Tag: Wesley Chapel

Echoes, Ripples, and Seeds

Echoes

The walls of Wesley Chapel were echoing on Saturday, July 27, 2019. Songs not heard since the 1970s were sung with gusto by a very special group. There were Wesleyan alumni from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and one from 2019. There were current students. There were some amazing musicians who were experiencing the beautiful chapel for the first time.

Although there were only a dozen or so people in the chapel for this experience, it was streamed live on Facebook to 50 or so others as well. Those folks were spread all around! And, we are told, listening carefully to the stories, straining to see the photos, and singing along in such places as Canada, Florida, and JFK airport. Click here for a better look at those photos.

              LoveShine Impromptu Reunion 2019:                            Songs, Stories, Worship

This was a reunion of people who had been active in the group known as LoveShine, which started in 1976 and ended in 2003. LoveShine, a Christian Drama Group, was composed of WVWC students who came together to glorify God by using their talent and creativity to write and perform skits and music. They performed in worship services, coffeehouses, workshops, and toured throughout the region visiting churches to share God’s love.

The founder, and first director, of the group, Paul Brown, was present in the chapel for this reunion. He had not been back to WVWC in 43 years! 

He was able to tell the story about the beginnings, and in this photo is listening to Cheryl (Isner) Olcott, his hand-picked successor as director, tell about the development of the group and what it has meant in her life to this day.

We also had some memories sent in by email, including from Rev. Heather (Runser) McLeod who was part of the last group in 2003. Click below to read those memories that were shared. If you have memories to share as well, email them to historian@wvwc.edu.

LoveShine Memories

Ripples

How Did This Reunion Even Come About?

Caitlin in the front. Back row; Paula McGrew, Paul Brown, Leslie (Flack) Miller

In Spring 2019, a course on WVWC History was being taught by Paula McGrew (’78). Her challenge to the students in the class was to choose an area of Wesleyan and to go to the archives and find out as much as possible. One student, Caitlin Ware, chose to dive into the topic of Religious Life on Campus in the past 20 years or so. Thus began the ripple effect:

  • Research in the WVWC archives revealed a group called LoveShine
  • LoveShine had a theme song written by Leslie Flack
  • Which led Paula to email her former classmate, Leslie, to ask if she had the lyrics to that song – or better yet a recording
  • Which led Leslie to contact Wendy, Paul, Jeff and others to try and get all of the words and the chords from all those years ago
  • Which led to chatter about having a reunion, including those who had not been back to WVWC for decades
  • Which prompted Paula to contact the chapel and alumni offices – and Robert Osburn in AV
  • Which resulted in many stories being told, including some mailed to Leslie by people who really wished that they could be here in person
  • Those stories included both the stories of the beginning of the group in 1976 and the ending of it in 2003.

One thing led to the next and grew into the next and into the next…..

Seeds

Those long ago experiences planted many seeds. In the hearts of the participants. In the hearts of their audiences. In the very fabric of Religious Life on the campus of WVWC.  

On Saturday, July 27, 2019, more seeds were planted. Caitlin was present and talked with the people that she had “discovered” in the archives. She sang with them, laughed with them, asked them questions, answered some of theirs, and made new friends.

Also in attendance were Lucas Trovato (a 2019 graduate and current MBA student) and his fiance Lauren Hatcher (class of 2020 and currently the President of Student Senate). They also learned a few new (old) songs and made new friends. They were able to see the Orange Line in all of its glory.

AND

The event was broadcast well beyond Wesley Chapel. Through the magic of Facebook Live, 50 or so people who wanted to be in the chapel were able to be there virtually. 

AND

The entire event was recorded by Robert Osburn, including a recording session with participants singing the LoveShine Theme Song and another of Leslie Flack’s songs, The Good Song inspired (of course) by John Wesley himself as well as Martin Luther King, Jr.  These songs have been lodged in my head for days now. When the recordings are available, I will post them here. Listen at your own risk!! They are absolutely classics in the making. Until those recordings are ready, click here to hear them from Leslie’s website! 

