Mars Hill: The Magazine of Mars Hill University - Spring 2016

Amazing Alumna Becca Pizzi ’02 wins World Marathon Challenge E fe of li

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MAGAZINE STAFF:

Mars Hill [mahrz hil]

Editor:

noun

Teresa Buckner, Assistant Director of Communications

1. A site in Athens, also known as the Areopagus, where Paul used persuasive reason and logic to preach Christ to the intellectuals of first-century Greece, as detailed in Acts 17:21 of the Bible.

Associate Editor: Mike Thornhill ’88, Director of Communications Contributors: Rick Baker, Sports Information Director Amy Garrison ’07, Director of Advancement Services Jamie McKee ’00, Director of Online Presence and New Media Dr. Keith Kramer ’88 Rev. Kris Kramer ’88 Matt Willing ’11, Cycling Coach

MARS HILL UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION Dr. Dan G. Lunsford ’69, President Dr. John Wells, Executive Vice President Bud Christman, Vice President of Advancement Neil Tilley, Vice President of Finance and Facilities Management Dr. Grainger Caudle, Executive Director of Planning & Auxiliary Services Joy Kish, Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives Dr. Jason Pierce, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Information Services; Title IX Coordinator

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Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

2. A town in the mountains of North Carolina known for the beauty of its surroundings and its welcoming, small-town atmosphere.

3. A university in the town of Mars Hill which strives to provide the best in liberal arts education for its 1300-some students.

4. A concept (esp. for faculty, students, staff, and alumni of Mars Hill University) signifying that place where faith meets reason, to lay a foundation for a life of character and compassion.

Mars Hill, The Magazine of Mars Hill University is published regularly by the Office of Communications. It is distributed, without charge, to alumni, donors, and friends of the university.

Notices of changes of address and class notes should be addressed to the Alumni Office, Mars Hill University, P.O. Box 6792, Mars Hill, NC, 28754. Phone 828/689-1102. Fax 828/6891292. E-mail alumni@mhu.edu.

Letters to the editor and all other correspondence regarding the magazine should be addressed to the Office of Communications, Mars Hill University, P.O. Box 6765, Mars Hill, NC, 28754. Phone 828/689-1304. Fax 828/689-1105. E-mail tbuckner@mhu.edu.

Postmaster: Send address changes to the Alumni Office, Mars Hill University, P.O. Box 6792, Mars Hill, NC, 28754.

Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.

Cover, background: Joyce Kilmer Forest, courtesy of Marc Mullinax ’77, professor of religion and philosophy. Cover, foreground: Becca Pizzi ’02 completes the first leg of the World Marathon Challenge in Antarctica. Photo courtesy of World Marathon Challenge.

Letter from the President................................... 4 It’s Official! ....................................................... 5 MHU Receives Approval from NC Board of Nursing for Pre-Licensure Nursing

MHU Students Preserve Veterans’ Memories........ 6 Amazing Alumna Becca Pizzi ’02.......................... 8 Alumna Wins 7 Marathons in 7 Days on 7 Continents Amazing Alumnus Dale Similton........................ 10

A Journey of Faith, Hope, and Love

Herr Kramer, Renaissance Man.......................... 12 Carolina Mountains Exhibition.......................... 15 Morley Photos on Display at Rural Heritage Museum Lemmons Recalls the U.S. Marine Band.............. 16 Updates on Construction.................................. 18 Civility In Politics............................................. 20

Part of the Presidential Lecture and Performance Series

Barnhill Exhibition at Ramsey Center................ 21

Exhibition includes Barnhill Photos, Bark Baskets

Athletics Update.............................................. 22 Cycling Team Continues to Excel.......................... 23 It’s Been a Good Season.................................... 24 Denzelle Good Trades the Blue and Gold for the Blue and White

Faculty-Staff Honors and Achievements............. 25 Welcome New Faculty and Staff........................ 26 Class Notes...................................................... 27 Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

There was a song that was popular some years back—one of those so called “one hit wonders”—titled “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades.” That title certainly fits what’s happening here on The Hill. New programs, ready to enroll students. New buildings, about to open. New students, ready to join us under the shadow of Bailey Mountain.

The conventional wisdom though, might lead you to believe the future is not so bright for small, private colleges and universities like Mars Hill. Several smaller institutions have closed or faced severe financial pressures in recent years. Political candidates and the TV talking heads pontificate about making public higher education fully taxpayer funded.

But, still, I contend that our future is, indeed, bright.

Mars Hill University continues to offer an education that moves mountains. We’ve been doing that for 160 years, turning out graduates who are good citizens and not just consumers. I was one of those graduates, now nearly 47 years ago. As a reader of this magazine, there’s a very good chance that you or someone close to you is one of them, too (or soon will be). And that remains our mission as an academic community rooted in the Christian faith.

Unlike the song in the introduction, Mars Hill is certainly no “one hit wonder.”

Study after study confirms that employers want workers who know how to think on their feet and adapt to the rapidly changing climate of business, industry, and economy. Our liberal arts program is integrally connected to the world of work. Our new nursing program, already preparing for its second cohort of RN to BSN students, received approval to begin the pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing program this fall. As this issue of Mars Hill: The Magazine was going to print, the board of trustees approved the addition of a master’s degree in management, which will be the second graduate program offered through our Adult & Graduate Studies program. We’re exploring additional undergraduate programs in outdoor education and dance, among others, and graduate programs in criminal justice and art therapy. These are programs which speak to the needs of our current and future Mars Hill students, and to the needs of the community we serve. And they’re programs in which the underlying liberal arts focus will set our graduates apart from their colleagues and competitors in those fields.

In the pages that follow we celebrate what Mars Hill University has done for decades and continues to do today. From a remembrance of a beloved professor; to celebrations of alumni achievements; to the important work our current students, staff, and faculty are doing, I invite you to take a few minutes to reflect on the cherished past, the vital present, and the bright future of our great institution. And put on your shades.

Dr. Dan Lunsford ’69 President 4

Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

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It’s officia N.C. Board of Nursing Approves MHU Pre-Licensure Nursing Program

and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in April 2015.

Mars Hill University has received approval from the North Carolina Board of Nursing (NCBON) for its traditional, pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.

According to Dr. Cathy FranklinGriffin, dean of the Judge-McRae School of Nursing, the time is right for Mars Hill University to begin offering both programs, as BSN-prepared nurses are in high demand in western North Carolina. At a time when regional healthcare facilities are demanding nurses with four-year degrees, North Carolina has, to date, attained only 45-50% BSN-prepared registered nurses. Mars Hill University hopes to help bridge that gap in the region, she said.

The approval, received on February 1, clears the final hurdle for the opening of the program through the Judge-McRae School of Nursing and makes Mars Hill University one of the few institutions in western North Carolina to offer such a program in a liberal arts context.

Franklin-Griffin said the Mars Hill experience will be unique for students seeking a nursing education. “An interdisciplinary faculty and clinical collaborative partnerships across the region will provide a wealth of educational, training, and employment opportunities,” she said.

Dr. John Wells, executive vice president, said, “This is a step forward for Mars Hill University and it is our honor to be able to offer academic programs that are responsive to the needs of the community.”

The Judge-McRae School of Nursing is named for Norman ’84 and Linda Judge-McRae ’86 of Knoxville, TN. Ferguson Health Sciences Center is named for Jack and Carolyn Ferguson of Candler, North Carolina.

The Judge-McRae School of Nursing will be housed in Ferguson Health Sciences Center, a 28,000 sq. ft. structure currently under construction on the Mars Hill campus. The first class of 25 junior nursing students will enter the BSN program in fall 2016.

The university’s Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program began in May 2015 at the Asheville Center for Adult and Graduate Studies (AGS) in south Asheville.

That program received regional accreditation approval by the Southern Association of Colleges

Dr. Cathy FranklinGriffin

For more information regarding MHU’s Judge-McRae School of Nursing, please visit www.mhu.edu/ nursing or call (828) 689-1600. For additional RN to BSN information, visit www.mhu.edu/ags or call (828) 689-1166. Scholarships and financial aid are available.

Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

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MHU Students Preserve the Memories of Veterans

Sergeant Bernand Briggs of Mars Hill, talks with Jennifer Cardona and Ian Kirkpatrick. Mid-left: Briggs shows Kirkpatrick the dog tags he wore in the Army.

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Sergeant Bernard Briggs, a native of Madison County and a member of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), served in Army Military Intelligence in Berlin, Germany, during the late 1960s. Recently, he sat down with Mars Hill students Ian Kirkpatrick and Jennifer Cardona to describe his experiences.

Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

Briggs told the students about living in Berlin during a time when people from East Germany were routinely shot by East German police for trying to escape to the West. During that period, in the midst of the Cold War, Briggs experienced the resentment of the German people, for whom the devastation of World War II was a fresh memory.

