East Winter 2022 by East Carolina University

EAS T People with disabilities set sail

ECU DENTAL SCHOOL CELEBRATES 10 YEARS

Remembering 9/11 and Afghanistan

THE ECU MAGAZINE

WIN 2022

Health Hacks 7 PIRATE ALUMNI SPILL THEIR SECRETS FOR HOLISTIC WELLNESS

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CONTENTS

ECU players including Jireh Wilson (0), Dre Terry (35), Ryan Jones (13) and Aaron Jarman (85) celebrate the Pirates’ one-point overtime victory over Memphis on Nov. 13. The win was the Pirates’ sixth of the season, making them bowl eligible for the first time since 2014. ECU was scheduled to face Boston College in the Military Bowl on Dec. 27, but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 within the BC program.

EAS T IN EVERY ISSUE

View from Spilman . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 ECU Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Discovery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Faculty Focus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Student Snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Pirate Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Pirate Spirit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Dr. Ford Grant and Jasmine Schneider, then a student, work on a patient’s dental implant at the School of Dental Medicine’s community service-learning center in Ahoskie in 2018. The school celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2021. Read more beginning on page 20.

Horizons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

main feature

More coverage, including links to videos and more photos, is at east.ecu.edu

26 Seven Steps to a Better You

Alumni share their expert advice on health and happiness.

34 Wind in Their Sails

38 Looking Back

A new partnership helps people with disabilities get on the water.

ECU veterans reflect on 9/11 and two decades in Afghanistan.

42 Raise Your Eye-Q

An ECU alumna optometrist uses TikTok to educate social media users about eye health.

East Carolina University is a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina System. It is a public doctoral/research-intensive university offering baccalaureate, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees in the liberal arts, sciences and professional fields, including medicine. Dedicated to the achievement of excellence, responsible stewardship of the public trust and academic freedom, ECU values the contributions of a diverse community, supports shared governance and guarantees equality of opportunity. ©2022 by East Carolina University

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2022 is going to be a great year to be a Pirate.

View from

Spilman 4

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We’re launching our new clinically integrated health care system that will see Vidant hospitals and provider locations, Vidant Health itself and ECU Physicians rebrand as ECU Health. And it’s not just a new name and signs. It’s a new way of doing business – eliminating redundancies, streamlining processes and making it easier for patients to navigate our system. We believe ECU Health will also allow us to more effectively and efficiently address issues, such as health disparities, facing our region. In addition, the state has funded the planning and construction of our new medical education building. It will be new, modern and spacious as we increase the number of students attending the Brody School of Medicine. The development of our public-private partnership, Intersect East, is underway as well. Crews are refurbishing the historic buildings for tenants such as the College of Engineering and Technology’s digital transformation center – and we expect to be naming other occupants soon. Across the street, students and faculty are moving into our new Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building. Home to the Department of Biology and the Eastern Region Pharma Center, more than 17,000 students will take classes there each year. We’ve officially announced the public phase of our $500 million comprehensive campaign and are already more than two-thirds of the way to our goal. In July, we will welcome Provost Robin Coger to ECU. She brings a wealth of experience and ideas to our campus, and we are fortunate to have her join us. And I can’t stop without applauding our gridiron Pirates, who won their way to their first bowl bid in seven seasons. Congrats to coach Mike Houston and the team! We carry the momentum of 2021 into a new year. It is a great time to be a Pirate! Philip Rogers, Ed.D. Chancellor

Medical students Hoon Kong and Micah Lee perform MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine” during the Brody School of Medicine’s annual talent show Nov. 12 at the Brody Auditorium.

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In This Issue

Work begins on Intersect East Studying long COVID

ECU announces $500 million campaign, Vidant to rebrand as ECU Health

Chancellor Philip Rogers speaks as trustees Vince Smith and Jason Poole listen during the ECU board meeting Oct. 12.

East Carolina University formally kicked off an historic fundraising campaign at the Nov. 12 board of trustees meeting. Chancellor Philip Rogers publicly announced the $500 million comprehensive campaign – the largest in school history. It will benefit almost every facet at ECU with a focus on increasing support for ECU’s scholarship opportunities, research, facilities and endowment. “This campaign will allow us to better serve our region and bring innovative solutions to the most urgent challenges we face at ECU,” Rogers said. Trustee chair Scott Shook read a resolution formally endorsing the public phase of the campaign. More than $300 million of the $500 million goal has already been raised through all-in efforts such as the annual Pirate Nation Gives initiative as well as gifts, pledges, estate gifts and in-kind contributions. “We’re now ready to build on this momentum,” Rogers said. “I know Pirate Nation will go above and beyond to propel ECU into the future.” Rogers also said the university and Vidant Health have finalized a joint operating agreement that will allow the organizations to streamline services, simplify their operations and reduce redundancies. Under the agreement, the Brody School of Medicine and Vidant will retain their separate legal entities but will function collaboratively under a new brand, ECU Health. Most Vidant entities and ECU Physicians will operate under the new brand while the medical school’s name will not change. “This agreement represents an important milestone in the longstanding affiliation between two entities bound by the same mission

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as we work toward the creation of ECU Health,” Rogers said. “It signals the point where we can begin to move forward together on our journey to launch a clinically integrated academic health system and deliver on the commitment to provide quality health care for all eastern North Carolinians.” No changes will occur to the employment status or benefits of employees, and the organizations will not exchange any assets. ECU and Vidant announced plans to clinically integrate in June when Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO of Vidant Health and distinguished professor at the Brody School of Medicine, was appointed dean of the medical school. He continues to lead Vidant Health. “Today’s announcement is about the residents of eastern North Carolina and brings into reality the collective vision our two institutions have shared for nearly 50 years,” Waldrum said.

$500

– ECU News Services

MILLION

360

MILLION*

TOWARD CAMPAIGN ALREADY RAISED, PLEDGED OR COMMITTED

*APPX.

New program helps ECU, Vidant train physicians to better serve rural communities The Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Health have launched a new rural family medicine residency program that will give recent medical school graduates interested in serving as family doctors in rural communities firsthand experience. The residents will spend a majority of their first year of training at Vidant Medical Center and ECU’s Family Medicine Center in Greenville. They will then spend the next two years training in either the rural Hertford County community of Ahoskie at the Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center and Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital or in Duplin County at Goshen Medical Center in Beulaville and Vidant Duplin Hospital in Kenansville. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, more than 65% of physicians who completed family medicine residency training between 2010 and 2019 are still practicing in the state where they did their residency training. “Practicing family medicine in rural settings like this is a bit of a calling; you have to want to do it. It’s not always easy, but it is rewarding, and you feel like you probably make a difference most days,” said Dr. Danny Pate, a site director for the residency program who has been a family doctor in Duplin County for nearly four decades. “So hopefully by providing these residents with training that gives them a true feel for what it’s like, it will entice them to stay in some rural setting here.”

Dr. Raza Syed, one of the first residents in ECU and Vidant Health’s new rural family medicine residency program, examines a patient at Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center in Ahoskie.

Dr. Amy White-Jones, a native of the Alexander County town of Taylorsville, was one of the four residents chosen for the program’s inaugural group out of nearly 100 applicants. “When I was growing up, we didn’t really have great access to health care, and so I grew up realizing that the underserved populations are the ones who I want to serve,” said White-Jones, who will complete her residency training in Duplin County. “There are not a lot of people who are fighting for them and saying, ‘Hey, I want to figure out a way that we can make your health a priority.’ That’s why I want to do rural medicine.” As of 2019, more than half of ECU medical graduates were practicing in North Carolina. More than half of those were in primary care. – Rob Spahr

Four ECU students received North Carolina Space Grant research scholarships for 2021-2022. From left, engineering majors Elliot Paul and Nia Wilson and geology majors Mikayla Dixon and Katherine Foster will each receive $8,000 to continue their studies and research in aerospace and aviation. They are among 11 undergraduate students from across the state to receive the scholarships. N.C. Space Grant is a consortium of academic institutions that promote, develop and support aeronautics and space-related science, engineering and technology education and training.

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Work begins on first phase of Intersect East Developer Elliott Sidewalk Communities joined with university officials, Board of Trustees members, and local and state leaders in breaking ground on the $40 million project to renovate three buildings on the 19-acre tract off 10th Street and within sight of ECU’s new Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building. The first three buildings to be renovated are called The Prizery (the former Export Leaf tobacco warehouse), The Stemmery (the former PritchardHughes building) and The Hammock Factory (the former American Tobacco warehouse, which later housed Hatteras Hammocks). Tim Elliott, managing partner of Elliott Sidewalk Communities, devised the names from the work that used to take place in the buildings. The first phase includes 10,000 square feet in The Prizery for the College of Engineering and Technology’s new digital transformation center that will cater to new and existing companies in digital transformation, product prototyping, discoveries and workforce development.

“Intersect East will be a vital connection between businesses, industries, communities and individuals that partner with East Carolina University, with faculty, staff and students finding solutions to tomorrow’s problems,” Merrill Flood, director of ECU’s Millennial Campus planning and local community affairs, said at the Oct. 5 groundbreaking. Elliott anticipates completion of the first phase in December 2022. He said several companies, including one from Raleigh and another from Brazil, have shown interest in becoming tenants in the development. Potential tenants regularly tour the buildings, Flood added. The UNC Board of Governors approved the lease agreement between ECU and Elliott Sidewalk Communities in 2020. The project is an eight-year plan that includes a more than $150 million investment to renovate existing buildings, build new buildings and create green space, office space, dining and residential living. Along with that comes an estimated 1,500 jobs with a financial impact exceeding $141 million annually with $3 million in annual tax revenues, according to the developer. “In order for ECU to thrive, we have to be a mission-aligned institution, we have to be a future-focused institution and an innovation-driven institution, and I really believe that this captures the essence, that this project captures the epitome of that work in action,” said Chancellor Philip Rogers. – Ken Buday

Above, officials with ECU, Elliott Sidewalk Communities and the city of Greenville break ground on the first phase of Intersect East. Left, Merrill Flood, director of ECU’s Millennial Campus planning and local community affairs, speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony.

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Engineering students plant trees to mitigate pollution As water flows down Town Creek toward the Tar River in Greenville, it suddenly turns an odd brown color. A sheen floats on top. Of course, not too many people make their way down the steep embankment near ECU’s Willis Building to see the discoloration caused by a problem that dates back decades – except for a team of ECU engineering students. Alexander Goble, James Riddle, Adam Till and Noah Weaver tackled the problem as part of their senior capstone project. Their work resulted in the planting of 35 willow trees on the embankment near the creek to mitigate the pollution. “Someone thought they had spilled gasoline in the river,” said Mike O’Driscoll, associate professor in the Department of Coastal Studies and the associate director of the Water Resources Center. “They found out when they put a bunch of these wells in around town that there was a lot of gasoline in the water, so there’s a big plume in the groundwater where the gasoline had migrated, and it all comes into the river here.” The gasoline came from leaking underground tanks. “The fact that it’s been continuous since the 1980s says there were pretty big holes in the tanks, and it had been leaking for a long time,” he said. “When you come out on a hot day, you can smell the gasoline. You’re really not supposed to be breathing in those vapors.” Looking for ways to solve the problem, the students found studies that showed planting trees can help absorb benzene, an organic chemical compound in gasoline. Willow trees offered the best solution.

Above, Adam Till, left, and Noah Weaver spread mulch around a willow tree they helped plant near Town Creek. Left, student volunteers dig a hole during a tree-planting project along Town Creek.

Senior engineering students Alexander Goble, left, and James Riddle plant a willow tree along Town Creek in Greenville on Oct. 7 as part of their capstone project.

