Fall 2012 Alumni Magazine

Alumni

Events WWII Cadets

2012

Charleston Dinner

HOMECOMING 2012

From the President’s Desk Many thanks to all of our alumni, family and friends who made it to “The Campus Beautiful” to celebrate another homecoming. The campus was full of activity the entire week as all of the student organizations competed for an opportunity to represent their group as a part of Concord’s royalty, along with all of the alumni events that brought graduates from several decades back to Athens. This is truly an exciting time for our students but it is also an opportunity for our alumni to reunite once again on the campus so many of us love. I hope you were able to attend the annual alumni dinner. The format was changed a bit this year to a more informal gathering which included a pig roast, live music, and lots of laughter and fun for all generations. It was a privilege to visit with so many of the friends I’ve made over the last several years while meeting a few new Mountain Lions at the same time.

Calendar of Events December 4, 2012

• Holiday Open House

• 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

University Point December 15, 2012

• Fall Commencement

• 11:00 a.m.

Leslie R. & Ruby Webb Carter Center

January 10, 2013

• Beckley-Raleigh County Alumni Chapter

Organizational Meeting

• 6:00 p.m.

Erma Byrd Higher Education Center, Beaver, W.Va. February 1, 2013

• Groundhog Day Breakfast

• 8:00 a.m.

Jean and Jerry Beasley Student Center Ballroom May 17, 2013

• Alumni Reception and Dinner

• Class of 1963 – 50th Reunion

• Class of 1988 – 25th Reunion

Athens Campus

(Left photo - left back to right) Bob Larkins ’78, Cheryl Larkins ’78, Sheila Mann ’77 and David Mann ‘79; (Right photo - left to right) Candy Smith ’89 and Lisa Taylor ‘86 stopped by the alumni tailgate at the October 20, 2012 football game at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

I enjoy seeing how students celebrate this time of year and hearing how so many of our alumni participated in similar activities during their time as students. Traditions are strong at Concord. The parade and bonfire, as well as the tailgating and other social gatherings all contribute to the many memories that make Concord special.

Building on those traditions, the Advancement Office along with the help of some of our alumni hit the road to host tailgates at several of our away football games this season. I would like to extend a special thank you to the Mountain Lions in the Washington, D.C., Charleston, West Virginia and Lynchburg, Virginia areas who made their way out to the various stadiums to support our team. It’s a great feeling to look out among a crowd of the opposing team’s colors and spot a fan wearing a maroon Concord shirt and heading your way. The Advancement Office continues its efforts to connect with as many Concord alumni as possible, and the tailgates are certainly helping with this effort.

It is my hope everyone will take a few minutes to update your information and let us know how you are doing. You will find various ways to connect or re-connect with Concord in this edition of the alumni magazine. Pay special attention to the list of upcoming activities. Exciting things are planned for the rest of the calendar year and the spring. Mark these dates on your calendar and make plans to get involved. We hope to see each of you soon!

Dr. Gregory F. Aloia Concord University President and Professor

May 18, 2013

• Reunion Breakfast

• 8:30 a.m.

University Point May 18, 2013

• Commencement

• Processional with Reunion Classes

• 10:00 a.m.

Leslie R. & Ruby Webb Carter Center July 12-14, 2013

• Yankee Chapter Alumni Gathering

New York City

NI! M U L A N O I ATTENT ter p a h C i n um l A n a n i o J ou!

Near y

Pine Trees Alumni Chapter

pinetreesalumnichapter@hotmail.com

Yankee Chapter

yankeealumni@mycu.concord.edu

Japan Chapter

japanalumni@mycu.concord.edu

Greater Kanawha Valley Chapter charlestonalumni@mycu.concord.edu

Roanoke/New River Valley Chapter

swvirginiaalumni@mycu.concord.edu

Beckley/Raleigh County Chapter beckleyalumni@mycu.concord.edu

Inside this Issue Fall 2012

On the Cover Concord’s annual homecoming bonfire lights up the Valley following the parade on Thursday, Oct. 4.

5

Alumni

Events WWII Cadets

25

2012

Charleston Dinner

11

HOMECOMING 2012 President Interim Vice President of Advancement Alumni Director

Dr. Gregory F. Aloia

Features

Alicia Besenyei

3

Jean Dressler Beasley

5

Alumni Events

9

Hazel Morgan Booth Scholarship

11

Homecoming 2012

21

WWII Cadets Distinguished Members of Concord’s Alumni Association

25

2012 Charleston Dinner

33

2012 Freshman Convocation

Sarah Lively Turner '98

President, Concord University Alumni Association, Inc.

Jessica Cook '08

Graphic Designer

Lance McDaniel '10

Project Coordinator Editorial Assistant

21

Sarah P. Dalton Amy Pitzer

Concord University Office of Advancement PO Box 1000 Athens, WV, 24712 1-304-384-6311 Fax: 1-304-384-6017 advancement@concord.edu www.concord.edu

Departments 4

CU Alumni Association, Inc.

25

CU Foundation, Inc.

27

Heritage & Horizon

29

Class Notes

37

CU Athletics

Jean Dressler Beasley was a highly respected member of the Concord and Athens communities. The wife of Concord University President Emeritus Jerry L. Beasley, she was a devoted participant in activities on campus and in the town of Athens where she made her home since 1985.

During Dr. Beasley’s 23-year tenure as President of Concord, Mrs. Beasley’s ongoing involvement in the life of the University touched countless students, faculty and staff. She was known as a good friend and neighbor to her fellow residents in Athens.

A native of Hinton, W.Va., Mrs. Beasley graduated summa cum laude with double majors in Latin and English from Marshall University. She began her teaching career in Latin and English at Shepherdstown High School. She later served as counselor for the West Virginia Education-Talent Search Program before returning to school to obtain a J.D. at West Virginia University College of Law. While pursuing her J.D., Mrs. Beasley served as editor of the West Virginia Law Review.

After graduation from law school, she performed contract legal work for law firms in Waynesburg, Pa. and Buckhannon, W.Va. She also 3

was a part-time instructor in Communication Law at Waynesburg College, taught Business Law, English and Latin at West Virginia Wesleyan and taught English at Concord.

She received an honorary doctorate from Concord in May 2008 for her service and dedication to the University and for her community and civic involvement.

Mrs. Beasley volunteered for numerous organizations. She was a former member of the West Virginia Women’s Commission, an inactive member of the West Virginia State Bar Association, a founding board member of the Mercer County Hospice, member and former chairperson of the Mercer County Academic Boosters, member and officer of the AthensConcord Town Social Committee, member and former trustee of the Concord United Methodist Church, and former member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Survivors include her husband Dr. Jerry L. Beasley; daughters Heather Beasley (Peter McIntyre), Sarah Beasley (Thomas McKenna), and Leah Beasley-Wojick (Joshua Wojick); and grandson Maxwell Beasley Wojick.

The CU Alumni Association, Inc. Membership in the CUAA, Inc. supports the following initiatives:

The membership year runs July 1 June 30 and you can use the membership form below and envelope included in this • Scholarships for Concord students • The formation of alumni chapters all magazine to mail in your membership.

You can also submit your membership

over the country • On-campus events for alumni such payment online through Concord’s website

as Homecoming and the spring Alumni www.concord.edu/advancement/ memberships-giving. Upon receipt of your Banquet • Enhancement of Concord’s alumni membership dues, the Alumni Office will

giving rate which influences national mail you a CUAA membership card to keep

university rankings, consideration for on hand as proof of your membership.

Everyone knows there is strength

grants, etc. in numbers and the more dues paying members the Alumni Association has, Benefits for CUAA, Inc. the stronger the organization will be. If members include: you are already a member of the CUAA, • Discounts to on-campus events we hope you are planning to renew your • Tax-deductible contribution • Discounts to certain services, commitment to Concord for another year. If

including the Concord Child you are not currently a CUAA member, we hope that you will consider joining today.

Development Center • Gift recognitions for each level of Thanks in advance for your support of Concord, its students and the nearly 15,000 membership • Plans for additional benefits are alumni we have worldwide!

currently in the works so this list will

continue to grow

Upcoming Events

Beckley-Raleigh County Alumni Chapter Organizational Meeting January 10, 2013 Erma Byrd Higher Education Center, Beaver, W.Va. 6:00 pm

Alumni Reception and Dinner

Yankee Chapter Alumni Gathering

May 17, 2013 Class of 1963 – 50th Reunion Class of 1988 – 25th Reunion Athens Campus

July 12-14, 2013 New York City

Join Us Today!

CU Alumni Association, Inc. Individual Membership Form

Basic $10 - 24.99

Maroon & Gray Club $25 - 149.99

Membership renewal for 2012-2013

President’s Club $150 - 499.99

Life Membership $500 or more

I want to join!

Check a box and return this slip in the envelope provided with this magazine.

Please be sure to fill out your contact and payment information on the envelope inside this issue.

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AlumniEvents Greater Kanawha Valley Alumni Gather at WV Power Game Approximately 75 Concord alumni and friends gathered at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.Va. on Thursday, Aug. 2 for Concord night at the WV Power game. Guests enjoyed a picnic meal on the Party Deck while watching the Power take on the Hagerstown Suns.

Many members of the Greater Kanawha Valley Alumni Chapter were present and a few alumni were even chosen to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7th inning stretch. Even though the Power lost to the Suns, it was a perfect night for a ballgame and alums enjoyed

Charleston, WV Area the opportunity to catch up with each other and reminisce about their days in Athens.

Anyone interested in joining the Greater Kanawha Valley Alumni Chapter should contact Chapter President, Justin Marlowe, at charlestonalumni@ mycu.concord.edu or the Concord Alumni Office at alumni@ concord.edu or 304384-5348.

First Concord Alumni Event Held in Morgantown

On Aug. 16 Alumni Director Sarah Turner and Advancement Staff member Amy Pitzer traveled to Morgantown, W.Va. to host a gathering for alumni in the area. The Vintage Room provided an excellent setting for alumni to catch up while enjoying a meal. There are a number of recent Concord graduates in the area who are pursuing an advanced degree at West Virginia University and ideas on how to keep these Mountain Lions connected to each other while in Morgantown were discussed. One event the group is talking about is hosting a Concord alumni tailgate tent at a WVU home game. The Alumni Office is currently gauging interest in starting a Morgantown area alumni chapter.

Anyone interested in being a part of this chapter is encouraged to contact the Alumni Office at alumni@ concord.edu or 304-384-5348.

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(Left to right) John Meadows ’10, Justin Marlowe ’01 and wife Michelle Marlowe

Morgantown, WV Area

(Above) Kneeling: Amanda Algee ’10 Front Row: Sarah Turner ’98, Brianna Smith ’08, Amanda Heaton ’06, Courtney Morgan, Courtney Hoover ’09, Dustin Blankenship ’11, Andrew Prince ’12 Back Row: Devon Stewart ’08, Josh Lawson ’11, Tricia Sparks ’08, Jessica Cook ’08, Brandon Green ’12 (Left) Courtney Hoover ’09, Tricia Sparks ’08 & Amanda Heaton ’06

Low Country Get-Together Held in North Myrtle Beach Concord alumni and friends gathered in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. Sept. 19-23 to celebrate their friendship and reminisce about their days in Athens, W.Va. The four day event was hosted by Jean ‘67 and Ted Shepherd ‘66, Bonnie and Tom Bary ‘69 and Debbie and Amedeo (Tony) Basconi ‘61.

The First Low Country Golf Tournament was won by Gary Neville ‘62. In addition, during the weekend, power shoppers Ann Pendleton Tilley, Debbie Basconi and Eva Gallione led a group of alumni to the many outlets on the Grand Strand. Bill Staples provided West Virginia treats and took several guests to the “Shaggin on the Sand” tribute to veterans adjacent to Fat Harold’s Shaggin Palace.

