Roanoke College Magazine, Issue 1, 2020

ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE ISSUE ONE 2020

Table of Contents

5 DEPARTMENTS 2

PRESIDENT’S PEN BOARD OF TRUSTEES

3

SNAPSHOTS

4

WE HEARD FROM YOU...

5

COLLEGE NEWS • Monica Lewinsky advocates for “clicking with compassion” • Roanoke to launch new engineering science major • In the face of pandemic

22 GIVING • Endowed class gifts • New leadership for the Society of 1842 24 ALUMNI NEWS • Class Notes, Weddings, Families • In Memoriam • Alumni Association News 34 MAROON MUSINGS “Cowgirl Ann” 35 COLLEGE ARCHIVES The “Other” Seventies 36 RELIC

AT LEFT: The Kicking Post — 100 years old and a symbolic good luck charm on campus since the 1970s — is framed beautifully, on a serene campus, by early spring blossoms.

Photo by Carissa Szuch Divant.

FEATURES

10

10 “Holmes” Dr. Todd Peppers has spent nearly six years writing a one-act, one-man play about the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

BY ALEX McCART HY

16 Reality Can Bite Two Roanoke College alumnae, both writers, lightheartedly and honestly discuss what happens when someone purchases one’s written work for a movie or TV show.

BY BET H JOJAC K

20 About Us Dr. Liz Ackley and the organization she founded have worked to improve community health inequities in the Roanoke Valley. Now, that work is garnering national attention.

BY S HARON NANZ ’ 0 9

20

ON THE COVER: The iconic, 10-foot Rock is one of the most debated objects of tradition at Roanoke College. It is most often used as a source of advertisement for upcoming events and, at rare times, is painted to reflect the mood on campus. Today, the Rock is covered in “Resilience,” “Persistence,” “Courage” and “Compassion” — words that, in this moment, reflect who we are, and how we feel. Photo by Sam Dean.

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PRESIDENT’S PEN

Roanoke College Magazine

W

e have shared the understandable and unrelenting waves of angst and worry as we grappled, in recent months, with the campus-wide impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But I have been encouraged by the many thankful, hopeful words from members of the College community, shared through email, social media and, socially-distanced, in person.

I invite you to read the message below that Claudia Jacobs, a member of the Class of 2020, shared shortly after we announced on March 20 that classes would not resume for the remainder of the spring semester.

“

“Today, I received the long-anticipated news that I will not be returning to campus to finish my senior year. But today, I have never been prouder to be a Maroon.

It’s a blessing to have something to miss this much.

I am proud to be a Maroon.

”

— Claudia Jacobs ’20

Roanoke College’s faculty and administration are the most dedicated and considerate group of individuals. They have come together in these uncertain times to display the level of resilience and patience that we all should try and emulate.

I know without a doubt that I made the right decision four years ago when I chose to attend Roanoke College. How lucky are we to have an administration that cares this much and professors who are working this hard to still make our education possible? How lucky am I to actually want to go back to school and sit in lectures and be with my friends?

It’s a blessing to have something to miss this much. I am proud to be a Maroon.”

I am confident we will conquer the challenges that lie ahead. My confidence comes because I know one of the most important things we make sure we impart to our students is the ability to care for one another and to remain resolute. Claudia’s words genuinely reflect that.

It is a discouraging time, in many ways, but we will overcome through persistence and resilience. The lessons we learn will carry us well in life and serve us well now.

Go Maroons!

Editor Leslie Taylor Contributing Editors Teresa Gereaux ’87 Alex McCarthy Archives Linda Miller Dr. Mark Miller Contributors Karen Doss Bowman James France Rebecca Marsh ’21 Alex McCarthy Sharon Nanz ’09 Photography Richard Boyd Sam Dean Carissa Szuch Divant Keegan Divant Ashley Eagleson ’20 Mariyana McAgy ’20 Marisa Seager ’23 Illustration Jade Bryan ’22 Design & Production Mikula-Harris Printing Bison Printing

Executive Director Melanie Tolan of Marketing and Communications

Roanoke College does not discriminate against students, employees or applicants on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, national or ethnic origin, disability or veteran status.

Roanoke College Magazine is published twice a year by the Office of Marketing and Communications for alumni, students, parents, staff and friends of Roanoke College. Editorial rights are reserved.

Questions, comments and corrections may be sent to: Magazine Editor Roanoke College Office of Marketing and Communications 221 College Lane Salem, VA 24153-3794 rcmagazine@roanoke.edu

Michael Creed Maxey

2019 – 2020 | board of trustees Mr. Malon W. Courts ’92, chair Ms. Kathryn Snell Harkness ’73, vice chair Mr. James S. Frantz, Jr., secretary Mr. David B. Mowen, treasurer Mr. Michael C. Maxey, president of the College Mr. Kenneth J. Belton, Sr. ’81 Mr. Kirk Howard Betts Dr. Paris D. Butler, MPH ’00 Ms. Pamela L. Cabalka ’76 Dr. M. Paul Capp ’52 Mr. Joseph H. Carpenter, IV ’99 Ms. Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo ’78

Mr. W. Morgan Churchman ’65 Ms. Danae Psilopoulos Foley ’92 The Reverend Dr. Rick J. Goeres Mr. David L. Guy ’75 Mr. Michael P. Haley ’73 Ms. Judith B. Hall ’69 Mr. Richard S. Hathaway ’73 Ms. Peggy Fintel Horn ’78 The Reverend Robert F. Humphrey Mr. John E. Lang ’73 Mr. Patrick R. Leardo Mr. Michael A. Martino ’79 Ms. Nancy B. Mulheren ’72

2 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE ONE 2020

Mr. Timothy J. O’Donnell Mr. Roger A. Petersen ’81 Mr. J. Tyler Pugh ’70 Ms. Margaret Lynn Jacobs Reichenbach The Reverend Dr. Theodore F. Schneider ’56 Mr. Thomas A. Stevens ’90 Mr. Andrew K. Teeter ’71 Dr. Patrice M. Weiss Ms. Helen Twohy Whittemore ’80 Clifton Ray and Maureen Daisey (Ex-officio, Co-Chairs of the Parent Leadership Council)

221 College Lane | Salem, VA 24153-3794 | www.roanoke.edu

College Switchboard ....................................(540) 375-2500 Admissions Local .........................................(540) 375-2270 Admissions Toll-free......................................(800) 388-2276 Alumni/Parent Relations................................(540) 375-2238 Alumni E-mail .......................................alumni@roanoke.edu Church Relations ..........................................(540) 375-4958 Colket Center ...............................................(540) 378-5125 Intercollegiate Athletics .................................(540) 375-2338 Olin Box Office..............................................(540) 375-2333 © 2020 Roanoke College. All rights reserved.

Roanoke College and associated logos are trademarks of Roanoke College.

snapshots Students enjoyed games, music and creative fun at Paint Night, held Feb. 12 in the Colket Center. (top left, continuing clockwise). • Senn Boswell ’20 shakes the hand of author and Washington Post columnist David Ignatius (seated), whose lecture “Can We Talk? Civil Discourse and Democracy,” was presented on Feb. 19. • Selfie from Tess Weidenkopf ’22, who helped spearhead Maroons Make Masks, a College drive to sew and donate cloth masks for health care workers. • Rooney gets a “thumbs up” from President Mike Maxey and Dr. Richard Smith, vice president and dean of the College, at the Conferral of Degrees ceremony, held May 2 via Facebook Live. (Full commencement to be held on future date.) • Students, faculty and staff donned period attire for “Suffragette Selfies” at “Equalitea,” on Feb. 21, celebrating 100 years of women gaining the right to vote.

Roanoke Community is beyond words. Not only did she lose her spring semester, but she had an on-campus job with Campus Safety and was planning to work and live on campus through the summer.

WE HEARD FROM YOU LE T T ERS, NO TES, TWEE T S A N D POST S

Together we watched your Facebook Live Q&A (with a box of tissues between us).

It warmed my heart to hear your sincerity and concern for the students particularly the seniors and those students who remain on campus.

Our family thanks you, Mrs. Maxey and your senior team members for the long days, sleepless nights and care you have shown the community of Maroons.

Maureen Pearson

COVID-19 RESPONSE Dear President Maxey, It is in times like these that true leaders emerge, and though you don’t work in a vacuum, you are, and have been, a great example of the character of greatness that enables high-quality leadership.

Leadership is about standing up to be counted as a wayshower in times of significant discord, large social changes, or unpopular decision-making. I think, my good sir, that you are leading the RC community through all three at once. The opportunity for greatness has been thrust upon you, and you have stepped up where others would falter.

The situation is probably at once perhaps both fascinating from the theoretical view, and terrifying from the practical view. I can appreciate your probable sleepless nights and anxiety over the personal dramas that are unfolding: sleeplessness and anxiety are because you own the problem and its resolution, and ownership is a great component of leadership.

I am grateful that it is you at the helm, and that it is your leadership guiding us through.

May you be supported by those around you as we persevere through this trial.

Thank you sir, for we are lucky to have you!

Ryk Hall ‘88

When the leading health minds are uniform in their guidance, the College’s hands are tied. I’m heartsick for seniors, I really am. I think it would be awesome to hold Commencement the first weekend of classes in August when the college could rally the whole student body to join the crowd on the quad and cheer their heads off for each graduate.

Our daughter, Erin, is a sophomore. To say she was devastated to leave campus is an understatement. Her fondness for her

Secretary Fowler sent me a wonderful handwritten note thanking me. He said that he had never received any notes from any students during his time as a member of the Board of Trustees.

Sadly, I no longer have this letter. We have lived in many countries, and we now live in Germany. Somehow that letter was lost, but it will always be a wonderful memory!

Thank you.

Cristina Brescia Michta ’74

BEHIND THE SHOOT

As an incoming freshman mom (class 2024), I am heartened to follow Roanoke through this crisis. As a family we are completely reassured that our son made the right decision in choosing this wonderful college, which is strongly led by its president. Very excited for September.

Kay Edwards

ISSUE 2, 2019 Kudos from Susan and me on the latest magazine. This is the first issue in my memory that focuses exclusively on student and alumni achievement — the real mission of RC. It was a most enjoyable read.

You deserve to take great pride in the elegant way you have told the story of RC through the lens of those whom the college serves.

Dr. David Gring (ninth president of Roanoke College)

During this difficult time of a global pandemic, I want to express my appreciation for your leadership of Roanoke College.

I served as secretary of the Roanoke College student government in 1973-7.

As secretary, I decided to send Christmas cards to each member of the Board of Trustees. I don’t think this had ever been done before but I decided it would be a nice gesture.

Scott Segerstrom ’02

Congratulations on a job well done.

President Maxey,

Thank you for the wonderful [historic photo of] the late Secretary Henry Fowler.

We are so pleased with the article on Deaf Dogs Rock in the RC Magazine. It is one of the best short summaries we have seen of our work yet!

Dr. Chris Lee

Chelsea Marcombe ’21 adds finishing touches on the iconic Rock, painted to reflect sentiments of the Roanoke College community. Dionne-Louise Liberia ’20 and Alexandra Gautier ’20 joined Marcombe for a Rock-painting session on March 26.

CORRECTION The list of contributing photographers in Issue 2, 2019 omitted the name of student photographer Mariyana McAgy ’20.

We want to hear from you! Roanoke magazine welcomes letters and emails about what you read in this publication. Mail letters to: Magazine Editor, Department of Public Relations, Roanoke College, 221 College Lane, Salem, VA 24153, or send an email to: rcmagazine@roanoke.edu. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and may be edited for content.

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collegenews Monica Lewinsky told members of the College community that she is “taking back my narrative.”

IN T H E S P O T L IG H T

“

We need a cultural revolution, a shift, a return to compassion and empathy.

”

— Monica Lewinsky

Lewinsky calls for shi in social media culture FORMER WHITE HOUSE INTERN Monica Lewinsky advocates for a cultural revolution to counter what she refers to as an online “culture of humiliation.”

“With every click we make a choice,” Lewinsky told a crowd of 800 students, faculty and staff, assembled Feb. 4 in the Roanoke College Cregger Center. Too often “we lose the ability to comment with humanity. We’re pushed to judge, enabled by technology.”

“We need a cultural revolution, a shift, a return to compassion and empathy,” she said. “Shame cannot survive empathy.”

If she has a platform, it is this: “Click with compassion.”

In 1998, President Bill Clinton admitted to having had what he called an “inappropriate relationship” with Lewinsky while she worked at the White House in 1995-1996. The acknowledgment led to Clinton’s impeachment by the House of Representatives (and acquittal by the Senate) and a scandal that continues to serve as a reference point for American politics.

