DECEMBER 2015
Alumni Gather in Atlanta 5
The Drs. Howard: Life, Love, Legacy 10
America’s Horse: The Best Teachers 16
PARIS, SAN BERNARDINO AND ST. ANDREWS
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Dear Fellow St. Androids:
partied, as well as those I know only through a mention in
I got home from having drinks with a friend tonight, and heard about the San Bernardino shootings. Five minutes later, I was writing a check to St. Andrews. I'd been meaning to do it. I had the funds set aside. I'd received the snappy mailings, and the genuinely sweet phone calls from current students. It was something I already wanted to do. But I hadn't yet made the payment. Because, life.
will be.
deadlines, requirements, things I needed to do for self-care,
Terror. So. Much. Hate. So much to fear, and so much that makes me want to crawl into a hole of withdrawal and self-preservation, and never come out. One thing I gained from St. Andrews, though, is a community that bolsters me in these times. People who are sharing the articles I want to read. Making the points I myself feel. Doing the work, every day, in their jobs, their interactions, and their family life that I know, bit by bit, is helping to balance out all this awfulness. Even if it's only ence. I count on my St. Andrews community for this injection of hope. I get it from those with whom I lived and
I wrote that check, on a night when I feel like I can't do ANYTHING to save the world from its own atrocities, because if I am certain of nothing else, I know I want future young people to have the same opportunity to form the inspiring community that I now enjoy. Because, frankly, I don't know where else they'll get it. It's so easy these days to shut down, defriend, block those who disagree with us, retreat. But at St. Andrews I learned how to respect people who disagreed with me. I learned to listen. To share my story and be open to those who found it lacking. I gained connection within diverse dialogue, and friendship even in the midst of disagreement. In a time like this, when I feel like I can't do anything at least I can write a check. One thing I've learned as an Alumni Council member is that alumni giving is essential to our school's survival. It absolutely, unequivocally does not matter the dollars a month. One hundred dollars a year. More, of course, helps, but the main thing to know is that grant-givers (people with real money) look at alumni participation, and if the numbers are low, they turn away. Move on to another school who has more enthusiastic former students. But I do not know any other school in the country who has bond together, enjoy each other, support each other (even across graduation classes, or over long gaps of silence) is unparalleled. People who have gone to other schools notice this. Comment on it. We are, as alumni, united in a way that many, many other places will never be. Which is why it makes me sad that we also collectively fail to unite around the place that brought us together Look, I know change may not happen within systems. It may not even happen with money. But I do still believe that it can happen individual by individual, which is why I wrote that check tonight. Because if I can assist one single student in getting an honest to God, rigorous liberal or she will never --no matter time, nor distance-- be separated, then maybe I've helped combat the soul-crushing horror we witness in the news every day. Because another thing I learned at St. Andrews was that it's important to stand up for the causes you believe in most. In solidarity and hope, your fellow St. Android,
Terra Elan McVoy
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‘96
Author, Bookseller, Writing Instructor http://terraelan.com @TerraMcVoy
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Student Decides Career After Internship
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Isabelle Sullivan, a junior at St. Andrews, interned recently at Amherst Country Club in New Hampshire. She delivered a presentation to a freshman business class on campus explaining how the internship helped solidify her career path. “I have recently been struggling with whether I wanted to become a golf coach, enter a more in-depth managerial position in the golf industry, or work in corporate golf. My internship helped me realize that I would be most suited working in corporate golf,” revealed Sullivan. While working at the Country Club, Sullivan booked tee times, sold merchandise, worked as a camp counselor, and tackled a new accounting system in the Pro Shop. Being young, her co-workers assumed that Sullivan could handle the new computer system, and although it was one of her greatest challenges, she handled it. Sullivan also had a hand in the marketing side of the business creating advertisements and other promotional materials. She was delighted when customers brought in her advertisements for discounts to play a round of golf.
