'Southern Magazine_Spring 2010

Southern

’

A Publication for Alumni and Friends

Spring 2010 Volume 36, Number 1

Ten n T Ten 10 reasons to visit the Hilltop in 2010

BSC

Birmingham-Southern College

Editor’s Note Dear ’Southern readers, Please allow me to yield my space this issue to the words of alumna April Burton Acosta, who recently sent the following, unsolicited e-mail to her alma mater. April has graciously allowed me to share with you her timely and heartfelt message that so perfectly captures the spirit and purpose of Birmingham-Southern and serves as a reminder of the doors that the college opens so that so many can be difference-makers in our world.

Bill Wagnon Vice President for Communications

Dear BSC, I just received a phone call from a Birmingham-Southern student in regards to giving to the scholarship fund. She explained that without scholarships, she would be unable to attend BSC. I must admit, I have not been loyal in giving back. After speaking to this sweet girl, I gave a pledge and sat back to reflect on scholarships at BSC. I graduated from BSC in 2001. It was a goal that I thought I would never attain, and let me explain why.

In 1996, I was a high school senior and planning to attend the University of Alabama on scholarship.

I attended senior day at BSC just to have a look around. When I drove onto campus, I knew that BSC was different. I was in awe of the campus and the people. I loved that the teacher-to-student ratio was low. When I left, I knew that BSC was where I wanted to be. When I spoke to my high school counselor the next day, I explained that BSC was the best college in the world and that was where I was going. She looked at me from across the desk and said, “I don’t think that is the best school for you.

I know your financial situation and your parents can’t afford to send you there.” She told me to get back to reality and be happy that I had a scholarship to Alabama. I explained that I was a hard worker and my grades were great, and I knew that BSC would give me a scholarship too. She said that while my grades were great, it would not compare to the exceptional students at BSC. She also said that even with a partial scholarship, I would still be unable to afford it. I left her office in tears.

Acosta

Weeks went by and I heard of another senior event at BSC. I decided to attend, but knew in the back of my mind that it was out of reach. At this event, I was able to speak to the Financial Aid Department. I explained my situation to a woman named Carolyn who told me of scholarships that I was eligible for and ways that I could make money through working on campus.

I explained to her what my school counselor had told me. She said that if I worked hard and kept my grades up, BSC would work with me and assist me financially. She told me I would make a great addition to BSC. I knew when I walked out of the door that I could do anything I set my mind to. After I became a BSC student, I would see Carolyn around campus and she would tell me about other scholarships for which I was now eligible. By my senior year at BSC, I was almost on full scholarship. The thing about BSC is, if you want to go there, they will find a way!

I graduated in 2001. It was one of the proudest moments in my life. The opportunities that were given to me through the college are priceless. After BSC, I decided to go on to nursing school. I became the administrator for all the Alabama agencies of Intrepid Home Health in 2008. In May of 2009, I decided to open my own business. Many people told me a new business would never be successful in this economy. I once again knew if I worked hard and gave it my all, I could succeed at anything. The faculty and staff at BSC instilled this attitude in me. I opened Range of Motion Inc., a contract physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy business. I finished my first year with $500,000 in revenue.

I would like to thank the people at BSC for giving me an opportunity and an education. I write this letter today with tears in my eyes. I can’t thank you enough. I promise to give back to BSC so that others can have the opportunity that I had. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Sincerely yours, April Burton Acosta ’01, RN Owner, Range of Motion Inc. ‘southern

USPS 087-600 Dr. G. David Pollick, President C. Dowd Ritter, Chair, Board of Trustees ’Southern magazine is published three times a year in spring, summer, and fall by the Office of Alumni Affairs and the Office of Communications at Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, Alabama 35254.

Non-profit postage paid at Birmingham, AL Permit No. 2575. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Alumni Affairs, BirminghamSouthern College, 900 Arkadelphia Road, Box 549003, Birmingham, AL 35254; telephone 205/226-4909; or access at www.bsc.edu/alumni. ©2010 Birmingham-Southern College.

Editorial Offices: 15 Stockham Building 900 Arkadelphia Road Box 549004 Birmingham, AL 35254 Phone: 205/226-4921 Fax: 205/226-4931 E-mail: bwagnon@bsc.edu Editor: Bill Wagnon, Vice President for Communications Managing Editor: Pat Cole, Communications Specialist Art Director: Tracy Thomas ’92, Associate Director for Communications— Publications Contributing Writers: April Burton Acosta ’01 Larissa Borges, Visiting Instructor of Portuguese Martha Boshers, Director of Gift Planning and Policy Chris Wenning Byrum ’86, Director of Communications Pat Cole, Communications Specialist Sarah Erreca, Director of Sports Information Carol Cook Hagood ’70, Communications Specialist Linda Hallmark, Communications Specialist Lisa Harrison MPPM ’85, Director of Alumni Affairs Michael Nienaber, Assistant Director of Sports Information Bill Wagnon, Vice President for Communications Photography: Susan Anderson Wynter Byrd Chris Byrum Brandon Gresham Emily Harper Nik Layman Matthew Mielke

Jimmy Mitchell Rebecca Renfroe Brandon Robbins Richard Rush Mallie Searcy ’07 Brett Whitesell Submitted Photos

Inside’Southern ’Southern magazine / Spring 2010 / Volume 36, Number 1

A Publication for Alumni and Friends

BSC Departments 2

Destiny:Delivered

7

Community News

12

Faculty News

16

Student News

40

Alumni Affairs

45

Philanthropy

48

Athletics

52

ClassNotes

69

’Southern Voices

Features 20

10 reasons to visit the campus in 2010

On the Cover

www.bsc.edu Send news of alumni weddings, births, deaths, and other ClassNotes material to Carol Cook Hagood at chagood@bsc.edu or 205/226-4913.

Birmingham-Southern’s gorgeous new Urban Environmental Park is but one of many reasons to visit the campus this year. Our feature story, beginning on page 20, shares 10 reasons to return to the Hilltop in 2010. spring 2010

NEW DONOR-FUNDED PARK DEDICATED THANKS TO

Destiny:

program, including the new park, was a priority of Phase I of the campaign.

The area just west of the current Cutting the ribbon to dedicate the Urban Environmental Park are (from left) Lane Estes, BSC vice president for administration, Joe Nelson from The Nelson Team, BSC SGA President Will Breland, BSC Trustee James T. Stephens, residence hall quad (on the site where the old Fraternity Row BSC President David Pollick, Steve Sproles from the architectural firm of Derck & Edson, Joe Craft from the general once stood) also includes an contractor JohnsonKreis, and Jason Cooper, BSC director of landscape services. amphitheatre, fountains, a walking/ jogging path, bridges, and Wi-Fi Internet among other amenities. The alling it the new cornerstone of one of the most beautiful new under-construction residence halls will overlook the park once campuses in the nation, BSC President David Pollick, along completed by fall 2010. with more than 200 Birmingham-Southern alumni and friends, “With all of the beauty on our Hilltop campus and all of our officially dedicated the college’s new Urban Environmental Park Nov. 7 outstanding facilities, much of the campus life of our students existed during Homecoming/Reunion Weekend. between the residence halls and academic buildings—and back The park was completely funded through gifts from alumni, again,” Pollick told those gathered on the park lawn. “There has never friends, and foundations to Phase I of the college’s Destiny: Delivered been a place where our students could get away from the routine of comprehensive campaign. college life to think, to talk, to study, to eat, to play, to rest. That is Complete with 1.5-acre lake, rain gardens, and a vernal pond, the until now.”

Urban Environmental Park serves as a living laboratory with hands-on Student Government Association President Will Breland also learning opportunities for students in the new Urban Environmental participated in the ceremony, reading several enthusiastic comments Studies major at BSC. Support for the Urban Environmental Studies

C

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Delivered gifts

IN TRIBUTE The following individuals and foundations provided financial support to the Urban Environmental Park.

Joseph S. Bruno Charitable Foundation The Daniel Foundation of Alabama Estate of Virginia Goodwin Mr. and Mrs. William C. Hulsey Hugh Kaul Foundation Ms. Margaret R. Monaghan Mr. and Mrs. James T. Stephens Estate of Gabriella Comer White

from students who are enjoying the much-anticipated Urban Environmental Park. Breland used the podium to announce that the SGA had voted unanimously to become a donor to Destiny: Delivered in support of the park. The main bridge at the park is now named “The Senior Bridge: Dedicated to BSC Senior Classes Past, Present, and Future.”

BSC Trustee James T. Stephens said the park will “host the nurturing of friendships as people gather to relax; it will host the fine feeling of the sun’s warm rays after one tires a bit of the classroom and dorm; and it will be a nearby spot for private thinking.” He concluded by offering a free dinner at the city’s finest restaurant for the first marriage proposal rendered and accepted at the park.

Architects for the project were Derck & Edson Architects of Lititz, Pa. General contractor was JohnsonKreis Construction of Birmingham.

Landscape design was by Blackjack Horticulture of Birmingham. Landscape management was by The Nelson Team of Leeds.

Mrs. Ann Evins Adams Mr. and Mrs. W. Michael Atchison Mr. and Mrs. Carl F. Bailey Mr. and Mrs. John B. Barnett III Mr. Preston Baker Barnett Mr. and Mrs. William R. Battle III Mr. and Mrs. Julian G. Bishop Mr. and Mrs. W. Houston Blount Mr. and Mrs. F. Dixon Brooke Jr. Mrs. Joseph Bruno Mr. and Mrs. Pat Murphy Courington Jr. Mr. and Mrs. H. Corbin Day Mr. and Mrs. Frank. M. Dominick Jr. Emack Slate Company Mr. and Mrs. Edward L. Hardin Jr. Ronne and Donald Hess Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Philip C. Jackson Jr. Mr. and Mrs. L. Paul Kassouf Dr. and Mrs. Wayne W. Killion Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Benny M. LaRussa Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Lowder Mr. Robert E. Luckie Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Edwin Lydick Jr. Marathon Corporation Mr. and Mrs. Henry Craft O’Neal Mr. and Mrs. William P. Phillips Mr. and Mrs. Bruce F. Rogers Mr. and Mrs. William J. Rushton III W. James Samford Jr. Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Herbert A. Sklenar Mr. and Mrs. David Michael Smith Dr. and Mrs. S.C. Stanford Ms. Alys F. Stephens Student Government Association Vulcan Materials Company Mr. Elbert S. Walker Mr. and Mrs. James Lee Williams Rev. and Mrs. Paul Douglas Wolfe

spring 2010 / 3

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NAMED SPACES The following areas were named in honor of gifts made in support of the Urban Environmental Park.

Joseph S. Bruno Entrance & Joseph S. Bruno Amphitheatre Joseph S. Bruno Charitable Foundation Hugh Kaul EcoScape Hugh Kaul Foundation Daniel Lake The Daniel Foundation of Alabama Monaghan Rain Gardens Margaret R. Monaghan The Senior Bridge Student Government Association Gabriella Comer White Fountain (fountain within amphitheatre plaza) Estate of Gabriella Comer White Goodwin Fountain (fountain within lake) Virginia Mabry Goodwin Photo by Rebecca Renfroe

Blount Trails (wooded walking trails) Houston and Frances Blount Bench Marion and Bill Phillips Available Naming Opportunities Benches (4) Lagoon Walkway around Lake EcoGarden/Falls Vernal Pond Greens (3) Intramural Fields

spring 2010 / 5

coming soon . . .

Important and exciting news about Phase I of Destiny: Delivered, the college’s comprehensive campaign.

Stay tuned to find out how your support is allowing Birmingham-Southern to strengthen its place among the best liberal arts colleges in the nation.

destiny delivered r The Campaign for f Birmingham-Southern

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COMMUNITY NEWS

BSC creates new interdisciplinary major in Media and Film Studies

I

n response to emerging student interest in film, broadcast journalism, and digital media, Birmingham-Southern has developed a new interdisciplinary major in Media and Film Studies.

The major will be available to students beginning fall 2010. The program will explore all types of media, including film, art, digital media, broadcast, print, and social networking.

Following the completion of a set of core courses, students will concentrate in one of three areas: Mass Media, Media and Culture, or Media Production.

The concentration in Mass Media analyzes psychological, sociological, and political impacts of mass media. Media and Culture emphasizes the historical and cultural understanding of media texts and their production. Finally, the Media Production concentration provides students with the opportunity to produce media. The major is truly interdisciplinary.

“The new program in Media and Film Studies is grounded in the best traditions of the liberal arts at BSC—it will challenge students to engage critically with media in its many forms,” says Dr. Mark Schantz, BSC provost. “Because faculty from across the curriculum will teach in the program, we’re excited by its interdisciplinary breadth.”

The curriculum for the new major was developed through the work of 20 BSC faculty members, coordinated by Dr. Natalie Davis, Howell Heflin Professor of Political Science; Michael Flowers, professor of theatre and chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance; and Dr. Susan Hagen, Mary Collett Munger Professor of English.

The interdisciplinary nature of the new major is evident from the lineup of

faculty expected to teach in the program: Dr. Bill Nicholas, James A. Wood Professor of History, Dr. Clare Emily Clifford, assistant professor of English, and Dr. Mary-Kate Lizotte, assistant professor of political science. The search is under way to fill the position of professor of film studies. The new faculty member should join the college this fall.

Before the media and film studies program was developed, BirminghamSouthern students interested in film or media studies could design their own major through the college’s Individualized Major Program and contract with a nearby university for additional coursework requirements.

Now the college is breaking ground by combining the elements of both of those programs.

One goal of the new interdisciplinary program is to name 10 highly motivated BSC students as Media Fellows each year.

Each Media Fellow will be paired with a media mentor from the Birmingham community during the fellowship period, and Fellows will be eligible for research or project stipends as upperclassmen.

National and international professionals also will be invited to campus to offer master classes and to work with Media Fellows.

Through coursework, internships, and independent and collaborative projects, students who major in Media and Film Studies will be given exposure to and be prepared for careers or continued studies in all areas of media—from television to film to emerging online media and more.

Since the college announced the new major, prospective and current students are expressing interest. BSC Dean of Enrollment Management Sheri Scholl Salmon ’85 says the Admission Office is getting a steady stream of e-mails with questions about the new major, and a few students already have declared Film and Media Studies as their major this fall.

“This will aid the college in its commitment to grow enrollment to 1,800 over the next few years,” she says. “Prospective students are really excited about Media and Film Studies, so this is a very timely addition to our rigorous curriculum.”

Looking ahead to summer programs at BSC During June and July, the Birmingham-Southern campus will be in constant motion with 10 specialized activities that will keep children and teens constructively occupied and allow them to experience learning in a college setting.

The 15th annual Student Leaders in Service program, sponsored by the college’s Hess Center for Leadership and Service and Bunting Center for Engaged Study and Community Action, will take place June 13-18.

This residential program exposes current high school juniors to leadership theories and provides opportunities for them to practice leadership through active involvement in the community. For more information, contact BSC Admission Counselor Rebecca Kornegay Yeager ’06 at ryeager@bsc.edu or 205/2264684. Details on the program also are available at www.bsc.edu/academics/ hess/leadership/slis.cfm.

Youth ranging in age from 5 to 18 can attend sports camps in baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, soccer, and volleyball. Information on all of these programs, plus who to contact, can be found on the camps link at www.bscsports.net.

For details on the two-weeklong BSC Intensive Summer Dance Workshop for ages 12-18, which is scheduled in June, call 205/323-5390.

Birmingham-Southern also hosts camps each summer for youth interested in theatre and instrumental and vocal music. For more information on these, contact the college’s Conservatory of Fine and Performing Arts at 205/226-4960 or visit www.bsc.edu/academics/music/ conservatory.cfm.

Printable registration forms are available online for most of BSC’s summer programs and application deadlines vary. spring 2010 / 7

COMMUNITY NEWS

Birmingham-Southern student named a 2010 Truman Scholar

Glenn Birmingham-Southern College student Katherine Glenn has been named a 2010 Harry S. Truman Scholar.

Glenn, a junior history major in the Harrison Honors Program from Murfreesboro, Tenn., was one of only 60 scholars chosen from 576 students nominated from U.S. colleges and universities. Some 200 finalists from 131 institutions were interviewed in February and March by regional selection panels.

Glenn is the sixth Truman Scholar from Birmingham-Southern in 12 years.

Truman Scholars receive $30,000 awards, up to $15,000 each year for the first two years of graduate study. Scholars also receive priority admission and supplemental financial aid at several graduate

Rising above the lake— Workers with general contractor Golden & Associates put the finishing touches April 7 on the outside bricking of the “north” building of the two new residence halls under construction on the BSC campus. When opened in fall 2010, the two four-story, environmentally friendly buildings will overlook the new Urban Environmental Park and house 167 men and women in suite-style living.

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institutions nationwide, in addition to leadership training, career and graduate school counseling, and special internship opportunities with federal agencies.

The scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit to junior-level students at four-year colleges and universities who have extensive records of public and community service, are committed to careers in government or elsewhere in public service, and have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills.

Glenn plans to attend graduate school to study public policy. At Birmingham-Southern, she is president of the College Democrats, secretary of the Honor Council, and a residence hall house director.

“My goal is to first work in public policy advocating for the homeless at the national level and then come back to Alabama to put my knowledge into action for the homeless here,” said Glenn of her future plans.

She interviewed along with 12 other finalists from Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

A committee of BSC faculty picked the college’s Truman Scholar nominees, including Glenn and BSC student William Breland, a junior history major from Decatur, based on their interest in a Truman Scholarship and life goals which match those set out by the Truman

Foundation. Breland was also selected as a finalist. The application process included a policy proposal.

Glenn’s policy dealt with solving homelessness in Birmingham. She wrote a proposal to implement a Housing First program designed to target chronic homelessness in this city.

“Many people are unable to get safe, affordable housing,” she said. “The program will provide safe, permanent housing for people regardless of any qualifications.”

The 2010 Truman Scholars will assemble at William Jewel College in Liberty, Mo., from May 25-30 for a week-long leadership development program. They will receive their awards during a May 25 ceremony at the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Mo. Glenn currently has a 3.93 gradepoint average at BSC. She was selected as a 2009 BSC Hess Fellow and worked last summer as an intern with the National Alliance to End Homelessness in Washington, D.C. A fifth generation BSC student, Glenn was born in Alabama and grew up in Murfreesboro. She is the daughter of Dr. Robert and Laura Glenn. Dr. Robert Glenn, a BSC alumnus, is president of Athens State University in Athens.

The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established in 1975

by Congress as the official memorial to the nation’s 33rd president.

COMMUNITY NEWS

New print ads.

Screen capture from new Admission Web site.

Difference-makers: BSC launches new marketing campaign, unveils new Web sites Devoted. Driven. Difference-Makers.

Birmingham-Southern students and alumni have always been devoted and driven difference-makers, and the college’s new marketing campaign of television commercials and print ads is putting an exclamation point on our world-changers!

The marketing campaign is focused around the idea: It doesn’t matter what you choose to do for a living; what matters most is what you choose to do with your life.

Initially launched in the late fall, the campaign features both television commercials and print ads. The TV spots are airing in various markets to target prospective students, and the print ads are running in college guide and school profile issues of city magazines across the South. The pieces are also being used on social media sites such as

Facebook, where prospective students are driven to the BSC Admission Web site for additional information.

Two additional TV spots and one print ad are nearing completion and will be inserted into the campaign this fall. The current TV commercials and print ads can be seen at www.bsc.edu/difference-makers.

The new marketing tools were augmented by a new Admission, or Future Students, Web site. Located at www.gotobsc.com, the site features a current BSC student in a flash movie introduction that changes periodically.

And, just this month, a newly designed BSC main Web site at www. bsc.edu was launched that features some similar elements to the Admission site, but that is geared toward all BSC audiences.

More online at www.bsc.edu/difference-makers.

Scene from The Right Note television spot.

Screen capture from new BSC Web site. spring 2010 / 9

COMMUNITY NEWS

Dr. Condoleezza Rice delivers annual Stirling Lecture Former Secretary of State graces campus with a mission to inspire

Former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice takes the podium in Bill Battle Coliseum.

Dr. Condoleezza Rice was on the campus in February telling her story. And nearly 2,000 Birmingham-Southern students, faculty, staff, and alumni were listening.

The Birmingham native and former Secretary of State under President George W. Bush was invited here Feb. 11 as the first female Alex P. Stirling Lecturer.

Rice took the podium to a standing ovation. For 35 minutes, she stood before a packed audience in Bill Battle Coliseum and covered a variety of topics—from working in the Bush administration to her educational experiences to international politics to challenges

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the U.S. is facing as a world leader. She then spent a halfhour answering 10 pre-submitted questions from students on a range of foreign policy issues—the majority concerning Iran and Iraq.

She handled diplomatically, yet frankly, the not-so-fun-to-talkabout subject matter. One of her principal arguments was that she, like everyone else who served in the Cheney-Bush administration, did the best jobs they could given the knowledge they had.

But what Rice really stressed to students was the importance of being well rounded and about the value of education. Having attended a private liberal arts college herself (the University of Denver), she says the education she received helped her develop what she needed for her career and helped her develop as a person.

“You are here at BirminghamSouthern, a fine liberal arts institution, and you are so lucky,” Rice spoke. “Never take it for granted. Never assume that somehow you deserved it. There are a lot of people just as bright as you are, just as talented, who for reasons of circumstance didn’t get this chance. And so consider it a privilege and an honor to be here.”