Overnight, “I was in the eye of a media maelstrom,” Lewinsky said.

Twenty-four years later, with impeachment of President Donald Trump, Lewinsky said she is “now back in the news cycle.”

She largely kept discussion of the current political climate out of her presentation at the College, noting that “’impeachment,’ has become a trigger word for me.”

But she is moving forward, reclaiming her life and “taking

back my narrative.” She is co-producing a documentary called “15 Minutes of Shame” for HBO Max, and is producing FX’s “Impeachment: American Crime Story.” In 2015, she broke her public silence with a TED Talk, “The Price of Shame.”

“I was publicly silent for a decade; now no one can get me to shut up,” she quipped during her presentation at Roanoke.

Lewinsky’s visit to Roanoke College was sponsored by the Turk Pre-Law program, as part of the College’s examination of civil discourse and democracy.

Lewinsky said after being publicly silent for a decade, “now no one can get me to shut up.”

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collegenews NEW MA JOR

Engineering science major to debut in fall

ROANOKE COLLEGE PLANS TO LAUNCH an engineering science major this fall, pending approval of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The new engineering science major fits in well with trending interest in STEM disciplines. The U.S. Board of Labor Statistics shows that STEM career occupations are expected to grow at a higher rate than other occupations in the next decade. Students who major in engineering science will be prepared

RCMediaBytes

for careers in fields such as ballistics, electrical and computer engineering, materials analysis and testing, information science, data analytics and audio design and production.

Roanoke College currently offers a dual-degree program in engineering, in which students can earn a B.S. in physics or mathematics at Roanoke College, while also obtaining a B.S. in engineering from Virginia Tech. If approved by SACSCC, future students interested in engineering will be able to earn an engineering degree from Roanoke College versus the dual-degree option.

The new major considers engineering science to be closely aligned with the liberal arts, combining mathematical sciences, and social and natural sciences, along with the humanities. The planned engineering science program also combines the core science and engineering courses with the College’s Intellectual Inquiry core curriculum, rooted in critical thinking, oral presentation and written communication.

“With Roanoke College’s strong liberal arts tradition supplementing the engineering science coursework, potential majors will have a clear understanding of how historical, sociological and psychological facets impact the engineering field,” said Dr. Matt Fleenor, professor of physics. “The future engineering science major will draw on the strong coursework already present in the Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics department, with focus areas in materials, robotics and mechanics.”

The planned engineering science major will be offered as B.S. and B.A. degrees. The B.S. program will emphasize the balance between applied design and underlying scientific principles. The accompanying B.A. program will be best paired with other programs on campus that supplement and support engineering disciplines such as chemistry and environmental studies.

R O A N O K E C O L L E G E I N T H E N E WS

Roanoke College chef films cooking videos, shares campus favorites with students at home — WSLS 10, April 21, 2020

For students, college campus can be their home away from home, which is why one local campus chef is still finding ways to feed comforting campus favorites to those missing them during the pandemic. Matt Phillips is Roanoke College’s executive chef. From overseeing 3,500 meals a day to now just 30, Phillips’ new schedule allows him time to create cooking videos for students. He’s been sharing recipes by request and has received a lot of good feedback. Students like Jordyn Thompson say these videos serve more than the just the stomach. “Even though it’s cooking videos,” Thompson said, “He’s reaching out to let us know, ‘Hey look! You can cook; you’ll make it through this. We’re all gonna make it through it.’” (See Chef Matt at https://vimeo.com/407200206.)

Roanoke College intern aiding Bradley Free Clinic — WXFR TV, April 15, 2020

Bradley Free Clinic in Roanoke usually operates with around 20 employees at its clinic. Currently, with the COVID-19 pandemic and “stay-at-home” order, it has been operating with just eight people on-site. Last August, Roanoke College and the Bradley Free Clinic started a Medical scribe program to help medical students get hands-on experience. For Caitlin Sharkey, this internship is everything she wanted with hands-on learning. “This is me being able to help people, this is what I’ve always wanted to do and now I actually have an opportunity to do it.”

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Roanoke College donates goggles to Carilion — WXFR TV, March 30, 2020

During the coronavirus pandemic, personal protective equipment for medical professionals has been running thin. Now, there are new goggles being used at Carilion Clinic thanks to a donation from the Roanoke College chemistry department.

Dr. Tim Johann, associate professor of chemistry, says Carilion has been a big partner for them to help prepare students for careers in health care. So when they were contacted by the emergency department and asked for goggles he says they went to work to make it happen. The chemistry department gathered 60 pairs to give to Carilion.

WELL R E A D

H E A D C OACH NAME D

F A C U LT Y B O O K S

Roanoke adds wrestling to athletic programs

“The Laywoman Project: Remaking Catholic Womanhood in the Vatican II Era.”

by Dr. Mary Henold, John R. Turbyfill Professor of History Publisher: University of North Carolina Press Overview: Henold’s work explores the communities of “highly active, largely nonfeminist” Catholic laywomen in the years during and after the pivotal Vatican II Council of the early 1960s — an era that also saw the American feminist revolution ramping up. “Henold gracefully demonstrates how laywomen — a population whose national presence and sheer size alone make them deserving of study — negotiated the dual transformations unleashed by the Second Vatican Council and the women’s rights movement,” wrote Thomas F. Rzeznik, Ph.D., a historian of American religion at Seton Hall University.

“Racial Battle Fatigue in Faculty: Perspectives and Lessons from Higher Education”

by Dr. Daisy Ball, assistant professor of public affairs and coordinator of Roanoke’s criminal justice program, and Dr. Nicholas D. Hartlep, Robert Charles Billings Endowed Chair in Education at Berea College.

Publisher: Routledge Press Overview: This book examines the challenges faced by diverse faculty members in colleges and universities. “While access to positions in higher education for faculty of color have increased over the decades…conditions related to campus climate often remain difficult at best, particularly in white majority-dominated institutions,” writes reviewer Warren J. Blumenfeld, Ed.D., lecturer for the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts. “Hartlep and Ball have assembled a veritable gift box filled with an impressive, diverse group of educatorscholars who discuss, from their particular and personal positions as racially minoritized faculty, conditions, stresses and campus climates working within these institutions.”

first-ever NCAA finalist in any sport.

ROANOKE COLLEGE in January Yetzer’s 2017 team won the NCAA announced the addition of East Regional; he was named NCAA wrestling as the College’s 22nd East Region Coach of the Year.

NCAA Division III-sponsored Yetzer’s coaching career includes athletic program. six years as an assistant coach for The Maroons will begin compethe Virginia Tech wrestling program tition in the fall of 2021. and one year as an assistant coach “We’re pleased to add wrestling at Binghamton University in Vestal, to our listing of men’s intercolleNew York. giate athletic offerings,” said Scott “I’m very excited about the opporAllison ’79, director of athletics.

Nate Yetzer has been hired as tunity to start another program here “We think we can build a quality head wrestling coach. at Roanoke College,” Yetzer said. “It NCAA Division III wrestling prois easy to see why Roanoke College is consisgram, one that can show evidence of success on tently among the top teams in the ODAC across the mat and in the classroom. We couldn’t be all sports. It is great to see that Roanoke is going more excited for the challenges that lie ahead.” to be invested in this program with expectations Heading the program will be Nate Yetzer, who to be successful in the classroom and on the mat.” has served as Ferrum College’s head wrestling Yetzer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in coach since 2012. In March, he was hired to serve Business Administration from Edinboro University as the first head wrestling coach at Roanoke. and a Master of Arts degree in Health Promotions “We’re fortunate to have Nate Yetzer lead our from Virginia Tech. wrestling program,” Allison said. “His ability to While wrestling is not currently a sponsored build a program is proven. The energy he brings sport by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, to the table is off the charts.”

Roanoke joins Ferrum, Emory & Henry College, In the last eight years at the helm of the Shenandoah University, and Washington and Ferrum program, Yetzer has sent 13 individuals Lee University as ODAC schools that sponsor to the NCAA Div. III Wrestling National Champithe sport. onships. Four wrestlers have earned All-America honors under his leadership, one of them Ferrum’s C O N S E RVATION

College earns Tree Campus USA honor THE ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION announced in February that Roanoke College has received 2019 Tree Campus USA recognition.

The program honors colleges and universities, and their leaders, for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.

To obtain this distinction, Roanoke College has met the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus USA: establishment of a tree advisory committee; evidence of a campus tree-care plan; dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program; an Arbor Day observance; and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects.

The original proposal for Tree Campus USA recognition, and research required to obtain recognition, began several years ago as a senior research project of Owen Foster ’19. Foster formed a tree advisory committee and oversaw project work that included developing a project outline, and working with the Virginia Department of Forestry and the College’s Building and Grounds department.

After Foster graduated, Madeleine Youngman ’21 assumed leadership of committee work, with vital assistance from Dennis McCarthy, a forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry.

“Without him, none of this would be possible,” Youngman said.

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collegenews he Roanoke College community has been on board an undeniably emotional rollercoaster, along with the entire nation, as we’ve watched confirmed cases of COVID-19 surge throughout the United States.

With six students in isolation — one of whom had been tested (negative, thankfully) for the virus — the College sought ways to temper alarm and distress, all the while emphasizing the hard truth of necessary action in what has become the new, “not-so” normal.

Students were asked to return home, initially for three weeks.

In-person classes were canceled, replaced with remote instruction.

All NCAA Division III athletics-related activities were suspended. Dining Services continued to serve meals in the Commons dining hall, initially on a dine-in basis, then, as the number of students, faculty and staff on campus declined, takeout only.

Students pleaded, even petitioned, that the College proceed with long-scheduled plans to hold Commencement on May 2. But on March 20, the College, offering some solace, announced that Commencement would not be canceled, but postponed. Then, this jarring announcement: that in-person courses would not resume for the remainder of the semester.

That afternoon, College President Michael C. Maxey and several Cabinet members took to Facebook Live to answer questions from students, faculty, parents, alumni and staff, addressing concerns in the same way they had during a question-and-answer session on the Back Quad with students, faculty and staff the week before.

Questions poured in from the estimated 500 people watching the live stream. How will I receive my diploma? What about our international students? Can seniors take photos on campus? What should we do about our belongings on campus? Can you tell students about the importance of staying home? How are the Maxeys doing?

As the president and members of Cabinet offered thoughtful, thorough responses during the nearly hour-long, live Q&A, comments from students, alumni, parents and other members of the College community filled the College’s Facebook page.

A parent remarked how she was “happier than ever that my daughter chose Roanoke. Thank you for true leadership.” Said another: “As a Maroon Mom, we all have concerns and appreciate your help!”

One student remarked how she felt “appreciated during this tough time.” “So much love for this school and community,” said another.

Mitch Beavers ’09 commended College administrators for providing clarity through such an open medium.

“This incredibly public forum with top leadership of the college answering questions is amazing,” he wrote. “They obviously can’t answer every question, but this amount of transparency is very impressive.”

Transparency. Anything less would run counter to the College’s purpose and principles.

On March 17, in a letter to the College community, President Maxey wrote of his appreciation for sacrifice. He wrote how every member of this community has made the sacrifices necessary to weather these troublesome, fragile times.

“Sacrifice, simply put, is giving up something of value to get something even more valuable in the future. Real sacrifice comes at a cost; it might hurt, might induce discomfort, might provoke unease. It is a necessity at this moment,” Maxey wrote.

“You should be proud of how the College community has answered the call to act in the face of the worldwide threat posed by COVID-19…

We know the process has not been perfect; we will always have bumps in the road. But the more we can come together, be good to one another, and make what sacrifices are necessary, the greater the result.”

“I know Roanoke College will prevail.”

T

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In Challenging Times

By Leslie Taylor

A student raises his hand at a question and answer session with President Maxey and Cabinet members, held on the Back Quad on March 11, the day the College announced classes would move to remote instruction. Students had to depart campus by March 15. Photo by Carissa Szuch Divant

Dr. Todd Peppers, Roanoke College professor who wrote a one-man, one-act play about Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., one of the most widely cited U.S. Supreme Court justices. Photo of Holmes courtesy of the Library of Congress. Photo of Peppers by Richard Boyd.

BY

A L E X

M c C A R T H Y

Channeling theGreat “ Dissenter” HOW THE LATE U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, JR. BROUGHT A ROANOKE COLLEGE PROFESSOR THROUGH A DIFFICULT PERIOD. THE RESULT IS A ONE-ACT, ONE-MAN PLAY ABOUT JUSTICE HOLMES, TITLED, SIMPLY, “HOLMES.” r. Todd Peppers and his oldest child, Charles, walked through Arlington National Cemetery, looking for one gravestone among the thousands.

