VIEW Magazine - Winter 2017

THE MAGAZINE OF FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY

WINTER 2017

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Francis Marion

The Trees of FMU A MAN WITH A PLAN PAGE 8

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From the President

Dear Friends,

The View is a publication for the Francis Marion community. It’s published by Francis Marion University’s Department of Public Affairs, and appears twice each year. Stories and photographs in The View are the property of FMU, or are works to which FMU has obtained one-time rights. In any case, no information appearing in The View may be re-printed without permission of FMU’s Office of Communications.

In this edition of The View, one thing should be abundantly clear to our readers: Francis Marion University is growing.

Tucker Mitchell Executive Director

We’re also hiring faculty with broader expertise – this fall we’ll hire an archaeologist to enrich our humanities curriculum and provide more experiential opportunities for students.

Matt McColl Editor Katherine Barnette Graphic Design & Layout

Francis Marion University PO BOX 100547 Florence, SC 29502-0547 www.fmarion.edu (P) 843-661-1220 (F) 843-661-1219

More important, it’s growing at a definitive pace with a clear focus on the future needs of this region and state.

We’re enhancing our academic offerings – our board of trustees recently approved the creation of a new Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree, and our speech pathology program just received clearance from the SC Commission on Higher Education. In the next few months, we’ll consider a recreation therapy major and curricular revisions to enhance the collaboration between biology and education.

We’re improving our facilities – the new health sciences campus in downtown Florence opened in August, the Kassab Recital Hall and Art Gallery underwent intense renovations in December, and we’ve just finished drafting plans for our future Honors Building.

But also be mindful that we’re very circumspect about the pursuit of this growth. The university raises as much private money as possible for new facilities before they are built, and our administrative costs are managed as efficiently as any school in the state. Every FMU student deserves a quality education, but at an affordable cost that won’t handcuff their future.

So, as you read through this edition of The View, take a moment to consider not just the speed with which Francis Marion is growing, but the care with which we craft each of these new initiatives.

Dr. Fred Carter President

On the Cover

Nearly 50 years ago, Francis Marion

FMU BOARD OF TRUSTEES Kenneth Jackson ’84, Chair Floyd L. Keels ’12, Vice Chair William Edward Gunn, Secretary

University’s first president, Dr. Douglas Smith, took it upon himself to create a

lush, tree-filled campus. Read more about Dr. Smith and his dedication to creating

and conserving the natural beauty of the campus on page 4.

Jody Bryson Dr. James M. Bunch ’93 William W. Coleman Jr. ’71 Dr. H. Randall Dozier ’77 Benjamin I. Duncan, II L. Franklin Elmore ’73 R. Tracy Freeman ’92

Patricia C. Hartung Stephen N. Jones ’88 Karen A. Leatherman ’80 Robert E. Lee ’87 George C. McIntyre ’78 Mark S. Moore Dr. J. Kevin O’Kelly

Emeriti Edward S. Ervin III Sen. Hugh K. Leatherman ’87 Gail Ness Richardson

From Field to Forest | 4

Decades ago, ‘Chainsaw Doug’ and friends paved the way to a beautiful campus.

A Man with a Plan | 8

Baron Davis (’95) may not have always had a plan, but he has one now.

Where a Star Begins | 12

Dr. Renata Cumbee (’10) is exploring the universe thanks to a firm undergraduate foundation at FMU.

43 Years later, Ragsdale leaves the lab | 16 The experiment is finally over for one of FMU’s longest running employees.

Q & A with Kellie Rasberry (’93) | 30

Completing a degree in English at FMU may not have altered the career track of Texas radio celeb, but she did keep a promise to her mother.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Departments Academia • 14 Athletics • 28 On Campus • 20

Class Notes • 36 Honor Roll of Donors • 33

From Field to Forest

How ‘Chainsaw Doug’ saved the day, and helped build one of the prettiest campuses in the state

BY TUCKER MITCHELL

T

he exact time and place of the “Doug Smith Tree/Chainsaw Incident” are lost in the mists of time as are the rest of its precise components, but the gist is this: Some Francis Marion University (then College) maintenance workers needed a cleared area to park some machinery, or for some other utilitarian goal, and so, in the woods just off modern day Patriot Drive, more or less where the University Apartments now reside, they grabbed their chainsaw(s) and set to work removing enough timber to achieve their end.

The space cleared was not large, the number of trees taken not significant. But that did not matter to Dr. Doug Smith, FMU’s first president. If the brand new institution he was helping build out east of Florence was ever to amount to anything, if it was going to grow up to be a real college, by golly it would have to look like a real college. And in Smith’s mind that meant, among things, there would have to be trees. And that meant not only embarking on a serious campaign of planting trees, which Smith and company were already doing; it meant saving the ones in place, even if they were far off the campus’ then rather meager beaten paths.

So the offending parties and their supervisors were called onto the presidential carpet and the word went out: don’t touch Dr. Smith’s trees.

And while you’re at it – and this is where the saga gets a little hazy – put down that chainsaw. In fact, from this time forward, no one but Dr. Smith is allowed to crank a chainsaw on campus. Or, in another version, the only chainsaw allowed on campus is the one in the trunk of Dr. Smith’s car.

Smith, now 98 and several decades removed from his tree-saving days on campus, recalls the incident, if not the resulting edict, vividly.

“There was one occasion where some of the

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WINTER 2017

Former FMU President Doug Smith stands beneath the trees he once fought to protect. MATT MCCOLL/FMU

workforce needed a cleared off space, not very big, but they removed several trees to do it,” says Smith.

“I don’t remember how many, but it was certainly enough to get my attention … And I remarked – maybe it was more than a remark – ‘anybody who works here, had better not cut anymore trees.’”

And the chainsaw ban?

Smith shrugs.

“I remember hearing that (the chainsaw story), about my car was the only one that could hold a chainsaw, and so forth, some time later,” he says. “There’s no telling how many versions there were. It made a good story. I don’t remember it exactly … but I do know this: we had no more trees cut down while I was here. That was the end of that.”

Well, not quite the end.

When Smith retired as president in 1983, the very first parting gift presented to him at a light-hearted farewell ceremony in (what is now) Chapman Auditorium was … a chainsaw.

COTTON AND SOYBEANS The natural beauty of the campus is one of FMU’s most famous attributes today. The tree canopy, combined with numerous water features and masses of azaleas, camellias and other flowering shrubs native to the region, produces an strikingly appealing setting. There’s shade for the summer, bright foliage for fall and spring. Throughout, a peaceful majesty reigns, softening the necessary intrusions of steel and stone.

It looks like it’s been that way for a long time, and so, a first-time visitor to the Francis Marion University campus today can be excused for some confusion; for the common perception that a functional set of educational buildings were dropped, at some point, into the midst of an inviting forest populated by towering pines and graceful live oaks.

WINTER 2017

In fact, it was mostly a big ol’ field. soybeans right before classes started.

The Wallace family, which donated “I mean, it was a big old field,” she the land for says. “There both FMU and wasn’t much its predecessor, here at all.” the Florence There is branch something campus of to be said the University for creating of South a brand new Carolina, had college on farmed the such a plain, campus lands, feature-less and hundreds tableau as that. of acres in Really, almost Joyce Kilmer every direction any layout can around it, for be considered, centuries. Brothers Walter and Joe and the cost associated with Sallenger, university employees (and clearance is almost nil. Run a in Walter’s case, a FMU graduate), bulldozer over it a couple of times recall a sprawling collection of and you’re done. cultivated fields, grazing pastures But from an aesthetic point of view and dirt roads, speckled with an academic buildings in a field leave assortment of out buildings -- cabins, something to be desired. small barns, smokehouses and even So, trees were always part of the one outhouse (a six-holer, erected FMU campus plan. The Wallaces in conjunction with an old school were for that, too, says Joe Sallenger. on the extreme south end of the They communicated their wishes property). that the trees -- a few of them “There were a few trees, in low hundreds of years old -- be saved. places you couldn’t farm and They never put any kind tree-cutting clustered around some buildings,” approvals in writing, preferring to Walter Sallenger recalls, “but walking leave that in the hands of “Chainsaw” from my house to my grandma’s Smith. house, or some other place out here in the summer … whew! Not much TREES: ‘IT’S OBVIOUS’ shade.”

Even before he took office Smith Adds Joe, “Where the soil was was busy planning for the orderly good, they farmed. And where it development of the campus. In the wasn’t there might be some trees. winter of 1969-70, a couple of FMU’s But for the most part it was a first trustees and representatives working farm.” of two landscape firms – Gill and Indeed, the farming continued as Wilkins of Florence and Unberto school got underway.

Innocenti-Richard K. Webel of New Dr. Smith says cotton was still York – gathered with the president growing in the field in front of what in the kitchen of Smith’s resident in would become the Rogers Library Salisbury, Md. to make plans. The the first time he saw it. And Dr. Kay discussion was all about long-term Belanger Lowrimore, a professor in planning. Campus development was today’s FMU School of Business who organized so as to encourage orderly was a student in those early days, growth and avoid the temptation of recalls thinking that it looked like future deviations. “somebody had just pulled up the ... Continued on Page 6

“I think that I shall never see. A poem as lovely as a tree.”

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

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FMU circa 1970’s

FMU Fall 2015

...Continued from page 5 For that reason, the first new building, after Stokes Hall (now Stokes Administration Building) was the Rogers Library, named after author and trustee James A. Rogers.

Some balked at that idea – the two campus buildings were so far apart – but the concept allowed the campus to grow together.

There were few complaints regarding the strategy and tactics used to address campus aesthetics, which included an important decision to keep all the utilities underground (underground electrical lines were not common at

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FMU ARCHIVES

FMU ARCHIVES

that time) and a clear directive to turn the old farm into a place of academic beauty. Indeed, that idea that FMU’s campus would be pleasing to the eye was considered a core value.

In Quantum Leap, the definitive account of FMU’s founding years, author and trustees James A. Rodgers notes that, “Almost as strong as the desire that Francis Marion College become recognized as an institution of academic integrity was the sentiment that its campus be developed to reflect the natural beauty around it.” To that end, “hundreds” of trees and shrubs were

planted as soon as the ground could be prepared.

“You’re going to have a flowers and trees on a campus. It’s obvious,” says Smith. “There was no question about that. The architect was very good and included lots of trees, shrubbery, right from the start. It was just something we were going to do.

“I know several of our trustees, some others who were involved, had seen the Furman campus (in Greenville, S.C.), which many people think is one of the prettiest anywhere. We wanted to come as close to that as possible while still keeping it in line with what’s natural to this region.

“We never strayed from that, even though it could be daunting at times, doing work like that that wouldn’t pay off for years,” says Smith. “But there were always a good feeling about that. As I told the board many times, ‘now look here, we’re just starting it. We’ve got to give them a little structure, a foundation, so there’s something to build on. Most of those there at the beginning understood that, although as I said it could be hard to see.”

Says Lowrimore Belanger, “They planted these trees but they were tiny little things, all held up by string to make sure they didn’t fall over.

It’s hard to imagine, but those are the great big trees we have out here today.”

SAPSUCKERS, ET AL When Frank Braddock took over as the head of outside maintenance – trees, landscaping, etc. – in 1990, some seven years after Smith’s retirement as president, he says it was still clear that trees on campus “were kind of sacred.

“That was my understanding,” says Braddock. “We’d all heard the stories about Dr. Smith. Nobody was cutting anything down, alive or dead, without an executive order. We were very, very careful.”

That care extended to both the selection of the plants and the WINTER 2017

tending of them. Braddock says.

Although President Smith says FMU followed the plans laid out by its original landscape architects for years – “We felt like we’d paid good money for those ideas and that we ought to use them,” he says – eventually some updating was required. Well-known names in the field like Hugh Dargan lent their expertise to the design and concepts that shaped the university.

Plants selected were generally natives of the area, which meant that they not only blended well with the surrounding landscape but enjoyed vigorous growth as well. Counsel from the Biology Department was given heed and some plants were installed to attract birds and animals.

Others, planted alongside windows, were selected because they had thorns or other features that could discourage unwanted intruders.

After the bulk of the trees and shrubs were planted, a succession of landscapers and maintenance men went to work keeping them alive. It wasn’t always easy. Storms, disease and assorted pests were/are a constant problem.

Braddock and his crews spent time battling powder post beetles in the tops of 70-foot tall trees and fighting off a gall wasp attack on the oaks lining Alumni Boulevard. On another occasion, an administrator called Braddock to find out what was wrong with a particular tree on campus. Braddock investigated and determined that it was the victim of the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, a type of woodpecker that can damage trees by “girding” the bark.

When Braddock explained the problem, the campus executive was incredulous.

“He didn’t think (the YellowBellied Sapsucker) was a real thing,” said Braddock. “But it is. I typed up a report for him (the administrator) and everything.”

maintaining continues.

As new buildings arise, new plants are added to the mix. Recent additions like Hanson Park, between the Stokes Administration Building and Wallace House, add to the effect. The maturation of other areas validates the original vision, as does –surprisingly – the damage wreaked by storms.

Hurricane Matthew, which hit the Pee Dee a sharp blow in the fall of 2016, downed more than 30 large trees on the FMU campus.

Crews moved quickly to clear the downed timber and clean up debris. When they were done, what was remarkable was the arboreal absences really weren’t that noticeable. There are that many trees on campus today.

Some of this is just the passage of time in spaces that were partly wooded in 1970. The area surrounding the pond behind the Lee Nursing Building (the pond, dug by the railroad when it was looking for fill dirt, was enlarged during the initial campus development.

That caused some student uproar when the work began because they thought it was being filled in -- it wasn’t. Construction just added two “fingers” to the old rectangle “design” produced by the railroad.) is now covered with large pines and other mature trees. Old-timers remember being able to stand between the pond

and Highway 327 and see Rogers Library. That’s no longer possible.

And the shaded pathways leading to the residential areas of campus, spaces carved out of the most heavily treed part of the original acreage, are now pleasing natural arbors.

A lot of it is the result of a wellmanaged plan. The mass clusters of azaleas that light campus each spring are no accident. And it was always intended that the oaks lining Alumni Drive would grow together overhead and form a leafy arch above a main campus artery.

Those trees are just about there now.

Doug Smith says that might come as a surprise – a pleasant one – to some doubters from days gone by.

“I remember one time shortly after we had planted all those oaks (lining Alumni Drive),” he says. “The wife of one of our board members looked at all those little trees – they were about two inches in diameter, maybe less – and said to me, ‘those sure are small trees.’ I think she was kind of asking a question like, ‘do you think they’ll ever be large?’ Or maybe it was, ‘do you think you’ll ever see them amount to anything?’

“Well, we have, we have,” says Smith. “It’s just beautiful.”

Tucker Mitchell is the executive director of communications at Francis Marion University.

