Longwood Magazine | Winter 2023

Need a gift? A Lancer has you covered | A Man for All Seasons A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY

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Coming Home Longwood’s newest tradition shows the true meaning of Lancer spirit

I believe in our mission, even more now than ever.’

—DR. KEN PERKINS, upon his retirement after 40 years at Longwood Page 18

On the Cover Ashley Taylor Walker ’08 was among the 700plus Lancers who flooded campus for Longwood’s first Homecoming and Alumni Weekend in November.

Photograph by Sarah Hazlegrove.

See more of the energy, excitement and “family” connections that made this such a memorable event on Pages 6-9.

It’s Personal New leader of Moton Museum has family ties to local civil rights movement.

President’s Message

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Six decades after Prince Edward closed its schools, a scholarship brings one of the locked-out students to Longwood.

In search of a dog-inspired nutcracker?

Local rum?

Spiderman rug?

An alum has you covered.

A ‘Promised’ Life

Lancer Holiday Gift Guide

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A Man For All Seasons Dr. Ken Perkins looks back on his 40 years at Longwood.

Parting Gift

This is How We Do It

Kick Star

$2 million art collection comes to LCVA.

A new tradition brings a spirited weekend to campus.

Soccer player has amazing freshman season.

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On Point 3

Lancer Update 5

Class Notes 19

In Memoriam 30

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Letter from Maui After the fires, words of reflection and hope from Stu and Billie Soley.

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Time Warp His summer job took him 150 years into the past.

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A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY

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Editor

Sabrina Brown Designer

JoDee Stringham Gina Caldwell, Matthew McWilliams, Lauren Whittington Photographer

Courtney Vogel

Contributors

Association of Pickleball Players, Derek Baker/NIVA, John David Coppola/JDC Photography, Culpeper Star-Exponent, George Gaston ’25, Brett Hartley, Ted Hodges ’85, Sarah Hazlegrove, Dave Hooper ’00, Sam Hovan, Elliot and Erick Jimenez, Victoria Kindon, Mike Kropf ’14/Apex Media, Caroline Layne, Nadia Mullins ’23, Observer-Reporter/ Washington, Pennsylvania, Nicole Perkins ’05, Paula Prouty ’85, Justin Pope, The Rappahannock News, Toby Robertson/ Altavista Journal, Salem (Virginia) Times-Register, Billie Soley ’08, Stu Soley ’08, Jason Snyder, The Zebra Press Advisory Board

Wade Edwards, Larissa Smith, Courtney Hodges, Victoria Kindon, David Locascio, Justin Pope Board of Visitors

Katharine M. Bond ’98, Rector Mechanicsville, Virginia Fabiola Aguilar Carter Richmond, Virginia Steven P. Gould Danville, Virginia Judi M. Lynch ’87 Christiansburg, Virginia Nadine Marsh-Carter Richmond, Virginia Jeffrey Nottingham Raleigh, North Carolina Kristie Helmick Proctor ’04 Mechanicsville, Virginia Polly H. Raible ’91 Midlothian, Virginia Ricshawn Adkins Roane Great Falls, Virginia Kathryn Roberts ’97 South Boston, Virginia Brian Schmalzbach Midlothian, Virginia Shawn L. Smith ’92 Richmond, Virginia Ronald O. White Midlothian, Virginia Editorial offices for Longwood magazine are maintained at the Office of University Marketing, Communications and Engagement, Longwood University, 201 High Street, Farmville, VA 23909. Telephone: 434-414-6241; email: browncs2@longwood.edu. Comments, letters and contributions are encouraged.

Printed on recycled stocks containing 100% postconsumer waste.

To request this magazine in alternate format (large print, braille, audio, etc.), please contact Longwood Disability Resources, 434-395-2391; TRS: 711.

Published December 2023

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Sarah Hazlegrove

Associate Editors

President Reveley gets into the spirit of Homecoming with a group tailgating on campus.

FROM TH E PR ESI D EN T From time to time, I’ve been known to call a beautiful college campus like Longwood a “temporary paradise,” where we spend some happy youthful years before we set out into the wider world. But the wonderful experience of Homecoming weekend this November here in Farmville (see Page 6) was a reminder that the bond with the Alma Mater is lifelong.

I started the weekend Friday night helping celebrate the legacy of the late Dr. Edna Allen Bledsoe Dean, gathered with family, colleagues and many of the students whose lives she touched, in the lobby of the elegant new Longwood academic building named in her honor, Allen Hall. The legacy of this remarkable educator, with deep roots in our community, is manifest not just in the students she taught directly, but in those who came later, following a pathway she helped build. Particularly moving were the words of two of her students, Kamala Benjamin-Allen ’88 and Charlease Hatchett ’87, who testified to a mentor who continued to inspire them long after graduation.

On Saturday, mingling with hundreds of guests tailgating ahead of the first basketball game in the new Joan Perry Brock ’64 Center, I heard anew stories of what Longwood meant to alumni in every stage of their lives and careers, and how much it meant to them to return to campus. For many, it certainly looked different than they remember. But without exception they were impressed with our progress, as well as our commitment to keeping Longwood beautiful and true to a timeless spirit.

With the momentum of Farmville, including new hotels and restaurants, and now the opening of the JPB to provide the further attraction of regular games, concerts and other events, the case for returning often to campus is more compelling than ever. We’re already planning Homecoming again for next November. But there is no need to wait. The Alma Mater is a great place to visit anytime and will be there for you always, as a touchstone and inspiration.

All my best,

W. Taylor Reveley IV President

ONPOINT

It’s Personal Alumnus with family ties to Prince Edward’s civil rights movement leads Moton Museum

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AINAN TOWNSEND ’15, M.S. ’20, has been connected to the Robert Russa Moton Museum his entire life. Now he is shaping its future after becoming executive director July 1, 2023.

The Moton Museum, Virginia’s only civil rights museum, entered into a partnership with Longwood in 2015. Townsend, who joined the museum staff in 2016 and moved from director of education and outreach to managing director in 2022, views the museum as much more than a historical exhibit. For him, it’s an opportunity to further engage people in conversation about social justice in the 21st century, civil rights and diversity.

“We are more than a museum; we are a place to gather,” he said.

“We have a permanent exhibit but my goal is that our visitors come back multiple times—and not just to tour the installations.

That’s why everything we do is community-facing.”

Cainan Townsend ’15, M.S. ’20, is the new executive director of the Robert Russa Moton Museum. Behind him in this photo is the Moton High School (now Moton Museum) auditorium stage where Barbara Johns announced the 1951 student strike demanding better conditions at the school.

Townsend pointed to the museum’s annual summer teacher institute, which focuses on teaching Virginia’s civil rights history, and its partnership with the Virginia Children’s Book Festival’s hip-hop program as examples of programming that brings diverse groups of people together and strengthens the museum’s connection with the community. And he’s forging even more connections as a newly elected member of the Prince Edward County School Board.

Townsend is personally connected to the history of civil rights in Prince Edward County. His great-grandfather —CAINAN TOWNSEND ’15, M.S. ’20 John Townsend and great-aunts Mildred Townsend and Arlene Townsend were plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education. His father and his father’s siblings and several cousins were locked out of school from 1959-64 during the Massive Resistance era.

“Those Moton family members who were part of the civil rights struggle in Virginia are very active in promoting our mission,” Townsend said. “Looking 10 or 15 years down the road, I want to make sure their children and grandchildren are as engaged as much as they are.”

We are more than a museum; we are a place to gather.’

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ONPOINT Longwood continues to make U.S. News top 10 in the South

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or the eighth straight year, Longwood is a top-10 regional public university in the South, according to the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings released in September.

Over the last decade, Longwood has secured a place in the upper echelon of the regional collegiate rankings. This year, Longwood is ranked No. 8 among all regional public universities in the South.

This year also marks the fifth-straight year of Longwood’s being ranked in the top 25 public and private universities in the South, as well as a climb of 17 spots over the past three years on the Best Value in the South list.

The rankings rise coincides with a continued investment in small classes taught by full-time professors, a course of action few public universities have taken.

Longwood Center for the Visual Arts board member and legendary Richmond art collector Keith Kissee, who died in 2022, is secure at the university’s acclaimed museum that he loved so well. Kissee’s collection, which comprises mainly Depression-era paintings, drawings and sculpture, is estimated at roughly $2 million in value, making it one of the largest gifts ever to the museum.

A Missouri native, Kissee found a home in Richmond’s Fan district, in which he lived for nearly 30 years. His house on Monument Avenue slowly filled with a growing art collection, mainly of 1930s and ’40s painters including Gideon Townsend Stanton, Otis Oldfield and Thomas Hart Benton. Pieces already are hanging in Longwood’s Joan Perry Brock Center, and The Keith Kissee Memorial Exhibition at the LCVA runs through Feb. 11, 2024.

The Auction, c. 1938, oil on canvas, by Frederick Heppner Buchholz (1901-1983).

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CELEBRATED NOVELIST and short story writer Patricia Engel was selected as the 2023 winner of the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature, a premier literary prize given annually

by Longwood to a talented American writer who experiments with form, explores a range of voices and deserves more recognition.

Engel, who was born to Colombian parents, is best-known for her novels Vida (2010), a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Fiction Award; The Veins of the Ocean (2016), winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize; and Infinite Country (2021), a New York Times bestseller.

The John Dos Passos Prize for Literature is the oldest literary award given by a Virginia college or university.

