Manchester Magazine Spring 2012

Books on peace and justice by Manchester alumni authors are on the shelves of Funderburg Library and
many faculty offices.

Timothy Brauch, assistant professor of mathematics, has algebra textbooks by Marvin Bittinger ’63 on his bookshelves, and has taught from them at other colleges. Manchester students also
have studied from Bittinger texts.

Ruth Walters ’71x Vawter, author of
Adventures on Promise Island,
and Flora Rouch ’59 Williams, author of The Shepherd’s Guide and other works, joined several Manchester alumni
authors for book signings and conversations at Homecoming 2011.

Marvin Bittinger ’63 is a prolific author
of math textbooks, teacher guides
and publications.

GLADDEN SCHROCK ’58 IS ONE of two Manchester College alumni authors nominated for the Pulitzer
Prize. In his nominated fiction, Letters From Alf, he wrote:

“Who can we look to for wisdom? Once we were convicted by God, then by His death. Now, not even the death of God interests us. We are passively moral, speak of instinct as though it were atavistic,
cannot even do war with certainty. We glory in our insipid homogeneity, the blessing of democracy.”

Phil West ’60, who has spent nearly a half-century searching for common ground between the people of America and East Asia, was nominated for his very first book, Yenching University and Sino-
Western Relations, 1916-1952.

Many, many Manchester alumni have authored scores and scores of books, from scholarly tomes on issues of history, peace and justice to lighter reading on personal finance, prayer and children’s stories.

The author of Silly Tilly and Mrs. Tibbles and the Special Someone not only wrote but also illustrated the children’s books: Jeanine Wine ’76, a biology-chemistry and art major who today is Manchester’s archivist.

In 2008, Myrna Grove ’71 completed her biography about the first minister and organizer of the Brethren movement in the 18th century. Her book, Alexander Mack: A Man Who Rippled the Waters marks the denomination’s 300th anniversary. She’s also written about asbestos cancer, one-room schools and even a children’s book.

James Hollis ’62 used his degree in English when writing Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up. He writes: “The second half of life presents a rich possibility for spiritual enlargement, for we are never going to have greater powers of choice, never have more lessons of
history from which to learn, and never possess more emotional resilience ...”

In his historical novel, Heart of a Warrior: The True Saga of Sweet Breeze and William Wells, Joe Krom ’67 tells of a pioneer taken captive at a young age by the Miami tribe, and of his relationship with the daughter of famous Chief Little Turtle.

Norm Coots ’89 and his wife, Carol, say their book has saved companies nationwide 50 million dollars: Stop Wasting Money! Your Common Sense Money Management Guide for Everyday Life.

Flora Rouch ’59 Williams offers prose and poetry ranging from spiritual guidance to financial matters. Here’s a sample of the home economics major’s talent in her 2006 book, Poetry for Life Renewal:

Robert C. Johansen ’62 discusses the developing world order in The National Interest and the Human Interest: An Analysis of U.S. Foreign Policy and why the influence of the United States fails to benefit the global human interest. He recently retired as founding faculty of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Sports enthusiasts will appreciate the personal insight (and strategies) of Coach Scott Kreiger ’88 in Four Sunny Saturdays as he recounts the journey of the Canterbury Lady Cavaliers basketball team to its first-ever 1A state championship in 2008. (He’s still head women’s basketball coach for Canterbury High in Fort Wayne.)

Mathematician Marvin Bittinger ’63 has sold more than 13 million copies of his textbooks, teacher guides and publications. It’s hard to find a math teacher who has not heard of him or used at least one of his more than 220
works, teacher guides and publications.

“The Bittinger texts are good to use with students who struggle with math,” says Timothy M. Brauch, Manchester assistant professor of mathematics. “They are easy to understand and present the topics in an orderly manner,
using a lot of examples of how the topics are used in real life.”

G. John Ikenberry ’76 majored in political science and philosophy. His After Victory: Institutions, Strategic Restraint, and the Rebuilding of Order after Major Wars won the 2002 Schroeder-Jervis Award for best book in international history and politics. Readers can find copies in Japanese, Italian and Chinese as well as the original English.

Manchester grads have much to say, from the scholars to the whimsical poets to the reflectively religious and the historians. Some win great prizes, some are prolific writers.

Read the list of Manchester authors on the Office of Alumni Relations Authors page.

BY CHRIS MINTER ’15

ENGLISH MAJOR Anne Schrock ’78 Ott intended to be a writer. She published her first piece in the Church of the Brethren Messenger magazine, an article about her professor, T. Wayne Rieman. Newspaper reporting and freelancing set her on a writing career, but her passion was for fiction. After a few graduate-level writing classes, she began her future as a novelist.

Windswept is Ott’s first work of fiction, with a sequel on its way. She draws on strong characters whose family relationships are grounded in respect, love and community.

“Love is hard work; love is a decision. Lots of fiction, television and movies model unhealthy relationships,” reflects Ott. “I wanted to write something that offered an alternative viewpoint. At the same time, while the characters may be classified as ‘people of faith,’ this is not a work that implies that belief in God will make everything OK. The book is about one family trying to live together and love each other when life is good and when it’s difficult.”

Ott stresses that writing is a process. Her advice to aspiring authors: “Go
to workshops, seminars, classes and write. Have your work critiqued by
professionals. Be humble enough to learn from others you respect and
courageous enough to be bold.”

Ott is a big fan of her alma mater: “Manchester is all about inspiring people to become the best they can be, to live lives of service, to believe that they can go out and make a difference in the world.

“In some respects, you could say that my characters are very much
influenced by what I learned at Manchester because who I am is so
intrinsically woven with the education I received there and the way it has
shaped my life.”

BY CHRIS MINTER ’15