They found it in Section 5 of the massive cemetery. Grave 7004 is unmistakable, with “HOLMES” carved deeply into the granite. Peppers walked up to the gravestone and ran his hand over the rough granite top.

Then he patted it gently.

Peppers has never met the two people buried beneath the headstone — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. and his wife Fanny — who died nearly 100 years ago. But Peppers felt close to them and was trying to get a little closer as he ran his hand over the stone.

Holmes outlived his wife, Fanny, and would often come to this very gravestone and visit his wife. He’d run his hand over the top of the stone and then pat it gently.

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More than 80 years after Holmes’ death, here Peppers was, performing the same routine. He had no notions about a spiritual experience, but wanted to see what Holmes saw and feel what he felt.

“You try to do things that put you in the same place,” Peppers said.

Peppers, Henry H. & Trudye H. Fowler Professor in Public Affairs at Roanoke College, has spent nearly six years writing a one-man play about Holmes’ life.

Experiences like the day at Arlington have helped shape it. The play, which is set to be performed on the floor of the Supreme Court, presented many challenges

“I told my dad, who was an academic, that in some ways this play is an advertisement for a liberal arts education.”

— Dr. Todd Peppers for Peppers. He’s never written a play, and writing an hour and a half of monologue for a man long deceased is another one of the difficulties of this process.

“You’re trying to channel the dead,” Peppers said.

Sorting through The project began in darkness.

Six years ago, Peppers’ mother was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), and Peppers was having trouble sleeping. He searched for ways to keep his mind occupied in the wee hours and found solace in a vast collection of literature on Holmes.

Peppers has long been fascinated with Holmes, who served on the Supreme Court from 1902-1932 and has become one of the most widely cited and researched judges in the court’s history.

Over the years, Peppers has collected articles, books and collections of Holmes’ letters. Several of his students have helped him gather these documents, he said. Years ago, he and a student research assistant went up to Harvard Law School and sorted through Holmes’ personal papers. The research from that trip helped inform multiple articles, even this play, Peppers said.

Peppers’ work on the play underscores the importance of being well-rounded and learning a variety of skills, he said.

“I told my dad, who was an academic, that in some ways this play is an advertisement for a liberal arts education,” Peppers said. “When I was an undergraduate at Washington and Lee, I took classes in history, literature, and creative writing. I was a philosophy major who did theater. And then I went to law school. All of these experiences contributed to writing a play.”

Though he started reading through these documents as a late-night task to ease his mind, Peppers 12 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE ONE 2020

began recognizing patterns in Holmes’ writing. Peppers took out a pen and started picking out frequent topics and phrases.

“At some point, I don’t know when, suddenly an idea of writing about what I was marking up came to me,” Peppers said. “And I thought, ‘Maybe a play.’”

But he’d never written a play. Peppers has written books and articles, but never a play. He envisioned a one-person play, and he started buying and studying one-person plays about historical figures: “The Belle of Amherst” about Emily Dickinson, “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry” about Harry Truman, and others.

Peppers had an enormous amount of material to sort through when it came to Holmes. Holmes’ distinctive sense of humor and way of speaking have made him a popular figure for historians and legal experts to dissect. Clare Cushman, resident historian for the Supreme Court Historical Society, said Holmes stands out in the court’s history.

“Holmes is one of the wittiest and best writers ever to have sat on the court,” Cushman said. “That man never turned a phrase that was mundane or cliché.”

As Peppers noticed more and more of these Holmesisms, he began collecting them. He compiled a Holmes glossary, including phrases such as “taking a whack at life,” which pops up a few times in the play.

But to form a story and make deeper observations about Holmes’ life, Peppers had to fill in some gaps. He had to read between the lines a bit. Having published academic books, essays and studies, Peppers was used to fact-checking every claim and every reference. This was a new experience.

“When you’re a social scientist or a legal scholar, you’re very careful,” Peppers said. “Every source is documented and checked and double-checked. This play is historical fiction. Eighty, 85 percent of it is completely accurate. Much of the words are Holmes’ himself, from the letters, but 15 to 20 percent of it is what I call ‘informed speculation.’ Some of the most intimate things, you’re guessing at.”

Those private matters included, principally, the impact that Holmes’ experience in the Civil War had on his life. That would eventually form the backbone of the play, but Peppers wanted to consult a few others.

When Peppers approached Cushman with a draft of his one-man Holmes play, Cushman could barely contain her elation. The two of them had worked together on essays and articles in the past, Cushman said, and she’d come to respect Peppers’ expertise, particularly when it came to Supreme Court clerks.

Cushman has read a few plays regarding Supreme Court justices, including plays about Thurgood Marshall and lesser-known former Chief Justice Edward Douglass White. She read through Peppers’ draft and saw in it, great potential.

This being Peppers’ first attempt at playwriting, he and Cushman thought the script could use some pol-

ishing. Cushman referred Peppers to Mary Hall Surface, an accomplished playwright, director and dramaturg in Washington, D.C. Peppers liked the idea, but wondered about the actual function of a dramaturg. Essentially, he learned, it was a consultant and editor for a play.

Cushman initially figured Surface was too busy to work as the dramaturg for this play, but thought she could refer Peppers to someone else who could give Peppers pointers about how to turn his potential-laden script into something more entertaining and accessible for audiences.

Then Surface read the play.

“When I got it and I read it, I thought, ‘This is fascinating material,’” Surface said. “So I decided, why not start a conversation with Todd myself?”

Surface started talking with Peppers in 2018. They set to work turning the script into a piece of theater with a more dramatic structure.

“When it came to me, it was filled with wonderful material, extraordinary research,” Surface said. “Holmes’ language is so rich and evocative and filled with images, and he spins a good yarn and has some great one-liners so there was fantastic material.”

Particularly, Surface wanted to see more conflict in the play. She talked to Peppers about an approach called “the spider under the table.” As Peppers explained, everyone has “spiders,” little bits of conflict in their life that usually remain out of view. Then, an event brings that “spider” out into the open, and the character has to confront that conflict.

In the case of “Holmes,” the titular character keeps his Civil War experiences and the loss of his wife hidden away. Then, on his 90th birthday, Holmes is asked to give a radio address to the nation (which actually did happen, on March 8, 1931). As he considers what to say to the country, Holmes wades through his guilt, grief and trauma. The speech brought out the “spider” of the war into view; the audience will see how Holmes grapples with it.

Peppers said that Dr. Richard Smith, vice president and dean of Roanoke College, was extremely helpful and supportive of the project. Smith approved of Peppers using funds from Peppers’ endowed chair status at the College to hire Surface. Endowed chair funds are offered to professors outside their salary to assist with research and other academic endeavors.

“It’s because of the endowed chair that I was able to write the play, avail myself of help from some talented professionals, and push it over the top,” Peppers said.

For much of the play, Holmes is reflecting on dealing with loss in his own life, whether the death of his wife, Fanny, or the loss of his Civil War brothers-in-arms.

“Certainly there was loss and sorrow in my own life at the time I started the play,” Peppers said. “I do think that it made me more sensitive to the losses in Holmes’ own life.”

But he has become more aware of another issue that forms the spine of the play — survivor’s guilt.

The idea of survivor’s guilt did not enter the mainstream until the 1960s, when therapists saw similar feelings of remorse in Holocaust survivors. It has since

“When [the play] came to me, it was filled with wonderful material, extraordinary research,” Holmes’ language is so rich and evocative and filled with images...so there was fantastic material.”

— Mary Hall Surface, playwright, director and dramaturg been recognized in survivors of war, major disasters or even car crashes, where those who live feel guilty for surviving while others have not.

Holmes enlisted and fought in the 20th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, also known as the Harvard Infantry, in the Civil War, suffering three wounds but recovering from them and outliving many of

A timely message Though the play is deeply rooted in the life of a man who died in 1935, its topics have resonated with Peppers.

His late-night research on Holmes began in the wake of his mother’s ALS diagnosis. He continued his reading and research as his grandmother died in December 2015 and as his mother died three months later.

Holmes as a young Army officer. Much of the play focuses on Holmes’ wartime experiences.

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his comrades. At the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, he was shot just above the heart. At the Battle of Antietam — the bloodiest day in American military history — Holmes was shot through the neck and watched as Confederates advanced past him and then were repulsed. At the Battle of Chancellorsville, Holmes was shot in the foot.

After his three-year enlistment ended in 1864, Holmes chose to go home to Boston instead of re-enlisting.

“Was I a coward?” Holmes asks himself in the play. “My fallen brothers, do you forgive me? Do I forgive myself?”

Peppers said many historians have theorized about the effect the war had on Holmes, but it’s hard to find

“It was so fabulous. The parts that were funny, were funny.

The parts that were poignant, people were weeping.”

— Clare Cushman, resident historian for the Supreme Court Historical Society hard evidence of that. Holmes only spoke sparingly about the war, but some of his actions hint at his deep emotional attachment to the conflict. In his letters, Peppers said, Holmes wrote that he couldn’t bear to read anything about the war. And late in his life, Holmes was seen weeping when someone read a poem titled “The Old Sergeant,” about a Civil War soldier.

Peppers said that instance in particular stood out to him.

“If you’re in your early 90s and it’s still that fresh for you, that signals to me that one, you’ve been scarred, but two, you have a heart,” Peppers said.

As he was writing the play and analyzing Holmes’ wartime experience, Peppers had a few real-life interactions that underscored the idea of survivor’s guilt and war-related trauma.

Peppers was talking about the play over lunch with one of his former professors. The 94-year-old listened as Peppers mused about how remarkable it was that Holmes was still affected by the war into his 90s. The professor, who fought in Europe in World War II, said something that stuck with Peppers.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever recovered,” the former professor said.

Peppers had a similar conversation with a former student. The student, who was a much more recent veteran, was also struggling with the aftereffects of experiencing combat up close. Seeing these two men so affected, at such different times in their lives, got Peppers thinking.

“There are the two bookends of my former student in his late 20s still having nightmares, and my 94-year-old former professor sort of musing out loud that he may still be scarred and suffering from it,” Peppers said.

“Maybe there’s a timely message in that, as we have a 14 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE ONE 2020

new wave of young people who have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

He said he thought of the two men, particularly the younger one, as he was working on the most recent version of the play. It made him think about whether enough is being done for these soldiers who return from war.

A grand stage When the play was just about ready in August 2019, Surface and Cushman arranged for it to be read to members of the Supreme Court Historical Society.

Surface asked her husband, an actor named Kevin Reese, to read the play.

Cushman expected to enjoy it, but didn’t expect the words to resonate so deeply with the members of the historical society.

“It was so fabulous,” Cushman said. “The parts that were funny, were funny. The parts that were poignant, people were weeping. We realized that we had something quite special on our hands.”

At that point, the members of the historical society decided to push for something quite uncommon – for the play to be performed on the floor of the Supreme Court. Cushman said there have been plays and shows performed in conference rooms at the Supreme Court, but she’s almost certain a play has never happened on the actual floor of the courtroom.

Peppers, too, was astounded at how alive the words seemed when Reese read them.

“It was fascinating for me because I didn’t know what it was like to have a professional actor read the words that you wrote,” Peppers said. “At times, my mouth was hanging open because how he interpreted the words, the humor he found in the words really surprised me.”

Everyone at the reading was moved by Reese’s performance and excited at the prospect of him performing the role of Holmes before the Supreme Court.

Reese, who is 62, said it’s an interesting challenge to play a 90-year-old man and to deal with such heavy material for an hour and a half.

“That’s a King Lear, a Mount Everest kind of role,” Reese said.

The play was scheduled to take place in June, but with the U.S. Supreme Court closing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the performance has been postponed. Peppers said he hopes it goes on in the fall, but it’s still too early to tell when life will return to normal.

Cushman said confidently that the play will still be performed at the Supreme Court whenever it happens, and she hopes that won’t be the only performance.

“Todd did a fantastic job, and we hope this performance will lead to many, many more performances across the country, particularly in Boston where [Holmes] was from,” Cushman said, “because it deserves to have as wide an audience as possible.” RC

Turn of Phrase Holmes’ distinctive sense of humor and way of speaking have made him a popular figure for historians and legal experts to dissect. Dr. Todd Peppers, in conducting research for his play, “Holmes,” amassed quite a collection of these “Holmes-isms.” Below are a few examples.

“One would like to have a glimpse of the meaning…of the universe before one dies, but one who thinks as I do perceives that he has no right to make the demand, but should shut up and go under quietly like a good soldier.”