Engel will visit Longwood’s campus on April 10, 2024, to receive the award and read from her work.

Elliott and Erick Jimenez

An Extraordinary Parting Gift. The legacy of

First-generation American novelist wins Dos Passos Prize

A Strong Finish

Caroline Layne

LANCERUPDATE

Cross country teams have best seasons in Big South era

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ongwood cross country leveled up in the fall, with both the men’s and women’s teams posting their best Big South finishes in program history.

The Lancer women earned a fifthplace finish and gave their best fullteam performance since joining the Big South. Four of the team’s five scoring runners finished the 5K in less than 20 minutes, with Caroline Fairbanks ’24,

a nursing major, leading the way with a PR of 19:30.

The Lancer men finished sixth behind a full-team performance. All five of the Lancer runners who scored finished within 60 seconds of each other. Leading the way was Jordyn Dillavou ’26, a business administration major, who missed cracking the program’s top-10 8K times by only seven seconds.

Kick Star Seiders ’25 are among the seven Longwood students and 10 Longwood alumni who make up roughly a third of the Prince Edward Volunteer Rescue Squad’s staff and volunteers. “We’re a family— one that’s very close-knit and connected,” said Miller. A business administration major who passed his national emergency medical technician (EMT) certification exam before the start of his sophomore year, Miller is qualified to drive the ambulance and treat patients.

Seiders, a biology major with a pre-med concentration, runs 911 dispatch calls.

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alk about an impressive debut season.

Women’s soccer freshman Peyton Curney ’27 was the first player in Big South history to be named Big South Freshman of the Week five times. At the conclusion of the season, she was honored as an All-Big South First Team selection, becoming the first freshman to earn that honor since the Lancers joined the Big South.

Curney, an exploratory studies major, also led Longwood in both goals (five) This fall Peyton Curney ’27 became and points (13) during her first year as the first player in a Division I player. Three of those goals conference history were the deciding score in the contest, to be named Big South Freshman and all three of her assists were on of the Week five times. game-tying or game-winning goals.

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Mike Kropf ’14/Apex Media

On Call. Neil Miller ’25 and Ashley

Freshman racks up firsts in debut soccer season

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This is How We Do It

700+ Longwood faithful turn on their Lancer spirit full force for first Homecoming

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ongwood’s Homecoming and Alumni Weekend was about tailgating at its best, experiencing the amazing new Joan Perry Brock Center, making noise for the basketball teams, heating up the dance floor and so much more.

But over and over again people said connections with Longwood and the Longwood family were at the top of the list of what drew them to campus Nov. 10–12.

They wanted to feel in person the warmth of friendships forged during such a special time in their lives. They wanted to build bridges between older—or younger—generations of alumni to trade stories about Longwood’s history and what’s happening now.

They wanted to see in their daughter’s and granddaughter’s eyes the love of Longwood that they had passed down like a treasured family heirloom.

They were not disappointed.

Take freshman Xavier Butler, Class of 2027. He hasn’t quite earned alumni status yet, but he wasn’t about to miss Longwood’s first Homecoming tailgate. And neither was his family. There with him, decked out in their Lancer gear, were his mother, stepdad, three aunts, two uncles and his girlfriend. You’d never guess that not one of them is a Longwood graduate—but they’ll tell you they’re part of the Longwood family all the same.

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Sarah Hazlegrove

Sarah Hazlegrove

Ted Hodges ’85

And that’s what coming home is all about.

left Along with multiple cornhole competitions, a row of mini basketball hoops drew a crowd, including baseball teammates Matt Stevenson ’26 (left), Brandon Bannerman ’27 and Devin Colon ’26.

Sarah Hazlegrove

opposite page Melissa Nicholson ’02 (left), Michelle Gargis Dudley ’02, MBA ’22, Natalie Smith Wood ’01 and Laura Hoke Armstrong ’01 threw themselves in the Homecoming spirit. All are members of Alpha Gamma Delta.

left Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, knows how to tailgate: grilling, playing cornhole and strengthening connections.

Helping to start the Homecoming tradition were (clockwise from far left) Myles Johnson ’24, Seth Seward ’23, Phil Robinson ’24, Xavier Davis ’25, Darrell Richard ’94, Jamal Moser ’26, Jaylen Fedderman ’25 (to Moser’s right) and Jerrod Nolan, a member who attends HampdenSydney College. The Xi Zeta chapter is dually chartered.

Sarah Hazlegrove

top left Adding her own brand of Lancer spirit to the procession of fans from the tailgate to the men’s basketball game was cheerleader Na’Zyia Washington ’27. center left There were smiles all around as the first basketball game in the Joan Perry Brock Center drew near.

Sabrina Brown

bottom left Halden (foreground) and Trent Hooper, sons of Dave Hooper ’00, create spirit signs they used later to show their support for the men’s basketball team.

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above Dr. James Trent ’91, president of the Longwood Black Alumni Association, greets a friend at the tailgate. He stayed busy serving up Brunswick stew as a fundraiser for the Dr. Theresa A. Clark Scholarship. ‘This seems to be a really good event. I also like the timing in November,’ he said.

Watch the video

Sarah Hazlegrove

Sarah Hazlegrove

George Gaston ’25

IT’S OFFICIAL!

Homecoming and Alumni Weekend

November 8-10

The Longwood Homecoming Tailgate has been everything I needed without knowing I needed it!’

Ted Hodges ’85

George Gaston

Ted Hodges ’85

Ted Hodges ’85

2024

—MEGAN CLARK ’05

above Amor Harris ’27 battles a defender in the women’s basketball contest against Chowan. The Lancers posted a decisive win, with a final score of 88-59. left President W. Taylor Reveley IV made sure all the tailgate participants felt welcome, including Sarah Tunstall Hodges ’82.

top right Marcia Shipp Sutton ’73 traveled from Florida for her class’s 50th anniversary.

She staked her claim to a corner of the dance floor at the party after the men’s basketball game, where a nine-piece band kept people on their feet.

center right Singalongs in the Rotunda are a cherished tradition for many generations of Longwood alumni. bottom right Sandy Oliver Halpin ’73 came all the way from Utah to celebrate her 50th reunion year and induction into Longwood’s Gold Society.

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A ‘Promised’ Life 64 years after she was locked out of the Prince Edward County public schools, Martha Bailey Brown’s journey brings her back home and a scholarship to attend Longwood

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BY MATTHEW MCWILLIAMS | PHOTOGRAPHS BY SARAH HAZLEGROVE

n a warm October afternoon in Grainger Hall, a freshman unlike any other stood to make her first class presentation as a Longwood student. ¶ The class was titled Writing the World, a Citizen 110 course in Longwood’s Civitae Core Curriculum taught by creative writing professor Brandon Haffner. Students had been reading Ross Gay’s 2019 The Book of Delights, a celebration of the joys and gratitude that can accumulate in everyday life. ¶ Among this group of nervous young college students, Martha Bailey Brown ’27 certainly stood out. In assignments like this, from the serious to the mundane, she draws on the experiences of a very full life—and a profoundly unique journey to Longwood.

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The circled area in the upper left of the photo on this page highlights the image of Martha Brown as a 15-year-old on the Prince Edward County Courthouse steps. Find out more about her role in this historic occasion later in the story and in the photo caption on Page 13.

Martha Bailey Brown ’27 was about to enter eighth grade at the building behind her in this photo when Prince Edward County closed its public schools for five years in an attempt to avoid desegregation.

Today she is a freshman at Longwood, the recipient of a Virginia Brown v.

Board of Education Scholarship. The granddaughter of emancipated slaves, she says, ‘I think that somewhere along the way, in times I know not of, I was a promise … to an ancestor.’

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“Now, sunglasses were the thing,” Brown began, without any sign of nervousness, giving a sassy wave of her hand. “We called them shades. And if you didn’t wear nice shades, you were square.” She was off and drawing her audience into memories—her Afro, her denim skirt and a red skirt she would wear to match her shades. “I looked so good in my shades,” she said.

The journey that brought Brown to Longwood runs through not just her life but also the broader story of Longwood and its home community of Prince Edward.

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My heart was saying to me, “Martha, it’s now. Just take the step and let life take you as it’s taken you before.”’

The first thing you notice about Brown is her voice. It’s sonorous and rich, lilting when she’s deep in her memories, crisp when she has something to say. She laughs easily and often.

Her love for speaking comes from her father, David Bailey, born in 1876 in Georgia, the son of emancipated slaves and a circuit preacher across the East Coast.

The family settled in the Prince Edward County community of Prospect. Brown was just 5 years old when, in 1951, Barbara Johns and her classmates walked out of R.R. Moton High School to demand better conditions. She was 7 when her father died. A year later, the Supreme Court sided with the Moton plaintiffs and struck down segregated public education in Brown v. Board of Education. And she was 13—nervously excited to start eighth grade—when Prince Edward County closed the doors of its public schools in 1959.

At first, she says, it felt like a vacation. But then as classmates and friends relocated to enroll in school in other counties and cities, a feeling emerged: loneliness. Her family wasn’t ready to uproot from their home of 20 years, and Brown kept up with schooling on her own, reading and studying her older sister’s leftover textbooks.

Two years later, in 1961, local activists and the national NAACP wanted to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Moton walkout with a rally on the Farmville courthouse steps.

