Social Work Celebrates 40 years of amazing alums E ds ID Gra e S IN sing Stag
r Nu the t s s Fir Cros
The Magazine of Mars Hill University | Spring 2017
MAGAZINE STAFF: Editor: Teresa Buckner, Director of Publications Associate Editor: Mike Thornhill ’88, Director of Communications Additional Contributors: Rick Baker, Sports Information Director Bud Christman, VP for Advancement Jackie Jolley, daughter-in-law of Dr. Harley Jolley Jaime McKee ’00, Director of Online Presence and New Media Stephanie Shelton, Director of Medical Services President’s Leadership Team Dr. Dan Lunsford ’69, President Dr. Jim Brown, Assistant Vice President for Academic Administration Dr. Grainger Caudle, Executive Director of Planning and Auxiliary Services Mr. Bud Christman, Vice President for Advancement Dr. Joy Kish ’82, Assistant Vice President for Human Resources & Strategic Initiatives Rev. Stephanie McLeskey, University Chaplain Dr. Carol Boggess, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs Mr. David Riggins, Director of Athletics
Mars Hill [mahrz hil] noun 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.
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 1200-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 Marketing and 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. E-mail alumni@mhu.edu. Letters to the editor and all other correspondence regarding the magazine should be addressed to the Office of Marketing and 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 2017. All rights reserved.
Mr. Neil Tilley, Vice President for Finance & Facilities Management Dr. Laura Whitaker-Lea, Associate Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students
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Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
Cover, background: Spring flowers on the upper quad of MHU. Cover, foreground: MHU professors of social work Sherron Kincaid-Bristol (front left) and Beth Vogler (back right), alum Stephanie McCullough ’16 (front right) and social work student Kayla McClendon. Photos by Teresa Buckner.
In This Issue: Letter from the President ........................................ 4 Dr. Lunsford Announces Plans to Retire..................... 5 December Graduation Includes First BSN Grads ......... 6 RN to BSN Students Address Medical Needs in Haiti ....... 7
Going to the Mountains Is Going Home ....................... 8 Scenes from Homecoming
An Unlikely Mars Hillian Finds a Home .....................10 Dr. Julie Fortney Retires After 44 Years
A Survivor Returns .................................................13 After 75 Years, Dr. Harley Jolley Returns to Pearl Harbor
Alumni Initiatives Bring Recognition and Funding.....14 Pride of Lions ........................................................15 Students Make MHU Proud
Social Work: Over Forty Years of Amazing Alums.......16 Taking the Road Less Traveled to the Hill .................20 Amazing Alumna Que Tucker...................................22 Status Report: The Campaign for Mars Hill ...............23 Catching Up with Vic and Jenny Finora ....................24 Class Notes/Memorials ...........................................26
Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
“Making a Difference” is a phrase that is often overused, particularly by colleges and universities. And yet, it is a phrase that so perfectly describes the ethos of Mars Hill University. The value that we place on service and self-sacrifice for others grows from our roots in the Christian faith, and continues to produce fruit in a current generation of faculty, staff, and students. This magazine provides a snapshot in time, a moment, if you will, in the life of the university. As I consider the “moment” presented here, I see so many ways that the people, activities, and programs of MHU make a difference in the quality of life for other people. For over forty years, Mars Hill has been educating and training young people in the field of social work. That education can find expression in a number of career choices which all share a common thread: helping people in times of need. Likewise, as Mars Hill graduates its first RN to BSN (registered nurse to bachelor of science in nursing) students, it sends those students out to carry on a commitment to improving the health of others throughout the region, the country, and the world. We see that theme echoed again and again in all the moments of this university: in a mission trip to Terrier Rouge, Haiti, which is part of an ongoing relationship with a mission school there; in a research project which may lead to new health advances in medical care for victims of cancer; in the lives and contributions of long-time highly-respected professors like Dr. Julie Fortney and Dr. Harley Jolley, and successful community leaders like alumna Marilyn “Que” Tucker, Commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. The university experience is about learning to think critically through exposure to a liberal arts curriculum, acquiring new skills, and preparing for a career. But, on a deeper level, if the university experience does not also include opportunities to go beyond the self, to give to others, and to see the value of service to mankind, then we have missed an opportunity to educate the whole person. As always, I am proud to be associated with Mars Hill University, and with all the individuals: faculty, staff, students, trustees, and alumni, who work to make life better for others in some way, large or small. You are the people who keep that theme alive in all we do at Mars Hill. You are the people who make a difference.
Dr. Dan Lunsford ’69 President
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Dr. Lunsford Announces Plans to Retire in 2018 by Mike Thornhill
Mars Hill University President Dan Lunsford announced In January that he will retire next year from the position he’s held for 15 years. The exact timing of his retirement will depend on the completion of a successful search for a new university president, but Lunsford said it will be in the first half of 2018. Lunsford became president on an interim basis in January 2002, following the resignation of the late Max Lennon. The board of trustees of what was then Mars Hill College made the position permanent in May 2003. Lunsford said his promise to the board, when he accepted the position, was that, “whenever I finished my tenure, that Mars Hill would be stronger than when I began. I believe that we have achieved that promise.” Wayne Higgins, current chair of the trustee board and a member of that board when Lunsford became president, said Lunsford’s “passion for and dedication to Mars Hill is widely recognized by the entire campus and greater community.” Higgins called him “truly a visionary and academic leader,” adding, “Dr. Lunsford will be tremendously missed at Mars Hill University but we know he will continue to be very supportive and engaged with the university.” Lunsford’s tenure at Mars Hill University has been marked by growth in many areas, fitting the theme of his presidency: Preserving the Past, Assuring the Future. Under Lunsford, the school transitioned from a college to a university in 2013; completed its first comprehensive capital campaign (and is in the final stages of its second); saw the largest building
boom in campus facilities since the 1970s (with the addition of three new residence halls and three new classroom and laboratory buildings, as well as the building and renovation of several athletic facilities); established the Asheville Center for Adult and Graduate Studies in south Asheville; added a large portion of the campus to the National Register of Historic Places; strengthened and added academic programs (including an Honors Program, master’s degrees in elementary education and in management, and a nursing school); and increased funding for scholarships and other financial aid for students. Lunsford is a 1969 graduate of Mars Hill College, earned his graduate degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and participated in postdoctoral study at Vanderbilt University and the UNC-Chapel Hill Institute of Government. He began his career as a 6th grade teacher in Durham, NC; was a principal, director of instruction, associate superintendent, and assistant superintendent for Orange County Schools before serving that district as superintendent from 1983-1990; and was superintendent of Henderson County Public Schools from 1990-1998. He began his employment at Mars Hill in 1998 as dean of the School of Education and Leadership. Dr. Lunsford maintains strong involvement in community and professional organizations, including the South Atlantic Conference, Appalachian College Association, and NC Independent Colleges and Universities. He and his wife, Beverly, are active in the life of the university and the town of Mars Hill. Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
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December Graduation Includes First BSN Grads
Mars Hill University honored 67 students who completed their graduation requirements during the summer or fall during commencement ceremonies on December 16, 2016. The graduates included Mars Hill’s first students to receive their bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degrees. Keynote speaker for commencement was one of the namesakes of the nursing school, Rev. Linda Judge-McRae. Judge-McRae and her husband, Norman McRae, made significant contributions to the effort to start Mars Hill’s nursing program.
MHU’s first nursing graduates, (l-r) Jessica Dennison, Amanda Lambert, and Stephanie Shelton at a pinning ceremony the evening before graduation.
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The McRaes are Mars Hill graduates who own and operate Caris Healthcare, a hospice care provider based in Knoxville, TN. Judge-McRae challenged the students to persevere, even through life’s difficulties. “I do know this, and I know it with great confidence: that we worship a God of second chances, and there’s a chance for me to do my best, be my best, and give my best in the days that follow,” she said. “And I challenge you, graduates to do the same—it’s the least you can do.” Student addresses were given by Daniel Godfrey, a religion major from Monroe, NC, and Jessica Ann Bolet, Adult and Graduate Studies business management major from Arden, NC. Nineteen students received bachelor of arts degrees, one received a bachelor of music degree, 39 received bachelor of science degrees, and five received the bachelor of social work. The graduating class includes students in both the university’s traditional undergraduate program and its Adult and Graduate Studies program for working adults.
