NEWS
The
American Scientific Affiliation
VOLUME 14, NUMBER 5 October 1972
IT'S HAPPENING!
William D. Sisterson
began work as the first full-time Executive Secretary of ASA
,on August 15. A month later, the national office (including faithful secretary
Hazel Fetherhuff) moved from Mankato, Minnesota. Our new address:
American Scientific Affiliation Phone: (312) 697-5466
Bill Sisterson's new home address: 503 E. Chicago
Elgin, Illinois 60120
PLANNING TO ATTEND AAAS?
Glenn Kirkland of the Applied Physics Lab at Johns Hopkins University and Roger
Voskuyl have made arrangements for an ASA Fellowship breakfast during the 1972 meet.ing of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The AAAS meeting,
always held between Christmas and New Year, features papers and symposia in all
branches of science. In recent years the relationship of scientific research to
politics and other broad areas of human concern has been emphasized.
The breakfast is open to all members and friends of ASA attending the AAAS meeting
or from the surrounding area. The breakfast will be held at the Windsor Park Hotel,
2300 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D. C., on Thursday, December 28, from 7:30 to
9 a.m. Cost is $3.00, including tip. Please make reservations in advance by writing or calling:
Council for Advancement of Small Colleges
Washington, D. C. 20036 Telephone: (202)659-3795
Glenn says they'll try to have the breakfast listed with other special events in t1la
official AAAS program, but in any event will post notices on the bulletin boards a'
the meetings.
D. LEE CHESNUT DIES
D. Lee Chesnut died peacefully on September 14 in Phoenix, Arizona, after rallying
somewhat from an illness. ASA News was notified of his death by his nephew J&ck
Finnegan, pastor of University Christian Church in Berkeley, California. Lee
Chesnut had obtained his B. S. degree in engineering at Iowa State University in
1919 and then spent 43 years with General Electric. He retired in 1963 to begin a
speaking tour under auspices of the Christian Business Men's Committee International.
His book The Atom Speaks--and Echoes the Word of God, published by Eerdmans in 1951,
served as a basis for many of his lectures. In recent,years he turned his attention
to creationism and evolutionism and wrote a pamphlet entitled The Monkey's On the
Run. He was a member of the Bible-Science Association and the Creation Research
Society as well as a Fellow of the American Scientific Affiliation.
THE STORK AT YORK: BIRTH OF THE CANADIAN AFFILIATION
The 27th Annual Meeting of ASA at York University in Toronto last month was our
first meeting on Canadian soil, with about one-third of the registrants coming from
Canada. During the meeting, John F. Stewart of Smiths Falls, Ontario, laid
before
the Executive Council the desirability of incorporating a "Canadian Scientific
Affiliation." The Canadians don't want to split off from ASA, but they feel that
under present laws they can greatly increase Canadian membership and support for a
legally separate organization. No independent "Canadian only" operations are envisioned: a Canadian "office" in John Stewart's home would provide a mailing
address for legal purposes, and the CSA would in effect "purchase" services and
publications from ASA.
It's all law and orderly, we guess, even if we don't understand it. John's attorney
recommended it, so he must understand it. Anyway, the Executive Council authorized
further negotiations. When they're complete, Canadian members will be able to deduct contributions, dues, and expenses of attending meetings, which they cannot now
do for our U.S. organization.
Maybe the Canadian Scientific Affiliation isn't yet born, but at least it has been
conceived. And John Stewart is an M.D. who seems to be good at obstetrics.
FROM TBE TORONTO MEETING
It's hard to put together a coherent picture of the Annual meeting ("Presuppositions of Science: A Christian Response") from reports we've received. When
ASA News told Russ Heddendorf that we had several pages of humorous sidelights from
Dick Bube, Russ wondered if they'd attended the same meetings! Program chairmen
always tend to take meetings seriously.
Registration reached 85, not counting many family members, according to Doug
Morrison, local arrangements chairman. The 30 Canadians and the contingent from
adjoining New York State made up about half the registrants, the rest coming from
all over the U.S. A large publicity effort that included newspaper advertisement
and the mailing of letters to 600 pastors in the area failed to draw many Toronto
people. On Monday, Stanford Reid addressed about 100 people. But few local Christians came out on Thursday to hear Robert Thompson, a very competent Christian
member of the Canadian parliament.
O f course, there's always plenty going on in a city like Toronto, with its two
million population and area of 240 square miles (data courtesy Toronto taxi drivers,
via Dick Bube). Some ASA families probably took in the Canadian National Exhibition
and other attractions. On the York campus itself a number of other groups were
meeting. Even Russ must have smiled to see ASA'ers mingling with IBM types in pin
stripes, Scottish clansmen in their plaidies, and girl gymnasts in leotards.