“The eternal effort of art, even the art of writing legal decisions, is to omit all but the essentials. “The point of contact” is the formula — the place where the boy got his fingers pinched. The rest of the machinery doesn’t matter.”

“We have enjoyed so much freedom for so long that perhaps we are in danger of forgetting that the Bill of Rights, which cost so much blood to establish, still is worth fighting for, and that no tittle of it should be abridged.”

“One of my greatest problems is to find available vices for old age.”

“Life is like an artichoke; each day, week, month, year, gives you one little bit which you nibble of — but precious little compared with what you throw away.”

“Rum business, this growing older. Nature withdraws here a raisin and there a plum from your pudding, until one doubts if anything is left but sodden dough.”

“A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and the time in which it is used.”

“I have said to my brethren many times that I hate justice, which means that I know if a man begins to talk about that, for one reason or another he is shirking thinking in legal terms.”

“It is revolting to have no better reason for a rule of law than that it was laid down in the time of Henry IV.” “I do despise making the most of one’s time.

Half the pleasure of life consists of the opportunities one has neglected.”

“Every calling is great when greatly pursued.”

A few truths from two alumnae writers.

16 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE ONE 2020

B Y B E T H J O J A C K • I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y J A D E B R YA N ’ 2 2

Reality can bite..

but also hold the promise of fame and fortune.

A

fter a Hollywood producer options an article, essay or book, the next step isn’t necessarily choosing between Anne Hathaway and Viola Davis for the starring role.

As two Roanoke College alumnae can attest, having someone purchase the rights to your work, doesn’t mean a movie or TV show will actually get made.

“To option something basically means, ‘We’d like to take your idea and make it into a different format,’” explains Tamara Duricka Johnson ’98, whose book “31 Dates in 31 Days” published in 2011. “It doesn’t even necessarily mean, ‘We’d like to make it into a different format.’ It might mean, ‘We’d like to have permission to possibly, maybe, someday, turn it into a different format, and it may or may not fully resemble your story.”

When Mandy Len Catron ’03 learned her 2015 essay-turned-viral-sensation “To Fall in Love with Anyone, Do This” had been optioned by a major Hollywood studio, she debated whether she should share the news on social media. She didn’t want her friends and family to get the wrong idea.

“It sounds like a big deal and it’s not, not a big deal, but it’s also like, a very tentative thing,” says Catron, whose well-received book, “How to Fall in Love with Anyone: A Memoir in Essays,” came out in 2017.

If it hadn’t been for a Google alert set for her name, Catron might have never learned her essay, which ran in The New York Times’ Modern Love column, was being used as inspiration for a potential Hollywood project.

The alert directed Catron to an article about director Malcolm D. Lee’s plans to develop a romantic ensemble comedy inspired by her piece.

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“It ’s definitely

kind of a cool feeling to see that something you’ve written has made an impact on popular culture.”

— M A N D Y L E N C AT R O N

She quickly got in touch with people at the newspaper, who hadn’t heard about the project either. They promised to get back in touch after they got to the bottom of things. Last summer, they let Catron know they’d sold the option for the essay.

“It’s just Universal Studios paying The New York Times to not let anyone else make the article into a movie for some period of time.

Usually, I think, it’s a year or two,” Catron explains. “If they do decide to make a movie, then they’ll have to buy a full article rights from The New York Times.”

After agents take their cut, Catron says The New York Times will give her half of “a small amount of money.”

“Which is brilliant,” she says. It will be “way more than I got for writing the article. It’s still very exciting because it’s like this little bonus from having written this article five years ago now,” Catron adds.

Over the years, several producers have contacted Johnson to inquire about optioning her 2011 book “31 Dates in 31 Days” for a movie. She always turned them down. “It just didn’t feel right,” Johnson says.

Johnson’s book was born from a resolution she made in 2009 after suffering a string of ugly breakups. With a goal of getting better at dating, Johnson challenged herself to go on a date a day for a month. She ended up marrying one of her suitors. Today, the couple lives in

Mandy Len Catron recently quit her full-time teaching position at the University of British Columbia to write full time.

18 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE ONE 2020

Hollywood with their three daughters. “My life, for real, is the makings of a Hollywood chick flick,” Johnson admits.

Since it is the story of her life, Johnson wants to make sure it never gets transformed into something not quite up to standard. “I definitely don’t want people messing with my life story in ways that I’m going to be embarrassed to have my kids watch,” she says.

Johnson said “Yes,” on the other hand, when a producer asked to option her story for a reality dating show a few years ago. The concept was far removed from her actual experience — they mostly wanted to borrow the title from her book — and she got to hold on to the rights to turn her story into a feature film.

The filmmakers made a pilot but never got a network to bite. “That’s just kind of the way things work,” says Johnson, who works as a news producer and writer for KTLA in Los Angeles.

Since Johnson hasn’t been happy with other people’s ideas for turning “31 Dates in 31 Days” into a film, she decided to roll up her sleeves and do it herself. “I’m in the middle of writing a screenplay,” she says. “I don’t know if I’ll do anything with that, but at least it will give me an idea of where I would be OK with somebody taking my story.”

If her happily-ever-after tale never makes it to the Big Screen, Johnson is OK with that.

“All I was really trying to do was figure out my

“It’s definitely kind of a cool feeling to see that something you’ve written has made an impact on popular culture,” Catron explains.

“It felt very surreal to sit on a plane and be watching a movie that was, in some small way, inspired by something I wrote.”

That said, Catron would be delighted if Lee never transforms her essay into a movie. “I have no particular interest in seeing my life portrayed on the screen,” she says. “It makes me uncomfortable to think about it.”

A surprising statement coming from a writer who has been very open about her life in her work.

“I know I write about my personal life, but I feel very in control of that,” she says. “Otherwise, I like a little bit of privacy and a little distance from these kinds of things.” RC

dating life,” she says of her 2009 resolution.

“So everything else is ice cream and cherries on top.”

As for Catron, she recently took the leap and quit her full-time teaching position at the University of British Columbia. “I’m able to write pretty much every day, which is the coolest thing that could possibly happen,” she says.

In July 2019, Catron’s article “What You Lose When You Gain a Spouse” appeared in The Atlantic, which she calls her “dream publication.” In the piece, Catron looks at what we humans lose “by making marriage the most central relationship in a culture.” Her premise caused quite the commotion on Twitter and earned her an invitation to appear across from Gayle King on “CBS This Morning.” “It’s been nice to see it getting people talking,” Catron wrote in an e-mail after filming the spot.

Since she’s no longer getting a regular paycheck, Catron will tell you she’s not at all opposed to selling the rights to her work.

“Money buys time,” she says. “Anything I can do to keep supporting myself as a writer is a win in my book.”

During a recent flight, Catron caught part of “The Sun is Also a Star,” a young adult drama based on the 2016 book by Nicola Yoon. In both the book and the movie, the characters discuss the 36 questions Catron wrote about in her New York Times essay that went viral.

“ My life, for real,

is the making of a Hollywood chick flick.”

— TA M A R A D U R I C K A J O H N S O N

Tamara Duricka Johnson with husband, Evan, and their three daughters.

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ABOUT US

Shifting the paradigm

BY SHARON NANZ ’09

“

Over time this work is going to lead — it already has led — to a major paradigm shift in how our

city does business.

”

— Dr. Liz Ackley

hile public health has been top of mind in our nation and the world in recent months, it is never far from the mind of Dr. Liz Ackley, Brian H. Thornhill Associate Professor in Health and Human Performance at Roanoke College.

For years, Ackley has put considerable energy into improving community health inequities in the Roanoke Valley. In 2018, she founded the Center for Community Health Innovation (CCHI) at Roanoke College. Thanks to its innovative nature and positive community impact, Ackley’s work is gaining momentum and garnering national attention.

CCHI serves as a unique and neutral liaison between Roanoke Valley residents and partner organizations. Its efforts have resulted in informative datasets, valleywide collaborations, creative initiatives and notable grants. A core project is the collection of benchmark data using the Roanoke Valley Community Healthy Living Index (RV-CHLI), a health survey that monitors health outcomes, healthy behaviors, and barriers to healthy living among students enrolled in Roanoke City Public Schools. Each year, nearly a dozen Roanoke College students from diverse academic backgrounds are involved in the project.

With Ackley at the lead and Roanoke College as the anchor institution, a collaboration was formed across diverse sectors, including the CCHI, the Roanoke city manager’s office, Freedom First Credit Union, and two local nonprofits, LEAP for Local Food and Healthy Roanoke Valley. Working jointly, they have sought to improve community health and promote equitable resource allocation. A top priority is bringing a grocery store to the “food desert” area of the city of Roanoke’s Northwest quadrant.

Major funding partners began to take notice. The Reinvestment Fund, a national mission-driven financial institution, in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, twice funded projects of which Ackley is a driving force. The first was the Roanoke City Invest Health initiative, which provides intensive educational and collaboration training for community stakeholders.

But Ackley eventually realized that strong data and quality initiatives aren’t always enough to effect needed change. At stake was whether community recommendations could be incorporated into the

W

“Roanoke City Plan 2040,” a comprehensive plan document that the city is creating to guide policy decisions and long-term investments.

Fortunately, ChangeLab Solutions, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to create “healthier communities for all through equitable laws and policies,” stepped up and reached out to Ackley, the team leader for the Invest Health initiative.

“We were actually approached by ChangeLab Solutions to be in their cohort initiative,” Ackley said.

She advised ChangeLab Solutions of the need for more equitable local policies “to really give us the foundation for what we hope to do.”

A grantee and partner of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ChangeLab Solutions was impressed with the existing collaborative structure and the Roanoke Valley Community Healthy Living Index data already available, and offered their technical and funding assistance.

“With this technical assistance grant, we approached the city manager,” Ackley said. “He charged us with five goals, set us up with a planning team, and then we met every other Friday for a year and a half. So, we got to help inform [the City of Roanoke’s] 2040 comprehensive plan.”

ChangeLab Solutions featured Roanoke’s successful work on their national website.

The funding also aided a second high-impact community project. The CCHI brought in the New York Academy of Medicine to teach public deliberation.

The planning team recruited a group of residents representing the demographics of the city of Roanoke.

“Over the course of a two-day period, we put them through a public deliberation session to decide where our next [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] target area would be,” Ackley said.

“They were essentially making a $5 million decision: How should the city allocate HUD funding over the course of the next five-year period?” The outcome was a list of three neighborhoods that had both need and opportunity.

“We listened to residents,” said Ackley, who was named this year to Roanoker magazine’s “40 Under 40” list. “That allows us to try to make decisions that really speak to the social and cultural desires of a community.” RC ROANOKE.EDU

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givingnews G IV IN G W IT H P U RP O S E

“

Dean Sutton took me under his wing and really helped me all the way through my time at Roanoke College.

”

— Mason Cauthorn ’70

22

Class of 1970 pays tribute to “Mr. Roanoke College” WHEN JACK WADE ’70 ENROLLED at Roanoke College in the fall of 1966, he knew his parents, who had three other children, could not afford to help pay his tuition. Unable to secure a bank loan, Wade covered his first semester with a loan from his beloved grandparents, who lived within blocks of the College campus.

Wade credits Donald M. Sutton Sr., then dean of men and financial aid director, with securing resources such as grants and work-study jobs that allowed Wade to stay at Roanoke.

“Dean Sutton took care of me through those four years, and I love him for that,” Wade says. “If he hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have been able to finish my education at Roanoke College, which helped me with the rest of my life.”

Like Wade, many Roanoke graduates recall the impact Sutton made on their academic experiences, whether helping them financially or guiding them as a mentor. In honor of their 50th reunion, members of the Class of 1970 decided to establish an endowed scholarship in honor of Sutton, who served in several administrative roles at Roanoke from 1956 to 1983, including as dean of students and director of alumni affairs. The Sutton Commons and Sutton Patio were named in his honor, and upon retirement, he was bestowed “honorary alumnus” status.

“Dean Sutton is the epitome of everything Roanoke College stands for, and I think of him as ‘Mr. Roanoke College’,” says Wade, who proposed the idea of naming the scholarship as a tribute to Sutton. “It seems fitting to honor him through a

scholarship fund because he gave so much of himself to help students like me stay at Roanoke.”

“Don Sutton was an inspiration for students at Roanoke,” adds Nancy Fairbrother Councilor ’70, co-chair of the 50th reunion committee. “He was a role model for leadership and character with a wonderful ability to connect with students.”