Once a golfer had a bad experience and Sullivan had to resolve the situation. She convinced the golfer to give Amherst another try which he did. He could not stop complimenting how Sullivan had rectified his bad experience. To Sullivan, this customer’s appreciation “made all of the work worthwhile.” Most people do not write in calligraphy anymore, but Sullivan had to learn this summer so she could properly create a scoreboard. Calligraphic scoreboards in golf are a fading tradition, but one a student seeking a professional career must learn. From this experience, Sullivan concluded, “I appreciate much more now what goes into a tournament.” Sullivan was a transfer student from Northern New Mexico College. She came to St. Andrews to play golf but has gained much more through her classes and internship. To any student, Sullivan advises, “don’t hesitate.” “Whether you have a good or bad experience, you will learn so much about yourself and what your future could be,” added Sullivan. “It was one of the smartest things I have done.”
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sa.edu DECEMBER 2015
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New Dean of Enrollment Management Hired
“Dawn is a great addition to the St. Andrews community. She brings a wealth of experience in successful enrollment management at several different colleges and universities. She’s a strong and creative higher education leader, and I’m confident she will make a significant difference in growing our enrollment at St. Andrews,” Campus President Paul Baldasare said. With more than 20 years of experience working in higher education, Medley spent most of those years directly involved in student recruitment, marketing and financial aid. Prior to coming to St. Andrews, she was VP for Enrollment and Marketing at Warren Wilson College, where Medley’s daughter Ellie is currently a junior. Before
Warren Wilson College, Medley worked at Missouri Valley College, the University of Arkansas, and Southeast Missouri State University. She got her start in Admissions and Financial Aid at Missouri S&T. Medley received her bachelor’s degree in English Education from the University of Missouri and her master’s degree in Administration from Southeast Missouri State University. She just recently completed her Education Specialist degree in higher education leadership from Lindenwood University. Medley is “excited to be a part of the St. Andrews community.” She hopes that her partner, Troy Wymore, will join her in North Carolina in the next few months. Currently he is a Computational
Biochemist at the Oakridge National Lab in Tennessee. “I appreciate the commitment to student success and the importance of a Liberal Arts education at St. Andrews,” Medley said, “and look forward to working with all of the faculty and staff on campus.”
CELEBRATING CLASSES OF ‘56 | ’61 | ‘66 | ’71 | ‘76 | ’81 | ‘86 | ’91 | ‘96 | ’01 | ’06
Alumni Weekend at St. Andrews April 15 - 17, 2016
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Alumni Get Together in Atlanta
St. Andrews alumni met up late one Sunday afternoon in October at the home of Corinne and Bruce Taylor ’74. As is typical for any Android gathering, new friendships and connections were made, and some faces we hadn’t seen for a while appeared! It’s always great to be in Atlanta where our alumni base is large. It was also fun to meet the Taylors’ puppies, Myrtle and Ernest!
