested in religion but very few acquainted with (or even interested in) the Anabaptist-Mennonite version of Christianity. In that context, Lawrence developed some new, quite interesting, ideas about the distinctive kind of institution-community the Christian church is, and what it is called to be and to do today. These proved to be of interest not only to students preparing for the Christian ministry; they were seriously discussed in the wider faculty as well.

Lawrence was a significant figure in the Harvard Divinity faculty. So when he and his wife decided to go back to Goshen and leave Harvard, the faculty lost a very important member.

Gordon D. Kaufman Mallinckrodt, Professor of Divinity Emeritus, Harvard Divinity School

Another theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German who understood the madness of and joined the resistance against Hitler, and who paid the ultimate price for his convictions with a Christ-like expression of his faith, described much about how I perceived Lawrence: “To understand reality is not the same as to know about outward events. It is to perceive the essential nature of things. The best-informed man is not necessarily the wisest. Indeed there is a danger that precisely in the multiplicity of his knowledge he will lose sight of what is essential. But on the other hand, knowledge of an apparently trivial detail quite often makes it possible to see into the depth of things. And so the wise man will seek to acquire the best possible knowledge about events, but always without becoming dependent upon this knowledge. To recognize the significant in the factual is wisdom.”

The sense of inner peace and humility that was the person of Lawrence Burkholder was surely a reflection of his ability to see “to the depth [and essential nature] of things … to recognize the significant in the factual.” How could it be otherwise? His ability to synthesize the complex into the understandable revealed a wisdom that was so profound that I was often left in awe, knowing not the unfathomable depth of his insights.

Despite possessing Bonhoeffer’s intellect, Lawrence was anything but a cloistered academic and theologian. Like Bonhoeffer, his quiet demeanor betrayed a deep-seated passion for action and justice. His life story reads more like that of a modern-day Huckleberry Finn. I think he would like to be remembered that way – although his humility would prevent him from saying so!

Though we all are ultimately liberated from this mortal coil, my friend, the “humble giant” for whom my admiration knew no limits, shall be alive in my memories until my time has come.

Frank K. Martin, CFA Senior Partner Martin Capital Management, LLP, Elkhart, Ind.

Whenever I think of the relationship of Lawrence Burkholder to Goshen College, Shakespeare’s famous description of Julius Caesar comes to mind, “He doth bestride the narrow world like a Collossus.” Lawrence was a Collossus in so many ways: his physical stature, his intellectual acumen, his knowledge of the world (and uncanny ability to witness dramatic, historical moments in the making), his leadership ability, his love of family, church, community, and world. I could go on. As a young professor, I watched Lawrence Burkholder carefully and was awed by his presence. When he encouraged me to think of becoming a college president myself some day, my life was changed.

Above all, I would select the word “humility” for Lawrence. His was the deep kind of humility. He was impervious to flattery (would have laughed to be called a Collossus) and appeared not to think much about himself. He did think about the mysteries of sin, grace, war, peace, the unfathomable riches of God. He made the life of the mind and the life of the spirit seem like the only life worth living.

My prayers are with Lawrence and all the family,

Shirley H. Showalter, Vice President-Programs, The Fetzer Institute President of Goshen College, 1997-2004

I was privileged to know J. Lawrence Burkholder as a professor at Goshen College and later served as his academic dean. His eloquent speeches and writings were informed by scholarship in philosophy and theology. But he went beyond academics. He taught out of truths that he first lived. He learned from relief work in China that feeding starving people also meant wrestling with moral dilemmas. He gained patience from fly-fishing and tennis. Once in a tight spot, he landed an airplane by knowing Mennonite Church geography. He and his wife Harriet were socially at ease with sawmill laborers and parishioners in upstate New York. He made lifelong friends in Asia. He conversed with President Derek Bok of Harvard, and Father Hesburgh of Notre Dame. All will remember him as a devout, ecumenical Christian. He has enriched us all with his seminal mind and gracious spirit.

