La Sierra College - Meteor Yearbook (Arlington, CA)

Page 11 text:

I I I 'I ,I :I in II QI III II I LI II II I fig 4.5 .II If II' II II 1 III I ,, 1 ,I ' I I 1 I I , I I-I fa QI II II I 'II I I I I f 2 I I ,I I , 7 I - 1

Page 10 text:

racy R. Tee e The presence of the late Tracy Teele, former dean of students. was missed by both students and faculty alike during the past academic year. His untimely' death in August 1983 shocked everyone. Those close to him said his life was characterized by selfless service and total devotion to Christian education. His influence will affect the La Sierra campus for years to come. Tracy Teele was born in Columbus, Ohio. on November 6, 1933. His parents, Dwight and Thelma Teele, worked hard to raise a family of four children on the income from a small family farm. In 1951. young Tracy fulfilled a family dream with his graduation from Shenandoah Valley Academy, having worked his entire way through with jobs on the Academy farm and as a dormitory hall assistant. He attended Columbia Union College as a freshman and then transferred to Atlantic Union College where he graduated in 195-1. At AUC he met his spouse to be, Marilyn Manuel. Since he enjoyed working with people and ideas, Teele soon found himself involved in student government. His senior year he was elected president of the student association and worked as an assistant dean of men. Lacking family financial resources, young Teele worked night and day throughout his college years, making just enough money to pay his school bills and living expenses. One of his jobs at AUC was that of food service cooking, a job which prompted his talents in gourmet cooking. an art he practiced all his life. He enjoyed his history major at AUC, but instead of classroom teaching, he decided that he would prefer working with people on a one-to-one basisg so he looked for oppor- tunities to work with students where they lived and worked. Craduation day in 1955 was an important day for Tracy Te'ele. He marched down the aisle in the morning. to receive his bachelor of arts degree, and in the afternoon he marched again. this time to wed his bride, Marilyn Manuel. Together they moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where they began graduate work at the University of Boston. Marilyn completed a master's degree in English and Tracy a masters in education, emphasizing in administration and supervision. Together they accepted a call to Monterey Bay academy in 1959 where he served as dean of men and she taught English. His assignments at the academy included coordination of stu- dent activities as well as testing and guidance. His ability to keep an ear open for student concerns, and still maintain the necessary discipline for a boarding academy, quickly won him the respect of fellow administrators and students who elected him senior class sponsor. In 1961, the Teeles joined La Sierra College where he served as dean of men and she taught in the English department. For the next six years he directed the men's campus residence program. As dormitory enrollment increased, so did 6 his staff and their responsibilities. Between his demanding schedule he took time for further graduate study at the Univer- sity of Denver. In 1965, with the birth of their son, Jay, Marilyn's career as an English teacher was interrupted, but not terminated. Soon she was back in the department, where she is currently a professor. In 1966, Teele was named dean of students, thus taking on responsibilities for all student activities. His innovative pro- grams, which allowed students a voice in the administration process, won him support from students and faculty alike. In 1970, he became vice president for student affairs as well as dean of students for the La Sierra campus, widening his responsibilities to include both the La Sierra and Loma Linda campuses. During his time at La Sierra Teele distinguished himself as an innovator with such new programs as the parent-student orientation. He enjoyed starting projects, enlisting support, and finding a person or department who could continue to operate it - then he would start a new project. Other new pro- grams created by Teele included the resident assistant pro- gram, Adventist Higher Education Day, and the La Sierra Concert Series. Even if the idea wasn't his, he always excelled at getting things moving. I am not a revolutionistf' he was heard to say. I am more of a gradualist, I like to watch programs evolve. My goal is to see that LLU has as complete a range of student services as it can fiscally bear. Distinctive, up-to-date services are what I think we should provide. Teele poured all of his energy into one word, service When the government of South Vietnam fell in 1975, Teele organized and led an effort to feed and house over 300 refugees. He literally worked night and day, sleeping in his of- fice a few hours and then going back to work until everything was settled. He even lobbied in congress to help the parents of a dozen of the students. When Teele arrived back in town he had current information on the refugee situation, and made it a point to use it well. His expertise was well recognized throughout the country. In 1976, The Criterion carried a story about Teele. Author Kent Hansen concluded, No job description can tell a com- plete story of the man who holds the job, and this is especially true with someone as complex as Teele. It is extremely difficult to get the man to talk about himself. Those close to him say that this is an indication of the self-less service he has given to the La Sierra campus and the university. When he is successfully arguing for a raise in the ASLLU budget, making travel arrangements for student missionaries, providing free tickets, raising emergency funds to keep needy students in school or sleeping in his office while working to see that refugees may have a bed to sleep in, Tracy R. Teele is a good man to have on the students' side.

Page 12 text:

John Elder is a native Californian who waters plants in the library between editing issues of the Criterion and going to class. Having completed the re- quirements tor a BA ln Ministerial Studies, John is working toward a BS in Math. John has always wanted to be a starship pilot, but since there don't seem to be many openings in the torseeable future, he thinks he might settle for president of LLU in the interim.