Donald L. Pannabecker, Bluffton University emeritus faculty member, whose university tenure extended from 1964 to 1997, died on Jan. 17. His obituary is HERE.

By Fred Steiner
Bluffton Icon founder

Legend has it that Don Pannabecker arrived as a freshman at Bluffton College in a new 1954 Oldsmobile 98, driven by his mother… all the way from Peoria, Illinois. He brought with him a cello and a remarkably dry sense of humor.

Don’s choice of college, no doubt selected at birth by his parents, became a benefit to all who live in Bluffton. His contribution confirms the long-standing perception that Bluffton is such an interesting place because of the variety of people who call it home.

To his credit, he eventually became the college vice president, provost and academic dean. But it wasn't for those achievements that he made the front page of the Bluffton News. Instead, his front-page debut occurred in 1957 as a mug shot. He appeared as an Amish man in the college musical production of “Plain and Fancy.” 

Don’s family relationship with Bluffton University stretches over a century. A second-generation Bluffton student, his parents were Lloyd from Petoskey, Michigan, class of 1917, and Lelia Roth Pannabecker from Gibson City, Illinois, class of 1920. In the greater Pannabecker family, over a dozen became Bluffton alumni, each second- or third-generation students.

Like so many Bluffton students, Don, class of 1958, married college classmate, Romaine Clemens from Souderton, Pennsylvania. Don and Romaine with their three children, Dina, Cheryl and Tim, eventually settled on Campus Drive, in a home built by an earlier Bluffton dean and his wife, Noah and Emma Byers.

Don’s childhood experience was unlike anyone who is reading this column. While each of us has seen photographs of the Great Wall of China, Don actually walked it before he was in grade school. His father and uncle – Bluffton grads and identical twins, Lloyd and Floyd – served as Mennonite missionaries in China in the 1930s.

Don’s most exceptional gift may have been public speaking. He once calculated that he preached 1,032 times as a Presbyterian minister. As emcee of Don Schweingruber’s retirement celebration that extended toward midnight in Founders Hall, Don Pannabecker’s impromptu announcement that “breakfast will soon be served in Marbeck,” left the audience in stitches.

In 1997, speaking about legendary Bluffton coach A.C. Burcky, Don’s statement in a college news release read: "A part of each of us died with him yesterday; and much of him will live on to influence all who are part of this campus community.”

In 2007, speaking at the memorial service for the university baseball players killed in the Atlanta bus accident, Don spoke these words: “Through tears, darkness gives way to light." He described how Bluffton’s small-town values have been reflected in Atlanta’s overflowing "cup of compassion," creating a bond of similarity between an Ohio village and a southern city.  And then he called the roll. It was called seven times and each time the names were read, more people in the gym dropped their heads and wept.

His speaking creativity was also clearly evident when, at the very last hour, a scheduled university commencement speaker unexpectedly died. An anxious university president shared the situation with Don. Within 24 hours, Don crafted and presented the commencement address.

Few persons realized that Don installed a CB radio in the family vehicle during that 1970s craze. He shared this account of its use during a family trip – Don had a beard and dark hair at the time. Listening to truckers pass the family on an interstate, he overheard the mentioning of a “Jewish rabbi” whom a trucker recently passed. The rabbi reference, apparently to Don, brought the family to a considerable hoot. Especially since Don was a graduate of McCormick Theological Seminary, a world-recognized Presbyterian institution. 

Asked if Rabbi became his CB handle, his response came with his dry and signature grin. Rest in peace, Don. Thanks for making Bluffton such an interesting community.