‘THEY’RE SO SMALL!’ The process of building and WINTER 2017

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

7

Faculty members presented Dr. Doug Smith with his very own chainsaw (on stage floor at Smith’s feet) during a retirement ceremony hosted by FMU faculty in what is now Chapman Auditorium in April of 1983. Sharing a laugh with Smith is Dr. John D. Baker, organizer of the event.

FMU ARCHIVES

A man (eventually) with a plan

New Richland School District 2 Superintendent Baron Davis didn’t always love education, but he does now.

BY MATT MCCOLL

T

here was one point in his life where Dr. Baron Davis (‘95) was unsure of what he wanted to do with his life or what he would become.

That was 20 years ago.

Back when he was a student at Francis Marion University.

There’s no question today.

The 46-year-old Davis is the superintendent elect of Richland School District 2 in Columbia, a fast-mover in the world of public education with a bright future ahead of him.

Ironically, Davis says he wouldn’t be where he is today without those uncertain times of days gone by. Yes, he was adrift academically at FMU,

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but he was making progress all the same. If the classroom wasn’t quite his thing, it was evident to Davis and others that – somehow, some way, some day – he was going places.

“I really didn’t have a lot of plans (while in college),” says Davis. “I kind of fluctuated around, here and there. (But) I was provided with a foundation of skills and knowledge that as I progressed through my career has really helped. (And FMU) also provided a great support system… They allowed me to make mistakes and recover from those mistakes.”

In part that leniency is just the way FMU’s faculty and staff treats most students. They’re almost always

willing to offer a second (or third, or fourth) chance. But much of it was special attention for a young man who clearly had great potential.

Dr. Joseph Heyward, who served as the vice president of student affairs and interim provost on three occasions at FMU, knew Davis well.

He says that despite some hiccups, it was obvious that Davis was going places.

“He was a student that I knew at one point would be very successful,” Heyward says. “Baron, I thought had leadership qualities, and I just had the feeling that he would be a success in his life. I wanted him to find a path where he could utilize those skills, and I think he did. From WINTER 2017

Baron Davis graduated from Francis Marion with the skills he needed to conquer his profession. Only he wasn’t sure what that profession was.

MATT MCCOLL /FMU

his activeness and the leadership that I saw in him, I’m not surprised that he’s made it to where he is.”

It wasn’t hard to picture Davis as a leader in college.

He was active in a variety of student organizations – Omega Psi Phi fraternity, residence advisor, orientation leader, among others – and was frequently among the leadership.

All he needed was a career field in which his natural talents could be applied.

With help from Heyward and some other mentors from his FMU, Davis eventually developed an educational plan with more structure. Growing up and maturing, helped. The net result was that Davis returned to his hometown, Columbia, and a few years after graduating from FMU, went to graduate school.

The once lackluster student was about to become an educator.

Davis was a better student this time around. He earned an Education Specialist degree in 1999, landed a job at Spring Valley High School, and completed his Masters in Education in 2003.

Five years later he earned his doctoral degree.

Davis says he now believes he was meant to be an educator all along, but just didn’t understand that call when first he heard it.

“I think it was a calling,” he says. “Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention to the calling before. I always had a knack for working with people and education has been a good vehicle for that. Once I got immersed in it, I no longer had to figure out what I wanted to do. I’ve never questioned if this is the right WINTER 2017

place for me.”

Davis’ immersion in, and developing passion for, education paved the way for a rapid ascent up the career ladder. Hired as an administrator at Spring Valley High School in 1999, Davis quickly moved on to become an assistant principal at Spring Valley, principal at Edisto High School in the Orangeburg School District, then principal at Alcorn Middle School in Richland District 1, and finally back to his old Spring Valley stomping grounds as principal. In 2012, Davis moved into the Richland 2’s central office as the assistant superintendent.

Last year, Davis was an obvious choice to fill the district’s top post when current superintendent Debbie Hamm announced that she’d retire this spring. He’ll take over Columbia’s largest school district, a sprawling organization that encompasses 40 schools and more than 27,000 students.

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CHALLENGE Richland 2 is already a forwardthinking district that offers students Apple app development courses, classes in 3-D printing, and programs that teach logistics and supply chain management programs. That’s on the cutting edge of education in South Carolina.

“We’re shaping our district for tomorrow,” Davis says. “We have an opportunity to impact things on a much larger scale.”

He’ll embrace the future, but Davis figures to employee many of the same skills he’s used throughout his career in his new post. Sure, there will be plenty of administrative analysis. But what’s powered Davis’ career is interpersonal connections and real passion for the schoolhouse.

Davis says that when he was a principal, he became a part of the environment at each of the schools he served. He still enjoys remembering the first days of school, ...Continued on page 10 FRANCIS MARION VIEW

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I think every kid needs to feel like there’s one person on campus... that cares about them.

Baron Davis has found himself to be comfortable both in a classroom environment and in that of an administrator.

MATT MCCOLL /FMU

...homecoming dances, first home football games, and prom.

There is an energy and dynamism to those days which is difficult to describe or to capture, says Davis.

“There’s nothing that compares,” he says.“The energy is so different. It’s a refreshing new start and everyone is energized.

You have the first home football game, and so many other things.

Homecoming, Prom and those are just some of the social things.

On the academic side, working with students and seeing them achieve their goals. Seeing the kid that applied to their reach school and got in.”

Davis hopes to continue that with programs like Richland 2’s faceto-face mentoring program, which assigns an adult to every student for one-on-one mentoring.

Davis, who has had a hand in implementing the program, is proud of what it has accomplished, and can continue to accomplish, in the future.

“I think we’ve done a

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phenomenal job of implementing a very structured mentoring program that all of our programs within our schools follow,” he says. “It’s great to see these students develop, and for them to have that person they can connect with on campus. I think every kid needs to feel like there’s one person on campus at school that cares about them.”

Davis will have to balance oneon-one work with the strategic oversight needed in a big district.

While he likes the front lines, he says he’s looking forward developing grand strategies and affecting change on a wide scale.

“I think I enjoy the interactivity and connectedness of all departments that have an impact on the overall success of the district,” he says. “Having an opportunity to have discuss, and to be able to lead the direction when it comes to academic achievement, and our focus for the year on academics is really great.”

Davis’ rise hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The state’s top elected educator, South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, says that she counts herself as one of Davis’ biggest fans.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Baron and calling him a friend throughout his career in education,” she says. “His dedication to servant leadership instills confidence in his colleagues and I am confident those qualities will lead to success in his next endeavor as superintendent in Richland School District 2.”

Matt McColl is Director of Media Relations at FMU. WINTER 2017

Capturing the moment, some of Francis Marion’s newest graduates grab a quick selfie before heading out to celebrate with their friends and family after the fall commencement ceremony.

MATT MCCOLL / FMU

Carrie Radke drew the largest ovation as she walked across the stage in December. Radke, a Psychology major from Myrtle Beach, has struggled with Spina Bifida all her life. Wielding a pair of crutches, Radke marched across the stage with her classmates.

TRISH BURKETT / FMU

DECEMBER 2016 COMMENCEMENT VIEW

South Carolina State Senator Vincent Sheheen told graduates that their exits from college comes at a great time with incredible opportunities, which can only be obfuscated by unnecessary fear.

MATT MCCOLL / FMU

Shiny apples and monograms adorned the caps of some of FMU’s newest teachers: (L-R) Caitlin Tidwell, Hannah Lynn Powell, Emily Rowe and Martha Floyd.

KATHERINE BARNETTE / FMU

Graduation is often a joyful day, for both parents and students. Lots of hugs!

KATHERINE BARNETTE / FMU

Where a star begins

Dr. Renata Cumbee (’10) is studying the origins of the universe, while thinking about her own.

BY MATT MCCOLL ( ’09)

P

eering into the murky, almost impenetrable history of the universe, Renata Cumbee (’10) discovered her future.

A bright, but-less-than-confident student from Cordesville, South Carolina has turned into a top-flight physicist — that’s Dr. Cumbee now — who spends her days examining black holes and X-rays in the Astrophysics Science Division at the NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

More specifically, Cumbee researches a physics process called charge exchange. She studies the remnants of supernovas called the Cygnus Loop — a remnant of a supernova explosion in the Cygnus Constellations long ago — and the modeling of the X-rays produced within the Loop.

Cumbee’s research helps to provide an understanding of the energies possessed within galaxies as they form comets and supernova remnants. In effect, it advances the long-standing goal of physics: to understand just how and why the universe began.

“I really enjoy (the work) because it’s going to have a substantial influence on what we understand in the future,” says Cumbee. “It is inspiring to know that my research will have an impact on our understanding. In 50 years or 100 years, it will continue to have an impact

Renata Cumbee left Francis Marion as a star student. Now she studies the history of stars and blackholes as a scientist NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Photo courtesy of Nancy Evelyn, Photo Editor, The University of Georgia Graduate School

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and that excites me everyday.”

GOOD BEGINNING

Much of that excitement began during her days at FMU. Cumbee says that she enjoyed her academic life in the FMU Department of Physics.

She worked hard in the classroom and was a top student, winning the 2009-2010 Physics Award, presented

by FMU’s physics department. But what really motivated her – what put a charge in her so to speak – was her learning outside of class through independent study and research projects. Notably, that’s a feature of undergraduate Physics work at FMU, though it not necessarily that way at all universities.

“From the very beginning, Francis Marion emphasized the understanding of the material, rather than simply memorization and getting straight A’s,” Cumbee says. “All of the professors encouraged me to do research for myself outside of the classroom…”

Those same professors also took Cumbee under the wing, offering tutelage not just in the specifics of the science, but in the WINTER 2017

generalities of being a practicing physicist.

“I had hours of one-on-one time with professors any day that I needed it,” says Cumbee. “For someone who’s not confident in a subject, and not sure if they want to continue with that subject, that can be the biggest benefit. Having someone show you what it means to be a researcher in physics or to study that subject is important.”

As a student, Cumbee found herself at home as not only a researcher of physics, but as a teacher of the subject as well. She participated, as a college student leader to a crop of high schoolers, in the South Carolina Physics Scholars Institute, an annual program at FMU that’s designed to introduce high school students to Physics. At the event, Cumbee became accustomed to working with students and explaining the nature of physics on a much more basic level. With that understanding, Cumbee was certain she wanted to take her education of physics to the next level.

“It’s a great way for high school students to engage with college students and to learn what physics was about,” she says. “Having that opportunity to teach younger students was really beneficial. It helped me understand physics a lot better and it gave me the opportunity to realize that I wanted to study physics.”

Matt McColl is Director of Media Relations at FMU. FRANCIS MARION VIEW

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Speech Pathology to begin in 2018

F

rancis Marion University received final regulatory approval this fall for its graduate-level Speech Pathology degree and now expects to launch the program in 2018. Dr. Freda Wilson was named the program’s director.

The FMU program will be just the third speech pathology program in the state of South Carolina.

The program fits with the burgeoning offerings in FMUs School of Health Sciences, which has added four new graduate programs since 2012. It meets a community need as well. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics statistics shows demand for speech pathologists is already high and expected to grow in the years ahead. The Bureau projects a 21 percent increase in the number of open positions from 2014 to 2024. Besides being one of the fastest-growing health sciences fields, it’s also one of the best paying, with annual mean wages starting at $67,850 in South Carolina according to the BLS. Dr. Christopher Kennedy, Francis Marion University’s associate provost for academic affairs, says the program will be a valuable resource to the region and the state.

“We haven’t had to sell this program to anyone,” Kennedy says.

“We have students calling — at least a few each week — that are looking to get into the program.

We have all the major players coming on board. Everyone is on board.”

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVE DNP PLAN

FMU’s Board of Trustees approved* an administration plan to create a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree at that university.

Approval is still needed from the South Carolina Legislature and the South Carolina Commission of Higher Education.

The DNP would be Francis Roop (below) with students in the 1970’s.

Marion’s first doctorate level degree, and is a natural follow-on to the Family Nurse Practitioner degree program, which began in 2012 and saw its first graduates in 2014.

NURSING NAMED CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

Francis Marion University’s Department of Nursing was

FMU ARCHVES

REMEMBERING ROOP Beloved professor Tom Roop, one of the greatest figures in Francis Marion University’s 47-year history, passed away on Jan. 14.

Roop, a professor of biology at FMU from 1972 to 2004, is remembered as one of the most caring and passionate professors to ever teach at the university.

A native of Niagara Falls, N.Y., Roop received numerous honors and accolades from 1972 to 2004 as a professor at FMU, but colleagues and students remember him mostly for his personal warmth and compassion.

Students recall Roop’s gentle nudges to push them onto career tracks that best fit their skills along with his recall Roop’s astonishing memory.

Decades after graduation, Roop would remember not only student names but intimate details about their lives.

Roop taught physiology, among other

subjects, at FMU. His overarching interest during much of his time at the university was the pre-med and pre-health sciences programs. He helped establish FMU’s bonafides in the pre-med area and was a one-man public relations campaign in Florence and beyond. He was delighted to see graduate medical test scores and placement rates for his former students soar.

He was awarded FMU’s Distinguished Professor Award in 1980, and was named the J. L. Mason Professor of Health Sciences and Professor of Biology and Coordinator of Biology Pre-Professional Programs, an endowed position at FMU. Roop received the Helm’s Award for the South Carolina Top Science Educator of the Year, was honored with the Service Award from the South Carolina Academy of Science in 2005, and was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society.

named as one of 15 new Centers of Excellence by the National League for Nursing (NLN), the nation’s premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. A delegation from FMU’s Department of Nursing traveled to Orlando, Fla., last fall to receive the award in person.

NLN Centers of Excellence exemplify the League’s core values of caring, integrity, diversity, and excellence, and faculty at designated institutions bear a responsibility to share their experience, knowledge, and wisdom for the benefit of everyone in nursing education.

Schools and programs that receive NLN Center of Excellence recognition must meet high standards of excellence in nursing education. Each school is recognized for a particular trait that is critical to superb nursing education.

FMU was recognized for “Promoting the Pedagogical Expertise of Faculty.” It’s one of just seven schools across the nation recognized in that area.

The others in that category include Duke, Indiana, Connecticut, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans.

FACULTY TENURE AND PROMOTIONS

Francis Marion University’s Office of the Provost recently announced the promotion of 13 faculty members for the 2016-17 academic year.

Promoted to full professor were: Dr. Wendy Caldwell WINTER 2017

Richardson, Department of

English, Modern Languages, and Philosophy; Dr. Larry P. Engelhardt, Department of Physics and Astronomy; Dr. Michael P. Hughes, School of Business; Dr. Tracy E. MeetzeHolcombe, School of Education; Dr. Mary Louise Nagata, Department of History and Dr. Gregory S. Pryor, Department of Biology.

Six faculty members were promoted to associate professor.

