Spring Hill College Magazine | Summer 2014

summer 2014

Spring Hill the spring hill college magazine

Matthew Baugh, S.J., explores Pope Francis’s compelling call to action

from the president

Dear Alumni and Friends, In the time I have been back as Spring Hill College president, I find the College has changed in many ways since my departure five years ago. Though I find new faces on campus, challenges to meet, and ample positive beginnings, one thing holds true: Spring Hill is a community of strength and determination, a community of faith and support, and a community that holds on to the values learned and developed in the short time that a student is on campus.

In this edition of the Spring Hill College Magazine, I am proud to introduce Dr. Matthew Baugh, S.J., who shares with us his wit and consideration of Pope Francis’s culture of encounter. So much of what our students learn from one another and their mentors is just that – a culture of encounter.

Spring Hill College is special because of the relationships formed, the differences understood among peers, and the new perspectives on life discovered while on the Hill.

Spring Hill is not just a college; it is a community – a community of relationships found, bonds forged and a culture to carry on. The spirit seen in the eyes of our most recent graduates as they left through the gates of Spring Hill College to embark on a world of the unknown, maybe far from friends, maybe far from family, is a spirit meant to encounter each new person with purpose and forethought. It is also a spirit found in the alumni who join us back on campus each year, whether it is for a grand reunion weekend or a visit with their child as a prospective student. We see it in each and every one of them.

I recently had lunch with eight students, now young alumni, who are serving in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and other volunteer programs next year. I am inspired and ready to hear more on how they and others have used their time on the Hill to prepare them for more. We wish all the best to our newest alumni and look forward to their continued involvement with Spring Hill College in their new roles as leaders.

Rev. Gregory F. Lucey, S.J., President

in this issue

the spring hill college magazine 7

Summer 2014

news from the hill

Setting the World on Fire

News from campus including Commencement 2014, retiring faculty and staff, and more.

In his Apostolic Exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis encourages us to make personal connections with others.

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badger news

Updates on softball, baseball, track & field, and tennis.

Features 18 Creating a Culture of Encounter

Matthew Baugh, S.J., examines our culture of isolation and Pope Francis’s challenge to create a culture of encounter.

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alumni news

21 Serendipitous Gift

A donation of production equipment has transformed the Communication Arts and Graphic Design programs.

24 Homecoming on The Hill 26 Alumni Awards 28 Chapter Updates 30 Class Notes 35 In Memoriam

on the cover: The portrait of Pope Francis was created

by Marie Booth ’14, a studio art major from Vicksburg, Miss. “Painting Pope Francis was such an honor,” she said. “I am blessed to be able to represent such a great man through my art. The Jesuit tradition means so much to me now, and it will continue to play a key part in my life as an artist.” Booth plans to move to San Francisco this summer to pursue a career in the arts.

36 Giving 6 Point of Interest 5 Habits that will help you land a job. Tips for new grads from from the Resumé Doctor, Elizabeth Dexter-Wilson.

38 The Last Word The stories we tell. Overheard by Elizabeth Neal ‘14. www.shc.edu

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Palmer Studio Photography

view from the hill

Spring Hill

point of interest

the spring hill college magazine

five habits

that will help you land a job.

Volume 7, Number 2

Editor: Lindsay Hughes, MLA ’08

Art Director: Sharla Brink ’95

Photography: Palmer Studio Seth Laubinger ’02 Laura McNeill Mémorial de la Shoah

The Resumé Doctor’s tips for new grads

by Elizabeth Dexter-Wilson

Build your Brand to differentiate yourself. Your brand is your “superpower.” What problems do you solve? Why are you the best at solving them? What does your superpower call you to do?

Know your Industry if you want to be taken seriously in the professional world. Know the heck out of what is trending, what is working well, what is not working well, and know the industry’s pain points.

Then, use your superpower to help solve your industry’s problems.

Use LinkedIn to join and participate in industry groups, connect with and schedule informational interviews with industry thought leaders, and share your thoughts on industry best practices.

Contributing Writers: Matthew Baugh, S.J. Elizabeth Dexter-Wilson Hallet Dunn Elizabeth Neal ‘14 Laura McNeill Rhoda Pickett Aislinn Shevlin ‘14 Jim Stennett

President: Rev. Gregory F. Lucey, S.J.

Get Experience through internships, service, volunteering and work.

These experiences help build knowledge, professional connections and transferable skills. Leave your comfort zone and take risks.

Build Relationships with professionals in your industry. Begin to form alliances. Find a mentor who can guide you. Spend time with people smarter than you. Hang out with people who share your passion and ambition. More companies are hiring on referrals now, so be the next referral into your industry.

The Office of Communications and Institutional Marketing annually publishes two printed issues and two online-exclusive editions of The Spring Hill College Magazine.

Comments should be addressed to: Use Social Media Strategically by using LinkedIn to make professional connections. Twitter is a fabulous way to learn more about your industry and to meet others who have the same passions. Portfolios will create a three-dimensional picture of your skills and qualities.

And, blogging gives you the gift of sharing your well-educated opinions and ideas about your industry.

“Resumé Doctor” Elizabeth Dexter-Wilson is Spring Hill’s coordinator of career services.

Follow her on Twitter @CareerDrELiz.

Lindsay Hughes, Editor Spring Hill College Magazine, 4000 Dauphin Street Mobile, AL 36608-1791 (251) 380-2289 or (877) SPR-HILL lhughes@shc.edu

News from the hill

Setting the World on fire commencement 2014

news from the hill | Commencement

Commencement 2014

The setting may have been different, but the spirit was just as celebratory. For the first time since 1987, Spring Hill College put the commencement rain plan into effect, moving the ceremony from the traditional Avenue of the Oaks to the Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center.

“There’s so much noise these days to distract us from ourselves and to see who we truly are and want to be. We spend too much time living other people’s versions of ourselves and trying to meet other people’s expectations. …

It’s hard to step away and to give yourself permission to take the path that’s in your heart; it takes tremendous courage and faith. People confuse this with being selfish – it’s not. When you follow your own path you are being true to yourself and then can be truly there for others.”

– Matt D’Arrigo ’95 Founder and CEO, ARTS (A Reason To Survive), San Diego Recipient of the Ignatian Award, the highest honor the College bestows upon its alumni

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see more commencement coverage at www.shc.edu/commencement

A round of Applause Ignatian Awards Fulfill the ideals of Jesuit education for scholarship, leadership and service.

These are the highest student awards bestowed by the College.

Marie Booth Robert “Bobby” E. Brown

“What gets us here as freshmen might be the promise of learning, faith, justice, and service; but what gets us to stay is the community. In striving to be the very best we can be, we become a community of friends – connected to each other for life. …

But Spring Hill is not just a community; it’s a home. Spring Hill is an odd, wonderful, magical place that no one can quite explain to the outside world. It’s alive, a place you can feel the learning, faith, justice, service, and community in action every day. …

Mr. D’Arrigo graduated from Spring Hill not too long ago, and took the call of learning, faith, justice and service for life to heart. And now it’s our turn.

Spring Hill has given us the tools, the education, the friends, and the memories to accomplish this; the rest is up to us. So, class of 2014, go forth, find some matches, and set the world on fire.”

– Taylor Hardenstein ’14, Class Orator

Toolen Award Highest grade point average Elizabeth Joyce Neal Edward B. Moody, S.J., Teacher of the Year Award Excellence in teaching Dr. Stuart Babington, Associate Professor of Communication Arts

Dawson service Award Excellence in service to the College Dr. Jamie Franco-Zamudio, Assistant Professor of Psychology

William J. Rewak, S.J., Service Award Represents the Jesuit ideal of service Dr. Jamie Franco-Zamudio, Assistant Professor of Psychology

www.shc.edu

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news from the hill

Dr. Michael Piafsky signs debut novel

“Both religion and spirituality are very important in this book and in most of my writing. Nearly all of my protagonists tend to be Catholic, even though I am Jewish.”

– Michael Piafsky

One man’s search for truth and meaning in life is the prevailing theme of Dr. Michael Piafsky’s debut novel, “All the Happiness You Deserve.” Published in February, “Happiness” follows an Everyman’s journey from a Midwestern childhood through an East Coast education and career, and from first love through marriage, parenthood, and old age.

Piafsky is an associate professor of English and director of creative writing at Spring Hill College. A Montreal native, he earned an M.A. in creative

writing from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. An excerpt from “All the Happiness You Deserve” was published by the “Jabberwock Review” and nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Dominican Republic ISIP group provides “Clean Water for El Cercado” Over Mardi Gras break, the Dominican Republic service-immersion group traveled to El Cercado, where they visited many cooperative projects in the community.

