THE LYON COLLEGE ALUMNI MAGAZINE
LIBERAL ARTS
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THE VALUE OF
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We’re just a stone’s throw away
Arkansas Scottish Festival
Featuring The Ceilidh The President’s Reception Alumni Reunion Gathering Live Music and Dancing Food and Craft Vendors Highland Games The Kilted Mile
Introducing The Tartan Twenty Bicycle Ride Adult Hospitality Tent
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See you at the Opening Ceremony 2
April 3-5, 2020 arscottishfest.com
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CONTENTS The Piper / Winter 2020 Volume 49, Issue 1
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The Ivy League Lyon grads head east
4 Homecoming and Family Weekend Celebrating seven decades
7 Lifetime of Love
Career path leads from Lyon
8 Testing Convictions
Alumnus touts tech agility
9 Game of Thrones Experience
Graduate earns Emmy Nomination for VR
10 By the Numbers
Lyon’s support at a glance
12 Life-saving Internships
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14 Nichols Trips
Tale of the Trail
Leading the way with research
Going abroad to broaden horizons
Completing an Appalachian quest
24 Topping 50
Popular professor leaving legacy
27 Brewing Up Business
Recent grad launches coffee startup
28 A Win for Wann
mong the challenges I routinely face as a college president has been to push back against assumptions that question the value of a liberal arts education. My own argument against this bias begins with demonstrating how Lyon College provides precisely the broad-based learning environment that today’s students need to prepare for their lives ahead and for the future world of work. Understandably, many families have become more sensitive to college costs and are looking to get the most value from the options they can afford. Given the outstanding outcomes of our alumni-— some of whom are highlighted in this issue—Lyon College provides exceptional value for the cost, especially compared to that of many other top tier schools. For instance, in overall outcomes, 99% of our graduates are employed or in graduate or professional school within six months of graduation (Yale’s rate is 95%). Lyon accomplished this outcome with more than 40% first-generation college students filling its seats. In fact, Lyon College was recently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Top Performer on Social Mobility.” In the publication’s 2020 “Best Colleges” rankings, Lyon ranked 50th out of about 1,400 colleges and universities across the U.S. The ranking on social mobility recognizes how well a college serves its low-income students, using a school’s ability to transition Pell Grant recipients through to graduation as its primary measure. Research shows economically disadvantaged students are hit with many hindrances to completing college, even if controlling for other characteristics. Lyon alumni outcomes are consistently among the best in the state, whether that be seen in our above average acceptance rate into medical schools or producing alumni who are among the highest earning graduates in Arkansas. The skills sought by today’s employers—critical thinking, leadership, communication, collaboration—are those in which our graduates excel. Small class sizes foster mentoring between students and faculty through an interdisciplinary liberal arts program where experiential learning and culture of innovation are embraced. Our diverse and inclusive residential community, which is focused on educating the whole person, are attributes that have made Lyon College such an exceptional place for nearly 150 years.
Recognizing veteran coach
30 Little Pantry, Big Impact
A Major Shift
Liberal arts alive and well
21 Ride of HIs Life
80-year-old alum cycles to goal
31 Scots Connect
Bridging student-alumni divide
32 About the Author
Published works by former students
34 Milestones Alumni updates
Dr. W. Joseph King
co-author of How to Run a College and the 18th President of Lyon College.
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Finding a way to fight hunger
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HOMECOMING & FAMILY WEEKEND
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ore than 700 alumni, families and friends of Lyon College gathered the last weekend of September to celebrate Homecoming & Family Weekend 2019. On Friday, alumni and families could choose to “go back to school” and sit in on select classes or participate in the Homecoming Golf Tournament. The Alumni Awards Banquet provided the opportunity to honor outstanding alumni and friends of Lyon College. Ms. Lindsey “Charlie” (Hodge) Brink, ’09, and Dr. Chris Middaugh, ’09, received the Patterson Decade Awards while Mrs. Jessica (Brents) Dunham, ’09, received the Decade of Service Award. Mr. Gene Crawford, ’85, was named Distinguished Alumnus, and Mrs. Ann W. Taylor, ’60, received the Lifetime of Service Award. Adm. Robert Carius was named Honorary Alumnus. The new Homecoming Relay Race kicked off Saturday’s festivities, and attendees could enjoy the food and fun in Tailgate Alley and athletic exhibitions by the wrestling team and baseball and basketball alumni. A large crowd cheered as the Lyon Scots
edged Texas Wesleyan University 53-45 in the homecoming football game. Ms. Kendra Kelley, ’20, and Mr. Ayden Henry, ’20, were crowned Homecoming Queen and King at halftime. The new Young Alumni PostGame Party on campus capped off the full day of events and fun. The traditional Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans worship service was held Sunday morning with Rev. Lance Jones, ’69, preaching. That afternoon, the annual Club 50 Luncheon honored the alumni who graduated in 1969 or earlier and featured special guest Dr. Terrell Tebbetts, who shared his memories of teaching 50 years at Lyon. Tebbetts was inducted as an honorary member of Club 50. Throughout the weekend Lyon and its alumni celebrated Scots spirit, honoring friendships and tradition. It was encouraging to see a significant increase in alumni attendance, representing seven decades at this year’s events. Please make plans now to join us for the 2020 Homecoming & Family Weekend on Oct. 9-11, 2020.
PUTTING 'SCOT' BACK IN MASCOT New mascots, junior Carson Matthews and sophomore Patrick Mitchell, brought additional spirit to the Fightin’ Scots during Homecoming 2019.
Why did you want to be a mascot? Patrick: It seemed like fun and I wanted to wear a kilt. Carson: I recently stopped doing band and I wanted a new way to get out on the football field and support the team.
How will you channel the Scot spirit? Patrick: I'll be a warrior ... but fun. I'm going to carry a sword and hype up the crowd. Carson: I'll be a living visual of Lyon pride and help the cheerleaders engage the crowd.
What concession stand food best fits your personality? Patrick: Snickers, because it satisfies. I ran track and cross country in high school, so I would always buy a few Snickers to eat throughout the meet. Carson: Frito chili pie. It was my Friday night dinner for every football game when I did marching band in high school.
What are you known for on campus? Patrick: I'm a runner, so people know me for short shorts and big hair. Carson: My theatrical roles. People are used to seeing me perform characters on stage and now they'll see me perform on the field.
What's your favorite thing about Lyon? Carson: The size of the school. It allows you to make great oneon-one connections. You're not just another face in the crowd.
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Patrick: The community and the level of support you get. A lot of people will recognize us on the field and cheer us on.
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“That was one of the best decisions I have ever made.” — Dwayne Reliford, ‘94
LIFETIME OF LOVE D
wayne Reliford, ‘94, never planned to attend Lyon College, but the school’s personal approach won him over, resulting in a lifelong love of his alma mater. Reliford developed an aptitude for computers at an early age, putting him on track to be the first one in his family to attend college. His father was a factory worker, and his mother owned a cleaning business. “My parents stressed education to all of us,” Reliford said. “They didn’t care what we did. They just wanted us to go to school, be the best we could be, and be able to obtain more things than they had.” While his father supported historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), he discouraged Reliford from attending one since Reliford wanted to study computer science. “When you think back 20 to 25 years ago, computers were just starting to break ground,” Reliford said. “And the people working on them were often from different countries. “My father said, ‘If you’re going to be doing that, you can’t go to an HBCU, son.’ He wanted me to go to a school where I would learn to deal with and mingle with people of different races, cultures and ethnicities because I was going to be sitting alongside people who didn’t look like me. “That was one of the best decisions I have ever made,” he said. Colleges across the country began sending Reliford application packets in his senior year of high school and he planned on attending the University of Houston. One night while doing homework in his bedroom, he received a call from former Dean Jonathan Stroud of Lyon College, then Arkansas College. “He talked to me about prospective student weekend and asked me why I hadn’t filled out an application. I said ‘I don’t know who y’all are. I’m going to be a Houston Cougar.’ ” After the call, Reliford found the Arkansas College application packet. He saw Stroud’s face on the cover and was shocked to realize he had been speaking with the academic dean. “Houston was so large that I would just be a number, and I was cool with that,” Reliford said. “It blew my mind that the dean of Arkansas College had personally called me. I figured I must be important.” Reliford filled out the application that night and had his mom mail it the next morning when she went to work. Months later, he and his parents drove from Texas to Batesville for prospective students weekend. “It was late February, so everything was covered in snow. It was beautiful,” he said.