She encouraged students to find their passion, to be optimistic, and to not be afraid to study what’s hard.

She also urged them not to become too rigid to change in their lives.

“If you are great at math, take a lot of English courses, and vice versa,” she said. “And if you’re around people who think like you do, you need to branch out and meet some different people.”

Rice thinks of her parents, now deceased, as her greatest source of inspiration. It was their support

that gave her the confidence to pursue her passion in Soviet studies as an undergraduate student at the University of Denver.

“I went home and told my parents,” she recalled. “Thank God they didn’t say ‘Honey, what’s a nice black girl talking about being a Soviet specialist?’ They said ‘Honey, go for it.’ And I did.”

Rice espoused optimism as the key that will help anyone reach their goals.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, it matters where you’re going,” she said.

She then concluded her speech with the following insight: “Remember things that seem impossible, in retrospect seem inevitable. And that, more than anything, will give you faith and confidence that no matter how hard your climb is, you can make it through.”

Before becoming the 66th Secretary of State, Rice was the provost at Stanford University.

She served as national security advisor during Bush’s first term of office and Secretary of State for his second term.

Since leaving office, she has been back at Stanford nearly a year as professor of political science and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution.

Rice has been plenty busy lately working on her two books—one a family memoir to be published this fall and the other a foreign policy memoir to be published sometime next year. In addition to her vaunted academic credentials, she is an accomplished pianist and pursued figure skating for many years.

Before her speech in Bill Battle, Rice attended a dinner with

COMMUNITY NEWS

BSC students from the Student Government Association and those selected in a drawing. After her speech, she was invited to a reception in Hulsey Hall of the Admission Welcome Center with alumni, students, faculty, and staff.

Those who attended the reception had the opportunity to get their picture taken with Rice.

Rice also shared some thoughts about Birmingham-Southern in a private interview just before her lecture. She says she enjoyed taking piano lessons in the college’s Conservatory when she was a child and that she last visited the campus in the ’80s.

“The campus has exploded,” she noted. “I can’t get over all the buildings now, and it’s quite beautiful. I understand there is a huge residential area going up, so my impression is that this school is very much on the move.”

She also talked about the importance of public service.

Though Rice is familiar with the saying that serving in public office comes with a price, she says serving publically has many benefits as well.

“I think the rewards outweigh the drawbacks,” she commented. “You get a chance to serve your country and to be a part of extraordinarily important and heavy decision making. It’s a tough job though.

There are long hours and you sometimes have to go to work under difficult circumstances and criticism.”

Rice’s visit was sponsored by the SGA with support from the Office of Student Affairs. The Alex P. Stirling Lecture series is named in memory of a BSC student who died of cancer in 1995. Past Stirling lecturers have included Ben Stein, political commentatorturned-television star; former South African President F.W. de Klerk; and George Stephanapoulos, television journalist and host on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

BSC to hold its 2010 Commencement ceremony on campus

LaMonte

Thompson

Browne

For the first time in 22 years, Birmingham-Southern is holding its Commencement ceremony on campus. The annual Baccalaureate service will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, May 14, at First United Methodist Church in downtown Birmingham. Commencement exercises kick off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, at the intramural fields on campus.

Approximately 250 students are graduating this year. The Capping Ceremony is set for May 14 at 4 p.m. in the college’s Bill Battle Coliseum.

The annual President’s Reception following Commencement will be at the new Urban Environmental Park this year.

Dr. Edward LaMonte, the former Howell Heflin Professor of Political Science at BSC who retired in May 2009, will address the graduating class of 2010 at Commencement. He was named the BSC Outstanding Educator of the Year during the 2009 graduation ceremonies in recognition of excellence in all aspects of teaching, including classroom performance and student advising. The award includes a cash stipend and an invitation to speak at the following year’s Commencement.

Having taught at Birmingham-Southern for 22 years, LaMonte currently is serving as emeritus director of the college’s Ellie and Herb Sklenar Center for International Programs.

Rev. Keith Thompson ’83 will deliver remarks at the annual Baccalaureate service. A resident of Birmingham, Thompson is senior minister at First United Methodist Church. He left his position last year as associate vice president for BSC’s Office of Institutional Advancement to enter into fulltime ministry.

The speaker for Honors Day on April 22 was Emily Kyzer Browne ’00, a pediatric nurse practitioner working with leukemia and lymphoma patients at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis.

spring 2010 / 11

FACULTY NEWS

First-class inspiration “Professor of the Year” Duane Pontius awarded for teaching and mentoring BY

PAT COLE

Pontius Engaging lectures, demonstrations, innovation, and wit are just some of what Dr. Duane Pontius uses to keep even the most unenthusiastic students interested in science.

Pontius observes his students closely in the classroom to draw out what they’re thinking and how they’re thinking. He uses common objects as practical examples of a principle or an abstract idea—like rolling soup cans down an incline or stretching a slinky to expound on the properties of physics. And he uses a system of interactive technology in his classroom that facilitates peer-based learning. These are just a few of the scholarly

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approaches that have helped the T. Morris Hackney Professor of Physics at Birmingham-Southern get selected as Alabama’s top professor for 2009.

Presented by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education or CASE, Pontius’ award was among 38 state winners who were announced this past November.

He traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive formal recognition.

The award honors the nation’s best undergraduate instructors—those who excel in teaching and positively influence the lives and careers of students. Pontius is the third faculty member at BSC to receive this prestigious state honor in the past decade. Like a number of his colleagues, he emphasizes critical thinking and getting his students to develop a proper rationale for their answers.

“I really see the award as recognition of the faculty at BSC as a whole,” says Pontius. “We all work very hard to be effective at our teaching. I’m good at recognizing a successful technique for getting through to my students. Then, I’ll adopt it and tweak it.”

Dr. Wayne Shew, Ada Rittenhouse Snavely Professor of Biology and associate provost at BSC, who nominated Pontius for the award, pointed out: “Dr. Pontius’ commitment to effective teaching and to meaningful engagement with students extends beyond those in his classes, and he participates in a broader discussion of undergraduate physics pedagogy.”

Pontius’ method of interactive peer instruction is based on his version of a model developed at Harvard. Following an overview of a topic, students are challenged with

deceptively simple looking multiplechoice questions. Each student answers using an electronic input device called a clicker, and then a computer projection screen displays how many selected each answer.

“The real learning comes when students try to justify their thinking to their peers. If students answer back, “Uh, we don’t know, we just think that’s the right answer,” he’ll prod them to keep working and talking with each other to discover the reasoning behind their answer.

“A simple declarative answer isn’t very useful, but a student’s rationale is something I can work with,” notes Pontius. “This kind of interactive discussion improves comprehension, and their answers improve from random guesses to about 95 percent correctness based on these exercises.

I also provide an atmosphere where it’s safe for them to screw up.”

As in many physics courses, cool demonstrations get a lot of attention in Pontius’ classes. However, Pontius is adamant that demos aren’t simply entertaining, but that they facilitate a specific learning goal.

“The students usually spend 20 minutes arguing about what the result will be before we even do a demonstration,” he remarks. “Then they become intellectually and emotionally invested and are excited to see the outcome.”

For the past three years, Pontius has taught the innovative Harrison Honors Program course “Science, Physics, and Music” (affectionately dubbed SPAM) in which he leads students on an investigation into the nature of science and the methods of physics with music as the ultimate object of the study.

He has received formal training in classical ballet since he was a child

FACULTY NEWS

and occasionally incorporates dance movements as a medium to explain the concepts of physics.

“It’s so much more fun than me walking in the classroom with a piece of chalk and saying, ‘Here’s how the world works,’” Pontius expresses. “I try to get feedback from my students in every stage of my classes. It’s the ones who are having difficulty learning the material who benefit the most from this type of teaching.”

Over the years, he has kept many students on their toes, supervising dozens of their research projects.

And several of them have coauthored papers and presented papers or posters at professional research meetings.

Pontius’ students, many of whom are non-science majors, say his classes are rigorous, but that he’s never at a loss for adding fun activities. In 2004, he was selected for the college’s Omicron Delta Kappa Excellence in Teaching Award.

Jason Grigsby, a former student of Pontius who is finishing up a Ph.D. in physics at Wake Forest University, believes Pontius’ dedication to his teaching was key to his ability to accomplish his goals.

“His classes are structured not as lectures, but as meeting grounds where students discuss concepts with each other and with him,” says Grisby. “He would go to great lengths to be available to all his students—providing enough help to get going on a problem, but not so much that he just gave us the answers.”

Pontius attended high school in Birmingham after growing up in Auburn. His teaching was sparked by his father, also a professional physicist.

“My father would pose interesting questions over dinner, and I’d try to work them out on a napkin,” he remembers. “He taught me how to think as a physicist and, more importantly, how to learn.”

A 1981 BSC graduate in physics, Pontius earned a doctoral degree

in space physics and astronomy from Rice University. He joined the college in 1999 following a career in theoretical space physics research.

His ongoing research has made fundamental contributions to space physics. Recently, he developed a theoretical model that played a role in the discovery of geysers on Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

Outside the classroom and laboratory, Pontius leads Interim at Sea during the college’s annual January Interim Term. During this intense, experience-based learning project, he leads a group of BSC students to work as crew members aboard a classic tall ship.

Pontius believes getting to know his students makes him a better teacher.

“It’s the professors listening to what students are saying and responding to them that is really the heart of teaching.”

Other recent Alabama Professors of the Year from BSC have included Dr. Natalie Davis, Howell Heflin Professor of Political Science (2002), and Dr. Barry Spieler, professor of mathematics (1999).

You can view a video interview with Pontius on the Birmingham-Southern YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ birminghamsouthern.

Law nets prestigious Fulbright Fellowship for international research Traveling to Odessa, Ukraine, this past fall to spend nearly four months—with its magnificent beaches and cosmopolitan atmosphere—sounds like quite an adventure.

But Dr. Randall Law, BSC associate professor of history and recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship for 2009-10, mixed in plenty of research in his time away.

Beginning in September, Law set out to discover what the media portrayals of terrorism and violence were like in that city in the early 20th century. The Odessa National University served as the host institution to his Fulbright project, which was titled “Life in a Time of Terror: Odessa, 1905-07.” He spent the majority of his time researching and writing inside libraries that had extensive collections of newspapers, journals, and other literature from that time period.

Law, whose Fulbright ended in December, will share his research and experiences on campus during the next academic year.

“I wanted a topic that would let me further explore what I believe to be a critical part of our understanding of terrorism: the ways in which violent acts are understood and interpreted by the media,” Law Dr. Randall Law and his family at the explained. “Odessa, marker at the mouth of the Danube River early in the 20th in Ukraine near the Rumanian border. century, provides a good opportunity to explore this because the scale of violence was immense and disruptive.”

Though Law’s teaching focuses mainly on Russian and European history, his particular interest over the years in the historical impact of terrorism and violence has peaked. His first book Terrorism, A History was published last year.

“My book was a broad survey, so I chose to start a new project with my Fulbright award that would be on a very specific subject,” he said. “And as a Russian historian, I wanted to get back to part of the former Soviet Union to do research. I had visited Odessa back in 1990 when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union.”

Law has been a member of the Birmingham-Southern faculty since 2003. He holds a doctorate in history with concentrations in Russia and Modern Europe from Georgetown University. spring 2010 / 13

FACULTY NEWS

(Left photo) Runquist. (Right photo) Dr. Ron Hooten (center) was honored during a recent BSC basketball game for his longtime leadership as director of “The Best Pep Band in the Land.” Shown with Hooten are former BSC Men’s Basketball Coach Duane Reboul (left) and Athletics Director Joe Dean Jr.

Two longtime BSC faculty members set to retire Birmingham-Southern will lose two great assets when Dr. Ronald Hooten, director of bands, and Dr. Jeanette Runquist, professor of biology, retire at the end of the Spring Term.

Hooten’s tenure as director of bands will officially end May 15 when he passes his conductor’s wand. For 30 years, he has directed the wind ensemble, pep band (a.k.a.

“The Best Pep Band in the Land),” and jazz band, while teaching in the college’s music education program.

He also taught private music lessons in the BSC Conservatory for many years.

Despite Hooten’s low-key and laid back demeanor, he strove for perfection when rehearsing a band— 14 / ’southern

any band. Whether his students were performing a Frank Sinatra tune or the school’s alma mater and fight song, he set the standard high when it came to the technical mastery of harmony and rhythm.

He also was committed to offering individual attention. Out of the hundreds and hundreds of students he’s taught, many are professional musicians now, and some have children in the band.

“What I will miss the most are just the outstanding students I’ve dealt with for 30 years,” remarks Hooten. “I’ve had the opportunity to watch them grow and achieve.”

The Florala, Ala., native grew up with a love for music and had formal training on the trombone.

He attended the University of Southern Mississippi for a bachelor’s degree in music education, and completed master’s and D.A. degrees from Ole Miss.

“There were only seven students involved in band when I arrived at Birmingham-Southern,” says Hooten. “From there, we’ve built a whole program of concert band, jazz

band, small ensembles, jazz combo, and pep band for basketball and football. That’s something I’m really proud of.”

Though Hooten’s post-BSC plans remain vague, he’ll be able to relax and spend time with loved ones.

His wife, Pat, is a graphic designer for ’Southern Living magazine; his oldest son, Bryan, is a jazz trombonist, who teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University; his other son, Kirk, graduated from BSC in 2009 with a degree in business; and his daughter, Claire, a senior soccer player at BSC, will graduate in May with a degree in psychology.

Runquist, a 28-year teaching veteran of BSC, has taught 10 different courses since joining the faculty in 1982. She specializes in human anatomy/physiology, often incorporating her interest and expertise of archaeology into her teachings. For more than two decades, she has been a consultant on archaeological sites

in the Southeast, England, Israel, and Turkey.

Admittedly shy, Runquist was probably more than a little nervous when she began her college teaching career. But underneath her seemingly reserved exterior is a professor who cares deeply for her students and one who has excelled in her craft, often noted for her engaging and meticulously prepared lectures.

She was division chair for biology from 1991-96 and is faculty advisor to students interested in the prehealth professions, offering them key advice and even keeping up with many of them after they’ve graduated. In 2009, students selected her for the college’s Omicron Delta Kappa Excellence in Teaching Award.

“I really try to get my students to interact with each other in the classroom, so if their answer is not totally correct, asking someone else can help modify it,” says Runquist.

“I expect them to think through answers to questions and reason out information, so they can retain more than if they just memorize it or print it off Google. I’m outside the science building a lot too, so when students pass by, they can ask me questions and talk. That reflects my teaching style and personality.”

Although initially drawn to the field of nursing when she was in college, Runquist earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from East Carolina University in Greenville; a master’s in anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a student teacher; and a Ph.D. in zoology from North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

“I’ve had so many motivated and capable students in my classrooms over the years,” she expresses.

“That’s what attracted me to Birmingham-Southern.”

In post-retirement, her only plans so far are to remain on campus through 2012 as a health professions advisor and part-time professor.

“I’ll be offering my help to students interested in pre-health careers and internships a little longer, and I’ll be teaching an archaeology course on campus next spring.”

FACULTY NEWS

BSC theatre professors earn Kennedy Center recognition

Michael Flowers, professor of theatre and chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, and Matthew Mielke, professor of theatre and designer/ technical director, have each received a 2009 award from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for their work last year on the campus production of Dead Man Walking.

Flowers was recognized for Mielke Flowers excellence in directing, and Mielke was recognized for excellence in design. The play’s storyline is centered on a Catholic nun who opposes the death penalty.

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival is a national theater program.

The year-round program has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theatre in the U.S.

Scene from Dead Man Walking

spring 2010 / 15

STUDENT NEWS

0 4

years!

Exploring, serving, le learning: glimpses of Interim 2010 The 40th January Interim Term at Birmingham Birmingham-Southern allowed students to add something extra special to their college experien experience for academic credit. This year there were 80 creative course offerings on campus, campu 10 faculty-led travel-projects, and 108 independently designed contracts—43 of which involved domestic or international travel. Since 1970, this distinctive four-week period has allowed students to explore their interests as well as get iinvolved in projects that will help prepare them to lead lives of leadership and serv service.

Professor of French Dr. Dominique The “Mad Hot Ballroom Project” with BSC Pr Linchet was a huge hit among the many new courses offered this year. Students in co the class mimicked smooth dances like the Waltz, Walt Tango, and Rumba and explored the cultural roots and influences of each dance tthrough readings, films, and research.

Other students flew to India to study its health ccare system, sailed in the Caribbean aboard a schooner, helped feed the homeless in D.C., or learned about Shakespeare in the classroom and on stage, among their edu educational adventures. Here are but a few: f

Some Shakespearean creativity—In the course “Theatre Performance Ensemble,” theatre students, faculty, and staff produced Shakespeare’s tragic epic Hamlet—gaining experience in everything from acting to scene construction to lighting to stage management. The play was performed on campus Jan. 26-29.

In this scene, Laertes, on left (played by senior theatre arts major MacKenzie Smith), and Hamlet (portrayed by junior theatre arts major John McGinnis) prepare to fight.

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STUDENT NEWS

Bus, bike, or train?—Junior urban environmental studies major Sam Wilson (on left) and Collin Kurre, a sophomore English major, are shown in San Francisco while on assignment for their independently designed contract entitled “Exploring Alternative Transportation from the West Coast to the East.” Their travel ended with an hour-long presentation on campus that included details of their overall experience of the public transit lifestyle, the history of San Francisco’s transportation system, and suggestions for the reformation of Birmingham’s struggling public transit.

A comic view—Co-taught by Dr. Tynes Cowan, assistant professor of English, and Dr. Louanne Jacobs, associate professor of education and chair of the Education Department, this class on campus explored graphic novels and comics through an interdisciplinary approach focusing on the visual language of the medium, the role of sequential art in historical and cultural contexts, and the place of graphic novels within a literary framework. Students explored individual topics as diverse as “Representations of God in Postmodern Comics,” “Let’s Get Metaphysical: A Look at the I and the Eye in The Escapist,” and “The Maus that Roared.” Pictured is sophomore English major Jenny Broom doing a presentation on the metaphysics of graphic novels. Daily journal reflections were kept in a variety of graphic formats, and students had a great time reading stacks of wonderful graphic novels and comics.

Do what I do—One group of 18 BSC students traveled overseas with two faculty members to visit a nature-lover’s paradise. “Exploring the Galapagos Islands: Wildlife, Ecology, and Conservation” was a two-week travel adventure led by Dr. Megan Gibbons, associate professor of biology, and Dr. Peter Van Zandt, visiting assistant professor of biology. Here, junior Kathleen Geer, a double major in business and dance, plays with a baby Galapagos sea lion. The students traveled around the Galapagos Islands learning about the different animal species that are endemic to the islands. Since the animals have no natural predators, students had a unique opportunity to get especially close to the wildlife, something they wouldn’t be able to do at a zoo.

spring 2010 / 17

STUDENT NEWS

A ballroom blitz—The 30 students in Dr. Dominique Linchet’s dance class turned the Striplin Fitness Center gym into a “Mad Hot Ballroom” for the January Interim Term. Teaching the class with Linchet was BSC student Rio Rivera-Young, a sophomore chemistry major. Shown in the photo are sophomore accounting major Grant (Robert) Scoble and senior urban environmental studies major Lacey Genard dancing the foxtrot to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s “Cheek to Cheek.”

Madiba in South Africa—Robert E. Luckie Professor of English Dr. Sandra Sprayberry and Professor of Music Dr. David Smith led a group of 13 students on a 14-day trip to South Africa for their course “After Apartheid: South Africa.” Traveling to Cape Town and Johannesburg and their townships, they studied peace and reconciliation. In conjunction, they had a rare opportunity to meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Here, some of the students are pictured with a statue of Nelson Mandela, considered the father of the new South Africa.

“Madiba” is Mandela’s tribal name. During their last night on safari, the students received their new names in an African naming ceremony.

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Poised to serve—From left, BSC students Sarah Parkinson, Kelly Gronemeyer, Helen Marchman, Katie Adams, Mike Popwell, and Brooke Hand assist with food preparation at the DC Central Kitchen in Washington, D.C. The nonprofit recycles food from around the D.C. area and not only provides meals to drug treatment programs, homeless shelters, and halfway houses, but also trains its residents with the valuable skills needed for them to start a career in food and interrupt the cycle of poverty. The students were among 16 who volunteered as part of an Interim course called “Advocacy and Service in D.C.: Bridging the Gap Between Promise and Reality.”

Led by BSC Instructor of English Kent Andersen and Sara Doughton, assistant director of service learning in the college’s Bunting Center for Engaged Study and Community Action, the travel course helped students become more aware of homelessness, poverty, and community responsibility.

Super involved Helping people is what drives Simone Schicker ’11 BY

PAT COLE

L

ife as a Birmingham-Southern student is chock full of extracurricular activities for Simone Schicker, and she prefers it that way. Studying, volunteering, recruiting, working, maintaining good grades, and serving are all choices and priorities for her.

A junior history major and Harrison Scholar, Schicker not only embraces learning, but she has an intense work ethic. When combined, those traits help her to balance success in the Schicker classroom and a full social life. She also strives to involve BSC students in the same diverse experiences she seeks for herself.

