Indiana Wesleyan University’s Alumni World Changers
History of the Award
In 2003, Indiana Wesleyan University created the Society of World Changers to recognize individuals whose lives serve as an inspiration, symbolizing the difference one person can make for the Kingdom of God. Eight years later, in 2011, IWU decided to add the Alumni World Changer designation as a way to recognize world changers who were specifically alumni of the university. The following year, Cheryl Marie Beckett posthumously became the first individual to be awarded this distinction. In the years since then, every year has seen the addition of one or two names to the wall, their stories inscribed for students, faculty, and staff to see and be both humbled and inspired by.
2012 - Cheryl Marie Beckett, Class of 2000
Cheryl turned down a full scholarship for graduate study at Johns Hopkins University because she felt God calling her to humanitarian work. For the next six years, she lived in Afghanistan, sharing her faith and serving others. In August 2010, Beckett was one of the ten members of a medical team who were killed while traveling in one of the poorest regions of Afghanistan. Her life having been tragically cut short at the age of thirty-two, Beckett’s story has left a profound and lasting impact on the hearts and minds of many.
2013 - Doris Wall, Class of 1974
During her forty years as a Global Partners missionary in Guyana, Doris Wall was the primary caregiver for the Patamuna and Akawaio people as a nurse and midwife. Some of the hundreds of babies she delivered became nurses, teachers, and church leaders in the South American country. Wall also taught and established a Bible school in the interior of Guyana and was the coordinator of the revision of the Patamuna New Testament done by Patamuna mother tongue translators.
2014 - Howard Noggle, Class of 1940
Howard Noggle enrolled as a student at Marion College in 1936. His father was one of the founders, and once Howard arrived on campus, he never left. During a career that spanned sixty-four years and five college presidencies, Noggle moved from Field Representative to Director of Alumni Relations to Director of Church Relations to Special Assistant to the President. Many people referred to him as Mr. Marion College. An ordained pastor in the Wesleyan Church, Noggle retired as an employee on June 30, 2004, but continued to be a champion for the school.
2015 - Charles E. Devol, Class of 1926
Dr. Charles E. DeVol was a botanist and missionary to China and Taiwan for fifty-four years. During four furloughs, he taught for twelve years at Marion College. After being detained in China for two years during World War II, he was released in a 1943 prisoner exchange. He finished his doctorate in botany and returned to Marion College. DeVol resumed teaching in Taiwan in 1957 and helped establish thirty-one churches.
2015 - Francis Mustapha, Class of 1972
Francis K. Mustapha came to Indiana Wesleyan University from Sierra Leone to study science. During his thirty-five years as a teacher, Francis received a Milken Educator Award, America’s most prestigious honor for teachers. He was also named Indiana’s Teacher of the Year and was the runner-up for the National Teacher of the Year award. After retiring, Francis raised funds to build a school in his native village of Madina, Sierra Leone.
2016 - David L. Blanchard, Class of 1953
David Blanchard’s life journey took him from horseback riding in his native Kentucky to outer space within the walls of NASA. After earning his bachelor’s degree with no clue what he wanted to do, he went on to earn master’s and Ph.D. degrees in physics and applied physics. David spent almost forty years at NASA and in private industry, working with space programs, including the Hubble Space Telescope and the Space Shuttle. In 2004, he funded IWU’s first endowed chair, the Blanchard Chair in Physics and Mathematics, with the hope of encouraging Christians to pursue science degrees.
2017 - Darrell W. Hermann, Class of 1973
Darrell Hermann was orphaned as a child and reared in foster homes before a relative invited him to enroll at Marion College, where he overcame numerous obstacles to receive a biology degree. Hermann subsequently graduated from medical school in 1977, after which he completed a residency in general surgery and a fellowship in pediatric surgery. During a long career, Dr. Hermann gained national and international recognition as a pediatric surgeon. One of his life-saving surgeries involved an infant who weighed less than a half-pound at birth. Above all, Dr. Hermann always shared Christ with patients and their families.
2018 - Marvin Hinds, Class of 1951
After graduating from Marion College and serving in the Air Force, Marvin earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Hinds soon began working with Baylor College of Medicine doing biomedical research, including defibrillation. He spent the next fifteen summers with the research team, first in Texas and later in Indiana, where the group found ways to lessen the traumatic effects of the defibrillator on the heart. After earning his doctorate, Hinds returned to Marion College. There, he helped guide the nursing program for twenty-three years and served as the pre-med advisor for hundreds of future physicians.
