Goshen College student Ezra Kipruto Kogei died at South Bend Memorial Hospital on Saturday after sustaining serious injuries in a car accident earlier that week. Kogei was a sophomore nursing major from Eldoret, Kenya, and a member of the men’s cross-country team.  Those who knew and loved Ezra share memories of his life and the ways in which he impacted them:  Jo-Ann Brant (with Joe Springer), Ezra’s host parents —  “Soon after Ezra moved into our home, he mentioned that ours was the first American home into which he had entered even though he had been in the United States...

By Record • October 28, 2022 • News

Peter Shetler, 65, passed away on Monday in a vehicular accident in the parking lot of Bethany Christian Schools, where he served as technology director. Shetler also co-taught Swahili at Goshen College, and his wife Jan Bender Shetler is director of international education. We asked members of the GC community to share memories of Shetler and the ways in which he impacted their lives.     “In the midst of this tragedy, I’m holding closely my memories of Peter. As a new educator, he welcomed me. So many at Bethany were influenced by his work. His global callings modeled love for...

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Walking by the ballfield on an afternoon, it wasn’t unlikely that you’d hear Coach Doug Wellenreiter before you saw him. “Get behind the ball,” he’d yell to outfielders, in an effort to bolster their defense. Wellenreiter served as the assistant coach for GC’s baseball team for six years and passed away on Tuesday. Wellenreiter and his wife, Kelly, first moved to Goshen in 2014 to be closer to his two children and his three grandchildren. “I moved here to be by my grandchildren, and my other daughter moved to Goshen after her husband retired from the Air Force, so I...

By Gabe Kermode • November 19, 2020 • Features

Doug Wellenreiter, assistant coach for the Goshen College baseball team, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, Nov. 17. He was 63 years old. “Doug will be deeply missed,” said Erica Albertin, interim athletic director at Goshen College. “He fiercely loved Goshen College and the baseball team...His passing leaves a big void in our athletic department. We will miss his joyful spirit, his lengthy conversations and his way of making everyone he talked to feel cared for.” In his seventh season of coaching for Goshen College, Wellenreiter brought 35 years of teaching and coaching experience to the school, after spending 27 years...

By Mackenzie Miller • November 19, 2020 • News

Maynard Sauder, longtime supporter of the Goshen College community, passed away on Aug. 28, in his hometown of Archbold, Ohio. Sauder and his wife, Carolyn, were instrumental in the construction of the Goshen College Music Center, donating a substantial amount of the $22 million project. Sauder Hall is named in their honor.  In memory of Sauder, Goshen College produced a tribute video in September as a personal response to Carolyn and the Sauder family. The video consists of several of Maynard Sauder’s favorite hymns sung by the Goshen College Chamber Choir in Sauder Hall.  Todd Yoder, vice president for institutional...

By Augusta Nafziger • September 17, 2020 • Arts

Before her death last year on April 22, Dr. Deb Detwiler left one last mark on Goshen College.  What was formerly known as Women’s World Music Choir was re-named to Voices of the Earth, a move made in order to include not just women, but also non-binary voices. Detwiler conducted her final concert on April 6, 2019, though no one expected it to be her last. Sixteen days later, she passed away unexpectedly in her home.  Almost a year later, Voices of the Earth is still singing strong. As the anniversary of Detwiler’s death approaches, it is only appropriate that...

By Greta Lapp Klassen • March 13, 2020 • Arts

Friends, family and colleagues of the late J.R. Burkholder gathered on Saturday to celebrate the life of the Goshen College professor emeritus, ethicist and peace activist. Burkholder passed away on Dec. 20, 2019, one day after his 91st birthday.  Burkholder is remembered at Goshen College for his 22 years as a professor, his role in founding what is now the Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies program and his influence as a thinker in the broader Mennonite Church, helping move the Mennonite peacemaking tradition from its history of nonresistance toward one of active, nonviolent resistance.  “Among all of the 20th-century Anabaptist...

By Gabe Miller • January 31, 2020 • News

Those who were in attendance at the Homecoming Gala earlier this fall will remember witnessing an important announcement: the changing of the name of the Men’s Chorus to Vox Profundi, which is Latin for “Voices of the Deep.” The change came following the rechristening of the Women’s World Music Choir to Voices of the Earth last spring. That concert also marked the 15th anniversary of the creation of the two choirs. Deb Detwiler, the conductor of Voices of the Earth until her death last spring, thought that it was especially important to make sure that Goshen’s choirs were inclusive to...