Victor E. Stoltzfus, President of Goshen College, 1984-1995

Lawrence Burkholder brought a comprehensive view of the world with him when he rejoined the faculty of Goshen College as president. In working closely with him, two things always stood out. First, he had a deep and profound understanding of the philosophical implications of the actions that he took. Whether the actions were personal or for Goshen College, he was aware of, and would articulate clearly the broader implications of them. Second, he was a person of complete integrity. His planning and work always had genuine transparency. The goals to which he worked were simply stated and were clear. There was no hidden agenda. For a person who pursued the meaning and implications of ambiguity in his professional discipline, this was a remarkable achievement.

Henry D. Weaver, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Provost Emeritus, Goshen College, 1957-1980, 1996

We’ve lost one of the great ones!

I was never a student or colleague of J. Lawrence, but enjoyed getting to know him during visits when he was a patient in the hospital and I was the chaplain, and when his wife was a patient a few times before her death almost three years ago. When I read the following online, I felt a sense of awe at what all this gifted man accomplished in his life.

I feel this piece by Jennifer Steiner and Jodi H. Beyeler deserves to be shared much broader, beyond the menno.edu.goshen forum, so I’m reposting this in Menno.talk.chat.

Clair Hochstetler, Canberra, Australia

I have been deeply grateful and honored to have known J. Lawrence Burkholder. Our discussions have left a lasting impression on my thinking.

Carl Helrich, Professor Emeritus of Physics, Goshen College, 1985-2009

I write these words with sadness about his death, yet with great gratitude for Dr. Burkholder’s life and ministry. The authenticity of his life, the realism of his theology, and the compassion of his ministry was amalgamated with his passion for Anabaptist engagement with the world. I have used his dissertation extensively in my own academic and pastoral work, and will continue to grapple with his sociological challenge of the “tragic necessity.”

Blessings for his family in this time of bereavement.

Rev. Dr. Sylvia Klauser, Associate Supervisor ACPE, Department of Chaplaincy & Pastoral Education, Houston, Texas

Thirty-three years ago this fall, I applied for the position of Director of Communications, against the advice of a Goshen acquaintance who had said that as a Catholic I’d never be hired. After meeting Dan Kauffman, the head of College Relations, I had an interview with then-President Burkholder. We talked theater (he gave me a tour of the Umble Center, still under construction), philosophy, and town-gown issues, subjects obviously close to his heart. He was the reason I accepted the job, not knowing that he was the one who had made the decision to take a chance on this OTM.

It was my great privilege to work with him on grant applications and Uncommon Cause materials, and it was as much a pleasure to hear him in chapel or convo as to talk with him in his office. J. Lawrence gave me the invaluable gift of furthering my education in philosophy and ecumenism and letting me contribute a little to the college at the same time. Like many, many others, I am grateful and blessed to have known him.

Judith Davis, Professor Emerita of French and Humanities, Goshen College, 1977-2001

Lawrence Burkholder was a wise and courageous Mennonites leader. In the post-World War II period, his realism and sense of tragedy gave him a unique role on a Mennonite stage often dominated by utopian voices.

Especially impressive was his width of influence as a professor and Goshen College president who personally helped individual students make life-changing decisions. He could relate to our congregational constituency as well as others drawn to his global philosophy and international experience. As a church leader he cherished the uniqueness of the Mennonites, at the same time that he appreciated the larger Christian tradition.

Professionally and educationally, he travelled far from his Pennsylvania Mennonite roots, but his longer view of history and love of the church, made him a trusted voice in the Mennonite community, its congregations and institutions. His counsel will be missed.

Levi and Gloria Miller, Scottdale, Pa. Daniel and Mary Miller Walnut Creek, Ohio

I too am saddened at the loss of one who has contributed so much to our lives and to many whose lives Lawrence touched. I was executive secretary of the Mennonite Board of Education during the years when Lawrence was president of Goshen College, and I have warm memories of his inauguration and years of service. He made a great contribution to the education of members and future leaders of the Mennonite Church.

