Alumni Profiles
Rediscover Westmont
Rediscover Westmont and reconnect with friends at Homecoming 2004, September 24-25. The alumni office works with a committee of volunteers to plan an unforgettable experience. Full Story
Solving Problems Profitably
Rick Ifland ’83 always aspired to be a businessman, and he got an early start. An economics and business major at Westmont, he owned and operated a Santa Barbara bed and breakfast inn during his college years. Full Story
In Memory of Nancy Blount
Nancy S. Blount, 77, of Phoenix, Ore., died Dec. 23, 2003, at her home surrounded by her family. Born April 9, 1926, in Hutchenson, Kan., she married former Westmont Professor George Blount in 1947. Nancy graduated from UC Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree and earned a master’s degree in library science from the University of Washington, Seattle. She worked as a librarian at Westmont from 1967 to 1982. Full Story
Adopting A New Position
Kathy White Baer ’65 has demoted her-self. She left a prestigious position direc-ting domestic infant programs for the state of Georgia to become a senior adoption specialist for Bethany Christian. She helps couples who want to adopt. Full Story
Learning How Children Learn
Lee Swanson ’69 wants to know why some children have difficulty learning. Is the instruction poor, does the school lack resources, or do students have disabilities? Full Story
The Truth About Teenagers
If you think you know where your kids are and what they’re doing, you could be wrong. That’s the premise of “Promise You Won’t Freak Out: A Teenager Tells Her Mother the Truth about Boys, Booze, Body Piercing and Other Touchy Topics (and Mom Responds).” Doris Fuller Sanger ’72 teamed with her children, Natalie and Greg Fuller, to write a book they hope will open parental eyes and loosen teenage lips. Full Story
A Man with a Mission
Rather than heading straight to college after graduating from high school, Blake Lawson ’98 did something that changed his life forever. He enrolled in Youth with a Mission’s (YWAM) Discipleship Training School and graduated with an emphasis in evangelism. The training included a two-month trip to Costa Rica. Full Story
A Call to Duty
When Mike Friel ’99 got a call from a Marine recruiter the summer after he graduated from high school, he started thinking about a military career. “It was exactly what I thought I wanted and needed for my life: challenge and the kind of training and experience that would help me develop as a believer and an individual,” he recalls. Full Story
Surf Girl
Josephine Tournier Ingram ’00 is an artist who loves to surf and skateboard. That makes her ideal for her job as the lead designer for Surf One, a line of skateboards and clothing. After graduating from Westmont with a degree in art, she worked for a year at a graphic design firm before landing a job with Skate One Corp., the parent company of Surf One in Santa Barbara. Full Story
Sending Space Signals
When the Mars Rover signaled its safe descent and landing, Kris Buckmaster ’02 and his co-workers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., were the first people to get the news. Full Story
Producing a Future in Film
Iris Ichishita ’02 recently produced a short film, “Heaven Cent,” for the 168 Hour Film Festival sponsored by Bel Air Presbyterian Church in California. This comedic film, based on Proverbs 13:1, is about an unlikely friendship between a man struggling to support his ailing wife and a young girl with an old soul who runs a lemonade stand. The child teaches the adult what it means to be open to opportunities, to let go of pride, and to accept a less prestigious job. Full Story