Office of Public Relations P.O. Box 2317 Batesville, AR 72503-2317 www.lyon.edu
SPRING 2013
Shea Hembrey, ’96, becomes 100 artists BY DR. TERRELL TEBBETTS
Alumni find dream careers in Massachusetts Scots earn trip to national tournament Board of Trustees freezes tuition Remembering Cassie Creighton and John Dahlquist
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Alumni news and notes
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Spring 2013 Volume XL, Number 1 EDITOR Bob Qualls LAYOUT Nell Tebbetts, ’07 CONTRIBUTORS Bob Qualls Chandra Huston Samantha Jones, ’14 Lilly Hastings, ’13 John Krueger Terrell Tebbetts STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Chandra Huston SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER David Thomas ALUMNI RELATIONS Taryn Hill Duncan, ’91 Lyon College 2300 Highland Road P.O. Box 2317 Batesville, AR 72503 www.lyon.edu Lyon College offers a liberal arts education of superior quality in a personalized setting. A selective, independent, undergraduate, residential teaching and learning community affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Lyon encourages the free intellectual inquiry essential to social, ethical, and spiritual growth. With a rich scholarly and religious heritage, Lyon develops, in a culture of honor, responsible citizens and leaders committed to continued personal growth and service. PRESIDENT Donald Weatherman VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Jon Vestal
We began this school year cataloging what we do, assessing what we do, and prioritizing what we do, and now we begin the process of figuring out how we can do it better. American higher education is undergoing a time of rapid change, and we must ensure that we do not miss any opportunity that such change may present for Lyon. At the same time, change may bring us new obstacles and challenges. In fall 2012, we conducted an assessment process and looked carefully at how well we are doing what we currently do. In light of that, the Board of Trustees has already approved certain actions concerning the academic programs, including creating a Celtic Studies minor with emphasis on piping and drumming; bolstering the secondary education program, especially in the sciences; and redesigning the business major to focus more heavily on applied experiences such as internships and increased interaction with local companies and business people. It is critical that the College position itself for sustainability and growth. This can be accomplished by growing the student body, and the decisions we make now will be driven by that objective. This spring, we have embarked on the process of strategic planning: collecting and analyzing data; recruiting members for the planning team; drafting and refining a plan. In October 2013, we will launch our plan, the implementation of which will carry Lyon forward over the next five years. The process of strategic planning will certainly afford us the opportunity to examine and reexamine what we do and how we do it. Whether it is education, athletics, or administration, we will seek to improve every aspect of Lyon College. As always, we at Lyon remain committed to offering to each successive generation of students a liberal arts education of unparalleled quality in a personalized setting designed to nurture each student. Sincerely,
ON THE COVER Untitled work by Shea Hembrey, ’96, produced for Dr. Terrell Tebbetts’ Faulkner class. See full story on page 3.
Spring 2013
Leave your legacy
with planned giving. E. Graham Holloway made many contributions to Lyon College during his lifetime. Dr. Holloway was a longtime member of the Lyon Board of Trustees and served as chairman of the board from 1995-98. He also served as interim president of the College in 1988-89 and as the College’s first Executive-in-Residence in 1993.
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Michael Counts takes his final bow
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Professor of Theatre retiring after 21 years
Andrea Hollander says goodbye
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Lyon board freezes tuition, fees
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Strategic planning process under way
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New VP Vestal assessing Lyon’s brand
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Teaching and appraising history
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Black Tie Blue Jeans Ball is a success
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Scots earn trip to national tournament
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Kevin Jenkins takes over a new role
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Alumni News and Notes
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No increase for 2013-14 tuition at Lyon College 6
»» Entitle you to charitable income and/ or gift or estate tax deductions
Plan to increase sustainability and growth
Assessment will increase marketing effectiveness
»» Enable you to leave a legacy for Lyon College
Piper
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Writer-in-Residence retiring after 22 years
»» Provide for you or your loved ones
The Lyon College
In Memoriam
Remembering Cassie Creighton and John Dahlquist
Planned giving involves providing for a future gift to charities through your financial and estate plans. Planned giving arrangements can:
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1996 grad makes waves in the art world
Dr. Holloway’s generosity continued after his passing in 2009. He left a $1.75 million gift to the College through a trust he established to benefit the institution both during and after his life. Dr. Holloway’s generosity was realized as a result of thoughtful planning.
To learn how you can support Lyon College and its students while ensuring your family’s financial future, contact Jon Vestal at 870-307-7208 or jon.vestal@lyon. edu or Gina Garrett at 870-307-7557 or gina.garrett@lyon.edu. More information is also available online at tinyurl.com/ GiveToLyon.
Shea Hembrey becomes 100 artists
Alumni find dream careers in Massachusetts
The family of Graham Holloway (daughter Valerie Skinner, wife Carolyn Holloway, and son Scott Holloway) stand in front of a portrait of Dr. Holloway (left) in the Holloway Theatre. The Holloway Theatre is named in memory of the Holloways’ son, I. Graham Holloway, whose portrait (right) is also displayed in the theatre lobby.
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Gala raises $160,000 for student scholarships
Women’s basketball sets program record for wins in a season
President promotes Jenkins to single role as Athletic Director 18
What do you say when he’s now represented by the Wylie Agency, the most important literary agency now active, whose other clients have included John Updike, Susan Sontag, Philip Roth, and Andy Warhol? What do you say to him when Lyon College was just his first step away from his home in rural Jackson County, Ark., with further steps to two graduate degrees, the most recent being his M.F.A. from Cornell, to adventures throughout the world, and finally to a studio just outside New York City and a 2012 gallery exhibition of paintings and sculptures at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in Manhattan? What do you say to Shea Hembrey, ’96, when he has done all that and is still in his 30s? How about starting with, “You’ve come a long way, buddy!”
Actually,
Shea Hembrey, ’96, becomes 100 artists by Terrell Tebbetts, Martha Heasley Cox Chair in American Literature
What
do you say to an alumnus who has
made it repeatedly to the pages of the The New York Times, to a speaking event at the New York Public Library in a series also including Umberto Ecco and Joan Didion, to the dais and the collections of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, to a PBS interview, to a Long Beach, Calif., stage for a TED Talk now viewable online and through Netflix and translated into 30 languages, and to his own page in Wikipedia? 2
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none of Shea’s accomplishments have surprised me. After all, I had him in three classes his senior year as he completed his English major—Modern Poetry, Advanced Composition, and Faulkner. And I traveled with him on the Faulkner class trip to Yoknapatawpha County—okay, Lafayette County, Mississippi, and its county seat Oxford, which Faulkner mythologized as Jefferson. The Shea I knew 17 years ago was bright, creative, and eager to learn. And he wanted to learn not just about art and English; he wanted to learn as much as he could in all the areas his bright mind could grasp. Shea spoke with me fondly not long ago about all the people at Lyon he “had conversations with and learned from” whether in class together or not, something that “doesn’t happen” much elsewhere. He is especially grateful for how the faculty encouraged him to “embrace what I found most interesting” and “shepherded me along” toward the career he has opened up.
Doyle Rogers Sr., founding co-chair of Lyon President’s Council, 1918-2013 Doyle Wayne Rogers Sr., 94, of Batesville and Little Rock died peacefully at his Batesville home on Feb. 4, 2013, with his beloved wife of 72 years, Josephine Raye Jackson Rogers, by his side. He is survived by his wife; his daughter, Barbara Josephine Rogers Hoover; and his son, Doyle Wayne “Rog” Rogers Jr., and his wife, Carolyn Wilmans Rogers, all of Little Rock. He is also survived by six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Dr. and Mrs. Rogers were longtime friends and neighbors of Lyon College and served as founding co-chairs of the Lyon President’s Council. Dr. Rogers was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Lyon in 2000, and Mrs. Rogers was honored as an Honorary Alumnus in 2004. Both of their children, Barbara and Doyle Jr., served on the Lyon Board of Trustees. Born on Oct. 20, 1918, in Diaz, Dr. Rogers and his family moved to Newport where his father was a telegrapher for the Missouri Pacific Railroad for many years. He graduated from Newport High School where he fostered his love for the game of tennis. He was attending Arkansas State University when he met his sweetheart, Josephine Raye, in Newport. After they married, Dr. Rogers joined the Air Force and was deployed to Burma where he was in charge of the military post office. After the conclusion of World War II, Dr. Rogers returned to Newport where he worked for Railway Express. Later, he was transferred to Batesville where he served as the Railway Express manager. When offered the opportunity to become division supervisor in St. Louis, he chose to remain in Batesville. Here, he established his real estate company, The Doyle Rogers Company.
in Arkansas. Dr. Rogers also was Director Emeritus of Citizens Bank of Batesville after serving on its Board of Directors for many years.
He pioneered a public-private partnership in 1982 when he developed the Statehouse Convention Center and the Excelsior Hotel, now the Peabody Little Rock. He purchased Metropolitan National Bank in 1983. He remained Chairman of the Board of Metropolitan National Bank until his death. In 1985, he developed the Rogers Building, now the Stephens Building, which was at the time the tallest building
He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Batesville for over 60 years. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the White River Medical Center in Batesville. In 2009, Dr. and Mrs. Rogers received the Pat and Willard Walker Tribute Award from the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Batesville honored him by designating March 6, 2012, as Doyle Rogers Day.
Doyle Rogers
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Charles J. Hoke, former trustee and namesake of Hoke-McCain Hall, 1915-2012 Charles J. Hoke, 97, of El Dorado, Ark., died Dec. 30, 2012, at the John R. Williamson Hospice House. He was born on Aug. 21, 1915, to Henry G. and Lula Gall Hoke in Fairfield, IA.
Hoke-McCain Hall
When Shea
Several of us drove to Jonesboro for opening night. There we clearly saw both Shea’s continued growth as an artist and his creative use of all he’d been learning beyond art. His show consisted of a series of paintings of various objects suspended in various ways from differently arranged pieces of string—all the same and yet each different. It seemed a brilliant way to bring together and play with much of what he’d learned at Lyon and ASU—his artistic aesthetic and craftsmanship, the string theory of physics, and even the multiple narrators in Faulkner’s fiction, all contributing to a single story but each from a different angle.
He was retired as Executive Vice President from Murphy Oil Corp., where he was one of the original employees. He was a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Geological Society of America, and the American Petroleum Institute. Mr. Hoke was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Floy Neeley Hoke; two brothers; and two sisters. Survivors are his daughters, Linda Hoke Bledsoe of El Dorado, and Marsha Hoke Hire (Don) of Birmingham, Ala.; granddaughter, Janet Bledsoe of Fort. Smith; and grandson, David Bledsoe of St. Lucia.
It was in those years, too, that Shea returned to Lyon to serve with me on a search committee to fill his mentor George Chlebak’s position when George retired and to fill a new position in art history. That committee ended up bringing Brody Burroughs and Kerr Houston to the faculty.
Lawrence Derby, longtime trustee and co-endower of the Derby Center, 1926-2013
Also preceding him in death was his first wife, Marilyn Church Derby, whom he married July 25, 1953, at Steubenville, Ohio; she died Oct. 21, 2001. Capt. Derby served for many decades on the Board of Trustees of Lyon College, where he and his late wife endowed the Derby Math and Science Center. Capt. Derby was very proud that the Derby Center has helped lead and promote the education of students in those fields of study. He graduated from the Warren Public School system, where he played football and basketball for the Lumberjacks. After graduation from Warren High School, he attended Arkansas A&M at Monticello where 30
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went on to his M.A. program in painting
at Arkansas State University after graduating from Lyon, he no more lost touch with his Lyon roots than he had with his rural roots back home. He kept in touch about his work and invited his Lyon friends to his M.A. exhibition in ASU’s gallery.
Mr. Hoke was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, a graduate of the University of Illinois, and was a former trustee of Lyon College. He was a longtime supporter of Lyon; Hoke-McCain Hall is named in his honor.
Capt. Lawrence H. “Larry” Derby Jr., U. S. Navy (Ret) of Warren, Ark. and Hot Springs, Ark. died Jan. 9, 2013, in the North Park Medical Center in Hot Springs. He was born June 30, 1926, in Warren, a son of the late Lawrence H. Derby Sr. and Mable Meek Derby.
The Shea I knew was not just eager to learn the new: he was also delighted to embrace his roots in rural Arkansas, so different from the intellectual and aesthetic realm he was preparing to enter but just as valuable to him as a man and, yes, as an artist too.
he shortly received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Being a Naval jet pilot was his true love. After graduation from the Academy, he spent a long and eventful career (30 years) in the Navy and the Naval Reserve, earning the rank of captain and becoming one of the first centurion jet pilots to earn 100 consecutive successful landings on the aircraft carrier, The Midway. He served in the Korean Conflict and transferred into the Naval Reserve, serving in Pensacola, Florida, for many years and continuing his flying as a private pilot. On completion of active duty, he returned to Warren to join his father in the Derby Insurance Agency, where he spent over 30 years in the insurance business. He was appointed by Gov. Frank White to the Arkansas Aeronautical Commission, where he helped develop and improve municipal airports all over the state. He is survived by his wife, Jean Lee Derby, of Hot Springs.
After completing his M.A., Shea was welcomed at
various artist colonies, including the UCross Foundation, The Millay Colony, and the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, to name only a few. In these years, Shea kept in touch with another of his Lyon mentors, Writer-in-Residence Andrea Hollander, from whom he had taken several literature classes. While in residence at these colonies, Shea wrote to Andrea about his experiences— sometimes about writers and other artists he met, sometimes about the landscape of the place. Shea and Andrea also corresponded about process—she writing about composing poems, he about the projects he was working on. Once he sent Andrea a gift: a three-piece sculpture consisting of three variably sized “balls,” each constructed and wrapped in different materials. Andrea remembers especially Shea’s love of travel, of meeting people from other places who were equally passionate about creating art. Shea has said that he decided to go on to complete an M.F.A. at Cornell (2007) in part because that degree would qualify him to teach at the college level. He hasn’t traveled that route yet, but if he ever does his colleagues and his students will find him
Shea showed his creative imagination, his love of learning, and his love of his roots when he did the painting that graces the cover of this issue and which hangs in the Alphin Building’s Patterson Room. He was in my Faulkner class the last semester before he graduated. When it came time to start a research project, he proposed producing a painting that drew on images and ideas from the novels we were reading in the class. He was proposing the perfect project for an art/English double major, so I gave him the go-ahead. By the end of the semester, Shea had produced that painting, with its images of a woman hoeing the land (and there were his roots: his mother posed for that, he told me), a pistol (Mink Snopes’ in The Mansion), a compact (Temple Drake’s in Sanctuary), a pocket watch (Quentin Compson’s in The Sound and the Fury), and the paw print of a three-toed bear (Old Ben’s in “The Bear”). Superimposed on it all is the outline of a plantation house representing Thomas Sutpen’s ambitious “design” in Absalom, Absalom!. His painting professor, my colleague George Chlebak, pronounced that painting the best work Shea had done as an undergraduate. When I returned it to Shea, he insisted that he wanted me to have it. I could think of no better place to hang it than in the classroom where we’d studied Faulkner together and where I’d be teaching Faulkner to other students for years to come. So there it hangs to this day. Spring 2013
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a fascinating man—a thinker, an imaginer, a crafter, and a highly articulate spokesman for the kind of art he practices.
What
kind of art is that? Well, it took
shape after Shea returned from traveling in Europe. He came back a little frustrated with the contemporary art scene, wanting it to appeal to a broader range of viewers and to exhibit finer craftsmanship. He considered arranging an international biennial exhibition of works that did both. But then he imagined an alternate version of such a show. It was to become a show titled “Seek,” a show that won him his first wide recognition. What Shea imagined was an exhibition of 100 works by 100 different artists. Each work would meet two criteria: 1) his “Meemaw” test (could he explain it so his grandmother would “get it” within five minutes?), and 2) his 3H test, appealing to the Head (the intellect) as well as the Heart (the passions), and exhibiting fine craftsmanship from the Hands.
What a splash “Seek” made! It led to Shea’s TED Talk in 2011, which everyone who reads this piece should go to YouTube and see. It’ll take just 15 minutes, and you’ll be charmed by Shea’s presentation and by his audience’s very evident enjoyment of it, with laughter breaking out repeatedly.
“Seek”
turns out to have been just the first big splash for Shea. His most recent work culminated in an exhibition called Dark Matters displayed in the Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in Manhattan last fall. It’s a beautiful, engaging expression of Shea’s continuing ability to use all he has experienced and learned in his creative work. It certainly meets his 3H criteria.
Head, or intellect, is there in its theme. Shea explores the dark matter and dark energy that make up 95 percent of the universe, bringing imaginative light to that dark space. According to the review of the exhibition published in The New York Times, Princeton physicist and black-hole expert Dr. Frans Pretorius Shea had produced commented that one painting in The catch, the difference from the exhibition containing twine standard international biennials, a great combination segments looped across a black was that Shea wouldn’t find those background refers to string theory, of the genres he’d 100 works by 100 artists. He would with one string that “seems to become 100 different artists, creating pursued in his two Lyon be misbehaving” but on closer a bio and aesthetic for each, examination “is being held in place producing their work (over 400 majors—fiction and art. by a piece of tape — a symbol . . . works of art in all), and creating an of how even the most ambitious and exhibition catalogue with fictional elegant theories eventually have to bios and documented photos of be mended to fit new data.” “their” works. Shea would be 100 artists. Heart, or passion, is there as well. The passion that’s And that’s what he did, working for two years at his most evident is Shea’s continuing love of his roots. One New Jersey studio, back home on the family farm, and of his several birds’ nests is there (go to his website and points between from California to China. In the end, you’ll see many of them). Shea constructed this one Shea had produced a great combination of the genres of straws he selected for their particular color. And he he’d pursued in his two Lyon majors—fiction and art. made it bottomless, giving it a black hole. Another He created 100 fictional characters, all with their sculpture named “radius” creates another black hole own “passions in life” and “art styles.” And he created out of hay. hundreds of different works of art. Then there are pieces constructed of banana leaves, “Seek” became a complex, multi-work project that of guinea feathers, of wheat straw, of redbud sticks, of comes across as a visual whole in the same way that rocks and crystals largely from Arkansas, of mother Faulkner’s novels do, with their varying fictional of pearl from shells from the White River—the same voices contributing to a whole that both sums up materials, Shea says, “that I used when I was around and transcends its many parts. In its interdisciplinary five years old and made these weird sculptural models nature, “Seek” became Shea’s mighty expansion of the of how I saw the world fit together.” How much more project that had led to the painting on the cover of passionate about his roots could Shea be? And through this issue. (See the sidebar on Page 3.) all the works runs Shea’s joy in using these materials. A reviewer in the Huffington Post declared, “I don’t 4
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dent. He served on the Board of Directors of Montessori School and United Way, as well as on the Board of Directors of Batesville Chamber of Commerce. He served as committee chairman or co-chairman of the White River Carnival Parade Committee and Batesville Christmas Parade Committee for over 17 years. Mike was an active member of First Baptist Church in Batesville for over 30 years. Survivors include his wife, Myra Coop Kendall of the home; their children and grandchildren. Devilla Williams, ’74, of Beverley, Mass., died Nov. 7, 2012, at age 59 after her courageous battle with cancer. She was born Jan. 31, 1953, in San Francisco, Calif. Devilla was a former resident of Mountain View, Ark., and a graduate of Lyon College. Her career took her many places. She was sales representative for CBS College in New York; senior editor for Dryden Press
in Hinsdale, Ill.; executive editor for Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich, Inc. of San Diego Calif.; managing editor for Shelly Cushman Series, Consumers Technology in Cambridge, Mass.; director of business and media development for Clickmed Corp. in Gloucester, Mass.; and regional director for E-College in Denver, Colo. She was a well-respected and successful owner and breeder of standard poodles. William A. “Dinko” Gooch, ’80, age 71, of Locust Grove died May 6, 2012, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Little Rock. He was born in Lake City and had lived in Northeast Arkansas most of his life. He graduated from Trumann High School, where he played football. He studied graphic arts and enjoyed photography. He loved hunting and fishing and carving things out of wood. He was a veteran of the Air Force, having served during the Vietnam era.
