R OLLI NS
S P R I N G
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M A G A Z I N E
Generation Next Rollins’ legacy tradition lives on
Wide-angle Learning Rollins curricular experiment offers fresh focus
A Rollins Perspective Part II of a 125th Anniversary historical series
Gregory Derderian '80 and son Garrett '12
R OLLI NS
SPRING
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2010
M A G A Z I N E
10 | WIDE-ANGLE LEARNING 14 | GENERATION NEXT ON THE COVER: Photo of father/son Rollins legacy Gregory ’80 and Garrett Derderian ’12 by Judy Watson Tracy
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24 | A RECESSIONARY TALE
35 | A ROLLINS PERSPECTIVE
| AROUND THE HORSESHOE
28 | A THOUSAND WORDS
PART II: THE HEROIC AGE & THE SPIRIT OF CHANGE
65 | ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT 70 | CONNECTED FOR LIFE 71 | CLASS NEWS 86 | REGIONAL EVENTS 88 | R-ROOTS
M I SS I O N STAT E M E N T: Rollins Magazine serves to maintain and enhance the relationship between Rollins College and its alumni and friends by building pride in the institution through effective communication of news of alumni and the College. It aims to keep readers of varying ages and interests connected to current developments, programs, and achievements at Rollins, and to keep alumni connected to each other. The magazine is a primary vehicle for communicating to alumni Rollins’ mission of commitment to educational excellence, educating students for global citizenship and responsible leadership, innovation in pedagogy and student services, and maintaining the close community ties that have always been a hallmark of the Rollins experience.
TA L K T O U S
EDITOR: MARY WETZEL WISMAR-DAVIS ’76 ’80MBA
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
ASSISTANT EDITOR: LAURA J. COLE ’04 ’08MLS
E-MAIL: mwismar@rollins.edu PHONE: 407-646-2262 WRITE: 1000 Holt Ave. – 2785, Winter Park, FL 32789-4499
CLASS NEWS EDITOR: AMANDA D’ASSARO CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: LORRIE KYLE RAMEY ’70 GRAPHIC DESIGN: AUDREY PHILLIPS, DESIGN STUDIO ORLANDO, INC.
ROLLINS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION E-MAIL: alumni@rollins.edu PHONE: 407-646-2266 or 1-800-799-2586 (ALUM) WRITE: 1000 Holt Ave. – 2736, Winter Park, FL 32789-4499
All ideas expressed in Rollins Magazine are those of the authors or the editors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Alumni Association or the College. Letters to the editor are welcome and will be considered for publication in the magazine. Rollins Magazine is published twice a year by Rollins College for alumni and friends of the College.
THE ROLLINS FUND If you would like to make a gift to Rollins College, please contact the development office: ONLINE: rollins.edu and click on “Support Rollins” PHONE: 407-646-2221 WRITE: 1000 Holt Ave. – 2750, Winter Park, FL 32789-4499
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Rollins College, 1000 Holt Avenue – 2785, Winter Park, FL 32789-4499
MEMBER, COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORTOFEDUCATION ANDFLORIDAMAGAZINE ASSOCIATION
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
125TH ANNIVERSARY UPDATE FROM PRESIDENT LEWIS DUNCAN
This spring, in this special anniversary year for Rollins, we also celebrated the College’s 120th commencement. In 1890, two proud graduates received their bachelor’s degrees. The members of the Class of 2010 numbered 768: 342 in the Arts & Sciences, 274 in the Hamilton Holt School (206 undergraduate, 68 graduate), and 152 in the Crummer Graduate School of Business. The College has grown larger, but our commitment to each of our students as individual learners remains as powerful as ever. Our newest alumni join a multifaceted family that ranges from ambassadors to zoologists … and everything in between, including Nobel, Grammy, and Tony winners and Fulbright, Goldwater, Rhodes, Truman, and Udall Scholars. All of our alumni have reason to be proud. We enjoy a history that includes selection by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt ’36H to serve as Florida’s first and only instructional College Naval Unit—the source of our mascot, the Tar. We received national attention for implementation of John Dewey’s philosophy of pragmatic liberal education and introduction of a revolutionary curriculum that
focused on students rather than faculty, and made them both partners in learning—a habit that continues in our current curricular experiment, The Rollins Plan. [Learn about The Rollins Plan, starting on page 10.] Our college distinguished itself with a commitment to principle that led to an honorary doctorate for Mary McLeod Bethune ’49H, making Rollins the first institution of higher learning in the South to award an honorary degree to an African American. Both before and since, a legacy of luminaries has engaged the Rollins community during campus visits, beginning with the Animated Magazine, which in turn inspired our Winter Park Institute. [Read about the Rollins of Hamilton Holt and Hugh McKean ’30 ’72H, starting on page 35.] As part of our recognition of this historic anniversary, we are honored and grateful to announce that all of the College’s trustees have united to establish the 125th Anniversary $1-million Trustee Challenge to multiply the impact of contributions to The Rollins Fund. In addition, we launched a new Rollins Fund recognition society for a new generation of committed leaders. The combined impact of the Trustee Challenge and The 1885 Society is a testament to how much the Rollins community can accomplish by joining together. [Read more about The 1885 Society and the Trustee Challenge on pages 82-83.) The culmination of Rollins’ 125th Anniversary celebrations will be Founders’ Day, November 4, 2010, the first of four days of events featuring faculty and student scholarship, notable alumni, family activities, civic engagement, and reflection on Rollins’ shared heritage with the Congregational Church and the City of Winter Park. This commemoration will honor “the little College we all so love—the struggles of its past, the achievements of its present and the promise of its broadening and ever-broadening future” (“My Commencement,” Hamilton Holt, June 2, 1949). We invite you to join us then for another milestone in Rollins’ extraordinary history. Fiat Lux, Lewis M. Duncan President
JUDY WATSON TRACY
AROUND THE HORSESHOE
MILESTONES 125 Years—Rollins College Rollins.edu/125 Since its founding in 1885, Rollins has earned recognition as one of the leading liberal arts colleges in the country, including a number one ranking among Southern master’s-level universities by U.S. News & World Report for five consecutive years.
ONE AFTERNOON IN 1880
75 Years—Bach Festival Society Bachfestivalflorida.org
while sitting in a garden, Lucy Cross drew on her past as she imagined the future.
In 1935, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park was founded to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach’s birth. At the time, Bach was a well-known composer, but the vast majority of his works were not yet part of the standard classical repertory. Three-
Gazing at the Florida land-
quarters of a century later, the Bach Festival Society is the third-oldest continuously performing
scape, the teacher envisioned
Bach Festival in the country and continues to present the composer’s orchestral and choral
a center of higher education
music to the public for enlightenment, education, pleasure, and enjoyment.
in Central Florida. Five years later, in 1885, Rollins College
50 Years—Hamilton Holt School
opened its doors and Cross’s
Rollins.edu/holt
vision became a reality.
Officially established in 1960, the Rollins evening studies division implemented adult education
Today, we’re proud of Rollins’ legacy of 125 years
courses for returning World War II veterans. Back then, the School of Continuing Studies was characterized as “the College that cares,” and faculty vowed to provide responsive, individualized edu-
as a premier institution of cation while meeting higher learning. We’re proud
a community need
of 125 years of committed
for higher education for adults. In 1987,
and innovative programs.
the
And we’re proud of 125 years
n a m e d for Rollins’
of inspiring students to envi-
e i g h t h p re s i d e n t ,
sion possibilities for the
Hamilton Holt, who
future and providing them
maintained a long-
with the tools they need to
standing commitment
JASON JONES
faculty, promising students,
be agents of change.
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
School
wa s
to lifelong learning.
JASON JONES
CELEBRATIONS Rally Rollins :: On February 5, Rollins launched an exciting new tradition in celebration of 125 years of athletic heritage and school spirit. Rally Rollins, which drew hundreds of students, faculty, and staff, honored current student-athletes, paid homage to past student-athletes, and featured performances by popular comedians John Heffron and Dean Edwards. “It’s a great time to be a member of the Rollins community,” said Assistant Director
25 Years—Crummer Graduate School
of Student Involvement and Leadership Jerrid Kalakay. “With Rally Rollins, we
of Business AACSB Accreditation
are celebrating our 125-year history and
Rollins.edu/crummer
the promise of tomorrow.”
Recognizing a need for business management education in Central Florida, Rollins launched a graduate program in business administration in 1957. The initiative quickly earned credibility and caught the attention of Winter Park businessman Roy E. Crummer, who gave a $1-million gift to Rollins in 1964 for the construction of a building for the program. In 1985, the College earned accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), the premier accrediting agency for business schools. Less than 5 percent of the more than 1 1,000 business schools in the world have achieved this level of accreditation. Crummer is now ranked the top business school in Florida and 36th in the nation by Forbes Magazine, 39th in the nation by BusinessWeek, and 59th in the world by the Financial Times. 25 Years—Olin Library Rollins.edu/library
Reunion 2010
When Rollins College was founded in 1885, its library collection consisted of a Bible and a dictionary. By the
hundreds of alumni returned to their
1980s, the collection had gown to 215,000 volumes and was in dire need of a new home with more advanced
alma mater to celebrate special class
technology. The Olin Library, a $4.7-million gift of the F.W. Olin Foundation, was dedicated in 1985. The 74,000-
reunions and reunite with old friends.
square-foot structure, which was expanded in 1998 to create the Olin Electronic Research and Information
The campus was particularly festive,
Center, stands as the academic heart of the campus, where students have access to considerable library
featuring 125th Anniversary banners,
resources, ranging from ancient tomes to the latest technology in information retrieval.
blue and gold balloons, a central tent
::
In late March,
JASON JONES
on Mills Lawn, and the glorious colors of Florida springtime. During the weekend, alumni participated in events that included lakeside gatherings, academic dialogues, and special programs celebrating the College’s rich 125-year history. Starry, Starry Night :: On April 16, the Hamilton Holt School, Rollins’ evening degree program, celebrated half a century of serving the Central Florida community at its annual Starry, Starry Night benefit dinner and dance. This year, the event, which raises money for Hamilton Holt School scholarships, included a special 50th Anniversary musical extravaganza, “The Decades of Dance,” featuring music from the ’60s to the ’90s. Founders’ Day :: Join us on campus November 4-7 as Rollins College celebrates its 125th Anniversary and its legacy for the future. Watch for details!
SPRING | 2010
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AROUND THE HORSESHOE
MLK celebration
“THE FUNCTION OF EDUCATION IS TO TEACH
ROLLINS CONTINUES TO
ONE TO THINK INTENSIVELY AND TO THINK
build on its legacy by
CRITICALLY. INTELLIGENCE PLUS CHARACTER—
bringing the world—and a more diverse community— to its campus. This year,
CELEBRATING DIVERSITY
THAT IS THE GOAL OF TRUE EDUCATION.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.
154 international students representing 51 countries
Sharing the dream—A collaborative drum circle designed to unite community members
were enrolled at Rollins,
through the power of music launched a weeklong campus celebration in January honoring the
and the College’s 15 thriv-
life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and aimed at engaging members of the Rollins
ing cultural organizations
community in meaningful dialogue about race, community, and justice. A highlight of the
hosted events throughout
celebration was a performance of “Colours of Courage,” a contemporary dance outlining the
the year celebrating diver-
history of the African-American experience. Following the show, Rollins alumni Craig W.
sity and inclusivity. Drawing o n t h i n ke r s l i ke M a r t i n
Johnson ’96 and Dario J. Moore ’96, who founded the first African-American dance ensemble in Central Florida, joined Director of Mulicultural Affairs Mahjabeen Rafiuddin for a talkback with the audience. MLK Week, which also included showings of documentary films, a day of
Luther King, Jr., students, faculty, staff, and alumni a re a c t i ve l y e n g a g e d i n
volunteer work at Pine Hills Elementary School, and a poetry slam, came to a close at 6:01 p.m. on Monday, January 18, as community members gathered for a memorial and candlelight vigil to commemorate the time of King’s assassination.
re alizing a vision of community, hope, and equality.
Cultural enlightenment—In October, lights filled the Cornell Campus Center in celebration of Diwali. The Hindu festival, during which people light candles to signify their triumph of good over evil, is a time to remember those less fortunate and to unite people across religions and cultures.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
Rollins students celebrated the event by enjoying traditional Indian food, music, and dance.
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International extravaganza—In November, Rollins participated in International Education Week, a national celebration of the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. Campus events included a Rollins World Cup soccer tournament, an Iron Chef cooking competition, a steel drum band, international dance demonstrations, Chinese acrobatics, and an international marketplace. Throughout the week, flags representing the countries of citizenship of Rollins’ international students were displayed on campus. Voices for Women—Alumnae Anne Lacsamana ’93, Molly Talcott ’98, and Dorcas Gilmore ’00, who were instrumental in establishing feminist campus initiatives such as the student group Voices for Women, joined students Frankie Mastrangelo ’10HH, Shannon Frey ’10, and Lizzie Hovanetz ’10HH for a panel discussion in February. The conversation focused on the importance of educating about and supporting women’s issues and initiatives, both in and out of the classroom. Chinese New Year celebration
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
Rollins Helping Haiti “AS STUDENTS OF ROLLINS WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO GET INVOLVED IN FUNDRAISING, EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND ADVOCACY WORK IN OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY NOT JUST TODAY, BUT FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES.” —Katie Powell ’12
Helping Haiti—Rollins Helping Haiti, a student-
WOWW!
led initiative developed
Women Playwrights’ Initia-
in response to last
tive named Rollins’ Depart-
winter’s disaster in Haiti,
ment of Theatre & Dance
hosted Our Hearts for Haiti Benefit Festival in February. The event raised over $4,200 for Partners in Health, a
the 2009-2010 winner of
non-profit organization that has been working in Haiti for more than two decades. With the assistance of Change This
t h e Wave o f Wo m e n
World, Inc., festival participants compiled 5,000 relief packages with the potential to feed 35,000 people.
Writers (WOWW!) award. The award is given to the
Interreligious dialogue—In March, the Multi-Ethnic Student Society (MESS), in conjunction with Hillel, hosted an
theater company in Central
interreligious dialogue which brought faculty, staff, and students together to discuss everything from interreligious
Florida that produces the
marriages and relationships to religious and spiritual life in the Rollins community.
m o st p l ays w r i t te n by women. This year, females
Taking back the night—The feminist student group Voices for Women hosted V-Week in March to provide a forum
wrote three of the seven
for students to address women’s issues and rights. Two benefit productions of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues
plays produced at Rollins.
collected over $1,400 in proceeds, all of which was donated to Harbor House of Central Florida, a shelter for victims of domestic violence and their children. Members of the campus community also participated in Take Back the Night,
Week of action—In April, Rollins students participated in the 11th annual National Student Labor Week of Action to fight for jobs and the right to an
AKIN RITCHIE ’10
an international march protesting rape and sexual assault.
education. With each day’s theme centered on a different form of oppression, including racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, and abilism, the Week of Action at Rollins was designed to educate the campus community on how forms of discrimination interact on multiple levels, ultimately contributing to systematic social inequality. Festival of colors—In April, the Desi Club hosted Holi, the Indian Festival of Spring, an annual event that brings together all races and social classes in celebration of the season. During this ritual, known as the “Festival of Colors,” friends and family cover each other in colored water and powder, which are believed to bestow good health.
Holi Indian Festival celebration
SPRING | 2010
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AROUND THE HORSESHOE
SHARED VISIONS
On her fall 2009 return, Sandra Jordan brought two worlds to Rollins: her native Peru and her current home, California. In conjunction with the Winter Park Institute visit of Alejandro Toledo, former Peruvian president, Jordan offered her insights on the marketing potential for alpaca fiber and its evolution from commodity to luxury b r a n d . T h e S a n d r a Jordan Collection o f handcrafted items, which TOM ULHMAN
she launched in 2001, has fueled job creation and training in Peru.
Launched by a visionary, Rollins
Jordan views the enter-
College celebrates a long tradi-
prise as an investment in a tradition of crafts-
tion of bringing thought leaders manship and a heritage
to campus to engage students,
of pride.
faculty, and staff in meaningful dialogue about the world today and its potential for tomorrow. This year, through programs such as the Winter Park Institute, Winter With the Writers, and the Thomas P. Johnson Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Artist Fund,
Thane Maynard returned
Rollins hosted dozens of noted
to the Rollins campus in
guests, including Jean-Michel
October 2009 to partic-
Cousteau, Kay Ryan, Alejandro
ipate in a Winter Park
u
u
Toledo, and Slavoj Zizek. For all
Institute symposium that examined opportunities and challenges for the new millennium. Maynard joined oceanographer Jean-
of these big thinkers, visiting
Michel Cousteau and environmentalist and policy maker John Cronin in a discussion of the natural world.
Rollins was an opportunity to
In his personal life and in his role as director of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Maynard strives
share their visions. For four of
to tell the story of biological diversity, natural history, and wildlife conservation to the general public.
them, it was also a homecoming.
Best known as a writer and a host of numerous wildlife programs, including the daily public radio series the 90-Second Naturalist, he is the author of 13 books on wildlife and has been featured on Good Morning America, TODAY, and CBS. His latest book, Hope for Animals and Their World, which he coauthored with Jane Goodall, was published last year.
Leon Fleisher Alejandro Toledo
u
u
Slavoj Zizek
Jaron Lanier Kay Ryan
Katherine Fleisher Andre Dubus III
6 Terry Teachout
William Greider
LAURA J. COLE ’04 ’08MLS
WORTH MENTIONING Stellar scholar—Justin Wright ’11, a Rollins College junior double majoring in chemistry and biochemistry, has been named as a 2010 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar.
Adis Vila returned to her alma mater this year as a Winter Park Institute Visiting Scholar in Residence. Born in Cuba, the multilingual and multicultural executive spent the academic year offering her insights to Rollins students, teaching Ethics in Organizations and International Business Law in the international business department and speaking on topics such as corporate social responsibility and leadership. Her public lecture on “The Role of State Governments in Attracting Foreign Investments” will be published as an article in the next issue of Law and Business Review of the Americas. Vila was appointed
Wright is one of 278 Goldwater
Assistant Secretary for Administration at the U.S. Department of Agriculture by President George H. W. Bush; Secretary of
Scholars selected on the basis of
Florida’s Department of Administration by Governor Bob Martinez; and to positions in the U.S. Departments of State and
academic merit from a field of 1,111
Commerce and The White House by President Ronald Reagan. A lawyer and former senior academic administrator and
mathematics, science, and engi-
business executive, she embarked on a new career five years ago as a professor of international business and international law.
neering students who were nom-
Vila was awarded the 1974 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Medallion.
inated by the faculties of colleges and universities across the U.S. Good business sense—In this year’s Chicago Mercantile Exchange
Hosted by the Winter Park Institute,
Commodities Trading Challenge
Glenn Miller returned to Rollins in
Competition, a Rollins under-
November 2009 to present on “The
graduate team placed ninth out of
Hubble Space Telescope and What
the 113 teams from top colleges
It Has Revealed About Our Uni-
and universities around the globe. The Rollins team achieved a two-
verse.” As deputy division head of
week 47.5 percent return on their NASA/GSFC/BILL HRYBYK
the information technology services division of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STSI), Miller is responsible for the organization’s information and computing infrastructure. Since joining STSI in 1983, he has been involved in observatory operations, software development, and information technology. He was
investment during the first round of the challenge. Key initiative—The Crummer Graduate School of Business recently launched the Key Executive MBA (KEMBA) program, an advanced management program designed for senior executives and
instrumental in the design and development of the HST Proposal Entry Processor, Remote Proposal Submission (RPS and
business leaders. The program is
RPS2), and Spike Scheduling systems, and was the principal investigator on the Data Reduction Expert Assistant (Draco)
modeled on key elements of the
project that was supported by NASA’s AISR program. He has received numerous awards for his work.
most progressive executive MBA programs in the country and is structured to provide an MBA d e gree through an innovative approach focused on strategic leadership. Lifelong learning—Rollins College recently launched a lifelong-learning program with The Mayflower Retirement Community. Spearheaded by Mayflower marketing director Jana Slavens Ricci ’80, the new on-campus enrichment series will feature small classes and hands-on learning experiences
Andrea Barrett
for residents of the retirement
Jules Feiffer
community. Jean-Michel Cousteau
Barry Lopez
Marsha Norman
Billy Collins 7
AROUND THE HORSESHOE
HEALTHY COMPETITION Award-winning Rollins team takes on Cambridge in healthcare debate The heated debate over national healthcare reform took center stage at Rollins in April when the Rollins College Varsity Debate team hosted the revered Cambridge University (UK) Union Debating Society in a parliamentary debate on the topic. The historic event, which showcased the talents of Rollins’ three-year-old debate team, was the squad’s first
“You must petition
official college debate held on the
for the rights of the
Rollins campus.
among you. A poor
The competition, which was JUDY WATSON TRACY
most vulnerable
conducted in a combination of American and British parliamentary
person has as equal
styles, drew an enthusiastic crowd
a right to live as a
of nearly 250 students, faculty, staff,
rich person.”
and community members. As part of this particular style of debate,
—James Dixon, Cambridge
members of the audience were encouraged to shout cheers and
Cambridge debate team members (l-r) James Dixon, Harish Natarajan, and Jack Gamble laugh in disagreement as Rollins debater Luke Kupscnzk ’09 argues against universal healthcare.
jeers during the arguments to encourage or voice displeasure with each team’s stances on issues. The two-member Rollins team argued against healthcare reform, while the three members of the Cambridge University Union Debating Society—who received special permission to travel and participate in this debate—argued in favor of reform. The healthcare debate was organized by Rollins team coaches Assistant Professor of Philosophy Eric Smaw and Visiting Assistant Professor of International Business Richard Lewin, a Cambridge alumnus and member of the Cambridge Debating Society. The two proposed the idea of hosting the event in recognition of the significant JUDY WATSON TRACY
“They want to offer you a false dichotomy between no healthcare and poor healthcare. However, in America, we
celebrating its 800 th anniversary and Rollins, its 125th. “The debate topic of healthcare was an obvious one,” said Smaw. “Healthcare has received an incredible amount of attention from the American media over the last three months, and we knew that the Cambridge debaters would be educated on the topic because parliamentary debate requires debaters to be well informed on national and international issues.” The British parliamentary style of debate was good practice for the Rollins team,
always have
which has been invited to participate in international competitions next year where
choices.” —Luke Kupscnzk ’09, Rollins
milestones being celebrated by the two institutions this year: Cambridge is
Rollins debate team members Luke Kupscnzk ’09 and Rachael Dziechciarz ’10
British parliamentary style is followed. When the closing rebuttals were complete, an audience poll revealed that the Cambridge team had emerged victorious. Even though this particular debate didn’t
fall in Rollins’ favor, the team has made quite a showing in its short life. In its inaugural year, the Rollins team ended the season ranked fourth in the Southeastern region. In 2009, it ranked second in the Southeast, seventh in the National Parliamentary Debate Association rankings (out of 1,000 schools), and first in the national Team of Excellence rankings (out of 1,100 teams). This spring, the team continued its success, ranking second in the region. The team has also received group awards and individual speaker awards, and was recently recognized by Florida Congressman Alan Grayson for outstanding achievement. According to Smaw, the Rollins team is planning to continue the new tradition of sponsoring debates on campus by hosting competitions with Oxford (UK), Yale, and Harvard Universities. “Our goal is to establish a venerable tradition of intellectual engagement on a variety of important social and political topics that will bring out students, staff, faculty, and administration together in support of the debate team,” he said.—Trish Moser
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
WORTH MENTIONING
FOX DAY GOES VIRAL
Va l u e a d d e d — T h e P r i n c e t o n R e view, one of America’s most
ANTICIPATION OF FOX DAY HAS ALWAYS RUN HIGH AT ROLLINS. Beginning in early spring, students speculate on which day they think it will be. They narrow the field by scouring the campus events—and President’s—calendar for commitments they know can’t be canceled. They’ve been known to call local bus and catering companies, as well as donut shops, to find out if orders have been received from the College. Some risk takers, certain they’ve guessed right, forgo doing homework the night before what they believe will be the big day. A few Fox Day fanatics even camp out on Mills Lawn in hopes of claiming the first fox sighting. This spring, the waiting game took on a new twist. Thanks to economics and Spanish major Steven Madow ’11 and alumnus Josh Chesarek ’09HH, Rollins students—and the rest of the world—could keep an eye on Mills
widely known education services and test preparation companies, listed Rollins as one of the nation’s 50 “Best Value” private colleges and universities. Giving back—Rollins College was named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community
Lawn in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Fox’s arrival on a personal computer or a mobile device via a live
Service Honor Roll with Distinction,
Fox Day Cam.
the highest federal recognition a
“For the last two years, I’ve been able to
college or university can receive for
look out my window on the morning of Fox
its commitment to volunteering,
Day and see the fox,” Madow said. “I wanted
service learning, and civic engage-
to share that experience with everyone.”
ment. This is the fourth consecutive
From his room in Gale Hall, Madow pointed a
year that Rollins has appeared on
camera out his window, set up a website,
the honor roll and the third time
and added a Facebook portal allowing peo-
the College has been recognized
ple to post their comments. The original site
with distinction.
provided updated stills every 15 seconds.
Success on and off the field—For
Noting the popularity of the site, Chesarek,
the third time in Rollins history, both
who owns the video production company
the men’s and women’s varsity
Simple Thought Productions, offered to pro-
sports programs won Sunshine
vide a live streaming video and make it accessible on some smart phones.
State Conference Mayors’ Cup tro-
The resulting site, FoxDayCam.com, quickly became the buzz around campus—and online. During the three-day broadcast, the site attracted more than 3,000 viewers from 22 countries, who left shout-outs for each other, commented on the tents and student antics on Mills Lawn, and cast their predictions for Fox Day 2010. At the viewing peak, close to 400 people were tuned in to Fox Day Cam waiting for the fox’s live appearance—which occurred at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 8. —Laura J. Cole ’04 ’08MLS
phies as the top programs among the conference’s nine member schools. The Tars were also victorious in the classroom, with the College’s 322 student-athletes posting a combined grade point average of 3.12 for the 2010 spring term—the program’s 18th straight term above 3.0. Visit RollinsSports.com for the latest sports news. State of the arts—Rollins appointed Scott Habes as the Bruce A. Beal Director of The Cornell Fine Arts Museum (CFAM). Habes comes to CFAM with more than 15 years of experience in museum administration, most recently at The Picker Art
LAURA J. COLE ’04 ’08MLS
Gallery at Colgate University.
The masterminds behind the Fox Day Cam: Josh Chesarek ’09HH (l) and Steven Madow ’11
SPRING | 2010
Antarctic adventure—As part of the President’s Internationalization Initiative, a group of 10 Rollins faculty and staff representing nine academic disciplines traveled to Antarctica last December to spark their intellectual curiosities and further the College’s internationalization efforts.
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WIDE-ANGLE
PHOTO BY JOHN LOGAN
BY LEIGH BROWN PERKINS
LEARNING THE BOLD NEW ROLLINS PLAN helps students view ideas through an interdisciplinary lens
For the first time in decades, Rollins College is piloting a renewal of its general education curriculum with a cutting-edge new program called The Rollins Plan. Although it is being implemented on a small scale as a pilot program, with 80 first-year students enrolled in the program’s first two themes, there is nothing small scale about its vision. “This is a big idea; it’s pioneering,” said Debra Wellman, associate professor of education and one of the Rollins Plan coordinators. “This is out-of-the-box thinking, a way to teach subjects that brings about robust discussion and integrative learning across disciplines.” The “big idea” is the centerpiece of The Rollins Plan. Students are delving into a series of interdisciplinary themed courses in either of the two pilots, Global Challenges: Florida and Beyond or Revolution. For example, in the Revolution program, the central topic is a springboard for students to learn about revolutionary thinkers in the arts, history, science, religion, math, literature, and politics. Over their four years at Rollins, they will come to understand how key figures and pivotal moments have affected the progress of humanity. “No one at Rollins had ever thought of general education in this way before, to create a themed approach to the general education curriculum,” said Wellman, who is teaching a Revolution course on learning with Assistant Professor of Psychology Alice Davidson. “We’re really taking down the walls and crossing divisional barriers, so a philosopher and an astronomer can teach a course together about how the study of the stars can transform our sense of our place in the cosmos. What results is a deeper understanding of the solar system and our belief systems.” The Rollins Plan is designed to replace general education requirements through a series of seven interrelated courses in four areas: humanities, the expressive arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. “With the alphabet soup approach to the curriculum, students are filling their plate with a little bit of this and a little bit of that from the buffet. The Rollins Plan is more like going to a restaurant where you’re served a complete meal, all of the flavors complementing each other,” said Mark Anderson, professor of mathematics, who was instrumental in the development of The Rollins Plan and is teaching a Revolution course about the number zero.
SPRING | 2010
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JUDY WATSON TRACY
The big concept ties all the courses together over the four years, helping students to synthesize what they’re learning. For instance, all Global Challenges courses are viewed through the filter of Florida. “So a statistics class could look at population growth and a political science class could look at elections and it is no longer theorizing, no longer abstract. It’s playing out in Central Florida, right here and right now, and they can apply what they learn in one class to the next,” said Professor of Environmental Studies Bruce Stephenson, who is co-coordinator of Global Challenges and is also teaching Global Competition and the American Dream with George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Professor of Politics Rick Foglesong. “The idea is using Florida as a laboratory for global challenges.” First-year student Nadia Ramirez is taking Kenneth Curry Professor of Literature Maurice O’Sullivan’s Rollins Plan course Visions of Paradise. “What I like is that we’re not staring at a board all day. With this approach, there is more hands-on experience and a wider range of topics that we can apply to other things we’re learning. Learning about how Florida was colonized applies to Colombia, which is where I’m from. We’re talking about the Everglades and all of its problems and we can see how similar things are happening all over the world, like Mexico City, which is sinking because it was built on a lake bed. It all ties together.” “My first Rollins Plan course has been both engaging and challenging, and the approach very refreshing,” said first-year student Jaz Zepatos, who is enrolled in Revolution: Violent and Non-Violent. The course is team taught by Professor of Philosophy Thomas Cook and Assistant Professor of Philosophy Eric Smaw. “The professors are great—they know just what to do to inspire heated debates,” Zepatos said. “It’s nice to be in a class where everyone is passionate about the topic at hand. For our community-engagement project, we interviewed members of our own families who have been personally affected by revolutions. The course has made history more personal to me, and matter more to me, than any previous classroom experiences.” Unlike current general educational requirements, The Rollins Plan is based on a developmental model, linking what students learn in their first year through their fourth year. It does away with seniors taking sophomore-level courses just to fulfill their general education requirements. “So by their senior “My first Rollins Plan course has year, students will be looking at issues with a lot more information and have the tools been both engaging and challenging, to apply their knowledge in a more focused and the approach very refreshing. It’s nice way,” O’Sullivan said. “Over four years, to be in a class where everyone is passionate they gain the ability to do more integrative thinking, better analysis, both on a practical about the topic at hand. For our communityand a theoretical basis. The material engagement project, we interviewed members and their abilities increase in complexity of our own families who have been personally each year.” The Rollins Plan offers students affected by revolutions. The course has greater flexibility to explore ideas made history more personal to me, through their majors, electives, and and matter more to me, than any developmental general education courses. “The goal of The Rollins previous classroom experiences.” Plan is to encourage students to think about general education curriculum as —Jaz Zepatos ’13, an integrated whole rather than a colRevolution participant lection of unrelated courses,” said Donald Davison, associate dean of the faculty and professor of political science. Students are encouraged to participate in study-abroad, internship, and community-engagement experiences, as well as co-curricular programs, resulting in a seamless learning experience.
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OF THE ROLLINS PLAN The Association of American Colleges and Universities’ research led to the innovative approach of The Rollins Plan. Dean of the Faculty Laurie Joyner explained its four primary findings about the most important components of a college education today: • Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world • Intellectual and practical skills, including critical thinking and communication skills • Personal and social responsibility, both local and global • Integrative learning, linking what is learned in one class to the next, one year to the next, inside and outside the classroom
These are not ivory tower concepts. According to a January 2010 study by the AAC&U, more than 90 percent of employers are asking employees to use a broader set of skills and have higher levels of learning than in the past. A full 75 percent of employers believe colleges and universities are not doing a good job of preparing graduates for the demands of the global economy.
