Wilson Magazine Winter 2018

e on sid ni In eu rt ok r R nse Lo ou 8 I r Y 01 fo 2

Perfect

Partnership

Wilson teams up with the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation

Doing Democracy Better | Facing Challenge | Nursing's New Resident Good Vibes for 2018 | Promoting Dwarfism Awareness | Social 2017 volume 90 | WINTER 2018 | number 4

Many Paths

ONE WILSON REUNION 2018—MAY 31-JUNE 3

See enclosed reunion insert for schedule information and registration form, or visit

www.wilson.edu/reunion Contact the Office of Alumnae/i Relations at 717-262-2010 or ARoffice@wilson.edu

volume 90 | WINTER 2018 | number 4

FEATURES

18

10 Saving Species

By Coleen Dee Berry Wilson’s partnership with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute opens up a world of opportunities for students.

30 Do You Raku?

Wilson ceramics students play with fire during a special nighttime exercise.

18 Constructive Conversation

By Coleen Dee Berry How can we “do democracy” better?

Try civil discourse, says David True, associate professor of religion.

34 Case Study

22 Facing Challenge

By Lori L. Ferguson Erin Tallman ’09 overcomes a lifealtering accident to flourish as journalist in France.

26 Good Vibes for 2018 Seven things Wilson has to look forward to in 2018.

22

28 Social 2017

By Courtney D. Wolfe ’12

Catch up with Wilson College’s social media and become a part of our online community.

AROUND THE GREEN Tonia Hess-Kling brings enthusiasm and commitment to her exercise science students.

36 Open Book Loren Karabatzoglou ’21 promotes dwarfism awareness on campus.

38 A Phoenix First Nick Baxter ’20 makes all-conference team for men’s volleyball during his first year.

ALUMNAE/I 40 Alumnae Association President’s letter; an AAWC bulletin board.

42 Class Notes 57 In Memoriam

DEPARTMENTS

02 Letter from the Editor

30

03 Wilson News Nursing program unveils new high-fidelity mannequin; planned veterinary education center receives new gifts; College gets Stabler grant; state approves ESL certification; outdoor recreation facilities considered; fundraiser for medical mission trip set; December graduates honored; Wilson faculty artists exhibit works; M.F.A. announces new concentration; new campus bridge

moves forward; Wilson student presents at conference; Women’s History Month lectures scheduled.

08 Alumnae/i News Donor recognition dinner; representing Wilson; AAWC treasurer honored.

33 Hidden History: Three Poets at Wilson

By Kieran McGhee 60 Last Word: Helping Hands

By the Rev. Derek Wadlington, Helen Carnell Eden Chplain

STAFF Brian Speer Executive Editor Coleen Dee Berry Managing Editor Kendra Tidd Design Cathy Mentzer College Editor Courtney D. Wolfe ’12 Class Notes Coordinator Contributing Writers Coleen Dee Berry, Lori L. Ferguson, Laura B. Hans ’13, Gina Gallucci-White, Kieran McGhee, Cathy Mentzer, Jeremy Shepherd, Derek Wadlington, Courtney D. Wolfe ’12 Contributing Photographers George Mason University, Lisa Helfert, Matthew Lester, Cathy Mentzer, Dave Sinclair, Kendra Tidd, Derek Wadlington, Courtney D. Wolfe �12 Cover Photo by: George Mason University

WILSON MAGAZINE COMMITTEE Coleen Dee Berry, Managing Editor Mary F. Cramer ’91, Alumnae Association President Amy Ensley, Director of the Hankey Center Marybeth Famulare, Director of Alumnae/i Relations Lisbeth Sheppard Luka ’69, Alumnae Association Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations and College Editor Camilla B. Rawleigh, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Brian Speer, Vice President for Marketing and Communications Kendra Tidd, Graphic Designer Courtney D. Wolfe ’12, Class Notes Coordinator Judy Kreutz Young ’63, Alumnae Association Wilson Magazine is published quarterly by the Office of Marketing and Communications and the Alumnae Association of Wilson College.

Send address changes to: Wilson College Alumnae/i Relations, 1015 Philadelphia Ave., Chambersburg, Pa. 17201-1279, 717-262-2010 or mag@wilson.edu.

Opinions expressed are those of the contributors or the editor and do not represent the official positions of Wilson College or the Alumnae Association of Wilson College.

CONTACT US: Wilson Magazine mag@wilson.edu 717-262-2790 www.wilson.edu/magazine Alumnae Association aawc@wilson.edu 717-262-2010 www.wilson.edu/aawc Office of Alumnae/i Relations ARoffice@wilson.edu 717-262-2010 www.wilson.edu/alumnae

— letter from the —

editor The proof is in the video.

Watch the enthusiasm with which Danielle Zona ’18 and Karis Daniel ’18 detail their remarkable experience at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute during the fall semester (view video at www.wilson.edu/SCBI). Their unrestrained joy is a testament to the power of alumnae/i determination and a well-placed gift.

The partnership between SCBI and Wilson, which guarantees spots for qualified Wilson students in SCBI’s semester-long programs, came about through the vision of Susan Breakefield Fulton ’61. Read about the SCBI experience and Fulton’s role in setting up the partnership in this issue, and rejoice in the prospect that more students like Zona and Daniel will benefit from this program in the years to come.

When interviewed, Fulton said, “You have to understand that apart from my husband, Wilson was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me.” She is not the only Wilson graduate who has expressed this sentiment and acted on it. In the news section, read about two new gifts from Fulton and the late Eleanor Martin Allen ’49 to help build a new veterinary education center on campus, and about progress on the new campus bridge, thanks to a gift from Thérèse Murray Goodwin ’49. A big thank you to all the alumnae/i who do their best to support the College, including Melissa Allen Smith ’80, Eleanor’s daughter, for her help with her mother’s gift.

You’ll find in this issue profiles of creative and committed faculty members like Associate Professor of Religion David True and uncommon students like Loren Karabatzoglou ’21. Be sure to read the story of how Erin Tallman ’03 overcame the personal trials of a catastrophic accident to become the editor of an international online architecture and design publication. You’ll also discover much in the news that signals 2018 will be a good year for the College, including new technology for the College’s nursing program, graduate program additions and more campus improvements on the horizon. Don’t forget to check out the enclosed Reunion 2018 brochure and make your reservations.

Happy 2018 to all! Read on, and enjoy!

Coleen Dee Berry Managing Editor

You can read Wilson Magazine online at:

www.wilson.edu/wilsonmag Class notes are not published online for privacy reasons. If you would like to receive a PDF of the class notes, please email Wilson Magazine at mag@wilson.edu.

WILSON NEWS WHAT'S WRONG WITH LUCINA?

Wilson gets high-fidelity patient simulator, courtesy of Summit Health

G

one are the days when nursing students practiced giving injections by using a syringe on an orange. Now with the

help of human facsimiles known as simulators or mannequins, students can have a much more true-to-life experience. And with the most advanced simulators—known as high-fidelity mannequins—students can practice giving IV fluids, checking heart and lung sounds, inserting a catheter into a bladder, even responding to a cardiac arrest or helping deliver a baby.

In December, Wilson College celebrated the arrival of its first PHOTO BY CATHY MENTZER

high-fidelity simulation mannequin—purchased with a $110,000 gift from Summit Health—in the College’s state-of-the-art nursing skills lab. Summit and Wilson officials, nursing students and guests gathered in the lab for a demonstration of the high-tech mannequin known as Lucina.

“She’s the closest thing to a real person,” said Carolyn Hart, chair of Wilson’s Division of Nursing and Health Sciences. “When

Wilson Lecturer of Nursing Alaina Smelko works with high-tech mannequin Lucina in the nursing skills lab.

she’s lying in that bed, she’s actually breathing. She’s actually blinking. You can check her blood pressure. She has a heart

nursing mannequins are wirelessly connected to a computer sys-

rhythm that will show up on the monitor. You can start an IV and

tem. A control room and cameras in the nursing resource center

have IV fluids flowing into her. You can put a catheter into her

allow students’ interaction with the mannequins to be monitored

bladder and drain urine.”

and feedback to be given in real time, as if the mannequins were

But Lucina’s capabilities don’t end there. She “talks”—with the help of a person in a control room. Lucina and all of the other

human beings.

Lucina can also give birth. She has three different abdomens that can be used in simulations: a normal abdomen, a pregnant

“Having simulation really allows students to practice in a safe environment. You can make a mistake with a mannequin and it’s OK.” Carolyn Hart, Division of Nursing and Health Science chair

abdomen and an abdomen of a woman who has recently given birth.

Students in Wilson’s accredited nursing program will use Lucina, as well as the College’s 10 medium-fidelity mannequins— which have many of the same capabilities of Lucina but are not as advanced—and five low-fidelity mannequins to practice their skills in predetermined scenarios. These exercises are designed to allow students to safely perform procedures and interact with a lifelike simulator before working with human patients.

“Having simulation really allows students to practice in a safe environment,” said Hart. “You can make a mistake with a mannequin and it’s OK. Your mannequin can die—that’s OK. We learn best from our mistakes, so simulation gives us a time for students to make mistakes and learn from them. Simulation really allows students to practice everything before they go out and work in the clinical setting with real people. “ — Cathy Mentzer

winter 2018 03

WILSON NEWS COLLEGE RECEIVES TWO GIFTS FOR NEW VETERINARY CENTER As the College continues planning for a new veterinary education center first announced in summer 2016, the project has received a boost with gifts from two alumnae totaling $575,000. Adding to the $500,000 lead gift from longtime Wilson supporter Susan Breakefield Fulton ’61 are a second gift from Fulton for $475,000 and a $100,000 bequest from Eleanor Martin Allen ’49, a former Board of Trustees member and chair who died last year.

The cost of the new veterinary center is estimated at approximately $2.8 million, according to Vice President for Finance and Administration Brian Ecker. A committee meeting to confirm the programming needs of the center was expected to complete its work in January and soon thereafter, the design should be finished, Ecker said. “Then after that point, we’ll get estimates on the construction cost and then we may need to go back and revisit some of (the design elements),” he said.

The new veterinary education center will be built on the west side of the Brooks Science Center. Plans call for it to include two surgery rooms, a dental room, recovery room and isolation room, as well as kennels and an indoor run for dogs, a cat room, office, lounge, clinical practice area and laundry facilities, Ecker said.

The College has retained R.S. Mowery & Sons of Mechanicsburg, Pa., as the general contractor for the project and Benedict Dubbs

of Murray Associates Architects of Harrisburg, Pa., as the architect—the same team that worked on the John Stewart Memorial Library project.

The new veterinary center will replace the 20-year-old Helen M. Beach ’24 Veterinary Medical Center, which will be razed once the new facility is completed.

