Jim Krauss, president of , wishes Americans would take more responsibility for their health, as if there were no doctors. Of course, people should visit their physicians when their medical concerns are serious and out of their hands, said Krauss at a recent held at ˛ÝÝŽÉçÇř (EMU).

Krauss’s first experience with healthcare was in a rural town in Paraguay, San Joaquin. His goal as a Peace Corps volunteer in the early 1980s was to identify and address health concerns in the community. He found an ignorance of germ theory, lack of hand washing, poor nutrition and hydration, unclean water, disease outbreaks, and uneducated midwives.

In San Joaquin, an hour by bus from the nearest market town, there were no doctors, and transportation was dependent on horses, donkeys, and dirt roads. Krauss was not a healthcare professional. How, then, could he address all these concerns?

In part, Krauss depended on a book titled , a book in constant print with updated editions since the 1970s. While this book could not replace a professional when it came to cases requiring specific knowledge and expertise, it did teach the basics of self-care.

Krauss was able to improve community health through education about germs and hygiene and through working with a team of volunteers on such projects as building a cement cistern to keep animals out of the public water supply.

When Krauss came back to the United States after two years in Paraguay, he worked in several hospitals in Florida before coming to in Virginia. He also serves on the EMU Commission for the Sciences.

In Paraguay, people were often able to improve their health “without having a physician present, without having the government authorize or condone a particular activity,” said Krauss. In the United States, the same is often true. Krauss listed several things under the control of ordinary people that affect health, including daily blood sugar tests for diabetics, awareness of sexually transmitted infections, diet, and exercise.

Krauss attributed part of the increase in healthcare costs to lack of individual responsibility, citing obesity and teen pregnancy as examples. He asked if it was “part of our American society that we shed personal responsibility… and then expect the doctor to bring us back to health.”

Krauss spoke as part of EMU’s series. Lectures are presented by experts in their field and are free and open to the public. Joseph Brewer, associate dean for research at Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine, will speak March 20 at 4 p.m. about how B lymphocytes, cells that protect the body from infections, learn to recognize invaders.

“We try to make it a good day for everyone, since everyone [patients and staff] would really rather be home,” said Briana Miller, a 2011 nursing alumna of ˛ÝÝŽÉçÇř. She has worked two of the three past Christmases at Sentara RMH Medical Center in Harrisonburg, Va.

On the days preceding Christmas, most patients get to go home, except for those in most need of care, said Austin Ardron, a 2014 nursing grad at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Va. The smaller numbers mean that nurses have more time for their patients.

“When you have five or six patients, it’s hard to just sit down and talk with them,” said Ardron. “But when you only have three or four, then you have time to do the little things like go and get them a cup of coffee and listen to their stories.”

After working the past three Christmases (the first two as a patient care technician), Ardron offered this year to work night shift on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this year, which tend to be the least-desired shifts of the year.

“I don’t have kids yet, so I don’t mind being here when those with young families would like to be home,” he explained.

Miller mentioned that the families of healthcare workers “have to be more flexible.” Miller goes into work at noon on Christmas this year, so she’ll be rushing through the morning gift-exchange with her family a little faster than she’d like.

Judy Hiett, an EMU alumna with 30 years of nursing experience, said, “You just get used to working your family life around it.” Obviously, she added in reference to Sentara RMH, “the hospital doesn’t close just because holidays are here.”

Sentara RMH social worker Stephanie Zucconi ’05 opted to work on the evening of Dec. 25 this year in support of her family situation: she has a 2-year-old daughter and another on the way and is “saving her vacation for maternity leave.” Like Miller, by going into work later on Christmas Day, she gets to enjoy the festivities of the morning with her husband and daughter.

“I feel blessed,” Zucconi said. “Our department does really well with helping us out – we all come together and fill in where needed in order to keep things running smoothly.”

Miller and Ardron both grew up with fathers who were nurses, so adjusting the timing of the holiday celebrations feels normal. “I feel like Christmas is more of a mobile holiday anyway,” said Ardron, who names his favorite holiday as Thanksgiving because “it is more about sitting down with family and spending time together.” He will be celebrating Christmas on the 26th this year because his brother Adrian Ardron (also a 2014 EMU nursing grad) and his father will be working Christmas Day at UVA as well.

