 Welcome to all of you. We're so glad that you joined us tonight. I'm Jeanine Bertie Johnson. I have several roles at AMBS and one of them is as alumni director. And we're very pleased to gather tonight to recognize Fred Speckin as one of this year's alumni ministry and service recognition recipients. I want to say how grateful we are for joining us after our president David Bushert reads the commendation for Fred Fred will have some time to share his story with us. And then we'll have a space of time for people to respond to offer congratulations or any memories that they want to share. So I will now turn it over to President David Bushert. Hello, everyone. It's good to be with you this evening. I'm delighted to present the 2021 AMBS alumni ministry and service recognition to Fred Ricks McKean. Frederick received his bachelor of divinity degree from Goshen Biblical Seminary in 1956. And he was nominated for this recognition by Harold Schultz who is on the call this evening. He was in Ontario and was influenced to attend Goshen College by a men and night friend. While at Goshen he was motivated to study at Goshen Biblical Seminary by the quality of the GPS courses and the faculty, some of who taught both at the college and seminary. After graduating from Goshen College in 1952 and Goshen Biblical Seminary in 1956, Fred earned a PhD in Communication Arts from Michigan State University at East Lansing in 1961. And most of his career in higher education serving in various administrative faculty positions at the University of Dubuque and Iowa from 1960 to 1962. Waterloo Lutheran University in Ontario from 1963 to 1967, and in the Bahama Islands from 1967 to 1968. In 1968 to 1994 he led five community colleges in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, one as vice president and four as president. Fred has offered his leadership skills to the church as well. He was ordained at First Presbyterian Church in Goshen in 1957, and served as director of Christian Education and Assistant Minister. He served at First Presbyterian Church in Canada, as a representative on the National Interchurch Action Working Group for Asia, the Pacific, and as chair of a subgroup to establish policies and actions on relief, economic and social justice issues during 1999 to 2001. He was director of the Board of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches from 2002 to 2005, and has served on several other boards, advisory committees, social service agencies and service clubs. He is an on-call hospital chaplain and a visiting chaplain for a senior's residence in Kelowna, British Columbia. Fred has engaged First Nations communities in Northern Canada assisting them with business planning, fundraising special events in education. He and his wife Joan, a nursing instructor, have also volunteered with several church and other organizations in a number of countries around the world. Fred, thank you so much for your decades of service to higher education and the church. Congratulations on being named one of our alumni recognition recipients. The certificate recognizing this honor will be mailed to you shortly. We invite you now at this time Fred to share any words that you would like to reflect on your life and ministry. And before you do that, I just want to remind everyone else to please mute yourself so that we don't hear extra feedback, and we'll let Fred be unmuted now at this point. Thank you. Can you hear me? Thank you President Bushart for this recognition and honor. Thanks also to Jadine and Annette, whom I have talked with or written to or responded to in the last few weeks. And thanks as well to other persons who are obviously behind my selection and my recognition. This is an honor and I appreciate it very, very much. Thank you to my old college buddy, Harold Schultz, Dr Harold Schultz, who nominated me for this wonderful award. Thank you again Harold. First a bit of background you've already heard somewhat of my background from the president, and then I'd like to provide you with some examples of my experience which may be a bit repetitive but hopefully not. Although I want to emphasize that when I'm recognized for certain what might be accomplishments or whatever they happen to be, that it's not Fred Spickin alone, that should be recognized. I've been fortunate of having so many good colleagues, friends, supporters, family members who made so much possible in my life so I don't want you to assume that I'm bragging about personal accomplishments this is not so. I was born in a rural area, an area known as Pine Bush, near Hespeler, Ontario, now Cambridge, Ontario. My parents were factory workers. My dad worked most of his life in a foundry and my mother in a woolen mill. I had two younger brothers. We were raised as Presbyterians. In the history of the family, both families, I was the first one to attend high school, and to give some idea of my family background. My mother was taken out of school in grade five and sent to work in a woolen mill. And I grew up until 12 years of age without indoor plumbing, something that probably very few students or young people experience today I know some people do certainly on the isolated areas of the north where we live. In any event, I went on to high school after elementary school, a four year program and technical vocational education, graduated first in my class in a program called practical electricity. I then worked in a factory where we made the manufactured electrical appliances, stoves and hot plates and toasters. I was responsible for making sure that the products were safe and workable. And I also was in charge of the heating plant to make sure that the boilers function properly. After a year or so I decided to study theology I don't know if it was a call or not many event I, I got this idea I should go into the ministry. This require grade 13. So I returned to high school for grade 13 and that met a fellow Jim Snyder. Jim was a Mennonite from a large farm operation near my home. Jim told me he was going to go to Goshen College, a Mennonite college in Indiana. I thought great. Nice to get away from home. I'll go to Goshen with Jim. At the last minute almost Jim changes plans or maybe his dad changes plans for him I don't know. But Jim went to the Ontario agriculture college now the university of wealth Doug you'll recognize that institution. And eventually did a doctor that Purdue University I think in agricultural economics he was a very, very bright, bright young man and a very, very close friend. I learned a bit about the Mennonites from him, but in any event, unfortunately and sadly, Jim is no longer with us. I lost a very, very good friend, several years ago. In any event, I decided I'd go to