[Winter 2012] Commentary by Coker University

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A dvo c at e

E n g ag e

S u p p o rt

I m pac t

W i n t e r 2012

V o l . 4 0, N o . 1

coker.edu | cokercobras.com | facebook.com/cokercollege | youtube.com/cokercollege

COMMENTARY

LAX I m pa c t

(The Need to Know: Lacrosse)

27 Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s A DVOC ATE

Master’s Program

ENG A GE

Honors Program

As you read this Commentary, I hope you can pause to appreciate

implementing a strategic plan to guide us through the most ambitious

Alumni News Wiggins’ Gift

President of the College

Development

S UPPORT

A ME SS AGE FROM DR. Ro b e r t L . W YATT

this amazing moment.

Working together, the Coker community is

period of growth in Coker’s history. In this year, alone, we have:

I MPA CT

SIFE: Muhuru Bay, Kenya 30

· W elcomed the largest influx of new faculty, a new provost and numerous staff members; · Established the Joseph L. and Betty C. Wiggins School of Education;

Winter 2012 | Vol. 40, No. 1 coker.edu | cokercobras.com facebook.com/cokercollege | youtube.com/cokercollege

A R t Di r e c t o r / D e si g n e r

· Opened Coker’s first downtown loft apartments;

Kyle Saverance ’06 Executive Director of Marketing & Communications ksaverance@coker.edu E d i t o r s/C o n t r i b u t o r s

Y OUTUBE V I DEO S

Kyria Hoffman ’10

Harrison Waters

Content Manager & Writer khoffman@coker.edu

Interactive Media Developer hwaters@coker.edu

Director of College Relations bsteadman@coker.edu Chris Dougherty Manager of Athletic Media Relations cdougherty@coker.edu

· Added men’s volleyball; · W atched our men’s soccer team win the regular season and conference tournament championships;

STAFF

Barb Steadman

· C reated Trans4mations, an innovative four-year academic program and expanded co-curricular opportunities;

G r a p h i c D e si g n I n t e r n s

· Launched our first graduate program: a Master of Science in College Athletic Administration. As remarkable as 2011 has been, I am resolved that 2012 will stand apart as a season in which Coker College students and alumni truly see in their

Samantha Fletcher ‘13

college the institution of their shared vision. Thank you for the many

Y o u T u b e Vi d e o I n t e r n

ways you challenge, inspire and support us. It makes all the difference.

Tyler Senecal ‘13

My best, The Commentary is the official magazine of Coker College and is published by the Office of Marketing & Communications.

Dr. Robert L. Wyatt

COKER COLLEGE Office of Marketing & Communications 300 East College Avenue Hartsville, SC 29550-3797 843.383.8000 | 843.383.8017

coker.edu

Coker College to OFFER

MASTER of SCIENCE COLLEGE ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION

Beginning in May 2012, Coker College students can pursue a Master of Science degree in college athletic administration, per a decision announced in December by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The new master’s program also represents Coker’s first degree to be offered primarily via online instruction. “It is always exciting to bring a new program forward, but we are especially pleased to advance this particular degree, not simply because of the institutional growth it represents, but because it meets an important unmet need in this region and, we would argue, in the nation,” said Coker College President Robert Wyatt, who was recently elected to serve a fouryear term on the NCAA Division II Presidents Council. “College athletics is extraordinarily complex and has become a highprofile aspect of most institutions of higher education. Coker’s program is designed to equip tomorrow’s administrators with a rigorous academic foundation—a forward-thinking curriculum that balances theory with real-world experiences and creativity with bottom-line analytical thinking,” he said. Nationally, increases in the number of bachelor’s degrees in sports management have quadrupled the overall growth rate of baccalaureate degrees in recent years, and master’s degrees in sports management have outpaced all master’s degrees by a margin of seven to one. And with that explosion has come rapidly evolving specializations ranging from programs in motorsports operations to sport event security management. “While a master’s degree is often a preferred qualification for D-I athletic personnel, many professionals working in the D-II and D-III programs

lack this credential and may be limited in their ability to progress in their professions,” said Coker College Athletic Director Lynn Griffin. “Our program is designed especially to serve students who would like to get a start in college athletics by serving as a graduate assistant and those who serve as assistant coaches, athletic trainers, sport information directors, or similar positions at smaller colleges and universities,” she added. Admission to Coker’s program will require a bachelor’s degree and a general Graduate Records Exam, the most widely accepted standardized graduate admissions test. According to Katie Flaherty, Coker’s accreditation liaison officer with SACSCOC and the College’s assistant athletic director in charge of NCAA compliance, the curriculum for Coker’s master’s program has been designed to provide students with knowledge of current issues in college athletics, NCAA compliance regulations, sport communication, sport law, recruiting of coaches and athletes, fundraising, sport business management and sport marketing. The sequence in which the courses will be offered will make it possible for students to complete the requirements in eight terms over 18 and one-half months. For information about the Master of Science degree in college athletic administration at Coker College, contact Graduate Program Coordinator John Jewell at jjewell@coker.edu.

Co k e r C e l e b r at e s O p e n i n g o f N e w D ow n t ow n Lo f t s Coker College hosted an outdoor ribbon-cutting ceremony at the corner of East Carolina Avenue and Campus Drive Aug. 9 to celebrate the opening of newly renovated loft apartments for 20 students. “Adding downtown lofts to our suite of housing options represents another important milestone for us,” said Coker College President Dr. Robert Wyatt. “In today’s national higher education market, which is becoming increasingly competitive, particularly among premier institutions, top students expect a wide array of residential choices and quality downtown college housing has become a highly prized option.” “In addition, we believe that our decision to invest in our downtown sends an important message beyond the campus boundaries. It says, simply, both

in word and deed, that the future of Coker College and Hartsville is a shared one.” Speakers at the ceremony included Dr. Wyatt, Hartsville Mayor Mel Pennington, building owner Steve Avant, Hartsville Downtown Development Association Executive Director Lenora LeFew and Coker College Dean of Students Dr. Jason Umfress. Each two-bedroom apartment is approximately 700 square feet, includes its own full kitchen, living room and bathroom, and has cable television access and wireless Internet access.

WEB E X TR A S To learn more, visit: coker.edu/housing/downtownloft-apartments

Co k e r Exc e l s i n A l l Fi v e N SS E B e n c h m a r k s The Coker College experience meets or significantly exceeds the performance of all three institutional comparison groups in all five benchmarks of effective educational practice according to the 2011 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). “The 2011 NSSE data tangibly confirms what we intuitively know, which is the critically important role that close faculty-student interactions play in the best educational experiences,” said Coker College President Dr. Robert Wyatt. “It’s not a coincidence, for example, given Coker’s enviable 10:1 student/faculty ratio, that our students would report that they are challenged and engaged beyond their expectations. The NSSE data may not come as a surprise, but the report is one that any college president would welcome,” Wyatt added. Mike LeFever, president and CEO of South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, also credits dedicated faculty and staff for Coker’s strong report.

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“The most recent results of the NSSE student assessment demonstrate the commitment of Coker’s faculty and staff to providing students with a comprehensive, holistic education in a collaborative, supportive environment,” LeFever said. Through its 2011 student survey, NSSE collected information from 416,000 first-year students and seniors attending 673 four-year colleges and universities about student participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development. The results provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college. The five benchmark areas are: level of academic challenge; active and collaborative learning; student-faculty interaction; enriching educational experiences; and supportive campus environment. Coker’s results were compared with three groups – participating private colleges in the Southeast region of the U.S.; par-

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W yat t, Mel Pe nnington a nd Dr. Jason U mfress

ADVOCATE

[Lef t to Rig ht] Lenor a Le Fe w, S te v e Ava nt, Dr. Robert

ADVOCATE

C h a r l e s L . S u l l i va n J R., 2011 wi n t e r Co m m e n c e m e n t S p e a k e r

ADVOCATE

2011 W i n t e r Co m m e n c e m e n t

Distinguished Adjunc t Professor of the Ye ar Award

During the 2011 Winter Commencement ceremony in the Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Performing Arts Center, Coker College conferred baccalaureate degrees

Level of Academic Challenge

Senior

Active & Collaborative Learning

First-Year

Senior

Student-Faculty Interaction

First-Year

Senior

First-Year

Enriching Educational Experiences

Senior

Supportive Campus Environment

First-Year

Senior

ss 20 e 11

Ca r cl ne ass g i

First-Year

ticipating comprehensive baccalaureate institutions; and all participating institutions. “Recognizing that the real, value-added benefit of NSSE survey results is the support they lend to data-driven decision-making, we are committed to building on areas of particular strength – such as the enriching educational experiences and our supportive campus environment – and finding ways to deepen and expand curricular and co-curricular programs to ensure that we continue to challenge students to achieve more than they imagined possible,” said Provost Dr. Tracy Parkinson. Among the coming enhancements to its academic program, beginning in the fall of 2012, Coker will add a debate team, wind ensemble, men’s ensemble, college-community chorale and a gospel choir. In addition, next fall, Coker will add men’s volleyball to its athletic offerings. For more information about NSSE: visit nsse.iub.edu For information about admission to Coker: visit coker.edu/future-students

S OUTHE S

Since joining the Coker College Board of Trustees in 2002, Sullivan served as Vice Chair from 2002 to 2006 and as Chair from 2006-2010. He also served on the steering committee of the Gateway to the New Century Campaign, the College’s recent recordbreaking capital campaign, which raised $24 million. The fundraising effort enabled the College to make significant investments in the campus community, including the construction of the 40,000-square foot, $6.5 million Charles W. and Joan S. Coker Library-Information Technology Center. Sullivan is married to Betty Young Sullivan, Coker College Class of ’71, who received Coker’s Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 2009. They have two children, Rosemary and Duncan, and four grandchildren.

COKER

Charles L. Sullivan Jr., retired executive vice president of Sonoco Products, presented the commencement address and was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters. Sullivan compared the graduates’ experiences at Coker with those of the institution’s original founder, Major James Lide Coker, and encouraged each new alumnus to continue on his or her chosen paths with vision, passion, integrity and tenacity. Before he retired from Sonoco in 2010, Sullivan had global operating responsibility for the Company’s businesses serving consumer markets, including Sonoco’s rigid paper and plastic containers, flexible packaging, closures, pack centers, point-of-purchase and fulfillment, graphics management and laser-engraved printing cylinders. He also served as a member of the Company’s executive committee.

S TUDENT

on 76 new graduates.

A A TE S T

The Distinguished Adjunct Professor of the Year award was presented to Benny Webb, an adjunct professor in the criminology program at Coker since 2004. Webb earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a concentration in social studies from Morris College and a master’s degree in public administration and a concentration in public personnel management from Troy University. In addition, Webb has earned an executive certificate in negotiations from Notre Dame University and is a graduate of the FBI Command School and South Carolina Law Enforcement Leadership School. Webb is married to Abigail Busby-Webb. They have three daughters, Shaylah, Beneshia and Xaviera.

[о] indicates no significant difference; [+] indicates a significantly higher score

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T HE OFFICIA L M AG A ZINE OF COKER COL L EG E, H A RT S V IL L E, S .C .

COMMENTA RY

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ENGAGE

Co k e r Co l l e g e L AUNCHE S H o n o r s P ro g r a m Top students at Coker College now have another platform from which to hone leadership skills and explore their highest academic ambitions. Students admitted to the College’s new honors program will meet elevated standards in the areas of cultural interaction, civic leadership and innovative scholarship and take advantage of engaged learning opportunities to ensure that they are optimally prepared for post-graduate study and professional success. Admission will be based on a review of student credentials and/or faculty recommendations. Students with a minimum SAT of 1,200 or an ACT score of 26 or greater will be invited to submit applications to the Honors Program Committee. In addition to taking courses that have greater quantitative and qualitative requirements than

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non-honors courses, honors students will be required to take a course in leadership and complete foreign language requirements, a study-abroad experience and a capstone discovery-based research project or an original creative work involving inquiry, investigation and creative expression. Beyond having more rigorous academic requirements, honors students will be expected to actively participate in Honors Student Council to provide a forum for student feedback about the program and to organize and implement community service and leadership activities for honors students.

Co k e r t o Fi e l d D e b at e T e a m Beginning in fall 2012, Coker College will field a debate team, its first ever. Coker students will step onto the debate stage with a special advantage over their colleagues from other institutions. At 10:1, Coker’s student/faculty ratio is the lowest of any independent residential college in the region. Capitalizing on that fact, Coker faculty embrace an interactive, discussion-based teaching approach, Round Table Learning, which Peterson’s Smart Parent’s Guide to College praises as “a model learning experience” and has become a hallmark of the Coker College experience.

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Beginning in fall 2012, Coker College Music will offer four new or expanded ensembles, which will be available to both music majors and non-music majors: a men’s ensemble, a college-community chorale, a gospel choir and a wind ensemble. The Wind Ensemble will be open to all Coker students, faculty, staff as well as students from the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics. The Men’s Ensemble will be comprised of men from all majors across the campus performing popular, classical and 21st century contemporary choral works. The Coker-Hartsville Chorale will be a campus/ community ensemble devoted to performing larger choral works, often with instrumental accompaniment. This new ensemble is anticipated to be popu-

lar among those on the campus and in the Hartsville community who enjoy singing but don’t have a lot of time in their schedules. A once-a-week rehearsal will bring together students, faculty, staff and community singers for rewarding musical experiences that will enhance the cultural life of the city. The Gospel Choir, which has been a student-led ensemble for several years, will be expanded and will become a regular feature at concerts both on and off campus.

Hile x Poly Co. CEO Stanle y B. Bikulege Joins Coker Board of Trustees Hilex Poly Co. CEO Stanley B. Bikulege has been elected to serve on the Coker College the Board of Trustees. Since 2008, Bikulege has been the president and CEO of Hilex Poly Co., the leading manufacturer and recycler of retail and grocery bags in the U.S. He also serves as chairman of the board for Hilex. With headquarters in Hartsville and 10 strategically located manufacturing facilities across the United States, Hilex’s facilities include the world’s largest plastic bag recycling plant. Mr. Bikulege is also on the board of DG3, a supplier of printed products and services. Bikulege has held a number of executive positions for both public and private companies in various industries. Prior to taking the helm at Hilex, Bi-

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kulege was an operating partner at Arsenal Capital Partners, a mid-market private equity firm. He has previously held the positions of president and CEO of Renaissance Mark, a leading manufacturer of labels, president and CEO of Exopack, one of the largest converters of flexible packaging in the U.S and group president for Pliant Corporation. Bikulege received a Master of Business Administration degree from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Youngstown State University. The Coker College Board of Trustees maintains broad responsibility for the mission, long-range direction, policies and financial condition of the institution.

President W yat t Appointed to NC A A Presidents Council

ENGAGE

Co k e r t o Ex pa n d M u si c O ffe ri n g s i n 2012

On Nov. 7, Coker College President Dr. Robert Wyatt was elected to serve a four-year term on the NCAA Division II Presidents Council. Representing NCAA’s Region 2, Wyatt replaces Nancy Moody of Tusculum. His term begins in April 2012. “Robert will be enormously helpful to the Council, now, as it moves forward in the implementation of Division II’s long-range goals as framed by its strategic plan and strategic positioning platform,” said University of Indianapolis President Beverly Pitts, who nominated Wyatt for the position. Wyatt became the 16th president of Coker College in 2009. Among early accomplishments at Coker, he has led the College through a strategic planning process that lays the groundwork for unprecedented institutional growth in its programs and facilities. Under Wyatt’s leadership, Coker has expanded the size of its faculty, significantly enhanced the depth and breadth of student services offerings and seen its athletic teams become more competitive in Conference Carolinas. Wyatt serves on the Board of South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, on the Board’s Executive Committee and the organization’s Public Policy Committee. He also serves as secretary of the South Carolina Higher Education Tuition Grant Commission and on the American Council for Education’s Commission on Effective Leadership. In Hartsville Wyatt serves on the Board of Directors at the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce and Emmanuel Christian School.

T HE OFFICIA L M AG A ZINE OF COKER COL L EG E, H A RT S V IL L E, S .C .

COMMENTA RY

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ENGAGE

B u si n e ss a f t e r h o u r s Coker College President Robert Wyatt hosted a Business After Hours reception in Stein Gallery for members of the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Aug. 18, to kick off the 2011-12 academic year. Among the many causes for celebration this fall were the new Cobras Welcome Here program and the opening of Coker’s first downtown lofts. Cobras Welcome Here is a marketing program designed to formalize the relationship between Hartsville’s businesses and the College. Businesses receive signage, recognition on Coker’s web site, and on-campus advertising, and Coker’s students receive valuable discounts with valid college identification. The lofts, located in the 100 block of East Carolina Avenue, are 700-square-foot, two-bedroom apartments. Each includes a full kitchen, living room and bathroom, and has cable television access and wireless Internet access. “We believe that our decision to invest in our downtown sends an important message beyond the campus boundaries,” said President Wyatt. “It says, simply, both in word and deed, that the future of Coker College and Hartsville is a shared one.”

Co k e r A d ds M e n’s Vo l l e y b a l l i n 2012, Wo m e n’s L A X i n 2013 Coker College will add men’s volleyball as an intercollegiate sport for the 201213 academic year and women’s lacrosse in the following year. The additions represent Coker’s 15th and 16th NCAA Division II programs. As part of the announcement, Director of Athletics Lynn Griffin said that Todd Caughlin, Coker’s head women’s volleyball coach, has been selected to coach the new volleyball team. He will continue to serve as the head women’s volleyball coach. As the eighth member of Conference Carolinas with a men’s volleyball program – the only men’s volleyball conference composed entirely of Division II members – Coker joins Barton College, Erskine College, King College, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, Mount Olive College and Pfeiffer University. Coker will become the ninth member of Confer-

ence Carolinas to have women’s lacrosse. The others are Belmont Abbey College, Converse College, Erskine College, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, Mount Olive College, Pfeiffer University and Queens University of Charlotte. Coker will begin the search for a women’s lacrosse coach in the fall of 2012.

Gi v e to Cok er’s A n n ual Scholar ship Fu nd • T he Annual Scholarship Fund is Coker College’s yearly campaign to raise financial support for its students. • E very gift to the fund helps new and returning students attend Coker. • G ifts to the fund are tax deductible. • A lumni gifts to the fund positively influence Coker College’s national ranking. Gi v e online at www.cok er.edu/GIF TS It’s Sa fe. It’s Simple.

nn ch sh ct IFTS Y o u r c o ntact n t a c t f o r th the An nual Sc holars h i p F u nd nd is Direc t o r o f M A J OR G IFT

W e s Dan i e l s ’03 — wdaniels@coker.edu or 843. 383.8178

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•

Go online to read more class news: www.coker.edu/the-commentary

•

class news •

Class reps needed for: 1937, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1967, 2009, 2010 and 2011. If you are interested, please call the alumni office at 1-800-65-COKER (26537) or 843-383-8062.

1938

Florence Houck Steele

Post Office Box 69 Davis Station, SC 29041 803-478-8783 | 803-460-7877 cell phone

1939

Lisa Miller Sneed ’98

1940

Mary Constance [Connie] Hucks ’93 EV 104 Cooper River Road Myrtle Beach, SC 29588 843-650-4791 | CokerGrad@aol.com

Dear Class of 1940: A classmate, former teacher and high school counselor, Enid Vause Eaddy passed away on September 20, in Columbia. She taught many subjects including French in the Hemingway and Johnsonville school districts and enjoyed travel to France. Mrs. Eaddy was a wonderful gardener and a member of a garden club in Hemingway. While in Columbia, she served as president of the Parents Council for Midlands Center where she earned an award for her remarkable service. This gracious, elegant woman who helped so many will be missed by all. I know that the entire class of 1940 joins me in sending sincere sympathies to her son Charles Gregory Eaddy in Columbia and her daughter Mary Eleanor Eaddy, and son-in-law Michael James Petrakis of Myrtle Beach. Gladys McNeill Bellamy is still living in her home in Conway. I received a lovely card from Katherine Jackson Barton. She had a brief “sick spell” but is well enough now to continue knitting those adorable little preemie baby caps. When I spoke with Nell Godwin Morris, she was busy preparing for the Browntown Museum annual anniversary celebration. Since she has finally found someone to take over the office duties at the cemetery, her days are filled with activities associated with the Three Rivers historical Society. Nell said that her family is doing well but she was having a bit of trouble with her leg and heading to Charleston for a visit with her doctor. I finally got a phone number for Katherine Jackson Barton, and we talked for a good while. During our conversation, I learned that Grace Jackson Ingram ’44 is her sister. Kat’s son lives very close to her as well as some of her grandchildren. In December she is expecting her first great grandchild. After phone calls to Sarah Orr Scarborough and Mildred Hardin Sawyer I found that neither was in service. If any of you may know of a new phone number, please share it with me.

