focus Magazine Spring 2014 | Maryville College

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S P R I N G 2 014
VOL. 110 | NO. 1

RENEWING OUR STRENGTH

MARYVILLE COLLEGE’S PLAN FOR 2019 AND BEYOND

3 COLLEGE LAUNCHES
NEW WEBSITE
4 BIOLOGY PROFESSORS
HELP RELOCATE
ANDERSON HALL BATS
14 CRAWFORD HOUSE
EARNS LEED® GOLD
A P U B L I C AT I O N F O R A L U M N I &
FRIENDS OF MARYVILLE COLLEGE

A Publication for
Alumni & Friends of Maryville College

PRESIDENT
Dr. Tom Bogart

allow
students to learn and play

SUMMER PROGRAMS

Last summer, Maryville College launched two unique summer
programs that combine valuable learning opportunities with

EDITORIAL BOARD
Karen Beaty Eldridge ‘94
Executive Director for Marketing and Communications
Chloe White Kennedy
Assistant Director of Communications
ART DIRECTION & DESIGN
Mary Workman
Publications Manager

recreational experiences.
The first-ever “Great Smokies Experience” was
held July 18-31, 2013 on the Maryville College
campus and at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute
at Tremont, a residential environmental learning
center in the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park (GSMNP). The one-of-a-kind, two-week
summer course is open to rising high-school juniors
and seniors and offers three college credit hours in
Environmental Issues (ENV 101). This year’s course
will be held July 18-27. For more information,
please visit maryvillecollege.edu/gse.
Another unique summer program offered by the College is
“Horizons: Summer Youth Theology Experience” (formerly
known as “Summer Youth Get-A-Way”). One of the Lilly
Endowment’s 34 theological programs for high school
youth, Horizons gives rising 10th, 11th and 12th graders an
opportunity to explore their faith, plunge into service, build
friendships and gain confidence — all with the end goal of
preparing future leaders for the Church. This year’s program
is scheduled for June 8-13. For more
information, please visit maryvillecollege.
edu/horizons.

HORIZONS

A SUMMER YOUTH THEOLOGY EXPERIENCE AT MARYVILLE COLLEGE

Maryville College is also the proud host of
the Montreat Middle School Conference (it was
previously held on the campus of Presbyterian
College). In July 2013, more than 500 middle
school students and youth leaders spent five days
on campus for fellowship, study, worship and fun.
The conference, designed for youth who have
completed fifth through eighth grades, started in
1999 as a regional Presbyterian Youth Connection
event and began partnering with Montreat in
2001. This year’s conference is scheduled for

MARYVILLE COLLEGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dr. William T. “Tom” Bogart
Ms. Elizabeth A. Bulette
Mr. Hulet M. Chaney
Dr. Bryant L. Cureton ’60
Mr. C. Michael Davis, Jr.
Mr. Joseph M. Dawson ’69
Ms. Jenny Lind Erwin ’68
Mr. William E. Harmon ’67
Mr. G. Donald Hickman ’70
Ms. Diane Humphreys-Barlow ’70
Mr. Mark S. Ingram
Mr. J. William Johnson
Mr. Rufus B. King
Mr. Ronald Y. Koo ’64
Mr. Wayne R. Kramer ’74
Ms. Sherri P. Lee
Ms. Cheryl S. Massingale
Mr. Adriel McCord, ’00
Dr. Charles W. Mercer
Dr. J. Robert Merriman
Ms. Virginia K. Morrow
Mr. Alvin J. Nance, ’79
Mr. J. Douglas Overbey
Ms. Judith M. Penry ’73
Dr. Timothy A. Poole, ’80
Ms. Ann L. Rigell ’69
Rev. William Judson Shaw
Dr. T. Bryson Struse, III ’61
Ms. Kristine Tallent ’96
Dr. Taylor C. Weatherbee
Mr. Jeffrey K. Willis
Ms. Debra Willson
Rev. Sharon K. Youngs ’79
Dr. C. Edward Brubaker ’38*
*Honorary member

July 23-27 on campus. The theme is “A Knock
at the Door.” For more information, please visit
montreat.org/middle.

MARYVILLE COLLEGE FOCUS MAGAZINE 2014
PUBLISHED ONCE A YEAR
502 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy
Maryville, TN 37804-5907
865.981.8000 | maryvillecollege.edu
subscription price - none
Copyright © 2014 Maryville College.
Contents may not be reproduced in any manner, either whole or
in part, without prior permission of Maryville College.

f o cus
CONTENTS

| COVER PHOTO BY WADE PAYNE |
ABOUT THE COVER: (L-R) Peizhen Sun ‘15,
engineering major and international student
from China; Delena Gray ’13, human resource
management major; Keith Wall ‘15, music
major; Hana Henry ’14, biology major; and
Brian Bush ’13, political science major, represent
the diversity of the student body and the
professional fields for which they’re preparing.

3

campus

NEWS

sports

NEWS

faculty

NEWS

8

2 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

10

4-5 BATS OUT OF THE BELFRY
When thousands of bats were displaced from
the Anderson Hall attic, MC biology professors
came up with a plan to provide homes for
these homeless insectivores.

7 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER ANNOUNCED
Jim Ethier, chairman of the board for Knoxville-based Bush
Brothers & Company, will deliver the commencement address
to the Class of 2014 on May 18.

9 FOUR MC COACHES NAMED COACH
OF THE YEAR
Four Maryville College coaches were named
USA South Athletic Conference “Coach of the
Year” for fall sports.

12 RENEWING OUR STRENGTH








The “Renewing Our Strength” Strategic
Plan for Maryville College provides a
vision for its bicentennial in 2019. The
two major goals for this period are
achieving financial stability and
ensuring a vital academic program
that is relevant in its time and place.

19

class

NOTES

MESSAGE from THE PRESIDENT

RENEWING our STRENGTH
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as
eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. — ISAIAH 40:31
Who are we? Why do we matter? Our founder Isaac Anderson summarized it this way in his inaugural
address: “The mind of man is incapable of examining, or even of forming a judgment respecting the
extensive materials that are necessarily connected with the forgoing enquires, unless it is enlarged by a
knowledge of grammar in general, of logic, metaphysics, natural philosophy, mathematics, natural history
and polite literature. These expand the mind, give direction to its energies and furnish it with just rules
by which every subject as to be examined is submitted to its inspection.” His repeated theme was to “do
good on the largest possible scale.” Those words are as true today as they were almost 200 years ago.
The challenge now is to renew our strength so that we can walk without fainting for another 200 years
while also helping people to run and not be weary and even to mount up with wings as eagles.
We began work on the strategic plan during the summer of 2011, and it was formally adopted by
the Board of Directors in the fall of 2012. A substantial number of people contributed to the work,
including students, faculty, staff, alumni, community members and the Board of Directors. The plan
has three themes that combine to form a vision statement for 2019: Maryville College will be a vibrant,
sustainable institution joining the liberal arts and professional preparation in partnership with others.



Maryville College is defined by its rigorous core
Our mission statement begins
curriculum based in the liberal arts and including
‘Maryville College prepares
a Senior Study experience supervised by a faculty
member. While that identity will not change, it
students,’ and this must always
is nevertheless true that the specific aspects of
the curriculum will continue to evolve over time.
remain the top priority.
Maryville College has always seen the liberal arts as
the best means of preparing students for broad engagement in society. This includes launching them
in their professional futures, from our founding as a place to train ministers to our substantial home
economics program in the middle part of the 20th century to today’s successful premedical program.
The new initiative, Maryville College Works: Bridging College to Career, builds on this tradition by
updating the academic program in a way that emphasizes the vibrancy and value of the liberal arts for
the 21st century.

.”

One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is getting to visit with people and discuss the future
of Maryville College. The strategic plan’s emphasis on working in partnership with others has been
extraordinarily well received. Individuals and companies have been creative and enthusiastic about
finding ways to work together with the faculty, staff and students. If you have an idea about how your
company or nonprofit organization can develop a mutually beneficial relationship with Maryville College,
we’re ready to hear it.
Our mission statement begins “Maryville College prepares students,” and this must always remain
the top priority. We continue to identify multiple facets of student success. In addition, we value
participation in athletic and other extracurricular activities, because we have a strong commitment to
developing people as complete individuals rather than merely academic transcripts. Our emphasis on
vocational discernment means that we value both the career and professional future of students, as
well as the other ways that they will enjoy their lives and contribute to society. Because exposure to a
wider world is an important facet of education, we continue to work to increase the percentage of our
students who have an international experience. While it is difficult to capture all of these areas in one
definition, I’m willing to try. Success means that the student leaves Maryville College as a successful
part of a larger world than when he or she entered. For those readers who are alumni, I hope that
definition of success describes your experience. Please continue to keep in touch with us and help us
renew our strength and build towards our bicentennial.

campus

NEWS

by
regional and national publications

MC ENJOYS RECOGNITION

Maryville College is enjoying recognitions and rankings from various regional and national publications
during the 2013-14 academic year.
In its September/October issue, Washington Monthly, a bimonthly nonprofit magazine that covers United States
politics and government, ranked the College No. 68 in its list of top liberal arts colleges. The publication rates
schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research and service.
For the fourth consecutive year, Maryville College has been listed in U.S. News & World Report’s top tier
of national liberal arts colleges. In the magazine’s “Best Colleges 2014” guidebook, the College is
listed as No. 176 out of 248 national private and public liberal arts colleges.
Maryville College has been honored as a “College of Distinction” for the 2013-2014 school
year. The College of Distinction designation is given to select schools to honor their
excellence in student-focused higher education. Maryville College was found
to excel in all four distinctions and has a personal profile on the Colleges of
Distinction™ website.
MC has also been named a “Best Southeastern College” by The Princeton
Review. The publication identified a total of 643 colleges considered to be
“academically outstanding and well worth consideration in your college search,”
according to the company’s website.
The College was featured in the August issue of Blue Ridge
Outdoors magazine due to its placement in the Elite 8 of the publication’s
“Top Adventure College” contest earlier this year. MC also received
recognition for its outdoor adventure program, Mountain Challenge.
Collegefactual.com is the newest website to rank Maryville College. Using
customized outcomes-based tools and rankings systems
to guide students through the college selection process,
the site recognizes best colleges for the money.
MC’s rank – No. 110 – reflects the institution’s
academic quality and economic value, based on the cost
of obtaining an undergraduate degree.

COLLEGE

launches NEW WEBSITE

Whether you search the Internet on a laptop, tablet or phone, the new Maryville
College website will “look right” to you. Using responsive design, the site took
more than a year to launch. The site now features a simplified and cleaner
design; large, vibrant photography; buttons and tabs for easy navigation; easy
links to the College’s social media outlets; and even use of the College’s official
tartan. The site will always be a “work in progress,” but the new look and new
functionality are drawing praise. Visit maryvillecollege.edu to see it for yourself!
Also, don’t forget to follow us on social media for the latest news. To explore
the College’s social media outlets, visit maryvillecollege.edu/news.

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3

BATS out

From top: A colony of big brown bats as
seen in the rafters of Anderson Hall’s attic; MC
physical plant employees erect two of 10 bat
boxes in the College’s orchard in November;
Mark Simpson and Andy McCall position the
bat boxes on 20-foot posts. The boxes, which
can house between 300 and 400 bats, contain
closely spaced slats that mimic the tight
spaces bats seek in nature.
4

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S P R I N G 2 014

of the BELFRY

WHEN CONSTRUCTION CREWS began work
on the interior renovation of Anderson Hall last
summer, Maryville College officials had already
made arrangements for the relocation of 45
faculty and staff members who were going to be
displaced from their offices during construction.
What officials didn’t anticipate, however, is that
they would need to relocate thousands of big
brown bats that had taken up residence in the
attic of the 144-year-old building.
But where would these homeless insectivores go?
That’s where Maryville College biology professors Dr. Drew Crain and Dr. Dave Unger come
in. Crain, who also teaches wildlife photography
at the College, inspected and photographed the
bat population in the attic prior to their removal,
and he was surprised by what he saw.
“We always knew there were bats in the
Anderson Hall attic, although we never had any
idea about the magnitude in terms of the number
of bats,” he said, estimating that between 1,500
and 2,000 big brown bats were living in the attic.
“They never caused any problems.”
Bats are vitally important to the ecosystem and
have helped the MC campus tremendously, Crain
explained, so it was important to not only safely
remove them but find them another home.
“Studies show that a single bat can eat between
600 and 1,000 mosquitoes per hour,” Crain said.
“It is no coincidence that we have never had to
spray insecticides on the MC campus to control
for mosquitoes. Give me a choice between an
insecticide and an insectivore, and I’ll choose an
insectivore any day!”
In the fall, an expert was called in to safely
remove the bats by installing a reverse trap, which
allowed the bats to leave Anderson but wouldn’t
let them back in. Crain said the timing of the
relocation was ideal.
“In the late spring, the pregnant female bats
come together in a nursery colony; in essence, all
of the females come to live together, give birth
and raise their newborns,” Crain explained. “This
nursery colony disperses in early fall, so the
eradication in early fall followed their normal
annual cycle.” The next step was to determine
how to create a new, nearby home for the bats on
campus.
Unger consulted with Merlin Benner, president
of Wellsboro, Pa.-based company Wildlife
Specialists, to determine what kind of home
would be ideal for the bats – and where to place
them.
“He has 20 years of experience as a wildlife

specialist, much of it with bats,” said Unger, who
has collaborated with Benner on other wildlife
research projects in the past.
Together, they came up with a plan to erect 10
bat boxes and one bat condominium on campus.
The boxes, located in the Maryville College
orchards, each can hold an estimated 300-400
bats and were installed in November. In February,
officials installed a large, 4-by-4-foot bat
condominium that overlooks the soccer field,
softball field and tennis courts. It can hold up to
4,000 bats.
The idea is to simulate the type of roosting site
that big brown bats would seek in nature.
“Historically, big brown bats would roost
under large pieces of bark on old growth trees
and in tight rock crevices communally,” Unger
explained. “With the great reduction in climax
forests and increased land development, bats
shifted their roosting behavior to incorporate
human dwellings.”
Anderson Hall’s attic offered an ideal
substitute. “In the summer, when pups are born
and raised, the entire colony seeks a large refuge
with tight spaces to maximize thermal gain
through body contact – this thermal gain
maximizes the growth rate in the newborn bat
pups, so that when it’s time, they are fully
developed to be able to fly and hunt on their
own,” Unger said. “Anderson Hall’s high attic –
with constant solar gain and tight spaces between
the rafters – fit this need perfectly.”
The new housing options contain closelyspaced slats that mimic the tight spaces the flying
mammals prefer.
Unger said both the bats and the College
benefit from the relocation project, as the bat
boxes and condominium could provide research
opportunities for Maryville College students for
years to come.
“By providing these bats a place to call their
own, the College is showing its devotion to
sustainable use of resources and the proper
conservation of the life that thrives on and around
our beautiful campus here at the foothills of the
Great Smoky Mountains, while also attempting to
solve the problem of bats entering buildings,”
Unger said. “Perhaps most importantly, these bat
houses, if successfully occupied, will represent a
living, breathing learning tool for the students
who attend our institution.”
When asked about the future of bats on
campus, both Crain and Unger simultaneously
smiled and said, “Bring them on!”

campus

The erection of the bat “condo” on Feb. 26 was cause for celebration
and included a bat-themed cake made and decorated by Ashlyn
Crain (daughter of Dr. Drew Crain) and interviews of Dr. Dave Unger
by several media outlets.

