Crossroads Spring 2014

Sport and Virtue: Developing a Habit of Excellence from Philosophy to Practicality

Racing to the Top: Belmont Abbey Motorsports Program Gives Students Opportunities to Succeed

THE MAGAZINE OF BELMONT ABBEY COLLEGE

“Humpy” Wheeler: Relying on Faith Growing Up in the South

SPRING 2014

Belmont Abbey College:

Driven Dri en bby Ex Excellence llencee & V Vi Virtue.

Fueled by Passion.

Guided by God.

FROM THE EDITOR

Going For The Golden Rule: SPORTS AND VIRTUE AT BELMONT ABBEY COLLEGE It goes without saying that athletics are always an important factor on any college campus: the making of future nostalgic memories of attending games charged with emotion and excitement; the healthy competitiveness; the mascot; the team spirit – these are what people usually think of when the word “college athletics” comes to mind. However, here at the Abbey, we take it to the next level. Not only do our athletes thrive on team spirit, but they are also encouraged to find their strength through a holier kind of Spirit.

Our first feature examines the Sport and Virtue program developed by our College's president, Dr. William Thierfelder. Through teaching student

athletes to “reclaim the game” and put their focus on self-discipline instead of the money and fame that often is associated with the sports industry, they are encouraged to strive for excellence through faith and virtuous principles. Coaches and professors are both involved in the process and have noticed that the athletes' grades have significantly improved because of the implementation of this program. We hope you will enjoy reading how our sports teams are taught to use mind, body and spirit to succeed.

Our second feature looks at the popular Motorsports Management program, headed by Dr. Travis Feezell.

As one of only two such programs in the country, the program is designed to help students land a job in the Motorsports field immediately after graduation with the help of internships and hands-on experiences at the racetrack while still in school. The success of the program can readily be seen in its graduates, many of whom now work at NASCAR, Jeff Gordon, Inc., and other high profile companies.

As a nod to the College's roots in the Classical tradition, Feezell explains how his students read from Homer's The Iliad, focusing on the chariot races in the epic poem. It is a strong example of how even a seemingly modern subject can be grounded in the Western tradition.

As I trust our readers will be able to see, the concept of excellence and virtue in all things – and the end result of being the best you can possibly be at whatever you choose – permeates the Belmont Abbey College experience.

When you rely on God and endeavor to live a virtuous life, you will be running (or driving!) on the right track.

Emily Williams 2

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FEATURES

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Sport and Virtue: Developing a Habit of Excellence from Philosophy om Philosoph to Practicality An overview of the successful Athletics program that keeps students focused on what matters in the game – both on and off the field.

12 Racing to the Top: Belmont Abbey Motorsports Program Gives Students Opportunities to Succeed Our popular Motorsports Management program helps students get right into the heat of the race while still in school.

Spring 2014

From the Office of

The President BUILDING A CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE AND VIRTUE

By Dr. Bill Thierfelder

It is inspiring to see how many student-athletes and coaches have embraced the philosophy and practice of “Sport and Virtue” here at the Abbey, and this issue of Crossroads reveals how it is being done both on and off the fields of play. Our cutting edge Motorsports Business Management Program is a great example of how sport, academia, and the spiritual life are all integrated at Belmont Abbey College. It also leads us to consider the value and importance of sport in the world today.

We tend to think that sport, unlike child's play, is more adult, work-like, and serious, when in fact just the opposite is true. We are attracted to sport because it is play! Every human being from the beginning of time has played, and that may explain why it pervades our society to such a high degree. We are so wired to play that we are even willing to pay to watch others do it!

Classical literature contains many references to sport and also describes 4

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how important it was to the life and culture of people from all places and in all times. These references suggest that sport and play were essential to the education and formation of youth. The list of those who have written about the importance and place of sport throughout history may surprise you.

They are among the best and brightest that have ever lived.

The great philosopher Socrates (470399 B.C.) said, “It is certain that a good constitution will be of great advantage to us in all our undertakings. And, indeed, it is shameful for a man to grow old before he has tried his own strength, and seen to what degree of dexterity of perfection he can attain...because dexterity and strength come not of themselves, but by practice and exercise.”

Later Plato (428-348 B.C.), a student of Socrates, wrote, “For he who changes the sports is secretly changing the manners of the young, and making the old to be dishonored among them and the new to be honored.”

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), a student of Plato, reinforced Socrates’ claim of the importance of sport, “As in the Olympic Games it is not the most beautiful and the strongest that are crowned but those who compete.”

The very fact that these luminaries of Western thought weighed in on sport reinforces the significance of play – of sport – as part of the human condition.

Moreover, the multitude of saints and scholars who have also written about sport only deepens the intrigue about, and the importance of, sport in our time.

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The joy of playing need not be sacrificed in the name of competition.

On the contrary, one of the greatest joys of playing is winning and performing at your highest possible level. Sport asks for all of your mind, body, and spirit to win the game. It also demands that it be done with virtue. Accepting anything less transforms play into a selfish work.

It is no longer done for the higher purpose, for the contemplation of the highest things for their own sake, but rather for the base and fleeting ends of money, power, and fame.

The reason for writing Less Than a Minute to Go: The Secret to World-Class Performance in Sport, Business and Everyday Life was to bring awareness to that proper role of sport in our culture and to help support the mission of Belmont Abbey College.

Thanks for your continuing support, and I look forward to seeing you sometime soon.

God bless, Bill P.S. Please help spread the word about the book to your friends and family and ask them to do the same! (All royalties, and profits from the St. Benedict Press publishing company are donated directly to the College.)

Spring 2014

From the Office of

The Abbot From Character to Successful Careers: Abbey Students Are Prepared for the Future.

By Abbot Placid Solari, O.S.B.

In this issue of Crossroads we present our Motorsports Business Management Program, which is the result of the talent of Humpy Wheeler, the “Entrepreneur's Entrepreneur,” who is also highlighted in this issue. From its first days, the Abbey has intended to prepare its students for a successful career in the world. This preparation, however, was never separated from the character formation provided by the school's Benedictine and Catholic identity and the intellectual formation based in the liberal arts. The Motorsports Program, combined with our core curriculum, is an excellent example of how to transpose the fulfillment of this mission from the 1870s to the 21st Century.

Speaking of character formation, this issue also highlights the Sport and Virtue program which has been implemented here at the Abbey by Dr. Thierfelder. Through this program the athletic program's role in the College's educational mission is made clear, and our athletes are encouraged to develop those virtues which will serve them Spring 2014

throughout life. This is a wonderful opportunity for our student athletes, as well as for our coaches, faculty, and administrators in the Athletic Department. I trust you will find this section interesting and exciting.

The two new residence halls provide another highlight for this school year.

After consultation with the College administration indicated that new residence halls were one of the College's most critical needs, the monastic community agreed unanimously to finance the project as pledge of our continued support for our college. The new halls, named St. Benedict Hall and St. Scholastica Hall after the founders of Benedictine monasticism, are imposing additions to the campus landscape. The new halls have come a long way from the days of St. Leo Hall and the third floor of the administration building, which some of our more “senior” alumni remember! By increasing the size of the resident community, we hope that we are contributing substantially to enhancing the “Abbey Experience,” which has been for our alumni such an important and unique aspect of our College experience.

I am perhaps happiest of all to report that we now have five men in the novitiate for the monastic community, and one who has just made his first profession of vows. One candidate is also preparing to begin the novitiate this summer. This is, as far as I can recall, the first occasion we have had six men in the formation program at the same time since I was a novice a “few” years ago. We are grateful that talented men continue to be attracted to the peace, challenge,

and service that arise from seeking God in Benedictine life. Please continue your prayers that still more vocations will come forth to join us at Belmont Abbey.

Finally, I am happy to report that the first residents have been welcomed at Mira Via (formerly Room at the Inn), on the monastery's land adjacent to the College campus, and we have welcomed our first three babies this fall! I am grateful that the country's first collegerelated crisis pregnancy center is located at Belmont Abbey. I extend my sincere thanks to all of you who have supported this initiative with your prayers and contributions. Pope Francis has challenged the church to go out to people in need. This is one way in which we can, in keeping with our identity as a monastic and a college community, respond to that call.

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Sport and Virtue: Developing a Habit of Excellence from Philosophy to Practicality

By Abbey Peoples

“The Greeks had a word for it, arete, meaning excellence or virtue.

Aristotle said, “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.

We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

Dr. Thierfelder, Less Than a Minute to Go, xiii

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Spring 2014

Something has been stirring at Belmont Abbey College for nearly 10 years and, across the globe, everyone is starting to take notice. Dr. William K. Thierfelder has brought his philosophy of Sport and Virtue to the College and its 19 men's and women's NCAA Division II championship winning athletic teams. Coaches, professors, students, and recent alums have started to take notice of the benefits of his “reclaim the game” philosophy, which is the idea that virtue can be developed through sport.

A common sight around campus are “Excellence and Virtue” banners.

These banners, he frequently tells students, hold all at the College accountable. We are called to develop a habit of excellence in all that we do; and sports are no exception.

It is no accident that this movement is taking place at Belmont Abbey College. Divine Providence is never an accident, and Dr. Thierfelder tells all students, both incoming and enrolled, that Divine Providence brought each individual to the College. It also led him, as father of 10 and husband to his wife, Mary, to Belmont nine years ago.

Prior to this, he held a position for two years as president of the York Barbell Company in York, Pennsylvania, and had a career as a successful businessman and sports psychologist.

He received master's and doctorate degrees in sports psychology and human movement from Boston University. In addition to working as an assistant professor of surgery at the Milton S. Hershey College of Medicine at Pennsylvania State University, he also founded the Sports Performance Training Program at the Hershey Medical Center. A former Olympian and two-time All-American highjumper, Dr. Thierfelder is no stranger to the world of athletics. Having served as a highly successful executive director of the Player Management Group, LLC and having founded ProSportDoc. Inc.,

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a performance enhancement service company for professional athletes, he is also no stranger to the world of business. Last September, Dr. Thierfelder published his first book, Less Than a Minute to Go: The Secret to WorldClass Performance in Sport, Business, and Everyday Life, with St. Benedict Press.

Clearly, his life has been consistently dominated by sports in one degree or another; therefore, it should come as no surprise that sports continue to be a focus of Dr. Thierfelder's work. But why here? Why now? Why at Belmont Abbey College? Remember, there are no accidents with Divine Providence. If you listen to Dr. Thierfelder tell the story of how he stumbled across a newspaper ad for the position of the College's president, the comedy of Divine Providence can bring a smile to anyone's face. It was a sudden and surprising change for the Thierfelder family, but the call of God can be strong and Dr. Thierfelder had to answer. Over the years, a plan has unfolded.

Founded in 1876, Belmont Abbey celebrates a rich heritage inspired by the Benedictine monks who still reside in the monastery on campus. The 129-year old small, private, liberal arts college is ranked one of the best comprehensive colleges in the Southeast by both the U.S. News and World Report and The Princeton Review. The Catholic and liberal arts aspects of the College beg a second look when considering Dr. Thierfelder's vision of bringing virtue to the world of sports. The Excellence and Virtue banners that are scattered across campus are a constant reminder of the College's desire to foster the

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development of the whole person – mind, body, and spirit. Both inside and outside of the classroom, both on and off the athletic field, a student is called to strive for excellence in all that he does and to make a habit of this striving for excellence.

The Catholic Benedictine heritage of the College strengthens the development of the spirit through faithbased education and numerous opportunities to develop one's spirituality, whether it be stopping by the St. Joseph Adoration Chapel, or joining the monks for Mass in the Mary Help of Christians Basilica. The core curriculum gives students a broad foundation of learning upon which to build experience. The Honors Institute students pursue a philosophically-based Honors core, focusing on both classical and modern philosophers. Aristotle is frequently quoted by Belmont Abbey students. To paraphrase a famous quote from his philosophy, virtue is developed by continually striving for it until it becomes a habit. Pursuing excellence in the classroom through diligent and dedicated study broadens and develops the mind. Mind and spirit are nurtured, but what about the body? This is where the president's philosophy begins to come into play.

The athletic arena need not be separated from faith or the pursuit of excellence. Current culture is obsessed with professional sports. Professional athletes, many of whom are poor role models for young athletes striving for greatness, are glorified figures within the media. Dr. Thierfelder opens his recent book with a beautiful heartpounding story of a last second winning touchdown at a Boston College football game. “No amount of money, power, or fame could add to that moment,” he says. “The sheer joy of playing their best was all that counted.”1 When speaking to the 1

Less than a Minute to Go: The Secret to World-Class Performance in Sport, Business, and Everyday Life.

Dr. William K. Thierfelder. xiv-xv.

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National Catholic Register in June of 2012, he described what he thinks is the current problem with the professional sports arena: “I think that the proliferation of professional sports and their advances in competition for money are to blame. In order to draw in large sums of money, the professional athlete is no longer a player, but rather a worker. To call someone an NFL player is a misnomer.

He is paid to do what he does. He is thus no longer playing the game, but working.” He cites St. Francis de Sales, who observed in the 16th century, “Games of skill, which exercise and strengthen body or mind, such as tennis, rackets, running at the ring, chess and the like, are in themselves both lawful and good. Only one must avoid excess in the time given to them and in the amount of interest they absorb. For too much time to be given up to such things will cause them to cease to become a recreation and instead become an occupation.”2 As Dr. Theirfelder claims, there are two responses to this sports culture, to either become swept up in it or to ignore sports altogether. This need not be the case. Catholics should “reclaim the game” and use sports as a means to

develop virtue. “The virtues are interconnected. You don't have to choose between being a world-class athlete and a saint. You can be –and hopefully desire to be –both.” The third response is “to reclaim the game and take back sport, business, and everyday life by making them means for developing virtue.”3 In an interview for the Catholic Education Daily at the Catholic Athletes for Christ Sports Conference in Virginia in September of last year, he stated that a “common misconception is that world-class performance and living a life of virtue are at odds with each other.”4 In the introduction to his book, he explains this concept through a story about a practice session with an NFL wide receiver who had a habit of cursing aloud when he dropped the ball. Rather than cursing, Dr. Thierfelder told him to say “Thank you, Jesus.” This newly developed habit taught the wide receiver to be grateful for the opportunity to play the sport he enjoyed and to stop focusing on his pride. By doing this, he was able to focus on fixing his technique. Substituting new habits for old, negative habits fosters the development of new virtues, such as gratitude. When an athlete strives to

perform at 100 percent of his ability, Dr. Thierfelder says, it can be a very beautiful thing that has the potential to lead one to reflect on God's greatest creation, the capable and magnificent human body.5 Part of Dr. Thierfelder's mission at the College is to develop well-rounded and virtuous young athletes who perform at the absolute best of their abilities. He emphasizes the importance of coaches who are more mentors than strict coaches to go against the grain of secularized sport. Discipline is among the virtues developed in athletes by their mentor-coaches with the hopes that these virtues developed on the field will carry over to every aspect of the student-athletes' lives, even postgraduation. “The whole world is telling our athletes to be self-centered,” he says. “I'm going against the grain.

What people don't get is that winning is a byproduct of doing what is right.

Ultimately, the idea here is that sports, if properly directed, can bring you closer to God.” Across the globe, people are starting to take notice of Dr. Thierfelder's Sport and Virtue mission. In November 2005, he was invited by the Vatican along with 50 other participants to engage in a seminar related to the Church's positive impact on athletes with the goal of developing groundwork for the new “Church and Sport” section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.6 His philosophy has developed into a 2

Let's Play! Putting Sports and Fun in Proper Perspective. Eddie O'Neill, Register Correspondent Friday, June 22, 2012 10:32 AM. http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/lets-play 3

Less than a Minute to Go: The Secret to World-Class Performance in Sport, Business, and Everyday Life.

Dr. William K. Thierfelder. xiv-xv.

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'Reclaim the Game,' Says Belmont Abbey College President. Kelly Conroy from Catholic Education Daily, September 21, 2013. http://www.cardinal newmansociety.org/DesktopModules/PackFlashPublish/ ArticleDetail/ArticleDetailPrint.aspx?ArticleID=2544& Template=Standard_Print.ascx&siteID=0 5

Less Than a Minute to Go: The Secret to World-Class Performance in Sport, Business, and Everyday Life.

Dr. William K. Thierfelder. xvi-xvii 6

Belmont Abbey College President Invited to Rome for Sports Seminar – Thierfelder to Participate in Think Tank on 'Church and Sport' in November.

Teresa Sowers, Education News, October 27, 2005. http://www.prleap.com/pr/17926/

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practicality. The College's coaches work together under the direction of Athletic Director Stephen Miss to recruit “Mission Fit” student-athletes who will succeed at and be enriched by the Sport and Virtue philosophy that has been incubating here for so long. “From my perspective, having been at the Abbey nearly 10 years now, the philosophy has remained fairly constant,” Miss says.

“The change that has transpired is the evolution of 'Sport and Virtue' from a philosophical ideal to a living, breathing movement. Dr. Thierfelder's vision is becoming reality.

The commitment to a both/and approach with Excellence and Virtue with regard to athletic performance and competition as articulated in Pope Pius XII's Sport at the Service of the Spirit is bearing fruit. Although our success can be measured many ways, I would argue that our Athletic Department's being named by our peers as the Conference Carolinas Messick Sportsmanship Award winner the past two academic years running is tangible, ocular proof.

Stephen Miss refines the senses, gives intellectual penetration, and steels the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole man, and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and

and Virtue intrinsically advocates for balance in mind, body, and spirit.

Elimination of any one of the three results in disequilibrium as does an unhealthy focus on any one of the three at the expense of the other two.” The Athletic Director works in harmony with the College's administration and Academic Resource Center – both vital parts of the student-athletes' education and holistic development.

Miss mentions recent successful graduates: Patrick Kuhlman, a former Belmont Abbey men's basketball player who now attends Florida State University Medical School and lives in Florida with his wife Kelsey, also a Belmont Abbey College graduate; Carly Kesinger, a women's soccer player who converted to Catholicism during her student-athlete years and was nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year in 2012; Mauricio Lopez, a former men's soccer player who now works in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Kay Schellenberg, a women's volleyball player who is now an elementary

“Sport, properly directed, develops character, makes a man courageous, a generous loser, and a gracious victor; it refines the senses, gives intellectual penetration, and steels the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole man, and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and communication of truth and helps man achieve that end to which all others must be subservient, the service and praise of his Creator.”

(Sport at the Service of the Spirit, July 29, 1945)

Our simultaneously winning conference titles, conference tournaments, and earning the right to participate in the NCAA national tournament in such sports as women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball, and men's golf this past year are a testament to the fact that we are striving to be both excellent and virtuous on the fields of competition.”

The quote from Pope Pius XII that Stephen Miss references is a favorite of Dr. Thierfelder's and one he often quotes when speaking to student-athletes: “Sport, properly directed, develops character, makes a man courageous, a generous loser, and a gracious victor; it

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communication of truth and helps man achieve that end to which all others must be subservient, the service and praise of his Creator.” (Sport at the Service of the Spirit, July 29, 1945) Nurturing the development of mind, body, and spirit is the aim of a Belmont Abbey College education and Miss says the best place to find that balance is through Sport and Virtue: “One of the reasons the Sport and Virtue movement works so well here at Belmont Abbey College is that it fits hand-in-glove and is simpatico with the balanced approach to the education of the whole person at a liberal arts institution such as ours. When you think about it, Sport

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school teacher and whose two younger sisters currently play volleyball for the Lady Crusaders at the College.

Ali Bahr, Coordinator of Sport and Virtue, offers her unique look at the development of the Sport and Virtue initiative as a newer member of the Athletic Department. “For the most part, the current coaches have made a committed effort to recruiting studentathletes who are not just great athletes and solid students, but a 'mission fit' to what the Abbey is about and aiming to achieve in the realm of Sport and Virtue.” Bahr has observed a change in the climate of the Athletic Department; the new coaches believe in Pope Pius

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XII's strong words about sport properly directed. “If the right kids are brought in to begin with, the need to try to enforce Sport and Virtue is not as necessary. As coaches, we can continue to reinforce and develop the virtues already instilled in them by their parents, guardians, teachers, and church leaders. We can build on their abilities and experiences because they already have a strong understanding of the expectation.”

Bahr believes that these “mission fit” student-athletes have a positive effect on academics.

