Inside Erskine 2009

A Publication of the Erskine Alumni Association

Don’t just get a degree, get connected!

While many schools offer large auditorium-style classes, our approach is different. At Erskine, we believe smaller, more intimate classes create a better educational environment and a friendlier campus. This emphasis on growth and relationships is part wof what we call a “connected” education.

It’s about Christ. The Erskine experience is more than just education. It’s about Christian commitment and the spiritual and moral fulfillment derived from a faith-based lifestyle.

It’s about learning. It’s about a nationally known academic program that’s been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the 2nd Best Baccalaureate College in the South, and rated in the Top 100 nationally by Forbes.com in its Best Colleges Guide.

It’s about life. Our students develop lifelong relationships with the faculty and staff and experience college on a “first name” basis. The bonds formed at Erskine serve as a stepping-stone for future success, both personally and professionally. It’s why we have one of the highest graduate program placement rates in the South Carolina.

We invite you to visit Erskine and see firsthand how a connected education is a better education. Your future is waiting.

Make the connection!

I chose Erskine College because I love the liberal arts model for education, the Christ-centered foundation (though I know this won’t mean everyone, students or professors, is a Christian), the intimate class size, the campus (who needs a metropolis when they have beautiful countryside) and the dorms. God’s incredible provision through scholarship, which is allowing me to come to Erskine, is just “my cup running over.”

-Victoria Unthank, Presidential Scholar, Class of 2013

Board of Trustees

Mr. D.S. Mitchell, Chairman

Mr. J.H. Patrick III, Vice Chairman

The Rev. W.L. Barron, Secretary

Mr. G.W. Haselden, Treasurer

Ms. Judith A. Burts, Assistant Secretary

Mr. J.D. Basie

The Rev. H.M. Bolin

Mrs. Julia T. Boyd

Mr. W. S. Cain

The Rev. R.W. Cameron Jr.

The Rev. F.S. Carr

Dr. J.M. Clemons

The Rev. Dr. J.T. Corbitt

The Rev. J.W. Donahue

The Rev. J.C. Dorr Jr.

The Rev. Dr. C.B. Evans

Dr. W.R. Folks Jr.

Mr. R.S. Galloway III

Dr. R.G. Gordon

The Rev. D.R. Johnston

Mr. S.J. Maye

L.R. Nycum, M.D.

The Rev. Dr. D.L. Pearson

Mr. G.S. Query

Mrs. Lisa Robinson Senn

The Rev. R.E. Spencer

Miss L. Crosland Stuart Dr. R.G. Taylor Jr.

Mr. Craig White Dr. D.B. Whitesides

The Rev. Dr. R.B. Wilson Dr. D.P. Young

Ex Officio

Mrs. Kathy H. Barron

Mr. J.D. Chesnut

The Rev. Dr. J.R. de Witt Mrs. Jennifer Gilkison

President Dr. Randall T. Ruble ‘58, ‘61 (Seminary)

Interim Vice President and Dean of College Dr. W. Gideon Alston

Executive Vice President for the Seminary Dr. H. Neely Gaston ‘89 (Seminary)

Vice President for Finance and Operations Mr. Gregory W. Haselden

Vice President for Advancement

Mr. Ralph Patterson

Vice President for Student Services Dr. Robyn Agnew ‘84

Vice President for Enrollment Mr. Woody O’Cain ‘87 Volume 53, Number 1

Inside Erskine Contributors: Ann Hawthorne, Steve Sniteman

Inside Erskine, the alumni publication of Erskine College, is published twice yearly by the Department of Marketing and Public Relations. To contact the department: Phone: 1-864-379-8858 E-mail: jguyette@erskine.edu Mail: P.O. Box 608, Due West, SC 29639

Front cover: Class of 2009 graduate Anna Weldon, right, is congratulated by a family member during commencement activities at Erskine College.

Inside Erskine, Summer 2009

Erskine

Alumni day ’ o9

Alumni and friends show their Erskine SPIrIt

Cliff Wallace of Hong Kong received the Alumni Distinguished Service Award April 24 during Alumni Weekend festivities. Other alumni and friends were also recognized at an Alumni Association meeting led by outgoing Alumni Association President Steve Southwell ’80. Wallace is managing director of Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. “It was God’s grace that got me to Erskine, through Erskine and where I am today,” he said. “Erskine has done an amazing job with so little for a number of years, especially during this challenging time.” This year’s Sullivan Awards, given by the New York Southern Society to a man and woman who have “shown a spirit of love for and helpfulness to their fellow human beings,” went to Beth Sloan Clarke ’47 of Due West and Dr. D. Parker Young ’55 of Flat Rock, N.C. Clarke has served as president of the Flying Fleet Club, chairman of the Flying Fleet campaign and volunteer with the Annual Fund and the Board of Counselors. Young has served on the Alumni Board, Board of Counselors, Flying Fleet Board and the Board of Trustees.

The Outstanding Young Alumni Award, given to a recent graduate who has begun making significant achievements in the workplace, church and community, was presented to attorney D. Scott Mitchell ’99, who serves on the staff of Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb of the Supreme Court of Alabama. He is chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Named an honorary alumnus was Dr. William F. Junkin Jr., a member of the college faculty from 1975-2004. Now on the faculty of Eckerd College in Florida, he is also special consultant for learning and technology at Erskine. He was instrumental in advancing campus technology and served on the Strategic Planning Committee. “It was wonderful to be able to teach here,” Junkin said. “I’m proud to be a part of the Alumni Association.”

Receiving the Erskine Service Award this year were Martha Abernethy Long ’35 and R. Monty Wooley ’67. Long taught at Erskine from 1955-79 and was named Professor Emerita after her retirement. She received the Alumni Distinguished Service Award in 1986, has been an Annual Fund volunteer and class agent, and helped to establish the Class of 1935 Scholarship. Wooley worked as a teacher and coach in

Myrtle Beach, returning to Erskine in 1978 as director of alumni affairs. In 1994 he was named vice president for development and in 1995 became vice president for student services.

Outgoing Alumni Board members honored were James E. Christopher ’79; Harriet Smith Linderman ’60; Lewis N. McKelvey Jr. ’80; William F. Nelli ’92; Matthew C. Wiggins ’96; and P. Scott Williams ’76.

Presentation of the Class of 1959 Gift was made by Dr. Joe Lesesne and Eleanor Chesnut Richardson. The class marked its 50th reunion with a donation to the Alumni House project.

Vice President for Advancement Ralph Patterson provided a timeline of fund-raising activity since Erskine President Dr. Randall T. Ruble took office in 2006, including completion of the Gold Campaign, construction of the Moss Music and Math Building, and and growth of the Annual Fund.

Patterson expressed gratitude to outgoing Annual Fund Co-Chairs Dr. John C. McGill and Sarah Wightman Brice.

Outgoing Alumni Association President Steve Southwell presented a slate of nominees for the Alumni Association Board of Directors and conducted the election.

New board members are Ellen Rodillo Fowler ’97 of Columbia, filling an unexpired term; Grace Lucile Hill ’52 of Greenville; Ann Valentine McClinton ’75 of Greenwood; Charles W. McKinney ’60 of Clinton; Phillip M. Smith ’74 of St. George; and C.E. “Ed” Poore ’61 of Piedmont. Crystal S. Whitfield ’94 of Anderson is secretary, and Nan Sherer Campbell ’86 of Honea Path is president-elect.

After the gavel was passed from Southwell to President-Elect David

Chesnut of Atlanta, Student Christian Association Vice President Sarah Edge gave a closing prayer. The Erskine Fleetones opened the meeting with a short concert, and the Choraleers, directed by Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Shannon Jeffreys, gave a brief performance.

Activities Friday night included the Class of 1959’s 50th reunion dinner and several other reunion parties.

At the 17th annual Red Eye Run, winners for the five-kilometer (threemile) race were junior Brandon Wright of Goose Creek at 16:45 and high school sophomore Robert Clarke of Due West at 16:49. Leading the women was seventh-grader Lydia Clarke, 22:30. Robert and Lydia are the son and daughter of Bobby Clarke ’87 and Paula Bigby Clarke ’88. Senior Bethany Barron of Greenville, 24:32, and Laurel Barron ’06 of Greenwood, 24:33, finished next.

Several classes met for reunions and activities for Accepted Students Day and Spring Fling created a lively atmosphere for returning alumni and friends.

Executive Vice President

Weatherman Don Weatherman Don

Longtime dean headed back to Arkansas

Executive Vice President and Dean of Erskine College Dr. Donald V. Weatherman has left the school he served for a decade.

He has accepted the presidency of Lyon College, Batesville, Ark., where he spent 16 years before coming to Erskine.

The opportunity is not one that Weatherman sought, although Lyon contacted him a year ago. The Lyon College Board of Trustees approved Weatherman’s nomination as 17th president of the institution on April 17, to replace retiring President Dr. Walter B. Roettger.

He views Lyon’s offer as providential. “I truly feel this is the Lord’s will,” he said. “Anything I expressed reservations about, they countered. It seemed to be a door the Lord had opened and that was fairly critical.”

The dean and his wife Lynn went to meet with Lyon College officials and learned that the search committee was unanimous in its desire to consider only Weatherman for the job.

“I’m still numb – it all happened so quickly,” he said. “I’m excited about it – it’s a good institution. Lynn and I have been overwhelmed by the response of people who’ve learned we might be coming back.”

Despite his history with Lyon College, Weatherman made clear that the decision to leave Erskine has been a difficult one.

“We’ve loved living here in Due West,” he said. “We have a lot of friends on campus, in town and at our church (Due West ARP).”

Among the events of the past decade, a few stand out for the dean. One is success in reducing the teaching load for faculty and making sabbaticals available for professors.

He is also pleased by the improvement of academic facilities, particularly the Erskine Building, and with the linking of the new Moss Music and Math Building to an upgraded landmark, Memorial Hall.

Weatherman prized an open-door policy during his Erskine years and faculty and students took the opportunity to share concerns with him.

“The other thing you cherish is relationships,” he said, adding that he will miss working with Charlene Haynes, Erskine’s registrar.

Some things won’t transpire before his departure that he would have liked to see through. One is the addition of a second professor in politics and another in art. Another is seeing the transition completed for Erskine’s first vice president for enrollment, Woody O’Cain.

Weatherman marked his final Erskine College commencement on May 16, an event he knew would be “very emotional” for him.

He departed Due West in late June.

Alston Gid Alston Gid

Alston selected as interim vice president and dean

Dr. Randall T. Ruble has announced that Dr. Gid Alston will serve as interim vice president and dean of the college.

Alston, who has worked at Erskine for 22 years, will succeed Dr. Donald V. Weatherman, who will assume the presidency of Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas in July.

Ruble said Alston was recommended to him by senior Erskine professors and administrators. “His appointment will continue until a permanent vice president and dean has been selected and can assume the responsibilities of this important office.

“A national search will be launched and a search committee will be appointed in the near future,” the president said.

Alston, who is chair of the Department of Health and Human Performance, director of the Galloway Center, and director of Physical Activities, said he did not seek out this new position.

Once he was offered the job, Alston was concerned about covering his duties, including a full teaching load. Faculty and staff members will help with that.

Alston spent as much time as possible with Weatherman before July 1. “He’ll be a hard act to follow — he and I have a good relationship and I look forward to working with him.”

He has no qualms about working in administration, but will miss the close contact with students. His administrative experience includes supervising nearly 150 teachers at a previous job.

He said he knows he will have great people to work with — Assistant to the Vice President and Dean Nancy McKay, Registrar Charlene Haynes and Secretary to the Registrar Susan Nance — and that should help him stay on top of things.

Asked about the dean’s chief responsibility, he said it is to maintain and protect Erskine’ s academic integrity. “His number one goal should be to support the faculty.”

Leadership is exciting to Alston. “Leadership is servant leadership,” he said, citing Ruble as an example. “I want to be a supporter and an encourager. As a leader, you want to use your influence to help make things better.”

Alston came to Erskine as a volleyball coach and teacher. “Things were so different then,” he said. “After my first or second year, I was asked to become the department chairman and the other duties have just developed over time.”

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Alston earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has done postdoctoral study on leadership, focused on the effects of management styles on health, stress, morale and productivity.

Alston said he feels good about his decision to take on the new role. “I hope it’s God’s will, because I am going to need a lot of help,” he said. “I’m going to give it all I’ve got.”

“I am confident Dr. Alston will serve with distinction and I urge the entire Erskine community to support him,” Ruble said.

“I hope it’s God’s will, because I am going to need a lot of help. I’m going to give it all I’ve got.”

Interim Vice President

Presidential Scholarship winners selected

Weatherman said he was part of one of the three-on-three interview groups, which allowed him to see how the participants interacted not only with the interviewers, but also with each other.

“Certainly this process allowed us to identify those students who best fit what we are looking for as our top scholar,” O’Cain said.

“It was also a time for us to show them just how Erskine differs from the other schools they are considering, in a very honest and straightforward approach,” he added.

Three Erskine College Presidential Scholarship winners were chosen in fall and spring competitions.

The Presidential Scholarships, to be awarded for the first time in the 2009-10 academic year, honor the 15 presidents who have served Erskine College since its founding in 1839.

Vice President for Enrollment Woody O’Cain ’87 said he was “extremely pleased” with the competitions, “especially in light of how much time we had to transition from the former EBK process.”

Full scholarships, covering tuition, room, board and fees, were awarded to Eric Scott Goodwin of Southside Christian School, Greenville; Victoria Christine Unthank, West Columbia, a homeschooler; and Schadell Lalita Brooks of Gaston Christian School, Gastonia, N.C.

Goodwin and Unthank were chosen from among 118 seniors who came to campus Dec. 5 for Erskine’s first-ever Presidential Scholarship competition; Brooks was selected in a competition March 13 in which some 67 students vied for a third Presidential Scholarship.

Executive Vice President and Dean of the College Dr. Donald V. Weatherman said of the competition, “From my vantage point, it went very well. We had lots of bright kids who were excited about being on campus with one another.”

Scholarship candidates were interviewed both in small groups and as individuals by Erskine faculty, alumni, students and staff members.

Weatherman gave a presentation on the benefits of a Christian liberal arts education and Professor of Business Administration Dr. Charles Emery spoke on integrating faith into the learning experience at Erskine.

All three Presidential Scholars will come back to the Erskine campus this August as members of the Class of 2013.

Goodwin, son of Robert L. and Liane B. Goodwin, was a member of the National Honor Society as well as Beta Club. He was varsity captain of the Academic Quiz Team at Southside Christian, participated in the South Carolina Youth in Government model youth legislature and courts, and was active in the Boy Scouts of America.

Unthank, daughter of William J. and Christie D. Unthank, was a member of Eta Sigma Alpha National Home School Honor Society, attended Palmetto Girls State, and volunteered in ministry to the homeless, hurricane relief efforts in New Orleans, and two mission trips to Wales. She was also a member of the Greater Columbia Chamber Choir and participated in other musical activities in her church and community.

Brooks, daughter of James L. and Deepa P. Brooks, ranked first in her graduating class at Gaston Christian School, where she was a four-year member of the varsity cheerleading squad, served as president of the Beta Club, and was a member of Interact. She was lead singer for a Praise Team and Youth Praise Team, was an active member of the Youth Drama Team, and was also a volunteer with the Boys & Girls Clubs of West Gastonia.

Accepted students get a big dose of Erskine

Erskine’s future alumni gathered for their own event April 25 as current alumni celebrated Alumni Day.

Accepted Students Day was hosted in coordination with Alumni Day and Spring Fling, according to Vice President for Enrollment Woody O’Cain.

“The goal was to show accepted students Erskine in its full glory, with lots of current student activity as well as with those alumni who chose to return on this day,” he said.

During the opening program, the 128 guests (students, parents and family members) were treated to a talk by Dr. Harry Stille, a member of the Erskine community for more than 50 years, about the value of private education.

