WINTER 2017 • VOLUME 45, NO. 1 EDITOR
Dr. Diane Tebbetts
DESIGNER Chris Hill
WRITERS
Daniel Haney, ’08 Alexandra Patrono-Smith, ’15 Diane Tebbetts
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Mike Kemp, ’88 Chris Hill Wes Obrigewitsch Alexandra Patrono-Smith, ’15 The Scot Yearbook Staff Dr. Dave Thomas Workhorse Creative
SUBMISSIONS AND CHANGES
For class notes or birth or death notices, email alumni@lyon.edu. To update your information, visit lyon.edu/update-your-info. For other editorial matters or submissions, email marketing@lyon.edu.
The Lyon College Board of Trustees has elected my successor, Dr. Joseph “Joey” King, who will become the 18th president of Lyon College. I am confident he will do a splendid job moving the College forward. My time here has been both a challenge and a delight. Returning to a place where I taught for 16 years to find the core of the College still intact was a pleasant discovery. The summer of 2009 was the last year of a difficult financial time for the nation and the College. Many good liberal arts colleges had lost sight of their place in higher education because of the hardships caused by the troubled economy. Lyon had not.
THE LYON COLLEGE PIPER
is published twice a year. This year, we celebrate 45 years of keeping alumni connected. Copyright 2017 Lyon College.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT Gina Garrett, ’93
ALUMNI RELATIONS
Later pages in this issue will discuss some of the challenges and changes the College has experienced during the past eight years, but that may not capture the absolute joy Lynn and I have felt being here and serving this community. What a great way for us
Taryn Hill Duncan, ’91
to complete our careers! It is my hope that Joey and Leigh King
ANNUAL GIVING
will discover what a special place this is and what a privilege it
Daniel Haney, ’08
LYON COLLEGE
is a selective, independent, undergraduate, residential teaching and learning community affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Lyon College offers a challenging curriculum centered on the liberal arts, guided by an honor system and coordinated with co-curricular programs, all fostering the critical, creative thought and ethical, spiritual growth that will prepare students for fulfilling personal and professional lives committed to lifelong learning and service.
PRESIDENT
Dr. Donald Weatherman
PROVOST
is to serve both the mission of Lyon College and the people who have dedicated their lives to it. It has been an honor to serve the Lyon community for 24 years, and I am very thankful to have had the opportunity. If you are ever near Due West, South Carolina, please stop by; we have plenty of room for company. If no one comes to the front door when you knock, just come out back: I may still be tearing down the old pig barn.
Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS Eric Bork, ’07
LYON COLLEGE
2300 Highland Road Batesville, AR 72501 870.307.7000 www.lyon.edu
D ON A L D WEA T H ER M A N President of Lyon College
ON CAMPUS
THE “NEW” LYON.EDU The Office of Marketing and Communications has been hard at work relaunching the College’s website. Visit lyon.edu today, and let us know what you think at marketing@lyon.edu.
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THE FIRST LADY
22
NEW FACES AT LYON
27
DAVE THOMAS
28
HOMECOMING 2016
32
ARKANSAS SCOTTISH FESTIVAL
34
STUDENT FEATURE
LIBERAL ARTS IN ACTION 37
FACULTY NOTES
40
DUSTYN BORK
ALUMNI 46
WORLD TRAVELER
48
ALUMNI AWARDS
50
HALL OF FAME
52
MILESTONES
ON THE COVER: Photo by Mike Kemp, ’88
GIVING
President Donald Weatherman stands in the beautiful living room of his home, Bradley Manor, named after the parents of the late Mrs. Marion (Bradley) Lyon. Over the last eight years, Dr. and Mrs. Weatherman have opened their home to host thousands of faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, and friends. Don and Lynn will move out of this lovely home at the end of the academic year and relocate to their retirement home in Due West, South Carolina.
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GOSPEL CHOIR
56
DOIN HICKS
62
K-9 PHILANTHROPY
64
BROWN CHAPEL RENOVATION
FEATURE ARTICLE:
MOVING LYON FORWARD
FOLLOW YOUR SCOTS
KEEP IN TOUCH Send your alumni news, change of address, or updated contact information or email to alumni@lyon.edu.
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MOVING LYON FORWARD PRESIDENT DONALD V. WEATHERMAN TO RETIRE IN JUNE
After eight years at the helm of Lyon College, Donald Weatherman is retiring as president and moving back to Due West, South Carolina, where he and his wife, Lynn, own a home on five acres with a small pond. He’s ready to slow down, leaving behind the responsibilities that can be a 24-hour-a-day job in favor of sailing, entertaining his two grandchildren, and traveling with Lynn. It’s a bittersweet time for him: besides his presidency, he was a faculty member at Lyon for 16 years, and he says he will miss many of the things he is involved with here and more especially the people he has gotten to know in the community.
Don Weatherman is a close personal friend. The two of us have spent countless hours together during my time on the board, and I will truly miss him when he departs for South Carolina. Those of us who know Don well suspect that he will not tolerate retirement for long, but we all wish him the best in his efforts to head in that direction. Perry L. Wilson
Weatherman grew up in Los Angeles, where his
Chairman, Lyon College Board of Trustees Little Rock, Arkansas
father owned a gas station and body shop and his
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mother rose from a part-time teller position
His years at Claremont Graduate University
with Wells Fargo Bank to a vice presidency,
were transformative: after years in large
the first woman in California to be promoted
public institutions, he discovered the value
to that level of leadership. Weatherman
of study at a small, private liberal arts school.
knew from the time he was in third grade
His mentors were both political philosophers
until his junior year of college that he was
and political operatives, heavily involved in
going to be a lawyer, but then two things
the political scene of the seventies, when
happened: he interned at a law firm and he
Ronald Reagan was governor of California
took a political philosophy class. He decided
and Richard Nixon was president. In 1972,
he didn’t want to work in a law firm, but he did think he might want to teach, and that became his career goal. A
first-generation
college
student
he was a campaign
Dr. Weatherman is unique—a one-of-a-kind person—a powerful and thoughtful voice of reason in a very confusing world. We are all better people because of him.
without financial aid, Weatherman 13
years
spent completing
Phil Baldwin
President and CEO, The Citizens Bank Batesville, Arkansas
his higher education,
coordinator
for
the
Committee
to
Re-
elect
President
the
and organized the last political rally held for Richard Nixon, when the president returned to his home state to vote.
Though
many
may take issue with the outcome of that
interrupting his studies many times as he
election, Weatherman’s final paycheck from
worked his way through school, earning an
the campaign allowed him to buy Lynn an
A.A., a B.A., an M.A., and a Ph.D. Besides
engagement ring.
serving for seven years in the National Guard, he worked as a carpenter, a store
In 1976, he accepted his first full-time
manager, a public relations representative at
teaching job at the College of Idaho, a
Santa Anita Race Track, a political campaign
small Presbyterian-related college, where
manager, and ultimately a teacher.
he taught for three years. This marked the beginning of a career devoted to private
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his paternal grandfather, an inventor in the oil industry who lived in Kansas but made trips to the Louisiana oil fields. Though he often took different routes, he always had one requirement: every trip had to go through Batesville because it was such a lovely small town. Weatherman’s father remembered these trips and was quite surprised when his son told him he was about to move there. His second connection was Lynn’s parents, John and Margaret Blyth, who had decided to retire in Arkansas and had purchased land near Mountain Home. Although they were having house plans drawn up, when they
residential liberal arts schools. Next came five years at a Catholic school, the College of St. Catherine, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Both colleges recognized him for his outstanding teaching and for his leadership in developing academic programs. Weatherman came to what was then Arkansas College in 1983 as the John D. Trimble, Sr., Professor of Political Philosophy. He had two connections to Arkansas. The first was
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The Blyths [Lynn’s parents] were good friends of ours when Don taught at Lyon—in fact, we bought their home when the Blyths moved. When they moved back, Margaret was a widow and lived with the Weathermans. She loved to come to our house where she once lived, and we had wonderful lengthy visits. Don stayed and visited like he had nothing else to do. No wonder Margaret loved him. Kate Cooke
Charter Member, First Ladies Auxiliary Batesville, Arkansas
learned that the Weathermans were moving
of America’s two-party system.
to Batesville, they sold their property and moved there too.
In 1986, Weatherman received the College’s Lamar Williamson Prize for Excellence
Weatherman established the philosophy
in Teaching, a prize awarded annually to a
and politics programs at the College and
faculty member who is deemed outstanding
developed the Honors International Studies
in four areas: professional competence,
Program, which was eventually replaced by
scholarly ability, exemplification of humane
the Nichols International Studies Program. As
and Christian values, and contribution to
a faculty member, he
the
designed the faculty
Nominations
and staff assemblies, served for years as a division chair, and was instrumental in the hiring of many faculty
members.
In 1988, he spent seven
months
Washington,
in
D.C.,
Of all the things I’ve done in my life, nothing has been as enjoyable and rewarding as teaching.
as one of the first
community.
from
faculty
students, final
come
and
the
selection
is
made based on the recommendation of
a
selection
committee composed of
representatives
from the trustees, the administration,
Bradley Resident Scholars at the Heritage
and
the
faculty, and the student body.
Foundation. He has published numerous articles on politics and on higher education.
Weatherman truly loves teaching. He says,
He wrote a weekly opinion column during
“Of all the things I’ve done in my life,
these years, first for the Batesville Daily
nothing has been as enjoyable and rewarding
Guard and then for the Arkansas Democrat-
as teaching.” He is fascinated by the growth
Gazette. In 1994, he published Endangered
he sees in students over their four years of
Guardians:
a
college and adds that the transformations
Constitutional System, an intellectual history
he has seen in Lyon students are more
Party
Reform
within
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impressive than anywhere else he has taught.
He faced some major challenges when he
He served many years as the pre-law advisor,
arrived: enrollment was at a historic low,
and his influence on those students has been
and nearly every building on campus was
profound. He tells the story of a trip he took to
showing the effect of deferred maintenance.