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JUDY WATSON TRACY
“The Rollins faculty is committed to teaching, to learning, and to students,” said Dean of the Faculty Laurie Joyner. “As we entered into the 21st century, we asked ourselves if we were doing all we could to prepare our students to change the world. The time was right to extend our historic commitment to curricular innovation to more directly address the needs of students and the world today.” On the heels of the 2007 Rollins Colloquy on Liberal Education and Social Responsibility in a Global Community, the sentiment for curricular review gained momentum. Faculty members brainstormed ideas and decided to use research by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) as their guide. “We met for over a year, almost on a weekly basis, to create The Rollins Plan, trying to foresee a thousand details,” Joyner said. “This is where the rubber meets the road, though, as we implement the program. We’re working hard to learn all we can from this experiment as we work through all of the challenges of a new general education curriculum.” “The Rollins Plan brings a whole new Assessing the plan’s success is one of the challenges. It will come before a faculty dimension to learning that makes a lot of vote in two years before it can be adopted campus wide. Surveys, questionnaires, and committees will provide ongoing feedback and suggested modifications sense. Having courses tied together by an until the vote. And Rollins Plan students will be evaluated in a different way overarching theme creates a more continual and than in the past—not just with exams, but also with online portfolios of their cohesive learning process than the typical series work, documenting the progression of their understanding of their particular “big idea.” of unrelated courses.” Ramirez is excited to be part of this exciting pilot, even as the kinks —Robbie Vezina '13, get worked out. “I think it’s fun to be the guinea pigs,” she said. “But I’m Global Challenges an open-minded person and that’s probably what I like about a liberal participant arts education anyway—all of the possibilities.” Although The Rollins Plan was 30 years coming, innovation is nothing new to Rollins. Within a year of accepting the presidency of the College in 1925, Hamilton Holt instituted an experimental new curriculum he called “The Conference Plan.” It did away with lecterns in favor of conference tables. It valued discussion and teacher/student relationships over memorization. It was so successful that many aspects of the approach continue to be in use at Rollins today, even in the new Rollins Plan. In his retirement speech, Holt exhorted faculty to think beyond the old-fangled way of teaching, setting the stage for the kind of innovation embodied in The Rollins Plan. “Minimize marks, grades, recitations, lectures, examinations, certificates, diplomas, and degrees,” Holt said. “Maximize personal contacts within and |without the classroom. Imitate Socrates. You may get a Plato.”
GENERATIONNEXT Rollins is a family tradition for these alumni and students
Daniel Flynn ’80 ’83MBA, son Robert ’10, & daughter Elisabeth ’13 Dan Flynn says returning to Rollins is almost an out-of-body experience. “It’s all right there, all those good times. I have to catch myself when I start reminiscing too much with my kids. I want them to make their own memories.” Elisabeth and Robert are on it, full-time.
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
By Leigh Brown Perkins Photos by Judy Watson Tracy
CAN A COLLEGE RECEIVE ANY HIGHER COMPLIMENT THAN HAVING MULTIPLE
“I FEEL VERY DEEPLY A N D PA S S I O N AT E LY ABOUT ROLLINS,”
GENERATIONS OF A FAMILY
said John Attwell ’80, whose daughter, Petersen, is a first-year student at
FALL IN LOVE WITH IT?
Rollins. “I wanted Petersen to experience it and I do hope one of my children’s children will go to Rollins too. It’s a great tradition.”
The Attwells are one of a long line of families who have sent multiple generations to Rollins. Approximately 9 percent of first-year students at four-year colleges are legacies. Rollins’ rate is slightly higher at 13 percent. “That so many Rollins families want to continue their relationship with their college is an exceptional point of pride,” said Rollins president Lewis Duncan. “The commitment of legacy families is a vibrant thread in the life of the College,” said Elizabeth Francetic, director of alumni relations. Parents of legacy students, for example, may provide additional financial support and often serve their alma mater in various ways, including as members of the Alumni Association board, the Board of Trustees, the Parents Council, and the President’s Leadership Council. Alumni with a historic tie to a college—especially those with a cross-generational relationship to the school—are also enthusiastic recruiters. And, students who have a personal connection to the campus bring feeling of loyalty, tradition, and identity to the student body. “I love having the sense that I’m walking right where my dad walked, where my brother walked,” said first-year student Elisabeth Flynn, whose brother, Robert, is a 2010 graduate and whose father, Dan, is an alumnus. “I love that we all did this together, even though it was a generation apart.” “It’s an extraordinary phenomenon,” said President Duncan. “Each generation sees the College through its own lens and forms its own memories, but they all share their affection for Rollins.”
Hometown: chusetts
Longmeadow, Massa-
Majors: Business (Dan); economics (Robert); psychology or education (Elisabeth) Origin of the legacy: It was a fluke: A good friend of Coach Boyd Coffie ’59 ’64MAT ate at Dan’s father’s restaurant in Lenox, Mass. and told Dan he should look into Rollins if he was interested in playing baseball (he made the team as a walk-on and played all four years). (Dan’s sister, Sheri Flynn ’86, and her husband, Phil Baruch ’87, also graduated from Rollins.) Legacy pressure? Dad exerted no coercion, but he was “more than happy” when they got into Rollins. Biggest change in 30 years: “The tuition,” Dan joked. “As a full-pay parent of two students, I definitely wish the tuition was the same as it was 30 years ago.”
Common bond: The cafeteria staff. “I had a great relationship with the cafeteria staff, which came in handy when we had ‘steak’ night every Friday. When I returned 25 years later with Robert, a couple of the same folks were still working there and actually remembered me. Both my kids have taken the time to be nice to the cafeteria staff and that can provide some nice benefits when you want an extra dessert!” Generation gap: “My kids are connected 24/7 to their friends. In my day we had more down time to relax. There was no technology to hunt you down,” Dan said. Sweet spot: Dock on the lake behind McKean Hall (Dan); the Alfond Pool (Robert); Dianne’s Café in the Rice Family Bookstore (Elisabeth) Flashback: Elisabeth’s Introduction to Theatre professor was Charles Rodgers, who also taught her father the same course 30 years ago.
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Token from home: Robert and Elisabeth only took dad’s stories with them, which Dan believes makes them feel more connected to Rollins’ history. The workaday: Senior vice president for People’s United Bank (Dan); “I al re a d y g o t a j o b w i t h F i d e l i t y I n vestments as an investment banker.” (Robert); working with children as either a psychologist or teacher (Elisabeth) Unforgettable: “Beating Florida Southern. Boyd Coffie wanted it to happen so badly and we did it. That’s about as memorable as it gets.” (Dan); “Fox Day, definitely— heading to the beach and then having the barbecue on the lawn.” (Robert); “Discovering my professor knew about my dad in such detail and remembered him so well all these years later. That really stuck with me.” (Elisabeth)
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Gregory Derderian ’80 & son Garrett ’12 When asked how he feels returning to campus not only as an alum, but also as a parent, Greg Derderian has a quick reply: “Jealous.” Now that his son is a student, Greg sees how much more the school has to offer. “It was a great school back in the day,” he said, “but now it’s a better place, a better education. These kids, they’re living the life.” Hometown: Johns Creek, Georgia Majors: Business administration (Greg); economics (Garrett)
Biggest change in 30 years: Renovations and upgrades of the grounds, athletic facilities, and dorms (Greg)
Origin of the legacy: Greg’s father taught in the Hamilton Holt School and he grew up in Maitland, so he knew about the school early on.
Common bond: Salmon fishing in Alaska
Legacy pressure? “I never wanted to go to a big school,” Garrett said. “I went to Wofford College in South Carolina my freshman year. I decided it was a little too regional for me, so I transferred to Rollins. My family didn’t pressure me to come here, but I know they are happy with my decision.”
Sweet spot: The Alfond Pool (Greg and Garrett)
Generation gap: Greg admits to not grasping Garrett’s resistance to picking up a phone to call.
Flashback: Greg always points to various buildings on campus to relate glory-days stories to Garrett—especially of the late great Pub.
Margaret Banks Czekaj ’77 & daughter Katie ’10 The post office made no profit from the Czekaj family the year Katie applied to colleges: she mailed out one, and only one, application—to Rollins. With her mom and two brothers, Andrew ’05 ’07MBA and William ’09, all alums, she knew Rollins was the only place for her. Hometown: Naples, Florida, by way of Virginia Majors: Studio art and education (Margaret); environmental studies (Katie) Origin of the legacy: Margaret was a student at Menlo College when her father visited Rollins as a graduation speaker (he worked for Time Inc.). The rest is family and Rollins history. Legacy pressure? “No, I knew from the beginning that Rollins was the place for me,” Katie said. “If I hadn’t gotten in, I would have been very upset.” Biggest change in 30 years: Study-abroad opportunities (Katie went to the Galápagos and the Andes—“Those trips changed me as a person,” she said.) Common bond: Horses (Katie, who learned to ride from her mom, became one of the top show riders in Virginia.)
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Generation gap: Technology (“Katie would probably consider me to be technologically disabled,” Margaret said.) Sweet spot: Studio in the art department (Margaret); Kappa Delta house (Katie) Flashback: Both took a course taught by communication professor Carolyn Planck, 30 years apart. Token from home: Gold bracelet with charms to commemorate important events in Katie’s life, given to her by her mom The workaday: Selling her paintings for charity (Margaret); maybe an MBA after graduation (Katie) Unforgettable: “The professors—they were all so excellent.” (Margaret); “The friends I’ve made. I’ll be friends with them for life.” (Katie)
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
The workaday: Partner with Ernst & Young in the financial services advisory business (Greg); after completing an internship, perhaps a career in real estate (Garrett) Unforgettable: Freshman year Hell Night, when “we had a scavenger hunt that had to include getting thrown into jail; the cops obliged us by putting us in the drunk tank.” (Greg); “The professors are always there when you need them. They make themselves so available to us that I actually have their home phone numbers.” (Garrett)
GENERATION NEXT
L E G AC Y
S TAT S
Legacy students enrolled in the Arts & Sciences program, 2009-2010 LEGACY TYPE
NUMBER
Aunt
11
Brother
41
Cousin
34
Father
25
In-Law
1
Grandmother
3
Grandfather
8
Mother
27
Stepparent
1
Other
4
Parents
8
Sister
46
Uncle
8
Multiple
78
Total A&S Students
1773
Total A&S Legacy Students
295
Percentage of Legacy Students
16.6%
Odile Perez ’06 (r) & cousin Ingrid Atiles ’10 Odile Perez had just graduated but was still working for the Office of Multicultural Affairs when her cousin started her first year at Rollins, allowing them to see each other often on the campus they’d both grown to love. Hometown: Odile is from Rhode Island (she was born in the Dominican Republic) and Ingrid is from Florida (she was born in Puerto Rico). Majors: International business & Spanish (Odile); psychology (Ingrid) Origin of the legacy: Odile’s uncle worked in catering at Rollins and insisted she visit the campus, sure that she would fall in love with it. She did. Legacy pressure? “I would say she guided me,” Ingrid said. “My cousin was always inviting me to visit when I was in high school and she made it seem pretty attractive.” Odile admits to a little gentle sales pressure because she was convinced Ingrid would flourish at Rollins. Biggest change in four years? More diversity. (Both Ingrid and Odile said Rollins’ commitment to a diverse student body is more reflective of our society and an issue close to their hearts.) Common bond: Their grandmother (Odile calls her the most inspirational person in
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their lives). They also share a commitment to improving the Hispanic community. Sweet spot: The Olin Library (Ingrid, because she liked to study in the soundproof rooms; Odile, because she found the quiet of the fourth floor relaxing) Flashback: Odile was visiting with a former professor, who showed her an exceptional project by one of her current students— none other than Odile’s cousin, Ingrid. Since they don’t share the same last name, the prof had no idea they were related. The workaday: Earning her graduate degree at the London School of Economics while working on global development issues for a British NGO (Odile); after Rollins, pursuing a PhD in psychology (Ingrid) Unforgettable: Camp Alliance rope course day, the first day on campus—“From the onset, it made me feel empowered and like I was part of a community.” (Odile); Fox Day!—“My one worry about studying abroad [in Australia] was that I would miss Fox Day.” (Ingrid)
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Robert Ourisman, Sr. ’78 & son Robert Ourisman, Jr. ’12 Robert Ourisman, Sr. had a very simple philosophy about his son Robert’s Big Decision to apply to Rollins: “If your kids are happy, their grades are more likely to be good, so it’s a smart idea to have them at a school where they’re having a great time.” Hometown: Washington, DC Majors: Business & economics (Robert Sr.); economics (Robert Jr.) Origin of the legacy: Robert Sr. transferred from a business school in Boston for the warmth of Rollins, where his older brother, Johnny ’75, was enrolled. Robert Jr.’s mother, Eugenia Castleman, also attended Rollins in the ’70s. Legacy pressure? “My dad’s obviously a big advocate, but it was really a last-minute decision for me. After I got accepted to all the big schools, I realized that I wanted a small school, so I took a chance, applying to Rollins after the deadline had passed,” Robert Jr. said. Biggest change in 30 years: “That I’m not a 20-year-old student any more!” Robert Sr. joked, adding that he admires the school’s advances in “global” education. Common bond: Golf, skiing, and Jamaica, where the Ourismans have long had a vacation home
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Generation gap: “Real-time technology has taken some of the innocence away from these kids,” Robert Sr. said. “But it’s also helped this generation be more global and sophisticated in their thinking.” Sweet spot: X-Club (Robert Sr.); Sutton Place Apartments (Robert Jr.) F l a s h b a c k : “ Th e re ’s n o t h i n g b i t tersweet about visiting the campus. It’s all sweet. No bitter.” (Robert Sr.) Token from home: Dad’s X-Club T-shirt (although Robert Jr. ended up pledging Phi Delt) The workaday: Operating the family’s auto dealerships with his brothers (Robert Sr.); possibly joining the family business (Robert Jr.) Unforgettable: First day on campus, hanging out at the XClub with his older brother: “I was thinking, ‘It’s real. I’m really here.’” (Robert Sr.); bid day for Phi Delt: “It was exciting to get the one I wanted and to be part of their traditions.” (Robert Jr.)
GENERATION NEXT John T. Attwell ’80 & daughter Petersen ’13 Building up your alma mater to your child has its risks, but John Attwell was unreserved in his praise of Rollins, feeling certain that if his daughter chose the school, the experience would be as rewarding for her as it had been for him. Petersen says Rollins “totally exceeded my expectations” in just one semester, so it appears father knew best. Hometown: Carmel, California Majors: Political science (both John and Petersen) Origin of the legacy: A sister of a friend from Houston, where John grew up, was a senior at Rollins when he was a senior in high school, so he made a weekend visit and felt like he’d come home. Legacy pressure? “None. I knew from the second I walked on campus it was where I belonged,” Petersen said. Biggest change in 30 years: “Ancient campus buildings have been replaced with more modern facilities,” said John, who gives credit to campus administrators as “incredible stewards of the Rollins tradition, yet improving all the time.” Common bond: Music (Petersen was a radio DJ for three years and introduced her father to her generation’s music; in turn she came to appreciate his music, even signing off her final show with “Baba O’Riley” by The Who)
Generation gap: “Petersen and I are great friends, so we understand a lot about each other’s generations,” John said. Sweet spot: The benches behind McKean (both John and Petersen) Flashback: “We learned not to touch Mystery Meat at Beans, but we really looked forward to steak night on Fridays,” John said. “Students don’t realize how well they eat compared to our day.” Token from home: Dad’s vintage Rollins beach chair The workaday: Founder of Attwell & Co., investment fund (John); law school might be an option (Petersen) Unforgettable: Hoyt Edge’s graduation speech imploring students to make sure that whatever they did in life, they enjoyed it (John); Orientation, making six fast friends—“something my dad always said happened at Rollins for him, but I never expected to happen for me.” (Petersen)
Bailey Johnson Schuerer ’78 & daughter Allie ’10 Even with hilarious stories about her mom’s college days (did you know the Phi Delts used to steal the Kappas’ mattresses and put them on the roof?), Allie Schuerer never thought she’d be a Tar. But the coincidence of a dorm-room assignment and parallel experiences separated by three decades suggest that some legacies were just meant to be. Hometown: Washington, DC Majors: Elementary education (both Bailey and Allie) Origin of the legacy: Many of Bailey’s friends from the DC area went to Rollins and she followed suit. She still gets together with more than a dozen of them. Legacy pressure? “I didn’t even want to look at Rollins just because my mom went there,” Allie said. But the warm weather, beautiful campus, and feeling that she knew the ins and outs of Rollins from her mom clinched her decision. Biggest change in 30 years: “Where’s the pub?” Bailey said. “I go downstairs to order a Miller Lite and a cheeseburger and I walk out with a book. It just does not feel right!” Common bond: They’re both Kappas. Generation gap: “The one thing I will never understand about
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Allie’s generation is their obsession with expensive designer handbags and shoes!” Bailey said. Sweet spot: The Pub (Bailey); outside of Dianne’s Café (Allie) Flashback: Allie’s room in Ward Hall her first year was the very room her mother lived in 30 years ago (when it was called New Women’s Dormitory). Token from home: Allie took Bailey’s L.L. Bean tote bag (with the initials ABJ) to Rollins; Bailey had also used it when she was a student. Allie also took Bailey’s Kappa key when she was initiated into the sorority. The workaday: Running her firm, Capital Financial Advisors (Bailey); after student teaching and graduation, teaching elementary school (Allie) Unforgettable: “The incredible friends I made, lifetime friends.” (Bailey); “Fox Day. It’s such a good time.” (Allie)
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Lenny Barrett ’11HH & son Michael ’13 They’re a tandem legacy—Lenny and Michael Barrett, a mother and son experiencing Rollins at the same time. She’s at the Hamilton Holt School and he’s in the full-time Arts & Sciences program, and they both share a passion for the mission of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Hometown: Orlando (Lenny was born on Java to Chinese parents and speaks Indonesian and Sudanese, in addition to English; she plans to study Mandarin.) Majors: International affairs (Lenny); environmental studies (Michael) Origin of the legacy: Michael liked Rollins’ small class sizes and the feel of the campus, and was attacted by the sustainable development minor. He inspired his mom to return to school in the Hamilton Holt School evening program (she has a degree in English as a foreign language from an Indonesian university and needs 12 credits to earn a BA from Holt; at an average of two classes a semester to accommodate her work schedule, she plans to graduate at the same time as Michael). Biggest difference in their experiences? “I don’t have time to hang out on campus,” said Lenny, who teaches yoga at the local YMCA and Gaylord Palms Resort. “Michael lives on campus, so he is really a part of everything that goes on. And Holt students are probably a little more serious about homework and getting our assignments in on time, but we have to have good time management because we’re all working people.” Common bond: An infuriatingly efficient metabolic system—“My mom is 4 foot 9 and a size 2, and I can eat
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almost anything without much worry, and people say it’s unfair—like we have a supermetabolism,” Michael said. It probably helps that they both practice yoga and Lenny has been a dancer and martial artist for most of her life. Sweet spot: Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA). Sponsored by OMA, Lenny teaches a weekly relaxation course for Rollins faculty and staff and Michael works in the office, helping to organize events such as a dialogue about multiracial families (Lenny was a guest speaker). Token from home: Tingsha bells from Tibet, a reminder of Michael’s Asian heritage and also of yoga sessions from last summer (Mother and son were in a televised yoga class with Rollins alumna Dawn Marie Marzlock ’87.) Workaday: Working toward the 500 hours required to enhance her credentials as a registered yoga instructor and perhaps studying Eastern philosophy at the graduate level (Lenny); undecided, but he may go into urban planning or landscape ecology (Michael)
Patrick McTigue ’99 (l ) & nephews Daniel ’08 (r) and Mac Jacobs ’13
Unforgettable: Getting to know the OMA staff—they are really wonderful people. (Lenny); “First day back to campus from winter break—it was great just to hang out with my friends. We walked down Park Avenue and to Winter Park Village.” (Michael)
Sometimes a family legacy is more than just a tradition—it’s a physical gift to the school to be enjoyed by generations. Such is the case for Mac Jacobs, who can relax on the terrace his grandparents donated to Rollins, just like his brother, Dan, and uncle, Patrick McTigue, did before him.
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
GENERATION NEXT
Brad Lang ’82 & daughter Lexie ’11 As an alum, Brad Lang looks to Rollins’ past with fondness, but it is Rollins’ mission for the future that is most important to him as a parent. He’s confident his daughter’s education at Rollins is preparing her for the “rest of the wide world, because that’s where her future life will be.” Hometown: Sarasota, Florida Majors: Economics (both Brad and Lexie) Origin of the legacy: “I was attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and it happened to be the winter with the most snow since the Civil War.” Transferring to Rollins was a rather easy choice, Brad said. His father attended the Hamilton Holt School and his youngest daughter, Lyndsey, starts Rollins in the fall, in Lexie’s senior year. Legacy pressure? “I applied early decision to the University of Miami, but then changed my mind. But the great thing was my dad never pressured me either way. He just helped me decide if a big school or a small school was the better choice for me,” Lexie said. Biggest change in 30 years: How much it’s changed for the better, Brad said—especially in its mission to educate global citizens.
Common bond: Travel (From the mountains of North Carolina to the Sistine Chapel, they’ve visited sites together in more than 10 countries.) Generation gap: “Twitter and Facebook and all the information that one freely puts out there for the whole world to see is anathema to my way of thinking,” Brad said. “Dad wishes when he went to school they would have pushed study abroad more,” Lexie said. “I’m going to study for six weeks in Italy over the summer and he never got the chance to do that kind of thing.” Sweet spot: The Pub (Brad); Chi Omega house lounge (Lexie) Flashback: Both Lexie and her younger sister were baptized in Knowles Memorial Chapel. Tokens from home: The obligatory Rollins sweatshirt and shorts and “a lot of stories,” Lexie said. The workaday: Practicing law at his own firm (Brad); after Crummer for her MBA (she’s in the 3/2 program), maybe work in the fashion industry in Italy (Lexie) Unforgettable: “One of my business professors senior year told us to take advantage of what’s available and seize opportunities, so I took the hour drive to the Space Coast to watch the Space Shuttle launch, which was amazing to experience up close.” (Brad); “The one-on-one attention from the faculty has been great. I always feel like someone is willing to help me if I need it.” (Lexie)
Legacy pressure? When they were little, Dan and Mac visited Rollins for the sculpture donation ceremony and the idea of Rollins was planted in their minds, but mostly Dan wanted to go because Patrick had been there and Mac wanted to go because both Dan and Patrick had been there.
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale (Dan lives in Boston now) Majors: International business (Patrick); economics (Daniel); chemistry (Mac) Origin of the legacy: Patrick’s father (Mac and Dan’s grandfather) donated the sculpture Barbaric and the R. Emmett & M. Diana McTigue Sculpture Terrace in front of the Cornell Campus Center.
Biggest change in 15 years: “The renovations of Beans, the gymnasium, and the Cornell Campus Center have been astounding,” Patrick said. Common bond: All three have held office in Chi Psi (Mac is vice president; Dan and Patrick were both president in their day.) Generation gap: Mac is living his Rollins experience, while Dan and Patrick have to make do with “reliving it when we visit and then we have to shake our heads and get back on the plane to go back to our real lives. Those were the four best years ever,” Dan said.
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Sweet spot: Chi Psi house (Patrick, Dan, and Mac) Flashback: All three lived in the same room at the Chi Psi Lodge (they all spent the night together there when Pat and Dan visited Mac on campus this spring). The workaday: Operations manager for United Rentals and realtor (Patrick); sales rep for Jeld-Wen windows and doors (Dan); probably grad school for a PhD in chemistry to work in pharmaceuticals (Mac) Unforgettable: “Fox Day—total euphoria to have an extra free day.” (Patrick); “Fox Day— having a party with the girls at the Lodge first, going to the beach in a limo, and having the barbecue afterwards.” (Dan); “I always wanted to go to Rollins. I love the campus, love the people, love the professors.” (Mac)
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Frank ’79 and Jana Slavens Ricci ’80 & son Austin ’12 Perhaps it was a little reverse psychology, but Frank and Jana Ricci actually tried to convince their son not to apply to Rollins, but to a bigger school, to play Division I lacrosse. In the end, Austin followed the strong family tradition (his uncles and aunts, John ’83 and Lisa Evans Slavens ’83, and John ’91 and Jill Slavens Wacker ’91, also attended Rollins) and found his own spot in Rollins history.
Hometown: Winter Park Majors: Business & economics (Frank); education & business administration (Jana); physics (Austin)
be there by 8 o’clock or you wouldn’t get a seat” (Jana & Frank); Hooker Hall or the gazebo behind the Cornell Fine Arts Museum (Austin)
Origin of the legacy: Frank’s mom drove through the campus on a visit to Florida and he applied, sight unseen; Jana grew up in Winter Park and chose Rollins over faraway Montana State.
Flashback: Jana’s parents hosted the entire basketball team for Thanksgiving and New Year’s for 16 years; now Jana and Frank arrange for barbecue to be smoking on the sidelines at Austin’s lacrosse games.
Legacy pressure? “I wanted to be close to my family. Family is huge for me,” Austin said. “They left the decision to me.”
Token from home: Austin took his dad’s baseball cap with him.
Biggest change in 30 years: School spirit: “The sidelines at the baseball games were lined with people and the gym was packed for basketball games. It’s just not as rah-rah as it used to be,” Jana said. Common bond: Sports (Frank was a Tars pitcher and went on to play six years of minor-league ball for the Yankees; Austin is on the lacrosse team.) and music (Jana loves music and Austin plays the guitar.) Generation gap: Texting: Jana wonders if Austin’s generation will even remember how to communicate face to face.
The workaday: Commercial real estate and coaching girls’ lacrosse at Winter Park High (Frank); director of marketing for a Winter Park retirement community (Jana); finish undergrad first (Austin) Unforgettable: “We’re losing 4 to 3 in the bottom of the ninth against Florida Southern and the smallest guy on our team is at bat, full count, fouls four of them, then hits a grand slam. Best day ever.” (Frank); “Back in the day we could drive our cars up to the baseball field and park along the right field side…and get a tan.” (Jana); “Joining Chi Psi. I really love all the guys in the fraternity, their whole principle of being gentlemen.” (Austin)
Sweet spot: The Pub, “but you had to
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
GENERATION NEXT
John Steele, Jr. ’75 & daughter Allie ’11 Tennis is the Steele family’s passion. So it’s no surprise that Allie, who was undefeated in high school, followed in her father’s footsteps to hold court for the Tars.
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio Majors: Economics (John); international relations (Allie)
Biggest change in 30 years: “The academics keep improving. It’s much more challenging than when I was there,” John said.
Origin of the legacy: A guidance counselor pointed John to Rollins, thinking it would be a good tennis school for him (he played on the team all four years).
Common bond: Tennis (Like her dad, Allie is also a member of the Tars tennis team.)
Legacy pressure? “My Dad is one of the most important people in my life and he’s on the alumni board, so I knew I’d get to see him if I went to Rollins,” Allie said. “That made the decision pretty easy.”
Sweet spot: Tennis courts (John and Allie)
Generation gap: Facebook—“Although I’d be willing to give it a try,” John said.
Flashback: Allie’s tennis coach is Bev Buckley ’75, who played for the Tars at the same time as John.
Token from home: “A shared sense of adventure,” John said. The workaday: Running his concrete and aggregate business, Hilltop Basic Resources (John); gaining some work experience before grad school (Allie) U n fo rg e t t a b l e : “ Eve r y d ay at Ro l l i n s wa s wonderful.” (John); “The professors really amaze me, how much interest they take in our success. My adviser comes to all of our tennis matches to support us.” (Allie)
William B. MacLean ’76 & daughter Grace ’12 When you grow up in snow-weary Minnesota, Rollins is hardly a tough sell. Even so, Bill MacLean was careful not to push Rollins on his daughter, Grace, who fell for the sunshine—and the small classes, the volleyball team, and Kappa Delta—with no undue influence from dad.
Hometown: Edina, Minnesota Majors: Psychology (Bill); religion (Grace)
Sweet spot: The Pub or Harper’s (Bill); the Alfond Pool (Grace)
Origin of the legacy: Bill transferred from Florida Presbyterian College when his sister, Katherine MacLean Swan ’77, enrolled at Rollins.
Flashback: Grace, who played on the volleyball team freshman year, runs a favorite route through a lakeside neighborhood near Rollins; Bill, who rowed on the crew team, used to run Genius Drive.
Legacy pressure? “I looked at other schools, but I kept comparing them to Rollins. It was ingrained in my memory and no other school compared,” Grace said.
Token from home: Grace took all of Bill’s old holey crew shirts to Rollins—she wears them as pajamas.
Biggest change in 30 years: “The vision and strategic planning of the school’s leadership,” Bill said. Common bond: Running and theology (it was a religion class with Dean Arnold Wettstein ’06H that planted the seed for Bill’s interest in faith; Grace calls Creston Davis’s Christianity: Thought & Practice a life-changing course) Generation gap: Texting —“Why don’t they just give a call?” (Bill)
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The workaday: Ordained ministry, after retiring in May from a lifelong career as a CPA and institutional investor (Bill); Crummer for the MBA, part of the 3/2 program (Grace) Unforgettable: “Rowing Lake Maitland and all the great friends, the closeness of the experience” (Bill); “One perfect sunny day” that included the Farmers’ Market and a pick-up game of volleyball on the sand court (Grace)
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A Recess A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO, I took a leap of faith and left my comfortable position as an alumni magazine editor. I had no job lined up, but I had a few thousand dollars in savings and, thanks to profits from selling my home in Massachusetts, a mortgage-free house in Greensboro, North Carolina. I’d dreamed of moving to a warmer climate for years; with my son in college and my 50th birthday looming, the time had finally come to leave behind New England’s bone-knocking winters. It was also time to leave the Pioneer Valley, where I’d lived since arriving at Smith College in 1976. In 30 years, I’d moved only seven miles. I felt bold, terrified, fully alive. Comfort and stagnation are only a few degrees apart, I’d discovered, and my life had become brackish. “What will you do for work?” friends asked. “I’ll work at Walmart if I have to,” I told them, fervently hoping that day would never come. “Or Starbucks—they give health insurance to part-time employees.” “But you don’t drink coffee,” one friend pointed out, “and the smell gives you a headache.” Details. What mattered was my willingness to take a risk. Unfortunately, the rest of the country, after a decade of profligate risk taking, was on an opposite track. Seemingly in the two days it took me to
ABIGAILSEYMOUR.COM
drive from Massachusetts to North Carolina, the U.S. economy sprouted huge cracks in its foundation. Suddenly the news was all about bankruptcies, stock-market losses, bank closings, mortgage defaults, and plummeting real-estate values.