Looking back on her years at Roanoke, Councilor recalls feeling that Roanoke was a safe and peaceful learning environment, at a time when college campuses across the country were dealing with violent protests related to the Vietnam War. Councilor and her husband — James A. Councilor III ’69, who co-chaired his 50th class reunion in 2019 — have enjoyed watching Roanoke’s growth and transformation over the years.

They hope the Class of 1970 endowed scholarship will help Roanoke continue to attract top-notch students, regardless of their financial status.

“It means so much to think that we can help those who don’t have the financial means to attend Roanoke College, giving many of the opportunities we enjoyed,” Nancy Councilor says. “This type of scholarship enriches a school by helping to increase the diversity of the student body, so that not just privileged young people are able to attend. We thought that Dean Sutton would appreciate this effort to help students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend Roanoke College.”

The Class of 1970 was looking forward to gathering on campus during Alumni Weekend 2020, which was scheduled

Hall named new Society chair JUDITH B. HALL ’69 has been named new chair of the Society of 1842, succeeding Dr. M. Paul Capp ‘52.

Capp is stepping down after 17 years at the helm.

Hall, a longtime member of the Society, has served on the Roanoke College Board of Trustees since 1999.

She also served as chair of the New York Alumni Chapter and president of the Alumni Executive Council, and is an emeritus member of the President’s Advisory Board. She received the Roanoke Medal in 2013.

“Looking back over my life I realized the thing that really had the most impact on me was my Roanoke College education,” Hall said. “It helped to shape my whole future.”

The Society of 1842 honors alumni and friends who have included Roanoke College in their estate plans. The Society aims to create educational opportunities for future and current Roanoke College students. Many Society members also provide leadership through volunteering and giving annual support.

The Society was founded in 1982, and as of Dec. 31, 2019, has a total of 1,064 members. About a third of those members joined during Capp’s tenure as chair.

“The Society of 1842 is important because for so many alumni and friends it is the bridge that they have with the College,” Capp said. “We know how they feel about Roanoke because of their commitment to a future gift.”

Hall said she aims to educate alumni and friends that the College’s future depends, in large part, on giving societies such as the Society of 1842.

“I want a future student to have the same positive experiences that I had,” Hall said. “That’s why I became a member of the Society of 1842. It has allowed me to make an investment in the future of Roanoke after I am gone. That’s the legacy I want to leave.” — Alex McCarthy For more information about the Society of 1842, please contact Senior Director of Estate & Gift Planning Richard J. Poggendorf, at (540) 375-2043 or rpoggendorf@roanoke.edu.

Hall

Capp

“It means so much to think that we can help those who don’t have the financial means to attend Roanoke College, giving many of the opportunities we enjoyed.”

— Nancy Fairbrother Councilor ’70

for April 17-19. But as higher education institutions in Virginia and across the country suspended on-campus activities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was canceled. Instead, the Class of 1970 will celebrate their special milestone and be inducted into the Honor Guard in April 2021.

Mason Cauthorn ’70, co-chair of the 50th reunion committee, says he hopes the Class of 1970 will have the chance to personally thank Sutton, who is now 98 years old and living in Salem, when they gather next spring.

Cauthorn recalls Sutton as a strict disciplinarian who had high expectations of Roanoke students and who cared deeply for them all. Cauthorn grew up in Bath County near a boys’ summer camp that Sutton ran for a number of years, so the two made an instant connection once they met at Roanoke College.

Cauthorn says he is grateful for the financial aid the Roanoke legend was able to secure for him, as well as for his wife, Kathleen Downie Cauthorn ’70. The two married during their senior year at Roanoke.

“Dean Sutton took me under his wing and really helped me all the way through my time at Roanoke College,” Cauthorn says. “I would not have been able to finish my education at Roanoke if it hadn’t been for him. And a lot of Roanoke graduates can probably say the same thing.” — Karen Doss Bowman For more information about supporting the Donald M. Sutton Sr. endowed scholarship, created by the Class of 1970, please contact Director of Development Stephen A. Esworthy ’91, at (540) 375-2028 or esworthy@roanoke.edu. For more information about the endowed class gifts program, please contact Director of Roanoke Fund Suzanne W. Hiner, at (540) 375-2088 or hiner@roanoke.edu.

ROANOKE.EDU

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alumninews

Roanoke College magazine welcomes news of your recent accomplishments and/or transitions.

You can write to us at: Office of Alumni Relations, Roanoke College, 221 College Lane, Salem, VA 24153-3794; call us toll-free at 1-866-RCALUMS; fax us at 540-375-2398; email us at alumni@roanoke.edu or update your record online at www.roanoke.edu/maroonsonline.

Due to space constraints and time between issues, submissions might appear in an upcoming issue.

Editorial contributions are welcome but subject to editing. Photographs may be used as space permits, submitted in print or digital format. Digital photos must be 1 MB in size or larger. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee return of contributed materials. We look forward to hearing from you!

1950s

and a first lieutenant in the Maryland Army National Guard. William Passano is president of Zensights, a biopharmaceutical vendor management company based in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Rev. Sanford L. Spangler, Jr. ’55 is a retired Lutheran minister, currently residing in Seymour, Tennessee.

1980s

class notes

1960s Geranne Schwarzenbach Schulz ’66 is happily retired in New Bern, North Carolina. history at Roanoke College, Radford University and Virginia Western Community College. A contributing columnist for The Roanoke Times, he has also written extensively on local history and the Second World War.

1970s The Rev. Andrea Caruso Conklin ’72 is an active member of the clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, Texas.

Erskine “Sandy” White ’72, a former Maroon swimmer, recently retired as longtime sports administrator for the Blind Sports Organization. He is living in a golf community in Florida with wife, Heidi, and their youngest daughter, Marina, and has started a senior swim team. Daughter Jennifer, is an assistant principal, and son Jeff, works for Nokia.

Cristina Brescia Michta ’74 enjoys living in Bavaria, and loved attending her 45th class reunion, held during Alumni Weekend 2019. “It was wonderful celebrating with the Class of 1974,” she says.

William M. Passano III ’78 is proud to announce that his eldest daughter, Catherine, married Will Cagney IV on June 22, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. Catherine works in fundraising at the Smithsonian Institution National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Will is a policy analyst at the Department of Defense in Washington,

1990s Kenneth Wingfield ’88 has published a new book, “All I Ever Wanted to Be…,” about his lifelong struggles with debilitating health issues, including polio and multiple sclerosis. “In many ways, [Roanoke College] has afforded me to live such an exceptional life,” he writes.

John D. Long ’89 has authored “Murder in Roanoke County: Race and Justice in the 1891 Susan Watkins Case,” a book about the trial of Charles Watkins for the murder of his wife. In the book, according to a publisher’s note, Long “resurrects the truth of who killed Susan Watkins.” Long, who is the director of education at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Roanoke and Master of Arts in history from the University of Virginia. He has taught

Dianna Board Parrish ’90 is an advisor and adjunct professor of social work at Mary Baldwin University.

Jonathan R. Hausner ’93 has joined the law firm of Bowditch & Dewey, LLP as a partner.

Jonathan, an attorney in Bowditch’s real estate and environmental group, holds a B.A. in political science from Roanoke College, and a J.D., cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School. He also completed a Barrister’s Pupilage, sponsored by Suffolk University Law School and the Chambers of Georges Khayat, QC, London, England.

Bowditch has offices in Boston, Framingham and Worcester, Massachusetts.

Former Nike executive Michener Chandlee ’91 has been appointed chief financial officer of Fanatics, the largest online seller of licensed sports merchandise. Michener, who has nearly 30 years of global finance experience — including the past 18 years with Nike — will oversee the business and financial planning, accounting, investor relations, purchasing, tax, treasury and divisional finance for Fanatics. Michener comes to Fanatics having held a variety of CFO positions across several key Nike divisions.

His appointment as Fanatics CFO comes on the heels of the announcement that the company would manufacture and distribute all Nike NFL and MLB fan gear sold across all retail channels beginning this year. Michener holds a B.A in international relations from Roanoke and an MBA from IESE International Graduate School of Management in Barcelona, Spain.

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Babb appointed police chief at Virginia Tech illiam “Mac” Babb III ’90 has been named the new police chief and director of security at Virginia Tech.

Babb, a graduate of Roanoke’s Honors Program and a criminal justice major, served for 25 years as an officer with the Roanoke City Police Department and for four years as a deputy chief and assistant director of security at Tech before his new appointment.

“I’m thrilled to be able to continue serving the Virginia Tech community as police chief and director of security,” Babb says.

“Roanoke College has a strong history of developing and engaging student leaders, and my experiences as an undergraduate there have extended into all aspects of my law enforcement career.”

Babb replaces Chief of Police Kevin Foust, who was promoted to associate vice president for safety and security. Babb holds a master’s degree from American Military University and is a graduate of the National Criminal Justice Command College.

He has received numerous awards over his career including the Commonwealth Valor Award and the Lifesaving Award from the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police.

“Virginia Tech has gotten a brilliant and widely experienced new chief,” says Dr. Bill Hill, retired professor of political science at the College who remembers Babbs as one of Roanoke’s early Honors Program students. “Roanoke College should be proud. I know I am.”

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“My experiences at Roanoke College as an undergraduate have extended into all aspects of my law enforcement career.”

Paul Droubay ’97 is vice president, Total Rewards, at Western Governor’s University in Salt Lake City, Utah.

2000s Dr. Nina Barzachka ’03 has joined the tenure-track faculty at College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, as an assistant professor of political science. Nina earned a dual B.A. in international relations and French from Roanoke College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia. Prior to Holy Cross, she taught at Dickinson College, Transylvania University, Gettysburg College and Mary Baldwin College.

Danielle Ramey Green ’09 illustrated a new publication titled “Metal Like Me,” written by Derek Sower.

Amanda Pickens Nitto ’09 has been elected shareholder at Robinson Bradshaw, a Carolinas-based law firm with national practices. Amanda, an experienced class action litigator, represents companies involved in high-stakes

William “Mac” Babb III

business disputes. After graduating magna cum laude from Roanoke, she earned a law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of South Carolina.

2010s Christine Bealer ’13 has joined Fox Rothschild LLP in Exton, Pennsylvania as an

associate in the Corporate Department.

Christine advises clients on a variety of finance, regulatory and transactional matters.

Robert Gibson ’13 has joined the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC (Virginia Tech Carilion) as its associate director of business development. Robert is responsible for developing and nurturing partnerships between Virginia Tech scien-

Dr. Matthew Troutman ’05 has been appointed Head of School at Thomas Jefferson School in St. Louis, Missouri. Troutman will assume the position on July 1, 2020. He holds a B.S. in physics from Roanoke, an M.S. and a Ph.D. in physics from Clemson University, and an M.Ed. from the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Troutman, who currently serves as Thomas Jefferson School’s director of teaching and learning, has also held such posts as associate director of academics, chair of the mathematics department, and assistant college counselor. He also serves on the school’s Committee on Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Social Justice; the Admissions and Enrollment Committee; and the Student Travel Committee. He founded the Thomas Jefferson School’s Robotics Team and has coached varsity girls’ soccer and junior varsity boys’ soccer. Thomas Jefferson School is an independent, non-sectarian boarding and day school for grades 7-12. It is ranked as the 29th Best Boarding School in America by niche.com.

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alumninews tists and companies seeking to introduce cutting-edge health science discoveries from the lab to the marketplace. Robert comes to his new position after working as global sales strategist and scientist at Novozymes.

Kenneth Tryal ’16 is working as a contracted character artist for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. His job involves creating stylized and on-model versions of Disney, Pixar and Marvel characters, to be sold on merchandise in the Disney parks and in The Disney Store. “I would like to personally thank all of the staff of the Fine Arts Department [at Roanoke], as they were instrumental in starting my career path,” Kenneth wrote in an email. “I hope that they continue to inspire and encourage young creatives to follow and create their dreams at Roanoke College and beyond.” Kenneth previously interned at Walt Disney World and has worked as an instructor/advisor in the art of cartooning and comics.

Peter Weisel ’13 was named to Roanoker magazine’s “40 Under 40” Class of 2020.

Peter, who was a member of the Roanoke College golf team during his years at the College, has dedicated his career to golf instruction. According to an article in the magazine, Peter, as director of instruction at Hunting Hills Country Club in Roanoke, was particularly dedicated to his junior students. He has written articles for Virginia Golfer magazine, spoken on golf-specific podcasts, coached with the First Tee of Roanoke and managed a local PGA Junior League team. He also taught a Golf for Business course at Hollins University and a weekly class for youngsters at North Cross School. Earlier this year, Peter and his wife, Kelsea Pieters ’13 relocated (with dog Bagel) to Colorado, where Peter accepted a position as PGA Coach at Trent Wearner Golf Academy in Denver. Kelsea, who was Roanoke College’s public relations specialist from December 2017 to January 2020, has joined the media relations staff at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School.

