The Magazine of Elon, Winter 2009

Page 1

T H E

M A G A Z I N E

W I N T E R

2 0 0 9

O F


A crowning achievement As the sun began to set Jan. 15, a crane lifted a steeple onto the top of Lindner Hall, the latest addition to Elon’s campus. A copper dome and spire came next, capping the 39-foot structure. Clock faces on the north and south sides of the tower and eight windows on the steeple add to its beauty. Lindner Hall in the Academic Village is scheduled for completion this summer and will serve as the new headquarters of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences. The building is named for Carl and Martha Lindner, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who donated $2.5 million to the Ever Elon Campaign.


The Magazine of Elon Winter 2009, Vol. 71, no. 1

T H E

editor Jaleh Hagigh

M A G A Z I N E

O F

Designer Christopher Eyl news editor Eric Townsend Photographer grant Halverson copy editor Kristin Simonetti ’05 class notes Holley Berry Student writers Robert Hoppey ’09 Bethany Swanson ’09 Director of University relations Daniel J. Anderson The Magazine of Elon is published quarterly for alumni, parents and friends by the Office of University Relations. 336-278-7415

features

12 14

editorial offices The Magazine of Elon 2030 Campus Box Elon, nC 27244-2020 class notes Elon Office of University Relations 2030 Campus Box Elon, nC 27244 E-mail: alumniclassnotes@elon.edu

Board of trustees, chair Allen E. gant Jr., Burlington, n.C. national Alumni executive Board, President Bill Courtney ’86, Charlotte, n.C. Young Alumni council President Caroline Sage ’02, Atlanta, ga. Parents council, co-Presidents Bob & Kally Badavas P’09, needham, Mass.

By eriC townsend

The Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership prepares the next generation of innovators.

faculty Profile no Shrinking violet B y d av e h a rt

Angela Lewellyn Jones inspires students to take on society’s toughest challenges.

16

Alumni Profile Delivering hope By eriC townsend

elon web site www.elon.edu magazine web site www.elon.edu/magazine

embracing entrepreneurship

Obstetrician and educator Bill Herbert ’68 tackles high-risk pregnancies with skill and grace.

18 20

A Job well Done for 32 years, nan Perkins was a driving force behind Elon’s success, leading the communications, admissions and advancement divisions. following her retirement, Perkins reflects on Elon’s accomplishments.

Cover Story Fabulous at 0 By kristin simonetti ’05

forty years ago, Elon launched its study abroad program. Some things do get better with age.

Board of visitors, chair Alva S. Mcgovern ’72, Atlanta, ga. School of Law Advisory Board, chair David gergen, Cambridge, Mass. Love School of Business Advisory Board, chair Peter Tourtellot, greensboro, n.C.

Departments

School of communications Advisory Board, chair Don Bolden, Burlington, n.C. Phoenix club Advisory Board, chair Amy Thomas Hendrickson ’69, Raleigh, n.C. Director of Alumni relations Sallie Hutton ’92 Director of Parent Programs Maggie Byerly

2 10 26

ELON news PHOENIX Sports ALUMNI Action

30 40

CLASS notes MAKING A Difference


ELON News

Everything’s Gonna Be All Right Leo M. Lambert

A

couple of days ago my friend Jim Melvin, president of the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation and one of the founding fathers of the Elon University School of Law, told me he was inducting me into the EGBAR club, originally founded by Greensboro attorney and entrepreneur Sidney Stern. There were no dues or meetings, just a requirement to maintain a positive, optimistic attitude about the world. EGBAR is an acronym for “Everything’s Gonna Be All Right.” With the Dow hovering just about 8,000, dismal holiday sales, unemployment rising, and the real estate and financial markets a mess, maintaining an optimistic viewpoint takes a little effort. But as I have often commented, if you spend your days surrounded by 5,000 Elon students, you can’t help but think bright thoughts about the long term. Of course, in building next year’s budget and beyond, the university budget committee, the trustees and I do not have our heads in the sand. Like every household, business and institution, we are tightening our belts. But Elon’s financial situation is structurally different from those of the nation’s wealthiest, best-endowed universities, which have announced unprecedented budget cuts and hiring freezes due to dramatic downturns in their investment portfolios. Because of its modest endowment, Elon’s budget has always been built almost exclusively on tuition revenue. (This has always been the case at Elon, and with 58 percent of our alumni base in their 20s and 30s, this promises to remain so for at least a generation.) Fortunately,

2

Magazine of Elon

our application numbers for next fall remain robust, increasingly national in scope and of very high quality. Like all private institutions, we will work with extra care to reach our fall enrollment target. Thankfully, we are experiencing no unusual downturn in spring 2009 enrollment.

“Elon, which has often been compared to ‘The Little Engine That Could,’ will continue to move forward, to spend every dollar wisely and to work within a budget guided by the student- and learning-focused priorities of the campus.” In preparing next year’s budget, I have asked the budget committee to keep several important goals in mind: to protect academic quality and, to every extent feasible, continue to make strategic investments in the faculty, academic programs and the learning-focused mission of the campus; to recommend a smaller tuition, room and board increase than last year; to continue to expand need-based financial aid as much as possible; and to reward our most important resource for students — faculty and staff — to every degree possible. This is a Herculean

task, given other challenges, such as rising health insurance costs and unpredictable energy prices. In order to meet this challenge, budget committee members are working to exact every efficiency they can find and to reallocate resources to the highest priorities. Elon’s efficiency and discipline have earned the university recognition in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine and Princeton Review/USA Today as one of the nation’s top 50 best value private universities, combining excellent academics with reasonable costs. In Kiplinger’s ranking, Elon has the lowest total annual cost, more than $5,000 lower than the second-ranked institution and well over $10,000 lower than most other schools on the best value list. To ensure that Elon remains a great value and affordable over the long term, it is essential that the Ever Elon Campaign achieve success. Building the endowment to increase scholarship support for students is the campaign’s top priority, and we have raised more than 60 percent of the $100 million goal. This is the first major campaign in Elon’s history with principally an endowment focus and represents a crucial step toward securing the university for future generations. In the meantime, Elon, which has often been compared to “The Little Engine That Could,” will continue to move forward, to spend every dollar wisely and to work within a budget guided by the student- and learning-focused priorities of the campus. Leo M. Lambert President


ELON news

Kiplinger’s, Princeton review name elon a ‘Best value college’ A new ranking by The Princeton Review, in partnership with USA Today, names Elon one of the nation’s top values in higher education for 2009. Also, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine ranks Elon among the nation’s top 50 best values in private higher education and the #1 university in the total costs category. The Princeton Review/USA Today report is based on 30 factors in three areas: academics, costs and financial aid. Schools chosen “provide highquality academics at a reasonable price — either by keeping sticker prices in line, or by offsetting high costs with great financial aid packages.” fifty private colleges and universities and 50 public schools were selected for the ranking. Elon consistently has been ranked by The Princeton Review in its annual “America’s Best Value Colleges” guidebooks. The report calls Elon “an impressive place and worth following.” “Elon combines solid academics with innovative techniques such as study abroad, internships, experiential learning and research labs to create a unique and involving curriculum for its students,” the report says. Elon is one of only three private universities in north Carolina to make The Princeton Review/USA Today ranking; Duke University and Davidson College also made the list. The 2009 Kiplinger’s ranking is the third consecutive top-50 ranking of Elon by the magazine. According to Kiplinger’s, Elon and the other top-value schools “deliver the goods during tough times,” providing a “top-quality education at an affordable price — usually with generous financial aid.” Elon’s total cost was more than $5,000 lower than #2 Baylor University and more than $10,000 lower than most other schools on the best value list. Elon ranked #4 among the 50 schools for cost after merit-based financial aid is calculated and #14 for cost after need-based aid is calculated. Schools were judged on six quality measures and seven financial measures, with quality of academic programs counting for two-thirds of the total score. factors included student SAT scores, student-faculty ratio, graduation rates, total costs, financial aid and average student debt. Kiplinger’s ranking includes some of the nation’s most prestigious private universities. The top 10 universities in the overall best value ranking are Cal Tech, Yale, Princeton, Rice, Duke, Harvard, Dartmouth, MiT , Emory and Stanford. Elon ranks #29 overall in the quality rankings. This year, Elon’s total tuition, room and board cost is 6.7 percent lower than the national private university average and 17.4 percent lower than the average for other top Southern private master’s-level universities ranked by U.S.News & World Report.

Value

magaZine oF elon receives third aWard

The Magazine of Elon has received a Special Merit Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The CASE District III award came in the alumni magazine category for Southeast institutions with enrollments under 5,000. This is the third CASE award for the magazine. In 2004, the magazine received two Awards of Excellence for publishing improvement and in the general magazine category. The Magazine of Elon is published quarterly by the Office of University Relations to keep alumni, students, parents and friends informed about and connected to the university. The magazine circulation is about 33,300. toPs in engaged learning

Compared with students at other colleges and universities nationwide, Elon students are much more likely to study abroad, make classroom presentations, write papers, complete internships and work closely with faculty on projects outside of class, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement. Ninety-six percent of graduating seniors last year praised Elon for their overall experience, exceeding the national average of 85 percent, according to NSSE. The survey is the most comprehensive assessment of effective practices in higher education and gives campuses insights into successful teaching and student learning. A total of 1,038 Elon freshmen and seniors participated in the 2008 NSSE survey. For more information, go to Elon’s NSSE site at www.elon.edu/nsse.

MAgAzinE Of ELOn

3


ELON News

House selected as next provost Steven D. House, founding dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, and associate vice president for academic affairs, has been named provost and vice president for academic affairs. House will serve as the university’s chief academic officer, overseeing all of Elon’s academic, academic support and student life programs. House begins his duties June 1 and succeeds Gerald L. Francis, who will become executive vice president for the university. Francis has served as Elon’s provost since 1994. “Dr. House has a deep understanding of the university gained through seven years of service as dean and is an academic leader of tremendous energy, integrity and vision,” says President Leo M. Lambert. “Steven has played a major leadership role in promoting the centrality of the arts and sciences at Elon and affirming our identity as a liberal arts university.” House says he is honored to serve as Elon’s next provost. Steven D. House “Elon is on a path to become the very best university in the nation for active, engaged and experiential teaching and learning,” House says. “I will strive to inspire and unleash the imagination and excellence of every person on campus so that together we sustain and enhance our extraordinary learning community that transforms mind, body and spirit.” House came to Elon in 2001 from Seton Hall University and has been an integral part of developing the university’s national reputation. He joined the president’s senior staff in 2006 when he was given the additional title of associate vice president for academic affairs. As dean of Elon College, House has provided leadership for 17 academic departments and 19 academic programs. The number of Elon College faculty has increased by 50 percent during his tenure as dean, and the number of students majoring in the liberal arts has grown from 37 percent of the overall student body to 46 percent. House has worked closely with faculty to develop Elon’s application to shelter a Phi Beta Kappa chapter at the university and has co-chaired Elon’s long-range planning subcommittee on sciences. He is a member of Elon’s budget and strategic planning committees and directs the Elon College Fellows Living-Learning Community Committee. House earned his bachelor’s degree in biology in 1977 from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. He completed his doctorate in physiology with honors six years later at the University of Arizona. He served at Columbia University from 1983 to 1986 as a postdoctoral fellow in physiology and cellular biophysics. An active scientist and researcher, House has authored scores of articles and presentations on blood flow regulation during health and disease. He received a major National Institutes of Health research award on microvascular cell dynamics, a visiting expert award from the Academia Sinica in Taiwan, Republic of China, and the Grega-Zacharkow Young Investigator Award from the Microcirculatory Society.

4

Magazine of Elon

Pelton to become next international programs dean

Lee Heywood “Woody” Pelton has been named dean of international programs and director of the Isabella Cannon Centre for International Studies. Pelton begins his Elon duties in May. He currently is director of The International Center at Winthrop University. He will succeed Laurence Basirico, whose leadership of the Cannon Centre during the past five years has brought Woody Pelton national recognition to Elon’s study abroad programs. Basirico will return to full-time teaching in the university’s sociology department. Pelton earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s degree in student personnel services from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 1978 to 1980, he served with his wife, Chris, as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. The couple then worked for one year with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Malaysia before returning to the United States so Pelton could attend law school. Pelton earned his law degree from George Washington University in 1984 and practiced international trade, immigration and antitrust law in Washington, D.C. From 1992 to 2006, he served as special assistant to the president for international programs at Saginaw Valley (Mich.) State University. Oliver named Mississippi Valley State president

Donna Oliver ’72, a former North Carolina and National Teacher of the Year, has begun her duties as the sixth president of Mississippi Valley State University. Oliver was named last fall to lead the university in Leflore County, Miss. She earned her Elon degree in biology and education. She then earned a master’s degree in biology and curriculum and instruction, and a doctorate in curriculum and teaching,


ELON News

Alumna’s book examines problems with eyewitness identification Jennifer Thompson-Cannino ’85, of Winston-Salem, N.C., has co-authored a book that addresses the pitfalls of eyewitness identification in criminal cases. It is a very personal story for Thompson-Cannino, who was raped in her off-campus apartment in 1984. It was her mistaken eyewitness testimony that led to the wrongful conviction of Ronald Cotton. Cotton, also of Winston-Salem, spent 11 years in prison before being exonerated through the use of DNA testing. Thompson-Cannino and Cotton became good friends following his release from prison and are outspoken advocates for reform in the use of eyewitness identification. They successfully lobbied state legislators to change compensation laws for the wrongly convicted in North Carolina. The two recount their experiences in a new book with writer Erin Torneo titled Picking Cotton: A True Story, which is due to be published in March.

both from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. During her 30-year career in education, Oliver has served as a K-12 public school teacher, a college professor and a K-16 administrator. She was named the 1986 North Carolina Teacher of the Year and the 1987 National Teacher of the Year. Donna Oliver ’72 In 2004, as a Bush Scholar, Oliver completed the Higher Education Institute for Educational Management Certification at Harvard University. She has published numerous articles in professional journals on multicultural teacher education and conducts workshops for public schools and university teacher education faculty. Oliver was the first African American to receive Elon’s Distinguished Young Alumna of the Year Award in 1987. That same year, Howard University recognized her as an

Their story will be included in an upcoming “60 Minutes” segment on the problems with eyewitness identification in criminal prosecution. CBS News “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl interviewed Cotton on Elon’s campus in January and interviewed ThompsonCannino and others associated with the story at various locations in the region. The segment is scheduled to air in March. Following her interview in Johnston Hall, Stahl met with eight School of Communications students to discuss interview techniques and preparation, the challenges of working for the legendary news magazine show and the best strategies for launching a career in journalism. Thompson-Cannino and Cotton were profiled in The Magazine of Elon in 2001. Thompson-Cannino’s daughter, Morgan, is an Elon freshman.

outstanding African American Woman of Achievement, and she was named to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the White House Commission for a Drug-Free America. Previously, Oliver served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Fla. She also has served on the Elon faculty and was vice president for academic affairs and student development at Bennett College in Greensboro. Williams named Multicultural Center director

Leon Williams has been named the new director of the Multicultural Center, which promotes cultural understanding and

Jennifer Thompson-Cannino ’85

Lesley Stahl meets with School of Communications students

appreciation through programs and events across campus. Williams has served as the chief diversity officer at two universities during the past 15 years. He came to Elon from Buena Vista University in Iowa, where he cre- Leon Williams ated the institution’s first Office of Intercultural Programs. He previously served as director of multicultural development at Ohio Northern University. Williams, who succeeds longtime multicultural director L’Tanya Richmond ’87, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio Northern and a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Dayton. He currently is pursuing a doctorate in interdisciplinary studies from the Union Institute & University in Cincinnati.

Magazine of Elon

5


ELON news

Scholarships are available. For more information, contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at 336.278.7641. M.A. INTERACTIVE MEDIA aPPlications being accePted For interactive media master’s Program

Applications for the university’s new interactive media graduate program in the School of Communications will be accepted through April 1. Through classroom instruction and handson learning opportunities, students in the interactive media program will gain the skills to thrive in today’s digital era. Students will learn to create and deliver text, graphics, audio, video and other content through a variety of media channels, including the Internet and mobile devices. The full-time, one-year program begins in the 2009–2010 academic year and will be housed in Powell building. It includes a Winter Term component during which student teams will travel domestically or abroad to shoot video and gather other materials for a special public service project. The program is open to students with bachelor’s degrees in communications and other disciplines. Students who have not taken undergraduate courses in media law and ethics and media writing will enroll in summer preparatory courses.

mcbride named commencement sPeaker

The Rev. Richard W. McBride, Elon’s chaplain for a quarter-century, will deliver the 119th Commencement address on May 23. The ceremony will be held Under the Oaks in front of West residence hall. McBride, who will retire in May, has left an indelible mark on the university community. In The Rev. Richard W. McBride addition to guiding the Office of Religious Life through rapid growth in the past two decades, he has promoted service to the local and global community among students, faculty and staff. McBride founded Elon’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity, helped start the Elon Volunteers (EV!) program and created a Winter Term course in Guatemala to allow students to participate in Habitat projects throughout the country. He launched signature programs including Senior Showcase (now known as Leaders of the Twenty-First Century), which highlights the achievements of graduating seniors; Hometown Heroes and

the Turning 21 Dinner, which encourage students to celebrate mentors in their lives; and Elon’s annual Holiday Lighting Ceremony. In 2001, he organized a campus gathering to help the community cope with the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and in 2007, he coordinated the campus service following the Virginia Tech shootings. McBride also regularly provides stirring remarks and prayers at major campus gatherings. cassill named elingburg ProFessor

Art Cassill, professor of accounting, has been named Elon’s first Wesley R. Elingburg Professor in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. Cassill is chair of Elon’s accounting and finance department, and is known for his devotion to students and prolific scholarship. He is a certified CPA in Ohio and North Carolina, and has contributed a Art Cassill significant amount of scholarly work in the area of taxation. Trustee Wes Elingburg and his wife, Cathy, endowed the professorship with a generous gift to enable Elon to recruit and retain top faculty in the Love School.

“Information is not learning. Information has nothing to do with poetry. It has nothing to do with the way great music can stir the soul. It has nothing to do with art or humor or history. History is not about dates. History is about ideas and about human nature, and why we behave the way we do in the best and the worst of times. It’s a very important source of strength in times of trouble.” Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough was the keynote speaker at Fall Convocation on Oct. 23. His speech was part of the Baird Pulitzer Prize Lecture series.

