Current Release: September 11th, 2007 | Vol. XXIV Iss. 10

COURTESY OF VWC WEBSITE

Farewell, Friends

By Margaret windley

mw777@verizon.net

When she retired from the Adult Studies Program (ASP) last month, Judy Kuhns, coordinator for academic services, had worked there for 14 years. During those years, she had made a difference in the lives of hundreds of older adult students with her encouragement and knowledge.

She has found another line of work now and is a Christian education volunteer at Old Donation Episcopal. Her voluntary positions include being a Stephen Minister and member of her church’s Cursillo program. As a Stephen Minister she now helps guide people in emotional crises, and as a member of Cursillo she tells others about her weekly walk with the Lord. She would eventually like to become a chaplain in a hospital or for hospice.

But she will never forget her Wesleyan work, which Kuhns describes as her “dream job.”

“It was the perfect job for me,” she said. 

It had come after years of grading papers as a professor in colleges located in many of the places where her husband’s naval career led the family. That had placed her teaching at such educational icons as Rutgers University, American University, The University of Hawaii and Old Dominion University.

The Wesleyan position meant that she would no longer have to grade papers. Grading papers had been no small potatoes. Many weekends as a professor, she had to rise about 4:30 a.m. to grade papers. She lamented the shortage of time to spend with her family. 

“I had three daughters,” she said. “My preference was to spend the weekend with them. When we were here in 1972 to 1976 and my husband was at sea, I bought them a horse so that they could have something to do on weekends and I could work.”

At Wesleyan she went up the ladder to success. She began by advising students.  When she was named coordinator for academic services in the ASP, she began advising other advisers, assisting with scheduling and helping to plan majors.

“I loved every minute of it,” said Kuhns.

She will be missed.

“She has always been on top of everything,” said Kathy Reese, ASP academic advisor and outreach coordinator. “When I needed a source for policies for the most reliable and up-to-date information, it was Judy.”

But something changed. Kuhns’ father, mother and sister died at separate times over the last few years. She discovered that religious faith helped her to deal with the tragedies, particularly that of her sister, who had been the caregiver for their mother.  Her sister’s death from 13 brain tumors brought on by smoking brought her back to church, despite having developed an existentialist philosophy earlier in life.

“Existentialists believe that there is no God or that God is dead,” said Kuhns. “If there is no God, you have to look at what kind of world this is. It means we live in a world in which the only meaning is the meaning we give it.  We define ourselves by how we treat others. Our lives are based on the search for the meaning of life.”

After her faith began to return, she discovered Old Donation, a church at which she immediately felt at home.  

These days she is very busy. It’s as if she had to quit work to go to work. She goes to church at least four times a week. Sometimes it’s twice a day -- Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and there may be there a few other times during the week.   

“I suspended my disbelief,” said Kuhns. ”If you don’t believe in God and go to church, one of two things is going to happen. Either your faith grows or it doesn’t.”