lynchburg college magazine

LynchburgC o l l e g e M a g a z i n e

Fall 2014

Redefining the Lynchburg College experience

Opportunitiesfor life

As a lefty, Dr. Woody McKenzie had to learn how to build and alter his own instruments — mandolins, guitars, dulcimers, xylophones, and drums. In the process, he found out a whole lot about science, history, culture, art, and craftsmanship.

“The study of the violin is an excellent way to learn a liberal arts education,” he said. “Violin history is unique because it’s still an industry that’s pre-industrial revolution.”

Dr. McKenzie uses his knowledge of instru-ment building and music composition — entirely

self-taught — to help students understand sound waves and physics. “I do a lot of discovery stuff,” he said.

One day at Claytor Nature Study Center, the students found some tiny shrimp in a vernal pool and looked at them under a microscope. Dr. McKenzie videoed the magnified creatures, but the wiggling shrimp weren’t the exciting part.

“Listen to the students,” he said, as their oohs could be heard on the recording.

“I’m teaching people how to think, what it means to be a scientist. I enjoy getting people to be curious about the world around them.”

An associate professor in the School of Ed-ucation, Dr. McKenzie spends most of his time teaching science and is proud that he created the Master of Education in Science Education Pro-gram at the College.

Dr. McKenzie has only been in academia for 17

years, and he brings a variety of experiences to the classroom. He has worked in chemistry and microbiology laboratories, been a fire lookout for the US Forest Service, and was a plant quarantine inspector for the state of Arizona. He hails from the coalfields of West Virginia, and was the first in his musical family to attend college.

He and his wife Marcia perform their music throughout Central Virginia and beyond. Their daughter Kara, also a musician, is a 2010 grad-uate of LC. Their son Keenan is a professional jazz saxophonist and studied under Branford Marsalis. He sometimes plays contra dances with his parents.

Dr. McKenzie is at the beginning of a five-year retirement phase-out, and he’s looking forward to the next stage. “I’m entering my second childhood,” he said. “I’m going to explore my musicality.”

Dr. Woody McKenzieTEACHING SCIENCE WITH MUSIC

PHOTO BY JOHN MCCORMICK

D I S C O V E R

A C H I E V E

C O N N E C T

WEB EXCLUSIVE Listen to one of Dr. McKenzie’s waltzes at lynchburg.edu/fall2014

D E P A R T M E N T S

2 President’s Message

4 Around the Dell

12 Hornet Highlights

40 Class Notes

Taylor Best-Anderson ’14 was one of 701 grads celebrating at Commencement 2014.


Fall 2014Vol. 22, No. 1

O N T H E C O V E R

www.lynchburg.edu/fall2014

W E B

E X C L U S I V E S

V I D E O

Watch a talk by Dr. Michael Kimmel, world-renowned scholar on men and masculinity.

R E A D M O R E

Dr. Christopher Emdin gives educators

"tangible tools" to teach and learn from the student's standpoint.

Kate Skaggs ’06 says to share a beer, not climate fear.

P H O T O G A L L E R I E S

Take a look at the Student Center expansion project.

Check out Commencement and Westover Reunion 2014.

S C A N M E with your smartphone to

check out this issue online!

F E A T U R E S

16 Opportunities for life Connection is at the center of LC’s new brand.

20 Discover, Connect, Achieve LC students take advantage of amazing opportunities.

38 Walter Ridgway ’48 donates record $5 million to LC

The LC experience supports students as they climb to new heights.

2 LC MAGAZINE Fall 2014

MAGAZINE STAFF

Shannon BrennanEDITOR

Deborah P. Blanchard DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

Michael Jones DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICES

Katharine McCann Christopher Peterson DESIGNERS

John McCormick PHOTOGRAPHER

Pamela Carder Tracy Chase David Woody ’00 WEB TEAM

Mike Carpenter Betty McKinney CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Betty Howell CLASS NOTES

Tom Cassidy ’73 Warren Wright CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHY

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS

Kenneth R. Garren PRESIDENT

Julius Sigler ’62 VICE PRESIDENT AND DEAN, ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Stephen Bright VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS AND FINANCE

Rita Detwiler VICE PRESIDENT, ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT

Denise A. McDonald VICE PRESIDENT, ADVANCEMENT

John Eccles VICE PRESIDENT AND DEAN, STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

Lynchburg College Magazine is published semi-annually for alumni, parents, and friends by College Communications and Marketing, 434.544.8325 or 800.621.1669.

Send change of address to: Lynchburg College Magazine Lynchburg College1501 Lakeside DriveLynchburg, VA [email protected]

Letters to the editor may be sent to [email protected]

Lynchburg College does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin and complies with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.


PHOTO BY WARREN WRIGHT

President’s Message

We are pleased to announce the largest bequest ever received by Lynchburg College. Our benefactor, Walter Ridgway Jr. ’48, has left the College a gift that is currently at $5 million and could total close to $7 million.

This gift will help us com-plete the Drysdale Student

Center and offer scholarships to young people from southwest Virginia, and possibly, beyond.

As LC’s president, I know how important a new, vibrant student center is to the life of this College and to our recruitment efforts. As a first-generation college student, I appreciate the importance of scholarships to those students who can’t get a higher education without them.

We are indebted to Mr. Ridgway for his generous legacy that will benefit Lynchburg College far into the future.

I am also happy to report that our endowment has topped $100 million for the first time in the history of the College. There has been an increase in endow-ment in this one year of 18.76 percent. This increase comes from Board of Directors and alumni support, College fundraising, a favorable market, and the be-quest by Mr. Ridgway.

We are working hard to ensure that LC has a healthy financial bottom line as the College faces challenges common to all institutions of higher edu-cation. Part of that effort, of course, includes power-ful messaging.

… and our new brandEvery college tries to distinguish itself from the

competition to attract quality students, and this College is no exception. It is clear that LC is indeed a special place and we must continue to find ways to communicate that to a larger audience.

One of my primary missions is to elevate the Col-lege’s reputation so more students learn about LC and have the opportunity to attend. It is imperative for the College to deliver consistent messages that are engaging, reflect what we are truly about, and offer proof that what we say is true.

I believe we have done that with our new mes-saging — Opportunities for life. That simple phrase captures the essence of the LC experience which, as you know, is all about providing our students and alumni with options to learn, grow, and succeed in today’s world. A brand is a promise, and our promise is to offer students opportunities to Discover, Connect, and Achieve in ways that will enhance their lives.

You will read about some wonderful examples in this issue — from impressive scholars accepted to world-class graduate programs to a national cham-pion, to a student whose eyes were opened by study abroad trips rarely offered by colleges our size.

I also like the fact that this message puts responsi-bility on the students to take advantage of the many opportunities at Lynchburg College. Theatre major Sierra Spicer ’14 sums it up this way: “I’ve tried to seize every opportunity that has come my way be-cause that’s what college is all about.”

When I first learned about our new brand plat-form and its promise to Discover, Connect, and Achieve, it was obvious to me that we deliver on this promise every day.

Education is about discovery — learning not only new subject matter, but opening up to new ideas and ways of thinking about the world.

At LC, we pride ourselves on a community that reaches out to all its members to create connections in the classroom, on athletic fields, in artistic endeav-ors, and in work both on and beyond the campus.

This close collaboration leads to achievement in a variety of ways, but none is more exciting to see than the completion of a college degree. By year’s end, more than 700 students will receive bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, joining the Hornet Nation of strong alumni who will always welcome each other as family.

As president, it’s my job to keep the focus on the branding that reflects our identity and supports our promise, ensuring the success of Lynchburg College for years to come.

Our largest bequest …

Kenneth R. Garren, PhDPresident

Fall 2014 LC MAGAZINE 3

We want to hear from you!In thIs Issue, we showcase Opportunities for life, a new and engaging way to tell the LC story. Faculty, staff, and students from all corners of campus have been involved in a vibrant conversation about our brand promise — what is it that defines the Lynchburg College experience? We explain the process and then we demonstrate how students Discover, Connect, and Achieve on their way to lifelong success.

We show you how the campus commu-nity works together to navigate this journey that can indeed be life changing for those open to the power of education. One of my greatest pleasures in this job is to hear from students about how a particular class, ex-tracurricular activity, or person shook their worldview and changed their lives.

In today’s educational marketplace, we must continue to champion the benefits of the Lynchburg College experience and attract a diverse population of students to ensure that LC is a vibrant place to live and learn.

Our magazine team wants to know your response to this new approach. What do you think about Opportunities for life? How would you define the LC experience? What would you like to read about in the magazine? Would you prefer to save paper and read the magazine online? Let us know what’s on your mind with a letter to the editor, email, or phone call. Thank you for your time.

Shannon Brennan, Editor


InboxStory on gender exclusion resonatesAS AN LC GRAD from 1983, my ex-

posure to the liberal arts propelled me

into the MDiv and DMin degrees in

my vocation of professional ministry.

I am continually grateful for the lead-

ership of professors C. Rex Mix, James

P. Kelley, and James Price, as well as

the faculty in the departments of phi-

losophy, English, psychology, sociology,

and business for their nearly “evan-

gelistic” commitment to the Socratic

method and a hermeneutic of critical

thinking as a key component in the

pursuit of higher education.

Therefore, congratulations to

Lynchburg College Magazine for Dr.

Lindsay Parks Pieper’s arti-

cle documenting the gen-

der-exclusive policies and

procedures of the Interna-

tional Olympic Committee

to the detriment of female

athletes. I was heartened

to read an article in my

alma mater magazine that

highlights one among

many pressing and important gender

issues plaguing our society today.

I look forward to seeing Lynchburg

College taking a prophetic stance in

exposing gender role stereotypes that

stubbornly prevail not only in our cul-

ture, but also in many academic com-

munities today. Thank you, Dr. Pieper;

thank you, Lynchburg College.

Rev. Dr. Peter J. Kelley ’83 SOUTHOLD, NEW YORK

Spring 2014 LC MAGAZINE 2726 LC MAGAZINE Spring 2014

Sex testingplaguesOlympics

by Dr. Lindsay Parks PieperAssistant Professor, Sport Management SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE

Fabulous FacultyIN THE 800-METER FINAL OF THE 2006 ASIAN GAMES, 25-year-old Indian runner Santhi Soundarajan finished second. Her triumph, however, proved short-lived. Concerned with the runner’s muscular stature, event organizers forced her to undergo a gender verification test.

Although the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) had abandoned genetic exams in 1990 and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) followed suit nine years later, sport authorities maintained the right to check any “suspicious” female athletes. Days later, Soundarajan learned from the evening news that she had failed the test. The IAAF immediately revoked her medal and barred her from future competition.

Three years later, 18-year-old South Afri-can runner Caster Semenya similarly burst into the spotlight. The middle-distance athlete gained notoriety at the World Track and Field Championships for defeating her competitors by a margin of more than two seconds, considered a tremendous gap in the 800-meter race. Semenya’s impressive victory was also quickly overshadowed; those she defeated voiced vicious criticisms about her appearance, physique, and deep voice. Once again skeptical, the IAAF required that her sex be genetically verified.

I first learned of the abuses that Soundara-jan and Semenya faced as a graduate student. Geneticists reasoned that the two athletes suffered from undiagnosed disorders of sex development — conditions in which anatomic, chromosomal, or gonadal sex varies from what is considered normal. Soundarajan was likely born with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS). Individuals with this disorder are ge-netically male, with one X chromosome and one Y chromosome but due to the inability to respond to androgens, appear anatomically and physically female. Semenya’s medical re-sults were not disclosed.

Both reportedly attempted suicide as a result of the international hostility they ex-perienced. Unfortunately, I discovered that Soundarajan and Semenya were not alone in such mistreatment.

In the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olym-pics, the IOC Medical Commission imple-mented compulsory sex testing for all female Olympians. Suspicious of the powerful builds of the (successful) Eastern European track and

field competitors, the IOC reasoned that the mandatory chromosomal control would guar-antee the authenticity of female athletes and unmask male masqueraders. Thus, for three decades, Olympic authorities required that all women undergo a genetic test. Male Olympi-ans never endured similar scrutiny.

The IOC’s stated motivation stemmed from the desire to catch males posing as fe-males; however, those who actually “failed” the test were women deemed to possess “abnormal” chromosomes or DNA, not men trying to pass as women. These participants were told to feign injury, return home, and never again compete in international events.

While the IOC refuses to publish the num-ber of women barred from the Olympics — citing privacy and ethical concerns — scholars utilize known statistics of disorders of sex development in the general population and approximate that 1-in-400 likely failed.

As both a former Division I athlete and scholar, I was disturbed by the implications of the IOC’s gender policy. After complet-ing a master’s degree in women’s history, I began my doctoral studies in sport human-ities and started to examine the history of sex testing in Olympic competition. My research argues that the IOC implemented genetic control to deter strong, powerful females from competition.

To enhance my studies, I earned a position at the International Olympic Academy and traveled to Olympia, Greece, in 2011. While there, I worked with such renowned Olympic scholars as Mark Dyreson, Sigmund Loland, Heather Preston, and Thomas Scanlon to crit-ically assess the modern Olympic movement. I also presented on sex testing, which provided the foundation for my dissertation.

In my first year at Lynchburg College, I applied for an IOC Postgraduate Research Grant. Every year, the IOC Olympic Studies Centre (OSC) awards scholars from around the world grants to complete social science research on various Olympic phenomena.

I was one of nine candidates selected in 2013. Over the summer, I traveled to Lausanne, Switzerland, to conduct research in the IOC archives. I spent a month in the Olympic Museum analyzing the past policies, papers, and correspondences related to sex testing. As part of the grant requirement, I presented my findings to members of the OSC.

While in Lausanne, I also met with Richard Budgett, the IOC Medical and Scientific Department director and overseer of the IOC’s medical policies, including gender verification. We discussed the history of sex testing and the complexities of the current Olympic gender policies. After our conver-sation, he acknowledged the arbitrary lines the IOC attempts to draw when demarking women’s competition. Sadly, the arbitrari-ness continues.

Influenced by both Soundarjan’s and Semenya’s physical appearances and the specter of unfair advantage in women’s competition, the IOC, in conjunction with the IAAF, reintroduced gender verification for the 2012 London Games.

Outlined and published by the IOC Med-ical and Scientific Department on June 22, 2012 — mere weeks before the Opening Cer-emonies of the Summer Games — the novel stipulations targeted “deviant” female athletes. Women with higher-than-average levels of naturally produced testosterone were deemed ineligible to compete; no parallel testosterone limit was placed on the men. This new iter-ation of gender control resembles the checks first implemented in the 1968 Olympics, again subjectively drawing a genetic line and con-demning certain female athletes.

When I discuss the issues and history of sex testing in “Sport Ethics and Current Controversies,” my students are shocked. Most have never heard of the Olympic gen-der regulations. This surprise typically gives way to anger. The students — the female student-athletes in particular — express re-sentment that no male Olympian ever faced similar treatment and question why the IOC continues to maltreat powerful women.

To end this criminalization, I believe the IOC must abandon its novel restatement of an old test. In my opinion, the newest rendi-tion of sex testing reaffirms an assumption of male superiority, casts women as inferior and in need of protection, and limits the possibil-ity for female success.

My research argues that the IOC

implemented genetic control to deter strong, powerful females from competition.


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LC awards first EdDs in leadership studiestwenty-one students In the doctor of education (EdD) in leader-ship studies program were among the 192 graduate students and 509 under-graduate students at commencement May 17. Read about one of our EdD recipients on page 46.

Lee Ann Calvert ’98 MEd, ’14 EdD, was the first recipient of the Dr. Kenneth R. Garren Leadership Award. She was chosen by a faculty committee and cited for her performance through-out the program, her work as assistant principal at Jefferson Forest High School, and her outstanding dissertation. The Garren Leader-ship Award will be given annually to a student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership while main-taining a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

Perry Payne Millner ’86 was the 2014 commencement speaker. She

was once named one of the “Top 10 Funniest Performers” in New York cabaret and her holiday novelty sin-gle, “Santa Claus Won’t Get Lit Up (At the Trailer Park Gate This Year),” was featured in Billboard Magazine as a Top 10 Holiday Song. She re-

cently returned to Virginia after a 20-year career in business and

the arts in New York City, where she was a senior vice president in one of the two largest real estate firms in the city. She is now executive

director of the Virginia Theatre Association. LC awarded three honorary degrees:

Doctor of Science to Dr. Nancy M. Welch ’68, director of the Chesapeake Health Department, and Dr. Hi‑Soo Kim, a leader in health care and education in Korea; and Doctor of Humane Letters to Stuart C. Fauber ’81 MBA ’82 MAd, member of the LC Board of Trustees and former pres-ident of SunTrust Bank.

Physician Assistant Medicine program set for 2015A NEW MASTER OF Physician Assistant Medicine program

is scheduled to start in June 2015.* Physician assistants are

advanced medical practitioners who are licensed to take

medical histories, perform examinations, diagnose illness,

and prescribe medications.

Centra, the largest healthcare provider in Central Vir-

ginia, has pledged $500,000 toward the capital improve-

ments needed for the program, which will be housed in the

Graduate Health Sciences Building on Monticello Avenue.

Dr. Edward Polloway, dean of the School of Graduate

Studies, said the College created this program in response

to significant needs for trained physician assistants in this

region and beyond. According to the US Bureau of Labor

Statistics, employment of physician assistants is expected to

increase 38 percent between 2012 and 2022, much faster

than the average growth rate for most occupations.

Dr. Jeremy Welsh is founding department chair and

program director and Dr. John D. “Dan” Johnson III serves

as medical director. “The physician assistant has become an

essential healthcare provider, increasing affordability and

access to care,” Dr. Welsh said.