6

MAgAzinE Of ELOn


ELON News

“Commit yourselves to the challenges of stretching to reach your personal goals, building this campus to be even better and deciding that you are going to be part of an army of smart people who are going to make wherever you settle better than it was yesterday.” Harvey B. Gantt, civic activist and former mayor of Charlotte, N.C., delivered the keynote address Jan. 14 at Elon’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program. Gantt urged students to serve their communities and exceed their goals.

David Crowe

Janna Anderson

Faculty author new books

Five faculty members have written books that explore the Holocaust, how to shape future sales leaders, the future of the Internet, the concepts of love, beauty and truth, and human resources management. David M. Crowe, professor of history, wrote The Holocaust: Roots, History, and Aftermath, an award-winning textbook that examines the underlying foundation to one of the worst humanitarian crimes ever recorded. Crowe’s research focuses not only on the plight of the Jews during World War II, but also the handicapped, the Roma, or gypsies, and other groups deemed inferior in Nazi Germany. In Earl Honeycutt’s new co-authored book, Sales Management: Shaping Future Sales Leaders, the professor of marketing and

Earl Honeycutt

Mary Gowan

director of the Chandler Family Professional Sales Center shares theories and concepts on how to design and lead a sales organization based on a firm’s strategic plan. Janna Quitney Anderson, associate professor of communications, is the lead author of two books detailing her research as director of the School of Communications’ Imagining the Internet Center. Up for Grabs: The Future of the Internet Volume I and Hopes and Fears: The Future of the Internet Volume II examine predictions about the digital, networked future made by technology experts and scholars from around the world. The experts responded to surveys conducted by Elon and the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The third book in the series is scheduled for publication later this year. Tripp York, instructor of religious

Tripp York

studies, published his first work of fiction with Anesthesia: A Brief Reflection on Contemporary Aesthetics, which follows the life of a college student over four days as he contemplates the philosophical nature of beauty, goodness and truth. It was York’s second book in the past year after his nonfiction The Purple Crown: The Politics of Martyrdom. Mary Gowan, dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, co-authored a textbook, Human Resource Management, which examines human resources management from a contemporary viewpoint. The textbook addresses how globalization and technology have created opportunities for employees to add value to their company 24 hours a day.

Magazine of Elon

7


Update

McMichael Family Foundation donates $2 million to Elon Law thE MCMIChAEl FAMIly FoUNdAtIoN has made a $2 million gift to the Elon University School of Law, which will establish the largest scholarship endowment at the school. The foundation gift was one of several recent major gifts to the Ever Elon Campaign, which was Dalton L. McMichael Sr. launched last fall to build the university’s endowment. As of late January, donors had contributed more than $60 million in gifts and pledges toward the $100 million campaign goal. �

MCMIChAEl FAMIly ENhANCES lAW SCholARShIPS

The gift from the McMichael Family Foundation, of Madison, N.C., is the third largest gift to the Ever Elon Campaign and continues the McMichael family’s rich philanthropic tradition at the university. The late Dalton L. McMichael Sr., a textile executive, was one of Elon’s most generous benefactors. The university’s Dalton L. McMichael Sr. Science Center, which opened in 1999, is named in his honor. McMichael also made major gifts to support Rhodes Stadium, the Frank S. Holt Jr. Professorship in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and the Kresge Endowed Science Fund to provide the latest technology and equipment for the McMichael Science Center. McMichael’s daughter, Gail M. Drew, of Durham, N.C., is a university trustee and law school donor. The McMichael Family Foundation board includes Drew and her siblings, Dalton (Mac) McMichael Jr. and Flavel Godfrey, as well as three grandchildren of Dalton McMichael Sr. — Whitney Heard, Anna Kirk and Andrew 8

MAgAzinE Of ELOn

Miracle. McMichael’s other grandchildren include Bill Drew ’96, Paul “Brack” Brigman ’99 and Katherine Miracle. “This generous gift is a major step forward for the Elon University School of Law as we expand scholarship opportunities to attract and assist top students,” says President Leo M. Lambert. Gail Drew says the law school gift was a “natural fit” for her family’s foundation, which supports educational and medical initiatives. She traces the foundation gift to a meeting last year between her brother, Mac McMichael, and Allen Gant, chair of Elon’s board of trustees. “We’re strong believers in education, especially in this day and age,” Drew says. “I think the law school is going to be a big success, and it depends on having the resources to support students who have the potential to be great lawyers.” Drew makes annual gifts to the law school’s scholarship fund to support a Drew Scholar. She believes in the school’s mission of preparing lawyers to be leaders in their profession and their communities. Her late husband, Dick Drew, was a respected attorney in Durham.


“As a university trustee, I feel a responsibility to support the law school,” Drew says. “The financial times are going to continue to be tight, and we’re really going to need those scholarship funds to help students come to Elon Law and the undergraduate university. I have been thrilled to support annual scholarships at the law school.” Elon Law, which opened in 2006 in downtown Greensboro, welcomed its third class of students last fall. Also last year, the American Bar Association granted the school provisional approval, which enables graduates to take their bar exams in any state and practice professionally.

WoRSlEy SUPPoRtS GolF tRAINING CENtER A $250,000 gift from W. Cecil Worsley III ’86, of Wilmington, N.C., will fund a new golf training center on Elon’s South Campus. The facility will include an indoor practice area with hitting bays and a swing analysis center, as well as a putting area and players’ lounge. Outside the facility will be an area where players can work on their short game, including practicing on two putting greens. A former member of Elon’s golf team, Worsley says he made his gift to help strengthen the golf program. He also wanted to honor his former coach, Bill Morningstar, head coach of the men’s golf team, and Chris Dockrill, Cecil Worsley III ’86 with his son, Cecil IV a former Elon teammate and current head coach of the women’s team. “I saw the need for a superior training center with state-of-theart equipment that can help the men’s and women’s golf teams and help Elon recruit,” Worsley says. “We have a good golf program, but we’re going to be left behind if we don’t have a training facility.” Worsley is a loyal supporter of Elon athletics and annual giving, and is a member of the Phoenix Club and the Elon Society President’s Circle. “I have a passion to give back to Elon,” he says. “The place means a lot to me, and I saw an opportunity to improve the golf program. I can’t wait to see the finished facility and the faces of the players when they are using it.” Worsley owns a petroleum and convenience store business in Wilmington, where he lives with his wife, JoAnna Sutton Worsley ’87. The couple’s son, Cecil IV, will be a freshman at Elon this fall.

hoPKINS FUNdS SCholARShIP FoR tEAChERS

Retired educator William Hopkins ’51, of Annapolis, Md., knows the value of having talented men teaching in public school classrooms. To help recruit more men to education, Hopkins has made a planned gift honoring his mother that will create a scholarship to assist male elementary education majors. Hopkins made his gift with a William Hopkins ’51 charitable gift annuity, which will pay him income for the rest of his life. Upon his death, the residual value of the annuity will fund the William Andrew Hopkins Endowed Scholarship in Memory of Margaret Tyree Hopkins. During his 34-year teaching career, Hopkins saw firsthand the importance of good role models for male students. “I’m delighted when I see a man teaching kindergarten,” Hopkins says. “It’s nice for boys to see men in the school system because it shows them that learning is important.” Hopkins has been a dedicated annual giving donor and is a member of the Order of the Oak, Elon’s planned giving recognition society.

GRANdPARENt GIVING REAChES NEW hEIGhtS Elon launched a new initiative in 2007 to engage grandparents more fully in the life of the university. Since then, grandparent giving has soared. During 2007–2008, grandparents made $584,383 in gifts to the university — nearly three times as much as they donated to Elon the previous year. Since June 1, grandparents, including alumni and those with grandchildren currently enrolled, have donated $357,190 in gifts, pledges and matching gifts to the university. “We are grateful for the enthusiastic support from Elon grandparents,” says Maggie Byerly, director of annual giving and parent and grandparent programs. “Annual gifts from grandparents are extremely important to the university and make a difference to all students.” The grandparent program includes special cultural and academic events during Family Weekend and the Grandparent Leadership Society, which recognizes grandparents of alumni or students who make annual gifts of $5,000 or more or lifetime pledges of at least $25,000 to the university. The society is chaired by Rear Admiral Edward “Ted” Walker Jr., of Alexandria, Va. For more information on the grandparent program, contact Maggie Byerly at 336.278.7459 or mbyerly@elon.edu.

MAgAzinE Of ELOn

9


Phoenix football finishes season ranked No. 17 By matt eviston

T

he Phoenix football team completed its 2008 season 8–4 and ranked No. 17 nationally in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, according to The Sports Network’s final poll. It marked Elon’s highest national finish in its 10 years at the FCS level and capped a season in which the Phoenix peaked at a program-high No. 3 ranking in the same poll following a seven-game winning streak. Elon claimed its most football victories in nine years and for the first time knocked off three top-25 FCS teams in the same season. The Phoenix also marked its most successful season in its six-year membership in the Southern Conference, finishing 6–2 in league play and third among the conference’s nine football-playing institutions. The football program has improved dramatically during head coach Pete Lembo’s three-year tenure. Under Lembo, Elon has posted a 20–14 record with six victories over top-25 opponents, a pair of top-three finishes in the SoCon, regular appearances in the national polls and 99 new Elon, SoCon or NCAA records. Junior offensive lineman David Harrison, junior wide receiver Terrell Hudgins and senior place kicker Andrew Wilcox earned First Team All-SoCon honors. Earning second-team recognition were senior punter Brandon Lane, junior defensive lineman Eric Ludwig, sophomore running back Brandon Newsome, sophomore quarterback Scott Riddle, senior linebacker Corey Weaver, junior offensive lineman Chris Werden and junior defensive back Walker White. Linebacker Joshua Jones was named to the all-freshman squad. The Phoenix finished second in the SoCon and 23rd in the FCS in passing offense, and third in the league and 29th in the nation in total offense. The Phoenix defense was ranked second in the conference and 30th nationally in scoring defense. Wilcox led the SoCon and the FCS in field goals with an average of 1.83 made per game and is the only SoCon player to convert a field goal in 12 games in a single season. Senior Bo Williamson led the conference and ranked 21st nationally with 25.33 yards per kickoff return. Hudgins finished second in the SoCon and fourth in the FCS with 7.17 receptions per game. He also finished second in the league and 15th in the nation with 93 receiving yards per game. Riddle became Elon’s all-time career leader in completions (609), passing attempts (935), passing yards (6,688), touchdown passes (55), touchdowns responsible for (65) and total offensive yards (6,615). Hudgins became the all-time career leader for Elon and the SoCon in receptions (272), touchdown catches (36) and receiving yards (3,617). Wilcox became Elon’s all-time career leader in field goals made (59) and point-after-touchdown kicks made (130). Hudgins and Wilcox were named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Team, marking the first time two Elon players were named to the squad in the same year. Both players also were named to the Associated Press All-America Team.

10

Magazine of Elon

Kennedy named to USA Baseball staff By Chris Rash

Phoenix baseball coach Mike Kennedy ’91 has been named to the 2009 USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) coaching staff. Kennedy will be the pitching coach for the 2009 National Team led by former Elon head coach Rick Jones. “I am grateful to the staff at USA Baseball and especially to coach Rick Jones for entrusting me with this position,” Kennedy says. “I have always wanted to work alongside coach Jones, and to do so on this stage is a dream come true. I believe this honor is a reflection of where our program at Elon is, and I hope that my coaching staff, as well as our current and Mike Kennedy ’91 former players, take pride in this honor.” This spring, Kennedy, one of Elon’s winningest coaches, begins his 13th year leading Elon’s baseball program. In 2008, Elon captured the Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles, and finished third at the NCAA Baseball Championships Regional in Cary, N.C. Before being named head coach, Kennedy served as Elon’s pitching coach for four years. He played catcher under Jones at Elon and later spent time in the minor leagues as a member of the Oakland Athletics organization. Coming off an unbeaten summer (24-0) and a gold medal at the FISU World University Baseball Championships, the National Team will participate in the annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate Championship Series in Japan followed by the World Baseball Challenge in Prince George, British Columbia. USA Baseball is the national governing body of amateur baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The organization selects and trains the Olympic Baseball Team and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams.


PHOENIX Sports

Players claim postseason honors Basketball kicks off 2008–2009 season By Chris Rash and Jennifer Blackwell

The men’s basketball team under head coach Ernie Nestor split its first two Southern Conference matchups of the season and took ACC opponent Virginia Tech to the wire for the second straight year before falling 76–67. In mid-December, the NCAA ranked two Elon players among the top-50 in the nation in statistical categories. Sophomore guard Chris Long was ranked 10th nationally for averaging 6.8 assists per game, and senior forward Ola Atoyebi was ranked 42nd with a 57.9 field goal percentage. Senior guard Brett James reached the 1,000-point mark for his career on Dec. 19 against Lees-McRae, becoming the 32nd Elon player to reach that milestone and the first since Chris Chalko did so in 2007. As of late January, the men’s team was 5–12 overall, 2–7 in the SoCon. Karen Barefoot opened her first season as head coach of the women’s team with a 62–59 win over Winston-Salem State in the ISES Cancer Awareness Tip-off. The Phoenix then traveled to Pittsburgh for the Pitt Thanksgiving Classic, facing Pitt, a Sweet 16 participant last season, and Weber State. In the double-overtime loss to Weber State, Elon set a Petersen Event Center record with 27 assists. In addition, Urysla Cotton had a career day, scoring 25 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. In conference play, Elon fell 45–39 to the UNC-Greensboro Spartans. As of late January, the women’s team was 1–19.

All-Southern Conference Men’s soccer Kyle Boerner (First Team) James Carroll (Freshman) Clint Collins (Second Team) Erfan Imeni (First Team) Clint Irwin (Second Team) Steven Kinney (First Team) Will Mason (Second Team) Aaron Parker (Second Team) Justin Wyatt (First Team) Women’s soccer Katina Boozer (Second Team) Andrea Keller (Freshman) Katie Persichini (Second Team) Women’s cross country Emily Fournier (First Team) Melanie Reyer (Freshman)

Katina Boozer

Volleyball Caroline Lemke (Freshman) Traci Stewart (Freshman) Southern Conference Player of the Year Justin Wyatt, men’s soccer Southern Conference Coach of the Year Darren Powell, men’s soccer All-South Region Erfan Imeni, men’s soccer (Second Team) Steven Kinney, men’s soccer (Second Team) Justin Wyatt, men’s soccer (Second Team) For football awards, see story on page 10.

Traci Stewart

Elon competes for Commissioner’s Cup By Matt Eviston

On the strength of top-three finishes in football and men’s soccer, Elon concluded the fall sports season with a program-best second-place ranking among the 12 institutions competing in fall men’s athletics for the Southern Conference Commissioner’s Cup. The Phoenix ranks eighth in the Germann Cup standings, recognizing the league’s 12 women’s athletics programs. Elon boasted a 7–0 SoCon record in men’s soccer for the first time to finish in first place among the conference’s eight men’s soccer

teams. The Phoenix football team recorded a program-best 6–2 league mark to finish third among the conference’s nine football squads. The Elon volleyball team surged to its best Division I start (10–3) en route to a fourthplace finish in the SoCon North Division. The Phoenix finished in sixth place out of 11 squads in men’s cross country, in sixth place out of 12 teams in women’s cross country and in seventh place out of 12 squads in women’s soccer. Appalachian State (34 points) leads the Commissioner’s Cup standings, followed by

Elon (29). In the Germann Cup standings, Samford (32 points) holds first place, while Elon is ranked eighth (18). The Commissioner’s Cup and the Germann Cup will be awarded this spring to the SoCon schools fielding the league’s best all-around men’s and women’s sports programs.

For game schedules and the latest Phoenix news, go to www.elonphoenix.com

Magazine of Elon

11


embracing entrepreneurship

doherty center prepares the next generation of innovators By Eric Townsend

A

s the sun hugged the horizon on a frigid November afternoon, Katie Pietrowski lowered over her shoulders a collection of empty water bottles taped together in the shape of a compact car. With classmates Alan Duvall and Brent Gilmore filming nearby, the junior business major jogged into a self-serve car wash near campus and asked a man spraying off his vehicle if her “wheels” could get a rinse. Seconds later, Pietrowski’s teeth began to rattle, the pressurized water soaking her T-shirt and jeans — not a comfortable experience with a wind chill one notch above freezing. Pietrowski managed to keep her grip on the water bottle contraption as the man lathered soap in her hair using a long-handled brush. What, exactly, was the reason for a stunt that left the Massachusetts native drenched? “Entertainment value!” Pietrowski laughs a few weeks later, recounting the adventure between sips of coffee in the Colonnades Dining Hall. Crazy? Not to a panel of judges at Stanford University who recognized the trio in December during an international competition. The Stanford Global Innovation Tournament honored the video with its Most Auto’dacious Award, singling out the team from among 500 entries. The challenge to the students was simple: Create something of value using nothing more than water bottles, then post a video to YouTube for evaluation. The team’s entry, “waterbottle powered car,” was part of the Elon Innovation Challenge, held on campus in conjunction with the Stanford contest. In the Elon contest, judges also applauded a student team that built a raft out of water bottles. Team members explained that the raft added value for people eager to come to the United States. Both entries demonstrate how Elon’s Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business is leading the way

12

MAGAZINE OF ELON

in experiential entrepreneurship education. Endowed in 2007 following a $1 million gift from Edward and Joan Doherty, of Saddle River, N.J., the Doherty Center has supported or hosted events that have given Elon a growing national reputation for entrepreneurship education and led to collaborations with institutions such as Stanford and MIT. “The Doherty Center is moving forward in an extraordinary way,” Ed Doherty says. “Director Gary Palin has provided the leadership, the direction and the enthusiasm to help Elon excel and grow its reputation nationally.” Last fall, the Doherty Center hosted the first N.C. Entrepreneurship Summit in partnership with Wake Forest University. The program brought leading entrepreneurship educators to campus to share best practices, exchange ideas and form collaborations. “Inventing something is innovative, but having the ability to recognize the opportunities that your invention brings requires a different type of thinking,” says Mary Gowan, dean of the Love School of Business. “You can invent the better mousetrap, but unless you can think about other uses for that mousetrap, you are limited in your ability to make money or to change the way people think about mousetraps.” Palin has been working with other faculty to draft an expanded curriculum and plan activities to embed entrepreneurship across campus. In short, Palin says, he wants students to change the way they think about business. “It’s not just about making money,” says Palin, who came to Elon from North Carolina State University in Raleigh. “Entrepreneurship is about adding value, and value can take many permutations, including economic value, social value, educational value and entertainment value.” His agenda for the center is ambitious. Palin is creating a mentor network to link students with the entrepreneurial community,

while a speaker series will bring to campus entrepreneurs willing to share the risks and rewards of their ventures. This spring will be busy with events, including the inaugural Leaders Building Leaders program, which will enable students to network with entrepreneurs, business leaders, alumni and educators. In March, Palin, who is a member of the board of advisors for the MIT Global Startup Workshop, will lead Elon students to the group’s annual conference in South Africa. In April, Elon will co-host along with Purdue University the next Social Entrepreneurship and Education Consortium workshop. Also that month, the Doherty Center will honor Jim Goodnight, chief executive officer of North Carolinabased SAS, the world’s largest privately held software company, with the first Elon Medal of Entrepreneurial Leadership. In addition, the Doherty Center is a founding partner of a global consortium on university activities in social entrepreneurship, along with programs at Stanford, MIT and the University of Aarhus in Denmark. Perhaps the most ambitious project under way at the center is that of an angel group to fund venture proposals submitted by alumni, students and friends of the university. Plans call for students enrolled in an entrepreneurship course taught by Palin to work with mentors in the business community to review the


proposals and present the most viable ideas to qualified private investors, or angels, with ties to Elon. A newly formed organization, Student Entrepreneurial Enterprise Development, is planning a Venture Day, when proposals will be presented to the angel group. “Elon is positioned to be a worldwide leader in entrepreneurship education,” Palin says. “The university has a culture of action, more so than any other university I’ve seen in my career.”