G at h e r e d & w r it t e n by cl a ss R e pr e se n tat i v e s

There was no answer at Margaret Davidson Baker’s residence. I also called Janet Langston Jones ’39, but didn’t get an answer there either. Frances Humphries Price and husband Hampton are still living at Springmoor in Raleigh. Hampton has recently moved to the Health Center, but Frances visits with him every day. Hampton will be 98 years old in December. Both grandsons have finished school and are working in Raleigh. One of them is to be married next February. The two granddaughters are both in college. One is a junior, and the other is in her first year of medical school. Ruby Whittington Oliver is doing pretty good now, but she had a time with some medication that really got her down. Once she quit the prescription, she felt better. Do you recall my telling you about Choco? That’s Ruby’s granddog, and she is still spoiling the little thing. Marjorie Brunk Nettles still lives in Sumter and is doing well. Mary Luther Hudson said that she’s doing “about the same”. She had a wonderful birthday on October 6; the whole family got together to celebrate. I talked with Loree Harrington Gandy for a while on the phone. She continues to lose her hearing and has just had a lot of problems lately. In July she found herself in the emergency room, and as I write this column, she faces possible upcoming surgery. Loree is taking care of “Little Leo”. This is the cat that her son Doug was so very fond of, and she promised to take care of him when Doug passed away in 2007. She’s a fine mom to Little Leo and both are enjoying the bright blue weather of October. If you will recall, when I first accepted this honored position as your class representative, I truly relied on the guidance of Loree Harrington Gandy. I visited several times and each time we would look at pictures of your class, and I began to know you a bit better. Of course the pictures were not taken yesterday, but how I enjoyed those visits. I hope to stopover again soon as each time I do, I learn more and more, making my assignment effortless. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Loree so very much for all her help; she has truly made writing this column such a pleasure. Soon after tax season was over, I became very ill. With that behind us now, we are going to take a longer than usual fall vacation. Herb and I are going to Florida for a few days to visit my college roommate. From there, we’ll fly to Mexico for a week at Riviera Cancun, then fly back to Florida, and two days later arrive back home to reality. My grandson, Austin, came to visit last weekend to ride the new skywheel at Myrtle Beach with my mother. It was a splendid day. As always, a great big “thanks” for allowing me to serve as your class representative. And don’t forget to tell someone that you love them! Cordially, Connie

•

1941

Norma Mathis Pate

c/o Norman Pate Post Office Box 885 West Point, VA 23181-0885 803-439-7930 cell phone | ndmp8@juno.com

1942

Class rep or co-rep needed

1943

Selma Stogner LeHardy 415 Lakeshore Drive Hartsville, SC 29550 843-332-7952 Class co-rep needed

1944

Class rep or co-rep needed

1945

Katherine Still Campbell 295 Club Acres Orangeburg, SC 29118 803-534-6594

We extend sympathy to the family of Laura Clowe Holley who passed away on September 12, 2011.

1946

Class rep or co-rep needed

1947

Lee Blake Stevenson

Post Office Box 660 Beaufort SC 29901 843-524-5860 | Lbs26@islc.net Virginia Spell Umphett has a new address: Post Office Box 152, Moncks Corner SC 29461.

1948

Pat Hesse Hardison

1300 Queens Road, Unit 318 Charlotte, NC 28207 704-373-3056

1949

Lois Hatfield Anderson ’54

210 Saddlebrook Lane Hopkins, SC 29061 803-776-0926 | LHAnderson32@aol.com

Electa Andeson Small ’85

204 Lantana Circle Georgetown, SC 29440-7278 803-348-6748 | andee33@aol.com

DEVELOPMENT

1953

Pat Chapman Huff

507 Wilmar Avenue Hartsville, SC 29550 843-332-3755 | Phuff507@cs.com

Mitzi DuPre Matthews

200 Juanita Drive Lexington, SC29072 803-808-8462 | Bmatthews4@windstream.net

First Row (left to right): Jeanette Long Kelly, Carolyn Huggins Kendall, Rachel Collier Flowers, Nina Cox Collier, Betty Lee J. Gandy, Joan Snoddy Hoffmeyer

1950

Velna Rollins Patrick 1 Granville Road Columbia, SC 29209 803-776-3046

Rose Patrick Smith ’75

1801 Stannard Trail Raleigh, NC 27612 919-789-4829 | dsmithII@nc.rr.com Dear Friends, I hope each of you has enjoyed a great summer, and that you look forward to a wonderful fall and winter. Recently, Betty Gandy Kirven’s husband, William Wilson Kirven “Bubba” passed away. He and Betty were residents of The Presbyterian Home at Florence. Remember Betty and their family at this period of their lives. In early July, Pam Huggins Chapman lost her husband Henry. Following an organ transplant, Henry was able to enjoy an active life for 15 years. It was good to see him with Pam at our 60th reunion party in 2010. We extend our deepest sympathy to Pam and her family. The schedule for submitting your news for publication has been changed somewhat. The next date is April 15th. In the meantime, please write to me as you have news to share and I will compile and forward it to Coker. I feel it is most important that we make every effort to maintain close contact with each other. Love to all, Velna

1951

Betty Lee Jordan Gandy 1201 Wisteria Drive Florence, SC 29501 843-662-2797

1952 DEVELOPMENT

Betty Lou McIntyre Barclay

329 Lee Circle Dillon, SC 29536 843-774-6122 | Bbar830771@aol.com

Frances “Frankie” Nicholson Townsend 201 Kinney Circle Bennettsville, SC 29512 | 843-479-9398

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Dear Classmates, Whether we can believe it or not, we’re all turning 80 this year. It has been such fun attending these 80th birthday parties, some surprise and some not, for my high school and college classmates. Mickey McDowell’s family hosted a cookout for him. Lois Hatfield Anderson ’54 read a delightful poem she had written about his life. Betty Carol Mobley Bynum and Bundy, Charlie Chewning, Mitzi DuPre Matthews and daughter Kay, Betty Jean Lee Hunsinger and friend Dwight Hyman, Betty Shaw Merck ’55 and I all enjoyed being there. Mitzi DuPre Matthews knew 30 minutes before her 80th what was taking place. Her three daughters gave a drop-in at a local church. Mickey McDowell, Betty Jean Lee Hunsinger and friend Dwight Hyman, Charlie Chewning and I all went together. We loved seeing and talking with Louise “Cooter” Tapp Joye ’51. Mitzi’s walker didn’t slow her down a bit. I was invited out for lunch for my 80th in Marion to try out a new restaurant. Upon arriving at Brenda and Keith’s home to pick them up, I was totally surprised when every member of my family jumped up from their hiding places. My party was highlighted by a talent show in which two little great-grandchildren sang “Jesus Loves Me”, closing with the chorus, “Yes, Ansley’s pregnant, for the doctor told her so”. That’s how the family learned that our oldest granddaughter was having her first baby. What a memorable 80th birthday. The college hosted a delicious barbecue in April on the lawn of Drengaelan. It’s always so much fun seeing the Cokernuts who have married Hartsville boys and have made their home here. I sat with Betty Reaves Herring ’54 and Lucy Singletary ’54 and Lamar Caldwell ’58 . Our usual group, who live close enough to get together often, attended the visitation for Daphen Yarborough Edge’s sister Donna Hill near Timmonsville in late April. Daphen had talked with Lois Ann Buddin Coker whose daughter Sharon is quite ill and needs our prayers. Coker held its Alumni Day in June this year and some experienced dormitory life again. I volunteered on Saturday and enjoyed sitting with members of the class of ’51 at lunch. While attending my granddaughter’s Awards Day for her class at Flowertown Elementary School in Summerville, I met Joan Carter McKissick’s daughter. She is assistant principal at the school where my granddaughter teaches first grade. What a small world. On June 20th our usual group went for our annual beach week at Jean Fore McDaniel’s Pawleys Island home. Chuck Cottingham and Daphen Yarborough Edge joined us for lunch. My brother Henry Chapman, husband of Pam Huggins Chapman ’50, passed away July 15th. How comforting to have some of my Coker friends there at his funeral. Henry had a liver transplant 15 years ago and during this time he accomplished so much, one being the restoration of our family home near Cheraw, making it into a Christmas tree farm and installing the first wind

turbine in South Carolina. Jennie Herlong Boatwright and husband Phillips have both undergone surgery. Jennie is presently having chemo treatments. Please keep both of them in your prayers. Betty Jean Lee Hunsinger and I had a “pajama party” with Mitzi DuPre Matthews at her home in Lexington during September. Her daughter Kay lives just across the street and joined us several times. Mitzi’s grandson James was building a deck on the back of her house and what a professional job he was doing. Sarah Sampson Bell is so good about calling from time to time. Her husband James received the Distinguished Service Award at Pembroke University. James was very instrumental in initiating a football program at the school. Congratulations to you, James, on this well-deserved honor. Charlie Chewning and Barbara Lowery Mims have nice visits on the telephone. Charlie visits her sister Barbara in a Darlington Nursing Home daily and sometimes more often. Congratulations to Daphen Yarborough Edge on her granddaughter’s graduation from the University of Maryland this past May. Beth DuBose Cottingham ’55 sends such sweet notes. She is truly devoted to the class of ’53, and we love her so much. Our granddaughter Erin Stewart graduated August 19th from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston as a Physician Assistant. She will manage a clinic for indigent patients in Mullins, beginning in October. My family was all together at a Gender Reveal party for our pregnant granddaughter this weekend. The party ended with us releasing our prayers and blessings written on BLUE balloons into the sky. I love hearing news about our class and would like to hear from more of you. Please remember to give to the Class of ’53 Endowed Scholarship and also to the Annual Scholarship Fund. I love everyone of you, Pat Chapman Huff

1954

Lois Hatfield Anderson

210 Saddlebrook Lane Hopkins, SC 29061 803-776-0926 | LHAnderson32@aol.com Dear 54’ers!! Bless, bless, bless Dee Pierce and her patience with me and my failure to meet the Commentary deadline! This year has been hectic and I have just not had the hours to sit and chat with Coker classmates from 1954. My news is old and brief, but at least it allows our given space not to be empty! My big thing this year was the peeling of my house! When Charles and I built our home in 1976 – 1977, we used (at the builder’s suggestion) a material called masonite, because neither Charles nor I wanted a brick home. The masonite was supposed never to need painting and was touted to be impervious to the elements. WRONG! Several years ago, we began to be forced to replace a board here and there because of water damage. This year the whole outside had to go because the thirty-five year old miracle product was crumbling in our hands. Now I’m wrapped in hardy plank, still yellow, still much loved by me! Come see me! You won’t see a difference in the house but you just might detect a difference in my psyche! In September, Mary Ellen Williamson Sprawls joined me and about thirty-five friends (most of them

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call back. It is an overwhelming experience to set a goal to contact each available class member. When efforts are made to call and messages are left and no response given, it is extremely frustrating. If you have any interest at all in keeping the newsletter alive, please let me know. I’m aware that we are a long way from our graduation in 1954, but I still treasure friendships made at Coker and somehow I continue to believe that many of you do too! LET ME KNOW! Much love, Lois

1955

Class co-rep needed Can you believe we were young, naive freshmen in 1951 and by 1955 Coker had helped us mature and grow into young women who felt we were ready to conquer whatever came our way. Time really flies, doesn’t it? We have had a multitude of successful endeavors and wonderful experiences. Among the most enjoyable have been our families. After retiring years ago, my golden years seem to have turned into rusty ones with illnesses and additional family obligations. As a result, I have not been able to contact you to get news for our Commentary. Following is information I received from the following classmates: Beth DuBose Cottingham continues to communicate and send information; she is a jewel and “one of a kind”. Beth writes that her health is OK and that she and Walter had successful cataract surgery during the summer. They attended college reunions and Beth attended high school class reunions of former students she taught. She says it is so rewarding to see them as successful adults. During my conversation with Beth today, I learned that she and Walter attended the Clemson/Auburn game and just celebrated the 275th Anniversary of their church. They plan to go to Charleston during the weekend of October 8 to attend a veterinarian conference and a wedding. Beth also says she saw Louise Price in Andrews, SC. She is fine and resides in Andrews, NC according to Beth. Beth says that Virginia (Mickey) McIntosh Atkinson has been busy with grandchildren and weddings. She went to Iowa in December for one and one in North Carolina in June. Allene Stuckey Reep continues to exercise and stay in good physical condition; however, Lewis suffered two mild heart attacks recently. Thank goodness, he is doing fine now. Virginia (Ginny) Tomlinson MacKinnon sold her house in Tallahassee and moved to Gulf Breeze in January to be near her son who had accepted a job there. She lives very near him and his family that includes her only two grandchildren, ages 6 and 4. Ginny’s only daughter was married in February. Prior to the wedding, she was multi-tasking by helping her daughter plan a wedding, downsizing, getting her home ready for the market in Tallahassee, looking for a place to live near her son in Pensacola, etc. Everything worked out fine; she misses Tallahassee but likes Gulf Breeze. Ginny would like to hear from you. Her email address is: ginnymac15@gmail.com. Ginny says that Ila Louise Price McCoy has had health problems but is doing better now. Remember to send in your contribution to Coker if you are financially able to do so. I have enjoyed being your class representative; however, this will be my last newsletter because of health issues and other family obligations. Love to all, Hoyland

First Row (left to right): Maxine Locklear Amos, Barbara Ward Mishoe, Elizabeth “Lib” Plowden Anderson, Della Revels Hartis

1956

Peggy Cantey Gardner Post Office Box 42 Manning, SC 29102 803-435-6862

Barbara Ward Mishoe

154 South Main Street Greeleyville, SC 29056 843-426-2591 | tnmishoe@ftc-i.net

1957

Lynn Williams Oates

3417 Oates Highway Lamar, SC 29069 843-332-3040 | lwoates@peoplepc.com Dear Class of ’57, Another impossible task—a newsletter to write with very little news to report!! I see Ann Gay Blakeney Duvall regularly. She is fine and still volunteering at the magnificent Florence library. Almena (Mena) Gainey Galloway had a terrible fall at Applebee’s June 11. She shattered the femur bone in one leg, broke a wrist and sprained both ankles. She is recuperating at one of her son’s and is just now beginning to be able to put minimal weight on her leg. She still has much more recovery before she can return home. I had two wonderful trips last Spring to Spain and Italy. Just got home from a week at Kiawah Island. I really miss the marvelous Coker trips. So, what have the rest of you been doing? Email me at my new address: lwoates@roadrunner.com. Love, Lynn

1958

Class rep or co-rep needed

Gabrielle (Gaby) Morandiere

Substitute Class Representative 300 East 54th Street # 7-K New York, NY 10022 212.832.7462 | gaby.morandiere@verizon.net Dear Class of 1958, Below is the news I have gathered from your classmates and am so grateful to those who have kept me posted by email and telephone. It has been a pleasure to “meet you” and your class seems as close as mine, which is really special. Classmates are listed in alphabetical order

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retired from Woodmen of the World) for a lovely trip to Nashville. She is doing great, staying busy, helping her very successful sons in their business and enjoying her grandchildren. She is still doing beautiful quilts and she and I are contemplating doing one together in 2012. Miriam Powers Jordan and her Chubby are expecting their second great grandchild next year and are excited that Kyre (W.K. Jordan, IV) will be a big brother. Miriam and Chubby are doing well, staying busy and terribly involved with volunteering. Miriam was recently selected as Woman of the Year for her church, Asbury Methodist in Columbia. I saw Betty Reaves Herring at Coker several weeks ago when Electa Anderson Small ’85 and I went to a reception at the Hart house at Kalmia. Betty looks wonderful and seems to be doing well. She’s traveling some and staying involved with church and other Hartsville goings-on. I’m getting ready (in the next day or so) to make a wonderful bread pudding using a recipe from Betty Bull Asnip who lives in Georgetown. Electa sees Betty infrequently at some Georgetown things and each of them likes hearing about what the other is doing. I still get indirect news from Laverne Hancock who is pastor of a Baptist church near me. He and his family are well and one of those things that all of us enjoy when we meet at the church is seeing the creative art things that one of his daughters does as a worker with the children there. I’d love to know his children, all extremely smart, talented and interesting! One of the friends who went on the Nashville trip in September was Tom McMillan and his wife Gail. Tom is brother to Beth McMillan Fore and reports that Beth is still very feisty in spite of some health problems. A recent issue of The State paper showed that a sister of Patricia White Jolly had passed away. Our condolences go out to Patricia and her family. This past year has been busy one for Electa. She has been staying at the home in Debordieu taking care of Joe’s mom who has some major health issues. Evelyn (Joe’s mother) is on dialysis three days a week and last fall had triple by-pass surgery. Joe has been in Tulsa because that’s where his office is. He has just come back to their home in Georgetown and will commute to Tulsa every other week. Electa is now serving as the president of the Coker Alumni Association and has the great honor and privilege of serving on the Coker’s Trustee Board. The Coker administrators are interested in having a viable Alumni Association and are anxious for us to pass along suggestions as to how its functionality can be improved. A committee is working with ideas now, so add yours to the list if you have some. Two things: First, please send a contribution to the College so that our percentage of Alumni who gave to the College can be increased. Many corporations and foundations have money to give to colleges and universities, but they hardly give a second glance to those institutions whose alumni do not make contributions to their alma maters. Large amounts are wonderful, but the cost of one small hamburger at McDonalds would be a big help. These folks who grant monies to institutions of higher learning look at the percentage of alumni who gave. Please help the College by making a one dollar (or five dollars if you can) gift. It will greatly help! Second: Are any of you interested in continuing to have an entry in the Class news of the Commentary? I know that everyone of us flips through the publication until we see our class number. If nothing is there, we are crestfallen! It would help me greatly if you would, once a year, pick up your phone and call me at 803-776-0926. If I don’t answer, leave a message, please. I promise to

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by the last names used when attending Coker. Please let me know if there are any changes in your contact information. Betty Barnes Walpole enjoys keeping up with her 7 grandchildren. One has graduated from college and the twins are attending Presbyterian College and Clemson. Betty is recovering at home from recent surgery and healing is progressing nicely, thank goodness. Helen Kolb Chambless has made it to Spartanburg several times to visit and Betty has begun to call her “Saint Helen”. Virginia Blakeney Case enjoys reading and helps her husband in the garden from time to time. They enjoy having two tropical parrots, a Conure and a Myers. These talk and are beautiful. Virginia and Delaver have lots of tropical fish indoors and out. Their daughter is a veterinarian for regular (not specialty) animals. She lives near enough to her parents to have them all enjoy her daughter, 9 years old. Their son designs computer programs for Comcast, a cable network, and lives close enough to visit. Delaver’s mother lives about two and a half hours away in Pennsylvania. Constance Booker Moe and her husband really know how to celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary! Among other trips they enjoyed a cruise on the Rhine, drove to the West Coast for two months in August and September. They stopped in Nyack, NY to see Beth Owens. They then drove up to Toronto and on they drove to visit family in Seattle, WA. Of course, they drove back home to Henrico, VA. Next on their schedule is a trip to Hawaii. Virginia Hall Brinson Caine told Suzanne Currier Soderberg that Tuscaloosa’s April tornadoes missed their house, thankfully, but left so much devastation near them. Sarah Burgess Auman is thrilled to be driving again. Lately she has been spending a lot of time in Kingstree helping her sister, who has been ill. J. Lamar Caldwell reports that this has been a busy year. Lucy ’54 had a garden that she needed help with. They had a bumper crop of peaches, blueberries and tomatoes but the heat and drought pretty well killed off the apples. Lamar and Lucy celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in August and will celebrate Lamar’s 81st birthday in October. Their oldest granddaughter, Becky, 24, works in the billing department of a nationwide trucking company in Columbia. A 19-year-old granddaughter, Katy, is in Columbia and has taken a couple of courses at a Tech College. She has college plans brewing. Their 20-year-old granddaughter Kallie, a sophomore at Iowa State, spent part of her summer in Washington working as an Intern for Iowa Senator Chuck Grassly. She is a member and Secretary of the Student Governing Board and a committee chairman. Kallie also is President of her dorm, a member of a choral group and is on the staff of the college literary publishing group as well as several other organizations. She is a busy straight A student. “Sure hope some classmates will step forward and report some news. It’s been a long time since we walked across the stage in what is now Davidson Hall to receive diplomas.” Patricia Clark Jackson recently enjoyed a trip to stay at a Bed and Breakfast in Pittsboro, NC. One son lives an hour and a half away in Atlanta, GA with two grandsons and the other lives an hour away in Birmingham, AL. with a grandson and a granddaughter. So she is delighted to be able to visit often. She stays in touch with Helen Kolb Chambliss, Betty Barnes Walpole and Mary Kay Rickenbaker when they can meet in Spartanburg. Annette Cooke Stokes is recovering from a bout with pneumonia as this newsletter is being organized. She has been a wonderful help by sharing news of various classmates. She had a wonderful trip in June, 2011. Visit-