Dr. Johnson, who previously provided leadership for the

physician assistants at Centra’s emergency department,

said, “Our local PAs not only provide quality care in family

medicine but also serve patients in many medical special-

ties. I foresee the role of the physician assistant continuing

to expand while filling the void left by a predicted future

physician shortage.”

LC’s 27-month curriculum will lead to a master’s degree.

The College is also in the developmental stages of a doc-

toral degree as a post-professional option. This nine-month

doctoral program is not an entry-level program. Physician

assistants interested in this program must

have previously completed LC’s Mas-

ter of Physician Assistant Medicine

degree, completed all of their

PA professional education, and

successfully passed the National

Commission on Certification of

Physician Assistants (NCCPA) Phy-

sician Assistant National Cer-

tifying Exam (PANCE).

* The Physician Assistant Medicine program offering is contingent upon the approval of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, SACSCOC. Lynchburg College has applied for provisional accreditation from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The College anticipates matriculating its first class in June 2015, pending provisional accreditation in March 2015. Provisional accred-itation is an accreditation status for a new PA program that has not yet enrolled students, but at the time of its comprehensive accreditation review, has demonstrated its preparedness to initiate a program in accordance with the accreditation standards. The program will not commence in the event that this provisional accreditation is not received.

Around the Dell

PHOTOS BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Lee Ann Calvert ’98 MEd, ’14 EdD


Richmond Fed president speaks at LCJeffery Lacker, presIdent of the Fifth District Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond, spoke on “Investing in People as an Economic Growth Strategy” at the Lynchburg Regional Busi-ness Leaders Breakfast held at LC in June. It was the first time Lacker had been to Lynchburg in a professional capacity.

Dr. Joe Turek, dean of the LC School of Business and Economics, introduced Lacker, who has been in his position since 2004 and is regarded as one of the most influential presidents in the reserve system. Several national

media outlets covered the event.

Lacker spoke about the importance of investing in human capital at an early age and empha-sized the need for “soft skills,” including patience and a strong work ethic.

The chronically unemployed and underemployed have a hard time catching up if they have not received a strong education in both their homes and schools, beginning in preschool, he said.

“Workforce development is a long-term vaccine to make work-ers more resilient,” he said.

Lacker said there is no ques-tion that a college degree is the best investment for young people who are prepared academically.

A college graduate makes on average $1,100 per week vs. a high school graduate’s $651 per week. Over the course of a lifetime, that translates to $2.3 million in earnings vs. $1.3 million.

However, Lacker said, the 40 percent of students who start college but don’t finish are only marginally better off than high

school graduates. They earn, on average 15 percent more than high school graduates compared to 83 percent more for college graduates.

Many of the students who drop out of college do not under-stand that they are ill-prepared for college-level work, and would be better off attending commu-nity colleges to improve their skills, or consider a trade school or apprenticeship, he said. The

average debt load for college dropouts is $14,000, which puts them further behind.

On the other hand, he noted that students from poor families sometimes have the necessary academic abilities, but overes-timate the cost of college and underestimate the availability of financial aid.

SOBE climbs to No. 10 in nationTHE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

and Economics (SOBE)

is ranked by Leadership

Excellence magazine as

one of the best leadership

development programs in the

nation. The rankings place

SOBE 10th in the “Education/

Universities/Schools of Business

and Management” category

with more than 150 schools

competing. SOBE’s ranking

jumped from 22 last year.

“Workforce development is a long-term vaccine to make workers more resilient.” — Jeffrey Lacker

http://www.lynchburg.edu/school-business-and-economics-sobe

http://www.lynchburg.edu/school-business-and-economics-sobe

6 LC MAGAZINE Fall 2014 AGING CONFERENCE PHOTOS BY JOHN MCCORMICK; HAND ILLUSTRATION, THINKSTOCK; MICHAEL KIMMEL PHOTO BY MIKAEL LUNDGREN; GUYLAND ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS PETERSON

THE BEARD CENTER ON AGING’S annual

conference drew more than 400 partic-

ipants in June. One of the largest aging

conferences in the state, it offered 24

workshops on a variety of topics related

to positive aging advocacy, Alzheimer’s

disease and related dementia, and pro-

fessional development. Beard Center

Director Denise Scruggs said commu-

nity sponsors (the Centra Foundation,

Centra Mental Health Services, and

Centra Rehabilitation and Senior Care

Services) are crucial to the success of

the conference.

WE Write for Successas young peopLe spend less time reading and more time texting, crucial writing skills are disappearing, according to professors attending the first “WE Write for Success” workshop for faculty in May. The workshop stressed that the first step in improving student writing is engaging stu-dents in a thoughtful writing process.

The new Writing Enriched (WE) Write for Success program will require the Class of 2017 and subsequent classes to take 17 hours of WE classes to graduate, with at least one class in their major, said Dr. Dan Lang, professor of political science and the director of the WE program. Part of the College’s Quality Enhancement Program, WE Write for Success was named by the LC student chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

The College has hired writing consultant Judy Strang to work with faculty, often individually, to create methods for im-proving their assignments and assessments

of writing. She said it’s critical to give feedback before the first draft of a paper. She also discouraged the use of the word “rough” to describe a first draft because in her words, “That’s what you’ll get.

“Learning to work with student writ-ers as they write is a new idea for many instructors,” Strang said. ”They need to begin by being friendly readers, not judges — many aren’t used to that.”

Faculty are also encouraged to send students to the Wilmer Writing Center, and many already do. Writing Center Director Jeremy Bryant ’03, ’10 MA said his tutors are well trained and come from a variety of disciplines. While most students who come to the center say they need grammatical help, he said tutors are able to help them see the many areas they need to improve. Tutors, however, do not rewrite papers or even write comments on them. They serve as writing coaches.

Around the Dell

Denise Scruggs

Adventures in GUYLAND

ADULTS FEAR THAT CHILDREN

are exposed to too much too

soon, but it’s also true that we

wonder if they will ever grow up.

Dr. Michael Kimmel, world-re-

nowned scholar on men and masculin-

ity and Distinguished Professor of Sociology at

the Stony Brook University in New York, studies

this paradox. He spoke in April at the invitation

of Dr. Beth Savage, assistant professor of En-

glish, who is attempting to expand the dialogue

about sexual assault education on campus.

In 1904, the term “adolescence” was coined

to describe the period between childhood and

adulthood, roughly age 18-20. Kimmel said

adulthood was defined by five characteristics:

the completion of education, moving out of

the parental home, marriage, parenthood, and

going to work. In 1950, the average age of

marriage was 21.2 years. Now it’s 28.6 and 40

percent of college graduates move back into

their parents’ house — and not just for the

summer, Dr. Kimmel said.

“Most of you will hit adulthood by 30,” he

told his audience, many of them male students.

“I call it ‘Guyland.’”

Kimmel’s book, Guyland: The Perilous World

Where Boys Become Men, explores the reasons

for this delayed adulthood. Today’s college stu-

dents should live, on average, until age 94, and

who wants to be married that long, Dr. Kimmel

Fall 2014 LC MAGAZINE 7PHOTO BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Early learning should be inclusiveone mornIng each week, a group of about 15 two- to five-year-olds rushes through the door in Brewer Townhouse for an hour and a half of play. They don’t know how many things they are learning.

“They are getting opportunities to in-teract with other people. Social skills are defined within us by 5 or 6,” said Gerin Martin ’09 MEd, an LC alumna and Lynchburg City Schools early childhood special education teacher who directs the play group. Martin was named Lynchburg Teacher of the Year in May.

The children are a diverse group, some with developmental delays and some with-out, and they get along just fine as they sit on a mat with Martin singing songs and clapping hands. Later they break into smaller groups to play with miniature trains and blocks or paint. They learn that not everybody is the same, Martin said, and they are making friendships and becoming more vocal.

“It’s all about the interaction with the kids,” said Jessica “Jessie” Bayne ’13, a graduate student in the counseling pro-gram. “I have learned how to manage con-flict between children.”

Leah Horton, also a graduate student in counseling, wants to be an elementary school counselor. “This has been great for me to work with the parents as well as the children,” she said.

A parent or guardian of the children with developmental delays is required to attend to learn how to make play more productive and interactive.

“This has been awesome,” said Kim Hib-

bard, who brought John to the play group all last year. “What I learn here, I take home. Catching them early is key.”

Hibbard has custody of John, a lively three-year-old who runs in giant circles around the room. “He’s come a long way since starting with Hutcherson,” she said. “He’s learned to share.”

The program is a collaboration between LC and Hutcherson Early Learning Cen-ter, the Lynchburg City Schools’ preschool program for students with special needs. LC provides a free space for the play group, while also having a great space for LC un-dergraduate and graduate students to gain skills, said Merrill Tolbert, associate pro-fessor in the School of Education. “We’re doing something that’s research-based,” she said. “There’s a lot of modeling for active learning, as well as implementing challeng-ing behavior plans.”

Eric Grossman ’15, a teacher education major and US Air Force veteran who came to LC on the Post 9/11 GI Bill, said the pro-gram is part of his search to find the best career match. “I’m learning how to react with the younger ones,” he said, just before a tiny boy plopped in his lap to read. As head soccer coach at Heritage High School, Eric said he has been leaning toward work-ing at the high school level, but he wants to explore all options.

Lisa Thaxton ’14, an elementary edu-cation major, worked with the play group for her practicum. She said the program is great preparation for the children and it has also helped her focus. “I’ve learned I want to work with little kids,” she said.

Gerin Martin ’09 MEd at work with the playgroup

asked. It’s also much harder to have a lasting

career. Today’s graduates will change not just

jobs, but careers, two to three times. Finally, he

said, changes in parenting have a huge impact.

“Helicopter” parents reduce young people’s re-

silience, make them more risk-adverse, and turn

them into adult pleasers, he said.

While women’s lives have changed tremen-

dously in the last 40 years, they still work the

second shift at home, virtually unaided by their

spouses, Dr. Kimmel said. At the same time,

the definition of manhood remains unchanged.

Manhood requires “no sissy stuff, being a big

wheel, being a sturdy oak, and living on the

edge,” he said.

Young men also set standards that are

impossible for women. They either conform

to the male ideal of “babes” or don’t, and

are “bitches,” he said. “Women have a false

choice.”

So the “hook-up” generation still favors

men. In a survey of 20,000 college students,

hooking up always involved alcohol, as well as

an orgasm gap, Dr. Kimmel said. While two-

thirds of men reported achieving orgasm, only

one-third of women did.

Dr. Kimmel said adults are to blame for turn-

ing college students loose without guidance.

The tension between what makes a “good

man” and a “real man” continues, he said. Sex-

ual assault awareness needs to be a constant

and not something on a first-year orientation

checklist, he said.

Steve Koudelka, coach of the men’s lacrosse

team, agrees. He encouraged his players to

attend the lecture and most of them did. “We

talk a lot to our guys about being a man,” he

said.

A regular on CNN, Dr. Kimmel is author

or editor of more than 20 volumes; his books

include Changing Men: New Directions in Re-

search on Men and Masculinity (1987), Men

Confront Pornography (1990), The Politics of

Manhood (1996), The Gender of Desire (2005),

and The History of Men (2005).

WEB EXCLUSIVE Listen to Michael Kimmel’s full talk at lynchburg.edu/fall2014

8 LC MAGAZINE Fall 2014 PHOTO BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Around the Dell

eLIzabeth “LIz” koehLIng ’15 was one of 20 students nationwide selected to attend the 2014 Student Leadership Workshop by the In-stitute for Collegiate Sports Medicine in May in Long Beach, California.

Liz was one of two athletic training students chosen to represent District III (Washington, D.C., Maryland, North Carolina, South Caro-lina, Virginia, and West Virginia), and she had to go through a rigorous application process that included writing essays about leadership and suggestions to improve the athletic training profession.

“This workshop allowed Liz to interact di-rectly with current and previous leaders within the field of athletic training,” said Dr. Debbie Bradney, associate professor of athletic training. “The connections she makes will be priceless when pursuing graduate school and jobs. I be-lieve being selected for this Student Leadership Workshop illustrates Liz’s current leadership abilities, but also provides an opportunity to im-prove on these skills.”

“The point of leadership is to notice problems and make changes,” Liz said, adding that in her chosen field, the name is a problem. Athletic trainers bristle if you call them trainers, which she said implies personal trainers. “I call myself an emergency physical therapist to most people who don’t understand,” she said.

This year, Liz is working with men’s lacrosse. During the summer, she had an athletic training internship with the US Naval Academy in An-napolis, an easy commute from her hometown of Columbia, Maryland. She said another LC student helped her pursue the internship.

Liz found out about the College from her sister, Katie, a 2011 graduate. “I love everything about this place,” Liz said. “It really is a good fit for me.”

LC takes four awards at Model UN 2014

LC STUDENTS WON FOUR awards at

the National Model United Nations

2014 in New York City: two Out-

standing Position Paper Awards, one

Outstanding Delegates in Committee

Award for the UN Environment Pro-

gramme (UNEP) Committee, and an

Honorable Mention Award for the

entire LC Delegation representing the

Republic of the Philippines.

“I am terribly proud of my stu-

dents,” said Dr. Sabita Manian,

professor of international relations.

“Every one of them did a terrific job

both in their position papers (written

assignment) as well as in their various

speeches and caucusing during the

simulations — displaying their leader-

ship skills and preparedness.”

This simulation, organized by

the National Model United Nations

organization, included nearly 2,500

students in the session LC attended.

The students spent the semester pre-

paring to represent the Philippines in

the UN simulations. The delegation

also attended a briefing session with

the Permanent Mission of the Philip-

pines to the UN.

The students were: Medardo

“Tony” Ayala, Mariah Brockel-

bank, Courtenay Buckley, Kevin

Conley, Kelsey Cute, Taylor

Decker, Tory Dollesin, Taylor

Durham, Maggie Flynn, Andrea

Herrera, Ashlyn Lindsay, Melissa

Micek, Claire Nadolski, Jamie

Nakoa, T.J. O’Neal, Sal Onofrio,

Andrew Powers, Daniel Sweeney,

and Si Thu Tun.

Opportunity to lead

“The point of leadership is to notice problems and make changes.”

— Liz Koehling ’15

Fall 2014 LC MAGAZINE 9C.C. PEDDLE PHOTOS BY VAST::VASTACTION.COM; ST. BALDRICK'S AND RELAY FOR LIFE PHOTOS BY JOHN MCCORMICK

She’s got slope styleWHEN CHANDLER “C.C.” PEDDLE ’17

earned a bronze medal at the USA Snow-

board Association Nationals at Copper

Mountain, Colorado earlier this month, the

announcer was surprised to see she was

from Chesapeake, Va. “Do they have snow

there?” he asked.

C.C. told him there is snow in Chesa-

peake, but she does her training at Winter-

green, just up the road from LC. During the

winter, C.C. spends seven hours a day on

the slopes, practicing her “slopestyle” skills,

which include rails and jumps.

“It’s my little escape from schoolwork,”

she said. “It’s like walking to me.”

C.C. said her father was a “boarder” and

she has been skateboarding, surfing, and

snowboarding since she was eight years old.

To reach the national competition, C.C.

had to win the Appalachian region and then

face 50 competitors in Colorado. It was her

third trip to nationals, and the third time

proved to be the charm. She said it’s nice for

an East Coast competitor to do well.

As an instructor at Wintergreen, C.C.

said LC is a great choice. “I love it,” she said.

“All the professors are super helpful.”

An environmental studies major, C.C.

says the Olympics may be in her future, but

mostly, she just loves snowboarding.

Fight for the cureSTUDENTS SHAVED THEIR HEADS and raised $23,549 for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, an

organization dedicated to conquering childhood cancer. They also stayed up all night at

Relay for Life to raise $23,090 for the American Cancer Society.


Dr. Pat Aronson, professor of athletic training, is the lead author of “Medial Tibiofem-oral-Joint Stiffness in Males and Females Across the Lifespan,” published in the April edition of the Journal of Athletic Training.

Dr. Thomas Bowman, as-sociate professor of athletic training, presented on helmet research at National Athletic Trainers’ Association Clinical Symposia in Indianapolis in June. He was invited to speak as part of the Johnson & Johnson Feature Presen-tation.

Dr. Brian Crim, associate professor of history, wrote a book titled, Antisemitism in the German Military Commu-

nity and the Jewish Response, 1914-1938, which was pub-lished by Lexington Books.

Dr. Elizabeth Farnsworth ’80, ’84 MEd, assistant professor of counselor educa-tion, received the Counselor Education Award from the Lynchburg Area Counselors Association, a chapter of the Virginia Counselors Associ-ation.

Dr. John Eric Goff, pro-fessor of physics, continues to be sought after for his knowledge of the intersection of sports and physics. He wrote an article for Discov-ery News, the science and technology website for The Discovery Channel about the science behind modern

soccer ball dynamics done in wind-tunnel experiments. For his knowledge about the new Brazuca soccer ball used in the World Cup, he did interviews on All Things Con-sidered with Melissa Block on National Public Radio (NPR), Soccer.com, and WPOV in Washington, D.C. He also wrote a piece for

Around the Dell

Maroon MedalistPRESIDENT KENNETH R. GARREN was

awarded the Roanoke College Medal for

outstanding contributions to the college

and professional accomplishments. This

medal, the highest honor given to alumni

of the college, recognizes Roanoke

graduates who have demonstrated

leadership, intellectual integrity, and a

dedication to serving their communities.

A 1962 graduate of Roanoke College, Dr.

Garren later returned to his alma mater

for 34 years before becoming president of

LC in 2001. Dr. Garren received the medal

from Roanoke College President Michael C.

Maxey (right) and was accompanied by his

wife Sheila.

FACULTYNews

DR. ROBIN BATES, associate professor of

English, was one of four finalists for the

American Shakespeare Center’s “Words in

Action” award, which recognizes teachers

who have inspired their students to

appreciate Shakespeare.

