Inspire, Winter 2005

12 Winter 2005 The 2005 Alumni Awards Distinguished Service Award Clarence Gray ’37 “One of Clarence’s greatest joys is meeting Cedarville students!” shared Kim Botta Longo ’02, assistant director of gift planning. “You should see him light up when the University is the center of the conversation. He is convinced that America’s culture can be transformed by the exceptional graduates of Cedarville University — starting in our nation’s public school system. His vision is to populate public schools with men and women of exceptional intelligence, passion for teaching, and ‘personal courage in standing for the Word of God and the cause of Christ.’” With serious intent to see America’s public schools changed, Clarence initiated The Gray-Paxson Scholarship in 1997 to cover 75% of tuition for select Cedarville education majors. He then established a charitable remainder trust that will ultimately endow the scholarship. Clarence believes in the University’s education program, having graduated from it himself. He had planned to be a teacher after his Cedarville years; however, this plan was cut short by World War II, which led him into military service and a 13-year career in the U.S. Air Force. While in the military, Clarence’s insatiable appetite for learning caused him to attend The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. He earned his master of business administration degree in 1952 and then went on to an employee relations position for Cincinnati’s General Electric Aircraft Division. In the 1970s, Clarence became vice president of human resources for the Carborundum Company. He traveled to Europe, Japan, and South America to assess manufacturing plant effectiveness and quality and to negotiate labor details. Now retired and living in Naples, Florida with his wife, Rachel, Clarence enjoys keeping tabs on the latest developments of his alma mater and acting as a volunteer Cedarville admissions counselor to his six grandchildren. Impact Award Van Holloway ’88 ’04 M.Ed. “Having had the opportunity to get to know Mr. Holloway in the context of a church ministry, I’ve seen firsthand his love for students and his contagious enthusiasm for learning,” said Jennifer Lewellyn ’05. “I’ve heard of his reputation as a science teacher at Xenia (Ohio) Christian High School — that his class is hard but fun.” Along with his work at Xenia Christian, Van serves at Cedarville University as an adjunct professor in the department of science and mathematics. Even in the “distant” format of his online biology course, he works to get to know his students and be available to them. Although Van is known for having high expectations for his students, he considers building relationships and fostering a positive environment to be by far the most important thing he does in the classroom. And when dealing with discipline issues, Van’s foremost thought is the heart of the student, rather than a focus on the behavior. He endeavors to resolve the spiritual aspect of discipline problems, knowing that once the heart is righted, other details will fall in place. Van’s love for students and for teaching took him to the Dominican Republic in 2000. There he shared teaching strategies and methods with science teachers at Logos Christian School as part of a teacher exchange program. Jennifer continued, “Mr. Holloway has been a model to me of a Christ-centered life as he pours out his life to his students, to kids in juvenile detention (through a Friday night ministry), to his church, and to others who know him. He tries to think about things through the lens of Scripture. He is respected by all who know him.” Van and his wife, Janell (Kelley) ’90, reside in Xenia with their children, Jacob (14), Jared (12), Jason (10), and Jesse (8). Van remarked, “My personal goal is to carry out God’s commands because His way is the winning way.” Alumni of the Year Curtis ’83 and Carol Stoltzfus Hoke ’82 Curtis recalls that the most enjoyable part about his Cedarville years was that he met and courted his wife, Carol, there. Little did he know back then that the Lord had a special team ministry planned for him and Carol. Just weeks after Curtis graduated from Cedarville in 1983, a diving accident left him a quadriplegic. Despite the circumstances, Curtis and Carol purposed to join together for a lifelong partnership, and they married in 1985. Some time later, Dick Walker ’74 sent the Hokes a Joni and Friends (JAF) film about helping children relate to people with disabilities. Founded by a quadriplegic Christian named Joni Eareckson Tada, JAF is an organization which ministers to people