SPRING 2014
Volume 4, Issue 1
umobile.edu 1
SPRING 2014 Volume 4 Issue 1
President | Dr. Mark Foley Vice President for Institutional Advancement | Mr. Brian Boyle Editor | Lesa Moore Copy Editor | Kathy Dean Graphic Designer | Jay Adcock, JWACreative.com Staff Writers | Will Drake, Shannon Mason, Ted Mashburn, Nancy Snodgrass, Trey Taulbee, Doug Wilson Staff Designer | Amanda Pritchard Class Notes | Allison Nelson Photographers | Dan Anderson, G.M. Andrews, John Adams, Daniel Beard, Audrey Birkhimer, Katie Crews, Kathy Dean, Anna Filliben, Harrison Hughes, Sharon Steinmann, Trey Taulbee Cover Photo | G.M. Andrews Editorial Office University of Mobile Magazine 5735 College Parkway Mobile, Alabama 36613 Phone: 251.442.2210 Fax: 251.442.2512 www.umobile.edu Email: umobilemagazine@umobile.edu University of Mobile Magazine is published by the University of Mobile Office of Institutional Advancement, and is distributed free of charge to alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the university. Issues may be viewed online at www.umobile.edu. Postmaster: send address changes to Office of Institutional Advancement, University of Mobile, 5735 College Parkway, Mobile, AL 36613.
2 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
COVER STORY
36 In the Company of Heroes
Lt. Col. Oliver North on Service, Sacrifice & Spirit-Empowered Leadership
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
44 To See Uniquely
4 President’s Message
Founding President Remembered for Vision, Faith, Compassion
52 To Learn is to Be Known Dr. Sue Gober
58 Practicing What You’ll Preach School of Christian Ministries
62 GOTCHA!
Pranksters Tell (Almost) All About UMobile’s Best Pranks
68 Jazz, Jesus and the Winter Games
6 University News 18 Giving ALUMNI 72 Campus Closeup 73 Campus Corner 74 Get Connected 76 Alumni Stories
Alumni Baseball Jeff and Erin Gautney Dr. Alan Floyd A Pilgrimage
Musical Missionaries: University of Mobile 86 Class Notes Students in Sochi Share Their Faith Through Dixieland 87 Honor Roll of Donors Photo by G.M. Andrews
umobile.edu 3
president’smessage
By Dr. Mark Foley President, University of Mobile
B
elief is the foundation of our university – a belief that a higher education that focuses on academics and spiritual growth prepares graduates to make a real difference in this world. Remarkable things happen here because of belief – and that is a message we are sharing in unique ways across the nation through our new “Belief in U” marketing and recruitment campaign. We are reaching potential students in innovative ways through creative social media that incorporates the personal attention that makes UMobile unique. As the exclusive college sponsor of the Winter Jam Christian concert tour, we are introducing the University of Mobile to the next generation of students across the nation. Our local presence continues to grow with increased advertising, from television to billboards. As a result, we are seeing growing numbers of students and families on campus visit days who have traveled far distances to see for themselves how God is at work here and how He can use this place to do great things in their own lives. Our March visit day filled Ram Hall with parents and students from 16 states and two nations who spent the day touring campus, visiting classes, and making decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. But our best ambassadors are you – the alumni, donors, trustees, friends, faculty and staff and others who have your own unique UMobile/MC experience. Through your lives, careers, families, churches and communities, you represent this school in remarkable ways. All of this is the continuation of a dream that founding president Dr. William K. Weaver Jr. and other leaders, such as founding trustee Yetta Samford, had when they established Mobile College in 1961. You may read more about these great men and the fulfillment of their dreams in this issue, as we mourn their passing and celebrate the lives of God’s good and faithful servants. You will also read about ways our students are making an impact nationally and internationally, from sharing their faith in a Dixieland band at the Olympics in Sochi, Russia, to broadcasting an hour-long Christmas Spectacular special on satellite television channels worldwide. The University of Mobile is a remarkable place, and I am proud to be part of it. Hold on tight,
4 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Belief is the foundation of our University. A belief that a higher education that focuses on academics and spiritual growth prepares you to make a real difference in this world. We instruct and nurture your mind, body and spirit, so you can achieve something you know and feel is meaningful and impactful with your education.
