LLUAHSC SCOPE Spring 2002

Alumni notes

[SCOPE, Spring 2002]

1920s

Evelyn (Geiske) Bullock (SN’29), a graduate of White Memorial School of Nursing, passed away April 19, 2001. She was the stepmother and dear friend of Eleanor (Bullock) Keller (SN’57B).

Evelyn Leo Sturdevant (SAHP’29)
…passed away

Evelyn Leo Sturdevant (SAHP’29) recently passed away. She was born in Hartland, Vermont, on April 30, 1908. In 1931, Evelyn married Kenneth Sturdevant (SM’31) in Portland, Oregon. Except for one five-year mission term at Kendu Bay in Kenya on the shores of Lake Victoria (1964 to 1969), they lived in the Pacific Northwest where they raised their three children: Richard, Sylvia, and Marilyn. Evelyn’s daughter, Marilyn Cramer, recalls the influence her mother’s education had on family life. She tells of the time Evelyn took a 5-year-old girl with kidney disease into their home and cared for her for six months. Evelyn’s special diet helped cure her. Marilyn also remembers her mother as a gracious hostess. The Sturdevant home was always known for its hospitality, but never more so than when they were on mission service in Africa. The family often entertained guests. Short-term mission trips took the Sturdevants to New Guinea, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Sudan. Evelyn also served in her home church in Puyallup, Washington.

1940s

Lester James Moore (SAHP’46, ’62) was born February 25, 1922, in Osakis, Minnesota, and died October 15, 2001, in Loma Linda, California. His daughter, Colleen Tinker, tells of the time Lester roomed with a radiology technician student, Neil Pestes, who had grown up on a wheat farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. One day, Lester and Neil drove to Walla Walla College where Neil’s brother and sister were attending, a visit that changed the course of Lester’s life. There he met Neil’s sister, Margaret, a nursing student. The two were married on July 17, 1951. Besides his position at Portland Adventist Hospital, Lester had a private practice as a consulting therapist for nursing homes. Frequently Colleen went with him when he treated his geriatric patients, many of whom suffered disabilities from strokes. She observed his relaxed manner with his patients. Without exception, when the patients saw Lester, Colleen noticed their eyes come alive and their faces light with happiness. At the end of their treatments, the patients thanked Lester and often told Colleen how wonderful he was. Colleen and her younger sister, Eileen, were with their father during the last moments.

Jeane Ewald (SN’47) spends her time writing true stories of people’s conversions and God’s providence.

Elsie J. Boyce (SN’48) was laid to rest March 25, 2001, in Sacramento, California.

Alice (Breech) Dachary (SN’48) recently retired at age 61 from CBS Channel 2 TV where she worked part-time as an RN for 13 years. Alice and her husband, Vincent, recently sold their cereal business after more than 29 years. For many years she has volunteered at Upland Hospital and Medical Center. Mrs. Dachary resides in Alta Loma and Rancho Mirage, California. Her two daughters and two grandchildren also reside in California. She states that she is proud of her alumni organizations (both LLU and Columbia Union College, Takoma Park, Maryland).

1950s

Helen (Townsend) McMullen (SN’51) passed away on March 7, 2001.

Flogean Hardt (SN’52) has two sons serving at an eye clinic in Saipan.

Enid (Malwah) Blaylock (SN’53) just had a book published, titled Living Smart Healthy and Happy in a High-Tech World, by 1st Books Library. For several years she was a visiting professor at Caribbean Union College, Trinidad, West Indies. She taught for 25 years at California State University, Long Beach. Enid and her husband, Lorenzo, have two children. Their daughter, Dellis Frank, is a teacher and their son, André Blaylock (SM’80), is a physician.

Allan Perry Sr. (SM’55) and Allan Perry Jr. (SM’79A) were recently featured in the Whittier, California, Whittier Daily News. They have worked together for 11 years in one of the few father-son practices in the country and are considered state-of-the-art surgeons in the areas of plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic surgeries.

1960s

LaVerne Beltz (SN’61) recently retired from home health nursing.

Marlene (Van Puymbrouck) Ringer (SN’61) is retired and lives with her husband, Robert, in Hayesville, North Carolina. She keeps busy with community groups such as the American Heart Association and church activities. She serves on the Georgia Cumberland Conference Committee. She enjoys gardening and country living.

