When I was young, I watched the 1970s sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show.” Newhart later starred as an innkeeper in the simply titled “Newhart” during the 1980s. The series finale of “Newhart” was perhaps the cleverest series ending ever imagined. In it (spoiler alert), Newhart is seen with actress Suzanne Pleshette, who played his wife on the 1970s show, and wakes up to find that the entire eight years as an innkeeper was simply a dream.
I suppose with this announcement, I feel a bit like Bob Newhart. After nearly three years of serving Linfield in a variety of roles, as a gift officer and the special assistant to the president, I am back in the role of director of alumni and parent engagement.
Of course, we did not simply dream the last three years. Joni Claypool ’06 served Linfield admirably as director of constituent engagement during that time. She is a Hall of Famer for her Wildcat athletic exploits and for her service as an employee since.
With apologies to Newhart, this is a dream job for me. I am thrilled to return to a role I love and to keep connecting you to each other and Linfield.
