Hillcrest Alumni Still Come to Homecoming

A good number of Hillcrest alumni showed up for a tailgating party (in the old gym due to rainy weather) before the Homecoming football game against Ashby last Friday night. Hotdogs, chips, and bars were served, and alumni sat in circles of chairs on the gym floor (just like former Prayer Day formats in the old gym).

I must have counted at least 20 toddlers (future HLA alumni) enjoying the festivities as well.

Halftime at the football game also featured an alumni Trivia game, with sweatshirts handed out to winners. The grand prize, a flat screen TV, was awarded to Melissa (Missy Stokes HLA '88) Pribbenow, who had been debating with her husband Brad if they should drop cable TV. Guess not.

Students Enter through Many Doors

I still remember the words of Steve Undseth, Hillcrest English and Bible Instructor, at a spring celebration banquet on the completion of the Student Activities Center a few years ago. He said (I'm paraphrasing) that students come to Hillcrest through many doors. Some are the academic doors, some the music doors, some the athletic doors, some the social doors, and some a combination of all doors. It's important that what we provide on the other side of the door is excellent, because their lives will be impacted. And, whatever door they enter brings them, most importantly, into a faith setting, where God's Word, prayer, worship, and other spiritual disciplines nurture their spiritual lives.

In other words, (or paraphrasing my paraphrase of Steve's comments), Hillcrest is equipping students in a biblical, Christ-centered environment for a life of significance (HLA mission statement).

Alumni remain "Old Friends"

On Tuesday evening, Linda and I enjoyed a dinner gathering of about 18 people at Mabel Murphy's restuarant in FF, hosted by Elling and Barbara Halvorson (HLA 50 & 51) for some "old friends." The place they all became friends? Hillcrest. As some from the gathering will celebrate their 60th year reunion this spring, it was great to hear them talk about their cherished times at Hillcrest and the impact those years had made on their lives.

Yesterday morning I was visiting on the phone with a more recent alumna, who mentioned that she learned of a similar group of ladies who met recently on the East Coast to renew friendships and talk of "old times" together.

With Linda Patch now assisting in the HLA Alumni Relations Office, we hope to facilitiate more of these important gatherings of the growing list of "old friends" regardless of our ages.