The Magazine of Mars Hill University | Spring 2021
MHU Mobilizes to combat COVID-19
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The Magazine of Mars Hill University | Spring 2021
MAGAZINE STAFF: Editor: Teresa Buckner, Director of Publications Associate Editor: Mike Thornhill ’88, Director of Communications Additional Contributors: Rick Baker, Athletic Director; Carol Boggess, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of English; Samantha Fender, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications; Kari Hunt, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation; C. Robert Jones, Professor Emeritus of Theatre Arts; Paul Moon, reporter and photographer; Jaime McKee ’00, Director of Online Presence and New Media; Dr. Dave Rozeboom, Vice President for Student Life; Kiana Tuckett, MHU Student; Lisa Wachtman, Senior Director of Student Success; Cindy Whitt ’06, Senior Business Analyst; Adam Williams, Director of Athletic Communications
President’s Leadership Team: Tony Floyd, J.D., President Tracy Parkinson, Ph.D., Provost Rick Baker, Director of Athletics Grainger Caudle, Ph.D., Senior Director of Planning and Strategy Bud Christman, Vice President for Advancement Samantha Fender, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Joy Kish, Ed.D. ’82, Senior Director of Alumni and Trustee Relations Jennie Matthews, Director of Human Resources Rev. Stephanie McLeskey, University Chaplain Dave Rozeboom, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Life Roger Slagle, Vice President for Finance and Administration Kristie Vance ’07, Director of Admissions 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, N.C., 28754. Phone 828-689-1102. Email 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, N.C., 28754. Phone 828-689-1304. Email tbuckner@mhu.edu. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Alumni Office, Mars Hill University, P.O. Box 6792, Mars Hill, N.C., 28754. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved. Cover photo: Director of Financial Aid Nichole Buckner and Financial Aid Counselors Cassandra Buckner and Tammy Woody have been part of the more than 35 volunteers who have delivered meals and other necessities to students in quarantine and isolation this year.
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MHU’s athletic trainers did double-time this year, adding COVID-19 testing an Alexis Montgomery ’15, Kelly Ottie (sitting), Austin Hille ’17 (sitting), Caleb Str
nd contact tracing to their normal duties. Pictured are front L to R: Allen Shelley, rother, Jeremy Bramlett ’20; back L to R: Danielle Voss ’05, Meredith Cottrell ’17.
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IN THIS ISSUE Letter from the President.......................................4 Responding to COVID-19 ........................................5 A Total Campus Effort
A Different Kind of Graduation................................8 Student Reflection............................................... 10 How Students are Experiencing the Current Movement for Equality
Preserving the Mars Hill Story............................... 12 The Memories Collection
Walk With Us....................................................... 14 Remembering Ed and Polly Cheek
Amazing Alumnus Kevin Barnette ’85.................... 16 Coach Barnette Makes History in Madison County, N.C.
New Trustees and Trustee Leadership................... 19 Former Athletic Director Ed Hoffmeyer Passes....... 20 MHU Mourns Death of Coach Tony Fontanelle......... 21 Campus News...................................................... 22 Spring Theatre Performance to Take Place Outdoors Community & Nonprofit Leadership Major Approved Alpha Chi Service Project Trustee Donates New Basketball Goals Mullinax ’73 Publishes Book
Athletics: A Season Unlike Any Other..................... 24 Baseball Field Resurfaced
Class Notes.......................................................... 25
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
I am proud of Mars Hill University! We have operated through a pandemic which is now stretching into its 13th month. As we have hung in together through a turbulent year of unrest and uncertainty in our country, our university is charging forward into a bright future. We have just closed out a record-breaking Day4MHU with approximately $261,000 raised in 24 hours; we welcomed 73 new students to Mars Hill over the winter break; we increased our student retention by 3.5% this academic year; and we exceeded our spring enrollment goal by 40 students. We are planning and dreaming of the concept of building a new campus center and doing significant improvements to our core campus. We have upgraded apartments on campus, constructed a new health center, installed new athletic playing surfaces, renovated our student fitness center and student game room, and we are installing air conditioning into Huffman Residence Hall this summer. Our momentum has been exhilarating! As you look across the country you can see the toll that the pandemic has brought to many campuses. We have been blessed so far. We have not accepted the common narrative that the pandemic must wreak economic havoc on all campuses. It has been challenging but we are persevering in a Mars Hill way! We have kept the campus open and the students are doing well with precautions and showing a lot of determination and grit. I am so proud of the way our student body, faculty, staff, and community responded when times were at their toughest. Although it has been difficult, it has pushed all to become stronger and make strides towards more modernized ways of delivering class content, accommodating different situations, and all the while continuing to foster student engagement and connection. You are a big part of our incredible momentum. You are the backbone and part of a solid core of our institution. We feel your prayers, appreciate your gifts, and love your posts and tweets on social media and your notes of encouragement. Mars Hill is a place that is spectacular. It is also a place where young people can come to find a place to belong, as many of you have done. It is a place to live up to your potential and most importantly, it is a place to find your purpose, your life’s calling. Thank you for the tremendous support. We are working hard to make you proud. We are looking forward to a day very soon where you can come back and celebrate our momentum with us! Sincerely,
Tony Floyd, J.D. President 4 Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2021
RESPONDING TO COVID-19 A Total Campus Effort A proactive, collaborative approach and a lot of planning are the factors that Dr. Dave Rozeboom credits with keeping the spread of COVID-19 relatively contained during the 2020-21 academic year so far. “It’s been a team effort,” according to Rozeboom, who is vice president for Student Life. “I am unbelievably proud of our campus community effort in terms of COVID-19 communication, collaboration, and awesome support for our students. We have tackled this problem at Mars Hill through a collaborative process, and we have taken a proactive approach to testing and to quarantining students who have been exposed.” These factors, he said, have contained Mars Hill’s total positive cases so far this academic year to 98* students. (*as of March 11, 2021.) The COVID-19 Response Team Mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and addressing the needs of the campus have been the primary goals of the COVID-19 Response Team (CRT), a cross-section of key personnel on campus. Their tasks have included addressing everything from
the physical health and wellness of the campus community to facilities, safety and security, academics, and others. Prior to students’ return in the fall, the CRT closely monitored local and national guidance to establish new COVID-19-related policies and procedures for the campus. The group met virtually on a daily basis to prepare for a safe reopening and to continually assess the needs of the campus. Since the opening of the academic year, the CRT team has managed COVID-19 testing and contact tracing protocols (with medical services and athletic training personnel), has addressed policy violations and concerns, has assisted with plans to reintegrate student athletes back into practice and competition, has updated university website dashboard numbers, and has reviewed various forms of data to forecast how the virus might continue to affect the campus. The team has worked closely with the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) and with Madison County Health Department. continued ...
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Responding to COVID-19, continued
“I have met with MHU staff at least weekly for the past year and sometimes more often. Our communicable disease staff talk daily with staff at the university,” said Tammy Cody, director of the Madison County Health Department. “Considering the population and the fact that so many students reside in communal living, there have been minimal COVID cases at MHU. We have worked with the staff on COVID guidelines and testing. The staff have been on the forefront of taking steps to protect students, university staff and our community. I could not ask for a better partner than MHU in protecting our community.” Protocols that grew out of the work of the CRT included a campus-wide effort to encourage faculty, staff, and students to (1) take their temperatures and log any COVID-related symptoms in a computer application daily, (2) wear masks anywhere on campus (except personal offices and residence hall rooms), and (3) adhere to social distancing recommendations of at least six feet. Student Health Ambassadors In an effort to encourage students to adopt these practices, and with funding provided by a MAHEC grant, the university implemented a Student Health Ambassador (SHA) program. Dr. Kari Hunt, assistant professor of health, human performance and recreation, serves as the coordinator of the program and has hired six students to engage the campus community in responding to COVID-19 and adopting safe, evidence-based practices. Using positive messaging and reinforcement, the SHAs promote the 3 W’s (WEAR a mask, WAIT 6 feet apart, and WASH your hands). They also encourage their peers through the Healthy Lions Campaign, an initiative “to keep the Lions safe, healthy, and on campus!” The campaign includes a reward system to encourage and support students who are demonstrating appropriate health behaviors and following COVID-19 guidelines. “We are extremely fortunate to have received funding for this SHA program. Peer education can be a very powerful tool for promoting and adopting new health behaviors such as the 3 W’s during this pandemic,” Hunt said. “I am so proud of how our six SHAs have stepped up to meet this challenge.” 6 Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2021
Overall, the SHAs contributed approximately 400 hours to the campus-wide response effort during the fall semester, and their work is ongoing. Proactive Quarantine and Isolation Protocol In response to the daily logging of temperatures and symptoms, staff from the Student Health Center made contact with anyone on campus who reported a higher-than-normal temperature, or any other symptom associated with COVID-19. According to Stephanie Shelton, director of the Student Health Center, students who reported even one symptom were contacted and quarantined, or sent home, until they returned a negative test. That method has resulted in several cases of quarantine on campus at any one time, but it has undoubtedly slowed the transmission of the virus, Shelton said. “Normally when you show signs of COVID, you go to your physician, you get tested, two to three days later you get a result, and if it’s positive, you will wait for the health department to contact you regarding contact tracing. Then the health department will call your contacts,” Shelton said. “Well, that’s a week that you’re still in contact with other people and possibly spreading COVID-19. So we chose to quarantine students with symptoms and their contacts right away, in order to decrease the chance of spreading the virus.” MHU’s athletic trainers have done double duty this year as contact tracers. As soon as a student goes into quarantine, an athletic trainer contacts the student to find out about any contacts they may have on campus. At that point, any of the students, faculty, or staff who have been in contact with the student go into quarantine as well. Any students or contacts who return a positive test go into isolation until their symptoms resolve. In addition to contact tracing, athletic trainers at MHU have instituted random surveillance testing of 12.5% of all faculty, staff, and students, as well as the testing of all actively competing athletes. The testing and contact tracing comes on top of their regular duties as athletic trainers, according to Jeremy Bramlett, an athletic trainer who has coordinated MHU’s testing and contact tracing efforts. Because of this, the athletic trainers have been pulling longer-than-normal work days.
