JUHNKE, William Ernest "Bill"

JUHNKE, RUNKLE, CURTIS, MCCLAIN, DEBARTHE, SZILAGYI, SORENSEN, BOLTON, RUSSELL

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 1/17/2016 at 05:34:44

BIOGRAPHY ~ William Ernest "Bill" Juhnke, Jr.
Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa

William Ernest "Bill" Juhnke, Jr. was born in Halstead, Kansas, on January 26, 1945. He earned his B.A. degree in history from Bethel College in 1967, then attended Chicago Theology Seminary before completing his Ph.D. in U.S. history at the University of Kansas in 1974. He joined Graceland's Division of Social Studies that fall as a member of the history faculty.

Studnets have become acquainted with Bill through such courses as Racism and Discrimination and the pre- and post-Civil War classes in U. S. History. In his classes, Bill has frequently used simulation games to facilitate students' instruction. He has also had numerous appointments to the F. Henry Edwards Chair of Religious Studies, during which he developed Graceland's peace studies minor that was introduced in 1992.

Bill received Graceland's Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1984.

* * *

William "Bill" Juhnke Jr., The 'Professor of Peace' Retires

Horizons, Graceland University, Lamoni, Decatur County, Iowa
Spring, 2009, Page 15

When Graceland was hiring a new history professor in 1974, an historian friend told Paul Edwards about “a Mennonite kid from Kansas who would fit in well at Graceland.” And so Bill Juhnke was hired. He and his wife Carita bought “the Runkle home” from Jerry ’34 and Wilma Runkle, and have enjoyed their abode for 35 years. They have raised three children, Kevin ‘90, Eric ‘92, and Carrie ’00 Edwards, all Graceland grads. Eric followed in his father’s footsteps. He now teaches history at Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa.

Bill’s experience walking in the Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights march in 1965 was a transforming experience, as shown in his selection of a Ph.D. dissertation on President Truman’s Civil Rights Commission. Throughout his career at Graceland he has taught a popular course on the civil rights movement. An outstanding teacher and a great story teller, Bill received the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1984.

Bill’s classes made history come alive. Roger Launius ’76 was the Chief Historian at NASA for many years and is now at the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian. Roger recalls that Bill “brought a wealth of insight and reflection to his teaching. His class on the American West set me on course for my studies in the history of the American West in graduate school. His dedicated teaching and humor has been a great inspiration for me ever since.”

Susan Curtis ’77 has been a professor of history at Purdue University for many years. She said, “Bill made me want to be a historian. He modeled scholarly inquiry and critical thinking. He made history more than a collection of interesting stories about the past. In his capable hands history became for me a way of critically seeking truth, ever conscious of its elusive nature.”

Ken McClain ’79, who chairs the Graceland Board of Trustees, said “Few professors can claim to have transformed a student’s life. Bill taught me the value of considering a point of view that was not my own. This opened my eyes to discover a world that I never would have known existed. It has made all the difference.” “My high school classes were all about memorizing names and dates – ugh,” recalls Business Division Professor Linda DeBarthe ’86. “But when I got to Graceland and took U. S. History from master story teller Bill Juhnke, I discovered that history is really about the human story.” Hungarian graduate Flora Szilagyi ’94 said, “I met Bill two decades ago when he took a Winter Term class to Budapest. I was immediately blown away by Bill’s warmth and friendliness, qualities I had not associated with professors. A few years later, as his student and teaching assistant, I was grateful he let me lead class discussions and share my experience of growing up in Central Europe. Bill was a consummate teacher, 100 percent dedicated to his students.”

Travis Sorensen ’07 is a graduate student in history at the University of Iowa. “I took his classes, he was my academic advisor and I was his faculty assistant for two years, so I’ve experienced the full Juhnke treatment. I fondly remember his cluttered office and the week I spent reorganizing his file cabinet. He was an important part of my Graceland experience.”

Over the years about a dozen history senior seminar papers have been published. One recent paper was published as a book, Apostle of the Poor: The Life and Work of Missionary and Humanitarian Charles D. Neff by Matthew Bolton ’01. Matthew recalls, “As an advisor, mentor, teacher and boss, Bill was incredibly kind to me and challenged me to be both a rigorous scholar and a committed, engaged citizen. He believes intellectuals should be vigorously involved in public debate, guiding a new generation of activists and correcting the misinformation of the powerful.” A few years after the Community of Christ decided in 1984 to include a strong peace theme in its ministry,

Bill was appointed to the F. Henry Edwards Chair of Religious Studies and was charged to lead the development of a Peace Studies program here. Since then Bill has served on the Peace Studies Committee and taught the entry course for the Peace Studies minor.

Bill’s inspiring teaching will not be missed entirely because of his retirement. He has agreed to teach part time next year. Graceland is indebted to Bill Juhnke for his contribution to our mission.

Bill Russell
Professor Emeritus

SOURCE: Goehner, David. "The Graceland College Book of Knowledge: From A To Z." p. 421. Herald House. Independence MO. 1997.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, December of 2015

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