“We have kids with stellar academic abilities and who are still developing as athletes. We also have strong athletes who are improving in academics as they get further along in their major courses of study. We encourage balance; study, sport, social.” She calls them “diamonds in the rough” who can be shaped by coach-mentors to take advantage of the fulfilling Sport and Virtue philosophy. “If they're being guided by coaches who are instilling the ideals, and are being surrounded by peers who have the same, it seems they should feel the effects and improve in all areas, especially academics. We remind our athletes regularly that they are students first. Athletics are to enhance their experience – and then we

Ali Bahr

Julie Beeman

classroom and on the field. Statistically, Division II student-athletes have higher cumulative GPAs and graduate at higher rates than non-student athletes.

We see that at the Abbey as well. Over the past several years, we have developed initiatives to emphasize and recognize academic achievement of our student-athletes. For the fall 2013 semester, one-third of our studentathletes were named to the Conference Carolinas Honor Roll for achieving a semester GPA of 3.2 and above. The conference Faculty Athletic Representatives increased the GPA requirement from 3.0 because the list was so long! It's nice because all the schools in our conference are likeminded, so we're all pursuing the same basic goals via the same means. In the

and spirit.” The philosophy turned active passion has had a strong effect on student-athletes both inside and outside of the classroom. “I would be hard pressed to find a more disciplined, competitive, service-oriented group of young people. They work hard and achieve much both in the classroom and in their sport.”

Robert Louis Franer III, a 2012 Belmont Abbey College alum, Honors Institute graduate, and former basketball and tennis player, and his sister, second-semester senior tennis player and Felix Hintemeyer Catholic Leadership Award recipient Bridget Franer, discussed their experiences as Belmont Abbey student-athletes. It is obvious that the Sport and Virtue philosophy Dr. Thierfelder has spent so many years developing is reaching the willing, eager ears and hearts of truly outstanding faith-centered studentathletes looking for a unique experience.

Robert is now an independent financial adviser back home in Cincinnati, Ohio. On the brink of graduation, Bridget is looking forward to pursuing her dream career working for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team.

She has nothing but excitement for her future in the world of professional

“Our programs will send good people into the world with the courage to influence.”

Bridget Franer tell them to review Pope Pius's quote.”

Professors as well as coaches have noticed a change in the student-athletes since the implementation of Dr. Thierfelder's Sport and Virtue philosophy. Julia Beeman, the NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative and Chair of the Criminal Justice Department, says she has seen noticeable improvement: “I have seen considerable changes among our student-athletes and coaching staff. Our faculty has also become more involved by working with coaches and studentathletes to facilitate successes in the

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past several years, we have also seen the coaches become more involved in the academic endeavors of their team members through monitoring and encouragement.” Beeman says the means and ends of sports have changed considerably over the years, contributing to the corrupted culture of professional sports which trickles down to collegelevel athletics. “Dr. Thierfelder, and all of us involved in Abbey Athletics, have a great passion for redirecting those distorted means and ends and focusing on the manner in which it prepares young men and women in body, mind,

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sports, though she knows it will be a struggle. Robert and his sister, with whom we recently caught up with, come from a sports-centered family deeply rooted in their Catholic faith.

For Robert, it was the athletic opportunities that first attracted him to Abbey: “I wanted a college where I could both deepen my faith and play basketball and tennis.”

Faith and sports have always been connected for this athletic brother and sister duo. Bridget explains that they grew up with the saying “Pursue excellence for the greater glory and

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honor of God.” Robert nods student-athletes that would and agrees that they were fit Coach Ali Bahr's urged to give glory to God “Mission Fit” criteria. not only through winning Bridget quickly and easily but also through trying their named friends on the best. “Though of course,” baseball team who are he says, “we always wanted “sweet, Christian guys who to win!” These Christian really exemplify what Sport motives for doing one's best and Virtue means.” in the athletic arena were Looking forward to a reinforced at Belmont career in the world of Abbey College from the top professional baseball, down, from the Bridget is visibly excited, administration to the though she is aware of her individual players. “It's so upcoming challenges. clear here,” Robert says, “it's Having the continued spoken about so frequently support of her professors is you can't help but pay “huge” for Bridget as she attention. After four years, strives to maintain the Sport and Virtue values excellence in the classroom instilled in me by my as well as on the tennis coaches are so engrained court. “Professional sports that I don't have to think have a lot of corruption,” about it as much; it's a habit. she says frankly. “It takes I know this experience has people with the Sport and helped me in my Virtue mentality to turn it professional career. Though around, but it doesn't sports are just recreational happen overnight. It for me now, I always strive happens one person at a to do the best I can in time. Few people are willing everything, whether it's to put in the effort to pursue building reports or talking to excellence in sports because clients on the phone. I do they don't have the lifelong the best I can for the service foundation of faith which of others.” does translate to all aspects of life. Virtue is dismissed Bridget recounts her A time of prayer in the Basilica for Belmont Abbey students from sports and that culture experience involved in is hard to change. Our programs will SAAC, The Student Athlete Advisory his coaches are instilling in their send good people into the world with Committee at the Abbey: “That's a student-athletes is one of moral the courage to influence.” huge part of what we do. We raise reasoning. Bridget articulates the money for charities and it shows us that Together the brother and sister recall concept well, saying: “Moral reasoning we can use our athletic ability for the quote from Lou Holtz, who was is a thoughtful process, but in sports something good, something outward.” inducted into the College Football Hall you have to make snap decisions. If you It was not just to follow her big of Fame in 2008 after ten years as a live your whole life according to proper brother's footsteps that Bridget chose to successful football coach at Notre moral reasoning, those snap decisions come here; she was intrigued by the Dame University in Indiana, that is become, by habit, more informed and diversity, by the blend of conservatively posted in the Wheeler Center, Belmont much easier.” She's noticed this raised versus “raised differently” Abbey College's athletic complex: reasoning developing in her teammates students. Robert laughs at Bridget's “First we will be the best then we will and athletes on other teams. It has description. “But it's true,” she says, be the first.” Bridget says it is a daily particularly caught her attention that “all kinds of students are welcomed to reminder to challenge themselves to be the male soccer players memorize the the College and I'm challenged to the best they can be – winning will phrase “Entitled to nothing, grateful for spread my values to others. We have a come after. Robert agrees: “Discipline everything,” and this phrase has caused student-athlete Mass, and so many is not itself a virtue, but it gives you the the young men to stop and think about students have never experienced this necessary strength of will to follow the things for which they should be aspect of our faith before. It's a great through on what's hard, which is grateful and they often take for granted. experience for them and for us all to developing true virtue. After all, The Sport and Virtue initiative is come together.” excellence is a habit.” And sports are excelling and growing, both Bridget and no exception.

One of the values Stephen Miss and Robert note, with the recruitment of

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RACING TO THE TOP: Belmont Abbey Motorsports Program Gives Students Opportunities To Succeed

By Emily Williams

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Nothing prepares students better for thanks to the College's close proximity post-college life than internships or field to Charlotte Motor Speedway, but also projects while still studying as an through the help of Raceworks, a full undergrad. It lets a student experience service race team company founded by what a job will be like outside the Visiting Professor of Motorsports classroom.

Management Mary When the Beth Chambers and We are in the internship is in the her husband, Matt. heart of it all. sport of motor “The motorsports We immerse students racing, it becomes program is definitely a in motorsports: something that is point of differentiation drivers, teams, tangible, loud and for the Abbey,” she organizations, leaders, fast. At Belmont says. “Through and technologies; Abbey College, this Raceworks, we can all of it. is a reality for provide students in students in the various disciplines Travis Feezell Motorsports with a living Management laboratory in which Program, now in its eighth year, they can gain real-world experience and currently offering a Business major. make meaningful contacts in the The program's “uniqueness and professional world.” immersion” keeps it strong, according Chambers takes pride in the fact that to Dr. Travis last spring semester, the company took Feezell, the four motorsports students to a race track program's for the Road Atlanta event in Braselton, Director and an Georgia, where their race car (designed Associate and built by Matt) was competing. “We Professor of gave these folks a firsthand experience Sport on what it is like to work on a race Management. team. We had students help with our “We are one of media efforts, photography, hospitality, only two and catering as well as race crew.” motorsports The Abbey's program aims at programs in the preparing students for business-oriented Travis Feezell country. A few careers in the industry. The courses other colleges offer a course or two, but offered are similar to those in other we are clearly the pilot program in terms Business Management programs, such of course offerings that are as marketing, public relations, and comprehensive and focused.” organizational theory, but students also “It helps that we are located in the heart of the racing world. We immerse students in motorsports: drivers, teams, organizations, leaders, and technologies, all of it. We bring it into class with speakers or class projects, but we also go out to the industry with relevant site visits, student internships, and volunteer opportunities.”

The program has grown significantly Road Atlanta Continental Tire Challenge Race Pit Crews

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A Behind-The-Scenes Look: Raceworks And The Road Atlanta Continental Tire Challenge Race April 19 and 20, 2013 M.A. Newcomb TH

FRIDAY, APRIL 19

Mary Beth Chambers, Visiting Assistant Professor of Motorsports Management at the Abbey, and her husband, Matthew, designed and built a car to compete in Grand Am Racing Events. Mary Beth's diminutive stature and soft-spoken manner belie the fact that she is big on competition and winning. Their team is called Raceworks.

A model of professionalism on the track and a font of information about sports marketing, Mary Beth has devoted herself to providing outstanding handson opportunities to Abbey students interested in racing.

Mary Beth and Matt extended an invitation to me to attend the Road Atlanta event in Braselton, Georgia, where they were competing on April 19 – 20, 2013. Mary Beth integrated four Abbey students into her race team for Road Atlanta: Lee Taylor served as Marketing Coordinator, Paige French organized Event Hospitality, Sheree Craft was the Team Photographer, and Brad Carpenter provided support as the Media Coordinator.

Work behind the scenes began in the early morning hours of Thursday, April 18. That afternoon, during trial laps, the car crashed with driver Brad Wood at the wheel. He was, thank the Lord, uninjured—the car, however, sustained substantial damage. In addition to the total loss of the right front corner panel, front bumper, and hood, car #29, a Honda Civic Si, now had a bent frame.

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I learned of these events during my drive to Georgia on the morning of Friday, April 19. Mary Beth called and told me about the crash on the previous afternoon. By a series of miracles, she said, it might still be possible for the #29 team to compete on Saturday. One of the drivers owned a Honda dealership, which made it possible for them to get replacement parts overnight. The second driver, Stephen Klitzsch, had a brotherin-law with connections at a local tire and frame shop where the car was undergoing the first round of repairs.

In short, Mary Beth called to let me know that it might turn out that Raceworks would not be able to run on Saturday, April 20. I told her that it was a blessing that Mr. Wood was not hurt, and that I would still very much like to experience the event and learn as much as I could about Grand Am racing. In her calm, upbeat way, she said that they were working every angle to get the car track-worthy again, and that she would see me later in the day.

I arrived at the track under grey skies with a steady drizzle pelting the outskirts of Atlanta. I was told as I checked in that Race officials were hopeful the weather would clear for the competition the following morning.

When Mary Beth met me at the Ticket area, she said that things seemed to be falling into place for the car.

Once we were parked in the paddock, Mary Beth opened the cargo hold of her minivan to reveal the now-contorted right corner panel of #29. I volunteered to carry the mangled metal section over to the crew's trailer; the damaged fender rattled in the afternoon rain on our stroll over to the trailer. The disfigured Abbey Motorsports logo was now barely legible in the metal folds.

I was immediately greeted with a number of warm smiles and friendly handshakes from Abbey students and Mary Beth's father-in-law, Ben Chambers, who has worked in racing for more than 20 years. The student crewmembers patiently answered my many questions about their work preparing for the Road Atlanta race.

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must complete a two-semester capstone course sequence along with a portfolio of their work. Students can also gain internships with NASCAR, Daytona International Speedway, Charlotte or Atlanta Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon, Inc., Petty Enterprises, and others.

Feezell and Chambers agree that internships with these companies are vital in preparing the student for both the thrilling and not-so-thrilling aspects of the job.

“It is important for students to understand that while there is a fun factor in motorsports, these jobs show a more challenging side that the students would not ordinarily see,” says Chambers. “My goal in my classes is to show students what's behind the proverbial curtain and see what it really takes to work in sports; basically, to show them more than what a spectator sees. Once people realize the level of sacrifice that is involved with having a job in sports, it enables them to prepare themselves to make that sacrifice.”

“We seem to have enough reputation as a program to open doors for employment for our students or to get them in front of the right people,” adds Feezell. “It's a bit more nuanced than, for instance, a student majoring in business who is going to look for work at a bank. Students in motorsports have a deep and abiding passion for racing.

They want to live it literally, if not as drivers – and we've had some good drivers in the program – then working in some other aspect of the industry. This

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program gives them that opportunity.”

Dr. Feezell came to the Abbey in 2008 as an Associate Professor of Sports Management after a long journey from his original starting point. “I went to the University of Wales-Cardiff to pursue a degree in British Medieval Studies – but I missed sports terribly.” After stints as a college assistant baseball coach, directing athletic administration and working with the NCAA, Feezell finally settled on full-time teaching in sports management.

As the motorsports program's Director, he has seen significant growth since taking the reins. “I think we've successfully re-positioned ourselves in the last two to three years: new classes, a more logical progression of courses, a broader coverage of the specific motorsports industry and a more pronounced concept of student outcomes. Simply put, I think our maturation has been a product of who we are and what we are trying to provide to our students and to the industry.”

Feezell credits mainstream media for propelling the status of Motorsports on a national level. “Some people considered it a niche sport, but the growth of NASCAR nationally into venues and regions outside of the South and its growth on television have improved awareness. This has brought new fans to the sport and an appreciation for the complex motorsports industry.”

A professor with 18 years of experience in sports management,

Mary Beth and Matt Chambers

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A good example of an active participant in the program is Bradley Carpenter, currently a rising senior who is seeking a double major in Motorsports Management and Business Management.

He is also the Media Coordinator for Raceworks.

“When I first arrived at the Abbey, I got on the motorsports email list. The first email I received lead to my current job as a ticket account representative at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

I've been there for three years now.”

Carpenter also notes that in 2011, he received an award for the most outbound call dollars from the Speedway's president, Marcus Smith. Through his connections with other alums of the Abbey, Carpenter recently landed an internship at Jeff Gordon Inc. “I coordinate the Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation eBay program, respond to fan mail, work with Hendrick Gordon Johnson Licensing on L-R: Paige French, Lee Taylor, and Daniel Conway sample distribution, and develop social media posts for the Jeff Gordon Store to increase Chambers knows what it takes to sales and awareness. I also own my succeed in the motorsports world, especially where contacts are concerned. own marketing company, Last Lap Marketing, where I write press releases She makes sure her students in the for clients. I'm also a staff writer for program “develop the professional Speedway Digest.” Those are impressive skills” they need to get their careers off to a strong start. credentials for a student who has yet to “Networking is a critical skill for graduate. students to master, and for many Carpenter considers the camaraderie students this is a threatening idea. In my in the program and the multiple classes, I show them how the system contacts cultivated in the industry as works. By the time they are seniors, they program strengths. “I would will have built a network and developed recommend the program to other professional skill sets that will help find, students if they want to be part of a obtain and keep a job in sports.“ close-knit family, because that is

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In a corner of the car trailer, now converted to team headquarters, Sheree was processing a number of photographs on a laptop while Brad Carpenter showed me a press release he was working on related to the car.

Mr. Wood turned up to give everyone an update on the repairs. He was peppered with questions about what parts were yet needed and which ones had already arrived. As Mary Beth took stock of the situation, it seemed that only one part (a reinforcing bar for the front bumper) was missing. She swiftly placed a number of phone calls. When Mary Beth returned to her seat, she said that the guys were scrambling to locate the last part. Calm and focused, she proceeded to show me several photos of the damage to her car, which her girls had affectionately nicknamed “Rocket.”

I was amazed to see a short clip of the process that the garage undertook to straighten the frame.

I had been at the track less than 30 minutes and had already learned a tremendous amount about the trials and triumphs of this team and their individual responsibilities. I was amazed to see the measured but energetic work of each person as they consulted with one another about their tasks, the next steps and the long night that lay ahead for the repair team. The students were not only integrated with one another in their work, but they interacted seamlessly with the senior members of the crew. I felt privileged to see the inner workings of this team as they faced the tremendous obstacles looming before them.

Mary Beth and Paige French drove me around the track in a golf cart, pointing out different sponsors' areas. I watched with great interest as the fellows with Continental Tire, one of the two main sponsors for the Grand Am racing series, processed tires to be fitted onto the cars. We toured the perimeter of the track as Mary Beth pointed out particularly challenging turns and angles that the drivers would need to navigate carefully.

Afterwards, Jeff Olson, Grand Am

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Series Commissioner, gave me an hourand-a-half overview of the evolution of Grand Am racing, which started in America after World War II. Returning servicemen were intrigued by the engineering and performance of European engines, which they learned about in join maneuvers with European mechanized units against German and Italian forces. Coming home after the war, American veterans began to race European vehicles against domestic cars to gauge the comparative power and pacing of different engine types.

Today, dozens of manufacturers compete in the Grand Am series, which features everything from Mini-coopers to Mazda hatchbacks to Honda sedans.

Regulations determine the optimized configuration for a myriad of engine types, so the rules are complex, and constantly evolving. One of the most interesting features of Grand Am racing is that there is no set number of laps that cars must complete. Instead, the idea is for each car to complete as many laps as possible, negotiating the many turns (the track is irregularly shaped, not the standard NASCAR loop) and digressions in a two-hour interval.

In the late afternoon, Mary Beth walked me through the multi-faceted world of corporate sponsorship for Grand Am racing, and how advertising space is assessed and purchased on the different areas of the car. The students updated me on their current projects.

Lee Taylor unveiled a new promotional video for Raceworks that he had completed in the last few days. Several calls came in regarding parts and the progress of the repairs on #29. As I headed out from the track late that afternoon, the team was hopeful the car would be able to race the following day.

TH

SATURDAY, APRIL 20

As I arrived at the track at 9:30 a.m., the crew was putting the final paint and details on #29. The students gave me an update on the repairs, and informed me that the mechanics had worked until 4:30 a.m. to put Rocket back together again. Everyone was ebullient!

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The crew work feverishly to repair the #29 car after a crash during trials on April 18th.

basically what we are. Everyone in racing is related to someone or has some connection to one another.”

Given that it is a program at the Abbey, one can bet that the College's motto of “Excellence and Virtue” does not go unnoticed, even in motorsports.

Chambers sees these aspects as fitting perfectly within the program.

“I relate to the Abbey’s mission statement and work to incorporate several key ideas from it into my class,” says Chambers. “It states that we do all things to glorify God. I am glad to be working at an institution where I can share my faith and help provide a deeper insight into what it means to do your best for God as a sport professional.”

She takes special care to prepare class assignments. “The College's mission statement also states that we are to provide students with an education that will enable them to lead lives of integrity, to succeed professionally, to become responsible citizens, and to be a blessing to themselves and to others.

This is the benchmark that I use when I come up with ideas. How does this assignment teach people to have integrity? Will this assignment help them succeed professionally? I teach them that by working to achieve

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excellence in a virtuous way, they will not only go far in life, but they will help others and leave a legacy of service.”

The program is one of the most successful at the Abbey at assisting students in finding permanent, full-time occupations in their chosen field. It is a selling point that other disciplines may not be able to claim.

Where would Dr. Feezell like to take the program in the next five or ten years as its Director?

“I'd like to see us get to a point where we attract 25-30 new students to the program each year. We've got a great start on this, but we want to sustain it.

The next step would be getting the ‘best of the best.’ In the future, we might try to operate like an Honors Program where 100 students compete for those 25-30 spots. This will happen if our reputation remains strong and our graduates continue to do great things in the industry.”

Feezell would also like to see endowments or grants “to fund both the operational side of things (salaries, budgets, etc.) as well as student scholarships and awards.”

Chambers believes the people in the motorsports industry who support the program at the Abbey are vital to

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keeping that growth steady. “We are fortunate to have so many motorsports industry professionals who have actively joined in our effort to teach and work with our students. People like Humpy Wheeler, Tom Cotter, Patti and Trip Wheeler, Mike Burch, Mike Mooney, Patrick Wood, Bruce Mosely, and many more. Their contributions make our curriculum rich with knowledge and experience. The motorsports community is close knit, and we are fortunate to have strong relationships with key industry people.”

