Inside Erskine 2019

NO ‘QUIT’ IN THEM

Fleet softball shows What a real fight looks like

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worthy 4

Imprisoned in Turkey for two years, Dr. Andrew Brunson pursued God even in his weakness. He told graduates that Christ is worthy of their all.

STRENGTH 14

Faced with grueling workdays, sleep deprivation, and criticism in the workplace, Anna McCraw ’19 refused to give up.

Senior Nicole Biles and Junior Taylor Lawhon

Photo by Dr. Stephen Sniteman

Inside Erskine

Fall 2019

Editor Joyce Guyette

Designer Kayli Hibbard

Assistant Editor

Brianne Holmes

Contributors

Thomas Holland ’00 Heath Milford ‘11 (Sem.) Langley Shealy

Photographers

Ian Harris Shawn Knox Dr. Stephen Sniteman

Printing Clark Communications, Asheville, NC

While Erskine’s softball team fought for the NCCAA championship, two teammates battled cancer.

IS GOOD IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES’ ANDREW BRUNSON TELLS CLASS OF 2019

Erskine College and Theological Seminary honored graduating students May 4 during a morning celebration under the towers of the Erskine Building. Highlighting the ceremony was an address by Erskine Seminary graduate Dr. Andrew Brunson, a pastor and missionary who gained international attention when he was imprisoned in Turkey for two years beginning in 2016.

Brunson began by honoring the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in which he was brought up and expressing thanks for the prayer support he received during his incarceration. “It was a wave of prayer that brought me out of Turkey,” he said.

The former captive, who was falsely accused of aiding terrorism, among other charges, said that although he had been threatened before, and had even been shot at, he was not prepared for prison. “Prison was beyond me,” he said. “Prison tested my love for God. I broke badly. I was suicidal.”

Happy to be out of prison and reunited with his wife and family, Brunson told his audience that nevertheless, “Something I miss about prison is how it made me cling to God. There was a rare clarity about what really matters. I miss being so completely dependent upon God.”

Declaring the truth that “God is good in all circumstances,” Brunson expressed his belief that “it is going to become increasingly difficult to stand for Jesus in this country.”

Out of his own experience, Brunson challenged the graduates, asking them, “Will you say God is true and just when there is a hostile environment?” and went on to warn them, “If you stand for Jesus, you will be marginalized, looked down on.”

He cited a “clarifying moment” when he was being moved to a high-security prison, passing close to his home in Izmir and knowing he faced the threat of life imprisonment. Brunson looked out and saw a man driving a car, oblivious to

his presence, and realized that on that crowded road in Turkey that day, “I was likely the only one who knew Jesus Christ.”

It came to him then that he could fight for his spiritual life. “I determined that I would pursue God even in my weakness,” he said.

As he was “climbing up out of brokenness,” he wrote a song, “Worthy of My All,” and began singing it every day in prison.

He read for his audience from the fourth stanza of the song: “I want to be found worthy to stand before you on that day/ With no regrets from cowardice, things left undone/To hear you say, ‘Well done, my faithful friend, now enter your reward’/Jesus, my Joy, you are the prize I’m running for.”

“If you make pursuit of Jesus the goal of your life, even if you have hardships, you will have no regrets,” he said.

An honorary Doctor of Divinity degree was conferred on the speaker by Dr. Loyd Melton, John M. Bell Professor of New Testament, who taught Brunson during his time as a seminary student.

Serving as faculty marshals were Dr. Howard Thomas, crucifer, and Dr. Loyd Melton, mace bearer. The Rev. Paul Patrick, chaplain, offered the invocation and benediction.

‘GOD

“If you make pursuit of Jesus the goal of your life, even if you have hardships, you will have no regrets.”

CIRCUMSTANCES’ 2019

Dr. Howard Thomas served as crucifer.

Rachel Berkey

Dr. Mark Ross, seminary graduate Craig Williams

Hope Crenshaw

Dr. Andrew Brunson

Mathematics majors at Erskine College will now be able to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Erskine and a Bachelor of Science degree from Clemson University in just five years, thanks to a recently inaugurated dual degree program in actuarial science.

Clemson reported on the dual degree agreement, which was signed in the spring of this year by Erskine President Dr. Robert Gustafson and Clemson Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Robert Jones.

The idea for the program came from Young Professor of Mathematics Dr. Kokou Abalo, Professor of Mathematics Dr. Art Gorka, and Assistant Professor of Mathematics Dr. Catherine White. White serves as Dual Degree Programs Coordinator at Erskine.

All three Erskine faculty members earned their doctorates in the mathematical sciences department at Clemson. White explained some of the advantages of such a program in the Clemson story, written by John Gouch of Clemson University Relations.

“They can build confidence as they begin their collegiate career in a small, community-driven environment at Erskine and finish their education at Clemson where they will have access to a vast number of resources and experiences that are only available at a large, well-respected institution such as Clemson,” White said.

“I believe giving students such a diverse educational experience will make them more marketable as they enter the professional world.”

Erskine College Provost Dr. Tom Hellams said Erskine is the topranked South Carolina institution among the 124 schools.

“U.S. News & World Report has provided detailed rankings of colleges and universities since 1985,” Hellams observed. “A number of significant factors go into the calculation, including student excellence, alumni giving, faculty resources, academic reputation, and student outcomes.”

ranking category and meet certain criteria, including a satisfactory “ratio of quality to price” (the average amount students pay when scholarships are taken into account). Erskine ranked 20th of 28 schools given this designation.

Erskine ranked especially high (12th among 84 schools) in “Social Mobility,” which looks at graduation rates of students receiving Pell Grants, comparing their graduation rates with those of students not receiving Pell Grants.

ERSKINE RANKED 6TH AMONG REGIONAL COLLEGES IN THE SOUTH

Erskine College has been listed in U.S. News Best Colleges for 2020, placing sixth among 124 “Best Regional Colleges” in the South.

Dean of Enrollment Management Dr. Tim Rees said Erskine’s No. 6 spot among regional colleges in the South “speaks volumes about the quality of education our students obtain and the care they receive on campus, as evidenced also by being ranked in the top 20 for Best Value, Social Mobility, and Undergraduate Teaching.”

In order to be considered for inclusion as a “Best Value” college, a school must be in the top half of its

In the area of “Undergraduate Teaching,” Erskine tied for 11th place among 15 schools. College presidents, provosts, and admissions deans nominated up to 15 schools, and a school was required to receive at least seven such nominations in order to be recognized.

The U.S. News rankings, released Sept. 9, add to Erskine’s momentum as the college welcomes its largest freshman class ever.

“It’s exciting to be recognized in this way,” Hellams said.

ALUMNI DAY 2019

Erskine alumni and friends came to the Due West campus March 30 for Alumni Day 2019, enjoying fellowship, family activities, recreation, and reunions.

Several awards were presented at the Alumni Association meeting, held in the colorful setting of Bowie Chapel and conducted by Angie McNeill Grooms ’77, outgoing president of the Alumni Association.

The top honor bestowed by the Alumni Association, the Alumni Distinguished Service Award, recognizes service to one’s church, community, profession, and alma mater over a lifetime. Joseph H. “Chip” Sherer, Jr. ’89, who has served since 2007 as president of Bonclarken, the ARP denomination’s conference center in North Carolina, was this year’s recipient.

Paul Bell ’84, Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations, presented the award, praising Sherer’s “business acumen and administrative skills, coupled with his commitment to servant leadership.”

Sherer has served Erskine in various capacities—as admissions counselor, assistant director of admissions, and athletic director— and has volunteered with the Annual Fund and the Gold Campaign. He said he was honored to accept the award on behalf of his many family members who have served Erskine over the years.

The Outstanding Young Alumni Award, for alumni of the past 15 years who have begun making a positive and encouraging impact, was given to Blair Christie ’08, a special education major who minored in music and voice. She was a counselor at Camp Joy, a special education teacher for five years, and later an advocate for adults with spinal cord injuries.

Alumni Board member Shawn Marler ’08, who presented the award, said Christie spent time as a musical performer with the Sight & Sound Theatre in Lancaster, Pa., but “God led her back to special needs ministry, showing her that performance was not really the passion of her heart.”

Christie now manages Bitty & Beau’s Coffee in Savannah, Ga., which employs adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). She leads a staff of 16, coaching them to become less reliant on manager support.

Ten years in the making, A Sacred Trust has been a part of life for Howard Wellons ’11 from its inception as an internship assignment and development as his senior thesis at Erskine to its recent publication as a 350-page book of judicial biography.

“As research progressed, the book grew,” he says. “If I had known when I started how complex and daunting the project would be, I never would have started.”

Like his ever-expanding writing project, which began when he was just 20 years old, this Erskine College graduate has grown. Wellons completed a major in English and a minor in politics at Erskine, graduated from Washington & Lee School of Law in 2014, and is now a practicing attorney and a married man.

Recalling the book’s beginnings, he explains, “It was originally done as a summer project for the federal court and was intended to be a booklet which could be handed to visitors. I worked on it for two years in college, under the supervision of Dr. Ashley Woodiwiss, who was then professor of politics at Erskine, and the manuscript became my senior thesis.”

Wellons continued working on the book at Washington & Lee, where he served for two years as editor-in-chief of the law review. He completed three chapters of the book—the chapters on notable cases—as a law school course project. “I received a great deal of

ALumni Day 2019

Continued from page 7

The Erskine Service Award was presented to retired missionary Dr. Jo Ann Griffith ’56 by Herb Jordan ’68, president-elect of the Alumni Association.

“In a very quiet and unassuming way, Jo Ann has been a faithful and generous contributor to Erskine, not only of funds but of her time,” Jordan said.

BOOK PUBLICATION CAPS YEARS OF EFFORT FOR ENGLISH MAJOR

research assistance from the Washington & Lee Law Library on the book as a whole,” he says.

“One thing I came to understand about myself through the process of writing this book was that I wasn’t that good a writer when I started,” he says. “I look back on my first drafts and can’t believe how far the book has come.”

Professor of English Dr. Joan Little worked with Wellons as a teacher and advisor at Erskine. “One of Howard’s greatest strengths is his ability to use constructive advice to improve the quality of his work,” she says. “While he tackles a new enterprise with gusto, Howard also willingly rethinks and revises his project until he reaches the best outcome.”

Wellons is quick to acknowledge people who have helped him through all the rethinking and revising that led finally to publication.