“Mostly it was trying to find tree species that would work for where we were planting them,” Goble said. “It’s close to water, and we needed something to absorb higher levels than normal of benzene.” On a warm morning, the students joined with ECU facilities workers and volunteers with ReLeaf, an organization that promotes planting trees and protecting forests in urban areas, to plant the willows. Armed with shovels, pickaxes and wheelbarrows, the team completed the task in about two hours, half the time they had expected. O’Driscoll said the idea of “green” solutions to such problems is growing. “Natural solutions, where the main thing is finding solutions where you work with natural materials, it can be more sustainable as far as managing some of these water quality problems,” he said. “There’s a lot of interest in doing more of this.” – Ken Buday

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Study: Reduce ‘tobacco swamps’ to improve health A new study co-written by an ECU researcher says public health could be improved by reducing “tobacco swamps” – densely located stores that sell tobacco products. Similar to “food swamps,” a term used to describe areas with a high density of restaurants or stores selling unhealthy food, the research says living near more tobacco retailers is linked with people being more likely to use tobacco and less likely to quit. The analysis, published in September in the international journal Tobacco Control, examined the results of 27 studies of tobacco retail density, adult tobacco use and health outcomes from eight countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, New Zealand, Scotland and the United States. In the U.S., there are 27 brick-and-mortar tobacco retailers for every one McDonald’s restaurant, equaling 375,000 tobacco retail locations. Retailers are not equally distributed and tend to be clustered in lower-income and minority communities, according to the study. The researchers, including lead author Joseph G.L. Lee, associate professor of health education and promotion in the College of Health and Human Performance at ECU, found lower tobacco retailer density was associated with a 2.6% reduction in the risk of tobacco use behaviors. The study also explored differences in results by sex, income level and intensity of tobacco use. “Broadly speaking, implementing policies that reduce the number and concentration of stores selling tobacco could decrease smoking by between 2% and 3% among adults,” Lee said. Lee and faculty members from UNC-Chapel Hill, Washington University in St. Louis and Stanford University School of Medicine are members of the ASPiRE Center, a research collaborative funded by the National Institutes of Health. The center is working to build a scientific

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Charlotte has 1,032 tobacco retailers, and 43.1% of public schools are within 1,000 feet of a tobacco retailer.

evidence base for effective policies in the retail environment to help reduce tobacco use, tobacco-related disparities and the public health burden of tobacco, including cancer. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., with 480,000 deaths and more than $300 billion in health care spending and productivity losses caused by cigarette smoking each year, according to ASPiRE Center data. (Laura Brossart of the Brown School Center for Public Health Systems Science at Washington University contributed to this story). – Crystal Baity

Faculty explore experiences as Black women in academia Mikkaka Overstreet, Janeé Avent Harris, Loni Crumb and Christy Howard, faculty members in the ECU College of Education, wrote about their experience holding an inaugural faculty of color writing retreat in the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. The article follows the rich storytelling history of Black women scholars who have carved out spaces where they can tell their truths and asks how Black women faculty create and navigate spaces to promote their success within academia. Overstreet, Avent Harris, Crumb and Howard planned to hold their retreat at a waterfront beach home. Their article turns their experience renting a cottage that didn’t match the listing into a metaphor of their experiences working in academia. “In my opinion, this is how literal or figurative storms should be faced in both personal and professional environments: with solidarity,” Crumb said. “No movement is done alone. “One of the most beautiful things about Black women is that as the storms come into our lives, we are prepared to weather them. We are equipped to figure it out. The retreat proved to be no different, but this time, we were not ‘one of few’ in the context of academia; we were collectively prepared and united to face the obstacle of claiming our time in the context of our retreat.”

Clockwise from top left: Mikkaka Overstreet, Janeé Avent Harris, Loni Crumb and Christy Howard

They plan to hold future retreats and would like to expand them. “The question, ‘How do Black women faculty create and navigate spaces to promote their success within academia?’ is a question we all should be asking ourselves and each other in order to improve,” said Allison Crowe, acting chair for the Department of Interdisciplinary Professions in the College of Education. Their article, “Facing the Storm: Our First Annual Faculty of Color Writing Retreat as a Microcosm for Being a Black Woman in the Academy,” was published in June. – Kristen Martin

Cheyenne Daniel ’20 of Raleigh, a citizen of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, performs a hoop dance at the Indigenous Space dedication Nov. 9 at the ECU Main Campus Student Center. The space recognizes the history and impact of the eight tribes of North Carolina: the Coharie, Eastern Band of Cherokee, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of Saponi, Sappony and Waccamaw-Siouan. It will also feature artwork by HaliwaSaponi potter Senora Lynch. The East Carolina Native American Organization will hold its 28th annual powwow March 26 at Minges Coliseum.

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ECU psychologists receive $3.8 million to research, improve student mental health

Associate professors of psychology Brandon Schultz, right, Christy Walcott, left, and Alexander Schoemann (not pictured) have received a nearly $3.8 million grant to help prevent and address emotional and behavioral problems in elementary schoolchildren.

ECU researchers are working to prevent and address emotional and behavioral problems in elementary schoolchildren with the help of a $3.8 million federal grant. ECU associate professors of psychology Brandon Schultz, Christy Walcott and Alexander Schoemann received the four-year grant from the Institute for Education Sciences – the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education. The team will conduct a randomized controlled trial of a school-community partnership focused on improving mental health services in elementary schools known as the Interconnected Systems Framework. “Schools have long been tasked with teaching students who have underlying emotional and behavioral issues,” said Walcott, co-investigator and psychology graduate program director. “Although schools are attempting various programs to address behavior and mental health, the outcomes for students with emotional and behavioral problems continue to be disheartening. School services tend to be fragmented and more reactionary than preventative.” The grant focuses on building effective interdisciplinary teams, improving decision-making and increasing implementation of evidence-based practices, Walcott said.

The team, led by Schultz, will test how well the ISF improves the quality of mental health services within Pitt County Schools and the Rock Hill Schools district in South Carolina. “Pitt County Schools has made great strides in recent years toward implementing best practices,” said Schultz. “This project will augment those efforts and potentially provide an innovative, next-generation model for other school districts to emulate.” The University of South Carolina’s Mark Weist, developer of the ISF and professor of psychology, will coordinate the project with Rock Hill Schools; Orgul Ozturk, USC associate professor of economics, will lead the efforts to calculate cost-benefit ratios for each of the mental health outcomes; and Colleen Halliday of the Medical University of South Carolina will examine whether the ISF reduces disproportionate disciplinary actions for students of color. The effect of the ISF on teacher teams will be the focus of co-investigator Joni Splett at the University of Florida. – Lacey Gray

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Research looks at bacteria behaviors Holly Ellis, a microbiologist at the Brody School of Medicine, has received a $525,000 National Science Foundation grant to study the structural and functional properties of bacterial enzyme systems. Understanding how bacteria make metabolic adjustments in order to survive could have implications in drug development. “Bacteria need basic elements in order to survive,” Ellis said. “The bacteria we are investigating are pathogenic (disease-causing) organisms that utilize clever tactics to avoid the host immune response.” The enzyme system under investigation, Ellis said, enables bacteria to use alternative sulfur sources to

Holly Ellis, left, earned a National Science Foundation grant to study bacteria, with implications on future drug development.

remain viable in their host. The overall goal of the project is to determine how distinct structural properties dictate function so researchers can manipulate the properties to modify activity. “Many of the enzyme systems we are evaluating have medical relevance and would be excellent targets for drug development,” Ellis said. “Some of the outcomes from the proposed studies will answer important questions about enzyme structure and function that can be applied to other enzyme systems. These questions are new concepts and would change established ideas regarding enzyme structure and function.” Her project is titled “Coordinated mechanistic approaches to desulfonation in twocomponent FMN monooxygenases.” – Spaine Stephens

You’re invited to join ECU’s latest social media program, Social Pirates! By becoming a social ambassador with ECU and Social Toaster, we’ll send you our most exciting news to share with your friends and followers. The best part? The more you share and participate, the more rewards you’ll earn. Social media has become an essential tool for promoting the many wonderful things that happen at ECU. Over the years, we have developed significant audiences for many of our social media accounts. We reach even more people when we can activate those audiences to share our content through their own individual networks. This is the idea behind Social Pirates, a new online tool launching in January 2022. It uses Social Toaster – the leading platform used by universities around the country for developing social media ambassadors. The platform provides tools to build a network of ambassadors, distribute targeted content and incentivize these ambassadors to share this content.

Earn points with Social Pirates to win ECU-themed prizes!

Sound like the perfect fit? Sign up at

ecu.socialtoaster.com

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ECU, Dartmouth studying chronic COVID It’s known as “post-acute COVID-19 syndrome,” “long COVID,” “chronic COVID” and sometimes “long-haul COVID.” And a team from ECU’s Brody School of Medicine and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire is working to figure out what it is, what causes it and what to do about it. Perhaps most of all, they’re assuring patients their symptoms are real. “Nobody comes to this COVID clinic without crying,” said Dr. Paul Bolin Jr., chair of internal medicine at the Brody School of Medicine. “The reason they cry is because it’s the first time somebody has told them this is real. It’s amazing when I tell people this is real. Invariably, they’ll burst out crying because they’ve been carrying that emotional burden that it’s their fault.” The CDC refers to the range of aftereffects experienced by some who have had COVID-19 as “post-COVID conditions.” “By definition, it is persistent symptoms beyond four weeks of onset of symptoms,” said Bolin, who is among those leading the ECU and Vidant Health teams treating COVID-19-infected patients and working to vaccinate community members across the region. “It spans the whole spectrum. There’s people who have had nothing more than loss of taste to people who were in the ICU for a month,” Bolin added. “We’re seeing persistence of fatigue, shortness of breath, unusual pain syndromes. Some people with loss of smell and taste for prolonged periods of time, a lack of mental clarity – cognitive fog, if you will. There have been studies that have documented significant decreases in cognition after COVID.”

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Left, Dr. Paul Bolin Jr. has recently begun organizing clinics based around understanding and treating chronic COVID-19. Below, Bolin discusses the latest information about COVID-19 during a recording for the Talk Like a Pirate podcast.

Much remains unknown about COVID-19, including its long-term effects on the body and the brain and why some patients fare worse than others when they become infected by it. “I think the benefit to collaborating is that we have different demographics. We both have rural populations, but I think we have a very rural, largely Caucasian population in New Hampshire and Vermont,” said Dr. Jeffrey Parsonnet, professor of medicine at Dartmouth. “There are geographic differences and there’s the reality that as you get more numbers you get additional information. Also, having researchers with different histories, different perspectives, different backgrounds help develop a research proposal.” “We saw something like this after the 1918 pandemic. It was noted that many people after the 1918 flu actually ended up with Parkinson’s,” he said. “The (chronic COVID) research involves cataloging all of these symptoms.” To make an appointment, contact Caryl Holoman at 252-744-2570 or holomanc@ecu.edu. – Natalie Sayewich

LaKesha Forbes, left, associate provost for equity and diversity at ECU; Monica Leach, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Fayetteville State University; and Grant Hayes, interim provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at ECU, sign a memorandum of agreement between the two universities on Oct. 15.

Partnerships to extend ECU’s educational outreach ECU leaders have signed agreements with Fayetteville State University, Wake Technical Community College, Martin Community College and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in recent weeks that will help students achieve their educational goals. The agreement with FSU is intended to promote graduate recruitment and education; undergraduate student engagement and collaboration; and research, public service and scholarship. It will develop pipelines linking FSU’s undergraduate students to ECU’s professional and graduate programs. The agreement with Wake Tech will allow face-toface classes in ECU’s Bachelor of Science in industrial technology program on Wake Tech’s Southern Campus in Raleigh. ECU opened an office there in the fall, and faculty or adjunct faculty will begin teaching there this spring. Students with qualifying AAS degrees who enter ECU’s BSIT program with concentrations in architectural design or mechanical design will no longer need to

commute to Greenville to complete a four-year degree. The courses will be taught at Wake Tech in the evenings to allow working students to attend. This is the program’s first co-location partnership with a community college and is designed to provide opportunities for employment and career growth to residents in Wake County and the Triangle. At MCAS Cherry Point near Havelock, ECU will teach face-to-face classes in industrial technology leading toward a bachelor’s degree, as well as distribution and logistics classes. The classes, offered through ECU’s Department of Technology Systems, will be available to active-duty personnel, reservists, eligible retired military personnel and Department of Defense employees. In Williamston, MCC students who complete an associate degree in business administration will be able to transfer seamlessly into ECU to complete a bachelor’s degree. – ECU News Services

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Discovery

Latest Investigations Helping towns manage water An ancient airborne fireball

ECU will work with communities in eastern North Carolina to help them become more resilient as they face sea level rise, extreme weather and other risks.