Several events were held at the Barefoot Resort and Legends clubhouses. At the Friday night CU Night with the P-Rays

Myrtle Beach, SC Area

Alumni gather in North Myrtle Beach

banquet the annual hat and T-shirt exchange was led by Yankee Alumni Chapter President and guest speaker Bob Gallione ‘68. The hats and T-shirts were provided by Joan ‘64 and George Thoman of the Florida Keys. At the event Lee ‘66 and Ron Keiser ‘64 were honored for their many years of hosting Concord alumni events in Ocean City, Md. The highlight

Princeton, WV Area

of the banquet was Gary Neville’s presentation of the grill master’s cooking apron to Tom Bary.

On Saturday a barbeque was held at the Legends clubhouse which concluded with a bocce tournament won by Tom Bary and Doug Dean ‘68.

For additional information, please contact Tony Basconi at basconi@aol.com.

CU Night with the P-Rays on Thursday, Aug. 23 brought baseball fans and Concord alums, along with faculty, staff and students, to Hunnicutt Field in Princeton, W.Va. The fun started with a picnic hosted

by Concord’s Office of Advancement prior to the game.

Mountain Lion cheerleaders greeted guests and assisted with pregame activities on the field. CU’s Head Baseball Coach Andrew Wright threw out the first pitch to start the action in a match-up between the Princeton Rays and the Bristol White Sox. Additional photos from the event can be viewed on flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/ photos/42005172@N02/ sets/72157631340116482/

(Left to right) Holly Jackson ’12 & Misty Bowels at the pre-game picnic; Concord head baseball coach Andrew Wright throws out the first pitch; and Blaine ’69 and Sheila Dunavant ’70 enjoy their pregame hotdogs 6

AlumniEvents

Continued

September Alumni Events September was a busy month as alumni were gathering for different events all over the region.

On Sept. 13 a social was held at Daniel Vineyards in Crab Orchard, W.Va. for alumni in the BeckleyRaleigh County area. Attendees enjoyed a beautiful evening outside and were able to sample different wines that the vineyard has to offer for a small fee. Plans are moving forward with the formation of an alumni chapter in the area and there will be an organizational meeting held at the Erma Byrd Higher Education Center in January regarding the formation of this chapter. For information on the meeting please email beckleyalumni@mycu.concord. edu or call 304-384-5348.

The Pine Trees Chapter hosted its Fall Social on Sept. 15 at the home of Don and Pam Lane Garner ‘66. The chapter held their annual business meeting and elected officers for the next year in addition to leaving plenty of time for socializing. The chapter has been working hard on increasing their membership and currently stands at over 100 members! For information on the Pine Trees Chapter please contact them at pinetreesalumnichapter@hotmail. com A re-organizational meeting for the New River Valley Chapter was held in Pembroke, Va. on Sept. 16. Ben ‘58 and Carol Crawford hosted the event at their place on the river. Attendees enjoyed a home cooked meal and plenty of time to get to know each other while learning more about each one’s connection to Concord. The afternoon concluded with a discussion about re-forming an alumni chapter in the Roanoke/New River Valley area. Anyone interested in being a part of these efforts should email swvirginiaalumni@mycu.concord.edu or call 304-384-5348.

Interim VP for Advancement Alicia Besenyei and Alumni Director Sarah Turner ‘98 hit the road the last two 7 5

Janie Farmer ‘69 and Deborah Gillespie ‘77 at the Pine Trees Chapter fall social

Steven Lawhorn ‘03, Amy Caldwell, Sarah Turner ’98, Jenni Canterbury ‘00, Ashley Barton ‘09, Jessica Cook ’08, Rosemary Hance and Ruby Clyburn ‘50 gather in Crab Orchard, W.Va. for an alumni social

In Shepherdstown, W.Va. for the CU vs.

Shepherd game - (Left to Right) Joe Roles ‘55, Bob Gallione ’68, Gordon ’64 and Joyce Jones, Mario Ciarlo ‘55, Janet Hall ‘53 and Alicia Besenyei

Andrew ’08 and Danielle Spencer Metz ’11 enjoying the alumni tailgate in Charleston before watching CU take on WV State New River Valley Chapter meeting in Pembroke, Va. Front row (Left to Right): Alicia Besenyei, Suellen Hodges ‘59, Deborah Gillespie ‘77, Ben Crawford ‘58; Back row: Jessica Cook ’08, Sarah Turner ’98, Jim Hodges, Faye Myers ’73, Bob and Rosemary Goss ’74, Ann Mulheren ’54, George Gillespie, Bob Tuckwiller ‘76, Rose Ann Burgess ‘59

weekends in September and hosted alumni tailgates as Concord played two conference road games. On Sept.

22 Greater Kanawha Valley alumni enjoyed free food and Concord goodies before watching the Mountain Lions beat WV State, and on Sept. 29 alumni from the Yankee Chapter/ Martinsburg, W.Va./Washington, D.C. area were able to gather for food and some fun before watching Concord take on the Shepherd Rams. For information on upcoming Greater

Kanawha Valley Chapter events please contact them at charlestonalumni@ mycu.concord.edu For information on future Yankee Chapter events please contact them at yankeealumni@mycu. concord.edu The Alumni Office is always looking for opportunities to gather alumni together so if you are interested in hosting or participating in an event in your area please contact us at alumni@concord.edu or 304-3845348.

Reddens

Receive Diplomas T

wo members of the Redden family received Concord diplomas this year. But the graduates, Ron Redden and his son, Robert Redden, aren’t members of Concord’s Class of 2012. Ron, a resident of Princeton, W.Va., is a 1959 alum and Robert of Pinellas Park, Fla., belongs to the 1976 class.

For various reasons both Ron and Robert didn’t participate in commencement ceremonies with their classes.

This fall, however, the Reddens were in the spotlight during a special diploma presentation ceremony conducted by Concord officials in the Concord Room.

Ron Redden received a Bachelor of Science in Education and Robert Redden received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Also attending the event was a third generation of the Redden family, Robert’s son Martin.

Shown at the diploma presentation ceremony for the Reddens are, from left, Martin Redden, Associate Academic Dean Dr. George Towers, Robert Redden ’76, Interim Vice President and Academic Dean Dr. Kendra Boggess, Faculty President Dr. Carol Manzione, Ron Redden ’59, and Registrar Carolyn Cox.

Extra Yearbooks

Available

D

o you have all of your yearbooks from your days at Concord? Are you missing a year or two that you wish you had for your collection? If so, you are in luck! There are a limited number of “extra” yearbooks in the Alumni Office that we would like to pass on to alumni who are interested in them. If there is a certain year that you would like, please contact the Alumni Office at alumni@concord.edu or 304-384-5348 and let us know. If we have copies of that year in stock, we will send it to you.

(Left) Robert Redden ’76 is congratulated by Dr. Kendra Boggess. (Right) Dr. Kendra Boggess presents Ron Redden’59 with his diploma.

DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that ordering your Concord alumni gear is as easy as a few clicks of the mouse? Anyone can order Concord items through the Concord University Bookstore website. Just visit http://concord.bkstr.com to see what is available and to place your order. This service allows alums to show their Concord pride no matter where they are!

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Aspiring Teachers to Benefit

from Hazel Morgan Booth Scholarship

W

hen 19-year-old Hazel Virginia Morgan began her teaching career in a mountain-top schoolhouse in McDowell County, W.Va., she tapped into the skills she had acquired from studying at Concord State Teachers College. The 47 students in the oneroom school honed the soon-to-be Mrs. Booth’s passion for teaching and she went on to teach elementary school for 38 years.

Hazel Morgan Booth was a dedicated and talented teacher whose nearly four decades in the classroom touched countless students. A newly established scholarship in her name at Concord University will assist aspiring teachers in pursuing their dreams and continue Mrs. Booth’s outstanding legacy.

“Mother was a lifelong school teacher. She was involved with children all her life.

I felt it would be a fitting tribute to make a contribution in her name to Concord University.”

Andrew Booth

The Hazel Morgan Booth Scholarship has been established by her son Andrew Booth and his wife, Marilyn, of Salisbury, Md. The scholarship will be awarded to elementary education majors at Concord with preference given to students from Wyoming and McDowell counties in West Virginia.

“Mother was a lifelong school 9

teacher. She was involved with children all her life,” Mr. Booth said. “I felt it would be a fitting tribute to make a contribution in her name to Concord University.”

He decided to honor his mother in this way, he said, “to help future young teachers who are struggling to make it happen.”

“Concord was a great inspiration to her. She talked about Concord College all her life,” he said.

Hazel was born in Baileysville, W.Va., on the Fourth of July, 1917. She was the youngest of nine Hazel Morgan Booth ’36 children. Her mother died when Hazel was family and friends. two years old and she “My brother-in-law, Billy Moore, later lived with her older, married took me to Iaeger to board the train siblings while she attended Iaeger for Bluefield, West Virginia, where High School.

I caught a streetcar to Princeton,” After her high school graduation in she continued. “There I caught a bus 1934 she enrolled at Concord and left to Athens where Concord Teachers home to begin her studies to become College was located.” a teacher.

Hazel goes on to share her first “It was time to leave on the biggest impressions of Concord. “What a adventure of my life,” she said in a short autobiography she wrote for her beautiful campus!” she said. “Pine trees lined the walk between the dormitory and the Administration Building. The college is situated on the top of hills Hazel Morgan Booth

On a recent visit to Concord Marilyn and Andrew Booth display some of Mrs. Booth’s special memorabilia. Among the treasures are her Bible, photographs of the quilts she made, her journals, a Concord yearbook and a collection of her poetry.

dotted with many trees and shrubs with the buildings among them. For a seventeen-year-old girl who had never gone anywhere alone it was almost overwhelming.”

Young Hazel financed her Concord education through various means including assistance from family members, a loan and on-campus employment. She worked as a waitress in the dining hall where she served breakfast, lunch and dinner structuring her days around the mealtimes of her classmates.

“Concord was a great inspiration to her. She talked about Concord College all her life.”

change my clothes before going to class. That meant I was working five or six hours a day.”

But in Hazel’s characteristic positive style she enjoyed the work.

“It, too, was fun,” she said. “I made friends with the other waitresses and we formed a club called ‘Sisters of the Skillet.’”

The job, she said, “paid all my room and board - $22.50!”

Hazel completed her studies at Concord in 1936 and received a Standard Normal Teaching Certificate.

She taught in West Virginia for 15 years, then she and her family,

Andrew Booth

“My new job required me to serve three meals a day, family style, in the college dining hall,” she remembered in her autobiography. “I must report an hour before lunch and dinner and one half hour before breakfast to set up the tables and get ready to serve the meal. Later I had to clear the tables then hurry to my room to

Andrew Booth

husband Luther William Booth, and son, Andy, moved to Rockville, Md. in 1954. Mrs. Booth taught in Montgomery County, Md. for an additional 23 years.

While teaching the pupils in her elementary classes, Mrs. Booth continued her own education and received a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Maryland in College Park and a master’s degree equivalency.

Hazel and Luther retired in 1977 and moved to Clearwater, Fla. Mrs. Booth became an active volunteer at a local hospital and continued her connection to teaching by volunteering in schools in the community. A dedicated member of her church, Mrs. Booth was also a prolific poet and a prize-winning quilter. She continued to share these talents when she moved to Salisbury, Md. following Luther’s passing. The Booths were married 51 years.

Mrs. Booth died in 2011 at the age of 94.

For more information on the Hazel Morgan Booth Scholarship or to make a contribution to the scholarship contact Kerri Zaferatos, Concord University Foundation executive director, at zaferatosk@concord.edu or 304-384-6056.

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PARADE BONFIRE SIUM CAREER SYMPOO ALUMNI PIG R AST LIP SYNC ACE CROSS COUNTRHY R ALUMNI BRUNCILGATE LION’S DEN TAME! FOOTBALL GA

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LET THE FUN

BEGIN!

C

oncord University celebrated 2012 Homecoming Oct. 1-6 with fun and festivities for alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends in the CU community.

Theme for the students’ competitions – all leading up to the coronation of Homecoming Royalty at halftime of the football game – was 90s Cartoons.

Billboards displayed around campus; costumes, banners and floats showed off in the parade; and clever choreography presented at the Lip Sync contest reflected the theme and counted toward the competition.