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ionary Tale The adrenaline rush of moving and settling into a new city kept me buoyant despite the dire economic news. There were rooms to paint, stores to visit, unfamiliar streets to navigate. What a lark! I had several freelance writing assignments and an interview at a custom-publishing company. “You’re just what we’re looking for,” the HR director told me. “We’ve signed with a new client, and we’re expected to roll out the first publication in February. We need to start hiring yesterday.” Flush with the prospect of a salaried job, I bought curtains for every room in the house. Days and weeks rolled by without a word from HR, despite my follow-up queries. Finally I learned from an inside source that the company was laying off employees after losing two longstanding magazine contracts. The company’s downturn had a further twist: its CEO had invested millions with Bernie Madoff, Wall Street swindler extraordinaire. And so began the slightly surreal experience of living the news rather than reading it. I began to understand—truly understand—that an oceanic recession was under way, and I, like millions of Americans, was flotsam in the receding tide. By November, my savings account was thinning and my credit card was my crutch. The rate at which money went out—house repairs, car registration and insurance, utility bills—was alarming, especially given the lack of influx. I dropped my health insurance and started grinding my teeth at night. S i n c e m y p ro f e s s i o n a l c a re e r seemed to be on hold—or worse, given the number of newspapers and magazines shutting down everywhere, I decided to take a less conventional path. I began applying for every oddball job that
By Mary Seymour ’80
struck my fancy. Remember, it’s an tossing barbell-size packages onto an adventure, I reminded myself. That’s what unrelenting conveyor belt. “You’d be crazy I wanted, right? to work here,” a guy in a Metallica T-shirt My initial pluck faded with the news shouted at us just before a manager that my fail-safes, Target and Starbucks, headed in his direction. were laying off employees all around the The final stop in the tour was a country. Meanwhile, the Greensboro airsecurity checkpoint. I walked through the port had no interest in me as a baggage metal detector, imagining I was entering a handler, and my application to the temp portal into an alternate world, a soft and pool at the local university gathered dust. welcoming place where jobs grew like I wished, a little too late, that I’d learned toadstools and affordable healthcare was how to use Excel and PowerPoint. available to all. After I filled out an application on the After we gathered again in the HR UPS website, the company democratically room to complete our paperwork, I invited me to a group interview for seasonal stared blindly at my application. Given package handlers. We assembled in a plastic-paneled Since my professional career seemed to be on HR room, where a tough young hold, I decided to take a less conventional path. woman in acidwashed jeans I began applying for every oddball job that lectured us. I was struck my fancy. Remember, it’s an adventure, about 30 years older than most I reminded myself. That’s what I wanted, right? of my fellow would-be handlers; most were male and looked like weightlifters. my propensity to depression, I felt shaky “If you get the job, you’ll probably quit about working in such bleak conditions, within 10 days. Your bodies will ache so especially since the only slot available bad you won’t be able to sleep. But, if you was the graveyard shift. stick it out, you’ll get used to it, and you’ll “I’m afraid I can’t work those hours— be in the best shape of your life.” I’ve got a conflict,” I told the HR woman. She led us at a brisk pace to the load“No problem. Just give me your ing plant, turning to shout, “Those of you application; we’ll shred it.” who can’t keep up with me should go home And with that, I was free to return to now. Slow doesn’t cut it around here.” joblessness. Our tour took us through cavernous With Christmas approaching, seasonal gray warehouses filled with grinding, retail jobs began to open up. I applied for shrieking machinery; past peephole sales associate at Macy’s and got a job in views of hairy knees and tattooed shins; women’s ready-to-wear after a five-minute next to workers in solitary confinement interview. Perhaps my years of retail expe-
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rience in high school and college had landed me the gig. No, the HR guy told me. “If you have a pulse, we’ll hire you.” I started the day after Thanksgiving, known in retail as Black Friday; I arrived exhausted from my own anxiety. I spent the day gathering staggering piles of clothes from fitting rooms, then wandering in fruitless circles, trying to put them in their rightful places. After eight hours, I went home more tired than I’d ever felt. Despite the downsides—$7.50-anhour pay, perpetually aching feet—I enjoyed helping customers. With frantic open-mindedness, I decided my future might lie in retail. I applied for a part-time position at Anthropologie, a boutique chain that specializes in boho-chic fashion and artsy home goods. I became one of 25 new associates, winnowed from an astounding 170 applicants, with a starting pay of $8.50 per hour. To prove my can-do attitude, I cheerfully steamed clothes, strapped a vacuum cleaner on my back, Swiffered the fitting rooms, and cleaned bathrooms. The funky atmos-
professional status and positive feedback, my self-esteem was in shreds. I noted my own descent with clinical clarity, registering how quickly 50 years of accumulated skill and experience could turn into rubble. Still, I stayed on in the belief that an unpleasant job was better than no job. Craigslist ads that had seemed beneath me began to look better. I applied for jobs as a housecleaner, receptionist, personal assistant. Most turned out to be scams. For comic relief, I turned to the personal ads, fascinated by people’s bizarre predilections. Then I came across a listing that made me think about a new career direction. “$eeking a cauca$ian female who would like to benefit from my company. Any relationship we have will be under your direction and at your convenience. Me: 46, professional, educated, hygienic, fit, non-smoking, financially secure. Yes, I’m married but enjoy the company of other women.” A job that didn’t require being on my feet sounded good compared to long
Within a few weeks, in the absence of professional status and positive feedback, my selfesteem was in shreds. I noted my own descent with clinical clarity, registering how quickly 50 years of accumulated skill and experience could turn into rubble.
phere of the store, I soon discovered, masked a Third Reichian corporate policy, which included inspecting employees’ purses whenever we left the store. A surfeit of tiny blond managers ruled with despotic efficiency, chiding me for leaning against the cash register counter and hanging a dress improperly. Within a few weeks, in the absence of
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days in retail. It went against every value I’d been raised with, but these were dire economic times. I wrote a brief reply expressing my curiosity and interest. DJ and I exchanged a couple of e-mails, in which I learned that he was an engineer with a small consulting firm and had a daughter in middle school. “Been happily married for 18+ years,”
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
he wrote. “Seems contradictory to have a happy marriage and place a personals ad at the same time. I’m just asking you not to judge.” My inner judge was willing to leave the courtroom—at least until DJ sent me a photograph of himself. There he was, a dark-eyed, salt-and-pepper-haired man with a drooping chin. A Christmas tree stood in the background, while a woman’s cropped head occupied the left corner. “Seeing a bit of what I presume is your wife’s head in the photo makes me wonder if I’m ethically capable of this,” I wrote. He was most understanding in his reply, and the possibility of a liaison ended as quickly as it had begun. I was back to being broke, but with a clear conscience. Being a prison guard had never been a career aspiration, but desperation made me an out-of-the-box thinker. I filled out an online application for detentionservices officer for Guilford County, trying not to blink when I answered “yes” to questions such as: 1) Are you willing to use deadly force, if necessary, to protect a life (yours or others)? 2) Are you able and willing to identify a dead person’s body or watch an autopsy being done? 3) Are you willing to inspect unclothed prisoners including looking into openings, using proper protection with exposure to body fluids, wastes, and possible contact with sick, infected, or dead people? I mailed my notarized application and received a phone call a week later. The sheriff’s office needed a certified copy of my criminal record (or lack thereof), available for $15 at the county courthouse. I drove downtown and circled a cluster of grim gray government buildings, looking for a parking place. As I circled, I tried to imagine myself closing prisoners into jail cells. I thought about how trapped I felt, my life limited by external circumstances and a burgeoning sense of powerlessness. I could never lock anyone in—not now or ever. I drove home and threw out my application. Recently I had coffee with an editor who’d quit her job at a publishing company several months ago. She’d started
her own marketing consulting firm, but so far the work was nonexistent. Everyone was cutting budgets and making do with what they had. She’d begun looking for jobs online. “I got turned down for a lousy $10-anhour job,” she told me. “I can’t believe I’m being rejected for jobs I don’t even want.” During the course of lunch, she was alternately angry, anxious, and gloomy. Listening to her, I realized how far I’d traveled emotionally since I arrived in North Carolina. It occurred to me that, like terminal patients observed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, I’d passed through denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, ultimately coming to acceptance. I felt strangely peaceful as I listened to her roil in her anger phase. I knew that for both of us, certainty, security, and a large measure of self-confidence had gone out the window. What took their place, if we looked at it through an extremely rosy lens, were freedom, possibility, and an AP course in resiliency. “I had no idea it would be this hard,” the former editor said. “Do you wish you hadn’t quit your job?” She paused a long moment, swirling her coffee with a spoon. “No,” she said. “I felt like I was dying. I had to leave.” I gave her a big fellow-survivors’ hug when we said goodbye. “The right thing is just around the corner,” I said. “Believe in that and keep moving forward.” I hurried out the door and headed to Macy’s for an eight-hour shift in the petites department, eager and anxious to find out what surprises the day—and all the days after—would bring.
CAREER HELP FROM ROLLINS A DOWNTURN IN THE JOB MARKET means an upturn for the career services office at Rollins, which has been steadily expanding its services for alumni. Ray Rogers, director of career services, has seen an increase in inquiries in the last two years. “I think alumni have felt the recession pretty hard,” he said. “At least weekly I’ll get an e-mail from an alum who has lost his job and wants to know what advice we can give.” The answer is plenty. Although the career services office devotes much of its time to helping undergraduates get started on a career path, it’s equally committed to working with alumni of all ages. In order to serve alumni far from campus, Rogers and his staff have developed the following online offerings:
JOBS FOR TARS. Through this universal job-posting system, Rollins students and alumni can peruse local and national listings for full- and part-time jobs as well as on-campus recruiting visits. Jobs for Tars serves as a portal for access to other online resources, so signing up is an important first step in using all of the career office’s cyber-offerings. CAREER CONNECTIONS. Alumni in far-flung professions and places volunteer as resources for students and alumni looking to gain career experience in a given field. For example, an alumnus interested in publishing in New York City can search for and contact an alum in that profession and area. ONLINE PRACTICE INTERVIEWING. Thanks to a system called InterviewStream, alums can sit at their computers and use their webcams to perform online practice interviews. A recruiter appears onscreen and asks questions (culled from 1,200 possibilities); the interviewee’s responses are recorded on camera. The interview can be saved and flagged for Rollins career services to critique, and it can be sent to other alumni in the field for feedback. CITY INFORMATION. Business listings for major cities from Boston to Miami to Seattle help job seekers learn about potential employers and positions within major industries in that area. CAREER-RELATED WEBSITES. For users who want to learn more about a given profession, online listings provide details such as where such jobs are most likely to be found, what training is required, and the salary range. RÉSUMÉ WRITING. Information on how to write a successful résumé appears on the Rollins career services website; many alumni e-mail their résumés to the office’s staff, who then respond with a critique.
Of course, online isn’t the only way to use the career services office. A lot of work is done by phone, particularly one-on-one career counseling. For alumni considering graduate school, staff stand ready to provide guidance in evaluating programs, prepping for admission exams, writing personal statements, and getting letters of recommendation. Disc jockey Sarah Weishampel ’03 knows how helpful the office can be. She called in January ’09 after losing her job at XM Radio after its merger with Sirius. Rogers gave her advice on writing cover letters, networking, and preparing for interviews. She applied for 25 jobs and landed an interview at a family-owned Pennsylvania radio station. “Ray gave me moral support during the job search. When I walked into that interview, I felt confident.” Weishampel got the job. For anyone who has lost her or his job, Rogers has clear advice: “Take a few days and figure out logically what your next step is, instead of having an emotional reaction. Then, rather than applying
Mary Seymour ’80 is a freelance writer in Greensboro, North Carolina. She works part-time at Anthropologie and Macy’s, shows her artwork at a local gallery, volunteers at a therapeutic riding center, and is taking coursework toward a master’s in counseling. This story originally appeared in the fall 2009 issue of the Smith Alumnae Quarterly.
for every job out there generically, apply very specifically for the few that you think are realistic.” Obviously, another good piece of advice is to get in touch with the career services office. “Alumni who come back often say, ‘Why didn’t I do this when I was here?’” Rogers said. “I wish I had a dollar for every time I hear that.” TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ROLLINS COLLEGE OFFICE OF CAREER SERVICES, VISIT rollins.edu/careerservices
BOTH THE HOLT AND CRUMMER SCHOOLS OFFER SIMILAR CAREER SERVICES. Hamilton Holt School: rollins.edu/holt/careerservices Crummer Graduate School of Business: rollins.edu/crummer/career-development
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A THOUSAND WORDS
ROLLINS THROUGH THEIR EYES
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
ASK ANYONE WHO EVER CALLED ROLLINS HOME to share a favorite College memory and chances are they’ll use their words to paint a vivid picture. In a recent contest sponsored by Rollins Magazine, students were invited to submit photos of the people, places, and moments that define their Rollins experience. Here, we invite you to view their pictures and re-experience Rollins as seen through their eyes. —Laura J. Cole ’04 ’08MLS
To view all entries, go to rollins.edu/magazine/throughyoureyes.
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We Agree, It Is Alive by Praise Santos ’11HH In between LeaderShape Institute sessions in Champaign, Illinois, students gathered atop the hills of Allerton, told jokes, and shared laughter— all the while in circular fashion.
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ROLLINS THROUGH THEIR EYES
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Tarnival Friends by Christian Kebbel ’12
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Enjoy Your Flight by Praise Santos ’1 1HH
During the LeaderShape Institute in Champaign, Illinois, fellow Rollins student, Amy Iarrobino ’10, wrote me a brightenyour-day note crafted in the form of a delicate creature of flight.
▼ Slide Into Youth by Catherine Kelly ’10 I captured this icon of youth while babysitting a member of the Winter Park community.
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Chapel Sunrise by Christian Kebbel ’12
Perspective
by Holly Jefferies ’10HH I took this photograph looking up from the doorway of the Chapel. It represents the unique perspective one can find when looking in every direction.
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ROLLINS THROUGH THEIR EYES
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Knowles at Night by Shannon Lynch ’12
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I took this picture while looking up at the bell tower of Knowles Memorial Chapel against an autumn evening's sky.
Opportunity by Holly Jefferies ’10HH
This is a photograph of the historic Chapel door on the Rollins College campus. The image represents the opportunities that exist beyond both sides of the doors of Rollins College.
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Olin at Dusk 2 by J.D. Casto ’10 Taken from the R-TV Studio balcony, the Olin Library stands with the beautiful backdrop of a Florida sunset.
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Czech Republic by Hannah Walsh ’08 ’09MBA I took this photo during the Rollins MBA international field study to Prague, Czech Republic in April 2008. This hidden alleyway is located very close to the famous Charles Bridge.
▼ Invalides, Napoleon's Tomb by Ginny Justice ’11MLS Paris, France
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ROLLINS THROUGH THEIR EYES
Trashy Art by Catherine Kelly ’10, Boulder, Colorado
Little Peruvian Girl by Melody Hope Justice ’10HH
Probably one of the most beautiful children I've ever seen, this little girl was with her siblings in a small market in Puno, Peru. ▼ The Watch Bird by Catherine Kelly ’10 I captured this image of a bird in the cracked window of a deserted barn in my home town of Darien, Connecticut when a friend from Rollins was visiting.
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ROLLINS PERSPECTIVE A
PA R T I I : T H E H E R O I C AG E & THE SPIRIT OF CHANGE
BY LO R R I E KY L E R A M E Y ’ 70
n the second installment of its history of Rollins College, Rollins Magazine looks back on the College’s growth from 1925 to 1969, recalling the eras of Rollins’ legend-maker, Hamilton Holt, and his two immediate successors, Paul Wagner and Hugh McKean. When students arrived at Rollins in the fall of 1925, the College was 40 years old, and about to take steps as daring as those of its founders nearly half a century before. The man who came to Rollins that fall to become the College’s eighth president was not an educator by profession, yet Hamilton Holt launched one of the most innovative concepts in modern education. In 1938, The Rollins Record opined, “Rollins is now making much the same kind of cultural contribution to the Deep South as the New England colleges made 50 years or more ago to the Northeastern States. The Northeastern Colleges have happily ‘arrived’. Rollins College is still in its ‘Heroic Age’.”
The two decades that followed Holt’s retirement in 1949 were years of rededication and rebirth. In 1951, The Sandspur announced a “ROLLINS RENAISSANCE,” and The Tomokan of 1968 suggested “the old Rollins is dead.” The 1967 yearbook dedicated itself not to a dean or professor or trustee, but to the reawakened energy it detected on campus, the “Spirit of Change.” Rollins’ 10 th president, Hugh McKean, sparked Rollins’ imagination again and again, continuously introducing new programs and challenging the comfortable habits of Rollins’ students and leaders. In a period that began in Korea and ended in Vietnam and witnessed the assassination of the first U.S. President in 62 years, any feelings of complacency were fleeting. Change sometimes seemed the only constant, but it was certain that the grand old lady of Winter Park wasn’t about to sit back and watch herself grow old.
ROLLINS THROUGH THE YEARS 1925–1941
1925 | Hamilton Holt arrives … demerit program tested at Cloverleaf & Lakeside: for not registering before going to the library at night, 3 demerits; for going to movies in groups of less than two, 3 demerits; for not using the Dinky track while in bathing suits, 1 demerit … 30 demerits in one semester: expulsion … the advent of St. Andy … first Freshman football team —The Rats …
1928 | Gene Tunney speaks, Johnny
1931 | Annual Institute of Statesmanship
Weismuller swims … English dept. sponsors Carl Sandburg … crew rows exhibition race at Palm Beach Yacht Club … trustees grant 40 emergency scholarships to hurricane victims …
holds Round Table on Bank Mergers & Branch & Chain Banking … New Curriculum Plan inaugurated … Rollins hosts Oxford University debating team …
1929 | Rollins Winter School: “Summer School” in the winter, “under ideal conditions” … faculty available for public lectures on 187 topics … room ($100) includes electric lights: “No other electric equipment is allowed in the rooms” … first Bach Festival … Edward “Dad” Rollins gives $25,000 for first dorm of new campus … 23,000 books in the library … Walk of Fame dedicated …
1932 | new course: “315W. Contribution of 1926 | faculty salaries raised 62% … Baby
Women to the Progress of the World” … the Commons has to be enlarged—twice … Knowles Memorial Chapel and Annie Russell Theatre dedicated … first play staged at A.R.T.: Browning’s In a Balcony, starring Annie Russell … class designations abandoned … B o sto n Pirates play Philadelphia Athletics to raise funds for new athletic field … 3 3 , 0 0 0 books in the library …
Tars Florida basketball champs … Tomokan names “True Rollins man” and “True Rollins girl” … first Professorship of Books in U.S. established at Rollins … followed by first Professor of Ethology … Two-Hour Conference Plan introduced … Rollins to make 1500-ft. film to sell the College to Florida—Hamilton Holt to play himself …
1927 | faculty almost unanimous in opposition to proposed Fla. law to prohibit the teaching of evolution … track team practices at Orlando fairgrounds … new dept.: Ornithology … Rollins receives membership in Association of Colleges & Secondary Schools in the Southern States … first Animated Magazine … 187 respond to survey of religious beliefs: 178 believe in God, 162 in immortality … Rollins named 1 of 14 institutions to grant Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award …
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1930 | Calvin Coolidge visits … next freshman class limited to 50 girls & 75 boys; actual count: 152 … King of Siam gives books … Fleet Peeples returns … Hugh McKean edits The Flamingo
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1933 | Rollins announces Unit-Cost Plan … “As a ll wom en ’s dormitories are equipped with radios in the living rooms, no first year student is permitted to have a radio in her room” … Special Course added: “How to Study” … Explorers Club discovers remains of mastadon & mammoth on Florida east coast … Edwin Granberry joins Rollins faculty … Publications Union issues only “scrip” used in Winter Park during bank holiday … Rollins girls debate Ya l e : “Resolved, That Women i n Politics Are a Fiasco” (result i s a d raw ) … B o o k - a -Ye a r Club begins … Infirmary opens with 10 beds …
vacation. Eleanor is with him. He gets a degree. She gets a medal. The roar of many cannons and it is all over. Rollins is still Republican” (The Tomokan) …
| traditional Freshman bonfire ignited by ? … “Dean Enyart dunked into beautiful Lake Virginia. His comment not recommended for posterity” … Rollins Day at the World’s Fa i r … I n t e g ra t e d Courses introduced …
1937 | Rollins College Band boasts 14 members … student Peace Strike … motion picture & sound system given to A.R.T. by Harry M. Warner, Pres., Warner Bros. …
1938 | Student Council launches
1934 | “Nerts” …
1939
campaign for recreation center … 53,762 books in the library … student body of 394 hails from 32 states & 7 foreign countries … Foreign Study Plan offers six months in France—at no extra cost, thanks to the Unit·Cost Plan … “Moo Moo Club meets twice day on Beanery porch serving milk & crackers to the underweights” …
1940
| Beal-Maltbie Shell Museum … women’s basketball team Orlando league champs … on campus: H. G. Wells, Alexander Woollcott …
1941 | football team trains in Asheville, NC … Rollins Quarterback Club … 60,790 books in the library … enrollment: 416, visitors to the Pelican: 1,467 …
1935 | Rollins’ 50th birthday coincides with graduation of first whole Conference System-class … first Beanery mural painted: the “Monkey Wing” … $275,000 loan granted by Public Works Administration to build 4 new dorms; fraternity & sorority houses to go—the death of Greeks at Rollins? …
1936 | Sinclair Lewis speaks, Martha Graham dances, Efrem Zimbalist (Sr.) plays … Jack & the Bean Stalk appears in the Beanery—on the walls … all-College poll: Roosevelt-36%, Landon-58%; Sandspur suggests formation of Rollins Confusion Party … first organized program of Adult Education … Office of Admissions established … “Roosevelt times himself to break up
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ROLLINS THROUGH THE YEARS 1942–1958
1942 | first building especially designed for Conference Plan: La Maison Provençale … Morse Gallery of Art … Emergency war courses include “Chemical Warfare Seminar” and “Psychology of Propaganda” … first football queen … Lakeside closed … Yehudi Menuhin plays … Pelican becomes U.S. Coast Guard Shelter Station … all men run commando course—replica of West Point’s—twice a week …100% of women sign up for war work …
1947 | Fiesta revived … groundbreaking for Orlando Hall … first varsity crew since the war … 75,000 books in the library …
1948 | Leo G. Carroll in Angel Street, Buddy Ebsen in The Male Animal—at A.R. T. … water skiing team wins first intercollegiate championship …Hamilton Holt resigns, effective July ’49 …
1943 | STAR Unit … Tomokan cancelled, then saved—in abbreviated form … all bachelor commandos eligible for Rollins Paper Doll Club … Freshmen subjected to standardized achievement & a p t i t u d e te st s u n d e r g u i s e o f “A p p l i cation of the Principles of Mental Hygiene” …
1944 | President of Student Council elected with campaign slogan “Vote For A Man While You Can” … men’s intramurals struggle on with 26 boarding students: Cobras face Jitterbugs … hurricane lashes campus, men deliver food to girls’ dorms, students form clean-up squads … Elizabeth Arden, entertained at Kappa tea, describes Rollins as “too beautiful” …
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1945 | S.S. Rollins Victory launched in Rollins’ honor … 45 Vets on campus— 21 returning Rollins men … Esperanto … new Casa Iberia dedicated by Florida governor …
1946 | Fred Stone plays A.R.T. in You Can’t Take It With You, Greer Garson watches … 33 new subjects added to curriculum … old tradition renewed: Thursday dinner by candlelight … Thornton Wilder talks to Ed Granberry’s class … “There’s a peace on” … 1949 | Truman receives honorary doctorate … grant from Davella-Mills Foundation for new library … economy drive: save electricity, hot water, & food … faculty vetoes ratting … Hamilton Holt’s “Commencement” … Paul Wagner succeeds Hamilton Holt as Prexy … Joe Justice succeeds Jack McDowall as football coach … last football team … campus newsreel films “Life at Rollins” … “A full scale survey is underway by a class of students to determine what has happened to and what is happening to the conference plan and just what the conference plan is” …
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
1950 | first basketball team in 10 years … tennis team plays Club Chapultapec of Mexico … 57.8% of Rollins women claim Rollins men are less polite than other college men … new course: Aviation 103 … Hamilton Holt surprised with Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award …
1951 | Adult Education Program becomes “Courses for the Community” … Sigma Nus and volunteer firemen extinguish fire in the Beanery … first classes at Patrick A.F.B. … Pres. Wagner dismissed … Hugh F. McKean named Acting President … Festival of Light … Mills Memorial Library dedicated …
1952 | crew rows against University of Guatemala—first international race … Tarpon Club performs for State Welders & Drillers Convention … WPRK receives opening congratulations from Pres. Eisenhower … Groucho Marx selects Tomokan beauty … tuition: $1600, cost: $1653.74 … A.R.T. stages special performance of Dracula at 11:30 p.m.; late permissions granted … Presidential poll: Eisenhower-304, Stevenson-65, Coolidge-1, Pogo-1 … Acting Pres. McKean accepts presidency … 2nd Festival of Light …
1953 | Student Center coffee: 8¢ a cup … Operation Songlift: 20 girls travel to Bermuda, Iceland, Newfoundland to entertain troops … newest dept.: Photography … 5 head of cattle graze in pen on A.R.T. lawn for Economic Conference on Florida Cattle industry … Rollins joins C.E.E.B.—only college in Florida, 1 of 8 in the South … Placement Office established … Jack McDowall sponsors Fin & Feather Club for fishermen, hunters & wildlife photographers … Touchdown Club for development of athletics in general & touchdowns “in particular” … Sandspur reviews Tony Perkins appearing at A.R.T.: “everything that he should be with the exception of a young Don Ameche” …
1954 | first “name” band plays at Fiesta Ball—Sauter-Finegan Orchestra; CBS radio to broadcast dance & girls to buy their own tickets ($2.50) … Pres. McKean leads Fiesta parade on horseback … first Baseball Week … new course: Social Dancing … Mr. Roberts performed on stage on Lake Virginia …
1956 | “Operation Bootstrap” … 2 Rollins co-eds ride Rose Bowl float; biggest thrill: “meeting Tab Hunter!” … Ford Foundation awards Accomplishment Grant for improved status & compensation of faculty … Republic of Guatemala gives 2 doves & 2 guyacamos (that’s parrots to you) … Presidential poll: Eisenhower-78.6%, Stevenson-17.2%, Edward R. Murrow-2.1% … King & Queen of Hearts … the Fox returns! …
1957
| A.R.T.’s 25th birthday: rededication speech by Green Pastures author Marc Connelly … new home for the KAs: Rex Beach Hall … Jack McDowall retires … first language laboratory in Florida … 4 Rollins co-eds swim relay race on Garry Moore show … pinballmania … Center for Practical Politics opens … Earth Satellite Program launched …
1958 | The Commons transformed into Art dept. … measles epidemic … new Senior course: Synthesis and the Value Vectors of our Heritage … Rollins co-ed named Miss Florida … first male cheerleaders since football … new intramural sport proposed: flicker ball— combines football, basketball, hockey … Student Center to open Sunday evening—to end socializing in the library; estimated cost: $21 …
1955 | 35-45% of student body receives financial aid … annual fee: $1800 plus $300 voluntary … 88,437 books in the library … students receive WPRK on AM radios in dorm rooms … “Bridgitis” … Eleanor Roosevelt takes out Book-AYear Club membership in honor of F.D.R … Jimmy Cagney initiated as honorary X-Clubber …
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ROLLINS THROUGH THE YEARS 1959–1969
1962 | Tars claim shortest basketball player in U.S.: Mike Bailey, 5’-4” … first M.A.T. degrees awarded … George Hamilton visits Rollins … linen service introduced … Fiesta features elephant … New Hall named as tribute to 23 distinguished professors … first basketball win in 35 games; Sports Illustrated carries the news …
1959 | dedication of Elizabeth & Rose Skillman Halls … 2 new racing shells: the Hugh F. McKean & the John M. Tiedtke … Student Council sponsors Playboy dance; Playboy magazine donates decorations … Cloverleaf redecorated with carpeting from Chicago’s Drake Hotel … Sandspur headline: “Study Tour Of Cuba Highlighted By Near Arrest, Glimpse of Castro” …
1960 | theatre arts students attend Yale Drama Festival … 68 freshmen attend first “How to Study Week” … Union to be open Saturday & Sunday evening … Presidential poll: Nixon-482, Kennedy-151 … girls’ basketball team beats men’s varsity … Fiesta: “No damages … except Recreation Hall burned” …
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1963 | new course: Radio, Film, & Communi1961 | new Fiesta feature: Mr. Ugly Man contest … new Student Association … new honorary: Phi Sigma Iota, for romance languages … Freshmen wear beanies until soccer team wins first game … Senior Honor House … Institute of General Studies established … Fashion Board formed to promote good dress … Patrick A.F.B. branch opened …
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
cation Media Appreciation … Guide Service formed … Rollins College Museum of Art … Barristers Club …
1964 | Rollins in G.E. College Bowl … Roy E. Crummer gives $1 million for School of Finance & Business Administration—“to strengthen the human element in business” … Institute of General Studies’ first separate commencement … Speakers Bureau … first Parents’ Weekend …
1965 | Union program revamped; now appearing: The Lettermen, Joe & Eddie … A. G. Bush donates $800,000 toward science center … Fairbanks Ave. rerouted … Senior keys on trial … Institute of General Studies becomes Central Florida School for Continuing Studies … Fiesta transforms Rollins into “a southern Disneyland” …
1966 | new courses: The Art of Conversation, Happy Living, Appreciation of College Freedom—all filled … Crummer School of Business wins Intercollegiate Game & Conference … last Fiesta … “The Hourglass Curriculum” …
1967 | Independent Men’s Dorm becomes Holt Hall as women move in … DuBois Health Center … Spring Weekend replaces Fiesta … new majors: Expressive Arts, Behavioral Science, History & Public Affairs … Mr. Legs … Winter Park’s first “BE-IN” …
1968 | first Fine Arts Week … first “teach-in” … first Happening … last Flamingo … campus-wide bomb threat … gymnastics introduced … first basketball game in new Field House … Homecoming revived … Presidential poll: McCarthy - 244, Nixon-153, Rockefeller-65, Pat Paulsen- 4 … last Shakespeareana …
1969 | Bush Science Center dedicated … Peter Shaffer watches his Black Comedy at A.R.T. … Rollins Singers tour military bases in Europe … Cloverleaf razed …the end of three eras …
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“Knowles Chapel has become my pet. I feel as though I have a personal interest in the church, and I like to refer to it as MY church.” —Dr. Ralph Adams Cram, Architect, Knowles Memorial Chapel
“Rollins is evidently an
institution of both achievement and promise.” —Hamilton Holt, October 23, 1925
amilton Holt was a graduate of Yale. He had taken postgraduate courses at Columbia and held numerous honorary degrees. Pres. Holt and Dean Campbell at laying of the cornerstone, Knowles Memorial Chapel, 1932
He was, by profession, a journalist. He had edited and owned the Independent, a weekly magazine. He was, by nature, a man who believed in the possibility of peace. He was founder of the League to Enforce Peace, a member of the Executive
On Tuesday afternoon the members of the far famed Sociology class of Rollins College made their annual pilgrimage to the environs of Orlando, Florida in an effort to get used to the bustling life of a big city, to observe at first hand the intricate workings of the signal lights, the massiveness of the tall buildings, and the manner of procedure by the strong arm of justice in its collossal efforts to stamp out the bane of a big cities [sic] existence, CRIME. —The Sandspur, 1926
Laying of the cornerstone, Annie Russell Theatre, 1931
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Committee of the League of Nations Non-Partisan Association, and executive director of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. He had been decorated by six nations and had been called “one of the country’s great practical idealists.” To Rollins students, he was “Prexy.” Prexy introduced his vision of Rollins in a speech to alumni in October 1925. He wanted an
physical exercise period and extracurricular activities.
ideal campus with an ideal faculty and ideal
Evenings offered abundant cultural events, and
equipment—and a student body of no more than
Prexy made sure there was a constant parade of
700. In 1926, the board of trustees agreed with the
notables for Rollins students to hear, and to bring
new president and adopted a four-point plan:
publicity to Rollins.
enrollment was not to exceed 400 men and 300
The event which focused the most attention
women, talented faculty were to be courted, the
on Rollins was surely the Animated Magazine—
campus was to be developed in Mediterranean
“the only magazine in the world that comes to
style, and Rollins was to affirm “the highest stan-
life.” Begun in 1926, the Animated Magazine drew
dards of life and work.”
as many as 8,000 to the campus to hear speakers
The Two-Hour Conference Plan, for which
such as Rex Beach, U.S. Secretary of State Cordell
Rollins was to become so well known, was inau-
Hull, Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams,
gurated in the Fall Term of 1926 for a five-year test
author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Countess
period. Rather than conventional one-hour lecture
Alexandra Tolstoy, Time and Life editor Henry R.
classes, students and professors participated in
Luce, Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Dale Carnegie, New
two-hour conference-and-study periods. Both
York Times publisher Arthur Hays Sulzberger, Carl
compulsory attendance and permissible cuts were
Sandburg, playwright Maurice Maeterlinck, Justice
abolished. All class work was to be completed
William O. Douglas, General Jonathan M. Wainwright,
during the two-hour periods, and the remainder
Mary McLeod Bethune, Edward R. Murrow, and
of the student’s day was devoted to the afternoon’s
Archduke Otto of Austria and Hungary. The only
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
Animated Magazine, 1934
“ad” in the magazine was an invitation to
expressed concern about retention of the lecture
contribute to Rollins’ library fund.
format by some professors and the need for
In January 1931, Rollins hosted a Curriculum
completing additional work outside the class.
Conference, with education heavyweight John
They also complained that tests had only
Dewey as chairman. The resulting recommenda-
seemed to disappear: “they occasionally rear
tions were implemented by Rollins in the fall of
their ugly heads ... not too well disguised as
1931. The “New Curriculum,” plus the existing
‘quizzes’” (The Tomokan, 1938). The students
Conference Plan, combined to form the concept
weren’t the only ones with complaints. In 1933,
of “Individualization in Education.”
one of the faculty fell short of the Rollins ideal.
Under the New Curriculum, class designa-
The resulting dismissal generated a bout of
tions disappeared and students became members
accusations and counter-accusations between
of either the Lower Division or the Upper Division.
the College and the A.A.U.P.
Admission to the Upper Division was granted by a
Yet another innovation was introduced by
special board, as was permission to be graduated
Rollins in 1933, when the “Unit-Cost Plan” was
from the Upper Division. The student passing from
announced. Rather than paying an artificially
the Lower Division to the Upper Division passed
determined amount for tuition, room, and board,
from generalization to specialization. The student
students were asked to pay the actual cost of their
was evaluated on his achievement, not grades.
expenses at Rollins: $1,350. The endowment was
The key element in Holt’s educational program
thus freed from supporting the day-to-day
was the relationship between student and teacher.
expenses of the College, and students who
In his 1925 speech to the alumni, President Holt
genuinely could not pay the full amount were
had declared, “It is the professors ... who make a
given scholarships from the endowment income.
college great.” And President Holt proceeded to
True to his word, Hamilton Holt did look
bring exceptional professors—often called Rollins’
throughout Florida for “the most beautiful build-
“Golden Personalities”—to the College. “Like a
ings of the Mediterranean type,” and he hired
collector of gems searching for precious stones,
Coral Gables architect Richard Kiehnel to design
he has gone out after teachers” (The Tomokan,
the Rollins campus. Kiehnel’s master plan divided
1927-1928).
the campus into four quadrangles. The center of
The road to the ideal college was not always
attraction—and the campus—was a carillon tower.
smooth, however. Students had voted in favor of
As funds became available, Rollins began adopting
the Conference Plan three to one, but they
the plan piece by piece.