ECU receives $5 million to strengthen coastal communities A $5 million federal grant will support ECU researchers and students as they work to strengthen resilience in communities along the Albemarle-Pamlico estuary system of coastal North Carolina. ECU will serve as the central coordinating hub for more than 20 faculty members from seven universities who will work to create connections within the community, coordinate service opportunities and communicate with stakeholders. Partner institutions are the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, North Carolina Central University, Clemson University, the University of Virginia, Manhattan College and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. “Our communities in eastern North Carolina face major challenges from water-related issues,” said Stephen Moysey, professor of geological sciences, director of the Water Resources Center at ECU and principal investigator on the study. “These problems are a shared responsibility and burden that impact both coastal and inland communities. The project will support those communities as they assess the sources of these hazards, their vulnerability to risk and approaches to collaborative decision-making to adapt to a changing coastal environment.” ECU geoscientists, social scientists, biologists, engineers and others will work together on these complex problems. Co-principal investigators at ECU are Michael O’Driscoll, associate professor of coastal studies; Natasha Bell, assistant professor of

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engineering; and Jacob Petersen-Perlman, assistant professor of geography, planning and environment. Poonam Arora, chair of management and marketing at Manhattan College in New York, also serves as a coprincipal investigator. Coastlines are vital to the U.S. economy, security and well-being, according to the National Science Foundation. Nearly 40% of the country’s population lives near a coast. Every year, that number increases. “We are particularly focused on working with communities facing challenges associated with environmental justice problems caused by social, environmental and economic inequities,” Moysey said. “In addition, the project will partner with a variety of external partners to undertake an unprecedented effort to monitor water quality and flows in the Tar-Pamlico watershed.” Those community leaders include representatives from the state, numerous eastern North Carolina cities and towns, as well as the Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina. Other partners include non-governmental organizations such as Sound Rivers and the N.C. Conservation Network. “Coastal systems are changing across the globe, and North Carolina is no different,” said Reide Corbett, dean of Integrated Coastal Programs at ECU. “It is critical that we work directly with those communities being impacted and continue to develop a better understanding of the drivers and the socioeconomic implications of these changes.” – Doug Boyd

Could Sodom have been destroyed by a meteor? An ancient Middle Eastern city likely was destroyed by a cosmic airburst and could have been the origin of the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah. That’s according to an article published in September in the journal Nature. ECU’s Sid Mitra, professor of geological sciences, was part of the team that wrote the paper, “A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea.” In it, researchers hypothesize a meteorite impact or bolide – a meteor that explodes in the atmosphere – likely caused the destruction. They compared the airburst to the 1908 explosion over Tunguska, Russia, where a 50-meter-wide bolide detonated, generating 1,000 times more energy than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Site excavation began in 2005, Mitra said, and researchers have been interested in a citywide 1.5-meter-thick destruction layer of carbon and ash. The layer dates to about 1650 B.C.E. (about 3,600 years ago) and contains shocked quartz, melted pottery and mudbricks, diamond-like carbon, soot, remnants of melted plaster and melted minerals including platinum, iridium, nickel, gold, silver, zircon, chromite and quartz. “They found all this evidence of hightemperature burning throughout the entire site,” Mitra said. “And the technology didn’t exist at that time, in the Middle Bronze Age, for people to be able to generate fires of that kind of temperature.” That supported the idea of an external source of energy, such as a meteor, he said. The site includes a massive palace complex with thick walls and a monumental gateway, much of which was destroyed.

Sid Mitra’s analysis of soot samples from Tall el-Hammam supports the research team’s hypothesis that the city was destroyed by a high-temperature fire the civilization at the time could not generate. Above right, this rendering shows what the site and the blast would have looked like. Above left, this map illustrates the reach of a blast similar to the 1908 explosion over Tunguska, Russia, overlaid on the Jordan site.

A high concentration of salt is also in the destruction layer, which could have ruined agriculture in the area. That could explain the abandonment of more than a dozen towns and cities in the lower Jordan Valley in the following centuries. The team ruled out other potential processes, including volcanic or earthquake activity, wildfire, warfare and lightning. None provided an explanation as well as a cosmic impact or airburst, the paper said. Genesis 19:24 describes sulfur raining down out of the heavens and the destruction of the cities and all those living in them, as well as the vegetation in the land. “So some of the oral traditions talk about the walls of Jericho (about 13-1/2 miles away) falling down, as well as the fires if they’re associated with Sodom,” Mitra said. “Again it’s science; you look at your observations, and in this case it’s the historical record, and you see what you hypothesize and if it fits the data, and the data seem to fit.” – Jules Norwood

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Focus

Dr. Tom Irons

Brody School of Medicine Professor and associate vice chancellor

Wherever Dr. Thomas G. “Tom” Irons goes, his reputation as a tireless advocate for health care access for all North Carolinians precedes him. His character and determination – along with his signature bowtie or bucket hat – are trademarks of a legacy in the works. Irons was awarded the 2021 Jim Bernstein Community Health Career Achievement Award in October by the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation, a Cary-based nonprofit. The award, named for a pioneer in North Carolina’s advances in rural health, honors Irons’ 40-year career at ECU’s medical school. It also celebrates his relentless endeavor and fearless creativity that bring primary health care access to the underserved. In addition to his faculty and administrative roles, Irons serves as medical director for the N.C. Agromedicine Institute and was pivotal in establishing the James D. Bernstein Community Center in Pitt County, which was created to provide quality medical and dental care to lowincome and uninsured patients. He holds and has held numerous other leadership roles at the university and in the community. Irons accepted the award during a virtual ceremony, in which he honored his late wife, Carol, who was a faculty member in the College of Nursing, as the navigator of his career and credited Brody and its leadership over the decades “for giving me the time to do what my parents would have called ‘the Lord’s work,’” he said. Irons’ father, Dr. Frederick Irons, served in leadership roles at Pitt County Memorial Hospital and improved student health services on campus and beyond. Irons’ mother, Dr. Malene Irons, was the first female physician in Greenville; she worked with physician and civil rights leader Dr. Andrew Best to integrate Greenville’s hospital. He recently began hosting an annual bus tour for new medical students about the history and context of health care in the area. “When medical students ask me what led me to do the type of work I do,” Irons told the audience during the ceremony, “I tell them I was born into it, because I was.” – Spaine Stephens

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Read more about Irons’ career at bit.ly/3coInp7

Robin N. Coger has been named provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at ECU. She will assume her new role in July and will also hold an academic appointment as professor in the College of Engineering and Technology. Coger is dean of the College of Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. Before joining N.C. A&T in 2011, Coger was a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science at UNC Charlotte. There, she served as an interim department chair and was also the founding director of the university’s Center for Biomedical Engineering Science. She has an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University, a master’s degree and doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of California-Berkeley and completed postdoctoral research as a fellow at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She serves on the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Engineering Advisory Committee, chairs the Council of HBCU Engineering Deans and serves on the Committee on Defense Research at HBCUs and Other Minority Institutions. Coger is also a member of the editorial board of the American Society of Engineering Education publication, PRISM. She is a board member of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, Advancing Minorities Interest in Engineering and FIRST, an organization founded to inspire the interest and participation of young people in engineering, science and technology.

Dr. Greg Chadwick, dean of the School of Dental Medicine, has been elected president-elect of FDI World Dental Federation, the premier representative body for more than 1 million dentists worldwide. Chadwick will serve as president-elect for two years before taking the helm of the global Switzerland-based organization whose mission is to lead the world to optimal dental health. Chadwick was elected Sept. 29 during FDI’s 2021 World Dental Congress, which was held virtually.

Bob Edwards has been named the 21st distinguished professor at the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences. A sociology professor, Edwards joined ECU in 1995. He has served as chair or as a member on seven doctoral dissertation committees. In addition, he has written one book and written or co-written more than eight dozen journal articles, reports, book chapters and encyclopedia entries in his areas of research. He has secured more than $400,000 in awards and funding as the principal investigator or co-investigator on more than 30 research projects.

Dr. James deVente, associate professor of OB/GYN at the Brody School of Medicine, has received the Harold Pollard III Award from the North Carolina Obstetrical and Gynecological Society. The award recognizes achievement, influence, character and attitude exemplified by Pollard, who practiced obstetrics and gynecology in Winston-Salem for nearly 40 years.

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STORY BY SPAINE STEPHENS

2011

2021

A Dynamic

Decade IN JUST 10 YEARS, THE SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE HAS ESTABLISHED ITSELF AS A LEADER IN CARE AND EDUCATION

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Several years ago, Victoria Hardy stared out the window of an East Carolina University Transit bus at Ledyard E. Ross Hall, the new home of the School of Dental Medicine on the northwestern edge of ECU’s Health Sciences Campus. “I remember when they were almost done building it, and I was on the bus out front just staring at that building like, ‘I’m going to be there one day,’” says Hardy, now a fourth-year dental student looking forward to providing oral health care for patients in eastern North Carolina. Hardy, her classmates and alumni who have practices, careers and futures that stretch across North Carolina are part of the School of Dental Medicine’s legacy as it celebrates 10 years of educating new dentists for North Carolina. The first class of students began in 2011 and graduated in 2015, setting a standard with a unique model of education and patient care. Today, 90% of the school’s 357 alumni practice in North Carolina. Its graduates are hard at work in 65 of the state’s 100 counties, helping bridge the oral health care gap that placed North Carolina toward the back of the pack nationally for dentist-to-patient ratio and sounded the alarm for the need for ECU’s dental school.

The ECU School of Dental Medicine celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2021. In the middle of the bottom row are members of the first class of dentists to graduate from the school. east.ecu.edu

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“We intentionally focus on our mission and keeping our promise to the state,” Dr. Greg Chadwick, dean of the School of Dental Medicine, says of the school’s goals of educating dentist leaders and providing care in rural and underserved areas, “and that resonates with the people of North Carolina, it resonates with the university and it’s a mission that resonates with the future of ECU.” Before the first class graduated, North Carolina ranked 47th nationally for dentist-to-patient ratio. Now, the state now ranks around the mid- to high-30s, a trend Dr. Margaret Wilson, vice dean of the school, attributes in part to the newest generation of dentists from ECU. “It’s a pretty significant impact that those ECU graduates are already having in communities across the state,” she says. Statistics like that are what fuel ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers as well. His history with ECU is woven into the fabric of the dental school’s beginnings; from 2007 to 2013, he held various positions that allowed him a role

in creating the school. From policy analyst to legislative liaison to chief of staff, Rogers spent hours strategizing and working with decision-makers at every level to make the school a reality. His return to ECU in early 2021 coincides with the school’s 10-year milestone. “It’s absolutely surreal to look at this facility that was nothing but a dream,” Rogers said. “It took a village to build this facility, and now this facility is literally changing the lives of thousands and thousands of dental patients across the state of North Carolina. It’s unfathomable that it’s been 10 years. It feels just like yesterday we were imagining what the future would look like, who we would serve, how we would serve, where would we serve them.” ‘Community service entrepreneurs’

The School of Dental Medicine’s community servicelearning centers operate in eight North Carolina communities, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the coastal town of Bolivia in Brunswick County. Patients and rural communities across the state benefit from oral health care, education and specialized programming and events designed over the years with the area’s greatest needs in mind.

School of Dental Medicine students and residents provide care to patients in the school’s community service-learning centers including in Elizabeth City (above left). Faculty also provide teledentistry networking and diagnosis from Ross Hall to the eight CSLCs across the state.

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Ross Hall is named for Greenville orthodontist Dr. Ledyard E. Ross ’51, who made a $4 million gift to the dental school for student scholarships, faculty research and other academic enterprises. At the time it was one of the largest gifts in university history. Ross’ philanthropy inspired his son, Dr. Dennis Ross, also an orthodontist, to make a gift of nearly $1 million to be divided among the dental school, the College of Health and Human Performance, and athletics. While Dennis Ross is not an alumnus, he wanted to give because of the impact ECU has on students and the surrounding community. “Dad was a giver and I’m following his lead,” he said. To learn more about how you can support the next 10 years of excellence at the School of Dental Medicine, contact Jon Jones, senior director of advancement, at jonesjona19@ecu.edu or 252-737-7063.