While motorsports is a modern and technical field, it can still have roots in the classical tradition, according to Feezell, which he is keen to underline at the beginning of his course. “The very first thing I have students read in my Intro to Motorsports class is Chapter 23 from The Iliad. This is the chariot race, described in all its glory by Homer.

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“Students think I'm nuts, but then I ask about the elements of the race, the excitement, the things that Homer describes. Students then begin to see connections to their own fascination with and attraction to racing. I ask them to consider: Is that attraction something innate? Something human? Something cultural?”

Today the thunderous echoes of cars and their drivers have replaced horses and charioteers. However, the fuel of competition and achievement drive them just the same. But like life, motorsports is not a solo act. Our students learn that from experience – it takes a team to be successful. They discover that perseverance keeps them in the competition – each “lap” building on the next. They learn that working to achieve excellence in a virtuous way will lead them to success in motorsports and in life.

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As the start time for the race drew near, the action grew frenetic as fans cleared the track, engineers did final testing on sophisticated computer monitoring systems for their cars, and pit crews double-checked their supplies and gear. We were seated just behind the pit when all of the cars revved their engines and roared off down the track.

Ten minutes later, the student crew scrambled to cover media information for the race. We raced to the golf cart and sped around the outside of the track, stopping at all of the vantage points we had staked out earlier in the day to get the best photos and video clips of the race.

By the mid-point of the race, despite a number of caution flags, #29 was racing well, steadily improving his position on each lap. When #29 pulled in for a pit stop, I watched in amazement as the drivers were swapped, tires were replaced, and the car was re-fueled, all in under a minute. Despite some trouble with a sticking fuel nozzle, there was jubilation among the crew as Rocket thundered off for the last leg of the race.

The car continued to advance for the greater portion of the final part of the race. Unfortunately, in the final 10 minutes, #29 suffered a tire deflation, which caused it to lose its early lead.

Clearing gear from the pit area, the crew seemed to be lugging, in addition to their fuel hoses, cameras, and computer equipment, the heavy weight of mixed emotions. They were clearly disappointed with the final outcome, but deservedly proud of their comeback and strong showing. As I carted a half-dozen spent tires to #29's trailer, I realized that I would be carrying with me a load of excited memories, a much greater knowledge of professional racing, and a deep respect for the work of Mary Beth and Matt Chambers on behalf of Abbey Motorsports and our students.

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MONASTIC NEWS

The Monastic Community Welcomes New Members Seeking God

By Emily Williams

Pictured left to right: Br. Anslem, Br. George, Br. Joseph, Br. Ephrem and Br. Boniface

The Monastery was very happy to announce recently that for the first time since the 1970s, there are currently five novices who have made their home at the Abbey and are in the process of discerning their spiritual vocation. All five gentlemen are from different backgrounds, yet all have been called to the Abbey and share a common trait of wishing to fully devote their lives to God as they begin their novitiate year.

Br. Joseph Boyle grew up with his parents and older sister in Dallas, Texas.

He moved to Washington, D.C., where he attended Georgetown University and later earned a law degree from the University of Notre Dame and practiced law both in private practice and on Capitol Hill as the general counsel for the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Br. Anselm Cundiff hails from North Texas. Prior to coming to Belmont Abbey, he was a Ph.D. graduate student in classical and medieval philosophy at the University of Dallas where his current status is ABD. He converted to the Catholic faith at age 19 from Quakerism. He attributes his conversion to the aid of the Blessed Mother.

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Br. Ephrem Obermeyer, originally from Newburgh, New York, earned an M.A. in History (Medieval) from S.U.N.Y. Binghamton, an STB from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) and a Ph.D. in Theology (Historical) from The Catholic University of America. He lived in the Washington, D.C. area for the past 17 years, where he taught at Catholic University, the Education for Parish Service Program for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. and the Diocese of Arlington, and for the local diaconate formation programs.

Additionally, he had been the Assistant Curator in the Rare Books and Special Collections Department at Catholic University for five years.

Br. Boniface Smith grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and is the youngest of eight children. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Aerospace Studies. He served as a commissioned officer with the USAF and was stationed at Ellsworth AFB in Piedmont, South Dakota, as well as Andrews AFB in Maryland. He held the rank of captain when he separated from the USAF. He holds a certificate in Broadcasting, as well as a licensed Mixologist.

Br. George Rumley was born and raised in Randolph County, North Carolina. He earned a B.A. in Classics and U.S. History from Washington & Lee University in 2004. Having been a lifelong Quaker, he was received into the Catholic Church in 2009. He has worked in the non-profit sector and served with the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land before coming to Belmont Abbey.

The novitiate is a year-long time of preparation for men testing their call to serve God as monks of Belmont Abbey.

While it is usually a relatively uneventful year in the process of becoming a monk, it is nonetheless a busy time for each man spiritually, as he becomes better acquainted with the monastery and college community through work and prayer while studying Benedictine spirituality and history.

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For our readers who may be unfamiliar with the term novitiate, here is an explanation of the journey which all five men are hoping to follow in the coming year and beyond.

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MONASTIC NEWS Upon being received as a novice, he receives the monastic habit and often is given a new name as well.

Once the year is complete and the discernment of both the novice and the monastic community goes well, the monastery receives the former novice as a new junior monk under temporary vows for an additional three-year period of formation. When that is completed, God willing, the junior monk will be accepted as a full member of the monastic community and take solemn or permanent vows with the intention of remaining a monk at Belmont Abbey for life.

From Darkness to Light: Br. Gregory Marshall's journey to Belmont Abbey Monastery

By Emily Williams

Crossroads would like our readers to join us in a very warm welcome to Br. Joseph, Br. Anselm, Br. Ephrem, Br. George and Br. Boniface!

Fr. Elias Returns Home to the Abbey

By Emily Williams Fr. Elias Correa-Torres, O.S.B., recently returned to the Abbey after two years away studying Monastic Spirituality at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He received his M.A. this past fall and will be ordained to the priesthood here at the Abbey later this spring. He now serves as Novice Master in the Monastery. Along with his studies, Fr. Elias was also ordained as a deacon last spring.

Welcome back, Fr. Elias!

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On January 15, 2014, Br. Gregory Marshall, O.S.B., took his simple vows as he continued his formation in the monastery. After converting to Catholicism in 2006 and coming to the Abbey in 2011, Br. Gregory's spiritual journey finally found him in front of the altar in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, as Abbot Placid welcomed him into the new monastic life he has promised to serve.

For Br. Gregory, who grew up as Andrew Marshall in Kernersville, North Carolina, seeking God became a way of battling spiritual stagnancy: “I wasn't raised in any particular religious tradition, nor was I encouraged to explore a life of faith. In high school, I became an agnostic with atheist leanings. In my early twenties, I started entertaining the idea that there might be something more to life than pleasure seeking. I eventually started exploring the Christian spiritual tradition because it was the most accessible to me. I was introduced to liturgy in the Episcopalian church and at 26 was baptized there.”

As a convert, Br. Gregory says he first came through the Episcopalian Church. Before finding Christ through the Catholic faith, he had issues with aspects of the church he had chosen. “The more I learned about contemporary Episcopalian teachings and practices, the more I

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became dissatisfied with their apparent departure from historical Christianity. I became more and more drawn toward the Catholic Church. An Episcopalian minister once recommended that I read Thomas Merton's The Seven Story Mountain but warned me that 'it might make you want to be a monk!' He was right, but Merton also made me want to be a Catholic.”

After completing RCIA in 2005, he found a connection to the Abbey through an oblate who was one of the program's catechists. “When he learned that I had an interest in monastic life, he invited me to come to the Abbey with him for a weekend retreat. I loved it instantly.

I received the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil 2006, but it took me several more years before I could get to a place where I was ready to give monastic life a real try. I actually started the novitiate in 2011 but left after a short time – I just wasn't ready. But after a further period of discernment, I returned to the monastery last year.”

Now that his novitiate year is complete, Br. Gregory will be going back to school here at the Abbey and possibly looking towards a career in higher education in the distant future. “I never finished college, so the Abbot wants me to complete a bachelor's degree – although I haven't yet decided on a major – and possibly go on for a master's. The college is the primary apostolate of the monastery and Abbot Placid wants to get more monks into active roles within the school. He thinks I may have an aptitude for teaching, so the tentative plan for my foreseeable future is to pursue higher education.

“The novitiate year was a great experience. The year certainly flew by! I'm very happy and excited to be a junior monk now.”

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MONASTIC NEWS

Drivers Start Your Engines:

Br. Edward Mancuso loves the thrill of racing!

By Wade Allen

Brother Edward Mancuso, a monk here at Belmont Abbey, loves the sound of roaring engines at NASCAR races.

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Brother Edward feels elevated praying at the monastery five times a day, and he said he gets the same feeling watching the start of a race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“It's like you're lifted up,” the Benedictine Catholic monk said. “You feel a little lifted up at both moments.”

For the past five years, Mancuso has attended the Bank of America 500 with his parents and aunt and uncle. They come from Morristown, N.J., to treat him to the special weekend.

It's a special time he treasures, and he looks forward to the festivities, food and tailgating.

“I just enjoy the whole thing. I really don't have a favorite driver,” Mancuso said. “One of the most exciting moments is when they say, 'Drivers start your engines!' It's so much power; so much power coming out of those engines.” He imagines it's comparable to the thrill of being at Cape Canaveral, Florida, as a space shuttle launches. On

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normal days, Mancuso wakes up at 5:20 a.m. He wears a black robe while on campus and visiting schools and churches.

But he sheds the religious garb while at the racetrack. He blends right into the crowd of spectators.

“I just wear normal clothes like everybody else,” he said. “The Abbey likes us to wear our regular clothes off campus.”

Mancuso said he moved to Belmont a decade ago and then became interested in racing, mostly because of Charlotte's reputation as a NASCAR mecca.

This article was edited and reprinted with permission from The Gaston Gazette. You can reach Wade Allen at 704-869-1828, tweet him at twitter.com/GazetteWade or email him at wallen@gastongazette.com.

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The Founding of Belmont Abbey Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Joseph O'Connell, O.S.B., was a Catholic priest and a missionary for the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina. In 1872, Father O'Connell purchased a 500-acre farm called Caldwell Plantation in a small town named Garibaldi – now Belmont – in North Carolina. In 1876, he gifted the farm to the St. Vincent's Abbey of Pennsylvania for education and God's service.

The student dorm, O'Connell Hall, at Belmont Abbey College, is named in honor of The Rev. Jeremiah O’Connell, O.S.B. Father O'Connell.

Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B., the Abbot of the Abbey of Saint Vincent, chose Father Herman Wolfe, O.S.B., a Benedictine monk serving in St. Vincent's church in Richmond, Virginia, as the first superior for North Carolina.

On April 21, 1876, Father Herman Wolfe, with two boys from Richmond – Henry Plageman and Anthony Lauman – the first two students of the new school, arrived at the Caldwell Plantation with Bible in hands and no possessions but their faith and courage. Immediately upon arrival, Father Herman founded the monastery and designated a small wooden frame room as the chapel where he offered Holy Mass daily. School started immediately with two students.

Within a month of Father Herman's arrival, Abbot Wimmer sent four brothers from the Saint Vincent's Abbey.

The four original brothers were Brother Michael Irwin, Brother Bartholomew Freundl, Brother Ulric Barth, and Brother Placidus Draude. Today, the perimeter road at Belmont Abbey College is named Wimmer Circle in honor of Abbot Wimmer.

Father Herman and the brothers endured hardships.

However, their deep faith in God and the unyielding will to foster education inspired them to work tirelessly and selflessly. With the labor of love, they cleared the wilderness and built a two-story wooden frame school building. In the fall of 1876, school enrollment doubled from two students to four. Two new students from Charlotte, Frederick and Samuel Gross, enrolled in the school. In June of 1877, Abbot Wimmer named the school Saint Mary's College and the monastery Benedictine Priory of Maryhelp. The enrollment grew to six boys in 1877, 12 in 1878, and 38 in 1880.

In 1877, the first chapel of frame and board was constructed and the daily prayers were offered at this chapel for many years to come. On December 19, 1884, the

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monastery became an abbey and was named Mary Help of Christians Abbey. The first brick building with a full basement was erected in 1885, which is the present monastery; the monks of the Abbey made the bricks in-house by hand.

On July 28, 1885, abbot-elect Leo Haid, O.S.B., accompanied by four monks arrived in the town of Garibaldi from the Saint Vincent Abbey. He was the first Abbot of the Mary Help of Christians Abbey. The lack of resources hindered the building of a new church. Abbot Leo Haid and Father Felix Michael Hintemeyer, O.S.B., worked tirelessly to raise funds and broke ground for a new church on March 21, 1892. On December 17, 1893, Abbot Leo offered the first Mass in the new church.

In 1895, with the efforts of Abbot Leo, the town fathers changed the town's name from Garibaldi to Belmont. Over a period of time, the Abbey became widely known unofficially as Belmont Abbey. In 1913, Abbot Leo changed College's name from Saint Mary's College to Belmont Abbey College – which associated the College with the Belmont Abbey Monastery.

The Great Seal of Belmont Abbey is inscribed on the Abbey Lane in front of the Robert Stowe Hall, the administration building adjoining the monastery. The 10 stars on the seal symbolize the first 10 pioneer monks of the new Abbey and the lion portrays Leo Haid, the first Abbot of the new Abbey from 1885 – 1924. The Haid building named in honor of Abbot Leo Haid is the home of the Abbey Players Theatre and other offices.

Belmont Abbey College, founded with two students 137 years ago, now educates over 1,600 traditional age and adult students with classes offered in day and evening programs on three campuses: the main campus in Belmont, the Sacred Heart campus in Belmont, and the Charlotte Catholic High School campus.

Indeed, the vision of the founding fathers lives on in the students attending the College not only from the United States but also from around the world, and in the daily liturgies offered by the monks of Belmont Abbey, and in the official slogan of the College – Excellence and Virtue, and in the motto of the monks, “That in all things God may be glorified.”

Gireesh Gupta, Associate Professor Belmont Abbey College November 21, 2013

The historical information in the article is taken from the book My Lord of Belmont and the document A Carolina Cathedral authored by Rev. Paschal Baumstein, O.S.B.

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CAMPUS NEWS

Brewing Up A Tradition: Br. Tobiah Abbott and Belmont Abbeyy College’s New Venture BELMONT ABBEY Br. Tobiah Abbott

By Emily Williams There has long been a tradition within monasteries of crafting products, such as candy, coffee, or fruitcake.

Monks have taken pride in the creations of their labor and have often done so for economic self-sufficiency. The first monks in the Egyptian deserts wove baskets to sell to the local community.

In German monasteries going back centuries, brewing beer became a way of fighting off the physical effects of fasting during the Lenten season with the beer's natural carb and sugar content. All of these forms of crafting resonate in the motto from the Rule of St. Benedict: ora et labora (“pray and work”). While Belmont Abbey monastery's labora is primarily that of the academic functioning of the College, it has recently undertaken a new venture with Highland Brewery in Asheville, North Carolina, to produce “Abbey Beer” – four seasonal batches of brews which will be distributed throughout the 2014 year. While the beer will not be distributed nationally, local Gaston County restaurants such as String Bean and Sammy's Neighborhood Pub will be given batches to sell, along with possible merchandising prospects in the future, such as T-shirts and coasters.

One monk who has helped with this venture – and knows a thing or two about brewing beer himself – is Br. Tobiah Abbott. He often mixes his own batches of homemade beer with Abbot Placid Solari at the monastery.

Although Br. Tobiah is involved with the new Highland Brewery concept and

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“helps a bit” with the brewing process in Asheville, he primarily enjoys making beer in the monastery.

“The Abbot and I have a beer kit and we use that to make beer in-house, when we have the time; it makes about five gallons. The Abbot got started brewing beer about 20 years ago and I began with my uncle after I got out of the service with the National Coast Guard in 1987. We make a few batches a year and use about five pounds of grain. It makes about two cases.”

Keep in mind that the procedure for homemade beer is quite different from the results of using more sophisticated equipment at a professional brewery.

Yet, Br. Tobiah assures us that the result is the same, although not always less complicated, depending on one's preferences.

“I tell people it's as easy as baking a cake,” he says, laughing. “There are two ways of going about it. You can start off easy, getting supplies from the store and buying a kit – using malt extract, hops, yeast, and water. Or you can use a more complicated process called allgrain brewing. This is where you supply all the grains yourself in place of the malt and other things. The major difference between the two processes is that when you use a store-bought kit, you are confined to what the kit will allow you to make – light beers, dark beers, etc. With using the all-grain process, you have more flexibility as to what kind of beer you want to make, which is basically craft brewing.”

There is one caveat, however: unlike

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baking a ou cake, you reall can't really U I O G D sample the product on the da as it is same day created. Beer takes time to settle before consuming, says Br. Tobiah, so that the taste can be superb.

“Most people recommend about two weeks or four weeks for it to age up a bit, but I like giving the beer about two months. It's a lot like wine in that sense.

But that's if you're making a regular strength beer. For an 11% beer, it should rest eight or nine months. A month should probably be the earliest you can drink it, although I've brewed a batch in January that tasted great in May! The times can vary depending on what kind of beer you're making.”

For Br. Tobiah, brewing homemade beer is a hobby and is not one of the products that the monastery makes on a daily basis or uses for monetary gain.

Despite this, he says he can still connect his hobby with the monks of centuries past who brewed their beer for different purposes.

“It's relaxing. It's a labor of love.

There's kind of an excitement to it when you start seeing the beginnings of something like what we have at Highland Brewery, for example. Of course, there is the tradition of monks brewing beer in Germany and Belgium.

But for me, in the end it's simply a nice feeling to enjoy and share something you've made.”

Spring 2014

CAMPUS NEWS

New Residence Halls are Open!

Make

Dreams COME TRUE

By Emily Williams The Abbey's two new residence hall facilities on the east side of campus near the new dining hall have proven to be a hit!

St. Scholastica Hall (for women) and St. Benedict Hall (for men) opened in the summer of 2013. Each building has a square footage of 20,000, with room for 55 beds.

Each residence hall is comprised of suites (with the exception of the RA's single-sized room) with two private bedrooms, a shared living room, and a bathroom.

Hall floors have a special common area. Each building has a chapel on the second floor and a kitchen/lounge area and laundry room on the first floor.

The residence halls share a common plaza for the students.

Your investment makes the dream of a college degree a reality for so many of our students.

Give annually to the Abbey Family Fund. www.belmontabbeycollege.edu/familyfund

www.BelmontAbbeyCollege.edu

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FACULTY & STAFF

Serving With World Leaders In The Halls Of The Past: Dr. Daniel Hutchinson Represents Belmont Abbey College in Germany

By Emily Williams This past July, Dr. Daniel Hutchinson, Assistant Professor of History and BAC alum ('02), attended the American Council on Germany's Young Leader Program (YLP). The organization's goals are to build lasting ties between young professionals from the U.S. and Germany. After selecting 25 Americans and Germans from areas of academia, business, politics, science, and journalism, YLP then gives the two delegations a week in Berlin of planned discussions, special events, and opportunities to meet German politicians while touring important government centers in the city.

Dr. Hutchinson had the opportunity of meeting German leaders from a variety of sectors in both Munich and Berlin, and also managed to find time for sightseeing! How did he become one of the lucky members of the delegations?

“The selection process for the program is designed to create a delegation that is highly talented yet diverse in backgrounds and interests.

Former delegates nominate candidates.

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Dr. Carson Daly, who is a Young Leader alumna, nominated me. From the nominees, the YLP Steering Committee selects candidates to create a delegation with diverse backgrounds and special talents. This year's American delegation included a NASA toxicologist working on a Mars mission, the executive director of JP Morgan Chase's China division, the manager of Radio Free Europe's digital news initiatives, and a policy director for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, among others.”

As a delegation member and tourist, Dr. Hutchinson of course found the trip enlightening, but as a historian, the experience was unique, especially in terms of architecture.

“The trip was really a historian's dream, especially in downtown Berlin.

One cannot walk 50 yards without encountering historic landmarks and buildings. Our tour of the Reichstag, the building that houses the German legislature, was most outstanding.