There is no telling where these seeds may yet take root! Or when. Or where. LoveShine is shining on!

Photos to Share? You can put them here in this folder.

Here is a partial list of those who have been involved with LoveShine through the years. The names were pulled from yearbooks and scrapbooks, neither of which had complete information for all years. Apologies to anyone who might be missing from the list. If that includes you (or others you know) please send their names and the year(s) they were involved to historian@wvwc.edu.

Program from LoveShine Reunion (including the theme song lyrics)

Insert with Good Song lyrics.

Editor’s Note: July 1, 2020 Caitilin Ware will begin serving the college as Spiritual Life Coordinator for one year, during which she will be exploring and helping build a foundation and vision for the future of religious and spiritual life including how the College and the leadership of the West Virginia Annual Conference can continue to look forward to a continued and strengthened partnership. You can read more about this appointment here.

DreamersAndGiants is a webpage and a blog created by Paula McGrew to tell the stories of WVWC. Click here to explore the website.

A Moment in Time And Space

Headlines sound eerily familiar:

  • Congressional subpoenas and testimonies
  • Political unrest around the world
  • Presidents and the word impeachment regularly used in the same sentence
  • Protests
  • Russians creating havok

A major difference is that in 1969 there were only three news channels, and they did not broadcast the news 24/7 – complete with “experts” to explain and spin each and every nugget of information. People read newspapers and books and sought out information. They discussed it in person, often on panel discussions containing actual experts. They  certainly did not always agree.

In 2019 there is 24/7 news on an unlimited number of social media channels. Television has mind-numbing discussions of news and issues which are often just shouting matches. Personal discussions are conducted by way of Tweets or comments on a Facebook post from people who really don’t know what they are talking about. They are just repeating something they heard or saw somewhere else without taking the time to research to find out the truth of the matter.  In a world of nearly unlimited access to information, we are starving for wisdom. We still do not always agree, but chances of encountering a thoughtful discussion with participation of a true panel of experts in person is less likely.

Products of our time (and participants in it)

The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission is everythwere at the moment. We are taking some time to look back through time to discover (rediscover) what life was like the year that we took a Giant Leap for Mankind.

That year contained not one big event, but many.

The country was reeling from the Vietnam War.  The Stonewall Riots began the Gay Rights movement. American Indians seized Alcatraz. The Young Lords group (working for Puerto Rican and other Latino rights) took over the 1st Spanish United Methodist Church in Spanish Harlem to bring attention to their mission of empowering young Latinos, and the Black Panthers were actively engaged throughout the country.

And yet……that year also gave us a great many things that we now consider to be standards in our culture, including: Scooby Doo, Cracker Barrel, Wendy’s, The Brady Bunch, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Frosty the Snowman, PBS, and Sesame Street. The Beatles played their last concert together, released their last album together, and ZZ Top and Led Zeppilin came on the scene. A lot was going on.

Click here to see a timeline of some of the hightlights (including some from WVWC).

1969 at WVWC

All of these things were certainly part of the lives of students and faculty at Wesleyan. But, while the world was busy going crazy in the 1960s, Wesleyan was busy growing. Seven new buildings were added to campus in that decade, creating what I like to refer to as the Oval Side of Campus. The Benson House (now the Erickson Alumni Center) was purchased to house the new nursing program. Six new buildings rose from the mud: Doney Hall, Benedum Campus Community Center, Holloway Hall, Paul G. Benedum Hall,  Christopher Hall of Science, and Wesley Chapel and Martin Religious Center.

These last two in particular embody the importance of both the sciences and Liberal Arts at WVWC. The idea that both buildings are important enough to put forth time and resources at such a time in history to make them a reality.

The Summer 1969 issue of the Sundial was dedicated to covering the importance of science in our world and in the curriculum here at Wesleyan. Sadly, this issue has slipped through the cracks of our scanning!! (Which just points out exactly why we need to finish all of that work). Here is the cover, and I have transcribed a few excerpts.

