Be a Good Pirate

Meet Bill. He has been Whitworth (College) University's president for 17 years. His first year was my first year, and this was his last. His last message to me prior to retirement? Be a good Pirate.

A couple weeks ago we had a retirement reception for him at our church as part of his "Last Gasp Tour." It was so fun to host and help out, and it was a great night to laugh, shed some happy tears, and see old friends.

We met up with old friend, Scott, who brought his sweet daughter Alexandra up from Newport Beach (the things we do to our kids just to be able to drive in the carpool lane!). Scott and I were resident chaplains for our dorms during our sophomore and junior years. We hadn't seen each other in about five years, so it was great to catch up. We'll make more memories with the Bryan family this summer!

 

We had so much fun watching Jonathan and Alexandra begin the next generation of friendships. Jonathan was a wee bit more shy than Alexandra, but I'm sure he loved every hug. They played hide and seek, chased each other around, ate about 20 cookies together, and generally made the place so much more fun.

 

Jonathan spent a portion of the evening in the walled-off part of our Discipleship Center so that he could run and be silly while Bill spoke. I wish I had pictures! I could tell he was having fun as I watched the lights next door turn on and off. Fortunately, no sound bleeds through the walls. :)

So what does it mean to "be a good Pirate"? As Bill spoke about his favorite memories from his time at Whitworth, I listened closely to every word. I was gently reminded of all of the things that I loved about my time at Whitworth, why I would choose it over any other school now, and how my time there has shaped me. To be a good Pirate you have to "honor God, follow Christ, and serve humanity." I keep that with me each day, much in part thanks to Bill and his leadership of the school while I was there.

Thanks, BRob, for teaching us all to be good Pirates. Go Bucs! (This pic is for you, Lisa!)