La Sierra College - Meteor Yearbook (Arlington, CA)

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. or ko lsen For the past ten years Loma Linda University has been for- tunate to have V. Norskov Olsen serving as president. Dr. Olsen has long been known as a distinguished theologian and church historian and in the last ten years has proven himself to be a valuable and effective administrator. Not only did he per- form the duties of the job well, but he also gave the institution a new image with his emphasis on the spirit of place. Dr. Olsen was born into a devout Lutheran home in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark. While he was very young his mother joined the Adventist Church after studying the books she pur- chased from a literature evangelist. As a young man, Dr. Olsen planned to be a landscape gardener and apprenticed himself to a Copenhagen gardener. After finishing his apprenticeship, he, his father and his uncles were looking around for the right business to buy. When a local conference minister happened to hear him give a talk, the minister urged him to become a ministerial intern for just a year and then see what you want. After four years of study at Danish Junior College, he became the youngest man ever or- dained in Europe. Following graduation, he worked as a pastor and evangelist raising up small Adventist churches during the same time Hitler's armies marched across Europe. When the war ended Dr. Olsen enrolled at Emmanuel Missionary College Know An- drews Universityj. During his time in Michigan he met and married a talented pianist, Anita Lippi, then a student at the Chicago Music Conservatory. Before returning to Europe the Olsens moved to Washington, D.C., where Dr. Olsen completed the re- quirements for bachelor of divinity degree at the Adventist Theological Seminary. Pastor Olsen returned to his Danish alma mater where he taught Bible. He laterjoined the faculty of Newbold College to serve as the professor of religion and academic dean of the col- lege. After taking a leave to study at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he earned his master of theology degree, he returned to Newbold to serve as president of the college. During this period of time, Dr. Olsen worked to strengthen Newbold's ties with the Adventist Junior Colleges on the conti- nent and the Theological Seminary in the United States. While in England, Mrs. Olsen completed her teaching degree from London's famed Royal Academy of Music at the same time that her husband earned a Ph.D. from the University of London. An opportunity to study with well-known theologians such as Karl Barth and Oscar Cullman prompted Dr. Olsen to enter the University of Basel in Bern, Switzerland, and study for the doctor of theology degree. Following completion of this second doctorate, Dr. Olsen joined the faculty of Loma Linda University's Department of Religion. He was named chairman of the department in 1966. In 1967 he became dean of the college, and shortly thereafter, provost of the La Sierra campus. Then, in 1974, he was elected president of the University. As a theologian and a church historian, specializing in the reformation period, Dr. Olsen's credentials are impeccable. Not only is this so in the denomination but throughout the theological and academic worlds. He is the author of the theological biography John Foxe andthe Elizabethan Church. It was published by the prestigious University of California Press which handles only works by recognized scholars. It has been no small feat that amid the pressures of con- tinually increasing administrative demands, Dr. Olsen has published two scholarly but readable works and numerous articles. At home he rarely sits down without a book. At any one time, he reads I don't know how many books, underlining, making notes, says his wife, an associate professor of music on the La Sierra campus of LLU. Dr. Olsen based his administration on some of his philosophical positions on education. In life there is no short cut to success, he says. He feels that it is not merely the mastery of the subject matter that is important, but the discipline, the use of time and the developement of purpose which humans acquire in the process of learning. In Dr. Olsen's opinion, a vocation was not the end goal of education: If education is merely the learning of a vocation, and the faster the better, and not 'the wholly awakened man' as Woodrow Wilson called 'the ideal product of college,' then you have within sight the decline of civilization. The faculty makes LLU a Christian University, according to Dr. Olsen, not the fact that the institution requires some units of study in religion. The Christian commitment of the man who teaches sociology, history and biololgy -just to mention a few areas - may be far more ofa revelation of the spirit of this university than the commitment of the man who teaches religion. Why? Because the Christian college is, by its very nature, a fellowship which requires demonstration even more than explanation. The Christian college or university does not merely have a religious program, it is a religious program. Perhaps the most important aspect of Dr. Olsen's ad- ministration has been his emphasis on academic integrity. ln life at large, there must be a time of reckoning, as well as a time of opportunity. An educational institution without any ex- aminations would soon lose its academic reputation, though its playing fields might be beautiful, its parlors for dating comfor- table and the atmosphere of its Chapels devout. Tenderness without a mixture of toughness of fundamentally unkind, for life is tough and the earlier the youth learn it the better.

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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.