Mrs. Evelyn Trodahl Chynoweth ’68
Chair, Comenius Society Subcommittee
About You
What is your personal motto?
Community.
How do you spend your free time?
Sometimes I wonder, “What free time?” I volunteer at several places—the food pantry at Central Moravian Church, supporting the international students at Moravian University, sitting on several local boards, and an occasional task at Moravian University. Those are my “care for others” activities. For myself, I love to read, exercise (walks are critical!), and spend time with family, none of whom are local. My husband and I also love to travel, so we are trying to fit in as much as we can while we are still able to enjoy being on the go.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I’m pretty much an open book. People who don’t know me are interested in my experiences as a child growing up in the remote Kuskokwim Delta area in Alaska, so that upbringing and then finding myself first in the east and then in the corporate world always shocked my colleagues. The silliest thing about my past? I was on a trampoline team that performed at a professional wrestling match in North Dakota when I was in high school. That’s a good one for the ice breaker game ‘tell me three things about you, with one being a lie.’
Who at Moravian most influenced you and how?
Although I came in as a math major, I have to say that the language professors influenced me the most. I’ve often told former English department chairman Dr. Robert Burcaw about my memory as a freshman getting an F on my first paper. That was new for me. He gave me a life lesson that I’ve never forgotten: Stop trying to be something you are not—write from your heart. (I did get an A on my next paper!)
What advice would you give to a current student?
Take advantage of every opportunity afforded to you. Spread your wings. Take a couple classes that will expand your horizons, even if you aren’t sure you are interested in the topic. Get involved in the community (university and local). Learn, live, love. Whatever you experience here will influence you for the rest of your life, so make that experience as rich as possible. And when you succeed in life, come back. Give back. You will make a difference.
Why is it important for you to serve/volunteer?
Serving others was always a part of my family and my upbringing. It is in my DNA. I am blessed to have some resources and some skills that can make a difference, and it is wonderful to be able to share them.
How do you believe Lighting the Way will help our students, their future, and the next generation?
I can only point to the new spaces and services that will be available. To attract the kinds of professors, students, and support staff who can make a difference, we need to upgrade spaces and offerings so that we can compete effectively. Availability of financial aid is critical to attract the variety of students we want on campus. Current students will be the lifeblood of future generations as they become the active alumni that many of us have become.
What are you most excited to see Lighting the Way make possible for Moravian?
My class’s response to support Mo’s Cupboard is totally exciting! What a glorious way to support the basic needs that support our students. Shout out to the Class of ’68!
To read the full-length versions of these excerpted profiles, visit moravian.edu/lightingtheway/leadership.