Little Rock soon after returning to Lyon as president: he asked his administrative assistant to set up lunch with some central Arkansas alumni who had been his students. Thirteen showed up—and all of them were lawyers! “It was frightening,” he joked. In 1999, Weatherman left Lyon to become vice
president
and
He took both on, stating
Don Weatherman’s optimism made him the perfect leader for Lyon College during the time of his tenure. His cheerful confidence infects others and steers them toward finding solutions instead of lamenting calamity. I doubt anyone else could have brought the College through the difficult early years of his presidency. Our future accomplishments will stand on the foundation he built.
dean of the college at
Erskine
another
College,
Suzanne Blair, ’68
Lyon College Board of Trustees Batesville, Arkansas
Presbyterian-
that while replacing roofs and re-doing bathrooms wasn’t
especially
exciting or even very visible to many people, it was necessary to provide a welcoming and healthy campus provide
that an
could attractive
home to students. As the end of his presidency approaches, he is leading a capital campaign to renovate and upgrade the Brown Chapel and Fine Arts Building, the oldest academic building on campus, to become a
related school, in Due West, South Carolina.
top-quality musical performance venue and
In 2009, he returned to Lyon as its 17th
learning space.
president. He often jokes that being gone for ten years was “just long enough for everyone
In the second year of his presidency,
to forget what I was like, so that’s why they
he
asked me to come back.”
destruction of Edwards Commons by
encountered another challenge: the
fire. Because this vital building housed
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the student center, dining hall, bookstore, game room, and student life offices, making interim arrangements to feed students and building a replacement became critical tasks. Two years later, after he had personally conducted a massive fundraising effort, the new Edwards Commons opened, offering a new dining hall and kitchen, student center, bookstore, game room, and student life offices, as well as a bistro, cardio exercise room, student mailboxes, and student programming space.
Don Weatherman provided Lyon College with vital leadership and a steady hand at the helm at a critical time in the life of the College. His leadership and innovative skills have taken us from near the brink to the success that is needed to ensure a bright future for Lyon. He will be sorely missed. The Honorable Bill Walmsley, ’63
Lyon College Board of Trustees Batesville, Arkansas
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But Weatherman’s accomplishments reach
everything,” he says. “The more students
far beyond building the new Edwards
we bring here, the more graduates Lyon will
Commons
campus
have to represent the value of their excellent
buildings. He also raised the funds needed
liberal arts education.” He points out that
for construction of the new Wilson and
student revenue has increased from $5
Whiteside residence halls, the Hatcher
million in 2008-09 to $10 million last year.
Wrestling Center, and the Football Training
“Nothing in fundraising or the endowment
and
renovating
Center; established the Chinese student recruitment
program;
implemented
an
aggressive and comprehensive strategic plan; and spearheaded significant enrollment growth. Under his leadership, enrollment has grown by 56 percent, from 413 in the fall of 2008 to 690 this fall. A contributing factor was the reinstitution in 2013—after a 62-year hiatus—of intercollegiate football, which drew football players and musicians for the newly-instituted marching band. Introduced that same year were new programs in men’s and women’s wrestling, which attracted students from across the country. Along with enrollment, financial aid has increased, rising from just over $7 million in 2009 to more than $10 million currently. Seeing growth in enrollment has been the most exciting part of Weatherman’s
Don Weatherman has had a tremendous impact on Lyon College, and Lyon would not be where it is today without his many contributions. His ability to work closely with the board of trustees and establish a relationship of trust with just about every trustee has contributed to the growth and progress of Lyon College during his presidency. Don really understands how crucial it is for a president and a board of trustees to be able to completely trust each other and work hand in hand if success is to be had. Perry L. Wilson
Chairman, Lyon College Board of Trustees Little Rock, Arkansas
presidency. “Students are the key to
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has that kind of impact,” he adds.
I knew I wanted to work for Dr. Weatherman when I met
Some of his favorite times as president have been getting to know and work with the
him as part of my on-campus interview in April 2014. I spent
College’s board of trustees. “It’s enjoyable to spend time with very successful people, educating
them
about
the
over an hour with him, but it felt like it was only 10 minutes. I could tell that he loved Lyon
institution
and learning from them about business management,” he stated. His time with
College very deeply and worked very hard to help it grow and thrive. But he also knew how to have fun along the way and let us know that having fun was a good thing.
the late Frank Lyon, Jr., was especially illuminating. He is also pleased that he was able to see increasing numbers of successful alumni join the board. He is, in addition, proud of the strong sense
John Jones
of community on the campus. He tells people
Vice President for Business and Finance, Lyon College
that Lyon is not an educational institution but an educational community. The difference is important. At educational institutions,
Batesville High School’s Pioneer Stadium,
everyone
educational
which promotes interaction between town
communities, everyone helps. During the
and gown; the wrestling program, which is
recent presidential search, consultant Ann
one of very few such programs offered at
Die Hasselmo, the former president of
the college-level; and the new Celtic studies
Hendrix College, told Weatherman that this
minor, another rarely offered program that
sense of kinship in the Lyon community is
heightens the College’s emphasis on its
exceptional.
Scottish heritage.
competes.
In
Weatherman points out other things that
Weatherman sums up his expectations for
make Lyon College a special place: the LEAP
Lyon after he leaves: “I believe the College
program, which capitalizes on the natural
will continue to grow and thrive.”
beauties of the location; football played at
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THE FIRST LADY Lynn
Weatherman
grew
up
around
university bookstore. Margaret Blyth loved to
colleges. Her father, Dr. John Blyth, was
entertain, and professors and administrators
a pianist and professor of music at the
were frequently invited to join the Blyths for
University of Nebraska until she was seven,
dinner.
moving then to head the piano department at San Diego State University. When Lynn
Their only child graduated cum laude from
was ten, her mother began working at the
Pomona College in Claremont, California,
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with a B.A. in English in 1971. During the 1970s, she was a secretary, working for politics professors at Claremont McKenna College and Claremont Graduate University before moving up with one of those faculty members when he became academic dean at CMC. She credits those professors with introducing her to her future husband during his studies there. Wanting to keep a good secretary and help a stand-out graduate student, they gave Don money so he could hire a professional typist to prepare his papers. That professional was Lynn, who was also self-employed as an editor and typist, specializing in preparing manuscripts for publication. Since that time, Lynn has worked at Don’s side, editing and polishing every piece he has written for print.
Lynn Weatherman will tell you that being a wife and mother is her life’s work and greatest blessing. In fact, she very proudly refers to herself as a homemaker. However, that isn’t the full story. Lynn has devoted countless hours to Lyon College. Whether she’s raising money for the First Ladies’ Auxiliary, planning an event or renovation, or proofreading pages upon pages of donor lists, Lynn is dedicated to helping Lyon College shine in the eyes of all our constituents. Clarinda Foote
Director of Administration, Lyon College
When she attended Pomona, the college was at the forefront of the liberal issues of the
advantage of the opportunity to be exactly
day—radical feminism, anti-war protests,
what she wanted to be: a wife, mother, and
civil rights, and more. When her friends
supporter of her husband’s career—her
learned she was marrying a conservative
ambition since childhood. That has remained
and wanted to be a homemaker, they were
her motivation throughout the partnership of
aghast. How could she not live up to her
the Weathermans’ marriage.
potential and take advantage of all the opportunities opening up for women? Lynn
When Don and Lynn started their family
calmly informed them that she was taking
in 1979, Lynn briefly continued her typing
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business but soon became a stay-at-home
“If something needed doing, I had no problem
mom to children David and Andrea and a
taking care of it,” she stated, remembering
full-time homemaker. She has seen her role
getting dressed up and walking (the
at Lyon as an expansion of her family role,
Weathermans had only one car at the time)
becoming the homemaker for the entire
to the office of Dale Cole, President and
campus community: as Lyon’s homemaker
CEO of a new bank starting up in Batesville,
she has striven to make sure the home is
to solicit sponsorship of the Symphony
in good shape, that all the chores get done,
League, which had to raise $10,000 each
and that there are ample opportunities for
year to bring a symphony performance to
the Lyon community to come together over
Batesville. Cole readily agreed, making the
meals. Lynn to
Symphony first
Lyon
came
in
1983
when Don accepted a
position
as
a
political philosophy professor.
During
those years she was an
active
If something needed doing, I had no problem taking care of it.
one
of
League the
first
beneficiaries of First Community
Bank’s
commitment to its hometown.
(Cole
now serves on the Lyon College Board of Trustees.)
member
of Batesville’s First Presbyterian Church,
When Don became division chair at Lyon,
singing in the choir, serving as an elder,
Lynn followed her mother’s example by
and actively participating in Presbyterian
entertaining faculty frequently in the family
Women. She also enjoyed membership in
home across the street from Central School.
P.E.O., Athena Study Club, Musical Arts
“My models were Sidney West [wife of
Club, and Batesville Symphony League.
former president Dan West] and Diana
Because she did not work outside the home,
Dahlquist [wife of former dean of the faculty
she was able to make time to serve these
John Dahlquist],” Lynn said. “Both were
groups as an officer.
iconic in their understanding of how to offer their constituents hospitality.”
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In 1999, the Weathermans moved to Due West, South Carolina, where Don became the academic dean and later executive vice president of Erskine College. Lynn continued to entertain frequently and to participate actively in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. They returned to Batesville in 2009 when Don accepted the position of president of Lyon College. As first lady, Lynn has volunteered countless hours to Lyon, assisting with clerical work, coordinating events, and directing renovation projects. Lyon did not have the funds to hire a college hostess, but she was still glad to take on the challenge of coordinating the yearly cycle of ongoing events
Mrs. Weatherman always excelled in putting Lyon College’s best foot forward. Whether it was a recurring special event like the Arkansas Scottish Festival or a non-recurring event, her clear thinking, good planning, decorative and artistic talents, and attention to detail always helped Lyon College’s light shine bright. John Jones
Vice President for Business and Finance Lyon College
hosted by the president and spouse. Some existing events, such as the Senior Dinner, were revamped, and the Weathermans introduced some new events, like the Faculty/Trustee Appreciation Dinner. Lynn has assisted the president’s office by helping to develop a system to project on-campus and off-campus obligations for each academic year, a campus-wide master calendar system, cultural events promotional literature, and guidelines for making travel arrangements for the president. She also helped the business office update the venue reservation policy and directed the production of a sales brochure for venue rentals.
