Inspire, Spring 2001

Brooke ’98 and Marlena Bantle Taylor ’99 announce the birth of Miranda Jane on November 3, 2000 in Louisville, Kentucky. Chris ’98 and Jody Hovis Vitarelli ’98 announce the birth of Gabriel Louis on December 14, 2000. They reside in Jamestown, New York. Jennifer Abas ’99 and Aaron Deal were married January 29, 2000 in Elyria, Ohio. After a honeymoon at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, the couple has made their home in Vandalia, Ohio. Jennifer is the student loan coordinator in the financial aid office at Cedarville University (CU), and Aaron is pursuing his Bible degree at CU. Aaron also works part-time as the worship coordinator at their church. They are expecting their first child in May. BJ Bechtel ’99N works with Inner City Impact in Chicago, Illinois. Jason ’99 and Charity Rizer Grahame ’98 recently moved to Chesapeake, Virginia, where Jason is attending Eastern Virginia Medical School. He will earn his physician assistant’s master’s degree in May 2003. Charity is working at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters as the administrative assistant in the accounting department. Tim Lehr ’99N and Kim McKenzie ’99 were married July 1, 2000 at Grace Baptist Church in Westlake, Ohio. After a honeymoon in Mexico, the couple now resides in North Olmsted, Ohio. Tim is a DSL Internet technician, and Kim is a Spanish teacher. Tom ’99 and Yvette Pizano Leightenheimer ’99 are missionary appointees with Cadence/Malachi Ministries. They have been designated to work at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, where they will work with military personnel and their families. Their goal is to have their necessary support raised by August 2001 so that they can work in this thriving ministry. Justin Martens ’99 is a senior assistant auditor with Deloitte and Touche in Princeton, New Jersey. Justin is engaged to marry Cheryl Cornetto on May 12, 2001. Cheryl is a kindergarten teacher at Faith Christian School in Hamilton, New Jersey. Jeff Nafziger ’99 and Jennifer Cook ’00 were married June 24, 2000 in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Several Cedarville alumni participated in the wedding. After a honeymoon in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, they have made their home in St. Charles, Missouri. Jeff is a Web technology specialist at Solu Tech Inc., and Jennifer teaches vocal music at Hardin Middle School. Lee Reinhard ’99 and his wife, Courtney, announce the birth of their identical twin sons, Isaiah Andrew (left) and Nathan Tyler (right). Andrew and Tyler were born March 9, 2000 in De Graff, Ohio. 2000s Heath Runkles ’00N and Erin Stuenzi ’99 were married September 2, 2000 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. They reside in Brunswick, Maryland. Daniel Sellers ’00 and Christina Dean ’00 were married July 7, 2000 in Rochester, New York. They enjoyed a honeymoon in Aruba before returning home to Chesapeake, Virginia, where Daniel is attending Eastern Virginia Medical School. In Memory Of Paul Klontz ’51 went home to be with the Lord on January 21, 2001 at the age of 77. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Paul graduated from Cedarville College and then taught school in the Southeastern School District of Jamestown, Ohio until he retired in 1981. We extend our deepest sympathy to his wife, Helen, and other family and friends. Shirley Ann Byrd Bouwkamp ’65 went home to be with the Lord on January 20, 2001 at her home in Metamora, Michigan. Shirley taught private piano lessons to virtually hundreds of people during the past 25 years. She was a member of Hunters Creek Community Church, where she was active with their music ministry as an organist, choir member, and director of the adult bell choir. In appreciation for Shirley and her love of music, the Class of 1965 plans to establish a scholarship in her name to be awarded to a music student at Cedarville University who is the child of a Cedarville alumnus or alumna. Memorial contributions may be made to this scholarship at Cedarville University or to the Parkinson’s Foundation. We extend our sincere condolences to Shirley’s husband, Ted; son, Christopher; and to the rest of her family. A Piece of Her Heart Clarissa Band ’00 probably never dreamed that her senior speech recital would land her a performance at the Vietnam Women’s Memorial. Yet that is exactly where Clarissa found herself on Veterans’ Day 2000, presenting an intense monologue on Army nurses who served in the Vietnam Conflict. Clarissa’s presentation gave her a unique platform to share the love of Christ. As Clarissa explained, she chose to focus on Vietnam Army nurses because “... these women had vanished into anonymity. I wanted to honor these forgotten women, to celebrate their service, and to pay tribute for their sacrifice.” The veterans Clarissa contacted were initially skeptical about the project, but eventually began sharing their incredible experiences. “When I compiled my script,” shared Clarissa, “I left their words unchanged, editing only when necessitated by time constraint. Soon I found myself a voice for these women, many of whom are still unable to talk about their wartime experiences.” Through her research, Clarissa became acquainted with the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Project and its founder, Diane Carlson Evans. When invited by Evans to speak at the Veterans’ Day service, Clarissa was thrilled yet intimidated. Her actual performance was no less emotional. “As I performed, I was overcome by the almost haunting grief I saw in the audience,” explained Clarissa. “A woman to the left of me cried from the moment I began to speak. As I began to tell of a soldier who had lost his legs, I saw a man standing before me with only one leg. “After my performance, I talked to many veterans. A woman with tears streaming down her face simply told me, ‘That was me.’ Another man shook my hand and thanked me for telling his daughter about his year in service because he couldn’t.” Clarissa concluded, “I don’t claim to have single-handedly erased their grief that day, but I do believe I participated, in a small way, in their healing process. God allowed me to be the voice of these veterans. Because of research Cedarville encouraged me to do, the men and women who served in the Vietnam Conflict have truly become a piece of my heart.” Inspire 27