During students’ fourth year, they complete three nine-week rotations at three different CSLCs, where they can experience different types of oral health care needs and immerse themselves in the culture, geography and social characteristics of each community. The rotations offer clinical experiences that account for 60% of students’ final year. In 2019, the school received the William J. Gies Award for Vision, Innovation and Achievement in the innovation category from the American Dental Education Association’s ADEAGies Foundation, awarded for its breakthrough approach to providing practical experience for future dentists through rural service-learning centers across North Carolina. That’s the year Dr. Hanan Elgendy, a clinical assistant professor, arrived. “It feels great to see all the great things that are happening and seeing how the school has grown over the last 10 years and become a well-known school in dental education nationwide,” she says. Wilson said even with national recognition, the school’s focus is still on the state. “The school’s mission is very unapologetically North Carolina-centric,” says Wilson, who was one of the first faculty members to join the school as associate dean for student affairs. “It’s really our graduates who are fulfilling the mission, and our students share that same vision. Our students are really community service entrepreneurs.” So far, more than 80,000 patients from all 100 of the state’s counties have been served through the

dental school, and each CSLC community has contributed more than $1 million in economic impact. “We knew we were going to open the CSLCs, provide excellent educational opportunities, provide economic impact to these communities and offer dental and oral health care, but what we didn’t realize was how well they would be accepted and the overall impact they would have as part of the university,” Chadwick says. “Because of the CSLCs, the university has a footprint from Sylva to Elizabeth City.”

It feels great to see all the great things that are happening and seeing how the school has grown over the last 10 years and become a well-known school in dental education nationwide.

Dr. Hanan Elgendy Clinical assistant professor, School of Dental Medicine

What’s more, many of ECU’s dental students hail from rural counties and communities, giving them a heightened understanding of the complexities surrounding rural health care. Dental students have come from 86 of North Carolina’s counties, representing 66 rural counties and 20 urban counties. Dr. Jorge Arriagada graduated with the school’s first class in 2015 and practices at Eastern Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry in Greenville. He’s kept in touch with school faculty and leaders and served as a resource for students. He’s watched the school evolve and grow not only in number but also in quality. east.ecu.edu

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“As I speak with current students, I see all the improvements that the program has obtained, like the ability of students to go on rotations to CSLCs on nine-week rotations, develop additional skills and work on their time management before they start their new professional journey,” Arriagada says. “It gives an opportunity for students to be involved within the community and to narrow the gap in the dental needs our state faces.”

As I speak with current students, I see all the improvements that the program has obtained, like the ability of students to go on rotations to CSLCs on nineweek rotations, develop additional skills and work on their time management before they start their new professional journey.

Dr. Jorge Arriagada 2015 graduate, School of Dental Medicine

The dental school focuses on educating students from underrepresented, rural and disadvantaged backgrounds. The Class of 2025 is made up of 39% underrepresented students. Nine of 52 students in the school’s Class of 2023 participated in the Preparing Tomorrow’s Dentists pipeline program, which provides an in-depth look at the school for students from underrepresented populations and rural communities. In 2020, Dr. Wanda Wright was named assistant dean for equity, diversity and inclusion, a position created to emphasize equity and diversity as core values. Third-year student Courtney Williams helped organize the school’s first Day of Unity in 2020, an event that encouraged the school community to not only find common bonds among them but also celebrate their cultural differences. “For the next decade of students, I would hope that the school continues having a population of dental students that are

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representative of North Carolina,” she says. “I feel like we’re definitely on the right track as health care professionals that are representative of our communities.” That positive direction is thanks in part to the CSLC model and the strong technology network between the centers and the campus facility. Dr. Ford Grant, faculty director at the school’s CSLC in Ahoskie, joined ECU in 2012 and helped set the path for the other seven centers. “Just in the last few years, we have seen the mission become reality with students from our area becoming dentists and joining us in the mission. ‘Growing our own’ is the term we use. The experience has been very rewarding.” Grant says he hopes the future brings stronger relationships between dentists and other health care providers as well as bridging care gaps for homebound patients and those in care facilities. He already sees the school’s mission making a difference. “It is very encouraging to see more ECU School of Dental Medicine grads going into practice in underserved areas of the state and those who pursue residency and specialty training returning to the state to be part of the solution to access to dental care,” Grant says. “We will soon have graduates from almost every area of North Carolina. I see grade school, high school and college students all the time who tell us they want to be dentists. We let the students and residents know that they are role models for these kids.” A future to smile about

Hardy, a Rocky Mount native, earned undergraduate degrees at ECU in biology and economics in 2014 followed by a master’s in cell biology in 2016. Her journey then led her to Ross Hall. She had finally made it. The building itself was still new, and its amenities felt almost surreal to Hardy.

Fourth-year dental students Keyonah Lambert, left, and Victoria Hardy prepare to perform a root canal on Hardy’s mother, Barbara (pictured with her daughter at right).

“Everything was bright and shiny,” she says. “We have a lot of technology, a lot of good, new equipment and a beautiful campus. It was like sparkles in the eye. It was like it was saying, ‘Everything is new, and it’s ready for you.’” Her dream came full circle at a time significant for her, the dental school and her family. She had the opportunity to provide dental care to her mother, who supported her dream and made sacrifices for Hardy’s education and goals. Her mother instilled good dental hygiene early on, something she did not have as a youngster. “My mom was just very concerned about my teeth growing up because she didn’t receive great dental care,” Hardy says. “I was always self-conscious of her self-consciousness, and nobody should be ashamed of their smile.” Hardy says she has approached her dental education and clinical experience the same way she has provided care to her mother. “We have patients with high anxiety, and when we’re talking about treatment plans, they ask, ‘What would you do if I was your mom?’” Hardy says. “I always just treat my patients that way. If you’re in my chair, you’re my family – you’re my dad, you’re my mom – and I’ll do the best for you that I can.” Hardy’s mother, Barbara Hardy, says she has no doubt her daughter is well-equipped to provide quality care.

“When she was in middle school, the students were asked to come up with a career choice. She chose dentistry,” Barbara Hardy says. “She has stuck to her goals and persevered. She has worked so hard to get here. This was her dream career; she did not have a plan B because she would not give up on plan A.” Ten years in, programming at the school focuses on reaching special populations in areas especially remote or unserved, including the four remaining counties in the state without a dentist – Camden, Hyde, Jones and Tyrrell. “My hope is that budgetary issues will ease up, dental Medicaid will continue to be funded and that we go back to pre-COVID levels of educational experiences,” Chadwick says. “We plan to expand our ability to provide preventive and restorative care services for children across the state, continue to attract outstanding candidates from North Carolina and address the future of oral health care needs.” Rogers says this anniversary is rewarding on countless levels and layers. “There is just a deep personal connection to seeing the School of Dental Medicine succeed,” he says. “To come back after being away for eight years and see it thriving, to see the students actively engaging in experiential learning opportunities and to see them smiling and thinking about what the future of rural health care in North Carolina looks like, is really the best gift a chancellor can receive.”

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STORY BY ERIN WARD

Seven steps TO A BETTER YOU

Alumni share their expert advice on health and happiness Wellness can be hard to define and even harder to achieve. It’s not just about physical health, either. It’s mental, emotional, even financial. There’s a lot you can do to improve your wellness. But where to start? We tapped seven alumni who are experts in different areas of wellness and asked them to share their best tips and their own inspiring health journeys. They’ve dedicated their careers to helping others be well and are full of health advice that can help you, too.

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Whenever people ask Phelicia Price ’02 ’04 ’11 to share a fun fact about herself, she usually tells them she has three kidneys. That’s because after being diagnosed with kidney disease in 2010 and undergoing transplant surgery in 2016, doctors didn’t remove her bad kidney; they added a healthy one. Price was a 29-year-old working at ECU as the finance coordinator for Project HEART, a program that aids at-risk students, when a routine checkup revealed her kidneys were only functioning at 21%. “It was a shock. Anytime anything happens in your life that is that life-changing, you can’t go back and be the person you were before,” Price says. Kidney disease often has no symptoms in its early stages and can go undetected until it is very advanced. Yet each year, kidney disease kills more people than breast or prostate cancer, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Kidneys work 24 hours a day to filter toxins out of the body. When kidneys fail, people need dialysis to filter their blood artificially. Price’s doctor was proactive about putting her on the transplant list. But she would eventually need to go on dialysis before receiving a new kidney, a process that required hours-long treatments multiple times a week. The ordeal pushed her to try meditation. “Meditation was a way to mentally handle dialysis, because at that point I felt like life was happening without me,” she says. Thankfully, Price’s cousin was a match for her transplant, and her body took to the new kidney immediately with no problems, she says. During her recovery, she started doing yoga in addition to meditation. “I wanted to do everything possible to maintain my health. It’s a gift that I want to protect and honor,” Price says. Eventually, she became a yoga teacher, with the goal of bringing yoga to populations who need it, such as those on dialysis and in the transplant community. Price teaches virtual classes at YogiVibes Studio in Greenville and has her own subscription-based platform with a library of online classes. As an advocate for health and transplant awareness, Price is a North Carolina advisory board member for the National Kidney Foundation. During the pandemic, she taught breathwork and meditation classes for the organization. “A lot of people think meditation is about stopping your thinking, but it’s really just lessening the tabs on your mental computer,” she says.

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Pro tip to beginning meditation: Start by counting your breath. Try to breathe in for a count of four and exhale for a count of four. Repeat. You can also try using an anchor phrase or mantra. During the pandemic, Price used “I am (inhale) safe (exhale).”

She is also the minority liaison for North Carolina Transplant Athletes, which is “just like the Olympics, but all the athletes have had transplants,” she says. The biggest lesson she’s learned from her transplant experience is the importance of taking time for wellness. “Don’t wait for something to happen to take your health seriously,” she says.

About 18% of adults and 25% of children experience anxiety. Maylee Vazquez ’17 knows that access to mental health is vital. She’s a licensed counselor and assistant professor of school counseling at North Carolina A&T State University. As a first-generation college student, “it took a village to get me through school,” Vazquez says. “School counselors made college seem within my reach, and there were people at ECU who took me under their wing. I realized that I wanted to do that for others, too, and support those students who had to go through the same trials and situations I did.” Research shows untreated children with anxiety disorders are at higher risk to perform poorly in school, miss out on important social experiences and engage in substance abuse. Vazquez specifically focuses on equity access in education, Latinx family functioning and community development, and ethnic and minority issues.

It took a village to get me through school. ... I realized that I wanted to do that for others, too, and support those students who had to go through the same trials and situations I did.

We’re getting better at understanding mental health. The pandemic increased awareness, Vazquez says. “The stigma isn’t completely gone, but the pandemic made people realize how much mental health really affects them.” We’re realizing school isn’t what it used to be. “Issues with race, ethnicity, rights, feeling safe at school – students are going to want to talk about the things they see happening in their community,” Vazquez says. “Our focus is on making sure students are able to be successful and to address things that don’t necessarily happen in the classroom but affect their work in school. Counselors are there to be their advocate.” We’re recognizing the importance of setting healthy boundaries. “A lot of times when we say self-care, we imagine extravagant bubble baths or candles, but mental health and taking care of yourself means setting boundaries and doing mundane things to make sure you get through the day,” Vazquez says. Her advice: It’s OK to say no. “One boundary I have with my students is give me two days to email you back.”

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There was a need that wasn’t being met here. There’s no other physical therapist in my town,” she says. “The elderly community especially has been very vocal about being appreciative.

“There was a need that wasn’t being met here. There’s no other physical therapist in my town,” she says. “The elderly community especially has been very vocal about being appreciative.” Patients most often come to Hernandez with back pain, hip pain or concerns about balance and falling. The myth: If you use your body too much, it will wear out. “That’s a misconception. The body responds positively to exercise and movement and physical work. It’s designed to do those things,” Hernandez says. What it’s not designed to do? Too much sitting, too much working in front of the computer or too much sitting in a car during long commutes.

Kristin Hernandez ’11, founder and owner of Align Physical Therapy in Milbridge, Maine, says she learned so much in her first job at a practice in rural North Carolina. After moving to Maine and opening her own practice, she continued to serve a rural population.

