Inspire, Fall/Winter 2009

a lumnotes CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY 37 Alumna of the Year Nadine (Terrill) Hennesey ’87 Nadine Hennesey’s mission is to shine a light of hope for children orphaned by the 1999 war in Kosovo. In 2001, she founded the House of Laughter Educational Center in Mitrovica. The center offers classes in English, math, history, computers, and character training and provides five hot meals each week for approximately 160 children. Nadine’s vision for the House of Laughter has expanded, and she is now working to start the Kosovo Leadership Academy, a private school for grades one through 12. Other new initiatives she is involved with include a teacher training center and a community ethics course, Careers With Character. After graduating from Cedarville, Nadine held teaching positions in Ohio, Michigan, and Florida before joining the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) in 1994 for a short-term teaching opportunity in Peru. She joined ABWE full time in 1999 and moved to Albania where she designed and taught curriculum for children at an orphanage. What drives her to take on such big tasks? Simply this: God is trustworthy. “He is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” she said. “He asks us to do things we know we cannot do, but when we take that step of faith, He does it through us.” Young Alumnus of the Year Stephanie Carlton ’02 Before becoming involved in politics, Stephanie Carlton worked as a labor and delivery nurse at Georgetown University Hospital. Two years later, she joined the staff of Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), writing the Patients’ Choice Act, a comprehensive health care reform bill praised by The Wall Street Journal . Stephanie now serves as health policy advisor for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the United States Senate Finance Committee. This group makes key decisions about health care reform with jurisdiction over Medicare and Medicaid. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Stephanie was selected to brief Sen. John McCain on health care issues. “Cedarville taught me that being a Christian doesn’t always mean serving the Lord in Christian ministry,” she said. “God also calls us to serve Him in other ways to impact the world. For me, that has meant influencing national politics.” Distinguished Educator Award Dr. Frank Jenista ’68 A missionary kid from the Philippines, Frank Jenista arrived at Cedarville hoping to specialize in Asian studies. Although the University did not offer this program, he soon found caring professors — Dr. J. Murray Murdoch and Dr. Allen Monroe, in particular — who developed courses just for him. A few years after graduation, Frank became a United States diplomat serving in Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand, South America, and the Philippines. He received numerous Honor Awards for exceptional service over his 25-year diplomatic career, and he is regarded as one of the Department of State’s foremost Philippine specialists. In 2000, Frank retired to accept an appointment as professor of international studies at Cedarville, teaching courses on international relations, global issues, diplomacy, Asia, and Latin America. He also chairs Cedarville’s International Task Force to encourage greater global engagement throughout Cedarville’s academic curriculum. He and his wife, Barb (Lepine) ’70, have three children. Distinguished Service Award Marvin Troyer ’61 As a married student, Marv Troyer attended morning classes so he could be home with his young son while his wife, Jan, worked evening shifts as a nurse. He also found time to nurture his pastoral calling by preaching in prisons and orphanages and serving as president of his senior class. After graduation, Marv started a church in Churubusco, Indiana, and he hasn’t stopped ministering to people since. In addition to pastoring for more than 40 years, he also served as chaplain for the Oakland Athletics baseball team, directed Cedarville’s Champions of Character program through the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and provided leadership on several organization boards, including Cedarville, Calumet Baptist Schools, and the Indiana Fellowship of Regular Baptist Churches. Now in his retirement years, Marv leads the Senior Jackets, a University fitness program that encourages a healthy lifestyle for local senior citizens. He and Jan have four children and six grandchildren and recently celebrated 51 years of marriage. Impact Award Justin Spann ’06 As a student, Justin Spann rose to leadership positions in nearly every activity he pursued. By his senior year, he had served as a resident assistant, attended National Christian Minority Student Leadership Conferences, become a team leader with HeartSong touring teams, and student-directed OneVoice Gospel Choir. His student involvement opened up the opportunity for a staff position in Cedarville’s Christian ministries division, where Justin now directs OneVoice full time. “I love my job,” he said, “because I spend so much time with students. I’m far enough ahead of them to be able to offer advice, but I’m young enough to relate to their circumstances.” Justin is grateful for the love and support of his family, especially his mother who was his hero and biggest cheerleader. He looks forward to starting a family of his own with his wife, Latice (Strickland) ’07. Honorary Alumna of the Year Kim Ahlgrim When Kim Ahlgrim married her husband, Tom ’82, she didn’t just marry into the Ahlgrim family: she married into the Cedarville family as well! Kim began working at the University in 1990 as resident director of Printy Hall. She pursued a master’s degree in counseling and in 1995 became a student life counselor. Since 2004, Kim has directed The Cove, Cedarville’s academic enrichment center. In each of these roles, Kim’s advocacy for students has influenced hundreds of lives. In 2007, a Cedarville graduate established the Kimberly S. Ahlgrim Counseling Scholarship in gratitude for Kim. With contagious enthusiasm, Kim works tirelessly to create a supportive and welcoming Cedarville experience for the entire student body. “In my 20 years at Cedarville,” Kim said, “I have been blessed by long-term relationships with students, friends, and colleagues. Cedarville has become my second family.” Kim and Tom have two children, Brianna ’13 and Blake. If you would like to contact a friend highlighted in this section, please e-mail us at alumni@cedarville.edu . We’d be glad to put you in touch. 2009 Alumni Award Winners Pictured left to right: Dr. Frank Jenista ’68, Kim Ahlgrim, Nadine (Terrill) Hennesey ’87, Marvin Troyer ’61, Stephanie Carlton ’02, and Justin Spann ’06