Organizers sought a student who had been locked out of Prince Edward schools to introduce the speakers: local activist Rev. L. Francis Griffin of First Baptist Church, Virginia NAACP civil rights attorney Oliver Hill and NAACP national executive director Roy Wilkins. Who better than the preacher’s daughter from Prospect who had inherited her father’s congregation-commanding voice? Fifteen-year-old Martha watched the

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rally from the podium in her lilac dress, where she channeled her father’s energy as she introduced the speakers. “It was Black folks as far as the eye could see,” she remembers.

A half-century later, Brown attended a reunion of students locked out of the Prince Edward schools. She was touring an exhibit at the Robert Russa Moton Museum, and there it was: a mural photograph of the 1961 rally and the heroes who spoke that day. There, on the podium, is Rev. Griffin. There are Hill and Wilkins. And there, to the left, is Martha.

“I broke down,” she said. “I heaved crying, awash with memories and in recognition of that little girl sitting there ­—MARTHA BAILEY BROWN ’27 with her shoulders slouched forward in that same old poor posture my mother used to get on me about. That’s when I started crying. I was hysterical. I had no idea that had been Martha Brown ’27 (right) says she captured and that the mural would be on the wall of the last hardly notices the classroom I ever had.” age gap between her and her classmates—but she does enjoy bringing a different perspective to her classes based on her life experiences, which include a career in Baltimore working for Blue Cross/Blue Shield handling complicated medical claims.

HEAR MORE OF MARTHA BAILEY BROWN’S STORY IN HER OWN WORDS

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Over the years, Brown’s voice became her great asset—and the through line in her life.

When she attended the Free Schools, a federally organized effort to provide school to locked-out students in 1963-64, teacher Duane Jones—later a well-known actor—noticed her singing voice and tried to convince her mother to let her travel to New York and be classically trained.

The career she built was in Baltimore, where she worked for Blue Cross/Blue Shield and used her voice to advocate for patients. They put her in charge of the toughest and most complicated medical claims—a job that came with an office and an assistant. “Ha! Hot stuff!” she says about that.

In her retirement, Brown moved back to Prospect. It was the enthusiastic ovation she got in response to her comments at a Black History Month event at Hampden-Sydney College that set in motion a dramatic change in her retirement plan. On the way home, a conversation she had with a friend about going back to school resurfaced.

“I said, ‘I’m too old. What am I going to do at college?’” she recalled. “But something kept saying to me that this was an opportunity I couldn’t walk away from. My heart was saying to me, ‘Martha, it’s now. Just take the step and let life take you as it’s taken you before.’”

Brown and her friend drove to Richmond to fill out paperwork to apply for Virginia’s Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship. Established by landmark legislation in the General Assembly, the scholarship is intended to help right the wrong perpetrated between 1959 and 1964, when students were denied an education in the Virginia public school jurisdictions that closed to avoid desegregation.

When she got the news she had been awarded the scholarship—a full ride to college—she applied to Longwood and was accepted. There was, no doubt, meaningful symbolism. In the last decade, Longwood has become a close partner of the Moton Museum and has apologized for its indifference during the civil rights era and for its use of eminent domain to take property in Black communities near its footprint. But when Brown was 18, Longwood had not yet admitted its first Black student.

“I’m just living a life that is designed for me to live,” she said. “I think that somewhere along the way, in times I know not of, I was a promise to someone.

I was a promise to an ancestor. Just stay alive. You don’t know where you’re going, but stay alive. You come across an ocean and you get landed somewhere and you lose your identity, but stay alive. And here I am, the granddaughter of enslaved people—not the great-granddaughter or great-great-granddaughter, but the granddaughter—and I’m back in the place of my birth. Things were planned like that for some reason. I think there’s someone along the line whose life I’m supposed to touch so I have to be back here to do it.”

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Now she’s back in the classroom, this time at Longwood, and using her voice in another new way. She’s a college student now, learning among others with eager minds, no matter the age difference.

“I almost don’t see the gap,” she said. “Someone congratulated me for starting over, and that phrase sounded so foreign to me.

I’m not stopping something and starting over. It’s a continuum, and it’s been that way all my life.”

She arrives on campus each weekday morning, parking in the Reid Lot with other students. She makes her way to class, doing typical college student things: stopping to chat with classmates, saying hello to professors and hurrying when she’s running late.

The first time Martha Brown ’27 saw the photo of her 15-yearold self that is now part of the Moton Museum’s permanent exhibition, she broke down crying, awash with memories. The photo is of a 1961 event on the Prince Edward County Courthouse steps marking the 10-year anniversary of the student strike at Moton High School, demanding better conditions.

Because of her commanding voice, Brown was asked to introduce the speakers that day, each one an iconic figure in the civil rights movement.

Unlike many students, she does avoid the campus Starbucks— “I don’t need to start any caffeine addictions at my age!”

In her three classes, she contributes a different perspective in countless ways.

“There are so many things I can compare my life to,” she said.

“We were having a discussion in my History of Jazz class, and no one except me and the instructor knew anything about music from the ’50s and ’60s. Not only that, they don’t even know what a CD is! So it feels good to be able to share a different perspective in class discussions that my classmates find valuable.”

She’s an exploratory studies major in the Society and Culture track but is planning to switch her major to history, which puts her on track to walk across the stage at commencement in 2027 with a bachelor’s degree in a subject that she has lived as much as she has learned.

“I want to know how things connect,” she said. “To me, knowledge has always been a part of my life, finding out and learning. … As a person of faith, I believe that my steps are ordered and my paths are directed—no coincidences, only purpose. Purpose placed me in 1959-64, and ordered steps have brought me to Longwood.”

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Lancer Holiday Gift Guide

BY MATTHEW MCWILLIAMS

THE HOLIDAYS ARE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, AND SHOPPERS EVERYWHERE ARE TRYING TO FIND THAT PERFECT GIFT FOR SOMEONE IN THEIR LIVES. WHETHER YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND ALREADY OR ARE STILL SEARCHING FOR IDEAS, CHECK OUT A FEW GREAT GIFT IDEAS MADE OR SOLD BY LANCERS!

D.C. Sports Fanatic BUMPY ROADS LEAD TO BEAUTIFUL PLACES HAT, $34 Seventhandf.com Do you have someone on your list who is an absolute D.C. sports junkie? MAX DUCHAINE ’11 has your back. His shop, Seventh & F, hits a home run with D.C. baseball, football, hockey and basketball merch that will make heads turn all across the capital.

Rhythms of Nature BRACELET, $420 jenstones.com

A Pop Of Color POINSETTIA, $20.95 (pot not included) stranges.com The holidays aren’t complete without a poinsettia from one of Virginia’s largest greenhouse growers and a Richmond staple for nearly 100 years. BILL GOULDIN ’06 has been the CEO of Strange’s since 1971 and a lover of all things green since birth.

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In the handcrafted jewelry of JENNIFER STONE ’98, nature’s beauty is the star. She combines handmade sterling silver and gold with precious gems, pearls, fossils and sea glass to create exquisite one-of-a-kind pieces. Just for her fellow Lancers this holiday season, use the promo code “freshman15” for 15 percent off and free shipping!

Pup-tastic DOG NUTCRACKER, $75 jennysdogart.com Give a gift that your puppy lover will cherish fur-ever!

JENNY IHLENBURG MCMURTRIE ’94 makes paw-sitively the best dog-related gifts for all seasons—and most, including her yearly Christmas nutcracker, can be customized to feature your favorite breed!

Nuts for Nuts HUB’S PEANUTS, $30 Hubspeanuts.com Forget the holiday sweets—treat your loved one to the saltiest holiday treat in Virginia! LYNNE HUBBARD RABIL ’75 runs the family peanut business, which has been making the best peanuts around for nearly 70 years. Longwood is a big part of the Hub’s family: Rabil’s mother, DOT OWEN HUBBARD ’47, founded the company in 1954, and her sister SANDRA HUBBARD EDWARDS is a member of the CLASS OF ’77.

In The Wind SAIL, PRICE UPON REQUEST latellsails.com There’s nothing better than the sun on your back and the wind in your hair as you’re on a starboard tack. JERRY LATELL ’93 creates the custom sails that deliver experiences of a lifetime on blue water.

Listen Up WHITNEY & THE SAYING GOES LP, $10 whitneythesayinggoes.com

Stylish, Backward and Forward

When he’s not making soulful music, JOEL WORFORD ’18 is perfecting his writing skills at one of the most prestigious MFA programs in the world—the Iowa Writer’s Workshop.

You can pick up a copy of his debut fulllength album and give the gift of music.

From her beginnings designing jewelry in her Longwood residence hall, VICTORIA DISILVESTRO ’20 has built a fashion brand that is in stores nationwide. From jewelry to eyewear, dresses to swimwear, Airotciv (her name, backward) is a onestop shop for any fashionista!

SUNGLASSES, $60 airotcivbyvictoria.com

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The Big Picture GEO #156 PAINTING, $1,000 Montymontgomery.bigcartel.com Much of the time, MONTY MONTGOMERY ’98 is on a ladder painting murals— stunning examples of which can be found at Longwood and around Farmville.

But he also has series of paintings and prints that will add color and style to any home.

Tangy or Sweet?

DILLICIOUS SWEATSHIRT, $42 dilliciouspickles.com We all know a pickle-head—the person who loves those tangy, sour or sweet treats so much that they are more than happy to take yours off your hands!

JAMES BARBOUR ’05 is one of those people—and while his pickles are only available in Australia (potentially making him the farthest flung Lancer out there), his merchandise is perfect for Santa’s pickle-heads.

