Alpha-Babbit
Choosing TWU is as simple as ABC (DEFGH) for "Alphabet Family"
Ask six different people where they’d like to go to school and you might expect six different answers. But for the Babbitt siblings, there was only one: Trinity Western. Dubbed the “alphabet family” by their parents, Anna and Bruce, the Babbitt graduates include David (’70), Chrysanna (’73), Elizabeth (’76), Faith (’76), Gordon (’78), and Heidi (’82).
Three of Anna and Bruce’s grandchildren are also TWU alumni: David’s children, Rilla (’04) and Jonathan (’08), and Elizabeth’s daughter, Allyson (’08).
David, was the first Babbitt to attend the then Trinity Junior College. He initially visited the campus as a high school freshman after the family heard of the fledgling school through former faculty member, Don Jenkins. “As a reminder, my parents kept a postcard, with a picture of the TJC insignia painted on the barnasium floor, tacked on our bulletin board.”
"Our goal was that our children would have a Christ-centered education during those critical years of their lives."
Bruce, who passed away in 2000, and Anna encouraged their children to attend for two reasons: TJC was a Christian liberal arts college, and it was an institution with strong evangelical roots. “Our goal was that our children would have a Christ-centered education during those critical years of their lives,” says Anna. In 1990, the couple established a Living Trust — an arrangement under which a trustee holds legal title to property for a beneficiary, or beneficiaries. “Together with our children, we named four organizations that had had a positive influence in their lives,” she says. “One of those organizations was Trinity Western University.”
The school had such a positive impact on David that, in addition to sending his own children here, he has returned for four homecomings and three class reunions. Some of his favourite memories include spontaneous hootenannies, the home-cooked meals served by original cafeteria chefs, Mr. and Mrs. Jenstad, and practising tennis in the barnasium.
While many things have changed over the years, the school’s heart and mission remain the same. “TWU is a great place; I loved my time on campus,” says Jonathan, who currently works with TWU’s IT team. “I had great mentors, and I’m thankful for that.”
by Wendy Delamont Lees
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