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The reality: Keep track of your symptoms and know when to get help. “What I typically say to patients experiencing discomfort is to continue with life as usual. Most issues will resolve themselves in four to six weeks,” Hernandez says. She suggests going for a walk or trying light stretching. “See how your body responds. If the pain is persistent and interfering with your life, it’s time to get some physical therapy help,” she adds. The advice: Wellness is making small decisions every day. “When you do that over a lifetime, that’s how you stay well into your senior years,” she says.

Growing up, Caroline Woolard ’15 was interested in how food impacted our bodies and how it supported wellness. But when she started studying nutrition at ECU, her interest turned into obsession. “I was struggling with wanting to control everything — trying to weigh and measure, track calories and be restrictive in a hypervigilant way,” she says. The restriction would trigger binge episodes, when she’d consume thousands of calories in one sitting. “Then I would feel completely out of control with food. With bingeing would come a lot of shame and guilt,” Woolard says. Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States. For Woolard, a healthier way was accessible through therapy and pottery. As an apprentice at The Village Potters Clay Center in Asheville, Woolard works in the studio loading kilns, mixing glazes and getting mentorship from master potters. “One of the first classes I took in Asheville was making your own dinnerware. When I started using it to eat my meals, it was really grounding and brought joy to that experience of eating, which was painful in the past,” she says. “It really encouraged me to slow down and appreciate the food, because the pottery was creating this almost sacred ritual.” Woolard sells her pottery online, and hopes her handmade cups, bowls and plates encourage others to eat mindfully and with joy instead of fear. “It’s coming to eating from a place of gratitude and a source of nutrition rather than punishment and restriction,” Woolard says. Pottery has taught her to let go of that need for control, too. “You never know what is going to happen in the kiln,” she says. “Clay does what it wants to do.”

Pro tip to eat more mindfully: Whenever you sit down to enjoy your food, spend time taking in the colors, smells, textures and flavors. Try to avoid distractions like eating in front of the TV, and consider taking three deep breaths before starting the meal.

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Occupational therapist Sam Pasour ’96 has spent 25 years at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville helping people regain independence and function after injury. His specialty is hand injuries. “I like to work with hands because your upper extremities are so useful. If something happens to one of your hands and you can’t use it, it really affects your daily function. How do you take the cap off the toothpaste? How do you tie your shoes? I love watching the healing process,” he says.

Pro tip for wellness during COVID-19: Don’t be afraid to go to your doctors. Yes, you may have to wear a mask and have your temperature checked, but if you’ve been putting something off, my advice is go see your doctor.

Favorite patient story: Two years ago, there was a young girl who was attacked by a shark at Atlantic Beach. She had a lot of trauma and ended up losing her leg and a few fingers. I worked with her for over a year through multiple surgeries. Initially, I helped with wound care, then made splints for her hands to position her fingers in an anatomically good place. Once she healed enough, we worked on range of motion in those fingers and on learning how to use some adaptive equipment like elastic shoelaces and special handles for hairbrushes so she could hold them better. Eventually, she could do things like put makeup on by herself again or open the clasp on a bracelet. She is probably the most courageous and determined person I have ever worked with. Now she has near-normal use of both her hands. To have the opportunity to work with her holds a special place in my heart. To help her and her family go through that process was really special.

Krista Bird ’19, a pediatric dietitian and nutritionist at Atrium Health Levine Children’s in Charlotte, is dedicated to keeping children healthy. She loves seeing kids every day and helping care for them. “The nutrition program at ECU is the reason why I’m here today at my dream job,” she says. What I see on the job: “At Levine Children’s outpatient center, all the kids I see have some sort of gastrointestinal disorder,” Bird says. “That might mean they have a feeding difficulty or trouble swallowing or are not gaining enough weight. I make sure they get enough nutrition to grow adequately.” My advice for parents: “Variety is key. A lot of kids get in a rut eating the same few foods. That’s not providing them with a full, nutritionally complete diet,” Bird says. “A child needs to try a food almost 20 times before they know if they like it or not. I always push parents to try, try, try.” What I eat for breakfast: “At home, I’ll eat eggs or avocado toast and berries. If I’m on the go, I like chia seed pudding with peanut butter,” she says.

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The nutrition program at ECU is the reason why I’m here today at my dream job.

Michael McGilvary ’11 serves as a financial advisor and partner at Marzano Capital Group in Clemmons. He offers a few steps you can take today to alleviate financial stressors. With all this talk about your mind and body, don’t forget about your wallet. If your finances are not in order, it can have a direct impact on your overall well-being. In a national survey, 48% of U.S. adults reported losing sleep, at least occasionally, about a money issue in the last year. Step 1. Have a conversation with someone you trust. “A financial advisor should help broaden your horizons when it comes to investment education and knowing your options. Moreover, they can help you come up with a plan to help your dollars work harder for you,” says McGilvary. Step 2. Do something on a systematic basis. “Even just $50 or $100 a month adds up over time. Just get started. Crumbs make biscuits,” he says. Step 3. Get the best return on your investment. “In my opinion, the best way to pursue return potential on your dollar in today’s low interest rate environment is by investing in the stock market,” he says.

A financial advisor should help broaden your horizons when it comes to investment education and knowing your options. Moreover, they can help you come up with a plan to help your dollars work harder for you.

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Brent Carpenter, left, and Stephen Anderson sail on the Pamlico River as part of a new adaptive sailing program at ECU.

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STORY BY JULES NORWOOD

in Their A NEW PARTNERSHIP HELPS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES GET ON THE WATER It’s a picture-perfect afternoon on the

Pamlico River as Brent Carpenter wheels himself down the ramp onto a floating dock where a sailboat waits, tugging gently at its lines in the light breeze.

Carpenter, 39, lost most of the use of his arms and legs after breaking

his neck diving into a pool 15 years

ago. A wakeboarding and watersports enthusiast before the accident, he is

now a participant in an adaptive sailing program led by Cari Autry of East

Carolina University’s Department of Recreation Sciences.

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From left, Stephen Anderson and Cari Autry work with Brent Carpenter on ECU’s sailing simulator.

We’re teaching people with physical disabilities how to sail and then measuring quality of life. And then we’re also looking at some other physical benefits.

– Cari Autry, Department of Recreation Sciences

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Participants start learning to sail in the lab using a virtual reality sailing simulator nicknamed Bonny after the pirate Anne Bonny. The simulator is one of only three in the country and is in Autry’s sailing simulation lab on campus. “We’re teaching people with physical disabilities how to sail and then measuring quality of life,” Autry says. “And then we’re also looking at some other physical benefits” such as strength, balance and the benefits of sailing as a nature-based activity for people with physical disabilities. Carpenter waits patiently as Autry, along with Stephen Anderson, adjunct professor and certified sailing instructor, and graduate student Jennifer Savage rig a hoist that will lower him from the dock into the sailboat, a Martin 16, which is specially designed with adaptive features to allow people with physical disabilities to sail. Autry and Anderson, who brought the simulator with them when they came to ECU from Miami in 2018, didn’t expect to be standing on the dock sending one of the virtual reality sailing simulation participants out on the water in an actual sailboat. “The dream was to be able to have something on the water,” Autry says, but she could never have imagined the partnership that brought it about. A connection at ECU put Autry in touch with Kevin Clancy and David Norwood of Little Washington Sailing School in 2019. The sailing school operates from a dock on the waterfront in Washington just a half-hour’s drive from ECU, and Norwood knew Jon and Robin Kenney, the owners of the Martin 16.

Jon, a lifelong sailor, had a stroke in 2008. “It was about two years of really intense rehab just to get to where he could walk again,” Robin says. Eventually he was able to participate in therapeutic horseback riding, and then he found out about the Martin 16. The 16-foot boat is designed with several features that make it ideal for disabled sailors. It is very stable, with a 300-pound bulb on the keel that makes it nearly impossible to capsize, and foam flotation in the hull makes it unsinkable, even when flooded. The steering and the sails can all be controlled from the helm seat, and a second seat behind the helmsperson allows an instructor or assistant to help as necessary. After sailing a Martin 16 in a regatta in San Diego, Jon fell in love with the boat, Robin says. They ordered one and had it shipped to Bend, Oregon, where they lived at the time. Robin — not a sailor, she points out — is learning how to sail the boat with Jon, and they brought it along when they moved to Chocowinity, just across the river from Washington. “It gives him the freedom that he likes and control; he can manage things,” she says. “And for us it’s something to do together.” But they always wanted to share the boat with others, she says, for it to be a community benefit. So when they heard from Norwood and then talked with Autry and Anderson about the adaptive sailing program at ECU, it seemed like a natural fit. The Kenneys were happy to allow the use of the boat, the sailing school installed a ramp with railings to provide wheelchair access to the dock, and Autry got a grant for a hoist to lift people into the boat. “The stars lined up,” Autry says. “All of these people are just wonderful. … It’s a perfect partnership.” While Autry runs the lab and leads the program, Anderson serves as the main instructor and covers a standard U.S. Sailing curriculum with the participants. They learn terminology and techniques in the simulator, and now they can apply what they’ve learned on the water.

Jon and Robin Kenney let ECU use their Martin 16 sailboat, equipped for use by people with disabilities.

“Today we’re going to sail to windward and round a mark; we’re going to take that mark to port,” he says. “Then we’re going to sail downwind to that leeward mark. We’ll do that a couple of times and then go around the other way, take it to starboard.” The terminology was all new to Carpenter when he started the program, he says. Ropes are lines and sheets; left and right are port and starboard. He has just enough use of his arms to steer the boat by wedging the backs of his hands on either side of a vertical steering mechanism called a whipstaff. “It’s a lot more challenging,” he says. “Somebody like me, I’ve always been into sports and always been up for a challenge. So it’s just a complete game changer. I was raised on the water, so anytime you’re out on the water, if you see me, you’ll probably see me smiling.” For Little Washington Sailing School, Clancy says it’s rewarding to get people out sailing. “With our mission at the sailing school being to get kids on the water, we’ve expanded that the last few years with an adult program and now the adaptive program,” he says. “We’re just trying to get people on the water, and the idea that this sailing simulator … would relocate to our area, to be able to use our docks and make this happen, it’s just perfect.” Autry’s research has shown benefits in quality of life and physical aspects using the sailing simulator, and she’s thrilled that it has worked out to get on the water. “Our participants don’t know anything about sailing (when they start),” she says. “They may have seen a sailboat, but they don’t think that would be anything for them. So it’s definitely eye opening, a confidence builder. They’re learning something new, something that they never thought they could be a part of. “And now we’re out on the water. Because of the constraints on people with physical disabilities, they often don’t have as much access to the outdoors.” Jon Kenney, whose speech has come a long way since his stroke, sums it all up with an expansive gesture at the boat, the people on the dock and the harbor. “This,” he says, “is very, very good.”

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East magazine

LOOKING

BACK at 9/11 and two decades in Afghanistan

STORY BY RICH KLINDWORTH AND CRYSTAL BAITY

2021 brought two significant events in America’s long-standing war on terror: The 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks that started the conflict, and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, one of the focal points of the war. John Hurley ’19 turned 21 the day terrorists flew commercial airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth airliner crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers revolted. A total of 2,977 people died as a result of those acts. Hurley was a U.S. Army nurse at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, about to graduate from nursing school that day. Instead, he and his fellow medical professionals went to work. “Washington D.C. was in hysterics at that point. People were just running away from their cars,” Hurley remembered recently. “There was a group of us out in front of the bus, literally picking up cars and moving them – shoving them out of the way, doing anything we could to try to navigate abandoned vehicles.” His group gathered at an overpass and started to head into the Pentagon in small teams. FOR MORE INFO

Hear more of Hurley’s story on the Talk Like a Pirate podcast at news.ecu.edu/talk-like-a-pirate.

