Roanoke College Magazine Issue 2, 2016 by Roanoke College

ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE ISSUE TWO 2016

Table of Contents

6 D ePartMeN ts 2

PRESIDENT’S PEN BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SNAPSHOTS

WE HEARD FROM YOU...

COLLEGE NEWS • Dedications: Cregger Center and Martin Luther statue • Roanoke’s Rhodes finalist • “Quotable”

13 f eature s

30 ATHLETICS NEWS • The history of Maroons Lacrosse • Men’s, women’s swimming coming in 2017-18.

13 175 Years Stories of Maroon Momentum

34 ALUMNI NEWS • Cradle of Jazz Project’s Julie Moore ’97 • Remembering Chris Caveness ’83

22 Then & Now

42 FROM THE ARCHIVES Celebrating milestone anniversaries: 1903-1992

“Dear, old Roanoke,” how you have changed...

27 175th Events

44 ROANOTES Roanoke College “firsts”

28 Campaign News 44

AT LEFT: Wheelin’. Photo by Sam Dean.

• Children honor parents — two RC alumni — with gift to College. • Estate gift creates endowment to support BUAD award, scholarship and programming.

ON THE COVER: Roanoke at 175.

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PRESIDENT’S PEN

Roanoke College Magazine

175 years.

“

We celebrate what has been accomplished. We anticipate with excitement what lies ahead for our College.

”

Editor Leslie Taylor

Amazing that in that very wide swath of time, a school for boys that started in a humble cabin now fills acres in Salem with beautiful spaces for learning, research, wellness and community. Today, Roanoke is a place where students learn from an innovative core curriculum and specialize in majors that allow for depth of study and research. It is a place where virtually all students participate in internships, creative projects, research, community service or study away. Without question, Roanoke College has evolved. But evolution has not come at the sacrifice of ideals we cherish. Individual students matter here. Classes remain small, for instance, fostering an environment in which professors know their students, and can mentor and encourage them. One of the longstanding truths about Roanoke College is that the Roanoke Experience (faculty+classroom+campus+community) equals more than most students might have dreamed for themselves. I know students who come to Roanoke with a clear path in mind and wind up graduating further along that path than they dreamed possible. Others find themselves at Roanoke and gain the wellfounded confidence to influence the world in positive ways. Exceeding expectations has also happened with the College. Committed men and women have contributed their work, their time and their treasure to see Roanoke College grow and accomplish more than the years before. Now, as we look to our 175th anniversary, we celebrate where that Maroon Momentum led us. We have made enormous progress in those 175 years. We celebrate what has been accomplished. We anticipate with excitement what lies ahead for our College. Go Maroons!

Contributing Editors Jenny Kincaid Boone ’01 Teresa Gereaux ’87 Alumni News Linda Lindsay Archives Linda Miller Contributors Jenny Kincaid Boone ’01 Karen Doss Bowman Brian Hoffman ’74 Sharon Nanz ’09 Photography Richard Boyd Sam Dean Carissa Szuch Divant Pete Emerson ’80 Sophie MacMillan ’19 Amy Pearman Design & Production Mikula-Harris Printing Bison Printing

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

Michael Creed Maxey

2016 – 2017 | board of trustees Mr. Morris M. Cregger, Jr. ’64, chairman Ms. Kathryn Snell Harkness ’73, vice chair The Reverend James F. Mauney, D.D., secretary Mr. Mark P. Noftsinger, treasurer Mr. Michael C. Maxey, president of the College Mr. Kenneth J. Belton, Sr. ’81 Mr. Kirk Howard Betts Dr. Paris D. Butler ’00 Ms. Pamela L. Cabalka ’76 Dr. M. Paul Capp ’52

Mr. Joseph H. Carpenter, IV ’99 Ms. Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo ’78 Mr. W. Morgan Churchman ’65 Mr. Malon W. Courts ’92 Mr. James Spencer Frantz, Jr. Mr. David L. Guy ’75 Mr. Michael P. Haley ’73 Ms. Judith B. Hall ’69 Mr. Richard S. Hathaway ’73 Ms. Peggy Fintel Horn ’78 Mr. John E. Lang ’73

Mr. Patrick R. Leardo Mr. Michael A. Martino ’79 Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. McCartin (Ann K.) Ms. Nancy B. Mulheren ’72 Mr. Roger A. Petersen ’81 The Reverend J. Christopher Price ’75 Mr. J. Tyler Pugh ’70 Ms. Margaret Lynn Jacobs Reichenbach The Reverend Dr. Theodore F. Schneider ’56 Mr. Andrew K. Teeter ’71 Ms. Helen Twohy Whittemore ’80

221 College Lane | Salem, VA 24153-3794 | www.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 E-mail .......................................alumni@roanoke.edu Church Relations ..........................................(540) 375-2547 Colket Center ...............................................(540) 378-5125 Intercollegiate Athletics .................................(540) 375-2338 Olin Box Office..............................................(540) 375-2333

2 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

snapshots Board of Trustees Chair Morris Cregger, center, and Trustee Donald Kerr, right, lead the first lap around the 200-meter track in the Kerr-Cregger Field House during the Cregger Center Campus Opening (top left, continuing clockwise). • Former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton, second from left, swung by Roanoke to campaign for her mother, Hillary Clinton. With her, from left to right, are RC students Ariana Bagherian, Myles Cooper and Brieanah Gouveia. • Friday night lights at “Pack the House.” • Director of Athletics Scott Allison answered questions from local TV, radio and newspaper journalists at Cregger Center Media Day. • Founder’s Day vogueing, courtesy of History department students and faculty. • RC Coffee Shop Talks, a relaxed forum for discussion and inquiry on a wide range of topics, returned in September.

As far as I am concerned, Roanoke College is the best in the world. As a returning Vietnam veteran, I was accepted and given very favorable treatment to further my education. They let my wife and I serve as dorm parents in the Honors Dorm rent-free. Made my return home a better experience than most vets at that time received. If I had a fortune, I would leave it all to Roanoke.

wE hEaRD fRom you

Don Sandridge ’72 Paul Hanstedt@curriculargeek

Just read a paper from a first-year student that re-invigorated my faith in humanity and the universe in general. #loveitwhenthathappens

LE TT ER S, TW EETS & FAC E BO OK POST S

LETTERS I very much enjoyed reading Issue One, 2016, Roanoke College magazine, especially the article “Gauging Public Opinion.” I have one question though about a photo shown with Five Inducted into Hall of Fame article on page 33. Is the photo captioned “Chris Keating” not in fact that of Doug Devine? If it isn’t, Chris sure is a dead ringer for Doug! Pam Ogden ’60 EDITOR’S NOTE: Both are former Maroons lacrosse players.

Keating ’06

Devine ’99

SOCIAL MEDIA Just saw a car with a Roanoke College sticker in the window. Totally did not hold back from rolling up to their window and having Evan beep for their attention. “Did you go to Roanoke???!” “We did!” they both say. “Me too!” “When did you graduate?” they ask. “A million years ago! ’98!” “We graduated a thousand years ago.” “Go Maroons!” These types of things don’t get to happen often in L.A. for me. Yay for small liberal arts colleges!

Alex Boone ’18, shared his top 10 list of things he wished he knew before coming to Roanoke College on Odyssey, a social media platform. His advice for freshmen, really, all students: 1. Get to know your roommate. 2. Spend time with Club Fintel [Library]. 3. Swipe out in Cavern on Saturdays. 4. Take advantage of the INQ curriculum. 5. Take INQs early and often. 6. Head for the Kicking Post. 7. Stay away from the Seal. 8. Embrace the challenge. 9. Get involved early. 10. Go to CAB’s bingo. Mike Stevens@oldschoolMike61

Sean Burch@SeanBurch

One of the current displays just inside the @VSHFM [Virginia Sports Hall of Fame] features the helmet of #vt star @cobrown58 & the jersey of @RCmaroons alum Frankie Allen.

Just broke 8th world record in #nepal thanks to the energy & inspirational music gods @Anthrax #Q48 EDITOR’S NOTE: Adventurer Sean Burch ’92 set his eighth world record in November by completing 31 first ascents of previously unclimbed mountains in the Himalayas.

BEHIND THE COVER STORY

Multiple hands were on deck during a September photo shoot in Olin Hall of Morris Cregger ’64 and Don Kerr ’60 for this issue’s “Momentum” cover story. Photographer Richard Boyd, under the direction of magazine designer David Harris, beautifully captured the genuine friendship between Cregger and Kerr, two men who have made significant contributions to athletics at Roanoke College. Filming a portion of the shoot was Steve Mason ’91, producer/director and founder of Roanoke production company Red Velocity, Inc., who grabbed some footage for a video of Morris Cregger.

Tamara Duricka Johnson ’98

We want to hear from you! Roanoke magazine welcomes letters and emails about what you read in this publication. Mail letters to: Magazine Editor, Department of Public Relations, Roanoke College, 221 College Lane, Salem, VA 24153, or send an email to: rcmagazine@roanoke.edu. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and may be edited for content.

CONNECT WITH US:

4 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

WEB roanoke.edu/magazine

TWITTER @RoanokeCollege

FACEBOOK facebook.com/roanoke

INSTAGRAM #roanokecollege

SNAPCHAT @roanokecollege

It is an honor and a privilege to assume the role as president of the Roanoke College Alumni Association. My goal is to continue the momentum that Rick Oglesbee ’95, my predecessor, brought to our organization with his vision and leadership. I am confident that with our chapters’ leadership, we have the team to succeed. Our first priority is alumni involvement. We will continue to advance projects and ideas that focus on maintaining current relationships and rekindling old ones. This means more than financial contributions as we focus on tapping the knowledge and experience that alumni can provide to current students through the Maroon Mentors Program. We also remain dedicated to involving all alumni, across the nation and the world. I encourage you to be a part of the upcoming 175th Anniversary celebration of the College in 2017. Many activities for alumni have been planned to recognize this milestone. I am excited about the future of the Alumni Association. In the last decade the College has accomplished a great deal, due to the commitment and ongoing support of our alumni. The future looks bright! — Joe Carpenter ’99

collegenews The new Morris M. Cregger Center.

“

This space engenders excitement. You can feel it. — Dr. Matt Rearick

” 6

simply, “Wow!” College dedicates Cregger Center and Luther Plaza MORRIS CREGGER ’64 stood before a crowd that included family, long-time friends, members of Roanoke College’s Board of Trustees, College faculty, staff and students, and many others. At times, he fought back tears. “There were hundreds and hundreds of people who came together to make this dream happen,” said Cregger, referring to the athletic and academic structure that bears his name. After several years of fundraising and construction, the Morris M. Cregger Center was dedicated during an Oct. 27 ceremony in its arena. The 155,000-square-foot facility, which opened in August, rises five stories and features the KerrCregger Field House (with a 200-meter indoor track), a health and human performance lab, an athletic training clinic, a performance gymnasium, the Belk Fitness Center, team locker rooms and more. The ceremony included remarks from President Michael C. Maxey, Director of Athletics Scott Allison, and Cregger, a charter Hall-of Famer who played four sports while at Roanoke, and who now serves as chair of the College’s Board of Trustees. He is CEO of Cregger Co., Inc., a South Carolina-based plumbing supply business with 32 locations. Others who spoke included Board of Trustees members David Guy ’75 and Nancy Mulheren ’72 and Dr. Matt Rearick, chair of the College’s Health and Human Performance department. “This space engenders excitement,” Rearick said. “You can feel it.”

“This building carries my name, but hundreds of people came together to make this thing happen.” — Morris M. Cregger ’64

He explained that not only does the new center offer premium athletic space, it provides a home for Roanoke’s Health and Human Performance department and its 200 student majors. The center houses a lab for the department, as well as classrooms and faculty offices.

“Hopefully, as students walk down this walkway, they will think about Martin Luther as they pass by and remember that you are saved by faith.”

Charles Schumann with sculptors Polly and Betty Branch after the dedication ceremony.

— Charles Schumann

For its athletic offerings, the Cregger Center and the area surrounding it already are in demand. During the ceremony, Allison shared that the Cregger will host several national and state-level sporting events during the 2016-17 academic year. They include the Division III NCAA men’s and women’s national soccer championships at Kerr Stadium in December and the Virginia High School League’s indoor track championships in February. At the back of the center is an outdoor patio that overlooks Kerr Stadium. The patio is named Pirro Patio in memory of Roanoke lacrosse player and coach, John Pirro ’77. More than $30.5 million was raised for construction of the Cregger Center. Its estimated economic impact is $1.4 million annually. “Today is a day to revel in what we shaped,” Maxey said during the ceremony. “The Cregger Center shows us what we can do together to make Roanoke College a better place.” Other Cregger features include Luther Plaza, the outdoor space at the center’s entrance on High Street, where a bronze statue of Martin Luther now stands. Created by local motherdaughter sculptors Betty and Polly Branch, the statue was dedicated during an outdoor ceremony on Oct. 30, Reformation Sunday. The statue of Martin Luther, a German monk and scholar whose ideas sparked the Protestant Reformation, is an important symbol of faith and the College’s Lutheran heritage. Roanoke is the second oldest Lutheran college

in the United States. “Hopefully, as students walk down this walkway, they will think about Martin Luther as they pass by and remember that you are saved by faith,” said Charles Schumann, who along with

his wife, Helen, donated the statue to Roanoke. The Schumanns, of Richmond, are ardent supporters of the Lutheran Church and of the College. They funded two professorships at Roanoke — the Charles and Helen Schumann Professor of Christian Ethics, held by Dr. James Peterson, and the Charles and Helen Schumann Professor of Lutheran Theology, which is held by Dr. Ned Wisnefske. The base is engraved with Martin Luther’s name, as well as the names of three Lutheran colleges that are part of Roanoke’s alumni group. They include Roanoke, Marion College and Elizabeth College. A plaque placed next to the statue holds a quote from the writings of Martin Luther. President Maxey described the statue as “a work of art and a statement of purpose” during the dedication ceremony. “It is a map on our way forward as a College,” he said.

