DAVID & ALLENE BLANCHARD
A Lifetime of Service
In the summer of 1949, my dad drove me to the campus of Marion College and went with me to register. Giving me the $5 room deposit he said, “Son, that is about all I can manage at this time.” Toward the end of my Senior year, Howard Noggle informed me an anonymous contributor paid the $70 I owed to graduate debt-free. I have long suspected Noggle was that donor.
I graduated in May 1953 with a bachelor’s in religion and the knowledge that God wasn’t calling me to be a minister, which bothered me. That summer, I went to the University of Louisville’s enrollment office to explore options for further education. I candidly discussed with the admissions chief my dilemma in deciding what new major to peruse. He suggested I might enjoy physics and recommended that I meet with the chairman of the physics department. Only later did I learn their chairman was a respected physicist who had worked on the Manhattan Project and was a devout Christian. What a role model!
After completing the requirements for a bachelor’s in physics, I was disappointed to learn UofL would not grant a second bachelor’s degree. So, I pressed on toward a master’s in physics, which consumed another two years. By then, the draft board was after me. Korea was ending, so I volunteered for the Critical Skills program, which involved six months of active duty and six-and-a-half years of active reserves in the Army. I finished typing my master’s thesis while sitting on my GI footlocker during basic training. At the same time, Marion College asked me to come teach math and science. I accepted.
In my first faculty meeting, I briefly introduced myself to the music teachers, Allene Horne and Caroline Pocock. Allene taught Music Appreciation and individual piano lessons to several beginning students as well as those needing the basic skills to satisfy teaching requirements.
“At Marion College, I learned to know and appreciate devout Christian professors. Their prayers were so reverent and respectful of God and reflected their concern for and love of their students. This made an impression on me that has lasted all the way to today.”
ALLENE BLANCHARD
“David and Allene are wonderful examples of how God uses people from humble beginnings to do extraordinary things. Their prayers and generosity toward a place that brought them together many years ago, IWU, has made a tremendous impact that will be felt for generations. We are honored by their friendship.
JOHN JONES Vice President for University Advancement
Shortly after Christmas break, I was asked to improve the chapel PA system. When I went to work on the system, I discovered Allene practicing on the grand piano in preparation for a recital at a future chapel. Once I’d fixed the PA system, I waited for Allene to take a break and asked her to speak into the mic while I listened in an overflow room. I then walked up to the platform and asked her out to dinner.
She was surprised but promised to give me a yes or no later that afternoon. It was a yes. Weeks later I learned she and her roommate had an arrangement for preparing dinners, and she wanted to check with her first, which just made me respect her more. I took us to a steakhouse near campus, which was the best place to eat-out in Marion (out of all two options). When we came out after dinner there was a very light snowfall. Heading toward where I had parked my car, I saw no vehicle and no tracks in the snow. I told Allene that I thought I had parked my car in that area. She agreed. Going back into the restaurant, I explained our problem and asked to use their phone. The owners were closing but said they’d take us back to campus. The next morning, I found my car parked beside a coal pile behind the Administration building! I had mentioned to a student friend that I had a date that evening, and he, along with some other students, had found where I’d parked and towed my car back to campus!
Serving as a faculty member in the 1950s was a largely positive experience. I thoroughly enjoyed observing students learn, and many students were siblings or close relatives of my former classmates. I had been prepared for teaching by my time at Louisville, but there were significant differences. At Marion College, it was okay to speak about Christian concepts, to talk about God’s hands in the laws of the universe, and to open the class with prayer.
Unfortunately, salaries were quite low. We estimated it would be very difficult for the two of us to live on our combined Marion College salaries. During the fall of 1958, I took a Civil Service job with the Navy, which paid nearly double. I served in Navy R&D for six years as a Civil Servant.
I spent the next 17 years in NASA R&D as a Civil Servant at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The first six years were spent in guidance and control of satellites, including a 1,500-foot antenna array. NASA supported me financially while I was also completing work on a Ph.D. in Applied Physics. This was followed by 11 years of increasing responsibility in the Mission and Data Operations Directorate, where I became deputy director and was promoted to the senior executive service. Spacecraft missions I worked on included the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform series and the HUBBLE Space Telescope.
My favorite activity during these 17 years was serving on independent review teams. This involved international travel at least once a quarter and working with several different cultures and engineering styles from various countries as we helped them move into space exploration. It was as exciting as it was time-consuming. After NASA, I spent 17 years in private industry.
Throughout the years, Allene’s and my relationships with the administration, board members, and professors at IWU have continued. Returning for Homecoming was always great for renewing fellowship with classmates, former students, and respected professors. I also enjoyed helping former President Barnes start his advisory board, assisting in creating Wesley Seminary, and participating on the IWU Board until age and winter travel induced me to retire. It was so invigorating and rewarding to participate in the growth and changes at IWU.
Allene notes, “At Marion College, I learned to know and appreciate devout Christian professors. Their prayers were so reverent and respectful of God and reflected their concern for and love of their students. This made an impression on me that has lasted all the way to today.”
Meeting at IWU and marrying has blessed us now for 67 years. Allene has been by my side as work moved us around the country—and even over-seas. She continues to be a spiritual inspiration to me, to our two children, and to our four grandchildren. No matter where we’ve gone, we’ve gone there together, safe in the Lord’s hands.