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They weren’t wearing capes and they didn’t fly onto the stage, but the three local businesspersons who visited PUC for the January 17 all-school colloquy were welcomed as heroes. PUC president Richard Osborn introduced Robin Lail, Norm Manzer, and Phil Toohey by saying, “What has impressed me about you is that not only are you successful at what you do, but you seem to have a passion for helping the community.” Lail, a fourth-generation vintner of Lail Vineyards, told how she became a part of the St. Helena Hospital Foundation. “‘Should’ is my least favorite word in the language,” Lail said. “But I got involved because I thought I should.” She discovered, however, that “should” was only the beginning. “I found a passion for this institution and the community it serves that was way beyond what I’d ever imagined.” With her help, the foundation has already raised over $25 million for the first phase of a campaign to rebuild the hospital campus — an impressive sum, Osborn noted, even for much larger hospitals in big cities. Lail’s drive to make a difference is no new thing for her. “About when I was 4, I was struck by the feeling that...

On March 17, 1965, students Paul Cobb, Will Battles, Fernando Canales and Milton Hare crammed into a two-seater Karmann Ghia with the goal of driving 2,300 miles from Oakland, California, to Selma, Alabama. The objective was to join the third attempt at a march for voting rights. It was a risk; not only did the Seventh-day Adventist Church, at the time, shun the notion of political activism, but the bloodshed during the second Selma to Montgomery march served as an ominous reminder of what might await. In the face of physical, verbal, and emotional threats, the men, three of whom were Pacific Union College students, moved forward in hopes that by doing so the nation would move forward also. Bill Knott, editor of the Adventist Review, the flagship journal of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, shared this little-known story at PUC’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Colloquy program on January 10, 2008. Knott was joined by Milton Hare, now an Oakland, California resident and social activist. Hare, who attended PUC before transferring to UC Berkeley, received a standing ovation from the audience, which packed the large PUC Church sanctuary. The morning program also included an official apology, by the college administration,...

Jody Barbuta, assistant professor of art at Pacific Union College, will showcase her recent works in "A Present Figure" at PUC's Rasmussen Art Gallery from January 10 through February 5. An opening reception will be held at the gallery from 7-9 p.m. on January 10. Barbuta's exhibit will feature work from the past three years to the present. "During this period I have been interested in notions of time and human design," said Barbuta. "In these pieces, I've endeavored to look at the poetry of design, the nature of the creative act and the paradox embedded in these." The materials she chooses for her sculptures are often simple, such as wood, wool fibers and clay. "They are directly related to my motives of considering the beautiful mystery of 'created' and 'Creator'," said Barbuta. Barbuta graduated from CSU Stanislaus in 1994 and received her MFA from the New York Academy of Art in 1996. She joined the PUC art department faculty earlier this year. ...

Pacific Union College's Rasmussen Art Gallery presents the "New Work" exhibition from February 14 to March 14. This annual show features PUC's art department faculty and will include a wide variety of media and styles representing the assorted artistic directions of the faculty members. In addition to instructing young artists, the art department faculty continue to develop their own styles and techniques of art, finding a variety of venues through which they can share their work with others. "New Work" will exhibit the recent artworks of instructors Jody Barbuta, Robert Buller, Vicki Long, Milbert Mariano, John McDowell, Thomas Morphis, Cliff Rusch, Lote Thistlethwaite and Tom Turner. Media presented will include watercolor, encaustic, metal sculpture, acrylic, photography, assemblage, sculptures in assorted media, figure drawings and scrimshaw. The opening reception for "New Work" takes place in the Rasmussen Art Gallery on Saturday, February 14, from 7-9 p.m. The gallery is also open regularly on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 1 - 5 p.m. There is no charge for admission. ...

We helped them strap on their leashes and they were off, paddling for their lives into the head-high, white water. Despite getting flipped, tossed and pounded back to shore, the group kept pushing forward and finally punched through the gnarly shore break. Thus began the adventures of the new Pacific Union College Surf Club as described by their club president, Joby Oft. Of the 30 student clubs represented at PUC, three stand truly apart: the Surf Club, the Outdoors Club and the Angwin Flyers. The newest of these is the Surf Club, which welcomes beginners, teaching them to surf within a friendly and supportive atmosphere. The Surf Club also enjoys activities such as evening gatherings on the beach, a week-long camping and surfing trip during spring break, and a trash clean-up on one of the county beaches. Jermain Joseph, a beginner surfer, sees the club as an opportunity to "experience nature in the ocean, bond with new friends and get closer to God." The Outdoors Club thrives on land, including rock climbing, skiing and snowboarding. They have already been challenged on five climbing expeditions this year. Each event is like a small journey where members experience unknown and challenging feats...