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ing seven Greek islands and mainland Greece, fulfilled a dream come true. One of the wishes on her “bucket list” was to walk in the footsteps of the ancients that we studied in our Civ. classes. They arrived in Athens on the day of a big strike which made their family nervous, but their tour leaders, Overseas Adventure Travel, took them right out of town toward the Thessalonian plains and the area where St. Paul and St. Luke most likely visited on Paul’s second journey. By the time they returned to Athens, the strikes were over and life was back to normal. They climbed to the Parthenon and enjoyed a visit to the new Parthenon museum early in the morning before the cruise ships arrived. Another highlight was sitting in the cave where St. John wrote Revelation, the final book in the Bible. Annette stays busy with civic duties, their church and seeing their family. Three daughters and their families are in Texas but Texas is a big state. She adds that “it is so dry that I hear the trees whistling for a dog to come by!” Suzanne Louise Currier Soderberg moved often after marrying Edward. They have lived in Connecticut for a number of years. Their daughter lives in Valley Forge, PA and their son lives near Dallas, TX, working in Critical Care for the American Heart Association. They have 5 grandchildren. Suzanne’s husband, a financial consultant, has been competing in The National Senior Games in their Track and Field Association Competitions biannually. In June he took part in the competition which was held in Houston, near enough to Dallas for him and Suzanne to visit their son’s family. Edward is also a personal trainer, teaches at the Y and loves photography. He continues a long time prison ministry and a detention ministry. Suzanne loves to garden and accomplish miracles with difficult jigsaw puzzles. She was kind enough to share news of some Coker classmates for me and for you! Maxine Fore Taber was a day student while at Coker but keeps up with friends from Bennettsville days and Coker, Nancy Carleene Myers ’56, Charlotte Reaves Chillura ’57 and Jennie Lee Barringer Fowler, ’57. Maxine has retired from teaching, but loves to read and enjoys being an honorary member of the Dillon Literary Club Virginia Foxworth Williams had four children, two of whom are still alive and have given them 5 precious grandchildren. After being a teachers’ assistant for 30 years, Virginia has been active in church and enjoys growing roses with her husband, Joe. She keeps up with Elaine Johnson Hays and a roommate, Martha Ann Yarborough Truluck, a retired school teacher who stays very busy. Linda Ann Gause Connor wrote that she enjoys supervising homework with her 10 year old grandson, Patrick, and occasionally sits with his 2 year old sister. Their 14 year old sister is a serious ballet student, spending her time on academics, ballet classes and rehearsals. Their mother, Cheryl, is Medical Director at Three Rivers Hospital in West Columbia. Linda and Neuman try to visit their son, Larry, and his family in Alexandria, VA several times a year. Larry works at NOAA and travels to Alaska and Iceland and other interesting places. Linda volunteers at Epworth Children’s Home, helping celebrate birthdays for boys living in one of their cottages and tutoring some of the high school students. Grandson Patrick lives close to Epworth and is able to join Linda for a lot of the parties and other activities. Linda is also an instructor for the AARP Driver Safety Program, presenting multiple classes each year. Susan Rebecca Holroyd Shumaker told Suzanne Currier Soderburg that thankfully her house was not damaged by the hurricane. Susan has recently completed a four-year term as President of the Woman’s Club of Nashville. In 2010 their beautiful clubhouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Sites. She and her husband, John, have been married for 51 years. They have

taken 5 cruises in 2 months and still enjoy visiting in Augusta GA and the mountains. They have 4 sons and one granddaughter, 8 years old. In her “spare” time Susan is a Master Gardener, specializing in perennials, floral arranger, hand bells player and singer in the choir at her church. She also loves to knit. Jane Bivens Howie Correll and Edward are preparing for their annual pilgrimage to Jensen Beach FL, where they spend their winters. She stays in close touch with Connie Booker Moe and Beth Owens. A couple of years ago Connie and Beth joined Jane for a wonderful minireunion in Columbus OH. Elaine Johnson Hays and her husband, Frank, enjoy spending time with twin grandsons, nearly 2 years old. Elaine continues to have lunch dates with Martha Yarborough Truluck and Virginia Foxworth Williams. This update was shared by Suzanne Currier Soderberg. Mary Kay Rickenbaker has officially been returned into our Class of 1958 database, in spite of the fact that she graduated a year earlier than the rest of our class. She moved to Lake Wylie SC, to live near one of her daughters. Suzanne enjoys keeping track of Mary. Helen Kolb Chambless’ beach house suffered minor damage from Hurricane Irene. Her home in Jacksonville is okay but her yard had multiple trees down and a lot of debris. Linda Ann Gause Connor kindly sent this news to Annette Cooke Stokes. Katie Thomason Ballenger was diagnosed with breast cancer last spring but seems to be doing well after receiving radiation treatments. Linda Ann Gause Connor kindly sent this good news to Annette Cooke Stokes. Lewis McLean unfortunately died in February, 2009. His wife, Peggie Wiggins McLean suffers from dementia. A former parishioner of their church was good enough to speak to me and reports that Peggie has help 24 hours each day and is able to stay at home. Do you all know that Coker has been honored again and named a Best in College the Southeast by The Princeton Review and ranks # 18 in Regional Colleges (South) by US News & World Report? There are other commendations as well. Let us show how proud we are and carefully consider what you may be able to donate to Coker to help it continue to serve so many students. Alumni participation is a measurement used to judge/commend our college. The number of donors means as much as the amounts we can give. Our next class news will be due next April, so please keep us posted.

1959

Pat Crawford Fields

1713 Scenic Valley Lane Knoxville, TN 37922 865-675-3013 | JCF97@prodigy.net

Holly Mims Westcott

7813 Harpeth View Drive Nashville, TN 37221 615-673-7949 | hmwestcott@att.net We feel sad to have lost a classmate who was an integral part of our class. Patsy Maxwell Day succumbed to Parkinson’s in July 2011. A number of our classmates--Mary Holmes Burkett, Barbara Dibble Dixon, Katie Huggins Hennecy with husband Frank, Doris Kirk Miller, Faye Gurley Reynolds, Bonnie Cone Sawyer, and Barbara Roney Whittington---were in Charleston for the funeral service. Barbara Dixon wrote, “The preacher, who knew Patsy well, said her life was full of preparation - that she and John travelled a lot and when they did, she read and researched where she was going so she’d know what

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First Row (left to right): Judy Watson Dew, Liz Huggins Barrow, June Ergle Melton, Nell Gardner Copeland, Ann Matthews Bragdon, Patti Posey Bullen, Clarebel Ching Jordan, Carolyn Cobb Hurren, Charlotte Anderson Ross, Lois Sawyer Lott Second Row (left to right): Barbara Pittman Hinson, Louise Atkinson Cleveland, Phyllis Byrd Blackman, Joyce Anderson Todd, Sara Long Fox, Barbara Singletary Bryan, Sherrill Jordan, Laura McLeod, Angelyn Odom DuRant, Ann Alford Fowler Third Row (left to right): Ann “Winkie” Hayward Griffin, Jeuel Gillam LaTorre, Sue Morrow Turpin, S. Anne Hancock, Ann Parker Gallop, Sissy Cothran Lachicotte, Joyce Gregg Fincannon, Evelyn Parsons Weaver

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a golden wedding anniversary in October 2011, a remarkable achievement when you consider the brevity of their courtship: four months of dating before the proposal, followed by a wedding three months later. This past spring, Elizabeth Whittle Baxter hosted Coker pals at her Isle of Palms condo and Doris Kirk Miller invited Coker friends to “A Taste of Pageland.” It all sounds like lots of fun. News of grandchildren: • Faye has three now in college, including one who has a four year scholarship that covers tuition, room, and board. Lucky duck! No--smart guy! • Tricia has 28 grandchildren and is now a greatgrandmother as well. Twin boys were a recent family addition. Granddaughter Cheryl gave birth to a baby boy, Cooper, in September, 7 weeks early. Because Cheryl is a nurse in newborn intensive care, after a stay in the hospital, she was permitted to bring the little fellow home at less than four pounds. • At the end of the school year, Betty had to hurry from one high school graduation to another, one in Mobile and another in Johnson City. She now has three grandchildren in college and one planning a wedding. Meanwhile, she enjoys playing with the first grader, who wears a Batman suit every chance he gets. • Anne Davis Glass is fortunate to have her two young grandsons, Davis and Jackson, nearby, in Hendersonville TN, and in Springfield TN. • Ben Burgess, Holly Mims Westcott’s grandson, graduated from college as a math major with honors and now is pursuing unpaid work at Yale to gain experience as a video game designer. His sister Meri was in art school in Canada last year and in California this year. Her major field: computer animation. Think: Pixar. Jack, then still four, the youngest of her eight grandchildren, announced upon going to pre-school for school pictures: “I have the power of handsome!” Pat Crawford Fields has the next turn to send news to the Coker Commentary, with a deadline of January 15. She would love to hear from you. When you’re updating friends and family on what’s going on with you, please update her too! Holly Mims Westcott

1960

Ann Matthews Bragdon

1563 Johnsonville Highway Lake City, SC 29560-6202 843-389-4401 | wbragdon@ftc-i.net Dear Classmates, I hope you have enjoyed a wonderful summer, although it was quite a hot one here in South Carolina. As I write this column, it feels more like fall and that’s great with me. Patti Posey Bullen paid us two visits in September and we had such a good time. She arrived Sunday before Labor Day and the family celebrated Mama’s 96th birthday that afternoon. It was so good to have Patti with us and Mama surely did enjoy the visit. She left on Tuesday morning to visit her daughter Dawn and her two granddaughters Hannah and Sarah in Richmond. She spent several days with them before continuing on to Monclaire, Virginia in the DC area where she and Don formerly lived. There, she and good friend, Joyce left for a driving trip up to Maine to visit a friend and former neighbor. Joyce did the driving for this part of the trip which was good because Patti’s back decided to go out on her the week before she came here and she needed a break. While in Maine they also spent a few days with Patti’s next door neighbors from Melbourne Florida who had postponed their usual summer trip to coastal Maine until September. They had a wonderful time shopping, stopping at Bed and Breakfast homes and seeing the countryside. Patti returned here on the last Monday in September and left early Thursday to go home to Melbourne. While she was away, husband Don drove up and spent a weekend with us. Also while still on her trip Barbara Pittman Hinson and I called classmates who live near Florence and worked up a mini reunion for Wednesday, September 28th in Florence. The luncheon was attended by nine of us who met at The Peddler. Patti and I were joined by Sherrill Jordan, Joyce Gregg Fincannon, Barbara Singletary Bryan, Patricia McLaurin Wright, Barbara Pittman Hinson, Judy Watson Dew and Liz Huggins Barrow. We enjoyed good food and fellowship while catching up with everybody. Everyone looked just great and not at all like a group of 70-somethings. Barbara Pittman Hinson finds herself way too busy in retirement, at Mt. Calvary Church McLeod Medical Center in Dillon where she volunteers and trying to keep her sanity with her rental units. Her son Andy continues

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to see and do - and that she lived her life in preparation for the next chapter.” We’ll miss Patsy’s presence and we know her family will too. We also extend our sympathy to Sharon Bennett Gregory and her family on the loss of her mother. Patsy’s enthusiasm for travel lives on in the tips she gave her friends. Faye and Bonnie took her advice by reading James Michener’s novel Alaska before traveling there in August, cruising one week and traveling by land the next. The two are definitely peripatetic adventurers, and as I type this are planning a trip westward, to Tennessee in October. They will stay in Knoxville for a few days with Pat Crawford Fields and Jim and then come here, to Nashville, to visit me and Warren. I can’t wait to show them at least a few of the good things in our fair city. After some time at a North Carolina beach, Betty Crawford Moore went west this summer, to Utah for a trip that included a Lake Powell cruise. While she was away, her well cared for garden in Johnson City TN was on a neighborhood tour. Pat Crawford Fields and husband Jim, both devoted hikers, also went westward, to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September. Then in October they travelled to Illinois to hear an astronomy lecture delivered by physicist son Brian and from there to Maryland for an early celebration of granddaughter Kayleigh’s birthday. Living on the west coast, Patricia Fisher Williams usually heads east, to South Carolina, when she travels. After family gatherings in Rock Hill, she went to Myrtle Beach for a week, where, she informed her children, “It’s just me, the beach, some sunscreen, and my Kindle, or some drawing pencils.” Early in 2011, Anne Davis Glass received the George Mabry Award from Austin Peay’s Acuff Circle of Excellence Community Advisory Board for the various ways in which her musical talent has contributed to the community. The Clarksville, TN, newspaper article announcing her award notes that Anne “has studied and performed across the globe, but Glass has also been a significant contributor to Clarksville’s community life for years.” Congratulations, Anne! Anne continues to teach at Austin-Peay University, though she claims this is her last year there, and in October traveled to Marion SC, her hometown, for a first-ever recital there, as well as to Rock Hill SC, also for a recital. She has three boarders this year, all college students, and finds their presence useful for tasks like changing light bulbs that are near the eaves of the house. Molly Creadick Gray and husband Pete celebrated

Class of 1960: First Row (left to right): Sherrill Jordan, Joyce Gregg Fincannon, Barbara Singletary Bryan, Ann Matthews Bragdon, Patti Posey Bullen, Patricia McLaurin Wright, Liz Huggins Barrow, Barbara Pittman Hinson, Judy Watson Dew

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to go to Johns Hopkins every six months to be checked and has a bone marrow biopsy yearly. The news is good three years after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Stage IV. Barbara’s prayer continues to be for remission. Barbara Singletary Bryan’s husband died in 2005. Most of you will remember that she and N.H. married our junior year. Barbara now lives in Florence. They had four children: Natalie Knight—a teacher, Lori Ricard—a teacher, Nicole Bryan—a sled agent and Nathan Bryan—with the corp of Engineers. Barbara has five grandchildren, one graduating from Clemson this year and a grandson graduating high school. Barbara enjoys yard work. This summer she enjoyed a trip to Florida and also a trip west visiting Utah, Wyoming and Arizona with visits to Yellowstone and Grand Canyon National Parks. Sherrill Jordan reported Lois Sawyer Lott had a stint put in her heart but I’ll have more on that later. She also told us that Laura McLeod lost her sister Penny Nissley, to breast cancer in the spring. We extend our condolences to you, Laura. It was so good to have Patricia McLaurin Wright at our mini reunion in Florence. She came for the Friday part of our 50th Reunion. She’s still in Clio and still getting used to living alone after Marian’s death several years ago. They were the parents of three children and she filled up in—Debbie is a Media Specialist in Bennettsville, Laurin is a Choreographer and performer for Matt Davenport Production in Nashville Tennessee and David is with Internal Communications in New York, New York. Joyce Gregg Fincannon is married to Dewitt, now retired and they live in Florence. They have one son Gregg Fincannon who lives in Chapin SC with wife Stacey and their 8 year old son Zachary. Dewitt’s home was in the Blowing Rock NC area and they have a house there where they go one week of each month. I asked Joyce if he ever gets to see Jan Karon, author of the well known Mitford Series. She said she saw her recently and had her pictures made with her. Judy Watson Dew invited Liz Huggins Barrow to come spend the night at her house in Latta and they both came over to Florence for our luncheon. Liz is still busy with her Bible Study Fellowship. This is her eighth year and they’re studying Acts. Next year will be the ninth year and it will be completed with the study of the Minor Prophets. She says it takes a lot of time, but she enjoys it. I have taken numerous Beth Moore studies, now studying David, Seeking a Heart Like His which is absolutely wonderful, but it does require many hours of study time. Liz, with this many years you really will qualify as a Bible scholar! She didn’t take any large trips this year, just several small ones. She enjoyed one week in Myrtle Beach condo with friends, then family and also spent two weeks in the mountains. Sounds like you’ve been one busy lady in retirement. Now, to complete my update on Lois Sawyer Lott. An email from Lois to Evelyn Parsons Weaver, forwarded to Sherrill Jordan who then sent it to Laura McLeod and me brings news from more busy people on the move. Lois Sawyer Lott and B spent two weeks in London in May visiting friends and then two weeks in Alaska in June. They got back July 7 and the company started at their home in Highlands, hosting 6 groups of friends in 6 weeks. Although they loved it, Lois thinks she might have done too much. They went to Anna Marie in Florida (September, by this time) and she awoke about midnight with awful backache and pain in her neck. Lois took two whole aspirin that were in her purse. This eased her pain and she fell asleep but awoke at 5:00 am, with terrible pain in the back and up the neck but mostly in the whole lower jaw and in her ears. Knowing something was

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First Row (left to right): Licia Love Stone, Gail Green McCown, Louise “Floogie” Woodham Kelley, Sylvia Beard Seppala, Joyce Medlin Eaton, Gail Power Helms, Edna DuRant Ellis, Bleeker Sisk Cannon Second Row (left to right): Ritta Croft Hennecy, Isabel Larue Smith, Louise Foster Thomanson, Mary Frances Irick Richards, Jayne Cannon, Jane McLeod Webb, Sally S. Aldrich, Mary Lee “Mathis” Pattison, Betty Wise Jackson, Regina Swygert-Smith Third Row (left to right): Judy McCartt Dickson, Larry Leasure (Joyce Coats), Frances Gray Atkinson, Beryl Hills Carter, Linda MacPherson Hein, Lou Stuckey Gardner, Julie Poole Brice, Pat Cullum Yarbrough serious she took two more aspirin and went to the doctor. They immediately did an EKG, called the ambulance and told her she was having a heart attack. From the time Lois entered the ER till they put in the stint and was back in ICU took 49 minutes. Her artery was 95% blocked. She kept saying “this cannot be happening to me, of all people. She did so well they released her the next afternoon. They felt so blessed and were in the right place saying God was with them. Lois wants us to know that women mostly do not have the general symptoms that guys have. She NEVER had pain in her chest or arms, all in the back and in the jaw. She is now on blood thinner, Plavix and a Beta Blocker and trying to find something that can be tolerated for cholesterol which is her problem. Lois, we’re so glad you came through this so well. Please slow down and don’t give B and your children another scare like this. Patti shared with me while visiting in September that both of her granddaughters from Richmond had received awards during this past year. Sarah the younger had an award named in her honor last spring “The Bullet Bullen Award” for track running speed and she was the first recipient. A new award was started, the “Passion for Learning Award” and Hannah, the older granddaughter was its first recipient. Congratulations! Patti, I know you’re proud of these girls. Many have inquired about William so I’m including an update. After the procedures done on the left side of his liver last May, a scan done in June showed the treatment was working. We didn’t have to return to MUSC until late September for another PET scan which showed things were working still on the left side but cancer had done to the right side of his liver; also some activity in his chest. We plan to go to Charleston the last week in October to have pre-op treatment done before doing the procedure on the right side a few weeks later. We still have hope and continue to fight. We know everything is in God’s hands. We’ve had a good summer and got to go to the beach with the family which was enjoyable. We just take things slowly. I know many of you enjoy reading and I want to recommend a book that I think you’d enjoy –especially since so many lifelong friendships were formed at Coker. The book is The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Baslow who co-authored The Last Lecture. It is the story of woman

and a forty-year friendship. It came out in 2009 and Patti brought it to me in 2010 after she read it. If not Coker, maybe you had a group of close friends growing up that you still keep in touch with that long ago friendships. Until next time, Ann

1961

Sylvia Beard Seppala

2271 Brackenville Road Hockessin, DE 19707 302-239-0641 | sylviabs@aol.com

Regina Swygert-Smith

5206 Main Street Stephens City, VA 22655-2632 540-868-1055 | randm@bilbroughterriers.com Sally Caskey Sutton wrote to Regina “that they cannot be in Hartsville this weekend. It will be an exciting time with all the old “Coker-Nuts” gathering to remember special years together. We are doing well, still traveling, doing volunteer work, enjoying working in our yard and loving being with our family. Our oldest son, Scott and his wife Jennifer life here in Roanoke VA; our other two sons, Marty and Hank live in Tucker and our daughter Holly and her husband Danny and two sons Zach and Jacob live in Loganville GA. Last year we went to Clemson for Mark’s 50th reunion and had the pleasure of being with Jo Ann McDonald Land and her husband Ed. Jo Ann is just as sweet and beautiful as she was when we were roommates at Coker. It was wonderful being with her.”