Hiett celebrated Christmas with immediate family on the 24th, with plans to gather with extended family on the 27th. For her, Christmas is about celebrating Jesus’ birth, the love of family, and the love of giving. “Just because you work on Christmas, doesn’t mean you change the traditions,” she said.

“We are delighted that Louise is willing to share her people skills, organizational gifts, eye for detail and enthusiasm with EMU at this important time in our history,” said , EMU’s director of marketing and communications.

Hostetter will work with those giving leadership to various aspects of the year’s celebrations, including large-venue events involving music, theater and art; alumni gatherings; worship services; academic department gatherings; storytelling; and displays. She will oversee the master schedule and manage the centennial budget.

“EMU began with the vision of relatively few people and has grown over the past 100 years to a global community,” said Hostetter. “With the resources of those who are currently involved with EMU as well as those with past connections, we can explore and honor the history of EMU with a variety of events in 2017-18 as well as celebrate the vision going forward.”

Hostetter also serves on: the advisory boards for and the arts complex at James Madison University; the church council of ; and the board of .

In 2011-13 she co-chaired the capital campaign for the and in 2010-11 she was president of the EMU Alumni Council. From 1999 to 2012 she was an intensive individualized instructor at .

Coming to EMU from Arcola, Ill., Hostetter majored in English education and met her future husband, Alden Hostetter ’79, a pathologist. All three of their sons have attended EMU.

A 10-member planning task force began meeting in 2008 “to plan for a centennial plan,” said Wenger. The task force , a 1967 graduate who is the nation’s best-known writer on Amish and Mennonite culture. A sociologist by training, he is a professor at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania and the author of dozens of publications.

A page on the EMU website, , invites submissions of stories and photographs for centennial celebration use and ideas for the centennial committee to consider.

The centennial celebrations will last throughout the academic year of 2017-18. The biggest gathering will likely be during Homecoming & Parents Weekend in October. A worship service on Oct. 19 will mark exactly 100 years since the start of classes in 1917.

More information

The pedestrian who was struck and killed late Wednesday night on Va. 42 was hit by “multiple vehicles,” including an ambulance, police say.

The victim, Doyeon Ki, was a 21-year-old woman from South Korea set to enroll in ˛ÝÝŽÉçÇř’s next week.

She died at Sentara RMH Medical Center after being transported there from the scene, just north of the Harrisonburg city line, according to a Thursday afternoon press release from Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

In an earlier phone interview, Sgt. F.L. Tyler of the state police had said the woman died at the scene.

Ki was standing in the right lane of northbound traffic near Hamlet Drive, just north of Harmony Square shopping center in the city, at about 10 p.m. Wednesday when she was struck by more than one vehicle, Tyler said.

The press release only identifies a 1999 Jeep Cherokee as striking Ki. It was not immediately known how many times she was struck or who was operating the Jeep.

Police say the rescue squad involved was from Broadway and returning to its station. The other vehicles were passenger cars, Tyler said.

The crash, which shut down both lanes of northbound traffic, was still under investigation by Trooper B.W. Coleman on Thursday afternoon. No charges have been filed.

Ki was expected to register for the English program at EMU on Monday with the intention of then pursuing a degree at the school, spokeswoman Andrea Wenger said.

She arrived in the United States in late December and was using the Western name “Rachel,” Wenger added.

Ki was living with a host family in the Park View area.

EMU has her name listed as Doyean, versus state police’s Doyeon.

The woman’s host family did not wish to comment, Wenger said.

Courtesy Daily News-Record, Jan. 3, 2014

VMRC, neighboring ˛ÝÝŽÉçÇř (EMU) on the northeast, has a $20 million annual budget, 400 employees, and 750 residents in a wide range of homes and other accommodations.

Trumbo is perhaps best known for directing the transition in 2010 of R from Cantrell Avenue in downtown Harrisonburg to a new 660,000-square-foot facility at the eastern edge of the city.

After the hospital move, Trumbo served as RMH’s acting director of perioperative services (surgery and all the services surrounding it). For 20 years before the move, she was director of RMH Home Healthcare.

Trumbo went to work at RMH as a registered nurse after her graduation from EMU as a major. She also holds a master of business administration degree from James Madison University.

Over the years, Trumbo has been active in leadership roles with the , , , , , and ElderAlliance. Currently she chairs the and serves as an associate trustee on the EMU board of trustees.

