Winter 2007
Connecting to China: Past and Present
Southwestern_19-2.indd 1
12/14/07 9:24:30 AM
Southwestern_19-2.indd 2
12/14/07 9:24:44 AM
C ontents 14
Chinese Classes, Study Abroad in China Booming as China’s Prominence in the World Continues to Grow
17
Facsimile Scrolls Aid Study of Chinese Art History
19
Collection Documents Southwestern’s Early Connections to China
22
Keeping the Tibetan Language Alive
24
Bringing China Home in 2008
25
Passion for Chinese Art Leads to Coveted Museum Position
26
Photo Diary from China
6
Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2007 See photos from the most successful Homecoming ever!
28
First-Year Stories Meet five members of the Class of 2011.
36
Homecoming Awards Read profiles of five Homecoming award winners.
In Every Issue 2 | President’s Message 3 | On Campus 12 | Athletics 23 | Teaching 34 | Development 40 | Alumni News 44 | Class Notes 53 | Last Word
Southwestern University’s Core Purpose: Fostering a liberal arts community whose values and actions encourage contributions toward the well-being of humanity. Southwestern University’s Core Values: Promoting lifelong learning and a passion for intellectual and personal growth. Fostering diverse perspectives. Being true to one’s self and others. Respecting the worth and dignity of persons. Encouraging activism in the pursuit of justice and the common good. Southwestern University’s recruiting of students, awarding of financial aid, and operation of programs and facilities are without regard to sex, race, color, religion, age, physical handicap, national or ethnic origin, or any other impermissible factor. The University’s commitment to equal opportunity includes nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Photo by Nick Simonite ’07
On the Cover
Southwestern_19-2.indd 3
Calligraphy classes are popular at Southwestern, along with a growing interest in Chinese classes. To read more about calligraphy classes, see page 16. Photo by Lucas Adams.
Left: One of a series of photos taken by Nick Simonite ’07 during his semester in China. To see more of Nick’s photos, go to page 26.
Southwestern magazine is printed on Galerie Art Cover and Text, which is made from 30% postconsumer fiber. It is printed by The Whitley Printing Company in Austin, which is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
12/14/07 9:24:57 AM
Pres i d e n t ’ s M e s sa ge In today’s world, to be well educated means to know a great deal about China In the academic world, it is rare for a day to lapse without hearing the word China. Moreover, any well-informed citizen in most parts of our global community would agree that what happens in China will affect the entire planet. My wife, Jane, and I traveled in China in 1986. This was before the Tian’anmen Square massacre, and China was beginning to be more comfortable with western visitors. However, our three-week visit had a very strict itinerary, with little chance to stray from our assigned venues. It was one of the most fascinating and elucidating learning experiences of my life. There remains a feeling of sensory inundation when remembrances of China flood my mind. What comes to mind are the following themes: economics, environment and population growth. Even in 1986, China was beginning to allow its citizens a glimpse of entrepreneurship. Just outside the excavation site where the terra-cotta soldiers were discovered in Xian, the ancient capital of China, we were able to enjoy a few moments of shopping at what most consumers would call a flea market. After some negotiation, we purchased a beautiful piece of old lace that we still treasure today. This type of free enterprise was only just beginning to take hold. Present-day China is vastly different. A member of Southwestern’s Board of Visitors has traveled regularly to China for at least 15 years and has a very successful furniture business based on his contacts with Chinese manufacturers. As we know from recent news reports, there are challenges working with China when it comes to business, but it appears the country will continue to enjoy an ever-increasing share of the world’s trade. Even on our trip 20 years ago, environmental problems were rampant in the cities on our itinerary. It was sunny every day we were in Beijing, but one could look directly at the sun and not damage their eyes. The pollution was horrible, and every public building smelled like garlic because all the cooking is done with garlic. The environment might just be one of China’s greatest challenges, and the size of their population makes matters even worse. Finally, there seemed to be people everywhere. Even on a remote hillside above the Yangtze River one could see a farmer working a plot of land that was no bigger than the inside of a compact car. Every inch of space for growing food is utilized to support millions upon millions of people. Waves of bicycle riders would move down the streets of Beijing, weaving in and out of public buses where citizens were packed in and leaning outside, holding on for dear life. My test for whether a society is getting better or worse has to do with hope. I wondered about this in China, even in 1986 when many of these present challenges seemingly were not as insurmountable. Perhaps there was a lot of hope and because of cultural nuances it was not readily apparent to me. I do know this: we must help our students at Southwestern understand China, its culture, its challenges, and its plans for meeting them. In today’s world, to be well educated means to know a great deal about China.
Ellen Davis Editor davise@southwestern.edu Katy Boose Editorial Coordinator boosek@southwestern.edu Antonio Banda Graphic Designer bandaa@southwestern.edu Contributors: Tricia Dickson ‘08 Justin Gould ’98 Amanda Lott ’07 Ken Roberts
Joe Seeber ’63 Nick Simonite ‘07 Jeff Sutton ‘05 Kalie Trueper ‘08
Photographers: Lucas Adams Brian Diggs Andrew Loehman
Dave Johnson Randy Edmonds Steve Freeman
Design: Joshua Logsdon
Alumni & Parent Relations Georgianne Hewett ’90 Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations hewettg@southwestern.edu JoAnn Lucero Associate Director of Alumni Relations luceroj@southwestern.edu Megan Radison Associate Director of Alumni and Parent Relations radisonm@southwestern.edu Amanda Randall Assistant Director of Alumni Relations randalla@southwestern.edu
University Relations Cindy Locke Associate Vice President for University Relations lockec@southwestern.edu
Chief Administrative Officers Jake B. Schrum ’68, President Richard L. Anderson, Vice President for Fiscal Affairs Gerald Brody, Vice President for Student Life James W. Hunt, Provost and Dean of the Faculty J. Eric McKinney ‘72, Interim University Chaplain C. Richard McKelvey, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Thomas J. Oliver ’89, Vice President for Enrollment Services Francie Schroeder, Executive Assistant to the President Ronald L. Swain, Senior Advisor to the President for Strategic Planning and Assessment Telephone: (512) 863-6511
Jake B. Schrum ’68 President, Southwestern University
2
Southwestern magazine is published three times annually by the Office of Institutional Advancement. Bulk rate postage paid at Austin, Texas.
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 4
12/14/07 9:24:58 AM
CaLendar
Southwestern Receives Mellon Foundation Grant for Collaborative Faculty Initiatives
JANUARY 14 21
Classes begin Martin Luther King Jr. Day (SU holiday, no classes)
FEBRUARY 15–17 18
Family Days Jessie Daniel Ames Lecture in Feminist Studies
MARCH 15–23 27–28 31
Spring break Board of Trustees meeting King Creativity
APRIL 2–4 11 12
Brown Symposium XXX: Umwelt: Exploring the Self-Worlds of Human and Non-human Animals Board of Visitors meeting Native American Powwow
MAY 2 2 5–9 10 26
on Ca MPus
Last day of classes MallBall Final examinations Commencement Memorial Day (SU holiday)
Southwestern Receives $1 Million Grant to Continue its Upward Bound Program Southwestern has received a four-year, $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to continue its Upward Bound program. The new grant covers the period from Sept. 1, 2007, through Aug. 31, 2011. Established in 1999, the Upward Bound program at Southwestern offers year-round academic support for students who would be the first in their families to attend college. The program currently serves 50 students in grades 9-12 from Georgetown, Jarrell and Granger high schools. Southwestern hosts one of 51 Upward Bound programs in Texas. The program had 100 percent of its graduates enroll at accredited colleges and universities across Texas in 2004, 2006 and 2007. The only other program serving the Central Texas area is at Texas State University in San Marcos. For more information on the Upward Bound program at Southwestern, visit www.southwestern.edu/academic/ub.
Southwestern has received a three-year, $150,000 Presidential Leadership grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that will be used to develop collaborative programs among faculty members. Faculty members can apply to use the grant funds for cross-disciplinary projects in one of five areas: study abroad, research, developing new teaching strategies, communitybased learning or diversity. Over the course of the three-year grant, between 20 and 40 proposals could be funded. Grants will range from $2,500 to $10,000. “In addition to enhancing the scholarly work of individual faculty members, this grant will build Southwestern’s liberal arts education into a more comprehensive and cross-disciplinary experience for our students,” says Provost Jim Hunt. Hunt says Southwestern plans to continue the program once funding from the Mellon Foundation ends. This is the third grant Southwestern has received from the Mellon Foundation for collaborative projects. The University has previously received $150,000 to develop a three-year faculty exchange project with several historically black colleges and universities, and $100,000 to develop a three-year student exchange project with the same schools. Schools participating with Southwestern in these two programs are Dillard University in New Orleans, Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Morehouse College in Atlanta and Rhodes College in Memphis.
Four New Members Named to Board of Trustees Four new members have been elected to the Southwestern University Board of Trustees. Trustees elected to four-year terms are Ernesto Nieto ’64, Rep. Pete Sessions ’78 and Austin businessman Robert Wunsch. Nieto is the founder of the National Hispanic Institute and has served as president since the organization’s inception in 1979. The NHI offers a variety of programs designed to develop leadership among Latino youth. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Southwestern in 1994 and the Citation of Merit Award in 1987. Nieto was an inaugural member of Southwestern’s Board of Visitors and a trustee at DePaul University in Chicago. Sessions was elected to represent Texas’ Fifth Congressional District in 1996, and is currently serving his sixth term in Congress as representative of the 32nd Congressional District. After graduating from Southwestern, he worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company for 16 years, serving at the internationally renowned Bell Labs in New Jersey and as district manager for marketing in Dallas. Sessions is a member of the United Methodist Church, the Executive Board of the Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts of America and has served as chairman of the Northeast Dallas Chamber of Commerce. He has served on Southwestern’s Board of Visitors since 2003. Wunsch is CEO of Waterstone Development in Austin and has more than 25 years of experience in real estate Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 5
3
12/14/07 9:24:59 AM
on campus investments and development. He has been involved with the development of the Berry Creek Country Club area and Estrella and Somerset Hills subdivisions in Georgetown, Walsh Ranch subdivision and Vintage Plaza in Round Rock’s La Frontera area, and Avery Ranch in Austin. Mitch Barnett ’07 was elected to a two-year term as a student representative on the board. He graduated with a degree in business and is currently working as the assistant to the president of The Texas Methodist Foundation. As a student at Southwestern, Barnett served as president of the Student Congress/Student Body, vice president of Student Judiciary, and vice president of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He was named Southwestern’s Overall Leader at the annual Student Leadership Banquet in April 2007.
Southwestern Forms Alliance with National Center for Women & Information Technology Southwestern has been named an Alliance Partner with the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). The center was founded in 2003 by a coalition of leaders representing business, education and government to ensure that women’s knowledge and skills are fully represented in the creation, development and consumption of information technology. The NCWIT Alliance includes more than 70 computer science and IT departments across the country that share the organization’s goals and work collectively to help achieve them. “I am thrilled we have been asked to be a part of the Alliance,” says Barbara Boucher Owens, associate professor of computer science and Southwestern’s representative to NCWIT. “This affiliation will enhance our ability as a department and as an institution to attract students to our computing program.” Benefits of being an Alliance Partner, Owens notes, include the ability to apply for grant money from the organization. The NCWIT Academic Alliance Seed Fund offers start-up funds of up to $15,000 per project to develop and implement initiatives for recruiting and retaining women in computing and information technology. Southwestern also will have access to experts in program assessment, as well as expertise on the design and implementation of computing courses that welcome all students.
Students visit with a representative from the U.S. Department of State at a Federal Career Day event sponsored by Career Services in October.
Adams says students were asked to rank their career center on a five-point scale from poor to very good. Colleges were compared based on the average rating from all students responding to the survey. “When I found out that the ranking came from students, I was not surprised,” says Roger Young, director of Career Services. “Our students know us, and they know we care about them as individuals.” Career Services offers a variety of programs throughout the year, ranging from resume writing workshops to job and graduate school fairs. Particularly popular programs include the annual “Etiquette Dinner” and a “Career Connections” barbecue on campus that connects students with alumni. Career Services also does plenty of one-on-one counseling. Last year, staff in the office held more than 700 individual advising sessions. Young credits his staff—which includes Associate Director Alex Anderson, Internship Coordinator Maria Kruger, Secretary Sharon Hehman and Internship Secretary Megan Hardin—with his office’s success. “I’ve got a great staff,” he says. “Everyone here has the students’ best interests in mind. They don’t think of this as just a job, but a calling.” Young also attributes the center’s success to support from faculty members. “We go into between 30 to 35 classrooms a semester to talk about the services we offer,” Young says. “Students really appreciate that.”
For more information on NCWIT, visit http://www.ncwit.org.
Southwestern Receives High Marks for its Career Services The 2008 edition of The Best 366 Colleges, published by the Princeton Review, ranked Southwestern #7 in the country for Best Career/Job Placement Services. The list was compiled through a survey of 120,000 students at colleges included in the book. This was the first year the Princeton Review compiled a list based on students’ rating of their campus career/job placement services. “This was something we heard a clamoring for among parents and students, given the cost of college education today,” says Jennifer Adams, student survey manager for the Princeton Review.
4
After being closed for more than two years of renovations, the Fine Arts Center re-opened in November. Watch for more photos of the newly remodeled center in future issues of Southwestern magazine.
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 6
12/14/07 9:25:09 AM
New Residential Center Dedicated Southwestern University dedicated its new Dorothy Manning Lord Residential Center in October. The center, which is named after the late wife of Georgetown philanthropist W. Grogan Lord, includes three new residence halls: The Eddy C. Scurlock-Edward A. Clark Hall, The Genevieve Britt Caldwell Hall, and The Frank and Louise Britt Carvey Hall. Together, these new residence halls house 66 students in an additional 29,000 square feet of living space. The residence halls offer apartment-style living, with kitchens in each apartment, fully furnished rooms, a community room and recreation areas. The Frank and Louise Britt Carvey Hall serves as a “Community Engagement/Green Hall,� where students will work together to build a community dedicated to sustainable living and community service. With the addition of these new residence halls, approximately 85 percent of Southwestern students will be able to live on campus. The University hopes to eventually have enough housing on campus for 95 percent of its students.
Southwestern_19-2.indd 7
Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
5
12/14/07 9:25:34 AM
Homecoming
& Reunion Weekend
-2007-
6
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 8
12/14/07 9:26:16 AM
ARRR... YOU C ONNECT ED? This year, Homecoming and Reunion Weekend set a number of new records for Southwestern University.
