John and Barbara were newlyweds when they moved to Alaska in 1962. Fresh out of seminary and newly ordained a Methodist minister, John was appointed to the Kenai Parish of three churches spread over 100 miles on the Kenai Peninsula. Barbara remembers this was a time when Alaska was a young state with an emerging economy, the state government and developing boroughs were seeking an identity, and the average age of a resident was mid-20’s. John and Barbara were part of all of this and found their intended 3-year stay in Alaska stretching out to 33 years in six different appointments before moving to Auburn, Washington.
Their association with APU dates to when John was recruited for service in Alaska by Dr. Fred McGinnis, president of AMU in its earliest years and former superintendent of the Alaska Mission of the Methodist Church. From their first year in Alaska, the Shaffers participated in events at the University even though they lived on the Kenai.
Barbara, a Trustee Emerita, was elected to the APU Board of Trustees in the fall of 1977 when the school had just re-opened after being closed for a year. During her 31 years on the board, she served on various committees and was awarded the University Medal in 2009. Today, she continues to serve as chair of APU’s Leah J. Peterson Condo Committee.
Barbara and John have both been extremely active in the community. Her employment and volunteer responsibilities have included Special Assistant to the Governor for Northwest Alaska, Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, United Methodist Higher Education Foundation, Faith Foundation Northwest, and numerous United Methodist agencies at the local and national levels. John served as a pastor over 50 years in Illinois, Alaska, and Washington. Additionally, he served as president of the Alaska Conference of Churches, on the RuralCAP board, president of the Greater Anchorage Community Action Agency, and in retirement raised awareness and funds for Mobility Worldwide.
The Shaffers are passionate about the importance of post-secondary education and recognize funding is a key factor. They established an endowed APU scholarship in Barbara’s name with their first Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend check. They have also established three additional endowed scholarships, including one for students in the DR Congo in Africa.
