president’spen The call, selflessly answered Hanging above a desk in my office is a framed giving back. They bring to life a passion sparked quote, an excerpt from a poem by Dr. Melanie during their years at Roanoke, a passion that placed Almeder, an English professor here at Roanoke. She them on a path toward serving the human comshared the poem on the occasion of my inauguramunity. tion as the College’s 11th president in 2007. They are proud to be defined by the fruits of “Do your best,” it says, referring to one of my their labor. I am proud that they are Maroons servmother’s frequent instructions for my brother, sising society in their compelling ways. ter, and me. “Do your best” applies wonderfully to Sheltering the homeless. what we wish for our students at Roanoke. Helping low-income individuals establish their Three words; simple, but weightier than most own businesses. paragraphs. Those three words set Empowering environmentally atvery basic expectations of anyone in Roanoke is more risk communities. pursuit of a goal — professional or Giving disadvantaged students than a utilitarian access to a college education. personal. When new students arrive at place. It is a place of In doing their best, these alumni Roanoke, we begin their orientation are “Doing Great Things.” reminding them of the basic values values and virtues “I received the call to aspire to of Roanoke, including the idea of the highest standards possible loud that serve society, and clear during my college years,” serving the broader community in which we live. It is one of the “Four said John Hummel ’91, an attorney exemplified in Pillars of a Roanoke Experience” that in Oregon who works for a nonthe graduates we profit that operates community we promote to our new Maroons. “Do your best,” is about excelhealth clinics caring for underserved produce. lence in pursuing academic work individuals. “What did the caller here, and it is about excellence in the pursuit of say? That if I worked hard, asked for help when making the world a better place for others. needed, and pushed myself out of my comfort Late last year, inspired by the many altruistic, zone I would be rewarded by being well-prepared humanitarian, philanthropic acts of Roanoke for the next chapter of my life. The caller was right. alumni, I considered the impact of compiling their I’m glad I answered the call.” stories in the same printed space. What a powerJohn is not alone. Many Roanoke alumni have ful way to illustrate how the Roanoke experience answered that call — in very diverse ways, none — moreover, the Four Pillars — is carried out in greater than the other. the world and what happens when students are enJohn’s story and those of nine other alumni apcouraged to aspire to do something greater than pear on the following pages. Told in their own themselves. words, the stories movingly show that seeds firmly Roanoke is more than a utilitarian place. It is a planted at Roanoke do indeed take root and flourplace of values and virtues that serve society, exish. It is very affirming to know that there are emplified in the graduates we produce. thousands of similar stories in the Maroon Nation. The result is this special issue of Roanoke magazine. Its theme, simply, is “Doing Great Things,” an extension of the three words plucked from Dr. Almeder’s poem and my mother’s voice. In this Michael Creed Maxey magazine are the stories of people fully engaged in
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