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

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EAST MEETS WEST by Kris Croly I had always wondered why a bunch of girls, or guys for that mat- ter, would get together to roll around in the mud chasing after an odd shaped leather object. In the big leagues they do it for money. Even some college students do it for money in the form of scholarships. But I just couldn ' t picture myself get- ting all muddy, risking injury, just to have a little fun. When I arrived at George Fox College, I had visions of sugar plums dancing through my head, not mud raisins. Funny how one day I found myself out on the track field fumbling to catch a little pigskin . I have yet to figure out how they bribed me onto the field, but there I was with 22 other girls, all with wonder-filled eyes, as Coach Allen Hilton explain- ed our strategy. It made no sense to me. Coach Hilton tried repeatedly to convince us that the West was strong and had not only the brawn but the brains to back it up. The daily practices to strengthen our bodies quickly transformed them into steel, or so we liked to think. Each practice Coach Hilton and his assistant coaches, Ben Hickenlooper and Neil Hall, taught us new plays and formations. By the time our last practice came, we knew that a miracle had been performed during our week of training. We were now a lean, mean, fighting machine, ready to take on anything or anyone. Saturday arrived and greeted the excited powder puff players with a gray drizzle. I began to have doubts. This was not the glorious weather I had seen most of the pros play in.

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BENNY HESTER IN CONCERT by Mark Coterill After all the short people jokes are said and, thank goodness, done, Benny Hester emerges the emmisary of love through music. On Friday night, October 21, Benny Hester and his band played to a large audience in Bauman Auditorium. Hester plays rhythm guitar and sings lead. He is backed by Jeff Lams who plays keyboard and sings harmony, David Coy on bass, Paul Bahn on percussion, and Tona Sena who plays lead guitar and sings harmony. Hester has been immersed in music since he was four years old. In high school he played bass guitar for a rock band that played mostly copy music, but he felt that people need- ed to hear songs with a more positive message. He began writing songs for the band to perform. He was not a Christian at the time. I wrote them thinking that the songs I was writing would be more positive, not knowing that the ultimate message was the message about Jesus Christ, Hester says. After high school, Hester went to college where he became a classical musician. I learned about orchestras and all that, he says. In 1972 Hester arrived in Las Vegas and signed with CBS records as a songwriter. He never worte any songs that were famous or that anybody heard of, but he was able to make a living. Then he was invited to a concert at a church. I expected a choir or a quartet or something, but it was a real band, he says. At the concert Hester found himself criticiz- ing everything about the band — un- til it came to the message. He saw himself accurately portrayed in the lyrics of the songs he heard. That night he became a Christian. Eventually, after three years of attending Bible studies and church, Hester found himself speaking to thousands of people each month. Yet he candidly admits he never wanted to be a singer. I never wanted to be the guy out front, he says. I wanted to be a songwriter. Now Hester is both singer and songwriter. He has released three albums, the newest entitled Legacy. This album is what Hester calls a summation of his life. He says, It is the strongest statement I ' ve ever made musically and lyrically. One of the songs on the Legacy album is Melody Man. Along with being the next single release for the album, Melody Man will also be the theme Hester will use during the next year. At present he is working on a video clip of Melody Man. In December 1983, a new book titled Melody Man will be available at bookstores and at all concerts. The book will contain 120 photographs, 18 of Hester ' s songs, and a story about Hester ' s life and the Legacy album. The 1984 Hester tour will be called The Melody Man Tour. Hester ' s group will do a three week tour in Canada this year perfecting the show, arranging and rearranging, until it says what they want it to say. Then in ' 84 The Melody Man Tour will begin in the United States. Let ' s hope it does not bypass George Fox College. Mark Coterill — 13 —

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But the game was set for 2:00. It had to go on . We prepped in the weight room. Coach Hilton ran over the plays we would use. Then our time came. We marched solemnly out to the field and warmed up for the bat- tle. By this time the field had become a well-developed swamp, and we knew that we were going to have it harder than we had an- ticipated. In the first quarter, the East scored a touchdown and a run-in conversion to take a lead of 8 to 0. But we held them until the half. During halftime, Coach Hilton pumped us full of energy, and we raced back on the field determined to score. But the East got another touchdown and another run-in con- version. The score was 16 to 0. We couldn ' t believe it. All the confidence we ' d had was gone. Then, suddenly, we scored on a run back from their kickoff. We couldn ' t get the extra points, but we could feel the game edging our direction. On a long push, we scored again and clos- ed in on the East with a score of 14 to 16. We were still behind, but we knew we had a chance. The rain and wind picked up, and the cold started to slow down both teams. With one minute left and just a few yards between us and the goal line, the chance to score was now or never. We made the push and came within a yard of the line. Just one more drive! The whole West side exploded in cheers as we dove in to win the game. Many said it was the best game they had seen all year. The teams thanked each other, and all the hard work had paid off. We walked away with the trophy. Then I hurried back to Penn- ington Hall for a hot shower and a seat in front of a roaring fire. Kris Croly — 15 —