20 Years

I just returned home from campus where PUC concluded the annual
"awards assembly" where faculty and staff are acknowledged for years
of service, accomplishments or retirement.

I received a very nice little clock (made in China) with my name on
it, recognizing me for 20 years of service to Pacific Union College.
I do not know how to feel about it. Pleased, yes, Honored, not
really, Surprised at the passing of time, I suppose, Depressed, at
least a little.

20 years, that is enough time to go from P51 Mustang airplanes to
putting a man on the moon. What have I done? Oh, I know, "well, you
have touched lives and influenced young people during their formative
years...." blah blah blah. It feels kind of funny to be moving into
the ranks of the longest serving employees at this institution. Who
would have ever guessed it. So I shall bore you with a brief review
of how to spend 20 years at work.

First, a year before the 20 began, Linda and I married. We spent a
year as broke PUC students before one of us had a staff job of any kind.

Year 1: Heating Plant Supervisor. Operating boilers, firing sleeping
students, climbing inside huge equipment to remove corrosion and
calcium scale.
Year 2-12: Heating Plant Manager. Became the boss, managed budgets
and learned more and more about myself, human nature and how to fix
things with no money. I also began consulting with the Bay Area Air
Quality Management District where I was mentored into the realization
that thinking adults could disagree with each other and then go out
to a fine lunch of Thai food. I learned the true meaning of
"collegiality" and I was urged to return to school and finish my
bachelors degree. Along the way I became the only Chairperson of the
BAAQMD Hearing Board to serve in that capacity with less then a
Doctorate degree.
Year 12-17 PUC program representative. I went back to night school,
finished that degree, had a son and stepped out of the Power Plant
into a suit and tie to recruit adult students into the same PUC night
school program I had just finished. The credit for this
transformation from machines to people goes to Linda, Gary Gifford
and David Ritter, Tom Ferritto, Dr Jim Hughes and Mary Romadis. Each
of these people nudged, urged, pushed, prodded or just plane shoved
me forward and into the light. I thank them.
Year 17-20 Assoc. Director, Enrollment Service. Locked to a desk,
loving nearly every minute of it and working with seven wonderful
full time staff and 21 part time students to share the word with
families about the possible reality of a Christian college education
for today's young people.

I know for a fact that it is unusual and difficult to move from the
trenches, literally, into my current position without changing
institutions or employers. I am so grateful that I have been at PUC
all these years. The squabbling on campus, the strong leadership, the
tepid leadership, the changed lives of students; it all melds into
the years and they have been good years.

Only God knows about the next 20, and that is probably best.

First Christian School

Mark is finishing his sixth grade year at First Christian School in
Napa this week.

This blog developed from our family decision to send Mark to school
in Napa last fall. It has been a wonderful school year. The natural
chronological maturity that Mark has had this year was nurtured and
enhanced by his experience at First Christian. And what a year it has
been.

Mark is the only SDA in his classroom and it took a bit of adjustment
for him to realize he is a Protestant just like all the other
children. Many faiths, same core beliefs. There is also a Jewish
family in fifth grade behind Mark who have determined that this
school is the best fit for their family as well.

Mark has grown in so many ways. His self control and reduction in
emotional outburst has been wonderful to see. His self confidence
with subjects like math is growing and his personal desire to do well
in school is bringing up his grades. He is content to continue on
with seventh and eighth grades without attempting to accelerate into
eighth grade this next year. I am pleased with this since his age
will be just about perfect for starting high school, particularly if
he continues to desire attending Rio Lindo Academy.

His class took a class trip to Washington DC this year. We raised
over $1,000 as a family so he could go. The trip was wonderful and
there were no problems. This was the biggest test of maturity that
Mark has ever had and he passed with flying colors.

Now on into summer and what a summer it will be.

Dicken memories and fomentations

Rosie,

not share, to mention a memory and then not share, nobody on here
bites, at least not real bad and the biters have all received their
shots.

I was very young, about 1974 I suppose, when Lorena was a big help to
my mother.

Mom, Marjorie Philpott, had a number of health struggles over the
years. I suspect now days it would be called, chronic fatigue, that
catch all term that means... we have no idea the problem, but we are
pleased to give it a name. Anyway.

Lorena and Wilmer were over at CVI it seems every couple weeks and
she would help my mother with fomentations, hot and cold rubs and
various vitamin B potions as I remember. As a kid Lorena always
seemed older then her years yet she had energy most of the time. I
know that raising the family and dry farming at 5,000 feet must have
taken a toll over the years.

Moving from Dickens to others that fooled with natural remedies over
the years.

When I was about eight or nine I got real sick with some sort of
fever and several of the ladies helped my Mom with fomentations on
me. I seem to remember Sr Block and Sr Kulisek, but I was the sick
one.. (wow, I think of those names and SISTER just pops up in front
of them after all these years) I do not know exactly what was done
wrong but I got way over heated, they were doing hot fomentations and
no one was taking my temp and I got very hot before someone
remembered to check my temp. I am told my temp was up in the high
105-106F range longer then it should have been.

This episode may account for any number of issues and problems I have
had over the years.

Approving of many of the actions of Bill Clinton
Approving of many of the actions of George Bush
Driving an SUV
Four wheeling 126 miles to the north rim of the Grand Canyon and then
parking on the rim
Having a son
Continuing to be an Adventist
Considering the possibility that the earth is older then 10,000 years.
Adult weight gain
Fear of hot wool towels removed from an oven and sprinkled with water.
Many many issues
craig