Write Stuff FLAMINGO PRINT, $39 emilybaird.com Elegantly designed prints meet custom invitations and stationery in the studio of EMILY BAIRD ’11. The alumna has been featured in Brides and Martha Stewart magazines for her custom wedding invitations, but she has branched out to new prints of her own artwork.

Required Reading Holiday Spirits KILL DEVIL RUM, $30 outerbanksdistilling.com Everyone knows someone whose head—and heart—stay permanently at the beach, especially during the long winter months. SCOTT SMITH ’05, co-founder of Outer Banks Distilling Co., has been turning people into pirates since 2015.

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MOST DESPERATE ACTS OF GALLANTRY: GEORGE A. CUSTER IN THE CIVIL WAR, $15 emergingcivilwar.com Civil War buffs are always looking for a new read with expert insight into the intricacies of the war.

DAN DAVIS ’05 has you covered.

A former historian at several Civil War battlefields, including Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, he’s the author or co-author of seven books about the war.

Knitting Kneeds YARN, $25 danceswithwoolrva.com Sweaters and scarves and blankets, oh my!

DEBBIE FLOYD ’79, M.S. ’04, is Richmond’s queen of yarn, from super bulky to lace.

Holding court over her store, Dances With Wool, which is conveniently located in the heart of Midlothian, she also offers classes for beginners to advanced learners in knitting, crochet, spinning and weaving.

Pot Sweetener TEAPOT WITH BAMBOO HANDLE, $180 shawngrovepottery.com Whether a vase, tableware or artistic centerpiece, handmade ceramics are a classic way to show you care.

SHAWN GROVE ’93 creates wood-fired masterpieces at his workshop in Lucketts, Virginia, that are treasured in homes across the country.

Fashion Forward BARBOUR SCARF, $100 fredmonkees.com

Senses, Awaken!

BENEATH THE PINES HOME SCENT COLLECTION: CANDLE, $10-36 ROOM AND LINEN SPRAY, $16 HAND SOAP, $18 HAND LOTION, $18 sandandpine.co It’s the details that make a house a home. Whether it’s a perfectly scented candle or comfy throw, home décor is a classic holiday gift for a reason, and MADDIE HUMERICK ’09 has gift ideas galore at the online shop she launched in 2022 with her siblings.

If you’re looking to give the gift of style this holiday, look no further than Monkee’s of Fredericksburg. This boutique women’s shop, owned by CATHERINE SULLIVAN ’08, has something for every woman on your list.

Statement Piece TRUCKER HAT, $25 sageandhoneyllc.com Don’t let that person on your list show up to game day without looking as fly as possible! MADISON JOHNSON ’21 has the affordable fashion that turns heads at Sage & Honey, whether it’s accessories, dresses, tops or sets.

Floor Decor AREA RUG, $245 rugratsva.com SANDY PHARR ’75 has been in the rug business since 1987, and Rug Rats is recognized across the country as a leader in custom rugs. From pre-made options to whatever you can dream up on a rug, Pharr can make it a reality!

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A Man for All Seasons THERE’S HARDLY A HAT THAT DR. KEN PERKINS HASN’T WORN IN ALMOST 40 YEARS AT LONGWOOD—AND HE’S WORN THEM ALL WITH A SMILE.

Whether it was in the classroom, steering the academic affairs ship as provost or helping to raise funds to support the adopted alma mater he quickly came to love, Perkins has been a widely revered teacher, administrator and leader. And sometimes, a merry prankster.

He began his long-planned retirement with the start of this academic year, bringing to a close a career during which he served under five presidents and two interim presidents—not including the 45-day stint he served in the role in an acting capacity in 2012. His list of titles and roles is even longer, always providing an indispensable, steady hand and calming voice through a period of growth and momentum in the university’s history.

President W. Taylor Reveley IV praised Perkins as a servant leader and someone who has always had his finger on the pulse of the university and its mission to develop citizen leaders.

“Whether it’s in his role as a beloved sociology professor, or as provost, or out there on the hustings as an ambassador working on advancing the university, he always has kept at the forefront that we are a place that cherishes that connection between professor and student,” Reveley said.

Perkins is continuing to encourage support of

Dr. Ken Perkins at his retirement reception.

go.longwood.edu/ KenPerkins ScholarshipFund

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BY LAU REN WH ITTI NGTON

Longwood students and the university’s mission even in retirement. In honor and celebration of Perkins and his service to Longwood, the Kenneth B. Perkins and Marie Hoge-Perkins Scholarship was established in 2022, providing need-based support to full-time undergraduates.

“I BELIEVE IN OUR MISSION, EVEN MORE NOW THAN EVER,” Perkins said.

Admired for his wisdom, charm and self-effacing humor, Perkins became interim vice president for academic affairs in 2010; was named permanent vice president and also provost in 2012; and, in 2015, transitioned to a new role at Longwood, joining the Office of Institutional Advancement.

Even after climbing the administrative ladder, Perkins still treasures his years in the classroom, and he is well-remembered by countless alumni. Two of his favorite courses to teach were Sociology of Dying and Death, which included taking students on field trips to local funeral homes, and statistics. A former student once remarked that Perkins could teach statistics to a fence post, an observation he said he took positively.

Having a background in the study of people and relationships no doubt was helpful in his career.

“If there was a secret sauce to any of my comings and doings, it’s probably been sociology,” Perkins said. “I have really learned a lot and enjoyed it and tried to make a difference. I tried to do it with grace, humility and humor.”

Perkins said he is happy to be leaving the institution in a stronger position, building on the work of others. He doesn’t have concrete plans for retirement except to spend more time with his grandchildren—who are also the reason he decided to give up riding motorcycles, a hobby since high school. Now he enjoys dabbling in woodworking. And he will continue to support his adopted alma mater.

“I’ll love Longwood forever,” he said.

“I’ll be a loyal donor.”

Leading Ladies

With a friendship lasting nearly 60 years, a group of nine alumnae from the Class of 1964 gathered on campus in August to celebrate the opening of the Joan Perry Brock Center, named in honor of one of their own.

More on Page 22.

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CLASSNOTES

Letter from Maui Stu and Billie Soley, Class of 2008

W

e hope this letter finds you well and in good spirits. We wanted to share some updates about our beloved Maui, which has been on a journey of devastation and recovery since the wildfires that struck our beloved Lahaina Town back in August. The road to healing has been challenging, but our community’s resilience and the support from all over the world have been truly heartwarming.

In the aftermath of the fires, we witnessed an outpouring of solidarity from both residents and visitors. People from all walks of life came together to help those who lost everything, including family members, homes, animals, business and much of their livelihood. The THE SENSE OF UNITY community aloha spirit is unwavering, AND DETERMINATION THAT and it is giving us the strength to HAS EMERGED FROM THIS move forward.

Our local businesses have been on CHALLENGING PERIOD HAS the path to recovery as well, slowly but STRENGTHENED OUR BOND surely. Many shops, restaurants and tourist attractions have reopened their WITH ONE ANOTHER AND doors, welcoming visitors. However, WITH OUR BEAUTIFUL ISLAND.’ Lahaina town and a portion of the West Side of the island remain closed. Please allow this portion of the island to heal on its own time. The devastation has been overwhelming to our small island community as the waves are felt far and wide.

The sense of unity and determination that has emerged from this challenging period has strengthened our bond with one another and with our beautiful island. We have learned the importance of preserving and protecting Maui’s unique environment, and we are committed to ensuring that such a disaster does not happen again. It’s also given the community a moment to reflect back and a push to ensure that Native Hawaiian culture is at the forefront of the rebuild of Lahaina.

As we move forward, we are filled with hope and gratitude for the support we have received. Maui is healing, and, while the scars of the past remain, they serve as a reminder of our ability to overcome adversity and emerge stronger.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this time.

Stu Soley ’08

Warmest wishes, The Soley Ohana

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1960s Dr. Claudius “Claude” H. Pritchard Jr., M.A. ’65 (education), president emeritus of Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri, and a World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy, died June 27, 2023. His career path took him from American National Bank in Danville, Virginia, to 16 years as an administrator at Hampden- Sydney College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and eventually to the presidency of Maryville University in 1977. Along the way he earned a master’s degree at Longwood and a Ph.D. from Florida State University. He retired from Maryville after serving 15 years as president and leading the university through a period of dynamic growth.

In 2022, he was inducted into Maryville’s Athletics Hall of Fame for his contributions to the athletics program.

1970s Martha Brown Somers ’79 retired after 24 years of teaching with Loudoun County (Virginia) Public Schools. After more than 20 years in the business world, Somers, a business education major at Longwood, switched careers in her early 40s, signing on as a business and information technology teacher at Broad Run High School in Ashburn. She also served more than 20 years as the school’s Future Business Leaders of America adviser. In choosing Longwood, Somers followed in the footsteps of her mother, Frances Everett Brown ’51. Then Somers’ son, John Somers ’18, returned the favor, earning a Longwood degree in criminology and criminal justice. He and Ryan Carey ’19, a nursing major, were married in September.

1980s Jennifer Fisher Bouchard ’83, who focused her work on helping others, died Sept. 1, 2023.

A native of Maryland, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, after receiving her degree in therapeutic recreation from Longwood, accepting a position where she worked with special needs children. She later worked 17 years as the assistant director of volunteer services at North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill. She and her husband had one son, whom she raised, according to her obituary, “with a kind heart, and warmth and compassion for others, especially the poor.” Her obituary goes on to state: “She will especially be remembered for her passionate devotion to her beloved Maryland Terrapins, and the Baltimore Orioles. She was a true Maryland girl.”