Reports agree on the outstanding public relations job done by members of the local
arrangements committee. Norman Lea in particular seemed to know how to incorporate
ASA people into local radio programs. Jack McIntyre, Don Boardman, and George
Jennings took part in one program on the purposes of ASA. Elving Anderson, Bob Knudsen, Chuck Hatfield,
and Russ Heddendorf appeared on a CBC radio program discussing Christianity in relation to scientific and ethical problems.
Dick Bube represented ASA on a TV talk show called "Options." With a minister o7f the United
Church of Canada, an archbishop of Toronto, and a Jewish woman journalist, he
fielded questions on medical ethics and was asked to react to statements such as "If
there were no God, it would be necessary to invent Him." Guess you need a sense of
humor in a situation like that.
Press coverage was also planned in advance. John Montgomery covered the meeting for
Christianity Today. You may even have seen a report of the ASA meeting on the religious page or elsewhere in your local newspaper: several articles sent to a
religious news service could have resulted in press releases across Canada and the
U. S.
SERIOUS BUSINESS: PRESUPPOSITIONS OF SCIENCE
There were excellent papers responding to the presuppositions of science from a
Christian point of view. But philosophical papers get heavy for those of us with
simple scientific minds, according to one reporter, or at least they take a while to
digest. However, there was lively interchange of ideas in between papers, leaving
participants with plenty to think about between Annual Meetings. Members of the
Association for the Advancement of Christian Studies of Toronto, with their strong
Dooyweerdian emphasis, participated actively in discussions.
Anthropologist George Jennings was supposed to "synthesize" the program on the last
day, but says he found that difficult. He sent ASA News a document too tightly
worded to try to condense further. There wasn't room for the whole thing, so we decided to serialize it and keep you in suspenders. Here's the first installment of
George's ruminations on the theme of the 1972 ASA meeting. After changing the title
several times, he calls it: ABOUT FAITH AND MAGIC: BACKGROUND FOR CONTEMPORARY
PRESUPPOSITIONS.
"An anthropocentric inclination exists in science, in that no field of study is
without consequences for the study of man. If we accept, in general, the proposition
that even the most specialized natural sciences have some bearing on anthropological
study, then we can begin to see how truly varied and competitive are the arguments
which promise to shed light on human social and psychological understanding. For
the most part, conceptions of man advanced by scholars have been on the basis of
schemes for promoting his improvement. Are members of the American Scientific Affiliation
suited to exercises in social and cultural therapy, or in social and cultural engineering?
"In general, scientific presuppositions inferred in the 27th Annual Meeting of the
American Scientific Affiliation reflect to Christians the age-old problem of "means"
and "end." Devotion to the question of "How?" rather than 'Why?" leads to a seduction to action rather than accomplishment. If we accept Jacques Ellul's suggestions
that science is to be a means to achieve the end, which is Truth, we need to consider
the relationship between "means" and "end," in order to identify that "end" which is
called Truth. The Christian scientist presupposes that his activity leads him to
ultimate Truth, or the Person of God who is the Ultimate End for man."-- to be
continued.
NOT-SO-SERIOUS BUSINESS
Dick Bube reports that many presuppositions came under attack, including the presupposition that men and women use different bathrooms. Registrants appreciated
being housed in comfortable Vanier Hall
I
an air-conditioned sanctuary from the "unusual" warm and humid weather. Each of its 13 floors had the standard doors
marked "Men" and 'Women." But registrants unaccustomed to such avant-garde life
styles were somewhat disturbed to discover that both doors opened into the same
bathroom. Eventually things got straightened out by designating bathrooms on the
ASA floors as "Men Only" or "Women Only." Dick worked out a formula to remember
which was which: Whatever floor you were living on had the bathroom for the
opposite sex. Even this simple formula proved difficult to grasp, so some surprising encounters occurred throughout the meetings.
Another topic for conversation when philosophy got too heavy was the rumor that
Executive Council member Gary Collins was absent because he was suspected of being
an unfriendly alien. Jack McIntyre, source of the rumor, was called on countless
times to explain. It seems that while Gary was in Vienna during his sabbatical this
year, he went over to Prague for a day's visit. Since Gary is a Canadian and not a
U.S. citizen, he was regarded on his return to the States as being a suspicious
alien for his visit behind the Iron Curtain. The only way out of this dilemma was
to undergo questioning in Chicago, where he had to make two trips because the $8 in
his pocket the first time was insufficient to pay the $10 fee. With his investigation still in progress, he was told it was uncertain that he would be readmitted
into the U.S. if he went to Canada for the ASA meeting.
