Momentum Spring 2014

MOMENTUM CELEBRATING PHILANTHROPY AT THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

INSIDE

SPRING 2014

COVER STORY

DONOR PROFILE: Ben and Tricia Carter

Kinard’s Law M’Dor L’Dor: From Generation to Generation Roots for Success Good Serve ollege News C and Updates

2013-14 BEN CARTER FAMILY REAL ESTATE CENTER ANGEL OAK SCHOLARS

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GIFT SPOTLIGHT

KINARD’S LAW

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hemistry professor W. Frank Kinard passed away last summer after 41 years of extraordinary service to the students and faculty of the College of Charleston. In addition, Frank’s interests in nuclear chemistry led him to serve as secretary of the American Chemical Society’s Division of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology for 17 years.

Below is a Q&A with George Cobb ‘82, Peney Patton ‘82, Laura McConnell ‘87 and Angela Lindner ‘83, who established a scholarship to honor Kinard – the man they describe as “one of the greatest role models of all time.”

Describe your favorite memory of Frank Kinard?

GC: At the start of every class, Frank would ask us what newspapers we’d read that day. He wanted to be sure we knew how important it was to be in touch with what was happening in the world and to be engaged in life. Life was part of our education.

LM: My first memories are of his environmental chemistry class and the slides that he showed of water sampling in the ocean. This was my first exposure to the idea of environmental chemistry and the beginning of my career in environmental

chemistry. The thing that I remember about Frank was his terribly cluttered office with piles of papers everywhere and also how the professors would spend time talking over coffee and laughing hysterically over various topics. Frank’s laugh stood out from all the others.

AL: He was an amazing paradox – staunchly private and independent, yet staunchly devoted and proud of his students.

I won’t ever forget our last visit together. I was visiting Charleston for Spoleto and, as usual, I called him. He told me he had a serious health issue and invited my husband, Jim, and me to his house. Because he was so private, I knew it must be very serious. We visited for 30 minutes, and we both knew it would be our final time together.

How did your relationship with Kinard grow over the years?

GC: Frank wrote every recommendation letter for every job in my career after graduate school. We also met for breakfast on the Sunday before every American Chemical Society meeting.

We met every year, sometimes twice a year, for 19 years!

LM: If it weren’t for Frank, I’m not sure if I would have pursued a career in research. I stayed in touch with him throughout MOMENTUM SPRING 2014 3

my analytical/environmental chemistry research for my Ph.D. and my career at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Bayer CropScience.

AL: He was a gateway to all that was possible in chemistry – it was so much more than a bachelor’s degree. When I started working at the University of Florida, he became like an older brother to me. He would give advice by sharing his own experience. He was always positive, always encouraging – and it was like that for more than 15 years.

What Frank Kinard principles do you apply in your own life?

GC: Frank was constantly challenging us to understand the world around us and to live life to the fullest. It’s how he lived his life. I use his philosophy today with my freshman students at Baylor.

AL: He left an imprint of what a teacher could be. I feel I 4 MOMENTUM SPRING 2014

owe it to him to uphold the values of higher education – no matter the class size – to empower every student.

LM: Frank always focused on development of young scientists.

His work with the nuclear chemistry course each summer was extremely important to him. I have tried to serve as a mentor to young scientists in my group in my professional society activities.

Why did you all feel it was important to establish a scholarship in Frank’s honor?

GC: The excellence of faculty like Frank and his never-ending work to provide the best educational experience for students is why we wanted to establish a scholarship to honor him. This was a meaningful way to pay it forward and provide an avenue for deserving students to pursue science.

LM: Frank was so incredibly dedicated to the College, to his students and to undergraduate education. A scholarship in his name was a very appropriate way to remember him. M George Cobb is the department chair for environmental sciences at Baylor University.

Peney Patton is a self-employed business consultant.

Angela Lindner is an associate dean for student affairs in the College of Engineering at the University of Florida.

Laura McConnell is an environmental fate scientist at Bayer CropScience in Raleigh, N.C.

DONOR PROFILE

ROOTS FOR SUCCESS

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ew families’ roots go deeper at the College of Charleston than the Ben Carter family of Atlanta. For years, Ben and Tricia Carter have been generous donors, most recently funding the Angel Oak Scholarships in Real Estate and the Angel Oak Award Fund, which will benefit School of Business students who demonstrate a passion and expertise for real estate coursework.