Days gone by:
Cheerleaders pose in front of Brown Chapel in 1967.
See yourself in this photo? Tell us about it! alumni@lyon.edu or www.facebook.com/groups/lyonalumni/
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byterian Church in Morehead City. After a successful battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, he became the prayer minister at First Presbyterian Church. Rev. Hale was a lifelong student of languages and cultures. Rev. Hale also served as a volunteer firefighter in Virginia and Maryland. He is survived by his wife of almost 44 years, Ann Tomlinson Hale, and other loving family members. Larry Neill Jeffery, ’61, age 79, of Desha died Feb. 13, 2013, at White River Medical Center. Born Jan. 4, 1934, in Mount Olive, Arkansas, he graduated from Lyon College and was a retired school teacher having taught at Concord, Batesville High School and Desha, where he was the principal as well as a teacher and coach. He was commander of the Desha VFW. He was a veteran of the U. S. Army and Arkansas National Guard and a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Mount Olive. He is survived by his son, Bryan Jeffery and his wife, Candace of Oxford. He was preceded in death by his wife, Wanda Carlile Jeffery. Colleen Marie Kephart, ’61, age 72, of Batesville, died Nov. 18, 2012. She was born at Huff on Feb. 11, 1940. She was a graduate of Pleasant Plains High School and attended Arkansas College. She had served as an executive secretary, but upon returning to Independence County she had busied herself as a homemaker, gardener and church volunteer. She was an active member of the Independence Missionary Baptist Church of Pleasant Plains. She is survived by her husband of 34 years, George Kephart of the home, and a host of family and friends. Rayburn G. Richardson, ’62, age 77, of Jonesboro, died Dec. 1, 2012. Born in Sage, Rayburn lived in Brockwell before moving to Jonesboro in 1993. He was a graduate of Lyon College. Rayburn coached, taught and served as superintendent at Violet Hill High School for several years before accepting the position of executive director of the North Central Arkansas Development Council. Following his tenure with NADC, Rayburn taught and coached at Melbourne High School until his retirement. He was a member of the Church of Christ and was also a cattle farmer. Survivors include his wife, Kay Richardson of the home, two children and and four grandchildren. William Andrew McWeeny, ’63, age 74, of Little Rock, died Oct. 10, 2012. He was born on July 22, 28
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1938, in Memphis, Tenn. He attended Rhodes College, where he met his future wife, Dorothy (“Dot”) Sieplein from Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Lyon College, and earned a Master of Divinity and a Doctorate of Ministry in Homiletics from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Bill was a retired Presbyterian minister, a call which he faithfully answered each day since his ordination in 1965. He was active in interim ministry and in the work of the Presbyteries of North Alabama and Arkansas. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Dot; two daughters, four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and countless family members and friends. Bob G. Stobaugh Sr., ’63, age 72, of Batesville died Dec. 30, 2012. He was born in Bragg City, Mo., on Dec. 25, 1940. He completed high school at Risco, Mo., and attended Arkansas College (now Lyon) in Batesville and was a member of the Arkansas College Scots basketball team. He was a salesman for Builder’s Supply of Batesville, North Arkansas Cash Lumber and Bryant Lumber Co. He was a great basketball player, holding the Risco High School single game scoring record of 54 points, and this record was not broken for 20 years. He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Batesville. He is survived by his wife, Gayle Young Stobaugh of Batesville; two sons; a granddaughter, and numerous family and friends. William G. Luke III, ’65, age 70, died after a brief illness on Sept. 28, 2012. He graduated from Arkansas College and did postgraduate work at Fairfield University, Fairfield, Conn. William taught at Fairfield Country Day School in Fairfield, Conn., for 13 years before relocating to Yorktown, Va., in 1980. He continued to teach in area schools until his retirement. He enjoyed woodworking, aviation history, animals, water sports and volunteering at Mary Immaculate Hospital. William is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Barbara Winburn Luke, two children, a grandson, and many loving nieces, nephews and friends. Mike Kendall, ’71, age 64, of Batesville died Aug. 31, 2012, at his home. He was born Jan. 16, 1948 at Batesville to W. S. “Dub” and Willene Carpenter Kendall. He worked in banking and securities for 26 years, having established Kendall Financial Consultants in 1988 and established Citizens Financial Services at Citizens Bank in 1995. He was a member of Rotary for 34 years, having served as secretary-treasurer and past presi-
think I have ever had a more amusing, joyous and rather spiritual tour of someone’s artwork.” Finally, the third H, Hands, is obvious in Shea’s craftsmanship. He paints so meticulously he fools the eye. He even painted finger prints on the image of a piece of Scotch tape, making it appear so real that one viewer tried to peal it off the painting. He sculpts with the same care, with straw, hay, twine, feathers, strips of paper, and moonstones assembled not with expressionist abandon but with thoughtful attention to color, size, placement, and effect.
Shea’s most recent splash came with his talk at Crystal
Bridges a few weeks ago. In following up on that talk, I chatted about Shea’s work with Niki Ciccotelli Stewart, the museum’s Director of Education and Exhibitions. I loved hearing that she finds the same wonderful qualities in Shea’s art that I do. She’s intrigued, she says, with how Shea is “deeply rooted in where he came from,” with how he takes what is “simple” from his roots and “transforms” it while magically still keeping it simple. His work, she says, “is as layered as he is.” Shea’s continuing rootedness came out in a change he requested while reviewing the publicity planned for his talk. Where the draft described him as “Arkansas-born,” Shea had responded, “I am an Arkansan no matter where I live.” It came out as well in an e-mail Shea recently sent me about another artist who loved and mined and transformed his native soil: “I am often talking about Faulkner and him working with the ‘postage stamp’ he knew.”
So, after knowing all this, what do you say to the man Shea Hembrey has become? Here’s a last piece of his story that leads to my answer:
In a New Jersey television interview regarding this latest body of work, this articulate Lyon alumnus spoke beautifully to the soul of its vision. Noting the blackness of 95 percent of the universe, a blackness not empty but full of energy and matter we cannot see and do not understand, and noting that the actual atoms of all seven billion human beings occupying the planet at this moment, if compressed, would take up no more space than a sugar cube, that everything else in human life is just empty space, Shea went on to conclude not with our inconsequence, irrelevance, and insignificance, not with despair, and not with solipsism. No, he concluded exactly as the Shea Hembrey I worked with 17 years ago might have concluded, the Shea Hembrey to whom I can only say, “Thank you for the great heart and soul at the center of your great art.” He concluded thus: “We are little jewels spread out against this great black body.” Left, from top: Shea Hembrey, President and Mrs. Donald Weatherman, and Lyon College art students; Shea and President Weatherman; Shea and Visiting Assistant Professor of Art Morgan Page Spring 2013
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Remembering Professor Cassie Creighton by Samantha Jones, ’14, Communications Assistant Professor Emerita Cassie Creighton
started her career when many professionals her age begin contemplating retirement, and she died in January still doing what she loved—teaching. A young, single mother to two children, Creighton moved to Batesville in 1952 and worked as a waitress and at Harris Style Shop. She met her husband, Lionel, during this time, and had two more children with him. The two raised their family while running Nu-Way Cleaners and Laundry. Creighton learned the practical side of business through the cleaners, opting to further her education in 1980. She attended Lyon (then Arkansas College) to receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She went on to earn a master’s degree in business administration from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, becoming a Certified Public Accountant in 1988. Creighton then began her 25 years of teaching at Lyon College. During this time, she received the Friend of Education Award and the Lamar Williamson Prize for Excellence in Teaching, and was also chosen as the 1990 Zeta Omega Woman of the Year. She was the faculty advisor to Omicron Delta Epsilon and Phi Beta Lambda. She also served as the Chair of the Business and Economics Division at Lyon for seven years. Her leadership helped the “division provide a quality education for students,” according to Gary Wann, Associate Professor of Business Administration. After she retired from full-time teaching, she was honored by the Lyon Board of Trustees as a Professor Emerita of Accounting, and she continued to teach on a part-time basis until her death at 85 on Jan. 6, 2013.
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According
to
Dr. Alan McNamee,
a colleague and close friend of Creighton, she was a “deeply caring” person. McNamee recalled that when he was interviewing to join Lyon’s business faculty, he was forced to sleep in an RV because all of Batesville’s hotels were booked up. McNamee said he did not have a car to drive in Batesville, so Creighton and her husband Lionel offered his family a car for the weekend. “She took the time to think of our situation, and she was interested in my family,” McNamee said. He added that Creighton treated everyone the way she treated his family that weekend, giving the Lyon Building a “family” environment. In McNamee’s early years at Lyon, Creighton would have the business faculty at her house once a year for a cookout, inviting her colleagues as well as their families. Creighton still cooked for the faculty in the later years, making a large meal for the Lyon Building’s faculty once a semester.
Creighton’s
true legacy, of course, lies in her students. Deb Sisson, ’86, called Creighton her “professor, colleague, friend, and inspiration.” Sisson said that Creighton remembered her in 2000, encouraging her student to come back to Lyon as a visiting instructor. Now an assistant professor at the University of the Ozarks, Sisson said that she owes everything “to my dear friend Cassie.” Whitney Steele, another student of Creighton’s, said that Creighton was “tough, but had such a soft spot for her students.” She said, “I always felt like I could tell her whatever was going on and she would understand. She will definitely be missed.” Brooke Huskey-Gilbert said that Creighton was her advisor, going “beyond that role to that of a mentor and
and his parents, James Luin and Elizabeth (Betty) Rutherford of Batesville. He graduated from Lyon College in 1949 after serving in the armed forces during World War II. A talented collegiate basketball player, his skill led to a short professional basketball career with the now defunct Chicago Stags. He was inducted into the Arkansas College Sports Hall of Fame. He rejoined the armed services and served more than 20 years as a pilot in the Air Force. He retired from the USAF in 1969 after having served during three wars (World War II, Korea, and Vietnam). After retiring from the USAF, he became the Director of Security for the University of Memphis. Malcom E. Moore, ’50, of Batesville died March 15, 2012, in Batesville. He was 88. He was born June 24, 1924, in Muskogee, Okla., and was a businessman, operating a real estate and insurance agency in Batesville. He was a Navy pilot and radioman during World War II. Survivors include one son, Shelby Moore and wife Beatrice of Batesville; and two grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Edith McMillan Moore. Porter Houston Cawly, ’52, age 86, of Granite City, Ill., died Nov. 4, 2012, in a Granite City nursing and rehabilitation center. He was born Oct. 26, 1926, in Mount Pleasant. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He was a long-time educator and principal, serving in the Madison School District from 1954 to 1981. After his retirement, his hobby of woodworking became his business, Cawly’s Woodshop in Madison. He enjoyed serving his community and helping others. Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Mary Verneil Flinn Cawly. William L. Crabtree, ’54, age 81, of Paragould died Feb. 1, 2013, at Jonesboro. Dr. Crabtree was born May 10, 1931, at Oil Trough. He was a 1950 graduate of Oil Trough High School and then attended Arkansas College (now Lyon College) from 1950-53, working during the summer months at car manufacturing plants at Detroit. He met Bonita in the fall of 1952, and they were married Aug. 30, 1953. He coached basketball at Pleasant Plains from 1953-55, where his junior team was state runner-up in 1955. He coached the following year at Cave City, and then he had a career change: Repossessing cars for Universal CIT for three years. He then decided to get his dental education, taking classes at Memphis State and Arkansas
State universities. He graduated from dental school in 1963. Upon graduation, he moved with his family to Paragould and began his dental practice. He remained in private practice, W.L. Crabtree Family Dentistry, until December 2012. Sports were always a passion of his, and he became a high school basketball official and refereed for seven decades, his last game being in February 2012. He is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Bonita of the home, and a host of family and friends. Ina Belle (Nicholas) Rutherford, ’56, age 82, died June 21, 2012, at her Eden Isle residence in Heber Springs. She was survived by her husband of 61 years, Robert, who died in December (see obituary above). Other survivors include a daughter, a son, and a host of family and friends. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a business degree. At the university, she was a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority, Razorback Beauty, Homecoming Court and Commerce Queen. Married to Air Force pilot Robert, they spent tours of duty in Texas (twice), Illinois, Alabama, Tennessee and Scotland. After Robert’s retirement, they moved to Eden Isle. William Wade Hicks, ’59, age 91, of Batesville died Dec. 4, 2012. Born July 17, 1921, in Batesville, he was the son of William Washington Hicks and Minnie Pearl Hampton Hicks. He was a graduate of Batesville High School and Arkansas College (now Lyon). He served in the U.S. Navy for four years during World War II. He retired from the Batesville School system, where he taught physical education and coached football for more than 38 years. Survivors include his wife of 66 years, Ada Raye Hicks; a son.; a grandson; and three great-grandchildren. Peter Roberts Hale, ’61, age 75, of Beaufort, N.C., died Nov. 12, 2012. Rev. Hale was born July 30, 1937, in Newton, N.J. He attended Southwestern at Memphis and graduated from Arkansas College in 1961. In 1964, he graduated with a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va. Rev. Hale served churches in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. After marrying his wife Ann on Nov. 30, 1968, the couple moved to Maryland. He retired from his last full-time church, Poplar Tent Presbyterian Church, Concord, in 2002. In Beaufort, Rev. Hale served as stated supply for Grace Presbyterian Church before serving as interim associate pastor at First PresSpring 2013
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friend.” Huskey-Gilbert noted how Creighton helped her through a semester in which she took 18 credit hours, allowing her to take a self-designed course in order to graduate on time. “It was during that semester I made the decision to go on to graduate school to gain a master’s in adult education,” Huskey-Gilbert said, adding how she wants to “inspire others the way Mrs. Creighton had inspired” all of her students. Dr. McNamee believes that Creighton’s humble beginnings caused her to have such sensitivity regarding her students. “Given her personal experiences, she had real empathy for students at the College,” he said.
He described the way Creighton got many students through difficult times by simply being a “very kind” person. He said that Creighton exemplified Lyon’s motto, “Perseverantia Omnia Vincet Deo Volente,” which means “Perseverance Conquers All, God Willing.” “She knew first hand what it takes to persevere,” McNamee said.
In Memoriam
Memorial donations may be made to the Lyon College endowment.
Former VP and Dean John T. Dahlquist John T. Dahlquist, former vice president of
academic services and dean of faculty of Lyon College, died Feb. 12 in Bedford, N.H.
Mildred Elizabeth (Thomas) Webster, ’37, of Little Rock died July 22, 2012, at age 95. She was born Dec. 2, 1916, in El Dorado. She attended public schools there and in Batesville, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, after also attending Arkansas College (now Lyon) and Vanderbilt University. On Dec. 14, 1941, she married W. Charles Webster of Lincoln, Neb. Employed by the Masonic Grand Lodge of Arkansas in 1955, she retired in 1981. Her father had been Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge from 1935 until his death in 1955. She was a member of First United Methodist Church, Little Rock, for more than 75 years and a life member of the Methodist Women’s Society of Christian Service. She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years. Allie Raye Ivy, ’47, age 78, of Marcella, Ark., died May 31, 2012. She was born June 27, 1933, at Mountain View. She worked as an LPN for many years. She was a member of the Mountain View General Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband Lynn Ivy.
to Earl A. Tripp Sr. and Ovie Orena Jackson Tripp. She was a school teacher and a member of the Central Avenue United Methodist Church in Batesville. Mrs. Porter began her 30-year teaching career in 1948, the year she graduated from Arkansas College (now Lyon College). She taught at Corning for a year, then Desha, then finished her career in Batesville public schools, with brief interruptions for her two children. She became a science teacher at Batesville Junior High School in 1967, where she remained until retiring in 1985. Her two professional passions were science and teaching. She led many students to careers as doctors, engineers, chemists and teachers. She received the Arkansas College Friend of Education Award in 1989. After her retirement, she increasingly cared for her husband, Ralph A. Porter, until his death in 1992. She then began working at Tripp Supply and enjoyed seeing family and friends – including former students – until she moved to Columbia, Mo., in 2009. She was active in PEO for many years. Survivors include her son, Jeff Porter and his wife, Laura Killett Porter, of Columbia, Mo., and a brother, Earl Tripp of Batesville.
Billie Louise (Tripp) Porter, ’48, age 85, of Columbia, Mo., formerly of Batesville, died Nov. 22, 2012. She was born in Sulphur Rock, Ark., on Oct. 14, 1927,
Robert Spencer Rutherford, ’49, age 88, died Dec. 16, 2012, in Heber Springs. He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Ina Belle Nicholas Rutherford,
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In addition to his distinguished service as academic dean, he served as interim president of the College from January to July 1989 between the tenures of Presidents Dan West and John Griffith.
Originally
from
Sault St. Marie,
Mich., Dr. Dahlquist attended American University in Washington, D.C., and the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Theology at Boston University in Boston, Mass. He then received his Ph.D. at Boston University in 1963. At Arkansas College, Dr. Dahlquist became dean in 1978 and also was a history professor from 1978 to 1997. He was named vice president for academic service and dean of the faculty from 1985 to 1992. He returned to the classroom as a history professor after
retiring as dean. The Board of Trustees named him an Emeritus Professor of History after he retired.
Dr. Dahlquist
was an extensive traveler throughout his life, specifically visiting several different countries in Europe. During the presidency of Dan West, Dean Dahlquist helped create an international studies program that would eventually become the Nichols International Studies Program. He accompanied the first study trip abroad by Lyon students. He was also an active member in the Batesville community during his time at the college. He was president of the Batesville Symphony League from 19831985 and on the board of directors for United Way of Independence County. He also served as a member of the Arkansas Arts Council and the Batesville Rotary, among other organizations. During his career, Dr. Dahlquist received several awards, including those to attend educational courses and seminars. He was a member of many educational societies, including the American Association of Higher Education and the Arkansas Association of Deans.
Dr. Dahlquist is survived by his wife of over 60
years, Diana March Dahlquist. The couple has three children: a daughter, Dr. Elisabeth Babcock of Boston, Mass., and sons Richard, ’97, of Batesville and Eric, ’92, of Houston, Texas. Memorial donations may be made to the John Dahlquist Scholar Athlete Award at Lyon College. Spring 2013
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But the physical changes to the campus cannot compare to the changes Counts has inspired within the theatre program. Counts has announced plans to retire at the end of the spring term. When Counts began teaching at Lyon, the Holloway Theatre had been open for only a little over a year. Counts described the theatre as “chaos,” saying it was “in pretty bad shape for a pretty new building.”
Professor of Theatre Michael Counts takes his final bow by Samantha Jones, ’14, Communications Assistant
In 21
years of teaching theatre at Lyon
College, Dr. Michael Counts has seen many changes occur to the campus landscape. He stood by as the Lyon Building and the Young House residence hall were built, and he watched Edwards Commons burn down and rise from the ashes.
Before Counts began working at Lyon, the theatre department had experienced quite a bit of turnover in faculty, he said, so students were unaware of how to use theatre equipment, lighting equipment in particular. “I could see fingerprints all over the lamps,” Counts said, so he had to teach students how to properly handle lenses.