They were: Dr. Rhonda M. Brogdon, Department of Nursing; Dr. Jessica K. Doucet, Department of Sociology; Mr. Nathan E. Flowers, Rogers Library; Dr. Karen K. Gittings, Department of Nursing; Dr. Sharon K. O’Kelley, Department of Mathematics and Dr. Jan M. Serrano, School of Business Dr. Tracy P. George of the Department of Nursing was promoted to Assistant Professor.

Additionally, six faculty members received tenure. They were: Dr. Rhonda M. Brogdon, Department of Nursing; Dr. Jessica K. Doucet, Department of Sociology; Dr. Karen K. Gittings, Department of Nursing; Dr. Sharon K. O’Kelley, Department of Mathematics; Mrs. Demetra W. Pearson, Rogers Library; and Dr. Jan M. Serrano, School of Business Larsen

LARSEN PENS ONE-WOMAN SHOW

After years of performing in plays of various types, Dr. Dawn Larsen, associate Professor of Theatre Arts, finally took the plunge last semester and wrote and performed her own one-woman

ACADEMIA show.

Entitled The Vicious Hillbilly or Dating in the Deep South, the performance combines both her original musical works, as well as her personal stories of romance.

Larsen, who’s been at FMU for 10 years, was able to delve deep into her history as a performer in the Ozark Mountains to create something distinctive and deeply impactful.

IT’S ‘AIR GUALDI’ 30,000 MILES IN 25 DAYS Dr. Paolo Gualdi, piano

virtuoso and associate professor of Music at FMU, has always been something of a road warrior. Trips home to his native Italy, combined with a rigorous performance schedule, have allowed him to pile up the frequent flyer miles for years.

But past experience pales besides Gualdi’s “insane” schedule during the holiday break last DecemberJanuary. He logged more than 30,000 miles during a 25-day stretch in which he performed six concert recitals and conducted two master classes across four continents.

And dropped in to see mom for Christmas, while he was at it.

Gualdi performed in Rome and Perugia in Italy, in Shanghai, China; in Miami, and finally in Montevideo and Punta del Este, Uruguay. He conducted a workshop in Miami basically while on a layover.

“It’s exciting,” said Gualdi before departing, “but it’s also insane.”

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

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A 43-year experiment

Travis Ragsdale wasn’t sure managing the labs at a brand new college was a good idea. But it turned out all right.

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arlier this winter, Ragsdale retired as the lab manager for Francis Marion University’s Chemistry Department, following his 43rd year on the job. It wasn’t what he expected when he started, but Ragsdale is leaving a happy man.

“You want a job that will interest you and change over time, something that will allow you to interact with people in a positive manner,” says Ragsdale. “This has been all that.”

Ragsdale, a Greenville, South Carolina native, wasn’t quite sure where to find a career like that after graduating from Wofford College in 1973. He liked chemistry and wanted to stay in that field. Pharmacy school seemed a likely possibility until a friend told Ragsdale about an opening for a chemistry lab manager at some place called Francis Marion College.

“I had been to Florence once in my life and I didn’t know anything about Francis Marion,” he says. “As a college, it was only two years old at that point.”

Ragsdale applied for the job and was hired. It took awhile before Ragsdale really found his legs as a college employee, but just a few weeks into his first semester, he was feeling pretty good. He knew chemistry, and he really enjoyed teaching.

“Once I got here I got a feel for it and thought, ‘You know, I’m not that bad at this, standing in front of a class and teaching labs,’” he says.

Ragsdale continued to improve.

Year after year, semester after semester, Ragsdale was there. In time he developed into a campus fixture, a reference point for new generations of FMU students.

“I had a student who’s still here and he was telling me that he told people 16 FRANCIS MARION VIEW

he’s a student at Francis Marion and one of the first things they asked was, ‘Is Mr. Ragsdale still there?’” says Ragsdale. “I’ve been here well long enough to have taught people and their children. Part of my thinking (about retiring) is maybe it was time to quit before I started teaching their grandchildren.”

And maybe not. Ragsdale hasn’t really left. Not just yet.

He’s continued to work with his replacement, Dr. Josh Gray. While doing so, he’s been able to reflect on what he’s left -- or will be leaving -- behind.

“Over the years, as you can imagine, I can go out and name doctors I’ve taught, dentists I’ve taught, nurses I’ve taught,” says Ragsdale. “There’s lots of people out there. That’s what makes you’re here for. You want to help people grow and become something.”

Matt McColl is Director of Media Relations at FMU.

Travis Ragsdale laughs during his retirement celebration.

WINTER 2017

MATT MCCOLL / FMU

THAT’S 40 MATH TOURNEYS, 37 YEARS

For the past 37 years, the equation Francis Marion + the Pee Dee’s top math students has always equaled the Pee Dee Regional High School Mathematics Tournament.

The latest one, held this fall on campus, was actually the 40th conducted since the event began in 1980. No, the math doesn’t quite work, but there is an explanation: the first few years the event was held the math department held more than one.

The Pee Dee Regional High School Mathematics Tournament, as its officially known these days, is sponsored by Francis Marion University, Mu Alpha Theta, and the Pee Dee Education Center.

It consists of two portions: a written competition, and a stage competition.

FMU’s Dr. George E. Schnibben, Jr., professor of mathematics and a tournament organizer, says the pitting of the region’s best high school mathletes against one another is a great recruiting tool for the university.

“We get probably 350 high school students on campus and they get a chance to look at us, and they might use this opportunity to select Francis Marion as the college that they want to attend,” Schnibben says. “A lot of students don’t know what to expect when they come on the campus of a university. I think it’s a pretty friendly environment.

It’s a great opportunity for students to speak with the professors.”

GOFF’S NEW WORK DEBUTS AT PAC

FMU Associate Professor of Music, Dr. Brandon Goff, debuted an original work entitled It is Well… A Healing Suite in WINTER 2017

November.

Goff is a gifted performer and writer whose credits include stints as a writer, performer and producer in Memphis and Nashville. He’s also worked overseas, and is a member of a group that embarks on concert tours of U.S. military bases.

His new work was commissioned

by McLeod Health as a part of the 100th anniversary of the founding of McLeod Health, and was performed by the Florence Symphony Orchestra and Masterworks Choir.

Goff says he called on his experiences from his youth, when he spent hours in church in his small Arkansas hometown listening to his parents, and others sing hymns, while writing It is well …

The work’s movements were all based on hymns or other songs from similar genres.

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS Dr. Elena Eskridge-Kosmach,

associate professor of History, published an article in The Journal of Slavic Military Studies regarding the Russian-Turkish war of 18771878. … Dr. Scott Kaufman, the History department’s new chair, has started writing a new book on President Gerald Ford just he submitted his biography of President Ford, Power, Pragmatism, and Part: The Life of Gerald Ford to the University Press of Kansas. Kaufmann also presented a paper entitled Complications over Cyprus: The Ford Administration and Its First Foreign Policy Crisis at the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations Conference, along with a longer version to the journal The Historian. … Dr. Jessica

Burke, assistant professor of

Sociology, presented five papers at professional conferences this fall, two of which were co-authored with Dr. Lisa Eargle, chair of the FMU Department of Sociology, and Thomas Brown, a senior sociology major. … Dr. Alexander Lu, assistant professor of Sociology, published a book chapter entitled Newspaper Portrayals and Emotional Connection Strategies: Commemoration Model Minority Murder Victims and in the book Asian/Americans and Education: A Critical Analysis of the “Model Minority” as Perpetrators and Victims of Crime.

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION After nearly five years of serving as the dean of Francis Marion’s School of Education, Dr. Shirley Bausmith

is retiring. Bausmith, a 1991 and 1994 graduate of Francis Marion, has been a lifelong educator, serving as a teacher at West Florence BAUSMITH High School before returning to FMU. Bausmith’s position will be filled by Dr. Tracy Meetze-Holcombe, the current associate dean of the School of Education. ... A combined paper by Dr. Tracy Meetze-Holcombe, Dr. Shirley Bausmith and Dr. Stephen Taylor of the FMU School of Education, entitled University Life 101: The Freshmen Two Years Later was presented at the Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators (SRATE) Fall 2016 Conference in October. … Dr. Callum Johnston, associate professor in the School of Education, presented FRANCIS MARION VIEW

17

FMU welcomes 25 new faculty

F

rancis Marion University welcomed 25 new faculty members to campus as the 2016-17 academic year began this week.

The class of new faculty is one of the largest at FMU in recent years, reflecting the accelerating pace of new programs coming on line at the university. Two of the new faculty members will teach in FMU’s brand new Physician Assistant program, and another is a third faculty member hired for FMU’s fast-growing Industrial Engineering program.

The new faculty members will teach in 13 different departments. They come from an array of academic backgrounds, and hold terminal degrees from 19 different universities including Penn, Texas Tech, George Washington, Florida, Indiana, Harvard and Colorado.

Dr. Enoch Agbesi Adogla Assistant Professor of Chemistry. B.S. from University of Ghana, M.S. from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from University of South Carolina.

Dr. Brittany Baker Assistant Professor of Physics. B.S. from Northern Michigan University, M.S. from Texas Tech, Ph.D. in Physics from Texas Tech University.

Dr. Suzanne Barnett Assistant Professor of English. B.A. from Hunter College of the City University of New York, Ph.D. in English from University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. David Baxley Assistant Professor of Mass Communication. A.S. from Central Alabama Community College, B.S. from Mississippi State University, M.A. in Journalism from Mississippi State University.

Mr. Joseph Bethle Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies. B.S. from Slippery Rock University, M.S. in Sports Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Capt. Christian Bonno Instructor of Military Science. U.S. Army.

Mr. Michael Del Vecchio Instructor of Mathematics.

B.A. from Rutgers University, M.S. in Mathematics from College of Charleston.

Mr. Joseph Arthur Kennedy Assistant Professor of

English. B.A. from Duke University, M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education, M.A. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University.

Dr. Zilola Khashimova MD, Assistant Professor of Health Sciences PA Program.

Dr. Candace Lapan, Assistant Professor of Psychology. B.A. from University of North Carolina at Greensboro, M.A. from University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Dr. Edgar L. Larrea Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish.

B.A. from Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, M.A. from Instituto Cervantes, Ph.D. in Spanish from University of South Carolina.

Dr. Alexander Lu Assistant Professor of Sociology. B.A. from Centenary College of Louisiana, M.A. from Louisiana State University, Ph.D. in Sociology from Indiana University.

Ms. Kathryn Mann Instructor of English.

B.A. from Coastal Carolina University, M.A. in Writing from Coastal Carolina University.

Dr. Christine Masters Assistant Professor of English. B.A. from University of Washington, M.A. from Western Illinois University, Ph.D. in English from Purdue University.

Ms. Johannah Maynor Instructor of Mathematics. B.S. from University of North Carolina, M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from North Carolina Central University.

Dr. Bryan McLeod Assistant Professor of School of Business.

B.S. from Southern Illinois University, J.D. from Southern Illinois University, M.B.A. from Southern Illinois University, Ph.D. in Business Administration from Southern Illinois University.

Dr. Lisa F. Midcalf, Assistant Professor Education-Literacy.

B.S. from Bob Jones University, MAT from Saginaw Valley State University, Ph.D. in Reading Education from Oakland University.

Dr. Michelle R. Murphy, Assistant Professor Education - Special Education.

B.A. from University of North Carolina, M.A.Ed. from East Carolina, Ph.D. in Special Education from University of South Carolina.

Dr. Doris Páez, Assistant Professor Psychology. B.A. from University of South Florida, M.A. from University of South Florida, Ed.S. from University of South Florida, Ph.D. in Psychology from University of Florida.

Dr. Tiffany A. Phillips Assistant Professor of Nursing B.S. from University South Carolina, B.S. from Medical University of South Carolina, M.S./Ph.D. in Nursing from

Medical University of South Carolina.

Dr. Rahul S. Renu, Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering. B.S. from Visvesvaraya Technological University, M.S. from Clemson University, Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University.

Dr. James Ritter Assistant Professor of Education. B.A. from Western Carolina University, M.A. from Western Carolina University, Ph.D. in Literacy from University of Southern Mississippi.

Dr. Dillon S. Tatum Assistant Professor of Political Science.

B.A. from University of Arizona, M.A. from The George Washington University, M.A. from The George Washington University, Ph.D. in Political Science from The George Washington University.

Dr. Paul H. Thompson Assistant Professor of Voice / Chorus.

B.A. from Marian University, M.M. from University of Wisconsin, Ph.D. in Musical Arts in Choral Conducting and Literature from University of Colorado.

Dr. Megan Woosley-Goodman Assistant Professor of English. B.A. from Southern Illinois University, M.A. from Southern Illinois University, Ph.D. in English Literature from University of Missouri.

a talk for the Social Sciences and Humanities Symposium at FMU entitled The Effects Positive Learning Environments in Early Childhood Education of Pro-Social Lessons on the Establishment of. … Dr. Tammy Pawloski, professor of Education, offered nearly 70 presentations over the last half of 2016 addressing a multitude of themes. … Dr. Lisa Midcalf, assistant professor in the School of Education, presented a paper at the South Carolina Association of Teacher Educators entitled Content Area Reading: Are We Winning the Battle?

SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES Dr. Rhonda Brogdon,

associate professor of Nursing, was the opening plenary speaker at the 2016 Female Brogden Leadership Conference: Strengthening & Empowering the 21st Century Woman. … A presentation

by Dr. Tracy George, assistant professor of Nursing, entitled Use of Service Learning to Teach Health Literacy with Online Graduate Nursing Students, was delivered at the Eighth Annual George Health Literacy Research Conference in Bethesda, Md. … Dr. Ruth WittmannPrice, Dean of the School of Health Sciences, made three presentations: Self Mercy, Disabilities and Student Boundaries and lecture and web-cast at the Full Day Conference portion of the CNE Review.

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FRANCIS MARION VIEW

WINTER 2017

T

V watchers of a certain age will remember the long-running ads for Ricola throat lozenges, featuring a signature call – “Re-co-la!” – played on the Alphorn (or Alpenhorn), a historic wooden horn instrument born in the Swiss Alps.

That could have been Francis Marion University’s Dr. Terry Roberts playing that tune.

Well, actually it couldn’t – more on that later – but Roberts is a trained Alphornist. He’s played it for years, often for money; has written music of it; and actually owns one of the behemoths. (Most Alphorns range from 8 to 15 feet, with instrument pitch depending upon size. An American carver made a 154-foot long Alphorn several years ago. It’s believed to be the world’s largest.)

“It’s just something interesting to do on the side,” says Roberts.

Roberts, who directs the Music Industry program at FMU, is a virtuoso French Horn player, who has played that instrument in a variety of professional settings around the world. He’s also adept a number of other instruments, so picking up the Alphorn, which is played much like a bugle in that the notes are controlled by the hornists’ lips, was not difficult.

