{"id":18370,"date":"2013-10-10T18:20:09","date_gmt":"2013-10-10T22:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=18370"},"modified":"2014-06-11T14:43:09","modified_gmt":"2014-06-11T18:43:09","slug":"amazing-living-by-the-class-of-62-hard-to-imagine-more-adventure-accomplishments-in-one-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2013\/amazing-living-by-the-class-of-62-hard-to-imagine-more-adventure-accomplishments-in-one-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazing living by the class of ’62 \u2013 hard to imagine more adventure, accomplishments, in one group!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fifty years after attending Eastern Mennonite University, 103 men and women have compiled their stories into a book that shows their amazing breadth of experience: living in 40 countries outside the United States, usually working as educators, healthcare workers, or missionaries. Some worked in North America, often in rural areas and with First Nations.<\/p>\n

These alumni sought to be of service amid war, disease, poverty, challenging living conditions, no transportation beyond their feet, survival-level pay, and much else. Yet many refer to feeling blessed, learning more than they were able to offer to others. “I write this article with a grateful heart,” says\u00a0Miriam E. Krantz<\/strong>, who has lived, worked and studied in Nepal for 50 years.<\/p>\n

The class of 1962 defies stereotypes of farm-raised, narrowly religious, stay-put, ethnically Swiss-Germanic Mennonites from days gone by.<\/p>\n

Belying narrow stereotypes<\/h3>\n

Multiracial families through marriage, adoptions and in-laws are fairly common. These alumni have shown career flexibility, with lots of moving, internationally and across North America. Some have jumped to other worship settings \u2013 Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist, United Church of Christ, non-denominational. The majority, though, call themselves Mennonites.<\/p>\n

There have been divorces, and there have been lots of second, even third, marriages, typically a couple of years after the death of a spouse. Yet one divorced couple remarried each other<\/em> after seven years of separation.<\/p>\n

Some dropped out of what was then called Eastern Mennonite College (EMC) and returned to finish their bachelor\u2019s degrees much later, as did one 41-year-old woman, who lived in various African countries for 18 years. One 35-year-old father of two entered medical school after years of nursing, first as an RN, then as a nurse with a bachelor\u2019s degree, then as a certified registered nurse anesthetist. (Supposedly retired, this physician is now involved with the training of anesthesiologists at the national medical school of Honduras.)<\/p>\n

Breaking new ground<\/h3>\n

Some \u201cfirsts\u201d \u2013 first EMC grad to attend law school, first women to be church leaders in certain locations, first alum to be a tennis pro (having mastered tennis growing up in his native Japan). The class of \u201962 may even boast the first alumnus to take a course to prepare for conversion to Judaism (not to convert, but to help him understand the Jewish clients with whom he was doing social work).<\/p>\n

All of this can be found in a new book, Senior Moments: Reflections from the Class of 1962<\/em>, issued in 2013 through EMU\u2019s alumni and parent relations office<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The genesis of the book dates to October 2012, when the class of 1962 celebrated their \u201cJubilee Reunion\u201d at EMU\u2019s Homecoming weekend<\/a>. In the months afterwards, 103 members of the class submitted essays \u2013 or, occasionally, diary-style entries \u2013 that classmates Millard E. Showalter<\/strong>, Anna Kathryn Eby<\/strong>, Reta Finger<\/strong>, Dorothy Jantzi<\/strong> and Carroll Yoder<\/strong> shaped into book chapters, with the support of alumni office staffer Donna Souder ’77<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Almost half of the 103 writers mention having graduate degrees (11 at the doctoral level). The most common career field mentioned is teaching \u2013 46 percent refer to years in the classroom \u2013 with perhaps half as many alumni working in healthcare and in the ministry. There\u2019s one full-time artist, another who picked up art upon retirement.<\/p>\n

Most of these alumni have racked up myriad work roles. David D. Yoder<\/strong>, for example, was (in this order) a pastor-missionary in Costa Rica and Mexico, mission business manager in Mexico, EMC student life administrator, writer of correspondence courses for prison ministries, EMC fundraiser, president of Virginia Mennonite Board of Missions<\/a>, and a Mennonite Church overseer for missions work in Trinidad and Tobago.<\/p>\n

After retirement, these alumni typically continue with voluntary service \u2013 such as working at stores that raise money for Mennonite Central Committee and teaching Sunday School\u00a0 \u2013 plus do gardening for food and fun.<\/p>\n

Fruits of Spirit-led lives, courageous choices<\/h3>\n

Amid the wealth of memories in the book:<\/p>\n