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t’s difficult for those who did not attend Pacific Union College between 1938 and 1985 to understand the colossal esteem PUC alumni have for Dr. Walter C. Utt. Hundreds of PUC graduates can hardly remember their “PUC days” without a fond memory of Dr. Utt. He was, it would seem, more than a just a history professor. He was a legend. In 1985, a few days before his 64th birthday, Walter Utt died. His untimely death was sad for a number of reasons. First, many incoming students lost the opportunity to enjoy his quick wit and riveting “conversational lectures” in the classroom. Second, as best-selling author and PUC alumnus Joe Wheeler said, “A little bit of myself died” the day Dr. Utt died. Most of Utt’s students would probably agree with that. And third, Dr. Utt’s primary research was never fully completed. He had set out to write the first authoritative biography of Claude Brousson, 1647-1698, a revolutionary preacher and Huguenot lawyer when it was a terrifying time to be either. Louis XIV’s absolutist state made it illegal to preach Protestantism in France, yet Brousson did. As a result, he was martyred. Dr. Utt’s extensive research went well beyond one...

The Rasmussen Art Gallery at Pacific Union College will be exhibiting their annual Student Art Show from April 17 through May 15. The best word for this show is “diversity.” Every year the show is new and unique, as young artists show the art they love and are exploring. With well over a hundred pieces exhibited, there is a vast variety of media, styles and subject matter. Categories of media include ceramics, drawing, graphics design, mixed media, opaque media painting, watercolor painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and stained glass. PUC has a tradition of inviting some individuals involved in the arts of Napa Valley to be jurors of the student show. This year the jurors will be Adrian Gregorutti, a photographer from Rutherford and an alumnus of PUC, and Malia Hendricks, a painter from St. Helena who works in mixed media....

“Have you been in the library?” a fellow student asks me, near the end of the first week of spring quarter. “No...” I say, my voice trailing into a question mark. “They’ve already started making changes,” she says. “You should go see it.” I’m perplexed. These “proposed developments” are supposed to be vague dreams that come into being “when we raise the money” or “when we finalize the plans” – which means “when your great-grandchildren are attending college.” I’m also curious. I have long loved books and the worlds contained in them. My growing-up library was a bright place filled with wonder and delight. But here, at PUC, I quickly gave up the search for wonder and delight in our own library. The drab walls and stark lighting seemed to sap the life from the books. Last quarter, I noticed that the heavy earth-orange of the staircase walls had been covered with layers of white. I was grateful, but the change did relatively little for the overall mood of the place. If the library were just a building full of books, then it would make sense to wait and, when we raise the necessary funds, build a completely new library....

Pacific Union College's Rasmussen Art Gallery will be displaying the degree projects of PUC senior art majors from May 22 to June 15. The show will exhibit the projects of 19 senior students. A sense of variety is always a predominant quality of this annual show as art students display the paths of expression they have chosen to explore. Categories include fine art, graphic design, and photography. Fine art major Jacquelyn Hewitt created a work consisting of 24 paintings and 33 pages of fiction, working simultaneously on the two aspects. Hewitt feels that the effort the project required was worth while because, she says, "People do so many destructive things and make the world ugly; I'm trying to do the opposite, to add more beauty." Emily Bryner, a graphic design student, created a CD cover, press kit, and advertising material for a men's quartet based in Southern California. Says Bryner, "I love music, and have always been fascinated by the way album art draws potential listeners into the music."...

Two of the most generous citizens of the Napa Valley--Louis, better known as "Bob," and Evalyn Trinchero--received honorary Doctorates in Philanthropy from Pacific Union College on Thursday, May 15, during the college's annual Awards Chapel. The couple received a standing ovation as Bob tearfully accepted the honor, saying it was one of the best moments of his life. Pacific Union College President Richard Osborn thanked the Trincheros for their contributions to the community, and specifically for a special donation to the college last year--a child care center in St. Helena valued at $2.1 million. After witnessing the lack of good child care for their own employees and for the broader Valley, the Trincheros teamed up with Pacific Union College, who was already successfully operating Discoveryland Preschool in Angwin, and gave life to the St. Helena Discoveryland Preschool, located on 995 Adams Street. During the awards ceremony, President Osborn addressed why a Seventh-day Adventist Christian college known for teaching abstinence would honor one of the most successful vintner families in the country. "We believe in thanking those who have put their personal and corporate fortunes to work in making communities a better place for citizens to live," said Osborn. "Bob and...