Boyhood dreams:
1. Be a major league baseball player. Dream unrealized but played on three all-star softball teams.
2. Sing in a folk or rock band. Dream partially realized. I sang in a folk/pop duo that performed at various church functions and coffee houses. Never went beyond my twentieth birthday.
3. Be a radio announcer—especially announcing my favorite sports team, the Phillies. I would announce games in my head while mowing the lawn. This was partially realized. In high school, I did a weekly news show about my school at a local radio station. Part of my co-major in communications at Goshen included radio. I did a shift at the college radio station and announced basketball games. Later I managed the radio station at Eastern Mennonite University and was the on-radio personality for several shows each week. My wish of being a baseball announcer was never realized, however.
Teenage dreams:
1. Be a missionary aviation fellowship (MAF) pilot. I was inspired by Nate Saint, MAF pilot who was killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador. I read every issue of Aviation magazine, knew every model of Cessna, Piper and Mooney airplanes and reviews of each. I went to our local small aircraft airport on my bicycle and hired a pilot to take me up for an hour at least once a year. I began taking pilot lessons and was ready to fly solo when I suspended my lessons to join an aviation club that was remodeling an Aeronca Defender, similar to a Piper Cub for use as our aircraft for flying lessons. When we were about halfway through the remodeling job, I sold out my share to attend college. I decided on Hesston College, Kansas, because of their aviation program, but because of the cost, decided to major in something else.
2. Be a Spanish teacher. I was inspired by my high school Spanish teacher, but never dreamed that I would end up teaching Spanish for more than thirty years, let alone at the college level. I had no intentions of going to college because it was discouraged by my socialization and was expected to pick up a trade. Never received a blessing from my father for my vocation until the last time I saw him alive. It meant an awfully lot even if it was late in coming.
3. Be a choral director and composer. Somewhat realized. I became enamored with choral music in high school and it continued as I sang in numerous choirs in high school, between high school and college, and after college. I began my college career as a music major, but because of a lack of skills on the piano, turned to the easiest way to graduate—Spanish. Nevertheless, I have led singing in many venues over the years.
4. Be an actor. This was partially realized. While attending college at Hesston, I was granted several lead roles in plays which continued at Goshen College. I co-majored in communications which included drama. I acted in some 10 plays including being in the choir for the production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
5. Be a missionary, especially in Spanish-speaking countries. This was realized more fully than many of my other dreams. It began with a two-year stint in Honduras to fulfill my alterative service as a conscientious objector to the war in Vietnam. It continued with a short-term service in Guatemala to help rebuild after an earthquake. It was broadened with a three-year term with Mennonite Central Committee as the country representative in Mexico. I then worked for Virginia Mennonite Missions for seven years in administration. In this role, I traveled to Jamaica, Trinidad and Italy. This was a very fulfilling time.
Beyond my wildest dreams:
1. As stated earlier, I never expected to go to college and even less expected to teach Spanish at the college level. While studying at Hesston College, I was a student assistant to the college professor at the time. When he decided to move out of the classroom, Hesston invited me to take his place. I did and with a few exceptions, never looked back. Thirty-two years of teaching ensued. After a number of years at Hesston, Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) invited me to teach there, and that is where I taught until I retired.
2. Through my seven years in Latin America, and through leading cross-cultural programs with students from both Hesston and EMU, I accumulated numerous stories that I thought had to be shared. I began writing these stories for various journals and was surprised to discover that my writing was accepted by a larger audiences than expected. This led me to begin to write manuscripts for books. I recently had my fourth book accepted for publication. I never expected that I would be a published author. What a thrill!
Indeed, my life has had many unexpected twists and turns, some of which were difficult and challenging. Nevertheless, as I reflect on my past 70 years, I cannot believe how much I have been able to experience—experiences that I never could have expected. I have been extremely blessed and I thank God, my family, my church, and all the people who put faith in me through my many dreams. I have indeed had a charmed life.