Morris Cregger addresses attendees at the dedication ceremony. Behind him, left to right, are President Michael C. Maxey; Vice President of Resource Development Connie Carmack; Nancy Mulheren ’72, Board of Trustees member; and the Rev. Chris Bowen, Dean of the Chapel.

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collegenews AC C OL A D E

Hudon named Rhodes ﬁnalist Nov. 19, already has been elected into several honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa. Hudon works as a student manager for the Colket Center event staff. She plays clarinet in the wind ensemble and is the musical director for the women’s a cappella group, Mainstreet. She volunteers at a local hospice, works as a medical scribe at LewisGale Medical Center and works with Habitat for Humanity. Hudon also is a figure skater, having skated with the Ocean State Ice

“As a finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship, she has achieved a level of personal distinction that few students ever achieve.” — Dr. Richard Smith Rebecca Hudon in lab with Dr. Chris Lassiter, associate professor of biology.

FOR THE FIRST TIME in more than 100 years, Roanoke College has a Rhodes Scholar finalist. Rebecca Hudon ’17 shares the distinction with Frank A. Reid, who was named a Rhodes finalist, then Rhodes Scholar, in 1908, the year he graduated from Roanoke. Hudon, of Burrillville, Rhode Island, is a senior biology major, with minors in chemistry and music, as well as a concentration in neuroscience. A pre-med student, she works as a re-

search assistant with Dr. Chris Lassiter, associate professor of biology, on a genome editing tool to create mutant lines of zebrafish. “We are very pleased and excited for Rebecca,” said Dr. Richard Smith, vice president and dean of the college. “As a finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship, she has achieved a level of personal distinction that few students ever achieve.” Hudon, who interviewed with a regional Rhodes committee in Indianapolis, Indiana, on

[

Clay Street House reNovatioN aND rebirth

Theater, which won four national gold medals and competed internationally for a bronze medal at the World Cup. Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship awards in the world. Rhodes Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, but for their character, commitment to others and to the common good, and for their potential for leadership.

]

One of the oldest and most historically significant standing structures in Salem is the Roanoke College-owned Clay Street House, at the corner of Clay Street and Thompson Memorial Avenue. Believed to have been built about 1850, the house and lot became part of the larger property of College-owned Monterey House in the early 20th Century. Over the past year, renovation has given the modest, one-and-a-half story frame dwelling a new lease on life. Photos, left and right, show before and after the renovation.

8 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

“

QUOTABLE

“Few people thought this race would tighten to this degree, but this campaign has had more twists and turns than switchbacks on a steep mountain road.” — Dr. Harry Wilson, director of the Roanoke College Institute for Policy and Opinion Research, commenting on the results of the ﬁnal Roanoke College Poll before the Nov. 8 presidential election.

“[employers] certainly would like to have students who have entry-level skills so they can move right into a position in their organization or their company, but they’re also looking for students who have a broader set of skills that really are necessary for leadership and management success and so on. these are skills that are right at the core of what we have to oﬀer — critical thinking and writing well and being able to eﬀectively make oral presentations. our students get really great training in all that.” — Dr. Richard Smith, Roanoke College Vice President and Shirley C. and Donald E. Morel MD Dean, “Punching above its weight class,” Virginia Business magazine.

“Intelligent interaction with computers is really intrinsically social. People expect things of a computer often that they expect of another person.” — Rosalind Picard, professor and director of the Affective Computing Research Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who founded the ﬁeld of Affective Computing. Picard presented “Emotion Tech,” on Sept. 20, the annual Crumley Lecture sponsored by the Benne Center for Religion at Roanoke.

”

“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” — Roanoke College President Michael C. Maxey, quoting former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the Cregger Center dedication ceremony.

“I have never interviewed anyone who is quite the master of measuring the reaction to himself.” — Bob Woodward, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and associate editor of The Washington Post, referring to his interview with then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Woodward was Henry H. Fowler Program speaker at the College in November.

“There is only so much we can learn from books. Moving to Israel opened my eyes to the world around me, and offered me a chance to explore not only the topics that I found myself drawn to during college, but also to the topics I hope to explore in the future.” — Shaina Lidd ’15, Masa Israel Teaching Fellow writing about her experience in “Finding My Spark–From Roanoke to Israel,” which appeared in The Roanoke Times on Oct. 10.

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collegenews

â&#x20AC;&#x153;When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too

high, no trouble too diﬃcult to overcome.”

— WILMA RUDOLPH, U.S. OLYMPIAN

Student hike to Sharp Top Mountain, Peaks of Otter, Oct. 29, 2016. Photo by Sam Dean.

We wrestled mightily with the most appropriate way to commemorate the College’s 175th anniversary in Roanoke magazine. The institution’s history is far too rich, dense with important achievements, to fully retrace in the limited page count of this publication. Narrow the focus, was the conclusion. Home in on the 25 years since the last milestone anniversary — the 150th. Highlight the signiﬁcant, illuminate that which demonstrates progress over the past 25 years, aﬃrm the College’s emergence as a leading liberal arts institution. Tell the stories of Roanoke momentum. On these pages are a handful of the numerous examples, as told by the people who have at heart, the greatest possibilities for this institution. Succeeding in the decades-long quest for a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Strengthening a program that propels graduates into some of the best law schools in the country. Creating a path for Roanoke students to receive Fulbright awards. Envisioning — and conceiving — athletic facilities with impact that far exceeds touch lines, baselines and windowed walls. Maroon Momentum.

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BEYOND THE FIELD OF DREAMS BY K A R EN D OS S B O WMAN

or Maroon Hall of Famers Morris Cregger, ’64, and Don Kerr, ’60, lessons learned on the playing field at Roanoke College provided a strong foundation for their success in business. In vast appreciation, Cregger and Kerr have been ardent supporters of Roanoke athletics. Cregger — the owner and CEO of Cregger Company Inc., a charter member of the Athletic Hall of Fame and chair of the Roanoke College Board of Trustees — made the lead contribution to establish the new Morris M. Cregger Center. The 155,000-square-foot facility houses the Health and Human Performance Department and features a performance gym with a 2,500-seat capacity, a fitness center and an athletic training clinic. Kerr — owner and CEO of Kerr Industries, Inc., and a Roanoke trustee — provided the lead gift for the Donald J. Kerr Stadium, built in 2006 for soccer, field hockey and lacrosse competition.

Together, Cregger and Kerr — who are close friends — gave $5 million to build, inside the new Cregger Center, the KerrCregger Field House. It includes event seating for 3,500 and a 200-meter indoor track and is the only one of its kind in the Roanoke Valley. “Roanoke really helped set the path for my career,” Kerr says. “I feel thankful to be able to give back to help the school continue to provide an outstanding experience,

in the classroom and on the ﬁeld.” The two men believe these athletic facilities will be critical in helping Roanoke attract and retain outstanding students. “The Cregger Center certainly has that wow factor,” says Cregger, a Roanoke native. “I hope this facility will be valuable for recruiting and retaining students, but I also hope the entire campus community will enjoy it as a gathering place. We are blessed to have it. There’s nothing else like it in our athletic conference or in the state of Virginia.” The ﬁrst in his family to go to college, Cregger attended Roanoke on a basketball scholarship and lettered in basketball, tennis, soccer and track. He graduated with the school’s highest all-time scoring average per person in basketball and still ranks second in that category. In 1978, Cregger and his wife, Sheila, founded the Cregger Company, a wholesale distributor that serves the plumbing,

“An important lesson you learn in athletics is teamwork, and that serves you well in business.” — Donald Kerr ’60

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HVAC and electrical industries. He says he gives back to Roanoke as a way of honoring the people who helped shape his life and oﬀered him guidance along the way. “Throughout my life, my parents, coaches, teachers, friends, business associates and teammates have blessed my life in so many ways,” Cregger says. “I owe this to the community and to the College. I want other people to have the same opportunities that I had.” Kerr, who also attended Roanoke on an athletic scholarship, describes his experience at Roanoke as life-changing. The Philadelphia native was working as an apprentice in his grandfather’s tool and die shop when Coach Elwood Fox saw him play soccer and oﬀered him the chance to come to Roanoke. Kerr became a standout athlete. A twoyear captain of the men’s soccer team from 1956 to 1959, he also was a member of the men’s track team. Voted All MasonDixon Conference and All-State, Kerr set

the Virginia State Tournament scoring record as a senior and led Roanoke to the Virginia State Championship in 1957. After graduation, Kerr served as a member of the U.S. Intelligence Service, Far East, from 1961 to 1965. He started his career in the food industry at Campbell Soup Company. In 1999, he founded Kerr Industries after retiring as president and CEO of Crestar Food Products, a subsidiary of H.J. Heinz. Kerr Industries com-

prises the Bright Harvest Sweet Potato Company and Dakota Brands International. At Roanoke, Kerr is known aﬀectionately as “the sweet potato man” thanks to his donation of about 40,000 pounds of sweet potatoes for the College’s “Potato Drop,” held annually until a few years ago. This campus-wide service project brought together faculty, staﬀ and students to bag potatoes for donation to local food banks and homeless shelters. “Roanoke College has done a lot for me,” says Kerr, who lives in Brentwood, Tennessee, with his wife Linda. “I’d probably be a retired tool maker today if it wasn’t for Roanoke. You can’t know when you’re a teenager or young adult what you may end up doing as a career. The liberal arts education at Roanoke makes students well-rounded and really prepares them to be successful no matter what they decide to do.”

“Roanoke College gave me the vision to see that I could do a lot more with my life than I had envisioned when I was younger.” — Morris Cregger ’64

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QUEST FOR THE KEY BY SH ARON N AN Z ’0 9

r. David Gring, Roanoke College’s ninth president, was in the final months of his 15-year tenure when one of the College’s long-time goals was achieved. National Phi Beta Kappa Society officers arrived on campus in March 2004 to install 28 Roanoke faculty, administrators and staff as the Nu of Virginia Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and to award them their charter. “This day represents a dream come true,” Gring said then. “It’s the culmination of a five-decade journey. I’m very proud to be here at this particular time. We owe so much to those who came before.” The Phi Beta Kappa Society, founded in 1776, is the nation’s most prestigious liberal arts honor society. With its charter, Roanoke became one of just 270 colleges and universities to shelter a chapter. Roanoke’s Phi Beta Kappa quest began in 1952 with the vision of then-President Perry Kendig and Homer Bast, a professor, coach and administrator. The two men “first put this on the agenda of the College,” said Gring. Between then and Gring’s campus arrival in 1989, at least half a dozen unsuccessful applications were submitted to Phi Beta Kappa, which only considers applicants every third year. Gring had barely set foot on campus when Trustees Hartselle “Sox” Kinsey ’21, Jack Shannon ’52 and John Turbyfill ’53 appealed to him to carry the banner of the Phi Beta Kappa quest into his presidency.

“The strengthening that the College experienced also happened to lead to a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. We did these things to make the College stronger, better, and that led to a chapter.” — Dr. David Gring

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But Gring said he arrived to “a whole list of ongoing objectives,” which included the Sesquicentennial Campaign, library funding and construction, curriculum changes, and increasing the College’s regional and national visibility. Taking on the Phi Beta Kappa challenge as an explicit institutional priority was not an option. Nevertheless, Gring and others, including Gerald Gibson, then dean of the College; Daniel Larsen, executive director of research and planning; and sociology professor Dr. Gilbert Dunn — all Phi Beta Kappa key holders — picked up where previous advocates had left off, working behind the scenes to get the College on track for a successful Phi Beta Kappa bid. Under Gring’s leadership, the following years saw completion of the library and a significant increase in the College’s endowment; increased faculty-student research in all academic departments; a shift in faculty teaching load; a restructuring of course requirements; and an increase in endowment and scholarship funds, which strengthened the admissions profile and academic quality of the College. “This period also saw improvement in the regional and national prominence of the College, along with student achievement recognized through post-graduate fellowships and impressive placement rates in the nation’s most highly regarded graduate and professional schools,” Gring said. In 2003, after 14 years of steering the College in a positive direction — and yet one more rejected Phi Beta Kappa application — Gring learned that Roanoke would be granted the long-sought charter. “The strengthening that the College experienced also happened to lead to a Phi Beta Kappa chapter,” he said. “We did these things to make the College stronger, better, and that also led to a chapter.” Dunn and Larsen co-wrote the final, successful application. Dunn credits Larsen and those before him for their exhaustive work. He said Dean Gibson’s “extraordinary leadership” was essential to the process and that the chapter has had “no greater advocate” than Gring, whose “confident leadership during trying times was truly inspiring.” Gring deflected any praise. “A lot of people did a lot of work…over many years. We were here at the

“Having a chapter has been and continues to be instrumental in shaping Roanoke College’s identity as a leading liberal arts institution.” — Dr. Gilbert Dunn, sociology professor, Roanoke College

right time to be able to do a critical assessment of what needed to be done and act on it.” “I was happiest for Homer Bast, who was still here,” said Gring, who retired from the College in 2004. “I mean, Homer just worked on this tirelessly, virtually his whole career, and to be able to have it delivered while he was still here, that was good.” To date, nearly 400 students and several alumni have become Phi Beta Kappa key holders. In celebration of the charter signing, Nu Chapter sponsors an annual Charter Week every March. The guest speaker this academic year will be Jennifer Hochschild, Henry LaBarre Jayne Professor of Government and professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, and Harvard College professor. “Having a chapter has been and continues to be instrumental in shaping Roanoke College’s identity as a leading liberal arts institution,” said Dunn, the chapter’s first historian. “Perhaps most importantly, it serves as a reminder to all of us of our shared values with a broader and everlasting community of higher learning.” Editor’s notE: since retiring from roanoke College, dr. david Gring has enjoyed spending time with his wife, susan, at their smith Mountain Lake home and visiting with his two children and five grandchildren. He keeps active professionally in his capacity as senior vice-president with the executive search firm Myers Mcrae.