SHAKESPEARE ILLUSTRATION, THINKSTOCK; GARREN PHOTO COURTESY OF ROANOKE COLLEGE / BRENDAN BUSH

Live Mint, a newspaper in New Delhi, India with an affiliation with The Wall Street Journal, which was distributed worldwide.

Dr. Charlotte Guynes, professor of health pro-motion, received the College/University Health Education Professional of the Year Award from the Southern District AAH-PERD (American Alliance for Health, Physical Ed-

ucation, Recreation and Dance), which

covers 17 states from Texas

to Virginia. Her areas of profes-sional in-terest and research include sleep disorders,

caffeine, bone density disorders, HIV/AIDS, Chronic Fatigue Syn-drome, and child/family violence.

Laura Marello, professor of English, was one of 10 finalists selected by Narra-tive, a major online fiction magazine, in its fall 2013 story contest for her novel excerpt, The Lighthouse Murders.

Wendy Miles ’90, assistant professor of English, won the 2014 Patricia Dobler Poetry Award for her poem, “Float” from among 560 entries.

Richard Pumphrey ’74, professor of art, created the bust of Bob Slaughter, the D-Day veteran largely responsible for the creation of the National D-Day

memorial in Bedford, Virginia. The bust was unveiled on Memorial Day and was viewed on D-Day by more than 7,500 people who attended a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the battle.

Dr. Barbara Rothermel, director of the Daura Gallery, earned her PhD in museum studies from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom. There is no PhD in museum studies in the US; she is just the second American student to be awarded a PhD in museum studies from Leicester. The mu-seum studies program at Leicester has been named the outstanding research program among all UK universities. Her disser-tation subject was the university art museum and

interdisciplinary faculty collaboration. She has also been elected to the board of directors of ICOM-UMAC, the University Museums and Collections branch of the International Council of Museums.

Dr. Beth Savage, associ-ate professor of English, has received a Chawton House Library Fellowship in conjunction with the University of Southampton (England) for October 2014.

Dr. Mike Schnur, assistant professor of economics, earned his PhD in finance from Northcentral Univer-sity in Arizona. His disser-tation was on the impact of globalization on inflation expectations in the treasury yield curve.

PHOTOS BY JOHN MCCORMICK

FACULTY & STAFF

Awards

Dr. Sabita Manian, Thomas C. Allen Award for Excellence in Academic Advising

Dr. Elza Tiner, professor of English, Shirley E. Rosser Award for Excellence in Teaching

Dr. Eric Goff, James A. Huston Award for Excellence in Scholarship

Dr. Jeanne Booth, Elsie Ervin Bock Award for Excellence in Citizenship

Mary B. Walker and Karen Zongrone, Susan M. Nichols Memorial Service Award

Gertrude Brown, Minnie Johnson Campus Service Support Award

Jennifer Hunter, Lois Daniel Office/Administrative/Technical Support Award

Carolyn Gilley and Boyce Hamlet, Iva Burford Administrative/Managerial/Leadership Award

(Pictured, top left to bottom right: Manian, Tiner, Goff, Zongrone, Hunter, Gilley, Hamlet)

DR. LAURA LONG,

Geraldine Lyon Owen

Professor of English, pub-

lished her first novel, Out

of Peel Tree, with West

Virginia University Press.

Dr. Long received early

praise for the work,

which was recom-

mended by the Oprah

Book Club as a book

that “every joy-seeking

woman needs to read.”

Dr. Long’s chapbook of

poems, The Eye of Car-

oline Herschel: A Life in

Poems, was nominated

for a Pushcart Prize by

the Pushcart Prize Edito-

rial Board.

DR. MIKE ROBINSON,

professor of communi-

cation studies, wrote a

chapter, “Alan Moore

and Dave Gibbon’s

Watchmen,” which ap-

peared in Critical Insights:

The Graphic Novel, edited

by Gary Hoppenstand

and published by Salem

Press.


BO OKSHELF


THE MEN’S INDOOR TRACK and field team captured its 17th straight

Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) title, and the first under head coach Zach Haupt. The 28th championship in program history was highlighted by a slew of career bests. Haupt was named Coach of the Meet. Hornet sophomore Tom Sippie won the 400-meter dash in the conference meet on his way to becoming national champion at the 2014 Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships (see story on page 37).

The Hornets also captured the ODAC men’s outdoor track and field crown, their sixth-straight. LC was represented by three athletes at the 2014 Outdoor Track and Field

Nationals. Tom Sippie and Rachad Davis ’14 qualified for the men, while Kim Alfaro ’16 qualified for the women to join an elite group of Division III competitors.

With a preseason national top-10 ranking, the men’s lacrosse team won 17 games, tying the school record, and won the ODAC cham-pionship. Included in those victories were eight conference wins, the top mark for the program. LC marched into the second round of the national tournament for the third-straight year after defeating Sewanee in the first round, 25-4. Head Coach Steve Koudelka earned his 200th career win in mid-March, spanning 18 seasons. Senior defender Jon Gill ended his incredible career with first-team

All-American honors and the All-State Player of the Year award.

In other action

THE HORNET SOFTBALL TEAM had a spectacular 2014 campaign, post-

ing a 31-16 record and advancing into the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second-straight season. LC finished second in the regular season in the highly competitive ODAC. The women posted a nine-game win-ning streak in April against conference foes. Senior second baseman Melanie Tenney was voted the ODAC’s Softball ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Three ODAC championships

Jon Gill ’14

WEB CASTS

Watch the Hornets’ home games LIVE at athletics.lynchburg.edu/information/webcasts

PHOTOS BY SIDELINE MEDIA PRODUCTIONS

MANNY HERNANDEZ ’14 signed to play pro-

fessional basketball this fall in the LNBP – Liga

Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (National

Professional Basketball league), the top league in

Mexico, which was founded in 2000 with 11 teams

and now has 24. Despite its short history, the LNBP

has established itself as one of the most important

basketball leagues in Latin America. Hernandez

has signed to play for the Tampico Huracanes.

Famous players from the league include Jamario

Moon, Dennis Rodman, Sun Ming Ming, and Hora-

cio Llamas. Hernandez had a solid senior campaign

for the Hornets, earning second-team All-ODAC

honors for the second-straight year. He averaged

16.1 points per game to lead the team, and scored

his 1,000th-career point in February.

JON GILL ’14 will be working for English Lacrosse

and the Sheffield Club (England) as the local de-

velopment officer. He will be living in Sheffield

and coaching youth and university programs while

playing for the club on weekends throughout the

United Kingdom. The position started at the end

of August and runs through the end of May 2015.

While there, Jon will also be playing for a UK na-

tional travel team, which competes internationally.

>>Jobs abroad

Manny Hernandez ’14

and also earned first-team All-At-lantic Region First-Team honors. The two-sport athlete concludes her Hornet playing career after earning All-American honors in field hockey in the fall.

Hope Johnson ’15 and Danielle Powell ’16 had the opportunity to show off their skills against the USA National Softball Team as part of a Central Virginia All-Star Team that squared off with Team USA in Lynchburg’s City Stadium in June. Johnson tossed five innings against the national team, composed of the best current and former Division I players in the country. She allowed just two earned runs over that span.

Powell played both in right field and third base in the doubleheader. She displayed her strong arm in the field and hit the ball hard against the best pitchers in the nation.

The men’s basketball team finished the season with an overall record of 17-9 and a 10-6 mark in the conference. The fourth-place finish was the highest the team has placed in the league in more than 20 years. The LC women’s basketball squad ended the season 16-11, including a 12-4 record in ODAC play. The 12 conference victories are the most for the Hornets under the tenure of coach Abby Pyzik ’04, and the most for the program since 2007-08. LC earned the No. 3 seed in the ODAC Tournament and ad-vanced to the tournament semifinal for the second straight year.

Melanie Tenney ’14



LC’s winningest coach retiresBY SHANNON BRENNAN

“I only went to college because of track,” said Jack, the first in his family to pursue higher education. A sprinter and jumper at nearby Bedford High School, Jack was recruited by track coach Aubrey Moon ’56. Jack was soon setting school records, and it didn’t take long before his aspirations grew beyond increasing his speed and height.

“I would write in my textbook, ‘Dr. Jack M. Toms’ — as a junior,” he said.

After graduating from LC with a degree in physical education, he got a teaching/coach-ing job at Bassett High School. He also started work on his master’s in curriculum and instruction at the University of Virginia.

In the meantime, he was assigned to do a public school census and “a good looking woman caught his eye.” After two days of knocking on doors together to count school-children, Jack asked her out. He and Theresa were married a year later, in 1972.

His new wife soon found out what long hours Jack’s job as coach, and later athletic director, would require. “I missed a lot of

When freshman Jack Toms ’69 showed up for his first away

track meet, he carried his clothes in a brown paper Kroger bag because he could not afford a proper travel bag.

AS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

170+ All-Americans

100+ ODAC Championships

13 Academic All-Americans

5 NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships

PERSONAL

US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame, 2010

Dedication of the Jack M. Toms ’69 Track on Shellenberger Field, 2010

Virginia Military Institute’s Walt Cormack Track & Field Award, 1995

Lynchburg College Athletic Hall of Fame, 1988

the kids’ growing up,” he said. “Doing two full-time jobs is tough.”

Jack and Theresa have two sons, and The-resa, a full-time teacher, had to do a lot of solo parenting.

“She’s been a real trooper and a good ad-viser,” Jack said. “I depend on her and she depends on me. I think we’ve become a very, very good team.”

It turns out Jack would spend a lifetime developing good teams. He applied for a coaching job at Waynesboro High School and was one of the youngest and least experienced people of the 51 under consideration, so he boldly told his prospective employers that if they hired him, he would deliver a state cham-pionship within three years. He got the job.

Jack started both the cross country and indoor track programs, and within just two years, his indoor team took the state title. In 1977, his team won the largest track meet east of the Mississippi. In Waynesboro, track was bigger than football and the publicity gave Jack and Theresa a level of notoriety they both enjoyed.

But Jack’s junior-year aspirations to earn a PhD persisted and they moved so he could attend West Virginia University to pursue his PhD in sports management and educational leadership.

Jack started to look for coaching jobs at the NCAA Division I level, but a persistent LC coach had other plans. “Aubrey called me every week for a whole semester,” he said. Jack took the track coaching job in 1979 and taught graduate classes at night. “I was going to stay here three years,” he said.

Famous last wordsJack’s office walls are plastered with plaques,

certificates, and photos — reminders of his many victories in 35 years at LC, including 31 years as coach and 25 as athletic director. When he retired at the end of the 2013-14 year, Jack had a lot of reminiscing to do.

There are many numerical ways to record Jack’s successes, but he likes to emphasize ac-complishments beyond the win/loss record.

“I treat all athletes and all sports the same,” he said, adding that so far, he can remember the name of everyone he has ever coached.

“No sport is more important than the others.”“You hire good people,” he said. “You get

the best coach you can get and you let them do their job. You don’t micromanage, but support them from behind.” Jack sent his

coaches to clinics and recognized jobs well done. He moved his department to a coach model so coaches no longer teach, but focus on their teams.

Under Jack’s tenure, the College expanded its athletic training program to include four full-time athletic trainers.

LC screens all its athletes with an ECG to make sure they have no hidden heart problems.

Jack added a full-time strength and condi-tioning coach for all the teams.

He started a game manager program that recruits faculty and staff to patrol games and matches to maintain order and to promote support for athletics.

He worked closely with enrollment to attract quality athletes and students. In 1994, only 29 percent of LC athletes made a 3.0 or higher. Now it’s 60 percent. “The GPAs of student athletes are higher here,” he said. “I’m real proud of that academic side.”

There’s also a lot of pressure to win, and Jack said his coaches deliver.

“We’re out there and winning and people want to be a part of that,” he said, adding that most of our teams are capable of winning an ODAC championship, while several routinely do. “We have national recognition. We’ve moved from a Virginia school to a national program.”

His coaches uniformly respect all that Jack has done for the College and for them indi-vidually. “He taught me how to be an athlete, how to be a professional, how to be a coach, how to treat people, and how to be honest with people, and for that I will be forever grateful,” said Steve Smith ’97, ’99 MEd, the strength and conditioning coach.

Jack said he will miss his colleagues, but is looking forward to traveling with his wife and visiting his sons and grandson. He will also keep an eye on his successor. “I want the next AD to do better,” he said.

“He taught me how to be an athlete, how to be a professional, how to

be a coach, how to treat people, and how to be honest with people …"

— Steve Smith ’97, ’99 MEd

TOMS'TOPS



A N E W B R A N D , A N E W L O O K , A C L E A R M E S S A G E

LC’s ropes course provides opportunities for hands-on learning.


Opportunitiesfor life

Our brand is our promise. It explains why the Lynchburg College experience is valuable. Conveying the essence of our new brand is the phrase, Opportunities for life, which promises students they will have numerous chances to Discover, Connect, and Achieve, both during their college years and for the rest of their lives.


After two years of intense and collaborative work that engaged faculty, staff, and students, the College Mar-keting Committee developed this new brand platform to define the College’s overall branding strategy and provide the framework to consistently commu-nicate what differentiates our institu-tion in the marketplace.

Our real and longstanding com-mitment to community sets us apart. The success of our students, faculty, and graduates around the world is a testament to the enduring value of the Lynchburg College experience.

“Opportunities for life” also reflects LC’s reputation — who we are and what people think of us. It matters because it influences the decisions people make about enrolling, working, donating, or even volunteering at Lynchburg College.

The “Opportunities for life” message will be used consistently in the coming weeks and months on the website and in advertising, brochures, publications, visuals, and videos — all of which are aimed at sharing and celebrating the College’s distinctiveness, innovations, accomplishments, and plans for the future.

The process of creating a new mes-sage was a serious undertaking that involved research, discovery, creativity, collaboration, and a lot of hard work.

“The challenge of the College’s Marketing Committee was to focus on the connection between our core values and the needs and expectations of our target audiences,” said Deborah Blanchard, director of College Com-munications and Marketing. “Tackling that meant articulating what LC stands for, what sets it apart, and what makes it the special place it is.”

Marketing professor Dr. Stefan Nicovich agrees. “The branding pro-cess is a distillation process. We had to take all of the different things that an organization like this does and distill them into clean, clear pieces of mean-ing.” These were expressed in three key words — Discover, Connect, and Achieve, which form the foundation of the brand and illustrate its personality.

“While Discover and Achieve work for just about any college, the word Con-nect is LC’s lynchpin,” Dr. Nicovich explained. “You can discover and achieve through your connections here, and that’s a big deal. Instead of a huge amorphous message, we now have something that is pointed and clear and will have a greater impact.”

President Kenneth Garren is already using the new branding in his presen-tations to prospective students and parents. “It is a wonderful message,” he enthused. “When I first heard it, I thought about how my presentation

fits into the three brand categories — Discover, Connect, Achieve. I also like the fact that this message puts respon-sibility on the students: What will you do, how will you take advantage of the opportunities at Lynchburg College?”

Dr. Garren is also pleased that the branding process was done by mem-bers of the LC community rather than an outside company. “The creativity on this campus and the freedom for all sectors to express their views are fan-tastic,” he said. “I didn’t see the cake baked, but I am enjoying eating it.”

Steve Arnold, former vice president for College Communications and Marketing, initiated the branding proj-ect and guided the committee through-out the process. “He kept us on track,” said Deborah Blanchard, “and never lost sight of the goal.”

“I am happy with the outcome,” said Dr. Lesley Friedman, the John Mills Turner Distinguished Chair in the Humanities and professor of philoso-phy, who also served on the committee.

“The new brand says a good deal; it’s very well-rounded and not clichéd. I think it will serve us well.”

From the beginning, the Committee was aware that it had to approach the branding process from an outside-in perspective, not inside-out. “The Col-lege has a very important audience, and I realized that I’m not that audience,”

DiscoverConnect

Achieve

The College has a very important audience, and I realized that I’m not that audience,” said Dr. Lesley Friedman. “We are not talking to professors; we are trying to communicate with teens and their parents.”

“O P P O R T U N I T I E S F O R L I F E


Lynchburg College is a nationally

recognized academic and res-

idential community that offers

students a challenging curriculum

of liberal arts and professional

programs combined with broad-

based internships, study abroad,

research, leadership, community

service, and athletic opportunities.

Students benefit from their en-

gagement with faculty, staff, and

alumni in a diverse community

that leads to exemplary academic,

social, personal, and spiritual

growth. Our graduates succeed in

the global marketplace.

Our positioning statement

Dr. Friedman said. “We are not talking to professors; we are trying to com-municate with teens and their parents. They have very realistic goals and seri-ous concerns, so we have to translate our message into something that really captures their attention and draws them in. I think our new brand does just that.”

Rita Detwiler, vice president for enrollment, agrees. “We have to have a message that is honest and impres-sive,” she said. “Families are not going to look at us otherwise. I believe this brand will give us clarity in the mar-ketplace. When we say Lynchburg College, people will recognize who we are and connect value to LC.

“I loved the level of collaboration,” she continued. “It was so interesting to hear the perspectives of faculty, staff, and students, and particularly staff who live and work with students. It was incredibly beneficial. And the fact that we could all come to agreement was amazing. I think the branding pro-cess is reflective of the LC community, because collaboration and cooperation are really a part of this campus. Other colleges talk about it, but here, it is really true.”

LC’s brand is its story, and telling this story effectively will take commit-ment and consistency throughout the LC community.


e|disk ev r|Dis•cov•erverbFind something or someone unexpectedly or in the course of a search.

Dr. David Lipani has taught English—and more—to generations of students.


Aaron Moyer, Emily Bergman, and Roni Laroque prove the power of discovery.

Stories by Shannon Brennan n Photos by John McCormick

22 LC MAGAZINE Fall 201422 LC MAGAZINE Fall 2014

Aaron Moyer’s aspiration to be a lawyer changed after a study abroad program in South Africa.