Roberts says Alphornists actually can do pretty well in Europe, where the festival and special event circuit creates a demand for authentic music on heritage instruments. But he didn’t take up Alphorning as a career. It was just another new experience for an American musician living in Europe.

Roberts got his alphorn start while visiting a friend in the Swiss countryside one day. They heard alphorn notes echoing in a nearby valley. Roberts was curious, so he and his friend hopped in a car to find the musician.

“It was this old farmer who would play in the evenings before sundown,” says Roberts. “He spoke Swiss French and Swiss German, so I tried to speak German to him. At first, he was really shy and timid, but eventually he loosened up.”

After some bilingual haggling, the farmer gave Roberts an impromptu Alphorn lesson. An invitation to sip some homemade wine ensued, followed, of course, by more alphorning. By the end of the evening, Roberts was sounding pretty good.

Or maybe that was just the wine.

Whatever the case, Roberts eventually became skillful enough to land actual gigs. Eventually, he decided he had to have one of his own. Roberts commissioned a pine and walnut Alphorn from a German carver. It took a year to be fashioned.

Roberts continued his alphorn education. The

instrument, whichy dates back more than 600 years, was used as a signaling device. It was also used to direct mountain herds, especially cows, and even to “calm” the cows at milking time. Roberts says what’s most interesting him is the variety of calls.

“Different calls were indigenous to each valley,” says Roberts. “Everyone had their own calls. That’s how they communicated through the Peasant Wars (civil uprisings in the Swiss and German Alps in 16th and 17th centuries).”

But that’s not how they advertised throat lozenges.

The three-note Ricola tune is an alphorn impossibility.

“It’s just not possible because of the pitch and the intervals between notes,” says Roberts.

“So, the one song it’s really known for, you can’t play.”

Rebecca Cross (‘17) is an intern in the Office of University Communications at FMU.

WINTER 2017

Horn of plenty Dr. Terry Roberts can play the alphorn ‘til the cows come home

BY REBECCA CROSS (‘17) FRANCIS MARION VIEW

19

ON CAMPUS

A new view of the Hyman Fine Arts Center gallery.

MATT MCCOLL / FMU

Kassab Recital Hall Receives Facelift

F

MU’s Kassab Recital Hall — located in the Hyman Fine Arts Center — will become the Adele Kassab Recital Hall and Art Gallery. The combined space was recently renovated, providing and cleaner, more connected look to the space.

Both the old recital hall, and the new, broader arts area are, of course, named for Adele Kassab, and her late husband John, both of whom have been long-time supports of Francis Marion.

The couple has contributed to a number of FMU facilities, and has provided scholarship dollars for years, including the Adele Kassab Music Scholarship, offered 20

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

annually to students studying music.

A dedication ceremony for the new Kassab Hall and Gallery will be held later this year.

FMU’S CARTER JOINS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF SCRA BOARD

Francis Marion University President Dr. Fred Carter was recently named to the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) board’s executive committee.

The SCRA, an applied research corporation based in Columbia, aims to enhance the development of the state’s innovative capabilities to further economic growth,

and facilitate university research commercialization.

The addition of Carter to the board accentuates FMU's rise among the ranks of research institutions in the state and region.

Carter joins CEOs, state business leaders, elected officials, and the presidents of Clemson University and the University of South Carolina, on the executive committee, which represents the voting arm of the board, while the larger Board of Trustees has an advisory role and counsels the executive committee on the actions recommended by the board, ensuring that SCRA effectively executes its mission.

WINTER 2017

faculty is committed to educating our students and preparing them for future success. A ranking like this serves as Francis Marion confirmation.” was once again COLLEGES The U.S. News and World ranked among the Report rankings are divided top colleges in the region by U.S. News Regional Colleges into categories, whereas South FMU is classified as regional and World Report in university – a school that provides October as it was named a “Best a full range of undergraduate College” by the magazine. majors and master’s programs.

The 2017 edition of the U.S. There are 658 universities listed News and World Report’s best as regional universities, which is regional colleges reflects heavily the largest of all the magazine’s on the university’s continued categories. Each of the regional academic excellence, while also universities is ranked against peers sampling other metrics such as in their geographic region. Only a university life. portion of the universities in each Dr. Fred Carter, president of region are rated as a “Best College.”

Francis Marion, says the ranking Some are not ranked at all. confirms FMU’s commitment to providing a quality education for UNIVERSITY HOSTS VIETNAM its students.

MEMORIAL MOVING WALL “We expect to be a part of A portable replica of the famed any ranking of superlative Vietnam Memorial in Washington, universities,” says Carter. “Our D.C. made its way to Francis FMU RANKED AMONG U.S. NEWS’ "BEST COLLEGES"

BEST

Marion’s campus in late October.

The Moving Wall is a now, 32-year-old phenomena. It’s the brainchild of a group of veterans determined that the experience of the Vietnam Memorial be shared across the nation. It tours the country annually each year, from April to November.

The Wall, which is about half the size of actual Vietnam Memorial and a subsequent speech by Medal of Honor winner and Vietnam veteran General James E. Livingston (USMC-Retired), brought more than 100 attendees from throughout the campus and surrounding region.

Like the wall on the actual memorial in Washington, D.C., the Moving Wall lists the name of all U.S. servicemen killed in the Vietnam conflict. The Wall will be coming to Florence near the end of its 2016 tour, following stops in Tennessee, Ohio, Wisconsin and Mississippi.

WILLIAMS (‘90) RECEIVES PSYCHOLOGY HONOR Francis Marion University awarded its Professional Psychology Award to Myrtle Beach resident Diane Renee Williams at a reception on the university’s campus on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016.

Williams, a 1990 graduate of Francis Marion, obtained her Master of Science degree in Psychology, and has worked with McLeod Behavioral Health in Darlington since 1994. Currently, she serves as the Coordinator for Addictions Services.

The Professional Psychology Award – given jointly by the Psychology Department and the Psychology Alumni Association – has been presented annually since 2007, recognizing professional achievements by graduates of FMU’s Department of Psychology.

Diane Renee Williams ( left), pictured here with Dr. Carol Adams and Dr. Will Wattles, was named the 2016 Psychology

Alumni of the year.

MATT MCCOLL / FMU WINTER 2017

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

21

Francis Marion himself was dusted with a light coat of snow in early January.

MATT MCCOLL / FMU

CAMPUS VIEW

RECENT EVENTS AT FMU

Dozens of students, faculty and staff took part in Francis Marion’s candle light march to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the MLK Day Celebration.

MATT MCCOLL / FMU 22

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall provided a moving remembrance to those who served during its visit to campus in late October. MATT MCCOLL / FMU

The American Shakespeare Center performed the bard’s Two Gentlemen of Verona in January in the Chapman Auditorium.

MATT MCCOLL / FMU

WINTER 2017

ATHLETICS

The Numbers Game MacDonald moves from volleyball to purchasing office

C

hanging careers isn’t unusual. In fact, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average person born held 10.5 jobs from ages 18 to 40.

Count former Francis Marion University Volleyball Coach Paul McDonald among them.

McDonald moved across campus on January 1 and is now the university’s new director of purchasing.

Volleyball coach to managing a purchasing operation for a state agency -- that’s an unusual career twist. But it’s actually quite natural for McDonald, who majored in supply chain logistics in college, and spent five years in private section purchasing and logistics before diving into coaching.

McDonald says he’s going to miss coaching, but he’s excited about the opportunity to stay in Florence and at Francis Marion.

WINTER 2017

And, he’s delighted to moving back into purchasing. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s always had a passion for logistics, too.

“The school is going through a lot of changes,” says McDonald.

“Adding new academic programs at the rate the university has been of late, there’s going to have to be some sharp procurement to satisfy them. The variety of purchasing at FMU is really what I’m excited to get into, because it’s very different than procuring just one item at a time.

“There’s going to be some really neat challenges,” he says.

“Purchasing at a state produces a lot of unique nuances. Following the state code is important and that was something I didn’t have to do because I was in the private sector before getting into volleyball.”

Before moving into volleyball coaching full time, McDonald

Coach Paul MacDonald calls the play from the sidelines during a match.

FMU ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT

worked for Karmazin Products Corporation, Jabil and J&L Industrial Supply.

McDonald’s new post will give him the ability to showcase his business acumen while also redirecting his competitive nature into a position with hours that better suit McDonald’s family life. ...Continued on page 24 FRANCIS MARION VIEW

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Continued from page 23...

But it will take him away from volleyball, a sport that McDonald came upon late in life, but which seized him once he did.

McDonald, a native of Flat Rock, Michigan, didn’t play volleyball in high school. In fact, he didn’t really know much about it all until he and some college friends at Michigan State began playing the two-on-two version of the game as a hobby. McDonald was pretty good at it and found it fascinating.

After graduation, he continued to play the sport. He began to coach it, too. He landed assistant coaching positions with club teams, and eventually landed a spot as an assistant at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

“I didn’t know all along that I would be a coach and certainly didn’t know that I would be a college coach, but I liked the sport and I liked teaching it,” he says. “My perspective, I thought, could bring some value, because my perspective wasn’t of that of a coach that had been a star in high school or the top dog in college.

My perspective is of someone that had to learn and work at it.”

McDonald continued to gain experience as a coach while earning his master’s degree in physical education from Wayne State University. In 2002, he was hired as head coach at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In his first season he led Mount Mercy to a second-place finish in the Midwest Classic Conference and, for the first time since 2002, a spot in the NAIA Region VII Tournament. He was named the MCC’s coach of the year.

24

MacDonald stayed at Mount Mercy until 2005 when Francis Marion University came calling.

“I was really looking for a better opportunity and Francis Marion came up,” he says. “I didn’t know much about the school because I’m a Midwestern guy, but when the opportunity came up, I was thrilled.”

McDonald’s first Patriot team went 26-8 record and won a share of the regular season Peach Belt Conference championship. In 2008, MacDonald earned PBC "Coach of the Year" honors while guiding the Patriots to a 23-9 record and a birth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament invitation.

MacDonald has compiled a 180-160 record in 11 seasons at FMU. He saw 13 of his players selected as All-Peach Belt Conference performers, and won two Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year awards.

“We’ve had some really good people in the program,” he says.

“We’ve had girls that are balanced as student athletes and we’ve tried to have that reputation on campus… We see football and basketball players on television (at other schools) and we sometimes learn they’re not the best students, so now suddenly, athletes in general get a bad rap because they’re seen as bad student athletes, but that’s not the case here at FMU. I’m proud to have been part of a program like that.”

While he was not the typical collegiate volleyball head coach with the traditional playing history, the perspective MacDonald was unique and provided valuable

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

WINTER 2017

insight into what is necessary to succeed.

McDonald’s work as a coach at FMU earned praise from players, and form his boss, FMU Athletic Director Murray Hartzler.

“While we are sad to see him leave the coaching bench, we are happy that he is staying a member of the FMU family,” Hartzler says. “His squads represented the university with the utmost pride and dignity, as evidenced by multiple American Volleyball Coaches Association AllAcademic Team awards.”

Jessica Imbimbo, a 2015 Francis Marion graduate and a four-year member of McDonald’s volleyball teams, says MacDonald’s ability to motivate his players stood out.

“Coach related to us as individual people rather than players,” Imbimbo says. “He got to know us on a personal level and recognized different personality traits and coached accordingly...He was able to better understand what motivated each individual player and established unique relationships with each of his athletes.”

Matt McColl (‘09) is Director of Media Relations at FMU.

VOLLEYBALL RECORD: 16 - 13 PEACH BELT FINISH: 9-9 (Tied-4th)

The Patriots advanced to the PBC Tournament semifinals and narrowly missed earning a bid to the NCAA ll Tournament. … Head coach Paul MacDonald completed his 11th season at FMU. He announced early in the year that he would step down at the end of the season to take another position on the FMU campus. He leaves as the winningest coach in program history with 180 victories. … FMU completed its home slate with an 11-2 mark. … Senior middle blocker Caroline Boone earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors (third team), and was also received All-Conference, All-Region, and PBC All-Tournament recognition. She led the conference in hitting percentage (.344). … Four team members were named to the PBC All-Academic Team: Boone, junior Shelbi Meek, and sophomores Georgia Garrison, and Carrie McGinnis. … In addition to Boone, Garrison was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 Team.

SOCCER MEN’S SOCCER RECORD: 8-8-1 PEACH BELT FINISH: 6-3-0 (Tied-2nd)

This year’s young squad did not include any seniors. …

Sophomore forward Levin Sandmann was named the conference’s Player of the Year, while junior defender Gael Mabiala earned second-team All-PBC accolades. … Sandmann also earned All-Region accolades after leading the PBC in points (33) and shots (84), and sharing the conference lead in match-winning scores (6) and goals scored with 13 — the most by a Patriot in 13 seasons dating back to Ben Chavolla’s 14-goal season in 2003. A trio of players were selected to the PBC All-Academic squad: junior Harrison Smith and sophomores Jonathan Mannes and Niklas Sundell. Sophomore Oliver Drakenhammar earned PBC Player of the Week honors during the season.

WOMEN’S SOCCER RECORD: 1-16-0 PEACH BELT FINISH: 1-11-0 (12th)

This was the Patriots’ first season back in the Peach Belt Conference. … Four players garnered PBC All-Academic Team recognition: seniors Kelly Anthony and Tori Whigham, junior Melina Much, and sophomore Janine Gordon. … Anthony was also named a second-team All-Conference performer for her play on the field. … Junior goalkeeper Casey Murakami set a team single-season record for saves with 139. It also marked the sixth-highest total in PBC history.

GOLF The young Patriot golf team (no seniors) completed the fall portion of its 2016-17 schedule with three Top-15 showings in five events. … Junior Alessandro Caselli led the Patriot WINTER 2017

Seasons in reVIEW finishers in three tournaments, including a career-best 19thplace showing at the College of Charleston’s Invitational at the Ocean Course. …The team compiled a 300 stroke average for the 15 rounds in the fall.

CROSS COUNTRY MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PEACH BELT FINISH: 10th

The Francis Marion men’s cross country team placed 22nd at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Meet. … Junior Javier Bustos Jaimes led the Patriot finishers in each of the final four races. Among his four Top-15 finishes, was an individual championship at the Monarch Cross Country Classic hosted

by Methodist University. He also received the prestigious Elite 15 award presented by the Education Advisory Board (EAB) for having the highest cumulative grade point average at the conference championship. … Senior runner Aaron Robinson was named to the PBC All-Sportsmanship Team, while Bustos Jaimes, junior Devin Nelson, and sophomore Carlos Oliver were selected to the PBC All-Academic squad.

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PEACH BELT FINISH: 12th

Three Patriot runners also competed at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Meet. … Freshman Emma Driggers paced the Patriot finishers in five of six meets, including an individual championship at the Monarch Cross Country Classic hosted

by Methodist University. … Freshman runner Alexis Byers was named to the PBC All-Sportsmanship Team, while seniors Nicole Edlmann and Emmeline Wheeler and junior MacKenzie Arnold were selected to the PBC AllAcademic squad.