“I remember getting in the car that Sunday to head home and saying ‘I think that’s where I want to go.’ I had a prospective student weekend for Houston the following weekend and told my dad I didn’t even want to go. I had fallen in love with Arkansas College.” After majoring in mathematics with a minor in computer science, Reliford’s professional career spanned industries like education, banking, finance, oil and gas and telecommunications. The past 14 years he worked with AT&T as a senior database marketing manager. “The company moved me from Dallas to Houston, and we moved to Atlanta two years ago,” Reliford said. “I had been with AT&T for such a long time that I was pretty much a subject matter expert.” Earlier this year he learned AT&T would be moving the entire department to California and Reliford began looking for opportunities in Atlanta. He recently accepted the position of senior marketing manager for TIAA, a retirement investment firm. “The role is similar to my previous job, but it’s a totally different industry,” he said. “For years, I’ve been in telecommunications, and now I’m in banking and finance. It’s a learning process.” Fortunately, Reliford enjoys the challenge. “With any change, there’s some apprehension and hesitation, but you’re getting to learn something new every day,” he said. “I went from being a subject matter expert to going to their experts with questions. “That’s the nature of the beast when you go somewhere new. You have to learn and go through the trenches. In time, I’ll be one of those subject matter experts here, too.” Reliford credits his adaptability to the well-rounded education he received at Lyon. “Arkansas College definitely prepared me for my career,” he said. “There were many times I thought about giving up because my professors were hard as hell.” Dr. Doug Punke, ‘83, Reliford’s biggest mentor, taught him everything he knows about programming and math. “In class, he would have you do exercises that made me think ‘I could do this so much easier.’ He was teaching you to think outside the box,” Reliford said. “I learned skills from him that I still use in my career today.” At Lyon, Reliford said, a liberal arts education meant “professors not only gave you what you needed for whatever field you were studying but also taught you so much about culture, differences, acceptance, and how to work with people. It was a well-rounded full-scale education from every aspect.”
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Lyon’s Personal Touch Inspires Dedication
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TZANEV
Key to Life - and Software - Is Agility
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eing agile is key not only to software development, but also to life. “When you learn about agile software development principles, you learn to always try things first before you commit to a certain path,” said Nick Tzanev, ’03, of Jacksonville, Fla. “I view life the exact same way,” Tzanev said. “If you decide you want to be an accountant and dedicate years of your life to just the study with no experience, then you might find yourself in a surprise situation at the end.” Born in Varna, Bulgaria, Tzanev has been interested in technology since playing video games in the 1980s and 1990s. “I always wanted to work with technology, so I went to Lyon and got a computer science degree and a minor in mathematics,” he said. “I was in the first graduating class to finish the computer science major.” Tzanev began his career while still an undergraduate, securing an information technology (IT) position with insurance company USAble Life and working part time while attending Lyon in the early 2000s. Tzanev has been with the same employer ever since. “Going to school and actually working in the field at the same time worked really well for me,” Tzanev said “I’d bring actual project work to Dr. David Sonnier’s class, and we’d discuss it with some of the other computer science students.” Completing his executive MBA in 2016 at the University of Florida, Tzanev now serves as the director of USAble Life’s IT operations and web development. He works in the four major areas of application development, IT operations, telecommunications and IT service management.
“Fail early, and fail often. Be agile in your life”
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— Nick Tzanev, ‘03
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“If you align your academic interests and professional occupation with your true passion then work won’t really feel like work,” Tzanev said. Tzanev applies this philosophy to the work environment he creates for his teams, striving to align people’s interests with their assignments when possible, which he says “basically guarantees you a better performance.” His experience with USAble Life made Tzanev a believer in students initiating careers while still in school, and he has worked with local universities to create internship programs at the company’s branches in Little Rock and Jacksonville. Tzanev advises students, particularly aspiring software engineers, to apply their passions in a professional setting before deciding on a career. “Test your convictions. Test your ideas,” he said. “Fail early, and fail often. Be agile in your life, not just in your software development practices.”
After studying theater at Lyon College, Harley Ward, ’03, took an unconventional path to his first Emmy nomination. Ward, of Little Rock, and his team at AT&T received an Emmy nomination for developing a virtual reality (VR) experience for the beloved HBO fantasy series “Game of Thrones,” giving players the ability to defend the Wall from the monstrous White Walkers inside Westeros, a fictional continent where most of the series’ action takes place. “It was a 4-D experience, which means you had the full virtual reality experience, but you also had a moving floor and wind and heat that responded to the content,” Ward said. “As you lit a torch, you were blasted with hot air. When you killed the beast, the floor would rumble.” The 4-D VR experiences were housed in AT&T’s two flagship stores in Chicago and San Francisco, and a truncated version with additional content was released on the VR app store. Ward, creative director for retail innovation and store environment at AT&T, was shocked by the Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media within a Scripted Program.” “This [was] my first time and my team’s first time being nominated for something of this caliber,” he said. “It’s a new world for us because we only recently started to work in retail experience designs tied to television and movie properties.”
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) accepted nine submissions for interactive media, and Ward’s project was one of three nominated along with “Interactive Fan Experience” for NBC’s The “Good Place” and Netflix’s “Bandersnatch” (“Black Mirror”), which ultimately won. Ward studied theater and French at Lyon. He started working for AT&T after college and has been with the company for 16 years, moving up from sales to marketing to his current position. “This job found me versus me finding it,” Ward said with a laugh. “I took design classes in theater and thought that would take me down a theatrical path, maybe doing set design or costume design.” Instead, he found a growing subcategory in experiential retail, applying ideas learned in theater to a new world of conceptual interactive experiences for consumers. “This has been a dream and something I never would have thought would be possible,” Ward said. “It’s all a matter of having the right project, the right passion, the right people, and pushing what’s possible.”
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Game of Thrones VR Experience Earns Ward Emmy Nomination
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LYON COLLEGE 2018-19
IMPACT REPORT A MESSAGE FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT Your support inspires us and empowers us to make the impact Lyon was founded to make. Your gifts advance Lyon in so many ways — by supporting innovation, by making it possible for talented students to study here, and by enabling us to collaborate beyond our campus, among many other things. Lyon was created by a great act of philanthropy and the power of generosity sustains us to this day. Thank you for your support. You are truly making a difference! – David Hutchison, Ed.D.
FY19 ALUMNI DONORS
TOTAL DONORS
1,053 279
(6.2%)
ALL DOLLARS RAISED
2.7 (cash received + pledges)
$
MILLION DOLLARS FY2019
ANNUAL FUND DOLLARS RAISED
FIRST TIME DONORS
256 / 72
359,555
$
All Funds
FY2019
ANNUAL GIVING PERCENTAGE
LEADERSHIP ANNUAL GIVING LEVEL
Percent of Living Alumni that gave to the college during the year.
Households giving >/= $1,000 annually to the Annual Fund
9.6%
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‘15
80
8.2%
7.6%
10
Annual Fund Only
‘16
‘17
6.7%
6.2%
‘18
‘19
‘15
87 68
‘16
‘17
71
‘18
78
‘19
DONOR RETENTION
DONOR REACQUISITION
505
(Donors who gave in the past, not FY2018, but gave again in FY2019)
(Donors who gave in FY2018 and again in FY2019)
42.7%
TOTAL SCHOLARSHIP DOLLARS AWARDED
140
11.8%
11,934,455
$
8,216,370
$
Unfunded Gap Remaining
359,555
3,358,530
Annual Scholarship Fund
$
Endowed Scholarships
AREAS OF SUPPORT
WHO’S DONATING
TOP SUPPORT BY MAJOR
(FY2019 by Dollars)
FY2019
Last 5 Years
45.97%
Annual Scholarship fund
405
41.68%
Capital Projects
401
3.62%
Athletics
108
Alumni Friends Parents
96
Businesses
86
Faculty/Staff
13
Churches Students
3.28%
Endowment
2.43%
Special Projects & Operations
2.03%
Scottish Heritage
13
0.65%
Academic Programs
11 Foundations
0.34%
Student Programs
5 Estates/Trusts
ENGLISH
(More than 60% total)
HISTORY BIOLOGY PSYCHOLOGY
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Student IMPACT
Internships the PIPER
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That Save Lives
ummer internships are increasingly important to students as they prepare for life after Lyon College. Today, students need more than just a college degree to be the best candidate for jobs and graduate schools. As Annette Castleberry, director of career services, says, “The degree gets your foot in the door, the experience gets you the interview, and articulating the experience
and lessons learned earns you the job.” Benefitting from these types of opportunities is nothing new to Lyon students, as Dr. Scotty Merrell, ’92, knows well, having had the opportunity to conduct undergraduate research in Rome for the Italian equivalent of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). “These research experiences and the opportunity to live
overseas changed my life and my life perspective,” Merrell said. “Furthermore, these experiences showed me how much I love research and helped me find my current career.” Dr. Merrell now creates similar experiences for Lyon students by funding summer research internships at his laboratory in Washington, D.C. Enter Hannah Wu, now a sophomore Biology and Psychology major.