Schicker began delving into the college’s activities early in her freshman year. Now her list of campus involvements has hit a crescendo. She is news editor for The Hilltop News student paper, resident advisor, teaching assistant for the Sklenar Center’s course “Pre-departure Topics for Study Abroad,” chapel intern, 2009-10 Vail Teaching Fellow, and is a leader in organizing Jewish life on campus. Her memberships include the Interfaith Alliance, Harrison Honors Program Committee, and President’s Service Team, among several others.

On top of all of this, Schicker is a workstudy student for the Office of Religious Life. She is always involved in a servicelearning project out in the community, and this past fall, she studied abroad for a semester in South Africa.

It’s the service-learning projects at agencies like First Light Women’s Shelter where her compassion really shines.

The emergency shelter in downtown Birmingham relies on volunteers for its support.

“I work two hours each Wednesday

evening,” says Schicker. “We spend the first hour talking with women, and then we serve them dinner. BSC’s Aramark (cafeteria food services vendor) donates the food that we serve.”

Schicker writes out a daily schedule to keep track of everything. She says she’s a lot like her mother, who is always on the go and busy giving back and doing for others.

“I think that’s what really motivates me,” she remarks. “My mom rarely sits still, nor my sister and brother.”

One of Schicker’s more prominent roles on campus is with the President’s Service Team. The team consists of 40 BSC students who serve as hosts and hostesses for college events like Scholarship Day or Norton Advisory Board meetings.

“I’ve served on the team for the past two years,” she says. “We work closely with Camille Spratling [’98, ’07 MPPM, and executive assistant to President Pollick]. I enjoy the opportunity to meet prospective students and members of the community who are supporters of the college.”

When Schicker was a prospective student herself about to graduate from high school in Houston, Texas, she decided not to attend any of the large sprawling campuses around the big city she grew up in. Instead, she chose BSC—11 car-ride hours away. She says ’Southern Care went a long way in her making that decision.

“While visiting the campus for the first time, I experienced the reality that the students, faculty, and staff at Birmingham-Southern were incredibly nice,” she comments. “I was greeted with a lot of smiles, and people held doors open for me as I traveled around campus.

The decision to enroll here was easy.”

Upon graduating, Schicker plans to apply for the Teach for America, AmericCorps, and Fulbright programs.

The availability of so many opportunities is what she thrives on.

“I’m already making out my schedule for next year,” she says. “It will be less intense though because of my senior projects.”

The 2009-10 Whittington winners are (from left) Iris Reddick, Wei Dai, and Hannah Ellington.

Whittington Competition winners join Red Mountain Chamber orchestra to perform Three promising young musicians—a singer and two instrumentalists—from the Birmingham-Southern Department of Music were featured soloists during the Dorsey and Frances Whittington Competition held Feb. 28 on campus.

Each fall, BSC music students enter the annual competition to earn the unique opportunity of performing one evening with a full orchestra. Each participant performs a five-to seven-minute preview to an outside panel of judges.

The winners of this year’s contest were Wei Dai, a junior piano performance major from Xiamen, China, who played the first movement of the First Piano Concerto by Ludwig van Beethoven; Hannah Ellington, a junior voice performance major from Indian Springs, who sang Arias by Sergei Rachmaninoff and from Mozart’s Don Giovanni; and Iris Reddick, a freshman cello performance major from Memphis, who performed Kol Nidrei by Max Bruch.

Dai studies under William DeVan, pianist and artist-in-residence; Ellington studies with Dr. Jacqueline LearyWarsaw, associate professor of music; and Reddick studies cello under Avi Friedlander, adjunct professor of cello.

Les Fillmer, chairman emeritus of the Alabama School of Fine Arts Department of Music, guest-conducted the orchestra.

The highly competitive competition is named after Frances and Dorsey Whittington, who were leaders of the Birmingham Conservatory of Music, which later became the Music Department of Birmingham-Southern. spring 2010 / 19

FEATURES

T

here’s nothing quite like returning to your alma mater, the place where you spent your golden days, and remembering all the fun and hoopla, the experiences of late-night study, and the deep and lasting friendships that were made.

Has it been a while since you last set foot on the Hilltop?

If you’re wondering what sorts of things are going on back at BSC, the staff of ’Southern magazine has come up with this list of some reasons for our alums to revisit their alma mater—10 in fact.

Regardless of whether you graduated last year or earned your diploma decades ago, change is a constant at BSC. You’ll be amazed at the transformation of the college and all of its dramatic improvements. But despite the enhancements, the BSC you once knew is still in place.

We encourage you to visit the campus this year and to bring your family and friends. In the meantime, come along for this quick tour of our many attractions. Remarks have been included from 10 alumni whose careers are at Birmingham-Southern and who serve as an integral part of the college’s faculty and staff. We invite you to experience the campus opportunities they recommend and get the most out of your post-BSC visits!

10 Dear alma mater

reasons 1.

Come see our talent The Birmingham-Southern campus is filled with fine performances, cutting-edge art exhibits, public lectures, and special events throughout the year.

Alumni and visitors can attend faculty lectures, see and hear student music and dance performances, attend symposia and conferences, view films or theatre productions, sit in on student academic presentations, or just hang out at workshops or seminars. You can also see interesting collections of creative works by BSC faculty and students and guest artists at the Durbin Gallery. The gallery is free and open to the public from

VISIT HILLTOP IN

TO THE

BY

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CHRIS WENNING BYRUM ’86, PAT COLE,

AND

C AROL COOK HAGOOD ’70

Seigel

8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on weekdays.

Dr. Lester Seigel ’79, Joseph Hugh Thomas Professor of Music, has worked with many talented and dynamic BSC students, faculty, and staff over the years. As an undergraduate student, he studied organ performance. He returned to his alma mater as a faculty member in 1993 after earning graduate degrees in conducting from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

2010

“The performing arts departments at BSC consistently offer the community excellent performances: student degree recitals, ensembles, opera, theatre and dance—and at the professional level through the active performers and composers on the faculty,” Seigel notes.

“Our annual calendar is further enriched by guest artists, such as those in the Thomas Master Class Series, funded by the Waters family.

“Many, if not most, schools provide such opportunities. But what makes BSC’s program unique is the way each performance, each artist residency is chosen with the goal of engaging our students. They gain insights from these artists’ experiences, providing feedback and constructive criticism. Our guest artists and faculty performances are not only a season

of public concerts, but they are active educational encounters for our students.”

The Norton Campus Center is the hub for many of the college’s lectures, workshops, films, and events. A Career Fair, hosted by the college’s Career Services Office, is held in Norton each spring which allows students and alumni to connect with Alabama employers and explore job opportunities.

And hundreds come out to celebrate Honors Day on the campus each spring.

The day’s events highlight the yearly academic accomplishments of students and feature a slew of Distinction in Leadership Studies senior presentations.

This is only a sample of what BSC has to offer. Keep up by checking the college’s Events and Calendars Web page at www.bsc.edu/events.

PC spring 2010 / 21

FEATURES

“With almost 400 student-athletes competing in 21 different sports, BSC’s Athletics Department is thriving.”

- Kyndall Waters

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FEATURES

2.

Support BSC athletics by attending a game

Athletics is undeniably a huge contributor to the vitality of the Birmingham-Southern campus. The games offer alumni and their families a great opportunity to rally around the college and cheer on their Panthers to a win.

BSC is a proud member of NCAA Division III, offering 21 varsity sports for men and women. The Panther sports teams compete in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The teams will be eligible for SCAC postseason play in 2011-12, excluding men’s lacrosse, which is eligible this year, and women’s lacrosse, which becomes eligible in 2010-11.

Besides basketball, baseball, football, softball, and cross country/track and field, there are plenty of others to choose from like lacrosse—one of the fastest growing sports in the country—as well as golf, rifle, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball that attract quite a large flock of spectators as well. In addition to varsity sports, many students play intramurals.

“Working in a department that is supportive of these student-athletes,” says Kyndall Waters ’05, “and working with student-athletes themselves, is the epitome of why I love my job.”

Waters joined the college as assistant director of athletics and compliance director in 2007. She graduated from BSC with a degree in psychology while serving as team captain on the volleyball team all four years. Waters, a setter, broke every setting record in the books. She was hired as an assistant volleyball coach at BSC in 2008.

“After spending a total of nine years on the Hilltop both as a student-athlete and now as an athletic administrator and coach, I have seen structural changes in our Athletics Department; however, I have yet to see any change in the pursuit of the student-athlete—the desire to win,” she remarks. “With almost 400 studentathletes competing in 21 different sports, BSC’s Athletics Department is thriving. Our student-athletes are some of the brightest and most talented in the nation, and they are preparing to showcase their hard work on the national level.”

According to Waters, this is nothing new.

“We always strive to exhibit the totality of the student-athlete,” she comments.

“Through division and association changes, BSC remains an institution in which the administration, coaches, and studentathletes prove that we are dedicated to fostering an environment in which students are successful academically and athletically.”

With over 100 opportunities to see these athletes play annually, says Waters, Birmingham-Southern athletics is a great reason to come back and visit the Hilltop.

So join Rowdy the Panther at our many athletics games and capture the black and gold spirit. And don’t forget the Homecoming/Reunion football game vs.

Sewanee Oct. 23. Visit and bookmark www.bscsports.net for upcoming games and matches.

PC

Waters

spring 2010 / 23

FEATURES

3.

Relax, reflect, and recharge in our beautiful new park One of the most exciting new features on the Birmingham-Southern campus is our beautiful Urban Environmental Park, completed in 2009 and dedicated at ceremonies during Homecoming/Alumni Reunion Weekend this past November.

The donor-funded park, centered on a 1.5 acre lake, includes an amphitheatre, walkways/jogging paths, a large central lake fountain, and rain gardens for storm water management.

This lovely green spot, complete with Wi-Fi, provides students—and visitors—with a great setting for recreational activity, socializing, or quiet study. It is also a living laboratory, with hands-on learning opportunities for students, especially those in the new Urban Environmental Studies major at BSC. One BSC staff member you might find enjoying the park is Carol Cook Hagood, a 1970 English alumna. After graduate studies at Vanderbilt University and 20 years as an editor for the Southern Living company, she returned to campus in 2001 to compile Class Notes for ‘Southern magazine as part of her Office of Communications duties. In her off-campus hours, Hagood is a long-time volunteer at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and a member of its new Education Committee. As a lover of the outdoors and a member of several environmental groups, she is pleased that the Urban Environmental Park’s green spaces now enrich BSC. The park’s attractive amphitheatre—with walls of native Alabama stone and steel railings featuring ginkgo-leaf designs—steps down a hillside and provides seating for many types of events, including the President’s Reception following Commencement ceremonies May 15.

At its upper level, a small fountain bubbles up from a flagstone basin, adding soothing creekside music to the surroundings. Below the amphitheatre, a formal plaza at the lake’s edge contains another fountain, plus

24 / ’southern

electrical hook-ups for sound systems, making classes, concerts, public lectures, and other presentations possible.

Beyond the plaza, vistas across the lake, accented by the large central fountain, please the eye, and lakeside pathways invite strollers and joggers. Further still, a green lawn offers space for activities ranging from spontaneous Frisbee to formal receptions.

Throughout the area, depending on the season, park visitors can enjoy plantings such as Carolina silverbell, Shasta daisy, scarlet bee balm, black-eyed Susan, cinnamon fern, and azaleas. (For more design details of the park, and more photography, see www.landscapeonline.com/research/ article/12999.)

Hagood says she appreciates not only the beauty and adaptability of the park, but also its underlying design principles, which promote good storm-water management at BSC—principles cited by the Cahaba River Society when it awarded the park project a Conservation Development Award (for more, see www.bsc.edu/goto/park).

In the months and years ahead, BSC students will find many ways to enjoy this lovely space. Two suite-style dormitories overlooking the lake, now under construction, will soon permit 167 college men and women to reside in this beautiful setting.

Meanwhile, Hagood invites fellow alumni to join others at BSC in exploring this unique and beautiful new area of the Hilltop, “a symbol,” she says, “of the many dynamic changes taking place at our alma mater.”

CCH Hagood

FEATURES

spring 2010 / 25

Alexander

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FEATURES

4.

Buy fun items from the Bookstore to show your school spirit

William Alexander ’09 manages the Birmingham-Southern Bookstore, where he has worked for almost 14 years, during that time completing his BSC degree in business administration.

Alexander says that the bookstore is a natural draw for alumni returning to campus, not only during the annual Homecoming/Reunion in the fall, but for events throughout the year.

“The BSC Bookstore moved to its current location in the Norton Campus Center in October 1998,” he says. “As a result, the bookstore’s floor space almost doubled, making possible an increased selection of merchandise that is now offered both in the store and in the BSC online bookstore catalog at http://bookstore.bsc.edu.”

Most visitors to campus are especially interested in school spirit wear, he says, and the bookstore now offers a wide selection of items, including wearables such as hoodies, T-shirts, pants, hats, and jackets, from makers including Under Armour, Champion, Gear, and Russell. Other spirit items also are available, including car tags and decals; mugs, tumblers, and water bottles; flags; pennants; Nerf footballs; ties; keychains; and many other items that are perfect for Panther fans.

“Another feature of the bookstore that draws visitors’ interest is its collection

of books and music published by the college’s graduates and faculty,” comments Alexander. “Near the entrance of the bookstore is a special bookshelf proudly displaying the works of BSC authors and musicians.”

The close-to-100 books displayed there represent a wide spectrum of topics and styles—from Associate Professor of History Dr. Randall Law’s Terrorism: A History to Ginny Phillips’ (’97) much-praised novel The Well and the Mine to former New York Times editor Howell Raines’ (’64) notable Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis.

Many of the titles are in print and available for purchase.

During the winter holiday season, Alexander notes, other popular items in the bookstore are seasonal decorations and gifts. During recent years, an annual Bookstore Open House with holiday refreshments, entertainment, and a special sale has become a popular campus event, and younger alumni who warmly remember the event sometimes return to celebrate with current students, faculty, and staff.

“The open house is publicized on the college Web site each December, and all alumni and friends of the college are invited to join in the fun.”

CCH

spring 2010 / 27

FEATURES

5.

Experience BSC hospitality Respectfulness. Selflessness. Friendliness.

Humility. Passion. All of these describe some aspect of what hospitality is all about.

But hospitality also is displayed in those little things that people sometimes take for granted—like the way BirminghamSouthern keeps its buildings and grounds well maintained.

Whether it’s planting flowers, weeding planting beds, or just a friendly smile, the landscape services staff helps maintain the college’s natural splendor while being good stewards of our environment. And the custodial staff works diligently to keep things looking exceptionally nice indoors.

BSC has long made a conscious and collaborative effort to foster a welcoming campus environment that supports its academic initiatives. Just about anywhere you go on campus you will come in contact with friendly and close-knit students, faculty, and staff.

The Admission Welcome Center provides a wonderful front door to the nearly 2,000 visitors who come to the campus each year.

Not only does the college want current and prospective students to feel at home on our campus in a safe, friendly, and warm atmosphere, but it wants alumni, visitors, and friends of the college to feel the same.

Admission Counselor Rebecca Kornegay Yeager ’06 is doing her part to make sure BSC’s visitors feel wanted and welcome. She can relate to her experiences when she was involved in her college search.

“Hospitality is what first attracted me to Birmingham-Southern,” remarks Yeager,

28 / ’southern

who graduated from BSC in musical theatre.

“As a 17-year-old prospective student, I felt welcomed by every member of the BSC community I met during my campus visit. I immediately knew BSC was home!”

BSC hospitality is introduced to prospective students the moment they step foot on campus. It begins with a cordial greeting or a friendly wave by a campus police member or a landscaper. At the Welcome Center, prospective students and their family members are treated to fresh baked cookies, hot chocolate, or coffee before a tour or talk as a display of how much they are valued. But the center also extends this act of hospitality to alumni and other visitors as well.

“I have felt the thread of ’Southern Care and hospitality woven through all of my BSC experience, when I was here as a student, and now as an alumna and employee of the college,” says Yeager, who joined BSC in 2006. “I am honored to be a member of the college’s admission staff so that I can extend the care our community has given me to prospective students and their families.”

Welcoming events are not only reserved for new students, but the college’s Office of Alumni Affairs plans appealing events throughout the year to help alumni stay connected to the college. BirminghamSouthern believes strongly that students, faculty, staff and administration, parents, alumni, friends of the college, and other visitors are all a critical part of its success.

So the next time you come to the Hilltop, just make yourself right at home with a stop by our Welcome Center.

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“I immediately knew BSC was home.”

- Rebecca Kornegay Yeager

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6.

Bring your high school-age child for a campus tour

There’s no better way for a high school student to get to know what a college offers than to visit its campus. The Admission Office hosts campus tours and open house sessions throughout the year for prospective students and their families. We encourage BSC alumni to invite their high school-age family members to the campus to show off their alma mater.

In addition to receiving a “feel” for life on the Hilltop, prospective students are given a sense of what qualities are most important to BSC as a community and the values we seek to engender in our students—values like incorporating service-learning experiences with their studies.

Academic quality, though, remains at the forefront of BSC’s mission, and during the tour, students learn a great deal about the college’s curriculum and its programs.

Prospective students might walk through the Wainwright/Kennedy Art Center and see students painting, drawing from a model, or rolling ink on a plate for printmaking. Or they might stroll by a classroom in the Berte Humanities Center and hear Spanish or a student doing an oral presentation. They also will get a sneak peek of the Stephens Science Center where they can see biology students dissecting a fetal pig or view posters of student undergraduate research projects.

In addition, prospective students will hear about how BSC has instituted two new majors. The new interdisciplinary major in Media and Film Studies was announced this year and will be available to students beginning fall 2010. And the college’s Urban Environmental Studies major that was launched in 2008 is steadily growing as students become more aware of environmental and other global issues in society and are motivated to get involved.

Birmingham-Southern’s Methodist heritage also is a part of its multifaceted educational

Sisson

experience. The college has several outreach programs that bring Methodist students to campus and help them understand what we’re all about.

Laura Boyer Sisson ’79, director of church relations, who joined the college in 1994, helps recruit Methodist students to the college. BSC has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since its founding in 1856.

“Our office connects the college and church through recruitment, scholarships, and programs,” says Sisson, who received an interdisciplinary degree in religion and sociology from BSC. “Students, staff, and faculty take the Birmingham-Southern story to the local church.

“We also sponsor activities on campus for high school students—athletic events, speakers, concerts, and programs to nurture spiritual growth. One of my favorite events is ‘UMYF Goes to College,’ which brings youth groups from across the state to the campus to play and eat and worship with BSC students.

It’s a wonderful recruitment tool for students who are active in a local church setting, who are discerning ministry, who want to attend a college where faith is spoken and justice lived out. And it’s a wonderful opportunity for our students to share their BSC experiences with others.”

BSC hopes that its many initiatives will form the foundation of new opportunities for students and fresh ways to inspire alumni to become involved in supporting its programs, both on and off-campus.

Alumni who wish to help with admission can host or attend a prospective student reception in their city, sit on a panel at an on-campus visit day (i.e., Celebration Day or Black and Gold Day), or volunteer to call prospective students when they are trying to decide if BSC is right for them.

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7.

Do some tailgating

Every day, Jennifer Howard Waters ’86 answers the question, “Why should I come to BSC?” in her role as assistant director of admissions. Waters, with an individualized major in religion and psychology, began working for the BSC Admission Office not long after graduation and spent 12 years recruiting students before leaving to stay home with her two young daughters.

When an opportunity came up to return to admission in 2007, she jumped at the chance.

Not long after her return, football came back to BSC, and Waters and her husband, Thomas (also BSC Class of 1986), quickly established a game-day tradition— tailgating.

“We are lucky to have many chances to get together with our BSC friends in our homes,” Waters says, “but we really wanted to find another way to stay connected.

Tailgating for BSC football games gave us the perfect opportunity.”

Before the on-campus football stadium was complete, games were played in a number of local venues, including Hoover High School and Regions Park. The Waters would hook up their pop-up camper, which had taken them on many family vacations, but which soon became too cramped for the growing game crowds. When a deal came along to purchase an Airstream, the Waters took the plunge. Now you can’t miss the silver Airstream perched on the hill on football Saturdays above Panther Stadium.

“The tailgating is my personal alumni involvement with the college,” she explains.

“It gives me a chance to take off my admission hat for a little while, although I must admit, that it goes back on pretty

quickly. Friends who have children on their way to college will definitely get the BSC story from me.”

From their perch on the hill, the Waters and their tailgating party get a bird’s eye view of the stadium, the ideal vantage point for watching the game, the crowd, and beginning with the 2010 season, the Panther Pride Marching Band. Beyond hosting one of the most visible tailgating venues at the games, Waters is taking her football support to another level next season—she will be directing the color guard.

“I was captain of the color guard at my high school, and I would have loved to continue that experience in college,” she says. “I also love an opportunity to continue to build relationships with our students beyond the admission process.”

When fellow alumni ask Waters “Why should I come back to BSC?,” she replies, without hesitation, “It just gives you such a wonderful sense of how alive this place is and how much has been accomplished while you’ve been gone. Whether it’s two years or 20 years since you graduated, you’ll be amazed at how much we’ve grown.”

From the parking lots by the soccer fields and near the football practice field to the hill above the stadium, you’ll find plenty of spaces to set up your own tailgating party.

And if you aren’t up to bringing your own tailgating to the game, then you’re invited to stop by and visit with Jennifer and Thomas Waters.

“Bring the family to a BSC home game this year,” she invites. “Cheer for the Panthers, renew your BSC friendships, and be sure to stop by our tailgating on the hill.”