1962

Gabrielle (Gaby) Morandiere

300 East 54th Street #7-K New York, NY 10022 212-832-7462 | gaby.morandiere@verizon.net Well, my dear classmates, below is the news I have gathered from our classmates and am so grateful to those who keep me posted by email, “snail” mail and telephone. Everyone is listed in alphabetical order by the last names we used when attending Coker. Please let me know if there are any changes in your contact information.

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so many interesting and important jobs at Thornwell, I am sure this will be a time of real adjustment. We are hoping she will make it to this reunion. Carol Elting Richardson’s right foot has been “fixed” and is working again, with lots of time to finish healing by our reunion. She has already let me reserve two adjoining rooms for her, Paula Moran, Charlotte Cothran Taylor and Betty Saunders Brooking. Sara Funderburk Atkinson and I had a nice telephone visit in September. She had been a day student and thus did not have a chance to enjoy dormitory living. She has had a wonderful marriage with children and now has four grandchildren. Sara taught remedial reading for 17 years and now enjoys reading, exercising at the gym and decorative sewing. She has travelled extensively in the U.S. and is grateful to have a cousin who has shared wonderful trips on his boat. Judy Griggs is serving as Moderator for Ruby Presbyterian Women’s Association. Unfortunately, a close cousin and Coker graduate, Margaret Hendrick Atkinson Huntley, ’48, died on September 12th. Dot Herlong Hay and Charles are planning to join us for our reunion. Molly Holbrooke Birchler had a wonderful trip to New York City in May and was dear enough to let me borrow her for most of a day. She and Al are en route to Lafayette, IN, to see a big Purdue football game with good friends and spouses from Al’s school days. They do this every year and enjoy visiting good friends and Molly’s son and wife in Toledo. Molly has again been wonderfully helpful making reunion plans. They plan to join us in April. Anita Jones Stanton sold her business in July and loves being officially “retired”. She has shared information about her close friend and our classmate, Kay Lawrimore Byrd. Kay has been successfully fighting several serious cancers. Unfortunately another has recently been discovered and I know we are all hoping for another successful outcome. Kay’s daughter took Kay and three grandchildren on a long trip to California and Washington. What a lovely trip it must have been. Harriet King Van Norte’s husband, Bob, reports that life is coming along well. They are devoted to their cats. Harriet was visiting her sister in Florida when I called. Lee McCown Huey was kind enough to send the news of June Ammons’ death and service. She noticed the obituary just in time to make it to the graveside service. She continues to care for her beloved mother. Lee and her daughter recently enjoyed a trip to St. Louis, which she says is a great city. She looks forward to seeing everyone at our reunion. Peggy McCue Freymuth’s brother Carl, died on July 18th and she felt it was a blessing as his cancer had been difficult. Peggy’s family and Carl’s friends all worked hard to have a nice funeral for him. Peggy’s daughter, Anne, recorded a special collection of music for the service. Betty McDaniel Hedgepath was visiting their daughter’s family and two grandsons in Colorado Springs when I called. Her husband, Carey, filled me in on some of their more recent comings and goings. They are still heavily involved with their ministry in Romania. They have been to Israel again. Just before our reunion they have plans to go to Turkey and Rome. But Carey hinted that they want to join us in April. Pat McTeer Hughes continues to work part time at the Hartsville library and we finally had a chance to catch up on news. Pat is looking forward to visiting Vermont early in October. One of Pat’s sons is a doctor in Charlotte and the other is an urban planning designer in Roanoke VA, where he specializes in historic communities. Pat has been able to enjoy taking wonderful and interesting trips to all parts of the world, often with one of her sons. She

has been helping with reunion arrangements. Paula Moran seems well and is looking forward to joining us for our reunion. Her cats are the joy of her life and I think they have her sense of humor. Paula’s son, Jonathan, is a boat captain and has bought a wonderful boat which he uses primarily to gather people whose ships can not dock on shore. Paula immediately remembered the fun we classmates had gathering to sing when June Ammons would play her guitar. Do you remember if it was June who arranged for us to see movies on campus? Elizabeth Moore Weir enjoys working with Crisis Control at the American Red Cross and volunteering in her church. She and Tom have cut down on the number of holes when they play golf, but they are enjoying it nearly as much. The Weirs have two sons, one of whom lives in Raleigh and works for Aramark, the wonderful group that provides all the catering services at Coker. Their other son lives in Kennett Square, PA, and has given the Weirs two wonderful grandchildren. Frances Segars Kelley is busy preparing for a trip to the State Fair with her fellow quilters, after which they will head for a quilting retreat. She still plays tennis and follows her grandchildrens’ athletic competitions. Frances has been working hard on our reunion planning and I am so grateful. She does not seem to stay at home very long. She entertains when she can at the lake as well as at the beach and I know those are wonderful gettogethers. Ida Pace Storrs reports that she and her best pal and pup, Archie, have been hoping for rain. She is trying to improve her balance and work on her knees by going to rehabilitation. Former next-door neighbors have adopted Ida. Ann has been helping with cleaning and laundry. Vince has been making needed repairs. Ida has been trying to sort and toss, but of course would rather read and sit on the porch. She has been making great suggestions for our reunion. Florence Staklinski Taylor and Bill have been celebrating his retirement on May 15th. They are still enjoying tennis and reading, but have been travelling often. They have enjoyed visits to Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach and the Cayman Islands. Recently they joined some of Bill’s classmates to tour Cape Cod. Flo says she found John Q. Adams’ house fascinating and was so impressed with his library. Both mothers are living in their own homes and Flo and Bill try to visit as often as possible. They plan to visit Flo’s mother in April when they join the rest of us for our reunion dinner. Joanne Tuten Bellamy recently attended an interesting Historical Committee program at the First Baptist Church in Georgetown. She was thrilled to see her roommate from their sophomore year at Coker, Beverly Jones Dinkins, who had come with Sumter Baptist Church friends. Unfortunately, Beverly’s husband died in 1995. They had four children. Joanne keeps me posted on important class news when she can. Joanne has also been making terrific suggestions for our reunion. Bruce Williams and Mary-Frances ’64 will be joining us for our reunion. Nancy Wilson has been enjoying a new computer and high-speed internet service. She began working at a new job in February and seems to be delighted. Unfortunately, her house was robbed on September 20th and she feels violated, as would we all. Thank goodness her cat seems not to have been affected, but her good jewelry was taken including a beautiful ring given by her mother. Mary Ann Wycliff Johnson emailed that it is hard to believe that her husband died 4 years ago. “Parkinson’s Disease is a terrible disease. And the worst part was because he was a Doctor, he knew his outcome.” She

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Our 50th class reunion will be held on April 13th and 14th. We have reserved a lot of hotel rooms and word has gotten out, because we already have a lot of classmates who have let me know they are coming, many of whom we have not seen since we were young and adorable! Please decide to join us let me know your plans. Should we reserve more rooms? ‘Tis time to get in touch with our friends to make sure they will join us. We also need to know how many will be joining us for our dinner celebration on Friday night. Spouses, friends and others are welcome to join us of course. We will be sending out more details as soon as possible. Sadly, we have lost our classmate, Patricia June Ammons, on October 4th. June had been moved into an assisted living residence in Lexington last winter. Her brother and his family had moved to Lexington and wanted her to be closer. June was always such a big help when I tried to find “lost” classmates. June was sharp and had a memory we would all love to have. She loved singing in her church choir, travelling to interesting places and was active with the Red Cross. What fun we had when she played her guitar and sang? http://www.legacy.com/ obituaries/spartanburg/obituary.aspx?n=patricia-juneammons&pid=153986251 Sara Anderson Kummer joined her sister, Charlotte Anderson Ross ’60, for Charlotte’s 50th and is hoping to have Charlotte join her for ours. Sara is so relieved that our reunion will be just a few weeks before a longplanned trip to Holland and Belgium. She can do both! Gail Arnette Sinclair sounds well and is looking forward to our 50th. There have been a lot of family reunions which have been wonderful. Her daughter works for Kelly Career and Work Services. Although she lives in Camden, she is frequently sent to work in a lot of interesting places for several weeks or more. Today she is in Kauai, HI, working on a project and is delighted because she was born in Hawaii and this is the first time she has been there to visit. Mary Bell Kittle and Joe have spent most of their summer and now fall in the Virginia mountains, with trips to Nags Head, Saluda, Hilton Head with small trips to/from San Antonio. Joe will be celebrating his 50th reunion from the Citadel in November and then they will return to San Antonio for the winter and spring. Mary and Joe are planning to join us for the reunion. Sherrie Berry Wolski and Pat decided to experiment by planting vegetables in their garden again for the first time in years. Various worms and critters were gobbling everything in the regular garden spot. Well, of course, there were other worms and rabbits beginning to nibble in the new garden. Always-creative Sherrie found lots of her crafts supplies and made noisy little windmills and made a fence out of shiny silver and gold stencils. I gather it worked. Next year they can try it again – a bit earlier. Gayle Brandt Faust writes that in late September a very big storm hit her neighborhood and house. Nearly everything in her house was hit by lightening and she has had to replace her telephone and television set as well as her computer, sending Gayle to the library to use theirs until her son has been able to rig an alternative. She reports that Henri Ramsey van Arsdale’s house was damaged by three huge fallen trees from a neighbor’s. Peggy Brown Buchanan and John are still living in Peoria, IL for ten days a month. They recently took a wonderful and interesting trip to South America. I look forward to catching up with them in mid-December when I will be in Charleston for a few days. Their grandtwins are eight years old and their daughters are always busy. Doris Duke Straight retired from Thornwell at the end of September and is now living in McClellanville. After

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is well and thankful to God for all His blessings. She is healthy and has lost the weight gained while taking care of her husband. Recently someone told her she looked as though she were in her late fifties or early sixties, which made her day! She continues to enjoy her wood carving and has fun carving with her wood carving friends every Monday. Mary Ann plans to enter some of her carvings in the Greenville SC show and the Charlotte NC show. Her small farm has a Black Arabian Stallion named Shabah and four pygmy goats, two babies of which she may sell. She sells brown eggs from her chickens. Daughter Deb and her family live in Scottsdale AZ. Two of their boys have graduated from ASU. Her middle son, Bryan, is a coach there. Their youngest son is still in middle school. Mary Ann’s son, Haley, lives in Jacksonville FL and has a daughter and a son who are doing well. Peggy Ziegler Reeves is planning to attend a conference in San Antonio, TX in the latter part of October and hopes to be able to see Mary Bell Kittle for a quick visit if all goes well. Peggy has graciously agreed to be in charge of keeping our reunion records straight and to make sure we pay our bills! Do you all know that Coker has been honored again and named a Best in College the Southeast by The Princeton Review and ranks # 18 in Regional Colleges (South) by US News & World Report? There are other commendations as well. Let us show how proud we are and carefully consider what you may be able to donate to Coker to help it continue to serve so many students. Alumni participation is a measurement used to judge/ commend our college. The number of donors means as much as the amounts we can give. Our next class news will be due in on April 15, so please share your news. Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible on April 13th and 14th!

1963

Nancy Warren Clarke

P.O. Box 988 Montreat, NC 28757 828-669-5728 | frauclarke@mindspring.com

Edith Floride Reynolds

DEVELOPMENT

105 South Rosemary Avenue Andrews, SC 29510 843-264-5173 | ef.reynolds@frontier.com Nancy Warren Clarke and husband Erskine celebrated their 70th birthdays in the Tetons and Yellowstone. Betty Gail Forbes Gandy works part time in a hospital business office. She is a great grandmother and has five grandchildren. Lynda Morillo Hord and sister Rae took a trip to Port Angeles, Washington in September to celebrate their brother’s 85th birthday. Carol Phillips Kirven and husband Larry enjoy life on the farm. Larry has a big garden and keeps bees. Carol feeds many hummingbirds and bluebirds which congregate in her yard in the summer. Sons David and Chris, stepchildren Lauren and Karoline, and grandchildren Lake, Logan Lee and DuBose all live nearby. Carol and Larry love to travel in their camper and enjoy hunting and fishing. Madeleine Theus McKenzie has a granddaughter, Kora, born on September 21. She is named for Madeleine’s mother. Madeleine may possibly be on a reality show in January on lifetime. The show was taped in Yemassee SC but had not been given a name at the end of taping. Kitty Kirby Nobles enjoys listening to the “Great American Country.” Daughter Greta’s husband Pat Severs has recorded two CD’s. He plays strings in Nashville. They

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recently adopted Luke, from Russia, giving Kitty another grandson. Doris Duke Straight ’62 retired from serving at Thornwell Orphanage in October. She is moving back to her hometown, McClellanville SC. In early October, Nan Warren Clarke, Lynda Morillo Hord, Carol Phillips Kirven, Kitty Kirby Nobles, Edith Reynolds, and Kay Elder Williams joined Nancy McConnell Wilhelm at her home at Litchfield Beach for fun and fellowship. Belinda Duckworth Copeland, Betty Gail Forbes Gandy and Jennie Turner Gustafson and Jean Virgin ’65 joined the group for lunch in Pawley’s Island. Madeleine Theus McKenzie visited another day. Nancy and husband Budgy stay busy with their family who all live at the beach. 21 month old twins Will and Emily live next door. Grandson Julian and granddaughter Byerly live down the street. Nancy’s 93 year old mother is in a nursing home in Murrells Inlet. Nancy gets reports on Joan Gregg through Joan’s sister Joyce Gregg Fincannon ’60. Joan has had MS for many years. She is in the Presbyterian Home in Florence and would love to get some news from her Coker friends and classmates. Her address is: 2350 W. Lucas Street, Room 156, Florence SC 29501-1208. Kay Elder Williams’s daughter Caryl has two foster children, Nina and Vladimire Golishev, originally from Latvia. Both are now US citizens and Vladimire is currently in the US Army serving in Afghanistan until spring of 2012. Belinda Duckworth Copeland is still working everyday as Treasurer of Darlington County but making plans to retire soon in order to enjoy her two grandsons. Toby, 14, a freshman at Hartsville High enjoys playing baseball. Copeland, who just turned 18 months is into everything. Belinda reminds us that the Class of ’63 Endowment needs our support to enable us to reach our goal for our 50th reunion in 2013. Please make your contribution today and earmark it for the Class of ’63 Endowment Scholarship. We offer condolences to Patricia Tindall McClary in the death of her mother on May 24. Start making plans for our 50th and don’t forget to contribute to the Class of ’63 Endowment Scholarship. Edith and Nan

1964

Lorena Cook James

24 Dearborn Rd North, SC 29112-8201 803-874-3332 | lorenajames@windstream.net

Becky Sparrow

505 Law Street Hartsville, SC 29550 843-857-0782 | rgs2000@aol.com

Cameron Council Speth

986 Forest Road New Haven, CT 06515 203-453-8985 | cece@speth.com Your Class Reps have enjoyed collecting news from California to Vermont. Our classmates are roaming the planet and visiting places we first learned about in Civ, living out lifelong dreams like pursuing archaeology and paleontology, trips to Yosemite and Death Valley, and visiting the site where the Titanic sank! Closer to home Lorena Cook James and Becky Sparrow are serving on a Committee at Coker’s Center For Engaged Learning and recently met Naomi Kelly Jackson and Ellen Harden Rogers for lunch in Hartsville. In July Naomi lunched with Jean Smith

Sansbury , Neil Bates Beasley, Anne Lamb Matthews, and Mary Ann McCaskill Tomlinson to celebrate Jean’s birthday! Naomi says she and John enjoy gardening and church activities. She challenges our class to have 50 classmates for our 50th Reunion in 2014 and says to “Plan now to attend and be one of those 50!” Jean Virgin prepared the Brown Bags for the May Coker Project Brown Bag at Hobcaw Barony near Georgetown. Coker science students visited Hobcaw to tour the marine and forestry programs with Dr. Fred Edinger and Lee Brockington. During the picnic lunch, Becky Sparrow told the students the history of the “Sunday night brown bags” at Coker. Cameron Council Speth says Irene washed out most of the bridges and roads in Strafford, Vermont where their farm is. Gus is writing another book with Cameron’s computer help. They enjoy raising chickens, growing veggies, and having friends and family visit. Cameron says “Life is Good!” Fifth grandchild, Grace, was born in July! Also in July, Nell Bates Beasley attended the Pilot International Convention in Dallas, Texas and had a great time. When school started for grandchildren Haley, 12, and Chad, 9, Nell became the after school pick-up taxi driver. She takes Haley to dance, then helps Chad study, and says, “I had to learn how to be a teacher again.” Pat Holland Chapman writes, “Frank and I are enjoying our new home on Lake Murray and feel we are finally settled in.” Now that we have five granddaughters, ages 12, 9, 2, 2, and 4 months, we are busy visiting them as much as possible. Our son Jim is still in a family practice in New Jersey, and Leighton is here in Lexington with three daughters. Other than visiting family, Frank made a return trip to Vietnam forty years after he served there. He and three other former VietNam veterans enjoyed a 16 day trip and found the country quite changed; it seems to be a new vacation destination. In August, we enjoyed a vacation in Italy and France. It was great to see all of the places Dr. Davidson showed us when we took Civilization. I look forward to our 2014 reunion.” Nita Nunn Danenburg’s husband Marshall decided to withdraw from his doctorate pursuit, concluding that, at this time in his life, enjoying the “grand-twins” and tending his peach orchard will get priority! The Danenburgs joined the twins and their parents for a week at the beach at Emerald Isle, NC in August. Nita is lifting weights and following a regimen to maintain health and keep up with busy Morgan and Cameron! “All is well here in California.” writes Susan Frank, and she sends her best wishes to everyone. “I’m still enjoying very much my work at Chevron as a paralegal. My son Sam has one son Max; and my daughter Mara has a son James and daughter Tavi. I love being a grandma! However, at this time of life they are all doing fine on their own and don’t need my attention as much, so I have decided to live out some of my dreams by pursuing a longtime interest in archaeology and paleontology. I went to Ireland in 2010 and in 2011 to work on a dig with University of Galway professors at the Caherconnell Stone Fort in County Clare. I just loved it and will be going back again next year. You can google ‘Caherconnell Stone Fort’ to see some photos and results. This year I also went on a fossil dig in North Dakota with a couple of paleontology professors and had such fun digging out triceratops and turtle fossils that I will be doing it again next year. My life is good at present, but I have learned that life can be an uncertain thing. I am very grateful every day for the good things I have and the people I love.” Ann Dobson Hammond and husband Tom took a summer “get-away” cruise in the Carribbean. Among the

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read the article in the Winter 2011 Commentary about this excellent scholarship promoting community service established by our own Becky in memory of her father. It’s a pleasure to have individual contact with the students involved and the opportunity to visit with friends while in Hartsville. The College campus is beautiful and busy. Thanks to all who responded to our e-mail “SOS” for updates. We hope to hear from the rest of you soon; this column becomes white space without you! Please be in touch at any time throughout the year. Alumni office deadlines are April 15 and October 15, but we need your news a week or two prior. Also, keep us updated on your contact information. For those using Facebook, several classmates have pages and share some wonderful pictures. I didn’t get their permission to list their names here, but you can search for them on the site. Warmest wishes to each of you, Lorena.