1330 Homecoming and Reunion Weekend Attendees • Highest attendance on record • 6 percent higher than 2006
962 Alumni Attendees • Highest attendance on record • 18 percent higher than 2006
505 Reunion Attendees • Highest on record • 23 percent higher than 2006
11 Reunion Parties 90 Homecoming and Reunion Weekend Events Infinite Connections!
Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 9
7
12/14/07 9:26:33 AM
on CaMPus
Faculty news Music Professor Publishes New edition of Popular Mendelssohn Oratorio When Felix Mendelssohn’s “St. Paul Oratorio” was first performed in 1836, it marked a milestone in music history. The oratorio, which deals with Paul’s transformation from a persecutor of Christians to an evangelist for Christianity who is ultimately persecuted himself, was the first major oratorio to be published in nearly 40 years. It resurrected the art form, and inspired other composers such as Hector Berlioz, Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner to write their own oratorios. The St. Paul Oratorio was first performed in the United States in 1838, and has been performed continually ever since. “Mendelssohn did for the oratorio as a genre what Beethoven did for the symphony,” says Michael Cooper, associate professor of music and holder of the Margarett Root Brown Chair of Fine Arts. However, like many pieces published 100–150 years ago, the St. Paul Oratorio as it is now performed bears little resemblance to what Mendelssohn approved for use. Music enthusiasts will soon have the opportunity to hear the oratorio as Mendelssohn intended thanks to more than a decade of work by Cooper. Bärenreiter-Verlag, a leading German publisher of classical music, released a new edition of the St. Paul Oratorio this fall that was prepared by Cooper. The two-volume score is nearly 900 pages and includes 230 pages of music that has never been heard before. Cooper began researching Mendelssohn’s St. Paul Oratorio in 1992 as part of an independent research project. In addition to the oratorio’s importance in music history, Cooper says it is important because of the commentary it provided on a social issue that was raging during Mendelssohn’s youth—namely, the persecution of Jews in Europe. “In the early 19th century, Jews in Europe were treated much like African-Americans in the United States were treated up until the Civil Rights era,” Cooper says. “They were very much segregated.” Cooper says the oratorio reflects Mendelssohn’s personal belief in the importance of tolerance and the evils of persecution for religious beliefs. He inherited this belief from his grandfather, Moses Mendelssohn, who was a prominent Jewish philosopher and influential advocate for Jewish emancipation in the Enlightenment. “This oratorio was an opportunity for Mendelssohn to bring together his personal experience, his grandfather’s cause (in which he believed) and contribute to contemporary discourse,” Cooper says. Cooper traveled the world trying to locate surviving manuscripts, letters and diaries that could help him reconstruct the oratorio. He found them in libraries in Germany, Poland and England, as well as several in the United States. In addition to adding 35–40 minutes of new music to the
8
Michael Cooper
oratorio, the new edition features a completely new English text. “Although the oratorio was originally published in German and English, over the years the original English text has been almost completely lost,” Cooper says. “No one in our lifetime has heard the complete text of the English words Mendelssohn approved.” The public will have two opportunities to hear Cooper’s version of the St. Paul Oratorio next year. Kenny Sheppard, professor of music at Southwestern, plans to perform the piece with Chorus Austin March 29 at the Northwest Hills United Methodist Church. For more information on this concert, visit www.chorusaustin.org. The piece will be performed in Georgetown June 8 as the fi nale to the 2008 Festival of the Arts, which is focusing on works of Mendelssohn. The Southwestern University Chorale and the San Gabriel Chorale will join Chorus Austin for this performance. For more information on this concert, visit www. georgetowntexassymphony.org. The new edition of Mendelssohn’s St. Paul Oratorio is one of six critical editions of Mendelssohn choral works that Cooper was commissioned to edit in preparation for the 2009 bicentennial of Mendelssohn’s birth. Cooper is one of the world’s leading scholars on the music of Mendelssohn, who is often considered to be the 19th-century equivalent of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 10
12/14/07 9:27:17 AM
Southwestern, Canadian Researchers Collaborating on New Generation of Anti-Cancer Drugs Since the 1970s, a drug known as Doxorubicin has been one of the mainstays in treating solid tumors such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer and lung cancer. Although effective in treating cancer, the drug has a dangerous side effect: too much exposure can damage heart muscle. “Doxorubicin is a very useful drug, but people can only take a certain amount of it in their lifetime,” says Frank Guziec, a professor of chemistry and holder of the Dishman Chair in Science. “Beyond that it becomes far too toxic.” Guziec and his wife, Lynn, an assistant professor of chemistry, are collaborating with Brian Hasinoff, a professor of pharmacy at the University of Manitoba, on new drugs that would have the effectiveness of Doxorubicin without the toxicity. Like many other anti-cancer drugs, Guziec explains, Doxorubicin works by binding to the DNA of cancer cells, which prevents the cancer cells from replicating. Unfortunately, the drug also interacts with other cells, particularly heart tissue. While others have tried to modify Doxorubicin, the Guziecs have been able to synthesize new compounds with a totally different structure that will not react with heart tissue, but still retain their anti-tumor activity. These compounds, called anthrapyrazoles, are cyclic, flat molecules that can slide into the DNA structure in a process called intercalation, preventing cell growth. The collaboration with Hasinoff began in the summer of 2004, when the two Southwestern professors spent the summer working in his lab in Winnipeg. They had already been developing similar compounds in their lab at Southwestern for about eight years. The Southwestern researchers prepare the compounds and Hasinoff tests them on cell lines he grows in his lab. Hasinoff’s lab even has heart cells that can be used to test whether the compounds are damaging heart muscle. “Neither of us could do this research alone,” Frank Guziec says. “This is the best kind of collaboration.” The Southwestern researchers are working on developing about 12 different compounds. The process involved in synthesizing the compounds involves many steps and is very technically demanding. It takes about a month to make each compound. Hasinoff uses “molecular modeling” to predict whether certain modifications to the structure of compounds will make them more effective. The team has published two papers so far and has recently completed a third. Earlier this year, the researchers received a “provisional patent” on their work, which gives them a year to prove the principle behind their work. Currently, the Guziecs are trying to develop a next generation of the compounds that will be more stable. “The compounds need to stay around in the body long enough to be effective,” Frank Guziec says. If the researchers can develop more stable compounds, their goal is to partner with a pharmaceutical company that would have the resources to produce large quantities of the compounds and carry out further testing. The University of Manitoba’s Technology Transfer Office is seeking potential
Frank and Lynn Guziec
partners on the project, and recently listed the team’s work as its featured “Hot Technology.” (see http://www.hot-technologies.ca/newsletter/fall_2007/sept_2007.html) If the concept can get fully patented, Guziec says, a company would have 20 years to bring it to market. Several Southwestern students have been involved in the research project over the years. Jennifer Lang ’02 and Kimberly Lawson ’04 were involved in making the first generation of the compounds and Kyle Marshall, a senior chemistry major, is working on the next generation of compounds for his honors thesis in chemistry. Marshall presented a paper about how a new series of compounds were made at the August meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.
Professor Launches Podcast on the History of Science Elizabeth Green Musselman originally wanted to be a science journalist and although she ultimately decided to go into academia and teach history, her love of science never faded. Green Musselman, associate professor of history, recently launched a podcast on the history of science, medicine and technology. Podcasts are radio programs that are available online, usually for free, for listening at any time. “The program is designed to help make my discipline more accessible to a wider audience,” she says. Her podcast, “The Missing Link,” is released monthly. Her first podcast was called “Stranger than Fiction” and considers some of the ways that science fiction has drawn inspiration from planetary science. Her second podcast was called “Opposites Attract” and examines the issue of men and woman as opposites. The third episode features the history of science and medicine in Berlin. The podcasts are available online at http://missinglinkpodcast.wordpress.com/ and through iTunes. Each episode is approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Many of the podcasts also feature audio essays by students in Green Musselman’s History of Science classes. “As fi nal projects, the students research, design and record essays on topics Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 11
9
12/14/07 9:27:38 AM
on CaMPus on CaMPus
of their choosing,” Green Musselman says. “I am encouraging listeners and fellow historians to contribute their own material as well.” Green Musselman says that within the first two months, her podcast gained an international following. Listeners from 18 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Sweden and Taiwan have visited the site, as well as listeners from all over the United States. Green Musselman says she became interested in podcasts while knitting—a favorite hobby of hers. “Podcasts are beneficial for people who are looking for things to feed their mind during other activities,” she says. Although it takes a while to master all the technology required to produce podcasts, Green Musselman says they have many advantages for students and faculty members alike. “Podcasts can help free up class time for more one-on-one interaction,” she says. “For scholars, they also allow the immediate and inexpensive release of information.” They also give students an opportunity to get their ideas out. “The students are scared at first because their ideas are going to be seen and heard by others besides their professor, but once they get into it, they really enjoy it,” Green Musselman says.
Shannon Winnubst Named to endowed Chair Shannon Winnubst, professor of philosophy, has been named holder of the Carolyn and Fred McManis Chair in Philosophy. The McManis Chair in Philosophy was established in 1972 by the trustees of the McManis Trust. Fred McManis was a friend of former Southwestern President John Score and president of the W-K-M Company, a Houstonbased company that made valves for the oil industry. As holder of the chair, Winnubst will receive extra funding to develop programs on campus or to further research projects. Winnubst holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.A. and Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University. She has been a member of the Southwestern faculty since 1994. In addition to her responsibilities as a professor of philosophy, Winnubst
has taught numerous First-Year Seminar classes and served as chair of Women’s Studies (now Feminist Studies) from 1999–2001.
Faculty Favorite Five Who are the most popular faculty members among Southwestern alumni? This year’s Homecoming activities included voting for the Shannon Winnubst “Faculty Fav Five.” Six all-time favorite faculty members ended up being selected due to a tie. The recipients were: • Martha Allen, professor emeritus of history; • Weldon Crowley, professor emeritus of history; • Frederick Gaupp, professor emeritus of history; • Jesse Purdy, professor of psychology and chair of the Animal Behavior Program; • Eric Selbin, professor of political science and University Scholar; and • Vicente Villa, professor emeritus of biology. The “Fav Five”—or rather, six, were honored during a reception at Homecoming.
Members of the “Faculty Favorite Five” included (l-r) Vicente Villa, Martha Allen, Weldon Crowley and Eric Selbin. At right are the sons of Frederick Gaupp— Peter and Dieter Gaupp. Not shown is Jesse Purdy.
BROWN SYMPOSIUM XXX
Umwelt:
Exploring the Self-Worlds of Human and Non-human Animals April 3–4, 2008, Alma Thomas Theater, Fine Arts Building
10
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 12
12/14/07 9:27:55 AM
Student News Southwestern Welcomes the Class of 2011 Southwestern welcomed 375 members of the Class of 2011 this fall—a class that is the second largest in the University’s history. Here is a brief snapshot of the class: • The class is 63 percent female and 37 percent male. Twenty states are represented. • Fifty percent of the first-year students were in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class and 82 percent were in the top 25 percent of their high school class. • The average SAT score for incoming students was 1220. • Twenty-two percent are minority students. One hundred and seventy-one students from the first-year class participated in 13 Living-Learning Communities this fall—an increase of 22 students from last year. This program has now become so popular that it was expanded to include the first floor of Brown-Cody residence hall. Students in Living-Learning Communities share suites with other students in their First-Year Seminar Class. Topics of this year’s First-Year Seminars included everything from chocolate (“An Aesthetic, Historical and Scientific Journey into the Wonders of Chocolate”) to surfing (“Lessons to be Learned from the Search for the Perfect Wave”).
Kinesiology Students Conduct Research for NASA Three Southwestern seniors are getting a unique opportunity this year—the chance to conduct a real study for NASA. Kinesiology majors Lauren Arrowood, Ben Hoffman and Eric Sterner are completing a senior capstone project that evolved from a field trip in their tissue biomechanics class to the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in the spring of 2007. Conversations with scientists in the laboratory about the limitations of exercise on the International Space Station led to the development of a project to investigate the consequences of running on a treadmill that is dramatically smaller than traditional treadmills. When the students returned this fall, they immediately began planning and implementing the study under the guidance of Scott McLean, associate professor of kinesiology. The use of treadmills is important for exercise on the space station because it offers a mode of exercise that has a positive effect on maintaining bone mass. On an eventual one-way trip to Mars, astronauts could be in space for nine months or more. “Over that time period, an astronaut could lose as much as a quarter of his or her bone mass, which is equivalent to the bone loss accrued during an entire lifetime,” McLean says. Currently, astronauts on the space station work out for up to two hours a day on a freestanding treadmill called the TVIS (Treadmill with Vibration Isolation System). Because of limited space in the space station, the TVIS is dramatically shorter and narrower than standard treadmills, forcing the astronauts to take shorter strides and with little margin of error for side-to-side deviations. In addition to testing on a standard treadmill, the students have manipulated the useable area of a standard treadmill with attachments that mimic the current TVIS dimensions and a treadmill of intermediate dimensions. They are using data collected from trained distance runners to examine differences in impact forces, leg muscle electrical activity and oxygen consumption while running on each of the treadmill designs. The students will submit a report to the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at NASA Johnson Space Center and will subsequently present their findings at the Texas Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting in spring 2008. —Kalie Trueper ’08
Every other spring semester for the past four years, students in Professor Thomas Howe’s Architecture Studio III (Modern Structures) have been given the assignment of designing their own master plan for the property on which the World Trade Center was located. Here, sophomore Carlos Barròn displays the model he built for the assignment last spring. A studio art major, Barron hopes to become an architect someday. Several models 12from Southwestern the class magazine were on Winter display2007 at the library this fall.
Southwestern_19-2.indd 13
Dr. Robert Curl, winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in chemistry, visited campus a guest lecture, and spoke at in October. He visited a chemistry class, gaveWinter 2007 www.southwestern.edu 11 a leadership luncheon sponsored by Pi Kappa Alpha.
12/14/07 9:28:07 AM
AT H L ETI CS
Don Gregory
Jack Flatau
Josh Spencer fights off attackers in the men’s soccer team’s Sept. 5 game against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Amy Douglas controls the ball in the women’s soccer team’s Aug. 31 game against LeTourneau University.
Soccer Coaches Garner Coach of the Year Awards Southwestern’s two soccer coaches were both selected as Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Coaches of the Year in November. Don Gregory led the Southwestern men’s team to its second consecutive second-place finish in the SCAC this year as the Pirates posted a 7-2-1 mark in league play and a 12-6-2 record overall. Since taking over the reigns of the Southwestern men’s soccer program in 1998, Gregory has turned it into one of the most competitive in the SCAC. In the past five years, only Trinity has had a better conference mark than the Pirates’ SCAC record of 30-12-3. Gregory boasts an overall record of 105-73-16 at Southwestern and the Pirates have finished in the top three in the SCAC for four of the last five seasons. Gregory earned his 100th career win this fall in a home game as the
Fall Athletics Highlights The SU men’s golf team won its first tournament in eight years this fall as the Pirates won the Alamo City Classic by 11 strokes on Oct. 16. First-year player Stephen Gehring earned his first collegiate victory, shooting a 143 (72-71) and is just the second Southwestern golfer to win an individual title in his first season with the team. Sophomore Ricky Jones finished one stroke behind Gehring in second place. Head volleyball coach Hannah Long reached the 100-win mark this season in her fourth year as a head coach at Southwestern. The Pirates got the win for Long at Washington & Lee University, picking up a 3-1 (30-27, 30-24, 27-30, 30-24) decision. With the 100th win, her career record stood at 100-24 for a superb .806 winning percentage. Women’s golf team member Marisa Mauldin won two
12
Pirates hosted conference rival Hendrix College. Southwestern cruised to a 6-0 win to secure the victory. Jack Flatau has built the Southwestern University women’s soccer program into a consistent winner over the past decade. His efforts culminated this season with a second-place finish in the SCAC standings—the highest-ever finish for the Southwestern women since joining the conference in 1994. The Pirates finished 7-2-0 in conference and 13-5-0 overall, establishing highwater marks for wins in both categories. In his 11 years as head coach at Southwestern, Flatau has compiled a 93-87-17 overall record with a 51-39-6 record in SCAC play. This is the first time for both Southwestern coaches to earn Coach of the Year honors. The winners were decided in voting by the SCAC head soccer coaches. Flatau edged Trinity’s Lance Key in the voting, receiving five votes compared to Key’s four. Gregory tied in voting with Trinity’s Paul McGinlay as both received four first votes. tournaments this fall. Her first win came at the Lady Bulldog Fall Classic, the first outing of the year, and her second was at the Alamo City Classic. Maudlin fired a 156 (78-78) to win the tournament by three strokes. Teammate Kristen Davenport finished third in the tournament with a 160 (79-81).
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 14
12/14/07 9:28:14 AM
Make a bequest—it’s very simple.
S
The Reverend Robert Koch ’48 received generous scholareniors Lauren McPhail, Kyle Simpson and ship support, the difference that made his Southwestern education Melissa Sheppard never knew Jane and a reality. Because Robert and his wife, Millie, were forever grateGordon Hollon or Millie and ful for Robert’s education, they wanted “When we cast our bread upon to give back so that others would have Robert Koch. But, through the generosity of these two the waters, we can presume that the same opportunity. The Kochs creSouthwestern couples, Lauren, someone downstream whose face ated an endowed scholarship to enable fi nancial assistance for pre-ministerial Kyle and Melissa are receiving we will never know will benefit students. Kyle is quick to admit that scholarship assistance to help he would not have been able to attend from our action, as we who are Southwestern without this scholarfinance their Southwestern downstream from another will ship, “My scholarships have meant the educations. profit from that grantor’s gift.” Jane Carroll ’43 and Gordon Leslie Hollon ’47 established an endowed scholarship through their estate plans in honor of their four children. Through his enlistment in the V-12 Program, Gordon Hollon had the good fortune to attend Southwestern and play on the University’s Championship Sun Bowl football team, but more importantly, he met his wife-to-be, Jane Carroll. The merit awards granted by the Hollon’s Endowed Scholarship benefit both Melissa and Lauren. Lauren says, “A long line of McPhails attended Southwestern University, and because I received scholarship support, my family was able to send me here to continue that legacy. I look back at Southwestern’s affect on my life and hope that my children will be given the same opportunity I was fortunate to receive.”
Southwestern experience to me. I know that I made the right choice coming —Maya angelou here, but it never would have happened without the fi nancial assistance.”
If you will be 65 before June 2009, and have named Southwestern in your will or trust, your gift may be counted toward Thinking Ahead: The Southwestern Campaign. For information on how to establish a bequest benefiting Southwestern or assistance with your gift planning, contact Robyn Burchfiel ‘89, Director of Gift and Estate Planning, at 800-960-6363, ext. 1403, robyn.burchfiel@southwestern.edu. Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 15
13
12/14/07 9:28:30 AM
CHINA
By Ellen Davis
RISING
Chinese classes, study abroad in China booming as China’s prominence in the world continues to grow.
14
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 16
12/14/07 9:28:36 AM
Hardly a day goes by when China isn’t in the news—whether it be for its booming economy, unfortunate problems with product recalls, or the 2008 Summer Olympics. It’s a point not lost on students at Southwestern University. Like their counterparts at colleges across the country, Southwestern students see knowledge of China as a ticket to success in the 21st century. Southwestern has risen to the occasion by continuing to expand its offerings of courses related to China. In addition to the language itself, students can now choose from courses on Chinese history, Chinese literature, the Chinese economy, Chinese politics, Chinese art history and even Chinese calligraphy. “For students interested in China, Southwestern has one of the better programs among small liberal arts colleges,” says Provost Jim Hunt.