NOTABLE - Lauren Baufield, previously the

assistant coach at East Tennessee State University, has been named Francis Marion University’s new head coach for women’s volleyball.

Baufield succeeds Paul MacDonald, who left the program in December to accept another position on the FMU campus (see story, page 28). She inherits 11 returnees from last season’s 16-13 squad that tied for fourth in the Peach Belt Conference with a 9-9 mark and narrowly missed earning a bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. ... Standout women’s volleyball player Crystal Poskey Ashley (’02), former women’s soccer stars Katie Roberts Chapman (‘04) and Kerri Williams (‘00), and former administrator and golf coach Dr. Rufus R. Hackney Jr. are the newest inductees into the Francis Marion University Athletic Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place during Homecoming activities on Saturday, Feb. 11.

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25

Baufield

JOLLEY

ODOM

BUNCH

BARNES

CLASSNOTES Roy Ann Jolley (’75) was named Florence School District One's Principal of the year for the 2016-2017 school year.

M. Glenn Odom (’75) was recognized for twenty five years for service to the Florence School District One board by the South Carolina Boards Association.

Sarah Caulkins (’76) was awarded Teacher of the Year for McLaurin school in Florence, SC for the 2016-2017 school year, she was also named a Florence School District One Honor Roll Teacher in 2016.

Julian Young (’76) was awarded the Lynch Humanitarian Award at the Francis Marion Annual Staff Luncheon in July 2016.

Ninteen80s

A. Loran Adams (’83) accepted the position of Senior Vice President and Director of Regulatory Risk Management at Carter Bank & Trust in Martinsville, V.A. Debra Orander (’84) was awarded the Teacher Support Staff for Briggs Elementary for the 2016-2017 school year.

Dr. LeRoy Peterson (’84) was honored by the South Carolina Mechanism of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW) as the state winner in the area of education in December 2016.

Michael Hawkins (’85) was inducted into the Florence Athletic Hall of Fame in January 2017.

26

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

Jill Lawrimore Webster (’86) graduated from Francis Marion in December 2016 with a Masters of Arts in Teaching.

Carolyn Mumford-Durant (’89) was awarded the Outstanding Staff Service Award at the Francis Marion Annual Staff Luncheon in July 2016.

Diane Williams (’90) was awarded the Professional Psychology Award at the annual psychology awards reception in November 2016.

Dr. Mark Bunch (’93) accepted the position of Principal at Marlboro County High School starting the 2016-2017 school year.

Candice McLain (’94) joined the FMU staff as a Lead Teacher at the Richardson Center for the Child in September 2016.

Heather T. Eddy (’95) accepted the position of Instructor of Biology at York Technical College in Rock Hill, SC. Melissa Rhodes Ward (’95) graduated from Francis Marion in December 2016 with a Masters of Education.

Jonathan Coleburn (’95) was promoted to the Director of Operations at Northland Systems in Minneapolis, MN in July 2016.

Bryan Braddock (’96) was a participant in Francis Marion's 15th annual Nonprofit Leadership Institute in 2016.

David Barnes (’97) & Paul John opened Profection Physical Therapy in Florence, SC

in July 2016.

Daniel Hill (’97) was awarded the Lawrence F. Swails award at the annual Biology Alumni Awards Reception in October 2016.

Tracy Meetze-Holcombe (’98, ’01) was promoted to full professor for the 20162017 academic year.

Kacithia Wright (’98) accepted a teaching position with Beaufort County School District in South Carolina and will be teaching Business Education.

Thousands

Two Kesha Hayes (’00) created Senior Service Day in Camden, SC to ensure seniors in the community are engaged in activities in August 2016.

Robyn Morgan (’00) joined the FMU faculty as an Assistant Theater professor in September 2016.

Mary Brunson (’01) joined the FMU faculty as an Instructor of Political Science in August 2016.

Cathy Hunter (’01) was awarded Teacher of the Year for Delmae Middle School in Florence, SC for the 2016-2017 school year.

Nathan Flowers (’03) was promoted to associate professor for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Laura M. Rhoads (’04, ’06) joined the FMU staff has the Director of Accounting Services in January 2017.

WINTER 2017

BROWN

REAVES-WARD

COLLIER

Suzy Denise Driggers (’05) graduated from Francis Marion in December 2016 with a Masters of Education.

Katherine Barnette (’12) founded Southern Fields Soap Company in Timmonsville, S.C. in August 2016.

Chasity Brown (’07) was awarded Teacher Support Staff for Briggs Elementary for the 2016-2017 school year.

Symon Gibson (’12) & Tiffany Thomas opened TThomasArts, a fine arts gallery and studio in Florence, SC in July 2016.

Suzanna Linton (’07) has published a series of three books, called the “Stories of Lorst”.

Chelsea Ambreria-Latifah McFadden (’12) graduated from Francis Marion in December 2016 with a Master of Education.

Laura Ruthven (’08) & Michael Bulloch were married in August, 2016.

Kelly Williams (’08) & Noah Williams were married on February 19, 2017.

Matthew McColl (’09) joined the FMU staff as the Director of Media Relations in October 2016.

Jessica Jayne Mikell (’09) & Basil Maurice “Trey” Jordan, III were married on January 7, 2017.

John Sweeney (’09) & Sarah Thibodeaux were married in November 2016.

Two Thousand10s

Kelley Cassady (’10) & Christopher McCormick were married in June 2016.

Andrew Golden (’10) joined NESA. as the Director of Marketing in January 2017.

Brittany Sanders (’10) received the 2016-2017 Teacher of the Year for Scranton Elementary School in August.

Chantanique Antoya Bell (’11) graduated from Francis Marion in December 2016 with a Masters of Education.

Amelia Drewann Arnold (’12) graduated from Francis Marion in December 2016 with a Masters of Education.

WINTER 2017

Kelsey Reaves (’12) & Phillip Ward were married in August of 2016.

Tiffany Thomas (’12) & Symon Gibson opened TThomasArts, a fine arts gallery and studio in Florence, SC in July 2016.

BOYCE-MARSH Ashley Wallace (’13) & Austin Cox (’15) were married in September 2016.

Paden Capps (’14) graduated from FMU in December with a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Executive Management. He is the Surgical Services Operations Manager at McLeod Regional Medical Center.

Brittney K. Collier (’14) accepted a position as an Marketing Communications Specialist with Billtrust in Hamilton, NJ. She is currently pursuing a Masters of United Nations and Global Policy studies at Rutgers University.

Elizabeth Graham (’14) & Matthew Odom were married in July 2016.

Debra Anne Walters (’12) graduated from FMU in December 2016 with a Masters of Education.

Briana Savon Gordon (’14) graduated from Francis Marion in December 2016 with a Masters of Science.

Judy Childers Friend (’13) graduated from Francis Marion in December 2016 with a Master of Education.

Daniel James (’14) was promoted to Lean Implementer at Johnson Controls in August 2016.

Evrik Gary (’13) hosted the Mix Kit Mini Skills Clinic in August in Florence, SC.

R. K. Richards (’14) & Caroline Lee were married on December 10, 2016 in Pawleys Island, S.C.

Alexis Johnson (’13) joined the FMU staff as an associate direction of CASA in October, 2016.

Justin Kollman (’13) & Charlotte Powell were married in October 2016.

Matthew Odom (’13) & Elizabeth Graham were married in July 2016.

Charlotte Powell (’13) & Justin Kollman (’13) were married in October 2016. She joined the FMU staff as an Student Services Coordinator in November 2016.

Caitlin Siney (’14) graduated from Francis Marion in December 2016 with a Masters of Science.

Olivia Renee Zielinski (’14) graduated from Francis Marion in December 2016 with a Masters of Education.

Andrea “Bree” Boyce (’15) & William Andrew Marsh were married on January 7, 2017.

Andrea Hoffman (’15) accepted a Plant Microbiologist position with CR Bard Medical in November 2016.

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27

HEEMBROCK Austin Cox (’15) and Ashley Wallace (’13) were married on September 24, 2016 in Hartsville, SC. Cox was a former pitcher for FMU. Ashley Harris (’15) & Darryl Winns were married on April 22, 2016.

Shatoya T. Mouzon (’15) accepted an ELA/ Social Studies teaching position at J.W. Moore Middle School in October 2016.

KENIMER-HAM

Friends & Faculty

Professor Emeritus Dr. Donald R. Bailey passed away on January 7, 2017. He was a professor of Sociology & Anthropology from 1973 - 1998.

Professor Emeritus Dr. Makram Bishara passed away January 2016. He was a professor in the School of Education.

Shardaye S. Pender (’15) joined FMU as Senior Administrative Assistant Financial Assistance in January 2017.

Maria Eugenia Lopez Perry passed away on April 2, 2016. She taught in public schools for many years, authored a book and after retiring, taught at Francis Marion University from 1985 - 1998.

Jessica H. Briggs, RN (’16) accepted a position in Labor & Delivery at McLeod Hospital.

Professor Emeritus Dr. Tom Roop passed away on January 14, 2017. He was a professor of Biology from 1972 - 2004.

Brandon Heembrock (’16) was named head coach of Fairmont State University women’s soccer.

The Reverend Dr. Donald Randall Bailey, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Anthropology at Francis Marion University, died Saturday, January 7, 2017.

Haley Kenimer (’16) & Joshua Ham were married in June of 2016.

Jared Singleton (’16) & Professor Larry Engelhardt have a jointly written a research article that was published in the Bulletin of the American Physical Society.

Michael E. Wachowski (’16) was inducted into Phi Alpha Theta the national honor society in history.

Andre Weathers (’16) was named the Florence Morning News Boy’s Basketball Coach of the Year. Weathers, in his first year as coach at Hemingway High School, led the Tigers to a 22-7 record and a berth in the state Class A finals.

Passing of a Patriot

Ernest Leroy Davis, Jr. (’74) passed away on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. He was a member of the first graduating class of Francis Marion College and a charter member of the founding chapter of the Delta Tau Chapter of Kappa Alpha Fraternity at FMU. Gerald Delane Jackson, Jr., (’78) passed away June 13, 2016. He worked as a civil engineer for Dominion Virginia Power and the Virginia Department of Aviation; and Henrico County Public Schools Adult Education ESOL. Tamara Michelle Livingston Elliott (’91) passed away on Friday, July 29, 2016.

Susan Evans Hodge (’93) passed away on April 1, 2016.

Andrew Pickens Moore (’12) passed away on October 3, 2016.

Joseph Taylor Stukes passed away on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. He was a professor of history at FMU from 1974 - 1990 and was awarded Distinguished Professor.

Professor Emeritus Dr. Lynn Morris Croshaw passed away on May 25, 2016.

Professor Emeritus Robert Ryan passed away on December 31, 2016. Dr. Ryan taught at Francis Marion from 1970 - 1991 and retired as a professor in the School of Education.

Professor Emeritus Dr. Larry Swails passed away on September 2, 2016. He was the Biology department Chair and taught botany & biology from 1974 - 1990.

Anne Lyon Greene passed away on January 7th, 2017.

28

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

WINTER 2017

The FMU family grows on a regular basis.

Here’s a look at some recent additions:

Phil & Elizabeth Jones (’14) welcomed their son, Lucas Richard Jones, on Saturday, December 17, 2016.

Anna (’06,’08) & Kevin Todd (’00, ’04) welcomed their son, Caleb Byrnes Todd, on January 15, 2017.

B.J. & Brittni Stanton Welsh (’13) welcomed their son, Tanner Douglas Welsh, on January 24, 2017.

WINTER 2017

Bianca Wright (’16) welcomed twin sons, Zane and Zion, on May 17, 2016.

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29

Kelly Rasberry imparts her relationship wisdom during Love Letters with Kelly on the morning show.

Photos courtesy The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show.

Four hours of talking?

That’s ‘heaven’ for Kellie Rasberry FMU English major powers the nationally syndicated Kidd Kraddick in the Morning Show.

BY TUCKER MITCHELL

K

ellie Rasberry (’93) is entering her 24th year as an on-air radio personality on The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show.

The show is broadcast from Irving, Texas, outside of Dallas, but is syndicated nationally in more than 70 markets. Rasberry lives in Dallas with her 10-year-old daughter Emma Kelly.

While back in her hometown of Florence last year during a promotional tour, Rasberry sat down for an interview with the VIEW magazine. Here’s what 30

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

Kellie had to say about her unusual career – and the start she received at FMU. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

THE VIEW: As I understand your

career, you started off wanting to be in modeling, showbiz?

KELLIE RASBERRY: “I wanted to

be a Sitcom actress. That was my real dream. I loved Sitcoms. I grew up with Happy Days and Three’s Company and all. That was what I

really wanted to do. … There really weren’t a lot of avenues for that in Florence, SC, so I went to the Valdotti School of Modeling, which I looked up in the Yellow Pages for acting classes. … (The owners) had an acting convention, a modeling convention actually, in Myrtle Beach where they’d invite agents and whoever from Atlanta to come and see you. At one of those I met the owner of a radio station from, I believe, Cheraw. He said, “I think you’ve got a great personality for radio, so you should call my WINTER 2017

friend Harold Miller at WJMX (in Florence) and tell him I said you ought to be on the radio.

“Well, I was 19 and didn’t know any better, so I called and said ‘I need to come see you because I should be in radio. This man told me I should. …. They actually let me come in. They sat me in front of this big tape recorder, one of those old reel-to-reel jobs, and said just starting talking. It ran for 30 minutes. I just start talking. I didn’t know what to do but I could talk. Never a problem … So they hired me to come and sit in with the morning show man who was Bob Boswell at the time. …. If they used me, they paid me – minimum wage. Every now and then I’d get a check for $10 or so. But I was there every day with my box of donuts, and then eventually the news girl quit and I got that job. And that’s how my radio career started.

VIEW: And you ended up on Kidd

Kraddick in much the same way – some one else told you to go.

RASBERRY: “I eventually got a

job on the morning show at Sunny 102.9 (which no longer exists), was doing that by myself. A friend at WJMX who read the trade papers all the time, saw the ad for Dallas (where Kidd Kraddick was in the process of building an on-air team for his new show) and he said ‘if you don’t apply for it, I’m going to send in a tape behind your back. …’

That was almost 23 years ago.”

VIEW: The show has been

successful, but … what exactly do you do?

RASBERRY: “We are on in 70

markets and we just signed a new five-year deal, so it’s going well, despite the fact that Kidd passed away (Kraddick died of sudden heart attack in 2013). Most of the affiliates gave us a chance when Kidd died. Apparently we still had WINTER 2017

something. … There’s not really much research involved with what I do. I have to know a little about a lot. So my job is to know what are the most popular TV shows, who’s the most popular artist. … We try to avoid politics because every time we do that we do something stupid. And Geography. We’re the worst at that.