Larisa Blair Foster ‘99 and Donna Sammander ‘98
Mackay Asbury ’75, Larry Hardman ’76, Bruce Taylor ’74 and Paul Baldasare ‘77
Steve Fox ’79 and Susan Mann ‘77
L – R Laurie Shock, Anne Tommins Blankinship ’76 and Billy Howard ‘77
Peter Hawkins ‘75, Suzanne Denham Mason ‘72 and Mardi Kutack Mountford ‘73
DECEMBER 2015
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ALUMNI COUN Alumni Council Announces Distinguished Alumni and Merit Awardees
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When the Alumni Council gets together on the St. Andrews campus, ideas flow easily, conversation flourishes and new and old friendships thrive. The Council is an amazing group of committed alumni which meets twice a year and works with the Development, Communications and Admissions offices at St. Andrews. Alumni Council members also help to plan regional events and are great volunteers at Alumni Weekend. At its October meeting, Council members voted to give Jed Koball ’95 the Distinguished Alumni Award at during Alumni Weekend 2016. Jed, a mission Co-Worker at Presbyterian World Mission, lives in
Jed Koball ‘95 Distinguished Alumni Award 6
St. Andrews by the Lake Alumni Magazine
Lima, Peru with his wife Jenny Valles Koball. The two will be stateside in April to visit church congregations and organizations in the U.S., and we are excited to share some time with them here at SA. Long-time professor Dr. Larry Schulz will receive the Distinguished Merit Award at Alumni Weekend next April 15. Larry’s wife Sue Schulz is an alumna of the St. Andrews Class of 1966, and will be celebrating her 50th reunion then, too. The Communications Committee, chaired by Gary Brazzell ’93, has been integral in assisting Communications Director Misty McMillan in using the
Dr. Larry Shulz Distinguished Merit Award
NCIL MEETING Photos by Misty McMillan
power of various social media, and researching our website’s effectiveness. The Committee has funded an account for advertising St. Andrews, in addition to giving to the Annual Fund. We particularly want to thank Michael McOwen ‘79 and Chris Siefken ‘04, along with Gary, who spent a day on campus meeting with both Misty and Dawn Medley, our new Dean of Enrollment. Are you interested in being a part of your Alumni Council? Fill out the form located here on the www.sa.edu website.
Next Alumni Council Weekend is February 19 & 20 DECEMBER 2015
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In celebration of his bicycle ride across the United States (San Diego to St. Augustine) 10 years ago, Jim Mustante rode his bicycle from Santa Monica to Chicago on the Mother Road, Route 66, last summer. It was a great adventure.
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Kim Becknell Williams donated a copy of her book, Gym Etiquette 101, to the Library.
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DeLanie Boney Fant Goldston FMC generously honored two of her classmates with a memorial gift to purchase new books for DeTamble Library. New titles in history and religion honor the life of Phyllis Leggett Jacobs (teacher, guidance counselor, lay minister), and five new science and medicine titles honor Dr. Jane Carswell Roberts (National Family Practice Doctor of the Year). Weeks Parker, of Fayetteville and PJC alum, helps fill up our small collection of PJC memorabilia with his donations. Recently he shared a story, “Our Campus Radio Station,” about the extraordinary efforts made during his freshman year constructing the studio and running remote lines to the library during an electrical storm (with Bill Stevens). Another story details how President LaMotte was locked inside the station after making an announcement. After graduation, Weeks later directed the PJC Band in the 1950s.
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John Craig continues to document The Laurin burgh Ball Confederation. Recent donations include the 45th Season Autumn issue of Rundy’s Journal & Confederation Courier Spring - Fields 2015.
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Todd Davis spent a month on his motorcycle riding the Natchez Trace Parkway down Mississippi and meandered down the Gulf Coast and across Florida to St. Augustine. The trip became a veritable tour of the Civil Rights movement in the South.
Hall and Elisa71 Henry beth Hane Hall have 72 retired with a collective 76 years between them as librarians.
They both held National Board teaching certification and saw that working with students in public education was their calling.
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Stevie Daniels donated a collage photo print of Robert Creeley by Tony Ridings ‘77, along with other items from The Black Mountain Festival 1974-75.
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Caitlin Johnson gave the Library copies of her new book of poetry, Boomerang Girl.
The Archives - Donate, Visit, and Reminisce! The Archives Room is located on the first floor of DeTamble Library. We continue to collect and preserve historical items from Flora Macdonald College, Presbyterian Junior College, and St. Andrews. Consider donating your photographs and memorabilia from those special college days. We have everything from teacups to dance cards, laundry bills to athletic letters, and recital programs to scrapbooks. Your personal items bring history to life – the clubs, sports, parties, classes, faculty, and friendships. Come spend time in the Archives! Attention: Mary McDonald Send your college “stuff” to:
DeTamble Library St. Andrews University 1700 Dogwood Mile Laurinburg NC 28352
SAU Calendar
For a complete list of events visit www.sa.edu/events
December 3-10, 2015 Fall Senior Art Show featuring works by Edwin Mwangi
February 19-20, 2016 Alumni Council Meeting at St. Andrews.