“It’s not uncommon for some of us to pull 12- to 16-hour days,” he said. “So, I want to give a shout-out to students, faculty, and staff who are masking up, washing hands, doing their symptom check-ins. All of those things make our jobs easier.” Caring for quarantined and isolated students, meeting their needs, and keeping them fed, has been quite an undertaking in itself. This includes not only coordinating the number of meals, and any dietary needs with dining services staff, but also scheduling between 35 and 40 faculty and staff volunteers who have delivered meals at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week. In the fall semester, over 4,300 meals were delivered to students in quarantine and isolation. Staff from the Student Health Center also call or email students in quarantine and isolation at least once per day to check on them, answer questions, and make sure they have everything they need. Academic Support Keeping everyone safe comes first, but the CRT has also ensured that students are able to keep up if they have to miss class due to quarantine or isolation. Lisa Wachtman, senior director of student success, has served as the academic liaison for students and faculty when students had to be away from in-person classes. “It is a complete team effort; my part is to communicate with the students and their faculty if students must be placed in isolation or quarantine,” Wachtman said. “I want students to focus on their health and well-being, so I try to decrease the stress they are feeling about being out of class. I make sure students have what they need and I give them information about resources such as counseling during this stressful time. For those who are especially stressed about having to move to remote learning while out, I do daily check-ins with them by phone and/or text.” These measures, she said, are part of making students feel supported during a difficult time. “We really do want to wrap our campus arms around them,” she said. A Total Campus Effort Contributions to the effort to keep the campus as safe as possible have come from every corner of the university. Faculty adapted their classes to include both in-person and online participants; student life staff gave out thermometers and masks to every student as they returned in the fall; residence hall staff posted room maximums and other behavior protocols; security staff ensured that students adhere to room maximums and other protocols in the residence halls and elsewhere; and
From the top: • Student Health Ambassadors (l-r) Ruben Trillo and Hunter Burnette give out hand sanitizer and thermometers. • MHU’s new, modern Student Health Center built by facilities staff. Pictured are Director Stephanie Shelton, and Student Health Center Assistants Nicole Holcomb and Debra Alexander. • Several members of the CRT and meal delivery volunteers gathered for a picture in February. • Housekeeping staff like Matt Simmons have taken on extra responsibilities during the pandemic. Matt comes in at 6 a.m. to disinfect classrooms before classes start at 8 a.m.
continued on page 9
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A Different Kind of Graduation
Graduation ceremonies for seniors who finished their degrees at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year looked a little different than usual. Mars Hill got a beautiful day for the October 4 celebration, which was held outside on Lunsford Commons. Graduates and their families processed along the university quadrangle, known as Lunsford Commons, to a stage set up in front of the Founders Memorial fountain. While the families watched from ground level, the graduates climbed the steps of the stage to be welcomed by Provost Tracy Parkinson and to receive their diploma from President Tony Floyd. Chaplain Stephanie McLeskey, faculty Chair Amanda Knapp, and board of trustees Chair Linda Judge-McRae, also participated in the ceremony. Floyd told the graduates, “I know this is not exactly how you planned it, but I want you to know today we’re so proud of you; you’re incredible; and this day is to honor you.”
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Prior to processing onto the Lunsford Commons, each graduate and family group gathered under a check-in tent for temperature checks and hand sanitizing. The three-hour ceremony allowed the family groups to be spaced out, consistent with social distancing guidelines. Spring graduates had their degrees conferred in May, and were recognized in a video featuring their photos and words of celebration from faculty. But COVID-19 forced the postponement of their inperson commencement. The October ceremony also included students who completed their degree requirements in August following the summer term. In all, the May and August graduates total 167, and 84 of them participated in the in-person commencement ceremony.
Responding to COVID-19, continued
housekeeping staff stepped up cleaning and disinfecting procedures (including quarantine and isolation rooms). Facilities staff rebuilt the Student Health Center in a new location, with a safer, more private entry, and they installed barriers in critical places in the dining hall, fitness center, and residence halls. In addition to delivering meals, members of the financial aid office used their personal money (and later, gift monies from others in the community) to create “goodie bags” for every student staying on campus in quarantine or isolation. One professor even went to her church for a donation to provide artwork in the quarantine and isolation rooms. Such efforts made the 2020-2021 academic year possible, Hunt said. “The collaborative effort of the CRT, the Student Health Ambassadors, a caring group of meal delivery volunteers, as well as the proactive approach to testing and contact tracing allowed the campus to continue with the face-to-face learning environment this year,” Hunt said. “it’s been a challenging year, but our faculty, staff, and students have stepped up to keep our campus as safe as possible.”
MHU COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM
Dr. Dave Rozeboom, V.P for Student Life Dr. Grainger Caudle, Director of Planning and Strategy . Dr. Tracy Parkinson, Provost Lisa Wachtman, Senior Director of Student Success Judith Harris, Director of Disability Services Brian Daniel, Director of Residence Life Kevin West, Director of Security Allen Shelley, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine Dr. Kari Hunt, Coordinator of the Student Health Ambassadors Stephanie Shelton, Director of Medical Services Nicole Holcomb, Student Health Center Medical Assistant.
Student Health Ambassadors
A big
THANK YOU!! to everyone who helped keep MHU students safe and cared for this semester.
Meal Delivery Volunteers Debra Alexander Rick Baker Ryan Bell Nichole Buckner Cassandra Buckner Emiley Burriss Chris Cain Lucia Carter Tim Clifton Joy Clifton Jamey Cooke Meredith Cottrell Isolde Curry Michelle Gilley Denise Griffin Jennifer Griffin Joshua Hager Danielle Harris Nathan Hayes Andrew Hoots Kari Hunt Jeff Jamerson Kerri Jamerson Amanda Knapp James Knight Jennie Matthews Maria Moreno Bridget Morton Marc Mullinax Clifford Phifer Anna-Sophie Poost Marla Reese Andrea Rose Christine Roser Dave Rozeboom Stephanie Shelton Laura Steil Susan Stigall Caleb Strother Brendan Storrier Lisa Wachtman Kevin West Tammy Woody
Ruben Trillo, Hunter Burnette, Reggie Wright Joshua Hager, Danielle Harris, Brookelyn Nanney.
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Student Perspective
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion A Student Perspective on the Current Movement by Kiana Tuckett Sophomore Psychology Major
As the leaves turned to fiery blazes, falling and sweeping over the campus of Mars Hill University on October 18, a crowd of students—masked, of course—paraded through the university grounds with waves of pride and courage in a plea for civil justice. That Sunday afternoon marked the second Black Lives Matter (BLM) march in Mars Hill, organized by students enrolled at the university. Nearly 200 students, faculty, and members of the community congregated at Meares Stadium before the BLM march began, exchanging powerful words of affirmation. Students and members of the community alike gathered in pursuit of unity and acceptance for all people. Sports teams could be seen walking together along the march path, and elderly couples were seen holding hands with each other as well as signs reading “Black Lives Matter” and “No Justice. No Peace.” The group, led by student organizer Jayson Moorman and President Tony Floyd, marched up
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Bailey Street, and then back down through campus to the lower quad. Moorman, the president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) and a member of the men’s soccer and lacrosse teams at Mars Hill University, was instrumental in the planning and success of both BLM marches. With the country embroiled in a vast political divide, there are also many divisions in Americans’ perspectives of the Black Lives Matter movement. Tymothy Jones, a recent alumnus of MHU and a member of the College Republicans Organization on campus, gave a few words on his perspective of BLM, recently. “If it’s peaceful, great, but violence is not the answer. Destroying small businesses is not the answer; I see all this stuff about people destroying African American owned businesses, but it’s like, you’re hurting yourself. The way to change society is the way Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. did.
Peacefully. The answer to fixing this country is not pillaging.” By all accounts, the BLM demonstration in Mars Hill was peaceful and uplifting for the participants. When asked about it afterwards, an officer who attended the march, helping to direct traffic around the marchers, stated that the march was “well planned and executed very well. We didn’t have any issues on it, and we welcome it. Everything just went well.” In relation to conflicting views over the BLM movement and what it stands for, Moorman explained, “I wanted to show people that the idea was not about hate, but unrest in the black community and showing them the way we can get justice. And that’s through the unity of all people.” Although the march spanned only about a halfmile, Moorman believes the event encouraged the community to find truth in the need to, “demand justice and equality for all.” A’mera Bellamy, the current president of the Black Students Association (BSA) at Mars Hill University, also responded to criticisms of Black Lives Matter, stating, “It’s not political, it’s personal.”
