Inspire, Fall 2002

50s Maureen Zielinski Stirsman ’58 is thrilled to have her true story, “Sunday Escape,” published in the Karen O’Connor book Help, Lord! I’m having a Senior Moment. Maureen and her husband, Thomas ’58 , reside in Buford, Georgia. Ray ’59 and Janice VanHorn Reiner ’66 were able to travel to Senador Pompeu, Brazil, where they started a church in the 1970s. They were gratified to see the church growing and the Lord blessing despite the many bumps encountered through the years. In May 2002, their church in Brazil had the privilege of serving the various church delegates who attended the state association meeting of Regular Baptist churches. 60s John ’64 and Judy Marcellus Bigelow ’67 are awaiting the call that will tell them a liver has been found for John’s transplant. They live in Alaska, but will go to Seattle, Washington for the procedure. Please pray for the transplant and the many details that need to be worked out concerning their replacements at Bethany Baptist Church in Juneau, Alaska. Dennis Bellew ’65 and his wife, Frances, have started a computerized Dial the Bible ministry in New York City. People who call will hear an introductory message, a reading of a chapter of the Old or New Testament, and a closing message that urges listeners to call again if they need spiritual help. Mark ’67 and Beth Ziegler Trimble ’67 rejoice that God provides even in the worst of circumstances. Their camps and seminaries in Rio Branco, Brazil feared closing, but both showed record enrollments. Mark has been working hard filling in the gaps in many different areas. The need is great for mature spiritual leadership. John Rueck ’68 and his wife, Faye, are excited that an office was purchased for the local Child Evangelism Fellowship Alumnotes Leading the Legacy In May 2002, “The Legacy” newsletter reported that Lee C. Reno ’71 has been promoted to executive vice president of Xenia-based Legacy Ministries International (LMI). Lee assumed his new post on July 1, 2002. Legacy Ministries International is a multifaceted ministry with a vision to equip generations to know and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Lee’s duties will include strategic planning, ministry partnership development, and formulation and oversight of new educational ministries, as well as serving as chief financial officer. According to the newsletter, Lee has worked with Dayton (Ohio) Christian Schools for 30 years— serving for the past 10 years as assistant superintendent. He was chairman of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) Regional Accreditation Commission and has served on several Ohio Department of Education committees dealing specifically with standards for non-public schools and the Ohio proficiency test. “Lee brings spiritual maturity together with the experience and expertise needed to establish new educational ministries at LMI,” said Bud Schindler, president of LMI. “No one is more capable of leading this project than Lee Reno.” Lee and his wife, Melanie (King) ’73 , reside in Xenia, Ohio. They have three children: Curtis ’94 , Jennifer ’02 , and Maggie. Home on the Range Few people in Ohio can sing, “Oh, give me a home, where the buffalo roam,” look out the window, and see their wish fulfilled. As the owners and operators of Maple Lane Bison Ranch near Springfield, Ohio, Milton ’71 and Paula Bolen Palmer ’70 find buffalo to be an everyday part of their lives as well as an opportunity for ministry. How did two retired educators end up with their own bison ranch? Milt explains, “Paula was diagnosed with hypoglycemia and needed a high protein low fat diet. We had been looking at ways to diversify our three farms from cattle, hogs, and grain farming to something different.” Bison meat was a perfect fit for Paula’s dietary needs and for the farm, so the Palmers purchased a herd of bison from ranches in Pennsylvania and South Dakota. As their herd grew (they now have 80 bison), they had so much extra meat that they began selling buffalo burgers at fairs. Business boomed, and they now sell buffalo roasts, steaks, hot dogs, brats, bologna, and jerky, both at fairs and at their ranch. The ranch also serves as a way for the Palmers to share Christ with the many people they meet and to support Christian ministries. Their mission statement is “to support ministries that disseminate the gospel of Jesus Christ … by providing those ministries with a healthy, chemically free, high protein meat (American Bison) and … financial assistance.” The Palmers’ unique story was featured in the June/July 2002 issue of Family Journal. To contact the Palmers, call 937-964-8149 or visit their Web site at www.maplelanebison.com . (CEF) work in northern Hungary. They were able to hold their fifth annual CEF camp this summer, as well as a summer missionary training conference. 70s Roger Cook ’70 recently had his book, Sailing by Grace: A Journey of the Heart, published by GBC Media. The book blends poetry and Scripture as a means of encouraging its readers in the challenges of life. Roger and his wife, Konnie (Guthrie) ’70 , have served the Lord at their church’s Christian school for the past 28 years, Roger as the administrator and Konnie as a teacher and elementary principal. The Cooks reside in Taylor, Michigan. Linda Betts Duffield ’72 and her husband, Ken, continue to see God’s hand in the literature ministry for Mexico. Due to Ken’s health, they are not able to visit the many pastors that they know and have worked with throughout Mexico. Please pray that a kidney transplant would be available so Ken and Linda can continue the work they desire to do. Jim Clark ’75 has been named assistant sports information director at Cedarville University. Jim had previously worked in the admissions office as production coordinator. In his new position, Jim will be in charge of the Redefining Teacher Education A new book by Dr. Diane De Nicola Orlofsky ’78 calls for reform of the traditional way American universities teach future teachers. A professor of music at Troy State University in Alabama, Diane is the author of Redefining Teacher Education: The Theories of Jerome Bruner and the Practice of Training Teachers. The book is published by Peter Lang Publishing of New York as part of its “Rethinking Childhood” Series. “We have set the bar too low in many teacher education classes,” Diane said. “We need to raise the quality of instruction in the classroom, putting more responsibility on teacher educators.” Her book also urges educators to “sacrifice breadth of knowledge for depth of knowledge.” She explains that teachers, in their rush to cover course material, often neglect to provide their students with the depth required to master key principles. Diane decided to write this, her first book, after years of studying the writings of famed educator-psychologist Jerome Bruner. “This book is really an attempt to try to turn renewed attention back to some of Dr. Bruner’s theories,” she said. “They are grounded in common sense and are very applicable to the modern university classroom.” Diane was named an American Fellow by the American Association of University Women for her work in applying Bruner’s writings to teacher education. In addition, she has won several awards, including the Ingalls Award for Teaching Excellence and Wright State University Outstanding Music Alum Award for 2002-2003. Diane holds a Ph.D. in music education from Florida State University. E-mail Diane at dorlof@trojan.troyst.edu. Inspire 27