France during and after Nov. 13
It’s 12:37 a.m.
My phone has been vibrating over and over, and I finally decide to succumb to its pull and wake up enough to unlock it. Five text messages, and three Facebook messages.
“Are you ok?”
Wheaton students & the Fortune 500
When former Wheaton students Julia Wittrock and Grant Hensel decided to ask each of the Fortune 500 CEOs about their favorite books, they weren’t sure what types of responses, if any, they would receive. They hoped that their three-sentence, hand-signed letters ending with the words, “You inspire us,” would bring them around 50 replies at most. What they did not anticipate was 150 CEOs responding, some even sending copies of their book of choice, calling them on the phone or writing letters in return. These 150 recommendations became the basis for Wittrock and Hensel’s book “What the Fortune 500 Read,” which was released this past Tuesday, Nov. 17.
Family on and off the field
In the world of athletics, competitors often view teammates as brothers or sisters — people who work alongside each other and stick together through good times and bad. This is no different at Wheaton, where athletes share an even stronger bond as brothers and sisters in Christ. However, some share even more in common than the name they wear on the front of their jerseys. These groups of athletes from all different sports are united with the same last name and competitive drive to excel in Wheaton athletics.
Two professors for the ages
Last week the English department lost two stellar professors, and I lost two dear friends. When Sue Lundin, wife of Roger Lundin, Arthur F. Holmes professor of faith and learning, called me early last Friday morning to tell me that Roger had died very suddenly during the night, I was so stunned I could hardly speak. Lundin, chair and professor of English Sharon Coolidge and I came to Wheaton within three to four years of each other.
Wheaton student published in anthology
Sophomore Eleanor (Ellie) Roth’s short story titled “Story from the E.R.” is slated to be published around Dec. 10 in “Voices from the Dark,” a horror-themed anthology. Roth connected with the Naperville-based writers’ group “The Writing Journey” last fall while working on a novel, and this year marks her first time participating in their annual anthology of short stories.
Remembering Brett Foster
Brett Foster, beloved of many, passed away Monday evening at his home. A man of many gifts, Brett wrote feverishly, taught diligently, and loved with a passion for extending his ever-widening circle of friends. It was hard not to be drawn to Brett, charmed by his endless curiosity and inexhaustible well of dreams. Conversations with him could move fluidly from Shakespeare to Sports Illustrated to the rumor of a new Half-Price Books opening in Chicagoland. It was abundantly evident that, for Brett, friendship was a spiritual gift.