And when he returned to the United States, he was met by the anger of Americans who blamed returning service members for the war in Vietnam.

For university students who were born after the fall of the Soviet Union, and long after the conflict in Vietnam, such stories are the stuff of history books.

Many of them may not know real, live people who

have experienced the major events of the 21st century. But that will be changing due to the work of students in Professor Patrick Cash’s (’11) public history class at Mars Hill University, who intend to preserve the memories of as many veterans as possible in the coming semester.

“This class gives us a different perspective on the past,” Cardona said. “Before this, we’ve only been able to learn things from textbooks. Now, we’re able to learn from people who actually experienced these things.”

Kirkpatrick said the class was a different experience than the average history class and allowed students a more “hands on” experience with people in the community of Madison County.

Both he and Cardona say that the class is their favorite class this semester.

The project is also about generating respect for local veterans and connecting students to their adopted community. “This is just one way to connect students to the community as well as members of living history in the community,” Cash said.

The interviews at MHU are a joint effort of the history department, the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) at MHU, and a number of community partners. The course has been

This is just one way to connect students to the community as well as members of living history in the community.”

According to Cash, veterans groups have identified about 1,600 veterans in Madison County.

“Obviously, we can’t interview all of them this semester, but we have permission from about 30 people who are willing to share their stories with us,” said Cash.

All interviews conducted at MHU will be donated to the Southern Appalachian Archives, as well as the Genealogy Room of the Madison County Public Library in Marshall, NC. Some interviews with members of Mars Hill Baptist Church will be donated to the church library.

In addition, Cash said, many of the interviews will qualify to be donated to the Library of Congress’s Veterans’ History Program (VHP), which collects interviews with war veterans from World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf Wars.

“This is important academically because good interview techniques are important skills, not just for history majors, but for students across the humanities,” Cash said.

Patrick Cash ’11, Instructor of History designated as a Community Engaged course. This is a new designation that signifies to students that the course has a significant amount of service to the community with one of the CCE’s Deep Partners.

According to Caroline Twiggs, CCE Community Partnerships Coordinator, the veterans to be interviewed were located as the result of partnerships with the Madison County VFW, Mars Hill Baptist Church, and Madison County Veterans Services Coordinator Matt McClellan.

“Hopefully, a project like this will not only help the students, but it will encourage local veterans to get in contact with us, as well as veterans’ services that are available in the county,” Twiggs said. “Our goal is that eventually we will reach more vets and extend this opportunity to interview to more classes, so that this becomes a continuously sustainable project at Mars Hill.”

Perhaps one of the best aspects of the project, Twiggs said, is that students will learn that, ultimately, history is about people. “These students will gain a new appreciation for the fact that the individual stories of people are just as important as what’s in the history books.”

Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

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Amazing Alumna Becca Pizzi ’02

First American Woman to Complete (and Win!) the

by Jaime McKee ’00

Becca Pizzi ’02 started running when she was six years old and hasn’t really stopped. Before she joined the Mars Hill cross country team in the fall of 1998, she completed her longest run at the time—the Boston Marathon—at the age of 17. More recently, Becca completed one challenge that no other American woman had before. She ran seven marathons on each of the seven continents in seven days.

In late January, Becca not only won the women’s race of the World Marathon Challenge, she also broke the female record for the challenge in a time of 6 days 18 hours 38 minutes. The journey to completing this challenge began in January 2015 when Becca signed up for the race. The race is capped at 15 people, and she was one of three Americans to run it this year.

Becca lives in Belmont, MA, with her 8-year-old daughter, Taylor. In between working two jobs and being a mom, Becca had to fit in two-a-day workouts, often running before her daughter woke up and doing personal training, Crossfit or yoga after Taylor went to sleep at night.

When asked what motivated her to sign up for this challenge, she replied, “I love to travel, I love to run and I thought it would be the ultimate test of endurance and strength. What an honor to represent our country. It was my goal to show Taylor that you can do anything you put your mind to, and to believe in yourself.”

Taylor was a big influence in Becca’s decision to sign up for The World Marathon Challenge.

“Without her on board, I would not have done it. We have learned a lot about continents and where I ran.”

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Pizzi had a lot of support on each continent with friends and family members joining along the route, including several Mars Hill alumni who showed up and cheered her on in Miami. Mars Hill University Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

cross country and track coach Mike Owens was at the finish line in Miami to surprise Becca.

The World Marathon Challenge started in Antarctica and then traveled to Punta Arenas, Chile; Miami, Florida; Madrid, Spain; Marrakech, Morocco; Dubai, UAE; and finally Sydney, Australia. During the race in Dubai, Becca suffered a groin injury. Once the challenge was completed, she took three weeks off and is now injury-free.

Becca’s achievement has not gone unnoticed across the country. She’s been the topic of reports in newspapers, television, and radio. The town of Belmont held a parade in her honor when she arrived home from Australia and proclaimed February 4th as Becca Pizzi Day. Becca has also teamed up with the Boston Marathon to do motivational talks.

The following is a brief Q&A with Becca: What is one of your favorite memories running at Mars Hill? I LOVED running for MHU and Coach Owens is my favorite. He was very fatherly and very proud of us. We worked very hard and made it to Nationals in cross country.

Which was your favorite continent to run on?

“Antarctica! Despite being freezing, we ran on a glacier and it was beautiful!”

What was the most memorable moment of the challenge? When my parents got to see me finish the World Marathon Challenge on Skype! And seeing Coach Owens in Miami. I was out of my mind happy. He always believed in me and it was surreal having him there.

Can you tell us a little more about what logistically happened by the scenes? How did you recover from each race and where did you change in between the races? We crossed the finish line, got bussed back to the hotel where we would shower, eat at the restaurant, and then head to the airport. There

Becca Pizzi, as she appeared in The Laurel in 2000.

World Marathon Challenge were 12 hours in between Madrid and Morocco, so we showered in an employee restaurant, ate there, and headed to the airport. At all times in the seven days, we were eating, sleeping, running, or flying.

I used compression tights and socks to avoid calf cramping and doubled up on Ultima Replenisher, my electrolyte of choice.

Were there any events that were questionable in terms of getting started on time or flights going as planned? We took a punt in Antarctica. We ran the first lap (of four), hoping the plane was on its way. When we finished the first of four loops, we knew it was en route from Chile.

We were expecting a storm, so lucky for us it held out or everything would have been delayed.

Becca has a goal to run a marathon in all 50 states. She has run marathons in 27 states and plans to run her 16th Boston Marathon in April.

Background photo: Becca runs on a glacier in Antarctica; right, top to bottom: Becca is surprised to see MHU cross country coach Mike Owens at the finish line in Miami; Becca winning the marathon in South America (Punta Arenas); Becca winning the marathon in Africa (Marrakech); and Becca poses with Dan Cartica, an American marine who won the challenge for the men. Top photo, courtesy of John Chastain ’02; Bottom three photos courtesy of World Marathon Challenge.

See more articles and an interview with Becca at www.mhu.edu/extras

Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

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Amazing Alumnus Dale Similton ’86

A Journey of Faith, Hope, and Love article reprinted with permission from the Charlotte Observer

Dale Similton was five years old when his parents abandoned him and his six siblings.

Similton spent 1972–1982 at Boys’ Town in Pineville (now Elon Homes and Schools for Children in Charlotte), where his older brothers, Larry and Wendell, also stayed. Similton excelled in what he describes as a “a supportive, Christian environment.”

He became a standout student-athlete at South Mecklenburg High, where he played basketball, track and football. As a wide receiver, he earned a spot on the Mars Hill College (now University) football team. Similton set records for most receiving yards in a season (940), touch­downs in a game (three) and receiving touchdowns in a season (12).

Similton again is in the school’s spotlight as he is among the 2015 class going into the Mars Hill Sports Hall of Fame. The ceremony [took place] November 7. Similton said the experience [was] special because he [got] to share it with his family, including his wife of 20 years, Dr. Mildred Similton, his sons, Joseph and Daniel, and his younger sister, Donna Rucker.

“It is very humbling to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Similton said. “When I first got the call that I’d be going into the Hall of Fame, it was over­ whelming.

“For me being an abandoned child growing up, and now to get to share something like this with my wife and children and my sister, Donna, who was always my No. 1 fan, is hard to put into words.”

Giving Back Now 52, Similton has spent the past 30 years helping others as an athletic director, coach and mentor.

After graduating from Mars Hill in 1985, Similton returned to Elon Home for Children in Charlotte to serve as a house parent.

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Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

“It was very rewarding to be able to go back to the place where I grew and help others facing the same kind of struggles like I did,” Similton said. “God has blessed me with a passion for helping children. The misery I suffered growing up as an abandoned child, ended up turning into a ministry for me to help kids who grew up just like myself.”

