50th Anniversary Celebration

We lived in the Sherman Street row house. We shared a common front porch and had several families and international students filling the 6 unity row house that was rumored to be nearly 100 years old. The kids were often known to race big wheels and bikes around the building and form a parade. Great community and great memories.

I have so many memories! Visiting the school in the fall of 1982 for the first time then spending the 1983-84 school year at Trinity, I returned to Nashville and met my wife Lois. Expecting our first child, we returned to Ambridge in April 1987 and stayed until the end of 1994 as I worked in Church Relations. For the past 30 Plus years, I have visited for Jan term or June term classes or other special occasions many times! At least twenty or more visits. In the spring of 1982, John Rodgers visited our parish in Nashville and shared the Trinity story with a tray of slides projected onto the church screen. I was captivated by the vision of the school and the decision to locate in Ambridge. Little did I know however how different Ambridge was from my suburban upbringing in Nashville, TN! I was completely unaware of the Rust Belt until I arrived and want to mention four ‘characters’ in the town that we all encountered in the 1980s. First, there was Herman. Herman lived alone in a semi-trailer that was still backed up to the loading dock of the Box Factory directly behind and flush with the main school building (the old A& P). Herman heated the trailer with Sterno and also cooked with it. I lived on campus in 1983-84 above the TV Parts store, and we would mainly see Herman on the weekends as he walked through the campus. Second, there was Louis who lived in town and catch the bus near the school. Louis was strong and obviously had issues which I won’t even try to name. But, he only made loud noises from what I could tell. They were kind of like grunts or groans, and they sounded scary. One morning in chapel from the back came the unmistakable Loud Noise from Louis. It was a moment to say the least for the community. Louis was not just on the street! Louis was in the building. Mike Henning handled the situation beautifully, and there was no trouble or altercation. And, I’m not sure if Louis stayed quietly or left. Whew!! Then, there was Walter whose story is less dramatic but memorable. Walter lived in his house on Sherman Street next to the school. He worked for the city collecting garbage. I remember him being trim and fit with bright blue eyes. What is memorable about Walter is that he lived in his house with no utilities. I believe he lived without water, gas, or electricity. And, we heard that Walter was quite wealthy! I imagine if one lives so frugally, one can become wealthy by saving and investing. Walter was pleasant to be around like Herman, and he was a friendly neighbor. Finally, there is Debbie! Debbie walked up and down Merchant Street daily dressed in all black and didn’t speak or make eye contact. Her black hair was piled on top of her head. I feel sure I saw Debbie while I was a student then again after 1987 when I returned with Lois. One day after our return, Debbie showed up on our front porch on Maplewood Ave. I had never seen to not be on Merchant street walking up and down. I don’t remember any conversation with Debbie on our porch. She soon just turned around and left. One Saturday morning years later, I was getting donuts near the school at a popular coffee shop where the locals came. A customer overheard me say something about Debbie which probably sounded a bit derogatory. The gentleman spoke up defending Debbie saying she had lost her family in a fire and was the only survivor. If true, and I believed him, that could partly explain her strange attire and routine. I don’t know. Well, this reflection is mainly about Trinity on the weekends when most of the students and faculty were not on campus. One regular Sunday afternoon occurrence was Steve Smith coming to his office to read and prepare for the week. He was a great guy and so dedicated to his job! He loved teaching Contemporary Theology and ensuring that his students Got It and could defend the Christian Faith. It was always good to see Steve on Sunday afternoons when things were quiet on campus. The Monday to Friday life at Trinity was and is rich! I thought it would be interesting to paint a picture first of Ambridge in the 1980s. Such a unique setting for a Seminary and clearly the location our Lord and Savior guided the leaders to choose for a permanent campus.

My entire Christian life has been shaped by TAS. First in 1981 when Christopher Leighton shared the gospel with me and I became born again. And then taking my first Jan term class in 1983 and throughout my part time classes and acceptance as a MDiv student c. 1993. Some wag told me “if you can fog the mirror and write the check — your in!” I loved all the early faculty, John Rodgers, Les Fairfield, Rod Whitaker, Steve Noll, Steve Smith, Terry Kelshaw, and Pat Reardon. I had them all. One of my fondest memories during chapel on Wednesday was laying hands on a dog for healing. The dog was owned by a student named David and he brought Buster the dog forward before the entire school and all of us raised our hands toward him. First time I ever prayed for a dog.