Families enjoy a summer concert in the Linfield Oak Grove. The campus is a popular setting for local events, and the college sponsors many high-quality programs, which frequently are free for area residents. News-Register file photo

“If you leave a thing alone, you leave it to a torrent of change. If you leave a white post alone, it will soon be a black post. If you particularly want it to be white you must be always painting it again ... . If you want the old white post, you must have a new white post. But this, which is true even of inanimate things, is, in a quite special sense, true of all human things. An almost unnatural vigilance is really required of the citizen because of the horrible rapidity with which human institutions grow old.”

G.K. Chesterton

Commentary
By John McKeegan and Carole Burcham

Next week marks the kickoff of the 36th annual Partners in Progress fundraising campaign, in which McMinnville and county residents offer their support to Linfield College. Partners in Progress is a wonderful example of the way an old relationship — town and gown have grown together for more than 150 years now — is kept new and vital with dedicated vigilance and support.

Happily for all parties, both the community and the college have no interest in leaving each other alone. The benefits of the continued working alliance embodied in Partners in Progress are vast. Contributions support four primary causes, supplying “fresh paint” to programs of key interest to everyone: scholarships for Yamhill County students, Nicholson Library, Linfield Chamber Orchestra and Wildcat athletics.

Scholarship support, which makes the Linfield experience more readily available to deserving young people in Yamhill County, is an obvious way for citizens and the college to revitalize the area and each other. No one can doubt that putting our future leaders in a better position to make a difference will benefit the community for decades to come.

Moreover, all citizens of McMinn-ville are eligible for a free library card to Nicholson Library. The entire community has ready access, not only to the ages-old wisdom of the printed word, but also to state-of-the-art technology, author readings and lectures. Such an open relationship with a college library is unique.

The Linfield Chamber Orchestra shines like a jewel in the area’s performing arts crown. Old classics come alive and are made new, while modern composers are introduced, all to the delight of appreciative audiences. Not just ticket holders enjoy the performances; each spring, the orchestra (with assistance from McMinnville Education Foundation) gives a free concert for fourth graders in nearby school districts.

Finally, the ongoing tradition of success enjoyed by Wildcat athletes offers a special combination of old and new in which the college and the community can take pride. At 53 years, the Wildcats have the longest consecutive winning streak in college football history. But the thrill of moving onward to victory is always new, whether on the gridiron, the basketball court or softball and baseball diamonds.

All these shared endeavors are sustained and revitalized by the Partners in Progress campaign.

The honor roll of community leaders leading PIP since its inception is impressive. Through the decades, representatives from business, professional and volunteer arenas have spearheaded successful campaigns. Their efforts have been more than matched by the thousands of donors who have contributed to this important effort. Millions of dollars have been raised since 1974, when Dr. Harry Dillin, a long-time president of the college, and Eugene Marsh, a local attorney and civic leader, announced the first drive. From the start, when it reached a goal measured in the tens of thousands, PIP has achieved tremendous success. This year’s campaign, which begins Sept. 22, will seek to raise $520,000 from the local community. The PIP Steering Committee is confident that, once again, the community will play its part in keeping a venerable relationship vitally alive.

In our view, one simple word explains the constant nurturing by and mutual progress of the community and college — love. At the heart of the matter, love of lifelong learning, of the arts and of healthy competition are distinguishing features of healthy, vibrant societies. Both Linfield College and the McMinnville community recognize and treasure their relationship for this reason, and Partners in Progress offers an exceptional opportunity for your participation. We welcome your involvement in, once again, making the old brand new with a contribution or a pledge.

For more information about PIP, visit www.linfield.edu/pip or call 503-883-2492. Or join the campaign early at www.support.linfield.edu/give_now.

Guest writer John McKeegan, legal counsel for Linfield College, is a member of the Haugeberg, Rueter law firm in McMinnville. Guest writer Carole Burcham is cwhairing the Partners in Progress Steering Committee. She is retired after 24 years as a jeweler and gem specialist in McMinnville.