The Magazine of Elon, Spring 2011

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M A G A Z I N E

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We can be be er Confronting our nation’s future

VICTORY FORMATION the phoenix women’s basketball team hadn’t seen postseason tournament action in nearly 30 years. But you’d hardly know it looking at the scoreboard in Alumni Gym on March 17. A er the final whistle sounded, Kelsey Evans, Erica Keto and Lei Lei Hairston lingered on Robertson Court to celebrate Elon’s 103–72 drubbing of the University of South Carolina – Upstate in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational.

Though the Phoenix fell three days later to the University of Alabama – Birmingham, the eventual wbi champion, head coach Karen Barefoot had reason to celebrate. The team’s 20 wins marked the most Elon has tallied since moving to Division I in 1999, and its 12 Southern Conference victories doubled the team’s 2009–10 win total.

“This has been such a remarkable season for us,” Barefoot said. “I’m so happy for our seniors who have helped turn this program around.”

features

the magazine of elon spring 2011

vol. 73, no. 2

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EDITOR

Kristin M. Simone i ’05 DESIGNER

Christopher Eyl

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NEWS EDITOR

Eric Townsend PHOTOGRAPHER

Kim Walker COPY EDITOR

Keren Rivas ’04 CLASS NOTES

Holley Berry

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STUDENT WRITERS

Caitlin O’Donnell ’13 Becca Tynes ’13 DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY RELATIONS

Daniel J. Anderson

The Magazine of Elon is published quarterly for alumni, parents and friends by the Office of University Relations.

336-278-7415

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EDITORIAL OFFICES

The Magazine of Elon 2030 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244-2020

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Class Notes Elon Office of University Relations 2030 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244 Email: alumniclassnotes@elon.edu Elon website www.elon.edu

FACULTY PROFILE

Magazine website www.elon.edu/magazine

COVER STORY BOARD OF TRUSTEES, CHAIR

Mark T. Mahaffey, St. Petersburg, Fla. ELON ALUMNI BOARD, PRESIDENT

Chris Martin ’78 p’13, Manasquan, N.J. YOUNG ALUMNI COUNCIL, PRESIDENT

Michael Bumbry ’07, Philadelphia, Pa. PARENTS COUNCIL, CO-PRESIDENTS

Robert and Kay Norris p’11, Charlo e, N.C.

ALUMNI PROFILE

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BOARD OF VISITORS, CHAIR

25 years in the making by keren rivas ’04 A 1986 gi by the Martha and Spencer Love Foundation changed not only the business program at Elon but also the trajectory of the greater institution.

a model mentor by keren rivas ’04 Inside and outside the classroom, Eric Hall takes Elon’s teacherscholar-mentor approach to heart.

we can be better by daniel j. anderson NBC’s Brian Williams and a distinguished panel of experts discuss the major challenges facing the United States in the decades to come.

ironwoman by kristin m. simonetti ’05 When elite endurance athlete Maura Guthrie ’87 G’92 received a devastating cancer diagnosis, she treated it like she has so many challenges before: She beat it.

Clifford B. Hardy Jr. ’62, Tampa, Fla. SCHOOL OF LAW ADVISORY BOARD, CHAIR

David Gergen, Cambridge, Mass.

SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY BOARD, CHAIR

Brian Williams p’13, New Canaan, Conn.

LOVE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADVISORY BOARD, CHAIR

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view from the top by kristin m. simonetti ’05 The recipients of Elon’s inaugural Top 10 Under 10 Awards for young alumni share stories of their success with The Magazine of Elon.

William S. Creekmuir p’09 p’10, Atlanta, Ga. PHOENIX CLUB ADVISORY BOARD, CHAIR

Mike Cross, Burlington, N.C. DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Sallie Hu on ’92 DIRECTOR OF PARENT PROGRAMS

Maggie Byerly

departments 2 Elon News 10 Phoenix Sports 25 Alumni Action 30 Class Notes 40 Making a Difference

on the cover (l-r) Brian Williams David Walker Eboo Patel Shirley Ann Jackson David Levin David Gergen

Leo M. Lambert

Mollie Lambert

Mollie, I finally took the plunge and signed up for Facebook. The University Relations office helped set up a page for me, and last fall I signed up for Twitter, mostly to keep up with scores of Phoenix athletics teams. Are you proud of your old dad?

1 hour ago · Like · Comment · Share I am oh-so-proud. Welcome to the 21st century! But, you know, there are a lot of other ways you can use social media besides checking the latest game scores. Facebook and Twitter can be great for networking and keeping up-to-date on topics in your field by following people and organizations that are related to your career and interests.

× Mollie Lambert is a student in the master of arts program in interactive media at Elon. You can follow her on Twitter @mollielambert.

President Lambert at facebook.com/leomlambert

Actually, Andrew Bennett ʼ08 of the Young Alumni Council was the first young alum to encourage me to become more involved in social media. Already, I keep in touch with alums in a more personal way and, of course, with current students and parents, too. I enjoy taking a moment to comment on something interesting on campus or on a student accomplishment that deserves special attention – but I think I have a lot to learn.

There is a lot to learn. Youʼll want to have a social media plan and understand the message you want to give to other people. This is as important for businesses as they think about online branding as it is for college students as they are about to post photos on Facebook from a wild night out. A recent study I saw showed that one in 10 college admissions officers look at applicantsʼ online profiles. The same study showed that social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are being used in college classrooms to enhance the learning environment. What are some of the ways that Elon is using social media?

You saw that many students Tweeted during Convocation for Honors. And I think Facebook was a huge reason the IGNITE Young Alumni Challenge by Kerrii Anderson ʼ79 was so successful, raising nearly $70,000 in just a month from our young alums. On Facebook, lots of people have “liked” parts of the university in which they are especially interested, ranging from Phoenix athletics to Belk Library, or have “friended” faculty who post on their walls often about scholarly topics. Mollie, you and some other media students attended the South by Southwest conference in Texas last month, a huge gathering of people thinking about the future of communications. How do you see universities changing because of social media?

SXSW was an amazing opportunity to learn about the latest digital trends from industry leaders. Current social networking trends are changing the ways that universities market themselves to prospective students, alumni and community members. One trend I heard a lot about at SXSW was the idea of incorporating “game layers” in communications, giving people the opportunity to have fun and earn incentives through their online activities such as social networking or even through their online educational activities.

On one hand, I am awed by the power of social media, as we have seen the influence of Facebook in Egypt and other parts of North Africa and in the Middle East this spring.

But I do worry about how both the complexity and subtlety of ideas can get lost in short messages. As with the addition of any new tool, I suppose the challenge here will be to separate the powerful applications from the trivial ones.

I agree. The skills of reading complex texts and writing longer papers are still important for students to learn. But with the role of social media in society, knowing these skills alone is no longer enough. Students need to be able to communicate their ideas in a variety of forms and outlets. All of these are vital tools. Our toolbox is just becoming bigger.

Elon News

Elon to establish School of Health Sciences The board of trustees voted April 15 to establish a new School of Health Sciences, serving graduate students in the existing doctor of physical therapy program along with students in the new physician assistant studies master’s program, which will enroll its first class in January 2013.

The School of Health Sciences will be housed in the Gerald L. Francis Center on Haggard Avenue, which is undergoing a total renovation and is scheduled to open in December 2011.

“Creating the School of Health Sciences is among the goals of Elon’s strategic plan, the Elon Commitment, and supports our objectives to expand graduate education and further develop our programs in the sciences,” said Leo M. Lambert, Elon University president. “The DPT program and the new PA program will enjoy great synergy and thrive under strong

leadership with a shared mission and vision for excellence.”

The founding dean of the School of Health Sciences is Elizabeth Rogers, who has led Elon’s physical therapy program since its inception. She has a clinical background in acute care at Hinsdale Hospital in Illinois and at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Rogers has a doctor of education degree in health sciences and administration from the University of Houston, a master of education degree from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Loma Linda University.

The School of Health Sciences is the university’s sixth major academic unit, joining Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences; the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business; the School of Communications; the School of Education and Elon University School of Law.

Nobel Peace Prize, Pulitzer Prize winners to visit Elon in 2011–12 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus and Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist Dave Barry will headline Elon’s two Convocation ceremonies during the 2011–2012 academic year.

Barry, whose nationally syndicated column for the Miami Herald won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, visits campus Oct. 11 as the keynote speaker for Fall Convocation, which will also serve as the 2011 Baird Pulitzer Prize Lecture.

More than 500 papers carried Barry’s column before he ended the weekly feature in 2005. He continues to blog and write occasional articles for the newspaper in addition to his annual gift guide and “year in review” features.

A 1969 graduate of Haverford College, Barry worked as a reporter for the Daily Local News in West Chester, Pa., and for a consulting firm that assisted businessmen and women with their writing. His 1981 guest column in the Philadelphia Inquirer caught the eye of

a Sunday magazine editor in Miami, and by 1983, Barry had relocated to South Florida.

Barry spent the next 25 years writing for the Miami Herald. He has authored or contributed to dozens of books and compilations, and the CBS comedy “Dave’s World” in the mid 1990s was based on two of his works. His book, Big Trouble, was made into a 2002 film starring Tim Allen and Rene Russo.

Yunus, a pioneer of microcredit in developing nations, will be the featured speaker at the Convocation for Honors on April 3, 2012.

The founder of Grameen Bank has helped provide credit to 5.6 million people in his native Bangladesh.

Yunus and the Grameen Bank received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for their efforts to combat poverty via small loans that require no collateral from the rural poor.

Since then, he has been one of the world’s leading pioneers for social business, a way to “use the creative vibrancy of business to tackle social problems.”

His book, Creating a World Without Poverty, has been selected as the 2011–12 Common Reading at Elon. In addition to his Convocation remarks, Yunus has been selected to receive the Elon University Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

He traveled to the United States on a Fulbright Fellowship in 1965 and earned his doctorate in economics from Vanderbilt University five years later. Yunus taught briefly at Middle Tennessee State University before returning to Bangladesh.

Yunus has received several American and international honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the World Food Prize, and has received more than two dozen honorary degrees.

Fall Convocation and the spring Convocation for Honors are open to the public with the purchase of a ticket from the university box office. The events are free to students, faculty, staff and employee spouses with a valid Elon ID.

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Elon News

Community gathers for Alumni Field House dedication

Elon trustees, athletics staff and Phoenix fans united April 16 to dedicate Alumni Field House. The 30,000-square-foot facility at the north end of Rhodes Stadium in the North Athletics Complex serves as the headquarters for Elon’s sports programs.

“This is a facility that will touch all of our student-athletes,” said Dave Blank, Elon’s director of athletics. “This building is a vehicle for us to get to where we want to be in Division I athletics.”

Elon trustees Jay Hendrickson ’71 and Zac Walker ’60, along with their wives, Amy Hendrickson ’69 and Dot Walker, joined Blank, President Leo M. Lambert and his wife, Laurie, in cutting the ceremonial ribbon. The Hendricksons made a $1 million gift to name the building’s Hendrickson Football Center in honor of Jay’s father, Horace J. Hendrickson, one of Elon’s all-time great coaches.

The Field House’s Walker Room and Terrace, which overlooks Rhodes Stadium, was named in honor of a $500,000 gift the Walkers made to honor Zac’s father, Zachary T. Walker, Jr., a member of Elon’s Sports Hall of Fame, and Zac’s uncle, D.C. “Peahead” Walker, another of Elon’s all-time great coaches. (l-r) Mallory Lane, Drew Smith, Kirsten Bennett, Nick Ochsner and Jasmine Spencer

‘Phoenix14News’ earns national award “Phoenix14News,” Elon’s weekly student- from Arizona State University and WEIU produced newscast, took first place in T.V. “News Watch” from Eastern Illinois April in the College Television Awards University. competition sponsored by the Academy “‘Phoenix14’ is about keeping people of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation. honest and telling great stories that have The award was presented in Los a direct impact on the Elon community,” Angeles to broadcast journalism senior Bennett said. “It is incredibly validating to Kirsten Bennett, who works as the execu- have members of the foundation recogtive producer of “Phoenix14.” Senior news nize what we are doing at Elon. I could not director Drew Smith, senior investigative be more proud of our entire team.” reporter Nick Ochsner, senior anchors The award is the latest honor Mallory Lane and Jasmine Spencer “Phoenix14” has received. In March, Smith and faculty adviser Rich Landesberg and junior Sam Baranowski placed in the attended the black-tie dinner and awards top 10 in the Hearst Journalism Awards presentation.

Program Broadcast News Competition.

“I always tell my students never to Smith is now competing for a spot in the work for awards but to always do award- final competition. winning work,” Landesberg said. “Once The show also finished third in the again, they have all shown just how good Society of Professional Journalists Region they can be.”

2 competition in April and was named The award was the first for “Phoenix14,” the best newscast in the Carolinas last which beat out “Cronkite NewsWatch” October.

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(l-r) Laurie Lambert, President Leo M. Lambert, Jay Hendrickson ’71, Amy Hendrickson ’69, Dot Walker, Zac Walker ’60 and Dave Blank

“This feels like a family affair,” President Lambert said. “That’s what is special about this building; it was constructed by families who have loved Elon for a very long time.”

Undergraduate business program earns first national ranking

Bloomberg Businessweek has ranked Elon’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business among the nation’s top undergraduate business programs in its 2011 rankings. Elon ranks

Elon News

26 in academic quality and receives an “A” grade for facilities and services.

This is Elon’s first appearance in the annual Bloomberg Businessweek ranking, which identifies the top undergraduate business programs based on measures of student satisfaction, postgraduation outcomes and academic quality. Elon’s overall ranking is 60 out of 113 schools that were ranked.

“We have worked strategically over the past several years to create an engaged learning Molly Secours environment that prepares students well for their future roles as business professionals and leaders,” said Mary Gowan, dean of the Love Presentations at the conference addressed topSchool of Business. “The recognition of our ics such as power, privilege, oppression and program in this public forum attests to our inequality, and provided practical methods success.”

and strategies on how to effectively lead difficult dialogues.

“It’s been very inspiring for students,” said Lauren Flinn, assistant director of Elon’s Multicultural Center.

Writer and filmmaker Molly Secours delivered the conference’s keynote address in Whitley Auditorium, exploring the concept of “white privilege.” She said while whites take some of their advantages for granted, nonwhites often are aware of obstacles in their way.

“We have a duty and a responsibility to address what it means to be privileged,” Secours said. “White privilege … if left unchecked, undiagnosed and untreated, can cause a lot of destruction in its path.”

T.E. Powell ’19 honored on Founders Day

Elon honored Thomas E. Powell, Jr. ’19, a former professor and the founder of Carolina Biological Supply Company, during its annual Founders Day ceremonies. Members of Powell’s family attended a tree planting in his honor during a special College Coffee ceremony on March 9.

Powell taught science courses at Elon from the time he graduated until 1936. He also earned a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate in biology from Duke University. In 1927, Powell started Carolina Biological Supply Co. in a small woodshed beside a pond on Haggard Avenue. By the time of his death in 1987, the company had become one of the largest companies of its kind in the world. Elon honored him with the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year award in 1964. He also received a honorary doctor of science degree in 1968.

Powell and his family endowed the Thomas E. Powell, Jr. Professorship to support science programs at Elon, and the Maude Sharpe Powell Professorship was created by the Powell family in honor of his first wife, who died in 1944. The Caroline E. Powell Building was made possible by a family gift in honor of Powell’s sister, a 1928 graduate of Elon.

Elon hosts second Diversity Leadership Conference

More than 150 students, faculty and administrators from Elon and several other institutions came together on campus April 2 for the second Diversity Leadership Conference organized by the Multicultural Student Council.

It’s old-fashioned to talk about character and it’s not politically correct, because when you talk about character in politics, people always think you’re being judgmental or trying to be ‘holier-than-thou’ or trying to be self-righteous. I have a pretty simple definition of character. It’s doing what’s right when no one’s looking. And friends, we have a character deficit in America today in so many respects.

Former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) visited campus in February as the seventh Isabella Cannon Distinguished Visiting Professor of Leadership. In his public address on Feb. 22 in McCrary Theatre, Watts emphasized the need for national leaders to put aside partisan differences to overcome America’s significant challenges.

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Elon News

The Berenstain Bears come to Elon Generations of children have followed the adventures of the lovable inhabitants of Bear Country. Author and illustrator Mike Berenstain, whose parents, Stan and Jan, created the Berenstain Bears in the 1960s, visited Elon in March to talk with students about his parents’ work, their philosophy of children’s literature and what the future has in store for the Bear family as the 50th anniversary of the series approaches next year.

