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

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THE FEAST OF KINGS by Monica Whitham The Madrigal Dinner (also known as Ye Olde Royal Feast) is an annual event at George Fox College under the direction of Dr. John Bowman. This year the dinner was held in December as a special Christmas celebration. As each attendee arrived for the feast, he was greeted at the door and announced to the court as he entered the banquet hall. Each guest was introduced as a member of royalty, the Duke of , the Lady , etc. Amidst a three-course dinner which included roast beef, figgy pud- ding, and wassail, the audience was treated to a delightful evening of music and comedy presented by members of the GFC Chorale and Chamber Singers (a subgroup of the Chorale) . The Chambe r Singers, dressed in rich Elizabethan costumes, sat at the head table entertaining their guests with music in the finest madrigal tradition between each course of the meal. As servant girls and pages served the dinner, court musicians played recorders, trom- bones, trumpets, harpsicord, and percussion instruments. Meanwhile, beggars went from table to table in quest of coins and table scraps. Special highlights of the evening were a Punch and Judy puppet show performed by Allen Hilton and Mike Varadi and Mike Varadi ' s recurring appearances as the court jester. Their infectious good humor and bad jokes kept the audience in high spirits. All in all, it was an evening of music and laughter well worth the price of admission. Monica Whitham — 21

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The first act, The Daily Life, takes the audience through a normal day and gives a little information on how Grover ' s Corners functions. The second act, Love and Marriage, shows the courting and marriage of the two eldest children from both families, Emily and George. The third act revolves around the death of members from both families. After Emily ' s death, she expresses the hurt from her losses and, in a thoughtful moment, poses the question, Do we realize life, every, every minute of the day? With such questions, Our Town becomes a thought provoking play that challenges the way we live and our attitudes. Under the direction of Darlene Graves, resident drama instructor at GFC, this production of Wilder ' s fine drama touched audiences for five nights during December. But not on- ly the audience was moved. Each of us in the cast was affected by the emotions and message contained in Our Town. Perhaps we all came just a little closer to realizing how much of life we all take for granted. Kasey Crocker

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A MEMORIAL by Monica Whitham i This fall George Fox College was saddened by the death of one of its students, Debbie Joy Larson. Working for a degree in mathematics, Debbie had managed to maintain good grades while par- ticipating in three sports. She was an integral member of the volleyball team, a center on the basketball squad and the Bruin first baseman in softball. Last year her batting average was .366, in basketball she averaged 7.6 points per game with 7.2 re- bounds and a .380 shooting percen- tage, and in volleyball she was nam- ed to an honorable mention spot in the Women ' s Conference of In- dependent Colleges. Debbie ' s strong, Christian -life witness was an inspiration and en- couragement to all who knew her. Even in her final days in the hospital, her love shined touching the hearts of the hospital staff who came in con- tact with her. Debbie Larson was born on May 21, 1963, in Fallon, Nevada. The daughter of Rev. Ken and Betty Lar- son, she had two older brothers and a younger sister. She died on Oc- tober 29, 1983, at St. Vincents Hospital in Portland after a losing battle with stomach cancer. She chose not to die in her hospital gown but in her George Fox basketball training shirt, a gift from her team- mates. As a fitting memorial to her, the team decided to retire her number from use at C5FC. Debbie was a well known and well loved student who will be missed not only by her family but by her large circle of friends. It is to this great student, athlete and friend that we dedicate this first issue of Focus magazine. Monica Whitham — 22