Six couples representing fraternities, sororities and other campus organizations took part in the campaign for the honor of wearing the crowns. Contest results along with a popular vote added up to the winners.

Sightings of SpongeBob SquarePants, the Rugrats, Doug, and characters from Pokémon, Dragon Ball Z and Rocket Power were reported across campus during the week. These famed cartoon stars also made the journey down Vermillion Street for the annual Homecoming Parade the evening of Thursday, Oct. 4.

Tradition continued with the “bonfire in the Valley” following the parade.

Homecoming candidates took to the main gym turned dance floor on Friday night, Oct. 5, for the exciting and entertaining Lip Sync Contest.

Brandon Brown - Chi Omega Psi & Bailey Gillespie - Alpha Sigma Alpha

Sam Dobson - Phi Sigma Phi & Heidi Smith Alpha Sigma Tau

Richie Smith - Pi Kappa Phi & Cherish Hall - CU ELITE Dance Team

MEET OUR CANDIDATES John Davis - Sigma Tau Gamma & Jennifer Fox Delta Zeta

Jason Brackett - Mu Xi Phi & Zoya Naumchik International Students Club

Josh Hanna - Tau Kappa Epsilon & Catherine King - Sigma Sigma Sigma

PARADE

P

erry Mann of Hinton, W.Va. served as Grand Marshal for this year’s Homecoming Parade. Mr. Mann, 91, is a teacher, philosopher, naturalist, lawyer and writer. He is a U.S. veteran who served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Concord alum Ann Farrell Bowers encouraged Mr. Mann to

12

Parade

Perry Mann

compile some of his written pieces – which number in the thousands – into a book and the result was “Mann & Nature,” his first book. In the collection of essays published in 2011, he talks about his experiences growing up through the Great Depression, living on a farm, respecting nature and his time as a soldier during the war.

Mr. Mann was Ms. Bowers’ English teacher at Hinton High School and her inspiration for becoming an educator herself.

He is featured in the book “Americans Who Tell the Truth” alongside such well known names as Henry David Thoreau, Eleanor Roosevelt and Rosa Parks.

Mr. Mann received both an undergraduate and a law degree from Washington and Lee University and a Master in Education from the University of Virginia. An educator in Virginia and West Virginia, he taught English at Concord from the fall of 1962 until the spring of 1964.

He continues to garden and to practice law in Hinton with his daughter Amy.

CAREER SYMPOSIUM

C

13

oncord graduates shared their career experience and knowledge of the professional world with current CU students during the 4th Annual Career Symposium held Friday, Oct. 5.

The alums back on campus for the event represented a range of vocations including a conferencing manager, associate attorney, education technology consultant and speaker, child psychologist, college professor, student activities director, CPS social worker, senior tax associate, bank CFO, and restaurant general manager.

These individuals work for businesses, the federal and state government, and universities. Some of the alums have started their own companies, while others have had multiple careers.

Participants visited classrooms for discussions on careers in

business, social work, political science, biology and other areas.

The symposium also offered time to reconnect with former classmates and faculty and network with other alums.

This popular event is sponsored

by Concord’s Career/Advancement Services Office. Organizers are always looking for ways to grow this program, generally held the Friday of homecoming week.

If you would be interested in participating in next year’s symposium, please email careerservices@concord.edu.

Information for the 2013 program will be distributed next summer.

ALUMNI GATHERINGS

S

everal special gatherings brought alumni together during Homecoming weekend.

The Alumni Pig Roast on Friday, Oct. 5 offered time to enjoy a pleasant autumn evening at University Point. With the Pais Fellowship Hall as the setting, friends and former classmates were treated to a reception followed by dinner.

Entertainment was provided

by The Boatmen. Describing their music as Americana Soulgrass, this Beckley-area band began performing together in 2009.

Back at University Point on game day, alums dined at the Alumni Brunch before heading to the stadium. A stack of old yearbooks and Concordians caused more than a few chuckles as friends reminisced about their days at Concord.

The Lion’s Den Tailgate was a new addition to Homecoming festivities this year. Located near the entrance to Callaghan Stadium, the enclosed area offered refreshments, seating and live streaming of the game.

Guests at the Lion’s Den included current members of the Alumni Association and members of the 1962 and 1987 reunion football teams.

Bonfire

CAREER SYMPOSIUM

Alumni participants in the Career Symposium are front row, left to right: Mika Pierson ’09 and Christina Cabell ’09. Second row, left to right: Brian Roberts ’05, Marsha Edwards ’07, Scott Deaner ’02, Amanda Heaton ’06, Jaime Vandergrift ’02, Megan Parker ’06 and Robert Smith ’01. Third row, left to right: Edwin Bennett ’94, Shawn Allen ’07, Sarah Begg ’10, Benjamin Lafferty ’00, Alex Holiday ’11 and Lance Raffo ’02. Back row, left to right: Terri Martin ’01, Joy Bowling ’90, Jessica Cook ’06 and Jared Tice ’06.

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ALUMNI CROSS COUNTRY RACE

C

Alumni Pig Roast

New CUAA Members Win Trips

Lance Raffo

The Concord University Advancement Office gave away two trips from Capitol Marketing during Homecoming weekend. Anyone who joined the Alumni Association over the weekend was entered in the drawing. The winner from the Pig Roast on Friday night was Lance Raffo ’02 and the winner from the Lion’s Den Tailgate on Saturday was Nancy Smith, wife of James Smith ’74.

Alumni Brunch 15

U’s men’s and women’s cross country teams both placed first at the Concord Alumni Invitational held at Pipestem State Park on Saturday morning of Homecoming Weekend.

Both were also well represented in the top ten.

Robby Peters won his fourth race of the season with a time of 26:19.59 in the men’s 8k. Sterling Snyder pushed hard at the end of the race and grabbed second place with a mark of 27:24.67.

Also helping with the Concord win were runners Nick Lucento (27:59.52 - 5th place team scoring and 6th place overall), Jake Munsey (28:29.66 - 8th place team scoring and 10th overall), and Cody Honaker (28:32.64 9th place team scoring and 11th overall).

For the women Rachel Williams finished first in the 5k race with a time of 20:17.44.

Chelsea Callaway crossed the finish line in second place with a mark of 20:29.16 The top finishers also included CU’s Vivian Ruiz (21:44.43 - 3rd place team scoring and 4th place overall), Micalyn Miller, (22:03.73, 6th place team scoring and 7th place overall), Cheyenne Nicely (22:10.14, 7th place team scoring and 8th place overall), and Cortney Vannatter, (22:34.37, 10th place team scoring and 11th place overall.)

Lance McDaniel ’10 finished in first place among the alumni runners in the men’s 8k. With a time of 27:45.61 he was the fifth runner overall to cross the finish line.

Brian Porter secured second place in the alumni finishers (37:31.79, 40th place). Also in the race was alum Robert Michael Smith ’01.

First among alums for the women was Ambria Kirtley (25:30.73, 28th place) and second, Holly Cyphert ’07 (28:01.71, 38th place).

GAME DAY

Lip Sync

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oncord University celebrated 2012 Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 6 with a festive day on the Athens campus and triumph on the football field.

Alumni, students, faculty, staff and other friends in the Concord community packed the stands at Callaghan Stadium for the 2 p.m. kickoff. Temperatures hovered in the low 50s on the overcast autumn afternoon that turned to sunshine in the game’s second half as the Mountain Lions brought the crowd a Homecoming victory.

Concord outdistanced the Glenville State Pioneers 14-9.

During a pre-game ceremony, members of the 1962 and 1987 football teams were recognized for their 50th and 25th reunions respectively. Both teams were conference champions.

The Mountain Lion Pride Marching Band offered a salute to U.S. veterans with a rendition of “America the Beautiful” followed by the national anthem and also entertained at halftime. Alumni band members joined the pregame performance.

Concord University’s 2012 Homecoming Royalty, crowned in a halftime coronation ceremony, are Zoya Naumchik from Galloway, Ohio, a native of Belarus, representing the International Club, and Jason Brackett from Shepherdstown, W.Va., representing Mu Xi Phi. First runners-up are Jennifer Fox from Fayetteville, W.Va., representing Delta Zeta and John Davis from Martinsburg, W.Va., representing Sigma Tau Gamma.

Second runners-up are Catherine King from Roanoke, Va., representing Sigma Sigma Sigma and Josh Hanna from Nettie, W.Va., representing Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Concord University President Gregory F. Aloia and Dr. Marjie Flanigan, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, took part in the coronation along with Concord’s 2011 Homecoming

Cross Country Race

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Royalty Shannan McKnight representing Delta Zeta and Robert Vess Furey representing Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Pre-game

ON THE FIELD

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Members of the 1962 (above) & 1987 (below) football teams

Homecoming Game

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reshman running back Calvinaugh Jones rushed for 186 yards and sophomore fullback Ben Nester finished off two long drives with touchdowns as the Mountain Lions defeated Glenville State, 14-9, offering Homecoming fans a football victory at Callaghan Stadium.

The nine points allowed by the Concord defense was the lowest scoring output by an opponent this season.

The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory improved Concord’s record to 3-3 overall and 2-2 inside the WVIAC. Glenville State fell to 2-4 overall and 2-1 in conference competition after the defeat.

The Mountain Lions controlled nearly all facets of the game.

Concord held advantages in first downs (18 - 16), total yards (285 - 256), rushing yards (222 - 123), third down conversion percentage (35.7 percent - 30.7 percent) and time of possession (32:55 – 27:05).

Concord had seven drives that lasted at least six plays thanks to a rushing attack that saw three players carry the ball at least five times with Jones doing the heavy lifting with 30 attempts. He averaged an impressive 6.2 yards per carry.

In addition to scoring twice, Nester also rushed for 28 yards on seven attempts. Nester is the first Concord player to run for two touchdowns in a game since Brian Kennedy in 2010. Freshman Jocorey Robins gained 31 yards on six attempts.

Freshman quarterback Albert Rose was 9-of-18 for 63 yards.

Senior wide receiver Ansel Ponder caught four balls for 29 yards.

Freshman wide receiver DJ Holmes also had 29 yards receiving on three catches.

Concord’s defensive effort was led by the duo of junior linebacker

Jake Lilly and senior linebacker Howard Jordan. Lilly made a gamehigh 14 tackles with Jordan not far behind at 13 stops.

The Concord secondary came away with two timely interceptions, one by senior Kevin Elliott on the first play of the game and the other by junior Riyahd Richardson when Glenville was at Concord’s five-yard line late in the second quarter. Elliott’s INT was his second in as many games and third of the season.

Points were hard to come by in the first half. After a scoreless first quarter, Glenville State’s Colston Bayless put GSC up 3-0 with a 34yard field goal. Two minutes later, Glenville’s second kicker, Eddie McKay booted a 47-yard attempt through the uprights to put the visitors on top of CU 6-0. The Pioneers took the narrow lead into halftime.

The Mountain Lions were able to keep the margin to just one possession thanks to Richardson, who grabbed his interception at the goal line with just 17 seconds remaining in the half.

Concord was not fazed by the deficit and came out of the locker room to go on a 10-play, 56-yard drive that ended with Nester rumbling in for his first score of the day. An Andy Ellington extra point gave the Mountain Lions a 7-6 lead with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.

Three series later, Concord’s offense once again mounted a long scoring drive. This one lasted 12 plays and spanned 75 yards with Nester finishing it off with a fiveyard touchdown.

Another Ellington extra point gave Concord a 14-6 advantage with 10:24 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The eight-point lead was more than enough for the Concord defense, which allowed Glenville to gain just 25 more yards and score one field goal for the remainder of the game en route to Concord’s 14-9 triumph. Concord held the ball for 17:32 in the second half.

Homecoming Royalty Jason Brackett Mu Xi Phi Zoya Naumchik International Students Club

CU

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Benedum Foundation Grant

Pilots Geography and English Team Teaching

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oncord University, host institution for the West Virginia Geographic Alliance, announces a $166,000 award from the Benedum Foundation.