“Judith has the financial astuteness, strategic planning experience, knowledge of our industry, and strong communication skills to lead VMRC,” said Sheryl (King) Wyse ‘68, chair of the board of directors. “In addition, Judith is well respected throughout the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County communities for her professional and volunteer leadership contributions.”

Yoder is wrapping up 13 years as president of VMRC, where he strengthened the organization’s financial health and enhanced its culture of innovation and quality. Under his leadership, VMRC added Woodland Park, , , Transitional Care, and Outpatient Rehabilitation Services.

Yoder became president of VMRC in 1999 after being vice president for global ministries at (now Mennonite Mission Network) in Elkhart, Ind. Before that he served the as regional representative for in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

As an EMU student, Yoder was a major. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in public and international affairs. Yoder said hopes to stay engaged on a part-time basis as a consultant in the field of international development.

The RMH Nursing Division created the new Excellence in Nursing Practice Awards to recognize outstanding nurses.

RMH nurses are nominated for the awards by their peers and selected by a committee of nursing leaders. Nominated nurses must demonstrate a passion for the nursing profession and exemplify excellence in mentoring, leadership and service. A total of 23 RMH nurses were nominated for the awards.

One nurse is selected in each of three categories—inpatient, outpatient and a specialty role.

Burkholder, a 2009 ˛ÝÝŽÉçÇř nursing graduate, was awarded for excellence in an inpatient area, Phillips for excellence in an outpatient area, and Yost for excellence in a specialty role.

The three nurses were recognized during National Nurses’ Week, May 6-12, for their efforts to promote and advance the nursing profession; for displaying caring and commitment to patients, families, and co-workers; and for demonstrating leadership in the nursing profession. Each recipient received an elegant, custom-designed plaque.

“The award is significant because nurses are nominated by their peers and selected by a distinguished committee of nursing leaders,” said Donna Wilmoth, RN, director, RMH Nursing Administration. “The award recipients demonstrate a passion for the nursing profession and exemplify excellence in mentoring, leadership and service. By rewarding exemplary nurses, RMH is also helping retain quality nurses in our vital profession.”

Article courtesy Rockingham Memorial Hospital.

“My parents always tithed, plus,” says Paul, referring to giving more than the biblical standard of 10 percent of one’s income. “They were farmers when I was growing up… I remember them borrowing money to support the missionaries until their wheat check came in.” After Paul’s father stopped farming in mid-life, he shifted to pastoring and then (late in life) to fundraising for ˛ÝÝŽÉçÇř (EMU).

Carol’s parents were also farmers and they too tithed religiously. “In every way, we’ve been blessed,” she says. “How can we not give?”

Paul cites a favorite quotation: “It is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

After 48 years of marriage, these 1963 graduates of EMU exude a sense of comfortable companionship. They wait respectfully in joint conversations, making space for the other to wrap up his or her set of sentences, before offering a new thought.

He is an eye surgeon; she used to be an operating room nurse. They live in a large all-brick house on a hill overlooking their own lake on the outskirts of Harrisonburg. But the Yoders’ demeanor is unassuming—one could almost see each of them helping with haying or hanging out the laundry, way back when.

After decades of quietly funneling large sums to many worthy projects in the Harrisonburg area—and to some outside of the region—Carol and Paul have at last  allowed themselves to be publicly recognized this year as the “Philanthropists of the Year” by the Shenandoah chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

What induced them to step into the spotlight? “We do understand the power of examples of philanthropy in encouraging others to give,” says Yoder. “And we are finally off all of the local boards on which we have served.”

When one or the other of them was on the governing committee of Rockingham Memorial Hospital, Eastern Mennonite High School, ˛ÝÝŽÉçÇř, Park View Church, Virginia Mission Board and a local bank, the Yoders felt that “detractors might say we were using our positions for personal gain or power—to push our own agenda.” They also wanted their two daughters—Liesel and Nicole—to be able to blend into the student population at their Mennonite schools and colleges, rather than being perceived as offspring of one of the institutions’ underwriters. So they simply gave without fanfare.

The Yoders began their lifelong commitment to cross-cultural service when they went to Nepal in 1968. Needing to do alternative service as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, Paul chose to work as a newly minted physician—he was between his internship and residency—under the United Mission to Nepal. When Carol and Paul returned home in three years later, they were carrying Liesel, adopted in Nepal.