The book, entitled A Sacred Trust: A Biographical History of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, lists as an author—in addition to Wellons—Richard Lesley Voorhees, a respected attorney and judge. Wellons expresses gratitude to Voorhees and to Graham Mullen, a federal judge. He says it was Mullen whose “willingness to allow me to serve as an intern in his chambers opened the door for me to write the book.” Both Voorhees and Mullen, Wellons says, “believed in this project” and played “a critical part in making this book a success.”

Editing the book took several years and was done initially under the supervision of Philip Van Hoy, a prominent and respected Charlotte attorney, and then by Karen Johnson and Jane Kauchak of the Library for the Fourth Circuit

Court of Appeals. “Their work took years and involved exhaustive fact checking and rewriting,” Wellons says.

“Karen and Jane are the unsung heroes of the book,” he adds. “Their work really transformed it from an assignment into a professional product.”

As a native of Gaston County, North Carolina, where he now works as an attorney, Wellons points out that the Western District of North Carolina Federal Court system, the subject of A Sacred Trust, “has deep roots in Gaston County local history.” He discovered some of those connections during his research. Locke Bell, for whom Wellons has worked in the District Attorney’s Office in Gaston County since 2015, is a descendant of the first judge for the Western District, Robert Payne Dick, who was “one of North Carolina’s most prominent jurists, and was vital to the reconstruction effort in the wake of the Civil War.”

Wellons has gained considerable experience since his days as an undergraduate intern preparing a pamphlet for an assignment. Today, he works in a variety of courtrooms—“traffic, general misdemeanor court, superior court, probation, and occasionally juvenile court”— and likes his job. “Under District Attorney Bell, I’ve had incredible opportunities to serve this county in meaningful ways,” he says.

Meanwhile, he hasn’t forgotten the small Christian liberal arts college in Due West where he was mentored while working on the book in its early stages. Listed on the acknowledgments page of A Sacred Trust is former Erskine faculty member Dr. Ashley Woodiwiss.The final entry on the page is “Erskine College Department of English, especially Dr. Joan Little.”

Little was delighted to receive a copy of the book from her former student.

Young Professor of Chemistry Dr. Howard Thomas, who has taught at Erskine since 1976, was named an honorary alumnus, along with his wife, the late Penny Thomas. His daughter Emma was on hand to honor her parents.

Alumni Board members rotating off this year included Jim Bradford ’71, Tripp Boykin ’92, Barry Eller ’70, Rob Kuykendall ’94, Trip McGill ’82, and Steve Southwell ’80. Outgoing secretary Ashley Weyer ’97 was also honored.

President-elect Jordan presented nominees for the Alumni Board of Directors—Carolyn Borden ’70, Sanita Savage Cousar ’77, Catherine Amanda Dale ’96, Alvin Lee Day ’08, Jim Moore ’77, and Jessica Richardson ’15. All were approved.

The Class of 1969, celebrating their 50th reunion, presented a gift of outdoor furniture to the college, to be used in the Winnie Morrison Phillips Pool Facility.

AWARDS PRESENTED AT COMMENCEMENT 2019

Erskine President Dr. Robert E. Gustafson, Jr. welcomed family members and guests gathered May 4 for commencement. Board of Trustees Chairman Jill E. Gazzaway brought greetings from the board, advising the graduates to “stop—take a moment to reflect and acknowledge those who helped you get here,” to “look at the people God has placed in your life,” and to “listen for the still, small voice of the Lord.”

The commencement speaker was introduced by the college senior with the highest grade point average, summa cum laude graduate Rachel Gayle Berkey of Myrtle Beach, S.C., a business administration major and member of the Women’s Tennis Team. She received this year’s prestigious Murphy-Osborne Scholar-Athlete Award from Conference Carolinas, recognizing her as the outstanding scholar-athlete in the conference.

College awards announced during the commencement exercises included two faculty awards—the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Excellence in Teaching Award, given to Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Briana Van Scoy, and the Younts Excellence in Teaching Award, given to Associate Professor of English Dr. Christine Schott

management; and the H.M. Young Ring, the highest honor for a member of the senior class, given to Elizabeth Rebecca Bishop of Greenwood, S.C., a summa cum laude graduate who completed a double major in biology and English, with Departmental Honors in both majors and a minor in chemistry.

Seminary awards included recognition of Dr. Toney Parks and Dr. Max Rogland, both of whom are stepping down from their full-time work at the seminary but will continue teaching as adjunct faculty members.

Student awards included the Ray A. King Church History Award, given to Teresa Dawn Reed; the Zondervan Award in Biblical Greek, which went to Kyle Jay Keesling, Jr. of Greenville, S.C.; the Zondervan Award in Theology, given to Daniel Edward Myers of Columbia, S.C.; and the Bruce G. Pierce Award for Christian Leadership, given to John Craig Williams IV of Dacusville, S.C.

Herb Jordan ’68, president of the Alumni Association, inducted the graduates into the association.

Hope Noelle Crenshaw of Columbia, S.C., president of the Erskine College Class of 2019, thanked Jordan on behalf of the class and announced the class gift, a contribution toward renovation of the gazebo on Bonner Circle. The gazebo was originally given by the Class of 1986.

Kyle J. Keesling, Jr., of Greenville, S.C., senior class representative of the Erskine Seminary Class of 2019, responded to the Alumni Association president on behalf of seminary graduates.

The Erskine College Choraleers, directed by Dr. Keith Timms ’84 and accompanied by Prof. Tobi Otekayi, pianist, offered special music. Erskine College Sinfonia, conducted by Prof. Kory Vrieze, played processional and recessional music.

Senior Katherine I. Deak of Norfolk, Va., a summa cum laude graduate, led the singing of the alma mater.

Student awards were the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, given to Zachary Stephen Morgan of Greenville, S.C., a magna cum laude graduate who majored in biology and minored in chemistry and psychology; the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award, given to AnnaTaylor Rae Hydrick of St. Matthews, S.C., a summa cum laude graduate who completed a double major in American studies and biology, with Departmental Honors in biology and minors in chemistry and healthcare

Dr. Christine Schott, Dr. Briana Van Scoy

Dr. Robert Gustafson, Zachary Morgan

Kyle Keesling and Elizabeth Bishop

Dr. Robert Gustafson, AnnaTaylor Rae Hydrick

Erskine legend ‘Dode’ Phillips named to Football Hall of Fame

The late David Gardiner “Dode” Phillips III, who played for Erskine a century ago, from 1917-1921, was honored as a Legacy Inductee at the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Celebration April 23 in Greenville.

Shap Boyd, Erskine’s head football coach, and his wife Beth attended the ceremony, along with Phillips’ grandson, David Gardiner Phillips V, and football luminaries and fans from across the state of South Carolina.

Richard Haldeman, honorary alumnus and retired Erskine public relations director, notes that Dode Phillips, the son of an Associate Reformed Presbyterian minister, entered Erskine College just two years after the school played its first full intercollegiate schedule in 1915.

Phillips was also a talented baseball player who began a career with the Durham Bulls, but gave it up because he would not play on Sundays. He then coached high school football in Anderson, S.C., and Moultrie, Ga.

He served as a physical conditioning coach for cadets on the Erskine campus who were preparing for service in World War II, Haldeman said. His work at Erskine included stints in the admissions office and as public relations director, and he later coached football, basketball, and baseball at Erskine.

Concerning Phillips’ standing in South Carolina athletics, the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame biographical statement affirms that at the time of his death, “he was called Mr. Football of South Carolina, as the greatest athlete in South Carolina for the first half of the 20th century.”

Erskine wins NCCAA Softball National Championship

The women’s softball team defeated Biola University to claim the NCCAA Softball National Championship in 2019. Reagan Davis hit a two-run double in the top of the sixth inning, giving the Fleet a 2-1 lead that they maintained the rest of the game. Davis was named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Hannah Houge and Taylor Payne were named to the All-Tournament team. See more about Erskine Softball on page 22.

Erskine reinstates Fleet football

Erskine’s first football team since 1951 is scheduled to begin a regular season in 2020. In November 2018, Director of Athletics Mark Peeler announced the appointment of A. Shapleigh “Shap” Boyd as Head Coach.

“This process started with us searching for the best Christian leader we could find to develop student athletes and a new football program from the ground up,” Peeler said. “We are confident Shap is the man for the job. He brings a wealth of experience, an abundance of energy, and a strong will to succeed. We are blessed to find such a good fit for Erskine.”

Before coming to Erskine, Boyd held coaching positions at a number of colleges and universities, including Southeastern University, Muskingum University of Ohio, and Washington University in St. Louis. Most recently, he served as the Defensive Coordinator and Safeties Coach at the University of Virginia at Wise for three seasons.

Erskine’s new head football coach is a 1985 graduate of the University of the South, where he was a member of the football team, and he earned his master’s degree in 1987 from Middle Tennessee State University.

The new team is spending the 2019-20 school year preparing for the 2020 season. A football exhibition at Homecoming 2019 gave alumni and students a chance to watch and meet the players.

two years running: Golf Teams

Celebrate success

The men’s golf team won the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national championships for both 2018 and 2019, and the women’s golf team finished in second place both years.

The Fleet men gained their 2019 victory by 28 strokes over Campbellsville University. Erskine’s Zach McLain finished second, while Alberto Dominguez shot 218 to finish in fourth place, and Stokes Brownlee shot 224 to tie for fifth place. Tyler Jones and Anton Backman each shot 225 to tie for ninth place. All five were named NCCAA All-American, and Coach Jason Allen was named NCCAA National Coach of the Year for the second year in a row.

In 2018, Erskine narrowly out-performed Ottawa University Arizona, winning by two strokes, with a total score of 893. Anton Backman and Callum Watson each shot a threeday score of 222 to finish tied for fourth and earn All-American honors. Zach McLain finished 10th with a score of 225 and was also named All-American. Stokes Brownlee shot 233 to finish 16th and Jonathan Costello shot 234 to finish tied for 17th.

The Fleet women, in addition to placing second in the NCCAA national championship for two consecutive years, took pride this year in junior Anna Parramore’s first-place finish in the individual championship, up from third place in 2018. Parramore shot 230 over three days. She was named NCCAA All-American in 2018, and shared All-American honors in 2019 with teammate Ning Kheawsalab.

Bowers Named Conference Carolinas Comeback Athlete of the Year

Erskine baseball pitcher Zack Bowers ’19 has been chosen as the 2018-19 Conference Carolinas Comeback Athlete of the Year Award recipient.

The award recognizes an athlete who suffers an injury but comes back to make significant contributions to his or her team after recovering. Nominees were selected and then voted on by the Conference Carolinas head athletic trainers.