Sundial, Summer 1969

On the cover:  Recent scientific progress has brought the age of space into our daily lives. We can no longer talk about the prospect of space travel as if it were a remote possibility. Our earth-born “Man-on-the-Moon” has made us dramatically aware that our shrinking world is part of a shrinking universe. The cover shows an astronomer’s view of the Milky Way. Sagittarius is in the center. The two bright spots in the lower right portion are the Magellanic Clouds. (photograph courtesy of J.M. Wiley & Sons, Inc. Publishers)

Haymond Hall of Science had served well since 1914, but it was no longer equipped for the types of things that needed to be done as the 1960s came to a close.  Many people dreamed of more, as we see in this excerpt:

The brick, block, steel, and machinery, even the inconveniences of noise and mud represented the fulfillment of a dream. This was the dream of students and teachers who had labored in the antiquated confines of Haymond Hall. This was the dream of the Board of Trustees and the administration as they worked to improve Wesleyan’s science education program. This was the dream of countless alumni who contributed to our building fund. This had been the dream of Nicholas Hyma to whom our science program owes so much. This was the dream of Mrs. and Mrs. Frank Christopher who gave generously toward the construction of the building. This was the dream that now had become a reality. Wesleyan gazed in wonder as the Christopher Hall of Science rose from the mud.

The doors opened, and the first classes were taught, in February 1969. Just as things were gearing up for that Apollo 11 Moon Landing.

There was so much joy in this accomplishment that there were three days of celebrations centered around science. The three main events were in keeping with the values of the college. Importance of curriculum and preparing students, creative (and very accurate) thinking about the future of the world, and worship.

  • A Panel Discussion: “The education of scientists, as viewed by representatives of industry, foundations, higher education and government was explored at the panel discussion. The general topic of the panel was “Perspectives In Science Education.” The discussion centered on current trends in science education and the preparation of future scientists.”
  • Convocation Speaker:  Arthur C. Clark spoke. Yes, the scientist and science writer who was nominated that year with Stanley Kubrick for an Academy Award for Screenwriting — 2001: A Space Odyssey spoke in Wesley Chapel. His topic was “The World of 2001,” and featured science and technology of the future. In his verbal tour of life in 2001, he discussed the questions of efficient land control, a dwindling food supply, instant communication, agricultural use of the sea, and artificial production of food products.
  • Worship Service: Conducted by Dr. Webster H. Sill, Jr., a 1939 graduate of Wesleyan and now a professor teaching botany and plant pathology at Kansas State University. His topic is “Facts–Undergird Science, Morals, and Faith.” Dr. Sill is a well-known scientific author and lecturer. He has done considerable research on diseases in food crops in the Philippines and India. Dr. Sill is also the minister of the Sedalia (KS) Community Church. He has been pastor at this church since 1963 and has been either minister or assistant minister in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Kansas churches. He was Kansas Layman of the Year in 1957. Dr. Sill won his letter in football and baseball at Wesleyan. What a wonderful choice of a speaker! Dr. Sill embodied a very successful alumnus, who had been a student athlete, and who had gone on to be very successful in both the sciences and the church. A scientist with a heart for the Liberal Arts.

It was a Moment in Time and Space.

Stories Behind the Soaring Sound

I have enjoyed it hundreds, if not thousands, of times at Concerts, Convocations, Recitals, Weddings and Worship Services.

But I confess that I haven’t really stopped to find out more about it until now.

The organ in Wesley Chapel has been a major player in  many stories.

  • Dedication
  • Celebration
  • Meditation
  • Inaguration

The music played on this organ has

  • Lifted our spirits
  • Comforted our souls
  • Given great enjoyment and inspiration

The organ in Wesley Chapel was built by the Casavant Freres Organ Builders. That company was founded in Quebec, Canada in 1879 by two brothers, Claver and Samuel Casavant, who shared a love of the craft of organ building. They traveled extensively throughout Europe studying organs and those who built them. Their organs are thought to be among the finest in the world.