Much of modern Germany is embedded within this structure's walls, and the columns that support the building are pocked by bullet holes and graffiti left by Soviet soldiers from their invasion of the city in 1945. Imagine if the entrance to the Oval Office was lined by charred timbers of the White House when it was burnt down during the War of 1812, or from fragments of the American embassy in Saigon from 1975. What message does that send? To

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me, this architectural preservation is meant to remind Germany of its troubled past and its need to work towards a peaceful future. This need to remember remains a powerful theme at the heart of German views of politics, economics, and foreign policy, even nearly 70 years after World War II. Pictures of my visit to the Reichstag are certain to make their way into my lectures.”

Above all, Dr. Hutchinson says the most enjoyable aspect of his trip to Germany was the people with whom he had the chance to socialize and converse.

“The YLP is a remarkable, once-ina-lifetime opportunity to meet a diverse group of incredibly talented people.

Delegates participate in a form of international diplomacy and build bridges with citizens of a friendly ally.

The YLP also provides a special way to experience Germany and its people. I will always be grateful for the opportunity the program provided me.

The experience has broadened my horizons, and, I'm hopeful, has established some lasting friendships as well.”

“Belmont Abbey College has made a name for itself within the program. Last year, Dr. Joseph Wysocki ably represented the college in the American delegation. We hope Abbey nominees continue to be selected for future Young Leader delegations.”

Spring 2014

FACULTY & STAFF

ABBEY STAFF: NEW FACES, NEW PLACES The Abbey has had several new hires this past year on the Administration side of our busy campus. As you will read from their interviews below, they have commendable talent and vision for their respective departments, which we know will blossom in the coming years. Please join Crossroads in offering them a warm welcome!

Nicole Focareto Executive Director of Admissions The Abbey's new Executive Director of Admissions, Ms. Nicole Focareto, came on board in June of 2013. Nicole comes to us from Ohio, where she was previously the Campus Director for Admissions at Vatterott College. She has had a long career in academic administration, working with the Cleveland Institute of Art, Marietta College and other organizations. Nicole recently spoke to us about her ideas for the Admissions department.

How did you get started in the Admissions field?

During my college years I was a leader on campus and one of five seniors selected to work as a Senior Interviewer in the Marietta College Office of Admissions.

Looking back on that experience, the love of working with the staff and meeting many prospective parents and students has led me to the Admissions path I am on today. I served for three years as Director of Admissions at a private Catholic high school in the Cleveland, Ohio, area and created a strong Student Ambassador Program of 200+ ambassadors. From there, I was blessed with the opportunity to serve as Assistant Director of Admissions at my college alma mater, Marietta College. As a member of the Admissions “dream team,” I learned about travel planning, conversion rates, financial aid, marketing, enrollment management, and truly how to recruit a prospective student.

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What initially drew you to the Abbey?

Sometimes I think it was divine intervention. I know it sounds cliché, but it may be true. I was not job searching at the time and was quite content living in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. I knew the previous Director of Admissions, Roger Jones, through the Admissions network. When he found another job opportunity, he contacted me and explained the College was looking for someone like me to fill the position. I was invited for an interview and was pleasantly surprised when I walked on campus. There was a calming sense about the College and it truly is such a beautiful place. I'm Catholic and knew Belmont Abbey College would be a good fit.

What aspect of Belmont Abbey College have you found to be the most appealing?

For prospective students and parents, the obvious things that are appealing are location and proximity to a city; a small, private college with a long history of liberal arts and student success; accomplished faculty; the Catholic foundation with a monastery on campus; the opportunity to make one's mark; and the affordability factor. For prospective and/or current employees, the aspects are the same. With a small college, the relationships that are built can be more meaningful, with a purpose.

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What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love to travel and explore new places. Reading, shopping, crocheting, and volunteering are all high on my list.

I utilize Facetime to keep in touch with family and friends who are far away. I competed in the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships in Sacramento, California back in 1999, so I like to keep up with the rowing stats during college crew season to see who the front-runners are.

What would you like to achieve going forward as Executive Director of Admissions?

My role as Executive Director of Admissions is not only to increase enrollment and boost morale among the Admissions Team, but also to be a cultural change agent for the entire College.The Office of Admissions staff are encouraged to do everything with meaning and purpose. Working with data-driven initiatives, I have laid a strong foundation and prepared enrollment goals for the Admissions Team to implement and execute. We have discussed territory management and reorganized the project-related tasks to allow staff members to use their best skills and be proud of their work.

We are more proactive than reactive.

Overall, I'd like to see Belmont Abbey College increase enrollment while staying true to the mission.

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FACULTY & STAFF

Tom MacAlester Dean of Students Tom MacAlester has been working in the Student Life office at Belmont Abbey College since the spring of 2012. He previously worked as part of a FOCUS team during the 2008-2009 school term. Now, as the new Dean of Students, Tom shares his ideas with Crossroads about his new role in academic administration and plans for effective communication with students.

Although you have been here awhile, what initially drew you to the Abbey when you first arrived here in 2008?

Initially, it was the connections that I made. Our first child was baptized in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians

by Fr. Kieran and surrounded by monks and Abbey students, so the Belmont Abbey community has a special place in our hearts. I was also drawn back by the Abbey's commitment to educating the whole person and the rich story of Belmont Abbey in the North Carolina community.

What are some of the natural challenges that come from running Student Life?

During the school year, a great deal of time is spent outside the classroom and academic pursuits. It is always a challenge to find programming and activities that add to the students' college experience without taking emphasis away from their academic education. When it comes to planning student life programming, we have a motto in our office: “Not everyone every time, but everyone over time.”

The idea that we are going to put on an event or activity that will please all of our students all at once is unrealistic.

But, if over the course of a school year, we can reach the greater student population with a few programs that they can get involved in, then I think we have added to their college experience.

Another thing in student life that we try to make a priority is making sure

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that everyone is on the same page and working together for the betterment of our students. Each office in student life has a specific role to play in service of the student body and each office affects others. We have weekly student life meetings and are working on collaboration and lines of communication.

Any hobbies that you enjoy in your spare time that you'd like to share?

I love to play music! I have been playing guitar since I was in the 7th grade and have picked everything from the mandolin to the trombone to bagpipes. I do a little bit of songwriting as well, but my kids are my biggest audience. They can be quite the critics!

I also enjoy hiking and fishing, although I am from Florida so I am still working on this whole freshwaterfishing thing.

As the new Dean of Students, do you have any particular ideas in place for how you would like to expand the office?

There are a few ways I would like to expand the reach and effect of the office of student life. I have encouraged student life directors to engage in what we call, “Hot Hours.” These are hours where our directors are out on campus interacting with students. Some directors go to sporting events, for example, to engage the students. During these hot hours, we are engaging in casual conversations with the students

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with hopes that they will know our faces and reach out if they need help with anything. It is our hope with these hours that the students know who we are, what we do, and, most importantly, that we care about them and their success.

One of the things I appreciate the most about a small, Catholic, liberal arts education is that nothing falls outside of the realm of education.

Students are learning about who they are, why they are here and where they are going inside and outside the classroom. With the efforts of all in student life, we are trying to create opportunities where students can ask these questions and find their important answers. Everything from the wellness center to campus ministry to student activities to residence life is at service to the students. They are why we are here.

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FACULTY & STAFF

Naomi Morgan Director of Institutional Research The Abbey welcomes Naomi Morgan as the new Director of Institutional Research. Naomi was previously the Statistical and Research Analyst at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She has a deep interest in Dance and has taught Physical Education courses at Winthrop. Crossroads took some time to get to know Naomi a bit better and introduce this energetic young lady to our readers.

How did you get started in the Institutional Research field?

I got started in Institutional Research and Academic Administration while working as a graduate assistant at Winthrop University. Working for the Director of SACS Reaffirmation, I was given the opportunity to assist in writing some parts of our Reaffirmation Report, preparing supporting documentation, and compiling data tables. Upon graduation, I was offered a full-time position within the department working in Institutional Research. Prior to my assistantship, I was unfamiliar with IR and regional accreditation, but I found that I really enjoyed higher education and the type of work I was doing. When I was offered the position after graduation, I jumped on it.

Spring 2014

What initially drew you to the Abbey?

There were many things. While preparing to apply, I spent time on the website and was happy to see that part of the mission of the institution was to assist students in developing intellectually as well as spiritually. As a Christian, I appreciate and support an institution that strives to educate and operate in such a way that “in all things, God may be glorified.� In addition, during my onsite interview, I felt a genuine sense of community on the campus, which is not easy to come by in all working environments.

What are some of the challenges that come with running the IR office?

One of the major challenges most Institutional Research Offices face is the ability to balance and manage internal reporting and support, external reporting, accreditation, and assessment activities. We must be able to change direction and focus quickly, while maintaining accuracy, quality and integrity in our work. The quality and knowledge of staff in the IR Office here make this challenge much easier to overcome.

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Any hobbies that you enjoy?

In my spare time, I enjoy sewing, quilting, making jewelry, hiking and spending time with my cat, Sofilla, my dog, Makeda, and last but not least, my husband, Christopher.

What has been your impression of the Abbey so far?

Over the past few months, my initial impression of the Abbey has been confirmed. There is a strong sense of community, and the employees and students of the Abbey genuinely care for one another. It is refreshing to work in an environment where there is a strong focus on the quality of work, all the while maintaining a positive, collegial and caring work environment.

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Dr. Joseph Pizza Director of the Honors Institute Crossroads is pleased to announce Dr. Joseph Pizza as the new director of the Honors Institute, beginning fall 2014. Dr. Eugene Thuot will be stepping down after heading the program from its beginnings seven years ago. Dr. Pizza studied English Language and Literature at Oxford University. He teaches a variety of courses but is a specialist on Dante, Milton, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and other Catholic poets of the Victorian and Modern periods. As the Institute shifts into a new year with a new director, Crossroads was eager to hear what Dr. Pizza had in mind for the Institution.

What do you believe are some of the exciting challenges that you are facing with running the Honors Institute?

I am looking forward most to getting to know the students involved in the program. Although I've had the opportunity to teach this year's senior and junior classes, I haven't really had the chance to engage in the kind of pastoral relationship that the Honor's Institute Director does. This relationship was what I enjoyed most about studying and teaching in the Oxford tutorial system, where a professor interviews, advises, assesses, and encourages the same group of students over a number of years. As opposed to seeing students as merely numbers in an auditorium, professors in this system are trained to treat students “holistically,” or, as we might say in the Catholic tradition, they attempt to teach the “whole person.” Though I have been able to reproduce a version of this experience through my work at the Abbey thus far, I am looking forward to having the opportunity to engage in this kind of teaching more fully through my new role as Director of the Honors Institute.

What aspect of the liberal arts and the Catholic intellectual tradition are you hoping to emphasize?

Like Newman or Dante, I would prefer to focus on the harmony or

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interdependence of the whole over any one part of those traditions. Of course, as an English professor, I have my biases! That being said, I intend for the curriculum to continue to be taught in collaboration with colleagues from other departments, whose courses will naturally embody their own approaches, interests, and areas of expertise.

Though differences will arise, I think that such rivalries and debates can be of great help to students. In fact, I would go so far as to say that they are, ultimately, essential to their intellectual maturation. As a result, it is my hope that a range of perspectives from the liberal arts and Catholic intellectual tradition are represented each year.

How would you like the program to expand or develop under your directorship?

Some developments are already underway. I am very excited about Dr. Hutchinson's upcoming course on Eastern philosophy, for instance. In the future, I would like to see the cannon of great books we teach further expanded in this way. For example, a number of students and faculty have already approached me about the possibility of including courses in the history of science, fine art, music, and world religions. Whether or not any one of these can be incorporated into the Honors curriculum, I'm still not sure. I am certain, however, that each deserves consideration.

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Do you have any immediate ideas/plans in the making for the Honors Institute that you'd like to share?

One thing that I could mention now is my intention to incorporate museum visits and author readings among the program's activities. Really, this would just develop further the current program. My intention, however, may be a bit different. At Oxford I learned to make the world my classroom. In encouraging our students to become lifelong learners in a similar way, I think that we would do well to start with the nearest city!

Spring 2014

FACULTY & STAFF

Margot Rhoades Registrar This past July, Fr. David Brown retired from his position as Registrar after serving in that position for nine years. In his place, the Abbey has welcomed Margot Rhoades. She comes to us from Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where she served as their Registrar since 2007.

Crossroads recently sat down with Margot to learn more about the newest addition to the Abbey's Administrative family.

What brought you into college administrative work?

I worked in a flower shop after I graduated from high school for about eight years. My son was born when I was 26, and I had a defining moment when I realized I could not raise him the way I wanted to (with Catholic School, lessons, sports, etc.) on a flower shop salary. I went back to school and started doing temp work until I could get my degree. The temp agency sent me to Hood College and I fell in love with academics and college life. I can honestly say that the campus felt like home. My first position was Administrative Assistant in Adult Studies, and I worked my way up to Registrar.

What brought you to the Abbey?

Last November my son and his family moved to Columbia, South Carolina. After a trip to see them, my husband suggested that instead of

Spring 2014

waiting to move South when we retire, perhaps I should look for a job near our children. My time at Hood College and Mount St. Mary's had been both challenging and amazing. I knew that if I changed schools, I would want to find a school that shared my values and beliefs. When the position at Belmont Abbey opened, it seemed like divine intervention.

our data entry feeds the work of offices such as the Accounting Office and Institutional Research, so a mistake can cause issues all over the place. My goal is to make the campus aware of the office as a valuable resource, not just when something goes wrong. I also want the office to be welcoming and to provide the best possible customer service to all its constituents.

What are some of your interests outside of administration?

In the summertime, it is most definitely yard work and gardening. I also love to bake and make jelly.

Recently my husband and I picked about 20 pounds of strawberries so I could make strawberry preserves. In addition, we have three dogs, a rabbit, and a grandson who keep me very busy.

What has been your impression of the Abbey so far?

My overall impression is one of a close-knit community whose members are interested in supporting each other, the students, and the mission of the college. I definitely feel welcomed.

What are some of the challenges of keeping the Registrar's office in working order?

I would definitely say that one of the most challenging aspects is that we answer to everyone (faculty, parents, students, administration) and we have to achieve a delicate balance between the needs of these individuals and protecting the integrity of the degree.

So much of our work is also detailoriented and deadline-driven. Much of

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Rolando Rivas Director of Marketing & Communications The Abbey would like to extend a hearty welcome to our new Director of Marketing, Rolando Rivas. Rolando comes to us from the University of North Texas, where he served as Director of Graphic Brand Management and Marketing Communications since 2007. Aside from academia, he has also worked for telecommunications brands such as Verizon and Sprint and comes to us with over 23 years of experience in the advertising and design fields.

Tell us how you got started working in the Marketing field.

I got started in marketing pretty soon after graduating college. As an intern at a small barter company, I began working in media buying and selling and also became an account manager for the advertising agency side of our business. I managed the accounts of some of our big hotel clients such as the Fiesta Americana in Cozumel, as well as other small businesses. With a degree in Radio, TV, and Film, I began creating advertisements for my clients including directing, editing, and writing commercials for the hotel and other clients. Early in my career I was already marketing and selling for customers – it was a fun way to use my creative skills.

What initially drew you to the Abbey?

Without a doubt it was the mission of the College and its listing in the Newman Guide. My wife and I had been seeking an opportunity for me to work for a college that was smaller and had a mission we could believe in.

When I saw Belmont Abbey's mission and tagline, I was immediately drawn to doing work that was “all for the glory of God.” What aspect of Belmont Abbey College have you found to be the most appealing?

So far, as it probably is with the students as well, it has been the people.

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Everyone here has been so welcoming and helpful with my transition here. I really am feeling very much at home.

That, along with the Basilica and the Abbey being right on campus, just gives me a sense that I am in the right place.

Any hobbies that you enjoy in your spare time that you'd like to share?

I like to think of myself as a musician – not necessarily a vocalist, but one that at least has a passion for music. When I want to relax and disconnect from everything, I like to pull my guitar out and strum some favorite songs. I have also accomplished one of my main musician goals: I released my own CD of music about five years ago with the help of some friends in North Texas. It's actually still available on iTunes (Rolando Rivas Band) and it's something I hope to continue with another set of songs I'm working on that are essentially “memory verse” songs for homeschoolers or Catholic schools or churches. I've done 52 songs, with each of them tying into a teaching of the Catholic Church tied back to scripture. I hope to release that next year.

in the Christian/Catholic community across the country. We have a great story here that only really needs proper telling and distribution. I feel once we get some basic things organized and underway, we will start to see significant changes.

What would you like to especially achieve going forward as Director of Marketing?

I would like to raise the awareness of Belmont Abbey College. I would like for us to be well known across the region, and at least decently well known

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Spring 2014

FACULTY & STAFF

Linda Tennant Director of Academic Resource Center The Academic Resource Center is proud to announce the arrival of its new director, Linda Tennant. Linda previously worked as an admissions counselor and career development coordinator at York Technical College in South Carolina and also served in the Lexington County and Rock Hill school districts in other administrative positions. Crossroads recently chatted with Linda so she could introduce herself to the Abbey family.

are important to me. Belmont Abbey College gives me the opportunity to combine these two facets of my life in my workday.

Tell us how you got started in Academic Assistance.

Shortly after graduating from college with a degree in Psychology, I was hired at York Technical College as an Admissions Specialist. I worked there for 16 years, filling many roles within its Student Services division.

Experience has shown me that for college students to be successful, a good support system is critical, not only from friends and family, but also from their school. Assisting students who reach out for support and then watching them graduate is extremely rewarding to me.

What initially drew you to the Abbey?

I was looking for some new challenges in my career. What better place to look than Belmont Abbey College? I live locally. I'm Roman Catholic, and both my faith and career

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What are some of the natural challenges that come with running the Academic Resource Center?

One of the main challenges we face is getting students to be proactive in taking advantage of the support resources that we offer before they experience academic difficulties. This is especially true for students who naturally tend to struggle academically and/or those with disabilities. This is not a challenge unique to Belmont Abbey. We want students to know from the start that we are here to provide support and guidance any time they feel a need for help – even very good students.

As Director of the ARC, how would you like the department to expand in the next several years?

We always want to work to improve our services to students, and we need to take advantage of professional development opportunities as they are available. We need to continue to examine our practices and strive to improve our outreach processes to make sure that students are aware of our services and are utilizing them.

Additionally, I would like to see an improved workspace situation for this office. To serve students and the college in the best possible way, it is important that we are set up in an accessible, appropriate, and inviting environment.

Any hobbies that you enjoy in your spare time?

I very much enjoy my vocation as a wife and a mother of three children.

My family is of primary importance to me. I love spending time with them, cooking, baking, and sharing activities together. Once I leave work, I am very domestically oriented.

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NOTEWORTHY NEWS Faculty Accomplishments The information in this section is taken from Academic Affairs reports submitted to the Board between January and December 2013.

Ms. Heather Achter, Adjunct Faculty, performed in The Abbey Players' production of As You Like It. Ms. Achter served as Assistant Director for Carolina Actors Studio Theatre's production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. She also served as directorial assistant for Carolina Actors Studio Theatre's productions of Elemenopee and Assassins.

Ms. Jill Bloede, Assistant Professor of Theatre, performed the role of Chaplain Lawrence in the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in April.

Ms. Bloede served as judge for The Blumey Awards series for 31 high school musicals, and the Metrolina Theatre Association for local amateur and professional theatre.

Ms. Bloede directed one of the four original plays in the Annual NuVoices Festival at Actor's Theatre of Charlotte, where scripts were given to the casts on Sunday evening, and one week later, the plays were presented to the public.

Dr. Elizabeth Baker and several senior biology majors served as judges at the Gaston County Regional Science Fair at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia in January.

Ms. Bloede assisted with the choreography for the Abbey Players' 2013-2014 season opener, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Dr. Baker loaned, identified, and curated specimens of insects and other arthropods to a Master Gardener volunteer at Ida Rankin Elementary School for a talk to third-grade school children on “Beneficial Insects.”

Dr. Michael Botts, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, completed his second semester in pursuit of an advanced degree. Dr. Botts is a law student at Charlotte School of Law. He is enrolled full-time while also holding a full-time position at the Abbey.