Bowers, a right-handed pitcher from Lugoff, S.C., suffered a torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) during Erskine’s last game of the Conference Carolinas Baseball tournament in 2017. He underwent surgery and sat out the entire 2018 season as part of his UCL recovery process. He worked tirelessly to return at a high level in the 2019 season, and earned first-team all-conference honors. He finished the 2019 season with 84 strikeouts in 77.2 innings pitched. Bowers made 13 starts on the season and finished with a 4-4 record.

“Zack is the perfect example of what it means to be a Conference Carolinas studentathlete,” Commissioner Chris Colvin said. “He fought through adversity and came back even stronger than before, setting a new career-best in strikeouts in his redshirt senior season en route to also earning his degree.”

When one of Kevin Lewis’s compositions received recognition as “Best Poem” in The Review, an Erskine student publication, he could not know that he would eventually find success as an author and editor.

His Erskine experience included serving on the staff of The Review, singing in the Choraleers, and joining the Philos. “Not only was Erskine the first place to celebrate me as a writer, it offered me my first brush with the editorial experience and introduced me to the field that would define the rest of my life—children’s literature,” says the 1991 graduate.

Lewis is now the published author of such children’s books as Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo and My Truck is Stuck! He sees that everything in his career—from editing the original Captain Underpants novel to developing media crossovers like The Spiderwick Chronicles to writing his own books—“is somehow directly connected to my formative years in Due West, where I first learned that I could have a future with the written word.”

HALL OF FAME

FLYING FLEET CLUB SALUTES SEVEN

The Flying Fleet Club inducted Chas Anthony ’10 (Baseball), Larz Chabra-Anthony ’13 (Women’s Volleyball), Brian Haynes ’89 (Men’s Soccer), Porsha Morgan ’12 (Women’s Baseketball), Coach Calhoun Parr (Women’s Tennis), Larissa Shannon ’13 (Softball), and Brandon Wright ’10 (Men’s Basketball) into the Hall of Fame during Homecoming 2019.

Chas Anthony came to Erskine from Pickens, S.C., and was a four-year starter for the baseball team with one of the best careers in Division II history. During his senior season, he shattered the NCAA record for career doubles with 87. Following his senior year, Chas became the first three-time All-American in baseball history. He is also second in the NCAA in total bases, fourth in career runs, RBIs, and hits, as well as tenth in career home runs.

Former head coach Kevin Nichols said, “Chas Anthony was a fierce competitor. He strove to be the best at everything he did. Chas helped the Erskine baseball program become a nationally recognized name. ”

Larz Chabra-Anthony came to Erskine from Mount Pleasant, S.C. A four-year starter, she helped make the Fleet a contender for championships. As a freshman, she set the school record for assists with 901. She broke her own record each of the next two years, setting the final mark with 1,121 assists as a junior. She finished her career by setting the school record for career assists with 3,997, along with 431 kills, 90 service aces, and 887 digs. Larz was also a four-year AllConference selection.

“As part of Erskine’s first recruiting class with the reinstatement of volleyball in 2008, Larz Chabra quickly established herself as a leader of the Flying Fleet,” Athletic Director Mark Peeler said. “Larz helped establish Erskine as a force in volleyball in Conference Carolinas. Her smiling face off the court and determined face on the court became her trademark.”

Trinidadian Brian Haynes arrived at Erskine during a critical time for the Erskine men’s soccer team. In 1984 the Fleet had suffered its first losing season in 16 years. Brian Haynes removed all doubt that Erskine would return to prominence. He combined blinding speed, hard curving shots, and passing skills to score 21 goals. The Flying Fleet finished 12-8-2, capturing its 12th district title before losing in the area finals. The 1986 season was to bring even greater accomplishments, as Haynes teamed with fellow Trinidadian Garth Pollonais to lead the Fleet to district and area championships.

Haynes closed his college career with 61 goals and 40 assists, both fourth on Erskine’s all-time list. Haynes was a four-time AllAmerican and 1988 District 6 Player of the Year, with a goal and an assist in the NAIA Senior Bowl. He was selected as the number-one draft choice of Atlanta in the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Porsha Morgan came to Erskine from Columbus, Ga., immediately helped the Fleet improve by 10 wins as a freshman, and earned the Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year award as well as All-Conference honors. Her best year would come as a senior, where she averaged 19.7 points per game, which ranked her 13th in the country with 4.9 assists per game. She was named Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and finished her career as the second all-time leading scorer in Erskine history with 1,894 points, as well as second in career assists with 546.

Former Erskine head coach Jessica Ridgill Taylor said, “I count it as an honor to have coached Porsha. Her unwavering commitment in the classroom and on the court made it easy to love coaching her.”

After her first summer with the Forest City Owls, athletic training major Anna McCraw said she would never go back.

Enduring sleep deprivation as she worked fast-food shifts to make up for the unpaid internship hours, plus weeks of frustration and hurt as she was misunderstood and maligned, Anna kept at it for the value of the athletic training experience with the Owls, a collegiate baseball team in the Coastal Plain League based in Forest City, N.C.

That was Anna’s summer.

Anna describes her slog through the internship, which began just after she completed her freshman year at Erskine.

“I worked at Chick-fil-A Monday through Saturday, from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” she recalls. “I would have 30 minutes to get home and change, and then a 30-minute drive to get to the field by 3 p.m. to help with whatever was going on that day at the field, whether it was game-day setup or stocking concession stands when the team was gone for an away game.”

On home game days, she had to be on the field by 3 p.m. and the games ran from 7 p.m. to “anywhere between 10 p.m. and midnight, give or take.” Afterward, she put the athletic training supplies in order and helped the other interns with stadium clean-up.

“Then, a 30-minute drive home,” Anna says. “To say I didn’t get much sleep that summer is an understatement.”

Even tougher than the grueling schedule was the humiliation of becoming a target for gossip and criticism. “No one else worked [an outside job] in the mornings, and the other interns did not like that,” Anna explains. “They were all

required to show up at 10 a.m. each day, while I wasn’t getting there until 3 p.m.”

Anna’s schedule had been approved by the general manager, but it caused antagonism and even resulted in complaints to the owner of the team. Similar difficulties might well arise in a ‘real’ job setting, and even seasoned professionals face such challenges. The fact that Anna encountered them as a young college student in what could be called a ‘rehearsal’ environment made her experience no less painful.

Playing through the pain

“I was crushed,” she recalls. “Not only did I have a group of people who didn’t like me, but my reputation was being ruined.”

The combination of fatigue and emotional upheaval was hard to bear.

“Almost every night after the games were over, I would get in my car and sit and just cry,” Anna admits.

“I wanted so badly to quit. I didn’t want to come back the next day, I didn’t want to show up with a smile on my face, I didn’t want to work, I didn’t want to try to win approval from people who had formed opinions about me without really knowing who I was.”

But Anna did not quit.

“I went back, every day,” she says. “I did everything that I could, I helped in every way that I knew how. I was exhausted.”

She knew she had to push through to fulfill her commitment.

What she could not know as she moved through her difficult days was that an opportunity for clear resolution was coming. She could not imagine achieving anything significant during what seemed to be a summer of failure.

Near the end of the summer, Anna, along with the other interns, received an email from the owner outlining the questions he would be asking them during their exit interviews. “I looked over the questions and took my

time typing out a five-page response so no words got twisted during the interview and nothing was left out,” Anna says.

Taking things in hand

“When I walked into my exit interview, I handed one copy to the owner and one to the general manager. Let’s just say that there was a professional, strongly worded discussion that ended with my gaining the owner’s respect.” Clearing the air successfully, Anna and the owner were able to part as friends, and, she says, “He wrote me a fabulous letter of recommendation.”

So, a happy ending…but wait, there’s more.

In the spring of her sophomore year, Anna received a call from the owner.

“He told me that he had been searching and searching for someone to fill [a] position, but no one ‘fit,’” she says. The owner discussed the position with the general manager, and they knew they wanted Anna back, this time in a paid position as a first responder.

“Athletic trainers are also first responders, but first responders are not athletic trainers,” Anna explains. Overseen by the team doctor, the first responder can perform first aid but refers any serious injuries to medical providers.

Despite an attractive job offer, and despite Anna’s strong interest in baseball, which had drawn her to the Owls in the first place, “the decision did not come all that easily,” she says.

“I took a lot of time praying about it before I accepted, but I am grateful that I did.”

Not only did she work as a first responder the summer after her sophomore year, she went back after her junior year as well.

Struggling, even sinking a little, made her stronger

STRENGTH TRAINING

Anna McCraw

Class of 2019

Major: Athletic Training

Where she is now: Shelby, N.C.

Current Position: Head Athletic Trainer at Shelby High School

Counting blessings

As Anna looks back on that first summer with the Forest City Owls, she sees the good that came out of it. “The two summers I spent as a first responder were completely different from my first summer—mostly because I had gained the respect of the team owner, and he trusted me,” she says.

“The last three summers that I have worked at Chick-fil-A and with the Forest City Owls are a great addition to my resumé. It’s not only the consistent years that I have returned to work in each of those places, but the relationships that I have built that speak for themselves.”

Anna’s rocky start with the Owls did not prevent her from pursuing understanding and reconciliation. “Having gone in as an intern at Forest City, and then returning the two following years for a paid position speaks volumes, but so does the relationship I built with the owner and the general manager while I was there,” she says.

The knowledge and skills Anna gained at Erskine were put to good use and increased during her internship and subsequent work experiences with the team.

“I learned how to communicate on my own with collegiate athletes and coaches, something that I had a chance to do at Erskine, but never to the extent I did at Forest City. I learned how to communicate with a tough boss, which will help me for the rest of my life.”

Musing about what some students have called “the Erskine bubble,” Anna says, “We always have a safety net while we are at Erskine, someone always there to catch us, even when we don’t want it. But, being on my own, I had to sink a little before I could swim, and for that, I’m so grateful.”

And then what happened?

After Anna graduated in May—with a major in athletic training and minors in biology and health—she applied for some jobs, but also spent some time at the beach, knowing that the positions she sought would not be filled until late summer.

“I was contacted by the head athletic trainer at Catawba College and asked to cover a few camps during late June and a good bit of July,” Anna reports, adding that though these jobs were not permanent, they enabled her to make some money and build some connections.

“While I was working camps at Catawba, I became very popular in the world of athletic training,” she jokes. “I had about eight interviews in a two-week period.” Some interviews were conducted in person, some over the phone, and some using FaceTime.