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8.

Check out the library’s newest offerings

Probably your last visit to the Charles Rush/N.E. Miles Library on campus was when you and your classmates gathered to cram for a final or when you were toiling to finish your senior research project.

As an alum, there are still many reasons to visit your college library. Alumni and other visitors to the library are welcome to make use of its resources, including books, magazines, videos, computers, electronic journals, research databases, and other Web resources. Alumni who live locally also may check out books and audio recordings for a three-week loan. You must be entered into the library’s system—a simple process—before checking out materials for the first time, and then a library card will be issued.

The library is a good campus spot to thumb through old yearbooks, surf the Web, read quietly, or people watch. And the building’s intimate setting is a great place to relax for a while and enjoy its comfortable furnishings.

Eric Kennedy ’94, circulation supervisor in the Charles Rush/N.E. Miles Library, has worked at Birmingham-Southern ever since he graduated from the college with a degree in art.

“One of the library’s best-kept secrets is Special Collections,” he states. “I would say that most students graduate without knowing that we even have a Special Collections area, much less where it is. In fact, it is tucked away in two rooms on the top floor of the Library—the Wood Room and the archives.

“The archives room contains the college’s official publications and the manuscript materials relating to our history beginning

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as Southern University in Greensboro, Ala., and it contains the archives of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. Behind the locked bookcases in the Wood Room we keep our rare books, including books dating back to the 17th century and earlier.”

Also located in the Wood Room is the new Richard and Joshua Green’s Sherlock Holmes Collection. Richard Green, a local deputy tax assessor, and his son, Joshua—both huge fans of Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—placed their massive collection (deemed the second largest in the Southeast) on indefinite loan to the library this past January. The cache includes several rare editions of Holmes’ mystery series, films, posters, manuscript and biographical materials, comics, magazines, and more.

The library recently turned its former Language Lab into a new Screening Room.

The room contains a big-screen television combined with a DVD player that’s hooked to a fully-loaded computer. Equipment for digitizing vinyl recordings also has been added.

The Screening Room has proven to be a popular meeting place for students and faculty interested in films and filmmaking.

With the college’s Media and Film Studies program set to start this fall, the librarians are working to acquire print materials and digital resources that will support the new major.

Please check the schedule of open days and hours of operation posted on the library Web site (http://library.bsc.edu) prior to travel.

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9.

Build new Reunion traditions

When you’re just five years past graduation, it might seem like a stretch to say that attending your Reunion is important. But Erica Crump Sellers ’05 would tell you there are plenty of reasons to come back for Homecoming/Alumni Reunion Weekend, no matter how long it’s been since you graduated.

“Since we combined Homecoming and Reunion into one weekend, it’s completely different,” she says. “Even if you don’t love football, having these two events combined brings such an amazing energy to campus and brings such a variety of people together—students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff. Prior to 2008, Homecoming was part of the basketball season and Reunion was held in the spring. Since 2008, the combined Homecoming/ Reunion Weekend has consistently brought more than 3,000 visitors to campus for the weekend’s activities.”

Even though she’s usually working at Reunion, Sellers, who is assistant director of annual giving, still enjoys the weekend’s events and encourages other young alumni to join her.

“We have a pretty strong group of local young alums who come often to events,” she notes, “but it would be great to see those alums who have moved from the area. Having all the Reunion events on Saturday this year will make it easier for everyone to come for the day.”

Sellers knows that the advent of Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networking options has changed the way she and her BSC friends stay in touch.

“But nothing replaces getting together

Sellers

in person,” she says. “We need the time to get together, talk, and find out what’s happening behind the Facebook profile.”

Recognizing that the way we connect has changed, BSC’s Office of Alumni Affairs recently launched a Young Alumni Advisory Board to address those changes, and Sellers, as part of the new board, left their initial meeting excited about the ideas they discussed.

“One of the items we talked about was creating more Reunion excitement and attendance for young alumni,” she explains.

“While it’s great to have lots of alums from every age together, there is definitely a specific kind of gathering needed for younger alums, something laid back and inexpensive.”

This year’s Homecoming/Reunion will honor Seller’s graduation year, the Class of 2005. She’s wondering how much could change in just five years time, but she knows it’s probably more than she can imagine.

“Marriages, babies, new jobs, it will be exciting to hear about everyone’s lives after BSC,” says Sellers, who received her degree in sociology. “It will be so nice to see folks back here on campus. We really do miss our friends and will love to see you back here.”

Mark the date on your calendars: Oct. 22-23, 2010. This year’s Reunion will recognize honor classes ending in 0s and 5s, from 1955 to 2005. The date is already circled on Sellers’ calendar and she hopes her fellow Class of 2005, and all other BSC alums, will do the same.

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10.

Just to see your beautiful campus

Nestled on 192 acres, BirminghamSouthern’s lovely and pristine campus mixes modern buildings with old style.

Take a good walking tour and you’ll discover more than its friendly squirrels and lush trees, plants, and flowers. The college is small enough to see all of its highlights, including the distinct architectural designs of the buildings and the maintenance of its lawns, edges, and landscaping.

Two favorite meeting places for students and visitors are the Norton Campus Center and the Attic—located on the residence hall quad—where you can find Starbucks coffee, and every so often, live music and poetry readings. Be sure and stop by Norton, which is one of the primary hubs of activity and social life on the campus. When the weather is excellent, you can sit outside Norton and enjoy the mist from its fountain. What’s equally enjoyable inside is experiencing how great the sun feels pouring through those huge windows of the building.

Carl Wilson ’01, deputy chief of campus police, not only helps provide a safe and secure college environment, but he also points visitors to the key attractions of the campus.

“The Norton Center has a food court with many dining options, a Bookstore, post office, theatre and arcade, lounging areas, and a Great Hall—which can accommodate multiple functions at the same time,” he points out. “Other spots of interest are Panther Stadium with its state-of-the-art Astro turf grass and running track, the Urban Environmental Park, and the Southern Environmental Center.

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“Then there is the Admission Welcome Center and the Striplin Fitness Center. The latter houses an Olympic-size swimming pool, a new state-of-the-art golf simulator, a suspended walking track, and other things associated with a fitness center.”

Wilson joined the BSC staff in 1982 and earned his degree in business in the former Adult Studies Program. As deputy chief, he is second-in-command of the BSC Campus Police, serving as director of the department during the absence of the chief. He also oversees three shift supervisors, assists the chief with budget concerns, and is responsible for job training and continuing education training for campus police personnel.

“As I look back on the 27.5 years I’ve worked at BSC, the people I’ve met (staff, faculty, and students) and the friendships that have developed over the years have been my greatest benefit,” he notes.

“Another tremendous joy has been in helping others, bringing a smile to someone’s face, just saying hello, and being approachable.”

Wilson gets quite an eyeful of the campus during his daily vehicle patrols. He says in the years he’s worked at BSC, he’s seen constant construction projects going on, with the most recent one being the new residence halls. The two four-story, suite-style facilities will have a court yard, and the rooms will overlook the lake. The residence halls are expected to be completed by early fall 2010.

Log on to www.bsc.edu and see how many other good things are happening at Birmingham-Southern.

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Birmingham-Southern faculty and staff who are alumni

“[A] tremendous joy has been in helping others ... and being approachable.�

- Carl Wilson

Wilson

NAME

YEAR

William Alexander Rev. Sarah McCleskey Allocca David Anderson Antoine Andrews Rev. William Blackerby Jr. Diane Blaylock Danny Brooks Christine Wenning Byrum Dr. Marietta Cameron Jane Dixon Clements Dr. Tynes Cowan Dr. Stephen Craft Tyler Davis Beth Swindall Dercole Dr. Virginia Englund Dismukes Sara Doughton Susan Smith Ellard Jennifer Faulkner Jennifer Holder Fields Christopher Forsythe Ashley Zerull Frohock Ashley Morgan Gilbert Carol Cook Hagood Kristin Harper Lisa Sims Harrison MPPM Dr. Constance Hill Jan Kinnaird Hill Rusty Howell Richard Jackson Eric Kennedy Katharine Wynne Lamar Jacqueline Crenshaw Lockhart Mary Ellen Green Mattison Leslie Sims McGraw Jesse McKneely Constance Hudson Moore Bishop Robert Morgan Robin Lee Mozer Mary Elizabeth Neal James Neel Mallory Otis Dr. Lewis Patterson Jr. Seth Persons Duane Pontius Jr. Dana McArthur Porter Rev. John Richardson Dr. Sara Robicheaux Sheri Scholl Salmon Daniel Seigel Jane Sisson Seigel Lester Seigel Erica Crump Sellers Karlo Senasi Robert Simpson Laura Boyer Sisson Dr. Amelia Gunn Spencer Yvette Spencer Camille Spratling Dr. Tara Nabors Sudderth Linda Buttram Thomas Tracy Thomas Adelia Patrick Thompson Greg Vinson Jennifer Howard Waters Kyndall Waters Ben Whorton MPPM Susan Samya Willard Russell Williams Carl Wilson Nancy Whatley Wingard Rebecca Kornegay Yeager

2009 1987 2000 1997 1975 1998 1999 1986 1988 1984 1985 1988 2006 2001 1982 2004 1988 2009 1993 1998 2003 2008 1970 1992 1985 1986 1968 1995 1976 1994 2008 1985 2004 1992 2007 1977 1956 2001 2006 1971 2005 1968 2005 1981 2003 2000 1997 1985 2002 1979 1979 2005 1987 2004 1979 1985 1984 1998 1985 1997 1992 1986 1996 1986 2005 2007 2001 1976 2001 1958 2006

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ALUMNI AFFAIRS

2009 Homecoming/Reunion celebration: BSC alumni young and old “Let the Good Times Roll” during the annual Homecoming/Alumni Reunion Weekend on campus Nov. 6-7, 2009. From the Alumni Awards Luncheon and Party on the Quad on Friday to tailgating at the Homecoming Football Game on Saturday, BSC alumni returned to the Hilltop and reconnected with classmates. Here are some photos from the weekend’s festivities. Mark your calendars—Homecoming/Reunion 2010 is Oct. 22-23.

Look for complete details this summer.

The 2009 Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Young Alumni were honored at the annual Alumni Awards Banquet on Friday of Homecoming/Reunion Weekend. Shown with BSC President Dr. David Pollick (center) are (from left) John Paul Huguley ’91, Ginny Phillips Ashe ’97, Marta McLellan Ross ’02, Gordon Martin accepting for his brother Hugh Martin ’35 (who was unable to attend), Dr. F. Cleveland Kinney ’67, and Rev. Samuel E. Mann ’62.

The Class of 1959 celebrated its 50th reunion all weekend long, including at a class brunch on Saturday in the newly renovated Stockham Parlor.

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Members of the Class of 1964 celebrate at their Class Party under the Big Top Tent on the Academic Quad.

ALUMNI AFFAIRS

For more photos ... ... of Homecoming/Reunion 2009, visit www.bsc.edu/alumni/ reunion2009/pics.

Young alumni hosted a Reunion Weekend gathering at a Birmingham restaurant, and were joined later in the evening by members of the 2009 BSC Honor Classes after class parties.

Touchdown Birmingham-Southern!

Tailgating was again a big hit among reunion attendees.

Seniors Julie Johnson of Huntsville and Buddy Permenter of Gautier, Miss., were crowned the 2009 BSC Homecoming Queen and King during halftime ceremonies of the inaugural Wesley Cup Homecoming football game.

BSC graduate and trustee Larry Striplin Jr. ’51 (shown here with President David Pollick) was honored prior to the Homecoming game for his lifetime of service and support to Birmingham-Southern.

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ALUMNI AFFAIRS

Alumni Affairs launches BSC Mentoring Program in conjunction with Career Services In Greek mythology, Mentor is the disguise that Athena takes on to prepare Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, to help his father when he finally comes home to Ithaca. This image of Mentor as a wise person, guide, and even standin parent resonates today for those who want to assist in another’s growth, particularly as it relates to professional development. Now Birmingham-Southern alumni are encouraged to take on the role of mentor in the recently launched Mentor Program.

Mentoring is an experiential learning experience that involves an exchange of ideas and information. It has been described as personal and professional coaching that one adult (mentor) provides to another, less experienced adult (mentee). As a BSC alum, you can be a mentor or, if you’re a recent graduate, a mentee.

Audrey Balkcom Lesesne ’89 volunteered to be an alumni mentor, in part, to return the favor.

“I was fortunate enough, as a brand new BSC graduate, to have someone who helped me navigate a new city and job market for the first time,” she said. “With no job and no place to live, I left for Washington, D.C., and asked to stay a few days with a BSC acquaintance, Elizabeth Gardner Schneider ’86, who had graduated a few years earlier.

Although I only knew ‘of her,’ I called anyway and asked to sleep on her couch for a few days. Twenty years later, we are close friends and see each other regularly.”

Even though there was no formal mentoring program in place at that time, Lesesne benefited from an alumni connection in more ways than one.

“I quickly realized the enormous value of having

someone to guide and inform decisions that a new graduate can face,” she stated. “Having help with practical things, such as living arrangements and meeting people, was a great benefit. A few other BSC people I met along the way became mentors and helped steer me in the right direction with my start in public service. I have seen many young people come to Capitol Hill over the past 20 years, most having never lived on their own and simply trying to get their foot in the door. It can be overwhelming at times, but having a support network and access to resources can be a tremendous advantage to those seeking to enter the workforce. I think it’s fabulous that BSC is implementing a mentoring program, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”

The mentoring process is fairly straightforward. BSC alumni complete an online form expressing interest in serving as a mentor, and they are then paired with a current BSC student or a recent graduate who also has completed an online request form. The mentors and mentees are introduced to each other and begin a three-month mentoring period. They are expected to meet at least six times during the mentoring period.

“You have a tremendous opportunity to influence the professional development of a BSC student or fellow alum,” noted Michael Lebeau, BSC director of career services.

“Your personal and professional insights are as valuable as any on-the-job training a new employee might receive.”

To become a mentor or to find a mentor, visit www. bsc.edu/campus/career and click on the “Mentor Program” tab. Or contact Lebeau at 205/226-4719 or mlebeau@bsc.edu.

Need a little career advice?

The BSC Career Services Office and the Office of Alumni Affairs joined together recently to offer a career workshop for alumni and their spouses: Successful Job Strategies in a Tough Economy.

The workshop was offered first in January and then, due to the enthusiastic response, again in March. Led by Michael Lebeau, BSC director of career services, the workshop focused on the three creative ways to approach strategic components of a successful career transition: the job search, the résumé, and the interview.

A complete summary of the workshop and the related course materials are available online at www.bsc.edu/goto/workshop.

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ALUMNI AFFAIRS

Alumni event photo album Birmingham-Southern alumni across the nation—from San Francisco to Charleston—have attended many Alumni Association-sponsored events over the past few months. Here is a sampling in pictures.

Birmingham-Southern alumni in San Francisco gathered after a concert Sept. 25 that included Karen Bentley Pollick.

Alumni and their furry friends gathered for a “Blessing of the Pets” March 6 in the new Urban Environmental Park on campus.

Some 30 alumni from the Mobile/Baldwin County Chapter enjoyed refreshments and conversation Oct. 1.

The Nashville Alumni Chapter hosted alumni at a “Party at the Gulch” Oct. 8.

These young alumni were among those who gathered Oct. 15 in Charleston at the home of chapter leader John Paul Huguley ’91.

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ALUMNI AFFAIRS

Fun was had by all alumni in Greenville, S.C., at an afterwork happy hour Oct. 15.

Almost 40 alumni enjoyed a presentation Oct. 20 by BSC Professor of English and Department Chair Dr. Michael McInturff (far left) at a wine dinner in Huntsville.

BSC alumni who are currently enrolled in law school at the University of Alabama were among those attending a Birmingham Lawyer’s Social March 11 at the firm of Johnston Barton Proctor & Rose LLP.

Alumni in Cullman enjoyed a casual supper and social Nov. 12.

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BSC’s Howell Heflin Professor of Political Science Dr. Natalie Davis (center) was the featured speaker at a fall Atlanta Business Luncheon at the Buckhead Club.

PHILANTHROPY

The Curl Endowed Scholarship honors alumni couple and aids deserving students The William E. and Faye L. Curl Endowed Scholarship was established at Birmingham-Southern by the friends of the Reverend Curl and his wife in recognition of their years of service to Canterbury United Methodist Church. He is a 1948 BSC graduate and received an honorary doctor of divinity degree in 1981. She is a 1945 BSC graduate.

The scholarship is awarded to any “worthy and deserving student.”

William Curl began his 40-year United Methodist ministry after a college career that was temporarily interrupted by service in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Following his graduation from Birmingham-Southern, he attended the Candler School of Theology at Emory University and became assistant pastor at Druid Hills Methodist Church in Atlanta. After two years there, he was appointed to two churches in the Anniston District in the North Alabama Conference: Alexandria and Union.

Years of service followed at Oxford, Vestavia Hills, McCoy Memorial in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Huntsville, and Canterbury in Mountain Brook.

Curl says that he has enjoyed his long ministry, and though he served for a time as a district superintendent in the Florence District (between appointments at McCoy and Tuscaloosa First Church), “the pastorate,” he says, “has been the stronghold” of his career.

He also says that his wife was an outstanding musician at BSC and continued, through her remarkable musical gifts, to contribute greatly to the many churches the couple served throughout his ministry. In many, she played piano, sang in or directed the choir, and provided memorable solos. She also shared her talents generously in each community they served. And at the Methodist

Annual Conference, for many years, Faye Little Curl at the piano and Mary Lib Lowery at the organ were a duo-in-demand, enjoyed by all in attendance.

Faye Curl demonstrated her great musical gifts early in life, winning local and state competitions at a very young age, and taking second place in a nationally broadcasted talent show. She was offered college scholarships from more than 10 schools, including the Julliard School of Music in New York, but decided on Birmingham-Southern.

There she met her husband, a young baritone soloist, and during a BSC production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Iolanthe,” a romance bloomed.

Later both were student soloists for Raymond Anderson in his choir at Birmingham’s First United Methodist Church.

“Birmingham-Southern will always have a special place in our hearts,” they have said. “It was there we met and fell in love.”

And the school that the Curls remember so fondly now benefits from the endowed scholarship established to honor their long and fruitful career. Many students have already received much-needed assistance in completing their BSC degrees.

To support the good work of the scholarship, the Curls have made significant annual contributions to the fund for 15 years, and by doing so, have maintained their membership in the ’Southern Society.

Recently, the Curls notified the college that their estate plans include a generous bequest designated to lasting support of the scholarship fund—“if and when we die,” they added, tongue-in-cheek.

For the past four years, the Curls have enjoyed a retirement home in Pensacola, Fla., where they can

The Curls be close to their daughter, younger granddaughter, and one of their three great-grandchildren.

As Bill reported, in a recent Class of 1945 newsletter, of their life together and long career of service, “It has been one glorious journey … And now in our sunset years, we wrap our memories around us, as we prepare for what God still has in store for us.”

To experience the joy of knowing that your estate gift to BirminghamSouthern can make a lasting difference in the lives of the college and its present and future students, contact Martha Hamrick Boshers, director of gift planning and policy, at 205/226-4978 or mboshers@bsc.edu.

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PHILANTHROPY

Bequest by last will and testament The charitable bequest affords a way for virtually anyone to express specific philanthropic wishes. Every bequest to Birmingham-Southern makes a mark that will last in perpetuity. Generous bequests made by alumni and friends of BSC have significantly increased the college’s endowment and established many of its scholarships and professorships.

A bequest may take on a number of forms, including naming:

• • •

a specific dollar amount a percentage of the estate specific assets

The language for making a bequest is simple. Examples appear below: I give the sum of $25,000 to Birmingham-Southern College.

I direct that 20% of my residuary estate be given to Birmingham-Southern College.

In addition, a donor will want to consider whether or not the bequest is to be designated for a specific use such as establishing a scholarship, endowing a professorship, or supporting faculty development. If so, that use should be clearly stated in the bequest language. It is preferable to work with the college to create a separate and detailed agreement for the designated use that will serve as a guide in perpetuity.

If you would like more information, you are invited to contact Martha Hamrick Boshers, director of gift planning and policy, at 205/226-4978 or mboshers@bsc.edu.

A last will and testament is an important legal document. You should consult with your attorney, financial planner, and/or accountant when making decisions and agreements with regard to your estate. The sample language for a bequest is for informational purposes only.

The Annual Fund—and BSC students—need you Many things in life need to be handled every year—your annual check up, car tag renewal, income taxes, and spring cleaning.

One item that BSC would encourage you to add to your annual “to do” list is a gift to the college’s Annual Fund. This unrestricted giving provides the foundation to support the daily life of the college and to help meet needs, both planned and unforeseen, for our students.

Over the past couple of years, as the world has struggled with a global economic crisis, the Annual Fund has taken on an even greater role in helping BSC students.

“You would likely expect that we would have an increase in the number of students who asked for help because their families’

financial circumstances have changed,” noted Susan Smith Ellard ’88, director of annual giving, “but I’m sure you’d be surprised to know that there was a 94 percent increase in those requests.”

She goes on to point out that the number of BSC students seeking federal aid increased by 20 percent in

BSC students Marian Bradshaw, a junior (on left), and freshman Mindy Rogers called alumni across the country during the annual Phon-a-thon, which supports the Annual Fund.