February 20, 2016 KNIGHT Life Day (Admitted Students Open House)
March 19, 2016 Spring General Open House
March 25, 2016 Good Friday- University Closed
April 15-17, 2016 Alumni Weekend at St. Andrews: Save the date!
January 17, 2016 Rebecca Harvard Barnes and the Alumni Council host a Durham Alumni Get-Togehter at the home of Jane Wettach and Paul Baldasare ‘77.
January 18, 2016 MLK Day of Service and Program at 6 PM - Avinger.
February 27, 2016 Spring Break Begins
March 3, 2016
May 6, 2016
Fortner/Ragan Award Ceremony
Baccalaureate
May 7, 2016
March 12, 2016 Science Olympiad Competition
Commencement
Don’t miss out!
Psycho Beach Party Takes the Stage
On November 20, Morgan Theatre came to life (and almost death) in this funny flashback to the sixties. With a cast of only two regular theater students many hidden talents surfaced. While catching waves and a whole lot of crazy from the leading lady, the cast survives the summer! We’re looking forward to the spring! DECEMBER 2015
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The Drs.
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It was a wintry day at St. Andrews, the kind that kept most everyone indoors. But instead of clinging to creature comforts, Dr. George Howard ’73 decided to ask his friend Ginny Jackson ‘75 if she wanted to go sailing in Lake Ansley Moore. In the 1970s, the St. Andrews community brought boats to campus, stored them in front of LA and Granville, and went sailing. While George had been sailing since he was 3 years old, this sailing trip would be Ginny’s first. Sailing, according to George, was always “a great way to chat.” Up until George’s proposition, Ginny considered conversation to be enhanced by sitting in the dining hall. “I used to go from the opening to close so I could see everyone. That is where I learned to drink coffee.” Even after forty years of marriage—a nationally acclaimed career as scientists, and parents to three children (who are all scientists!)—George and Ginny are powerful actors in the middle of a scientific quest that has made a difference in the fight to better understand, prevent, and treat stroke. As we conversed during their recent visit to campus, their love for each other and their work is palpable. One gains strength from the other. And yes, they do finish each other’s stories. Sailing together—in a wind that always chang-
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es—prepared them for the many challenges they have faced. After St. Andrews, Ginny and George attained Ph.D. degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill while working at Wake Forest University. After their first child was born, they shared an academic position—something few people did forty years ago— in order to attain some sense of work/life balance and to attain their Ph.D. In 1999, they left Wake Forest for faculty appointments at University of Alabama at Birmingham in the School of Public Health. Soon after their arrival at UAB, they applied for and received financial support from the National Institute of Health for a national study on strokes, the REGARDS Study. The Howards stake in stroke research has always been more than professional, with family members who have suffered its devastating effects. George grew up in Tarboro, in a county that remains in the top ten nation-wide for stroke. Nationally, there has always been a disturbing disparity between whites and African Americans with regard to stroke. At age 45, blacks are 3 times more likely to have a stroke. While the Howards were planning to launch a national study with diverse research participants, they did not want to lose sight of this specific racial disparity.
“Dealing with variety everyday is different. The wind changes.”
