Dunder, George (1927–2012)

By Godfrey K. Sang

Godfrey K. Sang is a historical researcher and writer with an interest in Adventist history. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of Eastern Africa Baraton and a number of qualifications from other universities. He is a published author. He is the co-author of the book On the Wings of a Sparrow: How the Seventh-day Adventist Church Came to Western Kenya.

First Published: December 11, 2023

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George Dunder served with his wife, Virginia, as a missionary to Kenya and Tanzania.

Early Life

George Dunder was born on April 30, 1927, in Dugger, Indiana, to Fred and Ola E. Dunder. He began attending Sabbath School at the little Salem country church at the age of four. He was deeply interested in music, so the church’s pianist taught him to play. He graduated from the Indiana Academy in 1945 before attending the Emmanuel Missionary College (now Andrews University). It was here that he studied to become an educator.¹ In 1947, he became a church school teacher for the Indiana Conference.² He taught at Vincennes, Tell City, Evansville, and Indianapolis. He then joined the U.S. military, serving in the Korean War as a non-combatant. Upon his discharge from the military, he attended Butler University, graduating with an M.A. in Educational Administration.³

On June 30, 1950, he married Virginia, who became his lifelong companion. They would be the parents of three boys – Terrence (b. 1953), Neil (b. 1955), and Roger (b. 1959).

After he received his M.A., he rejoined the church educational system and was appointed a school principal for the Indianapolis Junior Academy. He remained there until 1959 when he moved to Tennessee after he was appointed as the principal of the Elizabethton Adventist Academy. He remained in Tennessee until 1963.

Missionary to Tanzania

In December 1963, the Dunders left for Tanzania to begin their mission service at the Ikizu Training School that had been established by Adventist missionaries in 1911.⁴ They had received a service call to mission work, and after much prayer and supplication, they chose to go. They travelled in a cargo ship – a freighter, not a passenger ship, which carried the entire family. They arrived in Mombasa after several weeks at sea. They travelled by train to Kisumu and by steamer to Musoma, and then by road to Ikizu. They arrived at Ikizu early in 1964. The school at that time was under Principal James Bradfield (1960-1964). They began by learning about the Waikizu people of northern Tanzania and learned to speak Kiswahili. There were several other missionary families at Ikizu. George Dunder taught English and biology, while his wife taught religion.⁵ In 1964, Dunder took charge of the secondary school while M. C. Johnson took over the teacher training.⁶ He would make many changes, including applying to have Ikizu to become a full secondary school.

In 1965, Ikizu had achieved the status of a fully recognized secondary school, officially registered with the government as an authorized center for conducting Cambridge O-level (and later National) certificate examinations.⁷ The teacher training program at Ikizu played a crucial role in providing certified teachers to the Seventh-day Adventist primary schools in Tanzania. Dunder is well remembered for his work along these lines.

The teacher-training program consistently produced well-trained teachers who went on to pursue further ministerial courses and currently hold important positions within the Union. Special emphasis was placed on Bible teaching and practical evangelism, and upon graduation, every qualified teacher received teacher-evangelist credentials.⁸ Virginia Dunder was instrumental in this program’s success.

In 1967, the Tanzanian government formally adopted the Arusha Declaration,⁹ which led the nation to the path of socialism. This created many changes in the nation, including the collectivization of agriculture and production. Regrettably, due to the government’s decision to nationalize all teacher training colleges, the teacher training course at Ikizu was forced to close its doors at the end of 1967. The Tanzanian government then introduced military training at the school, and the students began to receive martial training. This went against the principles with which the school had been founded. Despite the difficulties, Dunder kept the school going, but he left the position in 1969, paving way for the first African principal of Ikizu, Thomas Lisso.¹⁰ The Dunders remained on the teaching staff. In 1971, George Dunder was ordained into ministry while serving at Ikizu.

Missionary to Kenya

The Dunders remained at Ikizu until 1972 when they moved to Kenya to work under the East Africa Union.¹¹ In August 1972, the Afro-Mideast Division considered George Dunder to replace Pastor E. H. Sequieira, who was leaving Kenya to serve in Ethiopia. It is not clear what happened, but the decision was rescinded, and the Division instead placed a service call asking George Dunder to run the Maxwell Preparatory School (now Maxwell Adventist Academy) in Nairobi. He accepted, and the Division formally acknowledged his acceptance on November 8, 1972.¹² Two of their children--Terrence and Neil--were already students at Maxwell. Roger would join the school when George took over.

Illness and Departure

In 1973, while climbing Mt. Kenya, George Dunder began to experience numbness on his feet. He went to a hospital in Nairobi and a European doctor recommended spinal surgery. The surgery went horribly wrong, and he would never walk again.

In 1974, the Dunders returned to the United States. George Dunder was invalided to the Veteran’s Hospital in Indianapolis thanks to his stint at the U.S. Army in Korea. He remained there for several months and underwent over six surgeries in the hope of recovering his ability to walk. He was not able to regain his walking, and the family ran into difficult times financially as the cost of the treatment and care took their toll. The family settled at Cicero in Indianapolis. Virginia became his primary caregiver until his death in Cicero on November 6, 2012, at the age of 85. He had lived as a quadriplegic for nearly half his life. His son, Roger, now heads his father’s former school, now known as Maxwell Adventist Academy.

Sources

Minutes of the Afro-Mideast Division held at Beirut, Lebanon on November 8, 1972. Seventh-day Adventist Archives online, accessed November 11, 2023.

Mwita, Alexander. “Ikizu High School, Tanzania.” Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, January 20, 2020. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=6FAZ&.

Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Second Revised Edition (1996), Review & Herald.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Various years. https://www.adventistyearbook.org/.

The Arusha Declaration and TANU’s Policy on Socialism and Self Reliance. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Publicity Section, TANU, 1967.

Notes

Roger Dunder, interview by the author at the Maxwell Adventist Academy, Mbagathi, Advent Hill Campus, Nairobi, September 6, 2023.↩
“Indiana Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review & Herald Publishing Association, 1948), 41.↩
From the Obituary of George Dunder during his funeral in 2012.↩
Alexander Mwita, “Ikizu High School, Tanzania,” Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, January 20, 2020. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=6FAZ&.↩
Roger Dunder, op cit.↩
“Ikizu Training School,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review & Herald Publishing Association, 1965/1966), 298.↩
Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Second Revised Edition (Review & Herald, 1996).↩
Ibid.↩
The Arusha Declaration and TANU’s Policy on Socialism and Self Reliance (1967). Dar es Salaam: Tanzania. Published by the Publicity Section, TANU, Dar es Salaam.↩
Mwita, “Ikizu High School.”↩
“East African Union,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review & Herald Publishing Association, 1973/1974), 93.↩
Minutes of the Afro-Mideast Division held at Beirut, Lebanon, on November 8, 1972, at 2:30pm. Adventist archives online, accessed November 11, 2023.↩