BSC marching and symphonic bands prepare to take the field and the stage Music has always been an integral part of campus life at BirminghamSouthern. From educating future teachers to training tomorrow’s performers, BSC has encouraged its students to make music a part of their curriculum, to integrate it into the fabric of their liberal arts education.

Now ’Southern is taking its music programs one step further with the addition of the Marching/ Symphonic Bands Program.

The Marching/Symphonic Bands Program expands on the existing instrumental and music education programs, offering students another avenue to pursue their musical interests. The program consists of two parts: marching band, which will perform at home football games, and symphonic band, which will perform a “Christmas on the Hilltop” concert in December and two additional concerts in the spring, including an outdoor Pops concert.

“I have high school students tell me that when they heard BSC had a marching band, they didn’t want to look anywhere else,” noted J. Lynn Thompson, director of the marching/symphonic bands.

“That interest has translated into more than 100 students who have expressed interest in the program. More than 50 of those are prospective high school students who have been admitted to BSC for the coming year.

“Plus,” Thompson added, “we have more than 45 current students who want to perform in the bands.”

Students must participate in both elements of the program, and

those who do, receive a $1,000 annual stipend.

But, as you might imagine, outfitting a bands program requires more than choosing the uniforms.

From music licensing to new instruments to marching instructors, the bands program at BSC needed to source just about every item.

When word of the need reached BSC alumni Dr. Thomas Head ’85 and his wife, Karlie Sharp Head ’87, they offered to provide the seed funding to help launch the program.

Their four-year pledge of $20,000 per year will go toward helping to offset the start-up costs.

“This first year, we have invested the Head seed gift in the purchase of new state-of-the-art music chairs and stands,” said Thompson. “All of our bands, marching/symphonic and jazz, can now practice and perform with first-class equipment.”

If you ask Thompson why the bands program is important to BSC, his reasons are many.

“First, it enhances our current music offerings, which will help us to expand our programs and place us in a position to be more competitive when recruiting students,” he said.

“Second, it adds a special element to the college and community and supports our student-athletes. And, third, it establishes new traditions, so that in future years, our students can look back and know they were a part of building something unique and memorable.”

If you’d like to discuss a directed donation to the bands programs at BSC, please contact Thompson at lthompso@bsc.edu or 205/226-4953.

the last year, yet at the same time, available federal support decreased by 30 percent.

“Without consistent, generous support to the Annual Fund, we would lose students who, with a BSC education behind them, would go on to make the world a better place.”

This year’s Annual Fund drive has raised more than $700,000, and with the deadline of May 31, 2010, approaching the goal of $1 million raised is within reach. But, beyond meeting the monetary goal, Ellard has a challenge for alumni on another level—increasing participation.

“When you look at our peer institutions, our alumni giving

percentage is behind,” she said. “Sewanee has 38 percent participation, Rhodes 33 percent, and Centre 53 percent.”

BSC currently sits at 28 percent participation. If just 350 alumni contributed to the Annual Fund before May 31, BSC could achieve 31 percent participation, putting the college back on par with pre-2008 giving levels.

Donate to the Annual Fund using the envelope enclosed with this issue of ’Southern magazine or online at www.bsc.edu/egiving.

If you’d like more information about the Annual Fund or have questions about making your gift, contact Ellard at 205/226-4977 or sellard@bsc.edu.

ATHLETICS

Fall and winter sports recap: BSC teams face unique challenges with class and pride Although Birmingham-Southern’s varsity sports teams are not allowed to compete in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and NCAA Division III postseason play until the 2011-12 season, it has not stopped the scholar-athletes from continuing to break records and give opponents a run for their money.

Sophomore Tyler Evans

Senior Lydia Rice

•

Senior Aaron Parr

The Panther soccer teams had solid seasons two years away from post-season eligibility. The men’s team posted an 116-2 record overall and went 5-4-2 in SCAC play, a marked improvement over its 2008 totals. The men posted wins over Division III Blackburn, Mississippi College, Washington & Lee, Emory & Henry, Fontbonne, and rival Huntingdon, as well as SCAC wins over Rhodes, Hendrix, Sewanee, Southwestern, and Colorado College. Tyler Evans, a sophomore from Panama City, Fla., played a large part in the Panthers’ success and was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All South Atlantic Region Third Team.

The women finished 2009 with a 13-7 record, going 8-2 in conference play (though their record did not count in the conference standings). The BSC women bested Huntingdon as well, in addition to Maryville and the University of Dallas. They got SCAC wins against Rhodes, Sewanee, Hendrix, Oglethorpe, Southwestern, Millsaps, DePauw,

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and Austin. They even beat non-Division III teams like Division II Hawaii Pacific in Honolulu and Division I Alabama State at the BSC Soccer Park. Senior captain Lydia Rice of Tupelo, Miss., added to her personal honors when she was named to the NSCAA All South Atlantic Region Second Team for her efforts anchoring the Panther defense this season.

•

The 2009-10 men’s basketball season was the Panthers’ best since joining Division III, claiming a share of the SCAC East Division Title. The Panthers finished with a 20-5 overall record overall. Their 11-5 SCAC showing was good enough to tie DePauw and recently crowned SCAC Champion (overall) Centre for the top of the East Division regular season standings. The 2009-10 season was the first that the Panthers’ games were counted in the regular conference standings.

Senior Aaron Parr of Atlanta was honored with a Second Team All-SCAC selection. He led the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game as well as free-throw percentage (.813), which ranked him third in the conference.

ATHLETICS

Freshman Alex Adams Jonus, who played the final eight games of the season with a torn PCL ligament, posted his numbers while playing only 18.9 minutes per game.

With no seniors, two juniors, five sophomores, and a program-record 12 true freshmen on this year’s squad, the 2009-10 BSC women’s basketball team ended the season with a 13-12 record overall and a 7-9 mark against SCAC opponents. The team started the season with three straight wins, defeating Oakwood, East Texas Baptist, and Rust, and also notched wins over in-state rival Huntingdon. The Panthers also upset conference rival DePauw when the Tigers were ranked 20th in the nation, and put together a five-game winning streak toward the end of the season. Freshman Alex Adams of Smyrna, Tenn., a Harrison Scholar, led the Panthers in scoring (12.2 points per game), rebounding (6.3 rebounds per game), and free-throw shooting (.808), and earned Honorable

with 8.93 assists per set, junior Jennifer McKannan of Huntsville led with 4.98 digs per set, and freshman Shelby Moore of Baton Rouge, La., led with 0.57 blocks per set. Denning also earned College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-Region honors, and Harris was named to the SCAC AllSportsmanship Team.

Mention All-SCAC honors as a result.

She was also named SCAC Player of the Week on Feb. 8. Junior Katelyn Wilson of Paris, Tenn., was second on the team in scoring, also averaging in double digits with 10.3 points a contest, and led BSC with 1.4 three-pointers and 1.3 steals a game. Sophomore Sam Davidson of Enville Tenn., led the Panthers, averaging 2.4 assists a contest.

Fellow guard Jasen Jonus was named Co-Newcomer of the Year. Jonus, a sophomore from Boaz, Ala., was one of the SCAC’s best three-point shooters all season, finishing third in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.410), and fourth in three-pointers made per game (2.7). He was BSC’s secondleading scorer at 11.5 points per contest.

Senior Sarah Harris. Photo by Nik Layman.

•

The 2009 BSC volleyball team faced a unique challenge this past season in that it only played four matches in the friendly confines of Bill Battle Coliseum.

The team, under the direction of first-year Head Coach April Fricke, went 16-18 overall and 8-8 against SCAC opponents.

The Panthers defeated teams such as Martin Methodist, Piedmont, Berry, Cal Lutheran, Miles, Bryan, and LaGrange, as well as conference rivals Millsaps, Sewanee, DePauw, Oglethorpe, Hendrix, and Rhodes. Senior Sarah Harris of San Antonio, Texas, made program history as she became BSC volleyball’s all-time kills and digs leader, ending her career with 1,754 kills, over 200 more than previous record-holder Rachel Malmborg, who played on the Hilltop from 2001-04, and 1,484 digs, over 140 more than previous record-holder Miljana Lazarevic, who was a Panther from 1998-01. Harris led the team in 2009 with 3.54 kills and 3.90 points per set, while junior Christine Denning of Tucson, Ariz., led

•

•

2009 proved to be another successful season for BSC cross country, under the direction of then-Head Coach Lars Porter. Junior Mary Elaine Williamson of Decatur was the top finisher on the women’s team, posting three top-five finishes and leading the Panthers in all six races, while freshman Robert Willett of Mobile made a strong showing for the men, leading the team in five of six races with one top-two finish. Williamson and Willett were both named to the SCAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

The women’s golf team recorded five top-five finishes and placed second at the Rhodes Invitational; Tiger Twilight Invitational, hosted by Sewanee; and the Viking Open, hosted by Berry College.

The men’s golf team won the Tiger Twilight Invitational and finished third at the Viking Open.

spring 2010 / 49

ATHLETICS

BSC athletics teams post strong fall academic performances Birmingham-Southern’s sports teams have proven that continued success in the classroom is just as important as success on the field or on the court.

This past fall, 10 of the school’s 17 teams achieved GPA’s of 3.0 or higher. Women’s soccer led the way with a 3.27 overall grade-point average, followed by women’s cross country with

a 3.23, women’s basketball with 3.22, air rifle with 3.20, women’s golf with 3.18, men’s soccer with 3.14, men’s tennis with 3.11, and baseball with 3.07.

As a group, the average GPA of BSC’s 388 student-athletes was 2.95, higher than the overall student body average at BSC.

www.bscsports.net has a new look A bolder Birmingham-Southern athletics Web site launched in early January. Featuring a new flash interface, fan polls, live game tracker, sports text message alerts, and RSS feeds, the site was designed

by ICS Sidearm Sports. Now Panther fans can follow their favorite NCAA Division III sports teams a little easier.

Hall of Fame inductees—Six former student-athletes were inducted into the BSC Sports Hall of Fame during Homecoming/Alumni Reunion Weekend, including (from left) Dr. Jessica Walker Crowder ’99 (soccer), Mark Miranda ’92 (baseball), John Driskill ’01 (baseball), Dr. Chris Shaver ’94 (basketball), Dan Anderson ’79 (basketball), and Lindsay Boyett Broome ’04 (basketball). Shown on far right is Dr. Ron Hooten, BSC professor of music and director of the “Best Pep Band in the Land” who is retiring in May, recipient of the Bob Strain Distinguished Service Award.

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ATHLETICS

Track and field: Kenneth Cox joins BSC’s coaching staff A seasoned sprinter, coach, and highly effective speed and conditioning trainer who emphasizes student-athlete success in and out of the classroom has been named head men’s and women’s track and field/cross country coach at Birmingham-Southern.

Kenneth Cox previously served as assistant to Lars Porter ’04, who stepped down from his position as head coach this past January to devote full time to church ministry. Cox is a former collegiate 60-, 100,- and 200-meter sprinter and native of Fuquay-Varina, N.C. “Kenneth Cox was an outstanding track student-athlete at the University of North Carolina (UNC) and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion for the sport to Birmingham-Southern,” commented BSC Athletics Director Joe Dean Jr. “He is a first-class gentleman, and we are fortunate to have him leading our men and women’s cross country and track and field programs.”

Prior to coming to BSC, Cox served as athletic director, coach, and authorized representative of Sprint Athletics Inc., in Atlanta, where he coached track and field at both the youth and elite levels, trained athletes in sport-specific speed and conditioning, participated in mentoring and community outreach, and coached and represented six athletes for the 2008 Olympic team trials.

In 2006-07, Cox served as the sprints and jumps coach and assistant strength and conditioning coach at Emory University, where he coached the Eagles to their best season

since 2004. He holds a USATF Level II Certification in sprints, hurdles, relays, and jumps.

In his first year on the Hilltop in 2008, Cox helped to build the BSC track and field program in its second season of competition and also helped the cross country program continue its transition to NCAA Division III. “There’s a lot of history in cross country here, but track and field really needs to be nurtured and given a vision,” he said. “Right now we’re working to improve the numbers on our teams.”

Cox received his bachelor’s degree in communication studies at UNC. In addition to applying his track skills there, he was a wide receiver with the Tar Heel football team.

While now in the midst of the outdoor track season at BSC, Cox is enthusiastic about the versatile student-athletes on his teams. His Cox mindset is bent on having them well-prepared for postseason play when they become eligible in 2011-12, just as he has tried to be for opportunities that arose in his life.

“My parents were both active as track and field coaches, and my high school track coach was pretty legendary,” he remarks. “There were a lot of people, even in college, who encouraged me and groomed me for this. I’ve truly benefited from the training, blessings, and prayers I’ve received.”

Championships remembered—Birmingham-Southern recently remembered the anniversaries of its championship-winning men’s basketball squads during halftime of Panther basketball games—the 1990 team on the 20th anniversary of its NAIA National Championship and the 1995 team on the 15th anniversary of its title win. Members of the 1990 team honored Jan. 24 (left photo, from left) are Assistant Coach Ralph Watson and Team Manager Guy Hargrove with Chris Smith, Fred Martinear, Jeff Woody, Eric Mann, Zean “Doc” Bagley, Matt DeFore, Scott Webb, Brent Carter, Bill Condon, Eddie Bowman, and former BSC Men’s Basketball Coach Duane Reboul. Members of the 1995 team honored Feb. 13 (right photo, from left) are Reboul and former Athletics Director Mike Robinson with Will Worrell, Mike Schwallie, Tom Runnion, Jay Mitchell, Bo Coln, Nigel Coates with his son, James Cason with his daughter, and Obra Carter.

spring 2010 / 51

ClassNotes C AROL COOK HAGOOD ’70 chagood@bsc.edu

BY

Reynolds with his oldest son, Glenn, who teaches at the UT College of Law, and granddaughter Julia.

AlumNews ’61 Dr. Charles H. Reynolds received his B.A. from BSC in 1961, B.D. from Southern Methodist University in 1964, and Ph.D. in religious ethics from Harvard in 1968. He spentt the 1968-69 academic year on a Harvard Travel Fellowship studying with H.E. Toedt at Heidelberg and R.M. Hare at Oxford.

Reynolds joined the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee as an assistant professor in 1969, became associate professor in 1974, professor in 1979, and department head from 1980-2000. He was interim head of philosophy in 1999. In 1969 he was named chair of the Black Studies Committee charged with developing a minor and major and hiring a director for this program. In 1973 he was founding editor of the Journal of Religious Ethics, now the preeminent international journal in its field. He also worked with President Joe Johnson and leaders of the local Jewish community in a successful fundraising effort that enabled the development of a Jewish Studies program at UT in 1993.

His over 100 publications include articles in The Journal of Religion, the Harvard Theological Review, the Journal of Population Studies, and a book with the University of California Berkeley Press.

Reynolds was a visiting professor at the University of Bonn in 1991-92. He was UT Macebearer in 1993-94. He served four terms on the UT Press Board and co-authored the NEH Challenge Grant that made possible the College Distinguished Professorships in the Humanities. In 1979 Reynolds arranged for UT to become the sponsor of the interdisciplinary journal, Soundings. He organized several major symposia at UT that were published in Soundings, including The Challenges of Religious Pluralism in America (1978), Robert Bellah’s (et al.) Habits of the Heart (1985), Martha Nussbaum’s The Fragility of Goodness (1989), and Jeffrey Stout’s Democracy and Tradition in America (2004).

His current retirement research project is on the invisible civil religion in America.

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’25 The late S. Vincent Townsend Sr. was named to the University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences Hall of Fame in October.

Townsend, former executive editor and assistant to the publisher of The Birmingham News, “was a journalist during some of the most newsworthy years of the last century. During the turbulent years of the civil rights movement, Townsend worked behind the scenes to promote interracial relations.” He was recognized in 1965 with the BSC Distinguished Alumni Award. He also was named the 1965 Birmingham Citizen of the Year and, in 1984, was added to the Alabama Press Association Hall of Honor.

’35 On Sept. 6, 2009, Jack Massey of Palatka, Fla., celebrated his 95th birthday. Owner for the past 55 years of Jack Massey Jewelers and Photo Supply in downtown Palatka, he is a well-known figure there.

According to the St. Augustine Record, “Jack putting out the American flag each morning in front of his store has long been one of the special sights in town.”

’41 Nell Echols Burks of Mobile was noted in the Mobile Press-Register for her half-century of activity in the Mobile arts community and her support of the Mobile Arts Council, St. Paul’s Episcopal School, Mobile Ballet, Mobile Symphony, the University of Mobile, Spring Hill College, the Girl Scouts, and local artists including Eugene Walter and many others. Part of her large art collection was recently sold by Koch Galleries in Mobile.

The late Mary Ivy Burks recently was named to the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame. Burks worked to establish a Sipsey Wilderness Area in the Bankhead

National Forest at a time when many believed that the Wilderness Act should apply only to the western part of the U.S. Her leadership was crucial in passing the U.S. Eastern Wilderness Areas Act in 1975 that designated 12,700 acres along the west fork of the Sipsey River as Alabama’s first national wilderness area. She also aided in the effort to win the wilderness designation for part of Cheaha Mountain.

’50 William L. “Bill” Legg of Birmingham was honored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Alabama at the 2009 National Philanthropy Day Awards ceremony. Legg is a retired teacher and coach at Shades Valley High School and former Jefferson County athletic director, executive director of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and leader of the BryantJordan Scholarship Fund. He also has served the Boys & Girls Clubs as a member of the board of directors and treasurer, a post he still holds, and he was cited by the group for more than 4,000 hours of service to the children of Central Alabama.

’65 This past November, Dr. Harvey H. Jackson, professor of history at Jacksonville State University, presented a program entitled “Modern Alabama” in the ArchiTreats Food for Thought series at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery. His most recent book, Inside Alabama: A Personal History of My State, won the Alabama Historical Association’s C.J. Coley Award. He is currently at work on a history of the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, tentatively titled The Rise and Decline of the ‘Redneck Riviera.’

Actor and writer Peggy WaltonWalker has relocated from Nashville to New Orleans, where

CLASSNOTES

she has been working in theatre at Southern Rep and with the Jefferson Performing Arts Society and also has been active in the expanding film industry. She played Sienna Miller’s mother in the movie Factory Girl and best friend to James Brolin and Joanna Cassidy in The American Standards.

’67 The Rev. Massey Gentry of Fairhope, who retired from the active priesthood in 2008, currently serves as interim priest at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Gulf Breeze. Former Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Alabama, he also served at the largest Episcopal parish in the United States—St. Martin’s in Houston.

selecting Newsom to receive the honorary doctorate, noted her accomplishments in Old Testament theology and her innovative work on the Dead Sea Scrolls.

’72 This past January, Branko Medenica of Birmingham served as a judge in local auditions for “Alabama’s Got Talent,” a preliminary competition for NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” television show.

Jerry Powell of Birmingham has retired as general counsel and secretary from BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc., after 29 years of service to the company.

He is married to Carolyn Wigington Powell.

’75

’69 Dr. Susan Atkins Pruet of Mobile received an Activist Award at the 35th Annual Research on Women and Education Conference meeting in Birmingham this past October. She was cited for leading the Engaging Youth in Engineering initiative in the Mobile County Public School System.

This program is a workforce and economic development initiative and motivates students to study more math and science.

’71 Dr. Carol Newsom, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Old Testament at Candler School of Theology, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Copenhagen this past November, and in the same month, was named president-elect of the Society of Biblical Literature.

The Copenhagen faculty, in

Dr. Robert K. Glenn, president of Athens State University, has been awarded the Howard Davis Sr. Award by the Southern Association for College Student Affairs. This award is one of four top professional recognitions from the group, which works to promote interdisciplinary programs and ideas to bring about improvement in the field of student affairs.

Birmingham attorney M. Ann Huckstep of the firm Adams and Reese was recently promoted to head the firm’s local office.

’76 Kenneth J. Mory, formerly chief of audits for the County of San Diego, Calif., is now city auditor in Austin, Texas. He assumed duties in Austin this past December.

’79 John “Joe” Corcoran of West Chester, Ohio, recently was elected to the Mt. Healthy High School Athletic Hall of Fame. A 1973 graduate of the school, he excelled for the Owls in basketball and baseball.

’81 Dr. Duane H. Pontius Jr., the T. Morris Hackney Professor of Physics at Birmingham-Southern, has been named the 2009 Alabama Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). For more on this story, see page 12.

Dr. Rita Westbrook of Cordova, Tenn., pediatric emergency medicine specialist at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville, was named 2009 Tennessee Pediatrician of the Year in ceremonies in Nashville this past September. Presenters cited her excellent efforts: “Dr. Westbrook has been extremely active in the teaching of pediatric and family practice residents, medical students, and paramedic students statewide—working tirelessly as director of the pediatric emergency department at Baptist Hospital in Memphis and now at Children’s … [and] has even lobbied for the emergency care of Tennessee children in Washington, D.C.”

’82 Donna Morrissette Banks of Durham, N.C., senior pastor of Evergreen United Methodist Church in Chatham Co., N.C., has joined the county’s Literacy Council’s board of directors and has identified literacy promotion as one way in which her church can be of significant help to its community.

Banks, who has served at Evergreen UMC since this past June, is a graduate of Duke Divinity School. She previously served three years as associate pastor at Christ United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill. She was a chemistry major at BSC, and, before entering the ministry, was employed by a chemical company for 16 years in positions ranging from chemist to vice president. She and her husband, Oliver, have two teenaged daughters.

