Articles

From The Director
A Note From Home
By Robby Larson, Director of Alumni Relations
Going to school is a part of our routine. From the time we head off to kindergarten until we graduate from high school, waking up each morning, hurrying to get ready and out the door in time to catch the bus or make the walk to school is a part of our routine. Everyday was roughly the same thing. Except for those rare occasions when you got to leave school early, or miss a few days, while the rest of your classmates stayed in school. You stepped out of your routine, and all it took was a note from home. Whatever routine you find yourself in right now, consider this article your note from home. More…

News

2009 Honored Alumni Award Recipients
During Homecoming 2009 (February 20-21), six alumni will be recognized with the Alumni Association’s Honored Alumni Awards. This year’s recipients are: Barry Hubbell ‘64, Heritage Award; Todd Miller ‘84, Outstanding Alumnus; Timothy Williams ‘02, Outstanding Recent Alumnus; David ‘93 and Debby ‘94 Thomas, Christian Service Award; and Rear Admiral Robert Burt MDiv ‘81, Seminary Alumnus of the Year. Short biographies of each of the award recipients are available here.

The awards will be presented at the annual Alumni Celebration Brunch on Saturday, Feb. 21. To register for the brunch and other Homecoming activities, click here. To find out more about Honored Alumni Awards, including past winners, selection criteria, and nomination forms, click here. Nominations for the 2010 Honored Alumni Awards may be submitting by using the online nomination form.

Alumnus Selected to Head Planned Giving Services
Gene Christian ‘85, a development professional with more than 20 years of experience in estate planning and planned giving services, joined George Fox University’s Office of Development earlier this month. Christian will serve as the university’s interim director of planned giving. He is principal of Charitable Estate Planning Northwest, a planned giving company that specializes in helping the nonprofit community effectively market, secure and manage planned giving arrangements. He replaces Al Zimmerman, who left the university in December to serve as executive director of the Portland-based Northwest Christian Community Foundation. For more information, click here.

Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2009
Five individuals and one team will be inducted into the George Fox University Sports Hall of Fame in a banquet ceremony taking place as a part of Homecoming 2009 on Friday, Feb. 20. The honorees for the Class of ‘09 include athletes Nate Barnett ‘99 (baseball, 1996-99), Gegi (Bonera) Ward ‘96 (women’s soccer, 1992-95), and Howard Crow ‘61, posthumous (football, basketball, track & field, baseball, 1958-61), coach Randy Winston ‘73 (women’s track & field, 1977-1981), Eric Lautenbach ‘88 (meritorious service), and the 1999 baseball team. To read more about each of the inductees, click here. To register for the Banquet and Induction Ceremony, use the Homecoming online registration form.

Women’s Basketball Still Undefeated
The George Fox women’s basketball team continues to climb in national polls, as they have emerged victorious in each of their 19 games. Ranked seventh in two polls, the Bruins are one of only two teams in NCAA Division III that remain undefeated. With their win over Whitman this week, the 19-0 Bruins continued to extend two new records they set this season for the most wins at the start of a season and the most wins at any point in a season. By defeating Lewis & Clark 59-39 on Jan. 9 in Portland, the Bruins set a new mark for best start to a season with their 12th straight win. The next night, their 52-47 win over Puget Sound gave them 13 consecutive wins, topping the previous best streak at any point in a season of 12 in a row (Dec. 18-Feb. 1 in 2007-08).

The 2001-02 and 2005-06 teams had opened the seasons with 11-0 runs before faltering in their 12th games. The Bruins have accomplished all this with only one senior, four upperclassmen in all, and nine freshmen making up the roster. To read more about the team, click here.

Former Bruin Finalist for Oregon Sports Award
Katy Campbell ‘08, an All-American women’s basketball player for George Fox, has been selected as one of five finalists for the 2008 Ad Rutschman Small College Women’s Athlete of the Year, one of the honors that will be presented during the 57th annual Oregon Sports Awards ceremonies on Sunday, Feb. 8, in the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike World Campus in Beaverton, Ore.