Today, entrepreneurship education is more important than ever. Innovation and entrepreneurial thinking will revive the American economy and serve as critical strategic advantages for the United States in a competitive global economy, Palin says. “The culture of our country — embracing entrepreneurship — is a huge advantage that other countries don’t have,” he says. “In this country, failure is not the end. Here, it is viewed as a learning tool. It’s more a speed

preneurship, you’re thinking outside the box to develop alternative methods and products. With traditional corporate downsizing and cutting back because of the economic recession, the immediate future is for entrepreneurship to take over and create job opportunities and new businesses to propel the economy.” For Pietrowski, also a Doherty Scholar who dreams of operating her own franchises, that’s what the Doherty Center is all about. Did she envision making money from the wa-

You want fries with that? Junior Katie Pietrowski gasses up her water bottle car before heading to the car wash and a McDonald’s drive-thru. Pietrowski and classmates Alan Duvall and Brent Gilmore, at far left, built the “wheels” and produced a video for YouTube as part of an awardwinning entrepreneurship project.

Palin’s recent proposals for the Doherty Center build on the foundation established by his predecessor, associate professor Barth Strempek, who developed the Entrepreneurial Leadership Experience at Elon. That program taught students management, marketing and entrepreneurship through the development of start-up businesses. From 2002 to 2004, Strempek secured federal grants to help fund and supplement students’ classroom education in the areas of business, leisure and sports management, and music. Ian Baltutis ’08 and R.J. Yozwiak ’08 harnessed that entrepreneurial spirit as students in the Love School. Their company, The Vibrations Solution, emerged with “SilentFeet,” a product to dampen the vibrations of washers and dryers. “SilentFeet” won a $10,000 first-place prize last April at the University of Evansville New Venture Creation Competition. Senior Marisa Pinero, a Doherty Scholar, is working this year to bring a chapter of the national entrepreneurship fraternity, Epsilon Nu Tau, to Elon. The Florida native is no stranger to entrepreneurship; she built a business in high school selling baked goods during the holiday season, an enterprise she described in her essay for admission to Elon. “It’s a great way to exercise the entrepreneurial mindset,” Pinero says of the academic fraternity.

bump than a brick wall.” Ed and Joan Doherty know the power of entrepreneurship in today’s challenging business climate. Their company, Doherty Enterprises Inc., is one of the nation’s leading franchisee operators of family restaurants such as Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar and Panera Bread. “In a corporate environment, you work for somebody, they tell you what to do and you execute it,” Ed Doherty says. “In entre-

ter bottle car? No. Did she and her teammates hope to make people smile? You bet. “You don’t have to create a project where you’re making money to be recognized,” she says. “The Innovation Challenge was a good way to get people’s heads out of books and to be creative again. It was nice to be recognized for imagination and entertainment.” To view a video of the water bottle car project, go to www.elon.edu/magazine.

MAGAZINE OF ELON

13


W

ith every mile, Angela Lewellyn Jones grew more uneasy. Jones was on her way to the North Carolina Correctional Center for Women in Raleigh where she was to meet for the first time with a group of inmates convicted of killing their partners. Together with her research colleague Leslie Parker, a regional director at the N.C. Council on Women, Jones was embarking on the state’s first comprehensive study of battered women who kill their abusive partners. “The closer I got, the more scared I got,” Jones recalls of the 2000 encounter. “I thought, ‘I’m going to be in a room with a bunch of murderers.’” When Jones and Parker arrived, they found 60 to 80 inmates waiting for them in the prison gym. They told the women about the state’s study, and that they wanted to interview anyone who fit the research profile and was willing to share their experiences. Afterward, one woman approached Jones.

noviolet s h r i n k i n g

By Dave Hart

“I was wearing a black suit, and this woman came up and said, ‘Do you have a dog?’” says Jones, associate professor of sociology. “I said I did. She said, ‘I just noticed the fur on your jacket.’ Then she said, ‘I really miss my dog.’ From that instant forward, I stopped says. “But I try to build into it a way to help them feel empowered, thinking of these women as murderers. I thought, ‘She’s just like me, too, and that’s what the mentors program does. she’s a woman who loves her dog.’ These are moms, daughters who “My students are able to take the substantive content they are found themselves in a situation so bad that they could only see one learning in the classroom and share it with the ninth graders, showway out. Everything changed for me at that moment.” ing them that better choices in relationships will pay off in the end,” Something else struck Jones, too: Every woman in the room Jones says. “This experience helps all of us to see that good can come signed up for an interview. from what we are learning and doing.” “They just want someone to care,” Jones says. “They just want Last fall, students in the Mentors in Violence Prevention program someone to listen.” made 18 visits to Alamance-Burlington high schools, speaking to more Jones and Parker have done exactly that, conducting in-depth than 500 students. It was a moving experience for them. interviews with dozens of inmates. The study, which is ongoing as “At every school we visited, a young person disclosed abuse in her or his life,” Jones says. “That was powerful for my students to see that the two researchers transcribe hours of interviews, promises to yield they helped a young person come forward and find help.” important data about the causes and effects of these tragedies. Jones became involved with Family Abuse Services through her Though the project is not complete, Jones already has incorporated elements of the study and her research into the classroom, includ- work on the battered women study and currently serves on its board of directors. She credits the organization with helping to make the ing her Violence in Families course, which explores various types of mentors program a reality. abuse. She also has started a service learning project for her students Her students — who universally refer to her as “Dr. LJ” — say called Mentors in Violence Prevention. Working with Family Abuse Services of Alamance County, student teams go to Alamance County Jones inspires them to think for themselves and act. “Dr. LJ’s enthusiasm and passion rub off on everyone in the room,” high schools and work with ninth graders to help them learn leadership and interpersonal skills, including how to manage relationships. says Kayla Hicken, a junior and a member of the inaugural class of the “Some of the things we talk about in class are pretty rough, and I Social Entrepreneurship Scholars program that Jones co-coordinates. warn students, ‘You may leave class sort of depressed or upset,’” Jones “It’s difficult to leave her class without feeling motivated and inspired to

14

MAGAZINE OF ELON


“Women who find themselves in that situation are often trapped,” Jones says. “People say, ‘Just leave,’ but over half the women who leave abusive partners are killed by their partners, so there is no good choice. They think ‘If he kills me, there will be no one to protect the children,’ and that’s what prompts them to do something. That’s the hardest part for them, talking about their children.” Jones’ colleagues say she exemplifies Elon’s model of a teacher-scholar, someone who believes that excellent teaching and research go hand in hand. “Dr. LJ is a wonderful teacher who is beloved by her students and a top-notch scholar,” says Anne Bolin, professor of anthropology. “She is a perfect example of the kind of scholar who combines scholarship with discovery, theory building and applied research, saying, ‘Here’s a problem in society. What can research tell us about how to solve that problem?’” Jones joined the Elon faculty in 1998 and juggles her work on the battered women project with her duties as educator, chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, wife and mother of two young children. She is friendly, down to earth and smiles easily; nothing in her manner betrays the grim nature of some of her research. She takes great joy in her family, particularly spending time with her husband, and reading to and making crafts with her kids. “She makes sound decisions, puts out fires, solves crises, writes reports on diverse subjects and leads us as a department to fulfill everything the administration wants,” Bolin says. “I have no idea how she does it all. She’s nothing short of amazing.” In her latest initiative at Elon, Jones serves as academic coordinator of the new Social Entrepreneurship Scholars program, currently in its first year. Students use the creativity and skills associated with entrepreneurship to address social problems. “If all students do is sit in class and talk about how to address social problems, they tend to come up with all these grandiose ideas that are impractical and hypothetical, and that may not be what the people in the community actually need,” Jones says. “But if they get out and talk with community partners about what they need and help them come up with real solutions, they realize they really can make a difference.” During their three-year commitment to the program, each class of Social Entrepreneurship Scholars identifies and implements long- and short-term projects that will have a lasting impact on the community. Several groups of students have already completed smaller-scale projects, including helping two Alamance County Head Start programs purchase bilingual books for Hispanic children. Mary Morrison, director of Elon’s Kernodle Center for Service Learning, works alongside Jones to direct the scholars program. She credits the program — and Jones — with giving students an eyeopening experience. “Angela believes in this work,” Morrison says. “She doesn’t talk about making a difference. She lives it.”

Angela Lewellyn Jones

do something about the social problems we learn about. In many cases, the issues that we study in sociology are disheartening, but somehow I never leave Dr. LJ’s class feeling helpless or discouraged.” Teaching sociology and grappling with society’s most challenging issues come naturally to Jones, who grew up in the small town of Madison, N.C., north of Greensboro. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Wake Forest University where her father hoped she would study accounting or business. “I took one accounting class, and I detested it,” Jones says. “I took a sociology class and loved it.” Jones was drawn to two main subject areas: family and gender studies, and crime and social deviance. She continued her studies in graduate school, earning a master’s degree and doctorate in sociology at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. During her doctoral studies, she learned that Parker was looking for a graduate student to work on the battered women study. Jones jumped at the chance. The inmates’ stories were heartbreaking and often horrific. Most of the women had absorbed brutal punishment, suffering beatings, rape, forced prostitution and other abuses. In many cases, they endured the abuse until they felt their children were threatened. That finally prompted them to act, sometimes in a flash of spontaneous violence, sometimes after deliberate planning. Afterward, many had less than adequate legal assistance.

MAGAZINE OF ELON

15


Delivering By Eric Townsend

Hope

W

h e n a n e x p e c ta n t m o t h e r finds her unborn baby or her own life in danger, an obstetrician must consider two things: Will delivery benefit the mother? And will the baby survive an early delivery? Those are questions Dr. William N.P. “Bill” Herbert ’68 weighs regularly as a medical educator and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Virginia Medical Center. A leader in his field, Herbert trains future doctors who will handle tens of thousands of pregnancies, including many with complications, during their careers. Herbert, an Elon trustee, is quick to downplay his stature in the world of maternal and fetal medicine. Yet his work has contributed to the use of new prenatal tests that give doctors insight into the challenges of premature births. “A lot of people think about obstetrics being a fun specialty because most babies are healthy,” Herbert says. “That’s true, but when your specialty is high-risk pregnancies, virtually everyone I see has a medical problem, and outcomes aren’t always what you want.” Perhaps. But as one colleague explains, Herbert does more than teach young doctors or solve problems tied to the most difficult pregnancies. What he does best is offer anxious women hope. “He is not the sort of person who gets bogged down when things are tough, whether it’s because the hospital is very busy or because a particular patient has a terrible problem,” says Dr. Chris Chisholm of UVA. “All too often, so much emphasis goes on the doom and gloom outlook of a complicated pregnancy that women forget that it’s OK to be excited about being pregnant. It’s OK to feel that joy.”

‘We’re going to fix it’

The Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the nation’s leading group of OB-GYN educators, recently honored Herbert with the 2008 Distinguished Career Award. The award includes a $1,000 prize bearing Herbert’s name for 16

MAGAZINE OF ELON

a promising junior faculty member in an academic OB-GYN department. When Herbert began practicing medicine three decades ago, the survival rate for infants born more than eight weeks premature was very low. The tools for diagnosis and treatment of many life-threatening fetal conditions were years away. Working with others, Herbert participated in a series of studies evaluating tests related to fetal lung development. Because the respiratory system is the last to develop, knowing the status of a baby’s lung maturity can help determine if the fetus is strong enough to survive early delivery. “We can take amniotic fluid from around the baby and subject it to various tests and gauge whether the baby, if delivered, would be able to breathe on its own or with minimal help,” Herbert explains. “That gives you the opportunity to weigh the baby’s well-being as you try to assess the mother’s well-being.” Dr. Randall Williams, an OB-GYN in Raleigh, N.C., spent eight years learning under Herbert, first as a medical student and later as a resident at the University of North Carolina. Herbert also delivered his eldest child. Williams describes his mentor as cool under pressure, an important trait for young doctors to emulate. He says Herbert often responded to a problem by saying, “We’re going to fix it.” Williams regularly draws on Herbert’s teachings during his volunteer work with the Medical Alliance for Iraq, a non-profit organization that sends doctors to Iraq to help improve the country’s health-care system. “Obviously, you have to maintain your cool over there


< Dr. Bill Herbert ’68

grace

ta c k l e s h i g h - r i s k

pregnancies with skill and

because there are a thousand things that can go wrong,” Williams says. “Bill taught me that you don’t do anybody any good if you panic.” Williams also credits Herbert for focusing on important values outside of medicine. “Bill has always emphasized that the success of a physician is measured by many factors,” Williams says. “He’s always concerned about your involvement in the community. He’s a wonderful role model to have in that kind of environment.” A s k i l l e d c o m m u n i c at o r

Herbert grew up in Graham, N.C., and was already familiar with Elon when he enrolled in 1964 to study biology. His mother, Madaline Cates Herbert, graduated in 1931 with a degree in teaching. With his sights set on entering a top medical school, Herbert spent most of his time at Elon studying. To relax, he hung out with fellow members of Sigma Mu Sigma fraternity, now known as Kappa Sigma. Recognizing his leadership potential, the board of trustees in 1970 selected Herbert as one of Elon’s first youth trustees. Herbert is the only Elon graduate to have served as both a youth trustee and a traditional trustee. After completing his Elon education, Herbert enrolled at Wake Forest University’s Bowman Gray School of Medicine. He graduated in 1972 and spent the next four years completing his internship and residency in OB-GYN at Vanderbilt University Hospital. He chose his specialty for one simple reason. “I was intrigued by taking care of two patients, mother and fetus, one of which you couldn’t see,” Herbert says. From 1976 to 1978, Herbert, now married to wife Marsha, completed a fellowship in the Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas Parkland Hospital. Following the fellowship, he returned to North Carolina and spent the next 22 years working at UNC and then at Duke University Medical Center. The couple’s two sons, Turner and Coleman, grew up in Chapel Hill, and the family was known to turn the many medical conferences Herbert attended into family vacations. In 2000, Herbert was named chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UVA. He has been active in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and

the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, serving both organizations in a number of ways. Dr. Charles Hammond of Duke University recruited Herbert away from UNC to serve as Duke’s division chief of high-risk obstetrics, formally known as maternal-fetal medicine. “He’s candid and frank, yet he’s humanistic,” Hammond says. “He’s got a wonderful database of knowledge (and) delivers it well. He sits down and talks to patients, and that’s a real winner.” To Herbert, good communication is the foundation for being an effective doctor. “I teach students to ask a patient where they’re from,” he says. “That opens the door to conversation. Learning how to be an effective communicator can’t be overemphasized. And that’s tough to do.” Shaping the future

Herbert has been equally devoted to his alma mater. Since his election to the board of trustees in 1996, he has played a key role in helping shape Elon’s growth, notably as an outspoken proponent of the Elon University School of Law in Greensboro. That comes as no surprise to at least one colleague on the board. “There are many business people on the board who are in managerial positions but have never worked in the academic environment,” says Trustee Jeanne Robertson. “Bill Herbert has worked in both environments, and that gives him insights, so when he speaks, a lot of people heed what he says.” These days, the longtime educator has turned his attention to a new challenge — the use of simulated learning in the medical classroom. At UVA, Herbert has been involved in developing “SimCenters,” or rooms that resemble operating and emergency rooms with control rooms behind one-way mirrors. In these rooms, mannequins “speak” to students and residents who must quickly and accurately respond to various conditions, then diagnose and manage the medical problems. The use of mannequins isn’t new to medicine, Herbert notes. Integrating them into the obstetrics and gynecology curriculum is. “It gives students and residents a safe way to learn,” Herbert says. “You can learn certain basic operations using almost entirely simulations. It’s good for patient safety and it’s much less stressful for doctors when they’re in real-life situations.” Training the next generation of doctors in cutting-edge techniques is what keeps Herbert motivated. “It’s satisfying to feel like you’re part of the future and that maybe some of the things you’ve contributed will continue to be passed along,” he says. “It’s part of progress.”