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REAPING REWARD BY JEN N Y K IN C AI D B OON E ’0 1

hree years ago, Jenny Rosti bought a picture frame, large enough to hold eight photos. As the new director of scholarships and fellowships for Roanoke College, she asked students who received these prestigious awards for study and research abroad, to send her a photo that represented their experiences. Fast forward to the present. Rosti needs to buy a third frame. The frames represent a picture that is becoming clearer each year. A growing number of Roanoke students are applying for and receiving these competitive national scholarships. Since 2012, 23 Roanoke students have received some of the nation’s top collegiate scholarships and fellowships, including Fulbright Awards, Benjamin Gilman International Scholarships, Harry S. Truman Scholarships and others. That’s compared with seven Roanoke students who received these awards between 2002 and 2011. “There’s a real excitement growing,” says Rosti, who also is a senior lecturer in Roanoke’s English department. She attributes the surge to greater on-campus promotion of these awards. But there’s likely more to the story. “It really is the support” of faculty, says Erin Keating ’17, who received a summer Fulbright Award to study Shakespeare in London as a fresh— Jenny Rosti man. “At a diﬀerent university, we would have been left to our own devices.” Since 2012, award recipients at Roanoke have traveled to and studied in such countries as China, South Korea, Argentina, New Zealand, Peru, Japan, Laos and England. The College’s growing list of award winners isn’t going unnoticed. Roanoke has been named one of the top-producing bachelor’s degree institutions in the country for Fulbright winners each year since 2013. Dr. Richard Smith, vice president and Shirley C. and Donald E. Morel MD Dean of the College, along with President Michael C. Maxey, made a deliberate decision ﬁve years ago to help students become aware and

“It takes a lot of courage to apply. One thousand words can determine whether they get [an award].”

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prepare for these scholarships. Rosti has executed this vision well, Smith says. “Her work has helped change the lives of many students and helped others outside the College to see how wonderfully accomplished our students are,” he says. To promote these opportunities, Rosti organizes campus meetings to discuss each award, inviting students who meet certain grade point average criteria. Many, including Keating, don’t know these grant programs exist, Rosti says. During her freshman year, Keating’s British literature professor told her about the Shakespearefocused summer Fulbright Award. Keating, a Shakespeare aficionado, applied for and was awarded the Fulbright. She was one of only three students nationwide who made the final interview cut. “Getting the Fulbright my freshman year really shaped my college career,” says Keating, a literary studies and creative writing major. “I held myself to a higher standard.” She plans to teach English and Renaissance literature, with a focus on Shakespeare, as a college professor. Rosti, along with several other faculty members, works directly with aspiring scholarship students to guide them through the challenging application process. This includes editing essay drafts, performing mock interviews and working with professors to ensure that their recommendation letters shine. It’s an effort to ensure that Roanoke students’ applications stand out. The personal essays required for many of the applications call for deep thinking and strong writing from students. Students may be asked about their passions or the moment they knew what path they hoped to follow. “You have to do a lot of soul searching,” Keating says. Rosti has personalized this essay-writing instruction with the creation of Fulbright Fridays. Each Friday afternoon from 2:30 to 3:30, students who are applying for Fulbrights or other scholarships meet in a campus computer lab. Rosti provides cookies and pizza, while the students labor over their essays. They write, rewrite and consult with Rosti and others. “It takes a lot of courage to apply,” Rosti says,

“Getting the Fulbright my freshman year really shaped my college career. I held myself to a higher standard.” — Erin Keating ’17

explaining that students may go through seven to 10 essay drafts before completing the final version. “One thousand words can determine whether they get [an award].” The editing and rewriting is gut-wrenching for the students — and for Rosti, who describes herself as a counselor and a coach. Keating recalls meetings with Rosti in her Miller Hall office to discuss essay drafts. “You could tell how much work you needed to do by how much chocolate she told me to take,” Keating recalls. Rosti’s office, she says, always is stocked with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Though she cheers on students throughout the application process, Rosti makes sure they know up front the reality: The probability of them not receiving an award is high. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards approximately 1,900 grants a year to college graduates with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Rosti said more than 10,000 applied in 2015. Similarly, last year 24 Roanoke students applied for Fulbrights and other high-level scholarships and fellowships. Eight awards were granted. When Keating learned that she received the London Fulbright Award, she called her mother. Later that day, there was “lots more jumping and crying” when she told Rosti the news. Promoting these scholarships to students has become easier each year, largely because of Roanoke’s track record. Rosti invites past winners to campus to share their experiences and offer tips to current students who are considering applying. Now, as a senior, Keating again is a regular at Fulbright Fridays. She’s applying for two scholarships to help pay for graduate school—a Fulbright and a Marshall Scholarship, which funds study at a Shakespeare Institute in the United Kingdom. Still, it was Keating’s first experience as a Fulbrighter that solidified her career aspirations. “It was a really great way to know the path for me,” Keating said.

ROANOKE.EDU

LAW SCHOOL TRAINING GROUND BY LE S L IE TAY L OR

r. Todd Peppers had never been inside a courtroom before he entered law school in 1990. “I went to law school because my roommate went to law school,” recalls Peppers, now lawyer, legal scholar, author and Henry H. & Trudye H. Fowler Chair in Public Aﬀairs at Roanoke College. “I had never taken a law-related course as an undergraduate, which made the ﬁrst semester of law school very challenging.” But embarking on the rigorous, expensive academic undertaking that is law school, today requires deliberate preparedness, Peppers says. When he joined the Roanoke College faculty in 2002, he set out to strengthen the existing pre-law course of study to ensure that students with law school aspirations graduated with the

20 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

tools needed for acceptance into and success at the best schools. The program would emphasize critical thinking, research and communication skills. It would oﬀer internships with federal judges, public defenders and U.S. attorneys’ oﬃces. It would supplement

the cost of student preparation for the Law School Admission Test. In the past decade, particularly in the years since the program was named in honor of S. Maynard Turk ’49 and his brother, the late Judge James C. Turk ’49 in 2010, Roanoke’s pre-law program has established an impressive record of placing students in top-tier law schools. Add to that, a reputation that a law school applicant from Roanoke College has the chops to succeed. “It’s pretty astounding success,” says Peppers, pre-law program coordinator. “We’ve had a slight increase in pre-law majors, but more than that, we’ve seen a diﬀerence in the quality of school and success students have in those schools.” That has come after a multi-faceted

“It’s pretty astounding success. We’ve had a slight increase in pre-law majors, but more than that, we’ve seen a diﬀerence in the quality of school and success students have in those schools.” — Dr. Todd Peppers

rebuilding of the program and support from the Turk family—in financial contributions, in providing internships and in attendance at program-sponsored events. Morgan Scott, a former federal prosecutor, former teaching associate at Roanoke and current part-time instructor at the College, suggested that the pre-law program be named after the Turk brothers— James, a senior U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Virginia before his death in 2014, and Maynard, retired vice president and general counsel of Hercules, Inc. The brothers “took very different paths in regards to the flexibility of a law degree,” says Peppers, who practiced law for several years before embarking on a career in academe. “They represent the possibility of success graduates can have in the legal profession.” The program is interdisciplinary, with coursework designed to give students—in any major—the flexibility to investigate subjects that are relevant to their interests and career plans. Courses include business law, constitutional law, civil liberties, criminal law and judicial process. The courses teach students to “think like lawyers” and expose them to the substantive study of law. For example, courses such as Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties are taught like law school cases, with students reading legal opinions and being questioned about said opinions through the Socratic method, where the professor teaches by engaging in dialogue with one or more students in class instead of lecturing. Aaron Fetrow, vice president of student

affairs at Roanoke who holds a J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law, teaches a course on criminal procedure. Peppers, a University of Virginia School of Law graduate who teaches the Constitutional Law course, also teaches criminal law. Internships are vital program components. About 75 percent of Turk Pre-Law Program students complete internships, many with the two commonwealth’s attorneys near campus — Roanoke County Commonwealth’s Attorney Randy Leach and Salem Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Bowers. The internships with Leach and Bowers offer much more than generic grunt work. Students “sit at counsel table in court, go to judge’s chambers, sit in on strategy sessions,” Peppers says. “It’s been a wonderful introduction to the criminal justice system.” The program also supports students as they prepare for the LSAT and the law school application process, paying for students’ testing fees and covering part of the LSAT preparatory course cost. In addition, a speaker series has brought high-profile people in to talk about aspects of the law. Speakers have included former actress Mary Badham, known for her role as Scout in the 1962 film “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and Piper Kerman, whose experience behind bars was the basis of a bestselling memoir, “Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Woman’s Prison,” as well as a hit Netflix series. On a bookshelf in Peppers’ office is a framed photo of his oldest son, Ben, with Sister Helen Prejean, whose death row ministry served as the basis for “Dead

Man Walking.” The photo was taken during Prejean’s 2008 campus visit, one that Peppers organized. Without question, the most visible evidence of pre-law program success is what happens to students after graduation. This year, seven members of the Class of 2016 were accepted to some of the country’s top law schools. Pre-law graduate Tabitha Green ’16 entered Georgetown University Law Center this fall. She says since starting classes there, “I have truly realized how much of a learning experience this was.” “Many of my peers [at Georgetown] have no experience briefing cases, but briefs were frequently among my course requirements in the pre-law curriculum,” says Green, who also was accepted to law schools at University of Virginia, Duke, Vanderbilt, William & Mary, and Washington and Lee. “In addition to the curriculum, the program takes the initiative to provide information about different law schools and to establish connections with local law school admissions counselors. In the long run, this is all very helpful. With the competitive nature of the admissions process, any insight you can gain is important.” Green’s synopsis precisely captures what the Turk Pre-Law Program aims to give students: a taste of what they’ll learn in law school. “That may help them make the important decision about law school,” Peppers says. “It’s not a decision to make lightly… Part of my motivation in helping create the pre-law program was to make sure our pre-law students had the skill set that I lacked.” Upon graduation from Roanoke, every Turk Pre-Law graduate receives a copy of Black’s Law Dictionary, the most widely used law dictionary in the United States. This significant gesture, Peppers says, is “to give them an important tool which they will use repeatedly on their new journey, but also remind them that their legal education is just beginning.” RC

ROANOKE.EDU

oing g m u ment goals.” o m p to kee tly greater er and novelist y a w “One ve constan Michael Korda, writ — a is to h

Dorm life in Sections during the 1950s.

Dorm life today, in the Market Street Complex.

22 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

President Charles J. Smith with students in the early 1940s.

The tradition of a College leader who connects personally with students continues with President Michael C. Maxey.

The Commons and Lab-Theatre, likely in 1930s. The two were officially joined in 1962, creating additional space in the dining hall and the Cavern.

The Colket Center, renamed such after a $12 million renovation that began in 1999. In 2015, the Sutton Patio, seen in foreground, was added.

Field hockey in the 1980s.

A Sept. 4, 2016 win against Washington College.

ROANOKE.EDU

Construction of the Monument, a 10-foot-tall concrete pylon, in 1970.

Students today, painting what is now known as “The Rock.”

Men’s Soccer team in the late 1940s/early 1950s.

A dance in Alumni Gym, circa 1940s.

Men’s Soccer team at a September 2016 match against Messiah College. The President’s Ball 2016.

24 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

The interior of the College library in 1962.

The Collegians Orchestra, 1941

The main floor of Fintel library after a sprucing-up in 2014.

The Jazz & Wind Ensemble Joint Concert in March 2016.

The Administration Building as the new century approached (circa late 1890s).

The Administration Building today, with Heritage Walk in place.

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The Cavern, when it opened in the fall of 1947.

The Cavern today, during a Wednesday Night Live performance.

The front porch of Monterey House in 1898.

40th Reunion attendees gather on the Monterey front porch during the 2015 Alumni Weekend.

26 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

associate professor of religious studies at the University of South Florida.

Mountain Day Hike October 28

ANNIVERSARY EVENTS

In recognition of the early tradition of Mountain Day, the College will host a hike to McAfee Knob for the student body.