Stan Berenstain died in 2005 and, today, Mike Berenstain collaborates with his mother to continue the Bears’ legacy.

Mike Berenstain, whose daughter, Emily, is an Elon sophomore, fielded questions that alumni emailed to the Elon Alumni Association and posted to the university’s fan page on Facebook.

Q

Elizabeth Murphy Cox ’01 (Wilmington, Del.) – Our family loves The Berenstain Bears! Do you ever find some topics that might be too much for young readers but would still like to write about them?

A

Many subjects occur to us, but we are pretty strict about focusing only on those that would be relevant for younger children. That’s what we are all about: the creation of books and entertainment for the younger audience. If it does not pass the test of being “young,” we quickly lose interest in it.

Q A

Joey White ’04 (Knoxville, Tenn.) – Do you have a favorite among the books? If so, which?

I don’t really have a favorite. I do remember, nostalgically, the books my parents were creating when I was growing up, books like The Bears’ Picnic or The Bears’ Vacation, but this may have more to do with fond memories of my childhood than with the books themselves.

Q

Kristin Smith ’07 (Cary, N.C.) – How did your parents choose the lessons to teach children in each of the books? Were they from general or personal experience raising their own children?

A

They were (and are) both. Many of the books are very closely based on personal experience both as parents and grandparents. The Berenstain Bears and the Bad Habit would be a good example. Others are based more on general knowledge and common sense ideas about childhood and childrearing. The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day would be a good example.

Q

Christian Wiggins ’03 (Charlotte, N.C.) – The Berenstain Bears books tackled some great growth areas for youth as I was growing up. The world we live in now is very different. How have the books kept up with issues current for youth of today?

A

We incorporate changes in the broader society into our books when they seem to be almost universally impacting kids growing up and when these changes can be dealt with meaningfully within the context of the fictional, rural and ursine world of Berenstain Bear Country. The recent title The Berenstain Bears’ Computer Trouble is an example.

Elon receives grant for concussion study

The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine has awarded $17,000 to a team of Elon researchers who are studying the effects oof concussions in student-athletes. The team hopes to present its findings by mid 2012. h The project, “Influence of Concussion History on Cognitive Performance in College H SStudent Athletes: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal L Examination,” will measure athletes’ a verbal and visual memory, processiing speed, reaction time and impulse control, aas well as word discrimination and attention span, to determine what measures can better distinguish between athletes who have suffered concussions and those who have not.

Dr. Kenneth Barnes, an adjunct assistant professor of exercise science and director of sports medicine at Elon, and a sports medicine physician at Kernodle Clinic, serves as principal investigator on the project. He’s joined

by Elon exercise science colleagues Eric Hall, Wally Bixby and Paul Miller, and Stephen Folger in the Department of Physical Therapy Education.

Joel Karty receives grant from National Science Foundation

Joel Karty, associate professor of chemistry, has received a three-year, $181,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund his work with undergraduates on research into molecular phenomena that govern chemical stability.

“This award means a lot to me, because it provides real validation of my work by experts in the field,” Karty said. “It’s beyond just saying ‘we like your research,’ as there’s a lot of good science out there that does not get funded.”

The grant will cover stipends for three undergraduate researchers for each of the next three summers; two high-performance computers for the McMichael Science Building; and travel expenses for presentations at annual academic conferences.

Students will carry out quantum theoretical calculations using specialized software, and will synthesize molecules for testing in a gas-phase ion chemistry lab at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. Karty earned his doctorate from Stanford University in 2001 and published his first textbook, The Nuts and Bolts of Organic Chemistry: A Student’s Guide to Success, in 2005. A second book, Organic Chemistry: Principles and Mechanisms, is in progress.

Elon News

Mary Morrison recognized

by N.C. Campus Compact

North Carolina Campus Compact honored Mary Morrison, director of Elon’s Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, with its 2011 Civic Engagement Professional of the Year Award in February during N.C. Campus Compact’s annual conference.

The award recognizes a staff member at a Compact-associated campus who “has worked toward the institutionalization of service, created and strived toward a vision of service on their campus, supported faculty and students, and formed innovative campus-community partnerships.”

At Elon, Morrison formed the Kernodle Center Advisory Committee, expanded alternative break service program opportunities and reinvigorated Elon’s academic servicelearning program. Since Morrison’s arrival at Elon in 2006, enrollment in such courses has grown 31 percent, with associated service hours increasing 67 percent.

She teaches a popular course on community engagement and is the founding co-director of the Civic Engagement Scholars program. Morrison has also fostered development of innovative programs including the Downtown/East Burlington Biobus Route and Campus Kitchen at Elon University.

Paul Parsons named Administrator of the Year

The Scripps Howard Foundation, in conjunction with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, has named School of Communications Dean Paul Parsons its 2010 national Journalism and Mass Communication Administrator of the Year.

Parsons will receive the Charles E. Scripps Award and a $10,000 prize at the aejmc convention in St. Louis in August. Parsons said he plans to donate the monetary prize for needbased student scholarships in the School of Communications.

The school’s faculty and staff nominated Parsons in a letter that said, in part, “In a time of significant professional and disciplinary change, Dr. Parsons has articulated a clear vision, implemented a progressive agenda and demonstrated a collaborative leadership style.”

Four professors author books Elon faculty members authored books published this winter for health professionals learning Spanish, on the future of intelligence in the age of instant information, on American philosopher John Dewey’s understanding of personhood and on Satan’s likely views of contemporary society.

Professor Ernest Lunsford wrote ¡Salud!: Introductory Spanish for Health Professionals in collaboration with public health researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The beginning Spanish textbook focuses on vocabulary and cultural differences that medical personnel may encounter when treating Hispanic patients with little or no knowledge of English.

Janna Anderson, associate professor of communications, and Lee Rainie, a member of the School of Communications Advisory Board and director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, co-authored Challenges and Opportunities: The Future of the Internet, Volume 4. The book details a 2010 Elon/Pew survey of technologists, business leaders, scholars and others from around the world who shared their views about the Internet and the evolution of several topics.

Ernest Lunsford

Janna Anderson

In The Person Vanishes: John Dewey’s Philosophy of Experience and the Self, Professor Yoram Lubling uses Dewey’s own philosophical programs to deduce a theory of personality. The book is the first of its kind and is considered a “missing chapter” in Dewey’s body of work.

Yoram Lubling

Jeffrey C. Pugh, the Maude Sharpe Powell Professor of Religious Studies, has published Devil’s Ink: Blog from the Basement Office. Pugh assumes the voice of Satan and writes a series of blog posts on topics ranging from nuclear weapons to political systems to Disney World. An ongoing discussion about the book continues at www.devilsinkblog.com.

Jeffrey C. Pugh

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Update and maximize their God-given talents, because that’s what it’s all about,” he says. “I also hope the school continues to inspire its graduates to be exemplary leaders with charBY JALEH HAGIGH acter and courage, not only in their business careers but also in their broader communiOpportunities remain to support the university by participating in ties. These factors have helped set the Love School apart. There’s no doubt that Martha Ever Elon: The Campaign for the Future of Our University. As of and Spencer Love would be proud that the late April, donors had contributed more than $90 million in cash, school bears their names.”

The Love Foundation has supported Elon pledges and planned gifts toward the $100 million campaign goal. for nearly 60 years, including making gifts to endow the prestigious Love Award for During the fi nal year of the campaign, gift in 1985 to endow Elon’s business school. Excellence in Business Leadership. The award Elon seeks support for additional scholarships; Elon’s board of trustees voted to name the is presented annually to one student in the faculty development, including research op- program the Martha and Spencer Love Love School of Business who demonstrates acportunities and endowed professorships to en- School of Business in memory of the foun- ademic achievement, creativity and leadership. able the university to attract top scholars; and dation’s benefactors. At the time, the gift was The award supports the recipient’s participafacilities, including the multi-faith center and the largest in the history of the college and the tion in a leadership project as well as tuition the second phase of renovations to Alumni largest gift made by the foundation. expenses. Go to page 12 to read more about Gymnasium.

Martha and Spencer Love and the school’s Since its launch in fall 2008, the Ever Elon 25th anniversary.

Campaign has transformed the university in significant ways. More than 175 endowed ignite challenge scholarships have been created to make an exceeds donor goal Elon education possible for deserving students and to support engaged learning programs Nearly 1,400 young alumni made gifts to Elon such as study abroad and undergraduate rein March as part of the ignite Challenge, exsearch. Gifts to support faculty have strengthceeding the 1,200 donor goal and helping to ened Elon’s reputation for excellent teaching. bring in more than $480,000 to the university.

Outstanding facilities such as Lindner Hall Elon trustee Kerrii Brown Anderson ’79 in the Academic Village and Alumni Field Charles E. Love led the Challenge by offering a 5-to-1 match House enhance students’ overall experience. of all gifts of $20 or more made during March.

“Ever Elon donors have made extraordinary Charles E. Love, the eldest son of Martha Young alumni responded by contributing opportunities possible for students and fac- and Spencer Love and foundation chairman, more than $69,900 to the university. By exulty, and we are a stronger university because says his family is happy to support a “truly re- ceeding the donor goal, young alumni enof their generosity,” says Jim Piatt, vice pres- markable” business school. abled Elon to receive an additional $20,000 ident for university advancement. “Now we “The leadership of Elon from the universi- from Anderson and $20,000 from these young ask all members of our community to step ty’s president to the various deans of the busi- alumni: Ian Baltutis ’08, Parker Turner ’06, up and make a gift to complete the Ever Elon ness school and the distinguished faculty have Emily Turner ’06, Jay Myers ’07, R.J. Yozwiak Campaign and secure the university for the all taken the business school to new levels of ’08, Jack McMackin ’08, Andrew Bennett ’08, future.” academic excellence and achievement that we Kathleen Niple ’05 and Cam Tims ’00. couldn’t have anticipated in 1985,” Love says.

“The members of our foundation are happy love foundation enhances to make this gift and are grateful to the other faculty development generous donors who have made significant The Martha and Spencer Love Foundation contributions to the school. We feel that the has continued its generous support of Elon by university has done a wonderful job of showmaking a significant commitment to endow a ing its appreciation to donors and making professorship in the Martha and Spencer Love them feel part of the university family.”

School of Business, which this year celebrates Love says he hopes the foundation’s latest its 25th anniversary. The foundation also will gift takes the business school to even higher make annual gifts to support the endowment levels of achievement. until it is fully funded.

“I hope the school sustains its reputation Kerrii Brown Anderson ’79 The Love Foundation made a $1 million as a place where young people can cultivate

EVER ELON CAMPAIGN TOPS $90 MILLION

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This year’s results far surpassed the totals from the first Challenge in 2010, when 628 young alumni donated more than $34,000 to Elon. With Anderson’s match, the 2010 Challenge raised $205,028. Anderson serves as co-chair of the campaign.

new leaf society supports physician assistant program

Bill and Liz Sprague

The couple has made a $100,000 commitment to the multi-faith center, which will be centrally located on campus as the sixth pavilion in the Academic Village. They are pleased with the experiences of their daughters, Sarah, an Elon junior, and Caroline, a sophomore.

“Elon has fulfilled everything that we needed for both our daughters,” Graves says.

“They’ve made good friends and contacts, and the engaged style of learning is clearly an important factor at Elon.”

Says Meredith Graves, “In addition, the faculty are very approachable and focused on their students.”

They also have made a planned gi gift, designating Elon as the beneficiary of a retirement account to help secure the univer university’s future. Kelly Graves, executive vice ice presid president nt of Carroll Financial in Charlotte, e, N.C., say says saays Elon needs support now and in n the futu future ure re through planned, or deferred, gifts. ifts.

“Making Elon the beneficiary of an iraa is a great way to go because of the taxx saving savings,” ngs,” he says. “Elon needs support now more re th than ever to finish the campaign. As parents, s I think s, it’s important that we understand d that ourr tuition checks don’t cover the entire re cost of an Elon education. That’s one of thee reason reasons we’re happy to support Elon, and we feel ver very fortunate that we can do this.”

The New Leaf Society of Burlington, N.C., has made a gift-in-kind to support the university’s new master of physician assistant studies program. The gift provides landscaping and other work associated with renovations of the Gerald L. Francis Center, which will house the pa and physical therapy programs on Elon’s main campus.

The New Leaf Society is a private nonprofit Travis and Abby Sprague organization that supports beautification projects throughout Burlington. It was founded

by Elon trustee Allen E. Gant Jr., chief execu- Elon, and she wanted to make those opportive officer of Glen Raven, Inc., and co-chair tunities possible for students who might not of the campaign. The New Leaf gift brings be able to afford it,” Sprague says. the total private support for the pa program The family also wanted to help Elon conto more than $1.6 million. The pa program tinue to attract students from a variety of is projected to enroll its inaugural class in backgrounds.

January 2013.

“The benefits that all students get from interacting with people from other backgrounds, including different socio-economic sprague family endows backgrounds, are significant,” Sprague says. study abroad scholarship “Targeting our gift where it can help the endonors make planned gifts Before making their latest gift to the cam- tire student body is important to us.” paign, Bill and Liz Sprague sat down with the Order of the Oak, Elon’s planned gift legacy two family members who have benefitted the society, welcomes the following new memmost from Elon: daughter Abby, an Elon se- graves family supports bers: Elon parents Kelly and Meredith Graves, multi-faith center nior, and son Travis, a freshman. of Charlotte, N.C., and parents Rob and Together, they decided to endow the When Kelly and Meredith Graves heard about Catherine Hutchinson, of Atlanta.

Sprague Family Study Abroad Scholarship the concept for Elon’s multi-faith center, they to enable students with financial need to par- knew they wanted to supticipate in one of Elon’s renowned engaged port it. learning programs.

“We loved the idea of giv“Liz and I feel strongly about giving back ing students a nice place to to the institutions that have helped us, and meet to practice their faiths we thought it was important for our children and to learn about other to be part of this decision at Elon,” says Bill faiths,” says Kelly Graves, Sprague, president and chief executive officer who along with Meredith is of Madison Williams and Company, a finan- a member of Elon’s Parents cial services firm in New York.

Council. “This center will Sprague called Abby’s experiences study- further the education of ing in Spain and China “eye-opening” and everyone and open some credits his daughter with suggesting that the doors. We could make the family support international education. world a better place if we “Abby felt very strongly that study abroad understood each other a litMeredith and Kelly Graves with their daughters, Sarah and Caroline was one of the benefits she has received from tle better.” the magazine of elon

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Phoenix Sports

elonphoenix.com

WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

Rev. Jim Waggoner ’55, Elon’s sports historian, to find images of the most influential athletes and teams in Elon’s history. Roberson says she

BY ERIN BLACKWELL ’11 enjoyed both the challenge and the freedom the project presented.

“From a design standpoint, I had never created something so large before. It was hard to envision what the images would look like on such a large scale,” she says. “I got to be creative with how certain images would work Like many former Elon athletes, Keith the 2008 SoCon champion baseball and 2010 together on each wall. I loved having a chance Decker ’83 has fond memories of his college SoCon champion softball teams. to do that. days. A three-year letter-winner on the men’s “Every year there will be new people walk“There are statement pictures on every wall, golf team, Decker earned All-American dis- ing in and out of that building,” says Mike photos that tell the stories of Elon’s athletics tinction in 1981 and played a key role on the Melillo ’10, who appears in the photo of the history, all the way down to the various uniFightin’ Christians’ 1982 naia naforms that have been worn over the years.” tional championship team. But Roberson began collaborating with Blank, never did he think that, one day, Waggoner and several others in November he’d see his face beaming from an 2010. She spent nearly five months digging eight-by-twenty-foot mural in one through photos, designing and proofing the of Elon’s newest buildings, Alumni murals, then sending them for final printing.

Field House.