Anderson Hall renovation UNDERWAY
IN JUNE 2013, the long-awaited interior renovation of
Maryville College’s 144-year-old Anderson Hall began.
The interior demolition of the 25,500-square-foot
building was completed over the summer, exposing some
interesting details of the building’s 19th-century
construction, including knob and tube electrical wiring
and wooden lintels above windows. During demolition,
the interior was taken back to the supporting structure,
meaning that interior walls were removed, as well as
existing flooring and all ceilings.
“Structurally, Anderson Hall is incredibly well built,”
said Barry Brooke, executive vice president of LawlerWood, LLC, which is the owner’s representative for the
project. “With a total renovation, we’re exposing the
building all the way down to the structure and building back up.”
To date, the basement has been waterproofed, and excavation for the

outdoor classroom/amphitheatre is underway. An elevator shaft has
been constructed, which runs from the basement to the third floor.
The stairs have been replaced, floors have been leveled and new
floor joists have been added. Crews have also started work on
electrical wiring and plumbing, and the fire protection line for the
sprinkler system has been added. On the exterior, the slate roof has
been completely replaced with new slate tile. Replacement windows
– 149 of them – have been ordered and will be installed this spring.
In the coming months, construction crews will focus on
finishing construction of interior walls and floors, installing the
HVAC system, completing electrical and plumbing work, finishing
the outdoor classroom and starting on interior finishes.
The scheduled completion date is December 2014. The full cost of
the $7.6 million project is being raised through from gifts and from
reserves that are restricted to buildings. To contribute to the project, please
contact Suzy Booker at 865.981.8203 or [email protected].

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5

NEWS

MC

preparing STUDENTS FOR MINISTRY
BY THE REV. DR. ANNE D. MCKEE | CAMPUS MINISTER

WHEN I CAME to Maryville College in 2001, the search committee told
me that they wanted more MC graduates to consider ministry as a first
career option. Receiving Lilly Endowment funding to develop Programs
for the Theological Exploration of Vocation helped us get a strong start
in introducing students to the idea of full-time service in the church. We
developed scholarship programs,
I am so proud of these
took seminary visits, prompted
conversations with pastors and
students…it makes me
reflection about
confident that the church will encouraged
whether ministry might be
be in good, creative hands
something God was calling
them to pursue.
in the next decades.
I frequently tell students
that ministry is one of the coolest things you can do with your life. It has
the perfect combination of scholarship, working with people, working to
change the world, and administrative tasks, all centered on the core value of





Keli Shipley ’14, director of church
ministries at First Presbyterian
Church in Knoxville, Tenn.
Jordan
Tarwater ’13,
attending Union
Theological
Seminary in
New York, N.Y.
Lauren Voyles ’13, serving with
Young Adult Volunteers PC(USA)
in Austin, Tex.
Josh Allen ’11, working on master
of divinity degree at Lipscomb
University in Nashville, Tenn.

Rebecca Hunley ’08, youth
director at Washington Presbyterian
Church in Knoxville, Tenn.

Rachael
Whaley Pate
’08, pastor
at Rehoboth
Presbyterian
Church in
Decatur, Ga.

Nate Smith ’11, serving with
Young Adult Volunteers PC(USA)
Liz Embler ’10, youth ministry
intern at the Episcopal Church of
the Good Samaritan in Knoxville,
Tenn.

Jessica Kitchens Lewis ’07,
director of Christian education at
First-Trinity Presbyterian Church
PC(USA) in Laurel, Miss.

Emily Brewer ’09, attending
Union Theological Seminary in
New York, N.Y.

6

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Brianna Merrill Cook ’05,
children’s ministry coordinator
at First Presbyterian Church in
Knoxville, Tenn.

Hannah Norris ’08, director of
youth and young adult ministries
at Good Shepherd Presbyterian
Church in Lilburn, Ga.

Crystal Harper Fallesen ’07,
director of children’s ministries at
Rivermont Presbyterian Church in
Chattanooga, Tenn.

Ashley Sullivan Helton ’10,
associate pastor at Church Street
United Methodist Church in
Knoxville, Tenn.

our life as Christians, that of reflecting God’s love toward all people. I truly
believe that as students have a positive experience with church and as they
have opportunities to imagine themselves in church leadership, the spirit
will lead them to consider ministry as a call.
Today, I’m pleased to report that Maryville College is sending more
students into the ministry, and I am so proud of them. For one thing, it
makes me confident that the church will be in good, creative hands in the
next decades. I see them wrestling with challenges that my generation of
ministers did not have to face, and I see them coming up with innovative
approaches and new insights to the Gospel. Being in partnership with
these young ministers renews and encourages my own practice, and I am
completely grateful for the example and passion they offer.
As you can see from the list below, many of our young alumni are making
a difference in the church. We know that this list is always growing, so please
keep us updated on what you’re doing! Contact Kathleen Farnham, director of
church relations, at 865.981.8217 or [email protected].

Len Turner Scales
’07, associate
pastor for christian
education and
youth at Hopewell
Presbyterian Church
in Huntersville, N.C.

Laura Palmer ’07, U.S. Navy
chaplain serving in Diego Garcia.
(Above, Campus Minister Anne
McKee and Director of Church
Relations Kathleen Farnham
pose with Palmer following her
commissioning ceremony in
Spartanburg, S.C., in 2013.)
Keith Allmon ’07, associate
children’s pastor at Ingleside Baptist
Church in Macon, Ga.
Michael Isaacs
’06, pastor at
Westminster
Presbyterian
Church in
Asheville, N.C.
Katie Stubblefield Woodard ’06,
youth director at New Chapel
Methodist Church in Springfield,
Tenn.

Matt Frease ’05,
Columbia Seminary
graduate who is
in the master of
theology program at
the Candler School
of Theology at Emory University
Dwight Dockery ’05,
director of music at First
Presbyterian Church of
Smithfield, N.C.
Rennie Salata ’05, pastor at Longs
& Cruso Methodist churches in
Canton, N.C.
Brian Bacon ’04, director of music
at Christ Lutheran Church in
Fairfield Glade, Tenn.
Christopher Manning ’04,
associate pastor at St. John
Neumann Catholic Church in
Knoxville, Tenn.
Erin Kobs ’03, pastor at First
Presbyterian Church in St. James,
Minn.

campus

MC BOARD OF DIRECTORS recognizes
FOUR DEPARTING MEMBERS

MARYVILLE COLLEGE’S
BOARD of Directors recently
recognized four departing members
during the fall meeting: Nancy Cain,
Jim Proffitt, Ken Tuck ’54 and
Steve West.
In resolutions that were adopted
by the Maryville College Board of
Directors during its annual meeting
on campus on Oct. 25, 2013, the
board extended its gratitude to the
departing board members for their
exemplary work, service and

JIM ETHIER

generosity to the College.
Cain, a retired managing editor
and executive vice president of
Maryville-Alcoa Newspapers, Inc.,
joined the board in 2002. In her 11
years of service, she served on the
Advancement and Executive
committees, and she served as chair
of the Admissions Committee. She
was a member of the Education
Theme Commission and the
Clayton Center for the Arts
Advisory Board.

Proffitt, chairman of Proffitt &
Goodson Inc. in Knoxville, Tenn.,
was appointed to the board in 2004.
During his nine-year tenure, he
served on the Advancement,
Investment and Endowment,
Finance, and Executive Committees,
and he was chair of the Buildings
and Grounds Committee.
Tuck, an ophthalmologist at
Vistar Eye Center in Roanoke, Va.,
joined the board in 2004. In his
nine years of service, Tuck, a

recipient of Maryville College’s
Medallion and Alumni Citation,
chaired the Advancement
Committee and served on the
Executive Committee.
West, chairman of West
Chevrolet, Inc. and West Properties,
LLC in Alcoa, Tenn., was appointed
to the board in 2006. During his
seven-year tenure, West served as a
member of the Advancement
Committee. He also served on the
Clayton Center Advisory Council.

is commencement speaker for Class of 2014

JIM ETHIER, chairman of the board of Bush Brothers
& Company, will give the commencement address to
Maryville College’s Class of 2014 during a ceremony
scheduled for 6 p.m., Sun., May 18 on the lawn between
Anderson Hall and Sutton Science Center. During the
ceremony, Ethier will also receive the honorary doctor of
laws degree from the 195-year-old liberal arts college.
Ethier’s connections to the College are strong. He is
the son of a Maryville College alumna, the late Lena
Maye Bush Ethier ’32, and father of a Maryville
College alumnus, David Ethier ’08.
Ethier, who earned his undergraduate degree from
Georgetown University and an MBA from the Kellogg
School at Northwestern University, has been with
Knoxville-based Bush Brothers & Company for 45 years,
serving as chief financial officer, president and chief
operating officer, and, most recently, chairman and chief
executive officer. “Bush’s Best” is the nation’s leading
brand of bean products.

“Maryville College challenges students to
dedicate a life of creativity and service to the
peoples of the world,” said Maryville College
President Dr. Tom Bogart. “Jim Ethier embodies
this ideal as a leader in business and in the
community. His strong family ties to Maryville
College make it natural to invite him to share his
thoughts with this year’s graduating class.”
Ethier is active as a board member for several
business, educational and nonprofit institutions.
He received the Guard Society Honorary Life
Member Award for 2000, which recognizes
individuals for their years of service and their
contribution to the food industry. In 2005, he
received the Distinguished Leadership Award
from the Food Products Association. In 2012, he
received the Family Enterprise Leadership Award
from the Kellogg School at Northwestern
University.

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7

NEWS

sport

NEWS

Maryville College hasn’t yet finished its second year as a full member of the USA South
Athletic Conference, but the Scots already are proving to be the teams to watch when
it comes to conference championships. Three teams – football, volleyball and
women’s basketball – all earned invitations to the NCAA Division III tournament.
For the football team, the invitation was the first in the program’s 121-year history.
At press time, Maryville College was leading in all three categories of the USA South Conference’s
President’s Cup. Follow the teams at mcscots.com. Go Scots!

MC ATHLETES

FELDER

STEPHENS

garner POST-SEASON HONORS

EIGHT MARYVILLE COLLEGE studentathletes have earned individual post-season
honors this year.
The National Soccer
HOWARTH
Coaches Association
of America named
Maryville College senior
Ashley Howarth ’14
a 2013 women’s soccer
All-South Atlantic
Region performer.
Howarth, a Knoxville
native, was named a
USA South Athletic
Conference first team selection after depositing 15
goals and dishing out four assists for the league’s
regular season championship.
She is the first MC women’s
soccer player to earn the honor
for four consecutive years since
the program’s inception in 1988.
The MC
football team,
coming off of a
record-setting
8-3 season, had
four players
named to the
HIGHTOWER
D3football.
com All-South
Region squad:
Travis Felder
’14, Rance
Hightower
’15, Dalton
Stephens ’15 and Dylan
Wolfenbarger ’14.
All-Region teams were
selected in balloting
by sports information
WOLFENBARGER
directors in each region and
D3football.com staff, and
all players nominated for
8

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All-Region are eligible for consideration for the
D3football.com All-America Team.
Felder, a senior running back from Orange
Park, Fla., earned second team All-Region
honors for his standout season. He broke three
USA South season records after rushing for a
school record 1,269 yards this season. His 22
rushing touchdowns, 23 total touchdowns, and
138 points scored are all new school and league
standards. He set a new MC season mark for
rushing attempts (223) while ending his career
as the Scots’ second leading career rusher with
2,717 rushing yards.
Leading the offensive line play were AllRegion selections Hightower, a junior from
Adairsville, Ga., who earned second team AllRegion honors, and Stephens, a junior from
Melbourne, Fla., who was named to the third
team. The line led the nation in fewest sacks
allowed (3) and ranked fifth nationally in tackles
for a loss allowed. Their 287.9 rushing yards
per game ranked 8th nationally, while their total
offense (473.3 yards per game) was ranked in the
top 20 across the NCAA Division III.
Wolfenbarger, a Knoxville, Tenn., native,
earned second team All-Region accolades after
leading the USA South with 11.6 stops per
game. His 371 career tackles established a new
school record.
Cross country standout
Sean Hagstrom ’17 of
Oak Ridge, Tenn., was
named both “Runner of
the Year” and “Rookie
of the Year” in the USA
South Athletic Conference.
His best performance of
the fall came at the Berry
College Invitational, where
HAGSTROM
he posted a time of 27:56
on the 8,000-meter course to finish 50th out of
207 runners. In two dual meets versus Covenant
and Carson-Newman, Hagstrom came in first

place. The men’s cross country teams finished
fourth in the conference championship.
In basketball,
Jaumonee Byrd ’15
and Mackenzie Puckett
’16 were recognized as
conference “Players of the
BYRD
Year.”
Byrd, a forward from
Douglasville, Ga., nearly
averaged a doubledouble during the regular
season as he posted 18.6
points and 9.0 rebounds
per contest. His scoring
output ranked fourth
in the conference while
his rebounding numbers
placed him third in the
league.
The men posted
a 13-1 record in
PUCKETT
conference play and
an 18-8 record,
overall.
Puckett, a guard
from Franklin, Tenn.,
earned conference
“Rookie of the Year”
honors last year
and was selected
top player this year
for her offensive
and defensive
performance. She was ranked in the top-10 of the
conference in points per game (17.0), rebounds
per game (7.3), blocks per game (1.4) and free
throw percentage (85.5 percent).
The women’s basketball team finished its
season in the first round of the NCAA Division
III tournament, the program’s 20th bid to
the post-season. The women posted a 13-3
conference record and 22-7 record, overall.

sport

named
All-American

NEWS

HIGHTOWER

THE AMERICAN FOOTBALL COACHES
ASSOCIATION chose Rance Hightower ’15
for All-American honors
following his standout junior
season. Hightower, a 6’3”
offensive lineman from
Adairsville, Ga., became the
38th football All-American at
Maryville College and the
athletic program’s 68th AllAmerican in school history. The last Fighting
Scots offensive lineman to win this distinction
from the AFCA was Thomas Smith ’93 in
1992 and 1993.
“I am extremely proud of Rance for his hard
work and dedication to Maryville College and
our football program,” said Maryville College
Head Football Coach Mike Rader. “He has
worked very hard to improve as a person and
player. This honor is an individual award, but
I’m sure Rance would be the first to credit his
teammates for the honor.”

leads
Scots’ softball team
HAMPTON

IN JULY, MARYVILLE COLLEGE
welcomed Leah Hampton as its new
head softball coach.
Hampton previously was head coach
of the Eastern Nazarene College softball
program in Quincy, Mass., where she
developed six All-Commonwealth
Coast Conference athletes during her
three seasons. In only three seasons,
her squads tied or eclipsed 18 school
records. The team alone broke five
records, including most runs scored, runs batted in, putouts,
assists and best fielding percentage. Her players flourished
under her leadership, breaking a dozen and tying one of
ENC’s individual softball records.
Before her first head coaching appointment, Hampton
played and coached at Piedmont College in Demorest,
Ga., where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business
administration and a master’s degree in managerial leadership.
“Leah has extensive experience in recruiting quality studentathletes from across the country,” said MC Athletics Director
Kandis Schram ’85. “Her ability to organize and support the
academic and athletic success of her players will serve as a firm
foundation toward her mission to develop each Scots softball
player to her fullest potential.” Hampton’s husband, B.J., is
the Scots’ assistant baseball coach.