This grant award is to pilot a team teaching experience by geography teachers and English

Dr. Joe Manzo

teachers in 10 high schools across West Virginia. As proposed, the program will provide additional training of geography teachers and English teachers in extracting environmental processes from novels.

Under the direction of Dr. Joe Manzo, Concord University professor of geography and cocoordinator of the West Virginia Geographic Alliance, the program recognizes that the theme of people and the environment will be one of the most important questions of the 21st century.

Moreover, it recognizes that understanding is most easily achieved by bringing multiple perspectives to an

issue. In this case, literature and geography will combine in hopes of producing a better educated electorate of non-scientists.

The Benedum grant is supported by the National Geographic Society, the WV State Board of Education, Marshall University, West Virginia State University, West Virginia University and Concord University.

High schools participating include: Morgantown, Point Pleasant, George Washington, Capital, Bluefield, Princeton, Sissonville, Lincoln County, Van and Westside. Additional high schools may join at a later date.

Sharon Manzo

Retires

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haron Manzo, administrative assistant to the President, retired from the University on Sept. 28, 2012, after 32 years of service.

Before taking on her responsibilities in the President’s Office for Dr. Beasley and Dr. Aloia, Sharon served as the Associate Director of Financial Aid, Job Locations and Development Officer, and secretary to the Director of Financial Aid. Sharon has been an active member of the campus community serving as advisor for Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority for many years and in a number of other leadership roles.

“Her dedication, exceptional capabilities, and commitment to

higher education have benefitted countless students, faculty and staff and have been an inspiration to us all,” Dr. Aloia said.

BOG Chair Frank Blackwell honors Sharon Manzo at recent BOG meeting

NEWS

from the Division of Social Sciences

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r. Tom Saladyga, assistant professor of geography, and Dr. Charles Brichford, professor of English and chair of the Division of Languages and Literature, accompanied students to Kangwon National University in Korea for a study abroad experience. Dr. Saladyga gave a lecture entitled “Humans and the Forest Environment” as part of the program.

Dr. Tom Saladyga has co-authored “Three Centuries of Shifting Hydroclimatic Regimes Across the Mongolian Breadbasket,” Agriculture and Forest Meteorology [N. Pederson, C. Leland, B. Nachin, A.E. Hessl, A.R.

Bell, D. Martin-Benito, T. Saladyga, B. Suran, P.M. Brown, and N.K. Davi. 2012 (in press).] For more information go to: http://www. sciencedirect.com/science/article/ pii/S0168192312002377

Dr. Alecea Standlee’s book proposal for an edited volume, tentatively titled “On the Boarders of the Academy: Challenges and Strategies for First Generation Graduate Students and Faculty” has been accepted by Syracuse University Press. She is an assistant professor of sociology at Concord.

Dr. Carol Manzione’s article manuscript, “Identity, Placement, and Circulation of the Children of Christ’s Hospital” has been accepted and revised for publication in the Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth.

Dr. Manzione is an associate professor of history and president of Concord’s Faculty Senate.

Dr. Bill O’Brien, coordinator of the Center for Study of American Constitutionalism & Civic Responsibility, and Mr. Keith Lilly, instructor of history, hosted the PRISM Summer Academy for Teachers in early August. Mr. Lilly presented on “World Foreign Policy: 1898-1920.”

Dr. Joe Allen Featured on cover of

Science and Research Journal

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oncord University Professor of Geology Dr. Joe Allen was the cover feature for the Summer 2012 issue of the Neuron. The journal is a quarterly publication of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Division of Science and Research.

In “Leading Undergraduates to the Edge of Science” Dr. Allen explains that he wants his students to be aware that today’s science doesn’t have all the answers and much remains unknown.

Dr. Allen is chair of Concord’s Division of Natural Sciences. He helped develop the University’s

undergraduate Environmental Geosciences degree program and leads trips to Colorado where students study ancient earthquake activity.

To see an online version of the Neuron with Dr. Allen’s story visit http://www.wvresearch.org/ archives/4856

Photo courtesy of the WVHEPC Concord University Professor of Geology Dr. Joe Allen, third from left, receives a framed copy of the “Neuron” containing his story as the cover feature. Also shown at the presentation held during the Aug. 10 meeting of the WVHEPC in South Charleston are from left: WVHEPC Chancellor Paul Hill, Concord University President Gregory F. Aloia and WVHEPC Chairman David Hendrickson.

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WWII Cadets

Distinguished Members of Concord’s Alumni Association

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he term “veteran-friendly campus” may not have been part of higher education’s vocabulary in 1943, but it nonetheless described Concord at that time.

When the 15th College Training Detachment of the U.S. Army Air Corps arrived on campus that year, Concord students and the Athens community offered respect and hospitality to the 200 young men training to be Army pilots during World War II. “ ‘The Friendly College’ has proven itself thus,” goes an article in the March 9, 1943 issue of The Concordian. “The entire student body welcomed the newcomers and plan many socials to lighten the burdens of the soldiers. They will dance and enjoy all the recreations with the students because the same old college spirit, characteristic of peace time, is prevailing.”

The cadets gave Concord’s wartime student population a boost. As a result of the war, the campus had experienced a change of demographics as young men went off to war, leaving a student body composed mainly of young women.

Along with housing and feeding the pre-flight soldiers, Concord was also responsible for classroom instruction and physical fitness training for the young men. Math, physics, English and other courses were taught by Concord faculty. Flight training took place at the nearby Princeton (W.Va.) Airport.

“Physical fitness, army style, is given in (the) gymnasium, swimming

pool, and on the obstacle course erected on the campus to meet army specifications,” reported the Princeton Observer in its Athens News section on March 18, 1943.

The cadets were awarded both military and college credit during their five month training.

Concord President Joseph Franklin Marsh, Sr. was the honored guest for a ceremonial parade by the 15th College Training Detachment on Saturday afternoon, March 20, 1943.

Following review of the air crew students, Dr. Marsh said, “I find the corps very peppy in appearance, precise in formation and evidently in dead earnest about their duties.

I congratulate one and all for the evidence of progress.” (Quote from The Concordian, March 23, 1943) Later that evening, the cadets hosted a dance for Concord students.

The March 23, 1943

Concordian offers this account of the festivities. “The theme color of the dance was blue and gold, the Army Air Force colors trimmed in patriotic red, white, and blue…The Concord faculty as well as the army personnel were guests and chaperones. Music from 8 till 11:45 was furnished by the Concord Commanders of Concord College.”

The cadets of the 15th College Training Detachment became some of Concord’s most distinguished alumni.

This special group was honored on the occasion of their 50th anniversary reunion with a celebration during Homecoming in October 1993. With the theme “Operation Patriotic Pride” the event paid tribute to the contributions and service of this extraordinary group of individuals.

Photos and information courtesy of Concord University Archives

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Ceremonies Honor Military Heroes

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he Concord University community observed two special recognition days this past summer in honor of individuals who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

Korean War Veteran Recognition Day was observed on Friday, July 27 with an outdoor ceremony at 12 noon. The program was held at the veteran memorial located at the flagpoles in front of Marsh Hall.

A wreath presentation ceremony highlighted the program.

Purple Heart Recognition Day was held on Tuesday, Aug. 7 with a program in front of the Marsh Memorial Carillon which is located atop Marsh Hall. The outdoor ceremony honored West Virginians who were wounded or killed in action while serving in the U.S. military. A moment of silence was observed at 12 noon.

Legislation passed by West Virginia lawmakers during the 2012 session designates both observances.

Concord University’s Veterans Committee hosted the ceremonies.

Nolan

(Left) President Gregory Aloia commends Korean War veterans for their service.

(Right) Veteran Terry Rotenberry, a member of Concord’s Veterans Committee, honors Purple Heart recipients.

(Left) Korean War veteran Lance Bowman. (Right) Concord veterans Terry Rotenberry, physical plant manager and Veterans Committee member, Dr. Charles Becker, vice president for business and finance, and David Moore, veterans workstudy student assistant, participate in the salute to Korean War veterans.

Calling All

Honors Program Alumni!

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If you were a member of the Honors Program during your time at Concord, we need to hear from you. The Honors Program is working on gathering updated information from all graduates of the Honors Program. If you were a part of this, please contact Dr. Thomas McKenna, coordinator of the Honors Program, at mckennat@concord.edu so that he can verify your information.

Thanks in advance for your response!

r. Jill Nolan, assistant professor of health education, will have an article published in the JanuaryFebruary 2013 edition of the American Journal of Health Behavior. The article is entitled “Parent Health Risk and Support for Child Physical Activity.”

For more information visit: http://png. publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/ png/ajhb/2013/00000037/00000001/ art00004#aff_1 23

Honors

Publishes Article

Mcnair Scholar

Earns Doctorate I

n August 2012, Kira Bailey ’07 became the fifth alumnus of Concord University’s McNair Scholars Program to earn a doctorate.

As a doctoral student in cognitive psychology at Iowa State University, she received numerous accolades and awards. Among these are Graduate College Excellence in Research Award, Exceptional Undergraduate Mentoring Award and the Exceptional Research Productivity Award.

Her dissertation, “What Would My Avatar Do? Video Games and Risky Decision Making,” investigated the effects of video games on emotion and cognition and how pathological video game use is related to impulsivity and decision making under risk.

The Concord University McNair Scholars Program provides access to training and resources designed to make the transition into graduate school smooth and successful.

Through workshops, counseling, research, and other services and scholarly activities, the program helps scholars sharpen their academic skills, prepare for the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) and apply to graduate schools.

Participating in the program at

Concord was an integral piece of Dr. Bailey’s academic career. As a McNair Scholar she completed a 10-week summer research internship with Dr. Robert Astur, who at the time was a research faculty member at The Institute of Living and Yale University. During this internship, she was able to expand on her line of research examining the effects of video Kira Bailey ’07 games on violent and aggressive behaviors.

“McNair was the perfect vehicle for transforming the dream of graduate school into a reality,” Dr. Bailey said.

“It gave me the confidence to apply to graduate school and the research skills to succeed as a doctoral student.”

Dr. Bailey continues to research decision making, cognitive control

and video games as a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at the University of Missouri at Columbia. In a few years, she hopes to secure employment in the Virginias. Dr. Bailey is a Huntington, W.Va. native and a graduate of Concord’s psychology program.

Greg Allen ’70

Appointed to BOG G

reg Allen ’70 was appointed to the Concord University Board of Governors (BOG) in August 2012 by West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. Currently a resident of Scottsdale, Ariz., he is the founding partner of Disciplined Advisors Group. He was named the Alumni Association’s Outstanding Alumnus in 1990 for noteworthy career achievements and community service.

Allen received the oath of office at the September 2012 meeting of the board held on the CU campus.

Greg Allen ’70, right, is sworn in as a member of the Concord University Board of Governors

by Board Chairman Frank Blackwell.

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The CU Foundation, Inc.

Scouting Official

Keynotes Scholarship Fund-raiser

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he Concord University Foundation Charleston Dinner, a scholarship fund-raiser which benefits Concord students, was held Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 at the Clay Center in Charleston, W.Va. A reception began at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m.

Philanthropist, businessman and lifelong Boy Scouts of America volunteer Jack Furst was the keynote speaker. A member of the BSA’s National Executive Board and an officer of the National Council, Furst

serves as team leader for developing and programming The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve. The high adventure base, located in the New River Gorge area of West Virginia, will host the 2013 National Scout Jamboree.

Furst is a 2010 recipient of the Silver Buffalo Award for Distinguished Service to Youth, the BSA’s highest commendation. He is also an Eagle Scout.

His business interests include ranching and private investments,

Steve McGowan, Boy Scouts of America; Katherine Chase, CU Student Speaker; Doug Maddy ’69, CU Foundation Chairman; Jack Furst, Keynote Speaker, Boy Scouts of America; Dr. Gregory F. Aloia, CU President

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and he lives with his family at their ranch in Argyle, Texas. He is an adjunct professor of finance at the University of North Texas and a board member of the National Safety Council. Furst holds an undergraduate degree from Arizona State University and a graduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Concord University senior Katherine Chase of Charleston, W.Va. was student speaker for the dinner.