The intersections of Lawrence’s life path with mine have been almost too numerous to count. I was a student at Goshen College around 1949, when he first came to teach. Lawrence was, for a time, a pastor or intern at my home church, the Oak Grove Mennonite Church, in Ohio. I stayed with the Burkholder family for a night or two when I had my doctoral oral exams in physics at Princeton University. Among my most personal memories, I recall that Lawrence and I were each in Goshen for the fall semester of 1960-61. He was leaving for Harvard in mid-year, and I was going on a five-year leave from Goshen to serve as academic dean at Bethel College, Kansas, so we jointly led a large fall Sunday School class of college students on “Great Theologians.” We started with Schleiermacher, and he took a theologian one Sunday and I took one the next. When I presented, he opened the question period, and conversely. I had just returned a few years before from theological studies with Karl Barth et al. in Europe, and I have many happy memories of those Sundays of collaboration and conversation with Lawrence.

Albert J. Meyer, Goshen

Flying and Landing

Having become a pilot as a Pennsylvania teenager, Lawrence, whether living in China, Massachusetts or Elkhart County, loved to fly. And well after his retirement, those of us living in Goshen, both town and gown, would glimpse his ultralite buzzing overhead. From those altitudinal perspectives he could envision the broader context of where he chose to plant his feet when on the ground. And with pen, pulpit, platform and personal talk he shared what he saw.

Among those more intimate, richly informed conversations, we find a vivid case in point, metaphorically shaped through creative lines and sensitive insight into “Flying Lesson,” the concluding poem in Julia Kasdorf’s 1998 second collection. In this poem, upon having once listened to her confessed intention to leave Goshen for New York, President Burkholder speaks from his earlier experience when a teacher at Harvard Divinity School, flying “a tiny plane alone out over the ocean … each time pressing farther into the dark,” turning “at the last moment,” then gliding back toward the shining city and gracefully landing, “fuel needle dead on empty.”

The poem is a remarkable mirror that reflects an essential element of Lawrence’s persistent and gracious blending of the ideal and the real. It ends with “advice” to the young poet that is shared with us all:

… fling yourself
farther, and a bit farther each time,
but darling, don’t drop.

John J. Fisher, Professor Emeritus of English, Goshen College, 1953-1992

I was a paper carrier in Souderton, Pa., in 1964 for the North Penn Reporter and the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. One day when I was 13 my dad, Stanley (soon to be on the faculty at Goshen College and serving throughout Burkholder’s presidency), opened the Bulletin in our living room, saw an Associated Press photo at the top of a page 1 story on civil rights and exclaimed, “That’s Larry Burkholder!” It showed JLB and Mrs. Peabody, mother of the former governor of Massachusetts, being arrested in Florida during a sit-in at a segregated restaurant. I had never heard of J. Lawrence Burkholder before that; at the time he was a professor at Harvard Divinity School. I found out recently that he was already in the South and had agreed to look after Mrs. Peabody, who was up in years.

Not long ago my son Jason was seen wearing his “Menno Power” T-shirt with JLB’s caricature prominently displayed. The simple sketch had been done in the 1970s by Roland Bainton, a British historian visiting Goshen College at the behest of Alan Kreider, a GC history professor. Bainton, an amateur artist, caught Burkholder from the side and captured his profile perfectly.

Dan Shenk ’75, Goshen

As an alumnus, if I heard Lawrence Burkholder speak, it restored my faith in God. I respected him, and remember him flying over ball games in his ultralite plane.

Flo Harnish ’53, Ephrata, PA

When President Burkholder began his presidency at Goshen College in 1971, I was in my sixth year of teaching at GC and had just assumed the role of chair of the art department. His first request of me as chair was to assemble representative works of art from each of our art faculty to be displayed in his office. Concerned about what he might like, stylistically, I posed that question. He answered in his usual low-key conversational manner that whatever was important to each of us, would be right for him, indicating he learned from art works that held some mystery. That response signaled an attitude of inquiry continuing throughout his presidency. Only weeks before his passing, on one of my visits, he seemed amused when I studied my painting which hung prominently in his apartment, muttering that I hadn’t remembered accenting a section of the painting as I had. This led to a discussion about the process of painting and how that process echoes life itself, always evolving.

Abner Hershberger, Professor Emeritus of Art, Goshen College, 1965-1999

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Richard R. Aguirre at (574) 535-7571 or rraguirre@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.