MAGAZINE OF ELON

17


F

oR 32 yEARS, NAN PERKINS served as a driving force behind Elon’s success, leading the communications, admissions and advancement divisions, and helping to enrich the lives of generations of students. Perkins retired last fall as vice president of university advancement. A valued member of the university’s senior staff for 25 years, Perkins served as a close adviser to two Elon presidents and guided the institution to new levels of excellence in academics and philanthropy. Perkins began her career at Elon in 1976 as a part-time English instructor. She later served as director of communications and founded the Office of Publications, now the Office of University Relations. She built a successful program to communicate Elon’s key marketing messages to prospective students, parents, alumni and friends. Under her leadership in admissions, applications increased 30 percent and the SAt average for incoming students increased more than 100 points. Recently, Perkins sat down with Magazine of Elon editor Jaleh Hagigh to reflect on Elon’s accomplishments. �

A

Jh: You have witnessed Elon’s transformation from a regional college to a university with a growing national reputation. What would you say were the seminal moments in that transformation? NP: Former President Fred Young always said that the real shift began in the late ’70s when Elon received a $2 million federal grant for developing institutions. That was the start of the strategic planning focus. Then in the mid- to late-’80s, President Young became interested in the new concept of marketing higher education. A long and precipitous decline in the

JobWell Done number of high school graduates was on the horizon and, being almost completely tuition-dependent, Elon could not weather a drop in enrollment, especially if we wanted to continue to increase quality. President Young put together a broad-based marketing task force. One of the major findings of the task force was that we had a lot of data about our entering freshmen and freshmen at other colleges that we weren’t really analyzing. When we looked more closely at this data, we realized who our students were and how they compared with students at other schools. For example, we thought Elon had mostly first-generation college students from higher-need families. The data showed us that our students’ parents were much more likely to have college degrees or even graduate degrees than those at our


� peer institutions. So it was with this new understanding of who and a long history that we can be proud of. Elon was founded in Elon students were that we began planning how we could meet 1889 on values and principles — including being co-educational their needs, which is the essence of marketing. — that have stood the test of time. Elon also has been blessed With the coming decline in the number of high school throughout its history with excellent, consistent leadership, the graduates, Elon had to find students from a broader geographic value of which cannot be overestimated. market. President Young recognized that we had to get students Jh: What role do you see alumni playing in Elon’s future? to consider visiting Elon first and once they visited, we had just a NP: Alumni will play an increasingly critical role. The next few minutes to make the right impression. At that time, Elon was generation of alumni leaders is going to be vitally important, and not a nationally or even regionally known institution outside of we’re seeing them step on to the scene now. Support from alumni North Carolina and Virginia. That was the impetus for building will become more influential than ever. But there are other roles a beautiful campus, simultaneous with making improvements they can play, too. Elon needs alumni to remain informed and to the admissions program and academic programs. In some to be advocates for the university in their communities. They ways, the demographic decline was a blessing for Elon because can open alumni networks and help Elon graduates get internit prompted us to do all these things. ships and jobs. They can return to campus and be resources for The change to a four-hour academic system was another students who want to go into certain career fields. defining moment. Elon’s exceptional faculty conceived this extra Jh: Some alumni have expressed concerns that Elon is no hour as an opportunity to allow students to go deeper into learn- longer the place they remember. What has remained the same ing, and it crystallized our focus on what we now call engaged at Elon? learning. The extra hour of class time was used to engage students NP: I think what has remained the same is the ethos of in more inquiry-based learning and in activities such as research, this place. Elon’s open, friendly, egalitarian nature and its focus group projects and classroom presentations. The five signature on students as individuals are unchanged. In my experience, programs known as the Elon Experiences (study abroad, intern- alumni are increasingly very proud of what their alma mater has ships, research, service and leadership) were strengthened through become. President Lambert’s faith and values and character are this change and really define our values as an institution. very important. He is a wonderful spokesperson for Elon and The Elon Vision strategic plan and campaign marked an- relates well with alumni of all ages. His emphasis on building the other seminal moment because it essentially built the modern service programs and the outreach to the community resonates campus, including McMichael Science Center, Belk Library and well with alumni and makes us all truly proud. Rhodes Stadium. Jh: What other messages do you have for alumni? Leo Lambert became president in 1999 during the last year NP: I would encourage alumni to live the values that they of the Elon Vision, which was another defining moment in were exposed to and were able to deepen here: leadership, service, Elon’s history. His vision of the level of quality to which Elon a strong work ethic and global awareness. The world truly needs could aspire was simply greater than anything those of us who Elon graduates! And, of course, I want them to be proud of their had been here for so long could imagine was possible. And he alma mater and to come back and visit! had the boldness and the risk-taking personality to make that Jh: What are you most proud of during your time at Elon? happen. Rather quickly under his and the trustees’ leadership, we NP: I’m most proud of any contribution I may have made adopted a new athletics mascot, the Phoenix, and transitioned in helping to shape and tell the Elon story. There was a time from a college to a university. It was gutsy to make both of those early in my career, especially when I worked in publications and decisions so close together. then in admissions, when it was so vital to tell the story, both In our current strategic plan, NewCentury@Elon, I would internally and externally. I enjoyed helping to put words to that point to Elon’s goal to achieve Phi Beta Kappa status as a seminal story and to shape and disseminate that message of who we were moment because it has led to so many other thrusts toward higher and who we were becoming. quality. I also would include the accreditations of the business Jh: When you came to Elon as a part-time English instructor, and communications schools and, of course, the opening of our did you think you’d enjoy such a long, distinguished career? law school in Greensboro. NP: Never. I thought that I might keep teaching. I didn’t Jh: Were you surprised or amazed by this transformation? really think that I would ever be a full-time administrator or NP: I think it is truly amazing that Elon’s transformation is faculty member. I never had a plan for my career. I just responded nationally recognized as one of the great success stories in mod- to the opportunities that were offered to me. I never dreamed I ern higher education. But when I think about all the excellent, would have had the opportunities I had at Elon. For that, I feel dedicated and talented people who worked for decades to make truly blessed. it happen, then no, it is not surprising. And we built on a strong foundation: a great location, a naturally beautiful core campus To view a video excerpt of this interview, go to www.elon.edu/magazine

MAGAZINE OF ELON

19


Over four decades,

at

study abroad has

improved with age

   ’

Belize

F

orty years have passed since Elon professors Jim Elder and Gerard Priestley led a group of students on the college’s first study abroad program. Their destination was London to study the city’s rich history. Little did they know they were pioneers in what would become one of Elon’s most transformative experiences. Since that time, Elon’s study abroad program has flourished, expanding to dozens of Winter Term, semester and summer programs around the globe. As one of Elon’s signature engaged learning programs called the Elon Experiences, study abroad has enriched the lives of generations of Elon students and brought added prestige to the university. Today, 71 percent of Elon undergraduates study abroad at least once during their academic careers, ranking Elon #1 in the nation among master’s-level colleges and universities in the number of students who study abroad, according to the Institute of International Education’s 200 Open Doors report. During the 200–2009 academic year, more than 1,000 Elon students will participate in 5 international programs on every continent except Antarctica.

20

MAGAZINE OF ELON

“Study abroad has come into full bloom at Elon,” declares Bill Rich, who guided Elon’s international programs from 195 until his retirement in 2004. “Now, study abroad is about meeting academic needs and being relevant. It’s not about tourism. It’s not going to an interesting place just to visit.” Elon’s accomplishments in study abroad and its efforts to internationalize the campus led to the university receiving one of four 2007 Sen. Paul Simon Awards for Campus Internationalization, presented by NAFsA: Association for International Educators. Larry Basirico, who succeeded Rich as dean of international programs and director of the Isabella Cannon Centre for International Studies, has sought to enhance Elon’s study abroad program by increasing the depth of experience for students. More study abroad courses today focus on research and service, offering more enriching, in-depth opportunities for cultural exchanges, including “homestays” with local families and language-immersion courses. Another way in which the Cannon Centre has deepened the study abroad experience has been to offer more programs in developing countries, particularly in Asia. In addition, this spring, Elon will add Florence, Italy, as


its third satellite center for semester-long study. The university currently operates satellite centers in London and Costa Rica. “I’ve had students come back from being abroad and say, ‘That was so much work!’” Basirico says. “That makes me happy. It’s not supposed to be a ‘trip.’ It’s supposed to be a rigorous academic challenge.” Some of the courses offered during January’s Winter Term underscore this commitment to learning on a deeper level through research, service and language immersion. Martin Kamela, associate professor of physics, and Crista Arangala, associate professor of mathematics, led a course to Kerala State, India, where students shared a traveling, hands-on science learning center with school children (see story page 23). Political science professor Chalmers Brumbaugh led his 21st consecutive Winter Term course in Costa Rica, during which students lived with Costa Rican families and learned conversational Spanish. In the course The Photographer’s Gaze led by art professor Ken Hassell, students combined ethnographic research with photography to document the lives New Zealand of immigrant communities in London’s East End (see stories page 24). “How you really learn about people and cultures is certainly through research, but more through one-on-one it was Salisbury Cathedral,” McGovern says. “Here in interaction,” Hassell says. “When you talk to people, this small little English town was this huge cathedral that’s when you break down the barriers and the stereo- coming out of the center of town, built hundreds of years types, and you find out that they are just as human as ago. It was magnificent. I get chills thinking about it.” you are.” Increasing scholarship support to enable more stuPrudence Layne’s Winter Term course, The Call of dents to study abroad and interact with diverse cultures South Africa, also enabled students to interact with local is one of the goals of the Ever Elon Campaign. McGovern, citizens. The students helped furnish a primary school chair of the board of visitors and an Ever Elon donor, in the township of Alexandra with more than 1,000 books, knows firsthand the power of study abroad to transform computers and pieces of software. They also helped the young lives. school’s teachers learn how to incorporate technology “I can’t imagine students not having the opportunity into their lessons (see stories pages 22 and 25). to get out of the United States today,” McGovern says. “Service gets students involved locally with the people,” “It’s so important for them to have knowledge of and says Layne, assistant professor of English. “We could go respect for other cultures. I hope all Elon students will to South Africa and it could just be a trip. But this course have that opportunity.” is about the life, the history and the experiences of the Rich says he hopes Elon will continue to strengthen people of South Africa. It’s about what America can learn its international program by encouraging more students from South Africa and what South Africa can learn from to spend semesters abroad and incorporating more lanAmerica.” guage-based learning into those programs. Alva McGovern ’72, who lives in Atlanta, studied in “Students find that there are lots of different ways of London in 1971 and 1972. She credits those experiences doing things, that America’s way is not the only way,” with fueling her love of history and lifelong learning. Rich says. “When students get out and experience this, “I remember the first time I walked into a cathedral, it’s a life-changing event for a great many people.”

MAGAZINE OF ELON

21


  enrollment –*













































No. of students 











End of academic year * : Isabella Cannon Centre for International Studies Annual Report July 2008. The data include study abroad enrollment during fall and spring semesters, and winter and summer terms.

IN tHE FOLLOWING EssAYs, students report from India, London and South Africa on their Winter Term 2009 experiences.

Reflections from … years study abroad

   ’ fter spending more than a week in South Africa, my classmates and I are still in disbelief about where we are. It could be because Africa always has seemed like such a far off, unreachable place to many of us. But I think our time here seems so surreal because of all the incredible experiences that have been available to us. So far, we have hiked to the summit of Table Mountain, walked the beaches of the Cape of Good Hope, come face to face with some of the world’s most incredible wildlife, including a cage dive with great white sharks and a safari — and expanded our culinary horizons by sampling some of the country’s native dishes.

A

South Africa

22

MAGAZINE OF ELON

While all of these experiences have been remarkable, what stands out most to me about South Africa are the people. We’ve been able to work closely with the people, not only observing daily routines but directly engaging in life here while completing a three-day internship in the city of Cape Town. Some of my peers are working with children in education centers, while others are working with the government and HIV/AIDsrelated initiatives. I am learning a new skill at a community pottery center. Often when Westerners think about South Africa, they limit their thinking to the challenges the country faces. While there is without doubt much to be learned from South Africa’s past and current struggles, I’ve learned that this is a country where ample joy and hope can be found. I have observed the smiling faces of children in classrooms


PHOTO COURTESY MARTIN KAMELA

   ’ o many, India sounds like a faraway, developing nation with strange languages, pungent smells and a culture deeply rooted in tradition. Yes, it is far away — two full days of travel from the United States. And yes, the sounds and smells that surround a visiting American could be considered sensory overload. But Elon students brought a traveling science center to schools in Kerala State, through this service learning course based in India, helping foster a curiosity about math, science and technology. Kerala in the southern region of India, I have realized that the definitions of a place as “different” or “developing” are all in the eye of nothing but a text- nothing but a single textbook and blackboard the beholder. book. The teacher led blew me away. On this adventure, I have seen age-old a lesson on the geography of India and stuOne day as we left the school, professor methods of education being practiced along- dents would interject with key words at the Martin Kamela hurried us along because the side the latest innovations in teaching. To me, appropriate time. Communist Marxist Party was having a pothe best part of the school day here has been This opportunity to observe and partici- litical rally and would block the streets so interacting with our “helpers,” who are high pate in the education of elementary, middle traffic would be unable to pass. Later, as some school students. We have laughed and learned and high school students in India has been a of us walked around the city of Kochi in during this cultural exchange and ended up dream come true for this soon-to-be teacher. Kerala, we saw thousands of people marching, with newfound friends and the promise of a Not only has my knowledge of international holding red flags and chanting in Malayalam continual relationship across the globe. pedagogy expanded, but the course also has in support of their party. I’ve never seen so I’ve also had the chance to observe a sixth- enhanced my teaching skills by forcing me many people in my life. grade geography class. This was especially to find ways to communicate with children To me, India is a paradox — the culminainteresting for me because it allowed me to who are not proficient in English. It also has tion of new and old, diversity and unity, and compare teaching methods in India to what challenged me to take advantage of learning peace and chaos. Through this unforgettable I have learned is effective pedagogy in the opportunities with minimal resources. study abroad experience, I have gained more United States. There were 55 students in one Watching a 10th-grade teacher in a class of 40 insight and knowledge than I could ever have combined classroom and the students had students lead a lesson on nuclear reactors with acquired inside the walls of a classroom.

T

India

You can share your study abroad experience by e-mailing the magazine staff at magazine@elon.edu. Alumni responses will be posted to www.elon.edu/magazine.

PHOTO COURTESY ROBERT HOPPEY ’

During The Call of South Africa course, senior Robert Hoppey interacted with students and completed an internship in Cape Town.

and churches in some of the most desolate townships. A number of South Africans we’ve met have told us how important it is to take what we learn and turn it into action back home. Some of my classmates have talked about starting fundraisers for South African schools through their Greek organizations. Others have found a new cause to spark their research interests. I am confident that what I’m gaining this month will stick with me well beyond my undergraduate years. It’s a privilege to be able to learn about other cultures through interaction, which is an invaluable aspect of Elon’s study abroad experience.

Reflections continued … MAGAZINE OF ELON

23


   ’ always knew that I’d love London. It long has been on the top of my list of places to visit. Taking photographs in a city I have only dreamt about is a brilliant opportunity for me to grow as a photographer and to see London as both a tourist and documentarian. London has become a multicultural headquarters of sorts; there are people from many countries, including Turkey, Zambia, Bangladesh, Italy and Germany. The assimilation of these cultures is evident in every aspect of life in London: in the theatre, in hundreds of museums around the city, through a stroll in one of London’s many parks or even during a walk through a shopping district or marketplace. Over the past few decades, much of London’s immigrant population has (l-r) Shayne Milligan, Anthony Custardo, Jaimie Wikeen, settled in the East End. Alexa Brewer, Zachary Viana and Colin Harden take in The East End reveals its London’s Piccadilly Circus. complexity subtly, block by block, in neighborhoods such as Mile End, Isle of Dogs, Bethnal Green and Whitechapel. It is not uncommon to find Bangladeshi fruit markets, burka shops and a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant side by side. One of the places where I have been working is Mile End. After we arrived here for the first time, my classmates and I wandered down the narrow streets into mainly residential areas. Then, the damp cobblestone road began to widen and ultimately gave way to Roman Road, which

I

PHOTO COURTESY ZACHARY VIANA ’

years study abroad

   ’ ince I was accepted to Elon, I knew I wanted to study abroad. I just didn’t know when it would be possible. This year, my senior year, was that time. As a digital art student, I was drawn to The Photographer’s Gaze Winter Term course in London, and I don’t think I could have picked a more perfect study abroad experience to complement my studies. That’s not to say that coming over I wasn’t a little apprehensive. This has been my first time traveling out of the United States. As our plane descended into London’s Heathrow Airport, I was greeted with the soothing sounds of Phil Collins. Ah, Genesis. I knew I had arrived. The purpose of The Photographer’s Gaze is to develop a portfolio of images that capture the migrant communities in London’s East End. I’m working in

S

London

24

MAGAZINE OF ELON

houses the majority of the stores and restaurants in Mile End and is also the heart of the outdoor market on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The Saturday market is the busiest; the streets are lined with colorful booths and carts that give bargain hunters little room to maneuver. Fortunately for my classmates and me, the vendors and shop owners are usually very eager to engage in conversation with potential customers. In just a few short blocks, I spoke with people from Zambia, Turkey, India and Bangladesh. I also spoke with some local vendors and students who have lived in Mile End for the majority of their lives, some with multiple generations from this area. My conversations with these people were essentially the same — they all have few complaints about life in London, and they thrive on the diversity that has become the backbone of their culture. This is our mission: to uncover and reveal the stories of East End immigrants through photography, field work and extensive research. In doing so, we will not only have educated ourselves and others, but also formed relationships with the people of London. The photographs we take and our experiences with the immigrants reveal the same truth: We are all unique individuals with our own sense of style, morals, beliefs and truths. In London, these qualities that make us unique are not only welcomed but incorporated into the lives of others, creating a wonderfully rich location in which to settle or just to pop in for a cup of tea and a discussion about the weather.

London

the neighborhoods of Poplar, Limehouse and the Isle of Dogs. Specifically, I’ve been working in the Chrisp Street Market in Poplar, where I’ve been focusing on Bangladeshi and Indian immigrants. The interactions have been interesting and positive. I spoke to a Bengali native about the area, particularly the music he listens to and the clubs he goes to along Brick Lane in the East End. He was helpful in directing me to a shop that specializes in Punjabi rap music. I’ve also been working with a youth community theater in Limehouse, and I’m planning to attend a show in its black box theater before we leave. Our goal in interacting with these communities is to accurately represent them using a sociological and anthropological approach. By interacting with the locals, we can properly portray these communities, which often are overlooked because of their


PHOTO COURTESY AMBER WOODS ’

   ’ hen I hear the word “Africa,” my mind immediately conjures images of vast grasslands, exotic wildlife and violent tribes. However, visiting South Africa during Winter Term has shown me how wrong I have been. While in Cape Town, I have experienced diversity and acceptance in every aspect of the country. On our first day here, we visited the Langa Township, where we saw houses made of scrap wood and siding, open-air grills and children wandering the streets. That same day, we traveled 30 minutes across town to the waterfront and entered an upscale European-style boardwalk. Street performers, cafes and a mall full of designer stores, including Gucci, Lacoste and Polo, filled the area. The next day, we climbed to the top of Table Mountain, taking in the city and ocean below. Following this climb, we spent a day in the Cape Flats, which houses many of Cape Town’s citizens. The landscape is not the only aspect of South Africa that has challenged my preconceived notions of this country. I have been shocked by the warm reception I have received from the local people. I expected to be met with disdain and resentment when I entered townships and instead was greeted with smiles and a willingness of the people to share every aspect of their lives. During my three-day internship at a preschool in the heart of Khayelitsha, one of the townships in Cape Town, I interacted with the children and adults of the town. The kids taught me their games even though they spoke almost no English. The adults took me to the local market, library and “shebeen”(bar) to show me how they live. I even learned how to make a local dish called “samp and beans.”