Chase is majoring in management with aspirations of having a triple major by the time she graduates in May 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She is pursing finance and marketing as majors two and three.

Katherine says that receiving scholarships “allowed me to go to college.” And, along with this important financial support, scholarships have also been a confidence builder for her inspiring her to excel at Concord.

She has been on the Dean’s List, is secretary of the Investment Club, assists with the Concord Business Challenge for area high school students and has been a symposium presenter on campus. She helps fellow students by serving as a tutor in six of her business courses.

Katherine plans to begin a fulltime career in banking following

The CU Foundation, Inc.

Becky Satterfield ’01; Maura Arline Johnson ’08; Micah Carter

graduation. Eventually, she wants to obtain a master’s degree and a doctorate all leading to becoming a college professor.

Gold Sponsors for the dinner include: Arnett Foster Toothman PLLC, BB&T and Visit Southern West Virginia.

Silver Sponsors include: Greg and Lorraine Allen, Bowles Rice LLP, Citizens Conservation Corps, Dinsmore & Shohl, Joseph and Faye Guilfoile, Huntington Bank, Jackson & Kelly, David and Sandy Kirby, Andy Paterno, Ted and Susie Rogers, Hugh I. Shott Foundation and United Bank, Inc.

Susie Rogers, CU Board of Governors; Ted Rogers, CU Foundation Board of Directors

Accounting Students

Honored by WVSCPA

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wo Concord University seniors were honored by the West Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (WVSCPA) during the Southern Chapter Student Night Sept. 20, 2012.

Adam Pauley of Whitesville, W.Va., and April Hensley of Athens, W.Va., are both recipients of 2012 Outstanding Accounting Senior Awards. Both students are also campus leaders academically and with extracurricular activities.

Pauley was named runnerup for the Outstanding Accounting Senior Award for all of West Virginia.

He received a plaque of

recognition along with a cash prize of $500. Adam serves on the Concord University Board of Governors as a student representative.

Hensley was selected as the Outstanding Accounting Senior for Concord. She was awarded a cash prize of $250 and a plaque of recognition.

April has been honored for outstanding public service to her community for providing free tax preparation assistance through the VITA program.

Adam Pauley and April Hensley

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Heritage & Horizon Gary Brown ’66 Gains Rewarding Career, Enduring Friendships from Concord Education

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sk Gary Brown ’66 what his Concord degree means around the beautiful campus, meeting in the student center to him and he’ll tell you about the solid education with friends between classes, and sleigh riding down the hill he received and the lifelong friendships that began in front of the girls’ dorm.” on “The Campus Beautiful.”

Gary was a member of Phi Sigma Epsilon Fraternity, the “The education I got at college was very beneficial,” dorm council and the education club. He was a catcher and Brown, who majored in elementary education, said. an outfielder for the Concord baseball team and a member He’s used that education in a successful and rewarding of the cross country team. career as a teacher and coach. He was recognized for his He also spent a lot of time in the swimming pool. The dedication and expertise as an educator with the Jaycee’s aquatic skills he developed at Concord training with Coach Teacher of the Year Award.

Kyle have served him well and continue to enrich his life, he Through the years, Brown’s Concord friendships have said. also been a big part of his life.

For many years, he has been the aquatic director at Lake Gary and a circle of friends have kept the ties strong and Bryn Mawr Camp for girls in Honesdale, Pa. where he’s continue to meet often. “We have a lot of Concord friends… responsible for activities at the pool and lake. in Florida…West Virginia…

Always the faithful Pennsylvania…New Jersey…

Concordian, Brown tells the they’re scattered all over,” he story of drawing attention said. with the Concord cap he Brown lives in his was wearing at the camp. hometown of White Mills, “Did you go to Concord?”

Pa. and is part of Concord’s someone, who happened to Yankee Chapter that includes be from Beckley, W.Va., asked alumni along the East when she spied the cap.

Coast. Their reunions and After receiving his get-togethers take them bachelor’s degree from to destinations like North Concord in 1966, Brown Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the taught fifth and sixth grade “Low Country Gathering” science in Seaford, Del. He and to cheer on the Mountain also coached baseball and Lions when away football football. His ties to Concord Gary Brown ’66 wearing his Concord cap games are played in their strengthened there as region. several other teachers were Brown and other Yankee Chapter members gathered in also Concord graduates.

Kutztown, Pa. on Nov. 19, 2011, to support the Mountain He continued his teaching career with a move back Lions in the NCAA Division II Super Region 1 playoff game to Pennsylvania. He taught fifth and sixth grade math against Kutztown University. In the Winter 2012 edition of and science for the Wallenpaupack School District in his the Alumni Magazine, Gary is quoted as saying that he was hometown community and coached football, basketball and especially pleased to see his alma mater travel to his home baseball. state to compete for the national championship.

A dedicated community volunteer, Brown, now When Brown and his college friends get together, the retired, assists with Little League, fundraising for the fire conversation usually turns to football and the Mountain department and his community’s youth sports programs. He Lions of their era. “We had a very successful football team in officiates for high school basketball and softball. those days and we always talk about the team,” he said.

He lists hunting and fishing as favorite pastimes.

They also reminisce about dances in the Student Union, “I enjoy Beagle dogs...enjoy going out in the woods and professors, and their favorite hangouts and other places spending time with the hounds,” he said. “We have them as they went. pets and hunting dogs.”

“Just the good times we had at college,” Gary said.

He and his wife, Patricia, have been married for 41 “I have great memories and I think of Concord often,” he years. They have two sons, Jim and Joe, and a six-year-old said. “I just enjoyed being there and it was a very important grandson. part of my life.”

Some of his favorite times, he said, were spent “walking 27

Heritage & Horizon Abhishek Singh ’03 Develops Confidence and Leadership Skills as Concord Student

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oncord has a very special place in my heart. It was simply the kindest most nurturing environment I had ever been in,” Abhishek Singh ’03 says of his alma mater.

After going to law school and working in the United States, Singh is back in his native India now where he practices law and has the distinction of preparing curriculum for India’s first national bar examination.

He credits faculty and staff at Concord with helping shape his personnel and professional development.

“Their kindness and their keen interest in my development as a young man is something I look back on with great fondness,” he said.

An international student at Concord, Abhishek’s hometown is Gaya, Bihar in India.

“There is something great about Concord and also the people in West Virginia,” he said. “They are kind, genuine and generous. Where else does a kid arrive on campus with limited means and get to do all the wonderful things I did? Every now and then I think of Concord and would sing to myself ‘Country roads take me home to the place I belong, West Virginia.’”

A student leader, Abhishek brought new opportunities to campus and spoke and traveled on behalf of Concord.

“The education and confidence I gained helped me earn faith in me even when things were difficult. I also learnt Abhishek Singh ’03 innumerable leadership lessons, and honed my communication skills through my activities at Concord,” he said.

He served as Student Government Association (SGA) president and senator and was a founding member of Phi Alpha Delta, the international legal fraternity, presiding as the first vice-president during the chapter’s first year.

Abhishek also founded the first chapter of the human rights organization, Amnesty International at Concord. He served as Amnesty’s student area coordinator and regional planning group member for the Mid-Atlantic region. “I frequently travelled to Washington D.C. and attended all Annual General Meetings across the U.S.,” he said.

A Bonner Scholar, Abhishek served as Concord’s Bonner Congress Representative. “Through the program I earned an Everett public service internship at a non-profit in Washington D.C.” He traveled nationally and internationally on behalf of Bonner. “I was also selected by the Bonner Foundation to

represent the program as a delegate in the Millennium Volunteers Conference in the U.K.,” he said. “I also had the privilege to represent the program in Hungary.”

Abhishek was selected student speaker for the Concord Foundation’s Charleston Dinner, a scholarship fund-raiser for Concord students. He was also asked by the Bonner Foundation to be a keynote speaker at the University Presidents event in Princeton, N.J. Abhishek graduated cum laude from Concord with dual degrees. He earned a bachelor of arts in sociology and a bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on finance and pre-law. His minor was political science.

Continuing his education, Singh graduated from Widener University School of Law in Pennsylvania in 2007 with a Juris Doctor Degree. He clerked with the Philadelphia law firm, Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin. He also clerked under Judge Barry F. Feudale at Pennsylvania Appellate Court.

In India Singh worked as a junior counsel with the Chamber of the country’s leading senior counsel who frequently appears before the High Court and Supreme Court of India. He is currently a senior associate in PXV Law Partners.

The law firm has offices across India and clients across the globe. He lives in New Delhi, India.

“I am qualified to practice law in the state of Pennsylvania and India. As a senior associate at a law firm working on issues with cross-border implications, I tend to use my knowledge of different legal systems,” Singh said.

He was invited by the Bar Council of India to prepare the curriculum on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility for the first All India Bar Examination. The project, he said, required “countless hours in the Supreme Court library, going through old cases that had made it to the higher court on appeal.”

“The subject is rather less emphasized in the Indian legal training and education, and the rules and laws governing the subject is rather scattered. Also, there are very limited number of books and commentaries on the subject,” he said.

Finding case examples was difficult because “the power to persecute lawyers for misconduct lies with the Bar Council of India, however the prosecutions were very few and the judgments were not reported.”

Abhishek’s parents are Mr. Rajdeo Prasad Singh and Mrs. Vibha Singh. His wife is Sohini Singh.

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Class Notes Achievements Judith Harrah ’70 recently had her second book, “Come Inside the Ark,” published. Her first book was “Jesus, I Believe” and in it she writes 11 basic Bible truths in rhyme. These books are targeted for children before they start elementary school. Harrah retired in 2010 after almost 30 years of teaching elementary school.

Adda Davis ’74 recently had a book published entitled “Farther Along.” This is the fourth and final book in her Lucinda Harmon Saga.

Carol Victoria Di Salvo ’74 has published her first book, “Life Amongst the Shards.” The book documents in poetic fashion the journey of grief and bereavement. Anyone who wishes to have an autographed copy can contact Carol at cvdinga@yahoo.com Keith Butcher ’75 was recently chosen as the new superintendent of the Fayette County (WV) school system.

Butcher began his career in education as an elementary school teacher and served as a principal as well. He has also worked for the State Department of Education in various positions, was the State Title I Director and prior to his new position, was serving as the Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) Executive Director.

Randall Phillips ’83 became Garden City High School’s (Kan.) Senior JROTC Instructor in July. Phillips comes into this position after retiring in June from the U.S. Army after 24 years of active duty service and 33 years with the reserves. Phillips completed his obligation to the Air Force in 1978 and returned to the Army Reserve in 1986. He completed officer candidate school at Ft. Benning, Ga., and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Signal Corp in February 1988. Phillips has served in numerous positions over the years, from platoon leader to deputy commander of an information operations battalion. He has served two tours in Iraq and has received numerous awards. Those awards include the Bronze Star Medal and seven Meritorious Service Medals.

Dr. Cindy (Parker) Corcoran ’84 received her doctorate degree in School Administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in May 2012. She currently serves as the Director of Elementary Education and Title 1 Programs for the Rockingham County Public School System in Rockingham County, N.C. Her husband Dr. Brad Corcoran ’84 is wrapping up his twelfth year as City Manager for the City of Eden, a 2011 recipient of the All-America City Award.

Nicolas Diehl ’91 has accepted a position with the Business and Industrial Development Division of the West Virginia Development Office (WVDO) in the Eastern Panhandle. He now holds the post of manager, business retention and expansion representative. The Business and Industrial Development Division of WVDO works to attract new industries and help retain and expand existing businesses by actively promoting the state. Diehl will be responsible for Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral and Morgan counties. Before joining WVDO, he most recently served as a business consultant with WorkForce West Virginia since 2009.

Pat Day ’98 was recently selected as the Chief Operating Officer for the Muskegon Lumberjacks, a Michigan based team in the United States Hockey League. Day has been working in the professional sports field for 13 years and prior to going to work for the Lumberjacks was the General Manager of the Lansing Lugnuts.

Lacey Griffith ’99 is now the Director of IT at Bernhardt Furniture Company.

