End of an Era

Since Riggins assumed the role as Director of Athletics in 1999, the Mars Hill athletic complex has seen a face lift. Meares Stadium saw the installation of synthetic turf and the W. Scott Merrill Press Box along with refurbished seating for the home grandstand and improved visitor seating. Upon completion, the complex assumed the name of Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium. It now serves as the home for the football, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s soccer teams. In addition, a new softball facility was completed on Ponder Field along with the construction of two football practice fields. Belk Field saw the addition of a new practice facility which houses men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s lacrosse. That facility was upgraded Mars Hill University has renamed the playing surface in Stanford Arena in honor of retiring Athletic Director David Riggins. Riggins Court is home to the university’s Mountain Lions basketball and volleyball teams. At a retirement celebration on December 4, 2018, university trustees chair Wayne Higgins announced that the trustee board had voted to name the playing court in honor of Riggins. The board passed a resolution citing Riggins’ “distinction, honor, and integrity,” calling him a role model and “a with a new irrigation system and installation of natural turf. In spring of 2013 the Lions baseball team moved into the new Henderson Field. The 2012-13 year also saw the addition of a new 2,100-square foot weight room in Chambers Gym. This fall, the Lions will move into the new Jo Ellen Ammons Field House which will be home for football, women’s soccer, tennis, and golf. Coach Riggins played basketball in college at Francis Marion University before receiving both his bachelor’s degree (1974) and master’s degree (1980) from the University of South Carolina. He and his wife, Rita, reside in Weaverville. They have two grown sons, Chase and Kyle; and three

Stanford Arena Floor Renamed for David Riggins

SAC Names the David Riggins Service Award

Mars Hill University coaches gather with President Tony Floyd during a ceremony celebrating the renaming of the David Riggins Court in December 2018.

grandsons: Ryles, Brooks, and Davis. credit to his profession and to Mars Hill University.” The resolution described him as “beloved by his university and those whose lives he has touched as coaches, players, students, and colleagues.” At that same ceremony, the commissioner of the South Atlantic Conference, of which Mars Hill is a member, announced a new award called the SAC David Riggins Service Award. It will be awarded each year to an administrator for outstanding service to the conference.

Becky and David Costner. (Photo credit: Photographs with Julie O’Kelly)

David Costner Receives Baptist Heritage Award from Mars Hill University

Mars Hill University presented its 2018 Baptist Heritage Award to David Costner of Leicester, North Carolina. Each year at the Baptist Heritage Awards Banquet, North Carolina Baptist entities honor people who have contributed to the individual organizations in unique ways. The 2018 banquet was held April 10, at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. The event was co-sponsored by the Baptist State Convention of N.C. and the N.C. Baptist Foundation. Costner is a graduate of Mars Hill, class of 1970. The Costner family has a long history with the institution: both of Coster’s parents attended the school, as did his sisters and the woman who ultimately became his wife. He met Becky on the first day of classes in 1966. Following graduation, he taught and coached in Buncombe County while also serving in the U.S. Army Reserves, then in 1975 began a career in the transportation industry. He retired in 2013 as director of national account sales at Continental Freight Company. Following retirement, David and Becky Costner returned to western North Carolina. He served on the Mars Hill University board of advisors and in 2014 joined the board of trustees. “What a joy it is to serve God and this great university,” Costner said. “ I am honored to give back just a portion of my time for the many opportunities MHU has given to me.”

MHU LEGACIES

Au Revoir Mon Ami

Dr. Richard Gilbert Knapp taught French and general studies at Mars Hill College/University for 31 years. He joined the MHU faculty in 1971, two years after he received his Ph.D. in French from Columbia University. That was also the same year he published his book, The Fortunes of Pope’s Essay on Man In 18th Century France. Few people knew that Dick was an eminent scholar on the French writer Voltaire and 18th century French literature. In fact, few probably knew what a towering intellect and enjoyable person he was. I joined the MHU faculty in 1996 and for six years, he was my colleague in the department. I remember meeting Dick for the first time when I was new to MHU. My first impression, honestly, was that he was snobbish and elitist. But, over the years that I knew him, that impression changed completely. Dick lived in a beautiful home off Kimberly Avenue in North Asheville. Inside were artwork, ceramics, and beautiful pieces that he had collected over the years. In fact, his home was like a museum: around each corner was another treasure that was matched only by the elegant furnishings, carpets, and rugs. I remember sitting on the welcoming front porch in warm weather just laughing and talking about anything and everything with Dick. That was the beauty and joy of Dick Knapp: he knew so much that I always considered him a walking encyclopedia. A Remembrance of Dr. Richard “Dick” Knapp

By Dr. Greg Clemons, Professor of Spanish

For a stretch in the early 2000s I would meet Dick along with MHU social work professor emerita Julia Nooe for brunch in North Asheville each Sunday. On one Sunday, when I was on my sabbatical from MHU to translate a novel from Spanish into English, I had a few questions about cultural norms of the middle ages. After I asked him my questions at brunch, he rattled off the top of his head dates, names, and places of medieval Europe as if he were reading from a book. Professor Emeritus of Theatre C. Robert Jones remembers that the incoming faculty class of 1971 was large—at least 20 professors that year began their careers at MHU. According to C. Robert, Dick stood out because of his non-Southern demeanor. Being from New England, Dick was not quite sure how to maneuver the Southern way, which was at times circuitous and not to the point. C. Robert notes that Dick was truly cosmopolitan in how he dressed. His stylized use of French and his worldliness was a refreshing element for the college and for the small town of Mars Hill. It wasn’t that Dick didn’t fit in at Mars Hill; he brought culture to the campus and town of Mars Hill. As C. Robert put it, it was as if Dick stepped out of the pages of Esquire magazine. C. Robert concurs that Dick’s personality could be misunderstood: he was ironic, deprecating, and very blunt, someone who, C. Robert said, “took no prisoners.” But the truth was that he was also funny, quick with a comment or opinion, and dedicated to his career of teaching. He loved his scholarly pursuits, but unlike his peers at larger colleges and universities, Dick never spent his time worrying about publishing. Truth is, I don’t even remember him talking about pursuing research, which was something quite refreshing actually. My MHU Spanish colleague Gordon Hinners remembers how Dick was always quick to laugh. He had an elfish, mischievous, and knowing smile, as Gordon tells it. His intelligence came through in all he said and did—his humility about his incredible intellect was perhaps one of his greatest features. One MHC alum from the class of 1981, Carol, who majored in French and minored in German, speaks glowingly of Richard, remembering his strong personality and interesting demeanor. Dick was the son of a veterinarian (who was an alum of Cornell University). That love of dogs must have passed to him because he owned Doberman pinschers for years, but as he aged he was the owner of dachshunds. His small, dear dog Peanut, a beautiful tawny dachshund, would bark as loud as possible to announce that visitors had arrived at their house! A few years before his death, he suffered a stroke which limited his physical abilities. Even when he was in rehab at Thoms Rehabilitation Hospital in Asheville, his sense of humor shone. He had his moments as he recovered. I can remember his frustrating groans as he would try to pull his leg out of the passenger side of my car. Within minutes he was on his feet and his humor returned: he would perhaps curse at his walking cane or laugh at his own limitations. It seems that his stroke, while it affected him physically, did not stop him from a comment or two about politics or even the weather! When he died in January, I knew that I would miss him terribly, for he was always capable of making me laugh and smile. And, memorably, he had the uncanny ability to make me marvel at his intelligence and aspire to his level of scholarship. To my friend, I say: qu’il repose en paix (Rest in Peace).

Dick Knapp at his desk during his tenure at Mars Hill