Four former Linfield College presidents have suggestions for President Hellie as he settles into retirement.
2005-2006
Marvin Henberg
“Commit to nothing in at least your first six months. Read widely and catch up on good movies you’ve missed, but build your lists of reading and viewing via recommendations from others. That will take you out of your comfort zone to discover authors and directors, topics and themes you will miss by relying only on your present tastes.”
Henberg served as president of The College of Idaho from 2009-2015. He and his wife, Laurie, moved to Sunriver in 2015, where they continue to pursue outdoor adventure including skiing, hiking and water sports. They’ve traveled extensively visiting Spain, Argentina, Peru and other locations. He serves as chair of the Capital Campaign Committee for the Sunriver Nature Center and Observatory and on the board of The Patagonia Conservation Trust. He is working on a book, Range Wars: Grazers, Predators, Rustlers, and Militia on the Western Plains.
1992-2005
Vivian Bull
“My own retirement years have been full of projects, so it is unlikely I can give any advice… but to just keep moving. There is so much good to be done in this needy world and so many opportunities.”
Bull served as president of Drew University from 2012 to 2014. She has served as a consultant to a number of institutions of higher education, to corporations and to a variety of government and non-government organizations. Her primary focus is social-responsibility investing. She helped organize the College of Management and Administration at Africa University, a private college in Mutare, Zimbabwe, where she continues to serve as a consultant. She works with the Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church.
1975-1992
Charles Walker
“Hold on to your relationships with others and keep a bit of inventiveness handy. This led me to the Ford Family Foundation, James and Marion Miller Foundation, Foundations for a Better Oregon, The Oregon Cultural Trust, Neskowin Chamber Music and the Public-Private Library in Pacific City. They were all good experiences for which I’m grateful. You definitely will have many opportunities after Linfield, too.”
Some 26 years after Linfield, Walker still works to strengthen the McMinnville community and the First Baptist Church. He and his wife, Cherie, enjoy live music – chamber and symphony to Pink Martini and folk – and attend Linfield events often. They travel to experience the world far and near. They are in a walking group that does laps around the Linfield track and they go to a gym exercise class. Looking back, Walker says, “Linfield got two workers for the price of one, in us.”
1968-1974
Gordon Bjork
“Advice for others is always particular for the individual. Serving as president of a college like Linfield is very demanding. On retirement, you should find a new life and engage in it.”
Following his time at Linfield, Bjork resumed a career in teaching and research, serving as the Jonathan B. Lovelace Professor of Economics at Claremont McKenna College. He was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Environmental Policy and Technology of the Environmental Protection Agency. In retirement, Gordon and his wife, Susan, are enjoying children, grandchildren and friends, keeping fit with tennis, walks and the gym, and participating in a variety of activities.