Dr. Baker attended a presentation arranged by Dr. Jennifer Ellington and presented by Dr. Ravi Singh from the Wake Forest School of Medicine to BAC biology majors at their BBB Honorary Society Induction on “Development of Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy and Diagnosis.”

Ms. Julia Beeman, Chair of the Social Sciences Division and Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, completed her second semester in pursuit of an advanced degree. Ms. Beeman is a doctoral student at Nova Southeastern University. She is enrolled full-time while also holding a full-time position at the Abbey.

Professor Beeman attended the Division II FAR (Faculty Athletic Representative) Advanced Leadership Institute in Indianapolis in October.

Ms. Beeman was also appointed to the Mecklenburg County Jury Commission, one of three Mecklenburg County citizens named to the commission. She will serve a two-year term, and is responsible for overseeing the administration of the jury selection process.

Dr. Grattan Brown, Assistant Professor of Theology, had an article, “The Use and Misuse of Medical Futility,” accepted by the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly.

Dr. Brown delivered a paper, “Freedom and the Paradox of Suffering,” at the annual conference of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in September.

Mr. Stephen Brosnan, Associate Professor of Math/Physics, took two students (Robert Wilson and Grant Eddy) to the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Southeastern section conference at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, in March. The students attended talks and toured the student poster sessions. They shared ideas with the Abbey Math Club, and a result, our math students plan to actively participate in 2014.

Dr. Joan Brugman, Assistant Professor of Psychology, was a panelist at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) in Atlanta, Georgia, in March. She participated in a session on the experiences of new faculty.

Dr. Al Benthall, Assistant Professor of English, presented a paper, “Flannery O'Connor and the Action of Grace,” as part of the Lecture Series at Saint Pius X Catholic Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, in February.

Dr. Brugman participated in the fourth annual meeting of the Charlotte Area Network for the Teaching of Psychology (CANTOP) at Davidson College in August.

Dr. Benthall performed “I Summon You” and “Hey Ho!” at Agora Night in April.

Dr. Ann Calhoun-Sauls, Associate Professor of Psychology, was a panelist in a session on psychology

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major senior capstone experiences at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) in Atlanta, Georgia, in March.

Dr. Calhoun-Sauls participated in the fourth annual meeting of the Charlotte Area Network for the Teaching of Psychology (CANTOP) at Davidson College in August.

Dr. Laura Campbell, Director of Teacher Education, continued to facilitate workshops for Catholic elementary schools throughout Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools (MACS) on classroom management and Catholic school instruction.

Dr. Campbell participated in Christians in Career Transitions, a ministry devoted to helping people in a career crisis, at St. Matthew Catholic Church.

Ms. Mary Beth Chambers, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sport and Motor Sport Management, used her course, Motorsports Business and Finance, to forge a professional relationship with the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. All parties have resolved to continue partnering on special projects and internships.

Dr. Travis Cook, Assistant Professor of Government and Political Philosophy, presented his paper at the University of Maine on Chaucer's “Knight's Tale” in April.

Dr. Svetlana Corwin, Assistant Professor of English, presented a paper on Olga Sedakova,“'Vittoria! Vittoria!': Olga Sedakova's Memorial to Lyric Poetry,” at the Christianity and Literature Conference at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, in April.

Dr. Corwin gave a talk on “Olga Sedakova's Apology of Reason” as part of Belmont Abbey's Faculty Lecture series in April.

Dr. Corwin participated in a scholarly colloquium devoted to theological questions in Dostoevsky Studies held at the Christian Academy for the Humanities in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June.

Dr. Corwin attended a conference entitled “Modern Ontology, Two Points of View: Russia and Italy,” held at St. Petersburg University in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June.

Dr. Corwin gave a paper, “On the Mystical Foundation of Moral Law and Freedom in F.M. Dostoevsky's Fiction” at the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in September.

Dr. Nathalie Coté, Chair of the Psychology Department, served on the steering committee of the fourth annual meeting of the Charlotte Area Network for the Teaching of Psychology (CANTOP) at Davidson College in August.

Dr. Carson Daly, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, delivered a talk, “Rhetoric as a Stepping Stone to Wisdom,” to the Women's Faith and Reason Fellowship in Gastonia, North Carolina, in April.

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Dr. Daly also participated in a symposium in honor of well-known philosopher, diplomat, and novelist Michael Novak at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida, in September. Mr. Novak has spoken at BAC and also received an honorary degree from our College. Dr. Daly participated in the Board meeting of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars at the annual convention in Philadelphia in September.

Mr. Simon Donoghue, Associate Professor of Theatre/ English, directed William Shakespeare's As You Like It from April 18-27 and the 2013-2014 Abbey Players' season opener, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Mr. Stanley Dudko, Associate Professor Emeritus of Economics, last spring completed 50 years of teaching at Belmont Abbey College. He enjoys the distinction of knowing – and having as friends – half of the Belmont Abbey College's Trustees, as either former students or classmates.

Ms. Margarita Eganova, full-time Lecturer in Mathematics, developed a Trigonometry course (MA152) for day students that involves both traditional methods and intensive work with online assignments. She also modified MA 135A (Mathematics for Liberal Arts) for ADP students.

Ms. Eganova is an active volunteer in the Mt. Isle neighborhood community, and this spring has been helping high school students prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Dr. Jennifer Ellington, Assistant Professor of Biology, arranged a presentation presented by Dr. Ravi Singh from the Wake Forest School of Medicine to BAC biology majors at their BBB Honorary Society Induction on “Development of Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy and Diagnosis.”

Dr. Diana Elliott, Associate Professor of Psychology, attended the Religion and Health Research Conference at Duke University in August.

Dr. Travis Feezell, Associate Professor of Sport Management and Director of Motorsports Management, had a monograph titled “Faculty Attitudes Towards Athletics at NCAA Division II Institutions” published in the Journal of Applied Sport Management in June.

Dr. Feezell was invited to present at the Drew Transatlantic Conference in County Donegal, Ireland, in January 2014. He is also invited to address campus administrators at the annual College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) meeting in Chicago in April 2014 and the Great South Athletics Conference in WinstonSalem, North Carolina, in November 2014.

Dr. Tara Galloway, Assistant Professor of Education, was selected as the 2013 recipient of the Adrian Excellence in Teaching Award.

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Dr. Galloway presented “Predicting Later Reading Achievement: Longitudinal Study to Predict Performance on High-Stakes Assessment” at the Council for Exceptional Children Conference in San Antonio, Texas, in April.

Dr. Galloway presented “Using Response Cards with Undergraduate Students” at the annual American Educational Research Association Conference in San Francisco, California, in May. Dr. Daniel Hutchinson, Assistant Professor of History, participated in the American Council on Germany's Young Leader Program in July which gave him the opportunity to travel to Munich and Berlin and to meet with a distinguished array of German leaders in the political, financial, and cultural spheres.

Dr. Hutchinson received a commendatory letter from Mr. Kevin M. Galeaz, Project Director of the USS Thresher Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Project, for the pro-bono report to Congress that Dr. Hutchinson had done – arguing that a memorial to the 129 submariners lost in the Thresher disaster in 1963 should be located at Arlington Cemetery.

Ms. Karen Jacob, head of the Abbey Music program, director of the Arts at the Abbey, and a founder and director of Carolina Pro Musica, was a soloist and assisted with a concert given by the Charlotte Civic Orchestra in February.

Dr. Amanda Kloo, Associate Professor of Education, led a panel presentation titled, “Lessons Learned from Modified Assessments: The Good, The Bad, and The Unimpressed,” Pacific Coast Research Conference in San Diego, California, in February.

Dr. Kloo conducted a series of focus groups at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) with 80 parents of students with learning disabilities in June. Under discussion was the impact of full inclusion on their children's academic, social, and emotional learning.

Dr. Kloo delivered the Keynote address at the 2013 University of Pittsburgh's “Masters of Special Education Academic Instructional Certification” (MOSAIC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in July.

Dr. Kloo completed her work as an educational research scientist and consultant for the National Technical Assistance Center for Inclusive School-Wide Reform at the American Institute for Research in Washington, D.C. Dr. Justin Litke, Assistant Professor of Government and Political Philosophy, published a book, Twilight of the Republic: Empire and Exceptionalism in the American Political Tradition, under the imprint of the University Press of Kentucky.

Dr. Litke delivered a paper in Chicago over the Labor Day weekend at the American Political Science Association convention, as a part of a memorial panel on the work of George W. Carey. While there, he also was a discussant on another panel on “Abstract Theorizing and the False Prophets of Virtue.”

Dr. Judith McDonald, Assistant Professor of Education, participated as an event leader for the high school and middle school regional Science Olympiad in March.

Dr. McDonald presented at the Regional NASA Educator Professional Development Conference in March.

Dr. Kloo co-authored an article titled, “The AA-MAS in Pennsylvania: Defining the Population; Tracking their Performance,” reporting longitudinal student achievement outcomes for students with disabilities in Pennsylvania. It was published by the National Center for Educational Outcomes in the text Lessons Learned About Modified Assessments. AA-MAS stands for Alternate Assessments based on Modified Achievement Standards.

Dr. McDonald judged the 2013 North Carolina Junior Science and Humanities Symposium at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in March.

Dr. Kloo presented two papers titled, “RTI [Response to Intervention] in Struggling Schools: From Implementation to Sustainability to Success” and “Learning Progressions in the Emergence of Literacy in Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities” in April.

Dr. McDonald was again chosen to be the science professor/coordinator for the EXPLO program at Wellesley's summer program for 8th and 9th grade students.

She coordinated the curriculum and teacher mentors from across the country for a series of three three-week sessions on the campus of Wellesley College.

Dr. Kloo served on the peer review panel for three refereed journals: Exceptional Children, Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, and Journal of Learning Disabilities.

Dr. Kloo co-authored “Performance of Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities on Early Grade Curriculum-Based Measures of Word and Passage Reading Fluency,” which was published in the Summer 2013 volume of Exceptional Children.

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Dr. McDonald and her students in ED409 participated in Hands-On Charlotte at Albemarle Elementary School on April 11, bringing together the community, school staff, families and students of Albemarle Elementary to enhance learning opportunities.

Dr. McDonald designed and implemented a one-week workshop for STEM elementary lab teachers in collaboration with University of North Carolina – Charlotte campus in June.

Dr. Michael McLeod, Chair of the Biology Department, attended a presentation arranged by Dr. Jennifer Ellington and presented by Dr. Ravi Singh from the Wake Forest School of Medicine to BAC biology majors at their BBB

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Honorary Society Induction on “Development of Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy and Diagnosis.”

Dr. Angela Miss, Associate Professor of English and Chair of the English Department, was featured as Queen Elizabeth in the Abbey Player's production of As You Like It. Dr. Miss reviewed the St. Martin's Handbook for Bedford/ St. Martin's Press and is currently working on another review of a digital portfolio system for Cengage Learning.

Dr. Rebecca Munro, Assistant Professor of English, presented a paper on J. R. R. Tolkien, “The Truth of Tolkien's Art,” at Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, Georgia, in April.

Dr. Munro was invited to write a review essay on three books about The King James Bible for Boston College's Religion and the Arts.

Dr. Munro composed and arranged the music, based on Shakespeare's lyrics, performed in this April's Abbey Players' production of Shakespeare's As You Like It. Dr. Munro also appeared in the play as a minstrel, playing guitar for the student actor who performed the songs Dr. Munro had composed.

Dr. Munro served as a juror for the Lilly Fellows Book Award and helped to select this year's award winner.

Dr. Mark Newcomb, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, published his book, The Ark, the Covenant, and the Poor Men's Chest: Edmund Bonner and Nicholas Ridley on Church and Scripture in Sixteenth-Century England, in May. Dr. Newcomb, presented a paper, “Saved as Through Fire: The Prison Writings of Thomas More and Nicholas Ridley,” at the National Convention of the American Theological Library Association's annual meeting in Charlotte in June. The paper appeared in the volume of convention proceedings published in January.

Dr. Newcomb attended a symposium on The New Evangelization, sponsored by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C., in September.

Dr. Lesley O'Connor, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, attended the Mathematical Association of America Southeastern Section's 92nd Annual Meeting and attended the Special Session on Teaching and Learning via Problems, the Undergraduate Paper Session in Combinatorics, Probability, and Statistics, as well as the presentation “Why Do Left-handed People Survive.”

Dr. O'Gorman delivered a lecture, “Introducing Walker Percy: The Moviegoer,” at a symposium on the author held by the Thomas International Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in March.

Dr. O'Gorman's proposal for an article on the story, “The Displaced Person,” was accepted by the editors of the book Approaches to Teaching the Works of Flannery O'Connor.

Dr. O'Gorman presented a paper on Jonathan Swift, Walker Percy, and Christian satire at Loyola University of New Orleans this past October.

Dr. O'Gorman collaborated in April with colleagues from Canada, Europe, and the U.S. on a grant request for a conference on the work of Flannery O'Connor which they are organizing at All Hallows College in Dublin, Ireland in July of 2014. He is also pursuing discussions as to the viability of using All Hallows as a base for summer study abroad programs for Belmont Abbey faculty and students.

Dr. O'Gorman published an article on Gothic fiction, Catholicism, and the Americas in a collection of interdisciplinary articles on Southern history and literature in Storytelling, History, and the Postmodern South (Louisiana State University Press, June 2013).

Dr. O'Gorman completed review of Faithful Passages: American Catholicism in Literary Culture, 1844-1931, by James E. Ryan to appear in American Catholic Studies, published by Villanova University.

Dr. Lisa O'Neill, Assistant Professor of Education, attended the North Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development annual conference on Common Core standards in Pinehurst, North Carolina, in February.

Dr. Joseph Pizza, Assistant Professor of English, revised an article, “Hopkins and the Catholic Imaginary,” for a forum on new directions in Gerard Manley Hopkins studies.

Dr. Pizza's review of Kirstie Blair's recent monograph, Faith and Form in Victorian Poetry and Religion, has also been accepted for publication at Religion and Literature.

Dr. Sara Powell, Professor of Education and Chair of the Education Department, presented “Using Response Cards with Undergraduate Students” at the annual American Educational Research Association Conference in San Francisco, California, in May.

Dr. Farrell O'Gorman, Professor of English, published an article on Walker Percy's novel Lancelot in the book, A Political Companion to Walker Percy (published by the University of Kentucky Press).

Dr. Powell wrote a chapter titled, “From Debilitating Teacher Self-Perceptions to Enhancing Teacher SelfPerceptions” in Middle Level Education and the SelfEnhancing School, published May 15 by Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Dr. O'Gorman presented a paper, “Catholicism and Gothic Form in Crèvecoeur's Letters from an American Farmer,” at the American Literature Association's symposium on Gothic literature in Savannah, Georgia, in February.

Dr. Powell completed her part of two 3rd edition textbooks: Your Introduction to Education: Explorations in Teaching and Introduction to Middle Level Education. Both were published in January 2014 by Pearson.

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Dr. Melinda Ratchford, Associate Professor of Education, completed her year-long chairmanship of the Gaston County Library Strategic Planning Committee. As chair, she helped craft the plan that will be used to guide the Gaston County Library's long-range relationship with the community.

Mr. Sivak designed the lights for the shows presented by the Central Piedmont Community College Summer Theatre.

Dr. Ratchford presented a program, “Titanic: Ship of Destiny,” to library patrons in Wilson, North Carolina, in February.

Mr. Sivak designed and built the set for the Abbey Players' 2013-2014 season opener, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Dr. Laurence Reardon, Assistant Professor of Government and Political Philosophy, published articles on “Inequality” and “Tolerance” in the New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement 2012-13: Ethics and Philosophy.

Dr. Rajive Tiwari, Professor of Physics, presented his paper “Western Science and the Social Context in 19th Century India,” at the American Association of Physics Teachers in Portland, Oregon, in July.

Dr. Sheila Reilly, Professor of Biology, attended a presentation arranged by Dr. Jennifer Ellington and presented by Dr. Ravi Singh from the Wake Forest School of Medicine to BAC biology majors at their BBB Honorary Society Induction on “Development of Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy and Diagnosis.”

Dr. Robert Tompkins, Associate Professor of Biology, had two papers accepted for publication. “A Comparison of Prairie Quality for a Restored Eastern Prairie Established from Regional Seed Source Material” was accepted by Native Plants Journal, pending minor revisions, and Castanea accepted Dr. Tompkins' article on “Prairierelict communities of a Piedmont monadnock.”

Sister Jane Russell, O.S.F., Associate Professor of Theology, published a short essay, “Profile Update: Sister Mary Dingman, 'Aging and Saging',” in the SSSF Pastoral Ministry Network Newsletter 34:2 (March), 5-7.

Dr. Tompkins co-wrote “Restoration and species diversity of an eastern prairie” in Native Plants Journal, which was also published in August.

Sister Jane taught a four-session course on “Ecumenism” at St. John Neumann parish in Charlotte in February as part of the Growing in Faith and Theology (GIFT) program sponsored by eight Charlotte-area parishes.

Dr. Tompkins co-wrote a paper entitled “A Microhabitat Study of Eastern Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) Populations: Associated Species and Edaphic Features,” which was published in Bartonia in October.

Sister Jane read original poetry at the Agora open-mic event on April 15th; her poem, “Summer of Surrender,” also appeared in the 2013 edition of Agora.

Dr. Patrick Wadden, Assistant Professor of History, delivered a lecture, “The Frankish Table of Nations in Ireland,” at the annual conference of the Celtic Studies Association of North America (CSANA) at St Michael's College in Toronto in April.

Dr. Hugh Sales, Assistant Professor of Business and Director of the Entrepreneurship Program, was mentioned in The Gaston Gazette article, “Can a Business Built on Bees Turn a Profit?” (August 2). Dr. Sales is mentoring Tom Parnelle in developing a business plan for the latter's honey bee business, which advanced to the second round of the “Launchpad” competition. Parnelle, who works as the IT Director at the Caromont Health Center, raises honey bees as a business hobby.

Dr. Gary Scott, Chair of the Business Department, attended uptown Charlotte's business plan competition for MBA students, held at the McColl School of Business at Queens University in April.

Dr. Scott presented “Whose Purpose in Education?

Which Science of Value?” at the annual conference of the International Society of MacIntyrean Enquiry held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in July.

Mr. Stephen Shivone, Assistant Professor of English, served as a curriculum consultant last semester for a small Catholic liberal arts college called Christ College – which involved a trip to Kansas City last semester to meet with the Bishop and Chancellor of the diocese.

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Mr. Gary Sivak, Technical Director of Theatre and Lecturer in Theatre, designed the set, sound, and lights for As You Like It.

Dr. Wadden met with the President and Secretary of the local branch of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in April to help forge a relationship with the local Irish-American Catholic community.

Dr. Wadden was nominated to be the next History Representative on the Board of the American Society for Medieval Studies, a role that requires serving on the editorial board of the society's journal.

Dr. Wadden delivered a speech in August at the monthly meeting of the Mecklenburg County Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernian (AOH) on the early history of Dublin in the Viking world. Afterwards, he was invited to speak at the AOH state convention, where he talked about the medieval Irish tradition of pilgrimage. Both talks were well-received, and he expects to have further contact with the Order, whose members are keen to establish closer ties with Belmont Abbey College.

Dr. Wadden delivered a paper, “The Origins of Early Irish Written Law in Its European Context,” at the annual conference of the Southeast Medieval Association held at Appalachian State University in October.

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Dr. Mary Ellen Weir, Associate Professor of English, presented a paper, “Converged Minds: Heraclitus, Hopkins and Teilhard in the Noosphere,” at the Southeast Regional Conference on Christianity and Literature at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, in April.

Dr. Weir reviewed the seventh edition of The Writer's Presence: A Pool of Readings by St. Martin's Press.

Dr. David Williams, Associate Professor of Theology and Chair of the Theology Department, appeared as Adam in the Abbey Players' performance of As You Like It.

Dr. Williams appeared on several local television stations to discuss the election of the new pope. He appeared twice on NBC-affiliate WCNC, during the morning news on February 28 and March 14; once on NPR-affiliate WFAE, for the “Charlotte Talks” program; and once on CBSaffiliate WBTV, during the afternoon news on March 4.

Dr. Williams taught a two-session course on “Magisterium” for the Charlotte diocese's permanent deacon formation program, in February and March.

“My friend Bill Thierfelder explains what we leaders try to do every day— challenge ourselves and our teams to be at our best, all the time.”