RECEPTION HELD FOR ‘Coach
of the Year’ HONOREES
ON FEB. 28, student-athletes, coaches,
faculty, staff, alumni, community
members, members of the MC Board of
Directors and other friends filled Cooper
Athletic Center’s Orange Room to honor
four Maryville College coaches who were
named USA South Athletic Conference
“Coach of the Year” in their respective fall
sports in 2013: Pepe Fernandez, Tyson
Murphy ’03, Mike Rader and Kandis
Schram ’85.
During the reception, attendees heard
remarks from MC Board Member and
former student-athlete Adriel McCord
’00, current student-athlete Robbie Britt
’15, MC Board Chairman Wayne Kramer
’74 and MC President Dr. Tom Bogart.
“What a great day for Maryville
College athletics, and what a great day for
the institution as a whole,” Kramer said.
Kramer, an attorney, said “no event
is really complete until there has been
some sort of legal document,” so he read
resolutions highlighting the coaches’
accomplishments. He praised the coaches
for not only having successful seasons,
but for their commitment to the College,
its purpose, its mission and support of its
student-athletes.
USA South Associate
Commissioner Mike Christie,
who also attended the
reception, said that the USA
South has added five new
members, including MC, in
the last two years, which has
“significantly raised the bar as
far as the competitive level in
our league.”
Murphy is in his eighth
season at the helm of
MC’s men’s and women’s cross
country programs. This is his
fifth “Coach of the Year” honor.
Fernandez, who finished his
25th season with the Scots soccer
program, was named “Coach
of the Year” in both men’s and women’s
team categories. He guided his women’s
team to a 10-1-1 conference record (13-23 overall) and regular season championship
title in the USA South. Picked by league
coaches in the preseason to finish sixth,

the Scots men’s team finished 6-3 in the
conference (10-5-2 overall), ending its
season in the conference tournament
semifinals.
In his second season as head coach of
the Fighting Scots Football Team, Rader
guided the squad to an 8-3 record (6-1
in the USA South) and the College’s first
NCAA football bid in 121 years of football.
Rader was also a finalist for Liberty
Mutual’s National Coach of the Year.
Schram, head volleyball coach, has
coached volleyball at MC for 28 years. In
2013, the team went 16-0 in conference
play (24-16 overall), clinching USA South
regular season and conference tournament
titles. She guided the volleyball team to its
11th post-season tournament.
“There will be other [successes
to celebrate], because we have great
coaches,” Kramer said.
When accolades for winter sports
were announced, the College learned
of another “Coach of the Year.” Randy
Lambert ’76, head coach of the men’s
basketball team who finished his 34th
season, took top honors.

(L-R) Four MC coaches were named USA South
Athletic Conference “Coach of the Year” in their
respective fall sports in 2013: Pepe Fernandez,
Mike Rader, Kandis Schram ’85 and Tyson
Murphy ’03. They were honored during a Feb. 28
reception in Cooper Athletic Center.

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9

faculty

NEWS

SCHNEIBEL ANNOUNCES

retirement

DR. SUSAN SCHNEIBEL, Maryville College professor of comparative
literature, has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2013-14
academic year.
Schneibel, who holds degrees from Emmanuel College, Rutgers
University and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, has taught English
literature at the College since 1983. She is the College’s longest-serving
current faculty member.
An expert in Herman Melville, she has taught classes in literature,
English, German, critical theory and publications. She has served as chair
of the Division of Languages and Literature and chair of the Division
of Humanities. She is currently serving as co-chair of the Maryville
College Works program, a new initiative that will add significant practical

TREVATHAN

experiences to graduation
requirements.
“Under Dr. Schneibel’s
leadership, the Division of
Humanities and later the Division
of Languages and Literature built
innovative curricula and recruited talented teachers and scholars to the
institution,” said Dr. Barbara Wells, vice president and dean of the College.
“Dr. Schneibel is known for encouraging students to engage in significant
experiences that link the classroom with real world experience. She has been
instrumental in creating standards and best practices for internships that
other faculty will incorporate into their own work with students.”

publishes BOOK

IN MAY, KIM TREVATHAN, assistant professor of
writing/communication, published Liminal
Zones: Where Lakes End and Rivers Begin (UT
Press). The non-fiction work chronicles five
years of solitary upstream kayaking quests in
search of transitional areas where dammed
reservoirs give way to the current of the rivers
that feed them. Trevathan has also published
Coldhearted River: A Canoe Odyssey Down
the Cumberland and Paddling the Tennessee
River: A Voyage on Easy Water.

ASTOR receives COLLINS AWARD
MC ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR of History Dr. Aaron Astor
has been recognized as this year’s recipient of the Richard H.
Collins Award, presented by the Kentucky Historical Society
(KHS). Accompanied by wife Samantha (left), Astor accepted the
award during the KHS Annual Meeting and Kentucky History
Celebration at the Old State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., on Nov. 8.
The award is a part of the Kentucky History Awards
program, which recognizes outstanding achievement by
historians, public history professionals, volunteers, business
and civic leaders, communities and historical organizations
throughout the commonwealth.
A Civil War scholar, Astor has written several books and
is a frequent contributor to the New York Times’ online
“Disunion” series.

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MC welcomes
new educators
FOR 2013 -14

IN THE FALL, Maryville College welcomed two
new faculty members.
Dr. Shankar
Ghimire is a visiting
assistant professor of
economics. He earned
a master of arts degree
in applied economics
with a concentration
in development
economics and a Ph.D.
in applied economics
from Western Michigan University. His research
interests include foreign aid and development,
Foreign Direct Investment/outsourcing, trade
policies and exports, trade and development,
globalization and migration.
Dr. Alexa Shutt,
visiting instructor
of exercise science,
received her bachelor
of science degree
in education from
the University of
Memphis, where she
majored in consumer
science and education
with a concentration in
dietetics. She received her master of public health
degree and Ph.D. in health and human science
from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
Shutt has 10 years of nutrition and health
experience.

faculty

GOMBERT CREATES

rubber stamped mural

DR. CARL GOMBERT, Maryville College professor of art, recently completed a unique rubber
stamped mural that covers the second floor hallway wall in the Clayton Center for the Arts’ art and
recital hall building.
The installation is composed solely of one- to three-inch black ink images stamped onto the white
walls. The mural, which has a working title of “Creation Myth,” features geometric designs of varying
stamp patterns. The stamps chosen for the project were not selected with a single, central theme in mind;
rather, the images are intended to resonate with different individuals, depending on their association and
relationship to the object or image represented by the stamp, Gombert said. Stamps include butterflies,
garden gnomes, sharks, cars, pretzels, pineapples and guitars.
Gombert, whose rubberstamped art has been selected for
several juried exhibitions, hopes
the installation will serve as an
opportunity for similar projects in
the future. He believes the mural
is the largest rubber stamped
drawing in the world and has
submitted information to the
Guinness Book of World Records.
Smaller versions of
Gombert’s work are available
for purchase at etsy.com/shop/
RubberStampedPrints.

BILL SWANN performs WITH
GRAMMY WINNER
DR. BILL SWANN, associate professor of music and chair of the Division of Fine Arts,
recently performed with Grammy award winner Gregory Porter.
Swann, along with the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, performed with Porter as part of the
ensemble’s “Jazz is for Lovers” Valentine’s Day concert on Feb. 13 at the Bijou Theatre in
Knoxville. Swann has been a pianist for the KJO since it was founded in 1989.
Just two weeks before the Knoxville concert, Porter’s album “Liquid Spirit” took home
the Grammy for “Best Jazz Vocal Album.”
“Performing with Gregory Porter was a blast,” Swann said, noting that due to a flight
delay, there was no time for a dress rehearsal. “Even so, the band sounded great and
Gregory was delighted with the level of musicianship in the orchestra. After the concert,
he said he would be excited to come back and perform with the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
again.  He is a consummate performer, with a great sense of what needs to happen vocally to
make a song work.”

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11

NEWS

RENEWING
OUR STRENGTH
MARYVILLE COLLEGE’S BICENTENNIAL
AND BEYOND STRATEGIC PLAN
LESS THAN SIX MONTHS after his inauguration, Maryville College President
Dr. William T. “Tom” Bogart pulled together a steering committee tasked with
developing a plan that would guide the College into its bicentennial year. Inspired
by scripture from Isaiah 40:31, Bogart announced that the theme of the plan would be
“Renewing Our Strength: Maryville College’s Bicentennial and Beyond.”
The strategic plan steering committee, co-chaired by Dr. Barbara Wells, vice president
and dean, and Carrie McConkey, regional advancement officer, was made up of a
total of 14 faculty and staff members. The goals of the committee’s work included: 1.)
building community around the College’s mission and core values; 2.) educating the
MC community about the challenges faced by the College; and 3.) setting the direction
for renewing the College’s strengths so that it could be better positioned for the future.
Four workgroups, involving more faculty, staff, students and alumni, convened to
focus on four specific areas: student success, curricular innovation, environmental
stewardship and partnerships.
Forums, meetings, surveys and draft plans resulted in a vision statement – “Maryville
College will be a vibrant, sustainable institution joining the liberal arts and professional
preparation in partnership with others” – and goals organized around three key themes:

Joining the Liberal Arts and Professional Preparation: In 2019,
Maryville College students will capitalize on their deep understanding of
the liberal arts and vocational explorations to successfully begin a lifelong
professional journey.
A Vibrant, Sustainable Institution: In 2019, Maryville College will
demonstrate sustainability in every area of its life. This commitment to
sustainability will undergird the vibrant institutional life of the College
and surrounding community and will teach a lifestyle of sustainability to
our students.
In Partnership with Others: In 2019, Maryville College’s mutually
supportive and enduring partnerships will provide a strong foundation for
institutional sustainability, community and global outreach, and academic
and professional development.
With Board approval of the plan in the fall of 2012, the campus began implementation.
The following pages include examples of progress being made on the goals
outlined in the strategic plan. To read details about the strategic plan, please visit
maryvillecollege.edu/about/strategicplan.
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RENEWING
OUR STRENGTH

MARYVILLE COLLEGE WORKS WILL BRIDGE
CLASSROOMS, WORKPLACES
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS HAVE been a “must do” for
Maryville College seniors since 1937. The two-semester Special Study
requirement (known today as “Senior Study”) was added to the curriculum
in 1947. In the early 1990s, Mountain Challenge was integrated into the
curriculum with opportunities to fulfill experiential education requirements.
This fall, Maryville College will add to its list of requirements for
graduation another highly distinctive and useful résumé-builder: a significant,
practical experience.
“Maryville College Works” is the name of a new program developed as
a part of the College’s reaffirmation by the College’s accrediting body, the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). In the reaffirmation
process, SACS now requires all of its institutions to develop a Quality
Enhancement Plan, which the association defines as a “carefully designed
course of action that addresses a well-defined and focused topic or issue
related to enhancing student learning and/or the environment supporting
student learning and accomplishing the mission of the institution.”
With input from faculty, staff, students, alumni, Board representatives
and other community members during the 2011-2012 academic year, the
College decided to focus its QEP on career and vocation.
“In the current economic climate, the number one reason that many
prospective students and their parents are interested in a college education
is to obtain a decent paying job,” said Dr. Karen Beale, associate professor
of psychology and Maryville College Works co-chair. “The aim of this
program is to demonstrate the vibrancy, value and relevance of the liberal
arts for the 21st century.”
A development committee met throughout the 2012-2013 academic
year to define a program that would bridge classrooms and workplaces and
outline learning outcomes for students. This carefully designed, integrated
and sequential program incorporates faculty advising, personal assessments,
career exploration, goal setting and job search preparation.
But the centerpiece of a student’s participation in Maryville College
Works is a significant practical experience. Students can fulfill the
requirement with internships, study abroad, volunteer work and even the
Senior Study, if it supports a student’s career plan.
Specifically, the learning outcomes call for students to:


acquire the knowledge to complete a personal vocation and career
preparation and implementation plan;



participate in a significant practical experience; and



articulate how their educational experience and their significant practical
vocational experience apply to their professional opportunities.

Beale said many colleges and universities tout internship and professional
development opportunities for students, but Maryville College’s offering
is different. “What sets this program apart from all the others is that this
program is embedded in the curriculum throughout all four years of a
student’s tenure at Maryville College. Students begin to think about how they
are going to build their résumé in the first semester of their freshman year and
then discuss it, one-on-one, with an advisor every year – if not every semester
– until they graduate and are ready to hand it to their first full-time employer.”
She refers to Maryville College Works as a “game changer” for the
College’s recruitment and retention efforts.
“The ‘Renewing Our Strength’ strategic plan calls for 1,300 students by
2019, and I really believe Maryville College Works will play a critical role in

helping us realize that goal,” Beale said. “I am truly honored to be part of
this transformational program.”
As co-chairs of Maryville College Works, Beale and Dr. Susan Schneibel,
professor of comparative literature, have worked for nearly a year to put
processes and structures in place that will allow for program delivery and
assessment. They are currently working with the Alumni Board to develop
a database of former students and friends who would be willing to help
students with internships,
mentorships, housing and
related activities. (A survey,
emailed to all alumni, is
forthcoming.)
Maryville College
Works helps the College
demonstrate the portion
of the “Renewing Our
Strength” vision statement
that calls for “joining the
liberal arts and professional
preparation,” but it
requires the concluding
phrase, “in partnership
with others,” to be
successful. Placing large
numbers of students
in work settings every
semester will require solid
relationships between the
College and businesses,
nonprofits, churches,
other organizations – and
individuals, Beale said.


NEW PARTNERSHIPS CREATED
New partnerships with the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
and Knoxville’s First Presbyterian Church are examples of the kinds of
agreements that the College is pursuing that offer win-wins for all involved.
Maryville College’s relationship with Tremont dates back 45 years. From
1969 until 1979, MC operated what was then known as the Tremont
Environmental Education Center in cooperation with the National Park
Service. Recently, the College reconnected with the nearby environmental
education center for internships, class visits, hands-on learning opportunities
and Mountain Challenge activities. Last summer, MC partnered with
Tremont and Mountain Challenge to offer the Great Smokies Experience,
a two-week, credit-bearing environmental studies course designed for highschool juniors and seniors.
The First Presbyterian Church (FPC)-Maryville College Fellows Program
seeks to be a mutually beneficial partnership in two distinctive ways: first,
by offering enriching opportunities for spiritual growth and development
of FPC’s youth and providing mentoring and vocational discernment
opportunities for an MC student exploring church leadership; and secondly,
by fully supporting MC’s premier scholarship for church leadership, the
Isaac Anderson Fellowship.

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13

CRAWFORD HOUSE ACHIEVES LEED ® GOLD STATUS
ONE OF THE oldest buildings
on Maryville College’s campus is
now the most energy efficient.
Crawford House, the College’s
138-year-old farmhouse that is
home to the Mountain Challenge
program, was awarded LEED®
Gold in April 2013.
The LEED rating system,
developed by the U.S. Green
Building Council (USGBC), is the
foremost program for buildings, homes
and communities that are designed,
constructed, maintained and operated for
improved environmental and human
health performance.
The announcement was
made on April 26, during a
reception marking the end
of Mountain Challenge’s
year-long Silver
Anniversary
celebration.
The process
began in 2009,
when the College partnered with
Strata-G to determine the feasibility
of LEED certification for Crawford
House, and an audit resulted in
several recommended improvements
to be completed before requesting
certification.
Using funds awarded by the
Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, the
Appalachian Regional Commission
and Mountain Challenge, LLC, all of
the suggested improvements – and more – were made. Those
included: custom low-E storm windows; new, efficient HVAC
units; soy-based foam insulation in the basement and attic;
linoleum (linseed-based) flooring in the kitchen; a solar hot
water system; a 12-panel solar array; front porch constructed
with composite decking made from recycled materials; and edible
landscaping (orchard, garden and blackberries along fence rows).
Crawford House is now one of 18 buildings in the state of
Tennessee to receive LEED certification as an existing building
(not new construction). Of these 18, only five have received
the LEED Gold certification. Of those five, Crawford House is
the oldest. It is one of 17 percent of the almost 40,000 LEED
projects on the USGBC to have received one of LEED’s two
highest ratings, gold or platinum. Also impressive is the fact
that Crawford House is on the National Register of Historic
Places, and improvements were made to the house without
endangering its status as a historic structure.

14

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Clockwise from top:
Rain barrels were set up
to collect water for the
garden; a solar hot water
system was installed in
August 2012; low-E
storm windows were
installed in October
2010; Crawford House
proudly displays a sign
touting its LEED
Gold status.