History of offerings While some colleges and universities are scrambling to offer courses related to China, efforts to build a curriculum at Southwestern related to China and Asia date back more than two decades. In 1984, Margaret Shilling, wife of then-President Roy Shilling, and Paula Oliver, wife of then-Provost Ben Oliver, went with a group of six faculty members to Wuhan University in China as part of a broader effort to establish relationships with universities in other countries. Among the faculty members who went was Ken Roberts, professor of economics and holder of the Hugh Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair in Economics. “I absolutely fell in love with it,” Roberts says. He applied for—and received—a Fulbright Scholarship to study in China in 1987. Ever since then, he has focused his research on migration in China, and taught a popular course on the Chinese economy. Roberts has returned to China almost every year since 1984 to conduct research and present papers at conferences. He published his first article on Chinese migration in 1997 and has published 12 since. In 1988–89, Southwestern received funds from the Pew Charitable Trust and the National Endowment for the Humanities to sponsor a year-long “Focus on Asia” program. Eighteen faculty members traveled to China for six weeks in the summer of 1988 to help them gather material that would prepare them to teach courses related to China. “We were in China when few other undergraduate liberal arts colleges were there,” says Roberts, who led the 1988 faculty trip. Upon returning from the trip, Roberts organized a Freshman Symposium that focused on China. That same fall, Steve Davidson was hired to teach East Asian history. The following year—1989—Southwestern offered Chinese language classes for the first time. Davidson currently teaches three courses on Chinese history in addition to two courses on Japanese history. His personal
Southwestern’s modern-day connections to China date back to 1984, when Margaret Shilling (center) and Paula Oliver (right) went with a group of six faculty members to Wuhan University in China as part of a broader effort to establish relationships with universities in other countries. At left is Ken Roberts, professor of economics.
research focuses on China’s Early Imperial political culture, especially during the early Han dynasty (second century B.C.). Davidson organized an additional Freshman Symposium that focused on China in 1992. Although interest in China dropped after the Tian’anmen Square massacre in 1989, Davidson says it picked up again in the mid-1990s. “For students born after Tian’anmen Square, China is an economic miracle and a fascinating area of the world,” he says. After President Jake B. Schrum came to Southwestern in July 2000, the University approved a tenure-track position in Chinese language and literature. Carl Robertson was hired to fi ll this position in 2002. When Robertson began teaching in the fall of 2002, he had 13 students in his classes. This fall there are 55 students taking Chinese. There is so much demand for Chinese that a part-time professor has been hired to help handle the load. “Chinese is a terribly difficult language, but Carl has done a great job making it fun,” says Provost Jim Hunt. Hunt says many students are now taking Chinese to fulfi ll their language requirement. Students get so interested in it, he says, they decide to take a few more classes and earn a minor in Chinese. Southwestern has offered a minor in Chinese since 2003. In addition to teaching Chinese, Robertson continues his research, in which he is investigating the commentary tradition of Journey to the West, a 16th-century Chinese story cycle. He also serves as advisor to the Association of Students Interested in Asia (ASIA), which is becoming increasingly popular on campus. Club members gather to celebrate Asian holidays such as the Autumn Moon Festival and Lunar New Year, and sponsor Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 17
15
12/14/07 9:28:39 AM
Calligraphy also a popular offering It’s 11 a.m. on a Thursday morning and 14 members of the Association of Students Interested in Asia (ASIA) have gathered in a room on the third floor of the Olin Building to learn calligraphy from Carl Robertson. “With a little practice, you can become quite good,” Robertson tells the students. Robertson begins by explaining that calligraphy uses six strokes to create characters that sit on square templates. The first stroke he teaches the students is “heng,” which means “one.” The stroke resembles a human bone. “Slope and arch,” he says, trying to explain to the students how to make the ends of the stroke heavier. While Chinese language classes are popular at Southwestern, so too are classes on calligraphy—a Chinese art form that dates back to 1600 B.C. Robertson teaches a formal calligraphy class each summer and also offers a class for members of the Asia Club each year. Robertson explains that although most people in China write with pens, calligraphy is an integral part of the Chinese culture. “Calligraphy is a popular activity at most parties in China,” he says. “When many people write together on the same sheet of paper it forms strong bonds between them, with calligraphy as the medium.” By the end of the class, the rolls of paper covering the table are covered with characters—many of which look quite professional. “I’m going to hang this in my room,” says club member Kim Le. —Ellen Davis
a “language table” in the Commons each Thursday at noon. They also take field trips to destinations such as the Austin Chinatown Center and Houston’s Chinatown. One particularly popular activity is Robertson’s annual calligraphy demonstration.
Physics professor Bill O’Brien at the Peking Opera during the 1988 faculty trip to China.
“I joined ASIA as a first-year student mainly for the opportunity to eat good Asian food, and I had no idea how much I would learn about Asian culture or that I would form such close friendships with other members,” says club president Katy Siciliano, a senior who is majoring in animal behavior. “I have enjoyed being a part of this organization because of its welcoming nature and efforts to involve the campus community in events that celebrate diversity. I have learned so much from my friends in ASIA club, from how to eat delicious Vietnamese soup to the traditions involved in Chinese New Year celebrations.”
Grant support for new programs
Carl Robertson’s annual calligraphy demonstration is a popular activity sponsored by the Association of Students Interested in Asia (ASIA).
16
Having a tenure-track professor teaching Chinese enabled Southwestern to successfully compete for several grants to bring additional East Asian specialists to campus. Davidson wrote a successful grant proposal to the Luce Foundation to fund a new tenure-track position in East Asian politics and governments. Alisa Gaunder was hired to fi ll this position in 2002. Gaunder now directs Southwestern’s program in International Studies, which offers students the opportunity to focus on East Asia, Europe or Latin America. Southwestern has an endowment from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation to support the East Asia component of this program. Davidson wrote a second grant proposal to the Freeman Foundation that provided initial funding for a new tenure-track faculty position in East Asian art history. Diana Tenckhoff was hired to fi ll this position in 2003. Southwestern is one of only two universities
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 18
12/14/07 9:29:06 AM
in Texas that have a position in East Asian art history. “The full-time appointment in Asian art gives Southwestern’s art history program a very unusual commitment to a multicultural education, covering the history of ancient Greek and Roman art, modern Euro-American art, and East Asian art, as well as the history of architecture,” says Thomas Howe, chair of Art History in the Department of Art and Art History. “The offerings in East Asian art clearly add breadth, as well as interesting perspectives, to Southwestern’s art history program.” Few textbooks are available in the area of Asian art history, so Tenckhoff develops much of her course materials herself. “She has a difficult subject to cover—one that is very alien to most of our students,” Howe says. “But because of her efforts, the material and culture is a familiar part of these students’ broader world by the time they fi nish their first course.” Although First-Year Seminars (which evolved from the Freshman Symposiums) no longer focus on a single topic, several faculty members offer First-Year Seminars related to China. Davidson teaches one called “Global Powers: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Empires,” which includes China as well as the United States and Great Britain. Robertson teaches one titled “Bringing Across: Writing About Chinese in English,” in which students read works ranging from those of the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius to presentday novelist Amy Tan. Hunt says the challenge now is how to meet the continued demand for courses related to China. “China is a huge economic machine,” he says. “If we did not have an emphasis on it, we would be lacking in the way we prepare our students.” He says the University is looking for funding sources to add additional courses, particularly in the area of Chinese literature.
Study Abroad in China The growing number of students studying Chinese on campus has led to a growing number of students studying abroad in China. Southwestern sent its first student to China for study in 1997–98 and since then, a total of 23 students have gone to the country. “China is now one of our most popular destinations for study abroad,” says Sue Mennicke, director of intercultural learning. Mennicke also credits Robertson with increasing student interest in China. “Carl is enormously enthusiastic about China,” she says. “He also has changed his classes to better prepare students for study abroad.” This fall, there are five Southwestern
Scroll Collection Facilitates Study of Chinese Art History Among the faculty members who went to China in 1988 as part of Southwestern’s “Focus on Asia” program was Thomas Howe, professor of art and art history. While there, Howe used some of the grant money Southwestern received from the Pew Charitable Trust and the National Endowment for the Humanities to purchase 70 Chinese facsimile hanging scrolls, fans and album leaves that are high-quality photographic reproductions of ancient Chinese scrolls. These scrolls come from the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, which commissioned the production of facsimile scrolls for more than 400 pieces from their collection. In addition to scale, they are printed in a way that renders them as true as possible in texture and color to the originals; those which represent originals on silk are printed on facsimile fabric. “They even smell like ink,” Howe says. Howe chose scrolls that were representative of Chinese art from the Six Dynasties through the Ming Dynasty. In 2003, Southwestern received a grant from the Freeman Foundation which enabled the University to purchase eight additional scrolls. These acquisitions helped fill gaps in the collection. “The Southwestern University facsimile scroll collection provides students with the unique opportunity to examine high-quality reproductions of Chinese painting,” says Diana Tenckhoff, an assistant professor of art history who now oversees the scroll collection. “Students are able to create exhibits with the scrolls and really get a feel for how it is done in the professional world.” Tenckhoff says the scrolls are now an integral part of Southwestern’s Asian art history curriculum. “The scrolls are an invaluable resource because they provide the opportunity to investigate what it would be like to work with original works of art,” she says.
—Tricia Dickson ’08
This reproduction of a 1366 Chinese scroll titled “Dwelling in the Qingbian Mountains” is one of 78 in Southwestern’s facsimile scroll collection. The collection is an integral part of Southwestern’s Asian art history curriculum. Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 19
17
12/14/07 9:29:16 AM
at Southwestern and abroad,” says Zamorano, who graduated with a triple major in psychology, French and Spanish. She is taking Chinese language classes at UT and says she plans to study Chinese and learn more about the country and its people. Matthew Glenn ’07 moved to China after graduating from Southwestern in June with a degree in political science. He worked briefly for an Internet startup company in Shanghai and recently took a new position in which he writes reports for companies in America who are interested in buying Chinese manufacturing goods. Faculty members from Southwestern continue to “I wanted to do something difdo research in China and attend conferences in ferent than teaching English,” the country. Chemistry professors Frank and Lynn Glenn says. “The education I got Guziec visited the Zhejiang University of Science at Southwestern taught me how and Technology in Hangzhou in May, where they were greeted with a warm welcome. to pick up and talk the lingo of many different industries. With a students studying in China. Among them is Rob Goldey, a liberal arts education, you are one step ahead of everyone else senior who is doing an independent study major in Chinese. because you can make connections to different things that othGoldey hopes to teach Chinese in high school after he graduers don’t see.” ates. “I’ve found that Chinese is a language that cannot be masGlenn says he may eventually attend law school, but in the tered as quickly by English students as the European languages meantime his goal is to enjoy being in China and to become flucan be, and I want to encourage learning Chinese earlier on ent in Chinese. so that college-level Chinese students can more easily move through China,” he says. On to graduate school Shannon Foster, a junior majoring in economics with a minor in Chinese, also is studying in Beijing this semester. “The Southwestern students also are pursuing graduate work classes I’ve taken at Southwestern defi nitely piqued my interrelated to China. Kris Ercums ’93 is completing his Ph.D. in est in studying abroad in China,” Foster says. “Classes such as Chinese art history at the University of Chicago, which has 20th Century History of China, Chinese Painting, The Chinese the country’s top program in this area. He recently landed a Economy, and my Chinese language classes made me want to job as the curator of Asian art at the Spencer Museum at the know more about the art, culture and economy of China, and University of Kansas (see story page 25). Ercums received a studying abroad just seemed like the next step. From what I’ve Fulbright Scholarship to study in China in 2006–07. seen so far of Beijing, it was well worth the trip.” Michael Jeffers ’98 is working on a graduate degree in Foster hopes to go to graduate school in economics and do journalism at The University of Texas. He wants to return as a something related to international business. “I am fascinated by reporter to China, where he studied while doing his internathe economic progress China has made over the past couple of tional studies major at Southwestern. decades,” she says. “There are growing business opportunities Two Southwestern graduates are doing graduate work in in China, and I’d love to be a part of them.” Nanging, China, this year. Ryan Borgeson ’07, who graduated with the first independent study major in Chinese, was accepted at the prestigious Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Working in China Chinese and American Studies, which is jointly administered Several Southwestern alumni have already pursued career by Nanjing University and The Johns Hopkins University. opportunities in China. After graduating from Southwestern Michele Murphy ’05, was awarded a Foreign Language Area in 2004, Alejandra Zamorano moved to China and taught Studies Fellowship from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate English for seven months. She also worked part-time at the School of Public and International Affairs to study at Nanjing Mexican Embassy in Bejiing as an assistant to the consul. University this year. Murphy is majoring in security and intel“I absolutely loved China! The culture, the language, the ligence studies at the University of Pittsburgh and will also food, the people—everything,” Zamorano says. “It was an receive an Asian Studies Certificate. amazing experience, and I would love to go back.” “I truly value the education I received at Southwestern and Today, Zamorano works at The University of Texas at feel that it helped prepare me to pursue further postgraduate Austin as an international advisor, helping American students studies,” Murphy says. who plan to study abroad in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Mexico and Central America. “My current position allows me to use all that I learned both
18
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 20
12/14/07 9:29:23 AM
‘…Bless god today that i am here’
Collection Documents Southwestern’s Early Connections to China
Southwestern’s connections to China date back almost to its founding. Several early faculty members, such as bible professor Herbert Lee Gray, had been missionaries in China (Gray was a missionary there from 1890 to 1897). Several early Southwestern graduates also went to China as missionaries. One of the first was 1895 graduate Edward Pilley. Pilley’s impressions of the country are documented in an eight-page letter written to his former professor Claude Carr Cody shortly after his arrival in Shanghai. The letter—which is in a scrapbook of Cody’s in the Special Collections area of Southwestern’s A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library, provides a fascinating perspective on what China was like a century ago and the mindset of early visitors. “The only way to travel is by boats, except afoot, no horses or conveyances of any kind here, no roads, a narrow foot path is about all,” Pilley wrote. “Not a person in town that speaks English, nor understands it. I have just learned enough Chinese to make my servant know what I want, if I do not want too much. But Professor Cody, bless God today that I am here. I have a brighter, richer experience today I believe than I have ever had, while away from home and friends in a strange land among a strange, degraded people.” Pilley concludes his letter by writing that “If I had another life to spend I would be glad to spend it here.” Sue Stanford, a 1911 Southwestern graduate, also went to China as a missionary with the Southern Methodist China Mission in 1914. Stanford had studied under professor Herbert Lee Gray, and he influenced her decision to dedicate her life to missionary work. Stanford was stationed with the Pilleys at a mission in Huchow, a city of 100,000 people located about 100 miles from Shanghai. She served as a teacher and principal at the Virginia School, a boarding school for girls that had been started just after the turn of the century—a time in which formal education for girls in China was non-existent. Stanford also taught at the famous McTyeire School in Shanghai, which had pioneered quality education for Chinese women. She remained in China until missionaries and other foreigners were forced to leave the country after the communists came to power in 1949. During her time in China, Stanford witnessed upheavals caused by both civil war and the Japanese invasion in 1937. She wrote a first-person account of her experiences in a “Life Sketch” prepared for the Board of Foreign Missions shortly after her retirement in 1953. Stanford’s nephew, E.R. Stanford Jr. ’40, also wrote a biography of his aunt and her experiences in China from 1914 to 1950. A copy of the book is in Southwestern’s Special Collections, along with research materials, publications and correspondence that Stanford gathered to write the biography.
“Significant progress toward gender equality (in China) could hardly have occurred had high-quality educational opportunities for girls, such as those provided by Christian missionaries, not become available,” Stanford writes in the biography. Southwestern also has some artifacts collected by Rev. John Littleberry Hendry, who served with his wife, Alice, as a Methodist missionary in Huchow from 1888 to 1929. All four of the Hendry’s children, who were born in China, attended Southwestern: Cullen Hendry and Madge Hendry, who both graduated in the class of 1910; John Hendry Jr., who graduated in 1915; and Robert F.
Sue Stanford (back row, center) at the McTyeire School in Shanghai around 1930. Stanford served as a missionary to China from 1914–1950. Hendry, who attended from 1916–1917. The Hendry collection includes Chinese coins, an opium pipe and shoes worn by women with bound feet. Over the years, others have donated early books published about China to Southwestern. The library’s Special Collections has several early travel books on China, including one published in 1846 and another written by a bishop of the United Methodist Church in 1881. The library also has a children’s book published in 1879 and a beautifully colored three-volume set of books on oriental ceramic art that was published in 1896. —Ellen Davis
Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 21
19
12/14/07 9:29:56 AM
Memories of a Semester in China By Tricia Dickson
Tricia Dickson (right) and Jessica West (left) pose on the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China. Editor’s note: Tricia Dickson is a senior majoring in anthropology and communication studies with a minor in Chinese. She spent the spring semester of 2007 studying at Fudan University in Shanghai.