2019 - Kevin Myers, Class of 1982
Kevin Myers and his wife Marcia left Michigan in 1987 to plant a church in Georgia to attract spiritually unreached people and use the arts for Kingdom impact. After a slow start in several temporary spaces, 12Stone strategically put down roots in a permanent location within the county’s golden triangle of future growth. Attendance grew in the midst of a prayer movement and currently reaches eighteen thousand weekly worshippers across eight campuses in the Atlanta area. In 2014, 12Stone opened the John C. Maxwell Leadership Center—investing in the next generation of Church leaders through a residency program and coaching pastors.
2020 - Wilbur & Ardelia Williams, Class of 1951
In 1967, Wilbur and Ardelia Williams returned to campus to begin teaching careers that would span decades: Wilbur teaching Biblical Literature and Archaeology for fifty years, and Ardelia teaching Art for thirty-five years. The world was their classroom. Wilbur led one hundred and fifty-six spiritual odysseys to the Holy Land, while Ardelia took students to art museums throughout Europe. Wilbur touched the lives of thousands of students and was named Professor of the Year eight times. Under Ardelia’s guidance, the number of art majors grew from one to more than one hundred. Their contributions as teachers were matched by their philanthropy, including the gift of the Williams Prayer Chapel at the heart of campus.
2021 - Jerry A. Pattengale, Class of 1979
Jerry Pattengale grew up in Buck Creek, Indiana, as part of a family of ten. In 1975, he enrolled at IWU, beginning a long journey in education that now includes two master’s degrees and a doctorate. In 1997, Pattengale returned to IWU as faculty, where he began a career that has taken him around the world as a renowned author, professor, and Christian scholar. IWU named him its first University Professor for his remarkable scholarly contributions, including his innovative, purpose-guided student success program. He is a founding scholar and serves as education director of the Museum of the Bible.
2022 - Gary Ott & Connie Kramer-Ott, Class of 1974
When Gary and Connie met at Marion College as freshmen, it changed their lives. Early in their marriage, they committed themselves to transforming the lives of generations of Indiana Wesleyan University students. After serving as a military pilot, Gary initially set his sights on an aviation career. However, he soon yielded to what he felt was God’s call to care for the elderly. He served thirty-five years as CEO of a healthcare company that employed two thousand and eight hundred people, with Connie serving alongside him as an advocate for patients. The Otts have invested time, talent, and treasure in the lives of many individuals and institutions.
2023 - Jim Lo, Class of 1982
Jim Lo feels his calling from God is to be a faithful servant wherever he is sent to minister. He has served God in over twenty countries as a career and short-term missionary. As a cross-cultural minister, he has been a church planter, mission director, district superintendent of Zimbabwe, and more. In addition to cowriting God’s Call to Holiness with his wife Roxene, Lo has written TEE Bible Studies and children’s books to strengthen churches overseas. Lo has also served the church in the United States as Prayer Coordinator, Assistant District Superintendent, and more. A highlight for Lo has been equipping men and women to be missionaries while studying at IWU. Over the past three decades, Lo served as professor of intercultural studies, director of World Impact, and more.
2024 - Gary M. Walker, Class of 1976
In 1980, Colonel Gary M. Walker joined the Air Force, where he served in several roles before leaving active duty in 1999. He continued his service as an Individual Mobilization Augmentee in the USAF Reserve before returning to active duty in 2002, before being deployed twice to Afghanistan in medical command roles. Walker later became Director of Healthcare Operations for the Air Force Medical Support Agency, where he oversaw health care operations at seventy-five facilities and led a project to improve medical treatment facility inspection criteria. Later service included championing numerous improvements across the Air Force Medical Service, advocacy for wounded warriors, leading the suicide prevention program, and more. In 2016, Walker retired, concluding a three-decade career of dedicated service.
2024 - Kim Kargbo, Class of 1988
Kim Kargbo first became involved in mission work when she moved to a small West African village at the age of nine. Since then, her life’s work has been reaching those with no access to the Gospel. Kim has lived in Sierra Leone for most of her life, serving in a variety of leadership roles. Kim serves as the president and CEO of Accessible Hope International, which she founded in 2009. Through this organization, Kim reaches people with disabilities in Sierra Leone and around the world with the hope of Christ. Kim also leads retreats and spiritual formation experiences for ministers of the Gospel, helping them grow closer to Christ. Kim travels the world teaching, training, and consulting to equip the global Church to better reach the unreached.