Caption: The October March on Mars Hill was peaceful and uplifting. Here, the group is shown, led by student organizer Jayson Moorman (below right) and President Tony Floyd (blue shirt).
This event was intended to send a powerful message of solidarity from the members of the Mars Hill community, Bellamy said. However, she also made it clear that this event was only a step along the path to social justice. “We still have a long way to go,” she said. Bellamy explained that her aim as president of BSA is to raise awareness and advocacy for diverse students as well as making students of color feel more comfortable in using their voices. She said she wants people to be aware that this movement is not something new, but instead a culmination of many events and factors. “People of color were more passive before because they felt like they had to be. Now, we know we have more support, and we are more active because we have the space to do it,” Bellamy said, in reference to the recent rise in Black Lives Matter protests and other social justice marches. Jonathon McCoy ’92, an instructor of history at Mars Hill University and the director of the Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on campus, also attended the Black Lives Matter march in October. He said that the mission of the center is to be a resource for students to help themselves be heard. “Who’s going to put their actions into words?” he said. “How can I help you be active, and how can we make a community where everyone is empowered?” Mars Hill University, which was built on slave labor almost two centuries ago in 1856, has experienced tremendous growth and change throughout its existence. Due to this, Bellamy shares a message regarding the alumni of Mars Hill University: “Before they make assumptions or judgments about the campus, they have to consider that we have different experiences. They have to remember that their time isn’t ours,” she said. And the time is now. For all students at Mars Hill University and all members of the Mars Hill community. The time for change, growth, and most importantly, unity. Kiana Tuckett is a sophomore student in the narrative journalism class, taught by Felice Lopez-Bell, assistant professor of English.
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C. Robert Jones interviews former First Lady Doris Bentley.
Preserving the Mars Hill Story The Memories Collection by C. Robert Jones Professor Emeritus of Theatre
Frances Snelson used to tell wonderful stories about “the good old days” at Mars Hill College. Whenever I visited her after she retired in the 1990s, I knew I’d get an afternoon of delightful memories told with zest. She was a “walking encyclopedia” of MHU’s history, having worked 49 years as assistant to Presidents Robert Lee Moore, Hoyt Blackwell, and Fred Bentley. I often wished I’d brought a video camera with me to record those visits. And indeed, that was borne out when the university celebrated its Sesquicentennial in 2006-2007. Shortly after all the Sesquicentennial celebrations were over, then-President Dan Lunsford, called a meeting of those who had been a part of the planning, to make recommendations for those who would plan the next major MHU celebration in 2056, the 200th anniversary. A high priority in those discussions was deciding the best ways to be preserving the university’s history. Remembering Frances, I suggested an ongoing series of video-taped interviews, thus chronicling history by seeing and hearing it from 12 Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2021
those who had lived it. As often happens in such cases when no one volunteers, I realized I’d talked myself into a new project. Kristie Hollifield, who is now manager of media and print services, has acted as videographer, editor, and preparer of the finished interviews in DVD format. In the 13 years Kristie and I have been working on this endeavor, we’ve completed 100 interviews—involving 119 interviewees and 20 different interviewers. If the DVDs were played end to end, it would take the better part of a week to see them all. Kristie and I have worked in many different locations. I particularly remember the poignancy of the interview Director of Publications Teresa Buckner did with MHU’s first black student, Oralene Graves Simmons. They were seated on a bench at the lovely hillside location of the memorial to her great grandfather, Joe Anderson, the slave who had been taken as collateral when the university could not pay its bills in its early history. Another memorable interview was the one done by alumnus Wayne King ’79 of his mentor Betty Hughes, the much-admired English professor. It
was conducted in the cozy den of her home in Weaverville shortly before she died. I felt the interviews, assembled together, should feel like a living tapestry with all the aspects of university life woven into one giant tableau vivant. I wanted the “personal” as well as the “historical.” The interviewees have included professors, secretaries, coaches, artists and performers, the registrar, board chairpersons, architects for campus buildings, the alumni director, etc. Also included are in-depth interviews with all the deans, vice presidents, and provosts 1980-2020: Drs. Don Schmeltekopf, Earl Leininger, Robert Knott, Nina Pollard, John Wells, and John Omachonu. Throughout the series, I’ve tried to match interviewees with interviewers who knew them best. Especially effective in that regard was Professor Robert Melvin’s insightful interview with his long-time friends, President A. Max Lennon and his wife, Ruth. I interviewed Dr. Lunsford four times during the period between 2008 and 2018. His 16-year term in office, in his own voice, is the most welldocumented of all MHU presidents so far. His retirement interview, the longest in the series, is a thoughtful take on his presidency. One gets to know the Lunsford era as well as Dr. Lunsford, himself. People are always asking me which of the interviews I like best. That’s like asking which is your favorite child. The interviews with some of the now-deceased MHU “giants” are especially memorable: Professor of Mathematics Emmett Sams (by his fellow professor, Susan Kiser); local physician Otis Duck, who worked in the MHU infirmary (by nurse Ellen Coomer); Professor of English Noel Kinnamon (by his fellow professor, Carol Boggess); Professor of Sociology Don Anderson (by history consultant Richard Dillingham); and Robert and Rachel Chapman, who served as registrar and business professors, (a joint interview I did.) Sessions with MHU first ladies Doris Bentley and Beverly Lunsford were delightful, especially Doris’s remembrances of Dr. Bentley carving the front doors of the chapel and getting dust all over the president’s house, and Beverly’s trying to explain “shabby chic” to a delivery man who thought the kitchen chairs had been damaged during the time she was turning the Carter-Humphrey House into a campus guest house.
C. Robert Jones, and Kristie Hollifield, who served as videographer and editor for the Memories Collection DVDs.
Two of the funniest interviews were those involving first female board chair, JoAnne Alexander, and MHU education department founder John Hough. JoAnne interviewed Coach Virginia Hart, her mentor and former teacher, who, thinking it was an audio interview, arrived wearing a t-shirt that said, “GO, CLEMSON!” No problem. She just held up her arms and JoAnne turned the t-shirt front to back. In my interview with John, we get, on tape, the hilarious and oft-told story of the time Miss Snelson sent him and Vice President Richard L. Hoffman to represent MHU at the wrong funeral. Jim Thomas’s, Earl Leininger’s, and Bill Gregg’s recollections of the founding of the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre are noteworthy. In her interview, ballad singer, folklorist, and honorary degree recipient, Betty Smith, stands by the beautiful wall hangings Dr. Bentley commissioned her to weave for Broyhill Chapel, and explains their meaning and how they were woven. And “Herr” Robert Kramer, who taught German for over 40 years, and chaired the Visiting Artists and Lecturers Committee for 30 years, describes his favorite performance. The Memories Collection morphed into an undertaking that has exceeded my fondest hopes. Who knew? The 150-plus folks who have helped by their gracious participation have made it a joyous adventure. The Memories Collection DVDs are kept in the Southern Appalachian Archives, located in Liston B. Ramsey Center for Appalachian Studies at the Renfro Library on campus at Mars Hill University and may be viewed there by contacting Dr. Karen Paar: kpaar@mhu.edu or at 828-689-1262 . For more information about The Memories Collection, see mhu.edu/memories.
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MHU Legacies
Walk With Us: Remembering Ed and Polly Cheek by Dr. Carol Boggess Professor Emerita of English
She was small—and he was tall. Both were slightly stooped. She led their walks with strength; he followed in slow steps. Whether going to campus along Bailey Street or hiking through the woods, They travelled as a pair and welcomed others to come along.
When Rev. Pauline Binkley Cheek passed in 2019, the world lost a treasure and I lost a dear friend. Her family softened our grief by posting a blog that holds bits of her art and poetry. When Dr. Edwin Cheek passed in December, I visited that site to reread Polly’s poem: “Come Walk with Me,” which inspired thoughts of my personal journey with these two remarkable people. I invite you to walk along with us. (See the photo of Polly and Ed hiking along the trail.) If you were at Mars Hill College between 1964 and 1996 you remember Ed Cheek, the English professor who was patient, modest, soft-spoken, detailoriented, highly intelligent, and always prepared. When I joined the department in 1987, he struck me as the group’s anchor. Soon I realized that beneath his soft voice and gentle smile was a lively sense of humor. Failure to pay close attention meant you could miss his witty remarks. One classroom
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technique I learned from Ed was, don’t raise your voice when talking to a lively group of students, speak quietly. Soon, they will be calm and listen. I never mastered that practice, but it worked well for him. Ed was an excellent teacher who interacted with over 3,000 students during his MHC career, most of them in classes of 15–20, but what he really enjoyed was working with students one-on-one or in small groups. Ed’s early research interest was 19th century British literature, specifically Charles Dickens. But after he joined the Mars Hill faculty, his passion became the literature of Appalachia and his favorite writer was James Still. Ed’s commitment to the region’s history and culture became his mission. In addition to teaching the literature course, he helped administer the Appalachian Scholars and was the first director of the Appalachian Studies program.