RN to BSN Students Address Medical Needs in Haiti by Stephanie Shelton (picture at left) MHU Director of Medical Services and 2016 BSN graduate
A team of five Mars Hill University RN to BSN (registered nurse to bachelor of science in nursing) students from the Adult and Graduate Studies program traveled to Haiti, October 21-30, 2016, to set up mobile clinics in remote communities near the small town of Terrier Rouge. Traveling with the students were a number of community volunteers as well as Deb Myers, director for the MHU Center for Community Engagement. Myers has made many trips to Terrier Rouge as part of an ongoing relationship that MHU maintains with an Episcopal mission in the area called Bethlehem Ministry. (The ministry was founded by the Bruno family, pictured bottom left.) The goal of this trip was to provide health care, screenings, health education, preventative medications, and treatment for acute and chronic conditions. The team provided about 400 families with meals of rice and vegetable oil. The settings were towns, churches, homes, and outside community centers. Mobile clinics were set up to establish health screenings and address nutrition, hypertension, infections, and prevention of sexually transmitted infections. For the students, the trip to Terrier Rouge provided an opportunity to strengthen critical thinking and clinical judgment skills. The culture in Haiti is very relaxed and no one gets in any hurry. I was surprised at how happy the Haitians were to see us. Our patients were willing to sit for hours to be seen. I was amazed at how well the mobile clinics flowed and the level of care we were able to provide to these communities. Top picture: Stephanie Shelton and Dr. Classaint Saint Vil . Bottom picture: The MHU team with the Bruno family. Back, l-r: Sloan Price, Austin Hill, Kristie Miller, Kelli Mayfield, Teisha Lewis, Susan Whiteside, Willie Thompson, Rachel Brooks, Edward Burgin; front, l-r: Lulu Bruno, Nelson Augustin, Deb Myers, Madam Bruno, Rev. Jean M. Bruno, Stephanie Shelton
The most challenging aspects of the mobile clinic were resource constraints, lack of diagnostic testing, and the language barrier. What a privilege it was to have the opportunity to provide care and promote a healthy lifestyle to communities that had very little or no medical facilities.
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Going to the Mountains Is Going Home s from scene
Mars Hill University Homecoming October 7-8, 2016
Despite cool, misty conditions, alums made their way to The Hill on the weekend of October 7 and 8 for a jam-packed weekend of reunions, performances, lunch on the quad, and of course, the homecoming football game against the Newberry Wolves.
2016 Alumni of the Year Charles Tomlinson ’51 (left) and Becca Pizzi ’02 (2nd from right) are presented to the crowd during the half-time show. Also pictured are President Dan Lunsford, and Mike Owens, Becca’s track coach from her MHU years.
Above: Student and alumni Bailey Mountain Cloggers perform on the quad during lunch on Saturday.
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Although Jamel Harbison (#10) set season highs for rushing yardage, the Lions lost to Newberry, 35-21.
Delta Zeta hosted a gathering of student and alumni members of the sorority at Spilman Hall.
Coming Up In ...
The Presidential Lecture And Performance Series David Holt and the Lighting Bolts April 7, 2017 - 7:00pm - Moore Auditorium
The MHU band rehearses before the game.
Tickets: $15 in advance ; $18 at the door; $25 for VIP seats (first five center rows); FREE for MHU students with ID. President Trump’s First 100 Days: Perspectives From the Left and Right April 25, 2017 - 7:30pm - Broyhill Chapel
Trustee Ron Brown (seated), Skip Liles ’69, Director of Athletics David Riggins, and Dr. Dr. Dan Powell ’69, take a break at the 8th annual MHU Alumni and Friends Annual Golf Tournament. The tournaments are hosted annually by Skip and Susan Liles and have raised over $283,000 in total for student-athlete scholarships. This year’s tournament raised over $31,000.
Two prominent influencers come to Mars Hill University to reflect on President Donald Trump’s actions and project how the rest of his term may take shape. Featuring Rick Glazier of the North Carolina Justice Center and John Hood of the John William Glazier and Hood Pope Foundation. The panel discussion will be moderated by Political Science Professor Heather Hawn and is free and open to the public. Zena Howard September 21, 2017 - 7:00pm - Broyhill Chapel Zena Howard was the senior architect for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and is an architect and principal at Perkins+Will architectural firm. She worked full time on the museum project for more than eight years.
The class of 1976 held its 40th reunion at MHU during homecoming. In addition to alumni, former professors present at the reunion included: Bob and Rachel Chapman, John Hough, C. Robert Jones, and Virginia Hart.
Howard
This lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, visit mhu.edu/lecture-series
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An Unlikely Mars Hillian Finds a Home Julie Fortney Retires After 44 Years
Julie Fortney in the classroom
by Teresa Buckner
“Don’t you ever get tired of teaching singing day in and day out?” During her 44-year career at Mars Hill University, Professor of Music Julie Fortney said she got that question multiple times. Her answer was always the same: “No. Every time the door opens, it’s another sound coming in the room, and that sound comes packaged in a body.” According to Fortney, it is the opportunity to teach singers as individuals that made her profession so rewarding.
with both students and colleagues throughout her tenure at Mars Hill University. Her retirement at the end of the 2015-16 academic year provided the opportunity to reflect on the hundreds of “people who sing” that she has helped teach and guide during her four-plus decades as a professor at MHU. Professor of Music Joel Reed refers to his long-time friend and colleague as the “world’s chief nurturer.” “If you look in the dictionary under the word, ‘nurturer,’ Julie’s picture would be there,” he said.
“That’s her calling, whether it’s her own children or not,” Reed continued. “Every child who came to “I don’t teach singing,” she said. “I teach people who college who was in her class was her own child and there were no throwaways.” sing.” That sense of the importance of individuals, interwoven with an effusive kindness, has been perhaps the hallmark of Julie Fortney’s interactions 10 Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
According to Reed, that nurturing spirit is an integral part of her personality that adds to her effectiveness as an educator and as a colleague.
“She’s just one of the nicest people I’ve ever known,” Reed said. A kind spirit, however, is only one of a lifetime of contributions Fortney has given to Mars Hill University, its music programs, and its students. A doctoral minor in higher education administration led her to a particular interest in the interconnectedness of disciplines and made her invaluable as a faculty leader in helping to shape the general studies curriculum for the university. For several years, she coordinated the aesthetics division of the general studies program, and later, she served on the inter-disciplinary faculty team charged with designing the arts and humanities portion of the Liberal Arts in Action program. She was also instrumental (with retired theatre arts professor C. Robert Jones) in creating the musical theatre major at Mars Hill University. Fortney clearly loves music, but even more, she loves music within the context of the liberal arts. Teaching at a liberal arts institution like Mars Hill, she said, allowed her to teach vocal music not as an isolated subject, but in the context of its history, the culture from which it springs, the poetry that engages performers and listeners alike, and the science which now is able to capture how sound is created in the human throat —and the list goes on. Fortney has been such an integral part of the university community for so long that her most of her colleagues and students may miss the improbability of her having come to Mars Hill in the first place.
high school. From an early age, she decided that her path would include entering the convent after high school. As a young woman, she joined the Sisters of Charity in Dubuque, IA, and began working on a degree in biology/pre-med Julie Fortney in 1975 with at the order’s local fellow music professor Carolyn Lamberson college. However, her decision to major in biology turned out to be premature and she decided to change her major to music at the end of her first year. She remained a member of the religious order for ten years, but decided to leave after four years of college teaching. “When I joined the religious community, I just wanted to do what was pleasing to the Lord, but I wasn’t paying much attention to my emotional needs at the time. On reflection, I am deeply grateful for the experience of living with such dedicated Christians, but it became clear to me that I wasn’t cut out for that lifestyle any longer. I came to the conclusion that If I wasn’t doing what I felt drawn to, then it was not what I was put on this earth to do.”