Goshen anyway. So I did. And to me it was quite a revelation I didn't know much about the Mennonites. Those of you who are Mennonites appreciate the fact that I ride on campus and found all the girls students with that little white doily on their heads. And I didn't quite know what that was all about and some of the fellows had what they call the straight coat, what was a jacket without lapels. Anyway, if this is all new to me and it was very, very intriguing. And I should add to you that my dad and looking at the rules and regulations before I went to Goshen said to me I've read this book he called it a book it was a college with dad called it a book and he said that no smoking on the campus we don't smoke that won't be a problem. No drinking alcohol you drink that won't be a problem. No movies you go to movies that might be a problem. And you dance that might be a problem. He said, what do you plan to do. I said, well that I guess I better obey the regulations, and that said, you better be the rules. And if they kick you out he didn't say expel. He said if they kick you out. Don't come home. I'll be embarrassed. So that was my dad with his very limited education but the rules are there. They weren't raised that way. But if you go there. You follow the rules. Don't try to change them abide by them. In any event, I did my undergrad at Goshen, and as some of you know the model there was culture for service. I was really intrigued by the dedication of the faculty and the staff and administration. Such a loyal commitment to the church and to the community and the whole idea of service. And they worked so many hours hard work long hours. And of course I didn't realize until later in life at very very low salaries or income. That's what it used to be. But as an undergrad, I took courses in the Goshen biblical seminary, especially Greek and Hebrew in preparation for study at a Presbyterian seminary and education in both Greek and Hebrew was required or certainly expressed as a wish list I should have a mission to seminary. So I learned a lot many of the props in the seminary at the same time. And the notion of discipleship was what I picked up on in seminary. And the gist of it being I think that discipleship is not a spectator sport. The Christian discipleship requires work, service, action and dedication. In any event, following my undergrad, I returned to the University of Toronto for my first year of theology at the Presbyterian seminary Knox College and decided after a year so I wasn't too pleased with the seminary but many of them said well I'll take the second year of Goshen seminary and do my third year perhaps at Princeton or Edinburgh. And that's what I did. And then my second year near the end of my second year of theology at Goshen I was asked if I would stay on for the third year in seminary and teach part time in the speech department. And of course I was very happy to do that but it meant that I would no longer do my third year at the Presbyterian seminary. So I spent that summer preparing by studying graduate work at Northwestern University. And then in my third year, I was asked if I would stay on the following year as acting chair of the speech department and director forensics which I of course was very happy to do. So my good friend Jim Snyder, who was studying at Purdue at the time came to Goshen to teach and he and I room together after the many years of being old college or high school friends. We both taught there and Harold, Harold Schultz, who nominated me was also in the faculty at the same time so three of us from the same area of Ontario were teaching at Goshen College at the same time was great coincidence. And he said that I still enamored what I sense with with the menonites. And for those of you in Elkhart in my senior year I was an orderly at the Elkhart hospital during seminary obtained some practical experience at the congregational church in Elkhart and spent years with friends of mine on menonite farms, one in Illinois where I also worked at the steel mill and another in Eastern Pennsylvania where I raised tomatoes and work with Puerto Rican immigrants. And that was a revelation to me just working with persons from another country like that. And I also learned to drive big trucks with loads of tomatoes without spilling them, but I did overturn two tractors that summer, but they can't be on anyway. So I was taking graduation from seminary, as the President indicated I was ordained in the church, Presbyterian church in Goshen, and the congregation asked me to stay on as director of Christian education and assistant minister. At that time, I also studied began my studies at Michigan Michigan State for a PhD in a new program and communication arts. It was headed up by a professor I had met during my two summers at Northwestern, and I wanted to study with him. And that's my background and my association with menonite church, and being a Presbyterian I think when they came to be ordained. Presbyterian didn't know I was whether I was a Presbyterian with a menonite background or a menonite with a Presbyterian background. But after some politicking and sorting things out because I've been at an ad abapto seminary for two or three years, they finally decided to ordain me. I have a strong feeling strong good feelings about the menonite church and about my experiences with them and I always live to appreciate those those memories and those experiences. I'm going to move quickly here terms of education the President pointed out a number of things that I have done. I mentioned what he mentioned when I was in the Freeport Bahama situation with the President of the former one Lutheran University. I was on a committee with the minister from the Church of Scotland and we established a new Presbyterian congregation in Freeport. The International Project University there was curtailed, not because it wasn't successful, but because of political situations in the Bahama Islands at that time. Following that, I came back to Canada took a position at Community College, it had been offered to me before. I took and became a Vice President, and following that as the President pointed out, the President of four other community colleges non degree grant institutions as you pointed out, but multiple campuses, meeting the needs especially the north of isolated communities, particularly in some instances, those are First Nations. In the early months, satellite campuses and major building programs at that time, the early days of Community Colleges in Canada. During that period I was the chairman of the Canadian Center for Learning Systems, which dealt with new technologies in education was on the board of the newly formed Association of Canadian