2019 - 2020
40%
first generation students
44%
Pell Grant eligible
(family income is below 150% of the federal poverty level)
Avg. incoming freshman GPA is and ACT score is
3.6
24
“I really liked the process of it; the discovery part. This research experience paved a new way for me,” – Hannah Wu Wu was the recipient of Dr. Merrell’s internship in 2019. Wu was the first freshman to apply for Merrell’s internship since its inception in 2014. “You don’t hear about freshmen applying for research, but when I heard about this opportunity, I realized ‘I want to do this. I want to get out of my comfort zone,’ ”Wu said. Given that no freshmen had applied previously, Dr. Merrell was not expecting to select a freshman. However, Wu’s maturity, excitement about the opportunity and her anticipation of a life changing experience struck a chord with Merrell. Wu spent 10 weeks studying helicobacter pylori bacteria, known to cause gastric cancer. Her task was to test three specific compounds that might eradicate h.pylori and possibly find a cure for the disease. “I really liked the process of it; the discovery part. This research experience paved a new way for me,” Wu said. “I can consider an
MD/PhD so I can both treat patients and continue working in research.” Dr. Merrell hopes that students in his lab realize the opportunities that exist for people who love science, and he hopes that living in the Washington area gives them a broader perspective about life and the opportunities that exist in the world. If Wu is an indication, Merrell’s hopes are being fulfilled. “I definitely encourage all Lyon students to step out of their comfort zone and find opportunities that will help them grow,” he said. Wu also learned something about philanthropy and the importance of giving back. “I asked Dr. Merrell why he created this experience,” she said. “He told me about his experience with Lyon and that he worked with other alumni when he was a student. It makes me want to do something like that one day, too. I need to do that. I want to do that. Just to impact other students’ lives.”
“These research experiences and the opportunity to live overseas changed my life and my life perspective,”
– Dr. Scotty Merrell, ‘92
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Student IMPACT
Nichols Trips Broaden Horizons, Minds
“It exposes them to a facet of life that probably many of them have never experienced, and that is what’s exciting.”
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-Dr. Mark Wallace Lyon professor of history
14
99%
of Class of 2019 Employed or in Graduate School
20 tentially a foreign language. It exposes them to a facet of life that probably many of them have never experienced, and that is what’s exciting.” Wallace’s goal on his Nichols trips is for students to enjoy themselves but to also engage and interact. “For me, liberal arts is about discovering and exploring your own path.” Wallace said. He encourages students to reflect on their experiences, asking tough questions about preconceived notions, popular culture and cultural bias. Regardless of the Nichols trip chosen, students and alumni come away from the experience with many of the same lessons learned. Deal’s reflections about her experience in France and Germany is an indication of the universality of those lessons. “There are so many people out there, different places that just live differently than us,” Deal said. “I knew Paris would be different than in the movies, but then actually going there opens your eyes to everything that makes Paris—the Eiffel Tower, sure, but also the cafes, the tourists, the sights, sounds and smells.” Walker said the impact of the trips helps to expand learning opportunities. “The Nichols family is providing a unique gift to open our minds and to broaden our experiences far beyond anything we could ever experience at home,” she said. “International travel makes us better citizens of the world. It opens us up to new perspectives and it challenges our ethnocentricity. This is closely tied to the goal of a liberal arts education, but I believe there is only so much we can learn on a college campus. “Real learning happens when we step outside of the classroom and out of our comfort zones.”
9 Countries
50% from Arkansas
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hile it is true that Nichols trip experiences are a fond memory among most Lyon College alumni, Cary Walker, ’98, has good reason to believe that her experience left a lasting impact. “I credit my Nichols trip for fueling my wanderlust, that fire in my belly that is only satisfied when I am on the road engaging in a world very different from my own,” Walker said. The Lyon College Nichols International Studies Program provides financial assistance to students so they can study abroad and earn college credit. Students can either take twoweek long trips led by Lyon faculty or study abroad in semester- and year-long exchange programs. Walker, once a teacher in Dallas, continued traveling to Europe, but those excursions didn’t quell her wanderlust. So, while at a café in Paris, she decided it was time for a career change. That realization that led to an improbable job with travel company Rick Steves, where Walker works offering private tours of Europe to families and groups. Last year, first-year French and anthropology major Laken Deal went on a Nichols trip to France and Germany to study the region’s WWII history. “I studied abroad in France when I was 15 and my hostess inspired me to learn French,” Deal said. “I wanted to go somewhere I could use my French. And, well, it’s Paris.” Last year Dr. Mark Wallace, a Lyon professor of history, and Dr. Paul Bube took eight students to Scotland. “As far as why we do these trips, they are designed to give students the opportunity to visit places they might not otherwise experience,” Wallace said. “It’s a lifestyle shift in terms of exposing someone to travel, new monies, po-
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L I B E R A L A R T S A L I V E & W E L L A T LY O N
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T
he liberal arts are under attack,” read the headline to a Washington Post article published in May. The headline’s dire language and its corresponding article pushed back against the public narrative questioning investment in a liberal arts education and is a reminder why Lyon College must consistently demonstrate the excellent value it provides based on student outcomes. The article is a reminder why Lyon College must consistently share its own narrative and demonstrate to potential students and their families they are getting an excellent value based on student outcomes. The fact is that nearly 100% of Lyon students—from science to business to humanities majors—either find gainful employment within six months of graduation or are enrolled in top graduate schools. These types of statistics are reflected in alums like Dr. Clare Brown, ’13, a researcher at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, whose work was published this year in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association. Or by graduates like Leilani Ocasio, ’18, of Northwest Arkansas Food Bank in Fayetteville, who says the liberal arts education she received at Lyon taught her “the importance of being adaptable and how to communicate effectively in professional settings.” These types of “soft skills” are the very ones employers indicate are often most lacking in the current workforce. Lyon College President Dr. W. Joseph King shared his own personal experience about the importance of the liberal arts education in the Association of American Colleges and Universities online journal earlier this year. In his article “A Creative Legacy: Liberal Arts Colleges Build on Their Innovative Foundations,” King said his undergraduate drama class requirement significantly impacted his career. The course’s final project was a three-minute monologue, and much to King’s surprise he successfully performed despite severe stage fright. “That monologue and my honors project gave me the courage and the creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial tools that I needed to be successful,” he wrote. A liberal arts education is an imperative for today’s college students, King said, and Lyon is “embedding creativity, innovation, and interdisciplinary thought across all four years” in its revitalized core curriculum.
