Sharon & Dale Mort with some of their LBC mug collection.
Sharon and Dale Mort both enjoy a good cup of coffee, but it seems to taste just a bit better when sipped from a Lancaster Bible College mug. They should know, as they were branded as the campus mug collectors throughout their various roles at LBC.
Sharon joined the college in 1994 and served as the Human Resources Director until 2005. She started the mug collection after inheriting a few from previous employees. From there, the collection grew and depicted several iterations of the college logo as it changed and evolved.
After Sharon shifted career paths, Dale continued the collection. Dale also began his time at LBC in 1994, serving as Professor and Director of the Degree Completion Program—the precursor to adult and online education—through 2007. In fact, the first online courses at LBC were offered through this program.
Dale then moved into the roles of Director of Institutional Research & Assessment from 2007 to 2011 and Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness from 2011 to 2018. Upon his retirement in 2018, Dale was bestowed the title of Professor Emeritus and continues to serve as a dissertation reader for doctoral students within the Church & Ministry Leadership Department.
In 2018, the mug collection totaled 24, with Dale noting that the number matched his full-time years of service at LBC. Several mugs were gifted to the Morts, some were souvenirs from special events at the college, and others were received at work-related conventions and conferences, such as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education or the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania.
When Dale packed up his office, he wanted the collection to stay on campus, and today many of the mugs remain on a shelf in the office of Chris McNamara, Director of People & Culture.
Looking back on their time at LBC, however, the couple’s memories center on much more than mugs.
“Life-long friendships were made there,” Dale shares, “and even in our retirement years, we still get together with former colleagues on a regular basis.”
Throughout the 2023-24 academic year, Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School will celebrate our 90th anniversary! Here, we introduce our community to “90 Faces of LBC” each week. Keep up with all the news and events of our 90th year, read stories and more at lbc.edu/90.