Coach Mike Krzyzewski

Learn what it takes to win.

An All-American athlete with a doctorate in sports psychology, Dr. Bill Thierfelder has been a private mentor and coach to the world's top athletes. His hard won secrets helped them perform at the highest levels as Olympians and Super Bowl stars. In Less Than a Minute to Go, you'll learn the same powerful techniques to give your very best on and off the field. Join Dr. Bill Thierfelder in an exploration of sport and life as you have never considered them before.

Buy your copy today of the new book by Belmont Abbey College President, Dr. Bill Thierfelder.

LessThanAMinuteToGo.com All royalties from the sale of this book are donated to Belmont Abbey College.

BELMONT ABBEY COLLEGE www.BAC.edu

Spring 2014

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SPORTS NEWS

Living Excellence and Virtue to the Core: Men’s Soccer Coach Inspires Team to Put College’s Motto Into Practice

By David Exum

By SueAnn Howell

At Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic college with a long history of excellence and virtue following the Benedictine tradition, one might expect a high standard of conduct in their student-athletes. A great example of this can be seen in the men's soccer team under the direction of the men's head soccer coach, John Keating.

Keating, an Oblate of St. Benedict who is married and a father of four, left a more lucrative coaching position to come to Belmont Abbey College two years ago on what he says is his “mission.”

When he arrived at the Abbey, he and assistant coach Seth Lowther brainstormed and developed 15 “Core Values” for their players, designed to create a culture of excellence and virtue.

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“We threw out ideas as to what is our culture,” Keating recalls. “We decided I would find 15 quotes to go with those values. We took them from diverse sources – Aristotle, popes, soccer managers, golf caddies, sports psychologists. In the end, we had an eclectic mix.”

The Core Values state that the team is: resilient, energetic, extraordinary, selfless, appreciative, joyful, consistent, fearless, has perspective, oozes class, is full of leaders, practices with focus, learns from its mistakes, loves big games, and can enter the peak experience at will.

He had the players memorize them all. On the first day of pre-season, they had to write them down—verbatim.

They had to pass the fitness test and the Core Values test to get into the locker

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room. They also had a Core Values signing ceremony.

Keating began to notice the difference these Core Values were making in the lives of his players.

Several players who had formerly not been given opportunities for leadership before Keating's tenure, began to rise to the occasion.

“Given the opportunity to lead, they did,” Coach Keating explains. “They are natural leaders. You can say to them, 'Everyone has to lead,' but some of the guys don't know how. By initiating the Core Values, it was a foundation to pin the leadership model to practice. I could always say to them, 'Were any of the core values violated or upheld?'”

Keating gave one particular example at a pre-season game when some

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Belmont Abbey freshmen players got into an altercation with the other team.

“Because we had discussed Core Values all weekend long, a moment presented itself after the game. The senior (Belmont Abbey) players asked if they could talk to the guys and called them together, telling them, 'That stuff on the field cannot happen.' And then one of the guys said, 'That is not what class is about.'”

Mauricio Lopez, who graduated last year, also recalled another opportunity that presented itself early last year.

“We were really tested on the Core Values during the second week of the pre-season when we took a teambuilding trip to a camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains,” he said. “The cabins were rustic, with 12 bunks to a room, one-inch-thick mattresses, and chilly night air blowing through them.

Expecting hotel rooms, the new accommodations challenged the players to embrace the Core Value of Appreciation – 'Our team is appreciative, grateful for everything, and entitled to nothing.'”

Another test came when on that same weekend they went for what was supposed to be a 30-minute jog. It turned into a 12-mile run after they became lost.

“We got closer together. We lived the Core Values: we had perspective, we were energetic. We saw that no man is an island,” Lopez said. “I think he (Keating) wanted to test us on all those core values in one weekend!”

Periodically they had to revisit the

Core Values and retest and reiterate the values when Keating noticed some players forgetting some of them out on the field.

“As they forgot the Core Values, we saw a spike in poor discipline. We got together with the senior leaders and retested on the Core Values. We gave them consequences if they didn't know them.”

Keating also saw the junior players take on leadership roles as the seniors were preparing to leave upon graduation. He said he is encouraged by the way all the young men have responded to the Core Values this season.

“They used the Core Values to frame their leadership. So I think that with those values they can bring legitimate skills to the future. They'll be leaders in their communities, great dads, and great priests someday.”

Belmont Abbey College's president, Dr. William Thierfelder, who is an Olympic athlete and speaker for the professional athlete's association of Catholic Athletes For Christ, has written a book entitled, Less Than a Minute To Go: The Secret to World Class Performance in Sport, Business and Life.

“It's important to recognize that sport and virtue are not opposed to one another,” Thierfelder points out. “They are not mutually exclusive. When I talk about sport and virtue, certainly an athlete, no matter what level they may be, are called by God to use their skills, talents, and abilities and do the very best they can, to be the very best

John Keating

performing athlete they can. But that's only one of the virtues. Virtues don't work in isolation, they work together.

It's important to integrate the virtues in everything they do.”

Keating, who has received high praise from Thierfelder for his work in the athletic department at the College, is grateful to have the opportunity to mentor the young men “to become who they are called to be by God.” He was especially proud to present the graduating seniors with a special certificate for their excellence in virtue in adhering to the Core Values both on and off the field during last years commencement.

“I honestly feel that this is my apostolate. It's very rewarding. I am grateful for their response. I have been used as an instrument. I'm like John the Baptist. I'm just the instrument.

They could have turned their backs, but they haven't.”

This article was edited and reprinted with permission from the Catholic News Herald.

2012 Men’s Soccer Team

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SPORTS NEWS

Abbey Inducts Two New Members into Sports Hall of Fame

By Chris Peeler

Photo courtesy of Encaptured & Company

Pictured left to right: Clint Bryant ‘77, Dr. Michael Reidy, and Hank Steincke ‘63

The Dr. Michael P. Reidy Athletics Hall of Fame inducted two new members during homecoming weekend activities October 4-5. Enshrined in this year's class were Hank Steincke, '63 and Clint Bryant, '77. The Hall of Fame inductions took place October 5 in the Student Commons, beginning with a reception followed by dinner and inductions.

Steincke, a native of New York, was a member of the basketball, baseball, and soccer teams during his career. A four-year member of the basketball team, Steincke spent two years on the diamond and played one year of soccer.

In 1962 he led the baseball team in home runs, and he was the starting goalkeeper on the inaugural soccer team. As a senior, he was the recipient

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of the Marty Thomas Award as the most outstanding athlete.

The 1999 Belmont Abbey Alumnus of the Year, Steincke has sponsored Belmont Abbey's involvement in the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade for the past 30 years. In 2010, he was also instrumental in bringing to Belmont Abbey College the production of Coach, a one-man play about his former coach Al McGuire that was written by legendary sportscaster Dick Enberg.

Bryant came to Belmont Abbey from suburban Washington, D.C., in 1973 and played basketball for four years. He was among the Crusaders leaders in rebounds all four years and was called one of the team's top scholars. A recipient of the Marty Thomas Award,

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Bryant graduated with a degree in Business Management.

He later obtained a master's degree from Clemson. After a standout coaching career, Bryant is now the Director of Athletics at Georgia Regents University, (formerly Augusta State University) a position he has held for the past 26 years.

In other homecoming activities, the new tennis court complex on the Abbey campus was dedicated. Presented by former Abbey tennis player Will Esser and attended by many, the dedication officially named the new tennis center the Dr. Michael P. Reidy Tennis Center.

Coach Reidy also received a lifetime achievement award at the Athletic Hall of Fame dinner.

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Ross:

Rest in Peace,

The Abbey Mourns The Loss Of Former Men's Soccer Captain

By Emily Williams The Belmont Abbey College Men's Soccer program is saddened to announce the passing of former Crusaders captain Ross Smith. Smith, 26, passed away January 29 after a two-year battle with cancer.

Smith, who hailed from Leeds, England, joined the Crusaders in 2009 and was a four-year fixture in the Belmont Abbey midfield.

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Appearing 73 times on the pitch from 2009-12, Smith scored 10 goals and assisted on 11 others. The biggest goal of his career came on September 26, 2009, when he scored the golden goal in overtime to give Belmont Abbey a 2-1 win over St. Andrews for the 500th win in the program's history.

As a senior in 2012, Smith proudly wore the captain's armband as he scored two goals and assisted on three others.

Smith was a 2013 graduate of the Abbey, earning a degree in Sports Management. He was unable to attend graduation ceremonies, so Dr. Travis Feezell, Chair of the Sports Management department, flew to England and presented Smith with his diploma. Dr. Feezell described Smith as having a definitive impact on the people around him.

“It will sound cliched to say this, but he truly did light up the room when he was around. If you look at most of the photos of him, you will see an infectious smile – and it was genuine. He was authentically happy and he influenced others with that happiness. That's the thing I will remember about him the most.”

John Keating, the Head Coach of the Men's Soccer Team, reflected on Smith's passing and the loss of his jubilant personality: “Every locker room is filled with personalities of all types, which is healthy. Ross served the role of 'illuminator' in our community. By this I mean that he lit up the locker room when he walked in. He rarely had a bad day. We are remembering his contribution to the program and to his teammates by reserving his locker in his memory. No one uses it. Only his game jersey #7 is displayed on a hanger in that space. Since we derive joy from playing the sport, we think of Ross when we are joyful. This is entirely fitting, given Ross's nature.”

Mr. Stephen Miss, Belmont Abbey's Athletic Director, remembered Smith fondly as a “passionate…charismatic” student whose enthusiasm was unmistakable: “One of my favorite recollections of Ross is from early December 2012.

Having just submitted his final paper as an undergraduate, Ross was celebrating in the halls of the Wheeler Center and letting everyone within earshot know how excited he was to be graduating. That memory resonates because Ross was more than elated or exuberant; at that moment, Ross was just Ross – he was ebullient.”

The Abbey community would like to offer their sincere condolences to Mr. Smith's parents and family in England and his friends here in North Carolina.

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SPORTS NEWS

Conference Carolinas

CHAMPIONS

A G A I N

By Chris Poore

The Belmont Abbey women's volleyball team swept the visiting King Tornado 3-0 before a raucous crowd of over 900 to capture the 2013 Conference Carolinas Championship.

Set scores were 26-24, 25-16 and 25-19.

Belmont Abbey repeated as champion, and added to the school record for wins (28) and winning streak (22). The Crusaders received the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in December.

Belmont Abbey (28-3) and King (325) shared the Conference Carolinas regular season title when both teams finished with identical 17-1 records and the two teams beat each other on their home floors. The Crusaders were awarded the top seed after a random selection by the conference office, thus the final match was played on the Abbey's floor.

It was the Tornado that started the match on fire, maintaining a lead it would not lose until late in the match.

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A Crusaders run, capped off by a King service error, gave the Crusaders their first lead of the match at 18-17. The two teams would battle neck and neck through the end of the set until an Abbey surge, capped off by a Claire Lang kill, moved the Crusaders ahead 23-21 and forcing a King timeout.

After the pause, the Tornado won the next three points to set up set point for King at 24-23. Three straight kills from Hannah Schellenberg ended the set to move the Crusaders on top 26-24 and a 1-0 lead in the match.

Set two was all Crusaders, as the Abbey stormed ahead 4-0 and would go on to lead 11-3. The Tornado could only close to within six, and the Abbey scored the final three points to win by nine, 25-16—taking a commanding two sets to none lead.

The final set started similarly to the first. The teams split the first 14 points before the Crusaders won the next four

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points to effectively seal the match.

After King broke the string at 11-8, Belmont Abbey claimed the six of the next seven points to move ahead 17-9.

King fought back, winning ten of the next 17 points, fighting off two match points, but it could not avoid a third, as Schellenberg knocked down her 17th and final kill of the afternoon to give the Abbey the Conference Carolinas Championship.

The win is the Abbey's school-record 22nd-straight, and the 28th victory of the season is also a school record.

Belmont Abbey advanced to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament for the second year in a row and the first two NCAA appearances in school volleyball history. Even though the Crusaders fell to Wingate 3-0 in the first round of playoffs, the loss could not tarnish an outstanding season.

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SPORTS NEWS

Crusader Club Memberships Be a part of the great tradition and exciting future of Abbey Athletics!

Crusader Club memberships raise funds to support our athletic programs as we commit to our pursuit of Excellence and Virtue.

Please show your support and join the Crusader Club today! www.abbeyathletics.com

Playing with a passion that never ends.

Spring 2014

CROSSROADS

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43

ALUMNI NEWS

The Office of Alumni Relations Greetings from Belmont Abbey College!

We hope you and your loved ones have survived the winter. A beautiful blanket of snow covered our campus February 11-14. Classes were canceled, and students enjoyed the hills for sledding and perfect snow for building a snowman or two.

We've had another year of strong enrollment. Our students are exceptional. Last year we built two new dormitories, and our new state-of the-art dining hall opened in 2012. Both projects were a big hit with our students! These additions and improvements to our campus are possible because of the generosity of our alumni donors and friends like you.

As you know, alumni support is a key measurement of a college. It can be the difference in receiving funding awards and in national rankings of college quality. Your participation is foundational to our current and future success. Just like the monks who built this college one brick at a time, we need every single alum to make his/her contribution.

PROJ ECT

2014 1400 in 2014

Introducing PROJECT 2014, a new and exciting opportunity for us to increase our alumni participation base to 1,400, or 15% of our alumni base.

All alumni gifts, regardless of size, whether $1 or $100, will count toward our goal. This is quite a lofty goal and we need your help! For more details and to make your contribution to PROJECT 2014, please visit our website: https://alumni.belmontabbeycollege.edu/Project2014.

As it is also our continued mission to develop programs, events and services that keep you connected to your alma mater and to your alumni family, we've created an exciting new initiative called ABBEY GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) — a fresh take on the traditional alumni association. GOLD is a brand new idea from the Office of Alumni Relations and reflects the input we have received from our young alumni. GOLD is dedicated to giving young alums what they thrive on the most: social events with a twist of professional development. We have some great events coming down the pipeline that are designed to get our young alumni reconnected to their Abbey family. Thanks to our recent graduates for helping with this program, and we will continue to keep you posted of GOLD developments.

This past year we have traveled up and down the East Coast hosting alumni events, and we've thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet and talk with those of you who have attended an event. What fun we've had! We will continue to reach out to as many cities as we can. Please call and let us know if you are interested in hosting an event in your city.

We are committed to serving our alumni family. Look for your copy of the Alumni E-Newsletter to hit your email box. Send in your stories, accomplishments, and other noteworthy items so that we can include them in the next issue. To find important program updates, event listings, and contact information, please go to our website: www.belmontabbeycollege.edu/alumni.

Anytime throughout the year you are invited to stop by and visit us in the Lowry Alumni House on Campus.

We welcome your visit.

Thank you for support of Belmont Abbey College and may God bless you and your family.

Christine Goff Peeler Director Alumni and Community Relations

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Monte Monteleone '71 Assistant Director Alumni and Community Relations

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ALUMNI NEWS

Crusaderword Puzzle ACROSS 1 Rear 3 Body of water on Belmont Abbey campus 7 Group of bees 9 Belmont Abbey ___________ Center 13 Abbey hoopster, later played against the Globetrotters 14 Status of Belmont Abbey until 1976 16 Denizen until 1960 of Abbey dairy 18 Belmont Abbey athletic nickname 22 Former Abbey basketball coach Metress 24 Out of work 26 Hammer, e.g.

28 Abbey cager and presenter of the Heisman Trophy 31 Approaches 32 Founder of Order of Belmont Abbey monks 33 The _________, home of the Abbey Theatre

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DOWN 1 Papal proclamation of Belmont Abbey Cathedral 2 Former Abbey athletic conference 4 The __________, former name of Abbey Lane (abbr.)

5 Type of bread 6 1977 Belmont Abbey Commencement speaker 8 Legendary Abbey basketball coach 10 Mata _________ 11 Belonging to former voice of Abbey basketball Gantt Spring 2014

12 “A __________ Night in Georgia,” first chapter of Joe Moran’s book on 8 down, You Can Call Me Al 15 _________ Alamos 17 Memorable former Belmont Abbey College president 19 _________ Monte 20 Pacified 21 Initials for Latin Belmont Abbey motto 23 Belmont Abbey ________ Hall 24 Memorable Belmont Abbey professor Hanahan CROSSROADS

25 What Abbey students usually had at Dent’s 27 Former Belmont Abbey athletic association 29 _________ on a Grecian Urn (in memory of Father Matthew) 30 King Lear– “Is this the promised _________?” (in memory of Father John)

Answers to Crossword puzzle found on page 51.

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ALUMNI NEWS

“Humpy” Wheeler:

Relying ying on faith growing up in the South

By David Exum

Legendary stock car racing promoter Howard A. “Humpy” Wheeler Jr. remembers a time when Catholics in Charlotte were scarce.

Wheeler's father, Howard A. “Humpy” Wheeler Sr., a Catholic transplant from Rhode Island, took a job in the early 1930s as an athletic coach at Belmont Abbey College. Years later, he became athletic director.

“Growing up Catholic was difficult,” recalls the 74-year-old Wheeler, who was born in Gastonia. “My mother, who was from Bessemer City, said that my dad was the first Catholic she had ever seen, much less met. She was a Baptist. On Sundays, we'd go to 8 a.m.

Mass then she'd go to church at 11. On my parents' 21st wedding anniversary she converted (to Catholicism).”

The Charlotte area remains a stronghold for Protestants, but being Catholic today is far less daunting than it was in the 1940s and '50s as Wheeler remembers it.

“There was a lot of prejudice against Catholics at the time,” he says.

“Fortunately, things have changed. In 1955, no one would have thought possible the growth and influence of Catholicism now established in Charlotte.”

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Wheeler says he led two distinct lives growing up: one as a Catholic working for his father at Belmont Abbey, and another getting along with cotton mill workers' kids in Belmont.

“I was practically raised at the Abbey. You would always find me helping my dad by putting out the bases or picking up uniforms. I was even an altar boy with my brother in the Basilica,” he told Crossroads a few years back. He called the Abbey “a very special place.”

“I would leave the Abbey – where I learned Latin, all the classics of literature, and Catholicism – to participate in boxing and work on race cars. I'd flow from one normal to the other. It was like night and day. It really rounded me out and prepared me for doing what I have done the rest of my life, and that is racing.”

And while he worked briefly as a sportswriter in the early 1960s, Wheeler remembers, his Catholic faith helped him during an interview with baseball legend Henry “Hank” Aaron.

“I had gotten him to open up simply because I was a Catholic in an area where there weren't any. That lit him up because he was Catholic from Alabama. I got a good interview from

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him based on our similar experiences.

(Being a Catholic in the South) was very difficult, but the knowledge I gained from living and working with working-class people and from my Catholic upbringing has helped me a great deal.”

Wheeler spent 34 years at Charlotte Motor Speedway until retiring in 2008.

Before helping to make Charlotte Motor Speedway the motorsports mecca that it is today, he worked several years in the mid-1960s and '70s as a Firestone Racing promoter in Indianapolis.

“I got my master's degree working for Firestone and being in Indianapolis,” says Wheeler, who has been interviewed for countless auto racing documentaries. He was also portrayed in the ESPN film 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story, and he provided the voice of “Tex,” a 1975 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, in the 2006 animated film Cars.

During the 1960s and '70s, IndyCar, or open-wheel racing, was far more popular than NASCAR in the United States. Wheeler considers that period in his life extremely important, and he relied on his faith: “From 1964 to 1970, I had to call on my faith numerous

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ALUMNI NEWS

times. So many drivers got killed, and it was the bloodiest time we had in racing.”

Wheeler remembers how in 1964, while working with Firestone to prepare for the Indianapolis 500, he received word that his good friend Glenn “Fireball” Roberts was severely burned in a fiery crash at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a race known at the time as the World 600.

“I got a call telling me that it looked like Fireball was going to die. He was one of our chief test drivers at Firestone at the time.”

Roberts died days later at a Charlotte hospital due to complications from his burns.

“That same year, Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald were both killed in the Indy 500. They had to stop the race.

Sachs' car was burned to a crisp. Sachs and his wife were both Catholic, and they shared a hotel room near my wife (Pat) and I. For me to witness that was devastating. He really was a great man.”

