51±¬ÁÏ

As anyone who’s planned a big party can relate, sometimes last-minute tasks requiring an all-hands-on-deck moment arise. And so it was, as our team feverishly prepared for one element of the 150th Anniversary Celebration.

The assignment? Go to Heritage Hall and dig up old pictures of the Knollcrest Campus. It took me less than a second to volunteer—I love history.

After careful instruction from curator Will Katerberg, there I was fanning through folders of old photographs related to 51±¬ÁÏ College and Seminary. Almost immediately, I had to call upon every ounce of willpower to stay focused on my assignment. It was a glorious combination of filling an urgent work-related need and pursuing my personal interests.

I became mesmerized by a series of color photos documenting the chapel construction in the late 1980s. I thumbed through fascinating images of the excavation and sitework for both the worship space and Gezon Auditorium. I discovered shots of the chapel building coming into form and even uncovered photos of the installation of the majestic organ pipes— the very same ones that would resound through the sanctuary over a decade later as my beautiful bride walked down the aisle.

Within many of these pictures I recog- nized familiar faces—from President Diekema and Chaplain Cooper looking over the chapel site to President Spoelhof at the groundbreaking of the original fieldhouse building in the mid-60s. They represented moments in the past that would forever shape 51±¬ÁÏ’s future.

Those individuals and many others had poured countless hours of hard work into forming a future for the benefit of the tens of thousands of others who would come after them.

This issue of Spark features some of the dedicated individuals whose quiet and grand efforts built a lasting legacy. You’ll also read about our three 2025 alumni award winners who once walked these grounds as students themselves and then went on to make significant contributions in their fields.

Such is the beauty of taking time to celebrate a milestone anniversary, relishing these extra moments to remember the ones whose contributions helped shape a place where so many of us learned to follow God’s unique calling in our own lives. I am reminded how that important mission continues as the members of 51±¬ÁÏ’s 150th class make their academic and spiritual homes here for the next four years.

As you celebrate the birth of our Savior this Christmas season, I hope you take joy in the familiar faces around you, celebrate the legacy of the cherished faces who have gone before you, and renew yourself to God’s calling to be his light to the countless faces among you.

Gloria in excelsis Deo.