“I ended up having official offers from five organizations,” she says. “After lots of prayers and consideration of each offer, I accepted a position as head athletic trainer at Shelby High School in Shelby, North Carolina.”

This school year, Anna will be doing what she said she’d never do—serving as both an athletic trainer and a teacher. “I’ll be going in around lunchtime and teaching two sports medicine classes and a PE class and then staying after school for any practice and game coverage.”

Anna says she is working with “amazing and generous folks” at Shelby and believes she is “exactly where God intended for me to be.”

She has enjoyed seeing how life unfolds, and says she now realizes that people who told her “it’ll happen when it’s supposed to” or “it’ll all play out” were right.

HALL OF FAME

from page 13

Calhoun Parr came to Erskine in 2000 and immediately turned the women’s tennis program into a conference powerhouse. His overall career record is 309-139, and his career record in Conference Carolinas play is an astonishing 196-42. His teams won either the regular season, tournament championship, or both for 10 straight years. He also coached the Fleet to their first NCAA postseason appearance and postseason win. Under Parr, Erskine was named an All-Academic team 14 times by the ITA, and he was named the Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year eight times and NCAA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year in 2004-05. In 2007 the USPTA named him the South Carolina Coach of the Year, and in 2011 the USTA-South Carolina named him Coach of the Year.

Former Erskine athletic director Chip Sherer said, “Erskine was blessed beyond measure when Calhoun became our Women’s Tennis Coach. He understood recruiting, hard work, and tennis, but never could I have imagined when we hired him that he would lead our women’s tennis program to such heights.”

Larissa Shannon came to Erskine from Newberry, S.C. As a freshman, she helped lead the Fleet to a second-place finish in the conference, earning both First Team All-Conference and Freshman of the Year honors from Conference Carolinas. Shannon’s best season came as a junior when she hit .390, with 17 home runs and 12 doubles, slugging .919. She finished third in the country in slugging percentage and seventh in home runs per game. She was named Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, first-team All-Conference, and firstteam All-Region. Shannon finished her four-year career with a .360 batting average and a school-record of 47 home runs, 130 RBIs, 39 doubles, and a

.765 slugging percentage, while playing in 171 games.

“Every now and then, a player comes along that you just know is special and that you are lucky to coach,” Head Coach Alleen Hawkins said. “When that happens, you thank your lucky stars every day, or in Larissa’s case, you thank your lucky stars every time she hit the ball out of the park. Larissa Shannon was one of those once-in-a-lifetime players whose impact on Erskine Softball can still be felt today.”

Brandon Wright came to Erskine from Goose Creek, S.C. From the beginning, Brandon showed he would be an offensive threat. As a freshman, he finished second on the team in scoring with 16.7 points per game. As a sophomore, he led the country in three-point field goals per game with 117. Wright’s best season came as a junior when he averaged 20.8 points per game, along with 6.4 rebounds, while making 100 threepoint field goals. He would finish his career as the Fleet’s all-time leading scorer with 2,101 points, and all-time leading three-point shooter. He was a two-time All-Conference player, and All-Region as a junior.

His former coach Mark Peeler said, “In 35 years of coaching I never had a finer all-around human being than Brandon Wright. He had an incredibly tireless work ethic. Brandon never took a day off in practice or games. He was an absolute joy to coach every day and an even greater joy to watch play. He was the best pure standstill shooter I ever coached. Along with being a great player, Brandon was a great teammate, a great leader. He modeled everything at a high standard.”

Congratulations to all the 2019 Hall of Fame inductees!

NO QUIT IN THEM

Fleet softball shows What a real fight looks like

In spring 2019, the Erskine softball team fought to win the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) championship while two of the team’s players fought to win victories over cancer.

Outfielder Nicole Biles and catcher Taylor Lawhon were both undergoing treatment during the championship, but they still traveled to Virginia to support their team and cheer them on to victory over Biola University.

“We knew we could do it,” Taylor says, “but a lot of people were counting us out.”

Head Softball Coach Alleen Hawkins believes the 2019 win is a tribute to the many strong players who have built the program over the years. “Last year was really a culmination of every year’s classes.”

Erskine’s win was hard-fought. Midway through the game, the Fleet was losing 1-0. As the sixth inning opened, the Fleet picked up steam. Nicole and Taylor, cheering from the sidelines, could sense the willpower in their teammates.

“You could see the determination in everyone’s faces,” Taylor recalls.

That determination paid off when Reagan Davis hit a two-run double, pushing Erskine into the lead that they held the rest of the game.

“They had no ‘quit’ in them,” Nicole says.

Nicole and Taylor had no quit in them either in their fight against cancer. Nicole was diagnosed first, earlier in the spring softball season. She says that she rarely gets sick, so it puzzled her when she discovered swelling in her neck. While undergoing tests, Nicole kept playing softball, even playing a game the on the day she had a biopsy. Nicole was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and quickly began chemotherapy, which ended her ability to play for the season, but not her firm intention to support her team.

Taylor recalls her reaction when she found out about Nicole’s diagnosis. She wondered why a person as kind as Nicole had to experience cancer.

“I was heartbroken,” Taylor admits.

As Nicole began her battle against cancer, Taylor began experiencing exhaustion and abdominal pain and found she could not throw the softball as well as usual. About a month after Nicole’s diagnosis, Taylor was diagnosed with

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, a rare and slow-acting form of cancer affecting the bone marrow.

As Taylor and Nicole began treatment, their team stepped up to support them with words of encouragement, phone calls, and texts. The team made T-shirts in Nicole’s honor and wore orange ribbons, used to raise awareness for leukemia, for Taylor. Even beyond the Erskine softball team, many players throughout the conference wore purple ribbons to raise awareness for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Rebecca Magee, deputy athletic director and senior women’s administrator at Erskine, says that the Erskine softball team played with renewed determination in the wake of their teammates’ diagnoses. They were playing for something beyond themselves, she says, for their teammates who could not play.

“It gave them something to rally around,” Magee says.

Nicole also sensed that her teammates were fighting for her both on and off the field, and their determination gave her strength. She says she adopted the attitude, “I’m strong because you guys are helping me be strong.”

As Nicole and Taylor faced diagnosis, treatment, and side effects from treatment, Coach Hawkins stood by them as a steady supporter. Nicole recalls the moment she told her coach that she had cancer. Hawkins hugged her and said, “We’re going to get through this together.” Hawkins also helped Nicole make arrangements with her professors so that she could complete her classes for the semester while undergoing treatment.

“You never expect to get news like that,” Hawkins says. Though stunned by Nicole’s and Taylor’s back-to-back diagnoses, Hawkins says she knew her two players would overcome.

“They are huge fighters,” Hawkins says. “There was never a doubt in my mind…that they would absolutely come out winners.”

Erskine psychology professor Dr. Briana Van Scoy offered words of encouragement, having recently won a battle over cancer herself. Van Scoy sent Nicole uplifting emails and devotionals.

Nicole and Taylor are thankful for the strength and encouragement they received from the Erskine community. Even so, both women agree that, ultimately, it was God Himself who gave them peace. Though they wrestled

through emotional ups and downs, their faith remained.

“I knew that He was with me the whole time,” Taylor says.

“It was this peace,” Nicole says. She recalls how her favorite scripture passage took on new significance for her. In John 9, Jesus and his disciples meet a man born blind, and the disciples ask Jesus whose sin caused the man’s blindness. Jesus replies, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned…but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

As a special education major, Nicole had always loved this passage because it spoke to how everyone’s life is made to give glory to God. During her illness, Nicole started to understand this passage in a more personal way. She knew her journey would be tough, but she also believed that “it was something God was going to use to show His might and His power and His glory.”

And Nicole was right. Others noticed the peace that God had given

them, especially Taylor’s family. Taylor’s father had always believed in God, but as he watched his daughter endure tests, diagnosis, and treatment, he realized that he did not have the faith in Christ that she had. He decided to trust in Christ for himself.

Having seen her father come to faith, Taylor views her illness through a grace-focused lens. “If I had to go through this again to get someone else to believe, I would,” she says.

Because Taylor had been away from school for testing and treatment, she and Nicole had not been able to talk much since their diagnoses. Finally, one night during the softball championship, the two sat down in the hallway of the hotel and talked. They shared with one another their fears as well as their faith that God was with them.

Nicole recalls how they encouraged one another, saying, “God’s going to carry us through and show us His strength through this.”

“[We] are both a lot stronger than we were,” Taylor says. “It’s brought us together.”

At the end of the school year, the softball team surprised Nicole at the athletic awards ceremony by creating an award in her honor. The “Nicole Biles Perseverance Award” will be given each year to an athlete who demonstrates great perseverance. Nicole is, of course, its first recipient.

Rebecca Magee has been impressed by Nicole’s attitude. “She always shows up. She always has a smile on her face,” Magee says. “[She is] always pointing back to God—it’s never about her.”

Now, both Nicole and Taylor are back in school for the fall semester and playing softball again. Nicole finished chemotherapy in the summer and went into remission. She rang the bell for the end of treatment on August 12 and returned to campus the next day for RA (Resident Assistant) training. In addition to serving as an RA, Nicole is the rush chair for the Philo literary society, president of the rock climbing club, and treasurer for

“I know that God picked the right show what a fight really looks like.”

Photo by Brandon Gilmore

right people to like.”

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). She also attends Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) and runs cross country and track. Nicole is a senior this year and plans to graduate in December 2020 with a degree in special education.

Taylor is undergoing long-term treatment with medication, which will likely continue for five years. She is currently in her junior year, majoring in psychology. She serves as an RA, is a member of Chi Women, and is president of the Erskine Entertainment Board. She hopes to become a counselor, and her own experience with illness has only strengthened her resolve to help others.

“I don’t think of it as a negative thing that I went through, but a learning experience,” Taylor says.

Reflecting on the struggles Taylor and Nicole have endured, Coach Hawkins says that sometimes it is difficult to understand why God allows the best people among us to face such illness. At the same time, she has seen the positive influence Taylor and Nicole have on their teammates.

“I know that God picked the right people to show what a fight really looks like,” she says.

Nicole Biles, center, with her parents, “rang the bell” in August to signal the end of her cancer treatment. (Photo credit: Prisma Health)

ATHLETIC TRAINING GRADUATE RETURNS AS CHAPEL SPEAKER

Joseph Brown, a member of the Erskine College Class of 2014, addressed students, staff, and professors at a chapel gathering Feb. 19. He did not deliver a sermon, but instead spoke about his own life in a testimony called “The Sovereignty of God Over All Things.”