Following her departure from the order, she entered The Fortney family (L to R): Matthew, Michael, David, and the doctoral program in Julie, with pets Roxy and Jada. music at the University of Colorado in Boulder. While working as a teaching assistant and taking doctoral classes, Fortney began to form the basis of her Raised in Washington DC, and Phoenix, AZ, Fortney great respect for the liberal arts. was part of a devoutly religious family which sent her to Catholic schools from kindergarten through “Doctoral classes take you much deeper into the underpinnings of your discipline. My classes were Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
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much more historically and theoretically grounded than those from my earlier degrees and these things were intensely interesting to me,” she said. After she graduated, she began looking for an undergraduate teaching position. As she was leaving for several interviews, she received a call from a friend at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina who told her of a faculty vacancy in the Department of Music at nearby Mars Hill College. She knew nothing of the college, but when he informed her that it was “founded and sustained by Baptists,” she admits that she was skeptical that the institution would be interested in a candidate who knew nothing of Mars Hill’s religious heritage and, further, who had never given any serious thought to living in the South. The whole idea seemed doubtful at the time. “All I knew about Baptists was what I’d read, and my impression of the South was not at all positive because of what had gone on with race relations in the sixties,” she said.
“The questions they asked were focused on competence-based education and were both timely and insightful,” she said. “And as the interviews continued, it was as if some kind of light was shining over this experience.” Finally, Fortney addressed the question of religion with Dr. Bentley. “I said, ‘I know you are aware of my religious background, so I have to ask if you have any problem with a Catholic teaching at a Baptist school?’ And he said, ‘well you’re not going to proselytize in the classroom are you?’ And I said, ‘no, I’m going to teach music.’ He said, ’why would I have a problem with that? This is an educational Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
Soon after joining the faculty, and while filling the position of soprano section leader in the choir of All Souls Episcopal Church, she met the man who would become her husband, David Fortney, then a science and math teacher at Christ School in Asheville. The two were married in 1973. They have two grown sons: Michael, born in 1977, and Matthew, born in 1982.
Thirteen years after her marriage, Fortney also decided to join the Episcopal Church. She and David continue to be members of the Cathedral of All Souls and its adult choir. In addition, Fortney has been an active performer in the Asheville area, giving solo and chamber music concerts, conducting master classes and adjudicating local, state and regional vocal competitions across the southeast. She is also a member of the Southern Appalachian Chamber Singers, the MHU alumni choir founded by Joel Reed. Julie and David Fortney
She came to the interview primarily as a favor to her friend. But there, she was impressed by the questions posed by Dean Dick Hoffman and President Fred Bentley.
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institution; it’s not a church.’”
Fortney now calls that 1972 interview with Hoffman and Bentley the “initial grace” that brought her to the institution where she found a professional and personal home. “I was free to engage in meaningful work and nobody ever made decisions for me based on anything but my expertise and my commitment to students,” she said. “No one cared if I was Catholic, so long as I was a model for students and was engaged in life-long learning. I don’t think you get that everywhere. It’s rare, and I am forever grateful to have been allowed to be a part of this special place.”
See an interview with Dr. Fortney on the Mars Hill, the Magazine “Extras” page, at www.mhu.edu/extras.
A Survivor Returns: After 75 Years, Dr. Harley Jolley Returns to Pearl Harbor It’s been 75 years since that horrible day, December 7, 1941, when 21-year-old Harley Jolley awoke to hear low-flying planes and then, bombs and torpedoes exploding at Hickam Airfield in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The horrible sounds and images of the “day of infamy” have been enough to keep Jolley away from decades of ceremonies and recognitions of the Pearl Harbor attack. Despite his career as a much-revered professor of history at Mars Hill College (1949-1991), returning to the place where he had met with one of the climactic events of 20th century history was too emotional. Appeals from his wife and his sons through the years could not convince him to return. But then, as the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack drew near, the request of a grandchild caused him to reconsider. At the age of 96, traveling with both of his sons, a daughter-in-law, and two of his four grandsons, Dr. Harley Jolley found himself returning to Hawaii in early December 2016. His itinerary was full of special events designed to honor the few survivors, all of whom are in their 90s and 100s. Jolley and his family revisited his former barracks, now in use as an office building, but still bearing the holes from the shrapnel from so many years ago. He shared stories with his grandchildren as they reverently touched the scars in the building. A tour of the air base included a stop in the headquarters building where Jolley worked, a building that became overwhelmed with the wounded during the attack. A solemn ceremony remembering those who lost their lives that day, and honoring those who survived, took place near the flagpole that served as a gathering place both then and now. In addition
by Jackie Jolley
Dr. Harley Jolley, clockwise from above left: with fellow Pearl Harbor survivors, on the beach, and with his family, (l-r): son Stuart, grandson Jonathan, daughter-in-law Jackie, grandson Sam, son Ben and Dr. Jolley.
to stories of that morning, prayers, songs, and wreaths, there was a military flyover at just the time the first wave of Japanese planes arrived at the air base 75 years prior. In addition to the memorial events, base tours, celebrations, and parades that were a part of the official 75th Remembrance events, Jolley revisited some of the places he remembered from the time he was stationed at Hickam. There was also time to visit new places: he and his family drove the loop all the way around the island of Oahu, visited a pineapple plantation, and best of all, saw the active volcanoes on the Big Island from a helicopter. Jolley’s many experiences along the way are too many to share in just a few short paragraphs, but the opportunity to revisit a place that held so many difficult memories and make new, happy memories with his children and grandchildren cannot be put into words. He now speaks of what he would like to do and see the “next time” he travels to Hawaii. Perhaps 75 years is enough time to heal, or at least long enough to gain a fresh perspective. Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
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Alumni Initiatives Bring Recognition and Funding Class of ’66 Raises $63,000+ for Wren Renovation
The class of 1966 celebrated their 50th Reunion during Homecoming. It was a great weekend filled with fellowship and memories from the past. This reunion, which was hosted by Tom and Brenda Nash at Biltmore Forest Country Club, was one of the largest attended 50th reunions in recent years. The class has so far raised over $63,000 toward the renovation of Wren Student Union. Top right: Tom ’66 and Brenda Nash ’66, hosts of the reunion. Center right: Cheryl Pappas ’70, Chris Pappas ’66, and Dan Finch ’66 pose with Dr. Dan ’69 and Beverly Lunsford. Bottom right: Biltmore Forest Country Club provided beautiful surroundings for the reunion.
Jubilate Music Releases Premiere Composition of MHU Choral Series This spring’s J. Elwood Roberts-Mars Hill University Choral Festival featured a new sound—the world premiere of internationally recognized composer René Clausen’s “Psalm and Alleluia.” It’s the first composition published in the new Mars Hill University Choral Series, a joint venture with HW Gray Publishing (an imprint of Nashville-based Jubilate Music Group). The Mars Hill University Choral Series came together through the work of Mark Cabaniss ‘82, who’s president and CEO of Jubilate (and a member of MHU’s board of trustees). The series will feature world renowned choral composers. The Mars Hill University Choir debuted “Psalm and Alleluia” during the concluding concert of the choral festival on February 4. Cabaniss says, “As a Mars Hill alumnus and trustee, I’m honored and proud to be the publisher of this exciting new series that will accent Mars Hill University and its outstanding music traditions.”
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Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
Dr. Dan Lunsford, president; Dr. Teresa Sumpter, chair of the MHU music department; and Rod Caldwell, director of choral studies, receive a copy of “Psalm and Alleluia” from Mark Cabaniss, CEO of Jubilate.
Pride of the Lions Political Science Student Presents at National Conference Senior Ian Kirkpatrick recently presented at the Pi Sigma Alpha (The National Political Science Honor Society) 4th Annual Undergraduate Student Research Conference in Washington, DC, February 17-19, 2017. Ian’s paper and presentation was entitled “Quitting Terrorism: A Comparative Analysis of Deradicalization Programs.”
Gospel Choir Performs at MLK Awards Event The MHU Gospel Choir performed at the 2017 Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Ceremony, January 27. The awards are sponsored by Mission Health and MAHEC to celebrate team members who carry on the spirit, leadership and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to influence unity, equality, and justice in both the workplace and their communities.
