Professor leaves legacy for university’s Korean population
At the Years of Service banquet in July, Dr. C. Daniel Kim (center) was recognized by President Jerry Falwell (left) and Dr. Ben Gutierrez, vice provost for academic administration.
Dr. C. Daniel Kim, a distinguished professor in the School of Divinity, has retired after 37 years at Liberty University.
Since 1978, Kim has recruited more than 2,000 Korean students to Liberty, impacting the makeup of the Lynchburg community. A local newspaper described Kim as a person who is “working to preserve and promote a conservative, evangelical approach to Christianity on the (Korean) peninsula.”
Kim was raised in North Korea, where he became a Christian when he was 14. Kim was serving as a pastor there when the Soviet Union established a communist government that encouraged the persecution of Christians. When he learned that the government planned to arrest him and five other members of his church, Kim escaped to South Korea.
Kim earned his bachelor’s degree at Young Nam University and his bachelor’s of divinity at Presbyterian Theological Seminary, both in South Korea. He went on to earn his Master of Sacred Theology from Biblical Theological Seminary in New York City and his Doctor of Theology degree from Dallas Seminary.
During his time at Liberty, Kim has taught numerous courses in church history and theology, impacting thousands of students both at Liberty and abroad on his many trips to South Korea. Within the School of Divinity, Kim has served as director of Korean student enrollment and director of the Korean language assistance program.
In 2009, Kim founded the Lynchburg Korean School for kindergarten through eighth grade, as well as the Korean Baptist Church of Lynchburg.
At the university’s annual Years of Service Banquet in July, President Jerry Falwell recognized Kim for his accomplishments, calling him a “great asset” to Liberty’s mission of Training Champions for Christ.
Alumni in Nepal recount earthquake experience
When an earthquake devastated Nepal, taking the lives of thousands in April, alumni Taylor and Jessica Hagan (’05) were in a church service and felt the earth begin to tremble.
The initial earthquake lasted only 35 seconds, according to Jessica Hagan, but the church was in a cement building. Everyone knew that if they wanted to survive the aftershocks, they needed to get out of the building.
“We waited in a field for the next six hours, feeling the aftershocks, and just holding each other, praying, and trying to keep each other calm,” she said.
Following the initial earthquake, the Hagans stayed in their car with their three children — Asher, Jude, and Harper — for several days as a safety precaution. According to Jessica Hagan, there were hundreds of aftershocks.
“We were blessed to live in a more modern part of the city, and the damage around us was not as bad as in other parts of Nepal,” Jessica Hagan said. “We came together as a community to assist each other in prayer and in making sure everybody had enough water to drink.”
The Hagans live in Nepal, where they co-own and operate Manjari Coffee, a farming cooperative that equips farmers to produce specialty coffee.
“Through environmentally sustainable coffee farming, we are holistically restoring God-given human dignity and providing a healthy community,” Jessica Hagan said. “We definitely are not heroes, but we are trying to cope ourselves. We feel like our purpose for being here has become even clearer after this disaster. Now, more than ever, this society needs hope and jobs.”
Taylor Hagan said relief efforts in Nepal are now winding down.
“The glaring, ongoing need for Nepal now is rehabilitation and development efforts,” he said.
The Hagans met during their freshman year at Liberty in 2001. Taylor earned a B.S. in Psychology, and Jessica earned a B.S. in Nursing. After graduation, they wanted to move to a foreign country to use their skills to help those in need.
“For several years, we were headed toward India, but we felt God directing us to Nepal, where we could use our professional knowledge and training for social work and nursing,” Taylor Hagan said. “By offering hope to the Nepali farmers we work with, we can alleviate the negative effects of poverty, including human trafficking, absent fathers, injustice, and corruption.”
Alumnus makes a splash in world of paddlesports
Perseverance is a prerequisite for any paralympian, as Liberty University alumnus Jamey Parks, a high-leg amputee who competes in paracanoe, can attest.
Parks, 37, grew up playing football in California. When he lost his leg after being struck by a car while walking along a Santa Barbara freeway in 1999, he regained his strength and coordination through weight training. He later attended Liberty for his B.S. in Business in 2004 and his M.B.A. in 2009, when he and his wife, Megan (’13), relocated to Forest, Va.
He was introduced to paddlesports in 2005 by Garry Gellert, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Lynchburg College, and soon discovered his competitive drive while pursuing a spot on Team USA.
Though his dreams of medaling at the Paralympic Games next summer in Brazil were dashed when the paracanoe was removed from the list of events, Parks remains undaunted and has rededicated himself to reaching the highest goals attainable in the sport.
Parks qualified for the U.S. National Team for the second consecutive year by winning the U.S. Championships this past summer at Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Ga., site of the 1996 Summer Olympic rowing events.
After placing seventh in the 200-meter Va’a Level 3 (leg, trunk, and arms) race at last year’s International Canoe Federation (ICF) Para-Canoe World Championships in Moscow, Russia, he narrowly missed advancing to the nine-boat finals at the Aug. 19-23 ICF World Championships in Milan, Italy, placing fourth in his semifinal heat. (Only the top three advanced to the finals).