When I got to Shanghai, one of the fi rst things that struck me was the enormity of it all. The city has skyscrapers comparable to those in New York City in height and density, but they stretched on much, much farther. Even my dorm in the suburbs was 23 stories tall. One of my fi rst weeks in the city, my program group went to the top of the Jin Mao Tower, which is the fourth tallest building in the world. As I looked out the window of the observatory deck to the construction of an even taller building a few blocks a way, I started to grasp how quickly the city is changing and growing. This growth gives the city a certain life that I had never experienced before. I found I was able to partake in all the city had to offer on a meager student budget. Fancy dinners and nights out on the town were suddenly affordable. As much fun as all of that was, however, what I really enjoyed were my day-to-day interactions with the community. From chatty taxi
20
drivers to outgoing sales people in the markets, everyone seemed as interested to talk to me as I was to them. One of my favorite memories from China was when my program took a weekend trip to Hangzhou. A friend and I were in Longjin, an area of town that produces extremely famous green tea. We decided to go buy some tea, but instead of going into a store, we were taken to people’s homes. We were able to watch as some farmers sat around outside and pressed the tea dry with their hands, and then we were taken inside where we were given free cups of tea. Instead of pressuring us to buy the tea the whole time, however, we simply spoke with the farmers’ wives about where the best places to visit were or when the best time to harvest and buy green tea was. I was amazed at how much English was spoken, but more so by how understanding everyone was if you didn’t speak
Chinese. One instance that stands out to me was when taking a taxi home from downtown one night I mispronounced the name of my street and ended up on the opposite side of the city. Even though it was my fault, when I told the driver we were in the wrong place, he turned off his meter and corrected my mistake for free. Oddly enough, what I missed most about the States when I was in China is the same thing I miss most about China now that I’m back in the states: the food. While living without bread or cheese or a halfway decent hamburger was hard, the foods I was introduced to there are now some of my favorites. Some of my most vivid memories are from an alley near campus where there were carts making various street foods from early in the morning to one or two at night. I couldn’t tell you the names of most of my favorite foods from China. There were no menus in the alley; they were all discovered merely by pointing at whatever looked good. My months in China were some of the best of my life, and I plan to move back as soon as I graduate. In the meantime, I guess I just need to learn how to cook a perfect dumpling.
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 22
12/14/07 9:30:19 AM
Amy Tan Warms Southwestern in a Cold Front A
my Tan came on campus during a welcome cold front. Sweaters, jackets and scarfs appeared at receptions and waiting lines that night. But there was a certain warmth of heart I felt stealing over the campus before she came, reinforced and expanded by her visit. I felt it as a member of a panel of colleagues who discussed Tan’s works in a faculty forum luncheon a few weeks before. The panel opened up to more personal views than usual, even, it seemed to me, more eloquent and heartfelt than one expects at a forum for colleagues. At a book reading at the Asian American Cultural Center, the participants discussed thoughts, feelings and reactions, one of whom was quite moved by the shared experience of Tan’s words. For the first time, The Writer’s Voice (the eighth of such events sponsored by the A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library) could spare no tickets for the general public. Similar enthusiasm occurred in courses and classrooms across campus—Paideia® groups discussed her work, several courses featured her texts (including a German Studies course noted by Tan in her talk) and the bookstore sold copies of her books. What was it? Something of her visit gives a clue. At her feature presentation, she stood beside—not behind—the podium and directly addressed the audience. She spoke with courage, clarity of context and a genuine regard for her audience. With a copy of the CliffsNotes version of The Joy Luck Club, she made us laugh at the irony of finding oneself—a living, breathing and working writer—analyzed into neat, sophisticated patterns of literary criticism—the kind made for dead authors. She took us into her family, recounting life with a mother whose mental imbalance took the family across Europe and nearly took Tan’s life, who Tan accompanied for three years of dementia, night and day (“It was awful, so awful” she said in a way that made us all laugh), and shared with us a sharp impression of her mother’s voice (“Amy-ah” she said on the phone, “you worried!?” about a faked heart attack). And deep in that presentation, poised and impromptu, filled with humor and alive to us, she discussed something of what moves her in her fiction: A respect for voices. There was more then about what she means by “voice,” but it is that commitment to and love for a mother that shone through in her visit, the willingness and talent to share her discovery of that voice and that vision of another with all of us, and take it all with a touch of humor. The following day, Tan visited two classes and shared a lunch with students. As a witness to one class and the lunch, I felt her complete engagement wherever she went. The students in Chinese III were completely focused, somewhat in awe. (She spoke, modestly, of her Chinese ability, but I know it’s no small thing to pick it up again.) At the lunch, the noise and hubbub ended with a great circle of students with Amy Tan at the center discoursing on life and dogs. She showed her little terrier, carried in a bag with a mesh cover under her arm, as she named breeds and discussed proper treatment. But there at the lunch she revealed the most about what makes her writing work, the thing that enlivened her visit and warmed us up. Fiction, she said, and I both paraphrase and brutally abridge, is not just the telling of stories, but of engaging in the lives of others. It is compassion. Amy Tan shares her family with all of us and then suddenly, we’re family. —Carl Robertson Assistant Professor of Modern Languages Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 23
21
12/14/07 9:30:53 AM
Southwestern Professor Forms Nonprofit to Keep Tibetan Language Alive As a graduate student working on her Ph.D. in Chinese literature, Patricia Schiaffini made several trips to the Tibetan-populated areas of China to learn more about Tibetan authors. During these visits, she also learned something else: that many Tibetans were becoming less and less fluent in their own language because they tended to speak more Chinese in day-to-day life. She also learned that there were very few children’s books written in Tibetan. “Tibetan children are losing their own language and their own culture because they don’t have resources in their own language,” says Schiaffini, who now teaches Chinese as a part-time assistant professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Southwestern. When she returned to the United States after completing her dissertation research in 1999, Schiaffini started to brainstorm ways that she could help the Tibetan people in China, but it was not until she had her own children that she realized exactly how important children’s books really are. As a Spanish woman married to a Chinese man raising children in the United States, Schiaffini says it is very important to her that her children learn all three languages and cultures. “If you are going to try and teach your children a language other than English in the home, you need entertainment in that language,” Schiaffini says. “Children receive literacy through entertainment.” Remembering the lack of children’s literature in the Tibetan language, Schiaffini formed the idea for the non-profit Tibetan Arts and Literature Initiative, or TALI. TALI is a non-governmental organization with no political or religious affiliations and is intended to spread literacy and promote the appreciation of literature and art in the Tibetan areas of the People’s Republic of China. When she returned to the Tibet Autonomous Region for a visit in the summer of 2006, Schiaffini took the idea for TALI with her. The commune of writers and artists she had lived with agreed the initiative was a good idea, and slowly but surely they started to send her ideas they had for children’s stories. Schiaffini faced numerous obstacles in getting the stories into print, however. The loss of the Tibetan language is not just a trend among the youngest generation. Schiaffini had a hard time finding people who were both fluent in written Tibetan, and also technologically adept enough to get the book into print. By working together with a few dedicated individuals, however, they were able to overcome these challenges and get the books to press. The first book completed was A Small Frog and A Crow, which is based on a Tibetan folktale about a little frog whose resourcefulness allows her to escape the tight claws of a hungry crow. The book is intended for children 3-6 years of age. TALI also has published a second book titled The Prince and the Yogin’s Daughter, which is a classic Tibetan love story about two lovers who are forced to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to be together. This book was written for children ages 10 and older. Schiaffini had both books illustrated by noted Tibetan artists. “For many children, these books also are their first real exposure to art,” she says. The first books were distributed in August and September, and Schiaffini says 10,000 copies have been distributed so far. Volunteers take the books with them on their travels into rural Tibetan-populated areas, and for many children these books are the first that they’ve seen. Schiaffini is seeking funds to publish five more books in the coming year, including a Tibetan translation of the popular children’s book Happy Birthday Moon. TALI also is exploring the possibility of producing a series of television and radio programs that would bring literary works to Tibetan children. In addition to the publishing projects, Schiaffini is working on several other projects to increase understanding between the peoples of the United States and China. She has organized exchanges of artwork and letters between children in Austin and children in Lhasa, which is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). She hopes to take several Austin-area teachers to Tibet next summer for a teaching workshop. For more information on TALI, visit www.talitibet.org. To see pages from some of the books TALI has published, visit http://www.southwestern.edu/newsroom/tibet/tibet.html. —Tricia Dickson ’08
22
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 24
12/14/07 9:31:08 AM
te a CH ing
Carl Robertson Assistant Professor of Modern Languages • Bachelor of arts in history, Brigham Young University • Master’s degree in Chinese literature, Washington University • Ph.D. in comparative literature, University of Oregon No one knows that I… enjoy woodworking. My favorite movie is… “Chariots of Fire,” “Gandhi,” “A Man for All Seasons,” or “A Passage to India.” The most unusual thing I have run across while doing my research is… The sheer power of the Mongol invasion of the world and the importance of Central Asia generally. The best advice I can give to students is… The most important single quality for success is the ability to keep trying after perceived failure. Sometimes one feels like Don Quixote, but there is something noble in long-term effort.
For some people, work is a chore. They separate their passion from their profession. This is not the case for Carl Robertson. Robertson’s interest in China started early on. He graduated from high school at the same time that China was reopening its doors to foreigners and remembers being completely absorbed by the photos of this mysterious land in the pages of National Geographic. Little did he know he would one day see some of these sights firsthand. As a first-year student at Brigham Young University, Robertson was required to take a foreign language, and chose Chinese on a whim. It was a whim that would profoundly influence the rest of his life, as he quickly became more and more passionate about Chinese. While other students were just doing what it took to get the requirement out of the way, Robertson was listening to Chinese grammar tapes on the weekends just for fun. When he was called to serve his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was assigned to Taiwan. He instantly fell in love with the language, the culture, everything. “Being in Taiwan was like being a kid in a candy shop for two years!” Robertson says. When he returned to the United States, however, he felt the need to fi nd a practical career path, which at the time did not include Chinese. His classes were starting to lean towards education; however, he was hesitant. More and more he felt pulled back to Chinese. Whenever he wasn’t taking a Chinese class, he would work through a Chinese poem every weekend. “I just couldn’t stay away from it,” Robertson remembers, “It was just inside of me.” After graduation he decided to continue his study of history from his undergraduate career, but he did this in Nanjing, China. The program he was enrolled in was just in its second year of existence, and while there he decided to switch his focus from history and social sciences to his passion, comparative literature. While in Nanjing he discovered another passion as well: Chinese calligraphy. With a renewed sense of direction, he returned to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in Chinese literature at Washington University in St. Louis. After the master’s degree, he continued his studies in comparative literature at the University of Oregon, and soon began teaching. During his graduate studies, he was accepted as a full-time instructor for six years, during which time he taught every Chinese language class offered in the department at the undergraduate level. This experience gave him the goal to build a Chinese program for a university from scratch. After completing his Ph.D., Robertson acted on a whim once more, and applied for a position at Southwestern. He never saw himself even visiting Texas, but as soon as he saw the campus he knew that the move was the best thing for him and his family. When Robertson took over the Chinese program in 2002, there were only 13 students. Today the program consistently has more than 60 students, and is still growing. The global influence of China is growing as well, and Robertson sees the Chinese department as another way that Southwestern can prepare its students for the world as it is, as well as how it will be. “I can’t believe I have the great fortune to do the thing I most love in the world and get paid for it,” Robertson says. “I’m still that kid in the candy shop.” —Tricia Dickson ’08 Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 25
23
12/14/07 9:31:24 AM
aL uM n i P r o F i Le s
Bringing China Home in 2008 Joanne Chiang ’01 Joanne Chiang knew earlier than most that Southwestern was the place for her. What she didn’t know was that her time at Southwestern would lead her down a path quite different from the one she anticipated. Chiang applied to Southwestern Early Decision because of the pre-med program. After taking a communications course a few semesters in, however, she realized that this discipline better suited her interests. The professors she had were a major influence in her decision to switch majors, especially Bob Bednar and David Olson. With medical school no longer on her radar, Chiang was uncertain of what she wanted to do after graduation other than work with communication and media. “When you graduate with a liberal arts degree, most people don’t know exactly what they want to do,” Chiang says. “I wasn’t one of the lucky ones who knew.” After taking a year off, she decided to move to New York City. When Chiang was interviewing in New York City, she contacted the alumni office and was put in touch with an alumna living in Manhattan whom she had never met. The alumna was very friendly and welcoming, and even let Chiang stay in her apartment for a few days as she prepared for her interview. Chiang realized this is something that would not have happened if she had gone to a big school, and the experience led not only to a heightened appreciation for the small college experience, but also showed her the value of alumni connections. Once in New York, she started attending alumni volunteer events, and eventually took over the planning herself. Last spring she got together with some classmates and started The New York Association of Southwestern University Alumni. She also repays the kindness she was shown upon first coming to New York by helping out other alumni who are new to the city. Her experiences with fellow Southwestern alumni have shown Chiang that “people tend to want to help.”
24
Chiang now works as a broadcast manager for the Olympics at NBC. In the past she has covered the Athens 2004 and Torino 2006 Olympic games, and is currently working on the Beijing 2008 games. Chiang coordinates with producers to arrange shoots and interviews with athletes around the world, as well as cultural segments about the host country. Her job requires her to coordinate many of the logistical aspects of the segments, as well as be very detail-oriented. She might not have realized it at the time, but Chiang says Southwestern helped prepare her for her job outside of the classroom as well. While at Southwestern, she served as Alpha Delta Pi’s formal recruitment chair, a position that also requires a lot of planning, logistics and details. “In retrospect, it makes so much sense to work in event planning, especially one of the biggest broadcasting events in the world,” Chiang says. The coverage of the Olympics does more than just show us the athletes and the games; it “brings the country into people’s homes.” This year, however, the coverage will have much more personal meaning. Although Chiang grew up in a ChineseAmerican household and is already familiar with many Chinese customs and foods, she is very excited to learn the meaning and history behind practices she is already familiar with, as well as some aspects of the culture that will be completely new to her. This summer she will travel to China for the first time, and live there for around a month. “It will be interesting to see what’s familiar and what’s not,” Chiang says. As far as plans for the future, Chiang says that “working with the Olympics is such a unique and rejuvenating experience, it would be hard to give it up.” She is looking forward to the Beijing games and hopes to be around for many games to come. —Tricia Dickson ’08
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 26
12/14/07 9:31:32 AM
Passion for Chinese Art Leads to Coveted Museum Position Kris ercums ’93 As a young boy, Kris Ercums conceived of “The East” as a mystical place far removed from the reality of life in Texas. In fact, his first experience with Asian culture was when his mother bought him a copy of a magazine titled “Ninja.” “It was through the realm of imagination that I first began to read as widely as I could on Asia,” Ercums says. His interest continued to grow and mature with him, and when he was a junior in high school he was finally able to experience Asia firsthand. He was given the opportunity to participate in a Rotary summer exchange and chose the Singapore and Malaysia program, which was the only option in Asia. While abroad, he lived with families from a variety of cultural backgrounds, including Malay, Sikh, Tamil and Chinese. The following summer was 1989 and Ercums remembers being completely absorbed in the coverage of the Tian’anmen Square student protests. After this, he knew that he wanted to study Chinese history. When he entered Southwestern in the fall of 1989, Ercums signed up to be one of the first students to study Chinese at the University. “It was new and everyone wanted to take it,” he recalls. Ercum’s first encounter with Asian art came in Professor Thomas Howe’s art history survey class. He wrote a paper for this class using the newly acquired Chinese facsimile scrolls from the Palace Museum in Taipei (see story p. 17). Later in the class, he wrote his final paper on contemporary architecture in Hong Kong. “These two topics—painting and contemporary art—formed the focus of my later studies,” Ercums says. Through his Chinese classes at Southwestern, Ercums also learned a lot about calligraphy and brushwork that would help out quite a bit when studying Chinese painting later on. During his time at Southwestern, Ercums also had the opportunity to study abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “This was
perhaps the most profound and altering experience of my entire undergraduate career,” he recalls. Ercum’s professors at Southwestern, particularly his thesis advisor, Steve Davidson, encouraged him to pursue graduate studies. Davidson also encouraged him to read the works of Wu Hung at the University of Chicago, whom he has been studying with since 1998. After graduating from Southwestern with a degree in history, Ercums decided to travel a bit before settling in Taiwan, where he studied Chinese and worked as an English teacher and in an antique store. He learned how to restore Chinese furniture and the finer points of the art business from John Ang, the owner of Artasia. Ercums went on to earn a master’s degree in art history from the University of Chicago, and plans to defend his Ph.D. dissertation on exhibition culture in early 20th-century China in spring 2008. He received a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship to conduct his dissertation research in Beijing. Ercums loved living in Beijing and says it was one of the hardest things for him to leave. It was made a little easier, however, by the fact that he landed a coveted job as museum curator. Upon returning to the States in October 2007, Ercums started as the curator of Asian art at the Spencer Museum, which is located at the University of Kansas. His position focuses on modern and contemporary Asian art, and Ercums says there are only two other such positions in the museum world, both of which are in New York. “This is a position where I can create a collection and exhibition program from scratch, and, in making a name for myself, help establish the reputation of the Spencer as a leader in cutting-edge scholarship on modern and contemporary Asian art,” Ercums says. —Tricia Dickson ’08 Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 27
25
12/14/07 9:31:35 AM
26
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 28
12/14/07 9:33:25 AM
I
chose to travel to China because I wanted to immerse myself in a totally different culture and visual landscape. As a visual person in an environment that had so much to offer aesthetically, I used photography, rather than words, as a means of documenting my own experience. Although I e-mailed pictures back to friends and family, the photographs were taken for personal reasons. For me, each image functions much like a stand-alone journal entry, reminding me where I was, whom I was with, and what I was feeling. While I used photography to document my own experience, it was not my intent to use it to document China. However, it was through these pictures that I first realized the potential of photography as a medium for storytelling and, as a result, became interested in making photography a bigger part of my life, more than just a hobby. The four months I spent in China really were life changing. The experience positioned my interests and greatly influenced my decision to pursue a career in photography now. It gave me the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, experiment, and simply take photographs of people, places, events and things that I otherwise may have never been able to see, let alone photograph. —Nick Simonite ’07 Editor’s note: Nick Simonite is now a staff photographer with the Waco Tribune-Herald.
Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 29
27
12/14/07 9:34:57 AM
FIRST-YEAR STORIES Focused, balanced and centered—mostly.
28
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 30
12/14/07 9:35:05 AM
Meredith Henry
Hometown: Norcross, Georgia Major: Communication Studies; Minor: Studio Art “From an early age, my parents stressed to me the importance of a good education. But I think the most important thing they have taught me, thus far, is the lesson of life-long learning,” Meredith Henry says. Growing up in Norcross, Georgia, Henry practically grew up at Oglethorpe University, her parents’ alma mater. However, when it came time for Henry to start her college search, she knew that going out of state would provide the best opportunities for her. “My mom kept hearing about Southwestern and its good reputation, and after the tour, I absolutely loved it!” she says. “The best part about Southwestern is the community feeling, which really makes me feel like I’m at home.” Henry brings another important lesson with her from Georgia: to take advantage of the opportunities that come her way. She believes Southwestern’s small size allows her to become involved in campus organizations and have the opportunity to make a difference. Henry has joined a student mentoring program on campus called Operation Achievement through which she helps a sixth-grade student from Georgetown with homework, projects and test preparation. “Operation Achievement interested me because I love working with kids, and I felt like this is an organization I could excel in,” Henry says. “I look forward to meeting even more amazing people, as well as becoming involved in more activities and organizations around Southwestern.” One opportunity that Henry is most looking forward to is taking part in Southwestern’s study abroad program. “I love traveling, and I can’t wait to go abroad,” she says. “I hope to go at least twice while at Southwestern, once in the summer and once in my junior year. I would love to go to Madrid or South Africa.” Henry eventually sees herself coupling her enthusiasm for traveling with her passion for photography and writing. “I love photography. I am constantly reading up on new techniques and taking pictures of anything that I think has an artistic flair,” she says. “I would love to be a photojournalist or anything that combines traveling, writing and art.” —Amanda Lott ’07 Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 31
29
12/14/07 9:35:14 AM
Gillian Graham
Hometown: Alamo Heights, Texas Major: English and Pre-Med “I always had a feeling that I would enjoy being a student at Southwestern, but I had no idea how much I would come to love every part of the Southwestern experience,” Gillian Graham says. “There are innumerable opportunities for creativity and activities beyond the classroom, but people also take academics very seriously here.” A Brown Scholar, Graham says she has always been imaginative, and since reading and writing stimulate the creative side of her brain, she plans on majoring in English. However, she ultimately sees herself in the medical field. “Both of my parents are in the medical field, and I also want to be a doctor,” she says. “I hope to use my writing in my medical career, possibly to be a medical journalist.” Keeping in touch with her creative side, Graham also hopes to write a children’s book. When she does so, it will not be the first time she has used her creativity to educate children. Her junior year of high school, Graham created the Rainbow Program. “My goal for the program is to battle the rising obesity rates in America, reaching youth and adults, by starting with children,” she says. “The motto of the Rainbow Program is ‘eat your colors every day,’ and the program is based on a concept simple enough for young children to understand, while being effective enough to make a strong impact on their nutritional wellbeing.” To teach the children in her class, Graham develops coloring books, cookbooks and placemats, and shows children how to choose and prepare nutritious snacks and meals. As Graham makes the transition into college, things are only looking bigger and better for the Rainbow Program. She has already met with Suzanna Pukys, coordinator of volunteer resources and community-based learning, and hopes to implement the Rainbow Program into various programs within the Georgetown Independent School District and throughout the Georgetown community. “I am overwhelmed by the opportunity and support Southwestern offers to assist me with my program, and I am eager to get to work on further developing the Rainbow Program with the support of the Southwestern community,” she says. —Amanda Lott ’07
30
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 32
12/14/07 9:35:24 AM
Cody Smith
Hometown: Early, Texas Major: Classics At any time of the day, you can hear music ranging from Ben Folds to UnderOath playing in Cody Smith’s dorm room. Many of Smith’s First-Year Seminar classmates can also be found lingering around his room in the Mabee Residence Hall. His first-year seminar class, Political Spin Masters Back in the Day: Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus, is part of Southwestern’s Living-Learning Community (LLC), and so far he has enjoyed his experience in the LLC. “The fact that you live in such close quarters and share at least one class with each other really encourages camaraderie,” Smith says. “The LLC is a lot of fun and we do a lot of random things together, from YouTube nights to collective trips to Cici’s. I love the environment of the LLC, and some of my better friends at Southwestern live within 10 feet of me.” Smith also credits his First-Year Seminar class with teaching him the value of getting his school work done in advance. In fact, he considers the workload to be one of the more challenging parts of his transition to Southwestern. “I have easily already devoted more time and done more homework here than I did in all four years of high school,” Smith says. “However, it is a surprisingly nice change of pace to be challenged by courses.” Smith plans to take the LSAT and eventually become an attorney. “I’m really looking forward to how the educational opportunities offered at Southwestern will help me achieve my goals,” he says. “The study abroad program appeals to me more than anything; after all, what better place to learn the Greek language and ancient philosophy than the city of Athens itself?” Smith says he is happy with his decision to attend Southwestern. “So far, Southwestern has been amazing,” he says. “My most memorable moments have come from utilizing campus facilities, including intense games of racquetball and various ‘competitions’ for Pirate bikes. The best aspect of life at Southwestern is the fun that can be had around campus.” —Amanda Lott ’07
Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 33
31
12/14/07 9:35:34 AM
D’Artagnan Bebel II
Hometown: The Woodlands, Texas Major: Business, Minor: Architecture
D’Artagnan Bebel first stumbled upon Southwestern in “Colleges That Change Lives,” one of the many college books that he purchased. As luck would have it, Bebel then received a tennis recruitment letter from Lester Sombito, head tennis coach, inviting him to come for a campus visit. “As soon as I stepped foot on campus, I realized that this is where I wanted to be. Everyone I talked to was really nice and the campus atmosphere was like none I had ever experienced,” Bebel says. “The day after visiting Southwestern, I called my high school admissions counselor and told him to change my application type to Early Admission. I knew this was the place for me.” A Texas state-ranked USTA junior tennis player, Bebel considers himself very fortunate to have the opportunity to play tennis for Southwestern. “The tennis team is very close, and I enjoy the camaraderie of my teammates,” he says. “I also appreciate that I am able to walk across campus every day to work out and practice on the tennis courts with my teammates and friends.” Bebel started playing tennis more than 12 years ago and one of his passions is giving back to the community through tennis. While in high school, Bebel coached tennis to underprivileged children through the Zina Garrison All-Court Foundation. “The foundation’s goal is not to develop the world’s next number one player, but rather to create better citizens,” he says. “I get excited about programs that combine tennis with academics to build more productive citizens.” Bebel hopes to use his education and skills to develop communities and form a real estate development firm. He plans to combine Southwestern’s liberal arts education with a business major and an architecture minor. “One great thing about Southwestern is that the students are willing to help each other succeed,” he says. “The workload is tough, but the students are willing to help each other out, whether it’s going over notes or reviewing for a test. I look forward to forming close bonds with students, my teammates and my professors.” —Amanda Lott ’07
32
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 34
12/14/07 9:35:53 AM
Victoria Dominguez Hometown: Bastrop, Texas Major: Undecided
“Do they really drink green beer? The Irish in America.” This was the title of Victoria Dominguez’s First-Year Seminar class and her first taste of college. Through the instruction of Paul Gaffney, dean of The Sarofim School of Fine Arts, the course focused on the history of Irish-Americans as well as students’ own immigration history, and analyzed issues surrounding immigration in the United States today. “I have really enjoyed my First-Year Seminar class,” Dominguez says. “Dr. Gaffney’s enthusiasm for the course and his desire to help us become acquainted with Southwestern easily makes this one of my favorite classes. It also has made me ready for college life by preparing me for the rigor of Southwestern’s academic curriculum.” While academic life at Southwestern is certainly difficult, Dominguez comes to the University possessing the skills necessary for success. She was Bastrop High School’s 2007 valedictorian and was named a Dixon Scholar at Southwestern. She also has encouragement from her family, especially from her sister, Delilah, who is a junior at Southwestern. “I am extremely close to my family, and the fact that my sister attended Southwestern was definitely a plus.” she says. “Ultimately, I decided to attend Southwestern because I felt extremely comfortable on the campus. I just clicked with the campus, and I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.” As Dominguez looks forward to the rest of her fi rst year, perhaps what excites her most is the upcoming golf season. Dominguez has been hooked on golf ever since she was in eighth grade and watched her sister play in a tournament. Her decision to make the transition from high school golf and join the Southwestern golf team was a no-brainer. “I decided to join the Southwestern golf team because the program here is great,” she says. “The women’s team has made it to the NCAA Division III National Championship two years in a row, and they won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship last year. That impressed me, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of a competitive program like this one. I hope the team’s success continues this year, and we win the conference championship again and the national championship!” —Amanda Lott ’07
Southwestern_19-2.indd 35
12/14/07 9:36:00 AM
DEV E L O P MENT
Friends and Colleagues Establish Scholarship in Honor of Dan Hilliard Friends and colleagues of Dan Hilliard, professor of sociology and anthropology from 1974–2008, invite you to join them in establishing an endowment honoring his tenure at Southwestern. The fund will provide scholarships to upperlevel students majoring in sociology and anthropology who meet the University’s requirements for financial aid. This scholarship becomes active when $25,000 or more is received. Each gift to this endowed fund moves the University closer to the goal of making a Southwestern education affordable to all admitted students. For more information or to make a gift, contact Justin Gould ’98, associate director of leadership gifts, at 800-960-6363 or justin.gould@southwestern.edu. Or, visit us online at http:// www.southwestern.edu/thinkingahead/.
Other Funds Honor Southwestern Students and Faculty In addition to the new fund honoring Dan Hilliard, the funds listed below have been established by alumni, family and friends to support Southwestern students and faculty. If you would like to support Southwestern by designating your gift to any of these funds honoring Southwestern faculty and staff, please visit http://www.southwestern.edu/thinkingahead/ or call 800-960-6363 extension 1482. • F. Burr and Doris J. Clifford Endowed Fund • The Larry and Susan Connell Endowed Scholarship Fund • The Fred R. Hilgeman Endowed Scholarship Fund • The Iola Bowden Chambers Scholarship in Fine Arts • The William Carrington Finch Award • The Fleming Scholar in Residence Program in Religion • Dr. Leonard Giesecke Endowed Fund • Dr. John C. Godbey Memorial Scholarship • The Goosetree-Morgan-Springer Scholarship Fund
34
• The Vinson Hammond Fund for Music Performance and Scholarship • The William Douglas Hooker Endowed Scholarship • The Richard J. Hossalla Endowment Fund • The Claud Howard and Elizabeth A. Crawford Endowed Scholarship • The Claud Howard and Elizabeth A. Crawford Endowment Fund • The Tom M. Johnson Band Scholarship • The William B. Jones Faculty Fellowship Fund • Edward L. Kain Endowed Scholarship • Dr. Tex Kassen Endowed Fund • The Laura Kuykendall Communication Award • Laura Kuykendall Endowed Scholarship • The Bob Lancaster Award • The Frank Luksa Award • The Jane Brown McCook Endowed Scholarship • The R. M. Medley Memorial • The Henry E. Meyer Memorial Music Composition Award • The Annie Edwards Barcus Minga Speech Contest • The Gwen Kennedy Neville Endowment Fund • Ellsworth Peterson Endowed Scholarship • Charley Ray Scholarship • The John D. Richards Scholarship Fund • J. N. R. Score Memorial • The John Score Award in Philosophy • John Score Endowed Scholarship • President J. N. R. and Ruth S. Score Scholarship • Dr. Jimmy Smith Kinesiology Endowed Research Fund • Robert L. Soulen Endowed Scholarship • The Norman W. Spellman Award in Religion • The Angus Springer Scholarship • The Tower-Hester Chair in Political Science • The Ralph M. Whitmore Endowed Scholarship Fund • Professor M. L. Williams Endowed Scholarship • The Bishop Joe and Mrs. Zoe Strickland Wilson Endowed Scholarship
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 36
12/14/07 9:36:02 AM
Class Participation Comparison
Yearly gifts add up Thank you for your years of support. Every gift matters. Gifts received prior to June 30, 2009, will support Thinking Ahead: The Southwestern Campaign.
President’s Council ($1,000+) Donors Growth: 2002–07 450
Goal 2007–08
427
2006–07
402
2005–06 316
2004–05 275
2003–04
265
2002–03
Charitable Dollars Received: 2002–07
$9.8
$9.7
2005–06
2006–07
$8.6 $5.2
2002–03
2003–04
Million
$5.1
2004–05
Southwestern Fund (Annual Fund) Dollars Received: 2002–07
$1,750,000 $1,599,107
$1,562,500 $1,471,339
$1,375,000
$1,413,467 $1,347,871
$1,187,500 $1,000,000
$1,270,052
2002–03
2003–04
2004–05
2005–06
2006–07
2006–07 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 Pre-1940
30% 11% 22% 22% 18% 17% 22% 26% 20% 23% 23% 21% 31% 24% 33% 29% 24% 26% 26% 28% 28% 19% 24% 25% 32% 31% 29% 34% 31% 30% 35% 27% 29% 35% 34% 35% 41% 40% 38% 28% 27% 36% 26% 34% 34% 34% 38% 37% 34% 39% 50% 63% 57% 50% 49% 48% 53% 52% 43% 49% 43% 36% 54% 42% 32% 33% 42% 15% 22% Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 37
35
12/14/07 9:37:50 AM
H oM e Co Mi n g aWa rd s
Amanda Bounds Baumle ’97 The YOUNG ALUMNA/US ACHIEVEMENT AWARD is given to former Southwestern students who have graduated in the last 10 years and whose achievements in the civic and/or professional realm set a standard of excellence. Recipients represent Southwestern’s finest young alumni and the University’s commitment to a values-centered curriculum and development of the whole person.
Y OUNG A LUMNA A CHEIVEMENT 36
Visiting Southwestern for the first time during a rainy Brown Scholar weekend, Amanda Bounds Baumle knew that she would spend her next four years at Southwestern. “I loved the campus and the people,” she says. “The size of the campus, coupled with the entertainment options in Georgetown at the time, created an environment where many different types of people were thrown together and had the opportunity to form long-lasting relationships.” After graduating from Southwestern, Baumle earned a law degree from The University of Texas and practiced labor and employment law before returning to school to earn her Ph.D. in sociology. Mark Fossett, one of her graduate school professors from Texas A&M says, “Amanda is passionate about sociology because of her concern for issues of social justice and social change. She strikes a perfect balance between pursuing issues that have great social relevance, yet at the same time is rigorous and analytic when evaluating the logic of arguments and the quality of evidence relating to the issues.” Baumle currently is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Houston. “As a professor, I have the opportunity to share research fi ndings with students and, at times, to aid them in examining research questions of their own,” she says. “They learn that not only should they question results provided to them, but that they have the power to explore questions and develop opinions based upon their own studies.” Baumle focuses her research on social inequality, demography and the law. She has published books, articles and book chapters in these areas, including a forthcoming book titled Same-Sex Partners: The Demography of Sexual Orientation. Nestor Rodriguez, a colleague of Baumle’s at the University of Houston, says, “Amanda is someone whose name will become very well known in her field in the discipline. Look forward for many great achievements to come from her in the future.” —Amanda Lott ’07
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 38
12/14/07 9:38:00 AM
earl L. Moseley Jr. ’84 The CITATION OF MERIT is given to former Southwestern students who have performed exceptional civic and/or professional services in a given geographic area or field of endeavor. Recipients represent the highest standards of Southwestern University’s commitment to a values-centered curriculum and development of the whole person. Staying close to and embracing his alma mater, Moseley continued to support and visit Southwestern even after his graduation. He began giving back to the University immediately following his commencement by serving a twoyear term on Southwestern’s Board of Trustees and forming relationships with Southwestern students. “I wanted to give back to the University and to my fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha,” Moseley says. “While at Southwestern, I started to mature. I began to set my core values and open my mind to consider other views, to conceptualize ideas and articulate those ideas cogently. Becoming a Pike and attending Southwestern were two of the best decisions I ever made, besides becoming a Christian.” Believing in the power of education, Moseley has more than 19 years of experience in higher education. Most of this time has been spent at Texas State University, where he currently serves as coordinator of campus activities. “The aspect I enjoy most about my role in education is the ability to influence and impact the lives of students and my peers in a positive way,” Moseley says. “It is my role to assist others in expanding their views, encouraging lifelong learning and living a values-centered life.” For many students, Moseley accomplished just that. Clint Swindall, a former student, states, “As an adult, I look back and remember a man who simply didn’t allow young people to do what they wanted without a reminder of what was right. I don’t believe that level of character development was ever in a job description. But Earl Moseley has never just done what the job requires. He’s always focused on developing people along the way. He doesn’t do it because he was paid to do it. He simply does it because it’s the right thing to do.” —Amanda Lott ’07
C ITATION
OF
M ERIT
Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 39
37
12/14/07 9:38:08 AM
HoMeCoMing aWards
William Reed ’75 The CITATION OF MERIT is given to former Southwestern students who have performed exceptional civic and/or professional services in a given geographic area or field of endeavor. Recipients represent the highest standards of Southwestern University’s commitment to a values-centered curriculum and development of the whole person.