“I want to heLp people,” said Aaron, who graduated in May, and hopes to go into international diplo-macy or policy. “South Africa defi-nitely changed my career path.”

While in South Africa, the group — led by Dr. David Lipani, professor of English, and Dr. Lindsay Michie, assistant professor of history — did community service work in schools and health care settings, including preparing food, gardening, picking up trash, and working with AIDS patients in the townships. Aaron said the experience helped him realize how privileged he is.

For the first time in his life, Aaron felt the sting of racism when he and white members of the group were not allowed into an all-black night club.

“I learned a lot more about human beings because of apartheid,” Aaron said. “It’s not over. It’s still going on.”

Aaron said the South Africa trip was a good balance between studying difficult history and current events and having fun on safaris.

South Africa was Aaron’s third study abroad program at LC. He said his first trip to Rome over the winter break sophomore year was a good

opportunity to fill an art credit. “I learned to appreciate photography,” he said. “We did a lot of on-the-street photography.”

Aaron didn’t feel like he was exposed to a truly different culture, however, until he went on the study abroad program to Vietnam. He was amazed by the reception his group received.

“The Vietnamese have every reason to hate us,” he said, “but they treated us genuinely and with such kindness.”

Aaron also appreciated the food, adding that mountain goat was his favorite. “Every single meal we would get a different fish — head, eyeballs, and all,” he said. “All the meals were shared. You never got your own dish. It makes eating food more personable.

“It made me never want to come back to the United States. The people were amazing.”

The Vietnam trip was also led by Dr. Lipani, whom Aaron calls

“probably the best mentor I’ve had at the school. He’s always up for new experiences.”

But then, so is Aaron. “Among his many fine qualities, what I admire most about Aaron is his wholehearted participation in everything we do,” Dr. Lipani said. “He truly immerses himself in the culture, showing inter-est in everything that’s new to him ... even to the point of learning, then

energetically singing, native songs and dancing to their music. He fits himself into the natural and human environ-ments, soaking them in with relish.”

A political science and international relations major, Aaron hails from Newark, Delaware, and found out about LC from his high school coun-selor, who suggested that it would be a good fit because of Aaron’s interest in environmental science. Once Aaron started taking politics classes, however, he knew he wanted to pur-sue a different path.

Aaron did his senior thesis on the Egyptian revolution with Dr. Marek Payerhin, professor of political science, as his mentor. Aaron was pleased that his thesis was accepted for presentation at three conferences at Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Kentucky, and LC.

After graduation, Aaron planned to take Arabic classes because he would like to work in the Middle East.

Aaron said all his LC experiences gave him a global perspective, but travel topped the list. “Study abroad really helped me get a better view of the world and get out of my first world,” he said.

South Africa spurs a new career path

Fall 2014 LC MAGAZINE 23Fall 2014 LC MAGAZINE 23

I want to help people,” said Aaron, who graduated in May, and hopes to go into international diplomacy or policy. “South Africa definitely changed my career path.”

“


Emily Bergman ’15 says she grew up in a conservative, working class family in Dagsboro, Delaware, as the oldest of six children.

“we got everythIng we needed, not necessarily everything we wanted,” she said.

Like most children, Emily accepted her parents’ beliefs. At LC, however, she says her exposure to issues rang-ing from gay rights to the death pen-alty has opened her eyes. “I learned to find my voice,” she said.

No longer a passive listener, she shares her opinions with her parents, and though they might not agree with her, they listen.

Finding her voice and expanding her mind

A member of the Westover Honors Program, Emily was attracted to LC because of its economic crime investi-gation program. Dr. Kevin Peterson, professor of math, encouraged her to become a math major.

“I didn’t realize I loved math until I got here,” Emily said. “I appreciate the beauty of math.”

Fellow students appreciate how well she tutors them as a PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) Leader. “I re-ally like working with students, espe-cially in math and science,” she said.

Emily’s natural inclination as an educator has led her to focus on educa-tion as a member of the Bonner Leader Program. Bonner Leaders spend two to three years working in the community on educational opportunities, hunger and homelessness, environmental con-cerns, and youth development.

“I’ve always been in service,” Emily said. “I couldn’t imagine my college experience without service.”

Emily has worked with less priv-ileged preschoolers on motor and vocal skills and with high school stu-dents on math and SAT preparation. At an area elementary school, she is the coach for Girls on the Run, a program that works on self-esteem and physical fitness. “These girls have taught me more than I could teach them,” she said.

She also worked with the local Rebuilding Together organization, which rehabilitates houses, and likes knowing she helped people stay in their homes.

“Emily’s the kind of student that Bonner was created to support,” said Associate Chaplain Anne Gibbons, who heads the Bonner Program.

“She just thrives on finding opportu-nities to excel and to then ‘pay it for-ward’ to help ensure other youth have similar opportunities.”

In addition to being a math tutor and volunteering eight to 10 hours a week for Bonner, Emily is a member of PACE (Peer Advocates for Cam-pus Education) and helps students make positive personal choices re-garding alcohol, sex, and wellness.

Emily says LC lives up to its rep-utation of being a close-knit com-munity that offers a diverse set of experiences.

“A lot of the professors would go out of the way to do anything for us,” she said. “All of the opportunities I have here have been a blessing in my life.”

A lot of the professors would go out of the way to do anything for us,” she said. “All of the opportunities I have here have been a blessing in my life.”

“


Roniann “Roni” LaRoque ’12 says her four years at Lynchburg prepared her for the unex-pected in Paraguay.

“now LookIng back, I can see that Lynchburg was the perfect platform for setting me up and shaping me into being a successful Peace Corps volunteer,” she said in an email from her post.

“The relationships I created with my professors, my friends, the Lynchburg staff, and community have forever im-pacted me and still teach me today.”

A communications major with a minor in environmental studies, Roni has been in Paraguay as a community health volunteer for a year and a half.

“Living in such a different culture can be very challenging as well as rewarding,” she said. “I am living in a foreign environment, speaking a foreign language, and working with a different social class of people. I am continually reminded of the impor-tance of communications.

“I find myself recalling theories and concepts from my communication classes. I remember my professor, Dr. Candace Todd, telling me in a lecture that ‘our ability to communicate is our most important tool; it is always with us and we carry it wherever we go.’ That has stuck with me.”

The idea of joining the Peace Corps came from her advisor, Dr. Cheryl Jorgensen‑Earp. Roni said she is grateful for the guidance she received from all her professors.

“They modeled for me how to have an open mind and look at cultures different from mine with enthusiasm,” she said. “It was at LC that I learned the importance of volunteering and reaching into our communities either locally or globally to make a difference. Learning from them has enriched my life and given more opportunities than I ever could have imagined.”

While at LC, Roni was the first sus-tainability intern in the Office of the President and started the “Red Goes Green” blog. At the time, she said, “I am most at peace when I am outside. I learned about the risk our environ-ment was facing and in me grew a strong interest to advocate for the environment, educate my peers, and model good stewardship for the pur-pose of preserving our Earth. I have made it a priority and my passion to live sustainably to my best ability.”

Roni said it’s difficult to describe a typical day as a Peace Corps volunteer because each day is so different. She visits her host family daily and eats at least one meal with them. “I am con-stantly visiting people and fostering relationships,” Roni said. “Right now my main job is to work to develop re-lationships to educate Paraguayans on how to live a healthier lifestyle.”

She is helping with a national campaign to have all children prop-erly vaccinated and has a radio show on healthy living practices that airs weekly and can be heard online.

“I am also developing a plan to host a cooking/recipe segment where I can teach Paraguayans alternative cooking methods that are healthy and will sus-tain their long-term health,” Roni said.

She visits sick people, hands out medicine, and is in charge of main-taining a health education bulletin board.

For the summer, she worked on a gender and diversity camp for youth.

“I am learning the most important part of my job is to build relationships and spend time getting to know the people I am serving,” she said.

In the small world category, Roni was joined in May by a fellow Hornet, Jessica Wilson ’13, who was also posted to Paraguay by the Peace Corps.

Getting to know the people of Paraguay

It was at LC that I learned the importance of volunteering and reaching into our com-munities either locally or globally to make a difference.”

“


Graduate student Jessica Bayne ’13 works with an inclusive play group.


Sierra Spicer, Desiree Laughlin, and Ron Martin have made lifelong connections.

|k enekt|Con•nectverbBring together so that a real link is established.


Since her freshman year at LC, Sierra Spicer ’14 has performed in 19 plays, with many of them as leads in musicals — both at LC and in local community theatres. That’s a lot of memorization and rehearsal time.

sIerra has been actIng since age 11 when she performed in Fiddler on the Roof and memorized every line of every character and knew exactly when they should come in.

Lynchburg proved to be the perfect place for her to continue with that first love: musicals. She performed in Sonnets and Chocolates for Endstation Theatre, as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical for the Academy of Fine Arts; and in Bare: A Pop Opera for Wolfbane Productions, to name a few.

Sierra tries to practice when no one is around. “If people aren’t in the house, I’m belting out at the top of my lungs,” she said.

At LC, her favorite role was that of Bonnie in Bonnie & Clyde. “She became a big part of my life at that time,” Sierra said. For her honors thesis, for which she received highest honors in theatre, she researched Bon-nie and Clyde to learn as much about her character’s real life as possible.

For her final senior project, she paid tribute to Renaissance Theatre — the first Lynchburg theatre she performed in—as Little Sally in Urinetown. Sierra put on “Broadway Baby,” a two-day show of musical tunes performed solo

and with friends she made during her many Lynchburg-area perfor-mances as a benefit for Renaissance. The show included songs from Sweeney Todd, Little Shop of Horrors, and Ghost The Musical. She was joined by LC students Halley Adcock ’16 and Nigel Word ’14 and, most poignantly, sang I Know Him So Well, with her mother Joy to honor her father James. “My parents are my biggest supporters,” she said.

Sierra did the show as a special salute to Tom Nowell, associate professor of theatre, who retired in the spring after 37 years at LC. Tom and his wife, Pam, who started the Renaissance Theatre, have helped nurture Sierra through many of her Lynchburg performances.

At the top of her list, though, is Jeff Wittman, chair of LC’s Theatre Department, whom she calls a father figure. “Mr. Wittman has been such an amazing mentor and supporter,” she said. When Sierra came to inter-view for LC’s first visual and perform-ing arts scholarship, Wittman had already researched her theatre work in her native Delaware. Sierra won the scholarship, along with several others, and was debt-free at graduation.

“Sierra is personable, intelligent, and has found her own creative voice by taking advantage of her entire un-dergraduate career of courses and ex-periences,” Wittman said. “Moreover, her initiative, positive spirit, and ser-vice to others, on campus and in our Central Virginia region, complete a remarkable college career. It has been a pleasure to teach and direct her.”

Sierra, who says she doesn’t like free time, also stayed busy as secretary of the Student Government Asso-ciation. She’s a member of several honor societies, including Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society, Omicron Delta Kappa Na-tional Leadership Honor Society, and Lambda Pi Eta National Communi-cation Honor Society. She minored in communication studies.

On stage throughout the Burg

I’ve tried to seize every opportunity that has come my way because that’s what college is all about.”

“


One of her goals when coming to LC was to have the president and dean of students know her by name. She found that surprisingly easy. “They really go out of their way to know every student,” Sierra said. President Kenneth Garren and his wife Sheila attended most of her shows after seeing her in Babes in Arms her sophomore year. “They’ve really impacted my experience here in a positive way,” Sierra said. “You’re not going to find that anywhere else.”

The opportunities she had to work with playwright Joshua Mikel, who wrote a play especially for LC stu-

“I fInaLLy gaIned enough confidence in my-self to go for it,” said Desiree, who switched her major from nursing to biomedical science and graduated as the outstanding senior in her major.

Desiree also tied for first in the Student Scholar Showcase competition for the School of Sciences for her research on breast cancer with Dr. Allison Jablonski, professor of biol-ogy. “I learned a lot about experimental design and being independent on an experiment that you weren’t told what to do,” she said.

She worked with two inhibitors that show promise for killing the most aggressive type of breast cancer cells. Desiree said she liked doing research that could help women, especially be-cause her goal is to become an obstetrician-gyne-cologist. She also liked having a female mentor.

“Dr. Jablonski is probably one of my closest relationships with faculty,” Desiree said. “She’s a very successful woman. That’s something to aspire to. She’s always shown confidence in me.”

For her part, Dr. Jablonski said that De-siree has indeed gained self-confidence and consistently contributed in class. Through her research, Desiree learned to ask insightful questions that challenged her as a professor, Dr. Jablonski said, adding, “The independent research is really one of the biggest drivers of maturation for students.”

Desiree said she also enjoyed classes with Dr. David Freier, associate professor of biomedi-cal science, who was her advisor. “The way he teaches is a lot different from the other pro-fessors … teaching us how to think critically,” she said. “I really developed my writing skills in his classroom.”

A doctor in the making

Lynchburg College helped first-generation student Desiree Laughlin ’14 change her aspirations from nurse to doctor.

dents in fall 2013, and to perform at workshops with longtime Broadway performers and musical directors have helped reinforce her desire to con-tinue a career in theatre.

“I could not imagine my college experience anywhere else,” said Sierra, who is pursuing her master of business administration at LC. Her older sister Summer joined her in the MBA pro-gram. “This truly is my home now.”

She hopes the MBA will help her run her own theatre company someday.

“I’ve tried to seize every opportunity that has come my way because that’s what college is all about,” she said.


professor of health promotion, in Uganda and Kenya in the summer of 2012. “The Ugandan people are just so happy,” she said. “They have this pure, genuine happiness you don’t see in America.” Desiree had the chance to teach basic hygiene, speak to women with HIV, and shadow a medical professional at a rural clinic and prison. She said the trip convinced her she would like to do medical missionary work as a doctor someday.

After getting married in August, Desiree planned to start applying to medical schools for fall 2015. Her top choice is the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, but no mat-ter the school, she’s confident she’ll become a doctor. “I received a good education here,” she said.

Desiree served as a PASS Leader for general chemistry, math, nursing, anatomy, and physiology. She started and led the Pre-Med Club, which had 35 members, and was in the Stu-dent Government Association Senate for three semesters.

“I guess coming in, I never thought I’d be that much of a leader,” Desiree said.

A resident of nearby Rustburg, Vir-ginia, Desiree was the first in her fam-ily to attend a four-year college. She said she chose LC because she wanted to be near home, and was thrilled to be with her sister when she gave birth to her first child. “I got to witness my niece being born,” she said. “That was pretty awesome.”

Desiree said another life-changing experience at LC was doing a study abroad program with Dr. Todd Olsen,

Desiree Laughlin did breast cancer research with Dr. Allison Jablonski.


As fate would have it, Dr. Morgan called him when an opening occurred at LC. “I just got the job,” Ron said. Though he didn’t have a PhD, Ron proved to be such a good teacher that he was granted tenure without one, a feat he acknowledges would be im-possible today.

Ron succumbed to the charm of philosophy, a discipline that asks questions about the nature of life and evil and the existence of God. “These questions don’t have specific answers,” he said, but added that stu-dents need to have sound reasons for their beliefs.

“Many of my students don’t like to read,” he said. “They don’t enjoy it. They don’t know how to argue, to reason.” Ron tries to instill those skills.

There are good students, of course, who ask Ron questions he cannot answer. He challenges them to do so, and to love learning.

One of those students was his wife of 33 years, Carol Martin ’79, ’83 MEd, with whom he has two adult sons and two granddaughters.

Ron also wants students to know that philosophy “is not just dead ideas in a book.” He asks them whether their parents and grandparents have living wills and how they would han-dle critical care situations.

Dr. Tom Brickhouse, professor of philosophy, said Ron is respected by students and faculty alike. “He’s just been the best colleague that we could ever ask for,” Tom said. “He’s also been unusually popular with students.”

Ron said that about once a year, he receives a letter from a former student that really gives him a boost. “You don’t know how you are affecting the future,” he said.

Ron and Tom, along with retired French professor, Dr. Robert White, were honored by an alumnus with the creation of the BMW (Brickhouse, Martin, White) Award, a $5,000 annual scholarship for students inter-ested in the humanities and business, broadly defined.

The BMW Award is one of Ron’s major recognitions, he said, along with tying with Dr. Shirley Rosser ’40, professor of physics, for a teach-ing award early in his tenure.

“I think I’m a good teacher,” Ron said. “I was there every day in the ser-vice of educating minds and trying to inspire the young.”

Lynchburg College gave Ron Martin ’59 both an education and a profession.

ron retIred at the end of 2013-14 after 47 years in the classroom, but he’s not stepping down completely. At age 83, he plans to be back in the fall, teaching two philosophy classes as a part-timer.

“My life has been LC. It’s hard for me to leave,” Ron said. “Lynchburg College helped me become educated. I know what it means to be a lifetime learner, especially if you’re teaching an abstract subject such as philosophy.”

A bit of serendipity brought Ron to the College. A native of New Jersey, Ron served in the Air Force during the Korean War. His best friend in the service was Jim Morgan and Jim’s father, Dr. Raymond Morgan, taught philosophy at LC. Jim encouraged Ron to come to Lynchburg on the way home after he was discharged. Ron nearly bypassed the invitation.

“In a sense, my whole life changed when I turned the wheel and headed to Lynchburg,” he said.

Ron had done poorly in high school and envisioned a life of factory work ahead, but Dr. Morgan convinced the dean to give him a try. Ron didn’t let him down, making dean’s list the first year. He earned his BS in physics, thinking that would land him a good job. In fact, he was hired by Johns Hopkins University to do research, which allowed him to complete its master of liberal arts program at no charge. Ron concentrated on philoso-phy courses.

Teaching 47 years and counting

In a sense, my whole life changed when I turned the wheel and headed to Lynchburg.”

