Readers of this volume are indebted to Miss Lillian Torkelson whose faithful service over most of these fifty years has provided an eye witness account to most of the events here recorded, and to Mr. Roger Peterson who also served the college for many of these years.
Many who read this book will find recorded a piece of their own personal history, for hundreds of lives have touched one another in numerous ways during the half-century in question. Not only does this history concern itself with teachers and students. Also involved in a very real sense are parents and grandparents, support staff and volunteers, financial supporters and prayer partners and those whose lives have been touched by alumni for five decades.
Change is essential to growth and these pages reflect the changes that have contributed to the progress of Western Christian College. For the church and Christian Education, change in direction does not reflect growth or progress. "To God be the Glory." This is the direction to which the founders of our school pointed. And, for fifty years, the directors of the college have attempted to steer in this direction.
As we look back on fifty years and stand looking ahead, let us be encouraged, giving glory to God and proclaiming His Son as "the way, the truth, and the life."
E. D. Wieb
I wish to express a sincere word of thanks to Nina Willett for typing the manuscript for Radburn's Memoirs. A word of thanks also goes to Alma Schiller for the research required for the statistics in the appendix. I appreciate Ernest Andreas for reviewing the manuscripts for historical accuracy and Raymona Pennington for the difficult task of proof reading it. Thank you. I gratefully acknowledge the use of material from the Messengers, Trumpets, the Northern Lights, and personal letters from friends. Finally I admit that Radburn's Memoirs would not have been published without the gentle insistence of Dryden Sinclair.
I also wish to acknowledge that A Vision Splendid would not have been published in 1946 without the encouragement and work of J. C. Bailey.
Western Christian College Diary Update could not have been written without the Weyburn Review and Western Christian College Messenger. I am deeply indebted to them not only for much information but oft times for actual phrasing of statements.
I have also derived information from the Alumni Reporter and from telephone calls to the college offices and to present and former staff members. In addition I have personally interviewed all but three staff members whose biographies appear in the Appendix.
I am especially grateful to Lorraine Murray for typing the Diary Update. She is also responsible for ensuring the accuracy and order of all the material in the Appendix. Karen Close and Helen Peterson have also provided necessary material for the Appendix. Thank you too for proof reading by June Child, Dick Kirkpatrick, Sue Kirkpatrick, J. C. Murray, LaVonne Roberts and Marge Roberts. Thanks also to Cheryl Cox, Carol Harvey and Raymona Pennington for their kind assistance in various ways.
As I re-read these acknowledgments I realize that the completion of Diary Update has been a cooperative affair. I am indeed grateful to all my good friends who have assisted me.
It has given me a great deal of satisfaction to have written Diary Update. It reflects my viewpoint and I am wise enough to realize that it is not the only viewpoint. I hope readers will pardon the occasional reference to my life and my ideas. Because a diary is an informal style of writing I took the liberty to include them.
Thank you to Roland Olson of North Weyburn for designing the cover for Western Christian College--Background And Historical Perspective.
Lillian M. Torkelson
Part One: A Vision Splendid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Part Two: Radburn's Memoirs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Part Three: Diary Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Part Four: Dauphin Days. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Part Five: Appendix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191