Dunnam and his wife, Dottie, are pictured here at the front door of the Rectory at St. James Episcopal Church in Florence, Italy.

AlumNews ’69 The Rev. Canon T. Mark Dunnam has resigned as Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast to become Rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Florence, Italy, as of October 2009. St. James Church is a member congregation of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe of The Episcopal Church USA.

Angela Fisher Hall of Birmingham is now associate director of the Birmingham Public Library. She was formerly vice president of publications and special projects at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, where she had served since 1993, helping establish many of its ongoing programs, such as the annual Dr. King Birthday

spring 2010 / 53

CLASSNOTES

Celebration, Juneteenth Culture Fest, Birmingham Pledge Teen Conference, and Kwanzaa Celebration. BCRI President and CEO Lawrence J. Pijeaux Jr. noted Hall’s great contribution to the institute’s many achievements, praised her talent, focus, and commitment to team building, and expressed her BCRI family’s

support as she begins her new position at BPL, where she had previously worked for nine years before joining BCRI. In her new role at BPL, Hall will work with senior staff and the board to prepare the library’s annual budget, manage personnel, oversee programming, and develop library policies.

Clay Price of Auburn has been selected as a board member for the Wesley Foundation of Auburn University.

The work of executive recruiter Mike Wheless of Birmingham, chair and CEO of Wheless Associates Executive Search, was profiled in the Nov. 8, 2009, edition of The Birmingham News.

’83 Charles Ball, executive director of the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham, has been named a trustee of the Nature Conservancy of Alabama.

’84 Scott Musgrove of Los Angeles recently completed a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis in family forensics at Antioch University at Santa Barbara. He has accepted a position in the California Department of Corrections as a staff psychologist treating inmates with mental illness and substance abuse challenges.

The work of third-generation business owner Craft O’Neal, chair and CEO of O’Neal Industries, was profiled in the Oct. 4, 2009, edition of The Birmingham News.

’85

AlumNews ’88 Dr. James Bagwell has been named director of the Collegiate Chorale, one of New York’s foremost vocal ensembles. Founded in 1941 by the legendary conductor Robert Shaw, the chorale achieved national and international prominence under the leadership of Robert Bass. The chorale has established a preeminent reputation for its interpretations of the traditional choral repertoire, vocal works by American composers, and rarely heard operas-in-concert, as well as commissions and premieres of new works.

In its 68th season, led by its new director, the group was heard in “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” a concert performed live to the film this past October at Radio City Music Hall; a “Gala Evening, A Jubilant Song,” this past December at Carnegie Hall; and the world premiere two-act concert version of Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie’s rendering of “The Grapes of Wrath” this past March at Carnegie Hall. On May 12, the chorale will perform George Frideric Handel’s “Israel in Egypt” at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at New York University.

Bagwell maintains an active schedule through the U.S. as a conductor of choral, operatic, and orchestral music. Among many credits, he recently was named principal guest conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra in New York. Since 2003 he has been director of choruses for the Bard Music Festival, conducting and preparing choral works during the summer festival at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College. He also has prepared the Concert Chorale of New York for performances with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Mostly Mozart Festival (broadcast nationally in 2006 on “Live from Lincoln Center”), all in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. In 2005 he was named music director of the Dessoff Choirs in New York, which under his leadership have made numerous appearances at Carnegie Hall in addition to their regular season. In 2009 the Dessoff Symphonic Choir appeared with the New York Philharmonic performing both Mahler’s “Eighth Symphony” and Britten’s “War Requiem” for Lorin Maazel’s final concerts as music director.

He also has taught since 2000 at Bard College, where he is director of the music program.

Bagwell says that the training he received at BSC has been crucial to his work as a conductor.

“With teachers like William DeVan, Hugh Thomas, and so many others,” he says, “it is hard to go wrong.”

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This past November, chef Chris DuPont received an Achievement Award from Operation New Birmingham. His restaurant, Café Dupont, was expanded for the second time this past year, and DuPont was said to have “proven fine dining can be successful downtown.”

Beth Eagerton Dotson of Fairhope was formerly employed in chemical engineering for 14 years. She now has opened a branch of the Huntingdon Learning Centers in Daphne, providing supplemental educational services to area students, focusing on study skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, and standardized test preparation.

She is married to John W. Dotson Jr. ’84, who is president and director of The Club at Rock Creek.

Dr. Greg James of Birmingham has been appointed chief medical officer for St. Vincent’s Health System in Birmingham.

In this role, he will work with administration and medical staffs

CLASSNOTES

in developing and implementing strategies to promote quality patient care, efficiency, service, and patient care. James has practiced as a neurologist at St. Vincent’s Birmingham for 16 years.

Richard Sturgeon of Vestavia Hills recently was named 2010 DAR American History Teacher of the Year for Hoover High School, and he is the Cahawba Chapter DAR’s candidate for the Alabama American History Teacher of the Year. Sturgeon is chair of the Social Studies Department at Hoover High, and his teaching there for the past 15 years has garnered an array of awards and honors.

’86 The work of Susan Beard Brouillette as CEO of Birminghambased Alacare Home Health and Hospice was profiled in the November 2009 issue of Birmingham magazine. Brouillette has been employed with the company, founded by her father in 1970, for 21 years. The firm currently operates 25 offices with 800 employees and nearly 4,000 home healthcare patients.

’87 The work of Randy Gachet, artist and instructor at the Alabama School of Fine Arts was profiled in the Jan. 21, 2010, edition of Birmingham Weekly.

Playwright Rebecca Gilman’s adaptation of Carson McCuller’s novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter was produced this past December by the New York Theatre Workshop.

’88 Col. David Luders is serving in the U.S. Army and currently is attending Air War College in Montgomery. For more news of the Luders family, who recently returned from service in Germany, see “Births.”

Dr. Daniel C. Potts and his wife Ellen Woodward Potts of Tuscaloosa attended the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s national convention in Chicago this past September, where he presented a talk on the Lester Potts/Broken Jar /Caring Days story, sharing the stage with Joy Bauer of The Today Show and Dr. Paul Nussbaum of Pittsburgh Medical School.

’89 Rhett Workman has been promoted to managing director— corporate real estate at US Airways, Inc., overseeing the company’s lease and budget negotiations with the company’s domestic and international airport partners. Prior to joining US Airways in 2004, he was director of international affairs at the Air Transport Association of America in Washington, D.C.

(Left to right) Tobie, Reese, Skyler, Greg, and Trevor Hand.

AlumNews ’94 Greg Hand of Birmingham, his wife, Tobie, and their family celebrated a red-letter day on Sept. 29, 2009. That’s when Greg and Tobie finally completed the adoption of sons Skyler Michael, 3, and Trevor Paul, 4.

The two boys had lived with the Hands (including little brother, Reese, born to the family two years ago) for more than three years, as foster children. But on the day pictured, Tobie, Reese, Skyler, Greg, and Trevor officially became the Hand family. Off-camera, more happy relatives celebrated, including proud grandmother Judith Hayes Hand ’91 (former assistant dean of Adult Studies at BSC) and proud aunt Emily Hand ’90.

’90 Dr. Shannon Heinrich, an internal medicine physician, has joined the staff of the Lawrence Medical Center in Moulton. She received her medical degree from the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Va., on the campus of Virginia Tech, and will complete her internal medicine residency at the UAB Montgomery campus in June 2010.

Bertram Perry, a program specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Birmingham, was named the 2009 Federal Professional of the Year by the Birmingham

Federal Executive Association at a ceremony held this past September. His work as the 23rd National Veterans Golden Age Games local public affairs chair, the Action Based Leadership chair, and the VA Teacher Ambassador Workshop facilitator, as well as his efforts working with the literacy program at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, were noted as factors in receiving this award.

Dr. Philip Westbrook, an associate professor in the University of Alabama College of Education, has been named director of the Blackburn Institute at the school.

Building on the work of the late UA administrator John Blackburn, the 13-year-old institute seeks to develop ethical leadership in students by fostering programs, debates, and statewide travel to examine and resolve issues.

Westbrook holds a master’s degree

in early childhood and elementary education from UAB and a doctorate in educational leadership and school administration from Vanderbilt University.

’92 Kerry McInerney is listed in the “2010 Top 40 Under 40” in Birmingham featured in the Feb. 26, 2009, edition of the Birmingham Business Journal. The feature notes: “McInerney, 39, has been immensely successful as a shareholder and chair of the mortgage litigation group at Sirote & Permutt PC, but he hasn’t limited his reach to the legal world. He’s also gained a reputation for his role in the community and as a fundraiser—he was the fourthhighest fundraiser nationally out of more than 700 Team in Training participants in the 2005 Chicago Marathon.”

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CLASSNOTES

’94 Dr. Jane Miller Thayer received the Competitive Manuscript Award for her dissertation “Determinants of Investors’ Information Search: Credibility and Confirmation” from the American Accounting Association (AAA) at their annual conference in New York City last August. This award was created to encourage research among AAA members and associate members who have earned their Ph.D. within the past five years. Thayer received her Ph.D. in accounting from Emory University in 2008.

She currently is an assistant professor of accounting at the University of Georgia, where she teaches Intermediate Accounting.

AlumNews ’09 Carson Land is a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to the University of Mumbai in Mumbai, India. In the Department of Civics and Politics, she studies current Indian politics and foreign affairs. On campus, Land makes academic presentations about American public policy. Throughout Mumbai, she visits Rotary clubs and other civic organizations to discuss American life and culture and her impressions of India.

In addition to her school and Rotary commitments, Land teaches English lessons to 25 young boys at a local YMCA and assists her host Rotary club with social welfare events. During school holidays, she has traveled extensively in India. She has visited the palaces and deserts of Rajasthan, walked on the beaches of Goa, explored forts and mosques in New Delhi, and marveled at the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Land spent Christmas and New Year’s in northeast India, an area famous for tea and trekking. She spends her weekends visiting art galleries and bookshops, watching Bollywood movies, and exploring one of the most populous cities in the world. You can follow Land’s journey via her blog: www.geography-northandsouth.blogspot.com.

In May 2009, Matthew Irvin Penfield graduated summa cum laude from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. He is now an associate practicing with the Labor and Employment group at Maynard, Cooper & Gale P.C. in Birmingham.

David H. Tabor of Alexandria, Va., has been selected for promotion to Colonel and reassigned to the Pentagon, where he assumes responsibility as the division chief for Air Force Irregular Warfare.

He and his family have relocated from Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., where

56 / ’southern

previously he was commander of the 6th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field.

’93 Jack Smith has been named general manager of The Auburn Plainsman, the student newspaper for Auburn University. Smith, who was editor, publisher, and general manager of The Eufaula Tribune for 11 years, most recently was employed as an independent consultant for J. Smith Consulting, which served the Alabama Press Association and Auburn University Athletics.

is in the process of writing two articles for publication and beginning a research study on veteran defendants with posttraumatic stress disorder.

John Kincaid of Pelham, choir teacher at Simmons Middle School in Birmingham, recently took five school choirs to District Competition, and each of the choirs, composed of 6th-8th graders, received superior ratings from every judge, in all categories.

Gregory A. King is now executive vice president and president of the Birmingham market for Iberia Bank.

He previously has worked for several banks in this area, as well as in Tennessee and Georgia.

’95

’97

Dr. Elise Presley Johnson completed a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision at Auburn University in December 2008. She works both as a high school counselor and as a licensed professional counselor in private practice.

Griff Belser has become a partner in the Decatur-based law firm of Edwards, Belser & Smith.

’96 After Mary Margaret “Meg” Williams Fiedler’s husband, Tim, underwent a liver transplant at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., the family returned to Alabama from Central Florida. She is now employed as a staff attorney with Judge James A. Main of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, and her husband works with the law firm of Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis, & Miles P.C. in Montgomery.

Kirk Johnson has returned to his home town of Selma to become vice president and commercial lender with BankTrust. He previously was employed by Red Mountain Bank in Birmingham.

Johnson’s wife is Meredith Cooper Johnson ’99, and the two have a young daughter and son.

Anil A. Mujumdar of Birmingham, an attorney with Haskell Slaughter Young & Rediker LLC, has been selected to participate in the 2010 class of the Alabama State Bar’s Leadership Forum. Mujumdar also has been re-elected to the executive committee of the Young Lawyer’s Division of the Birmingham Bar Association for 2010.

Jennifer Orpha Kelly is in her first year in the doctoral program

’98

for clinical psychology (with a concentration in psychology and law) at the University of Alabama.

She is studying with renowned forensic psychologist Dr. Stanley Brodsky, having earned the competitive Graduate Council Fellowship at UA. She presently

John W. Johnson II has been named a partner at the Birmingham law firm of Christian &

CLASSNOTES

Small LLP. Johnson is a member of the firm’s litigation practice group, primarily practicing in the area of insurance coverage. He is a graduate of the 2009 Birmingham Bar Association’s Future Leaders Forum and is author of the second edition of Allen’s Alabama Liability Insurance Handbook (2009).

This past December, Wiley Mathews began working for OMD Worldwide, the largest media planning and buying agency in North America, which was named Adweek Global Media Agency of the Year in 2008 and 2009. As mobile director for the U.S., he will be responsible for overseeing

all U.S. mobile activity for OMD. He lives in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, and his office is in Manhattan. Mathews’ father is Byron Mathews Jr. ’70 of New York, and his mother is Carol Ann Mathews ’71 of Tallahassee, Fla. Dr. Jeffrey J. Schneider recently joined the Hattiesburg [Miss.] Clinic to practice as a neuropsychologist.

He holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology and a doctorate in adult clinical psychology/ neuropsychology with a behavioral neurology minor from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La.

’99 Ben Moncrief is serving as general counsel to U.S. Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.). He previously served as legal counsel to former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and as chief counsel to the Senate’s Special Committee on Aging. Before coming to the Senate, he served as law clerk to U.S. District Judge James H. Hancock and spent several years as a commercial litigator with the regional law firm of Bradley Arant Rose & White LLP (now Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP).

Dr. Elizabeth J. Richardson of Birmingham recently obtained a

doctorate in medical psychology and is now a spinal cord injury research and clinical fellow at UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center.

Mitesh B. Shah has been named a shareholder in the Birmingham law firm of Maynard, Cooper and Gale PC.

’01 Alex Cranford has completed his orthodontic residency at UAB School of Dentistry and opened Cranford Orthodontics in Newnan, Ga. For more news from him and his wife, Lindsey Crook Cranford, see “Births.”

BSC Scrapbook AlumNews ’62 The BSC alumni archives recently received a wonderful gift from Sherrill Lamppin Bohart of Seattle. Bohart, originally from Mobile, was a dynamic campus leader during her years at Birmingham-Southern—vice president of the SGA, head cheerleader, Mortar Board Scholarship Award winner, Who’s Who, ’Southern Accent Beauty, and more. And the collection of lovely photos, souvenir programs, and newspaper clippings she sent for the archives paints a lively picture of life on the Hilltop in the early ’60s. It was a time she says, “that changed my life—having outstanding professors, making wonderful friends, and being active in campus life.”

Bohart is pictured in front row, at left.

AlumNews ’91 A A Allyson Yarbrough Clay of Marietta, Ga., found a 1919 Birmingham-Southern yearbook (then known as 1 The Revue), in a New Bern, N.C., antique shop, and kindly sent it along for the college’s alumni archives, via Sheri Scholl Salmon ’85, BSC dean of enrollment management. Clay, like Salmon a tennis player during her years on the Hilltop, says the college is “an amazing place and will always have a very special place in my heart.”

spring 2010 / 57

Service with Honor AlumNews ’68 Dr. Carol Prickett of Tuscaloosa, professor of music therapy and music education in the University of Alabama College of Arts and Sciences School of Music, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Music Therapy Association—the highest honor given in the music therapy profession—as announced at the AMTA national conference held recently in San Diego.

Prickett began the music therapy program at UA in 1985. She teaches music therapy courses, music therapy practica, and music education research, as well as a graduate course that prepares music students for careers in college teaching. In 2007, Prickett received the UA College of Arts and Sciences “Outstanding Commitment to Students” award. She also served as a Distinguished Teaching Fellow in the college from 19992001. She has received awards for outstanding research and service from the AMTA Southeastern Chapter.

A member of the editorial review boards of the Journal of Music Therapy and the Journal of Research in Music Education, Prickett also has edited two books, published in national and international journals, and regularly presented sessions at AMTA and national music education conferences and seminars.

AlumNews ’69 and ’98 Urologist Dr. Thomas Moody ’69 of Birmingham has been praised by the National Prostate Cancer Coalition as a “major presence in the battle against prostate cancer in Alabama,” in a statement by its CEO Dr. Richard N. Atkins. The group had previously issued a “failing” grade to Alabama—one of only five states so graded in the United States—in its 2006 assessment of prostate cancer management nationwide, based on prostate cancer screening rates, death rate, and whether or not laws were in place to guarantee insurance coverage for prostate cancer screenings.

In response to that report, Moody helped push for new legislation in the state requiring insurers to cover physician-ordered tests for prostate cancer, and he marshaled the resources of his practice at Urology Centers of Alabama (UCA) to offer free screenings to citizens in many parts of the state, particularly in the Black Belt, where incidence of death from the disease is high. Since September 2006, UCA and the Urology Health Foundation have provided free prostate cancer screenings to more than 1,350 Alabama men. And Moody and his colleagues, in partnership with area hospitals, such as St. Vincent’s, have begun providing treatment to uninsured patients without resources in whom the disease is detected.

One such patient is Jimmy Love. While driving his log truck through South Alabama, he heard Roscoe Miller of radio station WKXN announcing a free upcoming prostate cancer screening scheduled in a nearby town. Although he felt fine, and had no symptoms of a problem, he decided to take advantage of this free opportunity. When his tests proved positive for prostate cancer, Love was scheduled for surgery at St. Vincent’s

by UCA’s Dr. Tom Holley ’98, a young colleague of Moody’s, who used modern surgery’s new, less invasive techniques to restore Love to health.

When prostate cancer is detected early, Moody says, it is almost always curable, but when it is found after it has spread beyond the prostate, it is almost always fatal. Moody, Holley, and their colleagues at UCA plan to continue their efforts in awareness, screening, and early detection to make that critical difference.

(From left) Moody, Love, and Holley pose for a photo following a successful surgery.

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CLASSNOTES

Prim Formby is now an associate in the Birmingham law firm of Maynard, Cooper & Gale. She is a member of the firm’s Insurance and Financial Services Litigation practice groups.

Artist John Stewart Jackson, who teaches

AlumNews ’99 and ’02 In 2003, John Peinhardt ’02 and his friend, Mike Mahon, with the cooperation of the Downtown Birmingham Rotary Club, co-founded The Rotaract Club of Birmingham, to offer persons from 18-30 a chance to “learn, socialize, and serve.” Ben Moncrief ’99 later served for a time as president of the group, and other BSC alumni also have been members. All now have special reason to be proud of the group’s signature service project, Ready 2 Read—the program recently was recognized by Rotary International as the 2009 International Winner of Outstanding Rotaract Projects.

According to the Birmingham group’s Web site, “In 2005, Rotaract chose literacy as its service project focus, targeting second grade reading comprehension, after studies showed that age group was a critical time in a student’s educational development. Rotaract wanted to give young students the tools that they needed to become better readers, and direct access to more books in their classrooms was the obvious first step. From that idea, Rotaract’s ‘classroom library’ concept was born in the form of the Ready 2 Read program.

“Rotaract, through Rotaract Club of Birmingham Foundation, has raised more than $200,000 for the program, and in September 2008, each second-grade classroom in Birmingham City Schools received a classroom library with 129 books.

Rotaract members and volunteers delivered the books to each class and return to read once a month.”

at the School of the Arts in Singapore, recently showed two pieces titled “Reading After the Fire” at a Singapore art show.

In one of the pieces, a copy of the book, a work

by Singapore poet Boey Kim Cheng, is frozen into a block of ice; as the ice melts, the book flips and floats. In the second piece, three small speakers are encased in icy shells; as the ice melts, a recorded voice reading poems from the books becomes louder and more distinct.

Scarlett Singleton of Homewood was one of the attorneys named to the team of prosecutors in the recent trial of former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford.

Singleton joined the U.S. attorney’s office in 2005.

She previously had held internships at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., and with Bradley Arant, and had clerked for federal appeals court Judge Julia Gibbons in Memphis.

In December 2008, Laura McGahey Van Pelt of Mountain Brook completed an MBA in organizational management at Georgia State Univeristy. She now works at Alabama Power Co. as an human resources consultant on health and wellness.

’02

’05

Ryanne Duffie recently spoke on a panel led by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences—Memphis Chapter titled “Focus on Music.” She discussed legal issues related to music and music use in films.

Duffie is an entertainment attorney at Frascogna Courtney PLLC in Jackson, Miss. She works with music contracts, music licensing, film contracts, artist management, corporate law for record labels and production companies, copyright law, trademark law, and communications/media law, as well as music publishing and royalty accountings.

Jillian Anne Greer Fried of Ardmore graduated with a master’s degree in professional counseling from Argosy University in Nashville in December 2009. For more news, see “Births.”

Sarah Beth Coffey Gehl of Atlanta was named one of the “2009 40 Under 40—Georgia’s Best and Brightest” by Georgia Trend magazine this past October. The magazine selects Georgians “who are making their mark” in business, government, education, the arts, and the world of nonprofits. Gehl is deputy director of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, working toward better public policies for low-income families.

