| |
Dr. Dave Ovenell
(1929-2009)
I have photos of many of the men
in the Saturday Morning Men's Bible Study, back to 2004.
When I took this one, it was simply to help me learn names
or to create a photo roster for others to do the same.
I recall that I needed to retouch my most recent shot of
Dave because he'd just returned from surgery and had a
bandage on his head. This one (left) is from 2004,
and below is from the 2006 retreat.
Dave was one of those wise and thoughtful Christians
that let God have the last word. He was cheerful,
even as a myriad of physical ailments assaulted him over
the past few years. Although I knew he'd been
greatly affected by a divorce, I also knew he had raised
loving and godly children and that he  was a proud
grandfather of many, including his own high school
athletes. He
loved to swap bragging stories about them with me.
Although I am friends with all the men in our group, I
had a special admiration and affection for Dave.
David P. Ovenell, Ph.D.
David P. Ovenell went to be with
the Lord on December 23, 2009, from complications
following surgery. Born April 30, 1929 to George and
Ruth Ovenell in Burlington, WA, David graduated from
Burlington-Edison High School, and received three
college degrees from the University of Washington. He
later earned his PhD. from the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst.
David had a long career in school
counseling in the Lake Washington School system,
touching the lives of many young people and staff
members with his personal touch. He loved life, and
lived every day he was given with zest and vitality.
David resided in Kirkland, being involved in his church,
men's bible studies, exercise classes, and playing his
trumpet locally.
 A lifelong learner, caring father
and grandfather, gifted musician, athlete and friend,
David touched the lives of all those who knew him. With
a listening ear and a great sense of humor, he had a
warm and inviting personality. David's hobbies included
playing golf, reading, music, walking, and watching
college sports, especially cheering on his University of
Washington Huskies He loved spending his time with his
children and grandchildren, encouraging them in all of
their pursuits.
David was preceded in death by his
parents, George and Ruth Ovenell, sister Betty Keene,
brother in law Harold Rader, good friends Gordon
Creighton and Rollie Kirkby.
He is survived by his sister Elsie
Rader, brothers Dan and Ed Ovenell, sons Steve and Mike
Ovenell, and grandchildren Anna, Mac, Stan, Nick,
Justin, Ryan and Julie Ovenell. With a deep and abiding walk with
Jesus Christ, David is now with his Savior in Heaven,
and loved by all those that he touched during his
lifetime. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Graveside services will be
Saturday, January 2nd at 10 am at Bow Cemetery under the
direction of Hulbush Funeral Home, Burlington.
Celebration of Life service will follow Saturday
afternoon at 2 pm at First Presbyterian Church of
Bellevue, 1717 Bellevue Way NE in Bellevue. In lieu of flowers, remembrances
may be sent to First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue to
help support ministries that David loved and worked in.
(The Skagit Valley Herald)
|
Dr.
Lisa Surdyk
(1965-2009)
We were expecting this, but not this month. Lisa taught
her last class just before Thanksgiving and did not
return. I was able to take a final portrait of her
(right) on
October 26th. She was always mature for her years. Ten
years my junior, she joined SBE just a few months after
I did. I’ve often wished I had taken her route –
pursuing my Ph.D. in Economics instead of Educational
Policy. But ours is not to judge the course set out for
us to run – only to run it well to the finish line -- as
Lisa did.
Lisa Klein Surdyk, Ph.D.
Seattle Pacific University professor Lisa Klein Surdyk
passed away December 6, 2009, three-plus years after her
initial cancer diagnosis. Lisa was born in Seattle,
September 10, 1965, to Richard and Mary Klein. Lisa is
survived by Tim, her husband of 17 years, and their four
children, Kenneth, Charles, William and Mary, all of
Kenmore, . . . Lisa was an active member of Shoreline
Free Methodist Church, Kenmore Elementary PTA, and Aqua
Club swim team. Favorite vacation spots were Whidbey
Island, the Long Beach peninsula, Disneyland with her
kids, Alaska, Sweden, France and Italy. A 1983 graduate
of Inglemoor High School in Kenmore, Lisa studied
economics at SPU, graduating in 1987. She entered the
doctoral program at the University of Washington that
fall, completing her dissertation and earning her PhD in
economics in 1991. She then returned to SPU, joining the
faculty of the School of Business & Economics at SPU
that Fall. She was named Scholar of the Year for SBE in
2003, and Teacher of the Year twice, in 1997 and 2009.
Lisa was actively involved in the Christian Business
Faculty Association and served as chair of its board
from 1996-97, and was the recipient of the Richard C.
Chewning Award for the integration of faith and business
in 1999. She was a member of the American Economic
Association, the Western Economic Association
International, and the Association of Christian
Economists. She served on various faculty governance
committees at SPU, including Faculty Council and was the
recent chair of SBE's faculty development committee.
Lisa authored or co-authored articles in a variety of
journals including the Journal of Biblical Integration
in Business, Christian Scholar's Review, Journal of
Psychology and Theology, Research on Christian Higher
Education, and the International Journal of Finance. The
Journal of Biblical Integration in Business will publish
a memorial section in its February 2010 issue, including
a retrospective of her published articles, contributions
to the CBFA and SPU, along with her final scholarly
paper. A memorial service for Professor Surdyk will be
held on Sunday, January 10th at 3:00 p.m., at First Free
Methodist Church, next to the SPU campus. Memorial gifts
to "Lisa Klein Surdyk Scholarship Fund" c/o Seattle
Pacific University. (The Seattle Times)
|
|
 Annie Buys a Car
Annie will begin her final quarters at SPU
with student teaching in winter and spring. She will be at
Henry M. Jackson High School in Mill Creek. Her 21 mile commute
from SPU requires a car.
She found a variety of cars online and
visited a Toyota dealership for the sake of comparison, but the
first one she test drove is the one she bought.
Jason on Beacon Hill offered his 1999 Ford
Taurus SE station wagon On Craig's List for $3,000 or best
offer. Nancy and Annie picked me up downtown and we went
to check it out on a rainy night the week before Christmas.
A few days later she took the car to TLC Automotive to have it
checked out. Although it needed some work (and new tires
when the stud tires come off in April), she offered $2500 and it
was hers.
Another $1,600 to TLC and her nice,
practical transportation is ready for winter commuting. She (and
I) love this car.
|
|
 