Rev. John Cervinin at St. Peter the Apostle parish has been working in the mountains for 17 years establishing faith-based communities to empower the locals. One of their greatest successes has been building 25 aqueducts to supply individual villages with water. Within the last six months, four have tested positive for E. coli. However, the aqueducts can be retrofitted with chlorinators to purify the water. These units cost $120 each, and one will supply clean water for an entire village.

The DR group appealed to the Spring Hill community to raise $3,000 to purchase 25

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chlorinators for the villages surrounding El Cercado. Spearheaded by Mackenzie Harms ’14, a biology/pre-med major from Brentwood, Tenn., the “Clean Water for El Cercado” project reached its goal.

The money raised was sent directly to the outreach coordinator for the parish. A group of engineers from New York University are working with the parish to install the devices, which will provide clean water for approximately 18,000 to 20,000 people

Newsworthy Badger bites Author Jesmyn Ward presents at Boyle Lecture> The Spring Hill College Department of English and the Friends of the Spring Hill College Library co-hosted the 2014 Boyle Lecture on Feb. 17. Jesmyn Ward, winner of the 2011 National Book Award for her novel “Salvage the Bones,” presented at the lecture.

SHC hosts Regional Science Olympiad> Spring Hill College hosted the Regional Science Olympiad tournament on Feb. 22, for the 5th consecutive year. Two hundred eighty-five students from seven middle schools and six high schools in Alabama competed in a series of events centered on science and technology.

Padberg delivers Jesuit Heritage Lecture> Rev. John W. Padberg, S.J., an internationally recognized scholar and author, presented the Jesuit Heritage Lecture on March 18. Padberg is director and editor of the Institute of Jesuit Sources in St. Louis, Mo. His lecture was titled “Those Naughty Jesuits: The Suppression and Restoration of the Society of Jesus.”

Established in 2013, the Jesuit Heritage Lecture is sponsored by the Jesuit Community of Spring Hill College.

Schechtman speaks at annual Suarez Lecture> Dr. Marya Schechtman, professor of philosophy and member of the Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience at the University of Illinois at Chicago, delivered the annual Suarez Lecture on March 26. Her talk was titled “That Girl’s Gone: The Connections Between Literal and Figurative Survival.”

Noble presents Hesburgh Lecture> Dr. Thomas Noble, professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, delivered the 2014 Notre Dame Alumni Club Hesburgh Lecture, in conjunction with Spring Hill College and the Christus Theological Institute. The lecture, “Faith Taking Shape: Early Christianity and the Arts,” took place April 3 on Spring Hill’s campus.

Dr. April Sanders receives Outstanding Dissertation Award> Dr. April Sanders, assistant professor of teacher education, was one of two Outstanding Dissertation Award winners from The University of North Texas College of Education in 2013.

Her dissertation was titled: “Parallels Between the Gaming Experience and Rosenblatt’s Reader Response Theory.”

Sanders joined the Spring Hill faculty in fall 2013.

Students present at SHC Undergraduate Research Symposium> Students presented projects across many disciplines on April 25 at the Spring Hill College Undergraduate Research Symposium. The symposium provides a platform for students to showcase their classroom and internship projects and research to a larger audience.

It also offers students, faculty and staff, and the community the opportunity to come together to observe the connection between education and research.

Spring Hill College hosts Summer Institute of Christian Spirituality> The Department of Theology and Ministry at Spring Hill College offered a special opportunity to learn more about the unique Jesuit spirituality of Pope Francis during the 2014 annual Summer Institute of Christian Spirituality. The event was hosted June 1-13 on the Spring Hill College campus.

The College also hosted the Institute June 16-29 at the Ignatius House Retreat Center in Atlanta. Visit www.shc.edu/sics for details.

www.shc.edu

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news from the hill

Spring Hill College students argue Supreme Court cases

More than 100 Spring Hill College students, faculty, staff, and dignitaries attended a Supreme Court simulation April 15 in Byrne Memorial Hall. Dr. Mathew Baugh, S.J., assistant professor of political science and law, organized the event, which was hosted by the Spring Hill College Political Science and International Studies Club.

The students argued two cases, McCullen v. Coakley and Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.

McCullen v. Coakley asks if a 35-foot buffer zone around the entrance to abortion clinics is a violation of the 1st Amendment

right to free speech. Fisher v.

University of Texas at Austin addresses the issue of affirmative action, and asks if the consideration of race in college admissions violates the 14th Amendment right to equal protection of the laws. The case was recently heard before the nation’s highest court, with a 7-1 opinion issued in favor of UT Austin.

Baugh acted as the silent chief justice, and was accompanied by three student justices.

Guests of honor included Spring Hill alumna Hon. Sonja F. Bivens, a U.S. magistrate judge for the Southern District of Alabama. Mobile attorneys Joseph Babington, Clay Rossi, and Blade Thompson rounded out the panel of experts.

The audience was allowed to text in votes after students

argued both cases. In the first case, the woman challenging the constitutionality of Massachusetts’ law (McCullen) won by 43 votes to 13. In the second case (Fisher), there was a tie, 16 to 16, on the question of whether race may be used in admissions decisions.

“Simulating Supreme Court proceedings not only gives the students first-hand experience of the complex arguments involved in these cases, it also makes them into teachers themselves – helping the broader Spring Hill community understand the issues at a more profound level,” Baugh said.

“And the students know their stuff. They have prepared briefs worthy of a law school course.”

Baugh plans to make the Spring Hill College Supreme Court Simulation an annual event for the campus and community.

Lucey hosts luncheon for grads committed to service Rev. Gregory F. Lucey, S.J., hosted a luncheon for graduating seniors who have committed to service work after graduation.

Pictured, from left, are Michael Kernahan (Amigos de Jesus, Honduras); Ashley Ledet (Jesuit Volunteer Corps); Carlee Sinkus (Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest); Lucey; Lindsey Frechou (Northwest Center, Washington, D.C.); Elizabeth Fahey (Women's Lunch Place, Boston); and Claire Stewart (International Services, Houston. Not pictured are Matthew LaBorde (The Chrysalis Center,

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Los Angeles) and Christie Alonso (Jesuit Volunteer Corps International, Peru).

“Hélène Berr, A Stolen Life” exhibition on display through Aug. 10

coursework during the spring semester, as well as student involvement and residence life programming.

“We are thrilled to be hosting such a significant Jewish history exhibit in the Burke Memorial Library that reflects global humanity issues important to all,” said Gentry Holbert, director of library and information resource services.

“This exhibit feeds into our Jesuit mission of maintaining an informed dialogue with the world’s cultures and religion while providing our students and community with active learning and involvement activities concerning social justice and the dignity of all human lives.”

–Gentry Holbert, director of library and information resource services.

Spring Hill College is hosting “Hélène Berr, A Stolen Life” in the Barter Room of the Marnie and John Burke Memorial Library through Aug. 10.

This traveling exhibition is based on the journal written by Hélène Berr, a young Jewish French woman, whose promising future was brutally cut short by Vichy Government’s laws and the extermination plan imagined by the Nazis.

Studying English literature at Sorbonne University, Berr was 21 years old when she

began her journal. We follow her steps through Paris under the German Occupation, perceiving the daily experience of the unbearable, oscillating between hope and despair, until her arrest and deportation to Auschwitz in 1944. With the support of photographs, archives, films, interactive animations and maps, this exhibition shows how the daily lives of Jews had been impacted by these terrible acts of violence.

The exhibition has been incorporated into academic

Curated by Karen Taieb and Sophie Nagiscarde, “Hélène Berr, A Stolen Life” was designed, created, and circulated by Mémorial de la Shoah (Paris, France), and made possible through the support of SNCF, France’s national stateowned railway company.

Contact the library at (251) 380-3870 for exhibit hours. Visit library.shc.edu to make reservations for docent-led tours.

www.shc.edu

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news from the hill

Spring Hill College honors retiring faculty and staff

Dr. Alex Landi Professor Emeritus of Political Science

Landi started teaching political science at Spring Hill College in 1971, while finishing his Ph.D. from the University of Dallas.

In his 43-year tenure at the College, he has served in numerous academic and administrative roles, always with a commitment to service and social justice. As dean of undergraduate studies from 1987 to 1991, he secured a grant from the Ford Foundation to develop courses and extracurricular activities in cultural diversity. Subsequently, he became a member of the board of People United to Advance the Dream, whose goal was to organize a citywide Martin Luther King Day celebration in Mobile, Ala. After returning to teaching in the early ’90s, Landi served as chair of the Division of Social Sciences and the Political Science Department.