1965

Eleanor Powell Clark

106 Arapaho Circle Darlington, SC 29532 843-395-2173

1966

Anne E. Neely The Tree House P.O. Box 204 Shallotte, NC 28459 | 910-754-5375

1967

Class rep or co-reps needed

1968

Joan Lading Abernathy

20037 Oak River Court Petersburg, VA 23803 804-590-1644 jabernathyva@aol.com | jabernathyva@comcast.net News gets thinner, just like our hair. Apparently most of you are also experiencing a new phase in life called retirement, which translates to working many more hours a day without a substantial pay increase. Is your middle name now spelled “volunteer”? Judith (Judi) Hege Bailey started her retirement from Winston-Salem State University with a knee replacement. Her rehab has made her an exercise convert, swimming at the YMCA pool five days a week and spending time on her recumbent bike almost every day. In July, she and Bren traveled to Maine for a two week visit with friends. On Labor Day, they attended the Baltimore Indy Race and just loved it. In fact, they plan to return again for another race. Every Saturday is always reserved for Carolina Football. A return to Coker for Reunion Weekend gave them the opportunity to visit with Gayle Buckheister Sawyer ’70 and Judy Pigg. Judy’s definition of retirement is being able to go when you want to and spend time with those you care about. Pat Harmon Pantsari wants to let everyone know that she is really enjoying her retirement and does not miss work at all. Sharon Rogers Pelt is working as a realtor in Raleigh and also teaches history at some area colleges. She and her husband spend a lot of time at their condo in Charleston visiting their daughter, Jennifer, who continues to have a great career in wine sales. Plans are in the works for a trip this year to Hawaii, and after a stressful redo of their home, Sharon is looking

First Row (left to right): Sandra Tedder Lee, Carol Ann Elmore, Alice Adams Brown Second Row (left to right): Rebecca Ramseur Earle, Shrinkin’ Violet (doll), Anne Ellis Neely, Pam P. Iverster forward to doing some traveling. In July, Anne Davis Darby, Barbara Nexsen Lansche, Barbara’s mother, Woody, and Nancy Strahan Hall met in Clarksville, Georgia for a great mini-reunion. Every three months, Nancy visits her mom’s little house there, since her mom is in a nearby nursing center. Nancy and Weller are now expectant grandparents. Their son, John, and his wife, Aley, are awaiting the arrival of their first child in February. Volunteer work and enjoying time with family and friends top the list for Nancy in her retirement. Mary Anne Pate Erter and Jack celebrated their son Jay’s wedding to Noelle on October 22nd in Columbus, Ohio. The couple will reside in Nashville where he practices hematology/oncology and she is a pharmacist at CVS. Their granddaughters, Lily and Charley, were flower girls for this event. Aside from enjoying weekends in the mountains of North Carolina at Brevard the couple has been busy attending Clemson football games. I did it, I officially retired again. Now I understand why people go back to work after retirement, it’s less stressful. Trying to coordinate the list of things that have been put aside to do after I had retired is an enormous job in itself. Wilson and I did manage to find time to travel the south passage in Alaska in July. Now I need to find time to scrapbook the 300 photos I took. But honestly, I do not miss grading papers on Sunday evening, so maybe it will just take a little time to get used to this new life style. Time passes too quickly, so stay in touch by reaching out to a Cokernut you haven’t heard from lately. Joni Lading Abernathy

1969

April Garnier Poitras

1903 Surrey Oaks Court Arlington TX 76006 817-274-5633 | ajpoitras@sbcglobal.net

Leigh Anne Farnell

Post Office Box 685 Boothbay, ME 04537-0685 207-633-3676 | lafjpn@roadrunner.com Elisabeth “Libut” Hauser lives in Virginia and continues pursuing her passions which include animal rescue, eating, reading and traveling. Jennie Kluttz Clifton and her husband Cecil are retired and live in Davidson, NC. They are the proud grandparents of three perfect grandchildren, two in Georgia and one in Charlotte. They visit often with their

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ports of call was Barbadoes. Earlier, Doug and I enjoyed a visit from them at our river cabin. Ann has a busy schedule in Greer with grandchildren’s activities, church work and overseeing her mother’s care at a local nursing home. A Christmas 2010 note from Catherine Tanner Mishler told of fun trips to Belgium, Colorado and California. Katie said, “Seeing Yosemite and Death Valley was amazing!” She continues to enjoy her part-time work at the community college library in Richmond and hopes “some day” to visit again in South Carolina. Come on down soon, Katie! Elizabeth Johnston Pearce is busy planning her 50th high school reunion, being a Mimi, and working with special needs children. She wonders, “What happened to retirement?” Keep up the good work, Lib! The highlight of 2010 for Linda Traynham Prior was a trip to Italy and Greece during October and November. Linda enjoyed a visit this past July from son Jimmy, daughter-in-law and two grandsons from Texas. Ellen Harden Rogers shares, “Just wanted to let you all know that the big news from my neck of the woods is that I retired from EPA March 31, 2011 after 36 years!” Ellen has done a remarkable job of renovating her parents’ Hartsville lakeside home, a beautiful blend of old and new. She remarks, “I’m enjoying being able to spend time in Hartsville on my own schedule now. Thankfully, the renovation is complete but there’s still lots of ‘finetuning’ to do.” Soon she and Nick will be spending more time in Hartsville! Mary-Frances Zachary Williams and Bruce Williams ’62 made a 17 day cruise in August from London (Dover) to New York with some very interesting ports of call. She comments, “We stopped in the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia. Of course, we passed over the spot where the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. We saw many icebergs in Greenland, but we avoided them all. In 17 days, we went through all of the seasons. We left Myrtle Beach in 100 degrees, London was 60s, Iceland was 50s, Greenland was 40s, then it was warmer coming to New York ending with 90. We had a wonderful time. We were very upset to drive through Cranford, NJ and see the flooding, caused by hurricane Irene, that occurred when the Rahway River flooded a large portion of the town where I grew up. “This year we will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. We were married while still at Coker. Over Thanksgiving weekend, I signed out of the dorm on Wednesday. That afternoon, we were married by our minister in Hartsville and drove to Wilmington, NC for a three day honeymoon. I checked back in Sunday afternoon, and we kept our marriage secret for six months. After our last exams, we told everyone and they said it wouldn’t last. Here we are almost 50 years later having the time of our lives. We love retirement!” As for the James family, honking of geese flying over the property and barking of our two little dogs are the loudest sounds around our peaceful county home. Doug and I have become so accustomed to C-17s making practice flights to a nearby military landing field, until we rarely notice them. Trips to Charleston for visits with our grand-daughter Bella, her mom Kelly and dad Kyle, plus a few long weekends spent at our river cabin make sweet memories. Our son Bryan continues to build cabinets next door to us. Wonderful treats were a summer weekend with a friend at Hobcaw Barony in Georgetown and an Edisto Island plantation tour in October. A dear aunt, for whom I’m a “helper,” celebrated her 96th birthday in August, a joyous milestone. Also, I am enjoying very much serving on the Sparrow Scholars Program Committee at Coker. I hope you all

DEVELOPMENT

children and grandchildren. Elizabeth “Libby” Cannon Danel wishes that she retired sooner. Libby enjoys not having to go anywhere or do anything that she doesn’t wish to do although she does miss the frequent flyer miles and Hilton Honor points. After 32 years as a corporate trainer with Bank of America Libby is finding new life. Libby and her husband Jack enjoy walking the dogs, traveling and spending time at the beach. They will be traveling to Europe in October, spending Thanksgiving with family in November and then to the beach for a few months. Libby keeps a blog of their trips at http://www.jackandlibby.blogspot.com. Recently Libby and Jack visited Jack’s parents in Colorado and attended Jack’s 50th high school reunion. They had a great time and enjoy the mountains and fresh air. Libby visited with Marsha Hatfield Marcelli, Estelle Truesdale McKenzie and Susan Allen Morano last year and is planning to get together with Diane Parker Mann and Marsha next spring. Clara “Choochie” Calloway is retired and lives in Southwest Florida near Fort Myers. She enjoys the wonderful weather and not being on a schedule. Choochie lives with Koko and Kiwi her two Ragdoll cats. Hyatt Ann Keels Brandt is retired from the SC State Budget and Control Board. She lives with and cares for her Mother who is 89. Her two sons and daughter are well established in their careers and her grandchildren are doing well. Hyatt Ann loves to sing their praises. Amanda “Mandy” Hubbard Sedgwick and husband Michael live on wonderful Tybee Island, GA. They are doing well now that Michael has recovered from a bad bike fall. Their “four legged baby” adds so much joy and laughter to their lives. Mandy and Michael love their church community which fills a void that they felt during the years they were living in Europe and Japan. Mandy continues to play bridge weekly and enjoys the wonderful mix of personalities of her bridge group. Mandy reports that Carol Luth Ruthven and family are doing well after the flooding in New Jersey. Mandy is looking forward to a visit with Sherrill Jordan ’60 who she met in Germany over 30 years ago. Diane Parker Mann lives in Raleigh, NC. She will be retiring in January 2012 after teaching elementary school and ESL for 34 years. She has used her Spanish to help many ESL families. Connie Igleheart Brock says that it seems all of her family members have headed north. Her sister Sylda Igleheart Carver ’71 and husband Wayne have moved to Kerhonkson, NY. Connie’s son and his wife Tammy moved with her grand boys to Oak Park, IL for Scott’s job promotion last year. The only consolation is Connie and her husband Jim enjoy visiting and seeing new places when they visit with her sister in New York and her son in Illinois. They have just returned from a visit with Connie’s sister Sylda and husband Wayne will be spending Christmas in Illinois with their son Scott and family. Connie and Jim’s family still remain close despite distances. Their son Scott and family will be joining them for Thanksgiving and will also be attending the Igleheart Christmas gathering on the Isle of Palms in early December. Connie’s three sisters gather with all of their children and grandchildren each year. It is a great blessing to Connie to spend this time with family. Jim and Connie will attend Jim’s 50th high school reunion. Connie feels blessed with good health and her family closeness. Paula Fulcher Kemp and her husband Bill have been through a rough summer weather-wise in Texas. The forest fires hit communities all around them. The fire in Bastrop, TX that destroyed over 1500 homes is about 30 miles east of their home and they could see and smell the smoke. Paula says all is well otherwise. She and Bill

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enjoyed traveling to Nova Scotia and Colorado this summer. They were planning a trip to go on a Danube River Cruise but their flight to Germany was cancelled due to Hurricane Irene. They will try again next year. Leigh Anne Farnell and husband Jeff Noyce spend summers in Boothbay, ME sailing, kayaking, walking Ocean Point and caring for their home. They love retirement and wonder how they ever had time before to do all of the things that need to be done. Last winter while wintering on St. Simons Island, GA they purchased a condominium. Now when they go south for the winter they will be going to their own place. Leigh Anne and Jeff love St. Simons Island where they ride bikes almost daily. They also love walking the beach. This past year they lost their two beloved Birman cats Mizzen and Jenny. They had sixteen joyous years with them. This past May they acquired Bella and Mia two adorable Ragdoll kittens. Bella and Mia are filling the sad void that Mizzen and Jenny left.

1970

Jane Brown Riechmann

2970 St. Johns Avenue Jacksonville, FL 32205 904-384-8650 | stjohnsjane@bellsouth.net Classmates, I trust that those of you who have email for whom I have a current address, have already read the news that I had sent originally to the Commentary in January 2011. Therefore, it is not being reprinted. If, by chance, you missed that news and wish to read it, please call me or email if you really have email but I don’t yet have your email address, and I will be glad to mail/email it to you. With that explanation, here’s what news I was able to gather with only a six day notice! Beverly Armstrong McLaughlin is a true warrior fighting hard against her cancer. The latest CaringBridge update (4/12/11) from Mac, Beverly’s angel of a husband, stated that “things seem to be going good now that her arm is fixed.” Beverly and Mac were looking forward to a trip to their farm where Beverly would enjoy a visit from her brother and his wife as well as her sister. Jessie Markley Lee sends news that their older daughter, Annie, has begun her last two years of a BS in Nursing at USC Upstate which she loves. Annie was in a terrible car accident in late March that occurred due to a blown tire at the intersection of I-85 and I-26 at 4 PM on a Friday! Who could think of a worse set of coordinates? Jessie says she knows the good Lord and her Guardian Angel sister were looking after Annie. Jessie’s other daughter Caroline and her husband Will have jobs that separate them during the week. A true test of “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Jessie is looking forward to another year or two of school guidance. Bebe, better known to us Cokernuts as Judi Cooper (or just Cooper) Camak and her husband Banks welcomed their second grandson, Samuel “Hayes” Camak. Judie relishes being a grandmother and this joy gives balance to her stressful job which has a mission ‘to take care of people’s nest eggs with exceptional service and nonnegotiable integrity.’ What a job in today’s economy! Dr. Sawyer, no not George, but Gayle Buckheister Sawyer, finds her work so rewarding. Her job involves working with current and veteran state Teachers of the Year. She says these teachers have taught her so much about teachers, schools and teachers as people. I’ll bet they enjoy working with Gayle as much as she does with them! Gayle also enjoys working with the Winthrop University NetSCOPE Teacher Quality Partnership Grant that is redesigning teacher education which has changed greatly since many of us were student teachers. Myra Cato Coffey reports that their March trip to

First Row (left to right): Wendy Lamm Leonard, Marguerite Assey, Susan Bartenstein Necci, Elizabeth Cockfield Bushardt Second Row (left to right): Priscilla Perry Arnold, Margaret Barrett Murphy Sadler, Linda Rhyne , Betty Young Sullivan Holden Beach was quite a success. Myra was joined by Nell Cutts Daniels, Lucy Maxwell, and Connie White Boleman plus Linda Rhyne ’71 and Peggy Franklin for lots of laughs and relaxation. As for me, Jane Brown Riechmann, my husband Mark and I are taking our sons and daughter-in-law on an Alaskan cruise in May. Needless to say, we are looking forward to the trip. News was a tad scant this time but that’s expected with my short notice! Hopefully your summer will be safe and joyful and there will be much news for the next Commentary—my deadline to have our news to Coker College will be October 15, 2011. Oh, and don’t forget THE PLAN. It’s April as I write this so we are now at $100 each! It’s so easy when you just tuck away $10 per month. Jane Brown Riechmann Coker Class of ’70

1971

Sarah Jo Wood Safrit

Post Office Box 388 Beaufort, NC 28516 252-728-3213 | leonards@mail.clis.com Eight of our classmates gathered for our 40th class reunion. Illness kept me away. Gathered for the festivities were Susan Bartenstein Necci, Wendy Lamm Leonard, Barrie Murphy Sadler, Linda Rhyne, Marguerite Assey, Priscilla Perry Arnold, Elizabeth Cockfield Bushardt and Betty Young Sullivan. They kindly phoned me and shared photos. While everyone is a bit older, it was easy to recognize each one in the photographs. Tricia Braid Collins won my “prize” for the best reason to miss our reunion. She attended the Episcopal ordination of her son in Charleston. News since the reunion has come from Barrie Murphy Sadler. If you live on the East Coast, you know where you were when the earth shook in August. Barrie, who lives four miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, was at home. “Had some structural damage and lost a bunch of antique china and glass. Our chimney also came down as well as a mantle, but we’re okay. I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto!” Ginger Haselden gave herself quite a birthday gift in August. Our musician buddy from Asheville, NC, attended the opera, “La Traviata” at the Royal Opera House in London. Katherine Ledbetter Meyer wrote about her annual get-together with Coker pals, Julia Stackhouse Eggen,

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Beth Poole Garrett and Jan Bonnette Frye at Jan’s cabin in Bryson City, NC. “As always, it was just like old times while we talked, ate, drank and toured the area.” Jan and Katherine have plans to travel to Italy, and Julie expects to go either to China or Paraquay to visit her sons who recently relocated. Beth still travels all over the world but spends most of her time in Asheville and Charleston. Grandchildren seem to be everyone’s favorite pastime. My husband, Leonard, and I took our daughter, Mary B., to Paris and England in May to celebrate her 21st birthday. It was an incredible trip. I picked up a bacterial infection on the plane trip home and ended up too ill to attend our 40th reunion. Glad it wasn’t the plane ride going to Europe! Mary B. is a college senior and hopes to spend several months working with an NGO in Uganda before putting her music degree to use in Nashville. Join our classmates on Facebook. I’ve been able to keep up with folks, either directly or indirectly, that would, because of everyone’s complicated lives, just not likely happen. I’ve watched the progress on Wendy’s new house; through Kathy Hardin’s page, I saw a photograph of Anne Cannon Braniff taken at her 25th wedding anniversary (she’s as beautiful and stunning, if not more so, as when we were in college); saw a huge fish Bonnie Rivers Drumwright caught in the canal next to her house; discovered that Kathryn Latimer Welch is still teaching first graders and loves it; was not surprised to learn that Barrie is still directing plays; and followed Bartenstein’s 2,000mile road trip to Arkansas and Missouri with her husband of 40 years. Sign on with us. If it’s too complicated for you to figure out, ask your children or grandchildren for help. If you’ve not made your gift to Coker’s annual scholarship fund yet, please join me in helping out those now fortunate enough to be studying at our alma mater. As a Coker trustee, I am on campus several times a year and have the chance to talk with students. They are going places! Sarah Jo Wood Safrit sarahjo@centurylink.net

1972

Mary “Sister” Wham Thomas

205 Water View Drive Columbia, SC 29212 803-781-3294 home | 803-240-2896 cell thombpa@bellsouth.net Class co-rep needed

1973

Jane Clyburn

1002 Starcliff Drive Lugoff, SC 29078 803-438-5638 | jane@ctp-cpa.com

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1974

Pat Newman

P.O. Box 357833 Gainesville, FL 32635-7833 678-849-5308 | pnewman224@yahoo.com

1975

First Row (left to right): Elsie Coker Ameen, Marilyn Bishop Blackwell Second Row (left to right): Mike Yelton, Susan Robinson Huntley, Marty Boyd Jacquette, Marilyn Mros Belotti, Mike Shisko reports that many Coker folks have reconnected on Facebook and encourages everyone to check out Coker Peeps! Betsy Mauldin McCray has moved to Tryon. I understand that Betsy lost her mother earlier this year. Lisa Hardwick McCutchen has become an “auction junkie”! In spite of this new hobby, the dogs still rule. The annual basset hound show was held in early October in Ft. Mitchell, KY and 300+ dogs were in attendance, including Lisa and her pack! In June, Dabney and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary with a trip to Ireland. We rented a car and enjoyed touring this beautiful country! Commentary deadlines have changed so watch for emails! Next deadline to the Alumni Office is April 15. Rose

1976

Marilyn Mros Belotti

1118 Inverness Lane Hanahan, SC 29410 | Drb90@att.net

1977

Rose Patrick Smith

1801 Stannard Trail Raleigh, NC 27612 919-789-4829 | dsmithII@nc.rr.com

Jane McCrackin Suchy

David Desser, Emeritus Professor of Cinema Studies and Comparative and World Literatures, University of Illinois, has moved to Los Angeles where he will be an adjunct professor at UCLA and USC in the coming semesters. Kathi Pleasant Luther enjoys her grandchildren: 2-year-old Noah and 8-month-old Adeline. Kathi lost her dad on August 1st. He was 95. We extend our sympathy to Kathi and her family. Priscilla Corriher Weaver reports that daughter Lauren is engaged! Mary Morris Beshears and husband James sold their farm last fall and moved their greenhouse business to Killen, AL. While it was only a four mile move, taking down greenhouses, moving household items as well as farm equipment proved to be quite a challenge. They continue to expand their business complex and have added a florist to their new place. Deborah Scarboro Snyder has finished the work on her kitchen and has moved on to the den. Along the way she learned that painting is not her forte’. Tom will exhibit and sell abstract photography pieces at the Charlotte Arts Collective Fall Show. Hannah is back in Boone and considering a major in marketing. Scarboro plans to supervise UNCC student teachers in the spring. Scarboro