According
Counts,
he wanted most to instill professionalism in his students. He described professionalism as “doing your best every time.” He believes many of his students have possessed this skill upon graduating with a theatre degree. Of professionalism, Counts said, “When you get out of college, you can apply it to any profession.” to
Dr. Ron Boling, associate professor of English, acknowledged the professionalism of Counts’ students, recalling a “brilliant” seminar Counts designed in the late 1990s for AEGIS, a
Ben Thielemier, ’07, has been elected to serve as chairman of the Little Rock Sustainability Commission for the next two years. Brooke (Hollis) Chapman, ’08, writes, “Just checking in to let you know that I was happily married to Ethan Robert Alan Chapman on Friday, Oct. 12, 2012.” Caleb Derrington, ’08, writes, “Well, I’m done. Now a Commissioned Officer in the United States Navy!” Gavin Johannsen, ’08, is working on the new CBS series Vegas. He writes, “I’m the assistant to the showrunner. I’m basically one promotion away from becoming a full-time writer . . . I do a lot of proofreading; mostly I’m utilized as a story guy. I read every draft of every story document that comes out and try to find all the logic issues if there are any. I help keep episode continuity and character arcs.” Jessica (Brents) Dunham, ’09, has earned a Masters of Tourism Administration - Event and Meeting Management from George Washington University Katie Harris, ’09, passed the Arkansas Bar Exam administered last summer on her first attempt. Shanna (Stringer) McQueen, ’09, writes, “I would like to announce that my husband, Van Michael McQueen, ’10, was acepted to UT Memphis Dental School yesterday afternoon. We plan on moving to Memphis next summer before he starts school. He will be part of the Fall 2013 class.We are all so very proud of him!” Judd Deere, ’10, writes, “I have accepted a ‘new position’ in Senator Mike Crapo’s (R-Idaho) office and will now be serving as his Press Secretary & Digital Director. Our previous Press Secretary recently, departed to become the Senator’s Communications Director on the Banking Committee where he is now the Ranking Member. My new position will continue to allow me to oversee and implement his social media strategy, while also serving as his spokesman and primary media contact, as well as many other things.” Judd previously worked for Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark.
Bridget Nutt, ’10, writes, “After two years of absolutely loving my job on Capitol Hill with U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, I decided to make a career move. On October 1, I (began) as an account coordinator for Fireside21. Fireside21 is a non-partisan software company that services Capitol Hill offices for website hosting, constituent databases, e-newsletter outreach, and tele-townhalls; it streamlines constituent communications for Hill offices, making it simpler, faster, and better for Congressmen to get their message out. I will be assisting with the help desk, researching best practices for online media, web analytics, website effectiveness, search engine marketing, maintaining positive client relationships, and writing media/marketing communications on behalf of the company. I am excited for this change of pace and thrilled to be working with such bright and talented people while moving in the direction I feel my career is taking me: communications and social media.” Nate Pyle, ’10, writes, “Well, I just went from being the most well-known person in higher education in the State of Arkansas without a job to being the least well-known person in higher education in the State of Arkansas with a job. A meteoric rise, I tell ya! It’s an Academic Coordinator position at the Arkansas State University campus at Beebe. It’s working directly with Upward Bound, and I’ve got about 15 different job descriptions ... even to get a little teaching experience. The biggest bonus is I get to do whatever I can to make sure about 80 of some of the most disadvantaged students in the state get whatever they need to make them go to college and to succeed.” Charli Steed, ’11, a second-year law student at Washington University in St. Louis, is on the staff of the law school’s Journal of Law and Policy. Lauren Honeycutt Teachout, ’11, found out recently that she was accepted to dental school at UT Memphis. “I am so incredibly excited,” she said. “Thank you, God, for answering our prayers.”
Jake Howard, ’10, reports that he is now a senior quality assurance analyst at Blizzard, working directly with game developers and staying hands on with the new gaming products. 8
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ty. His daughter, Nina, 6, completes our family, along with my son, Lane, 8.”
tion Center as an Education Specialist developing and revising training packages,” she writes.
Bethany (Klonowski) Wallace, ’01, writes, “My husband and I welcomed our daughter, Margaret Jacqueline, into the world on Nov. 16, 2012. Right now I am staying home with her while finishing up my Master’s in English degree at Arkansas Tech University. I’m looking forward to teaching online courses as an adjunct professor in the fall at a community college.”
Skye Hart, ’06, is the solo vocalist on the new CD recording The First Printed Organ Music. Issued a few months ago on the Loft label, the recording features music by the blind German organist Arnoldt Schlick that was printed in 1512. The organist on the CD is Kimberly Marshall, Skye’s organ professor from his days as a graduate student at Arizona State University. Half the tracks on the album are of Skye singing the various Gregorian chants upon which the organ works are based. The CD may be purchased through Amazon.com. Skye is the full-time director of music and liturgy at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Christian (Speegle) Campbell, ’03, writes, “My husband Jacob and I welcomed the birth of our first son, Harrison Craig Campbell, on Jan. 25, 2012.” George Jared, ’03, won two first-place awards in the annual Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors Awards contest. He was recognized for his news feature titled “Fighting for Life” and for his health-related story “Diabetes Struggle,” both for the Jonesboro Sun. Danielle Elders Robertson, ’03, passed the Arkansas Bar Exam administered last summer, maintaining Lyon College’s strong tradition of Lyon alumni passing the Bar the first time they take it. Sanders Lee Wyatt, ’03, and his wife Melissa announce the birth of twins. Harris Copp Wyatt and Hunterson Davey Wyatt were born on Feb. 14, 2013. Samantha (Dale) Hatfield, ’04, joined Lawrence Health Services of Walnut Ridge as its first pediatrician. Hatfield, originally from Cave City, returns to the area after completing her medical degree at UAMS (Little Rock) and her residency at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. In Walnut Ridge, she will provide services to the Family Medical Center as well as Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Hatfield currently lives in Strawberry with her husband, Bryan. Valerie (Wylie) Nichols, ’05, writes, “Oct. 13th, 2012, Matt Nichols and I were married in a small intimate wedding surrounded by family. We are happily living in Benton, AR.” Andrew Shepherd, ’05, and Jennifer (Cross) Shepherd, ’07, welcomed their first child, Carter David Shepherd, on Nov. 30, 2012, at Christchurch Women’s Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand. He weighed 8 lbs., 10.45 oz. and was 21.65 inches long. Sarah Williams, ’05, has started a new job. “I will be working for the National Guard Professional Educa24
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Robert L. Bailey, ’07, has been admitted to a master’s program in theoretical and applied linguistics at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, where he plans to specialize in discourse analysis and second language acquisition and pedagogy. He currently lives in Andorra, where he teaches English as a foreign language to adults. Courtney Russell, ’07, was recently recognized in the Jonesboro Sun newspaper for her accomplishments as a high school special education teacher. Russell, who studied history and political science at Lyon, currently teaches a small classroom of 10th- to 12th-grade special education students at Jonesboro High School. “I love my students! They are (almost) always happy, and they love to work and participate,” she said. “We have fun and laugh and still manage to get all of our work done.” In her classroom, Russell focuses primarily on life skills. She says she teaches her students “what they need to be functional in their lives after high school. We practice money, social skills, cooking, and entertaining [one’s] self.” Academics, such as biology and math, are also incorporated into Russell’s curriculum through different learning techniques; in this way, her students can learn the specific skills they’ll need and will learn them more effectively. Russell will receive her Master of Science in Education in Special Education—Instruction 4-12 this May. She also attends behavioral crisis prevention classes and hopes to complete a Certified Nursing Assistant course within the next few years. Russell says these opportunities will “help me deal with the disabilities I see in my classroom every day.”
state-funded summer program for gifted and talented high school students. Boling remembered the program, called “Shakespeare Page to Stage,” bringing 50 students to Lyon’s campus each summer for a threeweek immersion in Shakespearean theatre.
language,” he said. “It was a great way to go out.”
An expert on Shakespeare, Boling taught the students how to study plays critically in the morning. In the afternoon, Counts taught beginning acting to all the students. When the students performed a Shakespeare play on the last Friday of the program, Boling sat next to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s theatre critic. “She told me that the kids’ performance surpassed nearly every college production she had seen that year,” Boling said, praising Counts’ effective teaching style.
After working as an actor in his younger
Counts spoke highly of his graduates, such as Emily Fleming, Warren McCullough, Missy Speer, Jack Lofton, and Ron Hanks. He described how McCullough, upon entering the professional world, was amazed at how well prepared he was compared to others in his profession. “Companies want to hire people in the theatre program because they have discipline,” Counts said, naming teaching, law, and business among the many professions theatre graduates may enter.
Counts
said that he wears many hats in the
theatre department; he is “artistic director, production director, and building manager,” among many other jobs. “It’s not an easy job,” he said, “but I have more good memories than bad memories of my time here.” Counts directed his last production at Lyon, Twelfth Night, in February. “It’s the finest comedy in the English
Counts could not choose a favorite production, saying, “They all have their own unique thing that makes them special.”
years, Counts decided to pursue a theatre degree. He received his bachelor’s from Pace University and later earned his master’s degree from Hunter College and his doctorate from the City University of New York. Learning theatre history, theory, and criticism, Counts discovered how to study a play as a whole. He said this skill has served him well in teaching theatre, as he applies it to every production he directs. “When you’re acting, you just have to worry about yourself. When you’re teaching, you have to worry about 30 people,” Counts said. He hopes to try acting again upon retiring and moving to Albuquerque, N.M. Why did he choose Albuquerque? Counts said he did not like Los Angeles, Calif., and he could not afford to live in New York City, two of the American hubs for the entertainment industry. He compromised with Albuquerque, which is affordable as well as nurturing a growing entertainment industry. Counts said that he wants to go for the “heavier parts” when acting, preferring characters that operate in shades of grey. While he looks forward to acting again, Counts expressed bittersweet feelings regarding retiring: “I will be sad to leave my students and colleagues behind.”
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Writer-in-Residence Andrea Hollander retiring by Samantha Jones, ’14, Communications Assistant
In 1990, Dr. Virginia Wray told Andrea Hollander
of Lyon College’s need for a professor for an evening program, lamenting Hollander’s lacking a master’s degree. To Wray’s surprise, Hollander did, in fact, have a master’s degree—in Comparative Literature, no less. Hollander has been teaching at Lyon ever since, and will retire in May.
Dr. Tebbetts commented on Hollander’s work,
calling her “a vital member of the English faculty” and a “wonderful teacher.”
“She’s a wonderful poet whose work, recognized at the highest levels, has brought national attention to the quality of Lyon’s educational program,” he said. He recounted how Hollander has helped many Lyon Hollander started in the spring of 1991, teaching students gain admission into nationally recognized Western Literature and Speech. The master’s of fine arts programs, following year, she took over for Dr. noting how Hollander “has been Terrell Tebbetts during his yearlong a wonderful friend of students, of “She’s a wonderful poet sabbatical, becoming a visiting colleagues, and of the College.” whose work, recognized assistant professor of English. A few of her students inquired about at the highest levels, has Hollander recounted the creative writing, and Hollander brought national attention time she won the Nicholas Roerich agreed to teach a self-designed Poetry Prize in 1993; she was flown to the quality of Lyon’s course on the subject. The class met to New York City to give a poetry regularly twice a week, and it went educational program.” reading. One of the Board of over well with students and staff. Trustees members at the time, Doyle Later that year, Hollander was “Rog” Rogers Jr., offered to fly six of named writer-in-residence, allowing her to nurture Hollander’s colleagues to New York to hear her speak. the Visiting Writers Program she had founded. In “That was just great fun,” Hollander said. “Lyon really addition, she used an endowment in creative writing feels like home to me.” to initiate a fellowship program that brought award“I like this school,” she continued. “I have great winning writers to Lyon to teach. colleagues. I have good students.” She credited Seeing the limited funds for the creative writing Lyon with “giving [her] a life,” having published all program, Hollander went part-time in 1999. This her books while teaching at Lyon. She has already allowed her to take one semester off, a sabbatical accepted visiting writer jobs at other schools, hoping in which she could spend her time writing. “I love to continue teaching after retiring from Lyon. She will teaching,” Hollander said, “but I don’t get to write reside in Portland, Ore., where her son also lives. much when I teach.” 10
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Victoria (Wyatt) Queen, ’93, was honored last October by the Springfield Business Journal of Springfield, Mo., as one of 20 women selected as the Most Influential Women of 2012. After graduating with one of the last classes of Arkansas College, Queen went on to work at Lyon for 10 years as the director of hospitality. After Lyon, she still worked in higher education. Queen was teaching at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield when she first formulated the idea for Victory Trade School (VTS). The school’s website explains that VTS, where Queen currently serves as president, is an institution that focuses on providing “accredited education in culinary arts and discipleship program for nontraditional students.” VTS also provides several different programs, scholarships, and volunteer opportunities for its students to “gain the skills necessary to make a living,” as well as “life skills necessary to enter society as productive citizens.” According to Brian Brown’s article in the Springfield Business Journal, Queen is a nontraditional student herself, currently working on her doctorate of philosophy in higher education through Saint Louis University. The article also explains that Queen credits her time working at Lyon College for the “team approach to leadership” she now utilizes at VTS. Queen has two children, son Kris and daughter Kelley. In 2005, she married Alan Queen. Her daughter, Kelley Wyatt, is currently a senior at Lyon College. Karen Culp, ’94, reports that she has accepted a position teaching 7th-grade English and social studies at Jarrett Middle School in Springfield, Mo. Gregory Tebbetts, ’96, and his wife Stacy announce the birth of their son, Louis Christopher Tebbetts, on Jan. 16, 2013. He weighed 5 lbs., 12 oz. and was 17.5 inches long. Johnathan Horton, ’98, was named as one of the two best bankruptcy lawyers in Little Rock by Soiree magazine, which polled lawyers and readers. Mikhail “Misha” Kouliavtsev, ’98, married Sarah Gabriella Cummings, now Sarah Kouliavtsev, on Oct. 27, 2012. Misha is teaching economics at Stephen F. Austin State University. Heather Adams Ward, ’98, writes, “I have officially been hired as a full-time second-grade teacher in the Conway School District, effective immediately.”
Katie (Hecox) Biron, ’99, and Jonathan Biron, ’99, write, “Jonathan recently accepted a position at Microsoft as an OSHA Compliance Officer. He finds it a very interesting and challenging position. He works at Microsoft corporate headquarters in Redmond, WA. We recently moved to Redmond as the 4-hour daily commute was a killer! Katie is a stay-at-home mom to our two little girls. Emma is 4 years old and Charlotte is 2. They keep us busy and entertained. There is never a dull moment around here!” Leah (Vest) DiPietro, ’99, has accepted a position as the Coordinator for the College of Engineering at Wichita State University’s Office of Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning. Lori (Carter) Laman, ’99, was inducted into the Cave City Hall of Fame on Dec. 18, 2012. She is expecting her second child in May 2013. Jerra (Quinton) Baker, ’00, writes, “On Nov. 3, 2012, I married PS1 John E. Baker, a classmate of mine from high school with whom I reconnected after 15+ years. John left his post at the Naval Ceremonial Guard in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1, just before the wedding. After some training in San Antonio, a honeymoon in the Caribbean in mid-December, the holidays, and a deployment to the Persian Gulf through April 2013, John and I will make Washington state our home for the next three years while he is stationed aboard the USS John C. Stennis. I will continue my work as executive director of the Trail of Tears Association, working remotely from the Pacific Northwest. We both are thrilled to be starting this new chapter in our lives!” Edward Brock, ’00, writes, “The last six months have been very exciting. I have recently finished my MBA and have been promoted to President of Citizens State Bank in Bald Knob, Ark. My oldest stepdaughter has also recently become engaged and will get married in June 2012. Life is good!” Jon Orsborn, ’01, has accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Robin (Burleson) Ruetenik, ’01, writes “In early September I moved back over the Mississippi River from Rock Island, Illinois, to Davenport, Iowa, and bought my first house. As if that weren’t enough for big life events, on Sept. 27, I married Tadd Ruetenik, a philosophy professor here at St. Ambrose UniversiSpring 2013
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Clarence W. Cash, ’65, was named as one of the two best bankruptcy lawyers in Little Rock by Soiree magazine, which polled lawyers and readers. Linda Roth, ’69, writes, “I’ve retired from teaching at Vanderbilt’s English Language Center and moved to North Carolina. I’m teaching part time and enjoying grandchildren.” Johnny Henderson, ’73, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at Baylor University, has been named to the initial class of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) in recognition of his international excellence in mathematical sciences and service. Professor Henderson was chosen among the 1,119 international mathematicians representing more than 600 global institutions announced Nov. 1 by the society as inaugural AMS Fellows in the program’s initial year. The prestigious designation recognizes members who have made outstanding contributions to the creation, exposition, advancement, communication, and utilization of mathematics. The AMS Fellows program seeks to create an enlarged class of mathematicians recognized by their peers as distinguished for their contributions to the profession and to honor excellence. Martha Miller, ’73, was named the new director of the Arkansas Department of Heritage by Gov. Mike Beebe. Miller replaces Cathie Matthews, who retired at the end of 2012 after 15 years of leading the agency. Miller previously served as deputy director for the Department of Arkansas Heritage Museums. Formerly a self-employed attorney and lobbyist, she has served on the boards of Lyon College, the Little Rock Interfaith Hospitality Network, and Audubon Arkansas.
L-R: President Donald Weatherman, Mrs. Lynn Weatherman, Mrs. Janis Walmsley, Justice Bill H. Walmsley 22
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Jo Ann (Kerr) Richards, ’78, writes, “My husband, Dr. F. E. Richards, Business Management Department Head at Lyon College ’73 - ’80 died Sept. 16, 2012, at Hospice here.” Tracy (Prior) Seffers’, 87, poem “Understory (Red in the Bud)” has been named a poetry winner in the literary contest of the literary magazine “Still” and is being published in that journal, her third poem to appear there. Fellow alums can see Tracy’s poems by going to www.stilljournal.net and clicking on her name. Chris Allen, ’92, writes, “Well, it’s official. The new vice-president of the Mid-South Fly Fishers is .... drumroll please ... me. I look forward to the challenge and hope I can make a difference.” Sonya Platt, ’92, passed the Arkansas Bar exam in July and received my Law license in September. Timothy Stokes, ’92, is the new president of South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Wash. He previously served as executive vice president at Tacoma (Wash.) Community College. Dr. Stokes received Lyon’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011. Tony Walker, ’92, writes, ”I received my Master of Science in clinical mental health from Henderson State University and am currently working at Quapaw House, Inc. in Hot Springs.” Rick Fahr, ’92, was a winner in the annual Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors Awards contest. Fahr, then publisher of the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, received recognition both for his hard news column titled “A Problem Too Close to Home” and for his service to Freedom of Information.
A reception was held for Justice Bill H. Walmsley, ’63, on Jan. 10 at Bradley Manor. President and Mrs. Donald Weatherman hosted the event, which was well attended by the community. Gov. Mike Beebe recently appointed Walmsley, a Batesville attorney and former Lyon College trustee, to the Arkansas Court of Appeals. He replaced Judge Jo Hart, who was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court. Walmsley began his law practice in Batesville in April 1966 and is the longest practicing attorney in Batesville. He served in the Arkansas Senate from 1971-82. His appointment expires Dec. 31, 2014.
No tuition increase for 2013-14 The Lyon College
Board of Trustees has frozen tuition and fees for the 2013-14 academic year in response to changes in the Arkansas lottery scholarship. The board took this unusual action because it recognizes the need to keep Lyon affordable and accessible to students and their families. “The combined effect of the down economy, the uncertainty of the future, as well as the reduction in state scholarships has the families of our students and prospective students concerned,” President Donald Weatherman explained. “Lyon College does not want to add to their worries by placing an additional burden on them. That is the main reason the Board of Trustees decided to freeze tuition, room and board, and all fees at this year’s rate for the 2013-2014 fiscal year.”
Three
and a half years ago, when the lottery scholarship took effect, most schools in Arkansas raised their tuition to match the new funds. Now, the Arkansas Legislature is lowering the amount available to incoming students. To help those students and their families access a premier liberal arts education, Lyon College has frozen tuition and fees.
“The last few years have been very difficult for many families seeking higher education,” said Vice President for Administration David Heringer. “Unemployment rates are high, prices on everything from food to gas have gone up, incomes have gone down, the Arkansas Challenge (lottery) Scholarship has been adjusted down, and the federal budget—which determines
50
Percentage of Lyon College students who qualify for low-income Pell Grants
70
Percentage of Lyon College students who are from Arkansas and potentially affected by changes to the Arkansas Challenge Scholarship
4.2 Percentage of the average 2012-13 tuition increase at private colleges
0
Percentage of the 2013-14 tuition increase at Lyon College
Pell Grants and student loan interest rates—is uncertain.” Heringer continued: “Given the current climate in higher education and obstacles facing families seeking a chance for their children, higher education must be sensitive to students and families’ needs. Lyon especially considers cost because of the composition of our student body. Nearly 50 percent qualify for low-income Pell Grants and 70 percent come from Arkansas. These are students and families potentially taking a double-hit from recent changes to the Arkansas Challenge Scholarship and rising tuition. But we’re doing what we can to help families.”