W

South Africa

Junior Amber Woods worked at a preschool in Cape Town, South Africa, and helped equip a primary school with books, computers and software.

Everywhere I have gone, I have been greeted warmly and treated as a friend, whether by children running up to give me a high-five in the townships or by shop owners asking about my day. We have been invited into church services, convenience stores and daycare centers in areas rarely seen by tourists. Everyone seems to be focused on the common goal of bettering South Africa and showing the world that it is not the same place it was a decade ago. Though this country is scarred by the hurt of the past, it looks optimistically toward the future and strives to share that future with the world.

PHOTO COURTESY ALEXA TERRY ’

immigrant and lower economic status. Often it is challenging to approach new people, but because of my experiences interacting with students and professors at Elon and the preparation I’ve had for this course, I’ve been able to capture shots that I feel are both strong compositions and tell stories of the communities I’m examining. In addition to our work in the field, we have participated in cultural events around London. During the first week, I saw a contemporary dance performance, heard Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” performed and visited some of the greatest museums in Europe, including the Tate Modern, National Portrait Gallery and National Gallery. To stand in front of some of the greatest works of art is truly breathtaking. As an art student, I cannot imagine a more perfect way to spend Winter Term of my senior year.

Senior Alexa Terry photographed this shop owner in London’s East End as part of the course The Photographer’s Gaze. MAGAZINE OF ELON

25


ALUMNI Action

Help us serve you better We want to know what you think. What alumni events and programs are you interested in? What services should Elon provide alumni in the future? Beginning this spring, we will ask these and other questions in two surveys designed to improve alumni programming. It is part of our ongoing effort to create meaningful connections between alumni and the university. One of the most important ways we can accomplish this goal is to ensure that the programs and services being offered to alumni match their interests, and that the alumni office has the most current information about our graduates. Beginning this month, a program interest survey will be e-mailed to alumni, and I encourage you to give it thoughtful attention. If you have not given us your e-mail address and would like to participate in the survey, send your information to alumnirelations@elon.edu. Sallie Hutton ’92 The results of this survey will guide us in developing future programs and events as part of the next strategic plan for the alumni office. This is your chance to tell us which events and services you’ve enjoyed, or not enjoyed, and what programming you would like to see in the future. We also will gauge your interest in affinity and group reunions at Homecoming, the new alumni travel program and other program areas. If you are a member of one of our 13 regional chapters, we want your feedback on the events you’ve attended and what activities we should add in the coming year. In this survey, we will ask for information on your careers as we step up our efforts to help alumni network with each other. To better connect you to your alma mater, we need to know what you are passionate about and how we can better serve you in all stages of your life. This summer, we will mail and e-mail a separate survey to alumni asking for your updated biographical information. Having your current mailing address and e-mail address ensures that you will receive invitations to campus and chapter events, and continue to receive this award-winning magazine. This survey also will ask for employer information to enhance alumni networking and enable students to connect with alums. We also want to know if you have children as we build a robust legacy admissions program at Elon. We want to do what we can to help you understand Elon’s admissions requirements. I’d like to share one final — and exciting — note about alumni communications. This spring, we will launch a new alumni Web site featuring an enhanced event calendar, more alumni news, including an Alumni Spotlight, and career information. A separate site for young alums will include alumni blogs, a map showing where graduates are located and what they are doing, and video tours of new campus buildings. Watch Elon’s E-net Web site for more information on the site’s launch date. Keeping 25,000 alumni connected to Elon is no small task. But it’s something we take seriously. I look forward to working with you on this important goal. Sallie

26

Magazine of Elon

Alumni party, cheer and volunteer at Homecoming If you didn’t make it to Homecoming last fall, you missed a lot of fun. Just ask any of the more than 4,000 alumni who returned to campus Nov. 7–9 to celebrate reunions, party at the Beach Bash and Young Alumni Party, and watch the Phoenix football team trounce Western Carolina. Members of the Class of 1958 kicked off the weekend by celebrating their 50th reunion and induction into the Golden Alumni Group. Alumni who have celebrated their 50th reunions welcomed the new inductees. Alumni also saw how their alma mater has grown and learned its history by taking the popular campus bus tour hosted by President Emeritus Earl Danieley ’46, always a Homecoming favorite! On Friday night, many affinity groups celebrated reunions, including the Office of Multicultural Affairs, which marked its 15th anniversary with a reception in the remodeled Multicultural Center. The soulful sounds of The IN-MEN filled McKinnon Hall during the Beach Bash. The Classes of 1963 and 1983 celebrated their 45th and 25th reunions, respectively, while dancing the night away. Also Friday night, graduates of the past decade packed the refurbished Lighthouse Tavern for the Young Alumni Party featuring the band Anonymous. During the party, the Classes of 1998 and 2003 celebrated their 10-year and fiveyear reunions.

During the weekend, young alumni learned more about IGNITE, the new donor recognition group for graduates of the past 10 years. You can learn more about the group and make a gift by going to www.elon.edu/ignite. On Saturday morning, more than a dozen alumni joined faculty, staff and students with Elon Volunteers to pack 10,000 high-protein,

The Alumni Relations Office is located in Johnston Hall at 123 S. Antioch Ave. and can be reached toll-free at 877-784-3566 or by writing to Campus Box 2600, Elon, NC 27244.


ALUMNI Action

dehydrated meals for people in need across the globe. The event coincided with EV!’s 20th anniversary celebration. “I was surprised at the number of bags of food we put together in such a short time,” says Dave Warfel ’06, a former member of Elon Volunteers. “The experience reminded me how much of an impact a few committed people can have on the world. I’m more motivated to volunteer some of my time.” Saturday afternoon, more than a dozen class and affinity groups gathered in Reunion Village, at Lake Mary Nell and at other spots to celebrate their reunions, including the Sigma Mu chapter of Omega Psi Phi (25th anniversary), Xi Omicron chapter of Zeta Phi Beta (15th anniversary), Kappa Sigma (35th anniversary), Sigma Phi Epsilon (35th anniversary) and Alpha Xi Delta (15th anniversary). That evening, the African-American Alumni Group hosted the Old School Party featuring producer 9th Wonder as DJ. The group partied with a purpose — to continue raising money for the African-American Alumni Scholarship. To date, 89 donors have contributed $47,593 in gifts and pledges to the scholarship, which will assist an incoming African-American freshman who demonstrates financial need and academic success. Kappa Alpha alumni marked the oneyear anniversary of the disappearance of Kyle Fleischmann ’06. Fleischmann, who served as vice president of Kappa Alpha, vanished in November 2007 after leaving a bar in Charlotte, N.C. The Rev. Ron Galloway, pastor and founder of Solomon’s Temple in Reidsville, N.C., delivered the sermon Sunday morning during the Gospel Choir worship service. Galloway attended Elon during the 1990s and was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. It’s not too early to begin making plans to attend Homecoming 2009, scheduled for Oct. 23–25.

(l-r) Bonnie K. Baxter ’88, Noel L. Allen ’69, Lundon B. Sims ’02, Laith al-Majali ’05 and Joan Summers Drummond ’52

Celebrating the best of Elon Trustee Noel L. Allen ’69, Bonnie K. Baxter ’88, Joan Summers Drummond ’52, Lundon B. Sims ’02 and Laith al-Majali ’05 received Alumni Association awards at Homecoming, recognizing their contributions to their professions and their communities. Allen was named Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. He is president and founding and managing partner of Allen and Pinnix law firm in Raleigh, and serves as legal counsel for the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. A respected legal educator, Allen has taught as an adjunct professor at Campbell University School of Law and published articles on ethics, the use of expert witnesses and legal challenges to regulating Internet practice. He serves as U.S. editor of the multi-volume treatise Competition Law of Western Europe and The United States (Kluwer Law International), and is the author of North Carolina Unfair Business Practice and Antitrust Law in North Carolina. Allen has served as an Elon trustee since 1985, including terms as board chair from 2001 to 2003. He played a pivotal role in the board’s decision to open Elon’s School of Law in Greensboro in 2006. He serves on the law school’s board of advisors and is a generous donor to the school. Baxter received the Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award for her groundbreaking discoveries in biology and astrobiology. She is a faculty member at Westminster College in Salt Lake City and serves as director of the Great Salt Lake Institute. She has earned international attention for her research of DNA cell repair

Alumni Relations Office staff:  Director, Sallie Hutton ’92, alumnirelations@elon.edu  •  Assistant Director, Lisa Ratliff Roper ’93  Assistant Director for Young Alumni, Lindsay Gross Hege ’04  •  Coordinator of Alumni Chapters, Lauren Kelly ’08  •  Program Assistant, Kelly Elliston

and her work at the Great Salt Lake, where she found multiple species of microorganisms called “halophiles.” Her discovery shattered the belief that life could not exist in such a high-saline environment. Drummond was honored with the Alumni Service Award. After working for more than 30 years with Vick Chemical Co., Drummond retired in 1990 and has volunteered with Hospice League of Alamance/Caswell counties, Women’s Resource Center of Burlington, Humane Society of Alamance County, Residential Treatment Services of Alamance County and Meals on Wheels. Sims, a teacher at R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, N.C., was named Young Alumna of the Year. After graduation, Sims joined the Peace Corps and spent more than two years in Larreynaga, Nicaragua, training rural primary and secondary school teachers. In her community, she works as a translator with the Centro La Communidad/Community Care Center and a Habitat for Humanity volunteer coordinator. al-Majali received the Young Alumnus of the Year Award. Last year, his film, “Captain Abu Raed,” earned the World Cinema Audience Award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The movie, edited and produced by al-Majali, is the first feature film to emerge from his native country of Jordan in 50 years. His latest project, a sitcom for the Showtime network, is based on his experiences as an Arab student in the American South. al-Majali came to Elon in 2001 as the university’s first King Hussein of Jordan Scholar.

Magazine of Elon

27


ALUMNI Action

Get away!

Alumni chapters heed the call to service From Los Angeles to Boston, alumni chapter members spent the fall raising money for worthy causes, including helping children in need. Alumni also found time to gather and cheer on the Phoenix. In North Carolina, members of the Piedmont Triad Chapter participated in the Oct. 25 Walk for the Cure in WinstonSalem to support diabetes research. On Nov. 1, Charlotte Chapter members braved the cold for the Step Out To Fight Diabetes walk at Freedom Park. Charlotte alumni also gathered Oct. 25 at The Gin Mill to watch the ElonWofford football game. In the Triangle, alumni embraced the holiday spirit by helping the Triangle Spokes Group distribute 300 new bicycles to children selected by the Salvation Army of Wake County. Alumni did their part to make the event the largest bike distribution in the history of the Wake County Salvation Army. In Atlanta, alumni chartered a tour bus and traveled to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to watch the Phoenix football team thrash the Mocs. In December, they celebrated the holidays by gathering for a wine tasting party at The Grape bar and restaurant. Members of the Hampton Roads Chapter kicked back after work with a happy hour at Barron’s Pub in downtown Suffolk, Va. In Washington, D.C., the chapter stayed busy with a viewing party at McFadden’s Restaurant for the Elon-Wofford football game, happy hour at Old Ebbitt Grill and a private wine tasting at the Philip Carter Winery in Hume, Va., which is owned by the family of Philip C. Strother ’91. The D.C. Chapter joined alumni from Tulane University to watch a Washington Capitals hockey game. On Dec. 30, D.C. and Baltimore alumni came together to cheer on the Phoenix men’s basketball team as it squared off against the Maryland Terrapins in College Park, Md. The Baltimore Chapter continued to recruit new members by hosting an interest meeting at DellaRose’s restaurant in Canton and planning future events. Alums interested in helping plan future events should contact chapter president Sara Hodges ’05 at sara_hodges@hotmail.com. Ice hockey was on the minds of 28

Magazine of Elon

next stop … Europe, ireland or maine Alumni, parents and friends are invited to join the Alumni Association on the following trips: Cathedrals of Europe, June 2-13 Cost: Approximately $4,099 per person plus taxes (double occupancy) Ennis, Ireland, Aug. 21-29 Cost: Approximately $2,595 per person plus airfare and taxes (double occupancy) Young alumni trip to Fryeburg, Maine, Oct. 9-12 Cost: Approximately $420-$470 per person (excluding airfare) The registration deadline is May 22, and 25 percent of the trip fee (per individual) is due by that date to secure your reservation. For more information on these trips, go to www.elon.edu/alumni or contact the alumni office toll free at 877.784.3566 or alumnirelations@elon.edu

Philadelphia alumni, who on Dec. 11 watched the Flyers beat the Carolina Hurricanes. In Boston, alumni escaped the cold by gathering at the Foundation Lounge to network and plan events for the spring. Alumni also brought clothes and $150 in donations for Cradles to Crayons, which serves low-income and homeless children. The chapter regularly volunteers on behalf of the organization. Farther West, Los Angeles alumni did their part on Make A Difference Day by joining the Foothill Community Cleanup at Dunsmore Park in Glendale, Calif. They also helped spread the word about ovarian cancer awareness and research by participating in the Run For Her 5K race/walk at Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles, raising more than $3,600 for the cause. For more information on chapter events, go to www.elon.edu/alumni.

Raleigh

Baltimore

Boston

Los Angeles

Washington


ALUMNI Action

graduates honored at Alumni Leadership weekend

Coming Events 

Hannah Campbell ’02, Christian Brescia ’03 and Lisa goldstein ’03 were recognized last fall as outstanding young alumni during Elon’s first Alumni Leadership Weekend. The alumni were honored Oct. 24 at a special luncheon for their contributions to the entertainment industry. They spoke to students in the School of Communications and the performing arts department. “it’s important for young alumni to come back and tell students that their time here is being put to good use,” says goldstein, who plays Millicent Huxtable on the hit TV show “One Tree Hill.” Since graduating, goldstein has performed at the (l-r) Christian Brescia ’03, Hannah Campbell ’02 and Lisa Goldstein ’03 naples Dinner Theatre, the Heritage Repertory Theatre, The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina and Walt Disney World. Campbell has performed with the oldest repertory theatre in Los Angeles, The Company of Angels, and has appeared in television commercials and shows as well as webisodes and films. The president of Elon’s Los Angeles Alumni Chapter, Campbell credits Elon with giving her a solid foundation to achieve her dreams. “i wouldn’t be the actor or the business-savvy person i am today without the professors and staff at Elon,” she says. Brescia is an executive with Storm Media Studios and Supercell Design. He has been nominated for two technical and four creative arts Emmy Awards for marketing campaigns he’s created for ABC , fOX and fX networks. He encouraged students to develop a strong work ethic. “Once you get out of Elon and go to a place like L.A., you see that everyone is the next big thing,” he says. “You have to put your nose to the grindstone.”

Feb. 9 D.C. Chapter happy hour, : p.m. rock Bottom, Bethesda, Md.

aPril  Atlanta Chapter service event,  a.m. SafeHouse outreach

Atlanta Chapter happy hour,  p.m. tap in Midtown

aPril  Hampton Roads Chapter baseball game,  p.m. elon vs. old Dominion, norfolk, va.

Feb. 2 D.C. Chapter service event with KEEn, : a.m. St. Coletta School in washington Feb. 28 Atlanta Chapter men’s basketball watch party,  p.m. Hudson Grill, perimeter Mall march -9 Atlanta Chapter road trip, SoCon Basketball tournament, Chattanooga, tenn. march 9 Celebrate Elon in nYC, : p.m. plaza Hotel, new york

Charlotte faculty/ Alumni Social,  p.m. Fox and Hound in Uptown march 2

march  Hampton Roads Chapter happy hour,  p.m. Baron’s pub, Suffolk, va.

Charleston Chapter St. Patrick’s Day Social,  p.m. Henry’s Bar & restaurant march  Los Angeles Chapter nothin’ But Sand Beach Cleanup,  a.m. toes Beach, playa Del rey, Calif.

Atlanta Chapter happy hour,  p.m. twisted taco, Dunwoody march 9

D.C. Chapter happy hour and nCAA tournament watch party, : p.m. McFadden’s, washington

volunteers needed For 2009 reunions

Affinity groups celebrating reunions include: Alumni Band (100 The alumni office is looking for vol- years), Pi Kappa Phi (30 years), unteers to help plan reunions at Sigma Gamma Rho (10 years), Phi Homecoming this fall. Beta Sigma (10 years), Delta Delta Classes celebrating milestone Delta (five years) and Watson reunions include: 1959, 1964, 1969, Scholarship recipients (five years). A 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999 reunion of history and international and 2004. The alumni office is avail- studies majors also is planned for able to assist graduates coordinating Homecoming. To volunteer, please their class reunions. To help plan any contact Lisa Ratliff Roper ’93 in the of these reunions, contact the alumni alumni office or at lroper@elon.edu office at 877.784.3566 or alumnirela- by March 31. tions@elon.edu by March 31.

march 22 Boston Chapter hockey game,  p.m. Boston Bruins vs. new Jersey Devils march 2 Triangle Chapter hockey game,  p.m. Carolina Hurricanes vs. ottawa Senators, rBC Center, raleigh, n.C.

Spring to Success Young Alumni Career Event, : p.m. raleigh, n.C. aPril 2

Atlanta Chapter happy hour,  p.m. Shout in Midtown

aPril 

aPril  Piedmont Triad Chapter happy hour,  p.m. Fox & Hound, winston-Salem, n.C.

Young Alumni Career Webinar with Dean Mary gowan, : p.m. aPril 2

national Alumni Executive Board meeting, elon

aPril 2–2

Chapter Leaders Workshop, elon aPril 2 Triangle Chapter service event, angels among Us race, Durham, n.C. aPril 2–2 Young Alumni Council meeting, elon may 2 D.C. Chapter gold Cup trip, the plains, va.

Triangle Chapter 5th-Annual Kentucky Derby Party, : p.m. angus Barn, raleigh, n.C. Atlanta Chapter family picnic,  a.m. Chastain park may  Atlanta Chapter happy hour,  p.m. twist in Buckhead may  Los Angeles Chapter nothin’ But Sand Beach Cleanup, time to be announced. Santa Monica Bay from Zuma to Cabrillo Beach may 22 Baccalaureate,  p.m. alumni Gym, Koury Center may 2 Commencement, : a.m. Under the oaks

Triangle Chapter Komen Race for the Cure, time to be announced. Meredith College, raleigh, n.C.

June 

for the latest alumni news, go to www.elon.edu/alumni

MAgAzinE Of ELOn

29


CLASS Notes

Class Notes ’30s Robert W. Morphis ’32 is grateful to Elon for giving him an excellent education and lifelong friends, and for preparing him for a successful career. He remembers meeting his wife, Louise, in the first town he visited after graduation. They were married for 73 years before she died in 2008. Robert advises students to absorb all the education they can. “My educational background is still respected by those I contact or associate with,” he says. “I have not been (at Elon) for many years, but what I hear from there is nothing but good!”

