Inspire, Spring 2006

22 Spring 2006 Prepared by A Prof b y P a u l J o n e s ’ 7 0 simple question can be the catalyst that unleashes thoughts long buried. Such was my experience recently when a fellow alumnus asked my impressions of my time at the ’Ville. My immediate response was to talk about how much I appreciated my years at Cedarville, which in turn prompted the killer question: “Why?” After a brief pause to collect my thoughts, I told him of my freshman roommate, Dan Liechty ’70, who became my best friend and remains so to this day. I spoke of the education I received, which I contend is second to none. And I praised various instructors I had, men and women with names like Gromacki, Fisher, Murdoch, Riggs, Greenwood, and Reed, to name a few. And then another name flashed into my mind: Ed Spencer. Yes, Ed Spencer. He had been my faculty advisor my freshman year and was advisor to my class. It was then that a long suppressed thought resurfaced: this man had a profound impact on my life. Reflecting on that rediscovered fact, my thoughts began to form as to why exactly he played such an important role in my college experience, and almost immediately three reasons became clear. First was the personal interest he showed in his students. This was typified by an incident early in my first semester, and I remember it as if it were yesterday. It was a Saturday morning and my roommate (the aforementioned Mr. Liechty) and I had not yet persuaded ourselves that we should get out of our bunk beds and head to the library when we heard a knock at our dorm door. Stumbling to the door, we discovered it was Ed Spencer, who had stopped by just to visit, which he proceeded to do for the next two hours or so! There was joking and teasing and friendly banter back and forth, and it was not until years later that it occurred to me how unique it was that a member of the faculty would show such a personal interest in two lowly freshmen. The Class of 1970 was a high-spirited class, and that was evident even during our freshman year. Recognizing a gap in the social calendar as we approached Christmas, the class decided to sponsor a Christmas program and invite the entire student body. The years have mercifully dulled the details, but the general theme of the program was a variety show with singing (probably involving Lyle Anderson ’70) and a skit written, produced, and acted by the freshman class. This high quality piece of entertainment required the appearance of a Christmas elf (long before Will Ferrell was a gleam in his parents’ eyes), and not too surprisingly, none of the students were particularly eager to don the elf outfit and appear on stage in front of the student body. However, the show had to go on, and so Ed Spencer agreed to play the critical role, elf outfit and all. Need proof? Then see the accompanying photo. I doubt few realized at the time that this simple act of uninhibited revelry actually reflected a deeper quality of character: a commitment to be engaged in the lives of the students in his charge, even if doing so required that he not take himself too seriously. After graduation, I saw Ed Spencer from time to time, but as the years progressed, the return trips to Cedarville grew less frequent. Periodically I doubt few realized at the time that this simple act of uninhibited revelry actually reflected a deeper quality of character: a commitment to be engaged in the lives of the students in his charge, even if doing so required that he not take himself too seriously.