MHU Student Support Services Sponsors Leadership Seminar Student Support Services at MHU sponsored a leadership seminar for selected students at Lioncrest at the Biltmore Estate on February 12. Speakers for the event included Dr. Dan Lunsford (bottom right) and other administrators from MHU as well as a panel of successful alumni from various fields. Alumni speakers included (photo below, l-r): Jason Wunsch ’96, founding attorney for the Wunsch Law Firm in Lillington, NC; Julian Cuthbertson ’08, senior consultant with Dixon Hughes Goodman accounting firm in Charlotte, NC; Jenay Wilson ’97, school counselor with Buncombe County Schools (NC); Megan Trasport ’12, Project POWER/AmeriCorps Program Assistant for Children First/Communities in Schools of Buncombe County and student support specialist at Estes Elementary School, Asheville, NC; James Whitt ’12, probation/parole officer for the State of North Carolina, Marshall, NC; and Jeremy Pressley ’00, insurance executive and co-founder of The Pressley Group insurance company.
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Social Work: Over Forty Years of Amazing Alums
MHU professors of social work Sherron Kincaid-Bristol (front left) and Beth Vogler (back right), visit alum Stephanie McCullough ’16 (front right) in her office at Madison County Housing Coalition. Current MHU student and social work major Kayla McClendon (back, left) is the CHC intern this semester.
“Anyone who works in the human service field really needs to be a ‘jack of all trades,’” according to Beth Vogler, professor of social work and dean of the Division of Professional Programs at Mars Hill University. That’s why, according to Vogler, the bachelor of social work offered by Mars Hill University is a generalist degree. “This means our students learn a variety of social work skills, and they learn to work with a variety of populations: individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations. Those skills furthermore, can be adapted to work in a variety of professional roles.” In May of 2017, approximately 27 people are expected to graduate from Mars Hill University with bachelor of social work (BSW) degrees. It will be the largest class of BSW graduates since the program’s creation, and a fitting way to celebrate over four 16
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decades of launching young adults into the vast array of careers available to BSW grads. A precursor of the Mars Hill College social work program was originally created by a grant in 1971. Institutional recognition of social work as an academic program in 1974 led to the development of a BSW program designed to graduate majors competent to provide entry-level service as generalist practitioners. The first BSW degrees were awarded in 1975. The next year the college sought and received the maximum accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the seminal accrediting body for social work education in the U.S. In those early years, two women led the program as department chairs: Faye Walker and then Carolyn Thompson. Then, in 1981, Julia Nooe began what
would be 28 years as department chair and primary cheerleader for the social work program. Nooe said that it remains a great source of pride for her that the social work program at MHU has been continuously accredited, at the regional, state, and national level, for over four decades. “I’m honored and humbled to have been a part of this wonderful academic adventure,” Nooe said. “Mars Hill is a part of my DNA, and I’ll be forever grateful for my years on the faculty.” These days, the woman at the helm is Beth Vogler, who took over the program in 2009 when Nooe retired. Her leadership ensures that the excellence established by Nooe, as well as the passionate advocacy for the program and its students, will continue. According to Vogler, there are a number of characteristics that make the BSW program at MHU unique. One is a concerted effort to work with local agencies on class projects and internships. That way, Vogler said, when students do work for their classes, they are not just doing homework, but they are also doing practical community research and organizational projects for agencies in western North Carolina.
Beth Vogler and Julia Nooe
“From the day a student arrives at Mars Hill University, we are helping to build his or her resume,” Vogler said. Another unique feature of the MHU program, Vogler said, is that students engage in two internships in their junior and senior years. The senior internship is generally in the student’s primary area of interest but by design, the junior internship will push the student out of his or her chosen field to experience a different type of human service. “Students typically have a great experience trying something new,” Vogler said, “and many times, students discover new career passions.”
Stephanie McCullough ’16
Sherron Kincaid-Bristol, MSW ’09
Volunteer Program Coordinator, Community Housing Coalition, Marshall, NC
NC Field Director/Asst. Professor of Social Work at MHU, Mars Hill, NC
“In my position, I recruit and coordinate volunteers, building community engagement to meet the needs of those who need home repair in Madison County.
“I teach undergraduate social work courses, supervise junior and senior social work placements, and advise social work majors. As field director, I am able to continue and build professional partnerships with community agencies throughout “The MHU social work program was the catalyst for my future. It has changed my life in more ways than this area and neighboring counties. I imagined. I am more confident. I am a better mom, “Mars Hill University social work program has fueled a better human being, and I strive every day to be my passion to help others. As a social worker, I am the best social worker I can be. And I have MHU to blessed with the wonderful opportunity to share thank for my dramatic change from the “me” of hope with others who believe there is no hope.” six years ago, to the person I am today. Thank you MHU, the social work program, and specifically Dr. Beth Vogler. When I grow up, I want to be like her.” Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
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Shannon Boyd ’11 School Social Worker, Buncombe County Schools, NC
Ebony McGee ’07 Police Officer, Asheville Police Department, Asheville, NC
“My job description includes building community relationships, empowering the community, deterring and addressing criminal activities, and protecting people and properties. Some might think social work has nothing to do with this. However, that’s ALL I do. Most of “As a Mars Hill graduate, the time, when I meet people, they I have been equipped are in a crisis. I have to listen, read with the knowledge body language, think of an approach, and ability to be an and consider what resources our effective social worker. community offers to assist this I have used the skills individual. I’m always empowering people to try again, taught to me by telling them: “make tomorrow better than today.” distinctive professors to help families and children. Not only have I been able to use these skills in the workforce but have had a greater empathy for family and friends.” Rev. Amy Stertz ’98
“As a school social worker, it is my goal to provide interventions to help students overcome challenges in their lives so they will have the opportunity to succeed in life.
Eric “Big E” Howard ’04, MSW, EdD Coordinator, Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court, Asheville, NC Eric works with a team of professionals from the court system and various human service agencies in Buncombe County to help veterans who have committed nonviolent crimes. The VTC helps veterans address emotional and legal issues in constructive ways so that they can live healthy, productive lives. Eric credits thendepartment chair Julie Nooe for convincing him that social work was the degree that would bring together his passions for education and working with individuals who struggle with mental health and addiction issues. “Ms. Nooe became my friend and my mentor; a lot of what she said resonated with me,” he said. 18
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Minister with Children and Families, First Baptist Church of Asheville, NC “A strong component of my work is helping children learn and serve others as they learn to live in the way of Jesus. Our children welcome homeless women who stay at our church several times each year, sort food for the hungry, make Christmas gifts for senior adults, deliver meals on wheels, and have helped create a lending children’s library at our partner church in Cuba. “Community involvement is an important part of who I am and what I do as a person and as a minister. Certainly my time at Mars Hill was instrumental in forming that part of who I am.”
Anita Eller Pruett ’81 Social Worker III, Adult Protective Services. (Anita previously worked developing pretrial release programs in both Buncombe and Haywood Counties.) “Attending MHU and being part of their social work department opened up the world for me. Attentive professors provided me with the skills to critically look at the world, encouraged me to be active in my community,
Debrah Conn Clark ’83 NC Foster Care Licensing Program Manager, Carolina Therapeutic Services, Gastonia, NC “After retiring from Gaston County Schools as a school social worker, I began employment with this agency as a licensing specialist and then transitioned into the manager position in August 2015. “Mars Hill University gave me the professional foundation and structure that allowed me to be a successful Social Worker in the state of NC. Throughout my professional career, my Mars Hill family and friends have provided ongoing support with professional and life challenges. My friendships derived from Mars Hill, lasting 37 years, are blessings that are rare.”
Raymond Featherstone ’11 Housing Support Specialist, Charles George Veterans Administration Medical Center, Asheville, NC “I currently work at the Charles George VA Medical Center where I did my internship through Mars Hill. My job is to locate safe and secure housing for our homeless veterans. “I had the most wonderful experience ever going to Mars Hill University. The professors are the most caring, understanding, amazing people I have ever met. They work with their students in every form or fashion to make sure they get the best education ever. I can’t say enough great things about this entire school because they helped me form structure in school and in my life. I will be forever grateful for the staff at Mars Hill University. and nurtured my compassion to help others. It was exactly what I needed, coming from a sheltered mountain community in West Virginia. The education I got was outstanding. MHU is well known for its outstanding social work program. I am proud to have been part of it.”