1978

1011 Poplar Street Marion, SC 29571 843-423-1989 | suchysuchy@aol.com

Vicki Smith Chaplin

839 Bethlehem Road Hartsville, SC 29550 843-332-5998 | Chaplins4@aol.com

Dr. Daniel Moses

Post Office Box 2403 Jacksonville, FL 32203 904-777-8179 | dan1204@bellsouth.net

1979

Debbie Schultz McLaren

DEVELOPMENT

Dear Classmates, I heard from Frankie Cauley Earnst and she passed along the following news: “Fall news. Anne Greene Mountford’s daughter Sydney was married September 30, 2011 at Debordieu in Georgetown on the beach. Karen Young Blackman, Debbie Lowder Ehlers, and I all attended the wedding. What a wonderful time we had. Then we had one week off and my son Daniel got married on October 8, 2011 in Charlotte. Karen, Anne, and Debbie (Lowder) were there for the wedding. We had so much fun. We got a “Coker” picture made of all of us. Karen ran into Ann Harrison Anderson and we are going to have lunch with her the next time Anne (Greene) is in town. It is wonderful having her back in SC. We see her at least once a month. Karen and I had lunch with Wes Daniels ’03 from Coker last week and we are going to see him and tour

Coker. There are a lot of new things there we have not seen. Nancy Wilson had a wonderful interview last week on the news. She talked about her last year before her retirement especially what her professional goals are for her team. I retired this year after 17 years teaching preschool. I am enjoying traveling and spending time with my two grandsons, Henry (4) and Manning (18 months). Until next time, Frankie” And how wonderful is Facebook. Karen Carter Wright has contacted me through Facebook but unfortunately it was about a week after I had visited Edisto. Karen owns the Edisto Bookstore on Edisto Island. I had just visited the bookstore not two weeks before she contacted me. I wish I had known she was there because we could have had a nice visit. Small world. I’m waiting to hear from her on “what she has been doing since we graduated” and hopefully I’ll have that news with the next Commentary. I’m anxiously awaiting the birth of my third grandchild on November 1st. This baby will join my grandson, Ryan (6) and his sister Logan (4 in January). I’m “feeling” a little girl but we will just have to wait and see because they did not want to know the gender. Frustrating for a grandmother that wants to start purchasing things. Other than that, I am still enjoying learning how to take interesting photos as I continue to learn about my camera. For those of you that are on Facebook, I have created a page for our class. To access it, search for Coker College Class of 1973. Please join and let’s keep in touch. I hope to hear from more of you soon. Jane Clyburn Class of 1973 jane@ctp-cpa.com

20184 Foothill Terrace Ashburn, MD 20147 703-726-1190 | writerdeb11@aol.com

1980

Lee H. Hickman

703 Beaty Street Conway, SC 29526 843-248-3925 | lhickman@sccoast.net

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Susan D. Weathersbee

137 West Home Avenue Hartsville, SC 29550-4123 843-383-4692 CIRCEmyTW14/Sunbeam@hotmail.com

1981

Barbara A. Britton ’82

6716 St. Julian Way Fayetteville, NC 28314 910-860-7650 | 877-820-9147- toll-free jmb1jmb2@aol.com (put Coker in subject line)

1982

Debra Holt Zsembik

325 Moss Avenue Port Orange, FL 32127-6136 386-760-6430 | ddshouse@yahoo.com

1983

Glenn Douglas Bridges

55 Managhan Drive, Apt 306 Hardeeville, SC 29927 843-208-3272 | daddydolphin@hargray.com

1984

Donna Craig

801 Longbow Road Charlotte, NC 28211 704-365-6763 | djcraig@bellsouth.net

Michelle Wiscovitch King

DEVELOPMENT

400 Gandy Drive Hartsville, SC 29550 843-857-0084 | michaelbking@bellsouth.net Dear Classmates, I hope everyone is having a wonderful fall and enjoyed the change of seasons. I love this time of year. It is not too hot and not yet cold enough for a jacket. Perfect! It is football season, deer hunting season, Jazz Festival, Oktoberfest, the Pottery Festival in Shelby, NC, Southern Living Christmas Show, it goes on and on! It is the beginning of the “SEASON”!! I love it, but by January I will be completely worn out! Now to catch you up on some class news. I was very fortunate to spend some quality time Donna Craig, Dawn L. Nelson ’86, John ’86 and Julie Smith Santos ’85 at our lake house in North Carolina. We set some Olympic records in Bobbing (floating in the water with a cold beverage). Donna Craig is living in a beautiful home in Charlotte that she remodeled and working all over country (literally). She is loving her life and has many wonderful friends that she spends her free time with travelling all over the world. Donna acquired a place in Mexico that she visits often when she wants to wind down and relax. Dawn L. Nelson ’86 lives in Hartsville one street over from me and is MLT Faculty at Florence Darlington Technical College. She loves teaching and is busy raising her two teenagers. Dawn’s daughter Taylor is in the Hartsville High School Band and she is an awesome Sax player. Dawn, Donna, and I went to Washington, D.C. Memorial Day to see the band play and tour the city. Dawn’s son Matthew is in ROTC and a senior this year. John ’86 and Julie Smith Santos ’85 are the two busiest people I know! Julie is a nurse at MUSC and John works in the insurance business. They have three children all very active in sports and school activities. Joseph their oldest son, is soccer player at Newberry College and made Commissioners Honor Roll. Patrick, their middle son, also

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a soccer player, went to Sweden to play in the Gothia Youth World Cup with teams from 75 countries. Sarah their daughter is a volleyball player for Bishop England High School and is an outside hitter. So, Julie says she is just a little bit taller than she is! I am living in Hartsville with my husband Michael. I work at McLeod Health in the Epidemiology Department as an Infection Preventionist. I really enjoy my job and work with a great team. Michael is a surveyor with Nesbitt Surveying Inc. Michael is an outdoor guy and has recently gotten me into kayaking and I am loving it. Michael’s parents have a mountain house in North Carolina very close to the New River. It is a beautiful place to kayak, bike, and hike. We love to go there with our kids, Shelby and Bradley. Shelby is working at Young Plantations this semester and returning to college in January. She is also working with the children’s committee at our church (Wesley United Methodist Church) and helping with Children’s church on Sundays. Bradley is about to start conditioning for the Hartsville High School Soccer team. He played on the varsity team last year and is really looking forward to the next season. We really enjoy going to the games and watching Bradley and the team play. The next exciting thing our group of girls are planning is a 50th birthday trip to Donna Craig’s place in Mexico. We are going March 2012. Donna, Julie, Dawn, Patricia (Patty) Bogran ’85, and Me! One week of fun in the sun! Just us girls. I will have to write again and let you know what happened! Until then take care and send me your news. I would love to let everyone know how you are doing. Michelle Wiscovitch King ’84

1985

Electa Anderson Small

204 Lantana Circle Georgetown, SC 29440-7278 803-348-6748 | andee33@aol.com

Tracie Johnson Paschal

1111 West Roseneath Road Florence SC 29501-5745 raciePL@aol.com

1986

Susan Sweatt Robey

1 Cobblestone Court Columbia, SC 29229 803-699-6620 | susansrobey@earthlink.net

Teresa “Trigger” Martin

133 Tall Oaks Drive Irmo, SC 29063 803-749-3922 Home | 803-318-1413 Mobile triggermartin@aol.com

1987

Cynthia Lee Hylton

14405 Woodswalk Court Midlothian, VA 23112-2412 804-639-2814 | Cindy.L.Hylton@pmusa.com

Phyllis Atkinson Palmieri 1819 New Market Road Hartsville, SC 29550-9303

1988

Lisa Bryant McDowell

9 Alison Way Columbia, SC 29229 803-699-7924 | mcdowellx5@aol.com

Millicent Chewning Macchione

3011 Stone Bridge Trail Conyers, GA 30094 770-388-0067 | Millicentmacchione@yahoo.com

1989

Pennie Cathey Peagler

183 Royal Oaks Lane Lexington, SC 29072 803-926-8410 | ppeagler@columbiastaffing.com

Meg Quilty Liebe

803 Washington Avenue Palmyra, NJ 08065 856-303-1090

1990

Amy Gibson

6 Corby Court Columbia, SC 29229 803-462-9851 | Algibson90@bellsouth.net

Kathy Harsh Cunningham

6004 Highmarket Street Georgetown, SC 29440 843-527-0530 | khc1224@aol.com

1991

Helen Mason Allen

1823 Misty Vale Road Charlotte, NC 28214 704-391-0931 | We3allens@bellsouth.net Helenm.allen@cms.k12.nc.us Hey Ya’ll 1991 Graduates! Can you believe it has been 20 years since we graduated? It seems like just yesterday we were hanging out in the hallways, going to ballgames, going to Little Italy for dinner, and just enjoying the simple life. Where did the time go? Things are great with me – I’m still living in Charlotte, NC and working at an elementary school in the front office, I love my job and it is never ever the same from day to day. My daughter just started high school and is a year round swimmer. She is doing quite well with swimming, so that keeps my husband and I busy going to practices and meets. We were lucky enough to have a swim meet in Savannah, GA this summer and got to spend some time with Pat Brooks and his family. They had us out to their house for dinner and a golf cart ride around the marsh, it was WONDERFUL! They also came to watch Emily swim while we were in town. It was great to see Pat, Jill, Walker and Henry! Thanks to Facebook I have been able to get a few updates – Andrew (Drew) Meyers is living in Baltimore, M.D. He will retire from 20 years in the United States Navy in 1 year. Way to go Drew! If you are ever in the DC area, make sure to look him up!! Samantha Grice Crimminger messaged me to let me know she was a guest at the recent wedding of two Coker Alums – Shannon Strickland and Roger Hornsby ’89! Congratulations!!! Dale ’92 and Julie Plyler Leatherwood ’92 are still doing great in Florida. Julie says there is never a dull moment with 2 growing boys in sports, band and chorus. Enjoy every second Julie! Vannette Saucedo McLain is still living in Ft. Lauderdale, playing on 3 tennis teams in the mornings and running her kids everywhere with sports in the evenings! Her 11 yr. old son plays travel baseball and 12 yr. old daughter plays club volleyball and plays soccer for

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her school, so we are involved with sports 7 days a week. It’s crazy busy, but she loves every second of it! I heard from Jerry Thomas, he finished his PhD in 2010, and his J.D. in 2011. He is teaching public law and political science at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He moved to “Osh-Vegas” this summer with Matthew. The hustle and bustle is not quite the same as in Chicago, where he was studying law, but Osh-Vegas is reminiscent in many ways to our beloved Harts-Vegas. He misses all his Coker friends. But, Darcy Knapp ’89? is in Wausau, Wisconsin, and Jamie Ridenhour ’91 is now only a couple of states away in North Dakota. Anyone interested in a Coker reunion in the Midwest? Michael Eisenrauch has joined Rogers, Townsend & Thomas, PC as a special counsel. Michael has a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law. While in law school, he was an associate editor of the South Carolina Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Wig and Robe. I would love to hear from you! Please email, Facebook, text, phone call ,ANYTHING --- I’d love to hear what everyone is up to. Please keep in touch! Helen Mason Allen

1992

Kelly S. Jenkins Fredie James Williams

P.O. Box 2734 | Evans, GA 30809-2734 fredie.williams@gmail.com

1993

Angela Hodges Taylor Class co-rep needed

1994

Jennifer Spray Blankenship

2977 Dance Drive | Hartsville, SC 29550 843-332-9835 | blankcamp@aol.com

Viola DeDe Lawrence

dede_lawrence@yahoo.com

1995

Heather McConnell Buckelew

1606 Duckhorn St NW | Concord, NC 28027 704 786-1857 | nj2sc2nc@ctc.net

Sam J. Fryer III

1610 Southwood Court | Florence, SC 29505-3195 843-629-8372 | S_Fryer@fsd1.org

1996

Karol Lowery

Klowery727@aol.com Class co-rep needed

1997

Alison Elizabeth Wood

Regina Bacote Donithan

17341 Hartsville Ruby Road | Hartsville, SC 29550 843-335-5850 | rbacote518@hotmail.com

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Ashley M. Pruett

apruett76@yahoo.com

1999

Shonda Miles Knotts 925 Lynch Road | Coward, SC 29530 843-210-3346 | Shonda.Knotts@PalmettoGBA.com

Dean S. Legge

808 South Poplar Avenue | Andrews, SC 29510-3032 843-264-9398 | dean@dawgpost.com Rebecca Lynn Teal

Sheila Brodie Trapp

Post Office Box 967 | Hartsville, SC 29551

2000

Keelea R. LeJeune

3121 Torres Avenue | Pensacola, FL 32503 850-393-6861 | Keelea.LeJeune@covenanthospice.org

she loves. Nathan is working as a financial planner and is Partner at Cygnus Asset Management in Charlotte, NC. Congratulations on little Austin, Petersons! Ellen Powell is living on Cape Cod and is currently working for TD Bank. She has a wonderful boyfriend and is very happy! Eduardo and I are still living in Charlotte, NC with our dog Bella and our wonderfully cute and mischievous 18-month old little boy, Lukas. Being a mom has brought an entirely new set of adventures and is definitely my favorite job ever. I am also still working as the Communications Coordinator for Dreamweavers Unlimited, a company that provides services to children and adults with developmental disabilities. Life is busy, but lots of fun. It was so nice to hear from some of you this time around! Please email me (blaykee@gmail.com) with any news you’d like to share in the future! I know everyone would love to hear from you!

2003

Emily Marovich Tupper

2001

1100 Esplanade # 10 Redondo Beach, CA 90277 emilymarovich@yahoo.com

572 East McIver Road Florence, SC 29506 843-667-0502 | Ravenrose3@aol.com

Wes Daniels

Roslynn D. Elom

2002

Blayke Epley Turrubiartes

1847 Arnold Drive Charlotte, NC 28205 704-535-1504 | bpepley@yahoo.com

Stephanie Carwile Parker

Post Office Box 299 Panola TX 75685 Stepahnierodeo@aol.com

907 Hannah Avenue Hartsville, SC 29550 843-616-2485 | wdaniels@coker.edu

2004

Julia Cox Kokemor

12787 Highway 90 Kenner, LA 70070 504-466-3096 | jucarcox@hotmail.com

Selena Davis

1003 East Home Avenue | Hartsville, SC 29550-3409 SelenaCobras20@hotmail.com

Here’s our news 2002! Congratulations to Lora Harrell Knotts on the birth of her baby girl, Lorelai Virginia, on August 27th! She and her husband are so excited about their little one! Joel McEachran is still “unmarried living the Caribbean life,” but now in St. Kitts. He is the Head Golf Pro at the Marriott Resort at the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club. He says life is great in the world of sun, sea, and sand, and for anyone visiting St. Kitts to “give him a shout!” Marielle Santos got married in June to her “awesome husband” Mac McLeod from Columbia, SC. She inherited two daughters, which now makes her the mother of three girls, 9, 7, and 6! She is living in Charleston, SC working at MUSC as a Spanish Medical Interpreter. Marielle will be done with her Master’s in Health Care Administration in December of 2012. Congratulations on your new marriage Marielle! Summer Beebe has been teaching for 2 years at Sonoran Science Academy on the first Air Force Base to have a charter school! Her children are having a blast in the Arizona sunshine! Sabrina Wotier Peterson and husband Nathan are still living and working in the Charlotte, NC area. They moved to a new house about a year ago and are loving the neighborhood! They have a 3 and a half year old daughter, Tierre, that “does not stop talking ever!” They also welcomed a little boy, Austin, on July 17th! He is two months old and, according to mom, “the sweetest baby ever!” Sabrina is still working as a manager for a disability management company, a stressful job that

Laura Martindale was recently interviewed by the Daniels Island News for her recent artwork including a tribute to Boeing in the Lowcountry.

2005

Jessica Brill Lloyd

1241 Old Oak Road Birmingham, AL 35235 205-853-5871 | smilerainmaker@aol.com Here I am again, sitting down at the computer to put together another round of alumni updates, but this time I am renewed. I recently visited the campus with Curtis ’02 and our 2 year old, Victoria, and was amazed at the updates. If you haven’t seen the Cobra Café in a few years, you need to stop by. I felt like I walked into another world. The new housing is wonderful. They even have lofts downtown! We had a very nice visit which included spending much of our time with the Music Faculty and fellow Music alumni. I am currently still teaching voice and dance lessons, so it was really nice to throw around teaching ideas. My husband, Curtis, is still ever so busy teaching PE and coaching three sports, and believe it or not, Tori is a great bleacher baby. Now that she is talking more, she has a great time spotting Daddy on the field. I hope you are all feeling blessed and taking time to appreciate the good times of life, and I would really like to hear from more of you. Marjorie Muldrow-Goodson is still working at Florence County DSS as a Case Manager/Career Counselor.

T HE OFFICIA L M AG A ZINE OF COKER COL L EG E, H A RT S V IL L E, S .C .

C O M M E N TA RY

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DEVELOPMENT

2400 Pine Haven Street | Beaufort, SC 29902-6042 425-338-9760

1998

DEVELOPMENT

Marjorie and her husband recently had a baby girl this past May and named her Kiara. Congratulations to their happy family! Marjorie is also in her final course for her Masters in Elementary Education at the University of Phoenix. She is very excited to be starting student teaching very soon and hopes to start teaching soon after. She is looking forward to the career change! Marjorie wishes the current students luck in their courses and in the future. Remember classmates, add SmileRainmaker@aol. com to your inbox, so you can receive my updates and reply with the exciting events of your life. Wish you well! Jessica Lloyd

2007

2008

55 Villa Road, Apt 347 | Greenville, SC 29615 864-235-6563 | kriscazz@yahoo.com

502 Cashua Street Darlington, SC 29532 veronicagallo@hotmail.com

Kristin Caswell

Nikki Daniell Johnson

843-669-1083 | 843-857-3812 nikkidaniell@gmail.com

Ladrica R Jones-Christain

1407 D Willow Trace Drive | Florence, SC 29501 843-667-3400 | ladricaj@hotmail.com

Veronica Gallo Bambery

Shereza Mazyck Middleton 420 Royer Road Bishopville, SC 29010 Smiddleton26@adelphia.net

2006

Jennifer Jackson

200 Cedar Branch Road | Loris, SC 29569-5834 843-756-4469 | jenmarie_john315@yahoo.com Class co-rep needed

MEMORIAL S

DEVELOPMENT

The Office of Institutional Advancement would like to thank the friends, alumni, faculty, staff, foundations and corporations who gave so generously to Coker College this year. Your support allowed us to surpass last year’s fund raising total by 29 percent, and exceed the goal for the vitally important Annual Scholarship Fund which directly helps so many Coker College students.