Accepted students were welcomed by Erskine President Dr. Randall T. Ruble, and Presidential Scholar Victoria Unthank of West Columbia gave a passionate talk about her reasons for choosing Erskine.

“Victoria showed a presence far beyond her 18 years in discussing why she chose Erskine,” O’Cain said.

A faculty fair and other presentations by faculty and staff helped accepted students and their families learn about academic, social and spiritual opportunities at Erskine.

An Erskine Ambassador leads tour for parents and students during Accepted Students Day.

Eric Goodwin Schadell Brooks Victoria Unthank

Prospective students attend Erskine’s MLK Day celebration

Memorial Hall was the setting for this year’s commemoration of Martin Luther King Day at Erskine College and Seminary.

“Memorial Hall has been completely renovated and it was nice to show it off to our prospective students as well as our community members who have not been in the auditorium before,” Associate Director of Admissions Tobe Frierson said.

Some 100 prospective students, on campus with their families for “Visit Erskine on MLK Day,” joined members of the Erskine community to celebrate the life and work of the civil rights leader Jan. 19.

The MLK Day celebration was part of the day’s schedule for visiting high school students and their families, who also took campus tours, learned more about admissions and financial aid, and met Erskine professors at a faculty fair.

Frierson said scheduling an admissions event on MLK Day, when both students and many parents had a day off, worked out well.

“The day was wonderful. The weather was great, students were genuinely excited about exploring Erskine, and they were able to connect with current Erskine students while we all participated in the MLK program together,” she said.

“Several students talked about how amazing it was that faculty took time to talk with them one on one,” Frierson added, referring to the faculty fair.

She hopes “Visit Erskine on MLK Day” will become an annual event.

When segregation began to break down, Woods said, his grandfather was among the first black officers to serve with the Abbeville Police Department, and was later the first black deputy sheriff in Abbeville County. Woods himself was hired as a salesperson at Charles Murphy’s jewelry store in 1969, the “first person of color” to serve in that capacity in a downtown Abbeville business, he recalled.

Today, “the son of black African man and a white woman from Kansas” has been elected president of the United States, and “We are standing at a most momentous time,” Woods said.

“There is only one race — the human race,” he declared. “If we’re as ‘Christian’ as we say we are, let’s be instruments in the hands of Christ.”

Woods stressed that the real human problem is sin, and the remedy is Christ. “As he hung on the cross ... there was a drop of blood for ev-

“I think Dr. King would be very pleased that rather than taking a day off in his honor, students actually got a chance to explore an educational opportunity that will certainly help make their future brighter,” she said.

“The fact that they got to sit in on our MLK Day service was just icing on the cake, as they had the opportunity to attend an actual ‘Erskine event.’”

The Association of Multicultural Students (AMS) organized the MLK Day event. Abbeville native Dr. Michael Woods, longtime pastor and founder of “Ministry With Excellence,” served as keynote speaker.

Woods focused on the value of diversity in the human family, taking as his text Exodus 12:37-38, which tells of a “mixed multitude,” that is, a group of people of mixed ancestry, who left Egypt with the Hebrews.

“The Hebrews’ strength was in their diversity,” Woods said. “The strength of humanity is in the diversity that God has given us.”

He recalled growing up in the era of segregation — asking about “White Only” signs when he was learning to read, playing at a nearby train station and noting the “white” and “colored” waiting areas there.

eryone on the face of the earth,” he said. “He wants to heal all of us and wants to use you in that healing process.”

Music was provided by the Erskine Gospel Choir, directed by Jessica Ridgill, who also serves as Erskine’s women’s basketball coach.

Frierson offered a welcome and recognized the speaker’s family members, who befriended her when she was an Erskine student.

Student participants included Kimberly Blanton, who gave an opening prayer; Eric Coleman, who spoke about the purpose of the event; Ashley Rhett, who read an excerpt from King’s speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”; and Octavia Johnson, who introduced the speaker.

Vice President and Dean of the College Dr. Donald V. Weatherman, who with Frierson started the tradition of Martin Luther King Day celebrations at Erskine, made brief remarks following Woods’ address, saying he especially appreciated King’s treatment of justice in the famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”

Erskine College and Seminary President Dr. Randall T. Ruble offered a closing prayer.

Woods, author of “What Now, Lord: 10 Steps to Christian Maturity,” is a graduate of Carver Bible College, Atlanta, and received a Master of Arts degree in ministry, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Doctor of Ministry degree in expository preaching from Luther Rice University, Lithonia, Ga.

Above left, Dr. Michael Woods; bottom left, Gospel Choir performs; above right, participants sing together.

“Several students talked about how amazing it was that faculty took time to talk with them one on one.”

Commencement Class of 2009

Erskine takes ceremony indoors

Although clouds loomed throughout the day, Erskine College successfully completed its 164th commencement exercises May 16 and sent another group of graduates out to pursue their next chapter in life.

Rain forced this year’s Erskine College commencement ceremony indoors, but family and friends packed the Galloway Physical Activities Center to watch loved ones receive their undergraduate degrees.

Commencement speaker Dr. Joab M. Lesesne, who grew up in Due West, graduated from Erskine, where his father served as president, and for 28 years was president of Wofford College, told graduates to take advantage of their education. “Recognize the opportunities before you and take a place of leadership and responsibility.”

Lesesne cautioned the graduates that their generation faces challenges not seen by those before them. There are increasing clashes in diverse cultures from many different voices. “War is no longer an extension of international politics.”

He congratulated the group for its accomplishments. “Be happy with yourselves — not satisfied, but happy,” Lesesne said.

The speaker encouraged the graduates to continue to cultivate the “art of giving of yourselves,” and to continue to cultivate “your relationship with God — it’s your most precious possession.”

Lesesne also recognized his classmates, the Class of 1959, honored for commemorating the 50th anniversary of their graduation.

He congratulated the graduates for earning their degrees “from one of the world’s better colleges — not just this country’s, but the world’s.”

In addition to the undergraduate degrees, the college also awarded Erskine alumnus and longtime administrator Lee Ward Logan the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Logan, an active member of the Due West community, was vice president of development until his retirement and held other positions of responsibility during his years at Erskine. Erskine alumnus Dr. Joseph T. Black, who chaired the Gold Campaign Steering Committee along with wife Kathy, read the citation presented to Logan.

Executive Vice President and Dean of the College Dr. Donald V.

Weatherman figured prominently in what was his final Erskine College commencement ceremony. Weatherman is becoming president of Lyon College in Arkansas this summer. Lesesne, students and Erskine President Dr. Randall T. Ruble expressed their good wishes to Weatherman during the ceremony.

Four seniors tied for highest grade point average — James Brantner of Johnson City, Tenn., Megan Ferguson of Due West, Caitlyn Slattery of Woodruff and Wallace Thompson of Starr. Ferguson and Slattery introduced Lesesne, while Brantner and Thompson responded to Lesesne’s speech.

E.

Senior Grace Washam led the academic procession and Dr. Howard

Clockwise from top left, commencement speaker Dr. Joab M. Lesesne; Anna Weldon, right, is congratulated by her sister; students and parents enjoy senior dinner before baccalaureate; Kevin Lindley; Heather Bellin and Jazmine King.

Thomas, chairman of the Erskine College faculty and Dr. and Mrs. James Rogers Young Professor of Chemistry, officially opened the event.

The Rev. Paul Patrick, campus chaplain, offered the invocation, while Ruble welcomed everyone to the ceremony, including the graduates.

“When you leave, part of you goes and part of you stays here with us,” the president said.

Outgoing Erskine Board of Trustees Chairman Guy H. Smith III gave remarks on behalf of the board and David Chesnut, president of the Alumni Association, inducted the graduates into the association after their degrees were presented.

Senior Class President Ryan Voskuil thanked Chesnut for the induction and said the graduates “feel privileged to join the men and women who have come before us.”

Voskuil also presented the senior class gift to Ruble, which this year is a “Spirit of Erskine” rock and a speaker podium for one of the main performance halls on campus. The rock will represent the spirit of Erskine and will be a large boulder selected and placed on campus. “Proper uses of this rock would be to recognize accomplishments of individuals, support athletic programs or events on campus, and appropriate self-expression,” Voskuil said.

Music was presented by the Erskine College Choraleers, who sang “It is Well with My Soul,” directed by Dr. C. Shannon Jeffreys and accompanied by Professor Robert P. Glick. Senior Jessica Skinner led the gathering in the Erskine Alma Mater before Patrick gave the benediction.

Baccalaureate speaker tells Class of 2009, “ take Jesus with you”

The Rev. Douglas W. Petersen, pastor of Boyce Memorial ARP Church, Kings Mountain, N.C., delivered a baccalaureate sermon entitled “Positioned to Flourish” May 15 at the Due West ARP Church.

The Rev. Paul G. Patrick, chaplain, said the service marks “the last time this class is to come together for corporate worship before being sent out to serve church and society.” He read from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, including the assertion that in Christ “all things hold together,” a passage read when the class first gathered for worship as freshmen.

Petersen, who is completing a second term on the Board of Trustees, told the students, “Because of my love for this college, one question weighs on my mind. What is to become of you?”

When he graduated from college, “I didn’t know what I was going to do with the rest of my life,” Petersen said. “One thing I knew was I didn’t want to be a preacher — so be warned.”

Petersen read aloud the Erskine College mission statement: “The mission of Erskine College is to equip students to flourish by providing an excellent liberal arts education in a Christ-centered environment where learning and biblical truth are integrated to develop the whole person.”

Focusing on what it means to “flourish,” Petersen cited Psalm 92, which describes two sorts of flourishing.

The wicked only “appear to flourish” in the psalm — their flourishing is temporary and they are marked for destruction.

The righteous are described as flourishing “like a palm tree,” as being “planted in the house of the Lord” and flourishing in God’s courts, and as flourishing by bearing fruit even in old age.

It is in the person and work of Christ that the biblical concept of “flourishing” finds its fullest expression. Petersen said Jesus “personalizes the horticultural metaphor” in John 15, describing Himself as the vine of which His disciples are branches — “Without me you can do nothing.”

Recalling his visits to a blind widow in his congregation, Petersen said despite her impaired vision, she would always escort him to the elevator of her high-rise building. As he stepped onto the elevator and the doors began closing, she would call out, “Take Jesus with you!”

“Take Jesus with you,” Petersen told the graduating seniors. “Reside in Him, abide in Him, and you will flourish.”

A native of Minnesota, Petersen holds master’s degrees from Rutgers University and Westminster Theological Seminary. He entered the pastoral ministry in 1982. He and wife Susan have three children, including one Erskine graduate, and 11 grandchildren.

Music for the baccalaureate service was provided by the Erskine College Choraleers, directed by Dr. Shannon Jeffreys, and the Rev. Robert Glick, organist. Patrick introduced the speaker and led several prayers, and the Rev. L. Calvin Draffin, pastor of the Due West ARP Church, offered a prayer of intercession for the graduates.

Bottom left, packed Due West ARP Church crowd during baccalaureate service; above right, the Rev. Douglas W. Peterson; below right, Dr. Bill Reames leads students out after the service.

Above left, Kristen Koch, Katie Beth Leathers and Matt Lewellyn; below left, 2009 honor graduates

Fleet Update

Golf, lacrosse teams enter conference competition

Surprising finishes, dramatic turnarounds, outstanding individual performances and fresh starts all were part of the Erskine athletic program’s winter and spring sports seasons. While Jessica Ridgill and her Lady Fleet dominated most of the winter hoop highlights on campus, Mark Peeler’s men finished the season with a flurry that found the Fleet battling for the conference tournament championship.

Ridgill, the first-year head women’s basketball coach, led Erskine to a 17-12 overall mark — 12-10 in Conference Carolinas play — only a year after a season in which the Lady Fleet won only four games — three in conference play.

The Erskine men’s basketball team’s dramatic run to the Conference Carolinas championship game in 2008-09 is not uncommon for a team with seniors wanting to go out in style in their college careers.

But Erskine’s late run was accomplished with no seniors on the roster and an all-junior starting lineup led by All-Southeast Region performer Brandon Wright.

The Erskine baseball team again put together a solid record, led by junior Bryan Fogle, who was named second team All American by the American Baseball Coaches Association and third team All American by the Sports Information Directors after an outstanding 2009 season.

The Fleet compiled a 36-18 record overall, 12-8 in Conference Carolinas.

Coach Alleen Hawkins guided the softball team to a 22-20 overall record, 9-7 in Conference Carolinas play.

The Lady Fleet were led by senior Katee Knapp, who was named third team All American by Sports Information Directors from around the country. She is the first Erskine player under Hawkins to be named All American.

Jessica r idgill

Jessica Ridgill capped her first season as head women’s basketball coach by being named Coach of the Year by Conference Carolinas.

Ridgill volunteered as assistant women’s basketball coach beginning in 2003 and became head coach in 2008.

She attributes the team’s success to “the hard work and winning mentality of each member of our team,” adding, “Our goal at the beginning of the year was to win, not just compete.”

Pointing out her players’ contributions, Ridgill said Audrey Timmerman is “an excellent shooter [who] led us in scoring,” and noted the addition of “two amazing freshmen,” Porsha Morgan and Elizabeth Tatum. She cited Mary Ann Langford’s “defensive effort and consistent hustle” and said seniors Karen Anger and Lauren Brendle “provided leadership and had amazing finishes to their careers.”

Contending that “players who rarely get mentioned are the true unspoken heroes in our story,” Ridgill is a booster of team members who don’t get much playing time, but “also [work] very hard all year long.”

The men’s tennis team, coached by Vardon Cox, struggled to a 6-14 overall record, 2-6 in conference competition, but there were bright spots in the season, including the play of Nemanja Brcan, who earned first team all-conference honors, and Angelo Ciarrochchi, who was named third team all-conference.

The first-year women’s lacrosse team was unable to chalk up a victory for coach Kristy Quigley but came close to winning a couple of times against Converse.

Erskine lacrosse completed its inaugural season with an overall record of 0-15, 0-11 in Conference Carolinas play.

Coach Jason Allen led the men and women’s golf teams into action for the first time since their addition to the athletic program.

The men finished 10th in the Conference Carolinas tournament, while the women were sixth in the conference tournament.

Patrick Wilson led the men and earned first team all-conference honors, while Tiffany Hutchinson captured third team allconference honors for the women.

named

Coach

of the Year

Among such athletes are Octavia Johnson, credited with “leadership and vocal motivation”; Lauren Henderson, willing to “get up and try it again”; Christine Phan, whose message is “count on me”; Neci Allen, praised for “gutsy and athletic play”; and Jean Marie Harris, with her “kind personality and lethal play.”

Ridgill said a less lengthy way to identify catalysts for the Erskine team’s success would be to include “the entire team.”

She also had a word for the fans. “Our support has grown and the energy from the stands was a big factor in our success when playing at home this year,” she said.

For Ridgill, receiving the Coach of the Year award “means that I have a great group of young ladies who trusted me enough to work hard to be great at every single thing I put in front of them.”

Insisting that her players “did the hard work — I just encouraged them along the way,” Ridgill looks to the future, and will focus on “perfecting our individual strengths and strengthening our individual weaknesses.”

She knows the importance of recruiting, too. “As great players graduate, new players that have great skill and great character will have to be added for us to continue to do well.”

In recruiting, the coach will keep in mind what she believes is the team’s biggest need —”adding some depth in the post.”

Ridgill, a 2002 graduate of Wofford College, grew up in Manning as the third of five daughters of Adrian and Gloria Ridgill.

Bryan Fogle Porsha Morgan

Women’s tennis team wins fifth straight championship

The Erskine College women’s tennis team won its fifth consecutive Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament championships this spring and also its first-ever match in the NCAA Division II Regional.

The Flying Fleet was ranked 24th in the nation, seventh in the region and completed the regular season in a three-way tie for first place in the conference with Lees-McRae and Mount Olive.