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In reality this Animated Magazine is another part of the complex “Rollins Plan.” Here st u d e n t s h ave t h e opportunity to grasp visually the material that lies “cut and dried” between the pages of their text books. They can see and hear the very people about whom they read and study. Hearing an author interpret his own lines of poetry or prose gives a lasting, living understanding to lifeless printed pages. —The Sandspur, 1935
Pres. Holt and honorary degree recipient Thomas Edison, 1930
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Corra Harris, Prof. of Evil, 1930
Readin’, Writin’, ‘Rithmetic, Psychology And Arabic, Betty Co-ed ‘11 get her man With what She learned Thru the Conference Plan. —The Tomokan, 1930
Lyman Gymnasium had already been converted into a classroom building and Recreation Hall was built to take its place. The first building of the “New Rollins” was Rollins Hall, begun in 1929. Shortly after that dormitory’s dedication in 1930, President Holt announced the gifts of Cornelius Pugsley and an anonymous donor for the construction of two women’s dormitories. Pugsley and Mayflower Halls were dedicated in 1931. Mayflower Hall received its name from the Pilgrim ship. The Society of Friends at Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire, gave Rollins a 16-inch section of beam from the ship, which, it had been discovered, had been salvaged to build a haybarn in England. The block of wood was placed above the fireplace in Mayflower Hall. Following the construction of the two new dormitories came the news that Mrs. Frances Knowles Warren, daughter of one of Rollins’ original benefactors, Francis Knowles, had given funds for a chapel in memory of her father. Less than a month later, Mrs. Edward W. Bok presented $100,000 for the construction of a theater in honor of her friend the actress Annie Russell. The Knowles Memorial Chapel and the Annie Russell Theatre were dedicated together on March 29, 1932. Hamilton Holt commented that just as Rollins had earned recognition for “what we have done to humanize education,” the presence of the Chapel was “a wonderful opportunity to vitalize religion.” The students accepted the challenge and became responsible for all aspects of the Chapel services. The Annie Russell Theatre was home to two artistic series: the Rollins Student Company and the Professional Artists’ Series, which included the Annie Russell Company, an honor group directed by Miss Russell. The Laboratory Theatre continued to perform in Recreation Hall until 1939, when proceeds from a statewide tour of Fred Stone and a student company in Lightnin’ funded the creation of the Fred Stone
Art students painting Dining Hall, 1935
WITHIN THE NEXT FEW years this college will become either a playboy’s paradise, the country club that the north
Laboratory Theatre.
The Rollins of today looks back on the Rollins of yesterday as a quaint, perhaps a rather crude attempt to bring education into the heart of Florida. But in essence, the Rollins of yesterday embodied the same courage and devotion and desire for progress of the right sort which should characterize all of our efforts today. —The Sandspur, 1935
has always thought it to be, or it will become an institution
The campus underwent its next burst of building activity in 1936, when Public Works Administration
seriously interested in the
loans permitted the construction of five new dormitories. Joint ceremonies in 1937 dedicated Fox Hall
accomplishment of something,
(named for Caroline A. Fox, a Rollins donor), Gale Hall (named for Sullivan French Gale, one of the first
whatever
trustees), Cross Hall, Hooker Hall, and Lyman Hall.
that
something
Fall Term 1939 saw Rollins’ first experiment with Integrated Courses. Each student took courses de-
may be. —The Sandspur, 1941
signed to integrate the various disciplines: “that which would lead the student to a well balanced understanding of the nature of the physical world, ... and an integrated understanding of the social and cultural world ”
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
(Annual Catalogue, 1940). Just as students had had a choice between the Old Plan and the New Plan in 1931, students could select the Integrated Courses or the Achievement Plan (a.k.a. New Curriculum).
The Pelican
The plans to build a Student Union—some argued for a more suitable (romantic?) name—were finally realized in 1941. The students had worked for several years to raise money and, with the help of Mrs. Frances Knowles Warren, the “Student House” and its companion “Alumni House” were completed. When the U.S. entered World War II, Rollins revamped its curriculum again. Two-hour classes were reduced to one hour; courses were justified on the basis of academic content and contemporary value. A
Sinclair Lewis, in his Stock-
Summer Term was added in 1943 to help reduce the amount of time needed for graduation. The Army
holm address accepting the
STAR Unit arrived for refresher courses at Rollins in 1943 and stayed until the spring of 1944. They were
Nobel Prize in literature,
billeted in the then-empty men’s dorms. After the STAR Unit moved, the Department of Intelligence School of Applied Tactics moved in.
listed Rollins first of all the
As well as losing male students, Rollins lost male faculty members. To fill the gaps, the College called
colleges in the United States
upon retired professors and asked the remaining faculty to teach extra courses. When the War was over
that were doing most to en-
and the men returned to Rollins, the College couldn’t handle the influx. Men were housed in the Park Avenue
courage creative work in
hotel, the Conservatory, the Fred Stone Theatre, the field house, and Prexy’s garage. Rollins launched a $575,000 “V-E” Victory-Expansion campaign. The results: Frances Knowles Warren Hall (the “Ad Building”); Corrin Hall, given by Mrs. Henry Alvah Strong in honor of her son, Corrin; and Orlando Hall, a
contemporary literature. —The Rollins Record, 1931
tribute to the generosity of Orlando citizens. (Mrs. Strong had also presented Strong Hall, in honor of her husband, in 1939.) When Hamilton Holt left Rollins, nearly 25 years after he became president, he left the College tangibly richer. His achievements included a larger student body, a prestigious faculty, plus 27 more buildings. But when Hamilton Holt left, he also left the College with perhaps its greatest gift: its personality. On Prexy’s departure, The Sandspur remarked on Rollins’ spirit, “a spirit of cooperation, of informality, that made student and professor ‘learners of life’ together.”
The college never stands still. It goes either forward or backward. Paul A. Wagner, 1949
Rollins College Roll of Honor
illing Holt’s shoes was a large order and Rollins made its first attempt in 1949, when 31-year-old Paul A. Wagner arrived at Rollins and became the youngest college president in the U.S. The student body rushed to support their new “Prexy,” but the honeymoon didn’t last through Wagner’s sophomore year. A questionable financial crisis and decisions perceived as peremptory led the students to question the president’s judgment. In cost-cutting measures, all intercollegiate sports were dropped and over one-third of the faculty had been fired. The students met and proposed alternatives to the faculty cuts, including offering to assume the maintenance duties of the College. All of Rollins’ family members—students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and Wagner—proceeded through a series of confrontations and silences which lasted more than two months, and arrived at a
The cruelty and depravity of war has entered our lives, but in retaliation we have learned to throw aside worthless and trivial thoughts and replace them with a strength of mind, clear thinking, and, above all, faith and a cheerful outlook on the future which is ours. We are fighting not only for freedom of the land, but for the right to realize our ideals. —The Tomokan, 1943
stalemate. Wagner had lost the College’s confidence. Hamilton Holt asked Wagner to resign. The students asked the board of trustees for a resolution. Wagner refused to resign, but the board of trustees, in a special meeting in New York, moved to dismiss the president.
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On May 13, 1951, Paul Wagner left Rollins and Rollins art WHENEVER ANY CELEBRATED
professor Hugh F. McKean
visitors to the campus wish to view
was asked to step into the
at first hand an authentic Rollinsite,
presidential shoes. McKean
some overworked person rushes
accepted the position of acting president and simul-
wildly from the office shouting,
taneously submitted his resig“Where is Hugh?”
nation, dated a year later. The
—The Sandspur, 1930
students celebrated McKean’s acceptance with a candlelight procession and the College bathed itself in light to
Insofar as possible, whenever the choice has been presented, Rollins has tried to improve and enhance rather than to increase. A dormitory with a garden is considered better than a dormitory and a half.
symbolize its rededication.
—Annual Catalogue, 1951/53
Rollins College and Paul A.
Ten months later, attorneys for the College and exPresident Wagner announced settlement of suits filed against Rollins and the board of trustees. A statement from Wagner declared that an “amicable end” had been reached: “both sides have made considerable concessions from what they maintained to be their rights in the matter, but in the spirit of compromise McKean brings back “The Fox.”
and with a view toward a common objective of the general good of the community and of the institution, these concessions are made with wholeheartedness and accord” (The Sandspur, 1952). The Wagner Affair, as it had come to be known, was over. On April 9, 1952, Acting President McKean accepted the presidency and the students rejoiced with the second Festival of Light. President McKean immediately proposed a $10-million program to mark the College’s Diamond Jubilee in 1960. A seven-year Self-Study program was also initiated, with committees focusing on students, teaching, curriculum, finances, and facilities. In 1955, the student body was to be enlarged to 800, but the student-faculty ratio was to remain at nine to one. Cram and Ferguson, who had planned the campuses of Princeton and Boston Universities and Sweetbriar College, and Jefferson Hamilton, the site planner responsible for the University of Florida and Stetson University, were asked to prepare new master plans for Rollins. In 1957, plans were announced to build a new dining hall and a new women’s residence hall. A government loan of $900,000 (at 2 percent interest) was received to construct the two buildings and to build a new dorm for the KAs, whose house was purchased by the College. The new buildings were designed “combining modern ideas and facilities with a simplified Spanish architectural style” (The Sandspur, 1957). Operation Bootstrap, 1955
The new KA house was named for distinguished alumnus Rex Beach, the new dining hall bore the name of major donor Rose Skillman, and the women’s dorm was called Elizabeth Hall in honor of Mrs. McKean’s mother, Elizabeth Morse Genius. Because of its amenities, Elizabeth was soon nicknamed the “Lizzie Hilton.”
The day may come when every one of you here may eat food much worse than that in the Beanery ... Some of you are going into the armed services ... —Hugh McKean, 1958
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Proposed uses for the old Beanery included an indoor racetrack, an elephant farm, and an armory— ”In this citadel, Rollins students could bravely withstand such formidable enemies as the Winter Park high schoolers” (The Sandspur, 1958). In fact, the Commons became the home of the art department. (And the old art building became the home of Rollins Courses for the Community.) Two new residence halls were added in 1962 and 1966. Both were to undergo name changes. New Hall originally honored 23 distinguished professors whose names appeared on brass plaques throughout the
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
The Humanities—philosophy, history, literature, art and music are related to research in space and science since they lead to the development of man. I see the humanities as the most effective way of bringing man to higher levels. We must not only advance in technology, we must advance in goodness if we are worthy of the stars. —Hugh McKean, 1962
ROLLINS HAS HAD SHATTERED, within the past year, the barrier which tends to build up over a period of time between an institution and the people it serves. Its shell has been broken; its
McKean and students at Orientation
safe has been unlocked; and its closets have been opened. What has been
building. The dorm was later renamed for President McKean. The Independent Men’s Dormitory, first
found has not been an educational
occupied in 1966, was renamed for obvious reasons in 1967 when women moved in. It became Holt Hall.
ideal which has reached senility. What
President McKean continued to pursue the educational aims he had identified in 1951: “Our overall plan
has been found is the elusive heart of
is to lead Rollins in the direction of its best traditions and revitalize it with common sense.” In President McKean’s first year, three new programs had been introduced: Orientation for the Armed Services, Free
an institution. This heart thrives; it is
Society, and Physiographic Influences on World Affairs. “While in the Military Orientation Course the aim
young; it has spirit. In the year 1951-
is to make students aware of their immediate defensive role, and in the Free Society Course it is to make
52 it is beating with a purpose.
them aware of their responsibilities as American citizens, and in the third course, the aim is to make them
—Rollins College Bulletin, 1951
better citizens of the world in a progressive expansion of responsibility” (Rollins College Bulletin, 1951). Grades were introduced in 1953, and the grading system began its fine-tuning process. At one time, an A was worth three points while an F deducted one point. Later, an A was upgraded to nine points, with an A- counting eight and an F minus three. Later still, the A earned 12 points and the F at last reached zero. A variety of cooperative degree programs were initiated with schools such as New York University, Duke University, Dartmouth College, Tulane University, Vanderbilt University, Columbia University, and M.I.T. to permit students to earn two degrees in five to seven years. Degrees were thus available to Rollins students in engineering, forestry, business administration, medicine, and law. Rollins also maintained its commitment to the community. Operation Bootstrap, which served Sanford Naval Air Station, and Pinecastle, Orlando, and Patrick Air Force Bases, was inaugurated in 1951. Later, local Operation Bootstrap students attended classes on campus and Rollins opened a branch at
It is hard to define the underlying spirit which makes Rollins the college in which we take pride and have faith. One can not find the heart of the college easily. On the contrary, it is like eating an artichoke; you must separate every leaf, savoring every separate flavor to the utmost degree and only after doing that, does one come to the even more delicious heart. —Editorial, The Sandspur, 1954 Patrick Air Force Base. Creation of the Rollins Institute of General Studies was authorized in 1960 and confirmed by the College’s board of trustees the following year. The Institute encompassed the Community Courses Programs; the Graduate Programs, which then included the M.B.A., M.S., and M.A.T.; and the School of General Studies, which had begun as Operation Bootstrap. The Animated Magazine continued, but not without some revisions of its own. In 1958, the program
Dr. Bob Juergens (l.) with playwright Peter Shaffer, honorary degree recipient, February 23, 1969
officially moved indoors. A year later, the magazine revolved around a single topic, “Manned Expedition to the Planet Mars.” The theme-format continued, focusing on such subjects as “Education for the Coming Era,” “The System of Free Enterprise and the American Tradition,” and “The Need for Noble Men.”
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225 W. y Everyda for Finance Women. This course is designed to give women students at Rollins the funOperation Songlift, 1952
damentals of banking as a human relationship, insurance, investments and taxes, as well as to help them solve the more everyday financial
Speakers included Basil Rathbone, Leo Durocher, Charles Percy (then president of Bell & Howell), Mary
problems encountered in college.
Pickford, Pogo creator Walt Kelly, General Omar Bradley, Lillian Gish, Jimmy Cagney, Senator Margaret Chase Smith, Red Barber, Steven Canyon creator Milton Caniff, Buzz Sawyer creator Roy Crane, Wernher
—Rollins College Bulletin, 1951
von Braun, Allen Drury, Brigadier General David Sarnoff, Walter Cronkite, Li’l Abner creator Al Capp, and
To develop the talents of the student has been the aim of Rollins for 81 years. But talents are wasted if a life is wasted. Rollins stresses the pursuit of sound values as well as the pursuit of knowledge. —Hugh F. McKean, 1965
Amadeus creator Peter Shaffer. In 1969, the Animated Magazine tested a truly different approach, with various “authors” presenting their features in different locations on campus. “Sixty-minute degrees” were offered in the “School of Instant Education.” The Annie Russell Theatre, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1957, also continued to draw happy audiences, accomplished performers, and talented students, like Tony Perkins and Dana Ivey. In 1958, alumnus Jess Gregg saw his A Swim in the Sea debut at the A.R.T. before the play moved on to New York. A Sandspur reviewer commented that cast member George Peppard was “good,” but needed “to remember to lose his Ivy League aura.” In 1962, the first Country of the Year was introduced. Because President McKean felt “we do not excel at understanding other people and other cultural traditions,” the students were exposed to visitors and exhibits from a single nation throughout the year. In 1962, Thailand was the featured country, followed by Mexico in 1963. The Country-of-the-Year program was abandoned in 1964 because of lack of interest, but resurfaced for another year in 1965 to salute the Netherlands. Pres. McKean with Dr. Edward Teller, Convocation, 1961
In 1964, President McKean reiterated the need for a field house and stressed the importance of building a new science center. At that time, one of every six students at Rollins was a science major. There was even investigation of the possibility of inaugurating a Rollins Institute of Technology and a Rollins Space Science Research Institute.
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
During Founders’ Week in 1965, a 20-year plan was unveiled. Rollins’ enrollment was to increase to 1200 undergraduates, with perhaps as many as 500 graduate students. The curriculum was to be revised. The plan for the campus included a School of Finance and Business (Roy E. Crummer had given $1 million to this end four months before), science center, field house, classroom building, cultural center, fine arts and
being
music teaching building, health center, residence halls, and new student center with pool on Lake Virginia. The following month came news of A. G. Bush’s gift of $800,000 toward the construction of the science
a senior is being big stuff
As each day is characterized by change from dawn to dusk, each school year from registration to finals, and each student’s college career from orientation to graduation, so too must an educational community be progressive and flexible enough to incorporate the demands of change. —The Tomokan, 1967
and being brown with sun after a four-year, $10,000 tan, and not to mention getting educated, besides.
center. (Bush later endowed a faculty chair of mathematics and the building’s operating funds.) A year
—The Tomokan, 1962
later, Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. DuBois donated $85,000 for the health center. The revised curriculum was introduced in 1966. The “Hourglass Curriculum” revalued credit hours, redrew term lengths, and rewrote freshman schedules. The rationale for the curriculum was for students to work from broadly based foundation courses into the specialization of their majors. Then, in their final year, students would again participate in broadly based courses. The first two foundation courses bore the awesome titles “The Genesis of the Modern World: A study of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Society, Its Thought and Experience,” and “Man in the Twentieth Century: A study of Political, Economic, Social and Psychological Factors in Contemporary Civilization.” The third foundation courses in the sciences were ready by 1967 and the new home of science at Rollins was dedicated in 1969. Seventeen years after Hugh McKean accepted the presidency of Rollins College, he stepped down.
Life is a coming out party and Rollins has come of age. —The Tomokan, 1962
The cornerstones of his vision for Rollins—the field house, the science center, the business school, the liberal arts education with its eyes turned to the future and its feet on the ground—were realities.
Prof. Nina Dean introducing the Shakespeareana program for 1963
Rollins students prepare to open show at WPRK, 1954
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49
he Conference Plan’s allotment of
In 1927, Phi Alpha became a chapter of Kappa
specific time periods to classroom,
Alpha Order, thus doubling the number of national
athletic, and extracurricular activities
fraternities at Rollins. The Inter-Fraternity Council
focused more attention on the role of
reformed in the fall of 1927: “Perhaps it was the lazy
societies and organizations. In addition, Hamilton
Southern weather that caused this desire for peace.
Holt had put the stamp of approval on the Greek
Or, perchance, Dr. Holt’s belief in the League of
system with his statement “It is my express wish
Nations and his arguments for World Peace” (The
that every student who enters Rollins become a
Tomokan, 1928).
T
By 1930, Rollins had chapters of three national
fraternity member.”
The Sandspur, 1935
While the Explorers Club has been
Hamilton Holt inherited a Rollins with five fra-
sororities: Gamma Phi Beta (formerly local Phi
ternities and sororities and one honorary. The first
Omega), Phi Mu (Alpha Omega), and Pi Beta Phi
new organizations to emerge under Prexy’s in-
(Sigma Phi). The fraternities had added a local which
fluence were the Omniquarentes—“an exclusively
was to outlive many of the nationals: the X-Club.
feminine affair” which mixed culture and society,
The X-Club was originally intended as a social
and the Rollins Literary Society, yet another “ex-
organization for stray Greeks and it cited other illus-
clusively feminine affair.” A year later, Rollins had
trious X-Clubs of history, especially that of Thomas
spawned two new local Greeks, Kappa Sigma Phi
Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and Charles Darwin.
(fraternity) and Alpha Omega (sorority), as well as
A chapter of Alpha Phi was initiated in 1931
the Rollins Key Society, an honorary recognizing
and Lambda Phi became Chi Omega in the same
academic achievement and “all-around efficiency,”
year. With the conversion of Kappa Epsilon to
and Rho Kappa Sigma, chemistry honorary.
Kappa Kappa Gamma in 1932 and the installation
rather handicapped during the last year or so for lack of funds, they are looking forward to a pleasant
Explorers Club, 1933-34
season during the coming summer and fall in field trips in Africa, the Yukon, and central Nebraska. These intrepid lads are well known on the campus for their perspicacity and sagacity. —The Tomokan, 1934
O n l y a t Ro l l i n s . . . wo u l d Beanery food create such reactions. With an expression of perfect bliss, a freshman gazed at Sunday night supper and exclaimed enthusiastically, “Gosh this is the best meal we’ve had since I came to college.” His tray contained 15 olives and a glass of milk. —The Sandspur, 1949
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
Take RATTING away from Rollins and you might just as well take the bright lights away from New York, the packing houses from Chicago, and the sunshine from Florida. —The Sandspur, 1941
“ A L L T H I S TAW K A B O U T a college man’s life being full of
of Kappa Alpha Theta in 1933, the contingent of
back to normal. A new local fraternity, Alpha Phi
national sororities still known to Rollins women 30
Alpha, was formed in 1946.
years later was in place.
cause I have not heard of any
As well as the disorder arising from World War
Amongst the fraternities, locals continued to
II, the Greeks at Rollins survived two other crises:
claim the majority. Delta Rho Gamma and Rho
the effects of losing their off-campus housing when
Lambda Nu were formed in 1930. Delta Rho
the completion of new dormitories allowed the Ad-
Gamma was the cause of some controversy in 1934,
ministration to bring all students back on campus
when it withdrew from the IFC, disbanded, and its
and Prexy’s order in 1936 limiting fraternity and
entire membership pledged Kappa Phi Sigma,
sorority membership to 25.
which then became the national Phi Delta Theta.
wine, women, and song is silly be-
singing in their dorms.” —“Lola La Rue,” The Sandspur, 1939
The growth of the Greeks at Rollins may have
President Holt, 1932
Rollins Follies, 1925
When the Lower Division student isn’t in the library he is in the infirmary recuperating from nervous strain. ... —The Tomokan, 1934
Rho Lambda Nu became Sigma Nu in 1938, and the
seemed rapid, but the formation of clubs and
same year saw the formation of Sigma Phi Omega,
societies must have seemed like spontaneous
a local with “what these men considered a broader
generation, as one Sandspur writer referred to
outlook and more cosmopolitan vision.” Rollins’ first
“the recently established Rollins custom of forming
national fraternity, Theta Kappa Nu, became
one new club on the campus every week” (The
Lambda Chi Alpha when the two national groups
Sandspur, 1929). Rollins soon claimed (in alpha-
merged in 1939. Delta Chi was established in 1941.
betical order): Archaeological Club, Auto Club,
The sororities continued to be active during
Chess Club, Cosmopolitan Club (“fosters friend-
World War II, but all fraternities were suspended.
ships between the foreign and native students”),
Recognition of the Independents as an organiza-
Der Deutscher Verein (German Club), El Circulo
tion began during this time. Upon resumption of
Español (Spanish Club), Esperanto Club, Explorers
normal conditions at Rollins, there was great ques-
Club, Flying Club, Gun Club, Hunting and Fishing
tion as to whether the fraternities would reactivate
Club, International Relations Club, Interracial Club,
or not. In 1946, a fraternity vote showed 73 percent
Le Cercle Français (French Club), Liberal Club,
in favor of reactivation, and life was, indeed, soon
Peace Society, Philosophy Club, Photography Club,
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Order of the Fox, 1943
51
Osceola Pageant, 1928
ncou the says the just ver llins o ene R h , W ited exc ets try g
l”
el h e h t What of rest
“
nd e a ay turd ins n Sa o e s c e twi lass od. th c peri s bo p i k ly B s n o of 41 ead r, 19 inst spu d n e Sa —Th of tead
onc
The Pan-Hellenic Association of Rollins opened the college year in its traditional fashion with a formal tea in the Chapel garden where upperclasswomen met, corralled, and hog-tied this year’s herd of freshman girls for the first time. Judging from the “trapped” expressions on the faces of the freshmen, the tea was a success. —The Tomokan, 1937
Radio Club, Scientific Society, Studio Club, Yacht
principle, “In their own good time and place”; and
Club—oh and the Virginia Circle (open only to girls
intended only “to do what we want to do.”
named “Virginia”). Irreverent suggestions for more
Rollins students had always shown an interest
groups included “We-were-kicked-out-of-one-
in public speaking, but in the early 1930s, Rollins
College Club” and “We-were-kicked-out-of-more-
caught debate fever. The College met teams from
than-one-College Club” (The Sandspur, 1928). Even
Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Oxford, Cambridge,
the faculty got into the act with the Tombstone
and Trinity College (Dublin), and Rollins’ showing
Club, motto: “Taffy is better than epitaphy.”
was impressive. The team’s New York City debates
Before being certified for entrance to the Upper Division, the student must … give evidence of character, general intelligence, purposefulness and responsibility in the use of leisure. —Annual Catalogue, 1932
Recognition of achievement was also important. Rollins won chapters of Omicron Delta
League were broadcast on NBC.
Kappa (O.D.K.), men’s activities honorary; Pi
As life at Rollins became more crowded, the
Gamma Mu, social science honorary; Pi Kappa
function of student government also became
Delta, debating honorary; Phi Society, freshman
more complex. With the elimination of class des-
honorary; Theta Alpha Phi, theater arts honorary;
ignations, election of representatives became a
Pi Kappa Lambda, music honorary; Zeta Alpha
sticky issue. In 1935, thanks to the work of O.D.K.
Epsilon, science hon-
and Libra, a new plan was adopted. Representa-
orary; Sigma Delta Psi,
tion was by group affiliation; the Student Council
athletic honorary; as
representatives elected an Inner Council from
well as the local groups
their ranks, and that Council elected a Chairman.
Gargoyle, literary hon-
Even the publications were organized. The
orary; 0.0.0.0., secret
formation of a Publications Union in 1929 brought
men’s honorary; and
The Sandspur, The Tomokan, the newly established
the Order of the Libra,
literary magazine (The Flamingo), and, later,
women’s activities hon-
The R-Book, under one financial roof. In 1941, the
orary. The Scrub Club,
election of editors passed to the Student Associ-
limited to nine mem-
ation as a whole. The first Flamingo, subtitled
bers selected by the
“A Literary Magazine of the Youngest Generation,”
English department,
appeared in 1927. Its publication history was
p lu s Prexy, h a d n o
irregular, appearing sometimes as a monthly,
rules; had as its guiding
sometimes as a quarterly—depending on finances
Order of the Cat, 1943
52
with Oxford and the British Universities Debating
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
and/or availability of materials. The Flamingo’s
ing Gypsy Fiesta and the Table Hops’ Ball (given by
early contributors were later published in the likes
the Beanery waiters) were anticipated each year. In
Don’t be afraid that you’ll be left out
of Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, and the Atlantic.
1933, Prexy shut down the entire campus for two
of the proms or other smart social
As more Greeks were established at Rollins,
days while everyone went to South Florida for the
more attention was devoted to rush, but class ri-
Rollins-Miami football game. On Friday morning, 60
valries still flourished. Freshmen were “Rats,” and
cars containing 261 Rollins students and faculty
“ratting” experienced practically its complete
drove from Winter Park to Coral Gables, accompa-
parelli. Rollins is only intellectually,
evolutionary cycle during President Holt’s
nied by three motorcycle police and a lunch truck
not socially snobbish!
administration. Ratting had begun in 1922 and
carrying 12,060 sandwiches, 340 apples, 28 square
was finally vetoed by the faculty in 1949. In between,
feet of brownies, 3 gallons of pickles and olives, and
Don’t forget to attend a good per-
Rollins Rats memorized rules and songs, wore
a crate and a half of celery hearts.
cent of your classes. It gives the Pro-
functions if you don’t own a tux or the latest in evening wear by Schia-
napkins around their necks at meals, built bon-
When one of the policemen hit a rough spot
fires, snakedanced through Winter Park, dressed
in the road and broke his collarbone, the motorcade
up as kids, dressed down in their pajamas, put on
waited until the bone had been set and he could
Don’t forget to take notes in class. It
shows, and occasionally rebelled.
fessors an opportunity to meet you.
continue. The caravan was joined by the West
will help you to keep awake during
On the occasion of Hamilton Holt’s retirement,
Palm Beach police for a sightseeing tour of Palm
the discussions, if nothing else.
The Sandspur commented on the spirit of coop-
Beach, and was escorted through Miami by police
eration Prexy had instilled at Rollins. Despite the
there. Rollins lost the football game, but everyone
Don’t try to get away with too
extraordinary variety of societies and organizations
enjoyed the sunbathing Saturday afternoon and
much with your Professors. Most of
active at Rollins, students identified themselves with
the formal dance Saturday night. Total cost for the
them are human and have normal
Rollins first. All-campus events such as the fundrais-
excursion: $8.00.
intelligence. —Freshman’s Don’t Book [1935]
Activities are the trial run of growing up, when we try parts and roles for size and comfort. —T. S. Darrah, The Tomokan, 1958 YOUR MOTHER SMOKES CARROTS —The Tomokan, 1957 Under the new Wagner administration, the
freshman women demonstrated for an extension
major events of Rollins social life continued to be
of weeknight hours by staging a “study-in” in the
Homecoming and the fundraiser Fiesta, which had
library—from 10:00 to 10:50 p.m.
first been sponsored by the faculty wives in 1949.
Fiesta went through a number of metamor-
The Greeks continued to host campus-wide social
phoses during its 18-year life. In 1950, the Student
events and the Independents sponsored their
Council assumed responsibility for Fiesta and, in
popular Talent Shows. The burning issues of the
1953, Fiesta proceeds were shared by the Rollins
day were the selection process employed for
Scholarship Fund and Winter Park Hospital. Frater-
Who’s Who and the permissibility of wearing
nity- and sorority-sponsored booths featured every-
bermuda shorts and jeans.
thing from elephant rides to the irresistible invitation
In 1953, football had been ended and, with it,
to “Pie a Pi Phi.” In 1957, Fiesta adopted its first
Homecoming—and the burning issue was
theme: “Fiesta Fantasy.” Nursery rhymes and fairy
women’s hours. In a Sandspur poll, 65 percent felt
tales were the order of the day. That year the faculty
women could be trusted out on a Saturday night
sponsored its first Tortilla Flat; Menu: Tamales a la
until 1 a.m. (Thirty-five percent felt midnight was
Tiedtke, Frijoles a la French, Tortillas a la Presley-real
the witching hour.) Fifteen years later, the
gone, and el Coca Cola. “Assuming a very modest
question was still hours. More than one-half of the
policy in regards to tipping, the management had
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Fiesta, 1961
53
Chef “El McKeano” at Fiesta Tortilla Flat, 1958
El McKeano has had vast experience in the art of Spanish cooking. To prepare himself for this large undertaking he spent eight hours in Mexico recently. His most satisfied customer, Tar Baby, brays by it. —The Sandspur, 1957
Lambda Kappa Pi, 1968-69
Two carloads executed Operation Hat in the small hours of the morning. With security patrols out, a small detachment applied appropriate and colorful decorations, while unnamed demolition experts traced a large R on a prominent lawn in Deland with 25 pounds of gun powder. At H-hour all detachments r e turned to the cars, the powder was lit in a sunlight burst of acrid glory for Rollins, and the raiding party drove serenely on its way with the anguished wails of Stetson echoing through the night. —The Rollins Alumni Record, 1950
The ingredients of the Rollins Collins are as follows: 8 quarts of light rum, 2 quarts of Meyers dark rum, 8 fifths of champagne, 4 fifths of sparkling burgundy, 6 quarts of WINK, 2 quarts of fresh central Florida orange juice and 2 quarts of pure grain alcohol. This makes 9 gallons for 40 average people or 25 Lambie Pi’s. —The Sandspur, 1966
Prospective students might like to know how Rollins students look to me. I think many of them are disillusioned with my generation because of the condition of the world. This does not surprise me because I have similar thoughts. Many are determined to improve the world and I am confident they will. —Hugh McKean, Letter to new students, 1968
Gamma Phi “Nitwits,” Talent Night, 1956
To the Student Center we give honorable mention for its rationing of potato chips in the face of the alarming shortage due to the war in Vietnam. “The 1968 Dubious Awards” —The Tomokan, 1968
54
decreed that tipping was encouraged; in fact, that it
ordering all to “disperse to the beaches or other suit-
was absolutely necessary” (The Sandspur, 1957).
able places, singly or in groups, to disport themselves
Other Fiesta themes included the Wild West
according to their whims and financial resources, and,
(1959), Roaring Twenties (1960 and 1964), Roman
of course, to the state of the weather, giving each an
Holiday (1961), South of the Border (1962), Old
opportunity to escape his routine, and to relax, and
South (1963), Disneyland (1965), and the Nether-
perchance to reflect upon those things which cannot
lands—Rollins’ country of the year (1966). Fiesta
be learned from books and which Rollins teaches in
featured such big-name groups as the Sauter-Fine-
so many ways ... “ (The Sandspur, 1965).
gan Orchestra (1954), Johnny Long (1955), Buddy
Fox Day wasn’t the only surprise up President
Morrow and his “Night Train” Orchestra (1959),
McKean’s presidential sleeve. In 1957, the campus was
Wally Futch (1960), Bo Didley (1963), and the
aroused by an 11 p.m. fire drill. Pajamaed students
Drifters (1964). The President’s Ball was added to
trooped to the Student Center for late-night Cokes
Fiesta activities in 1965. In 1967, Fiesta was replaced
with the President. In 1958, he brought the campus to
with Spring Weekend.
an after-hours square dance at the Student Center.
