Roanoke College Magazine | Issue 1 | 2024

DOGWOOD

LEAVING A LEGACY

An innovative digital tour celebrates Roanoke’s beloved campus canopy.

By Lindsey Nair ’98

“This is not our world with trees in it. It’s a world of trees, where humans have just arrived.”

This quote from “The Overstory” by Richard Powers could have been a reference to Roanoke College, which is home to some 1,000 trees of at least 77 different species – some of which are older than the College itself.

A group of Maroons recently developed a digital tour that celebrates 50+ campus trees, from the Champion Dutch Elm to President Shushok’s new sugar maple. Each tree on the tour has been outfitted with a QR code placard that can be scanned with a smartphone to pull up information about the tree.

Trustee Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo ’78, a project benefactor, said, “I loved the idea of mapping all the different trees so that, as you walked by, you could realize you were standing next to something so beautiful and historic and important.”

To learn more, visit roa.ke/TreeTour.

1 1 ‘Ours to Create’

The inauguration of President Frank Shushok Jr. in October was an opportunity to gather in fellowship, reflect on Shushok’s first year in office, celebrate innovation and anticipate achievements to come.

ON THE QUAD

18 Beyond the Books

This roundup of student-faculty research highlights a breadth of exciting work happening across campus. By Roanoke College Staff

26 Bridging Borders

Catching up with Gaston OCampo ’20, secretary general of the Institute for the Promotion of Latin America and the Caribbean.

By Alicia Petska

Data Dreamer: Dessa Gypalo ’07

Spotlight: Brooks Allison ’11 Alumni Books

Remembering Bob Jenkins

Unbearable Loss: Mary Crockett

ON THE COVER

Traci Daberko, an award-winning illustrator based in Seattle, took inspiration from our cover story, “Beyond the Books,” to create this rich representation of undergraduate research at Roanoke.

“I hope this reveal of our updated college publication reenforces – or even renews – your love of Roanoke College.”

The prefix re-, which translates to “back” or “again,” has been on my mind over the past few months as we reassessed Roanoke College Magazine.

Since alumni responses in the last magazine survey were largely positive, it was clear we needed a refresh rather than a full reimagining. With help from the creative design firm 2Communiqué and local design agency Mikula-Harris, we set out to reinvigorate your favorite features, replace less popular content and rearrange sections for better flow.

To meet those goals, we reduced clutter on pages, renamed existing sections to highlight our culture, and resisted the urge to regurgitate every web story in the magazine. To remind you of your cherished time at Roanoke, we’ve showcased more photography, shared more historical content, and introduced Dogwood, an opening spread that highlights our gorgeous location. We’ve also incorporated elements of our recent rebranding, including new typefaces and accent colors, plus new graphics scattered throughout the pages.

Finally, we are rejiggering our production schedule and moving magazine delivery to March and September instead of June and December. And when the magazine lands, we want it to revitalize your coffee table with eye-catching covers!

I hope this reveal of our updated college publication reenforces – or even renews – your love of Roanoke College. Despite all the “back” prefixes in this note, we’re marching forward into a bright future. I hope you’ll join us on this journey and send thoughts about the refresh to rcmagazine@roanoke.edu.

Lindsey Nair ’98 College Editor

2023-2024 | Board of Trustees

Mr. Malon W. Courts ’92, Chair

Ms. Kathryn S. Harkness ’73, Vice Chair

Mr. James S. Frantz Jr., Secretary

Mr. David B. Mowen, Ex-officio, Treasurer

Dr. Frank Shushok Jr., Ex-officio, President of the College

Mr. Kenneth J. Belton Sr. ’81

Mr. Kirk Howard Betts

Dr. Paris D. Butler, MPH ’00

Ms. Pamela L. Cabalka ’76

Dr. M. Paul Capp ’52

Mr. Joseph H. Carpenter IV ’99

Ms. Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo ’78

Mr. James L. Chisom ’84

Mr. W. Morgan Churchman ’65

Ms. Kimberly Davis-Riffe

Ms. Danae Psilopoulos Foley ’92

Mr. Robert P. Fralin

The Rev. Harry W. Griffith

Ms. Judith B. Hall ’69

Mr. Richard S. Hathaway ’73

Ms. Peggy Fintel Horn ’78

Mr. Patrick R. Leardo

Mr. Christopher N. Merrill ’93

The Rev. Dr. Phyllis Milton, Bishop

Ms. Nancy B. Mulheren ’72

Mr. Brendan O’Donnell ’09

Mr. Roger A. Petersen ’81

Mr. J. Tyler Pugh ’70

The Rev. Dr. Theodore F. Schneider ’56

Mr. C. Micah Spruill ’11

Mr. Daniel E. Strelka ’89

Mr. Andrew K. Teeter ’71

Dr. Garnett B. Whitehurst

Ms. Helen Twohy Whittemore ’80

Mr. Gregory M. Terrill ’94 and

Mrs. Nicole (Brewer) Terrill ’95 (Ex-officio, Co-chairs of the Parent Leadership Council)

Mrs. Cara (Bayersdorfer) Kenney ’98 (Ex-officio, Chair of the Alumni Executive Council)

Alexander B. Mulheren (Ex-officio, Chair of the President’s Advisory Board)

THE MAGAZINE FOR ROANOKE COLLEGE

Editor Lindsey Nair ’98

Contributing Editors Teresa Gereaux ’87 and Alicia Petska

Contributors Teresa Gereaux ’87, Alicia Petska, Kaylen Ayres ’25, Margo Boone ’26 and Ashley Mountcastle ’27

Archives Jesse Bucher

Photography James France, Kennerly Nichols ’27, Riley Tetreault ’25, Griffin Pivarunas ’16, Ryan Hunt ’18, Gregg Ross and Alexandre Pona

Illustration Traci Daberko

Design & Production Mikula-Harris

Printing Bison Printing

Design Consultant 2Communiqué

Vice President, Marketing and Communications Rita Farlow

Roanoke College does not discriminate against students, employees or applicants on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, national or ethnic origin, disability or veteran status.

Roanoke College Magazine is published twice a year by the Office of Marketing and Communications for alumni, students, parents, staff and friends of Roanoke College. Editorial rights are reserved.

Questions, comments and corrections may be sent to:

Magazine

Editor

Roanoke College Office of Marketing and Communications

221 College Lane Salem, VA 24153-3794 rcmagazine@roanoke.edu

221 College Lane | Salem, VA 24153-3794 | roanoke.edu

College Switchboard 540-375-2500

Admissions Local 540-375-2270

Admissions Toll-free 800-388-2276

Alumni/Parent Relations 540-375-2238

Alumni Email alumni@roanoke.edu

Church Relations 540-375-2300

Colket Center 540-378-5125

Intercollegiate Athletics 540-375-2338

Olin Box Office 540-375-2333

Imagining together

Roanoke College has always operated at the intersection of tradition and innovation. As we enter an uncertain time for higher education, we will lean into our adaptability and find smart, creative ways to not only survive, but to thrive.

Higher education is at a crossroads as colleges and universities contend with immense societal change. It can be overwhelming, but Roanoke College will not shrink from an uncertain future.

Imagination and innovation often spring from challenge, and we are always better for it. I don’t know of a single big challenge – be it personal, institutional or societal – that has been solved by stasis.

That’s why Maroons are thinking big and asking what the world needs next from Roanoke College.

When moments throughout our long history have compelled us to adapt, our mission has allowed us to skillfully balance tradition and innovation. This is the story

of our 1842 founding, when two Lutheran pastors opened a tiny preparatory school for boys in Augusta County, Virginia, to provide students of humble means a classical and scientific education at minimal cost so they could enter theological seminaries – an opportunity otherwise unavailable.

It is our story when, five years later, our founders moved the school to Salem, where we would soon become known as Roanoke College – a move made to increase enrollment, expand our reach and provide educational opportunities to southwest Virginia.

It is our story from the 1880s, when President Julius Dreher recruited and welcomed Native American students from regional tribes, and international students from Korea, Japan and Mexico, among others, so by the early 1900s, Roanoke College had enrolled more international students than any other college in the South – a remarkable accomplishment for a small college following the Civil War.

We can be proud that change and courage have been in Roanoke’s DNA since the beginning. As it has been for 182 years, the future of Roanoke College is ours to create and ours to become – and we get to bravely find the courage to

imagine it together.

Our students will tell you about the remarkable ways that our faculty shape their critical thinking, uncover their talents, and foster a capacity for writing, communicating and working in teams. At Roanoke, the liberal arts and applied professional programs aren’t in competition; they are complementary. I love that our computer scientists are also poets, our artists are also exercise scientists, and our mathematicians are also data scientists using sports analytics to improve our athletic teams. In a world where artificial intelligence is already dominating, Roanoke students will find no problem adapting and leading in this dynamic and fast-paced technological world.

When we launch a new strategic plan, our 21st century moonshots will include plans to help our students develop their creativity and precision, critical thinking and technical skills, leadership and service.

Here we go . . .

Frank Shushok Jr.

President Shushok celebrates with seniors at the 100 Days Party in January, which marked 100 days until their graduation from Roanoke.

SNAPSHOTS

That adorable puppy photo we sent out in December required a lot of handlers to pull off, but not a single one complained about the job!

Kelby Hanson ’26, a member of Roanoke’s new cycling team, jumps the seal as part of a fun video about campus traditions.

Theatre Roanoke College brought the Kit Kat Klub to life in Olin Hall for its riveting production of “Cabaret.”

Cole Handly, a student in Roanoke’s inaugural MBA class.

Denzel Marufu ’27 gets artistic in Visiting Assistant Professor Grace Tessein’s Ceramics I class.

As part of the Environmental Studies Senior Practicum, students installed a rain garden on Elizabeth Campus to help with stormwater drainage issues.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

ON THE DEATH OF PROFESSOR

BOB JENKINS ’61:

“Dr. Jenkins was one of the best and had such an influence on me at Roanoke. I spent hours in his lab studying the eating habits of notropis altipinnis, the highfin shiner. The fact that I can still remember the scientific name of that tiny fish we caught in the waters of Southwest Virginia speaks volumes to how much he inspired my curiosity.”

Andrew Campbell ’85

“He was the best professor! I once came tearing into a final over an hour late, wildeyed and with bed head, ready to plead my case, and he just calmly gave me my exam and told me to go sit down.”

Jacquelynne Shinault ’04

ON THE DEATH OF ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

MARY CROCKETT HILL ’91:

“I had the privilege to be one of her students. She was warm, kind, and an incredible teacher and writer. After graduating, I always enjoyed running into her around Salem or picking up one of her books. I admired her greatly for her dedication to her craft, which inspired me to continue with mine. She will be greatly missed.”

Luke Campbell ’10

“My four Octobers at RC were some of my best days at Roanoke College.”

Jesse DeMello ’73, on those fine Virginia autumns

ON ROANOKE’S NEW TRANSFER PIPELINE FROM VIRGINIA WESTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE:

“Way to go, Roanoke College! This proud alumna is happy to see a pipeline to greater access for all students!”

Stephanie (Brooks) Hoer ’99

“Looking forward to having Virginia Western transfers/graduates in my classes!”

Biology Lecturer Frances McCutcheon

ON NAMING BRYAN STINESPRING ROANOKE’S NEW HEAD FOOTBALL COACH:

“Kudos for signing a coach with such a strong resume. Best of luck to RC as the program gets underway. GO MAROONS!”

Toby Leach ’95

“Check for spiders, kids! No one wants a wolf spider in their back pocket! I know I didn’t.”

Lee Nixon ’08, on students studying outside on the lawn

ON THE DEDICATION OF THE 18TH R HOUSE:

“We absolutely LOVE Roanoke College! Can’t wait for next year!”

Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley

ON STUDENTS DOING STREAM RESTORATION WORK:

“Thanks for making Salem better!”

Carey Harveycutter, director of Salem tourism

ON THE INDUCTION OF FRANKIE ALLEN ’71 INTO THE SMALL COLLEGE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME:

“What an incredible honor for a legend. I arrived at RC 20 years after his graduation, but all of us knew about the immense impact he had on and off the court. This is so great to see.”

Joe Schrantz ’95

“My father is an RC alum and we went to so many games when I was growing up. It’s wonderful to see Frankie Allen receive this recognition.”

Cynthia Light, daughter of Howard Light ’58 and Shirley Light ’78; mother of Howard Daniels ’18

ON THE QUAD

A banner way

Return to Salem this year (Alumni Weekend, perhaps?) for a chance to see the College’s new brand unfolding in colorful ways across campus.

By Lindsey Nair ’98

New branded banners added pops of color to this snowy campus scene in mid-January. The rebranding, first unveiled in April 2022, continues to be implemented across campus. It reenvisions the logo and plays up some lesser-known colors in our palette, such as the blue, black and gold of these banners along Heritage Walk.

Alumni can also see the new look –which includes typography, patterns and graphics – on flags along Maxey Way, on the college flagpole, and throughout this magazine. Those who haven’t been to roanoke.edu lately should also check out our new web design. Visit the campus bookstore to pick up some gear featuring the shield logo, and stay tuned as we keep working to design a campus environment that fully reflects the Maroon mentality.

COLLEGE

Innovating for career readiness

Roanoke College faculty have approved a new master’s program in education and several new undergraduate majors that meet student and workplace demand.

By Lindsey Nair ’98

“Student success” and “academic innovation” may sound like higher education mumbo jumbo, but at Roanoke, they are words to live by. Our faculty has recently walked the walk by vetting and approving a new graduate program in education and multiple new undergraduate degrees. The new additions, which will be active in fall 2024, are:

Master of Education:

Roanoke is already a strong producer of qualified educators – and a trusted partner to local K-12 school divisions. A new M.Ed. program is expected to draw teachers who wish to augment their

expertise and recent college graduates interested in continuing their studies. It will be the second master’s degree offered by Roanoke, which launched its MBA program in 2023.

Cannabis Studies:

Students may choose to minor in this topic or select one of two major tracks: the science of cannabis or the social justice and policy surrounding cannabis. Roanoke is the first college in Virginia to offer this program, which prepares students for jobs in an industry expected to hit $40 billion in the U.S. in 2024.

Disability Studies:

Introduced as a concentration in 2022, this discipline is also now offered as a major or minor. The program aims to enrich students’ understanding of those who live with a disability and position them to be empathetic leaders and change agents in their workplaces and communities.

Economics-Finance:

Few of Roanoke’s competitors offer a major that blends these disciplines, and the combination opens access to more employment opportunities. Offering this major allows students to complete the education in fewer classes than they’d have to take if they blended a major and a minor, which is what many students have done in the past.

Finance:

The finance concentration recently has been the most popular one in Business and Economics. In addition to this new major, the Personal Finance Planning Track is now a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board Registered Program, allowing students to complete the coursework that would qualify them to sit for the CFP exam.

Human Services Studies:

This major within the Department of Sociology and Public Health will prepare students for careers in the human services field and set them up for graduate degrees in areas such as social work or school counseling. Classwork will be supplemented with community engagement through internships, service learning and research.

Marketing:

This interdisciplinary major in the Business and Economics Department satisfies considerable demand and allows students to customize the program based on their individual interests. The major includes a core group of business courses. The marketing concentration has also been modified to make it more accessible to non-business students.