Erskine went into the tournament as the number three seed — the result of a coin toss — but captured its fifth tournament title in a row.

“The major challenge was to build a team with four freshmen, two sophomores and one senior,” head coach Calhoun Parr said.

At the season’s midpoint, its record was 8-6 overall, 5-0 in conference. The team’s conference win streak climbed to 58 with a 9-0 win against Limestone at Erskine April 3, but was broken next day at Lees-McRae.

“That was a critical turning point in our season,” Parr said. His wife Louise shared a quote with him in what he sees as “divine intervention”—“It’s okay to get knocked down. What happens next says it all.”

“The players focused on that quote and what it meant for their future performances. We won our next seven matches straight.”

Losing the tournament’s coin flip turned out for the best. “In the semis, we played Lees-McRae on a neutral site and won 5-1 in decisive fashion. We won all 3 doubles points,” Parr said. “The next day we beat Mount Olive in the conference tournament finals, 5-2. That match was interesting because we were down 2-1 after doubles. At number two doubles we won our second doubles point until the referee overruled a call on match

point for Erskine.The Erskine players came out after doubles and won the first four singles points to claim our fifth straight championship.”

As number three seed, Erskine played both teams it had tied. “By beating both teams in decisive matches we proved that Erskine’s women’s tennis team was the true champion of the conference,” Parr said.

The Flying Fleet advanced to the NCAA Division II Regional and won its first-ever match in that competition with another victory over Mount Olive. Host Francis Marion ousted Erskine from the tournament.

The team finished with an 18-8 overall mark, 11-1 in conference play.

Jourdan Smith was named tournament MVP and all-tournament, Tessa Rheault was named to the all-tournament team and was first team all-conference. Britton Bignon was all-tournament and second team allconference and Mary Claire Rollins was third team all-conference. Receiving player of the week honors in the conference were Rheault, Bignon, Rollins and the team’s lone senior, Kacie Knox, the team’s MVP.

Parr praised team captain Knox. “After we lost the conference match at Lees-McRae she really stepped up with strong senior leadership.”

The number one reason the team has been successful is the strong relationships between the players and coach, Parr believes.

“When players know that they can trust their teammates and coach to support them during stressful times, the players gain the confidence they need to play at their highest level of performance,” he said.

“The foundation of our relationship building starts with our daily praise and prayer time.”

From left, first row: Nicole Miller, Britton Bignon and Cera Falls; second row: Sonny Rhem, Jourdan Smith, Kacie Knox, Head Coach Calhoun Parr, Tessa Rheault, Mary Claire Rollins and Scott DeCiantis.

From left, first row: Nicole Miller, Britton Bignon and Cera Falls; second row: Sonny Rhem, Jourdan Smith, Kacie Knox, Head Coach Calhoun Parr, Tessa Rheault, Mary Claire Rollins and Scott DeCiantis.

Fleet athletes celebrate accomplishments Awards

Soccer standout Kyle Bennett won the Murphy Osborne Award and tied with softball superstar Katee Knapp for the Jake Todd Award when Erskine athletes were honored at a banquet May 5.

The Murphy Osborne Award, given to the Conference Carolinas’ most outstanding student-athlete, is the league’s highest academic award.

Team captain for four years, Bennett is a pre-med student and has served as a medical missionary. “His primary concern is others,” Conference Carolinas Commissioner Dr. Alan Patterson said.

Bennett shared the Jake Todd Award with Knapp, described by Coach Alleen Hawkins as the “best player I’ve ever coached.”

Jake Todd served Erskine from 1926-41 and was head football, basketball and baseball coach. The award, recognizing outstanding leadership, character, sportsmanship, academic achievement and athletic ability, was presented by Flying Fleet Club President Phil Phillips.

The Karen G. Bell Memorial Award, for a student-athlete exemplifying the qualities of Bell, administrative assistant in athletics, went to basketballl player Matt Herring. Bell’s husband, Dr. Robert Bell, presented the award, based on Christian character, loyalty and positive enthusiasm for team, dedication and love of sport and fairness and appreciation in competition.

The women’s tennis team and Coach Calhoun Parr were recognized for their fifth conference regular season and tournament championships.

Women’s basketball coach Jessica Ridgill, conference coach of the year; Bryan Fogle, conference player of the year, baseball; and conference freshman players of the year Porsha Morgan, women’s basketball, and Cody McElhaney, baseball, were also honored.

Kristy Nichols (cheerleaders), Adam Weyer (athletic trainers), Calhoun Parr (women’s tennis), Vardon Cox (men’s tennis), Jessica Ridgill (women’s basketball), John Sell (cross country), Warren Turner (men’s soccer), Gary Winchester (women’s soccer), Alleen Hawkins (softball), Kristy Quigley (lacrosse), Jason Allen (golf), Kevin Nichols (baseball) and Mark Peeler (men’s basketball) recognized their teams’ achievements.

Most valuable players and top award winners were: Lauren Reynolds (women’s soccer), Kyle Bennett (men’s soccer--Ralph Lundy Award), Adam Groblewski (men’s cross country), Katie Henderson (women’s cross country), Audrey Timmerman (women’s basketball--Top Pilot Award), Jay Boulware (men’s basketball--Top Pilot Award), Nemanja Brcan (men’s tennis), Kacie Knox (women’s tennis), Katee Knapp (softball), Bryan Fogle (baseball--Alex Lewis Award), Patrick Wilson (men’s golf), Tiffany Hutchinson (women’s golf) and Sarah Updegraff (lacrosse).

Academic all-conference winners were: Antonio Brathwaite, Kyle Bennett, John Michael Leppert and Ryan Voskuil (men’s soccer); Kim Barron, Lauren Reynolds, Kendal Shaffer and Anna Weldon (women’s soccer); Becky Fick, Kateryna Slyepstova and Sarah Wittke (women’s cross country); Kacie Knox (women’s tennis); Chas Anthony, Keith Coward, Keith Hill, Greg Huff and Mike Moore (baseball); Caleb Barnes and Ryan Miller (men’s tennis); Katee Knapp and Rebekah George (softball); Matt Herring, Nathan Jones and Dejan Nedelkovski (men’s basketball) and Adam Groblewski (men’s cross country).

Conference players of the week were: Britton Bignon, Kacie Knox, Tessa Rheault and Mary Claire Rollins (women’s tennis); Katee Knapp (softball); John Bolding, Bryan Fogle, Cody McElhaney and Mike Moore (baseball); Adam Groblewski (men’s cross country); and Joe Sell (men’s track).

All-Conference performers honored were: Adam Groblewski (first team, men’s cross country); Audrey Timmerman (first team, women’s basketball); Brandon Wright (first team, men’s basketball); Chas Anthony, John Bolding, Bryan Fogle and Greg Huff (first team, baseball); Katee Knapp and Lindsey LaPrad (first team, softball); Nemanja Brcan (first team, men’s tennis); Patrick Wilson (first team, men’s golf); Tessa Rheault (first team, women’s tennis); Amanda Tinker (second team, women’s soccer); William Buzhardt, Cody McElhaney, Keith Hill and Atlee Pearson (second team, baseball); Britton Brignon (second team, women’s tennis); Kelly Davis (second team, softball); Kyle Bennett (second team, men’s soccer); Porsha Morgan (second team, women’s basketball); Angelo Ciarrocchi (third team, men’s tennis); Mary Claire Rollins (third team, women’s tennis); Ronnie Murray (third team, men’s soccer); Tiffany Hutchinson (third team, women’s golf); and Joseph Sell (honorable mention, men’s cross country).

Jourdan Smith was cited as All-Tournament MVP of the Conference Carolinas women’s tennis tourney.

All-tournament performers were: Brandon Wright and Marko Latinovic (men’s basketball); Chas Anthony, William Buzhardt and Keith Hill (baseball); and Britton Bignon, Tessa Rheault and Jourdan Smith (women’s tennis).

Bottom left, Kacie Knox; top left, clockwise, Kyle Bennett, left, and Katee Knapp; Dr. Robert Bell, left, and Matt Herring; Neci Allen, left, Elizabeth Tatum, center, and Audrey Timmerman; Nemanja Brcan, left, and Scott DeCiantis

Montana

upbringing put Chaney on path to book

“Conservation in West Germany from 1945 to 1975” might seem an obscure topic. But for Professor of History Dr. Sandra Chaney, it’s just natural.

Chaney’s dissertation, edited and expanded in scope, became “Nature of the Miracle Years: Conservation in West Germany, 1945-1975,” published recently as Volume 8 in the series, “Studies in German History,” in association with the German Historical Institute, Washington, D.C.

“Growing up in rural Montana not far from Yellowstone made it easy for me to enjoy the outdoors,” Chaney said. “Through 4-H projects — does anyone still do that? — in forestry and range management, I learned to give thought to caring for nature from the point of view of managed use.”

Later, as a student at the University of Montana, she became interested in “the decision-making processes that affect the treatment of nature.”

When Chaney was in graduate school at the University of North Carolina, she developed a dissertation topic combining “my interest in nature, German language and history, and environmental justice.”

Her research took her to Germany. “At one point I found myself reading letters and position papers from the 1950s, which were lodged in a retired forester’s basement,” she said. She also interviewed conservationists.

Working on her research gave the Big Sky Country native “a perfect excuse to hike around some of (Germany’s) most scenic places.”

Moving from dissertation to book took “longer than I care to admit,” but

Erskine SIFE team moves up in national rankings

Erskine’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team was first runner-up in the quarterfinal competition for a “Sweet 16” spot at the national competition in Philadelphia May 11-13. The program is ranked between 17th and 32nd in the nation, up from last year’s finish between 33rd and 48th.

Erskine SIFE also finished third in the nation for the program sustainability and management award.

SIFE, a collegiate service organization founded by Sam Walton, has 700 chapters at colleges in the United States and several hundred more in 40 countries around the world.

Dr. Charles Emery, team sponsor and Sam Walton Fellow, spoke about the sustainability and management award.

“It is unprecedented and extremely gratifying that we received this award in our second year of operation. It is a tribute to our hard work and the long hours of our students.”

Emery also said it was “particularly satisfying” to beat major schools “in head-to-head competition.”

Presenting some of the 50 projects done by 52 Erskine SIFE students in more than 3,900 hours of service were seniors Brian Amey, Kim Barron, Howard Wagler, Anna Weldon and David Wilson; juniors Kim Bussey and Kendall Wurtz; and freshmen Jourdan Page and Tyler Evans.

“The national competition is an awesome experience,” Weldon said. “It makes you believe that this organization makes a tremendous difference in the world.”

Wagler agreed, “Some of the more comprehensive projects are creating hundreds of jobs and saving thousands of lives around the world. You can’t help but feel proud to be part of this organization.”

Chaney credits McCain Library’s staff, Erskine’s sabbatical program and the faculty development fund with helping her through the process.

The faculty development fund enabled her to do follow-up research — German archives can be examined only 30 years after the events.

The period covered by Chaney’s study, 1945-1975, includes the “miracle years,” a time of recovery and expansion for West Germany.

“The country’s postwar environmental history — after the Nazis and before the Greens — sheds light on how a densely populated urban industrial nation made decisions about the treatment and care of nature in a time of unprecedented economic growth,” Chaney said.

She sent her 145,000-word manuscript off for review and was told to cut 20,000 words but expand the study. “That’s all I worked on in the summer of 2006. I suppose the research, writing and constant revising has helped me the most in working with students on writing assignments.”

Finishing the book meant sacrificing some time with family and friends. “I have really great friends and a wonderful family, because they still don’t mind being around me!” Chaney said.

Chaney came to Erskine in 1994 and serves as sponsor for the Phi Alpha Theta chapter. She is married to McDonald-Boswell Professor of History Dr. Howard Davis Grier and they have a daughter, Anna Mei.

At the regional event in Charlotte, where SIFE teams competed to go on to the national event, Erskine also improved on last year’s performance, finishing as top 20 finalist in four of seven categories. Only two teams in the nation earned more top 20 awards.

SIFE chapter members develop and implement projects in teaching market economics, building success skills, promoting entrepreneurship or assisting businesses, improving financial literacy, promoting energy sustainability, teaching ethics and social responsibility and improving the sustainability of the campus’ SIFE program.

SIFE is a boon for Erskine students as well as the community. “This organization has helped me get a wonderful job in a time of layoffs and limited job opportunities,” Barron said. “I would not have had such a strong resumé, experience, or speaking skills without SIFE.”

Emery has his eye on the future. “We’ve started to plan next year’s projects. We Intend to team with more businesses to focus more hours on local and international projects that teach people to help themselves.”

Above left, Dr. Sandra Chaney; below right, the Erskine SIFE team is pictured during a visit to the City of Brotherly Love.

“through 4-H projects — does anyone still do that?...I learned to give thought to caring for nature....”

Senior attends National Prayer Breakfast in Washington

Erskine College senior Ashley Rhett attended the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. earlier this year.

The National Prayer Breakfast is hosted annually by a group called “the fellowship” on the first Thursday of each February and is attended yearly by more than 3,500 people from more than 100 countries.

The keynote speaker was former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. “He was incredible,” Rhett said.

President Barack Obama, in accordance with tradition, spoke during the event and he was joined by his wife Michelle and Vice President Joe Biden, but Rhett said she did not get to meet them.

“The purpose of the forum is to give politicians and people involved in politics, the community, education, and other arenas the opportunity to discuss their faith,” Rhett said. “The forum is largely interfaith, and I saw people from nearly every religion and every walk of life there.”

Rhett was invited to the National Prayer Breakfast as a result of her attendance at the S.C. Student Leadership Forum in Columbia.

“While I was there, I met some of the people who help plan the breakfast,” said the English major from Goose Creek. “I apparently made a good impression because someone nominated me to attend and paid my way. Erskine helped out with my plane ticket to and from D.C.”

Casting Crowns provided music for the event.

William P. Young, author of the popular novel, “The Shack,” and former NFL star running back Shaun Alexander were guest speakers at the student forums, Rhett said.

Erskine graduate goes to work in the White House as liaison

David Agnew, a 1988 graduate of Erskine College, is now President Barack Obama’s deputy director of the office of intergovernmental affairs, serving as a liaison between the federal government and local governments.

His job entails working with “hundreds of mayors across the country,” Agnew said, and he finds it “exhilarating and extremely challenging.”

“I believe passionately in the importance of America’s cities and towns, because their success or failure will determine the quality of life for the majority of Americans as we move forward,” he said.

“I also believe mayors are in a unique position to make good things happen for people, because of the important actions that a good local government can make happen,” Agnew added, citing schools, streets, parks and libraries as examples of “very special and positive ways” in which the actions of local officials can make an impact on people’s lives.

Agnew, who also served in the Clinton administration, received a master’s degree in 1990 from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and was co-chairman of Obama’s campaign in South Carolina.

The office where Agnew now works is located in the Eisenhower Complex of the White House.

“There isn’t a single day that goes by in the White House that I don’t pause and appreciate this special opportunity,” he said.

“Walking through the gates in the morning or out by the West Wing at night, I appreciate this unique moment and this chance to serve.”

Agnew and his wife Lela are the parents of a 4-year-old son, Dallas. He grew up in Anderson and is the brother of South Carolina State Rep. Paul Agnew, who is also an Erskine alumnus.

Important Dates

Important Dates:

Freshmen Move In, Aug. 29

Seminary Classes Begin, Sept. 1

College Classes Begin, Sept. 2

Formal Opening, Sept. 10

Board of Trustees, Oct. 15-16

Alumni Board, Oct. 24

Homecoming, Oct. 24

College Final Exams End, Dec. 15

Winter Term Begins, Jan. 4

Above left, U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, left, and Ashley Rhett; above right, David Agnew.

Erskine students take food course in Europe

Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Robert Elsner, who conducted a Winter Term 2009 travel course in Europe, gives an account of the experiences he and 14 students shared.