Shelbi J. Holloman ’17, of Suffolk, Virginia, won the Miss Fauquier 2020 pageant on Nov. 9, 2019, qualifying her for the Miss Virginia pageant, to be held this summer in Lynchburg, Virginia. Her platform is “The 3 A’s: Active, Athletics, Ability. Shelbi received her B.S.

This group of Roanoke College alumnae celebrated 32 years of friendship (and turning 50!) in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, in November 2019. “A good time was had by all, and Roanoke College was remembered warmly as it brought this entire group together,” says Liz Fields ’92. Pictured, left to right, are: Kristin Egan Page, Tracey Talone Gross, Erica Smith Barron, Melyce Schreiner Lucchesi, Susie Gwaltney Mineo, Liz Hanney Fields, Meredith McGee Kelly, Kate Leach Licameli, and Jen Beck Silva.

All are members of the Roanoke College Class of 1992.

Carolyn Burke ’07, a fourth-grade teacher at the Peirce School in Arlington, Massachusetts, was recognized as a “Most Valuable Educator” by the Boston Red Sox in August 2019.

Carolyn was on the field at Fenway Park as part of pre-game ceremonies.

Carolyn is pictured here with the student who nominated her and the Red Sox game jersey presented to her.

in athletic training at Roanoke College and went on to receive an M.S. in athletic training from West Virginia Wesleyan College. Currently, she works as an athletic trainer at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. Shelbi competed in pageants when she was younger, according to an article in the Suffolk News-Herald, but stopped around age 11 to focus on sports such as soccer, softball, field hockey and track and field. She went on to play field hockey at Roanoke and holds school records for most goals and most points scored in her playing career.

Sean Gilley ’18 is in his second year as a data analyst with Booz Allen Hamilton in the Northern Virginia area.

Michael Pugh ’18 is an account executive with Loudon United FC, Northern Virginia’s first professional soccer team. Mike previously worked as an inside sales representative with the Washington Nationals, getting an inside view of the team’s exciting run in the World Series last October.

Andrew N. Williams ’18 teaches government at Prince Edward High School in Farmville, Virginia.

marriages Clint Nichols ’05 married Anny Irons on June 8, 2019, at Ironsides Farm in Lewisburg, West Virginia. The Rev. Paul Henrickson, Roanoke College chaplain emeritus, officiated the ceremony. The wedding party included Kyle Ginzl ’06, Michael Jeniec ’06 and Mrunal Patel ’05. A host of other alumni also attended the wedding.

Elizabeth Higginbotham ’06 and Homer Marshman III wed on May 31, 2019 in Palm Beach, Florida. Elizabeth is a special events manager for The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach. Her husband is in corporate finance at Comcast Corp. The couple live in West Palm Beach with their miniature Australian Shepherd, Palmer.

Ashley Slaughter ’08 married Andrew

Iszard on May 25, 2019 in the bride’s hometown of Warrenton, Virginia. Virginia Sen. Creigh Deeds officiated. Members of the wedding party included Elliott (Heapes) Storms ’09 (maid of honor), Krizia Gravina ’08 and Megan Gale ’07 (bridesmaids); Mia (Imperatore Acciardo) Lovejoy ’06 (reader). Other alumni in attendance were Robert Settana ’05 and Tristan Graham ’08. Ashley works for the Federal Aviation Administration, her husband for Combined Properties. The couple live in Alexandria, Virginia, with their black lab, Bank$.

Casey Van Veen ’08 married Lucas Stone on Sept. 7, 2019 in Manquin, Virginia. Kathleen Taylor ’07 served as maid of honor, and guests included Peggy Soublo ’08. The couple live in Newport News, Virginia, where Casey is associate director of student unions and engagement at the College of William & Mary, and Lucas serves as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy.

Virginia McGuire ’10 exchanged vows with Matthew Benhoff on Sept. 21, 2019 in St. Michael’s, Maryland. Members of the wedding party included Emily Huston ’10 and Shawna Poole ’10. Alumni in attendance included Kate Guare ’09, Meg March ’11, Aaron Gentilucci ’10, Vicki Brings ’10, Brooke Edwards ’08 and Elizabeth Hartge ’12. The couple live in Crownsville, Maryland.

Sheree Mullen ’10 married Chris Andreou on April 24, 2019 in the Blue Mountains In New South Wales, Australia. A Virginia reception was held at Camp Roanoke on Sept. 14, 2019. Roanoke College alumni, faculty and staff in attendance included: Chris Turnbull ’00; Carrie Mullen Turnbull ’00; Louaine Mullen ’99; Dr. Virginia Stewart, associate professor, English & Communication Studies; Bryan Ryberg, associate dean for Student Success & Admissions; Lacey Niles ’10, Sarah Musser ’10, Laura Jennings ’10, Daniel Mullen ’07 and Cyndi Garman Navarrete ’10. continued on page 32

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Brabham-Spivey wedding

McGuire-Benhoff wedding

Boyle-Cicalo wedding

Remmes-Cole wedding

Higginbotham-Marshman wedding

Mullen-Andreou wedding

Skaff-Broman wedding

Nichols-Irons wedding

Van Veen-Stone wedding

Hottel-Landis wedding

Cook-Garst wedding

Slaughter-Iszard wedding

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alumninews

Sebastian Thomas Barrick

Lindsay Skaff ’10 wed Craig Broman on Sept. 7, 2019 at St. George Orthodox Cathedral in Charleston, West Virginia. A number of Roanoke College alumni were members of the wedding party.

Zachary Hottel ’12 and Ayla Landis married on Dec. 14, 2019 at Mt. Zion Lutheran Church near Woodstock, Virginia.

Zachary is archivist for the Shenandoah County Library; his wife is an RN at Rockingham Memorial Hospital. The couple resides in Woodstock.

Samuel Cook ’13 and Samantha Garst ’15 exchanged vows on May 4, 2019 at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Roanoke, Virginia. The wedding ceremony was followed by a Star Wars-themed reception at Hidden Valley Country Club.

More than 30 Roanoke College alumni were in attendance.

Mike Remmes ’13 and Meagan Cole ’13 married on Oct. 26, 2019 in Asheville, N.C. A number of Roanoke College alumni were in attendance.

Ashley Boyle ’15 and Vincent Cicalo ’14 wed on June 1, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Fellow Maroons Olivia Rhodin-Stoneking ’16, Taylor Stoneking ’15, Libby Compton ’14, Andrew Dittmar ’16, Larissa Kuzmanoff ’14, Kat Jansen ’14, Tess Pleban ’17 (maid of honor) and Breanne Spitznogle-Stump ’15 (bridesmaid) were in attendance. Ashley is a quality control analyst for Cartus, a global relocation company. Vincent is a junior CEO for FortCica Roofing & General Contractors.

Jake Brabham ’15 and Stacey Spivey married on Aug. 3, 2019 in Conway, Arkansas. Among the wedding party and guests were Sean Walsh ’14, Mark Strelow ’14, Mark Adams ’15, Meggan Lionberger Adams ’15, Tyler Mortis ’15, Lauren Roth ’16 and Cole Rosen ’13. Jake is the son of Danny and Shannon Meredith Brabham ’86.

Hugh and Elizabeth Fletcher

Travis Lumpkin ’15 and Amanda Paul ’15 wed on Oct. 12, 2019 at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia.

Alumni in attendance included Byron Tyler Coles ’14, Tori Beard ’15, Michael Neuman ’15, and Kerri Ann (Taylor) Neuman ’18. The couple live in Manassas, Virginia.

families Dr. Julie Haddy Barrick ’97 and husband Thomas, are the proud parents of Sebastian Thomas, born Aug. 20, 2019.

The family resides in Charleston, West Virginia.

William ’10 and Catherine (Kohler) Fletcher ’10 welcomed son Hugh Fletcher on Sept. 19, 2019. Hugh and big sister Elizabeth live with their parents in New Orleans, Louisiana.

in memoriam Mary Louise Webber ’46, of Ellijay, Georgia, died Sept. 7, 2019, at the age of 93. Webber spent much of her life as a teacher, having graduated with degrees in chemistry and biology from Roanoke and completing master’s work in those subjects at the College William & Mary. Her first teaching job was at Andrew Lewis High School in Salem. Webber, with her husband and children, moved to Georgia in 1961, where she taught and helped start youth football and baseball programs.

Webber would often offer rides to children who lacked transportation and made sure no child lacked the resources needed to participate. Webber also was offered a position with an Office of Economic Opportunity program, teaching adults how to read and write.

Jack R. Giles ’47, of Roanoke, Vir-

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ginia, passed away on Aug. 29, 2019.

Giles worked his way through Roanoke College as a caddie at the Roanoke Country Club. During World War II, Giles served in the U.S. Navy as ship navigator on LSMR 517. A manufacturing representative for South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, he enjoyed golf and taught a popular Sunday school class at Enon Baptist Church in Roanoke into his 90s.

Mary Lydia Gills ’47, of Roanoke, Virginia, died on Dec. 22, 2019 at the age of 96.

Dorothy Woodcock Grotz ’50, of Whiting, New Jersey, died on Jan. 9, 2020. Grotz entered Roanoke at the age of 16. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Roanoke and later, a master’s degree in social work. An advocate for women’s rights, she worked in accounting and in social services, and was a longtime volunteer social worker for Women Helping Women.

David Eugene Repass ’50, of Salem, Virginia, passed away Jan. 20, 2020.

He was 95. Repass, who had specialty training as a photo reconnaissance pilot, served as a first lieutenant in the 8th Photo Squadron in the Army Air Corps. His last mission was flown over Japan the day before the Japanese surrendered on Aug. 14, 1945. A member of the Maroons baseball team during his years at Roanoke, Repass remained a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees, often traveling to New York for games. He was known for his ability to recite stats for almost any player. Repass, an avid golfer, was known for his many years

as a dedicated daily volunteer at Salem’s Hanging Rock Golf Course. A gazebo at the golf course was dedicated in his honor on the occasion of his 85th birthday.

William A. Sulahian ’50 died Sept.

30, 2019 at age 91. After graduating from Roanoke, he entered the U.S. Air Force, where he piloted F-94 Starfire Interceptor fighter jets. He was honorably discharged in 1961 with the rank of captain. While still in active duty, Sulahian earned his J.D. in 1961 from New York Law School. A longtime resident of Shelter Island, New York, he was a practicing attorney for more than 50 years. He served one term as Shelter Island Town Justice, from 2003 to 2007.

An avid golfer, he was a member of Gardiner’s Bay Country Club, serving two terms as club president. He was also a member of Lions International for more than 50 years.

Susan Evans Rendeiro ’52 passed away on Oct. 3, 2019 at her home in Savannah, Georgia. Rendeiro worked in tourism for the Historic Savannah Foundation and Grayline Tours. She was a member of Huntington Club, Garden Club of Savannah, and Savannah Chapter of DAR. Jack Deming Wocher ’53, of Chesterfield, Virginia, died on Sept. 29, 2019. He was 88. Wocher served in the U.S. Army from 1953-1955, followed by employment in the textile industry for 30 years. He was active in his church, leading a youth group fellowship for many years.

An avid stamp collector, he also enjoyed photography and playing bridge. He played semi-professional baseball as a shortstop

Alexander Drew Hierholzer Jr. ’50, died on July 1, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was 91. While a student at Roanoke, Hierholzer left to enlist in the U.S. Navy. The war ended while he was in boot camp, but he served aboard the USS Missouri on post-war duty.

Hierholzer returned to Roanoke after an honorable discharge and graduated. He later attended graduate school at Catholic University and studied at the Freie Universitat in Berlin, Germany as a Fulbright Fellow. Known professionally as Alexander Holt, he appeared regularly on TV’s “Love of Life,” “The Secret Storm,” “Young Doctor Malone,” and Hallmark’s Hall of Fame. He also appeared in numerous New York shows and national tours. Hierholzer had a rich career in the theater, first managing the Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, and the Huntington Hartford Theater and Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California. He later moved to the Aquarius Theater in Hollywood to manage a three-year run of the original cast of “Hair,” then managed the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. Later, he managed original Broadway cast tours around the United States, including “Legends!” with Carol Channing and Mary Martin; “Sugar Babies,” with Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller, and “The Elephant Man,” starring David Bowie, before retiring in his adopted home city of Philadelphia. Hierholzer, whose daughter says was extremely proud of having attended Roanoke, has endowed a fund for the Fintel Library in his name through a charitable bequest.