’40s Bernard Morris Askin ’43 made his best friends at Elon. He says his Elon education helped prepare him to thrive in his professional and personal life. He remembers how Elon enabled him to persevere during World War II. He encourages fellow alumni to use the knowledge they gained at Elon, and he says he hopes Elon will continue to make strides in higher education.

brary with an exhibition of 20 of her oil paintings on her 82nd birthday. She remembers the caring faculty at Elon, particularly Lila Newman, who was her first art teacher. She and her husband, Thomas E. Wright ’54, recently celebrated their 63rd anniversary. Talmadge E. Fury ’57 says his Elon education changed his life by making him a loving person and a good leader. He says Earl Danieley ’46 was an inspiration to him and his future. He hopes that Elon will become one of the best universities in the world. Louis Bailey Wilkins ’58 says Elon changed his life by enabling him to interact with international students and broadening his worldview. He credits Elon with his decision to serve for eight years as an educational missionary to Turkey. Through that experience, he and his wife adopted their oldest son from Lebanon in 1965. Louis’ travels also helped him to appreciate the value of education in a democratic society. He remembers his wonderful professors, including John Graves and Earl Danieley ’46, who became his good friends. Louis encourages alumni to be inquisitive and help mentor children and youths. Now an Elon resident, Louis hopes to see the university continue to expand its study abroad and service learning initiatives.

’50s REUNION ’59 Jane Ladora Iransou ’50 met and married her husband at Elon. She says she always will remember her concert tours with the choir and how her professors taught rather than “lectured.” Jane says Elon helped her mature in life and prepare her for the future, and she encourages alumni to remember their good times and support Elon forever. Charlie Frye ‘63 Richard Clendenin Thompson ’53 says his Elon experience gave him an appreciation for education and truth. He remembers the Russian professors who taught at Elon and the World War II veterans who attended Elon thanks to the GI Bill. He encourages fellow alumni to save their money, go to church and help the needy. He hopes that Elon will not become too large and will maintain its personal attention to students.

’60s

Charlie Frye ’63 was a star athlete and scholar at Oak Ridge Military Academy. He attended Elon on a baseball scholarship and helped Elon win conference championships in 1957 and 1958. He went on to play semi-pro baseball for Rainey Shell of Greensboro. In 1959, he was invited to spring training with the Washington Senators. He declined and returned to Elon to finish Ann S. Wright ’54 recently was hon- his degree in business administration ored by the Danville, Va., public li- and economics. Last fall, Charlie was 30

Magazine of Elon

named to Oak Ridge’s Athletic Hall and played in the East-West College of Fame. He continues to support the All-Star Game. He lives in Asheboro, academy and was instrumental in es- N.C. tablishing an annual alumni baseball game. He lives with his wife, Dorothy, in Greensboro, N.C.

’70s

Burgin Beale ’69 retired last fall from Moore County Schools. After 38 years of coaching football, teaching and serving as principal and assistant principal in two states, five school districts and nine schools, he decided it was time to retire. He plans to spend more time with his family and friends, playing tennis and golf, and watching more Phoenix football. Edward Lee Johnson ’69 was inducted last fall into the Asheboro High School Sports Hall of Fame. Edward was captain of the 1967 Elon football team

Edward “Edd” Conner ’70 is retiring from the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired after serving there for 35 years. During his tenure, he worked as an instructional specialist, rehabilitation case manager and eye surgery coordinator. He lives with his wife, Jolene, in Norfolk, Va. Betty Anderson Woodard ’71 recently retired from teaching after 38 years. She operates a home-based travel agency in Deltaville, Va. She and her husband, Guy Woodard ’69, who recently retired from Dominion Power,

Charitable gift annuities can provide income for life A charitable gift annuity of $10,000 or more to Elon will guarantee you a fixed income for the rest of your life. With market interest rates near historic lows, a gift annuity is an attractive way for you to increase your income and make a gift to Elon at the same time. You will receive immediate tax benefits and can defer capital gains. The payment rate of a charitable gift annuity depends on your age at the time of the gift — the older you are, the higher the rate. Sample Rates effective February 1, 2009: One beneficiary

t wo beneficiaries

Age Annuit y Rate

Ages Annuit y Rate

60/65 67/67 71/73

60 65 70

5.0% 5.3% 5.7%

4.8% 5.0% 5.3%

Annuity rates are subject to change. The annuity rate remains fixed once your gift is made.

To calculate a gift annuity for you or your spouse or a family member, go to www.elon.edu/giftplanning. For more information on how you may benefit from a life income gift to Elon and other gift planning opportunities, please contact: Jamie Killorin, CPA/PFS, CFP®, Director of Gift Planning Toll free 877.784.3566 Jkillorin2@elon.edu • www.elon.edu/giftplanning


CLASS Notes lead group tours on cruises and other trips, and sell travel packages. Hyman Sater ’72 and his wife, Lizbeth, recently celebrated their 38th anniversary. Hyman has been semi-retired for four years. They have two sons and three grandchildren. Hyman, who is an avid runner, won the only alumni 5K race in 1991.

Alan R. Parham ’74 and Dottie Simmons Parham ’76

Alan R. Parham ’74 and Dottie Simmons Parham ’76 reunited at Elon’s Homecoming in 2002 and were married the following year. They recently celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary with a camping trip that took them down the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon. Alan works for National Scouting Report, a company that helps match athletes to college scholarship opportunities. Dottie is part-owner of a company that helps non-profit organizations identify new donors. They live in Mills River, N.C.

Debbie Jones Bise ’75 and Ricky Bise ’77 and daughter, Lindsey

Debbie Jones Bise ’75 is an administrator at Knoxville Trade School. Her husband, Ricky Bise ’77, is a retired school principal. They live in Cleveland, Tenn., where they run a miniature horse farm.

’80s REUNION ’84 Scott Stevenson ’82 finished third runner-up in the Palmer Cup Collegiate Amateur golf tournament in Glasgow, Scotland. The Palmer Cup is named after legendary golfer Arnold Palmer

Casey Beathard ’90 and his wife, Susan

Beathard wins second songwriting award For the second time in four years, Casey Beathard ’90 has received the BMI Country Songwriter of the Year Award. Beathard was honored Nov. 11 at the BMI Country Awards, which celebrated the writers and publishers of the 50 mostperformed country songs of 2008. The business major and former Elon football player co-wrote five of the songs on the 2008 mostperformed list. He received the same award in 2004. Beathard has written songs for artists Kenny Chesney, Billy Ray Cyrus, Trace Adkins, Gary Allan, Tracy Byrd and Billy Currington, among others. He has collaborated on hits including Chesney’s “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem” and “Don’t Blink,” Cyrus’ “Ready, Set, Don’t Go,” Currington’s “Walk a Little Straighter” and Byrd’s “Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo.”

and is the collegiate version of the pro- a deep-sea fishing trip off the coast of husband, James A. Morgan IV ’91, is a fessional Ryder Cup. Scott lives with Oak Island, N.C. business analyst with Wachovia. They live in Cornelius, N.C. his wife, Tracy, in Woodstock, Ga.

’90s

Tom Fredrick Merricks ’83 has been promoted to principal at Xerox Office Services for the western region. He has REUNION ’99 worked at the company for 25 years. Tom lives in Plano, Texas. Pamela Nichols Burrus ’93 and Jeffrey Camper Burrus ’91 live in Charlotte, Jeffrey L. Smith ’86 has been ap- N.C., with their two sons, Rob, 8, and pointed to a three-year term with the Mitch, 2. Jeff is vice president of proZ. Smith Reynolds Foundation’s ad- duction for EquiFirst Corp. visory panel. He also completed the Piedmont Triad Leadership Institute, Mark C. French ’93 recently donated a collaboration between the Piedmont documents that belonged to his Triad Partnership and the Center for great-grandfather, Calvin H. French, Creative Leadership to develop young to Hastings College. Calvin French leaders who support economic devel- served as president of Hastings College opment issues. Jeffrey lives in Winston- from 1920–1934. Mark discovered Salem, N.C. the documents, which had not been touched for 50 years, while cleaning J. Brucie Sutton ’86 graduated from out a relative’s attic. The archives are the University of North Carolina at displayed in French Memorial Chapel Greensboro’s School of Nursing in on the Hastings campus. In addition, May 2008. He is a registered nurse at the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Alamance Regional Medical Center’s Exchange, where Mark works, celtelemetry unit. ebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Mark lives in Bedford, Mass. Carrie Town Brennan ’88 recently was promoted to manager of the middle Mary Jane Gupton Morgan ’94 is market claims office at Liberty Mutual principal of Lake Norman Christian Insurance. She lives with her husband, School, which opened in September Dan, in Keller, Texas. 2008 and serves grades K-8. They will continue adding a new grade each year, William Pruitt ’88 is area business di- building a complete K-12 program. Her rector of the central region of Daiichi Sankyo. William has been with the company for 11 years and has received several promotions for building successful sales teams. He lives in Southlake, Texas. Stewart Arens ’89, John Floyd ’90, Trey Siner ’91 and Shane Yount ’91 are Sigma Chi fraternity brothers. In celebration of John Floyd’s upcoming wedding, the Elon alums recently took L-R Trey Siner ’91, Stewart Arens ’89, John Floyd ’90 and Shane Yount ’91

Erick Gill ’95 was again recognized during the National Association of County Information Officers’ Annual Awards of Excellence ceremony. He is the public information officer for St. Lucie County, Fla. Erick earned a second-place award in the writing division for a series of press releases he wrote on St. Lucie County’s artificial reef program, which received media attention. He also won two awards in the Florida Government Communicator Association’s annual Crystal Awards competition: a thirdplace award in the special events category for the opening of the Lawnwood Skate Park and a second-place award in the video category for a report on the park’s opening. He and his wife, Colleen Batt Gill ’95, live in Fort Pierce, Fla., with their two children, Trevor, 5, and Chelsea, 2. George Leloudis ’96 has been appointed to serve as adviser to the publishing board and as vice-chair of the finance core group of the American Bar Association. He is a law firm administrator at McGuire, Wood & Bissette P.A. He lives in Asheville, N.C. Joleen E. Neighbours ’96 serves as secondary education chair on the board of directors of the Virginia Theatre Association. She recently was named Teacher of the Year at Nansemond River High School, where she is chair of the fine arts department. She participates in a musicians exchange program and will travel to England this summer to perform and direct. One of her former students, Nicole Lockhart, is a freshman at Elon. “It’s incredible to see teaching and training

Magazine of Elon

31


CLASS Notes come full circle,” Joleen says. She lives in Windsor, Va. Laura Dale Holtry-Hughes ’99 earned a master’s degree with honors in educational leadership with a concentration in museum education from George Washington University.

’00s REUNION ’04 Adam T. Rose ’00 works at TrySports, a sports specialty store that specializes in triathlons and swimming, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Last fall, he competed in his first Adam Rose ’00 full-iron distance triathlon, the Beach2Battleship Iron Distance 2008. The race included a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon. He finished the race in just under 11 hours, 30 minutes. He lives in Wilmington, N.C. Jeffrey L. Sanders ’00 was named a group manager and solutions architect with Avanade in the company’s eastern division. Avanade is a global IT consulting firm. He recently served as technical editor for two books and is writing his own book, due in May from Apress Publishing. His wife, Lisa McChristian Sanders ’01, is a compensation analyst at Johns Hopkins University. They are enjoying their recently built “smart” home in Phoenix, Md. Josh Wheaton ’02 and Erica Zehner Wheaton ’01 credit their Elon education with the success of their corporation, Josh Wheaton ’02 VivaLac Inc. The couple say that the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business was instrumental in their development Erica Zehner as entrepreneurs. The Wheaton ’01 company’s all-natural sweetener, Whey Low, is doing well. It was named “best sweetener” by The Washington Post and accepted by the Whole Foods supermarket chain. Though VivaLac is based in Maryland, the company’s manufacturing operation is in Western North Carolina. The Wheatons say Elon also instilled in them a sense of civic responsibility, leading them to hire employees with special needs in the manufacturing of Whey Low. 32

Magazine of Elon

A keepsake for the First Lady Jewelry designer Molly Smith Anderson ’96 admits to being star struck last spring when she shared a hug — and a necklace she made — with Michelle Obama. Anderson was in downtown Raleigh with two friends and wandered into the Sheraton Hotel to catch a glimpse of the Obamas, who were in town for the May 6 North Carolina primary. As the couple prepared to leave the hotel, one of Anderson’s friends suggested she give Michelle Obama a creation from her jewelry line, mollybeads. “I didn’t have a bag of jewelry with me,” Anderson recalls. “My friend convinced me to take my necklace off and give it to her. It was a really pretty coral necklace, and I thought it would look nice with her skin tone. I handed her the necklace and said ‘Happy Mother’s Day.’ Her mouth dropped open and she said, ‘Oh my gosh, thank you so much.’ Then she gave me a big hug.” Molly Smith Anderson ’96 No word yet on whether Michelle Obama has worn the necklace. “I haven’t seen her wear it, but I like to think she still has it,” Anderson says. Anderson has been designing jewelry and building her business since she was 14. Last March, she left her sales job to run mollybeads full time from her Raleigh home. “It’s so rewarding to wake up every day and know that I’m doing something that I love,” she says. After graduating with a degree in communications, Anderson worked for two years in Elon’s alumni office. “Elon will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says. “It always looked the way I thought college was supposed to look.” To see Anderson’s designs, go to www.mollybeads.com.

Jonathan Lindberg ’04 has accepted a position with the North Carolina Department of Commerce in Raleigh. He will work with the department’s economic development team in the Julie Marateck ’03 recently joined the building and industry division. High Museum of Art as a public speaker and coBrian McGuire ’04 reordinator of its speakers cently was named vice president of treasury bureau. She continues to management services at pursue photography. Her latest photographic work Private Bank of Buckhead can be viewed at www. in Atlanta. He is pursuing wanderwithpurpose.com. a master’s degree in busiShe lives in Atlanta. ness administration from Georgia State University Rebecca Grey Vogler ’03 and is active with Kiwanis graduated last August Brian McGuire ’04 International. He lives in from Austin Peay State Atlanta. University with a master’s degree in health and human performance. She Andrew J. Rollins ’04 graduated from lives in Clarksville, Tenn. Stetson University College of Law in May 2007 and has joined Crotty,

The couple also recently celebrated the birth of their daughter on July 30, 2008. The family resides in Frederick, Md.

Bartlett & Kelly, P.A., in Daytona Beach, Fla. He is pursuing a master’s degree in applied American politics and policy at Florida State University in Tallahassee. He lives in Ormond Beach, Fla. Kimberly Diane Sanders ’04 graduated in May 2008 from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. She passed the North Carolina Bar examination last July. Kimberly lives in Woodleaf, N.C. Jessica Patchett Anderson ’05 graduated in May 2008 from Princeton Theological Seminary with a master of divinity degree. Last June, she began working as a children and family outreach coordinator for the First Presbyterian Church. She lives in Charlotte, N.C. Steven Gregory Bell ’05 graduated in May 2008 from the University of North Carolina School of Law and joined Carruthers & Roth, P.A., in Greensboro, N.C. Michael R. Puccini ’05 is a territory sales manager at Mizuno USA, Inc. He lives in Birmingham, Ala. Lindsay Wright ’07 has been selected as a foreign service officer with the United States Department of State. She began training in January. She lives in Fairfax, Va. Kelsey Christine Davis ’08 is serving as a WorldTeach volunteer. She will be in Costa Rica during 2009, teaching English to first- through sixthgraders.

Weddings

’90s Myron Talbert ’90 and Christina Beehner, 5/17/08. Elon alumni in attendance were: Rev. Dolan A Talbert ’68, Chris Friend ’92, Beth Towe ’95, Keith Heck ’92, Jacquelyn Walker ’90, David Kind ’89, Betsy Suttell ’96, Alan Layne ’93, Bill Logan ’90, Rich McCloskey ’91, Bill Mullins ’68, Jeff Pratt ’88, Matt Rogers ’95, Don Witten ’90, Bert Wood ’92 and Jim Worst ’95. Myron works for BectonDickinson Diagnostics. The couple reside in Charlotte, N.C. Dann Worrell ’90 and Chelle Worrell, 7/25/08. Dann is a national sales di-


CLASS Notes

Hitting the trails

By Bethany Swanson ’09

K

ari Spiker Burkey ’00 had ridden a horse only three times when she was assigned to lead a riding trip for Elon Outdoors her senior year. Burkey didn’t know it at the time, but she was gaining valuable experience to run her own dude ranch. For the past two years, Burkey and her husband, David, have owned and operated KD Guest Ranch in Zanesville, Ohio. Running a ranch wasn’t exactly what Burkey thought she’d be doing after graduating with a degree in exercise sport science. After leaving Elon, she went to massage therapy school in New Mexico, completing her studies in 2001. Eager for a final summer of fun before starting her career, Burkey went to work at the French Broad Outpost Ranch in Del Rio, Tenn. “I ended up staying for three years, and I met my husband there,” she says. The couple married in 2002 in Burkey’s hometown of Adamsville, Ohio, riding off on horseback at the end of the ceremony. They lived in Tennessee for a short time before moving back to Ohio to start the ranch. David Burkey had grown tired of working as a hotel banquet manager and was eager to put his college degree in hospitality and tourism management to work. “We looked at farms and dude ranches out West to see their facilities and offerings, just to see if it was feasible,”

rector for OPEX Corp. They live in Roswell, Ga.