Brian Matlock ’98 Juvenile Court Counselor, NC Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Corrections and Juvenile Justice, Waynesville, NC “My position helps to set up mental health services if needed, create diversion plans for additional services, reduce the delinquency rate of juveniles, and help families as a whole connect with community services. “The MHU social work program gave me invaluable experience directly in the field. I was able to participate in three very different internships that expanded my experience and knowledge and then take it back to the classroom to process, evaluate, and examine what I learned, needed to improve, and what to take with me outside of college to impact the world.”
Cedric Mansell, ’95 Juvenile Court Counselor, NC Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Corrections and Juvenile Justice, Asheville, NC “I came to Mars Hill thinking I was going to be a communications major but my advisor, Julia Nooe, requested that I take the Intro. to Social Work class. It seemed to fit right into what I was all about, helping others. I had been part of taking care of the community through church and youth groups throughout my early life, and social work felt like a professional extension of that service. It was the internship process that hooked me on DJJ and social work in general.” Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
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Taking The Road Less Traveled to ‘The Hill’ by Mike Thornhill
Michael McLawhorn and Dr. Kinta Serve in the lab.
Michael McLawhorn was in Afghanistan, leading his Marine unit on a security patrol on Christmas Day of 2013. He had been able to connect through a video feed to see the birth of his daughter. But there were complications with the delivery, and Michael’s wife, Nicole, had to be rushed to an operating room. There was nothing Michael could do about it, and the safety of everyone on his base and in the surrounding community depended on his fire team doing its job, no matter what was happening in that U.S. hospital. A Different Path Michael McLawhorn didn’t follow the path most students take to get to Mars Hill University. Instead of going straight from high school to college, he went into the military. His five years as a rifleman in the U.S. Marine Corps infantry included that active duty tour, conducting combat operations and humanitarian relief to the local villages in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. 20
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“The Marine Corps gave me great time management skills and shaped me in parts of my life I didn’t immediately realize,” Michael says. “It gave me a desire to be something more than I was at the time.” He had always gravitated toward science and medicine, and his experiences—particularly around his daughter’s birth and Nicole’s surgery—helped that interest coalesce into a career path. In his application to medical school, Michael wrote: “As the news was relayed to me that my wife’s emergency surgery was a success, I was able to reflect on what had just occurred. Not only did I want to be there in the hospital with her for emotional support, I also felt an urge to be alongside the physicians that were helping her. I wanted to have a hand in her healing. I wanted to have the ability to treat and comfort at the same time. This realization served to solidify the direction that I wanted to take my life: to become a physician.”
The Road to Mars Hill Michael applied to several schools, but the road that led him to Mars Hill University was traveled on two wheels. His wife got him interested in cycling and he fell in love with the sport. He never had raced before, never had even ridden in the mountains. But Michael wanted to be a collegiate athlete and he says he was “determined to be successful.” Mars Hill’s cycling coach saw something in him, and offered Michael a spot on the cycling team. It was an offer that paid off. In his first season, he won a conference championship, along with several other wins and podium finishes. In the Lab Cycling may have sealed the deal, but it was Mars Hill’s biology and pre-med programs that put the university on Michael’s radar. “I wouldn’t have been successful anywhere else,” he says, noting the opportunities provided by MHU’s small class sizes and ready access to professors. Key among those professors is Kinta Serve, an assistant professor of biology. She has worked with Michael on potentially groundbreaking research he’s conducting around health dangers of certain types of asbestos. Even though Michael will graduate in a few weeks, the work he’s started will continue at Mars Hill. Avery Salmon, a sophomore, is already working with Michael and will move the project forward into the fall semester. Dr. Serve says ongoing projects like this one are important for students at Mars Hill: “Unlike graduate students, undergraduates are typically involved in research for only one year (or sometimes one semester). Having an established project, or group of projects, that students can work on during their limited tenure at the university is vital for research success.” Michael received an award from the Pfizer corporation to present his research at the prestigious Society of Toxicology’s annual meeting this spring. The research, itself, was aided by a grant from the John Malone Randolph and
Frances Allen Randolph Research Award. “Cost of supplies is often a limiting factor to research at undergraduate institutions,” says Dr. Serve, “So I am grateful for awards such as the Randolph Research Award that allow us to purchase supplies and to the Pfizer Award that allow students to travel to national conferences. These are invaluable opportunities for undergraduate students to learn about science and to participate in the research process.” To the Future Michael says this research project has helped strengthen his interest in allergens and immunology. Following graduation, he’ll begin medical school at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Spartanburg, South Carolina. And as he prepares for the next step on his journey, he knows he’s not going it alone. As he phrased it for his medical school application: “As I progress through the long process of becoming a doctor, I am comforted by the fact that I have the best support system for which anyone could ask. My wife and daughter have been by my side since the start of this journey. Their Michael McLawhorn in Afghanistan understanding of the difficulty of medicine and the sacrifices they have made thus far are nothing short of an inspiration. We have been able to endure any challenges that we have faced in the past. From being separated by hundreds of miles due to military training to being separated by thousands of miles during my deployment, we have certainly faced hardships. They have always been there to encourage me to go the extra mile in every aspect of life. There is no other way that I would want to go through the difficult journey of becoming a physician.” Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
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Amazing Alumna Marilyn “Que” Tucker ’74 “Like a puzzle that just started to come together.” That’s how Marilyn “Que” Tucker ’74 describes the journey that took her from the athletic courts of Reidsville, North Carolina, in the 1960s to her current role overseeing all high school athletics in her home state, as the first female commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. What are the pieces of that puzzle? Mars Hill College Que says she “didn’t have a clue” where she wanted to attend college, only that she didn’t want to go to the college her mother had attended. Her homeroom teacher suggested she look at Mars Hill College, the teacher’s alma mater. Mars Hill was one of three schools to which she was accepted and, despite not having set foot on the campus beforehand, she chose to go to the Hill. “It was just providential that I ended up here,” she says.
of a relationship that’s still strong today. “She was like my mom away from home,” Que says. “She’s the reason I became a P.E. teacher—I saw her giving back and I wanted to do the same thing.” The Mars Hill Connection Que’s graduation in 1974 put her in the job market, but with no teaching or coaching positions open, Coach Hart suggested she continue her education by pursuing a graduate assistantship. When she returned to the job hunt, she got a call from the mother of her freshman-year roommate at Mars Hill, alerting her to an opening for a middle school P.E. teacher and girls basketball coach. That started her along a series of increasingly higher level coaching positions, eventually leading to the next piece of the puzzle. Coach Kay Yow Que had worked in some of the legendary N.C. State coach’s basketball camps, and as a Mars Hill player had played against Yow during her days coaching at Elon College. In 1989 Coach Yow offered Que an assistant coaching position at State. She described that job as “a wonderful experience,” which included an Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 1991. But that was also when the day-to-day rigors of coaching began to wear on her, and she realized she didn’t want to keep coaching for the rest of her career.
Marilyn “Que” Tucker and Coach Virginia Hart
Her freshman year Que was one of only four black female students, but says she never really thought much about racial issues. She says the few issues she recalls were minor, and she “always felt the support” of the institution. And she got involved on campus, serving as president of her sophomore class and as co-captain of the basketball team her senior year, among other activities. Coach Virginia Hart That high school teacher who suggested Mars Hill also suggested she should get in touch with Coach Virginia Hart. Que recalls Coach Hart inviting her to her office to “chew the fat.” It was the beginning 22 Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
N.C. High School Athletic Association In June 1991 Que took the newly created position of assistant commissioner for student services at the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. She began working with high school administrators,
Status Report:
The Campaign for Mars Hill As the Mars Hill campaign draws near to the close of its fourth year, we caught up with Vice President for Advancement Bud Christman to discuss the campaign’s progress.