The college administration expects to seek Board of Trustees approval of the project design and cost at the board’s May meeting.

The timeframe for construction will depend on when funds are in place, according to Ecker.

Anyone who is interested in making a gift to the veterinary center should contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at 717-262-2010 or advancement@wilson.edu. —CM

WILSON AWARDED $460,000 GRANT FOR SCHOLARSHIPS FROM STABLER FOUNDATION The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation recently awarded Wilson College a $460,000 grant to fund scholarships for students with financial need through the Stabler Scholarship Endowment.

The endowment has provided scholarships for 230 Wilson students since the program began in 2008. Students are selected for scholarships based on financial need, academic achievement and service to the community.

Students who receive Stabler Scholarships sign a “debt of conscience” indicating that when they are able, they will make contributions to the endowment in an amount at least equal to what they received. While not a formal legal agreement, the promise serves as a commitment to future philanthropy after graduation.

"Gifts of endowed scholarship are tremendously valuable in allowing good students with financial need to complete their education," Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick said. “We are grateful for this gift from The Stabler Foundation because it will

04 wilson magazine

allow us to help students and families who need assistance. We are thankful for its generous support.”

Since 1985, The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation has provided Wilson with nearly $4.8 million in funding for a number of programs, including the Stabler Scholarship Endowment; Curran Scholars program, which promotes student volunteerism; and daycare support for students in Wilson’s Single Parent Scholars program.

Located in Harrisburg, Pa., The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation was established by the Stablers in 1966 exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational purposes. It awards grants to educational institutions, parochial or church-related schools, nonprofit hospitals and medical facilities, while also supporting religious institutions and social service organizations that seek to preserve and instill traditional moral and ethical values, respect for the family, concern for others, self-reliance and a productive life. —CM

HANKEY CENTER SPONSORS

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH TALKS

The Hankey Center for the History of Women’s Education will hold its annual Women’s History Month lecture series as part of the College’s Common Hour discussions. The series, which is free and open to the public, will include:

ART IN THE ATRIUM WITH

PHILIP LINDSEY

Professor of Art Philip Lindsey exhibited seven large-scale figure paintings at the WITF Public Media Center in Harrisburg, Pa., throughout November and December 2017.

Lindsey was honored at one of WITF’s “Art in the Atrium” receptions on Dec. 13, which President Barbara K. Mistick (above, right, with Lindsey), Wilson friends and faculty members attended. The Art in the Atrium series spotlights the work of regional artists.

Earlier in 2017, Lindsey was one of 119 artists chosen from among 849 applicants to showcase their work in the 50th Annual Art of the State exhibition at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. His exhibition piece— one of 130 works selected from nearly 2,200 entries—was an oil-on-canvas painting entitled “St. Patrick’s Day.”

“The Gendered and Racialized Politics of National Anxiety in the Age of Trump” on March 5 by Katie Oliviero, assistant professor of women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Dickinson College. This talk traces the post-2016 election ramifications of anxieties in narratives around sexual assault in the workplace and efforts to restrict immigration, as well as transgender, gay and reproductive rights issues.

“Wilson College and the Rescue of Science and Learning” on March 19 by Amy Ensley, director of the Hankey Center. Wilson College sponsored seven refugee scholars fleeing from the Nazis between 1940 and 1945, including Nobel Prize-winning physicist Jean Perrin, author and political scientist James Hans Meisel and Susanne Englemann, a leading scholar of educational psychology and pedagogy.

“Advertising Jim Crow” on March 26 by Julia Sandy, associate professor of history at Shepherd University. Beginning in the 1930s, marketing experts sought to define, understand and reach what they termed the “Negro market.” This talk looks at how their efforts created a racially segregated market outside of the gaze of white America.

All lectures begin at noon in the library’s Lenfest Learning Commons.

—Amy Ensley

CELEBRATING

DECEMBER GRADUATES

PHOTO BY KENDRA TIDD

President Barbara K. Mistick and the Office of Student Development honored 40 Wilson students who completed their degrees in the fall 2017 semester with a Dec. 16 luncheon for the graduates and their guests.

Graduates included: two students receiving master’s degrees in humanities, 20 graduating with master’s degrees in nursing, 16 graduating with bachelor’s degrees and two with associate degrees.

This was Wilson’s first formal celebration of December graduates. Mistick said she looks forward to the celebration becoming a permanent part of the academic year. —Courtney D. Wolfe ’12

winter 2018 05

NEWS

IN BRIEF

M.F.A. ADDS CONCENTRATION IN CREATIVE WRITING

FUNDRAISER FOR MEDICAL MISSION TRIP SET FOR APRIL The first Wilson Hustle for Health fundraiser will be held on campus on Saturday, April 28, and will feature 5-mile, 2.5-mile and 1-mile walk/run events. The proceeds from the fundraiser will help raise money for future college medical mission trips to the Dominican Republic.

During the recent January-Term, 14 students and faculty members (pictured above) traveled to the Dominican Republic as part of Wilson’s first medical mission.

The eight-day trip, sponsored by the nonprofit Christian organization Mission: Hope, offered nursing, Spanish and health sciences students the opportunity to assist health workers in migrant work camps.

The mission was centered in La Romana, a city of about 250,000 on the island’s eastern side. Students worked with physicians from the city’s hospital, La Buen Samaritano, and at work camps, and helped assess and treat 375 adults and more than 200 children.

Wilson chair of the Division of Nursing and Health Sciences Carolyn Hart, who took part in the mission, said the trip was a success and called it “eye-opening and life-changing” for many of the students. Sherri Stahl, senior vice president for hospital services at Summit Health, also accompanied the group on the mission and will be considering how Summit can assist with future trips. The next Wilson mission trip is planned for January 2020.

Hustle for Health sponsorships are available, ranging from $3,000 for a lead sponsor to $250. Donations for participants— such as gift cards and coupons for goody bags, snacks and beverages—are also being sought. Please contact Melodie Hoff at 717-262-4853 for more information. —Coleen Dee Berry

06 wilson magazine

In summer 2015, Wilson began a low-residency Master of Fine Arts program designed for working artists and others who have been away from academia and are now seeking an advanced degree. The program, which offers concentrations in visual arts, choreography and interdisciplinary arts, now adds a fourth concentration in creative writing.

The new concentration will require students to examine the acts of writing and creation not just as solitary endeavors, but as an interdisciplinary artistic undertaking that reshapes the boundaries of the writing process.

WILSON STUDENT PRESENTS AT CONFERENCE Stephanie Peebles ’18 presented a paper entitled The Influence of Humility on Augustine’s View of Almsgiving as Bishop of Hippo on Dec. 2 at the 12th Undergraduate Conference in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, hosted

by Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa. Peebles is majoring in both religion and animal studies.

The daylong conference featured student presentations from a wide range of disciplines related to the period between 500 C.E. and 1800 C.E. Approximately 80 students from 30 different colleges and universities participated.

BRIDGE PROJECT SCHEDULED FOR THIS YEAR Replacement of the single-lane bridge leading to Wilson’s equestrian facilities, farm and playing fields is on track to begin this summer, pending state environmental approvals. Design of the new bridge over the Conococheague Creek has been finalized and will include two lanes for vehicles, as well as a pedestrian walkway, according to Vice President for Finance and Administration Brian Ecker.

College officials expect a final response from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection by midMay, at which time they expect to be prepared to begin construction. Summer is the ideal time to begin the 16 to 18-week project because there is not as much activity at the College, Ecker said. The bridge replacement project is made possible by a $1.5 million gift from Thérèse Murray Goodwin ’49.

WILSON NEWS DICKSON ART EXHIBITION OPENS AT WILSON While on a sabbatical from teaching at Wilson College, Associate Professor of Fine Arts Robert Dickson traveled nearly 10,000 miles over seven months, shooting more than 1,000 black-andwhite photographs.

An exhibition of some of those large-format landscape photos—entitled Rock.

Water. Air.—will open Wednesday, Jan. 31, in Wilson’s two art galleries: the Bogigian Gallery in Lortz Hall and the John Stewart Memorial Library’s Sue Davison Cooley Gallery.

Opening receptions will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. that evening in both venues. The receptions and exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Dickson, who lives in Chambersburg, has worked at Wilson since 2003, teaching photography, printmaking and art history. On his recently completed sabbatical, he took photographs in 16 differ-

ent states. “These photographs are the result of attention to, and an acknowledgement of, interconnectedness in my surroundings,” Dickson said. “They are landscapes, generously interpreted to include details, man-made objects and scenes in what is sometimes called the West Coast rocks and roots tradition of black-and-white, film-based photography.”

Originally from Silver Spring, Md., Dickson worked as a geologist and in environmental science in Denver for 25 years before changing course. He studied printmaking with E.C. Cunningham for six years at Metropolitan State College and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from Wichita State University in 2002. In photography, Dickson is largely self-taught, but has participated in workshops with Ansel Adams, John Sexton and Paul Caponigro. He pursues a high-formalist style of traditional black-and-white, film-based photography to explore the nature of creativity and the construction of meaning.

Rock. Water. Air. will continue in the Bogigian Gallery through March 10 and in the Cooley Gallery through June 4. The Bogigian Gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or by appointment. The Cooley Gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and 1 to 11 p.m. Sunday. —CM

OUTDOOR REC FACILITIES COULD GET UNDERWAY THIS SUMMER

TESOL PROGRAM GAINS

The college administration plans to work with the athletics department early this year to firm up ideas for outdoor recreational facilities that could be included in the fiscal 2019 capital budget, according to Vice President for Finance and Administration Brian Ecker.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education has approved Wilson’s Master of Education, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program for certification to teach English as a Second Language (ESL).

Students have expressed the desire for outdoor facilities. Some of the ideas that have been discussed include sand volleyball courts, resurfacing the existing tennis courts or resurfacing part of them and replacing others with outdoor basketball courts, Ecker said.

Plans will be finalized after the board approves the capital budget at its May meeting. If funding is approved, some work could begin this summer, said Ecker, who suggested the recreational facilities might be completed over several years. —CM

ESL CERTIFICATION The TESOL program, approved last fall, is designed for those with a bachelor’s degree in education who want to teach ESL in public schools and the private sector. Educators completing the M.Ed.TESOL degree with ESL certification would be eligible to teach in PreK-12 English language learners (ELL) classrooms.

The College’s education department will offer this option for TESOL graduate students beginning this spring.

Educators who want to obtain only ESL certification will be able to take a 15-credit course of study, under the state approval.

Pennsylvania certification is valid in 46 states with which interstate agreements exist. —CDB

winter 2018 07

ALUMNAE/I NEWS

DONOR RECOGNITION DINNER Wilson’s annual Donor Recognition Dinner, held on Oct. 20, 2017, provided an opportunity for donors to meet the students who benefit from their generous gifts.