According
to the College
Board, the average 2012-13 tuition increase was 4.2 percent at private colleges, and 4.8 percent at public universities. The 10-year historical rate of increase is approximately 6 percent per year. Lyon College has long been recognized as one of higher education’s best bargains among private, selective liberal arts colleges. All Lyon students receive some form of financial assistance. Lyon’s tuition for 2012-13 is $23,370; room and board is $7,560; and the student activity fee is $224, making a total comprehensive fee of $31,154. With the board’s action, the same fees will apply for 2013-14. To apply or refer a student to Lyon College, contact the Office of Enrollment Services at 1-800-4232542 or admissions@lyon.edu. Spring 2013
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College begins strategic planning process Work
is under way on a
new strategic plan for Lyon College that will guide the institution for the next five years. The process actually began last fall with the assessment and prioritization of all academic and administrative programs. That report was submitted to the Board of Trustees in February and the board approved a number of recommendations from President Donald Weatherman. Now the strategic planning process formally begins this spring. Here is the Strategic Planning Timeline: Spring 2013 Preparation for strategic planning »» Preliminary review of mission and vision statements »» Development of plan and timetable
»» Identification of committee members
June 2013 Planning update to board
Spring 2013 Data collection and preparation
August 2013 Strategic Planning Steering Committee refines and develops draft plan
April 1, 2013 Strategic Planning schedule in place April 18-19, 2013 Recruitment of trustee members April 2013 Recruitment of community members
its
February
meet-
ing, President Donald Weath-
erman presented to the board a number of possible actions that he explained were designed to position the College for sustainability and growth.
Week of April 22, 2013 Strategic Planning Steering Committee coordination meeting
October 7, 2013 Plan forwarded to board
According to Dr. Weatherman, “Cuts of recent years have not put the College on a path to sustainability. Future sustainability can only be accomplished by growing the student body, and the decisions we make must all be driven by that objective.” After much discussion, the board approved the following actions 12
The Lyon College
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»» Create a Celtic Studies minor with emphasis on bagpiping and drumming in response to many inquiries from prospective students about Celtic studies. The curriculum will be composed of current Scottish Arts courses and others from music, history, and English. »» Redesign the business major to focus heavily on such enriching applied experiences as
Founders’ Day: October 18 Homecoming: October 18-20 Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet: November 16
September 2013 Action completed by assemblies September 30, 2013 Plan reviewed by cabinet and president
concerning the academic programs. Any students affected by these changes will be “grandfathered” until the completion of their degrees.
Family Weekend: September 13-15
First week of September Plan forwarded to assemblies
October 18, 2013 Board action TBD Implementation begins
Positioning the College for sustainability At
Fall 2013 Events
August 2013 Planning update to board
April 18-19, 2013 Planning process discussed with Executive Committee of BOT
Week of April 22, 2013 Planning committees begin work
SAVE THE DATE!
intern- and externships, and regular interaction with local businesses and business people. Recent assessment and external data will be used to measure and analyze the current program in an effort to strengthen it. »» Bolster the secondary education program, especially in the sciences. As a result of anticipated changes in the state education licensure standards, we likely will phase out any elementary education licensures. »» Take the opportunity to examine the future of the theatre
Dear Fellow Alumni: I’m sending out this brief note to remind each of you that our alma mater continues to rely on our support in its efforts to provide a top-quality educational experience for current and future students. Alumni contributions provide valuable support for scholarships, facilities, and programs. Furthermore, a strong record of alumni giving is one important indicator of Lyon’s strength as an institution of higher education. I am reminded daily of the opportunities that have come my way in life as a direct result of the education I received here. When I speak to my two oldest children, who are also alumni, about their professional successes, I am even more grateful for my association with Lyon over the years. My interactions with students, staff, and faculty reinforce my belief that there is no other place quite like Lyon and no other institution that deserves my support more than this one. As alumni, we have the opportunity to both preserve
what is special about Lyon and invest in its future. Please join me in doing so by visiting the website at www.lyon.edu/support-lyon-donate for more information and to make a donation. Let’s do what we can to help keep Lyon vibrant and growing! Sincerely,
Kimberly Crosby, ’92 Alumni Council President
Keep in touch! »» Join the Lyon College Alumni Facebook group! www.facebook.com/groups/lyonalumni »» E-mail alumni@lyon.edu to sign up for the @LYON electronic newsletter, your update on Lyon College and its alumni. Spring 2013
21
SCOTS, continued from Page 18
JENKINS, Continued from Page 19
in 12.1 per contest. Her 399 points put her in the 1,000-point club as a Lyon College player in just three years with the team. She headed to the national tournament with 1,040 points (14th best in Lyon history), finishing with 1,057 and an 11.1 points per game average for her career. She was also the third highest rebounder on the squad, pulling down 5.4 per game, while leading Lyon in assists with 102 and steals with 61.
at Lyon, behind R. C. “Dick” Winningham (227) and Garner (224).
Fincham, a two-sport standout (along with volleyball) at Lyon and honorable mention all-conference in both sports this year, led the Scots in rebounding with a 6.2 average, while sporting the third best scoring average on the team with an 11.4 points per game average. A member of the 1,000-kill “club” in her career on the volleyball court, she was the best shooter on the Scots, connecting on 51.3% (121-of-236) of her field goals and 77.2% (112-of-145) of her shots from the line. Her 548 career rebounds ranks her 8th all-time at Lyon. Smith steadily moved up the scoring ranks this season, finished fourth on the squad in scoring, throwing in 8.6 points per game. She was also fourth on the team in assists with 49, while adding 38 steals.
The
senior-led squad was once again under the direction of Stewart-Lange. The 2012-13 American Midwest Conference Coach of the Year had the pieces of the puzzle together and led her squad to the most wins ever by a Lyon College women’s basketball program.
In her eight years at Lyon, the coach has steadily improved the program, winning at least 13 games in six of her seasons, eclipsing 17 wins five times and 20 wins the last two years. She has a combined mark of 137114 (.546) at Lyon and is a graduate of the College. From top: Christine Smith, Debbie Onukwube, Phagen Altom, Suzanne Fincham 20
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The 2005-06 TranSouth Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year then moved into a part-time role as Lyon College’s Athletic Director in 2009, replacing Kirk Kelley, who also served in a dual role, along with head baseball coach, in the 200708 and 2008-09 school years. Lyon College began membership in the American Midwest Conference in 2012, with 10 member schools. The AMC has since announced that two more institutions – Freed-Hardeman University and Mid-Continent University have agreed to join the league beginning this fall.
program provided by the retirement in May of Dr. Michael Counts, Professor of Theatre and Director of the Harlequin Theatre. One faculty member will be hired to teach core courses and run a theatre program for 2013-14 while the College considers how to proceed with the program. »» Refocus resources provided by the retirement in May of Writer-in-Residence Andrea Hollander. No replacement will be sought for this position at this time. The Heasley Prize Lecture program will continue. »» Implement and support a new
Jon Vestal was appointed the
“Every sport and every athlete on this campus is important to me, whether I’m the basketball coach and [part-time] AD or the [fulltime] athletic director,” he said.
“Every small liberal arts college cites small class sizes and a community feel,” Vestal said. “I want to find what makes Lyon different from that.”
Dr. Weatherman said Coach Jenkins will continue to lead the basketball program until a replacement is named. The search for a new men’s head basketball coach is under way.
To define this brand, Vestal has held meetings with several faculty and staff members; he said that he also plans to meet with students. “To change our brand, we must first figure out who we are,” Vestal explained.
Keep up with the Lyon Scots online at www.lyonscots.com
The
board also made recom-
mendations for the administrative programs:
»» Refocus development and communications efforts to engage a broader constituency and build a brand identity. Jon Vestal, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, will direct this effort. »» Make changes to the Nichols International Studies Program because of growth in the student population and the pop-
ularity of the program. The Nichols Travel Committee will explore ideas to manage the program’s continued growth. »» Establish a one-stop student services center to make it easier for students to conduct business. Representatives from the registrar, business, and financial aid offices will share a central location to improve service.
In
further business, the board requested that a report be compiled regarding the construction of new residence halls and expressed an interest in strengthening the spiritual life of the campus.
New Vice President Vestal beginning brand assessment
Jenkins said he is looking for-
ward to being a part of the search for his replacement as basketball coach, but he also looking forward to taking a more active role in all the sports.
freshman seminar called COR 100, Year One.
After receiving a bachelor’s
Vice President for Institutional Advancement in January, and immediately began assessing the college’s “brand” in order to market it more effectively.
When asked what he planned
to do differently in his position, Vestal said he did not want to change much. “Lyon has so much good about it,” he said, “so I want to
degree in finance from the University of Central Missouri, Vestal worked in sales for about five years. He began working at a college only after one of his close friends at Missouri Baptist University informed him of a job opening in the field. “I loved going to college,” he said, calling his college years the best of his life. “I think a college campus is where I belong.”
keep doing what we’ve been doing in a more systematic fashion.”
He believes “education and the college experience is something that can transform a person,” in a positive way. Vestal said Lyon’s “commitment to excellence in education” is what drew him here.
Vestal said that he enjoys his job, explaining that “there is nothing more rewarding than connecting donors to a cause that they believe in and helping students achieve their dream of a college education.”
“As a fundraiser, I think it is important to believe in the mission of your organization. I believe that Lyon has a great story to tell and that its best days are still ahead,” Vestal said. Spring 2013
13
familiar with Lyon through his parents, Bill and Julia Austin, ’62. LaGina grew up in Highland, Ark., and became interested in Lyon after attending basketball camps at the College. “I already loved the campus and knew my way around, so when it came time to pick a college, it was easy,” she says. Both Brad and LaGina majored in history at Lyon. Brad mentions, “LaGina and I used to study for our history classes together.” LaGina went on to earn her master’s in history at the University of Central Arkansas, while Brad went abroad.
Teaching and appraising history: Alumni find dream careers in Massachusetts by Lilly Hastings, ’13, Communications Intern
In Salem, Mass., a town nearly 1,500 miles away from the small Lyon College campus, two graduates live and thrive, putting their Lyon history degrees to work. Brad Austin and LaGina Austin, both ’94, met at Lyon when they were students. Brad was from western Tennessee, but had always been connected to and 14
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“With the support of Helen Robbins and then-Dean John Dahlquist, I applied for and won a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to study for a year in Aberdeen, Scotland,” Brad explains. Brad then returned to the U.S., earning his master’s degree in history at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and his doctorate at Ohio State in Columbus by 2001. During Brad’s studies, LaGina found exactly what she enjoyed as well. “After Brad and I got married, we moved so he could pursue his Ph.D., first to Knoxville, where I worked in an estate jewelry store, then to Columbus, Ohio, where I worked at an auction house,” LaGina says of her start in the world of auctioneering. She continues, “I have always loved material culture, and growing up, I worked in my parents’ antique shop and auction.” Fortunately for the couple, they made their way to Massachusetts and found careers perfectly suited for each of them. Brad is now the assistant professor of history at Salem State University, and LaGina is the director of appraisal and auction services at Skinner, Inc., an auction house in Boston.
Jenkins promoted to full-time Athletic Director In
a move to assist the Lyon Athletics Department continue to
grow, President Donald Weatherman has promoted Kevin Jenkins into a single role as the College’s Athletic Director. For the past four years Jenkins has served as both Director of Athletics and men’s head basketball coach at Lyon. But with the need for more day-to-day hands-on operations in the administrator’s position, Jenkins welcomes the move with mixed emotions, but looks forward to devoting more time to lead all athletic programs and moving the College forward.
tionship with players and other supporters is a real asset in this regard.
“Of course, after being part of almost 700 basketball games in either a player or coach’s role, I’m going to miss it. But, at the same time, I’m excited about the opportunities ahead for me and the athletic department, as a whole, here at Lyon,” Jenkins said. “After 18 years of day-to-day interactions with my players, that aspect of it, along with the planning, strategy and scheduling of basketball season, are things that I will miss when the season rolls around again.”
Lyon for a number of reasons. In the area of basketball, it is going to open the door for a change in which the 2013-14 season will be the first without Jenkins in a player or coach’s role since 1984, when the institution was called Arkansas College.
Dr. Weatherman had the same thoughts concerning the change in the direction of a full-time leader for the Lyon College Athletic Department. “Lyon College has a clear need to step up its development activities related to its athletic teams and Kevin Jenkins is the ideal person to do that,” Dr. Weatherman explained. “His long-standing rela-
“By assuming this singular role here at Lyon College, he will have more time to devote to development work if he is not worried about coaching or recruiting.”
The
change is a major one at
After a two-year collegiate playing career at Three Rivers Community College, the Alton (Mo.) High School product arrived at Lyon and played for the Scots, beginning in the 1984-85 season. He played two years for the Scots, was named Homecoming King his senior year, and graduated in 1986 with a major in business management. Jenkins stayed at the school as an assistant basketball coach for nine seasons, before moving into the head coach position in 1995, replacing Terry Garner. Over the past 18 seasons, Jenkins has led Lyon to 210 victories. His win total as a head coach puts him third all-time Spring 2013
19
“It’s a great place to be if you care about history and antiques, as LaGina and I both do,” Brad says of the Boston and Salem areas. LaGina agrees, explaining that things fell perfectly for the two: “Brad got a job at Salem State . . . [and] Skinner was advertising for a position in the Americana department, and here I am.”
Brad
Scots earn second trip to national tournament Lyon College women’s basketball sets program record for wins in season by John Krueger, Sports Information Director
Four
seniors that Tracy Stewart-Lange recruit-
ed took the Scots to the NAIA Division I Women’s National Championship tournament a year ago as juniors. This year, with a combined 436 games of experience between them, they took their game up a notch. The Scots returned from their 20-12 season aiming to earn another trip to the national tournament. They achieved their goal after winning a program-record 28 games in their first season in the American Midwest Conference and claiming the regular season AMC Co-Championship. For the second straight year the Scots found themselves in a tough battle in the opening round of the national tournament. Lyon, the No. 5-seed and ranked 19th heading into the elite playoff, led No. 4-seed and 15th ranked Georgetown College 29-28 at the half, but the Scots went through a pair of second-half scoring droughts totaling 10:50 of the clock and fell by a 66-55 final.
But the focus of the 2012-13 season wasn’t how it ended, but how the team advanced to ‘the dance’.
Instrumental in the 28-5 final season record, and equally impressive 17-1 conference mark, were four seniors. They kept the team ranked in the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll for the first 12 polls of the season, yet another first for the program. The Scots started the season ranked No. 23, rose to a pinnacle of No. 15, and headed into the national tourney ranked No. 19. Guard Phagen Altom (Bald Knob, Ark.), who was an Honorable Mention All-American as a junior, led the foursome of seniors, along with forward Debbie Onukwube (Little Rock, Ark.), center Suzanne Fincham (Royal, Ark.) and guard Christine Smith (Bentonville, Ark.). Lyon’s Onukwube was the team’s leading scorer, posting 410 points, or 12.4 per contest. An AMC First-Team All-Conference player this season, she connected on 46.7% (170-of-364) of her field goals and 79.5% (70of-88) from the free throw line, while pulling in 5.1 rebounds a game, fourth-highest on the squad. Altom, who was also a first-team all-conference player in 2012-13, was second in scoring for Lyon, throwing Continued on Page 20
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ahead,” LaGina says. “Luckily, we live in a great area with great speech therapists, audiologists, and doctors close by.” As for the future, it seems solid. “I don’t know that we have any definite ‘plans’ for the future other than trying to keep up with our kids,” Brad explains. LaGina adds, “Brad has tenure at Salem State, and I’ll be at Skinner as long as they’ll have me.”
LaGina
have both become accomplished in their careers. “Last April, I flew to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to accept the Graduate Teaching Award from the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools,” Brad says. “It was certainly an unexpected, but much appreciated, honor.” and
For Skinner, Inc., LaGina does “appraisals for estate and insurance purposes,” as well as takes in “consignments for auction and serve[s] as one of the company’s auctioneers.” Most notably, LaGina works as an appraiser on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow. On this program, people bring in antique items for appraisal from experts like LaGina. LaGina draws on her education daily. Her most-used Lyon skill? “Learning to communicate clearly—whether writing or speaking,” she says. “Every day, I have to tell clients, either on the phone, by e-mail or in person, that their cherished heirloom is not worth a million dollars. I have to let them down gently.”
The
couple spends their free
time with their two daughters, Stella, 8, and Phoebe, 2. “Phoebe just recently received her second cochlear implant (she was born profoundly deaf), so we have a long road of speech therapy
This summer, Brad will co-edit a book with the University of Wisconsin Press. “I’ve also gotten an advance contract with another university press for a book on American college sports during the Great Depression, and I hope to see that one in print sometime soon, too,” he says.
LaGina works as an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow.
Brad
LaGina
both encourage current Lyon students to look for careers that students are passionate about, as well as careers that pay the bills. LaGina says: “Figure out what you like or want to do. Then figure out a way to get paid for it.” and
Brad explains that being a professor is “a fantastically rewarding career . . . [but it also] requires a fair amount of sacrifice . . . Coming out of graduate school, I was offered jobs in Oregon and Massachusetts, and while both are beautiful and attractive places, neither is close to our lifelong friends and family.” Despite the sacrifices, Brad and LaGina love what they do and would not trade their careers and life in Massachusetts for anything else. The couple encourages current Lyon students to pursue further education, whether in graduate school or in a career, as long as they always maintain a passion for learning. Spring 2013
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1
7
8
Black Tie Blue Jeans Ball raises $160,000 for scholarships
2
3
4
More students will have the opportunity to get a quality education after Lyon College’s annual Black Tie Blue Jeans Ball raised more than $160,000 for student scholarships.
Lyon College awards $7 million annually in scholarships and grants to help students attend college. The money raised at Black Tie Blue Jeans will help underwrite a portion of this student assistance.
More than 300 people from Batesville, Little Rock, and surrounding cities and states attended the Black Tie Blue Jeans Ball. This is the second year for the event, which features a silent auction and live auction, a gourmet dinner, and live music and dancing. It is held at the Cow Palace at Chimney Rock in Concord.
Live auction items included a weeklong stay in the tropical Turks and Caicos Islands, a fully restored 1972 Volkswagen Beetle, an exquite piece of custom jewelry, a vacation in a ridge-top cabin in the Smokey Mountains, a golf or ski trip at a Michigan resort, a Bad Boy lawnmower, a handmade king-size quilt, a weekend at the races at Oaklawn, a gourmet dinner and private concert for 10 at the home of President and Mrs. Donald Weatherman, a weekend of pampering in Little Rock, a Memphis getaway including Club Level seats at a FedEx Forum event, a performance by the Lyon College Pipe Band, and a Black Angus heifer. More than 75 silent auction items ranged from student artwork to hunts to golf course memberships and even a large generator.
Lyon College Vice President for Institutional Advancement Jon Vestal said 100 percent of Lyon students receive some amount of scholarship. “This year, with the help of our sponsors and guests, we surpassed our $150,000 dollar goal,” he said. “The money raised will go toward the Lyon College Annual Scholarship Fund. Our alumni and friends know the quality of a Lyon education and came to support our students.”
5
16
6
The Lyon College
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9
10
1) Laura Winters, Kaitlyn Duncan, Madeline Roberts, Callie Boyce, Robbi Riggs, and Maggie Hance 2) Bidders enjoy the live auction 3) Mary and Robert Young 4) Jon and Maegan Vestal and Lynn Weatherman 5) Lucy Yeager, Mary Eleanor Mosley, and Carolyn Peiserich 6) Brien Nix Hall, Donald Weatherman, and Julea Garner 7) Ricky and Cindy Davis and Chris and David Heringer 8) Raymond LaCroix, Patrick Mulick, and Diane LaCroix 9) Landon Downing and Jon-Michael Poff 10) Perry Wilson and Jennifer Vess Spring 2013
17
1
7
8
Black Tie Blue Jeans Ball raises $160,000 for scholarships
2
3
4
More students will have the opportunity to get a quality education after Lyon College’s annual Black Tie Blue Jeans Ball raised more than $160,000 for student scholarships.