He plans to pursue another U.S. National Team bid to the 2016 ICF World Championships, set for May 19-23 in Duisburg, Germany, one week after competing in the May 5-13 International Va’a Federation (IVF) Championships in Australia.
The real estate investor and father of three trains six days a week at Timber Lake in nearby Campbell County, paddling more than 6,000 meters before 9 a.m.
“It feels good to be on the water,” he said. “I enjoy coming out here, enjoy the sweat. Last year, I got better. Now, I’m perfecting my stroke. There are a lot of little things that make the difference. The ones who do those little things really well will put themselves over the top.”
He supplements his morning workout with weight training and has dropped 20 pounds from his 6-foot-4-inch frame in the past six months.
“I’m faster and more efficient,” Parks said. “This sport takes muscle, but it also takes form and technique.”
Parks is also active with Eternal Collision, a feats of strength power team ministry based in Bedford County, Va., and serves on the board of Wheels on the James, which provides mobility and independence for disabled people, setting them up in specially adapted recumbent bikes and other vehicles.
From the football field to the medical field
Former Liberty University two-time Academic All-American wide receiver Patrick Kelly (’13) gained a reputation for always reaching for excellence with sure, steady hands.
Now he’s using those steady hands to reach out to others, providing excellent care as an exercise physiologist at Central Virginia YMCAs on behalf of Centra Health, a regional health care provider based in Lynchburg, Va.
Kelly graduated with a degree in physiology and exercise science and is currently enrolled in Liberty’s Master of Public Health program. He incorporates lessons learned throughout his college career on his new team — a group that monitors the exercise activities of patients (many of them elderly) who have experienced heart or pulmonary problems or severe joint issues and are now in rehab.
He credits his family for supporting him in his work on and off the field. His mother, Debbie, modeled the strong work ethic he exhibited on the football field. She worked as a kindergarten teacher at Liberty Christian Academy during the day before putting in a full evening shift as a telephone representative at J. Crew. Still, she never missed a Liberty game, and her example left a lasting impact on her son.
“Anything I did, I put 100 percent effort into it,” Kelly said. “I sometimes was not the most gifted or most talented in certain areas, but the work ethic my mother taught me made me successful.”
His dad, Patrick, was also a loyal fan, even after undergoing a kidney transplant, and his brother, Dakota, is following in his brother’s footsteps as a member of Liberty’s football team.
Kelly said that God is teaching him a life lesson in his current job.
“For years, I was the person being watched on the football field,” he said. “Now it is my time to watch and encourage. I’m my patients’ biggest fan.”
Pilot brings medical care to East African tribes
Piloting a small aircraft in remote locations, alumna Elsa Klarich (’15) is fulfilling her lifelong dream to serve the Lord overseas.
Klarich works for Flying Medical Service in Tanzania, where she is responsible for setting up medical clinics and conducting emergency medical flights throughout East Africa.
“My dream was to help people in remote areas of the world using aviation as a tool to reach them,” Klarich said. “The Lord gave me an opportunity to attend Liberty and then the opportunity to use what I learned to go out into the world, bringing doctors, medical supplies, love, and hope to the tribes in Africa.”
Klarich currently serves the Maasai and Sonjo tribes in Tanzania in addition to making emergency flights throughout East Africa where medical care is very limited. The services provided by the company save thousands of lives each year.
“It was a challenge, joy, and an adventure going into Liberty’s aviation program as a young female with no aviation background,” Klarich said. “I am so thankful for the opportunity to learn a skill that I now use every single day in Tanzania. I had to work very hard, but the end results are worth every test and every office hour I spent with my professors.”
From an early age, Klarich felt a calling on her life to serve in another country. When she was 17, she felt God point her toward aviation. She decided to study in Liberty’s School of Aeronautics after a friend’s recommendation.
During her first year at Liberty, Klarich learned about Wings of Hope, a humanitarian aviation organization that helps establish health care and education systems, as well as sustainable food and water supplies. Klarich began volunteering with the organization during summer breaks. Her dedication and hard work led to her current position with Flying Medical Service, a Wings of Hope partner.
Siblings share in the gift of life
Senior government student Ashley Traficant was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), a chronic liver disease where the bile ducts become blocked due to inflammation, when she was 16. It was the same disease that caused her father to undergo two liver transplants.
The condition frequently caused Traficant to miss classes. Midway through her first semester freshman year (2008), she had to leave Liberty to recover; but despite the setbacks, Traficant was determined to continue her education at home through online classes.
“Liberty has been so good to me,” Traficant said. “I feel like the school just epitomized grace in so many ways. I have been in and out of this place for eight years, but my professors have always pulled for me. They understood when I was not able to be at school, and they understood what I and my family were going through.”