I have to be able to live my life and share my opinion. … One of our regular features is ‘Love Letters to Kellie’ every Wednesday. I read those, so I have to able to read …

My job is to try to be entertaining and I try to know what I’m talking about. Sometimes people call to say they’ll never listen again because of me and sometimes they say I’m the only reason the listen.”

VIEW: At some point your gig on

the show became fairly lucrative, but do you find this to be satisfying, enjoyable, in other ways?

RASBERRY: I love it. I get to show

up and talk about anything I want to talk about for four hours a day.

It’s heaven. I’m thankful for the people who work in the cubicles and dig the ditches. They make this country go. At the end of my day, I’m not wiping my brow. I just talk for a living. It’s a blessed career.

I’m very lucky to do what I do. If we can make everyone else a little entertained during the day, well that’s a good thing.”

VIEW: Your real name is Kellie

Rasberry. That’s not a crazy radio name, right?

RASBERRY: “One of great things

about radio is you get to pick a fake radio name. You don’t really think some mother named her son Cadillac Jack do you? Well, they do I guess, but that’s not how it works. It’s a fake name. I was so excited (when I got the job on Kidd Kraddick). I was trying all these things. My boss said, ‘Why? Your

ALUMNI VIEW name already sounds fake.’ That’s true. But I can’t hide. When I go to the store and the see the name on the card, or the check, ‘are you her?’

VIEW: So, about that

education. You went to more than one college. It didn’t seem to be quite the thing for you, at least not at first.

RASBERRY: “I graduated

from Florence Christian. I had a scholarship to Liberty University. It was only a one-year scholarship. When that ran out I went home. I really didn’t know what I wanted to do.”

VIEW: There was this showbiz idea …

RASBERRY: “Right, there was

that. Educationally, I wanted to be an actress and I had this job in radio. I didn’t really know what to do for an education. … I did promise my mother I would finish college, though. “I was doing morning radio, dad had western wear business (Go West in Florence) that I was working at some and was doing weekend weather at TV Channel 13. So I enrolled at Francis Marion as an English major with a minor in Mass Communications. I mean, I was already communicating to the masses so why not major in that? FMU was a good school and I could go there and keep doing the other things.”

VIEW: That sounds like a pretty busy schedule.

RASBERRY“I did the morning

show, then went right to Francis Marion, then I went to my father’s FRANCIS MARION VIEW

31

ALUMNI VIEW store after school and worked there. And on the weekends I did the weather. It was busy. I got my first gray hairs doing that.”

VIEW: You finished pretty quickly.

RASBERRY: “Oh, I was a full-

time student. I did both semesters as much as I could. I did the Maymester, I did both sessions in the summer. My goal was to get it done. I didn’t do the sorority thing – well, I was a little older. I was different. I was dressed for work.

They were in their sweats or their shorts, or maybe their pajamas.

So I didn’t really get involved in social scene … well, I did go to a frat party eventually. December of 1993 I graduated. In 1994, I moved to Dallas.”

VIEW: You had enough of a career that maybe you didn’t need this to help you figure that out. Or did you? What did you get out of college?

RASBERRY: “Well I really didn’t

know where I was going so I wanted something versatile.

Maybe I’d teach. … One semester I interned in p.r. at McLeod Hospital. English was versatile … plus I loved English. I’m that weird kid who loves grammar. I actually enjoyed diagramming sentences – which is becoming a lost art. I loved reading books …”

VIEW: You loved grammar?

RASBERRY: “Oh, I’m still like,

when I’m readying, ‘oh I can’t believe they missed this.’ I love proofreading! I loved literature, too. One of my favorite courses at FMU was Southern Literature. I fell in love with Southern authors.

And then we had one teacher – she had red curly hair, and was a Shakespeare nut – she taught me to appreciate Shakespeare. …

I’ll say this, the teachers at FMU, especially in Literature, I found to

be very passionate. Those are the classes I remember the most.

VIEW: What does the future look like for you?

RASBERRY: Like I said, we just

signed another five-year deal, so we’re set there. For awhile. Of course, I’m getting up there. ….

When Kidd interviewed me for the job in the first place, one of the things he asked was ‘where do you see yourself in 5-10 years.’

My answer is pretty much the same today as then. I don’t have a plan. I roll with what happens.

I guess I’ve rolled in the right direction. It’s been surprisingly simple. I’ve just been myself.”

Tucker Mitchell, executive director of public affairs at FMU, conducted the interview with Rasberry.

Rasberry with some of her Kidd Kraddick cohorts.

Photos courtesy The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show.

32

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

WINTER 2017

Honor Roll of Donors July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016

Francis Marion University is pleased to recognize the individuals, businesses, and other groups listed below who have generously supported the University through their financial contributions between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016. The following list reflects total gifts to the University made to any of the following funds: The FMU Fund, Swamp Fox Club, scholarships, the FMU Education Foundation and gifts in kind. These donors provide the necessary resources that make it possible for FMU to continue providing excellent educational opportunities to deserving students. Donors to FMU are honored friends and we are grateful for their support. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in this listing; if an error is discovered, please contact the Office of Development at (843) 661-1295 so we may correct our records.

Carolinians

Francis Marion Society

Pee Dee Society

Founders Club

Crescent Society

$20,000+

$10,000-$19,999

$5,000-$9,999

$2,500-$4,999

$1,000-$2,499

Leadership Club $250-$499

Century Club $100-$249

Patrons $50-$99

Contributors $1-$49

President’s Club $500-$999

ALUMNI Carolinians

James ‘77 & Candace ‘92 Brown

Francis Marion Society Rob ‘98 & Shannon ‘98 Ardis Thelma J. Hawkins ‘89

Pee Dee Society John J. Odorisio ‘83

Founders Club

Nathaniel ‘73 & Joyce ‘73 Durant Alan ‘80 & Marie ‘80 Gibbons James ‘85 & Renee ‘85 Harrell Kimberly Reese Inabinet ‘06 Robert C. Kirby ‘73 Timothy F. Norwood ‘78 Samuel F. Sparrow ‘83 The Honorable Patsy S. Stone ‘77

Crescent Society

James ‘78 & Teresa ‘73, ‘78 Anderson Daryl W. Blume ‘80 Travis E. Copeland ‘95 Dr. H. Randall Dozier ‘77 Jonathan P. Edwards ‘09 L. Franklin Elmore ‘73 David H. Erwin ‘97 Edwina Faulkenberry ‘79, ‘86 Nathan ‘03 & Amanda ‘03 Flowers Billy ‘82, ‘89 & Kathy ‘81 Heustess Dr. Deborah L. Hopla ‘89 Robert F. Hyman ‘77 WINTER 2017

Ken ‘84 & Debbie ‘80 Jackson Donald Hyer Lloyd ‘06 Stephen N. Jones ‘88 Dr. Robert ‘80 & Betsey ‘80 Moore Pamela N. O’Brien ‘97 Paul ‘89 & Ashley C. ‘89 Reardon Kreg Sherbine ‘93 Lance A. Snyder ‘85 Misty Doub Stathos ‘01 Stephen ‘13 & Kelly ‘13, ‘15 Tarkenton Julia Von Frank ‘74 Julian M. Young ‘76, ‘09

President’s Club

Loran Adams ‘83 Ronald S. Banks ‘85 Katherine B. Barnette ‘12 Larry ‘76 & Al ‘09 Bartol Dr. Shirley C. Bausmith ‘91, ‘94 Alice B. Beaty ‘79 Robert H. Bostick ‘74 Jan Braddock ‘86 LaTasha D. Brand ‘02 Howard V. Brown ‘98 Mark ‘93 & Anne ‘89 Bunch Jonathan H. Burnett ‘96 Ralph U. Davis ‘83 A. Donald Evans ‘81 Allen ‘76 & Dawn ‘77 Floyd Michael Frawley ‘78 Derek Hemmingsen ‘06 Evelyn S. Heyward ‘75 Tim Hill ‘95 Lou Y. Hoffmeyer ‘75 Melinda Hydrick ‘80

Ora L. Jenkins ‘08 Francis C. Johnson ‘86 Teena M. Kyer ‘92, ‘97 Benjie Lanier ‘99, ‘02, ‘03 Gloria W. Lussier ‘73 Charles ’96 & Ronita ’96 Marshall William ‘01 & Erin ‘04, ‘06 Maxwell George ‘78 & Wendy ‘89 McIntyre Billy McLeod ‘74 Robin M. Moore ‘81 Willie F. Moore ‘77, ‘80 John S. Nichols ‘78 Jeffrey W. Nye ‘98 Shane ‘04 & Felicia ‘02 Orr Dr. Steve W. Quick ‘76, ‘80 Mike Richey ‘12 Elizabeth B. Shaw ‘80 Bill ‘75 & Dinah ‘75 Smith Marquis ‘94 & Ingrid ‘92 Spell Dr. Stephen E. Taylor ‘75 Cheryl R. Tuttle ‘06, ‘08 Tim Ward ‘88 Luke ‘03 & Katie ‘08 Wilcox

Leadership Club

Ray ‘75 & Mary ‘85 Baggett T. Lang Beaty ‘74 Mary Kay Belissary ‘81 Bruce ‘72 & Mary ‘75, ‘87 Bennett Le ‘98 & Courtney ‘00 Carter W. ‘71 & Rosamond ‘73 Coleman Shaquanna Monique Corbett ‘07 Kimberly G. Davis ‘86 Kristen Elizabeth English ‘16 Larry B. Falck ‘98, ‘07, ‘10

Andy ‘93 & Holly ‘93 Flynn Tommy M. Folk III ‘86 William J. Gainey ‘77 Jason R. Geddings ‘95 Charles ‘77 & Fran ‘80 Gray Chuck Green ‘80 Mike Greer ‘81 Dr. Jody Griffin ‘81 Charles J. Guerry ‘79 Michael ‘85 & Kim ‘86 Hawkins Rose C. Heitland ‘00 Viola Kraft Hendley ‘80, ‘84 Tyson H. Hubbard ‘83 Dr. Daniel ‘81 & Debbie ‘82 Hyler Randell A. Hyler ‘93 Bernadette J. Johnson ‘02 W. Scotty Keefe ‘92 Sascha Knoedgen ‘03 Paul Larsen ‘85 Dan ‘01 & Rebecca ‘01 Larson Karen E. Lee ‘84 Demetrice R. Lighty ‘12 Mitch ‘87 & Shawn ‘93 Little Dr. Erik Lowry ‘95 John W. Miller ‘75 Aubrey M. Montrose ‘78 Pearl F. Moore ‘79 Henry Boyd Moree ‘97 Clyde ‘78 & Jo Ann ‘85, ‘90 Nance Mykah Nevin ‘16 Anne M. Patino ‘75 Harry & Margaret Plexico Thomas ‘77 & Mary ‘79 Randall Randy Rogers ‘75 Lenora W. Saleeby ‘73

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

33

Carolinians $20,000+

•

Francis Marion Society $10,000-19,999 • Pee Dee Society $5,000-$9,999

Anthony ‘07 & Deedra ‘07 Sanders Priscilla M. Smalls ‘91 Ingrid L. Spell ‘92 Dennis ‘77, ‘91 & Linda ‘96, ‘09 Sullen Jennifer Lynn Taylor ‘06 Meredith L. Townsend ‘09 Cynthia H. Watson ‘89

Century Club

Robin H. Aiken ‘80 David K. Alford ‘80 Jeannette Alston ‘87 Ryan D. Ariail ‘08 Taylor Barrineau ‘16 Roger Bazen ‘80 Charles Ross Berry ‘87 Dr. Curtis B. Boswell ‘72 Jeff ‘88 & Carmen ‘89 Bouknight Stacey Y. Brayboy ‘94 Candyce M. Brooks ‘92 Michelle Latice Brooks ‘04 M. Katherine Brown ‘82 Elizabeth A. Bugner ‘00 Stephanie L. Carnohan ‘94 Jane S. Carter ‘86 Will Chandler ‘13 Stacey Janelle Codrington ‘02 Steve Cooper ‘89 Douglas A. Coreno ‘98 Laura E. Crowther ‘91 Brad ‘00 & Heather ‘00 Crysler Jo Ellen Engle ‘75 John D. Gainey ‘85 Janice W. Gause ‘79 Kenneth L. George ‘85, ‘91 Lemar ‘90, ‘94 & Phyllis ‘97 Graham Jeff ‘93 & Sherri ‘90 Helton Andrew T. Hewitt ‘95 Todd Hewitt ‘01 Charles A. Holden ‘75 Jane B. Holt ‘73 Michael E. Howell ‘87 Dr. Stephen D. Hudson ‘76 Debra J. Hyatt ‘77 Donna C. Jefferson ‘77 Mark ‘88 & Amy ‘88 Johnson Alice C. Jones ‘74 Henry D. Jowers ‘72 Tyler J. King ‘13 Sebie M. Kirkland ‘12 Michael C. Kuhn ‘74 Mary W. Lawhon ‘98 Lance L. Lawrence ‘91 Marian M. Lindsey ‘80 Devenney A. Mazell ‘84

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FRANCIS MARION VIEW

Aengus McAllister ‘06 Robert E. McClellan ‘83 Peggy H. Meddaugh ‘83 Amanda M. Miller ‘10 Wayne J. Mishoe ‘77 Tommy G. Mourounas ‘80 Jason ‘99 & Tara ‘00, ‘02 Newton Mary E. Painter ‘75, ‘78 Anthony ‘95 & Jennifer ‘97, ‘00 Parker Julia P. Piper ‘84 Marcus A. Pratt ‘95 Shannon ’91 & Allana ‘92 Prosser Luther M. Rabon ‘79 Amy B. Rhodes ‘92 Angela ‘76 Roop Carolyn P. Scott ‘88 Lorenzo N. Sellers ‘14 Dena Sharper ‘94, ‘00 Steven C. Sims ‘98 Sara J. Slack ‘75 Elizabeth M. Smith ‘81 Hugh ‘86 & Susan ‘85 Spearman Richard ‘78, ‘80 & Laura ‘84 Stephens Amy S. Stone ‘87 Joe ‘91 & Lee Ann ‘91 Stricklin Sandra M. Sturkie ‘92, ‘96 Curtis G. Suggs ‘77 Brent ‘00 & DeAnn ‘99 Tiller Barbara C. Triplett ‘79 Richard ‘86, ‘06 & Cynthia ‘06 Tyner Brian ‘85 & Tonya ‘86 Waldrop Debra A. Walters ‘12 M. Paul Watts ‘89 Elaine H. Weston ‘91 David ‘77 & Rebecca ‘76 Williamson Brenda M. Windham ‘93