*** How is the campaign doing? It is doing incredibly well. We have been blessed with an outpouring of support from alumni and close friends. As of late February, we have achieved almost 98% of the overall goal. What, again, is the goal and what are the campaign priorities? The goal is $31,000,000 over a five-year period. The campaign is really intended to enrich the student experience both now and in the future. Campaign priorities include renovated residential space (Huffman Hall), new classrooms (Day Hall and Ferguson Health Sciences Center), program development (Judge-McRae School of Nursing), endowment growth (scholarships and faculty enhancement), athletic upgrades (Ammons Athletic Field House), student life enhancements (renovation of Wren Student Center) and last but not least, the Mars Hill Fund (annual giving to assist with student financial support). THE CAMPAIGN FOR
Will the campaign end early if the goal is met? No. We will push hard through May 31, 2017. Even though several priorities have exceeded their goal, we still need support to get over the top with several projects. The Ammons Athletic Field House and Wren Student Center renovation are particular points of emphasis these next 14 months.
Bud Christman
Any final thoughts? I encourage folks to check out the campaign website at www.buildingouru.com which provides more information and easy online giving options. And remember, numerous naming opportunities are still available. Campaign Goals: Endowed Student Scholarships ............... $9 Million Wren Student Center .............................$5.5 Million Nursing Program Development ............... $5 Million Huffman Residence Hall .......................... $3 Million Endowed Faculty Development .............$2.5 Million Mars Hill Fund .......................................$2.5 Million Day Hall................................................... $2 Million Athletic Field House ..............................$1.5 Million TOTAL ................................................. $31 Million
creating programs which helped student athletes with academic balance, leadership skills, and alcohol and drug resistance. “I felt like I was giving back for all that I had been given,” she says. She worked in a few other roles with the association
Que Tucker (bottom right) with her freshman basketball team.
before the opportunity arose to serve, first as interim, and now as the permanent commissioner of the organization. “I’m the umbrella,” she says of the job, leading the efforts of the association’s staff to encourage and provide health and safety, sportsmanship direction, educational opportunities, leadership training, and more for the over 200,000 North Carolina high school athletes and their coaches. “The challenges are great,” Que says. But every puzzle piece along the way “has paid off in my still being able to impact the young people. It’s a humbling experience.” Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
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Catching Up With
Vic and Jenny Finora The Finora family (l-r): Emjay, Vic, Jenny, and Grace.
When any member of a family coaches at the collegiate level, it can mean a hectic schedule for the whole family. But what if BOTH mom and dad are coaches? Better yet: what if mom and dad are one of very few married couples in the history of collegiate athletics to have head coaching responsibilities for complementary men’s and women’s basketball teams at the same university?
as head coach of the men’s basketball team in February 2017. (Vic was an assistant coach and then, interim head coach for most of the 2015-16 year.)
Vic and Jenny Finora are finding out. Jenny was hired as head coach of the Lions’ women’s basketball team in June 2016 and Vic was hired
MHU Sports Information Director Rick Baker caught up with the Finoras recently to ask how they came to Mars Hill and how they juggle demanding coaching careers with raising small children.
RB: How did you both get interested in basketball?
parents and sister were always attending Hoosier and Pacer games. I started practicing and fell in love with the sport.
Jenny: My mom’s doctor would not deliver me until the Indiana vs. Illinois basketball game was over on March 4, 1984. I came into the world loving the game. From then on, I grew up in Hoosier country and started playing around the age of four. My 24
by Rick Baker
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The Finoras came to Mars Hill from SAC rival Coker College, where Jenny was head coach and Vic was assistant coach for the women’s basketball team.
Vic: My dad was a coach so I basically grew up in basketball gyms. Some of my earliest memories are of me and my sister tagging along with him to
his practices. He taught me how to play and his passion for the game of basketball became instilled in me. RB: How did you meet? Jenny: We met in graduate school at the University of Kentucky. I sat behind him in class. One day we started talking which led to study dates and we eventually fell in love. RB: How did you get into coaching? Jenny: I originally wanted to be a meteorologist or work in a hospital with children. However, I was sidelined with a broken hand my freshman year of college and missed half of our season. A year later I was sidelined with mononucleosis and missed half of my sophomore season. After spending so much time on the sidelines God showed me that coaching basketball was meant for me. I decided that I wanted to dedicate my time being around the game and coaching young athletes. Vic: I saw firsthand everyday how much my father loved coaching and the impact he had on studentathletes’ lives and so from an early age, I knew I wanted to coach. When my playing career ended I was fortunate to get an opportunity to be a graduate assistant, first at Georgetown College (KY) then at the University of Kentucky. Being at UK was an amazing experience and reassured my desire to become a college basketball coach. RB: How did you get to Mars Hill? Vic: I spent the previous five years coaching alongside Jenny as her assistant with the women’s basketball team at Coker College. With the birth of our daughter and our son still being young, Jenny really wanted to spend more time with them. We discussed options and I expressed my interest to get back into coaching on the men’s side. Jenny made a big sacrifice for me and took a leap of faith to give up her job and follow me to Mars Hill so I could accept the assistant position with the men’s basketball team.
Jenny: Vic had always let me pursue my dreams and followed me to Huntsville, Iceland, and Hartsville, SC. When Mars Hill University offered the job to Vic, I had to put a lot of faith and trust in God. I decided to follow him and let him pursue his dreams. It was a blessing in disguise! My grandmother told me to trust and have faith. I did that and now we are blessed to have our dream jobs together. We have always discussed how amazing it would be if we could both be head coaches at the same university. We feel very blessed to have this opportunity. We love the community and are grateful to call Mars Hill home. RB: How do you balance coaching two separate teams at the same time with the responsibilities of raising a family? Vic: It takes a lot of planning, for which I definitely credit Jenny. We have to sit down and plan our practice schedules as well as recruiting together so we can factor in child care. We are fortunate to have great parents who have spent some time with us to help with the kids and we are also lucky to have found great babysitters. We try to plan as efficiently as we can to maximize our time with Emjay and Grace because we love having fun together as a family. The kids also love being around our players and the students always enjoy it when they’re around. It was such a big part of my life being around my dad’s teams and I am so grateful that my kids get to experience it as well. There are definitely challenges but we are both extremely blessed to have our dream jobs as parents and college basketball coaches.
For full bios on Vic and Jenny Finora, more information about Lions basketball, and the latest on all the other Lions athletic teams, see www.marshilllions.com
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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.
1930s Bertha Lee Thompson Cummins ’36, celebrated her 101st birthday last fall. She came to Mars Hill in 1934 from Louisville, KY. Mrs. Cummins currently lives in Jefferson, IN, plays Scrabble weekly with the ladies of her neighborhood, and loves playing the piano for her numerous guests. 1940s Joseph Clifford “Cliff” Fagan ’45 has received the Citizenship and Service Award from Duke Energy. Cliff received the award at the Greenwood, SC, Small Business Awards Luncheon in June 2016, for over 55 years service to the community. 1960s Mary Louise Reeves Canter ’60, the first female magistrate in Wilkes County, retired in August 2016 after serving in the position for nearly 28 years. She and her husband Gene live in Wilkes, NC. Hon. Dan Finch ’66, after more than 40 years of service in the legal profession, retired effective August 31, 2016. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Jim Hunt in 1995 and since 2009, he has served as the Chief Justice of the 9th Judicial District of NC, serving Granville, Franklin, Vance, and Warren counties (NC). 1980s John L. Bennett ’80 has been named the Wayland H. Cato, Jr. Chair of Leadership in the McColl School of Business at Queens University, in Charlotte, NC. Bennett is associate professor of business and behavioral science, and director of 26
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the master of science in organization development and executive coaching programs. In addition to teaching, he is a frequent speaker and presenter at academic, professional, and client conferences and workshops. 1990s Blane Gregory ’92 was named assistant principal of East Alexander Middle School (Hiddenite, NC) in July 2016. Mike Houston ’94, head football coach for the James Madison University Dukes, led his team to win the Florida Citrus Sports national championship on January 7, 2017. He has been named the American Football Coaches Association Football Championship Subdivision Coach of the Year. 2000s Jaime Binde McKee ’00 and her husband, Kenny, had a daughter, Lilah Grace, born on April 18, 2016. Lilah has an older brother, Lucas Edward, who is five years old. Lana Bagwell O’Shields ’01 has been named the Spartanburg School District 1 Teacher of the Lilah McKee Year for 2016-17. Lana is the instructional/reading coach at Inman Elementary School (Inman, SC). James “Steven” Pack ’01 has been named as the head football coach at North Lincoln High School in Lincolnton, NC. Previously, he was the defensive coordinator at Burns High School in Lawndale, NC. Jennifer Hoyle Powell ’02 and her husband, Paul, welcomed their second daughter, Meredith Hope, on May 27, 2016. Meredith has an older sister, Madelyn Grace, who is two years old. David Robinson ’03 has been Meredith Powell named the Asheville City Schools Principal of the Year for 2016-17. David has been
Class Notes the principal of SILSA: the School of Inquiry & Life Sciences in Asheville, NC, since 2015.