St. Andrews by the Lake Alumni Magazine
Howard
BY Julia Scatliff O’Grady
Photos by Rooney Coffman
Life, Love, Legacy
REGARDS has a cohort of 30,000 participants who were all enrolled from 2003-2007, a study large enough really to be considered a medium size city. They send out a newsletter to educate this community about the study. The study employs a staff of 100 people and operates on a $28 million budget (over five years). There are participants in nearly 2/3 of all counties throughout the U.S. George describes the participants as “free range” adults, between the ages of 45-98, meaning they exclude anyone on a waiting list for a nursing home. The staff calls each research participant twice a year, sends out reminder letters, and a $30 dollar check per annum for their participation. While researchers had “death data,” there was little information on participants across the span of a lifetime. Researchers in effect were waiting for people to die. “You cannot fix a problem unless you understand it,” George said. As they developed logic and protocols for the REGARDS Study, they looked to other research paradigms. They pored over the Framingham Study, a cardiovascular study now in its third generation of research participants, where one town and many of its residents provided data on heart disease. In another study, three eighteen wheelers served as a mobile clinic for research. Still other studies examined the health of doctors and nurses. While these studies were critical to the Howards’ analysis, they sought another approach,
one that would be national in scope without the need to travel all over the U.S. They partnered with Genesis Equifax, a credit bureau that could provide a national random sampling of adults for their study. For the REGARDS Study, the Howards sent this national random sampling a letter saying they would call in a couple weeks. After the calls, 30% said yes. “Can you imagine a cold call from us?” George asked, where you were informed that you would have to “lift up your blouse and do an ECG” as a research participant. Then, they partnered with a life insurance company who sent nurses to each home. While the nurses took height and weight measurements and drew blood, the Howards were most interested in the medicine cabinet of each research participant, as self-reports were often incomplete. After the home visit, the REGARDS staff calls each research participant every six months. In order to follow up on medical histories, they ask about hospitalizations and stroke symptoms. Sometimes an ECG will reveal an asymptomatic medical problem. They have also had to track cognitive function without being there in person. In addition to maintaining current medical statistics of the research participants, there has also been the challenge of storing medical specimens and studies. REGARDS farms out the records to other facilities all DECEMBER 2015
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Photograph from 1971 Yearbook
Continued from Page 11 over the country. For example, ECGs are sent to Wake Forest. Blood and urine go to the Freezer Barn, a metal storage facility at the University of Vermont. The REGARDS Study has inspired cutting edge research. Ginny has authored 200 studies with George at 400 papers. The REGARDS Study has not only been generative for the Howards but for many other researchers, generating more than 50 papers a year. “We love to share,” Ginny said, with their data now used by 44 other ancillary studies, such as a study by NASA on air pollution, cardiovascular, and kidney research. While the scientific aspects of REGARDS have brought national recognition, the Howards are moved by the human interaction with the research participants. They receive cards from participants thanking them for being included in the research. Participants have even asked to donate their bodies to the study. The Howards, of course, refer participants to a medical school. Despite all of their success and national acclaim, perhaps the most telling achievement of all is that all three Howard children are in the business of science, with one in Epidemiology and two biostatisticians. “They said, ‘We looked at you and you were having such a good time,’ and we are,” George boasts.
View More about the Howard’s on Facebook. Videos, Stories and Photos
Goose Launch
If you’ve been on campus, you know the gaggle of geese that occupy our grounds and lake. We have three geese that are on a mission to visit the alumni of the St. Andrews Department of Natural and Life Sciences, Gus, Honks and
y Loos
Gus
Loosy. Honks was ‘launched’ by the Drs. Howard during a recent campus visit. If you receive one of our geese, please take a selfie and post it on the Science Homecoming page, then mail it on to another alumni. Wherever Gus, Honks or Loosy land by April 1, mail them back to Rooney Coffman at 1700 Dogwood Mile, Laurinburg, NC 28352 so they can join in St Andrews Science Homecoming on Saturday, April 16, 2016. Follow the journey… #gooselaunch.