Above, President Barbara K. Mistick, center, with student scholarship recipients. At far right, Joan C. McCulloh ’52 with Elsa Zavala Hurtado ’19, recipient of the Class of 1952 Scholarship. At right, Patricia Weaver Telkins ’63 and Stephen Telkins with Sardrick Owusu ’19, center, recipient of the Patricia Weaver Telkins ’63 and Stephen Telkins International Scholarship.

08 wilson magazine

REPRESENTING WILSON During fall 2017, 10 alumnae represented their alma mater and Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick during college or university inaugural events across the country: Anne B. Vansant ’68 attended the inauguration of Kurt M. Landgraf as the 29th president of Washington College in Chestertown, Md., on Sept. 23, 2017.

Jenifer Toussaint Cardone ’87 attended the inauguration of Lorrie A. Clemo, Ph.D., as the 15th president of D’Youville College in Buffalo, N.Y., on Sept. 29, 2017.

Alice McClure Szabat ’73 attended the inauguration of Travis Feezell, Ph.D., as the 17th president of Hastings College in Hastings, Neb., on Sept. 29, 2017.

Susan E. Smith ’70 attended the inauguration of Chris Everett Domes, Ph.D., as the

sixth president of Neumann University in Aston, Pa., on Oct. 6, 2017.

Betty Keefer MacLaughlin ’67 attended the inauguration of Margee Ensign, Ph.D., as the 29th president of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., on Oct. 7, 2017.

Robin J. Bernstein, Wilson Trustee, attended the inauguration of David L. Finegold, Ph.D., as the 19th president of Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Oct. 13, 2017.

Jane Everhart Murray ’67 attended the inauguration of Jonathan D. Green, D.M.A., as the 15th president of Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., on Oct. 20, 2017.

Susan A. Muller ’75 attended the inauguration of Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., as the 15th president of Baylor University in Waco,

Texas, on Oct. 26, 2017.

Jane K. Appleyard ’66 attended the inauguration of Jacquelyn S. Fetrow, Ph.D., as the 15th president of Albright College in Reading, Pa., on Oct. 27, 2017.

Trudi Warner Blair ’76 attended the inauguration of Thomas J. LeBlanc, Ph.D., as the 17th president of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13, 2017.

In addition, Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick attended the inauguration of Timothy Trainor, Ph.D., as the 26th president of Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., on Oct. 23, 2017.

OHIO LEGISLATURE HONORS AAWC TREASURER The Ohio House of Representatives recently honored Alumnae Association of Wilson College Treasurer Karen McMullen Freeman ’76—who is also the director of finance for the city of Rossford, Ohio—for her “superior fiscal responsibility.”

For seven of the last eight years, Freeman has received an Award of Distinction from the Ohio Auditor of State office for excellence in financial reporting and accountable government. In October 2017, the Ohio House of Representatives issued a proclamation recognizing Freeman for her financial work. She has been Rossford’s director of finance since 2006 and the city currently has achieved a AAA debt rating from Standard & Poor's.

Freeman graduated from Wilson with a bachelor’s degree in American civilization and then earned a Master of Business Administration from The Ohio State University. She is now studying for a master's degree in accounting at the University of Toledo.

Prior to joining the city of Rossford as director of finance, Freeman held positions in business analysis, strategic planning and market research for several companies, including Owens-Illinois, Bristol-Myers Squib and The Toledo Hospital. She also served as vice president of finance and operations for the United Way of Greater Toledo.

Freeman also serves in a financial overview capacity on the board of Bright Star, a regional provider of preschool education services for underprivileged children.

DONOR RECOGNITION REPORT CORRECTIONS In the 2016-17 Wilson Donor Recognition Report, Lynne Witte Palmer ’64 was omitted from these Silver Key Circle listings: in the Pines and Maples Society on page 10 and in the in Scholarships and Awards on page 21.

winter 2018 09

F

or Karis Daniel ’18 and Danielle Zona ’18, their fall 2017 semester at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI)

offered the exceptional opportunity to work side by side with international experts, actively assisting in current research projects and fieldwork, while making once-in-a-lifetime professional connections.

Daniel and Zona are the first two Wilson students to take advantage of the College’s new Smithsonian partnership. At SCBI’s Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation in Front Royal, Va., students are not only taught and mentored by international experts, but they also share a campus with more than 20 species of endangered mammals, birds and amphibians.

During their 16 weeks at SCBI, Zona and Daniel took part in exercises such as tracking wood turtles using the latest telemetry technology and camera traps to conduct field surveys. Daniel assisted in a research project focused on isolating DNA genomic markers for endangered African scimitar-horned oryx and dama gazelle. Zona worked with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to monitor chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer.

Saving SCBI students take part in field exercise to track wood turtles.

10 wilson magazine

Species Wilson partners with Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation to develop future generations of conservation professionals

by Coleen Dee Berry | photos by George Mason University winter 2018 11

“Something that has not ceased to impress me since the day I arrived is a constant feeling of wonder,” said Daniel, a biology major. “We’re surrounded by some of the greatest minds in science, working alongside them on projects that I can't even begin to wrap my mind around, in one of the leading research institutions in the world. Every day here has served as a reminder of how much I don't know, and how dedicated, passionate and persistent the professionals within this field are.”

the deer and then put the samples in baggies to send out to be tested in the lab for chronic wasting disease,” she said.

Daniel was enrolled in the wildlife ecology and conservation course. Her final project on isolating DNA genomic markers for endangered African scimitar-horned oryx and dama gazelle allowed her to work under noted Smithsonian researcher Budhan Pukazhenthi, whose interests include understanding the fundamental reproductive biology of rare and endangered species, mitigating infertility and develop-

A semester spent at SCBI should “enhance the student

ing assisted reproductive technologies. Recently, his team

experience that begins at Wilson,” according to Cody

produced the world’s first Przewalski’s horse foal via artifi-

Edwards, the executive director of the Smithsonian-Mason

cial insemination. (Przewalski’s horses, indigenous to Mon-

School. A Wilson conservation biology study-abroad pro-

golia and central Asia, are an endangered species. Several are

gram to South Africa in January 2017 inspired both Daniel

housed at the SCBI facility.) “It was such a privilege to work

and Zona to enter the SCBI program. “I was really excited

with him and I learned so much,” Daniel said.

about the SCBI opportunity because I found out during the

QR

J-Term in South Africa that I had an interest in doing fieldwork, and this program would give me more experience,”

Located on 3,200 acres of forest and grassland alongside

said Zona, an animal studies major.

Shenandoah National Park, SCBI operates on a network of intersecting partnerships. SCBI is the

We're surrounded by some of the greatest minds in science, working alongside them on projects that I can't even begin to wrap my mind around, in one of the leading research institutions in the world.

Karis Daniel ’18

research arm of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and since 1974, the Smithsonian has used the Front Royal site to help breed and research endangered species. Full-time undergraduate classes began on the SCBI campus in 2012, with SCBI partner George Mason University responsible for the academic programming.

Thanks to the vision of alumna Susan Breakefield Fulton ’61 (see page 15), Wilson is now one of three colleges nationally—includ-

Students at SCBI not only participate in research to help

ing George Mason University and Bridgewater College, both

endangered species, they also study conservation issues. As

in Virginia—that have full partnership status with the SCBI

part of her fieldwork for the conservation, biodiversity and

program.

society course, Zona spent weekends working to gather DNA

SCBI’s partnership with Wilson is “the gold standard of

samples to test for chronic wasting disease in deer. “What we

what we think a partnership should look like,” according

did was take out the lymph nodes and a tongue sample from

to Edwards. Ultimately, he said, the SCBI partnership will

the deer that hunters would bring in throughout the day, age

benefit students, faculty and Wilson as a whole. Elissa Heil,

12 wilson magazine

Students (Karis Daniel �18, second from left) learn how to use the latest telemetry technology at SCBI.

Wilson vice president for academic affairs, sees the partner-

“The program here fits perfectly into Wilson’s curriculum,

ship offering students a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “This

as the College already has coursework in conservation biolo-

partnership opens up a world of fantastic opportunities to

gy,” Edwards said. “A semester here offers a great preview to

our students,” she said.

a student’s capstone project.”

The program provides students the chance to hone their

SCBI will hold open six slots for Wilson students each

research skills and learn cutting-edge field study techniques,

semester. Partnership also means that all of the SCBI course

according to Professor of Biology M. Dana Harriger, Wil-

credits will automatically transfer to Wilson—each semes-

son’s coordinator for the SCBI partnership. “They work on

ter program carries 15 or 16 credits. “That’s not necessarily

real-world, international research projects, and we hope the

the case with students who come here from other colleges.

experience will teach them to think globally,” Harriger said.

They often take the chance that maybe only about half of the

The course offerings at SCBI mesh with Wilson’s existing

credits will be accepted by their institutions,” Edwards said.

majors of biology, animal studies and environmental sus-

The SCBI semester is residential only, which means stu-

tainability, although any student in good academic standing

dents must live on the Front Royal campus. “We’re looking

with a minimum of 45 credits is eligible to apply for SCBI.

at it as being a study-abroad type of semester, only you’re

winter 2018 13

going to Virginia,” Harriger said. As with other off-campus study programs, there are additional costs that students must pay in order to attend.

There are currently three semester programs offered

by SCBI: • Conservation, Biodiversity and Society explores the ways that science, management and policy address current conservation issues.

• Wildlife Ecology and Conservation helps students apply state-of-the-art field techniques to survey species in the wild and investigate local and global ecological patterns and processes.

• Endangered Species Conservation enables students to evaluate vulnerabilities of small populations and devel-

Top, Danielle Zona �18, right, during a presentation at SCBI. Bottom, Zona, right, and other SCBI students enjoy a campfire get-together.

14 wilson magazine

op successful conservation actions to save those animals from extinction.

Edwards called the conservation, biodiversity and society semester the school’s “Renaissance” program because students registering for the course do not have to have background in biology or animal studies. The program emphasizes how an interdisciplinary approach can help develop science-driven solutions to protect biodiversity. “We have had art students, business majors, communications students take this course,” Edwards said. “Some students have been so inspired, they want to come back to do the other semesters that are more animal study-related.”

Ricardo Stanoss, academic program manager for the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, calls SCBI “our global classroom.” The school’s approach fosters synergies across disciplines, helping students gain understanding and find new solutions. “In order to succeed in conservation, we need the skills found in all disciplines, not just science,” Stanoss said. “We need economics and business majors, people with communication skills and creative people. In order to solve the real-world problems that we face, we need all these people with all these skills to work together.”