Campbell, a 6-1 forward from Springfield, Ore., and Thurston High School, was a four-year letter winner for George Fox from 2004-2008. As a senior, she was instrumental in leading the Bruins to a 25-5 record (a school record for wins), the Northwest Conference co-championship, and the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Division III National Tournament. In doing so, she earned NCAA Division III Fourth Team All-America honors from D3hoops.com and honorable mention All-America honors from the Women’s Basketball Coaches of America. She was a Third Team All-West Region selection by D3hoops.com, and was named the Northwest Conference Player of the Year for the second year in a row. For more information, click here.

Homecoming 2009
Homecoming 2009 is a few weeks away and the time to register is here! Taking place on campus Feb. 20-21, homecoming is a great opportunity for all alumni to return to George Fox and reconnect with old friends. Make plans now to come home to your alma mater and join in the exciting homecoming festivities. Reunions will be held for the classes of 1939, 1949, 1969, 1979, 1984, 1989 and 1999. In addition two very special affinity reunions also will take place. One for anyone associated with the George Fox football program, and another for all alumni who went through a business program. The School of Management reunion includes a professional networking opportunity and a keynote address by author and Portland-area CEO, Daniel Harkavy.

Call or email your friends and encourage them to join you on campus for Homecoming 2009! For more information and to register, visit homecoming.georgefox.edu.

Kaleo 2009 – Ordinary Radicals with Shane Claiborne
The annual Kaleo conference for people who engage with youth will be held on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. Nationally known speaker Shane Claiborne will be speaking about Ordinary Radicals. Anyone who works or engages with youth – including youth pastors, church lay leaders, parachurch youth workers, social workers, and parents – would benefit from this conference because its aim is to affirm and bless youth workers and to offer practical training to sharpen their skills. Encourage the youth workers in your life to attend this conference, and be encouraged to attend it yourself! For more information about the conference content and registration, go to kaleo.georgefox.edu.

First Year Alumni Invited to Job Hunting Workshop
Career Services is hosting the Get Smart Job Hunters Workshop for current students and first-year alumni on Saturday Feb. 7, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This informative workshop trains participants to do an effective job search, including best ways to find a job, resume and cover letter preparation, and interviewing tips. All first-year alumni must pre-register in order to attend. To reserve your space in the workshop, contact Career Services at careers@georgefox.edu or 503-554-2330.

George Fox presents ‘Portraits of Courage’
George Fox will host a production of the play "Portraits of Courage: African Americans You Wish You Had Known," from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9, in Bauman Auditorium on the university’s Newberg campus. The 65-minute play, presented as part of February’s Black History Month celebration, portrays African Americans who have been influential to the development of America but are typically overlooked in the history books. The six people portrayed – Ida B. Wells, Lewis Latimer, Colonel Young, C.J. Walker, Bass Reeves and Fannie Lou Hamer – have all played a pivotal role in American culture and history. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Bösendorfer Concert Series
The George Fox University Performing Arts Department is proud to feature a world-renowned pianist, Gianluca Luisi, in the Bösendorfer Concert Series at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009, in Bauman Auditorium. This concert marks the return of Luisi to the Bauman stage after his performance during the first year of the concert series in 2007. "Gianluca Luisi’s extraordinary talents combined with the Imperial Bösendorfer Piano and Bauman Auditorium’s remarkable acoustics will offer attendees an unforgettable concert," according to Dr. Kenn Willson of the George Fox music faculty.

For more information about the Bösendorfer Concert Series and ticket information, call 503-554-2620, or click here. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and alumni, and $6 for students and children.

Alumna to Speak on Global Prostitution
Dawn Herzog Jewell ‘94, author of the book "Escaping the Devil’s Bedroom: Sex Trafficking, Global Prostitution, and the Gospel’s Transforming Power," will speak and host a book-signing event at George Fox on Monday, Feb. 16. Herzog Jewell, a freelance journalist based in Chicago, will speak in chapel from 10:40 to 11:30 a.m. in Bauman Auditorium. Following her presentation, she will sign copies of her book from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the university’s bookstore.

Herzog Jewell’s chapel talk will weave the stories of individual victims of sexual exploitation with an examination of the realities that got them there in North America and overseas. She also will highlight ministries that are reaching one life at a time through prayerful visits to strip-clubs, bars and seedy streets. For more information, click here.

Announcements

Alumni Board seeks Applicants
The Alumni Board will have open seats on July 1 for traditional undergraduate representatives from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Service on the alumni board is a valuable way to give back to and stay connected with the George Fox community. If you are interested in applying for one of these positions, please fill out the alumni board application form online by March 1.

