Cornerstone Commencement

I was honored to be invited to be the Commencement speaker at this year’s Cornerstone University graduation ceremony, and some of you may know that I am proud to be an alumnus of Cornerstone. I’ll avoid chatting about the topic of the commencement address, and instead turn to more interesting features.

Thirty-five years has meant changes — I saw (only) three of my professors (Ron Mayers, Nate Price and Gloria Baker) and now Chancellor Wilbert W. Welch, who at 90+ continues to find his way to the campus. We got to speak before the Commencement. The facilities at Cornerstone are awesome, including a wonderful gymnasium — the one we played in was fine for its day but the new one is spectacular. I’m proud to say Cornerstone won the NAIA men’s national basketball championship this year, so congratulations to Coach Kim Elders and the Golden Eagles! Darci Irwin, their super Alumni Relations Director, figured out my love for coffee and that meant Madcap … thanks Darci.

Over the years Cornerstone is one of those Christian higher education institutions that has sought to be faithful to the gospel and, at the same, adjust to changing needs for college students, and Cornerstone is a model of how this has occurred. What worked “then” is not always what is needed “now,” and it was a joy for me to overhear so many conversations about what is happening there.

I have never spent time with Joe Stowell, an excellent President, or his wife Martie, and besides treating me so well, they worked magic by finding a luncheon place at a golf course, and we got to look out onto the course throughout a delightful luncheon.  I have to give my thanks to Beth and Gerald Littlejohn, Beth for working with me to keep things in order and Gerald for hosting me, and also to Rick Ostrander and John VerBerkmoes. And to Chip Huber for taking the evening off for dinner with Gerald and me.

Returning to one’s college, as it is with most of us, evokes nostalgia and there were so many places and sounds and people and memories … and I could go on, but I have to say this was a huge honor for me.