Brown, a cum laude graduate from Whitmire, S.C., majored in athletic training and went on to become a physical therapist. Since he played football in high school, and thought he would like a small school, he considered attending North Greenville University and playing football there. An injury in his senior year halted his football ambitions. “The Lord was working in this development, as well as in people who influenced me,” Brown said.

Brown attended a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) camp at Erskine, and enjoyed the campus. When he began asking about Erskine, “Everyone I asked gave me positive feedback,” he said.

In his life at Erskine and following graduation, Brown moved from shallow friendship, lack of commitment to a local church, and a lack of accountability or vulnerability toward intentional friendships, commitment to a local church, and growth in accountability and vulnerability.

“I’ve grown to trust in God’s sovereignty, His control over all things,” he said, adding, “Today I want to talk about how God has worked in my life.”

Raised in a Pentecostal church where his father played a leadership role, Brown expressed gratitude for having been raised in a Christian family. Owing to his upbringing, he knew that he ought to be in church each Sunday, and he stuck to that during his college years.

However, he “did a lot of church-hopping in college,” getting to church any way and anywhere he could since he did not have a car. Sometimes, if he was really late getting up on Sunday, he would walk up to the ARP Church, he said with a smile. In all his moving around, he missed out on the benefits of accountability that come with commitment to a local church.

Brown said he had a great freshman roommate, Jonathan Ashworth (with whom he is still friends), and became a leader on campus, serving as an R.A. for three years. But his friendships were often superficial, just as his involvement in BCM, RUF, FCA, and other groups was superficial.

Later, he became friends with Parker Edison as well as with Kevin Adams, who had cerebral palsy. Brown and Edison “sought to serve Kevin any way we could,” Brown said. “It was the first time I was intentional about friendships. Previously the friendships had been pretty shallow.”

After he left Erskine, Brown entered a physical therapy program in Savannah, and eventually committed to a local church and trusted in Christ. Meanwhile, in response to stress in school and in life, he took a year off from graduate school. He began going to church with his roommate, another person God put in his path. “I got plugged in at New Covenant and was exposed to deep theological topics,” he said. He also began listening to sermons about God’s sovereignty.

Explaining his choice of Genesis 3:15—“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”—as the scripture reference for his talk, he said, “There is so much wrapped up in this verse.” Not only does this one short verse call to mind the creation, Adam and Eve, their fellowship with God, and their subsequent rebellion—it contains the first promise of the gospel to come.

Brown urged students to seek out godly mentors, to be intentional about friendships, to seek accountability, to be vulnerable, and to pursue Christ. “Trust in Christ— He is our only hope. He is good, He is for us. Look to him and be saved.”

Joseph Brown ’14 speaks at the Due West ARP Church.

SERVICE IMPACT

An Interview with Kate Deak

Kate Deak spent two months in the summer of 2018 in Washington, D.C., where she served with Experience Mission (EM) in the organization’s Cross-Cultural Internship program. The internship is described by EM as “a hands-on mission experience,” with interns working together “to provide leadership and logistical support in the field for short-term mission teams.” Before she graduated in May 2019, Kate spoke about her time as an EM intern, and she recently spoke about what she’s doing now.

What sorts of activities were you engaged in during the internship, and what was your daily routine like—if you had a daily routine?

Our daily routine was so sporadic that I wouldn’t consider it a routine! As interns we were responsible for preparing food for our teams, so my morning started very early as we set up breakfast. We began each of our days with food and prayer. We would then take the team to their designated volunteer location. This varied week to week, and teams would switch from morning to evening shifts. Locations included the Salvation Army, a summer camp, Thrive D.C., D.C. Central Kitchen, Food & Friends, homeless outreaches, and more.

The teams would then come together for dinner and we would facilitate the evening gathering where we would debrief, worship, and have Bible study. The evenings were free for fellowshipping and just getting to know the team.

What was the most eye-opening aspect of your experience?

I was just in awe of the number of students who had such hearts for serving. Most of the time, when I think of high schoolers, I don’t envision selfless, hardworking individuals who sacrifice their time and energy for the good of people they have never met. But that is exactly what I saw. I was astounded by so many of the students’ selflessness and willingness to go out of their way to make sure someone they have never met was taken care of. They really took to heart the idea of being “hidden in Christ” and loving others as individuals truly known by God.

Looking back on your time with EM, what would you say was the biggest hurdle you had to get over? What was your biggest reward?

My biggest hurdle was pushing myself out of my comfort zones. Late nights and early mornings

led to exhausting days. My comfort zones are safe, but they were not of use during that summer.

I have never been the one who is able to talk easily to strangers or work well when exhausted, but every day those comfort zones were tested. But if I hadn’t broken through them, I would not have met the amazing people I did or get to experience the things I did—which in turn were my greatest rewards. Getting to meet the teams, the kids at the summer camp, and the people we served made all the long, exhausting days worth it.

EM’s explanation of their cross-cultural internship is intriguing, especially their promotion of “mutual influence.” But what was it like to live this out? How did the idea of encouraging “mutual influence and sustainable change,” as EM describes it, work in practice?

For me, it means seeing the people we served as individuals truly known and loved by God. So many people walk by the hurting and broken and view them as burdens. Coming to each person personally, looking them in the eyes, and loving them .... Showing respect and understanding [can bring about] sustainable change.

Many times, short-term mission trips prove fruitless because there is no real time spent with the people we serve; however, on EM trips, we focus on the people rather than the tasks at hand, which creates an atmosphere of influence. The EM

interns stay with the community all summer. So, even if the teams leave week by week, the interns are there cultivating relationships with the community and encouraging growth and change. The coolest thing about these trips is that it is not a one-sided change, it is mutual. You leave a different person with new perspectives, and I think that is incredible.

Did your internship inspire you to get involved with any activities here on campus? What organizations were you involved with, and did your EM experience make a difference in how you approached these activities?

I was involved in a few! I was the secretary for the Student Government Association, a member of the Student Finance Committee, president of the Erskine Choraleers, a member of the South Carolina Student Legislature, and a writer for the Mirror. I was already involved in many of these organizations before I interned with Experience Mission, so it wasn’t so much an inspiration to join the organizations, but more that it instilled in me a drive to pursue my oncampus activities with everything I had. Rather than halfheartedly going through the motions ... I understood that the opportunity to be a part of these organizations shouldn’t be taken for granted. My EM experience also inspired me to ... be on the lookout for more opportunities to serve.

What might you say to a student at Erskine who is considering an Experiencing Mission internship?

Do it. It is hard work, and some days you just want to quit, but I have never been so changed in my entire lifetime. I have learned countless things about myself and how I work. I have met more people that have influenced and taught me than ever before. I have experienced some of the most fun adventures of my life. And I saw Jesus in the ‘realest’ way—through people loving people. I have been changed, and I know if you intern with EM, you will be, too.

Here’s what summa cum laude graduate Kate Deak is doing now!

I just started a position with Project HOPE International, Inc. I am an ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) Therapist and once I take my exam, I will be an RBT (Registered Behavioral Therapist). I work one-on-one with children diagnosed with autism, implementing ABA principles to teach them new, socially important skills and reduce problem behavior. Project HOPE offers many different services—I work under their Hope Reach program.

Founded by Chris Clum in 2003, Experience Mission began with a desire to bring opportunity and hope through meaningful relationships and exists to demonstrate God’s love by empowering communities, developing leaders, and mobilizing volunteers.

Seminary student serves in Poland, dreams of mission work in Japan

Many ARPs find their historical roots in Scotland and North America. Others within this family tree trace their lines to branches in Pakistan and Mexico. But what some might not realize is that future growth of the Gospel through their denomination could include growth in Japan—by way of Poland! We had a conversation with Erskine Seminary student Mateusz Kupiec to learn more about his current ministry work in Warsaw, Poland, and his aspirations to become a missionary to Japan.

Kupiec was born and raised in Poland. “Like many, I was brought up in the Catholic Church. Religion had always fascinated me, but early on I had no real love for God, nor do I believe that I had ever really heard the Gospel,” he says.

He grew up, studied physics at university, and worked in the business world for a number of years. It was while he was attending university that he stumbled upon a compelling article explaining Christian theology by appealing directly to Scripture.

“It was different from what I experienced growing up. From that point on I was inspired to learn more and eventually started reading the New Testament epistles for the first time in my life,” he recalls. “Soon after that, I understood the Gospel and gave my life to Christ, trusting in Him alone for my salvation.”

During this period of study and reflection, Kupiec also found himself

becoming more Reformed in his theological convictions. However, not only was there no Presbyterian church in Warsaw, but there was no Presbyterian church in the entire country of Poland. Around this same time ARP minister and missionary Dr. Dariusz Bryćko was preparing to leave the United States and begin a new ministry in Poland.

“I learned from a friend about Dr. Bryćko’s desire to plant a church and establish a Reformation study center here in Warsaw,” Kupiec says. “Not too long after that, I personally met with Dr. Bryćko, and the rest is history. I am now involved with the church plant as an intern and with the Tolle Lege Institute as a manager at the Study Center.”

At First Presbyterian Church in Warsaw, Kupiec’s responsibilities include, among other tasks, preparing the order of worship, co-leading Sunday worship, teaching children’s sermons, preaching once a quarter, managing finances, and accompanying the pastor on home visits. “Mateusz is diligent in his many duties,” Bryćko says. “Without his gifts and hard work, it would be almost impossible for me to effectively continue in the ministry here. He is an answer to prayer, and I am grateful.”

Kupiec also serves at the Tolle Lege Institute in Warsaw as manager of the Study Center’s bookstore and library. This institute, whose motto is “Faith Seeking Understanding,” provides free access to Reformation-era materials otherwise unavailable or hard to find in Poland. The institute is working to establish a publishing house to help the Polish people receive literature about the history, theology, culture, and art of the Reformation in their own language.

“I’m starting to see how guiding visitors through our library and bookstore and answering their questions about faith is shaping me as a future minister,” Kupiec says.

In addition to his other responsibilities, Kupiec is studying for his Master of Divinity degree at Erskine Seminary’s Virtual Campus. “My studies at Erskine help me grow spiritually and intellectually to better serve the people in our church plant and those who visit the Institute,” he explains.

“For example, my recent class on the Westminster Standards made quite an impression on me. It has inspired me to study the Reformation even more deeply than before, and to sharpen my understanding, so that I can be most effective in our missionary efforts bringing Reformed theology to Poland.”