From 1994 until his retirement, he initiated, directed and taught courses in the Master of Liberal Arts program. He also led the committee that proposed the addition of a cultural diversity requirement to the undergraduate curriculum.

In his role as planned giving officer from 2004 to 2007, Landi helped to establish a scholarship in honor of Fannie E. Motley, the first AfricanAmerican graduate of the College. In 2006 he became involved with Bridges, an organization committed to promoting intercultural dialogue.

Among his honors and awards, Landi received the Racial Justice Award from the YWCA of Greater Mobile in 2010.

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Landi said the greatest gifts from Spring Hill have been the opportunity to serve others and to experience the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius.

“That has helped me to grow not only in age – which is inevitable – but also at least to some degree in wisdom and grace, which I can take with me as I leave the College,” he said.

Rev. David Borbridge, S.J. Professor Emeritus of History

Borbridge received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1950 and was ordained in 1963. After his ordination, he taught at both Strake Jesuit College Preparatory and Rice University in Houston, where he was also a chaplain at Harris County Jail.

He served on the history and theology faculty at Spring Hill College from 1983 until 1989. He then spent four months in India studying and participating in inter-religious dialogue. For the next seven years, he taught at the Pontifical University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before returning to the SHC campus in 1996.

“David has had a lasting influence on many of his students far beyond what he acknowledges or of which he is aware,” said Dr. Patricia Harrison, professor of history. “In addition to what he brings to our academic offerings, David is a caring individual who works with students, participates in department and division events, and is a dear friend to his colleagues. The history department will not be the same without David Borbridge on the faculty.”

Dr. Neil Hamilton Professor Emeritus of History

Hamilton, whose Ph.D. is from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), joined the Spring Hill history faculty in 1990 and served as chair until 1996.

Dr. Patricia Harrison was on the search committee that selected Hamilton for the position.

Harrison recalled, “I always remember what one of his references wrote. She said, ‘If I had to start a university with only one historian – I would choose Neil Hamilton.’”

Harrison added, “Neil’s classes were always full and many students fondly remember the classes.

He enjoyed joking with them.”

Hamilton is a prolific writer, having written books on a wide variety of topics, from the 1960s counterculture in America to the history of baseball.

His latest book, “Outlaws Still at Large!: A Saga of Roots Country Music Since the 1970s,” was published in 2013.

Josetta Mulloy Director of Student Academic Services

In her 40 years of service to Spring Hill College, Mulloy has helped countless students become successful in their academic journeys and in their lives after college.

Her most memorable Spring Hill experience is serving as an advisor to the service-immersion group that traveled to Belize City, Belize. While there, the group worked with Hand In Hand Ministries to build a house for a family in need.

She uses the analogy of constructing the house to describe working with students.

“Some of us begin to hammer the nail in, then someone comes along and hammers the nail in more, and finally someone completes the hammering,” she said. “Most of my time at Spring Hill, I have worked with students beginning their SHC experience starting the ‘hammering,’ and then they move on to others until they finally graduate.

None of us can complete the mission alone but together we can help students and build together for others.”

Ginny Johnston Manager of Campus Services

Johnston started at Spring Hill College in 2001 as a secretary to the vice president of finance.

Shortly thereafter she moved to the Student Affairs Division as the manager of campus services, a “jack of all trades” position that included residence life office functions. In recent years, Johnston focused on keeping students and their parents happy with their housing assignments.

“While at SHC, I felt we were all one big family.

During one of the saddest and hardest times, this family was there with me,” Johnston said. “I am loving my retirement and spending more time with grandchildren now.”

www.shc.edu

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Badger News

by Jim Stennett

Softball returns to national playoffs

The softball team followed up its National Runner-Up finish at the 2013 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Softball World Series by beginning the 2014 season ranked No. 2 in the NAIA Coaches’ Poll. Proving that their lofty preseason status was no mistake, the Badgers rolled to a No. 7 ranking in the final poll of the year, a 42-14 record and a return trip to the national playoffs.

Pitcher Caroline Sagrera of Baton Rouge, La., followed up her All-America performance in 2013 with an outstanding sophomore season. She built a 38-11 record with a 1.01 ERA in 339.0 innings pitched and struck out 435 batters to claim the SHC career record of 917 in just two seasons.

At the 2014 Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala., the West Division Co-Champion Badgers used a mammoth 4th-inning, two-run home run by freshman designated player Mary Beth Glass of Hoover, Ala., to defeat William Carey University 2-1 in the championship game and secured an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship Tournament.

Spring Hill earned two wins over MidAmerica Nazarene University by the scores of 2-1 and 6-0 at the National Championship Opening Round tournament in Oklahoma City, Okla., but fell to perennial NAIA power Oklahoma City University in 1-0 and 4-0 decisions in the regional championship games.

“Our goal this year was to return to the World Series, but you can’t call this team unsuccessful,” head coach Alison Sellers-Cook said after the games with OCU. “We won the SSAC West Division in the regular season and then won our first SSAC Tournament Championship in the team’s history. I can’t express how proud I am of this team and all they accomplished this year.”

Several players earned post-season honors from the SSAC led

by Sagrera’s selection as SSAC Tournament MVP and to the AllConference team. Junior third baseman Lea Kittrell of Lucedale, Miss., also earned All-Conference recognition after hitting .333 with seven doubles, two triples and 24 RBI on the year. Left fielder Jenna Charnock of Mobile had a tremendous freshman season winning a Gold Glove Award from the conference coaches while also hitting for a .333 average and successfully stealing 39 of 41 bases attempted.

Third baseman Lea Kittrell ‘15 of Lucedale, Miss.

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see complete athletic coverage at www.shc.badgers.com

Baseball After a fast start to the year, the baseball team suffered seven consecutive conference defeats to close out the 2014 season with a 28-27 record. The Badgers finished the year tied for 8th place in the SSAC, but missed qualifying for the SSAC Championship Tournament by the conference’s tie-breaking rules.

Junior outfielder Taylor Eads of Slidell, La., led the conference in home runs by putting 13 balls over the walls while hitting at a .423 pace with 11 doubles and 51 RBI. Senior Brian Sims of Mobile ended his career on several Badger Top 5 lists including most consecutive games started (206) and most assists (514). He also ranks 2nd in most career sacrifices (32), finishing just seven behind his older brother, Drew, who tallied 39 between 2004 and 2007.

Badger head coach Frank Sims achieved an historic landmark on April 22 when his team swept both ends of a non-conference doubleheader from Concordia College (Ala.). The wins gave Sims his 799th and 800th victories as a collegiate head coach over his 30-year career.

Outdoor Track & Field The men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams continued to grow in their second season of existence as they passed several important milestones. Sophomore Jordan Travis of Poplarville, Miss., and freshman Corinne Missi of Yaoundé, Cameroon, earned bids to the 2014 NAIA National Championships held in Gulf Shores, Ala., marking the first SHC student-athletes to qualify for the national meet. Both athletes set new school records with their qualifying marks as Travis turned in a time of 1:52.78 in the 800-meter run, and Missi had a triple jump leap of 11.59 meters at the Florida State University (FSU) Twilight Invitational.

Tennis A young men’s and women’s tennis team struggled against a schedule that included some of the NAIA’s top programs.

The men wrapped up the year with an 8-12 record while the women turned in a 7-13 mark. On a positive note, both teams finished with runners-up finishes at the Stillman College Invitational in Tuscaloosa, Ala., falling only to host and future Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) rival Stillman College in the championships.

From top: Brian Sims presents an autographed bat to Coach Frank Sims from the team. The surprise gift commemorated the coach’s 800th career win on April 22 versus Concordia College; Sophomore Jordan Travis; Senior John Paul Espinoza; The Lady Badgers honor the softball team’s lone senior, Raleigh Downs (center behind frame) of Booneville, Miss., at Senior Day on April 26. www.shc.edu

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of

by Matthew Baugh, S.J.

When you answer the phone nowadays, you have to be prepared for at least the possibility that the pope will be on the other end.

A few days after his election, he called his newspaper deliveryman in Buenos Aires to say thanks for the good service and to cancel his subscription.

Around the same time, he phoned up the receptionist at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome, asking to speak with the Superior General. In both cases, the folks who answered the call nearly hung up on him, thinking it was a prank. Now more than a year into his papacy, expectations have changed. When the voice on the other end says “Hi, this is Pope Francis,” chances are it probably is.

This pope would like nothing more, it seems, than to speak personally with everyone he can.