Courtesy of Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

CLASSNOTES

Tracy Rice Weber ’83, adjunct assistant professor of English at Christopher Newport University, celebrated the publication of her first full-length collection of poetry in September 2023. Tools & Ornaments, published by St. Julian Press in Houston, Texas, is described as “a cairn of poems built from the weight of physical and spiritual inheritance … piecing together a life that ends as an act of mercy.” An English major at Longwood, she retired from teaching after 35 years to pursue an MFA from Old Dominion University. She has been described

by Dr. Louisa Igloria, former poet laureate of Virginia, as “a poet gifted with such a generous capacity for tenderness … [whose] careful carpentry of words not only builds or mends, but also allows even the joints and hasps to sing.”

Mike Rowe ’85 became the new finance director for South Boston, Virginia, in July 2023. A longtime banking and finance executive, Rowe worked for Benchmark Community Bank for 17 years as loan officer/underwriter and later joined Touchstone Bank and Bank of Charlotte County. He most recently had worked as a mortgage specialist for Equity Resources, a privately owned mortgage lender based in Ohio. Rowe’s Longwood degree is in business administration.

Tyra D’sha Jones Wagner ’85 majored in business at Longwood and was a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha.

She died July 8, 2023.

Her obituary states that she and her husband, Scott Wagner, founded Custom View Windows and Doors in Richmond in 2004, though Tyra primarily worked in the home when their children were young and transitioned to working more in the business as they became older.

Those who knew her remember her as a fierce friend with a gift for establishing and maintaining a sense of community within her sphere; as a “point person” in emergencies; as highly curious; and for her expertise in “FUN.” (continued on Page 22)

Driven by Mentoring Engineer says his success at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute started with physics faculty at Longwood

SEND US YOUR CLASS notes. If you have any news from your professional or personal life, we’d love to hear about it. Please email the details to us at alumni@longwood.edu.

Remember to give us your full name, the year you graduated and the degree you received.

M

ARIO JONES ’11, a

lead engineer with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, learned the value of mentoring from several physics faculty when he was a student at Longwood.

Now he’s the mentor in his role as the lead of the mechanical design program within VTTI’s Division of Technology Development and Deployment. In addition to mentoring other mechanical engineers and technicians, he provides guidance on the development of mechanical designs to program researchers and serves as an interface between the mechanical design program and the various research groups throughout VTTI. After earning his bachelor’s degree in physics, Jones first worked as a fiber optic research technician at Luna Innovations. Transitioning from that job into transportation research at VTTI in 2013 has a personal significance for him.

In July 2011, his father was involved in a car crash and, tragically, did not survive.

For that reason, Jones’ current role in

making transportation safer is especially gratifying.

What is Jones most proud of when it comes to his work at VTTI? “VTTI has executed projects and vehicle modifications that have never been done successfully before. The vehicle that we modified to be driven mainly from the rear passenger seat gets the most reaction from pedestrians and other drivers on the road.

“I love the variety of projects at VTTI and how creative we must be in the mechanical group to answer different research questions,” he said.

He gives Longwood a sizeable portion of the credit for preparing him for success in his career.

“I feel that I would not be where I am today without Dr. Michelle Parry, Dr. Timothy Holmstrom and Dr. Chris Moore,” said Jones. “These professors provided invaluable information and insight into both what physics ‘is’ and more importantly why physics matters— and how the sky is the limit (literally!) for physics majors.”—From staff reports and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

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CLASSNOTES (continued from Page 21)

1990s Sonja Ingram ’91 took the reins of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History in August 2023 after 15 years with Preservation Virginia, where she most recently was associate director for preservation field services. Her responsibilities as chief operating officer at the museum include managing the budget, organizing and overseeing events, fundraising, programming and arranging exhibits. Among the factors influential in Ingram’s selection were her background and experience in historic preservation. In addition to her anthropology degree from Longwood, she has a master’s degree in historic preservation from the University of Maryland.

That’s What Friends Are For. Nine Longwood

alumnae of the Class of 1964 have achieved the gold standard of friendship, maintaining their connection for nearly 60 years through all the obstacles that life can throw at bonds formed in college. The “Longwood Ladies,” as they call themselves, were together in August, when they gathered on campus for the opening of the new Joan Perry Brock Center, named for one of their own. On hand for the festivities were Pat Pinkston Woolum (left), Anne Downey Brockenbrough, Ginny Sturm Tate, Nancy Burke Heflin, Jane Carol Maddox, Mary Anne Lipford Hoffman, Becky James Leach and Betty Jean Russell McMurran.

Joan Perry Brock (inset) arrived just after this group photo was taken for the ribbon cutting at the center’s Club 64, where a photo collage pays tribute to the women’s friendship.

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Dr. Martha Petry Parham ’91 is the senior vice president for public relations for the American Association of Community Colleges. Parham leads the marketing, publications, media and public relations areas, and oversees AACC’s 21st Century Center. Prior to joining AACC, Parham was the director of public affairs for the Coast Community College District in California, the ninth-largest community college district in the state. Parham has been the recipient of several awards, including the All Pro Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Community College Public Relations Organization.

Prior to joining the staff at the Coast Community College District, she spent her time at Disneyland as an Imagineer, where she served in an administrative capacity tracking graphics and lighting design projects for Tarzan’s Treehouse, New Tomorrowland and the Disney Gallery. She earned a degree in English from Longwood.

Charles Moss ’94 received the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals Professional Development Award in 2023, recognizing his contributions to enhancing professional development opportunities for elementary and middle school principals. Moss, who has worked more than a decade in the Dinwiddie County (Virginia) Public Schools, including as an elementary school and middle school principal, is currently director of special projects. In that role, he has created professional development plans and conducted sessions for school personnel throughout the county. He also is a frequent keynote speaker, including at the 2023 EdTech Conference sponsored by Greater Richmond Area Education Technology Consortium. “The launchpad provided me by Longwood allowed me to strive to become the best teacher I could (continued on Page 25)

What Her Great-GreatGrandfather Started

Family’s tradition of attending Longwood spans 3 centuries and 5 generations

G

REY SWEENEY’s mother,

grandmother and greatgrandmother all went to Longwood; she graduated in 1986; and this year her son, freshman WILLIAM PERKINS ’27, chose Longwood as well.

If you’re counting, that’s five generations.

But Sweeney’s family’s Longwood tradition actually started even earlier— and with someone who never attended the university: her great-great-grandfather, Wood Jones Hamlin. Hamlin’s own pursuit of a degree in medicine at the University of Virginia was interrupted by the Civil War. Instead, he became a teacher who put an emphasis on higher education for all five of his children, including his daughters—far from common practice in the late 1800s.

“My grandmother told us that her mother [Sweeney’s great-grandmother, LOUISE] said ‘higher education was a requirement, not an option’ in Wood Hamlin’s household,” said Sweeney.

Just before the turn of the century, Hamlin sent Louise to the State Female Normal School in Farmville, as Longwood was then known. She attended for two years and then taught at Pleasant Shade School until she married in 1905.

Next to cross the Longwood threshold was Louise’s daughter, Sweeney’s grandmother, MARGARET BARHAM. She completed her Longwood education in 1927, and then taught first grade for 42 years at Norfolk Academy and Alanton Elementary, continuing her teaching career through marriage and raising a family.

Then came Margaret’s daughter, Sweeney’s mother, JULIA WALLACE SWEENEY ’59, who double majored in biology and education, and followed in her mother’s footsteps to a 40-year teaching career, primarily biology and science at Virginia

Beach Junior High School.

“My mother emphasized the family tradition of education at Longwood when I was looking at colleges, but she did not insist that I attend there,” said Sweeney. “Still my exposure to Longwood on many trips to campus with her for alumni and sorority functions no doubt contributed to its feeling ‘right’ for me to attend there.”

That’s where the family line of teachers ended, however. After earning her Longwood degree in political science and English, Sweeney went on to law school

at the University of Richmond and has practiced medical malpractice defense law since 1989. Currently she is associate general counsel for Patient First, directing the professional liability and compliance programs there.

Though she didn’t push him to continue the family tradition, Sweeney was “thrilled” when her son chose Longwood.

“I wanted him to have choices and not feel an obligation to attend Longwood,” said Sweeney. After visits to several other schools, however, his mind was made up. “The moment William set foot on Longwood’s campus, he said it felt ‘right.’ He applied early decision and was accepted in September 2022.” —Sabrina Brown (above) In 1925, Margaret Barham became the second generation in her family to enroll at Longwood and after graduating taught first grade for 42 years. Her daughter, Julia Wallace ’59, followed in her mother’s footsteps to a 40-year teaching career. (left) Grey Sweeney ’86 was ‘thrilled’ when her son, William Perkins ’27, chose Longwood this fall, extending the family’s Longwood tradition to five generations. ‘It makes that separation from my only child much less stressful,’ said Sweeney. ‘I mean, he’s at Longwood.

He’s gonna be fine.’

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CLASSNOTES

A ThreeWay Tie Alumnae who work at the same company connect through Longwood and their concern for children in the foster care system

L

AVATER WALKER ’89, HOLLIE JO WITT WATERMAN ’06 and

BRITTANY EANES ’15 never met

when they were students. They majored in different disciplines.

But their Longwood connection came through loud and clear when they found themselves in careers working with the foster care system—and at the same company.

The three women work in the foster care program at Intercept Health: Walker as a foster parent trainer/recruiter; Waterman as senior manager of foster care administration; and Eanes as an admissions coordinator.

