Julian Lobsien
1917 - 1995
Julian Lobsien taught music at four academies, three colleges and a university during his career. He started studying violin at age six and lived in the San Francisco area before going to Gem State Academy as music teacher. His program at GSA and involvement in evangelism while there led to the position at Walla Walla College in 1946, where he taught strings and conducted the orchestra. His recollection of how his hiring happened provides an interesting insight into hiring practices of the time:
Gem State was my first job. I worked there for two years. While there I worked with Joe Apiggian, an evangelist. He was so lit up about my work that when he moved to Salem to work in evangelism, he wanted me to go with him.
At a union committee meeting in Portland, Elder Scriven got up and made a plea to get me from Gem State to work in his conference. C. G. Anderson, Union President, got up and said Virginia-Gene Shankel was leaving Walla Walla College and that the school would need a violin teacher. He'd heard me play and knew my reputation. With that, Dr. Bowers [WWC president) got up and said, "We'll take him," not realizing I didn't have a degree.
A few weeks earlier Stanley Walker and John T. Hamilton had been at Gem State for a weekend and invited me to play in their recital with them. When Stanley heard of the agreement, he wrote me a letter immediately. When Dr. Bowers' letter arrived later, he said to come up as soon as I could and they'd make arrangements for my education. The agreement was that if I didn't have a degree within five years, I would no longer teach there.
Lobsien eventually did complete both a baccalaureate and master's degree and resumed college level teaching at Atlantic Union College in 1957, following study at the University of Southern California and teaching at Glendale Adventist Academy in California. After teaching at AUC for nine years, he continued to teach music, working at Napa Junior Academy, Ukiah Junior Academy, Montmorelos University in Mexico, and Taiwan Adventist College. Some of this service was voluntary, following his retirement.
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