Polly, Ed’s partner for more than 60 years, shared his love for the region. She worked tirelessly for families of Madison County and for students at Mars Hill College. She taught English and humanities courses, directed the Appalachian Room, and coordinated a program for students from surrounding counties. I first encountered Polly through her writing and research— Appalachian Scrapbook: An A-B-C of Growing Up in the Mountains was the book she wrote and illustrated for her own children. Later, I discovered in the Rural Heritage Museum an impressive display of her oral history project about Madison County’s hooked rug industry during the Depression. She used that research in her Freshman Seminar to connect new students to the place where they found themselves. Bringing people to the mountains and accompanying them on their journey of discovery was her specialty. For 20 years, Rev. Cheek joined Bill Leonard, professor of divinity at Wake Forest University, in leading an immersion experience for divinity students to learn about the Appalachian region. Her many co-workers and students may not recall everything she taught them, but all remember her as dedicated, patient, calm, and always caring. And they remember her warm smile. To end our walk, I’ll share a memory of the Cheeks, one that is poignant to me. First, some background: in the 1990s, I was writing a dissertation on James Still. As a literary celebrity, Still visited several Appalachian colleges each year to give readings and meet with students. He came to MHC in 1996. Still preferred staying in a hotel, but that was not practical in the Mars Hill of those days, so Ed and Polly offered their guest room. The 90-year-old writer/storyteller lived happily in their home for five days. On the last day, the campus honored that year’s retirees: Betty Jolly and Ed Cheek. Still borrowed a tie from Ed and came along. (See photo at right.) Skip forward 20 years to the day MHU featured the publication of my biography, James Still: A Life. At the reception, Ed, Polly, and I recalled moments of Still’s stay at their house and laughed together. Then Polly, very seriously, asked about the book’s reception. Not knowing how to answer, I joked that I didn’t know how many copies had sold but felt sure that none had been read from cover to cover. It’s a very long book. She quietly responded: “I read every word of it, out loud...I read it to Ed.”
Top to bottom: Ed and Polly Cheek in the early 60s; Polly Cheek, around five years before her death; and Ed Cheek converses with author James Still.
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Amazing Alumni
photo by Paul Moon
Coach Kevin Barnette ’85 makes History in Madison County, N.C. When Kevin Barnette was elected in November as a member of the Madison County Board of Education, he considered it simply a continuation of a position to which he had been appointed two years before. It was, further, a continuation of his life long effort to serve the people of his hometown and county. What he did not consider was the historic nature of the event. Barnette’s election marked the first time that an African American person had been elected to a public office in Madison County, N.C. “Never entered my mind,” he said. Superintendent of Schools Will Hoffman said it seemed an obvious choice when he called Barnette two years earlier to suggest that he fulfill the term of Craig Goforth (who was moving to the board of commissioners). “When Dr. Craig Goforth decided to run for County Commissioner after many years of service on the school board, we knew that we needed someone who understood the institutional history of
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Madison County Schools, someone with a strong vision for where we need to be going,” Hoffman said. “As someone who grew up in Madison County, attended Madison County Schools, developed enduring, long lasting friendships in Madison County and the region, Kevin Barnette is someone, I strongly believe, who sees himself reflected in the 2200 students across our school system.” Barnette said he was deeply honored by the request, but his primary concern was the time involved. “I’m involved in a lot of different things,” he said. “and one of the struggles that I have is just making sure that I spend the right amount of time with my family. At the time, I just couldn’t imagine how I would be able to work the board of education duties into my football schedule. And I do a little bit of volunteering.” Barnette has been a member of the Lions Football coaching staff for 33 years, and now serves as the
assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the team. Even during a pandemic, the duties of coaching and recruiting are extensive and time consuming. In addition, Barnette does “a little bit of volunteering” in the community. He serves on the Mars Hill Housing Authority Board, and he and his wife, Recy, lead a small group for couples through Brookstone Church. Barnette, an ordained minister, also preaches and leads worship services on some Sundays at one of the rescue missions in Asheville. So, clearly, family time is a real issue for the Barnettes and their three children: Elisha, a freshman at MHU; Nehemiah, a senior at Madison High School; and Anna, an eighth grader at Madison Middle School. Ultimately, Barnette accepted. “I decided to go ahead and do it. And man, it’s just been nothing but open doors. And the people that I’m working with, they’re exceptional people, from the superintendent all the way down. It’s just been amazing.” According to Hoffman, the relationship has been a good one on both sides. “Kevin Barnette has been a tremendous asset to Madison County Schools, and we are fortunate that he is serving for another four-year term,” he said. “He has always been a role
model. His words draw people to attention and that respect comes from the fact that he is deeply, deeply honest, he understands relationships, and, above all, coupled with a strong intellect, he is a kind person.” Barnette’s relationship with the school system began in kindergarten. Despite being one of very few black students in the system, he said he had a relatively positive experience. (His five older brothers, he said, had a much more difficult time because they transitioned into the school system when they were older.) “There were moments of being uncomfortable, but not a lot. Mainly because I grew up with everybody that I went to school with, from kindergarten up,” he said. “It wasn’t like I moved into a new situation, but I grew up from kindergarten on with the same group of people, and they treated me just like I treated them.” Barnette excelled in football, basketball, and baseball during his time at Mars Hill Elementary School and Madison High School. He said many people in the county got to know him through sports, through church associations, and later, as a school system parent, and as a coach at MHU. continued ...
Right: Coach Barnette at work as defensive coordinator of the MHU Lions Football team. Upper Left: Barnette takes the oath of office as a Madison County Board of Education Member in December 2020.
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Barnette, continued
He finished high school with encouragement from his teachers, his parents, and his grandmother, who famously impacted education in Madison County by lobbying the State Superintendent of Schools for busing for rural children. Her letter is credited with allowing not just her children, but numerous rural children in Madison County, to have transportation to high school.
“I was just always angry to be honest with you,” he said. “It’s very hurtful. You wouldn’t think that it would have that kind of power, but it does.” He said. “And I still struggle with anger sometimes. With just this idea of how blind people can be sometimes, that we have not moved in a progressive way in reference to racism. And at times it looks like we’ve actually moved backwards.”
“From my grandmother to just countless other people, I’ve been surrounded by a lot of great people. It’s amazing to me when I think about it, that everywhere I’ve gone, everywhere I’ve turned, I’ve had great people who have been leading me and helping me and pushing me. And I just think it’s the hand of God,” he said.
After those two years at Wingate, Barnette came to Mars Hill University as defensive coordinator on the Lions coaching staff, and that’s where he’s been, career-wise, ever since.
He says, with characteristic humility, “I was a pretty decent player.”
He also hopes that the fact that he is a school board member will have a positive effect on perceptions of black people in the county.
Tim Clifton, head coach of the Lions football team, has coached with Barnette for 28 of his 33 years at MHU, and calls it a privilege. “Kevin’s a really, really good After high school, Barnette football coach, but he’s an came to Mars Hill College, even better man,” he said. where he was a standout “Kevin has great knowledge on the Lions football team. of the game. He does a great During his college career, he job teaching his players how was twice named to the Allto play the game. But he also South Atlantic Conference teaches them how to be men. team and was selected as a He is a positive influence on second team All-American our players. They can come by the NAIA in 1984. He was to him to get stable advice for twice named All-District. The Barnette family: (l-r) Nehemiah, Anna, Elisha, football and for life. And he In 1998, he was admitted Recy, and Kevin. also can give them spiritual to the Lions Hall of Fame. direction.” and at the time, he held the school record for the most interceptions in a Barnette’s position as a school board member and season [8] and the most interceptions in a game [3]. a parent has given him the opportunity to speak (Barnette is still tied for the game record.) about racism and the role it still plays in our culture.
He majored in physical education, with the intention of teaching and coaching. After graduation from MHU, Barnette spent one year as a teacher and coach at Asheville Junior High, and then became an assistant football coach at Wingate University. He coached during the academic year, and over the course of two summers, went to Daphne, Alabama, where he obtained his master’s degree at the United States Sports Academy. It was in Alabama where Barnette said he came face-to-face with the worst racism of his life. 18 Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2021
When Barnette contemplates the legacy he hopes to leave behind, he said he hopes to have a positive influence, not just in MHU football, not just in Madison County education, not just in race relations, but in pointing to the ultimate purpose of his life. And as always, he is humble. “I guess the main thing would be that people would have forgotten who I was and they saw more of who Jesus is.”
Campus News
New Trustees and Trustee Leadership Announced Mars Hill University’s board of trustees began 2021 with a new slate of officers and several new board members. Three people joined the board for the first time, and the new chair of the board is the first African American to hold that position. Taking leadership of the board on January 1 was Mike Kelly, a trustee since 2014 and the board’s vice-chair during the previous term. Kelly, a 1982 Mars Hill graduate, is a former executive with Macy’s and Michelin, and now operates, with his wife, Melinda, Right Path Enterprises, a consulting, strategic planning, and leadership development firm in Cincinnati, Ohio. “We are excited to have Mike Kelly as our board chair,” said MHU President Tony Floyd. “Mike has spent his entire life in leadership positions in the business world, in community organizations, and has served as a key leader with Rotary International. His kind spirit and warmth will help to set a tone for our university as we move forward with exciting initiatives during challenging times. Mike Kelly loves Mars Hill University and credits his time here as a student with helping to set him on course for a successful life. During my time here he has been constantly engaged with philanthropy, engaging with students through speaking events, and has provided strong leadership on various board committees including the executive committee which he will now lead.”
