Bells Toil for Silliman, Started Extension Initiative
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Silliman University Alumni & Friends @ SD Count our SD Portal Happy blessings Thanksgiving November 2012 Xtra Bells toil for Silliman, started extension initiative Alumni Corner: Boyd Anderson and Rosemary Bell 1948—1958 Reunion with shuttle Endeavour By Ligaya Magbanua Simpkins An offer of a job in the Philippines as a missionary Priceless!!! American Missionaries 11th in a Series and teacher of agriculture at a university was made to Nothing could describe the Boyd Anderson Bell after the end of WWII. In 1948 sense of pride Sillimanian Alex the Boyd Bells, the youngest Presbyterian missionaries Christmas party Dec. 9 Strong felt when he saw the in their time, soon found their way on the ship The The annual SUAF Christmas par- space shuttle Endeavour in its Silver Briar to Silliman University with their three-year ty will be held Sunday, Dec. 9 from final home, the California Sci- -old daughter, Betsy Jane. 1—5pm at the Mira Mesa Library ence Center in Los Angeles. Prior to their arrival in the Philippines, Rosemary community room, 8405 New Salem Endeavour, the fifth and final Fleming Bell, R.N., served as Head Nurse of the mater- Drive, SD. NASA space shuttle, was con- nity Unit at Allegheny General Hospital in 1944 and as Family contributions ($20 per structed as a replacement for an Infirmary Nurse at the Torrance State Hospital in family) should be directed to Grace Challenger, which was de- 1945. Boyd obtained his B.S. in Agronomy from Penn- stroyed seconds after its launch Tan before Nov. 30 to allow for on January 28, 1986. Endeavour menu preparation. flew its first mission in May Those planning to bring favorite 1992 and completed its last mis- dishes, please coordinate with Fely sion in May 2011. Narvaez, Laarni Gularek, Ligaya Simpkins and Precy Garrido. Doing good, SUAF donates books Philippine-related books and me- dia materials collected by SUAF be- came welcome additions to the Mira Mesa library following a presentation Oct. 27 with US Rep. Bob Filner as Alex Strong, SUHS „51, meets guest speaker. shuttle Endeavour — again! Over 100 attendees participated in Alex Strong had been part of the event wherein librarian Jennifer the welding crew that had Suder accepted the donated collec- worked on the shuttle before it tion for the library‟s Philippine Herit- was shipped to Florida by Rock- age and Cultural section from SUAF well International Space Trans- president Laarni Gularek. portation Systems Division in The event was characterized with a May 1991. Not unlike meeting Filipino theme — décor, food, attire The Bell family in 1955: Betsy in back, and an old friend again. and entertainment, including violin Raymond, Tom and Marily in front. Alex‟s father Dr. James Wal- renditions by SUAF member Dr. Jose ter Strong, a U.S.Navy dentist, Jacinto. It also generated coverage sylvania State University in 1942 and worked at the came to Manila with Admiral in local Filipino newspapers, eliciting Eastern States Farmers Exchange in 1942 and at State Dewey in 1898-1899 when the comment from former librarian Tere- College, Pennsylvania in 1948 as an assistant manager. nd Philippines became US territory. sita Flores as easily “surpassing past Boyd Bell served with the 462 Squadron of the U.S. He stayed after his discharge and book presentations”. Air Force from 1942-1946. He was stationed in Florida settled in Basilan where he Aside from retiring Rep. Filner and was later sent to Iwo Jima in 1945. See SHUTTLE page 2 (who success- See BOOKS page 2 See BELLS page 3 SD PortalXtra November 2012 page 2 SHUTTLE … from page 1 dren: Alexa Ann, William Richard, owned a rubber plantation named Randolph Henry, Nancy Rae, and Di- American Rubber Company. He met anne Mae. and married Crispina Tolentino, a While working at North American Filipina teacher with whom he had five Aviation, later known as Rockwell Inter- children: Julia, Estella, Inez, Feliza national, Alex pursued his undergradu- and Walter. When Crispina died dur- ate studies and earned his Manufactur- ing childbirth, he married Isabel Gar- ing Engineering degree which focused cia, a Spanish woman and had seven on machine shop, welding and manufac- more children: Elizabeth, Fred, turing. He had worked on the Minute- James, Francis, Josephine, Thomas man program and participated in the and Alexis. NASA/APOLLO program at various Dr. Strong sent all his children to locations (Palmdale, Canaveral, St Lou- Silliman. Inez and Feliza, Alex‟s half- is) but eventually returned to Palmdale Building Endeavour sisters, are shown in a picture of the to work on the shuttle Endeavour as choir directed by Rev. Irving Chan- Weld Engineer until his retirement in non (SD PortalXtra, Oct. 2012). After 1992. a 3-year delay because of WWII, the Norma Strong took accounting classes youngest, Alex, was sent to Silliman in at night and handled their private ma- 1946 for his 6th grade education and he chine/welding