After five years at Elon Home for Children, Similton decided he also could help young people as a teacher and coach. He landed at Charlotte Latin School in 1991.

Similton worked 15 years as a history teacher, junior varsity football coach and varsity basketball assistant, under legendary Charlotte Latin coach Jerry Faulkner.

Dale Similton, as he appeared in The Laurel in 1986.

He also helped start and run Latin’s intramural program, where he often created games for the kids, while inviting guest speakers like Carolina Panthers’ standouts John Kasay and Steve Smith.

“Dale (Similton) has an incredible passion and zest for life and for helping kids, and he had a boundless energy to do so,” said Debbie Lamb, who, for 21 years, has been the head of Charlotte Latin middle school. “Because he came from a tough situation as a child, he appreciates family, from his wife and children, to his colleagues, to his students.”

Similton also has served as the Covenant Day boys’ basketball coach (2006- 08). And now he is athletic director and head boys’ basketball coach for high school varsity and middle school programs at Central Academy at Lake Park. Similton helped build the basketball programs and now they are annual contenders in the Charlotte Area Christian Athletic Association. He also runs “Similton Faith, Hope and Love” summer camps each June and July.

Sister as Inspiration Donna Similton Rucker would go anywhere to watch Dale play basketball or football. She also survived breast cancer as a high school student at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis.

“My younger sister was a major source of motivation for me, because I saw all that she was going through and I wanted to do something for her,” Similton said.

As a senior, he gave Donna his No. 22 Mars Hill football jersey. Dale and Donna shared a special moment this year on Sept. 18- Dale’s birthday.

Donna gave back the jersey to Dale. He now has it framed in his house.

“I couldn’t believe she still had that jersey after all these years,” Dale Similton. “She always believed in me and still means a lot to me today.”

When he needs inspiration, Similton need only look at himself and his siblings Levon, Willie, Sherry, Larry, Wendell and Donna. All now live successful lives. Dale says football provided him

many opportunities but a sport does not define him. “I always wanted to be much more than just a football player,” Similton said recently. “Going into the Hall of Fame is a dream that I would have never expected.

“But for me, it’s not all about what I have accomplished, but about the journey I took.

Through the practices, all the games, all the playing in the backyard dreaming of what I might accomplish. Then through all the set­backs, I never gave up....If people learn anything from my story, I want it to be to always give your best, always work hard, because you never know what can happen.”

See the original story by freelance writer Jay Edwards in the Charlotte Observer: Link at www.mhu.edu/extras

The Mars Hill athletic department inducted its 2015 Mars Hill Sports Hall of Fame Class on Saturday, November 7.

Inductees were: Craig Eckstein, Cross Country/Track & Field (2001-2004); Kristen Shipley (Volleyball 19992002, Track and Field 20002003, Cross Country 2003); Dale Similton, Football (19821985).

Read more at: www.mhu.edu/ extras

Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

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HERR KRAMER, Renaissance Man Mars Hill, the Magazine asked Keith and Kris Kramer, sons of former MHU foreign language professor Bob Kramer, to provide a reflection on the life of their dad.

Herr Kramer!

During his 45 years on the faculty of Mars Hill College, so many people knew and referred to our dad with this endearment. The title he proudly used in his German language and culture classes connected him with his German scholarship as well as his own family heritage.

Our father, Bob Kramer, passed away quietly in September 2015, with our family at his side. We will always miss him, but we are proud of the unique man he was. It is a rare individual whose interests include a passionate blend of academics, athletics, and the arts, but that was our father.

We were blessed to call him father, and we were blessed to share him with the Mars Hill College community. We were pleased to be asked by Mars Hill, the Magazine to write an article about Dad. Now, we’d like to share a bit of his story.

by Dr. Keith Kramer ’88 and the Rev. Kris Kramer ’88

Robert Kramer spent his formative years in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, the only son of a fireman and seamstress. He became the first member of his family to attend college and he quickly discovered a talent and interest in modern foreign languages, especially German, as he studied at Mississippi State University. He completed his undergraduate and graduate work there, fell in love with Connie 12

Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

Beth Noblin and married. Bob, Connie, and their 10-month-old son, Keith, arrived in Mars Hill in the summer of 1965 as Herr Kramer would begin his faculty position at Mars Hill College in modern foreign languages.

The Kramers lived in a rental house adjacent to Moore Auditorium for several years before ultimately building a home in Mars Hill. Living on

campus afforded Bob, Connie, and their two boys the opportunity to interact with college students in a more personal way via sports and in the use of campus facilities.

Bob’s faculty tenure spanned over four decades and four changes of administration. He served under presidents Dr. Hoyt Blackwell, Dr. Fred Bentley, Dr. Max Lennon, and Dr. Dan Lunsford.

During his time as a faculty member, Herr Kramer was asked to be an assistant football coach by MHC coaches Dal Shealy and Don Henderson. He coached the JV team for a period and continued his association with the football team for approximately 30 years. Perhaps his proudest chapter with the Lions was coaching the defensive linemen in 1985 known as “the nasty bunch” as they won the SAC-8 championship and continued to play in the post season. [See Team Reunion on page 26.]

“He believed in us and so we believed in ourselves” said a former defensive lineman, Mike Cross. Herr Kramer was so fond of his players and students, engaging in conversations about their studies and other interests. He was even the best man in one of his students’ weddings many years ago. Bob and Connie would host the position players he coached at their home for supper each fall for what Connie referred to as “hee-man cheeseburgers.” He played a major part in helping hundreds of players complete their college degrees and he spent many evenings conducting study halls for those students who needed extra help. He frequented many athletic events during every season and was one of Mars Hill’s greatest fans, cheering for the Lions year round.

Herr Kramer also cultivated his relationships with the theatre department. He was known for taking roles in plays like “South Pacific,” and in C. Robert Jones’ beautiful “Mandy Lou” in which he played Uncle Oscar. He was especially proud of his starring role as the coach in “That Championship Season.”

And, if he wasn’t in a show he was watching it.

Perhaps his greatest legacy related to the Mars Hill campus and community was his involvement in the development of the Visiting Artists and Lecturers Series. Under his leadership and direction, the college hosted an annual series of seven to ten

Bob Kramer, in 1965, around the time he arrived in Mars Hill, and as pictured in an MHC football program of the 1970s.

events each year, bringing some of the most prestigious talent to Moore Auditorium that the campus has ever had.

He spent countless hours identifying talent, negotiating contracts, booking groups, and attracting them to the Mars Hill community.

The Visiting Artists and Lecturers Series was arguably one the highest quality series of artistic performances at any small college in the country at that time. Acts included PDQ Bach, the Vienna Choir Boys, Peking Acrobats, Broadway shows, and the Atlanta Symphony, in addition to others.

In 1968, Herr Kramer and Ed Howard, a local businessman, traveled to the home of Bascom Lamar Lunsford with the proposal of a music festival on the campus of Mars Hill College, bearing Lunsford’s name. The Bascom Lamar Lunsford festival continues to this day on the campus, celebrating the mountain heritage of music and culture.

Another of Herr Kramer’s passions was film production and development. His interest in film led him to obtain more formal education in the film industry in Los Angeles. Later, he developed a popular course on campus, entitled “Film as an Art Form,” which allowed him to share his love of movies with students. He enjoyed the structure of this class because he saw the educational value in encouraging students to willingly and openly express themselves about film.

Herr Kramer loved to travel and truly had a passion for seeing the world. He was a firm believer that experiences elsewhere improved one’s perspective and worldview. He received an impressive three Fulbright scholarships for academic study. He spent extended time in Germany studying Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. He also led other group tours to Europe and the Far East. He was with a Mars Hill Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

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group outside the Forbidden City in Tiananmen Square, China, the day before the student uprising there in 1989. He longed to see the world and in so many somewhat subtle but wonderful ways, he brought the world back to Mars Hill.

Herr Kramer hosted several exchange students from France and Germany and he worked to develop a strong modern foreign language faculty that could offer language skills to music and business majors. These skills, he felt, would enhance the students’ global awareness. He initiated the installation of a dish on the roof of Cornwell Hall to enable the recording of international television to be used as part of the curriculum. He worked to create and modernize a language lab to insure the offerings for students were among the best in the state.

Through the years while Bob taught at Mars Hill, Connie taught elementary school in Madison County. Keith and Kris attended Mars Hill College, participated on athletic teams at the college and, coincidentally, both graduated in 1988.

Keith went on to attend medical school and currently is a cardiologist. He and his family live in Kingsport, TN. Kris pursued seminary post-graduate education and he became an ordained priest in the Church of England. He and his family live in Jacksonville, FL, where he is a chaplain.

Herr Kramer had a strong faith and he was always proud of his association with football coaches who he referred to as “fine Christian Dr. Bob Kramer poses with his sons, (top) during their time on the MHU Lions football team and (bottom) on graduation day, in May 1988.

