George Fox University - L'Ami Yearbook (Newberg, OR)

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It was a nightmarish, slow- motion chase, but we finally closed the gap. We found ourselves pulling up close to the then second place team, six girls in trash bags preten- ding to be two scoops of raisins. If they were Raisin Bran, we were Wheaties. We assured them of third place and forged ahead. About this time, it was noticed that one of our two sets of pontoons was creating a lot of drag in the water. If this was the cause of our retarded progress, it was easy enough to remedy. We had another set of pontoons. We would simply jettison the cumbersome ones. Nothing ventured, nothing gained was our motto as we disconnected our front pontoon. Having followed in the front pontoon ' s wake all this time, the rear pontoon now decided to mimic the first as best it could. After everyone had surfaced and gasped for breath, the philosophy of If it works, don ' t fix it was discussed. Amid the Hefty jeers of the Glad girls as they paddled back into second place, we climbed aboard our crippled juggernaut and surveyed the damage. Now lying on its side, Rubber Lightning II-A emerged from the debris, a much humbler craft. Now low, wet, and cold, without our pontoons, we paddled onward. Somehow we managed to hold onto third place; the good Lord knew our egos couldn ' t take that big of a blow in one day. A portion of the Lady Bruins basketball team crossed the finish line in the Streaking Sinking Ship with a time of 85 minutes and 30 seconds — not a bad time. Two scoops came in close behind. Okay! So we didn ' t win. But we did come in third, and that means two large pizzas — FREE! So There! Mark Serfling — 7 —

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UP CLOSE WITH CHRIS COOKE by Colleen Howard Chris Cooke ' s voice is animated, but her words are thoughtful as she speaks about her life. She expresses herself with great clarity, perhaps because she is an old hand at giving interviews. Although a student ' s life is hardly unusual, most people think of Chris as being ex- traordinary; she has been blind from birth. Chris is at peace with her blind- ness, however; and because she has never known sight, it is an everyday fact of life for her. She is aware of the advantage she has had over the sighted person who later becomes blind. It ' s a lot easier when you ' ve been blind all your life, she says, because I haven ' t had to learn how to do anything twice. Chris has certainly learned to do things well enough to succeed in a sighted world. The eighteen-year-old freshman graduated from high school in White Salmon, Washington, where she has lived with her parents for the past five years. Her sister and two brothers are all much older than she - in or around their thirties. I was an after- thought, she laughs. When choosing a school to at- tend, Chris ' first requisite was that it be a Christian college. Though she was accepted at Central Washington University with its excellent special education program — she says she might like to teach special education — she chose George Fox instead. Since George Fox College has such an excellent music program and is such a neat Christian college, that made the decision for me, she ex- plains. Chris is a Music Education major. A few special preparations had to be made before she could begin classes at George Fox. Chris registered in May so she would know in advanced which textbooks she would need on tape. All her books are recorded. It is impractical to put them in Braille because of their bulkiness. One look at her shelves proves this point. Her Braille Bible alone is in twenty, thick volumes. Another major part of her prepara- tion involved arriving on campus a week early in order to learn her way around the grounds. Chris has a partner: a short, furry, two-year-old — her guide dog, Jolie. Chris and Jolie have been together for only a few months. We ' re still getting used to each other, Chris says. Their partnership began in San Raphael, California, at Guide Dogs for the Blind where Chris spent a month in training with Jolie before taking her home . Accor- ding to Chris, the chief advantages in having a guide dog are companion- ship and the ability to travel fast and safely. A lot of times, she remarks, people don ' t understand what Jolie does for me ... I think they ' d really appreciate her a lot more if they knew. Jolie is trained to stop at curbs, go around people, objects, and obstacles, cross the street safely when Chris gives her the go-ahead (she will not go if there is any possibility of being hit); she knows right and left, how to follow so- meone on command, and more. Jolie enables Chris to travel with greater confidence and therefore with greater speed. We can really truck, Chris grins. As to the disad- vantages of owning Jolie, Chris says, It ' s like taking care of a little child . I have to do everything for her. Another difficulty comes simply because the Labrador is such a people-lover. Even though she does have those sad eyes, please don ' t pet her because she gets too friendly. She comes to expect such treatment, Chris advises. All in all, however, Chris thinks Jolie ' s advan- tages far outweigh her disadvan- tages. Among Chris ' hobbies and in- terests are reading, listening to music, practicing the piano (which she has studied for six years), swim- ming, and sewing. I enjoy doing things that are a sighted person ' s hobby ... it makes me feel good that I can do it, she says. People are often awkward and shy around Chris, so she strives to make them feel at ease. She en- courages their questions to let them know that I like to do things everyone else likes to do. She says nothing about her blindness is per- sonal because I ' ve had to accept it, and it ' s nothing that bothers me. I don ' t think anyone could ask me a question about that that would be painful, or would hurt, or I wouldn ' t like. I haven ' t heard a new question in a long time. Chris enjoys little children and their questions best of all. They ' re so straightforward . . . they don ' t understand what it ' s like not to see, though. They think I see, just because they can ' t imagine what it ' s like not to see. It is difficult for many of us to im- agine. Chris understands our curiosi- ty and our hesitation, however; and so she says with a warm openness, If you have any questions . . . well, I ' ve heard them all! Colleen Howard — 9 —