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However, he doesn’t remember ever getting into the area near where the plane crashed, as sirens kept going off and they had to constantly retreat for any number of reasons, including the fear of another incoming plane. “There literally is – the majority of the day – that I just have no memory of,” Hurley said. “I remember this one guy with a – he had a big rag on his head, it was covered in blood. I think somebody found a foot. And that’s honestly it.” 9/11 would shape the next 20 years of Hurley’s life. He wanted to get into the battle. He found out what he had to do to become a Green Beret and started to check the boxes until he was eligible and ultimately accepted. “I joined the military. I was going to become a nurse, get out. It was a way I could get a good job. Now there was an attack on U.S. soil,” Hurley said. “If we were going over to war, I wanted to make my family proud, and I wanted to make my hometown proud; all of the misguided things, stories people read. Nothing better than running headlong into battle and then having somebody crying over your flag somewhere. So, I wanted that to be me.”

Dr. John Hurley ’19 was an Army special forces officer during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Navy Reservist Pat Frede was called up to active duty in Afghanistan, serving with a Female Engagement Team in the Helmand Province, where she said children were intrigued by female service members. She also worked with male translators while serving in Kabul.

Hurley’s career in special operations would lead to multiple deployments over the next 10 years. Several would be to Afghanistan. Hurley said the country was beautiful despite the war. After serving, he enrolled in medical school at ECU and is completing residency training in emergency medicine in Florida. He supports the decision to leave the country. “What is happening right now is exactly what would have happened if we would have done this 10 years ago. It’s what would have happened if we would leave in 20 years,” Hurley said. “We needed to get out of there and let them do their thing.” In 2009-2010, ECU human resources staff member Pat Frede also served in Afghanistan as a Navy reservist. She was the noncommissioned officer in charge of support and an instructor at the counterinsurgency training center at Camp Julien in the Darulaman compound in Kabul. She was embedded with a female engagement team that traveled into Helmand province. “What I remember most is how friendly and kind the Afghan people were to us, especially the women and children,” Frede said. “Apparently it’s customary to treat your guests like VIPs.” She received beautiful gifts including head scarves and a hand-crafted jade ring. Because Frede was a woman, she was the only one allowed to meet the mother of her team’s translator in his home. “I have learned that for all the differences between American women and Afghan women, whether it’s working outside the home, who we

believe is our higher power or how we interact with members of the opposite sex, as women, we generally have one thing in common – to give a better life to our children and those entrusted to our care,” Frede said. Before her deployment, Frede knew there were many cultural differences between Western and Muslim women and wasn’t sure what to expect. She also wondered how Afghan men would react to her. “I learned that whether women are carrying weapons or not, they are seen as caregivers more so than as a threat, in general,” Frede said. Keeping women safe is a concern, because sexual violence is directly related to ethnic conflict and fighting factions, Frede said. Rape was a systemic problem during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. “It remains to be seen how the (U.S.) withdrawal will impact human as well as women’s rights,” she said. After nearly 12 years, Frede said she has lost touch with most everyone from Afghanistan, except for her translator, who now lives in the U.S. She asked him recently about the country’s future with the U.S. military withdrawal. He believes the U.S. will find itself involved in Afghanistan again because of the terrorism that’s still there. He added that the support of the international community paved the way for Afghan women – such as one of his sisters – to go to school and establish careers, and that democracy couldn’t be maintained because the younger generation was not powerful enough to overcome older tribal leaders. Frede’s latest deployment has taken her to Djibouti, a small country on the Horn of Africa, where the United States and several other nations have military bases. On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, her base hosted several events at Camp Lemonnier. The memorial ceremony included the playing of the U.S. and Djibouti national anthems, a flyover by an allied partner nation, a reading of each person’s name who was killed on 9/11 and a viewing of footage from the day. “I was a reservist back then as well, and we all knew that the world was going to change. None of us knew how much,” she said. east.ecu.edu

East magazine

STUDENT SNAPSHOT

Doug Thomas

Hometown: Goldsboro Major: Entrepreneurship and sports studies Career goals: Launch his compact martial arts kit and run a martial arts studio

One could say the entrepreneurial itch for Doug Thomas began 30 years ago when he started martial arts training. That was nine years into a 26-year Air Force career. Upon retiring from the service in 2008, he landed in Goldsboro and began working at AT&T. A couple of years ago, he learned about the entrepreneurship certificate offered by the Miller School of Entrepreneurship and College of Business. He thought it would help him launch an idea that had been kicking around in his head since 2017. “I tend to train with martial arts weapons a lot,” said Thomas, a second-degree black belt in four different styles. “Since I teach and train in different locations, I have to carry my gear bag around with me, and it’s real heavy because of all the weapons I use.” His idea led to a compact kit that could store 25 different weapons. He developed prototypes and

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pitched them in the annual Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge. In the recent Overton Pitch Competition, Thomas’ martial arts compact kit idea won $6,000 to invest in the business, the most handed out at the competition. Thomas has participated in entrepreneurial programs such as RiseUp Academy, Accelerate Rural NC and I-Corps and been active in campus organizations such as the COB’s Peer Mentor Group, which serves firstyear business students. Then another entrepreneurial opportunity landed at his feet. “My (martial arts) instructor indicated to me that he was planning on turning his school over to me,” said Thomas. “All these opportunities popped up and kind of changed my life.” – Michael Rudd

School of Theatre and Dance students Camden Hare, left, and Lauren Moore perform during a Nov. 15 dress rehearsal for “Head Over Heels,” featuring music from the Go-Go’s. The ECU/Loessin Playhouse returned to celebrate its 60th season in 2021-2022 after being sidelined due to COVID.

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PIRATE NATION

Raise Your Eye-Q

THE TIKTOK DOC WILL SEE YOU NOW

TikTok celebrity Makall Lauren had a contact lens stuck in her eye. The college student posted a teary video about her dilemma on the popular social media platform asking for help. Dr. Brittani Carver-Schemper ’96 answered her plea. The Fayetteville-based optometrist demonstrated how to remove the contact lens, and unknowingly created a viral video in the process. On the TikTok app, creators make a variety of short videos on everything from dance moves to cooking hacks to makeup tutorials. It is also increasingly a place to educate their audiences. For CarverSchemper, it’s ideal for teaching people about eye health. Carver-Schemper, who uses the name @bettervision (the same as her practice) on TikTok, has 10.6 million account likes and 250,000 followers. She initially heard about TikTok from her kids and started making videos about a year and a half ago. “It was slow at first, and a lot of trial and error. When I hit 10,000 followers, I was so surprised,” Carver-Schemper said. “Now some people come into the practice having found us on TikTok.” In her videos, she posts about multiple topics, including what to expect at an eye exam, common eye issues and how not to apply eyeliner (tip: avoid your waterline). “My favorite part is getting messages from people all over the world. They’re asking questions, and maybe don’t have proper eyecare where they are,” she said. Before she became an optometrist, Carver-Schemper thought she was going to be a pediatrician. As a senior studying pre-med at ECU, she decided that career path wasn’t what she wanted.

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Dr. Brittani Carver-Schemper ’96

1) Get your eyes examined. I see patients all the time who haven’t had an exam in 10 to 15 years. Even if you have good vision or don’t need glasses, it’s very important to still get a health check.

2) Watch for dry eyes. With the amount of computer work we’re doing these days, dry eyes are a big issue. Many people have severe damage to their oil glands, but wouldn’t know it until they come in.

3) Eat healthy and exercise. What’s good for your body is good for your eyes.

“I felt lost. I went to my guidance counselor and she suggested going to an intro session to learn more about optometry. I went to that meeting and ended up shadowing a local optometrist in my hometown,” she said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t walked in that guidance counselor’s office that day.” Now Carver-Schemper is using her eye expertise to help and educate others. A bonus? “My kids think it’s awesome,” Carver-Schemper said of her TikTok popularity. “I ask them, ‘Are you sure I’m not embarrassing you?’ They’re 12 and 16, and they say they’re proud of me.” — Erin Ward

Germany 1971 FIFTY YEARS AFTER A STUDY-ABROAD EXPERIENCE IN GERMANY, A GROUP OF ECU ALUMNI GOT TOGETHER TO TALK AND REMEMBER “It changed my DNA,” said Pamela Murphy, describing the life-changing experience of living and studying in 1971-72 at East Carolina’s European Study Center in Bonn.

The experimental program, operating through ECU from 1971 to 1973, hosted 39 American students the first year and 46 in the second. We came from all parts of North Carolina, multiple universities and divergent backgrounds to live and study at a historic manor on the banks of the Rhein River, called Haus Steineck. Seven ECU professors rotated through the program on a quarterly basis, providing instruction on all aspects of Europe, including history, political science, geography, economics, business, sociology, language, art and music. We earned ECU college credit and a minor in European studies. Two of us lived with German families and commuted daily. The most memorable aspect was travel throughout Europe. We traveled as a group – mostly by bus – to various cities, including London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Moscow, Paris, Luxembourg, Madrid, Barcelona and Vienna. Many students traveled independently over long weekends and quarter breaks.

FOR MORE INFO

ECU student group meeting with Peter Kraemer, the Bürgermeiste (mayor) of Bonn in September 1971.

The program was the brainchild of Hans Indorf, a native of Germany and ECU associate professor of political science, who served as resident director. Indorf also acted as parent, confidant and advisor, encouraging our growth, listening to our problems and chiding us for bad behavior when necessary. “For me, a shy, naïve girl who had rarely been out of North Carolina, it was beyond my wildest dreams,” said Debby Mitchell Jennings ’73. “The experience opened my eyes to the importance of travel and experiencing other cultures.” “We visited so many museums, and I – all of us – were exposed to so many of the great art masters from Rubens to Rembrandt, and El Greco to Titian,” said Paul Dulin ’73, ’76. “To this day, I still enjoy visiting museums.” Two marriages resulted. Beverly Eubank Ayscue ’73, who met and later married fellow participant Gene Ayscue ’73 (now deceased), said: “The Haus Steineck experience was like a yearlong initiation rite into adulthood. I met

some of the most important people in my life there.” Many of us have kept in touch and participated in reunions every few years. We renew friendships, retell old stories and catch up on news of families and careers. After the COVID pandemic altered our plans to celebrate our 50th anniversary in Europe, a small group gathered in October at a beach house in Nags Head. At the 50-year mark, we look back on our “Camelot” year with a deep sense that we experienced what it means to be a citizen of the world, “and not just an American,” as Sheila Nicholson Morehead said. Our unofficial theme song sums it nicely: “Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end.” — Gail Benge Kent

Editor’s note: Kent was part of the 197172 study-abroad group. She attended ECU and then transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

From wedding, engagement and birth announcements to job promotions, creative projects, travel and fun, learn what’s happening in the professional and personal lives of East Carolina University® alumni.

More recollections and photos are available online at east.ecu.edu

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PIRATE SPIRIT

Overcoming it all

NO MATTER WHAT, JOHNSON KEEPS COMING BACK

Raven Johnson

Year: Graduate student Major: Kinesiology Hometown: Lilburn, Georgia For a basketball guard who’s constantly busy, Raven Johnson’s injuries forced her to slow down.

On Sept. 30, 2020, she tore her ACL in practice, missing her senior year. The previous year, the AAC All-Academic Team member received a medical hardship redshirt after injuring her knee early in ECU’s season. Then, the unimaginable: Her father died. “It was a rough time when I didn’t have basketball as an outlet. Everything was hitting me all at once. I had never been so still in my entire life,” Johnson said. When the NCAA granted another year of eligibility because of the pandemic, Johnson decided to return. FOR MORE INFO

See more about Raven Johnson at youtu.be/MAOpVvBY7LA

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“Personally, I wouldn’t have wanted to quit, and I know my dad wouldn’t have wanted me to quit,” she said. Her parents, Carolyn and James Johnson, were college student-athletes who got their children involved in sports at an early age. “Growing up, I watched him sacrifice a lot just so I could play and my siblings could play,” Raven said. “He always wanted me to be the best that I could be.” Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology with a minor in nutrition in 2020. She is pursuing a master’s in kinesiology with a concentration in sport and exercise psychology — an emerging career specialty — and certificate in sport management. While rehabilitating, Johnson supported her teammates. “Whatever positive energy I have, I try to make sure I use that to give it to someone else and help fill them up a little bit,” she said.