Lyon College awards $7 million annually in scholarships and grants to help students attend college. The money raised at Black Tie Blue Jeans will help underwrite a portion of this student assistance.
More than 300 people from Batesville, Little Rock, and surrounding cities and states attended the Black Tie Blue Jeans Ball. This is the second year for the event, which features a silent auction and live auction, a gourmet dinner, and live music and dancing. It is held at the Cow Palace at Chimney Rock in Concord.
Live auction items included a weeklong stay in the tropical Turks and Caicos Islands, a fully restored 1972 Volkswagen Beetle, an exquite piece of custom jewelry, a vacation in a ridge-top cabin in the Smokey Mountains, a golf or ski trip at a Michigan resort, a Bad Boy lawnmower, a handmade king-size quilt, a weekend at the races at Oaklawn, a gourmet dinner and private concert for 10 at the home of President and Mrs. Donald Weatherman, a weekend of pampering in Little Rock, a Memphis getaway including Club Level seats at a FedEx Forum event, a performance by the Lyon College Pipe Band, and a Black Angus heifer. More than 75 silent auction items ranged from student artwork to hunts to golf course memberships and even a large generator.
Lyon College Vice President for Institutional Advancement Jon Vestal said 100 percent of Lyon students receive some amount of scholarship. “This year, with the help of our sponsors and guests, we surpassed our $150,000 dollar goal,” he said. “The money raised will go toward the Lyon College Annual Scholarship Fund. Our alumni and friends know the quality of a Lyon education and came to support our students.”
5
16
6
The Lyon College
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9
10
1) Laura Winters, Kaitlyn Duncan, Madeline Roberts, Callie Boyce, Robbi Riggs, and Maggie Hance 2) Bidders enjoy the live auction 3) Mary and Robert Young 4) Jon and Maegan Vestal and Lynn Weatherman 5) Lucy Yeager, Mary Eleanor Mosley, and Carolyn Peiserich 6) Brien Nix Hall, Donald Weatherman, and Julea Garner 7) Ricky and Cindy Davis and Chris and David Heringer 8) Raymond LaCroix, Patrick Mulick, and Diane LaCroix 9) Landon Downing and Jon-Michael Poff 10) Perry Wilson and Jennifer Vess Spring 2013
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“It’s a great place to be if you care about history and antiques, as LaGina and I both do,” Brad says of the Boston and Salem areas. LaGina agrees, explaining that things fell perfectly for the two: “Brad got a job at Salem State . . . [and] Skinner was advertising for a position in the Americana department, and here I am.”
Brad
Scots earn second trip to national tournament Lyon College women’s basketball sets program record for wins in season by John Krueger, Sports Information Director
Four
seniors that Tracy Stewart-Lange recruit-
ed took the Scots to the NAIA Division I Women’s National Championship tournament a year ago as juniors. This year, with a combined 436 games of experience between them, they took their game up a notch. The Scots returned from their 20-12 season aiming to earn another trip to the national tournament. They achieved their goal after winning a program-record 28 games in their first season in the American Midwest Conference and claiming the regular season AMC Co-Championship. For the second straight year the Scots found themselves in a tough battle in the opening round of the national tournament. Lyon, the No. 5-seed and ranked 19th heading into the elite playoff, led No. 4-seed and 15th ranked Georgetown College 29-28 at the half, but the Scots went through a pair of second-half scoring droughts totaling 10:50 of the clock and fell by a 66-55 final.
But the focus of the 2012-13 season wasn’t how it ended, but how the team advanced to ‘the dance’.
Instrumental in the 28-5 final season record, and equally impressive 17-1 conference mark, were four seniors. They kept the team ranked in the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll for the first 12 polls of the season, yet another first for the program. The Scots started the season ranked No. 23, rose to a pinnacle of No. 15, and headed into the national tourney ranked No. 19. Guard Phagen Altom (Bald Knob, Ark.), who was an Honorable Mention All-American as a junior, led the foursome of seniors, along with forward Debbie Onukwube (Little Rock, Ark.), center Suzanne Fincham (Royal, Ark.) and guard Christine Smith (Bentonville, Ark.). Lyon’s Onukwube was the team’s leading scorer, posting 410 points, or 12.4 per contest. An AMC First-Team All-Conference player this season, she connected on 46.7% (170-of-364) of her field goals and 79.5% (70of-88) from the free throw line, while pulling in 5.1 rebounds a game, fourth-highest on the squad. Altom, who was also a first-team all-conference player in 2012-13, was second in scoring for Lyon, throwing Continued on Page 20
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ahead,” LaGina says. “Luckily, we live in a great area with great speech therapists, audiologists, and doctors close by.” As for the future, it seems solid. “I don’t know that we have any definite ‘plans’ for the future other than trying to keep up with our kids,” Brad explains. LaGina adds, “Brad has tenure at Salem State, and I’ll be at Skinner as long as they’ll have me.”
LaGina
have both become accomplished in their careers. “Last April, I flew to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to accept the Graduate Teaching Award from the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools,” Brad says. “It was certainly an unexpected, but much appreciated, honor.” and
For Skinner, Inc., LaGina does “appraisals for estate and insurance purposes,” as well as takes in “consignments for auction and serve[s] as one of the company’s auctioneers.” Most notably, LaGina works as an appraiser on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow. On this program, people bring in antique items for appraisal from experts like LaGina. LaGina draws on her education daily. Her most-used Lyon skill? “Learning to communicate clearly—whether writing or speaking,” she says. “Every day, I have to tell clients, either on the phone, by e-mail or in person, that their cherished heirloom is not worth a million dollars. I have to let them down gently.”
The
couple spends their free
time with their two daughters, Stella, 8, and Phoebe, 2. “Phoebe just recently received her second cochlear implant (she was born profoundly deaf), so we have a long road of speech therapy
This summer, Brad will co-edit a book with the University of Wisconsin Press. “I’ve also gotten an advance contract with another university press for a book on American college sports during the Great Depression, and I hope to see that one in print sometime soon, too,” he says.
LaGina works as an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow.
Brad
LaGina
both encourage current Lyon students to look for careers that students are passionate about, as well as careers that pay the bills. LaGina says: “Figure out what you like or want to do. Then figure out a way to get paid for it.” and
Brad explains that being a professor is “a fantastically rewarding career . . . [but it also] requires a fair amount of sacrifice . . . Coming out of graduate school, I was offered jobs in Oregon and Massachusetts, and while both are beautiful and attractive places, neither is close to our lifelong friends and family.” Despite the sacrifices, Brad and LaGina love what they do and would not trade their careers and life in Massachusetts for anything else. The couple encourages current Lyon students to pursue further education, whether in graduate school or in a career, as long as they always maintain a passion for learning. Spring 2013
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familiar with Lyon through his parents, Bill and Julia Austin, ’62. LaGina grew up in Highland, Ark., and became interested in Lyon after attending basketball camps at the College. “I already loved the campus and knew my way around, so when it came time to pick a college, it was easy,” she says. Both Brad and LaGina majored in history at Lyon. Brad mentions, “LaGina and I used to study for our history classes together.” LaGina went on to earn her master’s in history at the University of Central Arkansas, while Brad went abroad.
Teaching and appraising history: Alumni find dream careers in Massachusetts by Lilly Hastings, ’13, Communications Intern
In Salem, Mass., a town nearly 1,500 miles away from the small Lyon College campus, two graduates live and thrive, putting their Lyon history degrees to work. Brad Austin and LaGina Austin, both ’94, met at Lyon when they were students. Brad was from western Tennessee, but had always been connected to and 14
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“With the support of Helen Robbins and then-Dean John Dahlquist, I applied for and won a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to study for a year in Aberdeen, Scotland,” Brad explains. Brad then returned to the U.S., earning his master’s degree in history at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and his doctorate at Ohio State in Columbus by 2001. During Brad’s studies, LaGina found exactly what she enjoyed as well. “After Brad and I got married, we moved so he could pursue his Ph.D., first to Knoxville, where I worked in an estate jewelry store, then to Columbus, Ohio, where I worked at an auction house,” LaGina says of her start in the world of auctioneering. She continues, “I have always loved material culture, and growing up, I worked in my parents’ antique shop and auction.” Fortunately for the couple, they made their way to Massachusetts and found careers perfectly suited for each of them. Brad is now the assistant professor of history at Salem State University, and LaGina is the director of appraisal and auction services at Skinner, Inc., an auction house in Boston.
Jenkins promoted to full-time Athletic Director In
a move to assist the Lyon Athletics Department continue to
grow, President Donald Weatherman has promoted Kevin Jenkins into a single role as the College’s Athletic Director. For the past four years Jenkins has served as both Director of Athletics and men’s head basketball coach at Lyon. But with the need for more day-to-day hands-on operations in the administrator’s position, Jenkins welcomes the move with mixed emotions, but looks forward to devoting more time to lead all athletic programs and moving the College forward.
tionship with players and other supporters is a real asset in this regard.
“Of course, after being part of almost 700 basketball games in either a player or coach’s role, I’m going to miss it. But, at the same time, I’m excited about the opportunities ahead for me and the athletic department, as a whole, here at Lyon,” Jenkins said. “After 18 years of day-to-day interactions with my players, that aspect of it, along with the planning, strategy and scheduling of basketball season, are things that I will miss when the season rolls around again.”
Lyon for a number of reasons. In the area of basketball, it is going to open the door for a change in which the 2013-14 season will be the first without Jenkins in a player or coach’s role since 1984, when the institution was called Arkansas College.
Dr. Weatherman had the same thoughts concerning the change in the direction of a full-time leader for the Lyon College Athletic Department. “Lyon College has a clear need to step up its development activities related to its athletic teams and Kevin Jenkins is the ideal person to do that,” Dr. Weatherman explained. “His long-standing rela-
“By assuming this singular role here at Lyon College, he will have more time to devote to development work if he is not worried about coaching or recruiting.”
The
change is a major one at
After a two-year collegiate playing career at Three Rivers Community College, the Alton (Mo.) High School product arrived at Lyon and played for the Scots, beginning in the 1984-85 season. He played two years for the Scots, was named Homecoming King his senior year, and graduated in 1986 with a major in business management. Jenkins stayed at the school as an assistant basketball coach for nine seasons, before moving into the head coach position in 1995, replacing Terry Garner. Over the past 18 seasons, Jenkins has led Lyon to 210 victories. His win total as a head coach puts him third all-time Spring 2013
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SCOTS, continued from Page 18
JENKINS, Continued from Page 19
in 12.1 per contest. Her 399 points put her in the 1,000-point club as a Lyon College player in just three years with the team. She headed to the national tournament with 1,040 points (14th best in Lyon history), finishing with 1,057 and an 11.1 points per game average for her career. She was also the third highest rebounder on the squad, pulling down 5.4 per game, while leading Lyon in assists with 102 and steals with 61.
at Lyon, behind R. C. “Dick” Winningham (227) and Garner (224).
Fincham, a two-sport standout (along with volleyball) at Lyon and honorable mention all-conference in both sports this year, led the Scots in rebounding with a 6.2 average, while sporting the third best scoring average on the team with an 11.4 points per game average. A member of the 1,000-kill “club” in her career on the volleyball court, she was the best shooter on the Scots, connecting on 51.3% (121-of-236) of her field goals and 77.2% (112-of-145) of her shots from the line. Her 548 career rebounds ranks her 8th all-time at Lyon. Smith steadily moved up the scoring ranks this season, finished fourth on the squad in scoring, throwing in 8.6 points per game. She was also fourth on the team in assists with 49, while adding 38 steals.
The
senior-led squad was once again under the direction of Stewart-Lange. The 2012-13 American Midwest Conference Coach of the Year had the pieces of the puzzle together and led her squad to the most wins ever by a Lyon College women’s basketball program.
In her eight years at Lyon, the coach has steadily improved the program, winning at least 13 games in six of her seasons, eclipsing 17 wins five times and 20 wins the last two years. She has a combined mark of 137114 (.546) at Lyon and is a graduate of the College. From top: Christine Smith, Debbie Onukwube, Phagen Altom, Suzanne Fincham 20
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The 2005-06 TranSouth Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year then moved into a part-time role as Lyon College’s Athletic Director in 2009, replacing Kirk Kelley, who also served in a dual role, along with head baseball coach, in the 200708 and 2008-09 school years. Lyon College began membership in the American Midwest Conference in 2012, with 10 member schools. The AMC has since announced that two more institutions – Freed-Hardeman University and Mid-Continent University have agreed to join the league beginning this fall.
program provided by the retirement in May of Dr. Michael Counts, Professor of Theatre and Director of the Harlequin Theatre. One faculty member will be hired to teach core courses and run a theatre program for 2013-14 while the College considers how to proceed with the program. »» Refocus resources provided by the retirement in May of Writer-in-Residence Andrea Hollander. No replacement will be sought for this position at this time. The Heasley Prize Lecture program will continue. »» Implement and support a new
Jon Vestal was appointed the
“Every sport and every athlete on this campus is important to me, whether I’m the basketball coach and [part-time] AD or the [fulltime] athletic director,” he said.
“Every small liberal arts college cites small class sizes and a community feel,” Vestal said. “I want to find what makes Lyon different from that.”
Dr. Weatherman said Coach Jenkins will continue to lead the basketball program until a replacement is named. The search for a new men’s head basketball coach is under way.
To define this brand, Vestal has held meetings with several faculty and staff members; he said that he also plans to meet with students. “To change our brand, we must first figure out who we are,” Vestal explained.
Keep up with the Lyon Scots online at www.lyonscots.com
The
board also made recom-
mendations for the administrative programs:
»» Refocus development and communications efforts to engage a broader constituency and build a brand identity. Jon Vestal, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, will direct this effort. »» Make changes to the Nichols International Studies Program because of growth in the student population and the pop-
ularity of the program. The Nichols Travel Committee will explore ideas to manage the program’s continued growth. »» Establish a one-stop student services center to make it easier for students to conduct business. Representatives from the registrar, business, and financial aid offices will share a central location to improve service.
In
further business, the board requested that a report be compiled regarding the construction of new residence halls and expressed an interest in strengthening the spiritual life of the campus.
New Vice President Vestal beginning brand assessment
Jenkins said he is looking for-
ward to being a part of the search for his replacement as basketball coach, but he also looking forward to taking a more active role in all the sports.
freshman seminar called COR 100, Year One.
After receiving a bachelor’s
Vice President for Institutional Advancement in January, and immediately began assessing the college’s “brand” in order to market it more effectively.
When asked what he planned
to do differently in his position, Vestal said he did not want to change much. “Lyon has so much good about it,” he said, “so I want to
degree in finance from the University of Central Missouri, Vestal worked in sales for about five years. He began working at a college only after one of his close friends at Missouri Baptist University informed him of a job opening in the field. “I loved going to college,” he said, calling his college years the best of his life. “I think a college campus is where I belong.”
keep doing what we’ve been doing in a more systematic fashion.”
He believes “education and the college experience is something that can transform a person,” in a positive way. Vestal said Lyon’s “commitment to excellence in education” is what drew him here.
Vestal said that he enjoys his job, explaining that “there is nothing more rewarding than connecting donors to a cause that they believe in and helping students achieve their dream of a college education.”
“As a fundraiser, I think it is important to believe in the mission of your organization. I believe that Lyon has a great story to tell and that its best days are still ahead,” Vestal said. Spring 2013
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College begins strategic planning process Work
is under way on a
new strategic plan for Lyon College that will guide the institution for the next five years. The process actually began last fall with the assessment and prioritization of all academic and administrative programs. That report was submitted to the Board of Trustees in February and the board approved a number of recommendations from President Donald Weatherman. Now the strategic planning process formally begins this spring. Here is the Strategic Planning Timeline: Spring 2013 Preparation for strategic planning »» Preliminary review of mission and vision statements »» Development of plan and timetable
»» Identification of committee members
June 2013 Planning update to board
Spring 2013 Data collection and preparation
August 2013 Strategic Planning Steering Committee refines and develops draft plan
April 1, 2013 Strategic Planning schedule in place April 18-19, 2013 Recruitment of trustee members April 2013 Recruitment of community members
its
February
meet-
ing, President Donald Weath-
erman presented to the board a number of possible actions that he explained were designed to position the College for sustainability and growth.
Week of April 22, 2013 Strategic Planning Steering Committee coordination meeting
October 7, 2013 Plan forwarded to board
According to Dr. Weatherman, “Cuts of recent years have not put the College on a path to sustainability. Future sustainability can only be accomplished by growing the student body, and the decisions we make must all be driven by that objective.” After much discussion, the board approved the following actions 12
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»» Create a Celtic Studies minor with emphasis on bagpiping and drumming in response to many inquiries from prospective students about Celtic studies. The curriculum will be composed of current Scottish Arts courses and others from music, history, and English. »» Redesign the business major to focus heavily on such enriching applied experiences as
Founders’ Day: October 18 Homecoming: October 18-20 Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet: November 16
September 2013 Action completed by assemblies September 30, 2013 Plan reviewed by cabinet and president
concerning the academic programs. Any students affected by these changes will be “grandfathered” until the completion of their degrees.
Family Weekend: September 13-15
First week of September Plan forwarded to assemblies
October 18, 2013 Board action TBD Implementation begins
Positioning the College for sustainability At
Fall 2013 Events
August 2013 Planning update to board
April 18-19, 2013 Planning process discussed with Executive Committee of BOT
Week of April 22, 2013 Planning committees begin work
SAVE THE DATE!
intern- and externships, and regular interaction with local businesses and business people. Recent assessment and external data will be used to measure and analyze the current program in an effort to strengthen it. »» Bolster the secondary education program, especially in the sciences. As a result of anticipated changes in the state education licensure standards, we likely will phase out any elementary education licensures. »» Take the opportunity to examine the future of the theatre
Dear Fellow Alumni: I’m sending out this brief note to remind each of you that our alma mater continues to rely on our support in its efforts to provide a top-quality educational experience for current and future students. Alumni contributions provide valuable support for scholarships, facilities, and programs. Furthermore, a strong record of alumni giving is one important indicator of Lyon’s strength as an institution of higher education. I am reminded daily of the opportunities that have come my way in life as a direct result of the education I received here. When I speak to my two oldest children, who are also alumni, about their professional successes, I am even more grateful for my association with Lyon over the years. My interactions with students, staff, and faculty reinforce my belief that there is no other place quite like Lyon and no other institution that deserves my support more than this one. As alumni, we have the opportunity to both preserve
what is special about Lyon and invest in its future. Please join me in doing so by visiting the website at www.lyon.edu/support-lyon-donate for more information and to make a donation. Let’s do what we can to help keep Lyon vibrant and growing! Sincerely,
Kimberly Crosby, ’92 Alumni Council President
Keep in touch! »» Join the Lyon College Alumni Facebook group! www.facebook.com/groups/lyonalumni »» E-mail alumni@lyon.edu to sign up for the @LYON electronic newsletter, your update on Lyon College and its alumni. Spring 2013
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Clarence W. Cash, ’65, was named as one of the two best bankruptcy lawyers in Little Rock by Soiree magazine, which polled lawyers and readers. Linda Roth, ’69, writes, “I’ve retired from teaching at Vanderbilt’s English Language Center and moved to North Carolina. I’m teaching part time and enjoying grandchildren.” Johnny Henderson, ’73, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at Baylor University, has been named to the initial class of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) in recognition of his international excellence in mathematical sciences and service. Professor Henderson was chosen among the 1,119 international mathematicians representing more than 600 global institutions announced Nov. 1 by the society as inaugural AMS Fellows in the program’s initial year. The prestigious designation recognizes members who have made outstanding contributions to the creation, exposition, advancement, communication, and utilization of mathematics. The AMS Fellows program seeks to create an enlarged class of mathematicians recognized by their peers as distinguished for their contributions to the profession and to honor excellence. Martha Miller, ’73, was named the new director of the Arkansas Department of Heritage by Gov. Mike Beebe. Miller replaces Cathie Matthews, who retired at the end of 2012 after 15 years of leading the agency. Miller previously served as deputy director for the Department of Arkansas Heritage Museums. Formerly a self-employed attorney and lobbyist, she has served on the boards of Lyon College, the Little Rock Interfaith Hospitality Network, and Audubon Arkansas.
