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by Beau Neal

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Katsion's Latest Scene Includes Customized Tercel

John Katsion found his custom-painted Toyota Tercel on Craig's List in Portland.
--Beal Neal, photo

Over the last two years, Multnomah Bible College's staff parking lots have seen their share of new cars: cars such as Dr. Rob Hildebrand's sleek T-Bird, Dean Kelly Fried's dainty S2000 and oddest of all, new faculty member John Katsion's Toyota Tercel.

Painted on an organic farm from top to bottom with an eclectic array of leaves, dragons, snails and fish, the car is one you'd hardly expect a neatly dressed conservative evangelical to step out from.

Every morning Dr. Katsion drives to campus from his new home in Vancouver, Wash.

The commute represents one more leg in his "long, strange trip," as Jerry Garcia would say.

Born in Omaha, Neb., the middle child in a family of three boys, Dr. Katsion spent most of his childhood in Jamaica and England. His parents were missionaries.

At a young age Dr. Katsion took to the arts, especially acting and directing. On his Super 8 camera, young Dr. Katsion made countless home movies while dreaming of one day becoming a movie director.

"I couldn't act in high school because I was in England, and nobody wanted someone who sounded American. I guess I could have been in 'Grease,'" he said.

After high school, Dr. Katsion attended Pillsbury Baptist Bible College in Owatonna, Minn. Three days into his senior year, John Katsion met Peggy Cooper. Ms. Cooper was a freshman on the drama team with Dr. Katsion.

"She was upset over a break-up; I was there for a shoulder to cry on. We were best friends and in plays together, so I finally asked her out. She said 'yes,' then 'no,' so I had to cut our friendship off completely," Dr. Katsion said.

"Two days later she said, 'I love you too much,'" and the two were together from that day forth.

The summer after graduating from Pillsbury Baptist, Dr. Katsion came close to realizing his childhood movie-directing dream.

Harvest Productions, an evangelistic film company, was producing a movie called "Captured Faith." Dr. Katsion helped build the sets and appeared as a Russian guard.

When the summer ended, Dr. Katsion continued his academic pursuit at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Mankato, Minn.

After graduating from seminary, Dr. Katsion returned to Pillsbury Baptist Bible College to teach. When Thanksgiving break rolled around, Ms. Cooper agreed to travel to Iowa to spend Thanksgiving with his family.

"I was going to drive," she said. "Then he came around to my side of the car and got down on one knee; he looked real nervous. I knew what he was going to ask me."

They married in Colorado, where Ms. Cooper's dad pastored a church. Both of their fathers played a role in the wedding ceremony.

"We always joke that our knot was doubly tied," Mrs. Katsion said.

At that time Dr. Doug Schaak, now an MBC professor, taught English at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College. Dr. Schaak began teaching just before Dr. Katsion left the school. Dr. Schaak remembers Dr. Katsion's unique stride.

"I don't want to call it an Eeyore walk, but it's kinda an Eeyore walk. Slow lumbering, casual gate," Dr. Schaak said.

The Katsions bounced from school to school. Dr. Katsion gained experience teaching at many secular universities and community colleges. Whoever said a rolling stone gathers no moss was wrong in the case of the Katsion family.

Before winding up in Hannibal, Mo., in 1999, the Katsions had doubled their family members with the births of two boys: Jacob and Lincoln.

Dr. Katsion taught public speaking, ran a drama club, directed plays and built sets at Hannibal-LaGrange College for the next seven years. Elijah Katsion was born two years after the family moved to Hannibal, making the Katsions a family of five.

Heartache filled the remaining years in Hannibal as two of the Katsions' infants--one girl and one boy--passed away. They said they needed a clean break. Dr. Katsion accepted a job at MBC as the speech communication professor.

Mrs. Katsion said, "It was rough. Moving here [to the Northwest] has helped me a lot. New horizons. We're supposed to close on a house this week and move one more time. It will actually be the first house we've owned."

Every Friday at lunch, Dr. Katsion meets with speech lab instructors Rick Witner and Anna Wagenhals. He said the meetings are marked with laughter, usually at one another's expense.

After lunch, Dr. Katsion returns to his office one last time before heading out to his car. The office, like his car, is among the most fascinating on campus. The office is uniquely "Katsion."

It's messy, but not Professor Pothen or Dr. Scalberg messy: messy like someone who hasn't quite moved everything into its proper place. A collection of old movie cameras sit on a shelf next to pictures of his former speech and drama students.

Briefcase in hand, Dr. Katsion walks his "Eeyore" gate out the front doors of Sutcliffe and back to the car that looks like a product of the Merry Pranksters. He heads home to play with his three sons and Eddie, the family dog.

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