This May Crisana Speer ’25 (communication and theatre arts) graduated exactly 90 years after her great-grandfather and 35 years after her mother—and they all graduated from Gordon College. 

Crisana represents the 4th generation of Gordon graduates in the Edwards-Speer family, and she received the 16th degree from either Gordon College or Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary conferred on an Edwards family member. 

"I had no clue what the Lord was going to do in and through me and the lives of those around me during my time at Gordon,” said Crisana. “But looking back at it now, I can see his plan weaving through each and every experience I encountered. It was not just a good plan; it was a plan that completely altered the course of my life in all the best ways.” 

A Gordon Family Legacy 

Diane Edwards '57 at her graduation from Gordon.

The Edwards-Speer family has been part of the Gordon community for nearly a century. After graduating from Gordon in 1935, Leonard P. Edwards became the final pastor of Clarendon Street Baptist Church—the same church that Gordon’s founder, A. J. Gordon, pastored in the late 1800s. Edwards also won Gordon’s Alumnus of the Year Award in 1993 for his ministry work and service to the College in maintaining the rich history of A. J. Gordon on campus. 

From left to right: Diane (Shattuck) Edwards '57, Andy Visser '85, Debbi (Edwards) Speer '90, Leonard P. Edwards '35, Kenneth Wallace '65, Joyce (Edwards) Wallace '67

All three of Edwards’ children went on to attend Gordon, including Crisana's grandfather, David, and her great aunts, Joyce and Carol. Carol Visser ’57 worked with her husband Dick Visser ’58 on research for the biography A. J. Gordon: An Epic Journey of Faith and Pioneering Vision. Together they were also awarded Gordon’s 2013 Jack Good Community Service Award for their ministry to churches in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, West Virginia and Maine.   

Continuing a Legacy, Creating a New College Story 

Crisana and her family at her graduation in 2025.

Though she was never pressured to attend Gordon, Crisana knew from the young age of eight that she wanted to go to the place she grew up hearing stories about. Her decision was further cemented at age 12 after her grandmother, Diane Edwards ’57, was diagnosed with dementia. Even after she began to forget who Crisana was, she never forgot her stories from her time at Gordon!  

"This is something that my grandma and I bonded over when we were losing things so rapidly, it showed me the impact that Gordon has on people, and it showed me the impact that the campus would have on my life. I knew that that was what I wanted,” Speer said.  

However, like many other first-year students, Crisana struggled with the transition to college, especially since her family in Texas was so far away. As she considered moving back home, she connected with Norm Jones (theatre arts) who told her how sad he and the theatre department would be if she left. "That was when I realized just how many people I had around me. I had so many more friends than I thought; I had so much community around me,” she said. 

Speer decided to stay and create a college legacy of her own. Instead of studying education and Christian ministries like so many in her family had done before her, she chose fields no one else in her family had: theatre, communication arts and English. In studying theatre Crisana learned everything she could, from directing to acting to producing. She even wrote and directed her own play for her senior showcase about her grandma’s and mom’s impact on her life, thanks to a rediscovered passion for writing she found in one of Mark Stevick’s ’87 (English) creative writing classes, which led to her adding an English minor. 

“Facing some difficult challenges as well as experiencing some amazing opportunities, we have seen Crisana truly ‘Learn to Thrive’ during her years here,” shared Debbi Speer ’90. “Our family is very proud of the legacy and connection we share with Gordon College. What a profound impact Gordon has had on my family for nearly a century.” 

A Bridge Between the Past and Future 

Crisana shows off her cap with the photos of the other generations of her family also at graduation.

Gordon legacy families often find the College a warm reminder of special memories and a second home—a place that reinforces a sense of continuity and purpose that inspires lifelong engagement. 

"When families—in this case great-grandchildren!—walk in successive, generational footsteps, it creates a powerful testimony of God's hand on our lives,” said Peter Bayreuther ’07, director of alumni engagement and sustained giving. “Being able to speak about those milestones within a shared framework of Christian higher education at Gordon is remarkable.”  

Even while forging her own path at Gordon, Crisana cherished her family’s history. Every time she walked by the Clarendon Bell, once housed at Clarendon Street Baptist Church, she said a little hello to her great-grandfather.  

"My family is here with me. I have carried their stories with me across campus,” Crisana said. “Especially as people pass away, it's like I'm not really losing them. My Aunt Joyce passed in between my freshman and sophomore years, and every time the Quad gets frozen over in the winter, I hear her voice: ‘Watch out for the goose poop on the Quad; it’ll get stuck to your shoes!’” 

For now Speer plans to move back to Texas but hopes to return to the North Shore to work on a novel, explore local theatre and stay close to her new family and community at Gordon. She is already creating her own legacy, while always remembering and honoring the history her family enjoyed before her.