And he has made it clear that he desires this same kind of openness and simplicity in the Church as a whole and in the life of every Christian. “I do not want,” says Francis, “a Church concerned with being at the center and which then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures.”

Instead, the man who was known for taking public transit in Buenos Aires and for developing intimate friendships with the poorest members of that city says he prefers “a Church which is bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets.”

He wants a Church that draws close to people and befriends them.

For Francis, this is simply what Christianity is: friendship with the God who has drawn close to us, who has been out on our streets. By taking our flesh, God traversed the infinite distance between Creator and creature. He made himself small

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enough for us to approach him and know him, not as an abstract and transcendent principle, but as a person and a friend.

In doing so, God forever changed the way we relate not only to him, but also to each other. “Faith is an encounter with Jesus,” says Francis, “and we must do what Jesus does: encounter others.” If God took such pains to come to us, then we also ought to seek out each other in imitation of him.

“We must go out to meet [others],” the pope continues, “and with our faith we must create a ‘culture of encounter,’ a culture of friendship, a culture in which we find brothers and sisters, in which we can also speak with those who think differently, as well as those who hold other beliefs, who do not have the same faith.”

Even if we crave this radical connectedness, encountering others is also something that we often fear or seek to avoid. We “try to escape from others and take refuge in the comfort of [our] privacy or in a small circle of close friends.” We feel the distance created by “suspicion, habitual mistrust, fear of losing our privacy, all the defensive attitudes which today’s world imposes on us.”

We prefer the security of our gated communities, whether those gates be of the physical sort or the invisible kind we erect around our social circles.

What is so striking about Francis is his willingness to open all his own gates in order to encounter others, leaving himself vulnerable and exposed. He embraces people with physical

“Faith is an encounter

with Jesus, and we must do what Jesus does: encounter others.”

–Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel”

“What does the pope’s summons mean for our community at Spring Hill and for each of us individually?

What gates do I need to open in my own life? ” deformities. He kneels before prisoners to wash their feet. He speaks openly of his own sinfulness.

And all of this he does with evident and infectious joy. Creating a culture of encounter, says the pope, is not just another dry religious duty, one more burden to bear. It is a source of great joy.

It is a way of following the “Son of God, [who] by becoming flesh, summoned us to the revolution of tenderness.”

Still, the joy of encounter does not insulate us from others’ pain. Encountering others at a deep and personal level remains a risky proposition.

But, says the pope, this is a risk worth taking. “The Gospel tells us constantly to run the risk of a faceto-face encounter with others, with their physical presence which challenges us, with their pain and their pleas, with their joy which infects us in our close and continuous interaction.” Where, then, do

we find the strength and courage to answer the Gospel’s call? Francis says the key is “learning to suffer in the embrace of the crucified Jesus” and “clinging to the love of God” who opens his own heart to us in an unrestricted way.

What does the pope’s summons mean for our community at Spring Hill and for each of us individually? What gates do I need to open in my own life? How can we help build a culture of encounter on campus and in our city? I am tempted to call the pope and ask him, but he would surely tell me that I’ve got the wrong number. The person to ask is his boss.

Read more from Pope Francis on the culture of encounter in his Apostolic Exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel.”

The text is available for free from the Vatican website, or a bound version is sold on Amazon.com.

About the Author Dr. Matthew Baugh, S.J., is a Jesuit scholastic and assistant professor of political science at Spring Hill College. After receiving a B.A. from Duke University, he studied international relations at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and was awarded the Dasturzada Dr. Jal Pavry Prize for his master’s thesis on constitutional theory and international institution-building – work for which he was later awarded a doctorate in 2011. He also earned a Juris Doctor from Yale University in 2007.

Since entering the Society of Jesus in 2007, Baugh has been sent to serve in a variety of ministries: a home for people with intellectual disabilities in Alabama; a Jesuit high school in New Orleans; a parish in the mountains of El Salvador; and a city in western Guatemala.

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Spring Hill College Magazine

Summer 2014

An unexpected gift of media production equipment, combined with a lot of effort, has allowed the Communication Arts department to become a competitive 21st century program.

serendipitous

Gift Brian Kampen ‘14 of New Orleans graduated in May with a degree in Communication Arts with a concentration in digital video production.

In 2011 he was selected as an extra in the movie “21 Jump Street,” filmed in his hometown. He says, “New Orleans is making a name for itself as ‘the Hollywood of the South,’ and I plan to get involved in various productions in the city as soon as possible.”

An

unexpected gift of media production equipment, combined with a lot of effort, has allowed the Communication Arts department to become a competitive 21st century program.

The department was fully digital, focusing on producing more web-based and multiplatform content, when in the fall of 2011 Bill Rowan started taking photography and production courses at Spring Hill. Rowan, husband to Dr. Leona Rowan, professor of teacher education, is a retired executive who spent part of his career at General Electric. While interacting with students in his classes, Rowan realized they needed more hands-on production experience.

This was at a time when Communication Arts had just gone through a program review and reassessment, resulting in three revised concentrations: journalism, digital video production, and public relations and advertising. In the summer of 2013, the Rowans offered the College a multiyear, in-kind donation of equipment, valued at more than $100,000. Furthermore, Rowan offered to teach a basic television production course, pro bono.

“Bill Rowan has given us the tools to make our vision a reality or, as Fr. Lucey frequently says, ‘to be who we say we are,’” explained Dr. Sharee Broussard, associate professor and chair of the Communication Arts department. “Plus, he’s giving his time and effort to make sure it all gets off the ground until the College and department can more fully support the donation.”

The curriculum change incorporated courses called “Tech Tools,” skills-based classes through which students create content suitable for portfolio inclusion. Course topics have ranged from smartphone reporting to social media analytics to basic TV production, the course Rowan taught in spring 2014.

In Rowan’s production class, students learned to operate television cameras, write scripts that detailed camera angles and speaking parts, as well as direct and monitor productions. For one assignment, four students worked behind the scenes in the production room with the remaining six students in the broadcast area, two acting as host and guest, two handling the cameras, and two others

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Summer 2014

overseeing floor direction. After overcoming some audio challenges, the students made four “takes,” each run-through becoming more fluid.

Rowan said the students “learn to see their mistakes immediately and learn to see that the rest of the team is depending on them. It’s a team effort.”

Students enrolled in the class said they appreciated the practical experience. “We’re not just learning academics; we are learning what the tools are and getting some understanding of the process,” said Juan Soto ’16, a journalism concentration from Charleston, S.C., adding that he has developed a more critical eye when viewing television news.

The Rowans’ gift also included multiple streaming boxes, so students can stream video to the Internet using the College’s LiveStream account. The ability to live stream proved fortuitous for this year’s baccalaureate Mass and indoor commencement ceremony, as the College was able to stream both events online.

The move of Communication Arts and Graphic Design from Moorer Hall to the Lucey Administration Center set the stage for the programs to advance. “A lot of things converged to make this happen,” Broussard said.

In the summer of 2012, with assistance from Catt Sirten, former WHIL general manager and radio personality, faculty and students converted the former WHIL Live Music Room into the production studio and control room. Some minor construction transformed WHIL’s offices into the Graphic Design Lab. The former Radio Reading Service cubicles and its control room were repurposed into post-production editing bays, a quiet workspace and storage. The Springhillian student newspaper was also relocated to the former WHIL suite.

The Communication Arts department continues to provide the foundation students need to succeed in their careers, in graduate school, and to pursue professional accreditation. Internships and portfolios were required beginning in 2010. As a result, 50 percent of the Communication Arts class of 2014, the first class to graduate under the new requirements, had received and accepted job offers or Jesuit Volunteer Corps appointments prior to graduation.

We’re flying high-tech Kevin Smith ‘14 used a camera drone to capture this amazing aerial shot of campus (top right). Users mount a GoPro camera to the DJI Phantom Quadcopter to take photos and video.

Right: Michael Short ‘14 and Emery Finegan ‘14 act as guest and host for a production in the TV studio.

Far right: Bill Rowan, who generously donated the production equipment, taught a basic TV production course in the spring.

Bottom: Kevin Smith ‘14 and Diego Juncadella ‘15 review the professional headshots they took of Bobby Oliva ‘14.

www.shc.edu

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Alumni News

April 4-6, 2014

Honoring graduates in class years ending with “4” and “9”

see more photos at www.flickr.com/photos/shcalumni

alumni news | Alumni Awards

outstanding

Alumni

recognized

Spring Hill College honored Matt LeMond ’07 and Sandra Gales Shapard ’64 during Homecoming on the Hill in April; and Matt D’Arrigo ’95 at commencement in May (see commencement story, page 8).

matt lemond ’07 Karopczyc Award – Named in remembrance of Lt. Stephen E. Karopczyc, class of 1965, a Medal of Honor recipient killed during service in the Vietnam War, the award acknowledges a young alumnus for outstanding service to the College or community.