Roanoke College Choir performs at National Cathedral

175th Event Lecture: “The ‘Martin Luther’ in Martin Luther King, Jr.”

175th Art Gallery Exhibit – Roanoke College and Hollins University

January 19

March 13 – March 31

Public lecture featuring Dr. Richard Lischer, James T. and Alice Mead Cleland Professor Emeritus of Preaching at the Duke University School of Divinity.

Roanoke College and Hollins University collaborative art exhibit in Olin Hall Galleries, focusing on studentcreated film shorts.

The Roanoke College Choir will perform at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on Reformation Sunday to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation.

Maroon Madness

Alumni Weekend 2017

Founders Day

January 25 The campus celebration begins with students, faculty and staff at a basketball doubleheader against Emory & Henry College at the Cregger Center.

Reunions 2017: April 7 – April 9. Reunions in 2017 will include: Honor Guard (Class of 1966 and preceding), and the classes of 1967, 1972, 1977, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012. Class of 1972: Hosting the Decade, 1969 – 1979.

Day of Service with Hollins University

Anniversary Year Campus Kickoff: April 7– April 9

February 18

Honoring Hall of Fame Members and Medalists: April 7. Event will honor all Roanoke Medalists and Athletic Hall of Fame members.

Roanoke students join students from Hollins University — also celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2017— for a joint day of service at Feeding America Southwest Virginia in Salem.

Showcase of Student Research & Creativity: April 7

175th Event Lecture: “A Lenten Penitence: Martin Luther and the Jews”

175th Event Crumley Lecture: “Scholarship as a Christian Calling”

March 14

September 19

Lecture featuring Dr. Dean Bell from the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.

Featuring Dr. Mickey Mattox, professor of historical theology at Marquette University whose primary expertise is in the life and theology of Martin Luther.

Viewing of the film “A Thousand Voices” and discussion with producer Pamela Pierce ’72 of Silver Bullet Productions.

November 16 Annual Founder’s Day celebration with a bonfire followed by a parade to the grave of Dr. David Bittle, first president of Roanoke College.

Alumni Association International Day of Service November 16 On Founder’s Day, Roanoke College invites alumni to take part in community service in their alumni chapter communities and respective areas.

Willie Baronet Exhibit – “We Are All Homeless – Signs of Humanity” October 27 – December 3

Women’s Forum Keynote March 15

October 29

175th Event Lecture: “Bonhoeffer and Luther”

Location: Olin Gallery

Archives Exhibit College Archives Exhibit throughout the entire 175th anniversary observance. Location: Fintel Library

October 12 Public lecture featuring Dr. Michael DeJonge,

MarooN sPotlight

Call for Nominations

In celebration of Roanoke College’s 175th anniversary in 2017, we invite the Maroon Nation to help identify Maroons to be in the spotlight. With Maroon Spotlight, Roanoke College will recognize and honor members of the College community who have made a significant impact in areas such as the sciences, military, education, religion, government service, innovations, and more. Because the goal is to recognize Maroons over the span of Roanoke College’s 175 years, nominees may be living or deceased. For example, Maroon Spotlight for Government Service would not be complete without the inclusion of Henry Fowler ’21, who served as President John F. Kennedy’s Secretary of the Treasury. Maroon Spotlight nominations may be submitted through January 16, 2017:

• by email rcnews@roanoke.edu • via snail mail to Maroon Spotlight 175, Roanoke College, 221 College Lane, Salem, VA 24153. Please include reason for nomination, the significant impact the individual has made in their field and contact information for both you and the nominee. You may submit more than one nomination. Categories include: Sciences, Athletics, Military, Alumni under 30, Community Service, Politics/Government Service, Student Leaders, Professors, Faculty/Staff Mentors, Innovators, Clergy, Artists, Lutherans, Educators, and Industry Leaders or Entrepreneurs.

• online at forms.roanoke.edu/MaroonSpotlightNomination

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campaignnews

GIVING WITH PURPOSE

Shirley Childs and Donald Morel as seniors at Roanoke College.

“

This is a wonderful legacy for the Morels and a very special honor for the College.

— President Michael C. Maxey

” 28

C A M PA IG N L EA D E RS H IP

Children honor parents’ legacy with gift to College onald Morel found his future at Roanoke College. The first in his family to attend college, the Midland Park, New Jersey, native was extremely proud of the education that prepared him for medical school and an eventual career in medicine. Roanoke also was where Morel, a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, found love. He met Shirley Childs, a Chi Omega sorority member who’d grown up in Rich Creek, Virginia, and graduated at the top of her Narrows High School class. The two, both chemistry majors, married after they graduated in 1956. Donald Morel went on to attend the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond and spent much of the 1960s in medical training and service in the U.S. Army as a captain and medical examiner. The family also lived in Germany for three years as part of his military work. After retiring from the Army as a lieutenant colonel, Donald Morel became chief of nuclear medicine at the former Allentown General Hospital in Pennsylvania. Shirley Morel worked as a chemist while her husband attended medical school. She also was a self-taught gourmet cook and a concert pianist who loved Mozart, Liszt and Chopin. The couple had two children, Donald Jr. and Michelle. An avid learner, Shirley Morel taught herself differential calculus in order to help Donald Jr. with his high school homework. Donald Morel Sr. died in 1988; Shirley Morel in 2015. This year, the Morel children, recognizing their parents’

belief in the importance of leaving a legacy at their alma mater, established Roanoke College’s Shirley C. and Donald E. Morel MD Dean’s Chair in memory of their parents. The position currently is held by Dr. Richard Smith, who is vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of the College. The Morels asked that their gift benefit the sciences at Roanoke College. “Their gift helps ensure that our science facilities, equipment and programs remain at the forefront of what the best liberal arts colleges offer and that the learning opportunities we provide to our students are second to none,” Smith said. Education was extremely important to the Morels. “Dad was very proud of the education that he received at Roanoke,” said Michelle Morel. “It was the springboard for him to be accepted at medical school.” Ultimately, a financial offering to Roanoke “was my dad’s wish,” said Dr. Donald Morel Jr. “Roanoke meant a lot to him.” President Michael C. Maxey called the gift a symbol of the Morels’ legacy at Roanoke. “This gift honors two of our alumni who not only found a passion for science at Roanoke, but also a lifelong relationship with each other,” he said. “Their lives have now come full circle back to the College through this significant gift. This is a wonderful legacy for the Morels and a very special honor for the College.”

campaignnews

E ND OW ME NT

Estate gift benefits BUAD students gift from the estate of one of the founders of Roanoke College’s Business Administration and Economics Department, and his wife, will support various aspects of their beloved BUAD. The estate gift, from Dr. John V. Spitz and his wife, Lela Spitz, will establish: • The Dr. John and Lela Spitz Endowed Scholarship in Business Administration and Economics, which will be awarded to a rising senior student with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, with preference given to a student with significant loan indebtedness; • An endowment to provide an annual Dr. John Spitz award of $500 to the Dr. John and Lela Spitz Outstanding Student in Business Analytics (Quantitative Methods). • The Dr. John and Lela Spitz Endowment to support programming that will provide Roanoke students with training, skills and confidence to be successful entrepreneurs. Additional estate proceeds, which may be distributed to Roanoke in the future, will be subject to designation by the Board of Trustees to support the highest needs of the College. John Spitz joined Roanoke College as a professor of economics in 1969. He later co-founded BUAD and chaired the department for many years. His appreciation for business began as a child, through his father’s successful stores and services, and his outlook was further informed as a youth, fleeing Nazi-controlled Germany and ultimately settling with his family in the United States. He earned a B.A. at Duke University and a Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee. Lela Spitz was a graduate of the University of Tennessee and Knoxville Business College. She worked for many years in the Roanoke College Admissions office and was very active in community affairs, serving on multiple Roanoke Valley non-profit boards of directors.

Revolution #45 Classes of 1969–1979 Roanoke College Alumni Weekend April 7–9, 2017 Class of 1972 Hosting the Decade For more information, contact Patsy Stevens ’72 at patsystevens@att.net; or Doug Clark ’72 at dougfhhs@gmail.com

CAMPAIGN PROGRESS

GOAL:

$200,000,000

Endowment brings lecture series to Roanoke In April, the Gamma Pi chapter of Delta Gamma announced the completion of the endowment goal for a Lectureship in Values and Ethics Series for Roanoke College. Current students, alumni, parents and friends raised over $50,000 in less than a year, spurred by lead gifts from Debbie Downard ’73 and Lindsey Porter Bowman ’75. Pictured, from left to right, at a check presentation are Debra Downard; Lindsay Porter Bowman; President Michael C. Maxey; Roxanne LaMuth, executive director, Delta Gamma Foundation; Tricia Bradley, former director of Lectureship in Values and Ethics Program; and Carol J. Nunnally, advisor, Gamma Pi Chapter, Roanoke College. Anyone interested in supporting the efforts of the Gamma Pi chapter and Delta Gamma can designate their gift to Roanoke College and note “Gamma Pi Lectureship.”

$182,000,000*

* As of November 30, 2016. Includes $30.13 million for the Cregger Center.

ROANOKE.EDU

athleticsnews

“

We used to throw the ball around for fun but no one else knew what lacrosse was. — Gary Trageser ’67

” 30

Bob Rotanz ’78 (No. 7) during the 1978 national championship game against Hobart College.

tough, humble beginnings The history of men’s lacrosse at Roanoke THE ROANOKE COLLEGE LACROSSE PROGRAM has a history of success, with many conference championships, All-Americans, NCAA appearances and even a national championship team. Equally as significant, is how this sport came to be in a small, Southwest Virginia town. Fifty years ago, lacrosse was far from a national game. It thrived in the Baltimore, Maryland and Long Island, New York areas but was seldom seen in Virginia. So when Roanoke College students who ventured south to school from those two localities started tossing the ball around on the Back Quad, it was greeted with looks of curiosity by the local crowd. “We used to throw the ball around for fun but no one else knew what lacrosse was,” said Gary Trageser ’67, a member of the very first team. “Then one year, I think it was 1965, we put on an exhibition at halftime of a soccer game. The place went crazy, and we started to get a following after that.” The first “club team” was played in the spring of 1965 after three years of promotion by students at the College who were passionate about the game. Doug Smith ’65 and David Hume ’68 were instrumental in getting donations and a grant from the National Lacrosse Association, and Smith, a student, was appointed player-coach of the first RC team. Smith and his brother, Terry, called on Salem businesses to secure funding for the program because the National Lacrosse Association (NLA) required matching funds. They raised $1,000, and the NLA matched the total for much-needed equipment. The first team borrowed soccer uniforms, and the players provided their own helmets, gloves and sticks, which were hard to come by in Southwest Virginia. Despite the absence of participation from the College, Smith and friends were undeterred. Smith was able to pull together a five-game schedule for the spring of 1965, including two home games. On May 4, 1965, the Roanoke club team defeated the Washington and Lee University junior varsity, 5-3, on a field where the Science Complex now stands. The club picked up 18 more players for the 1966 season. Smith was determined to make lacrosse a varsity sport but the school required that a faculty member be associated with the team. Smith talked soccer coach Andy Moson ’62 into becoming the first official lacrosse

Bill Doxanas ’72 during his playing days.

“We didn’t have enough gloves, so one guy would come off the field and he’d toss his gloves to the guy going in.” — Bill Doxanas ’72

coach at Roanoke. The 1966 team, with 27 players, went 3-3. They beat W&L, Randolph-Macon and the Augusta Military Academy, and lost to Swarthmore, Duke and East Carolina. Swarthmore was nationally ranked but the young Maroons team battled them to a 16-10 loss. “We had some good players,” said Terry Purvis ’69, who was a freshman on that 1966 club team. “Most of our players had played in high school, but outside of the Baltimore and Long Island areas there weren’t many places to play lacrosse in college.” In 1968, the school officially recognized the lacrosse team as a varsity sport. Much of the equipment, however, was supplied by the players or donations from parents. “We didn’t have enough gloves, so one guy would come off the field and he’d toss his gloves to the guy going in,” said Bill Doxanas ’72, who would go on to become Roanoke’s first AllAmerican player. “We had maybe a dozen balls for the whole season. When we’d go to an away game we’d grab balls and tape and anything we could get our hands on,” Doxanas said. “The school had made us goals but the pipes weren’t the right size and the nets didn’t fit.” Bill Pilat ’85, now in his 28th season as lacrosse coach at Roanoke College, says the team still has that goal. “We still use it,” said Pilat. “It’s a big heavy thing and the pipes are huge. It’s supposed to be six feet tall, but it’s 6’1”. We had two of them but one of them broke. They were here when I was a freshman and I’m pretty sure they were the original goals.” That’s about the only thing that hasn’t changed since the ‘60s. The team now rides to road games in a nice bus and has a spacious locker room in Alumni Gym. The team also has a brand-new, state-of-the-art locker room in the new Cregger Center that leads to an entrance to Kerr Stadium. “We didn’t even have a locker room,” Doxanas said. “A lot of the players were in fraternities, and they’d get dressed at the fraternity house and walk across the street for practice.” As for a bus? Forget it. “We’d load up in cars to drive to the games, five or six to a car,” he said Purvis remembers a trip to East Carolina University in 1968 when the Maroons almost didn’t reach their destination. “It was right after Martin Luther King was killed,” said Purvis. “The National Guard was stopping cars on the road looking for strikebreakers, and they saw our helmets in the back window. They thought we were there to cause trouble, but one of the guards was familiar with

John Pirro ’77, an icon who inspired others with his selfless devotion to the ideals of intercollegiate athletics during his tenure at Roanoke.