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2012

A L U M N I I S S U E

The following memorials were received from June 1, 2011 through December 30, 2011 Frances Anderson Andy and Vicki Eaddy Lois Atkins Andy and Vicki Eaddy George Clarke Baker Dr. and Mrs. Greg Connor William W. “Bill” Baker, Jr. Frances and Charlie Hupfer Virginia Meares Myra Grayson Nuttall Shirley Caldwell Becken Scott Becken Ada Terry Bennett Holly Mims Westcott Meghanath Bhattacharyya Dr. Cathleen Cuppett Betty Bizzell Harris and Louise Deloach Doris E. “BeBe” Bonner Martha Langford Derrick Allan Brock III Harris and Louise Deloach Sonoco Executive Offices Ruth Inabinet Bryan William and Laura Cheatham Palmer Donald Burton Michael and Michelle Eaddy Hood Lorraine Byrd Betty Jean Lee Hunsinger Bobby Caddell Murray F. McDonald Judy Smth Campbell Dr. Patricia H. Chapman Naomi Kelley Jackson Kim Chalmers Dr. Pamela Franklin Jean Grosser and Larry Merriman Aya Mikami Henry Dewitte Chapman Lois Hatfield Anderson Sarah Sampson Bell Charlie Hunt Chewning Walter and Beth DuBose Cottingham Pat Chapman Huff Betty Jean Lee Hunsinger Mitzi Matthews Jean Fore McDaniel Edward “Mickey” McDowell Rebekah Chapman Sarah Chapman Melandro Suzanne Inabinet Cheathan William and Laura Cheatham Palmer Charles Cook John Rover

Jay Cox Andy and Vicki Eaddy Margaret Rose Smith Cutts Nell Cutts Daniels Dr. Elizabeth Davidson Craig Mason Gabrielle Morandiere Patricia Maxwell Day Osmund “Bubber” and Barbara Dibble Dixon Patricia Ann Crawford Fields Faye Gurley Reynolds Bonnie Sawyer Holly Mims Westcott Barbara Roney Whittington Patricia Williams Shelby Duncan Harriet King Van Norte Enid Vause Eaddy Frances Humphries Price Marcia Smith Easler Robert and Sandy Tomlinson Dr. John French John Rover Barbara Bailey Goodson Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Goodson, Jr. Thomas E. Goodson Frank Hill Andy and Vicki Eaddy Frances Hostetler Pat Chapman Huff Jannie Jackson Lutherine Williams Willard Jacobs Dr. and Mrs. Greg Connor Andy and Vicki Eaddy Judy Jacobs William and Olive Timberlake Lamar and Lucy Caldwell Deanne Johnson Pat Chapman Huff Dr. Ronald S. Johnson Memorial Award for Staff Person of the Year Joyce Beasley Douglas Kimrey Pat Chapman Huff Russell King, Jr. Joan Snoddy Hoffmeyer Pat Chapman Huff Dick Puffer William Wilson Kirven Walter and Velna Rollins Patrick Clement LeHardy Selma Stogner LeHardy Tommy Lewis Charlie and Joan Coker J. D. Linton Pat Chapman Huff Leo Martin Pat Chapman Huff Ruth Ludlam McClam

Tricia McClam Nelle K. Player Harry McDonald Mary Jane McDonald Linda Sample Mobley Jane B. Ivester Genevieve Chandler Peterkin Gus and Joan Snoddy Hoffmeyer Mary Tomlinson Moody Becky Sparrow Louis and Lillian Dillard Stephens Elizabeth Bishop Tiller Sylvia Parks Price Millie Wells Moody Eleanor Seals Rhea Pat Chapman Huff Sadie Bass Sanders Pat Chapman Huff Michael Sinclair Margaret Freymuth Dr. Charles Sisson Selma Stogner LeHardy Henrietta Sisson Selma Stogner LeHardy Alice Smith Selma Stogner LeHardy Mary Todd Davies Smith Polly Pickett Caldwell Melissa Patrick Lerner Karen Moore Lorenz Virgil Smith Selma Stogner LeHardy Sarah Smith Taylor Shirley Anne Harper Powell Burnice Teal Pat Chapman Huff Glenda Millen Terrell Becky Sparrow Henry Webb Pat Chapman Huff G. James Wilds III Clifford and Shirlyn Daniels Bellum Robert and Betty Corning Jane and Kirk Dunlap Michael and Michelle Eaddy Hood Mary Coker Joslin Janie Timmons Levinson Sara K. Wilds Chip Williams Barbara Williams Roland Wilson, Sr. Pat Chapman Huff Will Woodham J. Lamar and Lucy Singletary Caldwell Joann Jones Woodward Gus and Joan Snoddy Hoffmeyer Brian Yount Pat Chapman Huff

W W W. C O K E R . E D U

SCHOL AR SHIPS & ENDOWMENT The following gifts for Scholarships and Endowments were made from July 1, 2011 through December 30, 2011 Anna White Hill Endowed Choral Scholarship Andy and Vicki Eaddy Christine and Brent Weaver Endowed Scholarship Wells Fargo Corporation Class of 1953 Endowed Scholarship James and Sarah Sampson Bell Betty Jean Lee Hunsinger Mitzi DuPre Matthews Tommie Long McClain Class of 1956 Endowed Scholarship Shep Porter Wallace Class of 1963 Endowed Scholarship Nancy Warren Clarke Jennie Turner Gustafson Lynda Morillo Hord Margaret McFarland Young Class of 1964 Endowed Scholarship Naomi Kelley Jackson Lorena Cook James D. L. Scurry Foundation Scholarship The D. L. Scurry Foundation Dr. Lois R. Gibson Children’s Book Endowment Dr. Lois Rauch Gibson Eleanore Whittinghill Vaughan Endowed Music Scholarship The General Electric Foundation

S YMPATHY Information received June 30 through December 16, 2011 Margaret Davidson Baker ’40 in the death of her husband William Baker, Jr. on July 25, 2011. Kathryn Luther Funkhouser ’47 in the death of her sister Lillie Luther Smith ’36 on June 29, 2011. Jane Woodward Truett ’52 in the death of her sister-in-law Joann Jones Woodward ’52 on October 20, 2011. Pam Huggins Chapman ’50 in the death of her husband Henry Dewitte Chapman on July 15, 2011. Mary Thomas Flowers ’50 in the death of Charles W. Thomas, Sr. on August 13, 2011. Betty Gandy Kirven ’50 in the death of her husband William Wilson Kirven, Jr. on September 5, 2011. Helen Hamilton Ralston ’51 in the death of her husband James Ralston on August 4, 2011. Pat Chapman Huff ’53 in the death of her brother Henry Dewitte Chapman on July 15, 2011. Felicia Brown McElveen ’53 in the death of her husband Robert “Red” McElveen on May 7, 2011.

Hannah Lide Coker Bicentennial Endowed Scholarship Carolyn M. Atkinson Dewey and Miriam Hooks Benefield Brown-Pennington-Atkins Peter C. and Kathryn Browning Pressly and Susan Coker Ann Bryant Coker Edward T. Coker Virginia S. Coker Mark and Celeste Crisman Rollins and Nancy Culpepper Marie Daniels John and Judy Davs Dr. and Mrs. B. James Dawson Harris and Louise DeLoach Kirk and Jane Dunlap Katherine Kalber Dunlap Andy and Vicki Eaddy Wade and Mary Lutie Fletcher Jean Grosser and Larry Merriman Betty Reaves Herring Charlotte Hoffman Gus and Joan Snoddy Hoffmeyer Charles and Frances Hupfer Mary Coker Joslin Barbara Kirkley Kelley Hoyt and Stephanie Kelley Kevin and Tina Mahoney Frank and Ginger Manning Burns Gordon McBride Roy and Margaret McCall Mary Jane McDonald Katherine Dunlap Moore Daniel Moses J. Thomas Rogers Gill and Jenny Rogers

husband James Olin Leonard on June 28, 2011. Jean McCaskill Kelley ’57 in the death of her husband Dr. Ronald E. Kelley, Sr. ’73 on October 23, 1011. Sharon Bennett Gregory ’59 in the death of her mother Terry Bennett on June 28, 2011. Judith A. Griggs ’62 in the death of her cousin Margaret H. Atkinson Huntley ’48 on September 12, 2011. Katherine Kirby Nobles ’63 in the death of her husband Jon Mac Nobles on December 18, 2010. Cindy Rhame ’63 in the death of her mother Helen Flowers Rhame on December 3, 2010. Emily Pittman Hudson ’68 in the death of her mother. Nancy Baker Bell ’68 in the death of her brother William Baker, Jr. on July 25, 2011. Jennie Baker Smith ’69 in the death of her father William Baker, Jr. on July 25, 2011. Elayne Mahn ’77 in the death of her mother.

Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Rubinstein Patricia Shelly Electa Anderson Small Susan C. Smith William and Florence Snider Becky Sparrow Oliver and Stephanie Stanley Florence Houck Steele Catherine Rice Tharin Dexter C. Vaughan Sara K. Wilds The Inabnit Family Endowed Scholarship Laura Cheatham Palmer Jane Parler Norwood Scholarship Ballard and Jane Parler Norwood Jean C Williamson Endowed Scholarship Dr. H. O. Williamson John C. and Leland S. Hungerpiller Endowed Scholarship Sloan Hungerpiller Brittain John M. Williams Jr. Study Abroad Scholarship Loren H. Blair Donald and Joan Conkey Frederick Henderson Marilyn Markshausen Joyce Johnston Jordan Utt Endowed Scholarship Joyce Johnston Jordan Utt Katherine and Charles Kirkland Dunlap Endowed Scholarship Kirk and Jane Dunlap Kenneth Lewis Wilmot Endowed Music Scholarship Patricia Evans Wilmot Lavaughn Robinson McCall Endowed Music Scholarship Frances Mitchum Webb

Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholarship Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Lewis and Lillian Dillard Stephens Endowed Scholarship Robert Radford Malcolm C. and Jacqueline E. McLeod Doubles Endowed Study Abroad Scholarship Joseph A. Hancock Trent and Anna White Hill Dr. Rhonda Knight Antuan M. Lecount Dick and Sylvia Puffer Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Terry Dr. Jason W. Umfress May Roper Coker Endowed Scholarship Mary Coker Joslin Nancy Barrineau Endowed Scholarship Teressa Thompson Harrington Nan Carter Howard Nickey Brumbaugh Endowed Art Scholarship Elizabeth Robertson Coughlin Ruth H. Woodham Kalmia Plant Endowment Kathryn Hendricks Lisa Newsom Ruth Lawton Wilds Endowed Music Scholarship Sara K. Wilds Ruth Ludlam McClam ‘46 Endowed Scholarship Marvin McClam Tricia McClam Nelle K. Player Sarah Jo Safrit Endowed Scholarship Sarah Jo Wood Safrit Sloan H. Brittain Endowed Music Scholarship Sloan Hungerpiller Brittain Sparrow Scholars Program Susan Melody Frank Judy B. Jacobs

IN MEMORIAM

LIBR ARY

Information received June 30, 2011 through December 16, 2011

The following gave gifts of books or media to the Charles W. and Joan S. Coker Library-Information Technology Center from July 1, 2011 through December 30, 2011

Lillie Luther Smith ’36 Myra Long Wise Smith ’37 Enid Vause Eaddy ’40 Sadie Gamble Clemons ’43 Laura Clowe Holley ’45 Mary Lou Barlow ’47 Jo Bishop Saunders ’47 Margaret Hendrick Atkinson Huntley ’48 Mary Frances Graham Coker ’51 Joann Kathleen Jone Woodward ’52 Bertha Maye Drose McCaskill ’57 Patsy Maxwell Day ’59 Lillie Laverne Easterling ’61 Patricia June Ammons ’62 Judy Elaine Smith Campbell ’64 Marcia Smith Easler ’72 Dr. Ronald E. Kelley, Sr. ’73 Deborah Ann Bright-Austin ’76 John R. Specht, Sr. ’86 EV

Coker College Anime Manga Club Dr. Jeanne F. Cook Bonnie Marie Cooper Dr. Cathleen Cuppett John Foster III Dr. Lois Rauch Gibson Patty Huff Mal Hyman Edwin Isley Dr. Jun Matsuo Dick and Sylvia Puffer Donald Quist Robin Richardson Brandy Roscoe Johnnie Mac Walters Cleve Watford Leonita Williams

Ellen Mason Harris ’03 in the death of her husband Renaldo M. Harris on May 9, 2011.

Jeanene Locklear Leonard ’56 in the death of her

BIRTHS

Information received January 26, 2011 through June 30, 2011

Information received July 21, 2010 through January 26, 2011

SEND US A WEDDING PHOTO OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM WITH ALL YOUR COKER GUESTS!

SEND US BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN!

W W W. C O K E R . E D U

DEVELOPMENT

WEDDINGS

T HE OFFICIA L M AG A ZINE OF COKER COL L EG E, H A RT S V IL L E, S .C .

C O M M E N TA RY

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HONOR ARIUMS

DEVELOPMENT

The following honorariums were given from July 1, 2011 through December 30, 2011 David and Kay Crook Trent and Anna White Hill Dr. Cathleen Cuppett Trent and Anna White Hill Wes and Lacy Daniels Andy and Vicki Eaddy Malcolm and Jacque McLeod Doubles Trent and Anna White Hill Andy and Vicki Eaddy Trent and Anna White Hill Patricia Elliott Thomas Elliott Frank and Elaine Johnson Hays Ben Outen and Michael O’Hara Candy Holcombe Trent and Anna White Hill Grace Jackson Ingram Nancy Ingram Acker Lorena Cook James Naomi Kelley Jackson Jerry Josey Hank Alewine Alsie L. Kelley Naomi Kelley Jackson Terri L. Alexander Robert B. Alexander Jasmine Alston Booker Woods Jacob Burns Joseph Burns Jason Broussard Derek Tyler Alice Adams Brown Naomi Kelley Jackson Dr. Will Carswell Frances M. Webb Consuello Williams Casey Lutherine Williams Class of 1958 Pauline Griffin Funderburk Class of 1962 Molly Hollbrook Thomas Class of 1963 Nancy Warren Clarke J. Vassie Cooke Annette Cooke Stokes Beth DuBose Cottingham Sarah Kolb Bivins Dr. David McCracken Dr. Cathleen Cuppett Dr. Allen McCutcheon XYZ Seniors of St. Luke United Methodist Church Men’s Lacrosse Team Joseph Burns Susan Bartenstein Necci Marguerite Assey Linda Lovett Parker Marguerite Assey Ann Rice Phillips Marguerite Assey Sarah Jo Wood Safrit Marguerite Assey Goz Segars Sarah Jo Wood Safrit Becky Sparrow Naomi Kelley Jackson Cameron Council Speth Naomi Kelley Jackson Jim and Mary Lathan Steele Trent and Anna White Hill Yvonne Floyd Stuckey Marguerite Assey Charles Sullivan Sarah Jo Wood Safrit Steve and Paula Terry Trent and Anna White Hill Joyce Johnston Jordan Utt Conrad and Marilyn Glasgow Christina Glover Wallerstein Marguerite Assey

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2012

A L U M N I I S S U E

K almia Gardens DONATIONS Anderson Brass Company Arborworks Tree Company Tyler & Ellen Baldwin Ann Banning Ruth Baronda Merle Davis Baxely Dennis & Lyndale Becker Ritchie & Heidi Bond Phillip & Honor Bonds Tom & Cecelia Brown Wilma Burry Ron & Vangie Cannon Howard & Rhonda Coker Pressly & Susan Coker Dr. and Mrs. Dick Conner Bob & Betty Corning John & Judy Davis Charles & Carole Davis Osmund & Barbara Dixon Sybil Dudley Kirk & Jane Dunlap Dr. & Mrs. Fred Edinger Randell Ewing Wade and Mary Lutie Fletcher John & Trish Gainey Maxine Garland Hartsville Oil Mill Betty Reaves Herring Wade & Lee Hicks Candace Holcombe Ronnie & Patty Holley David Holt Robert & Diane Kerzner Harold & Libba King Norma J. King Edgar & Nan Lawton Curtis & Barbara Lee Marilyn Lesser Linville Family Foundation Kevin & Tina Mahoney Mike & Ann Malone Gordon & Bernice McBride Mary Jane McDonald Betty Elkins McEachin Kathy D. Moore Bill & Rochelle Miller Lesa Mulligan Vern & Nancy Myers Mutual Savings Bank Mr. & Mrs. Ellis Parsons Tom & Peggy Peck Chandler & Martha Peel Pepsi-Cola of Florence Chris & Dee Pierce Richard & Brenda Porter Frank Prehoda Progress Energy Edward & Rose Quilty Tom Rogers Willie Saleeby Steve & Cheryl Scott Dean Shaffer SPC Credit Union William & Gwendolyn Steinmeyer Jim & Dot Stone Clyde & Mary Catherine Stuckey Mary C. Teel Sarah Timmons John & Martha Ward Dr. Tracey Welborn Gregg Welborn Bob & Hannelore Wilson Dr. & Mrs. Ben Woodward Bud & Joanne Zobel

MEMORIAMS Mr. Bill Baker Dr. and Mrs. Brooks Bannister Mrs. Bertie Beattie Walt & Susan Harvey Gus & Joan Hoffmeyer Clyde & Mary Catherine Stuckey Patricia Thompson Brownie Bell Keith & Patricia Hargrove Betty Bizzell Bob & Betty Corning Ms. Elizabeth G. Blakeney Ann Gay Duvall

Mrs. Frances Hillard Budde Harry & Rita Moran Mr. H.D. Byrd Charles & Adrienne Rogers Ms. Helen Elizabeth Leppard Callison Bobb E. Riggs Mrs. Jo Capers Charles & Adrienne Rogers Mr. Michael Carrigan Charles & Adrienne Rogers Ms. Ellen Cecil Steven & Molly Peterson Professor Kim Chalmers Jean Grosser Larry Merriman Mr. Albert Coggeshall Nita Howard Charles & Adrienne Rogers Mrs. Frances Collins Charles & Adrienne Rogers Mr. Henry Colton Charles & Adrienne Rogers Ms. Bonnie Cone Lawrence Mellichamp Mr. Jay Cox Charles & Adrienne Rogers Mr. Jerry Cox Charles & Adrienne Rogers Mr. Archie Dargan David & Patsy Cannon Charles & Adrienne Rogers Dr. Rion Dixon Dr. & Mrs. James Bell Sloan H. Brittain Dr. & Mrs. Gregory Connor Andy & Vicki Eaddy Charles & Adrienne Rogers Hank Rogers Ms. Della Dove Dr. & Mrs. Brooks Bannister Harris & Louise DeLoach Mrs. Betty Jolly Dudley Charles & Adrienne Rogers Mr. Dick Fagan Charles & Adrienne Rogers Ms. Elizabeth Bruce Traywick Gettys Hope Gettys Dunlap Mr. James Riley Gettys Hope Gettys Dunlap Alma DeLoach Haigler Ted Haigler Frances S. Holland William & Helen Chaplin Mr. Armstrong Howard David & Patsy Cannon Charles & Adrienne Rogers Mr. Tom Howle Dr. & Mrs. Brooks Bannister Charles & Adrienne Rogers Mr. Jim Hunter Charles & Adrienne Rogers Mr. Williard Jacobs Dr. and Mrs. Brooks Bannister Ron & Vangie Cannon Eddie & Linda Drayton Dr. Lois Rauch Gibson Judy Jacobs Norm & Jane Miner Jim & Holly Prescott Harold & Jane Wheeler Mr. Bill Joslin David & Patsy Cannon Hunter & Judy Charles Charlie & Joan Coker T. E. & Peggy Haigler Edger & Nan Lawton Ione Lee Richard & Carol Ruthven Dale & Mary Stumpf Bill & Olive Timberlake Dr. & Mrs. Howard Tucker Mr. and Mrs. Louis Whooten Ben & Ann Williamson Ann Zeigler Ms. Margaret Canfield King Dr. and Mrs. Brooks Bannister Mr. Russell C. King, Jr. Cindy L. Watts Mrs. Wayring Knight Dr. & Mrs. Brooks Bannister Mr. Don McCall Kathy Vail McCall Ms. Edith Newsome Melton June Nelson Mr. Duane Nelson Jo & Scott Nelson

Mr. C. D. “Joe” Pinner John & Pam Newsome Mr. Jim Rion Sloan H. Brittain Frank & Elaine Hays Mr. David Allan Roberson George & Cindy Hartley Mr. Daniel C. Roper, III Mary Coker Joslin Mrs. Sara Frances Severance Jim & Cathy Hines Mrs. Phoebe Smothers Charles & Adrienne Rogers Mrs. Catherine Jones Trowell Bob & Peggy Trowell Mr. C.W. Ward Charles & Adrienne Rogers Mrs. Betty Wiggins John & Francine Bachman Lynch & Melanie Christian Larry & Virginia Gantt Dr. & Mrs. Joe Rubenstein Bill & Olive Timberlake Mr. Jim Wilds Bob & Betty Corning Mary R. Ridgeway Charles H. Rogers, Sr. Mr. Kindred Williams Gus & Joan Hoffmeyer Mrs. Ruth Woodham Mrs. Nathan V. Hendricks, III Mr. Brian Yount Frank & Barbara King, III Mary Baker Yount Andy & Vicki Eaddy

HONORARIUMS Mrs. Merle D. Baxley Micheal Baxley Gus & JoAnn Hoffmeyer Sloan Brittain Kenny & Kyle Segars Elise Allen Byrd David L. Allen Curtis & Donna Chapman Edith Chapman Marie Daniels JoAnne McCaskill-Hill Justin & Ashlyn Diehl Drew & Bonnie Hamilton Susan Harvey Kalmia Garden Club Anita Anderson Folsom John Folsom Mrs. Nell Goudelock John & Elaine Nichols Ainsley Hamilton Drew & Bonnie Hamilton Anna Hungerpiller Kenny & Kyle Segars Jean Hunter Cindy Dempsey Bobbie Kelley Gus & JoAnn Hoffmeyer Frances Segars Kelley Ida Pace Storrs Edgar Lawton Ben, Clement, George, Scott Wilds Nan Lawton Ed & Tru Lawton Dr. & Mrs. Jim Lemke Anna Hill Dr. Pat Lincoln Bobb E. Riggs Cindy Chaplin McArthur Hazel G. Puyet Mary Jane McDonald Gus & JoAnn Hoffmeyer Pam Newsome Olivia G. Doughty Jim & Holly Prescott Anna Hill Mary Ridgeway Keitt & Evelyn Hane Willie Saleeby Gus & JoAnn Hoffmeyer Lea Saunders Kalmia Garden Club C.E. Spries Sunny Dixon Mr. Bob Wilson Mrs. Hannelore Wilson

W W W. C O K E R . E D U

Member s of the ’98 te am include the following: Kelly Norris

Tiffany Anselmo

Keisha Ormand

Kristen Bistyga

Missy Paterson

Carrie Capps

Becky Quinn

Santrese Jackson

Heather Sizemore

Val Miller

Karen White

Amy Nestor

Angela Williams

Laura Nicolet

The Coker College Athletic Department added 17 new members to the Coker Athletics Hall of Fame in October with the addition of the 1998 Cobra softball team. After a unanimous vote by the Coker Hall of Fame selection committee, the 1998 softball team was inducted into the Coker Athletics Hall of Fame in a special induction ceremony held during the College’s Homecoming Festivities. This group became just the second full team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, the first being the 1994 baseball team inducted in 2010. Arguably one of the greatest Cobra teams of alltime, the 1998 softball team finished with a record of 54-3. They won the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) with a perfect 18-0 record, were the NCAA South Atlantic Region Champions and finished fifth in the nation after going 1-2 at the 1998 NCAA Division II Softball National Championship.