Mrs. Weatherman is a dynamic and intelligent woman who is always putting Lyon first. She has helped Sodexo and me provide better catering services for Lyon and the community. I have been honored to work with her for the four years I have been at Lyon. Sandra Harbison
General Manager of Food Services, Sodexo Batesville, Arkansas
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several
years,
she
also
proofed
and edited all correspondence, formal
I am in awe of Lynn’s ability to get
statements,
things done. If there is an event to be planned and executed, she is the one for the task. She
invitations,
programs
for
major events, and promotional literature associated with the president’s office, including all printed materials for Founders’ Day,
the
Arkansas
homecoming,
Scottish
commencement,
Festival, and
the
President’s Council. To help assure correct grammar, usage, and punctuation across all departments, she developed a style guide for use in correspondence, programs, and other marketing literature.
has worked tirelessly for Lyon College, giving it her full attention throughout her years here. Her work in organizing the First Ladies’ Auxiliary will go down as an important accomplishment in restoring some of the wonderful spaces on campus. Sidney West
Lynn helped organize and steer such major
Former Arkansas College First Lady Atlanta, Georgia
fundraisers as Black Tie/Blue Jeans at Chimney Rock in Concord, Arkansas, Gridiron Gala on campus, and a Burns Night
One
of
her
most
outstanding
supper at the Clinton Presidential Library
accomplishments was the establishment in
in Little Rock. She helped coordinate
2011 of the First Ladies’ Auxiliary, which
Lyonhearted, a major event celebrating
has raised more than $100,000 for campus
the life and contributions to the College of
beautification. Lynn feels strongly about
Dr. Frank Lyon, Jr., and his wife Jane. She
keeping the campus in good order: “When
has assisted with plans and fundraising for
we first open a space on campus, dedications
the renovation of the Brown Chapel and Fine
are held and memorials are made,” she
Arts Building and has recently overseen the
said. “After that, it is the College’s obligation
renovation and furnishing of the Highland
to ensure that facilities are well-maintained
House, a large three-story home on the bluff
as an acknowledgment of the generosity of
a block west of the main campus.
our supporters.” When the Weathermans returned to Lyon, however, they found
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Lyon College Burns Night at the Clinton Presidential Library, February 2016. From left to right: Mrs. Lynn and President Weatherman, Mr. Tim Cullen, and trustee Mrs. Sarah (Greenwood) Cullen, ’00.
“extensive deferred maintenance throughout
each, to be renewed annually, to fund projects
the campus,” according to Lynn.
chosen by the auxiliary.
She invited two former first ladies, Mrs.
The group’s first project was to refurbish
Carolyn Holloway and Mrs. Sidney West,
the Bevens Music Room in Brown Chapel
to join her in founding the auxiliary, which
with a thorough cleaning, new paint, and
solicits funds to make campus improvements.
reupholstering of chairs. The room had
Women who have an association with the
been remodeled in 1989 thanks to the
Lyon College Board of Trustees, either as
generosity of long-time friend of the College
a trustee or as the spouse of a trustee, are
Mrs. Marion Bradley Lyon, but no repairs or
invited to join the auxiliary. However, men
updates had been done since then. The group
wishing to make a contribution in memory
also funded updates to the restrooms in the
of a woman associated with the board have
back hallway of Brown Chapel, restoring the
also joined. Members pledge a gift of $1,000
original tile walls and floors, replacing sinks,
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and hanging vintage campus photos.
painting, recarpeting, reupholstering, and updating the kitchenette. They will also
In 2012-13, the auxiliary made significant
make improvements to the catering kitchen
updates in the small chapel of the Brown
in Brown Chapel.
Chapel and Fine Arts Building, adding new paint and flooring, installing new frosted
Lynn herself has taken on a number of
glass windows, reupholstering seats, and
other improvement projects, such as the
adding a carpet runner. The next year they
Highland House. In addition, she has
refurbished
the
overseen
extensive
Alphin Board Room,
improvements
painting, adding glass
Bradley Manor, the
on
Miller Room in the
the
tabletops,
to
replacing carpet, and
Alphin
Building,
reupholstering chairs.
and
College’s
In
they
guest house. In all
updated the Flanders
the work she has
Reading
done
2014-15,
adding
Room, new
the
to
improve
wood
campus spaces, she
flooring, countertops,
has been a model
and appliances; reupholstering chairs; and
of Presbyterian thriftiness,
repurposing
adding several new pieces.
furniture and shifting pieces from places where they aren’t being used to places
In 2015-16, the auxiliary assisted in the
where they are needed. At the Highland
ongoing renovation of the Brown Chapel
House, for instance, she scoured every
and Fine Arts Building by contributing to
storage space on campus for appropriate
the construction and furnishing of a new
pieces and has donated many pieces of
and much-needed green room at the rear
family furniture that she and Don will not
of the building. This year, they are taking
need in their next home. Don’s parents’
on the refurbishment of the Young Lounge
large collection of Fox prints from the
on the upper floor of the Alphin Building,
Golden Age of Illustration (ca. 1900-40),
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Lynn Weatherman is a fine musician herself, not to mention a woman of impeccable taste. Her remarkable contributions to the College’s musical life are evident throughout Brown Chapel, from the recently refurbished small chapel to the new, spacious practice rooms on the second floor. Russell Stinson
Josephine Emily Brown Professor of Music Lyon College
Mrs. Lynn Weatherman greets guests in Bradley Manor. Arkansas Scottish Festival, April 2016.
for instance, now graces the walls of the Highland House. Lynn has enjoyed her role at Lyon for the last eight years, but she is looking forward to sharing retirement with her husband, making sure they have a comfortable home and good food, setting her own schedule, and being responsible for a household of just two.
Mrs. Weatherman has truly gone above and beyond in serving Lyon College in every capacity and was a most deserving recipient of this year’s Honorary Alumna Award. She has always given generously of her time, talent, and treasure and has made a memorable impact on this campus. I have learned so much from working alongside this remarkable woman. Taryn (Hill) Duncan, ’91
Director of Alumni and Parent Services Lyon College
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NEW FACES AT LYON
New members joining Lyon’s Board of Trustees this fall include John Beller of Cave City, President and CEO of the Bank of Cave City; Cheryl Bryant of Glastonbury, CT, Director of Pharmacy and Retail Operations at Walgreen Co.; Dale Cole of Batesville, President and CEO of First Community Bank; Sarah Cullen of Maumelle, an attorney in Little Rock; Gretchen Hall of Little Rock, President and CEO of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau; and Joseph Rugger of Bentonville, a retired entrepreneur. Also attending his first meeting as the young alumni trustee was Jason Lochmann, a 2016 graduate. Bryant, Cullen, Hall, and Rugger are also graduates of the College. In addition, the board also nominated and elected the Reverend Bill Branch to serve as the new clergy trustee.
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FACULTY & STAFF Dr. Alexander “Sandy� Beeser is an assistant professor of biology. He earned his B.S. in biology at Concordia University, Montreal, and his Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. Before coming to Lyon, He taught at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri, and Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. In addition, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. Dr. Maryline Bossus is an assistant professor of biology. She earned a B.S. in life sciences at the University of Provence in Marseilles, France; M.S. in oceanography at the Center of Oceanology of Marseilles, University of the Mediterranean Sea, Marseilles, France; and Ph.D. in eco-physiology from the University of Montpellier in Montpellier, France. She also held post doctoral fellowships at the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Arkansas and the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Before coming to Lyon, Bossus was a seminar lecturer at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma; the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas; and the National Institute of Marine Sciences and Techniques at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts in France. She also served as an instructor at the University of Montpellier.
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Karin Brown is an assistant professor of education completing her Ed.D. in educational leadership at Arkansas State University, where she already earned her B.S. in elementary education and Specialist in community college teaching degrees. In addition, she earned her M.S. in training systems at the University of Central Arkansas. Before coming to Lyon, she was director of teacher education at Ozarka College in Melbourne, Arkansas, where she also served as academic services coordinator for the TRiO-Student Support Services Program and an adjunct instructor. She was also an adjunct for the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville. Her first jobs were as an elementary classroom teacher at Izard County Consolidated Elementary School and Cushman Elementary School. Ian Campbell is an assistant professor of art. He earned his B.A. in studio art at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and his M.A. in photography and integrated media at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He also completed a one-semester art residency at the New York Center for Art and Media Studies in New York City. Campbell taught as a graduate assistant while he was at Ohio University. Dr. Brian D’Haeseleer is a visiting assistant professor of history. He earned his A.A. at Tallahassee (Florida) Community College; B.A. in history at Florida State University; M.A. in European history at University College, London; and Ph.D. in American History at American University in Washington, D.C. Before coming to Lyon, he taught at Tallahassee Community College and served as a research assistant at the U.S. Army Center of Military History in Washington, D.C.