In 1956, the secret Fox society met and created
A new Student Association structure was
the first Fox Day. The Fox called off classes and
initiated in 1961. Under the new system, students
invited all to participate in various athletic contests, a
exercised self-discipline through the student courts,
square dance, and a candlelight procession to
and the Administration and housemothers stepped
Knowles Chapel. He reappeared irregularly on the
into counselor roles. A year before, the Rollins Union
library lawn until President McKean’s retirement,
had been formed as a separate organization.
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
Flamingo, Spring 1960
Winners of the Marian Van Buren Cleveland Cups, Talent Night, 1956
Flushed with its success in getting permission for girls to wear jeans and shorts in noon Saturday beanery, the Student Council went one step further in last week’s meeting and passed a motion requesting permission for girls to wear jeans and shorts in their dormitories up to 5 p.m., excepting Sundays.
As we leaf through Tomokans of ten and twenty years ago up through the present time, we notice that the skirt has risen to the knee and fallen nearly to the ankle in less than five years time. Hips have bulged to gigantic proportions only to disappear the next year under an array of ingenious restraining devices. Because of all this squeezing and padding of the female form by the designers of today and yesterday we find it hard to believe that the coed we have coffee with in the Center has essentially the same configuration as Adam’s best girl in the Garden. We of the Tomokan staff realize that this year with its plunging necklines, long skirts and poodle cuts will be no exception ... —The Tomokan, 1953
—The Sandspur, 1950
Established “to provide a unifying force for the
functioned with a membership of 20 women
students, faculty, and administration” (The
selected by school service, group activities, and
Tomokan, 1961), the Union was governed by a Board
scholarship. In 1956, S.S.S., a local fraternity, was
of Governors. In 1965, the Union’s entertainment
organized “to develop a well-rounded college
program underwent a major overhaul. Performers
student in the areas of social, scholastic, and
made available to Rollins audiences included: the
sports” (The Tomokan, 1957).
Lettermen, Joe and Eddie, the Kingston Trio, the
By 1959, Alpha Omega had vanished and
Righteous Brothers, the Seekers, Dionne Warwick,
Triple S was installed as national fraternity Tau
the Fifth Dimension, and Glen Campbell.
Kappa Epsilon. In 1965, Pi Rho Sigma petitioned
Seven national sororities, four national and
for approval to form, claiming the number of men
two local fraternities continued to form Rollins’
enrolled at Rollins had doubled while the total
Greek community until 1952, when local Alpha
number of men pledging had remained the same.
Phi Lambda disappeared. In 1952, the Stray Greek
Pi Rho Sigma became national fraternity Sigma
Club formed to accommodate fraternity and
Phi Epsilon in 1968. Phi Delta Beta, the local that
sorority transfers but did not survive more than a
was to become Rollins’ second Phi Delta Theta
few years. In the spring of 1955, a new Independent
chapter in 1968, also formed in 1965.
women’s group, Alpha Omega Club, asked for
The Greek community President McKean
approval to form, but was rejected by the
(Rollins X-Clubber, Class of ’30) left at Rollins
Panhellenic Council. Next term, having received
consisted of seven national sororities, seven
permission from the faculty, Alpha Omega
national fraternities, and one local—the X-Club.
SPRING | 2010
Linda Qualls ‘62 and Hugh McKean, Founders Week, 1962
55
A Rat turned in the right direction is a Tar. —The Sandspur, 1932
U
pon his arrival at Rollins College, Hamilton Holt cleaned house, and sports was no exception. By the fall of 1929, Rollins had no graduate manager of athletics, no recruiting program, and no alumni “slush fund.” Rollins had firmly endorsed the “abolishment of the ‘ringer’ system in athletics and the substitution therefore of the ideal that Rollins should play the game cleanly,
even though she loses” (Rollins College Bulletin, 1926). Lack of genuine amateur competition continued to plague the coaches and administration alike—to the point that President Holt was led to declare: “I recognize that this is academic and athletic heresy. But if any college such as Rollins finds it impossible to secure genuinely amateur competitors, then I submit there is no honorable alternative except to espouse professionalism. What I object to is this hypocrisy in pretending to one thing and doing another” (The Sandspur, 1929). The relationship among the small colleges in Florida was constantly changing. The “Little Three” of 1925—Stetson, Southern, and Rollins—added Tampa and Miami to their ranks and became Florida’s “Little Entente.” When Rollins’ on-again, off-again rivalry with Stetson was off-again, Miami “ascended to the enviable position of the team the Tars most desire to lambast” (The Sandspur, 1935). Stetson withdrew completely from intercollegiate competition in 1941, but Rollins and Stetson continued their rivalry unofficially with the initiation of a Play Day—first for women, and then for all students.
If it is impossible to find enough colleges geographically proximate to play with under purely amateur conditions ... I am ready to suggest that we abandon our pretense of amateurism and come out open and above board for professionalism. I would be perfectly willing to print in our catalogue just how much we pay our pitcher, our quarterback, and high jumper. —Hamilton Holt, The Sandspur, 1929 Rollins discovered even further obstacles in locating acceptable competitors when it introduced new sports to Florida. In order to find appropriate competition in sports such as crew and fencing, Rollins had to take its teams on the road. Crew was inaugurated as an intercollegiate sport in 1927 and it was not until 1937 that the first intercollegiate race was held in Florida. Hamilton Holt throwing first ball to open Rollins baseball season Cheerleaders, 1947
Lack of substitutes meant nothing to the fighting rats who were out to play football, and they played it until they dropped. Their unwavering courage in the face of great odds was a manife st a t i o n o f t h a t s p i r i t which has been born into the New Rollins. —The Tomokan, 1927/1928
56
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
Tarpon Club, 1948
The regulation uniform will consist of black bloomers, white middy, black stockings and gym or tennis shoes. —Annual Catalogue, 1928-29
Rollins fielded intercollegiate football teams until 1944, but varsity basketball and baseball had much rougher going. With the loss of Lyman Gymnasium, the basketball team was forced to practice on the tennis courts. Intercollegiate basketball was abandoned in 1933, reintroduced in 1939. In 1938, there were not sufficient players to field a baseball team, so interested men formed the “Independents” and played outside Rollins and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Some questioned if football should be continued, given the expense. It was decided, however, that football was played at Rollins for morale, not for income or publicity value. Unlike the varsity teams, intramural sports thrived. New activities were constantly being added to
Diving Tower, 1928-29
the intramural roster: cross country, diamond ball, volleyball, and speedball—a combination of hockey, soccer, and football. Women’s physical education, which was limited to intramural games, centered on the activities of the Women’s Athletic Association, formed in 1928. Under the New Curriculum, all women were required to participate in one individual sport, one team sport, one term of dance, and swimming and canoeing. The best women athletes were chosen to play on the intramural teams, the “Odds” and the “Evens.” During World War II, with 39 men on campus, the women picked up the athletic slack—even playing football “just to uphold old Rollins tradition.” Their team, the Tarlettes, was so successful in its encounters with outside opponents that the possibility of intercollegiate competition for Rollins women began to be discussed.
In baseball [Coach Jack] McDowall turns out a loquacious, hustling gang of men, who were characterized by opposing coaches as the finest “hecklers” in southern collegiate competition. Leader of the Tar riding crew is, of course, the one and only Jack McDowall.... —The Tomokan, 1938
A review of Rollins’ record during Prexy’s reign: FOOTBALL. Prexy’s first football season was not spectacular. The Tars did not win a single game. It was decided to change the team’s name—from the “Fighting Tars” to the “Orange Typhoon.” The rationale: “This departure from the old order of things was perhaps one of the best things that could happen to Rollins—in accordance with the new upheaval of spirit manifesting itself on the campus” (The Sandspur,
Football, 1946
1925). But old habits die hard and the Tars were Tars again in 1926. Rollins worked on improving its football team and on building a football tradition, but the College was hampered by lack of material. Following a triumphant performance by the 1930 freshman team (“Undefeated!”), the 1931 varsity racked up 126 points to their opponents’ 39. The Tars suffered one defeat—at the hands of “a philanthropical referee.” Even the opponents’ fans booed the ref’s call! Rollins’ winning ways continued in 1932 (no losses, one tie), and in 1934, the College claimed the unofficial small college championship of Florida. Two Rollins players were chosen for the first AP all-state team, and five for the second. By 1937, athletics in general had slipped into decline, in part because of lack of facilities and in part because of loss of enthusiasm. The football sea-
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57
Men’s Crew with woman coxswain, 1935-36
Probably the only all-girl football game in the U.S. was played by the Athletic Thetas and the Muscle-Bound Kappas. The girls trotted gaily onto the field with the Thetas being known by their yellow helmets and the Kappas by their blue jeans. To make the game really scientific, the Kappa Co-Captains ... wore strips of adhesive on their jeans with signals in black and white ... Here, even to see was not really to believe. —The Tomokan, 1947
son was mixed: “A graphic rating would be likened to a jittery stock market” (The Tomokan, 1938). The following spring, a straw vote indicated students were split almost 50-50 on the issue of keeping football as an intercollegiate sport. Two years later, Coach Jack McDowall had the Tars back on track with an 11 win-1 loss season. The team was credited with “the ‘trickiest’ offensive in this state.” The 1940 Tars boasted Rollins’ first Little All-American, end June Lingerfelt, and the College captured the S.I.A.A. championship and the state championship (though the University of Florida refused to play). World War II claimed Rollins’ best players and its best coaches. The team of ’44 managed games against Florida Southern, Winter Park High School, and the Orlando Air Base. Because of the “indefinite and small enrollment of men,” no varsity team could be mustered until 1946, when a schedule was thrown together at the last minute. To fill the gap, the Kappas and Thetas staged the Bloomer Bowl Classic. CREW. The rebirth of crew at Rollins was fueled by the gift of two shells, from Cornell University, in 1926. The College rallied to the team’s assistance with a Navy Night benefit to raise funds to transport the shells to Winter Park. Rollins was the only college in Florida with a crew. In 1936, the Rollins crew won its first intercollegiate race. Rollins was invited to row against the New Orleans Rowing Club during the Sugar Bowl Carnival and competed regularly in the annual Dad Vail Regatta. In 1936, the Tar crew won its
Girls’ Fencing Team, 1938
traditional race with Manhattan College on the Harlem River, but Manhattan threatened never to meet Rollins again when they discovered the coxswain was a girl. Coach U.T. Bradley promised no more girls in the varsity shells and started a women’s crew—the only one in the South.
Jack McDowall said: “We need a mascot. Send somebody out and bring back a goat.” Dubbed Witherspoon II, he’s the most forlorn, dejected, skinny-looking critter you’ve ever seen. At any rate he plays his part well and we’re awfully fond of him, even if he did eat Prof. Riley Jones’ hat at the Delaware game.
FENCING. Like crew, Rollins’ fencing team received its start with a gift: sabres from Princeton and foils from the U.S. Naval Academy. In its first competition, Rollins tied for fourth place. Four years later, Rollins was meeting Harvard, Yale, Princeton, M.I.T., Annapolis, and West Point, and was unofficial champion of the Southeast. In 1937, the College was shaken by the death of two team members in a bus accident on a northern trip. Intercollegiate fencing was discontinued in 1940 to save the expense of the extensive travel involved. Jim A. Ernster, qwertyuiop, 1947
—The Rollins Alumni Record, 1948
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
If the life of the College depended on change, then Athletics may have been Rollins’ liveliest department. Following the announcement of a $57,000 deficit in the 1949 football budget, football was abandoned. All intercollegiate sports were scheduled to be discontinued by Fall Term 1951. When Hugh McKean assumed the position of acting president, all intercollegiate competition was reinstated except football. In 1956, soccer was introduced by President McKean and coached by President McKean. The first season was winless, but the next year saw Rollins garner the state championship. The Tars won their second and third Florida Intercollegiate Championships in 1959 and 1960. The team was honored with several All-State members and, in 1968, Wilson Flohr was named All-South. President McKean’s administration also saw the reorganization of the existing athletic conferences,
—The Sandspur, 1957
as the small colleges attempted to establish some equity in intercollegiate competition. In 1954, a new athletic conference was formed. Eligibility complied with that of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The Florida Basketball Conference and the Florida Baseball Conference consisted of Florida State University, the University of Miami, Florida Southern College, Stetson University, and Rollins. Other sports could be—and were—added later. In 1958, the Florida Intercollegiate Conference was created to supervise competition in soccer (F.I.S.C.), basketball (F.I.B.C.), and baseball (also F.I.B.C.). It had six members: the University of Miami, Florida Southern, Stetson, Jacksonville University, the University of Tampa, and Rollins. By 1964, it had become apparent that the F.I.C. was “a disorganized top-heavy conference that inadvertently discourages competition” (The Sandspur, 1964). Conference members were of vastly differing sizes, played under different rules, and often did not field teams, making meaningful competition impossible. The new conference required N.C.A.A. membership and a minimum of four teams fielded by each member (Stetson, Florida Southern, Florida Presbyterian, Jacksonville University, and Rollins). Although attention was focused primarily on the larger team efforts, Rollins sports were also marked by individual performances, notably those of British Women’s Amateur Open winner Marlene Coach Joe Justice and Pres. Hugh McKean Baseball, 1956
It was often said that when Rollins was hot they could not be stopped, especially in the last quarter, but when they were cold there was a lid on the basket and oil on their fingers. —The Tomokan, 1952
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59
Women’s Tennis Team, 1962-63
Stewart (who played on the men’s golf team), International Water Ski Champion Dick Pope, Jr., and Don “Cannonball” Wilson, National Hydro-Plane Champion. Rollins women remained the unsung heroines of Tar sports. Although they only competed on the varsity level in tennis and golf, the women’s basketball team played in the Florida state championship and the women’s water ski team retired the Cypress Gardens Intercollegiate Water Ski championship trophy, taking top honors for 18 years. On the links and on the courts, the Tars were also shining. The golf team, guided by Dan Nyimicz, lost only eight matches in five years, including 32 straight wins. The tennis team also posted consistent victories and succeeded in breaking the University of Miami’s 51-match winning streak in 1952. Rollins alumnus Norm Copeland returned to coach tennis in 1955; the College won its 100th match under his direction in 1964.
MEANWHILE, UNDER THE HOOPS: In 1950, a College poll overwhelmingly favored reviving
Sports compensate for the night before at Harper’s, aid diets, and offer free opportunities for sunshine. —The Tomokan, 1966
basketball, which had not been played by a Rollins team since before World War II. Despite problems with lack of funds and lack of facilities, Rollins relaunched its basketball team in 1950. The College loaned the athletic department $1800, and the Student Association fee was increased $3.00 to cover the added expense of the winter sport. Jack McDowall, who had retired from coaching and become director of athletics, agreed to coach the team. The freshmen, in turn, rekindled the tradition of bonfire-building to fuel a pep rally. Although its record was inglorious, the 1952 team, known as “The Heartbreak Five,” boasted Frank Barker, the state college record holder for most points scored in a single game (50), most free throws in a single game (17), most field goals in a single game (20), and most consecutive free throws (21). The squad of 1957 might have been called “The Cliffhanger Five,” given their continuously close calls with victory. They lost to Stetson by one point in double overtime, and to Florida Southern by two points in triple overtime. Their final record was 6 wins/15 losses. The fortunes of the basketball team continued lackluster, although the Tars succeeded in capturing an invitation to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics District Tournament in 1958, won the first Citrus Invitational Tourney in 1959, and placed members on the Florida All-State and N.A.I.A. All-American teams. In 1962, basketball coach Dan Nyimicz resigned after a 10-year 112-win/155-loss record. One player commented, “There’s such a de-emphasis on basketball that they might as well get rid of it altogether.” The man who came to Rollins to replace Nyimicz was Boyd Coffie, F.I.C. All-Conference and Rollins alumnus. The scholarship program for athletes was revised to allow prospective players to be considered
Soccer Team, 1965-66
for their skill instead of financial need. The Enyart-Alumni Field House was open for play in 1968, and the Tars proceeded to post the best basketball season in their history. AND ON THE DIAMOND: The Tars continued to rack up state baseball championships and, in 1954, were asked to play in the “World Series of Baseball,” the N.C.A.A. college baseball tournament. Rollins was the smallest college ever to be invited to the tournament, and the Tars progressed as far as the finals. Two members of the Rollins team were named All-American: Bill Carey and Connie Mack Butler. In 1954, Rollins inaugurated Baseball Week, a marathon tournament of visiting college teams. Rollins hosted Ohio State University, Amherst College, the University of North Carolina, Clemson University, and Georgia Tech in the first Baseball Week. The tournament later expanded to two weeks, and even
60
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
Rollins Crew practices for the English Royal Henley Regatta, 1963
Amid much shrieking, cheering, and general gusto, fraternities, sororities, independents, faculty
Never have I travelled with a group of athletes more personable, more interesting, more dedicated to the job at hand, and more imbued with the will-to-win. You gained the respect of the English amateur sports people, who admire above all else good sportsmanship and courage under fire. The fact that the men of the Emmanuel and Churchill crew asked you to dinner on the night the regatta ended was significant.
members, and alumni all battle it out for trophies and exercise. It doesn’t matter how you play the game; it’s whether you win or lose. —The Tomokan, 1966
You had won their respect in the rugged race in which you defeated them. —Robert Harron, “The Invasion of England,” Rollins College Bulletin, 1963
became a part of Fiesta. 1964’s Baseball Week brought baseball greats Stan Musial and Bob Feller to campus. Coach Joe Justice defined the objective of Baseball Week as “an attempted revival of the waning interest in college baseball. At a time when college baseball is fighting not only for prestige, but for survival, this innovation should be a solid step ahead.” Following in the footsteps of earlier Rollins teams, the Tars took their show on the road in 1966. Playing against the Ecuador National All Stars in exhibition games, Rollins won three of its four contests. Gale Coleman, who won All-American honors in 1968, was characterized as the Sandy Koufax of Ecuador. (The Rollins basketball team, which also made the trip, didn’t fare as well.) In 1967, at the N.C.A.A. convention, Joe Justice was named College Baseball Coach of the Year. His Rollins record: 381 wins/218 losses. AND IN THE SHELL: The Rollins crew pulled out of a slump to recapture both the state champi-
Tallest and shortest Tars team up: Mike Bailey, 5’5”, and Ralph Tanchuk, 6’5”, 1961
onship and the Yankee carpet bag and Confederate flag it had lost to Boston University in 1949. During the 15-year rivalry with B.U., Rollins had only had possession of the bag and flag twice. Although the crew won state championships consistently, it could never earn better than second place in the annual Dad Vail Regatta. In 1963, funded by an unidentified “friend,” the Tar crew traveled to England to row in the Royal Henley Regatta for the Thames Challenge Cup. Of more than 30 participants, only two other crews were from the U.S. Rollins reached the semi-finals before bowing to the Argosies Rowing Club, and nearly accomplishing a major upset. U. T. Bradley, Rollins crew coach, known as the “Father of Southern Crew” and the “Father of Florida
Pride in athletic competition, whether intramural or intercollegiate, has contributed to the new spirit of Rollins. —The Tomokan, 1968
Rowing,” retired in 1965. In honor of his contributions to the sport, “Brad” was named to the Crew Hall of Fame—the first small college coach ever elected.
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61
ROLLINS TRIVIA
Under the rules imposed by the
Sandspur’s self-description, it declared
The Rollins Coat of Arms, adopted
original proclamation, St. Andy had to
itself “Assuming, yet weak, dull and
The Peace Monument was dedi-
in 1933, carries a blue St. Andrew’s cross
be returned to his original resting place
blunt, carefully relaxed, yet as smoky
cated on Armistice Day, 1938. The German
on a gold shield. The cross suggests
twice a year: on Armistice Day and on
and laxidazical as its name infers ...” A
shell, obtained from a friend of Kaiser
Florida’s participation in the Confed-
Alumni Day. The classes in possession
serious alternative to The Sandspur was
Wilhelm, was mounted on a stone
eracy, while the two swords emblazoned
of St. Andy had a five-minute head
launched in 1938, but the combination
base designed by Rollins sculpture
on the cross were taken from the
start from the time of St. Andy’s
newspaper-and-magazine, Realist, was
instructor Constance Ortmayer. The
removal on each of these days.
quickly abandoned. In 1939, The Arts in
Monument was inscribed with a quo-
ROLLINS’ COAT OF ARMS
Rollins family coat of arms.
PEACE MONUMENT
The book above the cross
St. Andy had a habit of reappear-
Rollins College proposed serving an
tation from Victor Hugo and a sobering
is a symbol of knowledge,
ing in morning Chapel, and depar-
audience of students, faculty, and local
message to passersby from President
and the emblem below
ture of the Andy-less classes in
artists. Although sanctioned by the
Hamilton Holt.
designates a spring,
pursuit was often rapid and noisy. In
College, it received no funding from
here representative of
1926, St. Andy was captured by the
the Publications Union. The staff of the
Ponce de Leon’s foun-
Odds, but was quickly reclaimed by
literary and art magazine managed to
tain of youth.
the Evens.
produce two issues.
According to the
O.D.K. revived the tradition of St.
The Thorn (“We Print What You
designer, Knowles Me-
Andy in 1932, after a year’s search
Think”) appeared in 1954 to question
morial Chapel architect
for the missing plaque. The men’s
the complexion of campus politics.
Ralph Adams Cram,
h o n orary felt a rivalry between the
Fifteen years later, the Rollins College
together
Freshman and Sophomore classes
Chapter of Youth for a New America
mean that the true fount of youth
would be good for school spirit, but
produced another journal titled The
is knowledge, and that with these two
the reappearance of the “Andymen”
Th o r n . Th a t Th o r n wa s , i n t u r n ,
swords, the spirit of youth and the
lasted only two years.
l a m pooned by The Rose.
FUGITIVE PUBLICATIONS
continued—for the most part—to
“These
devices
The Sandspur and The Flamingo
spirit of knowledge, used in the service of the cross, man may hope to attain a
The Annual Catalogue routinely
provide Rollins with “above-ground”
listed the R-Book, Sandspur, Flamingo,
forums for opinion and creativity. In
and Tomokan in its list of student
1963, responsibility for publication of
“WHERE IS ST. ANDY?”
publications, but the enterprising
The Sandspur fell briefly to the Pub-
The Sandspur, Nov. 6, 1925
students were always generating
lications
new publications.
Flamingo fell victim to Publications
real culture which can cope with the evil and ignorance of the world.”
“I t has b een d ecided by the C l asses of 1926 and 1928 that A N DREW CARNEGIE has rested too long on the walls of the stately building erected by him for Rollins College. It is the intention of ourselves and we know it will be of our successors to guard and protect our PATRON SAINT with our very lives if necessary. Under no circumstances can we permit him to the profane and unlawful custody of the classes of 1927 and 1929 and their ‘ODD’ successors.”
Union.
In
1969,
The
“The Second Best Literary Mag-
Union cutbacks. None of Rollins’
azine of the Youngest Generation”
major official publications was with-
appeared in 1928. The Purple Buzzard
out financial difficulties in the 1950s
earned a reference in the 1929 Annual
and 1960s.
The Peace Monument was destroyed in 1943.
Catalogue as “a humorous magazine,”
In 1967, Rollins’ “Underground
but it soon fulfilled its own prophecy:
Newspaper,” Dog Nostrils, appeared,
“The Purple Buzzard joins with others
reminding all readers “Only 17 more
While not everyone will like the
of the wiser and more advanced
years till 1984.” Dog Nostrils’ ad for the
design, it will be accepted as a part of
publications, in fearing not that it will
extravaganza “GINZBERG” proclaimed
Rollins just as the Spanish architecture
be highly successful.”
an illustrious, if eclectic cast: Charlton
and the conference plan.
The Rollins Racketeer (Vol. I, No.1,
Heston as Allen Ginzberg, Richard
The Sandspur, 1954
Jan. 9, 1932) proudly proclaimed itself
Burton as Jack Kerouac, Laurence
RETURN OF THE COLLEGE RING
“ABSOLUTELY UNCENSORED!” After
Olivier as Timothy Leary, Frank Sinatra
The Class of ‘56 rediscovered and
The whereabouts of St. Andy
five issues, the humor magazine
as Bobby Dylan, Peter Sellers as
readopted the College ring that had
occupied Rollins from 1925, when the
suffered extinction “because of forced
William Burroughs, Sophia Loren as
been approved by the Board of
bronze plaque of Andrew Carnegie
censorship difficulties.”
Joan Baez, Walter Brennan as William
Trustees in 1930. On the recommenda-
Carlos Williams, and Woody Allen as
tion of the Alumni Association, the
Ginzberg as a child.
Trustees accepted the design by
disappeared from the entrance to
“Published on demand by the
Carnegie Hall, to 1930, when St. Andy
Rollins Secret Six,” The Moron Exhaust
took a two-year vacation.
debuted in 1933. Satirizing the
62
Something for everyone.
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
Rollins art instructor Mrs. Sophie
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROLLINS COLLEGE ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
To read alumni recollections of the Holt, Wagner and McKean eras, visit:
rollins.edu/125/reflections/index.html
Frances Parsons. The ring had a round,
like, what educational ideals it stands
deep blue stone—onyx or sapphire—
for, what caliber of fellow student he
The first stone Hamilton Holt gave
President Holt admitted some had to
overlaid with the College seal or
will find here, the authority to which
Rollins College was not destined for
be rejected because they weren’t suf-
fraternity letters.
he goes is an alumnus.
the Walk of Fame. In 1927, President
ficiently “famous.” Probably the most
WALK OF FAME
tribute stones to the Walk, although
The Class of ’52 had attempted to
It makes little difference whether
Holt presented a marble slab from the
problematic stone Holt ever obtained
win Trustee approval of a new design,
the authority is a grad of one, ten or
home of educator Mark Hopkins to be
was that of the Dionne Quintuplets.
but the 1930 ring remained Rollins’
fifty years ago, he is accepted as one
laid in the cornerstone of the Knowles
The President’s initial request for
official ring.
who knows. And rightly. But we will
Memorial Chapel.
a stone was rejected because the
ask the alumni: can you honestly an-
Two years later, President Holt do-
guardians of the quints had been
PITY THE ALUM
swer the questions of a prospective
nated 22 stones from his family home in
swamped with similar requests from
Editorial, The Sandspur
student today? Before the questions
Connecticut. Those stones were the
mothers who believed such stones
February 24, 1951
of the prospective student are an-
foundation for the Walk of Fame, “con-
could enhance fertility. Prexy replied
We will speak of the alumnus. The
swered in honesty and fairness to
ceived as a permanent memorial to the
that he really didn’t think Rollins fell
much pestered but never forgotten
your college, you must know the
great men and women in history, past
in the same category as “supersti-
critter who doesn’t stand a chance to
truth about Rollins today.
and present.” The original walk ran be-
tious mothers,” and the guardians
begin with because his Latin name is
This honesty will work two ways:
tween Carnegie and Knowles Halls. The
responded that Rollins was welcome
practically never spelled with the right
it will discourage the prospective stu-
headstone that now introduces the
to a stone—anytime someone wanted
number or gender in mind.
dent who, because of temperament
Walk of Fame is a 200-year-old mill
to come to Canada and get it.
College presi-
or objectives, won’t
stone from Holt’s Woodstock home.
dents and Alumni
be happy here; and
All students and faculty
secretaries
are
it will encourage
prone to regard
the great number
the alumnus as
o f st u d e n t s w h o
well as the alumna
can
a ready source of
knowledge, great
find
fun, and real values
project or emer-
offered by the warm
gency that is always
spirit of a small liberal
hitting the old Alma
arts college that is Rollins.
Mater.
The greater the number
We say all that any honesty and fairness.
who seriously consider the advantages of a Rollins education,
If he is honest and fair to his
the finer an undergraduate body we
college, he need never have a twinge
will have and the better a college will
of conscience for having turned down
be Rollins.
a request for funds because of a defi-
If the Rollins Family was a family
cient bank account. He need never feel
to you, there is a way you can repay
guilty for having turned down the
the debt every man owes to his fam-
school for some project dear to his
ily; at the same time you can extend
heart. He need never hate himself for
the family’s blessings to others. If you
just plain wallowing in luxury and ig-
know a man or woman who can
noring the pleas of an indigent college,
profitably join us in an education for
if he is honest and fair to that college.
living, send him to Rollins.
But the honesty requires a little work. The alumni are the walking
the stone.
were invited to con-
true
cash for the pet
alumnus owes his college is
Hamilton Holt and Rollins got
The interest of the alumni as informed good-will ambassadors is the finest service they can render their
authorities on Rollins. If a student in
Alma Mater.
California, Louisiana, or Canada
DDR
wants to know what this college is
[Derek Dunn-Rankin ’52]
SPRING | 2010
63
THE ORDER OF THE CAT AND THE ORDER OF THE FOX After
some
hard
stopped his beating, turned to the boy
its reputation as the leading goldfish
and replied, ‘I AM the president.’
school, and the fish may have been a
—The Sandspur, 1959
bargaining,
gentle hint that the Rollins record of three fish swallowed is still far from
Hamilton Holt was able to acquire
HARVARD PLOT TO DEMORALIZE MEERS REVEALED
two stone statues, one of a cat and one of a fox. The statues were placed Hall and, in 1934, President Holt de-
Students carefully nursing Monday
clared two new honorary organiza-
morning hangovers were shocked beyond description at the incongruous
tions: the Order of the Cat and the he did admit the job was confining.
sight of a giant fish suspended from
The Cats were “symbolic of the
In 1909, the bell was destroyed in
the flagpole. Some though it was made
dangerous Softness of the feline, her
the Knowles Hall fire, and the bellringer
of wood, but a cautious poke revealed
slim Sleekness, and her vicious Spite
was soon succeeded by a bugler. The
its
when aroused. A creature of the Night,
bugle continued to summon students
merely gasped in astonishment and
filled with Mystery and Allure ...”
to classes and the Beanery until 1953,
vowed “Never again,” or “That last
when chimes—a gift of the Class of
zombie was too much.” Bill Meers
’52—were installed.
viewed the spectacle with a practiced
The Foxes were representative of “bold Cleverness, insidious Craft, and
—The Sandspur, 1948
by John van Metre
at the head of the walk to Recreation
Order of the Fox.
the Harvard mark of 18.
awesome
authenticity.
Others
eye, then gulped and fled to the near-
sharp Cunning” (The Sandspur, 1935).
The original bell from the Winter
Cats and Foxes (five of each) were
Park Congregational Church was pre-
elected by their fellow students; the
sented to the College in 1950. In 1956,
In fact there was a very striking
girls voted for the Foxes and the boys
the Founders’ Bell was installed in the
resemblance between the fish, a
voted for the Cats. Election was con-
Chapel tower. It took three hours to
very real tarpon, and a grotesquely
sidered a “dubious honor.” Members
move the bell from its pedestal in front
enlarged goldfish. This gave rise to
included
Dean
of the Alumni House to the Chapel
many rumors as to its origin. Some
Sprague. No one other than a Cat or a
tower, which had been enlarged to
authorities claimed that Harvard,
Dear Hugh,
Fox could touch the statues. The
accept it. The Founders’ Bell still rings
upon hearing of Rollins’s challenge
This is ‘Tar Baby.’
penalty for breaking this rule was an
from the Chapel tower to announce
unexpected swim in Lake Virginia.
Chapel services, funerals, and College
Dean
Enyart
and
The Orders of the Cat and the Fox
est men’s room.
TAR BABY
She is not very old but she can get along without her mother.
convocations.
Tar Baby has a lot of school spirit and she loves Rollins. If you let her stay
continued until 1944. The statue of the Cat was ultimately vandalized, and the
While the arrangements were
around on the campus she will help the
Fox was adopted by Hugh McKean ...
being made to alter the tower to fit the
baseball and basketball and soccer
but that’s another story.
bell, the clapper was removed and the
teams win their games.
BELLS, BUGLES, & CHIMES
bell was placed in front of the Alumni
I hope you and all the students
House. It was the center of attraction
have a very Merry Christmas and I hope
On April 17, 1885, the day Winter
there, and a custom began for the boys
you all like Tar Baby.
Park was selected as the site of
who passed by after softball games to
Merry Christmas,
Florida’s first college, the news was an-
hit the bell a few times with their bats.
Santa Claus
nounced to the community by the bell
As one story goes, Pres. McKean decided that he would join in the fun
Tar Baby arrived at Rollins in a
When classes began at Rollins Col-
and beat the bell too. Someone who
box festooned with red ribbons. The
lege, a bell in Knowles Hall was rung
was standing next to him (and appar-
every hour on the hour from 7 a.m. to 11
ently hadn’t been around Rollins very
to
su-
was a gift from President McKean and
p.m. Dr. Frederick Lewton helped subsi-
long) cautioned him not to beat the
premacy, had sent the fish by way of
lived on the McKeans’ Genius Drive
dize his tuition by being the bellringer—
bell because the president might hear
one of its regional representatives. It
“ranch” when she was not inspiring
$9.00 for nine months of ringing—but
of it and get angry. The president
is well known that Harvard cherishes
the Tars to victory.
in the Congregational Church.
bay gray thoroughbred Sicilian burro its
goldfish-swallowing
“The Heroic Age” and “The Spirit of Change” were originally published as Parts II and III of “A Centennial Perspective” in the December 1985 and Spring 1986 issues of the Rollins Alumni Record. In addition to the acknowledgments appearing there (Jane F. Fletcher, former Archivist; Mannee Rawa, Assistant in Archives; Donna Janeczko, freelance cinematographer and film producer; Edward H. Cohen, William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of English; Tom Wells, Director of the Physical Plant; and Jack C. Lane, Weddell Professor of History), we wish to thank Professor Wenxian Zhang and Gertrude Laframboise of Rollins’ Olin Library Archives and Special Collections.