Palms, SC. Haley is a language arts teacher at Harris Middle School in Spruce Pine, NC.
Amanda Swartzlander ’06 has been named as an assistant principal at Asheville Middle School, Asheville, NC. Swartzlander has taught eighthgrade English, language arts, and social studies for the past nine years at Asheville Middle. She also served as the interim seventh-grade assistant principal and as director, co-director, and teacher in the Middle School Magic Summer Support Program.
Faculty/Staff
Kenny (Cheek) Williams ’08 married Evette Ware on October 16, 2016. The couple lives in Aberdeen, Mississippi.
C. Robert Jones, retired professor of theatre arts, has completed volume three of his children’s series, Lanky Tales: The Absolutely Remarkable Adventures of Lanky Lonagan. Volume III, subtitled, A Good and Faithful Friend, and Other Stories. This is the third in a series of four collections of stories about 13-year-old Lanky Lonagan. The book was published by Pisgah Press in 2016.
Evette and Kenny Williams
2010s Justin Gragg ’12 has created the French Broad River Half-Marathon, a 13.1-mile race starting in Asheville and ending in Marshall, NC. The inaugural race was held on October 22, 2016. Sarah Grace McCoy ’13 and Joshua Franklin Linhart ’13 were married on June 17, 2016. The couple lives in Weaverville, NC. Neil Lawrence Coates ’14 married Emily Coates September 10, 2016. The couple lives in Atlanta, GA.
Sarah McCoy and Josh Linhart
Audrey Hannah Marshall ’15, married Derrick J. Miller July 30, 2016. The couple lives in Mars Hill, NC.
Kenny Anderson ’16 has been hired as a dance instructor at The Dance Factory of Morganton, NC. Kenny was a member of the award-winning Bailey Mountain Cloggers during his time at MHU.
Four new trustees began their terms on the MHU Board of Trustees on January 1. They are:(l-r) Mary Dawson ’01, physician at Mountain Magnolia Family Practice in Abingdon, VA; Jeremy Pressley ’00, owner of the Pressley Group Allstate Insurance in Waynesville, NC; and Bill Murdoch ’84, co-founder and CEO of Eblen Charities and the Eblen Center for Social Enterprise in Asheville, NC. They are pictured with board chair Wayne Higgins. Not pictured: Mike Stephens ’72, retired president and CEO of Davis Electrical Contractors, in Greenville, SC. For full bios, go to: Mars Hill University Announces New Trustees under the News & Events tab on the MHU website (www.mhu.edu).
Amanda Brooke Thomas ’16 married Eric Gregory Barnett on July 9, 2016. The couple lives in Mt. Airy, NC. Haley Presnell ’16 married Steven Daniels on July 17, 2016 in Isle of
Haley and Steven Daniels
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In Memoriam 1930s Evelyn “Lyn” Lorena Morgan Hines ’34, Clyde NC, August 5, 2016. Anneal Triplett Ledbetter ’35, Lenoir NC, December 8, 2015. Blanche Elizabeth Fleetwood Bennett ’36, Burnsville NC, July 14, 2016. Thomas Cutchin Haywood ’36, Norfolk VA, November 4, 2016. Rebecca “Becky” Hollowell Hamrick ’38, Shelby NC, July 11, 2016. Howard Wilson McCall ’38, Thomson GA, December 7, 2016. 1940s Ruth Adleine Gilbert ’40, Black Mountain NC, July 16, 2016. Rebekah Page Dixon Shropshire ’40, Greensboro NC, September 2, 2016. Winifred Joyce Rector West ’40, Marshall NC, August 22, 2016. Nancy Jane Helsabeck Fowler ’41, Winston Salem NC, September 2, 2016. Annie Rose Carter Hobbs ’41 Bunnlevel NC, November 30, 2016 Clarence Arthur Middleton, Jr. ’42, Lynchburg VA, February 6, 2016. Joseph “Jojo” Howard Thigpen ’42, Greenville NC, August 10, 2016. Joseph Clarence Edwards ’43, Raleigh NC, February 3, 2017. Eleanor Christine Ingram Mallette ’43, Asheville NC, November 29, 2016. William Edward Parnell ’43, Charlotte NC, December 23, 2016. Lillian Wrenn Ogburn Cochrane ’44, Rock Hill SC, October 28, 2016. Vivian Archer Parks, Jr. ’44, Mechanicsville VA, August 30, 2016. 28
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Majanah Leonora Hagan Bender ’45, Albuquerque NM, March 26, 2015. Jean Elizabeth Woody Duckett ’45, Hot Springs NC, May 13, 2015. Doris Lee Huffman Franklin ’45, Valdese NC, November 1, 2016. Esther Wake Hollowell Kidd ’45, Raleigh NC, December 5, 2016. Helen Marguerite Maxwell LoPresti ’45, Hendersonville NC, February 2, 2015. Martha Mae McClain Mathis ’45, Spartanburg SC, November 30, 2014 Thomas Everette Parker ’45, Smithfield NC, January 12, 2015. Faye Wallace Gladden Smith ’45, Columbia SC, November 28, 2016. Beatrice Hugh DeWitte Sparkman ’45, Cameron SC, November 2, 2016. Linda Anice Kidd Stephens ’45, Hendersonville NC, August 5, 2016. Oral Gentry Allen ’46 Raleigh, NC, December 22, 2016. Joyce Adair Ward Anderson ’46, Mars Hill NC, July 19, 2016. Mary Elizabeth Jones Bennett ’46, Asheville NC, October 19, 2016. Oscar Edwin “Ott” Boles ’46, Winston-Salem NC, October 5, 2016. Betty Jean Ray Brupbacher ’46, Fort Myers FL, July 14, 2016. Margaret Rose Nelson ’46, Charlotte NC, November 21, 2016. Richard “Dick” Rayvon Burris, Sr. ’47, Lincolnton NC, September 22, 2016. Nellie Barbara Zoellner Gomez ’47 Springfield, MO, January 15, 2017. Hazel Lee Holcombe Greene ’47, Boone NC, September 19, 2016.
In Memoriam Floyd Charles Miller ’47, Candler NC, November 9, 2016.
Thelmore Dewey Goins ’50, Greenwood SC, September 23, 2016.
Eunice Grace Robinson Riddle ’47, Asheville NC, January 8, 2017.
Jeanne Annette Pinner Hood ’50, Rock Hill SC, January 8, 2017.
Arthur Everette Wood ’47, Marshall NC, October 2, 2016.
Benjamin Carr Ivey ’50, Wilmington NC, December 11, 2016.
Edwin Desso Creech ’48 Laurinburg, NC, February 12, 2017
Jean Dunson McClain Mauney ’50, Winter Garden FL, April 16, 2016.
Betty Jo Beeson Fitzpatrick ’48, Kernersville NC, September 26, 2016.
Betty Jo Byers McGalliard ’50, York SC, September 1, 2016.
Robert Browning Harrington ’48, Knoxville TN, September 17, 2016.
Arthur Samuel Gillespie ’51, Gastonia NC, January 7, 2017.
Morris Shufford Hollifield ’48, Lexington NC, November 24, 2016.
Jacqueline Bowers Harward ’51, Norwalk OH, January 5, 2017.
Laura Iris Porter Johnson ’48, Demorest GA, December 14, 2016.
