ENC will be saying goodbye to two faculty and two staff members who are retiring in 2015.

Faculty members Professor Lambert Brandes of the Music Department and Dr. Nancy Detwiler of the Athletics Department have together contributed over 100 years of service to ENC. (For a retirement story on Dr. Detwiler, see the Sports section of the website.)

Staff members Carolyn Morse of the Athletics Department and Ralph Toye from Grounds will also be retiring after years of dedication. Below are short profiles of Morse, Toye, and Brandes, including their work for ENC as well as personal reflections as they leave ENC and move onto the next stage of their lives.

 

Carolyn Morse, Athletics Department

Carolyn Morse has served as the Athletic Carolyn Morse.2Secretary, Athletic Administrative Specialist, and Office Manager for 25 years. She has served a round of over 80 head coaches and hundreds of student athletes from her desk in the Lahue gym.

Morse has a lengthy history with the college, being born to a pastor attending classes. Over time, she has made incredible memories.

Morse has seen the athletic department undergo dramatic change.

“I was here when women’s basketball made the Sweet Sixteen and before we had a fulltime Sports Information Director, so I did all the programs, kept the record books, faxed reports to the conference and newspapers for the coaches…” Morse said.

In addition to her work at ENC, Morse also has worked for various publishing companies during the summer, and retirement will be a chance for relaxation.

“The idea of retirement has not quite sunk in yet but [I’m] looking forward to having free time to spend with my husband Wayne, our two children and their spouses and our six grandchildren and time for myself, and some R&R at the beach and road trips,” Morse said.

While Morse is excited for personal time, she also called her transition to retirement “bittersweet.”

“I love the everyday challenges and the Christian environment and all the wonderful students… I pray that God will continue to watch over ENC and all those in the community that serve Him as they follow His direction and will for their lives.”

 

Ralph Toye, Grounds

Working full time since 2002, Toye is responsible for maintaining the grounds of the campus. His duties include working on lawns, shrubs, trees, flowers, and foliage.

He plans to hand his work over to Sam Mohnkern. Toye listed spending time with student workers as one of his favorite parts of working at ENC.

“ I like working with the student body trying to help them, just trying to make a difference,” Toye remarked.

Toye plans to spend the summer working on a few new projects around campus before officially leaving in March. He plans to work to renovate the damage from the snowy winter, and update the catalog of trees in the arboretum.

“There are a lot of trees that have been lost this winter, and I want to plant a few new ones. I hope to update the catalog, and put in on a webpage so that a person could see what’s happening in the arboretum,” Toye said.

After retirement, Toye is hoping to work part-time at ENC, spending summers renovating the grounds. He also hopes to work on his personal home and garden.

 

Lambert Brandes, Music Department

Professor Lambert Brandes has announced his Brandes 4.2retirement after 51 years of service to the ENC Music Department.

Brandes served as a professor of Music Theory, Acoustics of Music, as well as Organ and Music Composition for over half a century. Additionally, he also served as chair of the Music Department for nine years, during which the two new majors—General Music Performance and Recording Arts—were implemented.

Brandes recently sent in his official resignation letter, which he mentioned was more of a “letter of gratitude” for the multitude of positive experiences he has experienced over the years on this campus.

Brandes credits most of his success to the blessing of God, and to the implementation of faith into his teaching.

“I feel like God Himself has blessed me. I’m very thankful for everything… God, my wife, everyone who has been administrating, my fellow faculty,
and students, especially,” Brandes said.

In addition to his constant aid to the music department, Professor Brandes has also served as inspiration and motivation for music students.

Senior Vocal Performance major Elizabeth Blanchette recounted the impact of her experiences with Brandes.

“He believed in me as a freshman, when I wasn’t sure if I had what it took to be good. He saw that I had potential, cared about me and invested in my life,”Blanchette said.

Sophomore Music Performance major Carlos Barranco testified to Professor Brandes’ positive nature.

“He’s truly a man of God who loves his job, loves us his students, and loves his wife,” Barranco reflected.

In retirement, Brandes plans to continue serving as organist at Wollaston Church of the Nazarene, and looks forward to challenging himself with increasingly difficult music.

Despite all the wisdom Brandes has already gained and shared with many, he believes there is always something new to be learned, both musically and spiritually.

“The game of life [is] learning how to get passed ourselves…” Brandes said.  “As I’ve said in class more than once, life is a course in how to love.”

Reporting and writing on Lambert Brandes provided by RJ Barnett.