Spring Commencement Celebrations

The campus grounds were immaculate. The food was excellent. The stage was beautiful. Smiles and hugs were everywhere. LeTourneau University people really know how to make guests feel welcome, and we did it again with Longview Commencement 2013 last weekend. Thank you so much for making it a special day for families from around the world.

This coming Saturday, our Houston Commencement 2013 will honor hundreds of graduates and family members with the same genuine hospitality that is a gift shared by so many at LETU. Marsha and I will miss the Houston event because we will be in Denton celebrating the graduation of our oldest daughter Rachel.

She will receive her Bachelor of Science in Merchandising from the University of North Texas. After graduating from Kilgore where she was a Kilgore Rangerette, Rachel went to UNT to dance and study merchandising and fashion design (offerings we don't have here at LETU). After graduation, she has a job with a Dallas designer.

Last year, we had the joy of celebrating with daughter Hannah, who is now an RN working at Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler.

Our two girls were still in high school when Marsha and I first came to LETU. Where have the years gone?

From up on the stage, looking out on the Belcher Center last Saturday, I saw again that commencement ceremonies are celebrations of academic success, to be sure, but also they are celebrations of the blessings of family. In Denton this coming Saturday, I'll be happy to not be sitting onstage, but instead  be in the audience celebrating the gift of my family.

For more on LETU's Spring Commencement celebrations, head over to the IncrediblyLETU blog. 

Sweet Alumni Connections on the West Coast

This past week, several of us traveled to the West Coast, meeting new friends and reconnecting with former students and supporters of LETU. Starting in Los Angeles, we also traveled to Cupertino and Seattle. I ended up in Vancouver, Canada, visiting an alumnus from the 1960s who remembers fondly his days here in Longview.

I had the pleasure of meeting Chris Pratt in El Segundo, Calif. Chris graduated from LETU in 1991 with a degree in electrical engineering. He went on to earn a graduate engineering degree from Cornell and marry his wife Peilin, a Harvard Law graduate. While practicing engineering in L.A., Chris became interested in the Internet and e-commerce. A simple experiment in selling candy demonstrated the potential of the technology. Soon, he left his job working with electric vehicles to start CandyWarehouse.com.

The night we visited (the Pratts were kind enough to host an alumni reception), the warehouse was filled with over 300 tons of every candy I could imagine. Orders arrive day and night, and Chris ships large orders of candy daily. Who buys? Often his customers are planning candy buffets for weddings and showers. Go to their website, and you'll see that you can sort by color to create that perfect buffet.

With Chris and Peilin Pratt in their candy warehouse in Los Angeles, Calif.

Chris is no Willy Wonka! I can see that he uses the analytical reasoning of his LETU engineering education to refine the logistics of his business and improve both customer service and profit. I could also see his LETU heart in the care for his employees and the fun, supportive work environment Peilin and he have created.

You can learn more about the Pratts' company in one of their YouTube videos. You can see their other website videos here.  

When Chris graduated from LETU over two decades ago, I'm sure his candy company was not even imaginable to him. As our newest graduates cross the stage this coming Saturday, only God knows what new businesses they will start and what workplaces they will claim for Jesus Christ.

A Foundation Through the Ages

LeTourneau University's Homecoming 2013 surely was the most successful in many years. Congratulations to Martha Steed who led the way and to dozens of others who worked behind the scenes to welcome home hundreds of our alumni. The weekend clearly demonstrates that our former students will travel hundreds or thousands of miles to return to campus, see old friends, and rejoice in all the good God has done in their lives and at their alma mater. It's always a blessing for us to host them when they visit. I saw in their laughter and tears that it was a special blessing for them to be here with their friends.

Dr. Lunsford with the LeTourneau family.
Louise LeTourneau Dick (seated) with her brothers Ben and Roy.
Ben's wife, Betty, is standing in the center.
Roy's wife, Shirley, is not pictured.

The three surviving children of R.G. and Evelyn LeTourneau were all together on campus -- a memory I will forever cherish. Roy LeTourneau spoke in chapel to our current students and then again to our Golden Jackets -- those who graduated 50 or more years ago. It was a rare opportunity for today's student body to hear the booming LeTourneau family voice speak about Mr. R.G.'s commitment to make God his partner in his life's work. And it was a treat to listen to our Golden Jackets ask Roy to tell stories from decades ago when Pop LeTourneau drove his Volkswagen around campus and Mom LeTourneau cooked for homesick students.

Our guests were amazed at the physical changes on campus ('Where are the barracks?') I believe they were even more amazed to find the commitment to Christ still alive and central to who we are as a community. While many things had changed, the faith foundation of our university was still there.

Some of the students you see on campus today may return here 50 years from now for a similar homecoming. The university they find will be built on the foundation we are laying today. As those before us did, let's continue to build on the solid rock of Peter's confession that Jesus is Lord. That's a foundation that will last through the ages.

The LETU Board of Trustees: Doing God's Work

Our LETU trustees are on campus from across North America to attend the semi-annual board meeting.

Last November, board elections were held, and this meeting is the first for Pat Bertsche to serve as the board chair. Pat and his family live in St. Charles, Ill. He is the chief financial officer for Camcraft, Inc., a family owned manufacturing business that makes precision-machined engine system components to exacting specifications. (Watch this recent video on LeTourneau University's Center for Faith & Work website about how the Bertsche family runs Camcraft as 'God's business,' allowing Biblical principles to guide their work).