64
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
S U L L I VA N ’ 7 3
LISA VALENCIA SHERRATT
A SHOT IN THE ARM FOR THOSE IN NEED
DR. NEIL SULLIVAN SAYS HE LIVES “A RICH LIFE”— but he isn’t talking about his bank account. The medical director of the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics is talking about the satisfaction of providing medical care to low-income families. “Our patients are just so appreciative of everything we do for them, and through the years we’ve been able to develop our services and facilities so we can really provide comprehensive care to those in need,” he said. Sullivan took the helm of the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics in 1999 following the merger of three Southern California nonprofit clinics that had treated the poor since the 1970s. He had held the same post at one of those clinics, Carrillo Community Medical Clinic, since 1982. A dental clinic came under the umbrella in 2003. In Santa Barbara County, one in five people has no health insurance, Sullivan said. “People have this concept of Santa Barbara being like Beverly Hills where everyone’s rich, but actually that’s only pockets of the area, and then there are other large areas where a completely indigent population exists.” Most of these are service workers who toil in houses, gardens, restaurants, and stores, Sullivan said. Almost 70 percent of the clinics’ patients are Latinos. The 15,000 patients are charged based on income, and some are unable to pay at all. Sullivan, 59, knew from age 5 he wanted to be a doctor and says he always intended to be the kind of physician who cared more about patients than money. He believes strongly in his work. “I went to
SPRING | 2010
Rollins on a scholarship, having grown up relatively poor, and I’ve always felt that everybody deserved equal access to quality health care.” He calls the clinics a model for the future because “we have practiced in austere and unfair conditions with the lowest financial resources for really four decades. The for-profit medical establishment is not used to that.” Indeed, the clinics are expert at harnessing help from programs and grants, which allow them to offer free family planning, nutritional counseling, X-rays, mammograms, and prescription drugs. They have a program to treat 1,100 people suffering from obesity, diabetes, and related diseases, and they provide free care to the homeless. “It just takes a little work and finding the right avenues in order to make those things happen,” Sullivan said. The clinics are thankful for support from the community. “The community’s become kind of dependent on us. Who else is going to see these patients? We’re seeing an average of 390 new patients a month.” Sullivan, who has been married 30 years to Joan Sullivan, loves living in Santa Barbara, where he enjoys surfing and playing tennis and golf. He looks back at his time at Rollins, where he majored in chemistry, as the best four years of his life because of the “experiences, the closeness of professors, the relationships that developed with people. … It was an exciting time, 1969 to 1973.” ■ neil@sbclinics.com —Terry Godbey
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BYLENGA ’81 WOMAN ON A GLOBAL MISSION
SHARON BYLENGA’S FIRST JOURNEY AFTER ROLLINS WAS to the impoverished West African country of Guinea-Bissau, where she worked for Operation Crossroads Africa constructing a freshwater well in a rural fishing village with a team of volunteers. Twenty-eight years later, Bylenga finds herself back in West Africa—but no longer digging wells. Today, she works as project manager for the West African operations of Fondation Hirondelle, a global nonprofit based in Lausanne, Switzerland that builds and operates independent news radio stations in crisis and conflict areas. Bylenga, who studied political science as an undergraduate, credits Rollins for opening her eyes to global concerns. Her subsequent volunteer work in Africa made her acutely aware of the complexity of food and hunger issues, and prompted her to pursue a master’s degree in agricultural economics at Michigan State University. “My liberal arts education helped to clarify the defining question that has guided my career: Why does human hunger and starvation persist on such a massive scale?” she said. Her master’s thesis was chosen by Michigan State’s Department of Agricultural Economics as the top paper of 1985. Armed with two degrees and lots of determination, Bylenga embarked on a career path that took her first to Rwanda, where she worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) helping to develop food standards and understand food-price integration during drought periods. For the next 10 years, she worked on international agricultural trade negotiations as a diplomat for the U.S. Department of Agriculture—a role that took her from Washington, DC to Geneva and Rome. Later, she consulted for the United Nations and the World Bank, analyzing and evaluating emergency farm
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reconstruction projects and food-security issues in several countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since 1997, Bylenga and her family have been settled in the French-speaking village of Bursins, Switzerland. From this serene and bountiful setting, she travels often to impoverished and crisis-ridden countries such as East Timor and, more recently, Liberia and Sierra Leone. She currently manages the foundation’s latest project, Cotton Tree News (CTN), a radio program that broadcasts news and information nationwide in five languages to populations with a great need for a reliable and independent press. “The foundation’s objective is to create a fully functioning nationwide news-reporting service in all the national languages, ensuring public access to a professional free press,” Bylenga said. In a country like Sierra Leone—among the poorest in the world, just recovering from a decade of civil war, and with an illiteracy rate of over 60 percent, “Radio is the single most powerful tool in the peace and reform process,” she said. After a stint on the job, the peaceful Bursins, nestled on the north shore of Lake Geneva and surrounded by rolling vineyards, is a welcoming sight for Bylenga. She is so taken by the beauty of the area that she recently collaborated with a Swiss neighbor on a book documenting the flora of the local countryside. But just as vivid in her mind and heart is the image of world hunger, a subject she continues to research. “I have been fortunate to have a life of travel and adventure, but I remain committed to finding solutions to this complex global problem.” ■ sharonbylenga@bluewin.ch —Nanci Adler
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
HOCKING ’87
WHEN SAMUEL M. HOCKING, JR. WAS AN UNDERGRADUATE student at Rollins, his dream was to be a television sportscaster and newscaster. He quickly realized that dream—and then moved on to many others. In just over two decades, Hocking has traveled a multifaceted career path that has taken him from broadcast journalism to teaching to international finance…from Texas to Vienna to San Francisco. Today, as head of global sales for BNP Prime Brokerage, which raises capital and custodies assets for and lends money to hedge funds, he travels regularly to New York and Paris from his San Francisco home base. And he still finds time to spend time with his wife and three boys and volunteer on Rollins’ President’s Leadership Council, which he currently serves as chairman. “The thing that’s driven my career is something I developed at Rollins: being curious,” he said. “I learned to explore a lot of things and not be afraid that I’m not the subject-matter expert. And my ongoing involvement with Rollins continues to expand my point of view.” As an undergraduate, Hocking majored in economics, was president of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and was voted most outstanding senior soccer player. It was an internship at WESH-TV, the Orlando NBC affiliate, that “gave me the journalism bug,” he said. After graduation, he returned to his home state of Texas, where he landed a series of TV news jobs—sportscaster, reporter, and finally anchor/reporter at an ABC affiliate in Greensboro. “I wanted to follow the path of Peter Jennings,” he said. That meant becoming a foreign correspondent. So, in the early ’90s, Hocking headed to Europe to work on a master’s degree at Webster University’s European campus. He landed a job with the BBC in London and went on to work for broadcasting companies in Moscow, Geneva, and Amsterdam before settling in Vienna to begin a teaching career. There, he taught a full load of broadcasting courses at Webster and began conducting research on finance as well as on the media’s role in apartheid in South Africa. Under his leadership, Webster took
JUDY WATSON TRACY
CURIOUS SAM
media students from Vienna to South Africa for research on the topic, brought South African students to Vienna to study, and raised the money to finance the project from Austrian companies. Hocking returned to Dallas in 1997 and worked briefly for a database company that aggregated data for hedge funds, traveling all over world to market the software. He was soon whisked away by Bank of America’s Prime Brokerage and established their Dallas office, simultaneously earning an MBA through the executive program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. “I knew I needed that if I wanted to work for a Wall Street firm,” Hocking said. Upon receiving his MBA, he moved to San Francisco to run Southwest and West Coast operations for Prime Brokerage, and later oversaw the company’s global prime brokerage sales until coleading the sale of the business to BNP Paribas. Given his rapid rise through global business, it’s not surprising that Hocking has another big dream: owning his own business in the not-too-distant future. “I’d like to integrate my global view and corporate experience into a company that helps people grow their businesses. It would be a great way to pull all my knowledge together.” ■ shockingm@att.blackberry.net —Warren Miller ’90MBA
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
BOLLING ’84 LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM
THE ROAD TO ERIC BOLLING’S JOB AS CO-HOST OF THE FOX BUSINESS NETWORK program Happy Hour was roundabout but thrilling. He played third base for the Pittsburgh Pirates and was a commodities trader before CNBC offered him his first TV job in 2005. “I love the business, but I really, really love the politics,” Bolling said. “I like the strategy, the emotion, what goes into seeing the two sides.” Happy Hour is a fast-paced show that explains the day’s business news, with plenty of politics thrown in. Bolling, 46, says the show’s setting in the Bull and Bear bar in the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City enlivens the show. So do the personalities of the conservative Bolling and co-hosts Cody Willard and Rebecca Diamond, both of whom he describes as “substantially more liberal than I am.” “There are plenty of people who are smarter than the three of us, but it’s the way you present your viewpoint that either makes people say, ‘I like him’ or ‘I really can’t stand him,’” Bolling said. “Either one’s fine—love me, hate me…just have an opinion.”
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Bolling has also had the thrill of filling in for political commentators Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, and Neil Cavuto. “They are very highly viewed shows. To solo host a show, especially one with that much visibility, is kind of like being up to bat on a baseball field. It’s not unlike that, or being in the trading pit, where it’s all you—either sink or swim.” He says he would love to have his own show. As much as he enjoys politics, his first love was baseball, which he played at Rollins while majoring in business and economics. The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him just weeks after he started a fellowship at Duke University’s School of Public Policy. He played two years in the minor league, until a torn rotator cuff ended his baseball dreams. Bolling later went to work for a commodities brokerage in Boston. He soon realized that being on a trading floor was probably more interesting and lucrative, so he walked into the New York Mercantile Exchange with a stack of résumés and was hired. He spent 15 years on the trading floor and served on the board of directors of the exchange. In 2005, a CNBC reporter “literally grabbed me off the trading floor and asked me to explain why oil prices were rallying,” Bolling said. Before long, the network offered him a job on a new program, Fast Money, which he helped develop. The show began to air nightly in 2006. Then the president of FOX News, Roger Ailes, invited Bolling to join that network, and he jumped at the chance, thinking “it would be a good opportunity to be around a nice, fair and balanced, conservative network.” He signed with FOX in 2008 and later that year became a co-host of Happy Hour, which airs weekdays at 5 p.m. Bolling also is a cast member of FOX News’s Bulls & Bears at 10 a.m. Saturdays and hosts FOXNews.com’s Strategy Room online show weekdays at 3 p.m. Although he loves New York, Bolling returns to Florida often to visit Miami and the Orlando theme parks with his wife and son. He likes snow skiing, casinos, and beaches, but politics is never far from his mind. “It’s so important,” he said. “It affects every American. I live for the politics.” ■ rbi999@aol.com —Terry Godbey
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
B U C C I ’ 74 VISIONARY EYE SURGEON
FRANK BUCCI TELLS THE STORY OF A BLIND PERUVIAN grandfather who was led around by his grandson. Though he held the little boy’s hand every day, he had never actually seen him. And according to Bucci, a renowned eye surgeon, the man’s blindness, caused by cataracts, was completely treatable—he simply didn’t have the money for treatment and his village didn’t have the technology or surgeons to treat him. When the Eye Institute of the Sacred Heart (Instituto de Ojos Sacro Cuore) opened in Lima in 2008, the man was able to have cataract surgery, and following the relatively simple procedure, he was able to see his grandson for the first time. Bucci doesn’t tell the story because he wants to be recognized for his good deeds (he was the one who built the Eye Institute and performed the man’s surgery). For the modest Bucci, establishing the Institute to help poor Peruvian patients was the natural thing to do. “Forty-five million people in the world are blind from cataracts,” he said. “If the ‘haves’ said, we want to eliminate blindness in the ‘have nots,’ they could do it. It costs $100 or less to do a 10-minute surgery.” You just need surgeons willing to perform the work and a couple of “haves” willing to put up the money. “You literally could end world blindness from cataracts.” While the Institute can’t end world blindness on its own, Bucci and his team plan to make a large dent. When the Clinton Foundation awarded a grant last year to assist them, they estimated it would take the Institute a couple of years to conduct 1,000 cataract surgeries. Representatives from the Foundation were on hand at the clinic in March when Bucci and his team completed their 1,000th surgery—achieved in just five months. Most of the surgeries Bucci performs are not in Peru, however. They occur in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania at Bucci Laser Vision, his successful 12-year practice that makes
undertakings like the Eye Institute possible—and where he keeps a schedule that makes it tough for him to take a phone call or even to check e-mail some days. How does he do it all? Ask him and he’ll tell you he’s got an angel on his side. His wife, Angelina, died in 2002, and everything he does is in her honor. She is the one, he says, giving him the strength and the vision to achieve these feats—barreling through 12-15 hour days in his Wilkes-Barre office, flying to Peru to perform nearly 150 surgeries in five days, and working as chairman of the board of Hospice of the Sacred Heart, a nonprofit hospice facility he founded that has helped more than 3,000 dying patients since its inception in 2006. With three operating rooms and eight examination rooms, the Lima Eye Institute is not the kind of bare-bones establishment one might expect for a facility that treats poor Peruvians with no insurance. “Usually when you go on these missionary trips, you’re in some mobile, makeshift hospital,” Bucci said. But he thought it would be more cost effective—and better for the patients—to bus them from villages to a more complete facility. Just because he built it didn’t mean they came, however. “You’d think you’d just have to say ‘free surgery’ and people would show up,” he said. “Not so.” In order to get patients into the clinic, Bucci and his team—which includes nurses, ophthalmic technicians, and a Peru-based surgeon who runs the operation day to day—go to towns and villages to conduct screenings and exams. Town governments then arrange for buses to transport needy patients to and from the Institute for procedures. As long as the patients keep coming, Bucci will keep going back. And this, he figures, is just the beginning. “We’re at the foundation,” he said. “We’re ready to soar now.” ■ buccivision@aol.com —Maureen Harmon
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CONNECTED FOR LIFE
G I V I N G I N TA N D E M PETERSON-NELLER SUMMER SCHOLARSHIP ENABLES SUMMER STUDY IN ITALY
BLAIR NELLER ’74 AND MICHAEL PETERSON ’74 HAVE A LOT MORE IN common than their class year. They both attended Rollins on scholarships. They played together on the tennis team. They worked during the summers to help earn their spending money. They went on to successful business careers (Neller, who lives in Winter Park, is a retired business executive and consultant and Peterson is head of Gabriel Group LLC, near St. Louis, Missouri). Both have served their alma mater as alumni board members and alumni trustees. And there’s something else they have in common: neither had the chance to study abroad as an undergraduate. When the longtime friends were looking for a unique way to give back to Rollins, it didn’t take them long to hit on the idea of providing Rollins students with the opportunity they missed out on. Thus was born the Peterson-Neller Summer Scholarship. Established in 2005, the scholarship was first awarded to students conducting summer research in Rollins’ Student-Faculty Collaborative Research Program. In 2007, while serving on the College’s board of While visiting Rome in the summer of 2008, Blair Neller met up with Assistant Professor of Art History Kim Dennis (far l) and Rollins students (l-r) Lauren Kelley ’09, Rachel Di Giovanni ’09, and Peters on- Nel l er Summer Scholarship recipient Amy Iarrobino ’11, who were studying in Trinity College’s summer program in Rome.
trustees, Peterson heard a presentation on the Eternal City by Assistant Professor of Art History Kimberly Dennis, whose research is centered on Roman and Italian art. Peterson, whose mother is from Rome and who has visited the country of his roots several times (he still has relatives there), understood the impact that study in Italy could have on students. A follow-up conversation with Dennis led Peterson and Neller to redirect the scholarship awards to study in Italy. “This seemed the perfect way to help students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to travel abroad while supporting the College’s mission to educate students for global citizenship and responsible leadership,” Neller said. The Peterson-Neller Summer Scholarship provides funding to Rollins students for six weeks of international study. “This scholarship is a very significant benefit for Rollins students,” Dennis said. “It provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to some of our best students to study abroad and to continue academic work during the summer months. Currently, there is no other scholarship at the College for summer study abroad.” Bethany Gray ’09HH was awarded a Peterson-Neller Summer Scholarship to study art history at the Trinity College (Connecticut) campus in Rome during the summer of 2008. “I’m a non-traditional student, with a husband, kids, and a mortgage,” said Gray. “I never would have been able to afford to study in Rome without the scholarship. In the program, we had access to amazing laboratories where they’re conserving art. For example, in the Vatican labs, they were working on paintings in one corner of a floor and wooden Egyptian mummy cases in another. And the conservators work in the midst of hundreds of visitors every day.” For Peterson-Neller Summer Scholarship recipient Amy Iarrobino ’11, as it was for Peterson, visiting Rome was an opportunity to connect with her heritage. “My dad was born in Italy and speaks the language,” the pre-med biology major said. “I don’t have time to study culture during my pre-med program, so the summer program at Trinity was a way to round out my education with art classes.” The Peterson-Neller Scholarship does not have to be used for study in any particular program or college in Italy. One scholarship recipient studied history at John Cabot University, an American liberal arts school in Rome. Notice of the merit-based award is sent to all rising juniors and seniors with a GPA of 3.5 or higher in any major. Applicants must make a case for how and why they will benefit— both academically and personally—from study in Italy. For Gray, who has long dreamed of being a museum curator, the experience was transformational. After graduation, she began working two part-time positions, one as an administrator in Rollins’ Department of Art & Art History and another in collections management at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum. The visit to Rome both inspired and reaffirmed her career goals, Gray said. And that, according to Peterson, is exactly what Neller and he intended. “We’re delighted to hear about experiences like Bethany’s,” Peterson said. “This scholarship is a wonderful way to touch students’ lives.” ■ bneller@cfl.rr.com; mpeterson@gabrielgr.com —Warren Miller ’90MBA
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CLASS NEWS AMANDA D’ASSARO Class News Editor
1940s ’40 | Caroline Sandlin Fullerton celebrated her 90th birthday fulfilling a college wish. When she was at Rollins, women weren’t eligible for membership in Omicron Delta Kappa, The National Leadership Society. Instead, Caroline was inducted into the Order of the Libra, which provided similar recognition for Rollins’ female leaders. ODK eventually did extend membership to women. On November 4, 2009, Caroline was initiated into the Rollins College circle of Omicron Delta Kappa in a special ceremony in her hometown, Winston-Salem (she is pictured here with ODK Fellow Matt Hopper and ODK Foundation trustee William Latture). Following the ceremony, family and friends toasted the new initiate and nonagenarian. ’49 | Tampa-based Progressive Music Studio released two CDs of Robert Setzer’s music titled “Robert Setzer at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City” and “The U.K. Cathedral Choir Tour of Saint Peter’s, St. Petersburg.” To purchase a copy, contact Robert at 727-347-5461. To own a CD of “Robert Setzer at Knowles Memorial Chapel,” contact the Office of Alumni Relations at Rollins College at alumni@rollins.edu or (800) 799-ALUM.
1950s ’51 | William Bazley and his wife Doris sold their business of 38 years and now spend their summers in Connecticut, where their two daughters and seven grandchildren reside, and their winters in Naples, FL, where their son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren have a home. Williams writes, “What could be better!” ’55 | Nancy Siebens Binz says “hello” to her classmates, who celebrated their 55th Reunion at Rollins this March. Nancy wishes she could have attended but she has been spending much time in her other home: her apartment of eight years aboard The World. Living on the ship has allowed her to explore the world, including favorites such as the P a cific for fishing and t h e Middle East for a rch eology, where she participated in a dig near Alexandria, Egypt. In November 2006 off Vanuatu, Nancy fulfilled her lifelong dream of catching a blue marlin. She writes, “It took me over two hours to land the 540-pound fish—all by myself. He was so big
the boys could not put him on board, so we had to strap him along the side and return to the pier. My father would have been thrilled— his biggest was about 300 pounds!” In August 2009, Jim Bocook attended a mini X Club Reunion in Asheville, NC with his daughter Debbie Hall, Bruce Remsburg and his wife Tyler, and Bill Cost and his wife Mary Lou. Don Tauscher and Denny Folken ’56 could not make it. Carmen Lampe Boland’s husband Bob died peacefully July 31, 2009. The couple attended a 2009 alumni reception in Naples, FL and celebrated Carmen’s 50th Reunion at Rollins in 2005. ’57 | Kathy Schwarz and Frank Banks ’56 celebrated their 50th Ohio State University reunion last year. Both 1959 master’s graduates, Kathy obtained a master’s in social work and Frank received a master’s in sociology (and later a PhD) from the university. Although the two have lived in Columbus, OH since graduating from Rollins, they had yet to cross each other’s path until reuniting at the event. ’58 | A biography of Shelby Hiatt Benson as well as information about her book PANAMA can be found at shelbyhiatt.net.
1960s ’62 | On December 11, 2009, Ruth Lynn Whittaker Phillips and her husband John were two of 70 friends who attended former dean of women Helen Watson’s 98th birthday party. Dean Watson enjoys laughing and having fun, and keeps in touch with Dyckman Vermilye, former Rollins dean of men, who lives in Arizona and, unfortunately, is in poor health. Ruth Lynn met Dean Watson in 1958 when she was a Rollins freshman. ’63 | Rollins Trustee Michael Maher was inducted into the Stetson University College of Law Hall of Fame in October 2009. Founding partner of the Maher Law Firm, Michael obtained a JD at Stetson in 1965 and went on to become an exceptional client advocate. He has served as president of the American Association for Justice and fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Michael is an American College of Trial Lawyers in-
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ductee, a past Florida Trial Lawyer of the Year, and has been consecutively recognized in The Best Lawyers in America since 1987. ’68 | Lillian Stauffacher Gillies is president of a local Rotary club. She is a grandmother of two—Meg, 4, and Jack, 13 months.
>> GIVE US A PIECE ’69 | Alumni Association Board member Cy Grandy reports the birth of his grandson, Graham Sterrett Keir, on December 14, 2009 to Cy’s daughter, Catherine Grandy Keir, and son-in-law, Duncan. Graham joins sister Elli, 2.
1970s ’70 | Rollins Trustee Allan Keen ’71MBA, codeveloper and co-owner of The Landmark, reports that the boutique residential condominium in downtown Winter Park was awarded a 2009 Grand Aurora Award in the “Commercial Land Development; Multi-family Residential” category at the Southeast Builders Conference tradeshow. Diane “Didi” Michelson Kirtley traveled with the Rollins Alumni Travel Program to Turkey. She writes, “I saw much of the country, sailed the Mediterranean, explored the ruins, and went for a hot-air balloon ride! It was a great trip!” ’74 | Blair Neller, Eddie Hendriksen ’96 ’98MBA, Peter Allport ’87, Mark Thompson ’04, Drew Sipka ’04 ’05MBA and Matt Umbers ’05 participated in Interlachen Country Club’s Silver Racquets Men’s Member Guest tennis tournament in November 2009. Each participant was either a member of a Rollins NCAA championship team, an All-American Rollins athlete, or a team captain at Rollins—some all three. After purchasing a VW van from associate professor emeritus of physical education and former men’s tennis coach Norm Copeland ’50, John Schert began his career working as a mobile VW repairman. After a few years, he accepted a job with the Duval County Department of Environmental Protection. He later obtained a master’s degree from the University of Florida under a federal scholarship and went on to work for Gainesville-based environmental engineering/protections firm, ESE. Later, John was named Alachua County’s head of the Department of Environmental Protection. He currently serves as executive director of the Hinkley Center and has spoken about hazardous waste management and other environmental issues in countries such as Italy,
OF YOUR MIND The Alumni Association wants to know your thoughts on future programs and services. Let your voice be heard by responding to the upcoming Arts & Sciences alumni survey. Details coming soon!
REUNION 2011 March 25-27
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Australia, and India. John and his wife, Debby, have a 12-year-old daughter, Kate. Adis Vila is back at Rollins as a visiting scholar-inresidence with Rollins’ Winter Park Institute.
THE POND GUY
MOST MORNINGS, WHEN THE WEATHER IS COOPERATING IN Vermont, Tim Matson goes swimming. “I roll out of bed, rub my eyes, stumble down to the pond, and fall in,” he said. Matson is so in love with water that when he moved from a Vermont farm with a pond to a 45-acre site without one, he realized that the new situation just wouldn’t do. “I have to build a pond,” he thought. So, with the help of a contractor, Matson designed and built his first pond—and with it, his second career. His first career was relatively short-lived. As a Rollins student, Matson, who majored in English and was on the water ski team, set his sights on a publishing career. After graduation, he headed for New York City and an editor’s position with a major publishing house, working on books by Joe McGinniss, Abbie Hoffman, and Rudy Wurlitzer, and a series for Rolling Stone Magazine. But the publishing world’s corporate philosophies weren’t in synch with Matson’s creative side. “Between corporate accountants and a very rich diet, I thought, I’m not going to survive this place,” he said. The country was calling.
’75 | Jack Blalock was elected for a two-year term as deputy mayor of the Portsmouth, NH City Council. ’76 | Rod Pinder writes, “December 13, 2009 saw the premier of several beautiful Christmas compositions for choir, strings, and soloists by Stan Cording ’77 at the ‘Celebration of a Miracle’ concert. Suellen Fagin-Allen ’74 ’04MA was a featured soloist.” The concert was held at Woodbury Presbyterian Church in east Orlando, where Rod, who also sang in the choir, has served as pastor for 22 years. In December 2009, Bill “Wolf” Heilmann and Tommy Wilson ’77 caught up at Wolf’s home in St. Maarten. Gary Lickle ’77MBA flew his Carbon Cub aircraft from Yakima, WA to West Palm Beach, FL with John Dougherty, husband of Susu Dishman Dougherty ’78. Family and friends enjoyed tracking their four-day trip via a SPOT GPS device.
So he left the publishing world and followed a friend to Vermont. He bought that first farm in the winter, when the property’s pond was buried under snow. It took until spring for Matson to realize the treasure he had right outside his back door. After building his own pond in his next backyard, he started getting calls from people wanting to do the same. He began to research and dole out advice, and before long he was a pond expert and owner of a pond restoration and design firm called Earth Ponds, which he started in 1982. “Nobody would have predicted that one day I’d be this pond guy,” Matson said. He’s even written four books on the subject. The latest, Landscaping Earth Ponds: The Complete Guide, details everything from choosing a site for your pond to shaping it and designing the landscape that surrounds it. With the help of his photography skills (his very first book, published by Random House in 1978, was an award-winning book of photography documenting the Pilobolus Dance Theatre just as it was getting started), Matson gives readers a glimpse of just how a pond can enhance their lives, the landscape outside their window, and the local ecology. “Water is a wildlife magnet,” he said. And there’s another reason, Matson says, that ponds are a perfect addition to any private backyard: “They’re great for skinny dipping.”
’77 | Back in Florida after 25 years in various cities with Northwest Airlines, Judy Jucker and her husband enjoy a laid-back, easy lifestyle in St. Augustine, FL. ’78 | Family Wealth Transition Planning, cowritten by Gwen Griffith, teaches readers how to achieve family wealth continuity through healthy family relationships, responsible stewardship, and the ongoing creation of a family legacy. Gwen, who resides in Portland, OR, has more than 25 years of experience facilitating the development of wealth transition plans for advisers. She holds a JD from Stanford University and has taught tax law at Florida State University, Willamette University, and the University of Richmond. Currently, she is a practicing attorney specializing in taxation.
Through his books and business, Matson guides people through the pond decision-making process: How do you make your pond look as if Mother Nature put it there rather than a contractor? (“Asymmetrical ponds look more natural than round ones.”) What about its inhabitants? (“Trout are always good options for swimming partners.”) What are the best plants? (“Go with water lilies and cattails instead of roses.”) In the end, he found
’79 | Diane Bronstein Halperin sends news that she and fellow Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae attended the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship September 12-17, 2009 in Holt Springs, VA to support sorority sisters and tournament competitors Connie Hirschman Shorb ’69, Laura Lecker Carson ’78, Cindy Grant Pallatino, Joanne Simila Catlin, and Marlene Stewart Streit ’56, who is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
the perfect hobby—right in his own backyard. ■ tmatson@valley.net —Maureen Harmon
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1980s ’80 | Director of the Virginia Film Festival Jody Kielbasa lives in Charlottesville, VA with his wife Helen, daughters Camille (7) and Juliet (1), and son Luke (4). Jody writes, “We love C-Ville—the mountains are beautiful and the University is great.” Neighbors (l-r) Bill Cary ’55, Avery Nickerson Johnson ’84, Clay Marquardt, and John Weithas ’86 came together for a block party in Pasadena, CA.
’81 | Asunta D’Urso Fleming played the leading role in How Katrina Plays, written by Judi Ann Mason. Given favorable reviews by LA Times and LA Weekly, the controversial and graphic show world-premiered September 2009 in Los Angeles. In 2009, Bill Ray established the consulting firm Ray and Associates, which provides land development review, construction monitoring, and environmental and regulatory compliance services. Regional president of State Auto Insurance Companies’ Western region Gerald Ladner was elected to vice chair the Texas Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association’s (TPCIGA) Board of Directors. Gerald, whose 28-year career includes underwriting and senior management roles with top insurance companies, has served on the boards of the Texas Medical Liability Joint Underwriting Association and the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas, Agency Company Committee. He is accredited with leading State Auto’s middle market entry into Texas in 2007. ’82 | Chris Russo, a.k.a. “Mad Dog,” of Sirius XM’s The Mad Dog Sports Show, appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman October 14, 2009. Formerly on the radio show Mike & the Mad Dog of New York’s WFAN Sports Radio 66, Chris is a well-known sports-radio personality. ’85 | Pamela Hadden Tomlin and her husband recently produced Animal Planet shows Dogs 101, Cats 101, Presidential Dogs, Cutest Dogs, Ugly Dogs, and Super Fetch. Phi Delts (lr) Tom Elias ’87, Tom Zapcic, Dave Beltrami ’87, Michael Ackerman ’84, and Shannon Bower ’87 enjoyed an impromptu reunion at an Atlanta Braves game.
1990s ’92 | Cecilia Green Browne writes, “My daughter, Caroline, and Lindsay Rich, daughter of Tony Rich ’96, both play soccer for St. Mark Catholic School in Huntersville, SC. Brooks Hatfield, his wife Meredith, and their children sent holiday cheer to the Office of Alumni Relations last December. Evan, 8, Grace, 6, and Cole, 18 months, are the grandchildren of Ginger McAleese Johnson ’68. ’93 | Following 14 years in management with a multinational retail organization, Shannon Kinnie Foster transitioned into residential real estate and now works as an affiliate broker with Coldwell Banker. Shannon lives in Knoxville, TN with her 7-yearold daughter, Sophia. ’94 | Diane Hathaway ’01MA, her husband Rich, and 3-year-old daughter Robin live in Central Florida. In fall 2009, Diane resigned as assistant director of counseling and psychological services at Rollins. She now works with Hospice of the Comforter and runs a private practice in Winter Park. Visit Diane’s Web site at web.me.com/dianehathaway.com.
’95 | Alumni Board member Charles Gallagher was selected as a rising star by the 2010 edition of Florida Super Lawyers. Charles is managing partner of Gallagher & Associates Law Firm, P.A. in St. Petersburg. He was also elected to the Gulfport Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Jolie Sester, CEO of Variety, the Children’s Charity of Florida, was elected to Variety Florida’s U.S. Board of Directors. Her chapter was honored with the national award for fiscal excellence. During the 2009 holiday season, Variety Florida purchased and built more than 500 bicycles for in-need children throughout Florida. ’96 | Beppy Owen, co-chair of senior living practice with the Orlando-based law firm Akerman Senterfitt’s, was recognized by the University of Florida’s International Service Center and Global Perspective Office for her commitment to the case of internationalization. She also is chair of the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations. Beppy specializes in corporate acquisitions transactions, private equity financing, multi-state debt financing, real estate, and intellectual property matters. ’97 | Since May 2007, Scott Leonard has lived in Atlanta, working as senior consultant for a business process improvement organization called Afterburner. He travels to Orlando several times a year and often visits the Rollins campus. ’98 | Katia Billeci sends news of her recent engagement and move to the Washington, DC area.