RENEWING
OUR STRENGTH

MC BIOLOGY FACULTY, STUDENTS WORK TO PRESERVE
COLLEGE WOODS
BY MARY MOATES ’14
DURING THE FALL of 2013, the Forestry Division
of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture recertified
the 140 acres that make up the Maryville College
Woods as a “Stewardship Forest.”
Because of the Woods’ importance, maintaining
its acreage and keeping it healthy are goals of
the College’s strategic plan, and the MC Woods
Committee recently developed a 100-year Woods
Plan to outline management of the area for the next
century, addressing future land and resource use and
woods security.
The most critical recommendation in the
College’s stewardship plan for the College Woods is
management of invasive and exotic plants, which are
some of the biggest threats to the health of the woods,
according to Maryville College Professor of Biology Dr. Drew Crain.
The plants’ presence lowers the biodiversity of the woods
and hinders forest regeneration by shading the forest floor and
outcompeting native species. The harmful plants include English ivy,
bush honeysuckle and Chinese privet.
“Complete removal of the invasive/exotic plants in the College
Woods is not possible, but active management can improve the
health of our 140-acre woods,” Crain said.
The recertification of the Woods motivated Crain and Dr. Dave
Unger, assistant professor of biology, to collaborate and integrate
management of invasive and exotic plant species activities into their
classes.
This semester, Crain’s SCI150: Vertebrate Zoology class and
Unger’s BIO222: Ecology and Evolution classes are actively involved
in a Chinese privet removal experiment. This experiment will provide
data on how to most efficiently and effectively remove both Chinese
privet and bush honeysuckle from the forest.
In February, the classes removed privet from 16 four-by-four-foot
plots in the Woods using ground-level and root removal techniques.
Later in the spring, the professors and students will determine which
removal technique is a more effective method for the extrication of
the privet.
Recently, a University of Tennessee graduate student conducted
field experiments on English ivy in the College Woods and, with the
help of Crain and MC students, found a safe herbicide, Metsulfuron,
to be the most effective at removing the invasive plant without
harming the other plants in the area. Staff members in MC’s Physical
Plant will apply the herbicide to the English ivy in the College
Woods this summer.
Crain said that all of the data from the privet experiment
conducted this year by the two classes will aid in the development of
a “privet removal protocol” that will be used over the next decade to
manage the College Woods.
“Both Dr. Unger and I are very happy with the progress so far,”
Crain said. “We feel that both biology majors and non-majors are
learning a great deal about restoration ecology from this project, and
the forest is getting healthier.”

From left: Brook Smith, area
forester; Dr. Drew Crain;
Dr. Tom Bogart; Jim Proffitt;
Diane Humphreys-Barlow
’70; and Kristine Tallent
’96 attended a ceremony
celebrating the MC Woods’
“Stewardship Forest”
designation on Oct. 17.

Above: Dr. Drew Crain points out areas for students to remove Chinese
privet in the College Woods. Students removed privet using ground-level
and root removal techniques.

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15

VILLAMARÍA INITIATIVE TO BOOST DIVERSITY AT MC
THE APPALACHIAN COLLEGE ASSOCIATION (ACA) in
2012 awarded Maryville College a grant to boost the College’s
efforts to reach out to the region’s Latino community.
“The Latino population in our region is growing daily, and
Tennessee is one of the fastest growing regions for this population
in the nation,” said Vandy Kemp, vice president and dean of
students and chief diversity officer at Maryville College. “This seed
money helps us create more ways to let these students know they
are welcome at Maryville College. We want to help them achieve
their dreams of a college education.”
“Villamaría at Maryville College” is the name of the initiative
aimed at building and strengthening relationships with the Latino
community, starting in the 2013 academic year.
“‘Villamaría’ is ‘Maryville’ translated into Spanish,” Sofer, MC
associate professor of history and member of the Villamaría team,
explained. “The name implies a community – a villa – within the
larger campus community.”
The goal of the initiative is for Maryville College to be the
higher education institution of choice for Latino students and
their families in East Tennessee. Its mission statement reads:
“We will listen, we will learn, and we will serve our region to
become the institution of choice for our Latino community.”
Currently, the College has about 30 students enrolled
who identify themselves as Latino or Hispanic. Sofer said the
opportunity to enroll more students is there, considering the
extraordinary growth in the Latino population in the College’s
geographic area. According to Sofer, the College would like
to increase by 25 percent both the number of applications
from prospective Latino first-year students and the number of
applications from prospective Latino transfer students in 2014.
While the mini-grant provides funding for one year
of programming, Sofer said the College is committed to
continuing the initiatives of Villamaría beyond 2014.

Above: Dr. Doug Sofer addresses
a group at a Latino Foodways
Celebration held on campus
Nov. 2. Vandy Kemp, Loida
Velazquez, Patricia Robledo and
Tom Bogart attend the Villamaría
announcement. MC student
Stacey Padilla ’15 and parents
Luis and Patricia enjoy the Latino
Foodways Celebration.

MC WELCOMES LARGEST
FRESHMAN CLASS IN HISTORY
IN THE FALL, Maryville College welcomed
349 freshmen to campus, celebrating the
largest incoming freshman class in the
College’s history and an 11.5 percent increase
over last year’s incoming class.
“Students are choosing Maryville College as
their college destination because of its academic
rigor, leadership and growth opportunities, and
because of the relationships that exist between
faculty and students,” said Cyndi Sweet, director of admissions, at the start of
the new academic year. “Students appreciate the history and tradition of the
College, as well as the advantage an MC degree will give them after graduation.”
The total size of the student body is 1,168, which includes 36 students
enrolled part-time. Only in 2007 did the College report a higher enrollment:
1,176. In addition to freshmen, MC welcomed 60 new transfer students this year.
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Above: In 2012, students formed the Latino Student Alliance
to reach out to Maryville College students of Hispanic descent
and students who are interested in Latin American culture.

RENEWING
OUR STRENGTH

“GOT YOUR 6” PLEDGE SUPPORTS STUDENT VETERANS
MARYVILLE COLLEGE has signed a pledge to join the Education Pillar
of the “Got Your 6” campaign to support student veterans. By signing the
pledge, the College has made a commitment to implement or enhance
resources, programs and policies to support this population.
“Got Your 6” is a movement
led by a consortium of major film
and television studios, broadcast
and cable television networks, talent
agencies and guilds that are united
in changing the conversation in
America with regard to veterans and
military families.
Maryville College is joining
dozens of higher education institutions nationwide committed to
heightening support for student veterans. The College is one of two higher
education institutions in Tennessee that has signed the pledge.
“Maryville College’s strategic plan emphasizes recruiting a diverse
student body to expose the entire campus community to a variety of
perspectives,” said Maryville College President Dr. Tom Bogart. “Veterans
bring a wide range of experiences that enrich campus life.”
“Got Your 6” focuses on six key pillars of veteran integration: Jobs,
Health, Family, Education, Housing and Leadership. In each pillar,
nonprofit partners have established a tangible and measurable goal to
demonstrate that veterans are leaders and assets in the community. In
military vernacular, the expression “Got Your Six” means “I’ve got your
back, and in turn, you have mine.”
Vandy Kemp, MC vice president and dean of students, first
heard of the campaign when she was approached by freshman
Sean Hagstrom ’17, who is a Marine Corps veteran.
Hagstrom said he saw it as a way for the College to
encourage more veterans to attend, and it’s considered one
of the first steps in becoming a veteran-friendly institution.
“As we have more and more combat veterans coming
in, I realized that we need to learn how to adequately
support them in their transition to academic life on a
college campus,” Kemp said. Additionally, “it is the
right thing to do,” she said. “Two hundred years ago,
Maryville College founder Isaac Anderson showed up
in East Tennessee and found Cherokee, Choctaw and
freed African slaves who had no access to education,”
Kemp said. “And he welcomed them. Welcoming
diverse groups is what we do.”

STUDENT VETERANS ASSOCIATION
CHAPTER STARTED ON CAMPUS
Hagstrom, who served in the Marine Corps for seven years and
was twice deployed to Iraq, arrived on the Maryville College
campus in August 2013. “I chose Maryville College mainly
because of the size of the institution,” Hagstrom said. “I had
been out of school for seven years and wanted a more personal
relationship with my professors.” A member of Maryville College’s
cross country team, Hagstrom became involved in campus life.
Like Kemp, he, too, saw a need for additional support of student
veterans at Maryville College.

“I wanted to encourage the improvement of resources and programs that
are already present for veterans and to be utilized by veterans as a militaryto-civilian transition tool,” said Hagstrom, a 2006 graduate of Oak Ridge
High School.
He took over one of Maryville College’s former student organizations,
Maryville College for our Military and Their Families (MC4MF), which
had low membership numbers. “It was a dying club, so I decided to claim
it, restructure it and turn it into the Maryville College Student Veterans
Association (MCSVA),” Hagstrom said.

“ I chose Maryville College mainly because of the
size of the institution…I had been out of school
for seven years and wanted a more personal
relationship with my professors.



— SEAN HAGSTROM

After the organization was repurposed, he
applied for a charter through the Student Veterans
of America and was approved.
The organization’s mission is “to assist veterans
and family members in addressing the challenges
associated with the transition from military
service to being actively engaged in the
college experience and to hold the
responsibility for initiating, planning,
developing and implementing
strategies and programs which
are sensitive to the needs of our
veterans and their dependents in
their mission of graduation from
Maryville College.”

‘A GOOD FIT’
Many veterans are attracted to Maryville
College because it’s a good alternative to
larger, public institutions, Kemp said.
While Maryville College is a good
fit for many veterans, veterans are also
good for Maryville College, according
to Kemp. “It enriches the learning
experience for all of us,” Kemp said.
“Because of the length and degree
of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
society in America will be deeply
influenced by the veteran experience
for the next 40-50 years. The veterans
among us at MC offer an important
opportunity for all of us – students,
staff and faculty – to put a face on
the veteran experience.”

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17

RENEWING
OUR STRENGTH

WHY I’M COMMITTED TO THE MARYVILLE FUND 
BY DIANE HUMPHREYS-BARLOW ’70
WHEN I GRADUATED from Maryville College
“just a few decades ago,” I had no idea that my
life choices would lead me back to MC. One
decision after another led me from one city to
another until I found myself growing roots in
the beautiful hills of East Tennessee. Proximity
allowed me to attend Homecoming and reunions
and various cultural events on the College’s
campus. As “life happens” sometimes, I was asked
to serve on the Alumni Board. As my term there
was expiring, I was asked to serve on the Board
of Directors. Wow! What a “behind the scenes”
understanding of the College do I have now!
All these years of volunteering have increased
my awareness of all that is necessary to maintain an institution of academic
excellence on a daily basis. Along with my fond memories of attending MC,
I now have a greater appreciation for all the people who contributed, the
majority I will never know, to ensuring that MC had the daily resources to
provide me an outstanding education.
I’ve been fortunate to meet students, faculty and staff and observe the
daily learning environment that makes MC a phenomenal institution. I also
know first-hand that your gift to the Maryville Fund is essential for ensuring
that today’s students receive the best MC has to offer. Your Maryville Fund

gift has an immediate positive impact by supporting vital areas key to a
student’s academic experience: financial aid, scholarships, faculty and staff
salaries, academic programs, library resources and student life activities.
Even though you may not be able to personally experience the daily life of a
Maryville College student, I can assure you that your Maryville Fund gift is
personally impacting their daily experience.
Do you feel like making a difference in students’ lives today? There is no
better time to give to the Maryville Fund than right now.

THE MARYVILLE FUND supports MC’s most pressing needs,
including student scholarships, library resources and faculty
professional development. The fund is unrestricted, so gifts
may be applied where they will benefit students and faculty in
the most significant and immediate way. To make a gift to the
Maryville Fund, just fill out the reply card located in the back
of this magazine and mail it – along with your check – in the
envelope that has been provided inside.
Gifts to the fund in FY13 = $1,069,782
Number of donors to the fund in FY13 = 3,791
Goal for the fund in FY14 = $1,116,000
Money raised as of March 10 (in gifts and pledges) = $927, 563

HOW YOU CAN HELP US “RENEW OUR STRENGTH”
Give to the Maryville Fund
Visit maryvillecollege.edu/giving or
contact Marsha Wynn at 865.981.8204.

Help provide internships and jobs
for our students
Contact Karen Beale at karen.beale@
maryvillecollege.edu or 865.981.8166.

Participate in alumni surveys
about Maryville College Works
Watch your inbox!

Help us recruit students
Visit maryvillecollege.edu/alumni/stay-connected.

Include the College in your estate plans
Visit maryvillecollege.edu/giving or contact Marsha Wynn at
865.981.8204.

Stay connected and stay engaged
Bookmark our website, follow us on social media, keep in touch
and come back to campus!
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C L A S S notes
1942
Elizabeth Bryant Phillips retired
from teaching an adult high
school class. Her husband had
owned citrus trees, and after the
freeze in 1975, they decided to
retire. Her husband passed in
2000, and their son and his wife
have moved into the home.

1956
Dr. James H. Laster, Jr. is professor
emeritus at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University
in Winchester, Va., where he
taught a variety of courses dealing with all phases of choral
music. He is active in theatre
both on and off the stage, having
been the musical director for 52
musical theatre productions.

1958
Brother Andrew Colquhoun has
recently returned to New York
after spending 11 years helping

to establish a monastery in
Grahamstown, South Africa.
Nancy Peters Meise wrote that
son John wrote the screenplay
for the movie Big Fish. The
musical version opened on
Broadway on Sept. 5, 2013.
Jay W. Bollman and Louise Pratt
Bollman ’59 moved from
DuPont, Wa., to Tacoma, Wa., to
an apartment in the Stadium
District with a full view of the
Olympic Mountains.

1961
Fred G. Morrison just celebrated the
50th anniversary of his membership in the North Carolina State
Bar. He and his wife were invited
to their State Bar’s annual 50-Year
Lawyers’ Luncheon, during which
he was presented a certificate.

1965
Elenora Easterly Edwards ’65
wrote that another great Baldwin

BRUBAKER MAKES PARADE

EDITOR’S NOTE:
The College received information printed below between March 1,
2013 and Dec. 31, 2013. Class notes received after Jan. 1, 2014
should appear in the next issue of Alumni News & Notes.

Hall girls reunion was held Sept.
29 through Oct. 1 at Lake Tansi
Resort in Crossville. Attending
were Edwards, Pat Dobbin
Chambers ‘65, Knoxville;
Michelle Ann Douglas Sabine
‘65, Crossville, Tenn.; Martha E.
Cook ’65, Farmville, Va.; Gail
Smith Stinnett ‘65, Crossville.

1966
Dr. Richard B. Reed wrote that he
is “in complete denial of his
age” and continues teaching at
Indiana University, as well as
maintaining his private practice
in psychology.

1968
John W. Braymer is now serving
as immediate past chair of the
Richmond Symphony, on whose
board he has served for eight
years. He is also treasurer of the
Center for Palladian Studies in
America and an advisory board
member for Preservation Bath in
Bath County, Va.

Meta Robinson Braymer was
named vice president emerita by
the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., upon
her retirement in June 2013. At
the time of her retirement, she
was vice president for economic
development and regional
engagement.

1970
Dr. Robert F. Durant received the
2013 John Gaus Award and Distinguished Lectureship, which is
awarded annually by the American Political Science Association
to honor “the recipient’s lifetime
of exemplary research in the joint
traditions of political science and
public administration.”