When President Stanley H. Martin was working on plans for Wesley Chapel, he drew heavily from his experience at Boston University. He taught there, and was the first chaplain at Marsh Chapel when it was built in 1950. Sure enough, the organ in that building is also built by the Casavant Freres Organ Builders.

Installation Dates and Delays

Some delays due to a labor strike in England apparently prevented the organ from being ready for the October 29, 1967 Chapel Dedication ceremony. The program does not mention this, so the programs must have already been printed prior to this story in the Pharos on October 24.

Clear back on page three was this brief notice:

By January 23, 1968 the headlines said:

The print is small, so I will transcribe it here:

Installation of Wesley Chapel’s organ begins today, according to Chaplain Sydney Davis. Chapel services for this morning have been cancelled, but services will beheld as usual next week.

The $130,000 organ and Sculmerich chimes were donated by local persons who prefer to remain anonymous.

Installation and tuning of pipes for the organ will continue for approximately six weeks, and dedication of the organ will take place March 3 in the first of a series of organ recitals to be given this semester.

Richard Ellsasser is best noted for having memorized the complete works of Bach at age 19. He is the second person to have done so.

Elsasser maintains offices in the midwest, Hollywood and New York.

Installation, originally scheduled for completion early last semester, was held up by a delay in shipment of a metal screen to be put in front of the 4,174 pipes of the organ.

The screen, made in England, was held up due to a strike and was not shipped until last month.

Casavante Freres of Toronto, Canada, makers of the organ, are in charge of installation of the organ and pipes.

The screen had to be installed prior to the pipes which have been available since last semester. In order to install the screen, workmen had to work behind the screen in the area in which the pipes are to be put.

Contractors were afraid that in the process of screen installation, pipes might be damaged, so the decision was made to install the screen first.

Following pipe installation, pipes must be tuned or “voiced.” This procedure will take approximately five weeks.

“We hope to be able to use the organ within six weeks,” Robert Shafer, official college organist, said.

FOUR Dedication Concerts

This was so much excitement over the organ, that there was a series of concerts to dedicate it. They began with a well-known organ prodigy, followed by a faculty concert, an alumni concert, and ended with a well-known organ performer and teacher.   Click here to see the full program for the March 3rd Concert.

  1. March 3, 1968  (3:00 pm) by Richard Ellasser.
  2. March 19, 1968 (8:15 pm) by Dr.Robert E. Shafer
  3. March 31, 1968 (3:00 pm) by Dwight Menard (1964)
  4. November 19, 1968 (8:00 pm) by Dr. George Markey (Princeton)

Mystery Solved. Thank you, G.I. Rohrbough!

The January  1966 edition of the West Virginia Wesleyan College Bulletin reported that :

The organ, to be built at a cost of $92,900, has been contributed to the College by a donor wishing to remain anonymous for the present. The installation of the Casavant organ will permit Wesleyan a great opportunity to provide outstanding concerts for all of central West Virginia.

It did not remain anonymous, however.

Etta Maude Lynch was born in 1875, and died in 1936.  This photograph of her was located on Find-a-Grave 130768195. This was way before we had a yearbook from which to locate a photograph. Irwin’s yearbook information in the 1923 Murmurmontis shows that he was a very active part of the college community.

Irwin went on to be a very successful educator and administrator, serving as president of multiple colleges. You can read more about him here. He also served on the West Virginia Wesleyan Board of Trustees from 1967-76, and through his gift of the organ in Wesley Chapel, he is still contributing to events at the school. In 1940 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Pedagogy degree.

Inspiration and Appreciation

The 4,174 pipes, 54 stops, and 75 real ranks of pipes involved have attracted world-famous organists to come and play in Wesley Chapel. Wesleyan Giants such as Robert E. Shafer, Bobby Loftis, J. Peter Berkovitz,  Marguerite Bostonia, and Melody Meadows have played it and inspired their students – many of whom have become master organists in their own rights. Among them are Peter DuBois, Jessica Scott, Brett Miller, Zachary Allen, Abby Woods Haake, Peter Infanger, Greg Blair, Alfred Kanagaraj, Edward Byram, and Kayoko Funada, but there are many many more.