Networking opportunities are another benefit

Expanding Wilson’s Reach Susan Breakfield Fulton ’61 and SCBI

It took almost a decade of perseverance by Susan Breakefield Fulton ’61 to make the partnership between Wilson and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) a reality.

“Without Susan Fulton, this partnership would not have happened,” said Cody Edwards, the executive director of SCBI’s Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation in Front Royal, Va. “She was the one who brought Wilson to our attention and talked the College up. Her support of both institutions brought us together.”

Fulton, one of the College’s generous, longtime supporters, said she wanted to fund a program for young people interested in science and conservation. “I think this partnership gives students a great opportunity to spread their wings, travel, learn from experts and do some real handson research,” she said. “SCBI is a great resource and it’s close enough to Wilson for the College to take full advantage of the partnership.”

A fervent supporter of conservation and sustainability, Fulton pledged $1 million in 1999 to endow the Richard Alsina Fulton Center for Sustainable Studies in honor of her late husband. She also supported work to restore the Fulton Farm. Around 2007, “I was in between projects and starting to get restless. The Smithsonian asked me to come and speak about philanthropy, which I did, and in the process, I met Steve Monfort from SCBI.” Monfort, who is currently the acting director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo, is also SCBI executive director and at that time was in the process of launching the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation at the SCBI site. The two began talking about the proposed undergraduate programs at the SCBI site “and I fell in love with the proposal,” Fulton said. “I started thinking, ‘How can I get Wilson involved in this?’

I toured the SCBI center, contributed money and started to talk to them about Wilson. I thought the program would be a good fit for the College.”

of the SCBI experience, according to Stanoss. “We have all these geniuses who are working right down the hall,” he told a Wilson group that toured the facility recently. “The kids get to work alongside of them, listen to them lecture in the classroom and can have informal discussions with them in the cafe-

Fulton �61

teria. They are making invaluable connections.”

Daniel, whose primary interest is in the study of migratory birds, has already experienced one of those connections. “I had the chance to meet and have dinner with Dr. Autumn-Lynn Harrison, a scientist at the Smithsonian’s Migratory Bird Center,”

It took several years of talks and negotiations, but by summer 2016 the College and SCBI announced the formation of a partnership, which was finalized a year later. “It’s all about getting the right people interested and excited about a proposal,” said Fulton, who credited Wilson Professor of Biology M. Dana Harriger with helping to finalize the partnership proposal.

“I wanted Wilson to get a broader exposure to the world, especially from a science point of view, and this seemed a good way to do it,” she said. “I think this partnership will dramatically expand Wilson’s reach into the scientific world.”

Fulton said she continues to contribute to Wilson because “you have to understand that apart from my husband, Wilson was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me.” Besides her contribution to the Smithsonian-Wilson partnership, Fulton also has recently contributed a total of $975,000 to help construct a new veterinary education building to replace the Helen M. Beach ’24 Veterinary Medical Center.

—Coleen Dee Berry

winter 2018 15

Top, Karis Daniel �18, left, with students during a class on SCBI's Front Royal, Va., campus. SCBI is home to more than 20 endangered species, including snow leopards and red pandas, pictured at right.

she said. “She was able to provide some very helpful insight

chance to meet and speak with guest lecturers. Both Dan-

into graduate school and working overseas, and even gave

iel and Zona said one of the many highlights of their SCBI

me a contact at a university I was interested in.”

semester was their opportunity to meet E.O. Wilson, a prom-

While the SCBI campus is home to a variety of endangered

inent American biologist, researcher, theorist, naturalist and

species, students do not have access to some of the more sen-

author who has been called “the father of biodiversity.”

sitive cases, such as red pandas and snow leopards. However,

Edwards and Harriger say they hope the partnership

they do get a chance to help care for other mammals and

between SCBI and Wilson can be expanded. The SCBI cam-

birds on the site. Among the “many cool things I have been

pus also hosts graduate classes and professional courses

able to do,” Zona said, she has “had the chance to work with

designed for faculty. Access to those programs for Wilson

the ungulate (hooved animals such as gazelle, oryx, bison

faculty would be “the natural next step in the partnership,”

and wild horses) keepers here every Monday as part of

Harriger said.

my practicum.”

In addition to their classes and research, students also

On a recent tour of the site, Abigail Berkey, Wilson assistant professor of biology, was enthusiastic about advan-

take field trips to the National Conservation Training Cen-

tages for faculty at SCBI. “A semester here would give you

ter, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, World

an unparalleled experience, whether you are a student or a

Wildlife Fund and the National Zoo. Students also get a

teacher,” she said.

16 wilson magazine

Wilson faculty could use the SCBI campus “to teach a

Daniel wants Wilson students to know how powerful the

course here, incorporate part of their class at the facility

experience was for her. “My time here gave me invaluable

or even do research,” Edwards said. “We are still working

field and lab experience, lasting peer and mentor relation-

out the agreements on those items, but they are certainly available to a partner.”

After their intensive experience at SCBI, Daniel and Zona were back on campus with enthusiastic recommendations for their classmates about the advantages the program has to offer.

“I feel like I have benefited from this program in so many ways. … There were a ton of opportunities to network with the people there that are doing

We need economics and business majors, people with communication skills and creative people. In order to solve the realworld problems that we face, we need all these people with all these skills to work together.”

Ricardo Stanoss, academic program manager, Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation

really cool things,” Zona said. “I have also gained a few new fieldwork skills, such as learning radio-telemetry and spotlight surveys.”

Daniel said she would tell most of her classmates to study at SCBI, even if they are not majoring in biology. “You don’t

ships and helped me to define directions for my own future research. This program was a life-changing experience for me and I can promise that it will challenge and maybe even change you.” W

have to be a biology major to gain an incredible amount of knowledge and experience from this program,” she said.

“One of my favorite things about conservation is its transdisciplinary nature—it takes individuals from all academic backgrounds working together to make conservation action happen.

SCBI plays a leading role in the Smithsonian’s global efforts to save wildlife species from extinction and train future generations of conservationists. Spearheading research programs at its headquarters in Front Royal, Va., the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and at field research stations and training sites worldwide, SCBI scientists tackle some of today’s most complex conservation challenges by applying and sharing what they learn about animal behavior and reproduction, ecology, genetics, migration and conservation sustainability.

winter 2018 17

Constructive How can we do democracy better? Associate Professor of Religion David True has an answer.

by Coleen Dee Berry

In

these contentious times, Wilson Associate Professor of Religion David True hopes to

accomplish a rare feat by creating a forum that will foster civil discourse about politics and religion.

In 2017, the Henry R. Luce Foundation awarded a $200,000 grant to True and Vincent Lloyd, associate professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. True and Lloyd are the editors of the academic journal Political Theology. The grant will help develop an interdisciplinary community of scholars interested in the intersection of religion and politics and also create a webpage designed to cultivate a broader community discussion, according to True.

True and Lloyd planned to hold their first political theology conference in February at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. “We want to broaden the discussion beyond religious studies and bring in all disciplines to the conversation,” True said. “We’re aiming for a civil inquiry, a civil discussion of issues.”

The conference invites the submission of proposals for papers that “challenge and transform classic conversations about political theology” and encourages topics examining non-Christian and/or non-Western traditions.

18 wilson magazine

Associate Professor of Religion David True with students during his class on "Christianity."

PHOTO BY LISA HELFERT

Conversation

winter 2018 19

The study of political theology explores the religious beliefs

“All three were arguing for a re-evaluation, a reconstruction

that help shape a person’s political views, according to True,

of traditional American religion. All were inspired by politi-

who is an ordained Presbyterian minister. “Let’s take views

cal activism and wanted a robust political participation and

on national sovereignty, for example. The theological view

an embrace of democracy,” True said. ‘But they were also

of

all-powerful

God

often

critical of democracy and want-

translates into believers being

ed to engage in debate on how

willing to give that sovereignty to a powerful prince, president or government,” he said. “Or a religious view may be that sovereignty is equivalent with white male, so anyone other than a white male in a position of power is disruptive and to be deeply resented.”

Political theology encompasses all spectrums of politics, from the liberal to conservative, social justice activism to libertarian, True said. But there is a duality to the subject, a push and pull between the religious and the academic points of view. “The religious side tends to have more constructive views about democracy, while the academic side tends to be more critical,” True said.

“The goal is to try to get both sides to talk to one another.”

True’s

interest

in

political

I want a discussion about what's currently going on, what people think about Charlottesville, for example, or President Trump's pardon of the sheriff (Joe Arpaio) ... This is the internet after all and the internet today seems to breed incivility, but we hope to overcome that.

theology grew out of his Protestant background, which

—David True

to make it better, and offered up proposals of reform.”

Rauschenbusch was a theologian and Baptist pastor who taught at the Rochester Theological Seminary. Known as “the father of the social gospel,”

Rauschenbusch

wrote

that "Christianity is in its nature revolutionary." He was involved with the Progressive movement of the early 20th century and “really divided his time between both the political and economic realm,” True said.

“He saw economic justice as a fulfillment of democracy.”

Niebuhr was one of America's leading public intellectuals for several decades in the mid20th century and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964. He developed the philosophical perspective known as Christian realism, and wrote and spoke about the intersection of religion, politics

encouraged faithful partici-

and public policy. He argued

pation. The three modern

against the isolationist move-

religious figures that influenced his thinking are Reinhold

ment leading up to World War II and during the Cold War,

Niebuhr, Walter Rauschenbusch and Martin Luther King

argued against the use of nuclear weapons. “He felt Ameri-

Jr. All three at different points, according to True, asked,

ca was called to a greater responsibility in world affairs, but

“How can we do democracy better?”

at the same time stressed that our democracy was not to

20 wilson magazine

be confused with the Kingdom of God,” True said.

Growing up in Birmingham, Ala., True was inspired by the civil rights work of Martin Luther King Jr., who he has described as a beacon of justice. He noted that King not only was involved with civil rights, but also spoke out against the Vietnam War and helped organized the “Poor People’s Campaign” to address issues of economic justice.

King also saw economic justice as “the fulfillment of democracy,” True said.

At times, it seems that the American religious scene is divided into two opposing camps. “There is either a strident criticism of American politics or a simple embrace of an American nationalism,” True said. “These three (Rauschenbusch, PHOTO BY LISA HELFERT

Niebuhr and King) wanted to try to bring the two sides into a conversation with each other.”

The political theology community that True and Lloyd want to build will also attempt to get opposing sides to talk to each other. The hope is that the February conference “will inaugurate a professional network connecting scholars of political theology across varying fields and traditions,” True said. From there, a new webpage connected with the Political Theology journal and funded by the Luce grant will keep a broader community conversation going. The journal itself will continue to be an outlet for academic submissions.