Mike Kelly
Amanda Beatty
Other trustees in leadership roles are vice-chair, Mike Cranford, a 1974 alumnus from Fuquay Varina, North Carolina; treasurer, Doug Buchanan, a 1988 graduate from Cary, North Carolina; and secretary, Dr. Karen Smith, a 1981 alumna from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The officers will serve twoyear terms. The board welcomed new members Amanda Beatty of Stanley, North Carolina, class of 2002; Julian Cuthbertson of Huntersville, North Carolina, class of 2008; and Marilyn “Que” Tucker of Morrisville, North Carolina, class of 1974. Beatty and Tucker most recently served Mars Hill University on the board of advisors; Cuthbertson was a member of the alumni board.
Julian Cuthbertson
Joining the three new members for new four-year terms are continuing trustees Bruce Boyles of Kings Mountain, North Carolina; Max Burgin of Ellenboro, North Carolina; Kyle Carver of Leicester, North Carolina; and Jeremy Pressley of Canton, North Carolina. Bud Hughes of Candler, North Carolina, returns to the board following a required one-year break in active service. Ron Brown of Asheville, North Carolina, a former trustee serving as an honorary trustee, also returned to active service on January 1. All of the returning trustees except Brown are graduates of Mars Hill. Marilyn “Que” Tucker
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MHU Legacies
Former Athletic Director and Administrator Ed Hoffmeyer Passes for me and my family. Without Ed believing in my potential, I would not be where I am today.” Hoffmeyer hired Head Football Coach Tim Clifton in 1993 and Assistant Athletic Director/Director of Sports Medicine Allen Shelley in 1994, bringing to Mars Hill two leaders who continue to serve at the university. Clifton said, “Because of Ed, I have been at Mars Hill for 28 years. He was a great boss and not only a great friend to me, he was a great friend to my family.” Ed Hoffmeyer ’68, retired long-time athletics director, coach, and administrator at Mars Hill University, died December 2, 2020, following a courageous battle with cancer. No stranger to Mars Hill, Hoffmeyer served his alma mater in several capacities. Following a 20-year sales and marketing career, he began his Mars Hill tenure in 1988 as director of alumni services, before being named director of athletics in 1991. He later served as dean of admissions and financial aid from 2007 until August 2011, and men’s and women’s golf coach after his retirement from fulltime service to Mars Hill. During Hoffmeyer’s eight-year term as athletic director at Mars Hill, the school’s athletics program experienced rapid growth. Mars Hill added five varsity sports, bringing the total to 16, and transitioned to the NCAA Division II from its previous NAIA affiliation. Mars Hill won four conference titles and produced 16 South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athletes during the Hoffmeyer years. “Ed Hoffmeyer brought me to Mars Hill in 1994 as the Sports Information Director and Assistant Baseball Coach and I have been here ever since,” Director of Athletics Rick Baker stated. “My family has enjoyed an incredible life being part of the Mars Hill University family for 27 years. He was a great mentor and leader for me and I will forever be indebted to Ed for the opportunities he provided
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Hoffmeyer left Mars Hill in 1998 to lead the athletics program at Tusculum College (now Tusculum University). As he did for Mars Hill, Hoffmeyer directed Tusculum’s transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II and oversaw one of the most successful periods in Tusculum athletic history. Hoffmeyer was recognized along with his wife, Linda, as Tusculum’s Sports Benefactor of the Year in 2007. He stepped down as athletic director at Tusculum in 2007 to return to Mars Hill in the role of dean of admissions and financial aid, a position he would hold for four years until his retirement in 2011. But retirement couldn’t keep him away from Mars Hill, and Hoffmeyer remained on campus to serve as the Lions’ men’s and women’s golf coach. He previously served as men’s golf coach from 199598, leading the Lions to a No. 10 regional ranking in 1998 and being named SAC Coach of the Year. He would guide the MHU golf teams for five more years before retiring in 2016. Hoffmeyer was active on a number of national and regional athletic committees. He served as national chair of the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championship Committee. He was a member of the NCAA Division II Athletic Directors Association’s Board of Directors and served as chairman of the South Atlantic Conference Athletic Directors Council. Other accolades include being inducted into Mars Hill’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008; in the South continued next page...
Mars Hill University Mourns Death of Volleyball Coach Tony Fontanelle The Mars Hill University community is mourning the loss of longtime volleyball coach Raoul “Tony” Fontanelle, who passed away February 15, 2021. Fontanelle was 60 years old. Originally from Waldwick, New Jersey, Fontanelle joined the Mars Hill coaching ranks in 2004. At the time of his death, he was the second-longest tenured head coach in the school’s athletics program. At Mars Hill, Fontanelle coached one Academic AllAmerica First Team studentathlete, one South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athlete, two first-team All-SAC players, eight second-team All-SAC players, and six SAC AllTony Fontanelle Freshman honorees. MHU Director of Athletics Rick Baker said, “Tony was a great friend and a great coach. He cared deeply for his players and loved coaching. Tony was always willing to help wherever needed. He was devoted to coaching his teams and serving our university.”
Hoffmeyer, continued...
Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame, also in 2008; and in the Tusculum Hall of Fame in 2018. Hoffmeyer also served as chair of NCAA DII Women’s Golf Committee from 2000-2003 and was the NCAA DII Women’s National Golf Championship Tournament Director from 2000-2003. During his college days at Mars Hill, Hoffmeyer was a three-year letter winner in track and field, where he participated in five events per meet. He held school records in four events upon graduation in 1968. Hoffmeyer also lettered in basketball one year. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Linda Wood Hoffmeyer; children: Zac Hoffmeyer and Courtney Mollman; and five grandchildren.
Before joining Mars Hill, Fontanelle coached at LeesMcRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina, where he led the Bobcats to a conference championship and NCAA Championship Tournament appearance. Prior to Lees-McRae, he led the Bloomfield College, New Jersey, Deacons to back-to-back conference and regional titles, with two appearances in the NAIA Nationals. Before joining the college coaching ranks, Fontanelle was a successful coach and technical director with Cut Shot Volleyball Club in New Jersey.
Fontanelle is survived by his mother and two brothers.
The Mars Hill University community gathered on Lunsford Commons for a time of mourning after Fontanelle’s unexpected passing in mid-February.
Mars Hill University lost two more long-time members of the campus community this past fall: Charity Ray, retired library and administrative staff, on October 2; and Dr. Harley Jolley, professor emeritus of history, on November 23. Mars Hill, the Magazine did features on the lives and legacies of these individuals in past issues. Those features are currently available on the magazine “Extras” page, at mhu.edu/extras.
Charity Ray
Dr. Harley Jolley
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Campus News
Spring Theatre Performance to Take Place Outdoors Have you been missing live theatre performances during the pandemic? Make plans now to see the MHU theatre arts department’s performance of “Little Shop of Horrors,” April 22–24. The musical will be performed outdoors, at Ellen Amphitheatre (in front of Pittman Dining Hall), with appropriate social distancing in place.
DOMINIC M. AQUILINO
April 21 – 24 7:30 PM Ellen Amphitheatre
For tickets and info visit us at www.sartplays.com
For tickets and more information, visit www.sartplays.com.
Community & Nonprofit Leadership Major Approved As of early March, there is now a major at Mars Hill University specifically for students who want to work in the world of nonprofit organizations and community development. According to Deb Myers, director of the Center for Community Engagement, the community and nonprofit leadership major prepares students to work in the private nonprofit and public sectors and to pursue graduate study in areas like nonprofit management, social entrepreneurship, public policy, and more. “Students in this major will develop their abilities to make positive change in their community, region,
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and the world, learn to work effectively with people different from themselves, and enact principles of social justice,” she said. The interdisciplinary major includes courses on sociology, business, diversity & inequalities, working in community and government organizations and more. “Through academic study, community engagement, extensive fieldwork and a senior internship, students will pursue their personal interests and develop a strong portfolio of skills and references that will propel them to launch successful careers,” Myers said.
Alpha Chi Continues A Tradition of service The MHU Alpha Chi Honor Society used its service project for this semester to show appreciation for some of the front line essential workers who teach at Mars Hill Elementary School. The students and their advisor, Dr. Laura Steil, math professor, prepared a poster with thank you and appreciation messages and purchased some supplies for the teachers and staff at the local school.
Trustee Wayne Higgins Donates New Goals
Like most projects during the pandemic, the students had to work separately, but, still the project was in line with the goals of the Alpha Chi organization. “This project demonstrated that our Alpha Chi chapter is continuing to make scholarship effective for good, even in the time of COVID,” Steil said.
Mullinax Publishes Book on Tao Marc Mullinax ’73, MHU professor of religion, has published a book titled Tao Te Ching: Power for the Peaceful. The book is a translation and commentary of one of the main spiritual texts of Taoist spirituality/philosophy. Mullinax said: “It [Tao te Ching] is the world’s second-most translated spiritual text, after the Bible. The text seems esoteric and mysterious for most first readers, but getting first-readers into the text was one of my goals.
The Lions basketball teams are going pro, in a way. Trustee and alumnus Wayne Higgins ’75 helped fund much-needed new pro-style basketball goals for Stanford Arena in Chambers Gym. The new goals roll into place on a heavily-padded base and easily can be removed for volleyball or other court activities. The old shot clocks in Chambers have also been replaced with new, wireless ones mounted to the tops of the backboards.