Of course none of this would have happened, Jack insists, if we'd taken his advice
and held the meeting in Texas!
CANADA DRY? HARDLY
ASA meetings are famous for their good-natured repartee. This one was no exception.
In fact, Toronto must have sounded at times like Pun City. The program chairman
started it the first morning, introducing James C. Kennedy of Queens University,
Ontario, in place of scheduled speaker Paul Holmer. He said he had wanted to
start the convention like a baseball game--with a Holmer.
But it was Gordon Lewthwaite whose presence made puns a constant feature of the
meeting. The following exchange took place after the opening night's address:
Lewthwaite: "Then I won't keep egging you on."
Reid responded that he was ready with two more puns, but was too chicken to use
them. Lewthwaite later complained privately about the use of such fowl language.
See what you missed?
HOW TO START SOMETHING. No. 14. ED DAYTON
Missions Advanced Research and Communications Center (MARC) of Monrovia, California,
is a division of World Vision International. It was founded by Edward R. Dayton five years ago to put computers to work effectively for the church, particularly
in the task of world evangelism.
About a year ago, ASA News asked Ed to tell us how he happened to start MARC.
We've had his reply on hand for several months, after a muscle spasm forced him to
return from Brazil and catch up on rest and correspondence. We've edited it very
slightly but essentially it's Ed's own account:
"In 1964, 1 was happily settled with my family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as an
assistant engineering manager for systems at the Lear Siegler Corporation. Just as
we had decided to settle down to a happy life in 'New Jerusalem,' my boss tole me I
was leaving. I was being offered a job in two of the company's other engineering
divisions as an engineering division manager or vice president. The Lord used this
opportunity to uproot us in a rather breathless way.
"Within six weeks I had sold our house in Grand Rapids and bought one in Pasadena,
enrolled in Fuller Theological Seminary, been granted a Fellowship from the Ford
Foundation, and become a management consultant for Leer Siegler Corporation. The
fellowship was administered by the Dean of General Studies of Columbia University
and allowed a year's scholarship at an institution of higher learning to those
wanting to change careers in mid-stream. (A primary purpose of the grants was to
study the participants, so I was processed through an interviewer at Columbia and a
bank of psychologists to see if my head was screwed on right.)
"About four months into my new career as a 40-year seminarian, I ran into Ted
Engstrom of World Vision. In a talk he gave, he wondered what else God might be
able to do with the computer system World Vision used to keep track of its finances
and its Childcare program. Foolishly, or providentially (you'll have to check your
theology on that), I told him about innumerable other things that could be done with
computers. This led to a series of discussions with Ted Engstrom, David Hubbard
(president of Fuller), Donald Gavran (dean of the Fuller School of World Mission),
Paul Rees (vice-president at large of World Vision), and Don Gill (executive director of the Evangelistic Association of New England).
"These discussions led to some exploration with McGavran, Alan Tippett, and three
other missionaries, of how one would go about applying aerospace-management planning techniques to world evangelism. By the summer of 1966, 1 was convinced that
God was leading us into interesting fields of inquiry, although I still felt I was
going to seminary to become a minister. At the Congress of World Evangelism in
Berlin in November 1966, we had a display (some called it a sideshow) on the use of
technology in evangelism. We centered on the systems approach, planning and research being the keys,
vis-a-vis 'acceptable technology' such as radio, TV, airplanes, etc.
"By then it seemed that the fat was in the fire. In early 1967 we started planning
something we called the Missions Advanced Research and Communication Center, 'a division of World Vision Incorporated, in cooperation with the School of World Mission,
Fuller Theological Seminary.' When I graduated in 1967, 1 joined World Vision, and
MARC was formally launched.
"There's a saying that we usually overestimate what we can do in one year, and
greatly underestimate what we can do in five. As I look back on these five years,
I'm amazed at the things accomplished. I'm also surprised that we weren't more
grateful for what we were able to do in the first few years.
"Today, as a division of World Vision, we have a small staff of technologists: computer specialists, information scientists, statistical engineers, and a missionary
researcher. These are supported by ten assistant researchers, information handlers,
and secretaries. We make use of the publication and computer-processing resources
of World Vision. We're now finishing a four-year pilot project in Brazil. We
believe this project demonstrates the power of useful information to plan new directions for evangelism within a country. We've tried to concentrate on being
information handlers rather than scientists in one area. We follow Jerome Wiener in
saying we're not interested in how well we know something, but in what difference
it makes.