Theological students from Central and Eastern Europe who are unable to visit the United States will have the opportunity to attend on-site Erskine Seminary classes at the Tolle Lege Institute, set to begin in summer 2019.

But Poland isn’t the only mission field on Kupiec’s mind. “I was born in Poland and have lived here my whole life. So, naturally, I want to help grow Christ’s church in this spiritually needy country for as long as I can. However, my true love is Japan, which God has put both into my heart and the heart of my wife, Anna.”

Kupiec expresses his continued amazement at God’s providence, shaping him over time through contact with and understanding of Japanese people and allowing him to better identify with their worldview and ways of thinking. He believes that God has placed him in his current missionary context in order to prepare him for the next chapter of his life.

“The Japanese are especially dear to me, and I hope to be able to sow seeds of Christian faith in that land just like we are doing here in Warsaw,” he says.

A ‘CUPPA’ TEA— AND HISTORY

Mornings in the Marr household begin with a delightful “cuppa”—a Scottish-style blend of Assam and Ceylon teas. John Paul Marr developed this routine while living just outside London in the picturesque village of Chorleywood. “It was there that I encountered at church a Belgian lady who commented that she ‘owned cutlery older than America,’” Marr said. “So began my adventures into history.”

Returning to the United States with his wife Melanie and daughter Caitlin, Marr settled near Charleston, South Carolina, where he met several Erskine graduates who described the school’s academic and relational atmosphere. Their passion convinced him to enter into the rich experience of Erskine Seminary and enjoy its historic heritage.

“My explorations into history deepened further on another day while studying at McCain Library in Due West,” Marr recalled. “I was in my first daunting year of seminary, working on a paper for the Scottish Reformation class. While perusing the shelves of the library, I found a little book about a man named John Erskine, the Earl of Mar. Questions arose regarding the name of ‘Erskine’ which led me to research early Associate Reformed Presbyterian history. And the rest is more history!”

Following the counsel of Dr. Don Fairbairn, then a member of the seminary faculty, Marr completed two degrees, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theological Studies, at Erskine

Seminary in 2011. He then entered the Master of Theology program, focusing on Dr. Thomas Clark, known as the “Father of the Associate Reformed Synod of the South,” and graduated in 2015.

His next step took him even deeper into history. “With encouragement from the seminary faculty and staff, especially Dr. Terry Eves and Dr. Mark Ross, I followed with much trepidation Dr. R.J. Gore’s suggestion of applying to Aberdeen University in Scotland,” he said. “The University accepted my proposal of research and granted me a generous scholarship.” This enabled Marr to learn more about ARP Church history while continuing to serve as the minister of Troy ARP Church in Troy, South Carolina, a town his motherin-law had described as “two weeks from nowhere.”

“The community of Troy has its origins in all that ARP Church history,” he said. “Two of the oldest ARP churches, Lower Long Cane (established in 1771) and Cedar Springs (established in 1779) are located near Troy and still meet every Sunday for worship, faithfully celebrating their anniversaries once a year with well-attended homecoming services,” Marr said, adding that his daughter often serves as pianist for Lower Long Cane while his wife plays for Cedar Springs.

“Both of these churches have direct connections with Ebenezer and Ralph Erskine. So it’s little wonder that my Aberdeen supervisors told me there were two aspects that intrigued them about my Ph.D. study: its scholarly contribution and its community accountability.”

As books on Scotland and Ireland began filling up Marr’s quaint brick home in Due West, he eventually decided to cross the street to the seminary and inquire about using one of the offices in the basement. “Dr. Gore quickly responded affirmatively with the added caveat, ‘You might as well work here,’” Marr recalled.

Marr began working for Erskine Seminary by helping with accreditation preparations. Now he serves as the Assistant Dean.

Pastors relax at the ballpark

“This past summer as an adjunct professor I had the joyful opportunity of teaching on Presbyterian history, sharing pictures from my numerous research travels to help underscore the vibrant storyline of the ARP Church and Erskine College and Seminary,” Marr said.

“My desire is that students value not only the lessons taught by history, but also realize how their current identities were formed by those who came before them,” Marr said, adding, “I hope I teach them to appreciate a good ‘cuppa’ as well.”

Marr portrays Ralph Erskine

Conducting ARP research, Marr poses on the Antrim Road in Ireland.

Marr assists with renovation at Cahans Church near Ballybay, Ireland.

BRUSH UP ON BIBLICAL LANGUAGES WITH DR. SCHWAB

What do robots and terrorists have to do with the kingdom of God? Can a broken alphabetic acrostic poem really relate to the perseverance of the saints? And how exactly do intensifying infinitives, passive verbs, and scarecrows highlight the absurdity of idolatry and remind us to place our trust in Jesus? Just ask Dr. Schwab!

Professor of Old Testament Dr. George Schwab, longtime member of the Erskine Theological Seminary faculty, publishes online biblical languages devotionals in which you can find answers to such questions and others you never even thought to ask. He offers a unique blend of grammar refreshers for Greek and Hebrew coupled with challenging scriptural devotions.

“Years ago I was speaking with a member of our presbytery, and he suggested that the idea would be helpful to pastors,” Schwab says. “I had previously written something similar for Zondervan, so I decided to go for it.”

Schwab has pastors in mind as he puts together his devotional material. “My immediate goal in composing these devotions is to assist pastors in their understanding and application of scriptural passages specifically from the original Greek and Hebrew,” he explains.

“I want to model for ministers how to read the original languages properly and, additionally, how to read the Bible as divinely inspired literature. I hope to encourage them to continue keeping up with the lessons they already learned in seminary. As the saying goes, you never stop learning.”

Although Schwab’s intended audience is pastors, anyone can benefit from these devotionals. “One thing I try to do is to show how to connect Old Testament passages with the Gospel, how Scripture finds fulfillment in the life and ministry of Jesus,” he says.

“I also attempt to draw out the eschatological implications from verses in order to reassure readers of the future hope God has for them in Christ.

“Finally, I demonstrate the practical value of scripture for daily living, for example, showing how we can easily get off track in our thoughts and actions by serving the idols of our hearts rather than the God who loves us.”

Schwab’s devotionals, with such intriguing titles as “Robots and Empire,” “Men are from Mars Hill,” and “Juiced like Moses,” are now available.

Check them out at:

https://pmaofepc.org/dr__george_schwab

Class Notes

CLASS OF 2019

Hope Crenshaw ’19 is Coordinator of Alumni Relations for Erskine College and Theological Seminary as of August 26, 2019.

Kate Deak ’19 began working for Project HOPE Foundation as an ABA (Applied Behavioral Analyst) Therapist for children with autism. “Every day I get to see the kids’ smiling faces and make a positive, tangible impact in their lives, and that is what drives me,” she says. (Photo #3)

Shelby Holliday ’19 wed Chris Beoudet on June 22, 2019. (Photo #23)

Laurel Middleton ’19 wed Dakoda Gladhill on Sept. 8, 2019. (Photo #7)

AnnaTaylor Hydrick ’19 wed Jesse Greene on May 25, 2019. (Photo #1)

Sara-Beth Johnson ’19 wed Colby Harker on July 13, 2019. They now live in Donalds. SaraBeth works at Dixie High School, and Colby is an engineer at Milliken and Company. (Photo #4)

Austin Hough ’19 wed Jayden Walker on July 27, 2019. (Photo #5)

CLASS OF 2019 (SEMINARY)

Dr. John G. Panagiotou ’19 (Sem.) was recognized by the Orthodox Cognate Page Media Network as the first Orthodox Christian theologian to receive a D.Min. from Erskine Theological Seminary. He graduated in May 2019, having completed a dissertation titled “The Path to Oikonomia with Jesus Christ as Our Lighthouse: A Study in the Theology of Christian Stewardship.”

CLASS OF 2018

Dominique Choe ’18 has taught English in Korea since 2018. She says, “I’ve been here for a year and am loving my students! I never saw myself as a teacher, but the kids make it so much fun. After finishing my contract, I plan to return to my hometown of Columbia, S.C., and hope to find a job. I’m still not sure what that job will be yet, but I’m excited for the future that God has for me!”

Josh Heafield ’18 is pursuing an MBA at North Greenville University and serves as a graduate assistant for the women’s soccer team. While at Erskine, he was the captain and then the student assistant for the men’s soccer team.

Julie Butler ’18 wed Adam Hartley ’19 on May 5, 2019. (Photo #2)

Lydia Cothran Clarke ’18 wed Harrison A. Timms ’17 on Oct. 13, 2018. (Photo #6)

CLASS OF 2017

Vincent Harris ’17 attended the 2018 Student National Pharmaceutical Association Conference. He won first place in the Kroger’s Division 1 Clinical Skills Competition. (Photo #9)

Jordan Blade Joseph ’17 wed Luke Kennington ’17 on June 3, 2017.

Whitney Denae Lyerly ’17 wed Austin Wilson on June 10, 2017.

Tim Nabholz ’17 completed an MBA in Finance at Mississippi College in May 2019. He is now an Associate at the Logue Advisory Group, a consulting firm in Ridgeland, Miss. He is also an Investment Associate with Enhanced Capital, an investment company based in New York City. “I’m grateful to all my professors who pushed me to pursue excellence and invested in me in my time at Erskine. Erskine gave me the tools I needed to compete and succeed in my field while maintaining a healthy home life with my wife, Grace,” he says.

Kristopher Chase Pridgen ’17 wed Ashley Newman on Sept. 8, 2018.

Cameron Whitehurst ’17 has accepted a job as the Director of Youth Ministries at Plains Presbyterian Church in Zachary, La. He plans to begin seminary studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Miss. (Photo #11)

CLASS OF 2016

Jordan Kirby ’16 wed Laura Halsey on June 15, 2019. (Photo #10)

A daughter, Harper Ann Krebs, was born to Kate Macsay Krebs ’16 and Foster Krebs ’16 on July 4, 2019. (Photo #13)

CLASS OF 2015

A son, Bowen Scott Ashworth, was born to Rebekah Bowen Ashworth ’15 and Jonathan Ashworth ’14. (Photo #14)

Ford Blanchard ’15 wed Mary Frances Hillow on May 3, 2019. (Photo #15)

Mary Margaret “Maggie” Brown ’15 wed Tyler Dittmar on Oct. 13, 2018.