Jenni Radford Canterbury ’00 recently began working as the Marketing, Communication, and Fund Development Director at the YMCA in Beckley, W.Va. Tracy Sibley ’02 has been named the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Limestone (N.C.) University. Sibley was the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Gardner-Webb University from 2006-2011 and before that was the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Bucknell University from 2003-2006. Sibley and his wife currently reside in Boiling Springs, N.C. with their four children.

Josh Aliveto ’04 was inducted into the Lord Botetourt High School Hall of Fame in September 2012. Josh was a standout in football, basketball and baseball in high school and received a number of honors and recognitions during his high school career.

Josh went on to play football at Concord where he was a two-time West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honorable mention quarterback. In 2003 he won the Kevin Johnson Memorial Award for Concord University. Josh currently teaches Social Studies at Lord Botetourt and is an assistant coach for both football and baseball. He and his wife Charlene are the proud parents of their infant son Michael.

Donika Surcheva ’05 is now the Manager, Internal Audit at NeuStar, Inc., a Washington D.C. Metro Area Telecommunications company. Donika was previously with Ernst & Young.

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Class Notes Josh Callaway ’06 has been named the new youth minister of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Hurricane, W.Va. He recently graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. He and his wife, Bethany, are the parents of Elise, 2, and infant daughter Madelyn.

Toyin Johnson ’06 is now Assistant Vice President (Management Associate: Latin America) at Citigroup in New York City.

Lydia Modad Spears ’06 received her MBA from Liberty University in May 2012. Lydia works at First Community Bank and resides in Princeton, W.Va. with her husband Jason Spears ’12, daughter Payton Ann (3 years old) and son Shawn Cooper (1 year old).

Jeffery Bennett ’07 was recently named comptroller at Welch College in Nashville Tennessee. Prior to moving to Nashville, Jeff served 10 years as master control operator, accountant, and procurement officer with the West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority.

Jessica Lilly Doty ’07 was recently recognized by the Associated Press. She won first place for Best Breaking News Coverage for her story called, “UBB Victims’ Families Still Look for Justice.”

Filip Crvenkovic ’10 now works for Yammer, a private social network for companies. His position is based in San Francisco, Calif.

Sarah Hampton ’10 was recently accepted into Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia as a juried fine arts photographer. This means her work is now available for sale at Tamarack and will be featured in certain exhibits.

Colleen Pulsford ’10 graduated from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in August with her M.A. in Geography.

Justin Williams ’10 is a Technical Recruiter at Princeton Information, a company based in the Washington, D.C. area.

Photography by Sarah Hampton ’10

Jeff Yeager ’10 just completed his M.A. in English at Ohio University in June and began working on his Ph.D. in English at WVU this August. He has two works being published. “How This World is Given to Lying: Revising Traditional Historiographies in Orson Welles’s Chimes at Midnight” will be in the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference Proceedings next January and “The Social Mind: John Elof Boodin’s Influence on John Steinbeck’s Phalanx Writings: 1935-42” has been accepted for publication by the Steinbeck Review for their autumn issue.

Dustin Blankenship ’11 was elected to a two year term as a National Vice President for Phi Sigma Phi National Fraternity, Inc. at the organization’s National Conclave meeting this past August. Blankenship is only the second Concord University alumnus to receive this honor and is the youngest vice president to be elected. He will be over the Phi Sigma Phi chapters in their West Virginia and Pennsylvania regions.

Bradley Church ’11 is now working at First Community Bank Headquarters in Bluefield, Va. in the Credit Administration Department as an analyst.

Joel Gattoni ’12 is a first baseman and designated hitter for the London Majors, a member of the Intercounty Baseball League based in London, Ontario, Canada. Gattoni played baseball while at Concord.

Weddings

Jessica Wolfe ’04 and Joshua Goins were married on April 14, 2012 in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Jessica works as a marketing consultant at the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

Debora Christine Fry ’08 and Timothy Fama ’09 were married on July 7, 2012 in Princeton, W.Va. Christa has a Master of Arts in music performance from Marshall University and is employed by the Mercer County Board of Education and teaches band at Oakvale Elementary, general music at Debora Christine Fry ’08 & Princeton Middle School and handbells at Glenwood Middle School. Timmy is employed by the Timothy Fama ’09 Raleigh County Board of Education as band and choral director of Shady Spring High School.

Births

Jessa Ann Scarbro

Julie Butler Scarbro ’08 and her husband Justin welcomed their first daughter, Jessa Ann, on June 18, 2012. Jessa weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz., and was 20 ½ inches long.

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Class Notes Enrrique ’11 and Sara Bond Corrales ’04 welcomed a baby boy, Bentley Carter, on September 10, 2012.

Bentley weighed 5 lbs. and was 19 ½ inches long.

Bentley Carter Corrales

Anniversaries John ’50 and Betty ’51 Leffers celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary on May 30. The Leffers have three sons, two grandsons and three great-grandchildren and live in Jefferson, Ga.

Independence “Penny” Bradbery Palmer ’72 and Gary C. Palmer ’72 celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on June 23, 2012. Penny recently completed 40 years as a teacher/librarian and technology trainer. Currently, she teaches at Mill Creek Elementary School in Lenexa, Kan. Gary recently retired after a career teaching history on the high school, college, and graduate levels. In 2006 Baker University School of Professional and Graduate Studies in Overland Park, Kan. presented Gary “The Brad Willis Outstanding Faculty Service Award in Liberal Arts and Education.” Penny and Gary moved to the Kansas City metropolitan area in 1983 after teaching for 11 years in Wood County (W.Va.) schools.

R. Gerald Bryant ’78 and Donna Ford Bryant ’78 celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on August 13, 2012. They have two children. Kristopher Michael is an engineer for Siemens in Charlotte. Kelsey Lynn is a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Gerald retired from Lowes Home Improvement after 27½ years on August 31, 2012. Donna works for the Durham County Department of Social Services in the Quality Control Division for Food and Nutrition. Gerald and Donna reside in Durham, N.C. Brian K. Allen ’90 and his wife, Sharon Layfield Allen ’04 celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in June 2012. Brian owns ThunderBee Designs, LLC which specializes in web and graphic design and has recently returned to Concord to pursue a degree in broadcasting. Sharon is currently attending the Trinity School of Natural Medicine for certification to become a master herbologist. The Allen’s have one son and live in Alderson, W.Va.

Obituaries

William Randolph Boggess ’33: July 18, 2012. After graduating from Concord in 1933, Randy went on to study at Duke University receiving his master’s degree in 1939 in the new field of Forestry. Starting in 1943, Randy served 18 months as a Navy Lieutenant during WWII working as a photo interpreter for the Advanced Intelligence Center in the Aleutian Islands. After the war, he spent the next 20 years involved in forestry research, first at the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station at Auburn and later at the University of Illinois’ Dixon Springs Agricultural Experiment Station in southern Illinois. He moved to the UrbanaChampaign campus in 1958 and taught until he became department head in 1968. He retired in 1973 and five years later started working as a Research Associate at the University of Arizona’s Laboratory of Tree Ring Research. After retiring a second time in 1983 he continued working for ten years with C. W. Stockton and Associates, Consulting Hydrologists located in Tucson. His final retirement was in 1993 at age 80 but he remained involved and active for the remainder of his life. Randy is survived by his four grown children, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Jelica “Helen” Compton ’44: July 3, 2012. Born on December 14, 1924, she was the daughter of the late Bogich and Billy Jane Charapich. She attended school in Gary, W.Va., and received her education degree from Concord in 1944. She taught at Gary High School for many years and retired as Reading Specialist in December 1979. In May of 1948, she married Travis Compton of Welch.

He preceded her in death in November 1992.

Eunice Oxley ’44: July 11, 2012. Born April 20, 1923 in Athens she was the daughter of the late Doc Oxley and Etta Munsey Oxley. She graduated from Athens High School before attending Concord. Eunice was a retired teacher for McDowell County schools with 40 years of service, last teaching at Big Creek High School. She was a member of the Concord United Methodist Church and the Rachel Myers Circle.

She was also a member of the Athens Chapter #33 Order of Eastern Star and a former member of the Spracher-Woody Chapter #9739 of the VFW now affiliated with the Tazewell VFW Chapter.

Eunice Oxley ’44

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Ellen Lazenby Swope ’48: June 7, 2012. Born in McAlpin, W.Va., January 21, 1919, she was the daughter of the late Edgar Bane Lazenby and Genevieve Laing Gilchrist. Ellen was a retired teacher having taught in Princeton and the Washington D.C. area. Following retirement in Maryland she made her

Class Notes home in Humble, Texas. During retirement she traveled extensively, participated in community volunteer work and was active in Daughters of the King at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Atascocita, Texas.

Billie Rae Hill ’56: September 15, 2012. Billie Rae was born in Princeton, W.Va. and was a 1953 graduate of Princeton High School. She received a B.S. in Education from Concord in 1956 and a Master of Arts degree from West Virginia University in 1966.

She had been employed by school systems in Mercer County, W.Va. and Henrico County, Va. After 35 years as an educator, she retired from Fairfield Middle School in Richmond in 1994 as the Director of Guidance Services. Billie is survived by two sisters, a number of cousins and many friends in the Princeton, Richmond and Vinton, Va. areas.

Katherine Imogene Browning ’57: August 29, 2012. Imogene was born in Bluefield, W.Va., and was the daughter of the late Carl and Mary Estelle McHone Miller. She resided in Logan most of her life with her husband, Harold V. Browning ‘49, who preceded her in death. She loved teaching and was a faculty member at Monaville Elementary School for 42 years. She was also Teacher of the Year in 1971-1972. An active member of Nighbert Memorial United Methodist Church, Imogene served on many church councils and committees, was a Sunday School teacher, a member of the Crusaders Sunday School Class and played the piano for church and special services and at times played the organ for B’nai El Synagogue in Logan. She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma sorority. Survivors include two brothers, Richard C. Miller (Lillian) of Hurricane and Mark L. Miller of Marietta, Ga., 11 nephews and five nieces.

William J. “Buddy” Engle Jr. ’57: April 21, 2012. Born in Williamson, W.Va., Dec. 5, 1927, he was the son of the late William James “Bill” Engle Sr. and Marye Virginia Hensdill Engle. He earned his accounting degree from Concord and was a former auditor with the Internal Revenue Service before going with the Naval Audit Service in Virginia Beach, Va., where he retired after 30 years of service. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War. Harvey Kent Tibbs ’58: July 12, 2012. Born July 1, 1927 at Portsmouth, Ohio, he was the son of the late Herbert Kent Tibbs and Daisy Hearn Tibbs. Mr. Tibbs was a graduate of Welch High School and was a member of Blue Key National Honor Fraternity during his time at Concord. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He had been a resident of Princeton for 34 years. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Princeton where he served as a deacon, Sunday School teacher, choir member and served on many church committees. He was a public accountant in Princeton and was a comptroller at Princeton Bank and Trust for several years.

JoAn Shupe Raines ’63: August 31, 2012. JoAn was born in Bramwell, WV in 1927 and graduated from Bramwell High School as valedictorian in 1944. She attended Lewis Gale Nursing School and graduated from Fairmont Business School and also obtained a teaching degree from Concord. She retired from teaching in Tazewell County, Va. in 1980. JoAn was an accomplished pianist. She performed professionally and for numerous local churches and social functions. JoAn and her husband, Noble Mason Raines ’49, had been married for 66 years. She is also survived by two children, three grandsons, one sister and two nephews.

Bernard McLucas ’72: September 20, 2012. Bernard was born in Altoona, Pa. and was a 1968 graduate of Bishop Guilfoyle High School. He received his B.S. in Education from Concord, and he did graduate work at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He retired on June 30, 2012, as the business manager at Juniata Valley School District, where he had been employed since 1984. Previously, he had been employed as a teacher and assistant football coach for Bishop Guilfoyle High School. He was also employed by the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission from 197684. Bernard was a member of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Altoona. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, Association of School Business Officials International and Ancient Order of Hibernians and was a Eucharistic minister and volunteer at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. He is survived by his wife Peggy, three children, six grandchildren, four sisters, two brothers-in-law, a sister-in-law and numerous nieces and nephews.