Alumni Invited to Share at Student Events
The Bruin Heritage Society is seeking alumni to participate in the Connections & Confections Networking Dessert and Senior Salute events scheduled for early March.

Connections & Confections, taking place Wednesday, Mar. 4 from 7:30-9 p.m., is designed to connect students with alumni working in career fields that the students are interested in. It is a great opportunity for alumni to share about their own careers and to help our students in their career-exploration process. Alumni from any era or career field are encouraged to participate.

Senior Salute, taking place Friday, Mar. 13 from 10:30 a.m. – noon, is the first event for graduating seniors as they begin their transition from student to alumnus. Alumni from the past five years are invited to serve as table hosts at this brunch event; sharing their experiences and reflecting on their own transition out of George Fox.

Register to participate in these events by Wednesday, Feb. 18. For more information and to sign-up, email bruinheritage@georgefox.edu.

George Fox Unveils Redesigned Website
Recently, George Fox launched a redesigned university website. The new site includes more dynamic content, video features, and easier navigation. If you haven’t been to the website in a while, take a moment to explore the new features. To visit the website, click here.

Travel with GFU to Alpine Europe, Summer 2010
Registrations for George Fox University’s tour of alpine Europe in early-summer 2010 are coming in. But there is still time to sign-up for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity featuring tickets to the Passion Play at Oberammergau, Germany. Open to all alumni, parents, and friends of George Fox, our 11-day tour, departing May 31, will include visits to the beautiful alpine European cities of Frankfurt and Munich, Germany; Salzburg, Austria; and Lucerne and Interlaken, Switzerland. Among many other highlights, the tour will include travel through the Rhine Valley, Black Forest, as well as the Swiss, Austrian, and Bavarian Alps.

Additionally, visits are planned to Neuschwanstein and Heidelberg castles, and Rothenburg, Germany’s best-preserved medieval town. The highlight of the trip will be the Passion Play, an inspiring one-day play, dating back nearly 375 years, which is performed for sold-out audiences every 10 years in a magnificent outdoor-covered amphitheater with the Bavarian Alps as a backdrop. To read the full itinerary, request more information, and register for the trip, click here.

Alumni Association/Liberty Mutual Partnership
The George Fox Alumni Association has partnered with Liberty Mutual Insurance to provide discounted group-rate insurance to our alumni. Our alumni can purchase homeowners, renters, or automobile insurance through this program. To find out more or to request a quote, click here.

Highlighting Our History

With homecoming on the horizon, we decided to look back at past George Fox homecoming celebrations. This annual event has taken on many forms over the years and included a wide variety of events. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the desire for alumni to return to campus to reconnect with the place that became their home. Here are some homecoming highlights from the past.

1931 – Amos Stanbrough ‘93, a member of the first graduating class (that’s 1893) gave a speech, "The Origin of Old Bruin," at the alumni banquet. His short address outlined the history of the Bruin mascot and what eventually became known as the Bruin Brawl. Although his talk was not concerned with the brawls themselves, he described the circumstances of how the original bear cub, "Bruin," became a part of the campus. In his book A Heritage to Honor, A Future to Fulfill, historian Ralph Beebe ‘54 indicates that "Stanbrough’s memory erred on a few points, but for the most part, this is probably an accurate accounting."

1964 – "Friday night’s homecoming bonfire was one to be remembered for many years to come. The freshmen, in their haste to kindle the fire before the sophomores could put it out according to long-standing tradition, doused it with gasoline and tossed in a match. Sophomore Larry Robert, standing near the pile of wood, was blown nearly 30 feet by the resulting explosion. The noise was heard all over Newberg, and fire trucks and policemen responded. Freshman class president Gene Hooke won the title ‘Smokey’ for his part in the episode." (L’ami, 1965)

1981 – Students competed in pyramid-building contests, while other contests included seeing how many students could fit in a Volkswagen Beetle or a campus phone booth.

1995 – Homecoming week activities came to a close with Tacky Jacket Day, the traditional attire for Saturday of homecoming.

Do you have a special memory of homecoming, either as a student or as an alumnus? E-mail it to bruinhertiage@georgefox.edu.