How can we not relish the irony that the man who does it all has one of the shortest first names in the world? Even his job title, quite possibly the longest of any Whitworth staff member, leaves out a whole host of things that Tad Wisenor does. The Director of Annual Giving, Alumni, Parent & Church Relations has also advised Whitworth's yearbook for most of the last 14 years, is involved with facilities planning, has helped lead the sustainability crusade on campus, and as an '89 alumnus, just knows a lot of stuff about Whitworth. Even his two-year-old son, Samuel Warren, was serendipitously born on Whitworth's Founder's Day (and you can guess the origin of the middle name). He's pretty Whitworth-y, just as an alumni director should be, and graciously, he agreed to subject himself to 10 questions that aren't asked of him enough.
 What is your favorite Whitworth yearbook and why?
My favorite volume is always the one we are currently working on. If pressed, 1994 was my first as adviser, and will always be important to me.
Would you rather spend the rest of your life denying Elvis' existence, or never allowing Sam to watch any of the Star Wars trilogy?
It is more important to me that my son see Star Wars, so I would rather deny Elvis' existence, though either choice would pain me greatly.
Three adjectives that describe you as a child:
Observant, Awkward, Exuberant
If you could share a meal with any Whitworth person, dead or alive, who would it be (and where would you eat)?
Frank Warren. Commelini's. I don't imagine he would prefer to eat somewhere particularly upscale. The place hasn't changed much since he might have frequented it, and I don't want the meal to get in the way of our conversation, but I want it to be good.
What's the craziest thing you've ever done to raise money?
Convinced a longtime Whitworth faculty member who'd had a very long beard for most of his adult life to shave it off if students raised more money for summer missions than faculty who didn't want to look at his clean shaven face.
With a name like Tad, has anyone attempted giving you a nickname?
Fewer people have resisted the temptation to give me a nickname. Apparently, monosyllabic names just beg for another syllable or two.
Dream alumni trip (money not an issue):
Can't pick one. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in spring; New Zealand and Australia; South Africa; Israel; Scandinavia; Thailand; basically anywhere cool we haven't been already.
What's one thing from your time as a Whitworth student you wish they'd bring back for current students?
Forum. 11:15 to noon every Monday and Friday. 26 times a semester and you had to get 13 to get the credit. It was required and introduced the campus to speakers and performers that many students would not have likely chosen to attend on their own. Several things I saw and heard in Forum still stay with me today.
Your desert island Whitworth text book (or other required reading):
The reading list for Laura Bloxham's Religious Themes in Modern Lit class circa 1988. I discovered several of my favorite authors in that class, including Robertson Davies and Frederick Buechner. Also, everyone should read The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.
If you had to write a book about your work at Whitworth, what would the title be?
Consider the Pine Cone
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