1971
Lynn Gillespie Chater co-wrote a
new thriller with husband Kerry.
Fortune’s Web, the first in a
trilogy, is available through
amazon.com.

even more memorable

EVERYONE LOVES A PARADE. During Homecoming 2013, the Rev. Dr.
Edward Brubaker ’38 gave Maryville College parade watchers a reason to love
them even more.
Brubaker, 95, now a resident of Kennett Square, Pa., returned to campus for his
75th class reunion to revisit the institution he describes as “foundational” in his
life. The parade date marked roughly one year after the amputation of his legs due
to diabetes. Brubaker used the parade as motivation during his nine-months-long
rehabilitation, which included being fitted with prostheses, finding a new center of
balance and walking for as much as 25 minutes at a time.
“They took the right leg off in September and the left one off in October of last
year,” he explained during an interview Homecoming Weekend. “Very soon after
the second operation, I determined in my mind, ‘I’m not going to be drooping
around about this. I’m going to my reunion at Maryville, and I’m going to walk in
the parade.’”
And he did – the only representative of the Class of 1938 to do so.
David Clifford ’16 carried class banner for him along the parade route. The two were met with loud cheers,
clapping and shakes of orange and garnet pompons.
“It was thrilling to me, exciting to have people cheer me along the way,” Brubaker said of the experience. “I
hope it encouraged others to … come back, love the College and keep in touch with it.”
For him, the parade was the climax of the weekend and of his rehabilitation. “This is what I said I was going to
do,” he added. “… And who knows? I might be here for my 80th reunion. I hope I can!”

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19

class

NOTES

1972

MARRIAGES
& UNIONS

John Price ‘75
to Sharon Taylor
Nov. 9, 2013
Russell Perry ‘96
to Katharina Perry
Aug. 2011
Jamie Sheumaker ‘96
to Peter Tarbell
June 4, 2011
Stephanie Westner ‘00
to Jeff Arkema
Dec. 12, 2012
K. Brandon Barker ‘02
to Ellen Hesse
April 6, 2013
Amanda Holbert ‘04
to Timothy Morgan
Aug. 11, 2012
Jessica Pope ‘05
to Scott Flinchum
June 22, 2012
Benton Taylor ‘06
to Sarah Johnson
May 25, 2013
Chase Tipton ‘06
to Monica Davis
April 13, 2013
Sara Hofrichter ‘07
to Richard Leung
March 9, 2013
Matthew Ringley ‘07
to Sarah Fogle ‘07
May 10, 2013
Jennifer Stanley ‘07
to Bruce Winbigler
Nov. 17, 2012

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Gaynell Harless Lawson has been
named president of Citizens Bank
of Blount County and will handle
the day-to-day management of
the bank. Formerly senior
executive vice president, she also
serves on the CBBC board.

1973
Lynn W. Brown wrote that at 5
p.m. on March 28, 2013, he
“closed out his long and
distinguished career by signing
his last legal order as Criminal
Court Judge in the 1st Judicial
District.” He plans to remain in
his native Carter County, Tenn.

ROBERT MAHLEY ’63, Gladstone Institutes senior investigator and
founder, secured a three-year, $2.5 million grant for research that could
lead to the successful treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The award is aimed
at finding a drug that can neutralize a protein that researchers believe is
the genetic cause for the disease, according to a recent article in the San
Francisco Business Times.
Mahley and Gladstone investigator Dr. Yadong Huang have been
researching the effects of apolipoprotein E4, or apoE4, a protein that they
believe is the root cause of Alzheimer’s disease. They “have identified a
handful of compounds – called ‘structure correctors’ – that could literally
work out the kinks in apoE4 and make it appear like its safer sibling,
apoE3 that doesn’t cause tangles in the brain,” the article states. “We’re
not masking apoE4. We’re changing the structure. That’s a new concept,”
Mahley told the San Francisco Business Times.
Mahley returned to campus during Homecoming 2013 and presented
his research to MC biology students.

1974
Kent Russell Smith is now
heading the Data Integration,
Migration and Exploitation
Program at the National Ground
Intelligence Center in
Charlottesville, Va. Wife Sarah
has been busy with her acting
career with appearances in
“Lincoln,” “The Abolitionists”
and the TV series “VEEP.”

1975
Rev. Dr. Peter Vial has served as
senior pastor and head of staff
at Davis Memorial Presbyterian
Church in Elkins, W. Va., since
September 2009.

1976
Jean Denise Erhardt has
launched a new mystery series
largely set in the Smoky
Mountains. Kim Claypoole, the
protagonist, is a Maryville
College graduate who often
wears her MC T-shirt. The first in
the series, Small Town Trouble,
is available at amazon.com.

1977
Barbara Ruth Harmony Ziegler
wrote that her husband, William

“Trip” Ziegler, retired in
February 2013 as a United States
Air Force chaplain. She said they
had terrific duty assignments
and love Colorado. Son Michael
flies for the airlines and son
Bruce is a junior in college.

1978
Gary A. Elrod has retired after 29
years of service in the Navy and
Army National Guard. “No more
trips to far and exotic lands
where strange people want to
do harm to me,” he wrote.

Woodstock School, an international boarding
school in Mussoorie, India, held a reunion
on the Maryville College campus in July.
Several MC alumni have connections with
the school and helped organize the reunion.
Front row: (L-R) Ruth Morris, Dorothy “Kim”
Rugh Bergier, Dean “Mac” Dobson ‘64,
Robert Bonham (former MC faculty), Ann
Leeder Pickett ‘52, Carol Rugh Green
‘64. Back row (L-R): Ed Seely, Douglas Rugh ’73, David Rugh ‘70, Scott Bucher ‘63,
Christopher Green ‘94, Jim Rugh ‘64 and Elizabeth “Liz” Foster ‘64.

class

1980
David Edwin Franssen has retired
after 32 years as an educator for
Texas Public Schools. Most
recently, he was assistant
principal at Huntington High
School. “Now I will play golf, ref
football, find a low-stress part
time job, volunteer at nonprofits and sing off-key in the
choir at church,” he wrote.

1981
Carol Neal Reber created several
murals at Snowden School in
Memphis, Tenn. She was featured
in the local newspaper in a story
about her murals, which include
scenes from the ocean, space
and gardens. The project started
when she volunteered to do art
projects in her children’s classes
at the school.

1982
Angela Murphy-Walters wrote
that her family has doubled in
size. Upon the death of her
brother-in-law in January 2012,
she and her husband took in a
nephew, then 20, and a niece,
then 15. “They fill the house and
our hearts!” she wrote.

They are developing a small,
sustainable farm. She graduated
from culinary school in 2005 and
now works as a baker for
Sodexo on the campus of
SUNYIT.

Ric Brand ‘84 officially
retired from Maryville
College on Jan. 3, after
23 years of service. All of
those years were spent
in Admissions and
Financial Aid; the last 10
spent as Financial Aid
Director. He helped
hundreds of students
and families navigate
through scholarship
offers, loans and grants,
keeping the College’s
commitment to
accessibility real.

1987

Melissa Walker continues to revel
in teaching history at Converse
College in Spartanburg, S.C.
Her latest book, co-edited with
Timothy Grady, Recovering the
Piedmont Past, is just out from
the University of South
Carolina Press.

John Wesley Wright performed
during “JFK 50: The
Homecoming” anniversary
celebration in New Hope,
Ireland, in June 2013. He was
among several invited guests,
which included the Kennedy
family, singer-songwriter Judy
Collins and Riverdance
choreographer Michael Flatley.
Wright, a singer with the
American Spiritual Ensemble,
joined three other group
members for four days of
performances.

1986

1989

W. Neal McBrayer is among those
nominated by the Judicial
Nominating Commission for the
Tennessee Court of Appeals Middle Grand Division for the
August 2014 election.

M. Leigh Emery Shearin and her
family moved from central North
Carolina, where she has lived
since graduation from MC, to
central New York, near the
Adirondack Mountains, in 2012.

1985

Dean Walsh joined Austin Peay
State University’s women’s
basketball coaching staff for the
2013-14 season in June. Most
recently, he was associate head
coach at Gardner-Webb
University. Previously, he served
as head coach at three
Tennessee programs: CarsonNewman, Maryville and
Hiwassee Colleges.

1991
Bessie McBrayer recently lost her
husband, William J. “Bill”
McBrayer, on Aug. 19, 2013.

1992
Kipp S. Martines graduated with
a master’s degree in education
from the University of Dayton in
August. He was accepted to the
University of New England’s
doctoral program for fall 2013.

1993
R. Edward “Ted” Belflower is
returning to his high school
alma mater, Dodge County High
School in Eastman, Ga., to teach
physical education and weight
training. He will also serve as
defensive coordinator for the
football team and head coach
for the boys’ and girls’ track
teams.

1995
Kathy Whittaker Bowers, who has
been with CBBC bank for 34
years, was promoted to senior
vice president and chief financial
officer. She oversees financial
and regulatory accounting,
compliance, training and loan
operations.

MARRIAGES
& UNIONS

Ashlee Kratman ‘08
to Michael Dionne
May 29, 2010
John Mackensie ‘08
to Amanda Seeley
July 11, 2013
Emily Emadian ‘09
to Boone Guthe
March 22, 2013
Dania Hyde Bosque ‘10
to George Bosque
Dec. 9, 2012
Sharon Lankford ‘10
to Ashley Winston
Sullivan ‘11
July 27, 2013
Cory Brewer ‘11
to Jessica Lyle ‘13
March 16, 2013
Kyle McClung ‘11
to Teresa Walrond
Aug. 6, 2011
Nicole Sievers ‘11
to Justin Fritts
June 2011
Whitney Pruitt ‘11
to Nicholas Winston ‘10
May 27, 2013
Dixie Baum ‘12
to Peter Gaultney
July 12, 2012
Jessica Houser ‘13
to Jackie Lee Tipton
June 15, 2013
Kathryn Reed ‘13
to Joseph Surber
June 29, 2013

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NOTES

class

NOTES

1996

1998

Julia Cain Phillippi was inducted
as one of the 2013 Fellows of
the American College of NurseMidwives. An assistant professor
at the Vanderbilt School of
Nursing, she teaches MSN and
DNP students and provides
intrapartum care in the faculty
practice. She is the primary
author of 15 scholarly works and
has many publications in the
areas of technology, education
and access to prenatal care.

Yvette Prinsloo Franklin has
earned her Ph.D. in cultural
studies of education from the
University of Tennessee. She has
worked for Tennessee Tech
University as an adjunct.

1997
Jason Thompson was sworn in on
May 23, 2013 by Gov. Nathan
Deal to serve as the next State
Court Judge of Fayette County,
Ga. He will preside over both
civil and criminal jury trials.

Funmilayo Eke Harmon is a
national gospel recording artist
and has been nominated for four
awards by the Prayzefest Gospel
Network. She was invited to
perform at the Stellar Showcase
in Nashville, Tenn., in January.
Her single, “I Know a Man,” is
available through online retailers.

1999
Sherry Oden Kasper, assistant
professor of biology, was
selected as the winner of Lee
University’s 2013 Excellence in

Advising Award, the highest
honor presented to Lee faculty
members. She was recognized
for the honor during spring
commencement.

2000
Adriel McCord has been hired by
First Tennessee Bank as vice
president and private client
relationship manager in East
Tennessee. He was previously
with SunTrust Bank for 12 years
in Chattanooga, Knoxville and
Maryville. Adriel, his wife
Nichole Johnson McCord ’02
and son Jaydan live in Maryville.

2001
Dorothy Mackay Spaulding
received the 2012 USA Triathlon
Volunteer of the Year award for

her work as a founding member
and president of the Emerald
Coast Triathlon Club, race
director for the Bluewater Bay
Duathlon and other fundraising
efforts for military charities.
Technical Sgt. Paige C. Wroble
Martin is a vocalist with the
Airmen of Note, The United
States Air Force Band in
Washington, D.C. In addition to
her performing duties, she is a
unit government purchase
cardholder. Her career in the Air
Force began in 2003.

2002
K. Brandon Barker is a visiting
faculty member at Indiana
University’s Institute of Folklore
and Ethnomusicology, where he
teaches courses in folkloristics,
the body and popular musics.

MC alumna appears on “JEOPARDY!”
THIS MARYVILLE COLLEGE ALUMNA
was recently a contestant – and champion – on
“Jeopardy!”
Who is … Jennifer Worth Spirko ’89?
Last fall, Spirko had the opportunity to be
a contestant on the popular quiz show hosted
by Alex Trebek. During her two-day run on the
show, she amassed more than $20,000.
A longtime fan of the show, Spirko decided
to apply to be a contestant in January 2013,
after hearing a TV announcer mention it during
the nightly game show. She initially took a
timed online test of 50 questions. Next, she
received a request to go to Nashville to take a
50-question written test and play a pretend game
of “Jeopardy!”
A few weeks later, she was asked to be a
contestant on the show in Los Angeles. The taping took place on Sept. 16,
and she had to remain tight-lipped about the show until the October airing.
“The experience was very fun – much more than I expected it to be,”
said Spirko, who works at the Blount County Public Library and teaches at
Pellissippi State Community College. “I really expected it to be much more
intimidating and nerve-wracking. The folks on the staff, from the makeup
artists and sound techs to the actual contestant wranglers, went out of their
way to put us at ease, and that helped a lot.”

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The first show aired Oct. 30, and she won
the night with $20,001 – by $1 – after correctly
answering the Final Jeopardy question: “A broken
laser pointer for $14.83 in 1995 holds this
distinction.”
The answer: “What is the first item sold on
eBay?”
As returning champion on Oct. 31, she finished
third and brought home an additional $1,000.
“For the most part, the contestants were pretty
cool, as well. And by ‘cool,’ I suppose I really mean
the opposite – we were just a bunch of trivia nerds
sharing this fun, crazy experience,” Spirko recalled.
“I am very glad I did it, and I can honestly say that
it would have been worth doing, even if I had lost!”
Spirko, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in English Literature, said that being a
Maryville College alumna prepared her in more ways than one.
“I have been telling everyone that being a liberal-arts grad was the
perfect training for being a Jeopardy champ!” she said. “It’s not just that
you read a lot and cover a lot of different types of subjects at MC; it’s more
that you have the mindset of enjoying reading and learning. If you don’t
like reading and learning, you probably won’t amass the kind of general
trivia knowledge that Jeopardy covers. We Maryville alumni are lifelong
learners!”

class

❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚

(L-R) Stian Jordalen
as an MC senior; as
a midfielder on the
Scots’ soccer team;
on graduation day
in 1994 with his
parents and niece
(wearing traditional
Norwegian dress);
Jordalen’s professor
and mentor, Dr.
Mary Kay Sullivan.