shop business in Oregon Silliman until its closure. She was then hired as alumni completed his high school education at Norma an accounting assistant at Rockwell in SUHS in 1951. and Alex It was early on that Alex met Nor- the Accounts Payable department where Strong ma Belloso, SUHS „50. Both remem- she worked until she, too, retired in beside ber Jean Carson, Phyllis Mckinley, 1992. the re- Carol Mahy and Donald Appleton as Alex and Norma presently reside in tired their classmates. Los Angeles. They plan to relocate to space Alex and Norma got married and Oregon where other family members shuttle. came to the U.S. They have been mar- now reside. ried for 61 years and have five chil- — Ligaya Magbanua Simpkins BOOKS … from page 1 back to chapter presidents Susan Monte de Ramos fully won his bid to become mayor of San Diego), other lumi- Soldwisch, Nate naries graced Tan and Fely. the occasion. Also performing US Congress- with vocal rendi- man-elect tions during the Scott Peters, presentation was and Dave Rob- Grace de los erts, also elect- Reyes. ed to San Die- go‟s Board of Supervisors, came as did actor Bruce Davison of the Emcee Ben Sy addresses attendees. ABC television series “Last The donation came out to more Resort”. than 150 books/CDs/DVDs collect- The book ed from donors and purchased from Retiring US Rep. Filner (and newly elected San committee was chapter funds raised through carol- Diego mayor), with Bruce Davison and US Rep.- headed by Fely ing last Christmas. elect Scott Peters. Narvaez. Professor Jacinto in a Great work was violin solo “Pakiusap” done by other committee members especially Ben Sy. Assis- tance also came from Shana (Soldwisch) Johnson whose hus- band Ky works for US AID in Manila. More pictures of book Library donations by SUAF is an on-going project dating presentation on page 6. SD PortalXtra November 2012 page 3 BELLS … from page 1 program “You and Your Baby” while Boyd Bell, with the The Silliman Agriculture Department was organized on help of George Juliano, han- March 2, 1949 and Boyd Bell, an assistant professor on the dled the agricultural and farm department faculty, became the first department head in May programs of DYSR station in 1952. He set objectives to prepare students for teaching, man- disseminating agricultural infor- aging plantations, rural organizing, extension service and coop- mation through Boyd‟s “Farm erative organizing in addition to preparing them for communi- Hour”, a program designed to ty teaching and contributing to the preparation of rural minis- reach people from all walks of ters. With these objectives, the Agriculture department used life with the University exten- Silliman Farm as their laboratory for practical training and ex- sion programs. perimentation and the cooperative effort was successful in aug- Boyd was transferred from Silliman University in 1958 to do rural extension work under the auspices of the UCCP Church. Emmanuel Gervacio succeeded Boyd Bell as head of Boyd hosting DYSR the agriculture department and farm program continued the university exten- sion program. Boyd Bell had done much to elevate the department‟s status to merit grant fundings from abroad, particularly Germany. By 1957 the list of specialized courses in the Department of Agriculture totaled 17. Dur- ing this period, the Fenn survey (1954-1955) had recom- mended the start of a four-year program leading to a Bache- lor of Science degree although this program did not fully materialize until 1962. Rosemary was the Research Director of Publications and Audio Visual Aids for the Silliman Extension Service in 1956. She worked closely with Dumaguete District Picture of the Bell extended family taken during memorial Conference churches and held varied positions in an official service for Rosemary Bell in 2005. capacity as an elected member of the Executive Committee, as fraternal worker and rrogram chairman of the Women‟s menting the food supply for the campus, especially for the caf- Missionary Union, advisor to the Christian Youth Fellow- eteria and dormitories. ship and chairman of the Christian Education and Planning In order to integrate the agriculture program into the Univer- Committee. She also participated in an aggressive visitation sity‟s academic program, the agriculture curriculum was orga- program where volunteers gave one Sunday a month of nized within the College of Arts and Sciences to ensure ade- their time to visit rural churches. As Acting Director of the quate education to students who would not be able to pursue Christian Literature Center in the University, Rosemary further studies at Los Banos and who would have to return to saw how the literature program had benefited students and the rural areas. A two year preparatory curriculum was like- faculty and she wise instituted and arrangements were made for Silliman agri- proposed extend- cultural students to transfer to Los Banos with junior standing ing the scope to in order to complete the four-year course at the U.P.