A New Orleans native, LeMond is recognized for his work in helping revitalize downtown Mobile, Ala., and for the numerous charities he has supported through his businesses. He graduated from Spring Hill in 2007 with a degree in biology and decided to stay in Mobile after graduation.

“There are so many opportunities at your fingertips when you’re a Spring Hill student, and you should give some things a chance,” he said.

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Summer 2014

At age 24, LeMond opened O’Daly’s Irish Pub, a popular bar in downtown Mobile and the area’s first Irish pub. Since then, he opened a Pita Pit franchise downtown and expanded O’Daly’s. He also owns Competitive Ink Screen Printing.

In addition to his multiple businesses, he gives back to the city and his customers by hosting several charity events at O’Daly’s and the Pita Pit. He has organized and hosted several races like the Run Like a O’Hooligan 5K benefiting the Child Advocacy Center and the MO’Daly’s Run Your Stache Off 5K benefiting the prostate and testicular cancer awareness group Movember. He is also an advocate for SHC in the community.

LeMond credits Spring Hill and his fraternity Sigma Chi for instilling charitable values in him.

nominate notable alumni at www.shc.edu/alumni/awards

sandra gales shapard ’64 Gautrelet Award – Established in honor of Rev. Francis Gautrelet, S.J., the first Jesuit president of Spring Hill College, the award was established in 1972 and recognizes an individual of high integrity who has demonstrated outstanding professional achievement.

Shapard is an outstanding writer, devoted volunteer, and respected business and community leader. After graduating from Spring Hill with a degree in English, she earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma.

While a stay-at-home mother in the ’70s, Shapard volunteered to write for her regional Junior League newsletter. One assignment was to write how she felt about being a woman in today’s world. Her free-verse poem was published and received positive responses from all over the country – one from a publisher in Atlanta who wanted to see her poetry collection. With no collection to send him, she went into a “poetic frenzy” and published her first book of poetry in 1977.

Since then, she has published five books of poetry, including her most recent book, “Grandmotherhood,” about her grandchildren and the stages of being a grandmother. She has a children’s book coming out soon as well.

Shapard’s career renaissance occurred after her children were grown and married. In addition to writing on the side, the opportunity arose to buy her country club’s magazine publication and another local club’s publications. She quickly expanded the venture into NightOwl Publications, growing the company from two publications and eight issues a year, to 14 publications and 60 issues a year, including an American Medical Association publication.

“I started hiring a lot of women for part-time and freelance work, because we needed writers, photographers, and people who were flexible,” Shapard said. “All of the advertising staff was part time, because a lot of them were moms.”

She sold NightOwl in 2005, but she never lost sight of women’s issues and her contributions around Oklahoma City have made her a community icon. She was named The Journal Record’s 50 Making a Difference honoree in 2004 and received a Byliner Award in 2009 from the Oklahoma City chapter of the Association for Women in Communications.

Does someone you know deserve an award?

Please help us recognize them!

Spring Hill College presents honors annually to outstanding alumni who, through various acts and achievements, have shown their commitment to SHC and their communities.

We encourage you to take a few minutes to nominate outstanding individuals who deserve recognition in these areas.

The deadline for application is Aug. 23, 2014.

Nominee____________________________________ Date Submitted______________________________ Class Year (if known)__________________________ Address_____________________________________ City/State/Zip________________________________ Email_______________________________________ For the following award_______________________ Reasons for Nomination ______________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Submitted by: _______________________________ Address:____________________________________ City/State/Zip________________________________ Email_______________________________________ Fill out the online nomination form at: www.shc.edu/alumni/awards Or, mail this completed form to: Office of Alumni Programs 4000 Dauphin Street Mobile, AL 36608 In either case, please include a nomination letter and supporting documentation (if applicable).

Questions? E-mail alumni@shc.edu or call the Alumni Office at (877) SPR-HILL.

www.shc.edu

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alumni news | Chapter Updates

Birmingham

K ansas City

Birmingham Mardi Gras> Alumni in Birmingham gathered at the Rogue Tavern on Feb. 20 for some King Cake and fellowship during the Carnival season.

Kansas City Mardi Gras> Alumni gathered at the home of Billy ’96 and Mara ’95 Hodes on Feb. 21 to celebrate Mardi Gras in Kansas City.

Maureen McGovern ’04, the outgoing Birmingham chapter president, and Edwin Lee ‘02, the incoming chapter president.

(l-r): Jim Andrews ’90, Mara Hodes ‘95, Camille Sumrall ‘13, Billy Hodes ‘96, Sheila Albers ’92 , Patrick Euston ’03, Martha Sumrall ’80, Kevin Sumrall ’08, Jean Marie Lystad ’86 and Kristin Euston ’04.

Chicago

Memphis

Chicago Mardi Gras Scholarship Soiree and Silent Auction> Chicago alumni celebrated Mardi Gras on Feb. 27 with a soiree and silent auction benefitting the Chicago Alumni Scholarship Fund. A highlight of the fundraiser at the Mid America Club was meeting this year’s scholarship winner Caroline Hitt.

Memphis Crawfish Boil> Memphis alumni and their families gathered May 10 at the home of Mike Adams ’90 for a crawfish boil.

Mobile Mobile Alumni Service Day> Mobile alumni gathered at five sites around town to serve the needs of the community on Feb. 8. Alumni are shown volunteering at Housing First Alabama.

From top: Michelle Hitt, Caroline Hitt and current parents Laura and John Persegin; Mary Anne and Charles Bobrinskoy and Patti Kane ‘85.

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Summer 2014

send us your news and photos at alumni@shc.edu

New Orleans

New Orleans Alumni Service Day> New Orleans alumni gave back to their city through alumni service day. New Orleans Badgers spent the day refurbishing and sprucing up the interior and exterior of Boys Hope Girls Hope of New Orleans.

New Orleans Mardi Gras> Jonathan ’02 and Mary Wallace Shaver hosted the annual Mardi Gras gathering Feb. 22 on the parade route in New Orleans.

Among the Badgers enjoying the festivities were (l-r) Tori McRoberts ’06, Jessica Aubin ’06 and Kelly Rizzo.

St. Louis St. Louis Mardi Gras and Scholarship Fundraiser> St. Louis Badgers celebrated Mardi Gras and raised funds for the Daniel Aubuchon Memorial Scholarship on Feb. 22 at Spazio Westport. Alumni and parents posed in a photo booth, courtesy of Patrick Yursick ’07 and Escape the Booth, and got a chance to meet scholarship winner Mary Jane Wattles.

(l-r): Thaddeus Brija ’10, Courtney Carter ’09, Jamie Villmer ‘10, Jen Huber ’08, Allison Giles ’10; Top Tim Garvey ’10, Matt Lorenz, Maeve Guzy ‘09, Madeline Loftus ’11, Amy Lorenz ‘08 and Kathryn Horan ’11.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Alumni Service Day> Washington, D.C. alumni gave back to their city through alumni service day. They delivered groceries to less fortunate elderly members of their community.

D.C. area volunteers are (l-r) Laura Iverson ‘95, Katheryn Patterson ‘06, Kathleen Milligan ‘06, Charles Padgett ‘72, and Delvin Seawright ‘99.

Upcoming Alumni Events Stay up-to-date on Badger activities in your area at badgernet.shc.edu New York> July 15, Happy Hour Chicago> Aug. 23, Arlington Race Track Atlanta> Sept. 1, Braves vs. Phillies game Washington, D.C.> Sept. 13, Alumni Service Day

www.shc.edu

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alumni news | Class Notes

1960s

Dr. Peter Barcia ’61 and Julie (Matanock) Barcia ’61 celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2012. They have 10 children and 11 grandchildren. Peter is a general surgeon at Tripler Army Medical Center in Kailua, Hawaii, and he has completed 58 marathons.

Max Blake ’64 and Jean (Nicks) Blake ’64 have been owners of a sporting goods store in Benton, Ark., since 1984.

Jean retired in 2008, and Max semi-retired this year.

Mary (Schley) Bosell ’64 is a human resources director in Texas and California. She has taught painting for more than 20 years and is an avid golfer.

Louis DeFelice ’64 and his wife, Suzanne, have four children and 10 grandchildren. Louis is a retired Air Force senior officer.