JB Shines on the Beam
This month Jeannie Beth began to compete for
Bellevue High School in gymnastics. In her first meet, she
was entered in the vault and beam. She'll add floor
exercise in January.
She got a 6.0 on her vault and a 5.7 on the
beam. Her beam routine was especially smooth, with good
form. Her coach was delighted, as were her parents!
As she adds speed and difficulty, her scores
will improve, but her first meet showed that she has the poise
and grace needed for this sport.
In her second meet (below) against
Woodinville (the defending state champions), she looked tired --
and was. The meet was toward the end of BCS's Homecoming week.
The following week JB was "kidnapped" by the team for a special
overnight. She had fun dying her hair magenta.
Over the Christmas break her only
opportunity to train was with her coaches in Enumclaw. That did
not work out, so she'll have to work extra hard in January.
She'll get to compete each Thursday night in January.
|
|
 
Christmas 2009
Christmas this years was noticeably more
relaxed from all prior years. Grandma Jean went with us to
Christmas Eve service at UPC. For the first time we did
not attend the "children's service," but rather, enjoyed a
service of carols in Larson Hall. Because we had Mom with
us, we went home instead of driving to West Seattle. Randy
and Dad joined us for Christmas dinner on the 25th. (All the
kids still insist on sleeping in front of the tree so Santa must
leave the stockings on the dining room table.) Again this
year, Nate chopped the tree from the top of our oft-topped
Douglas Fir on the north side of the house.
|
|
|
Christmas dinner at our place included
a turkey cooked by Nancy, potatoes by me, and most of the other
fixings brought by Susan and Ginger. But it resulted in
the type of holiday spread I have long hoped to set at 1228
99th. When the Library floor is finished and we can move
the five bookcases out of the Living/Dining room, we'll be set
to host an even bigger group.
Joan Seymour's fruit cake was the
first fruit cake I actually liked. The James family joined
us for a visit and game time a few days after Christmas.
  |
|
  |
|
 