But True admits that conversation could be difficult, especially with America at its current political crossroads. “I’m interested in the moment, that’s the preacher in me,” he said. “I want a discussion about what’s currently going on, what people think about Charlottesville, for example, or

David True, above, hopes to use his Henry R. Luce Foundation grant to cultivate a broader community discussion about politics and religion.

our movements as a culture? It’s more about where have we come from and where are we going as a society, and what do we make of the rise of a rightist populism?”

True, who joined the editorial team of Political Theology in 2004, was originally recruited to serve as a book review editor and later was named journal co-editor. He helped launch the journal’s blog, Political Theology Today, and he serves as the blog’s executive editor.

President Trump’s pardon of the sheriff (Joe Arpaio) … This

The current recipient of Wilson’s Drusilla Stevens Mazur

is the internet after all and the internet today seems to breed

Research Award, True also organizes Wilson’s annual Orr

incivility, but we hope to overcome that.”

Forum on matters of religion, as well as the Common Hour

The job of the political theologian is to expose those religious concepts that underlie political beliefs to the light of day, True said. “I’m not so much interested in discussing President Trump himself, but in discussing what does his election say about our society, what does that say about

discussions held throughout the academic year. This year’s topic, fittingly enough, is “Anxiety in Society.” Sociologist, commentator and author Frank Furedi will speak as part of the Common Hour series on at noon on April 16. W —Courtney D. Wolfe �12 contributed to this story.

winter 2018 21

Erin Tallman ’09 overcomes a life-altering accident to flourish as a journalist in France

I

n early August of 2013, Erin Tallman ’09 was embarking on a new adventure. After four years of living in France and

studying journalism, she had landed a coveted internship with the international online architecture and design magazine ArchiExpo, and was eager to put her education into practice.

But just two months into the job, her life took a stunning turn.

22 wilson magazine

At 2 a.m. on Aug. 9, Tallman was returning home on her motorcycle when she collided with a car driven by an undercover police officer.

When she regained consciousness, she was in the critical care unit at Marseilles’ Timone hospital, fighting for her life. “We don’t know who ran the red light, as there were no witnesses, but either

By Lori L. Ferguson

way, my motorcycle hit his car. He called the paramedics and I was saved.”

Saved but badly disfigured, Tallman soon learned she had suffered grievous injuries to her face. “Everything was damaged,” she said. “I lost a lot of bone and my nose was smashed. The only thing that didn’t break was my forehead, and it had a huge lump. My face was so swollen that they had to put in a tracheotomy tube.”

Tallman still bears that scar and many others, all of which she accepts as a reminder of what she has endured. “Every day is a challenge,” she said candidly.

“I don’t look like myself anymore … and I won’t.” winter 2018 23

Yet in the next breath, Tallman embraces the tragedy for the lessons it has provided.

“I needed that accident,” she said, her voice a blend of resignation and steely determination. “I was behaving very recklessly during that time, and I was in a toxic relationship from which I couldn’t seem to extricate myself. The accident truncated that connection. I was relearning how to walk— fighting to do even the smallest things for myself—and my circumstances made me realize that I didn’t need to waste any more energy on that relationship.”

Incredibly, Tallman said, while she recuperated, ArchiExpo paid her for the remaining two months of her internship and then held a position open for her until she was able to return to the e-magazine in February 2014, some six months after the accident.

She has remained with the publication ever since, working her way up through the ranks from intern to editor in chief, a role she assumed in January 2015.

Tallman remains grateful for the publication’s support, as well as for the experience the job has provided over the past four years.

Interviewing leading designers and writing about contemporary trends in international architecture and design has honed her ability to communicate, she said. Her job also presents her with a host of opportunities to meet other creative people. “My time at ArchiExpo has been a great building block for me and a valuable stepping stone toward my ultimate goal, which is to be a full-time author.”

To that end, Tallman has already written

24 wilson magazine

three books and is currently in the midst of research for her fourth.

The first, Imperfections, was published in 2014 and chronicled her pre-accident struggles to find her way in the world. The second, Tour de France: Tallman Style, hit the shelves in 2016 and chronicles a long-distance bicycle ride that Tallman and her sister, Abigail, took after Erin’s accident and before a major reconstructive surgery. “I love riding my bicycle and taking long-journey rides,” Tallman said.

“I find myself connected to the earth when I'm riding a horse, a bicycle or a motorcycle. I also like pushing myself physically, and biking while breathing in the French air is an incredible sensation.”

In her most recent book, Face It: A true story about overcoming maxillofacial trauma—an e-book published in July 2017—Tallman addresses the challenges of recovery and the realization that she would have to come to terms with a new version of herself.

Reliving the accident and its aftermath wasn’t easy, Tallman confessed.

“I was a wreck and not very pleasant to be around when I was writing.” But she persisted, convinced that by sharing her experiences, she could help others. “This book was written to help anyone who has been through any kind of traumatic situation—not just a maxillofacial trauma.

Clockwise from top: Tallman on a bicyPeople simply don’t cle tour in the Alps before her accident; understand what Tallman recovering from her injuries; art it’s like when you’re became an outlet during her recovery; recovering from a Tallman in a recent photo. traumatic incident, including a serious accident like mine. Quite honestly, I’m still living the experience.”

Face It is currently in limited circulation. Tallman self-published in an e-book format and handled the first wave of promotion herself.

She’s now working to make Face It available in paperback. But she insists that copious sales were never the end goal. Instead, once the book is available in print, Tallman plans to start donating 10 copies

a month to hospitals in the United States that offer maxillofacial reconstruction services. “I want people who are going through this type of trauma to know they’re not alone in their struggles, and I want those acting as caretakers to understand how they can help.”

While Tallman admits that many of her life experiences spring from a propensity for following her intuition, she also asserts that she wouldn’t be where she is today were it not for her time at Wilson. Tallman says she felt drawn to the College while still in high school. She was passionate about horses, and arrived on campus determined to pursue a major in equestrian studies.

After finishing her first semester, however, Tallman knew she was on the wrong path. “I still loved horses, but I realized equestrian management wasn’t for me so I switched my major to French with a minor in journalism.

Sometimes you have an idea in mind, then discover it doesn’t work,” she said.

Just two years later, that same decisiveness led Tallman to forego her final two years of college at Wilson and instead remain in school in France. She had traveled to the country through Wilson’s study-abroad program in January 2007 and once there, decided that remaining in Europe was her best course of action.

“I loved my experience at Wilson— it’s a beautiful campus and the teachers are great—but after studying in France for several months, I had already learned an incredible amount and I knew I had to stay.

I really believe that everyone should live abroad for at least two years. Then they can go home if they wish, but I think that in order to truly appreciate what you have, you must try something new, different and outside your comfort zone. Otherwise, you’re blind to life’s possibilities.”

After completing her bachelor’s degree in public administration at the Université de Paul Cézanne Aix-Marseille III, Tallman continued her education, enrolling in a journalism master’s program north of Marseilles. Financial difficulties ultimately forced her to discontinue her studies, so she turned to teaching English to adults. “I love teaching—I still do it—but then I realized that just because I had suspended my journalism studies, it didn’t mean that I couldn’t write.”

In addition to writing, Tallman also paints, so she started an arts and culture blog. And although the blog was short-lived, Tallman’s interest in writing about the arts persisted, ultimately leading her to ArchiExpo.

Today, Tallman is comfortable and at home in her adopted country, and grateful for all the experiences life there has afforded her. She attributes much of her success to her time at Wilson, starting with her fluency in the language and her understanding of French culture. “I don’t think I’d be where I am today were it not for my experiences at Wilson.” She says that Associate Professor Clockwise, from far left: After her accident, Tallman began to pursue her goal of becoming a writer and Face It was her third book. Arcylic and oil paintings by Tallman: A Single Tear, above, and Mask, below.

of French Melanie Gregg, in particular, was incredible. “Her language classes were extremely rigorous and her French culture course was amazing. Together, they really prepped me for life in this country.”

Tallman concedes that she sacrificed a lot to move to France, but she’s equally confident that it was the right decision.

“I don’t know why I felt so driven to go, but something was drawing me there so I followed my intuition. I’m so glad that I did.

I struggled, but I made it through and grew stronger as a result.” winter 2018 25

26 wilson magazine

Happy

2018 !

More good things are happening at Wilson.

Here are just a few of them: The design for the new veterinary education center is underway. R.S. Mowery & Sons of Mechanicsburg, Pa., will be the general contractor and Benedict Dubbs of Murray Associates Architects of Harrisburg, Pa., will be the architect—the same team that worked on the John Stewart Memorial Library project. Plus the College has received two more generous funding gifts for the center. Read more on page 04.

Say hello to Lucina, the newest resident of Wilson’s expanded nursing skills lab.

She’s a high-fidelity mannequin designed to give nursing students a true-to-life learning experience. Lucina has a heartbeat and can blink, breathe, cry, speak and even give birth. See page 03 for more information.

The first two Wilson students to attend the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute program in Front Royal, Va., returned with rave reviews about their experience (see page 10).

This new Wilson partnership offers students a chance to work with international experts and learn cutting-edge research and field techniques (and meet a few endangered species along the way).

Recruiting has begun for men’s baseball and the team will begin practicing in the 2018-19 academic year. Home field for the Phoenix will be historic Henninger Field in Chambersburg.

Sports trivia alert: Babe Ruth hit a home run at Henninger when Chambersburg hosted the 1929 World Champion New York Yankees for an exhibition game.

Adding more outdoor recreational facilities for students on campus is in the works. The College is considering adding new sand volleyball courts and basketball courts, as well as refurbishing all or some of the existing tennis courts. See page 07 for more.

Work should begin this summer on a new bridge over the Conococheague Creek, which will replace the current single-lane bridge that leads to Wilson’s equestrian facilities, farm and athletics fields. The design includes two lanes for vehicles, as well as a pedestrian walkway.

Thanks to Thérèse Murray Goodwin ’49 for the $1.5 million gift to make this possible!

The last Friday in April is a special day on the Wilson campus—Student Research Day, which this year will be held on April 27. Last year, 48 students presented their research with 62 participating in poster sessions describing their work. This year Student Research Day promises to be bigger than ever, so circle the date and plan to come see and hear what our students have been working on all year.

winter 2018 27

7 1 0 2 L A I C SO FACEBOOK

REACTIONS: 18,311 SHARES: 3,031 COMMENTS: 1,217

Social media is, arguably, the fastest and easiest way to connect with people today. Three years ago, we looked at how we were using social media at Wilson and decided that we needed to change what we were sharing.

Sharing news and talking about Wilson was no longer enough.

We wanted to use social media to connect with our community—a group that includes prospective and current students and their families, friends of the College, alumnae/i and the local community (and a few followers from India who confuse us with Wilson College in Mumbai).