By Kristin Jantzen • November 1, 2019 • Arts

Last Wednesday, Goshen College campus mourned the loss of Kennard Martin, the longest-serving employee at GC, during what would have been his 58th work anniversary. Martin passed away on Aug. 29 at Borgess-Pipp Hospital in Plainwell, Michigan. His funeral took place Thursday, Sep. 5, at Harvest Community Church, where he was a long-time member. Martin was born to parents Melvin and Mary (Stahl) Martin on Oct. 23, 1940, in Peru, Indiana. After declaring to be a conscientious objector to the Vietnam war, Martin came to Goshen College on Sept. 5, 1961 at the age of 20. He was given a...

By Megan Bower • September 5, 2019 • News

The start of a new academic year always brings about bustling excitement, especially for the music department, as students prepare for a year of classes and ensembles. However, this year feels slightly different than the ones before it due to the loss of a beloved professor, director and mentor. After having a rapid relapse of cancer, Dr. Deb Detwiler had planned on becoming semi-retired in the 2019-2020 academic year, solely focusing on choir conducting. Unfortunately, Detwiler passed away on April 22, 2019, only days after the annual Earthtones: Songs of Many Cultures concert. In the subsequent weeks, students, faculty and...

By Record • September 5, 2019 • Arts

Following a brief hospitalization, Carolyn Schrock-Shenk, retired professor of peace, justice and conflict studies (PJCS), passed away on Feb. 6. Schrock-Shenk played a defining role in the setup and functioning of Goshen College’s Inside-Out May Term class. Without Schrock-Shenk, there would not be an Inside-Out Exchange Program at GC.   Inside-Out, according to the Inside-Out Center, is a national program to bring college students from the “outside” and inmates, the “inside” students, together for a class. The program allows students to interact with inmates and puts everyone on an equal level. The original Inside-Out program is based out of Temple...

By Patrick Webb • February 21, 2019 • Features

Two young people have a presence on the Goshen College campus despite the fact that they never had a chance to attend classes here, as leukemia took their lives over 30 years ago. Their father, Ervin Beck, a former English professor, can often be found tending to the garden that was established as a memorial for the two children, Joel and Sarah. The memorial garden, located behind the Newcomer Center, is a shady, quiet and comfortable space in which to relax, do homework or eat lunch. The garden is visible when you enter through the back entrance of Newcomer or...

By Brad Stoltzfus • October 26, 2017 • Features

Seventeen years later, the only persuasive speech that Suzanne Ehst remembers from teaching high school English was the one from a student holding a spoon in front of his face, trying to convince his audience he could bend it with his mind. That student was Michael J. Sharp, more commonly known as M.J. Sharp, 34, was a 2001 graduate of Bethany Christian High School and a 2005 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University. On March 27, Sharp’s body was found in a shallow grave in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and later identified through tests on March 28. Sharp was...

By Jordan Waidelich • April 6, 2017 • News

Part of the Goshen community was tragically lost on Dec. 18, 2016. Anna Barnard, a senior at Bethany Christian High School, lost her life from injuries that she sustained in a car crash on Indiana 23. Barnard was the passenger in the car of another Bethany student when their car drifted into the lane of oncoming traffic and collided with another vehicle carrying six other people. The driver of Barnard’s car was treated for several serious injuries, while the passengers of the car opposite to them sustained only minor injuries. Barnard, an exchange student from Belgium, is described by many...

By Josh Stoltzfus • January 26, 2017 • News

“Contagious smiles and infectious laughter” was how many people described Hannah (Grieser) Hochstetler. On Jan. 19, Hochstetler, a 2013 graduate of Goshen College, was traveling through Virginia with her husband, Caleb, when their car was struck head-on. The 72-year-old man, Monte Zuck, who was driving the other vehicle, lost control, crossed over the median and hit the Hochstetlers. Hannah was killed, and Caleb was taken to the hospital. Zuck was charged with reckless driving. The Hochstetlers were on their way back to Jackson, Mississippi where they were leading a Service Adventure unit, a program of Mennonite Mission Network. The loss...

By Jordan Waidelich • January 26, 2017 • News