Before that, in 2006, the couple, along with Ben’s late mother, Jane Munnerlyn Carter, established the Carter Real Estate Center within the School of Business to prepare students for careers in real estate.

Jane Munnerlyn Carter was descended from Arthur Middleton, one of the founders of the College and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Her grandchildren, Palmer and Benjamin Jr., the children of Ben and Tricia, are alumni of the college their ancestor founded, having graduated in 2002 and 2005, respectively.

THE FIRST 150 ANGEL OAK SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS ARE ALSO GIVEN The Carter family believes it’s important that the College’s A FRAMED PRINT OF THE MAJESTIC TREE, AS PHOTOGRAPHED BY DOUGLAS business students receive a one-of-a-kind real estate education STRATTON, HUSBAND OF PALMER CARTER STRATTON. PHOTO CREDIT WWW.DOUGLASSTRATTON.COM. at the College that allows them to contribute immediately and meaningfully to their employers.

“The Angel Oak is most famous and has thrived for hundreds of years – much like the College of Charleston,” says Ben Carter. “The oak tree’s canopy protects those that are under it, and its seeds spread its lineage. It is my hope the Angel Oak Scholarships will provide support, foster inspiration and encourage new growth among its student recipients.” M

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GIFT SPOTLIGHT

M’DOR L’DOR: FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

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am and Regina Greene were married in Warsaw in June 1939.

Three months later, Germany and Russia invaded Poland, marking the beginnings of World War II. The Greenes were captured and transported to Siberia, where they were imprisoned in a labor camp. Forced labor was hardly a honeymoon for the Jewish couple, but they escaped the fate of many of their family members who stayed behind in Poland, who were later transported to Nazi concentration camps and killed.

From Siberia the couple used their wits to make it to the Soviet city of Tashkent (now the capital of Uzbekistan).

Then, once the war ended, the couple moved back west, to Vienna, and then 6 MOMENTUM SPRING 2014

HARLAN GREENE ‘74, DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AT ADDLESTONE LIBRARY

west once more, out of war-ravaged Europe entirely, to resettle in Charleston, where Regina had family. Free to begin life anew, and without persecution, the family prospered. Sam opened a handful of furniture stores on King Street and Rivers Avenue. Regina worked in the family business full time and was a fulltime mother to her four children as well.

One of their children, Harlan Greene ‘74, says his parents were always grateful for the life they were able to build in Charleston, especially considering they arrived here in 1948 with little money and unable to speak English.

“In that era, banks would lend my father money on a handshake,” says Greene, director of Special Collections at

the Addlestone Library. “They knew he was a man driven to succeed.”

The Greenes celebrated 50 years of marriage in 1989. A year later, Regina passed away. Last year, Sam died.

Wanting to memorialize lost family and friends as well as honor their adopted home of Charleston, the Greenes made a bequest of $500,000 to the College.

Half the gift pays for programming and archival processing in the Addlestone Library’s Jewish Heritage Collection, and half supports the Jewish studies program, with a special emphasis on programming and material related to the Holocaust.

Harlan Greene said his parents had a two-pronged desire for their gift: to give back to the community that had taken them in, and to make sure the tragedy they had survived would not only not be forgotten, but never occur again.

“It really was looking forward and looking backward,” says Greene. “Paying respect to the past while ensuring a better future, for us in Charleston and others elsewhere. This was a way of paying back.” M

SAM AND REGINA GREENE, late 1940s MOMENTUM SPRING 2014 7

8 MOMENTUM SPRING 2014 PHOTO BY PAUL ZOELLER PHOTOGRAPHY

DONOR PROFILE

GOOD SERVE

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PHOTO BY KARSON PHOTOGRAPHY

illard “Billy” A. Silcox Jr. ‘65 will tell you he learned to crawl on the tennis courts at the College of Charleston. He would walk on those same courts 17 years later to become one of the best players in College history.

Silcox entered the College of Charleston in 1961, playing tennis under his father, athletics director Willard Silcox Sr. ‘33. His skill on the court was unmatched as he played the No. 1 position in both singles and doubles. In 1965, the junior Silcox left CofC to pursue a graduate degree in marine biology at the University

ALUMNI AWARD OF HONOR RECIPIENT BILLY SILCOX ’65 WITH HIS FAMILY AT THE 2011 ALUMNI AWARDS GALA

of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but came back to become athletics director, the director of intramural sports, women’s basketball coach and both the men’s and women’s tennis coach.