Public Policy:

Previously a concentration, this major will educate students in the core knowledge and skills of public policy, allow them to focus on policy areas of interest, and prepare them for careers in analysis with practicum and capstone experiences.

CURRICULUM

Because disabilities are woven into all aspects of society, Roanoke's new disability studies major was designed with an interdisciplinary approach.

President Emeritus Michael Maxey

‘Ours to create’

The inauguration of President Frank Shushok Jr.

Photos by Griffin Pivarunas ’16 and Ryan Hunt ’18

President Shushok’s October inauguration, only the 12th such event in college history, included an illumination, panel discussions, the presidential tree planting, an investiture ceremony and President’s Evening.

At the investiture, Shushok was celebrated by a wide cross-section of the Maroon community, including alumni, trustees, parents, faculty, staff and students. The ceremony included musical tributes and a heartfelt introduction from the Rev. Kelly Shushok.

“I cannot think of a better way to spend a life,” President Shushok said, “and so, as the grateful 12th president of Roanoke College, I am here, and I believe we are ready. The future is ours to create.”

The Shushoks arrived in style at President’s Evening, where the Rev. Kelly Shushok revealed a nod to their Texas roots.

The community gathered for illumination, a candlelight ceremony and processional that dates back to David Bittle’s inauguration as Roanoke’s first president.

placed the presidential medallion around President Frank Shushok’s neck during the investiture ceremony.

(L-R) Frank, Kelly, Brayden, Ivy Anne and Christian Shushok, along with pup Maple, celebrated the planting of Shushok’s presidential tree, a sugar maple, on the Front Lawn.

How to be a trivia whiz

Roanoke's resident quiz expert, Professor Gary Hollis, offers tips to turn up your trivia game.

Roanoke College recently cheered on Chemistry Professor Gary Hollis as he placed third in the Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard Tournament. We asked Hollis to share the secrets of his success – in the form of an answer this time, not a question.

Q: What does it take to be good at trivia? Do you have any tips for someone prepping for a game?

First, trivia should be something that you enjoy. If you do, your next best asset is curiosity. Be curious about as much of the world as possible. Be open to new things and value old things. A voracious reader tends to make a fine trivia competitor. That doesn’t mean you have to be strong in every subject. Trivia teams always need focused expertise.

Like most things, one gets better with practice, but how can one practice trivia? Watch Jeopardy! every weeknight and play along, using a pen as your buzzer. Look at the online database of past Jeopardy! clues at J!Archive.com. Play online quizzes such as JetPunk.

Finally, having a good memory is undeniably helpful in trivia competitions. Some people seem to be able to remember trivial things with ease while others struggle. One tip for memorizing or learning is to connect something you want to learn with something you already know. The more connections you make, the better.

Remember, as Tyrion Lannister is fond of saying in “Game of Thrones,” “That’s what I do. I drink and I know things.” I wholeheartedly recommend the latter.

Role call

Whether they are new hires, guests or stepping into new positions, these folks are already making a positive impact at Roanoke.

By Lindsey Nair ’98

Meghan Jester is Roanoke’s director of career exploration. As part of the Purpose, Life and Career Exploration (PLACE) team, Jester is creating opportunities that support Roanoke students as they explore and prepare for their chosen careers.

Katelyn Kaminski joined the College as its new head competition cheerleading coach. Kaminski has coached cheer at several schools, including Radford University and Ferrum College.

Brian Reed, the College’s vice president for student success, is responsible for shaping a student-first culture at Roanoke College and providing leadership for an integrated and inclusive student experience.

Terrell Smith is the school’s first-ever director of marching and spirit bands. He will employ 16 years of experience to build a new marching band program that could grow to as many as 50 students.

Longtime math professor and department chair Dave Taylor is the school’s new assistant vice president for academic operations. He remains director of the College’s Institute for Policy and Opinion Research (IPOR).

Leslie Warden, who has taught art history and archaeology at Roanoke since 2012, has stepped into the role of assistant vice president for curriculum and advising in Academic Affairs.

While not a permanent addition to Roanoke, Robert Weiss has been a fixture on campus this year as the College’s first American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow. Weiss, a professor in the Department of Geosciences at Virginia Tech, is working with and learning from President Shushok and his team.

ASK THE EXPERT

Jester

Kaminski

Reed

Smith

Taylor

Warden

Weiss

Making a mark with art

Roanoke College has chosen Richmond artist and educator Sandy Williams IV to design a memorial to the enslaved laborers who helped build the school. Williams’ concept will be unveiled in the coming months.

By Ralph Berrier Jr.

Sandy Williams IV once created art in the sky above New York City.

In summer 2023, Williams collaborated with a skywriting pilot to trace the dimensions of a 500-acre plot of land meant to represent the Weeksville community, a Black-owned neighborhood created in New York before the Civil War.

You could say that Williams’ art is ephemeral.

Now the University of Richmond professor is tasked with making something that will last. The artist is preparing to

“I want to bring humanity to those people who have not been included in the record, but who were so vital to the growth of the College.”

— Sandy Williams IV

unveil plans for a major work that will memorialize the enslaved laborers who worked at Roanoke College before the Civil War.

“I want to bring humanity to those people who have not been included in the record, but who were so vital to the growth of the College,” Williams said.

The Virginia Beach native came to the attention of Roanoke College through Creative Time, a New York-based nonprofit that supports ambitious, socially conscious public art projects across the

world, and through the help of Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo ’78, a Roanoke alumna and trustee who worked in the art world and is one of the most zealous advocates of the Center for Studying Structures of Race.

In 2022, Cassullo gave a $1.5 million gift to the College to support the center’s work.

As part of the memorial’s preparation, the center has hosted lectures and conversations about monuments, and the College has welcomed artists and scholars that include Mabel O. Wilson, who co-designed the memorial to enslaved laborers at the University of Virginia.

“Through the center, we’ll tackle these issues in creative ways,” Cassullo said. “It’s a new way for all of us to come together and move the College forward into a future that is shared by everyone.”

Roanoke’s Community Vision Committee, a group of community members, faculty, staff and students, reviewed proposals before selecting Williams. The artist visited Roanoke College to walk the grounds, soak up the atmosphere, tour campus buildings and learn about the people who will be immortalized in bronze.

Williams hopes the Roanoke College memorial will be a permanent space that is welcoming to everyone in the community.

“Look at the Lincoln Memorial,” Williams said. “It is permanent, but the space is important for social engagement. From Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech forward, every political protest happens on those steps. It is a gathering place that allows you to think about your place in context with the longer history.”

Visitors interact with Sandy Williams IV’s sculpture “Free Wax I,” which was reminiscent of the U.S. flag and rested on a mulch base shaped like the borough of Queens. The piece was commissioned by Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, where it was on display from October 2020 to March 2021.

Building from the ground up

Roanoke’s three-person coaching staff is in full recruiting mode, scouring the state for a few good men to fill out the College’s new football team.

By Lindsey Nair ’98

It’s no surprise that Roanoke College’s new head football coach, Bryan Stinespring, is a fan of sports analogies.

For example, while talking about recruiting for a new DIII college football team on a tight schedule, he said, “If recruiting is the first, second, third and fourth quarter of a game, we are in the fourth quarter right now – and we didn’t get to play the first, second or third.”

But Stinespring isn’t letting the challenge intimidate him. He has two topnotch assistant coaches, a lifetime of Virginia football networking, and a supportive community to propel him down that figurative (and soon literal) field.

Stinespring, who spent 26 years on Frank Beamer’s staff at Virginia Tech, became Roanoke’s new head football coach in November. He came to Roanoke from Virginia Military Institute, where he served as associate head football coach and offensive coordinator.

“Coach Stinespring has name recognition in southwest Virginia, and that will be very important with getting our first recruiting class and establishing our program,” said Athletic Director Curtis Campbell.

Since then, the coaching staff has been rounded out by Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Mike Giancola and Offensive Coordinator Mitch Ferrick. Giancola came to Roanoke from

Bridgewater College, where he spent seven seasons as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, helping to lead the team to a 10-1 record and an ODAC championship in 2019. Ferrick has built an extensive resume in various roles, including tight ends coach, wide receiver coach and recruiting coordinator, at schools including Bridgewater College and Guilford College.

All three coaches were motivated to come to Roanoke by the same factor: “The unique opportunity to start a program from the ground up and build it the way you want to build it with people you want to do it with – I mean, how many times in your life do you get to do that?” Giancola said.

The ink had barely dried on their human resources paperwork when the

coaches hit the road to recruit. When a reporter at Stinespring’s introductory press conference asked when recruiting would begin, the coach looked at his watch and said, “When does this thing end?”

To start, they have visited as many schools as possible within a four-hour radius of Salem, sharing the culture of Roanoke College and their vision for the program. “We don’t have troops on the ground to be able to expand yet, but we can work within the common ground that we know like the back of our hand,” Stinespring said.

Several students have transferred to Roanoke hoping to play while a handful of existing students have also expressed interest. At press time, the coaches were planning an all-call evaluation to assess those interested students. Between canvassing the state and partnering with Roanoke’s admissions team, the coaches also have drawn more than 100 prospective freshmen to campus to learn more about the College and the football program.

Ultimately, they hope to recruit 40 players to start the team as a club sport in 2024. They will work toward becoming a varsity program in 2025.

“The people here have been fantastic,” Stinespring said, specifically mentioning the admissions team and fellow coaches in the Athletics Department. “We could not manage without the support we’ve gotten here.”

Moving forward, the coaches said they’ll continue to focus on a three-pronged goal: recruiting, fundraising and staffing. They hope that Roanoke College alumni will help spread the word about Maroon football and keep cheering them on.

“There are three things we need our alumni to help us with, and that’s attitude, effort and enthusiasm,” Stinespring said. “We can be the lead trumpeters, but it needs to be an orchestra. When we have events, whether it’s a scrimmage or a ballgame, we need their excitement. We want to see some momentum and maintain it.”

Head Football Coach Bryan Stinespring

Mike Giancola Mitch Ferrick

Drive for success

Roanoke is adding women’s golf and welcoming its first full-time golf coach, who will lead both the men’s and women’s golf teams.

By Roanoke College Staff

It doesn’t seem like a 182-year-old college would see a lot of firsts in its athletic lineup – heck, even the new football program is a reincarnation from pre-World War II times.

But in the next few months, Roanoke will tick two boxes for the first time, adding women’s golf to its NCAA varsity offerings and welcoming Tommy Joyce as the school’s first full-time head golf coach. Joyce will coach both the men’s and women’s golf teams.

Overseeing the full program will be Richie Waggoner ’93, who will stay on as director of golf operations. Waggoner has served as part-time head coach of the men’s team since 2019.

Roanoke College will become the eighth ODAC school to sponsor women’s golf, joining Averett, Bridgewater, Lynchburg,

Randolph-Macon, Shenandoah, Sweet Briar, and Washington and Lee in competing for the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships starting in 2025-26.

“With the addition of women’s golf, it is going to take time and resources to get the

“Roanoke College is extremely fortunate to have someone the caliber of Coach Joyce as the first-ever full-time head coach.”

— Richie Waggoner ’93

program off the ground,” Waggoner said. “Roanoke College is extremely fortunate to have someone the caliber of Coach Joyce as the first-ever full-time head coach. I am looking forward to working with Tommy and supporting him in any way I can.”

Joyce, who was first introduced as assistant men’s golf coach in fall 2023, earned his PGA membership in 1992 and has worked in golf for more than 30 years. He

was a four-year letterman in the sport at Virginia Commonwealth University and toured professionally from 1991-96. He was a member of Ping’s World Tour Program and competed on the Nike and Hooters tours. He also served as COO of CaddieNow, PGA general manager and PGA director of golf. He received the Middle Atlantic PGA’s highest honor as Golf Professional of the Year in 2008 and was inducted into the Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.

Waggoner has worked for decades within the ODAC, spending time at Lynchburg College, Hollins University and Roanoke. He has been a basketball coach, golf coach, director of athletic communications and color commentator. Nationally, he has worked the NCAA DIII Softball Super Regionals, DIII National Softball Championships, DII Women’s Lacrosse Tournament, DIII Men’s and Women’s Soccer Final Four, DIII Women’s Lacrosse Final Four, and was site supervisor for the NCAA DIII Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Under Waggoner’s leadership, Roanoke’s men’s golf team rose from a national ranking of 235 in 2019 to its current ranking of 35. The team had a third-place ODAC finish in 2022 and won two tournaments, the 2022 Virginia State Golf Association Intercollegiate and 2023 Kinder-Williams Invitational. It also had two All-ODAC selections, four ODAC All-Tournament golfers and three Golf Coaches Association of America All-American Scholars.

“I would like to thank Coach Waggoner for his contributions as the current head coach and for agreeing to help us launch the women’s program,” Athletic Director Curtis Campbell said. “This is a great day for Roanoke College Athletics.”

Tommy Joyce (left) will coach the men’s and women’s golf teams while Richie Waggoner ’93 (right) stays on as director of golf operations.

It would be tough to include every athletic achievement since our last issue in June 2023, but here we round up some highlights of the past nine months.

BASKETBALL

In June 2023, Kasey Draper ’23 was awarded the “Doc” Jopson Award, ODAC’s highest studentathlete honor. He was also named the Division III Commissioner’s Association’s Region VI Student-Athlete of the Year.

Frankie Allen ’71 was named to the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame. Read more at roa.ke/AllenHOF.

CYCLING

The Roanoke cycling team kicked off its second season by hosting its first event, the Go Noke! MTB XC at Explore Park in Roanoke. In October, the team competed in its first National Championship event.

FIELD HOCKEY

Three Maroons received AllODAC nods: Grace Vernarelli ’24 received First-Team honors while Madison Filson ’23 and Lindsey Keyes ’24 received Third-Team honors.

SOCCER

Dylan Berk ’23 earned SecondTeam All-ODAC recognition as the men’s team made it to the ODAC quarterfinals.

On the women’s team, Morgan O’Neil ’24 led with honors, being

named to the All-Region team and receiving First-Team AllODAC recognition. Rebecca Carr ’27 was named ODAC Rookie of the Year and received a Third-Team All-ODAC nod along with Cameron Shackford ’25, Lauren Rubino ’26 and Bree Fulkerson ’27

SWIMMING

The women’s team finished second in the ODAC Championships while the men took third. Ethan Brewer ’25 earned a first-place finish in the 1650 free for both a meet and ODAC record time. Bella Jones ’27, Lily Mullens ’25, Susanna Price ’25, Carter Satterfield ’26 and Halle Schart ’26 joined Brewer on the All-ODAC First Team.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Ryanna Clark ’24 earned Second-Team All-ODAC recognition while Kylee Draper ’25 was named to the CSC Academic AllDistrict team. The Maroons finished with a 15-13 overall record. Coach Blair Trail collected her 400th win as a collegiate head coach in a win over Lynchburg.

WRESTLING

With their defeat of Averett on Feb. 8, the team captured the 2023-24 ODAC Championship. It was the team’s second in just three years of varsity status. Individual champions in each weight class were determined after press time.