“There are a few major themes. First, all is connected. Second, life’s most important events happen in silence, stillness, and through the connection one has with all things/creatures. Third, Not-Meddling (in Chinese, WuWei) with the way things are. Realize that one’s power to change things is very limited, if one’s wish to change things is driven from ego, competition, or violating anything to which one is connected. Fourth, leadership. The person who feels their connection to Tao is a mis-fitting leader, meaning one who does not fit in our unbalanced and unjust cultures,” he said.
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Athletics
A Season Unlike Any Other by Adam Williams Director of Athletic Communications
The title says it all. The 2019-20 season was only a precursor of what was to come for the 2020-21 collegiate athletic calendar. Following a shortened spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many questions and uncertainties arose heading into the fall of 2020. The South Atlantic Conference answered those questions regarding fall sports in August, postponing play until the spring semester. Football, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s golf were all affected by this announcement.
MHU Mens Basketball plays Catawba in a mostly-empty Chambers Gymnasium. Photo by Cindy Whitt.
The biggest piece of the puzzle was surrounding men’s and women’s basketball. The SAC declared a 22-game season, consisting of 20 conference matchups. A minimum of 10 conference games were to be played to qualify for the postseason tournament. However, due to the increasing spread of COVID-19 and positive tests, the schedules fluctuated on a consistent basis with numerous postponements and cancellations, often forcing teams to play a series of games with only one day of rest in between. The SAC later reversed its decision on the 10-game requirement and announced that all teams would qualify. Spring sports, such as baseball, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s golf remained relatively unphased. Baseball and softball had their maximum amount of games reduced by 10 while the lacrosse schedules lost but two games on their calendars. It was later decided that rather than run cross country along with the track and field schedules,
cross country was combined into the outdoor track and field portion of the spring. While men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s golf did not hold preseason matches and tournaments in the fall, their spring schedule was not affected. In order for golf to schedule their tournaments, the hosting venue had to approve and provide coursespecific protocols for all teams to follow. The fall sports that moved into the spring suffered drastic schedule cuts. Football, which normally plays between 10-11 games a season, was cut to four and moved into two divisions. Men’s and women’s soccer were also broken up into three pods consisting of four teams apiece with each team playing one another twice, once at home and once on the road. Volleyball, which normally plays between 28-30 matches a year, was cut to 10. Postseason tournaments for the fall teams remain, but are also slightly altered. Football’s top seed in each division will square off to determine the SAC Champion. The top two seeds in each pod for soccer will move on with the two best ranking third place teams making up the eight-team bracket. continued next page...
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A season, continued...
Volleyball, which was also broken up into two divisions, will put the top four teams in each into their postseason tournament. In what has been a chaotic year for collegiate athletics, to say the least, the opportunities remain for all to participate in their chosen sport and compete for postseason glory. Baseball Field Resurfaced (right): The MHU baseball team is looking forward to playing on a new turf surface on Henderson Field. Construction started on the field the week before Thanksgiving and was completed just in time for MHU players’ return to campus for the spring season. 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 6792, Mars Hill, N.C. 28754. 1970s
Penny Roberts Weaver ’70 and husband, Tom Weaver, celebrated their 50th anniversary on August 1, 2020 with a small gathering with their children and their families. Tom Weaver is a retired MHU assistant football coach, having served on the Lions coaching staff from 1988 to 1994 and from 2005 to 2018. James Smith ’75 will be retiring after 40 years as basketball coach at Airport High School in West Columbia , S.C. The pinnacle of his career was winning the 3A boys South Carolina basketball championship on March 7, 2020. He plans to spend time with his brand new grandson. Rev. Gerald “Gerry” Hutchinson, Jr. ’76, retired from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Office on August 31, after six and a half years as the chaplaincy & pastoral counseling ministries manager. Prior to that position, he served as a chaplain with the U.S. Navy Reserve for 26 years, completing two mobilizations with marines in Afghanistan and in Djibouti, Africa. During the course of 39 years in vocational ministry, he served churches in Georgia and Virginia, served as a home missionary in Jacksonville, N.C., and served with the Home Mission Board as director of church and community ministries. Hutchinson and his wife, Vicki, reside in Stone Mountain, Ga.
Dr. Roger E. “Eddie” Bennett ’77, has been named a recipient of the 2020 (Georgia) Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities. Eddie is currently the executive director of the Georgia Council for the Social Studies. The award is in recognition of a 43year career in social studies education as a teacher and curriculum specialist. Dr. Steven Chicurel-Stein ’77 will be retiring in May 2021 after 30 years of working in higher education, most recently at the University of Central Florida. He plans to devote himself to completing his third book, and presenting workshops, conducting master classes, and engaging in voice research. He also hopes to pursue his loves of music, musical theatre performance, and travel. 1980s
Dr. Kimberly Myers ’83 has completed two books, which will be published in 2021: Breast Cancer Inside Out: Bodies, Biographies, & Beliefs (Peter Lang Oxford) and Graphic Medical Ethics: Clinical Ethics in Comic Form (Penn. State University Press). Myers is a professor of humanities and medicine and a distinguished educator at the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine. Norman McRae ’84 has been named chairman of the board of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, the nation’s largest membership Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2021 25
Class Notes organization representing end-of-life providers. McRae, together with his wife, Linda Judge-McRae, ’86, are the founders and managing partners of Caris Healthcare, a private hospice provider located in Knoxville, Tenn. 1990s
Dr. Kerry Heafner ’92 has been promoted to the rank of associate agent by the AgCenter of Louisiana State University. He will be serving as a horticulturist for Morehouse, Ouachita, and Union parishes. Heafner has been with the Louisiana cooperative extension service for six years. 2000s
Teresa Tysinger ’02 has published her second novel, titled Suddenly Forever. The book is the second in her Laurel Cove Series, which is set in Laurel Cove, N.C., a fictional town inspired by Burnsville, N.C. Though she is now a resident of Texas, she said the beautiful western North Carolina area lives in her through her books. More information about Tysinger’s books is available at https://teresatysinger.com. 2010s
Dr. Amanda Armstrong ’10, completed her Ph.D. in educational policy, planning, and leadership from William and Mary University in Williamsburg, Va. She is currently an academic advisor in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, Va. Wanda Howell Moore ’11 has retired as a school social worker from Scotts Creek Elementary School in Sylva, N.C. Moore spent a total of 29
years at the school. She served for many years as a teacher assistant before completing her social work degree through MHU’s Adult and Graduate Studies program. She then moved into a social work position, and served the school in that role for three years. Savannah Maynor ’17 married Charles Creasman on July 18, 2020. The couple lives in Greensboro, N.C., where Savannah is a first grade teacher at South Newton Elementary School. Kathryn “Kat” Boland (B.S. ’18, M.M. ’20) has joined Trout Insurance Services in Weaverville, N.C., as marketing coordinator. Sheena Johnson ’19 has been hired as assistant basketball coach at Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga. Abigail King ’19 has been hired by Lenoir-Rhyne University in Banner Elk, N.C., as an assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s volleyball teams. She went to LR from King University in Bristol, Tenn., where she served as a graduate assistant and earned her master’s degree in business administration. Stephen Thomasson ’19 has been hired as the assistant golf pro at Kenmure Country Club in Flat Rock, N.C. He is currently enrolled in the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Apprentice program, which offers PGA Professionals the opportunity to attend seminars with the PGA Education Center and participate in online courses and self-study, all while working full-time at a PGA recognized course or office.