Installed in March, the murals are printed on “I’ve been fortunate enough to removable panels so that future milestones can be in the Elon Sports Hall of Fame be added to the living piece of Elon history. and a couple of others,” Decker “Just watching people’s reactions to the says, “but this is the biggest honor whole building has been fun, but when people I can think of.” see these walls, it is on a whole other level,” The image of the 1982 men’s golf Blank says. “It’s important that our current team holding its championship student-athletes understand the history that banner is just a small part of the four murals 2008 baseball team. “The murals are a great got them here.” now gracing the walls of the Walker Room, reminder of the progress we’ve had in the past For the former athletes depicted in the a showplace space in Alumni Field House few years and to look forward to what the fu- murals, the experience is nothing short of named in recognition of a gift by alumnus ture holds.” breathtaking. and trustee Zac Walker ’60 and his wife, Dot, That’s exactly what Director of Athletics “My child will see Mommy up there one of Raleigh, N.C. The collages offer glimpses Dave Blank had in mind when suggesting the day,” says Katie McGrath Breaux ’95, a fourof Elon athletics triumphs and stars through- idea to Elon’s administrators. He recalled a time naia All-American for Elon women’s out the years, including basketball greats Jesse similar project undertaken at Drake University, soccer from 1990 to 1994. She’s pictured beside Branson ’65 and Tommy Cole ’72; the late where he worked before coming to Elon in the 1982 men’s golf team in one mural. “Elon Kay Yow, Elon’s first women’s basketball coach; 2006. He enlisted Erica Roberson, director of athletics had a successful thing going before and recent heroes, such as football standouts media relations for athletics, to spearhead the me, through me and after me. I’m humbled Terrell Hudgins ’10 and Scott Riddle ’11, and project. Roberson, in turn, consulted with the to be up there.”

Alumni Field House murals tell tales of Elon athletics history

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Phoenix Sports

Return engagement

BY ERIN BLACKWELL ’11

Phoenix senior hurler Ken Ferrer seemingly saw his dreams of playing in Major League Baseball come true in 2010, when the Cleveland Indians selected him in the 35th round of the league’s dra . But the Pleasantville, N.Y., native decided to forego the pros and return to Elon. In the midst of a strong senior season, Ferrer spoke with Elon athletics about his decision to stay in school.

What was it like for you to be drafted by Cleveland last year?

It’s pretty much every college baseball player’s dream to have the opportunity to play at the next level. It obviously was a thrill, my parents were very excited but I felt like I still had things to do at Elon. I came back excited to learn more and finish out my education before I take that next step.

What are your postgraduation plans? Will you still pursue a pro baseball career?

We’ll see how that goes. I really have no control over that. I want to play in mlb – that’s the goal after college – but right now, I’m focused on helping us win. Those things will come later. I’m in no rush.

What do you expect from the Phoenix this year?

It’s very frustrating making it to the Regional (round of the ncaa baseball tournament) three years in a row and losing. Coming back, our biggest goal is to get to the Super Regional because once you’re there, it’s a normal series. You just have to win that series to get to the College World Series. I want to help us get there.

What will you remember most about playing baseball at Elon?

The competitive atmosphere of our big games. The pressure situations I’ve been in are the most exhilarating experiences that I’ve had in baseball. Being in a tight game in the later innings against a rival team and coming out on top is just an incredible experience. It’s an adrenaline rush unlike anything I’ve ever had before.

How have you changed as a baseball player since you joined the Phoenix?

As a freshman, I was very critical of my performance. I focused a lot on statistics and where I stood in the SoCon. I focused a lot on small little things that, looking back now, don’t really mean anything. Now my focus is on winning more than anything.

What do you think you’ll do when your playing days are over?

I’m really into sports psychology and have developed that interest in my time at Elon. The more I learn about it, the more I see how interesting it is. Plus, it’s a new and growing area. Even if I’m playing baseball in 20 years, I will still be interested in sports psychology and plan to do something in that field.

That was the reaction of senior Philip Nemec (back row, fourth from left) after the Phoenix men’s tennis team clinched a share of the Southern Conference regular-season title April 14 with a victory at Appalachian State.

Head coach Michael Leonard’s Phoenix (18–7 overall, 9–1 SoCon) defeated the Mountaineers thanks in large part to victories by each of its four seniors – Nemec, Chase Helpingstine (back row, fifth from left), Alberto Rojas (back row, sixth from left) and Cody Stauffer-McDowell (back row, third from left). Though the team bowed out in the semifinals of the conference tournament, the seniors cherished their moment in the SoCon spotlight. “It feels great to win!” said Stauffer-McDowell of the regular-season title.

‘FINALLY!’

the magazine of elon

11

years in the making How a gift changed the course of business education at Elon

BY KEREN RIVAS ’04

Faculty, staff and friends of the Martha and Spencer “That was one of those moments that foreshadowed the university emerging from what was then Elon College, a Love School of Business gathered Feb. 5 at the major professional school being established,” Lambert said.

Alamance Country Club to celebrate a milestone.

Said Linda Thompson Weavil, professor emerita of business administration, “It really did mark the beginning of As they stood with glasses raised, they paid our evolution into a bigger, stronger, more cohesive program.” homage to those whose generosity and vision made the school a reality, and celebrated the program’s A natural partnership accomplishments of the past quarter-century.

Considering the important role Martha and Spencer Love’s

In his toast, President Leo M. Lambert called on the Love School “to continue to be a shining beacon of excellence” for Elon.

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company, Burlington Industries, played in developing the regional economy, it made sense to name the business school in their honor. A pioneer in the textile industry, Spencer Love built Burlington Industries from a single mill into the world’s largest textile manufacturer, overseeing  plants by the time of his death in .

The Loves’ son, Charles, has served as chairman of the Love Foundation’s board of directors since 1980. He said Elon continues to reflect several values at the core of his father’s business philosophy.

“We were impressed with Elon’s potential to play a unique role in business education by providing excellent training to young people,” Love said. He added that one foundation board member who felt strongly about Elon’s value was the late Edward Zane, a family friend who served as legal counsel and confidant to Spencer Love.

“He was a great believer in Elon,” Charles Love said of Zane. “That certainly influenced me a great deal.”

Zane envisioned a business school at Elon that would prepare a very different kind of leader from those produced

by Harvard or the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. This kind of leader was not necessarily a future chief executive officer of a large corporation, but rather the leader of those small and medium-sized companies that are crucial for the everyday functioning of local economies.

“The first  years of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business have passed in a blur,” said President Leo M. Lambert during the evening’s toast. “Its formative years have realized many goals, and most important of all, the impressive student accomplishments in attracting national acclaim and recognition.”

At the genesis of these accomplishments is the Martha and Spencer Love Foundation, which in December 1985 made a $1 million gift in support of the business program.

For the foundation, the gift honored the values Martha and Spencer Love held dear and solidified the family’s ties to Alamance County and Burlington, N.C., the region where Spencer Love chose to relocate his textile operations in 1923.

Building on existing foundations For the college, the gift was remarkable not only because of its size – it was the largest single endowment gift Elon While the Love Foundation’s gift provided the means to had ever received – but also because it enabled the college establish a business school, it did not signal the start of to establish its first school and bolster its first graduate business studies at Elon. From its beginning in , Elon program, the master of business administration. offered business-oriented classes such as bookkeeping,

commercial law and arithmetic, according to the first academic catalog of record dated –. Business was a popular major among Elon’s earliest students, something that remains true today.

The gift did, however, bring these existing programs under the same organizational umbrella. After the mba program began in 1985 and the Department of Economics was created shortly after, the entire Love School moved to Long Building. Now united, the school focused on forging the kind of dynamic leader Zane had in mind.

“It really was a liberal arts of business kind of approach,” said Tom Tiemann, the Jefferson Pilot Professor of economics, who served as the first dean of the Love School and now chairs the economics department. “It made sense for the students, the faculty and the demand we had then.”

As the demands of the business graduate changed, expectations for the school and its graduates rose. With support from the university’s administration, John Burbridge, dean of the Love School from 1996 to 2007 and currently a professor of marketing, pushed for the school’s pursuit of accreditation from aacsb-International, a distinction earned only by the top schools in the world. Elon and the Love School secured accreditation in 2004.

Improvements that came with accreditation included the completion of the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center in 2006, the expansion of programs such as the Business Fellows and the establishment of the Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, William Garrard Reed Finance Center, Chandler Family Professional Sales Center and Porter Family Professional Development Center.

Setting itself apart The direct result of these improvements was a more specialized, personal approach to business education through close faculty-student relationships.

“Having smaller classes, faculty are easily accessible,” said Charley Costa, a senior marketing major who won first place last October in the prestigious Eller Ethics Case Competition at the University of Arizona. It marked the second consecutive year Elon students took top honors in the competition.

Costa credited his success and the success of others – Elon business students also took first place in the 2010 Russ Berrie Institute National Sales Challenge at William Paterson University – to a supportive faculty.

“It takes students willing to do the work and professors willing to guide us in the right direction” to earn those honors, Costa said.

Mary Gowan, who assumed the deanship in 2007, said the school’s quality of education is being recognized not only by students but also by industry observers. She pointed to Bloomberg Businessweek, which ranked the Elon mba as 1 in the South and 6 in the nation, and the undergraduate business program as 60 in the country, in its most recent rankings.

Thriving under Gowan’s emphasis on transformative

business education, the Love School was reaccredited by aacsb-International in 2009 and the following year launched a new strategic plan focused on academic excellence and global initiatives, modifying its curriculum to offer specialized majors that previously gathered under the business administration major. The Love School will begin offering a dual-degree program in 2012 with the European School of Business at Germany’s Reutlingen University.

“One of the announcements of Spencer Love’s passing noted three qualities that set him apart: vision, courage and initiative,” Gowan said. “If we as faculty and staff of the Love School of Business can enable students to be visionary, courageous leaders who understand the importance of initiative and integrity as Spencer Love did, we will succeed.”

Charles Love said that, to date, the Love Foundation’s gift to Elon is the largest it’s ever made. He announced during the February gala the foundation’s decision to make a new gift in support of faculty excellence initiatives in the Love School.

“The school today embodies those values and aspirations regarded so highly by Martha and Spencer Love,” he said.

“Judging from the creative energy that one senses being on this campus, and talking with highly motivated students, excellent faculty and the school’s leadership, I have no doubt the next 25 years will be just as remarkable.”

At the time of his death in 1962, Spencer Love (pictured here with wife Martha) led the 48th largest corporation in the United States, with annual sales topping 900 million.

For more about the Love School’s 25th anniversary, visit www.elon.edu/magazine the magazine of elon

13

A model mentor

BY KEREN RIVAS ’04

Eric Hall’s world centers around his students, inside and outside of the classroom Eric Hall (right) and his student researchers are investigating new ways to diagnose concussions in student-athletes.

undergraduate research experiences, and in the past three years, he has mentored three students who won awards in the master’s/bachelor’s divisions of the Southeast Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine.

“Mentoring and training undergraduate students until they reach the point they “I was a really skinny kid,” the grown-up Hall says with a smile, “a late bloomer.” can meaningfully contribute to high-quality Passionate about basketball, but aware of his physical limitations, he took a sports research requires patience, dedication and a medicine class his freshman year and became a student athletic trainer instead of trying talent for conveying difficult concepts,” says out for the varsity team. The experience awakened in Hall a curiosity about the amaz- Panteleimon Ekkekakis, an associate profesing things the human body can do and led him to Miami University in Ohio, where sor of kinesiology at Iowa State University and he thrived as a student in the Department of Physical Education, Health and Sports. longtime colleague of Hall’s. “I think that’s Nearly 20 years, dozens of publications and hundreds of classes taught later, Hall has Eric’s passion.” become an invaluable force raising the profile of Elon’s Department of Exercise Science, That’s not to say Hall always knew that. which houses one of the university’s fastest-growing majors. Equally impressive are the After graduating from Miami, he wasn’t students he’s inspired along the way. He’s guided countless Elon students in meaningful entirely sure what he wanted to do with his

At  feet  inches tall, active in sports but not particularly athletically built, Eric Hall knew his chances of becoming a high school sports star were remote to say the least.

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degree in exercise science. He found part of the answer after he enrolled in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and learned about the concept of exercise psychophysiology – the study of the interaction of the mind and the body in the context of exercise and physical activity.

“That was it,” Hall says about the niche he had been looking for but didn’t know how to articulate. “I’ve always been interested in this mind-body perspective,” an interest that eventually led him to study how brain activity can be used to predict how one feels during and after exercise.

Hall conducted extensive research over the next six years on affective responses to exercise and presented his findings at national and international conferences. He also conducted research on individual differences in preference for and tolerance of exercise intensity.

After progressing from master’s to doctoral studies at Illinois, Hall found the other half of his calling: teaching. As a graduate teaching assistant, he discovered the enjoyment of interacting with students, even leading an introduction to sport psychology class composed of 125 students.

“I knew the really good and the really bad students,” Hall says, but because of the large class size, he wasn’t able to connect with students in the middle. That’s when he discovered something else. “A large class size was not for me.”

Seeking a more student-oriented school, Hall found the perfect match at Elon.

In the past decade, Elon has offered Hall many opportunities to engage all of his interests – research, teaching and mentoring students. He added an official mentoring title in 2008, when he became Elon’s faculty athletics representative. He jokingly refers to himself as the human form of the hyphen in the term “student-athlete.”

“I’m here to make sure they’re successful at both – academics and athletics,” he says.

Yet his most important – and enjoyable – contributions to the Elon community have come when he’s merged his research interests with those of his students. Earlier this year, Hall and several colleagues in the departments of exercise science and physical therapy education received a major grant from the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine to investigate the effects of concussions in

student-athletes, an important and widely publicized issue. By investigating measures that may more effectively distinguish between athletes who have suffered concussions and those who have not, Hall says, their research is designed to provide answers to those who diagnose and manage concussions.

Several students will assist Hall and his team in the various stages of the research project. Junior Mark Sundman is one of them.

Having suffered concussions playing football and lacrosse in high school, Sundman understands the need to better understand these injuries. This spring, he’s familiarized himself with the equipment he’ll be using and conducted literature reviews about how genetics are related to concussions.

“I’m excited to start the research soon and get a more hands-on approach to see where I can go with it,” Sundman says.

Drew Gardner, an Elon soccer player who has been working on the project for more than a year, says Hall has been a terrific mentor who has come to his aid when he’s needed it most.

In April, Gardner shared some of his research findings with lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol at the annual Posters on the Hill event sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research.

The project’s next stage will more deeply explore the genetic aspects of concussions, and Gardner is only sorry he won’t be around to see the project to completion, as he graduates in December.

“I’m jealous of where it’s going!” he says.

Hall says he wants his students to develop a passion for what they are researching and enjoy the process.

“If they can have positive outcomes, it will

As faculty athletics representative, Hall jokingly refers to himself as the human form of the hyphen in the term “student-athlete.”

“I’m here to make sure they’re successful at both,” he says.

allow them to be successful in their next steps after Elon and to become lifelong learners,” he says.

Hall’s involvement in the life of Elon students doesn’t stop at the classroom or laboratory door. For the past three years, Hall lived as faculty-in-residence in the William R. Kenan Jr. Honors Pavilion, an academic and life counselor for the 22 honors students who live there. Hall and his wife, Katherine, had an apartment separate from the students but spent ample time talking with them about career plans, internship opportunities and personal marketing strategies, going on weekend hiking trips and often having group dinners.

“I enjoy teaching, but I also enjoy just having conversations with students,” Hall says.

“It’s been a really good experience.”

Elon selected Hall to receive the 2010 Ward Family Excellence in Mentoring Award, which is given to one faculty or staff member annually who exhibits an extraordinary commitment to mentorship. While Hall appreciates the award, as he does his other accolades – myriad scholarships and grants, fellowship in the American College of Sports Medicine and induction into several honor societies, just to name a few – he emphasizes that those pale in comparison to the satisfaction he gets from the successes of his students.

“I am usually most excited when my students are recognized for achieving something, whether it’s receiving an award or being accepted into graduate programs,” he says.

“Seeing the excitement they have about their achievements is much more meaningful to me than my own.”

That’s because research and teaching are intrinsic parts of who Hall is, Ekkekakis says.

“Eric genuinely enjoys both,” he says. “This is reflected in the fact that his students adore him and, within our scientific field, you will never find anyone with anything but praise for Eric’s character.”

As he looks to the future, Hall’s goal is to continue getting better at doing what he loves.

“I’m always learning,” Hall says. “I would like to be recognized as a well-rounded faculty mentor. I want to be known as a strong teacher who challenges students in the classroom. I want to be recognized as someone who produces excellent scholarship and has served the university in its mission.”

the magazine of elon

15

WE CAN BE BETTER

NBC’s Brian Williams leads an examination of our nation’s greatest challenges

BY DANIEL J. ANDERSON

Is America facing a grinding decline toward its darkest days? Or is there a bright dawn ahead as our nation returns to its founding values and principles?

Five distinguished panelists confronted those questions during the April 7 Convocation for Honors. Moderated by “nbc Nightly News” anchor and Elon parent Brian Williams, the discussion inspired students to consider their roles in overcoming major issues facing America: rising national debt, political gridlock, complex energy and environmental problems, religious intolerance and a failing educational system.

“Do we have the will to fix anything in this day and age?”