Sigrid Rochte (SN’61) writes that she is working in home health nursing.

Eloise Hurst (SN’63) is still actively involved in full-time nursing.

J. Lamont Murdoch (SM’63) was profiled in the September, 2001, issue of the Inland Empire Magazine about his work in the field of endocrinology.

Marjean Mathiesen (SN’64) works at the University of California, Fresno, as a nursing instructor.

Karen Fujimoto (SAHP’66) and husband, Ed Fujimoto (SPH’81), live in Hawaii where he is employed at Castle Medical Center. Karen was an occupational therapist at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento. Since then, she has assisted her husband in various capacities. In Wildwood, Georgia, she assisted in his hydrotherapy program and when they lived in Guam, she was the program coordinator for the Healthy Lifestyles program he directed. Karen also taught ESL classes in Japan for a number of years. Now back in the United States, Karen enjoys life in Hawaii.

Shirley (Bowen) Finneman (SN’67) lives in Coarsegold, California, with her husband, Jerry. She was recently hired as a public health nurse in Madera County for the office at Oakhurst. She is thankful to LLU for her public health nursing training and her master’s degree in public health.

Joan Hughson (SN’69) is currently teaching at Pacific Union College, Angwin, California, in the department of nursing. She is also working on a master’s degree.

Donna Silsbee (SAHP’69) was recently certified as a wound specialist and is now the clinical coordinator of an outpatient wound clinic just north of San Francisco. In her spare time, she is very active in her church in Novato.

1970s

Marilyn (Munsey) Kreuder (SN’70) lives in Caldwell, Idaho, with her husband, Kent Kreuder (SM’73B). She writes, “In June, 2001, our oldest daughter, Nichole (Kreuder) Franklin, graduated from Walla Walla College [College Place, Washington]. She and her husband, Travis Franklin, have a 28-month-old son, Connor, and are expecting a daughter. In July, 2000, our youngest, Angela (Kreuder) Kendall, married her college sweetheart, Eric Kendall. She and Eric live in Loma Linda and are busy with school. Angela is a senior dental hygiene student and will graduate in 2002. Eric is a junior medical student at LLU and will be graduating in 2003. Kent and I continue in good health, although I am challenged with dystonia of my seventh cranial nerve and the resultant blepharospasm. Besides playing with my grandson, I have been enjoying researching our family genealogy. Kent is still doing general surgery full-time in private practice.”

Barbara Aved (SN’71) writes from Sacramento: “I thought the PhD would be my terminal degree, but since I love school, I earned an MBA degree last year from California State University, Sacramento. I already miss going to classes! My firm, Barbara Aved Associates, now in its 16th year, is busy and offers strategic planning, organizational development, health policy research, program evaluation, and conference planning and facilitation. My husband, Gary Schmidt, is technical manager for a large cooperative of Northern California rice growers and has done extensive traveling in Japan recently. Our sons, Philip and Peter Aved Schmidt, attend Pacific Union College, Angwin, and Sacramento Adventist Academy, respectively. Cooking is my
‘therapy,’ and we love to have friends visit, so please call when in Sacramento.”

Olivia Chung (SAHP’71) recently accepted a position as instructor and fieldwork coordinator for the occupational therapy assistant program at Western Career College in San Leandro, California. She chose part-time teaching to augment her professional career. Despite the multifaceted challenges that she encounters, there is a pervasive sense of joy in teaching. She sees it as an extraordinary gift from God.

1980s

Carol (Milardo) Floriani (SN’80) lives in Corona, California. She and her husband, Robert, recently sponsored a family from Thailand. She currently works as a manager in Heartland Hospice in West Covina, reviews CEU courses offered through Nurseweek magazine, and started her own hospice nurse consulting business last year. She previously taught nursing for 20 years.

Cindee Bailey (SN’80, ’82) lives in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, with her husband, C. Neil Wallace, and their child, Christian. She finished her PhD degree in 1987 at Oregon State University in child development and received her MSW degree from Walla Walla College. She serves as a professor of social work at WWC and also does child therapy. “Although we live far from each other, my best friend is still Jeanne (Bullock) Hildebrand (SN’80),” she writes.

