Inspire, Fall 2000

grade history at Russellville Middle School in Arkansas. She is the school’s representative for bringing technology to the classroom and teaches workshops on the use of the Internet and Power Point in the classroom. Sarah has completed five years of teaching and has been the sixth grade history department chairman for two years. Sarah and her husband, Brad Palmer ’94 , reside in Russellville. Georgia Hickman Purdom ’94 received her doctorate of philosophy in molecular genetics from The Ohio State University in June 2000. Georgia is an assistant professor in the biology department at Mount Vernon Nazarene College (Ohio). Karen Williams ’94 and Daniel Kern were married August 28, 1999 at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio. They enjoyed a honeymoon in Cancún, Mexico before returning home to the Boston, Massachusetts area. Karen has accepted a position in the medical education department of MIT, and Daniel is in the mechanical engineering doctoral program at MIT. Blair ’95 and Joy McVey Copen ’95 announce the birth of Taylar Alice on June 10, 2000. They reside in Portsmouth, Ohio. Jeff Fortna ’95 received his doctorate of veterinary medicine from Michigan State University in May 2000. He has accepted a position in a small animal veterinary clinic in coastal North Carolina. Scott ’95 and Christine Fischbacher Hayden ’93 rejoice that a Bible study with moms of ICS students is bearing fruit. Scott is now teaching seventh and eighth grade science, and Christine continues to teach elementary kids at ICS in Thailand. Michelle Hollenbaugh Schbeider ’95 and her husband, Robert, live in Dayton, Ohio. Michelle works at Jo-Ann Fabrics. Phillip Snyder ’95 is an operations supervisor with Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Rochester, New York. His wife, Melissa Mocny Snyder ’96 , is a billing specialist for a pediatric orthopedic doctor. Chad Vitarelli ’95 and Hayley Barnett were married September 18, 1999. Chad graduated from seminary in May 1999 and is the pastor of worship and discipleship at Highland Hills Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Erin Weaver ’95 received his master of theology degree in family life ministries from Dallas Theological Seminary in June 2000. He works at Bethal Baptist Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He and his wife, Karen, have made their home in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Steven Burdette ’96 received his doctor of medicine degree from Wright State University School of Medicine (Ohio) on June 9, 2000. He is in his first year of his internal medicine residency at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. His wife, Carrie Beaty Burdette ’95 , is a general accountant at Day International. They reside in Clayton, Ohio. Ronda Clawson ’96 and Eldon Rhodenizer were married January 15, 2000 at Blackhawk Baptist Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After enjoying a Caribbean cruise for their honeymoon, the couple has settled in Fort Wayne. Ronda is a registered nurse and developmental therapist in the neonatal intensive care unit at Parkview Hospital. Eldon is a quality manager at Superior Essex. Melissa Hartman ’96 graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine in May 2000. In July, she began a three- year emergency medicine residency program in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jeff ’96 and Tiffany Trimble Nelson ’95 left in July for Rio Branco, Brazil. They minister to street kids at New Life House, a government-run program with 25 boys, and up to 80 that come for special events. They truly believe this is a God- given opportunity, because only God could have made the government in Brazil ask them to teach religion to children. Marcus ’96 and Susan Beach Varotti ’93 have returned to the States after spending one year in London, England. They now reside in Washington, D.C., where Marcus is employed by Texas Pacific Group in their private equity division, and Susan is employed at the law firm of Clifford Chance, Rogers & Wells. Daniel ’97 and Rebecca Kniowski Graham ’99 announce the birth of Benjamin Daniel on April 25, 2000. Daniel is a product engineer for Syroco, and Rebecca stays home with Benjamin and teaches piano. They reside in Cato, New York. Jeff Hock ’97 works as the production manager for one of Procter & Gamble’s e-commerce businesses in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jeff became engaged to Erin Douglas on May 6, 2000; a wedding is planned for October 7, 2000 in West Chester, Ohio. Christopher Jones ’97 recently received his master’s degree in engineering from Penn State University. He is a product design engineer with Dynisco Polymer Test and resides in Reading, Pennsylvania. Jim Patten ’97 is in his second year of studies at Baptist Bible Seminary in Pennsylvania. Lori Skillman ’97 and Kevin Carr were married November 13, 1999 in Houston, Texas, where the couple now resides. Lori teaches seventh and eleventh grade English at The Woodlands Academy in The Woodlands, Texas. She recently received the D. Bruce Lockerbie Award for excellence in teaching. Kevin works for Kirklands, Inc. as a retail manager. Jonathan Weber ’97 is in his second year of studies at Baptist Bible Seminary in Pennsylvania. Chris Ashcraft ’98 and Jennifer Hangosky ’98 were married October 24, 1998 in Cleveland, Ohio. They honeymooned on the island of Antigua, and now reside in Westerville, Ohio. Chris is a senior technical writer at Qwest Communications, and Jennifer is a team manager at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. Inspire 25 Doctor’s Calling Began in Papua New Guinea Jungle Before Nathan Piovesan ’96 received his M.D. degree from Wright State University School of Medicine on June 9, he had to journey half-way around the world for his final course. A month-long surgery rotation at a remote missionary hospital in Papua New Guinea allowed him to renew the motivation that led him to become a doctor. Papua New Guinea (PNG) meant a homecoming for Nathan, who had grown up on the island from the age of three. His parents, the Rev. Gary and Dorothy Piovesan, served 20 years as missionaries in a mountainous jungle village there. He met his wife-to-be, Dorothy Thangamma Emerson ’98 , at a mission boarding school in PNG, and Nathan had learned the island’s most widely used trade language and experienced firsthand the people’s overwhelming need for medical care. Nathan’s surgery rotation was based at the Kudjip Nazarene Hospital, a 120-bed facility in PNG’s eastern highlands. The surgeries ranged from appendectomies and delivering babies by Caesarean section to stitching trauma wounds and correcting a young boy’s club feet. When not assisting in the surgeries, Nathan helped out as translator. “Papua New Guinea is a small country with only 4.5 million people, but there are more than 800 different languages,” Nathan explained. His father was the first outsider to learn the language of the isolated Wuzarambia tribe. Nathan used to accompany Rev. Piovesan on emergency calls, and watched him use first-aid training and penicillin “to do what he could.” Serious medical problems meant a radio call for air evacuation and carrying the patient on an hour-long hike to the air strip. Nathan saw a friend of his brother die of measles and his own best friend died from head injuries after a tree branch fell on him. “It opened my eyes to the real need there,” Nathan said. “That’s when I knew I wanted to be a missionary doctor.” After earning a biology degree from Cedarville College, Nathan entered medical school at Wright State University on an Air Force scholarship. In July he began Wright State’s five-year general surgery residency at Wright- Patterson AFB Medical Center. Following his Air Force service, he plans to fulfill his calling to be a missionary. “That’s why I went to New Guinea this time. I knew I had to keep the vision and fire alive. I needed to go back and see the people again and remind myself of the need,” Nathan said. Nathan won the Dean’s Award at Wright State School of Medicine’s graduation. The award is presented annually to a graduate who exemplifies the goals of the School of Medicine and has made significant contributions to the school. “Growing up in Papua New Guinea instilled in Nathan, at a young age, the necessity and benefits of hard work, discipline, determination, perseverance, and team work,” said Howard Part, M.D., Wright State dean of medicine, in presenting the award. “Nathan is committed to pursuing excellence in surgical training and to advancing quality of life.”