"We received about 3,500 requests for information from all over the world, mostly
on what others are doing, and from this we are gradually building up a bank of information. We participated in putting together
North American Protestant Ministries
Overseas, a directory of all North American missionary work in other countries, and
we co-edited the World Christian Handbook coming out in 1972. This gives us probably one of the largest banks of information on the work of the church around the
world. We've also developed a rather sophisticated name-handling system; with it
we can store information about Christian specialists who have talents they want to
be used for the Lord.
"Incidentally, I've had some discussion with Dick Bube and others about the possibility of MARC and ASA getting together on a project. For instance, we could
create an ASA directory that would include much more information than the present
directory: the skills and background of all members, plus the areas of distinctly
Christian service they're into at present.
"we have also put on a number of training seminars to teach a systems approach to
Christian and mission management problems, and we have held two-day 'Managing Your
Time' seminars for local pastors. Our major goal in all of this is to 'give every
person in the world an opportunity to say Yes to Jesus Christ.' I have a firm belief that God gives tools to each age to be used for His glory."
Thanks, Ed. You really STARTED SOMETHING. This series give us a chance to see Christians using the tools God gives in the opportunities He provides. There must
be many more ASA News - readers trying new ways to serve the Lord by meeting human
needs. Why not write an account of your experiment to share with others? It doesn't have to be as extensive as what Ed Dayton started. It doesn't even have to
be successful: scientists learn most of what we know from failures. For your contribution to HOW TO START SOMETHING we'll send you a dozen "Scientist's Psalm"
contemporary greeting cards with matching envelopes, just like we're sending to Ed
in appreciation for his story.
Also, if you'd like to keep up with what goes on at MARC, write for the free bimonthly
MARC Newsletter, 919 West Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016. A pricelist of available MARC publications will come with it.
JUNGLE BOTANIST: TARZAN OF THE GRAPES?
Remember our mentioning an expedition into the jungle by an ASA member, curator of
Amazonian Botany at the New York Botanical Garden (ASA News, April 1971, p. 7)?
Well, we're happy to announce that in January, Ghillean (Ian) Prance returned
safely with his family, a full beard, 60,000 plant specimens (including many new
species), 3,000 color slides plus hundreds of black and white photos--and with many
tales of adventure.
Leaving his wife and two young daughters in Manaus at the Brazilian Amazon Research
Institute, co-sponsor of the international expedition, Ian set off on five separate
jungle trips of six to eight weeks, on foot and in outboard-powered inflatable
boats. With him would go a small crew, including several lucky students. Lucky, that is, except on the third expedition when eight of the ten in the party came down
with malaria. They were all taking prophylactic drugs but encountered a resistant
strain of the parasite. They had to return to Manaus, Ian walking out through the
Jungle with a Brazilian who became very ill en route, for five days burning with a
temperature of 104 degrees. Two people had to be sent out of Manaus for treatment,
one to the U.S., but the trip wasn't considered a failure: "After all, we collected
1,200 plants."
On their first trip into the wilds, the plane coming into a Jungle airstrip to pick
them up crash-landed. Having hiked 175 miles through virgin forest to meet the
plane, they had carried little food, and had none left for the 10 days in which they
were marooned.
"We used the fish hooks we had brought along to give to the Indiana to catch
piranha fish. They are good eating, very white but a trifle spiney, and with a
flavor like sole. We also had to take our daily bath, and where else but in the
river? It was safe as long as the fish didn't detect blood in the water and as long
as there weren't too many of them. (Piranhas have been unjustly maligned.) We also
ate palm fruit, and green mangoes which are nice with salt when there's nothing else
to eat." (Next time you're marooned, try to have a botanist along.--Ed.)
One purpose of the expedition was to study the use of plants by the Indi "- . The
Deni tribe, for example, doesn't use hallucinogenics, but does use a strong, intoxicating snuff mixed from a local tobacco and the ashes of a tree bark. A discovery
that may have useful consequences is that the Deni tribe uses what Ian thinks may
be a male contraceptive. The tribe insists it is bad to have a child more than
every three years, possibly to keep women as well as men in the labor force for
their poorly developed agricultural economy. Their "planned parenthood" program
seems to work, and the chief can tell you which couple is next to have a child. A
certain vine is beaten, the pulp drips into water, and this is drunk in huge quantities every day, for a short period. It is usually taken about six weeks after a
child is born, both parents drinking the mixture.
All this makes most laboratory-type science seem pretty drab, but of course it has
to be done, too. Ian has received a new $11,000 NSF grant to support his survey of
Amazon plants. Graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from Lehman College do
some of the taxonomic work) but specialists around the world will have a chance to
help. The NYBG project is the only systematic plant collection program in Amazonia,
the largest plant preserve and producer of oxygen in the world. Ian, his family,
and no doubt the students who went along are all looking forward to the 1973
expedition.