Hall of Fame Coach Paul Griffin.

An NCAA press conference in 1992, the year the Men’s Lacrosse Team advanced to the national championship game for the third time in a 14-year span. Seated at the left is Coach Bill Pilat ’85, former player and now in his 28th season as head men’s lacrosse coach.

lacrosse and told them they were lacrosse helmets, and they let us go.” By 1969, the team was well-established. Moson left the college in 1970 and Ted Savage was hired to coach the team beginning in the 1971 season. Doxanas credits Savage with taking the program to another level. “We beat a lot of good teams that year,” he said. “We beat UNC, and the University of Virginia was the only team to blow us out.” Doxanas was named Honorable Mention AllAmerican that year, the first of many to be so honored in program history. Pilat looks back at the 1972 year, when the team joined the USILA, as the true start of the current varsity program. But he respects the efforts of the program’s founders and enjoys meeting the old players during Alumni Weekends and on trips out of town. In March, he recently talked with Dick Sears ’65, a member of the founding 1966 club team, on a Men’s Lacrosse Team trip to Colorado. “It’s important to pay tribute to the guys who started it and paved the way,” said Pilat. “We’re fortunate they did the hard work and had the love for the game to start it up here.”

Many of the founding players continued to be involved in the game after leaving Roanoke, coaching, officiating and promoting the sport. They’re very proud that only a dozen years after that first club team took the field, the Roanoke College Maroons won the national championship under Hall of Fame coach Paul Griffin. The rest is history, but they’d like to be included in the early chapters. “I’m proud to have been part of the history of this program, said Purvis, who’s had two daughters graduate from Roanoke. “We put lacrosse on the map at Roanoke. Without us, there probably wouldn’t be a Mac and Bob’s in Salem.” Mac and Bob’s, a Salem restaurant, is owned by Bob Rotanz ’78 and Joe Dishaw ’78, who were members of the 1978 national championship team. It’s been a meeting place for the lacrosse community for years. Among the many lacrosse photos on the restaurant walls is a picture of Doxanas, the first All-American. “Five years later I might not even have made the team,” Doxanas humbly said. “We were big fish in a little pond, but we got the program started and it’s been a great thing for the College.” — Brian Hoffman ’74 ROANOKE.EDU

athleticsnews

Game On! Women’s Soccer

Sept. 21: A hat trick by Sierra Lynn-Johnson ’17 (seen here executing a front header) led Roanoke to a 9-0 win against Hollins College.

Pics from the fall Athletics season...

Men’s Soccer

Sept. 2: Fortune Sibanda ’18 (No. 10) in action during men’s soccer season opener against Messiah College.

Volleyball Field Hockey

Sept. 4: Katerina DeSimone ’17 (No. 9) scored twice as Roanoke topped Washington College 4-2. 32 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

Oct. 6: Kylah Blackmore’18 (No. 9) had 14 kills as Roanoke topped John Wesley College 3-0 in volleyball action on Dig Pink Night.

s Co r eb oar D BA C K H O M E

Olympian joins soccer staff WOMEN’S SOCCER 9-6-4 (7-3 ODAC)

MEN’S SOCCER 9-5-5 (5-0-4 ODAC)

FIELD HOCKEY 11-7 (4-4 ODAC)

VOLLEYBALL 17-9 (5-6 ODAC)

Shelley Olds ’03

RC HALL OF FAMER and former Olympian Shelley Olds ’03 has returned to the women’s soccer program as an assistant coach. Olds, who has been working with the Maroons since preseason training began, will be involved in all facets of the RC program under the direction of Head Women’s Soccer Coach Phil Benne. “We are ecstatic to have Shelley on staff,” Benne said. “Adding someone with her credentials as a former ODAC Player of the Year and an Olympian will prove to be a valuable resource in developing our current players both on and off the field.” A 2016 inductee to the Roanoke Athletic Hall of Fame, Olds was a two-time NSCAA All-South Region selection and the 2002 ODAC Player of the Year. Olds was a four-time All-ODAC selection, including three first-team honors to close her career. A two-time VaSID College Division All-State selection, Olds left the program as the all-time leader in scoring (98 pts.) and assists (26) and second in career goals (36). Following graduation, Olds became a World Class cyclist, representing the United States in the 2012 London Olympics after winning the UCI Road World Cup in China and a stage in of the women’s Giro d’ Italia.

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY 2nd in the ODAC Championships

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY 5th in the ODAC Championships NOTE: As of Nov. 22, 2016

For the latest scores, go to

roanokemaroons.com

BI G S P L A S H

roanoke adds men’s and women’s swimming MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SWIMMING is coming to Roanoke College. Director of Athletics Scott Allison ’79 announced in September that the College will add the two programs to the Maroons’ NCAA Division III sponsored sports, with competition beginning in 2017-18. The two programs will swim at the Salem YMCA, which is located on Roanoke’s Elizabeth Campus. The YMCA features an eight-lane, 25- yard pool that includes a scoreboard and accommodations for fans, officials and timers. Scott Thacker — former director of competitive swimming for the Shenandoah Marlins Aquatic Club in Waynesboro, Virginia — has been named the Maroons head swimming coach. “We’re excited to add men’s and women’s swimming to

our list of intercollegiate athletic offerings here at Roanoke College,” Allison said. “The habits swimming devotees develop during their formative years — sacrifice, commitment, discipline — are conducive to in- and out-of-theclassroom success. We will surely welcome their presence within our community.” Men’s swimming is the newest sponsored sport in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Roanoke will join Hampden-Sydney College, Randolph-Macon College, and Washington and Lee University as full ODAC members who sponsor men’s swimming, along with associate members Ferrum College and Greensboro College. Women’s swimming has been part of the ODAC since 1983 with seven current full member institutions fielding teams, along with Ferrum and Greensboro.

rC|athleticsfacts • The Field Hockey team placed four student-athletes on the ODAC Field Hockey All-Conference Team. Shelbi Holloman ’17 and Kellie Jasinski ’17 were named First-Team All-ODAC, Kaylin Stenson ’19 was named second-team, while Rebecca Schmidt ’18 was a third-team choice. Holloman capped her career as the Roanoke all-time leader in both goals (56) and points (128). • Kylah Blackmore ’18 and Ryan Hedgepeth ’18 have been named to the ODAC Volleyball All-Conference team. Blackmore was named Second-Team All-ODAC following a junior season in which she ranks 10th in the ODAC with 2.98 kills per game. A third-team choice, Hedgepeth’s 5.20 digs per game was second best in the ODAC, while her 5.15 stops in ODAC matches was second best as well.

• The Roanoke Women’s Cross Country team finished second at the ODAC Championship behind a first-place finish from Kerri Dalton ’17 and a fourth-place finish from Claire Brooks ’17. The men’s team finished fifth and Kevin Waterman ’18 earned Third-Team All-ODAC honors. • Six Roanoke Men’s Soccer student-athletes were named to the 2016 ODAC All-Conference Team including Marc Hoppler ’20, who was named the league’s Rookie of the Year. Five Roanoke Women’s Soccer student-athletes were named to the 2016 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Women’s Soccer All-Conference team, including Emily Whitaker ’18, who was named First-Team All-ODAC.

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alumninews

Roanoke College magazine welcomes news of your recent accomplishments and/or transitions.

You can write to us at: Office of Alumni Relations, Roanoke College, 221 College Lane, Salem, VA 24153-3794; call us toll-free at 1-866-RCAlums; fax us at 540-375-2398; email us at alumni@roanoke.edu or update your record online at www.roanoke.edu/maroonsonline. Due to space constraints and time between issues, submissions might appear in an upcoming issue. Editorial contributions are welcome but subject to editing. Photographs may be used as space permits, submitted in print or digital format. Digital photos must be 1 MB in size or larger. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee return of contributed materials. We look forward to hearing from you!

class notes 1930s Margaret Robertson ’39 celebrated her 100th birthday in April. Robertson, a Roanoke Valley resident, still works out at a local YMCA three times a week.

1960s Dr. Kenneth Garren ’62, president of Lynchburg College, received the Council of Independent College’s Charles W. L. Foreman Award at the CIC State Funds Annual Conference in May. The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated “truly exceptional commitment and leadership” in the advancement of the national CIC and its state fund members. The award is named in honor of Charles W. L. Foreman, who served as executive vice president of UPS, president of the UPS Foundation, and chair of the board of the former Foundation for Independent Higher Education, which merged with CIC in 2010. Ruth Foust Devall ’66 lives in Arlington, Virginia, and is retired from her government contractor position. She recently traveled to the Normandy region of France and to Paris. Donald Avidano ’68 is retired from the U.S. Postal Service. He was manager of administrative services/federal contracting officer of the Dallas Division, Northwest Texas.

Patricia Haas Womelsdorf ’73, writes: “Each summer members of the Roanoke College Gamma Pi chapter of Delta Gamma reunite. This practice has been in place since 2009. In late June 2016, the group met in Saint Michaels, Maryland for a long weekend of fun. Here, we enjoyed The Patriot Cruise on the historic Miles River. We really got the attention of the captain too!” Pictured, right to left, beginning in the front: Sallie Potts Noonkester ’72, Patti Haas Womelsdorf ’73, Winkie Watters Brittingham ’71, Carol Krivak Stewart ’73, Lou Ann Toombs Ruppel ’72, Lindsay Porter Jones ’75, Diane “DB” Bowden Brock ’71, Alison Marr ’74, Kristen Gulbrandsen Allington ’74, Linda Efird Hershey ’75, Lynn Barker Leith ’75, Mary Gayle Reynolds Holden ’70, Diane (Didi) Storm ’75, Lee Kelly ’75, Ann Martin ’74, Karen McKee Crossland ’75. (Not pictured: Barbara [Bobbie] Crump ’71, Linda Larrick Burges ’71, and Debbie Fritz Noble ’71.)

1970s Thomas C. Smedley, Ph.D. ’73 is an adjunct professor at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Dr. Don Martin ’74 has co-authored the book “Finding Grit: The No-Nonsense continued on page 40

In January, 18 Roanoke Sigma Chi’s, representing the classes of 1964 through 1970, gathered at the Lauderdale Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a reunion. Many had not seen one another in 50 years; some had never even met, given the spread of the class years. One of the highlights was taking group pictures and singing the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi song to Betty Lind Fredrickson Barbatsuly ’65. Pictured, left to right, front row: Alan Migdall ’69, Tom Mercaldo ’66, Dick Epperly ’69, Betty Lind Fredrickson Barbatsuly ’65, Bill Booth ’64, Dick Sears ’65 and Craig Rowley ’69. Back row: Richard Schiff ’70, Charlie Kamen ’70, George Goodridge ’67, Rex Murphy ’68, Tom Hinkel ’66, Derry Robinson ’67, Jack Inglis ’69, Dick Sullivan ’65, Bill Holmes ’68, Chuck Bittle ’66, and John Cole ’64.

Susan Alexander ’73 received the Stand Up Carolina Hero Award in March. The award recognizes University of South Carolina students, staff and faculty who, through a variety of actions and deeds, have helped friends, classmates, co-workers and others. Susan, director of service learning and undergraduate research, and an academic advisor at the university, was recognized for the assistance she provided to a student and the student’s family. Pictured with Susan is Gene Luna ’71, the university’s associate vice president of student affairs and academic support.

A L U M N I

P R O F I L E

exploring, embracing our musical roots

A&E NETWORKS

JEREMY FLEMING, FURMAN UNIVERSITY

Julie Moore ’97 has become an expert on the influence of West African music in American music traditions — so much so that the producers of this year’s “Roots” television remake sought her out as a consultant.

Actor Forest Whitaker, left, as Fiddler in the recent “Roots” remake.

oots,” the 1977 television miniseries based on author Alex Haley’s book of his family’s history, returned to TV in May in a four-night remake airing on the History Channel, and the Lifetime and A&E networks. To ensure the music held to historical accuracy, producers sought assistance from experts on the music of slavery. One such expert was Julie Moore ’97, who teaches world music at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Moore was brought in for historical consultation on plantation scenes in nights one and two of the miniseries. “Over the last several years, my research has focused on revealing the cultural predominance of the Mande people in the early generations of the slave trade,” Moore says. Mande is a term used to identify the language group that embraces the western third of Africa’s great northern savanna and coastal forests. “This research came in handy to the A&E producers of the “Roots” series. I was able to assist in some of the musical details of the film,” she says. That assistance included finding music lessons for actor Forest Whitaker, who stars as the character Fiddler, a slave and mentor to central character Kunta Kinte. Exploring the roots of American music is a passion of Moore’s. She has started a nonprofit that illuminates the influence of West African music, theory and culture in American music traditions. In 2011, Moore and her husband, Andrew, founded the Cradle of

“R

Jazz Project, which aims to broaden the scope of jazz history by demonstrating the strength of its roots in the Mande music of West Africa. This fall, Cradle of Jazz Project launched a three-month educational exchange program that pairs artists and children in the United States with artists and children from Mali. Student participants are 6, 8 and 12 years of age. According to the nonproﬁt’s website, “through this annual quarter of immersive programming, both Western and Malian youth participants grow up to be truly ﬂuent in multiple musics, languages, and cultures.” Eventually, “we’re hoping to sponsor these students straight through high school,” says Moore, who has been described as a faithful advocate for the integration of Malian artists and scholars into U.S. universities. “Our wildest, best outcome is that they will get accepted into a university of their choice and pursue whatever path they desire.” The Cradle of Jazz Project’s Mande Strings tour visited Roanoke College in October as part of a series of performances at East Coast colleges and universities. The tour featured three artists performing on four of West Africa’s predominant stringed instruments. “I want our enjoyment of these beautiful artists and their music to serve the artists and their families in as meaningful a way as their music and culture serve us Westerners who’ve come to love it,” says Moore.