Other notable people include Eunyoung Kim, a Fulbright,  and Pamela Balch, President of WVWC from 2006-16.

And thousands of us have benefited from the music resulting from this gift.

In the Footsteps of Giants

Sometimes we can’t see them…..

If you walk up the front steps to Wesley Chapel, you cross some.Boetticher at Wesley's Feet

At first glance, you might assume that you are seeing the footprints of John Wesley. But, if you look past the statue and focus in on the steps which lead to the door of the chapel, you will see another name……..

In Memorium

Edward L. Boetticher

Let us unite the two so long divided, knowledge and vital piety. John Wesley

We may know that John Wesley was the founder of Methodism. He, and the beautiful statue of him on the WVWC campus, will be the topic of another blog another day.  But who in the world is Edward L. Boetticher?

Edward L. Boetticher the Student

Boetticher, Edward L. Murmurmontis 1927
Edward L. Boetticher, Class of 1926

Edward was very active on campus. He also graduated in only three years!

Edward’s campus activities included:

  • As a member and First Vice President of Alpha Gamma Phi Fraternity (forerunner of Kappa Alpha Fraternity), Edward lived in the house at 49 South Florida. Faculty advisers and hosts were Nicholas Hyma and Edgar Sorton. Housemother was Mrs. Maude Mick.
  • Edward was a member of the Chrestomathaean Literary Society, and the Vice President of the Cutshall Literary Society in 1926. (This organization was reorganized into an Honorary Fraternity for students with high academic achievement and Boetticher was the President during the second semester 1926-27.)
  • Lyceum Course Manager 1925, 1926
  • Men’s Glee Club, Treasurer 1925; President 1924; Vice President 1925-26
  • Ministerial Association member. This group prepared for the task of ministry and aided each other in deepening their own spiritual lives.
  • Murmurmontis Business Manager, 1925
  • Pharos Reporter, 1924
  • Student Council
  • Wesleyan Players, Treasurer 1926
  • Y.M.C.A.

His education did not stop at that time.

  • 1926 West Virginia Wesleyan College, A.B.
  • 1929 Boston University, S.T.B.
  • 1930 University of Pittsburgh, M.A.
  • 1942 West Virginia Wesleyan College, Hon. DD

Edward L Boetticher the Methodist Minister

Edward met his future wife, Gayzelle Rusk (College Class of 1925), while at Wesleyan. She was a member of many of the same organizations. She also served as a school teacher after graduating with her degree from the Normal School in 1922.

Boetticher, Gayzelle Rusk Murmurmontis 1925

Together they shared a life of ministry. Edward’s ministerial footprints included:

  • Licensed to Preach 1924
  • 1925-26  Conway/Glenfield
  • 1926-27 In School
  • 1926 Admitted on Trial Methodist Episcopal Pittsburgh Conference
  • 1928 Full Member of Methodist Episcopal Pittsburgh Conference
  • 1928 Ordained Deacon
  • 1928-31 Pittsburgh: McCandless Avenue
  • 1929 Ordained Elder
  • 1931-35 Pittsburgh: Beechview
  • 1935-40 Monessen: First
  • 1940-56 New Kensington: First
  • 1956-62 Superintendent: Blairsville District
  • 1962 Member Methodist Western Pennsylvania Conference at Merger
  • 1962-December 15, 1963 Executive Secretary: Conference Board of Missions/Church Extension

Edward L. Boetticher the Trustee

Boetticher, Edward L. Sundial 1964-04 p.33

From 1949-1965, Edward served as a Trustee at West Virginia Wesleyan College. His love for the school and the church combined to make him a very active trustee. Earlier catalogs listed the committees on which the Trustees served. Edward’s list included:

  • Alumni Relations 1954-1959
  • Executive 1959-1960
  • History, Archives and Fine Arts 1956-1959
  • Instruction 1949-1952
  • Policy and Planning 1955-1956; 1957-1959
  • Religion 1955-1957

Edward L. Boetticher in Memoriam

Edward died on December 15, 1963 just as the campus was experiencing great growth. His widow, Gayzelle, honored him by providing memorials in a few different areas.

