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Alumni E-Newsletter

August 2006   

Incoming King's Freshmen with Alumni Connections
by Tricia Gleason ‘86

Much can happen in 20 years. Ask King's class of ’86 graduate Ray Voorhees and classes of ’85 and ’86 graduates Bob and Laureen (Henley) Ross. Twenty years ago in May 1986, Ray Voorhees and Laureen (Henley) Ross were among 160 walking the aisle of Squire Hall to receive their degrees from first year The King’s College President Dr. Friedhelm Radandt. Twenty years ago, Bob and Laureen Ross had already walked down a different aisle – the aisle of matrimony – the summer before. Now two decades later, both families watched children walk an aisle for high school graduation, and make plans to attend their parents’ college alma mater –King’s.

Ray Voorhees, a father of three who earned his BS in Business Administration and Economics at King's, and later a JD from Pace University, is a trial and appellate attorney and Principal Law Clerk for a newly-elected Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. He transferred into King’s as a junior, and got deeply involved in college life, playing on the college baseball team while serving as Dorm Chaplain, Senior Class President, Town Council Representative for King’s to the town of Briarcliff Manor and participating in numerous other campus activities. Ray is the eldest of six siblings in a King's family; three of his sisters, Linda Pileggi ‘83, Tina Windebank ’90, April Plank ‘84, and one brother-in-law, Bob Plank ’83, are all King's alumni. His daughter, Bethany, who earned numerous honors in high school and is a member of no fewer than four honor societies (and an officer in two of them), will carry on the tradition when she enters as a freshman in September. Bethany, who plans to take the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) major with an emphasis in journalism, recently graduated from Smithtown Christian School, a large Christian school approximately 40 miles east of Manhattan in the suburban Long Island community of Smithtown. Proud dad Ray is delighted about her college choice. “I am really happy that she has caught the vision of what King’s is now,” he said. He related that he and Bethany had visited the college last year, but she was really looking for a larger college, so had decided not to apply. It was important to Ray that the choice of college was her own decision, but he quietly prayed that she would reconsider. One day, some months ago, he came home from work to find her on-line, filling out an application for admission to King’s.

Bethany shares, “As far back as I can remember, my dad has been telling me stories of his wonderful college years spent at King’s. His influence left its mark and I eventually found myself following in his footsteps, researching all that I could. Once I had found out all there was to know about the school, it became clear that it was the right choice for someone like me – one who wanted their voice to be heard, while always staying true to God’s calling.” She went on to say, “I’m so excited to see what’s in store for me this coming year at King's and throughout the entirety of my studies there. I believe that The King’s College will help me improve the skills that God has already blessed me with, and make me the journalist I have always dreamed to be”.

Bob and Laureen Ross are parents of five children. Laureen, (BA, Psychology and sister of alumnus Tom Henley ‘88), is a home school mom and manager of the family business, Integrity Financial Services. Bob, (BA, History), is founder and president. Bob also serves as co-pastor of Destiny Church, a multicultural ministry that he and Laureen helped plant in Twinsburg, Ohio. Bob and Laureen, like Ray, were campus leaders in their time at King's with both serving as Resident Assistants, and were active in Student Missions Fellowship and Campus Crusade for Christ in addition to numerous other extra curricular activities. Bob’s and Laureen’s first-born, Chris, plans to start at King’s this fall in the PP&E program with the intention of pursuing a career in either media or communications. Last October, Chris flew to NY with Bob to attend the Operation Airlift that coincided with Homecoming 2005 and Bob’s 20th class reunion. His parents, like Ray with Bethany, were very positive about their time at King’s but were convinced of the importance of Chris making his own college choice. Laureen says, “Bob and I are so excited that Chris has chosen to attend The King’s College! We did not want to influence him towards our alma mater, even though we continue to reap rich fruit from the experience and education we received at King’s. We were thrilled when, after Operation Airlift last fall, he sensed that this was where God was calling him. He has strong leadership and communication skills that are a great fit with the King’s vision to raise up students for careers in which they will help to shape and lead strategic public and private institutions to make an impact in our society.”

Chris comments, “After visiting the college last November, I felt that King’s was a great fit because of its amazing vision for the students. I love the fact that the goal is not only that we receive the best education possible, but that we truly impact our society. And it was not only the vision that led me to King’s; I loved the energetic vibe from everyone I met –from my Airlift Ambassador to President Oakes. Everyone I met loved King’s!”

Both the Ross and Voorhees families are looking forward to Homecoming 2006 on October 7, 2006, and Ray and Bob and Laureen have expressed their enthusiasm about attending the Class of ’86 20th reunion event that evening. Laureen wrote, “I am so excited about the reunion! [With Chris at King's] Bob and I will take any and every excuse to travel from Cleveland to NYC. I can’t wait to see many of our class in October.”

Much can happen in 20 years. In twenty years (or more) King's graduates Bob, Laureen, Ray, and others like Margaret (Jerchau)’ 71 Donnelly whose daughter Jill is a student at King’s, and Anderson ’82 and Jeannie (Evankow)’81 Ohman whose son Anderson is a junior can go from being alumni to being parents of King's students. Aren’t you glad God continues to use The King’s College to influence generations and the world for His glory?

Hello Alumni,

I am writing to share some sad and happy news with you. The sad news is that Brian Bell ’91 will be leaving the King’s team at the end of July. The happy news is that he will become the Executive Vice President of a small Christian college in California.

Brian is a ’91 grad of King’s and is VP of Admissions at the college. He is an entrepreneur, a great friend of the college and a great member of the Alumni Association. In 1996 Brain was one of the people who helped resurrect the Alumni Association including serving a term as President. He also received the Distinguished Service Award from the Alumni Association in 1999. Brian will be sorely missed by me, the Alumni Association and the whole King's family.

I have included some of Brian’s thoughts on his departure, as a way to refocus us on the vision of the college.

I absolutely love the King’s vision and the direction we are going. I want King’s to stay the course. We have made great progress in emerging as a nationally prominent Christian college. We have the potential to graduate students who will go on to be national leaders. This is exciting stuff.

I’m not leaving because it is too difficult. Our desire to accomplish the vision means we are competing against the big boys of higher education. That said, we’ve come a long ways during the four plus years that I have been in admissions. During that time we have added more than 250 points to our average SAT score (and most students did not have to submit scores, now all incoming freshmen do). Our average GPA has gone up to 3.8 from less than 3.0. We have gone from recruiting in only the NYC metro area, to being a national college (students from 35 states)

As I look back on my seven plus years at The King's College, I am grateful for the people God has brought into my life and the opportunity to be part of the unique vision that is King’s.

As you can see Brian truly bleeds King’s purple/blue. We will miss him dearly! Please keep Brian, Jody and family in your prayers as they move to the West Coast.

In His Service,
Rick Millham Jr.
President, King's Alumni Association

Please feel free to contact ElisaBeth Yoder, who is your representative and ready to assist you with any questions or concerns at 212-659-7288 or alumni@tkc.edu.