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alumninews Guide for Raising Your Daughter to be Successful in Athletics, School, and Life.” Don is a professor and coordinator, school counseling program, at Youngstown State University in Ohio. Mary Carroll Weiss Ryan ’75 lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and has had two grandchildren during the past year.

1990s Cynthia Mullen-Gartland ’90 has earned a certified fraud examiner designation. Dr. Marc McClure ’90 received the Research Excellence Award from the East Tennessee Historical Society for his re-

search on Tennessean Lt. Kiffin Yates Rockwell, an aviator who was killed in action in World War I. Marc’s research resulted in “Valor,” a 50-minute documentary film about Rockwell’s life. The award recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the preservation, promotion, programming

Lee Lowery ’96 shared this photo, taken in May at a Class of 1996 Girls’ Weekend, held at Dave Matthews’ Blenheim Vineyards in Charlottesville, Virginia. “We had an amazing weekend,” Lee wrote. “We hadn’t all been together in 15 years!!” Andy Carr ’85 was selected to officiate at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in Track and Field in Eugene, Oregon. He had applied to serve as an official for the past six trials and was happy to finally realize one of his lifetime goals. At the event, he served as a finish line coordinator, and his duties included ringing the bell to signal the final lap for distances 1,500 meters or longer. Officials for the Track and Field Olympic Trials are required to have experience at the national or masters level. They also must have attended clinics and traveled to a variety of meets to serve in different roles. Andy is manager of event and program support at Atlanta Track Club and coaches at Milton High School. Pictured: Andy, at far right, with other finish line crew officials, Richard Kaluki, far left, and Lloyd Cornelius, center.

and interpretation of the region’s history. Matt Burton ’91, of Manahawkin, New Jersey, was named president of the LBI Arts Council, a non-profit art advocacy and promotion organization in Long Beach Island, New Jersey. Scott Grace ’93 has opened a new business, Newport Laser Tag Center, in Newport, Rhode Island, and welcomes RC visitors. Brooke Huff Rieger ’94 teaches French and Spanish to lower- and middleschool students. Jonathan Lee ’95, former director of Alumni and Family Relations at Roanoke College, is now director of Alumni Engagement and Student Enrichment at the College. His new duties include expanding the Maroon Mentors program, which partners students with alumni mentors who work in the students’ potential career field. He will also help design, organize and facilitate other programs that enhance alumni volunteer involvement in College initiatives, especially in relation to career development, outreach and recruitment. James Guthrie ’98, USAF, is serving as the exchange officer and aircraft maintenance instructor to the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force’s 1st Technical School. He is stationed in Hamamatsu City, Japan. Daniel Riley ’98 is senior sales representative at National Public Radio Satellite Services. Previously, he worked for Qwest Communications and Teksystems, Inc.

2000s Paul Baly ’98, Evan Burchell ’99, Ryan Scaffe ’00, Jason Whiffen ’98, Dan Soi ’98, Billy Crawford ’98, Andy Golden ’98, Bill Siciliano ’99 and Hillary Andrews ’99 gathered in Westchester County, N.Y., to celebrate Dan’s 40th birthday.

Hilary Tulloch Ambroziak ’01 and her husband, Matt, participated in the Passo dello Stelvio road bike race in Bormio, Italy in June 2014. Proceeds from the Belgian-sponsored event benefitted diabetes awareness programs. The ride had stunning scenery, including waterfalls, alpine tundra, snow-covered fields and impressive, snow-capped mountains. In July 2015, Hilary rode in the Rapha Women’s 100, a 100 km global cycling event that brings awareness to women’s cycling. Hilary’s group was led by Olympic medalist Connie Carpenter. Hilary lives and teaches in Boulder, Colorado. 36 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

In February 2016, Chris Scharrer ’90, at right, and Jeff Grimm ’92, left, were among 20 volunteers who traveled to Copan, Honduras to help with the installation of gravity-fed clean water systems for two remote villages. Once completed, the project will bring clean water to more than 200 people. Chris and Jeff worked with Agua para el Pueblo, a Honduran NGO that specializes in the design and construction of water and sanitation systems, and the residents of the communities served.

Lindsay Potter ’00 is marketing director for Connecticut-based Boathouse Beverage, LLC/Spiked Seltzer. Previously, she worked as speaker relations manager for TEDMED, LLC and as a manager for Lululemon Athletica. Lindsay received a B.A. in sociology and education at Roanoke. Carmen Hambrick ’01 was promoted to director of strategy and business development with Corvesta, Inc., in Roanoke, Virginia. Kristen Cangelosi ’03 is stationed in Camp Guernsey, Wyoming. She previously was stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, where she was a nuclear security inspector with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Defense Nuclear Surety Inspections Oversight Division. Her responsibilities included conducting inspection oversights to assess Air Force and Navy inspection teams at nuclear-equipped units stationed throughout the world. At Camp Guernsey, she is Commander of the 620 Ground Combat Training Squadron. Joel Lee ’03 is assistant vice chancellor at Winston-Salem State University. He and his wife Katie, live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

from student-athletes to college athletics careers Stewart

Madalon

Nate stewart ’03 is the new athletic director at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota. Nate had been serving as director of athletics at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he was the school’s head men’s basketball coach and served as the assistant athletic director for advancement. Nate played basketball at Roanoke, where he received a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance. He holds a master’s degree in athletic administration from Marshall University. Matt Madalon ’06 has been named permanent head men’s lacrosse coach at Princeton University. Matt, who had been interim coach of the team, becomes the 11th head coach in the history of the program. Matt was a two-time Division III All-America at Roanoke, where he earned a degree in history with a minor in education. He holds a master’s degree in management from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, where he served as the offensive coordinator and goalie lacrosse coach and associate head coach. Matt, who played in Major League Lacrosse for the San Francisco Dragons and Long Island Lizards, spent a year at Hampden-Sydney College in his first college coaching role. billy Cameron ’08 has been named an assistant men’s lacrosse coach at Hampden-Sydney College. He had been an assistant at Bridgewater College since 2012. Prior to that, he served as the head coach for the Southern Virginia Select Lacrosse club for three seasons, and assistant boy’s lacrosse coach at Salem High School. Billy’s Salem High School duties also included time as a special education instructional assistant, where he worked with students with multiple disabilities. A four-year starter and 2008 All-American while at Roanoke, Billy was a first team All-ODAC selection as a senior and helped lead the Maroons to a pair of NCAA semifinal appearances and two ODAC Championships. Billy lives in Farmville, Virginia with his wife Alison.

Cameron

Monique Ingram ’04 was named one of Bella magazine’s “10 Extraordinary Local Women.” Monique is a health educator for Planned Parenthood Health Services in Roanoke, Virginia. “I thought the only way I could do something with women’s reproductive health was to be a doctor or an OB/GYN,” Monique said in an interview with Bella. “I started talking to people at Roanoke College, particularly Dr. Deneen Evans [’93]. We discussed how to craft my academic career to achieve my goals. There was a need in our area for women of color, and for women in general, to know their choices and how to find their voice when it came to reproductive healthcare.” Kayla Klingensmith ’12 is a fourthyear dental student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, where she is working toward her Master of Public Health degree and Doctor of Dental Medicine. Carolyn Miesen ’14 received a Master of Arts degree in psychology from James Madison University in May. Her father is Wayne Miesen ’75.

Benjamin Robinson ’16 will enter the Master of Accounting and Information Systems program at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business in January 2017.

marriages Tracy Milne ’92 wed Acey L. Edgemon on Jan. 22, 2016. Classmates at the ceremony were Erica McCants, Kim Rosevear Hussey and Danae Psilipoulos Foley. The newlyweds live in Estero, Florida. Daniel J. Boehl ’00 and Tory Gibler celebrated their wedding day on March 29, 2014. Shawn T. Hinds Jr. ’00 and Catherine Vannatter joined hands in marriage on June 20, 2015, in Lexington, Kentucky. Aaron Rader ’00 served as best man. Ray Fluker ’02 married Sarah White ’04 in Roanoke. Maroons celebrating with the couple were Laura Gwathmey ’05, Amanda Bachert ’05, Meredith Hering ’03, Jarrett Hering ’02, Steve Casselman ’02, Brandi Sauerhoff Yates ’03, Tim Yates ’02, Will Farmer ’02, Nate

Yandrick ’02, Clint Nichols ’05, Tayloe Gwathmey ’02, Brian Gully ’02, Jim Goodwin ’02, Michelle Nadeem ’03, Rob Matzuga ’00 and Krista Hagood Matzuga ’02. Ashley Chambers ’08 wed Ned Canning in Charleston, South Carolina on April 8, 2016. Alumni who joined the celebration included Stephanie Mason ’09, Bailey Leffler ’08, Kelly O’Meara ’09, Margaux Stunzi ’08, Brianna Maggi ’08 and Nia Bowling ’09. Matt Parker ’09 and Andrea Doyle celebrated their wedding in Malvern, Pennsylvania on June 13, 2015. Maroons in attendance included Jerry Chapin ’11, Phil Dupont ’11, Andrew Biser ’09, Mike Dwyer ’09, Adam Saunders ’06, Tyler Clarke ’08, Jared Maggi ’08, Ryan Macsherry ’09, Matt Parker ’09, Kristen Maish ’13, Brianna Maggi ’08, Kristina Creighton ’08, Lia Macsherry ’09, Tommy Beach ’08. Lee Sheldon ’11 and Maxwell Walker were married on May 13, 2016, in Brookfield, Connecticut. Alumni in attendance included Abigail Bjork ’12, Caitlin Giles

’12, Mary Pace ’12, Catherine George ’12, Lauren Byrnes ’12, Kristina Breux ’12, Caitlin Quinn ’12, Courtney Garzione ’12, Erin Burns ’13, William Barrett ’12, Cole Conrad ’12, Andrew Howe ’12, Frederick Wetzelberger ’12, and Sam Chafee ’13. The couple reside in New York City.

families Sara Feagan Merideth ’00 and her husband, Tom, welcomed Vivian Joyce Merideth into their family on Jan. 18, 2016. Vivian’s older siblings are Caitlin and Colin Hinds. Tracie Flora Evans ’03, her husband, Brad, and their son, Lincoln, welcomed Anna James Evans, on Sept. 14, 2015. Lauren Wynne Booker ’05 and her husband, Scott, of Richmond, Virginia, are proud parents of Emiline Louise Booker, who arrived Feb. 2, 2016. Jimmy Winterer ’06 and his wife, Shelley Smith Winterer ’07, were blessed with the April 19, 2016, arrival of ROANOKE.EDU

alumninews

Chambers-Canning wedding

Parker-Doyle wedding

Hinds-Vannatter wedding

Fluker-White wedding

twins, Andrew Martin and Emily Catherine. The twins were welcomed home by their brother, Nicholas. The Winterers live in Salem, Virginia. Benjamin Sultze ’09 and his wife Katie Davies-Ross Sultze ’09 are excited to announce the arrival of Stephen Douglas (Grimm) Sultze, who was born April 29, 2016. The new baby joins his big sister, Bryn Grace, 3. The family resides in Roanoke, Virginia.

