How many of you thought many years ago, sitting in Pioneer Chapel for the first time as a Wabash man—you’d be the person you are today? Who had any idea of the talent surrounding us, or the talent within?
Yet here you are today, reading in these pages about extraordinary musical talent of our brethren, accented so well by Wabash faculty at this year’s 5th Annual Alumni-Faculty Symposium, Wally Tunes.
This event has become a thriving tradition, building on the lifelong collaboration among Wabash professors, students, and alumni. Wabash continues to fulfill its mission of teaching men to think critically, act responsibly, lead effectively, and live humanely long after her sons leave campus. We’re a unique community, with some 13,000 living alumni. A group smaller than the first-year classes at many state universities, yet one that changes lives and communities with disproportionate effectiveness.
Examples abound. Think of Jeff Soller ’12 and Oscar Torres ’01, young teachers serving underprivileged communities who push their students to expand their capabilities and expectations far beyond anything they imagined. In the process, they’ve brought a number of those students to Wabash, and those men are leading, on campus and in their communities, today.
Ray Jovanovich ’84 built a successful investment career in Asia that has allowed a comfortable, early retirement with his wife, Belinda. But when Typhoon Haiyan devastated Belinda’s hometown in the Philippines, they didn’t just make a donation. They led a significant private relief effort, marshaling resources from around the globe and traveling into the midst of destruction to personally oversee desperately needed aid efforts.
In our communities and on campus, Wabash is changing lives with an impact far beyond our modest numbers. When we gather our forces—as seen on April 30 when more than 2,200 parents, friends, and alumni joined together to raise nearly $500,000 for Wabash in less than 20 hours—the impact is staggering.
We’ll be celebrating the impact of Wabash and honoring Jovanovich, Soller, Torres, and others at the Homecoming Awards Chapel Saturday, September 27. I hope you’ll join us in celebrating their good work.
And I hope you’ll reflect upon the staggering array of talent you are surrounded by and contribute to. Talents nurtured, challenged, and in some cases forcibly extracted by demanding yet considerate faculty, supported by wise administrators, and funded by generous benefactors.
Talents you use every day to strengthen those around you and change lives in ways you never dreamed.
Talents we share, enjoy, and celebrate in the Wabash symphony of life.
—Greg Estell ’85, President, National Association of Wabash Men