In their different roles, they are committed to Intercept’s work to support and guide children and their biological families through the foster care process, as well as to find quality therapeutic foster homes for children in need.

“Staff at Intercept truly care for the work we do and those we serve,” said Waterman, a psychology graduate who has been with the company since 2007.

Walker agrees. “I like working at Intercept because of the culture, the flexibility, the sense of family, opportunities for growth and supporting the mission: ‘To elevate others to live their healthiest lives,’” she said, adding that anyone interested in becoming a foster parent can contact Intercept at 844-987-KIDS. All three say that being Longwood alumnae makes their work connection even stronger.

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Brittany Eanes ’15 (left), Hollie Jo Witt Waterman ’06 and LaVater Walker ’89 say their Longwood connection strengthens their working relationship at Intercept Health, where they’re all focused on supporting the foster care system.

“It’s an additional community within a community,” said Waterman.

Eanes said she felt the importance of that extra connection from her first day on the job in 2017.

“I can recall at my new employee orientation, I saw LaVater, and it was so welcoming because she was someone I knew through Longwood’s Pi Mu Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.,” Eanes said, adding that her social work degree prepared her well for her career. “I actually completed one of my undergraduate internships in a foster care setting, and I have been able to apply those skills—as well as those I gained in the classroom—to my work at Intercept.”

Longwood is an important part of the personal and shared histories of all three women.

“We enjoy discussing our time at Longwood as well as keeping each other

We enjoy discussing our time at Longwood as well as keeping each other up-to-date with current developments at the school.’

—HOLLIE JO WITT WATERMAN ’06

up-to-date with current developments at the school,” said Waterman.

Walker’s personal history with Longwood was almost predestined. “My mother told me that when I was born, she said, ‘One day my daughter is going to Longwood.’” Walker fulfilled that prediction, earning a degree in business administration/marketing—and more.

She is a member of Longwood’s Alumni Board and is active in the Black Alumni Association.—Sabrina Brown

CLASSNOTES (continued from Page 22)

Mike Burns ’05 visited campus in September in his role as national director of the Campus Vote Project to encourage students to register to vote.

Toby Robertson/Altavista Journal

be and then go on to leadership roles as a principal and district-level director,” said Moss, who earned a history degree from Longwood and has a master’s degree in leadership and supervision from Old Dominion University.

Stefanie Anderson ’96, M.S. ’06 (curriculum and instruction/modern languages), became principal of Altavista (Virginia) Combined School at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year. (She’s shown here with Assistant Principal Jessy Richards.) Most recently she was assistant principal at Brookville High School in Campbell County. Prior to that she was assistant principal and director of athletics at Gretna High School, and earlier in her career taught English for 10 years at Chatham High School. Her undergraduate degree is in English.

LONGWOOD’S 1 HOUR A MONTH program is a volunteer experience designed for alumni and friends. You’ll be rewarded with exclusive Longwood swag depending on your level of participation.

Find out more at go.longwood. edu/1hour.

The Future of Democracy

V

Alumnus works to engage young voters in the political process oter turnout likely breaks into the consciousness of most Americans only on election days, if then. But for MIKE BURNS ’05, it’s top of mind every day.

As the national director of the Fair Election Center’s Campus Vote Project since 2014, Burns has devoted his career to

I DEVELOPED MY OWN SENSE OF WHAT I BELIEVE A HEALTHY AND INCLUSIVE DEMOCRACY ENTAILS IN MY POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDIES AT LONGWOOD.’ — MIKE BURNS ’05

John Anstey, M.A. ’99 (English), was appointed to the Board of Visitors for the University of Mary Washington, where he earned his undergraduate degree. Anstey, president and CEO of Anstey Hodge Advertising Group, has revived (continued on Page 26)

increasing and supporting the participation of college students in the democratic process—especially getting them to register to vote and educating them on deadlines and processes for casting their ballot. He calls it “building a democracy with on-ramps for young voters that welcomes them into our political process.”

In September, Burns and other Campus Vote Project representatives were at Longwood to celebrate National Voter Registration Day. In addition to helping with a voter registration drive, Burns spoke to a political science class and observed a focus group on student voting.

Earlier this year, Longwood was designated a Voter Friendly Campus, an initiative started by Campus Vote Project ahead of the 2016 elections. “The designation was awarded to Longwood for its commitment to engaging the campus community in our democracy, including developing a plan across voter registration, education, turnout and advocacy,” said Burns.

He says his work with the Campus Vote Project is a natural outgrowth of both his curricular and extracurricular activities at Longwood, as well as the law degree he earned in 2013 from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. “I developed my own sense of what I believe a healthy and inclusive democracy entails in my political science studies at Longwood,” he said. Opportunities outside the classroom to take on leadership roles with several student organizations were also key. “Those experiences showed me the value of investing in your community and stepping up when something needs to get done for that community,” Burns said.

That’s more important now than ever, he said, and so is the work he’s doing with Campus Vote Project.

“We are at a perilous time for democracy both in the United States and around the world. Meeting students who are willing to raise their voices and join the movement, to watch them grow as leaders and advocates, and see many of them join our staff or take roles with partner organizations in the field is tremendously rewarding.”

—Sabrina Brown

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CLASSNOTES (continued from Page 25)

historic properties in Roanoke, contributed pro bono work to nonprofit organizations and made a national footprint in senior living marketing. Awards for his work include the American Advertising Federation’s highest honor, the Silver Medal Award for lifetime achievement.

John David Coppola, JohnDC Photography

2000s

The Mark of Dr. Z Alumna retires—for the second time— after 50 years as a teacher and principal

D

uring the half-century that she worked as a teacher and principal in Northern Virginia’s public schools, Dr. Patricia Woodie Zissios ’74 had a positive impact on students and colleagues alike.

Affectionately known as Dr. Z, she worked 31 years with the Fairfax County schools, and, after retiring from that system, spent 19 years as principal at Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, a K-5 urban public school in Alexandria. This past summer she retired for the second—and most likely the final—time.

In a story on her retirement in The Zebra Press, Lyles-Crouch students mentioned her kindness—and high expectations—for them, and staff members said they found her to be an inspiration.

“She is never satisfied, in a good way!” said one student. “She always pushes me and all of us to do better.” Assistant Principal Laura Burkart was quoted as saying, “It has been a once-in-acareer opportunity to work under a leader like Dr. Zissios. She has imparted a lot of wisdom in our year together. Still, my biggest takeaway is to do everything with excellence and always put others first.”

In addition to education, Zissios is passionate about animal welfare. Lyles-Crouch’s 7th Annual Animal Benefit Student Talent Show in 2023 raised more than $8,000 to benefit the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria and King Street Cats, The Zebra Press reported.

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Lindsay Banton ’03, released her first book, Trail Guide, A Simple Manual for Understanding the Bible, in June 2023. “Trail Guide helps new and experienced Bible readers explore and discover God’s Word for themselves,” said Banton, who majored in communication sciences and disorders at Longwood.

Dr. Patricia Woodie Zissios ’74 with some of her students at Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy in Alexandria, Virginia, prior to her retirement as principal at the end of the 2022-23 school year.

Dr. Sarah Whitley ’02, herself a first-generation college student, spoke at Longwood’s first graduation celebration for firstgeneration students in May 2023.

Dr. Benjamin Boone ’02 was appointed assistant superintendent for operations and administrative services for the Henry County Public Schools in September. With a total of 20 years in the system, and director of finance since 2019, he also has held positions as teacher, coach, middle school assistant principal, elementary principal and director of student support services. Boone’s new position makes him responsible for supervision and oversight of finance and payroll, facilities maintenance, pupil transportation and school nutrition.

Boone’s degree from Longwood is in history. His doctorate in educational leadership is from Virginia Tech.

Dr. Sarah Whitley ’02, vice president of the Center for First-Generation Student Success in Washington, D.C., was the featured speaker at Longwood’s first graduation celebration for first-generation students this past May. The Center for First-Generation Student Success provides data, training and expertise for a growing network of colleges and universities around the country. Whitley, who earned a

CLASSNOTES political science degree at Longwood, began work at the center in 2017 as senior director.

Tim Gillotte ’03 serves as program manager for identity management and security programs at Dignari, a biometrics and security technology integrator headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. A software implementation and testing professional who interacts with the Department of Defense community to improve the self-service experience, Gillotte brought with him more than 12 years of experience in identity management deployment, business analysis and training when he joined Dignari in 2018. Gillotte’s Longwood degree is in business administration, with a focus on computer information management systems.

Joel McCormick, M.S. ’06 (sociology and criminal justice), joined the faculty at Northwest Missouri State University in August as an associate professor of recreation in the School of Health Science and Wellness. He previously taught at Chowan University in North Carolina, South University in Georgia, University of Florida and University of Lynchburg in Virginia. He also has worked for the city of Lynchburg and the Virginia Department of Parks and Recreation, and he served in the Virginia Army National Guard and U.S. Navy. His Ph.D. in natural resource recreation is from the University of Florida.

Grace Lynch Weyant ’06, M.S. ’22 (educational leadership), was named assistant principal at Amelia County Elementary School in June. She previously was a second-grade teacher at the school.

Colby Tomlin Lopez ’07 is the assistant principal and ESOL coordinator at Rockfish River Elementary School in Afton, Virginia. She began her career with Nelson County Public Schools 15 years ago as a second language teacher. Lopez earned her Longwood degree in modern languages with a concentration in teaching English as a second language.