FOR THE LOVE OF WOMEN’S SPORTS

By Lindsey Nair ’98

Peggy Patrick ’51 loved to see women competing at their best, whether that was on the field, on the court, on the track or – in the case of the new women’s golf team – on the green.

Inspired by her experience on the field hockey and basketball teams, and spurred by the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Patrick chose to earmark an estate gift for women’s athletics in 2022 that would support women athletes at Roanoke College for years to come.

“It is my hope that other women will use this endowment as a springboard,” she said at that time, “to donate as they are able to their respective sport to ensure that our efforts will help our future female student-athletes.”

Following her death last year, Patrick’s gift of $750,000 created the Roanoke College Women’s Athletic Endowment, which will support the College’s 11 varsity athletic programs for women. Endowments like this are unusual in NCAA Division III, where Roanoke competes in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Patrick, an economics major who found career success at General Electric, played for legendary coach Fran Ramser and was teammates with future coaching legend Billie “Jean” Beamer ’52. Her endowment is projected to generate about $37,500 per year to help fund uniforms, travel, equipment and more.

“We’re forever grateful to Peggy Patrick for her donation to the College and what it will mean to our Maroons,” said Head Women’s Basketball Coach Carla Flaherty. “Her generosity will enhance opportunities for all female athletes here at Roanoke College.”

BEYOND THE BOOKS

Nearly half of Roanoke College graduates go on to earn advanced degrees, and the research opportunities they find as undergraduate students set them up for success. That research happens not only in STEM courses and laboratories, but across our breadth of academic offerings and as far away as the other side of the globe. We surveyed the research taking place at Roanoke this academic year and put together this sampler platter to give you a taste of its scope and potential impact.

BY ROANOKE COLLEGE STAFF ILLUSTRATIONS BY TRACI DABERKO

BEYOND THE BOOKS

HELPING HAND IN A NEW LAND

What drives Latin American families to seek asylum in the Roanoke Valley? Students in Lecturer Teresa Hancock-Parmer’s SPAN 312 class interviewed several asylum-seeking families, learning that the motivating factors include gang violence and financial insecurity. “Victims generally just want to get on with their lives and be part of a safer community,” one student said. Goals of this qualitative research project included practicing Spanish, meeting Spanish-speaking people in the community, and creating more detailed content for the Roanoke Asylum-Seekers Support Network website. That hopefully will translate to more visitors on the site, more volunteers and more financial support for their cause, which provides financial assistance and general support to 25-30 families in the Roanoke area at any given time.

A WORLD OF PERSPECTIVES

While chatting with high school exchange students about historic events like World War II or the fall of the Berlin Wall, Cam McDonald ’24 was interested in how their perceptions differed from those of American youth. As a polyglot minoring in French, Spanish and German, McDonald decided to interview students from those countries to learn what has influenced their opinions. For this Honors distinction project, he traveled to Germany, France, Spain and Andorra with study abroad programs to interview youth in person. His findings will likely highlight the importance of critical thinking and presenting multiple viewpoints in education. “It’s important to know how people form opinions of big events,” said Andreea Mihalache-O’Keef, associate professor of public affairs, “because that’s part of the political rhetoric influenced by the dominant narrative of that country.”

“It’s important to know how people form opinions of big events because that’s part of the political rhetoric influenced by the dominant narrative of that country.”

— Associate Professor Andreea Mihalache-O’Keef

THE PROBLEM WITH MATH

With help from Associate Professor of Education Gary Whitt, math major Noah Isaacs ’24 is working to revolutionize sixthgrade math with lessons that use real-world objects instead of abstract representations. Inspired by his own grade-school frustrations with current math pedagogy, Isaacs came up with a method that uses the physical world to teach specific concepts. He hopes that his creative work can be shared with local math teachers, and that it will inspire students to love – not fear –mathematics.

REDUCE, REUSE, RESEARCH

When she saw how many items were left behind by students moving out of dorms, Sophie Chickering ’24 was disturbed –especially considering that new students would need those same items just a few months later. Through RCmove, a project designed with Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Laura Hartman, Chickering placed boxes in dorms to gather items, which were then cleaned and made available to students on the next move-in day. The process made move-out easier, left less refuse for facilities to collect, saved people money and helped the environment. Chickering is now working to make RCmove an annual project. “We want people to make good environmental choices,” she said. “This makes it easier to do the right thing.”

IT’S A FLUID SITUATION

Associate Professor of Chemistry Kelly Anderson and Dennis Hepworth ’24 are working on a project to examine how confinement impacts the physical properties of fluids, specifically metal fluids. Trapping a fluid inside a nanoscale-sized container leads to changes in the melting properties of the fluid. Using computer simulations, they’re studying this process on a fundamental level to develop energy storage systems. Their goal? To understand how the process works in detail and to one day be able to design tunable systems that operate over a desired temperature range.

“Understanding the basics of where something lives, what it eats, when it spawns and how its diet changes over its lifetime makes us better able to conserve the resources necessary for the life that lives on this planet to survive.”

— Associate Professor Steve Powers

UNDERWATER ESCARGOT?

Nobody is sure why the jaw of a cutlip minnow is shaped unlike any other fish jaw, but one hypothesis is that the minnow uses its jaw to remove snails from their shells. After dissecting some of the minnows, Tess Taloumis ’25 has discovered snail parts in their digestive systems, lending great credence to a theory that has been around — but unsupported — for a century. Her mentor, Associate Professor of Biology Steve Powers, said uncovering the mysteries of such species can help us protect them. “Understand-

ing the basics of where something lives, what it eats, when it spawns and how its diet changes over its lifetime makes us better able to conserve the resources necessary for the life that lives on this planet to survive,” he said.

WADING INTO HYDROLOGY

Virginia is home to more than 94,000 miles of streams, and their health affects the well-being of countless species. With guidance from Chelsea Peters, assistant professor of environmental studies, Nora Terrill ’24 is researching the impact of agricultural use –specifically cattle grazing – on Catawba Creek. This study is the first of its kind in the local creek. Another student, James Hartmann ’25, is looking at interaction zones between groundwater and streams to see how they may act as biodiversity hotspots with unique chemical compositions and water temperatures. These students, and others working with Peters, hope to highlight the vulnerability of these streams in a changing world – and ultimately make some discoveries that will help protect these natural jewels from further harm.

IT’S GOING SWIMMINGLY

Biology Professor Chris Lassiter began researching zebrafish in graduate school, and over 18 years at Roanoke College, he’s expanded the research to include 34 undergraduates. Lassiter’s always been interested in how humans go from a single cell to a complex structure with working organs, and in the impact of steroid hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, on embryonic development. Zebrafish share about 70% of their genes with humans, making zebrafish research applicable to human health. Lassiter and his students have expanded their research to look at the impacts of environmental compounds. Their work frequently results in paper publications, with students listed as first authors, and presentations at national and international conferences. Last year, Lassiter took five students to Chicago for the Society of Developmental Biology, where Allyson Herriges ’23 was recognized for the top undergraduate poster.

GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PARTICLES

Hays Edmunds ’26, Anna Markey ’26 and Keaton Willard ’24 are working to develop new materials and methods for growing semiconductor nanocrystals in Associate Professor Steve Hughes’ chemistry research lab. These tiny particles are only 3-50 nanometers in size — roughly 100,000 times smaller than the width of a hair — but they have the potential to improve a variety of important applications, including LED lighting, solar cells and photocatalysts for hydrogen production, through their ability to efficiently capture and emit light. Edmunds and Willard are working to develop a method of growing copper indium sulfide nanocrystals with greater control over their size and shape using a class of chemicals called thioureas. Markey is learning to grow

BEYOND THE BOOKS

silver gallium sulfide nanocrystals for a collaboration between Hughes and a UNC-Ashville professor that will involve modifying growth conditions of crystals to see if they can improve their catalytic efficiency.

DISMANTLING BARRIERS TO CARE

Anthropology Professor Chad Morris’ work in Palau has involved more than 200 students since 2010. It began with the Ministries of Health and Education on issues related to nutrition, obesity, diabetes and heart disease. More recently, the Palau Ministry of Health requested help improving cancer screening rates, specifically mammography. Morris and his Honors 110 class created and analyzed surveys of women receiving mammograms at Belau National Hospital, then used that data to create focus group scripts to identify challenges and barriers to mammography. Morris and students conducted eight focus groups and interviews in Palau in 2022, and his global health class analyzed the data. Erin Arthur ’23 was in that class and later worked on a marketing plan for the Palau Cancer Screening Task Force. Results indicate a strong “Pinktober” with double the number of mammograms for a normal month.

Research “offers an opportunity for mentoring, which goes beyond what students experience inside of the classroom.”

— Associate Professor Chris Buchholz

THE PERILS OF PERFECTION

Tik Tok, a social media platform for creating and sharing short videos, has begun offering hyper-realistic filters that can make users look model-perfect with one tap of the finger. This may seem like long-awaited magic, but Associate Professor of Psychology Chris Buchholz and Raegan Middelthon ’24 want to know how comparing oneself to those unrealistic representations might impact self-esteem. “We’re hoping to publish research that educates the public on the effects that may be experienced while using popular forms of social media,” Middelthon said. The pair has already expanded their research to look at the impact of romantic relationship-oriented videos on relationship satisfaction. This kind of teamwork “offers an opportunity for mentoring, which goes beyond what students experience inside of the classroom,” Buchholz said.

CORRECTING THE RECORD

Associate Professor Jesse Bucher and a dedicated crew of more than 20 student researchers through the Center for Studying Structures of Race (CSSR) have been diligently creating the Genealogy of Slavery research database. Students pored over handwritten records in the Roanoke County Courthouse for several summers, transcribed their notes, and then assembled documents that cross-link their research. After researching the history of enslavement at Roanoke College and in Roanoke County, they created a searchable database that better identifies enslaved people who lived in this region. CSSR does much more research than this, but the Genealogy of Slavery is the core work and has been handled by student researchers since 2019.

LOOKING FOR LOVE AFTER LOCKUP

Extensive research has been done on previously incarcerated people’s return to society, but not much is known about how that experience impacts future romantic partners. How do the recently freed share that information with potential romantic partners? Do partners feel stigmatized by association, or pressured to keep that history secret from others? How does it impact their sex lives? Associate Professor of Public Affairs Daisy Ball and James Suleyman ’24 have interviewed 65 partners to understand those challenges. Healthy relationships are known to ease reentry, so the researchers aim to learn what role romantic partners play in re-establishing lives and reducing recidivism. Their research has led to three joint conference presentations and an article, and they hope to collaborate on a book.

“Students ... are able to gain a variety of skills that will facilitate their future success in graduate school or jobs.”

— Professor Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand

SEXUAL EXHIBITION

Sex remains a taboo topic in today’s culture, but what happens when someone talks about sex like it’s not taboo at all? A study by Ashton Howard ’24 is looking at the New York City Museum of Sex and how people perceive its content. Howard is researching patterned reactions and how the stigma around sex is challenged. Assistant Professor of English and Communication Studies Carrie Murawski wanted Howard to experience the type of work she might do in graduate school. “While I am still compiling comparisons, the most interesting thing I have found so far was in the museum itself,” Howard said. “There was an entire exhibit that was centered around how companies market products with an underlying message of sex.” This study also questions whether the stigma around sex has changed over time.

MOODS OF DUDES

Psychologists have posited that manhood, unlike womanhood, is viewed as a precarious state that requires constant social validation, and perceived challenges to manhood can trigger physical aggression in men. Over the last four years, Associate Professor of Psychology Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand and Ethan Parker ’24 have worked together to research several topics related to aggression. In one study, they found that men’s emotional responses to relational victimization were stronger than women’s. They are now undertaking a study aimed to test men’s helping vs. hurting behavior following a social threat. Their work has been presented at two psychology conferences. FindleyVan Nostrand considers the role of research mentorship to be an important one, as “students like Ethan are able to gain a variety of skills that will facilitate their future success in graduate school or jobs.”

AHEAD OF THE GAME

Ethan Stevenson’s research is not all fun and games, even though it may look like it. As a senior economics and political science major with a finance concentration, he wants to teach fellow students about retirement – and he has designed a board game to do just that. His research indicates that just 15% of college students know the full retirement age is 67. After an independent study in game design, he took a personal finance class and dreamed up the game, which is also his Honors distinction project. In his game, dice move players along and cards represent factors that impact retirement, such as degrees earned, lowering taxes, using advisors and repaying debt. Stevenson has worked with economics professors Michael Enz and Alice Kassens on the project, which he plans to pitch to educational game publishers.

BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS IT

Every waking second, a human eye can take in thousands of data points, translating light, shape and color into meaning. It happens instantaneously, a powerful and continuous instinct to make sense of the world around us — even when it shouldn’t make sense. In Assistant Professor Anthony Cate’s psychology lab, a project is investigating that fundamental mental process, asking how we perceive patterns in random clusters of objects, like a field of scattered dots, one of the tools that Cate and research assistant Ellington Cooke ’24 use with test subjects. By unraveling the commonalities in how people create order from chaos, light could be shed on larger questions about how we process and store information. “When the change happens from random ‘stuff’ to a coherent object in our eyes, our attention shifts drastically, altering what we perceive and remember about a scene,” Cate said.

BEYOND THE BOOKS

ROOTED IN SCIENCE

Here’s a staggering statistic: Of all the plants in the world, only about 1% are fully understood. What if the answer to one of society’s greatest ills rests in a humble little weed? Under the tutelage of Biology Professor DB Poli, Adaline Albanese ’25 is working on protocol for the use of ferns and tomatoes to pull heavy metals from soil. Another student, Madelyn Craddock ’24, is “practically writing a manual” about an African succulent commonly known as elephant bush, which holds promise to humans as a source of food, medicine and fibers. “There aren’t enough plant biologists out there,” Poli said. But in her lab, students are working to fill in some of those knowledge gaps in the hopes of making a big difference.

KNOWLEDGE IS (FLOWER) POWER

Over the last 10 years, Thornhill Professor of Biology Rachel Collins and 17 students have identified, tagged and measured the federally threatened smooth coneflower to uncover why it is so scarce. Collins works in four of just 44 native populations of the plant between Virginia and Georgia. She describes the plant, which is native to rare permanent forest openings called glades, as “the flagship for a whole rare habitat.” When she and student researchers started in 2014, little was known about the plant’s life cycle except that it was a long-lived perennial. They have learned that less than 10% of the plants flower in a year, and years go by before a plant will flower again. Collins’ students often present the research at conferences, as they will at this year’s Association of Southeastern Biologists Conference.

SALT OF THE EARTH

The very foundation of our ecosystem — the soil beneath our feet — is facing a complex chemical conundrum. Sodium chloride, or common salt, is making its way into the ground in growing quantities, with worrying consequences for places from Australia to India to California. Excess soil salinity can disrupt a community’s groundwater, hamper forest growth and curb crop yields. Responding to the global concern demands more research into soil management and salt-tolerant plant cultivation. Biology major Connor Hart ’24 is contributing to that field of inquiry in a project with Professor Len Pysh, whose lab examines what makes plants tick at the molecular and cellular levels. Hart is testing the salt resiliency of tomato plants, a staple crop and model species for research. The ongoing work is measuring how the root systems of tomato plants fare when exposed to differing levels of salinity.