The hazards encountered in 1971 weren't so different from those encountered on five
previous expeditions. But this one had personal significance for the 34-year-old
botanist from Oxford. On the fifth trip up the Purus River, Ian learned from
emergency radio contact with Manaus that his mother in England was dying. With a
companion, he traveled by boat 1,600 miles in four days, running the motor constantly, then flew to England where he visited with his mother for a week before
returning to Manaus and the jungle. His mother died in January 1972.
Also, being "alone together" under difficult conditions, in almost inaccessible
terrain, gave members of the party opportunity to see Jesus Christ among them.
Christ's love penetrated the jungle. It was a missionary airplane that finally
rescued the marooned party. On one of the trips, five members of the team accepted
the Lord. One American student became a Christian in an Indian muloca. And on
another trip nine local people were converted to Christ at a service Ghillean
Prance held for the village.
STEWARDSHIP OF SCIENCE BOOKS
Myron A Mann of Van Nuys, California asks for an address of anyone who can use surplus but reasonably up-to-date examination copies of textbooks. Flipping through
back issues of one of our favorite periodicals, we found (ASA News, Feb. 1972, p. 6)
a request for just such books (to be sent by sea mail in packages up to 11 lbs.):
Betty Urquhart, Director of Library
Soong Jun University
Good reference books in older editions and surplus copies of textbooks are of little
use to many of us but would be a precious resource to Betty Urquhart and others in
similar positions. Why shouldn't we start an ASA recycling project? ASA News will
be glad to compile a list of addresses to which discarded science books may be sent,
with any special instructions requested by potential recipients ("Please send list
for approval before shipping books," etc.).
Maybe eventually the ASA national office could serve as a clearing house for surplus science books and other educational materials, the way MAP (Medical Assistance
Programs) handles shipments of medical supplies overseas (ASA News, Feb. 1972, p. 1).
Meanwhile, send ASA News the full address (and any instructions) for organizations
that you personally know can benefit from textbooks and reference books recycled by
ASA members. And how about scientific journals we no longer have room for on our
shelves? Would some Christian college libraries even in the U.S. like to be on a
publications recycling list?
Why couldn't we also collect recyclable books from colleagues in the name of ASA?
Wouldn't that be a way to let them know that we exist, and that we're good for something? Maybe ASA Local Sections could take on the collecting, sorting, packing, and
shipping of science books as a project to involve every member. (Don't forget receipts for income tax purposes: gifts of real or personal property to ASA are deductible, at fair market value.)
Myron, look what you started! Thank you for the idea, and for kind words about ASA News--even
though we couldn't help you with your housing problem this summer (ASA News, June 1972, p. 1).
HOW TO RECYCLE SOMETHING. No. I
L4yron Mann's request (above) gives us still another idea. Christians ought to be
more concerned than other citizens about the stewardship of all material things...
so, ASA News will begin a new series in which we'll pass along your workable suggestions for recycling just about anything.
These can be short items, unlike the full accounts requested for our other HOW TO
series. They don't even have to be original, just practical. We'll be glad to
bring already-published suggestions to the attention of ASA News readers if you send
us the reference. But start with things you're doing yourself that others may not
have thought of yet. Sample:
Envelopes. In our family we paste cheap roll-labels over the address on Business
Reply envelopes accompanying appeals for donations from organizations we don't plan
to respond to. We draw a line through "Postage will be Paid by," put a stamp over
the "First Class Permit" box, and type in the address of whoever we're writing to
on the label. (We find we're on so many mailing lists that we seldom buy envelopes.)
Saves both money and trees.
Paper. It's also fun, as well as economical, to use the backs of junk mail, political handouts, etc., for writing letters--and, of course, for rough drafts of
ASA News, scientific papers, etc. (An administrator at a quiet midwestern university
almost hit the panic button once when his secretary put one of our letters from Berkeley
face down on his desk. When his eye fell on the side carrying an ultimatum from a radical campus group, he startled the whole office by yelling, "Oh, no!
They're here!"
See what we mean? We want ASA News to be useful, especially since it's printed on
both sides and can't be re-used as stationery. The idea is to stimulate creative
and redemptive use of materials often wasted in our affluent society, but which
ultimately belong to God.
Serve the Lord--Serve the People! Contribute to HOW TO RECYCLE SOMETHING!