WHATEVER POSITIVE ENERGY I HAVE, I TRY TO MAKE SURE I USE THAT TO GIVE IT TO SOMEONE ELSE AND HELP FILL THEM UP A LITTLE BIT. Women’s head coach Kim McNeill said she’s excited to have Johnson back, one of four graduate students on the team. “With everything that Raven’s gone through, I don’t know that there’s too many people — not just athletes — that could get up and have a smile on their face every day and come out here and try to get through it,” McNeill said. “I think it shows the younger kids that you can do it, regardless of what walls or adversity you might hit, that you are strong enough to push through.” – Crystal Baity

5 minutes with

JON MCLAMB ’92 By Doug Boyd

Position: Founder and president of CourtHarbor Degree: Leisure systems studies Hometown: Lexington, North Carolina

“CourtHarbor is the creator of patented, free-standing tennis court dividers that provide more enjoyable tennis by reducing the number of ‘lets’ (interrupted play) during tennis matches and serve as a unique, firstof-its-kind on-court branding tool. The idea for the court dividers came from being on the tennis court one day and seeing multiple tennis balls spread across two courts along the back fence and thinking there had to be a more effective way. CourtHarbor now offers a full line of custom logo court products for tennis and pickleball that includes custom court number signs, net signs, scorekeepers, windscreens and pickleball court dividers. “Know your ‘why’ and never lose sight of it. Reminding yourself of your why is often the encouragement and motivation you need most, particularly during the most challenging days. Make your vision and your why that drives your vision bigger than you or any one individual.

“Life Paths is a personal development program for high school students as part of CourtHarbor’s giveback initiative, Ad Love. The central theme of the program is ‘What Would I Tell My High School-Age Self?’ and consists of local professionals from various career fields sharing their knowledge and insight with students in a roundtable format. (Watch them at bit.ly/3BBdMjd.)

We want to hear stories from alumni about how their experiences at ECU shaped them today and how they pass those lessons to others. Send us an email at easteditor@ecu.edu.

“The discipline and perseverance I learned as a member of the men’s tennis team had a tremendous and lasting impact on me personally and professionally. The relationships with my coaches, teammates and friends at ECU are some of the greatest of my life that will never be forgotten.”

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ARTS

EVENTS

ON CAMPUS

EXHIBITS

Voyages of Discovery

Proctor-Yongue Gallery

Jill Heinerth is one

The College of Fine Arts and Communication is now a First Friday Art Walk

of the world’s premier

stop, hosting closing receptions for exhibitions. Billed as “Art Jams,” they

underwater explorers and

feature art on the inside and programming on the front porch of the Proctor-

the first person to dive is the first Explorer-in-

Duggan Bickley-Green, exhibition and reception Feb. 4, 5 to 8 p.m.; close up with “Zulu and Zot,” Sue Luddeke’s illustrations for her forthcoming

Residence of the Royal

book, exhibition and reception March 4, 5 to 8 p.m.; and new work by

Canadian Geographical

professor Audrey

inside iceberg caves. She

Yongue House. Spring events feature new work by professors Gabe

and Cynthia

Kilgore, exhibition and reception April 1, 5 to 8 p.m.

Society, and she is the inaugural recipient of the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration and Canada’s Polar Medal. Said filmmaker James Cameron, “More people have walked on the

ON STAGE

moon than have been to some of the places

S. Rudolph Alexander Performing Arts Series

Jill Heinerth has gone right here on earth.” She

For this 50th anniversary

wrote a bestselling book, Into the Planet – My

celebration, Pilobolus questions

Life as a Cave Diver, and speaks at East Carolina

its own “givens,” turns its

University as part of the Voyages of Discovery

traditions sideways and brings

Series on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at

its past into the future. As fresh

voyages.ecu.edu.

and vibrant as ever, Pilobolus puts the “Oh!” in “Big Five Oh!”

The second

and continues to morph its

Voyages event

way into audiences’ hearts and

of the spring

minds. Includes signature works

semester features

from vintage classics to setting

Robin Wall Kimmerer,

innovative work in shadow.

a mother, scientist,

Wright Auditorium.

Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in

decorated professor and

A cappella sensation Voctave has more than 150 million online views of their

enrolled member

videos. Their latest album, The Corner of Broadway & Main Street Vol. 2, debuted

of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the

at #3 on the iTunes charts. They’ll bring vocal magic to Wright Auditorium with

author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous

their arrangements of Broadway, popular and Disney showstoppers. March 6

Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the

at 4 p.m.

Teachings of Plants. As a writer and a scientist, Kimmerer’s interests in restoration include not

Master illusionist Vitaly has mystified fans across the globe, including superstars

only restoration of ecological communities, but

Penn & Teller on their hit TV show Fool Us. From bringing pictures and

restoration of our relationships to land. Register

drawings to life to erasing people from their own driver’s licenses, Vitaly’s

for this live-streaming event at bit.ly/3CeO70h.

illusions leave even the most jaded audience awestruck. See for yourself at

It is April 14 at 7 p.m.

Vitaly: An Evening of Wonders. March 17 at 7:30 p.m.

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An eclectic ensemble reveals their hidden passions, personalities and desires, bringing about unpredictable and hilarious consequences when The

Opera Locos

hit Wright Auditorum. Expect the virtuosic performance of operatic hits from The Magic Flute, The Barber of Seville, La Traviata, Turandot and more combined with wellknown rock and pop classics baked inside a layer cake of comedy. April 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Family Fare Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The bunny was very pleased with himself and for good reason: He was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then one day, on an ocean voyage, he went overboard. Author Kate DiCamillo takes you on an extraordinary journey from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle: how to love, to lose and to love again. ECU Storybook Theatre presents The Miraculous

Journey of Edward Tulane March 25 in Wright Auditorium and March 26 at Turnage Theatre in Washington.

ECU/Loessin Playhouse The School of Theatre and Dance welcomes audiences back to McGinnis Theatre for its 60th annual ECU/Loessin Playhouse Season. A Tony Award-winner for Best Musical Revival, Pippin tells the story of a young prince who sets out in search of the secret to happiness. Along the way, he finds happiness lies not in extraordinary endeavors but rather in the unextraordinary moments that happen every day. Feb. 23-26 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 26-27 at 2 p.m.

The Tannahill Weavers are Scottish music trailblazers who deploy tight harmonies and powerful, inventive arrangements that have won them fans from beyond the folk and Celtic music scenes. From reflective ballads to foot-stomping reels and jigs, their variety and range is matched only by their enthusiasm and Celtic spirit. April 7 at 7:30 p.m. It’s the world’s most unique two-person circus show! A fast-paced, high-energy show for all ages, they’ve been featured in Hugh Jackman’s hit movie, The Greatest Showman, the Tony Award-winning Pippin on Broadway, Britney Spears World Circus Tour and the movie Burlesque, to highlight just a few. Join

The Great Dubois, the award-winning combination of Michael DuBois and Viktoria Grimmy, for a spectacular evening of big-time big-top family fun. May 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Ticket information is at artscomm.ecu.edu/alexander-series.

Romeo and Juliet is the well-known tale of an age-old vendetta between two powerful families that erupts into bloodshed when two young lovers defy their fathers and attempt to bridge the gap between them. April 20-23 at 7:30 p.m. and April 23-24 at 2 p.m.

Spring Dance 2022 is filled with inspired fresh choreographic works by faculty, guest artists and a selected student choreographer. The diverse works in ballet, jazz, tap and contemporary genres celebrate creative expression within the art form and the community. March 23-26 at 7:30 p.m. and March 26-27 at 2 p.m. The Archie Burnette Studio Theatre presents Senior

Choreography on

April 30 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and May 1 at noon and 4 p.m. Tickets and live-steaming information are at theatredance.ecu.edu or available by calling 252-328-6829.

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East magazine

Horizons CHANGING LIVES, CHANGING COMMUNITIES By Erin Ward

Lukas Brown Why should alumni support scholarships? Hometown: Wallace Career goals: Become a radiologist

These scholarships help students like me to attend college and receive a degree. Then we can use our knowledge and education to give back to our communities.

Scholarships: The David and Angie Fussell Access Scholarship, The Golden LEAF Scholarship

Donor spotlight:

Major: Biology/pre-medicine

David Fussell Jr. What does receiving this scholarship mean to you? This scholarship means the world to me. This scholarship gave me the opportunity to attend East Carolina University and to further my education. I have always been fascinated with the science of how our body is made up and how it functions. This scholarship gave me the chance to make something great happen in my life to help others in my future medical career. The Fussells have done so much for our county and our state. I am thankful to Mr. and Mrs. Fussell for helping me reach my dreams.

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David Fussell Jr. ’90 is president of Duplin Winery, one of the largest wineries in the South. In addition to being an active donor, he serves on the ECU Foundation board and ECU board of trustees. The David and Angie Fussell Access Scholarship supports students from Duplin County who have academic potential but not the financial means to attend the university.

ecu.edu/give

GIFT CREATES Clockwise from top left, Tom Arthur received his MBA from ECU in 1971. His $5 million donation will support future business graduate students. The Bate Building, home of the College of Business. Arthur serving in Vietnam.

THOMAS D. ARTHUR GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

A $5 million gift from Tom Arthur ’71 to the East Carolina University College of Business will transform the school’s graduate program, which will be renamed the Thomas D. Arthur Graduate School of Business, and support student veterans and military personnel in the program.

“ECU has been very friendly to veterans. I wanted to make sure the College of Business would be military friendly,” said Arthur, an Army veteran with three combat valor awards, a Silver Star, Bronze Star “V” and Gallantry Cross. The donation is a $2.5 million cash commitment paired with an additional $2.5 million planned gift. Arthur made a previous $1 million gift to establish the Thomas D. Arthur Distinguished Professorship in Leadership in 2010. His cumulative giving is the largest of any donor to the college. “Over the years, Tom Arthur’s financial gifts have elevated our faculty, and his appearances at our annual Business Leadership Conference have inspired many students,” said Paul Schwager, dean of the College of Business. “With this new gift, his legacy will be imprinted on the many lives that turn to the College of Business to grow their personal career path.” Arthur grew up in Greenville, the son of a tobacco leaf processor. He went away to college, then into the Army, and in 1969 returned home after serving in Vietnam. He met with then-dean of the College of

Business, James Bearden, who convinced Arthur to join the new MBA program, “because if you can serve in the military, you’re a leader,” Arthur recalled. “He said, ‘I’m the dean and you’re in.’” Several years after graduating, Bearden tapped Arthur again to join him, this time on the board of the BB&T Center for Leadership Development. “That association with ECU was pivotal in getting me reconnected to the university. I saw firsthand the tremendous impact ECU had on eastern North Carolina, the entire state and region,” Arthur said. After completing his MBA, he became vice president of a Floridabased investment banking firm. Arthur then joined Havatampa Corp. in Tampa. In 1978, he formed a group to buy Havatampa’s cigar manufacturing business and grew it to the second-largest cigar maker in the U.S. During the nearly 20 years Arthur’s group owned Havatampa, annual sales increased from 160 million cigars to 1.2 billion. Arthur was a majority shareholder until the company’s sale in 1997. Since then, he’s been engaged in private investments through ASAP Capital Partners, his family financial firm, which his daughter Tready Smith runs. “It really says a lot about ECU that this is where his giving is going. I hope it will leverage others to see the university in a positive light,” Smith said. “I wanted to do something while I was alive and could see it and touch it,” he said. “The first best decision I made was go to into the military. The second was attending ECU. Those two things really prepared me for life.” – Erin Ward

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In Memoriam A LU M N I 1940s Verda “Tommie” Campbell ’44 of Raleigh, N.C., on April 17, 2021. Lona Hackenberg ’44 of Silver Spring, Md. on Sept. 21, 2021. Elizabeth Sutton ’41 of High Point, N.C., on Aug. 4, 2021. Christine Waters ’49 of North Charleston, S.C., on July 21, 2021.