L-R: President Donald Weatherman, Mrs. Lynn Weatherman, Mrs. Janis Walmsley, Justice Bill H. Walmsley 22
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Jo Ann (Kerr) Richards, ’78, writes, “My husband, Dr. F. E. Richards, Business Management Department Head at Lyon College ’73 - ’80 died Sept. 16, 2012, at Hospice here.” Tracy (Prior) Seffers’, 87, poem “Understory (Red in the Bud)” has been named a poetry winner in the literary contest of the literary magazine “Still” and is being published in that journal, her third poem to appear there. Fellow alums can see Tracy’s poems by going to www.stilljournal.net and clicking on her name. Chris Allen, ’92, writes, “Well, it’s official. The new vice-president of the Mid-South Fly Fishers is .... drumroll please ... me. I look forward to the challenge and hope I can make a difference.” Sonya Platt, ’92, passed the Arkansas Bar exam in July and received my Law license in September. Timothy Stokes, ’92, is the new president of South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Wash. He previously served as executive vice president at Tacoma (Wash.) Community College. Dr. Stokes received Lyon’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011. Tony Walker, ’92, writes, ”I received my Master of Science in clinical mental health from Henderson State University and am currently working at Quapaw House, Inc. in Hot Springs.” Rick Fahr, ’92, was a winner in the annual Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors Awards contest. Fahr, then publisher of the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, received recognition both for his hard news column titled “A Problem Too Close to Home” and for his service to Freedom of Information.
A reception was held for Justice Bill H. Walmsley, ’63, on Jan. 10 at Bradley Manor. President and Mrs. Donald Weatherman hosted the event, which was well attended by the community. Gov. Mike Beebe recently appointed Walmsley, a Batesville attorney and former Lyon College trustee, to the Arkansas Court of Appeals. He replaced Judge Jo Hart, who was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court. Walmsley began his law practice in Batesville in April 1966 and is the longest practicing attorney in Batesville. He served in the Arkansas Senate from 1971-82. His appointment expires Dec. 31, 2014.
No tuition increase for 2013-14 The Lyon College
Board of Trustees has frozen tuition and fees for the 2013-14 academic year in response to changes in the Arkansas lottery scholarship. The board took this unusual action because it recognizes the need to keep Lyon affordable and accessible to students and their families. “The combined effect of the down economy, the uncertainty of the future, as well as the reduction in state scholarships has the families of our students and prospective students concerned,” President Donald Weatherman explained. “Lyon College does not want to add to their worries by placing an additional burden on them. That is the main reason the Board of Trustees decided to freeze tuition, room and board, and all fees at this year’s rate for the 2013-2014 fiscal year.”
Three
and a half years ago, when the lottery scholarship took effect, most schools in Arkansas raised their tuition to match the new funds. Now, the Arkansas Legislature is lowering the amount available to incoming students. To help those students and their families access a premier liberal arts education, Lyon College has frozen tuition and fees.
“The last few years have been very difficult for many families seeking higher education,” said Vice President for Administration David Heringer. “Unemployment rates are high, prices on everything from food to gas have gone up, incomes have gone down, the Arkansas Challenge (lottery) Scholarship has been adjusted down, and the federal budget—which determines
50
Percentage of Lyon College students who qualify for low-income Pell Grants
70
Percentage of Lyon College students who are from Arkansas and potentially affected by changes to the Arkansas Challenge Scholarship
4.2 Percentage of the average 2012-13 tuition increase at private colleges
0
Percentage of the 2013-14 tuition increase at Lyon College
Pell Grants and student loan interest rates—is uncertain.” Heringer continued: “Given the current climate in higher education and obstacles facing families seeking a chance for their children, higher education must be sensitive to students and families’ needs. Lyon especially considers cost because of the composition of our student body. Nearly 50 percent qualify for low-income Pell Grants and 70 percent come from Arkansas. These are students and families potentially taking a double-hit from recent changes to the Arkansas Challenge Scholarship and rising tuition. But we’re doing what we can to help families.”
According
to the College
Board, the average 2012-13 tuition increase was 4.2 percent at private colleges, and 4.8 percent at public universities. The 10-year historical rate of increase is approximately 6 percent per year. Lyon College has long been recognized as one of higher education’s best bargains among private, selective liberal arts colleges. All Lyon students receive some form of financial assistance. Lyon’s tuition for 2012-13 is $23,370; room and board is $7,560; and the student activity fee is $224, making a total comprehensive fee of $31,154. With the board’s action, the same fees will apply for 2013-14. To apply or refer a student to Lyon College, contact the Office of Enrollment Services at 1-800-4232542 or admissions@lyon.edu. Spring 2013
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Writer-in-Residence Andrea Hollander retiring by Samantha Jones, ’14, Communications Assistant
In 1990, Dr. Virginia Wray told Andrea Hollander
of Lyon College’s need for a professor for an evening program, lamenting Hollander’s lacking a master’s degree. To Wray’s surprise, Hollander did, in fact, have a master’s degree—in Comparative Literature, no less. Hollander has been teaching at Lyon ever since, and will retire in May.
Dr. Tebbetts commented on Hollander’s work,
calling her “a vital member of the English faculty” and a “wonderful teacher.”
“She’s a wonderful poet whose work, recognized at the highest levels, has brought national attention to the quality of Lyon’s educational program,” he said. He recounted how Hollander has helped many Lyon Hollander started in the spring of 1991, teaching students gain admission into nationally recognized Western Literature and Speech. The master’s of fine arts programs, following year, she took over for Dr. noting how Hollander “has been Terrell Tebbetts during his yearlong a wonderful friend of students, of “She’s a wonderful poet sabbatical, becoming a visiting colleagues, and of the College.” whose work, recognized assistant professor of English. A few of her students inquired about at the highest levels, has Hollander recounted the creative writing, and Hollander brought national attention time she won the Nicholas Roerich agreed to teach a self-designed Poetry Prize in 1993; she was flown to the quality of Lyon’s course on the subject. The class met to New York City to give a poetry regularly twice a week, and it went educational program.” reading. One of the Board of over well with students and staff. Trustees members at the time, Doyle Later that year, Hollander was “Rog” Rogers Jr., offered to fly six of named writer-in-residence, allowing her to nurture Hollander’s colleagues to New York to hear her speak. the Visiting Writers Program she had founded. In “That was just great fun,” Hollander said. “Lyon really addition, she used an endowment in creative writing feels like home to me.” to initiate a fellowship program that brought award“I like this school,” she continued. “I have great winning writers to Lyon to teach. colleagues. I have good students.” She credited Seeing the limited funds for the creative writing Lyon with “giving [her] a life,” having published all program, Hollander went part-time in 1999. This her books while teaching at Lyon. She has already allowed her to take one semester off, a sabbatical accepted visiting writer jobs at other schools, hoping in which she could spend her time writing. “I love to continue teaching after retiring from Lyon. She will teaching,” Hollander said, “but I don’t get to write reside in Portland, Ore., where her son also lives. much when I teach.” 10
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Victoria (Wyatt) Queen, ’93, was honored last October by the Springfield Business Journal of Springfield, Mo., as one of 20 women selected as the Most Influential Women of 2012. After graduating with one of the last classes of Arkansas College, Queen went on to work at Lyon for 10 years as the director of hospitality. After Lyon, she still worked in higher education. Queen was teaching at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield when she first formulated the idea for Victory Trade School (VTS). The school’s website explains that VTS, where Queen currently serves as president, is an institution that focuses on providing “accredited education in culinary arts and discipleship program for nontraditional students.” VTS also provides several different programs, scholarships, and volunteer opportunities for its students to “gain the skills necessary to make a living,” as well as “life skills necessary to enter society as productive citizens.” According to Brian Brown’s article in the Springfield Business Journal, Queen is a nontraditional student herself, currently working on her doctorate of philosophy in higher education through Saint Louis University. The article also explains that Queen credits her time working at Lyon College for the “team approach to leadership” she now utilizes at VTS. Queen has two children, son Kris and daughter Kelley. In 2005, she married Alan Queen. Her daughter, Kelley Wyatt, is currently a senior at Lyon College. Karen Culp, ’94, reports that she has accepted a position teaching 7th-grade English and social studies at Jarrett Middle School in Springfield, Mo. Gregory Tebbetts, ’96, and his wife Stacy announce the birth of their son, Louis Christopher Tebbetts, on Jan. 16, 2013. He weighed 5 lbs., 12 oz. and was 17.5 inches long. Johnathan Horton, ’98, was named as one of the two best bankruptcy lawyers in Little Rock by Soiree magazine, which polled lawyers and readers. Mikhail “Misha” Kouliavtsev, ’98, married Sarah Gabriella Cummings, now Sarah Kouliavtsev, on Oct. 27, 2012. Misha is teaching economics at Stephen F. Austin State University. Heather Adams Ward, ’98, writes, “I have officially been hired as a full-time second-grade teacher in the Conway School District, effective immediately.”
Katie (Hecox) Biron, ’99, and Jonathan Biron, ’99, write, “Jonathan recently accepted a position at Microsoft as an OSHA Compliance Officer. He finds it a very interesting and challenging position. He works at Microsoft corporate headquarters in Redmond, WA. We recently moved to Redmond as the 4-hour daily commute was a killer! Katie is a stay-at-home mom to our two little girls. Emma is 4 years old and Charlotte is 2. They keep us busy and entertained. There is never a dull moment around here!” Leah (Vest) DiPietro, ’99, has accepted a position as the Coordinator for the College of Engineering at Wichita State University’s Office of Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning. Lori (Carter) Laman, ’99, was inducted into the Cave City Hall of Fame on Dec. 18, 2012. She is expecting her second child in May 2013. Jerra (Quinton) Baker, ’00, writes, “On Nov. 3, 2012, I married PS1 John E. Baker, a classmate of mine from high school with whom I reconnected after 15+ years. John left his post at the Naval Ceremonial Guard in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1, just before the wedding. After some training in San Antonio, a honeymoon in the Caribbean in mid-December, the holidays, and a deployment to the Persian Gulf through April 2013, John and I will make Washington state our home for the next three years while he is stationed aboard the USS John C. Stennis. I will continue my work as executive director of the Trail of Tears Association, working remotely from the Pacific Northwest. We both are thrilled to be starting this new chapter in our lives!” Edward Brock, ’00, writes, “The last six months have been very exciting. I have recently finished my MBA and have been promoted to President of Citizens State Bank in Bald Knob, Ark. My oldest stepdaughter has also recently become engaged and will get married in June 2012. Life is good!” Jon Orsborn, ’01, has accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Robin (Burleson) Ruetenik, ’01, writes “In early September I moved back over the Mississippi River from Rock Island, Illinois, to Davenport, Iowa, and bought my first house. As if that weren’t enough for big life events, on Sept. 27, I married Tadd Ruetenik, a philosophy professor here at St. Ambrose UniversiSpring 2013
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ty. His daughter, Nina, 6, completes our family, along with my son, Lane, 8.”
tion Center as an Education Specialist developing and revising training packages,” she writes.
Bethany (Klonowski) Wallace, ’01, writes, “My husband and I welcomed our daughter, Margaret Jacqueline, into the world on Nov. 16, 2012. Right now I am staying home with her while finishing up my Master’s in English degree at Arkansas Tech University. I’m looking forward to teaching online courses as an adjunct professor in the fall at a community college.”
Skye Hart, ’06, is the solo vocalist on the new CD recording The First Printed Organ Music. Issued a few months ago on the Loft label, the recording features music by the blind German organist Arnoldt Schlick that was printed in 1512. The organist on the CD is Kimberly Marshall, Skye’s organ professor from his days as a graduate student at Arizona State University. Half the tracks on the album are of Skye singing the various Gregorian chants upon which the organ works are based. The CD may be purchased through Amazon.com. Skye is the full-time director of music and liturgy at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Christian (Speegle) Campbell, ’03, writes, “My husband Jacob and I welcomed the birth of our first son, Harrison Craig Campbell, on Jan. 25, 2012.” George Jared, ’03, won two first-place awards in the annual Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors Awards contest. He was recognized for his news feature titled “Fighting for Life” and for his health-related story “Diabetes Struggle,” both for the Jonesboro Sun. Danielle Elders Robertson, ’03, passed the Arkansas Bar Exam administered last summer, maintaining Lyon College’s strong tradition of Lyon alumni passing the Bar the first time they take it. Sanders Lee Wyatt, ’03, and his wife Melissa announce the birth of twins. Harris Copp Wyatt and Hunterson Davey Wyatt were born on Feb. 14, 2013. Samantha (Dale) Hatfield, ’04, joined Lawrence Health Services of Walnut Ridge as its first pediatrician. Hatfield, originally from Cave City, returns to the area after completing her medical degree at UAMS (Little Rock) and her residency at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. In Walnut Ridge, she will provide services to the Family Medical Center as well as Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Hatfield currently lives in Strawberry with her husband, Bryan. Valerie (Wylie) Nichols, ’05, writes, “Oct. 13th, 2012, Matt Nichols and I were married in a small intimate wedding surrounded by family. We are happily living in Benton, AR.” Andrew Shepherd, ’05, and Jennifer (Cross) Shepherd, ’07, welcomed their first child, Carter David Shepherd, on Nov. 30, 2012, at Christchurch Women’s Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand. He weighed 8 lbs., 10.45 oz. and was 21.65 inches long. Sarah Williams, ’05, has started a new job. “I will be working for the National Guard Professional Educa24
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Robert L. Bailey, ’07, has been admitted to a master’s program in theoretical and applied linguistics at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, where he plans to specialize in discourse analysis and second language acquisition and pedagogy. He currently lives in Andorra, where he teaches English as a foreign language to adults. Courtney Russell, ’07, was recently recognized in the Jonesboro Sun newspaper for her accomplishments as a high school special education teacher. Russell, who studied history and political science at Lyon, currently teaches a small classroom of 10th- to 12th-grade special education students at Jonesboro High School. “I love my students! They are (almost) always happy, and they love to work and participate,” she said. “We have fun and laugh and still manage to get all of our work done.” In her classroom, Russell focuses primarily on life skills. She says she teaches her students “what they need to be functional in their lives after high school. We practice money, social skills, cooking, and entertaining [one’s] self.” Academics, such as biology and math, are also incorporated into Russell’s curriculum through different learning techniques; in this way, her students can learn the specific skills they’ll need and will learn them more effectively. Russell will receive her Master of Science in Education in Special Education—Instruction 4-12 this May. She also attends behavioral crisis prevention classes and hopes to complete a Certified Nursing Assistant course within the next few years. Russell says these opportunities will “help me deal with the disabilities I see in my classroom every day.”
state-funded summer program for gifted and talented high school students. Boling remembered the program, called “Shakespeare Page to Stage,” bringing 50 students to Lyon’s campus each summer for a threeweek immersion in Shakespearean theatre.
language,” he said. “It was a great way to go out.”
An expert on Shakespeare, Boling taught the students how to study plays critically in the morning. In the afternoon, Counts taught beginning acting to all the students. When the students performed a Shakespeare play on the last Friday of the program, Boling sat next to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s theatre critic. “She told me that the kids’ performance surpassed nearly every college production she had seen that year,” Boling said, praising Counts’ effective teaching style.
After working as an actor in his younger
Counts spoke highly of his graduates, such as Emily Fleming, Warren McCullough, Missy Speer, Jack Lofton, and Ron Hanks. He described how McCullough, upon entering the professional world, was amazed at how well prepared he was compared to others in his profession. “Companies want to hire people in the theatre program because they have discipline,” Counts said, naming teaching, law, and business among the many professions theatre graduates may enter.
Counts
said that he wears many hats in the
theatre department; he is “artistic director, production director, and building manager,” among many other jobs. “It’s not an easy job,” he said, “but I have more good memories than bad memories of my time here.” Counts directed his last production at Lyon, Twelfth Night, in February. “It’s the finest comedy in the English
Counts could not choose a favorite production, saying, “They all have their own unique thing that makes them special.”
years, Counts decided to pursue a theatre degree. He received his bachelor’s from Pace University and later earned his master’s degree from Hunter College and his doctorate from the City University of New York. Learning theatre history, theory, and criticism, Counts discovered how to study a play as a whole. He said this skill has served him well in teaching theatre, as he applies it to every production he directs. “When you’re acting, you just have to worry about yourself. When you’re teaching, you have to worry about 30 people,” Counts said. He hopes to try acting again upon retiring and moving to Albuquerque, N.M. Why did he choose Albuquerque? Counts said he did not like Los Angeles, Calif., and he could not afford to live in New York City, two of the American hubs for the entertainment industry. He compromised with Albuquerque, which is affordable as well as nurturing a growing entertainment industry. Counts said that he wants to go for the “heavier parts” when acting, preferring characters that operate in shades of grey. While he looks forward to acting again, Counts expressed bittersweet feelings regarding retiring: “I will be sad to leave my students and colleagues behind.”
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But the physical changes to the campus cannot compare to the changes Counts has inspired within the theatre program. Counts has announced plans to retire at the end of the spring term. When Counts began teaching at Lyon, the Holloway Theatre had been open for only a little over a year. Counts described the theatre as “chaos,” saying it was “in pretty bad shape for a pretty new building.”
Professor of Theatre Michael Counts takes his final bow by Samantha Jones, ’14, Communications Assistant
In 21
years of teaching theatre at Lyon
College, Dr. Michael Counts has seen many changes occur to the campus landscape. He stood by as the Lyon Building and the Young House residence hall were built, and he watched Edwards Commons burn down and rise from the ashes.
Before Counts began working at Lyon, the theatre department had experienced quite a bit of turnover in faculty, he said, so students were unaware of how to use theatre equipment, lighting equipment in particular. “I could see fingerprints all over the lamps,” Counts said, so he had to teach students how to properly handle lenses.
According
Counts,
he wanted most to instill professionalism in his students. He described professionalism as “doing your best every time.” He believes many of his students have possessed this skill upon graduating with a theatre degree. Of professionalism, Counts said, “When you get out of college, you can apply it to any profession.” to
Dr. Ron Boling, associate professor of English, acknowledged the professionalism of Counts’ students, recalling a “brilliant” seminar Counts designed in the late 1990s for AEGIS, a
Ben Thielemier, ’07, has been elected to serve as chairman of the Little Rock Sustainability Commission for the next two years. Brooke (Hollis) Chapman, ’08, writes, “Just checking in to let you know that I was happily married to Ethan Robert Alan Chapman on Friday, Oct. 12, 2012.” Caleb Derrington, ’08, writes, “Well, I’m done. Now a Commissioned Officer in the United States Navy!” Gavin Johannsen, ’08, is working on the new CBS series Vegas. He writes, “I’m the assistant to the showrunner. I’m basically one promotion away from becoming a full-time writer . . . I do a lot of proofreading; mostly I’m utilized as a story guy. I read every draft of every story document that comes out and try to find all the logic issues if there are any. I help keep episode continuity and character arcs.” Jessica (Brents) Dunham, ’09, has earned a Masters of Tourism Administration - Event and Meeting Management from George Washington University Katie Harris, ’09, passed the Arkansas Bar Exam administered last summer on her first attempt. Shanna (Stringer) McQueen, ’09, writes, “I would like to announce that my husband, Van Michael McQueen, ’10, was acepted to UT Memphis Dental School yesterday afternoon. We plan on moving to Memphis next summer before he starts school. He will be part of the Fall 2013 class.We are all so very proud of him!” Judd Deere, ’10, writes, “I have accepted a ‘new position’ in Senator Mike Crapo’s (R-Idaho) office and will now be serving as his Press Secretary & Digital Director. Our previous Press Secretary recently, departed to become the Senator’s Communications Director on the Banking Committee where he is now the Ranking Member. My new position will continue to allow me to oversee and implement his social media strategy, while also serving as his spokesman and primary media contact, as well as many other things.” Judd previously worked for Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark.