NEW PROGRAMS, SAME TRADITION
The addition of the new exercise science program, which addresses the needs of one of the fastest-growing career fields in the U.S., is one such example. The program’s two tracks appeal to those who are either interested in a career in physical or occupational therapy or those who may instead be interested in fitness and wellness careers. “The rigor of the exercise science program will match the rigor of the rest of Lyon’s programs,” Provost Melissa Taverner said. “It’s still going to be grounded in the liberal arts, which makes all of our majors more useful.” Melissa Taverner
The exercise science program helps attract strong students with an interest in the field, she said, while retaining students who in the past have had limited opportunities to pursue these fields. “We are not just seeking to add new programs to our curriculum,” Taverner said, “but are also working to update and strengthen existing programs.” The addition of a Military Science and Leadership concentration, tied to an Army Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) program, is similarly rooted in the past, even as it grooms future leaders. The ROTC program reconnects Lyon with its early history as “Arkansas College,” one of the first in the state with a Student Army Training Corps in operation during the first World War and an outgrowth of ROTC. In addition to leadership training, providing another mechanism to help students afford a quality education was additional reasoning behind the ROTC program, Taverner said. The military will cover a large portion of the tuition and books, along with a stipend for living expenses. “For those who qualify and commit, much of the cost of a private liberal arts education is provided,” she said. The point, Taverner said, is that Lyon College is looking for innovative ways “to provide access for students who might not have thought Lyon was an option for them.” Lyon’s business and economics programs are also being revised, Taverner said. The Enactus student business development organization has been re-established, and faculty are reaching out to area businesses to provide support through business models and marketing. A business faculty member will likely be hired in the next academic year and the business curriculum will expand its marketing, finance and management focus.
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Building upon the success of the Nichols International Travel program, study abroad opportunities are also expanding to include more identified partnerships with international universities and support of longer-term experiences around the world. Director of International Education, Joseph Macade, has been working with the Nichols Faculty Advisory Committee to revise and refine the proposal and selection processes. “I am working hard to ensure our resources are executed wisely as we identify student learning goals and outcomes with the Provost,” Macade said. Lyon College is likewise pursuing student exchange partnerships with universities in Germany, Mexico and the Netherlands to bring in more international students, further developing the campus community’s international awareness. Additionally, Lyon is enhancing opportunities for undergraduate research. The annual Student Creative and Research Forum (SCARF) saw a record number of student presentations from all the divisions including Fine Arts and Humanities in 2019, Taverner said. Finally, Student Success and Academic Support Offices have partnered to provide a mentoring program that delivers peer-to-peer academic help. This program, which has experienced considerable success at other places, will address challenges encountered, particularly by first-year students, to increase academic success and retention. As part of the college’s 2018 Strategic Plan, a re-examination and restructuring of the liberal arts core curriculum began more than a year ago under the guidance of a Core Revision Steering Committee. The committee established five broad goals for the core curriculum to provide the intellectual and practical skills necessary for academic success as well as the development of Lyon students’ capacity for lifelong learning and engaged citizenship. During the 2019-20 academic year, faculty members are exploring effective curricular structures to support the core mission and goals, “while providing innovative, relevant curricula and experiential learning opportunities wherever possible,” Taverner said. The Strategic Plan provides a targeted and measured approach to growing and developing the overall academic program in new and relevant ways, she said. “I am proud of our work with faculty and staff as we continue to help students develop into engaged, prepared citizens ready to contribute meaningfully in the 21st century.”
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hen Hannah Templin, ’18, was Ivy League school would be like,” she said. taking political science classes at “The students in pharmacology were obviLyon College, she never dreamed ously very bright, but they weren’t cutthroat she would someday find herself or ‘stab you in the back’ competitive.” attending Yale University for law school. Since there are no undergraduate programs “I figured I would go to law school in Fay- in pharmacology, Garrison said everyone was etteville or Little Rock,” she said, “but Dr. coming in at the same level. Scott Roulier encouraged me to look outside “They were just regular people who wantArkansas. Even then, I never thought I could ed each other to do well,” she said. get into an Ivy League school.” Emboldened by a near-perfect score on the Templin isn’t the first graduate to transition Law School Admission Test (LSAT), Templin from Lyon to the Ivy League. Alumni like Bill applied to Yale and is in her second year of Bristow, ’72, and Tiffany Garrison, ’95, paved law school there. Although adjusting to the the way, proving that a small college can have campus culture took time, she feels like Yale big outcomes. is where she’s supposed to be. Bristow, of Strawberry, majored in history “I don’t feel any different from the other at Lyon and decided to attend law school. Like students or inferior at all,” she said. “I didn’t Templin, he was feel like I was comencouraged by his ing to Yale really faculty advisor, Dr. far behind academiDaniel Fagg, to concally. We can do the sider an Ivy League same work.” institution and was Garrison agreed accepted into Harthat Lyon positioned vard Law School. her academically to “I had no connecgo to Yale. tions, and it wasn’t “I always wanted even on my radar,” to see if I could cut Bristow said. “Ivy it at an Ivy League League schools like school, and Lyon was geographical dithe absolute perfect versity and having place to go to understudents from every grad,” she said. state, so that worked “I got so much to my advantage.” out of it academicalDrawn to Lyon by ly, and the campus the opportunity to was supportive and Zachary Garrison, Tiffany Garrison ‘95, gain real experience helped me figure out Avery Garrison doing lab research, who I was as I took Garrison majored in on different leaderchemistry and minored in biology. She wanted ship roles.” to find a graduate school program that comBristow said the writing, critical thinkbined her two passions. ing, and communication skills emphasized at “It was right at the cusp of the internet be- Lyon prepared him for his time at Harvard. coming something, so I had to look through “Those skills and the close relationships with all these big books of graduate programs in the faculty at Lyon give you advantages that the library,” she said. students from schools with 50,000 students may “I realized I was resonating with the kind not have,” he said. “You will have advantages at of research going on in pharmacology depart- an Ivy League school that some don’t.” ments, where the focus was on understanding Coming from rural Arkansas and a small the systems of your body on a more molecular college, Bristow also had a different perspeclevel and how you could interfere with that.” tive from his Harvard classmates. After multiple applications, campus visits, “We learned a lot from each other,” he said. and interviews, Garrison decided to attend Yale. “It was a tremendously great experience.” “What really struck me about Yale was While Bristow loves both of his universities, how different it was from what I thought an he said Lyon has a special place in his heart.
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“As a student. I really liked the family-type “For me, Lyon was my home as I figured out atmosphere. Everyone knew everyone,” he who I was going to be as an adult,” Garrison said. “I have tremendous respect for both in- said, “but the friendships I formed at Yale are stitutions and contribute to both, but I identify some of my strongest.” more with Lyon.” Bristow returned to Arkansas after graduatIn addition to serving on the Lyon College ing from Harvard and “hung out a shingle,” Board of Trustees for about 30 years, Bristow starting his own law firm. He is an attorney said his wife, their two children, and some ex- and partner of Bristow & Richardson, PLLC tended family members attended Lyon. in Jonesboro. “I have lots of connec“It’s not the typical tions with Lyon,” he said. way to leave Harvard,” Templin still feels Bristow said, laughing. closer to the professors “Most of my classmates and staff at Lyon. joined big firms or went “I don’t think I’ll ever into government. I’m the feel that way about my only one who went to a professors at Yale,” she rural town. said. “The Lyon faculty “It has been a great are more approachable. I career for me. I’ve had still try to come back to a more varied practice Lyon when I’m on break than many of my classand see my professors.” mates who went into After completing postspecialized law fields.” doctoral research at Duke Templin plans to reUniversity, Garrison turn to Arkansas after – TIFFANY GARRISON, ’95 worked for Abbott, a Chigraduating from Yale. cago-based pharmaceuti“I’m not sure what job cal and biotech company, I’d want to have yet, but I from 2004 to 2012, doing discovery research and know I want to work in law and politics longterm.” leading a team of scientists working on in-vitro She said she wants all Lyon students to pharmacology. know that attending an Ivy League for graduate She now leads a team doing operational sup- school is possible. “If they put in the work, it’s something they port for discovery research at AbbVie, a biopharmaceutical company that spun off of Ab- can do,” Templin said. “That’s what I wish I would’ve known sooner.” bott Laboratories.