Daniel Seigel, an opera singer and adjunct professor in the Birmingham-Southern Conservatory of Music, will make his Carnegie Hall debut singing a solo recital in October.

’04 Rebecca A. Beers, an attorney with Haskell Slaughter Young & Rediker LLC, has been reelected to the board of directors of Catalyst Birmingham for 2010 and will continue to serve as the organization’s secretary.

David H. Humber is now an associate in the Birmingham law firm of Maynard, Cooper & Gale. He is a member of the firm’s General Corporate, Tax, and Economic Development and Incentives practice groups.

After finishing her clerkship with the Hon. Karon O. Bowdre of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Abbott Marie Jones of Birmingham joined Christian & Small LLP as an associate. Her practice focuses on appellate litigation, motions and briefing, and entertainment law.

’06 Jennifer Damian Hamrick of Birmingham’s Lovoy Summerville & Shelton has recently become a certified public accountant.

She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants.

’07 Mary Patton Kyser of Birmingham is beginning a model teaching unit for K-1 children with autism for Jefferson County that uses the latest research-based intervention techniques to best instruct new teachers in how to teach students with autism.

Johannes Norrell of Arlington, Va., received his doctoral degree

Kelley Brooks Simoneaux and her husband, Bradlee Simoneaux ’08, reside in Knoxville, Tenn. She is in her last year of law school

in physics this past summer from Duke University. He is the son of Dr. Renée Norrell, BSC professor of French.

at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He is employed at 21st Mortgage Co. (a Berkshire Hathaway company).

spring 2010 / 59

CLASSNOTES

’08

Jessie Marie Wagner has returned home to Port St. Joe, Fla. She

Cameron Daniel of Birmingham, an actuary at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama, has passed the first two actuary tests and is awaiting results on the third.

currently is on staff at Port St. Joe Middle School, teaching special needs children. She also serves as the assistant varsity girls’ soccer coach at Port St. Joe High School.

Sarah Wilder is a student at the University of Memphis, pursuing an MFA in creative writing.

’09 Stephanie Kristin Barlow currently is teaching math and coaching softball at Spain Park High School in Hoover. She plans on attending graduate school this summer.

Mary Patrick George is enrolled in medical school at UAB and is playing in the Birmingham Hispanic Soccer League.

Grace Guyton is serving a year as a volunteer for the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. Guyton is assigned to San Antonio, Texas, where she works with refugee resettlement for Catholic Charities. She lives in an Hispanic neighborhood, attends a predominantly Hispanic church, works with a Roman Catholic organization, and serves Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist refugees from Burma, Bhutan, the Middle East, and Africa.

Former Panther golfer Jordan Hardy of Sylacauga recently won the Alabama Amateur State Championship and qualified for the 2009 Navistar Ladies Professional Golf Association Classic, played this past fall at the Robert Trent Jones Trail at Capitol Hill in Prattville.

Howard Lee Sims III of Trussville is now a certified public accountant.

He is employed in the tax department at Sellers, Richardson, Holman & West in Birmingham, working in the area of partnership, corporate, and individual taxation.

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MPPM ’92 Matthew Todd Hunter of Birmingham received his citation as a certified professional in supply management (CPSM) from the Institute of Supply Management.

’96 David Hill of Birmingham, former director of communications at BSC, recently was promoted to VP of marketing and communications at the Metropolitan Birmingham YMCA. Hill served for some 10 years as the graduate alumni representative at BSC.

’98 Jake McKenzie’s work as CEO of Intermark Group, a downtown Birmingham firm founded 30 years ago, was profiled in the Jan. 17, 2010, edition of The Birmingham News. Of his marketing organization, which makes use of the Internet and social media to promote a variety of goods and services, McKenzie says, “We’re on the cusp of being a significant national agency.”

’04 David Smitherman of Birmingham, president of the Central Alabama Better Business Bureau, is the incoming graduate alumni representative at BSC.

Friends

Births & Adoptions

This past November, at its annual meeting, Operation New Birmingham honored Dr. Neal Berte, president emeritus of Birmingham-Southern, for his role

A son, Alistair Clyde, Jan. 12, 2010, to James C. “Jay” White ’84 and wife, Lisa (big brother, Sebastian).

A daughter, Karmin Alexandria, July 4, 2008, to Col. David Luders ’88 and wife, Katherine.

A daughter, Sloan Margaret,

with the Business Leadership Group, which meets regularly with the Birmingham mayor.

He has been part of that group for 29 years.

Roger N. Casey, who spent nine years as an associate dean and professor at BSC, will become ninth president of McDaniel College in western Maryland in July. He currently is serving as provost of Rollins College in Florida.

Melissa Heinz, former assistant soccer coach at BSC, has been named head women’s soccer coach at Valdosta State in Valdosta, Ga.

Weddings Kelly Muldrow ’99 and John David Gunter, Sept. 12, 2009.

Tyrenda J. Williams ’01 and Jonathan H. Reed, Nov. 27, 2009.

Robert Crockett Hahn ’02 and Dana Michelle Dietrich, Oct. 17, 2009.

Meagan Garland ’04 and Craig Nicholas Kidd, Oct. 17, 2009.

Keith Weber ’06 and Jenna Webb ’08, July 22, 2009.

Corinna Bette Anderson ’07 and Mark Sullivan, Sept. 12, 2009.

Kelley Jean Brooks ’07 and Bradlee John Simoneaux ’08, Aug. 8, 2009.

Amelia Blaire Wilters ’07 and Christopher Ross Baxter, Jan. 2, 2010.

Tawnya Nylund ’08 and Jonathan Joseph Kelley, Dec. 19, 2009.

Dec. 7, 2009, to Ralph Laurence “Randy” Dill IV ’89 and Jennifer Sloan Dill ’92. Proud grandfather is Ralph Laurence “Larry” Dill III ’63. Proud uncle is David Stone Dill ’92, and proud aunt is Mary Alexandra Tampary Dill ’95.

A son, Charles Abraham, Aug. 24, 2009, to Rima Fawal Hartman ’90 and husband, John (big brothers, Luke and Peter, and big sister, Ella).

A son, Trent Thomas, Oct. 23, 2009, to Jennifer Johnson Luteran ’91 and husband, Thomas Edward (big sisters, Erin Kathleen and Molly Ann).

A son, Jacob Lawson, Oct. 6, 2009, to Jennifer Holder Fields ’93 and husband, Jason Wade (big brother Jackson James).

Sons Trevor Paul (born Oct. 12, 2004) and Skyler Michael (born Oct. 20, 2005) were adopted Sept. 29, 2009, by Greg Hand ’94 and wife, Tobie (little brother, Reese). Trevor and Skyler had lived with the Hand family for more than three years as foster children. Proud grandmother is Judith Hayes Hand ’91, and proud aunt is Emily Hand ’90.

A son, Daniel Read, Feb. 3, 2010, to Jim Read Bennett ’95 and his wife, Jami (big brother, Brooks).

A son, Carlton Bryce, Aug. 30, 2009, to Melissa McElroy Romeo ’96 and husband, Jonathan (big brother, Knox).

Proud aunt is Katie McElroy Robinson ’97, and proud uncle is James Scott McClellan ’97.

CLASSNOTES

Alumni Bookshelf AlumNews ’40 The late [John E.] “Hot” O’Brien, who died in 1977, is among BSC’s fabled athletes. A threesport letter winner for the Panthers, graduating in 1940, he won his unusual name in an especially exciting basketball matchup one evening on the Hilltop. At a critical juncture, the coach sent him into the game shouting “Get hot, O’Brien!” and the crowd took up the chant, “Get hot, O’Brien; get hot!” When O’Brien responded by racking up 13 points “just like that”—while the stands went wild—the nickname was his for life.

Following graduation, as noted at his 2008 induction into the BSC Sports Hall of Fame, O’Brien spent most of his career at Tallassee High School, where he coached baseball, men’s basketball and, most notably, football. In 18 seasons at Tallassee, he coached his football teams to five unbeaten seasons and a 57-game unbeaten streak, a national record at the time. During his tenure, O’Brien coached his teams to an impressive 120 wins, 28 losses, and seven ties.

Now W.C. Bryant of Tallassee has written a book about the legendary coach, from the point of view of a player who knew him well. Bryant played four years of high school baseball under O’Brien.

His book, Hot and His Boys: The Life-Career of J.E. ‘Hot’ O’Brien, examines the life and legend of the man The Birmingham News in 1985 named the “Best All-Time High School Coach in Alabama.”

In his dedication to the book, Bryant says of his former coach: “He made better the lives of all he touched. He left his world better than he found it … He was unique. There will never be another ‘Hot.’” For more information on the book, contact Carol Hagood at chagood@bsc.edu.

AlumNews ’41 Dr. Virginia Van der Veer Hamilton of Daphne, formerly of Birmingham, is a well-respected Alabama historian. According to the publisher of her latest book, New South Books, “During and after World War II, Virginia Van der Veer Hamilton became a pioneer in journalism and academe— two careers in which only a small minority of women then participated. She was the AP reporter for the ‘women’s beat’ at the Truman White House. While a wife and mother, she became the second woman to earn a Ph.D. from the History Department of the University of Alabama. She taught at UAB, chaired its History Department for ten years, and wrote eight award-winning books as well as numerous articles in scholarly journals.”

In Teddy’s Child: A Family Memoir,” says Howell Raines ’64, former executive editor of The New York Times, “Virginia Hamilton turns her literary skills to an enthralling personal history of her colorful, troubled family. With the fine eye of a novelist, she also recreates a lost time when Southern intellectuals struggled under the twin burdens of racism and oppressive moral codes.”

Diane McWhorter, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama: The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution, says, “Hamilton’s memoir provides a thrilling—and highly entertaining—look at how this flinty free-thinker was forged in the Deep South of the 1920s and 1930s … I have long been a huge fan of Dr. Hamilton’s work. Now I thoroughly appreciate the person behind it.”

AlumNews ’94 Morgan Murphy, who has written for The New York Post, Vanity Fair, Forbes, Esquire, and Southern Living, recently joined forces with his former writing instructor at BSC, humorist Melinda Rainey Thompson (author of SWAG: Southern Women Aging Gracefully and The SWAG Life), to pen I Love You—Now Hush, a Southern “he said—she said” collection of contrasting outlooks on life.

An article in the Jan. 26, 2010, Birmingham News outlines the full—and entertaining— story of how the one-time editor of The Hilltop News and the former English professor turned humor writer came to collaborate—mostly through e-mails, “a pretty 21st-century way to write,” as Thompson says—on this latest project.

spring 2010 / 61

CLASSNOTES

Fine Arts Alumni in Special Performances AlumNews ’67, ’87, et al.

In August 2009, the combined parish choirs of Saint Luke’s and Saint Mary’s-on-theHighlands Episcopal churches of Birmingham went on a tour of European cathedrals, singing at The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Paris (Cathedral of the Diocese of Europe), Canterbury Cathedral—the Mother Church of Anglicanism, and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The group included choir directors Dr. Jim Dorroh ’67 and Ann H. Giambrone ’87, along with 43 singers. (See photo at top left.)

AlumNews ’76

Photo by David Rooney.

A photograph taken at the entrance of the Choir Chancel of Canterbury Cathedral shows BSC students and alumni who were part of the tour. (Front row, left to right): Giambrone, BSC student Neily Krebs, Dana McArthur Porter ’03, Dorroh; (Second row): Greg Evans ’87, BSC student Chris Sweatt, Cassidy Dowdy ’02, Lars Porter ’04; (Third row): former BSC student Kirsten Lewis, Jane Templeton Stump ’79, Mark Ridings ’87; (Fourth row): former BSC student Kenny Lewis, BSC student Stefan Neely, Richard Stump Jr. ’09. (Not pictured, Richard Byrd ’08.)

Russell A. Williams of Birmingham is a BSC music graduate and former student at the Juilliard School who, rather than music, opted for a career in engineering and, now, as piano technician. In 2008, he co-founded RAPPAS, a local group whose acronymic name, applied tongue-in-check, stands for “Rank Amateur Piano Players Auxiliary Symposium.” Composed of area pianists with non-music day jobs, they are lawyers, doctors, interior designers, professors, marketers, and more. They may be amateurs, but most are classically trained and their skills are very real—co-founders include piano teacher Anita Peters Ranelli ’70 and ophthalmologist Drew Mays, who took the gold medal in the 2007 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs.

All are joined in their love of music and their desire to have a like-minded group for whom to perform. Members, who have ranged in number from 5 to 32, take turns hosting meetings, either in their homes or another space with an adequate grand piano, and each member is required to perform twice a year.

RAPPAS’s end-of-the-year concert is open to the public. The most recent took place at the Birmingham Museum of Art this past November, at which time the group was profiled by Michael Huebner in the Nov. 22, 2009, edition of The Birmingham News.

BSC alumni or friends who currently are or have been part of the group include, in addition to Williams and Ranelli, Pam Ausley ’82, Jane Barton ’75, Vicki Zoghby Sauls ’72, Harrison Walker ’97, and BSC James A. Wood Professor of History Bill Nicholas.

Others who wish to learn more about the group may contact Williams at rqfunk@yahoo.com.

AlumNews ’87 Kristi Tingle Higginbotham recently appeared with the Las Vegas Philharmonic in its March 6, 2010, pops series concert entitled “Broadway a la Carte.” In this well-received program, at the Artemus Ham Hall of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Philharmonic music director and conductor David Itkin presented five featured singers—including Jason Forbach and Bruce Ewing, who have appeared in “Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular”—backed by the Philharmonic’s rich sound. Along with other numbers, Higginbotham offered rousing solos of “Buenos Aires” and “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from “Evita.”

(Left to right) Bruce Ewing, Maestro David Itkin, Kristi Tingle Higginbotham, and Jason Forbach delighted a Las Vegas audience at a March 6 pops concert with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

62 / ’southern

AlumNews ’87 and ’97 A highlight of the 2009 holiday season in Birmingham was a memorable production of Scrooge The Musical at Birmingham Children’s Theatre, with Kristi Tingle Higginbotham ’87 as Christmas Past, Suzanne Mann (wife of Philip Jackson Mann ’61) as Christmas Present, and Dane Peterson ’97 as Bob Crachit. Director Abe Reybold is an adjunct member of the BSC faculty. Critic Alec Harvey of The Birmingham News in a Dec. 4, 2009, article, called it a “can’t-miss show” with “a cast filled with some of Birmingham’s best-known actors and beautiful sets and costumes to boot,” and commented “Oh, what fun it is when Birmingham Children’s Theatre is working on all cylinders.”

CLASSNOTES

retirement in 1974 as head of the Commercial Department.

Dr. Claude C. Blackwell ’34 of Birmingham died Nov. 4, 2009. He held a medical degree from Vanderbilt University, with additional training in Baltimore, Chicago, and Boston. He served as chief of general surgery at Walter Reed Hospital from 194246, before returning to Birmingham for a long career in surgery. He was a former president of the medical staff at Baptist Medical Center Montclair and former president of the Birmingham Surgical Society. He was a member of the Ginkgo Society at BSC.

Oldham, dressed as Mrs. Claus, with “quick-change ladies” Kathy and Dana from the Radio City Christmas Spectacular stage crew.

AlumNews ’05 From the beginning of November 2009 through the opening days of January 2010, BSC theatre grad Laura Oldham toured the U.S. and Canada with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. She was a featured vocalist and portrayed Mrs. Santa Claus in the show.

Some of her favorite cities on the tour included Montreal (“an entire day’s worth of shows in French—hilarious!” she says), and Philadelphia, where the show played in the same gigantic arena where the Philly Flyers play—to over 20,000 people in one weekend.

“But by far my favorite city was Birmingham! How proud I was to come to my home state and perform for tons of family and friends with the famous Rockettes … and to represent BSC on the road.”

A son, Tristan Robert House, May 28, 2009, to Patricia “Trish” House McCluney ’97 and husband, Richard (big brother, Richard Jr.).

A daughter, Sarah Katherine, Aug. 24, 2009, to Marie Shunnarah Bateh ’98 and

2009, to Mitesh Shah ’99 and wife, Meredith (big brother, McNair). Proud aunt is Dr. Neha Bansi Shah ’03.

A daughter, Reagan Breckinridge, Sept. 28, 2009, to Alex Cranford ’01 and Lindsey Crook

husband, Brian (big sisters, Anna, Abbie, and Elizabeth).

A son, Andrew Daniel, Sept. 8, 2009, to Sarah Eastman Cusick ’99 and husband, Daniel (big sister, Helen).

Cranford ’01.

A son, David Rein, Oct. 29, 2009, to Dana McArthur Porter ’03 and Lars Porter ’04. Proud grandmother is Sue Dill Grogan ’73. Proud uncle is Wesley Porter ’08.

A son, Samuel Michael, Sept. 29, 2009, to Reed Haigler Hoppe ’99 and husband, Mike (big sister, Susanna).

A son, Jackson Harding, Sept. 9,

A daughter, Margaret Curran, July 30, 2009, to Mary Louis Lydick Quinn ’03 and John Michael Quinn ’05.

A daughter, Penny Theresa,

Dec. 28, 2009, to Jillian Anne Greer Fried ’05 and husband, Carl (big sister, Claire).

In Memoriam Helen Borchers Rea ’31 of Eufaula died June 4, 2009. She was a retired social worker for the state of Alabama. She was a member of the Ginkgo Society at BSC. Mary Frances Turner ’32 of Birmingham died Aug. 29, 2009. She held a master’s degree from the University of Alabama and taught at Ensley High School from 1928 until her

John C. Stapleton ’35 of Birmingham died Oct. 7, 2009.

Owner of Stapleton Realty Co., which he founded in 1947, he won many honors and took a leadership role in the industry at local, state, and national levels. He also was active in community and church leadership. Survivors include his wife, Ann O. Stapleton. He was a member of the Ginkgo Society at BSC. William M. Thweatt Jr. ’35 of Augusta, Ga., died in his hometown of Andalusia May 21, 2009. He was a longtime employee of the Buckeye Cellulose Corp., a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, retiring in 1975 with 40 years of service.

Martha Griswold Saunders ’37 of Clarksville, Ind., died Sept.

26, 2008. Survivors include her husband, Ralph H. Saunders. Her sister was the late Mary Lou Griswold Jones ’34.

Susan Mildred Sims McCostin ’39 of Birmingham died Dec. 16, 2009. She was a volunteer with the kindergarten children of McCoy United Methodist Church for 31 years, and later a member of Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church.

spring 2010 / 63

CLASSNOTES

Academic Appointments AlumNews ’66 Dr. Robert G. Bottoms, chair of the board of trustees of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, in Evanston, Ill., has been named interim dean and president at the school. Bottoms retired in July 2008 after 22 years as president of DePauw University.

AlumNews ’84 Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa., has named Dr. James C. “Jay” White II vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty.

White comes to Washington & Jefferson from Gettysburg College, where he has served on the staff since 2006 as interim provost, vice provost, and associate professor of physics. Previously, he was editor of Mercury magazine for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in San Francisco. White and his wife, Lisa, have two young sons, Sebastian and Alistair.

James C. White II, Ph.D., with his son Sebastian

AlumNews ’81 Dr. Robert W. Pearigen, vice president for university relations and professor of political science at The University of the South (Sewanee, Tenn.), has been named 11th president of Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., and will assume the office on July 1, 2010. Pearigen’s wife, and the future First Lady of Millsaps, is Phoebe Stone Pearigen ’81.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Birmingham-Southern and of Southern Methodist University, where she received her MFA, she is an instructor in the Theatre Arts Department at Sewanee and the founder and director of the Sewanee Dance Conservatory. The Pearigens have two children, Carolyn, age 17, and Wesley, age 14.

Col. Nathaniel S. Mewhinney ’40, USMC (Ret.) of Carmel, Calif., died June 29, 2009. A veteran of World War II, he received both a Purple Heart and a Medal of Valor from the U.S. Marines during his tour of duty in the Pacific. He later worked for the Berkeley Bank for Cooperatives and Tri Valley Growers of San Francisco until his retirement in 1983. He was a member of the Ginkgo Society at BSC. Barbara Sutherland Giddens ’41 of Bedford, Va., died May 18, 2008.

Her husband was the late Cecil Giddens Jr. ’42.

Mary Moon Maddox ’41 of Gilbert, Ariz., died July 6, 2009.

Survivors include her husband, Lon Maddox.

64 / ’southern

Carolyn Barker Strain ’43 of Duluth, Ga., formerly of Birmingham, died Sept. 12, 2009.

Her husband was the late Robert E. Strain ’40.

Dr. Claude Orian Truss ’43 of Birmingham died Sept. 10, 2009.

He was a graduate of Cornell University Medical College, later serving as chief resident in internal medicine of the Cornell Division of Bellevue Hospital in NYC and chief of cardiology at the U.S. Air Force Hospital at Maxwell Field.

He practiced internal medicine and allergy in Birmingham for over 50 years and published two books (in 1983 and 2009) on Candida albicans and its role in human illness. He was a member of the Ginkgo Society at BSC. Survivors include his son, Dr. Christopher

Truss ’72 (Lois Turner Truss ’72), and grandsons Wiley Truss ’05 (Rachel Vinson Truss ’04) and Alex Truss ’08. Other BSC family members include his late brother, Dr. Carroll Vance Truss ’41.