Williams asked the panelists as he cited an nbc News/Wall Street Journal poll that found that 66 percent of Americans are not confident about the future.

“Most people believe our nation is in decline,” Williams said. “Most people now doubt that the future of these (Elon) students will be better than the life we led.”

Senior cnn political analyst David Gergen agreed. “There is a pessimism and melancholy, a sense of ‘maybe we can’t get there,’” Gergen said.

“Someone once said that America is terrific when we have a wolf at the door, we’re just not very good when we have termites in the basement,” Gergen added. “We have become so addicted to not facing up to issues early on. We let them grow and fester and it then becomes very difficult.”

In response, the panelists provided hope, determination and suggestions for solutions. Rather than argue for simple “silver bullet” answers, they said the nation’s leaders must understand that hard work lies ahead. Much of the discussion was a call to action for the students in the audience, including members of the Class of 2011 and the Dean’s List and President’s List honorees.

Williams recalled America’s ability to build the transcontinental railroad, overcome tyranny in World War ii, complete the interstate highway system and win the space race.

“I think the call to your generation is to rally to this country and revive and rebuild it,” Gergen said.

ronda ataalla ’13

“I am hopeful that one day people will be accepted forr who they are and not what theyy practice or follow or believee – just them as a person.”

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‘We have the opportunity to stand up for the American values of tolerance and pluralism.’

Eboo Patel says America’s history makes it uniquely suited to deal with the dual challenges of religious extremism and intolerance. A frequent commentator on religious pluralism in national media, Patel founded Interfaith Youth Core, which promotes respect and understanding among people of many faith traditions.

“There’s this beautiful line in the Holy Quran that says God gave us different communities so we can get to know one another,” Patel said. “As a Muslim, whose parents immigrated here from India, I believe that America is humanity’s best chance at getting it right.”

Patel talked about a letter written by President George Washington to a Rhode Island Hebrew congregation in 1790. “Washington wrote that ‘my government will give bigotry no sanction and persecution no assistance,’” Patel noted. “This nation is so precious and so unique – the first country to give rise to the notion that people from the four corners of the earth, that people from every faith background, can come together to build a nation.”

Patel said when he encounters hate and prejudice because of his Muslim faith, he remembers that America always “gets it right.

“The path that I follow, the path of Islam, the path of the prophets, the path of America is a path of trying to show magnanimity in the face of intolerance.”

‘This country was founded on the concept of opportunity, not entitlement.’

Former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, who has become an evangelist for fiscal responsibility and sustainability through his Comeback America Initiative, claimed the nation “lost its way in the early s and became addicted to conspicuous consumption and debt.” With the nation shouldering tens of trillions of dollars in debt, Walker said each American now owes more than ,, much of it in unfunded obligations to Medicare and Social Security funds. He sees a looming debt crisis in the next few years.

“We need to learn from the past and bring back some tough budget controls … and comprehensive tax reform that will generate more revenues,” Walker said.

Claiming that Congress “needs adult supervision” to make tough decisions and return to founding principles of “thrift, savings, investment, limited debt and stewardship,” Walker called on students to become more informed and involved.

“Your future is being mortgaged at record rates,” Walker said.

“Investment in your future is being cut as more of the (government) budget is going for consumption, primarily for seniors. We need a virtual movement … a social networking march on Washington to get them to make these tough choices.”

carl hairston ’11

“Our nation has always been able le to end recessions by producing, not spending. We need to retooll American business to compete in the global marketplace.”

‘It’s not about addiction to oil. It is about addiction to easy solutions.’

As a trailblazing physicist, former chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and adviser to President Barack Obama on science and technology, Shirley Ann Jackson understands the complexity of America’s energy challenges. She said the nation must overcome a national “addiction to a silver bullet approach” to solving problems.

“We need a portfolio approach to addressing our energy issues,” Jackson said. “Energy security is national security. Energy security is economic security. The situation in Japan, the bp oil spill, Hurricane Katrina, the situation in the Middle East and North Africa – they tell us that we are facing intersecting vulnerabilities. That requires a national conversation and a more sophisticated and committed approach to dealing with energy in a comprehensive way.”

Jackson said political leadership will be crucial, and she also emphasized the importance of education. In her current role as president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, she sees evidence that the next generation will get serious about developing sustainable solutions to the growing demands for energy and not “lurch from one thing to another.”

She said it is her generation’s job to be inspirational.

“I educate young people like you and I think, because of you, the future is great. Those of us who have been around awhile have an opportunity and responsibility to inform. But we also have to try to uplift.”

amanda clark ’11

“I believe that we are on the cusp of coming ng up with a great new technology that will use some of the byproducts of the way we live ve our lives to provide a new energy source that has less impact on our environment.””

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‘There is no higher calling than teaching.’

David Levin came to Convocation wearing a shirt bearing the words “Work Hard, Be Nice,” the motto of the Knowledge is Power Program (kipp), a network of schools he co-founded in . The  kipp charter schools serve , students in  states. With an emphasis on character and academics, the schools are making an impact in low-income areas where other public schools are failing.

“It’s life-changing, it’s fantastic. kipp can only be experienced with a visit to a classroom,” said Williams, noting the music, rhythms and spirit that are the hallmarks of this innovative approach to teaching.

“Once kids like coming to school, anything is possible,” Levin said. “Demographics should not determine destiny. Our attendance is about 98 percent and our kids go to school from 7:25 a.m. until 5 p.m. They go home with a couple of hours of homework. They go to school on Saturday and they come for a month during the summer.”

Levin said kipp schools have doubled the high school graduation rate, tripled the college matriculation rate and quadrupled the college graduation rate for its students. He said American public schools are falling behind those in other countries because “we let it get that way.

“As a society, we are not taking our promises to our children as sacred,” Levin said. “The big thing to change about education is our national view about what it means to be a teacher. You see organizations like Teach for America significantly making a dent in people’s career choices. That’s why I’m optimistic.

You’re starting to see a trend, it’s no longer ‘you’re just a teacher.’”

kirsten bennett ’11

“My hope is that teachers hers get the respect they deserve. Education should be a priority and our communitiess need to recruit the best teachers and be willing to pay them.”

‘We cannot wait for you to spend another 10 years before you jump in.’ nick ochsner ’11

“Legislators and politicians are going to be forced to stop just ju throwing out sound bites bi and political bombs a and actually get to work sol solving these issues.”

Watch video clips and learn more at www.elon.edu/wecanbebetter

David Gergen has personal experience with the shortcomings of Washington and the gridlock of partisan politics. He recalled his days as adviser to four presidents and joked about the speeches he wrote for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford declaring America’s vow to achieve energy independence.

“At the time, we were 30 percent dependent on foreign oil. Today we are 60 percent dependent on foreign oil. The speeches were really effective.

I’m really proud of the contributions I’ve made to public life,” Gergen said with a good dose of sarcasm.

As cnn’s senior political analyst and director of Harvard University’s Center for Public Leadership, Gergen has a ringside seat to the daily triumphs and failures of leadership.

“We face a tough future, and what it’s going to require are a lot more people who put the good of the country first,” Gergen said. “We have too many people in Washington and around the country who think of themselves as strong Democrats or strong Republicans first and foremost, and the country is secondary.”

Gergen told Elon students their generation must get involved, and noted that both Levin and Patel were doing outstanding work in their early 20s.

“These are your role models for dropping into the arena early. Don’t wait,” Gergen said. “Remember that it takes a long time – it is hard work.”

ironwoman

BY KRISTIN M. SIMONETTI ’05

photo by Ben Torres

Dave Young calls his good friend and fellow triathlete Maura Guthrie ’87 G’92 the “world’s oldest teenager.” She has infectious enthusiasm, razor-sharp wit, and a love of adventure and new challenges. You can see it in her smile.

“There’s a little bit of mischief behind it,” says Young, who serves on the board of usa Triathlon’s South Midwest Region. “How do you not smile and feel good about yourself when Maura smiles at you?”

Guthrie wore that smile last November as she crossed the finish line of the Florida Ironman Triathlon in Panama City, after swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and running 26.2 miles. She finished in near darkness among the last of the race’s competitors, and many of the spectators had long since gone home. On that day, the smile may have been less of mischief and more of relief. Though Guthrie had plenty of Ironman finishes to her credit, this was the first she’d finished since learning she had high-grade infiltrating ductal 20

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carcinoma, an extremely aggressive form of breast cancer.

She learned of the diagnosis on March 17, 2010. Her birthday.

“I didn’t really tell anyone because I thought, ‘Well, it’s over. My life is over. I might fight for a couple of months or a year, but I probably won’t live through this,” Guthrie recalls.

But despair isn’t really Guthrie’s thing.

Action is. She realized that, though the details differed and the stakes in this case were higher than any she’d ever faced, she’d been at similar crossroads before.

Like when she was cut from the volleyball team at Penn State and found herself unhappy, struggling in the environment of a large university. She could have chosen to gut it out.

Instead, she came to Elon, where she enjoyed what she calls “one of my notable happy times in my life.”

Like when she found herself in the middle of a successful career with at&t, but after 12 years became uncomfortable in the corporate largesse and longed for an opportunity to help clients on a personal level. She could have stayed on her lucrative career path with at&t. Instead, she established a thriving financial planning business and now serves as a first vice president for ubs in Dallas, Texas.

Like when she attended her first World Duathlon Championships in 2005 and found herself completely outmatched by her competition, even her American teammates. She could have given up on the sport. Instead, she used the experience as motivation to build herself into an elite endurance athlete.

“Throughout your life, you should make assessments of yourself. Ask yourself, ‘Is this the best I can do? Am I happy?’” she says.

“Instead of being in an unhappy situation for a long time, you need to make immediate adjustments.”

For Guthrie, the cancer diagnosis offered

news: an mri of her heart showed the act had not damaged the organ. She celebrated by traveling to Cozumel, Mexico, to compete in her fourth Ironman of the year.

At the usa Triathlon South Midwest Region annual banquet in January, Young introduced his good friend, Guthrie, before she received the region’s Phoenix Award. The award recognizes competitors who rise above significant adversity to compete, volunteer or participate in the tight-knit athletics community.

“You need inspiration? You need a reason to get out of your comfort zone to try something new? You need an example of spunk and fight and perseverance to overcome your own personal adversity?” Young asked in his speech.

“Then I give you Maura Guthrie.”

Though honored by the award, Guthrie prefers to stay away from the spotlight. She considers the chapter of her life that was 2010 closed, and she’s looking forward to a year of relative normalcy. But she hopes that when she does share her story, as she has for this article,

photo by Ben Torres

another crossroads. She could have accepted an hour from Guthrie’s Dallas home, stood by the hand she’d been given. Instead, she decided her sister’s side for each doctor’s appointment to fight. and every race.

She found inspiration in a fellow triathlete, “There were times that Maura had to slow Bronda Starling, who competed in Guthrie’s down. I’d watch her run races in pain, but I age group in the usa Triathlon South Midwest never saw her consider not competing,” Wilder Region. Like Guthrie, Starling received a dev- says. “I was in awe of Maura so many times.” astating cancer diagnosis, but that didn’t stop Guthrie raced in July at the 2010 Duathlon her from racing in duathlons. Even when she Nationals in Oklahoma City during her eighth had surgery during the week to remove tumors, week of chemotherapy. But later that month, Starling was out on the course the following the treatments had weakened her body so weekend, biking and running. much that she fell severely ill and required “I’d watch this crazy girl race with staples in hospitalization. The illness precluded her from her head, and I’d think to myself, ‘I want to be competing in the Long-Distance Triathlon like that if anything happens to me,’” Guthrie World Championships in Immenstadt, says of Starling, who died in July 2008. “Well, Germany, which she’d qualified for long before her cancer diagnosis. you get what you ask for.”

Determined to maintain the lifestyle she It would have been a perfect time for doubts loved, Guthrie worked closely with her doctors to creep in. But Guthrie insists they didn’t. to develop a treatment plan that allowed her “I didn’t want my life to change,” she says. to continue working, training and competing. “I wasn’t looking for an excuse to sit on the “The doctors were totally amazed at her couch.” response,” Young says of Guthrie. “She wasn’t She resumed training as soon as the docbreaking down in the office, weeping and crying. She was saying: ‘Let’s get going. What do we have to do?’”

But the answer to that question was less than clear.

“I’d ask the doctors, ‘Am I still allowed to run?’ I was still running a 10k a day,” Guthrie recalls. “They’d answer, ‘I don’t know, do you feel like you can?’ There just are no studies to guide this kind of situation.

“At the end of the day, the answer was, ‘We don’t know. Go for it.’ So I did.”

Guthrie underwent three surgeries to remove tumors in April and May 2010, competing in the St. George (Utah) Ironman between the last two.

Then came the chemotherapy. Before beginning treatments, she read Lance Armstrong’s memoir, It’s Not About the Bike, in which she tors allowed it. In August, she competed in learned to carefully research the side effects but didn’t finish the Louisville, Ky., Ironman. of chemotherapy drugs. She and her doctors At the end of August, the chemo treatments settled on a protocol called act –it stands for ended, but radiation treatments began. In late the drugs Adriamycin, Cytoxan and Taxol – September, she competed in the usa Triathlon that spares the lungs, which are crucial to an Nationals and performed well enough to endurance athlete, but can damage the heart. qualify for a spot on Team usa for the 2011 “My heart is really strong, I work on it all the Triathlon World Championships in Beijing, time,” she says of the choice. “Chances were China. that I could dodge that bullet.”

In November, Guthrie crossed the finGuthrie kept training and competing, ish line of the Florida Ironman, but she’d against the recommendations of some fam- also come to the end of another ordeal – her ily members such as her sister, Cathy Wilder. treatments. The tumors were gone, and in a Wilder, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas, about December checkup, Guthrie got more good

“At the end of the day, the answer was, ‘We don’t know. Go for it.’

So I did.”

– Maura Guthrie

her words offer support and hope for those going through difficult circumstances.

“Change your life whenever you’re unhappy, and don’t wait,” she says. “Somebody could be telling you tomorrow that you have five years to live. You’re going to be really sad if you didn’t live it the way you wanted to live it.”

In March, Guthrie returned to the hospital to have her one-year review with her doctors.

She had only one request.

“I asked the doctors to wait to do the tests until after my birthday. I want to enjoy it this year,” she says.

You could hear the smile in her voice. the magazine of elon

21

view from

the top

BY KRISTIN M. SIMONETTI ’05

F

To learn more about these outstanding young alumni, visit www.elon.edu/magazine

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or many college students, the idea of ďŹ nding a job and building a career in their college towns is less than appealing. But April Durr ’01 was never one of those students. A human services major, Durr found her niche beyond the brick walls of campus, working with school, health and social services agencies for coursework and on a volunteer basis. “I was the only one of my friends who le the Elon ‘bubble’ to do things in the community, and I saw things they didn’t see,â€? Durr recalls. “There were a lot of opportunities in Alamance County to help with big projects. I saw there were a lot of working professionals in Alamance County who were doing neat things.â€?

Today, Durr is one of those people doing neat things for Elon’s home county. As the executive director of Healthy Alamance, Durr coordinates the county’s health assessment, which is used by local agencies to develop policies and programs that directly aect Alamance’s more than 150,000 residents.

On Saturday, April 2, Elon recognized Durr and nine other outstanding graduates of the past 10 years at the inaugural Top 10 Under 10 Awards. A joint initiative of the Elon Alumni Association and the Young Alumni Council,

the Top 10 Under 10 Awards recognize young alumni who are enjoying professional success, making an impact on their communities or supporting their alma mater in transformative ways. Ian Baltutis, Webb Bond, Bruce Cameron, Durr, Kali Geskus, Darris Means, George Memory, Gabrielle Raymond, MacKenzie Stroh and R.J. Yozwiak were honored at the banquet before an audience of more than 100 Elon faculty, sta, alumni, family and friends. Some are working locally, others are involved in business on a global scale, but all are helping bring positive change to the world. “The night was a fantastic celebration of what young alumni are doing,â€? says Bri en Ginsburg Pund ’06, vice president of the Young Alumni Council and chair of the Top 10 Under 10 Awards commi ee. “Recognizing young alumni and their achievements gives hope for future alumni, current students, even prospective students looking to come to Elon. It shows what Elon can oer and the amazing things you can achieve immediately a er graduation.â€?

The inaugural Top 10 Under 10 Award recipients shared insights with The Magazine of Elon about their careers and who they’d thank in the Elon community for helping them succeed.

Ian Baltutis ’08

Webb Bond ’08

b u r l i ng t o n , n. c .

s t. p e t e r s bu r g , f l a .