“


| echev|A•chieveverbReach or attain a desired result by effort, skill, or courage.

Tom Sippie won the national indoor championship in the 400.


Karen Butler, Nigel Word, and Tom Sippie are super achievers.


As a young girl, Karen Butler ’14 thought the periodic table was “the most fascinating thing in the world.” That early love for science stuck with Karen, the 2014 Robert L. Hill Distinguished Senior.


“If I had a daughter, I’d want her to be just like Karen.”

Dr. Cowden says the close connec-tion with students like Karen allows her to share her personal experience about graduate school and teaching, as well as the importance of persistence. “Karen’s absolutely an outstanding student, no question,” she said. “With Karen and other students, I’m excited to see where they land.”

A member of five honor societies, Karen was in the top two percent of her class. She was active in her sorority, Sigma Sigma Sigma, and did service projects ranging from Relay for Life to raising money for terminally ill children.

When she has time, Karen loves to practice Shorin-ryu-Shorinkan karate, an Okinawan martial art for which she holds a third degree black belt.

She had mixed feelings as graduation approached, but was looking forward to her first summer off before starting graduate school.

“Going to Lynchburg really did give me more than I could have gotten at any other school,” Karen said, adding it kept her near her family. “They’re my biggest support system. They’re my rock.”

a chemIstry maJor wIth minors in biology and psychology, Karen is attending Virginia Commonwealth University this fall to work on her mas-ter’s in forensic toxicology. Choosing a graduate program and school proved to be difficult; she was accepted to every program she applied to, including PhD programs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University.

Karen is fairly confident she would like to help medical examiners determine cause of death so that made VCU the logical choice. “When I was a little girl, I loved reading Nancy Drew,” she said.

A forensic science class Karen took with Dr. Priscilla Gannicott, professor of chemistry, and Dr. Allison Jablonski, professor of biology, helped hook her.

A native of nearby Madison Heights, Virginia, Karen said she always wanted to go to the College of William & Mary until she took a philosophy class as a senior in high school with Dr. Tom Brickhouse, a scholar on Aristotle.

Karen says she never regretted her decision to come to LC because the close relationships with her professors would have been difficult to duplicate. “Our entire department is so support-ive of its students,” she said.

For her senior research project, Karen worked to unravel the major fragrance components of an Asian variety of witch hazel with Dr. Gannicott and Dr. Nancy Cowden, associate professor of biology.

“They are the best,” Karen said. “Dr. Gannicott is the best advisor I could have ever asked for. She’s been such a strong role model for me. She’s always there for me. Dr. Cowden’s been the exact same way.”

She said she has also loved being a peer tutor for chemistry and a lab assis-tant under the watchful eye of Dr. Bill Lokar, associate professor of chemistry. “Dr. Lokar is also an amazing influence in my life,” Karen said. “Being a PASS leader is one of the most rewarding ex-periences I’ve had in college.”

Karen’s professors are equally enthu-siastic about her.

“The opportunity to work so closely with students like Karen is one of the main reasons why I chose to work at a place like Lynchburg College,” Dr. Gannicott said. “A lot of laughs, seri-ous conversations, and a passion for ‘all things chemistry’ have marked our relationship over the last four years that surely will continue as she enters this new phase of her life.

“Karen is just as passionate about working in the laboratory as I am. In fact, she might possibly be the only student in recent memory who was actually excited when an instrument malfunctioned, requiring us to trouble-shoot and fix the problem before con-tinuing our research. Her enthusiasm for learning new things has made her a valuable research collaborator. Her intellectual contributions to our floral fragrance research have allowed us to make significant headway on a project that has attracted great interest, even at the national level.

A forensic sleuth named Hill Scholar

Karen Butler did chemical analysis with Dr. Priscilla Gannicott.


Nigel Word ’14 found his calling at LC— student af-fairs— and his record at LC propelled him into a full scholarship in the College Student Personnel Adminis-tration master’s program at James Madison University.

“out of 80 appLIcants, they took the top 12,” Nigel says with a wide smile. He will also be a residence hall director at JMU, just like his mentor

— Vice President and Dean for Stu-dent Development John Eccles.

Nigel’s successes at LC range from being a popular resident assistant (RA) for three and a half years to creating the LC Idol contest.

Nigel says the lessons he has learned as an RA will serve him well in his career. “I really enjoy being a resource

for the residents,” he said. “If they understand you take pride in your job, they respect you.” He said it’s also crucial to know everyone by name.

A native of nearby Gretna, Virginia, Nigel was at first interested in becom-ing a lawyer, but soon realized that was not really his passion.

When asked what had the biggest impact on him at LC, he said it was attending the Allies Institute, a program aimed at fostering inclusion and ending discrimination. An inten-sive four-day, three-night retreat for students and faculty/staff, the Allies Institute features interactive work-shops, small group discussions, and experiential exercises.

“The Allies Institute is right at the heart of Lynchburg College,” Nigel said. “I think the takeaway for me is that there’s more to a person than what you see. Everyone has a story,

One of 12 for master’s programand you don’t have to know it, but respect that we all have one.”

Another program that stands out in Nigel’s college memory bank is a Residence Life service program. Once a month, six to eight students and staff rose early to prepare breakfast at the local Salvation Army. “It’s so nice to make someone’s day with something as simple as a breakfast,” he said.

A business major with a minor in communication studies, Nigel said Paul Kelbaugh, Dr. Atul Gupta, and Dr. Eric Kyper were among his favorite professors.

Like most LC students, Nigel said the small class size and close connec-tions with faculty and staff provide opportunities that large universities can’t. “That’s the beauty of the liberal arts at a small college,” he said.

I think the takeaway for me is that there’s more to a person than what you see. Everyone has a story, and you don’t have to know it, but respect that we all have one.”

“


Winning a national champi-onship is no small feat. In fact, Tom Sippie ’16 says it requires a lot of “pain and torture.”

tom won the 400-meter race in the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field National Championship in Lincoln, Nebraska. His was the first indoor national championship for the Hornets since 2001. His mark of 47.86 seconds set a school record.

“It’s a real accomplishment,” Tom said modestly.

He also earned the 2013 Old Do-minion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Indoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year. He is a five-time ODAC cham-pion, combining indoor and outdoor seasons, in three different events. He was named the Lynchburg College Male Athlete of the Year in 2014.

“Tom is what every coach wants in an athlete,” said Zachary Haupt, head track and field coach. “He not only works hard but takes the time to learn about his event and his body

National champ!

Tom is what every coach wants in an athlete,” said Zachary Haupt, head track and field coach.

“

so that he understands all aspects of what’s going on.”

Tom’s success is all the more im-pressive considering that he broke his leg while pole vaulting as a junior in high school and spent nine months on crutches. “I don’t even like heights,” he said.

Tom is no longer pole vaulting, but his sprinting skills were put to use in the 200 and the 4x400 relay, as well as the 400.

A native of Toms River, New Jersey, Tom attended Ocean Community College for a year before transferring to LC on the recommendation of his high school coach, who knew Dr. Jack Toms ’69, LC’s longtime track coach and athletic director.

Like many runners, Tom has a chronic issue that sometimes requires him to pull back a bit. He nurses a tight hamstring that kept him from running outdoor track as a freshman.

He also had to be careful at the 2014 ODAC outdoor championship, where he was content with a second-place finish. The hamstring prevented him from finishing his race in the national outdoor championship in May.

Tom says his coaches really helped him improve both his start, which he says is his biggest weakness in the 400, and his speed.

A health and physical education major, Tom aspires to be a middle or high school coach and physical educa-tion teacher.


Alumnus leaves record $5 million bequestBoosts student center campaign over goal

Fall 2014 LC MAGAZINE 39PHOTOS FROM 1948 ARGONAUT

“This is the largest gift Lynchburg College has ever received,” said President Kenneth Garren. “It is tremendous that an alumnus of the College believed so strongly in LC that he wanted to see our College prosper and grow for years to come. We are so pleased that Mr. Ridgway clearly had a great experience at Lynchburg College, and we are very honored to receive this magnificent bequest.”

“The previous largest gift was $4.7 million,” said Gene Frantz ’71,’76 MEd, recently re-tired vice president for planned giving. About half of all bequests are unexpected, Frantz said, adding that while he corresponded and talked by telephone with Ridgway on a num-ber of occasions, he never had the opportu-nity to meet him.

Under the terms of the bequest, the “Wal-ter W. and Josephine Sheffield Ridgway Me-morial Fund,” half of the income will be used to provide scholarships to students attending Lynchburg College from the Virginia Bap-tist Children’s Home, Glade Spring Baptist Church, and the First Baptist Church in Roa-noke, Virginia, in that order. The other half is to be used for construction of new buildings or for the maintenance of new or existing buildings on campus.

The College will apply the capital portion of the bequest to the Drysdale Student Cen-ter, according to Denise McDonald, vice president for advancement.

“Mr. Ridgway’s gift is a testimony to his belief in his Lynchburg College education,” McDonald said. “He wanted to pass it on — to pass on to the next generation the op-portunity for learning. His gift will have an impact for generations to come and has the special distinction of putting the Drysdale Student Center Campaign over the top. With this generous bequest, we have surpassed our goal of $12 million for the Drysdale Student Center, and we’re not done yet.”

The new Student Center will open this fall and be dedicated in late October.

A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Ridgway served in a US Army 1st General Hospital during World War II after beginning his college career. He transferred to LC from Roanoke College as a senior on the GI Bill

and graduated with a BS in biology at age 26.Ridgway was a retiree of the Norfolk and

Southern Corporation and was preceded in death by his wife, Josephine Sheffield Ridgway, a native of Glade Springs, Virginia, where the couple lived after retiring. Mrs. Ridgway retired from Exxon-Mobile Corpo-ration. While working for Exxon, she secured a corporate match to the Ridgways’ annual gift to LC, bringing them to the $1,000 Pres-ident’s Club donor level. They attended one President’s Club dinner in 1987 and wrote President George Rainsford afterwards saying how much they enjoyed the event.

Walter Ridgway died in 2013 at the age of 91. His wife died in 2002. They had no children.

Ridgway also left substantial amounts of money to the three institutions LC will work with to provide scholarships. He left a $1 million endowment to the Virginia Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services, doing business as HopeTree Family Services, in Salem, Virginia. The annual income from that gift is to be divided between scholarships for needy children receiving services from Hope-Tree and operations for its family services.

Dr. Stephen Richerson, president and executive director of HopeTree, said his or-ganization greatly appreciated the gift. Their organization provides foster care, residential services, and a school for 90 to 100 at-risk children and youth annually. He said most of the students they work with are not col-lege-bound, though a few attend community

college and might transfer to a four-year college. Dr. Richerson said he did not know Ridgway, but thought that his wife had been a longtime supporter of the organization.

Ridgway also left a $500,000 endowment to First Baptist Church in Roanoke, where he was a lifetime member, and another $400,000 to Glade Spring Baptist Church, which he and his wife attended after retirement.

Dr. Bill Ashford, executive pastor at First Baptist Church in Roanoke, said the gift “was a shot in the arm. It definitely helped our endowment.” Half the annual income will be used to support missions work both locally and abroad, including a July trip to Nicaragua where the church has built a clinic and small pharmacy. Dr. Ashford said the Ridgway gift provided $6,000 for medicine for the medical team’s trip. The other half of the gift is designated for capital improve-ments. Dr. Ashford said his congregation includes 20 to 50 college-bound students each year. While he didn’t know Ridgway, Dr. Ashford said he initially joined the church at age 13 in 1936. Ridgway and his wife joined in 1960 and were active in Sunday School class and social activities.

The annual income from the gift for the 50-member Glade Spring church is also to be divided between missionary work and capital needs. Betty DeBusk, treasurer for Glade Spring Baptist, said her church does mis-sionary work locally and in Nicaragua. She said both Mr. and Mrs. Ridgway sang in the church choir and Mr. Ridgway helped when the church built a family life center. She said at the moment their congregation has very few young people who could benefit from a scholarship.

Rita Detwiler, vice president for enroll-ment, said the College looks forward to building strong relationships with Hope-Tree Family Services, Glade Spring Baptist Church, and the First Baptist Church of Roanoke so qualified and deserving students from these organizations can matriculate to the College and benefit from the meaningful and generous scholarship assistance provided by the Ridgway gift.

After Lynchburg College established its Annual Fund in 1972, Walter W. Ridgway Jr. ’48 became a regular donor, giving as little as $3 and up to $350. Upon his death, however, Lynchburg College received notice that the residual of his estate would come to his alma mater, and so far, that’s a whopping $5 million. The College could receive up to another $2 million.


Alumni NewsAlumni AssociationBoard of Directors

PRESIDENT

Bryce C. Legg ’81, Hunt Valley, Md.

VICE PRESIDENT

John P. Reilly ’86, Midlothian, Va.

ALUMNI OUTREACH COMMITTEE CHAIR (INTERIM)

Paul E. Goldenbaum ’66, San Antonio, Texas

ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR

Hannah Howe Besanceney ’96, Orlando, Fla.

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR

Lesley Day Villarose ’02, Eden, N.C.

COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING COMMITTEE CHAIR

Gerald J. “Jerry” Daniello ’93, South Orange, N.J.

TRADITIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR

Wendy Bradley ’91, Woodstock Valley, Conn.

WESTOVER ALUMNI SOCIETY CO-PRESIDENTS

Ben Smith ’67

Elizabeth “Betsy” Carter Smith ’67, Lynchburg, Va.

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

Christopher D. “Chris” Barclay ’89, North Wales, Pa.

John M. “Johnny” Black ’08, Towson, Md.

Emily G. Brown ’02, Washington, D.C.

David J. Capps ’77, Lynchburg, Va.

Melissa MacGregor Centanni ’81, Glen Ridge, N.J.

Laura Miller Crank ’79, Midlothian, Va.

Mark B. Flynn Sr. ’77, ’82 M.Ed., New Church, Va.

C. Randall“Randy” Harlow ’73, Lynchburg, Va.

Robert P. “Bobby” Kelland ’77, Richmond, Va.

Kathryn E. McDaniel ’12, Orange, Va.

Lynda Touzeau Parker ’85, Basking Ridge, N.J.

Randi Alper Pupkin ’84, Baltimore, Md.

David A. Rosser ’90, Waxhaw, N.C.

Helen Hebb Stidham ’66, Manassas, Va.

Jan Colleary Timmer ’77, South Riding, Va.

Sherwood N. Zimmerman ’64, Forest, Va.

LC Alumni on the InternetReconnect with classmates, teammates, roommates, and friends

Facebook Lynchburg Alumni Association

LinkedIn Lynchburg College Alumni & Friends (group)

Twitter @LburgAlumni

thIs faLL, my tenure as president of the Lynchburg College Alumni Association comes to an end. As I prepare to hand the responsibilities over to President-elect Wendy Bradley ’91, I would like to thank you for allowing me the

honor of serving the Alumni Association during the past eight years. I would also like to thank my fellow members of the LC Alumni Board of Directors. It has been a privilege to work with so many dedicated and talented Lynchburg College graduates.

In this magazine you have seen stories about incredibly talented faculty, phenomenal students, and inspiring alumni who are discovering, achieving, and connecting with the larger world daily. We all, as alumni, continue to participate in this process.

Over the past few years the board has been actively engaged in creating career networking opportunities for our students. Last fall we saw hundreds of students and alumni participate in career panel discussions during Homecom-ing. Since that time, students and alumni have participated in six regional Hornet-2-Hornet events. Two events took place in New York City and Virginia Beach in June. To date, more than 730 alumni and students have been involved in this process, in which alumni are

selected based on their academic and career achievements that match with students’ inter-ests. Now that is engaging and inspiring!

During my time on the Alumni Board I have witnessed the construction of the new Drysdale Student Center, participated in the creation of a template for launching future LC alumni af-finity groups and the successful introduction of our first one — the Helen Mundy Witt Society. I have assisted in the revision of the Alumni Association by-laws, supported the continuing effort to strengthen existing LC alumni clubs and establish new ones, and witnessed the expo-nential growth in the Association’s presence on social media. All of this has helped in the way we engage our alumni.

Again, thank you for allowing me the op-portunity to serve you and the College. If you ever have the opportunity to serve as an Alumni Association Board Member — do it! In parting, I leave you with a challenge. Get inspired and find a way to use your passion for Lynchburg College. You will be glad you did.

Farewell, but not good-bye

Bryce C. Legg ’81President, LC Alumni Association

Now more than ever

The classes of 1974, ’79, ’84, ’89, ’94, ’99, 2004, and 2009 will celebrate their class reunions.

October17-19, 2014

Homecoming

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O F F I C E O F A L U M N I R E L A T I O N S

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A P R I L 2 4 – 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

Westover Alumni Society Weekend

Save the Date

40s

Lila Ware Palmer ’49 and Denise McDonald, vice president of advancement, enjoyed an afternoon at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, Va. on May 5, 2014. Lila resides at Westminster-Canterbury, Richmond.

50sClasses of ’55 and ’60 in Reunion April 24-26, 2015

Larry Martin ’54 attended LC Commencement 2014 to see his granddaughter Rebecca Brummett ’14, a Westover Fellow, graduate. Larry lives in Springfield, Va.

60sClasses of ’65 and ’70 in Reunion April 24-26 2015

Frederick Pitman ’62 was named to the Northern Neck Sports Wall of Fame on April 12, 2014 at Dream Fields near Kilmarnock, Va. Fred was an accomplished baseball and basketball player while at Northumberland High School. At Lynchburg Col-lege, he excelled at soccer and was named an All-Mason-Dixon Conference and All-Southern Region goalkeeper. He was also an All-Mason-Dixon baseball player. Fred is a retired superintendent of Richmond County Public Schools. He and his wife, Shirley Snead ’63, live in Farnham, Va.

