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Julie Goetz, coordinator of online education, has been named Huntington University’s 2010 Staff Member of the Year.
Goetz, who has been employed by the university for four years, was nominated by faculty and staff for the award and was selected by the university’s senior administrators. She was recognized for the award during the annual Celebration of Service banquet on May 10.
Huntington University students, faculty, and staff contributed more than 11,450 volunteer hours this year in the greater Huntington and Fort Wayne communities.
“It’s part of who we are as an institution. It’s a reflection of our Christ-centered values,” said Grace McBrayer, director of first year students and volunteer services at Huntington University.
Huntington University’s Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service tracks the hours that are volunteered by the campus at locations such as Youth for Christ, Huntington Kid’s Club, the Love Church in Fort Wayne, the Adopt a Grandparent program, Habitat for Humanity, and Volunteer 911, which is an on-campus ministry to provide assistance to the community by filling requests ranging from baby sitting to yard work and home maintenance. Students, faculty, and staff also volunteer each semester during the fall and spring work days. Spring break and fall break trips also contribute to this count.
The Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service is a student-directed organization that mobilizes the campus community for Christian service. It was founded in 1992 through a grant. Each year, more than 70 percent of resident students are involved in some form of volunteer service.
Darwin Dunten, pastor of Findlay First UB church (Findlay, Ohio), is mourning the passing of his father. David Dunten passed away Monday evening, May 10, after a long battle with Lewy Body disease.
Visitation: Thursday, May 13, 2-5 pm and 7-9 pm.
Visitation Location: DO McComb Pine Valley, 1320 East Dupont Rd., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Funeral: 10 am Friday, May 14.
Funeral Location: New Haven United Methodist church, New Haven, Ind.
Mike Brown as Superfan
Mike Brown, senior pastor of Franklin UB church (New Albany, Ohio), has been named Grand Marshall of the 2010 New Albany Founders Day celebration, which starts with a parade on Saturday, May 15. He was nominated multiple times.
Mike has pastored Franklin UB since 1989, and is well-known in the community. He is the current president of the New Albany Ministerial Association, and a member of the New Albany Business Association and the Chamber of Commerce. He also coached both boys and girls soccer at the New Albany Middle School for 16 years (1989-2005).
Mike is also known as “Superfan,” a fixture at local sporting events. He did that for ten years, 1999-2009.
It started with a dare. If his youth brought 100 students to “Fifth Quarter” activities at the church after a high school football game, he would dress in a fan costume for the next game. They did, and he did. And it turned into a regular gig, showing up at games wearing a New Albany football jersey, a maroon and gold cape, and a gold wig.
Superfan’s signature moves were holding up handcrafted signs with funny and sometimes controversial messages. He also threw gum into the crowd. Visitors didn’t always appreciate Superfan. At a home game in 2007, visitors threw gum back at him. At a playoff game in 2004, an opposing fan shoved Superfan and followed him back to the New Albany sideline; Mike had to get a policeman involved.
For the role, he adopted an alter ego, and tried to keep his true identity a secret–though he did preach once as Superfan.
He retired Superfan on October 23, 2009, the year’s last home football game (which they won, 42-21).
“I had two herniated disks,” Brown explained. “I just can’t jump the two or three steps without it hurting. If I can’t do it at 100 percent, then I don’t want to do it.”
He also suffered bouts of heart arrhythmia. Two days after participating as Superfan in a July 4 parade, doctors had to shock his heart back into normal pace.
“I hoped it would be fun that one time, and it became more fun than I ever dreamed of,” Mike said upon retiring Superfan in 2009.
And now, he’s grand marshal.
“Honestly, my first reaction was shock,” Brown said. “It was really hard to believe. In all my years here, it is no doubt my biggest surprise….For years, I was not able to attend the parade due to middle school soccer tournaments on Founders Day. I guess this year I won’t miss the parade.”
Bob Kaehr, director of library services at Huntington University, will retire May 31 after 34 years at the college.