Church Women and chairman of the church’s evangelism committee. While in Salem, she was a longtime member of the College Lutheran Church. Among her survivors are a daughter-in-law, Angela Garrett Lieb ’64, granddaughter, Tina Lieb Bourne ’93 and Tina Bourne’s husband, Gene Bourne ’93. Harry T. (Doug) Craig Jr. ’44, World War II U.S. Army Air Corps veteran, died in Roanoke on July 13, 2016. He was 97. Craig was stationed in New Guinea as a top turret gunner on a B-24 Liberator airplane and flew 47 combat missions. When he returned to the states, he was stationed near White Sands, N.M., and witnessed the first test of the atomic bomb. Craig was recognized for his service and accomplishments with several awards and medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Medal with two Battle Stars, the Victory Medal, two Bronze Stars and the Good Conduct Medal. In civilian life, he

in memoriam Ann Davis Hunter ’37 died April 24, 2016, in Rochester, New York, at age 101. Virginia Erb Lieb ’40, of Salem, and formerly of Buena Vista, Va., passed away July 21, 2016, at age 97. While she resided in Buena Vista, she was actively involved with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Lexington, Va., where she served as president of the Lutheran

38 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

Sheldon-Walker wedding

enjoyed a career in sales. Anne Somers Bailey ’45 died June 2, 2016. The 92-year old Roanoke, Virginia resident was retired from Roanoke City Public Schools and also taught in Japan and Germany. Bailey held a master’s degree from Indiana University and also pursued her education at several colleges and universities. Bailey participated in several professional, cultural, religious and community activities. She especially enjoyed her involvement with the Sister City relationship between Roanoke and Wonju, Korea. Harry L. Cohn ’46, age 90, passed away in Williamsburg, Virginia, on March 24, 2016. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Cohn earned a Master of Law degree in taxation from New York University and practiced law in Richmond, Virginia, for 64 years. A member of Congregation Beth Ahabah, he was a student of the Hebrew Bible and served as a religious school teacher,

scoutmaster and basketball coach. He was a supporter of the State of Israel and the Virginia Holocaust Museum. In addition, he was past president of the Richmond Ski Club, a member of B’nai Brith and active in the Anti-Defamation League. Sidney Graber ’46, of Las Vegas, Nevada, passed away July 30, 2016. He was 92. During World War II, Graber, who’d attended Northwestern University for U.S. Navy officer’s training, served aboard the attack transport USS Natrona, and led waves of landing craft in many amphibious invasions in the Pacific. At the end of the war, he completed his college degree and went on to graduate from Brooklyn Law School. He and his wife settled in southern California, where they raised three children and Graber became a successful general building contractor. After his wife’s death, he moved to Las Vegas and enjoyed adventure travel. Cyrus I. Dillon Jr. ’47, a U.S. Navy veteran, died Dec. 17, 2015, in Rocky

The Evans family

Emily Catherine and Andrew Martin Winterer

Emiline Louise Booker

The Sultze family

Mount, Virginia. He was 90. As an educator, he served as principal of Rocky Mount Elementary School, coach and athletic director of Franklin County High School, and general supervisor and superintendent of Franklin County Public Schools. During his years as superintendent, he oversaw school desegregation, development of special education and several facility additions. Dillon was a member of the Boones Mill Lions Club, Rocky Mount Rotary Club and Southwest Virginia Basketball Officials Association. He held a master’s degree from Virginia Tech. Doris Lee Kelsey ’48 died Feb. 12, 2016, in Brick, New Jersey. She was an executive secretary with Johnson & Johnson Company, New Brunswick, for 20 years before retiring in 1990. Helen McCann Waid ’48, a 91-year old resident of Virginia Beach, Virginia, died May 15, 2016. She was an English teacher at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, and later was assistant

director of the English curriculum with the Virginia Beach secondary schools. She retired after 20 years of service. Doris Wright Lawrence ’49, wife of the late Weldon T. Lawrence Jr. ’49, died March 7, 2016. A lifelong resident of Roanoke, she was a supporter of the Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke Transportation Museum, Roanoke Foundation, the Discovery Shop and other community organizations. Dr. William G. Martin ’49, age 92, died April 24, 2016, in Roanoke, Virginia. Before matriculating at Roanoke, he served in the U.S. Navy and completed flight training in Pensacola, Florida. He earned his wings, was qualified to be a carrier pilot, and was commissioned Ensign. Dr. Martin earned a D.D.S. from Medical College of Virginia, then completed the orthodontics program at Columbia University. In 1955, he opened his own orthodontics practice in Roanoke. Louis J. Mullineaux ’49 died Jan. 21,

Vivian Joyce Merideth

2016, in Cumming, Georgia, at age 93. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he entered the Navy Reserve as a commissioned Ensign. He was attached to the Roanoke Navy Reserve Intelligence Unit where he served as officer-in-charge, eventually rising to Commander before retiring in 1970. In civilian life, he had a career in the insurance industry working as a partner in Goodwin-Andrews-Bryan, Inc. in Salem, Virginia; office manager with Insurance Associates, Inc., Roanoke; and company rep with Central Mutual Insurance Company, Van Wert, Ohio. Raymond F. VanValkenburg ’49 passed away in Salem, Virginia on June 8, 2016. He was 93. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and was stationed in Iceland as a cryptographer. As a civilian, he worked with George A. Jeffreys Co., and rose through the ranks to become president and treasurer. Edna Vanderbeck Stollwerck ’50 passed away in Middletown, N.J., on

March 20, 2016. Stollwerck retired as a registered nurse and spent her time volunteering for many organizations. Dr. Robert W. Breme ’51 died on Feb. 23, 2016. Breme, who received a master’s degree and doctorate in physics from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, was professor emeritus of physics at Wake Forest University, where he taught from 1959 until his retirement in 1995. In 1994, he received the Jon Reinhardt Award for Distinguished Teaching from Wake Forest. One of his most notable accomplishments was the development of the Brehme Diagram; a graphical depiction used in the study of relativity and included in many physics textbooks for the past 40 years. Alda S. Gay ’51 died on March 8, 2015. Bobby G. Hudson ’52, a U.S. Army veteran, died on April 5, 2016. A resident of Roanoke, Virginia, Hudson worked first for Norfolk and Western Railway and retired from Amtrak. Hudson held a Master

ROANOKE.EDU

alumninews William J. Branscom ’50, of Fincastle, Virginia, died May 7, 2016. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War and member of the Army Reserve where he obtained the rank of Captain. He earned an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of Finance before embarking on a 33year banking career. He began with First National Exchange Bank in Roanoke and retired as senior vice president and treasurer of Dominion Bankshares Corp., a successor of First National Exchange. Four Virginia governors appointed him to the Board of Trustees of Virginia Retirement System and to the Board of Virginia Fuel Conversion Authority. Branscom also held positions on numerous other committees and boards, including Roanoke Valley Savings Bonds Committee, Botetourt County Planning Commission, County Board of Zoning Appeals, Red Cross and Appalachian Regional Blood Services. In addition, he was an instructor at the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management at the University of Virginia. His survivors include a daughter, Dorothy Branscom Hogeland ’88, and a sister, Betty Branscom McCorkindale ’60.

of Science degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. Mary “Mitch” Powell ’53, a longtime resident of Elkins, West Virginia, passed away on Jan. 23, 2016. She was predeceased by her husband, Joan Neese Downing ’54, of Salem, Virginia, passed away March 27, 2016. For many years, she was a dance instructor at Roanoke College, where she made a lasting impression on many young dancers and their families. Anita Colley Matuszko ’55, a resident of Annandale, Virginia, died on Feb. 18, 2016. Her early interest in science inspired her to earn a degree in chemistry from Roanoke and pursue further studies at Medical College of Virginia. After marriage and children, her focus turned to her family. Raymond M. Powell ’56 died Sept. 28, 2015. The Elkins, West Virginia, resident spent many years with the U.S. Forest Service. He later formed West Augusta

Co., a consulting engineering firm, in which he was principal until 2000. Powell was a member of Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church, Elkins Rotary Club, American Society of Civil Engineers and National Society of Professional Engineers. In addition, he was a registered professional engineer and land surveyor. He was married to Mary Mitchell Allison Powell ’53. Jack T. Kaylor ’57 died June 9, 2016, in Gloucester, Virginia. Before graduating from Roanoke, he served three years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Kaylor began his career with NACA (later NASA) Langley Field as a physicist. While employed with NASA, he was privileged to work with the original seven astronauts on the simulator of the Mercury capsule. He also worked with other simulation projects and retired in 1986. Ken Whitlock ’57, of Martinsville, Virginia, and formerly of Roanoke, passed away July 23, 2016. The 90-year old U.S.

Joan Johnston Dorsey, center, with son and daughterin-law Jeffrey and Carol Dorsey, at the 2014 Charles Brown Award breakfast at Roanoke College.

Air Force veteran retired as a plant engineer at Fieldcrest Mills in Eden, North Carolina. He also was a private pilot. Thomas M. Robertson Sr. ’58 passed away May 7, 2016, in Salem, Virginia. He earned a master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and served in the Army National Guard. He was a co-founder of Robertson Marketing which now employs 150 people across the United States and Canada. Among his survivors is a son, Thomas M. Robertson Jr. ’85. William B. Peterson ’59, a U.S. Army veteran, died Sept. 17, 2015, in Martinsville, Virginia. He was an active community volunteer involved in the Rotary Club of Martinsville/Henry County, and also served as a former chairman and lifetime board member of the Salvation Army, director of the literacy program with Blue Ridge Regional Library, founder of the Children’s Reading Program at Memorial Hospital, and board member and former chairman of Literacy Fair of Virginia. Peterson was a member and elder of First Presbyterian Church. Surviving family members include his sister, Nancy S. Peterson ’62. Ted S. Nieman ’60 passed away in Altamonte Springs, Florida, on June 9, 2016. He graduated from Roanoke after serving three years in the U.S. Army, where he attained the rank of staff sergeant. Nieman began his career in the building products and flooring industry with Armstrong World Industries and retired from Shaw Carpets, where he was known as “Mr. Carpet.” His last position there was executive territory manager for the state of Florida. Mary Campbell Fray ’62 passed away April 19, 2016, in Greenville, South Carolina. During her career in biological research, she worked for Duke University and Florida State University. For more than 30 years, she was involved with Furman University in Greenville, where she was an active member of the University Interna-

Joan Johnston Dorsey ’52 passed away Feb. 14, 2016. Dorsey helped create the Interfaith Hospitality Network (now Family Promise of Roanoke) which permits families in need to use available space in local churches. With a local community organization, she was also instrumental in starting the Clothes Closet to help provide good quality donated clothing to those in need. She was honored last year when the Clothes Closet was renamed “Mrs. Dorsey’s Clothes Closet.” She also invested her time in other causes for the needy, including Feed and Read, a program that helps feed underprivileged children during summer months and the Shoe Voucher Fund which assists in providing shoes to deprived people. Dorsey’s long professional career was dedicated to speech pathology and hearing. She served on the Council of Exceptional Children, the Roanoke Valley Autism Society and helped found the Lost Chord Club for people without vocal chords. In 1983, Dorsey was recognized as Mother of the Year in Business and Professions. In 2014, Roanoke College honored her with the Charles Brown Award for her significant contributions toward the quality of life in Salem.

40 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

tional Food Group and member of various Furman book clubs. Fray was president of the League of Women Voters. James C. Custer ’63, a U.S. Army veteran, passed away Feb. 7, 2016. Brenda B. Bower ’64, of Salem, Virginia, passed away July 27, 2016 at Raleigh Court Rehab Center in Roanoke. A former employee of Roanoke College, Bower also worked at Village Shoes, AmRheins, Bridal House and Formals, and most recently assisted her son with his car dealership in Salem. Bower also was involved with the Miss Virginia Pageant and Relay for Life. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert B. Bower ’64. Surviving family members include son Christopher B. Bower ’90. Joan Falkenstein Brenner ’65 died May 30, 2016, in Roanoke, Virginia. She was dedicated to the local Jewish community and also volunteered with Planned Parenthood and the American Heart Association. She served as a board member of several organizations, including Carilion Children’s Hospital. Janet Lile Fray ’65 died June 18, 2016, at her home in Salem, Virginia. At age 12, she sang on a Roanoke radio show and also sang with The Stylists band for over 10 years, beginning at age 15. The band had their own TV show and traveled to venues all over Southwest Virginia. During her career, she worked in her husband’s office and on base in the Quantico Independent Schools, from which she retired. She held a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Texas Tech. Fray is survived by her husband of over 50 years, Michael Fray ’65. The Rev. Raymond E. Harley II ’65, a U.S. Army veteran from Columbia, South Carolina, passed away July 27, 2015. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary and was a Lutheran minister for 46 years, pastoring congregations in Columbia, West Columbia and Irmo, S.C. Harley was a talented musician and was blessed with an innate ability to involve people in music, theater, school musical activities and church work. Paul L. Moose ’66 passed away in Montvale, Virginia, on June 16, 2016. He was retired from Lance Inc. and GrahamWhite Manufacturing. Co. Robert E. Owen Jr. ’66, of Salem, Virginia, died May 23, 2016. Bernard T. Clayton ’67 passed away May 21, 2016 at age 94. He worked for General Electric and also Catawba Hospital. Clayton was a world traveler, and was fond of classical music and old movie classics.

I N

M E M O R I A M

“an amazing guy” Chris Caveness, right, with Roanoke College President Mike Maxey at the Pi Lambda Phi Speaker Series’ inaugural event in 2015.