Come and hear the reality of medical and scientific blunders as Dr. David Rasnick presents "But-What about Africa?" at Pacific Union College on Monday, February 9, at 7 p.m. in Dauphinee Chapel. This presentation is part of PUC's All-Science Seminar series, an on-going program designed to inform students and faculty on recent scientific discoveries. The series is open to the public. Rasnick is a visiting scholar to the department of molecular & cell biology at UC Berkeley, and the chief science officer of Boveran in San Ramon, California. In his presentation, Rasnick will discuss medical errors in history such as the refusal of the medical community in the mid 1800s to accept the theory that disinfection of doctors' hands could save the lives of women in the obstetrics wards. Another medical rejection Rasnick will discuss involves Dr. Joseph Goldberger's definitive evidence in the 1900s that pellagra was not infectious, but caused by a poor diet. Rasnick also believes that "the contagious, HIV hypothesis of AIDS" is another example of a medical blunder - in fact, that it is "the biggest scientific, medical blunder of the 20th Century." Upcoming presentations in the All-Science Seminar series include Dr. Peter Duesberg, member of...

What if the “facts” we’ve been given about AIDS are false? Researcher Dr. Peter Duesberg challenges the traditional view of AIDS during Pacific Union College’s All-Science Seminar series on Tuesday, February 10, at 10 a.m. in Chan Shun Hall lecture hall #2. Admission is free. Duesberg, an instructor in the department of molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley, has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the California Scientist of the Year Award, the American Medical Center Oncology Award, and the Outstanding Investigator Award. In 2000, the South African government invited him to discuss the AIDS crisis as a member of the International Panel of Scientists. Duesberg challenges the virus-AIDS hypothesis by proposing that AIDS related diseases stem from long-term consumption of recreational drugs and anti-HIV drugs....

Pacific Union College welcomes author Dr. Karen Lebacqz as she presents, "Genetic Enhancement: Christian Ethics in a Cyborg Age." Lebacqz will present her lecture as part of PUC's Longo Lecture Series on Thursday, February 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the PUC church. Admission is free. Lebacqz is the Robert Gordon Sproul Professor of Theological Ethics at the Pacific School of Religion and Graduate Theological Union. She received her Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1974 and served on the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical & Behavioral Research. She has also served as the president of the Society of Christian Ethics and as a chair of the board of the Park Ridge Center for the Study of Health, Faith and Ethics. Lebacqz has published nine books including The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate (2001), Ethics and Spiritual Care (2000), and Sexuality: A Reader (1999). During her career, Lebacqz has been the recipient of several awards and grants, including the GTU Newhall award for development of practicum in bioethics, the Lilly Endowment grant for work in professional ethics, and the National Endowment for the Humanities grant. Lawrence D. Longo, M.D., established the Longo Lecture endowment in 1992 in...

Aviation students attending Pacific Union College can now complete the commercial flight training portion of their program in Angwin, thanks to the recent purchase of a Piper Seminole twin-engine plane. Last year, an FAA mandate posed a crisis to the aviation program, since the aircraft being used for commercial training no longer met requirements for FAA practical tests. After researching the perfect aircraft for training purposes, Nathan Tasker, chief flight instructor and director of the PUC flight center, concluded a Piper Seminole was the aircraft of choice. "The Seminole is great for what it was designed to do - train," said Tasker. "Its operating costs are low; it is safe and easy to fly; it can safely perform emergency procedures in-flight; and it is capable of short-field landings and takeoffs." But PUC lacked the funds needed to purchase a Seminole. Thankfully, that didn't stop Tasker. After sharing his vision with others, offering many prayers, writing over 400 letters to every Seminole owner in the country, selling another plane, receiving donations, acquiring a loan, working through on-line trading companies, and making four inspection trips to Florida, Tennessee and Pennsylvania, there was still no plane. Most people would have given up at...

John McVay, Professor of New Testament and Dean of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, will speak for Pacific Union College’s Heubach Lecture in Dauphinee Chapel on Thursday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m. His subject will be “Waging Peace in the Great Controversy: Paul’s Call to Arms.” Dr. McVay, who served for 13 years in PUC’s religion department, is a specialist in the later Pauline Epistles, and contributes regularly to professional conferences and publications. ...