Community Colleges. I ended up with my wife Joe and a project in Pakistan living there for six months, where I was a technical education expert so called working in the financial areas with politics and my wife doing volunteer work with the Bishop of the Church of England at that time, including doing such things as setting up schools on rooftops. I've talked a bit about my pastoral and related positions as indicated I, I was at the church in Goshen, Indiana for for a year or more. And then I did other work with churches, even though I was working full time with the college system in Calgary for example, with a congregation committee, we set up a storefront medical center with local politicians. We also set up a program in language training I should say for vets and Vietnamese refugees at that time. As indicated I represented the Presbyterian Church on a number of international committees, and also on the World Alliance, the board of the World Alliance Reform Churches. I was a member of the board of St Andrews Hall, which is a college of Presbyterian College at the University of British Columbia, and also served on the board of the Vancouver School of Theology at the University of Vancouver. And as noted by the president served as a visiting chaplain in seniors homes, and also an on-call chaplain for several years at a local hospital. I was pretty active in politics as well. I was elected to the board of the Kitchener public school. And Doug might understand this as well that we amalgamated them with various other boards, and I was named chairman of the Kitchener and District Public School Board. In 1965, Doug, I ran as a federal candidate in Waterloo North, Waterloo North Riding. I didn't lose I came second out of three. Later on, through the federal government, I was asked to chair a local advisor committee on the Canadian job strategy, and with a government grant did a study on apprenticeship training throughout Canada. Before locally, I served in Calgary on a board which assisted children and family that were having problems. We called it the William Roper Hall Child and Family Services Group. I was the founding chairman of the Canadian Alliance for Productivity, Productivity Improvement, and also co-chair that medicine had Alberta when I was the president of the college there. The Economic Development Committee of the Chamber of Commerce. I was active also in Calgary on a group of, a clone, I should say, on hands and service, which is a group that assisted people who had physical, mental and financial problems. And I was a team leader as well as a board member with that organization which I still support. In addition, I was pretty active depending on where I was in United Way on Education Committees of the Chamber of Commerce and other local organizations. A little bit more. My wife, Joan, and I did much volunteer work overseas. The president's already pointed out some of the countries we work with or in. We did a lot of work in the Caribbean islands, and also in Central America, particularly Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador. For example, and in the other countries as well, we did a lot of activity or volunteer work in health and education, administrative kinds of positions, recreation and skills training. Our daughter Jill, who's with us today and helping me with this equipment, was with us for one of our trips and was active with high school students and a YMCA, YWCA situation or youth center, I should say, in recreation as well and athletics. My wife, Joan, as the president pointed out, a nursing instructor was active in particularly in Nicaragua, setting up a clinic, for example, working with medical doctors in their clinics and other work in health care. We did work in Pakistan, as I pointed out, for six months. That was a difficult experience in many ways, somewhat dangerous, which only leads me to say that we were roughing it in most of our situations and expected to do that. We did not live in five star hotels. In Pakistan, we had an armed guard at our door every evening. And in Nicaragua, we experienced really rough, rough, rough situations in our first stint there, the contra rebels were still active. And rationing was in effect. And even though we had a Spanish speaking driver and a no clunker of a car, it was dangerous, still dangerous to be on the road. You would be stopped sometimes by whom the Contras, or the military, or the police, one never knew. And in any event, we had a lot of adventures. And in retrospect, I think, and I hope we did a lot of a lot of work and were successful in many of our adventures. It's probably enough to give you an idea of what I've done or tried to do. And as I say, I'd emphasize again, not not just by me, Fred Speckin, but with my wife and with friends and colleagues who also worked so much to, to put it all together. Well, thank you so very, very much for the recognition, President Bush Art, and all of you at the seminary. I appreciate this very much. It's an honor. And thanks to each one of you, even though I don't know who you are. Thank you so much Fred. We have a little bit of time before we open it up. I want to ask you a question. Do you remember the names of your, of any of your seminary professors at Goshen Biblical Seminary, and do you have any stories to tell about your, your classes or your time at the seminary? Well, a couple. Well, Dean Bender, Harold Bender, H.S. Bender was the dean, and Harold, Harold, why didn't he call him Harold, of course, he called him Dean Bender. He had to traveling Old Testament scholarship from Princeton. In fact, the number of faculty members at the seminary had studied at the Presbyterian Seminary, Princeton, for example, and Edward as well. But Dean Bender was a very much in control person. And I remember going in one day to have him tell me the courses I'd be taking that semester. And he said, of course, Greek and Hebrew. And I said, but Dean Bender, I have more than I require for graduation. He said, I don't care, Fred. He said, you're a Presbyterian. And when you graduate, I don't want the Presbyterians to say you don't know your, you don't know your languages. So you will take Greek and Hebrew, which I did. So he was a great, great man. I really appreciated him. You remember some things, Howard Charles, of course, in Dr. Bible study, for example, Lawrence Berkholder became the president. You don't remember a lot from chapels, at least I don't remember what one of his prayers. Lord, give us not a task equal to our strength, but the strength equal to our task. I'm using prayer at chapel. I'll never, never forget that. So, wonderful JC Wenger, of course, with his whole emphasis on discipleship was really important to me, for example.