#beliefinu
////
umobile.edu
//// umobile.edu 5
universitynews
2013 University of Mobile
Christmas Spectacular
Photos by Dan Anderson
Christmas Spectacular 2013 was performed at Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile. The annual event is a celebration of Christmas that includes more than 200 singers from the UMobile School of Music and School of Worship Leadership and an orchestra of 100 musicians, including students and professionals from the Mobile Symphony Orchestra. Presentations of traditional and contemporary sacred and secular Christmas music are the focus of the program. The 11th annual Christmas Spectacular aired as an hour-long special on several local television stations, worldwide cable and satellite channels in the 2013 Christmas season. DVDs of the entire performance may be ordered online at www.umobile.edu/ christmasspectacular. DVDs are $25 each, plus shipping and handling. UMobile’s collection of several Christmas Spectacular 2013 videos has gathered nearly 10,000 views thus far on the university’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/ universityofmobile. Songs from the 2012 Christmas Spectacular posted at the site have collected more than 133,000 views.
6 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
umobile.edu 7
universitynews
UMobile Adds Outdoor Track & Field for 2014-15 School Year, Names Coach The University of Mobile announced the addition of men’s and women’s outdoor track and field athletic programs beginning in fall 2014 and named Andy University of Mobile Canegitta head coach. “We are excited about Andy joining our family here at UMobile. His experience in building a successful track and field program is a perfect fit for us,” UMobile Athletic Director Joe Niland said. “He also has a great desire to be here at UMobile where we are committed to developing our students in a Christ-centered environment.” The Rams will have 17 intercollegiate sports competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) beginning fall 2014. Currently, UMobile competes in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s baseball and women’s softball. The university previously had the outdoor track and field programs from 1993-2004.The programs produced 11 NAIA All-Americans during that time and UMobile’s Ivana Skladana won the 1,500-meter NAIA National Championship in 1995. The Rams had individuals and/or teams compete at nationals each season from 1994-2000. “With the quality of high school track and field in the area, it’s a natural fit for our athletic program, and we feel we can develop quality programs as we have in the past,” Niland said. “This addition to our athletic program will provide more opportunities for student-athletes to experience what the University of Mobile has to offer. We believe it’s very important here at UMobile that we develop well-rounded individuals, not only athletically, but intellectually and
Ram Rush 2013
8 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
spiritually as well.” Starting a program will not be new territory for Canegitta. He was an assistant at Webber International University when the school started track in 2001. He spearheaded the recruiting efforts that brought in nearly 40 new student-athletes, which resulted in producing several NAIA national qualifiers, All-Americans and a NAIA National Champion. Canegitta has spent the last six seasons at Loyola University, as head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country and track programs. Between the programs, Canegitta saw 12 runners go on to compete at NAIA National Championships, and his track programs set 58 outdoor school records. He coached 26 cross country and track athletes to all-conference honors. His teams also succeeded in the classroom, with 11 track athletes earning SSAC All-Academic honors in 2013 and 30 cross country runners earning such honors since Loyola joined the SSAC. His student-athletes have also earned 18
NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete honors and been named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District Team 12 times. Canegitta sees Mobile as a perfect fit. “Mobile is a great location with a large talent pool within the state and surrounding areas to have a successful program,” Canegitta said. “Spiritually, it was a perfect fit for me and gives me an opportunity to lead student-athletes to Christ.” Belhaven, Bethel, Brenau (women only), Brewton-Parker, Emmanuel, Loyola, Southern Wesleyan, Spring Hill and William Carey are other SSAC members that have track and field programs. The NAIA currently has 163 schools competing in men’s outdoor track and field and 169 competing in women’s outdoor track and field. For information about athletic programs at the University of Mobile, call the Athletic Department at 251.442.2278 or visit the website at www.umobile.edu. m
University of Mobile Selected Among ‘America’s 100 Best College Buys’
The University of Mobile has been selected as one of “America’s 100 Best College Buys” for the fifth consecutive year. UMobile is one of only four colleges in Alabama to receive the 2013-2014 “Best Buy” designation and the only private university in the state selected through the annual survey administered by Institutional Research & Evaluation Inc. The IR&E conducted its 23rd Annual National College Survey between April 1 and July 31, 2013. UMobile was selected for the top 100 list from among 1,040 accredited U.S. colleges and universities surveyed. To be considered for the designation “America’s 100 Best College Buys,” an institution must be an accredited, four-year institution offering bachelor degrees and full residential facilities including residence halls and dining services. It must have had an entering freshman class in the fall of 2012 with a high school grade point average or SAT/ACT score equal to or above the national average for entering college freshmen. It must have an out-of-state cost of attendance in 2013-2014 for three quarters or two semesters below the national average cost of attendance, or not exceeding the national average cost by more than10 percent.