In Memoriam 1940s Since the last issue of Mars Hill, the Magazine, we have learned of the following deaths of alumni and other members of the MHU community. 1930s
Ruth Eleanor Elliott Oakes ’40, Chapel Hill, N.C., November 26, 2020 Hope Marie Ferguson Cooper ’42, Cheshire, Conn., December 22, 2020
Golda Tillery Hensley Cox ’36, Asheville, N.C., October 18, 2020
Lois Ovaline Reavis Watts ’42, Statesville, N.C., May 25, 2020
Raymond Franklin Hough, Jr. ’38, Blue Ridge, Va., August 16, 2020
Dorothy “Dottie” Frances Inabinet Carroll ’43, Winston-Salem, N.C., July 20, 2020
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In Memoriam Margery A. Harrison Garey ’43, Arvada, Colo., July 26, 2020
Margaret E. Morris Parker ’46, Panama City, Fla., October 25, 2020
Nannie “Hanky” Willie Cushwa MacFadyen ’43, Roxboro, N.C., September 19, 2020
Betty Ann Allen Snyder ’46, Greenville, S.C., January 27, 2021
James “Conley” Mitchell ’43, Morganton, N.C., September 14, 2020
Rebecca Irene Richardson Wagner ’46, Sparta, N.C., November 17, 2019
Mary Evelyn Gibson Nichols ’43, Bryson City, N.C., September 21, 2020
Albert Lee Bradley ’47, Concord, N.C., November 25, 2020
Eloise Elizabeth Young Plemmons Armstrong ’43, Mars Hill, N.C., August 24, 2020
James Lawrence Haynes ’47, East Bend, N.C., September 4, 2020
Rev. William “Bill” Thomas Roberson ’43, Cary, N.C., November 24, 2020
Geneva Mable Hunter Hedrick ’47, Knoxville, Tenn., October 3, 2020
Martha Jacqueline “Jackie” Spainhour Shelton ’43, Winston-Salem, N.C., September 5, 2020
Alton Stevenson Horn ’47, Greenville, S.C., November 24, 2018
Mitchell B. Wilson ’43, Leaksville, N.C., July 30, 2020
Meredith Halford Horner ’47, Columbia, N.C., May 1, 2019
Pauline “Polly” Elizabeth McGraw Jones ’44, Boone, N.C., December 26, 2020
Miriam A. Teague Lewis ’47, Harlem, Ga., January 6, 2019
Stuart Gordon Mathews ’44, New York, N.Y., August 20, 2020
Julia Ellen Jones Purinai ’47, Rocky Mount, N.C., November 3, 2020
Frances Rebecca Pope Newton ’44, Albemarle, N.C., September 27, 2019
Alfred Douglas “Doug” Reed ’47, Cullowhee, N.C., July 19, 2020
John Thomas Pressley ’44, Beverly Shores, Ind., February 20, 2020
Paul Smith Campbell ’48, Mooresville, N.C., December 23, 2019
Jimmie Sue Morgan Smith ’44, Tuscaloosa, Ala., August 16, 2020
Rev. James Matthew Lambert ’48, King, N.C., February 2, 2019
Mary “Frances” Parsons Burriss ’45, Freeport, Fla., April 27, 2020
Carolyn “LaVerne” Austin McMillan ’48, Mullins, S.C., October 16, 2020
Martha “Jane” Joyner Burton ’45, WinstonSalem, N.C., June 28, 2020
Irma Katherine Harless Ogilvie ’48, Mooresville, N.C., July 27, 2020
Robert “Bob” Daniel Dixon ’45, Siler City, N.C., June 10, 2020
Audrey Mae Hanes Roberson ’48, Cary, N.C., May 31, 2020
Martha Katharine Hylton Gregory ’45, Wilmington, N.C., February 5, 2020
Laura Day Beatty Rosser ’48, Sanford, N.C., November 22, 2020
Rachel Arminda Swann Harper ’45, Aiken, S.C., December 28, 2020
Mary Ruth Watson Steed ’48, Knoxville, Tenn., June 3, 2020
Mary Lou Freeman Essic ’46, Gastonia, N.C., August 12, 2020
Rose Mary Rommel Toebbe ’48, Louisville, Ky., July 27, 2020
Frances Woodle Fowler ’46, Charleston, S.C., June 19, 2020
Gene Carroll Anderson ’49, Eden, N.C., December 26, 2016
Dorothy “Dot” Leatherwood Matthews Vickery ’46, Waynesville, N.C., December 12, 2020
Charles Cecil Baker ’49, Hixon, Tenn., January 8, 2021
Dr. Ann Mackie Moore ’46, Lenoir, N.C., October 12, 2019
Dorothy “Dot” Owens Ballew ’49, Columbia, S.C., April 22, 2020 Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2021 27
James Raleigh Bryant, Jr. ’49, Marietta, Ga., March 31, 2020
Nancy Jean Glosser Kimbro ’50, Chattanooga, Tenn., January 27, 2020
Laura Louise Skinner Cannon ’49, Ocala, Fla., June 4, 2020
Marjorie Mae Harris Lane ’50, Rutherfordton, N.C., February 27, 2018
Gladess Lorain Hudspeth Crisp ’49, Chapel Hill, N.C., October 13, 2020
Iris Marie Moore Long ’50, Brandon, Fla., March 25, 2019
Rev. Edward Hudson Daniel ’49, Concord, N.C., October 5, 2020
Barbara Ruth Solomon Patteson ’50, Charlotte, N.C., October 20, 2019
Berrel M. Riley Gray ’49, Albemarle, N.C., May 1, 2020
Joe Lee Phillips, Sr. ’50, Spencer, Ind., February 2, 2020
Allen Norman Martin ’49, Winston-Salem, N.C., October 29, 2020
Eunice “Maxine” Morris Thornton ’50, Burlington, N.C., May 25, 2020
Betty Jo Pierce Powell ’49, Salisbury, N.C., January 1, 2020
Bryson “Hugh” Tilson ’50, Boone, N.C., June 21, 2019
Rev. Marvin “Kenneth” Russell ’49, Richmond, Va., December 29, 2020
Lellon Marie Carden Bryant ’51, Hillborough, N.C., June 17, 2020
Beverly Lou Graham Saunders ’49, Mooresville, N.C., May 26, 2020
Harriett Floree McAuley Bryson ’51, Greenville, S.C., February 11, 2020
Elizabeth “Betty” Wray Hensley Souders ’49, Hagerstown, Md., August 21, 2020
Ray Von Caldwell ’51, Newton, N.C., September 19, 2020
Roberta Mae Foster Teachey ’49, Charlotte, N.C., July 3, 2020
Alfred Eugene “Gene” Garland ’51, Mount Airy, N.C., November 28, 2020
Jacqueline “Jackie” Virginia Durden Tobey ’49, Arden, N.C., July 8, 2020
Dr. Ilda Crumpton Lide Hall Littell ’51, St. Petersburg, Fla., July 7, 2020
Pauline “Polly” Patricia Patton Wall ’49, Greensboro, N.C., December 21, 2020
Eugenia Boone Jeter ’51, Asheville, N.C., December 28, 2020
1950s
Robert “Bob” William Abbott ’50, Bedford, Va., October 15, 2018 Joanne “Jo” Harriett Britt Bean ’50, Fayetteville, N.C., September 9, 2020 Lee Calvert Belleman ’50, Cedarville, Ohio, June 24, 2020 Wanda Lee Taylor Burke Haag ’50, Knoxville, Tenn., April 14, 2020 Mary Anne Summers Carswell ’50, Athens, Ga., May 13, 2019 Bobbie James Coble ’50, Salisbury, N.C., April 30, 2018 Mildred Luellen Dills ’50, High Point, N.C., October 19, 2020 Carolyn Elizabeth Barrett Fox ’50, Rome, Ga., April 27, 2020
28 Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2021
Elizabeth “Betsy” Anne Baker Mitchell ’51, Winston-Salem, N.C., September 19, 2020 Ryal George Seay ’51, Falling Waters, W.V., April 18, 2019 Louise Patricia “Pat” Davis Thomason ’51, Winston-Salem, N.C., July 8, 2018 Patsy Jane Rogers Underwood ’51, Waynesville, N.C., October 28, 2020 Edmond “Ed” Morris Walker ’51, Etowah, N.C., August 4, 2020 Mary Cornelia Ammons ’52, San Antonio, Texas, February 14, 2020 David “Hal” Buckner ’52, Mars Hill, N.C., July 7, 2020 Edgar “Ed” Baxter Bumgarner ’52, Bessemer City, N.C., April 1, 2019 Maj. James Vance Gibson ’52, Crestview, Fla., May 31, 2018
Robert Lee Gooch ’52, Tyaskin, Md., January 14, 2017
Kenneth Duane Hampton ’56, Newport News, Va., February 5, 2020
Joan Elizabeth Rash Hardin ’52, Winston-Salem, N.C., October 12, 2020
Ruth Amelia Brunson Kay ’56, Charlotte, N.C., September 26, 2020
Dorothy “Carol” McAlister Myers ’52, Biscoe, N.C., July 17, 2020
Annie “Ann” Jane Hollifield McJunkin ’56, Sumter, S.C., June 12, 2020
Anne Carroll Carter Smith ’52, Mountain Home, N.C., August 27, 2020
Grover Cleveland Shuler ’56, W Columbia, S.C., January 18, 2021
Dr. Carl Douglas Monk ’53, Athens, Ga., July 1, 2020
Mary “Gretchel” Putman Clemmer ’57, Gastonia, N.C., July 29, 2020
Carmen Hilburn Bolick Sasser ’53, Winston-Salem, N.C., August 24, 2020
William “Bill” Lowman Collins ’57, Mt. Pleasant, S.C., September 12, 2020
Benjamin Maxwell “Max” Lancaster, Sr. ’54, Roanoke Rapid, N.C., December 28, 2018
Kay Viola Small Helms ’57, Charlotte, N.C., May 28, 2020
Lois R. Nance Miller ’54, High Point, N.C., September 19, 2020
Robert Young Posey ’57, Chatham, Va., September 13, 2020
Bascom “Palmer” Mills, Jr. ’54, Pine Mountain, Ga., June 6, 2020
Carl Henry Thorne ’57, Sparta, N.C., October 30, 2020
John Nolan Mitchell, Jr. ’54, Brentwood, Tenn., August 20, 2020
Lester Calvin Bradley, Jr. ’58, Duncan, S.C., June 29, 2020
Nancy “Lasell” Light Becker ’55, Cortez, Colo., February 23, 2019
Charles “Charlie” Lloyd Forbes ’58, Maggie Valley, N.C., April 17, 2020
