A News Publication for Cedarville College Alumni
E1TING11
TAKES
Spring 1992
bacteria...[and]
remove the chlorine as
well as organics from
their drinking water."
What Mel
called a token
endeavor was big
newsfor the media.
Mel and Doris were part ofa news
conference which involved reporters from
Moscow as well as local TV people. A
correspondent from the Soviet news
agency Tass also interviewed them.
The Soviets had held over 100
conferences on the water crisis situation.
"But,"says Mel,"they couldn't
understand someone coming from the
United States and donating equipment to
help them solve their problem."
Mel continues,"My desire is to return
with some creative way to help solve the
drinking water problem."Currently he is
working on a plan to assemble water
conditioning equipment in Uzbekistan
using both Russian and U.S. materials.
"Perhaps through a U.S.-based consortium
or philanthropic organization,something
can be done."He sees this project as"a
means ofsaving lives and improving the
quality oflife of an impoverished people."
Mel believes that,"In the former Soviet
Union,freedom and a market-driven
economy will slowly bury the sad results
of72 years oftotalitarian government."
Mel and Doris Entingh findjoy in
demonstrating Christ's compassion in a
broken world.
Mel Entingh '55 started his
water conditioning business while he was
a Cedarville student and moved it to Dayton after
graduation. Enting Water Conditioning Company,
Inc. manufactures water conditioning products and
markets them internationally. Mel and Doris have
five children: Dan'77N,Yvonne,Andrea(Entingh
'81N)Whitaker, Karen (Entingh '84)Eastham,and
Cheryl(Entingh'88N)Fleetwood. Dan, Karen,
and Andrea's husband, Brian Whitaker'79 work
for the company.
S
ince the breakup ofthe Soviet
Union,the names ofthe 15 former
republics are almost becoming
household words. However,few
Americans had heard of
Uzbekistan in 1990 when Soviet officials
invited Mel Entingh '55 to speak at a
conference there.
The Soviets were seeking Mel's expertise
on water conditioning in their quest to save
the
dying Aral
Sea region.Once
the size ofLake
Superior and supporting a
thriving fishing industry,the
Aral Sea is drying up with
disastrous results. Back in
1969 the Soviet government decided to
divert waterfrom the two rivers on
which the Aral Sea is totally dependent.
The region is very arid with only about
two inches ofrainfall a year, but the
government wanted to use the water to
grow cotton,providejobs,and increase
revenue.
Now the remaining water is badly
contaminated with pesticides, herbicides,
and nitrates from the excessive use of
fertilizers. Farmers also use DDT
extensively. Dust leftfrom the receding
waters is saturated with chemicals and
fills the air. Because ofthe environment,
about ten per cent ofthe children do not
survive their first year oflife.
In October 1990 Mel and his wife,
Doris'57N,flew to Moscow and then to
Nukus,Uzbekistan, where Mel delivered
his presentation. Mel says,"We had
brought with us a 150 gallon-per-day
reverse osmosis purifier expressly to
give to a children's hospital we were
told that we would be visiting." He
continues,"We also rigged a method to