THE WINDUP, THE PITCH, THE DATA

Stats are hardwired into baseball’s DNA. RBI, strikeouts, saves. Fans know ’em by heart. But cutting-edge tech is unleashing a trove of new analytics and deepening the understanding of the game — and Roanoke is one of the few DIII schools positioned to tap into the phenomenon. Roanoke’s ties to the Salem Red Sox (minor league affiliate of Boston) have given it access to TrackMan, a sophisticated radar that generates in-depth analysis of pitches from spin rates to launch angles to path over plate. With donor support, Roanoke’s Stat Crew secured use of the professional club’s system for Maroon games played at Salem’s stadium. That partnership has yielded reams of data that lecturer Michael Weselcouch and sports analytics student Anthony Jablonski ’25 are digging into for a game performance study. TrackMan is a rare resource within DIII and a unique opportunity for a major league project at the undergraduate level.

THE SCIENCE OF READING

Easy as ABC? Far from it. In fact, the complexities of how young minds learn to read – or don’t learn, as the case might be – is fueling a national debate that started among educators and is spreading to lawmakers and parents as communities grapple with slumping early literacy rates. The search is on for evidence-based curricula that can help children kindle that crucial, lifelong love of reading. Elementary education major Anna Grace Lane ’24 and her mentor, Professor Leslie Murrill, are part of that effort. Lane is working with the West End Center for Youth in Roanoke to test the wider use of the originally dyslexia-focused OrtonGillingham Reading Program. She’ll be applying the program’s multisensory approach to tutoring as well as developing learning materials that West End can keep using to help struggling readers who’d otherwise be at risk of falling through the cracks.

WE HAVE CHEMISTRY

Professor of Chemistry Cathy Sarisky and Ivy Mordick ’24 are researching de novo purine biosynthesis. De novo biosynthesis involves the formation of complex molecules from simple structures, while purines are organic compounds that comprise bases adenine and guanine in DNA and RNA. Mordick has been investigating what drives the enzyme reactions that catalyze the final step of the synthesis. Little is known about what aids these kinetic reactions, so this research could support the knowledge of the evolution of other enzyme reactions in cellular organisms.

“Dr. Parsons gave me opportunities I never expected in working with IPOR. I’m walking away from this with data that was administered by a legitimate surveying body.”

— Adelle Mengedoht ’24

A FURTIVE FUNGUS

Morel mushrooms are a culinary delicacy shrouded in secrecy, but Biology Professor Brooks Crozier, Daniel Graham ’26 and Dejuan Mercado ’27 want to look beneath the veil – or, rather, the forest floor– to learn more about morels’ genetics, habitat and relationship with plants. They wonder, for example, if morels really have a symbiotic relationship with poplar or apple trees, as mushroom hunters claim — or how far morel mycelium, or rootlike structures, stretch beyond where the mushrooms themselves appear. Collecting local soil samples and using molecular methods such as PCR, they’re working to understand these little-researched gems in the hopes that they could one day be cultivated.

SURVEY SAYS...

Adelle Mengedoht ’24 grew up in a sanctuary county and had several undocumented friends. As a criminal justice and English double major who hopes to attend law school, she decided to focus her research on opinions related to immigration and sanctuary cities/counties. When she mentioned doing local surveys to gather opinion data, Associate Professor of Public Affairs Bryan Parsons suggested they take her questions to Roanoke’s Institute for Policy and Opinion Research. She worked with Parsons and IPOR Director David Taylor to write 8-10 questions that were included in the May 2023 Roanoke College Poll. She’s now working on analyzing the data for a report on the outcomes. “Dr. Parsons gave me opportunities I never expected in working with IPOR,” she said. “I’m walking away from this with data that was administered by a legitimate surveying body.”

NOT SO VIRTUAL REALITY

You whisper it to yourself over and over: There’s no such thing as monsters. But when a beast lunges from the shadows on a movie screen or game console, you still jump out of your seat. It seemed so dang real! The question of just how real is the focus of a project that psychology major Eliza Bain ’24 is pursuing in the lab of Assistant Professor Lauren Kennedy-Metz. Her project investigates whether VR in video games is immersive enough to trigger a real physiological, stress response. Hooked up to monitors that track heart rates and respiration, two groups of subjects — one on VR and one on traditional interfaces — dive into the ghosthunting horror game “Phasmophobia.” Their fright responses can tell us more about this increasingly versatile, virtual resource that scientists are also starting to employ in training simulators, mental health therapies and other real-world needs.

Did research at Roanoke make a lasting impact on you? We’d love to hear your story at rcmagazine@roanoke.edu.

Bridging borders

THREE QUESTIONS WITH GLOBE-TROTTING GASTON OCAMPO ’20

BY ALICIA PETSKA

PHOTO BY ALEXANDRE PONA

IN A FEW SHORT YEARS, Gaston Ocampo ’20 has gone from Buenos Aires to Roanoke to Lisbon, a journey spanning more than 8,500 miles — and he’s not done yet. He’s out to change the world.

“My role and that of our organization is to build bridges,” said Ocampo, an international relations and business administration graduate. “In the regions we serve, multifaceted challenges persist, creating ripples that transcend borders and influence our collective future.”

Ocampo, who grew up in Argentina, was writing from his new offices in Portugal, where last fall he was appointed secretary general of the Institute for the Promotion of Latin America and the Caribbean (IPDAL), an international nonprofit dedicated to strengthening economic, academic and cultural ties between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The work puts Ocampo at the center of a whirlwind portfolio of global concerns. For the Maroon who co-founded the International Club, led the Public Affairs Society and did undergrad research in Turkey and Tunisia, it’s nothing short of a dream gig.

“It’s all about fostering understanding and cooperation,” he said. “Serving with IPDAL is an honor that allows me to contribute to tackling some of the challenges that affect the region I love and come from.”

Q: What are some of the pressing issues facing the communities you serve, and how does IPDAL work to address them?

IPDAL builds bridges between a wide array of actors from private, public and academic spheres. The communities we work with have an incredible spirit and cultural richness. They’re also confronting complex challenges: socio-economic disparities, environmental degradation, political instability and the ongoing struggle for accessible education and health care are among them.

IPDAL provides a platform for leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities in their respective regions, with a positive and future-oriented mentality. Our mission is to strengthen relations and dialogue across hemispheres through innovative collaboration. That can include economic diplomacy, research projects, high-level conferences and cultural activities. Throughout, we keep the development of Latin America and the Caribbean at the core of our projects.

Q: How can Roanoke alumni contribute to creating change?

Communities in Roanoke and beyond play an instrumental role in supporting these regions. Staying informed, advocating for inclusive policies, supporting cultural exchanges and championing humanitarian initiatives all contribute significantly.

Roanoke prepared Gaston Ocampo for his current role at IPDAL with engaging courses, study abroad opportunities and an internship with the Inter-American Dialogue.

“Serving with IPDAL is an honor that allows me to contribute to tackling some of the challenges that affect the region I love and come from.”

Amidst its challenges, Latin America and the Caribbean exhibit an inspiring resilience and hope that are drivers of progress. Maroons on campus and all over the world showcase that same spirit to do good and have impact. I encourage everyone to continue acting locally while thinking globally and staying aware of the challenges and needs of societies around the world.

Q: How did you discover your passion for international development work, and how did it lead you to IPDAL?

My journey to IPDAL is intricately woven with my experiences and teachings at Roanoke. I arrived as a freshman all the way from Buenos Aires and found a community where I could get guidance from esteemed professors, unwavering support from staff and camaraderie from my fellow students. That was the foundation for a profound understanding and appreciation of the importance of global interconnectedness.

I am forever grateful to everyone who supported and encouraged me. They are the architects of my dream to work in this field. During my years at Roanoke, I was able to study abroad and did a Washington Semester internship with the Inter-American Dialogue, a foreign policy think tank where I worked after graduation before joining IPDAL.

I also learned the values of purpose and impact. That is the Roanoke difference — empowering us to discover our purpose and enact goodness wherever our journey takes us. I still remember the words of a professor: “Go from small and safe worlds into larger and more challenging ones.”

Data dreamer

Her work as a data officer and community-builder in Chicago landed Dessa Gypalo ’07 in a transformational national leadership program.

By Alicia Petska | Photo by Gregg Ross

On her path from Roanoke graduate to tech innovation leader, Dessa Gypalo ’07 has been called a data evangelist and a force of nature. Now, she’s adding another moniker to that list: Obama Foundation USA Leader.

Gypalo, a Maroon honors student, soccer player and Delta Gamma, was tapped for the first cohort of a nationwide initiative created by President Barack Obama’s nonprofit to bring together young leaders inspiring change. The invite for the 2023 program was the latest in a series of recognitions for Gypalo’s work in government and civic tech.

Since 2021, she’s served as chief data officer (CDO) for her home state of Illinois, leading the charge to create systems that support stronger, datainformed resident services. Before that, she was named inaugural CDO for Chicago-encompassed Cook County, where her portfolio included building transparency-boosting open data platforms and leveraging data to guide COVID response measures.

The central thread in Gypalo’s career has been the spark to seek meaningful change. “Data has to be looked at in a human-centered way,” Gypalo said. “It tells a story about people and communities. The question becomes how can we understand it better and use it to tackle the big challenges we’re facing?”

1980s

Roanoke Magazine wants to hear from you!

1960s

Harvey Creasy ’62 recently celebrated his retirement after 40 years as a financial advisor. Creasy holds degrees in economics and psychology from Roanoke, as well as several graduate-level certificates. He lives in Charleston, West Virginia.

The Rev. Carl F. Pattison ’68 celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination in February 2023 at the same church where he was ordained, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Wytheville. In addition to Roanoke, Pattison is a graduate of Lutheran Theological Seminary, and he has pastored several churches in Virginia and West Virginia. He also holds a master’s degree in counseling.

1970s

Larry Carlson ’74, who spent much of his career with nonprofit, faith-based senior living

organizations, recently retired after 11 years as president and CEO of United Methodist Communities. In 2022, he published a book about his work in dementia care, “Avandell: Reimagining the Dementia Experience.” Carlson has a degree in business administration from Roanoke and an MBA from Babson College.

Lee Kelly ’75 retired from a 30year career with USF&G Insurance in Baltimore. As manager of the Corporate Events and Conference Planning Department there, she hosted weeklong incentive trips in beautiful locations around the world. She also managed USF&G’s sponsorship of the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans and has been a longtime volunteer for the Baltimore Humane Society. Every year, she and her Delta Gamma sisters gather at a location on the East Coast to reconnect and celebrate their friendship.

David Keenan ’87 has joined J.P. Morgan as vice president/assistant general counsel supporting J.P. Morgan Wealth Management. He holds a B.A. in history from Roanoke and a law degree from West Virginia University College of Law. He also serves as senior group counsel for global procurement at Johnson Controls, and he previously worked as in-house counsel for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Nationwide Insurance.

Marlene (Stumpf) Meade ’87 was named 2023 Employee of the Year by the Metropolitan Richmond Habitat for Humanity. Before becoming store manager of the Chesterfield County Restore, Meade volunteered with the organization for 18 months. Meade said she is also proud of her daughter, Abigail Meade ’20, who is teaching fourth-grade math and science in Salem.

James “JP” Pennix ’88 became Roanoke College’s new vice president for enrollment management in July 2023. Previously, Pennix served in senior enrollment management positions at Virginia Tech, Ferrum College and Radford University. Early in his career, he was director of admissions at Roanoke. He holds a B.S. in mathematics from Roanoke and a Master of Social Work from Radford, and he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1986-1993.

1990s

Stephanie A. Hallock ’90 has been selected to serve on the Fulbright Specialist Roster for a term of three years. Hallock is a professor of political science in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Division at Harford Community College. The U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Specialist Pro-

gram allows U.S. academics and professionals to be involved in two- to six-week projects at host institutions around the globe. Hallock holds a bachelor’s from Roanoke, a master’s from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. from the University of Miami, all in international relations.

“The Icefall Doctor,” a film by Sean Burch ’92, has won an award for best film in the mountains, sports and adventure category of Festival Gorniskega Filma, Slovenia’s largest film festival. The film tells the story of original icefall doctor Angnima Sherpa, who held the most dangerous job on earth: preparing the ascent route through the Khumbu Icefall so climbers can attempt to summit Mount Everest. The second film in the series, a short titled “Samdo Sherpa,” was released last year. Burch, who studied history at Roanoke, is an award-winning filmmaker, explorer and conservationist who holds eight world records. Read more about him and his films at seanburch.com.

Mary Ellis ’92 has started her own law firm, Ellis Law, P.C., in Bon Air, Virginia. Ellis holds a B.A. in economics from Roanoke and a J.D. from Pennsylvania State University - Dickinson School of Law.

Robert Spellane ’92 was named interim regional director of the Small Business Development Center at Clark University, which comprises six regional offices across Massachusetts. Spellane is executive director and professor of practice at Clark’s School of Professional Studies. He holds a B.A. in political science from Roanoke and an M.S. in public administration from the University of Massachusetts - Boston. He previously served as a Demo-

cratic member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 13th Worcester District from 2001-2011.

Michelle R. Austin ’93 has been named president of Bank of Botetourt, becoming only the seventh president in the institution’s 124year history. She joined the bank in 1993 after earning a degree in business administration at Roanoke. She also holds an MBA from Troy University and is a graduate of the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management at University of Virginia and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. She is a member of the President’s Advisory Board at Roanoke.

Kim Blair ’93 was named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Virginia for 2023 by Women We Admire, a professional network for women leaders. Blair, who is vice president for advancement at Roanoke College, holds a B.A. from Roanoke and an M.A. from Lynchburg College.

Darrell Craft ’94 was inducted into the Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame (RVGHOF) in 2023. He played golf in high school and was a first-team All-ODAC selection at Roanoke. He also won the annual RVGHOF championship in 2010 and has had four top-five finishes and six top-10 finishes. He has been tournament chairman for the RVGHOF since 2018 and has been an official at the Scott Robertson Memorial. Craft, who owns Waterfront Golf and Country Club, holds a degree in political science with a minor in American literature from Roanoke and a law degree from Western New England College.

Greg Terrill ’94 and his wife, Nicole (Brewer) Terrill ’95, opened

continued on page 32

ALUMNI AT WORK

From living room to late night

For Brooks Allison ’11, a Roanoke College education began long before he enrolled as a student.

By Lindsey Nair ’98

Déjà vu strikes in the strangest places. For Brooks Allison ’11, it happened while he was under the bleachers at “The Tonight Show,” waiting for Jimmy Fallon to perform a song Allison had written for that night’s monologue.

The wave of nostalgia made sense to Allison, though, because he practically grew up in the athletic facilities at Roanoke College, where his father, Scott Allison ’79, was a longtime coach and director of athletics.

“Every time I’ve been under the seats at ‘The Tonight Show,’ it feels like I’m at Roanoke College running around under the bleachers in the Bast Center,” he said. “It is just the coolest, weirdest feeling being under there.”

As a kid in Salem, Allison delighted in making people laugh. He especially loved the intersection of comedy and music, so he and his sister, Claire Allison ’13, often performed goofy songs in the living room for their parents. Later, he took to the stage with his college bands, Lots of Shrimp and The Madrid Kids. He was also inspired by his father.