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Nancy Kohn is a visiting assistant professor of biology. She earned her B.S. in biology and art at Albright College, Reading, Pennsylvania; M.S. in biology at Saint Louis University; and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Before coming to Lyon, she taught at the College of New Jersey in Trenton and the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. In addition, she conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis and the Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation, in France. Mary Elena Wilhoit, is an assistant professor of anthropology. She earned her B.A. in anthropology and Spanish at Vanderbilt University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She has taught at Northwestern and Columbia College in Chicago. Since last May, Lyon has also welcomed several new staff members:
Ms. Unswella Ankton
Mr. Robert Austin, ’15
Mrs. Joni Bube
Title III Student Engagement Specialist
Administrative Assistant for Technical Services and Special Collections
International Student Advisor
Mr. Adam Buie
Ms. Alexandrya Burroughs
Mr. Shawn Daniel
Head Golf Coach
Administrative Assistant for Advancement
Assistant Football Coach Offensive Coordinator
Mrs. Tiffany English
Mr. Brian Hardin, II
Admission Services Coordinator
Communications Services Manager
Mrs. Shelly Hendrix
Mr. J. Ross Harrison
Ms. Victoria Hartogh, ’16
Athletic Trainer
Admission Counselor
Special Events Coordinator
Mrs. Valerie Hill
Dr. Robert Krapohl
Mrs. Nicole Marlin
Coordinator of Music Recruitment and Events
Director of the Library
Administrative Coordinator for Marketing and Communications
Mr. Marc Neddo
Mr. Wes Obrigewitsch
Ms. Alexandra Patrono-Smith, ’15
Ms. Avens Ridgeway, ’13
Head Women’s Soccer Coach
Design Specialist
Mr. Jonathan Rogers
Ms. Markeita Williams, ’16
Athletic Trainer
Administrative Assistant to the President’s Office
Communications Specialist
Admission Counselor
DAVE THOMAS On Sunday, October 23, the Lyon College
as the pre-health professions advisor for
Board of Trustees honored Dr. David
nursing, allied health science, and medical
Thomas by naming him the Willie Dillard
technology. He also serves as president of the
Bryan Endowed Professor of Biology.
Cavers of the Batesville Region of Arkansas (COBRA) Grotto, an official chapter of the
A member of the Lyon faculty since
National Speleological Society.
1999, Thomas is a man who is as broad in his interests as he is in his talents. He’s
Thomas is also a skilled photographer. Often
a professor, biologist, researcher, caver,
spotted at Lyon events and around town toting
photographer, and qualified paramedic—just
his camera, he has seen his photographs
to name a few of his skills.
appear in the Batesville Daily Guard, Lyon publications, online news sites, coffee table
Inside the lab, Thomas studies astrobiology,
books, and all over Flickr (an image and
a multidisciplinary field concerned with
video hosting website) and Facebook.
the origin, nature, and existence of life beyond Earth. His research focuses on
The Willie Dillard Bryan Professorship of
how microorganisms adapt to extreme
Biology was established in October 1986 to
environments and how to apply this
honor the lives and generosity of Mrs. Willie
knowledge to extraterrestrial environments.
Dillard Bryan and her husband, Mr. Rountree Caldwell Bryan.
Outside the lab, Thomas advises biology majors and undeclared students and serves
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HOMECOMING Founded in 1872, Lyon College has had plenty of time to develop rich traditions, with many of them revolving around Founders’ Day. The 88th annual homecoming celebrations kicked off with the Founders’ Day convocation on Friday, October 21. The class of 2017 donned caps and gowns for the first time as they listened to Dr. Brooks Blevins, ’92, Professor of History at Missouri State University in Springfield and author of Lyon College 1872-2002, Ghost of the Ozarks, and Arkansas/Arkansaw. Friday afternoon, the Lyon College Career Development Center hosted its first Career EXPLO—a networking event designed to connect current students with successful alumni, corporate recruiters, graduate schools, and professional schools. The weekend was full of events and activities, including the Alumni Awards Banquet, Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans, Club 50 Luncheon, Alumni sports games, and the Homecoming football game. Geoffrey Carter, ’17, and Elliot Taylor, ’17, were named the 2016 Lyon College King and Queen during halftime ceremonies of the Scots’ 34-17 loss at the hands of Arizona Christian University. Mark your calendars now for Homecoming 2017. Join us on campus the weekend of October 20-22, 2017!
ly on . e du /sc ot t ishfest
Friday, April 7 Celtic Concert
Saturday, April 8 Solo Piping Competitions Book Sale @ the Mabee-Simpson Library Sheepdog Demonstrations Highland Dancing 5k Run and Bike Race Parade of Scottish Clans and Bands Dog Show Southwest Pipe Band Championship Award Ceremonies Feast & Ceilidh
Sunday, April 9 Tea and Scones Fellowship Iona Worship Service Book Sale @ the Mabee-Simpson Library Sheepdog Demonstrations Highland Dancing Lyon College Pipe Band Performance Bonniest Knees Contest
LI BE RAL ARTS I N ACT I ON
Student Feature:
SHELBY LEGARDYE
Whether she’s backpacking through the
“I’d been to three or four doctors, and every
Ozarks with the Lyon Education and
single one of them told me that I was just
Adventure Program (LEAP) or donating
going through a growth spurt and sent me
her time to her sorority’s philanthropy,
home,” LeGardye said. “By the time I was
Shelby LeGardye, ’18, is an active presence
admitted to Children’s Hospital in Little
on campus. She’s a LEAP leader, head of
Rock, you could see the ribs in my back and
intramurals and internal affairs manager
my spine. Within an hour, they told me I was
for Chi Omichron, and vice president of the
diabetic, and it was like—finally, we know
Black Student Association.
what’s wrong.”
She also has type 1 diabetes.
It’s little wonder, then, that LeGardye felt some kind of comfort in her new diagnosis.
Diagnosed at five years old, LeGardye did
After months of fatigue, rapid and dramatic
not feel any fear when doctors explained her
weight loss, and hundreds of unanswered
condition to her parents. She did not cry or
questions, she could finally put a name to
panic—rather, she breathed a sigh of relief.
why she struggled out of bed every morning.
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But this brief moment of comfort would soon
“I don’t feel like I have a cool story to tell,”
crystallize into one cold, hard reality: living
she laughed, shrugging her shoulders. “I
with diabetes was no easy endeavor. Blood
didn’t really cause that much trouble. My
tests,
carbohydrate
friend group was a bunch of people who
calculations, and insulin injections were
didn’t fit into a predetermined group, like
suddenly a part of LeGardye’s everyday
me. We were just a bunch of misfits. But it
life—a life which, for a young girl navigating
was fun. I had fun.”
dietary
restrictions,
her way through elementary, junior high, and high school, was difficult to manage.
These days, LeGardye has disposed of her needles and instead manages her diabetes
“I
was
getting
constantly pulled
out
of class,” LeGardye said. “Before lunch, I’d have to go to the nurse’s
office
for
a shot before I ate,
through an insulin
I don’t feel like I have a cool story to tell.
which meant that I
pump.
The
pump,
a small device that continuously delivers insulin
through
a
catheter placed under the skin, is able to regulate
her
blood
was always late to lunch. People would ask
glucose levels between meals and overnight
me where I went, and sometimes I wouldn’t
without interfering with her day-to-day life.
want to tell them. Other times I didn’t care— it was just a thing I did. Some people have
Regardless of the obstacles she faced
asthma, some have diabetes. It usually didn’t
throughout
bother me. But sometimes it did.”
never let her diagnosis hold her back. As
her
childhood,
LeGardye
a freshman at Lyon, she hit the ground Still, life wasn’t so bad for LeGardye. In
running, exploring every corner of campus
fact, she claims that she had a “pretty cool
life and immersing herself in all that Lyon
upbringing.” Outside of her diabetes, her life
had to offer.
became perfectly average. “I love getting involved,” LeGardye said.
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“Because of how small it is here, people aren’t involved in just one thing. They’re involved in 50 things, and I love that. In my high school, if you were good at one thing, you stuck to that one thing. You didn’t try to branch out. Here, they encourage you to get
Of course, recognizing her limits itself comes
involved. I’m doing things here that I never
with limitations, with LeGardye refusing to
would have done in high school.”
pull back on her own reins too hard.
One such branch is LeGardye’s employment
“I still strive to be better,” she admits. “I don’t
with LEAP. From backpacking through the
like making excuses for myself. Sometimes
Grand Canyon National Park to fishing on
things hold me back. Sometimes because of
the Norfolk River, her adventurous forays
my diabetes, I have to take a step back, and
into the wild have allowed her to step outside
that’s hard for someone who wants to go full
her comfort zone and acknowledge her own
force.”
limitations. LeGardye will begin the final semester of her “I’ve always had a problem with—if I know
junior year this spring. She is working toward
I won’t be the best, then I often won’t try,”
a B.A. in psychology with a concentration
LeGardye explained. “And that’s really
in outdoor recreation and plans to pursue a
difficult with outdoor recreation because
career in recreational therapy. As for the rest
you’re always trying things you’ve never
of her life, only time will tell.
done before, and there are always going to be people who are better or worse than you. So,
“If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s to not
I think recognizing that it’s okay not to be the
be afraid to write your own story,” LeGardye
best was a good lesson for me. It makes me
said. “Don’t wait for somebody to step in
a good leader, remembering where I came
and live your life. Live your own life, and
from and recognizing my limits.”
if something happens, just keep going. It’ll be okay.”
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FACULTY NOTES Dr. Lora Adair, Assistant Professor of
Dialogue XI World Congress in Warsaw, and
Biology, has written three entries related to
the conference of the Olympic Center for
human sexuality for the soon-to-be-published
Greek Philosophy and Culture in Olympia
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological
in Greece. The government of Indonesia
Science. She also presented a paper at
recently awarded her a grant to teach at the
the 2016 conference of the Northeastern
Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University
Evolutionary Psychology Society, “Who
in Jakarta, Indonesia, this semester. She also
wears the pants? The nature of shared
intends to deliver lectures at other Indonesian
decision-making in intimate couples.”
institutions during her time there.