JORDALEN HONORS MENTOR AND

‘pays it for ward’
BY KAREN BEATY ELDRIDGE ’94

THE SMALL, TABLETOP
Norwegian flag gave her away.
Visiting the office of Dr. Mary
Kay Sullivan just days before his
graduation, Stian Jordalen ’94
saw the red, white and blue of
his country’s ensign on her desk and
immediately knew the identity of his
anonymous benefactor: his business
and finance professor.
Jordalen had enrolled at Maryville College in
1990 to play soccer and get an education – “in
that order,” he explained in a recent email. But
within a year, he realized the opportunity in front
of him and began dedicating more time to his
studies. At about the same time, he also learned
that his education – his “American dream” – was
in jeopardy because of finances.
“My problems caught the attention of some
fellow students and faculty. One of the outcomes
of this was that MC introduced the International
Scholarship, of which I became the first recipient,”
he explained. “The other outcome was even more
amazing to me: Someone had sponsored me with
a large amount for tuition and continued to do
so for the rest of my time at MC. The sponsor
wished to be anonymous. I did not know who to
thank for this amazing gift.”
When Jordalen’s parents came to Maryville
College to see him graduate in May of 1994,
his mother brought with her a small, tabletop
Norwegian flag to give to the person who had
made Stian’s undergraduate degree possible,
financially. The family handed it over to
administrators with the request that it be given
to the generous donor.
“The next day, I went to say goodbye to my

teachers and my mentor, Dr. Sullivan. I will
never forget seeing that flag on her desk. I was in
shock,” he remembered. “Not in a million years
could I have guessed it. At the time I received
the first anonymous scholarship, I had not yet
had Dr. Sullivan for a class. How could she have
done this? I had many questions inside. She told
me that something similar had happened to her,
and that she hoped that I one day would be able
to do the same for someone else.”
That day has come for Jordalen, who emailed
Sullivan last November to ask if he could add her
name to an award he was funding to help young
musicians pursue higher education. She gave her
permission, of course, and the Mary Kay Sullivan
Prize for Outstanding Young Talent in Music was
announced Feb. 20, 2014, during the Winter
Hits music festival in Vaksdal, Norway. Eighteen
year-old Ingrid Øygard Steinkopf, a jazz pianist
and flutist, is the first recipient.
In presenting the award, Jordalen told the
crowd about the prize’s namesake from Maryville
College. He told the story of discovering who
had made an American education possible
for him. He also told attendees about her
encouragement on that day to “pay it forward”
and challenged everyone there to do the same.
“Dr. Sullivan gave me the chance to become
everything I could become, both through her
financial support and through her pedagogy. She
made me want to excel for the right reasons,”
Jordalen said. “She is, to me, the perfect example
of what a college educator should be.
“I have called her my mentor since the day I
left college.”
Jordalen returned to live in his native Norway
permanently after earning his MBA from the

University of Montana in Missoula. He took his
degrees from the United States and helped his
family launch a successful truck stop/gas station
in the village of Dale. Today, as CEO and part
owner with his brother, Jordalen employs 20
people and reports annual sales of $10 million.
He has bought interest in local restaurants,
clothing stores and even a music label. Currently,
he is chairman of the local chamber of commerce
and serves as vice chairman of a local business
incubator. He funds another scholarship-type
award – one for young athletes that he named in
memory of his grandfather. “None of this would
have happened without the self belief that I gained
though my experience at Maryville,” he said.

SEEING POTENTIAL
Mary Kay Sullivan had not heard from her
former student in several years when Jordalen’s
email arrived in her inbox.
“Just hearing from him came as a great and
welcome surprise. But to think that he wanted
to give a prize in my name was tremendously
touching, overwhelming, really,” she said. “ It
reminded me that we often never know when we
have made a positive impact on someone, when
we have planted a seed that will bear fruit.”
She remembers Jordalen as one of her most
outstanding students in 25 years of college
teaching. “His intellectual curiosity, his enthusiasm
for learning and his academic strengths caught
my attention. Plus, he was just a really fine human
being,” she said. “I saw great potential in him and
very much hoped that he would be able to stay at
MC to graduate.”
For the rest of the story, search “Stian Jordalen”
on the MC website at maryvillecollege.edu.

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BIRTHS &
ADOPTIONS

David C. King ‘93
and wife Molly, sons,
John David and Charles Thomas,
June 14, 2012
Erin Palmer Polly ‘99
and husband Ben, a daughter,
Katherine Palmer,
Aug. 13, 2013
Daniel Ramsey ‘01
and wife Patty, a son,
Hayden Patrick,
Sept. 3, 2012
Sarah Berkemeier ‘02
and husband Jesus,
a daughter, Aurelia Sophia,
March 24, 2012
Adam Reeves ‘02
and wife Tesa, a son,
Samuel Wei,
June 2013
(adopted from China)
Justin Caughron ‘03
and wife Sarah,
a son, Knox Robert,
March 20, 2012

Congratulations
to MC alumni
Jason Brooks
‘97, Scott Hitch
‘96, Wade
Knapper ‘05
and Chris
McCarty ‘01,
who were
among those
honored by the
Knoxville
Business Journal in its “40 under 40” list for 2014. The
annual list recognizes “individuals younger than 40 who
are leaving their mark on East Tennessee through their
professional achievements and philanthropic efforts.”
Sarah Berkemeier obtained her
“dream job” in August 2011 at
Home Forward, the former
Housing Authority of Portland.
She wrote that she is “happy
using her MC degree - a BA in
human services and a minor in
Spanish - which she uses daily!”
Ryan Newhouse was interviewed
on Montana Public Radio in
August about his new book,
Montana Beer: A Guide to
Breweries in Big Sky Country.
A freelancer who enjoys writing
about many different subjects,
he also writes for several beer

blogs and is a co-founder of
Missoula Craft Beer Week.     

2003
Justin Caughron, wife Sarah and
son Knox now live in Longview,
Tex. where he is the
interventional radiologist at
Longview Regional Hospital.
Mark Libell was recently
promoted to legislative director
for U.S. Sen. John D. Rockefeller
IV. He manages the senator’s
legislative team and advises him
on all issues before the U.S.

Senate. He previously served as
tax counsel to Sen. Rockefeller.
Solon M. Snyder was named
director of perioperative services
at the University of Tennessee
Medical Center. In this position,
he is responsible for providing
direction in strategic planning,
regulatory compliance and
process improvement. Previously,
he was the clinical nurse manager
of the surgical/trauma unit.

2004
Bethany Brooke Horvath has
recently completed her role as the
communications director for the
Urbana 12 Student Missions Conference and is now moving into a
new role as project manager of
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s
new Discipleship Initiative.
Jerry Robert King is now property
manager at Dollywood in
Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

2005
J. Blair King was named to the
Robertsville Middle School Hall
of Fame.
Jasmina Tumbas defended her
doctoral dissertation with distinction at Duke University’s Department of Art, Art History, and
Visual Studies. She is now taking

For years now, alumni have heard about naming opportunities inside a renovated
Anderson Hall, but Jenny Burke-Hall ‘03 and husband Tim took the Anderson Hallnaming-opportunity-thing in a whole different direction. Meet Anderson James Hall,
their precious son born Sept. 7, 2013. They discussed several names from campus
buildings before settling on Anderson.
“MC is a special place to me and to Tim,
JENNY BURKE HALL ‘03
as well, since we got married in the CCM,
AND HUSBAND TIM,
A SON,
and it was nice to be so inspired by the
ANDERSON JAMES.
campus and Isaac Anderson,” Jenny
wrote. “Unfortunately, I think naming him
SEPT. 7, 2013
Anderson Hall means he probably won’t
go to Maryville, but I still have hope!”
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up her tenure track position as
assistant professor of performance studies in the Department
of Visual Studies at SUNY Buffalo.
T. Chad Huddleston opened a new
Cookeville, Tenn., restaurant, The
Cooke House, which he describes
as a “destination restaurant.” He
opened Wooly’s Clubhouse in
December. He opened his first
restaurant, Char on the Square,
A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Ann Rigell ’69
President
Jason Brooks ’97
Vice President
Martha Cook ’65
Recording Secretary
Kristine Tallent ’96
Past President
Ben Wicker ’03
Blount County Chapter President
Wade Knapper ’04
Knox County Chapter President
Marissa McInnis ’04
DC Chapter Representative
CLASS OF 2014
Mary Virginia Ferguson Bond ’54
Pat Dobbin Chambers ’65
Carey Cox Coghill ’72
Carrie Osikowicz Eaton ’67
Diane Hall Edwards ’68
Janet Helwig Fortney ’82
Evan Giordano ’08
Rick Myser ’71
Stephanie Fugate Teague ’95
CLASS OF 2015
Wes Blalock ’04
Amber Burley ’04
Sarah Winbigler DeYoung ’74
Susan Spence Hill ’83
Nichole Johnson McCord ’02
Jill Gibson Millsaps ’03
Mary “Sissy” Gravely Reinhardt ’82
Staci Kerr Stalcup ’98
Clint Wight ’97
CLASS OF 2016
Adlai Boyd ’57
Lynn Ramsey Cole ’68
Alan Cropper ’69
Ross Hamory ’70
Ed Hawkey ’70
Marcia Kilby Rethwilm ’89
Dan Rineer ’65
Sue Van Aken ’83
Eric Weatherbee ’06

in 2009 and acquired the bar/
restaurant 19th Hole in 2012.

2006

University of Alabama-Huntsville
women’s basketball program as
an assistant coach. Previously,
she was an assistant at Berry
College and Maryville College.

Derrick Allen Harmon graduated
from Pentecostal Theological
Seminary with a master of divinity
degree with a concentration in
the New Testament studies. He is
currently an advisor at Pellissippi
State Community College.

Hannah Delaney Monroe graduated with honors from the Florida State University College of
Law in May 2012. She accepted
a federal clerkship for the Hon.
Robert L. Hinkle.

Tiffanye Terrell is an admissions
completer for 2tor, a company
that partners with preeminent
institutions of higher education
to deliver rigorous, selective
degree programs online to students globally. Previously, she
worked as an ethnographical
researcher for Howard University’s Center of Urban Progress.
She earned a master’s degree
from Howard in 2011.

2010

2007
Derek Rang has joined Ken Sparks’
staff at Carson-Newman University
as the graduate assistant in charge
of receivers. Previously, he was
head coach at Powell High School.
Leah Winfield joined Big River
Advertising as a receptionist.
She has worked in the
hospitality industry and as a
preschool teacher.

2008
John Mackersie has been hired as
the head strength and conditioning coach at Stevenson
University in Maryland. He has
more than 10 years of experience in college athletics as both
a player and a coach.

2009
Emily Emadian Guthe started a
master’s program for music
therapy in August at the
University of Iowa.
Amber Lee has joined the

Jason Craig Dean was accepted
to graduate school at Troy
University, majoring in strategic
communications.
Gregory Hernandez returned to
Maryville College as an assistant
to Men’s Basketball Coach
Randy Lambert. He played
professionally in England the
past three seasons.

2011
Jeremy Cason has accepted the
position of First Assistant to the
Pro at the prestigious Virginian
Golf Club in Bristol, Va.
Jenny Seemayer is general manager for the Regus Center in Vero
Beach, Fla., an executive office
suites and office solutions company with over 1500 locations
worldwide. She took over the center in May and will be maintaining
its revenue/daily operations.

2012
Mindy Lewelling has a new
position as a PRN resident
advisor for a recovery and
sobriety home in Nashville.

2013
Lauren Voyles has joined the
Grassroots Leadership team in
Austin, Tex. She was placed
through the Young Adult
Volunteer program, a ministry of
the Presbyterian Church (USA).

BIRTHS &
ADOPTIONS

Rebecca Mims Palmer ‘03
and husband Clint,
a daughter, Emma,
February 2012
Ashley Gottschan Hadwick ‘03
and husband Rick,
a daughter, Molly Elyse,
Feb. 18, 2013
Katie Wagner Philips ‘03
and husband Josh, a daughter,
Mary Katherine “Mary Kate,”
Feb. 19, 2013
Cynthia E. Lyle Richter ‘03
and husband Glenn, a son,
Levi James,
Dec. 12, 2012
Jerry Robert King ‘04
and wife Jamie Parton King,
a son, Ryan James
March 27, 2013
Jennifer Martin New ‘04
and husband David,
a son, Connor David,
Aug. 13, 2013
(adopted from foster care)
Ramona Ferguson
Crawford ‘07
and husband
Benjamin Jared Crawford ‘07,
a son, Harrison Daniel,
April 23, 2013
Elizabeth Fowler Lewis ‘07
and husband Tom,
a daughter, Amy Marie,
Sept. 28, 2013
Matthew F. Mart ‘09
and wife
Catherine Culbertson Mart ‘09,
a daughter, Olivia Ann,
July 21, 2013

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C L AS S notes

MEMORIAMS
1937

EDITOR’S NOTE: With only a few exceptions,
the College received information printed below
between March 1, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2013.
Obituaries and death notifications received after
Dec. 31, 2013, should appear in the next issue of
Alumni News & Notes.

Margaret Hellums Cooper

1932

Pauline Zachary Julian
Nov. 21, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn. She was a
teacher in Knox County and worked as the
Corryton community librarian for the KnoxvilleKnox County Library System. She was a lifelong
member of Corryton Baptist Church. Survivors
include three children and their families.

1934

Elizabeth Hunt
Aug. 12, 2013, in Raleigh, N.C. She was active
in the community, serving on the board of
elections, in the PTA as president and in the
Presbyterian Church on many committees.
Survivors include two children and their families.

1936

Joe Jordan Arrendale
May 3, 2012, in Clayton, Ga. A World War II
veteran, he earned his medical degree from the
Medical College of Georgia and practiced
medicine for over 40 years. He was a member
of Douglasville First United Methodist
Church. Survivors include two children and
their families.

Elizabeth Reimer Gleim
June 16, 2013, in Charleston, S.C. She was a
language teacher in the Bangor Area School
District. She was a member of First United
Methodist Church of Bangor and John Wesley
United Methodist Church in Charleston.
Survivors include two children and their families.

Oct. 26, 2012, in San Angelo, Tex. She taught
elementary school, middle school and special
education. She attended several Presbyterian
churches, including St. Paul Presbyterian
Church in San Angelo. Survivors include son
David, one brother, sister Sara Lee Hellums
Kramer ’40 and their families.

Donald Leo Cross
July 6, 2013, in Jacksonville, Fla. A World War II
veteran, he played professional baseball and
managed teams in the New York Giants and
Cleveland Indians minor league system. He was
a teacher, coach, assistant principal and principal
in the Duval County school system. He was also a
member of Southside Baptist Church. Survivors
include wife Sally, two sons and their families.

1938

Alice Whitaker Coker
Nov. 14, 2013, in LaFollette, Tenn. She
worked for the Tennessee Department of
Public Welfare and was the acting Circuit
Court Clerk for Campbell County. She retired
from the Tennessee Department of Human
Services. She was a member of the Methodist
Church in New Market and Jacksboro.
Survivors include two sons and their children.

1939

Harriet Barber Blizzard
June 5, 2013, in Peabody, Mass. The first music
major at MC, she was a talented musician and
photographer. A natural contralto, she was a
longtime member of the Masterworks Chorale.
Survivors include two children and their
families, sisters Dorothy Barber Bushing ’42
and Mary Ruth Barber Garza ’47, and greatnephew Charles Barber ’71.

Catharine E. Pond Minear
Aug. 21, 2013, in Athens, Ga. She worked for
a medical group in Vero Beach, Fla., and later
as a social worker for the State of Florida. She
attended Green Acres Baptist Church.
Survivors include three sons, including John
D. Minear ’65; two daughters, including
Winifred Minear ’73; and their children.

Eunice Wilson Pearson
March 17, 2012.

1940

Clara Walker Walters
July 12, 2013, in Winston-Salem, N.C. She
taught school in Knox County and was a longtime member of Beaver Ridge United Methodist
Church before moving to Winston-Salem.
Survivors include two children and their families.

1941

Eloise Zimmerman Rogers
Oct. 27, 1998.

1942

Ben A. Cunningham
Dec. 24, 2012, in Rogersville, Tenn. A World
War II veteran, he was principal of Walland
High School and Elementary School in
Walland, and a principal and superintendent of
Rogersville City Schools from 1949 to 1982.
Survivors include two daughters and their
children.

Mary Louise Mayes Henschen
March 16, 2013, in Austell, Ga. Survivors
include four children and their families.

Elizabeth Pascoe Kelley
Feb. 1, 2012, in Bowden, Ga. Survivors include
two children.

