Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Elizabeth Cutting (née Hill), an alumni of Eastern University. She arrived at Eastern (back when it was known as Eastern Baptist College) in the Fall of 1954 and majored in Christian Education. Her family has quite a history with EU, as her father and two of her brothers also graduated.
Throughout our conversation, it was clear that Cutting loved Eastern and that it meant a lot to her. She said that her professors taught her “that I should trust myself, that I had more ability to do the things that I wanted to do than I was giving myself credit for.” “Eastern was a protected place. I never felt anything but safe there. We weren’t closed in or anything like that; it just felt like a good place to be,” she added.
Cutting emphasized how Eastern’s identity as a Christian university is important to her. She expressed concern at the possibility of Eastern losing its faith in Jesus, but was encouraged when she received an email from a female coach at Eastern about praying before games. “I like faith being up front. It’s a thing that is really important to me in all of life, and I mourn it being lost in our society.”
Cutting now lives in New Hampshire. She is active in her church: in particular, she mentioned that she writes articles for the newsletter and is a member of the search committee for a new pastor. She spends time with her family (including great-grandchildren), and enjoys fruit-picking, Wordle, crosswords, and reading. She has written a book called Oil of Joy, a work of historical fiction exploring the week leading up to Christ’s resurrection.
As we wrapped up our interview, she offered some encouragement to students at Eastern. “Keep up the good work. Don’t give up. Keep the faith.” As I shut down the Zoom call, and as I am writing these words, I can’t help thinking about the legacy of Eastern University. Thousands of students have walked this campus, made memories here. And their lives did not end when they graduated; what Eastern taught them has remained a part of them for their entire lives. That is something worth thinking about.