Dr. Martha Beck, Professor of Philosophy,
Mr. Dustyn Bork, Associate Professor of
published four articles on ancient Greek
Art, was an artist-in-residence at Wilson
philosophy
“The
College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania,
Importance of the Arts in the Creation
and was selected for the 58th Annual Delta
of an Ecologically Sustainable Global
Exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center. This
Civilization,” published by Ionia Press in
fall he won the Individual Artist Fellowship,
Athens. She also presented papers at the
the largest individual art award granted by
World Congress on Aristotle in Athens,
the Arkansas Arts Council, for visual arts
the International Society for Universal
in painting. His solo exhibition, “Structure
and
another
titled
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and Form,” ran November 11 to December
and at the Film Club Café in Naucalpan.
10 at the Tinnin Arts Center of Three Rivers
While promoting Mexiko, Martell also took
College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
part in Universidad Iberoamericana’s radio talk on issues of gender and sexuality.
Dr. Nancy Kohn, Visiting Assistant Professor of
Dr.
Irosha
Nawarathne,
Biology, is part of a
Professor of Chemistry, and three of her
group of biologists who
research students attended the 6th Biennial
recently
collaborated
National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical
to publish a book titled
Research Excellence in Washington, D.C.
Behavioral Ecology of
She, the three students, and a fourth Lyon
the Eastern Red-backed Salamander. The
biology student presented their research
book covers 50 years of research on the
findings on tuberculosis drug discovery.
behavioral ecology of these salamanders.
They also toured the National Institute
Kohn’s contribution focused on cognitive
of Health (NIH), providing the students
ecology, specifically learning and memory,
with exposure to health-related careers.
along with salamanders’ use of visual cues.
Lyon graduate Yumiko Hiroto joined them
Assistant
at NIH. Nawarathne also took several This past summer, Dr.
students to the Central Arkansas Summer
James Martell, Assistant
Undergraduate Research Symposium at
Professor of Romance
the University of Arkansas for Medical
Languages,
published
Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock, where the
Mexiko.
students presented their summer research.
Spanish,
Four of her students were selected for
Mexiko experiments with
presentations at the Arkansas INBRE 2016
language, narrative rhythm, and complex
Conference in Fayetteville in October. Given
wordplay. He gave presentations about his
the amount of research work accomplished
book at the library of the Fondo de Cultura
by students working with Nawarathne, it
Ecónomica and the Center for Literary
was very rewarding to her when FutureFuel
Creation Xavier Villaurrutia in Mexico City
Chemical Company in Batesville awarded
his
novel
Written
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her and her students funds to aid further
essay, “Robert Schumann, Eduard Krueger,
summer research. Nawarathne was also
and the Reception of Bach’s Organ Chorales
invited to represent Primarily Undergraduate
in
Institutions in Arkansas when the External
appear in a German translation in the 2016
Advisory Committee from NIH visited to
issue of the periodical. Stinson hopes to
evaluate the Arkansas INBRE project at
publish an English version of the paper in a
UAMS in November.
book he is currently writing on the reception
Nineteenth-Century
Germany,”
will
of Bach’s music by later composers. Tenor Dr. Michael Oriatti, Assistant Professor of Music, and pianist Dr. Sarah
Dr. Terrell Tebbetts, Martha Heasley Cox
Weston, ’91, Adjunct Instructor of Music,
Chair of American Literature, presented
performed “Musical Portraits” as guest
papers at the Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha
recitalists at Williams Baptist College in
Conference, the Annual Conference of the
Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, on October 6. They
Arkansas Philological Association, and
are listed as performers on the Arkansas
the Faulkner and Hemingway Conference.
Arts Council’s Registry of Performing Arts.
He published an article in the Philological
In addition to their college duties, Weston
Review (with Amy Schmidt, ’05) and
has organized two children’s choruses,
contributed a chapter to Fifty Years after
the Highlander Youth Singers and the Wee
Faulkner, published by the University Press
Highlanders, which Oriatti conducts. The
of Mississippi. His review of The Maid’s
children perform on their own and also in
Version by Daniel Woodrell appeared in
conjunction with the Lyon College Concert
Elder Mountain.
Chorale. Dr. Frank Winfrey, Clark N. and Mark For the second consecutive year, Dr. Russell
Perkins Barton Professor of Management,
Stinson, Josephine Emily Brown Professor
authored three entries for the Encyclopedia
of Music and College Organist, will have
of Business Ethics and Society (Second
an article in the Bach-Jahrbuch, the leading
Edition), edited by Robert W. Kolb and
musicological
published by Sage.
journal
devoted
to
the
composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Stinson’s
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DUSTYN BORK The year is 1986. A nine-year-old Dustyn
a sidewalk, pretty much nothing on it, and
Bork sits amidst a group of fourth-graders
they hated it. And then there was me, sitting
at the University of Michigan Art Museum.
there saying, ‘I love it.’ I loved that this artist
They are on a field trip, listening to a docent
had made this piece of art. I loved that it was
describe a Jules Olenski painting.
making everyone in the room upset. To me, that was the power that art could wield.”
The painting—a heavily encrusted canvas with one crude stripe stretching over its
Bork would spend the rest of his childhood
surface—has caused a stir. The children,
surrounding himself with art, taking photos,
bored and uninterested, chatter and fuss
creating collages, and doodling in the
amongst themselves while their parents,
margins of his notebooks. But it would not
equally disgruntled, grumble about the
be until he started applying for colleges that
museum’s lack of forethought and taste.
he began to consider art as a career.
“Everyone hated it,” Bork recalled with a
“I remember seeing on my applications,
laugh. “This painting essentially looked like
‘Circle what you want to major in,’ and ‘art’
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was one of the options,” Bork said. “Growing up, I
new to everybody.”
hadn’t even thought that was a possibility. I didn’t think you could just go to school for art.”
As
a
fledgling
artist,
Bork
concentrated primarily on traditional Bork began his academic career at the University
art and honing his skills. He wasn’t
of Michigan. As a freshman, he shared classrooms
interested in geometrical abstractions
with students from every corner of the United States,
or non-figurative representations, the
students with backgrounds rich in art and technical
art forms for which he is best known
ability, both of which Bork’s own background
today. In fact, he didn’t much care for
lacked.
abstract art at all.
“I remember these kids from Chicago in my drawing class, and they’d done observational drawing in high school,” Bork said. “And I’m sitting there like, well, I can draw logos and cartoons, and I can take photographs, but I never drew anything observationally.” Undeterred by his lack of experience, Bork buckled down and started working tirelessly to catch up to his classmates. He recalled drawing still lifes and looking over at his classmates’ work to see if his were as good as theirs—they never were, which only spurred him to work harder. “By the end of my drawing class, we started drawing a figure, and everyone was looking around because no one had done it before,” Bork said. “And that’s when I knew I’d made it. I’d worked
Although Dustyn started as one of my professors, over the years he has become one of my biggest mentors as well as my friend. His support has been invaluable to my professional development, and his confidence in me has made all the difference. I definitely know I wouldn’t have made it to where I am today without his influence. Chin-Yee Chew, ’15 Fulbright Scholar Hai Duong, Vietnam
hard, and I was finally doing something that was
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I thought it was a joke. I understood it, but I just wasn’t interested in creating abstract work. “I thought it was a joke,” Bork said. “I
interested in an abstraction. I’m kind of an
understood it, but I just wasn’t interested in
abstract artist.’”
creating abstract work.” Bork graduated from the University of It wasn’t until his sophomore year, when he
Michigan with a B.A. in printmaking in 1999
dipped his toes in printmaking, that Bork
and went on to earn his M.F.A. in printmaking
began to see his art through an abstract lens.
from Indiana University in 2002.
Printmaking, he explained, required him to visualize his finished print. If the print
In 2004, he began his professional career as
required multiple colors or multiple layers,
a lecturer at the University of Toledo, Ohio.
he had to take the image apart and put it back
There, he taught in the university’s Center
together piece by piece.
for the Visual Arts, a structure designed by internationally renowned architect Frank
“When I started to look at art in that way, I
Gehry, whose best-known works include
realized how much I liked the pieces,” Bork
the titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum in
said. “I realized how much I liked the parts.
Bilbao, Spain, and the Walt Disney Concert
I can take a part of a tree and isolate it, and
Hall in downtown Los Angeles, California.
suddenly it’s just a shape. Now I can add color to it and combine it with another shape
Bork lectured at the University of Toledo
out of context to create something new.
for seven years, teaching classes in drawing
And all of a sudden I started to realize, ‘I’m
and 2D and 3D design, before academic
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Dustyn Bork Structure15 2016 acrylic on panel
wanderlust slowly began to sink in.
Dustyn was a great example “I loved lecturing at Toledo, but my ultimate goal was to find a tenure-track position,” he said. “So eventually I just said, ‘Let’s go. Let’s go somewhere.’ And I rolled the dice.” “Somewhere” would ultimately lead Bork to Lyon, where he traded the modern day ruins and urban decay of suburban Toledo for the small town charm of Batesville, Arkansas. But despite the stark differences between the two American cultures, he immediately fell in love with the town and its people—a town where, in his own words, the world opened up, offering new perspectives and connections spanning attitudes and fields outside of his own. And for someone like Bork, whose work
to his students of what it means to be a professional artist. He really pushed me as a student to dig deeper, to keep learning about themes in my work, about my inspirations, about why I make the art I make, and about the processes I used that got me to a finished product. Try this. Test that. Nothing was ever final, which I think helped me grow the most both in and out of the studio. Frances Winfrey, ’12
Membership and Grants Coordinator Metal Museum Memphis, Tennessee
centers on the cultural and architectural
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notions of pattern, color, and design, loving the space he was in was imperative.