Adam Blake, Caley Kropp, Kim Barron, Anna Weldon & Tyrell Dyson. Jessica Huskey, Jessica Cooley, Anna Weldon, Kim Barron, Mary Senn & Rebekah Harkins

College courses often evoke images of dark lecture halls with droning professors talking about theories that may not influence your daily life.

In a departure from such images, students enjoyed a living classroom experience in Spain, France, Italy and Monaco during Winter Term.

The course, “The Comparative Social Psychology of Eating,” integrated academic disciplines from psychology to chemistry, from business and political science to early childhood education. The focus was food.

French philosopher, writer, and priest Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826) is often misquoted as having said, “You are what you eat.” What he actually said was “tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who (and what) you are.” This means that as we look at people’s food, we learn about culture, economics, faith, technology, and more.

Students started out in Barcelona, Spain, where an appreciation of God’s glory in creation is reflected in the architecture of Anton Gaudi, filled with natural shapes and patterns, as well as in the freshness of foods that are simple, seasonal, local and delicious.

A relatively poor country, Spain was con quered in the 8th century by the Moors, who brought spices and cooking techniques not seen in the rest of Europe, still in use today.

Markets with locally grown produce are everywhere, and small, healthy portions that highlight the beauty of flavors are served. Every waiter and chef knew about the im portance of Maillard browning that gives beautiful color to foods, and about French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard, who first identified the browning reaction. Res tauranteurs and restaurant profession als are seen as participants in culture, and their work is not

viewed as a stepping-stone to a “real” career.

In France, students learned about a reinterpretation of Acts 10:10-16, when heretical groups heeding the Old Testament prohibition of pork consumption destroyed all pigsties, causing economic damage to the region and bringing a crusade down upon an otherwise overlooked heresy.

During the Great Schism, the papacy moved to Avignon from Rome, and bought the entire city for 80,000 florins, but the palace cost 200,000 florins, so pepper was legalized and taxed. Food preparation games taught counting, reading, writing and history to generations of children.

In Italy, the communal nature of eating is important, and meals allowed time for talking, sharing and laughing. Food was produced less than an hour away, whether meats, fish, vegetables, cheeses or pasta.

In Monaco, food is about luxury, status, quality, and art, within the bounds of history and appropriateness. Cultures blend; people speak many languages and consider many cuisines their own.

Eating in Spain, France, Italy, and Monaco is a convergence of people, art, nature and society, where people talk and take time to listen. People learn to argue with each other and walk away best friends. They learn to appreciate wine as an accompaniment to food, not as a means of getting drunk. As one waiter reminded us, Jesus’ first miracle was to make more than 120 gallons of wine for a wedding, and it tasted good, so why should we not follow His example, being careful not to abuse it.

Our course touched on myriad aspects of life and growth. For students learning to integrate different academic disciplines, travel, with time and humility, can teach lessons that will last a lifetime.

Anna Weldon

left, & Kim Barron at the Arc de Triomphe.

Stukes lecturer charts challenges

David E. Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times, delivered this year’s Stukes Lecture at Erskine College March 16 to a capacity crowd in Memorial Hall.

Sanger described his address as “an effort to explain to all of you what these truly astounding eight years have been about,” referring to the two terms of President George W. Bush.

Sanger’s recently published book, “The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power,” which he has called “a field guide to the world the next president receives,” examines dangers the new president must deal with and offers a narrative account of key developments during the Bush years.

A large part of the new president’s inheritance is the war in Iraq, dubbed by Sanger “the great distraction,” in which thousands of lives and billions of dollars have been expended. But in thinking about the war, Sanger said, “The cost that struck me [was] an opportunity cost.”

“As we spent time in Iraq, much greater threats were emerging that we couldn’t address,” he said, and “great opportunities” arose that the United States was “unable to exploit.”

Emerging threats such as Iran’s nuclear program and missed opportunities such as the chance to implement a “Marshall Plan” in Afghanistan multiplied while the United States focused attention and resources on the war in Iraq.

Thus, by September 2008, although Barack Obama “understood that the new president would face great challenges,” it was still “a sobering moment for him” when he received the summaries prepared for both presidential candidates.

A slew of potential threats concerning Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, nuclear weapons, global warming, cyber war and more were outlined in the briefings.

“No president since Franklin Roosevelt has entered the Oval Office with a more complex agenda than Obama,” Sanger said.

Sanger took a number of questions from students immediately following the lecture and later signed copies of his book.

In a 24-year career at the New York Times, Sanger has been a member of two reporting teams that won the Pulitzer Prize. In 1986 he played a major role on the team investigating the space shuttle Challenger disaster — that team won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 1987. He was also a member of a Pulitzer-winning team that wrote about the control of exports to China during the Clinton Administration.

The Joseph T. Stukes Lecture Series brings a distinguished lecturer in history to Erskine College each year. The fund was established by students and colleagues of Stukes, who served as professor of history (1966-74) and vice president for academic affairs (1966-71) at Erskine College.

This year’s lecture was also made possible by support from the Drummond Center for Statesmanship at Erskine College.

Top, Drummond Center Director Dr. Ashley Woodiwiss, left, introduces David Sanger; Sanger signs copies of his book; Woodiwiss, left, gives Sanger an Erskine shirt as a memento of his visit.

“No president since Franklin roosevelt has entered the Oval Office with a more complex agenda....”

Ministry intern from Penn State is pumped about Erskine

Cam Smith, who first visited Due West while a student at Penn State University, began work as an intern with Campus Ministry at Erskine late last summer, and so far, he’s loving it.

“Going to Penn State was the beginning of that path that led me to Erskine College,” Smith said. He majored in secondary education and while he was giving attention to his studies, he was also experiencing growth in his faith.

He became involved with the newly organized Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) chapter at Penn State, led by Chad Brewer, who had been at seminary with Chaplain Paul Patrick.

When Penn State’s RUF was planning a spring break missions project, Patrick asked Brewer to consider Bill May and Widows’ Watchman Ministries in Honea Path.

The RUF students came to Erskine twice, staying in Galloway and traveling to Honea Path each day during their week of mission work.

“Being on campus for those two weeks, I acquired an affinity for this campus and particularly the work of ministry Paul Patrick was doing with Campus Ministry at Erskine,” Smith said.

When Smith wanted to pursue an RUF campus ministry internship after graduation, “Both Paul and Chad Brewer encouraged me to consider doing it at Erskine,” he said. “I am glad they did, because it is the right place for me.”

Smith said he and Patrick are grateful for the “cooperation and extra work” undertaken by the Erskine administration, Business Office and

Student Services to smooth the way for the internship. Working under Patrick’s supervision and with fellow intern Hannah Casey, a 2007 Erskine graduate, Smith is excited about Campus Ministry at Erskine.

“(We) just came back from a weekend at Bonclarken, where we had separate men’s and women’s retreats,” he said.

Patrick is delighted to draw on the talents of Casey and Smith. “The friendships, relationships and contributions these two people make to the Erskine experience are unknown to many...but I see it firsthand,” he said.

The signature activity sponsored by Erskine’s campus ministry is “Erskine Fellowship at the Barn,” a Sunday night event hosted by Paul and Marie Patrick, resuming next semester.

Smith returns this fall, but Casey will begin graduate work in St. Louis for a career in deaf education, Patrick said.

“We will miss her greatly and will always remember she blazed the trail for future interns!”

A note from the Chaplain: Tax-deductible gifts to Campus Ministry at Erskine may be sent to P.O. Box 338, Due West, SC 29639.

Query, introduced by Erskine President Dr. Randall T. Ruble, said the Moderator of Synod develops a theme for the year in which he serves. “My theme is ‘The Indispensable Word,’” he said, referring to the Bible.

Citing part of Deuteronomy 8:3, “…man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD,” Query said Jesus quotes the passage in response to temptation in Matthew 4:4.

“I chose that verse to go with the theme,” Query said.

At Query’s right on the Lesesne Auditorium stage, “a homemade teetertotter,” as he described it, was set up, and he used it for illustration.

He asked whether anyone in the audience had a loaf of bread. A student produced it and Query set it on one side of the teeter-totter. Placing a Bible on the other side showed the greater weight of God’s Word.

Query said human beings “are on the receiving end of everything” from God. “God provides food that we eat,” Query said. “God gives us his written revealed will for mankind.”

Query said students and their parents weigh a number of factors before making the choice to come to Erskine, but students will soon face even more daunting decisions.

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. There are decisions facing you that you need to be prepared for,” he said.

Recalling from his own college experience that at least some time must be devoted to reading college textbooks each day, he challenged students: “Are you choosing every day to read from the Word of God?”

Finally, stressing the importance of knowing and following Christ, he asked, “Is Jesus Christ preeminent in your life?”

“Don’t forget, the ARP Church is concerned about you,”

“They want the best possible education for you in a Christian environment. We’re committed to that kind of education inside and outside the classroom.”

‘Church is concerned about you,.’ moderator tells students

Gordon S. Query of Columbia, moderator of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian General Synod and a member of the Erskine Board of Trustees, spoke to Erskine College and Seminary students, faculty and staff Feb. 10 in Lesesne Auditorium at the opening chapel of the spring semester.

Query said.

Above, Erskine students pose at Greenville ARP Church following a retreat; below, Gordon S. Query, moderator of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian General Synod, speaks to students.

Moffatt Dining Hall reopens for service

Moffatt Dining Hall, damaged by a fire in July 2008, reopened Feb. 2 in a ceremony complete with ribbon-cutting and enthusiastic applause.

Taking the podium before a packed house, Dr. Randall T. Ruble said the dining hall, built in 1959, was named for Dr. James Strong Moffatt, Erskine’s seventh president, and wife Jennie Grier Moffatt, a professor at Erskine College and the Due West Woman’s College. He welcomed Moffatt family members Dr. and Mrs. Robert C. Moffatt, Dr. and Mrs. Charles L. Moffatt, Lynn Moffatt Nycum, Elise Bridges, Katherine Donnald, Jonathan Donnald, Jayne Moffatt, Sally Moffatt Cooke and Evelyn Hart.

Vice President for Finance and Operations Greg Haselden thanked everyone for their patience “as we put this dining hall back together.”

The restored facility boasts a new heating and air conditioning unit, roof repairs, carpet, lighting, tables and chairs, sound system and screen, refurbished restrooms, new freezer, walk-in coolers, tableware conveyor and dishwasher.

Haselden expressed gratitude to Aramark, Cincinnati Insurance, DHEC officials, and Trehel Construction Company.

Aramark General Manager Randy Moore acknowledged his staff members. “It was no picnic,” he said of using portable kitchens parked near Galloway Center, where dining tables were set up in the Athletic Hall of Fame. “But everyone worked hard, and nobody quit.”

He also had a word for the students, whose mealtimes were punctuated by the buzz of the shot clock in “Moffaway,” their nick name for the temporary quarters. He reminded them of what many were waiting for, saying, “You finally get to eat pizza and French fries today.”

“I think the ‘new’ Moffatt looks great,” SGA President Jason Bethea said. “The social aspect of the Erskine community suffered last se mester not having a proper dining hall but I can already see that slowly coming back. It is really great to be back in Moffatt.”

Citing Psalm 127:1—“Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it” — as a reminder of Erskine’s purpose, Chaplain Paul Patrick offered a prayer of dedication that included conversations con ducted over meals in Moffatt and relationships established there.

During the weeks that Moffatt was undergoing repairs, First Lady Molly Ruble wrote about dining in the gym. What other college has set its dining hall right in the middle of its Athletic Hall of Fame? Erskine boasts this neat arrangement. The clean, well-lighted lobby of the Galloway Center has served as the college dining hall since fire damaged Moffatt. Students have been calling the interim space “Moffaway.”

Huge portable kitchens, like those used on movie lots, were installed. Our capable Aramark staff moved in and offered excellent service.

The Athletic Hall of Fame, with pictures, trophies and historic memorabilia in glass cases, is an entertaining place. There’s a picture of Carole Hill, Robinson’s resident director, as softball team manager in 1981. A basketball record book kept in 1936-37 by Laurie Brice is displayed.

There is a photo mural of women’s volleyball, a sport being brought back to Erskine. An impressive trophy celebrates the men’s tennis teams of 1907-09 with R.C. Grier (later Erskine’s president) and teammates.

Pictured also are Beth Sloan Clarke ’47, the only woman tennis player so honored, and Dusty Oates ’51, who excelled in baseball and football. Beth played on the only tennis team they had back then—the men’s team! Both former athletes live in Due West and support the Flying Fleet.

The late great Dode Phillips, All-American football player, and Jake Todd, athlete and coach, are featured along with the newest inductees.

A student-athlete said that if the food’s good and there’s plenty, he’s fine. A sophomore said she thinks it has all gone well because of the helpfulness and friendliness of Randy Moore and his team.

An Erskine Seminary professor remarked that we live in an age of entitlement, and students might feel they aren’t getting what they should. But that’s not the Erskine spirit! Students, faculty and staff have shown a spirit of cooperation, adaptability, and perseverance in an unfortunate situation. Aramark staff members, rolling steam tables up the ramp to the lobby, rain or shine, for each meal, have been exemplary.

For a brief, shining moment, a brief, shining semester, Erskine students dined among tributes to some of the greatest athletes Erskine has produced. The semester has actually been inspiring and memorable.

First Lady reflects on sports-themed “Moffaway”

Clockwise from top, Martha Hawthorne serves students; Aramark chef Greg Schaub cooks stir fry; students return to the Moffatt salad bar for the first time. Below left, Molly Ruble, right, with Patty O’Cain.

MontyWooley MontyWooley

Office of Student Services moves toward transition

Change is in the works for the Office of Student Services this summer: Vice President Monty Wooley has retired and current Dean of Students Dr. Robyn Agnew is taking the helm.

A 1967 graduate, Wooley served Erskine for 31 years.

Agnew, a 1984 graduate, becomes the first woman named a vice president at the college.

For Wooley, the prospect of retirement was bittersweet.

“The people I work with and the students, I’m going to miss a lot,” he said. “The sweet part is being able to do something different and I’ll be closer to my family if things work out.”

Wooley said the timing of his retirement offers “an opportunity to put some things in place and for Robyn to be recognized.”

He moved to student services just before Agnew left The Citadel for Erskine, where she has now served a total of 20 years.

Student services is never dull, Agnew and Wooley agree. “You can make a difference multiple times every day,” Agnew said.

Agnew looks forward to serving as vice president but will miss “the day-to-day interaction and close relationship” with Wooley.

Anxious about “operating without the other half, so to speak,” as her longtime colleague retires, Agnew sees this as more than a promotion. “There’s more at stake — I feel responsible to Monty to continue what he’s done and also to my female colleagues.”

Wooley has no doubts about his successor’s capabilities. “I don’t know anybody else I’d entrust (with) what I’ve spent 14 years of my life putting together,” he said.

Agnew and Wooley talked about the transition. “We’re going to have to bring everybody together and look at the different skill sets that each person offers and determine whether we want to configure things differently,” Agnew said.

Agnew’s team will include Director of Career Services Dusty New, Director of Campus Life Leo Fackler and Administrative Assistant Jennifer Cooley as well as a new dean of students,

Reflecting on many who have made an impact on him at Erskine, Wooley, a former alumni director, said, “You could go down the list, but (Alumni Administrative Assistant) Ann Hawthorne is someone I’ve come to respect and develop a close relationship with ... I think she does a fantastic job for this institution.”

It is a joy for Wooley to watch the students graduate.

“You look back at when they were freshmen and how they’ve grown,” he said. “Seeing the difference and how they’ve grown —

going to miss more than anything else.”

1998 graduate Bryan Rush, who is completing a Ph.D. in counseling and student personnel services.

that’s what I’m

“I don’t know anybody else I’d entrust (with) what I’ve spent 14 years of my life putting together.”