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Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

men.� He loved southern gospel music, especially a deep bass vocal. He enjoyed his affiliation with a Christian campus and the ability to participate in the journey of faith in young persons.

Retirement was gradual for Herr Kramer, who continued teaching as long as he could. Those who knew him well knew that he really did not want to stop teaching. It was hard to say goodbye and harder still to vacate his office in Cornwell Hall after so many years of dedicated service.

Once fully retired, Herr Kramer devoted himself fully to his remaining passions, namely sailing the world and spending time with his seven beloved grandchildren. He also seemed to have a renewed appreciation for the beauty of the place he made his home so many years earlier and he was fond of taking rides with Connie in Madison County.

From his two journeys to the South Pacific to his several trips to the fjords in Norway, Herr Kramer loved to watch the world float by from the deck of a ship with Connie. It was on a ship off the coast of Norway, surrounded by grandchildren, that they would celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a toast of wine from Cana of Galilee.

His health declined rather suddenly and his mobility became an issue that would ultimately prevent Herr Kramer from being able to walk. He would still hold audience in his wheel chair at home football games with old players and students stopping by. His pain and discomfort led to major surgery and an extended time of convalescence.

His strength would never return but he was able to come home for a few short days before his peaceful passing at Mission Hospital with his wife and sons at his side.

Our dad, Herr Kramer, was one of a kind.

Dad was a true renaissance man. He inspired us by his constant desire for adventure. His internal diversity of art, sport, and travel served as our foundation growing up. Dad was very proud of us. He loved our children and our spouses. The spirit of adventure and his balance in his interests have remained a constant influence not only in our lives but also in the lives of our children. He will be missed but he will be easily remembered.

The Carolina Mountains The Photography of Margaret Morley at the Rural Heritage Museum

Feb. 27 - May 31 Margaret Morley

Featuring more than 50 prints made from the 244 original Appalachian mountain photographs by Margaret Morley, this exhibition comes from a collection of works donated to the N.C. Museum of History in 1914.

The Rural Heritage Museum is open daily (except Mondays) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment. It is located in Montague Hall on the MHU campus. Admission is free.

“A Mountaineer’s Home” and “Bee Gums” by Margaret Morley

The

Bailey Mountain Cloggers

will present a spring concert, called

The Wizard of Oz

April 15 and 16, 7 pm April 17, 3 pm Moore Auditorium

With a new take on the classic “The Wizard of Oz,” the program will include the Bailey Mountain Cloggers’ award winning traditional and contemporary styles of clogging while incorporating Irish dancing, hip hop, lyrical, and other forms of dance, which will be sure to leave you in awe.

The 2015-16 Bailey Mountain Cloggers

Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

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Professor Fred Lemmons Recalls His Years in “The President’s Own”

U.S. Marine Band

“You can take your time,” the proctor told Fred Lemmons, as he prepared to play his second audition piece. Vying for one of the coveted spots on the “President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band, Lemmons knew that his strong sight reading ability would be a crucial quality to display, so he chose to ignore her advice.

“She thought I started so quickly with the first piece because I was nervous,” he said. “No. I did it deliberately. I looked at the key and I started playing within three seconds. I wanted to show the committee that I could play anything they put in front of me.”

The strategy must have worked. Lemmons was accepted to the U.S. Marine Band that day, an honor he would enjoy for 21 years.

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As an adjunct professor of clarinet at Mars Hill University, Lemmons can share with students many of the unique memories and opportunities that heady job afforded him. Over his two decades with the band, he played at six inaugurations and performed regularly at the White House for receptions, dinner parties, and other events under five presidents. When not at the White House, the band played at state funerals, ceremonies, and other events in the United States, and throughout the world.

Growing up as a boy in Chattanooga, TN, Lemmons could never have guessed that his love for music would take him so far. He does remember, however, when that particular love affair began, during a fifth grade field trip to see the Chattanooga Symphony.

Left: Fred Lemmons (second from left) posed with President and Mrs. George W. Bush for the President’s 2008 Christmas card. In the photo are: Drum Major William Browne, Master Gunnery Sergeant Fred Lemmons, First Lady Laura Bush, President George W. Bush, Gunnery Sergeant Doug Burian, and Chief Warrant Officer 5 William Perry.

“I sat there in the audience, and the music to me felt like a warm blanket. It just washed over me and made me feel so good,” he said. “That’s really what made me want to be in the band.”

It would be another year before he would have a chance to actually begin learning band music, but the heart of a musician was born that day.

The following year, Lemmons passed the Selmer Music Survey and joined the band in his Chattanooga elementary school. He wanted to learn the saxophone because it was “shiny and cool.” His band director, however, looked at Lemmons’ skinny frame and said, “well, you look like a stick; you should play the clarinet.”

“So, that’s what happened; I started playing the clarinet,” he said.

Lemmons grew up in Chattanooga with his grandmother, a “strong, hardworking woman,” who ran an assisted living facility for elderly women out of her home.

“I must not have been any good at first,” Lemmons said, “because my grandmother would make me go outside to practice on the porch. I think my practicing bothered the ladies in the house.”

But Lemmons was determined. He practiced faithfully and he quickly rose to first chair in his junior high school band and stayed there throughout high school.

At LSU, Lemmons served as a graduate assistant for his long-time clarinet teacher, David Harris, who was a student of Robert Marcellas, principal clarinet player for the Cleveland Orchestra, and “one of the greatest clarinet players who ever lived,” Lemmons said.

Lemmons was completing the courses for his doctorate and considering a suitable topic for his dissertation when he heard there was an opening in the U.S. Marine Band. He flew to D.C. for the audition and changed the course of his life.

Lemmons’ career in the Marine Band began in 1988 and included portions of the presidencies of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Beginning his tenure at the end of Reagan’s presidency, he said he never had the opportunity to meet President Reagan personally. He did, however, on several occasions have conversations with George H.W. Bush, a man who he describes as very personable and friendly.

“He would make a special point to come talk to the members of the band, and ask us how we were doing,” he said.

Though Lemmons never spoke personally with President Clinton, he said it was clear that Clinton had a particular love for the Marine Band.

“Clinton was a musician himself, and he just loved the Marine Band,” Lemmons said.

The “President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band performed at MHU in September 2015 as part of the Presidential Lecture and Performance Series

Lemmons attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on a band scholarship, and received a degree in music education. He began teaching music in a local Christian school even before he graduated, and then went to Louisiana State University, where he earned a master’s degree in music and clarinet performance.

During those years, Lemmons learned just how important his skill for sight-reading would be. As a member of the band, Lemmons would often be called to the White House with very little notice.

“We used to go over and play for hours at the White House. We didn’t have time to practice,” Lemmons said. “They’d call you the day before and say, we need the whole band here tomorrow for a four-hour reception. So, we’d go over the next day and play for four hours and not even rehearse.”

Membership in the Marine Band offered many perks, Lemmons said. For example, twice, he

continued

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Updates on Construction

Left: Lead donors Brenda and Tom Nash pose in front of Huffman Residence Hall at the dedication of the building on March 5, 2016.

Right: Renovations include new bathrooms and lounge areas.

HUFFMAN RESIDENCE HALL

•

Lead Donors: Tom and Brenda Nash, both class of ’66

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Four floors, 26,932 square-feet, originally constructed in 1947

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Renovation includes: new plumbing, lavatories, windows, doors, flooring, roofing, fire sprinkler system, electrical systems, and repurposed student lounges with new furnishings

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Completed: Fall 2015

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Dedication: March 5, 2016 For more construction photos, see link at www.mhu/edu/extras

DAY HALL

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Named for Troy ’48 and Pauline Day

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Will house the business program, retail spaces (including the bookstore and a cafe), a blackbox theatre, and enhanced accessibility to Owen Theatre

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Three floors, 39,372 square feet

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Expected completion date: September 2016

Photo from March 11, 2016

FERGUSON HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER

Photo from March 11, 2016

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•

Named for: Jack and Carolyn Ferguson of Candler, NC

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Will house the Judge-McRae School of Nursing, named for Norman ’84 and Rev. Linda Judge-McRae ’86 of Knoxville, TN

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Three stories, 28,620 square feet

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Expected completion date: Fall 2016

Lemmons, continued

Though Lemmons and the other band members were surrounded by political figures, in the most political city in America, one of the firm rules of the band was that members were not allowed to take public stands on political positions.

had the opportunity to escort the First Lady at an event called the First lady’s Luncheon. In 2008, he escorted Laura Bush to the event, and in 2009, he escorted Michele Obama. But because band members were afforded top level security “Our job was to support the president, no matter clearance, there was no leniency with “messing up” who that person was. And whatever we thought on the job, or being late for work. about politics was not part of

the job. There was no talk about politics when you were in the Marine Band,” he said.