SAN FRANCISCO Bay
We don't have all the background of the September 5 meeting, but for once ASA News
can give a firsthand report. Co-sponsored by the First Baptist Church of Jose, the meeting was held in the chapel of the architecturally dramatic new church building. Our carload from Berkeley was surprised to find an audience of several hundred
church members already in the chapel, waiting patiently for things to begin. (A slip-up had the time as 7:30 in the church bulletin, 8 p.m. in ASA publicity.)
As we understand it, the three speakers had been invited by Don Stoner to address a
workshop of local public school teachers on the following morning, to help them
interpret and carry out the new California guidelines for science teaching. So the
panel discussion of "Alternative Viewpoints of Origins" by Duane Gish, John
Amoore, and Dave Willis was something of a trial run. Gish, biochemist and associate director of the Institute for Creation Research in San Diego, led off with a good summary
of I.C.R.'s anti-evolutionary position. Amoore, another biochemist and principal
chemist at the USDA Western Regional Research Lab in Albany, then gave a balanced
presentation of the need for both creation and evolution as theories of origins,
with these comments:
"Three steps of man's emergence seem on scientific grounds to have needed Divine
intervention. The primeval soup needed special protection to assemble into preliving forms. The origin of sex remains paradoxical unless deliberately founded by
God. The brain of man is seen to be of little biological value without the Lord
reducing instinctive hostilities to a point where cooperation and education became
possible."
Willis, radiation biologist and chairman of the Department of General Science at
Oregon State University, Corvallis, concluded the panel. He emphasized that the
fossil evidence at present permits extrapolation backward in time to either a monophyletic or polyphyletic origin of presently living species. Don Stoner, who teache
biology at West Valley College, did a good job of chairing both the panel and the
question period afterwards. The speakers weren't completely in agreement but each
managed to contribute something positive. The audience seemed appreciative, sticking it out through what may have seemed to some like geological ages.
Your ASA News reporter was glad to renew acquaintances with members of the Section.
We've forgotten who the current chairman is, but Roy Gritter seemed to be exercising
some kind of responsibility. That is, he looked about as worried as Don Stoner when
the meeting had to begin without John Amoore. Evidently John had peeked into the
chapel earlier and concluded that that couldn't be the right place: far too many
people for an ASA Local Section meeting!
I was curious to know how things went the following morning, with a better informed
and possibly even hostile audience. Surprisingly well, according to John Amoore.
About 70 of the 90 teachers in the district attended the meeting, which was an
official part of their annual orientation program. The teachers were very responsive and asked intelligent questions without a trace of sarcasm, John says--unless
the sarcasm was too subtle for him to catch.
NOTES FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE
1. National Office. Moved to Elgin, Illinois (see story on p. 1).
2. Canadian Scientific Affiliation. Incorporation authorized (see story on p. 1).
3. ASA at Explo '72.. Harold Hartzler reported to the Executive Council that the
Affiliation was represented at Campus Crusade's Explo '72 in Dallas, Texas, in
June. Jack McIntyre assisted Harold in setting up and manning an ASA booth.
Literature on hand was exhausted the first day and 200 names and addresses were
left for further contact. These have all been contacted since, with a number submitting applications for membership. Hartzler strongly suggests representation of ASA at other Christian and/or scientific meetings. He recommends a
self-contained display rack with both free literature and books for sale, which could
also be used at Christian bookstores.
4. Full-time Employees. Bill Sisterson is drawing up a detailed job description
for his new position after consultation with the Executive Council. Many matters
have already been agreed upon, such as vacation (two weeks with pay at the end
of the first year, with a day added for every additional year of service, up to
a maximum of one month); reimbursement for automobile expenses (10 cents per mile, excluding commuting from home), and sick leave (one day per full month of
service up to a maximum of 90 days). The office secretary will have the same
sick leave provision and two weeks of paid vacation, but with no increments for
length of service. Other employee benefits, such as a pension fund, hospitalization, etc., are yet to be worked out.
5. Projects for the Future. An entire session of the Executive Council meeting in
Toronto was devoted to outlining proposed programs for the new Executive Secretary to explore or implement. These included a speakers bureau, graduate student
recruitment, ASA representation at various meetings and conventions, etc.
6. Certificates of Membership are still available from the National Office. These
will be sent to you on request. There is no charge for them.
Byron E. Blair, radio frequency management officer at Boulder Laboratories, Boulder,
Colorado, was an associate guest editor of the May 1972 special issue of Proceedings
of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. The issue was devoted to
time and frequency, with emphasis on generation (frequency standards), dissemination
(means of reaching a user), and applications. Byron also co-authored a paper on
"Characterization and Concepts of Time-Frequency Dissemination" in that issue. He
has a degree in physics from Wheaton College (1942).