The Cobras started the season with a 38-game winning streak, and their record of 54-3 still stands as the best record in Coker history. They also set a record for best winning percentage in NCAA softball at the time.

The Coker College men’s soccer team reached unprecedented heights during the 2011 season. It led Coker to its first ever Conference Carolinas regular season championship, second conference tournament championship in three years and first ever NCAA tournament appearance. Coker finished with an overall record of 18-3 with a 10-1 mark in conference play. The Cobras marched up the national rankings throughout the season, breaking into the top 10 and peaking at No. 5. They played host to the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Regional Tournament, and their season ended with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Mars Hill College in the opening round.

W W W. COKER . EDU

ENGAGE

Derrell Lee- Assistant Coach David Hanna- Head Coach

COKER I NDUCT S 1998 S o f t b a l l TE A M I NTO H A LL OF FA ME

Dav i d Ha n n a wi t h P r e si d e n t W yat t

Emily Adams

T HE OFFICIA L M AG A ZINE OF COKER COL L EG E, H A RT S V IL L E, S .C .

COMMENTA RY

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SUPPORT

Co k e r Cre at e s Jos e ph & Be t t y W igg ins Sch oo l o f E duc atio n A gift surpassing $1 million from the estate of Betty C. Wiggins has enabled a major campus expansion and the

SUPPORT

establishment of the Joseph L. and Betty C. Wiggins School of Education at Coker College. “As part of the College’s plans for growth over the next five years, we believe the Joseph L. and Betty C. Wiggins School of Education will increase institutional visibility and position the College as a national leader in innovative teacher education,” said Coker Board of Trustees Chair Goz Segars. The new school, the first named school in Coker’s history, will be housed in the building currently occupied by the Hartsville Messenger, a building which has been purchased by the College. “This expansion represents a wonderful development for our students,” said Coker College President Dr. Robert Wyatt. “In terms of our physical campus, it’s an attractive space, aesthetically, and because of its location and capacity. Further, in today’s global community, education is a quickly changing discipline, and we’re particularly grateful that the Wiggins’ gift is making this much-needed expansion possible.” Among the most recent developments in Coker’s education programs is its participation in PULSE, Partners for Unparalleled Local Scholastic Excellence, an innovative public-private partnership involving the Darlington County School District, the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, Coker College, Yale University’s Comer School Development Program and Sonoco. In conjunction with

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2012

C A M P U S I S S U E

PULSE, Coker’s Department of Education is embracing James Comer’s internationally acclaimed system of child-centered reform because the development of the whole child has always been a foundation of its education curriculum. The approximately 6,400 square-foot building, designed and renovated by Hartsville architect Bobby Goodson, will be renovated to include office space and model classrooms. The new school will open in August 2012 and be directed by current department chair and Associate Professor of Education Dr. Susan D. Henderson. “What a truly exciting time for Coker College and our Teacher Education Program,” Henderson said. “The beautiful new facilities and state-of-the-art model classrooms for teaching and learning will provide faculty and students greater opportunities to further explore ways of becoming instructional leaders. Our faculty and staff are honored by the Wiggins’ support and generosity, and we will continue working closely with the College and community to develop the well-educated teacher.” Henderson is a member of the South Carolina Education Deans Alliance and serves on the South Carolina Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement Board of Directors. She conducts research in the field of literacy, leads local workshops

for teachers and has made presentations at state, national and international conferences. Henderson earned her undergraduate degree from Davidson College, her teaching credentials from Coker College and her M.Ed. and Ph.D. from Georgia State University. Residents of Hartsville, Joe and Betty Wiggins were lifelong supporters of Coker College. Betty was a trustee and received a Doctor of Humane Letters from Coker College in 2001. In 1986 she was awarded the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award. She died in 2010. Joe had been president of the Hartsville Broadcasting Company Cable TV and owner, publisher and editor of The Hartsville Messenger. He received an honorary degree from Coker in 1987. He passed away in 2001. Among the many philanthropic interests in addition to Coker College that the Wiggins supported were Black Creek Land Trust, Hartsville Community Concerts, Spoleto Festival, Hartsville Interfaith Ministries, Spring Beauty Garden Club, SCETV, Hartsville Memorial Library and the Hartsville Museum.

W W W. COKER . EDU

The Cobras, as a member of Conference Carolinas, began their season on Feb. 10 with a home match against Shorter University. The sport of lacrosse has continued to grow throughout the country and has now hit the area. As lacrosse begins to make its way into the Pee Dee Region, we thought we’d offer a quick tutorial on the game itself.

What should you e xpec t at a g ame?

Lacrosse is a fast-paced, physical sport that is rising in popularity. It has been primarily established in the Northeast, but it is rapidly spreading throughout the country.

Lacrosse has a bit of several sports sprinkled in. There’s hitting and physical contact throughout, like football. Substitutions take place like a hockey game – on the fly – one player on, the other off in a fast-paced manner. When players are on offense, it becomes like basketball, except with six players instead of five. Teams on offense run set plays, using picks, screens and other various maneuvers trying to score. On offense, you’ll often find teams slowing the pace by passing the ball around and creating something of a chess match before putting on a full-fledged attack. There’s man-to-man defense, zone defense, pick plays, shooting, shooting in the paint (which is called the crease area), screens, pick and rolls, and traps. Penalties occur and are distributed just like hockey. Players given a penalty will be sent into the penalty box for the determined time, which is no longer than two minutes. When a player is out due to a penalty, it is considered a power-play, or, in lacrosse terms, “man-down.” Penalties include but are not limited to: slashing, unnecessary roughness, tripping or illegal equipment. Games are fast-paced and usually high-scoring. It is very common to see double-digit scoring from either team playing.

The Basic s The winner is the team that scores the most goals. The game involves 10 players on the field at one time, including the goalie. The nine other players are broken up into three categories – defenders, midfielders and attackers. Typically, there are three of each position on the field at one time. Areas marked off on the 110-yard field are the attack and defensive areas. Six players play on offense and six on defense at one time. Any position player, with the exception of the goalie, can cross the midfield line when attacking. However, at least three players must remain on the defensive half of the field at all times. Each game begins with a face-off between two players fighting for possession. Face-offs also occur after each score throughout the game. There are four 15-minute quarters played with a 10-minute halftime intermission between. Each team has two timeouts per half. If a game requires overtime, sudden-death rules apply.

Equipment Lacrosse requires little in the way of pads. Players wear helmets, arm pads, gloves, cleats and gym shorts. Most players wear a form of shoulder pads, lighter than football ones, but not all do. Goalies wear the usual equipment but also wear chest protectors. Each player uses a stick with a head on it that must be 6.5 inches or more at its widest point. Offensive players tend to use short sticks (between 40-42 inches), while defenders use long sticks (52-72 inches). The goalie is permitted to use a stick that is between 40 and 72 inches long, and the head can measure up to 12 inches wide to support better shot-blocking. The ball used in lacrosse is made of rubber and is about the size of a baseball. W W W. COKER . EDU

Why should you at tend a game? If you like contact sports that offer lots of scoring and fast-paced action, then lacrosse is something you need to check out. Watching a combination of sports rolled into one is very entertaining. With football season in the rearview mirror, lacrosse provides a spark during the spring season that gives people their fix for physical sports year-round. T HE OFFICIA L M AG A ZINE OF COKER COL L EG E, H A RT S V IL L E, S .C .

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W h at is L Ac ro ss e?

SUPPORT

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SAR AH ROUNTREE

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S a r a h Ro u n t r e e & Kat i e McE lv e e n

SUPPORT

Coker College has 253 student-athletes patrolling the campus. None of them, however, epitomize the student-athlete label quite like Sarah Rountree and Katie McElveen. See, these two share an uncommon privilege not many get to experience in college – they are two-sport athletes. Rountree and McElveen represent the only two dual-sport athletes at Coker. Rountree, a junior from Plantation, Fla., plays on the women’s soccer and softball teams; McElveen, a sophomore from Hartsville, rosters for softball and volleyball. The two met in softball and are friends on and off the fields. The opportunity to play two sports is one of the main reasons each came to Coker. Rountree, whose home in Florida is about 10 hours away, said she was looking to move far away for college. She was recruited to play soccer and then was contacted about doubling up in softball

shortly after. The opportunity to do both and the athletic scholarship are what sealed the deal on her commitment to Coker. “It was the idea of playing two sports that sold me,” said Rountree. “Since I am so far from home, it’s great that my parents are able to watch all of my games online, and I update them all the time.” The choice was easy for McElveen. Her most difficult decision was having to choose one sport, and that was quickly erased with the opportunity at Coker. “They told me I could do both, which was great because I love softball and volleyball the same and didn’t want to have to choose,” said McElveen, who majors in communication and minors in physical education. “I was definitely considering Coker since I am from Hartsville, but it definitely changed my opinion.”

Monsanto Funds Ne w Summer Science Progr am at Coker College

[L e f t t o r i g h t] D r. Ro b e r t W yat t, Daw n F r as e r a n d D r. J o e F l a h e r t y

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C A M P U S I S S U E

Coker College Professor of Biology Dr. Joseph Flaherty has been awarded a grant from the Monsanto Fund to support his proposal to develop a summer program in science for local high school students and their teachers. The award was presented during a courtyard ceremony Nov. 10 in front of Coker’s Davidson Hall. Recently promoted as the founding director of undergraduate research at Coker, Flaherty sees independent laboratory research at the undergraduate level as essential for future scientists, medical doctors and science teachers. The grant from Monsanto will provide paid summer internships, beginning in 2012, for area high school students interested in learning about cuttingedge research in science to work alongside Coker College students who are collaborating with faculty

in an active, university-level research program. Additionally, local high school teachers will be offered a professional development opportunity through a week-long science workshop to be held at Coker this summer. The grant provides a stipend for the participating teachers and offsets the costs associated with the planned activities that will give participants hands-on training in the latest procedures in modern scientific research.

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DISCOVER THE IMPACT

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K ATIE McELVEEN

Gifts from the Annual Scholarship Fund provide students with essential resources and exciting opportunities at Coker College each year. Katie McElveen and Sarah Rountree are two of those students. The scholarship assistance they’ve received has allowed them the unique opportunity to become dual-athletes at Coker. Gifts from alumni are especially significant because they directly influence Coker’s ability to compete for foundation and corporate gifts, and they increase the College’s national ranking in U.S. News & World Report. More importantly, these gifts provide much-needed scholarships for our current students, just like the support you might have received when you were a Coker student. Every gift, regardless of size, is important to the Annual Scholarship Fund. If you have not made your gift yet this fiscal year, please show your support by doing so before June 30. You can make your gift online at www.coker.edu/gifts or by contacting Wes Daniels ’03 at 843-3838178.

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a chance to start over, really.” McElveen added, “I love it here. Even if I didn’t play two sports I would stay here because I love it so much. It’s been a great decision.” When it comes to post-collegiate topics such as careers, neither is quite sure yet. Rountree says she might pursue the marketing side from her sports management concentration. McElveen said advertisement or sports media are possibilities.

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coker.edu/gifts

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Going to school around the corner from her family was another plus for McElveen. “My whole family comes to all the games,” she said. “It’s like I have my own cheering section. I like it, though, because I’m a homebody, really. Sometimes it’s challenging over breaks because friends and teammates leave to go home and I live 10 minutes away. Every now and then I get the itch to go to a big city for a little while.” Regardless of how each of them got to Coker, both girls say the situation has worked out well. “I like it here because everyone knows each other. I’m not a number, I’m a name,” said Rountree, a physical education major with a concentration in sports management. “Plus, I like being away (from home). It was something different coming here. I was coming to a school where no one knew me, so I had to make new friends. It was

WEB E X TR A S To discover the impact of your gifts, visit: coker.edu/giving-opportunities/ annual-scholarship-fund/ discover-the-impact.html

Terry Receiv es State wide Student Affair s Le ader ship Award

Coker College Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services Dr. Steve Terry was honored with the Joseph O. Nixon Award for chief student affairs officers by the South Carolina College Personnel Association at the organization’s fall conference Oct. 21.

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“Dr. Terry is an outstanding administrator who has the students’ best interest at heart and always speaks up on their behalf, subtle and firm in his belief that our students come first,” said Coker College President Dr. Robert Wyatt. “From serving students at our late-night breakfast event before final exams begin, to attending as many athletic events as I do, to ‘cutting up’ with students all across campus, Dr. Terry personifies Coker College.” “I can think of no other person more deserving of this award.” The statewide award, which is not limited to SCCPA members, recognizes excellence in the areas of leadership, commitment to students and efforts to recruit higher education professionals to the field of student affairs. Terry’s recognition represents the first time the

award has been given to an individual from Coker College. Past recipients have come from Furman, Presbyterian College, Converse and the University of South Carolina. Terry, who joined Coker in 1975, received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from East Carolina University and his doctorate from the University of South Carolina. Established in 1970, SCCPA’s mission is to support professionals who serve students in South Carolina higher education institutions. In turn, SCCPA derives from its members a shared commitment to help colleges and universities provide a campus environment that promotes academic achievement and personal growth and development for all college students.

T HE OFFICIA L M AG A ZINE OF COKER COL L EG E, H A RT S V IL L E, S .C .

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IMPACT

Coker SIFE

Muhuru Bay, Kenya

In January, Coker SIFE began its first international initiative since the program’s inception in May 2010. Three SIFE students - Cody Ellison, Kaitlynn Jessup and Lindsey Allen - traveled alongside Coker SIFE Director Neil Sickendick and Interactive Media Developer Harrison Waters to the small village of Muhuru

IMPACT

Bay, Kenya.

WEB E X TR A S To find out about Lindsey’s experience, visit: youtube.com/cokercollege BECOME A SUBSCRIBER OF OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

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During their five-day trip, Coker SIFE established a new educational facility in the region. Referred to as a Learning Resource Center, the renovated building purchased by Coker SIFE has been divided into a library and multiple classrooms, which are being used as a site for vocational training. No such facility previously existed in the town. While in Muhuru Bay, the Coker SIFE representatives were fortunate enough to work on the renovations required to prepare the building for its Jan. 8 opening. Additionally, they spent time working with local teachers to discuss new, business-oriented educational initiatives which could be implemented in local schools and at the Learning Resource Center. The project, developed through a contact of Associate Professor of Communication Richard Puffer, now includes a partnership with Maseno University (Nairobi) SIFE, both of whom played crucial roles in the establishment of the project details and worked side-by-side with the Coker SIFE students during the trip. Looking forward, Coker SIFE is brainstorming new ways to help the people of Muhuru Bay. There are plans for the team to return during the next academic year.

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A Community Remembers

Ha r t s v i l l e Mi d d l e S c h o o l Mag n e t C h o ru s

“ T e n y e a r s a g o , 9 / 11 beca me more than a date” D r . W i l l C a r s w e l l , A s s o c i at e P r o f e s s o r o f M u s i c

Coker Approaches 9-11 Anniv er sary with Communit y Service

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WEB E X TR A S To view this video playlist plus many more, visit: youtube.com/cokercollege BECOME A SUBSCRIBER OF OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

T HE OFFICIA L M AG A ZINE OF COKER COL L EG E, H A RT S V IL L E, S .C .

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IMPACT

[L e f t t o Ri g h t] A ssis ta n t P ro f e ss o r o f T h e at e r Ki n d r a S t e e n e r s o n a n d A ss o c iat e P ro f e ss o r o f T h e at e r P h y l l is Fi e l d s.

Coker College commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedies with a series of events that culminated with a special college-community offering, September 11, 2001: A Community Remembers on Sunday, Sept. 11 in Watson Theater of the Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Performing Arts Center. “Ten years ago, 9/11 became more than a date,” said Associate Professor of Music Dr. Will Carswell. “We all remember where we were, who we were with and what we were doing. Now, a decade later, we look back not only to honor the victims and heroes of those events but also to look forward to find healing and hope.” The program included remarks by Coker College President Robert Wyatt, Hartsville Mayor Mel Pennington and the Reverend Phil Thrailkill. Music and dance will be provided by the Coker Singers, Assistant Professor of Music Serena Hill, Coker Chamber Singers, Hartsville Middle School Magnet Chorus, Assistant Professor of Music Jun Matsuo,

Brass Quintet, Hartsville Chamber Ensemble, Associate Professor Music Graham Wood and students in the Coker dance program. Poetry and a variety of readings will be offered by 2011 Coker College Honor graduate James Patrick Flynn, Professor of Spanish Cathleen Cuppett, 2006 Coker College graduate Donald Quist, Assistant Professor of Theater Kindra Steenerson and Associate Professor of Theater Phyllis Fields. Art by Professor of Art Jean Grosser, Professor of Art Jim Boden, Bobbi Adams and James Fernandes will be displayed in the Stein Gallery. September 11, 2001: A Community Remembers is sponsored by Coker College, The City of Hartsville, The Messenger and Black Creek Arts Council. For more information contact Carswell, at wcarswell@ coker.edu.

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Pro fe sso r E m e rit us o f Re ligio n De a n e Sh a ffe r Recei v e s Dis ting uis h e d Se rv ice Awa rd Coker College President Dr. Robert Wyatt presented Professor Emeritus of Religion Dr. Deane Shaffer with a Distinguished Service Award for 50 years of service to the College. Shaffer joined the Coker College faculty in 1961 and was awarded the Vivien Gay and J.L. Coker Professorship in Religion in 1964. He was twice awarded the College’s Master Professor Award, most recently in 1990. During his tenure at Coker, he has served numerous terms as chair of the faculty senate, on many faculty committees such as on the promotion and tenure committee, and a number of years chairing the Staley Lecture Series Committee. He also served on the College’s Board of Trustees. Beyond the campus community, Dr. Shaffer has served on the American Red Cross Board

of Directors in Hartsville, the Human Relations Council and in several other area organizations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bethel College (now Bethel University) in Minnesota and a Ph.D. in religion from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Following graduate school, Dr. Shaffer studied at the University of Edinburgh, Duke University, Princeton University and, through a Traveling Fulbright Seminar, studied Indian religions and culture in India.