Bridget Nutt, ’10, writes, “After two years of absolutely loving my job on Capitol Hill with U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, I decided to make a career move. On October 1, I (began) as an account coordinator for Fireside21. Fireside21 is a non-partisan software company that services Capitol Hill offices for website hosting, constituent databases, e-newsletter outreach, and tele-townhalls; it streamlines constituent communications for Hill offices, making it simpler, faster, and better for Congressmen to get their message out. I will be assisting with the help desk, researching best practices for online media, web analytics, website effectiveness, search engine marketing, maintaining positive client relationships, and writing media/marketing communications on behalf of the company. I am excited for this change of pace and thrilled to be working with such bright and talented people while moving in the direction I feel my career is taking me: communications and social media.” Nate Pyle, ’10, writes, “Well, I just went from being the most well-known person in higher education in the State of Arkansas without a job to being the least well-known person in higher education in the State of Arkansas with a job. A meteoric rise, I tell ya! It’s an Academic Coordinator position at the Arkansas State University campus at Beebe. It’s working directly with Upward Bound, and I’ve got about 15 different job descriptions ... even to get a little teaching experience. The biggest bonus is I get to do whatever I can to make sure about 80 of some of the most disadvantaged students in the state get whatever they need to make them go to college and to succeed.” Charli Steed, ’11, a second-year law student at Washington University in St. Louis, is on the staff of the law school’s Journal of Law and Policy. Lauren Honeycutt Teachout, ’11, found out recently that she was accepted to dental school at UT Memphis. “I am so incredibly excited,” she said. “Thank you, God, for answering our prayers.”
Jake Howard, ’10, reports that he is now a senior quality assurance analyst at Blizzard, working directly with game developers and staying hands on with the new gaming products. 8
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friend.” Huskey-Gilbert noted how Creighton helped her through a semester in which she took 18 credit hours, allowing her to take a self-designed course in order to graduate on time. “It was during that semester I made the decision to go on to graduate school to gain a master’s in adult education,” Huskey-Gilbert said, adding how she wants to “inspire others the way Mrs. Creighton had inspired” all of her students. Dr. McNamee believes that Creighton’s humble beginnings caused her to have such sensitivity regarding her students. “Given her personal experiences, she had real empathy for students at the College,” he said.
He described the way Creighton got many students through difficult times by simply being a “very kind” person. He said that Creighton exemplified Lyon’s motto, “Perseverantia Omnia Vincet Deo Volente,” which means “Perseverance Conquers All, God Willing.” “She knew first hand what it takes to persevere,” McNamee said.
In Memoriam
Memorial donations may be made to the Lyon College endowment.
Former VP and Dean John T. Dahlquist John T. Dahlquist, former vice president of
academic services and dean of faculty of Lyon College, died Feb. 12 in Bedford, N.H.
Mildred Elizabeth (Thomas) Webster, ’37, of Little Rock died July 22, 2012, at age 95. She was born Dec. 2, 1916, in El Dorado. She attended public schools there and in Batesville, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, after also attending Arkansas College (now Lyon) and Vanderbilt University. On Dec. 14, 1941, she married W. Charles Webster of Lincoln, Neb. Employed by the Masonic Grand Lodge of Arkansas in 1955, she retired in 1981. Her father had been Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge from 1935 until his death in 1955. She was a member of First United Methodist Church, Little Rock, for more than 75 years and a life member of the Methodist Women’s Society of Christian Service. She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years. Allie Raye Ivy, ’47, age 78, of Marcella, Ark., died May 31, 2012. She was born June 27, 1933, at Mountain View. She worked as an LPN for many years. She was a member of the Mountain View General Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband Lynn Ivy.
to Earl A. Tripp Sr. and Ovie Orena Jackson Tripp. She was a school teacher and a member of the Central Avenue United Methodist Church in Batesville. Mrs. Porter began her 30-year teaching career in 1948, the year she graduated from Arkansas College (now Lyon College). She taught at Corning for a year, then Desha, then finished her career in Batesville public schools, with brief interruptions for her two children. She became a science teacher at Batesville Junior High School in 1967, where she remained until retiring in 1985. Her two professional passions were science and teaching. She led many students to careers as doctors, engineers, chemists and teachers. She received the Arkansas College Friend of Education Award in 1989. After her retirement, she increasingly cared for her husband, Ralph A. Porter, until his death in 1992. She then began working at Tripp Supply and enjoyed seeing family and friends – including former students – until she moved to Columbia, Mo., in 2009. She was active in PEO for many years. Survivors include her son, Jeff Porter and his wife, Laura Killett Porter, of Columbia, Mo., and a brother, Earl Tripp of Batesville.
Billie Louise (Tripp) Porter, ’48, age 85, of Columbia, Mo., formerly of Batesville, died Nov. 22, 2012. She was born in Sulphur Rock, Ark., on Oct. 14, 1927,
Robert Spencer Rutherford, ’49, age 88, died Dec. 16, 2012, in Heber Springs. He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Ina Belle Nicholas Rutherford,
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In addition to his distinguished service as academic dean, he served as interim president of the College from January to July 1989 between the tenures of Presidents Dan West and John Griffith.
Originally
from
Sault St. Marie,
Mich., Dr. Dahlquist attended American University in Washington, D.C., and the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Theology at Boston University in Boston, Mass. He then received his Ph.D. at Boston University in 1963. At Arkansas College, Dr. Dahlquist became dean in 1978 and also was a history professor from 1978 to 1997. He was named vice president for academic service and dean of the faculty from 1985 to 1992. He returned to the classroom as a history professor after
retiring as dean. The Board of Trustees named him an Emeritus Professor of History after he retired.
Dr. Dahlquist
was an extensive traveler throughout his life, specifically visiting several different countries in Europe. During the presidency of Dan West, Dean Dahlquist helped create an international studies program that would eventually become the Nichols International Studies Program. He accompanied the first study trip abroad by Lyon students. He was also an active member in the Batesville community during his time at the college. He was president of the Batesville Symphony League from 19831985 and on the board of directors for United Way of Independence County. He also served as a member of the Arkansas Arts Council and the Batesville Rotary, among other organizations. During his career, Dr. Dahlquist received several awards, including those to attend educational courses and seminars. He was a member of many educational societies, including the American Association of Higher Education and the Arkansas Association of Deans.
Dr. Dahlquist is survived by his wife of over 60
years, Diana March Dahlquist. The couple has three children: a daughter, Dr. Elisabeth Babcock of Boston, Mass., and sons Richard, ’97, of Batesville and Eric, ’92, of Houston, Texas. Memorial donations may be made to the John Dahlquist Scholar Athlete Award at Lyon College. Spring 2013
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Remembering Professor Cassie Creighton by Samantha Jones, ’14, Communications Assistant Professor Emerita Cassie Creighton
started her career when many professionals her age begin contemplating retirement, and she died in January still doing what she loved—teaching. A young, single mother to two children, Creighton moved to Batesville in 1952 and worked as a waitress and at Harris Style Shop. She met her husband, Lionel, during this time, and had two more children with him. The two raised their family while running Nu-Way Cleaners and Laundry. Creighton learned the practical side of business through the cleaners, opting to further her education in 1980. She attended Lyon (then Arkansas College) to receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She went on to earn a master’s degree in business administration from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, becoming a Certified Public Accountant in 1988. Creighton then began her 25 years of teaching at Lyon College. During this time, she received the Friend of Education Award and the Lamar Williamson Prize for Excellence in Teaching, and was also chosen as the 1990 Zeta Omega Woman of the Year. She was the faculty advisor to Omicron Delta Epsilon and Phi Beta Lambda. She also served as the Chair of the Business and Economics Division at Lyon for seven years. Her leadership helped the “division provide a quality education for students,” according to Gary Wann, Associate Professor of Business Administration. After she retired from full-time teaching, she was honored by the Lyon Board of Trustees as a Professor Emerita of Accounting, and she continued to teach on a part-time basis until her death at 85 on Jan. 6, 2013.
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According
to
Dr. Alan McNamee,
a colleague and close friend of Creighton, she was a “deeply caring” person. McNamee recalled that when he was interviewing to join Lyon’s business faculty, he was forced to sleep in an RV because all of Batesville’s hotels were booked up. McNamee said he did not have a car to drive in Batesville, so Creighton and her husband Lionel offered his family a car for the weekend. “She took the time to think of our situation, and she was interested in my family,” McNamee said. He added that Creighton treated everyone the way she treated his family that weekend, giving the Lyon Building a “family” environment. In McNamee’s early years at Lyon, Creighton would have the business faculty at her house once a year for a cookout, inviting her colleagues as well as their families. Creighton still cooked for the faculty in the later years, making a large meal for the Lyon Building’s faculty once a semester.
Creighton’s
true legacy, of course, lies in her students. Deb Sisson, ’86, called Creighton her “professor, colleague, friend, and inspiration.” Sisson said that Creighton remembered her in 2000, encouraging her student to come back to Lyon as a visiting instructor. Now an assistant professor at the University of the Ozarks, Sisson said that she owes everything “to my dear friend Cassie.” Whitney Steele, another student of Creighton’s, said that Creighton was “tough, but had such a soft spot for her students.” She said, “I always felt like I could tell her whatever was going on and she would understand. She will definitely be missed.” Brooke Huskey-Gilbert said that Creighton was her advisor, going “beyond that role to that of a mentor and
and his parents, James Luin and Elizabeth (Betty) Rutherford of Batesville. He graduated from Lyon College in 1949 after serving in the armed forces during World War II. A talented collegiate basketball player, his skill led to a short professional basketball career with the now defunct Chicago Stags. He was inducted into the Arkansas College Sports Hall of Fame. He rejoined the armed services and served more than 20 years as a pilot in the Air Force. He retired from the USAF in 1969 after having served during three wars (World War II, Korea, and Vietnam). After retiring from the USAF, he became the Director of Security for the University of Memphis. Malcom E. Moore, ’50, of Batesville died March 15, 2012, in Batesville. He was 88. He was born June 24, 1924, in Muskogee, Okla., and was a businessman, operating a real estate and insurance agency in Batesville. He was a Navy pilot and radioman during World War II. Survivors include one son, Shelby Moore and wife Beatrice of Batesville; and two grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Edith McMillan Moore. Porter Houston Cawly, ’52, age 86, of Granite City, Ill., died Nov. 4, 2012, in a Granite City nursing and rehabilitation center. He was born Oct. 26, 1926, in Mount Pleasant. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He was a long-time educator and principal, serving in the Madison School District from 1954 to 1981. After his retirement, his hobby of woodworking became his business, Cawly’s Woodshop in Madison. He enjoyed serving his community and helping others. Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Mary Verneil Flinn Cawly. William L. Crabtree, ’54, age 81, of Paragould died Feb. 1, 2013, at Jonesboro. Dr. Crabtree was born May 10, 1931, at Oil Trough. He was a 1950 graduate of Oil Trough High School and then attended Arkansas College (now Lyon College) from 1950-53, working during the summer months at car manufacturing plants at Detroit. He met Bonita in the fall of 1952, and they were married Aug. 30, 1953. He coached basketball at Pleasant Plains from 1953-55, where his junior team was state runner-up in 1955. He coached the following year at Cave City, and then he had a career change: Repossessing cars for Universal CIT for three years. He then decided to get his dental education, taking classes at Memphis State and Arkansas
State universities. He graduated from dental school in 1963. Upon graduation, he moved with his family to Paragould and began his dental practice. He remained in private practice, W.L. Crabtree Family Dentistry, until December 2012. Sports were always a passion of his, and he became a high school basketball official and refereed for seven decades, his last game being in February 2012. He is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Bonita of the home, and a host of family and friends. Ina Belle (Nicholas) Rutherford, ’56, age 82, died June 21, 2012, at her Eden Isle residence in Heber Springs. She was survived by her husband of 61 years, Robert, who died in December (see obituary above). Other survivors include a daughter, a son, and a host of family and friends. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a business degree. At the university, she was a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority, Razorback Beauty, Homecoming Court and Commerce Queen. Married to Air Force pilot Robert, they spent tours of duty in Texas (twice), Illinois, Alabama, Tennessee and Scotland. After Robert’s retirement, they moved to Eden Isle. William Wade Hicks, ’59, age 91, of Batesville died Dec. 4, 2012. Born July 17, 1921, in Batesville, he was the son of William Washington Hicks and Minnie Pearl Hampton Hicks. He was a graduate of Batesville High School and Arkansas College (now Lyon). He served in the U.S. Navy for four years during World War II. He retired from the Batesville School system, where he taught physical education and coached football for more than 38 years. Survivors include his wife of 66 years, Ada Raye Hicks; a son.; a grandson; and three great-grandchildren. Peter Roberts Hale, ’61, age 75, of Beaufort, N.C., died Nov. 12, 2012. Rev. Hale was born July 30, 1937, in Newton, N.J. He attended Southwestern at Memphis and graduated from Arkansas College in 1961. In 1964, he graduated with a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va. Rev. Hale served churches in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. After marrying his wife Ann on Nov. 30, 1968, the couple moved to Maryland. He retired from his last full-time church, Poplar Tent Presbyterian Church, Concord, in 2002. In Beaufort, Rev. Hale served as stated supply for Grace Presbyterian Church before serving as interim associate pastor at First PresSpring 2013
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byterian Church in Morehead City. After a successful battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, he became the prayer minister at First Presbyterian Church. Rev. Hale was a lifelong student of languages and cultures. Rev. Hale also served as a volunteer firefighter in Virginia and Maryland. He is survived by his wife of almost 44 years, Ann Tomlinson Hale, and other loving family members. Larry Neill Jeffery, ’61, age 79, of Desha died Feb. 13, 2013, at White River Medical Center. Born Jan. 4, 1934, in Mount Olive, Arkansas, he graduated from Lyon College and was a retired school teacher having taught at Concord, Batesville High School and Desha, where he was the principal as well as a teacher and coach. He was commander of the Desha VFW. He was a veteran of the U. S. Army and Arkansas National Guard and a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Mount Olive. He is survived by his son, Bryan Jeffery and his wife, Candace of Oxford. He was preceded in death by his wife, Wanda Carlile Jeffery. Colleen Marie Kephart, ’61, age 72, of Batesville, died Nov. 18, 2012. She was born at Huff on Feb. 11, 1940. She was a graduate of Pleasant Plains High School and attended Arkansas College. She had served as an executive secretary, but upon returning to Independence County she had busied herself as a homemaker, gardener and church volunteer. She was an active member of the Independence Missionary Baptist Church of Pleasant Plains. She is survived by her husband of 34 years, George Kephart of the home, and a host of family and friends. Rayburn G. Richardson, ’62, age 77, of Jonesboro, died Dec. 1, 2012. Born in Sage, Rayburn lived in Brockwell before moving to Jonesboro in 1993. He was a graduate of Lyon College. Rayburn coached, taught and served as superintendent at Violet Hill High School for several years before accepting the position of executive director of the North Central Arkansas Development Council. Following his tenure with NADC, Rayburn taught and coached at Melbourne High School until his retirement. He was a member of the Church of Christ and was also a cattle farmer. Survivors include his wife, Kay Richardson of the home, two children and and four grandchildren. William Andrew McWeeny, ’63, age 74, of Little Rock, died Oct. 10, 2012. He was born on July 22, 28
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1938, in Memphis, Tenn. He attended Rhodes College, where he met his future wife, Dorothy (“Dot”) Sieplein from Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Lyon College, and earned a Master of Divinity and a Doctorate of Ministry in Homiletics from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Bill was a retired Presbyterian minister, a call which he faithfully answered each day since his ordination in 1965. He was active in interim ministry and in the work of the Presbyteries of North Alabama and Arkansas. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Dot; two daughters, four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and countless family members and friends. Bob G. Stobaugh Sr., ’63, age 72, of Batesville died Dec. 30, 2012. He was born in Bragg City, Mo., on Dec. 25, 1940. He completed high school at Risco, Mo., and attended Arkansas College (now Lyon) in Batesville and was a member of the Arkansas College Scots basketball team. He was a salesman for Builder’s Supply of Batesville, North Arkansas Cash Lumber and Bryant Lumber Co. He was a great basketball player, holding the Risco High School single game scoring record of 54 points, and this record was not broken for 20 years. He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Batesville. He is survived by his wife, Gayle Young Stobaugh of Batesville; two sons; a granddaughter, and numerous family and friends. William G. Luke III, ’65, age 70, died after a brief illness on Sept. 28, 2012. He graduated from Arkansas College and did postgraduate work at Fairfield University, Fairfield, Conn. William taught at Fairfield Country Day School in Fairfield, Conn., for 13 years before relocating to Yorktown, Va., in 1980. He continued to teach in area schools until his retirement. He enjoyed woodworking, aviation history, animals, water sports and volunteering at Mary Immaculate Hospital. William is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Barbara Winburn Luke, two children, a grandson, and many loving nieces, nephews and friends. Mike Kendall, ’71, age 64, of Batesville died Aug. 31, 2012, at his home. He was born Jan. 16, 1948 at Batesville to W. S. “Dub” and Willene Carpenter Kendall. He worked in banking and securities for 26 years, having established Kendall Financial Consultants in 1988 and established Citizens Financial Services at Citizens Bank in 1995. He was a member of Rotary for 34 years, having served as secretary-treasurer and past presi-
think I have ever had a more amusing, joyous and rather spiritual tour of someone’s artwork.” Finally, the third H, Hands, is obvious in Shea’s craftsmanship. He paints so meticulously he fools the eye. He even painted finger prints on the image of a piece of Scotch tape, making it appear so real that one viewer tried to peal it off the painting. He sculpts with the same care, with straw, hay, twine, feathers, strips of paper, and moonstones assembled not with expressionist abandon but with thoughtful attention to color, size, placement, and effect.
Shea’s most recent splash came with his talk at Crystal
Bridges a few weeks ago. In following up on that talk, I chatted about Shea’s work with Niki Ciccotelli Stewart, the museum’s Director of Education and Exhibitions. I loved hearing that she finds the same wonderful qualities in Shea’s art that I do. She’s intrigued, she says, with how Shea is “deeply rooted in where he came from,” with how he takes what is “simple” from his roots and “transforms” it while magically still keeping it simple. His work, she says, “is as layered as he is.” Shea’s continuing rootedness came out in a change he requested while reviewing the publicity planned for his talk. Where the draft described him as “Arkansas-born,” Shea had responded, “I am an Arkansan no matter where I live.” It came out as well in an e-mail Shea recently sent me about another artist who loved and mined and transformed his native soil: “I am often talking about Faulkner and him working with the ‘postage stamp’ he knew.”
So, after knowing all this, what do you say to the man Shea Hembrey has become? Here’s a last piece of his story that leads to my answer:
In a New Jersey television interview regarding this latest body of work, this articulate Lyon alumnus spoke beautifully to the soul of its vision. Noting the blackness of 95 percent of the universe, a blackness not empty but full of energy and matter we cannot see and do not understand, and noting that the actual atoms of all seven billion human beings occupying the planet at this moment, if compressed, would take up no more space than a sugar cube, that everything else in human life is just empty space, Shea went on to conclude not with our inconsequence, irrelevance, and insignificance, not with despair, and not with solipsism. No, he concluded exactly as the Shea Hembrey I worked with 17 years ago might have concluded, the Shea Hembrey to whom I can only say, “Thank you for the great heart and soul at the center of your great art.” He concluded thus: “We are little jewels spread out against this great black body.” Left, from top: Shea Hembrey, President and Mrs. Donald Weatherman, and Lyon College art students; Shea and President Weatherman; Shea and Visiting Assistant Professor of Art Morgan Page Spring 2013
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a fascinating man—a thinker, an imaginer, a crafter, and a highly articulate spokesman for the kind of art he practices.