2000s ’00 | Clay Blevins ’01MBA, CEO of Comfort Supply, a leading wholesaler of HVAC equipment and supplies in Tennessee and a supplier of Ruud HVAC products, was recently nominated by Nashville Business Journal as one of the 40 people under 40 who are making a difference in the business community. Matthew Mitchell ’04MBA was named assistant professor of management at Drake University in South Carolina. He was hired to lead the international business program and will work closely with David Skidmore ’79, who is chair of the University’s Center for Global Citizenship. Marc Richfield returned to Florida after living abroad for many years and opened a travel consultancy specializing in Paris, France. When Marc isn’t focusing on work, he enjoys quality time with his fiancée, Christy Naghitorabi. ’01 Catherine Zavos Tommasini (See Weddings) and her husband live in Lafayette, CA and are expecting their first child in March. ’02 | Anne “Devon” Dutcher Burnore (See Weddings) resides in Fort Bragg, NC with her husband, whom she met through her grandmother. Following her graduation from Rollins, Devon earned a master’s degree in
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professional counseling. Tyler Finnegan sells corporate sponsorships and event planning for Social Boston Sports. He is living in Harbors Towers, which overlooks Boston Harbor and Logan Airport. Mary LaBarge Wahl joined GetMarried.com as senior graphic designer for GetMarried Magazine. GetMarried Media is an integrated tri-media weddingplanning resource with national platforms online. Emily Mann Woodling returned early to the U.S. after serving as a volunteer with the Peace Corps in Madagascar. She and her husband now live in Nashville, TN, where Emily is pursuing a m a ste r ’s d e g re e i n speech and language pathology at Vanderbilt University. Lara May received a doctor of pharmacy degree from Appalachian College of Pharmacy. In addition to working as a parttime staff pharmacist for Walgreens, Lara is completing a one-year pharmacy practice residency with the goal of pursuing a criticalcare specialty. Recently accepted into the Warrant Officer Flight Training Program with the United States Army, Jamison Leech was commissioned as chief warrant officer early this year and will soon begin helicopter flight training. Following flight school, Jamison anticipates an assignment with the 101st Airborne Division’s combat support UH-60 Blackhawk squadron. ’03 | The Sunshine State Conference (SSC) inducted former Rollins baseball player Jason Cloar ’06MBA and 14 other standout athletes into its Hall of Fame June 20, 2009. The SSC Player of the Year in 2003, Jason competed on Rollins’ baseball team from 1999-2003, leading the Tars to a NCAA postseason appearance during his junior year. He was a three-time All-Conference selectee and holds the career batting average title of .403 and hits title with 301. Jason completed his career with two Verizon Academic All-American awards and was a three-time All-South Region honoree. Our apologies to Paula CoranoSeverin for incorrectly listing her as a 2004 graduate in the Fall 2009 issue of Rollins Magazine. ’04 | Following her August 2009 wedding, Maggie Breed (See Weddings) honeymooned on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. She and her husband live in Washington, DC. Meredith Gallo Ireland joined the Albany, NY office of Hiscock & Barclay, LLP as an associate. She graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 2009 and has served as a legal intern with Robert Milne & Associates, PA, X-Ray Optical Systems, and the Albany Federal Public Defender’s Office. Meredith was a law clerk for Hiscock & Barclay in summer 2008. Christian Gay sends news that he completed his doctoral dissertation and received his PhD in film studies from the University of Miami. He was appointed as visiting assistant professor of cinema studies at SUNY Purchase. Angelo O’Connor Villagomez was the 2009 democratic nominee for the mayor of Saipan.
WHAT A WEEKEND IT WAS!
>> RELIVE THE FUN MEMORIES of Reunion 2010— or live the event vicariously— through photos, video footage, and more by visiting rollins.edu/alumni.
REUNION 2011 March 25-27
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ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IMPLEMENTS STRATEGIC PLAN aimed at strengthening alumni connection ROLLINS E-MAIL FOR LIFE. It’s a great idea for keeping alumni connected for life…and one that is soon to become a reality, thanks to an intensive year of planning and refocusing by the Rollins College Alumni Association Board of Directors. In support of its ongoing mission to keep alumni connected to Rollins and each other, the alumni board engaged in an ambitious yearlong strategic planning effort in 2009-2010, setting a bold agenda for the future that includes initiatives like Rollins e-mail for life. Kurt Wells ’95, then in his second year as Alumni Association president, led the planning charge of the 28-member Board. “The Board was ready to make a real difference and to set a plan to achieve great things for Rollins’ future.” The process began in May 2009 with a presentation to the board by Mark Dollhopf, executive director of the Association of Yale Alumni, who provided insights on how to engage alumni in the strategic planning process. Dollhopf had just led Yale alumni through a robust and successful planning effort to tap into the creative energy of Yale’s affinity groups. “Involving alumni in this process was very important to the board,” said Sharon Carrier, who was named assistant vice president for alumni relations just as the strategic planning effort was being launched. “Mr. Dollhopf’s message was inspirational, and his ideas really set the context for our planning process.” With support from Carrier and the Alumni Relations team, alumni board members began their work by conducting alumni interviews and researching successful alumni programs in colleges and universities across the country. The results revealed that Rollins falls short of the best alumni programs in a few key areas, including engagement of alumni in their home areas through strong regional chapters and facilitation of alumni communication through online tools. After participating in several planning retreats, the board defined a new statement of purpose, articulated its guiding principles, and reaffirmed its vision for Rollins alumni, “Connected for Life.” It also outlined five priorities with supporting strategies for implementation over the next three years. Alumni had the opportunity to review these plans and provide input to the board during the Alumni Association’s annual Reunion meeting in March. With the formal adoption of the strategic plan in May 2010, alumni can look forward to new ways to connect with Rollins—through regional chapters, an online alumni community, Rollins e-mail for life, and faculty and alumni speakers at regional events, to name a few. It is fitting that these new initiatives, designed to carry Rollins’ proud legacy into the future, will begin to roll out this fall as the College celebrates its 125th Anniversary.
R O L L I N S A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N S T R AT E G I C P L A N PURPOSE | To support and advance Rollins by keeping alumni connected for life GUIDING PRINCIPLES | The Rollins Alumni Association is committed to developing great alumni by partnering with the College in supporting the alumni life cycle that starts with the student experience, carries forward through the transition from college, and develops over a lifetime.
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Develop and package relevant information, services, and programs that will be of interest to, engage, and benefit alumni and students and promote the Alumni Association’s purpose. Strengthen and formalize partnerships to support high-priority programs of the Alumni Association.
VISION | Connected for Life
Ensure appropriate Board structure, governance, and policies as well as leadership development and implementation of strategic initiatives.
PRIORITIES (2010-2013) | Geographically localize alumni engagement by establishing regional chapters that will support and drive the Alumni Association’s purpose and vision.
Develop and implement an effective, multifaceted communication and marketing plan that delivers unified alumni messaging, resonates with the Alumni Association’s target markets, and advances its strategic initiatives.
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
’05 | Timothy Bratcher works for Coldwell Banker in Winter Park, buying, selling, and renting homes. Meredith Gibboney recently finished a six-month environmental education assignment with AmeriCorps in Kermit, WV managing summer ecology camps. She will soon begin her next position with the Student Conservation Association and AmeriCorps completing restoration work in the desert wilderness in California. Whitney Ivey Ward (See Weddings) is a financial services representative with New England Financial while her husband, Andrew Dana ’03, is an associate with law firm Culp, Elliot, and Carpenter. The couple resides in Charlotte, NC. Deena P a t sourakos reports h e r e n g a g e m e n t to J a s o n F l owe r s , v i ce president o f F l owe r s Chemical Labs in Altamonte Springs, FL. Deena, who is a former Rollins cheerleader, recently earned a master’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Central Florida. The couple has not set a wedding date, but is considering a destination wedding in Santorini, Greece in honor of Deena’s Greek heritage. Upon graduating from Stetson College of Law in May 2009, Peter Winkelman moved back home to the Washington, DC area and accepted a position with the Honorable William A. Moorman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims as a judicial law clerk. ’06 | Ashley Bazemore Perry (See Weddings) met her husband at Florida State University, where the couple both attended graduate school. Currently, they live in Lexington, SC, where they both work as music teachers. Griffin Doherty began his master’s studies in government at Johns Hopkins University last fall. Claire Kunzman ’10MBA became engaged to Eden Kleiman following a proposal along Lake Virginia. The couple is planning a wedding after Claire’s graduation from Crummer in August 2010. Stetson Law student and fellow student advocate Megan O’Neill won the inaugural Veterans Law Appellate Advocacy Competition in Washington, DC. The competition featured exceptional law students from across the country arguing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Megan’s team was also awarded the Best Respondent’s Brief Award and Megan was named Best Overall Oralist, the highest individual award given at the competition. Andrena Woodhams, a first-year student at Southern College of Optometry, is living in Memphis, TN. ’07 | In August 2009, Anne Marie Boleslawski-Palmer graduated from the University of Florida with a master’s degree in religion. Nicole Gassman graduated from Florida Institute of Technology with a master’s degree in clinical psychology and is
scheduled to receive her doctorate in clinical psychology in 2012. Laura Lapointe works as gallery manager of chART Charity Art Collection and chART Magazine. ’08 | Rebeca Montaner reports that BookNetwork has moved from Florida to North Carolina and has launched a new Web site. To donate media items, visit booknetworkproject.org or purchase them at buybooknetwork.com. ’09 | Sharon Riegsecker serves as an AmeriCorps VISTA with American Legion Auxiliary, the world’s largest women’s patriotic organization, working to generate volunteer service targeted toward poverty improvement by and for veterans, military service members, and their families.
WEDDINGS ’90 Richard Dickson to Hannah Foarde, 10/17/09. ’94 Kristen Schorer to Gregory Mecca, 8/13/09, in Meredith, NH; matron of honor and sister of the bride: Kimberly Schorer Bertele ’92; attendee: Alison Michaux Reynolds ’95. ’00 Sara Davda to Brian Pawlikowski, 12/31/09, in Key West, FL; attendee: fellow KD sister Cara Flanagan Brooks. Ayse Numan to Allen Bageant, 9/9/09, in Honolulu, HI. ’01 Lisa Steinfeld to Adam Davis, 8/2/09, at The Beachmere Inn in Ogunquit, ME; attendees: Abby Steinfeld Lett, Roland Wellington, Devon Dutcher ’02, Jill Franklin ’03, and James Gooch ’03. Catherine Zavos to Brian Tommasini, 7/19/08, in Hood River, OR. ’02 Anne Dutcher to Capt. Nathanael Burnore. ’03 Adelia Jean Birdsong to Dwayne Chambers, 6/20/09. Jennifer Williams to Jack Hartman, 5/3/09, at Knowles Memorial Chapel; attendees: Tony ’00HH and Rachel Bornhauser ’01 Durrum, Andrew Trotter ’04, Jamie Cline, and Deena Patsourakos ’05. ’04 Maggie Breed to Justin Wilson, 8/8/09, at Christ Church in Alexandria, VA; maid of honor: Lauren Handy Hogan; attendee: Carissa Maguire. ’05 Kimberly Brackett to Nicholas Manson, 4/09, in Lake Mary, FL; wedding party: Stacie Saurs Swingle ’04, Maureen Melcer ’04, Hanna McGrath ’04, Jeffrey Halbert ’04 ’05MBA, Alex
Rosario ’04 ’05MBA, and Stephen Edsall ’04. Samantha Lopez to Ryan Eason, 12/18/09, at Old Grant’s Chapel in Winter Park. Chelsea Grace O’Brien to Christopher Shukie in Shelburne, VT; attendees: Abigail Griffin and Marissa Castellano ’06. Brianne Clair to Michael Reznicek, 10/17/09, in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY; attendees: Jenny Archer and Mary VanWyngarden ’03. Whitney Ward to A n d rew Dana ’03, 3/28/09, at The Cloister Chapel on Sea Island, GA; parents of the bride: Kit Ivey ’73 and Peirce Ward ’75 ’76MBA; attendees: Meeghan Borzillo, Henry Fasoldt ’02, Adam Gray ’02 ’03MBA, Myriah Hampton, Jeff Hersh ’03, Christian Vonn ’09, Gary Lickle ’76 ’77MBA, Deryle Ivey Hunter ’78, Christie Jones, and Jessica Klekamp ’04. ’06 Ashley Bazemore to John Perry, 7/11/09, at Knowles Memorial Chapel; bridesmaid: Molly Lehnhardt; attendees: Jamey Ray, Holly Focht, Monica Pasquini ’07, Margo de Guehery ’05 and Kyle ’03 Stedman, Sarah Morris ’07 and Socrates ’08 Perez, and Krystal Lanning ’00 and Dave ’02 Nowak. ’08 Moschell Coffey to Jeremy Tibbetts, 10/10/09, at Knowles Memorial Chapel; officiator: Rollins Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Roger N. Casey; maid of honor: Kaylan Ford ’07; best man: Jonathan Gomez; bridesmaids: Shanti Chadeesingh, Nicole Fiedler and Jordan Dunlap ’07; groomsmen: Hamilton Coffey ’09 and Daniel Abel, Jr.
FAMILY ADDITIONS ’86 Gary Hayes and wife Deb, Ashley Doyce Hayes, 5/18/09, who joins Padan DuNoyer, 2. Charlene Turner Matteson and husband John, Peter Lawrence, 10/19/09, who joins Charles, 5, Janine, 4, and Alexander, 2.
Kenney and husband Brian, Sarah Grace, 8/4/09, who joins Megan Elizabeth, 5. C r ystal Ohr O’Hea ’99MBA and husband Shane, Connor Edward, 9/17/09, who joins Tristan Wayne, 4. ’98 Shannon Barry O’Grady and husband Chris, Riggins Kilburn, 8/10/09. Kimberly Stowers De Gennaro, Finley Chiara and Anabelle Peyton, 5/9/09. ’99 Donna Ford Gober and husband Geoffrey, Katherine Addison, 6/11/09, who joins Jackson, 3. Mike ’01MBA and Kristen Kindell Welker, Robert “Bobby” Michael, 11/10/09. ’01 Joseph and Tonya Haley Guadalupe ’02, Josie Grace, 9/9/09, who joins Ava, 3. Sara Litchult Spring and husband Chris, Charlie Rose, 11/13/09, who joins Jackson, 3. Andrea Siegel Glassmeyer and husband Matthew, Chase Robert, 9/30/09. ’02 Gregory Babcock and wife Mariko, Raphael Makoto, 4/28/09. Krifka Myler ’02 ’03MBA and Jay ’03MBA Steffey, Grant Rutledge, 10/2/09. Sandy Saccullo Sack and husband Jon, Levi, 3/14/09, who joins Georgia, 3. Jeffrey and Sarah Jo Sherwood ’03 Westover, Laura Jo, 2/18/09. Steve Castino ’05MBA and wife Brooke Blackwell Castino ’05MHR, Allison Marie, 2/5/10, who joins Emma Kate, 2.
>> LONG LIVE THE FOX! Alumni across the country celebrated Alumni Fox Day April 22, 2010, proving that the spirit of this beloved Rollins tradition will never die! Informal gatherings were held in Winter Park; Tampa Bay; Atlanta; Greenwich, CT; New York City; Boston; Denver; Washington, DC; Wheaton, IL; and Duluth, GA.
’03 Travis and Laura Kimbrell ’02 Pasternak, Elliot Rose, 9/15/09. Brandon ’08MED and Aubrey Wysocki ’05 Thompson, Avalyn Grace, 8/6/09.
IN MEMORY ’30 Helen Massey McIntosh died in July 2007.
’90 Melanie Biggar Scalley and husband Thomas, Gordon, 8/09. ’94 Elise Simko Schroeder and husband Robert, William Maclain, 4/2/09, who joins Caroline, 5, and Marshall, 2. ’95 Neil Cohen and wife Lainie, Remy Alyssa, 10/12/09. ’97 Jena Donofrio Hudson and husband Dennis, Luke Michael, 5/6/09. Nancy Fazio
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’32 Theodore B. Turner died April 15, 2009. He is survived by a daughter. ’34 Brewster J. Durkee died March 6, 2009.
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’36 Lucy Greene Woolston died August 28, 2009 at age 95. Born July 16, 1914 in Somerville, New Jersey, Lucy spent most of the first 60 years of her life in Massachu-
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THOMASA TOMPKINS SANCHEZ ’93 NOT HORSING AROUND
THOMASA SANCHEZ HAS LOVED HORSES HER WHOLE LIFE. She used to ride and show them competitively and even won several quarter horse world championships.
setts. Following her graduation from Rollins, she wed real estate businessman James Woolston. From 1975 to 1990, Lucy lived in Belleair Beach, FL, where she was a member and president of the Belleair Beach Garden Club and served as a volunteer at the Cancer Society’s Discover Shoppe. Lucy also enjoyed travel, wildlife, and the beach. She is survived by a daughter and a son. ’36 Anne Grand Nilsen died June 27, 2008.
In 2002, she turned her equine passion into something that benefits thousands of children each year: she founded Heavenly Hoofs, a nonprofit organization in Kissimmee, Florida that provides therapeutic riding to terminally ill and disabled children. Sanchez, who earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Rollins and a master’s degree in communications from the University of Florida, says she knew from the time she was young she wanted to devote her life to helping others. “My father inspired me to choose a profession not based on how much money it would make me, but on finding something I loved and something that contributes to our community,” she said. Her endeavor began at Give Kids The World, a nonprofit organization in Kissimmee that grants terminally ill children a cherished wish. Sanchez brought her horses there for kids to ride as a way to take their minds off the difficult times they were going through. “I was basically giving kids a pony ride, and while it was emotionally rewarding, I wanted to do more,” she said. “My vision was to start a therapeutic riding program so I could have a significant impact on children over a longer period of time.” Her dream became a reality when the nearby Silver Spurs Arena offered to let her use 13 stalls to get her business started. Heavenly Hoofs works with children with physical, mental, and emotional special needs through specially trained
’37 Frances Hyer Reynolds died December 16, 2009. After graduating from Rollins, where she was president of Pi Beta Phi, Frances began her acting career with the Cleveland Playhouse in Ohio and later relocated to New York City, where she met and married Billy Reynolds. In 1942, the couple moved to Frances’s hometown of Tampa, FL, where they raised their family and Frances participated in civic and religious groups, including The Azalea Garden Club, Tampa Community Theatre, and The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Florida. In addition to being named Sustainer of the Year for the Junior League of Tampa in 2008, Frances served on boards of the Tampa YMCA and Tampa Art Museum, was a member and past president of the Berkeley Blazers, and held offices with St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and PTA groups. Her passions were theater, literature, bridge and art, specifically watercolor painting, which she studied and exhibited until her final months. Frances enjoyed spending her summers with lifelong friends at Clearwater Beach and The Monteagle Sunday School Assembly and held her family, friends, and relatives near and dear to her heart. She is survived by her children and grandchildren.
instructors and donated horses—including Candy the pony, Munchkin the miniature horse, and 10 other quarter horses and Percherons. Children learn to groom, care for, and ride the horses. “We work with kids who have trouble walking, many of whom have gone to therapy for years—but to them, when they go to therapy, it’s a doctor’s appointment,” Sanchez said. “Here, they’re getting similar therapy— when you sit on a horse, the horse’s movements make your hips move the same way as when you walk—but they’re thinking about riding a horse and not about therapy.” In just eight years, the nonprofit organization, which relies heavily on fundraising efforts (including an annual Wild West Show hosted at Arabian Nights, a Central Florida horse-show attraction owned by Rollins alumnus Mark Miller ’70), has served more than 30,000 children. Sanchez says her most moving moment came one day at the end of a young girl’s riding lesson. The girl looked at Sanchez and said, “Thank you,” and her mother burst into tears. When Sanchez asked what was wrong, the mother explained that it was the first time her daughter had spoken in three years. “We are all really here to make a difference,” said Sanchez, who is married with two children. “In the end, I am so fortunate God dropped this opportunity into my lap. I couldn’t ask for anything more— working with the horses I love and making a difference in the lives of children.” ■ heavenlyhoofs.com; thomasat@aol.com —Jeni Flynn Hatter and Russ J. Stacey ’05HH
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’37 Nelson Marshall died March 25, 2009. Born in Yonkers, New York, Nelson obtained a PhD from the University of Florida in 1941 and taught at the University of Connecticut and the University of North Carolina. From 1947 to 1949, he was director of the former Virginia Fisheries Laboratory, and he went on to serve as academic administrator at the College of William and Mary and Alfred University, associate director of the Oceanographic Institute at Florida State University, and professor of oceanography and marine affairs at the University of Rhode Island. In 1972, he was named director of the University of Rhode Island’s International Center for Marine Resources, and in 1977 he spent a seven-month sabbatical at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji studying coral reefs. Nelson retired in 1984 and moved to St. Michaels with his wife, Grace Terry, where the couple enjoyed sailing and were members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Easton. He was an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science and wrote three books titled Understanding the Eastern Caribbean and the Antilles, The Scallop Estuary, In the Wake of a Great Yankee Oceanographer, and Oceanography: An Observer’s Guide. Nelson’s wife. Grace Terrey ’37, preceded him in death in 2006. He is survived by four children.
’40 Walter B. Dandliker, 91, died December 15, 2009. Born in 1918 in Greensburg, PA, Walter received a doctorate in bioorganic chemistry at the California Institute of Technology in 1945 and went on to teach at the University of Washington and the University of Miami. In 1963, he accepted a position with Scripps Clinic in California, performing research in fluorescence polarization, which later became the scientific basis for hospital diagnostic systems used worldwide. Walter co-founded Diatron Corporation in 1987 and served as chief scientist until 2004. He was a man of research and invention, with patents issued in 2009 and early this year. Survivors include his wife June, his daughter, two sons, and two grandsons. ’38 Former Rollins Trustee George Waddell, 93, died January 17, 2010. During the 1940s, George was field secretary for the Rollins Alumni Association. Born in Greenfield, OH, he was president of his family business, the Waddell Company, and is the only Greenfield Rotary Club member to have been selected as district governor. George served on the Greenfield Historical Society board and was chairman of the Greenfield Area Medical Center Board of Trustees. Active in the Boy Scouts of America, he received the Silver Beaver Award, served as district chairman, and was particularly involved with Central Ohio Scouting for many years. George is survived by a brother and two nephews. A tribute to George will be featured in the Fall 2010 issue of Rollins Magazine.
’40 Lois Johnson Pick died October 22, 2009. As a student at Rollins, she was a champion fencer and participated in women’s crew. In 1940, she married her college roommate’s brother, Robert. The couple enjoyed traveling in the U.S. and abroad, raising their family, and spending summers where they honeymooned on Big Cedar Lake. Through the years, Lois devoted many hours to community service, including serving as a docent for the Museum of Wisconsin Art and volunteering at St. James Episcopal Church. In addition to being a gifted artist and painter, Lois wrote and illustrated Save My Tree, celebrating its publishing on her 90th birthday. She was preceded in death by her husband, a daughter, a son, a grandson, and three brothers and is survived by three children, four grandchildren, two sisters-in law, and other relatives and friends. ’41 Roberta Schelgel McHugh died January 7, 2009. She was predeceased by her husband, James ’41. ’47 Tom A. Brocklehurst died April 7, 2009 at the age of 84. A lifelong music enthusiast, he was a violinist with The Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra Society as a child and later played clarinet in the Officers’ Clubs while serving in the U.S. Army in the late 1940s. For 27 years, Tom (better known as “Bear” among his coworkers) worked for the U.S. Postal Service. Tom enjoyed golf and his pets, especially his cat Jimmy, who was a true companion until his death. Survivors include two nephews, his companion of 11 years Catherine, and her son
Ross, whom Tom treated like a son. His wife, Peggy, preceded him in death in 1992. Tom’s ashes will be spread in the Gulf of Mexico along with the ashes of his late wife and their two dogs, Beau and Bear. ’47 Alan G. Phillips died July 1, 2009. A native of Winter Park, he spent his life at the local farm and grove owned by his family. Alan was a worldrenowned expert and collector of antique hot-air engines such as Stirling and Ericson. His interests included mechanical work on engines, his family’s tractors, and flying and riding motorcycles. While at Rollins, Alan was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity. He held memberships with Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Quiet Birdman, Winter Park Elks Club, Florida Flying Farmers, Florida Fly Wheelers Plymouth Citrus Growers, and numerous other organizations. He was predeceased by his parents, two brothers, and his sister Mary Jane Phillips Hyde, who died July 8, 2009. He is survived by his daughter Becky Miller, a granddaughter, a great-granddaughter, and many nieces and nephews.
>> INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW… Share news of a job promotion, recent nuptials, or a new addition to your family with classmates and friends by submitting class news for an upcoming edition of Rollins Magazine at rollins.edu/alumni.
’48 Weston L. Emery died September 13, 2009. In the 1930s, Weston’s parents relocated to Winter Park, where they managed the correspondence program for stutterers at Emery Institute. Following his graduation
L E T T E R S TO T H E E D I TO R I just finished re-reading my Fall 2009 Rollins Magazine and have to tell you how much I enjoyed the articles about Rollins and its beginnings. I attended Rollins from ’47 through ’49 and never knew some of the things revealed in the articles. We arrived at Rollins in the fall before Pres. Holt arrived [from his summer home in Woodstock], so we greeted him when he got off the train in Winter Park. —Alice Smith Johnson ’51 What a gorgeous publication! The cover, layout, graphics, everything—really top notch. Not that I’m an expert, but me eye says it’s terrific. Not your garden-variety alumni magazine. And that cover…shades of Norman Rockwell.—Shelby Benson Hiatt ’58 I especially enjoyed the article in the Fall 2009 issue of Rollins Magazine about the College’s history. It made me get out the photos my father, Peter Berger, took with his Leica during his year as an exchange student at Rollins in 1929-30. Before my father had been accepted as a foreign student, he had hardly heard anything of Florida, he told me. This part of the world was far away from Germany in those days. In fact, 1928 was the first year in which the U.S. resumed giving scholarships to Germans after World War I. So he was always proud of being one of 40 German students chosen for studying in the U.S. in 1929. At the end of his year at Rollins, my father had gathered so much information
about Florida’s geography that he decided to make it the topic of his PhD. He felt very much at home among the 300 students Rollins had at that time and enjoyed the wonderful climate. Life was so easy, students so optimistic, and food delicious and plentiful, he used to say. Some of his fellow students became true friends and later even helped our family survive with care packages after World War II. I met some of them not only on their visits to Germany, but also when I followed my father’s footsteps and graduated from Rollins in 1969. That shows the tremendous impact Rollins College had on our family. I wish you and the College all the best and look forward to your continued report about Rollins history. —Ortrun (Berger) Weghorn ’69, Oldenburg, Germany What a wonderful magazine! I actually sat and read it cover to cover. It is visually stunning and has a flow of articles and information. Somehow, I missed the spring issue (maybe I didn’t recognize it!). Hats off to you for a great job!—Jesse Nickelson ’92 Congratulations to you and your team for continued improvement and really a wonderful magazine. I often read magazines from back to front, and usually with Rollins Magazine, I first check news of my old classmates. For some reason, I stopped and first read your editor’s article—Find Your Purpose, Find Your Place. How fortunate for you and for all of us who benefit from your efforts. —John F. Durkee, Jr. ’79
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Editor’s note: Your feedback to Rollins Magazine and its articles is important to us as we strive to keep you connected to your alma mater and fellow alumni. To voice your comments on the magazine and its articles, please visit the new Rollins Magazine online at Rollins.edu/magazine and click on “Talk to Us.”
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TARS AT THE HELM
CYRUS W. GRANDY V ’69 | MEMBER AT LARGE, ROLLINS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
NOW ENTERING HIS SIXTH YEAR ON THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD, Cy Grandy is dedicated to the board’s mission of building ties with students in order to keep them connected to Rollins in the future as alumni. His primary focus is building student awareness of the Alumni Association through programs and sponsorships. “When I joined the Alumni board five years ago, it was like stepping back in time, having graduated 40 years ago,” Grandy said. “So much is the same, yet so much is different. The issues have become more complex, but I have come to the conclusion that, if I were choosing a college for myself now, I still would choose Rollins.”
THEN Major: Economics Extracurricular activities: Kappa Alpha Order fraternity, water ski team, Student Government Association
from Rollins, where he served as president of Delta Chi fraternity, Weston studied at Boston University and Université de Grenoble. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and was tested into the Army Specialized Training Program. During World War II, he served with the Army’s 12th Armored Division, which was responsible for liberating 11 Nazi concentration camps. Weston received the Combat’s Infantry’s badge, Bronze Star medal with oak leaf clusters, Certificate of Merit as a combat radio operator, European African Middle Eastern Campaign medal, and the French Croix de Guerre during his service with the Army. Fluent in French and Spanish, Emery worked for the U.S. Department of State for 30 years until his retirement in 1986. He followed his passion for writing, recording 400 years of his family ancestry and authoring C-66: A World War II Chronicle of an Armored Infantry Company, which sold more than 1,000 copies. Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Brigitte Lemaire ’57, two daughters, a son, and two grandsons. Emery was awarded a Rollins Alumni Achievement Award in Military History.
representative, Lambie Pi (Lambda Kappa Pi), Union Social Entertainment Committee, Men’s Rules ’50 Barbara Cavicchi Betzold died June 17, 2009 after a long battle with illness. As a young woman, she worked for F. Cavicchi and Co., a family-run fruit and produce retail business. She and her late husband, Harold J. Betzold ’51, met while studying at Rollins. For more than 30 years, Barbara achieved great success as a realtor with Jack Conway & Co., managing its Hanson location prior to retiring in 2008. An active community member, she served on two boards of local banks, volunteered many hours with Cystic Fibrosis, was a member of the Whitman Mother’s Club, and was a former communicant of the Holy Ghost Church of Whitman. Barbara’s 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren added much joy to her life. Friends, family, and fellow colleagues will miss her kind nature, passion for life, and dedication to her job. She is survived by four daughters, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren.
Committee, intramural sports Favorite classes: Economics Favorite memories: Fox Day at New Smyrna Beach and KA Old South weekend Best place on campus: Lakefront Career ambition: Never gave it much thought at the time. Most of us had the military and possibly Vietnam ahead of us. After a stint in the Navy, I went to work for Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co. in New York for two years and ultimately retired from Bank of America after 35 years there in the Trust, Private Bank, and Wealth Management area. I guess it seemed natural to go into banking; my father and grandfather and great-grandfather were in banking.
NOW Hometown: Norfolk, Virginia Family: Edith, my wife of 26+ years; daughter, Catherine, and two grandchildren (ages 5 months and 2 years); and son, Wiley, a law student Work: Retired from Bank of America Volunteer work: Boards of Chrysler Museum of Art, Virginia Opera, Red Cross of Southeastern VA, Norfolk Public Library Foundation, Virginia Opera Foundation, Norfolk Academy Planned Giving and Investment Committees Hobbies: Travel, boating/sailing, collecting American art Favorite R&R activity: Being with family and friends and hanging out at our place “up the Bay” in Deltaville, VA Miss most about college life: It’s hard not to miss the whole Rollins experience, academic and social, and what I may miss most are the things I missed then—the things I did not take advantage of then.
’50 Ann Knight Tennis died August 8, 2009. As a Rollins student, she was active in her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. She was an award-winning editor of The Island News, a local newspaper in Key Biscayne, FL. Following her retirement in Oaxaca, Mexico, Ann relocated to Tampa, FL, where she served as editor of the The Village Voice. Her hobbies included needlework, sewing, baking, and her pet cats. She is survived by a sister, three sons, and eight grandchildren. ’52 Donald “Don” R. Work, 79, died September 24, 2009. A U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, Don worked as a food broker for 43 years in Manatee County, Florida, and later for the National Staff in Atlanta. He was a member of the Kiwanis International and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Gastonia, where he served on the church council and numerous committees and taught Sunday school teacher. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Jean Iris Frye ’54, a daughter and son-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins. ’53 Howard “Dick” L. Richards died January 27, 2010. Following his graduation from Rollins,
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
>> THANK YOU, REUNION
LARGER THAN LIFE
J. WILLIAM LOVING, JR., 1934-2009
VOLUNTEERS! 1950 Katherine “Kit” Bowen Harra Beverly Clark Campbell Daniel Drake Ed Granberry Nancy Neide Johnson, Class Chair
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, BILL LOVING LOVED THE PHI DELTA THETA FRATERNITY, Rollins soccer, Hunter S. Thompson (a fellow Kentuckian, he noted proudly), Pippin (after whom he named his beloved and much-spoiled dog) and musical theater generally, the
1955 Bill Cary Joan Curtis McKeithen Frank Hutsell ’68MBA David Jaffray Carmen Lampe Boland Mary Martin Hayes, Class Chair Yvonne Oliver Milligan Bruce Remsburg Jim Robinson Peggy Sias Lantz Don Tauscher Takayo Tsubouchi Fischer
Rollins Players, classical music, good photography (especially that of André Kertész, Jerry Uelsmann, Edward Weston, and Ansel Adams), the Orlando Magic, wine and rich food, the Kentucky Derby (his annual Derby party with his special mint julep recipe was legendary), Beef and Bottle, Mexican food, English and American history, political debates, gossip, old movies, new movies, Harry Potter, South Park, and Johnny Carson’s Carnak the Magnificent. Loving, who served as director of financial aid at Rollins from 1970 to 1986, passed away September 13, 2009. His memorial service at the Maitland Art Center drew more than 120 former students, colleagues, and friends, many of whom shared heartfelt memories. “Bill was the wittiest person I have ever known,” said Sam Crosby ’73. “In my senior year at Rollins, when I told him I had been accepted at the University of Florida Law School, he said, ‘You will raise the average IQ of both places.’ He possessed a subtle but powerful ability to disarm with charm and humor, which he used to bring everyone into his large circle of friends.” Loving came to Rollins after serving as financial aid director at Florida Technological University (now University of Central Florida). He believed in the power of aid to give lower- and middle-class applicants a chance for a superior education, and he liked underdogs. He also believed students should work for the privilege. “For kids on financial aid like me, Bill was a large part of why we were able to come to Rollins in the first place,” said Todd Pittenger ’85. “He counseled students on work-study jobs, helped choose professors and major fields, shared his love of the arts, cheered on the athletes amongst us at events, encouraged the leaders, and helped get us jobs or into graduate schools.” He was committed to his role as faculty adviser to the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, recruiting students to the organization and helping the fraternity maintain high standards. “Bill was instrumental in bringing the Florida Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta back to life,” Pittenger said. “He was a superb mentor and kept the oral history of the fraternity. He could go through a room of composites and tell you something about virtually every person pictured for every year. He was the living link between several generations of Phi Delts.” Loving embodied the liberal arts ideal of Rollins in his wide range of cultural interests. One rarely left a meeting with him without coming away with a book, CD, or DVD in hand. He had an encyclopedic memory for jokes—most of them bad. He was an ordained Baptist minister, art collector, accomplished photographer, avid reader, dedicated fan of Rollins sports teams, mentor, informed political observer, music lover, and devoted husband. In the words of Michael Stewart ’82, “He is ‘largely’ missed.” —Bobby Davis ’82 (To read a longer tribute featuring remembrances by Loving’s friends and colleagues, go to Rollins.edu/magazine/stories/loving2.html.)