To engage with you, we need to know what matters to you. What posts do you most react to, comment on and share? What stories made you feel proud, nostalgic and, on occasion, frustrated? Understanding all of this was important because our goal is not to talk at you, but to talk with you. We want to create an online place where our community can talk with the College and each other.

FOLLOWERS: 5,564 (UP 14.7% FROM 2016)

Wilson College October 25, 2017

Wilson College

September 12, 2017

So much to celebrate today! U.S. News & World Report ranked Wilson College 5th in the “best value” category among regional colleges in the North and 11th overall in our region.

The Wilson College community was dressed in green today for Dwarfism Awareness Month. Firstyear student Loren Karabatzoglou took questions on campus regarding the topic. It was a great learning opportunity because as Loren says, “I’m an open book!”

We have been nationally recognized as a College of Distinction.

And our total enrollment for the 201718 year stands at 1,216 students.

It’s a good day to be a Phoenix. #CelebrateWilson Like

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And it seems to be working. In 2017, our social media following increased across our three platforms— Instagram by 35 percent, Twitter by 14 percent and Facebook by 14.7 percent—and the content we shared on the three platforms in 2017 was seen more than 2 million times and engaged with 34,765 times.

To our loyal followers and fans, thank you for each post like, retweet, post share, regram, mention, @ tag and check-in. And to everyone else, we’d like to invite you to be a part of the conversation. We have some great stuff coming in 2018, so stay tuned.

TOP 3 OK FACEBO POSTS Wilson College August 25, 2017

A Move-In Day poem, Wilson Phoenix style. #CelebrateWilson Like

28 wilson magazine

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INSTAGRAM LIKES: 8,623 COMMENTS: 114

FOLLOWERS: 984 (UP 35% FROM 2016)

wilsoncollegepa

wilsoncollegepa

@ TOP 3 INSTAG POSTS RAM

148 likes

9 weeks left, including finals.

You’ve got this; you’re a Phoenix. #mywilsonpa #mondaymotivation OCTOBER 16, 2017

150 likes Tomorrow’s the day we’ve waited for all summer: Freshmen Move-In Day! #CelebrateWilson #mywilsonpa

FOLLOW US

155 likes First snow of the season.

DECEMBER 13, 2017

AUGUST 23, 2017

TWITTER REPLIES: 52 RETWEETS: 235 LIKES: 808

If you’re not following us, it’s never too late to join the party and here’s how you can find us:

#

FOLLOWERS: 889, (UP 14% FROM 2016)

Wilson College @WilsonCollegePA

Today we honor our Single Parent Scholars, an inspiring presence on our campus. #nationalsingleparentday 3:13 PM - 21 Mar 2017

1

5

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TOP 3 R TWITTE POSTS

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Malcolm X #MondayMotivation #HigherEd 8:44 AM - 10 Jul 2017 5

13

Wilson College @WilsonCollegePA

Mens & Womens bball take on Christendom College at home tomorrow. Mens’ tip off at 5 p.m., womens’ at 7 p.m. 2 more reasons to delay heading home for a couple of days. @Phoenixwbb @WilsonMensHoops

Facebook: @WilsonCollegePa Instagram: @WilsonCollegePa Twitter: @WilsonCollegePa Handy with the hashtags? Stay connected with us on social media by following these hashtags on Instagram—and use them in your own Wilson-related posts. #CelebrateWilson—Wilson’s most used hashtag, from news releases to classroom pictures, #CelebrateWilson provides positive engagement and reminds our followers to celebrate the moments that make Wilson special. #MyWilsonPa—Used for posts and photos submitted by students, faculty, staff and alumnae/i. We love it when our community shares their favorite Wilson moments with us, and this hashtag makes it easy for us to search for those photos and posts and share them with our audiences. Did you know? We use Pa because there is a Wilson College in Mumbai, India, and we want to avoid confusion. #PhoenixPride—This hashtag is for posts celebrating student accomplishments —both academic and athletic—and is typically used in combination with #CelebrateWilson. #WilsoninCburg—This hashtag is used for community relations and service work in the community performed by Wilson’s students, faculty and staff doing volunteer work on behalf of the College.

4:38 PM - 14 Dec 2017 5

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winter 2018 29

Do you Raku?

30 wilson magazine

Wilson ceramics students play with fire

by Coleen Dee Berry

All it takes

is an insulated trash can, a propane-fueled blowtorch and a bucket of sawdust and anyone can do raku.

Twice a year, ceramics instructor Denise Joyal holds outdoor raku pottery firing sessions on campus for students and anyone else in the Wilson community who wants to participate. “The idea is for this to be a campus event—and of course, to have fun,” she said.

Raku is an ancient Japanese ceramics technique that can produce intense colors and crackled glaze on pottery fired using this method.

The colors and glazing effects can be unexpected, which adds to the excitement surrounding an outdoor raku firing, Joyal said. The latest raku session took place on Nov. 30, 2017, and because of rain showers, the firing took place underneath the portico of the Brooks Science Complex facing the art annex.

Joyal’s makeshift trash can kiln, lined with ceramic fiberglass insulation and fired by a propane blowtorch, can reach beyond 1,800 degrees. When she lifts the trash can up after about 20-30 minutes of firing, the ceramic pottery inside glows white hot.

Working quickly, Joyal and Master of Fine Arts graduate student Shawn Heiges carefully lift the glowing pottery with tongs and drop them into a bucket full of pine and cedar sawdust. (Joyal gets the sawdust from a mill near her home.)

Once the pottery items are transferred to the sawdust, Joyal closes the bucket lid. “There’s more fuel than oxygen in the bucket, and that pulls out the oxides in the clay and gives them that glazed finish,” Joyal said.

Clay pots await the fire of an improvised raku kiln, above, and emerge glowing white hot.

winter 2018 31

From left, Wilson ceramics instructor Denise Joyal readies her trash can kiln; a propane torch fires the kiln under Joyal's supervision; Joyal displays a finished raku pottery piece.

The clay pots look white before being fired in the trash can— when Joyal takes them out of the sawdust after about 20 minutes, they are shiny and glazed in shades of metallic black, gray, purple and deep green.

Traditional Japanese raku pottery is used in the Japanese tea ceremony. A potter in 16th-century Japan developed the method by firing hand-shaped pottery in a lower-temperature kiln and then removing the items while red hot to cool outside the kiln.

In the 1950s, American potter Paul Soldner developed a much faster production method that resulted in a more colorful version of traditional raku. He began experimenting with makeshift kilns, a faster firing time and using any type of vessel or sculpture rather than just vessels for tea. Soldner embraced the unexpected nature of this type of raku, as the method produces often unpredictable colors and other variations in the pottery. Joyal said his work inspired her to hold her own homemade raku firings on campus.

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— hidden —

history

CELEBRATING NATIONAL POETRY MONTH: THREE POETS AT WILSON

By Kieran McGhee

T

hroughout Wilson’s history, the College has hosted readings and lectures by a number of notable poets. While current alumnae/i may remember hearing Robert Frost and Maya Angelou read their works at Wilson, the 1914 visit by William Butler Yeats might have vanished from memory if it weren’t for a small note in the 1915 Pharetra student newsletter contained in the college archives.

Simply described as a “known Irish poet” in promotional materials, Yeats held a reading of his works for Wilson students in Thomson Hall. When he spoke on campus, the symbolist poet was 49 years old and already a massive figure in the world of literature. His visit speaks to the strength of Wilson’s reputation as a college.

This poetic tradition continued with the 1960 campus visit by the four-time winner Yeats of the Pulitzer Prize, Robert Frost, who was Wilson’s first Given Foundation Distinguished Visitor.

The New York-based Irene Heinz and John La Porte Given Foundation had made a $100,000 gift to Wilson in 1958 to bring “scholars, statesmen, educators and leaders” to campus for lectures and discussions.

Frost not only gave readings of his poems, but also presented a series of lectures to the Wilson community and the public in Laird Hall. He covered a litany of subjects, from poetic style and meter to his thoughts on “hurried reading,” which he described as “merely looking a book over to see whether you want to read it.”

Frost also hosted two small groups of students in the Norland Hall parlor where the then-Dean of American Poets and Wilson students informally discussed poetry.

Frost in Norland Hall

33 wilson magazine

But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

William Butler Yeats Articles on Frost’s visit written by the Billboard and numerous local papers are stored in the archives.

In 1976 poet, writer, Pulitzer Prize nominee and Medal of Freedom recipient Maya Angelou was a guest speaker at Wilson’s Orr Forum.

Faye Wilson ’77, a member of the Afro-American Society, described her visit in the spring 1976 edition of the Alumnae Quarterly as a “rich experience for the combined communities of the College and Chambersburg.” Angelou gave a lecture on “African Values in American Life” and read from two of her works, Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well and Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ’Fore I Diiie. She also sang Angelou at Wilson spirituals from her childhood and hosted a small group in Laird (now Patterson) Lounge, where she spoke on issues such as her future books and dealing with a family unit. Angelou also met privately with student members of the Afro-American Society.

Current students using Thomson and Laird halls and Norland Parlor may be unaware that Yeats, Frost and Angelou once discussed their poems there. But Wilson’s commitment to education enabled those bygone students to have the experience of speaking directly to a four-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and two of the most celebrated poets of their respective generations.

— For more information on famous campus visitors and college history, visit the Hankey Center’s C. Elizabeth Boyd ’33 Archives.

winter 2018 33

CASE

STUDY

Tonia Hess-Kling brings enthusiasm, clinical skills and commitment to classroom

By Laura B. Hans �13

W

hen Tonia Hess-Kling was younger, a chiropractor helped her mother overcome difficulties with vision and balance. That experience piqued her interest in the field and led her to become a board-certified chiropractor.

Now in her position as an assistant professor of exercise science at Wilson, HessKling brings a strong clinical background and real-world experience to her classrooms. Through such courses as human anatomy, physiology and kinesiology, she is helping train future physical therapists, occupational therapists, athletic trainers—or even chiropractors, like herself.

Hess-Kling’s clinical work “really resonates with students. When they hear that real-world experience, rather than just learning about something theoretically, they’re learning how it really exists (in the workplace) and that makes a huge difference,” said Carolyn Hart, chair of Wilson's Division of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Hess-Kling earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Hood College and a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from New York Chiropractic College. After graduation, she and her husband, physical therapist Derek Kling, worked in Australia—a country known for manual medicine—before returning to Pennsylvania to practice.

Her passion for volunteer work landed her at Wilson. She began as a volunteer assisting the college athletics department with pre-season sports physical exams. In 2013, Director of Athletics Lori Frey, who at that time was directing Wilson’s exercise science program, asked Hess-Kling to consider teaching part time. She accepted the position, slowed down her clinical work and now, four years later, teaches full time and oversees the exercise science department.