Patrons

Frank ’99 & Leslie ‘99 Ancrum Amelia D. Arnold ‘12 Mark A. Bailey ‘83 Jared T. Barkdoll ‘09 Rethmiriam Barr ‘94, ‘99 Hope L. Batten ‘91 Kemper M. Brand ‘80 Ashley ’98 & Sharonda ‘97 Bryan Freddy ‘80 & Lisa ‘96 Campbell Vicente Cano ‘73 Rev. Clinton Canty ‘73 J. Mark Catoe ‘89 Steven S. Chapman ‘74 Mitchell ’02 & Tina ’00 Dickerson Liz Drewry ‘13 Frank J. Faraone ‘81 Melinda Fuller ‘95, ‘98

•

Founders Club $2,500-$4,999

Elizabeth L. Gould ‘76 James E. Gray ‘72 Kevin C. Gray ‘87 John H. Haney ‘82 Thomas W. Hawkins ‘87 Larry M. Hobbs ‘77 Jarrott M. Hooks ‘12 Glenn I. Inman ‘78 Patrick L. Irvin ‘73 Lisa M. Jackson ‘83 Sameka M. Jenkins ‘94 Donna Jones ‘97 C. Fred Keller ‘75 Judith H. Kern ‘83 Rev. Monsignor Anthony - John Marcaccio ‘85 Tina I. McKeithan ‘95 Linda F. McKenzie ‘79 Kris B. McWhite ‘00 Blaine L. Morgan ‘94 Monique D. Mouzon ‘94 Richard ‘05 & Kristen ‘05 Nichols Chikwe ‘95 & Monica ‘94 Njoku Ricky Pate ‘77 Charles A. Penn ‘00 Alphonza Pettigrew ‘81 David H. Rast ‘89 JoAnne M. Ross ‘79, ‘84 Dennis Salomon ‘03 Patsy Sauls ‘83, ‘97, ‘98 William P. ‘78 & Diane ‘77 Scarborough Vickie Lanett Scott ‘07 Robby ‘78 & Julia ‘88 Sisco Hazel Hayes Skipper ‘91 Vickie L. Skipper ‘83 Brian Smith ‘90 Carl ‘86 & Teresa ‘84 Smith Priscilla B. Stuckey ‘81 Clifford W. Stumbo ‘73 June D. Talbert ‘89 Matthew E. Terrio ‘02 Patricia R. Toney ‘73, ‘80 William M. Truman ‘86 Van ‘75 & Debra ‘73, ‘78 Waddell Ronald W. Welch ‘78 Susan H. Williamson ‘82

Contributors

Anonymous Gay J. Aimar ‘83 Susan C. Allen ‘89, ‘96 Kathrine M. Anderson ‘15 David S. Andrews ‘75 Julia S. Bagwell ‘73 Lisa A. Barber ‘93 Chelsea L. Barlow ‘15 Michael J. Bartell ‘89 Kenneth J. Basha ‘79

•

Crescent Society $1,000-$2,499

•

Michael C. Beckham ‘75 Kiyana S. Belser‑James ‘15 Tyrrell T. Bennett ‘14 Carla A. D. Benton ‘94 G. Calvin Benton ‘72, ‘77 Tyler L. Boyd ‘12 Summer R. Bradham ‘15 Kelli Nicole Brannen ‘06 Cara E. Bridgers ‘96 Kentrina M. Bridges ‘10, ‘15 Jamie M. Brock ‘15 Lindsay S. Buchanan ‘11 Melissa Buckshannon ‘91 Sarah O. Bull ‘15 Kevin M. Burton ‘15 Kathy A. Campbell ‘96 Paden A. Capps ‘14 Laurie W. Carpenter ‘86 Michael A. Carter ‘06 Teshia M. Casey ‘02 Susan E. Cathou ‘96 Ryan M. Caudill ‘97 Magdalene J. Coker‑Reece ‘95 Jonathan H. Coleburn ‘95 Mariscia C. Cooper ‘79 Shirley T. Corbett ‘78, ‘82 Ashley N. Corley ‘15 Emma L. Cromedy ‘99 Virginia K. Cross ‘76 Amber N. Dantzler ‘15 Baron R. Davis ‘95 Gladys M. Davis ‘81, ‘91 Todd R. Davis ‘09 Dennis C. Dorman ‘77 Linda M. Dowling ‘87, ‘92 Kevin W. DuBose ‘01 Guanesha Durant ‘15 Casey M. Durham ‘12 Vicki S. Elliott ‘93 Chris Elmquist ‘13 Thomas ‘08 & Mallory ‘10 Eskridge Kaye M. Everatt ‘83 Jane W. Farmer ‘76, ‘82 Dianetta B. Fayall ‘00 Tari Federer ‘13 June D. Ferguson ‘77 Elizabeth E. Fogle ‘11, 15 Connie C. Ford ‘77 Anthony E. Fowler ‘86 Anjelica B. Franklin ‘15 William C. Frederick ‘87 Terence C. Freeman ‘99 Robert French ‘81 Dr. Philip C. Fulmer ‘89 Ledamian M. Fulmore ‘15 Gene W. Gandy ‘78 Thomas M. Gandy ‘76 Patressa J. Gardner ‘86 WINTER 2017

•

President’s Club $500-$999

•

Siedah T. Garrett ‘11 Eric ‘93, ‘98 & Lori ‘96 Garris Nkili O. Gause ‘15 Angela E. P. Gee ‘89 Johanna H Gibson ‘86, ‘94 Evan D. Gilliard ‘09 James N. Goodson ‘75 Gretchen King Goude ‘04 L. Christopher Gough ‘04 Martha J. Griebel ‘83 Sylvia S. Griffin ‘78 William C. Grooms ‘89 Arthur S. Hamann ‘84 Katelynn E. Hamons ‘15 John D. Hanson ‘90 Pickett Harrington ‘97 Marjorie Elaine Henry ‘03 Timothy N. Heustess ‘86 Andrea K. Hoffman ‘15 Tom Holston ‘79 Bryan ’04 & Rachel ‘04 Holt Graylin Howard ‘96 Shirley M. Howell ‘83 Kimberly L. Hughes ‘15 Patricia Ann Hyman ‘05 Brandi S. Jeffords ‘08 Kelsey S. Jeffords ‘15 Brian O. Jenkins ‘15 Santanna K. Johnson ‘15 Elizabeth B. Jones ‘14 Gail E. Jordan ‘99 Michael L. Jordan ‘00 Susan L. Jordan ‘74 Mac Josey ‘88 Markeyshi K’Patrick ‘95 Lorraine Laliberte ‘88 Jamie ’95 & Christine ’98 Lawson Jerry E. Leach ‘86, ‘98 Karen A. Leatherman ‘80 William N. Lewis ‘79 Mercedes S. Little ‘13 Claire A. Mahoney ‘15 Kristina R. Marra ‘15 Joyce T. Marshall ‘96 Nancy H. McCormick ‘89 Candace E. McCutcheon ‘07 C. Denise McGee ‘75, ‘79 Angela K. McGinty ‘15 Rita McInville ‘03 Joyce A. McRae ‘96, ‘01 Elwin Miles ‘74 Thomas L. Monahan ‘72 Raymond E. Moore ‘80 Frenchie T. Moser ‘73, ‘78 Ted W. Mullholand ‘80 David ‘90 & Monica ‘89 Murdock Michael C. Nantz ‘92 Ramonia K. Nelson ‘01 Chasity Renae Padgett ‘07 WINTER 2017

Leadership Club $250-$499

•

Century Club $100-$249

Frances R. Parker ‘15 Melvin Poole ‘73 Jonathan R. Powell ‘15 Matthew C. Price ‘15 Georgie T. Pruitt ‘86 Michael J. Quick ‘15 Mary G. Rainey ‘81 Martha C. Rankin ‘89 Sarah B. Rawlins ‘15 Angela H. Reid ‘93 Jordan R. Richardson ‘15 Ethan L. E. Rivera ‘13 Lauren E. Roberson ‘10 Everlena M. Samuels ‘87 Karla L. Sanders ‘09 Marilyn Sansbury ‘73 Bradley G. Scaturro ‘77, ‘82 Rick ‘94 & Sybil ‘77 Schubert Kelly A. Sellers ‘92, ‘05 Suzanne A. Singleton ‘01 Davis Skipper ‘07, ‘14 Lindsey P. Skipper ‘13 Felicia R. Smith ‘86 Michael A. Smith ‘14 Emalee K. Spencer ‘14 Joshua P. Spencer ‘95 Ted H. Stambolitis ‘97 Martha K. Stewart ‘05, ‘07 Patricia Diane Stewart ‘81, ‘88 Major D. Stone ‘72 Laura J. Sweeney ‘75 Kendre Monique Thomas‑Williamson ‘05, ‘09 Susan L. Thornton ‘80, ‘85 Grant L. Toth ‘15 Doris Elaine Tucker ‘15 Berta C. Turner ‘87 Geneva L. Turner ‘76 Joe Wagstaff ‘12 Jessie Wall ‘09, ‘11 Melissa L. Watford ‘86 Tyler R. Watford ‘15 Danielle Watkins ‘07 Deborah E. Watts ‘76 Stacy D. Wiegand ‘11 Casey M. Wilkes ‘12 Ella Mae Williams ‘05 Thurmond Williams ‘77, ‘81 Dr. Dierdre T. Young‑Cadore ‘97 Jeffrey R. Zimmers ‘15 W. Dale ‘81 & Carleen ‘90 Carrier

FACULTY Pee Dee Society

Dr. Richard N. Chapman Dr. Bill Whitmire Dr. Fred & Folly Carter

• Patrons $50-$99 •

Contributors $1-$49

Founders Club Joyce Durant ‘73

Crescent Society

Nathan Flowers ‘03 Dr. Deborah L. Hopla ‘89 Linda Jacobs Dr. Chris D. Johnson Dr. M. Barry O’Brien

President’s Club

Dr. Shirley C. Bausmith ‘91, ‘94 Keith Best Dr. George E. Harding Dr. Polly Haselden Dr. Derek & Kelly Jokisch Dr. Peter D. King Dr. Ben L. Kyer Dr. Stephen E. Taylor ‘75 Dr. Jon Tuttle

Leadership Club Dr. Ed Eleazer Dr. Jacqueline Jones Travis W. Knowles Dr. Erik Lowry ‘95 Dr. Tommy Ramey Dr. Pamela A. Rooks Dr. Timothy Shannon Dr. David R. White

Dr. Fred & Folly Carter

Founders Club

Darryl Bridges Murray G. Hartzler Art Inabinet Dr. Charlene Wages

Crescent Society

Jonathan P. Edwards ‘09 Jay Kispert Dr. Rebecca Lawson Paul MacDonald

President’s Club

Katherine B. Barnette ‘12 LaTasha D. Brand ‘02 Howard V. Brown ‘98 Dr. Daphne Carter‑McCants Ralph U. Davis ‘83 John B. Dixon Yulaundra Heyward Jeff McKay C. Tucker Mitchell Robin M. Moore ‘81 Mike Richey ‘12 Brenda Short Cheryl R. Tuttle ‘06, ‘08

Leadership Club

Dr. Joe Aniello Dr. C. Allan Lockyer

T. Lang Beaty ‘74 Kimberly G. Davis ‘86 Larry B. Falck ‘98, ‘07, ‘10 Michael Hawkins ‘85 Bernadette J. Johnson ‘02 Kathy Johnson Teresa McDuffie Janet Pearson Linda Sullen ’96, ‘09 Jennifer Lynn Taylor ‘06

Contributors

Century Club

Century Club

Dr. Tom Fitzkee Dr. Lynn Hanson Dr. Jane Madden Dr. Wendy Caldwell Richardson

Patrons

Anonymous Dr. William T. Daniel Gregory G. Fry Dr. Philip C. Fulmer ‘89 Phillip J. Gardner Dr. Tammy Pawloski Lisa A. Pike Dr. Nancy Zaice Dr. Scott Kaufman Dr. Robert C. Remle Dr. Kenneth B. Williams

STAFF Pee Dee Society

Dr. Richard N. Chapman Julian M. Young ‘76, ‘09

Dr. Jane Madden Steven C. Sims ‘98

Patrons

Robert E. Windham

Contributors

Donna M. Davis Elizabeth E. Fogle ‘11, 15 Rannie D. Gamble Eric Garris ’93, ‘98 Johanna H Gibson ‘86, ‘94 Bonita H. McFadden Dr. Ronald E. Miller Joseph W. Sallenger Janice Smith Danielle Watkins ‘07 FRANCIS MARION VIEW

35

Carolinians $20,000+

•

Francis Marion Society $10,000-19,999 • Pee Dee Society $5,000-$9,999

Lillie W. Watson Perry Wilson

RETIREES

Lynn D. Kennedy W. Dale Carrier ‘81 Dr. Bob Pugh

Francis Marion Society

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Pee Dee Society

Anonymous Floyd L. Keels

Dr. Harlan Hawkins

Dr. Lorraine de Montluzin

Founders Club R. Gerald Griffin Dr. Duane P. Myers Dr. Neal D. Thigpen

Crescent Society

Dr. Roger W. Allen Dr. Morgan B. Coker Dr. Frances L. Elmore Dr. Sylvia R. Lufkin Dr. Jim Von Frank Dr. Thomas M. Whiteley

President’s Club

Alice B. Beaty ‘79 Frank & Jan ‘86 Braddock Dr. Joseph Heyward Roger Hux & Dr. Julia Krebs Reverend Marvin W. Lynch Jane Quick Dr. Joel & Barbara Thayer

Leadership Club Libby Cooper Betty Ramey

Century Club

Richard J. Austin Garry L. Ballard Dr. Marian Cusac Green Dr. Lou Hoff Dr. Tom Roop Lucy C. Thrower

Patrons

Anonymous Donald R. Chambers Dr. Thomas N. Dorsel Dr. Kenneth R. Dye Elizabeth L. Gould ‘76 Dorothy C. Hanna Dr. Joseph A. James Dr. Jackson F. Lee Dr. John G. Rae Patsy Sauls ‘83, ‘97, ‘98

Contributors Calvin Hatchell

36

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

Carolinians

Founders Club

Kenneth W. Jackson ‘84 Crescent Society Jody Bryson James Mark Bunch ‘93 Dr. H. Randall Dozier ‘77 L. Franklin Elmore ‘73 Patricia Hartung Stephen N. Jones ‘88

•

Founders Club $2,500-$4,999

James A. Harrell ‘85 F. Schipman Johnston

FRIENDS Carolinians

Anonymous Dr. Panos & Deb Kalaritis Francis Marion Society Mark & Julia Buyck Brian Newman

Pee Dee Society

Nancy J. Adams Arnett & Wanda James James Reames

Founders Club

W Coleman ‘71 William E. Gunn George C. McIntyre ‘78 Mark S. Moore

Susan Burley Sheila S. Garrett J. Parks Garrison R. Gerald Griffin J. Wesley Sparrow Jr. John W. Sparrow Robert Sullivan