Herbert “Bud” Stevens Howell ’51, Old Hickory TN, December 30, 2016.
Nina Merle Dalrymple Murph ’48, Kannapolis NC, September 13, 2016.
Mary Ellen Hollemen Odom-Burgess ’51, Winston Salem NC, November 29, 2016.
Betty R. Revan Cook ’49, Johnson City TN, January 18, 2014
Christine Madrid Phillips Williams ’51, Virginia Beach VA, December 30, 2015.
Luther Derieux Dunn ’49, Willow Street PA, August 13, 2016.
Janieve E. Mast Williams ’51, Boone NC, December 14, 2016.
Myrle Maureen Peoples Lowdermilk ’49, Jamestown NC, November 30, 2016.
Florence LaVerna Bell Davis ’52, Raleigh NC, January 9, 2017.
Clarence Edward Parker ’49, Asheville NC, December 3, 2016.
Dorothy Mae Sheilds Griffin ’52, Marion NC, September 24, 2016.
Millie Ann Dellinger Rockett ’49, Hickory NC, September 25, 2016.
Janie Irene Matthews ’52, Asheville NC, September 5, 2016.
Buna Leigh Pickett Springle ’49, Durham NC, September 14, 2016.
Venice “Billie” Jeanette Lollis Corbitt ’53, Greenwood SC, August 17, 2016.
Robert Hall Steele ’49, Salisbury NC, December 25, 2016.
Mary Ethel Buckner Foster ’53, High Point NC, November 24, 2015.
Alma Lee Harris Woody ’49, Roxboro NC, January 11, 2017.
Rev. Sidney Ray Grimes Sr. ’53, Statesville NC, August 20, 2016.
Madeline Doris Putnam Wright ’49, Lincolnton NC, October 31, 2016.
Kathleen McDaniel Lovings ’53, Greensboro NC, January ’, 2017.
1950s William Clifford Bennett ’50, Mars Hill NC, October 20, 2016.
Wanda Rose Chason Powers ’54, Winston-Salem NC, September 13, 2016.
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Dr. Robert Paul Wyatt ’54, Emporia VA, June 29, 2016.
William Christopher Maddry ’62 Winston-Salem, NC, February 11, 2017.
Thurston Davis Carroll ’55, Charlotte NC, January 19, 2017.
Judith Faye Pearce ’62 Raleigh, NC, February 17, 2017.
Laura Evelyn Watts Del Guidice ’55, Kernersville NC, August 16, 2016.
John Abner Chitty ’63, Winston-Salem NC, September 24, 2016.
Lloyd Franklin Jackson ’55, Richmond VA, October 20, 2016.
Stephen Doughty Bitter ’64, Asheville NC, February 6, 2017.
Harry Edwards Johnson ’55, Oak Ridge TN, October 18, 2016.
Betty Starr Glover Braswell ’64, Wake Forest NC, December 6, 2016.
Ada Lee Deacon Rexrode ’55, Roanoke VA, August 14, 2016.
Julia Ruth Teeter Cox ’64, Asheville NC, February 22, 2017.
Roy Yates Ammons ’56, Mars Hill NC, August 5, 2016.
Jerry Fay Jolley ’64, Rocky Mount NC, July 25, 2016.
Walter Larry Brown ’56, Asheville NC, January 29, 2017.
Charles William Loven ’65, Bakersville NC, October 13, 2016.
Charles Parker Bullard ’56, Asheboro NC, December 8, 2016.
Charles Clifford Banks, Jr. ’66, Winston Salem NC, September 3, 2016.
Lorene Poteat Barnhardt ’57 Charlotte, NC, February 19, 2017.
Frank Owen Ezell ’66, Spartanburg SC, August 13, 2016.
Oren Douglas Boyce, Jr. ’57, Charleston SC, October 31, 2016.
James Caldwell “Duke” Fisher ’66, Maudlin SC, October 4, 2016.
Lynda Frances Reep Jensen ’57, Chapel Hill NC, December 14, 2016.
Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Stanley ’66, Kinston NC, December 15, 2016.
Barbara Jane Davis Baldwin ’58, Alexander NC, July 23, 2016.
Candace Vale Coles Todd ’67, Watkinsville GA, September 10, 2016.
Virginia Lou Lewis Bishop ’59 Asheville, NC, February 20, 2017.
James Thomas Wylie ’67, Easley, SC, July 7, 2016.
Judith Eleanor Faust Goodnight ’59, Kannapolis NC, November 21, 2016. Shirley Ann Hall ’59, Sanford NC, July 13, 2016.
Gordon Kyle Bowling ’68, Matthews NC, October 16, 2016.
Alice Kay Wright Killebrew ’59, Bryson City NC, August 17, 2016.
Beulah Dian Honeycutt Kiggins ’68, Mars Hill NC, October 5, 2016.
Linda Joyce Poore Simpson ’59, Greenwood SC, September 8, 2016.
Perry Claude White ’68, Taylor SC, November 21, 2016.
1960s Roger Eugene Hanes ’60, Cordova TN, April 4, 2016. Robert Lee Richardson ’60, Charlotte NC, May 28, 2016. 30
Sandra Kaye Cannon Baker ’68, Drexel NC, October 6, 2016.
Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
Tim Holmes Towery ’69, Asheville NC, July 8, 2016. 1970s Richard Earle Parker ’70, Spartanburg SC, August 12, 2016. Harlon Gray Ramsey ’70, Cedar Mountain NC, October 24, 2016.
Martha Louise Snipes ’71, Spruce Pine NC, September 23, 2016. Vicki Diane Green Davis ’72, Easley SC, September 1, 2016. Jane McIntosh Davis ’73, Weaverville NC, October 5, 2016. Mildred Kirkman Schutte ’74, Candler NC, October 14, 2016. Daniel Lee Greene ’78, Greenville SC, August 14, 2016. 1980s John Woodward Jackson ’80, Winter Park FL, October 19, 2016. Houston Bryan Roberson ’80, Sewanee TN, December 21, 2016. Jason David Edwards ’81, New York NY, November 15, 2016. William Edward Church ’84, Marion NC, December 16, 2016. Michael Nelson Austin ’85 Greensboro, NC, February 9, 2017. William Marcus Fowler ’85, Asheville NC, January 8, 2017. Michael Scott Brady ’88, Spartanburg SC, November 28, 2016. 1990s Joseph Ray Simmons ’90, Winston-Salem NC, January 28, 2017. Sharron Lynn Toney ’92, Marion NC, July 25, 2016. Marlene Kathrine Nanna Wenslow ’96, Zirconia NC, September 12, 2016. 2010s Kenneth Nathan Allen ’10, Asheville NC, July 21, 2016. Faculty/Staff Walker Hardee Ford, former professor of chemistry, Anderson SC, December 27, 2016. Lucille Godwin, retired professor of English, Ozark AL, August 3, 2016.
Former President Max Lennon Dies A. Max Lennon, former president of Mars Hill College (now Mars Hill University), died Tuesday, November 29, 2016. Lennon was a 1960 graduate of Mars Hill College, receiving his associate’s degree in agriculture. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate from North Carolina State University. He held teaching and administrative positions at Texas Tech University, the University of Missouri and Ohio State University before becoming president of Clemson University in 1986. He served there until 1994. After leaving Clemson, Lennon became president and CEO of Eastern Foods, Inc. In 1996, Lennon was selected as president of Mars Hill College. Under his leadership, Mars Hill experienced strong growth in fundraising; secured a $10 million bond issue from the State of North Carolina; more than doubled its endowment; developed a $5 million capital improvement fund; and implemented a 10-year strategic planning process and undertook several upgrades to facilities. He resigned in January 2002 and became president of the Education and Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas (ERC). In retirement, Lennon remained a staunch supporter of Mars Hill University. He and his wife Ruth (Carter) Lennon established a scholarship in his mother’s memory, and were regular contributors of money, time, and talent to the university’s advancement efforts. Lennon was succeeded by current Mars Hill University President Dan G. Lunsford. Brent Baxley Kincaid ’51/Trustee, Lenoir NC, August 15, 2016. Archie Max Lennon ’60/Former President, Mars Hill NC, November 29, 2016. Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2017
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