“If you messed up, this job turned into the Marine corps real fast,” Lemmons said. “For example, I was never late to work in 21 years, and considering D.C. traffic, that’s saying something.”

The strict attention to ceremony is meaningful for Marines, but it can be a difficult part of the job for band members who must stand at attention for long periods of time, either before or after a performance.

Fred Lemmons and his wife, Heather Masterton.

“To me, the physical part of the job was the hardest part of the job, because you stand at attention for hours, in sometimes 100-degree weather, sometimes 20-degree weather,” he said.

For the last ten years of his tenure with the Marine Band, Lemmons served in an administrative role. For those years, he was in charge of logistics for the band’s performances. Though the job gave him a more stable schedule, it was still full of surprises and interesting opportunities:

He remembers, for example, planning a performance at the first anniversary of the September 11th attack on the world trade centers in New York City in 2002.

“The widows of the firemen who were killed sat right in front of the band, and I remember how Band members were required to maintain a “thousand yard stare,” no matter what was going on touching that was.” He said. “It was a very poignant ceremony. And by the end of it, the entire band was around them. completely covered in ash.”

“And sometimes, you’re dying, but you cannot move Though it sometimes involved “grunt work,” your eyes, you cannot look around. You’re just Lemmons said he loved it. “You just never knew standing there, for as a long as it takes,” Lemmons what the day would bring,” he said. said. “It’s brutal.”

The hardest workday for the Marine Band is Inauguration Day, Lemmons said, which begins around 7 am, when band members arrive to go through security checks long before the dignitaries arrive. After the inauguration and inaugural parade, the band must play at various balls until the wee hours of the morning.

“I was in the part of the band that played at the last ball of the evening after one of President Clinton’s inaugurations,” Lemmons said, “and he and Mrs. Clinton did not even arrive at the event until 3 am.

That was a long day, and then we had to be back at an event the next morning at 8 a.m.”

Lemmons retired from the Marine Band in October 2009 and moved to Asheville, NC. The following year, MHU band director Mike Robinson invited him to teach a master class on the MHU campus, and in 2010, he was hired as an adjunct professor of clarinet at Mars Hill University. Today, he continues to teach students both at the university, and privately out of his home. He is a member of Pan Harmonia Chamber Ensemble, and the principal clarinetist in the Asheville Lyric Opera. He also frequently performs with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra.

Lemmons lives in Weaverville with his wife, Heather Masterton.

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MHU Hosts N.C. Senators for “Civility in Politics” Event

Senators Van Duyn and Apodaca are pictured above with Dr. Dan Lunsford, president of MHU, and at left, during the program in Broyhill Chapel. Moderator for the program was Dr. Heather Hawn, assistant professor of political science.

Mars Hill University hosted North Carolina senators Tom Apodaca and Terry Van Duyn for a program on March 3 in Broyhill Chapel, titled “How Can Civility in Politics Be Recreated?” The program is a part of the Presidential Lecture and Performance Series at Mars Hill University.

Senator Tom Apodaca is a Republican who represents the 48th district of North Carolina in the N.C. General Assembly, and Senator Terry Van Duyn, Democratic Whip, represents the 49th district. Included in Apodaca’s district are portions of Buncombe, Henderson, and Transylvania counties and included in Van Duyn’s district is most of Buncombe County.

The Presidential Lecture and Performance Series complements Mars Hill University’s emphasis on the liberal arts by bringing distinguished and knowledgeable individuals to lecture on a wide range of topics and to provide high quality performances in the cultural arts.

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The next event in the

Presidential Lecture and Performance Series

Josh Goforth in concert

Moore Auditorium April 26, 7 pm Accomplished old-time musician and Madison County native

The Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies New Look, New Procedures, New Exhibition After a summer and a fall semester closed for renovations, the Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies has reopened with a new exhibition, double the storage space for collections in the archives, increased security for holdings, room for additional content in the exhibition areas, additional staff office space, and streamlined public service procedures.

Dr. Karen Paar, director of the Ramsey Center said: “The Ramsey Center takes very seriously its commitment to maintain both physical and intellectual control over the items entrusted to us.

These renovations will help us serve the public well, while being a secure and accessible repository for archival materials documenting the history of Mars Hill University and the region.”

his life in other parts of the country but retained his interest in this region and in craft.

The Barnhill exhibition was made possible through the inspiration and generosity of Bill Alexander of Knoxville, Tennessee. Alexander, a bark basket maker and collector, donated the funds to create the exhibition and loaned baskets from his own collection.

William Barnhill, Reems Creek, c. 1915

The reopening of the Ramsey Center coincides with the opening a new historical exhibition titled “Appalachia a Century Ago, Craft through the Lens of William A. Barnhill.” This exhibition showcases items from the Barnhill Collection in the Southern Appalachian Archives.

The exhibition showcases Barnhill’s photographs of western North Carolina residents demonstrating traditional crafts and a bark basket made by Dave Penland, a Confederate veteran whom William Barnhill visited and photographed in 1915 in Beech, North Carolina, near Weaverville. The exhibition will run through the end of July 2016.

Barnhill took the photographs in the exhibition while he was living in Asheville and spending the weekends traveling around the adjoining countryside from 1914 to 1917. He spent most of

Other items appear courtesy of the Reece Museum at East Tennessee University and the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Matthew Provancha of the Mountain Gateway Museum’s Exhibit Outreach Program, under the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, designed the exhibition, which was researched and written by Ramsey Center Archives Associate Patrick Cash and Director Karen Paar.

The Ramsey Center will now be open to the public on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 am until 12 noon, and on Tuesday and Thursday from 1 until 4 pm. Appointments at other times will be gladly given when the university is in session. All requests for materials and assistance will now take place on the Ramsey Center’s main area on the first floor of Renfro Library. In this way researchers will have the same access to the archives’ holdings, with greater space and security for the items in storage.

Contact Program Coordinator Hannah Furgiuele for appointments or more information, at (828) 689-1571 or hfurguiele@mhu.edu. For research in the archives, please contact Patrick Cash at (828) 689-1581 or pcash@mhu.edu.

From left: Bill Alexander, President Dan Lunsford, and Dr. Karen Paar speak at the grand reopening of the Ramsey Center in January.

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LION ATHLETICS:

Fall 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

by Rick Baker

Men’s Soccer Christian McArthur - Second Team All-SAC Becca Butler

Amine Merdjett – Honorable Mention All-SAC

Volleyball Rebecca Butler – Academic All-District

Men’s Cross Country Nathan Jones – SAC Scholar Athlete Alex Griggs - All-America Runner as well as U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Southeast Region Runner of the Year Griggs won Southeast Regional Griggs won SAC Championships race Griggs, Jones, and Cesar Reyes – First Team All-SAC Nick Resor and Brandon Beard – Honorable Mention All-SAC Beard – All-SAC Freshmen Team Team was second in the SAC Team was second in the NCAA Southeast Regional Team qualified for NCAA Championships

Women’s Cross Country Team qualified for NCAA Southeast Regional

Football Carl Mattox - Academic All-American Keshaun Taylor – Honorable Mention All-American

by D2football.com Taylor and Johnny Maxey named to Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Region First Team Gilbert Johnson and Trey Clark named to Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Region Second Team Shaikel Davis and Joe Hillin named to Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Region Third Team Taylor named to the first team of the 2015 Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association All-Super Region Two football team Taylor, Johnson, and Marquez Williams named First Team All-SAC Davis, Hillin, Maxey, Mattox, and Clark named Second Team All-SAC Gilbert named SAC Freshman of the Year Team finished second in the SAC standings

Men’s Basketball Valentine Bauer - Academic All-District

Women’s Basketball Ansley Ricker - Academic AllDistrict Valentine Bauer

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CYCLING TEAM CONTINUES TO EXCEL UNDER NEW COACH

by Matt Willing

The Mars Hill University Cycling program started in 2007 and quickly developed into one of the top teams in the nation.

The cycling team, made up of both men and women, competes in all five USA Cycling sanctioned collegiate disciplines. Since 2007, the team has won five national team titles as well as four individual national championships. As a year-round team with many of the riders racing in more than one discipline, the students are dedicated to constant training and racing.

Each year, the MHU cycling team participates in collegiate national championships for the five disciplines in the order of track, mountain, cyclocross, BMX, and road. In May 2016, the team will help host the Road Cycling National Championships held in downtown Marshall and Burnsville.

The team currently consists of ten student-athletes, including one international student, who travel the nation to compete.

In August 2015, previous head coach Hugh Moran (2008-2015) stepped down and new head coach, Matt Willing, was selected to lead the program.

Willing, a former student cyclist himself (20092011), is a 2011 graduate of MHU, with a BS in recreation and sports management.

Having been a part of the program, Willing demonstrates a true appreciation for all the work and effort poured into the team. Willing said, “The bar was set very high when I took over the team

in August. The past year has been an amazing learning experience in addition to the great results the team has accomplished.”