This plaque, just inside the door of the Meditation Chapel, indicates that Gayzelle Rusk Boetticher established the marble altar in Edward’s memory. There was considerable work and reinforcement of the floors needed for that project.

Meditation Chapel Plaque

As mentioned above, Edward’s name is carved into the very steps leading to the front door of Wesley Chapel, and includes a quote from John Wesley about the importance of linking education and spiritual matters — both of which were extremely important to Edward as well as to John Wesley.

Boetticher Steps into the Chapel

Edward the Family Member

Curiosity about his family background led Edward to Washington, D.C. in 1938 to meet with Lt. General Frederick Von Boetticher, the German military attache. This meeting led to wonderful conversations and a visit with long lost cousins in Germany after World War II was concluded.

At one such visit, in 1952, Edward was presented with the Von Boetticher Crucifix. This item, dating from about 1356, had been passed down through the generations of the family from that time forward. There had always been at least one in each generation to go into the ministry. To read more about this amazing artifact, click here.

Dr. Boetticher returned from his European travels with the crucifix. It remained in his home until his death in 1963 when his widow, Mrs. Gayzelle Rusk Boetticher, decided that it more appropriately should be placed in the new chapel of the couple’s beloved alma mater.

Boetticher Crucifix

Edward L. Boetticher was a

  • follower of Christ
  • student of John Wesley
  • student and alumus and trustee of West Virginia Wesleyan College
  • seeker of his family footsteps

And we follow in his.

They’ve Seen It All…And Speak

They’ve seen it all for more than half a century.

The Twelve Apostles standing guard at the back of the sanctuary in Wesley Chapel have been silent witnesses to the life of the West Virginia Wesleyan Community year after year.

Students have come and gone. They have made beautiful music in Wesley Chapel, won many awards, and shown great enthusiasm for events like Spring Sing. They have been challenged by powerful speakers and celebrated the Christmas Season with Lessons and Carols.

Faculty have come and gone. They have marched in procession for countless convocations. They have given speeches and led prayers.

The Alma Mater and My Home Among the Hills have been sung with great gusto hundreds of times. The Orange Line Poem has been read as alumni have come back to celebrate their time at Wesleyan. The apostles have been listening.

And the Apostles have been there for all of it.

Carved from chestnut wood by Upshur County artist, Wolfgang Flor, these Silent Sentinals are full of meaning and personality. And yet, many have never noticed them or taken time to read the deep thoughts of Wolfgang Flor.

Wolfgang Flor was 38 years old when he was commissioned by West Virginia Wesleyan College to carve the apostles.

A native of Silesia, who escaped from Nazi Germany during World War II, Flor settled in rural Upshur County with his family. When given this huge task, he studied several books about the apostles and also consulted with Dr. Sidney T. Davis (Class of 1936 and The Dean of the Chapel) to find out more about the personalities and histories of each of the twelve. The words included with these photos are those of Wolfgang Flor.

Woflgang Flor died on December 2, 2017. But, his work lives on. Although he is a very well-known artist beyond West Virginia Wesleyan, his work has a very special place on our campus. He captured not only the apostles, but the very nature of what the college values.

Toward the end of his life, a new piece was placed at the front of the santuary. It is the Family Tree. He told President Pamela Balch that it felt like closure for him to know that his work would go on living in Wesley Chapel.

 

 

“The woman on the right is called “Poverty.” She represents the result of this imbalance of wealth. Her upturned face and folded hands portray her prayers for relief. She stands close to her daughter in an attempt to protect her from the injustices of the world. Of course, her under-nourished daughter represents all of the starving people in the world as she holds the empty place while we count her ribs.”

Yes, Wolfgang Flor’s work is the essence of West Virginia Wesleyan College. Our United Methodist Heritage and our committment to Social Justice are on display.

Click here to read more about Wolfgang Flor.