“So many people died during that period of time from racing – many people that I knew well. It really tested me. Had it not been for my faith, I wouldn't have had anything to rely on. I watched many people get out of racing because of those deaths. That was really tough on me. I did – and still do – a lot of talking to priests, and that helped me.

I think that comes from growing up at the Abbey.”

Wheeler remembers another time when he drew upon his faith: the night of May 20, 2000, when a pedestrian crosswalk spanning Route 29 at Charlotte Motor Speedway collapsed after the NASCAR All-Star Race, injuring more than 100 people.

“This was the year after three people were killed from flying debris at the IndyCar race (in Charlotte). When I heard that the bridge collapsed over (Highway) 29, I asked for the Lord's help to see me through it. We borrowed a patrol car from a State Trooper, set up in the median, and operated a triage from right there. In 59 minutes, we got 95 people transported to several hospitals, which was pretty incredible.”

He also leaned on his Catholic upbringing in the days that followed: “As many people will attest, it's the

Spring 2014

aftermath of those things that test you the most. You have to deal with the families and the lawyers – and that's where the anger comes in because you're (facing lawsuits), and you have to temper that. I think belonging to the Catholic Church is great when you have a crisis.”

Wheeler has also had tremendous support over the years from his wife Pat. They marked their 51st wedding anniversary this year.

Wheeler, who was instrumental in getting a motorsports management program started at Belmont Abbey College, called on his faith after his abrupt retirement as president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008, after 34 years of service.

“I wasn't happy with how (my retirement) was handled. Speedway chairman Bruton Smith and I haven't spoken since then, though I have reached out to him. I was angry, and I relied on my faith to get through it. You can't stay mad about things outside your control. You have to release the anger and roll with the punches. I've always had a temper, and I think it developed from the prejudice I faced as a Catholic in that little town.”

After retirement, Wheeler co-wrote Growing up NASCAR: Racing's Most Outrageous Promoter Tells All with Peter Golenbock.

Like other Catholics, Wheeler acknowledges that there have been problems in the Church, notably the clergy abuse crisis, but he says his love for the Church remains as strong as ever. “Gosh, there are so many priests that are wonderful. They've been so great to me, and I have priest friends in a lot of different places.”

Wheeler expresses devotion to Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte, where he attends Mass.

“It's the black (Catholic) church in Charlotte. I belong there because a lot of blacks built the cathedral at Belmont Abbey, and a lot of them converted. I just enjoy it, and Pat and I love going over there.”

This article was edited and reprinted with permission from the Catholic News Herald.

CROSSROADS

Close ties to Belmont Abbey College Wheeler's nickname comes from his father, Howard A. “Humpy” Wheeler, Sr. When the senior Wheeler played football for the University of Illinois, he was caught smoking “Humpy” Wheeler, Jr., 1956, Camel cigarettes.

Belmont Abbey College The coach punished him by making him run 30 minutes before every practice.

Teammates dubbed him “Humpy” after the picture of the camel on the cigarette pack. When the junior Wheeler was born, he inherited the nickname.

Wheeler's father was athletic director at Belmont Abbey College for 38 years.

He was also the first layman to hold an enduring appointment at the Benedictine-run College. He remained connected to the Abbey family until his death in 1992. In addition to coaching all sports, he taught history, politics, civics, and hygiene. The College later named its athletic center after Wheeler.

The younger Wheeler attended Belmont Abbey College Prep School, graduating in 1956.

Considered one of sport's greatest promoters, Wheeler is known for legendary promotional feats during his 50-year career in motorsports. For 33 years, he ran Charlotte Motor Speedway, made it the number-one track in racing, and took Speedway Motorsports public as the first racing firm on the New York Stock Exchange. He is current chair of The Wheeler Company, a motorsports consulting group. All this has earned him entry into nine Halls of Fame, including the prestigious International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Wheeler has won the Grace Award and the Sport at the Service of the Spirit Award at the Abbey for his outstanding service. He began the unique and successful motorsports management academic program in 2003, which graduated its first motorsports management major this year.

He has twice served on the College's board of trustees. Wheeler and his wife Pat have a deep love for the Abbey and the Benedictine order, and two of their children graduated from Belmont Abbey College.

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ALUMNI NEWS

Homecoming 2013

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Photograph(s) Courtesy of Tammy Cantrell - Encaptured & Co, 2013 Spring 2014

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ALUMNI NEWS

Remembering

REDZO

By Bob Siebert '63

Bernie Brennan, who passed away in late 2012, was a classmate of mine at Belmont Abbey College. He is remembered as a superior ball handling guard on the legendary Al McGuire basketball teams in the early 1960s.

He singularly epitomized the defense-oriented style of play championed by McGuire with his dribbling abilities and by freezing the ball in the era prior to the shot clock.

While enrolled at the Abbey, Bernie had distinctive red hair. Throughout his collegiate career, he answered to the acquired name of “Redzo.” Few people are familiar with the particular circumstances under which he had obtained this nickname.

Bernie and Joe Butts, my next-door neighbors in the dormitory as freshmen in 1959, returned to campus late one night, popped into our room for a couple of seconds, and the rest is history. From the upper bunk I called out “Hi, Redzo,” and the moniker stuck for the duration of his four years at the Abbey.

After graduation, Bernie remained supportive of the Abbey. A stroke he sustained some years ago did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm. On various occasions he and his wife Joan had traveled from their New Jersey home to attend

such events as homecoming, the Belmont Abbey Wall of Fame ceremonies, and his own induction into the City of Belmont Hall of Fame.

Bernie was a catalyst in motivating other alumni to attend both homecoming and other functions at the school. Players of note coached by Al McGuire and later honored as members of the Belmont Hall of Fame include Danny Doyle, John Von Bargen, Jim Sparrow, Jim Mullen, Jim Lytle, Hank Steincke, the late Joe McDermott, Joe Butts, Bill Ficke, Bill Dockery, Bob Kopf, and Chuck Sullivan, each of whom attended the induction ceremonies in great part because of Bernie's influence.

The 2012-13 basketball team scored a decisive 105-87 victory over favored Barton College in the semi-finals of the conference playoffs.

Hank Steincke told me that he sent an e-mail message to Abbey head basketball coach Stephen Miss imploring the team to win the finals because Redzo would be watching.

I am certain that Stephen gave a pep talk to his players to rival the “win one for the Gipper” speech made

by Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne.

Redzo indeed must have been watching as the Crusaders went out and won the game for him. Following the 6755 triumph over Limestone College, the team was crowned champions of Conference Carolinas.

Gene Miller;

The Belmont Abbey College Crusaders, (KNEELING L to R) Bernie Brennan, Chuck Sullivan, (STANDING L to R) Roy King, Bill Dockery, Bob Kopf, Joe McDermott, Thad Malinowski, Harvey Gregory

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ALUMNI NEWS

In Memory of William Bowen ’58:

His Desire To Help Others Was Fostered Here

By Emily Williams

On August 7th of last year, Brad Bowen ’85 returned to the Abbey to fulfill a special request. Ten years ago his late father, William Otis Bowen '58, had quietly established a charitable trust that provided him with income during his life while also fulfilling his desire to give the remaining amount to a charity of his choice after he passed away. The late Mr. Bowen had graciously chosen Belmont Abbey College as the recipient of this gift, and his son was back at their alma mater to oversee the distribution of his father's donation and celebrate his father's legacy with Abbot Placid Solari and Dr. Bill Thierfelder.

Alongside his deep investment in the lives of others, William Otis Bowen was also characterized by his humility, as the Abbey was unaware of the specifics of his gift. His generosity surprised no one, however. Brad describes him as a “very religious person,” adding that “he actually came to Belmont Abbey in order to enter the priesthood, but changed his mind along the way.”

Finding his calling at the Abbey was something that he never forgot. “The Abbey was a special time and place for him,” Brad said, “and he wanted to give back to the College in a way that would help the institution, as well as others.”

Belmont Abbey College offers its sincere condolences to the Bowen family and heartfelt thanks for the honor of sharing in William Otis Bowen's remarkable legacy of care and generosity.

1933-2013

Pictured left to right: Abbot Placid Solari, O.S.B., Brad Bowen ‘85, Dr. William Thierfelder

Caring for others was an ever-present occupation of the elder Mr. Bowen's life. He studied sociology at the Abbey in the 1950s and later pursued a career in social work, spending the last years of his life in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. “He really enjoyed helping others in the sociology field,” Brad said, “and a few years prior to retiring, he worked to get patients out of the hospital and into housing for those he felt were capable of living on their own.”

Answers to Crossword puzzle on page 45.

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CLASS NOTES

Provided by The Office of Alumni Relations These notes are based on information gathered from January 2013 through December 2013. They reflect information from alums and friends of Belmont Abbey College.

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ED QUIGLEY sold the rights to two of his books, In the Company of Rivers and Fly Fishing Advice, to Skyhorse Publishing in New York. Both of these books are available in hardcover, paperback and e-book editions.

Check them out on Amazon. In the Company of Rivers sells 40 to 80 Kindle downloads a month. On Amazon you can get details on the books and a bio of Ed. Congratulations, Ed!

62 T M G operates a successful law firm in Richmond, Virginia, OM

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that concentrates on helping the motorcycle community. Tom and his colleagues have represented many motorcyclists in their pursuit to have laws that allow them to enjoy their lifestyle and ensure their safety.

He recently won a case in North Carolina dealing with the state's helmet law. We wish Tom continued success.

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TIM FORD recently donated a package to Alumni Relations. In the package were two items. One was a memento of his days as a pledge of Phi Kappa Theta; the other was a Belmont Abbey College banner that was given to him by Father Cuthbert Allen. According to Tim, the BAC banner “is a bit older than 50 years. It was a gift from Fr. Cuthbert Allen for whom I worked for almost four years cleaning the lounge and snack areas of St. Leo Hall.” Thanks Tim for sharing this bit of Abbey history! The banner is hanging in the Lowry Alumni House for all to see.

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65

Doug Wetmore and AUGIE LANGE '63 celebrated the 86th birthday of Abbey alum Father Adrian Harmening '48 in July 2013. Fr. Adrian is the former principal at Benedictine College Preparatory School in Richmond, Virginia, where many of our Richmond area alums went to school. Pictured left to right: Augie Lange '63, John McGinty (former Headmaster at BCP), Fr. Adrian '48, Doug Wetmore '65.

66 Don Brown was honored on his 70 birthday by Ed Antosek '68. Ed invited several of their Phi Kappa th

Theta fraternity brothers to attend a special dinner in Don's honor. The party was held at Ed's home in Burnsville, North Carolina (many of you may remember this as Mr. Hannahan's “place in the mountains”) on April 20th.

Attendees were (from left to right): Bob McDonnell '67, Sal Guida '68, Fr. Kieran, OSB '54, Fr. David, OSB '54, Pat Blevins '68, Tom Burch '68, Ed Antosek '68, Don Brown '66, Dick Evans '69, John Larocca '68.

Congratulations, Don, we wish you many more.

66 Barbara Gorcys Deane retired to Stone Creek in Ocala, Florida, after a career as an HR Executive with McCormick & Company and later Gannett Company.

She served on numerous local, state, and national boards while living in Virginia and Louisiana. While in Louisiana, she received the Athena Award and the Gannett Diversity Award, and chaired the Women's Philanthropy Network and The Providence House Board. She also served on the Governor's Commission for Secondary School Redesign, The Alliance for Education, and the Mayor's Advisory Council for Shreveport Common and was honored as “100 of the Most Influential Women of the Century.” She likes to call retirement “redirection.”

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Provided by The Office of Alumni Relations

66 George McCauley worked as a Regional 68 Sharon Folk was recently promoted to the rank Security Officer at the US Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, for the of Grand Cross, the highest rank possible in the Equestrian month of July 2013. He also served in the U.S. Embassy Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire in February-April, 2013. Though he is retired (2002), the U.S. State Department keeps calling George back to fill in when the regular Embassy Security Officer has to leave Post. He also has been in touch with the Chupko brothers (Frank '67, John '75 and Nick '84). “Frank and John continue to travel to the Philippines and have developed quite a following among the entertainment industry there,” George said.

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Bob Parks serves on the Board of Directors of the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University. He grew up in Key West, Florida, and received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Belmont Abbey.

He obtained his Master of Education and Bachelor of Business Degrees seven years later from Florida Atlantic University. In 1995, Bob received his doctoral degree in Education Leadership from the University of Miami. He was a member of the School Board of Broward County, Florida, from 1986-2010 and provided leadership as the Chairperson three times during the 24 years of his tenure on the School Board of Broward County. Bob is a former Program Professor in the Graduate Teacher Education Program at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, a former Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University in the Department of Educational Leadership in the College of Education, and developed and served as Director of the Teaching and Leadership Center at Florida Atlantic University.

68 Ed Antosek was confirmed and officially took over as President of the Belmont Abbey College Alumni Association. As part of his duties, he wants to have an “open door” policy for any and all Abbey alums. With that in mind, he has asked that his contact info be published in case any of you would like to contact him with any thoughts, ideas or suggestions on how we can improve and grow alumni participation in our association. To contact Ed please either call him on his cell at 843-368-0369 or email him at edantosek@alumni.bac.edu.

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Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. The Order's principal mission is to reinforce the practice of Christian life by its members in absolute fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church; to sustain and assist in religious, spiritual, charitable, and social works; and to conserve and propagate the faith and the rights of the Church. Members of the Order must be practicing Catholics of good character who frequently receive the sacraments, have a longstanding record of excellent service and fidelity to the Church, and be recognized for their service to the Church, community, and others. Members must also exemplify charity, courtesy, loyalty, largesse, and gentility in their conduct. As it is a papal honor, aspirant members must be recommended by their local bishop with the support of several members of the Order. Congratulations, Sharon!

70 Tony Giordano and fellow alum Bill Burns '69 honored professor Dr. Frank Murray at a dinner in Charlotte for 50 years of teaching at the Abbey. Both Tony and Bill had Dr. Murray as a professor while at the Abbey.

Dr. Murray brought a roll book from 1966 showing them their grades from that class. Tony and Bill are partners in a law firm in Charlotte: Giordano, Gordon and Burns, PLLC. While there, they also called Abbot Edmund McAffrey to wish him a happy 80th birthday. Thank you, Dr. Murray for your years of service and the help you gave all of your Abbey students!

70 Charlie Martin won the mayoral election for Belmont, North Carolina, on November 5, 2013, and took office in December. He had been serving as a Belmont City Councilman for several years, and decided to make a run at becoming the Mayor of Belmont.

Charlie joins another Abbey alum as a sitting Mayor, David Bowers '74, Mayor of Roanoke, Virginia.

We know Charlie will do a great job and look forward to working with him to expand the ties between Belmont and the Abbey.

70 Danny Treece is celebrating 20 years of service with his company, American Marketing and Events, Inc. He is President and CEO of the company. Danny has worked with many companies across the U.S., including Belmont Abbey College.

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CLASS NOTES

Provided by The Office of Alumni Relations

71

Jan Courtney recently gathered with some of the Sacred Heart “girls� from the class of 1971. Sitting is Carey Kane '70 and standing from left to right: Sue Hug, Jan Mcfadyen Courtney, Annie Carbone Marco and Kendra Hutton.

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Rich Schuck met two of his classmates and fellow Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity brothers in Williamsburg, Virginia, last October. Rich sent a photo of the occasion.

Pictured from left to right are: Peggy and Rich Schuck '71, Frank Deluca '71 and wife Ginger, and Lynn and Walter O'Leary '71.

73 Anthony (Corky) Muller is now the grandfather of five grandchildren. Corky, who lives in the Charlotte area, added three grandsons in the last year, Micah, Parker, and Ezra, who join his two granddaughters Caroline and Bailey Ann. Congratulations, Corky, and maybe we can get a couple of them to attend the Abbey!

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73 Bob Schellenberg's nieces are all stars on the Abbey Volleyball team. The women's volleyball team won the Conference Carolinas Championship title for the second year in a row (see the article on page 42). The three Schellenberg players (pictured left to right) are: Kay (Graduated 2013) Lydia (Senior) Hannah (Sophomore) All three Schellenberg ladies were key components of the team's great success in the last two years.

Kay Schellenberg graduated last May with a degree in Elementary Education. She teaches third grade at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Jacksonville, Florida.

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Nikki Hornsby is a Grammy and Academy of Country Music voting member, along with other organizations, due to her experience as a professional singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, talent judge, consultant, and record label owner in the music recording industry. Her grandfather, Dan Hornsby, also a professional in the music recording industry, was recently honored in a Columbia Records display at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Hornsby recorded a song he wrote and sang about Shelby, North Carolina, which sold over 9,000 copies during the Depression.

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Jack Murphy was appointed National Chair for the Voice of the Poor committee of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Jack, who works for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, has been working with The Society of St. Vincent de Paul for about five years. The organization distributes food, clothing, and money to those in need in parishes throughout the world. The organization, begun in

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CLASS NOTES

Provided by The Office of Alumni Relations France by a group of college students in 1833, lobbies at federal, state, and local levels on behalf of low and no income people.

The photo below is from the February meeting of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington, D.C. In the picture, Jack (seated third from the left) is getting briefed on the bishop's agenda

by Ron Jackson from Catholic Charities. After this briefing, he called on our legislators on the hill. We thank Jack for his volunteer work and good luck in the future!

76 Larry Rieger completed a Master of Theology degree at Kings College in Jamestown, achieving top honors with a perfect 4.0 average. After graduation, he was licensed as a Lay Minister of the Anglican Church in North America, continuing at Epiphany Anglican Mission in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he has been leading worship services and preaching as a Lay Reader since 2009. Larry is continuing his studies for the Master of Ministry degree. On the secular side, in July, Larry completed his five-year assignment as Technical Configuration Controller for the Army Battle Lab Collaborative Simulation environment (BLCSE) at Fort Eustis, and is now leading efforts to move the BLCSE and its simulations into cloud computing.

77

Peggy McCloskey married Bobby Carter on June 22, 2013. Peggy is a retired naval officer as is her husband. After receiving her MSME, Peggy built aircraft carriers and submarines, while Bobby spent his Navy career driving surface ships.

Fully retired, Bobby participates in long-distance bicycle races and coaches cyclists. After 27 years in the Navy, Peggy works as an expert witness in Navy ships, systems, and operations on a not-to-interfere-with-traveling basis. After 17 moves in 27 years, in 2004 Peggy and Bobby found home for good in Coronado, California.

Spring 2014

79 Rear Admiral James Crawford, III was named the deputy judge advocate general of the Navy (DJAG) and commander, Naval Legal Service Command (CNLSC). As the DJAG, he serves as the deputy Department of Defense representative for Ocean Policy Affairs. As CNLSC, he leads the attorneys, enlisted legalmen, and civilian employees of 17 commands, providing prosecution and defense services, legal services to individuals, and legal support to commands around the world.

Crawford was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from Belmont Abbey College in 1979. He was commissioned through the JAG Corps Student Program, and, in 1983, graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill. He later earned a Master of Laws degree (Ocean and Coastal Law) from the University of Miami (Florida) School of Law and a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.

Crawford's personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), Legion of Merit (two awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

81

Shawn Brooker was recently named a claims adjustor for a major insurance company. Shawn came by campus recently with his son. They were visiting various colleges in North Carolina and Virginia. Shawn is living in Lynchburg, Virginia. We hope to see another Brooker here on campus again soon!

81 Mary Kuhn was recently named Appraisal Services Administrative Assistant at Towne Bank in Suffolk, Virginia. Congratulations, Mary!

81 Father Joseph Pearce, C.O, Parochial Vicar at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Ft. Mill, South Carolina, received his degree of Doctor of Ministry in Spirituality from the Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C. He recently stopped by the campus and updated us on his latest accomplishment.

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81

Debra Rick's son, Justin, works for “Fiddler's Vineyard� in Cherryville, North Carolina, just a few miles up the road from the Abbey. He is also a substitute teacher for Gaston County Schools.

82

Kevin L. Burke recently accepted a position as Dean of the Andrew Blair College of Health at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kevin is glad to be back in this area and is maintaining his ties with the Abbey. He visits campus often in conjunction with his work with the Abbey Players. Burke graduated from Belmont Abbey College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and recreation management (a double major) and a minor in sociology. Burke went on to build a distinguished career in sport psychology as a professor, researcher, and consultant. He helped form the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and was awarded a lifetime membership for his efforts in the establishment of this influential international organization. Congratulations, Kevin, and welcome back to Abbey country.