Honks
1. Receive a goose 2. Take a selfie 3. Post on Science Homecoming Facebook 4. Mail to another Alumni 5. On April 1, mail back to
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St. Andrews by the Lake Alumni Magazine
Rooney Coffman
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Photos by Misty McMillan
St. Andrews Thanks Local Donors TOWER CLUB Co-Chairs Bear and Becca Hughes
On Thursday, October 29, St. Andrews hosted a reception for Tower Club members, an annual event for donors who give $1,000 or more to the St. Andrews Annual Fund. Special recognition was also given to the Laurinburg Area Campaign volunteer leadership who raised $511,676 for St. Andrews from the local community during the 2014-2015 academic year. Bear and Becca Hughes, co-chairs of the Laurinburg Area Campaign, credit this accomplishment to the key volunteers, Susan Covington, Wayne and Debbie Hobbs, Jackie Covington, Ken Nichols, Alan McLaurin, Ann Todd, Alan Dodson, Hewitt Fulton and Joe Fulton. “We got out of the way and cheered them on while they did the work. That’s why it was successful,” Mrs. Hughes said. The 60 Tower Club members in attendance enjoyed hors d'oeuvres in the Main Belk Room to background music by Sean Moore, professor of music at St. Andrews, and a beautiful sunset overlooking the lake and bell tower.
According to Mr. Hughes, the individuals at the Tower Club reception “are not spectators but participators. We are doers and we get things done.” Approximately 245 donors participated in the Laurinburg Area Campaign. The monies raised go toward the St. Andrews Annual Fund which affects every corner of the campus. The fund benefits students with financial aid and scholarships, campus improvements, faculty and staff support as well as new technology upgrades. Campus President Paul Baldasare also thanked those in attendance and reminded them that tuition, room and board only covers 80% of the cost of educating a student, leaving 20% that must come from fundraising efforts. He then presented the Hughes’ with an honorary St. Andrews chair with an engraved plaque acknowledging their leadership in the successful Laurinburg Area Campaign. “It’s a well-oiled machine,” said Mrs. Hughes. “So many people in our community know the importance of giving and do it year after year.”
Dr. Bill Alexander and Angel and Clifton Buie
Wayne Hobbs ‘71 and Larry Horne
Elizabeth Cooley and Kim Faulkenberry DECEMBER 2015
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BY Julia Scatliff O’Grady
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I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay Watchin' the tide roll away, ooh I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay Wastin' time - Otis Redding, 1967
When “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” hit the top of the U.S. pop charts, St. Andrews Presbyterian College was in its infancy. In this catchy song, Otis Redding sings of the healing powers of the surf. While many in the St. Andrews community can sing this song, far fewer may realize that we too have a bay about a ten-minute walk from campus. The bay near campus has neither dock nor tide. Instead, it is an elliptical depression in the ground. This geological formation is present not only in Laurinburg but also from Maryland to Georgia in the coastal plain. Scientists conjecture that bays were the result of geological forces in the earth or an astronomical event. They
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St. Andrews by the Lake Alumni Magazine
serve as protection from the flooding associated with torrential downpours. The Carolina bay near campus is a valuable reservoir known for its unique flora and fauna. Tracy Feldman, Assistant Professor of Biology at St. Andrews, brings his students to the Carolina bay to observe this “living laboratory.” Standing in the bay, they hear calls of the red-bellied woodpecker and the northern bobwhite quail, surrounded by the color of sunflowers and morning glories. The buckeye and checkered butterflies flit all around the bay. While visitors to the bay can count on an experience with birds, plants and insects, they may also
Elliptical impression: Carolina Bay
Photos by Misty McMillan
encounter a great range of amphibians, including spade-foot toads, who mostly live underground until they come above the ground’s surface during a fierce rainstorm. One of Feldman’s classes was lucky enough to see a whole bevy of toads while touring the bay. To my eye, our bay looks as if it was the imprint from a U.F.O. landing. You can decide for yourself when you walk past Morgan-Jones Science Building and follow the path up into the woods. Turn right at the soybean field and walk five-minutes to reach the bay. While Dr. Feldman is hopeful that you too will appreciate the wonder of the bay, he asks that we keep to the path and tread lightly. When it comes to nature, Feldman said, “We can love places to death.”