Stanley B. Boertje, professor of biology at Southern University in New Orleans, has
received a $7,000 HEW Biomedical Research Grant to study "The Incidence and Significance of Plerocercoid Larvae Infections of the Weakfish,
Cynoscion regalis, in
Relationship to Human Sparaganosis." The grant permits reduction of Stan's teaching
load, among other things. As director of a tutorial program at SUNO, he supervises
ten upperclassmen to serve as tutors in the sciences, math, and reading skills.
When we heard from Stan, his department was about to move into a new, $1,200,000
science-classroom building. He received his PhD in zoology at Iowa State University
in 1966.
Gary R. Collins has checked in again after his European sabbatical from Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois (and from the ASA Executive Council)
He was able to complete two books, one to be published by Baker in November under
the title The Christian Psychology of Paul Tournier. In October Gary will be in
California to give a series of lectures on Tournier at Rosemead Graduate School.
Craig W. Ellison teaches social psychology at Westmont College, Santa Barbara,
California. He is now co-director of the San Francisco Urban Internship Program (ASA News, June 1972, p. 5), responsible for developing its academic structure.
Craig received his PhD from Wayne State University in June, with a dissertation on
"The Development of Interpersonal Trust as a Function of Self-Esteem, Target Status,
and Target Style. "
George Giacumakis, Jr., associate professor of history at California State University, Fullerton, becomes chairman of his department on September 1. George has been
on the Cal State faculty since 1963 and is just completing a sabbatical leave: as
a scholar in residence at the American Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem,
he has visited various historical locations in the Middle East.
Walter R. Hearn will be lecturing this fall at the University of California,
Berkeley, as a visiting associate professor of biochemistry. He and wife Ginny and
Dave Gill are also serving as co-directors of "The Crucible--A Forum for Radical
Christian Studies," a Christian "counter-university" just getting under way in
Berkeley. Walt is on leave-without-pay from Iowa State University, Ames2 "to think
and write." What's he writing? He won't say. What's he thinking? "About how to
survive by writing so we can stay in Berkeley!"
George R. Kelsey has just returned from a hectic term of 4 years in Amman, Jordan,
directing the Arabic Language Program. The A.L.P. teaches Arabic to missionaries,
teachers, and medical personnel from 15 nations and many mission boards. The
Kelseys are currently living in Laurel Springs, New Jersey. After a semester at
Westminster Seminary in exegesis and linguistics, they expect to return to Jordan
early next summer.
Irving W. Knobloch informs us that the 3rd edition of his book Readings in Biological
Science (Appleton-Century-Crofts) will be out soon, updated to include
acupuncture, the drug scene, biology of race, and other current topics. In a recent
Taxon review, Irv outlined the importance of hybridization in plant speciation.
The new botany course for non-majors he inaugurated at Michigan State University has
a bulging enrollment of students interested in the relationship of plants to man's
history, ecology, and well-being.
Herbert A. Meyer, professor of chemistry and chairman of his department at Concordia
Teachers College, Seward, Nebraska, also has a new book out: Handbook of Modern
Experiments for High School Chemist (Parker Publishing Co., Inc., West Nyack,
New York. $8.95). A flyer says it's the only book available with fully prepared,
individualized experiments, easily tailored to the achievement level of any student
in a matter of minutes. Herb would like to see it in libraries and on the desks of
instructors in science teaching methods.
Francis J. Mills, Jr. , an optometrist, says be has been searching for basic causes
of "the nation's number one problem--the damage done by beverage alcohol. The trail
leads to the L.B.I. Do we have any concerned members in the New York City area who
could do some investigation there?" If so, write to him at 3935 North River Ave.,
Lansing, Michigan 48906. (Local Bureau of Investigation? Library of Basic Information? Licensed Beverage Institute? Liquor Board of Inquiry? Log-Blood-Index?
Lipid Bilayer Inversion? Beats me.--Ed.)
William Monsme is now studying history and philosophy of science at the University
of Pittsburgh. Bill completed his PhD in physics at the University of Colorado in
1970 and then taught physics two years at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
James R. Moore received his M. Div. summa cum laude from Trinity Evangelical Divinity
School in June, and is now working toward the Ph.D. in ecclesiastical history at the
University of Manchester in England. Jim hopes to do a dissertation on Henry
Drummond, the theology of evolution, and tensions within the Scottish church in
Drummond's time. His two-year research stint is made possible by the Marshall Aid
Commemoration Commission of the British government, which awarded Marshall Scholarships to Jim and 23 other American students.
David A. Saunders has completed his PhD in biology at Johns Hopkins University, and
has accepted a postdoctoral position at Boston Biomedical Research Foundation.