Dr. Robyn Agnew

Legendary coach ‘red’ Myers presented with top civilian award

Former Erskine men’s basketball coach and athletic director W.C. “Red” Myers ’50 was presented with the State of South Carolina’s highest civilian honor Jan. 24 on the court recently named for him.

State Rep. Paul Agnew ‘83 was on hand to present the award to Myers before his family, well-wishers and those gathered for the Erskine-Mt. Olive men’s basketball clash in the Galloway Center in Belk Arena on the W.C. “Red” Myers Court.

Gov. John West created the Order of the Palmetto in 1971 to recognize lifetime achievement and service. It is presented as a framed plaque. Agnew read an accompanying letter from Gov. Mark Sanford.

“Your influence in the world of college basketball here in South Carolina is without equal and as one who wrote me on your behalf shared, ‘... Coach Myers is a leader, mentor, coach, educator and friend to many and

in my opinion, one of South Carolina’s hidden treasures,’” Sanford wrote. “You have obviously touched the lives of many through the years and are treasured by all whose paths you have crossed.

“For all you have done at Erskine College and at other stops along the way and for so generously sharing your time and talents as an ambassador for many noteworthy endeavors, we extend our heartfelt gratitude,” he wrote.

The governor cited Myers’ years of service to Erskine, 1958-83, his “incredible” coaching record of 413-192, his influence and leadership at the state level, and his contributions to the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics, which he served as president.

Sanford also thanked Myers for his service in the Marines during World War II.

“We are deeply grateful for the dedication of men and women like you who made the commitment and sacrifice to protect our nation and the freedoms my boys now enjoy and will one day cherish,” Sanford wrote.

“While it is difficult to compress and describe all you have done for your community and our state in a letter, we are grateful for your tremendous work and generous service.

“Thank you for upholding the highest ideals of servant leadership in everything you do,” the governor concluded.

Joining Myers for the occasion were members of his family, including his wife Mac, also a member of the Class of 1950, as well as some of his former players.

“I had to pinch myself when I heard that I was going to receive this award,” Myers said.

Former

Former Erskine trustee Emmett Davis, chairman and CEO of Davis and Floyd, received the highest honor for a South Carolina civilian May 27 when Gov. Mark Sanford presented him the Order of the Palmetto.

The presentation was made at a South Carolina Department of Natural Resources news conference at the State Museum in Columbia.

Davis, who has enjoyed local, state, national and international success through his engineering and architectural services firm, has been active in many civic and community organizations.

An elder in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Davis served on Erskine’s Board of Trustees for 12 years and was a member of the Gold Campaign Steering Committee.

Davis received an honorary doctor of science degree from Erskine College in 1982.

CrOSS Hill, SC

Above left, former Erskine men’s basketball coach W.C. “Red” Myers and family; above right, Erskine President Dr. Randall T. Ruble, State Rep. Paul Agnew and W.C. “Red” Myers.

For information, call Ralph Patterson at 864.379.8826 or Andy Byrd ’88 at 864.467.9800.

Alumni, friends help smash Annual Fund goal

Erskine College and Seminary exceeded its Annual Scholarship Fund goal by nearly $1 million this past year.

Through June 30, Erskine had received $2,976,421 in gifts and pledges, shattering the 2008-09 goal of $2.1 million by close to $900,000.

Director of Development Wes McAllister thanked a number of people for their assistance in surpassing the goal, including Annual Fund Co-Chairs Sarah Brice and Dr. John C. McGill, class representatives, Joe Patrick, chairman of the Board of Trustees Development Committee, and other volunteers “for pushing hard to the goal.”

McAllister said, “What is amazing to me is the commitment and loyalty of alumni and friends who have given to this endeavor year-in and year-out. In the midst of our nation’s worst economy in years, folks are giving sacrificially to make sure Erskine has the support it needs.

“They see the value of providing the same or better opportunity that they had while here at Erskine and want to afford those coming along after them the same opportunity,” he said.

Meeting the Annual Fund goal is necessary to help Erskine stay on solid financial footing.

“The focus of balancing the budget for three years in a row is huge,” McAllister said. “To exhibit fiscal responsibility and great stewardship of those God-given resources is taken extremely seriously by the administration.”

“(Erskine President Randall T.) Ruble has been the driver in making this happen,” McAllister added. “We have been truly blessed by seeing God’s work at this institution.”

Vice President for Advancement Ralph Patterson echoed McAllister’s praise of Ruble and others for their support and help in accomplishing the goal set for the Annual Scholarship Fund.

“These are phenomenal results during a brutal recession,” Patterson said. “I’m proud of the sacrificial support from alumni and friends and I’m amazed at what Dr. Ruble continues to achieve.”

Patterson said meeting the unrestricted goal was critical to the success of the fund drive. That goal was $1.5 million and more than $1.6 million was raised.

More donors needed for Alumni House

Gifts and pledges of $1.4 million have been secured for the Alumni House project. Plans have been drawn up with hopes of breaking ground in the fall of 2009.

“We will soon receive bids on the cost of construction,” Vice President for Advancement Ralph Patterson said. “We believe we’ll still need at least $600,000 in new gifts.

“It is time for our alumni to step up to help complete this project. We would like to break ground this fall, but we need additional funding to make this happen. The Alumni House will be an amazing addition to Erskine and the community.”

Located at the site of the W.W. Boyce House on Main Street in Due West, the existing house, known by many recent many graduates as the Chi House, will be completely renovated to provide meeting and small group facilities. An addition will contain an elevator and eight guest rooms.

The planning committee is made up of Chairman Steve Southwell ’80, Eleanor Chesnut Richardson ’59, Ann Clarke Judd ’74, Linda Chesnut, Wes McAllister ’89, Molly Ruble ’60, Mabel Purkerson ’51, Neely Gaston ’89 (Sem.) and Buddy Ferguson ’82. The goal of the committee is to provide a functional plan to serve Erskine College and Seminary as well as Due West and Abbeville County.

“We have long recognized the need for guest housing in Due West. Speakers, alumni, and visiting parents are just a few of the groups that will benefit from staying in Due West while they’re here,” Director of Alumni Affairs Buddy Ferguson said. “We also see this as a way to save money.”

The Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation, the ARP denomination, the Class of 1959, and many individuals have made sizable gifts and pledges. Additional foundation and group support is being solicited, but the funding backbone from the project will come from the alumni and friends of Erskine.

“The Alumni House doors will always be open to the alumni and students of the college. From sipping coffee by the fire to holding meetings in the conference room, the house will be used to accommodate practical, social and networking needs,” Southwell said.

Southwell said the planning committee and the Alumni Board of Directors are grateful for the gift from the Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation.

“This pledge will go a long way toward making our dreams of an Alumni House come true and this exciting project will help build a sense of community among Erskine graduates,” he said. “We envision it as a place for all alumni to gather, share ideas and renew friendships, a building to be used for meetings, as well as for all kinds of social events.”

We are honored this spring of 2009 to begin the Erskine College Heritage Society.

The Erskine College Heritage Society is a group of alumni, friends, faculty and staff of the college who share the dream of what this special institution has been in the past and can become in the future.

These supporters of Erskine have made the important decision to include the college in their long-term financial and estate planning. These planned gifts are large and small, but each one is special, sometimes representing all or a portion of what is left from one’s lifework.

You are a member of the Erskine College Heritage Society by either:

• Naming Erskine as a beneficiary in a will, trust, life insurance policy, annuity, or retirement plan

• Or by establishing a life income arrangement, such as a charitable remainder trust or a charitable remainder gift annuity, a scholarship or other specific endowment.

Qualified individuals are being recognized through the presentation of a special decal for display on their vehicle and a letter from the college. Future plans for the Heritage Society include the election of officers and an annual meeting. We want to encourage all alumni and friends to take the same step of commitment that these individuals have made. The members will also receive special mailings that pertain to estate and tax issues that could be of interest.

Although nearly 80 percent of Americans make charitable contributions each year, fewer than 6 percent of those same households plan a charitable bequest. Help us encourage your friends and classmates to leave a legacy in support of the values that have made Erskine the institution that it is today.

We appreciate all donors and their families. You are important to Erskine College.

If you need additional information on the Erskine Heritage Society and the different ways of giving to Erskine, please call us in the Advancement Office.

Huie

Director of Major and Planned Giving (864) 379-8794 huie@erskine.edu

Ted

Students, faculty and staff recognized at

Erskine College senior Craig Goodwin of Greenville received the school’s top student prize, and Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Al Mina won the highest faculty award at the yearly Honors Day Convocation May 7, where students, faculty and staff members were recognized for scholarship, citizenship and artistic achievements.

Goodwin was chosen to receive the H.M. Young Ring, the highest of honors available to a member of the senior class. The award is based on scholarship, Christian character, and promise of future usefulness to society.

Mina, who joined the Erskine faculty in 2008, received the Younts Excellence in Teaching Award. Administered by the faculty, which elects recipients from among teachers nominated by the student body, the award includes a cash gift.

Jason Bethea of Hamer and Megan Ferguson of Due West won the Sullivan Awards, presented annually by the New York Southern Society to “a man and a woman in the senior class who have shown such qualities of heart, mind, and conduct as evince love for and helpfulness to other men and women.”

The American Legion furnishes medals to a man and a woman in the senior class who have shown unusual and outstanding qualities of leadership and citizenship. Medals this year were given to Ashley Rhett of Goose Creek and Ryan Voskuil of Waxhaw, N.C.

Senior Josh Grimm of Marion won the Student Distinguished Service Award. Sponsored by the Office of Student Services, this award recognizes a student whose character and strong qualities of leadership have enabled the Erskine community to experience growth and development in all areas of campus life.

The College Faculty Endowed Scholarship, awarded for the first time this year, was given to Heather Blythe of Waxhaw, N.C. This scholarship goes to a junior who has shown excellence in the college’s academic program and outstanding achievement in research or independent study, professional service, and creative or performing arts.

The Paula Moore Dillingham Award is presented annually to a graduating senior in good standing with the college, who in the estimation of the selection committee shows promise of a faithful Christian life and servanthood. The award was given to Maria Smith of Greer.

Winner of the Mary McDill Family Life Institute Award was junior Abiane Chappelle of Greenville. It is given to a student majoring in behavioral science who has shown satisfactory academic performance, contributed to campus life, and exhibited professional potential.

Winner of the Dr. M. Burton Brown Psychology Award was senior Colleen Shepard of Greer. This award goes to a psychology major who is the most outstanding in academic achievement and a contributor to campus life.

The Brawley Memorial Music Scholarship was awarded to sophomore Barry Dreier of Rock Hill. The recipient is to be an instrumental music major and member of Sinfonia demonstrating outstanding talent and proficiency.

The J. Todd Kincannon Award is given to students in five categories. Recipients were sophomore Hudson Smith of Easley (physics); senior Katie Beth Leathers of Rock Hill (mathematics); junior Eric Coleman of Columbia (chemistry); Kathleen Smith of Piney Creek (transfer student); and sophomore Michael Sewall of Falls Church, Va., (home school student).

The Roy M. Smith Mathematics Scholarship was presented to sophomores Annette DuPree of Fort Mill, Jonathan Hornby of Grayson, Ga., Katie Moore of Laurens and Hudson Smith of Easley.

Senior Renee Williamson of Swansea received the Bernard L. Poole Government Award, given to a student showing excellence in the study of American Government.

The McGee History Award was given to senior Grace Washam of Clinton. The award is presented annually to the student judged most outstanding in the field of history.

The Fennell-Lindsay Scholarship was presented to junior Jaymeson Benton of Columbia.

The Robert Stone Galloway Americanism Scholarship was given to sophomore Howard Wellons of Gastonia, N.C. The award is given annually based on a paper on Americanism.

The Joseph Wightman Scholarship is given to students based on academic achievement,

financial need, potential for future usefulness to society and positive campus leadership skills. Junior Tiffany Driscoll of Columbia was this year’s recipient.

The W. Lindsay Wilson Scholarship is given to a junior or senior history major with special interest in the history of the Piedmont section of South Carolina, South Carolina history, or southern U.S. history in general. Junior Rodney Burdette of Iva was this year’s winner.

The Hanora Cuddy Dorn Scholarship is presented to those who demonstrate superior achievement with an aptitude and desire for the study of English, foreign languages or history. Chosen this year were freshman Laura Caskey of Lancaster (English); and junior Hannah Crisler of St. Louis, Mo., and sophomore Michael Sewall of Falls Church, Va. (history).

The Emily Dean Millice Scholarship is awarded to recipients of high moral character. This year’s recipients were freshman Emily Robinson of Belmont, N.C., and sophomores Elizabeth DeVault of Easley and Howard Wellons of Gastonia, N.C.

The Edgar Long English Award is given to a junior or senior English major on the basis of excellence of work done and promise of future growth. Senior Vanessa Hazlett of Taylors received the award this year.

Recipients of the Dessie Dean Pitts Award were seniors Ashley Rhett of Goose Creek and Renee Williamson of Swansea. This award is designed to encourage students who have demonstrated ability, ambition and incentive for success in their lifework.

The William C. and Margaret Miller Scholarship was awarded to juniors Hannah Crisler, St. Louis, Mo., Rebekah George of Mauldin, Torey Lybrand of Spartanburg, Emily Roberts of Florence and Sarah Thulbery of Lake Wales, Fla.

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society Grantin-Aid Award was presented to senior Maria Smith of Greer. This award is given to an outstanding female graduate who is entering the field of education, and chosen on the basis of academic standing, contributions to school and community, and dedication to education.

The Robert and Mildred Cunningham Excellence in Teaching Award has been established to encourage a legacy of distinction at Erskine promoting teaching as a profession. This year’s awards were presented to seniors Megan Ferguson of Due West, Katee Knapp of O’Brien, Fla., and Hailey Whitlock of Liberty.

The Rev. Forrest W. and Kathryn S. Sherrill Scholarship was given to junior Rachel Baldwin of Savannah, Ga. Recipients are to be juniors or seniors of exceptionally good character, majoring in elementary education and committed to a career in elementary education.

Teacher Education Scholarships were awarded to juniors Tiffany Driscoll of Columbia and Meghan Wakeling of Iva.

The Micah Mandate Scholarship was awarded to junior Daniel Stephens of Seneca.

An award was established in 1986 honoring Dr. William F. Junkin III, professor of physics at Erskine for many years. Junior Heather Blythe of Waxhaw, N.C., received the award this year.

Winner of the Everette Askins Sloan Award was senior Ian Feigel of Ware Shoals. This award is given each year to the outstanding student in physical chemistry.

The E.L. Reid Awards in Chemistry, one given to the freshman student making the highest grades in general chemistry during the year, and the other to the student making the highest grades in organic chemistry, were presented to freshmen Nikki Miller of Simpsonville and Amanda Reavis of Mocksville, N.C.(general chemistry) and sophomores Daniela Arias of Columbia and McKenzie Campbell of Belton (organic chemistry).

The Eugenia Gurney Carter Scholarship was awarded to junior Ryan Miller of Simpsonville and freshman Brent Wells of Ware Shoals. This scholarship is given to a chemistry major showing outstanding academic promise.

The Dr. Calvin Graham Reid Pre-Medical Scholarship was presented to students taking the pre-medical course of study with an emphasis in chemistry: freshmen Amanda Reavis, Mocksville, N.C. and Portia Thomas, Camden; sophomores Megan Busch, Round O, and Steve Robertson, Matthews, N.C.; and junior Casey O’Dell, Ware Shoals.

The James N. Bonner Scholarship was awarded to freshmen Brittany Brown and of Rock Hill, Rebecca Brown of Anderson and Taylor Wolfe of Gastonia, N.C.; sophomore McKenzie Campbell of Belton; and junior Laura Leathers of Rock Hill.

Dr. and Mrs. E.L. Reid Scholarships were awarded to freshmen Nikki Miller, Simpsonville,

and Jessica Swanner, York; and sophomores Eric Coleman, Columbia, Taylor Craft, Anderson, Katie Henderson, Greenville, and Jocelyn Smith, Greer.