Co-founder, The Vibration Solution LLC

Commercial account executive, Brown & Brown Insurance

Words of wisdom: If you have a dream you want to make a reality, go do it. I had many friends who would laugh at my ideas and say, “Maybe you should hold o on that one for a while.â€? But in the end I took the step and made it a reality, and that’s how I got to where I am now. So if you’re really passionate about something, go ahead and take that ďŹ rst step.

Words of wisdom: My father always taught me that hard work is going to outdo talent. I was never a natural athlete, and yet I ended up at Elon to play baseball. I never was the smartest or got the highest grades, but I did well. Then, my ďŹ rst day at Brown & Brown, I couldn’t believe it, but a sign on the wall said this: “Hard work will outdo talent when talent doesn’t work hard.â€? I thought my dad had called and sent it there.

It’s just a reminder every day of the mantra I’ve been raised by.

MacKenzie Stroh ’07 green ville, miss.

Executive director, Greenville Arts Council Who she’d thank for her success: First, Michael Williams – I worked at the Moseley information desk all four years of school, and he’s been really inuential to my professional development.

I also had some really wonderful professors, Professor (Kirstin) Ringelberg and Professor (Evan) Ga i. And then my best friend and roommate from Elon, Gavin Sands ’07. I’m just really fortunate to have a lot of Elon people who inuenced me.

Webb Ian R.J.

MacKenzie

Gabrielle

Bruce Kali Darris George

April

R.J. Yozwiak ’08

April Durr ’01

chic ag o, ill.

w i n s t o n - s a l e m , n. c .

Co-founder, The Vibration Solution LLC

Executive director, Healthy Alamance Who she’d thank for her success: (The late) Tommy Gumm, a former professor at Elon in human services and a former chief of police in Burlington, was on the board of Crossroads (Sexual Assault Response Center), where I worked right a er college. I remember many a day having coee or lunch with him as a senior and then a er I graduated. His mentoring really helped me stay motivated in the very beginning stages of my career. I thought of him a lot during the (Top 10 Under 10) banquet because I was so sad he couldn’t be there.

Kali Geskus ’07 g i b s o n v i l l e , n. c .

Director of client services, Family Abuse Services of Alamance County When she knew she’d found success: It was probably when I applied and was accepted to the social work graduate program at unc Chapel Hill. It was then that I knew I was on the right path going into social work. It’s very moving, because I do make a dierence in the lives of a lot of women and children who are victims of domestic violence, and to be able to further my education to make more of an impact in their lives is very empowering.

Words of wisdom: Stick with it, against all the odds. So many people are going to tell you it’s never going to work; then, the second it works, everyone will tell you they knew it would work. Stick with what you believe and it’ll happen.

George Memory ’06 w i n s t o n - s a l e m , n. c .

Partner, The Sullivan Memory McCulloch Group When he knew he’d found success: There was a moment when I was in the board room at Habitat for Humanity, for which I sit on the board of directors. I looked to my le and my right and realized that the closest person to me in age was probably a good 20 years older than me. ‌ The others were all ceos and owners of their own companies and I remember thinking, “Wow, I’m a fresh graduate of Elon University and new in my career, and here I am.â€?

I was blown away that I was able to get into a position like that.

Darris Means ’05 m e b a n e , n. c .

Assistant director of the Elon Academy

Gabrielle Raymond ’06 n e w y o r k , n.y.

Cause marketing associate, Major League Baseball Words of wisdom: Practice intentional living, and be present and open to each person you come in contact with. I’ve met some of the greatest leaders, colleagues and friends just by being open to speaking with people on elevators, joining kickball leagues and volunteering. And stay present and involved with your family, friends and business network. It’s essential to prioritize your time for those closest to you, both personally and professionally.

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When he knew he’d found success: For me, success is seeing my students succeed. The more I see them succeed, the more I send o to college and eventually watch graduate, for me, that’s success. It shows that the hard work – working with my colleagues, with students and their families – really ma ers, and that’s just a great moment for me.

Bruce Cameron ’05 w i l m i ng t o n , n. c .

Partner, Shelter Creek Capital, and vice president, Shelter Creek Lime and Stone Who he’d thank for his success: Jo Wa s Williams ’55 has been an inspiration to me. She’s a family friend, and she pre y much put Elon on the map for me. Everything that I needed to know, I knew I could ask her and she would be there, through and through. She’d tell me if I was doing well or if I needed to improve, and she really set me on my way.

Alumni Action

Request to connect There is no question that we live in a world dominated by social media Sallie Hutton ’92 and instant access to information. No longer do we have to seek out information, products or services; they find us. But more than anything, it’s an easy way to keep in touch with and informed about the people and things we love most. We hope one of Elon Alumni Association those things for you is Elon.

To stay updated on alumni @ElonAlumni news and upcoming events, Elon Alumni Association please take a moment to join the Elon Alumni Association on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Not only are these pages sources of Elon information but they’re also incredible networking tools among our 30,000+ alumni. Sign up today and tap into the power of the Elon network.

While you’re thinking about reconnecting with Elon, please make sure your contact information with the Alumni Association is up-to-date by visiting www.elon.edu/updateyourinfo.

This helps us serve you in many ways.

An accurate mailing address helps us send you the magazine you’re holding in your hands right now An up-to-date email address helps us send you local alumni chapter newsletters and evites, as well as the weekly This Week@Elon newsletter A current phone number helps us connect voice-to-voice You can also help current students, fellow alumni and even yourself by providing your employment and/or graduate school information. This allows us to: Match current students with alumni working in fields or attending graduate programs they’re interested in Help graduates network with fellow Elon alumni working in their geographic areas or professional fields Assist alumni who are seeking new career opportunities or considering graduate study Please email us today at alumnirelations@elon.edu to share this important information with us.

We at the Alumni Association are excited to serve the needs of our outstanding Elon graduates even better. I look forward to receiving your information and learning more about fellow Elon grads!

Sallie

Fantastic voyages Dee and Larry D’Angelo P’02 and Linda Clark Kelley ’63 (first three from left in front row) on a Greek isles cruise

Four years ago, Linda Clark Kelley ’63 faced the unenviable task of finding the perfect gift for her daughter, who was

approaching her 40th birthday. Then it came to her like a bolt from the blue – or, rather, like a pamphlet in her mailbox announcing Elon’s first alumni travel program to Cortona, Italy, in September 2008.

“When I was in school so many years ago, they didn’t have travel abroad or anything like that,” says Kelley, who quickly booked fares for herself and her daughter. “I saw this as a wonderful opportunity.”

Since that maiden trip to Tuscany, Kelley and scores of Elon alumni and parents have traveled to Europe, Africa and the Middle East on voyages sponsored by the Elon Alumni Association. The Alumni Association also offers travel programs geared toward young alumni, including a weekend getaway to Charleston, S.C., this summer. It’s all planned with one idea in mind: to strengthen the bond between Elon and its alumni and parent family.

“When we looked at the hallmark programs using the best practices in alumni engagement, there were travel programs offered at each one,” says Sallie Hutton ’92, director of alumni relations. “With Elon’s culture and emphasis on study abroad as an undergraduate, it was an easy initiative to introduce to our alumni audience.”

The Alumni Association aims to sponsor two or three trips per year and chooses destinations based on a variety of factors, including alumni suggestions, faculty-generated proposals or priorities on which Elon is focused. For example, because interfaith understanding is a key component of the Elon Commitment strategic plan, in June 2010 the Alumni Association teamed up with the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life to offer a Middle East Pilgrimage. Led by longtime Elon religious studies professor Jim Pace and Associate Chaplain Phil Smith, several

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Alumni Action

alumni and parents joined Elon President Leo M. Lambert and his wife, Laurie, on a tour of holy places in the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths in Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories.

“People should be able to see a different perspective on different cultures so we can

alumni travel 2011–12 Scandinavian and Russian Splendors Cruise

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Ports of call include: Copenhagen, Denmark; Gdansk, Poland; Riga, Latvia; Talinn, Estonia; and Stockholm, Sweden Cost: $3,999 and up per person, including airfare

Ports of call include: Bruges, Belgium; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Berlin, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark; St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; and Stockholm, Sweden

Middle East Pilgrimage

Samba Rhythms Cruise march 8–21, 2012

make informed decisions about how we can create peace in the world,” says Tom Powell ’90, who took part in the pilgrimage. “It’s great for Elon to offer these kind of programs because I might not be able to go on a trip like this on my own, or want to go with people I don’t know.”

If you’re looking for a relaxing vacation in exotic locales, the Alumni Association has something for you, too. Th rough its partnership with several travel companies, the Alumni Association offers affordable cruises along the shores of the Mediterranean, Baltic and Caribbean seas to Scandinavia, Italy, and in 2012, even Alaska. For Dee D’Angelo P’02, the September 2010 Alumni Association Mediterranean and Greek isles cruise was a dream come true.

“It was an itinerary I always wanted to do, Italy and Greece,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to sit on a balcony and look at the Greek islands – and that’s exactly what we did.”

Whether your goals are to expand your mind, explore your spirituality or put your feet up while looking at breathtaking scenery, the Elon Alumni Association invites you to take part in the many programs they’re sponsoring this year. Check the box to the right for a peek at what’s available.

“We’ve traveled in the summer and the fall, by land and sea, and each experience has been well worth the time and effort,” D’Angelo says. “It reflects the commitment to lifelong learning that’s part of the Elon experience.”

june 8–19, 2012

august 7–22, 2011

Cost: $5,299 per person and up, plus airfare President Leo M. Lambert, left, and Associate Chaplain Phil Smith in Petra, Jordan

Baltic Treasures Cruise

Ports of call include: Buenos Aires, Argentina; Montevideo, Uruguay; Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Cost: $3,299 per person and up, including airfare, if booked by June 13, 2011

Waterways and Canals of Holland and Belgium Cruise april 24–may 2, 2012

Ports of call include: Bruges and Antwerp, Belgium; The Hague, Delft and Amsterdam, The Netherlands Cost: $2,395 per person and up, plus airfare

Amalfi: The Divine Coast may 9–17, 2012

Where you’ll go: From your home base at the Hotel Raito in Vietri sul Mare on the Amalfi Coast, visit the exotic locales of Amalfi, Positano, Sorrento, Capri and Naples, Italy Cost: $2,795 per person, plus airfare

complete travel program information: web: www.elon.edu/alumni toll free: (877) 784-3566 email: alumnirelations@elon.edu

early summer 2012

Where you’ll go: Visit the holy places of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths in Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories with Elon guides For more information: Contact Associate Chaplain Phil Smith at psmith19@elon.edu

Cuenca, Ecuador august 5–september 4, 2012

Where you’ll go: Spend an extended period abroad with four weeks’ accommodations in Cuenca and a private language and culture tutor from the renowned Simon Bolivar Language School Cost: $2,995 per person, plus airfare

Alaskan Passage Cruise august 8–15, 2012

Ports of call include: Vancouver, Canada; Juneau, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan, Alaska Cost: $4,999 per person and up, including airfare and excursions under $200

Islands of Antiquity Cruise september 2–17, 2012

Ports of call include: Athens, Rhodes and Mykonos, Greece; and Istanbul, Turkey Cost: $3,850 per person and up, including airfare

Artwork by Sarah Beth Costello ’11

Alumni Action

Elon Alumni Board, Young Alumni Council welcome new leaders and members The Elon Alumni Board and Young Alumni Council installed new officers and the Council welcomed 12 new members at each body’s spring meetings.

Elon Alumni Board Officers 2011–12

ING HOME2C0O1M1

pr e si de n t

Destination: Elon oct. 21–23

Set your sights on Elon for Homecoming!

Chris Martin ’78 P’13, Manasquan, N.J. pr e si de n t-e l ec t

John Hill ’76, Severna Park, Md. pa s t pr e si de n t

Kelli Palmer ’98, Charlottesville, Va.

Young Alumni Council Officers 2011–12 pr e si de n t

Re-u-nited and it feels so good!

Michael Bumbry ’07, Philadelphia, Pa.

Several classes and groups will be celebrating milestone reunions this year, including:

v ic e pr e si de n t

Classes of 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006 Elon Black Alumni Network Phi Mu/Pi Kappa Tau 40th anniversary Zeta Tau Alpha 40th anniversary Gospel Choir 35th anniversary Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 30th anniversary Martha & Spencer Love School of Business 25th anniversary Kappa Alpha Psi 25th anniversary Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. 20th anniversary Alpha Chi Omega 10th anniversary Pi Kappa Phi 10th anniversary

Need a place to stay?

The following hotels have blocks reserved under the name “Elon University Homecoming” for alumni returning to campus: Best Western: (336) 584-0151 Comfort Inn: (336) 584-4447 Comfort Inn & Suites: (336) 449-5161 Country Inn & Suites: (336) 584-1115 Courtyard by Marriott: (336) 585-1888 Hampton Inn: (336) 584-8585 Ramada Inn: (336) 227-5541

Lend a hand Alumni volunteers are needed before and during Homecoming. Please contact Durice White ’09 at dwhite15@elon.edu or (336) 278-7463.

Stay informed!

Check the Homecoming website (www.elon.edu/homecoming) often for updates to the weekend’s schedule of events.

Britten Ginsburg Pund ’06, Columbia, Md. pa s t pr e si de n t

Christian Wiggins ’03, Charlotte, N.C. de v e l opm e n t c om m i t t e e c h a i r

Kristin Smith ’07, Cary, N.C. de v e l opm e n t c om m i t t e e v ic e c h a i r

Amy Carraux Price ’07, Fletcher, N.C. pro gr a m s c om m i t t e e c h a i r

Andrew Bennett ’08, Cleveland, Ohio pro gr a m s c om m i t t e e v ic e c h a i r

Kara Anderson ’06, Dublin, Ohio c a r e e r t r a nsi t ions c om m i t t e e c h a i r

Dan Hanson ’05, Arlington, Va. c a r e e r t r a nsi t ions com m i t t e e v ic e c h a i r

Joey White ’04, Knoxville, Tenn.

The Young Alumni Council welcomes its new members: Kristin White ’04, Arlington, Va. David Dziok ’05, Annapolis, Md. Cameron Davis ’06, Charlotte, N.C. Chris Mason ’06, Hoboken, N.J. Buck Russell ’09, Boston, Mass.

Molly Donahue ’09, Bethesda, Md. Emily Favret ’09, New York, N.Y. Jennifer Hiltwine ’09, Herndon, Va. Samantha Miller ’10, Burlington, N.C. Megan Schneider ’10, Harrisonburg, Va. Drake Springer ’10, Glenwood, Md. Danaka Walker ’10, Raleigh, N.C.

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YOUNG ALUMNI SUMMER GETAWAY july 22–24, 2011 charleston, s.c.

baltimore charleston charlotte tampa

Escape the summer grind with fellow young alums! Take part in exclusive activities planned throughout the weekend for Elon graduates or build your own itinerary. Call the Holiday Inn Riverview at (843) 556-7100 by June 7 and mention Elon University Young Alumni Travel to reserve your room at the special $139/night rate. For more details about the trip, visit h p://tinyurl.com/yatravel or contact Kiley Moorefield ’07, coordinator of young alumni programs, at kmoorefield@elon.edu.

chicago

Durice White ’09 returned to Elon in March to become the coordinator of alumni engagement for affinity programs.

A2er graduating from Elon with a degree in sport and event management, Durice joined St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a multicultural event marketing representative.

She’s looking forward to bringing her experience and enthusiasm to our team as she manages Elon’s affinity and class reunion program and coordinates Elon’s Black Alumni Network, our largest affinity group. Say hello to Durice today at dwhite15@elon.edu or (336) 278-7463.

philadelphia

Welcoming our newest team member

alumni on the town

Alumni Action

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Alumni Action

atlanta New chapter leaders worked

denver Alumni in Colorado’s capital

triangle Alumni in the Triangle attended

hard this winter and spring to reenergize the Atlanta Chapter and drew scores of alumni to their first two events – a March social and an April 5K run/walk. “We had big turnouts and a nice mix of graduates from recent years and even a few who graduated in the 1960s and ’70s!” reports Brian McElroy ’07, a chapter board member.

city gathered for the group’s second event in March, a social at Pint’s Pub where 15 graduates enjoyed catching up with one another.

the chapter’s annual Groundhog Day party in February with special guest Jonathan Miller of the Phoenix Club. In March, alumni cheered the hometown Carolina Hurricanes as they faced the Toronto Maple Leafs at the RBC Center.

their tour of Baltimore’s sights and sounds this year, visiting Walters Art Museum in February and the National Aquarium in March.

charleston Elon graduates in Charleston caught the Phoenix men’s basketball team Feb. 12, when Elon visited The Citadel.

