Dr. Cora Sparrowk has dedicated over 20 years to Eastern University and to honor that dedication on Oct. 19, one of our newer residence halls, North Campus Hall, will be named after her.
As with every dedication, the recipient is one of high character and one which the Eastern community can emulate.
Sparrowk has been associated with Eastern for quite some time. She began as a volunteer and then became a member of the board of trustees in 1981. Though she lives in northern California, she takes about three trips a year to Eastern to attend board meetings.
Her achievements as an early female leader are noteworthy. She served as president of American Baptist Churches USA and as the vice president of the Baptist World Alliance, which has over 20 million Baptists worldwide. Additionally, Sparrowk and her husband John established a major denominational award to honor American Baptists for distinguished lifelong Christian service.
According to Senior Vice President Tom Ridington, “Although different variables come to play [in this process], the naming is to honor [Sparrowk’s] service and raise her for example.”
Sparrowk’s initial passion in her early years at Eastern was for Palmer Seminary, and of all the American Baptist denominationally affiliated schools in the country, it is with Eastern that Sparrowk felt most theologically aligned.
Sparrowk’s own granddaughter attended Eastern as an undergraduate and now attends one of Eastern’s graduate programs.
“It is an utmost compliment to an institution when its own board members encourage their own kin to attend,” said Ridington. “That always says a great deal about how they feel about the place.”
As stated on the plaque that will garnish the residence hall, “[Sparrowk’s] commitment to Eastern University and to the church and society Eastern serves is exceptional in matters of faith, wisdom and charity.”