The Dr. E.A. Sloan Scholarship was given to junior Andrew Larkins of Inman. The Sloan Scholarship is given to a chemistry major of high academic achievement and promise of future usefulness to society.

The Richard Austin Lazenby Scholarship was given to freshman Jourdan Page of Anderson.

The Bolt-Squires Scholarship was awarded to junior Kayla Irvin of Gray Court.

The Jacob O. Kamm Scholarship was presented to freshmen Patricia Cardinale, Rock Hill, John Evans, Stone Mountain, Ga., Tyler Evans, Alcolu, Alesia Jerrells, Blythewood, Katelin Manley, Gray Court, Jourdan Page, Anderson, and Cade Weatherly, Lexington; sophomores Rebekah Kidd, Fayetteville, Tenn., and Hannah Oates, Bartow, Fla.; and juniors Kim Bussey, Vero Beach, Fla., Tiffany Crawford, Iva, Tyrell Dyson, Grovetown, Ga., David Hubbs, Florence, Kayla Irvin, Gray Court, Alexandra Kessell, Gastonia, N.C., Greg Payne, Fort Mill, and Lauren Reynolds, Abbeville.

The Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Leadership Award was presented to freshmen Rachel Eckard, Gilbert, and Jourdan Page, Anderson; juniors Kim Bussey, Vero Beach, Fla., Charles Hardy, Iva, Alyssa Pierce, Rock Hill, and Kendall Wurtz, Mooresville, N.C.; seniors Kim Barron, Sumter, Howard Wagler, Abbeville, Anna Weldon, Easley, and David Wilson, Clio.

The Wall Street Journal Student Achievement Award was given to senior Howard Wagler of Abbeville.

The Galloway Award, a certificate and medallion presented to the senior who scores the highest on the business capstone exam, was given to seniors Kim Barron of Sumter and Howard Wagler of Abbeville.

The William Lee Ellison Biology Award was given to seniors Kyle Bennett of Lilburn, Ga., Amber Jones of Honea Path, Kacie Knox of Union and Caitlyn Slattery of Enoree.

Receiving the Dr. Calvin Graham Reid Pre-Medical Scholarship in Biology were sophomore Daniela Arias of Columbia and juniors Daniel Drechsler of Clover, Charles Kidd of Fayetteville, Tenn., and Casey O’Dell of Ware Shoals.

Receiving the Beta Beta Beta Award for Service and Achievement were sophomore Dezirea Jones of Rock Hill and juniors Luke Bower of Blythewood and Vanessa Hilliard of Myrtle Beach.

The T.D. Brown Scholarship was awarded to sophomore Mary Claire Rollins of Bainbridge, Ga., and juniors David Camak of Ware Shoals, Jessica Cooley of Pelzer, Laura Griffin of Covington, Tenn., and Kendal Shaffer of Chapin.

The American Association of University Women Freshman Awards were given to Josh Gregory, Lexington (art); Laura Caskey, Lancaster, and Breanna Nicholson, Greenwood (Bible); Vincent Chauvette, Levis, Quebec, Angelo Ciarrocchi, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Nikki Miller, Simpsonville, Charliann Scott, Huntersville, N.C., and Jessica Swanner, York, (biology); Brittany Brown, Rock Hill, Rebecca Brown, Anderson, Jessica Swanner, York, and Portia Thomas, Camden (chemistry); Laura Caskey, Lancaster, and Emily Robinson, Belmont, N.C. (English); Ryan Northey, Mount Holly, N.C., and Anna Cason, Anderson (history); Aimee Dumouchel, North Charleston (music); Jonathan Oliphant, Taylors (politics); Julia Price, North Augusta, and Jennifer Timms, Chapin (psychology); and Jourdan Smith, Madison, Miss. (sports management).

Recipients of the James William Thomson Bible Scholarship were sophomores Kaela Brown, Bradenton, Fla.; Scott Cook, Easley; Zach Keuthan, Belmont, N.C.; Christina Land, Simpsonville; and junior Daniel Stephens, Seneca.

The Paul P. McCain Library Award, given annually to a student who demonstrates the most profitable use of the library during the year, went to senior Josh Grimm of Marion.

The Dr. Janet Alexander Scholarship was awarded to junior Kateryna Slyepstova of Ukraine. The Student Christian Association established this fund.

Turner Oldham of Statesboro, Ga., received the Patrick Lee Davis Award, given annually to a senior of the Rho Psi cast.

Mario Thompson, a member of the Aramark facilities staff, received SGA’s Distinguished Servant Leadership Award.

Janie Gordon, a member of the Aramark facilities staff, was named the Athenian Literary Society’s Woman of the Year for service, leadership and interest in the Erskine family.

Seminary Graduates

Aleshire took as his scripture text a passage from Acts in which the Apostle Paul tells his conversion story to King Agrippa. Festus, the procurator, shouts at Paul that learning is driving him mad.

Assuring the graduates that learning “will steady your soul,” Aleshire spoke about the postmodern era, “a time without a name.”

“It’s past the time whose name we used to know,” he said. “Whatever it is, it’s complex. Other times flowed naturally into the next time, but the future is churning out of the present in unpredictable ways.”

The church needs “missional leaders” who will “multiply their gifts,” and believe “the gospel really matters,” Aleshire said. They will be “passionate leaders uninterested in their personal status.”

Study undertaken in seminary is important, he said, because leaders’ gifts “can’t be used as effectively without the learning.”

As the graduates engage in ministry, “Your task is to inspire, lead, educate, admonish,” Aleshire said, adding that this task may take them to “new places with new names that have never been reached before.”

“We don’t know the name of this new time, but we know the name of the day,” he concluded. “This is the day the Lord has made.”

Chairman Guy H. Smith III brought greetings from the Board of Trustees and cited W.B. Yeats’ claim that “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire,” adding, “I hope you leave here with your fire lit.”

Gaston introduced the speaker. The Rev. L. Calvin Draffin, pastor of the Due West ARP Church, offered an invocation, and Associate Dean of Christian Education Dr. Stephen D. Lowe Sr. gave the benediction.

Seminary Dean Dr. Robert W. Bell presented the student awards.

Interpretation Journal Award recipients were Crystal Lee Thomson, Wil-

Top left, Edward Brent Turner with family members; top right, Dr. Toney Parks and Charles Ivan Pollock; center, 2009 Seminary graduates; bottom, Seminary faculty; below right, Dr. Daniel O. Aleshire

liam Brian Patterson, Joshua Dennis Pedersen, Linda McDaniels Guthrie and Shannon Lee Bond.

The 2009 Chalice Press Book Award went to Eric Rooney Wilson. Zondervan Publishing House Awards went to Benjamin Ross DeSpain in Biblical Greek and Michael Wayne Andrews in Biblical Hebrew.

The Douglas Joel Culver Award in Hebrew went to Shawn Marler.

The Ray A. King Award for Excellence in Church History was given to Benjamin Ross DeSpain.

The Bruce G. Pierce Award for Christian Leadership went to Nahashon Gichuru Mwaura of Kenya.

Outgoing Student Body Association officers recognized were: Mark Robert Hering, president; Eric Rooney Wilson, vice president; Meghan Marie Smith, secretary; Donna Stone Eidson, treasurer; and William Thomas Ross, Graduate Life Council chairman.

Family and friends joined students, alumni, administrators and faculty members in the Due West ARP Church May16 when 56 graduates received degrees from Erskine Theological Seminary.

Charles Lummus Mitchell of Rock Hill and the Rev. Wayne Bernard Murdock of High Point, N.C., were given honorary degrees.

Also announced was the awarding of the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree to Executive Vice President H. Neely Gaston by Grand Rapids Theological Seminary of Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Dr. Daniel O. Aleshire, executive director of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), gave the commencement sermon.

“I wonder how many books you’ve read over the past several years?” he asked the graduates. He jokingly recalled Liza Doolittle’s exasperation with Henry Higgins’ attempts to correct her grammar and diction in the musical “My Fair Lady”: “Words, words, words, I’m so sick of words!”

Hering presented the Leon McDill Allison Award for Excellence in Teaching to Dr. Toney C. Parks, Dr. Gareth D. Scott and the Rev. R. Douglas White, who tied for the prize.

Ruble conferred degrees on candidates presented by Gaston, and Alumni Association President David Chesnut inducted the Class of 2009 into the organization. J. Wesley Privett, senior class representative, gave the student response.

Music was provided by the Rev. Robert Glick, associate professor of church music and worship, and graduating senior Jonathan Ruth, tenor.

Learning will help them use their gifts, seminary graduates told

“We don’t know the name of this new time, but we know the name of the day. this is the day the Lord has made.”

Erskine Seminary conference and festival focus on the psalms

A two-day conference called “Where are the Psalms?” was hosted by Erskine Theological Seminary Feb. 26-27, highlighted the first evening by “A Festival of Congregational Psalms” in Memorial Hall.

The psalm festival was directed by Hal Hopson, a church composer and clinician who also led a “psalm sing” during the morning conference sessions.

Speakers in addition to Hopson were Professor of Music John Witvliet of Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Senior Minister Terry Johnson of Independent Presbyterian Church, Savannah, Ga.; Associate Professor of Church Music and Worship Robert Glick of Erskine College and Theological Seminary; Erskine Seminary Dean Dr. Robert Bell, who also serves as professor of pastoral care and counseling; and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology Dr. Mark Ross, also of Erskine Seminary.

“Where are the Psalms?” was made possible through the Ann W. Leith Endowment to Promote Psalm Singing and the Jean McFall White Fund for the Promotion of Psalm Singing.

renewal program in Holy Land aimed at mid-career pastors

Erskine Theological Seminary will sponsor a Holy Land Pastoral Renewal Program, including a multi-day orientation session, a two-week pilgrimage to Israel, and a multi-day reflection session.

Made possible by a grant from the CF Foundation, the program is designed to renew the spiritual life of mid-career pastors and deepen their sense of calling.

The pilgrimage is structured to allow pastors to identify profoundly with the life and ministry of Jesus. Combined with study, lectures, shared discussion and worship, the pilgrimage is intended to enable participants to make such identification in life-shaping ways.

In Israel, travelers spend about a week at a single location in Galilee and the next week at a location in Jerusalem. In the mornings, the pilgrims visit places relevant to the biblical narrative. The remainder of each day is for rest, spiritual formation activities and worship.

Vice President for the Seminary the Rev. Neely Gaston said, “Our pilgrimage group will consist of 20 mid-career pastors along with a spiritual leader, Associate Professor of New Testament Dr. James P. Herring, and a program director, the Rev. John C. Door Jr., senior pastor at Peachtree Corners Presbyterian Church, an ARP church in Norcross, Georgia.”

The CF Foundation grant stipulates, in part, that participants must be mid-career pastors between 35 and 55 with at least five years’ pastoral experience who are currently serving as senior or associate ministers.

Participants must commit to full participation in an orientation session (July 20-22, 2009, Evergreen Conference Resort, Stone Mountain, Ga.); a pilgrimage to Israel (Aug. 19-Sept. 2, 2009); writing a reflection paper (due Oct. 1, 2009); and a reflection session (Nov. 12-14, Bonclarken Conference Center, Flat Rock, N.C.).

Princeton Seminary dean, Union University president speak at EtS

Erskine Theological Seminary recently conducted the annual Spring Conference that features the Whitesides Pastors Institute and the Robinson Lecture.

Dr. David Dockery, president of Union University, served as this year’s Whitesides Preacher, while Dr. Darrell Guder, dean of academic affairs at Princeton Theological Seminary, was the 2009 Robinson Lecturer.

Dockery opened the conference on April 22 with a sermon titled, “The Church: Bringing Hope in a Time of Suffering.”

He took as his text 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, in which the Apostle Paul shares the trouble he has experienced but “doesn’t focus on himself but on God’s comfort to us.”

Dockery said there is an old saying that only two things pierce the heart — beauty and affliction. He believes one reason “The Shack” is so popular is because the book addresses questions of affliction and suffering.

He recalled his own experience in February 2008, when Union University was hit by a tornado, causing about $45 million in damage. “It was a time those of us who experienced it will never forget,” Dockery said.

The residential life area was reduced to pencil shavings, he said, and although 51 were injured, “by the grace of God, no one was killed.”

Dockery recalled moving students off campus by cell phone light. “Now we can identify with others and tell how God carried us through the tragedy,” he said, adding that God’s faithfulness gave a new sense of hope.

People who lived through the experience at Union can “identify with the suffering of Jesus.”

Dockery said our sufferings add nothing to Jesus’ sacrifice. Those bad times, he said, offer confirmation of our hope in God.

He pointed to biblical characters such as Moses, Elijah, Jonah and Jeremiah, whose suffering caused them to despair even of life.

Even when we question God, we learn to lean not on ourselves, but on God “who raises the dead.”

Dockery said that even when God seems distant to us, He is working. Although God’s voice was evident a couple of times during Jesus’ ministry, at the time of the crucifixion, God’s voice was painfully silent.

“Even though His voice was silent at the cross,” Dockery said, “he was accomplishing our redemption.”

The Whitesides Pastors’ Institute was established by the Whitesides family of Gastonia, N.C., in memory of Major V. Whitesides of the First Gastonia Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. The Robinson Lectures were established in memory of Dr. Richard Lee Robinson, former dean and professor at Erskine Seminary (1933-39) and president of the Woman’s College of Due West (1910-28).

Above, Erskine Seminary’s Dr. Steve Lowe, left, and Dr. David Dockery, president of Union University.

Seminary News

Ashleygray

Senior art major’s exhibit fills Bowie Arts Center with color

Art major Ashley Gray's large senior exhibit, on display April 27 - May 16 on the first floor of the Bowie Arts Center, was viewed by a number of students, faculty, staff and visitors. When a farewell reception for Dr. Donald Weatherman was hosted in the Bowie Arts Center, even more members of the Erskine community got a look at Gray's work, which filled the exhibit area on the first floor.

Librarian and instructor Sara Morrison was so impressed after attending Gray's reception that she sent out an e-mail message encouraging others to see the exhibit.

"It is a different sort of exhibit with 'rooms' set up with furniture, artwork and all sorts of things," Morrison said. "Very cheerful and fun and lovely."

Several community members who attended the reception for Weatherman remarked on the brightness of Gray's exhibit and its appropriateness for the spring season.

For more on Ashley Gray's work, see the following link: http:// http://thepolkadotfish.blogspot.com/

Erskine College Student Art Show winners named

“Summer Field,” a landscape in graphite by junior Becky Fick of Westford, Vt., won first prize, a $500 purchase award, in the Erskine College Student Art Show.

Second prize, a $200 purchase award, went to sophomore Patrick Wilson of Rock Hill for “Still Life: Golf and School,” a colored pencil drawing.

The juried show, open to students in all majors, drew 94 entries.

Winners were announced at a reception April 13 in the Bowie Arts Center, where students took the opportunity to view their peers’ work.

Seven works received honorable mention, including Fick’s “A Summer’s Drive,” a graphite study, and Wilson’s “Fantasy Creatures” in black ink.

The five remaining works cited for honorable mention were Shannon Millar’s “San Luis Potosi,” a black and white photograph; Kennedy Craig’s “Bowl in a Dark Room,” a charcoal drawing; Charles Hardy’s photograph “Now in 3-D!”; Garison Plourde’s “Secret Closet,” a graphite drawing; and a photograph by Shannon Millar, “Architecture.”

Assistant Professor of Art Sharon Linnehan said 77 students who attended the reception completed surveys that included a chance to name a favorite work from the show. “Thirty works were nominated,” Linnehan said. “The one that got the most votes was ‘Sunflower Burlap’ by Ashley Gray,” she said.

Linnehan said four runners-up tied for second place in the student survey. They were “Untitled,” a charcoal drawing by Grace Washam; “Eye Spy,” a Prismacolor work by Garison Plourde; “Hope,” a print in oil ink, also by Plourde; and an acrylic painting, “Robert Johnson,” by Kendall Wurtz.

