Inspire, Summer 2009

a lumnotes CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY 39 More Than One Race to Run In April, Sergio Reyes ’03 placed 17th out of 25,000 runners in the Boston Marathon. Two weeks later, he made a last-minute decision to compete in Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon and ran with more than 20,000 other runners — including several Cedarville alums. He won the race with a time of 2:20:37, just 12 seconds shy of the 2006 event record and almost eight minutes ahead of this year’s second-place runner. This victory was just one step in realizing God’s master plan for him. “God didn’t want me to be a premier distance runner with a full-time contract right out of college,” Sergio said. “He wanted me to be able to handle work, running, and my spiritual growth so I could glorify Him in multiple ways.” Sergio learned the values of discipline and balance while studying electrical engineering at Cedarville. Not only has he developed discipline in his career and spiritual walk, but he has also learned to balance these priorities with his passion to serve God through the advancement of his sport. “At the heart of it all is the opportunity to openly proclaim that it’s by God’s grace I can do any of this and that I do all of it for His glory,” he said. “It’s extremely important that I’m not given the praise for something I’m ultimately not responsible for.” Sergio works as a civilian flight test engineer for the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Mojave, California. He continues to train for his long-term goal: to place high enough at the Olympic trials to make the U.S. team. You may contact Sergio at sergdreyes@hotmail.com . “At the heart of it all is the opportunity to openly proclaim that it’s by God’s grace I can do any of this.” alumni spotlight alumni spotlight alumni spotlight alumni spotlight alumni spotlight alumni spotlight alumni spotlight alumni spotlight Marshall Watson ’59 went home to be with the Lord on April 4, 2009, in Indianapolis, Indiana. After serving in the U.S. Air Force for four years, he attended college and soon became pastor of Blessed Hope Baptist Church, where he served for almost 35 years. In addition to working for the Chrysler Corporation and the Fort Benjamin Harris Finance Center, Marshall co-founded and served as interim president of Crossroads Bible College in Indianapolis. To honor him as the first African-American to graduate from Cedarville, the University recently established the Watson Scholarship to assist minority students. Marshall is survived by his wife of 55 years, Minnie; four sons, Donald, David, Dennis, and Daniel; eight grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Charles Ellington , of Southport, North Carolina, passed away on June 2, 2009. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in church music and conducting from Westminster Choir College. He then attended Southern Seminary and later earned a doctorate from Florida State University. With 33 years of teaching experience, he held university positions at several institutions and retired from Cedarville in 1993 as professor emeritus. During his life, he mentored students and enjoyed performing and conducting. Passionate about church music ministry, he directed music in churches for 50 years. He is survived by his wife, JoMae; three children David ’79 , Geoffrey ’81 , and Jodi Olsen ’83 ; and seven grandchildren. Larry Sharpless ’66 passed away on April 4, 2009. After serving in the Navy, he graduated from Cedarville and went on to receive a master’s degree from Wheaton College and a doctorate from Trinity Seminary. He served as a Presbyterian minister for 27 years. He is survived by his wife, Joyce; children Mark, Faith, and Hope; and four grandchildren. Scott Husband ’98 went home to be with the Lord on April 1, 2009, after a short battle with cancer. He graduated from Cedarville with a degree in management and then worked as a database developer for Schear Financial. He was an active member of his church and a devoted husband and father. He leaves behind his wife, Laura (O’Bern) ’97 , and three children, Grayson (6), Camden (2), and Noel (1). Laura is asking those who knew Scott to e-mail memories of him to laurahusband196@alumni.cedarville.edu. 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. Send your updates by visiting www.cedarville.edu/alumni or by e-mailing alumni@cedarville.edu . You can also send them to Alumni Relations, 251 N. Main St., Cedarville, OH 45314. For guidelines, visit www.cedarville.edu/inspire .