Anita Jean Eppes Shields ’75: Aug. 5, 2012. Born May 18, 1952 in Princeton she was the daughter of Frances Smith Eppes of Princeton and the late J. Calvin Eppes. Anita was a member of the First Baptist Church in Princeton and in earlier years she was a member of the church youth group and The Sounds of Conviction. She loved music and was an accomplished pianist. Anita is survived by her husband, Robert Gary Shields ’75, a son, grandson, her mother and two sisters.

Bernard McLucas ’72

Bruce Byars ’79: August 18, 2012. Born in Herndon, W.Va. on September 8, 1956, Bruce graduated with a degree in Business Administration specializing in accounting. In 1980 he became an accountant for the WV School of Osteopathic Medicine from which he retired in 1998. He spent 10 summers working at Camp Alleghany in Lewisburg, W.Va. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and gardening. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Rebecca O’Dell Byars ’77; three sons, Justin, Adam, and Thomas; three daughters-in-law; and six grandchildren.

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Class Notes Toni Gayle Clay ’86: August 30, 2012. Born on November 11, 1963 in Princeton, Toni attended and graduated from Mullens High School in 1982. While at Concord, Toni studied to become a physical education teacher and taught in Wyoming County. Toni loved the Wyoming East Warrior Football Team, the Marshall University Football Team and tailgating with her beloved friends and family. Toni is survived by her husband Timothy Clay ’86, a daughter, granddaughter and a number of extended family members.

Kristin Alls Wallace ’95: August 30, 2012. Kristin was born on February 8, 1965, in Silver Spring, Md. The daughter of Ike ’48 and Judy Southern, she grew up in Princeton, W.Va., and graduated from Princeton High School in 1983. She earned her Master of Arts in Education from Virginia Tech in December 2011. Kristin worked in the Division of Students with Disabilities at Virginia Tech and was recognized for outstanding service as a liaison to the families of the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy. As a member of the Pearisburg, Va. community, she was active in the GFWC Pearisburg Junior Woman’s Club and served as First Vice President. She was a member of First United Methodist Church. Kristin volunteered as a den mother for Cub Scout Troop 134. She is survived by her husband Travis, three children, her brother Shane Southern and her sister Karen Martin.

Calling for Class Notes

We want to hear from you! Send us your personal and professional accomplishments, news on marriages and family additions and updates on other noteworthy events in your life. Photographs are welcome as well.

Please email your news items to advancement@concord.edu or mail them to Concord University, Office of Advancement, P.O. Box 1000, Athens, WV 24712.

2012

Freshman Convocation

Welcomes FirstYear Students

T

he incoming students of 2012 began their college days with a ceremonious welcome to campus on Monday, Aug. 20. As the first-year students filled the Main Theatre of the Alexander Fine Arts Center for a 4 p.m. Freshman Convocation, faculty and professional staff, attired in full academic regalia, marched in and assembled on the stage.

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Dr. Kendra Boggess, interim vice president and academic dean, greeted the gathering and President Gregory F. Aloia offered the opening remarks.

The Convocation Address was delivered by Professor of Education Dr. Kathy Hawks. Dr. Hawks is the 2012 recipient of the Joseph Friedl Award. Presented by Concord’s Student Government Association,

Professor of Education Dr. Kathy Hawks

this award honors a faculty member whose unselfish service with student activities promotes student development.

The new Concord students learned the University’s Alma Mater with the assistance of Ms. Crystale Taylor, student, and Dr. Laura Zamzow, assistant professor of music.

Prior to recessing outdoors for the Traditions Tree Planting Ceremony, Dr. Marjie Flanigan, vice president of student affairs and dean of students, explained the event’s significance to the incoming students. (A copy of her remarks is included with this article.)

The group then moved to the front lawn of the Fine Arts Center to take turns pouring cups of soil around the roots of the Eastern Redbud.

President Gregory Aloia (above) and Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students Dr. Marjie Flanigan (top right) address the new students. (Bottom right) The freshman class tree planting ceremony

Tree Planting Symbolizes Growth,

Establishment of Roots “Welcome! The First-Year Tree Planting has special significance as a Concord University tradition. For our first-year students, it serves as a symbol for the roots you are forming as you begin your journey as a CU student and establishes your special contribution to the campus.

Throughout your stay at Concord, you will witness the tree’s growth, much as the faculty and staff, along with your families and friends, will witness your growth. It does not happen all at once, but gradually, and sometimes so subtly that we may miss the nuances of your changes. When you return to Concord as alumni, your tree’s height will serve as a reminder of your years here and your own growth and development—as a student, a professional, and as a person.

As you sit here today, it may be difficult to grasp the import of the moment. This Convocation officially welcomes you into the Concord University family; it is the beginning of your college education. You may fail to sense your place in history or the presence of the thousands of other students who have sat in these same seats—or other chairs in different venues at Concord— ready to embark

on their educational journey.

This tree planting is a reminder of those who came before you.

According to our Library Archives, in the spring of 1915—almost 100 years ago—the tree-stand known as The Pines were planted by Mr. Delford Lee Cottrill´s agriculture and botany classes. Some of the trees were cut down when the Student Center was built in late 1960’s and the pines were milled and used to panel the Alumni Lounge on the 3rd floor of that building. In recent years, Concord’s tree planting tradition has been renewed, with each entering class taking part in the celebration.

We hope that this tradition continues long after we all are gone from these campus paths.

With a risk of stretching an analogy too far, please bear with me as our tree symbol is extended. Today, as you begin your Concord University experience, please picture the underground growth symbolized by the roots you are establishing, as the roots of knowledge, service, citizenship, friendship, honor, and integrity. These are the pillars upon which your tree grows. By nurturing your roots, you ensure your continued

growth, development, and longevity.

Your tree, the entering class of 2012, is Cercis canadensis (Ser-sis kan-uh-DEN-sis), or the Eastern Redbud. According to Gilman & Watson, your tree has a moderate to rapid growth rate. It has red twigs and beautiful, shimmering purple/red new leaves which fade to purple/green during the summer, with colored veins that change with the seasonal change of leaf color. In spring, your tree should blossom with splendid purple-pink flowers, just before the leaves emerge. Eventually, and with proper care, your tree should reach 20 to 30 feet in height.

By planting the Eastern Redbud, you are adding to the Campus Beautiful.

Again, welcome to the Concord University family! Best wishes on your journey and may your roots be strong!”

Delivered by: Dr. Marjie Flanigan Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students Aug. 20, 2012

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Athens-Concord Town Social

Celebrates 26th Year

W

ith sunny, blue skies overhead, guests at the 26th Athens-Concord Town Social gathered on the front lawn of Concord University on Sunday, Aug. 12 for an afternoon of fun and festivities.

Hundreds attended the event which featured craft vendors, children’s games, a complimentary hot dog lunch and musical entertainment by Appalachian Reign and Ridgeline.

Theme for 2012 was “Come Home – CU in Athens.”

Individuals, along with a local business, who have enhanced life in Athens and at Concord University, were honored during the afternoon.

The Athens Lions Club presented its Outstanding Citizen of the Year honor to former Athens Mayor Robert Richardson and the Beautification Award to Bill and Leslie Skeat.

Richardson served as mayor of the Town of Athens for 28 years.

The Skeats have made extensive improvements to their Vermillion Street home and added colorful flower gardens to the property.

The Athens-Concord Town Social Committee presented four awards.

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Virginia Butler and Ennis Martin were each honored with the Elder Citizen Award.

Mrs. Butler, 88, is known around town as “the geranium lady” for the beautiful geraniums she lovingly tends and displays on her porch in Athens each summer. She has been a faithful member of the Athens Church of Christ since she was 27 and is currently the oldest member there.

A devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Mrs. Butler

was honored by the Athens Church of Christ with the Mother of the Year Award. She also received the Good Neighbor/Extra Miler Award during the 2003 Athens-Concord Town Social. She worked as a caregiver for senior citizens in the community.

Mrs. Martin, whose daughters Fern White Thorn ’65 and Kay White Monohan ’65 accepted the award on her behalf, moved to Athens in 1939.

She is a member of the Athens Baptist Church and has remained active since the 1940s. Mrs. Martin held many offices in the Eastern Star, including the office of Worthy Matron. She was also a member of the Women’s Club of Athens.

She retired from the Mercer County Board of Education in 1987, after working as a secretary at Princeton Junior High School for 18 years. A willing volunteer for community activities, Mrs. Martin helped her

Awards (Left to right, top to bottom) Virginia Butler and Ennis Martin (daughters Kay White Monohan ’65 & Fern White Thorn ’65 pictured) received the Elder Citizen Award; Fredeking Stafford Construction Company, Inc. received the Business Longevity Award; Kim and David Chambers received the Extra Miler Award; Jim and Lynne (not pictured) White received the Community Involvement Award; former Athens Mayor Robert Richardson received the Outstanding Citizen Award; Branton Woods and Adam Maxwell (not pictured) received Town Social committee scholarships; Bill and Leslie Skeat received the Beautification Award.

neighbors whenever needed.

Jim and Lynne White received the Total Community Involvement Award. Since moving to Athens in 1998, the Whites have immersed themselves in community and campus life.

Jim White is a professor of political science at Concord University where he has been an academic advisor to campus political organizations and a member of the Faculty Senate. He also takes students on the biennial David R. Bard Study Abroad trip to the United Kingdom.

As a member of the Athens Lions Club, Jim White started and runs the weekly “One Can A Week” food drive in Athens.

Lynne White has worked for Concord’s Office of Student Affairs and in Academic Affairs. She served as volunteer administrator, cooked weekly meals and arranged building renovations at the Newman Center, Concord Catholic Community.

Lynne is currently team secretary, registrar and computer scorer for the

Concord C-Lions community swim team and treasurer of the American Association of University Women, Concord Branch.

The Business Longevity Award was presented to Fredeking Stafford Construction Company, Inc. The firm, headquartered in Princeton, was established in November 1990 by co-owners Jack Fredeking and Joe Stafford, both of Athens.

In the 21 years since, the company has worked on projects ranging from fix-up work at residences to heavy-duty commercial jobs. One major project was the historic renovation of the old post office in downtown Princeton for a new purpose, as home of the Princeton Public Library.

Jack Fredeking is also known for providing extra work, at no charge, to help out his community, his neighbors and his church.

This year’s Extra Miler Award recipients, David and Kim Chambers, are eager to help in the AthensConcord community whenever they

learn of a project or need. They coach for their children’s soccer organization, volunteer with the Concord C Lions Swim Team, and are active in the Athens School PTA, frequently visiting the school to read to classes and to teach for the science program they helped create.

On the Concord campus, where Dave teaches biology and Kim teaches chemistry, they both have organized seminars for the Division of Natural Sciences, serve on the pre-med committee and help with orientation for science majors.

Additionally, the Town Social committee presented scholarships to two Athens area students attending Concord this fall: Branton Woods and Adam Maxwell.

For additional photos from the Town Social visit: http://www.flickr. com/photos/42005172@N02/ sets/72157631208223854/

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CU Athletics

Class of 2012-2013

Announced

he Concord University Athletic Department announces that five former CU greats have been selected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The 2012-2013 class includes baseball standout Joe Besl ’08, former cheerleading coach Lisa Blankenship ’77, three-sport athlete Crystal Kestner ’02, football star Robert Majors ’98 and men’s basketball great Sterling Tate ’01.

Besl starred on the diamond for Concord from 2003-06. In 130 games played, Besl hit .434 with 160 runs scored, 26 home runs, 158 RBI and a .729 slugging percentage. As a junior, Besl led the nation in batting average (.500) and runs scored per game (1.51). He racked up a variety of postseason awards for his performance as a Mountain Lion.

Besl was a three-time All-WVIAC selection, the conference’s Hitter of the Year and Player of the Year in 2005 while also earning All-America

GOLF

Johnson Shifts to Golf Full-Time After spending the last four seasons as the head men’s and women’s golf coach and men’s basketball assistant coach at Concord University, Will Johnson will transition away from his 37

honors as a junior and senior by both the NCAA and the National Collegiate Baseball Association.