About a decade later—after Paul’s practice was established and their children were in elementary school—Carol read a book about Medical Ministry International (MMI), which had begun with a small group of volunteer eye surgeons. Paul and Carol signed on and have been on at least one service trip per year for a quarter of a century.

Paul explains the ripple effects of the program: “We started going to Ethiopia six years ago. We met two Ethiopian doctors in their first year of surgical residency—they came to us and said they wanted to be ophthalmologists. We [MMI] sent them to the Dominican Republic for a four-and-a-half-year training program. Then they went back and we helped them set up a clinic. The next time I went to Ethiopia, I was assisting them!”

Carol explains that “MMI serves the world’s poor by trying to lay the groundwork for lasting solutions to their lack of medical care.”

Though fit and active, both Yoders feel that it is time at age 70 to step aside from almost all of their public responsibilities, making room for a younger generation to step up. Paul enjoys running, golf, tennis and skiing. Carol ran miles daily until age 69 and now simply walks strenuously. The secret of their robust health? “You just have to keep moving,” says Carol.

Paul is a member of EMU’s Commission for the Sciences, which is leading an initiative to renovate and enlarge the Suter Science Center.

On Sept. 1, 2004, terrorists linked to the Chechen independence struggle took more than 1,200 people hostage in a school in the town of Beslan. Shootings and bombings on the final day of the standoff left 186 children among the casualties.

Fairweather, the administrative assistant for the masters in counseling program at EMU, created a homemade basket from dyed reeds, complete with a grapevine handle, as she prayed for the many people directly affected by the horrific event.

Russian Counselors Come to EMU

Three years later, she was able to give this symbol of her care to a delegation of Russians during a week long visit in Harrisonburg to learn about ways to address psychological trauma on a community-wide level.

Fairweather gave her basket to the group at the close of an interchange with faculty members of the master of arts in counseling program Wednesday, Dec. 19. It will be given to a mother in Beslan whose daughter was killed at the school.

Brenda Fairweather presents her homemade “prayer basket” to the Russian delegation (l. to r.): Naida Vagabova, Vladimir Rud, Fatima Berezova, Liudmila Domashenko and Grigory Yarygin (at right) of St. Petersburg, representing the Open World Leadership Center. Photo by Jim Bishop

“It was an incredible experience to meet these wonderful people and to sit in their meeting with my EMU colleagues,” Fairweather said. “They were visibly moved by this gesture.”

All four delegation members – Liudmila Nikolayevna Domashenko, Fatima Aleksandrovna Berezova, Naida Muratovna Vagabova, and Vladimir Nikolayevich Rud – are mental health professionals, some of whom worked with survivors of the three-day Beslan school hostage crisis, one of the most horrific terrorist incidents in recent history. All work with children or young people in Russia.

Asked what has impressed him most in his brief time in the community, Vladimir Rud said through an interpreter. “The people we’ve met. They are open and caring. It has been interesting to hear about practical techniques and methods used in mental health treatment here.”

“I appreciated the opportunity to stay with local families,” said Liudmila Domashenko. “I realized how quickly language barriers can be overcome in these kind of settings.”

Visiting Counselors Attend STAR

During the week, the delegation attended sessions in EMU’s STAR (Seminars on Trauma Awareness and Resilience) program, met with faculty in the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and conferred with mental health specialists at Rockingham Memorial Hospital.

“We were asked by the National Peace Foundation, organizers of the Open World Program, to give this Russian delegation broad exposure to the work being done by the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding on community mental health issues,” said Amy Potter, a CJP administrator and organizer of the local visit.

From EMU, the group headed to in Akron, Pa., to learn more about how the Amish community responded to the school shooting on Oct. 6, 2006, in which five Amish girls were killed.

The sponsor of this visit, the Open World Leadership Center, is housed at the Library of Congress. Founded in 1999 by the U.S. Congress, the Open World Program has brought more than 10,500 people from Russia, Lithuania, the Ukraine and Uzbekistan to sites in all 50 states.

Delegates range from mayors to journalists, from nonprofit directors to small-business owners, from political activists to high-court judges.

Robert D. Yoder, 76, professor emeritus of biology at ˛ÝÝŽÉçÇř, died Aug. 27, 2005 at his home. He had been ill for the past year.

Yoder taught human biology, microbiology and immunology courses at EMU from 1963 to 1995 and was advisor to EMU’s medical technology students. He started long tenure as a lab assistant to Dr. Daniel B. Suter in 1962. In retirement, he did volunteer work as a laboratory technician in the Suter Science Center until his health declined.