“Whether he was at soccer camp, giving pre-game speeches in the locker room, or

After weathering the 148-day Writers Guild of America strike, Allison is back at The Tonight Show, where he blends his quirky sense of humor with his love of music and writing.

at a conference, my dad was always comfortable talking to people,” he said. “I really attribute a lot of my love and desire and comfort in performing to my dad.”

Following graduation from Roanoke, Allison moved to the Big Apple and took improv classes at Upright Citizens Brigade, where he eventually became a house performer. When the pandemic hit and theaters closed, he ramped up production of online videos, such as humorous remixes of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s daily COVID-19 briefings.

In 2022, while touring as a bassist for the alternative rock band Slothrust, Allison was invited to “The Tonight Show” as a contestant in a skit called “Battle of the Short Songwriters,” where he wrote a funny winning song about being stuck on an elevator with Ed Sheeran. Not long after, while working as an online content producer for Comedy Central, he was invited to apply for a writing job on “The Tonight Show.”

There, Allison employs his trademark blend of music and comedy to create such gems as a Tucker Carlson-FOX News break-up song and a song about busted March Madness brackets.

He feels fortunate to have reached this career milestone, but he dreams of one day having his own one-hour streaming special.

For now, he’s perfectly happy to stand under the bleachers and watch his ideas unfold on “The Tonight Show” stage. In those moments, he said, he will always be reminded of being a kid in Salem.

“That performing-for-my-parents thing has never ended,” he said, laughing. “I’m still that little kid sitting across from them in the living room.”

journey at roanoke.edu/brooksallison.

FOREVER MAROONS

three new establishments in downtown Roanoke’s historic Fire Station No. 1: a furniture showroom (Txtur), a restaurant (Stock Bistro) and a hotel (Fire Station One Boutique Hotel). Jeff Farmer ’97, who was formerly head chef at Lucky and Fortunato in Roanoke, is Stock’s lead and creator. The Terrills are co-chairs of the Parent Leadership Council at Roanoke College, where their daughter, Nora, is a senior.

Forest Jones ’95 received an honorable mention in the nonfiction essay or article category of the 92nd Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition for an essay titled “The 1958 Battle of Maxton, North Carolina: How the Lumbee Indians Drove the Ku Klux Klan Out of Town.” Jones holds a history degree from Roanoke, a master’s in history from Hollins University, and a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy from Virginia Tech. He is director of administrative services for Salem City Schools.

Dr. John Lesko ’96 has been named chief of anesthesia services for NoVa Anesthesia Providers in Alexandria, Virginia. He earned a B.S. in biology at

Roanoke, then went on to receive his medical degree at St. George’s University School of Medicine. His son, Edmund Lesko, is a junior at Roanoke.

Monica (Adams) Hatchett ’97 is director of public relations and marketing at Patrick & Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia. She was previously director of communications for Henry County Public Schools. She holds a B.A. from Roanoke and a master’s from Virginia Commonwealth University, both in English.

Kevin Coutant ’99 and his brother, Keith, grew a successful wealth management business at Merrill Lynch with more than $700 million in client assets under management. After more than 20 years with Merrill Lynch, The Coutant Group recently transitioned their practice to UBS Wealth Management in Greenwich, Connecticut, where Kevin is a senior vice president. He holds a BBA from Roanoke College.

Kristine (Price) Sweet ’99 has joined Alexandria, Virginia-based Castro and Company, LLC, as a director in the advisory and accounting practice. Previously,

Whitney Bell ’93 had several of her landscape photographs featured in “Dreamscapes,” the summer members exhibition at the Islip Arts Council Gallery in New York. Bell holds a B.A. in international relations from Roanoke and an A.A.S. from the New York School of Interior Design. After more than 20 years as an interior designer in New York City, she stepped back in 2021 to focus on her photography. “All of my life experiences are being reflected in the images that I’m making with my camera,” she said. “Every little experience I’ve had is who I am today, and Roanoke was a huge part of that.”

Joe Schrantz ’95 retired from the U.S. Marine Corps, having attained the rank of colonel. Schrantz received a degree in business administration at Roanoke, where he captained the basketball team. He was commissioned as a Marine officer in 1998 and earned a Juris Doctor from Seton Hall Law School in 1999. He was designated a Marine Judge Advocate in 2000. Schrantz served in a variety of assignments during his almost 25 years of military service, including multiple combat deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan; in the Office of the Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; as Staff Judge Advocate for Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command; as a commanding officer in the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group; and in numerous billets at Headquarters Marine Corps in the Pentagon. He is now vice president of business development at Dauntless Discovery, a global leader in providing eDiscovery services to the legal profession.

Sweet was a principal at Kearney and Company. She is a CPA and holds additional certifications in government financial management and business agility.

2000s

Darren Griffis ’00, a partner at the law firm of Murphy & Rudolph, LLP, in Worcester, Massachusetts, was featured in “What Angelina Saw,” an episode of “48 Hours,” for his work on a homicide case. Griffis majored in English and American literature at Roanoke, then earned an M.A. in the subject at University of Massachusetts Amherst, followed by a law degree from Boston University School of Law.

Katrina Hill ’02 owns a pop-up bookstore in Roanoke called Rainy Day Reads that was featured in Virginia Living magazine’s Best of Virginia 2023 issue. Book lovers can find the shop at locations around Roanoke and on Bookshop.com.

Whitney (Bonham) Czelusniak

’05 has joined the board of directors for United Way of Southwest Virginia. Czelusniak is the manager of economic and business development for American Electric Power. She earned degrees in history and political science at Roanoke, then received a Master of Public Administration at Virginia Tech.

Scott Rosenblum ’05 was named to the board of trustees of the Sandy Hook Foundation, a nonprofit friends group to the National Park Service at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, a unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area. He holds a B.A. in economics from Roanoke and runs a high net worth private wealth management team at Merrill Lynch in lower Manhattan.

David Gritte ’06 has been promoted to assistant director of the Miami Field Office for U.S. Immigration and Customs

Serving adventure in truth and fiction

“Hunt for Gold: Sunken Galleons in the New World”

By John Christopher Fine ’64

Fine is a marine biologist and ocean explorer who has dived to shipwrecks all over the world. He is a master deep sea diving instructor, instructor trainer and certified underwater photography instructor. He holds two doctoral degrees and is the author of 27 books.

Publisher: Pineapple Press

Overview: “Hunt for Gold” tells the story of legendary oceanic explorers Bob “Frogfoot” Weller and his wife Margaret, early pioneers in Florida’s diving community who dedicated their lives to secret treasure hunts and underwater dives. This book blends storytelling with compelling images from the Wellers’ underwater adventures.

Review: “I enjoyed it so much, I read it without getting up. John is one of those extraordinarily talented people who you too rarely run into...Part of what makes him a great writer is his phenomenal gift for detail. Reading his book was like walking back in time to the days when treasure hunting, in the Florida Keys and along

what is now called Florida’s Treasure Coast, was just beginning.”

— Dr. E. Lee Spence, underwater archaeologist

“An Inconvenient Wife”

By Karen E. Olson ’82

Olson holds an English degree from Roanoke and is the author of multiple books, including the Black Hat Thrillers series, Tattoo Shop Mysteries series and the Annie Seymour series. She is the winner of the Sara Ann Freed Memorial Award and a Shamus Finalist.

Publisher: Pegasus Crime

Overview: Kate Parker has just married billionaire Hank Tudor when a headless body is discovered near their summer home. What ensues is a thrilling crime novel inspired by the Tudor era, with three women caught in a web of betrayal as Parker races to find a murderer.

Review: “Hugely entertaining, bursting with irony and all about the women –imagine ‘The Tudors’ set in the world of ‘Succession,’ by way of Jackie Collins. I was swept off my feet.”

— Elizabeth Fremantle, author of “Disobedient” and “Queen’s Gambit”

“The Woods Are Waiting”

By Katherine

Greene (Pen name for Abbi Walters Horne ’01 and Claire Riley)

Walters Horne, who majored in English at Roanoke, said she was inspired by her

childhood in Shenandoah County, Virginia, to co-write a mystery set in a rural Appalachian town. Under the name A. Meredith Walters, she is the bestselling author of the Find You in the Dark series, the Bad Rep series, the Reclaiming the Sand series, and the Twisted Love series, among other books.

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Overview: When a child goes missing in their hometown, two childhood friends reunite to discover the truth and its connections to the town’s dark past.

Review: “A claustrophobic, page-turning mystery that kept me guessing. I loved every twist and turn.”

— Bestselling author Natasha Preston

“Letters from Sweden”

By David Schaeffer, brother to Eric Schaeffer ’76 and Ethelyn Schaeffer ’82, and uncle to Kristen Schaeffer ’05.

Publisher: Mercer University Press

Overview: A love story about the author’s Lutheran parents, Bill and Mary, who became engaged the same day Bill left for an 18-month post-graduate religious and academic study program in Sweden in 1947. This historical romance is based on the hundreds of handwritten letters they sent to one another.

If

FOREVER MAROONS

Enforcement (ICE). He will oversee approximately 60 ICE agents and support personnel throughout southwest Florida, including the Non-Detained Case Management Unit, Criminal Apprehension Program and Tampa Fugitive Operations Team. Gritte earned a degree in criminal justice at Roanoke and has held various positions at ICE during his 15-year career with the agency.

Elizabeth (Higginbotham) Marshman ’06 is the director of trusts, estates and private clients at the Palm Beach, Florida, office of Hindman, a leading fine art auction house with a global reach. Marshman holds a history degree from Roanoke and a master’s in art business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

Valerie (McQueen) Crummett ’06 has released an album, “Speckled Moon,” which is available for download on iTunes and Apple Music. She holds a degree in sociology with a minor in theatre performance from Roanoke, where she was a member of Mainstreet a capella group. She performs live in venues around the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

L. Renée ’07, who earned a B.A. in English and a minor in creative writing at Roanoke, is now an assistant professor of English at James Madison University, where she is also assistant director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, the nation’s first academic center for Black poetry. She earned an M.S. in journalism at Columbia University and an MFA in creative writing from Indiana University, Bloomington.

Steven Cody ’07 holds degrees in both art history and philosophy from Roanoke, and he is an associate professor of art history

in the Department of Art and Design at Purdue University Fort Wayne. He holds a master’s and a doctorate in art history from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Jon Mason ’07 had his No. 11 jersey retired during Alumni Weekend 2023. Mason is the men’s lacrosse program’s all-time leader in points (282) and goals (247), both ODAC records at the time of his graduation. He earned a BBA at Roanoke, where he was in Alpha Kappa Psi, and an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University. He is chief risk officer at University of Waterloo. Read more at roa.ke/AlumniNews7_2023.

Kelsey (Carneal) Myers ’07 and a business partner have opened Curo Consulting, a psychotherapy and consulting practice in Falls Church, Virginia. The office has five therapists on staff and is still growing. Myers earned a B.A. in psychology at Roanoke and an M.S. in marriage and family therapy at Virginia Tech. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

Neil Divers ’08 is finance administrator for the town of Vinton, Virginia. Divers holds a degree in business administration from Roanoke and an M.A. in theology from the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts.

Tyler Sigmon ’08 has been named director of marketing and communications at TechFlow, Inc. At Roanoke, he earned a B.S. in sport communication, then went on to earn an M.S. in professional communication at Radford University. He previously held a similar role at BigBear.ai.

Kelly Fletcher ’09 has taken on a new role as senior scientist in

technical commercialization excellence for Campbell Soup Company. She will be responsible for coordinating and executing research and development commercialization efforts in the company’s Snacks Division. Fletcher holds a chemistry degree from Roanoke and a master’s in food science from North Carolina State University.

Alexander Moore ’09 is an assistant professor of mathematics at Westfield State University. He earned a B.S. in physics at Roanoke, an M.S. in mathematics education at Radford University, and a Ph.D. in the same field from Virginia Tech. He was previously editor in chief of the Journal for Theoretical & Marginal Mathematics Education.

David Wolter ’09 made his debut in April 2023 as chief meteorologist at WBKO (Channel 13) in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he leads severe weather coverage. He was previously a meteorologist with Erie News Now in Pennsylvania. Wolter, who holds a degree in sociology with a minor in mathematics from Roanoke, earned a master’s in geological and earth sciences with an emphasis in meteorology at Mississippi State University.

2010s

Cathleen Gruver ’11 was honored with the 2023 Ones to Watch Award by the American Society of Interior Designers. She has also been named as one of Loudoun County, Virginia’s 40 Under 40 for 2023. She is the lead interior designer for Gruver

Cooley, her family’s 115-year-old custom building and remodeling business. Gruver earned a B.B.A. with a minor in art at Roanoke and an M.A. in interior design at Marymount University.

Trey Keeley ’11 is the new head men’s lacrosse coach at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he was assistant coach and offensive coordinator at Cleveland State and head coach at Baldwin Wallace University. Keeley holds a degree in business administration from Roanoke, where he was a member of the men’s lacrosse team.

Peter “Reyn” Holden ’12 and his wife, Maria (Carino) Holden ’14, helped support the restoration of a culturally significant

BACK IN THE DAY

Trexler Hall (left) and Massengill Auditorium (right) were completed in 1970. Now, more than a half-century later, the College is ready to bid farewell to Massengill, break ground on a state-of-the-art science center, and give Trexler and Life Science a much-needed facelift. For more information about the Science Center project, see the Inspiring Impact section.

Dorothy Gillespie mural on the exterior of their building in downtown Roanoke. Read more about this project at roa.ke/DGmural.

Jordan Fallon ’14, an adjunct lecturer in the Religion and Philosophy Department at Roanoke, founded Ursula’s Café, a donatewhat-you-can restaurant in downtown Roanoke, with his wife, Ami Trowell. Their business model allows some customers to eat for free while others pay a suggested donation – or more –to cover their meal. Learn more at ursulascafe.org.

Kylie Moore ’15 was awarded the 2023 Cicero Speechwriting Award in the educators category. Moore co-wrote the winning speech, “The Importance of Allowing Our Students to Belong,”

for Timothy Mottet, president of Colorado State University-Pueblo. The speech was delivered at the EAB CONNECTED22 conference in Orlando, Florida. Moore is a freelance writer based in London. She majored in literary studies at Roanoke.

Lexie (Janney) Gunther ’16 was inducted into the Lord Botetourt High School Athletic Hall of Fame for her performance on the women’s track and field and cross-country teams there. Gunther was also a celebrated member of the track and field team at Roanoke College, where she majored in biology. She holds an M.A. in strategic communication from American University and is a managing director at TEAM LEWIS, a global marketing agency.

Bridget Gautieri ’16 was ordained as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America at her home church, Calvary Lutheran Church in Cranford, New Jersey. She moved to Wittenberg, Germany, in fall 2023 to serve as the ELCA Wittenberg Center Coordinator. Read more at roa.ke/AlumniNews9_2023.

Dylan Jones ’16 was named a 2023 Distinguished Alumnus at Patrick & Henry Community Col-

lege in Henry County, Virginia. Jones is a biologist in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention in the Environmental Fate and Effects Division of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He earned a GED before attending P&HCC, then went on to receive a B.S. in biology at Roanoke, a master’s at Montclair State University, and a Ph.D. at Binghamton University. Read his inspiring story at roa.ke/AlumniNews9_2023.