Kari Spiker Burkey ’00 and family

Burkey says. “We figured if we could get paid to do something that we love and be able to ride horses every day, that would be wonderful.” Burkey also drew on her experience growing up on a farm, where her family raised hogs, beef cattle and some crops. The Burkeys’ ranch sits on 44 acres of the family farm, with 550 acres remaining for trail riding, camping and hiking. In addition to showing guests ranch life, Burkey promotes agriculture and farming. Last summer, the ranch hosted a day camp for children that focused on farming life. “So many kids don’t have any idea where their meat and eggs and milk come from,” she says. “When they pass a

Kelly L. Hayman ’99 and John R. Steele, 10/11/08. Elon alumni in attendance were: Jill Barrett ’99, Angela Olsen ’99, Chris Macey ’93 and Mandy Roberts ’99, Joe Elizabeth Azua, 10/21/08. Roberts ’99, Amy Beard The couple were married ’99, Kristen Dundov ’00, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. They live in Hiram, Ga., Allison Knode ’99, Sarah where Chris is a regional Porter ’99 and Allison DeMacy ’99. Kelly is a manager for Brand Dann Worrell ’90 and Chelle Worrell coordinating teacher of Energy Services. elementary mathematics for Wake Heather D. Burnell ’96 and Terry County Public Schools. The couple N. Watts, 6/13/08. Elon alumni in at- reside in Raleigh, N.C. tendance were Megan Leone ’96 and Dawn Higgins Andrews ’96. Heather Ashley G. Lane ’99 and Todd A. is a massage therapist. The couple re- Setzer, 10/11/08. The couple married side in Raleigh, N.C. in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The bride was

field of corn, we want them to know what it’s used for and why it’s important.” The couple do most of the work at the ranch, including preparing meals. Burkey matches each guest with one of the ranch’s 14 horses, teaching them how to ride and saddle a horse and leading the trail rides. The ranch also offers line and square dancing, fishing and roping lessons, among other activities. The biggest obstacle the couple face is convincing people that Ohio can be dude ranch country. “We’ve had people from Michigan and Indiana stop by the ranch just to make sure it exists before they make reservations,” Burkey says. “For a lot of people, they want to be able to say they’ve gone to a ranch, ridden horses and driven cattle, and we provide the opportunity for them to do it closer to home.” So far, the venture has been successful. “The slow economy has been working in our favor,” Burkey says. “Since travel is so expensive, people don’t want to go as far.” The couple don’t get to take many vacations of their own, but they don’t seem to mind. Says Burkey, “Being able to live this lifestyle doesn’t seem like a job.” For information on the KD Guest Ranch, go to www.kdguestranch.com.

escorted by her father, Robert Lane ’71. Elon alumni who participated in the wedding were Christine Waterman Parthemore ’01 and John C. Yanni ’99. Elon alumni in attendance were Amanda Harrington ’00 and Shannon Keeny ’01. Ashley is a sales representative for Pfizer Inc. The couple reside in Kelly Hayman Steele ’99 and John Steele and friends North Myrtle Beach.

’00s Tabatha J. Crain ’00 and Dustin Michael Hoyle, 3/15/08. Tabatha is a school counselor at Gaston County Schools. Ashley Lane Setzer ’99 and Todd Setzer and friends

Magazine of Elon

33


CLASS Notes

Maggie Kowalewski Goldstein Valerie Law Howard ’01 and ’00 and Drew Goldstein Jason Howard

Amber McCafferty Zent ’02 and Brian Zent ’02

Anne Dalrymple Thompson ’02 and Robert Thompson and friends

L-R Zaire Miller McCoy ’02, Summer Johnson John Gann ’02 and Emily Hayes Gann ’05 and friends Holbert ’02 and Rachel Meluney Mullens ’03

Colleen Minnock Chulis ’04 and Matthew Chulis and friends

Bryan P. Kernodle ’06 and Bucleigh Newton Kernodle ’05

Maggie Sullivan Massaro ’03 and Ricky Massaro and friends

L-R Carly Gydosh ’06, Jenna Bailey ’07, Annie Langdon Thompson ’06, Ryan Thompson, Meghan McGowan ’07 and Jillian Baer ’07

Waterman Parthemore ’01. Valerie received her doctor of physical therapy degree from Elon in 2004 and is a physical therapist at Howard County Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation. The couple live in Catonsville, Md. Cristin Hall Pond ’05 and Christian Pond and friends

Margaret “Maggie” Kowalewski ’00 and Drew Goldstein, 6/29/08. Elon alumni in attendance were: Natalie O. Swackhamer ’99, W. Stuart Swackhamer ’00, Heather P. Mussari ’00, Caitlin Lutz Ward ’01 and Erica Peterseil ’02. Maggie is a senior litigation paralegal at Sovereign Bank. Valerie B. Law ’01 G’04 and Jason Howard, 4/12/08. Brandy Hunt Wilson ’01 and Shannon Keeny ’01 participated in the wedding. Elon alumni in attendance were: Amanda Harrington Chandler ’98, Tracy Conouyer Chandler ’00 and Christy 34

Magazine of Elon

Aaron Michael Easley ’02 and Meredith Vesely Easley ’03 and friends

Kristie L. Sanford ’01 and Michael John Curley, 9/09/07. Kristie is the logistics manager at NAVAIR. The couple live in Hollywood, Md., with their two dogs. Anne Dalrymple ’02 and Robert J. Thompson, 7/12/08. Elon alumni in attendance were: Meghan Daniel ’02, Erin Lawless ’03, Allyson Talbott Jones ’02 and Charlotte Rosser Hundley ’77. Anne is a third-grade teacher and lives with her husband in Towson, Md. Aaron Michael Easley ’02 and Meredith Ann Vesely ’03, 7/28/07. Elon alumni who participated in the wedding were: Travis Bell ’03, John Cale ’02, Matt Coltrera ’02, Lisa Peterson Duncan ’03, Kate Glassnapp

Rachel Mroczek Johnston ’03 and Michael Johnston

Erica Eberwein Dunkelberger Diana Rosenberger Rubin ’04 ’03 and Matthew and Josh Rubin Dunkelberger

Michelle Kidder Fegeley ’07 and Colin Fegeley

Fairchild ’03, Emily Palermo Knier ’03, Shawn McLaughlin ’02, Mary Beth Miklich ’03, Nick Pino ’02, Tom O’Neill ’02, Becky Scholl ’03 and Leigh Rothgeb ’03. The couple live in Charlotte, N.C., where Aaron is a training coordinator for BB&T and Meredith is a kindergarten teacher.

Angie Beckett Mackey ’05 and Chris Mackey and family

Public Schools. Elon alumni in attendance were: Cathy Coker ’02, Susan Duppstadt ’02, Kim Kabigting ’02, Erin Helton ’03 and Christina Mears ’02. The couple reside in Germantown, Md.

Brian P. Wolanski ’02 and Emily M. Barrett, 6/28/08. Brian works in prodSummer Johnson ’02 and Nicholas uct marketing for Pharmachem Labs. Holbert, 10/11/08. Rachel Meluney The couple live in New York City. Mullens ’03 and Zaire Miller McCoy ’02 served as bridesmaids. Summer Alison L. Boyko ’03 and Geoff works in human resources at Raytheon P. LaPenta, 9/22/08. Alison is a reUTD. The couple live in Stafford, Va. search associate. The couple live in Clemmons, N.C. Amber R. McCafferty ’02 and Brian R. Zent ’02, 6/21/08. Elon alumni Erica M. Eberwein ’03 and Matthew who participated in the wedding were: C. Dunkelberger, 5/31/08. Erica is a Kelly Kirby ’02, Kristin Torcasi ’02, certified athletic trainer. The couple Trevor Girle ’02 and Aaron Holt ’02. reside in Woodbridge, Va. Elon alumni in attendance were: Kate Brannack ’02, Matt Gile ’00, Amber Rachel Mroczek ’03 and Michael W. Gile ’00 and Rebecca McCuiston ’90. Johnston, 8/30/08. Elon alumni in The couple reside in Cleveland, Ohio. attendance were: Brittany Connelly Merrill ’03, Christopher Merrill ’03 Katherine L. Toms ’02 and Charles H. and Christina Pascale McWilliams Zitrick, 6/21/08. Katherine is a fifth- ’03. Rachel is pursuing a master’s degrade teacher for Montgomery County


CLASS Notes

Hoop dreams

By Robert Hoppey ’09

T

he path that led Wesley Hsu ’07 to play professional basketball overseas was far from traditional. A former intramural player at Elon, Hsu used his skills and passion for the game to realize his dream of playing basketball on the world stage.

Wesley Hsu ’07

Hsu did not play basketball competitively until he was 14. He graduated from Forsyth Country Day School in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he honed his skills playing alongside Chris Paul, now with the NBA ’s New Orleans Hornets. Hsu was plagued by injuries at Elon, which prevented him from making the team. Instead of basketball, he spent time with his friends and two brothers, Hartley ’05 and Ryan, who attended Elon. “Not being able to play basketball

humbled me,” Hsu says. “I think I had a more well-rounded college experience because I had to get over not playing. I found out who I was outside of a basketball player.” After graduating with a degree in religious studies, Hsu worked as a physical education teacher and coach at his high school. Before long, the desire to play competitively returned. Each day, he woke up at 5:30 a.m. to play and then returned to the court after work. His first break came when he was asked to participate in the 2007 AND 1 Next Level Streetball Tour, a traveling basketball competition known for flashy maneuvers. Suddenly, Hsu was playing in front of 6,000 people. “At first, I was so nervous I couldn’t dribble the ball,” he admits. Hsu next set his sights on Athletes in Action, an Ohio-based sports ministry that sends athletes to play internationally. He tried out for the squad and in July 2007 was sent to the Middle East to play against Israeli professional teams. Following that experience, Hsu decided to remain in the Middle East to play for a Palestinian team that was ranked at the bottom of its league, the Beit Jala Orthodox league. Hsu, who was one of only two Americans on the team, averaged 38 points a game and led the squad to a championship crown.

gree from the University of Rochester. ’05, Bryan Jacobs ’03, Katie Sullivan The couple live in Webster, N.Y. ’02, Pam Maiers ’05, Katie Parks ’03, Katie Previc ’03 and Whitney Lesch Lindsey Shiplett ’03 and Matt ’04. The couple reside in Centreville, Hjermstad, 7/5/08. The couple married Va. at Grandezza Country Club in Estero, Fla. Laura Knutson McDermott ’02 Elizabeth Ann Dixon ’04 and Michael served as matron of honor. Elon Randolph Dewey ’05, 5/3/08. Elon alumni in attendance were: Hilary alumni in attendance were: Brittney Parker ’03, Maile Gerken ’03 and Dewey ’99, Brooke Sibley Dewey ’00, Jeanne Marie Joyce ’03. Lindsey is Kelly Durham ’04, Kate Camnitz ’04, a supply chain analyst at Life Time Aaron Wilson ’04, Brent Fisk ’04, Fitness Inc. She received a master’s Adam Benjamin ’04, Terry Reverly degree in business administration in ’70, Sanford Reverly ’70, Kelly Sibley June 2008. The couple reside in Young ’02, Nikki Hrenko ’00, Beth Fullerton America, Minn. ’03, Kelly Murphy ’03, Steve Savory ’03, Zac Palmer ’04, Chris Ruh ’04, Maggie Sullivan ’03 and Ricky Caitlin Molloy ’04, Jon Jeckman ’04, Massaro, 8/30/08. Elon alumni in at- Amanda Swartzbaugh ’04 and Angela tendance were: Cori Wetherald ’04, Bush ’04. Elizabeth is a teacher for the Kellie Brielmaier ’03, Dana Dancer Sumner County Board of Education.

The good times on the court were tempered by the reality of life in the Middle East. Guards toting machine guns and raucous fans could be found at each game. One night while working out in a weight room, three armed guards accosted and arrested Hsu before releasing him. Despite that incident, Hsu says he has nothing but fond memories of his time in the Middle East. “Some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met in my life are there,” he says. Hsu played in Jordan for a month and briefly in Prague before returning to the United States and to his coaching job at Forsyth Country Day School. Hsu credits Elon’s study abroad program with his interest in travel and ability to adapt to new cultures. As a student, he took courses in Italy, China and Hawaii. He also studied Islam and Judaism, knowledge that prepared him for his visits to Galilee and the Dead Sea. Looking back at his brief basketball career, Hsu says he learned valuable lessons about persistence and taking risks. “If you work hard enough, the impossible can happen,” he says. “I’ve had the chance to have an influence on people’s lives and to see the world. I’m so excited for the future.”

Michael is the son of Linda Dewey ’71 and Wayne Dewey ’70, and works as a civil engineer with Dale and Associates. They reside in Nashville, Tenn.

Shelby Collins ’04, Cherie Taylor ’04 and Ryann McMillan ’05. Elon alumni in attendance were: Jennifer Lamneck ’04, Carrie Nicholas Moss ’04, Richard Ferrucci ’07, Ross Sims ’03, Kate Hamilton FitzGerald ’04, Amy Ocheltree Schaaf ’04, Michelle Payne ’04, Renee Trudeau ’04, Anne Perin ’04, Betsy Johnson Deeter ’04, Blair Kropp ’04 and Heather Graf ’04. Colleen is director of strategic accounts for the Global Life Sciences Group at TransPerfect Translations. The couple live in Charlottesville, Va.

Jill L. Haden ’04 and Scott H. Moore ’04, 6/20/08. Elon alumni in attendance were: Dayna Wolek ’04, Christina Adams Lindh ’02, Sarah Ponzio Rush ’03, Kyle Crew ’06, Towa Brady Teague ’04, Kelly Moore ’05, Amanda Snow ’05, Vycki McKitrick ’04, Rory McFatridge Richardson ’04 and Jim Bishop ’05. Jill and Scott are teachers with Guilford County Schools and reside in High Point, N.C. Diana Rosenberger ’04 and Josh Rubin, 10/18/08. Elon alumni in Colleen Minnock ’04 and Matthew attendance were: Susan Hill ’04, Chulis, 6/28/08. Elon alumni who par- Beth Alexander ’04, Nikia Taylorticipated in the wedding were: Patrick Dommally ’04 and Marc Dommally Minnock ’10, Amanda Marion ’04, ’05. Diana works for Ryland Homes

Magazine of Elon

35


CLASS Notes in Charlotte, N.C., where the couple Williams ’05, Robyn West ’02, Katie live. Newby Diana ’05, Bridget Murray Strickland ’91, Tracy Sims Wheless Joseph H. White ’04 and Jennifer ’89 and Joe McDonald ’75. Emily Leigh Damewood, 8/16/08. They is head volleyball coach at Guilford were married in Knoxville, Tenn. College, and John is a physical eduElon alumni in attendance were: cation teacher at Southwest Guilford Matt Rice ’03, Geoff Pilkington ’04 High School. They live in Greensboro, and Boone Dixon ’04. The couple N.C. live in Knoxville where Joseph works as a staff attorney for YoungWilliams Gregory G. Karpinski ’05 and Child Support Services. Carissa Berglund ’06, 7/12/08. Elon alumni in attendance were: Steve Erin Beam ’05 and Michael Hodges Bell ’05, Sara Knowlton Hooven ’06, ’05, 12/01/07. Erin is an accountant at Canden Schwantes ’06, Ernie Roselle Aon Consulting, and Michael is an as- ’06, Lindsey Robinson ’06, Jamie sistant car chief with Richard Childress Wheeler ’07, Mona Gore ’06, Ashley Racing. They live in Lewisville, N.C. Wright Austin ’06, Amy Dworkin ’05, David Runkle ’06, Renee Overcash Angie Beckett ’05 and Chris Mackey, Cunningham ’06, Mike Richards 8/23/08. Elon alumni in attendance ’05, Matt Lane ’04, Ann Gregson were: Jim Beckett ’73, Teresa Beckett ’06, Sean Crilley ’07, David Jones ’07 Lord ’01, Marlo Neal ’05 and Derek and retired Elon professor Richard Neal ’05. Angie is a telecommunica- Haworth. The couple met when tions analyst. The couple reside in Gregory was Carissa’s freshman orientation leader. They were married Edgewater, Md. at Elon Community Church, and the Carolyn Donnee ’05 and Carl reception was held in Moseley Center. Chadwick McIntyre, 8/23/08. Elon In lieu of wedding favors, the couple alumni in attendance were: Courtney made a gift on behalf of their guests Harris ’05, Krissy Miller ’06, Amanda to Elon’s orientation program. Carissa Jones ’08, Amanda Anderson Rainie is a math teacher for Guilford County ’04 and Sarah Beggs ’05. The couple Schools, and Gregory is a business anareside in Wilmington, N.C. lyst for BB&T International. They live in Elon. Elizabeth A. Gould ’05 and Ronald G. Cagle, Jr., 9/20/08. Elizabeth is an Bryan P. Kernodle ’06 and Bucleigh executive assistant at Tanger Outlets’ Newton ’05, 9/22/07. Elon alumni corporate offices in Greensboro, N.C. in attendance were: Emily Shore ’05, Mary Allen Mann ’05, Megan The couple live in Ether, N.C. Lindberg Findley ’06, Emily Karr Cristin Hall ’05 and Christian J. ’05, Daniel Brooks ’06, Hartley Hsu Pond, 11/1/08. Elon alumni in at- ’05, Chris Morse ’05, Alex Satterfield tendance were: Les Hall ’77, Wanda ’08, Mike Panas ’06, Chris Chalko ’07, Watson Hall ’77, Jessica Bailey ’05, Mark Bliley ’06, Adam Davis ’05 and Hilary Opsahl ’05, Tracy Ohlhaver Dustin Anderson ’05. Bryan is a video ’05, Melissa Holland Hlinovsky editor at Raycom Sports, and Bucleigh ’06, Leslie Gwaltney Hamrick ’04, is a property manager. The couple reBennett Hart ’09, Katie Leggett ’11, side in Charlotte, N.C. Wayland Pond ’68, Bobby Grandy ’75, Shari Duff Grandy ’77, Bo Hamrick Anne E. Langdon ’06 and Ryan H. ’03, Bryant Kirkland ’78, Harriet Thompson. 10/11/08. Elon alumni in Crown Kirkland ’76, Rick Coradi ’78, attendance were: Carly Gydosh ’06, Jane Healy Coradi ’77, Jay Butler ’78, Jenna Bailey ’07, Meghan McGowan Tom Summers ’77, Luanne Teague ’07 and Jillian Baer ’07. The couple Summers ’77, Zene Fearing ’77, reside in Washington, D.C. Perry Patterson Leggett ’77, Micky Leggett ’77 and Don Goldberg ’69. Michelle Nicole Kidder ’07 and Colin Cristin is the alumni coordinator for M. Fegeley, 5/24/08. Elon alumni in Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. The attendance were: Katherine Southard couple reside in Suffolk, Va. ’07, Elizabeth Wood ’07, Ken Handler ’07, Sara Moore ’07, Katie Lester ’07, Emily Hayes ’05 and John M. Gann Jordan Searles ’07, Andrew Doud ’02, 7/10/08. Elon alumni in at- ’07 and Brooks Martin ’06. Michelle tendance were: Ron Bare ’89, Tom is pursuing a master’s degree from Dodson ’03, Danielle Concepcion ’05, Philadelphia University in Philadelphia, Matt Garner ’04, Megan Borgaard where the couple live. ’05, Sarah Farley ’05, Matt Acker ’01, Brynn Walsh ’05, Mary Kate Spear 36

Magazine of Elon

Melanie Urban Dorsey ’93, husband, Troy, and children, Jayna and Alex

Charmin Britt Lee ’93, husband, William, and their children, Keegan and Kohen

Christopher G. Barnhart ’96 and Suzanne Czarnetzky Barnhart ’98 and daughter, Porter

Births

’80s

Kendra Shurtleff Gerstein ’94, husband, Ken, and daughters, Caitlin and Erin

Kimberlie Bruner Frauenberg ’97, husband, Jamie, and daughters, Addison and Heidi

Heather Lancaster Russell ’98, husband, John, and daughter, Viviana

Anthony Ciaccio ’94 and Christine Ciaccio, Jamestown, N.C. Son: Jonah Bailey. 8/28/08. Anthony is an assistant controller at the Phoenix Housing Group.