Leadership Club

Crescent Society

President’s Club

Edward S. Ervin

Century Club

Mary M. Finklea Hugh K. Leatherman

FOUNDATION BOARD Carolinians

Anonymous Dr. Sompong Kraikit

Francis Marion Society Mark Buyck, Jr. Samuel F. Sparrow ‘83

Pee Dee Society

Timothy F. Norwood ‘78

Founders Club

Alan L. Gibbons ‘80 R. Weston Patterson

Crescent Society Frank J. Brand W. Coleman ‘71 L. Franklin Elmore ‘73 Kathy Heustess ‘81 Jane P. Huggins Reamer B. King

President’s Club

Dr. Roger W. & Kitty Allen Jerry M. Angelo Rudolph J. Angelo Anonymous Marion J. Avent Rick L. Beasley Milton Thomas Coleman Dr. Patrick Denton Richard M. Frate Gary & Marjorie Gaynor Betty Grimsley Kay R Hanson Dr. Carlanna L. Hendrick Robert E. Jordan Adele Kassab Louise W. Kelley Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey W. Lee Sandra S Levy George Love Dr. Edward C. O’Bryan George Stathos Jo Thames Dr. & Mrs. Rodney Thompson Thomas W. Wyatt Evon R. Zuppa

President’s Club

R. F. Burke Dr. Eddie Floyd John L. Hanna Dr. & Mrs. Willliam M. Hazelwood

•

Crescent Society $1,000-$2,499

•

Henry H. Hepburn James O. Herbert Dr. & Mrs. Sam Hill M. Jeannette Huber Mr. and Mrs. Rex Huggins Denon & Liz Jordan Gerald & Jean Lee Norma M. Lynch Sandra C. Morris Dr. & Mrs. J. David Moss Denny W. Neilson Lynn R. Owens Dr. and Mrs. T. Carroll Player Todd E. Satterfield James B Shaw Dr. Charles R. Tatum Dr. Raymond L. Thomas Anita L. Throwe Steve & Karen West

Leadership Club

Keith Allen William Altman Anonymous Frank Avent Fred C. Avent Jr. Steven & Diane Barfield Kevin & Donna Barth Briana Barzola Wylie & Gwynette Caldwell James G. Conner Gary W. Crawford Dr. Joseph W. Dunlap Kaye Floyd‑Parris Larry T. Gay Jr. Donald & Nancy Gress Dickie Guerry Jim Harnett Larry B. Hatchell Bebe Anderson Hennessy Bill and Betty Hester Mr. & Mrs. David M. Kelley Gerald Kennedy Mary & David Lundgren Ms. Susan Matthews John W. McGinnis Mr. & Mrs. Joseph P. McLean Cheney Meiere Elaine & Gene Morehead Jeff & Billie Morris Clyde H. Nance Peter Milton North Julius & Kaye Parris Margaret & Harry Plexico Clary E. Rawl Dr. Steve Roach Beth Roth Mr. & Mrs. James W. Smith Rebecca C. Thies WINTER 2017

•

President’s Club $500-$999

•

James & Cynthia Watson James M. Wilson Dr. Robert W. Youngblood

Century Club

J. B. Aiken III Chandar Anderson Glen Barron Kathleen L. Baskin Mark D. Bell Garland & Nell Bernard P. D. Bishop Dr. & Mrs. B. R. Blackwell Al and Betty Bluman John Bonnoitt David & Nancy Campbell Susan S. Chandler Keith A. Clauss Dean Cook Dr. Frank O. Cox JD Crowe Dr. Verne E. Cutler Joyce B. Dalsbo Marilyn C. Dooley Dr. Jay & Kim Dowd Gidget Driggers Michael & Kathleen Ducharme Stuart J. Edler Gena P. Ervin Raymond A. Fisher C. V. Flowers W. J. Gibbs Mr. & Mrs. Peter F. Gordon L. Allen Ham Nick Haralambis Robert A. Hathcock Wayne & Nancy High Lewis Hill Mr. and Mrs. David Hinnant Dr. Meg Hoffmeyer Dr. Townsend V. Holt Wayne A. Howle Shelton D. Hudson Dr. Vera C. Hyman Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Isgett Jr. Jay James Dr. F. Gregg Jones Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth S. Kammer Frank S. Key Janice B. Kirven Mr. & Mrs. Ray D. Loew III Dr. Kenneth J. Lowry II Dr. J. Michael Madden Guy E. McClary Dan Malloy McEachin Catherine Avent Medlin Drs. Albert and Julia Mims Robert & Arline Mitchell Martha Navas WINTER 2017

Leadership Club $250-$499

•

Century Club $100-$249

Mr. & Mrs. Harold J. Ness Richard & Chris Ness Jane W. Peze Mr. & Mrs. J. Fernando Pinillos William H. Price Barry Sawyer Mary Joyce Shealy Sonny Slaughter Bobby R. Smith Dr. Louis E. Snyder Jr. Hunter R. Stokes Sr., M.D. Mr. & Mrs. Louis A. B. Venable Jr. Mimi Vernon F. Gwyn Voss Jr. Delta S. Ward Jr. Robbie Weatherford Jeanne White Kenneth L. Wilson

Patrons

SMSGT Senior Master Sergeant & Mrs. Joseph H. Alteri Patsy Brown Constance M. Butler Terry Douglas Coreno Robert & Patricia Craiglow Mr. & Mrs. Jack Dearhart Phillip Goodwin Mr. and Mrs. Heyward W. Hill Laddie G. Hiller Gerald D. Holley Mary Lee Ishler John M. Jebaily Mr. & Mrs. E. A. Mozingo Jr. Jerry Roth Charles Shumpert Doris Sills Lynn Simmonds Rita N. Solomon Jack & Nancy Stoner Dr. E. W. Taylor John P. Thomas Larry Waring Christopher Zuppa

Contributors

Luke Athans James H. Corley Katherine Y. Durning Colonel Joseph T. Griffin Jr. Happy and Wallace Haynes Trichina L. Huntley‑Pierce Andrew Kampiziones Iley E. McLeod Wilma Lee Rorie Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Vaughan Jr. Bruce Wald Susan Lewis John D. Owens

• Patrons $50-$99 •

Contributors $1-$49

FMU ORGANIZATIONS Founders Club

American Chemical Society ‑ FMU Student Chapter FMU African American Faculty Staff Coalition

Crescent Society

All-Star Sports Anderson Brothers Bank ArborOne Carolina Bank Chernoff Newman, LLC Coker Business Systems, Inc. Duke Energy

Kappa Alpha Order President’s Club Psi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS & ASSOCIATIONS

Century Club

City of Florence Dr. Panos & Debi Kalaritis Fund FMU Development Foundation Francis Marion Society Kiwanis Club of Florence

Alpha Kappa Alpha Iota XI Chapter FMU Staff Advisory Committee Kappa Alpha Psi of FMU Kappa Chi Chpt. of Alpha Phi Alpha Lamda Lamda Chapter Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Zeta Phi Beta Sorority

FIRMS & CORPORATIONS Carolinians

Automatic Data Processing Inc. McLeod Health Pee Dee Electric Cooperative Francis Marion Society Fidelity Charitable Gift Honda of South Carolina Mfg., Inc. Raldex Hospitality Group Santee Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Pee Dee Society

Assurant Group J. L. Anderson Oil Company Otis Elevator Company Palmetto Brick Company

Founders Club

Beneteau USA Inc. Carolinas Hospital System Circle Park ‑ Behavioral Health Services Health Facilities Federal Credit Union Little Caesars Pizza Morning News NAPA Auto Parts Pee Dee Electricom, Inc. Pepsi Cola Bottling Company Victor’s Bistro WBTW‑News 13

Crescent Society

Carolinians

Pee Dee Society

Communities for Schools in Dillon County Pee Dee Education Center Founders Club Carolinas Hospital Volunteer Auxiliary Dalton Agency Florence Convention & Visitors Bureau Florence School District 2 Pee Dee Chapter of SCACPA Realtor Association of the Greater Pee Dee, Inc.

Crescent Society

Florence Breakfast Rotary Club Friendship United Methodist Church Groucho’s Pee Dee Kiwanis Club Prince Hall Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star Shockwave Baseball Town of Latta

President’s Club

Bank of North Carolina Chain Baseball Association, Inc. Coles Sheetmetal & Welding LLC Cook Out Florence County Council Florence County Finance Department Vivid Network Solutions LLC

Leadership Club Catoe Group

ACS Technologies

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

37

OTHER FOUNDATIONS Crescent Society Carolinians

Drs. Bruce & Lee Foundation Duke Energy Foundation SC Commission on Higher Education Foundation Inc Sunshine Foundation

Francis Marion Society Sonoco Foundation

Founders Club

Anonymous ExxonMobil Foundation James E. Clyburn Research & Scholarship Foundation Marion County Healthcare Foundation The Jim and Patty Rouse Charitable Foundation, Inc. The Ronald E. McNair Memorial Foundation

Crescent Society

D. L. Scurry Foundation FMU Education Foundation State Farm Companies Foundation The Malloy Foundation Verizon Foundation Wells Fargo Foundation

IBM Corporation

Leadership Club

Progressive Insurance Foundation Bankers Life and Casualty Company

MEMORIAL GIFTS Joseph E. Angelo

Mr. Jerry M. Angelo Mr. Rudolph J. Angelo Mrs. M. Jeannette Huber

Dr. Makram A. Bishara

Pee Dee Society

Margaret McLamb Grimsby

Crescent Society Collie S. Stewart

Willow M. Braddock Mrs. Elizabeth I. Cooper

Dr. Theodore W. Cart

Devenney A. Mazell ‘84

Pee Dee Society ConocoPhillips

38

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

Mrs. Mary P. Lundgren Mrs. Jeanne White

Jasmine M. Reid Latrisha Pittman David Fulton

Mrs. Gena P. Ervin

Ms. Mary Joyce Shealy

Starr M. Ward

Mr. & Mrs. Jack Dearhart Raymond A. Fisher Drs. Albert and Julia Mims Mr. Clary E. Rawl Mr. & Mrs. Steve C. West M. Paul Watts ‘89

Mr. Christopher Zuppa Mrs. Evon R. Zuppa

ConocoPhillips

HONORARIUMS

W. J. Gibbs

Alice C. Baker

James H. Grimsley

Daniel S. Barfield

Dr. Gary W. Hanson

Matthew H. Bonds

Mrs. Kay R. Hanson

Dr. Panos & Debi Kalaritis Fund

Dr. & Mrs. L. Fred Carter L. Franklin Elmore SC Commission on Higher Education Foundation Inc

Dr. & Mrs. Richard N. Chapman Dr. John P. Dowd III L. Franklin Elmore

W Coleman ‘71 L. Franklin Elmore

Dr. E. Lorraine de Montluzin

Dr. H. Randall Dozier

Mrs. Patsy Brown Raymond A. Fisher Drs. Albert and Julia Mims

Theodore C. Zuppa

Mr. W. J. Gibbs

Mark W. Buyck

Dr. Benjamin K. Ward

Wanda L. France‑Kelly Mary L. Garrison

L. Franklin Elmore

Joyce M. Durant Dr. Chris & Christine Johnson Dr. Pamela A. Rooks Jennifer Lynn Taylor

Linda H. Watts

Mr. Brad France‑Kelly

L. Franklin Elmore

The Honorable & Mrs. Wylie Caldwell First Presbyterian Church

Mr. Dan Malloy McEachin David W. Williamson ‘77

Mrs. Betty Grimsley

MATCHING GIFTS

H. B. Powell

Dr. Joseph T. Stukes

Mrs. Elizabeth I. Cooper

Nicky C. Demetrious

William B. Douglas

Reverend Marvin W. Lynch

John V. Braddock

ConocoPhillips

Patrons

Carolinians

Norma M. Lynch

Rebecca Smith

Gary D. Coker

ESTATES

Dr. J. Mark Bunch

Kenneth W. Jackson ‘84

Michael H. Boswell

Century Club

Florence Darlington Technical College Educ Foundation, Inc.

Ryan Hoffman

Fred R. Sheheen

J M Smith Foundation Nationwide Insurance Foundation General Electric Foundation

Jody Bryson

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Barth

Dr. Emily Lorraine de Montluzin Mrs. Doris Sills

Dr. Roger Allen Dr. & Mrs. Morgan B. Coker Dr. Emily Lorraine de Montluzin Dr. Charlene Wages & Dr. Duane Myers

President’s Club

John B. Haskell

Steve & Libby Cooper Steven Barfield

The Jim and Patty Rouse Charitable Foundation, Inc.

Katherine Y. Durning L. Franklin Elmore

Joyce M. Durant Howard V. Brown

L. Franklin Elmore Jody Bryson

Edward S. Ervin L. Franklin Elmore

Rev. Mary M. Finklea L. Franklin Elmore

Whit France‑Kelly Mark D. Bell

Tracy Freeman L. Franklin Elmore

William E. Gunn L. Franklin Elmore

Patricia Hartung L. Franklin Elmore

Joseph E. Heyward Darryl L. Bridges Howard V. Brown

WINTER 2017

Dr. R. Daphne Carter‑McCants Joyce M. Durant Dr. Jacqueline C. Jones Teresa McDuffie Janet M. Pearson Priscilla M. Smalls Linda Sullen

Dr. Kevin J. O’Kelly L. Franklin Elmore

Wilbur O. Powers

Automatic Data Processing Inc.

Terry & Gail Richardson

L. Franklin Elmore

L. Franklin Elmore Richard B. Ness R. F. Burke Harold & Ann Ness Richard B. Ness Rita N. Solomon Verizon Foundation

Floyd L. Keels

Joseph J. Saleeby

Kenneth W. Jackson L. Franklin Elmore

Stephen N. Jones

L. Franklin Elmore

Reamer B. King Billy McLeod Clary E. Rawl

John J. Kispert L. Franklin Elmore

Senator Hugh K. Leatherman L. Franklin Elmore

Robert E. Lee

Wallace C. Haynes Gloria C. Hill Robbie and Carol Isgett Wilbur H. Vaughan

Marie Segars

Wallace C. Haynes Gloria C. Hill Robbie and Carol Isgett Wilbur H. Vaughan

Joseph T. Stukes Emily L. de Montluzin

George C. McIntyre

Tributes for Florence County School District Two Board of Trustees

Mark S. Moore

Dr. Charlene Wages

L. Franklin Elmore L. Franklin Elmore L. Franklin Elmore

Dr. Neal Vincent

L. Franklin Elmore

Dr. Barry O’Brien Donald Hyer Lloyd ‘06

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WINTER 2017

FRANCIS MARION VIEW

39

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REAR VIEW

Remembering FMU’s Past • Circa 1980’s

Groovin’ on the patio

Guitar entertainment at the Smith University Center was a regular event, once upon a time.