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“I ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE IF I COULD CUT IT AT AN IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL, AND LYON WAS THE ABSOLUTE PERFECT PLACE TO GO TO UNDERGRAD,”
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King of the Road Milestone Celebrated with 80-Mile Ride
ride. While Bentley has always liked to stay active, he didn’t develop his passion for biking until 1985, when he broke his knee in a motorcycle accident. “I used to run marathons. I ran about 12 to 14 marathons in my life, including the Boston Marathon twice,” Bentley said. He enjoyed training every day for his next race but had to stop after his knee injury. “The doctor said they had to piece my knee back together,” Bentley said. “He told me it would be fine for running across the parking lot but I would never run another marathon.” The doctor said biking, however, would be good for his knee. “So I hobbled into a bike shop on the way home and bought a bicycle,” Bentley said. Bentley has been riding bikes ever since. He said he isn’t sure where he gets his passion for staying active. “After breaking my knee, my first thought was ‘I can’t just sit around,’ “ Bentley said. He now rides with a group of friends every Monday and Wednesday. “We meet at 4:30 p.m. and do it all winter
and summer,” Bentley said. “We’ve developed a camaraderie along with it. That’s the glue that holds the biking group together. “When you get texts that one or two guys are committed, the others think ‘Wow, they’re going to ride in this weather. Hell, I guess I will, too.’ ” Bentley began a tradition of birthday rides, but wasn’t sure if he would be able this year after having open heart surgery last November. “I had to wait a couple of weeks to let everything heal,” he said. “Usually, I ride anywhere from 40 to 60 miles a week, but it took me a while to get back into the routine. I’m still improving and gaining progress.” For his birthday, Bentley and a friend departed from Marshall’s Dry Goods, the Bentley family business in Batesville, on Oct. 13 and rode to Tuckerman and back, a total of 80 miles. After the ride was over, he showered and took his wife out to eat. “I was dog-tired but not hurting anywhere. That’s the beauty of pacing yourself,” he said. “Some days, the last thing you want to do is get on a bicycle. But after doing 20 miles, you feel better than you felt all day long. The lift it gives you is worth the pain.” Bentley’s athleticism is what brought him to Batesville in the first place. He was recruited from Missouri to play basketball at Lyon, then Arkansas College, in 1958.
“I played for a little over a year,” he said. “I was wanting to get a coveted degree in physical education. [Lyon] didn’t offer it at the time, so, after two years, I transferred.” Although Bentley didn’t graduate from Lyon, the college had a huge impact on his life. It was where he met his wife, Martha. “We had a dance in the Scot Shop,” he said. “We even had a band. The girls asked guys to this dance. Martha went with an old friend, and I went with a girl who invited me. “My date didn’t dance, and neither did Martha’s. She came over and asked me to dance, and we’ve basically been dancing ever since.” Bentley graduated from college in 1962 and taught for seven years before getting out of education. He and his son bought Marshall’s Dry Goods in 1984 and currently have 28 employees. “I love Batesville. I don’t have any designs to live anywhere else,” Bentley said.
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or Lyon alumnus Larry Bentley, birthday bike rides have become a tradition. So when he turned 80, Bentley had the perfect way to celebrate, with an 80-mile
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Appreciating The Journey he Appalachian Trail is not a trek for the faint of heart. The trail cuts a scenic swath through 14 eastern states that provides a window into nearly 2,200 miles of unspoiled U.S. wilderness, yet its beauty belies how grueling a thru-hike can be for even the most fit enthusiasts. So it is nothing short of extraordinary that Jeff Casteen, ’11, finished the Appalachian Trail on Sept. 1 atop Mount Katahdin in Maine, an achievement matched only by a fraction of the thousands who attempt to walk the entirety of the trail every year. The milestone followed five and a half months of intense immersion on the trail for Casteen, whose feat was made more special by the fact it became a simultaneous 30th birthday celebration amid family and loved ones who had encouraged him along the way. That included long-time girlfriend, Lilly, ’13, who he met at Lyon. “Lilly is really the reason I stayed on the trail,” Casteen said. “She was instrumental in keeping me mentally focused.” Casteen was only a couple weeks into his journey when the first wave of defeat began to grip him. Just shy of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, he contacted Lilly, who encouraged him to at least make it to Damascus, Virginia, before throwing in the towel. Once making it to Damascus, Casteen mustered the strength to go through to the next stop, then the next, until the miles before him melted away, diminishing in comparison to the miles behind. The idea of tackling the AT, as it is called, was planted in Casteen’s mind seven years ago
when he saw a picture of one of Lilly’s relatives on a section of the trail. With enough savings finally set aside by March 2019, he took the plunge and put in his 30-day notice at the Fort Worth, Texas-based clinic where he worked. He departed alone on March 12 at the southernmost tip of the trail on Springer Mountain in northern Georgia. In addition to Lilly’s support, the rough days were made surmountable by a bit of “Trail Magic,” instances where Casteen found just what he needed at just the right moment with help from “Trail Angels,” random strangers who perform specific acts of kindness on the trail. And, of course, there were fellow hikers who became part of the community to which Casteen now could claim membership and with whom he formed a bond. In another quintessential AT moment, hiking buddies nicknamed Casteen “Spoons” because of his propensity for losing the needed implement during his sojourn. “Towards the end you’re no longer concerned about what your purpose is for the trail,” he said. “At the beginning I was so focused on the destination that I was missing the whole point, which is the journey.” Asked if he would consider another strenuous journey, such as tackling the Pacific Crest Trail on the other side of the U.S., Casteen chuckled. “Excellent question,” he said. “In the middle of the Appalachian Trail, I would have told you there’s no way I would do another long trail. But, towards the end I was thinking ‘I belong out here.’ I want to do another.”
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Alum‘s Appalachian Trail achievement provides life lessons
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Terrell Tebbetts CELEBRATING
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50 YEARS OF TEACHING
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t’s a crisp autumn day, and golden leaves glitter in the sun as they fall to the ground outside the Lyon Building. Inside, Dr. Terrell Tebbetts is holding court during a Fall Faculty Colloquium, sharing research on the classics that influenced Renaissance thinkers of Shakespeare’s time. With dramatic posture and inflection, he reads a passage, pausing briefly to direct his gaze toward audience members one by one.
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It’s a style of instruction that has influenced thousands of students over Tebbetts’ five decades at Lyon College. Tebbetts, the Martha Heasley Cox Chair in American Literature, is an embodiment of the liberal arts tradition in which passion is a key ingredient. It is a reminder that, though seasons come and go, lasting institutions are not confined to brick-and-mortar buildings, but are instead about the people who inhabit them.
Rick Fahr Jr., ’92, found Tebbetts to be especially patient and encouraging when he arrived at then-Arkansas College from a small high school in northeast Arkansas. Fahr insists that his own knowledge and abilities as a writer were “thoughtfully enhanced,” thanks to Tebbetts. “I have made my living, mostly, with words. I rely on his instruction every day,” Fahr said. “If there’s a Mount Rushmore of English professors, his visage must be on it.” Tebbetts’ impact across the generations is formidable. Cara Tomlinson Butler, ’16, the highest scorer on the 2019 Arkansas Bar Examination, thanked Tebbetts for challenging her as an undergraduate. Butler is a clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and the only one in her law school class to receive such an appointment. She says Tebbetts stayed in touch with her after graduation, supporting her throughout the process. Yet Tebbetts’ influence is not limited to English majors or those interested in the law. Several years ago, biology major LaDonna Mendleski, ’05, enrolled in Western Literature on the recommendation of an upperclassman. However, she quickly found herself struggling to make sense of the medieval Italian author and philosopher Dante. Mendleski’s attitude was transformed one rainy day in a Alphin Building classroom, as Tebbetts took his usual place near his desk and began a lecture on The Inferno. “He interjected symbolism into the lines and said ‘Wait, see. That is what Dante was telling us about the society of the time,’ ” Mendleski said. Tebbetts had breathed life into
the text and instilled in Mendleski a “love of learning” from that moment on. “I truly do not think I would have ever chosen a religion and philosophy minor without that class, that moment, and Dr. Tebbetts. He is one of the people I can say most profoundly influenced my career today as a teacher,” Mendleski said.