Caitlin Paige Bullock ’15 continues serving as the Head Women’s Volleyball coach at LeesMcRae College in Banner Elk, N.C. She was part of Erskine College’s first team to win a Conference Tournament Championship in 2014. She was named as tournament MVP in 2019 and to all-conference three out of four years. She still holds the career kill record in women’s volleyball. (Photo #12)

A son, Jasper Graham Burklin, was born to Micah Burklin ’15 and Laura Burklin on Aug. 4, 2019. (Photo #16)

Marlee Rhodes ’15 wed Cody Dysart ’15 on May 28, 2016. Marlee accepted a position with AnMed Health in Anderson, S.C., as the Safety Operations Manager, starting in 2017.

Chelsea Ball ’15 wed Gamilo Gomez on Aug. 3, 2019. (Photo #17)

CLASS OF 2014

Robbie Brown ’14 works at Lee Central High School, serving in administration and as the Athletic Director. Previously, he was Lee Central’s head baseball coach and led the team to its first playoff appearance. He has completed a master’s from Coker College, and in 201718, he coached baseball at Florence-Darlington Technical College.

Rachel Whitmire ’14 wed Chris Caldwell ’14 on Oct. 20, 2018.

CLASS OF 2013

A son, Benjamin Wycliffe Ernst, was born to Rachel Eckard Ernst ’13 and Rich Ernst on Jan. 2, 2019. “Benji” joins his brothers John and Winfield, who just turned three. Rich and Rachel are now preparing for an assignment with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Thailand where they will be providing missionary mental health care and support to Christian workers from all over Asia. (Photo #20)

Rachel Abbott “Abby” Hope ’13 wed Jacob Blakely ’13 on Sept. 14, 2018.

Chandler Adkins ’13 wed Justin Horne ’09 on May 12, 2018. The couple currently lives in North Augusta, S.C. (Photo #8)

Corey Sorell ’13 works at Fidelity Investments in Covington, Ky., where he case-manages and assists with retirement benefits for executivelevel employees from multiple companies. He earned an MBA from Thomas More University.

CLASS OF 2012

Seaman Recruit Reid Flinn ’12, Division 176, graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command, earning the Military Excellence Award on April 12, 2019. The Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award is the top award presented to the No. 1 recruit of each graduating training group. The MEA is awarded to the recruit who best exemplifies the qualities of enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing, and teamwork. Flinn was awarded a flag letter of commendation.

CLASS OF 2011

A son, Elijah Cook Barkley, was born to Meghan Cook Barkley ’11 and Jared Barkley ’11 on Dec. 4, 2018. (Photo #21)

A son, Jacob Allen Perera Thompson, was born to Ashton Thompson ’11 and her husband Eduardo on June 15, 2019, in Madrid, Spain. (Photo #18)

Howard Wellons ’11 wed Arielle Fischer on Dec. 31, 2016.

CLASS OF 2009

A daughter, McKenzie Rae Bowles, was born to Kristen Koch Bowles ’09 and Ryan Bowles ’07 on July 13, 2019. (Photo #24)

A daughter, Anslie Margaret Hill, was born to Ann Elizabeth Johnson Hill ’09 and Shawn Hill on April 25, 2019. (Photo #26)

A daughter, Lydia Joy Woodford, was born to Bethany Barron Woodford ’09 and Andrew Woodford on Nov. 2, 2018.

CLASS OF 2008

Jacob Gregory ’08 and Bobbi Gregory are celebrating five years of owning their own business, Glam Salon, in downtown Greenville, S.C. They have expanded to a 4,900-square-foot building with 18 employees.

A daughter, Mary Juniper Wells, was born to Daniel F. Wells ’08 and Ashlee Wells on Jan. 4, 2019. (Photo #22)

CLASS OF 2007

Allison Read ’07 began working at the University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg as a Reference and Research Librarian, beginning April 2019.

CLASS OF 2006

W. Bennett Tucker ’06 was featured in the Aiken Standard (July 14, 2019) for his work as the Woods Superintendent for Hitchcock Woods near downtown Aiken.

CLASS OF 2005

Tiffany Harris Beaver ’05 and Benjamin Beaver now have two daughters: Teagan, born Dec. 12, 2014, and Sage, born May 29, 2019; Tiffany also graduated with a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of South Carolina on May 11, 2019. (Photo #25)

CLASS OF 2004

James Robert “Rob” Brown ’04 earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Columbia International University, graduating in May 2019. He currently serves as the Lower

School Principal at Southside Christian School in Simpsonville, S.C.

CLASS OF 2002

Brandon Keith Poston ’02 was featured in The State newspaper’s 20 under 40 for 2019. He says, “I began practicing law with Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough LLP in 2009 and was elected partner in 2016. In 2015, I received Nelson Mullins’ Claude M. Scarborough, Jr. Award for an outstanding commitment and contribution to pro bono work. In 2016, I was certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a specialist in bankruptcy/debtor-creditor law. In 2018, I was recognized by the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges in its Next Generation Program. In 2019, I was invited to join the J. Bratton Davis Bankruptcy American Inn of Court” (excerpted from The State).

Millie Hodge Runyon ’02 was promoted to Director of Pre- and Post-operative Services with Trident Medical Center in Charleston, S.C., in June 2019. In July 2019, she earned a B.S. in Nursing from Western Governors University.

CLASS OF 2000

A daughter, Hannah Lily Clanton, was born to Greg Donald Clanton ’00 and Elizabeth Stevenson Clanton on April 22, 2019; they also have a 4-year-old son, Joey. (Photo #19)

CLASS OF 1999

Elinor DuBose-Schmitt Lister ’99 was named Anderson District Five’s “District Teacher of the Year” in August 2018. She teaches eighth grade English at Glenview Middle School.

CLASS OF 1998

Courtney Grant ’98 wed Kodzo Agbobli on May 27, 2019. (Photo #27)

CLASS OF 1997

Martha-Margaret Nivens Cotten ’97 and Sam Cotton ’95 became full-time World Witness missionaries through the ARP Church in April 2019. They will be providing theological training to men and women in Africa and Pakistan. (Photo #28)

CLASS OF 1996

Catherine Amanda Lawson Dale ’96 recently accepted a position in Florence District One Schools in South Carolina as Special Education Supervisor for Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Her husband is Daniel Dale ’93. Christopher “Chris” Majure ’96 was admitted as a fellow into the Construction Lawyers Society of America in 2018.

Got news or photos to share?

Email alumni@erskine.edu

CLASS OF 1995

Professor Michael Higdon ’95 has been named Associate Dean for Faculty Development at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. He joined the university’s College of Law in 2009, and he is the former director of the College of Law’s Legal Writing Program. His research interests include constitutional law, family law, and estates. (Photo #29)

Joe H. Patrick III ’95 is now serving as chair for the C12 Group in the Upstate and Midlands of South Carolina. The C12 Group is the largest network of Christian CEOs and executives working together to increase company performance and integrate faith and business. His wife is Emily O’Rion Patrick ’95 (Photo #30)

CLASS OF 1994

Blair Young Lord ’94 reports that her mother, Jacqueline V. Young, passed away on Sept. 22, 2018. Jacqueline Young was the wife of Douglas Young ’64

Evelyn Foster Wilson ’94 earned a Doctor of Education Degree from North Central University in January 2018. In 2011, she became an Assistant Professor in the Emergency Medical Care Program at Western Carolina University, and in 2014, she became the program’s Clinical Education Coordinator. She has served 21 years as a paramedic and continues to work as a part-time paramedic in Spartanburg.

CLASS OF 1993

Andy Anderson ’93 began a new job on August 19, 2019, as Administrative CoordinatorInternational Services at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.

CLASS OF 1992

Dr. J. Ridgeway Addison ’92 has accepted a job as Course Strategist with 2U in Lanham, Md. 2U is an education technology company that partners with colleges and universities to bring their courses online. “As a Course Strategist, I’ll collaborate and consult with faculty from around the world to make their online courses more creative, transformative, and worthwhile for their students and also for themselves as educators,” he says. (Photo #31)

CLASS OF 1992 (SEMINARY)

Floyd Vernon Chandler ’92 recently completed a two-year program in Spiritual Direction at Sarum College, Salisbury, England. He and his family reside in Ansbach, Germany.

CLASS OF

1989

Diana R. Palecek ’89 was named in the 2019 class

Class Notes

of Women in Business Achievement Awards by the Charlotte Business Journal. The annual award honors 25 outstanding businesswomen from the Charlotte region who have made significant contributions to their professions and to their communities in the past year. Her husband is Eric Moore ’89. (Photo #32; photo credit, Melissa Key)

CLASS OF 1984

Paul Bell ’84 accepted the position of Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations at Erskine College, beginning in August 2019. He previously served as the Executive Director of Alumni Relations and Strategic Giving at Erskine. Bell is also President of the Greater Abbeville Chamber of Commerce.

Katherine Taylor ’84 reflects on her career as an educator and the training she received at Erskine College. She says, “I am not wanting so much to spotlight myself, but instead to reflect and give thanks for my teacher education training. Since I graduated from Erskine in 1984, I have

had the opportunity to teach in Clinton, S.C.; St. Louis, Mo.; Sofia, Bulgaria; Rock Hill, S.C.; and now York, S.C. Through all the years, I have remembered and taken to heart a quote from the late [Professor Emeritus of Education] Dr. Calvin Koonts: ‘When you get in the classroom, throw away everything you learned (educational theories, etc.) and slowly bring them back in.’ Wise words that ... I often share with younger teachers. Also, [Professor Emerita of Education] Zelda Oates gave me an unbelievable amount of wisdom for everyday teaching. Both of these Erskine professors, as well as many others, gave me words and actions that I reflect on as I begin another year teaching. I am so thankful for my Erskine experience.”

CLASS OF 1982

Edith Boazman Bedenbaugh ’82 was hired as the Outreach Librarian for First Steps in Newberry County, S.C., starting fall 2018.

CLASS OF 1980

Janet Jenkins Noterman ’80 retired Sept. 12,

Got news or photos to share?

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2019 after 38 years of service in the Office of the Solicitor, 2nd Judicial Circuit. She served under solicitors Bob Harte, Barbara Morgan, and J. Strom Thurmond Jr. Her most recent position was Diversion Program Director. On June 3, 2017, she wed Bradley Noterman.

CLASS OF 1977

Paul O. Woodland ’77 moved from Missouri to Florida after 33 years assisting the assessor of St. Charles County.

CLASS OF 1965

Brenda Gregg Munnerlyn ’65 and Edward Munnerlyn celebrated 54 years of marriage. They live in Greenwood, S.C., and have four sons and eight grandchildren.