During his eight months as coach, the group had both individual and team podium appearances at the national championship levels for Track, Mountain, and BMX. Such success has expanded name recognition for the university on a national level.

“This past year has been a huge challenge,” Willing said. “I’ve had to grow into the role and realize that I’m not just here as a coach, I’m also here as a mentor, counselor, and friend to each and every one of my athletes.”

He strives for a family atmosphere for the team and has worked towards that since day one. “I try to instill in each one of these student-athletes that these are the moments, relationships, and memories you’ll cherish forever,” Willing said. Willing hopes to continue developing young cyclists and growing the team in numbers and awareness.

The devoted students do not stop at working hard on their bikes and in the classroom; they also dedicate their time to the local community.

The cycling team is engaged in a community partnership with Mars Hill Elementary School, where the team, under Willing’s supervision, runs a 5th grade bike club as an afterschool activity.

“Winning and having success on the bike is one aspect, but learning to work together towards a common goal and develop into smart, strong, reliable young people is what Mars Hill is really all about.”

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IT’S BEEN A

D O GO

Season

photo courtesy of the Indianapolis Colts

Denzelle Good Trades the Blue and Gold for the Blue and White

by Rick Baker

Denzelle Good has finished his rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts. He was selected by the Colts in the seventh round (255th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. Recently, Denzelle came back to visit his Mars Hill University family.

interest in me as a person and not just an athlete is a big reason why I am where I am now. I really feel the people at Mars Hill looked out for me and my well-being.” When asked what is currently going on in Denzelle’s future he stated, “I am training hard physically for next season but I am really working hard on improving my mental aspect of the game so I can be the best player I can be.”

“I was inactive for the first ten games of the year but when I finally got my chance to dress and see action, even though I was nervous, I really surprised myself on Mars Hill Football the improvements Head Coach Tim and strides I made in Clifton stated, “I my first year in the think it was NFL,” stated Good. awesome that He added, “I was Denzelle started also surprised that several games during making the jump his rookie season. from an 11-college The Mars Hill family game schedule a has followed him year to a 16-game since the day he schedule in the NFL was drafted. We are went by much faster very excited for him. than I expected.”

His success helps When asked about give recognition his time at Mars Hill nationally to Mars Denzelle Good (r) with MHU Head Coach Tim Clifton Good said, “I loved Hill football.” my stay at Mars Hill.

In his inaugural season, Good played in six games Transferring to Mars Hill from N.C. State ended up for the Colts and started in four contests. In 2015, being a great decision for me. My relationship with the Colts finished with an 8-8 record that placed my coaches at Mars Hill made a real difference in them in second place in the AFC South Division. my life and my football career. The football staff at Mars Hill really cares about their player, and their 24

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Faculty

and

STAFF

PUBLICATIONS...HONORS...ACHIEVEMENTS...PRESENTATIONS... PUBLICATIONS...HONORS...ACHIEVEMENTS...PRESENTATIONS...PUBLICATIONS...HONORS.

Dr. Yael Baldwin, Associate Professor of Psychology, authored a book titled, Let’s Keep Talking: Lacanian Tales of Love, Sex, and Other Catastrophes, published by Karnac Books in December, 2015.

Mindy Bliss, Director of Residence Life, served as 2015 president of the North Carolina Housing Officers Association.

Dr. Rick Cary, Professor of Art, contributed a photograph titled, “Screamer with Blue Imp,” to a collection titled, Rich Community: An Anthology of Appalachian Photographers. Sapling Grove Press, David Underwood, Editor, June 2015.

Dr. John Gripentrog, Associate Professor of History, wrote an article titled, “Power and Culture,” in Pacific Historical Review, November, 2015.

Teddy Guyer, Men’s and Women’s Swimming Coach, has been named the Appalachian Swimming Conference Men’s Coach of the Year.

This is Guyer’s fourth time being honored as the top coach within the conference.

Sarah Jansen, Women’s Basketball Coach, has been named the 2015-16 South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year.

Dr. Matt Milnes, Assistant Professor of Biology, wrote an article titled, “Environmental contaminants activate human and polar bear (Ursus maritimus) pregnane X receptors (PXR, NR1I2) differently,” in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, April, 2015.

Dr. Scott Pearson, Professor of Biology, collaborated on two articles: •

“Grass invasion effects on forest soil carbon depend on landscape-level patterns,” in Ecology, August, 2015; and

•

“Cryptic indirect effects of exurban edges on a woodland community,” in Ecosphere, 2015.

Dr. Jason Pierce, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Information Services and Title IX Coordinator, contributed to an article in the October/November 2015 issue of eCampus News, titled “Higher Education Agrees: Graduation Success Takes A Village.” Pierce’s portion of the article described MHU’s implementation of affordable books and innovative first year programs.

Dr. Alan Theisen, Assistant Professor of Music, composed a piece, “Doppelgesang for baritone saxophone and piano (2015)” commissioned by Germany-based performer Noah Bedrin. World premiere was at the World Saxophone Congress in Strasbourg, France, in July 2015.

Caroline Twiggs, Community Partnerships Coordinator for the Center for Community Engagement, has been recognized as a National Bonner Fellow for the Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Foundation. Selected from a competitive pool of applicants, Twiggs will serve in this role for two years.

Dr. Jessica Van Cleave, Assistant Professor of Education, collaborated on an article titled, “Complicating methodological transparency.” in International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, published online, August, 2015.

Dr. Laura Whitaker-Lea, Assistant Vice President for Student Development, along with an esteemed group of doctoral scholars, presented a symposium titled “Doctoral Students’ Experiences with Pedagogies of the Home, Pedagogies of Love, and Mentoring in the Academy” at the American Educational Studies Association Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas, November 2015.

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Welcome New Faculty and Staff Laura Boggess, Instructor of Biology/Chemistry, MS, Ecology, Appalachian State University William Bowman, Instructor of Business, MS, Industrial Management, Georgia Institute of Technology Michael Cash, Part-time Security, BS, Criminal Justice , Mars Hill University Shannon Culton, Custodial Staff Tammy Cutshall, Business Office Cashier Matthew Farris, Assistant Sports Information Director, BS, Sport Management, Limestone College Emily Fawcett, Admissions Information and Applications Manager, BS, Communication Studies, Appalachian State University Victor Finora, Assistant Coach: Men’s Basketball, BA, Business , William Penn University Marlon Garren, Instructor of Spanish, MA, Spanish, University of Tennessee Knoxville David Gilbert, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, PhD, U.S. History, University of Wisconsin Lynn Michelle Gilley, Assistant Professor of Biology, PhD, Biology, Auburn University Tom Gott, Head Women’s Soccer Coach, BS, Sports Management, Lenoir-Rhyne University Joseph Heavens, Custodian Jacob Horne, Custodian Sherron Kincaid, Assistant Professor of Social Work/Field Director, MSW, Social Work, East Tennessee State University Anne Knight, Costume Shop Manager

Carla Landreth, Human Resources Specialist for HRIS Management, Compensation & Evaluation, MBA, Business Administration, East Tennessee State University Ethan Mannon, Assistant Professor of English, PhD, English, Pennsylvania State University Jennifer Matthews, Human Resources Specialist for Benefits, Recruitment & Training, BBA, Business Administration, Montreat College Michael Norton, HVAC Mechanic Linda Ray, Evening Public Services Supervisor, BA, Religion, Mars Hill University Kelsey Rice, Facilities Guy Sayles, Assistant Professor of Religion, DMin, Ministry, Emory University Candler School of Theology David Schrot, Technology Services Technician, BS, Information Systems, Elon University Heidi Sermersheim, Asheville Center Coordinator, AS, Business Administration, AB Tech Community College Nicole Soper Gorden, Assistant Professor of Biology, PhD, Plant Biology, University of Massachusetts-Amherst Jeffrey Spargo, Program Coordinator/Grant Administrator, MDiv, Divinity/Counseling, Gardner-Webb University Thomas States, Part-Time Security Guard, BA, Sociology, Mars Hill University Eric Steineger, Instructor of English, MFA, Creative Writing, Antioch University Charles Tucker, Assistant Professor of Nursing & Simulation/ Lab/Clinic, DNP, Nursing , Gardner-Webb University Jenny Webb, Part-time Telemarketer, BA, Art, Western Carolina University

1985 Football Team Reunion Members of the 1985 Lions football team came back to campus for a reunion on November 7, for the last home game of the 2015 season.

In 1985, the team was picked to finish next-to-last in a preseason poll.

Instead, the Lions proved that such polls are just predictions and in no way measure the desire and determination of a team. The Lions finished with an 8-3 record, including 6-1 in the SAC-8, and the first-ever outright conference championship in Mars Hill history.