I learned two big things from
“The thing that motivates me, that gets me
Dustyn: constructive feedback and the importance of
into the studio, is creating works that reflect how we shape the world around us,” he said.
networking. Dustyn is a social butterfly who can turn any
“Looking at buildings that are brand new
acquaintance into a professional
next to ones that are abandoned, in decay,
contact and friend. He creates opportunities for artists and builds a community through an extended hand. Studio classes have a critique portion at the end of assignments, and I feel that my ability to appreciate comments that offer advice for
but still have snippets of beauty. That’s what I’m drawn to. A lot of times it’s just an abstract element from a building or a shape that sneaks into the work, and maybe it came from Batesville, maybe it came from Memphis or Detroit, but I connect that element to how we see shape and space.” This fascination with exploring the pictorial language of geometric abstraction and the reevaluation of how we examine the world ultimately led Bork to receive one of the most coveted art awards in Arkansas: the
improvement and praise has improved both in regards to my art and in my personal life. Ashley Mott, ’14
Graphic Designer, Mid-South Signs Ashland City, Tennessee
Arkansas Arts Council’s Individual Artist Fellowship Award.
of the award for visual arts.
Awarded annually, the Individual Artist
“This was this biggest award I’ve ever won,”
Fellowship Award recognizes individual
Bork said. “As an artist, sometimes you
artistic and creative ability in literary,
question the legitimacy of what you’re doing,
performing, and visual arts. Bork, who
and it’s nice to get recognized in your area.
submitted a portfolio of 10-12 pieces and an
I was very appreciative and very humbled.”
artist statement, was one of three recipients
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Humbled, yes, but no less hungry to continue exploring the intricacies and nuances of his work. Like the young undergraduate fighting his way tooth and nail to match his classmates’ level of expertise, Bork has no intentions of slowing down or allowing complacency to set in. “It’s fuel,” he said. “This award is just encouragement for me to challenge myself to make even bigger and better work. I joined a great list of fellows, and to hear about the people who have won this award in the past and to join their ranks—it’s awesome, but it’s also like, okay, time to get back to the studio now. I have to prove to myself that I deserve this award.” Bork will spend a semester of the next
Whether starting a project grand in scale or working with a very intellectual theme, Dustyn always offered support whether in success or failure. This is also true outside of the studio: when I was applying to graduate schools, Dustyn provided support and valuable advice throughout the whole process. Without this, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable going for a top-ranked program like Cranbrook Academy of Art, which I eventually enrolled in this last fall. Matt Boyd, ’12
M.F.A. student, Cranbrook Academy of Art Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
academic year on sabbatical, during which time he will work on several large art pieces
city that I can hit some museums, recharge
that reflect the works of Frank Stella and
my batteries, reinvigorate my practice. I think
Mark Rothko.
as artists, that’s really what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get the opportunity, time,
“I’m going to spend some of my time here
space, and energy to make art so that we can
working in the studio and then hopefully
create something new and bigger and better,
some time working in a residency,” he said.
something that connects to our audience.”
“Somewhere state-side. I want to work far enough outside of a major city that I can enjoy some quiet reflection, but close enough to a
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WORLD TRAVELER
From the cobbled alleys of Munich to the
At Lyon, Walker took a class on Maria
rolling vineyards of Switzerland, Cary
Montessori, an Italian physician and educator
Walker, ’98, is a woman constantly on the
best known for her writing on scientific
move. She’s sipped wine in Paris, strolled the
pedagogy and her innovative, child-centered
main drag of Florence, and stood in the heart
approach to education. It was through this
of the Coliseum in Rome. She is a woman of
class that Walker found herself attracted to
the world—but she wasn’t always.
the idea of traveling to Italy, an idea that stuck with her until her junior year, when the
As a child, Walker traveled exclusively
College offered Italy as one of its Nichols
around the United States. She was always
International Studies Program destinations.
interested in other countries and cultures, but that kind of world just wasn’t within her
“I knew I had to go for it,” she said. “And
reach.
I did, and it was absolutely life-changing. When I got home, my mom said that I
“The thought of traveling to another country
couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I just
wasn’t even within the realm of possibility,”
remember thinking, when I got off the plane,
Walker said. “Not until I went to Lyon.”
‘Nobody told me there was a whole other world out there.’”
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Hungry for more, Walker graduated from Lyon and immediately started work as a first grade teacher, leaving her summers open for travel. And travel she did, backpacking through Europe with her friends and, later, with her father. Unlike her friends, however, her father required a little more structure
“I didn’t tell my parents or anybody,” she
than living day-to-day out of a backpack.
said. “It was just like, ‘Okay, I’m doing this.’ It’s kind of like the Lyon College motto:
“He’d never traveled internationally, so I
perseverance conquers all, God willing.
thought, ‘We’re gonna do better if we’re on
I’m doing this, and I’m not taking no for an
a tour,’” she said. “So over the course of six
answer.”
years, he and I went on three different tours together, and that’s how I fell in love with
And the gamble paid off. Walker met the
Rick Steves. I’d been reading the books for
man who hires Rick Steves tour guides at
years and loved the whole philosophy behind
the event, told him why he should hire her,
the company. And then during my last trip, I
and she has been his employee ever since,
just thought, ‘I’m gonna go for it.’ And that’s
leading tours all over Europe and learning
when I applied for a job there.”
a little bit about herself with every city that she visits.
Her first bid with the company was initially unsuccessful. As a teacher based in Dallas,
“God bless Lyon and the Nichols family,” she
Texas—a world away from the Rick Steves
said. “I never would have had this experience
hub in Seattle—she didn’t get much credit
otherwise. I’m so lucky—so grateful. I’m
from the Rick Steves team. But Walker
in Europe roughly four months of the year,
didn’t let this deter her; instead of sitting
and every time I come home, I come home
back and letting the opportunity slip through
a little bit different. And the more I travel,
her fingers, she jumped on a plane to Seattle
the more I realize how much alike we really
for an international travel festival.
are. In the end, whether we speak the same language or not, we’re all equal.”
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ALUMNI AWARDS
Alumni Award recipients from left to right: Dr. Adam Long, ’06; Mr. David Jones, ’99; Mrs. Lynn Weatherman; Mrs. Linda Wann, ’61; and Mr. Eric Wilson, ’06.
Lyon College honored seven individuals
Award. The Alumni Association presents
at its annual Alumni Awards Banquet on
this award to one man and one woman from
Friday, October 21, as a part of the College’s
the decade class who have distinguished
homecoming celebrations.
themselves in their chosen careers. Wilson currently serves as CEO of the K-12
Every year, Lyon holds the Alumni Awards
entrepreneurship program at Noble Impact,
Banquet to recognize individuals who have
an education initiative working to establish
achieved professional and personal success
public service and entrepreneurship as a core
and demonstrated exemplary service to both
curriculum in public schools. Thompson is
the College and their community.
the senior marketing manager for the Amazon Prime Acquisition division of Amazon.com,
Eric Wilson, ’06, and Stephanie Thompson, ’06, both received the Patterson Decade
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the world’s largest online retailer.
David Jones, ’99, and Shea Hembrey, ’96,
from the decade class who has demonstrated
both received the Distinguished Alumni
outstanding service to the College. After
Award. The Alumni Association presents this
graduating from Lyon, Long served as a
award to alumni who have brought honor
member of the President’s Council, a young
to the College through their distinguished
alumni trustee, and president of the Alumni
careers. Jones is a partner at the Wright
Association Leadership Council. He currently
Lindsey Jennings law firm in Little Rock. He
serves as director of the Hemingway-Pfeiffer
has received countless accolades during his
Museum and Educational Center in Piggot,
career. Hembrey is a thriving artist whose
Arkansas.
work has been featured in New American Paintings and New York Times Magazine. In
Lynn Weatherman received the Honorary
2011, he presented a TED Talk titled “How I
Alumna Award. The Alumni Association
became 100 artists.”
presents this award to an individual who has achieved notable success in his or her chosen
Linda Wann, ’61, received the Lifetime of
field and demonstrated outstanding service
Service Award. The Alumni Association
to the College. As first lady, Weatherman
presents this award to an alumnus or alumna
has volunteered countless hours at Lyon,
who has demonstrated outstanding service to
assisting with clerical work, coordinating
the College. Wann, a longtime member of the
events, and directing renovation projects. In
college staff before her retirement in 1995,
2011, she and two former first ladies, Carolyn
wore many hats during her tenure, including
Holloway and Sidney West, founded the First
bookstore manager, director of printing
Ladies’ Auxiliary, which has raised more
and mail service, and chapter adviser to the
than $100,000 for campus beautification.
Alpha Xi Delta fraternity. In 2010, Lyon recognized her with its Honorary Alumna
The awards banquet followed an art reception
Award and Volunteer Service Award.
featuring the work of Sarah Fendley, ’09, in the Patterson Dining Hall.
Adam Long, ’06, received the Decade of Service Award. The Alumni Association presents this award to an alumnus or alumna
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HALL OF FAME On Saturday, November 19, current and
community since leaving the College.
former coaches, athletic staff, and studentathletes gathered in the Patterson Dining
This year’s honorees included Adriane
Hall for the College’s annual Athletic Hall of
(Barnett) Duke, ’05; Clint Reed, ’99; Jose
Fame induction ceremony.
Rivas, ’06; and Robbie Holmes.
Each year, the Athletic Hall of Fame Selection
Duke graduated magna cum laude from
Committee picks a small group of exemplary
Lyon in 2005 with a B.S. in biology. She
past athletes and staff to induct into the Hall
was a member of the women’s golf team
of Fame. The committee chooses candidates
and a conference medalist each of her
based on their athletic achievement and their
four years at Lyon. During her time at the
demonstrated interest, service, and support
College, she earned NAIA All-American
of Lyon, its athletic programs, and their own
honors as a freshman and was a Region XI
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The Lyon College Athletic Hall of Fame inductions took place this fall. Pictured from left to right: Mr. Robbie Holmes; Mr. Jamie Bridges; Mr. Clint Reed, ’99; Mr. David Brogdon, ’93; Mr. Kirk Kelley; Mr. Jose Rivas, ’06; Mrs. Leslie (Bragg) Gitz, ’05; and Mrs. Adriane (Barnett) Duke, ’05. Visit lyon.edu/nominate to nominate future Hall of Fame members.