Joseph Coglianese ’69 retired from 32 years of teaching and is now a trolley driver/tour guide in downtown Chicago.

Joseph Hinckley ’69 obtained his MBA in accounting from the University of Miami. He has one daughter and two granddaughters, and he founded a nonprofit in Boca Raton, Fla.

1970s

Kathleen Strickland ’71 has been named to BTI Consulting Group Inc.’s “Client Service All-Stars” list, an elite group of

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attorneys recognized by clients for client service excellence.

Kathleen is a partner at Ropers, Majeski, Kohn & Bentley, P.C. Richard Bienvenu ’74 wrote a travel guide called “Your Own Personal New Orleans Tour,” which is listed as an Amazon bestseller.

Valerie (Guste) Johnson ’76 was honored for her service to the Washington, D.C., area poor and homeless population by St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth and Families on May 7 at their spring fundraising event, Hope Blossoms.

Dr. Barbara Kleiss ’79 is the director of the Mississippi River Science and Technology Office, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division in Vicksburg, Miss.

1980s

Debbie (Dolan) Ollis ’80 received the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) Distinguished Principal Award recognizing her vital leadership role as the principal of St. Mary Catholic School in Mobile, Ala. Theresa McGonagle Crider ’84 is vice president for program development for Objects Inc., in Mobile, Ala. She continues to teach undergraduate and graduate courses at Spring Hill College.

Dr. Elizabeth (Robichaux) Hodnett ’84 earned a Ph.D. in

Summer 2014

psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi and has been working in the public school system for 22 years. She has been married to Malcolm Hodnett for 20 years, and they live in her great grandparents’ house.

Marney Skinner ’85 opened Four Seasons Wealth Management/LPL Office in Naples, Fla., in May 2014.

1990s

Susan (Berberich) Stimson ’93 and her husband, David, welcomed twins Jack Hartley Stimson and Hannah Michelle Stimson into the world on Dec. 26, 2013, in Roswell, Ga. Danielle Lombard-Sims ’94 was promoted to AVP, Professional Staff Services at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans, La. Maureen Smith ’94 moved to Jackson, Miss., with her family in 2012. Her husband, Jeff, took a job with the Associated Press. Maureen left her job at Red Square Agency in Mobile and is the associate editor of the Diocesan Newspaper, Mississippi Catholic.

Laura Iverson ‘95 moved to Washington, D.C., in 2012.

She works as the publications manager and writer for the American Dental Education Association. Laura is a member of the Junior League of Washington, and was honored as the Outstanding Transfer

send us your news and photos at alumni@shc.edu

Volunteer of the Year in May 2013. She has also taken on the role of the Spring Hill alumni chapter president in D.C. Will Summer ’95 was recently appointed Fine Arts Department chair at St. Petersburg Catholic High School in St. Petersburg, Fla. He received a Master of Educational Leadership from National Louis University in December 2012.

Shayla Jones Beaco ’97 was appointed director of operations and community affairs for Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s office in Mobile, Ala.

Alumni represented at National Diocesan Attorneys Association conference> Six Spring Hill alumni are general counsel to their diocese and bishops. Five of them attended the National Diocesan Attorneys Association conference in April. Pictured, from left, are Joe Brennan ’68, Diocese of Savannah, Ga.; Joe DiVito ’74, Diocese of St. Petersburg, Fla.; Mary Emma Ackels Karam ’76, Diocese of Dallas, Texas; John Crumley ’67, Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas; and Frank Ainsa ’65, Diocese of El Paso, Texas. Not pictured is Terry Murphy ’65, who acted as counsel to the Diocese of Fort Worth and Dallas in litigation opposing the HHS contraceptive mandate.

Brian Caruso ’99 and Kerri (Tedesco) Caruso ’99 welcomed baby Aidan Joseph Caruso into the world on Feb. 12, 2014, in New Orleans, La. Regina (Rapier) Chismar ’99 and Ron Chismar were married on Oct. 19, 2013, at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church in Roswell, Ga. Elise (Seymore) Porras ’99 and her husband, Paul, live in Arlington, Texas, where she is working as a pediatric nurse practitioner in trauma and pediatric intensive care unit. They have a 2-year-old girl named Eleanor, and Elise is expecting a second child at the end of October.

Spring Hill at Jesuit College Prep> Spring Hill is well represented in the faculty at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas.

Graduates spanning 67 years include, from left, Jack Fitzsimmons ’80, Ben Pace ’13, Austin Emerson ’09, C.A. Leininger, S.J. ’46, Billy Huete, SJ ’76, Maureen Mitoraj Miramontes ’90, and Tim Host ’84.

www.shc.edu

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alumni news | Class Notes

Jonathan Lucia ’04 is the director of residence life at Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga.

Dr. Anita Szady ’99 received her medical degree from the University of Tennessee and completed her internal medicine, general cardiology, and advanced heart failure training at the University of Florida. She is an assistant professor at the University of Florida.

2000s

Lynn (Rush) Frisby ’00 was inducted into the Roland Weeks Hall of Fame as a member of the 2013 class of Outstanding Community Leaders and Top Business Leaders Under 40 in South Mississippi.

Dr. Amy (Welch) Bednar ’00 was selected as one of Vicksburg’s Top 20 Under 40 in Vicksburg, Miss.

Kerry Evans ’04 and Oscar Goff III ’04 married in 2005 and welcomed their son, Owen, in 2013. Kerry graduated from the University of Alabama with a master’s degree in cellular and molecular biology in 2007.

She teaches science at McGillToolen Catholic High School in Mobile, Ala. Alexandra Katsimpalis ’04 and James Willis “Wilco” Garrett III ’04 welcomed the birth of their first child, son James Porterfield Garrett, in February 2014.

Erin Leiva ’04 obtained a B.A. in film history from the University of New Orleans. She moved to Orlando, Fla., and works at Walt Disney World.

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Jennifer Rhorer ’04 has been working as a statistician at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. since 2007.

She has volunteered at the National Zoo since 2009, and with Community Tax Aide to assist low-income people with filing their income tax returns since 2012.

Victoria Williams ’04 married Sean Williams in 2008. She is in her ninth year of teaching advanced social studies. Last year she was the district finalist for Social Studies Teacher of the Year in Broward County, Fla. Chris Agee ’05 and his wife, Sara Miles Agee, welcomed the birth of their son, Henry Lee Agee, on April 22, 2014, in Mobile, Ala. Heather Backes ’05 was recently promoted to team leader in financial advisor talent acquisition at Edward Jones in St. Louis, Mo. Dr. Joanna Buscemi ’05 is a postdoctoral research associate at the Institute for Health Research and Policy at The University of Illinois at Chicago.

Michael McAuliffe ’05 resides in Chicago and is a member of the Chicago Police Force. He married Mally Durkin-Sztukowski in May 2014.

Summer 2014

Amy Wendel ’05 and Chris Franklin were married Nov. 8, 2013, at St. Mary’s Assumption Catholic Church in New Orleans. Three Spring Hill alumnae served as bridesmaids: Erin (Illg) Graham ’05, Keely (Pelleteri) Lauber ’05, and Nicole Bujol ’05.

Lisa (Norris) Williams ’05 was promoted to senior accountant at Wilkins Miller Hieronymus LLC in Mobile, Ala. Claire Wilker ’05 is the global campaign director for Humane Society International, based in London.

Matthew Berry Blythe ’07 and Rachael Ann Frederico were married on Nov. 9, 2013 at the Historic Old Church in Portland, Ore. Jeffrey Philastre ’07 and Shannon (Netherby) Philastre ’08 welcomed their first child, Lleyton Matthew, on Sept. 21, 2013.

Brendan Weishaar ’07 and Jessica Kogon were married on Dec. 14, 2013, in St. Joseph Chapel.

James Brennan ’08 joined Zehnder Communications in New Orleans, La., as a research and analytics strategist.

Dr. Emily Jones ’08 received her M.D. from the University

Six SHC alumni named to Mobile Bay’s Top 40 Under 40 Photos by Todd Douglas

From left: Jacob Laurence ‘97, Jennifer Scalici ‘99, Clay Doyle ‘02, Heather Houston ‘02, Jennifer Cooley ‘03, Kaiesha Ford ‘10.

Jacob Laurence ’97 Senior Curator, History Museum of Mobile Curating exhibits that highlight the history and culture of Mobile, Laurence is dedicated to preserving the historical significance of the region. He has shown real initiative in revitalizing the site of Historic Fort Condé as a tourism and education hub for the city. In addition, he has served the city of Mobile as a moderator, lecturer and graphic artist.