Starting with the front row from left to right: Daryl Saucier, Craig Curtis, Brian Fancher, Tim Aiken, Terry

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Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

Casey, Danny Davis, Andy Cash, Tracy Barnes, Dale Similton, David Revels, Charlie Griffin. Back row from left to right: Rodney Honeycutt, Stuart Jolley, Lumpy Lambert, Buck Gatlin, Jeff Williams, Steve Farmer, Joe Zichichi, Head Coach Steve Patton, Assistant Coach Felton Stevens, Greg Bailey, Rodney Clark, David Campbell.

Class Notes

Mars Hill, the Magazine of Mars Hill University welcomes your personal snapshots when you send in news of weddings, babies, accomplishments, etc. Send your news and photos to alumni@mhu.edu, or Alumni Office, P.O. Box 370, Mars Hill, NC 28754.

1950s Dr. Ernest Harrison Stines ’50 was awarded the Cline Service Award by the Pisgah High School athletic Booster Club. The award is given annually to a person who has promoted and supported Pisgah High School Athletic programs over many years.

Dr. Lloyd Franklin Jackson, Jr. ’55 has been presented with the Distinguished Community Service Award from the Henrico County, Virginia, Division of Police in recognition of his sixteen years of service as a volunteer chaplain.

1960s Rev. Lowell Dotson ’60 was honored recently for 40 years as Minister of Music for Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC. The church named a portion of its church the Lowell Dotson Music Suite, with a plaque in Dotson’s honor. Dotson and his wife, Sally Graham Dotson ’60, live in Matthews, NC. Janie Edwards Merchant ’63 and Francis “Wayne” Merchant ’64 of Conover, NC, celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on August 22, 2015. Wayne retired from Duke Energy Corp. in Charlotte and Janie retired from Carolina Medical Center-Main in Charlotte. The couple has two children and one grandson.

Jim Alexander ’66 was invited by Educational Resources and Referral - China to join a summer teaching team at Peking University in Beijing, China, in the summer of 2015. Alexander taught a 4-week course in public speaking and said it was an honor to be invited Jim Alexander teaching at to come teach with a team of eight Americans and three PKU Canadians. Alexander said: “I had great students and, of course, I invited them all to check out MHU.” Dr. Sharyn Russell Edwards ’67 has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award from the Columbus County (NC) Arts Council. Edwards was selected on the basis of her many accomplishments as

a concert pianist and as a piano instructor and music coordinator at Southeastern Community College.

Charles Bailey Pond, III ’67 Of Suffolk, VA, has been inducted into the Chowan University 2015 Hall of Fame.

Currently, Pond serves on the university’s board of trustees and in the past, he has served Chowan on the alumni board and the board of visitors.

1970s Ted Ellmore ’70 has retired after 44 years of service to the Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. He began his career as a lab specialist, and later served as an information technologist.

Marilyn “Que” Tucker ’74 has been named the commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Tucker has been at the NCHSAA since ’91.

She is the second black woman to lead a state high school athletic association.

David Jones ’78 who has served as Henderson County Public Schools’ superintendent since 2010, will retire at the end of this school year.

1980s Joe Nanney, Jr. ’83, an attorney in the Raleigh law firm of Meynardie & Nanney, PLLC, was recently elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of Hopeline of North Carolina, a Raleigh-based suicide prevention and crisis intervention hotline that supports people and saves lives during times of crisis through caring, confidential conversations.

Dr. Gene Carlton Couch, Jr. ’84 was installed in October, 2015, as the sixth president of Virginia Highlands Community College. Cough is a native of Southwest Virginia who returned to the region after a distinguished 29-year career with the NC Community College System.

Dr. Couch’s inauguration

Angelia Gardner Anglin ’89 has been named as the new Exceptional Children/Accountability Director for Yancey County Schools (NC). Formerly, Anglin was the principal of East Yancey Middle School.

1990s Chris English ’93 Has been appointed as the Executive Director of the Laurinburg/Scotland County (NC) Area

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Class Notes

Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Prior to his appointment, English worked as marketing support manager at Marley Engineered Products in Bennettsville, NC. Mike Houston ’94 has been hired as the new head football coach at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. Previously Houston was the head coach at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. Jim Smith ’96 has been hired as the Director of the City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium, in Morganton, NC. Previously, Smith was the music and programming pastor at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in Morganton.

2000s Jeanann Plemmons Yates ’05 has been hired as the new principal of Central Haywood High School in Clyde, NC. Carling Yvonne Stepniak Wilson ’07 married Joe Wilson on March 28, 2015. The couple lives in Chattanooga, TN. Kenneth Edward Dockery ’08 has been named the new head football coach at Hayesville High School, in Hayesville, NC. Dockery has been an assistant coach with the team for eight years and has served as both an offensive and defensive coordinator.

Carrie Elizabeth Vann Renes ’08 and Lance Renes ’09 gratefully announce the birth of their first child, Dollena Ray Renes, born October 4, 2015. The Renes family lives in Charleston, SC, where Lance teaches AP Psychology and is the head boys lacrosse coach (three state championships) at Wando High School in Mount Carrie, Dollena, and Lance Renes Pleasant, SC. Carrie teaches honors mathematics at Academic Magnet High School in North Charleston, SC. Jack Delaney ’09 was accepted in December 2015, as a neurosurgical resident at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. It is the only neurosurgical residency program among the nation’s military medical centers. After a seven-year residency program, he will serve another seven years as a naval doctor.

2010s Rachael Randall ’12 is currently working on a master’s degree in marine biology at Savannah State University in Savannah, GA. She has had the opportunity to participate in dolphin health assessments with NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the GA Department of Natural Resources, and the Duke Navy project. She has also participated in several research cruises aboard the Research Vessel (R/V) Savannah and was recently invited to go along on the R/V Neil Armstrong.

Chelsea Elizabeth Parker ’13 has been named the assistant women’s soccer coach at Lees-McRae University in Banner Elk, NC. Alex Brandt ’14 recently graduated from Northern Illinois University with an M.S. degree in Sport Management. He is currently working with the Harrisburg (PA) Senators Baseball Club as Community Relations Intern.

Brooke Elizabeth Johnson ’14 has been hired as a seventh grade teacher at Swain Middle School in Bryson City, NC. Trini Fares ’15 has been hired as a first grade teacher at Hillandale Elementary School in Hendersonville, NC. Kayla Gibbs Lanier ’15 married Jon Lanier, ’11, on October 10, 2015.

Cori-LeAnn McAbee Wilson ’15 married Chris Wilson, ’15, on December 23, 2015. Cori is an English Teacher at Chase High School in Forest City, NC, Chris is a Sheriff’s Deputy with Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department.

Cori and Chris Wilson

Trustee Kyle Carver, trustee, of Leicester, NC, a retired Buncombe County science teacher and a trustee of Mars Hill University, has received the prestigious Vi Hunsucker Award from the North Carolina Science Teachers Association.

Carver received the award at the organization’s annual conference in November. Carver taught middle school science for 33 years: 31 years in Buncombe County Schools and two years in Madison County Schools.

Kyle Carver

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In Memoriam 1930s

Blanch Alan Beam ’34, Morganton, NC, January 18, 2016 Margaret Hale Miller ’34, Fayetteville, NC, December 18, 2015 Watkins “WJ” Judson Blane ’35, Roanoke, VA, August 1, 2015 Edna Polk Abernathy Tyson ’36, Greensboro, NC, August 29, 2015 Margaret Pauline Chandler Robinson ’38, Mars Hill, NC, October 14, 2015 Graham Watson Somers ’38, Charlotte, NC, September 14, 2015

1940s Norma “Kathryn” Williams Duvall ’40, Upper Marlboro, MD, January 17, 2016 Leonard Reid Lovelace, Jr. ’40, Weaverville, NC, October 31, 2015 Martha “Kate” Brown Mills ’40, Knoxville, TN, August 13, 2015 Joseph “Platt” Turner, Jr. ’40, Temple, TX, January 27, 2016 Sgt Richard Maurice Anderson ’41, Blackville, SC, July 29, 2014 Dr. Paul Emanuel Brunner ’41, N. Wilkesboro, NC, February 5, 2016

Mary Stringfield Oates ’43, Rutherfordton, NC, August 23, 2015 Howard Melton Pinner, Jr. ’43, Black Mountain, NC, December 23, 2015 Thelma Mae Brinson Sawyer ’43, Greenville, NC, October 4, 2015 Lois Anne Earls Stephens ’43, Hermitage, TN, November 11, 2015 Elizabeth “Page” Shearin Bladen ’44, Vienna, VA, November 10, 2015 Edgar James Wells, Jr. ’44, Teachey, NC, July 28, 2015 Beth Winfrey Jones Hethcock ’45, Williamsburg, VA, July 26, 2015 Paris English Littlejohn ’45, Asheville, NC, September 22, 2015 Mary Evelyn West Boykin ’46, Kernersville, NC, October 25, 2015 Ola Mae Haynie Burrell ’46, Weaverville, NC, March 6, 2015 Dr. Ruby Louise Orders Osborne ’46, Roanoke, VA, January 5, 2016 Dr. Jeane Elizabeth Walker Yates ’46, Stillwater, OK, May 18, 2013 Carol Allred Beckham ’47, Plantation, FL, November 29, 2015