MODERN-DAY RENAISSANCE MAN Mendleski’s sentiments were echoed by scores of well-wishers at Tebbetts’ 50th anniversary celebration on Dec. 6 at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock. The event capped a semesterlong endowment campaign initiated by Tebbetts a decade ago to support student travel within the U.S., similar to how the Nichols Endowment supports students’ global travel. It was a homecoming of sorts for Tebbetts, who discovered his love of English as a student at Catholic High School for Boys. The high school is on a small hill in midtown Little Rock, just a few miles west of the Old State House. Tebbetts, the second of six children, was 13 when his father died. But he was inspired by another father figure, Father George Tribou, an institution at Catholic High for more than 50
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CROSSING THE GENERATIONAL DIVIDE
years before his death in 2001. “My experience at churchrelated institutions in both high school and college made me want to teach at such a college,” Tebbetts said. In his final year of graduate school in Fayetteville, Tebbetts applied almost exclusively to church-affiliated colleges, including then-Arkansas College, now Lyon, and he has been there ever since. “I believe God led me to Lyon,” he said. Tebbetts, who once described Lyon’s home of Batesville as the kind of place “where individuals can make a difference,” believes in a God that “expects us to use the strengths he gives us to strengthen our brothers and sisters.” For almost 30 years, Tebbetts has served on or chaired the board of the Governor’s Developmental Disabilities Council, as well as serving a number of years, including a one-year chairmanship, on the Board of Batesville’s Family Violence Prevention. Tebbetts also throws his support behind historic preservation, having been a member of the Batesville Preservation Association for four decades, often serving on the board. In addition, he was behind the founding board of the Old Independence Regional Museum and led the effort to form a Commercial Historic District in Batesville. He chaired the city council’s Historic District Commission for the last 10 years. Tebbetts has been a Board member of WoodLawn Inc., for some 25 years, chairing the board for a term and leading the Finance and Personnel Committee for many years. WoodLawn operates Wood-Lawn Heights Skilled Nursing, Woodcrest Assisted Living, and Wildewood Independent Living. He has also worked many a Saturday at the last six Habitat for Humanity houses, serving as the main painter.
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A PERSONAL MATTER
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Perhaps the greatest advantage of having someone like Tebbetts at the helm of a classroom is his personal touch, just like his mentors decades ago. “Father John O’Donnell and Father Tribou, more than any of my college or graduate school English professors, made me the teacher I’ve been these past 50 years,” he said. While Tribou did not dwell on the formalities of literature, he did dwell on what the literature said about the human race, Tebbetts said. “Our drives, our potentials, our problems, our struggles, our mistakes, our victories ... In his classes, literature was about life,” Tebbetts said. It is this focus on the human condition that Tebbetts brings to the classroom year after year in a style of teaching that has four times led students to name him Professor of the Year. In 1992, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation likewise chose Tebbetts as the Professor of the Year for Arkansas. His colleagues have also honored him with the Williamson Prize for Faculty Excellence. Since 1983, former Lyon College president Donald Weatherman has been chief among Tebbetts’ friends and colleagues. Tebbetts chaired the search committee that hired Weatherman as the first professor to hold the John Dyer Trimble Senior Professorship in Political Phi-
losophy. For 16 years, they had offices near each other in the Alphin Building, until Weatherman departed to serve as Academic Dean at Erskine College, another Presbyterian school. In 2008, Tebbetts urged Weatherman to return to Lyon, this time as president. Weatherman joked that the friendship with Tebbetts “took a while because he taught a course in Faulkner, and no one can read that,” but he agreed both men were “very much in sync in terms of their philosophy towards education.” Describing Tebbetts as “engaging and committed to the students,” Weatherman said Tebbetts is “not only an English professor, but also someone who teaches students how to live.” Weatherman recalled a horrible fall Tebbetts suffered when he climbed to the top of a pecan tree in his wingtipped oxford shoes to shake a few nuts loose.
“I BELIEVE GOD LED ME TO LYON,” — DR. TERRELL TEBBETTS
Fortunately, Tebbetts survived the injury, though “it may have been the Phi Beta Key hanging around his neck that broke his fall,” quipped Weatherman. Weatherman struck a more serious
tone describing Tebbetts as “an active scholar” who is “deeply prepared and constantly trying to renew” so he can bring enthusiasm and energy to the classroom. Circuit Judge Melissa (Bristow) Richardson, ’98, of Jonesboro, referred to Tebbetts as “one of the most impactful and influential educators” she had ever encountered. “I remain convinced that the advanced composition course at Lyon did more to hone my writing abilities than any other,” Richardson said. “Dr. Tebbetts did not just offer instruction in literature and composition, but he also managed to instill confidence in his students. “I firmly believe Dr. Tebbetts, with his approach to individualized teaching geared to encouraging each of his students, offered me the foundation necessary for academic and professional success.” Skip Rutherford, Dean of the Clinton School of Public Service, put it another way. “When the debate over whether to remove or relocate monuments was raging, someone asked me if there were any such monuments on the Lyon College campus,” Rutherford said. “I responded that I didn’t believe there were any permanent monuments, but Lyon is certainly unique. It has its own living and walking monument: the legendary Terrell Tebbetts. “If you attempted to remove him or relocate him, the protests would be swift and massive.”
Nova Joe’s
"I did market evaluations on a bunch of different businesses in the area," he said. "It wasn't just coffee. It was quick service." — Zachary Stewart, ‘19
dents who are studying hard and trying to succeed. “I hope giving back to the community will have the same effects those people had on me,” he said. Stewart credits the success of his business to service innovations and the opportunity to explore his ideas in and out of the classroom. “I did market evaluations on a bunch of different businesses in the area,” he said. “It wasn't just coffee. It was quick service.”
Stewart achieves this quick service using two windows, unlike other local shops that have one or none at all. He said Nova Joe’s is also the first business in Batesville to practice line-busting, a process in which employees use handheld registers so customers can pay in line while their order is processed. Through this method, Nova Joe’s can serve eight cars at a time, and customers can break out of line and head to work once they get their order. Stewart said being a Lyon student helped him out in more ways than one. He got plenty of help from one of his professors, Dr. Angela Buchanan. “She helped us get the details so clear that we could see the real numbers, acquire resources, and things like that,” Stewart said. Stewart was also the president of Enactus, an oncampus entrepreneurship organization tasked with getting local investors and business people to attend pitches so they could advise students and potentially invest.
In Stewart's pitch, he argued that his concept would work because it could be built on a piece of land that would normally be considered too small for use. “We only need 500 or so square feet so we can put a small building up and immediately start generating revenue,” Stewart said. This caught the attention of pitch attendee Frank Tripp, who Stewart says doesn't like the term investor. “He's the landlord. He had a piece of land that wasn't being used. … He told me he would help me build my building and just charge a lease so I wouldn't have to purchase the land,” Stewart said. “That made it easier to cooperate with the bank because I didn't have to ask for near as much.” Stewart said Nova Joe’s still has room to grow. “They say you're not fully established until year three, so we hope to still be going strong next year,” he said. “I'd like to do some kind of expansion, a second location, maybe a couple, but I don't know where.”
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fter he graduated in May 2019, Lyon alumnus Zachary Stewart wasted no time launching Nova Joe's, and the quick service coffee house took off immediately. On the first day Nova Joe's served more than 600 customers. In the first month, the business was profitable. Now steadily serving 300 cars daily as well as delivering coffee, shakes and energy drink mixers, Stewart is working hard and giving back to the community. “Growing up we didn't have a lot at our house,” he said. “We weren't the richest family, so I really looked up to anybody that was helping us out. I was on the football team and I never had to pay for gloves or cleats. ... I was so thankful to have people help us out like that.” Stewart said those early influencers have made community outreach his biggest goal. That's why he serves coffee at local high school football games and extends hours during midterms and finals for stu-
Recent Graduate Brews Up Success, Gives Back To Community
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Scots Spectacular Fred Wann A Winning Hit For Lyon
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ore than half of Lyon College students participate in one of 18 collegiate sports programs, an evolution from the four that existed in 1965 when Coach Fred Wann, ’59, arrived on campus. The college celebrated Wann in front of a packed crowd gathered at Becknell Gym for its inaugural Scots Spectacular in July, generating thousands in financial support for athletics. Dr. David Hutchison, vice president of advancement, used the occasion to announce that Scots Field would be officially renamed Fred Wann Field. “Thank you, Fred, for your exceptional dedication and unsurpassed advocacy, not only for our sports programs, but for our entire college,” he said. President W. Joseph King and Director of Athletics Kevin Jenkins joined Hutchison in congratulating Wann, who also received the College’s inaugural Champion Award.