C ITATION 38
OF
M ERIT
Will Reed is a person with both a vision and commitment to helping others, and as a United Methodist minister, has spent most of his life doing so. Concerned about the inequality of opportunity that existed in Houston’s low-income neighborhoods and aiming to empower these communities through technology, Reed and several other businessmen founded Technology for All (TFA). As a result of Reed’s leadership and entrepreneurship, TFA had immediate success. “Will has an entrepreneurial bent to him that permits him to be more reactive than others might be to changing circumstances,” says Jack Clark, TFA co-founder. “As a result, TFA has grown to collaborate with Rice University to build a wireless cloud over a disadvantaged area in Southeast Houston, permitting children and families to have Internet access.” Perhaps one of Reed’s most charitable endeavors took place immediately following Hurricane Katrina. After learning that people were being evacuated from New Orleans to Houston’s Astrodome, Reed and his coworkers began making calls and setting up the Astrodome Computer Technology Center (ACT Center). “Before the first bus arrived, the ACT Center was full of donated computers and volunteers. Evacuees came every day to use the computers to search for family and friends,” says Rosemarie Foster ’70, director of administration for TFA. “Working in the ACT Center for 18 hours a day for 20 straight days, Will was able to make a difference in the lives of so many who had lost so much.” Reed’s wife, Karen, says her husband wants to make a difference in the world, and with the non-profits that he’s running and the church he’s involved in now, he is accomplishing his mission and his calling. “Will brings a powerful, positive message to everyone he is involved with,” she says. —Amanda Lott ’07
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 40
12/14/07 9:38:18 AM
Tim Fisher The PEARL A. NEAS SERVICE AWARD is given to a member of Southwestern’s staff. It was established for the purpose of recognizing long and faithful service to the University and paying tribute to those who render such service. The Award is named for the late Miss Pearl A. Neas who served Southwestern for 40 years, 38 of them as registrar. Her life and character symbolized dedication of self and service to the furtherance of the University. Recipients of the award are selected on the basis of these same qualities and shall have had a lasting, positive impact on the institution that reflects its goals and aspirations. Most people will agree that the first impression is the most important. The beauty that Southwestern’s visitors and prospective students come across upon their arrival to campus is a testament to Tim Fisher and his department’s dedication to the University. As supervisor of grounds, Fisher is responsible for the maintenance of all campus grounds, special event setups, pest control and labor support for the Physical Plant Department. Working with one of the most unpredictable elements, Mother Nature, Fisher must be prepared for even the best laid plans to go awry. Every day he must work with factors such as stormy weather, sunny skies, ice storms, birds roosting in campus trees or a sudden change in plans for a special event. However, these obstacles are what Fisher enjoys most about his job. “Occasionally, I get called to campus at 2 a.m. when there’s been an ice storm, and sometimes this is the fun part about my job,” Fisher says. “I’ve always been an outdoors type of person, so even if it’s raining, I prefer to be outside.” Since beginning his tenure at Southwestern on Jan. 2, 1985, Fisher has served above and beyond the call of duty. Joe LePage, director of Physical Plant, calls Fisher “the poster boy for dedicated employees,” as he is the first to the school during a snow storm and, to date, has only missed two major campus events. “Tim is the ultimate team player,” says Jaime Woody, associate dean for student life. “He doesn’t want accolades, preferring to work diligently behind the scenes to make sure your event is a success. Tim has been an asset to me, my department, and to Southwestern during his tenure. He has gone far beyond any professional expectations and has ‘saved the day’ too many times to count.”
P EA R L A . N E A S S ER V I CE A WA RD
—Amanda Lott ’07
Tim O’Neill MR./MS. HOMECOMING is an honor given to a member of the faculty as a token of the affection and respect of former students. This award carries a special meaning because it symbolizes the strength of the University and the strong personal relationships between students and faculty. It states clearly that alumni recall with appreciation what the recipient contributed to the education and development of former students. Throughout his 20 years at Southwestern, Tim O’Neill, professor of political science and holder of the Tower-Hester chair, has developed a reputation for being a dynamic professor. Whether he is having a discussion with his students or playing the role of “devil’s advocate,” O’Neill pushes for his students to express and evaluate their political beliefs. “I like to think of myself as teaching politics instead of political science,” O’Neill says. “One of the many things I’ve learned in my teaching career is that the American political system works best when people disagree, listen carefully and come to an understanding of some sort of common ground.” Not only does O’Neill hope for his students to come away from his classes with new knowledge, he believes that for a class to be successful he too must come away with new ideas to share with future classes. O’Neill also has discovered that the teaching process is very similar to his role as an advisor. Finding that the best way to advise is to listen, O’Neill has had a profound influence on his students. A former student states, “I can say without a shadow of a doubt that my experience at Southwestern would not have been the same if I had not had the privilege to know Dr. O’Neill and to call myself his student. I felt that he was always willing to make time to listen to anything I had to say, be it personal, academic gratifications or concerns. His door was always open, and I will always be thankful for that.” Looking back on his time at Southwestern, O’Neill believes that “the human relationships and connections that take place make Southwestern a worthwhile and enjoyable place to be.” —Amanda Lott ’07
M R . H O M E CO M I N G Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 41
39
12/14/07 9:38:29 AM
Dear Southwestern University Alumni, For the last two years, I have been privileged to serve as president of The Association of Southwestern University Alumni. It is as if others organized a parade and then put me in front. As the alumni of this University, you have done something that is nothing short of amazing. Southwestern is a great university, tracing its roots back 167 years. It has never been better. It has never been healthier. Thus, it is reasonable to envision Southwestern as being a great university for another 167 years (2174 A.D.) and beyond. In the past, Southwestern needed a stronger alumni organization. Over the last two years, you have worked very hard to make alumni support one of Southwestern’s strengths. Consider what we have accomplished together: • When we began, we had just launched the first local association. Today, we have 11 local associations across the country with more forming. • When we began, enhancements to Homecoming and Reunion Weekend had begun to have positive effect on attendance. Today, we have set attendance records for Homecoming and Reunion Weekend two years in a row. • When we began, we had only a concept about connecting alumni with shared interests. Today, we have nine alumni connection groups, including one for international alumni. • When we began, we were in the midst of implementing the 2002 Alumni Self-Study Recommendations. Today, The Association has articulated a vision of “A lifelong Southwestern Experience” and established a mission “To be a community that fosters a lifelong Southwestern Experience by: spanning generations and geographies, connecting ideas and individuals, inspiring learning and service, inviting diverse perspectives and strengthening loyalties so that The Association becomes vital in the lives of alumni and their University.” Normally my picture would appear with this article. For this issue, I asked that a picture of the Pirate hook and a construction hard hat appear in its place. If I could choose my legacy, it would be that our alumni keep these images in their minds. Pirate hook: Embrace our past. Construction hard hat: Build our future. Your activities with The Association are the bricks and mortar that construct a greater and stronger Southwestern for the ages. Thank you for the opportunity to lead the parade for two years!!! Forever ARRRRRR!!!!!
Joe Seeber ’63 President The Association of Southwestern University Alumni
40
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 42
12/14/07 9:38:35 AM
ALUM NI NEWS
An International View: Alumni Around the World Did you know? The Association President Joe Seeber received the Southwestern University Medal in November for his work in building the association.
Local Associations Update The Association of Southwestern University Alumni envisions that the Southwestern Experience can continue for alumni no matter where they live. Therefore, The Association supports alumni who want to organize local associations for the purpose of connecting Southwestern alumni with one another and the University. Each local association sponsors between two and four events a year. Keep up to date on the upcoming events that these groups are planning, view photos from past events and find officer contact information by visiting www.sugrads. org and clicking on “Local Associations.” If you are interested in bringing a local association to your area, please contact alumni@southwestern.edu. Find out what is happening in your city! Over the summer, three new local associations formed! The Association of Southwestern University Alumni welcomes The Fort Worth Area Association, The Los Angeles Area Association and The Metropolitan Phoenix Association. Learn more about all local associations by visiting www. sugrads.org. Find out what’s happening in your city!
• 111 alumni live in 47 countries other than the United States. • Fifty percent of Southwestern students study abroad as part of their undergraduate education.
The Association of Southwestern University Alumni recognizes that alumni and student interests span the globe. In May, Sandra Romero de Thompson ’90 organized an Alumni Connection Group to establish connections among Southwestern’s alumni living throughout the world. Since its conception, the SU International Group has welcomed 37 members. On Oct. 13, 2007, The Association President Joe Seeber ’63 hosted the first-ever international alumni event at the home of Eric and Maralee Buttery Vezie ’80. Nine alumni and three guests representing five countries gathered for the event. Joe donned a “Taste of Southwestern” apron and prepared fajitas and fixins’ for everyone. To read a full report on the event, visit www.sugrads.org and click on “Connection Groups.” For information on the SU International Alumni Connection Group, contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at alumni@southwestern.edu.
• The Bay Area Association • The Big Apple Association • The Dallas Association • The Fort Worth Area Association • The Greater Austin Association • The Greater Georgetown Association • The Houston Association • The Los Angeles Area Association • The Metropolitan Phoenix Association
Southwestern alumni in London, counterclockwise from the front left: Nick de la Rosa ‘90, Linda Bednar Paterson ‘95, Brittany Mason ‘05, Samia Khoury ‘54, Rosalinda Rodriguez Grist ‘98, Maralee Buttery Vezie ‘80, Pia Karlsson ‘08, Joe Seeber ‘63 and Appletree Rodden ‘64.
• The San Antonio Area Association • The Washington, D.C. Association
Southwestern_19-2.indd 43
Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
41
12/14/07 9:38:42 AM
an internationaL VieW: aLuMni around tHe WorLd
southwestern alumni can be found the world over, including: • Australia
• Spain
• Austria
• Sultanate of Oman
• Bolivia
• Sweden
• Brazil
• Switzerland
• Canada
• Taiwan
• Costa Rica
• Thailand
• Cyprus
• Turkey
• Czech Republic
• United Arab Emirates
• Denmark
• United States of America
• Ecuador
• Zimbabwe
• England • Federal Republic of Germany • France • Guatemala • Hong Kong • India • Ireland • Israel • Japan • Kuwait • Malaysia • Mexico • Mongolia • Mozambique
Maralee Buttery Vezie ’80 City and Country: London, England Academic Majors at Southwestern: History and Political Science Occupation: Parent, Former attorney
“Part of what I love about England and Europe is the sense of history and continuation… This sense, and the close proximity of other countries, languages and cultures, fosters a much broader, more nuanced understanding of current events that Americans, bluntly, usually lack. It also exposes me to different ideas and solutions that often do not get expressed in the United States… Time abroad can help to counter that parochial tendency that all of us have.”
• Netherlands • New Zealand • Nigeria • Norway • Occupied Palestinian Territories • Pakistan • Panama • People’s Republic of China • Peru • Portugal • Qatar • Republic of Singapore • Romania • Scotland • South Korea
42
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 44
12/14/07 9:40:28 AM
Samia Nasir Khoury ’54 City and Country: East Jerusalem, Occupied Palestinian Territories Academic Major at Southwestern: Business Administration Current Occupation: Volunteer treasurer at Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre
“The world has become too small and what happens in one area affects the other… I would like Southwestern students to know about the political situation in East Jerusalem, with the hope that they can play a role in influencing the U.S. administration to be even-handed and pursue justice and peace in my land.”
Jared ’96 and Natalie Davis Dowling ’97 City and Country: Singapore, Republic of Singapore Academic Majors at Southwestern: International Studies with History and Spanish; International Studies with Political Science and German Current Occupation: (Jared) Senior Manager, Compensation/Benefits, Dell Inc.
“The growth in Southeast Asia is dramatic. As globalization continues, governments are challenged to balance development with cultural traditions. The gap between the wealthy and the poor continues to widen at an alarming rate. Affluence is outwardly visible as governments try to hide the impoverished side of their nations. As countries develop, the positives of the development are highlighted, but there are many problems at a root level that need to be addressed in the years to come.”
Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 45
43
12/14/07 9:42:19 AM
cl a s s n o t e s Marriages
1948
Rev. Holly C. Brothers ’95 to Robert B. Dittrich Jr., June 29, 2007, living in North Richland Hills.
J. C. Bumgardner, Houston, retired in 1985 and returned to Houston to start his own real estate and investment business. He is still managing this business at age 84 with no plans to retire.
Emily Calderon ’99 to Daniel Galdeano, July 28, 2007, living in McAllen. Aryn Campbell to Clinton Calhoun, both ’06, Aug. 11, 2007, living in Cambridge, Mass. Kathryn Caperton to Jeff Gabbert, both ’04, April 28, 2007, living in McKinney. Melissa R. Clark ’04 to Robert Wernersbach, June 16, 2007, living in Leander. Summer Collins ’99 to Matt Gonter, Oct. 6, 2007, living in Baltimore, Md. Nicole Diaz to Robert Brown, both ’03, Oct. 6, 2007, living in Austin. Elizabeth Dolan ’02 to Michael Leach, April 10, 2007, living in Austin. Allyson R. DuBose ’98 to David Harr, May 19, 2007, living in Austin. Sarah Fox ’07 to Bradley Neher, July 14, 2007, living in Allen. Jennifer Harper ’04 to Joshua Wageman, July 28, 2007, living in Louisville. Colo. Jennifer Judson ’07 to Benjamin Lake ’06, June 16, 2007, living in Georgetown. Jamie King ’04 to Eric South, June 9, 2007, living in Fort Worth. Heather Martin ’04 to Scott Froehlich ’06, July 7, 2007, living in San Antonio.
1953 Dr. John J. Mood, San Diego, Calif., has published several books, including the second-most sold Rilke book in the Englishspeaking world, Rilke on Love & Other Difficulties, which was published in 1975. For more on his books, visit his Web site at www.johnmood.net.
1957 John Douglass, Alamagordo, N.M., retired as an associate professor of chemistry and mathematics from New Mexico State University. He enjoys antique cars and playing bridge. The Rev. Dr. J. Andrew Fowler, Killeen, earned three degrees from Southern Methodist University. He served as a United Methodist missionary in Malaysia for 28 years, then as a pastor in Central Texas for 12 years. He retired in 2000. Andy’s life partner, Nina, was a missionary nurse from the Philippines. Andy and Nina were married on the island of Borneo in 1960. They have two grown children and four grandchildren. Patricia Quested, Dallas, is a diaconal minister in the United Methodist Church and a code enforcement manager with the City of Dallas. She served both as president of the Texas Conference and North Texas Conference Directors of Christian Education and the Code Enforcement Association of Texas. She volunteers at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, and at various other hospitals, as a counselor to heart patients. Patricia recently retired as an instructor for AARP driver safety courses.
1959 Joe Ann Scott, Austin, served as center supervisor for Extend-A-Care for Kids, an after-school child program, for 14 years and an instructional aide for kindergarten in Ennis ISD for five years. Now, she works as a substitute teacher in the Austin ISD.
1962 Dr. Jerry Lackey, Nacogdoches, retired as a professor of psychology from Stephen F. Austin State University.
1965 Patricia Loyd Marx, Lubbock, obtained a master of arts degree in 1966 from East Texas State University in Commerce (now Texas A&M University at Commerce) and a master of library science degree in 1969 from Texas Woman’s University. She worked at Cisco Junior College for one year, teaching psychology and sociology, then at Texas Tech University in various areas from 1969–2007. She began the conservation program in 1975, and finished her career as a cataloger. After working for 39 years in the same room, she retired in March 2007. She and her husband have been active with the Boy Scouts of America for the past 20 years, and with their church, Christ the King Cathedral in Lubbock. For the past three years, they have hosted international exchange students from France, Germany, Russia and Slovakia. During the summer of 2006, they visited several of them and their families.
1967 1958 (2008 Reunion) Mary Margaret Carr Anderson, Bandera, retired with 37 years of service as an English teacher for Highland High School in San Antonio. Albert T. Viola, Provincetown, Mass., recently premiered “An Evening of Plays by Albert T.
44
Viola” at the Provincetown Theater on Cape Cod. His new play, “Carlotta: A Long Dark Journey,” based on the life of Eugene O’Neill and his wife, Carlotta Monterrey O’Neill, premiered in May 2007 by the New Provincetown Players.
John Ozmun, Dallas, has participated in the Dallas-Fort Worth MS150 for the past five years and has been in the top one percent of more than 3,000 fundraisers for this 150-mile bike event. If you would like to support him in this effort you can e-mail him at john. ozmun@txu.com. He also is chair of the 2007 United Way campaign for TXU Corporation.
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 46
12/14/07 9:42:22 AM
Marriages Cont. TXU raised more than $2 million last year, placing it in the top five of all companies in the north Texas area. Pat Renfro Vanderhorst, Loganville, Ga., teaches Bible studies and leads women’s retreats. With her husband, Tom, she has written material on building Christian families and enjoys being the grandmother of seven.
