Alumnus of the Year
Harry and Echo VanderWal
Harry and Echo felt called to serve God in medical missions as young children. They are grateful for the strong academic foundation they received at Cedarville and faculty members who challenged them and affirmed their God-given call to serve on the mission field. Following graduation, both pursued advanced degrees in medicine — Harry attended Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and finished his residency in 2006, and Echo graduated from Kettering College of Medical Arts as a physician assistant.
In 2005, they founded The Luke Commission (TLC), a faith based, nonprofit health care organization operating in Swaziland, South Africa. Harry and Echo serve as executive directors while working with a team of highly trained Swazis to deliver comprehensive health care clinics to 25,000 rural patients a year. TLC's mobile clinics serve as an avenue to share the love and hope of Christ with those who are physically and spiritually broken. TLC serves the most isolated and underserved population of rural Swaziland by treating HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
The VanderWals explained, "Cedarville played a pivotal role in our lives as we were more than prepared for further medical training and ministry overseas. We were blessed with exceptional professors whose expertise and encouragement taught us much more than the classroom necessitated. As we reflect upon our time at Cedarville, it is evident that God used the University as a powerful instrument to continue the work He began in us."
Harry and Echo live in Swaziland with their ten-year-old triplets, Luke, Jacob, and Zebadiah, and a seven-year-old son, Zion.
Young Alumnus of the Year
Cody Fisher '09
Dr. Jeff Cook's urban ministries class changed Cody's life forever. In a weekend poverty simulation, students lived as homeless people on the streets of Springfield, Ohio, begging for money, eating out of dumpsters, and collecting cans for what little money they would bring. "From that point on," he said, "I knew I couldn't be content with just loving from a distance. I had to radically displace myself if I wanted to love like Jesus loved."
Cody began working as the public relations director for Millennium Relief and Development Services (MRDS), an NGO helping rebuild Iraq. After spending twelve months there, he packed two suitcases and moved to Iraq, choosing to claim the promises of Jesus and learn what it means to love his neighbor. As he spent time in the homes of people he came to know and love, he became aware of dozens of children born with heart defects. The effects of war, malnutrition, poverty, lack of basic health care, and intra-family marriages had taken a toll, and an entire generation of Iraqi children needed heart surgery to save their lives.
In 2007, Cody founded the Preemptive Love Coalition, a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide lifesaving heart surgeries for Iraqi children in the pursuit of peace. Through that organization he began to send the most critical children overseas to Israel and Turkey for lifesaving surgeries. The Coalition brings medical teams to Iraqi hospitals to train and empower local doctors to care for these special needs children.
"The Gospel Jesus spoke about will be displayed through our lives and embraced by people we've grown to love as our own," he said.
Cody lives in Iraq with his wife Michelle.
Alumni Impact Award
Rachel Reno '00
"My love for God's Word deepened during my four years at Cedarville through times of prayer, chapel, and Bible classes," said Rachel. "Through many experiences in different classes, I learned how to live my faith as a teacher. God used Cedarville to give me a great love for getting to know people and walk in relationship with them."
Rachel's deepest joy in teaching is in discipling her students at Xenia Christian High School. She enjoys sharing God's Word, listening, praying, laughing, crying, and living life with her students. Many of her students through the past 11 years name her as one of the most influential people in their lives.
Sami SanGregory '12, who nominated Rachel for this award, said, "Rachel was the best teacher I had in high school. She invested her life into the lives of her students. I miss being blessed daily by this incredible woman of God!"
Rachel teaches eleventh and twelfth grade English and junior high girls' Bible at Xenia Christian where she also serves as counselor for the girls.
Distinguished Service Award
Bryan Waggoner '77
While a student at Cedarville University, Bryan began his lifetime involvement in student ministries. As a youth pastor in Brownsburg, Indiana, Bryan began bringing students in his youth group to visit Cedarville College, a yearly practice that continued for 25 years. As a result, dozens of students from Brownsburg, Indiana, enrolled at Cedarville.
In 1979, while an intern at Bethesda Baptist Church, he helped coordinate a new training retreat for Cedarville's Christian ministry teams. This retreat has continued for 32 years as Bryan now serves as executive pastor at Bethesda. The partnership has saved the University thousands of dollars and influenced hundreds of Cedarville students.
Bryan is enthusiastic about Cedarville students and regularly makes the trip from Indiana to Cedarville to attend HeartSong events. "I thoroughly enjoy meeting the students, praying for and with them, and encouraging them in any way possible. It's my way to pay forward for the investment Cedarville has made in my life."
Jim Cato, executive director of Heartsong, is grateful for Bryan's personal investment in students' lives. In his nearly 30 years of working with Cedarville ministry teams, he said, "I have never met anyone more committed to prayer."
Bryan and his wife, Sheri (Levin) '80, have four children: Jess '06, JB '09, Korinna '14, and Caleb.
One Another Mindset Award
Jearl Ward '81
As a student in the late 70s, Jearl was intentional about building friendships with Cedarville leadership, professors, staff, and students to help increase awareness of the differences and needs of minority students at Cedarville. Since leaving Cedarville, he has arranged several trips back to campus with minority students interested in seeing a Christ-centered college campus.
From 2002-2005, he served on the African-American Advisory Council to help frame the organizational direction for Cedarville's multicultural activities. During those years, he worked on multiple committees and was a consultant to Dr. Dixon's team regarding issues of student recruitment, admission and retention, trustee appointments, faculty and staff hiring, and chapel programming.
He has served as a member of Cedarville's alumni council since 2005, and has chaired the alumni council diversity committee since 2010. The committee's mission is "to help expand the scope, thinking, and planning efforts of the Alumni Association toward actions that facilitate increased diversity of membership, connection, support, and participation at Cedarville sponsored activities."
Last November, Jearl helped plan a men's retreat with the leadership of a majority Caucasian church in the Annapolis, Maryland, area. The focus of the retreat was to increase understanding for cultural diversity and to model diverse church worship. He sponsored several Cedarville students to fly from Ohio for the weekend, housed and fed them, and worked with all worship team members from churches in Maryland to create a culturally diverse worship team.
Jearl and his wife, Jessica, reside in Maryland. They have four daughters: Jerica '09, Jernelle '11, Jerielle '14, and Jervonne.
Honorary Alumnus of the Year
Travis (Lew) Gibbs
If you've ever met Lew Gibbs, you would think he bleeds Cedarville blue and yellow. While not an alum, his love and support for our alumni and the University is not easily matched.
Known around campus as "Mr. G," Lew directed Cedarville's career services office for 15 years, broadening its role and reputation to become one of the top career offices in the country. He strongly believes each student is "uniquely wired by God to do Kingdom things" and has had a significant impact on many students' lives.
Lew came to Cedarville after 31 years in management at IBM. He brought a marketing approach to a discipline predominately focused on counseling. His priority was to aggressively network with alumni and parents to tap into their potential as hiring influencers. His connections with alumni across the country and the world have accomplished that objective. Cedarville now enjoys the favor of many preeminent employers.
Known throughout the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities as a "consummate networker," his energetic leadership has also positively impacted career offices at other campuses.
A sought after speaker on career related subjects, he has represented Cedarville University appearing on local cable TV and national Christian radio and has also been published in numerous journals and periodicals.
Lew retired from his role at Cedarville in June, and has begun a consulting business. He and his wife, Sheron, have three children, all Cedarville graduates, and five grandchildren.