Elbert B. “E.B.” Smith ’46, April 30, 2013, in Annapolis, Md. A World War II
veteran, he received advanced degrees from the University of Chicago. He was a professor
emeritus at the University of Maryland. He published biographies of several political figures,
served as the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Iowa in 1962 and 1966, and served as
Lyndon Johnson’s campaign manager for Iowa in 1964. He was appointed by President Carter
to serve on the U.S. Board of Foreign Scholarships. Maryville College presented him the Alumni
Citation in 1981. He is survived by four sons, including Randall E. Smith ’68, one daughter,
daughter-in-law Jean Pailthorp Smith ’68, brother Robert Smith ’48, sister Frances Smith
Stricklett ’45, and their families.
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Frederick R. “Fred” Wilson ’47,
Aug. 22, 2013, in Leverett, Mass. A graduate of
Princeton Theological Seminary, he and his family
spent several years in Iran as “fraternal workers” with the Presbyterian
Church. He also worked with the Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations of
the Presbyterian Church in Mass Communications Overseas. He traveled widely, visiting
centers of Presbyterian ecumenical work in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin
America. For 10 years, he served as pastor of First Congregational Church of Leverett in
Massachusetts. Maryville College awarded him an honorary degree in 1969. Survivors
include wife Elizabeth Jane Saint Wilson ’48, three children and their families.

Place” which addressed women’s issues. Over
the years, she gave more than 100 public
speeches for women’s rights. Survivors include
four children and their families.

Winifred Ruth Hope Smith
April 4, 2013, in Cincinnati, Ohio. For 20
years, she worked as a secretary at Pleasant
Ridge Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati,
Ohio, where she was a member for more than
50 years. She was the daughter of missionary
Fred Hope (1906). Survivors include two
children, one sister and their families.

Oliver Roosevelt Van Cise
J. Quentin Lane
March 14, 2013, in San Clemente, Calif. He
retired after 38 years of service from CIGNA
Insurance Co. Survivors include two sisters and
their families.

Ruth Sutherlin Lepicier
Jan. 25, 2013, in North Bend, Ore. She served
as dean and dean of students for several
schools. A professional singer, she performed all
over the country and served as choir director
for several churches. She was a member of First
Presbyterian Church of Bandon. Survivors
include one son, one niece and one great-niece.

Arthur Cornelius Miller
July 11, 2012, in Surgoinsville, Tenn. A World
War II veteran, he later taught veterans and
retired to become a full-time farmer, raising
Angus cattle on his family farm on the Holston
River. Survivors include wife Virginia, one son,
daughter Sarah Miller Owens ’72, one sister
and their families.

Dudley Shields Moore
Feb. 27, 2008. Survivors include wife Lynn
and two children.

Hester Jane Santiago Nielsen
Jan. 5, 2012, in South Haven, Mich. She
worked in medical records and retired from
South Haven Community Hospital. She was a
member of First Methodist Church of South
Haven. Survivors include five children, four
stepchildren and their families.

1943

Elizabeth Clevenger Carbery
May 22, 2013, in Bonner Springs, Kan. She
worked as a flight attendant with American Airlines and for the Bonner Springs/Edwardsville

unified school district as a librarian. Survivors
include three children and their families.

Janet Ogden Brown Hamersley
July 28, 2013, in Columbus, Ohio. A school
teacher, she taught a range of subjects in all
grades for 30 years. The wife of a civilian
employee of the U.S. military, they lived in
Germany for nearly 20 years. Survivors include
one sister, two children and their families.

H. Owen Long
April 12, 2013 in Pensacola, Fla. A U.S. Army
veteran, he taught business subjects at the
college level for 35 years, primarily at Pensacola
State College. Survivors include wife Mary, two
children and their families.

Geraldine Hogan Pepper
July 1, 2013, in Lookout Mountain, Ga. She was
a substitute teacher for Harrison, Ohio schools
for many years and was active in her church.
Survivors include three sons and their families.

Sherfey T. Randolph
Nov. 13, 2008 in Freehold, N.J. Survivors
include wife Virginia and two children.

Mary Morgan Rowan
Oct. 22, 2013, in Houston, Tex. As the wife of
an airline pilot, she enjoyed traveling
domestically and overseas. She was a member
of Denton First Baptist in Texas. Survivors
include one daughter and her family.

Virginia Williams Shorten
Sept. 23, 2012, in Youngstown, Ohio. She
served leadership roles for many nonprofit
organizations, including the YWCA, which
named her “Woman of the Year” in 1990. She
hosted a local TV show called “Woman’s

March 8, 2013, in Bend, Ore. A World War II
veteran and lifetime Presbyterian, he worked as
a teacher and guidance counselor for 39 years
in Chatham Township, N.J. Survivors include
two children.

1944

Elizabeth McConnell Gorzolla
July 3, 2013, in Santa Clara, Calif. A U.S. Air
Force veteran, she attained the rank of
Captain. She worked for 23 years as a dietitian
for O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, Calif.
Survivors include husband Rudolf, one son
and two brothers.

L. Cordelia Dellinger Kidder
March 5, 2013, in Banner Elk, N.C. She was a
member of Crossnore Presbyterian Church, where
she served as an elder. Survivors include husband J.
Edward Kidder ’43, four sons, including David
D. Kidder ’74, two sisters, including Mary
Agnes Dellinger Smith ’47, and their families.

Robert J. Twitchell
May 2, 2013, in Haddonfield, N.J. A World
War II veteran, he joined his father in the waste
management equipment business and later
passed on his company, R.J. Twitchell & Co.,
to his son. He was a member of Grace Church
in Haddonfield. Survivors include wife Jan,
four children and their families.

1945

Nancy Crispin Stopenhagen
May 2, 2013, in Cincinnati, Ohio. As the wife of
a campus minister, she and husband Paul served
Wesley Foundations at Harvard and other universities. They also served West Ohio Conference
churches in Lima and Cincinnati. She was a
member of Clifton United Methodist Church.
Survivors include four children and their families.

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1946

Catherine Payne Knaupp

Howard H. Davis ’50, Aug. 7, 2013 in

Sept. 24, 2013, in Columbus, Ga. She taught
school in Phenix City, Ala., and was food service
director in the Muscogee County School
District in Columbus, Ga. She was active in
First Presbyterian Church of Columbus.
Survivors include one daughter and her family.

Donna Smalley Chapman
Oct. 1, 2013, in Columbus, Ohio. A ruling
elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church in
Upper Arlington, she held many volunteer jobs
in the community. She actively supported the
Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Survivors
include four children and their families.

Barbara Trotter Engel
March 15, 2013, in Hamilton, Ohio. She was a
6th grade teacher at Pierce Elementary and
worked at Westside Federal Savings & Loan
and Cohen Enterprises. She was a member of
Zion Lutheran Church. Survivors include three
children and their families.

W. Abbott Kemp
Oct. 3, 2013, in Marietta, Ga. A World War II
and Korean Conflict veteran, he worked for
Crawford and Company of Atlanta, Ga., for 55
years. He enjoyed membership in seven
different Presbyterian Churches in five
different cities. Survivors include son David A.
Kemp ’76, three daughters, including Mary
Kemp Flora ’80, eight grandchildren,
including Marshall D. Flora ’10, one brother,
sisters Sarah Kemp Farrar ’51 and Mary
Alice Kemp ’55 and their families.

Patricia Norwood
Nov. 20, 2013, in Porterville, Calif. She taught
music in Kenton, Ohio public schools and later
moved to California. She was a member of
First Congregational Church of Porterville.
Survivors include one daughter, one sister and
their families.

School. He was a World War II veteran and a member
of Broadway United Methodist Church. At Maryville
College, he played in the first Tangerine Bowl in 1947.
the Maryville College Wall of Fame in 2001. Survivors include one son; two
brothers; three sisters, including Bernice Davis Forshay ’44; and their families.

Katherine Stidham Enloe
Dec. 16, 2013, in Sevierville, Tenn. She and
husband Winton Enloe ’49 served as
missionaries in Japan from 1961 until 1989. She
was very involved in her husband’s ministry at
Clover Hill Presbyterian Church in Maryville
and at New Prospect Presbyterian Church in
Knoxville. Survivors include two sons, two
daughters, one brother and their families.

Ruth Carter Fouché
March 22, 2012, in Knoxville, Tenn. She was a
member of Broadway United Methodist Church
in Maryville, the Blount County Library Board
and active in her bridge club. Survivors include
two children and their families.

Dorothy Crowson Johnson
July 2, 2012, in Salisbury, Md. A longtime
educator, she taught elementary school in
Florida and New York. She was a member of
Trinity United Methodist Church. Survivors
include two brothers, one sister, one son and
their families.

Marion Henderson Miller
July 27, 2013, in Largo, Fla. She taught
physical education at Largo Middle School in
Florida. She was an avid golfer, bridge player
and sports fan. Survivors include husband Paul,
three sons and their families.

Harold M. Russell

1948

Rella Anderson Carp
Oct. 3, 2013, in Columbia, S.C. She was a
pianist and full-time piano teacher for over 50
years. She was an active member of the
Tennessee Music Teachers Association and was
honored as its “1992 Teacher of the Year.” She
attended Trinity Presbyterian Church. Survivors
include four children and their families.

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High School, Hiwassee College and Everett High

He was inducted into the Blount County Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and

1947

28

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S P R I N G 2 014

Jan. 19, 2013 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He served
as Navy pilot of a PBM Mariner during World
War II. For 17 years, he was pastor of the
historic Covenant First Presbyterian Church in
Cincinnati. He is survived by wife Margaret,
four sons and their families.

Richard S. Smilie
Sept. 28, 2012.

1949

Jane Martenis Balderston
June 30, 2013, in Oxford, Pa. She taught
elementary school in Maryland. A mezzo
soprano, she sang with the Sweet Adelines
around the country. She participated in the
Presbyterian Women at West Nottingham
Presbyterian Church, where she directed the
choir. She is survived by two children, two
brothers, two sisters and their families.

Donald S. Barbour
Aug. 2, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. He worked for
the Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss. In
Orlando, he founded Barbour Truck Ads and
eventually Barbour Outdoor Advertising. He
later founded Barbour and Monroe Marketing
Research and was a consultant to newspapers
nationwide. He was an elder at First
Presbyterian Church. Survivors include wife
Katherine Johnson Barbour ’48, daughter
Sarah E. Barbour ’71, one son and their
families.

Betty Jane Black
Nov. 13, 2013, in Vonore, Tenn. A retired
school teacher, she was a member of Vonore
United Methodist Church, where she played
the piano for many years. Survivors include two
children and their families.

James B. M. Frost
Sept. 6, 2013, in Houston, Tex. A U.S. Army
veteran, he attended Princeton Theological
Seminary. For 24 years, he served as pastor of
United Presbyterian Church in Patterson, N.Y.
He was a pastoral counselor and spiritual
leader who also became a practicing psychotherapist in 1976. Survivors include wife
Arlene, five children, including James F. Frost
’75, and their families.

class

Charles Edward Allen, Jr. ’52,

Nancy Naylor Navratil ’54,

Jan. 8, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. He earned a

Dec. 7, 2013, in Maryville, Tenn. She

bachelor of divinity degree from Louisville

taught high school English at several

Presbyterian Seminary and a master’s degree in

schools, including Powell High School in

early childhood education from George

Knoxville. In the 1960s, she returned to

Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. In 1978, he started the

Maryville College, where she served as

“DreamHouse” project, the building of small indoor playhouses for

Senior Study editor and taught English.

preschool and kindergarten children. There are currently more than

In Chicago, she worked for the American Bar Association to

10,000 DreamHouses in the U.S. and various parts of the world. In

conduct a membership drive. She was an active member of

1974, he founded décor acquisition business Authentique. He was

Highland Presbyterian Church for 56 years, where she taught

inducted into Maryville College’s Wall of Fame in 1978 and received

Sunday School, served as an elder, played handbells and

the Alumni Citation in 1997. Survivors include wife Grace Scruggs

participated in the Happy Highlanders group. Survivors include

Allen ’52, three children and their families.

one daughter, one son and their families.

Henrietta Turner Gardin
July 8, 2013 in San Jose, Calif. Survivors
include two children.

1950

John C. Fouché Jr.
July 25, 2013, in Maryville, Tenn. A World War
II veteran, he received a Purple Heart and the
Distinguished Flying Cross. He was retired from
the Social Security Office and was a member of
Broadway United Methodist Church. Survivors
include two children and their families.

Raymond A. Packard
July 31, 2013, in Lynnwood, Wash. He served
in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and
worked at Safeco Insurance for more than 36
years. He sang with and directed barbershop
choruses, quartets and church choirs. Survivors
include six children and their families.

Mary Mills Palmer
Sept. 12, 2012, in Morris Plains, N.J. She was a
home economics teacher for the Essex Academy
in Irvington, N.J., for 40 years. She was a
member of the Presbyterian Church in
Morristown and the Morris Plains Museum.
Survivors include two children and their families.

Benjamin E. Sheldon
Sept. 18, 2012, in Elverson, Pa. A graduate of
Princeton Theological Seminary, he was active
in the Presbyterian Church as a missionary and
pastor, Presbyterians Pro-Life and Messianic
Jewish ministry. Survivors include wife Amy,
seven children, one brother, one sister and
their families.

1951

Raymond E. Keny
Aug. 31, 2012, in Maryville, Tenn. A World
War II veteran, he was retired from Martin
Marietta and was a member of Broadway
United Methodist Church.

H. David Kerr
Oct. 30, 2013, in Bowie, Md. After earning his
medical degree from Temple University, he
served as a medical officer in the U.S. Naval
Reserve in Annapolis, Md. He served on the
University of Maryland faculty in the Department of Medicine’s Division for Pulmonary
Medicine and the Department of Physiology.
Survivors include sister Anne Kerr Valentine ’45,
one stepson, one grandson, one great-grandson
and niece Nancy M. McDaniel ’74.

Sara Jo Emert Kramer
July 25, 2013, in Maryville, Tenn. She was a
member of First United Methodist Church of
Maryville, P.E.O., the Rarity Bay Women’s
Club, the Mt. Pleasant Michigan Tourist Club,
Nashville Centennial Club and many garden
clubs. Survivors include husband Roy F.
Kramer ’51, three children, nephew Wayne R.
Kramer ’74 and their families.

Willard Frank Rahn
March 9, 2012, in Quincy, Pa. A U.S. Navy
veteran, he attended Princeton Theological
Seminary. He served as pastor of Presbyterian
churches in Michigan, Pennsylvania and
Maryland, and after retirement, he served as a
nursing home chaplain. He was active on the
Appalachian Trail as a minister, hiker and trail

and shelter overseer. Survivors include wife
Virginia, four children, including Timothy W.
Rahn ’79, one sister and their families.

1952

Barbara Marie Sandos Duncan
Dec. 24, 2012, in Tuckerton, N.J. Survivors
include daughter Dianna M. Bonyadi ’83, two
brothers, one sister and their families.

Donald Lester Gray
June 24, 2010, in Rapid City, S.D. Survivors
include wife Virginia Cooper Gray ’53, four
children, one brother and their families.

Mary Bryan Blackshear
Montgomery
July 16, 2013, in Blacksburg, Va. She taught
elementary school in Knoxville, Tenn. and
Blacksburg, Va. She also served as an assistant
principal. After retirement, she showed her
watercolor paintings in numerous exhibits. She
was a member of Blacksburg United Methodist
Church. Survivors include husband James,
three children and their families.

William N. Robinson, Sr.
Dec. 17, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn. A U.S.
Air Force veteran and graduate of Union
Theological Seminary in New York, he
served as minister of music at First Baptist
Church in Kingsport, Tenn. He played
viola in the Orchestra at Maryville
College for many years under the baton
of his oldest son, Bill. Survivors include wife
Mildred C. Robinson ’53; three daughters,
four sons; including Bill Robinson, Jr. ’78 and

focus |

S P R I N G 2 014

29

NOTES

class

NOTES

Jack M. Keny ’55,

Dr. James A. Bloy, Dec. 3,

Aug. 31, 2013, in Lewisburg,

2013, in Maryville, Tenn. He had

Tenn. A Korean Conflict

degrees from North Central College,

veteran, he served as a teacher

the Eastman School of Music and the

and coach at Harriman High School and principal

School of Sacred Music of Union

of Rockwood High School. In Lewisburg, he

Theological Seminary. He also studied

served as principal of Marshall County Senior

in Frankfurt, Salzburg, Oxford, and was

High School and superintendent of Marshall

a visiting scholar at the Center for the

County Schools. He was a member of First

Study of World Religions at Harvard. An accomplished organist, he taught

United Methodist Church. He was inducted

music at Maryville College from 1953 until 1993, teaching organ, music

into the Maryville College Wall of Fame in 1994.

history, church music and components of the core fine arts course. He

Survivors include wife Doris, four children, two

chaired the Fine Arts Division from 1980 until 1990. Survivors include two

sisters and their families.

sons and two grandchildren.