NEW MEMBERS
Connecticut
William J. Kinnaman, 9 Mayo St., Willimantic, Connecticut 06226. Asst. Prof. of
Social Sciences - Philosophy at Rhode Island Junior College. BA Shelton College in
Phil., Theology; MA Univ. of Connecticut in Philosophy. Rank: Member
Georgia
Edmund G. Byne, Jr., Box 113, Medical College of Ga., Augusta, Ga. 30902. BS Univ.
of Georgia in Chem., Biology. Student at present - M. D. program. Rank: Member
Illinois
Dora Alanen, 4240 Clarendon, Chicago, Ill. 60613. Teacher of Music (piano) at
North Park College - part time. BM at Chicago Musical College in Piano. Rank:
Associate.
Paul E. Little, 12 No. Parkway Drive, Prospect Heights, Ill. 60070. Inter-Varsity
Christian Fellowship. BS Univ. of Pa. in Economics, Accounting; MA Wheaton College
in Bible Lit., N. T. Rank: Member (Missionary)
Louisiana
Donald W. Calvin, 1463 Gwen Drive, Baton Rouge, La. 70815. Chemical Engineer for
Dow Chemical Co. BS La. State University in Chem. E.; PhD Univ. of Florida in
Chem. E. Rank: Member
Massachusetts
Samuel R. Schutz, 19 Ashland St., Newburyport, Mass. 01950. BA Calif. State College
in Psychology; PhD UCLA in Ed. Psych. Asst. Prof. of Psychology at Gordon College.
Rank: Member
Missouri
James P. Moreland, 13617 Applewood, Grandview, Missouri 64030. Campus Director
U. of Vermont, Campus Crusade for Christ. BS Univ. of Missouri in Chem., Math.
Rank: Member
New Jersey
Edward B. Hardwick, 227 Fairmount Ave., Laurel Springs, New Jersey 08021. Student.
BS West Chester State College in Health, Science. Rank: Member
New York
David A. Shafer, 9 Westminster Rd., Rockville Centre, N. Y. 11570. Director of
Curriculum, Lecturer Consultant - Dept. of Education, North Haven, Conn. 06473.
BS Nyack in Humanities, Bible; MS S.U.C.E. in Education. Rank: Associate
Pennsylvania
Hadley T. Mitchell, RD 1, Kennett Square, Pa. 19348.
in Math, Phys. Rank: Member
Student. BA Houghton
College
Jon D. Snyder 4621 East State St., Sharon, Pa. 16146. Student at Case Western
Reserve University. Rank: Associate
Robert A. Witter, 3246 Evergreen Drive, Murrysville, Pa. 15668 Student, CarnegieMellon U. Rank: Associate
Texas
Harry T. Hardwick, 600 East Sylvan Drive, Longview, Texas 75601. President of
LeTourneau College. THD Nyack Missionary College in Theology; MA New York University in Speech; Ed.D New York University in Education, Adm.; LID Wheaton Conferred.
Rank: Associate
Michael W. Perry, 3909 Swiss Ave., Dallas, Texas 75204. Student at Dallas Th6ologi
cal Seminary. BS Auburn University in EE. Rank: Member
Virginia
Michael L. Coleman, 2282 Pimmit Dr., Apt. 101, Falls Church, Va. Youth Minister -
Trainee - Young Life. BS Univ. of Maryland in Psychology. Rank: Member
Washington
Milton G. Harris, 6842 21st Ave., N. E., Seattle, Washington 98115. Research Assoc.
University of Washington. BS in Aeronautics; MS & M. of A&A in Bio-Med. Engr., all
et University of Washington. Rank: Member
David S. Hill, 1109 5th North, Seattle, Washington. Staff Trainee Young Life
Campaign. Student. Rank: Associate
Florence M. Best, 727 Bellevue Ave. E., Seattle, Washington 98102. Respiratory
Therapist - The Mason Clinic - Seattle. No degrees. Rank: Associate
David G. McKeever, 3210 North 29th Street, Tacoma, Washington 98407. Student at
University of Washington. Rank: Associate
Wisconsin
Carol M. Rosckowff, 1616 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53403.
Resident I
Pediatrics M. D. - Milwaukee Children's Hospital. BA Augustana College in Biology,
Chemistry; MD University of Wisconsin in Medicine. Rank: Member
Mickelowf W. Rosckowff, 1616 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53403.
Instructor in Medical Microbiology at Madison Technical College. BS University of
Wisconsin in Medical Microbiology. Rank: Member
Canada
Eric K. Parsons, Grand Bank, Newfoundland, Canada. Dentist. DDS Dalhousie Univ.
Rank: Member