When Traficant returned to campus for the Fall 2012 semester, she was in class for two days before she learned that an infection was causing the disease to progress rapidly. Traficant was immediately placed on the liver transplant list and was told she may only have a few months to live.
Due to the unique nature of her disease, Traficant did not fit the normal profile for a liver recipient and was placed at the bottom of the list. The liver, however, is the only organ that can regenerate, so live donations can be made from part of an existing liver. Ashley’s mother and brother were tested, and her brother, Jeremy — now a senior business student at Liberty — was a perfect match.
“I felt God preparing me for the opportunity to be Ashley’s donor from the time of our father’s two transplants,” Jeremy Traficant said. “Being Ashley’s donor was following God’s calling, even though it was terrifying. (I knew) if it was successful, my sister could finish her college career, and she would be able to live a full life again.”
On Nov. 8, 2013, Ashley and Jeremy underwent a 10-hour surgery. Jeremy remained in the hospital for 11 days, and Ashley was released after five months.
“I knew that whether I woke up from surgery or not, I was either going home to be with the Lord or home to recover and return to Liberty,” Ashley Traficant said. “Thankfully, I was able to return to Liberty after my recovery to finish my education.”
Following the transplant, Jeremy decided to transfer to Liberty to be closer to his sister.
“Being at Liberty with Ashley has been such a blessing in my life,” he said. “Every time I see her on campus, I am constantly reminded of God’s goodness and faithfulness, even in the hard times.”
Following her surgery, Ashley interned at The Heritage Foundation. This past spring, an article she wrote about Ted Cruz’s visit to the university was published on TownHall.com. After graduation, she plans to work in foreign policy in Washington, D.C.
After two decades of service, alumnus elected sheriff of Jacksonville, Fla.
Alumnus Mike Williams (’02) has dedicated his life to serving the people of Jacksonville, Fla., where he was born and raised. In 1991, Williams joined the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) — the lone agency serving the largest city by area in the contiguous states — and has risen through the ranks of the nearly 3,000-member (police, corrections, and civilian staff) force. He was elected sheriff in May.
Since taking office in July, Williams has initiated the development of four committees dedicated to facilitating community involvement and promoting transparency and accountability.
“We want to hear from the people of Jacksonville about what they think,” Williams said. “At the end of the day, we belong to them. Our agency is representative of this community, so we should all be on the same page.”
With a new mayor and 10 new city council members, Williams said he is excited to see what this “new generation” of leadership can accomplish.
Williams served in the Air Force International Guard before joining the police force, but he always knew that he wanted to serve his community, just as his father — a homicide detective with the sheriff’s office — had. Williams followed in his father’s footsteps, attending the police academy and then taking a job as a downtown beat officer.
Williams spent 16 years on the force’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team before taking command of the entire division as director of investigations and homeland security. He then went on to serve as director of patrol and enforcement, where he managed more than 1,000 sworn officers and a budget of over
$100 million.
It was as a sergeant on the SWAT team that Williams earned his bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies (religion and government) through Liberty’s distance learning program. Before online education was available, Liberty sent professors to teach intensives at the sheriff’s office, helping many officers take courses around their demanding schedules. The opportunity, Williams said, helped position him for advancement.
Now, as sheriff, Williams plans to keep serving the people he has known and loved his entire life. He realizes that this new position enables him to make an even larger impact on Jacksonville.
“We’ve got a really great city here,” Williams said. “It’s a beautiful place, and I just want to do my part. I want to roll my sleeves up and get to work, doing what I can do in the window that I have to make the agency — and the city — better.”
Alumna creates nonprofit to honor husband’s memory
Encouraging those battling cancer has become the goal of Jane Pendell (’88), who founded the nonprofit organization Christ is Greater than Cancer, after she lost her husband, Greg Pendell (’89), to pancreatic cancer in April.
Designed to support and offer encouragement to patients and their friends and families struggling with a cancer diagnosis, the organization offers gift cards, groceries, assistance with medical bills, and helps point people toward Christ.
Greg Pendell was diagnosed in June 2014 with all three types of known pancreatic cancer — a rare, difficult diagnosis. He battled his disease for 15 months through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. But throughout the ordeal, according to Jane Pendell, her husband “did not miss one opportunity to share Jesus, and we want our nonprofit to do the same.”
“Greg’s relationship and dependency on the Lord were foundational in his life; he was our hero,” Jane Pendell said. “Starting this organization is both an honor to him, as well as an outreach to others.”
Pendell said that cancer is one of the hardest trials a family can face, but through her husband’s journey, she and her children Megan, Scott, and Emily — all current Liberty students — were reminded that “God does not make mistakes.”
“Greg would tell people that in the midst of his pain and suffering he was greatly loved and blessed,” she said. “To have been able to see Greg’s strength in the Lord and how he used his cancer as a platform to show Christ was an honor, and now I get to do the same through this organization.”
The day after Greg passed, the Christ is Greater than Cancer website went live and has since received $13,000 in donations.
For more information about Christ is Greater than Cancer, visit www.christisgreaterthancancer.com.