CLASS OF 1961

Forrest William “Bill” Sherrill, Jr. ’61 recently composed three new hymns. He writes for and sings in the Upstate Men’s Chorus, which will give a benefit concert for Trinity Episcopal Church in Abbeville on Dec. 7, 2019.

Erskine

Alice Shirley Brock Cribb, shown with her husband, Clifton L. Cribb, is a 1963 graduate of Erskine College. Known as “Shirley” to her friends, she went on to study at the Peabody College of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, taught school, and brought up a son and daughter. She and her husband live in Hemingway, South Carolina. More than 50 years, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren later, Erskine still has a place in her heart.

“It was a family atmosphere. I don’t think bigger colleges have that.”

Shirley and her husband have established the Clifton and Alice B. Cribb Education Scholarship to benefit incoming freshmen who plan to become teachers. Shirley Cribb gives because she was a scholarship student herself— and because, she says, “Erskine was such a blessing to me.”

was such a blessing to me.

HOMECOMING 2019 DRAWS CROWD TO CAMPUS

Alumni and friends joined students and their families on the Erskine campus Oct. 4-5 for Homecoming 2019. A packed-out concert spotlighting the talents of the Erskine Choraleers and Sinfonia opened the festivities Friday night, and a well-attended Fleet Football exhibition concluded slated activities Saturday evening.

This year’s homecoming court was presented at halftime of the men’s soccer match, despite some rain on Saturday afternoon, with seniors Alex Bass, a business administration major from Clover, S.C., and Katie Epps, a special education major from Belton, S.C., crowned king and queen.

Paul Bell ’84, recently appointed Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations, remarked on the success of the event.

“It’s always fun to get together with Erskine family,” he said. “How can you not celebrate when that family includes 90-year-old alumni who drive six hours across two states just to spend a day reminiscing, families of freshmen who are just beginning their Erskine experience, and the spectrum of alumni in between? What’s a little rain when you’re surrounded by people like that?”

Newly appointed Coordinator of Alumni Relations Hope Crenshaw ’19, who assisted with planning this year’s homecoming events, displayed the same enthusiasm for her work that she demonstrated last year as senior class president.

“It was incredibly encouraging to see so many people come out and stay for the whole day,” she said. “I believe this was a small glimpse of what is coming for Erskine, and I couldn’t be more excited to be on board for the ride!”

Other members of the homecoming court included Quest Caines of Harlem, Ga., and Amaya Richardson of Boiling Springs, S.C., freshman prince and princess; Josh Starnes of Clover, S.C., and Ann Rose Conner of Greenville, S.C., sophomore prince and princess; and Grayson Reames of Simpsonville, S.C., and Anna Daly of Lake Wales, Fla., junior prince and princess. Nominees recognized included freshmen Eric Washington and Sara Cervantes; sophomores Graham McCurry and Faith Wright; juniors LeBrone Woodbury and Lily Cazel; and seniors Alex Leasure and Chely McKoy

Helen Abernathy White ’28, Oct. 16, 2018.

Maury Emerson Wortham ’38, Feb. 3, 2019.

Doris Baird Miller ’42, Jan. 24, 2019.

Mary Kennedy Todd, ’43, Feb. 22, 2017.

Mary-Julia Campbell Royall ’45, Oct. 25, 2018.

Jessie Stewart McFerrin ’47, Nov. 10, 2018.

Warren C. “Nick” Murff ’48, Nov. 2, 2018.

Dr. Jefferson Flowers, Jr. ’48, Sept. 3, 2019.

Cecile Henry Irwin ’49, Aug. 26, 2018.

Jean Glasscock Lesslie ’49, March 17, 2019.

Charlotte Border Oates ’49, July 14, 2017.

Margaret F. “Peggy” See ’49, April 19, 2019.

W. F. “Bill” Snipes ’50, Dec. 18, 2018.

Edward C. Waldron, Sr. ’50, Jan. 19, 2013.

Marion Francis Weaver ’50, Oct. 11, 2018.

Robert “Bob” Muirhead ’51, Jan. 11, 2019.

William Dukes ’52, Aug. 28, 2018.

John James Macheras ’52, Oct. 3, 2018.

Gerald Runager ’52, March 18, 2019.

H. David Lindsey ’53, Nov. 5, 2018.

Mary Leslie Williams ’55, Aug. 4, 2017.

Jimmy M. Thompson ’56, Oct. 10, 2018.

Harry Roddey Edwards ’58, Sept. 4, 2018.

Rev. Dr. Robert S. Ledbetter ’58, Jan. 8, 2017.

Don L. Lester ’59, Dec. 31, 2018.

James Alvin “Jim” Campbell ’60, Dec. 20, 2018.

John Thomas Lay, Sr. ’60, July 13, 2019.

Rev. Dr. George Leslie McGill, Jr. ’60 (Sem. ’63), Nov. 16, 2018.

Anita Faye Nichols ’61, Oct. 26, 2018.

Jean Porter Acker ’62, Nov. 16, 2018.

Bettye Hampton Fulmer ’62, June 22, 2019.

Bayard Steward Lindell, Jr. ’62, Jan. 2, 2019.

Lt. Col. James Eugene “Gene” McDaniel ’62, June 28, 2019.

Rev. Robert Durant Bradham, Jr. ’63 (Sem.), Sept. 18, 2018.

Sandra Walker Harper ’63, March 23, 2019.

David Boyd Parr, Sr. ’63, July 7, 2019.

William Wilkerson, Jr. ’64, June 25, 2018.

Olin Wray Smith ’65, Oct. 1, 2018.

Thomas E. Liles III ’66, Jan. 30, 2019.

Jack Ronald “Ron” Williams, Jr. ’66, Aug. 4, 2019.

Mary Alice Bryson ’67, May 26, 2019.

Clyde Satterfield ’67, Nov. 9, 2018.

James Eugene Smith ’67, June 16, 2019.

Sanford E. Hershey ’69, Sept. 25, 2018.

Barry “B.K.” New ’69, Oct. 27, 2018.

Elaine Robbins Shamlin ’69, Aug. 20, 2019.

William Gordon Garrett ’70, Oct. 11, 2018.

William S. “Bill” Hahn ’70, Feb. 5, 2018.

Dianne Webb Hull ’70, Feb. 8, 2019.

Gary Sharpe ’70, Jan. 24, 2019.

Marie Holzworth Smith ’73, June 8, 2019.

Susan Colbertson Ragsdale ’77, Sept. 12, 2018.

David Robbins Ellis ’80 (Sem.), Jan. 20, 2019.

Alfreda Ray ’81, July 10, 2019.

Rev. Dr. James R. Glover, Jr. ’87 (Sem.), Oct. 1, 2018.

Mark David Corbitt ’88, June 29, 2019.

Crystal McLaughlin ’88, Aug. 20, 2019.

Ashley Leigh Rhinehart ’95, June 20, 2019.

Rev. Alvis Glenn Yonce ’94 (Sem.), June 26, 2018.

Mary Suzanne McAllister ’96, Nov. 17, 2018.

Rev. Michael McCaulley ’11 (Sem.), March 15, 2016.

Ashley Leigh Rhinehart

died June 20, 2019. Born in Decatur, Ga., on May 15, 1973, she battled spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) all her life. After graduating from Erskine, she earned a master’s degree at Georgia State University in Rehabilitation Counseling. Survivors include her parents, brother, and two sisters, as well as a sister-in-law and two brothersin-law. She will also be remembered lovingly by a host of Erskine friends.

Professor of English Dr. Brad Christie wrote this tribute for Inside Erskine:

Ashley Rhinehart was a dear friend of our family. On the day our youngest son was diagnosed with SMA, my wife and I could tell the doctor that, yes, we knew something about it—because we knew Ashley, who was at Erskine at the time. As others have testified, Ashley brightened this campus, as she did every place she went and every person she met.

Ashley made us better people; she made others more Christlike because she was so much like Him. Ashley was a rich blessing to me and my family. We look forward to seeing her again, healed and shining like the sun.

Dr. Roy Beckham, a graduate of both Erskine College (1953) and Erskine Theological Seminary (1956), is a retired ARP minister who loves giving—and giving back—to his alma mater! An annual giver since he graduated, he has also contributed to special projects from time to time and has set up an estate plan to benefit Erskine. First ARP Church of Rock Hill established the Roy E. Beckham Seminary Scholarship Fund in his honor.

Roy’s two daughters, Ann Beckham Gainey ’72 and Martha Beckham Davis Morgan ’79, observed their father’s example —and they also give back to Erskine. Back in the 1980s, Ann set up an insurance policy naming Erskine as beneficiary. Martha set up a scholarship, funded by classmates, in memory of her first husband, Patrick Lee Davis ’79, an Erskine College graduate who died in 1990.

The Legacy Circle recognizes alumni and friends who have made a commitment to Erskine through a planned gift. You can do more than you thought possible with a planned gift. While helping Erskine educate students for lives of service, you can: - generate income - provide for your loved ones - receive tax benefits Learn more about the Legacy Circle and Planned Giving at erskine.edu/legacy or call us at 864-379-8772.

In Memoriam

FRIENDS

Judith Ashley Burts, able assistant to a succession of Erskine presidents, died June 15, 2019.

Dr. Benjamin Farley, Younts Professor Emeritus of Bible, Religion, and Philosophy, died Dec. 28, 2018.

Hazel Haddon Manos, former faculty member, died Nov. 12, 2017.

Joseph Monroe McElwee, former trustee, died Jan. 24, 2019.

William Hood “Bill” Stuart, Jr. founder of the E.B. Kennedy Scholarship Program and former trustee chairman, died Feb. 21, 2019.

Penelope Thomas, who retired after 30 years in Erskine’s Student Services office, died Feb. 3, 2019. She was the wife of Young Professor of Chemistry Dr. Howard Thomas.

Amanda“Ruth” Moore Burton died June 21, 2019. She served for many years as resident director in Carnegie Hall, offering love and guidance to generations of Erskine freshman women. She was known for her talents as a florist, and her arrangements graced tables and podiums at countless Erskine events. In recent years, having retired from her position as resident director, she worked as director of the Bowie Arts Center. She was passionate about honoring Erskine’s history through the preservation of furniture and other significant objects. Survivors include her daughter, Ivey Layne Busbee, her granddaughter, Hunter Ashleigh Busbee, and her sister, Shelby Moore Stone.

P.O. Box 338, Due West, SC 29639