Kaehr was instrumental in moving the library from the Loew Alumni Library (currently the Administrative Annex) to the RichLyn Library in 1986. He worked to keep the library up-to-date with the latest resources and technologies during his tenure. He also taught many of the classes for the library science minor, which is no longer offered on campus; nearly all of his students were placed into library positions after graduation.
In retirement, Kaehr plans to do some part-time lecturing and work in the university’s United Brethren Historical Center. But most of all, he plans to keep busy with meaningful activities, spend time with his wife, do volunteer work and, as he says, “enjoy life.”
Amos Rawley (left) and Dr. Tim Smith
Huntington University’s annual Forester Night recognizes students and professors for accomplishments during the school year. The 39th edition was held May 4.
Amos Rawley, son of Pastor David Rawley of Otterbein UB Church (Greencastle, Pa.), was named Male Forester of the Year. He is a Bible and religious studies major. Katie Aeschliman, a public relations major from Stryker, Ohio, was named the Female Forester of the Year. These two awards are voted on by the student body.
Twenty-one seniors were honored by their respective departments with the Outstanding Senior Awards, which are voted on by faculty. Amos Rawley received the award for Bible and Religious Studies. You can view that entire list online.
Dr. Tim Smith, assistant professor of history, was named the 2010 Professor of the Year. Smith joined the faculty in 2007, having previously taught at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. He is the author of “Britain and the Origins of the Vietnam War 1943-50” (2007), and he has also published a number of articles in leading journals and for the BBC.
This year senior pastors were given the option, in place of regular cluster meetings, of taking training through the Center for Excellence in Congregational Leadership. This is a demanding two-year program.
A group of five UB pastors will begin the training today. They are now on their way to Green Lakes, Wiss., for the first of five classes they will attend over the next two years. The sessions begin tonight (May 10) and continue all week on the subject “Personal and Pastoral Integrity: The Key to Sustaining Pastoral Excellence.”
The five pastors are:
A Sunday school class of mostly senior citizens from King Street Church (Chambersburg, Pa.) was headed to Lancaster County on April 27 for a dinner theater. As their charter bus drove down I-81 on that Tuesday morning, a back tire blew. The driver couldn’t pull over, because the road had no shoulder, so he continued driving a half mile to an off-ramp.
When the driver checked on the tire, he saw smoke and flames. He then asked everyone to leave the bus. All 46 persons got off the bus safely before it filled with black smoke. Fire ultimately destroyed the interior of the bus. Fortunately, nobody was injured.
The passengers were bussed to the Newville fire station, where another bus from the charter company came to get them. They made it to the dinner theater on time.
Huntington University will award 279 degrees to students during the May 15 Commencement exercises, scheduled for 3 p.m. in the Merillat Complex for Physical Education and Recreation. Those degrees include:
In addition, honorary doctorates will be awarded to two persons: commencement speaker Dr. Herma B. Williams, and Donald Duff.
Martha Smith, Huntington University associate dean of students, will present the baccalaureate sermon at 10:30 a.m. in the Field House of the Merillat Complex.
The commencement exercises and the baccalaureate sermon are open to the public, and no tickets are required.
Attaboy (l-r): Jeff, Amos, Chris.
Huntington University is cosponsoring the Rock Hop & Roll tour, headlined by Christian music group Attaboy.
The April 18 concert in Grand Rapids, Mich., brought in 750 pounds of food for the needy. All items were donated to Byron Community Ministries’ food and clothing pantry in Byron Center, Mich.
Attaboy was joined by special guests Highland Fall and Jared Mahone. Other consponsors of the event were Banner of Christ UB church in Byron Center, JQ99 Radio, and Cornerstone Church in Caledonia, Mich.
Byron Community Ministries is an outreach program of 22 local churches. Byron supplies food and clothing to 1000 adults and children each month.
Attaboy’s lead singer, Amos Caley, is the son of Rev. J. Michael Caley, pastor of Banner of Christ church. The other two group members are Jeff Edgel, who was a fellow student with Amos at Huntington University; and Huntington native Chris Brumbaugh. The group has been together for five years.
