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Reflections from GU’s managing editor of advancement publications

Published: June 14, 2022

Reflections from GU’s managing editor of advancement publicationsAfter amassing a body of writing that spans more than a decade at Greenville University, it’s impossible not to have favorites. Among the 38 issues of The RECORD that I’ve helped produce and more than 300 articles published in print and online, several “favorites” outshine others.

Favorite magazine cover

The mural From One to the Other (at left) graces the walls of Uber’s Palo Alto corporate offices, and a photo of its creation graced the cover of our fall 2018 magazine. It did everything we needed a cover photo to do. Thank you again, artist and GU alum Katy Ann Gilmore ’11

Favorite story titles

Erin and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Job
Five Loaves, Two Fish and a Startup: Briner School of Business Marks Its First Six Months
This Little Idea Went to Market
The Turtle-Whisperer’s Apprentice

Favorite tip

Do a story about GU alum DJ Vincent’s work. Joe Culumber ’67 couldn’t contain his enthusiasm after seeing DJ’s innovative ministry in Salem, Oregon, and we couldn’t contain our enthusiasm sharing it. DJ’s inspired vision and execution should make every GU alum proud.

Favorite quote Reflections from GU’s managing editor of advancement publications

“Learning is a joyous enterprise!” I only saw the words in print, but once I discovered their source—Elva (“Dr. Mac”) McAllaster —(at right) I will forever “hear” them in her voice. Dr. Mac treasured discovery. With exuberance bordering on breathless, she compelled others to come quickly and treasure it too.

Favorite stories never told

I once worked on a brief story for print that needed a personal account of someone taking on a disagreeable job. I put out an “all call” email for help. In true GU fashion, messages flooded my inbox. Word-count constraints prohibited me using these gems, but they still bring a smile.

  • “Shoveling mud out of a 1 ½ foot crawlspace under my eighth-grade teacher’s house . . . he stiffed me on the pay.” – Ben Wayman
  • “Picking peaches at 5:30 a.m., trees wet with dew dripping on me . . . I was a grumpy teenager with a bad attitude.” – Janice Betscher
  • “Termite control—crawling under houses to inspect for wood-destroying pests and organisms. Very dusty and tight, especially when you are 6'6 and 250 lbs.” – Dave Holden
  • “Pitchforking two-foot-thick barn manure to be spread in a farm field. The smell was the worst.” – Steve Heilmer
  • “Worked at a junk yard one summer. Contracted poison ivy over every inch of my body.” – Tom Morgan
  • “Sanding cabinet doors for recreational vehicles . . . I collected my fair share of splinters.” – Rich Beans
  • “Kmart cashier during the Christmas shopping season. I experienced the worst in people—theft (customers and employees), rude people, miserable staff, management that sat in the back smoking . . .” Katrina Liss
  • “My worst was probably in a costume shop. I worked alone a lot. Some of our customers were unusual in a scary sort of way.” – Julie Mason
  • “Working on the facilities crew for a summer at Greenville College. It involved tools and machines. Enough said.” – Brian Hartley

Favorite photo

The snapshot at right came courtesy of alum Hannah Parkerson ’18, then one of our many fabulous student workers in advancement. The brief story behind Hannah’s prayers, this painting, and her joyful young collaborator shows up on page one of “The Year of Bright Ideas,” our 2019 President’s Report.

Reflections from GU’s managing editor of advancement publications

Favorite story

Too many to count.

Today I’m partial to “Quantum Leap” about 18-year-old Shuto Osawa (pictured below), who traveled 6,000 miles from Japan to study . . . well, he wasn’t quite sure what he would study at GU.

His English wasn’t great, and restlessness consumed him. He wanted to take on something big, slay a dragon, launch a rocket, unravel a mystery—but that pesky English thing just wouldn’t go away. The story recounts his remarkable journey. Who knew then that it would set the stage for ...

Reflections from GU’s managing editor of advancement publications

A favorite sequel

In November 2019, I exited an event at GU’s Science Through the Eyes of Faith Conference only to hear running footsteps behind me and a man’s voice call my name.

I turned to see Shuto, weaving around others and navigating his way down some steps toward me. He had flown in from Boston University where he was steeped in advanced studies surrounding quantum optics and quantum information.

I was touched that he flagged me down like that. I was glad for his smile, his obvious growth in confidence, and for the news about his PhD work. Yes, it was challenging, but yes, he would persevere.

Often for me, the only thing harder to write than the good beginning to a story, is a good ending. Today on LinkedIn, I see that Dr. Osawa works in Sapporo, Japan, as a software engineer. Funny isn’t it . . . that the ending I struggled mightily to craft years ago, served only as a placeholder for more to come?

After years of writing and editing for Greenville University, I suspect that the ending I imagine now as “retirement” may not be the actual ending. God has blessed my work greatly at GU, I trust He will bless again.

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