Tyler McEachern ’17 is press secretary to U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). Prior to that, he was press secretary to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). McEachern holds a degree in political science from Roanoke.

Stacey (Zysk) Prince ’17 is a clinical pharmacist practitioner at Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She acquired a B.S. in biochemistry at Roanoke, then earned her pharmacy degree at ETSU Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy in 2021.

Emily K. Searles ’18 successfully defended her doctoral thesis and graduated with a Ph.D. in chemistry from Rice University in Houston. She holds a B.S. in chemistry and political science from Roanoke and an M.A. in chemistry from Rice University. She’s now

working with an intellectual property law firm in Houston.

Dr. Will Osae ’19 has joined Duke University Health System in North Carolina as an emergency medicine resident. After earning a degree in chemistry at Roanoke, Osae completed medical school at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

2020s

Peyton Holahan ’20 received her law degree from the Washington and Lee University School of Law in May 2023, graduating cum laude. She holds a B.A. in political science from Roanoke. She is an associate at Troutman Pepper in Washington, D.C.

Breanna Wilhelm ’20, a premium experience specialist for the Columbus Blue Jackets, received the Blue Jackets’ 2022-23 Wayne Gretzky Award for outstanding performance in her role. Wilhelm graduated from Roanoke with a B.S. in sport management. She has worked for the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, BSN Sports and the Houston Dynamo Football Club.

Razan “Rosie” Hamed ’21 was awarded the Teaching Academy

Jessica Shelburne ’22 recently celebrated the third year of her business, Shelburne Insurance Agency in Christiansburg, Virginia, which she purchased when she was just 21 years old and still a student at Roanoke. After withdrawing for a year to focus on the business, she returned and finished her degree in communications in May 2022. As part of her education, she completed an independent study on the acquisition of her business.

WEDDINGS

Graduate Teaching Award for Physics and Astronomy at Purdue University, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in physics. Her research focuses on using nontraditional tools such as video games to teach physics in a way that is more fun and relatable for students. She earned a degree in physics with a minor in mathematics at Roanoke.

Joyelle Ronan ’21 recently received a master’s in art journalism and communications from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. At Syracuse, she created a romantic comedy convention, Rom Con 2023, inspired by research she did as a communication studies major at Roanoke. She is a content writer for Homes.com and a staff writer at Film Obsessive.

Kate Clatterbuck ’22 finished as the fourth runner-up in the Miss Volunteer America competition in June 2023. Clatterbuck, who earned a degree in education profession studies at Roanoke College, was crowned Miss Virginia Volunteer in August 2022. She is a sixth-grade teacher at Albemarle County Schools.

Tess Weidenkopf ’22 was a featured speaker at a TEDx event at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she talked about her experiences with Lyme disease, theater and academics. Weidenkopf is a medical student at VCU who earned degrees in theatre and biochemistry at Roanoke. View her talk on YouTube by searching TEDXVCU: Reframed

George Kendall ’23 was tapped for a Fulbright Program award. He is currently teaching and conducting community engagement programs in the North RhineWestphalia region of Germany as part of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program.

Lydia Turner-Little ’23 is a firstyear student at Columbia Law School in New York. She earned a degree in sociology with a minor in religious studies at Roanoke. She plans to pursue social justice issues and public interest law.

Ryan Tucker ’23 is assisting with agroforestry implementation, environmental education and natural resource management in Senegal as a volunteer in the Peace Corps environment sector. Tucker earned a degree in environmental studies at Roanoke.

Patricia Mallozzi ’00 and Jeffery Baumgard were married July 20, 2023, at Resort Xcaret Riviera Maya, Mexico. Mallozzi holds a B.A. and an M.Ed. She is an ELD teacher and ESL coordinator. The couple lives in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

Madeline Sefcik ’17 and Greg Hanlon ’11 were wed Aug. 5, 2023, in Roanoke. The Rev. R. Paul Henrickson, chaplain emeritus of Roanoke College, officiated. The wedding party included Frances Sefcik ’21 and Eric Finch ’11. Hanlon holds a degree in health and human performance from Roanoke and an M.A. in education from the University of Colorado. He is the director of alumni and family relations at Roanoke College. Sefcik earned a degree in business administration with a minor in American politics at Roanoke, as well as an MBA from Bowling Green State University. She is assistant to the county administrator for Roanoke County.

Madalyn “Maddy” Gerald ’12 and Nicholas Frazier were married May 6, 2022, in Baltimore, Maryland. The maid of honor was Lauren (Schwabe) Pieroazio ’12, one of the bride’s Delta Gamma sisters. Also in attendance were most of their DG pledge class and Gerald’s brother, Jordan Gerald ’10. One month later, Maddy Gerald was the maid of honor in Schwabe’s wedding.

Lauren Schwabe ’12 married Mike Pieroazio June 10, 2022, in Baltimore, Maryland. The bride’s Delta Gamma sister, Maddy (Gerald) Frazier ’12, served as maid of honor, and most of their pledge class attended.

Anna Moir ’14 and Mitchell Diles were married April 30, 2022,

Chelsea (Schafer) Suche ’18 took a job as development coordinator for Friends of Barnabas in October 2022. After earning a degree in sociology with a minor in literary studies and a concentration in Parish Youth Leadership at Roanoke, she went on to earn a master’s in divinity at Duke University and a master’s in social work at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. In January 2023, Suche completed a mission trip to Honduras for Friends of Barnabas. There, she helped provide community care alongside a fellow Maroon, Dr. Kristen Powell ’91 continued on page 38

Moir-Diles wedding

Schwabe-Pieroazio wedding

Wheeler-Kristo wedding

Gerald-Frazier wedding

Belfatto-Brennan wedding

Sefcik-Hanlon wedding

Martin-Scidmore-Sievers wedding

McGuire-Elmore wedding

Sliwinski-Tasch wedding

Mallozzi-Baumgard wedding

Dale-Dyer wedding

Delamatta-Beam wedding

McFillen-Klose wedding

FOREVER MAROONS

in Roanoke, Virginia. The wedding party included Taylor (Smiley) Edwards ’13, Kelly (Dubell) Fisher ’14 and Kelsey (Charest) Antonelli ’14. Moir earned a degree in literary studies and creative writing at Roanoke, then received a law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law. She is an attorney at the National Association of College and University Attorneys. The couple resides in Richmond, Virginia.

Megan McFillen ’15 and Jules Klose ’14 were married April 22, 2023, in Baltimore, Maryland, with fellow Maroons in attendance. Klose, who earned a B.B.A. at Roanoke, is a certified financial planner, and McFillen, who has a B.A. in health and exercise science, is a training specialist.

Sarah Dale ’15 and Alexander Dyer were wed May 20, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. Dale earned a degree in communications at Roanoke and is an advertising sales and partnership development manager for Meet Boston.

Lydia Delamatta ’15 married Matthew Beam June 10, 2023, in Winchester, Virginia. Delamatta holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Roanoke and a master’s in international development studies from George Washington University. She is a humanitarian assistance officer in the Office of Middle East and North Africa with USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.

Chelsea Schafer ’18 and Michael Suche were married in May 2022. She works as development coordinator for Friends of Barnabas. The couple lives with their cat, Theo, in Richmond.

Emma Sliwinski ’18 married John Tasch Sept. 10, 2022, in Naperville, Illinois. Sliwinski holds a B.A. in criminal justice with minors in Spanish and world history from Roanoke. They both work at CTM Legal Group in Chicago, where she is a criminal law paralegal.

Haylee McGuire ’19 married Joey Elmore Oct. 14, 2023, in Floyd, Virginia. Members of the wedding party included Alex (Wegley) Kerr ’18, Hannah Curtis ’15, Megan Boyles ’18 and Brian Kerr ’18. Retired cross country/ track and field coach Finn Pincus attended. McGuire holds a B.S. in health and exercise science and is an administrative coordinator with Carilion Clinic.

Bailey Martin ’19 married Charles Scidmore-Sievers Sept. 30, 2023, in Sycamore, Illinois.

Many Roanoke alumni attended, including bridesmaids Taryn Thompson ’18 and Erin Hannon ’19. Martin graduated from Roanoke with a B.A. in history.

Katelynn Belfatto ’20 and Colin Brennan ’18 were married July 15, 2023, in Pennsylvania. Multiple fellow alumni were in attendance, including groomsmen Josh Wojtysiak ’15 and Cody Statler ’17 and bridesmaid Annie Patterson ’20. The couple met as cross country/track and field athletes at Roanoke, and retired coach Finn Pincus attended the wedding. Belfatto earned a degree in public health studies with minors in psychology and biology at Roanoke, and a nursing degree from Radford University Carilion. She is a cardiac nurse training to be a nurse practitioner. Brennan holds degrees in history and education

from Roanoke, and he is a middle school social studies teacher.

Mason Wheeler ’21 and Chance Kristo ’24 were married May 6, 2023, in Roanoke. Wheeler is pursuing her Ph.D. in the Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Program at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. Kristo works in the Information Technology Department at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and is earning a degree at Roanoke College.

Hannah Petty ’22 and Brian Grimmett ’22 were married May 27, 2023, in Cleveland, Georgia. The wedding party included fellow Maroons Maria Vinson ’22, Cole Hensen ’22, Alyssa Heath ’22, Alyssa (Taylor) Eason ’22, Hollie Eggleston ’21 and Meghan Mercer ’21. Former head swimming coach Scott Thacker

Allegra and Adelaide Holden

Braxton Douglas Bounds

James Michael Perhac

Damian Iroh Prince

Olivia Sky Schafer

Aubrey Elizabeth Bledsoe

officiated. Many other Roanoke alumni attended, as did current head swimming coach Brandon Ress and former physics professor Matthew Fleenor.

FAMILIES

Melissa Azevedo ’05 and her partner, Eric Schafer, welcomed a baby girl, Olivia Sky Schafer, on Jan. 11, 2023. Olivia’s uncle is Ryan Schafer ’06. The family lives in Colonia, New Jersey.

Alissa (Hickman) Bledsoe ’11 and her husband, Christopher, are the proud parents of a baby girl, Aubrey Elizabeth, who was born in December 2022. Aubrey joins her sister, Emilia Grace. The family lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Janelle (Hollister) Bounds ’11 and husband Nathan welcomed a son, Braxton Douglas, on Nov. 4, 2022. The family lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Peter “Reyn” Holden ’12 and his wife, Maria (Carino) Holden ’14 welcomed a baby girl, Allegra Isabelle, on June 2, 2023. Allegra joins big sister Adelaide Reynolds, who was born in 2021. Proud grandma is Mary Gayle Holden ’70

Clarke Manley ’13 and his wife Meghan (Brinkley) Manley ’12 welcomed a son, Walter Clarke Manley Jr., on March 13, 2023.

Ethan Hafey ’14 and Amanda (Newman) Hafey ’13 were married in May 2019 and welcomed a baby girl, Rylee James, on June 7, 2023. Amanda is a preschool teacher at Glenvar Elementary and Ethan is a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. They live in Roanoke.

Kaitlyn Bell-Perhac ’14 and her husband Corey Perhac ’14 are the proud parents of a baby boy,

James Michael, who arrived on April 5, 2023. Kaitlyn is the assistant director for Susquehanna University’s Career Development Center and Corey is the resource coordinator for Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute. They live in West Hanover Township, Pennsylvania.

Stacey (Zysk) Prince ’17 and her husband Shane welcomed a son, Damian Iroh Prince, on April 9, 2023. They live in Vinton, Virginia.

IN MEMORIAM

Rosemary (Dew) Blanchard ’44, of Charlotte, N.C., died Feb. 9, 2023, at 99. She attained degrees in biology and chemistry at Roanoke, then went to work as a researcher at the University of Virginia Hospital, at which time she also earned an M.A. in speech pathology at U.Va. After starting a family, she became a longtime volunteer in fine arts, serving in many roles, including on the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors, Symphony Women’s Association, and Charlotte Arts and Science Council.

Margaret C. “Peggy” Moller ’45, of Round Pond, Maine, died April 24, 2023, at 100. After attaining a B.S. at Roanoke, she made a life with her husband and children in Oslo, Norway. In later years, she settled in Maine, where she enjoyed community service and many hobbies, including the arts, nature, Facebook and being a member of the New England Centenarian Society.

Doris Marion Burnett DeSousa ’46, of Mountain Home, Ark., died Aug. 21, 2022, at 97. She worked as a secretary in insurance and real estate, and she was a dedicated volunteer for many organizations. She was

also a wife, mother, traveler, reader and bridge player.

John Hoover Hash ’49, of Nashville, Tenn., died June 20, 2023, at 94. After earning a B.S. in biology at Roanoke College and spending time in the U.S. Army, Hash acquired an M.S. and a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Virginia Tech. He worked as a research biochemist in New York before joining the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. After becoming a full professor, he was appointed associate dean for biomedical research and director of sponsored research, retiring from Vanderbilt in 1994. In retirement, he enjoyed woodworking, painting and travel. He was a loyal Roanoke College Associate of 14 years and a Cornerstone Society member.

Rosa Gonzalez Scheyett ’51, of Southern Pines, N.C., died March 26, 2023, at 90. She graduated from Roanoke with a B.S. in biology, then earned a degree in physical therapy from Medical College of Virginia. She had a long career in physical therapy. In retirement, she enjoyed traveling and oil painting.

Robert C. “Bob” Kues ’53, of Roanoke, Va., died May 22, 2023, at 93. After earning a B.A. at Roanoke, where he was a member of Sigma Chi, Kues joined the U.S. Army and served in Germany. He was a proud American Legion member. He had a 35-year career with VDACS, retiring in 1994.

Georgetta “Abby” (Abbott) Welsh ’53, of Roanoke, Va., died March 17, 2023, at 94. She held a B.A. in education from Roanoke, where she was a member of Tau Kappa Alpha, and an M.A. in English from Hollins University. At Roanoke, she met her future husband, James C. Welsh ’50, who preceded her in death. She had a

long career as an elementary school teacher and reading specialist.

Leonard A. Ault ’55, of Mechanicsville, Md., died Sept. 9, 2023, at 89. At Roanoke, he played soccer, sang in choir and was a member of Sigma Chi. After graduating with a B.S. in physics, he served in the Air National Guard. Ault retired from NASA in 1994 after 49 years, spending his retirement enjoying his family, volunteering, singing, dancing, making art and watching sports.

Eve-Lynn (Anderson) Deegan ’56, of Salem, Va., died Oct. 26, 2023, at 88. She held a B.A. in English and was a school teacher. She was preceded in death by her husband, William J. Deegan, a longtime English professor at Roanoke, and her sister, Faith Jones ’59. Survivors who are also Maroons include her children, Jennifer Deegan ’82, Glynis Deegan ’88 and Gillian Deegan ’88, and grandchildren, Amalea Deegan ’16, John Hart ’16 and Rosemary Hart ’12

Col. Phillip Edward Shaw ’57, USMC (Ret.), died in January 2023. He acquired a B.S. at Roanoke, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha and the men’s cross country and track and field teams.