Grandma Jean's health seems more fragile this month than in
recent months but she's been able to get out to church and
family gather- ings. The photo at the right was taken by
Jeff Blackburn, Director of Media Services at UPC. OK,
I'll have to admit that a good Canon camera gives a similar
Nikon all the competition it can handle. Now can it take an
action shot in low light? |
|
 
Susan bid on the blouse that Annie modeled (and received for
Christmas) at a P.E.O. event. Has anyone ever had so
uniformly wonderful offspring?
My best present was again a book from Annie. This one
is the history behind the historical fiction I have
come to love. The British (and American) officers and
"Jack Tars" of the Age of Sail continue to
fascinate and inspire me.
|
|
 
JB
turns 17
Jeannie Beth enjoyed the movies I got her,
Star Trek with her favorite actor, Zachary Quinto, and
Beauty and the Beast, in which she hopes to act in the BCS
spring play.
|
|
Shadow and Pearl
For her Christmas present, we gave Pearl
(left) to Grandma Ginger. She was a hit. Pearl hid
from our other three cats on the 2nd floor and never quite fit
in here. Now she happily has the run of Susan's big house and
loves to watch the birds from the sunroom and sleep in Grandma
Ginger's lap when Ginger naps in her recliner.
And after a month, Shadow and our resident
felines, Diana and Ginger, are finally getting along fine.
Shadow is the friend of all. She seems to especially enjoy
sleeping near people's heads. Due to her memory issues,
Grandma Jean is often surprised that we have three cats,
although she sees them every day. Shadow walks on me and
sleeps most nights with me. She has a distinct odor but I
am used to it and her loud purrrrrr shuts off when she
falls asleep.
 
  |
 
|
 
BCS Wrestling Continues
I wonder why I continue with this hobby, but it
still seems like a service I can make. At the Christmas
break, the BCS team is 3 and 3 in dual matches.
Nathanael worked as a scorer at the As Iron Sharpens Iron
tournament (that he won in 2006) and he practiced with the team
over the Christmas break. He still loves wrestling and it's
likely to be a part of his professional life as a teacher some
day. My
photos continue to be a hit with wrestlers, coaches, parents
and fans. |
Bits and Pieces
  President
Phil Eaton surprised us all. While we did not get raises this
year, he did come through with Christmas bonuses on December 21st.
And my checking account was running on empty due to Christmas shopping
and chipping in on Annie's car. My bonus was $1,365, not a
subscription to the "Jelly of the Month Club" a la Clark Griswold.
After
Christmas, our Whirlpool Sidekick refrigerator died. For a $68
service call, a repairman told us it would cost over $800 to
repair it, so we went shopping on the last day of December.
We visited four stores but settled on a 21.9 cubic foot Kenmore
from Sears with the freezer in the bottom. It will
mean raising the cabinets on the wall above the current refrigerator
space in the kitchen. This will be a project for January 1st and
2nd. When Annie pays us back for her car we'll be able to pay for the
frig,
The
death of Dr. Lisa Surdyk was a blow to my whole department. That
one event cast a shadow on our otherwise highly successful year.
 Again
this year I have been made responsible for crafting the 2010-11 Time
Schedule for the school. I must schedule 23 faculty and many
adjuncts into six degree programs, including the MBA at two sites, in
both day and evening classes. It's my most challenging task all
year.
The
Saturday Morning Men's Bible Study ends 2009 in the middle of Hebrews
11. We will continue at Psalm 63 and then begin Revelation (in
honor of Phil Voigt) in the spring.
We now see bald eagles whenever we cross Lake Washington. One flew
in front of the van as I drove east one day. But at the end of
December we've finally seen them in Bellevue. I could have gotten
better shots if I'd been quicker, but this one, shot from our upper
deck, is a first.
December 7th marked my 20th anniversary as a Ph.D. The credential has
aided me greatly in my continuing college career, but not as I had
expected at first. It prepared me for my staff role -- not a teaching
one. Prov. 16:9
On December 15th, I watched on TV with my SBE colleagues, the
Boeing 787 Dreamliner take off from Everett's Paine Field and
land at Boeing Field in Renton.
|