An Erskine benefactor who has a special interest in supporting the school’s art program donated purchase awards for the show.

“T’s Acrylic on metal”

“Wall of fame”

First-place winner Becky Fick

Second-place winner Patrick Wilson

Ashley Gray

’43 (Seminary ’44)

The Rev. C. Linwood Cheshire, pastor emeritus of Westminster Presbyterian Church profiled in the Burlington (N.C.) Times-News, told about ‘marrying’ his third wife twice. Twice widowed, he married widow Peggy Eliason years after officiating at her wedding.

’52

Retired educator Grace Lucile Garrison Hill was honored Feb. 24 at the Amy K. Stubbs Women of Achievement Awards in Greenville. She did research at Erskine on dyslexic students. “To me, the purpose of my life has been to help each student or lead or draw out his own potential,” she told Greenvilleonline.com.

’56

Joel Nichols was honored Jan. 6 with a motion from the South Carolina House of Representatives congratulating him on 46 years of service to Winthrop University as a photographer who “quietly captured the world of Winthrop students through the decades.”

W. Earle Purkerson Jr. reports his book, “The Boys of Phoenix Street and Other Stories,” a collection of articles from the Greenwood Index-Journal, was published in 2006.

’61

One of Bill Sherrill’s compositions, a setting of “The First Day” by Christina Rossetti, was performed April 21 by the Spartanburg Festival Chorus at Converse College.

Retired educator Ellison M. Smith Jr. and wife Elizabeth have volunteered with “Mission to the World” and “Teach the Children,” serving two winters in Ukraine and starting two Christian kindergartens in Romania.

’63

Jackie K. Cooper returned to his native Clinton in February to speak at a fund-raising dinner for the Clinton Museum. An entertainment columnist and author, he is working on his sixth book, “Back to the Garden.”

’65

Dr. John R. Hunt of Anderson, chair of the AnMed Health Development Advisory Board, was one of eight winners of the Independent Mail’s “Pointing the Way Leadership Awards” May 7. Cited as an example of his “giving spirit” was use of his own pilot’s license and funds to fly patients to facilities for treatment.

’66

Langford S. Mull Jr. of Anderson reports enjoying retirement after 29 years with Covidien Health and 22 years with the U.S. Army and South Carolina National Guard.

’70

Donnie Hodge of Landrum is now president and COO of Knights Apparel Inc. Knights has licensing arrangements with major brands, colleges, universities, sports leagues and teams in North America, including the NBA.

’71

Raimund Robert Glosson, Fort Eustis, Va., physician assistant in orthopedic surgery, joined the U.S. Army in 1975. After a warrant officer appointment as physician assistant, he was promoted to commissioned officer in 1992 and retired from the Army in 1995.

Betty Condon Morehead Koester, a Red Cross nurse, has been on five deployments, recently to North Dakota in response to blizzards and flooding, and to Houston after Hurricane Ike.

Michael S. Pace, Tarpon Springs, Fla., said his wife, Deborah Hurst-Pace, died March 28. They were bringing up her grandchildren, and a memorial college fund has been established.

’73

James P. Anderson has been appointed COO of Live Long WellCare, home healthcare agency of Senior Living Communities, Charlotte, N.C.

’74

Dr. Eugene H. Kern is now senior pastor of First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ellicott City, Md. He has a D.Min. degree from Drew University.

’75

Winnie Wilson Goree founded Atlanta Voice Lessons and Singer’s Resources in 1996, and “dedicates Atlanta Voice Lessons to the glory of the Lord.” She is an active performer and is well known in the Atlanta musical community.

’76

Susan Aude recently played a role in “Dangerous Liaisons” at Workshop Theatre in Columbia. She was in rehearsal for a role in “Harvey” at Erskine when a car accident paralyzed her from the waist down. Co-anchor of the nightly newscast on WIS, she retired in 2006 and has since traveled extensively.

Edgar H. Long was elected by the General Assembly of South Carolina as Family Court Judge for the Tenth Judicial Circuit. He has practiced in Anderson since 1982. He and his wife, Amy Tripp Long ’76, have two children.

’77

Linda Taylor Steber is working on a doctorate in Christian Education at Columbia Seminary. She serves on the staff of Davidson College Presbyterian Church.

’80

Ralph P. Polson Jr., men’s soccer coach at Wofford College, was elected vice president of conventions and awards for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Lisa Atkinson Smith, a vocational rehabilitation counselor and quality assurance reviewer for the Department of Veterans Affairs, lives in Nashville with husband David Smith.

’81

Lynn George Hicks, named national softball coach of the year by the National Federation of High School Coaches, led the Wren High School team to its first state title in 2008, but nearly failed to send in the paperwork after being nominated — it had to be typed. A school secretary found a typewriter, so when Hicks won, she told her, “Congratulations, you’ve just won national secretary of the year.”

Lewis McKelvey Jr. is assistant dean for experiential education at the new Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy. He formerly worked at the University of South Carolina School of Pharmacy.

’84

Faye Simpson Sprouse, superintendent of Greenwood 51 School District in Ware Shoals,

was featured in SC Now as a finalist for the district superintendent post with Florence District Five Schools. She is a candidate for a Ph.D. degree from Clemson University.

’85 (Seminary)

Maurice Stevens Ulmer reports he has released his 16th CD, “Let Love Guide You.” He says several of his CDs are available at cdbaby.com and other Internet music sites.

’87

John T. West IV resigned in January as CEO of the Partnership Alliance in Greenwood, a post he had held since August 2007. He told the board he had “an opportunity to work with former associates in assisting local and state governments, organizations, businesses and others with the grant appropriation process.”

’90

Sandra Grogan Welch has been selected as 2008-09 District Teacher of the Year for Florence District One schools.

’92 (Seminary)

Dr. Wayne D. Dickard, pastor of Northbrook Baptist Church in Boiling Springs since 2002, guided the church, which recently marked its 50th anniversary, through the addition of a 24,000-square-foot building. “It is our goal to exalt the Lord, evangelize the lost and encourage the saved,” he says.

’93

Lori Berrios Loos and husband Tal Loos ’95 live in Warner Robins, Ga., and she works at Houston County High School. She has a master’s degree in Community Agency Counseling from Clemson, a certificate in school counseling from Albany State University and received a doctorate degree in Counseling Studies from Capella University.

Charlotte Cole Wilson has joined Turner, Padget, Graham, & Laney, P.A., as the law firm’s first registered patent agent, obtaining patent protection for mechanical, electrical and chemical inventions. She and husband P. Mark Wilson ’83 have two sons.

’94

Brandon Murray and his family were featured in the Jamaica Observer. They own and operate Murray’s Fish Farm Ltd and Murray’s Fish and Jerk Hut in Clarendon, Jamaica. He oversees the coconut farming and bottling of Brancourt coconut water sold at the restaurant.

Evelyn Foster Squires reports she received the Master of Health Sciences degree from Western Carolina University on Dec. 13, 2008.

’96

(Seminary)

The Rev. Terry Blevins of Halifax, Va., pastor of two Presbyterian churches, Berry Hill and Halifax, was cited by Cambridge Who’s Who for dedication, leadership and excellence in religious service. He is associate chaplain at Halifax Regional Hospital and serves on the advisory board for Healthy Families Halifax.

’97

F. Ancrum Clarkson, M.D., recently returned from Iraq, where he was Battalion Surgeon of the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, a part of the 10th Mountain Division. He was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service in that work, and was promoted to the rank of major.

’98

Jason Lesley is principal of Spearman Elementary School in Piedmont, Anderson School District 1. He and wife Sandy Page ’00 live in Pelzer with their 1-year-old son.

’99

Elinor Dubose-Schmitt Lister of Anderson reports that she received a master’s degree in 2004 from Lesley University and National Board Certification in 2003.

D. Scott Mitchell, staff attorney to Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb of the Supreme Court of Alabama in Montgomery, has been selected as a member of Class V of the Alabama State Bar’s Leadership Forum. Mitchell is chairman of the Erskine Board of Trustees.

’00

Dr. Wesley Leroy, executive director of AlpenGlow, Inc. and board member of Christ Central, Inc., says, “Both are ministries to the homeless with shelters and mission stations,” offering food, clothing and job skills training.

David Wenger has been named a vice president in Sun Trust Banks Inc.’s commercial division in Charleston. He has been with the company since 2006.

’01

Donna Tafta has been named teacher of the year at Ware Shoals Elementary School. She is engaged to be married.

’04

Jenny Trammell-Tyler completed her master of science degree in nursing at the University of Florida and is a full-time nurse practitioner at an internal medicine office in Lake City, Fla. She is married to Trevor Wayne Tyler ’03.

’06

Casey Smith, drafted by the San Diego Padres following his junior year, has signed with the Rockford RiverHawks. RiverHawks corner infielder Robbie Knapp ’06 roomed with him at Erskine, and he has gotten back into shape by working with Knapp at an Atlanta-based baseball academy.

’08

Elizabeth Hyman teaches ninth-grade English at Abbeville High School and coaches the school’s co-ed soccer team. “I started playing soccer in second grade. It has been my favorite sport since then,” she said.

’

09 (Honorary)

Dr. Bill Junkin, former longtime professor of physics at Erskine, spoke on “Probability Prayer, and Physics” at a St. Andrews Presbyterian College Religion and Science Roundtable. “Thinking can produce changes in the world. Since physics can’t exclude these changes that lie outside of the area of physical theories, physics can’t exclude prayer,” he said.

Friends

Erskine Professor of English Dr. Brad Christie was named Best Actor in a Play and Best Actor in a Musical at the 51st Abbeville Opera House Board of Governors Awards Night, and his wife Gloria was named Best Actress in a Musical. Christie played Dr. Watson in “Sherlock Holmes.” In the musical “Little Mary Sunshine,” he played Captain “Big Jim” Warrington and Gloria played the title role.

Professor Emeritus Jack F. Heinsohn

Amemorial service for Professor of Homiletics Emeritus Dr. Jack F. Heinsohn was conducted Jan. 17 at the Due West ARP Church. The retired Erskine Theological Seminary professor died Sunday, Jan. 11. He was born in California, and in his childhood he and his father traveled with circuses. At 11, he began training as an aerialist in a trapeze act and for 10 years worked with indoor circuses in the United States and Canada. He attended Erskine College (Class of ’51) where he became a Christian and was called to the ministry. Graduating from Erskine Seminary in 1953, he served two ARP Churches and was a denominational evangelist.

Heinsohn served churches in Pennsylvania, was associate professor and chaplain at Grove City College, and was one of the authors of “Risk Evangelism,” a program of evangelism for the United Presbyterian Church.

In 1974, he became senior minister of Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles, serving for 12 years. He was also adjunct professor for field education at Fuller Theological Seminary. He then became pastor of Doraville ARP Church, Doraville, Ga. In 1990 he became chaplain at Erskine and three years later was appointed professor of homiletics.

Recently, he served Providence ARP Church, Clinton, as interim pastor.

Heinsohn is survived by his wife of 57 years, Martha Lauderdale, and their five children, 13 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Jack Heinsohn Scholarship Fund at Erskine Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 668, Due West, SC 29639.

’31 (Bryson)

Lula Gilbert McLemore, 99, died June 29, 2008. Survivors include three nieces, Martha Elizabeth Chisolm, Martha Stephens Gilliam and Carol Stephens Bernal; and one nephew, Thomas Franklin Stephens.

’33

Florence Sprouse Guy, 98, died Feb. 22, 2009. She is survived by a son, Dr. John Lewis Guy Sr.; a sister, Sara Ferguson; nine grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great grandchildren.

’34

Rachel Spencer, 95, died Dec. 8, 2008. Survivors include her nieces, Ann Cain and Bootie Morrow.

’35

Sara Parkinson Pressly, 95, died April 15, 2009. She is survived by a son, Gordon Pressly; a daughter, Margaret R. Pressly ’78; and a granddaughter, Erin Pressly.

’36

Margaret Kennedy Blakely, 93, died Dec. 22, 2008. She is survived by a sister, Mary Kennedy Todd; and 12 nieces and nephews.

Mary Johnson Shell, 94, died Oct. 6, 2008. Survivors include her children, Nan Shell Van Patten and Rhodes Shell; her brother, Leroy H. Johnson; four grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren.

Edwin Cole White, 95, died Nov. 2, 2008. Surviving are his wife, Mary Eva Underwood White; two children, Dr. Dean White and Cynthia Christian; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

’37

Neal M. Craig, 90, died Dec. 22, 2008. He was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy Pickel Craig, and is survived by his sister, Anne Craig Howell, and a number of nieces and nephews.

’39

Helen Wilkerson Salley, 90, died Dec. 3, 2008. Surviving are her husband, Harry G. Salley; a daughter, Marcella S. McDaniel ’68; two sisters, Betty Jo Stutts ’44 and Bonte W. Anderson ’41; two grandchildren, Gardner Patrick McDaniel and Gavin Young McDaniel; and a greatgrandson, Nathan Young McDaniel.

’40

Julia Electa Brown Krauss died Feb. 1, 2008. She is survived by her husband, Howard Warren Krauss Sr.; two sons, Howard W. Krauss Jr. and John A. Krauss; one daughter, Electa Krauss Hoyle; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

’42

Samuel S. Bundrick Sr., 92, died March 25, 2009. Survivors include three children, Samuel S. Bundrick Jr., Lella Frances Dougherty and David R. Bundrick; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

’44

Virginia Marian Harris Nettles died July 28, 2008. Survivors include her daughters, Dr. Harriett Nettles and Virginia Marian Nettles; a sister, Paula Harris Nettles; and two grandchildren, Asta Rose and Paul English Repinning.

Rachel Neil Farah Williams, 85, died Jan. 22, 2009. She is survived by her daughter,

In Memoriam

Jan Leaman Farrell; two brothers, Frank Alexander Neil ’51 and William Gettys Neil; two granddaughters, Farah Leaman Green and Katie Leaman Gambrell; and two greatgranddaughters.

’45

Lila Galloway McMillan, 85, died May 9, 2008. Survivors include her sons, Dick McMillan and Robin McMillan ’73; six grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

William Newton Smith, 84, died May 10, 2008. He is survived by his wife, Naomi Wirt Smith; a daughter, Anne Smith; a son, Larry F. Smith; a brother, Franklin Plumer Smith; and a grandson, Adam A. Smith.

’46

John Erskine McDaniel died Jan. 23, 2009. Survivors include a brother, Lowry Harold McDaniel ’56; and a sister, Lucy McDaniel Woodruff ’52.

Robert Malcolm Shirley, 82, died Sept. 19, 2008. Surviving are his sons, Malcolm Shirley and Robert Shirley; his daughters, Kathleen Espin, Martha White, Neila Shirley and Ann Grannan; a sister, Nancy Shirley Cary; four grandchildren; and three greatgranddaughters.

’47

Elizabeth Horton Glenn, 82, died Feb. 21, 2008. She is survived by her husband, Thomas Rucker Glenn; two sons, Thomas H. Glenn and James A. Glenn; one daughter, Alethea Glenn; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

’48

Jasper Clarence McGowan, 91, died Jan. 15, 2009. Survivors include two nieces, Elizabeth McKeown and Cindy Plyler, and a nephew, Warren Brown.

’49

Margaret Smith Kelley, 80, died Feb. 2, 2008. She is survived by her daughters, Sally A. Kelley and Carol K. Allison; a sister, Dorothy S. Williams; and two grandsons, Kyle Allison and Kelley Allison.

’50

Curtis Carroll Ferguson, 83, died Nov. 27, 2008. He is survived by his wife, Louise Truxal Ferguson; two brothers, Sam Albert Ferguson and Herbert Harris Ferguson; a sister, Molly Jane Ferguson; and 20 nieces and nephews.

