Guests at the Class of 1974 Reunion, left to right: Mike and Brenda Keith, Scott and Laurie Baughman, Lisa and Jim Crouch, Darlene and Steve Potter, Martha and Jim Edgar, Darlene Sandowich (standing in front of Jim Edgar), Becky and Tom Ruhlman, Kevin Farrow, Daryl Conklin, Terri Lund, Ron Vandermey, Richard Lund, Denise Vandermey, Sue Moore Donaldson, Earl and Diana Oliver, and Debra Fetters.
Dr. Abner Chou had nearly finished delivering a short welcome to the Class of 1974 when he encountered a friendly interruption.
“I’m thrilled to see all of you here from 50 years ago,” Chou, president of The Master’s University, said during a dinner for the class’s golden reunion in December.
“It’s only been 20 years,” one alum called out, drawing laughs from her classmates.
“You count backwards after a while,” another guest echoed.
The two-day reunion was permeated by an unmistakable lightheartedness, as alumni gathered at what they knew as Los Angeles Baptist College to reconnect with friends, revisit old stomping grounds, and share stories of God’s faithfulness in the decades they’ve been apart.
Kevin Farrow, right, Mike Keith, center, and other members of the Class of 1974 visit chapel during their reunion in December. Photo by Mark Finster.
Why was it so important to reconvene?
“Those were formative years. We all became adults at the same time,” says Daryl Conklin, who didn’t finish his degree at LABC but still felt a deep connection to classmates in that era.
Conklin attended LABC from 1970 to 1972 before transferring to pursue a bachelor of science degree in building construction and design. Still, he says his time in Newhall opened his eyes to the power of Scripture. An opportunity to see the people he shared such formative years with was too good to pass up. “I wouldn’t have missed it,” said the Ohio resident.
Sue Moore Donaldson, left, and Daryl Conklin during a tour of campus. Photo by Mark Finster.
The reunion opened with a catered dinner on Thursday, Dec. 7, and attendees, all wearing a lanyard with their LABC yearbook photo on it, lingered for a long time afterward, continuing to talk about memories, kids, and careers. At one point during the evening, guests passed around a long-distance FaceTime call with Tom Loong, a member of the Class of ’74 who returned to his native Hong Kong after graduation, teaching at a Bible college and seminary there. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to tell Loong hello.
The next day, inside Dunkin Student Center, alumni took turns sharing updates from the last 50 years, many of the anecdotes demonstrating God’s commitment to carry His people through life’s highs and lows. Then they prayed — a fitting conclusion. But moments later, they got going again, and the stories and laughs continued to flow.
Dr. Abner Chou welcomes members of the Class of 1974 back to campus during a dinner inside the English and History Center. Photo by Annie Vladovska.
“We only had 300 students back then, so you just felt like you were one big family with a lot of camaraderie and Christian fellowship,” says Becky Ruhlman (’74), who met her husband Tom (’71), on her first day at LABC. They now have 32 grandchildren and live in Washington state, where Tom has served as the pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Shoreline since 1980.
Becky says her time at LABC grounded her in the Scriptures, a statement echoed by Mike Keith (’74), who has used that foundation in more than four decades as a pastor, currently at New Hope Community Church in Lake Tapps, Washington.
Reunion guests get a look at the new grand entrance to the Business Center during a tour of campus. Photo by Mark Finster.
Keith’s ministry is but one example of how the Lord has used the Class of ’74.
Earl Oliver has been a pastor for 50 years, spending most of that time alongside former Los Angeles Baptist professor Bruce Stabbert at Fellowship Bible Church in Tacoma, Washington.
Debra Fetters taught school for 41 years.
Dr. Ron Vandermey had a commentary on Hosea published by Moody Press while he was still in his 20s, has served as a pastor, and in 2000 was named History Teacher of the Year by the Southern California Historical Society.
Scott Baughman, the reunion’s organizer, was a financial analyst for the city of Tacoma, started a language school in Portugal as a tentmaking ministry, and was then an administrator at a Christian school in Scottsdale, Arizona, for 20 years.
Kevin Farrow spent two decades working as an all-source intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army.
Sue Moore Donaldson is a podcaster and a speaker at Christian women’s events.
Earl Oliver (’74) and Tom Ruhlman (’71) pose for a photo. Photo by Mark Finster.
That’s only a few of the many stories that were shared.
During the reunion’s dinner, guests played a game: Who Am I? A speaker read three facts about someone from the Class of 1974 and asked the group to guess who he was referring to. Some of the answers were serious: “I was an adapted P.E. teacher serving children with special needs.” Some were not: “I participated in the prank carrying Mr. Marshall’s VW Bug into the lobby of Hotchkiss Hall.”
There was plenty more reminiscing. During a tour of campus, Conklin talked about afternoons on the soccer field. Baughman shared fond memories of a “ditch day” trip to San Diego with classmates. More than one person reflected on the close mentorship they received from LABC professors, who cared not only about their students’ academic achievements but about their spiritual lives.
Jim Crouch (’74) and others enjoy a catered dinner inside the English and History Center. Photo by Mark Finster.
While there was plenty of looking back, Chou, TMU’s president and John F. MacArthur Endowed Fellow, addressed the present. At the dinner, he thanked the group for paving the way for the school’s current faithfulness and reminded them that the University’s doctrinal convictions hadn’t changed – even if the buildings around them had.
Chou didn’t have to look far for an example of campus transformation. The reunion dinner took place on North Campus, inside the English and History Center, a spot that in 1974 still belonged to Grace Baptist Church.
As the group left that night, they were invited to attend chapel the following morning; “Can we skip or will we get demerits?” someone asked. Despite the teasing, many of the guests did join the student body for chapel and were encouraged by what they witnessed.
Said Baughman, “The music, focus on Scripture, and the practical message all left us feeling blessed to have attended and confirmed that TMU continues to have the strong biblical principles that the institution was founded on in 1927.”
Learn more about The Master’s University Alumni Association at masters.edu/alumni.