DECEMBER 2015
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The Best
Teachers Photo by Rooney Coffman
Our equestrian program treasures its seasoned veterans. By Katie Mosca ‘15
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“Good horses are your best teachers,” says Carla Wennberg. “I don’t care what discipline you ride, it is always good horses who teach us feel, and it is always good horses who teach us to love riding.” Wennberg, who coaches St. Andrews Intercollegiate Horse Show Association western team, recently added two remarkable horses to her program in Laurinburg, N.C. These aged horses, who still excel at their jobs, are perfect examples of what Wennberg considers to be good horses. “We put so much emphasis on the young prospects, and it is always exciting to dream,” Carla says. “But the horses that have done their job year after year and stay sound mentally and physically, they
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truly are special.” Wennberg is the 2008 AQHA Professional Horsewoman of the Year and a judge for AQHA and the National Reining Horse and National Snaffle Bit associations. The two oldies-but-goodies she wants to recognize are Larks Pistol Packer, aka “Lori,” and Zans Naughty Pine, aka “Vinnie.” Lori is a daughter of American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame member and two-time AQHA Superhorse Rugged Lark and, at age 20, she is still going strong after a career as a reining and roping show horse, lesson horse and broodmare. She was donated to the St. Andrews program by AQHA Professional Horsewoman and multicard judge Debra Jones-Wright.
Even at her age and with a lack of consistent work for the past three years while she was a broodmare, Lori was a quick read and effortlessly stepped up as a useful reining and horsemanship horse for the show team. Years ago, Jones-Wright had acquired the mare for an amateur exhibitor who wanted a Rugged Lark-bred mare. She had been started, trained and shown by Ron Emmons, and then was used by Jones-Wright for reining and horsemanship lessons, as well as heading horse. “My admiration for the mare,” Jones-Wright explains, “was that you could do any event, and she would try to be happy doing anything you asked of her.”
After a terrible car accident made Lori’s current owner no longer able to ride, the mare remained in Debra’s program as a lesson horse and then produced three foals as a broodmare. She came out of retirement when she was donated to the St. Andrews equestrian program. “I knew she would work for Carla since I used her for my program as a lesson horse,” Jones-Wright says. And she was confident about sending the horse to St. Andrews, “as I know the care for their horses is of the utmost quality.” “Eighteen-year-old Zans Naughty Pine, aka ”Vinnie,” is another example of a horse who has been an excellent asset to the St. Andrews program. Vinnie is kindly leased to the program by his owner, Kara Copeland, who is a senior at st. Andrews. She showed him for seven years and was new to reining when she started riding Vinnie. He was a good teacher due to his natural talent and focused his mind, and as Copeland developed as a rider, they both performed better in the show pen. They were champions in Copeland’s final year as a youth
competitor in the Western Slope Reining Horse Association. “My favorite part about Vinnie is his alluring personality,” Copeland says. “Everywhere he goes, he attracts attention.” “Vinnie truly enjoys his job and going to work,” Copeland says. “He would rather not have any days off!” He has proven to be an excellent draw for IHSA competitions, due to what Copeland describes as his “ability to adapt to different riders.” “He gives every rider the opportunity for a big reward.” Age might make horses more consistent mentally, but the wear of performing for years, especially in reining, can often lead to lameness issues. But both Vinnie and Lori are sound - in body and mind. A lot can be said about how they are schooled and worked. In the St. Andrews program, Wennberg is adamant about the proper care of all her horses. Being a school program, her horses have to work in lessons and in practices for the competitive team. They must be fully warmed up before each lesson or practice. When the reining horses are worked or warmed up for competition, each maneuver is schooled, but the horse is always considered, and if he is working right, schooling ends. Wennberg emphasizes to her students that running a horse off his feet or overworking him will cripple him.