B.A. in business administration. He was a member of the Lyon men’s baseball team for two years and helped the Scots to their best two seasons in the program’s history. He was an NAIA First-Team All-American in 2004 and earned Second-Team All-American honors in 2005. To this day, he holds Lyon’s longest hitting streak mark, with hits in 26 consecutive games in 2005, and remains at
Tournament medalist her senior year. After
the top of the Lyon baseball records book in
graduation, she went on to play in the Ladies
four separate categories. He currently resides
Professional Golf Association Duramed
in Ensenafa, Mexico.
Futures Tour from 2006-08. She is now a math teacher at Annie Camp Junior High
Before retiring earlier this year, Holmes,
School in Jonesboro.
former Lyon College assistant baseball coach, was a vital part of the baseball
Reed graduated from Lyon in 1999 with a
program’s success. After Kirk Kelley hired
B.A. in history. A member of Kevin Jenkins’
him in 1994—a year after Lyon reinstated
first basketball team, he helped Lyon to
the baseball program—Holmes helped the
double-digit wins in his junior and senior
Scots to 20-win seasons 21 times, 30-win
years and served as team captain for two
seasons 13 times, and 40-win seasons 5
seasons. He was Lyon’s first All-TranSouth
times. During his 22-year tenure, the Scots
Athletic Conference player and is still ranked
had an overall record of 722-566. He helped
today as among the best in many statistical
the Scots to 3 second-place finishes in the
categories with the program. For the past
American Midwest Conference, along with
seven years, he has served as a partner at
a third-place and 3 fourth-place finishes in
Impact Management Group, a public affairs
the TranSouth Athletic Conference.
firm with offices in Little Rock and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The evening concluded with closing remarks by Jake Newton, ’98, and the Lyon alma
Rivas graduated from Lyon in 2006 with a
mater, led by Linda Wann, ’61.
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MILESTONES Don McSpadden, ’75, was sworn in as 16th Judicial
role as Donald Trump in this fall’s Gridiron show
District circuit judge by Arkansas Supreme Justice
in Little Rock, an annual satirical review of state
Josephine Hart on January 1, 2017.
and national politics.
Bill Qualls, ’81, won the 2016 James C. Ball
Valerie (Turner) Ganus, ’00, completed her M.S.E.
Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the
at Arkansas State University last year.
Board of Environmental Health & Safety Auditor Certifications. Only three other people have been
Jon Orsborn, ’01, recently accepted a position
so honored. He is currently executive director of
as pediatric emergency medicine director at
ResponsibleAg.
the Children’s Hospital Colorado and assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of
John Treat, ’91, completed his Ph.D. in history at
Medicine in Denver.
the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and was appointed director of development for the UAF
Shannon (Brooks) Haney, ’05, was named
Honors College.
executive director of Main Street Batesville, a downtown revitalization program.
Rachel Kluender, ’96, passed the Arkansas Bar Exam in July. She is a graduate of University of
Eric Bork, ’07, has moved up to associate vice
Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School
president of marketing and communications at
of Law and practices in Little Rock.
Lyon College, a new cabinet-level position.
Mikhail (Misha) Kouliavtsev, ’98, Professor and
Garrard Conley, ’07, saw his book Boy Erased
Director of the M.B.A. Program at Stephen F
selected as one of the ten best memoirs of 2016 by
Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas,
Oprah. Boy Erased also made Penguin Publishing
was named chair of the Department of Economics
Group’s 2017 First Year Experience catalog as well
and Finance.
as Buzzfeed’s list of 2016’s best nonfiction works.
Craig Wilson, ’00, won rave reviews for his starring
Nell Tebbetts, ’07, was recently promoted to
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assistant director of admissions marketing and communications
at
McMurry
University
teaches English at Batesville High School.
in
Abilene, Texas.
Grace Brown, ’16, accepted a job with the Sentinel-Record in Hot Springs as a page designer.
Andrew Nadzam, ’10, passed the Arkansas Bar
“My dream of one day becoming a journalist is
Exam in July. He is a graduate of the University of
becoming more of a reality,” she says.
Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law and practices in Jonesboro.
Markeita Williams, ’16, is administrative assistant to the Office of the President at Lyon. She also
Cory Gilbert, ’11, completed his M.A. in English
developed the 23-voice Lyon Gospel Choir, which
last August at Arkansas State University.
she directs.
Kyle Christopher, ’12, was hired in July as the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce’s first director of tourism. Drew McNutt, ’12, completed his M.A. in English at Arkansas State University last August. Monica (Fuller) Smith, ’12, reports, “After working for two years as a museum program assistant, I was promoted to superintendent of Lower White River Museum State Park [in DesArc], one of 52
IN MEMORIAM Patsy (Chamberlin) Craig, ’49 James M. May, Jr., ’49 Doyle E. Collins, ’50 Lucille Taylor, ’53 Carol B. Ottinger, ’54 Bobbye L. Rutledge, ’59 Jean (Rutherford) Crouch, ’62
locations administered by the State Parks Division of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. I currently reside in Searcy with my husband Chris.”
NOTES
Kaleb Jones, ’13, passed the Arkansas Bar Exam in July. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law
John Bennett, who coached tennis at Lyon for
and practices in Little Rock.
several years, died in Batesville in October. He was active in many of the College’s athletic programs,
Jim Bob Turner, ’14, completed his M.S.E. at
served as president of the Booster Club, and worked
Arkansas State University in 2016. He currently
with the APPLE project.
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GOSPEL CHOIR When Markeita Williams graduated from
administrative assistant to the Office of the
Lyon last May, she didn’t expect to become
President. Having included the Anointed
a college employee, much less to start a new
Ones in several Lyon concerts in the past,
music ensemble. She did, however, expect to
Dr. Michael Oriatti, Assistant Professor of
continue to sing with her three sisters in their
Music and Lyon College Concert Chorale
gospel quartet, the Anointed Ones.
conductor, asked Williams to form a gospel choir here, something she was more than
This past July, Williams joined the staff as
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happy to do.
The new ensemble currently consists of
The total cost for 20 choir members to attend
23 members, including students, a staff
the festival is $74,000. In order to alleviate
member, and a retired Lyon professor and
some of the financial burden, Williams
dean. Williams’ sisters also sing with the
and student Chandler McCoy, ’18, set up a
group and help teach its members gospel-
fundraising page through Impact Lyon.
style singing. “The cost is $3,725 per student,” Williams With a short history, it’s a tribute to the
said. “With this campaign, we’re asking for
group that in the summer of 2017, the Lyon
$15,000 to guarantee that at least four students
College Gospel Choir will have the chance
can go to Cuba.” While this campaign has
to participate in a week-long inaugural
officially ended, it is still possible to make
choral festival in Cuba at the invitation of
gifts toward the trip.
KIConcerts, an organization that stages The total cost per student includes flights,
concerts all across the world.
hotels, transportation, meals, concert costs, Together
with
KIConcerts’ local
tour
and tour administration.
organizers, the gospel choir will have the opportunity to participate in musical
With the restoration of Cuba and the United
performances, master classes, and workshops
States’ diplomatic ties in 2015, the gospel
and explore the Varadero and Havana
choir will become a part of the two nations’
regions.
complex road toward cooperation. Through music, members of the choir will create new
The trip will also give Lyon students, many
friendships, spread faith, and share their
of whom have never traveled abroad, the
combined cultures.
opportunity not only to experience the Cuban culture and spirit, but also to spread
If you would like to give to this cause, please
their Christian faith through singing and
visit lyon.edu/give or call 870.307.7201 for
the spoken word and share their experience
more information.
abroad with the Lyon community.
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DOIN HICKS Doin Hicks graduated cum laude from
Hicks became an educator of the deaf,
Arkansas College in 1953 as student body
winning a Ford Foundation fellowship and
president and the student voted “Most Likely
then earning an M.Ed. and Ed.D. from the
to Succeed.” A speech major and English
University of Arkansas. He taught and
minor, he hoped to become a famous radio
coached football at the Missouri School for
personality—television wasn’t a big thing
the Deaf, led the Arkansas School for the
then. He did succeed, but not in the way he
Deaf, and worked as director of the Pilot
had imagined.
School Division at the Callier Hearing and
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Speech Center in Dallas, where he developed
allowed to do so at that time and place. Still,
an individualized instruction system for deaf
education remained important to them, and
students with heavy emphasis on use of
they were very supportive of their children in
visual media.
their quest for an education in every way— except with money, which they did not have.
He then moved on to Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., where he led the
The oldest son, Basil, graduated from what
redevelopment of the Kendall Elementary
is now Lyon College in 1940, inspiring two
School
national
of his younger brothers, Doin and Roy, to
demonstration elementary school serving
do the same. Doin attended on a football
local children, again focusing on use of
scholarship and was a starting tackle on the
interactive visual media. Eventually, he
1951 team, the last year for the sport until
became a tenured full professor there
2015. He got other scholarships and worked
and finally vice president for institutional
to stay in school, where he met his wife,
research and planning. But, during his long
Wanda McClung.
on
campus
into
a
and successful career, he never forgot where he started.