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The Lockhouse Orchestra entertains the crowd during dinner
More than 300 enjoy dinner during the Scots Spectacular Benefit
Left Linda Wann ’61, right, Fred Wann ’59
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2019 Hall of Fame Class: John Harvey, ’01; Steven Wright, ’07; Maribeth (Waters) Richards, ’09; Aubrey Bell, ’72; President W. Joseph King.
packed crowd gathered at Lyon College to celebrate the newest members of its Athletic Hall of Fame during a banquet and induction ceremony held on Saturday, Nov. 23, in Edwards Commons. The Lyon College 2019 Class included Aubrey Bell, '72; John Harvey, '01; Steven Wright, '07; and Maribeth (Waters) Richards, '09; each who had traveled from places near and far to accept the honor. Arkansas State Representative Stuart Smith, '82, presided over the event, which included a reception, entertainment, and dinner. Dr. W. Joseph King, president of Lyon College, welcomed the honorees. “It's nice because not only do we get to honor the new inductees, but also those that come before them,” King said, adding, “(There's a) tradition of excellence here at Lyon College.
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n unveiling ceremony for the newly named field will be announced ahead of the first home baseball game in February, with Wann scheduled to throw out the first pitch. Coinciding with the naming of the field in honor of Fred Wann, a group of baseball alumni have stepped forward to lead an initiative to finally provide lighting to baseball diamond. Without lights on the field, all practices and games have to be held during the day, which would be fine in the summer, but baseball doesn’t play during the summer. These are spring sports and daylight fades quickly in February. Daylight restrictions cause students to either miss classes to attend games or miss essential games to attend classes, putting their academic success at risk, as well as playing time and even their scholarships. Make no mistake about it: these young men are students first and athletes second. With lights on the field, students wouldn’t have to worry about choosing between their classes and their team commitments; they could be successful and fully committed to both. Alumni and others interested in making night games possible with the addition of lighting at Fred Wann Field may contact Elliott Sampley, executive director of athletics advancement, at Elliott.Sampley@lyon.edu or 870-307-7567. Wann’s service to Lyon spans more than six decades and includes the distinction of being the Lyon Intramural Athletics Program founding director. He was inducted into the Lyon Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993 and named professor emeritus of physical education. In 2014, Wann received the Lifetime Service Award.
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McClard Makes Strides In Fighting Hunger
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Jessica (Hesse) McClard, ’94, has changed courses a few times in her life, but that variety of experiences placed her on a trajectory that ultimately led to the creation of a global phenomenon that addresses hunger and food insecurity. “I was pre-med the first two years I was at Lyon, but I started questioning whether that path was for me after Dr. [Bert] Holmes’ Organic Chemistry lab,” she said. “So I went back to what I had always loved, which was reading and ideas, and ended up majoring in English with a minor in art.” She went to Southeast Missouri State University after graduation and worked in the renowned Center for Faulkner Studies. She later settled in northwest Arkansas and raised her two daughters, returning to school in 2013 to become a registered nurse. McClard’s interest in public health issues and books was a constant throughout her studies. “All of these different things were working on me, bringing me to the place I needed to be to create the Little Free Pantry movement,” she said.
An avid runner, McClard noticed the box filled with books that appeared along her route in 2014. She noticed another Little Free Library in the next week, then another. Soon, she was just as interested in how quickly libraries were appearing as she was with the books they contained.
“I really just wanted to feed hungry people as quickly as possible.” — Jessica McClard, ‘94 Around the same time, McClard read Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference and realized that Little Free Libraries were “tipping.” She began to formulate ideas on how to use a similar grassroots movement to address hunger and food insecurity in her neighborhood in northwest Arkansas. Initially, she searched online to find others who were sharing food in this way so she could learn how to implement the idea. But McClard soon realized that there were not any
Little Free Pantry models and that she would be creating the first one. McClard established the initial Little Free Pantry outside her church, the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Fayetteville, on May 12, 2016. Her mission was simple: “I really just wanted to feed hungry people as quickly as possible.” Two weeks later, a second box went up, and the rest is history. The ubiquitous free food boxes have taken on a life of their own, filled with food, flowers, baby items, and more; all meant to be shared, and stocked and managed by volunteer “stewards” around the world. “No matter where you live, people are hungry for reconnection to their neighbors,” McClard said. “The need to give is human, and, through these spaces, people who are short of time or money can still give something back to help their neighbors. That’s what it’s all about.” Interested in learning more or establishing a Little Free Pantry? Visit www.littlefreepantry.org.
Scots Connect Bridges AlumniStudent Gap
Vice President for Advancement Dr. David Hutchison and Director of Career Service Annette Castleberry developed the program using alumni network software Graduway, providing students and alumni from across generations the ability to form professional and mentoring relationships through online interactions. Members can create profiles manually or by signing up through LinkedIn or Facebook. Lyon will approve members after verifying their information
with existing data. “It’s really hard to find contact information for people in a specific industry or field,” Castleberry said. “Now students will be able to log in and directly contact a person within that field who has already expressed an interest in connecting with them.” According to Castleberry, the new platform will remove “the intimidation factor,” giving students a way to connect with active professionals about what to expect in a number of career fields. “There’s also the social media component of reconnecting with fellow alumni,” Hutchison added. Members will be able to search by location, industry or graduate year and have complete control over what information is made public, so privacy is maintained. The idea for Scots Connect stemmed from conversations with alumni who wanted to do more than just donate or attend events. The platform matches alumni’s passions with the Lyon’s mission, delivering a major
opportunity to assist current students, Hutchison said. Scots Connect also addresses the separation that tends to happen between students and alumni at most universities, according to Board Member Victor Werley. “Schools that bridge that gap are always going to see an increase in student success after graduation,” Werley said. “We want to create an environment where students and alumni, whether they’re young alumni or graduated 40 years ago, are connecting and communicating.” Werley commended Hutchison and Castleberry for introducing Scots Connect without impacting Lyon financially. Castleberry said the platform was made possible because of an alumni donor who “fully understands the benefit of these connections.” “This truly is an opportunity for the Lyon community to come together and continue the tradition of success in a new and modern way,” Castleberry said. Sign Up today at ScotsConnect.com
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hat does a career in environmental law look like? Lyon’s new networking platform, Scots Connect, helps students find the answer to this question and many more by connecting them to a database of alumni, faculty and friends of the college.
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Recent Books by Lyon Alumni A History of the Ozarks, Volume 2: The Conflicted Ozarks By Brooks Blevins ’92
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A Lush and Seething Hell: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror By John Horner Jacobs ’94
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A brilliant mix of the psychological and supernatural, blending the acute insight of Roberto Bolaño and the eerie imagination of H. P. Lovecraft, The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky examines life in a South American dictatorship. Centered on the journal of a poet-in-exile and his failed attempts at translating a maddening text, it is told by a young woman trying to come to grips with a country that nearly devoured itself. In My Heart Struck Sorrow, a librarian discovers a recording from the Deep South—which may be the musical stylings of the Devil himself. Breathtaking and haunting, A Lush and Seething Hell is a terrifying and exhilarating journey into the darkness, an odyssey into the deepest reaches of ourselves that compels us to confront secrets best left hidden.
The Ozarks of the mid-1800s was a land of divisions. The uplands and its people inhabited a geographic and cultural borderland straddling midwest and west, north and south, frontier and civilization, and secessionist and Unionist. As civil war raged across the region, neighbor turned against neighbor, unleashing a generation of animus and violence that lasted long after 1865. The second volume of Brooks Blevins's history begins with the region's distinctive relationship to slavery. Largely unsuitable for plantation farming, the Ozarks used enslaved persons on a smaller scale or, in some places, not at all. Blevins moves on to the devastating Civil War years where the dehumanizing, personal nature of Ozark conflict was made uglier by the predations of marching armies and criminal gangs. Blending personal stories with a wide narrative scope, he examines how civilians and soldiers alike experienced the war, from brutal partisan warfare to ill-advised refugee policies to women's struggles to safeguard farms and stay alive in an atmosphere of constant danger. The war stunted the region's growth, delaying the development of Ozarks society and the processes of physical, economic, and social reconstruction. More and more, striving uplanders dedicated to modernization fought an image of the Ozarks as a land of mountaineers and hillbillies hostile to the idea of progress. Yet the dawn of the twentieth century saw the uplands emerge as an increasingly uniform culture forged, for better and worse, in the tumult of a conflicted era.
