King’s Celebrates Homecoming, Presents Alumni Awards
John Sailer '15 was crowned Homecoming King. Sailer was formerly the President of the House of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and currently serves his House as Scholar. Rosalind Mirabito '15, President of the House of Corrie ten Boom and TKC Student Services Representative, was crowned Homecoming Queen.
Last weekend, The King’s College celebrated Homecoming 2014 with a weekend of events and activities that included alumni awards, the election of an alumni association president, an alumni vs. student soccer match, and the crowning of a Homecoming King and Queen. King’s alumni from past years gathered in the heart of New York City on October 24-26 to catch up with one another, reunite with King’s faculty, and meet the new faces of the school.
King’s presented several awards at the homecoming celebration. Andy Mills received the Distinguished Service Award. In 2012, Mills received an honorary doctoral degree from King’s; in May 2014, he became a Senior Fellow following his decade of service as Chairman of the King’s College Board of Trustees. He has served as Acting President of King’s three times. When asked about Mills’s appointment, President Gregory Thornbury said, “At crucial moments in our history, he stepped in to help the College through difficult days and to keep the College true to its mission. He is a hero.” In addition to his service to King’s and on the board of Verisk Analytics, Inc., Mills devotes a large portion of his time to Christian ministry: he serves as Co-Chairman of the Theology of Work Project, as well a board member of both the Salvation Army Massachusetts and Camp-of-the-Woods in upstate New York.
The Northeastern Bible College Award, given in honor of founder Dr. Charles Anderson, is presented at The King’s College annual homecoming event. Ray Kollbocker (Northeastern Bible College ’83) was this year’s recipient. Kollbocker graduated from NBC, then earned his M.Div. at Gordon-Cornwall Theological Seminary in 1988. He went on to serve as the youth pastor at Grace the Church on the Mount in Netcong, New Jersey, until he was called to be the senior pastor at Parkview Community Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Under his leadership, Parkview grew from a mere handful of members to over 1300 churchgoers, and Kollbocker was able to start a ministry for the homeless called Manna. (Northeastern Bible College was acquired by The King’s College in 1999, and the sale of the college helped secure space for the reopening of The King’s College in the Empire State Building that same year.)
The Stan Oakes Pioneering Award, given in honor of the College’s fourth president J. Stanley Oakes, went to Aaron Craig ’10. Aaron created his own production company, We Are Films, which he co-owns with his brother, Alex. We Are Films has worked on diverse projects, including music videos for various artists (including Sufjan Stevens), and was recently hired by Squarespace to help rebrand the company.
Alex and Sallie Turoczi ’67 were named Alumni of the Year. Following graduation from King’s, Alex served as pastor of the Brigantine Bible Church in Brigantine, New Jersey, until he and Sallie joined Trans World Radio in 1969. Alex, who grew up in Hungary, was eager to reach the people of Eastern Europe who were then under communist rule. He and Sallie moved to TWR’s transmitting location in Monte Carlo, where Alex became involved in ministries producing programs for Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Russia; Sallie auditioned the English program tapes and answered mail while caring for their two children. After eight and a half years in Monte Carlo, they were assigned to Guam, where they ministered until returning to the United States in 1979. They represent TWR to churches and Christian colleges through traveling, speaking, and hosting seminars. Sally also started her own ministry to women, called Increasing Joy Ministries.
During the weekend, Chris Ross ’10 was elected president of The King’s College Alumni Association. Ross majored in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at King’s and will graduate from Fordham Law School in May 2015, where he serves as Executive Notes Editor for the Fordham Law Review. After he takes the bar exam, Ross will clerk for a federal judge in Savannah, Georgia, then return to New York City as an associate at a global corporate firm. Ross says, “I’m very excited to be leading the Alumni Association during this time of growth. As King’s continues to expand, we’re adding over a hundred new members to our ranks each year. I hope that as alumni, we can use this thrilling time to serve the college well.”
The Homecoming festivities also included the annual Alumni vs. Student soccer game on Saturday at Chelsea Pier, where the Alumni won the game with a final score of 5-2. John Sailer ’15 was crowned Homecoming King. Sailer was formerly the President of the House of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and currently serves his House as Scholar. Rosalind Mirabito ’15, President of the House of Corrie ten Boom and TKC Student Services Representative, was crowned Homecoming Queen.