What
kind of art is that? Well, it took
shape after Shea returned from traveling in Europe. He came back a little frustrated with the contemporary art scene, wanting it to appeal to a broader range of viewers and to exhibit finer craftsmanship. He considered arranging an international biennial exhibition of works that did both. But then he imagined an alternate version of such a show. It was to become a show titled “Seek,” a show that won him his first wide recognition. What Shea imagined was an exhibition of 100 works by 100 different artists. Each work would meet two criteria: 1) his “Meemaw” test (could he explain it so his grandmother would “get it” within five minutes?), and 2) his 3H test, appealing to the Head (the intellect) as well as the Heart (the passions), and exhibiting fine craftsmanship from the Hands.
What a splash “Seek” made! It led to Shea’s TED Talk in 2011, which everyone who reads this piece should go to YouTube and see. It’ll take just 15 minutes, and you’ll be charmed by Shea’s presentation and by his audience’s very evident enjoyment of it, with laughter breaking out repeatedly.
“Seek”
turns out to have been just the first big splash for Shea. His most recent work culminated in an exhibition called Dark Matters displayed in the Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in Manhattan last fall. It’s a beautiful, engaging expression of Shea’s continuing ability to use all he has experienced and learned in his creative work. It certainly meets his 3H criteria.
Head, or intellect, is there in its theme. Shea explores the dark matter and dark energy that make up 95 percent of the universe, bringing imaginative light to that dark space. According to the review of the exhibition published in The New York Times, Princeton physicist and black-hole expert Dr. Frans Pretorius Shea had produced commented that one painting in The catch, the difference from the exhibition containing twine standard international biennials, a great combination segments looped across a black was that Shea wouldn’t find those background refers to string theory, of the genres he’d 100 works by 100 artists. He would with one string that “seems to become 100 different artists, creating pursued in his two Lyon be misbehaving” but on closer a bio and aesthetic for each, examination “is being held in place producing their work (over 400 majors—fiction and art. by a piece of tape — a symbol . . . works of art in all), and creating an of how even the most ambitious and exhibition catalogue with fictional elegant theories eventually have to bios and documented photos of be mended to fit new data.” “their” works. Shea would be 100 artists. Heart, or passion, is there as well. The passion that’s And that’s what he did, working for two years at his most evident is Shea’s continuing love of his roots. One New Jersey studio, back home on the family farm, and of his several birds’ nests is there (go to his website and points between from California to China. In the end, you’ll see many of them). Shea constructed this one Shea had produced a great combination of the genres of straws he selected for their particular color. And he he’d pursued in his two Lyon majors—fiction and art. made it bottomless, giving it a black hole. Another He created 100 fictional characters, all with their sculpture named “radius” creates another black hole own “passions in life” and “art styles.” And he created out of hay. hundreds of different works of art. Then there are pieces constructed of banana leaves, “Seek” became a complex, multi-work project that of guinea feathers, of wheat straw, of redbud sticks, of comes across as a visual whole in the same way that rocks and crystals largely from Arkansas, of mother Faulkner’s novels do, with their varying fictional of pearl from shells from the White River—the same voices contributing to a whole that both sums up materials, Shea says, “that I used when I was around and transcends its many parts. In its interdisciplinary five years old and made these weird sculptural models nature, “Seek” became Shea’s mighty expansion of the of how I saw the world fit together.” How much more project that had led to the painting on the cover of passionate about his roots could Shea be? And through this issue. (See the sidebar on Page 3.) all the works runs Shea’s joy in using these materials. A reviewer in the Huffington Post declared, “I don’t 4
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dent. He served on the Board of Directors of Montessori School and United Way, as well as on the Board of Directors of Batesville Chamber of Commerce. He served as committee chairman or co-chairman of the White River Carnival Parade Committee and Batesville Christmas Parade Committee for over 17 years. Mike was an active member of First Baptist Church in Batesville for over 30 years. Survivors include his wife, Myra Coop Kendall of the home; their children and grandchildren. Devilla Williams, ’74, of Beverley, Mass., died Nov. 7, 2012, at age 59 after her courageous battle with cancer. She was born Jan. 31, 1953, in San Francisco, Calif. Devilla was a former resident of Mountain View, Ark., and a graduate of Lyon College. Her career took her many places. She was sales representative for CBS College in New York; senior editor for Dryden Press
in Hinsdale, Ill.; executive editor for Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich, Inc. of San Diego Calif.; managing editor for Shelly Cushman Series, Consumers Technology in Cambridge, Mass.; director of business and media development for Clickmed Corp. in Gloucester, Mass.; and regional director for E-College in Denver, Colo. She was a well-respected and successful owner and breeder of standard poodles. William A. “Dinko” Gooch, ’80, age 71, of Locust Grove died May 6, 2012, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Little Rock. He was born in Lake City and had lived in Northeast Arkansas most of his life. He graduated from Trumann High School, where he played football. He studied graphic arts and enjoyed photography. He loved hunting and fishing and carving things out of wood. He was a veteran of the Air Force, having served during the Vietnam era.
Days gone by:
Cheerleaders pose in front of Brown Chapel in 1967.
See yourself in this photo? Tell us about it! alumni@lyon.edu or www.facebook.com/groups/lyonalumni/
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Charles J. Hoke, former trustee and namesake of Hoke-McCain Hall, 1915-2012 Charles J. Hoke, 97, of El Dorado, Ark., died Dec. 30, 2012, at the John R. Williamson Hospice House. He was born on Aug. 21, 1915, to Henry G. and Lula Gall Hoke in Fairfield, IA.
Hoke-McCain Hall
When Shea
Several of us drove to Jonesboro for opening night. There we clearly saw both Shea’s continued growth as an artist and his creative use of all he’d been learning beyond art. His show consisted of a series of paintings of various objects suspended in various ways from differently arranged pieces of string—all the same and yet each different. It seemed a brilliant way to bring together and play with much of what he’d learned at Lyon and ASU—his artistic aesthetic and craftsmanship, the string theory of physics, and even the multiple narrators in Faulkner’s fiction, all contributing to a single story but each from a different angle.
He was retired as Executive Vice President from Murphy Oil Corp., where he was one of the original employees. He was a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Geological Society of America, and the American Petroleum Institute. Mr. Hoke was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Floy Neeley Hoke; two brothers; and two sisters. Survivors are his daughters, Linda Hoke Bledsoe of El Dorado, and Marsha Hoke Hire (Don) of Birmingham, Ala.; granddaughter, Janet Bledsoe of Fort. Smith; and grandson, David Bledsoe of St. Lucia.
It was in those years, too, that Shea returned to Lyon to serve with me on a search committee to fill his mentor George Chlebak’s position when George retired and to fill a new position in art history. That committee ended up bringing Brody Burroughs and Kerr Houston to the faculty.
Lawrence Derby, longtime trustee and co-endower of the Derby Center, 1926-2013
Also preceding him in death was his first wife, Marilyn Church Derby, whom he married July 25, 1953, at Steubenville, Ohio; she died Oct. 21, 2001. Capt. Derby served for many decades on the Board of Trustees of Lyon College, where he and his late wife endowed the Derby Math and Science Center. Capt. Derby was very proud that the Derby Center has helped lead and promote the education of students in those fields of study. He graduated from the Warren Public School system, where he played football and basketball for the Lumberjacks. After graduation from Warren High School, he attended Arkansas A&M at Monticello where 30
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went on to his M.A. program in painting
at Arkansas State University after graduating from Lyon, he no more lost touch with his Lyon roots than he had with his rural roots back home. He kept in touch about his work and invited his Lyon friends to his M.A. exhibition in ASU’s gallery.
Mr. Hoke was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, a graduate of the University of Illinois, and was a former trustee of Lyon College. He was a longtime supporter of Lyon; Hoke-McCain Hall is named in his honor.
Capt. Lawrence H. “Larry” Derby Jr., U. S. Navy (Ret) of Warren, Ark. and Hot Springs, Ark. died Jan. 9, 2013, in the North Park Medical Center in Hot Springs. He was born June 30, 1926, in Warren, a son of the late Lawrence H. Derby Sr. and Mable Meek Derby.
The Shea I knew was not just eager to learn the new: he was also delighted to embrace his roots in rural Arkansas, so different from the intellectual and aesthetic realm he was preparing to enter but just as valuable to him as a man and, yes, as an artist too.
he shortly received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Being a Naval jet pilot was his true love. After graduation from the Academy, he spent a long and eventful career (30 years) in the Navy and the Naval Reserve, earning the rank of captain and becoming one of the first centurion jet pilots to earn 100 consecutive successful landings on the aircraft carrier, The Midway. He served in the Korean Conflict and transferred into the Naval Reserve, serving in Pensacola, Florida, for many years and continuing his flying as a private pilot. On completion of active duty, he returned to Warren to join his father in the Derby Insurance Agency, where he spent over 30 years in the insurance business. He was appointed by Gov. Frank White to the Arkansas Aeronautical Commission, where he helped develop and improve municipal airports all over the state. He is survived by his wife, Jean Lee Derby, of Hot Springs.
After completing his M.A., Shea was welcomed at
various artist colonies, including the UCross Foundation, The Millay Colony, and the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, to name only a few. In these years, Shea kept in touch with another of his Lyon mentors, Writer-in-Residence Andrea Hollander, from whom he had taken several literature classes. While in residence at these colonies, Shea wrote to Andrea about his experiences— sometimes about writers and other artists he met, sometimes about the landscape of the place. Shea and Andrea also corresponded about process—she writing about composing poems, he about the projects he was working on. Once he sent Andrea a gift: a three-piece sculpture consisting of three variably sized “balls,” each constructed and wrapped in different materials. Andrea remembers especially Shea’s love of travel, of meeting people from other places who were equally passionate about creating art. Shea has said that he decided to go on to complete an M.F.A. at Cornell (2007) in part because that degree would qualify him to teach at the college level. He hasn’t traveled that route yet, but if he ever does his colleagues and his students will find him
Shea showed his creative imagination, his love of learning, and his love of his roots when he did the painting that graces the cover of this issue and which hangs in the Alphin Building’s Patterson Room. He was in my Faulkner class the last semester before he graduated. When it came time to start a research project, he proposed producing a painting that drew on images and ideas from the novels we were reading in the class. He was proposing the perfect project for an art/English double major, so I gave him the go-ahead. By the end of the semester, Shea had produced that painting, with its images of a woman hoeing the land (and there were his roots: his mother posed for that, he told me), a pistol (Mink Snopes’ in The Mansion), a compact (Temple Drake’s in Sanctuary), a pocket watch (Quentin Compson’s in The Sound and the Fury), and the paw print of a three-toed bear (Old Ben’s in “The Bear”). Superimposed on it all is the outline of a plantation house representing Thomas Sutpen’s ambitious “design” in Absalom, Absalom!. His painting professor, my colleague George Chlebak, pronounced that painting the best work Shea had done as an undergraduate. When I returned it to Shea, he insisted that he wanted me to have it. I could think of no better place to hang it than in the classroom where we’d studied Faulkner together and where I’d be teaching Faulkner to other students for years to come. So there it hangs to this day. Spring 2013
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What do you say when he’s now represented by the Wylie Agency, the most important literary agency now active, whose other clients have included John Updike, Susan Sontag, Philip Roth, and Andy Warhol? What do you say to him when Lyon College was just his first step away from his home in rural Jackson County, Ark., with further steps to two graduate degrees, the most recent being his M.F.A. from Cornell, to adventures throughout the world, and finally to a studio just outside New York City and a 2012 gallery exhibition of paintings and sculptures at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in Manhattan? What do you say to Shea Hembrey, ’96, when he has done all that and is still in his 30s? How about starting with, “You’ve come a long way, buddy!”
Actually,
Shea Hembrey, ’96, becomes 100 artists by Terrell Tebbetts, Martha Heasley Cox Chair in American Literature
What
do you say to an alumnus who has
made it repeatedly to the pages of the The New York Times, to a speaking event at the New York Public Library in a series also including Umberto Ecco and Joan Didion, to the dais and the collections of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, to a PBS interview, to a Long Beach, Calif., stage for a TED Talk now viewable online and through Netflix and translated into 30 languages, and to his own page in Wikipedia? 2
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none of Shea’s accomplishments have surprised me. After all, I had him in three classes his senior year as he completed his English major—Modern Poetry, Advanced Composition, and Faulkner. And I traveled with him on the Faulkner class trip to Yoknapatawpha County—okay, Lafayette County, Mississippi, and its county seat Oxford, which Faulkner mythologized as Jefferson. The Shea I knew 17 years ago was bright, creative, and eager to learn. And he wanted to learn not just about art and English; he wanted to learn as much as he could in all the areas his bright mind could grasp. Shea spoke with me fondly not long ago about all the people at Lyon he “had conversations with and learned from” whether in class together or not, something that “doesn’t happen” much elsewhere. He is especially grateful for how the faculty encouraged him to “embrace what I found most interesting” and “shepherded me along” toward the career he has opened up.
Doyle Rogers Sr., founding co-chair of Lyon President’s Council, 1918-2013 Doyle Wayne Rogers Sr., 94, of Batesville and Little Rock died peacefully at his Batesville home on Feb. 4, 2013, with his beloved wife of 72 years, Josephine Raye Jackson Rogers, by his side. He is survived by his wife; his daughter, Barbara Josephine Rogers Hoover; and his son, Doyle Wayne “Rog” Rogers Jr., and his wife, Carolyn Wilmans Rogers, all of Little Rock. He is also survived by six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Dr. and Mrs. Rogers were longtime friends and neighbors of Lyon College and served as founding co-chairs of the Lyon President’s Council. Dr. Rogers was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Lyon in 2000, and Mrs. Rogers was honored as an Honorary Alumnus in 2004. Both of their children, Barbara and Doyle Jr., served on the Lyon Board of Trustees. Born on Oct. 20, 1918, in Diaz, Dr. Rogers and his family moved to Newport where his father was a telegrapher for the Missouri Pacific Railroad for many years. He graduated from Newport High School where he fostered his love for the game of tennis. He was attending Arkansas State University when he met his sweetheart, Josephine Raye, in Newport. After they married, Dr. Rogers joined the Air Force and was deployed to Burma where he was in charge of the military post office. After the conclusion of World War II, Dr. Rogers returned to Newport where he worked for Railway Express. Later, he was transferred to Batesville where he served as the Railway Express manager. When offered the opportunity to become division supervisor in St. Louis, he chose to remain in Batesville. Here, he established his real estate company, The Doyle Rogers Company.
in Arkansas. Dr. Rogers also was Director Emeritus of Citizens Bank of Batesville after serving on its Board of Directors for many years.
He pioneered a public-private partnership in 1982 when he developed the Statehouse Convention Center and the Excelsior Hotel, now the Peabody Little Rock. He purchased Metropolitan National Bank in 1983. He remained Chairman of the Board of Metropolitan National Bank until his death. In 1985, he developed the Rogers Building, now the Stephens Building, which was at the time the tallest building
He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Batesville for over 60 years. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the White River Medical Center in Batesville. In 2009, Dr. and Mrs. Rogers received the Pat and Willard Walker Tribute Award from the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Batesville honored him by designating March 6, 2012, as Doyle Rogers Day.
Doyle Rogers
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Leave your legacy
with planned giving. E. Graham Holloway made many contributions to Lyon College during his lifetime. Dr. Holloway was a longtime member of the Lyon Board of Trustees and served as chairman of the board from 1995-98. He also served as interim president of the College in 1988-89 and as the College’s first Executive-in-Residence in 1993.
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Michael Counts takes his final bow
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Professor of Theatre retiring after 21 years
Andrea Hollander says goodbye
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Lyon board freezes tuition, fees
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Strategic planning process under way
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New VP Vestal assessing Lyon’s brand
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Teaching and appraising history
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Black Tie Blue Jeans Ball is a success
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Scots earn trip to national tournament
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Kevin Jenkins takes over a new role
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Alumni News and Notes
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No increase for 2013-14 tuition at Lyon College 6
»» Entitle you to charitable income and/ or gift or estate tax deductions
Plan to increase sustainability and growth
Assessment will increase marketing effectiveness
»» Enable you to leave a legacy for Lyon College
Piper
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Writer-in-Residence retiring after 22 years
»» Provide for you or your loved ones
The Lyon College
In Memoriam
Remembering Cassie Creighton and John Dahlquist
Planned giving involves providing for a future gift to charities through your financial and estate plans. Planned giving arrangements can:
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1996 grad makes waves in the art world
Dr. Holloway’s generosity continued after his passing in 2009. He left a $1.75 million gift to the College through a trust he established to benefit the institution both during and after his life. Dr. Holloway’s generosity was realized as a result of thoughtful planning.
To learn how you can support Lyon College and its students while ensuring your family’s financial future, contact Jon Vestal at 870-307-7208 or jon.vestal@lyon. edu or Gina Garrett at 870-307-7557 or gina.garrett@lyon.edu. More information is also available online at tinyurl.com/ GiveToLyon.
Shea Hembrey becomes 100 artists
Alumni find dream careers in Massachusetts
The family of Graham Holloway (daughter Valerie Skinner, wife Carolyn Holloway, and son Scott Holloway) stand in front of a portrait of Dr. Holloway (left) in the Holloway Theatre. The Holloway Theatre is named in memory of the Holloways’ son, I. Graham Holloway, whose portrait (right) is also displayed in the theatre lobby.
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Gala raises $160,000 for student scholarships
Women’s basketball sets program record for wins in a season
President promotes Jenkins to single role as Athletic Director 18
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Spring 2013 Volume XL, Number 1 EDITOR Bob Qualls LAYOUT Nell Tebbetts, ’07 CONTRIBUTORS Bob Qualls Chandra Huston Samantha Jones, ’14 Lilly Hastings, ’13 John Krueger Terrell Tebbetts STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Chandra Huston SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER David Thomas ALUMNI RELATIONS Taryn Hill Duncan, ’91 Lyon College 2300 Highland Road P.O. Box 2317 Batesville, AR 72503 www.lyon.edu Lyon College offers a liberal arts education of superior quality in a personalized setting. A selective, independent, undergraduate, residential teaching and learning community affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Lyon encourages the free intellectual inquiry essential to social, ethical, and spiritual growth. With a rich scholarly and religious heritage, Lyon develops, in a culture of honor, responsible citizens and leaders committed to continued personal growth and service. PRESIDENT Donald Weatherman VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Jon Vestal
We began this school year cataloging what we do, assessing what we do, and prioritizing what we do, and now we begin the process of figuring out how we can do it better. American higher education is undergoing a time of rapid change, and we must ensure that we do not miss any opportunity that such change may present for Lyon. At the same time, change may bring us new obstacles and challenges. In fall 2012, we conducted an assessment process and looked carefully at how well we are doing what we currently do. In light of that, the Board of Trustees has already approved certain actions concerning the academic programs, including creating a Celtic Studies minor with emphasis on piping and drumming; bolstering the secondary education program, especially in the sciences; and redesigning the business major to focus more heavily on applied experiences such as internships and increased interaction with local companies and business people. It is critical that the College position itself for sustainability and growth. This can be accomplished by growing the student body, and the decisions we make now will be driven by that objective. This spring, we have embarked on the process of strategic planning: collecting and analyzing data; recruiting members for the planning team; drafting and refining a plan. In October 2013, we will launch our plan, the implementation of which will carry Lyon forward over the next five years. The process of strategic planning will certainly afford us the opportunity to examine and reexamine what we do and how we do it. Whether it is education, athletics, or administration, we will seek to improve every aspect of Lyon College. As always, we at Lyon remain committed to offering to each successive generation of students a liberal arts education of unparalleled quality in a personalized setting designed to nurture each student. Sincerely,
ON THE COVER Untitled work by Shea Hembrey, ’96, produced for Dr. Terrell Tebbetts’ Faulkner class. See full story on page 3.
Spring 2013
Office of Public Relations P.O. Box 2317 Batesville, AR 72503-2317 www.lyon.edu
SPRING 2013
Shea Hembrey, ’96, becomes 100 artists BY DR. TERRELL TEBBETTS
Alumni find dream careers in Massachusetts Scots earn trip to national tournament Board of Trustees freezes tuition Remembering Cassie Creighton and John Dahlquist
Buy a brick. Support student scholarships. www.bricksrus.com/order/lyoncollege/
Alumni news and notes