On May 6, ECLA thanked Dick and Barb Shriver for their years of commitment to the college in an intricate surprise celebration involving the entire ECLA community.
The Shrivers moved to Berlin in 2002 when Dick took over as College Provost. He led ECLA for three years, which saw the development of the Academy Year and Project Year curricula; the introduction of ECLA Annual Conference and the Business Seminars into the academic year; the inception of ECLA’s Alumni Programme; and enormous improvements in the campus and in the residential life of the college. Together Dick and Barb started ECLA’s bluegrass group, 3 Chords and the Truth. Barb’s energy and enthusiasm during bluegrass jam sessions, choir rehearsals, and impromptu dinners at the Shriver house have made her very popular with the students ever since she arrived on campus. Barb is also ECLA’s first archivist.
The festivities began early Saturday morning when the entire ECLA community and some special guests gathered at the end of Kuckhoffstraße for a historical tram ride through Berlin. A vintage tram picked the group up and stopped again two stations later where the Shrivers were expecting to board the regular M1 for brunch in Prenzlauer Berg. They were completely surprised by the “ECLA Tram” and delighted to find their two sons, both live in the U.S., among the passengers.
The celebration continued in the garden of Waldstraße 70, where guests enjoyed the beautiful spring weather, live music and a delicious buffet prepared by ECLA’s gourmet chef Roger Langkamp and his team. During the luncheon, ECLA President Laurent Boetsch, Mayor Burkhard Kleinert of Pankow, President of the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation Julie Kidd, and PY Programme Director Thomas Norgaard all thanked the Shrivers for their dedication and service to the college.
Dick Shriver’s tenure as College Provost ended last summer and since then he has been teaching the electives: Global Affairs and Persuasive Oratory, while also serving as the Director of Alumni Relations and coordinating the Business Seminars. The Shrivers return to the U.S. in July but will continue their work for ECLA from afar.