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Price remembered as a true champion of the law T

An accomplished jurist, Richard Price was also deeply involved in community service.

in the early 1950’s, and enjoyed tennis, water-skiing and the NFL. George Charles Henrich ’55, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, passed away on Dec. 11, 2019. Henrich served in the U.S. Army, and had a 22-year career in sales. He later worked for a software company, then worked several years at Computerland and at C&T Associates, where he continued his sales career until retirement. Henrich, a member of the College’s Society of 1842, is survived by his wife, Helen Dunn Henrich ’55, whom he met and fell in love with at Roanoke College.

John MacDonald Atkinson ’57 passed away on Oct. 1, 2019 at the age of 84. Atkinson was a practicing CPA for more than 60 years. He also gave his time and talents to numerous organizations including Rotary Club, Prince William Hospital, Chamber of Commerce and Historic Manassas. A Distinguished Alumnus at Roanoke, he established an academic scholarship at the College. Among his sur-

he Hon. Richard Lee Price ’61, a New York State Supreme Court Justice, who had a notable and extensive judicial career, died in late 2019.

After graduating from Roanoke College in 1961 with a B.A. in political science, Price earned a J.D. from New York Law School in 1964. He graduated first in his class, and was awarded Outstanding Student honors.

After law school graduation, Price began to establish an illustrious career in legal and human rights. His legal experience started in 1965, and in 1976 he became the Chief Law Assistant for the Civil Court of the City of New York, a position he held until 1980. His sensitivity to issues such as discrimination against women, child abuse, and sexual crimes long benefited advocacy groups devoted to improving society at large.

Price served briefly in 1981 in the Civil Court System and in June of that year, began his service to the New York County Supreme Court. He was elected a judge, and in 1982 he became an Acting Justice of the Bronx County Supreme Court, a position he held for many years. Price has been appointed to many prestigious positions throughout his career, such as an appointment by the governor to chair a committee in charge of setting the amount of child support mandated by the state.

Price held extensive memberships in the legal profession as well as the community. He held the presidency of the American Judges’ Association and membership on the Law Explorer Board of Boy Scouts of America. He was an active member of the Jewish Lawyers Guild, the Black Bar Association, and the Women’s Bar Association for over 25 years. Price wrote over 25 legal and judicial publications. His community service dates back to the mid-1960s, and he was named in 19 honorary listings, from Men of Achievement to Biography of the Year.

In 1980, Shaw University honored Price with an Honorary Doctor of Laws.

He received the Roanoke College Medal on May 15, 1997. The medal is the highest honor the College bestows on its alumni.

vivors are daughter Leslie Atkinson ’85 and stepdaughter Paige Kennedy Getchell ’09.

Edward W. Taylor ’58, of Midlothian, Virginia, died Jan. 5, 2020 at the age of 82. Taylor attended Roanoke for two years before becoming a Naval Aviation Cadet and receiving his Navy wings and commission as an ensign in 1957. After his release from active duty, Taylor moved to Richmond, Virginia, where he completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Richmond, then later earned a J.D. from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. After graduating, he entered practice, for many years as a partner with firms in Richmond and Chesterfield, Virginia. In the 1970s, he worked for four years to help victims of a pesticide that was being manufactured in Hopewell, Virginia. He served as a reserve naval aviator, piloting until 1973 and achieving the rank of lieutenant commander. Taylor, who held a commercial pilot’s license, made

his last flight — to the Bahamas — at age 50. Taylor served on the boards of several Bar organizations. After 35 years of practice, he retired. In 2015, he was recognized for 50 years of honorable membership in the Virginia State Bar. William Furman Mattox, Jr. ’61, of Salem, Virginia, passed away on Dec. 14, 2019.

Dalene B. Hyatt ’60, of Roanoke, Virginia, died on Oct. 3, 2019. Hyatt, who attended Roanoke, graduated from Mississippi College with a B.A. in religious education, then continued her education at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. She worked various jobs, including substitute teaching and secretary at the Roanoke Rescue Mission. Hyatt, who taught Sunday School and worked as a Bible School instructor, was devoted to her husband and children The Rev. Charles Lenwood Johnson

’62, of Irvington, Virginia, died June 11, 2019 at the age of 82. An ordained Episcopal priest, Johnson served as assistant rector and rector in several parishes in Virginia and in Maine. He also served as assistant to the Bishop of Virginia and as chaplain to the retired clergy of the Diocese of Virginia.

Joseph R. Tubman, Jr. ’64, of Severn, Maryland, passed away on Aug. 22, 2019.

Tubman served in the U.S. Air Force and later became a financial manager with the Maryland State Highway Administration.

He was active in the choir of Fellowship Baptist Church Choir, and enjoyed woodworking, reading and tinkering with his computer.

Adele H. “Dixie” Nichols ’65 died Dec. 3, 2019 at age 75 in Houston, Texas.

She was an active member of the Memorial Exchange Club for more than 30 years, holding many positions, and a member of the Houston Bead Society and a neighborhood book club. She is remembered as the ROANOKE.EDU

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Porterfield leaves legacy of business and civic leadership B

Bittle Porterfield was a businessman and champion of the Roanoke Valley’s education and arts.

world’s best grandmother, a loving friend, avid artist and an adventurer.

Wayne D. Ohlandt ’68, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, passed away on Sept. 3, 2019. Ohlandt had a long and successful career in financial services, working as an equity stock trader. He enjoyed playing bridge and golf, and watching football and baseball.

Don Lee Webb ’68, of Blue Ridge, Virginia, died Oct. 13, 2019, at age 73. After graduating from Roanoke, Webb began a 35-year career as a teacher and consultant with Roanoke City Public Schools. He also worked for the Kroger Company before and during his years as a teacher, remaining with the company for more than 53 years.

He served in numerous roles, including clerk, customer service manager and engagement trainer. Webb was a mentor and father figure to many young people. Among his survivors is his wife of 49 years, Mary Margaret Tate Webb ’74.

Donald W. Dodson ’69, of Fincastle, Virginia, passed away on Jan. 12, 2020. A U.S. Army veteran, Dodson followed his military service by earning a degree from

ittle Wilson Porterfield III ’68, businessman and civic leader who helped shape the arts, education and business communities in Virginia’s Roanoke Valley, passed away on Nov. 29, 2019 at the age of 75.

Porterfield, who earned an MBA from Virginia Tech after graduating from Roanoke, served in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1970, then devoted much of his career in the beverage industry, leading two family-owned businesses, Porterfield Distributing and Rice Management.

Beyond that career, Porterfield was dedicated to making Roanoke and the state of Virginia better places to live, giving his time to numerous boards and organizations. He was president of the Taubman Museum of Art and the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce, and served as chairman of the Roanoke Valley Business Council, the Foundation for Roanoke Valley, the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority and United Way of Roanoke Valley.

Passionate about aviation, he also served as chairman of the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission, and was appointed to the Virginia Aviation Board by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine.

Porterfield also valued education, serving as chairman of the North Cross School Board of Trustees, the Hollins University Board of Trustees and Rector of the Radford University Board of Visitors. He also served on the boards of the Child Health Investment Partnership of the Roanoke Valley and Apple Ridge Farm.

Virginia Gov. Mark Warner appointed Porterfield to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

Porterfield’s passing was acknowledged from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 12 when Rep. Morgan Griffith honored Porterfield as “businessman and champion of the area’s education and arts. His goal was to make the Roanoke Valley and Virginia a better place to live.”

Roanoke and more than 30 years of employment with Norfolk Southern Corp.’s civil engineering department. He was an ordained deacon at North Roanoke Baptist Church and made mission trips at home and abroad.

John R. Jones ’70, of Morristown, Tennessee, passed away on Dec. 26, 2019. Jones served as a radio operator for the U.S. Navy. He had a fulfilling career with General Electric, Newport News Shipbuilding, and Siemans. He was a member of the Gem and Mineral Society, North Riverside Baptist Church of Newport News, and First Baptist Church of Jefferson City, Tennessee.

Gregory Ottaway ’71, of Osprey, Florida, died on Dec. 27, 2019. Ottaway worked with multiple companies in Georgia and Florida as a telecommunications consultant, analyst, engineer and senior network analyst before retiring in Florida.

A member of Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity at Roanoke, his survivors include brother Geoffrey Ottaway ’69.

Christopher Lee Fowler ’75, of Roanoke, Virginia, died on Nov. 29, 2019.

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Fowler was employed for 40 years at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital as a medical lab technician. He was a lifelong active member of Belmont Presbyterian Church, serving as clerk of session, elder and volunteer. Of particular note: He never missed a Roanoke Rescue Mission Drumstick Dash on Thanksgiving Day with family.

Claire M. James ’76, of Charlottesville, Virginia, passed away on Jan. 21, 2020 at the age of 84. James, a retired high school English teacher, was a poet, an accomplished church musician and an adventurous cook.

She was known for her excellent spaghetti sauce recipe. (Don’t forget the bay leaves!)

Dr. Elizabeth Leonard-Ryan ’79 died on Dec. 29, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia.

Leonard-Ryan, who graduated as valedictorian of her class at Roanoke, followed her life’s calling after graduation and earned a DVM from the School of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. As founder of the Seaford Veterinary Medical Center in

Yorktown, she was known as a compassionate veterinarian who treated every animal as if it were her own. She was on the Board of Directors for Mutts with a Mission, Inc., which provides service dogs to veterans, and was a member of the Peninsula Veterinary Association board. She also headed the special Education Advisory Committee for the York County School Division. Surviving family members include mother Virginia Masters Leonard ’53.

Ryan was predeceased by grandmother Susie Kilgore Leonard ’55 and grandfather, Dr. Miles S. Masters, a former professor of fine arts at Roanoke College.

Crystal Lynn Van Hise ’95, of Roanoke, Virginia, passed away on Dec. 7, 2019. Van Hise was vice president and head of Human Resources at Star City Games in Roanoke.

She loved to travel and was often accompanied by many enthusiastic family and friends. She was a dedicated alumna of Roanoke College. RC

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An iconic citizen, a man of distinction “I’ve tried to be as philanthropic as I can. When you’ve been successful and happy, you’ve got to share that with your community.”

A photo portrait of Sig Davidson, taken in 2013 in the Monterey House.

igmund E. Davidson ’43, Roanoke Valley business and philanthropic leader, died March 8, 2020. He was 98.

Davidson, affectionately nicknamed “Sig,” was a veteran of the U.S. Army, earning his degree from Roanoke College and marrying his wife, Harriet, a month before enlisting during World War II. He was deployed to Germany a year later, entering combat on Dec. 13, 1944. He was wounded on March 3, 1945, and was later awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart for his injury and valor in combat.

Davidson became successful in the clothing business, opening and expanding the eponymous Davidson’s men’s clothing stores in the Roanoke area. He was appointed to the national board of the Menswear Retailers of America.

Davidson was devoted to his community. A standout in Roanoke Valley civic activities, he served with the United Fund, American Red Cross, Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce, Jaycees, Center in the Square, and Downtown Roanoke, Inc. He further distinguished himself on the board of the National Conference of Christians and Jews as well as receiving their National Brotherhood Award for a “lifetime devotion to the ideal of the Brotherhood of man.”

Davidson was an important member of Roanoke’s Jewish community, at one time serving as chair of the Roanoke Jewish Community Council. He lived in Roanoke at a time when Jewish people were not always accepted, according to Davidson’s March

S

11 news obituary in The Roanoke Times. In 1983, his nomination for membership to an exclusive private club in Roanoke, which at the time had no Jewish members, was declined. (The club, five years later, admitted its first Jewish members.)

Yet Davidson attained distinction as a business and community leader, and a truly dedicated alumnus. He joined the Roanoke College Board of Trustees in 1981 and served as class agent and on the Associates Steering Committee. He participated in numerous phone-a-thons and special projects.

“I had a wonderful education,” he once said. “As a country, we need to encourage people to get an education, and I want to be part of that.”

“I’ve tried to be as philanthropic as I can. When you’ve been successful and happy, you’ve got to share that with your community.”

In 1984, Davidson received the Roanoke College Medal, which recognizes outstanding alumni whose professional accomplishments, community engagement and service to the College represent the ideals of leadership, integrity and citizenship that Maroons hold dear.

“Sig Davidson was one of the all-time best sons of Roanoke College,” said Roanoke College President Michael Maxey.

“Exemplary in all that he did, Sig stood for what is good, fair, decent, charitable, and inspiring in life. The world is richer because of his presence among and influence on us.”