William “Bill” Howard ’64, president of Real Estate III, was the recipient of the 2014 Chamber Small

Business Person Award, given by the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce. The recipient must be an active owner or co-owner of a business with 50 or fewer employees. He is also president and managing partner of Bill Howard Property Manage-ment and in 2014 started Bill Howard & Associates Real Estate. He lives in Keswick, Va.

Bernard “Barney” Reams Jr. ’65 was designated a distinguished professor of law by St. Mary’s Uni-versity, Innsbruck, Austria, on Jan. 24, 2014. He was the director of St. Mary’s University School of Law Institute on World Legal Problems and served as a professor of law for 40 years. He began a three-year phased retirement in August 2014. His latest book is Texas Community Property and Matrimonial Law. He lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Lloyd “Woody” Woods ’65 was inducted into the Patrick Henry High School (Roanoke, Va.) Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 28, 2013. He coached several sports for 26 years at Patrick Henry, starting in the spring of 1971 through 1997. He taught health,

physical education, and driver education for Roanoke City Schools for 31 years. While at LC, Woody was a member of the cross country and track teams. He lives in Vinton, Va.

Yuille “Skipper” Holt III ’67 was the keynote speaker at the 2013 Philanthropy Day Awards Dinner held at Boonsboro Country Club in Lynchburg, Va. on November 12, 2013. The dinner was sponsored by the Virginia Piedmont Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP.) Skipper is a former member of the LC Board of Trustees and lives in Lynchburg.

Paul Waibel ’68 is a history pro-fessor at Belhaven University in Jackson, Miss. The third edition of his textbook, Twentieth-Cen-tury Europe: A Brief History, 1900 to the Present, was published in March by Wiley Blackwell. Paul lives in Clinton, Miss.

Gregory “Greg” Rice ’69 has composed and recorded a tribute to those who died, survived, and responded so courageously to the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. The piece, titled, “It’s Up to Us, Keep Boston Strong,” has been performed by the Boston Civic Symphony Orchestra and the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra and can be heard at Greg’s website at gregricefoundation.org. To listen to other music he has composed, go to gregricecomposer.com. Greg lives in Dover, Mass.

Jack Toms ’69, athletic director at LC since 1989, retired June 30, 2014. Jack began his career at Lynch-burg College in 1979 as track and field coach. He lives in Forest, Va. See story on page 14.

Class Notes


70sClasses of ’74 and ’79 in Reunion October 17-19, 2014

David Edwards ’70 has published an illustrated book of his song, “At Midnight on Christmas Eve,” written in 1983 and based on the legend that God gives animals the gift of speech because they shared their home for the birth of Jesus. David and his wife, Kaye Speakes ’70, have wanted to make the song into a book for many years. A CD of the song is included with the book, and it can be ordered at www.davidledwardsmusic.com. The couple lives in Lynchburg, Va.

Philip “Phil” Mazzara ’70 gave a presentation, The Great War, Reflected by British Soldier-Poets, at Mar-ietta College in Ohio on March 19. Phil and his wife,

Dee Daly, donated a collection of books to Lynch-burg College in 2011 (The Mazzara-Daly Great War Collection). Several of the books are rare first editions of poetry or prose. Phil is a World War I scholar and serves on the LC Board of Trustees. Phil and Dee live in Washington, D.C.

Richard “Rich” Jacques ’71 is the Department of Homeland Security National Operations Center liai-son officer to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Response Coordi-nation Center. He is the site owner of the Emergency Management Community of Interest and is respon-sible for training FEMA members on the Homeland Security Information Network. He was featured in recent editions of the Homeland Security newsletters. He and his wife, Carolyn Wingfield ’85, ’94 MEd, live in Lynchburg, Va.

Barry Kornblau ’71 was honored at the annual Old Dominion University Baseball Banquet in Norfolk, Va., in January as the recipient of the 2014 Bud Metheny Award, given annually in recognition of contributions made to ODU baseball. Barry lives in Glen Allen, Va.

Ronald Paxton Jr. ’74 published his second novel, Deep Water, last year. It is the poignant story of one man’s struggle to reclaim his life as he fights to overcome the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. His third novel, Haven, is scheduled to be published in 2014. Both are available through the World Castle Publishing website at www.worldcas-tlepublishing.com. Ronald lives in Newport News, Va.

James “Jim” Napier ’75 is president of Napier Realtors ERA, a family-run company in Midlothian, Va. that has been in business for 57 years. Napier Realtors recently received the Top Workplace Award in the small-company category (149 employees or fewer). The company received the inaugural Circle of Light for Community Leadership Award by ERA Real Estate in 2011 and was recognized for civic leader-ship by the Richmond Association of Realtors in 2013. Jim and his wife, Kathryn “Kathy” O’Hara ’75, live in Midlothian, Va.


Todd Brown ’80 was one of three local artists fea-tured in a February exhibit, “Our Town: Three Paint-ers,” sponsored by The Arts Center in Orange, Va. Todd has a studio in Orange and has sold hundreds of prints and originals. Favorite subjects include the railroad, scenes from the towns of Orange and Wil-liamsburg, Va., beach scenes from Nags Head, N.C., and Virginia landscapes. He lives in Louisa, Va.

Elizabeth “Liz” Brooks Farnsworth ’80, ’84 MEd received the Counselor Educator of 2014 award given by the Lynchburg Area Counselors Association, a chapter of the Virginia Counselors Association. Liz has been a licensed professional counselor in Virginia since 1995. She began teaching at LC in 1996 and also has been in private practice. She teaches the counseling practicum and has developed a course in grief, loss, and trauma counseling, which she offered to graduate students in St. Lucia in the summer of 2013. Liz lives in Lynchburg, Va.

Debra Townsend Woodson ’80 was named Teacher of the Year for Bedford County, (Va.) Public Schools for the 2013-2014 school year. Debra teaches 11th and 12th grade English at Jef-ferson Forest High School in Forest, Va. She lives in Lynchburg, Va.

J. Reginald “Reggie” Pugh III ’81 was the speaker for Central Virginia Community College’s 46th commencement and received an Outstanding Alum-nus Award. CVCC is located in Lynchburg, where Reggie is on the board of directors of the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Region 2000 Business and Economic Development Alliance, and the Center for Advanced Engineering and Research. He is vice president of Virginia affairs and key accounts for AREVA, Inc. He lives in Lynchburg, Va.

James L. McCormick ’83 MEd co-authored a book with Melissa Dishner, Growing Up on a Red Dog Road. The book is an autobiography of a boy growing up in rural West Virginia during the Great Depression. Born to an alcoholic father, Jim did not have a promising future, especially in the midst of the nation’s financial collapse. However, Jim said God made a way and had a plan. Jim served in the US Air Force for 20 years and was ordained a minis-ter in the United Methodist Church in 1953. Jim died on February 20, 2014.

Jeanette Fee Gates ’85 was re-elected to her second term on the Venice (Fla.) City Council last November. She also serves ex-officio to the Art Advisory Board and the Economic Advisory Board for the City of Venice and is a board member for the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County. Jeanette lives in Venice, Fla.

Kathy Falls Johnson ’86 has joined the Lynch-burg College Department of Physician Assistant Medicine as the didactic director. Prior to coming to LC, she served as the dean for Centra College of Nursing. She has developed curriculum for nursing programs as well as overall program assessment and evaluations. Her husband, Dan Johnson, is the medical director for the PA program. They live in Evington, Va.

Randy Krantz ’86, Bedford County (Va.) Common-wealth Attorney, received the 2013-14 Citizen of the Year Award from the Bedford Elks Lodge 2844. Randy joined the Bedford County Commonwealth’s

Class Notes

Joan Fitzgerald Foster ’69, ’79 MAT, ’80 MEd was re-elected to Lynchburg City Council and Treney Johnson Tweedy ’97 was elected to Lynchburg City Council on May 6, 2014. Joan has been on City Council since 2002 and was elected its first woman mayor, serving from 2006 to 2012. She is the director of development for Lynchburg Beacon of Hope, an education nonprofit. Treney, a former school board member, is the fourth woman to serve on council and the first African-Amer-ican woman. She is community development manager for Goodwill Industries of the Valley. Both women live in Lynchburg, Va.

http://www.davidledwardsmusic.com

http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com

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Attorney Office in 1992 and was elected to his first term as Commonwealth’s Attorney in 1995. He lives in Bedford, Va.

Perry Payne Millner ’86 was the 2014 commence-ment speaker at Lynchburg College on May 17. She is the executive director of the Virginia Theatre Association, a resource for connecting, creating, cultivating, and advocating for theater practitioners in Virginia. After receiving her degree in speech communication from LC, she went on to become a New York-based performer, producer, and real estate agent. She recently moved to Lynchburg, Va.


Robert “Robb” Eldridge ’90 is deputy assistant chief of staff, government and external affairs, Marine Forces Japan, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Japan. Thanks to LC Professor Sabita Manian, he met and had lunch with Jared Owen ’07, captain, United States Army, who is assigned to Kadena Air Base in Japan. Robb has authored many books including two of his newest, The Origins of U.S. Policy in the East China Sea Islands Dispute: Okinawa’s Reversion and the Senkaku Islands and An Inoffensive Rear-mament: The Making of the Postwar Japanese Army.

Wendy Miles ’90 assistant professor of English at Lynchburg College, won the 2014 Patricia Dobler Poetry Award for her poem, “Float.” The award is an annual contest open to women writers over the age of 40 who have not published a full-length book of poetry, fiction, or non-fiction. The award is spon-sored by the Madwomen in the Attic Creative Writ-ing Workshops at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, Pa. Wendy lives in Lynchburg, Va.

Victoria Williams ’91 was awarded the inaugural Teaching Excellence Award at Alvernia University in Reading, Pa. This award recognizes excellence and/or innovation in teaching among faculty and is presented to a full-time faculty member who has at least two years of service. Candidates are nominated by students and/or alumni. As a student at LC, Victoria was active in the Westover Honors Program, played field hockey, and was chosen as the Richard Clarke Sommerville Scholar her senior year. Victoria lives in Reading, Pa.

Andrew “Andy” Brusman ’92 is CEO of Alchemy Global Holdings, LLC, an investment web portal for companies in the sports and entertainment market. The company was incorporated in 2014 and provides advisory services and capital-raising on a global basis. The firm has employees and operating partners in Charleston, S.C., Baltimore, Md., Washington, D.C., Portland, Ore., New York, N.Y., and London, U.K. Andy lives in Charleston, S.C.

Amy Martin ’94 is a senior claims adjuster with Metlife Insurance in Charlotte, N.C. She has been with Metlife since September 2013 and has been a claims adjuster since 1996, handling auto, prop-erty, and general liability claims as well as environ-mental claims. She holds an associate’s degree in General Insurance (AINS) designation. Amy lives in Charlotte, N.C.

Jacqueline “Jackie” Julien ’97 was sworn in as the 80th president of the Virginia Jaycees on January 26, 2014. She lives in North Chesterfield, Va.


Jonathan “Jon” Martin ’01, ’03 MEd was the 2014 commence-ment speaker for Fuqua School in Farmville, Va., on May 23. Jon is a 1997 graduate of Fuqua School, where there is a longstanding tra-dition of inviting alumni to deliver the commencement address. Jon

was a four-year starting pitcher for the LC Hornets and is currently head baseball coach and facilities coordinator at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where he lives.

Christina Chororos ’03 has joined Mentoring Minds, a national publisher of K-12 educational resources, as an educational consultant. She will lead the company’s sales efforts in her home state of New Jersey as well as in Maryland and Connecticut. Chris-tina lives in Westfield, N.J.

Justin Dunn ’03 was promoted earlier this year to senior vice president and director of corpo-rate marketing for WSFS Finan-cial Corp. He is responsible for the planning, development, and execution of all marketing activi-ties, including product develop-

ment, market research, advertising and brand management, communications, and media relations. Justin has been with WSFS since 2011. He lives in Wilmington, Del.

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Natalie “Natasha” Blinov Randolph ’61 grew up hearing tales of her father’s 1919 escape from Russia to Manchuria.

Veniamin Blinov ’57 wrote his memoirs in 1935 and now Natasha has pub-

lished Venia 1913-1926 A Russian Odyssey, a novella based on his writing. As noted in the book’s foreword, “It tells of the survival of a young boy from an educated, well-off Russian family in the midst of war, caught up in the massive changes that came to Russia and the violence it inflicted on their private lives. He was a child robbed of social status, relatives, country, language, religion, and childhood.”

Natasha graduated from E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg the same year her father finally completed his undergraduate degree at LC in economics, which he had started at Emory University in Atlanta in 1929.

Natasha was a commuter student at LC and majored in sociology. “Because I was a cheerleader, I was very connected with dorm students,” she said. “We day students hung out in the Quonset huts in those days. I re-member my years at LC as very happy.”

So how did the Blinovs end up in Lynch-burg? The story began in Russia when Venia’s father, an orthodox priest, and his brother, an imperial guard, were arrested by the Red Army and executed.

In 1919, Venia, his mother, his sister, her husband, and their children fled the Russian Revolution aboard the Trans-Siberian Rail-way. Venia’s mother caught typhoid fever during the year-long trip and died, and 12-year-old Venia became an orphan.

Two years after Venia landed in Harbin, China, an American Methodist missionary named Constance Rumbough from Lynch-burg, Virginia, took him under her wing. She eventually adopted him so she could bring him to the United States along with four other boys her missionary society had agreed to educate.

After arriving in the US at age 17, Venia, who had extensive voice training in China,

attended Emory Academy prep school in Oxford, Georgia and then Emory University. He became a “radio singer” for WSB Atlanta, where he met Natasha’s mother, a fellow radio singer. He went on to perform in concerts throughout the Southeast. “He was called a tenor without a country,” Natasha said. Natasha inherited her father’s singing talent, which has been an important part of her life.

During her senior year in college, Natasha finished her LC degree at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, to be near her family, who had moved to Eufaula, Ala. They lived there until Venia’s death in 1986 and Natasha’s mother’s death in 1991.

Natasha met her husband, USAF Lt. Richard R. Randolph III, in Savannah, Georgia, where she taught history, sang in the Christ Episcopal Church choir, and danced with the Savannah Ballet Company. After the Air Force, they moved to Birming-ham, Richard’s home. There, Natasha taught creative dance in housing project day care centers as well as schools for children with emotional and physical handicaps.

She later joined the Junior League of Birmingham Choral Group, which has per-formed in Carnegie Hall and as far away as Vienna, Austria. In Birmingham, the group primarily performs spring and Christmas programs in homes for intellectually disabled adults, homeless wo men and children, and a children’s and veteran’s hospital.

It was only after Natasha took up genealog-ical studies to learn more about her mother’s family that she realized her father’s story had a universal message.

“I didn’t write it to be political at all, rather to try to capture the horrors of being a refu-gee child in the middle of war,” she said, not-ing that one million refugees traveled on the Trans-Siberian Railway to escape the Russian Revolution.

Unfortunately, the world is increasingly full of refugees, she said, adding, “Things cycle around. We never seem to learn.”

To purchase a copy of her book, email Natasha at [email protected].

A Russian Odyssey by Shannon Brennan

Alumni Profile

Venia Blinov stands in front of his portrait, painted when he was about 24.

In 1919, Venia, his mother, his sister, her husband, and their children fled the Russian Revolution aboard the Trans-Siberian Railway. Venia’s mother caught typhoid fever during the year-long trip and died, and 12-year-old Venia became an orphan.



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Jacob “Jay” Mullins ’04 has joined Lincoln Univer-sity (Pa.) as the director of compliance. His primary responsibility is certification of student athletes, monitoring of recruitment, and rules education. Jay and his wife, Melissa Rowley ’01, ’04 MEd, live in West Chester, Pa.

Andrea Fleming ’06, ’09 MEd was named teacher of the year at Morris Early Childhood Center in Lincoln, Del. Andrea is a prekindergarten special education teacher and has been a part of that school’s team for five years. While attending LC, she played field hockey. She coached field hockey during her graduate school years. She lives in Milford, Del.

Karen Scott Nelson ’06 MEd was awarded the J. Edward Petty Outstanding Graduate Alumni Award during the Lynchburg College School of Education and Human Development Teacher Induction cer-emony on May 16. This award recognizes “distin-guished professional work in education and related community service.” Karen is the principal at Perry-mont Elementary School in Lynchburg, Va., where she lives.

Daphne Stanley ’06 was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Franklin County (Va.) during the state pageant March 15 in Fishersville, Va. The theme of the MWVA program, “Celebrate Life,” showcases the accomplishments of remarkable women who have overcome challenges and obstacles to achieve and accomplish great success. Daphne was born with spina bifida and scoliosis. Her foot was amputated at the age of 14, but she remained active and athletic with the use of crutches. She lives in Bassett, Va.

Leslie Harris ’08, ’10 MEd, a third-grade teacher at Mt. Airy Elementary School in Gretna, Va., was named Teacher of the Year at Mt. Airy and was one of the top three candidates for Teacher of the Year for the region. She served as chair on numerous committees including those related to the School Improvement Plan, was the lead science teacher, coordinated the school carnival, and was the tech-nology guru. She is serving as assistant principal at Southside Elementary School in Chatham, Va. for the 2014-2015 academic school year. She lives in Gretna, Va.

Gerin Becker Martin ’09 MEd was named Lynch-burg City Schools’ Teacher of the Year. An early childhood special education teacher, Gerin’s home

base is Hutcherson Early Learning Center, but she spends much of her time at various locations. She runs an inclusive community playgroup at Lynchburg College and works with preschool students with spe-cial needs at Liberty Christian Academy. This is her eighth year with Hutcherson Early Learning Program. She lives in Lynchburg, Va.

Michael Stultz ’09 joined Virginia Legal Aid Society in Danville, Va. in February as a staff attorney. The office serves the cities of Danville and Martinsville, and the counties of Pittsylvania, Henry, and Patrick. Michael lives in Danville, Va.