Teaching U.S. History through Sports By Brad Austin ’94 Few areas of study offer more insight into American culture than competitive sports. The games played throughout this nation's history dramatically illuminate social, economic and cultural developments, from the balance of power in world affairs to changing conceptions of race, gender, and sexuality. Teaching U.S. History through Sports provides strategies for incorporating sports into any U.S. history curriculum. Drawing upon their own classroom experiences, the authors suggest creative ways to use sports as a lens to examine a broad range of historical subjects, including Puritan culture, the rise of Jim Crow, the Cold War, the civil rights movement and the women's movement. Essays focus on the experiences of African American women, working-class Southerners, Latinos, and members of LGBTQ communities, as well as topics including the controversy over Native American mascots and the globalization of U.S. sports.
What’s Your Story?
F
acebook added stories. So did Instagram. Log in to your account right now, and you can add a story. Click, drag, edit, type, like, boomerang, draw. You can do it all in your “story.” But can I really learn anything meaningful about another person in a “story” on social media? Since the beginning of our time on planet Earth humans have shared stories. It is the oldest form of passing down knowledge. Some stories are written, others are spoken, and some are now recorded and placed on the World Wide Web. Stories get our attention. Stories entertain us. We learn from stories. We relate to stories. We all have a story. I would imagine that if I simply asked you about your story and we had just met, you would tell me about where you work, where you are from, what you are studying in school, where you went to college, how many children you have. Those aren’t stories. They are certainly pieces of the story. They don’t represent the whole story. We are all much more than a five second story on social media. We are more than just fathers, mothers, students, professionals, churchgoers and athletes. What you “do” is not who you “are.” In my story you will find joy, love, peace, heartbreak, loss, gain, fulfillment, stupidity, brilliance and ignorance. I would imagine that most of you could relate to each of those in your own story. Everyone we meet has a story.
I once found myself in North Carolina in the home of two fellow Lyon alums. Their sons had a pet boa constrictor named Ray. The snake’s cage had a 10-pound weight on top of it. I’m terrified of snakes. That night I slept 3 feet from a boa constrictor. The next day, young Aaron (age 8) showed me how to hold the snake. And I did. And was terrified. But I made it. I survived. And now, that’s part of my story. Aaron may one day remember the day that he helped me with my fear of snakes. It might become part of his story. In our own quest to be the best version of ourselves we tend to get wrapped up in our own stories. We don’t often ask others for their stories and get to know them on a deeper level. In “25 Ways to Win with People” John Maxwell wrote “Asking a person’s story says ‘You could be special’ Remembering a person’s story says ‘You are special.’ Repeating a person’s story to others says, ‘You should be special to them.’ ” You have a great story to tell. So does your neighbor, coworker, friend and the couple sitting next to you at the coffee shop. Author Richard Paul Evans once wrote “Whether cautionary or exemplary, there has not yet been a life lived that we cannot learn from. It is up to us to decide which ours will be.” Sit down, look at a person eye to eye, have a drink or share a meal and take the time to get to know someone’s story.
Joseph Rugger '03 Frisco, Texas
"I believe my parents included Lyon College in their will because they wanted a new generation of Lyon students to be able to pursue academic success with some protection from financial distress. I am happy knowing their lifelong commitment to the importance of educational opportunity will continue, by this scholarship endowment, indefinitely." — David R. Taylor, M.D. son of Dr. Charles Taylor, Class of 1938 and Mrs. Rachel Taylor, Class of 1973
To start the conversation about your Lyon legacy, contact Gina Garrett, Executive Director of Advancement 870.307.7557, gina.garrett@lyon.edu
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For many of us, our college years are a time when we discover who we are. We learn to think critically, adapt to change, and gain the tools needed to pursue happiness. When you make a legacy gift to Lyon College, you equip future generations to discover what matters most to them while demonstrating what matters most to you.
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88
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Mike Kemp ‘88 competed in the
Joshua ’03 and Stephanie Horton married
Arkansas Professional Photographers Association’s print competition, with four of six entries earning “merit.”
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Milestones
John Hornor Jacobs ’94 new book, A
Lush and Seething Hell: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror, a HarperCollins book, appeared in stores this October.
Dr. Brad Austin ’94 co-authored a new book, Teaching U.S. History through Sports, published in September.
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Ron Hanks ’98 and Elizabeth Hanks
welcomed their new boy Riley Olan Hanks, born October 30, weighing in at 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 22” long.
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William (Bill) Dunaway ’00 was
promoted to Global Analytical Training and Support Manager for Enterprise Holdings.
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James Wilson ’01 finished his MBA from Harding University and was inducted into Delta Mu Delta for academic excellence. He is employed with ArcBest Technologies as a software developer and mentor.
Dr. Yavanna Brownlee ’01 has
completed her doctorate in Rhetoric and Composition at Ohio University and has taken a position as English instructor at the University of Northern Colorado.
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Monica (Goodman) Martin, ’02 and her
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03
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husband of 11 years, W.L., recently purchased a new home in Hot Springs, where she is a happy, stay-at-home mother to their daughters, Zoey and Eva Jane.
on June 1, 2019.
Joshua Horton ’03 promoted to
Assistant Executive Director of Set Free Mission Bible Training Center in Greenville, Kentucky, a division of Mission Teens, Inc.
Vic Werley ’03 & Sarah Greenwood ’00 married on October 26th
Harley Ward ’03 nominated for Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media within a Scripted Series.
Enid Olvey ’03 was promoted to Sr. Vice President/Chief Operating Officer for Arkansas Children’s Foundation.
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Adam Penman, ’08, and his wife Carrie
Penman welcomed a baby boy, Jameson Garry Penman, on August 21st. Roger Glaude (July) named head coach for Beebe (AR) Junior High Football Program.
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April Wright ’09 successfully passed the Texas State Bar Exam
Jessica Dunham ‘09, Joshua Dunham ’12,
and their son Mason welcomed a baby boy, Grayson Lee Dunham, on May 30.
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Christopher Dickie ‘11 appointed
by Governor Asa Hutchinson to the Arkansas Alcohol and Drug Abuse Coordinating Council. (October)
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Michael Chrisman ’15 passed the
“USSF National C” coaching license this last summer.
Jessica Nadzam ’15 graduated from
Arkansas State University with an Education Specialist degree in August, and has been accepted into a Ph.D program at Texas Tech University, studying Educational Leadership Policy.
Kelby Newcomb ’15 joined the
Marketing & Communications Team at Lyon College as Staff Writer.
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Jill Hyder Hedler ’12 and Chris Hedler welcomed baby Claudia Jean to their family on Oct. 21, 2019.
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Landon Downing ’13 (July) named
to Treasury Management Team at Citizens Bank
Hannah ’13 & Kaleb ’13 Jones welcomed baby Delilah to their family on June 6, 2019.
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Frederico Kiffer, Ph.D. ’14 awarded a
postdoctoral fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, for his project: Effects of Galactic Cosmic Radiation on Translationally-Relevant Cognitive Behaviors and Response to Social Stress
Cody Besett ’14 and his wife Kelsey
welcomed baby Lyle Bessett on October 23.
Cara Tomlinson Butler ’16 achieved the
top score on the Arkansas State Bar Exam
David Farris ’16 completed his MA in English at Southeast Missouri State University
Lauren Gunderman ’16 and William Crawford ’19 were married in
Batesville in September, and have moved to Memphis.
THE LYON COLLEGE ALUMNI MAGAZINE
Winter 2020 / Volume 49, Issue 1 The Value of Liberal Arts
Editors
Keli Jacobi Dr. David Hutchison
Writers
Keli Jacobi, Kelby Newcomb ’15 Cindy Barber ’85 Jill Mobley
Photographers
Chris Hill Jake Cypert Dawson Angeles ’20 Bryson Davis ’21
Submissions
For milestones, birth or death notices, email alumni@lyon.edu. To update your information, visit alumni.lyon.edu
Vice President for Advancement Dr. David Hutchison
Director of Marketing Keli Jacobi
President
Dr. W. Joseph King
Provost
Dr. Melissa Taverner
Executive Vice President Matt Crisman
Lyon College
2300 Highland Road, Batesville, AR 72501 870.307.7000 lyon.edu
Have something to share?
Send your news to alumni@lyon.edu or give us a call at 870.307.7527
This publication was produced in coordination with Arkansas Business Publishing Group.
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“Where are they now?”
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2019 Lyon College Graduates
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#GOSCOT SGO