James R. Story Jr. ’58, of Virginia Beach, Va., died March 2, 2023, at 88. Story held a B.A. from Roanoke College, where he was a member of Sigma Chi, and an MBA from Old Dominion University. He served in the Army and had a long, successful career in business. He loved music, hosting friends for sing-alongs and volunteering at Sentara Virginia Beach Hospital, where he played piano in the lobby.

FOREVER MAROONS

James O. Hottel ’59, of Roanoke, Va., died June 5, 2023, at 90. After serving in the Navy during the Korean Conflict, Hottel earned degrees in chemistry and biology at Roanoke. He had a lifelong passion for learning. He also enjoyed golf, woodworking and nature.

Harry B. Clegg III ’61, of Lewes, Del., died June 9, 2023, at 84. Clegg was a member of Pi Kappa Phi, the track team and the men’s soccer team at Roanoke. In 1957, he set the college and Mason Dixon Conference high jump record, and he was a first-team Mason Dixon Conference goalie each year from 1958-1961. He went on to play professional soccer, representing the U.S. in the North American Field Handball Championships in 1966 and 1970. He was inducted into the Roanoke College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976.

June (Musselman) Gregonis ’63, of Durham, N.C., died June 8, 2023, at age 81. She earned degrees from both Roanoke College and Central Michigan University. At Roanoke, she was a

Stephen M. Baker ’64, of Bradenton, Fla., died Aug. 30, 2023, at 80. He attended Roanoke on a basketball scholarship and studied history. As both a track and field athlete and a member of the basketball team, Baker earned six varsity letters and was a member of the Monogram Club. In 1964, he was the basketball team’s best shooter and leading rebounder, and he was selected for the Virginia All-State team. He was also voted the school’s Most Outstanding Athlete that year. Baker was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974.

After Roanoke, he went on to teach high school history and coach basketball and track, later earning a master’s degree from Radford University and a Ph.D. in education from U.Va. He served multiple Virginia school districts as an assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent, and was named Virginia Superintendent of the Year in 1993 for his service to Hanover County Schools. Following retirement, he was executive director of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), which accredits elementary and middle schools throughout the Southeast U.S.

Baker also was an ordained minister who taught Sunday School at his church in Richmond, and he was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.

Delta Gamma. Gregonis worked at Duke Hospital for 22 years and loved traveling to Switzerland.

Sallie D. (Yocum) Krall ’63, of Duncanville, Tex., died March 20, 2023, at 81. She studied biology and was a founding member of the Alpha Phi chapter at Roanoke. She was a dedicated homemaker and a volunteer for

Alpha Phi, holding several offices over the years, including president of the Arlington Alumni Chapter.

Christine “Chris” (Kemery) Harkness ’65, of Roanoke, Va., died Sept. 27, 2023, at 80. At Roanoke, she was a Phi Mu and earned a B.S. in political science. She loved volunteering, church,

Richard H.W. Dillard ’58, of Roanoke, Va., a renowned writer and teacher who passed his gifts along to scores of award-winning writers, died April 4, 2023, at 85.

Dillard, a Virginia native, earned an English degree at Roanoke and both a master’s and a doctorate from the University of Virginia. He joined the faculty of what was then Hollins College, now Hollins University, in 1964, launching what would be an influential 59-year career there.

Dillard taught creative writing, British and American literature, and film, and chaired the English and Creative Writing Department for 33 years. He mentored hundreds of writers, some of whom went on to win Pulitzer Prizes. His students included Annie Dillard, Lee Smith, Natasha Trethewey and Jill McCorkle.

Dillard was a successful writer himself, publishing 15 novels and poetry collections, as well as essays, literary translations and stories. He was honored with many awards, including the O.B. Hardison Jr. and Hanes poetry prizes, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs George Garrett Award, and Virginia Professor of the Year.

needlepoint, animals and yoga. Survivors include her husband, James W. Harkness Jr. ’64, and daughter Courtney Harkness Hladky ’94

Ernest D. Mann Jr. ’66, of Yorktown, Va., died June 10, 2023, at 80. Mann was a decorated veteran of the U.S. Air Force, retiring as Lt. Colonel. He earned a B.A. in economics and business administration from Roanoke and a master’s in system management from the University of Southern California. He was active in his church and enjoyed history, genealogy and volunteering as an election officer. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Carol (Wiley) Mann ’67

Wilbur C. Andrews ’67, of Salem, Va., died Feb. 11, 2023, at 78. He held degrees in economics and business administration from Roanoke, where he was a member of Pi Kappa Phi. He also served for several years in the U.S. Air Force. He was an active member of his church and enjoyed volunteering in the

community, especially with the Rotary and the Salem Sports Foundation.

Janet B. Kott ’69, of State College, Penn., died Oct. 25, 2023, at 93. She held a B.S. in medical technology from Roanoke and studied at several other colleges. She worked as a registered medical technologist. A gifted pianist, she loved playing the organ for her church and other groups.

Dr. David L. Meincke ’69, of Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., died April 29, 2023, at 76. He earned a B.S. in chemistry at Roanoke and a medical degree from Medical College of Virginia. Meincke and his business partners opened Montgomery Obstetrics and Gynecology in Blacksburg. He was a practicing OB/GYN for almost 40 years, delivering some 4,000 babies. He enjoyed traveling, woodworking, hunting, cooking and caring for others.

Samuel B. Adams ’70, of Savannah, Ga., died June 7, 2023, at 76. Adams earned a B.A. in history at Roanoke, where he was in Kappa Alpha. He served in the Army during Vietnam and had a successful career in business. He was also active in his church and community.

Danielle “Dannie” Kain ’70, of Richmond, Va., died March 23, 2023, at 75. She earned a bachelor’s in psychology at Roanoke, where she was a member of Alpha Phi. She had a storied career in the dance and publishing industries, as well as addiction counseling.

Herbert M. “Tim” Wolfrey Jr. ’71, of Virginia Beach, Va., died Feb. 13, 2023, at 84. In addition to earning a B.A. in business at Roanoke, he served in the Army and

IN MEMORIAM Roanoke remembers Bob Jenkins

Jenkins was a world-renowned ichthyologist who taught biology at Roanoke for more than 40 years, influencing scores of students.

By Lindsey Nair ’98

From the moment Robert “Bob” Jenkins ’61 caught his first fish at age four, he was hooked – not on catching and eating his quarry, but on studying, understanding and helping them.

Jenkins, professor of biology emeritus at Roanoke College, died July 12, 2023, at 83. His family, friends, colleagues and the many students he influenced during his 40 years at Roanoke are left to marvel at his accomplishments, which included being an ichthyologist, naturalist, teacher, author, angler, marathon-runner, music lover and father.

After earning a degree in biology at Roanoke, Jenkins enrolled in a doctoral program at Cornell University. He became fascinated by sucker fish, which he continued to study for the remainder of his career, ultimately establishing himself as an expert – a “sucker for suckers,”

as he often joked.

At Roanoke, Jenkins taught courses and exposed students to field research in the diverse natural habitats of Virginia, as well as in locations such as the Florida Keys and Bahamas.

Jenkins’ career was marked by significant discoveries, including more than a dozen new fish species, several of which are named in his honor. He also discovered or helped discover species believed to be extinct and evaluated the conservation status of fish species, resulting in some being listed as of special concern, threatened or endangered.

Noel Burkhead ’73, a student of Jenkins who later became a collaborator and co-author of “Freshwater Fishes of Virginia,” said he had no shortage of treasured memories from his time as a mentee and associate to Jenkins.

“Bob is recognized as one of the foremost ichthyologists of our time, one who would have normally been employed at a museum or university, but he chose Roanoke College,” Burkhead said. “I never asked him why, but I think he enjoyed his time as a student and believed the education he received fully prepared him for graduate school.”

Jenkins’ survivors include his daughter, Katey Jenkins ’96

Read more at roa.ke/JenkinsObit.

Biology Professor Bob Jenkins stands in one of his favorite places: the middle of a Southwest Virginia river.

IN MEMORIAM

An extraordinary human gone too soon

English professor Mary Crockett Hill ’91 was a beautiful, creative soul who was adored by her students and colleagues.

By Kaylen Ayres ’25

Mary Crockett Hill ’91 once described herself as obsessed with dreams. The poet, teacher and director of Roanoke College’s literary magazine would end up devoting her life to exploring the hidden depths of the human experience — and helping countless students pursue their own dreams along the way.

Hill, an assistant professor of English, died on Sept. 23 after a battle with cancer. She leaves a legacy that helped shape not just Roanoke, but the wider community, where her career included serving as director of the Salem Museum from 1993 to 2002.

Hill grew up in Salem and acquired a B.A. in English at Roanoke, where she was her class valedictorian. She also held an M.F.A. from the University of Virginia. In

Hill’s friends and colleagues say she consistently made the world a better place, and the world will be a little darker without that positive influence.

addition to teaching at Roanoke, she took the helm of the Roanoke Review.

Hill was an accomplished author, penning works such as “A Theory of Everything,” which won the Autumn House Poetry Prize; “If You Return Home with Food,” winner of the Bluestem Poetry Award; and co-authoring the history volume “A Town by the Name of Salem: The Past in Pictures.” She was nominated multiple times for the Pushcart Prize and the Virginia Book of the Year.

“Mary was truly the spirit of generosity and creativity, and she shared her gifts with everyone who was fortunate enough to encounter her,” said English Professor Wendy Larson-Harris. “From the Salem Museum to Brain Injury Support Services, to designing and directing the new Publishing and Editing concentration, and just a fun hallway chat, Mary consistently made the world a better place. We all will miss our teacher, mentor, colleague and friend.”

Hill’s survivors include her children, Isabelle Hill ’23 and Samson and Crockett Hill, both members of the Class of 2026.

Air Force Reserves. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Salem and loved to travel with his family. He is survived by his wife, Lucille (Woody) Wolfrey ’63, and his daughter, Maelyn Wolfrey ’91

Daniele Chornesky ’72, of Washington, D.C., died Feb. 27, 2023, at 72. She earned a B.A. in psychology at Roanoke College.

Barry J. Keefe ’73, of Rutland, Vt., died April 10, 2023, at 73. Keefe earned a B.A. in history at Roanoke, where he was a member of Sigma Chi. His career included stints in college admissions, banking, painting and public service. His hobbies included traveling and vegetable gardening.

Alexander F. “Skip” Anthony III ’74, of central Florida, died June 21, 2023, at 71. He earned a BBA at Roanoke, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha and played soccer and golf. Anthony had a successful career as a manufacturers’ representative. Survivors include his wife, Leslie (Patterson) Anthony ’75

Amelia H. Gerner ’74, of Smith Mountain Lake, Va., died May 30, 2023, at 71. Gerner earned a B.A. in psychology at Roanoke and taught elementary school in Roanoke County for 24 years before moving to the lake, where she worked as a realtor. She enjoyed exercising and spending time near the water.

Read more about Hill’s incredible life at roa.ke/CrockettHill.

David M. Sable ’76, of Narrows, Va., died Feb. 25, 2023, at 69. He held a B.A. in psychology from Roanoke, where he joined Kappa Alpha, track and field, and soccer. He also earned an M.A. in school psychology from Radford. He began his career as a school psychologist in rural Virginia communities and retired as ex-

ecutive director of pupil services for Radford City Schools. He was an expert outdoorsman with hobbies that included astronomy, photography, fly fishing, rafting and more. Survivors include his wife Gail (Tramposch) Sable ’77

Josephine S. Kelly ’78, of Prince Frederick, Md., died June 9, 2023, at 67. She graduated from Roanoke with a B.A. in history, and she was a partner at Kelly Distributors. She also loved gardening, animals and being involved in her community. Survivors include her brother, Clyde V. Kelly III ’77

David Nixon ’81, of Roanoke, Va., died Oct. 1, 2023, at 64. He acquired a B.A. in history at Roanoke and a law degree at Wake Forest University. He practiced law in Roanoke for more than 30 years, enjoying the chance to help others and earning scores of professional honors. He was a devoted Christian with hobbies that included traveling, music and running.

Jane S. Hudgins ’82, of Franklin County, Va., died March 23, 2023, at 63. She held a B.S. in biology from Roanoke and an MBA from University of Mary Washington. She was a pharmaceutical representative, a nurturing mother who homeschooled her children, and a dedicated church member.

Paul H. “P.K.” Kenney ’82, of Davidson, N.C., died Jan. 26, 2023, at 62. At Roanoke College, he obtained both a degree in business administration and a passion for rugby. He was a founding member of the Charlotte Rugby Club and a volunteer rugby coach at Davidson College. He retired from the scaffolding and shoring industry.

Douglas C. Duffy ’87, of Salem, Va., died Feb. 7, 2023, at 67. In addition to a degree in accounting from Roanoke, he held a degree in hotel and restaurant management from City College of New York. He was a successful selfemployed real estate appraiser for 25 years. He enjoyed the outdoors, home improvement and more. Survivors include his brothers-in-law, Gerald A. Daniel ’02 and Walter Daniel ’87

Michael L. Bitrick ’93, of Charlottesville, Va., died Oct. 29, 2023, at 53. Bitrick earned a business degree at Roanoke, where he was in Kappa Alpha, and was vice president and branch manager at First Heritage Mortgage in Charlottesville.

Lewis P. Grogan Jr. ’93, of Roa-

noke, Va., died Feb. 6, 2023, at 60. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he attained a degree in history at Roanoke. In addition to being founder/CEO of an audiovisual company, The Knowledge Connection, he volunteered with multiple organizations around Roanoke and was active in his church. Survivors include his daughter, Danielle Browley ’16

John L. Krippendorf ’11, of Salem, Va., died Feb. 8, 2023, at 57. He studied history at Roanoke, and his career included stints at Roanoke College, the Retail Odyssey Company and CVS Pharmacy. He was the lead singer in a punk rock band, Luke Puke and The Vomit, which performed across the Roanoke Valley and beyond. His passions included skateboarding and

gaming, and he will be remembered for his sense of humor.

Noel Weakley ’13, of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, died March 1, 2023. She earned a degree in psychology at Roanoke and worked at Accomack Social Services. Her hobbies included painting and anime.

Marie (Brown) Adams ’18, of Alexandria, Va., died Oct. 5, 2023, at 27. At Roanoke, she obtained a degree in political science, participated in Alpha Phi Omega and fell in love with hiking. She then moved to the nation’s capital, where she became director of events at a political nonprofit. She was married to her love, Aidan Adams, on Nov. 5, 2022, with many fellow Maroons in attendance.

Edward G. “Eddie” Talley, of Roanoke, Va., died June 3, 2023. He was a system administrator at Roanoke College from 1982 to 2002 and will be remembered for his kindness and intelligence. He attended U.Va. on a football scholarship and served in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Robert “Bob” Hines, of Salem, Va., died June 23, 2023, at 76. Hines was associate dean of Student Affairs at Roanoke from 1989 to 2012, overseeing student life, residence life and student activities. He held a bachelor‘s degree and a master’s in education from the University of Florida, Gainesville. As the administrator of Roanoke’s student judicial system, Hines was known for his firmness, but also his fairness and compassion. For his work with fraternities and sororities at Roanoke, Hines was named the Kappa Alpha Order’s Greek Advisor of the Year in 2005. He was a huge Florida Gators fan, but he also loved supporting Maroon athletics. He enjoyed taking students on adventures, including spring break trips to Florida and Cumberland Island. They also had adventures closer to Roanoke, kayaking the New River or checking out local hiking trails.