Charles Robert Carver ’55, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., March 10, 2020
Lavon “Derenda” Gulledge Garris ’58, Clemmons, N.C., May 4, 2020
Elizabeth “Betsy” Dalton Mitchell Dekirmenjian ’55, Knoxville, Tenn., April 16, 2020
Milton Vines Massey ’58, Mills River, N.C., March 17, 2019
Thomas “Earl” Livingston ’55, Orlando, Fla., September 2, 2020
Dr. Monroe “M.T.” Talton Morgan ’58, Johnson City, Tenn., October 15, 2020
Peggy Anne Brooks Loyd ’55, Chambersburg, Pa., September 3, 2017
David Lee Parker ’58, Winston-Salem, N.C., August 1, 2019
Ethel Louise “Lou” Morrow Olson ’55, Catonsville, Md., August 13, 2020
Hilda Kay Adams Simmons ’58, Hickory, N.C., July 15, 2020
Jocelyn Gail Martin Perkerson ’55, Fort Worth, Texas, March 16, 2020
Dr. Thomas “Tom” Swann Teague ’58, Jefferson City, Tenn., July 6, 2020
Martha Anne Mullis Sloan ’55, Mooresville, N.C., May 17, 2019
Emily Rebecca Edwards Bounds ’59, Marion, N.C., January 13, 2021
Faye Joyce Eller Swanson ’55, Lincolnton, N.C., April 30, 2020
Kesley “Averette” Haney ’59, Rutherfordton, N.C., August 12, 2020
Dorothy Ann Clark Bethea ’56, Weaverville, N.C., February 14, 2017
Robert Monroe Johannesen, Jr. ’59, Gibsonville, N.C., November 23, 2020
Joan Robinson Bradley ’56, Asheville, N.C., November 6, 2020
Woodrow Wilson Timmerman, Jr. ’59, Fayetteville, N.C., December 26, 2017
Richard Edward Green ’56, Huntsville, Ala., November 6, 2020
William Robert “Bob” Wicker ’59, Wilson, N.C., July 24, 2020
Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2021 29
1960s
Jane Louise Wilkinson Gyllenhoff ’60, Fredericksburg, Va., April 22, 2020 Sarah “Eleanor” Robbins Kiney ’60, St Petersburg, Fla., May 4, 2020 Janice Faye McLamb McMahon ’60, Morganton, N.C., December 3, 2019 David Finley Dinsmore Scruggs ’60, Alpharetta, Ga., January 11, 2021 John “Nelson” Tunstall ’60, Knoxville, Tenn., May 9, 2018 Jeanette Alfreda Grooms Wilde ’60, Mars Hill, N.C., June 15, 2020 Barbara Ann Ferguson Ensley ’61, Waynesville, N.C., November 25, 2019 Ralph Carson Genoble ’61, Franklin, Tenn., August 7, 2020 Eugene “Gene” Carlisle Jackson ’61, Green Sea, S.C., November 18, 2020 Chester Meredith Richardson, Jr. ’61, Mechanicsville, Va., June 6, 2019 Joseph “Joe” Fleetwood Sullivan, Jr. ’61, Greenville, N.C., August 22, 2020 Julian “Lamar” York ’61, Waynesville, N.C., April 14, 2019 Sherry O’Dare Greene Carter ’62, Mebane, N.C., January 24, 2021 Michael Allen Davis ’62, Hendersonville, N.C., December 21, 2019 Judy Ann Campbell Hamrick ’62, Shelby, N.C., November 7, 2020 Curtis Buck Hunter, Jr. ’62, Alexandria, Va., August 30, 2020 Barbara Louise Gentry ’63, Weaverville, N.C., February 12, 2019 Nancy Ann Plemmons ’63, Leicester, N.C., December 29, 2019 Rickey McArthur Williamson ’63, Chadbourn, N.C., August 12, 2020 Eugene “Gene” Austin Aspy ’64, Winter Haven, Fla., May 2, 2020 Joseph “Joe” Randolph Noland ’64, Candler, N.C., August 16, 2019
Kenneth Hugh Pearce, Sr. ’64, Cornelius, N.C., January 22, 2020 Martha Leigh Callahan Ruff ’64, Rutherfordton, N.C., January 18, 2020 David William Thrasher ’64, Kernersville, N.C., December 18, 2019 Homer Daniel “Dan” Waddell ’64, Asheville, N.C., November 4, 2020 James William Burleson ’66, Newland, N.C., August 23, 2020 Judith “Judy” Ann Lowe ’66, Charlotte, N.C., November 6, 2020 Rev. Terry Lee Powell ’66, Lawrenceville, Ga., February 19, 2020 John Marvin Robertson ’67, Durham, N.C., August 31, 2018 Katherine M. Farkas Smith ’67, Weaverville, N.C., July 5, 2019 Larry Allen Huls ’68, Andrews, N.C., September 20, 2020 Scott McKinley Jarvis ’68, Hendersonville, N.C., July 14, 2019 LTC Robert Wayne Sparks, USAR ’68, Edmond, Okla., October 9, 2018 Walker Eugene “Gene” Boone ’69, Yadkinville, N.C., November 18, 2019 Pete Mullis Mann ’69, Wilkesboro, N.C., October 1, 2020 Max Kathleen “Kathy” Lindsey Young ’69, Christiansburg, Va., May 21, 2020 1970s
Robert “Bruce” Douglas ’70, Elko, Ga., April 6, 2019 Michael “Mike” Edward Penland ’70, Candler, N.C., August 18, 2020 Jean Elizabeth Miller Briggs ’71, Mars Hill, N.C., July 15, 2020 Darlene “Gale” Baker Bufford ’71, Auburn, Ala., March 25, 2019 Stephen DuFour Bennett ’72, Asheville, N.C., October 15, 2019 Phyllis Diane Powers Campbell ’72, Kannapolis, N.C., February 2, 2021 James “Jim” George Lamprinakos, Ill., ’72,
30 Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2021
Lexington, S.C., December 14, 2020 William Michael “Mike” Hilliard ’73, Heath Springs, S.C., December 17, 2019 Janice “Renee” McLaurin Richardson ’73, Lumberton, N.C., August 28, 2020 Dorothy “Dottie” Mae Bumpass ’74, Glen Allen, Va., November 11, 2020 Walker Doyle Hodges ’74, Knoxville, Tenn., July 16, 2020 Katherine “Kim” Jeannyne Greer Robinson ’74, Fripp Island, S.C., July 25, 2020 Barbara Ann Robinson ’74, Asheville, N.C., February 22, 2020 Ralph Michael Hall ’75, Browns Summit, N.C., June 11, 2020 Marsha Lyne McFarland Boone ’77, Weaverville, N.C., November 9, 2020 Elizabeth “Dianne” Frye ’77, Andrews, N.C., September 17, 2020 Paula Joy Carter Wilson ’77, Flower Mound, Texas, December 14, 2018 Angelia Kaye Morgan Bateman ’79, Topton, N.C., January 6, 2020 Evelyn Hyatt Brendle ’79, Franklin, N.C., January 12, 2020 Cheryl “Lynn” Plemmons ’79, Weaverville, N.C., June 19, 2020 George Shala Wyant ’79, Spartanburg, S.C., January 12, 2021 1980s
Mary “Catherine” Smith Creson ’80, Georgetown, S.C., February 13, 2020 Janet McKinney Green Maynor ’80, Weaverville, N.C., December 21, 2020 Louise Banks Sellers ’82, Canton, N.C., October 1, 2020 Nancy Ann Cunningham Carlson ’83, Brevard, N.C., August 12, 2020 Philip Kerr James ’84, Chelsea, Ala., January 1, 2021 Cynthia “Cindy” Kay Pennell Griffin ’86, Bainbridge, Ga., November 22, 2020 Michael Ray Hyatt ’86, Candler, N.C., February 22, 2019
Harry “Butch” Neil Martin, III ’86, Leicester, N.C., January 9, 2021 Rev. Robert “Hugh” Patterson ’86, Jacksonville, Fla., January 1, 2021 Clayton Lloyd Ollis ’87, Kings Mountain, N.C., August 19, 2020 1990s
Angela Michelle Powers Mayberry ’90, Taylorsville, N.C., July 1, 2020 Dana Faye Mason Stevenson ’92, Brevard, N.C., January 5, 2021 Kelly Virginia Payne Robb ’98, Mount Holly, N.C., October 25, 2020 Bonnie Burrell Setzer ’99, Old Fort, N.C., November 9, 2020 2010s
Carlos Dishaun Cobb ’10, Gainesville, Ga., November 28, 2018 Antonio “Tony” Gerald Koone ’14, Hendersonville, N.C., September 17, 2020 Faculty, Staff, and Trustees
Massey Edward “Ed” Hoffmeyer ’68, Retired Coach and Athletic Director, Asheville, N.C., December 2, 2020 Justus “Jud” M. Ammons, Former Trustee, Raleigh, N.C., October 18, 2020 Earl Thomas “Tom” Digh, Jr., Former Trustee, Drexel, N.C., October 22, 2020 May Jo DeNardo Gray, Retired Music Professor, Bradenton, Fla., September 6, 2020 Dr. Donald David Gehring, Former Dean of Student Development, Brunswick, Ga., February 11, 2020 Charity Mae Ray, Retired Library and Administrative Staff, Mars Hill, N.C., October 2, 2020 Dr. Edwin R. Cheek, Retired English Professor, Mars Hill, N.C., December 13, 2020 Anthony “Tony” Fontanelle, MHU Volleyball Coach, Mars Hill, N.C., February 15, 2021 Dr. Harley E. Jolley, Retired History Professor, Mars Hill, N.C., November 23, 2020 Curtis Salter, Retired Facilities Staff, Asheville, N.C., March 3, 2020
Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2021 31
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DAY4MHU 3 . 4 . 21
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Thanks to you, our faithful MHU donors, we met and far exceeded our $200,000 goal for Day4MHU, and we had more than 150 new donors! We can only say “thank you!” to all the amazing alumni, students, employees, and friends to who gave to supporting scholarships, campus improvements, and the university’s greatest needs.
Thank YOU for helping Mars Hill March Forward!