Tom Robinson ’87; and their families,
including grandson R. Bradley Robinson ’09.

1953

Beverly Edwards Bright
April 28, 2013, in Branson, Mo. She was a
teacher’s assistant at Evergreen Junior High in
Colorado for 14 years. For 30 years, she
volunteered with Mt. Evans Hospice. Survivors
include three children and their families.

Melvin D. Giles
May 7, 2012, in Maryville, Tenn. A Korean
War veteran, he was a member of Rockford
Masonic Lodge #469, the Scottish Rite and
York Rite, the Shriners and the Martha
Washington Chapter Order of the Eastern Star.
He was a member of Maryville First United
Methodist Church. Survivors include wife
Cedith, one brother and his family.

Kenneth C. Hammond
Jan. 31, 2009, in Highlands Ranch, Colo. A
U.S. Navy veteran, he was an insurance
underwriter for several insurance companies in
Virginia, North Carolina, Texas and New
Jersey. Survivors include wife Paula, brother E.
Lee Hammond ’57, three sons, two daughters
and their families.

Bruce Roderic Miller
Passed away in Schenectady, N.Y.

Norma Loetz Robinson
Nov. 13, 2013, in Asheville, N.C. For 25
years, she worked for the VA Medical Center
30

focus |

S P R I N G 2 014

in Oteen as a speech pathologist, helping
veterans who had lost their voices to cancer.
She organized The New Voice Club for
veterans and their families. She was a member
of Arden Presbyterian Church. Survivors
include husband Tom and two children.

Charles A. Schroeder
Oct. 10, 2013, in Lancaster, Pa. He attended
Louisville Presbyterian Seminary and Lancaster
Theological Seminary. He served several
Presbyterian churches in New York and
Pennsylvania. He was also an active firefighter
and EMT. Survivors include wife Alice J.
Schroeder ’53, two children, one brother,
nephew Robert M. Abel ’70 and their families.

Barbara Ann Miller Wilson
Oct. 27, 2013, in Doe Run, Pa. She taught
elementary school in Pennsylvania for more
than 35 years. A member of the Daughters of
the American Revolution, she was a senior
officer and chairman of the Children of the
American Revolution on the local, state and
national levels. Survivors include two children
and their families.

1954
Clifford W. Church
March 31, 2013, in Albuquerque, N.M.

1955
Robert F. Clark
Sept. 30, 2013, in Chattanooga, Tenn. A U.S.
Army veteran, he worked for Provident Life

and Accident and also taught at several private
colleges. After retiring in 1992, he focused
solely on his teaching career. Survivors include
wife Janet, four children, two stepchildren and
their families.

Barbara Hubbard Smith
Sept. 18, 2013, in Lafayette, Ind. A graduate of
McCormick Theological Seminary and the wife
of a pastor, she held various roles in the churches
her husband served. She was a member of
Central Presbyterian Church in Lafayette.
Survivors include husband Ralph.

1956
Morgan H. Biggs
March 30, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn. He
graduated from Louisville Presbyterian Seminary
and received his master’s degree from the
University of Tennessee. He retired from the
Knoxville/Knox County School System and
Presbyterian ministry after 40 years of service.
He is survived by two children and their families.

Alice Rowe Wulff
April 18, 2013, in Cleveland, Ohio. Survivors
include husband Kenneth, three children and
their families.

1957
Shirley Mayfield Butturini
Sept. 30, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn. She was a
fourth grade teacher at Rocky Hill Elementary
School for 23 years. Survivors include husband
Jack, three children and their families.

class

George Podgorny ’58,
Nov. 5, 2013, in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Evelyn “Lyn”
Fletcher Cherry ’91,

He graduated from Bowman Gray

Sept.16, 2013, in Maryville,

School of Medicine. His interest in

Tenn. She received her

trauma surgery led him to becoming

bachelor of arts degree from

one of the pioneers of the specialty of

Maryville College at age 51.

emergency medicine. He was

She served as director of Mail

instrumental in developing the EMS

Services at Maryville College,

system and First Responder Program in North Carolina. He also served

retiring in 1999. She was a painter and an

as medical examiner for Forsyth County. One of his varied interests was

active member of Fine Arts Blount. She was a

herpetology, and he became recognized as a global expert in snake bites.

member of New Providence Presbyterian Church.

In 1978, he received Maryville College’s Alumni Citation. Survivors

Survivors include husband Ed, one brother, two

include one daughter, two sons and two grandchildren.

sons and their families.

Jack H. Crouch
Feb. 18, 2013, in St. George Island, Fla. An
Andersonville, Tenn., resident, he was a
teacher and coach at Powell Elementary, Halls
High School, Clinton High School, Jefferson
Junior High School and Oak Ridge High
School. He attended Norris Religious
Fellowship. Survivors include wife Linda H.
Crouch ’59, three children, one brother and
their families.

Theodore McDaniels
Nov. 16, 2013, in West Berlin, N.J. A Vietnam
veteran, he worked for 32 years as an executive
officer for Robert Morris Associates in
Philadelphia, Pa. In 2008, he was awarded the
Camden County Freedom Award in honor of
Martin Luther King. He was a member of
Friendship Community Church. Survivors
include wife Margaret Longfellow McDaniels
’60, three children and their families.

1958

Queen Elizabeth Crossing
July 29, 2013, in Maryville,
Tenn. She was one of six black
students to reintegrate
Maryville College after the
historic Brown vs. Board of
Education ruling. In 1968, she
became an LPN and worked as
a cardiac nurse at the
University of Tennessee for 10
years. She retired from ALCOA
in 2003, after 25 years of service. Survivors
include three daughters and their families.

Natalie Wells Smith
June 12, 2013, in Bradenton, Fla. After earning
a master’s degree in library science from
Peabody College, she completed her law degree.
She had great enthusiasm for education and a
lifelong love of music. Survivors include husband
Jim, three children, sisters Katrina Wells
Counts ’58 and Dorothy Wells Cunningham
’54, three stepchildren and their families.

Charles Richard Tipton
Oct. 5, 2011, in Maryville, Tenn. Survivors
include wife Dicia, two children, one brother
and their families.

Elizabeth Ann Turner
March 16, 2013, in Worcester, Vt. She
graduated as one of two women from the
University of Maryland’s medical school and
was the first woman accepted for an internship
at York Hospital in York, Pa. She became
director of the emergency room at Central
Vermont Hospital. At the age of 50, she
enrolled at Vermont Law School, graduating
in 1989. She was chair of the Medical
Malpractice Board for the State of Vermont.
Survivors include one brother, one sister and
their families.

1959

Denver Childress
Dec. 3, 2013, in Jefferson City, Tenn. He
earned a doctorate in education from the
University of Tennessee and taught at Powell
High School, Maryville Junior and High
schools and Carson-Newman University, where

he was a professor of mathematics for 34 years.
Survivors include wife Margaret, one son, one
daughter and their families.

1960
Thomas S. Bass
Dec. 14, 2013, in Clemson, S.C. A Korean
Conflict veteran, his coaching career spanned
41 years, including coaching at Sevier County
schools, where he had Dolly Parton as a
student; the University of Tennessee; Clemson
University; and Seneca High School. He was a
member of First Baptist Church of Clemson.
Survivors include wife Dee, two sons, one
daughter, one stepdaughter and their families.

Ray Hannah
Nov. 22, 2013, in Chattanooga, Tenn. After
earning a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from
Auburn University, he worked for 34 years for
DuPont in research and development in the
industrial fibers and carbon fiber divisions. After
retiring, he became Global Technology
Director for DuPont Sabanci (DUSA)
International. Survivors include wife Sadie, two
children, one sister and their families.

1963
Constance Beagle Fulton
Oct. 22, 2013, in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. She was a
longtime resident of Snee Farm, where she
raised her children. She enjoyed counseling as a
Stevens Minister and playing bells in the church
bell choir. Survivors include two children, two
brothers and cousin Ruth Orr Allen ’55.

focus |

S P R I N G 2 014

31

NOTES

class

NOTES

Molly Hewa Sers ’93, Aug. 1,
2013, in Frisco, Tex., after a long battle with
pancreatic cancer. After earning an MBA
from the University of Tennessee, she began
a successful career with PepsiCo/Frito-Lay,
which eventually took her to Plano, Tex. She
was inducted into the College’s Wall of Fame
in 2012. She was a member of Stonebriar
Community Church. Survivors include her parents, daughter Scarlett, son Harry,
grandmother, two brothers, one sister and their families.

1965
Clifford Martin
July 13, 2013, in Broad Run, Va. He taught
physical education in Arlington and Fairfax,
Va., for 30 years. Survivors include wife Janet,
one daughter, three brothers and one sister.

1967
Joseph Thomas
Aug. 28, 2010, in Fieldale, Va. He worked for
more than 35 years for Fieldcrest Mills, where
he worked in finishing. He attended Goodwill
Primitive Baptist Church. Survivors include
one son, two sisters and their families.

William Birch
Dec. 25, 2012, in Fort Wayne, Ind. He
worked as a Minister of Word and Sacraments
in the Presbyterian Church (USA) for 30
years, serving as pastor of several churches
throughout the Midwest, including
Cincinnati, Ohio; Hanover, Ohio; Steelville,
Mo.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Howe, Ind. He also
served as Guardian ad Litem for the state of
Minnesota for one year. Survivors include wife
Susan Guyer-Birch ’78, two brothers and
their families.

Karen Gayl James
May 20, 2013, in Marengo, Ind. The head
children’s librarian for the Louisville Free
Public Library system, she taught classes in
children’s literature at Spalding University and
the University of Louisville. She twice served as
a judge for the Caldecott and Newbery Book
awards. Survivors include husband Timothy.

focus |

Joseph Kirk Copeland
Sept. 30, 2013, in Greeneville, Tenn. The son
of former Maryville College president Joe
Copeland, he retired from Magnavox/Philips
Consumer Electronics in Greeneville, Tenn., in
2001. He was a member of First Presbyterian
Church in Greeneville. Survivors include wife
Kathleen Smith Copeland ’69, one son,
sister Karen Copeland Gray ’76, brother-inlaw Terry Gray ’76 and their families.

1970
Dean Bercaw
Nov. 11, 2012, in Manchester, N.J. He was a
teacher at Park Ridge High School in New Jersey.

1968

32

1969

S P R I N G 2 014

Christine Lamm
June 11, 2013, in Vermont. She taught in
Fullerton College’s Child Development and
Educational Studies Department. She worked
tirelessly on behalf of peace, justice, children
and community with several active
organizations, including the Orange County
Peace Camp, which she founded. Survivors
include three siblings and their families.

James Creswell Spotts
July 14, 2013, in San Francisco, Calif. He ran
a restaurant in San Francisco and later became
a skilled contractor, renovating and building
houses in San Francisco. Survivors include five
siblings and their families.

1971
Randel L. Bingham
Sept. 26, 2013, in Cincinnati, Ohio. A U.S.

Army veteran, he was retired from the B&O
Railroad and Cincinnati Heat Exchangers.
Survivors include wife Nancy, mother Carrie,
two daughters, one brother and their families.

1976

Bonny Sue Marvin White
Aug. 3, 2013, in Miramar, Fla. She was a teacher
at Miramar High School. Survivors include
husband Roger, two sons and father James.

1987

Thomas Murr
Nov. 26, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn. He worked
for the Knoxville Utilities Board. In May 2013,
he was named Heritage High School Girls
Softball Coach. He was a member of Mt.
Lebanon Baptist Church. Survivors include
wife Misty, mother Florence, one son, one
daughter, one brother and their families.

1997

Douglas R. Mathews
June 16, 2013. Survivors include his parents,
one son, one daughter, one sister, fiancée Leah
and her children.

2000

James J. J. Sparks, Jr.
Nov. 12, 2013. He had worked at NFS, taught
Spanish at Unicoi County High School and was
an assistant football coach in 2000. He was a
member of Hulen Baptist Church.

2004

Stacy Blevins Stovall
Nov. 24, 2013, in Mount Olive, Ala. She
earned a BSN and CRNP-MSN from the
University of Alabama-Birmingham and was
employed by UAB hospital in the NICU.
Survivors include husband Dylan, one
daughter, her father, her stepmother, two
brothers and their families.

2007

Jennifer K. Delaney
Dec. 21, 2013, in Huntsville, Ala. She worked
as a contracts manager in research and
development at GaN Corporation in
Huntsville. Survivors include one son, one
daughter, her mother, three brothers,
including Michael L. Hodges ’88, and their
families.

HOMECOMING 2013 WRAP-UP
HOMECOMING 2013 was held Sept. 27-28 on the Maryville College campus. We had more than 500 registered
participants for the jam-packed weekend, which included the annual Wall of Fame Athletic Awards, a special
Friday night concert by Chris Hennessee ’97, a sneak peek of the demolition phase of Anderson Hall, interesting
lectures, 15 reunion events, standing-room only performances by the MC Alumni Choir and Off Kilter and the
Scots’ big win over Methodist College. The weekend ended with the Alumni Reception and Awards Ceremony,
which honored Smith Jean-Philippe ’00, recipient of the Kin Takahashi Award for Young Alumni, and Alumni
Citation Award Winners Paul Elliott ’63 and George Schember ’63. Thanks to the hard work of our alumni,
over $230,000 was raised by the various reunion classes. Be sure to visit maryvillecollege.edu/alumni/events/
homecoming to read stories, see photos and watch videos from the weekend!

MILLER named DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI
AFFAIRS AND STEWARDSHIP
ANGELA MILLER has been named director of alumni affairs and stewardship at
Maryville College. Previously the director of program and adult development
for the USA Girl Scouts Overseas-North Atlantic for the last three years in Pisa,
Italy, Miller will join the College’s advancement staff in April. A former resident
of Maryville, Tenn., Miller holds a bachelor’s degree in addiction studies from
Nebraska Methodist College in Omaha, Neb., and a master’s degree in strategic
leadership from East Tennessee State University. At MC, she will be responsible
for developing and maintaining all alumni and stewardship programs.
There have been two other recent staffing
changes: Eric Bellah, former director of the Maryville Fund, is now
the director of development, and Karen Beaty Eldridge ’94, former
director of communications, is now executive director for marketing and
communications.

502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway
Maryville, Tennessee 37804
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR 2014 EVENTS!
SMOKY MOUNTAIN
SCOTTISH FESTIVAL AND
GAMES – MAY 16-18
You don’t have to be Scottish to enjoy
this unique festival! Athletic competitions,
sheep dog demonstrations, pipe and drum

KIN TAKAHASHI WEEK –
JUNE 9-13
This year marks the 18th
anniversary of KT Week!
Enjoy fellowship with
alumni, parents, friends, students and MC

bands, balladeers, highland dancing and

employees while working

Scottish food are just some of the

on campus improvement

family-friendly activities.

COMMENCEMENT
WEEKEND –
MAY 16-18
Almost 200 students will become
proud MC alumni during the 6
p.m., May 18 ceremony on the lawn
between Anderson Hall and Sutton
Science Center. Watch it live at
maryvillecollege.edu.

projects!

HOMECOMING –
OCT. 3-5
Changes are in the works,
so be sure to watch for your
Homecoming brochure
in the mail and read the
schedule carefully!

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