85 Domenic Campanile and Bina Patel were married December 13, 2012, at Domenic's Lake Wylie Villa. Domenic is the owner of Belltower Construction and his wife Bina is originally from South Carolina. She attended the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and is a Clinical Pharmacist working as a Medical Science Liaison in the Pharmaceutical industry. Best wishes to Domenic and Bina.

88 Kristin Roth was married November 23, 2012, to John Weakland.

They reside in Stafford, Virginia. Kristin has a daughter, Nikki Wilson, who is a freshman at West Virginia University. Kristin is now the stepmom to Logan (14) and Mackenzie (12) Weakland. Best wishes to Kristin and John!

82 Terry Schwarz and his wife Rhonda are the proud owners and operators of Huntington Learning Center in Alpharetta, Georgia. Terry retired from the beer business in November of 2011 after almost thirty years with AnheuserBusch. He and his wife acquired an existing Huntington Learning Center and quickly established the Learning Center in the community by working with schools and building a strong reputation in the Alpharetta community. They have won two North Fulton Community Favorite awards for tutoring in their first and second years of operation. They have two daughters, Colleen (24) and Rachael (21) who go to school and live in Atlanta.

84

Lori Morton and friends from across the East coast gathered in Litchfield Beach, South Carolina, last summer to celebrate and reminisce about their good times at BAC! They were suitemates and friends during those formative college years and had many stories to tell/retell.

From left to right first row: Laura Schorr Lyden '84, Lisa Orband Miller '83, Ann Haubrich Brown '83; second row: Patti Rizza Armstrong '84, Lisa Christopher O'Neill '84, and Lori Morton '84.

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Jim Curran was recently named Managing Director in Dubai with CommScope, a telecommunications firm based in Hickory, North Carolina. Jim lives in Dubai with his wife Jennifer and their two children, John and Mary Jane. He's a long way from his last assignment, where he spent three years in London. All are adjusting from the cool damp English climate to the hot and dry desert as well as the change in the culture.

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Provided by The Office of Alumni Relations

90

Natalie Lacey (Jones) played in the Bobby Jones Golf Classic for CSF in May in Atlanta. She was joined by Adam Shea '91 of Boston, Massachusetts, Brendan Reilly '91 of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Dr. Sean Alexander '91 of Alpharetta, Georgia. The golf tournament benefits the CSF Foundation, which raises money for research of the spinal disorder that ended Bobby

95

Rob Weaver and Sandi Greene Weaver '95 announce the birth of their new baby, Annalyn McCarthy Weaver. Annalyn was born May 2, 2013. She, along with her brother, Carson, have made the Weavers’ world complete. Perhaps one day they will continue the legacy and attend the Abbey. They would love for them to make lifelong friends like they did with their Pi Kappa Phi brothers and Alpha Sigma Tau sisters. Erin Szejner Brown '97 is Annalyn's godmother. Sandi will be returning to work as a 6th grade social studies teacher at Oakridge Middle School in Clover, South Carolina, and Rob is the Tax Assessor in Cherokee County, South Carolina.

97

Michael Fath and Dana Alini Fath '97 announce the birth of their daughter, Sydney Josephine, on August 14, 2012. She joins older siblings Madison, Michael, and Samantha. The Faths live in the Chicago area.

Jones' golf career, and later his life. The disease afflicts at least one million other Americans today. Adam, Brendan and Sean played on the Abbey's winning golf team in the late 80s.

They also celebrated the launch of this group's Six Degrees Golf consulting endeavor (6DegreesGolf.com).

90 April Tomberlin Mincey earned her Medical Technology degree at Presbyterian Hospital School of Medical Technology and has worked in the Blood Bank at Charlotte Red Cross for a number of years. In 2003, she earned her Master's in Health Administration from Pfeiffer University in Charlotte. Currently she resides with her husband of 17 years, Steve Mincey, in Henderson, North Carolina, where she is the Blood Bank supervisor at Parkridge Hospital, a small 120-bed facility. She will soon become an adjunct evening instructor at Blue Ridge Community College where she will teach Anatomy and Physiology. While prepping for teaching the course, she said she was happy to realize she still remembered much of it from Dr. Michael McLeod's lectures.

95 Arturo De Aguilar was recently appointed as the Human Resources Director for Richmond County Hospice, Inc. in Rockingham, North Carolina. His experience includes roles in family counseling and as senior human resources representative for more than five years at Perdue Farms in Georgia. De Aguilar, a resident of Richmond County for 14 years, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Belmont Abbey College, as well as a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts degree from St. Vincent de Paul College in Florida. Congratulations, Arturo!

Spring 2014

98 Patrick Leonard and his wife Erin Leonard announce the birth of their second daughter, Penelope Ann, on August 9, 2013. The Leonards live in Golden Valley, Minnesota, where Patrick works as a nurse at a local hospital.

98 Dr. Robert Utsman was recently named Postgraduate Programs and Research Director for the School of Health at the Universidad Latinoamericana de Ciencia y Techonologia in Panama. Apart from his academic career, he continues to maintain a private practice in the field of orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders.

99 Constantino Diaz completed his training in internal medicine at East Tennessee State University in early June 2013. He planned to continue his medical training in emergency medicine at Tampa General Hospital immediately upon the completion of his internal medicine training.

99

Rep. Patrick McHenry was reelected for a fifth term on November 6, 2013, to the newly designated 10th district in North Carolina. Keep up the good work, Patrick.

Pictured to the right are Rep. Patrick McHenry and his wife Giulia.

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99 Bill Miller and Judy Miller announce the birth of their fourth child, Brooke Analise, on July 14, 2013.

02 Robert Holmes and

Brooke joins older sisters Kaitlyn, Alexis, and Natalie. The Millers live in North Olmstead, Ohio.

Angela Guess Holmes '02 celebrated the baptism of their third child, Caroline Ruth, in August 2013, with proud older siblings Isabel, (7) and Ian, (2) at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Raleigh, North Carolina.

00 Angela Allen was recently awarded the 2013 Bernard A. Kershner Award for Innovation in Quality Improvement. Angela is the Associate Director of Administrative Services for the Student Health Center at UNCC. The award is presented by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), which is the accrediting body for over 5,700 health care centers across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This is a prestigious and competitive award and is presented to only two organizations each year. Allen was rewarded for her study, which sought to improve compliance with the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) guidelines on pap tests for women under 21 years of age. The title of the study was Pap Test Guideline Adherence. With the study as a guide, compliance was improved from an abysmal 9% in early 2011 to a stellar 98.4% in the spring of that year. After her graduation from the Abbey she went back to school and earned her M.A. in Industrial Organizational Psychology from UNC Charlotte in 2005. Pictured below from left to right are Angela, Dr. Brauning, who co-authored the study with Angela, and Lorraine Jordan, representing the award sponsors, AAAHC.

02 John McCune and his wife Kate (Matthews) '03 welcomed their latest addition, Mary-Karoline Ann, to the family. She was born July 11, 2013, and her big brothers John Paul (6), Patrick (4), and Aidan (2) love her very much.

03 Angela Juneau recently graduated from Rutgers School of Law in Camden, New Jersey. She will be taking the bar this summer and in September will begin a clerkship with Judge Kevin Smith in Woodbury, New Jersey.

Pictured are Angela and her three brothers. Good luck, Angela!

00

SFC Michael Wade was recently promoted to Sergeant First Class on October 1, 2013. His wife of ten years, Kimberly, pinned the new rank on him in a small ceremony attended by his family, the members of his unit and battle buddies from the 101st. After ten years in the service (with 51 months of it deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan), this was a big milestone in his career. Congratulations, Michael, and thank you for your service. Our prayers are with you!

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03 Joe Klinker and his wife Colleen announce the birth of Noelle Joy, who was born December 12, 2012. She

04 Carly Curry Sheldon recently relocated from Hickory, North Carolina, to Northeastern Pennsylvania with

joins older siblings Gracie and J.T. Congratulations, Joe and Colleen.

her husband, Gabe Sheldon. She is the proud mother of an always smiling and laughing little boy, Griffin Gabriel. They moved to Pennsylvania to follow her husband's career as a funeral director with his family-owned business, Sheldon Funeral Homes. She is extremely proud of her husband for finding his passion in life. Though her family is stretched across four different states, they manage to see each other every year. She regards her friends from Tau Kappa Delta as some of the best women in the world and they remain a source of constant support. Best of luck to you and your family,. Carly!

03

Demetria Tourloukis Reedy accepted a risk management position with Wells Fargo and will relocate from Missouri to Charlotte, North Carolina. Since graduating from the Abbey in 2003 Demetria married Brian Reedy and now has two daughters. At right is their most recent family photo with daughters, Persephonie Bernadette and Penelope Donna (their newest addition). They are very excited about their move and look forward to stopping by the Abbey. Welcome back to Abbey country!

03 Nicole Targia Rogers announced the birth of her son, Connor Hugh, who was born on January 23, 2013.

Congratulations, Nicole.

03

Justin Salmon and Cindie Campbell Salmon '04 announced the birth of their daughter, Zoe Sophia, on June 8, 2013. Zoe joins older sister Emma. The Salmons live in Leland, North Carolina.

04

Joe Wysocki and his wife Jeanne announce the birth of their son, Frank, on December 12, 2012. Frank joins his older brother, Joseph, here in Belmont. Joe Sr. is Assistant Professor of Government and Political Philosophy at the Abbey.

05 Bernie Fagarang, picture at right, announced her marriage to William Josh Baxley on December 14, 2013, in Myrtle Beach. Congratulations, Bernie.

05 Jack Seaman and Brenda Reising were married on June 29, 2013 in Apex, North Carolina. Jack and Brenda honeymooned on Ocracoke Island and while there spent some time at Howard's Pub, where Jack found a Belmont Abbey College pennant. Abbey alumni can be found just about anywhere, it seems. Good luck, Jack and Brenda!

04

Captain Thomas Beuschel was promoted to the rank of Captain in November 2012. Captain Beuschel is currently serving in the U.S. Army and is stationed in Virginia. Keep up the good work, Tom, and stay safe.

04

Fr. Samuel Plummer was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., at St. Matthew's Cathedral on June 15, 2013. Father Richard DeClue '02 preached the homily at Father Plummer's Mass of Thanksgiving the following day. Father Plummer also presided at the Conventual Mass at Belmont Abbey on July 7, 2013.

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05

Andrew Welsch and Erin O'Neill Welsch '05 knew that it was through adoption that God had intended for their family to grow. On April 10, 2013, that came to fruition with the birth of their son, Brennan Jay. The journey to their son began in late 2011 when they completed and submitted the first application to the adoption agency that they chose. After what seemed to be endless mounds of paperwork, informational meetings, home-study visits, tears, prayers, and support from family and friends Erin, and Andrew were approved to adopt in July of 2012.

In January of 2013 they received the phone call that they had been selected! On April 10th Erin was able to witness the birth and be the first person to hold her son, the most precious and greatest gift she and Andrew could ever receive from someone. They are so thankful to God and to Brennan's birth mom for gifting them the cutest and most priceless addition to their family.

06 Mamie Kruse Shutt and Jared Shutt were married in Gonzales, Louisiana, on October 11, 2013. They live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

07

Catherine (“Cat”) Mobley spent a few days at Disney World with Kelly Williams '10. It looks like they were enjoying the warm weather and sunshine.

07

Maria Jose Torres-Palsa completed a Ph.D. in physical therapy in 2011 from the University of Toledo and works at Flowers Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. She is currently also working on a second Ph.D. in exercise science and is due to finish in 2014. Maria and Bobby Palsa '07 were married after their graduation.

07

Fr. James Renaurd West, Jr. was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, on June 7, 2013.

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Karolis Bauza finished his Ph.D. from Oxford University last year and is now in medical school working on his M.D. Born in Lithuania, Karolis joined Oxford in 2009 after completing his undergraduate degree in PreMedicine here at the Abbey. Karolis is affiliated with Hertford College. He works on malaria pre-erythrocytic stage vaccines – targeting antigen combinations under the supervision of Prof. Adrian Hill and Dr. Arturo Reyes Sandoval. Congratulations Karl and best of luck in your future studies!

08

Maria Kristie Du Sablon completed the Physician Assistant program at Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and is now working as a P.A. for East Carolina Neurology and MRI.

09 Emma Camp completed her M.A. at Sheffield Hallam University in England and graduated with distinction in Environmental Management and Business in 2011. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Essex Coral Reef Research Unit. She has published two peer-reviewed first author academic papers and has an additional five in review or in process. She received the Best Graduate Student award, Sheffield Hallam in 2011; Outstanding Student Paper award at the Meeting of the Americas in the Earth and Space Science Informatics section in 2013, and the Women's Diving Hall of Fame Conservation Scholarship in 2013.

09

Alex Castellanos, former Belmont Abbey second baseman, was traded to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor league outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker and cash. Castellanos is Belmont Abbey's second Major League player and the first in 79 years. Abbey Athletics recently honored Alex by retiring his number #4 jersey. He is currently with the Texas Rangers.

09 Samantha Hulka will be graduating with her MBA in June 2014 from Southern New Hampshire University. She graduated from the Abbey with a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Business Management. After graduation she went to Middle Tennessee State and graduated with an Economics Masters in 2010. After finishing at MTSU, she moved back to New York and found a job with Publishers Clearing House as an Analyst for their Credit and Collection department. Utilizing her company’s tuition reimbursement program, she went back to school to earn her MBA in Quantitative Analysis.

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CLASS NOTES

Provided by The Office of Alumni Relations

09

Melissa Kerns (Green) has accepted a position as a veterinarian with Animal Medical Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. She completed her veterinary studies at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

10 Kelly Williams has begun her training to become a Sister of Mercy. She had been working at the Abbey since graduation as an Admissions counselor. Over the years, she has felt that she had a calling to do something different with her life.

She finally realized that joining a religious community was what she was being called to do. Kelly's last day at the Abbey was November 20, 2013. We congratulate Kelly on her decision and wish her the best.

10 Bryan Wright popped the question to Kathleen Flanagan '12 on December 13, 2013. Bryan, you are a lucky man that she said yes. Congratulations, Bryan and Kathleen!

11 Mary-clare Keane (Egan) has completed her BSN and RN nursing degrees at Carolinas College of Health Sciences.

In Loving Memory 1940 – Stanley Lieber, New York, New York – July 25, 2012 1940 – Mary Margaret Dolmetsch Schell, Sun City, California – January 1, 2013 1941 – Lawrence Gray, Jr., Lakeland, Florida – March 16, 2013 1942 – Margaret Hoey, Charlotte, North Carolina – November 2, 2013 1942 – John Stutz, East Ridge, Tennessee – January 23, 2013 1944 – Jack Eppley, Greensboro, North Carolina – October 5, 2013 1944 – Archie Willis, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina – March 2, 2012 1946 – William Boyer, Greensboro, North Carolina – August 29, 2013 1947 – James Ethington, Matthews, North Carolina – December 1, 2013 1947 – Carl Hawn, Daytona Beach, Florida – March 12, 2013

11 William McKenna and Laura Human '12 were

1948 – Robert Connell, Mt. Holly, North Carolina – October 31, 2012

married May 18, 2013 in Lexington, North Carolina.

Congratulations to both of you.

1948 – James A. Damiani, St. Augustine, Florida – October 21, 2013 1948 – C. Ray Ladd, Burlington, North Carolina – February 28, 2013 1949 – Allan Craig, Mount Holly, North Carolina – January 16, 2013

12 Vince Camarata and Esther Vish '11 were married on June 1, 2013 at the Basilica of Saint Lawrence in Asheville, North Carolina.

13 Ryan Schwarz and Rebekah Weber '12 were married in Wichita, Kansas,

1949 – Monsignor Robert G. Vincent, La Place, Louisiana – January 29, 2013 1950 – Thomas Danforth, Marietta, Georgia – October 1, 2013 1950 – Curt Davis, Franklin, North Carolina – October 8, 2012 1950 – Donald Fortner, Spartanburg, South Carolina – April 1, 2013

on October 12, 2013, with a large alumni contingent in attendance. Ryan and Rebekah will be living in Wichita.

1950 – Thomas Reinhardt, Cincinnati, Ohio – May 15, 2013

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Forev orev orev everer in our hearts. Forev orev everer in our pr prayers. ayers.

1951 – Joanne Bess, Boise, Idaho – June 8, 2012 1954 – William Ach, Winston Salem, North Carolina – April 23, 2013 1954 – Jane B. Allen, Greensboro, North Carolina – June 25, 2013 1955 – Frank Miros, Lavaca, Arkansas – January 14, 2013 1955 – Dr. R. Franklin Rozelle, Denver, North Carolina – November 13, 2012 1956 – David W. Long, Mt. Holly, North Carolina – January 11, 2013 1957 – G. Wes Cole, Rock Hill, South Carolina – October 25, 2010 1957 – Eugene “Gene” Hand, Sarasota, Florida – May 10, 2013

1969 – Keith Carpenter, High Point, North Carolina – November 21, 2013 1969 – Richard “Dickie” Giles, Gastonia, North Carolina – November 21, 2013 1969 – Randolph Melvin, Brunswick, Georgia – April 12, 2013 1969 – Robert Taylor, Alexandria, Virginia – February 14, 2013 1972 – Jim Bott, Yadkinville, North Carolina – July 22, 2013 1972 – Patrick McBride, Valparaiso, Indiana – May 26, 2013 1972 – Allen L. Walker, Gastonia, North Carolina – July 3, 2013 1972 – Edmund Zysk, Norfolk, Virginia – July 3, 2013

1957 – James Smith, Mount Holly, North Carolina – September 23, 2013

1976 – Mary Hartford, Charlotte, North Carolina – January 14, 2013

1959 – Wiley Harris, Charlotte, North Carolina – September 9, 2013

1978 – Carlos C. Thomas, Jacksonville, North Carolina – December 1, 2013

1960 – Eugene Huntsinger, Yulee, Florida – March 14, 2013

1979 – B. David Little, Charlotte, North Carolina – February 21, 2013

1960 – Thomas O'Donoghue, Charlotte, North Carolina – September 21, 2013

1981 – Christina Getz, Carrabelle, Florida – August 23, 2013

1960 – Tommy Williams, Concord, North Carolina – May 7, 2013

1981 – Timothy Lawson, Charlotte, North Carolina onald J. Greig, Raritan Township, New Jersey –– September 24, 2012

1962 – Thomas Baugh, Boynton Beach, Florida – November 27, 2012

1982 – R November 16, 2013

1963 – Bernard “Redzo” Brennan, Denville, New Jersey – October 25, 2012

1987 – Kevin Wilbourn, Charlotte, North Carolina – January 24, 2013

1965 – Theodore “Tedd” Bremekamp, Jupiter, Florida – March 13, 2013

1995 – Nikki Dowd, Matawan, New Jersey – August 4, 2013

1965 – Frank Dowgwilla, Kent, Washington – April 10, 2013

1999 – Julia Eudy, Lincolnton, North Carolina – January 23, 2013

1966 – James Grisdale, Charlotte, North Carolina – February 17, 2013

2003 – Lisa Stewart-Weant, Mt. Holly, North Carolina – December 27, 2012

1967 – Wayne C. Jones, Charlotte, North Carolina – November 18, 2013

2013 – Franconia McCorkle Griffa, Charlotte, North Carolina – July 4, 2013

1967 – Sister Mary Sheerin, Belmont, North Carolina – November 15, 2012

2013 – Ross Smith, Leeds, England – January 29, 2014

1968 – David Kreer, Homosassa, Florida – June 1, 2012

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ALUMNI NEWS

HOMECOMING 2014 October 3-5 Save the date Spring 2014

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Belmont Abbey College is a Newman Guide college with one mission: educate students in mind, body and spirit so that in all things God may be glorified.

Our students will tell you the Abbey difference is real. It's here that they create deep relationships with mentors of great talent and character. It's here that they uncover their future. It's here that their faith is fortified. The Abbey experience is a personal one, and it lasts a lifetime.

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Come for a visit. You'll love what you see. Call 704.461.6665, or scan the QR code, or go to bac.edu to schedule a visit or sign up for one of our open houses.