As a tennis coach, Silcox led his men’s team to nine winning seasons out of 15. Retiring in 1983, Silcox was on top of his game as his women’s tennis team captured the NAIA National Tournament title. The demands of a growing family led Silcox to the insurance business. Today, he is president of C.T. Lowndes Insurance. Silcox is still a fixture on the tennis courts, working with the women’s team and mentoring once again another generation of CofC tennis players.

In a surprise announcement at the 2011 Alumni Awards Gala, the Silcox family recognized their father’s achievements as a tennis player, coach and dedicated volunteer. The Willard “Billy” A. Silcox Endowed Alumni Scholarship was established by his children Elizabeth Silcox Phillips ‘96, Bill Silcox ‘89 and Chris Silcox ‘92.

Phillips says, “This scholarship is a combination of what matters most to our father – education and the College. Both run deep in his veins. The greatest honor was to give a student an opportunity to a College of Charleston education.” M MOMENTUM SPRING 2014 9

NEWS & UPDATES

CALENDAR MAY

Alumni Weekend

MAY

A Charleston Affair

MAY

School of the Arts Alumni Awards Reception

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MAY

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Where: Locations across campus Info: acaweekend.cofc.edu

Where: Cistern Yard When: 7:00 p.m.

Where: Blacklock House When: 6:00 p.m.

Commencement for Graduate School Where: T.D. Arena When: 5:30 p.m.

MAY

Commencement

SEPT

Alumni Scholars

OCT

Parent Advisory Council Reception

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PHOTOS BY TUMBLESTON PHOTOGRAPHY

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Where: Cistern Yard When: 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Where: Craig Atrium and Courtyard When: 6:00 p.m.

Where: TBD When: 6:00 p.m.

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2014 JEREMY’S GALA SUPPORTS STUDENT INTERNSHIPS The Chuck and Sara Calhoun Davis Foundation and the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance hosted the seventh annual Jeremy’s Scholarship Gala on April 17, 2014. The event supports scholarships for aspiring teachers studying at the College, providing full tuition support during the semester of a student’s clinical internship as they work full time, without pay, in local public schools. In 2013, the Davis Foundation contributed $250,000 in support of Jeremy Warren Vann scholarships.

HAPPENINGS HALSEY CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY WITH FAIREY-JOHNS EXHIBIT This exhibition will pair new work by Shepard Fairey and a survey of prints produced by Jasper Johns from 1982 to 2012. The show, called The Insistent Image: Recurrent Motifs in the Art of Shepard Fairey and Jasper Johns, will be on view at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art from May 22 to July 12. Both Fairey and Johns recycle graphic elements in the works they produce and in each case these repeated fragments gain new meaning through fresh juxtapositions and associations.

PHOTOS BY KARSON PHOTOGRAPHY

According to Mark Sloan, director of the Halsey Institute for Contemporary Art, “Shepard Fairey is a native Charlestonian, now living in Los Angeles. Jasper Johns, also of S.C., was lifelong friends with William Halsey, the artist for whom the Halsey Institute was named.

We are the first to bring them together.” Visit halsey.cofc.edu for all the details.

NEW CENTER FOR SOUTHERN JEWISH CULTURE AT COLLEGE Edwin Pearlstine, Susan Pearlstine and Jan and Larry Lipov made a $1.5 million gift to establish the Pearlstine/Lipov Center for Southern Jewish Culture at the College. The new center, housed at the Sylvia Vlosky Yaschik Jewish Studies Center, will emphasize scholarship, research and promotion of Judaism’s long and unique history in Charleston.

The Pearlstines are seventh-generation Charlestonians.

“This is the exclamation point on so much Jewish history in South Carolina,” says Susan Pearlstine. “It is to show respect for what Jews in South Carolina came to accomplish – and did accomplish.”

Check out more College of Charleston news and updates at cofc.edu.

(top) Mace and Chris Brown with their family at the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History dedication in February. (bottom) Fellow fossil collector Mark Havenstein ‘88 and his wife, Karen; with Chris and Mace Brown.

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www.cofc.edu/giving

843.953.7362

You don’t have to name your child after the Cougars mascot to make the College a part of your family legacy.

There are many ways, especially through estate planning, to ensure the success of future generations.

Because, as we know, it’s through a College of Charleston education that you truly make a name for yourself.