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alumninews

FA C U LT Y & S TA F F O B I T U A R I E S

Stallions remembered for her knowledge and her kindness Dr. Maria Stallions, 63, associate professor of education and former chair of Roanoke College’s education department, died on Oct. 6, 2019.

Dr. Stallions came to Roanoke College in 2008 from Barry University in Miami, her alma mater, where she served as assistant dean in the Adrian Dominican School of Education. At Roanoke College, she taught in the Education Department and was appointed department chair in 2015.

Stallions mentored a generation of students. Her passion for serving the needs of English Language Learners and students with special needs was a model for all.

In addition to her roles at Roanoke College, Stallions was president of the Virginia Association of Colleges of Teacher Education and a commissioner on the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. She was a longtime member of Kappa Delta Pi, serving as chapter counselor at Barry University and at Roanoke College. She was also honored as Education Partner of the Year by Young Audiences Arts for Learning Virginia and received the Excellence in Teacher Education Award from Florida Association of Teacher Educators.

“She genuinely wanted others to achieve great things, and she dedicated herself to providing them with the resources and support to make that happen.”

“Maria’s knowledge and expertise ran deep, yet she shared it both humbly and respectfully,” said colleague Dr. Leslie Murrill, an education professor at Roanoke. “She genuinely wanted others to achieve great things, and she dedicated herself to providing them with the resources and support to make that happen.”

Stallions attended Salem Presbyterian Church and served on numerous committees, including Christian Education. Her faith was a foundation of her life, and she began every morning reading her Bible and drinking a fresh cup of coffee.

“Maria’s kindness, words of wisdom, and mentoring have left a lasting impression on me and so many others,” Murrill said. “We are better people because of who she was.”

College loses two retirees John vonBielefeld Brust, retired assistant professor of art at Roanoke College, died on Jan. 26, 2020.

Brust, who held a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati and Master of Fine Arts from the University of Georgia., joined the Roanoke College faculty in 1973 as an assistant professor of art.

He later was promoted to associate professor of art and served as department chair in the 1980s.

During his tenure, Brust was nominated twice for the Outstanding Teacher Award at Roanoke, assisted in design, planning and implementation of the Olin Hall Fine Arts Center, and served on the Teacher’s Advisory Committee of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts In 1982, Brust created a work of art that was featured in the City of Roanoke’s Centennial calendar.

Upon retiring from Roanoke College in 2003, Brust was awarded the Simon Carson Wells Medal, an award bestowed

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upon tenured retiring faculty members. The medal is named for Dr. Simon Carson Wells, a teacher of mathematics and natural science at the College from 1849 to 1900.

Rebecca Dawson “Becky” Flannagan, 80, who served as a librarian at Roanoke College for 25 years, died Jan. 27, 2020.

Flannagan served in the Cataloging department for a number of years before moving into a position as library associateacquisitions. There, “she kept the dollars rolling out and the books rolling,” Stan Umberger, then director of the library, said on the occasion of her retirement in 1998.

Flannagan was an avid reader, photographer and enjoyed playing various musical instruments. She and her husband, Dennis, were fond of travel and made their way to many cities and towns in the United States, where they could enjoy their love of bluegrass music.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWS

Oh, the places Maroons gather…

Alumnae, left to right, Nicole Coppola ’91, Julie Angert-Dalby ’87, Kristen Egan Page ’92, Elizabeth Hanney Fields ’92 and Courtney Dittman Brown ’92, proudly displayed a Roanoke College flag at the Philadelphia Alumni Chapter reception on Nov. 14, 2019 at The Radnor Hotel. Chapter chairs are Fields and her husband, Matthew Fields ’91; vice chair is Emily Horner Coralic ’09.

The annual Richmond Alumni Chapter reception was held Dec. 17, 2019 at The Jefferson Hotel, beautifully decorated for the holidays. Chapter chair is Karen Rymers Winslow ’02; vice chair is Jennifer Payne Waldman ’04.

The Atlanta Chapter celebrated its third consecutive Henry Hill Chapter Challenge win on Feb. 18, 2020. The award is given annually to the alumni chapter with the highest giving percentage at the end of the fiscal year and most improved giving percentage from the previous fiscal year.

The Baltimore Alumni Chapter gathered on Oct. 30, 2019 at the Maryland Club. Pictured here, left to right, are Charlie Coulson ’19, Sarah Hughes ’19, Abigail Werner ’19, Vincent Posterli ’18, Jonathan Morgan ’16 (chapter chair), Elizabeth Kronander ’18 (chapter vice chair).

Charlotte Alumni Chapter members attended the chapter’s annual holiday reception on Dec. 10, 2019 at The Big Chill, a unique event venue. Chapter chair is Brandi McQueen Milewski ’11; vice chair is Emma Shriver Record ’13.

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MAROON MUSINGS

BY JOSEPH KRZYSTO N ’ 19

The appeal of “Cowgirl Ann”

corner in the dining hall, and nobody seemed to know why.

“Cowgirl Ann,” as she is known, could be something of a divisive figure. Some students loved her, including her in the eclectic canon of Roanoke College art and appreciating the attributes that others found vexing. To another, larger, group of students, the perceived randomness of the portrait was difficult to warm up to. There’s an aesthetic sensibility shared widely by my generation, and unfortunately it doesn’t make a lot of room for an out-of-place cowgirl.

For what it’s worth, I was always fond of Cowgirl Ann. With or without context, the image is striking.

One gets the feeling that this woman on her horse could do anything, and that she’d make it all look easy.

“Cowgirl Ann (Weinstein),” 2008; acrylic on digital canvas

I

t’s easy for some interesting facets of the Roanoke College landscape to go unnoticed by students. A good number pass their time totally unaware of the stories behind the school’s most fascinating features.

One such feature is a large image that hangs in Commons, in the main room just off the Colket Center atrium. It shows a cowgirl on a horse, striking a pose that seems to defy the laws of motion.

So much about the artwork is hard to place. The photorealistic quality of the image, for one, was a topic of debate during my years as a student. Was it a painting or a colorized photo? Also discussed and dissected was the look of sanguine cheerfulness on the cowgirl’s face. Further confusing things: There’s nothing else like it in the general vicinity. It’s not a western-themed wall, or even part of a greater display. It hangs alone, in a 34 ROANOKE COLLEGE MAGAZINE | ISSUE ONE 2020

The colors stir together in an otherworldly way. There’s a low relief between the colors in her clothes and the browns of the background, and altogether, the palate is muted in a way that doesn’t really happen in the natural world. In the center of this, her facial expression and physical poise call to mind an optimism in the face of featureless surroundings and uncertain prospects.

To my mind, Cowgirl Ann stands as a figure of defiant humanity on a barren plane. One gets the feeling that this woman on her horse could do anything, and that she’d make it all look easy.

I’ll admit to having passed my college career in ignorance to the Cowgirl Ann’s background. As happens so disappointingly often, I was unfamiliar with her creator, Bob “Daddy-O” Wade, until his passing last year on Christmas Eve. Based in Austin, Texas, Wade was best known

for his sculptures, which participated in the great tradition of largerthan-life roadside Americana.

A seminal figure in the Texas Cosmic Cowboy counterculture of the 1970s, he is best remembered for pieces such as his 12-foot iguana, originally on the roof of New York City’s Lone Star Café, or for the giant cowboy boots that today reside in San Antonio and have become a landmark. Wade understood better than anyone the distinct characteristics of American kitsch, and he made art that was striking, unique, and very accessible.

Less widely known were Wade’s hand-tinted versions of photos from the American West. Among his favorite subjects were cowgirls, and Cowgirl Ann — which Wade was commissioned to create — is among them. Wade dedicated his book of these images, “Cowgirls,” to “people everywhere who continue to embrace the cowgirl spirit.”

As an East Coast native, I can’t claim to know the cowgirl spirit quite as well as Wade, a native Texan, did, but I can hazard a guess as to some of what it entailed: an embrace of freedom, an appreciation for wide open spaces, and a vigorous, upbeat approach to life.

These are among the qualities that run through Wade’s work, and we can see them clearly in Cowgirl Ann, who few may know was Ann Weinstein, a Roanoke artist, art critic and member of the College’s Art Advisory Council. She and husband Sidney Weinstein ’42, commissioned and generously gifted sculptor Alice Aycock’s “The Solar Wind,” a sculpture that stands at the entrance to the Science Complex.

Naysayers aside, we are fortunate to have Cowgirl Ann as a guest in our dining hall, embodying our best traits and encouraging us to imagine a world as wide open as hers and Wade’s. RC Joseph Krzyston ’19 majored in Environmental Studies at Roanoke and currently works in marketing in central North Carolina.

COLLEGE ARCHIVES

BY D R. MARK MI LLER, PR OF E SSOR OF H IST ORY AN D DAVI D BI TTLE COL L E G E H IST OR IA N

Survival in the Seventies

ginia looked forward to sharing in the bounty of that federal program.

In 1870, when Virginia was recertified, the state assembly lost no time in applying for their fair share. But lacking the resources in the war-torn Old Dominion to open a new university, the state decided to auction off different components of the Morrill Act to individual colleges that were interested in competing.

Roanoke College President David Bittle was ready to pounce. The first contract offered was an agricultural program. To improve the College’s chances, Bittle hired a professor of agriculture, arranged to lease hundreds of acres for the range, con-

Roanoke College survived the Seventies, but just barely, emerging in 1878 intact and on more stable footing.

A rendering of the imagined Andrew Lewis Hall.

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he Seventies — not the age of disco, platform shoes and Watergate, but the 1870s — was a critical decade for Roanoke College. It was a fight for simple survival from the shadows of the Civil War, the struggle through the dislocation of Reconstruction and the final redemption by the end of the decade. With so much that could have gone badly wrong, it was amazing that the College emerged on the other side.

When Congress passed the Morrill Act in 1862, the nation was deep in the Civil War. The statute was a measure to establish the land grant college network.

Like other southern states, Vir-

tracted for barns and outbuildings, and was prepared to rent a herd of critters just to get it going. Judgment day appeared, and the state declared it wasn’t prepared to make a decision. So Bittle fired the professor, canceled the lease on the land and buildings, and stopped payment on the rented animals.

Then the state announced the awarding of another contract, this time for a mining program. Bittle hired a professor of mining, arranged for site contracts and equipment for field and laboratory, and waited for a decision. Once again, the state balked. So Bittle fired that professor and canceled the purchase order for all the spelunking supplies.

Several months passed and the state was at it again: a proposal for a “normal” school or a college of education. This time, Bittle listed himself as a professor of pedagogy and hired an assistant professor to bolster the

application. The state bailed out again.

By 1872, the state had reconsidered its piecemeal approach and decided it had the resources after all to open its own proper new school, and Virginia Tech was born. There was some pushback on Bittle from the Board of Trustees as a result of his freewheeling, program-building, contract-chasing endeavors. In an effort to contain the president, the Board formed an executive committee to monitor and to control its chief executive.

Bittle drew up what would have been the greatest building of any college in the South in the 19th century.

Originally, the building was to be named after Salem’s most famous son, Gen. Andrew Lewis. Bittle figured that fundraising in Salem for Andrew Lewis would have to be as good as it gets, and he was right. In the next year, the money rolled in.

The massive complex would host a library and a museum on its flanks.

The central hall would have exhibit space on the main floor, and upstairs, a Grand Hall with a fine stage and seating for more than a thousand people. Impressive!

Then, in September of 1876, Bittle died suddenly. A bereaved Roanoke College felt the right thing to do was to rename the building after him.

There went the fundraising. The townspeople could hardly complain about their donations being retitled, but they felt no further obligation to contribute. As a result, the only portion of the building the College could afford to build was what today is Bittle Memorial Hall.

Over the next two years, the College foundered in its search for new leadership, finally turning to a 32year-old former assistant to Bittle, Julius Dreher, to pick up the pieces.

Dreher turned out to be a brilliant choice and continued in that post for a quarter of a century, retiring in 1903.

Roanoke College survived the Seventies, but just barely, emerging in 1878 intact and on more stable footing. RC ROANOKE.EDU

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relic:

noun. An object surviving from an earlier time, especially one of historical or sentimental interest; an artifact having interest by reason of its age or its association with the past.

Early Yearbook

1916

A copy of the 1916 Roanoke College yearbook, named after Wilhelm Röentgen, a German mechanical engineer and physicist, who, in 1895, produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range known as X-rays or Röentgen rays.

His achievement earned him the first Nobel Prize in physics in 1901. Interestingly, the precursor of the College’s Tri-Beta Biological Society was a somewhat tonguein-cheek group formed in the late ‘teens (1917–1919) and identified in the College yearbook as “The Röentgen Rays.”

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