The officers and members of SUAF OF SD join Silliman University


in celebrating 111 years since its founding.


American Missionaries 8th in a Series


Silliman began with Hibbards as “president and faculty” By Ligaya Magbanua Simpkins


“There were fifteen boys that first morning. The equipment consisted of four desks about ten feet long, two tables and two chairs, a few McGuffey’s Readers, a few geographies, Arithmetics and ninth- grade grammars. I was the President; Mrs. Hibbard was the faculty.”


Thus reported Dr. Hibbard when the Silli-


man Institute formally opened on August 28, 1901 in rented quarters, eighteen days after they arrived in Dumaguete on August 10, 1901.There was no official course of study for the Philippines, so a “Cursos de Estudio” was drafted along the lines of college prepara- tion. Within one month, enrollment had doubled


and the Hibbards soon found themselves han- dling 10 classes a day, teaching English, Lat- in, German, geometry, world history and Bi- ble studies. Welcome assistance came from Chaplain John A. Randolph of the sixth U.S. infantry stationed in Dumaguete (1900-1902) who volunteered to teach five classes. A Chapel service started each school day and Bible study was conducted on Sundays. David Sutherland Hibbard, a native of


Ohio, was granted his A.B. at College of Em- poria in 1893, received theological training from the Princeton Theological Seminary and an N.M.A. degree from Princeton University. He was conferred an honorary Doctor of Phi- losophy degree by Hanover College in 1904 and a Doctor of Divinity Degree by Emporia College in 1913. The Hibbards had left a pastorate in


Lyndon, Kansas when they accepted the invi- tation of the Presbyterian Board for service in the Philippines in February 1899. This young couple, with Mr. Hibbard in his mid-thirties and Laura Hibbard just in her twenties, first found themselves assigned to the Iloilo sta- tion in 1899. The Hibbards and another mis- sionary couple, Dr. Andrew and Mrs. Jean Russell Hall made significant beginnings in Iloilo and by July 1, 1900, Mrs. Hibbard and Mrs.Hall had opened the first evangelical


PortalXtra is published monthly by SUAF@SD in San Diego, CA


SUAFers gear up for


campus FD festivities This year’s edition of FD at


Drs. David S. and Laura Hibbard 1901—1930


school in the Philippines with an enrolment of 70. Were it not for a decision by the Board in


New York to locate Dr. Silliman’s proposed school in the third Mission station, this Iloi- lo school could have been the beginning of Silliman Institute, and Silliman University would not have been in Dumaguete. How- ever, the Philippine Presbyteri- an Mission reassigned them to undertake the task of opening up the Dumaguete Station and to replace Mr. Leon C. Hills, a single young American missionary assigned to Dumaguete. Their friendliness and outgoing nature quickly endeared them to the Dumaguete residents who in turn, rendered support for the school. Tasked with the development of the


American Missionaries profiles the lives of church workers who served with Silli- man University. On this month of Founders Day, we feature the founders. Several missionaries were showcased in previous issues. January—Rev. Gordon and Helen Mahy


February—Dr. James and Ethel Chapman


March—Drs. George and Janice Beran


April—Dr. Paul and Clara Doltz


May—Drs. Douglas and Bettie Elwood


June—Charles and Henrietta Glunz


July—Helen Mary Strawbridge


Dumaguete station, property matters and laying a foundation for a school campus were of the highest priority. With continu- ing support from Dr. Horace B. Silliman and the Mission, Mr. Hibbard, Mr. Robert Sammons (Continued FOUNDERS page 2)


Silliman, the 111th since 1901, will have some San Diego rep- resentations. For a variety of reasons,


these members “will come” to participate with campus activi- ties. Tenette Esperat is a recipi-


ent of the 2012 Outstanding Sillimanian award, Aug. 28 and will keynote the 2012 nursing Balik-Talent confer- ence coordinated by SUCN, SUCNAA and SUCNAAI Aug. 23—24 and 27. Dinah Bibaoco Penaflorida,


2012—2016 SUCNAAI presi- dent, orchestrated the 3-day academic conference, a depar- ture from previous Balik- Talents held exclusively by sponsoring graduating classes. Speakers and workshops high- light the activity on the topic of “Global Health: An Interdis- ciplinary Action”. The venues are the Clare Isabel McGill Luce auditorium and Roble Hall. Laarni Gularek and Liga-


ya Simpkins, SUAF president and vice-president, will repre- sent the chapter in campus alumni activities. Both will stand in for Tenette during the OSA ceremonies., Others expected for FD are:


Susan and Bill Soldwisch, Prescy and Efren Madrid, Precy and Allen Garrido, Gino and Chona Maribao, and Frances Antonio- Yoakem, who with husband Steve will also be campus visi- tors. Frances retired as ac- countant (Continued FD page 3)


Silliman University Alumni & Friends @ SD


SD Portal August 2012


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