Charles Ray Murdock, 80, died Feb. 2, 2009. Survivors include his wife, Doris Bradberry Murdock; his sons, Charles Bruce Murdock, M.D., and Brent Alan Murdock ’81, Ph.D.; a brother, David Lee Murdock ’59; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

’52

Harold Joe Huey, 78, died Dec. 30, 2008. Survivors include his children, William T. Huey, Robert J. Huey, Paula Crouse, Davie Earley, Donna Barrick and Cathy Williamson; a sister, Gladys Cox; 17 grandchildren; and 12 greatgrandchildren.

Anthony J. Trani died Oct. 30, 2008. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Shaw Trani; his son, Ernest Trani; his daughter, Debbie Myers; a sister, Ann Mazzeo; and five grandchildren.

’52

’53

Carol Whitten Ballentine, 76, died Jan. 28, 2009. Surviving are her children, Whitney Hamrick and Charlie Ballentine III; and five grandchildren.

The Rev. Thomas F. Evatt Jr., 88, died Feb. 15, 2009. Survivors include three daughters, Elaine Crow, Donna Price and Cynthia Goldsman; and four grandchildren.

Burt Cleveland Risner, 77, died Nov. 25, 2007. Surviving are a son, Alex B. Risner; a daughter, Reeta R. Griffin; and two grandchildren.

’54

James Neel Calhoun, 77, died Aug. 25, 2008. He is survived by a daughter, Debra Neel Calhoun; a son, James Neel Calhoun Jr.; two sisters, Juanita Broadwell and Elizabeth Ann Broome; and a brother, John Calhoun.

Richard Harold McClain, 78, died Jan. 14, 2009. Surviving are his wife, Peggie Dodson McClain; a son, Rick McClain; two daughters, Susan Ebitz and Laura Wilson; a brother, Lem McClain; a sister, Lillie Masse; and four grandchildren.

’57

Ralph Henry Hill, 75, died Sept. 9, 2008. He is survived by his wife, Dotti; two sons, Billy Young and Duane Young; three daughters, Linda Hoke, Traci Keen and Cindy High; a sister, Thelma Underhill; 14 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

’58

Richard L. Smith died Feb. 22, 2009. Survivors include his wife, Pat Cunningham Smith; a son, Richard L. Smith III; a brother, Grady S. Smith ’59; two sisters, Mary Hicks and Joy Townsend; and six grandchildren.

’59

Nancy Sudduth Barber died June 20, 2008. Surviviors include her husband, Monty; daughters, Belinda and Bonnie; sons, Darren and Kelly; brother, Steve; and nine grandchildren.

Clifton Halsey Knight Jr., 72, died April 3, 2009. Surviving are his wife, Helen deSaussure Edmunds Knight; a son, Clifton Halsey Knight III; three daughters, Kathleen Gammons, Leland Slaughter and Helen Blackwell; a sister, Barbara K. Henley; and four grandchildren.

’62

Neigel O’Neil Gillespie, 69, died Sept. 24, 2007. He is survived by his wife, Connie Bosler Gillespie; two daughters, Micki Holder and Layne Farrell; two sons, Mark Gillespie and Allen Gillespie; two brothers, John Gillespie and Daniel Gillespie; a sister, Ruby Stewart; and nine grandchildren.

’63

Patricia Elrod Lindley Nuckols, 66, died July 16, 2008. Surviving are a son, Stephen Keith Lindley; and a sister, Mary Jo King.

’64

Bonnie Bunch Navarre, 66, died March 27, 2008. Survivors include her husband, John E. Navarre Jr.; two sons, John E. Navarre and Louis A. Navarre; a brother, Richard Bunch; and a sister, Brenda Bunch Warren.

(Seminary)

The Rev. Henry J. Gambrell died April 6, 2009. He is survived by his wife, Grace Barrett Gambrell; and a daughter, Gracie.

’65

Bruce Wayne Clarke died Sept. 5, 2008. Survivors include his mother, Georgia Ross

Clarke; his fiancée, Terry Ballenger; a daughter, Rebecca Ballenger; a sister, Lisa Cline; and a brother, David Clarke.

Margaret “DeDe” Kendall Goldson, died Nov. 5, 2008. She is survived by her husband, Clement F. Goldson; her sister, Priscilla Tillston; and her brother, Johnny Kendall.

’66

Marrall Rudolph Keisler, 68, died Feb. 16, 2009. Survivors include his wife, Belva Johnson Keisler; two daughters, Laura K. Carter and Elizabeth Keisler; a son, Gregory M. Keisler; two sisters, Shirley K. Lewis and Betty Faye K. Bolen; a brother, Robert A. Keisler; and four grandchildren.

’67

Martha Elizabeth Edmonds died Sept. 2, 2007. She is survived by a sister, Mary Alice Edmonds.

’68

James Harold Burden, 82, died Aug. 18, 2008. Survivors include his wife, Mitzi Kimpton Burden ’66; two sons, Kimpton Burden and James Burden ’85; a brother, Bob Burden; and two grandchildren.

Norma Mozingo Harrison, 60, died July 18, 2007. Survivors include her father, William Mozingo; her stepmother, Sandra Mozingo; her husband, Robert Benjamin Harrison; a daughter, Christine Harrison; a son, William Harrison; two sisters, Pam Wilson and Karon Forrest; and one granddaughter.

’70

Harold Clinton Taylor, 60, died June 2, 2007. He is survived by his wife, Martha Marshall Taylor ’72; two sons, Joshua McCall

Taylor and Vince Zeigler Taylor; a daughter, Jane Horton Taylor; and one grandson.

’72

Danny A. Ostwalt, 58, died April 20, 2009. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Keane Ostwalt; a son, Christopher Albert Ostwalt; a daughter, Danielle Ostwalt Storms; a sister, Paula Yorke Collins; a brother, Mark Anthony Greer; and three grandchildren.

’73

Sharon Phillips Anderson, 57, died Nov. 16, 2008. Surviving are her husband, Bob; two sons, John and Joey; a daughter, Bethany; three sisters, Susan Schwarz, Karen Lindsay and Sarah Steele; two brothers, Fred Phillips and Ricky Phillips; and two grandsons.

Gregory L. Strickland died Sept. 10, 2008.

’74

Luther V. Calhoun, 57, died Aug. 31, 2008. Survivors include his wife, Joyce Zurcher Calhoun; his mother, Mary Lee Venable Calhoun; a son, John Powell Calhoun; a sister, Sarah Neva Savage; a brother, DuPre Calhoun; and three grandchildren.

’78

Gary Maxwell Roberts, 52, died April 13, 2009. Survivors include his parents, Alice Drake Cantey and Clarence O. Roberts Jr.; a brother, Jeffrey Mitchell Roberts; a sister, Robin Roberts Thomason; and three nephews.

Novella Woodard McNeill, 80, died April 13, 2008. She is survived by her husband, the Rev. William W. McNeill; three children, Lynne McNeill Swafford, Beth McNeill Marks and William Whitfield McNeill Jr.; and six grandchildren.

Sandra Bonds Pridemore, 52, died March 8, 2009. Survivors include her mother, Dorothy Barber Bonds ’51; a niece; and two nephews.

’82

Katherine Singley Camp, 48, died Dec. 7, 2008. She is survived by her husband, Jack Camp; two daughters, Jessica and Elizabeth Camp; two sisters, Mary Carlisle and Annette Wacker; and her mother, Doris Singley.

Cecia Elizabeth Culp Craft, 48, died Dec. 27, 2008. Survivors include her husband, Dr. Daniel T. Craft; her father, Dr. Max A. Culp ’49; and her brother, Max H. Culp.

’92 (Seminary)

The Rev. Dr. Monica Evangeline McKenzie died Oct. 21, 2007. Survivors include her husband, Clive; sons Geoffrey and Reginald; three brothers; and three sisters.

’09

Kathryn Megan Powell, 21, died Jan. 7, 2009. She is survived by her parents, Dr. Stephen R. Powell and Mrs. Donna Whisnant Powell; and a brother, Adam Powell ’04.

Friends

Lewis E. Davis, 84, died April 5, 2009. Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth F. Davis. He was the father-in-law of both ARP Moderator Gordon Query and Women’s Tennis Coach Calhoun Parr.

Mary Emma Hendrix Beckham, 80, died Oct. 14, 2008. Survivors include her husband, the Rev. Roy E. Beckham ’53; two daughters,

Ann B. Gainey ’72 and Martha B. Hinson ’79; a son, Earl R. Beckham; two brothers, Walter H. Hendrix and Grady H. Hendrix ’54; and five grandchildren.

Floride Patterson Ezell, 94, died Jan. 9, 2009. Survivors include her son, Dr. William Bruce Ezell Jr., president of Erskine from 1981-89; three daughters, JoEtta Ezell Shick ’66, Penelope Ezell Cannon and Helen Revin Ezell Moore; 10 grandchildren; and 12 greatgrandchildren.

Sarah Clarke Harley, 95, former assistant dean of women, died Feb. 5, 2009. Survivors include three grandsons, Richard F. Mason, Christopher C. Mason and William C. Mason.

Mary Frances Fuller McDill, 89, died April 5, 2009. Survivors include a son, R.D. “Dee” McDill Jr. ’75; three daughters, Betty McDill McGinnis ’67, Mary Jane McDill Stuckey ’70, and Ruth “Boofie” McDill Stukes ’79; a sister, Betty Fuller Truesdale; seven grandchildren, including Mary Shannon McGinnis ’00; and three great-grandchildren.

John F. Sherer Jr. died Feb. 16, 2009. Survivors include his sister, Linda Sherer ’89; two uncles, Robert Sherer ’53 (Sem. ’57) and Joe Sherer ’58; and a number of cousins.

Harry W. Walker, 87, who served as chairman of the Camp-Younts Foundation, died Oct. 23, 2008. Survivors include his wife, Alethea Kunhardt; a daughter, Antoinette Camp Walker Hamner; two sons, Harry Webster Walker III and Gilford Buchanan Walker; a brother, Webster U. Walker; two sisters, Virginia W. Weir and Edith W. Fillettaz; ten grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Births Marriages

’80

A daughter, Lily Vaughan Camp, to John A. Camp ’80 and Laura McDermott-Camp, Feb. 10, 2009.

’93

Twin sons, Grayson Callahan Bowen and Gabriel Sterling Bowen, to Shannon Broom Bowen ’93 and G. Douglas Bowen ’93, Aug. 14, 2008.

’94

A son, Andrew Wilson Myers, to Dorothy Bryant Myers ’94 and Drew Myers ’96, Feb. 27, 2008.

’95

A daughter, Anna Peace McDonald, to Marlo Long McDonald ’95 and Bobby McDonald ’93, Feb. 5, 2008.

’96

A son, Nathaniel David Gilreath, to Cindy Dill Gilreath ’96 and David Gilreath, Jan. 23, 2008.

’97

A son, McCain Alexander Duffie, to Jennifer Carter Duffie ’97 amd Lee Duffie ’91 (Sem. ’07), Sept. 17, 2008.

A daughter, Margaret Constance Lister, to Elinor Dubose-Schmitt Lister ’99 and Sean Lister, May 19, 2008. She joins sister Mildred Jane, born March 10, 2005.

Twins, Samuel Dutch Seemuller and Georgia Adair Seemuller, to Andrea Young Seemuller ’99 and Michael Seemuller, Nov. 8, 2008.

’00

A daughter, Mary Anna Basie, to Jenny Shealy Basie ’00 and Michael James Basie ’00, March 6, 2009.

A son, Thomas Lane Copeland, to Tabatha Bodie Copeland ’00 and Heath Copeland, Dec. 22, 2008.

’01

A son, Reagan Ezekiel McAlpin, to Marlana Burgess McAlpin ’01 and B.J. McAlpin, Nov. 20, 2008.

’02

A son, Matthew Cooper Dean Jr., to Lori Gilstrap Dean ’02 and Matthew Dean ’02, June 10, 2008.

’03

A son, Ethan Alston Laroche, to Richard Knight LaRoche ’03 and Ashley LaRoche, Oct. 29, 2008.

’93

Caja Ross Ormand ’93 to Jennifer Ann Greer, Oct. 4, 2008.

’95

Jackie Lynn Lewis ’95 to Christopher Dattilio, Aug. 16, 2008.

’96

Gretchen Hindman ’96 to James Eugene Moore, Aug. 1, 2008.

Katherine Seeliger ’96 to Brian Entzminger, Oct. 18, 2008.

Stephen B. Shad ’96 to Samantha Kaye Misle, Jan. 31, 2009

’01

Catherine Hendrix Jay ’01 to Daniel Lee Covar, May 9, 2009.

’03

A daughter, Nora Catherine Kuykendall, to J. Brooks Kuykendall ’97 and Patricia Bolen, Jan. 7, 2009.

’99

A son, Isaac Ashmore Clark, to Lake Hendricks Clark ’99 and Chris Clark ’98, March 27, 2008.

A son, William Edward Self, to Elizabeth Jones Self ’03 and Matthew E. Self, April 8, 2008.

Elisabeth Lormae Jones ’03 to Matthew Edward Self, Dec. 16, 2006.

’04

Anthony Passalacqua ’04 to Jennifer Tomasulo, Oct. 5, 2008.

’05

Lori JoAnna Baird ’05 to Thomas Owen Myers, April 18, 2009.

Amy England ’05 to Ken Ostrom III, Aug. 11, 2007.

’07

Sara Beth Curtiss ’07 to Jeff Triffo, July 31, 2008.

’08

Jennifer Lynn Glenn ’08 to James Edward Hedden ’06, Oct. 11, 2008.

Steven Charles King ’08 to Rebecca Averette Powell, Dec. 14, 2008.

Rachel Vanderbeek ’08 to Marshall Robertson, Aug. 9, 2008.

Cox Cox Vardon Vardon

Stepping down as bookstore manager after 40 years

Vardon Cox is as much a part of the Erskine College landscape as the signature Towers of the Erskine Building.

The 1965 graduate just completed his 40th year as bookstore manager and is retiring from those duties and as director of summer programs.

He will continue to coach the men’s tennis team, as he has for 40 years, and will work on building an endowment for the men’s tennis program.

“I’m ready to slow down and try to do some other things in the years I have left,” Cox said. “I’ve never really had the time to commit to the tennis team that I’m going to have now and I’ll be spending more time on fundraising. It’s been tough shuffling all the hats.”

Director of Career Services Dusty New will manage the bookstore. Director of Campus Life Leo Fackler will handle summer programs.

Cox says Erskine has changed a lot through the years, especially in the physical plant and grounds areas. “We’ve made big improvements in both.”

Some of the challenges facing the college haven’t changed during his 40 years, especially in the areas of enrollment and retention.

But the bookstore has changed. It was updated when Watkins Student Center was renovated two years ago. Another change is online competition, particularly for textbooks.

“We used to have a captive audience, but now you have to deal with online competition because everyone’s trying to get the best buy.”

Cox said that while many campuses are franchising their campus bookstores, “I’m a strong believer in institution-owned stores.”

Over the years he has become friends with students, especially those who have worked in the bookstore. “I’ve really enjoyed the close friends I’ve made,” Cox said. At Alumni Day and other events, friends would come into the bookstore and he’d spend time catching up with them.

Cox said he has tried to keep the bookstore service-oriented. “We’ve always run it with service in mind, not the bottom line,” he said. “We’ve ranked high on student surveys and that’s meant a lot to Beth and me.”

Beth Hawthorne ’76 has worked with Cox for more than 25 years. “She’s been more than wonderful as far as her dedication and work ethic,” he said. “She’s been my right arm, always willing to take on extra work, tremendous and always there — I can’t say enough about her.”

What does he plan to do with the extra time on his hands? “You know as well as I do there’s not going to be any,” he laughed.

He’ll miss day-to-day interaction on campus. “It just won’t be the same,” he said. “I’ve been doing something I’ve really enjoyed for 40 years.”