William Thomas Davidson, of Salem, Va., died June 28, 2023, at 82. Davidson served as circulation services librarian at Roanoke from 1971 to 2003 and treasured his friendships with students, faculty and staff. An Army veteran, he held both a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Library Science from the University of Mississippi. He enjoyed collecting antiques and restoring furniture.

See Peggy Akers, Kathryn Buchanan and Jenny Bradley in the Inspiring Impact section.

STAFF RETIREES

Talley

Hines

Davidson

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWS

From financial advising to interior design and from eateries to breweries, Roanoke College graduates are putting their unique stamps on entrepreneurship — and we think that calls for recognition and collaboration!

We’re excited to announce the launch of a new Alumni-Owned Business initiative designed to empower our vibrant community of business-minded Maroons.

By strengthening our database of alumni business owners and sharing a directory with fellow Maroons, we can build a network of support, teamwork and mutual success.

If you are a business owner, please consider following the QR code above to tell us a little more about your business and how the College and your fellow alumni could help support your professional suc-

cess. We’ll send you an Alumni-Owned Business sticker for your shop window and keep you in the loop as this exciting initiative continues to unfold.

If you have questions about this project, please reach out to Greg Hanlon ’11, director of alumni and family relations, at hanlon@roanoke.edu or 540-375-2075.

One in a million

For Wes Graves ’63, a lifelong commitment to service and an abiding love for Roanoke College have inspired a generous gift to the new Science Center project.

By Lindsey Nair ’98

Disparaging Generation Z is a popular sport for some members of older generations, but Wes Graves ’63 has a message for the “kids these days” crowd.

“Kids today get a bad rap, but I think that they’re very intelligent, and a lot of them are very ambitious,” he said. “I think our future is in good hands, but for it to

be in good hands, they need a strong education, and a liberal arts education is important.”

Graves doesn’t mind putting his money where his mouth is. As a devoted Roanoke College alumnus and longtime supporter of his alma mater, he created an endowed scholarship in 2001 to help deserving students. Now, he has made a significant financial commitment to support the college endowment and help fund construction of Roanoke’s new Science Center.

“Wes’s generous acts showcase a deep belief in the transformative power of education,” said Kim Blair ’93, vice president for advancement. “His dedication goes beyond dollars and cents; it reflects a passionate commitment to ensuring that future generations have access to the same exceptional educational opportunities that helped shape him.”

A chemistry major at Roanoke, Graves took classes and labs in Lucas Hall, which

was then the campus science headquarters. The current science halls, Trexler and Life Science, were completed in 1970 and are now more than a half-century old, so Graves sees immense value in building a

Wes Graves studied chemistry at Roanoke, but it was an investment class that sparked his interest in finance. Without a broad liberal arts education, he said, he may not have discovered his future career.

ALUMNI SUPPORT

At Roanoke, Graves was president of Sigma Chi fraternity and served on the Interfraternity Council.

“I think science teaches people a particular way to think, a logical way to think, and whether you decide to go into a science career or something else, that ability to think in a logical manner is very important.”

— Wes Graves ’63

state-of-the-art facility with cutting-edge technologies and spaces that can strengthen student learning and collaboration with faculty.

“For a liberal arts school, it is important

to have a strong science department,” he said. “I think science teaches people a particular way to think, a logical way to think, and whether you decide to go into a science career or something else, that ability to think in a logical manner is very important.”

Although he studied science at Roanoke, Graves ended up in a different field because he was exposed to a breadth of topics in school. That, he said, is “the advantage of a liberal arts school.” An investment class sparked his interest in finance, and he became a financial advisor after graduation, remaining in the field for 60 years. He and his son, Asa, now run an independent firm, Graves Light Lenhart Private Wealth Management, in Harrisonburg, where Graves is a respected community leader.

At Roanoke, Graves was on the Interfraternity Council and served as president of Sigma Chi fraternity, living in a fraternity house with other young men. That taught

him a lot of adult lessons, he said, such as how to create and adhere to a budget. It also allowed him to form unwavering friendships with fraternity brothers, including a half-dozen he still talks to regularly and sees at Alumni Weekend events in Salem.

Those formative experiences and warm memories have never left Graves, which is why he feels so strongly about the value of higher education. In addition to supporting Roanoke College students, he has served in volunteer leadership positions for James Madison University and Bridgewater College. In 2018, he was awarded the Roanoke College Medal, the highest honor for a Maroon.

“I was very appreciative of the education I got at Roanoke College, and I met a lot of good friends there,” he said. “I’ve served on boards of other colleges and so forth, but I guess I have a soft spot for Roanoke College.”

New scholarships honor treasured Maroons

Three new endowed scholarships have been established in memory of recently deceased alumni and staff, while a fourth was created to honor the contributions of two dedicated faculty members who recently retired.

By Lindsey Nair ’98

Education can change a life, and it’s even better when that positive impact ripples out to future generations. That was the case with Peggy Akers, Jenny Bradley ’84, Kathryn Buchanan, and Jeff and Marianne Sandborg. Akers, Bradley and Buchanan passed away recently, while the Sandborgs marked their retirement in 2023. To celebrate these beloved individuals and their love of learning, the following new endowed scholarships have been established at Roanoke College.

Jenny Hughes Bradley ’84 Endowed Scholarship

L. Ellen Bradley and her husband, Brian G. Ivey, chose to endow a previously created scholarship in Ellen’s mother’s name to ensure that its benefits to students will live long into the future. Jenny Bradley, who died in November 2023, was a lifelong advocate for secondary education – even if one had to go back to

school later in life to obtain a degree.

A Southwest Virginia native, Bradley was unable to attend college immediately following high school. After raising her two children, she pursued an associate degree at Virginia Western Community College while working outside the home. She followed that up with a bachelor’s in sociology at Roanoke, where she was a full-time student. In 1993, she completed a Master of Liberal Studies at Hollins College (now Hollins University).

Bradley was a gifted writer, and she chose to use that gift in institutional grant management, helping to shape small start-ups and investing in human service nonprofits, educational institutions and large health-care systems.

The Bradley scholarship will go to a student with financial need, with preference to an adult learner beyond the traditional college age.

Margaret “Peggy” Hughes Akers Endowed Scholarship

This endowed scholarship was created by various donors and supported by students, colleagues and friends to remember Peggy Akers, who served Roanoke College for 43 years. Akers held an associate degree from Dabney S. Lancaster Community College (now Mountain Gateway Community College) and was the assistant to Kim Blair, vice president for advancement at Roanoke, until shortly before she died in August 2023. She is remembered for her bottomless devotion to Roanoke College and her loving demeanor with colleagues, which made her one of the College’s most adored staff members.

This scholarship was established to benefit a student with demonstrated financial need who displays an adoration for the College that represents the Maroon spirit, just as Akers did every day.

Kathryn K. Buchanan Endowed Student Scholarship

Kathryn Buchanan served Roanoke College as special assistant to the president for church relations from 1987-2010.

During that time, Buchanan – who was affectionately known as the “Church Lady” and carried that moniker on her license plate – represented Roanoke to the DC Metro Synod, the Virginia Synod and the West Virginia Synod of the Evan-

Peggy Akers

Kathryn Buchanan

L. Ellen Bradley (left) and her mother, Jenny Hughes Bradley ’84, celebrated the creation of a scholarship in Jenny’s name in fall 2023. Ellen Bradley and her husband, Brian Ivey, chose to endow the scholarship following Jenny’s death in November 2023.

gelical Lutheran Church in America. She used her gifts to encourage financial support of meaningful causes such as the $5.5 million effort for the Lutheran endowment, which funded the Roanoke College chaplaincy program.

Buchanan’s friend, Jeanne Buster, set up this new scholarship in honor of Buchanan and in recognition of her as a quintessential example of a faithful woman in the church. It is also meant to acknowledge Buchanan’s dedication to the Lutheran church and Roanoke College, and her work to champion and support students.

This scholarship will go to a Roanoke College student with demonstrated financial need.

The Jeffrey and Marianne Sandborg Endowed Scholarship

After 38 years at Roanoke College, the husband-andwife duo who became synonymous with Roanoke College’s choral music programs took their final bows as college employees and kicked off their muchdeserved retirement. But that doesn’t mean Jeff and Marianne Sandborg are finished making a difference in the lives of students.

The Sandborgs established this scholarship to honor their retirement and commemorate their contributions to the music program at Roanoke. The scholarship will benefit music students.

To support any of these scholarships, visit roanoke.edu/givetoday.

Introducing Senn Boswell ’21

Boswell took on the role of Young Associates Chair because he believes that alumni giving is key to student success.

By Lindsey Nair ’98

As a resident advisor at Roanoke College, Senn Boswell ’21 saw the impact of giving firsthand. When students struggled to pay for transportation or medical expenses during the pandemic, the Maroon Emergency Fund swooped in to help cover those needs, allowing them to focus on what mattered most: keeping up with their studies.

Now working as director of correspondence for Wyoming Sen. John Barasso, Boswell wants to support giving at Roanoke. That’s why he agreed to serve as Young Associates Chair, where he spreads the word about how giving can support student success.

“I’ve always believed in making sure I give back to places that have done more for me, and I feel that way about Roanoke,” Boswell said. “Shortly after graduating and getting myself settled in D.C., I sought the opportunity to set up a recurring donation. I specifically chose the Maroon Emergency Fund as my designee because I’ve seen the positive impact it can have on students who are in crisis or struggling.”

At Roanoke, Boswell earned degrees in business and political science. In addition to his work as an RA, he sang in the choir, worked in Student Activities, and served as president of Student Government Association and treasurer of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. He also teamed up with Noah Crist ’23 to

build the RC Minecraft server, which gave students an innovative way to gather safely during the pandemic.

Boswell believes students must find ways to make the most of their college experience, like he did. That’s easier to do with the kind of resources that come through giving societies such as Young Associates.

Young Associates is a group of recent graduates who choose to start giving back to the College right away. The program offers graduates from the past decade membership in the esteemed Associates Society through a more accessible tiered giving structure. Donors may choose to support essential operating funds or direct their gifts to specific areas, such as scholarships or athletics.

“You can always ease in to giving,” Boswell said. “You don’t need to dive in headfirst; you can set up small monthly donations at a rate you can afford to give, knowing that every little bit counts and that, as you feel more able, you can increase it.”

Senn Boswell ’21 talks to the crowd at President’s Evening about the importance of bringing young alumni into the fold of charitable giving.

Jeff and Marianne Sandborg react to a huge round of applause at their farewell concert at Roanoke College in May 2023.

Plucked from the past

More than 150 years ago, a Roanoke College student painstakingly created a book of delicate plant specimens that today contributes to our understanding of the undergraduate research of yore.

By Jesse Bucher

It may seem safe to assume that studentfaculty research is a modern phenomenon, but some of the first students at Roanoke College were also researchers — even if they weren’t attending conferences or submitting articles to publications at the same rate as today’s students.

Earlier generations of Roanoke students, especially those who studied here in the mid-19th century, had very different academic research experiences. A common activity, especially in courses devoted to the natural sciences, was to engage in local outdoor field research. In these outings to Masons Cove, Bennett Springs, Fort Lewis Mountain and other spots, students could observe and gather local flora before re-

turning to campus to review samples of their botanical discoveries. Other student outings at that time yielded tree saplings that later flourished on campus, including the famed Bittle tulip poplar. Recent efforts by students and faculty to document and form a digital catalog of campus trees have helped sustain a longstanding campus devotion to botanical research.

While very few examples of student scholarship from that time period survive today, the Roanoke College archive does possess a truly unique and extraordinarily intact botanical scrapbook assembled by a member of the Class of 1862, William C. Wire, between 1858 and 1867. Although we do not know if Wire first began the specimen book as part of his formal studies at the College, its form and format reconcile with the kind of research 19th century students would have conducted. Elegant photos of the scrapbook taken by multimedia producer Griffin Pivarunas ’16 capture the complex beauty of Wire’s collection. The detailed handwritten labels, exquisitely preserved plant and flower specimens, and carefully glued affixing straps demonstrate the seriousness Wire gave to his collection.

The final page of Wire’s specimen book adds a different, emotionally jarring and somber tone to the otherwise scientific

proceedings. The last floral specimen in the book came from the bouquet held by Wise’s young daughter during her funeral in 1867. Beneath the pressed flower, Wire skipped the plant name and instead wrote: “Dedicated to the memory of our little flower Lorena Floretta Wire who departed this life Jan 4, 1867 Age 3 years, 10 months, and 70 days.” This final addition to Wire’s cherished specimen book, as well as Lorena’s middle name ‘Floretta’ (a Latin name for flower), show the depth of Wire’s devotion to his beloved flowers.

Jesse Bucher is the Roanoke College historian and director of the Center for Studying Structures of Race. He is also an associate professor in the History Department.

Pages from the leather-bound specimen journal kept by William C. Wire. The journal is more than 150 years old, and many of the specimens are brittle but intact.

School of Law

Ryan Hupp ’10 is the assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Roanoke, Virginia. He is also coaching Roanoke College’s new mock trial team.

What has been your favorite career moment so far?

Several years ago, I was prosecuting a man for the rape of a 16-year-old girl. While preparing for trial, she lost her father as well. My heart broke for her. After her rapist was sentenced to prison, she came over and hugged me. She cried and thanked me repeatedly.

I’m not too proud to admit that I cried, too. I hope she’s doing well.

What’s your best Roanoke College memory?

During a meeting at Mill Mountain in preparation for a May Term in France, a young, bright and attractive woman –Ashley (Miller) Hupp ’10 – sat next to me. She was also going on the May Term, and we talked briefly about both of us being middle-namers. I remember exactly where we sat. Nine months later, we went on our first date to the President’s Ball. Now, we’ve been married 12 years and have a beautiful 11-year-old daughter.

What is a personal cause that means a lot to you? Why? Just help others. However it’s done, in whatever methodology, it’s important for all of us to look for ways that we can make the world better for our fellow humans. Whether it’s as small as just listening to someone or as large as donating millions of dollars, we can all do something to help another.

What brings you joy?

Spending time with my wife and daughter. Going on a walk on a clear, crisp morning. Solving a puzzle.

Photo by Griffin Pivarunas ’16

Rock of Ages

Wars, pandemics, weddings and funerals. First days, last days and May Daze. In good times and bad, the Roanoke College Rock (or Obelisk or Monument, if you choose) has helped spread the message. By our best guess, the Rock is 53 years old and wears far more than 53 layers of paint. Here’s a journey through some of its best — and worst — looks.

Marketing and Communications

Home at last

In December, Keshia Jones and her daughter received the gift of a lifetime: the keys to their new home. Jones is the proud owner of the 18th R House, which was built through an annual partnership that brings together Roanoke College students and Habitat for Humanity volunteers to build a new home for a local family.

“Being part of a community and knowing you’re working together toward something greater is really common at Roanoke College,” said project mentor Madison Smith ’24, “and students usually run right toward it.”