Blankenship coached the Concord cheerleading program for 20 years, building her squad to be one of the best in the nation. CU made 16 consecutive appearances at the National Collegiate Cheerleading Championships under Blankenship.

Kestner did it all at Concord, playing softball (1999-02), basketball (1998-02) and competing on the track team (2001-02).

Kestner was a two-time first team all-conference honoree in softball in 2001 and 2002. As a freshman, she ranked second in the nation in triples with nine while her 45 RBI were also the fourth-most in the country. As a basketball standout, Kestner was named to the AllWVIAC Tournament Team in 2002 after averaging the most points per game of any player at the event. To top it all off, she also holds CU’s shot

basketball duties to focus his attention solely on Concord’s golf program.

In addition to guiding the golf teams, Johnson will serve as the athletic department liaison to Concord’s new Graduation Retention Incentive Program (GRIP).

put record.

Majors helped lead Concord to a pair of conference championships (1989, 1990) in his storied career. For his efforts, Majors earned All-WVIAC honors three times and received All-America accolades twice (1990, 1991). In 36 career-games, Majors totaled 12 interceptions and 186 tackles.

Tate played at Concord from 1996-00. For his career, he scored 1,815 points and grabbed 712 rebounds. Tate ranks seventh in CU history in scoring and ninth in rebounding. He earned first team All-WVIAC honors as a junior and senior. Tate was also an all-region selection as a senior.

A formal induction ceremony for the group will be held in May 2013.

Johnson, who has been the head golf coach since 2008, has already led both the men and women to unprecedented success.

For the men, Johnson has coached one conference championship team (2010), two WVIAC Players of the

CU Athletics

Will Johnson ’76

Year and nine first team All-WVIAC selections. His women’s teams have nearly matched their counterpart’s success. Under Johnson, two Lady Mountain Lions have earned WVIAC Player of the Year honors and 11 others have earned first team AllWVIAC accolades.

While both teams’ success has been impressive, Johnson is looking forward to improving on the foundation that has been built over the last four seasons.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to not only enhance my everyday role with the golf program,

but also make a difference with GRIP,” Johnson said. “This move gives me the opportunity to better prepare the golf teams to compete for championships.

Our golfers will now have the chance to learn more from me and I will have the chance to learn more from them.”

Johnson was just one of 47 black head golf coaches (3.4 percent) in the NCAA according to the 201011 Race and Gender Demographics report conducted by the NCAA. Excluding Historically Black Colleges, the number drops down to just 12 coaches (less than one percent).

CHEERLEADING Cheerleading Squad Receives Two Awards at National Competition The Concord University cheerleading squad fared well at the Universal Cheerleaders Association Collegiate Summer Camp competition held July 27-29 on the campus of the University of Tennessee.

CU was able to bring home two awards after competing against a field that included teams from the University of Tennessee, the University of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University, Tennessee Tech, East Tennessee State, Ohio Dominican, Milligan College and Columbus State.

Concord earned the top spot in the Game Time Plan category while also having the best Band Chant with their cheer titled “Eat Em Up.”

CU’s cheerleaders are no strangers to success, having made 16 consecutive appearances in the National Collegiate Cheerleading Championships.

The CU Cheerleading Squad

ATHLETICS

Live Coverage of CU Athletics Now Available Following Concord University athletics has never been easier.

In addition to coverage on Concord’s official athletic website, cumountainlions.com, fans now have the option to follow games as they

happen via the Athletic Department’s live stat and live video stream features.

As of Oct. 3, 2012, live stats and live videos are being run free of charge for all baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, football, volleyball and softball home contests.

Fans simply have to log into the “Mountain Lion TV” website at www. concord.edu/mltv shortly before each home contest to pick up the live video feed of the designated event.

Links to the live stats feed, which shows viewers the statistics of a game as they happen, can be obtained at cumountainlions.com

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CU Athletics

MEN’S BASKETBALL May Named Assistant Coach for Men’s Basketball Todd May has joined the Mountain Lions coaching staff as men’s basketball assistant coach.

Along with his coaching duties, May will also assist in the Compliance Department. He comes to Concord after serving as an assistant coach at Columbus State Community College.

Over the last four seasons, May was an integral part of Columbus State’s national success. During his time with the Cougars, CSCC went

101-24 with a National Tournament appearance in 2009. While at CSCC he helped three post players go on to play NCAA Division I basketball.

May attended Ohio University, where got his start in coaching as a student assistant on then Bobcats’ coach Larry Hunter’s staff. May was also the freshman head coach and varsity assistant coach at Miller High School from 1998-2000.

After graduating from Ohio in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, May coached at Jackson High School over a six-

year period as an assistant and a head coach. During May’s time at Jackson, the Ironmen won a sectional championship and recorded a schoolrecord 18 wins during 2004-05 season. In the summer of 2005, May was named the varsity head coach of the Jackson program. He guided the Ironmen to their last winning season to date (2005-06).

In 2007, May was the junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant coach at Circleville High School before joining the staff at Columbus State.

Country Runner of the Week five times this season. That record gives him the most WVIAC Runner of the Week honors received by a men’s cross country athlete in the conference since 2007.

Peters’ career-year included a victory on Oct. 6 when he won the Concord Alumni Invitational, his fourth win of the year, with a time of 26:19.59. Peters completed the course 1:05.00 faster than the event’s second-place finisher. His individual victory helped the Concord men to a first place team-finish as well.

The cross country standout won his third race of the 2012 campaign at the Greensboro Invitational on Sept.

29 after running a time of 26:38.33 to

lead the 59-man field. Peters was nearly a full 59 seconds faster than the second-place finisher. His performance helped the Mountain Lions earn a second-place finish in the race.

CROSS COUNTRY Peters Claims Runner of the Year Honors Concord University men’s cross country senior Robby Peters continued his historic season on Oct. 20 by winning the 2012 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship race held in Greensburg, Pa. Peters posted a time of 27:31.86 to gain the win. In addition to the victory, the first-place finish earned Peters the 2012 WVIAC Runner of the Year award. He finished nearly 12 seconds faster than his closest competition.

A Dawson, Va. native, Peters was named the WVIAC Men’s Cross

FANS

Text Messaging Keeps CU Fans Updated Concord’s Athletic Department has a free text messaging service designed to provide fans with updated scores, events, athletic news and any last minute venue changes or start times.

Fans can now sign up for Concord’s Short Message Service (SMS) to stay up to date on the latest happenings 39

in the world of Concord athletics via text message. An Internet connection is no longer necessary to stay engaged with Mountain Lion sports.

To enroll in the SMS program go to http://cumountainlions.com/ news/2012/7/20/gen_0720120419. aspx and visit the link (SMS Registration) near the top of the page. Or you can visit the Mountain Lions webpage at http://www. cumountainlions.com/ and click on

the cell phone icon located on the far right of Concord’s scoreboard feature. From there, all you have to do is signup, create a login and tell the service the sports for which you’d like to receive updates.

Although Concord Athletics provides the service without a fee, standard text messaging rates may apply depending upon your service plan.

CU Athletics

MEN’S GOLF

Men’s Golf Wins WVIAC Crown ehind a first-place performance from Stefan Labuschagne, the Concord University men’s golf team won the 2012 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament at Glade Springs on Oct. 16. The WVIAC Championship is Concord’s fifth conference title in school history and second crown in the last three years.

As a team, Concord finished with a 54-hole score of 898, 16 strokes lower than second place Charleston (914). Rounding out the top-five at the WVIAC tournament were defending champion Bluefield State (928), Davis & Elkins (931) and West Virginia Wesleyan (931).

Labuschagne led the Concord charge by earning medalist honors after producing a three-round total of 220 (71-75-74). He finished three strokes better than second place finisher Nick Dent (223: 73-75-75) of Bluefield State. Labuschagne is the fourth consecutive Concord golfer to earn the top-spot at the conference championship tournament, joining Sebastian Starud (2011), Emmanuel Charmat (2010) and Ryan Terdik (2009) as medalists winners.

Labuschagne wasn’t the only

(Bottom left, clockwise) Nathaniel Begley, Evan Muscari, Sebastian Starud

Stefan Labuschagne

Mountain Lion at the top of the leader board. Three other Concord golfers earned top-five finishes as well.

Nathaniel Begley played his best golf of the year over the three-day tournament and turned in a score of 224 (71-78-75) to finish in third place. Evan Muscari and Starud both carded matching 228’s, finishing in a three-way tie for fifth place. Muscari delivered round scores of 76, 75 and 77 while Starud compiled rounds of 77, 75 and 76.

Concord’s fifth golfer was Matt Morgan, who placed in a four-way tie for 20th with a total of 237 (76-8576).

CU won three of its four tournaments this fall, sweeping both WVIAC Regional Championship competitions and placing second at the Powerade Classic before winning the WVIAC Tournament.

The Mountain Lions will resume competition in the spring.

Athletics section compiled with assistance from CU Sports Information Director Tyler McIntosh 40

Keeping Up With Concord Social media has allowed people to keep in touch with individuals, groups and activities all across the globe and Concord is using some of these tools to keep its alumni connected to the university and each other. You can keep up with Concord through any (or all!) of the following outlets:

Facebook— Concord University Alumni Association, Inc.

(Facebook changed the formats of their groups so if you were a member of the previous CUAA group you will need to “like” this new group.)

Find Our Magazines

On the Web Look for archived copies of the Concord University Alumni Magazine on CU’s website at: http://www.concord.edu/ advancement/publications

41

LinkedIn— Concord University Alumni group Twitter— @CampusBeautiful

Flickr— http://www.flickr.com/ photos/42005172@N02/sets/

We hope you will take advantage of each of these sites as a quick and easy way to keep up with

Concord!

We have a for someone you know.

Dear Alumni and Friends, We have a special place for someone you know.

You are in a unique position, as an alumnus or friend of Concord University, to recommend prospective students to the University. The special person you know may currently be in high school or in the workforce…and searching for the perfect fit for college. Please submit the name of your special person and we will follow up to see if we can meet his or her academic needs.

We look forward to hearing from you and meeting someone who is special to you!

Submit this form in the envelope provided.

The information you supply below is all that’s required and you don’t have to complete the form on the envelope. Or, you may call 1-888-384-5249 or email alumni@concord.edu to make your referral.

(Please mention that you are making an alumni student referral when you call.)

Student’s Name:______________________________

Address:______________________________________

________________________________________________ Phone: ________________________________________

Kindest regards,

Email: _________________________________________

Sarah Turner Director of Alumni Affairs

________________________________________________

Legacy Scholarship is Now Available We are proud to announce the availability of the Concord University Legacy Scholarship.

Did you graduate from either Concord College or Concord University? Then, your son or daughter will be eligible to apply for the Concord University Legacy Scholarship.

The scholarship is non-renewable and is contingent upon available funds. Encourage your son or daughter to apply early!

Here are the criteria. The successful recipient must: • be either a first-time freshman or student who transfers from another institution • be a dependent of either a Concord College or Concord University graduate • have a minimum 3.0 high school GPA and 18 on the ACT or 870 (verbal and

mathematics score only) on the SAT, and completed the admissions application by April 15, 2013.

The Legacy Scholarship is funded, in part, by the sale of bricks by the Concord University Alumni Association.

The bricks are installed in the sidewalk under the breezeway between the J. Frank Marsh Library and Marsh Hall.

Name of high school and graduation date:

Parents' Names: _____________________________

________________________________________________ Are Parents Alumni? ________

If current college student, name of institution: ________________________________________________ Your Name: ___________________________________ Class Year: ____________________

Address: ______________________________________

________________________________________________

Email: _________________________________________ Thank you for your recommendation!

International Programs spotlighted on the web Check out the web page for Concord University’s International Programs. The site includes information on International Admissions, English as a Second Language, the International Center and more. Go to: http://www.concord.edu/international 42

For additional information please contact the Office of Advancement at 1-304-384-6311