Alumni reveled in a 79–72 victory for the Phoenix. “I always love spending time with my Elon family, especially when celebrating a win. Go Phoenix!” says Morgan Zech ’08. coming up may 25–29 ■ elon baseball at the

and parents turned out for two March Evenings for Elon in Houston and Dallas – the first Alumni Association events to be held in Texas. Alumni relished the chance to hear about developments at their alma mater and get to know fellow graduates living in their areas. “Speaking with other alumni and parents at Houston’s Evening for Elon event brought laughs as we remembered our favorite people and places on campus with great pride,” says Ivy Crank ’09. Adds Meghan Dillon ’01, “It was a great reminder that no matter how far from campus you may go, members of the Elon family are always nearby.”

los angeles june 4 ■ hike with elon in l.a. program

Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Dates and times TBA at

interns, 5 p.m. Meet Elon students at The Oakwood

www.elonphoenix.com

Toluca Hills corporate housing. Rain date June 5

charlotte Alumni road-tripped to Davidson College on Feb. 24 to cheer the Phoenix men’s basketball team against the archrival Wildcats. Elon fell, 83-75, but Andy Ordemann ’06 reports “the event had a great atmosphere and turnout. We’re looking forward to the Elon/Davidson game next year!” In April, more than 160 alumni attended the chapter’s annual Faculty/Staff Social, reconnecting with Elon and listening to a campus update from President Leo M. Lambert.

new york

jgrauel@elon.edu for more information

chicago One of the roughest winters in Windy City history couldn’t keep alumni from braving the cold for a January social at Redmond’s. “It was great to see many new and familiar faces – especially in the dead of Chicago’s winter!” says Katie Olinger ’07, Chicago Chapter president. coming up may 26 ■ volunteer interest meeting, 7 p.m., home of Katie Olinger ’07. Email chicagoelonalums@gmail.com to RSVP and receive

cure, 8:45 a.m., Meredith College. $30 per person; register at www.elon.edu/webservices/alumni

coming up

southern conference tournament,

coming up june 4 ■ golf outing at the golf club at ballantyne. Contact Jamie Grauel ’07 at

coming up june 11 ■ susan g. komen race for the

triangle

baltimore Chapter members continued

houston & dallas Nearly 100 alumni

coming up may 18 ■ networking social, 6-8 p.m., Hill

washington, d.c. It was a typically

Country. Alumni will be asked to make a $5 donation

busy spring for the D.C. Chapter as alumni gathered for monthly networking socials, a March ignite Nite and a tour of the U.S. Capitol in April.

to the NYC Chapter at the door

philadelphia Despite a particularly rough winter, alumni came out for a January happy hour social and a bowling event in February. “We have been very active in building our identity and creating opportunities for people to get involved,” says Michael Bumbry ’07. “We’re excited for the chapter to continue its growth.”

coming up june 4 ■ susan g. komen race for the

cure 5k, 8 a.m., The National Mall. $40 per person; register for the Elon Alumni team at globalrace.info-komen.org

june 10 ■ second annual golf

tournament, shotgun start at 1:30 p.m.; dinner at 6:30 p.m., Westfields Golf Club. Register at

tampa A lu mni in t he Ta mpa-St.

www.elon.edu/webservices/alumni

Petersburg, Fla., area reunited in late February to cheer the Phoenix baseball team as it faced the University of South Florida in an earlyseason series. “It was great to connect with Elon alumni and friends in Florida – we had many different eras represented and it was a fun crowd!” says Lauren Kelly ’08.

triad More than 50 alumni and parents attended a March Evening for Elon in Winston-Salem, where they enjoyed a university update from President Lambert.

for the latest alumni news and events, visit elon.edu/alumni

directions

the magazine of elon

29

Annie Kernodle Hill ’53 is a retired teacher. She taught for more than 37 years in schools across the United States and even spent some time teaching in Germany while her late husband, Billie Hill, was in the U.S. Army. She lives in Gibsonville, N.C.

Class Notes ’30s Jesse W. Harrington ’39 attended Elon during the Great Depression and recalls having to miss a semester on occasion. But with the help of his family, he kept coming back and graduated as president of the Class of 1939. In the professional world, Jesse encourages alumni to seek a job that has the possibility of becoming a passion.

’40s Edna Tuck Lunsford ’46 is proud of the progress Elon has made since she was a student and can hardly believe that little Elon College is now a university. Edna has many fond memories of her Elon days, particularly the Ladies Hall, the Senior Oak and Whitley Auditorium. She advises current students to study hard because education is a necessity for success in the future. She lives in Leicester, N.C. Dorothy Williams Darden ’47 met her sweetheart, David Darden ’50, while a student at Elon. Together, they have five children, nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. They live in Suffolk, Va. John D. Moody Jr. ’48 enjoyed his time as a student at Elon. When he thinks about his alma mater, his concern is for the current students.

He knows that they are the leaders of the future and he hopes that they are being inspired in body, mind and spirit. He lives with his wife, Faye, in Yanceyville, N.C.

’50s William Greene Rudd Jr. ’50 thinks that Elon is a great institution both when he attended and today, and he’s grateful for the friends he met. He fondly remembers J. Earl Danieley ’46 as a student and then as a professor. “Dr. Danieley is and always will be ‘Mr. Elon,’ and I will never forget him,” Rudd writes. He encourages students today to work hard and prepare for what looks to be a difficult future. He lives in Eden, N.C. 30

the magazine of elon

The Rev. John G. Truitt Jr. ’53, a David F. Ingram ’52 thoroughly proud Elon alumnus, is impressed enjoyed his Elon days and the time with the quality of today’s Elon stuspent hanging out in the veter- dents, the beauty of the campus and ans’ apartments with good friends the expansive study abroad program.

Bob Furr ’49 and his wife, Dolly. While he has many wonderful memoHe must have mentioned the good ries of his Elon days, none compares times he had at Elon a time or two to the day he met his future bride, to his children, because both Angie Dolores Hagan Truitt ’53. He says, Ingram Hodnett ’75 and Scott “she was a smart girl, but somehow I Ingram ’78 are Elon alumni. David got her to marry me anyway.” The lives in Gretna, Va. Truitts live in Elon, N.C.

Throughout the year, Elon’s Golden Alumni president sends birthday cards to alumni who’ve eclipsed their 50-year reunions. The president asks these alumni to share their remembrances of and hopes for their alma mater with The Magazine of Elon and, occasionally, one of these letters merits a full run. Current co-presidents Dee Atkinson ’57 P’81 P’96 and Mona Scott Atkinson ’57 P’81 P’96 received such a note this spring from Florine Ray Culbreth ’40 and her husband, Howard Crawford Culbreth ’42.

Ronald E. Black ’54 fondly remembers his experience with the choir and having the opportunity to travel to New York, Virginia and even to Boston, Mass. He remembers a particularly wonderful performance that the choir gave in the Washington National Cathedral. He is amazed at Elon’s growth since his days on campus and hopes that today’s students are taking advantage of the wonderful opportunities available to them. He lives with his wife, Carole, in Rising Sun, Md. Nancy Bain Lewis ’56 has too many wonderful memories of Elon to list. She is happy to see that Elon has grown in both size and academic

PURE GOLD

Dear Mona and Dee, When we graduated from Elon in the early ’40s, Elon was not accredited. It was still recovering from the Great Depression. I feared my credits would not be accepted at the University of Hawaii, where I planned to complete my fifth year. However, they were accepted, my goals were met and I taught in Hawaii for 20 years.

Although we have been on campus few times because we both moved out of state after graduation, it is so obvious that Elon has made gargantuan progress in all areas. We are all so grateful for the wise decisions of Elon’s leaders and the generosity of the alumni and supporters. (Oh! We’re frustrated with one continuing struggle: Appalachian State is still defeating us in basketball, just like 1942!)

Without a doubt, my favorite memory of Elon is that I met the love of my life at the entrance to the colonnade by the (Carlton) library. His life was spared as a Navy pilot during World War II, giving us 67 years of married life, three sons, four good careers and thousands of games of golf. We are blessed.

My advice to students as they prepare for life after Elon is to research your talents with all the help you can get. Know thyself. Study what interests you the most. Set your goals for a career your freshman year. Yes, your plans may change, just as the economy and trends of our civilization change, but be goal-oriented and build a good work ethic.

Best wishes, Florine Ray Culbreth ’40 and Howard Crawford Culbreth ’42 Idaho Falls, Idaho

Class Notes prominence. She lives with her husband, John, in Burlington, N.C. Ben Kendall ’57 is unbelievably proud of the progress that Elon has made through the years. As an inductee to the Elon Athletics Hall of Fame, he is particularly pleased to see how the school has invested in its athletics programs and facilities. He encourages current students to enjoy every moment of their time at Elon because these will be some of the best of their lives. He lives with his wife, Ethel, in Danville, Va.

’60s reunion ’61 Bill Ruth ’66 and Mary Coolidge Ruth ’66 met up with longtime friends, The Rev. Wilmer Brown ’92 and Hulen Grogans Brown ’92 at Slumber Falls in New Braunfels, Texas, an outdoor ministry, camp and retreat center run by the United Church of Christ. The Browns are actively involved with the ministry and the Ruths just completed a volunteer assignment. The couples’ friendship dates to 1992, when Wil was a religious studies intern at the Allied Churches of Alamance County and Mary was executive director. They have been good friends ever since.

The Browns received the Elon Alumni Association’s Service to Church and Society Award in 2002, and the Ruths received the same award in 2006.

’70s Chuck Ball ’72 has published his second novel, Side Effects. The book centers around the professional and personal struggles of a young couple and tells a “raw, gritty story about addiction, greed, grace and redemption.”

His first novel, Mingo’s Cave, was released in 2010, and both books are available for download on Amazon’s Kindle or Barnes & Noble’s Nook devices. Charles lives in Kill Devil Hills, N.C.

Insurance. With his newfound free time, he plans to pursue volunteer work with the American Red Cross, the veterans’ hospital in Salisbury, N.C., and his church. He lives in Salisbury with his wife, Linda.

Stephen M. Ross ’73, a Burlington, N.C., city councilman, has been named to the National League of Cities’ public safety and crime prevention committee. The committee is responsible for developing policies in several areas, including crime prevention, juvenile justice, disaster preparedness and relief, and gun control, among others. Stephen is a vice president at Wells Fargo Advisors llc. He lives with his wife, Tammy, in Burlington.

’80s

a charitable gift annuity of $10,000 or more to Elon will guarantee you a fixed income for the rest of your life. With market interest rates near historic lows, a gift annuity is an attractive way for you to increase your income and make a gift to Elon at the same time.You will receive immediate tax benefits and can defer capital gains.The payment rate of a charitable gift annuity depends on your age at the time of the gift — the older you are, the higher the rate.

reunion ’86 rates as of july 1, 2010

MaryFrances Toy ’81 has retired and is spending quite a bit of time traveling between the East and West coasts visiting friends and family.

MaryFrances has many fond memories of her time as an Elon student.

She was motivated and inspired by faculty members, who ignited in her a passion for lifelong learning. Her favorite place on campus was the library, and she misses the days when she was totally immersed in books and studying. She does have one lingering question that has never been answered to her satisfaction: What is really beneath the wall that surrounds the campus? MaryFrances resides in Ventura, Calif., and would love to hear from old friends and classmates.

Mark A. Rumley ’84 received a master’s degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in December. He is an assistant superintendent at Yadkin County Schools and lives in Graham, N.C. Sherri Ward Janelle ’85 was recently named foundation director at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College after serving for 13 years as

James “Jim” Correll Jr. ’72 was reelected chairman of the pga Champions Tour Tournament Advisory Council. He currently serves as executive tournament director for the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn.

He lives with his wife, Lizabeth, in Hickory, N.C. Roy Wesley Cook ’73 retired in December after 34 years with North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual

CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITIES CAN PROVIDE INCOME FOR LIFE

Jim Correll Jr. ’72

Jeffrey L. Smith ’86

ONE BENEFICI A RY

T WO BENEFICI A R IES

AGE

A NNUI T Y R AT E

AGES

A NNUI T Y R AT E

60 65 70

5.2% 5.5% 5.8%

60/65 67/67 71/73

5.0% 5.2% 5.5%

Annuity rates are subject to change. The annuity rate remains fi xed once your gi is made.

To calculate a gift annuity for you, your spouse or a family member, go to www.elon.edu/giftplanning.

Talk with us today about how you may benefit from a life income gift to Elon and other gift planning opportunities. please contact: Jamie Killorin, CPA/PFS, CFP®, Director of Gift Planning 877.784.3566 • jkillorin2@elon.edu • www.elon.edu/giftplanning

the Eastern Panhandle division director for the March of Dimes. She lives with her husband, Christopher Janelle ’87, in Martinsburg, W.Va. Jeffrey L. Smith ’86 was invited to join the 57th annual U.S. Army War College National Security Seminar held at Carlisle Barracks, Pa. The seminar will be held June 6–10 and brings community leaders from across the country together with future leaders of the armed forces to discuss both domestic and international security issues. Smith is a litigation paralegal at Syngenta Crop Protection llc and publishes his own e-newsletter, Smittysnotes.com. He lives in Winston-Salem, N.C.

’90s Amy Freeman Nichols ’96 completed her master’s degree in special education specializing in mild to moderate disabilities from Graceland University. She lives in Durham, N.C. Maurice Williams ’99 was named 2010 Most Outstanding Personal Fitness Trainer at the Bethesda (Md.) Sport & Health Club, and he finished 3 out of more than 350 personal fitness trainers in the entire Sport & Health Club Corporation. In addition to his work at the club, he is also a virtual fitness coach, freelance fitness writer and personal trainer.

He lives with his wife, LaTeisha, and their children, Dillon and Lia, in Silver Spring, Md. the magazine of elon

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Class Notes

David Stephens ’03 G’08 L’11

The super-super-super senior

by Becca Tynes ’13

For David Stephens ’03 G’08 L’11, Elon has N.C., but he longed to return to Elon, where been something of a family affair. His grandfa- Jennifer was finishing her degree. Without the ther, Craton G. Stephens Jr. ’39, and three of promise of a position in his field, Stephens Craton’s sisters attended Elon. David met his moved back to the area and took odd jobs to wife, Jennifer Massey Stephens ’04, during his pay the bills, like waiting tables and working a senior year. But he couldn’t have imagined that, few shifts for Elon’s landscaping department. less than 10 years later, he’d become the first Before long, he began working with BB&T Bank Elon student to earn three separate degrees in Winston-Salem, N.C., but was soon transfrom the institution. In May, he’ll do just that ferred to their Burlington branch. when he receives his juris doctor degree from “Somehow, I’ve always ended up near Elon,” Elon University School of Law. he says, smiling.

Stephens found success with BB&T, includ“I have a great amount of respect for David,” says university registrar Mark Albertson. “He ing being asked to attend their prestigious truly values his Elon education.” management training program, but he couldn’t Stephens says he knew little about Elon shake a nagging thought he’d had for years – a before high school, aside from his grandfather’s desire to attend law school. stories. But after visiting campus, Stephens “Even before I graduated from Elon, I’d decided to apply, was accepted and looked always considered a law degree,” Stephens says. forward to building his own Elon story.

“But I started working and began to get proA business major during his undergraduate moted within the company, so it never made days, Stephens, like many of his peers, faced sense to simply quit my job.” a difficult job market after graduation. He Still interested in continuing his education returned to his hometown of Rutherfordton, but seeking a program that fit better with his

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professional path, he decided to attend Elon’s part-time master of business administration program, receiving his degree in 2008. Meanwhile, he was promoted to manager of the Graham, N.C., BB&T. Yet he still felt that something was missing. Again, the idea of a law degree popped into his mind.

“I felt like it was something I could enjoy,” Stephens says. “While I enjoyed my time with BB&T, I wanted a career I was passionate about, and I knew I could be passionate about the practice of law.”

Having followed the progress of Elon’s new School of Law in Greensboro, and remembering his affinity for an Elon education, Stephens decided to apply for admission. He achieved his trifecta of Elon acceptances.

But no good story could finish without a plot twist, a challenge to be overcome. For Stephens, that challenge began in March 2010, when he woke up one morning with strange sensations in his face. Doctors told him he had a tumor in his skull.

“The tumor was benign, but it definitely shook my foundation,” Stephens recalls. “Life has not been the same since.”