Jennifer Scalici ’99 Gynecologic Oncologist/ Physician Scientist, USA Mitchell Cancer Institute An accomplished academic and beloved doctor, Scalici has a passion for treating women with gynecologic cancers. She is dedicated to improving outcomes for women facing cancer diagnoses and to advancing overall gynecologic care in the area. At the USA Mitchell Cancer Institute, she has given presentations to numerous civic organizations and has been instrumental in growing the annual GO Run benefit.

Clay Doyle (MBA) ’02 Owner/Officer, Geothermal Solutions, Geotechnical Engineering Testing Inc. Doyle created the company, Geothermal Solutions, from the ground up. By combining two separate companies, he has brought an innovative new energy concept to Mobile, utilizing the earth’s resources to heat and cool homes. He is a local expert on energy efficiency. He is also an active volunteer in the United Methodist Church.

Jennifer Cooley ’03 Freelance Marketing Consultant Helping push advertising further into the digital age, Cooley is a social-media expert, responsible for numerous Facebook pages with combined viewership of more than 50,000. She is the president of the American Advertising Federation’s Mobile branch and oversees social media branding for the city of Mobile. She is also a mother, marathoner and dedicated community volunteer.

Heather Houston ’02 Attorney, Carr Allison Houston balances active involvement in the legal community with leadership positions in a number of community engagement organizations including the Spring Hill College Alumni Association (Mobile chapter) and the Junior League of Mobile. She is currently president elect of the Ronald McDonald House Red Shoe Society and is a member of the Ronald McDonald House Board of Directors.

Kaiesha Ford ’10 Software Consultant, Computer Technology Solutions Inc. In addition to her stellar professional career, Ford is a longtime poet, focusing on social issues that affect the black community. She has published two poetry collections and has had a number of individual poems printed in other publications. She is also dedicated to community service, so much so that her sorority created the Kaiesha Ford Foundation Award, encouraging others to “do good.”

www.shc.edu

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alumni news | Class Notes

of South Alabama College of Medicine and is completing a residency in pediatrics at University of Florida’s Shands Hospital.

Mallory Lindsly ’09 completed her master’s degree in organizational communication at Southeastern Louisiana University in August 2013.

Samantha McMillan ’08 is married with a 4-year-old daughter.

She is a secondary supervisor with the emergency dispatch division of the Mobile FireRescue Department. One of her essays will be published in a photography book.

Dr. Graham Sanborn ’09 received his Ph.D. in materials science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. True Merrill ’08 received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Brittany Edwards ’09 and Daniel Leahy were married Jan. 25, 2014, in St. Joseph Chapel.

Luisa Gomez ’09 is working on her master’s in pediatric nutrition at Georgia State University.

Christine Gregg ’09 and Jonathan Baynham ’09 were married in October 2012 in New Orleans, La. She is a virtual classroom coordinator at the National World War II Museum, and he is a teacher at Ursuline Academy.

Dr. Emily Wells ’09 received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in May 2013 from McWhorter School of Pharmacy in Birmingham, Ala. She is completing a one-year pediatric pharmacy residency at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Pensacola, Fla. Upon completion she plans on moving to New Orleans to continue working as a pediatric clinical pharmacist.

Natasha Woodall ’09 completed her master’s degree in education at Northeastern University.

2010s

Allison Hyde ’10 and Sean Brockerstett ’10 were married Nov. 23, 2013, in St. Joseph Chapel.

we want to hear from you!

Please let us know what you’re up to. Email your news and photos to alumni@shc.edu or submit your Class Note online at www.shc.edu/alumni.

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Alyse (Granier) Quinn ’10 joined the founding team of a new creative agency called Emereo Creative, which launched in April in Orlando, Fla. Lindsey Peterson ’10 and Greg Aucoin were married Feb. 22, 2014, in St. Joseph Chapel.

Christine Reinecke ’10 and Bob Smith ’08 were married Nov. 9, 2013, in St. Joseph Chapel.

Allison Symulevich ’10 joined Quarles & Brady LLP in Tampa, Fla., as an associate in the Commercial Litigation Practice Group.

Megan Blanchard ’11 and Patrick Jenkins ’08 were married June 1, 2013, in St. Joseph Chapel.

Mary McCain ’12 is a customer service/personal stylist with DVF.com at Diane Von Furstenberg in New York City.

Devon Clark ’13 and Ben Wattam were married Nov. 16, 2013 in St. Joseph Chapel.

Jessica Pouncy ’13 and Frederick Norfleet Jr. ’12 were married June 14, 2014, in Mobile, Ala.

In Memoriam Jeremiah A. Denton Jr. ’46 John E. Busbee Sr. ’49 Rev. J. Niel Jarreau, S.J. ’49 Gordon Smith III ’49

send us your news and photos at alumni@shc.edu

Thomas R. Averett ’50 John A. Davis ’50 William Durick ’50 Daniel J. Hurley Sr. ’50 H. Joseph Collins Sr. ’51 Felix F. Darby Jr. ’51 John A. Schmidt ’51 Dr. Nicholas A. D’Amato ’53 John Carwie ’54 John H. Nordloh ’54 Rev. Frances V. Rooney, S.J. ’54 H. Eugene Gibbons ’55 John T. Wagner ’55 Alexander Patrick Fox Jr. ’56 Dr. John R. May ’57 John C. Duke Jr. ’58 A. Joseph Oberkirch ’58 Donald J. O’Malley ’58 Paul G. Wells ’58 L. Louis Gianelloni II ’59 Roy B. Livingston ’59 Dr. Marijo O’Connor LeVan ’59 Thomas M. Mingus ’59 I.G Leighton Reeves ’59 Dr. F. Neff Weber ’60 Thomas F. Burke III ’62 Nancy Carroll Stanton ’62 Richard J. Stoltz ’62 Robert P. Viola ’62 Dr. James M. Hill ’64 Constance Cameron Porth ’66 Rev. William R. Stoeger, S.J. ’67 Rev. Donald Hawkins, S.J. ’70 Patrice M. Davis ’78 Christopher A. Bowen ’79 Bertha L. Poindexter ’80 Dempsey L. Lee ’82 Erin McDermott Blader ’98 Rev. Donald Hawkins, S.J. ’70 Hawkins died Dec. 30, 2013, at age 67. He was the former director of campus ministry and rector of the Jesuit community from 1998 to 2001. He had been a Jesuit for 48 years and a priest for 37 years.

Jeremiah A. Denton Jr. ’46 A native of Mobile, Ala., Denton died March 28, 2014, at age 89 in Virginia Beach, Va. He was educated at the McGill Institute, Spring Hill College, and the U.S. Naval Academy. He went on to earn a master’s degree in international relations from George Washington University.

Denton’s naval career was spent largely as an aircraft carrier-based pilot. He was on the front lines of several of the key crises of the Cold War. In July 1965, in another conflict on the other side of the world, Denton’s A-6 Intruder was shot down on a mission while leading a bombing raid of 28 jets over North Vietnam. He was held captive in Hanoi for seven years and seven months, during which he endured repeated and prolonged torture, as well as solitary confinement for four years, two of which were in the notorious prison camp Alcatraz. While a prisoner, he defied his captors’ efforts to use him for propaganda purposes and confirmed to the American government that the POWs were being tortured.

Denton subsequently became commandant of the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Va., and thereafter retired from the Navy in 1977 and to Mobile. Under Rev. Paul Tipton, S.J., Denton served as executive assistant to the president at Spring Hill College from 1977 to 1980. An endowed scholarship was named in Denton’s honor and is still awarded today.

He was elected to the U.S. Senate and served from 1981 to 1987, as the first Republican elected to statewide office in Alabama since Reconstruction. While in the Senate he distinguished himself as a member of the Armed Services and Judiciary Committees, as well as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism. He sponsored legislation known as the Denton Program, which allowed American military aircraft flying training missions to third-world countries to carry surplus humanitarian aid to those countries.

In two of many honors bestowed on Denton for his courage as prisoner of war, the United States Navy awarded him its highest medal, the Navy Cross, and renamed the legendary POW “SERE” survival school in New Brunswick, Maine after him. He was a devout Roman Catholic all of his life and a Knight of Magistral Grace in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

He was married to Jane Maury Denton, also of Mobile, from 1946 until she passed away in November 2007. They had seven children.

He is survived by his second wife, Mary Belle Bordone, his children, and 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

www.shc.edu

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giving

From left, Jeanne Moon, Andrew Boulet ‘80, Terry Schreiber ‘80, Eleanor Akers, Karen Kuers ‘80, Clark Akers, and Eddy Lose ‘80.