A 1957 EMU graduate, Yoder went on to earn a master’s degree from James Madison University.

During a 1977 sabbatical, Yoder completed the medical technology program at Rockingham Memorial Hospital and went on to work in the laboratory there part time during the week and full time during summers doing blood chemistry analysis until his retirement. He also volunteered many hours at the Harrisonburg Free Clinic.

Yoder was known by many for the poems and tributes he wrote for and about his family, co-workers and friends. He was an avid angler, birdwatcher and environmentalist. He was licensed to do water analysis and was a former president of the Massanutten chapter of Trout Unlimited, a national organization concerned with the preservation of cold freshwater habitats and fisheries.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Lois Peachey Yoder, four children, a brother and five grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Aug. 30 at Park View Mennonite Church where he was a member.

The 3:30 a.m. wake-up calls as a teen-ager prepared Wendy Driver for these moments.

Milking cows on her family

The last time Cara Atkins spoke here, she needed all the help she could get. “I couldn’t make it up the stairs by myself,” Atkins said.

Atkins made her assisted ascent to the stage in Eastern Mennonite University’s Lehman Auditorium five years ago, two years after surviving a midwinter auto accident that changed her life. She returned to the podium for Monday’s chapel service, a stirring reminder of resolve’s might.

Atkins’ tidy pose obscures a wrecked past. Attired in a luminously red blouse and black dress, the resilient 26-year-old Fulks Run woman serves as a poster child for deceptive looks, a battered book with a sleek cover.

From a distance, a smartly groomed, blonde Atkins resembles a beauty-pageant contestant. Only up close is the “scar” visible: a stitched right wrist that physicians fused as part of her physical reconstruction. Atkins’ erect posture disguises internal pain, and a soft voice gives only the vaguest of clues that Atkins spent the first seven weeks after the crash in a coma. Says Atkins: “I don’t look like a typical disabled person.”

Separate acts of kindness and neglect conspired against Atkins on the evening of Jan. 18, 1997. Returning home from Harrisonburg along Va. 259, 1 mile west of U.S. 11, Atkins’ vehicle collided with an eastbound car that crossed the median. Atkins had driven to Harrisonburg to return a pair of jeans to a friend.

After five months at the University of Virginia Medical Center, Atkins returned home with experts’ ominous news: Physicians at the Charlottesville facility told Atkins’ mother, Darlene Spitler, that her brain-damaged daughter was “not rehabilitative.” To Spitler, suggestions that her youngest daughter, who ran track and belonged to the cheerleading squad at Broadway High School, would never recover seemed inconceivable. Spitler, 55, turned to her faith. “We asked for a miracle,” Spitler said.

Atkins believes what she received fell nothing short of miraculous. More therapy, combined with prayers from family and friends, followed. Progress came incrementally. In August 1999, a semi-invalid Atkins enrolled at EMU.

Atkins credits her mom, sisters Edy Long and Carla Monger, and personal therapist Mary Davis at the Rockingham Memorial Hospital Wellness Center with her physical improvement, and praises a higher power with helping her find an inner strength.

“Many times I wanted to give up,” said Atkins, who also used singer R. Kelley’s inspirational song “I Believe I Can Fly” to whip despondency and rage. She admits to being bitter initially, but “I realized it wasn’t doing me any good.”

Blaming God never occurred to Atkins. As a teen, Atkins says, her faith waned. The event that physically leveled Atkins reawakened her spiritually.

“I know that God gives people free will and He allows them to do right or wrong,” she said. “I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Atkins’ timing for love was considerably better. Last June, Atkins began dating Neal Phillips, 20, a Rockingham County dairy farmer who met Atkins while caring for her horse. The couple became engaged last November and plan to wed next year.

Atkins juggles studies with public speaking, addressing listeners on a variety of topics. No cause crusader, Atkins simply ties her topic to her crowd. One subject she always includes, Atkins says, is God’s capacity to achieve the impossible.

“Miracles do happen,” Atkins said. “Most people don’t believe in them anymore, but here I am.”

The pending joys of graduation and marriage can’t purge her pain, says Atkins, who still struggles with balance and arthritis.

“At times I feel like I’m 65 years old,” Atkins said.

Which, given the alternative, isn’t all that bad.