That’s not for lack of trying; Stephens refused to let his doctor visits and the surgery to remove the tumor get in the way of his studies. Law classes became a place of refuge for Stephens, who enjoyed the chance to shift his focus to papers and projects.

“I never considered taking a break from law school,” he says. “With everything I couldn’t control in my life, I knew that I could control keeping up with my studies.”

Thanks to the help of his classmates and professors, as well as the administration at Elon Law, Stephens’ dedication will pay off May 22, when he’ll shake Dean George Johnson’s hand and receive his purple hood, signifying his completion of law school on time. It also signals the end of the road of Stephens’ Elon career, though he has all intentions of keeping his alma mater in the family. He and Jennifer welcomed their first child, Elizabeth Anne, on March 25, and they look forward to beginning a new chapter of their Elon story in about 18 years – when Elizabeth reaches college age.

“Life is full of surprises,” he says. “I’ve been so blessed to have Elon in my life.”

Class Notes Howard “Todd” Wirt ’99 was named North Carolina High School Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. He is principal of Mooresville High School where his school district provides a one-to-one laptop environment for all students.

His school was recently named an Apple Distinguished School for the second year in a row. Only 52 other schools nationwide were given this honor. He lives with his wife, Kelly White Wirt ’98, in Salisbury, N.C.

Regan Beaudry Burney ’03 received her doctorate in human development and family studies in December from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is the project coordinator for the Triad Child Study at uncg. She lives in Raleigh, N.C. Maurice Williams ’99

’00s reunion ’01, ’06 Patrick Donovan ’00 has accepted a position as a social media lead coordinator for bjc HealthCare in St. Louis, Mo. bjc HealthCare is one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States.

He lives with his wife, Megan, in Chesterfield, Mo. Matt Myatt ’02 was voted 2010 Real Estate Agent of the Year and was also recognized as Sales Agent of the Year

Laura Wright ’04

at Village Realty Outer Banks, an award he also won in 2009. His accomplishments for the year include 36 closings and $10.3 million in sales. He lives in Southern Shores, N.C. If you would like to get in touch with Matt, please visit www.mattmyatt.com.

Life blossoming in Japan It’s sakura (cherry blossom) season and life is slowly returning to normal more than two months after the trifecta of disasters – earthquake, tsunami, nuclear crisis – devastated Japan.

We continue to experience aftershocks on almost a daily basis. There have been more than 1,000 aftershocks since the March 11 earthquake, 60 of them over 6.0 (on the Richter scale). As I write this, I have felt two small aftershocks. Sometimes they wake you out of a deep slumber. Other times you can barely feel them, though you feel like you have just walked off a ship and still have sea legs.

We have rolling blackouts to conserve electricity, but some days they’re cancelled because users are being frugal with electricity and there isn’t a need to shut the power off. Can you imagine Americans just deciding to use less power to keep from needing a scheduled blackout? We couldn’t even keep people from looting in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There has not been a single reported case of violence or looting here. In fact, I asked my staff about looting, and they didn’t even understand what I meant.

That word doesn’t exist in their vocabulary.

Recently, I traveled to Yokohama, about 30 minutes north of Yokosuka, to see the cherry blossoms and experience the annual Yokohama Street

relationships with pharmaceutical clients. He will support the business development team focused on the Mid-Atlantic region. He lives with his wife, Sarah King Lindberg ’02, in Raleigh.

Laura Wright ’04 has joined the Foreign Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of State. She is currently posted in Beijing, China, at the U.S. Embassy, where she will work for the next two years.

Jason Coosner ’03 received the prestigious National Choreography Plan Award from Regional Dance America for his new ballet, “Composition vii,” which premiered at the Wortham Theatre in Houston, Texas. Jason lives Andrew Barnes ’06 earned the chartered financial consultant proin Los Angeles, Calif. fessional designation, financial planKatherine Hoomans Knoerzer ’04 ning’s highest standard, from The is a communications specialist for American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa. Medical Mutual Insurance Company Individuals who complete the proof North Carolina. She recently was gram can provide expert advice on elected president of the Highwoods topics such as retirement planning, Kiwanis Club in Raleigh, N.C., and wealth accumulation, income taxaserves as an advisor for the Sanderson tion and estate planning. He works High School Key Club. She lives with as an institutional liaison for tiaacref. His wife, Lindsey Paquette her husband, Jeremy, in Raleigh.

Barnes ’06, is an event planner for Jonathan P. Lindberg ’04 was pro- Bank of America. The couple live in moted to the inside sales team at Charlotte, N.C. pra International in Raleigh, N.C. He will be responsible for outreach, Raphael A. Garcia ’06 has puband building and maintaining lished his first book of poetry, Playing

By Amy Jo Jenkins ’05, aquatics director at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, Japan Festival, signs that life truly is returning to normal in Japan. Thousands of Japanese and gaijin (means “non-Japanese”) alike joined together under the sakura trees, eating, drinking and enjoying the company, but also being thankful for everything we have and that this area was spared. Had the Tokyo or Yokohama areas been hit, the fatalities would have at least tripled because of the dense population.

This event will come up in conversations for many years to come, much like remembering where you were on 9/11 or when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Although I am not native Japanese (my friends say I could be because I can fall asleep on trains and wake up just in time for my station), this disaster hits me just as hard.

For me, what stands out is how the entire nation pulled together. U.S. Armed Forces assisted with recovery and relief efforts. Those of us working as civilians on the military bases tried to maintain business as usual under unusual circumstances while donating time and money toward relief efforts. Some Japanese went up north to directly assist while others stayed behind to help from afar.

One thing is for sure: Although it will take many months, perhaps even years, to rebuild these devastated areas, the Japanese will persevere with hard work and their positive attitude.

Amy Jo Jenkins ’05

Yokohama, Japan

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Class Notes

Taking the lead

by Keren Rivas ’04

For the past 13 years, Cornelius Muller ’93 has tried unsuccessfully to make it in the film industry. Though in that time he has appeared in commercials and independent films, the entrepreneur and former Elon basketball player was unable to land a major role in a Hollywood film.

“It’s so subjective,” Muller says of the casting process.

Tired of waiting for a call back, Muller decided to take matters into his own hands.

With the support of Elon’s School of Communications and the backing of local investors, Muller started filming his own independent film in Alamance County, N.C., earlier this year.

Muller, an entrepreneur who owns CM Enterprise Group LLC in Burlington, N.C., says things for the film fell into place last summer.

While at the airport, he ran into Connie Book, an associate provost and communications professor at Elon, whom he had contacted years back for a different project. As it turned out, they were on the same plane to New York. During the flight, Muller told Book about his desire to make a film. Within a week of his returning to Elon, Muller assembled a production crew with Book’s help. By mid-January, production on the film had begun.

“It all happened so quickly,” he says. “The timing was right.”

Book says she was intrigued by Muller’s film, which she described as a compelling, powerful story.

Muller wrote, produced and acted in the film, “Brother’s Keeper,” which is based on his personal experience. It tells the story of a religious man whose brother commits a violent crime and how he struggles with the situation while trying to bring forgiveness and healing to the victim’s family.

Book says the universal themes in the film have resonated with many involved in the production, including her husband,

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Cornelius Muller ’93

Dewayne, a physician and current music major film industry or how talented students in the at Elon who wrote the score for the film. media arts and entertainment program were.

“It’s been his creative outlet,” Book says, add“The kids were phenomenal,” he says, adding that her husband identified with the film ing that another blessing was the use of Elon’s because he, too, has a complicated relationship state-of-the-art equipment. In all, he estimates with his brother. he has saved approximately 20,000 in producNneka Enurah ’11, an Elon media arts and tion coss thanks to Elon’s in-kind contributions. entertainment major, was preparing to move “Brother’s Keeper” premiered April 30 at to Los Angeles when Book approached her with Lamb’s Chapel in Haw River, N.C., which Muller the project. She says the film was an opportu- attends. He says he hopes to screen it at the nity to get involved in a local project and learn state and national levels and wouldn’t mind something new while still at Elon. Shot at vari- picking up some awards along the way. ous locations around Alamance County and “I would like for it to win an Oscar next year on Elon’s campus, the film was cast locally and or a Sundance Film Festival award for short film,” features several actors from the Carolina Actors he says, adding that more than anything, he Group in Winston-Salem, N.C., where Muller is hopes people feel they are better individuals after seeing the film. Though based in Christian studying method acting.

“When I heard the story and how important principles, the film is intended for all audiences. it was to Cornelius, I knew I had to be a part of “The film takes people on an emotional rollercoaster – happiness, sadness, shame, anger, it,” Enurah says.

She adds the process has been rewarding forgiveness and back to happiness,” Muller says. professionally and personally.

“The intent is to get people to think, forgive, “What I gained from the experience will love and be inspired.” benefit me for years to come,” Enurah says. “I learned a lot about myself and what it is like to work with other professionals.”

Prior to this collaboration with Elon stuView the “Brother’s Keeper” trailer at dents, Muller says he didn’t know the School of www.elon.edu/magazine Communications was so heavily involved in the

Class Notes with Words. Raphael describes the book as “a simple journey that asks questions I believe we have all asked while looking for answers we would all like to have. You should read this book for something different in light of the same old poetry that you may find.” Faculty, staff, alumni and friends can purchase the book at Lulu. com. Raphael lives in Burlington, N.C.

Allison Leslie Allred ’99 and Eric Allred

Shannon Russell Jalandoni ’00, Chris Jalandoni and friends

Kiley Mahaffey Tollberg ’01, Jeremy Tollberg and family

Christina Mears Carlson ’02 and Chan Carlson

Brian Hooper ’06 is an operations analyst in industrial engineering for Harris Teeter. He creates and analyzes reports pertaining to store labor and other day-to-day functions. He lives in Charlotte, N.C. Bree D. Sherry ’06 received a master’s degree in May 2010 from Yale University School of Drama. After graduation, she spent the summer working with the Fringe Festival in New York City. She is returning to North Carolina to work at Triad Stage in Greensboro, N.C. J. Parker Turner IV ’06 received an mba from the Warrington School of Business at the University of Florida.

He continues to work for Liberty Port at its corporate headquarters in Sarasota, Fla. He lives with his wife, Emily Hilton Turner ’06, in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. Andrew Iszard ’07 has accepted a position with Renaud Consulting as a leasing agent and market analyst. His responsibilities include leasing retail shopping centers and representing local and national clients. He also recently earned his Virginia real estate license and is pursing licensure in Maryland and Washington, D.C. He lives in Vienna, Va. Laura E. Eastes ’08 is a reporter for the Georgetown (Ky.) News Graphic.

She lives in Georgetown. Previously, Laura worked as a reporter at The Southwest Times in Liberal, Kan.

Courtney Merten Charzuk ’02, Corey Charzuk and friends

Meghan Morgan DeFino ’05 and Andrew DeFino

Buffy Jackewicz Neace ’03, Jesse Neace and friends

Melissa Borger Johnsen ’06, Erling Johnsen and friends

and enter numerous contests all from one site. He lives in Hampstead, N.C.

weddings

’90s Mary Katherine Land ’98 and Ron Smith, 10/2/2010. Mary is a health educator in the Iredell County Health Department. The couple live in Statesville, N.C.

Allison Leslie ’99 and Eric Allred, 9/5/10. Elon alumni in attendance Sarah L. Schupp ’08 has accepted a were Kr istin Downes Wilkie position as first-year experiences pro- ’98, Bryan Bowen ’98, Rachel gram coordinator at Ithaca College in McPhillips Plucker ’99, Buzz Wilkie ’99, Krystal Br idges Ithaca, N.Y., where she lives.

Maroon ’07, Kristen Swayze Andrew Marshall L’10 has been Burt ’05, Brett Leslie ’07, Kelly hired as an assistant district attorney Reimer ’00 and Tina Dente Weske for Alamance County, N.C. He lives ’97. Allison is a campus minister in Greensboro, N.C. with Greek InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Wake Forest University.

Alex Trevisan ’10 and his business The couple live in Burlington, N.C. partner launched www.gwazu.com, a website that aggregates the best social media contests featuring top namebrand products, allowing users to find

Tarrah Goforth Huff ’04 and Ryan Huff ’03

Julie Bourbeau Turner ’06, Peter Turner and friends

’00s Shannon Russell ’00 and Chris Jalandoni, 8/14/10. The couple were married in Santa Barbara, Calif. Elon alumni in attendance were Alison Sanborn ’00, Carianne Fisher ’00, Cathy LiCalsi Crawford ’00, Jackie Duque Canterna ’00, Natalie Metz ’00, Joey Boyles ’00, Mike Skrief ’00, Andy Canterna ’99, Michael Bartone ’00 and Hannah Campbell ’02. The couple live in Los Angeles, Calif.

Angie Blocher Sokolov ’04 and Steven Sokolov

Erika Judd Little ’06 and Zachary Little

self-employed psychotherapist. The couple reside in St. Petersburg, Fla. Christina Mears ’02 and Chan Carlson, 2/13/10. The couple were married in Alexandria, Va., with Kimberley Kabigting ’02 and Katherine Toms Zitrick ’02 in attendance. Christina is an auditor with the U.S. Department of Treasury. The couple live in Alexandria.

Courtney Jane Merten ’02 and Corey Charzuk, 8/21/10. Elon alumni in attendance were Adam Lauren Stone ’00 and Garrett Walsh, Merten ’02, Josh Deeter ’02, 7/17/10. Lauren is a program manager Hillary Rogers Kestler ’02, Betsy for Wells Fargo Advisors. The couple Johnson Deeter ’04, Grace Merten reside in Richmond, Va. ’10, Chasen Manchester ’10, Sarah Rixey ’07, Nikki Cervelloni Kiley Mahaffey ’01 and Jeremy Wickline ’02, Donnie Wickline Tollberg, 10/16/10. The couple were ’02, Lindsay Allman Merten ’02, married in Highlands, N.C. Elon Bekah Hanlon ’01, Alison Spitzer alumni in attendance were Jon Swartz ’02 and Lauren Rogers Scrimshaw ’97, Jennifer Dowski Moore ’02. The couple reside in Scrimshaw ’98, Scott Clark ’97, Mint Hill, N.C. Sommer Cork Clark ’97, Tom Mahaffey ’93 and Matthew Elizabeth “Buffy” Jackewicz ’03 Morrissette ’93. Also in attendance and Jesse Neace, 7/17/10. Elon alumni were Elon President Leo M. Lambert, in attendance were Sarah Farley and his wife, Laurie. Kiley is a ’03, Lindsay Surber Rooney ’02,

the magazine of elon

35

Class Notes

treatment is difficult and not highly successful, and there is still so much about the disease that we don’t know.”

Malwina Niemierko ’07 Niemierko’s work in Arequipa, located in southern Peru, aims to shed light on Chagas and work toward eliminating it from the region.

Each day, she participates in fieldwork around the community. She often goes door-to-door in different neighborhoods to talk with citizens, collect insects and inspect houses.

“We may take blood samples from people, dogs or guinea pigs,” Niemierko says. “The purpose of this is to get a sense of how much T. cruzi infection – the parasite that causes Chagas – there is in the community.”

She also works to educate members of each household she visits about Chagas disease, what to do if they find insects in their homes and how they can reduce their risk of contracting the disease.

“This is exactly what I wanted to do when I finished my master’s,” she says. “I’ve been pretty lucky.”

Niemierko says that during her time at Elon, she gained a great foundation for understanding international public health issues and policies. She also studied abroad in Ecuador and France as an Elon student and returned to Ecuador after graduation in May 2007.

Niemierko lived and worked there for more than a year as a project manager for the World

by Becca Tynes ’13 Health Organization.

“After living in Ecuador, I looked at life in Malwina Niemierko ’07 arrived at Elon with is caused by a parasite spread by insects, affects a completely different light,” she says. “Their her sights set on a career in international an estimated 40 million people worldwide. Its standard of living is so different. You see people politics. But her interests shifted a bit after she symptoms include swelling at the site of the who don’t have a lot but they are happier and attended a Model United Nations conference insect bite and in the eyes, fever, digestive more content with their lives than many who during her first year, when she participated in a problems, abdominal pains and difficulty swal- have a lot more.” council discussion centered around drugs and lowing.

Inspired to help these communities, diagnostics used to treat HIV/AIDS. “It’s a complex disease and people may be Niemierko focused her graduate studies at “When we were discussing health care and asymptomatic for decades, then one day just Boston University on international health access, I realized just how passionately I felt drop dead,” Niemierko says. with a focus on infectious diseases. She hopes about it,” she says.