She has a master’s degree in administration and supervision from the University of Lynchburg. (continued on Page 28)

Courtesy of Mary Ellen Riddle

Christy Saylor Peffer, M.S. ’04 (educational leadership), began her duties as the assistant superintendent of Mecklenburg County (Virginia) Public Schools in July 2023. She previously was the system’s executive director of finance and administrative services, where she oversaw the multimillion-dollar budget and spending priorities. Her career as an educator has spanned more than 30 years, most of that time in the Mecklenburg schools.

Portrait in Passion. If you ask Dawn Dickson Van Ness ’08 what she’s passionate about, be prepared for a

lengthy answer that focuses on art, animals and the environment—and how they intersect in her life. An English major at Longwood, Van Ness has illustrated three children’s books and she’s begun to exhibit her artwork, earning an excellence award in 2022 in the annual Artist Self-Portrait Exhibition at Glenn Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery in Nags Head, North Carolina. She is vehemently anti-trash, doing her part to rid Roanoke Island of it on her frequent walks there with Harris, one of three rescue animals her family has adopted. “The subject of nature and its restorative influences obtained from peaceful isolation within it dominates my body of work so far,” she says on her website.

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Brett Hartley

(continued from Page 27)

Time Warp. When Harry Caldwell ’22 clocked in for

his job at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park the past seven summers, that clock was running a bit behind—by about 150 years. Caldwell’s job transported him to the 1860s to portray Isaiah Edwards, a young soldier from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, who joined the Union Army in 1864 and was present at the Battle of Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

As part of the park’s living history team, Caldwell researched Isaiah’s life and developed a script that “Isaiah” shared with visitors. Now he’s stepped back into the 21st century for good. After completing his master’s degree in public history at James Madison University this spring, he hopes to land a job with the National Park Service. His Longwood degrees are in public history and anthropology/archaeology.

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Mary Melissa Rider Shores, M.S. ’08 (educational leadership), was promoted to principal of Cumberland (Virginia) High School, effective July 1, 2023. She previously was a geography and history teacher, assistant to the principal and a coach at the school. She came to Cumberland from Hopewell (Virginia) City Public Schools, where she was director of personnel.

Rachel Pest ’08 is a business development manager based in Richmond, Virginia, for Gilbane Building Company. Her experience and expertise mesh well with Gilbane, which provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services via 45 office locations worldwide. With 14 years of experience in commercial and industrial construction, engineering and manufacturing industries, Pest has a proven track record of developing influential relationships and delivering value for her clients. Her Longwood degree is in business administration/management.

Dr. Kellie Dixon ’08, M.S. ’11 (counselor education), joined the Baylor University faculty in spring 2023 as a lecturer in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Her areas of expertise include organizational leadership and effectiveness, student support services and equity-centered practices.

Her doctorate is from Grand Canyon University.

Keiva Small-Mings ’08 joined Norfolk State University as the assistant director of player development and special projects for the women’s basketball team.

Following her collegiate basketball career at Longwood, she played four seasons in Italy, Finland and Romania.

Small-Mings’ Longwood degree is in fine arts.

CLASSNOTES

2010s

Golden Arches James River bridge serves as inspiration for musical composition

W

Dr. Tori Gelbert ’10, principal of Emerald Hill Elementary School in Culpeper, Virginia, has written her second children’s book. Be Nice To Your Teacher, released in July, was inspired by her respect for teachers, Gelbert told the Culpeper Star-Exponent. Gelbert’s first book, The Giraffe Who Loved School, told the story of a giraffe who struggled in school but kept trying and eventually succeeded. Gelbert, who majored in liberal studies/elementary education at Longwood, began her career in 2010 teaching fifth grade at Waverly Yowell Elementary School in Madison, Virginia. She returned to Culpeper to become the principal of Emerald Hill in 2019.

Amanda Riggleman ’12 joined Charlotte (Vermont) Central School as assistant principal on July 1, 2023. Riggleman signed on with Charlotte Central, a K-8 school, from Manassas, Virginia, where she was a special assignment administrator, implementing individualized restorative practices, carrying out district policies and supporting educators. Before that, she was a science lead teacher and developed science curriculum with the Prince William (Virginia) County Schools. Her degree from Longwood is in biology; she earned a master’s degree in education from Western Governors University. (continued on Page 30)

Do you know a Longwood alum who deserves to be recognized for their good works?

Nominate them for an Alumni Award at go.longwood.edu/ alumniawards

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Katie Long Cooper ’11 joined the faculty at Rappahannock County High School in August 2023 as the librarian/media specialist. Although the job is new, the school is not: She earned her high-school diploma there. The Rappahannock News reported that Cooper, “an avid reader and a trained baker, believes that everyone reads—even if it’s only the comics on the back of cereal boxes—and that nonreaders just haven’t found the right story yet.” She returned to Rappahannock County after five years of high-school librarianship with an allboys boarding school. Her Longwood degree is in English; she holds a Master of Library Information Science from the University of Denver.

Under Rob Blankenship’s direction, all of Douglas Freeman High School’s instrumental ensembles have earned numerous superior ratings and awards at local, regional and state events.

hen ROB BLANKENSHIP ’00 was asked to compose a piece in celebration of the Richmond (Virginia) Concert Band’s 50th anniversary, he took his inspiration from an iconic railway bridge spanning the James River that is well-known for its distinctive arches. “At sunset, the colors of the sky reflected on the water near the bridge are especially stunning,” Blankenship wrote in the notes for his composition, River City Sunset on the James, published in July 2023 by Claude T. Smith Publications, Inc. Blankenship, a Richmond native who majored in music education at Longwood, also is the composer of Longwood’s fight song.

Since 2006, he has served as the director of bands and orchestras at Richmond’s Douglas Freeman High School. Naming Longwood professors Charlie Kinzer, Lisa Kinzer, Gordon Ring, Thom Williams and others, Blankenship said, “Those educators, along with the friends I had at Longwood, not only taught me about the musician I wanted to be, but also helped me learn how to be the person I wanted to be.”

An Entertaining Career

STEPHEN PARKER ’07 was named the executive director of the National Independent Venue Association, the national trade group representing music and comedy venues, festivals and promoters. “We will work to ensure that music, comedy and live entertainment have a seat at the table for policymaking in D.C. and communities across the country,” Parker said when he was appointed in July 2023. “We also will work to forge the future of live entertainment, from boosting equity to bolstering the role of music and comedy in local economies.” Parker, who received a master’s degree in policy and management from Harvard in 2022, was a history major at Longwood.

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CLASSNOTES

In Memoriam 1940s

Sarah Goode Gregory ’43 Sept. 10, 2023 Anne Homes Bussells ’48 Aug. 21, 2023

1950s

Elizabeth McRee Hodges ’51 Aug. 16, 2023 Audra Hawkins James ’52 Aug. 23, 2023 Betty Baker Kulp ’53 Aug. 19, 2023 Jean Thomas Hodges ’54 Aug. 12, 2023 Beverly Ann Johnson ’54 Sept. 8, 2023 Beulah Carter Whitehurst ’54 Sept. 14, 2023 June Manlove Barrett ’55 July 21, 2023 Margaret Felton Sadler ’55 Aug. 20, 2023 Waynne Boyden Dunbar ’59 Aug. 23, 2023 Constance Carlton Day ’59 Sept. 15, 2023 Carole Manley Lynn ’59 Sept. 7, 2023

1960s

Marie Fisher Goldberg ’60 Aug. 7, 2023 Kathryn Good Hoback ’61 Jan. 9, 2023 Rebecca Wooldridge Waring ’61 Sept. 3, 2023 Jan Harrison Duran ’64 July 4, 2023 Nancy Moorefield Headley ’65 Aug. 17, 2023 Claude Pritchard Jr., M.A. ’65 June 27, 2023 Christine C. Young ’65 Sept. 4, 2023 Frances Walthall Hazelwood ‘66 Feb. 23, 2023 Judy Lang Scruggs ’67 Sept. 14, 2023 Charlotte Bloom Weinberg ’67 Feb. 18, 2023 Clara Jacob Kluis ’68 July 30, 2023 Esther Williams Mise ’69 Aug. 27, 2023 Freda Carter Wood ’69 Aug. 7, 2023

1970s

Sandra Weese Reams ’74 May 16, 2023 Martha Briscoe Williamson ’74 Sept. 29, 2022 Patricia White Huffman ’75 Sept. 11, 2023 Joseph M. Hyatt ’75 May 6, 2023 Martha Bowman O’Brien ’75 July 7, 2023 Ava Arnette Pippin ’76 June 30, 2023 Janeen Ortiz Carabetta ’77 July 14, 2023 Sharon M. Arrington ’78 Feb. 2, 2023

1980s

Kim Lauterbach Dye ’81 July 6, 2023 Jennifer Fisher Bouchard ’83 Sept. 1, 2023 Tyra Jones Wagner ’85 July 8, 2023 Doris Vandal Thompson Holman ’86 March 4, 2023 Brenda Lee Jackson ’87 July 26, 2023

1990s

Cory Montez Hairston ’98 Aug. 16, 2023

2000s

Edgar “Mac” McClellan III, M.S. ’03 July 3, 2023

2010s

Chelsea Marie Fogus ’13 Aug. 20, 2023

Faculty, Staff, and Friends K. Darlene Bratcher Sept. 7, 2023 Alice W. Johnson Aug. 1, 2023 Thomas L. Perkins Sept. 15, 2023 Donald H. Turman Aug. 7, 2023

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Mark Jamison, M.S. ’13 (sociology/criminal justice), was sworn in as the police chief for James City County, Virginia, on June 30, 2023. He had been with the Lynchburg Police Department since 1997 and was promoted through the ranks there to deputy chief of the Field Operations Bureau. “Mr. Jamison brings a wealth of experience and exemplary public service to James City County,” said James City County Administrator Scott Stevens in announcing Jamison’s selection. “I am very optimistic that he will bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to help the department move forward.” Jamison is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

KAREN FOSTER ’77

Lynzie Adams ’14, M.Ed. ’21 (reading, literacy and learning) began her new position as the reading coach at Halifax County Middle School at the start of the 2023-24 year.