University of Mobile is Named One of ‘America’s Best Christian Colleges’ 17th Straight Year
The University of Mobile has been named as one of “America’s Best Christian Colleges” for the 17th consecutive year. UMobile is one of 95 colleges and universities nationwide to receive the 2013-2014 designation. The results of the 23rd Annual National College Survey, conducted by Institutional Research & Evaluation Inc., shows that 384 Christian institutions of higher education were selected for evaluation. The IR&E chooses the colleges and universities based on the highest quality education in a Christian environment according to Lewis T. Lindsey Jr., president of the IR&E. To be considered for the designation “America’s Best Christian Colleges,” an institution must be an accredited, four-year college or university offering bachelor degrees and residential facilities including residence halls and dining services. It must have had an entering freshman class in the fall of 2012 with a high school grade point average or SAT/ACT score equal to or above the national average for all freshmen entering Christian institutions of higher education. It must be affiliated with a recognized Christian denomination or interdenominational institution that incorporates Christian principles and beliefs into its curriculum or environment. Institutional Research & Evaluation Inc. is an independent research and consulting organization specializing in the recruiting and retention of students for institutions of higher education. The annual survey was conducted between April 1 and July 31, 2013. m
umobile.edu 9
universitynews
UMobile Founding Trustee
Yetta Samford Remembered Yetta G. Samford Jr., a The Auburn University founding trustee of Mobile landmark of Samford Hall College, now the University is named for his greatof Mobile, died Dec. 28 at the grandfather, William J. age of 90. A lifetime resident Samford, who served as of Opelika, AL, Samford the governor of Alabama. was a past chairman of the He served in World War II University of Mobile Board of in the United States Army Trustees, named a Life Trustee Air Corps and was a B-17 in 1992, and awarded the pilot stationed in England Honorary Doctor of Humane in 1944 and 1945. Samford Letters in 2001. graduated from the “The University of Mobile University of Alabama Law owes its very existence School with a L.L.B. degree today to the faithfulness and in 1949 and was admitted constant support of Yetta to the Alabama Bar that Samford and the men and year. He was president of women like him who were Yetta and Mary Samford Photo by Kathy Dean Phi Delta Legal Fraternity instrumental in founding and inducted into For the full story, visit Mobile College. His dedication to Omicron Delta Kappa, as well umobilemagazine.com. God, his family, his community and as Quadrangle. Samford was born on June 8, 1923 in this university has left a lasting legacy Upon graduation from the University Opelika, AL and was preceded in death that will continue to influence future of Alabama Law School and his marriage by his parents, Yetta G. Samford Sr. and generations,” said Dr. Mark Foley, to Mary Austill, Samford returned to Mary Denson Samford; his son, Yetta G. UMobile president. Opelika, AL to practice law in the firm Samford III; and his sister, Mary Vernon Samford Hall, the first of three new established by his grandfather, N.D. Samford Williams (Richard) of Decatur, residence halls constructed during Denson Sr. His first cousin, John V. AL. He is survived by his wife, Mary the past nine years at the University of Denson II, joined the firm in 1962 and Austill Samford, who is originally from Mobile, is named in his family’s honor. the firm is now named Samford and Mobile, AL where they were married on Yetta and his wife, Mary Austill Samford, Denson. Sept. 8, 1949. established the Mary Austill and Yetta Samford served in the Alabama They have 2 daughters, Mary Austill G. Samford Endowed Scholarship at Senate from 1958-62, representing Lee Samford Lott (Vic) who lives in Mobile, UMobile, which expands the couple’s and Russell Counties. He was elected AL and Katherine Park Samford Alford influence to generations of students. to the University of Alabama’s Board of (Farra) who