He helped out another student who needed some money too. This young man was a
Hicks grew up as part of a rural Missouri
married veteran, who lived with his wife in
dairy and truck farm family. His parents met
the small caretaker’s cottage for the former
in 1915 while attending a summer program
Masonic orphanage, then being used by
to help prospective teachers prepare for the
the College. The federal government had
exam to teach in rural elementary schools.
donated surplus food to the College—a
His parents had no college experience, but
truckload of canned soybeans. Of course, the
his father had educated himself to pass the
students weren’t about to eat such alien stuff,
tests for a teaching certificate as a young
and it was going to be taken to the dump.
man. The job paid so little, however, that
Instead, the veteran bought some piglets and
as his family grew to include a wife and six
fed them out on the beans, eventually selling
children, he turned to farming. His wife never
them at a profit. Hicks noted that he didn’t
taught, because married women were not
profit from this venture but that he enjoyed
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helping feed and care for the pigs, who lived
Hicks also noted that, at the time, the campus
in a small barn on the property. After all, he
held only the old orphanage buildings,
had grown up as a farm boy, and he liked
and much of the 100 acres comprised
working with animals.
fields and woods. It became the students’ “playground.” He remembers one winter
Hicks has a lot of memories of his college
when a horse wandered onto campus after
days. He remembers, for instance, that he
a snowfall. Enterprising students created a
and Wanda were the first couple to dance
harness out of ropes and a sled from a set
at an official college event. In the 1950s,
of bedsprings and gave rides around campus
dancing was forbidden on campus or at any
to anyone who wanted to try out their “one-
sponsored
event,
horse open sleigh.”
but one evening,
Students created a
someone sneaked
tire swing in a large
a record player into the gym where a student party was A
We had to make our own fun.
oak tree—the catch being that it could be accessed only
taking
place.
from
a
second-
record
somehow
story window of
found its way onto
one of the Masonic
the machine, and Hicks and Wanda took
buildings. “We had to make our own fun,”
to the floor in a sedate waltz. Soon other
he said.
couples joined them. Then-president John Spragins tolerated this flaunting of the rules
He also remembers one of his personal
for all of a few minutes before walking over
triumphs:
to the record player and turning it off. Hicks
One of my real claims to fame was
worried that the students might be in trouble,
my interest in oral interpretation,
but no one ever said a thing. Spragins retired
especially of poetry. My senior
that year, and the next year the College
year was a climax as I received
permitted dances once more.
the only “superior” rating in both poetry and prose reading
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Club 50 Luncheon, held during Homecoming 2016. From left to right: Dr. Doin Hicks, ’53; Mrs. Taryn (Hill) Duncan, ’91, Director of Alumni and Parent Services; and Mr. Jasper “Doc” Freeman, ’55.
in the regional collegiate speech
Hicks has been a regular donor to Lyon
festival held at the University of
since 1976. Basil Hicks and his wife Dale
Arkansas. Our entry in the drama
established a scholarship at Lyon, and a
division, The Glass Menagerie,
couple of years later, after several family
didn’t do as well. I played the
discussions, they had the name changed to
Gentleman Caller. After college I
honor their parents, Clyde and Delpha Hicks.
continued my oral interpretation
Since then all the siblings and other relatives
interest for many years by doing
have donated to that fund, in part because
programs at schools and civic
Hicks regularly does “commercials” for it at
clubs. For six years I coached
family reunions.
football and track in addition to teaching. At that time, some of
Basil and Dale’s initial gift was a modest
my friends referred to me as “the
$683. Today the endowment’s value is
poetry-reading football coach.”
approaching $400,000, and in recent years
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it has produced scholarship revenue on the
the President’s Council, and the Brown
order of $15,000 annually. Contributions
Society, whose members have made Lyon a
have come from 71 family members and
beneficiary in their wills. He was named a
friends, some on an annual basis. The fund
Distinguished Alumnus in 1976, and both he
has provided support to 13 different students,
and Wanda were awarded honorary Doctor
several receiving the scholarship for multiple
of Humane Letters degrees in 2002. That
years.
degree was, he said, “the thrill of a lifetime for us—a real capstone to our life’s work.”
For Hicks, his family is representative of Middle America: a diverse group of wage
The Hicks’ college life is part of Lyon’s
earners, including laborers, technicians,
history collection. They donated their class
numerous professionals such as teachers,
rings and letter jackets—his for football
preachers, and health care workers, and a
and hers for cheerleading—to the collection
few small business owners.
housed in the Mabee-Simpson Library’s Sydenstricker Room.
“None of us is wealthy,” he said. “What we have been able to do in the way of promoting
His wife having died a few years ago, Hicks
support for Lyon is something most other
now lives in Maryland, near his daughter and
such family groups would be able to do and,
son-in-law. This was a big fall for him, with
in fact, have done for many good causes
his daughter driving him down to Arkansas
including Lyon.”
for Lyon’s homecoming. He enjoyed seeing the Lyon football team on the field again, and
Hicks notes that supporting scholarships
he spoke to Club 50 about his family’s group
that help reduce the need for low-income
giving to Lyon, stressing that a single person
students to take out loans is a great way for
may not be able to give large amounts, but
graduates to give back to their alma mater. He
that one individual plus friends and family
also believes that the experience of giving is
can make a big impact.
“even more pleasant when done as a part of a group, especially as part of a loving family
Hicks says he has had a good life, and he is
enterprise.”
grateful for what Lyon College did to make it possible.
Hicks is a member of Lyon’s Club 50,
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Every now and then, someone or something extraordinary comes along and changes everything. Learn how ‘‘every now and then’’ is everyday at Lyon College.
facebook.com/lyoncollege
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K-9 PHILANTHROPY In the foyer of Brown Chapel, a large bronze plaque lists donors who gave to its original construction in the 1950s and then again after the 1972 tornado. Among those names is Mr. Ty Ronza. Not many people know Ty Ronza; however, many people, especially those in Batesville, knew Ty Ronza’s very good friend, John P. Morrow, Jr., or Johnny to those who knew him well. But before discussing Ty Ronza’s gift to Brown Chapel, it may help to learn a little about Morrow. Morrow, ’28, was a second generation Arkansas College graduate and served as a trustee from 1965–74. He lived on Main Street in a three story red-brick house, which he referred to as the “Red Rooster Tavern.” Almost everyone in Batesville knew Morrow as a charming man but also as a bit of an eccentric. For instance, Morrow had a set of very small cannons that he would bring to campus. In fact, if it was a special occasion at the College, you could be sure that he would be there, setting up a cannon to fire Another story, one which former president Dr. Dan West tells, is of the quarrel between Morrow and Charles Hathcock. Hathcock bought a farmhouse on Bearette Street with the intention to convert the farmhouse into a nice English-style manor. This house is now the Lyon College Highland House. After Hathcock added a garage to his home, he asked the city of Batesville to install a side street. Morrow thought this idea preposterous and adamantly opposed it. However, Hathcock insisted the city install the street and, per his request, it did. The city then asked the city surveyor to name the street. Perhaps by providence or karma, Morrow happened to be the city surveyor, and after “careful” consideration, he named the street “Gwynne Street.” To this day, you can visit that house at the corner of Gwynne and
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Bearette, an intersection made famous in the old
dammit; cash it!” The dog’s name
newspaper cartoon, “Ripley’s Believe it or Not.”
was Ty Ronza, and this gift toward the construction of Brown Chapel was
The story that best illustrates Morrow’s eccentric
only the first of several gifts he would
nature is the one telling why he opened a bank
make to the College.
account for his English bulldog. The story starts when he was helping the College with its
Sixty years later, giving to the College
Batesville Campaign—a campaign designed to
is easier than ever. If a dog could do
solicit annual fund gifts from the city. Johnny
it in 1950, think about what you can
went to visit the Citizens Bank for a gift. Bank
do now. Give today at lyon.edu/give
President Tom Vincent agreed to give the College
or by calling the advancement office
a gift, but Morrow thought the amount was far
at 870.307.7211.
too small and replied, “Well hell! My dog will give more than that!”
If you’re looking for an important and worthy cause, turn the page to
Well, hell! My dog will give more than that.
see how you can follow in Ty Ronza’s pawprints.
When Vincent called Morrow on his bluff, Morrow retrieved his dog, went to the lobby, and opened an account for his pet. Requesting a blank check from the teller, he filled out an amount that he thought was appropriate to give to the College (one that was substantially larger than Vincent’s offer), requested an ink pad, inked his bulldog’s paw, stamped it on the blank check, handed the check back to the teller, and said, “Now there,
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GI VI NG
PHASE 1: COMPLETE • UPGRADED OFFICE SUITES • GREEN ROOM • HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE RESTROOM
PHASE 2: $2.75 MILLION • STAGE AND SHELL REDESIGN • ACOUSTICAL IMPROVEMENTS • SOUND SYSTEM UPDATES • LIGHTING UPGRADE • SEATING REPLACEMENT • FLOORING REPLACEMENT • INTERIOR AESTHETIC UPDATES
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PIPER
The first phase of the renovation of Brown Chapel and Fine Arts Building is now complete, providing improved office space, a green room for speakers and performers, and a handicapped-accessible bathroom just off the hallway behind the stage. The large columns across the front have been repaired and repainted. A great deal, however, remains to be done. This summer the stage will be redesigned as a vocal and instrumental performance space. Since the construction of the Holloway Theatre in 1991, Brown Chapel’s auditorium has not been regularly used for theatrical performances, but the curtains and fly system remain in place. A portable fiberglass shell has been used during musical performances to help project sound toward the audience, but dead spots remain. Space in the wings remains unorganized, and the sound and lighting systems are old and unreliable. As use of the auditorium has shifted from supporting every type of possible use to concerts, convocations, and speakers, features of the stage space need to be reconfigured to support those sorts of functions. In addition, technology has changed dramatically since the present sound system and lighting were installed. These must be upgraded and a video presentation system added. Auditorium seating and flooring and window treatments also need to be replaced, and acoustical diffusers must be added to improve sound quality. Upgrades to lighting, heat and air, and fire alarm systems are also required. This second phase is expected to cost $2.75 million. If you are interested in helping, you can give online at lyon.edu/give or call the Office of Advancement at 870.307.7211.
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Office of Marketing and Communications Nichols Administration Building 2300 Highland Road Batesville, Arkansas 72501
I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve as Lyon’s next president. From its founding on the frontier in 1872, Lyon has remained true to its mission. As it approaches its sesquicentennial, it has the potential to define and become a 21st century liberal arts college of the first order. I am excited to be a part of that process and look forward to getting started in July.
Dr. W. Joseph (Joey) King 18th President of Lyon College
Visit lyon.edu/18th-President to learn more about our next president.