1968 Rhonwyn Rathert Baker, Richmond, is a middle school language arts teacher who sometimes serves as music director for her church. An interest in dance classes led her to add western swing ballroom dance instructor to her list of jobs.
1972 Ray Ford, Spring Hill, Tenn., is responsible for seven hospitals in the southeast and southwest United States as vice president of operations for Brim Healthcare. Linda Tatum, College Station, traveled to Washington, D.C., with the Christ United Methodist Church sanctuary choir where they gave concerts in the National Cathedral, Union Station and U.S. Armed Forces Retirement Center.
Properties and Moffitt Appraisal Co. with her husband, Mike. Their son is a recent graduate of Stanford University and their daughter is a student at Southwestern.
1982 Mark Anderson, Schertz, is president and chief executive officer of Prestige Claims Services, Inc., an independent insurance adjustment company with locations in San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi. He also is president of the Tri-County Volleyball Association.
1985 Randal Bowden, Haubstadt, Ind., works as a credit administration officer (chief commercial loan analyst) for Banterra Bank, an Illinois-based financial institution. He and his wife, Felicia, have three sons, Tony, Vince and Franco. Carmen Shultz Kelley, Houston, works as a physical therapist with a specialty certification in sensory integration dysfunction. She has been married to Terry Kelley for 20 years. They have two daughters, Breanne and Marissa. Carmen works in pediatrics one day a week and home schools her youngest daughter the rest of the week.
1987
Yvette Bricker, San Antonio, works at the Defense Language Institute English Language Center at Lackland Air Force Base teaching aviation English to members of the foreign military. She also teaches at Sylvan Learning Center. She was deployed to the United Arab Emirates in August.
Bradford Allen, Waltham, Mass., is a senior developer/database administrator at Verispan, LLC. Martha DeLair DeLeon, Mission, received a master’s degree as an educational diagnostician from The University of Texas. She works as a special education inclusion specialist in the Sharyland ISD.
Debbie Hayes Moffit, Lake Jackson, owns Moffitt Legacy, Legend Development, Moffitt
Southwestern_19-2.indd 47
John Pinion IV ’94 to Michelle Guerrero, May 15, 2007, living in Cedar Park. Erin Ready ’07 to Matthew Barnes ’06, Aug. 19, 2007, living in Mishawaka, Ind. Misty Reichenau ’03 to Dustin Kothe, April 21, 2007, living in Comfort. Ashlea Rives to Jay Frank, both ’02, Sept. 9, 2006, living in Des Moines, Wash.
Dr. Ian Purcell, San Diego, Calif., was profiled this summer by San Diego Union-Tribune 1974 writer Keith Darce as a neurologist who Grace Kilgore Dormont, Dripping Springs, is “engages in dizzying hobbies.” He is an otoneupleased that her daughter, Shelley, is a first-year rologist (a neurologist with specialized training to study dizziness and balance disorders). student at Southwestern. His hobbies include climbing mountains and Wes Marshall, Spicewood, released the secflying at supersonic speeds in one of his refurond edition of his book, The Wine Roads of bished Russian MiG jet fighters. To read more Texas. In August, PBS aired a three-part docuabout his work, visit www.signonsandiego. mentary based on the book. He also signed an com. agreement with Artisan Publishing for a new book to be distributed internationally.
1979
Jennifer Michaud ’97 to Jeff Terrell, Oct. 13, 2007, living in Austin.
Alejandra Rodriguez ’03 to Eric Mullett, Oct. 7, 2006, living in San Antonio. Lauren Niver to Robert Paver, both ’05, June 9, 2007, living in Austin. Heather Saegert ’06 to Paul Bullis, Aug. 18, 2007, living in Round Rock. Sipra Syngal ’97 to Scott Boyd, May 19, 2007, living in Houston. Ryan Suarez ’02 to Jennifer Devine, March 9, 2007, living in Austin. Summer L. Thomas to Matthew L. Gafford, both ’98, June 16, 2007, living in Maryland Heights, Mo. Audrey Tinsley ’05 to Jaxon Hukari, Dec. 14, 2006, living in Austin. Jessica Tonahill ’06 to Raymond E. Blanchard Jr., June 17, 2006, living in Austin. Destiny Traphofner ’99 to Charles Cromer, July 15, 2007, living in New York, N.Y. Richard “Andy” Welch ’95 to Aimee Brooke Eiselstein, March 4, 2006, living in Chandler, Ariz.
Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
45
12/14/07 9:42:23 AM
CLASS NOTES In Memoriam Nancy Cannell Andersen ’47, Weslaco, April 9, 2007
1988
Jane Baltzer Bammel ’51, West Columbia, Sept. 26, 2007
Dr. Antony Anderson, Fort Worth, has accepted the position of associate medical director at CareNow in Keller, where he practices urgent care family medicine.
Virginia Palmer Bashaw ’47, Houston, Aug. 5, 2007 Rev. Kenneth E. Bass ’50, Corsicana, Oct. 27, 2007
Michael Lysinger, Dallas [see 1991].
Alice Broadwell Bean ’51, Houston, June 12, 2007
1990
Cynthia Bell ’80, Austin, Sept. 26, 2007
Julie Calzoncit West, Blanco, is an independent insurance agent.
Elizabeth Wilcox Blanton ’32, Cuero, Nov. 17, 2006
1991
Richard G. Brelsford ’79, Los Angeles, Calif., Oct. 1, 2007 John Baker Britt ’68, San Antonio, Aug. 29, 2007 Martha Niebuhr Cantwell ’71, Houston, May 28, 2007 Gilbert Castanon ’52, San Antonio, Oct. 29, 2007 Thomas B. Chatham Jr. ’48, Corsicana, June 23, 2007
Dr. Catharine Degnan Lysinger, Dallas, serves on the faculty at Southern Methodist University and her husband, Michael Lysinger ’89 is head choral director at Pearce High School in Richardson. Michael’s choir has been selected to perform at the Texas Music Educators Association convention Feb. 15, 2008. In September 2006, Cathy won second prize in the seventh Vieri-Sul-Mare International competition in Italy with her duo partner, Dr. Carol Leone. Cathy and Michael have a daughter, Abigail, and a son, Zachary.
Rev. Calvin H. Dickinson ’53, Baldwin City, Kan., July 29, 2007
Stacey Lynch Malek, Austin, works as a library development program coordinator for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Frank R. Douglass ‘53, Port Angeles, Wash., Nov. 23, 2007
1992
Benjamin “Phil” Fielder ’63, Dallas, July 25, 2007
Steven Otillar, Houston, is a partner at Baker & McKenzie, LLP. He works in the major projects group.
Oliver L. Forswall ’34, Georgetown, Sept. 19, 2006 Rueben B. Froehner ’39, Flatonia, July 7, 2007 John T. Gasaway Jr. ’50, Houston, June 8, 2007 Jack L. Gillum Jr. ’44, Walnut Creek, Calif., June 14, 2007 Allene Palm Glass ’39, Seguin, July 14, 2007 Everett B. “Blitz” Griffin Jr. ’57, Houston, June 6, 2007
46
1989
1993 Barton Cromeens, Abilene, has been named editor of the Abilene Reporter-News. He joined the newspaper as a staff writer in 1996 and also served as a photojournalist, photo editor, assistant managing editor of presentation, and managing editor. Kris Ercums, Beijing, China, was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship for dissertation research in 20th-century art in China last fall. He previously received the Japan Foundation Summer Research Grant. His dissertation focuses on exhibition culture and modern art in early 20th-century China, pre-1937.
Recent publications include essays on the April Photographic Society and The Hangzhou 85 New Space Exhibitions in U-Turn: Thirty Years of Contemporary Art in China. He is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago, Department of Art History. Brooke Baker Hollon, Austin, runs a real estate business working with families to buy and sell residential and investment properties. When she is not working, Brooke is busy taking care of her family of three children and their various pets. Andy Miller, Austin, was promoted to vice president for programs and policy for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, where he oversees the Foundation’s grants, direct services for cancer survivors, and strategic health policy platform.
1994 Lisa Boyd-Oliver, Fort Collins, Colo., is a product manager at Hewlett-Packard. When her husband Quentin is busy cycling in the mountains, Lisa is discovering her “inner handy-man” in their new house. Dr. Chris Foster, Corpus Christi, earned his Ph.D. in industrial organizational psychology from the University of Houston. He has also earned his aviation wings and serves in the U.S. Navy as an aerospace experimental psychologist, assisting in the training and selection of pilots. He and his wife, Shannon Irish Foster ’95 are stationed at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi (NASCC). Shannon enjoys staying at home with their children, Noah and Caitlyn, and serves as the director of religious education for the protestant chapel at NASCC. Robin Neas Fowler, Raleigh, N.C., has joined Duke Divinity School’s office of external relations as associate director of development. Kayleen Johnson Love, Copperas Cove, serves as the vice principal at Copperas Cove Junior High School after working for four years as vice principal at the intermediate level.
1995 Michael Cravey, Austin, is a manufacturing engineer for Applied Materials, Inc. He is working on a master of business administration degree at St. Edward’s University. Daniel Dodd-Ellis, Hamburg, Germany, traveled to Melbourne, Australia, in October
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 48
12/14/07 9:42:24 AM
IN MeMORIAM Cont. to perform the title role in director Robert Wilson’s play, “The Temptation of Saint Anthony,” with music by Bernice Johnson Reagon of the renowned vocal group Sweet Honey and the Rock. He also co-conceived the installation project “City of Tremendous Night: A Project for Reconciliation,” which won the German Chancellor Fellowship. The project will be performed summer 2008 in Hamburg’s largest World War II landmark, Saint Nikolai Church. Daniel appears as featured songwriter and vocalist on the albums “First Night Forever” and “Tristan & Isolde in Harlem,” and on the German hit maxi-single “Ich Trage Dich” from the music group Zeichen der Zeit. In 2006, Daniel co-starred as the pagan prince Radbod in the German Musical “Bonifatius.” Shannon Irish Foster, Corpus Christi [see 1994].
Maria Hanke-Boley, Round Rock, works as a fi nancial analyst for Weston Solutions, an international environmental engineering firm. Dr. Spencer Herrera, Las Cruces, N.M., earned his Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of New Mexico, specializing in Chicano/a literature. He has been an assistant professor of Spanish at New Mexico State University since 2006. Annette Leonard, Eugene, Ore., serves as the coordinator for diversity training and personnel development for Lane County. She and her wife, Rebecca Williams, have lived in Eugene for eight years. Jennifer Miller Rumery, Plano, is a high school math teacher in Richardson. She has three children, Megan, James and George.
James W. Griffin ’45, Austin, April 22, 2007 Maryneal Jackson Hammonds ’52, Wimberley, March 27, 2007 Bobby A. Hayes ’52, Houston, Oct. 18, 2007 Rev. Robert G. Haynes ’51, Burleson, Sept. 26, 2007 Thomas A. Hodges ’61, Charleston, S.C., May 28, 2007 Matthew K. Jones ’90, Nacogdoches, June 29, 2007 Philip J. Knipp ’67, McAllen, Oct. 29, 2007
2008 Class Reunions Searching for an excuse to gather friends together? Been a while since you have visited Southwestern? Celebrating a class reunion in 2008? Reunion Planning Committee members are needed for the following 2008 reunions:
Class of 1948: 60th Reunion Class of 1958: 50th Reunion Class of 1963: 45th Reunion Class of 1968: 40th Reunion Class of 1973: 35th Reunion Class of 1978: 30th Reunion Class of 1983: 25th Reunion Class of 1988: 20th Reunion Class of 1993: 15th Reunion Class of 1998: 10th Reunion Class of 2003: 5th Reunion
Southwestern_19-2.indd 49
Interested? Contact the Office of Alumni Relations by calling 800-960-6363 or e-mailing alumni@southwestern.edu. Get organized. Attend Volunteer Leadership Weekend Jan. 18–19, 2008.
12/14/07 9:42:48 AM
CLASS NOTES George H. Merritt Jr. ’52, Uvalde, May 13, 2007 Samuel S. McFarlane ’03, Albuquerque, N.M., Sept. 19, 2007 Grace Foster McLaughlin ’32, Georgetown, June 20, 2007
Candy Core, Houston, is a magnet coordinator for an International Baccalaureate organization at Eisenhower Ninth Grade School. She is a Korean Studies Scholar for the Institute of International Education.
Elsie Kaneshiro Nozaki ’57, Fountain Valley, Calif., March 30, 2007
Melanie Haven Watkins Cravey, Austin, teaches third grade at Hill Country Christian School.
Sean M. O’Brien ’03, Del Rio, July 23, 2007
Daniel Hailey, Bloomington, Ill., works as business analyst in the systems department for State Farm Insurance Companies corporate office.
Bishop Benjamin R. Oliphint, Houston, July 7, 2007 Sue Smith Rimbey ’66, Fort Worth, May 31, 2007 Rolan E. Schmidt ’50, Fredericksburg, July 30, 2007 Mary Anderson Shirley ’41, Houston, Oct. 7, 2007 Dr. William T. Stephenson ’44, Dallas, July 1, 2007 Willa Dean Stinnett Stovall ’53, McAllen, July 14, 2007 Herbert F. Sullivan ’59, Florence, Oct. 10, 2007 William D. Swift, Georgetown, Oct. 30, 2007 Sara Hawkins Weaver ’55, Los Alamos, N.M., July 10, 2007 Ann Melugin Williams ’59, Dallas, July 17, 2007
Births To Taylor ’00 and Stephanie Hall Adkins ’98, Frisco, daughter Sophie Taylor Adkins, Nov. 4, 2006.
48
1996
Ariana Hubbell Voigt, Whitefish Bay, Wis., was promoted to partner at the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP. Her practice focuses on intellectual property prosecution, licensing and litigation.
1998 Kentia McLemore-Gonzales, Raleigh, N.C., is a lead benefits administrator for Ceridian and is professional in human resources (PHR) certified. Justin Jackson, Round Rock, [see 1997].
Julien Meyrat, Rockwall, is a designer for RTKL Associates, Inc. in Dallas. He is the lead project designer of a mixed-use shopping mall 1997 in Interlomas, a suburb outside Mexico City. Kristen Vognild Coolman, Grand Rapids, Prior to this project, Julien redesigned the Mich., served as scenic artist and property main northern entrance at the Lalaport mall in master for New Stage Theatre. She and her hus- Tokyo. band, James, have a son, Christopher. Dr. Alison Moon Padget, Beijing, China, Sergey Gordeev, New York, N.Y., pursued a is the nutrition program coordinator for the dual career in music composition/performance United Foundation for Chinese Orphans, a and public relations. His sacred music comnon-profit that provides nutrition and medical positions have been performed in churches care to orphans in China. Alison and her husthroughout the United States and his scores for band, Larry, have two children. ballet and modern dance have been premiered Dr. Chris Prichard, Houston, completed throughout the United States, Brazil and his year as chief resident in otolaryngologyEurope. He performs as a pianist in New York head and neck surgery at Baylor College City. As a public relations specialist, Sergey of Medicine. He will join the practice of has worked with Jazz at Lincoln Center, Alvin Rosewood Ear, Nose and Throat in Houston, Ailey American Dance Theater, Eifman Ballet operating at Texas Children’s Hospital and The of St. Petersburg, Complexions Contemporary Methodist Hospital. Ballet, DanceBrazil, and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. In 1999, together with Larissa and Gennadi Saveliev, he launched Youth America 1999 Grand Prix, an international student ballet and contemporary dance scholarship competition, Meredith Johnson Fluck, Cedar Park, and husband Henry were named one of Austin’s which in eight years has become the largest fittest running couples in the May/June ediin the world. His articles have been published tion of Austin Runner magazine. In addiin international dance publications in the United States, Canada, Russia and Europe, and tion, Meredith has qualified for the 2007 USA Triathlon team for the south Midwest region. his translation of Pas de Deux: A Textbook on Partnering by Nikolai Serebrennikov is Alison McCleskey, Dallas, works as an available in print in the United States. He also account supervisor in the healthcare practice serves as the director of public relations and group of Fleishman-Hillard, a public relations external affairs for Youth America Grand Prix. agency.
To Adam and Leah Riley Aschmann ’99, Houston, son Andrew John Aschmann, May 2, 2007.
Lana Williams Head, Houston, works for Spring Branch ISD as a licensed specialist in school psychology. She and her husband, Daren, have a son, Ethan.
To Robert IV and Emily Robins Blunt, both ’96, Austin, son Beckham Robins Blunt, Oct. 4, 2007.
Anne Fisher Jackson, Round Rock, stays at home with her children. She and husband Justin Jackson ’98 have three children, Ian, Nicholas and McKenzie.
Kevin Moore, Dallas, teaches world geography at Shepton High School in Plano ISD. He continues to act at theatres around The Metroplex, and recently won a Column Award for best actor for his portrayal of Richard Loeb in “Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story.” Brian Normoyle, West Hollywood, Calif., played Jack in “The Importance of Being Earnest” for the International Classical
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 50
12/14/07 9:42:49 AM
Births Cont. Acting Project, a Los Angeles-based theatre company of which he is a performing member. Currently, he is performing in his fifth season at the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespearean Festival as Giles in “The Mousetrap” and Antonio in “The Tempest.” A member of the Actors Equity Association, the professional union of actors and stage managers, he is based in Los Angeles, where he is represented by Kazarian Spencer & Associates Talent Agency and Weissenbach Management.