resides in Lexington, KY, With more than 50 years of Trustees and served for 21 years from along with five grandchildren and seven involvement in the life of the university, 1972-93 after which he was awarded the Photo by G.M. Andrews great-grandchildren. Yetta Samford’s influence is immense. His honor of Trustee Emeritus. During his Samford generously devoted his courtly southern gentleman manner and tenure on the board he was elected to a time and efforts to numerous activities. his quiet leadership helped guide the three-year term as president pro tempe He was educated in the public schools university and its presidents. Samford of the board beginning in 1990. He was of Opelika and earned his Bachelor of was recently featured in the University awarded an honorary L.L.D. Degree Science in 1947 from Auburn University of Mobile Magazine’s Spring 2013 issue, in 1995 and served on the President’s (API). He was a member of the Alpha Tau where he was praised for his integrity, Council of the University of Alabama by Dan Anderson Omega Fraternity. character, love of family and fairness. untilPhoto his death.
10 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
“His dedication to God, his family, his community and this university has left a lasting legacy that will continue to influence future generations.� Dr. Mark Foley His devotion to his hometown of Opelika included serving on the Board of Deacons of the First Baptist Church of Opelika for 60 years and teaching a Sunday school class for 30 years. He was a member of the Opelika Kiwanis Club for over 50 years. He served as a board member and president of the Opelika City Board of Education for 15 years beginning in 1962. In addition to his support of education, he has also served on numerous boards for various corporations and
state institutions including the Board of Directors of Liberty National Life Insurance, Torchmark Corporation, West Point-Pepperell Inc. and as chairman of the board of Farmers National Bank of Opelika. He also served on the Board of Corrections for the State of Alabama from 1969-75, the advisory board for the State Docks beginning in 1987, the State
Chamber of Commerce from 1963-92 and on the Business Council of Alabama from 1985-92. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Alabama Law Institute Council and was a member of the Alabama Academy of Honor. m
Photo by G.M. Andrews
umobile.edu 11
universitynews
Photo courtesy Al.com/Sharon Steinmann
Music Prof Orchestrates for Steven Curtis Chapman Carnegie Hall Debut When Steven Curtis Chapman made his Carnegie Hall debut Feb. 8, Christian music’s most awarded recording artist was backed by a 50-piece orchestra playing notes written by a University of Mobile music professor. Steve Dunn said his orchestration of Chapman’s hit “For the Sake of the Call” was his own Carnegie Hall debut as well. “I’ve written more than 1,000 pieces of music, including about 250 that have been published, but I’ve never written anything that has been performed at Carnegie Hall,” said Dunn, assistant professor of music and director of Symphonic Winds at the UMobile Center for Performing Arts. Chapman kicked off the spring leg of The Glorious Unfolding Tour with the Carnegie Hall concert in New York City, featuring his band plus a 300-voice choir and 50-piece orchestra. “The Glorious Unfolding” is the 18th album by Chapman, who has 58 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, five Grammys, an American Music Award, 47 No. 1 singles and approaching 11 million albums sold. Dunn said he doesn’t know Steven Curtis Chapman, but he does know Camp Kirkland, considered one of the nation’s premier church orchestrators and arrangers. Kirkland conducted the New York orchestra and is in charge of turning music written for Chapman’s band into arrangements for an orchestra. Dunn said he was a high school student when he first met Kirkland and
12 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