10sElizabeth Eckert ’10 accepted a position in April as assistant director of corporate and foundation rela-tions at the Darden School Foundation. She lives in Charlottesville, Va.

Kimberly “Kim” Nowlin Bollinger ’11, an elemen-tary school teacher at Body Camp Elementary School in Bedford County (Va.), was named Teacher of the Year for her school. Her mother teaches at Big Island Elementary in Bedford County and was also named Teacher of the Year at her school. They both serve as coordinator for their schools’ Consultation Team. Kim lives in Huddleston, Va.

Carmen Johnson ’11, ’13 MEd was one of three division finalists for the First Class Teacher of the Year award for Stafford County (Va.) Public Schools. This award is given to a teacher in her first year of teach-ing. Carmen is the early childhood special education autism teacher at Stafford Elementary School. She lives in Stafford, Va.

Jessica Jones ’12 MEd was honored in May by the Danville Pittsylvania County (Va.) Chamber of Com-merce for outstanding professional and community contributions. The PACE (Professional and Commu-nity Engagement) Awards, which are sponsored by the Danville Register & Bee, are presented to excep-tional young professionals who have made signifi-cant contributions to the region through professional achievements as well as through community and volunteer service. Jessica joined Pittsylvania County Public Schools as the agricultural science teacher and

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FFA adviser at Chatham Middle School. In addition to being a fulltime classroom teacher, she works as a National AgriScience Ambassador trainer for DuPont USA, Lab-Aids Inc., the National Association of Agri-cultural Educators, and the National FFA. Jessica lives in Gladys, Va.

Royal Shiree ’12 MA is well known in Central Vir-ginia as a musician, poet, solo artist, actress, director, producer, and playwright. She has been a Fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and has been commissioned to create performances for the Legacy Museum of African-American History, the Juneteenth Coalition, and Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest July celebration. Royal is a substitute teacher and the education facilitator for the historical Avoca Museum in Altavista (Va.) She performed her play, Clippings, during the Downtown Urban Theatre Fes-tival 2014 in New York City in April. In the play, Royal portrays three women who have survived challeng-ing, and at times, horrific, circumstances. She lives in Lynchburg, Va.

Kristin Marstin ’13 is a software engineer in the NDE & IS (Non-Destructive Evaluation & Inspection Services) group at Babcock & Wilcox in Lynchburg, Va. Kristin was a student assistant in the Office of Alumni Relations during her four years at LC. She lives in Lynchburg with her cat, Mira, and friend, Megan Thurman ’13.

Ivan “Vanya” Grove ’14 shot and edited the Lynch-burg College TV commercial that received the Best Broadcast Award from the Central Virginia American Marketing Association at the Emma Awards in Char-lottesville, Va. in May. Vanya worked with the LC College Communications and Marketing Office to create the commercial. He lives in Scottsville, Va.

Marriages

William “Bill” Poindexter ’92 to Jon Ogle on Nov. 27, 2013 in Palm Springs, Cal. The couple resides in Mesa, Ariz.

David Ricketson ’92 to Nikki Strong on Oct. 12, 2013. The outdoor ceremony and reception were held at Etudes Ballet Center in Naples, Fla. The couple lives in Raleigh, N.C.

Amanda Read ’06 to Andrew Chaloupka on Aug. 17, 2013 in Annapolis, Md. Andrew is a lieutenant in the United States Navy (USNA, class of 2009). The couple lives in Yulee, Fla.

Corey Paluga ’06, ’09 MEd to Bridget Catanese on Oct. 11, 2013 in Lancaster, Pa. at The Farm at Eagles Ridge. The couple honeymooned in the Dominican Republic in December 2013. There were several LC alumni and parents in attendance and Kyler Paluga ’09 was best man. The couple lives in Horseheads, N.Y.

Patrice Thompson ’06, ’08 MEd, ’14 EdD has earned three degrees at Lynchburg College, including her doctor of educa-tion in leadership studies (EdD). She was in the first cohort for this new doctoral program and was the first person to com-plete her dissertation.

“It was very challenging,” Patrice said. “I had a lot of sleepless nights. However, I was able to persevere with the help of God and some really great supporters.”

Even before she had her degree in hand, Patrice was putting her leadership skills to work as exceptional children’s coordina-tor for Durham, North Carolina Public Schools. The programs she supports cover 1,200 students in 14 high schools. “What I like is that I’m able to work collabora-tively with principals and school leaders,” she said.

She also wants to share what she knows with future teachers. “I would love to become a college professor so I can help prepare pre-service teachers,” she said.

Before moving to Durham last summer, Patrice was assistant principal at Sandusky Middle School in Lynchburg for two years and a special education teacher at E.C. Glass High School for five years.

A native of Chatham, Virginia, Patrice came to LC several times while her brother Patrick Thompson ’99 was a student here.

“I really liked the small community atmo-sphere,” she said. “It seemed like family.”

Like many students, Patrice came to LC with an eye on one major but her interest changed. She did a work study project at nearby Perrymont Elementary

School with students with special needs and loved it. Her mentor for her BA was Merrill Tolbert, associate professor of human development and learning. “She showed me how much of an impact I could make,” Patrice said. Cheryl Pen-dergraft, the administrative assistant in the School of Education and Human Development, and Deborah Bennett, the administrative assistant in financial aid, were both “moms away from home,” she said.

When she moved on to her master’s degree in educational leadership, Patrice said she learned how important it is to have relationships with teachers. “Dr. Roger Jones was able to show me what it truly takes to be an effective school leader,” she said.

Patrice also obtained a certificate in autism spectrum disorders from LC. “Dr. Gena Barnhill was great,” she said. “Her passion is autism. She was able to help me learn about that specific disability.” Patrice took those strategies to work at E.C. Glass.

Finally, she said, Dr. Ed Polloway, dean of graduate studies, helped her work on her dissertation. “He guided me through the process,” she said. “He was patient, knowledgeable, and just great.”

Patrice said she was very happy at Sandusky Middle, but her fiancé got a job in North Carolina so she pulled up roots and moved. Patrice admits she really hasn’t left home. She visits her family in Chatham every other week. “Family is very important to me,” she said.

The third degree by Shannon Brennan

Alumni Profile


Shana Johnson ’11 to Adam Sperry Lisa Doumlele ’08 to Henry Weatherford

Bradley “Brad” Jones ’11 to Kristina Morris ’12 Jenevive “Wendy” Bailey ’08, ’08 MEd, ’14 EdD to Guy Joseph

Corey Paluga ’06, ’09 MEd to Bridget Catanese

David Ricketson ’92 to Nikki Strong Amanda Read ’06 to Andrew Chaloupka


Jenevive “Wendy” Bailey ’08, ’08 MEd, ’14 EdD to Guy Joseph in St. Lucia on Dec. 29, 2013. Wendy is director of the College’s St. Lucia campus. The couple lives in Castries, St. Lucia.

Lisa Doumlele ’08 to Henry Weatherford on Sept. 7, 2013 in Midlothian, Va. Included in the wedding party were Alex Doumlele ’12 (brother of the bride); Alissa Herley ’08, Shawna Taggart ’09 and Bethany Fox ’08. The couple honeymooned in Antigua and currently resides in Chesterfield, Va.

Bradley “Brad” Jones ’11 to Kristina Morris ’12 on March 15, 2014 in St. Andrews Chapel at Wood-berry Forest School in Woodberry Forest, Va. The reception was held at Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison, Va. Included in the wedding party were Tiffany Frye Cantrell ’12; Caitlin Gibb Egan ’11, ’13 MEd; Sara Jones ’15; Kelly Doescher ’12; Keegan Ashbee ’11; Chris Hallberg ’10 and Scott Allen ’11. The couple lives in Woodberry Forest, Va.

Shana Johnson ’11 to Adam Sperry on Sept. 20, 2013 in Wrightsville Beach, N.C. Included in the wedding party were Ginny Ferguson ’11, Laura Driscoll Clapp ’11, Julianne Mayes ’11, ’13 MBA, and Robert “Rob” Sears ’15. Michelle Pfluger Dulak ’12 was the program attendant and Jessica Gibbs ’11 was the photographer. Shana is a math professor at Cape Fear Community College in Wilm-ington, N.C., and Adam works in the golf industry. The couple lives in Wilmington, N.C.

New Arrivals

To Jerry Daniello ’93 and Scott Arsenault, a son, Henry Joseph, on December 10, 2013. He joins big brother, Owen Robert, 5. The family lives in South Orange, N.J.

To Mary Dunnett Arden ’00 and Shaun ’01, a son, Michael Stephan, on June 1, 2014. He joins big brother Gabriel, 4 and big sister Azriel, 3. The family lives in Austria.

To Nathan “Nate” Colarusso ’03 and Julie Litch-field ’01, a daughter, Luciana “Luci” Elizabeth, on Jan. 30, 2014. The family lives in Glen Allen, Va.

To Jacquelyn “Jacqui” Wolf Rossetter ’04 and Simon ’06, a daughter, Brooke Marie, on Feb. 22, 2014. She joins big sister, Emma, 2. The family lives in Mt. Laurel, N.J.

To Holladay “Holly” Cantua ’05 and husband, Hector, a son, Luca Gabriel, on Feb. 1, 2014. The couple were married on Oct. 2, 2010 and live in Glen Allen, Va.

To Elizabeth Faulconer Dunkel ’05 and husband, Rhett, a daughter, Elyn Elizabeth, on Jan. 18, 2014. She joins big brother, Asher Michael, 2. The family lives in Goode, Va.

Michael Dalton ’98 learned how to slow down, eat good food, and appreciate the little things in life while studying abroad in Seville, Spain.

That experience in 1997 with Dr. Kern Lunsford convinced Mike to drop politics and switch to a Spanish major. “The Seville trip completely changed my life in so many ways,” he said. “Kern still is a father figure and tremendous mentor.”

Now a high school Spanish teacher in Hopewell, Virginia, Mike says he tries to pass those lessons on to his students.

Mike’s history with the College goes back to age 12, when his mother, Rose‑mary Dalton ’89, was attending summer school and he would tag along. She, too, was a Spanish major and took class with Dr. Lunsford, who called on Mike to par-ticipate in class.

A native of Altavista, Virginia, Mike took his last three years of high school Spanish with his mother as teacher. He left the area to attend George Mason University, but during his sophomore year realized it wasn’t the place for him, so he transferred to LC.

“Foreign languages and the Concert Choir were the defining experiences at LC,” he said. Not only did Mike take Spanish, he came close to minoring in French with his many classes with Dr. Bruce Mayer and Dr. Robert White.

In Concert Choir with another mentor, Dr. Harvey Huiner, Mike met his fu-ture wife, Angela Williams Dalton ’99. When they were married in 2000, they honeymooned in Seville for two weeks.

After graduating from LC, Mike’s mother retired and he replaced her as the Spanish teacher at Altavista High School for a year and a half before accepting a job at the Miller School in Charlottesville. In 2004, he earned his master’s degree in Spanish literature from the University of Virginia. A year later, he and Angela took a group of students to Seville to try to rep-licate the experience he had had.

Mike and Angela moved to Hopewell last year, where Mike is also the head tennis coach at the high school. He said he played tennis at LC with Dr. Lunsford and Dr. Mayer, but they were a lot better than he was.

In his spare time, Mike is a body-builder and a writer. He has published six books of short stories about growing up in a small town titled, Legends and Lore of Central Virginia.

Mike’s father and uncles ran the Dalton Lumber Company, where he learned about hard, dangerous work. While he followed his mother’s path as a teacher, he says he has great respect for the family-owned business that allowed him to graduate from LC debt free.

“LC was the world to me,” Mike said. “I don’t know if I would be the person I am today without it, and I’ve always wanted to be able to let more people know about it.” To date, three of his stu-dents have attended Lynchburg College.

Life lessons in Spain by Shannon Brennan

Alumni Profile

“LC was the world to me,” Mike said. “I don’t know if I would be the person I am today without it, and I’ve always wanted to be able to let more people know about it.”


To Kristin Driskill Gooch ’05 and husband, Jason, a daughter, Harper Mae, on March 8, 2014. She joins big sisters Izzy, 6, and Addison, 4. The family lives in Evington, Va.

To Aaron Smith ’05, ’07 MEd, and wife LaShanta, a daughter, Jasmine Makayla, on March 12, 2014. She joins big brother, Elijah, 8. Aaron is the student employment coordinator in Human Resources at Lynchburg College. He and his family live in Lynchburg, Va.

To Peter Davies ’08 and wife, Suzanna, a son, Jona-than Holstead, on Dec. 31, 2013. Peter is an attorney in Lynchburg, Va., where the family lives.

To Tara McCartney-Nunley ’08 MEd, and hus-band, Clay, a daughter, Hannah McKay, on May 19, 2014. She joins big brother, Landon, 3. Tara is a counselor in the Counseling Center at Lynchburg College. The family lives in Lynchburg, Va.

To William “Anthony” Pavia ’08 and wife, Laurel, a son, Branston Anthony, on March 26, 2014. The family lives in Forest, Va.

