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From left: President Jo Young Switzer, J. Michael Jarvis, Kathryn
Reid,
Cara Bergen and Dr. Harry Keffer
Manchester
honors four alumni
who make a difference
Health care
ethics. Caregiving ministries. Classroom best practices. Global
entrepreneurship.
The careers of
four extraordinary people honored May 31 are diverse and successful,
carrying them across the Midwest and the nation, and across oceans. Yet
all point to Manchester College, their alma mater, as their
igniter in their journeys toward making a difference.
Thursday
evening, in a ceremony topping its Alumni Days, a special homecoming for
graduates of 50 years ago and older,
Manchester
College presented its
premier Alumni Honor Award to:
Cara M. Bergen of California, a 1987 grad who founded the widely
acclaimed Hesperia Institute for ExCEL, which shares nationwide her
highly successful method for raising the academic performance of
students at every learning
level.
J. Michael Jarvis of Franklin, Ind.,
a 1968 economics and business administration grad whose brainstorm to
remanufacture scrap truck engines was just the beginning of an
entrepreneurial career in manufacturing and service industries
worldwide.
Harry L. Keffer of
Terre Haute, Ind.,
a 1959 chemistry grad, anesthesiologist and long-time member of the
leadership of Union Hospital in Terre Haute who is nationally recognized for
his work in the ethics of health care.
Kathryn Reid of Richmond, Ind., a 1973 English grad who
leads the Association of Brethren Caregivers, has founded a
congregation, enormously expanded a network of homeless shelters across
Texas
and authored curriculums on preventing child abuse.
Manchester
College
is committed to graduating students of ability and conviction who will
make a difference in the world, as have its 2007 Alumni Honorees. For
more about the liberal arts college in northern
Indiana, which offers more than 55 areas of
study, visit www.manchester.edu
More about the 2007 Alumni Honorees
Cara
LeValley Bergen, as principal of a struggling 750-student
elementary school in Hesperia, Calif.,
combined her research in best practices with commitment to raise
performance of every student
– not just students at the bottom of the learning scale. She founded
Hesperia Institute of ExCEL, which remains within the Hesperia school
district but consults and educates trainers in school districts across the
nation, receiving acclaim from U.S.
Secretaries of Education for being a perfect fit for such federal
guidelines as the No Child Left Behind Act.
Mike
Jarvis saw the possibilities of remanufacturing International
Harvester’s scrap engines in the late ’70s. Soon, he bought the project,
called Franklin Power Products, from his employer. Franklin Power became
a touchstone for ventures in the
United States
and Canada,
from fuel systems to marine drive systems. Along the way, Jarvis slipped
into USAC racing, with recent championship success. His latest ventures
range from real estate development to international satellite
communications. Jarvis remains committed to
Manchester
College, in philanthropy
and service on the Board of Trustees.
Dr.
Harry Keffer served on the leadership team of Union Hospital
in Terre Haute for three decades, as chief of surgery, chief of staff,
chief of anesthesia, president
of the medical-dental staff, member of the executive committee and Board
of Directors and chairing the ethics committee. He taught medical
ethics, genetics and airway management at Indiana University School of
Medicine. With his wife, Jan, the Keffers are widely sought for their
lectures, seminars and consulting on medical ethics – particularly the
ethics of end-of-life decision-making and genetic testing.
Kathy
Goering Reid is a familiar voice for the caring ministries of the
Church of the Brethren. She has served on several task forces concerned
with child welfare. As former executive director of the Texas Homeless
Network, she expanded its support of homeless centers and networks
across the state, at the same time founding a Mennonite congregation. As
executive director of the Association of Brethren Caregivers, she
fosters a ministry of giving and receiving care, connecting and under
girding persons and communities in their lifelong journeys toward
wholeness.
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