Ruth Horn Fitzpatrick ’44 of Charlotte, N.C., died Sept. 29, 2009. In addition to her work at BSC, she also was a graduate of the Birmingham-Southern Conservatory of Music. A former teacher at Fairfield High School, she also taught 5th and 6th grades in the Decatur public schools. She played violin in volunteer orchestras in Alabama; Arlington, Mass.; St. Louis; and with the Charlotte, N.C., Civic Orchestra. Survivors include her husband, James W. Fitzpatrick, and her sister, Esther Horn Rogers ’48. Other BSC family members

include her late sister, Edna Horn Knox ’42.

William Kettig Murray ’44 of Birmingham died Nov. 25, 2009.

After attending BSC, he received degrees from the University of Alabama, the University of Maine, and Yale School of Law. A veteran of World War II, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army. He was retired from the practice of law at the firm of Burr, Forman.

Mary Emily Moss Braswell ’45 of Birmingham died Dec. 14, 2009.

She was retired from service as a U.S. District Court clerk. She also was active in church affairs. Her husband was the late Grady G. Braswell ’45.

CLASSNOTES

Postscript — more about stories from earlier issues

In the last issue of ’Southern magazine (Fall 2009), we let you know that The American College of the Building Arts in Charleston, S.C., founded by John Paul Huguley ’91 12 years ago, was the cover story of the September/October 2009 Preservation magazine, a publication of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Now there’s more good news about Huguley’s continuing efforts to champion traditional building arts in America. During this past fall’s second-season episodes of PBS’s show Craft in America, Huguley was interviewed regarding the importance of passing down the artisan crafts from one generation to another. That’s two appearances in two major national venues within two months!

Birmingham’s 11th annual Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival featured the world premiere of the film version of Alabama Moon, a novel for young people by Watt Key ’92. (See ’Southern, Summer 2006, for our original note on the book.) Actors in this cinematic version of the story include John Goodman in role of Mr. Wellington.

The unique crayon-constructed art of Herb Williams ’96 was pictured in the Spring 2009 issue of ’Southern, which also included news of his partnership in the Rymer Gallery in Nashville.

This past December/January, Williams’ work was featured in his first New York show, at the Rare Gallery on West 27th Street. He worked hard, he says, during the past year to create the room-sized installation, built with about half a million crayons, titled “Plunderland.”

In the Fall 2008 issue of ’Southern, we reported that Kevin Faraci ’02 had won the role of Lead Vocalist in the spectacular new Cirque Du Soleil show ZED, in production at the newly completed Cirque theatre— designed to resemble a huge circus tent—at the Disney Resort in Tokyo.

Faraci continues this role, “shoulder-deep in a busy show schedule,” he writes, which sometimes includes up to 10 performances a week. This past October, Cirque Du Soleil released the CD of music from ZED, including dazzling vocals from Faraci and his fellow performers.

Photo by Red Dog Studios.

spring 2010 / 65

CLASSNOTES

Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority. He was a member of the Ginkgo Society at BSC.

In Memoriam ’34 William Oliver “Ollie” Cox of Mountain Brook died Jan. 22, 2010. Before moving to Kirkwoodby-the-River, Cox resided in Birmingham his entire life. Following graduation at BSC, he was employed by Union Carbide and traveled to New York to work on oxygen inhalation therapy for the United States. During World War II, he served as an ensign and gunnery officer on a small carrier in the Atlantic. Later Cox was transferred to the Navy’s oxygen section. After the war, he worked for a specialty advertising company, Brown and Bigelow, as Birmingham manager. Then he was hired by the firm of Forrester-Smith to head its Southeastern division, managing salespeople throughout the Southeast. Cox retired at age 86 after a long and satisfying career. He was a member of the Ginkgo Society. Survivors include his wife, Alyce Martha O’Brien Cox.

Howard Lanier Reese ’45 of St. Petersburg, Fla., died April 4, 2008.

His wife was the late Gene Smith Reese ’44. Other BSC family members include his late brother, J. Terrell Reese ’42, whose wife is Ruthie Griffith Reese ’42, and his late sister, Lucile Reese Hamrick ’33.

Women’s Missionary Union and Vacation Bible School.

family members include her nephew, Dr. Cleveland Kinney ’67.

Addison Doake “A.D.” Carothers Jr. ’46 of Sylacauga died Oct. 24, 2009. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army.

He was active in church affairs.

James Daniel “Jim” Hartsfield ’48 of Knoxville, Tenn., formerly of Birmingham, died Sept. 19, 2009.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He retired from Procter & Gamble in 1984.

Mildred Holloway Hard ’46 of Janie Ford Settle ’45 of Blountsville, died Sept. 28, 2009.

She was active in church affairs, serving for many years in the

Birmingham died Oct. 25, 2009.

She was active in church affairs and was a lifelong member of Southside Baptist Church. BSC

In Memoriam ’39

Gene A. Martin ’49 of Pensacola died Oct. 25, 2009. She was a member of the Ginkgo Society at BSC. Survivors include her husband, Rev. Fred J. Martin Jr., her brother, Dr. John M. Akin Jr. ’49, and her niece Kathleen Smyly Parsons ’78. Other BSC family members include her late father,

Thomas Harris Moriarty of Dothan died Oct. 9, 2009. A veteran of World War II, he served as a captain in the U.S. Navy. Following the war, Moriarty was associated with AmSouth Bank for many years before retiring as vice president. He was a faithful and generous alumnus of BirminghamSouthern, serving on the Alumni Leadership Board and regularly attending alumni reunions and other college events. He was a member of the Ginkgo Society. Survivors include his wife, Pauline Edwards Moriarty, a brother, Dr. John K. Moriarty ’41 of Manassas, Va., and a sister, Katherine Moriarty Whitten ’43 of West Jefferson, N.C.

66 / ’southern

Dr. John M. Akin Sr. ’22, and her nephew, the late Dr. John Marvin Akin III ’84, whose wife is Sarah Reed Akin ’86.

John G. Niarhos ’49 of Birmingham died Jan. 16, 2009. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he was a retired bookkeeper.

A.C. “Chuck” Collier ’50 of Birmingham died Nov. 23, 2009.

He served in the U.S. Army in Korea and later in the U.S. Army Reserves, retiring as a major. He was employed by the Jefferson County Board of Education, the University Hospital in Birmingham, and the

Forrest Stanley Ferguson ’50 of North Shelby Co. died Nov. 26, 2009. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Maritime Service (the Merchant Marines), and later served in the U.S. Army. He was employed by U.S. Steel for 32 years and later by Rich’s. Survivors include his wife, Sarah Ferguson.

Eddie Hubert Gilmore ’50 of McCalla died Aug. 28, 2009. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army and later in Korea and in the Alabama National Guard, retiring in 1965 with the rank of major. He was a lifelong business owner and entrepreneur. He also served one term in the Alabama House of Representatives and three terms in the Alabama Senate, during part of which time he was chair of the Jefferson County delegation. He was appointed to the first Alabama Ethics Commission created by then-Gov. Albert Brewer. He authored the legislation that created Tannehill State Park and later served as president of the Alabama Historic Ironworks Commission. He was very active in community affairs and charitable organizations. Survivors include his wife, Vaudine Smithson Harbarger Gilmore.

Jackson Graham Shores ’50 of Birmingham died Jan. 16, 2010.

He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army. He was employed by Chicago Bridge and Iron Co., and later served as a court reporter. He was active in community affairs, particularly in volunteer work with the Boy Scouts. Survivors include his son, Robert Wesley Shores ’82, his nephew, William Shores Stalcup ’71, and his first cousin, Rev. Mike Harper ’68 (Rev. Barbara Erickson Harper ’68). Other BSC family members include his late brother, James L. Shores ’48.

CLASSNOTES Kenneth Forrest Wesley Sr. ’50 of Hueytown died Nov. 28, 2009.

He was a veteran of World War II, serving primarily in the South Pacific, with the Marine Aircraft Wing. He was retired from South Central Bell after 33 years of service. He was active in church affairs. Survivors include his wife, Margaret Anne Jackson Wesley.

William Roy “Bill” Adams ’51 of Bessemer died Oct. 13, 2009.

He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Navy. After retiring from U.S. Steel, he worked for the state of Alabama for many years, and later for Wal-Mart in Adamsville. He was a member of the Ginkgo Society at BSC. [His first wife was the late Martha Dyson Adams ’51.] He is survived by his wife, Lee Scott Adams.

John Lewis Cole ’51 of Birmingham died Oct. 18, 2009.

He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Pacific with the U.S. Navy. He was a graduate of the Birmingham School of Law and had practiced in Birmingham since 1959. He received a certificate of recognition for 50 years of service to the legal profession from the Birmingham Bar Association and the Alabama Bar Association. In 2001, he was awarded the L. Burton Barnes III Public Service Award from the Birmingham Bar Association. Survivors include his wife, Lillian Cole.

Marvin Mason Donovan ’58 of Birmingham died Oct. 3, 2009. He was a longtime employee of the Donovan Coffee Co., founded in Birmingham by his grandfather, William Fitz Donovan in 1906.

After his retirement, he was employed by Ritch’s Pharmacy and Crestline Pharmacy. Survivors include his daughter Susan Mason Donovan ’84.

Shirley Keltner Lee ’58 of Birmingham died Aug. 22, 2009.

She was employed by The Birmingham News from 1950 to 1968, first in promotions and

In Memoriam ’61 Robert C. Kaufman of New York City died Nov. 1, 2009. He held a master’s degree in library science from Columbia University and had a distinguished and fulfilling career as a fine arts librarian. From 1985 until shortly before his death, Kaufman worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, serving in the Costume Institute, Watson Library, and the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Library.

For many years prior to that, he worked as librarian at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum of the Smithsonian Institution and the Yale Art and Architecture Library. His interest and expertise in 19th-century decorative arts led him to become a charter member of the Victorian Society in America. He also was active in the Art Libraries Society. During his career, Kaufman lectured, edited a variety of publications, and received a number of professional awards. One highlight of his life was his participation, as a Ford Foundation Fellow, in the international effort to rescue Italian art devastated by the 1966 floods in Florence. He was a member of the Ginkgo Society. Survivors include his sister, Catherine Tatum, who shared his photograph with the ’Southern staff.

research, and later as the assistant personnel director. She was a member of the Ginkgo Society at BSC. Survivors include her husband, Roland V. Lee ’57. News of her death was shared with us by her friend, Geneva Blackburn ’58.

Sarah E. Webster ’58 of Winfield died Nov. 16, 2009. She held a master’s degree in education from BSC. She was a career educator and had taught at Winfield High, the Jefferson County School System, Decatur High, Huntsville City Schools, and Brewer Jr. College. She was a member of the Ginkgo Society at BSC. Robbie Kelso Langford ’59 of Birmingham died Oct. 24, 2009.

She was a member of the Ginkgo Society at BSC. Survivors include her former husband, Jan M. Langford ’61.

Anelda White Carter ’63 of Collierville, Tenn., died April 9, 2008.

Charles Allen Wilson ’63 of Valrico, Fla., died June 29, 2009.

He held a master’s degree from Auburn University, where he also

did doctoral work. He taught math for 30 years at NorthwestShoals Community College in Phil Campbell/Muscle Shoals. He was an accomplished musician in both jazz and country and played on several albums of well-known artists. Survivors include his wife, Elva Joyce Jennings Wilson ’63.

John A. Lockett Jr. ’64 of Selma died Oct. 31, 2009. A graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law, he served for a short time as an assistant attorney general for the state of Alabama and engaged in the private practice of law in Selma for more than 40 years.

He served one term, 1974-78, in the Alabama State Legislature, representing Dallas and Bibb counties as a Democrat. He was a member of the Alumni Leadership Board and an Admission Ambassador at BSC. Survivors include his wife, Martha Beasley Lockett; sister, Sue Lockett Lovoy ’68 (Steve Pat Lovoy ’65); and niece, Elizabeth Lovoy Smith ’95.

Elizabeth Hacken Pearce Waller ’64 of Birmingham died Dec.

6, 2009. She was a teacher of Spanish at Banks High School and Vestavia Hills High School.

Survivors include her husband, Jack T. Waller.

Virginia James Cook ’70 of Camden died Sept. 10, 2009. A summa cum laude graduate of Alabama College in Montevallo, who received her M.A.T. from Birmingham-Southern, she was a teacher of English and Romance languages. She directed many plays and choirs and was active in various civic and cultural affairs.

Survivors include her son, retired BSC Professor of Music Dr. James H. Cook ’68 (Judy Shaw Cook ’68), and granddaughters Sara Victoria Cook ’94 and Kathryn Cook Hayes (Mark Hayes ’84).

Terry Steven Yeager ’72 of Bessemer died Feb. 1, 2010. He was a medical lab technician and heart/lung technician at University Hospital and also was owner of Tyco Contracting and Images Inc. Survivors include his wife, Jeannie Yeager.

spring 2010 / 67

CLASSNOTES

In Memoriam ’62 Dr. John Wells Jennings of Birmingham died Nov. 6, 2009.

Along with his bachelor of arts in music and bachelor of music education from BSC, he held a master’s degree in music education from Southern Methodist University and a doctoral degree in musical arts from the University of Illinois.

He was a choral conductor and vocalist, and with his wife, Joyce Bostick Jennings ’60, a pianist and organist, he taught and served in schools, universities, and churches throughout the country, including Indian Springs School near Birmingham, Shorter College in Georgia, Sam Houston State University in Texas, First United Methodist Church in Rome, Ga., Elkins Lake Baptist Church in Huntsville, Texas, and South Highland Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. His choirs toured extensively, performing throughout the United States and internationally in Spain, Yugoslavia, Austria, France, Belgium, Germany, Russia, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, often as the first American choir invited to perform in these venues. One of many highlights in his career came in a joint concert with the Indian Springs Glee Club and the Vienna Boys Choir at the Imperial Chapel in Vienna. He also directed concerts in New York City’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He was a member of the Ginkgo Society.

Survivors include his wife, daughter Ann Jennings Harter (Scott Harter ’69), and sister Janet Jennings Alexander ’65 (Rev. Charles Alexander ’65).

Events at Take a few moments to stroll through our Events & Calendars Web link, where you’ll find the latest BSC campus announcements. There’s always so much to see, do, and experience on the Hilltop—never a dull moment! Plan ahead for upcoming theatre and music group performances, compelling lectures and conferences, Panther athletics, art exhibits, and much more. Visit frequently for updates.

www.bsc.edu/events Admission to most events is free.

68 / ’southern

George Phillips White III ’75 of Centreville died Aug. 23, 2009.

A graduate of the University of Virginia Law School, he was a retired attorney and was involved in family interests.

Jane Holley Neal ’82 of Berry died Jan. 6, 2010. Following graduation from BSC, she did graduate work in history at the University of Alabama and taught at Shelton State Community College.

Survivors include her husband, Steven M. Neal.

Willa Dean Anderson-Forrest ’01 of Birmingham died Nov. 12, 2009.

She was an Adult Studies graduate of Birmingham-Southern in 2001 and participated in BSC-sponsored European trips.

Russell Rogers Stutts III ’02 of Mountain Brook died Nov. 21, 2009. He was involved in volunteer work with the Alabama Wildlife Center. Survivors include his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Russell R. Stutts Jr.

Friends Dr. James Condra of Gadsden, a former professor of education at BSC in the 1960s, died Aug. 31, 2009. A University of Alabama professor emeritus of educational leadership and policy studies, who began his work at UA in 1969, he served during his career there as assistant dean of the College of Education and director of the UA Gadsden Center. Survivors include his wife, Laura Condra. News of his death was shared with us by former student, Dr. Aurelia Glosser Barnett ’67, who says that Dr. Condra was instrumental in her life, both at BSC and later at the University of Alabama.

Dr. Terry Goodrick of Homewood, BSC Jack G. Paden Professor of Psychology, died March 3, 2010.

Goodrick, who had taught at the college for 21 years, championed interdisciplinary and intercultural

study. She earlier held positions The Ohio State University, where she had received her master’s degree and Ph.D. Donations may be made in her name to support interdisciplinary studies at BSC through the Office of Institutional Advancement, BSC Box 549003, Birmingham, AL 35254.

William Warren “Bill” Leland Sr. of Birmingham died Oct. 23, 2009.

He was a former faculty member at BSC, teaching business law.

Dr. Rick McCallum of Birmingham, who served on the BirminghamSouthern faculty 28 years as a professor of psychology, died Feb. 28. McCallum specialized in social psychology, which included the area of interpersonal relationships and group dynamics. He earned his bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his master’s from Old Dominion University. He joined the BSC faculty in 1982 after serving four years as assistant professor of psychology at Catawba College.

He is survived by his wife, Debra, and his son and daughter, Will and Beth.

Dr. Judson C. “Jake” Ward of Decatur, Ga., a former BSC faculty member and professor of history, died Nov. 1, 2009. After receiving his doctoral degree at the University of North Carolina, he served as president of Georgia Teachers College, now Georgia Southern University, and then as an assistant chancellor for the state university system. He was most recently dean of alumni at Emory University, a school he had earlier served as dean of the undergraduate liberal arts college, professor of Georgia history, and vice president and dean of faculties, retiring as executive vice president in 1979. Survivors include his wife, Susan-Jane Weyant Ward.

‘SOUTHERN VOICES

Reflections of a campus and its ginkgo BY

Borges

L ARISSA BORGES

When I recall my year at Birmingham-Southern as a Fulbright scholar teaching Portuguese, many campus scenes will appear in my memory, but none more lively than the brilliant yellow ginkgo tree, in full fall color soon after my arrival, which I discovered just outside my office in the Berte Humanities Building.

I have been told that this particular ginkgo is dear to many in the BSC community, but perhaps no one has found a first sight of this incredible tree more wonderful than I. Living, as I do, in Belém, in the Amazonian region of Brazil, where it is always summer, I had never before experienced fall colors, the dazzling change of foliage with the seasons, or, even more amazing, the winter that turned my tree white with snow.

The first time I saw the golden ginkgo, I thought “Can I just transfer my classroom to under that tree?”

It will always be for me a symbol of surprise and joy, a sign of new things to be discovered and enjoyed.

And much of what I experienced at Birmingham-Southern would prove new to me. In Brazil, I had taught American students who were interested in doing research in the Amazonian forest how to speak Portuguese through the SIT Study Abroad Program. Because students in the program were immersed in their Brazilian surroundings, it was easy to find ways to introduce them to our culture. We would alternate language classes with field trips to parks, markets, and restaurants, in

which they could meet and interact with Brazilian people.

While teaching Brazilian Portuguese here in Birmingham, however, I had to find new ways to engage my class in learning about the Brazilian way of life. We listened to and learned to sing Brazilian music, watched and discussed films like Central do Brasil (“Central Station”), cooked casmusquim (a popular Brazilian shrimp dish) and brigadeiro (Brazilian chocolate sweets), and tried Brazilian coffee.

During Fall Term, my students had the opportunity to engage in a real conversation with students from the Amazonian region through exchanging e-mails in an e-pal project. They could explore similarities and differences in attending school, family life, and daily routine. Also, in campus-wide events like Global Gathering and other cultural activities, many BSC students had the chance to learn a Brazilian ballroom dance and enjoy typical food.

Since the beginning of my teaching experience here, I’ve tried to listen to and understand the students to correspond to their needs and expectations. I tried to put myself in their shoes and teach them in the dynamic way that I would like to be taught. It made me very happy when students began not only to listen in class, but to show curiosity, to see connections, to sing the songs, and take a real part in the active experience of learning.

At BSC, I’ve learned a lot. I enrolled in the college’s Teaching Technology, Critical Thinking and Writing, Introduction to Speech, and Survey of American Literature courses, which I had carefully

chosen with a view toward becoming a more effective teacher of language on my return home to Brazil. When I return to my teaching there, I will enjoy sharing all that I learned.

Another thing that was meaningful to me at Birmingham-Southern was simply the new friendships I made.

I found that American Southerners, like Brazilians, were often warm and friendly individuals. They were quick to say, “How are you?” and eager to offer support when I needed it.

Friends here at BSC and those beyond campus invited me to join them in activities around town, and also on travels beyond Birmingham, so that I could learn more about surrounding states and even distant American cities. During this year of exploration, I have had many adventures in a short time. Soon it will be spring—another change of season that I am promised will be as beautiful and surprising as the colors of the fall.

At the end of the school year, I will return to my husband and family, and will resume living and teaching in Brazil. But in the future, when I once again visit the States, it is with great pleasure that I will return to BSC. I will once again, with joy, find my shining tree, and will happily meet the good friends who remain here.

Editor’s Note: Larissa Borges is visiting instructor of Portuguese at BSC. Borges earned a master’s degree in linguistics from the Federal University of Pará in Brazil where she teaches. She received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach and study abroad for the 2009-10 academic year.

spring 2010 / 69

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Save the Date!

Homecoming/Reunion OCTOBER 22-23, 2010 Make plans to Rock the Hilltop for Homecoming/Reunion 2010!

Weekend events include: z z

z z z

Alumni Awards Luncheon Honor Class Parties for classes ending in ‘5s and ‘0s Tailgating Festivities Picnic Zone and Panther Playground Football Game vs. Sewanee

Plus much more!

Complete details coming soon.

To make sure you receive updates and invitations to Homecoming/Reunion events, confirm your listing in BSC AlumNet at www.bsc.edu/alumnet. To contact Alumni Affairs, call 205/226-4909.

HOMECOMING/REUNION 2010