With new LeTourneau University Chairman of the Board
Pat Bertsche, CFO of Camcraft, Inc.

A 1989 LETU alumnus who earned his degree in industrial management, Pat has been involved in financial management, strategic planning and business operations for years.

He has a heart for Christian education and served as the superintendent of the Westminster Christian School, formerly having served as its board president. He loves LeTourneau and has coordinated numerous alumni meetings around the country and even hosted alumni events in his home.

Other new officers include our vice chair Larry Mercer of Dallas, Texas; our secretary Paul Abbott of Jenks, Okla.; and treasurer Merle Stoltzfus of Elverson, Penn. This week's meeting is also the first for three new trustees, including Gene Frost of West Chicago, Ill., James Nolt of York, Penn. and Dean Waskowiak of Longview, Texas.

While on campus, board members toured the Allen Center construction site. This group toured with LETU Dean of Students Corey Ross. Want to see the latest progress as the building goes up? Check out our live construction cam.

I am grateful for all of our trustees. They come here to share their wisdom, their experience and their love for LeTourneau University. Please join me in welcoming them to Longview, and to campus, and thanking them for their service.

I-20 Corridor: Share Your Ideas for Beautification & Economic Growth

City of Longview Mayor Jay Dean has asked me to chair a citizen's task force to study the economic development of our I-20 corridor. Development of the Interstate 20 corridor is a significant opportunity for the city of Longview to expand economic growth and take advantage of a resource that brings over 37,000 vehicles per day past the Estes Parkway and I-20 intersection.

Anyone who travels north on Estes Parkway toward our LeTourneau University campus can see that this entrance into the city does not represent Longview as the economically vibrant, beautiful city that it is. Our prospective students and their parents drive to campus from I-20 when coming to preview LeTourneau University. They pass several abandoned and shuttered buildings as well as unattractive and overgrown lots. Unfortunately, it is their first impression of Longview.

We at LeTourneau University have a vested interest in being part of beautification and economic growth efforts in South Longview. Because this is our city's front door, all in Longview will benefit from a redeveloped I-20 corridor.

Having been outspoken on the need for improvements, I was eager to get started. Our task force is meeting through May in MSC 3 to consider ideas and develop recommendations for the Mayor and City Council. It's wonderful to have these city leaders and concerned citizens on our campus and to see the valuable asset they have in LETU.

To help with getting input from the community, the Longview Chamber of Commerce has launched a website, www.LongviewTexasListens.com.

I invite those of who are Longview community members to click on the link and share your ideas. The website offers guided questions such as:

• What type of economic development would you like to see along Longview's I-20 corridor?
• What types of development would encourage you to visit the Sabine River bottomlands?
• What can the city do to encourage private developers to make an investment along our I-20 corridor?
• From your experience, what cities do a great job of attracting visitors from their interstate highway?

Because so many of you, as LETU faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends, live and work in the local community, you have a unique perspective on South Longview. I hope you'll let your good ideas be heard on this website. If nothing else, voice your agreement with the urgency that now is the time to reclaim this neighborhood for the sake of all of Longview.

The Good News of New Life

The Thursday before Jesus was crucified, he gathered for the last time with his disciples and celebrated the Passover meal which today we call the Last Supper.

Those intimate moments between Jesus and his disciples have inspired artists throughout the centuries to depict what that scene might have looked like. From the 22nd chapter of the book of Luke, we know that Jesus and his disciples reclined at the table as He gave thanks for the cup and bread and then shared it with them.

Shortly thereafter Jesus humbled himself and washed the feet of his disciples, even the ones who would betray and deny him. And it was later that evening, in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, He prayed in anguish, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

It was not to be. Instead, He was betrayed, arrested, denied, mocked, beaten, judged and crucified. That Friday was a dark day, but as we know, Sunday was coming with a resurrection power that would forever change the world.

As we look toward Easter Sunday, I encourage us all to take time to silently reflect on the promise fulfilled by Jesus' death on the cross. Through Him, we have victory, new life, and the promise of eternity. That is Good News!

IncrediblyLETU

LeTourneau University is an incredible place. Every single day, I marvel at the creativity and ingenuity of our students, our faculty and our staff. The difference that each of you make is immeasurable.

To those of you who work with our students every day, you are our front lines. You are changing lives, molding them into the men and women who will truly make profound differences in every workplace and every nation. They do this by carrying both the Good News of Jesus Christ as well as their hearts and minds into the world that surrounds them.

Each and every one of you are part of this incredible LeTourneau story. You are LeTourneau University.

This year, we've started communicating with our alumni in a fresh way to stay in touch with them and keep them up to date on some of the most exciting things happening on campus. The initiative has a simple goal: to tell the story of LeTourneau University through emails, a blog, and (for those who enjoy a more visual experience, an infographic).

Any of you who are a part of the LeTourneau Nation (faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, friends of the university, and more) are part of this incredible story. In every classroom and office on campus, and in every workplace one of our graduates inhabits, incredible pieces add up to the single greatest university in the world. And any time you'd like a look into the latest at LeTourneau, you'll find the content from all of our alumni communications, and more, at the blog link above.

If you have an incredible story that you think should be told, we want to hear about it. Email your story ideas and let us help to share your successes and the little pieces of incredible that make up this amazing place. Or, request to receive IncrediblyLETU alumni communications to stay up-to-date about your incredible alma mater.