‘Bishop’s Mantle’: An appreciation of Stuart Showalter ’67

This “Bishop’s Mantle” column, republished with permission from author Jim Bishop ’67, features his friend and former colleague Stuart Showalter ’67, who retired as an associate director of development at EMU this month. The two have many connections, as you’ll discover below, but one of the first was through the Weather Vane, the campus newspaper and first host of this column (it’s now being published again, after a hiatus, in the local Harrisonburg newspaper, the Daily News-Record.)

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This is an unapologetic paean to long-time friend, compatriot and encourager – Stuart Wesley Showalter of Harrisonburg.

Stuart – or “Brother Stu” as I often address him – finally bit the proverbial bullet and officially retired June 30 at age 74 — nearly my age (but I had retired earlier, at 66).

Friday morning, July 3, we broke breakfast bread (toast and eggs) together at Thomas House in Dayton to celebrate his latest transition.

Sitting outdoors on a warm sunny morning, we reflected on the many ways our lives connected and re-connected ever since the fall of 1963 when we met during our first year at then Eastern Mennonite College (now EMU). Stuart, from Timberville, Va., had graduated from Broadway High School; I had (barely) graduated from Christopher Dock Mennonite High School (now Dock Academy), Lansdale, Pa.

During our four-year academic journey, our paths crossed most often in the hallowed office of the student newspaper, Weather Vane, where we discovered and honed our mutual journalism interests. By our senior year, Stuart was editor-in-chief, wielding the editorial scalpel on my sacred writ, including my (ill)literary column, “The Bishop’s Mantle.”

Unbeknownst to each other early in our senior year, we both applied for positions at Mennonite Board of Missions (MBM), Elkhart, Ind., and both of us were hired for editorial roles there immediately following graduation in 1967, taking on promotional efforts for different aspects of the worldwide program.

 Stuart stayed at his mission board post a little over a year, then left to pursue a master’s degree in journalism at Ohio University in Athens while also continuing a long-distance relationship with EMC student Shirley Ann Hershey ’70 from Lititz, Pa. 

Stuart and Shirley were married the summer of 1969 in Lancaster, Pa. Anna and I attended their wedding and have glorious black and white Polaroid photos of the happy couple to prove it.

Stuart returned to his alma mater that fall, working as a writer-editor and teaching journalism classes part time. It was Stuart who first contacted me to apply for his media relations position at EMC in 1970. I respectfully declined, as I was thoroughly enjoying my work at MBM and felt no strong pull to the Valley.

A year later, the same call from EMU. This time, I took that call more seriously. Anna [Anna Mast Bishop ’67] and I moved to Harrisonburg in July 1971 and I succeeded Stuart as director of media relations (later renamed public information officer). This role saw many changes and expanded duties over the years, but I stuck with it until retirement in 2011 because I felt that God had directed my path.

While looking for housing in the ’Burg, Stuart located a three-year-old rancher in the Belmont Estates subdivision for us to consider. We moved in, and, by cracky, we’ve been hunkered down in the same cozy bungalow ever since. 

 My first year on staff at EMC, I took a news writing course for credit from Professor Showalter. I earned an “A” – no special treatment – one of the few received during my illustrious academic pilgrimage.

From 1976 to 2004, Stuart was employed by Goshen (Ind.) College as a professor and college administrator and served as a consultant on the side. Shirley was named president of Goshen in 1996 and served in this role eight years. She then became an executive with the Fetzer Institute, a foundation in Kalamazoo, Mich. She later wrote a memoir titled Blush, a Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World (Herald Press, 2013). The couple has two adult children and three grandchildren.

“When we moved to Harrisonburg the fall of 2010, I was almost 65 years old and thought my years of formal employment had ended,” Stuart recalls. “To my surprise, I was soon asked to begin an encore career in development work with EMU. When I accepted, my life circled back to the beginning.”

One more connection: Stuart and Shirley quickly got involved at Community Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, the same congregation we’ve attended since 1973.

“My deep engagement with Mennonite higher education began during my student years at EMC, nurtured by a caring community,” Stuart notes. “Later, at Goshen College, Shirley and I co-directed a study-service program for students for two semesters in Haiti. Such a globally-oriented education was transformative for our students. I’ve been inspired repeatedly by the many graduates of both Goshen and EMU who are compassionate servant-leaders around the world.

“I’ve truly been blessed in my career and am grateful for the opportunities afforded via EMU and Goshen College.” Stuart adds. “As a teenager on the farm, I dreamed of spending my life in education. EMU was the launching pad for me into a larger world than I would have otherwise imagined. 

“Now, as I ‘officially’ retire, I look forward to devoting more time to my family, including some research and writing in family history,” he adds. “I shall be eternally grateful to the dear friends who have shared this journey with me.”

Bro. Stu, the pleasure is all mine.