Calling all couples: A look at Linfield’s married co-workers

Working on our beautiful campus are many married professors, staff and administrators who you may not know are couples. Here, they share their knowledge and passion for life with each other and their involvement in our Wildcat community. This is part two in the series of Q-and-A stories with Wildcats who have tied the knot.

Irv Wiswall &
Susan Barnes Whyte

Family picture during Christmas 2010. (from left to right) Susan Barnes Whyte; Linh Tang and Tang’s sister; Susan’s mom, Ann; Susan’s son, Jeremy; Irv’s daughter, Oona; Irv’s son, Morgan; Irv; Irv’s granddaughter, Xander; Susan’s daughter, Hallie; Susan’s son-in-law, Giovanni; and Irv’s granddaughter, Cadence.

Irv William Wiswall, chief technology officer for Integrated Technology Services, grew up on a farm in upstate New York. He went to Cornell University in the 1960s and earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture and master’s degree in developmental sociology from Cornell University.
Irv has worked in the technology departments at various educational institutions. In 1992, he came to Linfield with his former wife and three children.
Susan Barnes Whyte, library director, earned a bachelor’s degree in French from Earlham College and a master’s degree in library science from Emory University. She came to Linfield in 1990 as a single parent with a 5-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son. At that time, she was a reference librarian. She became library director in 2000. Susan and Irv began dating in October 1996 and are now married.

Irv (left) and his little sister and brother at their family farm when Irv was 8 years old.

How did you meet at Linfield?
Susan: I asked him to meet with me because I was looking for a job at the research institute at which Irv had previously worked. I wanted his advice.
Irv: Our first significant date was on Halloween Day. We had dinner at my house.

How do you like Linfield?
Susan: I like Linfield a lot — the students, my colleagues and working in the wonderful library. We work hard for Linfield, but Linfield also gives us a lot of opportunities.
Irv: I like the work environment where I make it as efficient as possible.

What do you think of your spouse working at Linfield as well? What do you like and dislike about it?
Susan: We have similar views and are both workaholics, but we run our dog twice a day and it helps us to relax. Irv likes rafting. I travel a lot professionally and the time we are away is to get different perspectives. A small place such as Linfield doesn’t have too much to accomplish, so the challenge is feeling that I am doing enough. In the end, our students turn out pretty well, so that’s what we are focusing on.
Irv: We share a lot of opinions about work frequently. We help each other to understand what’s going on at Linfield. We also work together sometimes. ITS has many responsibilities with library computer system. The fact that our work overlaps is pretty helpful for Linfield and for us. We have some disagreements while we talk about work, but we have a good way of compromising.

A snapshot of Irv from his Cornell University years in 1970s. Photos courtesy of Irv Wiswall

Are things different between you when you work together and when you are at home?
Susan: We don’t usually distinguish between home and work, particularly during the school year, and we often talk about work at home. That’s just the way our lives blend because so many of our work responsibilities overlap, whether we are working with the same people or having the same problems.
We tell funny stories at our meetings and at home. I don’t think there is much of a difference between who we are at home and who we are at work, except at home we can tell stories we never tell at work. That’s the whole point of having a family separated from work.
Irv: A lot of people keep their home life and work life separate. We are just who we are.

Would your children like to go to Linfield?
Susan: My daughter graduated from Linfield in 2007, and my son went to Southern Oregon University.

Terry & Vivian Wymore

Terry Wymore, administrative services manger of Capital Planning & Development, and his wife Vivian Wymore, accounts payable & purchasing manager, have been married for 35 years.

Vivian Wymore is accounts payable and purchasing manager in the Student Accounts/Cashier Office.
Terry Wymore is administrative services manger of Capital Planning & Development.

How long have you been at Linfield?
Vivian: I have been at Linfield since November 1992, so more than 18 years.
Terry: I started at Linfield in June 2003, so almost eight years. We have been married 35 years. We live in Carlton and commute together.

Why did you two decide to come to Linfield?
Vivian: I was looking for a part-time job when I started because our family was younger and I wanted to be available for them. I started my career at Linfield in the bookstore. Unfortunately, the part-time status only lasted about nine months, but it all worked out.
Terry: A position became open in the facilities department, and Vivian mentioned it to me because she thought it would be a good fit with my skills. I applied and landed the position.

How do you like Linfield?
Vivian: I have met so many nice people and students throughout the years and have learned a lot about the college environment because of the different positions I have held. It has allowed us to send all three of our children to college, for which we are truly grateful. When I started at Linfield, I knew very little about the college and campus even though I had grown up in Yamhill County.
Terry: I enjoy what I am doing, and it’s an interesting place to work. I really enjoy the opportunities to work with students.

What do you think of your spouse working at Linfield as well? What do you like and dislike about it?
Terry: I like that we can commute and have lunch together on occasion. I don’t like that we bring work home or that it seems to always to pop up through conversation.
Vivian: It was hard for me at first, being used to having my own identity at Linfield, to share it with Terry. I had to learn to share my work world and my time to run errands. Over time, I believe we have grown closer because of the challenges we have faced and worked through.

Are things different between you when you work together and when you are at home?
Vivian: Of course! We have to be professional, but I would hope that if you see us together, you would know we are a couple. At home I may not be as nice to Terry as I might be at work.
Terry: I would have to second that.

Would your children like to go to Linfield?
Vivian: Our oldest daughter graduated from Linfield in 2001. Our son chose to attend George Fox University and our youngest daughter will be graduating from George Fox University, on April 30, 2011.

by Jaffy Xiao/Features editor
Jaffy Xiao can be reached at [email protected].