Daniel Leigh Hart ’86 and Sandra Hart, Salem, Va. Daughter: Langley Kendra Shurtleff Gerstein ’94 and Ken Sloan. 10/12/08. Langley joins siblings Gerstein, Gambrills, Md. Daughter: Marleigh and Camden. Erin Casey. 12/11/07. She joins older sister, Caitlin. Kendra works for Anne Lewis Gonzalez ’87. Daughter: Novartis Oncology. Jane Anne. 10/27/07. Jeni Wolter Wiley ’94 and Chris Wiley ’88, Clayton, N.C. Son: David Austin. 7/18/08. He joins older brother, Zacary. Jeni teaches seventh grade at Michael Ferris ’92 and Marla Ferris, Riverwood Middle School in Clayton. Albemarle, N.C. Son: Evan Michael. Chris is owner of D&S SportsWorld 7/8/08. in Wendell, N.C.

’90s

Missy Frick Champion ’93 and Craig Christopher G. Barnhart ’96 and Champion, Charlotte, N.C. Daughter: Suzanne Czarnetzky Barnhart ’98, Maria Francesca. 10/13/08. Raleigh, N.C. Daughter: Porter Lynn. 9/3/07. Melanie Urban Dorsey ’93 and Troy Dorsey, Westminster, Md. Son: Angie McNeill Walston ’96 and Wally Alexander Jiaocheng. Alex was adopted Walston, Wilson, N.C. Daughter: Ella from Beijing in November 2008. He Page. 7/6/08. joins older sister, Jayna. Tracy Dello Russo Collins ’97 and Jeff Charmin Britt Lee ’93 and William Collins, Longwood, Fla. Son: Brody Lee, Weddington, N.C. Daughter: Robert. 8/1/08. He joins older sister, Kohen Cambrey. 4/25/08. Kohen joins Ava. big sister, Keegan. Charmin is director of admissions at Wingate University. Brenna Scholl Creech ’97 and Bryan Creech, Midlothian, Va. Son: Henry Janice Enders Lee ’93 and David A. Reed. 7/24/08. Brenna is a part-time Lee, Burlington, N.C. Daughter: media teacher at St. Christopher’s Lucille Isabella. 11/19/08. She joins School in Richmond, Va. older brother, Elijah. Janice is pursuing a master’s degree in counseling.


CLASS Notes

Enjoying the globetrotting life

R

obyn Evers Cronin ’92 has become an expert in juggling work, family and living in far-flung places. Since graduating from Elon, she’s trekked from New York to Greece to the Middle East and to her current home in Africa. Cronin is a community liaison officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, Uganda,

Robyn Evers Cronin ’92 with her family in Africa

where she and her family moved in 2007. Cronin’s husband, Dan, works for the State Department, which rarely keeps their family in the same place for long. With children Ryan and Kaitlyn in tow, the couple have developed a rich global perspective. Yet Cronin knows how unconventional their lives may seem. “This is not the lifestyle for everyone,” she admits. “You have to be flexible, open to new ideas and have a little adventure in you.” After graduating with a degree in business administration and working for

Kimberlie Bruner Frauenberg ’97 and Jamie Frauenberg, Columbus, Ohio. Daughter: Heidi Ann. 12/1/07. She joins big sister, Addison. Kimberlie is a homemaker. Erik A. Helsley ’97 and Meg Helsley, Glen Allen, Va. Son: Cohen William. 3/21/08. Jesse A. Regan-Laur ’97 and Alicia Otte Regan-Laur ’97, Mt. Airy, Md. Son: Jack Henry. 6/17/08. He joins older sisters, Gracie and Caroline. Jennifer Brann Clark ’98 and Michael Chad Clark, Snow Camp, N.C. Son:

By Robert Hoppey ’09

three years in Elon’s admissions office, Cronin returned home to Northern Virginia to earn an MBA at American University. There she met Dan, a high school friend of her sorority sister, Lisa Taschenberger ’92. The couple married in 1997 and moved to Annapolis, Md. Dan Cronin then became a special agent in the Diplomatic Security Service, the law enforcement branch of the State Department. For the next two years, the Cronins lived in New York and Washington, D.C., where Dan served on the protective detail for then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. In 2003, the couple and their young son moved to Athens, Greece, where Dan helped Greek officials with security preparations for the 2004 Olympic Games. “It was an amazing experience living and traveling in Greece,” Cronin says. “We learned how an embassy works and figured out that we love living the overseas life.” In 2004, following their tour in Greece, the Cronins welcomed their daughter and the following year moved to Amman, Jordan. They settled in the embassy compound, which Cronin called their “little oasis in the desert” because it had a pool, tennis court and gift shop. Yet the armored vehicles that guarded the embassy and the two policemen stationed outside their apartment served as daily reminders of the volatility of the Middle East.

“The Iraq war was literally next door,” Cronin recalls. “There were weekly terrorist threats, and (it was difficult) adjusting to life in a Muslim country, especially as a blond-haired, blue-eyed female.” Despite those challenges, Cronin was able to visit the Dead Sea and Jerusalem, among other sites. She also watched her children master Arabic, gained experience working in an embassy environment and formed close bonds with other State Department families. In 2007, the Cronins set their sights on Africa. During their first outings in Kampala, the beautiful scenery and the frenzy of people, bicycles, motorcycles and vans overwhelmed them. Learning to drive on the opposite side of the road made things even more challenging. “We’ve seen lions, giraffes, elephants, zebras and much more up close,” Cronin says. “Most roads are paved, but they are continuously covered in potholes that could engulf an entire car. The main method of transportation is walking. Technology is getting better. Most people only use cell phones, and the Internet is becoming more widely available.” Cronin says they are enjoying life in Uganda so much that they’ve decided to extend their tour through 2010. “Our time here has proven to be frustrating, exciting, exhausting and ultimately fun!” Cronin says. “It is a tremendous opportunity for all of us.”

Michael Garrison. 5/21/08. Michael 5/15/07. Jacob was adopted on 3/24/08 joins older sister, Emerson MacKenzie. from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Jennifer is a first grade teacher. Shelby Lord Murray ’98 and Lee Elizabeth Jean Danberg ’98 and Wilson Murray ’98, Annapolis, Md. Robert Danberg, San Diego. Son: Daughter: Madeline Leigh. Shelby is Nathan Robert. 4/11/08. a teacher for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, and Lee is a corporate Andrea Schmidt da Silva ’98 and counsel at Corporate Office Properties Jorge Javier da Silva, Boynton Beach, Trust. Fla. Son: Elijah Javier. 4/29/08. Andrea works in public relations for the Heath Kristy Rawls Overton ’98 and Russ Evans Foundation. Overton, Apex, N.C. Twins: Abigail Elise and Katelyn. 4/2/08. Melissa Pace Garrison ’98 and Brian Garrison, N.C. Son: Jacob Keith. Heather Lancaster Russell ’98 and John William Russell, Melbourne,

Fla. Daughter: Viviana Marie. 3/07/08. Heather is a vice president at SunTrust Bank. Leslie DeJohn White ’98 and Kevin Oliver, Atlanta. Son: Warren. 1/7/08. Warren joins older sister, Kerin Ophelia. Leslie is a social services coordinator for the Elaine Clark Center for Exceptional Children. Danielle Quill Canniff ’99 and Paul Canniff, Brockton, Mass. Son: Seamus Paul. 7/12/08. Danielle teaches middle school art for the City of Taunton. Danielle’s brother, Zachary Quill ’97, is the baby’s godfather.

Magazine of Elon

37


CLASS Notes

Erik A. Helsley ’97, wife, Meg, and their children Tracy Dello Russo Collins ’97, husband, Jeff and children, Ava and Brody

Erica Engle Kelley ’01, husband, Kevin, and son, Samuel

Karin Tatro Staschke ’01 and Scott Staschke ’99 and daughter, Faye

Melissa Pace Garrison ’98, husband, Brian, Jennifer Brann Clark ’98, husband Michael, and and son, Jacob children, Emerson and Michael

Bonny Jean-Cranford Buckley ’01 and Chuck Buckley ’00 and son, Logan

Anna Pugh Green ’01, husband, Joshua, and daughter, Rachel

Kelly Severance Nelson ’99 and son, Finley

Susan Dyson Hayes ’01, husband, Mark, and children, Morgan, Erin and Luke

cial adviser, and Leslie teaches second grade. Sarah Ponzio Rush ’03 and Chris Rush, Duluth, Ga. Daughter: Sophie Rose. 1/30/08.

Bo Hamrick ’02 and Leslie Gwaltney Hamrick ’04 and daughter, Emma

Mike Ligmanowski ’04 and Alison Montgomery Ligmanowski ’03 and children, Jacob and Caroline

Sarah Ponzio Rush ’03, husband, Chris, and daughter, Sophie

Misty Justus-Jones ’99 and Hamilton social worker with Veterans Hospital Jones, Lake Waccamaw, N.C. La Jolla. Daughter: Reagan Emerson. 12/18/07. Bonny Jean-Cranford Buckley ’01 Dawn Wilson Martin ’99 and Walter and Adam “Chuck” Buckley ’00, Martin, Alexandria, Va. Son: Stetson Greensboro, N.C. Son: Logan Elias. Parke. 6/24/08. He joins big sister, 2/17/08. Bonny is a therapist at Youth Aspen. Dawn is a case analyst for the Focus, Inc. United States Marshals Service. Anna Pugh Green ’01 and Joshua Kelly Severance Nelson ’99 and Green, Burlington, N.C. Daughter: Matthew Nelson, Coxsackie, N.Y. Son: Rachel Grace. 7/22/08. Anna is resiFinley Patrick. 2/1/08. dent services coordinator at Alamance Plaza Apartments. Rachel McPhillips Plucker ’99 and Jay Plucker, Helena, Ala. Daughter: Eva Susan Michelle Dyson Hayes ’01 and Laurel. 5/27/08. Mark Patrick Hayes, Greenville, S.C. Son: Luke Christopher. 2/28/08. Luke Kim Henry Tyson ’99 and Mark joins older sisters, Morgan and Erin. Tyson ’98, Monroe, N.C. Son: Eli Susan is a homemaker. Brody. 2/4/08. Erica Engle Kelley ’01 and Kevin Kelley, Gilbert, Ariz. Son: Samuel Hodge. 10/30/07. Erica is a homemaker.

’00s

L-R Rebecca Quill ’01, Allison Fitzgibbon, Danielle Quill Canniff ’99, Paul Canniff with baby Seamus and Zachary Quill ’97

is a tennis coach. Their son was born in Raleigh, N.C., where the couple lived for three years. They have returned to their home country of The Netherlands.

Mike Ligmanowski ’04 and Alison Montgomery Ligmanowski ’03, Jacksonville, Fla. Son: Jacob Andrew. 9/13/08. Mike is a wellness director for YMCA, and Alison is a physical therapist.

Deaths

’30s

Josie Loy Huey ’30, Elon, N.C. Karin Tatro Staschke ’01 and Scott 12/13/08. Staschke ’99, Higganum, Conn. Daughter: Faye Noelle. 12/6/07. Karin Rev. Dr. William J. “Bill” Andes ’35, is the junior marketing manager of 1/26/09. Elon, N.C. Business & Legal Reports, Inc. Scott is a certified financial planner and Laura Virginia Conyes Jarrett ’38, vice president of Guilford Financial Vero Beach, Fla. 10/14/08. Group. Henry S. Morgan ’38, Durham, N.C. Jennifer Bartlett Berry ’02 and 9/16/08. Scot Berry, Frederick, Md. Son: Joshua. 4/15/08. Jennifer is a music teacher at Damascus High School in Montgomery County, Md. Alice Blue Mangum Hornaday ’42, Joel V. Gilmore ’02 and Nancy Snow Camp, N.C. 12/21/08. Gilmore, Kinston, N.C. Daughter: Madeline Frances. 4/17/08. Joel is a Nancy Fowlkes Patterson ’44, market executive at RBC Bank. Cumming, Ga. 10/2/08.

’40s

Katie Thompson Silver ’00 and Ryan Imre Kwast Nagel ’01 and Remy David Silver, San Diego. Son: Gabriel Nagel ’01, Borne, The Netherlands. Bo Hamrick ’02 and Leslie Gwaltney Robert McPherson Pitts ’44, High Russell. 6/14/08. Katie is a psychiatric Son: Benjamin William. 11/11/07. Imre Hamrick ’04, Suffolk, Va. Daughter: Point, N.C. 10/15/08. is a tennis event organizer, and Remy Emma Caroline. 8/23/08. Bo is a finan38

Magazine of Elon


CLASS Notes

Harvey O. Hook ’47, Elon, N.C. 10/13/08.

’60s

Joseph “Joe” Minnis ’74, Graham, N.C. 11/7/08.

’00s

Bobby Ogburn Stanfield ’60, Matthew John Ford ’04, Greensboro, N.C. 10/7/08. Lenelle Fuller Hollowell ’49, Burlington, N.C. 12/15/08. Woodland, N.C. 11/28/08. Burl Ray Clements Sr. ’63, Keysville, Richard Joseph Moore ’49, Burlington, Va. 12/9/08. Ann Ashley Taylor Daniel ’83, Friends N.C. 11/9/08. Mocksville, N.C. 10/12/08. Kay Yow, Cary, N.C. 1/24/09. Yow was Cynthia Lynne Borum ’85, Green Bay, Elon’s first women’s basketball coach Va. 5/5/08. and went on to coach the women’s team at N.C. State University. She Arthur Morris Davis III ’70, Roanoke John G. Hager ’51, Fieldale, Va. Rapids, N.C. 12/16/08. Charles Anthony “Jake” Welborn Jr. is survived by her brother, Ronnie, 8/24/08. ’87, Lexington, N.C. 11/16/08. and sisters, Susan Yow ’76 and Elon Rev. Dr. R. Craig MacCreary ’71, Trustee Deborah Yow-Bowden ’74. Calvin D. Jarrett ’52, Graham, N.C. Manchester, N.H. 7/21/08. 11/20/08. J. Harold Smith, Burlington, N.C. 1/31/09. Smith served as an Elon Thomas Earl Watlington, Jr. ’72, William R. “Bill” Ginn Sr. ’56, Blanch, N.C. 11/2/08. Scott A. Miller ’95, Plaistow, N.H. trustee for 11 years and was elected Burlington, N.C. 1/21/09. 10/13/08. trustee emeritus in 1983. He was the father of current Elon Trustee William H. Smith.

’80s

’70s

’50s

’90s

TURN

Youself in online at www.elon.edu/classnotes

Class Notes Policy Class notes must come firsthand from the graduates who have news, a birth or marriage to report. Please send in your news as soon as you have something to share. We welcome news that is no more than a year old.

Photo acceptance policy Photos will be accepted in these formats: slide, print or digital. You may e-mail your Class Notes photos to classnotephotos@elon.edu or mail them to the address at the bottom of this form. We reserve the right to determine the quality of your images. Poor quality images will NOT be used.

CLASS NOTE: Name

Spouse’s name

Address

Please fill out completely.

News/Promotion

middle

last

maiden

first

middle

last

maiden

street

son

Marriage

first

E-mail address Birth:

Birth

city

Telephone:  Home (

Address change Class of Alumnus?

state

)

Yes: Class of

ZIP

Office (

daughter  Child’s name

)

Birth date (do not send prior to marriage)

Marriage: date of marriage Your occupation

No

Date assumed

Responsibilities include

Spouse’s occupation (if alumnus) News/Promotions/Honors

Signature (required) Help us keep you in touch with your classmates and Elon. If you have moved, send us your current address and telephone number. Return this form with your news or story idea to the following address: Elon Office of University Relations 2030 Campus Box Elon, North Carolina 27244-2020 Winter 2009 Fax: 336-524-0100 Phone: 336-278-7415 E-mail: alumniclassnotes@elon.edu

Magazine of Elon

39


Establish a legacy through bequests

John Lowry ’31

DURing HiS DAiLY WALKS, JOHn LOWRY ’31

loved to recite his favorite poem, “elegy written in a Country Churchyard” by thomas Gray. though close to 1,000 words, Lowry memorized the poem, identifying with Gray’s salute to the common man and living a simple life.

Koury Business Center

MAKING A dIFFERENCE To learn more about how you can support the Ever Elon Campaign and make a difference at Elon through bequests or other planned gifts, contact: Jamie Killorin CPA/PFS, CFP® Director of Gift Planning Toll free 877.784.3566 jkillorin2@elon.edu www.elon.edu/giftplanning

raised on a farm in anson County, n.C., Lowry was a modest man who believed strongly in the values of hard work and service to others. after graduating from elon, he earned a master’s degree at Duke University and served as a lieutenant commander in the navy during world war II. Following his military service, he began a long and successful career at randall Fuel Co. in atlanta, where he lived. Lowry was grateful to his alma mater for his education and wanted to give other students the chance to attend elon and pursue careers in business. together with his sister, Clara, Lowry donated $1.9 million to elon through bequests. the gifts supported scholarships, including the John M. Lowry Scholarship Fund, and construction of the ernest a. Koury, Sr. Business Center. In recognition of Lowry’s generosity, a student engagement area on the second floor of Koury Business Center was named in his honor. the Lowry scholarships provide significant financial assistance to more than five students each year, demonstrating the power of bequests to transform young lives. Bequests are an ideal way for donors of all means to make a difference in the lives of elon students and help secure the university’s future.


homecoming 2008 路 you belong!


The Elon community packed McCrary Theatre to watch juniors Christopher Wood and Emily Rice in last fall’s production of “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” Wood and Rice shined in the roles of Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett.

ELON ELON UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY Offi Office ce of of Alumni Alumni Relations Relations 2600 2600 Campus Campus Box Box Elon, Elon, nC nC 27244-2010 27244-2010 Toll Toll free: free: 877-784-3566 877-784-3566 www.elon.edu/alumni www.elon.edu/alumni Change Change Service Service Requested Requested

nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAiD Raleigh, nC Permit # 686


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.