1960 Valerie Baumrind Bonatis ’64MAT, Class Co-Chair Sydney “Syd” Burt Goodwin, Giving Co-Chair Barth Engert, Class Chair Dan Laurent John “Jack” Leffingwell, Giving Co-Chair Dick Mansfield Bruce McEwan Gwen Ogilvie Salyer, Class Co-Chair Gail Sutcliffe McGrath 1965 Gene Sullivan 1970 Allan Keen ’71MBA, Giving Co-Chair Daniel Ramey Chip Weston 1975 Anne Crichton Crews Frank Joseph, Class Chair 1980 John Attwell, Class Chair Mimi Carrington Mudgie Couch Holland Dan Flynn ’83MBA, Giving Co-Chair Royce Imhoff Leslie Lloyd Renz Jana Slavens Ricci David Stromquist, Giving Co-Chair Wyndi Zumft Fournie 1985 Bob “Spike” Baldwin, Giving Co-Chair Carroll Hanley Goggin, Class Chair Judy Jones Creel, Giving Co-Chair Craig Polejes Brenda Tamburo Andolina 1990 David Collis Laura Nafis Pennington Andy Slabaugh, Class Chair Thaddeus Seymour ’82HAL ’90H, Honorary Giving Volunteer 1995 Charles Gallagher Sally Fleischmann Oyler ’00MA Kurt Wells
Dick studied with composer Ernst von Dohnanyi under a fellowship at Florida State University, where he obtained a master’s degree in music composition. He published several choral works as part of the acclaimed Robert Shaw Choral series, which were first recorded in summer 2009 and are being prepared for release by his record label, PARMA Recordings, LLC. As an engineer for IBM, Dick wrote experimental programs for musical editing, which pioneered the sophisticated music software available today. His service in the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean War inspired his musical career; his work “I Am Proud to Be An American” was performed in 2008 by the Bach Festival Orchestra in Winter Park. Though he became blind following a medical accident during surgery, Dick lived life to the fullest, continuing his compositional work and traveling with his wife Jeanne. He is survived by his wife, a brother, a sister, nieces, and a nephew.
’54 William “Bill” B. Hardy died September 9, 2009. Born in New York, Bill worked as a self-employed gunsmith. A music aficionado, he served as the choir director at First United Church of Christ and as a baritone soloist at the First Congregational Church in Winter Park. He was also a member of the Chorus Master for the Opera Gala and helped pave the way for the future of opera in Central Florida with a newcomers’ training program. In partnership with the director of Florida Symphony, Henry Mazer, William cofounded the Camerata Choir, for which he directed numerous concerts and operas. Bill served his alma mater as a teacher of musical theater and director of musical productions with Rollins’ theater department. He also directed the Rollins Summer Theatre. He is survived by beloved wife of 41 years, Anne, a daughter, and two grandchildren. ’55 Jane Laverty Henry died December 26, 2009 of lung cancer. See memorial tribute p. 81.
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’55 Stewart M. Ledbetter, 76, died November 5, 2009 after a three-year battle with cancer. Following his studies at Rollins, Stewart received an MBA from Stanford University, where he was a member of the 1953 NCAA national championship golf team. After meeting his future wife, Sheila, at a bowling alley, the couple wed in 1959 and moved to France, where Stewart served as first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Finance Officer at SHAPE headquarters. After returning to the U.S., he studied economics at Columbia, settling in Greenwich, CT, where he and Sheila started their family. Stewart was an investment counselor for First National City Bank, advancing to vice president at the age of 35. In 1971, he purchased a real estate firm in Manchester, VT and established a home construction company, which afforded him more time for his beloved family, community volunteer work, and leisure activities such as golfing. In addition to serving as commissioner of the state Banking and Insurance Department in Montpelier,
2000 Megan Fusco Ames Lara Littlepage Matthew Mitchell ’04MBA, Class Chair Lee Reese ’09MBA 2005 Meeghan Borzillo Stephanie Bowen, Class Chair Kimberly Brackett Manson Steve Cahill Angela Ciambrone Logan Elsass Kristina Fuller Matt Gerber Memphis Hackl Olivia Malloy Ryan Parsons Brian Pennacchio Bethany Turk Gerber Men’s Basketball Bruce Howland ’76 Women’s Basketball LaToya Campbell ’99 Jeryl Faulkner Townsend ’54 Mary Louise Johnston ’04 ’09MBA, Co-Chair Larissa McDonough ’07 Tami Newcomb Stark ‘97 ’00MAT Shannon Pranger Shoultz ’03, Co-Chair Cheerleading Joy Buendia ’04, Chair Kay McDonnell Griffith ’53 Margy Mountcastle Robinson ’51 Allie Ng ’08 ’09MBA Bethany Turk Gerber ’05 Emily Weidner ’07
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MUCH-LOVED LIBRARIAN
DONNA K. COHEN ’73MEd, 1943-2010 EARLY IN JANUARY 2010, ROLLINS LOST A MUCH-
Shortly after the opening of Rollins’ new Olin Library in 1985,
loved member of its community: Donna Kravetz
Cohen became its head of acquisitions. It was a position her
Cohen ’73MEd, Director Emerita of the Olin Library.
husband described as perfect for her: “She loved to shop, and she
Cohen and her husband, Edward H. Cohen, Rollins’
loved books. This job allowed her to shop for books!”
William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of English, were
In 1999, Cohen was named director of the Olin Library, a post
visiting Albuquerque, New Mexico, one of their
she held until her retirement in 2006. During that time, she worked
favorite destinations, when she suffered a stroke
to make the library a welcoming research and study destination,
and cerebral aneurysm.
eliminating the “Do Not”s associated with so many library
Cohen was born in Washington, DC, and grew
experiences. She was also a champion for information literacy,
up in nearby Maryland. While earning her bachelor’s
actively advocating for its inclusion in every Rollins graduate’s skill
degree in English at the University of Maryland, she
set. A dedicated researcher herself, Cohen specialized in the history
met her future husband. They married after her grad-
of libraries, particularly the products of Andrew Carnegie’s philan-
uation and moved to New Mexico, where he com-
thropy, such as Rollins’ first library building, Carnegie Hall.
pleted his doctorate. The couple moved to Rollins and Winter Park
Cohen’s many friends remember her warmth, intelligence, and
in 1967. She focused on caring for their sons, Andrew and Jonathan,
vitality, recalling a woman who loved dancing, cooking, travel, and,
then became a Rollins student, earning her first master’s degree, an
of course, reading. As Rollins president Lewis Duncan said at the
MEd in reading, which she put to work as a special-education
campus celebration of Cohen’s life, “She combined the best of our
librarian with Orange County Public Schools. In 1982, she acquired
institutional aspirations…all while being a successful, thoughtful,
an MS of Library Science from the University of North Carolina at
graceful, helpful colleague, friend, mother, and wife.” —Lorrie Kyle Ramey ’70
Chapel Hill.
Stewart chaired boards and commissions and in 1980, he ran for Vermont’s Republican U.S. Senate seat, falling short in what became the nation’s tightest Senate race of the year. Before retiring to Vero Beach, FL, he managed an investment brokerage firm for 15 years in Manchester. He enjoyed civic activities in Vero Beach, boating in Florida, spending summers in Vermont with his family, and traveling to golf courses within the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Sheila, two sons, a daughter-in-law, a brother, and three sisters-in-law. ’55 Philip W. Murray died September 8, 2009 at 82. A Navy veteran, Philip was a former TV director with CBS’ WBBM TV in Chicago. He was a proud booster of Old Fort Stockader High School and a volunteer with St. Vincent DePaul Society Soup Kitchen. Philip was preceded his death by a grandson and two brothers. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Pat, a son, three daughters, 11 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, a brother, and a sister. ’57 Charles Hartmann died December 1, 2009. He is credited with inspiring his family members to attend Rollins. Graduates in his family include his sister-in-law, Ginger McAleese Johnson ’68; her grandson, Brooks Hatfield ’92; and Charles’ daughter, Aleese Hartmann ’94. His family found the Rollins campus to be a comforting place when he was at Florida Hospital. Memorial gifts can be made in Charles’ memory to The Rollins Fund at Rollins.edu/giving. ’58 James D. McEachern died June 27, 2009. A native of Florida, James was a member of Orlando North Community Church. Survivors include his loving wife, Teresa, six sons, four daughters, six grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and a brother.
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’59 James “Jim” F. Curti died May 13, 2008. Jim received his bachelor’s degree in education from Rollins and his PSEA Certification from Duquesne University. He went on become a teacher and later a substitute teacher in Plum and Riverview school districts. Jim also held careers with Jim Beam Distilling Co. as regional district manager, the Chambers Development Corp. as government relations director and public affairs project manager, and the Burket-Truby Funeral Home. He was assistant coach for the Duquesne golf team and a golf instructor at Riverview School District and Willow Driving Range. A devoted golfer, Jim received much recognition for his talent, including the titles of Brackenridge Heights Country Club champion in 1954, WPAG champion 1956-58, and Western Pennsylvania champion in 1960. He was inducted into the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Rollins College Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Elizabeth, a daughter, two sisters, and three grandchildren. Jim was preceded in death by his parents, a son, and a brother. ’59 Sonny Everett, 72, died September 30, 2009. An accomplished Broadway producer, Sonny began his career in the insurance and real estate industries. In 1987, he moved to New York City, collecting Off-Broadway credits such as Vita and Virginia and Shockhead Peter. Sonny produced the Broadway musical State Fair in 1996, which became The Theater Guild’s last project. He returned to Broadway in 2003 as associate producer of Avenue Q, which won a Tony Award for Best Musical that year. Sonny later was an associate producer of The Drowsy Heights and produced the Tony Award-winning In The Heights. Fall 2009 saw the return of Sonny’s holiday favorite, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Sonny is survived by his daughter, Henderson Everett Lee ’87, a son, and four grandchildren.
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
’59 Judith LeVeen White died May 14, 2009. Born in Jamaica, NY, she was employed by Lord & Taylor for 43 years, where she held many managerial roles in several departments. Judith was a member of the Port Washington school district PTA and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. She was preceded in death by two brothers and is survived by her partner, Patrick, a sister, two daughters, four grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. ’64 Mary “Mimi” McCanna Rebik died July 4, 2009. At Rollins, Mimi was a member of Phi Beta Kappa sorority. For 37 years she served as a teacher at Lyman High School in Longwood, FL, where she helped initiate Seminole County’s Juvenile Arbitration court alternative program. Following her retirement in 2005, she and her husband of 30 years, Thomas, relocated to their beach home in Fort Pierce, FL. The couple enjoyed boat trips to places such as the Florida Keys and the Bahamas, dining and dancing with friends, and a recent 21-day cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. She is survived by her husband, three children, and four grandchildren. ’64 Susan Omansky died July 7, 2009. Following her graduation from Rollins, Susan received a master’s degree in social work from Barry College, becoming one of the first licensed social workers in Florida. After working with families and foster care for LA County, she returned to Miami, where she worked in Mt. Sinai and VA Hospitals, in-home healthcare, and private practice. She was an animal lover who adopted many pets throughout her life. Susan enjoyed eating out, movies, conversation, and opera and theater. Survivors include seven cousins, other family, and many dear friends.
ALUMNA EMPLOYEE FRIEND
JANE LAVERTY HENRY ’55, 1933-2009 JANE LAVERTY HENRY, WHO SERVED AS SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE VICE PRESIDENT OF
ROLLINS... COMING SOON TO A LOCATION NEAR YOU
development at Rollins from 1983 to 2000, died December 26, 2009 at the age of 76, surrounded by family and friends. Born on February 25, 1933 in Frankfort, Indiana, the Frankfort High School class valedictorian earned a BA in English from Rollins in 1955 and an MA in education from Columbia University in 1958. She married the love of her life, John Talbot Henry, Jr., in 1961 and the couple lived in Vista Farms near Westchester, Pennsylvania until 1979, when they moved to Altamonte Springs, Florida. Henry’s natural leadership skills and love of sports and community involvement were evident in her undergraduate extracurricular activities: she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, Key Society, Community Services, Fiesta Committee, Student Council, Social Rules Committee, French Club, and cheerleading squad. She also served as president of Libra and senior class secretary, as well as editor of The Sandspur and the Tomokan. Henry led a full life and was passionate about many things. She enjoyed her 17-year career at Rollins and her volunteer leadership roles with the Winter Park Autumn Art Festival. She was an avid sports fan, supporting the Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and 76ers, the Orlando Magic, and the Florida Gators. An ardent member of the Pacific Whale Foundation, she loved vacationing with her family in Maui, especially in the winter when she was able to watch the humpback whales migrating from Alaska to the warm waters of Hawaii. Henry’s zest for life and the warm, caring, and loving demeanor she exhibited to everyone she met will be dearly missed by her family and many friends. She is survived by her husband; daughter, Leslie Henry ’86; son John Henry III ’88 ’90MBA and his wife Pam ’90; son Rob Henry; sister-in-law Gloria Laverty; and four grandchildren. The family suggests that Henry be remembered with a contribution to the Hospice of the Comforter in Altamonte Springs; the Pacific Whale Foundation; or Rollins College (Rollins.edu/giving).
’65 Albert Arbury died in November 16, 2009. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Mulkey Arbury ’64. ’65 Mary Hambley Reedy died August 8, 2008. ’69 Christopher J. Quinn died September 29, 2008 of congestive heart failure. He was 59 years old. Christopher began his 40-year career in radio broadcasting while a student at Rollins, working weekend shifts at WPRK. He went on to host radio shows and administer programming and engineering at many radio stations in Cleveland, OH. Christopher also worked as an investigator of aircraft accidents for the Geauga County Sheriff’s Department and in law enforcement for the Kirtland and Middlefield police departments. Mercury Records awarded him a Gold Record award for his role in endorsing the hit song Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam. Christopher also received an award for introducing American audiences to the Canadian singer Anne Murray. He is survived by his brother, Anthony. ’70 Fred W. Griffis died July 20, 2009. He was a missile test analyst for RCA at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and a member of Park Avenue Baptist Church. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Phontella “Bink,” two sons, a daughter, and five grandchildren. ’74 Abigail “Abbie” Sheeran Hill died Janu-
ary 22, 2010. She began her teaching career in Massachusetts and later moved to Florida, where she taught kindergarten and first grade at The Celebration School in Kissimmee. Abbie was a member of The Winchester Country Club, where she enjoyed golf and was a past Woman’s Club Champion. She was also a member of the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda. Abbie is survived by Martin Hill, three daughters, a sister, and a brother.
>> THE ROLLINS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION is in the process of launching regional chapters across the nation! Meet area alumni, network with peers, attend events year round, and reconnect with friends in Atlanta, Boston, Central Florida, Colorado, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, South Florida, Tampa Bay, and Washington, DC. Contact the Office of Alumni Relations to learn how to get involved. alumni@rollins.edu 800-799-ALUM
in 1993. Survivors include her parents, a sister, a brother, a sister-in-law, three nieces, other relatives, and many friends. ’96 Peter Mott died in an accident May 10, 2009. He is survived by his loving wife, Elizabeth Vivian Mott ’95, and their three children Emily, Julie, and Andrew. His family, who has lived in Maine for four years, hopes to relocate to the Winter Park area. FACULTY/STAFF:
’75 Frank D. McClellan died July 24, 2009. For more than eight years, he served the U.S. Air Force before accepting a job with Bendix Field Engineering, where he worked on projects such as Apollo and Soyuz. Following his studies at Rollins, Frank worked for the IRS for 22 years, retiring in 1997 as a senior field officer. In 2002, he and his wife, Jane, made Melbourne Beach, FL their permanent home. Frank enjoyed football and NASCAR, specifically the Miami Dolphins, the Florida State Seminoles, and any Chevy driver. He is survived by Jane, a son, a daughter, and two grandsons. ’75 Robert T. Sullivan died October 30, 2008. ’87 John K. Clark died January 10, 2009. ’87 Tracy Pendleton Morgan, 44, died May 21, 2009. A gifted landscape architect and artist, Tracy received a master’s in landscape architecture from the University of Virginia
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Donna Kravetz Cohen ’73MEd, Director Emerita of the Olin Library, died January 2, 2010. See memorial tribute p. 80.
REUNION 2011 March 25-27
J. William Loving, Jr., who served Rollins as director of financial aid from 1970 to 1986, died September 13, 2009. See memorial tribute p. 79. Dr. Edward A. Moses, who served as professor, dean, and director during his 21-year tenure at the Crummer Graduate School of Business, died March 14, 2010. A memorial tribute to Dr. Moses will appear in the Fall 2010 issue of Rollins Magazine. Dr. Wayne D. Hales, Professor Emeritus of Economics, who taught at the Crummer Graduate School of Business from 1971 To 1997, died March 16, 2010. A memorial tribute to Dr. Hales will appear in the Fall 2010 issue of Rollins Magazine.
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ROLLINS WORLD TRAVELERS RIVER LIFE ALONG THE SEINE For centuries, ideas, trade, and armies have traveled the length of the Seine River, the principal cultural and commercial artery of northern France. In October 2008, Rollins alumni and friends had an opportunity to experience the same adventure on an excursion aboard the deluxe river ship MV Cézanne. The seven-night cruise—complete with savory Continental cuisine, nightly entertainment, a sun deck, and first-class service—featured views of picturesque and historic villages from Paris to Rouen, with port calls at Vernon, Les Andelys, Caudebec, and Le Havre. Travelers were immersed in everyday life along the Seine with visits to Chateau-Gaillard (built by Richard the Lionheart), Maison Van Gogh, St.-Wandrille Abbey, Victor Hugo Museum, the Normandy Beaches, Notre Dame Cathedral, Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen, and Monet’s house, workshop, and gardens in Giverny. Other highlights included taking in the historic monuments and sights of Paris, visiting a local organic outdoor market, and experi-
Gardens of Claude Monet’s home, Giverny, and inspiration for the artist’s Water Lilies
encing the ambiance of Montmartre.
Rollins travelers on the steps leading to Basilique du Sacré-Coeur
(l-r) Former Cornell Fine Arts Museum curator of academic initiatives and tour lecturer Matthew McLendon, Saundra Sands Hester ’59, and Bob Pittman in the garden of Les Invalides
(l-r) Doreen Godsey, Ruth Garriques, Martha Gold, Libby Drosdick, Andrea Scudder Evans ’68, and Matthew McLendon at a cider factory in Normandy
THE BLUE VOYAGE: Legendary Turkey & the Turquoise Coast In October 2009, Rollins alumni, family, and friends immersed themselves in the exotic sights, scents, and sounds that reign in the fascinating land where Europe and Asia meet to form “the cradle of civilization.” Travelers built warm friendships while viewing splendid ancient ruins, breathtaking mosques and churches, stunning landscapes, and the dramatic Turquoise Coast. Highlights of the journey across Turkey included visits to the magnificent “Empress of the World,” Istanbul, with its Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Spice Market, and famed Hagia Sophia; the modern Mediterranean resort of Antalya; and the ruins of Ephesus, Pergamum, Troy, Perge, Aspendos, and Myra. The Rollins adventurers also set sail along the Turquoise Coast for five days in privately chartered gulets, replicas of traditional Turkish fishing boats, which offered sleeping under the stars, gourmet cuisine, swimming in the sea, and relaxation. A few lucky travelers continued on to Cappadocia, known for its extraordinary landscape of bizarre rock formations, and the Turkish capital, Ankara. The Rollins travelers’ gulets at rest in a peaceful cove
Blue Mosque
—Elizabeth Francetic
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
Y O U R G AT E WAY T O T H E W O R L D
EGYPT
& THE ETERNAL NILE
October 1-17, 2010 Guided by an expert Egyptologist, this small-group journey features the storied treasures of antiquity. Start in Cairo with its renowned ancient sites: the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, Memphis, Sakkara, Old Cairo, the Egyptian Museum. Relax during a deluxe cruise on Lake Nasser, where the country’s Nubian history unfolds. Explore Abu Simbel and other temples and sites saved during construction of the Aswan Dam. Enjoy a classic Nile voyage that will take you from Aswan to Luxor and its acclaimed temple complexes and tombs representing the pinnacle of Egyptian architecture. End in the Mediterranean port Alexandria, one of antiquity’s most illustrious cities.
ROLLINS ALUMNI TRAVEL PROGRAM Enjoy enriching journeys to fascinating destinations with fellow alumni, warm friends, and expert faculty.
FO R M O R E I N FO R M AT I O N : 407-646-2266 or 1-800-799-ALUM (2586) alumni@rollins.edu ■ rollins.edu/alumni/travel
Library façade at Ephesus
Below: (l-r) Libby Drosdick, Diane “Didi” Michelson Kirtley ’70, Elizabeth Van Ella, JoAnn McDonald DiBiase ’63, Jean Cumming, and Gloria Bates
Above: (l-r) Director of Alumni Relations Elizabeth Francetic, William “Bill” Clark ’82, Susan Curran ’76, Gloria Bates, JoAnn McDonald DiBiase ’63, Diane “Didi” Michelson Kirtley ’70, Libby Drosdick, Jean Cumming, Frieda Pilson, Nancy Abelt Randolph ’66, and Elliott Randolph ’65 with professor and tour guide Cemil Bezmen outside Perge
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85
REGIONAL EVENTS
P=ROLLINS PARENT
PHILADELPHIA THE PYRAMID CLUB, September 2009
Bill Burris ’06, Matt DuBeck ’07, Lee Reese ’00 ’09MBA, Brad Burns ’02, Justine Giordano ’06, and Bryan Sacks ’06
Andre Dohlen ’06 and Michael Forchetti ’94MBA
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Ashley Hunsberger ’07, Zachary Bencan, and Juan Kusnir ’07
Marian Huet ’93HH, Jody Bilbo Staton ’61, Ralph Luongo P’13, and Robin Maddox P’13
John Boxer ’96 and Jakki Clarke Fletcher ’99
BOSTON THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS CLUB, October 2009
Dan Jacobs ’08, Dylan White ’08, Brandon Burns ’08 ’09MBA, Matt Carnuccio ’08, and Cassandra Cook ’09
Former Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Roger N. Casey and Sheila Phicil ’07
Linn Terry Spalding ’74, Mike Lynch ’90, Rollins Trustee Ted Alfond ’68 P’13, and Ashley Doucette ’06
Yosiat Gimbernard ’00, Sarah Nelson ’00, and Gail Kennedy ’03
Alumni Board President Kurt Wells ’95, Director of Admission Holly Chinnery Pohlig ’01, and Cincinnati RAN Team Leader Alan English ’06
Director of Athletics Pennie Parker, Taylor Metcalfe ’72, Alumni Board President Kurt Wells ’95, and Assistant Director of Development Tatjana Chenoweth ’07MBA
Danika Tanzini ’08, Sara Fay ’08, and Erin Thayer ’08
Bill Sheppard ’74 and Maggie Delgado Sheppard ’75, Andy Arluck ’75 ’76MBA, Beth Lincks ’75, and Robert Strohmeier ’74
CINCINNATI TARS BASKETBALL V. XAVIER, November 2009
Freddie Johnson ‘99, Matt Williams ’03, and Mike Veith ’01 ’03MBA
Men’s Basketball Head Coach and Assistant Athletic Director of External Relations Tom Klusman ’76 ’78MBA, Dennis Casey ’63, and Tom Weber ’63
NEW YORK PRIVATE MANHATTAN CLUB, November 2009
David Pelton ’08 and Parents Council Executive Committee Members Karen Wright P’13 and Eric Wright P’13
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Randi Irwin ’08, Haydn Cole ’05, Yvette Kojic ’07, Molly Lehnhardt ’06, GeorgiAnn Clarke ’06, and Mike Shipper ’05
ROLLINS MAGAZINE
ATLANTA CHEROKEE TOWN CLUB, December 2009
Cara Taylor Terreri ’01, Megan Torbett Becker ’01, and Sarah Talbot Meno ’05
Gigi Morgan-McMullen ’79 and David Stromquist ’80
Atlanta RAN Team Leader Kristina Fuller ’05 and Carly Rothman ’06
Richard Sondervan, Laura Busuioc ’06MBA, Kaltrina Carney, and Matthew Carney ’02MBA
SAN FRANCISCO PETE’S TAVERN, January 2010
Pete Confehr, Mazin Jadallah ’97MBA, Edith Bennett Confehr ’45, Stas Margaronis ’70, and Alumni Board Member Dave Berto ’56
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Alumni Board Member Dave Berto ’56, Ilyse Gerber ’00HH, and Crummer School Director of Alumni Relations & Development Donald Hale
Kelley Hawks ’88 and Marcus Colina ’90
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John Langston ’07MBA, Andrejs Salmins, David Stegmiller ’95 ’98MBA, and Michael Cushing ’92
CAMPUS EVENTS TAILGATE AT THE TAR PIT ROLLINS COLLEGE, October 2009
Mary-Elizabeth Langston ’08, Alicia Florio ’08, and Angela Florio ’05
Francesca Nicoloso ’07 and Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach Jenn Musgrove ’08
Women’s Soccer Assistant Coach Ewan Welsh ’02 ’03MBA, Tommy the Tar, Former Women’s Head Soccer Coach Tony Amato ’00, and Tres Loch ’07 ’08MBA
ALUMNI HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE & VESPERS CORNELL FINE ARTS MUSEUM, December 2009
Alumni Board Member Carroll Hanley Goggin ’85, Tom Grubbs ’56, and Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations Dr. Sharon Carrier
Alumni Board Member Elaine Berry Clark ’82, Jim Carlsen, and Karen Polk Carlsen ’97
Ruth Quinn, Pauline Fretzer, Jane Wittbold ’52, and Nancy Neide Johnson ’50
SPRING
| 2010
Saundra Sands Hester ’59 and Bob Pittman
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R-ROOTS
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROLLINS COLLEGE ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
E A R LY R O L L I N S REUNIONS
Rollins’ charter students, pictured with President Hamilton Holt, reunite on the campus
Alumni garden party
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THE FIRST ROLLINS REUNION—What is believed to have been the first of a long succession of reunions of Rollin students, at a point other than Winter Park, was held on the Fourth of July, 1893, on the grounds of the Columbian Exposition, more generally know as the Chicago World’s Fair. The center of the group which assembled in Chicago on this occasion was one of the beloved teachers of those early days at Rollins College, Miss Eva J. Root. Her home was in Hinsdale, Michigan, and as soon as she announced the date when she expected to visit the World’s Fair letters were sent to her friends and former pupils suggesting that all who were coming to the “big show” arrange, if possible, to register in the Michigan Building during the week beginning July 1, 1893. The principal Rollins exhibit was shown in the booth devoted to the educational work undertaken by the Congregational Church, but as this place was not as convenient nor as sociable as the parlors provided in the state buildings, the Michigan Building was named as the rallying point. Three were already in town when the writer of this “Review” arrived in Chicago from the east: Arch Shaw, whose home was there, Adolph Hempel, who had a job in the car barns of the Intramural Railroad that conveyed visitors all around the fair grounds, and Emma Mahoney, met in the corridors of Hotel Endeavor on the lake shore at Windsor Park, on June 25th. By the Fourth of July the following came to the rendezvous to meet Miss Root: Stuart Crawford, Emma and Walter Mahoney, Ida Misseldine, Albert Barrows, Arch Shaw, Adolph Hempel, Fred Lewton and William Ingraham, the latter superintendent of the buildings and grounds at Rollins and known to few except by his first name. Other and more largely attended reunions in later years have been much enjoyed, but none left such lasting impressions as the First Rollins Reunion. —Frederick L. Lewton Nov. 12, 1929
Alumni Reunion, 1928
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ROLLINS MAGAZINE
Alumni at Semi Centennial, 1935
ROLLINS MAGAZINE GOES DIGITAL! Now you can read Rollins Magazine anywhere, any time! Visit the new Rollins Magazine online at rollins.edu/magazine for current College news and updates on fellow alumni.
TRUSTEES OF ROLLINS COLLEGE F. Duane Ackerman ’64 ’70MBA ’00H, Chairman of the Board Theodore B. (Ted) Alfond ’68 Francis H. (Frank) Barker ’52 ’06H Bruce A. Beal ’58 Clay M. Biddinger ’77 William H. Bieberbach ’70 ’71 MBA Dominick Cavuoto P’11 P’12 MBA Andrew J. Czekaj, Sr. Lewis M. Duncan, Ph.D. Jon W. Fuller, Ph.D. Ronald G. Gelbman ’69 ’70MBA Alan H. Ginsburg Rick Goings The Hon. Toni Jennings Susan Whealler Johnston ’75, Ph.D. Allan E. Keen ’70 ’71MBA ’10H Thomas G. Kuntz ’78
David H. Lord ’69 ’71 MBA Michael Maher ’63 John C. (Jack) Myers III ’69 ’70MBA Robert B. Ourisman, Sr. ’78 Barbara Doolittle Ray ’89 Dianne Tauscher Rice ’61 R. Michael Strickland ’72 ’73MBA ’04H Philip Tiedtke Harold A. Ward III ’86H Winifred Martin Warden ’45 Kurt M. Wells ’95 Victor A. Zollo, Jr. ’73 HONORARY TRUSTEES : Barbara Lawrence Alfond ’68 Betty Duda ’93H The Hon. W. D. (Bill) Frederick, Jr. ’99H Joseph S. Guernsey Warren C. Hume ’39 ’70H Joanne Byrd Rogers ’50 ’05H
Day Laguardia Gigliotti ’89 ’94MAT
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Gregory M. Goldman ’00
James E. Chanin ’87, President
Cyrus W. Grandy V ’69
Samuel A. Stark ’91, Vice President
Francis M. Greene III ’87 ’93MBA
Peter S. Bok ’92, Treasurer
Donald C. Griffin ’64
Gregory S. Derderian ’80, Member at Large
Kellee M. Johnson ’90
OFFICERS & ADMINISTRATION OF ROLLINS COLLEGE
Carroll Hanley Goggin ’85, Member at Large
Lewis M. Duncan, Ph.D., President
Maria E. Allen ’06
Jeffrey G. Eisenbarth, Vice President for Business and Finance and Treasurer
David F. Berto ’56
James S. Gerhardt, Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Stephen C. Cahill ’05
Harold A. Ward III ’86H, Secretary
Anne Crichton Crews ’75
Gail C. Kennedy ’03 Anthony J. Levecchio ’68 ’69MBA Jacqueline N. Malan ’06 William D. Murphy, Jr. ’74 Kirk M. Nalley ’93 ’01MBA
Beverly K. Buckley ’75 Lee Saufley Phillips ’87 Albert F. Saville ’99 Elaine Berry Clark ’82 John F. Steele, Jr. ’75 John P. Toppino ’02 Roxanne Mougenel Fleming ’77 George A. Whipple III ’74 ’75MBA Charles R. Gallagher III ’95
Rollins College 1000 Holt Avenue – 2785 Winter Park, FL 32789-4499
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PA I D ROLLINS COLLEGE
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
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JOIN US ON A JOURNEY INTO ROLLINS’ PAST! See p. 35.
Rollins students at Winter Park train station, mid-1950s