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It was a glorious Friday afternoon in July. A group of teenage boys were starting a game of football on Pacific Union College’s football field. But who was that tall fellow playing quarterback? The boys could tell you: it was Tony Gonzalez of the Kansas City Chiefs. Of course, it isn’t every week that these boys get to play football with a pro NFL player. But last year’s visit from Gonzalez and Warren Moon was such an all-around hit that they called for a repeat performance this summer. The teens came from New Horizons, a non-profit organization that has three Angwin and Napa homes for teenage boys. Eighteen residents from these homes gathered on the field Friday for their own private football session with Gonzalez. They started with a question and answer time, which ranged from questions such as “How much money do you make?” to real-life advice from Gonzalez. Some of the boys also had football cards for Gonzalez to sign. After the Q&A, Gonzalez had the boys run through warm up drills before dividing into teams and playing some football. New Horizons also has another connection with PUC: several college students have worked as counselors in the New...

During the sunny green days of summer, the campus kicks off its shoes and falls into a comfortable doze. There’s no massive noon hubbub in the cafeteria; you’re just as likely to encounter maintenance workers as students; and there’s no sudden flood of students hurrying up and down stairs every hour. But all is not asleep and empty. Here and there in library chairs and dorm rooms, students still read thick books and stare at computer screens. Faculty and staff come and go in their offices. And in the quiet buildings, small groups of students meet daily for their general psychology class or their physics lab. With about 70 classes offered (including some at the Albion Field Station, the Honors Summer Abroad, and online courses), there are plenty of students—and teachers—still hard at the books. The tone of these classes is noticeably different from regular session classes. For one thing, the classes tend to be small. Amanda Rusch is taking History of World Civilizations along with six other students—but, she says, only 3 come to class every day! The others do their reading outside of class and come for the tests. “So it’s much more personal, just because it’s so...

For an event that includes a large group of people dressed in black, solemn organ music and a carefully prescribed traditional ceremony, commencement certainly produces an astonishing supply of enthusiasm! This year, as usual, corn tortillas flew into the air between solemnities, and here and there beach balls soared above the black-capped heads. It’s not surprising that commencement should be thick with formalities; certainly, it marks impressive academic achievements and years of dedicated work that will (hopefully) mark these individuals as thinking, well-educated citizens. Yet neither is it surprising that commencement should be so full of joyous excitement; after all, these graduates have finally made it through some of the most intense and amazing years of their lives and are at last being recognized for all that they poured into their college experience. The class of ’05 was an active class with a spirited and dedicated group of leaders and officers. Class president Joshua Okallo reflected some of this sense of teamwork and involvement as he addressed the class in a frank, good-natured style—including a jesting reprimand to those who ate all the cafeteria’s chocolate chip cookies before he got any! A group of singers from the senior class also...

Dark-suited bigwigs filled the elegant interior of the recently completed Pacific Union College presidential residence. University presidents, a publishing press president and conference presidents mingled with pastors and education leaders in a luncheon preceding their constituency meeting. The tone was chatty and conservative, accompanied by a grey mist that obscured the expansive view from giant bay windows. Seated among this large group of church and education leaders was an acclaimed local vintner—feeling a little out of place among a group that has a long history of avid teetotalism. Randy Dunn, owner of Howell Mountain’s Dunn Vineyards, came by special invitation to be honored for yet another paradox: a vintner giving up winery rights to save trees. John Collins, PUC’s vice president for financial administration, shared with the group a number of amusing stories about Randy Dunn, a successful yet down-to-earth local who is both a business associate and a personal friend of Collins. Several years ago, Collins explained, the college sold a 64-acre parcel of land. When Dunn purchased the property, everyone envisioned the trees being cleared and vineyards popping up. But Randy and his wife Lori had other plans. Giving up vineyard and winery rights to the property, they...

Stress, senioritis and spring fever characterize the third academic quarter. Fortunately, PUC’s wind ensemble and jazz band made a point of contributing an infectious dose of swing and jollity to the mix this spring. May brought a Symphonic Wind Ensemble concert featuring “Godzilla Eats Las Vegas” (complete with accompanying visuals), a stunning “Rhapsody in Blue” starring Kristen La Madrid on piano, and “Carnival of Venice” with Alex Caceres on trumpet. Then, despite looming finals, the Jazz Band’s June concert attracted a vociferously appreciative audience to Paulin Hall. The relatively young band has quickly become highly popular—and rightly so. With an easy-going atmosphere, big band tunes that keep listeners feeling amazingly cheery long after the concert’s over, and awe-inspiringly talented musicians, the Jazz Band is something no one wants to miss. The superb contributions of guest saxophonist Guido Fazio added yet another layer of appeal to the band’s June 5 concert. An acclaimed San Francisco musician, Fazio is an old classmate of band director Kenneth Narducci and is also the current saxophone teacher of Darren Wheeler, PUC student and Jazz Band saxophonist. As always, the crowd demanded “one more!” at the end of the concert—and were rewarded with one last foot-tapping...