In Memoriam

Julia Shackelford Hunter ’39, April 30, 2014

Katharine Withers Hancock ’40, Feb. 1, 2014

James “Pete” Austin ’43, Nov. 20, 2013

Vera “Helen” Carter Carroll ’43, March 23, 2014

W. “Harrison” Daniel ’44, Dec. 30, 2013

Samuel Kornblau ’46, May 14, 2014

Peggy Sue Meadows Norton ’46, Dec. 22, 2013

Margaret “Peggy Ann” West Wells ’47, April 26, 2011

Doris Foltz Arnold ’48, Dec. 15, 2013

Ellis Maxey ’48, May 25, 2014

Clarence Rhodes ’48, Sept. 14, 2013

Diora “Di” Spear Williams ’48, May 16, 2014

John Harvey ’49, June 22, 2014

Joan Mitchell Morgan ’49, April 6, 2012

Edwin “Eddie” Boyd Jr. ’50, June 17, 2014

Walter Calhoun ’50, Dec. 22, 2013

James “Jim” Lewis ’50, Jan. 28, 2014

Robert “Bob” Braden ’51, Dec. 16, 2013

George Buck Jr. ’51, Dec. 11, 2013

Ray Hooper ’51, May 6, 2014

Alexander “Mack” McLean ’51, Dec. 1, 2013

Carl Flock ’52, June 17, 2014

Clarence “C.B.” Morris Jr. ’52, Dec. 15, 2013

Thomas “Tom” Jefferson ’53, Jan. 12, 2014

Robert “Bob” Swindell ’53, Dec. 25, 2013

Tempie Wooldridge Jr. ’53, Dec. 12, 2013

Clarence Mathews ’54, April 1, 2014

Inez Wiley Dixon ’55, March 4, 2014

C. “Rex” Angel ’56, Dec. 11, 2013

Henry “Jack” Blankenship ’56, April 17, 2014

E. Raymond “Ray” Hudson, Jr. ’56, Dec. 14, 2013

Judith “Judy” Bing Martin ’56, Dec. 22, 2013

Gwendolyn Johnson Campbell ’57, May 24, 2014

Elizabeth “Dolly” Ball Payne ’57, March 8, 2014

Joseph Austin III ’58, Feb. 10, 2014

Judith “Judy” Thrasher Frazer ’58, July 31, 2013

Edward “Len” Stork ’59, Dec. 17, 2013

Jerry Hill ’60, Nov. 17, 2013

Bernard Knowles ’60, April 18, 2014

A. Franklin “Frank” Smith ’60, Aug. 26, 2013

Harry “Pete” Cheatwood ’61, April 25, 2014

Barry Lovelace ’61, May 31, 2014

Helga Neuhaus Leftwich ’62, May 21, 2014

James “Jim” Brammer Jr. ’64, April 9, 2014

Bonnie Thomas Miller ’64, May 7, 2014

Guy “Tom” Jefferson ’65, ’73 MEd, May 7, 2014

Daniel O’Dell ’65, March 15, 2014

David “Dan” Daniel ’68, April 1, 2014

E. Douglas “Doug” Hawkins ’68, April 11, 2014

Luther “James” West Jr. ’68, May 17, 2014

Leon “Bill” Osborn Jr. ’70, Feb. 9, 2014

James “Jim” Castleman ’71, Jan. 19, 2014

Barbara “Bobby” Waterman Cherry ’71, Oct. 18, 2013

Kathryn “Kathy” Wise ’71, Feb. 3, 2014

Virginia Irby Davis ’73 MEd, Jan. 20, 2014

J. Walter “Walt” Berger ’74 MBA, April 18, 2014

Maurice Aliff Jr. ’75 MBA, Dec. 18, 2013

Mark Dillman ’75, June 4, 2014

James “Jim” Flynn ’75, March 18, 2014

Vernon Hammond ’75 MEd, Feb. 7, 2014

Deems Melvin Jr. ’75 MEd, Feb. 17, 2014

Lynn Jones Daue ’77, Feb. 19, 2014

Kirby Nuckols ’81, Dec. 27, 2013

Annie Campbell James ’82, March 28, 2014

James L. McCormick ’83 MEd, Feb. 20, 2014

Michael “Mike” George ’85, Jan. 14, 2014

Rodney Lee ’85, June 2, 2014

Richard Connor ’87, Jan. 30, 2014

Ruth Ellen “RE” Edwards Hurley ’87, Jan. 28, 2014

Kevin Swaim ’87, May 18, 2014

Graeme Kutt ’01, March 24, 2014

Kurt Kauffman ’05 MEd, Jan. 26, 2014

Troy Manley ’12 MBA, April 13, 2014

In Sympathy

Jessamine “Jeppy” Shumate Calhoun ’50, husband, Dec. 22, 2013

Carlyle Daniel ’51, brother, Dec. 30, 2013

E. Nelson Lea ’52, ’83 MEd, brother, Mar. 30, 2014

Lewis Rhodes ’52, brother, Sept. 14, 2013

Sue Main Swindell ’53, husband, Dec. 25, 2013

Percy Wootton ’53, sister, Mar. 31, 2014

Donald Swindell ’55, brother, Dec. 25, 2013

Vera Janutolo Winston ’55, husband, Dec. 24, 2013

Thomas “Tom” Hebel ’56, son, Oct. 6, 2013

Eugene Campbell ’57, wife, May 24, 2014

James “Jim” Farmer ’57, son, Mar. 4, 2014

Franklin “Frank” Whitten ’57, sister, Mar. 29, 2014

Nancy Chiles Burnett ’59, son, June 1, 2014

Bettye Shelton Lee ’59, son, June 2, 2014

Kenneth “Bugs” Burnett ’60, son, June 1, 2014

Helen Hill Hopper ’60, brother, Nov. 17, 2013

James Mathieson ’60, son, Nov. 6, 2012

Rosalie Montgomery Lovelace ’61, husband, May 31, 2014

Jeffrey “Jeff” Aultice ’62, mother, June 4, 2014

John Miller Jr. ’62, wife, May 7, 2014

Eugene “Gene” Winston ’62, brother, Dec. 24, 2013

Barry Campbell ’63, mother, May 24, 2014

Class Notes

see more of the weekend atwww.lynchburg.edu/fall2014

Westoveralumni society weekend 2014

photo gallery


Betty Hawkins Arrington ’64, brother, April 11, 2014

Mary Ball Payne Morton ’64, mother, Mar. 8, 2014

John Donaldson ’65, brother, July 18, 2013

Thomas Whitten ’65, sister, Mar. 29, 2014

Rita Keith Jefferson ’66, husband, May 7, 2014

Margaret “Maggie” Hill Brown ’67, brother, Nov. 17, 2013

E. “Wayne” Proffitt ’67, ’73 MEd, daughter, Jan. 5, 2014

Brenda Fain Hennis ’68, father, Dec. 18, 2013

Ted Campbell ’70, ’99 MEd, mother, May 24, 2014

Janie Wineman Dowdy ’70, mother, Jan. 7, 2014

William “Bill” Fraker ’70, mother, Mar. 31, 2014

James “Jim” Conley ’71, father, Jan. 26, 2014

Robert “Bob” Fraker ’71, mother, Mar. 31, 2014

Lynn Harrow Glover ’71, brother, Oct. 21, 2013

Barry Kornblau ’71, father, May 14, 2014

Donald Tyree ’71, wife, Jan. 5, 2014

Ben Beverley Jr. ’72, father, Feb. 2, 2014

Donald “Don” Conley ’73, father, Jan. 26, 2014

Pamela Miller West ’73, husband, June 21, 2013

Karen Garner Berry ’75 MEd, son, May 26, 2014

Susan Little Frantz ’75, mother, May 9, 2014

Janet Rice West ’75 MEd, husband, May 17, 2014

Katherine “Kathy” Kilcher ’76, father, Feb. 2, 2014

H. Gregory “Greg” Reid ’76, mother, May 20, 2014

Mark Flynn Sr. ’77, ’82 MEd, brother, Mar. 18, 2014

James “Jim” Gleason ’78, mother, May 14, 2014

Elizabeth “Betty Lou” North Proffitt ’79, daughter, Jan. 5, 2014

Robert “Rob” Gebhard ’80, father, April 4, 2014

Michael Hilbish ’80, mother, June 8, 2014

Mary Dyess Babcock ’83, father, May 10, 2014

Judith “Judy” Lehman Finch ’83, father, May 30, 2014

Lisa Bates Geier ’83, father, Feb. 12, 2014

John Scudder III ’83, mother, Dec. 28, 2013

Robin Armes Lee ’84, husband, June 2, 2014

Annette Morgan Howard ’85, mother, Oct. 2, 2013

Elizabeth “Ellen” Proffitt Wiley ’87, sister, Jan. 5, 2014

Kimberly “Kim” Massie Hatcher ’88, father, Jan. 25, 2014

Elsby Proffitt Jr. ’88, sister, Jan. 5, 2014

Gary Hargis ’90, mother, April 30, 2014

Angela “Angie” Griffin Mason ’90, father, April 14, 2014

Christopher “Chris” Pickeral ’90, mother, Feb. 13, 2014

William “Bill” Worsham ’90 MS, wife, Dec. 13, 2013

Bruce Cheatwood ’91, father, April 25, 2014

Kelly Hawkins Skinner ’91, father, April 11, 2014

J. Gregory “Greg” Ware ’91, father, Jan. 31, 2014; mother, Mar. 29, 2014

Walter “Walt” Rivers Jr. ’92 MEd, ’05 MEd, father, May 2, 2014

R. “Brian” Shotwell ’95, father, Dec. 24, 2013

Karen Contarino ’96, brother, Dec. 6, 2013

Lori Worsham Fleming ’96, mother, Dec. 13, 2013

William “Billy” Jamerson ’96, mother, June 9, 2014

Emma Nappier Wardlaw ’98 MEd, husband, April 4, 2014

Melissa Proffitt Wilson ’98, sister, Jan. 5, 2014

Brandon Bryant ’99, mother, Feb. 22, 2014

Kelly Roberts ’99, son, Jan. 29, 2014

Lisa Perez Burch ’00, husband, Jan. 29, 2014

Kasey Purcell Forehand ’00, father, Mar. 31, 2014

Cathy Ware Glass ’01, father, Jan. 31, 2014; mother Mar. 29, 2014

Koryn Johnston Looney ’05, father, Jan. 3, 2014

Kimberly “Kim” Benadum ’06, mother, April 20, 2012

Romaine Johnson Anderson ’07, mother, Oct. 23, 2013

Michael Whorley ’07, mother, Jan. 23, 2014

Connie Moore Parker ’09, daughter, May 17, 2014

Jordan Parker ’09, daughter, May 17, 2014

Sharonda Johnson Westergaard ’09, mother, Oct. 23, 2013

Sara Hardin ’11, father, Feb. 18, 2014

in Progress

Alumni Directory

Lynchburg College is working with Harris Connect to produce an alumni directory scheduled for publication in early 2015. In the coming months, you may receive postcards, emails, or phone calls from Harris asking for updated contact information, and we would appreciate your cooperation. All updates are returned to the College so that our database remains current. Harris Connect is only collecting information for purposes of the directory. It is a great way to stay connected to the Lynchburg College alumni community!

For more information contact Tom Cassidy ’73, director of ad-vancement special events and initiatives, at 434.544.8403, 800.621.1669, or [email protected].



We Remember

Helen Virginia Martin Bryant ’80, former library administrative assistant, died July 11, 2014 in Lynch-burg, Virginia. She was 89. For more than 25 years, until her retirement, she oversaw book acquisitions for the College library, where she was beloved by faculty and students. A native of Bassett, Virginia, she was married for 64 years to her high school sweetheart, the late John Morris Bryant. While her life revolved around five children and 14 grandchil-dren, Helen was known throughout the state for her many awards and leadership roles in garden clubs. She was also an officer of the Lynchburg Women’s Club and held virtually every volunteer post at River-mont Avenue Baptist Church, including deaconess and president. While president, in celebration of the Church’s 100th Anniversary, she organized a reunion between the African-American congregation at the church’s original building on Cabell Street and the predominantly white congregation at the newer Rivermont building.

Virginia Irby Davis ’73 MEd, former director of the Daura Gallery, died January 20, 2014 in Lynch-burg, Virginia. She was 95. She graduated from Roanoke College in 1940 with a major in chemistry and minors in Spanish and music. After working in New York City and Baltimore, she returned to Roanoke and then Lynchburg with her husband Earl Stephen Davis, who died unexpectedly in 1963. Vir-ginia earned a degree in art from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and taught art for many years at Lynchburg College. In 1973, she earned the MEd in counseling from LC. In 1989, she published Crafts: A Basic Survey, which remains a college textbook. She became friends with Martha Daura, daughter of Spanish artist Pierre Daura, and was instrumental in the creation of the Daura Gallery, serving as director for several years. In 2001, with the cooperation of the family, she published A Biography of Cata-lan-American Artist Pierre Daura 1896-1976: The Man and His Art. Virginia was an avid sportswoman, gourmet cook, world traveler, and accomplished art-ist and pianist. She spent 45 years as the companion of Terry D. Sumey, former LC business manager.

Phyllis Waugh Elliott ’56, former business office employee, died July 4, 2014. She was 79. A native of Lynchburg, Virginia, she was an honor graduate of E.C. Glass High School and was in the class of 1956 at Lynchburg College where she was later employed (1985 to 1997) in accounts payable. She was pre-viously employed in law firms in Newport News, Va., and Lynchburg. Phyllis loved music, barbershop harmony, flowers, photography, and watching bas-ketball. She was a member of the Lynchburg Chapter of Sweet Adeline’s, the Edgewood Garden Club, the Timbrook Junior Woman’s Club, the Red Hat Society, and the Virginia Baptist Auxiliary. Phyllis and her

husband Woody Elliott ’59, ’74 MEd enjoyed trav-eling throughout the US, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Russia, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia. Their son, two daughters, and six grandchildren all live in the Lynchburg area.

Dr. James B. “Jim” Flynn ’75 died March 18, 2014 after a lengthy and valiant fight with leukemia. He was 60. Jim graduated with a bachelor of science in psychology before earning his doctorate in industrial and organi-

zational psychology from Old Dominion University. He earned the Lynchburg College Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008 and served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2001 to 2007. He was founder and CEO of Harford Survey Research, which conducts attitudinal and organiza-tional surveys for a variety of businesses, industries, and educational institutions. He also developed an objective measure of alumni engagement. He donated hundreds of hours of professional research and analysis to LC. Jim co-chaired his 30th class reunion in 2005 and was an active member of the Baltimore Alumni Club and the Hornet Club. Jim lived in Churchville, Maryland, with his wife Peggy and son Robert. His brother Mark Flynn ’77, ’82 MEd, is also an alumnus.

Thomas Richards Leachman Jr., former member of the LC Board of Overseers, died May 10, 2014 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was 106. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Architecture, he had a career in architecture in New York City before joining the firm of Wiley and Wilson in Lynchburg in 1942. He became a partner in 1960 and senior vice president in 1973. He was a registered architect in nine states and the District of Columbia. He retired from Wiley and Wilson after 50 years in architecture. Tom served on the LC Board of Overseers from 1976 to 1989, when he was named an Honorary Life Overseer. He also served on the board of trustees of Seven Hills School and the President’s Advisory Coun-cil of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. His hob-bies included photography, art work, and collecting classical music. Tom was also a lover of nature and reading, including history, psychology, and spiritual direction and growth. He traveled in 44 states and many countries.

Helga Neuhaus Leftwich ’62, professor emerita of romance languages and literature, died May 21, 2014 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She was 92. A native of Leverkusen, Germany, she married William Edward Leftwich in 1948 and moved to Lynchburg, where she earned her BA in French in 1962. She was a professor at LC from 1963 until her retirement in 1990. She devoted her career to stimulating her stu-dents’ interests in foreign languages and the human-

ities. In particular she focused on Senior Symposium, an interdisciplinary program which emphasizes developing students’ creative and critical thinking. Helga earned graduate degrees from Duke Univer-sity in 1963 and Middlebury College in 1968. She did further graduate work at University of Freiburg, Germany. She lived in Lynchburg until 2001, when she moved to Chapel Hill to be near her daughter. Memorial contributions may be made to the Helga N. Leftwich Memorial Fund, c/o Advancement, Lynchburg College, 1501 Lakeside Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24501.

Dr. Walter Guy Rivers Sr., professor emeritus of biology, died May 2, 2014 in Englewood, Florida. He was 80. Guy taught biology, ecology, meteo-rology, oceanography, and zoology for 37 years. He established LC’s field

study course on San Salvador, Bahamas, where he taught students about the biology and ecology of West Indian coral reefs. He conducted a “Living off the Land” course at his home in Big Island, Virginia, and he taught students how to be self-sufficient without modern conveniences. He educated the public, as well as local and national lawmakers, about conservation and the consequences of polluting the land and oceans. He was an avid reader and a capti-vating storyteller. Guy is survived by his wife of 48 years, Verma Harrelson Rivers, three daughters, two sons (including Walter Guy Rivers Jr. ’92 MEd, ’05 MEd), 13 grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. Donations in his honor may be made to the Dr. Walter Guy Rivers Scholarship Fund, c/o Advancement, Lynchburg College, 1501 Lakeside Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24501.

Terry D. Sumey, former business manager, died February 19, 2014 in Lynchburg, Virginia, following an extended illness. He was 69. He was a 1962 grad-uate of the Lee High School and attended the Univer-sity of Virginia. He worked at Coca-Cola in Staunton and at Lynchburg College where he held many posts, culminating in business manager of the College. He was an officer in a number of state, regional, and national college associations. He was an avid reader and bibliophile and enjoyed foreign travel. Terry col-lected art of active Virginia artists in the 1960s-80s, and many pieces of his collection are in the Daura Gallery. He served many civic organizations as board member and officer including the original board of the Lynchburg Academy Theater; the Sarah Winston Henry chapter of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities; the Renaissance Theater; and the Hamner Theater. He was a founding organizer of the Virginia Library Endowment and was its first treasurer. He was a longtime friend and companion of Virginia Davis ’73 MEd.

Class Notes


OctoberOctober 2

n JoAnn P. Hunt Lecture/Concert Series with Anthony Baron as guest artist performing choral works of Beethoven, Ibert, Bolcom, and Bellini, 434.544.8344, Sydnor Performance Hall, 7:30 p.m.

October 2-5n LC Theatre presents The Liar, a joyful comedy

by David Ives about a handsome and charming pathological liar living in Paris, who gets caught up in his own web of deceit. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (60+), and $5 for students. Box Office: 434.544.8380 or online at www.LynchburgTickets.com. Dillard Fine Arts Theatre, Oct. 2-4 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 5, 2 p.m.

October 6,8,9n German Film Festival featuring three films with

a Fussball (soccer) theme. Films include, Der ganz grosse Traum (Lessons in a Dream), Das Wunder in Bern (The Miracle in Bern), and Football Under Cover; all with English subtitles. LC students introduce each movie and lead a discussion afterwards. Hopwood Auditorium, 7 p.m.

October 18n Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, and Choral

Union present a Fall Choral Concert to benefit the Lynchburg Branch of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, conducted by Dr. Jong Kim. Admission is canned goods or monetary dona-tion. 434.544.8344. Snidow Chapel, 7:30 p.m.

NovemberNovember 13-16

n LC Theatre presents Insights from Inside, an original piece based on the book by B.B. Shavers, involving testimonials from prison in-mates. Tickets are $5. Box Office: 434.544.8380 or online at www.LynchburgTickets.com. Dillard Fine Arts Theatre, Nov. 13-15, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 16, 2 p.m.

November 14n Jazz Ensemble and the Lynchburg Community

Big Band present All That Jazz, conducted by Dr. Chris Magee. Sydnor Performance Hall, 7:30 p.m.

DecemberDecember 1

n Carols by Candlelight, an evening of lessons and carols. Snidow Chapel, 8 p.m.

December 4-5n LC Orchestra, Wind Symphony, and James

String Quartet present Music for Festive Occasions holiday concert, conducted by Dr. Oeida Hatcher. Tickets are free, but required: 434.544.8344. Sydnor Performance Hall, 7:30 p.m.

December 7n LC Choral Union and Festival Orchestra

present their 12th annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, conducted by Dr. Jong Kim. 7: Tickets are $10: 434.544.8344. E.C. Glass Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

Upcoming Events

TELL US WHAT’S NEW!

Do you have a new job, adventure, marriage,

addition to the family?

Photographs should be at least 300 dpi and 4x5 inches.Deadline for the spring 2015 issue is Nov. 28, 2014.

[email protected]

Homecoming WeekendFriday-SundayOctober 17-19, 2014

FEATURED EVENTSn Friday, October 17

Annual John P. Seamster ’92 Memorial Golf Tournament, London Downs Golf Course, Forest, Va. For more information or to register, contact George Grzenda ’71, ’73 MEd at [email protected] or 434.544.8497.

n Saturday, October 18 • 1- 4:30 p.m.Join us for a pig roast. Preregister and receive complimentary drink ticket to Hor-net Zone; $15 per ticket includes one food plate and one drink ticket. Parking lot be-hind Hopwood Hall, 1-4:30 p.m.

REGISTER BY OCTOBER 10!Secure online registration is available at www.lynchburg.edu/homecoming

Parents & Family WeekendFriday-SundaySeptember 19-21, 2014

FEATURED EVENTSn Friday, September 19

The Wind Symphony presents Aaron Copland: An American Celebration with Dr. Oeida Hatcher conducting. Tickets are free but required: 434.544.8344. Syd-nor Performance Hall, Schewel Hall, 7 p.m.

Concert Choir with Dr. Jong Kim con-ducting. No tickets required. Arrive early for best seating. Snidow Chapel, 8:15 p.m.

n Saturday, September 20Casino Night, test your luck at favorite games for students, families, faculty, and staff. Sponsored by the Student Activities Board, Memorial Ballroom, Hall Campus Center, 9 p.m. to midnight.

http://www.LynchburgTickets.com

http://www.LynchburgTickets.com

www.lynchburg.edu/giving/annualfund | [email protected] | 800.621.1669 or 434.544.8289

Opportunities abound for today’s LC students. Help to ensure their success by making your gift to the Annual Fund.

Give back.

The impact of giving

http://www.connect.lynchburg.edu/AnnualFund

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDLynchburg, VAPermit No. 27

CHANGE SERVICES REQUESTED

1501 Lakeside DriveLynchburg, Virginia 24501-3113

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