It’s one of what the World Health Organiza- that the expertise she’s gained will translate Today, Niemierko puts her passion into tion calls “neglected tropical diseases,” meaning into increased interest in and knowledge of practice as a field epidemiologist with the few in the countries affected – and few in the Chagas and other neglected tropical diseases University of Pennsylvania’s Chagas Disease medical community – know much about Cha- and a better quality of life for people in Central and South America.

Project in Arequipa, Peru. She first learned gas disease.

“This is my passion,” she says. “It’s important “People should care about Chagas because about Chagas disease as a graduate student in Boston University’s School of Public Health, it’s affecting millions of people,” she says. to me to help, no matter how small my contriwhere she received a master’s degree in inter- “Chagas disease is also unique in that, unlike bution is, to reduce the burden that this disease national public health. Chagas disease, which many other neglected tropical diseases, the has on people.”

A passion to save lives

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the magazine of elon

Class Notes Julie Bourbeau ’06 and Peter Turner, 7/3/10. Julie is a content manager at unicef. The couple reside in Brooklyn, N.Y. Er ika Morgan Judd ’06 and Zachary L. Little, 10/16/10. The couple reside in Graham, N.C. Nikki Allen Scott ’95, husband Roy and son Kaleb

Jocelyn Diakon Rupprecht ’98, husband Daniel and daughter Alice

Carlton Tyson ’98, Kim Henry Tyson ’99 and children

Kristin Leech Ward ’01, Jeffrey Ward ’01 and son Logan

Ryan Barnhart Privitera ’00, husband David, and daughters Camille and Cadence

Laura Wilson ’06 and Brian Cordell, 5/30/10. The couple were married in Amelia Island, Fla. Elon alumni in attendance were Keri Paxten Koons ’06, Bob Koons ’06, Pat Spencer ’06, Shelby Peterson ’06, Susan O’Brien ’06 and Kristen Shirley Farley ’05. Laura is pursuing a master’s degree in speech-language pathology. The couple reside in Tampa, Fla.

births

’90s

Margaret Newton Spinelli ’02, husband Justin and son Frederick

Sara Jennings McNanley ’03, husband Patrick and daughter Madeline

Bill Sandford ’90 and Cheryl Fowler Sandford ’93, Whitsett, N.C. Son: Levi Benjamin. 7/16/10.

He joins older brothers Christopher, Benjamin and Luke. Bill is owner of Advantage Homebuyers, a real estate investment company, and Cheryl is a homemaker.

Aimee McDuffie Blair ’95 and Jason Blair, Potomac Falls, Va. Son: Andrew Knox. 1/26/11.

Campana ’06 and Hillary Helmling ’06. The couple live in New York, N.Y.

Tara Nicole “Nikki” Allen Scott ’95 and Roy V. Scott Jr., Chapel Hill, Tarrah L. Goforth ’04 and Ryan G. N.C. Son: Kaleb Augustus. 6/11/10.

Huff ’03, 6/26/10. Tarrah is a teacher Nikki is a department business for Wake County Schools and Ryan manager. is a software engineer for Slick Edit.

Megan Lindberg Findley ’06 and Kyle Findley ’06 with They live in Raleigh, N.C. Andy Tracewell ’96 and Katie daughter Avery Tracewell, Wester ville, Ohio.

Meghan Morgan ’05 and Andrew Daughter: Evelyn Leigh. 11/27/10.

DeFino, 8/28/10. Colleen Koski Andy is director of marketing at ’05 and Sara Hodges ’05 served as Caretta Workspace.

Carolyn Cosgrove ’02, Jess Fowler bridesmaids. Meghan is pursuing Whitesell ’02, Rod Whitesell ’02, graduate studies in counseling at Donya Whitman Bondurant ’98 Hannah Campbell ’02, Ada Adele the University of Pennsylvania. The and Chris Bondurant, Wake Forest, Arbuckle ’05, Bryan Jacobs ’03, couple live in Philadelphia, Pa. N.C. Twins: Samuel and Andrew.

Dana Dancer Jacobs ’05, Zac 12/4/09.

Palmer ’04, Lauren Hoffmann Melissa Borger ’06 and Erling ’03, Kristin Yanulites ’04, Rachel Johnsen, 8/3/10. The couple took Carlos McField ’98 and Sarah Meluney Mullens ’03, Katie a Caribbean cruise with 23 of their McField, Kansas City, Kan. Son: Berman ’03 and Lindsay Keam closest family and friends to cel- Beckham Matthew. 1/4/11. Carlos ’03. Buffy is a school counselor at T.C. ebrate their nuptials. When the ship is head soccer coach at Summit Williams High School. The couple docked in St. Thomas, the party Christian Academy. disembarked for a beautiful, intilive in Dumfries, Va. mate ceremony. Elon alumni in at- Colleen Herndon Penhall ’98 and Angie Blocher ’04 and Steven tendance were Kelly Boyles Lake Brent D. Penhall ’98, Concord, Sokolov, 8/15/10. Lauren Conlin ’06, Matt Lake ’06, Keatha Banelli N.C. Daughter: Madelyn Anna.

Adams ’04 and Ashley Hunter ’06, Sarah Hudson ’06 and Lauren 12/28/10. She joins older brother Kenner ’04 served as brides- Soyars ’06. Melissa is a teacher in Aiden. Colleen is senior vice presimaids. Elon alumni in attendance Winston-Salem, N.C. The couple dent of corporate communications were Andrew Frace ’04, Ashley reside in Huntersville, N.C. for Bank of America. Brent is a

family physician at Cabarrus Family Medicine.

Stacey Ward Rice ’98 and Steve Rice, Gettysburg, Pa. Son: Gabriel Robert. 1/7/11. He joins older sister Sarah.

Jocelyn Diakon Rupprecht ’98 and Daniel Rupprecht, Washington, D.C. Daughter: Alice Kathleen. 12/12/10.

Carlton M. Tyson ’98 and Kim Henry Tyson ’99, Monroe, N.C. Son: Ethan Cole. 5/11/10.

Melanie Wachter Whipple ’98 and Jeff Whipple, Suwanee, Ga. Son: Grayson McCrae. 12/10/10. He joins older siblings Jack, Carson and Parker.

Samantha Carson Carver ’99 and Steve Carver, Slaughters, Ky. Son: John Harmon. 12/2/10. He joins older sisters Meagan and Maggie Cate. Samantha is a homemaker and freelance writer.

’00s Ryan Barnhart Privitera ’00 and David Privitera, Kennesaw, Ga. Daughter: Camille Ivey. 8/13/10. She joins older sister Cadence.

Kristin Leech Ward ’01 and Jeffrey E. Ward ’01, San Diego, Calif. Son: Logan William. 6/24/10. Kristin is a children’s librarian for the San Diego County Library.

Margaret Newton Spinelli ’02 and Justin Spinelli, Everett, Wash. Son: Frederick John. 11/21/10.

Sara Jennings McNanley ’03 and Patrick McNanley, South Riding, Va. Daughter: Madeline Rebekah.

4/29/10. Sara teaches kindergarten in Ashburn, Va. Megan Lindberg Findley ’06 and Kyle Findley ’06, Charlotte, N.C. Daughter: Avery Elizabeth. 12/25/10.

Megan is a physical education teacher at St. Mark Catholic School and Kyle teaches 7th grade math at Charlotte Country Day Middle School.

deaths

’30s Harris Hendricks ’39, Oldsmar, Fla. 7/22/09. Harris worked with the late Tommy Holmes ’39 to the magazine of elon

37

Class Notes

recovery has always been to find things I enjoy laughing at, looking at and reading,” he says. “I try to practice it as much as I preach it.”

Though he has led workshops for 20 years, it wasn’t until recently that Patterson considered writing a book. While writing, he drew upon his experiences at Elon with history professor and alumnus Durward Turrentine Stokes.

“He had the ability to bring history alive, to make you feel it, sense it, breathe it,” he says.

“That storytelling impressed me so much and that’s what I wanted to do. When I talk to people and share with them, I want to give them a story to hang on to.”

Steve Patterson ’73 Though he’s quick to admit the book took a long time to complete because of his lack of experience as a writer, he’s pleased with the finished product, which he considers both educational and entertaining.

“People have said it’s really helped them understand that laughter is abundant, available and they need to use it,” he says.

Many of those benefitting from Patterson’s expertise are participants in the Self-Paced In-Class Education program in four of South Carolina’s correctional facilities. It’s designed for nonviolent offenders to take in the final weeks Norman Cousins, a journalist and professor who of their incarceration. suffered from a severe form of arthritis. Cousins “While in the program, the inmates receive relied upon humor to change his perspective extensive counseling, educational opportunion life rather than concentrate on his illness. ties, vocational training and personal growth “He came up with the theory that laughter is courses,” he says. “I oversee the vocational rehahealing and he put a lot of effort into research- bilitation component and, for me, it has been a ing this,” Patterson says. “He discovered that 20 return to my counseling roots, which has been minutes of hearty laughter gave him two hours enjoyable and gratifying.” of pain-free sleep.”

Whatever the audience, Patterson hopes Patterson also looked into research by Wil- his message helps people rediscover the joy liam Fry, a psychiatrist and professor emeritus of laughter and use it to make positive changes at Stanford University School of Medicine who in their lives. studied the effectiveness of humor in psy“Stress is not an event itself but a perception chotherapy. Patterson’s research led him to a of an event,” Patterson says. “If we start looking startling conclusion. for humor and change our perception, we are “Humor is something that we are all born better able to accept things we cannot change. with, but some have just chosen not to use When we accept things, we can do something it,” Patterson says. “As we get older, (laughter) about them.” starts leaving us because we’re introduced to a lot of stress in life.”

Read an excerpt from Patterson’s book Patterson’s beliefs are grounded in personal online at www.elon.edu/magazine experience as much as research.

“I had two back surgeries and part of the

The funny side of life

by Caitlin O’Donnell ’13

Ask Steve Patterson ’73 his recipe for a healthy life and he offers one key ingredient: laughter.

With 20 years of experience as a motivational speaker specializing in the benefits of humor, Patterson published a book in December 2009 titled Better Living Through Laughter: An Attitude to Live By that details the key points of his philosophy.

“Medicine goes down better with a spoonful of sugar, and life goes better with laughter,” Patterson says. “A lot of folks will say I’m a frustrated stand-up comedian, but I knew going in that laughter has always been a really important part of my life. And laughter is a key to anything we do.”

After graduating from Elon with degrees in history and social science, Patterson began a career in counseling and worked in stress management training. It was then he realized laughter served as his own best stress reliever and became interested in the physical and mental benefits of humor.

Patterson began studying the work of

38

the magazine of elon

Class Notes establish the A.L. Hook Emerging Scholar Professorship in Science and Mathematics to honor former physics and mathematics professor A.L. Hook.

Henry David Satterfield ’39, West Brandywine, Pa. 12/24/10.

’40s Margaret Felton Harvey ’42, Grand Blanc, Mich. 12/11/10.

Sara Corbitt Roberts ’42, Pittsboro, N.C. 2/16/11.

’50s Lacy William Smith Jr. ’50, McLeansville, N.C. 1/12/11.

William Earl “Bill” Brady Jr. ’52, Hillsborough, N.C. 10/28/10.

Kathleen Miles Stevens ’61, Burlington, N.C. 1/1/11.

Joyce Gale Rau Combs G’89, Burlington, N.C. 12/28/10.

Branch Bragg ’52, Rome, Ga. 2/15/11.

Malinda Ross Jones Wall ’61 P’81’82’87, Reidsville, N.C. 2/19/11.

Friends

Ned Merr iman Gauldin ’54, Mebane, N.C. 1/12/11.

Clifton Gentry Averette ’64, Clemmons, N.C. 1/30/11.

Joseph Clifton Mor r is ’55, Pensacola, Fla. 12/7/10.

Glenda Pridgen Bell ’65, Raleigh, N.C. 1/29/11.

Donald Eugene Packard ’55, New Bern, N.C. 1/9/11.

Eleanor Smith Wall ’68, Reidsville, N.C. 2/28/10.

Bill Fetzer Joyce ’57, Thomasville, N.C. 12/19/10.

’80s

’60s

Robert Dean Kemp ’84, Roanoke, Va. 1/13/11.

Carl G. “Buddy” Overby ’61, Reidsville, N.C. 2/17/11.

Stephen Craig Harris ’85, Graham, N.C. 1/26/11.

Madge O’Kelly Brannock, a longtime member of the Elon community and friend to the university, died on Jan. 14, 2011. She was the daughter of Ned Brannock, who joined Elon as a chemistry professor in 1908 and stayed until his retirement in 1955.

Professor Brannock and his family’s contributions to Elon were recognized at the Founders Day celebrations in March 2004.

Judith Townsend Young, a former English teacher at Elon and longtime Burlington, N.C., resident, died on Jan. 17, 2011.

Turn yourself in online at elon.edu/classnotes class notes policy

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Return this form with your news or story idea to: The Magazine of Elon 2030 Campus Box Elon, North Carolina 27244-2020 fax: 336-524-0100 phone: 336-278-7415 email: alumniclassnotes@elon.edu Spring 2011

the magazine of elon

39

Nancy and Charlie Midgette

Supporting the best of an Elon education

BY JALEH HAGIGH

in nearly three decades at elon, Nancy Midgette has seen the Midgette believes strongly in Elon’s teacher-scholar model and power of engaged learning. knows that excellent teaching and faculty research go hand in hand.

“Our students leave Elon not only with the knowledge of their “You can’t have excited teaching without having enthusiastic faculty,” discipline but with a confidence that has been inspired by the Elon she says. “It’s so wonderful to be able to share with students work that Experiences and by excellent teaching that encourages students to think you’ve recently done as part of your scholarship. Students can tell when for themselves and be creative,” says Midgette, a professor of history we’re enthusiastic about what we’re doing, and they thrive on that.” who has served as associate provost and interim dean of Elon College, Midgette is among the faculty and staff members who have demonthe College of Arts and Sciences. “I want to make sure this kind of strated their belief in Elon by making an estate gift. Midgette is grateful education is there for future students.” for the many opportunities that Elon has given her, including working With that in mind, Midgette and her husband, Charlie, a profes- with students in the study abroad, leadership and honors programs sional bookbinder and rare book dealer, have placed Elon in their estate and working as an administrator. She says it feels good to give back to plans. Their gift to the Ever Elon Campaign will support need-based such a special place. scholarships and faculty research.

“I’ve seen what’s happened at Elon over the past 26 years and it “We want to enable students with modest means to be able to reap amazes me,” she says. “We’ve continued to provide the resources so the benefits of an Elon education,” Midgette explains. “We also want faculty-student engagement is at the center of what we do. Charlie to make sure they have excited and engaged faculty to teach them.” and I want to make sure that synergy continues well into the future.”

making a difference 40

the magazine of elon

To learn more about how you can support the Ever Elon Campaign and make a diff erence at Elon with a planned gift, contact: Jamie Killorin cpa/pfs, cfp®, Director of Gift Planning Toll free 877.784.3566 // jkillorin2@elon.edu // www.elon.edu/giftplanning

photo by Randy Piland

viva la vie boheme!

Audiences ocked to McCrary Theatre in February to take in the Department of Performing Arts’ spectacular production of “Rent,â€? the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning rock opera. An ensemble cast led by Richard McNulty, Sabrina Bradley, Anthony Bruno, Patrick Clanton, Ben Redding, Barre Weed, Taryn Tonelli and Clark Kinkade dazzled crowds under the direction of professors Lynne Kurdziel Formato and Nathaniel Fox Beversluis, telling the story of a group of young artists struggling to live and create in 1990s New York City against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic.

Watch behind-the-scenes videos of Elon’s production of “Rent� at www.elon.edu/magazine

I think the message of the show is really important: ‘No day but today;’ don’t let a day go by without telling the people you love that you love them. Don’t let things slip through your hands due to anger or apathy.

Be joyful and follow your dreams, even if it means that you’re going to live in a garret without much heat and not too much money – but you’ll be happy with what you pursue. – lynne kurdziel formato

ELON UNIVERSITY Office of Alumni Relations PO Box 398 Elon, NC 27244-2010

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID FPO Permit # FPO

Toll Free: 877-784-3566 www.elon.edu/alumni Change Service Requested

As part of the “Living Heritage of the Andes” Winter Term program, 17 Elon students sampled Peruvian culture and traditions. That included learning arduous plowing methods at a mountainside farm in Patacancha, a community in southern Peru. “Working a field may be considered menial labor to some,” said senior Megan McMahon, le< . “To me, it was one of the most demanding tasks I’ve ever tried!”

See more photos from Peru at www.elon.edu/magazine