1950s Johanna L. Allen ’59 of Wilmington, N.C., on March 14, 2021. Charles Atkinson Jr. ’59 of New Bern, N.C., on June 23, 2021. Ed Baldwin Jr. ’59 ’65 of Durham, N.C., on July 24, 2021. Jesse “Jack” Beamon ’57 of Cary, N.C., on March 21, 2021. Charles Bishop ’58 of North Myrtle Beach, S.C., on March 16, 2021. C.G. Boyd ’58 of Greensboro, N.C., on Feb. 10, 2021. Carolyn Brawley ’53 of West Palm Beach, Fla., on March 19, 2021. Janie Briley ’55 of Morehead City, N.C., on Feb. 26, 2021. Patricia Burgess ’56 of Kitty Hawk, N.C., on June 19, 2021. Elaine Smith Byrd ’58 of Murrysville, Pa., on March 22, 2021. Guelda Crouse ’57 ’62 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on July 18, 2021. Maurice Fleming ’58 ’60 of Palmetto Bay, Fla., on June 26, 2021. John L. Gray Jr. ’58 of Kinston, N.C., on July 30, 2021. Comer Griffin ’59 of Bath, N.C., on Aug. 27, 2021. Mary F. Harris ’54 of Madison, Ala., on Dec. 5, 2020. Tommy Jones ’58 of Greensboro, N.C., on May 10, 2021. Virginia W. Kennedy ’54 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on May 13, 2021. Annette MacRae ’51 ’52 ’75 ’84 of Tarboro, N.C., on April 30, 2021. Louise S. McLawhorn ’50 of Snow Hill, N.C. on Aug. 23, 2021. Rachael Modlin ’52 of Ahoskie, N.C., on July 10, 2021. Lessie Newton ’50 of Jacksonville, N.C., on July 12, 2021. Katherine Rhue ’58 of Mebane, N.C., on March 12, 2021. Delia “Dee” Perkins ’53 of Virginia Beach, Va., on May 6, 2021. Carolyn Rice ’59 of Shelby, N.C., on March 1, 2021. Percy E. Rogerson ’56 of Pinehurst, N.C., on Aug. 9, 2021. Shirley Webber ’57 of Melbourne, Fla., on April 11, 2021. Patsy White ’58 ’62 of Wilson, N.C., on April 3, 2021. Dorine R. Williams ’58 of Albertson, N.C., on June 3, 2021. Dr. Pinkey Young ’59 of High Point, N.C., on July 9, 2021.

1960s Jerold “Jerry” Allen ’68 of Williamsburg, Va., on April 14, 2021. Thomas Arthur ’66 of Wilmington, N.C., on June 10, 2021. John Barnes ’65 of Cashtown, Pa., on Sept. 19, 2021. Richard Barnes ’65 ’70 of Denver, N.C., on Sept. 18, 2021. Barbara Boroughs ’64 of Winter Park, Fla., on Sept. 17, 2021. Henry Vann Britt of Raleigh, N.C., on June 21, 2021. Edward L. Correll Jr. of Los Angeles, Calif., on Sept. 2, 2021. Andrew “Marty” Davis ’64 of Montgomery, Texas, on Feb. 9, 2021. Robert W. Dowd ’69 of Brandon, Miss., on June 3, 2021. Mary-French Evans ’63 ’64 of Greenville, N.C., on May 25, 2021. Daisy Fowler ’65 of Lewisville, N.C., on July 8, 2021. James Grant Gordon ’60 of Belmont, N.C., on Aug. 21, 2021. Cynthia Haar ’62 of Bath, N.C., on Feb. 27, 2021. Bobby Hathaway ’63 of Raleigh, N.C., on June 16, 2021. Paul Hersch ’66 of Washington, D.C., on March 12, 2021. Carolyn Perkins Howe ’66 of Holt, Mich., on March 27, 2021. Carolyn Hurley ’63 of Salisbury, N.C., on July 19, 2021. Charles R. Jenkins ’66 ’67 ’68 of Laurinburg, N.C., on Aug. 27, 2021. Joseph Liner Jr. ’60 of Virginia Beach, Va., on May 20, 2021. Thomas Lilly ’69 of Cross Roads, Texas, on April 4, 2021. Robert Ormand ’69 of Connelly Springs, N.C., on April 24, 2021. Elton Lee Newbern ’63 ’66 of Enfield, N.C., on Nov. 13, 2020. Evelyn D. Renshaw ’65 of Fincastle, Va., on June 9, 2021. Nora Short ’65 of Hanover, Va., on Feb. 25, 2021. Florida Smith ’64 of Trent Woods, N.C., on April 10, 2021. George F. South III ’63 of Hertford, N.C., on June 22, 2021. Catherine Speight ’61 of Rocky Mount, N.C., on Sept. 12, 2021. Willis “Bill” Sullivan ’65 of Maxton, N.C., on June 12, 2021. Sarah Swindle ’60 of Birmingham, Ala., on March 3, 2021. Donald Thompson ’64 ’67 of Morehead City, N.C., on Feb. 7, 2021. Betty T. Williams ’67 of Angier, N.C., on June 24, 2021. George I. Woodall ’65 of Chapel Hill, N.C., on June 9, 2021.

1970s Barry S. Bailey ’75 ’78 of New Orleans, La., on Sept. 1, 2021. Dr. Richard Bradner ’73 of Charlotte, N.C., on July 28, 2021. Linda S. Byrd ’79 of Kinston, N.C., on May 20, 2021. Kester Carrow ’75 ’82 of Washington, N.C., on Sept. 5, 2021. William “Blake” Comby ’76 of Conover, N.C., on Sept. 18, 2021. Denis Craig ’74 of Alameda, Calif., on March 15, 2021. Kim Dougherty ’79 of Kill Devil Hills, N.C., on April 15, 2021. Lynda Earp ’71 ’78 of White Lake, N.C., on Sept. 4, 2021. Thomas S. Edwards ’70 of Pittsboro, N.C., on May 22, 2021. Susan Fackrell ’78 of Galax, Va., on Aug. 14, 2021. Mary Gargus ’70 of Spring, Texas, on Aug. 20, 2021. Steve Hale ’79 of Columbus, Ga., on March 4, 2021.

Remembering two early supporters of a medical school at ECU The youngest of 14 children, Glenn Jernigan ’61 learned early on how to get along with people to get things done. From 1971 to 1982, he served in the N.C. House and N.C. Senate and co-sponsored legislation to create the ECU School of Medicine. Jernigan was an ECU trustee from 1977 to 1979 and served the university as a member of the College of Education Professional Advisory Board and chairman of the Pirate Club. He received the Outstanding Alumni award in 1982. In the 1980s, he chaired the state Employment Security Commission. He retired from his lobbying Glenn Jernigan ’61 firm, Glenn Jernigan and Associates, in 2017. Friends and family noted that perhaps more than anything, Jernigan loved meeting and talking with people. “If he took you to a Pirates game, you needed to pack your bags,” said nephew Frank Maynard at Jernigan’s funeral. “As good as the outing was, it was a nine-hour experience, particularly if we ate two full meals at Parker’s Barbecue and the Pirates won.” Jernigan died Sept. 3 in his hometown of Fayetteville. He was 82. Another doer, Dr. Bill McConnell of Greenville, died Aug. 10. He was 92. McConnell was the first interventional radiologist in eastern North Carolina and Dr. Bill McConnell chair of Eastern Radiologists. He was part of a group of 41 community and medical leaders who were instrumental in establishing the ECU School of Medicine in Greenville. He and his wife, Dr. Mary Raab, were awarded the Chancellor’s Amethyst in 2017 for their endowment efforts and contributions to the school, hospital and community. Through the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation, they established the Drs. Mary and Spencer Raab Distinguished Professorship in Medical Oncology and the R. William McConnell, MD, Medical Student Scholarship Endowment, in addition to supporting numerous other initiatives around campus. 50

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Murrell Hightower ’77 of St. Simons Island, Ga., on March 28, 2021. William Huffman ’71 ’74 of Flagstaff, Ariz., on March 22, 2021. Paul W. Kelly ’71 of Boynton Beach, Fla., on Aug. 30, 2021. Paul Klaine ’74 of Statesville, N.C., on Sept. 8, 2021. Deborah Landers ’75 of Fairview, N.C., on Aug. 18, 2021. Karen R. Lucas ’74 of Salisbury, N.C., on March 24, 2021. Don Maggio ’71 of Clovis, N.M., on Aug. 11, 2021. Sister Anita Maleski ’75 of Dunmore, Pa., on March 23, 2021. Sarah McKeever ’78 ’81 of Asheville, N.C., on July 4, 2021. Judy D. Osbourne ’73 of Stokesdale, N.C., on March 13, 2021. Susan S. Robbins ’77 ’83 of Penderlea, N.C., on June 8, 2021. Richard W. Scroggs ’76 of Swansboro, N.C., on Feb. 14, 2021. Betty D. Shackelford ’77 of Quinton, Va., on June 14, 2021. Jane Shoaf ’74 of Durham, N.C., on May 29, 2021. Thomas H. Sloan ’71 of Washington, N.C., on June 24, 2021. Jimmie Sue Smith ’72 of Warner Robins, Ga., on April 6, 2021. Ronald Turbyfill ’79 of Landis, N.C., on July 29, 2021. Donald Warren ’70 of Carolina Shores, N.C., on April 15, 2021. Olivia M. Wyrick ’79 of Greenville, N.C., on March 31, 2021.

1980s Woody R. Copeland ’81 ’83 of Merry Hill, N.C., on March 28, 2021. Eldred “Chip” Dudney ’87 of Chapel Hill, N.C., on March 25, 2021. Betty Gardner ’87 of Wilmington, N.C., on June 24, 2021. Vivian H. Ingram ’88 of King, N.C., on March 7, 2021. Stuart “Tom” Knoff ’85 of New York, N.Y., on Feb. 25, 2021. Deborah Anne Lambeth ’81 of Burlington, N.C., on March 29, 2021. Ashley Heath Peters ’85 of Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 7, 2021. Laurie Guthrie Woolard ’89 ’90 of Evans, Ga., on April 10, 2021.

1990s Peggy Denning ’95 of Goldsboro, N.C., on March 4, 2021. Stephen Gholson ’90 of Richlands, N.C., on March 25, 2021. Laura Gipson ’92 ’94 of Newport, N.C., on Jan. 4, 2021. Patricia A. Knott ’93 of East Laurinburg, N.C., on July 8, 2021. Ann Lemmons ’94 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on March 17, 2021. Mack Carlton Stocks ’98 of Louisville, Ky., on April 14, 2021. Patricia Workman ’92 of Charlottesville, Va., on April 12, 2021. Candice S. Yost ’95 of Newport News, Va., on Sept. 17, 2021.

2000s Dondi Duff Callaway ’03 of Callaway, Md., on April 11, 2021. Brett G. Ciccone ’04 of Fayetteville, N.C., on March 17, 2021. Kelly-Grier Ferguson Costin ’06 of Suffolk, Va., on March 19, 2021. Ted Overton ’02 of Aurora, N.C., on July 23, 2021. Regina Parker ’08 ’19 of Clinton, N.C., on June 5, 2021. Brian D. Pyle ’04 of Pittsburgh, Pa., on June 8, 2021.

2010s Nolan Sanders ’14 of Dudley, N.C., on March 27, 2020.

FA C U LT Y / S TA F F Robert Champlin (science education) of Holden, Mass., on Aug. 31, 2021. Charles Cullop (graduate school) of Milford, Ohio, on April 13, 2021. Adrienne Dunning (education) of Greenville, N.C., on July 5, 2021. Karen Elberson (nursing) of Cumming, Ga., on July 26, 2021. Judith Hepler (foreign languages) of Durham N.C., on April 12, 2021. Randy Howard (facilities services) of Chocowinity, N.C., on March 18, 2021. Kathy Jones (sociology) of Greenville, N.C., on July 23, 2021. Janet Kilpatrick (library services) of Ft. Barnwell, N.C., on March 9, 2021. Dr. Paul David Mozley (medicine) of Fairhope, Ala., on June 15, 2021. Tom Paul (physical education) of Statesboro, Ga., on Aug. 29. 2021. Eddie Payne (athletics) of Spartanburg, S.C., on July 7, 2021.

CONNECT WINTER 2022 VOLUME 20, NUMBER 1 East is produced by East Carolina University

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DueEast 11.11.21 ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers and a group of local, state and national officials, ECU trustees, faculty members and others cut the ribbon on the new $90 million Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building on Nov. 11. The facility, at the corner of 10th and Evans streets, will be home to the ECU Department of Biology and the new Eastern Region Pharma Center. It was funded through the $2 billion Connect NC Bond Referendum voters approved in 2016. Read more about the building in the Summer 2022 issue of East.

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