Realty duo re'sound'ing hit - Hoover Library

Published for friends of Western Maryland College, Westminster, Maryland
A Return to
~.
Joni-odyssey
out
of despair
Editor's note: The following is an edited version of an article
by Ron Jones, '80, which appeared in the Damasus Courier
and the WMC Scrimshaw
Joni Eareckson was a happy, active high school graduate in
the summer of 1967. a Baltimore County resident who planned
to attend Western Maryland College in the fall
However, her dreams and hopes came crashing to an end on
July 30. 1967. During a swimming
outing at the Chesapeake
Bay, Joni dove into a rock, and was paralyzed from the neck
down: she was a parapeligic
On October 18. Jont came to WMC to tellthe story 01 her
odyssey out of anger, despair. and hopelessness. a torturous
route which was guided by her faith in God and her will to
overcome paralysis.
With her face flushed and her smile aflame with exhilaration,
Joni gazed out toward 900 students, faculty. and local residents
amassed in Alumni Hall and said. "This is very exciting.
p'know"
The audience knew and responded with applause and
ovations during the talk. They knew Joni's triumph over the
deadening effect of permanent paralysis led her to succeed in
ways she may never have imagined before her accident
She is a published author, an accomplished lecturer, an artist
i i with a brush held in her teeth). and she has founded a
known as "Joni and Friends," a ministry
Iii
,shewas
01 literature from WMC N an h~nora~ degree of bachelor
about her life. "Joni."· she IS stamng in a movie
ow.
no~~r:~:~~ ~::~;aar~ii~tervie":,,, before her testimonial, Joni
California State Univers~o dnve a van as pan of her therapy at
ac~~~~~SSing [the WMC audience Joni said, .'After I had my
happen~d t; m~a~~ ang~red and so incen~ed that this had
Maryland Co1Jeg~, an~ ~:~~ ;o~~;'t~ ~~Sg~~~~~~~n~~~tern
N~netheless, at the age of 17, "Lying flat on my back.
lookmg up ~o a dark hospital ceiling (which seemed to reflect
0V:~heart) It seemed that life should end then. my
B~t all that has changed," she confirmed. She looks at
~~~'~:~e:~~~~ a limited or temporal viewpoint, but from
While !ying the hospital. she challenged God: she was
in
either gomg to prove Jesus was the Messiah or a charlatan.
~s the.d~ys wore on. she began to conclude she was a cosmic
~~mea p~¥. a representati~~ of humanity. She asked questions
"~~:tSis t:h~o:~'~ ~,r:~~er~~~~~~,I,he purpose of life"
Soon she discovered that reason will never be enough "If I
knew why~ would it change anything No! I would still need to
~~~~~~~~>~ressed. fed. and exercised. It would still be
" S~e could n~t rationally conclude mankind exists just to exist
We re too umque to tolerate that kind of hopelessness A
~~~:';;e~f~~~: ~~~~~!~i~~:~~l:.uP my way of thinking:" she
A Return to the Sixties
The dramatic art department a.t Western Maryland College under the direction of new faculty
member Ken Gargaro is sponsoring a series of plays and films centered on the theme, "The Sixties:
The Spirit and the Madness"
According to Gargaro much of todev's violence and decadence of the 70's is pinned on the 60's.
however. the youth of thai period were not only concerned with 'beads and drugs' "It is my
hope," says Dr. Gargaro, "that the play and film series will open up discussion and the college
community can explore the real values and issues of the sixties."
Plays performed during the fall semester were "Feifter's People" and "The House of Blue
Leaves," Upcoming is "Company." Jan. 24·27. a joint college/community production benefitting
the local Heart Association, a story of a single man contemplating living together or marriage. On
March 14-16 the department will perform "Vanities," a story of three women who grow old but not
up, and on May 9-11 the season will end with "Kennedy's Children," a drama focusing on
characters who discuss where they were when John F. Kennedy was assaSSinated and the effect of
the tragedy on their lives
For a complete listing of dramatic productions and films throughout the second semester, send a
request to the dramatiC art department at Western Maryland College
In st~dying the life of Christ, she continued, "there and only
there did I begin to unde.rstand. God. This God loved me so
~~e:~ ~:a~~edlii~:'~~~~,lre to see me remain separate from him,
" "Thts is Ih~ God who is worthy of my trust," Joni emphasized
He proved lion the cross. He stayed there"
For her ~od began to open up her "finite" mind. She learned
~er paralysts forced her to face herself and hold life more dearly
~;Siu~~~1~7.
[ beca~e a little less sell-centered. That means my
should be optimistic." she said. "I should look to
th~'~:~~~~:~~~~tC~~~r~·i~.~,asy," she added. "but because it's
"I know that thou~h I'm handicapped on all sides. I'm not
ern,shed. Though we ~e perplexed we're not in despair. Though
we re persecuted, we re not abandoned. Though we are
knocked down, we are not knocked out"
"] hope," Joni ~dded, "God will use ~y life to better equip
yours .for all the Inals, the handicaps, that you might be
expenencing in your bfe."