Adams reports that she is Halifax County’s first reading specialist at the secondary level. Prior to earning her graduate degree, she taught English, her undergraduate major.

“Thank you, Longwood, for becoming such a huge part of my heart,” she wrote. “Not only did you give me a high-quality education, but through the ‘random roommate selection,’ you gifted me a lifelong best friend.”

Damarion Geter ’17, M.S. ’20 (counselor education), has been a staff counselor at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, since 2020. He often works with student-athletes at the college, and he had a successful basketball career as a student at Longwood. So it’s not surprising that lately he has been called on for his expertise related to youth sports by his town’s newspaper, the Observer-Reporter.

The paper quoted Geter in two stories earlier this year: One focused on managing stress for young athletes, the other on preventing burnout in youth sports. Here’s one piece of advice Geter shared: “Little mistakes become big mistakes. Pressure and stress could become more intense. If you’re not careful, the athlete will fall out of love with the sport.

Focusing on one sport can lead to many issues. Playing multiple sports helps and taking a break occasionally is important. Those things can help in dealing with mental health issues.” Geter’s bachelor’s degree from Longwood is in sociology.

Georgette Mickens, educational leadership endorsement ’17, is the new principal of Johnson Elementary School in Charlottesville. She previously worked five years as an assistant principal in the Dinwiddie County schools, where a colleague was Royal Gurley, now the superintendent of Charlottesville City Schools. “During my time at

Garrett Reese ’19 appeared in the Virginia Repertory Theatre’s production of Beautiful, the Carole King musical, this past summer. Reese, who earned a BFA in theatre performance from Longwood, teaches theatre at the New Community School in Richmond in addition to pursuing his career in acting.

finished her first novel just before she died, but her dream of becoming a published author didn’t die with her. Her five siblings made sure of that. Thanks to their efforts—and their willingness to invest in their sister’s work—Reasons for Waking was published in June 2023, just a little more than a year after Foster lost her 18-month battle with cancer. The book tells the story of a reclusive professor who teams with a determined young woman to unravel the tragedy that shattered both their lives.

The lies—and devastating truths—he discovers expose his family’s secrets and compel him to face his flawed assumptions. The story takes place in a town and a university both named Grainger—a nod by the author to the building where she spent so much time as an English major.

Foster’s sister Lori Foster Turley reports that Reasons for Waking had already attracted some attention—praise from other authors and numerous five-star reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads—when news came of a silver medal in the fiction-general category of the 2023 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards contest. Turley and two other sisters traveled to Miami in November to accept the award. “We are so sad that Karen wasn’t here to do that herself, but we’re thrilled that the book is getting such wonderful recognition!” Turley said.

CLASSNOTES

Kirsten Ruth ’17 is a physician assistant with Pinehurst Medical Clinic Primary Care in Sanford, North Carolina. She earned her master’s degree in physician assistant studies from High Point (North Carolina) University after graduating with a degree in biology from Longwood. Ruth is passionate about providing patient-centered care through education and building trusting providerpatient relationships. “I believe it is my job as a provider to share my knowledge with patients and assist them in making the best-informed decision based on evidence-based medicine,” she said.

Emily Rice ’18 is a paralegal in the estate and trust administration practice area with Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her responsibilities include ensuring the execution of the estate and trust administration process.

She is the social media chair for the Southeast Tennessee Chapter of the Tennessee Paralegal Association. Her Longwood degree is in political science.

Ann e B. H a g e n , MBA ’19, plans to retire in early 2024 from her position as CEO of the Masonic Home of Virginia, a continuing care retirement community in Henrico County for Virginia Freemasons and their wives and widows. Hagen, a CPA, joined the Masonic Home in 2009 as chief financial officer. She has been CEO since November 2019, placing her at the helm during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rescue Mission. Nadia Mullins ’23, an integrated

environmental sciences major, found her calling in Yellowstone National Park. “I’ve always had a passion for the environment, but it was not until my Longwood Yellowstone Brock Experience in 2022 that I realized I wanted to work in the field of wildlife conservation,” she said. This month, she’ll complete her six-month paid internship with the Orange Beach (Alabama) Wildlife Center and Management Program. As a wildlife intern at the center, she is responsible for capturing and caring for wildlife and other tasks related to wildlife rehabilitation.

Her favorite part of the job is “watching animals return to good health in our care and releasing them back into the wild.” Her favorite animals? The turtles.

“I have grown incredibly fond of them,” she said. “Their unique anatomy and personalities continue to amaze me every day.”

Her future plans include traveling the world and exploring different wildlife conservation and education fields.

Courtesy of Nadia Mullins

Dinwiddie County Public Schools I came to know Ms. Mickens’ great strengths, stellar reputation and proven instructional leadership,” Gurley said in a statement. Prior to her move to administrative roles, Mickens taught Spanish and was a school counselor and a testing coordinator.

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CLASSNOTES (continued from Page 31)

She was recognized by the home’s governing board for skillfully navigating the Covid challenge, always keeping the health and safety of residents and staff as the top priority.

MACEY MILLS ’19 and CONNOR CHRISTIAN, M.S. ’20 (special education), were married June 3, 2023, at Rosemont Winery in Lacrosse, Virginia. Mills, who was on the women’s golf team and graduated with a degree in kinesiology, is an exercise physiologist at VCU Community Memorial Hospital. Christian is a special education teacher at Mecklenburg (Virginia) High School. The couple live in South Hill.

ELIZABETH BLEUTGE ’21 and BENJAMIN LAMBERT ’19 were married April 15, 2023, at Kalero Vineyard in Purcellville, Virginia.

The couple report that it was a beautiful day and celebration, where they were surrounded by wonderful family and friends—and lucky enough to end the day with a double rainbow. The couple say they’re thankful that Longwood brought them together. Bleutge, who was an elementary education and teaching major, teaches kindergarten for Loudoun County Public Schools. Lambert, who earned a degree in criminal justice with minors in homeland security and political science, is in a new position with CACI International, Inc., a leading provider of expertise and technology to defense, intelligence and civilian customers.

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Sarina Hartman Holder ’16 joined Longwood’s Cormier Honors College (CHC) as senior director. Her previous experience as a Longwood honors student and as the university’s director of admissions provided strong experience for her to take on this role. She earned a biology degree at Longwood.

Dustyn Hall ’18 is the new associate director of content and social media in Longwood’s Office of Marketing, Communications and Engagement. Earlier this year, Hall completed four years as a Longwood staff member, most recently serving as the director of affinity giving and communications in the Office of Institutional Advancement. His degree from Longwood is in English.

2020s

Jamal Allen ’21 is currently employed with Major League Baseball as an umpire in the league’s development program. “He’s doing an outstanding job, and we are glad to have him on our staff,” said Dusty Dellenger, senior manager of umpire development for MLB. “Longwood should be proud!” Allen, whose Longwood degree is in criminology and criminal justice, has had his sights set on becoming an umpire for some time, inspired by watching his father make the calls for amateur games when he was growing up.

Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez ’21, former professional tennis player and coach at Longwood, has now made a splash in the world of professional pickleball. In his first Association of Pickleball Players (APP) tour event in 2023, he earned the silver med-

al in men’s pro singles, and, as of September 2023, APP ranked him No. 3 in that same category. In addition, Performance Pickleball RVA (PPBRVA), a top pickleball facility in Richmond, selected Medina Alvarez to headline its team as he competes in the rapidly growing sport. Medina Alvarez, who is sponsored by Pello, a maker of pickleball paddles, will also provide clinical and individual instruction at PPBRVA. A business administration major at Longwood, he is the co-author of Results Generate Results: Sports Data & Agility, Tennis and Pickleball, published in December 2022.

Andrea Johnson, educational leadership endorsement ’22, Virginia’s 2020 Teacher of the Year, was promoted to assistant principal at Andrew Lewis Middle School in Salem, Virginia. She previously taught English at Andrew Lewis and at Salem High School, and she has served as an instructional coach for her peers. “Middle school presents meaningful opportunities to guide students as they begin exploring their unique talents and academic interests,” Johnson told the Salem Times-Register, “and I am excited to be part of a supportive environment for learning and growing during such an important time in their lives.”

Garria Yuille, M.S. ’23 (educational leadership), is an assistant principal at Lancaster Elementary School in Kilmarnock, Virginia. “As an African-American educator, I believe social justice needs to be a topic of discussion in our schools. If not in our schools, then where?” she said. “Our differences are what make us unique. Every child deserves an equitable education and support no matter what it takes.”

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Lancers in the House

The Joan Perry Brock Center hosted its inaugural basketball games during the university’s first Homecoming and Alumni Weekend in November. The crowd got loud, and the men’s and women’s teams were shooting hot—both winning decisively. But that’s only part of the Homecoming story. Get a sense of the full event starting on Page 6.