March 14 is celebrated by mathematicians worldwide for the date’s resemblance to the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the circle’s diameter, or 3.14 for short. Bakers have chosen to celebrate Pi Day with the homophone: pie. The trend has caught on, with bakeries and pizzerias alike getting a slice of the action and offering free or discounted food. Even the Dixon-McKenzie Dining Common at BJU is serving pie today.
In our own observance of the day, we asked BJU administration their favorite pie flavors. Their responses:
Alan Benson, VP for Student Development and Discipleship
My favorite pie is rhubarb pie. While I love the tart sweetness, it also has sweet memories attached to it. When we moved from Northern Ireland, my father located a crown of rhubarb and planted it in our garden. I remember my mom cutting, peeling, and boiling (stewing) the rhubarb in preparation for making the pies. We would always enjoy some of the stewed rhubarb with fresh homemade scones, and then the rhubarb pie would be our dessert after Sunday dinner!
Sam Horn, Executive Vice President for Enrollment and Ministerial Advancement
Blueberry cheesecake! It reminds me of the goodness of God to let us enjoy sweet things and have good people in our lives—for me it is my wife. The blueberries are a small token toward healthy eating of cheesecake!
Gary Weier, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Apple pie. My wife makes the BEST apple pie! Her pie is award-winning. Really! She’s won many pie contests.
Renae Wentworth, Dean of the College of Arts and Science
Dutch apple pie. I love apples—especially when baked in a pie with lots of cinnamon.
Darren Lawson, Dean of Fine Arts and Communication
Sweet potato pie! I love the flavor, but it also brings back memories of my childhood in North Carolina, where sweet potatoes were abundant and an ingredient in lots of recipes.
Neal Cushman, Associate Dean of BJU Seminary
An extremely difficult choice, but I will have to go with cherry pie. I love the flavor.
Jon Daulton, Dean of Men
Blueberry. Mom always made it special for me—still does to this day! Love the flavor!
Deneen Lawson, Dean of Women
Shoney’s Strawberry Pie. My grandmother Tedder was one of my very favorite people in the world, and she would take me strawberry picking, and as I grew up I learned to make the Shoney’s Strawberry Pie! Yum!