In her classroom, Hess-Kling’s students

34 wilson magazine

are never just sitting there. “They’re up and doing something, and they all have huge smiles on their faces,” Hart said. “I think it’s because of the enthusiasm that Tonia generates. She sees her role as bringing what’s in the textbook to life. That’s difficult to do and she makes it look easy.”

Hess-Kling has helped revitalize and create a robust exercise science program at Wilson, according to Hart. Hess-Kling and her colleagues have been working to establish accelerated, direct pathways into graduate degrees—something increasingly necessary in the exercise science field.

“In exercise physiology class, we’re using the bikes and treadmills and we’re taking blood pressure every week,” Hess-Kling said. “We’re doing the application and then tying it back to the theory.” She also uses case studies to help students bridge the gap between theoretical concepts and practical applications. “A major focus for me is practical application and experiential learning opportunities for students, so I use a lot of case studies in the classroom. I use ‘hypothetical’ situations in the classroom that are actually situations I had been exposed to, and that students will be encountering as well.”

A new articulation agreement signed in 2017 with Thomas Jefferson University (which recently merged with Philadelphia University) will provide Wilson health science and exercise science students with a fast track to a Master of Science in Athletic Training degree. In this accelerated 3+2 program, students will complete their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years, one year less than is normally required.

Hess-Kling also engages students with community resource and service learning opportunities by bringing clinicians into the classroom and taking students off campus to observe at personal training, therapy and chiropractic offices.

Each spring, Hess-Kling’s students complete senior fitness assessments for residents at Menno Haven, a Chambersburg retirement community. The students first practice the protocol and procedures on campus and then perform strength, muscular and balance assessments with the Menno Haven residents. “We try to make sure that whenever students are leaving here, they are coming from a very wellrounded curriculum, strong in the sciences,” Hess-Kling said. “Yet from a professional development standpoint, they are starting to gain a lot of the core competencies they’re going to need out in their professions.”

Hess-Kling and Hart recently finalized an articulation agreement with New York Chiropractic College that sets up a 4+3 agreement (four years at Wilson, three years at NYCC) and culminate in a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. These agreements will benefit students by gaining them acceptance into graduate level programs while reducing the time spent earning a graduate degree, and saving tuition costs. Providing students with a path to a doctor of physical therapy degree is also a program goal.

Wilson’s campus initiative of “One Team, One Goal” embodies her work philosophy, Hess-Kling said. “I really love that idea. In my experience working in clinical practice, you have to rely on others. You are the team and you work as a cohesive unit and I value that, so being part of a tightknit team has been a really great experience,” she said.

“I’m vested in Wilson, not just my job, but (also) in my students, their futures; and the program overall … I want to see Wilson succeed and continue to grow.” W

PHOTO BY MATTHEW LESTER

AROUND THE GREEN

Assistant Professor of Exercise Science Tonia Hess-Kling in the classroom.

winter 2018 35

AROUND THE GREEN

Loren Karabatzoglou �21 presents a dwarfism awareness session in Lenfest Commons; (inset) Associate Professor of French Melanie Gregg, left, and first-year class members ask Karabatzoglou questions.

36 wilson magazine

OPEN BOOK

Loren Karabatzoglou ’21 promotes dwarfism awareness on campus

By Coleen Dee Berry

A

sk Loren Karabatzoglou ’21 about what it’s like to be a little person. Go ahead, she won’t mind—“I’m an open book,” Karabatzoglou said. “You can ask me just about anything and I won’t get mad. I’ll just explain.”

When she entered Wilson this past fall, Karabatzoglou set a goal to promote dwarfism awareness on campus. Halfway through her first semester, she held an information session in Lenfest Commons, where she spent almost two hours fielding questions from students, staff and faculty. “I wanted to do the session as a way to introduce myself here on campus, to tell people that they don’t have to be weird around me or treat me differently,” Karabatzoglou said.

One of the most common questions she hears: Are all of your family little people?

She explains that only one parent has to carry the dwarf gene and if they do, their children have a 50-50 chance of being born with dwarfism. Her father is a little person, while her mother and her brother are average-sized.

When she was touring college campuses as a high school senior, Karabatzoglou said the “non-judgmental atmosphere” at Wilson immediately attracted her. “I could tell from my first visit that people here would not judge me—that there was no prejudice here,” she said. “Everyone was very welcoming. Being here is like being home. I’m very comfortable here.”

Karabatzoglou is no stranger to ridicule and bullying. Incidents happened in grade school and middle school, but died out by the time she went to high school. “Usually if I ignored it, it stopped,” she said. Her father helped her get through those times. “He always told me that my actions showed that I was the bigger person and not to let what other people say get me down.” Still, when

asked if she had any average-sized friends during grade school, her face clouds over.

“Not really. I was too different, I guess. No one really wanted to be friends.”

That changed when she was nine years old. A friend of her father’s told him about

out for Little League in third grade “and I won a spot without any problem.” She first played catcher from third to sixth grade, switched in middle school to infielder, and by high school was playing both infield and left field. “When I’m playing softball I can be myself,” she said.

Everyone was very welcoming. Being here is like being home. I'm very comfortable here.

— Loren Karabatzoglou ’21 the Little People of America organization.

Karabatzoglou started going to national and regional conventions and other gatherings, met other little people and was able to make friends. “Being there showed me that there were other people like me, and that I wasn’t the only one going through these situations,” she said. “We all support each other.”

Karabatzoglou’s choice of major—veterinary medical technology—and her desire to play softball also influenced her decision to attend Wilson. “I never thought I’d have a chance to play softball in college and here I am a member of the team,” she said.

She plays left field and pinch hits, and has already played for the Phoenix during the team’s fall tournament.

Growing up on Long Island, Karabatzoglou became both a Yankee and Mets baseball fan. Her family took her to games and her average-sized grandfather, who played in a softball league, taught her how to play.

“He’s my hero,” she said. “He told me, ‘You’re good at this. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t play just because of your size.’ He always encouraged me.” She tried

Karabatzoglou considers her Phoenix teammates to be “like my second family,” and says they give her good advice—“better than anyone my age back home.” The message she hears from them is, “Don’t let what anyone says get you down.”

Teammate Megan Potter ’20 said it’s clear Karabatzoglou loves the game and gives it her all. “You quickly see past her height and see her heart,” she said. Early on, Karabatzoglou confided her fear of ridicule to her teammates. “Our team rallied around her to make sure she would never have to feel like this again,” Potter said. “I remember telling her that if one person messes with you, you have 20 girls that have your back. “ Everyone has challenges, Potter noted, but as a team, “we have each other to help us through. Loren is an asset to our team.

We always refer to our team as a ‘tribe’ and she is no less a member than anyone else.

Loren has certainly changed my perspective because of the achievements she has made … In Loren's case, the sky is the limit, no matter how big or small she is.” W

winter 2018 37

A PHOENIX

FIRST

Nick Baxter ’20 makes all-conference team in freshman year

By Gina Gallucci-White

B

locks: 50. Attacks: 911. Kills: 337. Those volleyball statistics earned Nick Baxter ’20 a place on the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) 2016-17 All-Conference Team last spring. Baxter’s award made Phoenix history—he is the school's first men’s volleyball player to receive the honor.

ing some offense."

The award recognizes the top 21 volleyball players, regardless of position. Baxter, a 6'5” student-athlete who plays the position of opposite hitter for the Phoenix, made the third team selection. Despite working hard in his first season, Baxter was not expecting the award. "I was hoping it would happen and when it finally did, I was excited," he said.

Baxter didn't start playing volleyball until his freshman year at Cocalico High School in Denver, Pa. After making the team all four years at the school, he decided he wanted

Men's volleyball coach Carlos Jimenez said the recognition was well deserved, thanks to Baxter's offensive numbers, which put him in the conference's top 10 in six categories: kills (337), kills per set (3.21), total attacks (911), blocks (50), assists (13) and points per set (3.77). In his best game last season against Hilbert College, Baxter had 22 kills and 49 attacks. "It was great that Nick was recognized in (the conference) because he did put a lot of effort into his playing," Jimenez said. "For me, it was also great news to know it was one of our firstyear student-athletes that did that. (He) had such an impact his first year."

Jimenez describes Baxter as coachable and a very physical player. "He is a lefthanded hitter and in volleyball, it's unusual for some of the blockers to be able to block proficiently when you have a left-handed hitter," Jimenez said. "That brings another dimension to his style of attack."

Team setter Ian Firestone ’20 describes Baxter as “a pretty reliable guy when it comes to getting the offense going. He is also one of the guys we go to when we give up a run or try to turn things around. He is one of the first options we go to for generat-

38 wilson magazine

The men’s volleyball team ended its season last year with an 8-21 record (511 in conference play). The 2017-18 regular season starts in January and runs until May, with the first game at Wilkes University in Dallas, Pa.

well," he said. "We can just talk to each other about basically anything."

Maintaining his academic eligibility is important to Baxter. Likewise, he wants to make sure his teammates remain eligible to compete so he helps tutor them during study hours. "Everybody wants to play and sometimes people struggle with classes," he said.

"That can limit how much they can play." Baxter is quick to add that he is not the only tutor on his team. "We all just help out anybody

[Baxter] is not only a great athlete, but he also is a great student. He is very well-rounded and the ultimate of what we look for in an athlete.

— Carlos Jimenez, men's volleyball coach to play in college as well. "I was looking for a small school with volleyball," he said. "We heard (Wilson was) starting a team my senior year of high school (2015-16), so I was interested in that."

Located about two hours from his hometown, Wilson is a great fit for Baxter. "I didn't want to go real far away, but I didn't want to be super close," he said. Baxter also was interested in helping to build up the fledgling volleyball program. "When (I came in fall 2016), there were no seniors (on the team) so everybody is just either the same grade or one above,” he said. “It is nice that you know for three years you will be playing together.

We can build a strong foundation between all of us."

Baxter’s favorite part of college life so far: his teammates. "We all get along extremely

who needs it. There are different (subjects) we are all good at. That helps a lot."

Baxter “is not only a great athlete, but he also is a great student,” Jimenez said. “He is very well-rounded and the ultimate of what we look for in an athlete.”

A business management major with a sports management minor, Baxter learned how to balance athletics and school work while in in high school, where besides volleyball, he also played soccer for four years.

In looking forward to the new volleyball season, Baxter's hope is to help the team win more games this season. "Every year we keep improving on wins, so that is a good start and a good sign,” he said. W

AROUND THE GREEN

Nick Baxter �20 in action.

PHOENIX SPORTS WRAP The Phoenix 2017 fall sports season has concluded and the winter season is underway.