“He was an amazing guy, unorthodox at times, but an extremely successful leader of people.” — Andy Jowdy ’81

William E. Moser ’67, of Roanoke, Virginia, died Feb. 18, 2016. He served in the Navy Reserve and the U.S. Navy. Moser was a member of the Roanoke City Police Department, retiring as sergeant following a severe line-of-duty injury after almost 20 years on the force. He was a member of Cave Spring Lions Club and Lakeland Masonic Lodge. Patricia Sullivan Rose ’67 passed away May 19, 2016, in Cary, North Carolina. She was a social worker, homemaker and businesswoman. John Whittall II ’68 died June 6, 2016. He served as a Special Forces first lieutenant in Vietnam, and was an avid fisherman, hunter and cook. Whittall was active in the Gordon Setter Club of America when he lived in New Hampshire, serving as a hunt test judge for a number of years, and was very involved with the Boy Scouts as his son was growing up.

hristopher r. Caveness ’83, insurance agent, Civil War re-enactor and co-founder of Roanoke College’s Pi Lambda Phi Fund, died on May 24, 2016. He was 57. After graduating from Roanoke, Caveness earned a Certiﬁed Structured Settlement Consultant designation from the University of Notre Dame. Caveness worked in the insurance industry for over three decades and started a company that insured government contractors across 42 states. He sold his business in 2010 and credited his success to his faithful employees. A historian with a particular interest in the American Civil War, Caveness was a reenactor with the 28th Virginia Infantry Regiment and co-

John L. Worley Jr. ’68 died in Lakeville, Massachusetts, on June 20, 2016. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve and was called to active duty while he was a student at Roanoke. He completed two tours in Vietnam and received the National Defense Service Medal. His career was devoted to his family business, Worleybeds Factory Outlet. Worley’s passions included boating. One of the last boating voyages was to Martha’s Vineyard and Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts, with his three children. Cheryl Cadman Evans ’69 died on June 1, 2016. She was a resident of West Cornwall, Connecticut. A graduate of TobeCoburn School of Fashion, she became a buyer at Lord & Taylor in New York City. After relocating to Cornwall Bridge, she served as the assistant clerk for Cornwall and was elected town clerk, a position she held for 30 years. An artist, Evans opened the Cornwall Arts Gallery, where she

founder of the Center for Civil War Living History, a nonprofit that has preserved historic battlefields in five states. In 2003, Caveness was one of thousands of extras on the set of “Gods and Generals,” a drama that follows Stonewall Jackson as he leads the Confederate army through the beginning years of the Civil War. Ted Turner Pictures, which produced the film, donated $500,000 and part of box office receipts to the Center. Caveness, a past president of Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia, also enjoyed conducting Civil War educational programs in schools across Southwest Virginia. In 2013-14, Caveness co-founded the Pi Lambda Phi Fund, provided through Roanoke College with the Center for Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The fund awards scholarships annually in a business ethics speaker series. Caveness had a love for the outdoors. He fished, sailed the coasts of the Carolinas, and camped and rafted in Alaska, Montana and Wyoming. He also enjoyed music and playing his guitar. Most of all, he found his greatest joy in his family and living life to the fullest. “He was a visionary, a hard-driving, dedicated, loyal dude — all those things,” said andy Jowdy ’81, a fraternity brother and co-founder of the Pi Lambda Phi Fund. “He was an amazing guy, unorthodox at times, but an extremely successful leader of people. Every organization he was involved with, he ended up leading it.”

featured the work of local artists. She volunteered in and helped with fundraising for the Cornwall Child Center and also oversaw the development of Bonney Brook senior housing in Cornwall Bridge. Allen Russell “Rusty” Walker Jr. ’69, of Salem, Virginia, passed away July 1, 2016. Surviving family members include daughter Mary Walker Lawrence ’97. Deborah Jones Finney ’72 passed away in Charlotte, North Carolina, on March 15, 2016. Robert H. McClung ’72 died in Roanoke, on March 30, 2016. After graduating from Roanoke, he joined the U.S. Army and became fluent in German and French when he served as a military policeman in Germany. William M. Parrish ’77 passed away June 30, 2016. He was a teacher devoted to his students, especially those with challenges. He taught in the Franklin

County Schools, as well as Thunder Ridge High School in Natural Bridge, and Project Search. Louis J. Tames ’82, of Roanoke, Virginia and Davidson, North Carolina, died Jan. 18, 2016. At the time of his death, he was the information technology senior audit leader, Audit and Security, with Wells Fargo Bank, Charlotte, North Carolina. Marcie Hall Altice ’84, a resident of Rocky Mount, Virginia, died Jan. 11, 2016. She was employed with Franklin County Schools for 31 years and was an adjunct professor at Ferrum College and Hollins University. At Ferrum Elementary School, she initiated the Panther Packs, a program providing food for needy children. She was a board member for the United Way and the Tri-Area Community Health Center. Laura Thi Hoang Ngo ’04 died Feb. 28, 2016. She was formerly employed with Walmart as a pharmacist. RC

ROANOKE.EDU

CoLLEGE aRChIVES B Y LINDA A NGLE M ILLER , C OL L E G E A RC H I VIS T

Celebrating Us!

guests. A large banner, strung across College Avenue at Main Street, proclaimed “A Semi-Centennial Welcome.” Campus buildings and a few downtown businesses were decorated with ﬂags and bunting — all in the College colors, blue and yellow. The weather was “delightfully cool” that June 10th day — perfect for a grand procession of participants from the courthouse to the auditorium. Music was a must, with various choirs, including the College men’s choir and the Salem Band. Roanoke men had composed a Semi-Centennial Hymn, a song and an ode for the celebration. The morning occasion included a historic address by William McCauley, Class of 1859, and an oration by Thornton Whaling D.D., Class of 1879. That evening, the audience gathered to hear

“Celebrating us” every 25 years is rather like going on an ancestry website — ﬁnding out who we were and where we came from.

Although muted by the onset of war, the College still managed to celebrate its centennial, but in simpler fashion, as seen in this invitation.

or the next year and a half, we will be celebrating the 175th anniversary of the founding of Roanoke College in 1842, our seventh such celebration. We have always celebrated our successes every 25 years. The first three were more modest affairs and were strategically placed as an extra day tucked into the several days of Commencement exercises. The most recent three became affairs more elaborate with each celebration. The Semi-Centennial Celebration in 1903 was a grand occasion, attended by many graduates, “ex-students,” Board members, faculty and invited

42 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

the addresses of greeting and praise from delegates of the seven Virginia colleges in attendance. The culmination of the event was a commemorative volume of 217 pages and 30 illustrations, detailing the events and people involved as well as publishing the addresses given that day. The Diamond Jubilee in 1928 was somewhat more modest than the previous celebration, occurring on the middle day of a three-day occasion. Sadly, the weather was inclement the ﬁrst two days. The outside service, which was to include a procession to East Hill Cemetery to commemorate Dr. Simon Carson Wells and his many years of College service, was held indoors. Instead, at the end, a goodly number of Roanoke men went to the cemetery to pay their respects to the professor and view the marker purchased by the Alumni Association.

The main event was held in the College gymnasium, with the historical address given by William Dreher, Class of 1878, younger brother of former President Julius D. Dreher, Class of 1871. Various notables gave greetings from the different constituencies — the state of Virginia, Virginia college presidents, the alumni and more. And, finally, former President Dreher, gave “an impressive address on behalf of the former presidents of the College.” Music was played by a “select orchestra” during program intervals. Honored at the alumni dinner later that day was Dr. James Henry Turner, Class of 1867, the oldest living graduate of the College. You may have noticed that the dates of the first three anniversaries were celebrated at 25, 50 and 75 years from 1853, the year of the College charter, and not 1842, founding date of the Virginia Institute and the date we currently use. It is possible that this was a general movement among small colleges to acknowledge the importance of their predecessor institutions to the success of their colleges. In any event, plans were well underway for a grand centennial celebration like no other, several years before the 100th anniversary in 1942. The Rev. William Eisenberg, Class of 1825, was commissioned to write the complete Roanoke College history in time for the anniversary. A committee also determined to hold a “through the year” series of special events, saving the “pomp and pageantry” for Commencement. The year began with a Centennial Address at opening Convocation. In October, at a special banquet at the Hotel Roanoke, Henry M. Lucas, lead donor of the $75,000 Chemistry Building, presented the building to the College; accepting was Board of Trustees member, Robert M. Calfee, Class of 1893. Numerous chemists from around the state attended and later toured the building. The fourth event was the creation and celebration of Founders’ Day, choosing November 19, the birthday of Dr. David Bittle, with a special program held in the Laboratory Theater. Additionally, a Centennial Museum opened in the Alumni Gym Trophy Room, featuring

One of a series of events during the 125th anniversary, themed “A New Man for a New Age.”

The recent past had much to celebrate, with a new library, six new dorms and another on the way, and a soon-tocome chapel and science complex. Looking ahead to the “New Age,” there were a variety of colloquia, seminars and lectures focusing on the numerous campus disciplines, with eminent speakers, including some alumni. The fall events included appearances by Dr. Abraham Kaplan, an American philosopher; Dr. Willard F. Libby, a physical chemist and Nobel Prize winner; and Dr. Henri Peyre, professor of French at Yale University. To honor the 450th anniversary of the Reformation, the Rev. H. George Anderson, a Lutheran pastor, and Catholic editor Dale Francis spoke on the challenges of the church in a “new age.” Spring visitors were Harvey Cox, author of

most important or favorite book. The next night, the Sesquicentennial Ball featured food, fun and “Dances of the Decades” with eight couples performing dances from the Tango to the Twist. More academically focused events included a convening of educators discussing the value of a liberal arts education; a colloquium on Educating the Whole Person; a public forum with New Jersey high school Principal Joe Clark of “Lean on Me” fame; and Earth Visions weekend with consumer advocate Ralph Nader. Alumni Weekend added a special ceremony introducing 150 Distinguished Alumni. Saturday night’s festivities dazzled all, concluding with a spectacular ﬁreworks display. A new history of the College appeared that summer: “Dear Old Roanoke,” written by Dr. Mark Miller — professor

these celebrations are important because they reaﬃrm a unity of purpose and what it means to be part of the roanoke College family.

The Sesquicentennial Ball featured food, fun and “Dances of the Decades.”

documents and relics from the past. December 7, 1941, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, eliminated the splash of the rest of the year. But the four days of the Centennial Commencement were still impressive, with larger-thanexpected attendance, glorious weather, over 150 educational institutions represented, hundreds of congratulatory letters, feature articles in The New York Times and ﬁve journals and magazines, and special pictorial sections in the Salem and Roanoke newspapers. The 125th anniversary in 1967 came with a theme — “A New Man for a New Age” — and continued the yearlong series-of-events style of the Centennial.

“The Secular City;” “God Is Dead” theologian Thomas J. J. Altizer in a dialog with Lutheran theologian Jerald Brauer; actress Agnes Morehead; and poet Chad Walsh. U.S. Sen. Charles Percy of Illinois spoke at Founders’ Day in April. The Sesquicentennial Anniversary in 1992 celebrated “A Legacy of Strength and Vision” with a series of academic and social occasions heralding pieces of our past and looking to the future. Opening Convocation included a procession by the descendants of Roanoke College presidents and 19th century faculty, the ringing of the College bell by Henry Hill’s son Dunbar, and the choir’s singing of “Festival Jubilate,” written for the occasion by composer and organist Daniel Pinkham. Seniors took turns lighting the 150 candles on a huge cake. The 64th Parents Weekend featured barbecue — and more birthday cake! On October 25, the dedication of the renovated Fintel Library included a procession of faculty, each carrying their

of history and geography, and College historian — which looked at the various campus constituencies and included over 400 photographs. “Celebrating us” every 25 years is rather like going on an ancestry website — finding out who we were and where we came from. In writing about our past celebrations, it’s a bit difficult to transmit the mood, the feelings, the joy of the celebrants. While each was unique, they all possessed a similar sense of awe at our humble beginnings, the sacrifice and dedication of those early leaders, the achievements of each. Their mood was one of pride — the presidents, faculty, alumni, students and friends attending each celebration, congratulating themselves on the past 25 years, but looking forward with determination to even greater accomplishments in the next 25. These celebrations are important because they reaffirm a unity of purpose and what it means to be part of the Roanoke College family. RC

ROANOKE.EDU

2015

RoaNoTES Think you know a lot about Roanoke College? Chances are you do. But here are some facts that even those most thoroughly versed in all things Maroon probably never knew.

Zahava Urecki ’16 becomes the first RC student to receive the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation Award.

2012 College makes first appearance in the Princeton Review, which ranks Roanoke’s campus as the 18th most beautiful in the nation.

Roanoke College Firsts Since 1842, when Lutheran pastors David Bittle and Christopher Baughmann founded the Virginia Institute in augusta County, which became Roanoke College in 1853, there have been a number of “ﬁrsts.” have a look at just a few...

2004 Sabine O’Hara becomes first woman president of Roanoke College.

1853

1984

Dr. David Bittle becomes College’s first president, as Virginia General Assembly grants collegiate charter and approves the name “Roanoke College.”

College welcomes first mainframe computer: Data General MV-100 Superminicomputer.

1974 First co-ed dorm opens.

1972

1881 First Bachelor of Science degrees are awarded.

1889 First women are admitted as “Special Students.”

Men’s basketball team wins College’s first national championship, the NCAA Men’s College Division Basketball Championship.

1898

1964

Suhr Beung Kiu graduates, becoming the first Korean to graduate from any college in the United States. The student body by then had increased in ethnic diversity to include Mexican, Japanese and Native American students.

1908

1931

First reference of the College colors as maroon and gray.

First “Dean’s List” is published.

44 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO 2016

Maxine Fitzgerald is the first AfricanAmerican student to attend Roanoke College and the first African-American in Virginia to enroll at a private institution.

1958 First official student ID cards.

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NOTE TO PARENTS: If this issue of Roanoke College Magazine is addressed to your son or daughter who no longer lives at your address, please provide a change of address to the College. Contact the Alumni Office by mail, e-mail or phone.

Celebrate Roanoke College’s 175th Anniversary

Alumni Weekend April 7–9, 2017

Reunions this year will include: • Honor Guard (Class of 1966 and preceding) • Class of 1967 • Class of 1972 • Class of 1977 • Class of 1992 • Class of 1997 • Class of 2002 • Class of 2007 • Class of 2012 roanoke.edu/reunions