Jenny Carlson, Victoria, completed a master’s degree in the social sciences at the University of Chicago and was awarded a fellowship for doctoral study at The University of Texas.
2000
Keith Krieger, Houston, enrolled at the Art Institute of Houston this fall with an emphasis in culinary arts.
Sarah Dreumont-Boudreau, Halifax, Nova Scotia, is pursuing a doctorate in behavioral neuroscience at Dalhousie University. Taylor Garrett, Juba town, Sudan, worked in Ethiopia as a legal officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Now a repatriation officer for the South Sudan Special Operations Area, he lives in a tent in Juba town, Sudan. To read more about Taylor’s work, visit www.unhcr.org/southsudan.html. Ammie Harrison, Austin, earned a second master’s degree in library and information science. Niall McGinty, Chicago, Ill., performed in the world premiere of “The Defiant Muse” at the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theatre. The production ran Sept. 21–Oct. 28. Yen-Hong Tran, Dallas, works in the Dallas ISD alternative teacher training program.
2001 Tommy Tucker Henson, Portland, Ore., is a law student at Lewis & Clark College studying environmental law. Daytha Hulion, Cedar Park, works in endowment services and compliance with the office of the vice president for development at The University of Texas.
2002 Dr. Blake Berryhill, San Antonio, graduated from Texas Tech School of Medicine and is now completing a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Emily House, Washington, D.C., works at the United States Department of State in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. She focuses on international education issues and the partnering of the United States higher education community with the federal government to promote educational exchanges between the United States and other countries.
2003 Megan Allen, New Orleans, La., is working on her doctorate in history at Tulane University. Marie Henderson Becker, Bedford, teaches elementary music in Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. Brandy Fyffe, Garland, received a grant to attend the Mayborn Literary Non-fiction Writers Conference of the Southwest held in Grapevine and hosted by the University of North Texas’ Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism. She teaches seventh-grade honors English and produces the yearbook. Yesenia Garcia, Austin, completed a master of fine arts degree in acting at The University of Texas at Austin. She shot her first feature film in the Austin area this past summer and has relocated to New York City, where she will be represented bi-coastally with Don Buchwald and Associates and Abrams Artist’s Agency. Visit her Web site: www.yesenia-garcia.com. Misty Reichenau Kothe, Comfort, is the education programs manager for the San Antonio Spurs and received a commemorative ring when they won the 2007 NBA championship. Alejandra Rodriguez Mullett, San Antonio, teaches second grade. Michael Nguyen, San Francisco, Calif., serves on the editorial board of the Hastings Law Journal as senior symposium editor. Kendra Scott, Houston, created The Houston Dairymaids, a cheese and specialty food supplier. They had a full page article in the Houston Chronicle on April 11, 2007, titled “Big Wheels of Cheese.” Visit their Web site: www.houstondairymaids.com.
Southwestern_19-2.indd 51
To Jonathan and Gailo Ashley Bodenhamer ’00, Pflugerville, daughter Ashley Gailo Bodenhamer, April 26, 2006. To Stephen ’96 and Mollie O’Hara Butler ’95, Austin, son Patrick Kelly Butler, July 11, 2007. To Cindy Bilbrough and Jason Byrd ’97, Washington, D.C., son Samuel Bilbrough Byrd, Aug. 15, 2007. To Dr. Jeffrey ’92 and Robin Dutton Cookston ’95, San Francisco, Calif., daughter Rosemary Lilah Cookston, July 28, 2007. To John and Dr. Jessica Dupont Dapper, both ’91, Austin, daughter Lorelei Anne Dapper, July 5, 2007. To Caley and Mandie Craft Eichenlaub ’01, Houston, daughter Lillie Elizabeth Eichenlaub, June 21, 2007. To Joseph and Rachel Horton Edwards ’04, Duncanville, daughter Audrey Grace Edwards, Aug. 18, 2007. To Jason and Denise ValdezSoto Garcia ’01, Plainfield, Ill., son Miguel Angel Garcia, June 9, 2007. To Justin ’98 and Stacey Jones Gould ’99, Austin, son Carson Dominik Gould, March 26, 2007. To Marla and Rev. Jimmy Grace ’98, Houston, son William Granger Grace, July 9, 2007. To Stacy and Dr. Stephen Hamilton ’96, Burleson, twin daughter Karsyn Paige Hamilton and son Lucas Michael Hamilton, Aug. 17, 2007. To Jessica and Dr. Spencer Herrera ’95, Las Cruces, N.M., daughter Emiliana Carolina Herrera, Aug. 4, 2006.
Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
49
12/14/07 9:42:49 AM
CLASS NOTES Births Cont. To John and Elaine Slowey Johnson, both ’96, Dallas, son James Edward Johnson, July 23, 2007. To Bryan ’90 and Carrie Stewart Leonard ’97, Austin, daughter Julia McMordie Leonard, March 14, 2007. To Samuel and Claire Watson Mehaffey ’98, Abilene, son Luke David Mehaffey, June 7, 2006. To Cory and Laura Turk Middel ’00, Fairfield, Calif., daughter Hannah Christine Middel, Aug. 30, 2007. To Paul and Kristen Thomas Morrisett ’03, Cypress, son Weston Charles Morrisett, Aug. 25, 2006. To Dr. David Myers and Dr. Heather Brogan-Myers, both ’94, Lewisville, son Luke James Myers, June 21, 2007. To Linda and Phuong D. Nguyen ’98, Amarillo, twin daughter Olive MyPhuong Parisian Nguyen and son James NamPhuong Parisian Nguyen, July 31, 2007. To Cameron ’99 and Hannah Wilmeth Nokes ’98, Austin, daughter Presley Elizabeth Nokes, July 11, 2007. To Rob and Amy Tharp Nylund ’95, Austin, daughter Vera River Nylund, July 18, 2007. To Kenneth and Jessica Cuevas Oballo, both ’93, Austin, son Tristan Dane Oballo, June 4, 2007. To Dr. Robert Leese and Dr. Kathleen E. Patrick ’87, Chipping Norton, England, son Josiah Matthew Austin Leese, March 24, 2007. To Walter ’95 and Deborah Smith Pilcher ’94, Round Rock, daughter Rebekah Grace Pilcher, April 21, 2006.
50
Elizabeth Vera de Bolanos, Houston, works as a research assistant in the neurooncology department at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center while pursuing a master’s degree in statistics at University of Houston-Clear Lake. Dr. Rebecca Wald, Moreno Valley, Calif., graduated from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and is embarking upon an emergency medicine residency at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
2004 Andrew Arnold, New York, N.Y., works in the advertising and custom publishing department at DC Comics. Erin Bales, Missoula, Mont., works as a tour actor/director currently on a U.S. tour with Missoula Children’s Theatre. Leticia Davila, Atlanta, Ga., graduated from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth with a master’s degree in public health. She works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Diabetes Education Program. Jason Mitchell, Norfolk, Va., serves as assistant athletic trainer for men’s basketball at Old Dominion University. Vivi Ramirez, San Antonio, graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a master’s degree in social work in May 2006. She works as a clinical social worker at San Antonio State Hospital. Scott Rocher, Los Angeles, Calif., is a web developer for Yahoo!, building Web sites for the company’s media division. Jamie King South, Fort Worth, is in her third year of medical school at Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is married to Eric South.
2005 Dene Granger, Syracuse, N.Y., is a graduate student at Syracuse University in the cultural foundations of education program. Aurora Low Keltner, New York, N.Y., serves as a nurse on the medical/surgical floor of Lenox Hill Hospital. Tracy Machu, Austin, teaches elementary special education at St. Elmo Elementary School. Amanda Johnson Odom, Tomball, works as the marketing assistant for Andrews Kurth, LLP, of Houston.
Matt Odom, Tomball, works as a staff auditor for KMPG in Houston. William Seilheimer, Durham, N.C., is working toward a master of public policy degree at Duke University’s Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy.
2006 Rebecca Brannick Baumgartner, Austin, started a master’s program in linguistics at The University of Texas. She works at International Studies Abroad (ISA). Josh Brack, San Antonio, accepted a position as residential life coordinator at Trinity University. Albert Q. Bui, Hamilton, N.Y., works with haptic robotic arms in the technology department at Rhode Island School of Design as he completes his thesis year in the industrial design field. These mechanisms allow him to receive tactile feedback while drawing and designing objects in 3D. Heather Saegert Bullis, Round Rock, works for Williamson County & Cities Health District while pursuing a master of public health degree from Walden University. Aryn Campbell Calhoun, Boston, Mass., is pursuing a degree in professional music at Berklee College of Music. Anna Matis, Houston, accepted a position as project/event coordinator for AIM Investments. Kristen Meerbrey, Houston, is in the Ph.D. program at Baylor College of Medicine. Garrick Pinon, Austin, works as a personal banker with Wells Fargo. Candace Stockton Tribble, Camp Pendleton, Calif., is a recruiting assistant for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems in San Diego. She directly supports the program management, electrical engineering, project engineering, government property and program finance divisions of the team.
2007 Jamie Baccus, Baytown, serves as a campaign staffer for Sekula Gibbs. Rebecca Horton, Cedar Hill, works as a financial assistant at Bernstein Global Wealth Management, a subsidiary of Alliance Bernstein. Patrick Wenda, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, serves as an assistant language teacher for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program.
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 52
12/14/07 9:42:50 AM
Alumni Referral / Legacy Link Program Alumni Referral
Help Southwestern identify potential students.
What is the profile of students enrolling at Southwestern today? • 50 percent are in the top 10 percent of their high school class. • 81 percent are in the top 25 percent of their high school class. • The middle 50 percent of the class had an SAT range of 1130–1310 and an ACT range of 24–29.
If you have a neighbor, family member or family friend who is interested in Southwestern, please present him or her with an Alumni Referral card, found between pages 25 and 28 . Or you may submit a referral online at http://southwestern.edu/ alumnireferral. Students who are referred will begin receiving admission materials from Southwestern during their high school years.
For additional information on the Alumni Referral program, please contact Sarah Hennes, admission counselor, at henness@southwestern.edu.
To Greg and Marcy McGrath Plourde, both ’96, Houston, son Owen Gregory Plourde, Feb. 2, 2007. To Shannon and Steve Durant Pontiff ’80, Sugar Land, son Christopher Barrett Pontiff, Aug. 6, 2007. To Demosesneeds and Amy Dennard-Punchard ’96, Friendswood, daughter Isabella Rose Punchard, June 25, 2007. To Merrie and R. Stephen Ressling ’81, Houston, son Clayton Stephen Ressling, Dec. 14, 2006. To Jeff and Cerise Roth-Vinson ’95, Eugene, Ore., daughter Oriana Chile Roth-Vinson, born in Vietnam, Feb. 23, 2007. To Wes and Wenona Cave Taylor ’99, Sweetwater, daughter Anna Marcell Taylor, Nov. 15, 2006. To Lucas and Rebekah Thedford Thoning, both ’02, Austin, daughter Brightly Belle Thoning, July 8, 2007. To Chris and Jessica Ewing Verret ’00, Kingwood, son Matthew Anthony Verret, June 11, 2007.
2007 Legacy photo
Legacy Link Southwestern welcomed more than 40 legacy students in the 2007 incoming class. Register your children or grandchildren for the Legacy Link Program!
What is the Legacy Link Program? The Legacy Link Program ensures that your children or grandchildren will receive information about Southwestern as well as helpful advice about college admissions during their high school years.
How do I enroll my child or grandchild?
To Aimee Brooke Eiselstein and Richard “Andy” Welch ’95, Chandler, Ariz., son Jack Andrew Welch on Nov. 27, 2006. To James ’02 and Laura Wheeler Wright ’05, Midland, daughter Anna Grace Wright, May 12, 2007.
Contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at alumni@ southwestern.edu to register your child or grandchild. Provide the name and birth date for each child you want to enroll.
Winter 2007 www.southwestern.edu
Southwestern_19-2.indd 53
51
12/14/07 9:42:57 AM
Board oF trustees Merriman Morton ’63, Austin, Chair Helen E. Black McAllister ’49, San Antonio, Co-Vice Chair Larry J. Haynes ’72, Coppell, Co-Vice Chair R. Griffin Lord, Belton, Secretary-Treasurer Martin Aleman Jr. ’68, Austin Ana T. Baida ’06, College Station Mitch Barnett ’07, Austin Douglas M. Benold ’44, Georgetown Ben R. Chamness*, Fort Worth Ann Tyrrell Cochran ’72*, Houston Bobby Smith Cohn, Houston W. Mark Craig, Dallas Roy H. Cullen, Houston John S. Curry ’70, Pampa Ted J. Dotts Jr., Lubbock Robert W. Dupuy ’69, Dallas Thomas A. Forbes ’71, Austin James W. Foster ’72, Houston Barbara R. Galloway-Edgar ’78, Boerne Jack Garey, Georgetown Roberto L. Gómez ’69, Mission Robert H. Graham, Houston Kay Granger, Fort Worth Ronald D. Henderson, Dallas Janice Riggle Huie*, Houston Robert W. Karr ’71, Essex, Conn. W. Joseph King ’93, Fort Worth Bart C. Koontz ’78, San Antonio J. Michael Lowry, San Antonio Joel N. Martinez*, San Antonio Red McCombs ’49, San Antonio Michael McKee, Hurst J. Eric McKinney ’72, Georgetown Charles R. Millikan ’68, Pearland James W. Moore, Dallas Barbara Prats Neely ’77, Fort Worth Ernesto Nieto ’64, Maxwell Alfred L. Norris*, Plano Robert T. Rork ’62, San Antonio Jake B. Schrum ’68*, Georgetown Marjorie Stripling Schultz ’70, Houston Robert C. Scott, San Antonio Joe Seeber ’63*, Hewitt Peter A. Sessions ’78, Dallas Donald W. Underwood ’70, Plano James V. Walzel, Houston D. Max Whitfield*, Albuquerque, N.M. Robert D. Wunsch, Austin *Ex-Officio
52
Southwestern magazine Winter 2007
Southwestern_19-2.indd 54
12/14/07 9:43:05 AM
tH e La st Wo rd Witnessing an economic revolution Firsthand Sitting in the Beijing airport on my way home from a short trip to China this September, I reflected on the changes I’ve seen in the country since my first trip in 1984. I came to the airport by taxi from Peoples’ University, where the Cultural Revolution and the Tian’anmen protests began, and took the third of five roads now ringing the city. Several kilometers follow the same route where I rode my bike several times a week during the summer of 1991. At that time the road was under construction and surrounded by fields, and there were few cars. Now it is jammed with traffic and there are high rises as far as the eye can see. To the left sits a bizarre affair of chrome that my taxi driver says is a stadium for the 2008 Olympics, and flowers are planted everywhere to beautify the route for the hoards of tourists that will arrive for China’s coming-out party in 2008. It is with mixed feelings that I witness all this change. No longer is it possible to have the remarkable experience of being one of hundreds of cyclists riding silently through the night with elbows almost touching. But the living standards of the people of Beijing and other cities in China have doubled, doubled again and yet again since those days when the reforms began. In November 1984, when a small group from Southwestern came to Beijing, cabbages were piled high in front of the houses as the only source of fresh vegetables for the frigid months ahead. Now everyone has a refrigerator, and fruits and vegetables from all over the world are available both on the street and in modern supermarkets. No longer does the only heat come from lumps of coal that permeated the air with their fumes—the air is instead polluted by the exhaust of cars. The purpose of my trip was to attend a conference on the protection of the rights of migrants working in the cities of China. These 150 million migrants from rural areas comprise the largest migration in human history, and face not only an internal passport system that makes their status similar to guestworkers in developed countries, but prejudice by urbanites as strong as race and ethnicity in other settings. Their sweat is the fuel that propels the engine of China’s export model of growth, and they build the roads, serve food in the restaurants, and are maids to the children of upwardly mobile young professionals. Yet as much as we are outraged by their long hours and working conditions, talking to them reveals that most see migration as an opportunity for themselves and their children to escape rural poverty and, for women, rural patriarchy. When I was a grad student, I was fascinated by the social and economic changes that occurred in England leading to the Industrial Revolution. I almost became an economic historian, but instead chose to focus on agrarian change in developing countries, writing my dissertation on labor displacement created by the Green Revolution in Mexico. Studying China in the 1980s was merely a way to gain exposure to another very different—if fascinating—economic, social and cultural system, and thus enrich my classes at Southwestern. Little did I know that, through my 14 trips to China between 1984 and 2007, I would be witness to an economic revolution as powerful as that experienced in Western Europe—one that would occur not over two centuries but in just over two decades! I feel incredibly lucky to be where I am at this point in history, and to be able to work with colleagues from organizations like the Ford Foundation, UNICEF, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who are trying to meet the challenges posed by this remarkable transformation. —Ken Roberts Professor of Business and Economics
Southwestern_19-2.indd 55
12/14/07 9:43:30 AM
A lighted bridge leads residents to the new Dorothy Manning Lord Residential Center, which was dedicated in October. See page 5 for more photos of the new complex.
Southwestern University Georgetown, Texas 78626
Southwestern_19-2.indd 56
Non Profit Org. US Postage PAID Austin, Texas Permit 25
12/14/07 9:43:44 AM