The reason Lori and Vinnie came to the program as great horses is because of how they were kept up and worked throughout their lives. Jones-Wright says that her management and care methods ensure that there is a balance of turnout and that her horses are fit enough to do their jobs. It is important to her to keep horses physically and mentally able to do their jobs, so they want to keep doing their job over many years. Jones-Wright and Wennberg share a similar philosophy on horse management and training. “We want to teach students to enjoy the love of the horse,” Jones-Wright says. “Horses can be so good for so long, and if you aren’t going to put in the effort to take care of them, then you are selling them short, especially since they do so much for us.” As a recent graduate of St. Andrews, I was fortunate to ride both of these horses and compete on them in IHSA competition. It was great getting on well-trained horses, as they helped me learn how to correctly ask for each maneuvers. In the show pen, I felt confident to perform the pattern because I fully trusted the second mind working along with me. It can be hard to come by god horses, but through donations from professionals and amateurs alike, it is possible for college programs to have amazing horses like Lori and Vinnie. St. Andrews is honored to give them some respect and recognition.
Author Katie Mosca graduated this year and won the team reining class at the 2015 IHSA semi-finals on board Zans Naughty Pine, aka “Mr. Personality.” Her article was published in the November Issue of “America’s Horse.” Her favorite part of St. Andrews was learning from Carla Wennberg and the enthusiasm and support of the faculty. Mosca promotes,“St. Andrews might be a small college, but it has an original personality with a big heart for all of its students.” DECEMBER 2015
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Athletes Give Back Lacrosse: The Men’s Lacrosse Team taught kindergarteners at Covington Street School how to play lacrosse. Student teacher Kristen Farley set up the event. “They did such a great job with the children, all 20 of them!” The athletes helping were Zach Bradley, Cam Richter, John Copeland, Tommy Jennings and Jason Lattof.
Track and Field: Knights meet Dragons! The St. Andrews Track and Field team participated in community service by practicing with the Running Club at Marlboro Academy. Coach Cason said, they had a fun time and gave away some cool prizes to the winners!
Photos submitted
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St. Andrews by the Lake Alumni Magazine
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“I only had my license for six months and I drove from Lumberton to California to be with my husband during his training. I’d do it again if I had to. You do what you have to do to be together,” said Janice McLean referring to her husband, Leon McLean. McLean was stationed in Germany for three years and said it was the “best job of my life.” Behind many of the veterans at the ceremony, organized by St. Andrews students, stood their wives. Proud. Thankful. Reminiscent. “I’m so glad to have heroes in my neighborhood,” beamed Pinny Geffert. Motivated by the role veterans have played in their lives, three students planned the ceremony at Scotia Village on Tuesday, November 10. Stuart Marshall, J.D. Smith, and veteran-student Thomas Nelson offered stories of their own, music, and gifts to the veterans in attendance. One veteran, Dr. Wingate Williamson, a retired dentist from Hamlet, was “impressed with the
Photos by Misty McMillan
Students Celebrate with Scotia Veterans
young students,” not realizing he was much more impressive to them. Wide-eyed students listened as he told of a time during WWII while stationed in Okinawa he was climbing a fruit tree when “many armed Japanese soldiers walked right by me. I thought for sure they would kill me but somehow they just walked on by. I thanked God for that,” told Williamson. Being reignited from the ceremony, Smith confessed, “I have grown up around military and their service along with others has led me to want to serve. I plan on joining the military after I complete my time at St. Andrews.” In addition to planning the ceremony these students also formed a donation campaign supporting Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and The Mission Continues. For more information contact marshallsh@sa.edu.
The McLean’s
DECEMBER 2015
19
In Memoriam Betty Lou McKenzie Rohlader ‘49 died on June 13, 2015. Linda Clark Raattama ‘66 died on October 16, 2015 in San Marco Island, FL. Joseph J. Esposito ‘93 died on August 19, 2015.
St. Andrews by the Lake is a publication of the Alumni and Communications Offices of St. Andrews. We welcome your feedback and ideas for future issues. To contact the Alumni Office, call Ellen Thompson at 910-277-5665 or email thompsonje@sa.edu.
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