Carol Vick Henry ’41, Victor, NY, July 29, 2015

Madeline Brown Bullis ’47, Rising Sun, MD, December 8, 2015

Mary Margaret Silver Peterson ’41, Chesapeake, NC, February 11, 2016

Hope Shearon Ferneygough ’47, Raleigh, NC, January 18, 2016

Clara Gladys Holcombe Rosser ’41, Cocoa, FL, September 4, 2015

Margaret Ruth Murray Rogers ’47, Clyde, NC, October 17, 2015

Dr. John Richard Williams ’41, Winston Salem, NC, January 5, 2016

Charles LeVerne Rush ’47, Cullowhee, NC, October 9, 2015

Charlie Summers Bell ’42, Greenville, SC, October 3, 2015

Cecil Tallent ’47, Asheville, NC, December 2, 2015

Mary Lillian Hancock Powell ’42, High Point, NC, July 30, 2015 Beverette Middleton Price ’42, Banner Elk, NC, August 16, 2015 Winnie Smith Ashford Rimmer ’43, Scotland Neck, NC, December 22, 2015 Dorothy Metcalf Crooke ’43, Asheville, NC, September 14, 2015

Martyn John Cavanaugh ’48, Newberry, SC, November 9, 2015 Royce Gene Miller, Sr. ’48, Newark, DE, July 11, 2015 Dorcas Ann Tate Prevette ’48, Lexington, NC, December 13, 2015 Malcolm Russell Stout ’48, Lillington, NC, February 4, 2016 Leonard Owen Teague ’48, Henrico, VA, December 29, 2015

Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

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In Memoriam

Clarence “C.D” Dolphas Turner ’48, Wilmington, DE, October 23, 2015

James Rodney Jordan ’52, Greenville, SC, October 29, 2015

Rev. Carl Troy Woodbury, Sr. ’48, Franklin, NC, August 13, 2015

Dr. Bobby Gilmer Moss ’52, Blacksburg, SC, August 7, 2015

Anna Jean Davis Davis ’49, Jacksonville, FL, September 4, 2015

Leroy Harrison Page ’52, Durham, NC, May 15, 2015

George DeVany Ingram ’49, Louisville, KY, November 7, 2015 Betty “B.J.” Jean Johnson ’49, Washington, NC, August 13, 2015 Betty Grey Church Morphis ’49, Statesville, NC, January 4, 2016 James Black Wilkins, Jr. ’49, Raeford, NC, January 22, 2016

1950s Joseph “Joe” Benfield Cox, Sr. ’50, Henrico, VA, December 16, 2015 Melba Faylene Hicks Hemmings ’50, Rural Hall, NC, January 21, 2016 Carolyn Stuart Spinks Wicker ’50, Asheboro, NC, January 4, 2016

Margaret Mims Johnston ’53, Greenville, SC, August 23, 2015 Violet Osborne Overton Lacy ’54, Atlanta, GA, January 14, 2016 Beverly Jean Beauford Newton ’54, Pawleys Island, SC, August 10, 2015 Shirley “Gigi” Ann Hicks Adams ’55, Spartanburg, SC, September 28, 2015 Toby Cecil Cole, Sr. ’55, Asheville, NC, August 3, 2015 Margaret “Peggy” Melton Patricia Rooks ’56, San Diego, CA, July 22, 2015 Noah Woodruff Allen, Jr. ’57, Wilmington, NC, August 8, 2015 Ted Joe Greene ’57, Spruce Pine, NC, January 8, 2016

Elizabeth “Betsy” Long Clark ’51, Charlotte, NC, December 15, 2015

Paula Ruth Kornegay Patchell ’57, Wilmington, NC, January 4, 2016

Dr. Badger Gill Clark, Jr. ’51, Pittsboro, NC, April 20, 2012

Cynthia Ann Withrow Tolson ’57, Charlotte, NC, October 11, 2015

Mary Frances Silver DeWeese ’51, Weaverville, NC, October 3, 2015

Nancy Louise Leiby Bell ’58, Pennsburg, PA, July 2, 2015

David Winfred Gaddy ’51, Tappahannock, VA, November 22, 2015

Martha Kay Stanley Garner ’58, Terrell, TX, October 22, 2015

James Edward Ingle ’51, Lexington, KY, August 14, 2015

Thomas “Tom” Eugene Smart ’58, Asheville, NC, December 1, 2015

Joseph Eugene “Gene” Jarvis ’51, Asheville, NC, October 7, 2015

Julius Edward “Ed” Ellen ’59, Midlothian, VA, August 19, 2015

Roy Walter Metcalf ’51, Mars Hill, NC, October 26, 2015

James Thomas “Tom” Garrett ’59, Clinton, MS, June 25, 2015

Russell Mack Pressley ’51, Belmont, NC, November 8, 2015 Frances Louise Loftis Bonner ’52, Cayce, SC, August 25, 2015 William “Bill” Manley Bowen, Jr. ’52, Chapin, SC, November 30, 2015 Alice Carolyn York Davis ’52, Tampa, FL, October 4, 2014 Harold Oetzel Davis ’52, Randleman, NC, January 24, 2015

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Dorothy Ann Buchanan Cline ’53, Sanford, NC, August 9, 2015

Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2016

Bruce Dean Pike ’59, Asheville, NC, September 30, 2015

1960s James Norwood Hobbs, Jr. ’60, Cary, NC, December 15, 2015 Earlene Rather O’Dell ’60, Bristol, TN, January 23, 2016 Thomas Maxwell Guilford, Jr. ’62, Tallahassee, FL, September 28, 2015 David Lloyd Jordan ’62, Richardson, TX, August 23, 2015

In Memoriam

Sandra Marcia Buckner Talley ’62, Swannanoa, NC, November 1, 2015 James Christopher Ammons, Jr. ’63, Spartanburg, SC, December 4, 2015 David Foulder Norvig ’63, Brookfield, CT, November 22, 2015 Helen Faye Turner Rumley ’63, Greensboro, NC, December 21, 2015 Donald Dean Martin ’64, Fries, VA, July 27, 2015 Judy Elaine Tuttle ’66, Green Cove Spgs, FL, October 20, 2015 Patricia “Patsy” Leigh McDowell Morrison ’67, Brookneal, VA, November 6, 2012 Ronald Gene Aldridge ’68, Charlotte, NC, August 27, 2015 Catherine Bertie Tilghman ’68, Fayetteville, NC, October 19, 2015

1970s Terry Robert Roberson ’71, Asheville, NC, December 9, 2015 John “Russell” Smith ’71, Fairbanks, AK, December 20, 2015 Harold Dean Ellis ’72, Grover, NC, August 15, 2015 Bettie Virginia Jones O’Shields ’72, Durham, NC, August 16, 2015 Michael David Cornell ’73, Florida, November 27, 2015 Alton Lane Bullard, Jr. ’74, Hampstead, NC, July 10, 2015

1980s Russell Sherman Smith ’80, Greenville, SC, October 15, 2015 Sheila Lynn Minter Goss ’84, Pine Bluff, AR, August 14, 2014 Gien Poh Guek ’87, Singapore, July 14, 2015 Edward “Eddie” Dortch James ’89, Southern Pines, NC, January 6, 2016

1990s William Russell “Rusty” Crum ’91, Asheville, NC, August 1, 2015

2000s Raymond Charles Elder, Jr. ’00, Atlanta, GA, April 21, 2015

Faculty/Staff Joyce Bryant, former Music Faculty, Asheville, NC, March 7, 2016 Peggy Davis Harmon, retired Special Collections Supervisor of the Southern Appalachian Archives, Marshall, NC, March 10, 2016 Deana Dillingham Holland, Executive Director of Human Resources, Weaverville, NC, December 21, 2015

Peggy Harmon

Dr. Mary “Alice” Ihrig Withers, former English Faculty, Georgetown, KS, December 28, 2015

John Eric Hinsdale ’74, Greenville, SC, January 14, 2016 Johnnie Mae Whiteside Walker ’74, Asheville, NC, April 18, 2015 Rocky Darrel Cater ’75, Pickens, SC, January 15, 2016 Mildred “Millie” Parkman McGhee ’75, Clearwater, SC, May 24, 2015

Deana Holland

William “Bill” Franklin Lockaby, Jr. ’76, Vernon, VT, November 12, 2015 David Lewis Sizemore ’78, Charlotte, NC, February 1, 2016

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