Miller-LeJeune Scholars establish Clark and Eleanor Akers Endowed Scholarship Sixteen Miller-LeJeune Scholarship recipients reunited at Homecoming on the Hill, coming from as far away as Bulgaria, Alaska, California, New York and Washington State. Thirteen of those in attendance were from the original 21 scholars selected

by Clark and Eleanor Akers, who established and funded the scholarship from 1976 to 1981.

The Akers, who reside in Nashville, Tenn., have kept in touch with the scholars through the years and looked forward to reuniting with them at Homecoming. Clark Akers said, “We were delighted to see so many of the scholars who came back and were especially pleased that they had been so successful since their graduation.”

Bart Kendrick ’82, a Miller-LeJeune Scholarship recipient and now an orthopedic surgeon in Houston, spearheaded efforts to establish an endowed scholarship in the Akers’ honor. He contacted fellow Miller-LeJeune Scholars, who were happy to pay it forward by contributing to the scholarship. To date, they have raised more than

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Summer 2014

$325,000 in cash and pledges for the Clark and Eleanor Akers Endowed Scholarship.

“Honoring the Akers for their generosity has long been something I wanted to do,” Kendrick said. “As it turns out, pretty much everyone else who received the Miller-LeJeune Scholarship felt the same way. Clark and Eleanor changed our lives and inspired us. What better way to pay tribute to them than to resurrect their scholarship and to change its name to commemorate them!”

The group of alumni surprised the Akers at Homecoming with the announcement of the Clark and Eleanor Akers Endowed Scholarship. “I’m not sure I can find the perfect words to convey the feelings I had that fantastic evening, because they ran very deep,” Mrs. Akers said. “Seeing all of those dear people after so long and hearing about their lives and families was a great joy.”

“The news of giving scholarships in our name was a delightful surprise and completely unexpected,” Clark Akers said. “If what we did some 30-odd years ago has been beneficial to Spring Hill, then to continue it in such a fashion will surely have a more lasting effect. We are flattered to have it go on and pleased to have it named after us.”

Former Alumni Board President Leaves $1.2 Million for Scholarships Although the parameters of the scholarship are still being worked out, Kendrick said, “I anticipate that we will work in tandem with existing scholarships at Spring Hill in order to ‘cast our nets’ as wide as possible to attract outstanding students.” The scholarship will be awarded based on academic merit and extracurricular involvement, and will be applied to the cost of students’ tuition and room and board.

Kendrick added, “The interview process was a unique and important part of the Akers’ original scholarship success, and I hope we can recreate that aspect in some way.”

Mrs. Akers said, “It will give us much pleasure to think about more students of the same caliber as the past ones being at Spring Hill where they will get a wonderful foundation for their lives and at the same time be beneficial to the school and its reputation.”

The Akers expressed their gratitude to all who made the reunion and scholarship possible, including Kendrick, Patrice Baur and Emily Fife.

“We’re also glad to renew ties and friendships at Spring Hill and in Mobile,” Mrs. Akers added. “Thanks to Father Lucey, John Barter, Jim McKinney and all for giving us such a warm welcome.”

To contribute to the Clark and Eleanor Akers Endowed Scholarship, contact Emily Fife, assistant director of development, at (251) 380-2295 or efife@shc.edu.

Margaret Oliver Muir ’71, known by many of her friends as “Moo,” believed wholeheartedly in the importance of scholarships – so much so that the former president of the National Alumni Association Board left the remainder of her estate to Spring Hill College to provide scholarships for deserving students. The trust is now valued at $1.2 million and will benefit the Spring Hill College National Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.

Muir, who died from cancer on April 29, 2003, served as president of the alumni board from 1999 to 2001. During her tenure, she was instrumental in building a significant scholarship endowment through a challenge grant. The board surpassed the $200,000 goal and renamed the fund after her and the mother of her college roommate (Caroline Brown Vella ’71), establishing the Margaret O. Oliver and Mary Brown Scholarship.

Tom Byrne ’82, a certified public accountant in Houston, served on the board with Muir during the late 1990s. He remembers the NAAB Scholarship was under water at the time and looked like a “mistaken endeavor.”

“I think it got down to a single thread and that was Moo Muir,” Byrne said. “She held on to the fact that the NAAB had to have a scholarship to support the mission of the College, and one by one, she wrapped additional supporters around that one thread until we knew it would survive.”

Originally from Jacksonville, Fla., Muir graduated from Spring Hill in 1971 with a degree in language. Following graduation, she lived and traveled in Europe for a few years before settling in Columbia, S.C., where she worked in development at the University of South Carolina.

In 1983, she was recruited as the convention coordinator for Carolina Inn. Two years later, she took a position with Al Walker & Associates, where she was vice president and general manager until her death in 2003. She was deeply committed to her alma mater and became involved as a volunteer in class fundraising projects before being elected to the NAAB. Muir named Spring Hill College as the sole beneficiary in her charitable remainder trust. Her husband, Allen Edward Muir, died Nov. 19, 2013. Upon his death, the trust expired, and Spring Hill became the recipient of the remainder of her estate.

Byrne remembers Muir as a generous spirit who led by example.

“To find out now that Moo has now brought to fruition a charitable remainder trust gift of real impact for the College, so many years after her death, just makes me smile, along with a couple of tears,” he said.

“I remember a beautiful person who taught a lot of us how to love Spring Hill in ways that could really make a difference for the long run, and that is a nice memory indeed.

To learn more about leaving a planned gift to Spring Hill College, or to make a gift to the National Alumni Association Scholarship, contact Rinda Mueller at (251) 380-2285 or Rmueller@shc.edu.

the last word

Overheard The Stories We Tell> by Elizabeth Neal ’14 During Homecoming on the Hill for the last four years, I have attended the Golden Badger Dinner for alumni celebrating their 50th reunion. These alumni love to talk and share their stories. Here are some of their Badger shenanigans over the years.

“My roommate and I had been collecting samples for our insect class at Mirror Lake when we heard something in the trees. We discovered it was a flying squirrel, so we set a trap and caught it. We brought it back to Mobile Hall, and it would fly in figure-eights in our room all day. We were waiting for a friend to come over, so we said “come in” when he heard a knock at the door. Little did we know, it was the disciplinarian walking in, wearing his long robe. The squirrel flew into his robe and continued to circle around him. I looked over at my roommate, who was an R.A., and said, “I’m going to miss you,” thinking we were about to be in big trouble. The disciplinarian started laughing, which made us worry even more. He then told us we could keep the squirrel as long as he could come play with him in the afternoons, which he did for the rest of the semester.”

“Some friends and I drove down Old Shell Road in my old 1950s Ford and decided to steal the ‘moving cow’ sign from the ice cream shop. We put it in the trunk, which wouldn’t close, and drove back to campus. We tried to sneak it in to Mobile Hall from the side doors, but it got stuck. We sneaked off to bed, hoping no one would notice. At 5 a.m., the disciplinarian banged on our doors and made all Mobile Hall residents stand outside, demanding we tell the police who stole the sign or face detention and no dessert for a month. Well, we Badgers stand together, and the administration never did find out it was us.”

Elizabeth Neal ‘14 chats with alumni at the Golden Badger Dinner. A business administration major from Montegut, La., she has worked in Spring Hill’s Office of Advancement all four years of college. She completed three internships while a student, graduated with a 4.0 GPA, and is now working as a financial advisor at Edward Jones.

Photos by Kiva Talty

“A friend had set me up on a blind date with this girl named Mary. Back then, boys weren’t allowed in the girls’ dorms, so the hall monitor called her room to tell her someone was there to take her on a date. This hall monitor was new and didn’t know there were two girls named Mary living there. We went on our date downtown and at the end of the evening I said I was so happy my friend had set us up. She had no idea what I was talking about! She was just flattered I had asked her on a date. I had been on a date with the wrong Mary. We’ve been married for 45 years, now.”

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Spring Hill College Magazine

Summer 2014

A Snowball’s Chance on The Hill “Snowpocalypse 2014” brought snow and ice to Mobile in late January, shutting down the city and the College.

Taking advantage of a few rare snow days, our creative and industrious Badgers used laundry baskets and storage bin lids to sled down the golf course hill.

www.shc.edu

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Mobile, AL 36608-1791 • www.shc.edu

Lessons from Abroad

While studying abroad at the SHC Italy Center this spring, Jose Scheuren ’16 (center) took part in the Morocco social justice tour in the Atlas Mountains.

Scheuren and Saint Louis University student Hannah Wiley are shown interviewing Amale Samie, a journalist and activist whose primary work is building schools for the marginalized Berber community.