All-NEAC, which is the highest award to date for a Phoenix men’s soccer player.

The FIELD HOCKEY team made the conference championship game for the third consecutive season with a 9-7 record, but lost a tough match to Keuka College, 4-0. Kayla Butts ’18 and Miranda Long ’18 were both named to the NEAC AllConference team. Long was also named Honorable Mention All-Eastern College Athletic Conference.

Both Phoenix basketball teams are enjoying some early season success. MEN’S BASKETBALL has already surpassed last season’s win total and Keion Adams ’19 became the first men’s basketball player in Wilson history to score 1,000 points. His achievement came as he scored 22 points in a 81-62 victory over Penn State Berks.

For the first time in program history, the MEN’S SOCCER team (with a 6-10-2 record) qualified for the post-season by earning a spot in the NEAC tournament. In a tight game, the Phoenix came up just short, falling to eventual champion Penn State Abington 1-0. Ethan Russ ’19 was named Second Team

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL has gained five early season victories. Jordyn Day ’19 scored her 1,000th career point against Galludet University in a 61-57 win for the Phoenix.

winter 2018 39

s A

A

w

c

n

Happy 2018 to all!

So, jog your memory and answer this question: When was the last time you were on the Wilson campus? And I am talking about really being on campus. You know, park your car, get out, walk around, go into a building. Because giving a little wave as you drive by doesn’t count.

Everyone is busy. You don’t always get to Chambersburg, I get that. But, I do know that sometimes you just need a little inspiration. And that’s why you need to keep reading. While you really only need one reason to come back to campus and remember the role that Wilson played in shaping your life, I’m going to give you a few: 1. New entrance: Wilson’s new front door is located on Park Avenue. What a great first impression for prospective students, families and friends!

2. Learning quad: This beautiful green space between the John Stewart Memorial Library and the Brooks Science Complex ties together all the academic buildings of campus.

3. John Stewart Memorial Library: The redesign combines the old with the new.

The stacks are the same, but check out the new study rooms and classrooms, computer labs, commuter lounge, comfortable seating around the building, displays, café and campus store.

4. Get some gear: Be honest–that Wilson sweatshirt in your closet is looking pretty grungy, isn’t it? We can fix that. The campus store has many ways to show off some Wilson pride.

5. Athletic events: Whether you are a participant or a spectator, Wilson has 10 sports teams. And, next year we’ll be in a new conference—the Colonial States Athletic Conference. Check out the schedules and go to a game. Cheer on your alma mater.

6. Students: What better way to be engaged than to connect with current students? Support student programs. Be a mentor. Give to our internship fund or provide an internship at your place of business. Be an Aunt Sarah. Meet students, listen to their stories—and share your story with them.

So stop by, check the place out, see how much it has changed—and yet stays the same. Reunion 2018, May 31-June 3, is a great time to return to your alma mater.

Make good things happen. Rediscover the spirit and culture that first compelled you to become a member of the Wilson Family. The Reunion 2018 brochure is included in this magazine. Additional information can be found online at www.wilson.edu/reunion-weekend.

I look forward to seeing you.

Mary F. Cramer '91

Alumnae Association of Wilson College President

40 wilson magazine

w

e

CLASS OFFICERS

The alu mnae/i relati ons office is always trying to kee p its master list of class officers as up to date as possible. Please hel p us ensure that we are commu nic ati ng with the correct class rep resentatives .

If you have not alread y confirmed your class office wit h us, please reply to ARoffice@w ilson.edu

E-News

The monthly alumnae/ i e-newsletter is an ave nue to share information and activities with you, our alumnae/i and friends . If we do not have your em ail, you are missing out . Conta ct the Office of Alumnae/i Relations at ARoffice@wilson.e du to sign up.

AmazonSmile

You shop. Amazon gives. ÿ Amazon donates 0.5% of the mile price of your eligi ble AmazonS purchases to the Alumnae Association of Wilson College. Ÿ Support AAWC through the AmazonSmile, using the link i below. Proceeds benefit alumnae/ . ities student activ smile.amazon.com/ch/23-1352581

From an Aunt Sarah:

Missing that cam pus connectio n? Remember the disappointment of an empty post office box? Have you considered becoming an Aunt Sara h?

ND! R REUNION WEEKE SAVE THE DATE FO 8 196 and the

a K. Mistick President Barbar e mmittee (above) ar co Reunion pla nning u! yo g seein looking forward to ne 3 l be held May 31-Ju wil d en ek We Reunion ne yo er Ev g in 3 and 8. for classes endin s for alumnae/i relation t ac nt Co ! me welco son.edu wil e@ at ARoffic additional inquiries or 717-262-2010.

Since Carolyn Trembley Shaffer ’50 began the Aunt Sara h program man y years ago, I have happily participated. I find it is a way for me to maintain contact with cam pus in a more personal manner.

I have enjo yed corresponding with students from foreign countries as well as Ame rican students.

Each of my ‘nieces’ have provided a different

perspective on her Wilson experien A card or small gift helps fill the

ce.

mailbox and lets your ‘niece’ or ‘nephew’ know they are in your thoughts. But it’s not about wha t you can give—the program is about support. Cont act alumnae/i relations at ARoffice@wilson.ed u or for more information go to www.wilson.e du/auntsarah. There is a niece or nephew waiting to hear from you!

- Cynthia Fink Barber ‘73

The Blue and Silver Line

“Participating in commencement is such a joythe pomp and ceremony still thrills me, as it ties me to my Commencement 55 years ago. I’ve shared the experience with fellow alumnae/i from classes dating back in the 1940s to, most recently, a young alum friend from the C lass

of 2016. Odds and Evens toge ther, we bond each time we mee t. It is truly an honor to affirm the graduating class on their accomplishments and to convey how much it means to us to welcome them into our alma mater family.

“It is my hope that more individuals would participate, to send an even stronger message of well-wishes, love and support to our Wilson grads."

- Judy Kreutz Young ’63

Watch the monthly e-newsle tter for upcoming de tails on how to join the Blue and Silver Line or contact the alumnae/i relations office at ARoffice@wilson.edu.

2018 A AWC Trips for

venture today! ys Sign up for an ad Dutch Water wa r Life– Along the all-river ship M.S. sm April 18 -26 Rive e lux de e th rse). ven night s on to Ghent (or reve Nine days and se from Amsterdam g ilin l.com sa ve t, ra an nt illi ga Amadeus Br N, ww w.goha nt ac t: GOHAGA Co . nt ou sc di rd Early bi . or 80 0-922-3088 Norway from Denmark to ; ic Magnificence rd No s in Copenhagen 1 ht -2 nig 11 e ly Ju ur. Spend thre to up ro to -g in all tra sm a d then An eight-night for two night s an able. ht ferry to Oslo Stockholm avail to n io ns take an overnig te ex ht nig ere Th . s. ht 73 nig 80 0-323-73 Bergen for three hitravel.com or el, ww w.wilson.a av Tr I AH t: ac nt Co e Iberian vors of Spain re that shaped th Oc tober 13-21 Fla his tory and cultu e th oa in int d k se ec er ch m Become im Barcelona and n in its people. Fly to io d ns an te es ex ht lag vil nig e seasid Emporda. Threeof e lag or vil m e th .co in on.orbridge boutique hotel ORBRIDGE, Wils t: ac nt Co le. ab Barcelona avail 866- 639- 0079.

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winter 2018 41

— last —

word Helping Hands

By the Rev. Derek Wadlington, Helen Carnell Eden Chaplain

W

PHOTOS BY DEREK WADLINGTON

hen natural disasters strike, our natural reaction is to want to help those in need. The fall of 2017 brought us a series of hurricanes named Harvey, Irma and Irene that left many people in crisis. On the Wilson campus, there was much discussion about how we could help those affected. One idea was to participate in disaster relief trips to help rebuild damaged areas.

Recovery from a major storm can last anywhere from a couple of years to over a decade. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew struck the coastal region of North Carolina.

One town particularly hard-hit was Princeville. The town received over 17 inches of rain in a 24-hour period and the levee along the Tar River failed. Princeville was inundated and remained flooded for close to a month.

More than a year after Matthew, many residents still remain in temporary housing as their homes are repaired or rebuilt.

In January, a group of 10 students, faculty and staff from Wilson College teamed up with 13 volunteers from Lend A Hand (LAH), the disaster relief agency of the Presbytery of Carlisle (Pa.), to travel to an UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Recovery) location in Tarboro, across the river from Princeville. Over the course of the week, and at times hampered by cold weather and snow, we worked on 12 different homes in Princeville. Our work included: installing insulation in the crawlspace under two houses; replacing a floor and installing doors in another house; removing two layers of shingles and repairing damaged sections of underlayment; and installing a new roof on another house.

While it was satisfying to accomplish things, even

more gratifying was the opportunity to meet several homeowners. Our reward was the look of hope that beamed on their faces as they saw, finally, the chance

60 wilson magazine

Above and below, Wilson students at work on a hurricane-damaged home in Princeville, N.C.

they might soon be able to occupy their homes—or, for those who managed to stay in their homes, that their lives might actually return to normal.

One couple, Roosevelt and Bernice, came to the site every day to check on our progress. They knew that once we were done replacing the roof, the inside of the house could finally be finished—there’s no sense in putting up new drywall when there is a hole in the roof. They would repeatedly thank us and say how excited they were for the chance to return home.

While I know this trip was helpful for residents, I can’t understate the impact of the trip on our Wilson volunteers. The students, ranging in age from 18 to 23, were working alongside LAH volunteers ranging in age from 62 to 80. A camaraderie between the groups grew and melded us into a team.

“Leaving was hard to do,” Sarah Schaffner ’21 said.

“The Lend A Hand people were right that if we did not find family by the end of the week, we did it wrong. But we had done it right and everyone felt like family to me …

I can’t wait to go on another trip with them.”

Elaine Livas, founder of Project SHARE in Carlisle, once said to me, “When you serve others, you both give and receive a blessing. You give a blessing by the impact of helping others, and you receive a blessing from the impact those folks have on your life.”

I hope this trip is the start of many blessings to be given and received by members of the Wilson community as we go out and serve. W

The Wilson Fund SUPPORTING WILSON STUDENTS TODAY

“Unrestricted funding is critical because it allows us to meet the greatest need at the institution. Most importantly, it helps support our students financially and can be the deciding factor in whether or not a student can enroll. Today, the need for unrestricted giving just keeps going up.”

Barbara K. Mistick President, Wilson College

MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY www.wilson.edu/makegift

1015 Philadelphia Ave. Chambersburg, PA 17201-1279

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Raku night is a campus event—Wilson students, staff and faculty can watch and participate in an unusual outdoor pottery firing. More on page 30.