John Meyer (SAHP’82, ’96, ’01) passed away recently. A memorial service was held in the Azure Hills Church, Grand Terrace, California, on October 19. Born on May 16, 1959, in Bolivia, John was adopted by missionaries Earl and Hazel Meyer. While he worked as a physical therapist in Loma Linda, he met Heidi Kegebein (SAHP ’94). They married in October, 1998, and have a child, Jonathan, born November 26, 2000. John loved his work and often went to his patients’ homes to treat them. Never satisfied with simply giving relief from symptoms, he tried to go to the source of the problem. In 1999, he completed a specialization in orthopaedics. Just before he died of stomach cancer, he finished his PT doctoral studies. John had accepted an appointment as assistant professor at Azusa Pacific University in the department of physical therapy. He also taught at SAHP. He especially enjoyed working with children. Teaching Jonathan to obey was one of John’s priorities. He wanted his son to obey his parents and also to obey God—a principle he had learned early from his adoptive parents and tried to be true to all his life.

Susan Torbert (SN’84) has been working in the operating room for 20 years at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

Ethel Susanne (Sue) Shearer (SAHP’88) was health promotion flight commander at 90 Aeromedical-Dental Squadron, F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. She retired from Air Force active duty on January 1, 2002, after more than 21 years of both enlisted and commissioned service. Sue is married to Major (USAF-retired) Michael B. Westman of Superior, Wisconsin. After graduating from LLU magna cum laude in 1988, she earned a master of science degree in nutrition at Pennsylvania State University. During her career, she served at nine installations and was deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. She was also responsible for wellness and prevention programs—including fitness, nutrition, and tobacco cessation—for 15,000 medical beneficiaries. The couple lives in Port Royal, Pennsylvania.

1990s

Miven Donato (SAHP’90) and Amy Donato (SAHP’89) have recently opened their first private practice: Dolphin Chiropractic and Orthopedic Center in Medford, Oregon.

Michelle (Farley) Ballou (SN’92) writes from Redlands: “We have recently returned to Southern California after spending three years in Washington, D.C., and four years in Phoenix, Arizona, for my husband’s training and career with the Air Force. I am currently staying home with our two young children and look forward to settling down.”

Stacey (Hacker) Thomas (SAHP’93) met her husband, Ron, during an ultimate Frisbee game on the LLU sports field in 1993. They married a year later and now live in Brea, California, with their three children: 5-year-old Nate, 3-year-old Sierra, and 8-month-old Carmella.

Noel Lallana Diaz (SAHP’95) returned recently to Southern California after three years of postgraduate work in California’s Napa Valley. He is director of health information management at Paradise Valley Hospital, a 301-bed acute care and behavioral medicine hospital in National City.

Julie Yooli Im-Kim (SN’95) lives in Corona with her husband, Steven, an emergency medicine physician, and their dog, Niki.

Renee Kimberling (SN’95) is now working at the Corona Outpatient Clinic as a nurse practitioner.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported that, Chad A. Roghair (SM’97) is one of three men authorities credited with helping save the lives of two men involved in a 18-wheeler accident. Within minutes of Dr. Roghair assisting in the rescue of the crash victims from the cab of the truck that was dangling over the edge of the freeway, one of the two gas tanks exploded. “It was a little nerve-wracking being that close to open flames and spilling fuel,” he says. “I have two little kids and I was hoping the thing didn’t explode on me.” Dr. Roghair is in a sports medicine fellowship at Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center.

2000s

Stephanie Rehe (SAHP’00, ’01) lives in Loma Linda and is currently completing the requirements for an athletic trainer’s certificate. The rigorous program requires her to complete 1,500 volunteer hours, which she is doing at the University of Redland’s athletic department. Once a world-class tennis player, (Stephanie was #10 in the world in women’s tennis), her interests now lie in outpatient orthopaedics, although she would also consider a career as trainer for the Women’s Tennis Association.

Paula Artz (SAHP’01) has accepted a job with the department of public health in San Bernardino. She looks forward to the challenge and feels lucky the department chose a beginner. She has also committed two days a month to Hemet Hospital in the department of behavioral health.

[SCOPE, Spring 2002]