showed him an original composition. Since then, Kirkland has been an influential mentor, and Dunn is on Kirkland’s “go-to list” when arranging and composing is needed for someone of the caliber of Chapman. Dunn was given a recording of Chapman and his band performing the No. 1 hit “For the Sake of the Call.” Accompanying that were 20 pages of mostly blank staffs, with only the choral arrangement and original band notes for guitar, piano and drums filled out. He had five days to write 116 measures for 17 different instruments. That quick turnaround isn’t uncommon in the industry, Dunn said. “My job was to fill in the gaps with other instruments,” Dunn said. “I determine which instrumentation will help improve that particular moment, or create that particular sound. You have to know how the instruments work together. It’s like you are given a skeleton and you have to know how to put the muscle and skin on it. Depending on how you do that, the result can sound different ways.” Dunn, who teaches orchestration, said facing 20 pages of blank musical staff can be intimidating. “That’s the time I have to say, ‘Lord, I know I’ve done this before, so I trust I can do it again,’” Dunn said. He “hears” the notes in his head, occasionally checks a chord on the keyboard in his office, and writes notes for instruments ranging from oboe to
tuba. If there is time, he will put a few stanzas into notation software that provides a playback of the music with all instruments. Usually, there isn’t time. Even without actually hearing the notes played together, Dunn said he knows when the orchestration is right. He likens it to a chef knowing when a dish needs a dash of this spice or a pinch of that one, how an artist is able to mix paint to achieve just the right color, or how an interior decorator can look at a room and instantly know where to place a lamp to achieve the right feel. Carnegie Hall isn’t the only recent debut for Dunn. High school students in the University of Mobile Honor Band performed “Elegy,” Dunn’s new original composition, later in February. The concert was conducted by Dr. Jim Hansford, director emeritus of Oklahoma Baptist University Bands, and capped an annual three-day clinic for talented music students. Dunn heard “Elegy” performed live, but he did not get to hear the orchestration for Chapman. He’s okay with that. “It’s always nice to hear it performed, but I don’t have to. I’ve kind of heard it on my own, in my head, and I can live with that. Knowing it was performed and other people have heard it is enough,” Dunn said. m
Voices of Mobile Performance Featured on ‘InTouch with Dr. Charles Stanley’
The University of Mobile vocal ensemble Voices of Mobile was featured on the internationally broadcast television program “InTouch with Dr. Charles Stanley.” The program aired the week of Feb. 23. Stanley is senior pastor of First Baptist Church Atlanta, founder of InTouch Ministries, and a New York Times bestselling author. “It was a tremendous opportunity for
Brooke Sanders Crowned Miss University of Mobile 2014
worldwide exposure for our university,” said Dr. Roger Breland, executive director of the Center for Performing Arts/ School of Music and School of Worship Leadership. “You can be anywhere in the world and you can see Dr. Charles Stanley through his InTouch Ministries.” InTouch Ministries programs are seen and heard around the world on more than 2,600 radio and television outlets in more than 50 languages, with a mission of leading people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and strengthen the local church, according to intouch.org. Breland said Voices has performed at least six times during worship services at First Baptist Church Atlanta. Stanley’s sermons are taped and later broadcast to stations worldwide. Breland was notified that the group’s performance of the song “Were You There” would be included in the broadcast. m
Miss Brooke Sanders won the 2014 Miss University of Mobile pageant Jan. 25, and will represent the University of Mobile throughout the year and in the Miss Alabama Pageant. She was also selected as the People’s winner. ”Winning Miss University of Mobile is a dream come true,” said Sanders. “The role is so respected on and off campus. I want to fulfill this responsibility with humility, authenticity, and grace.” Sanders, a junior sociology major from Headland, AL, performed a piano piece titled “Prelude in G Minor” for her talent. Her platform was “Princesses with a Purpose.” By winning Miss University of Mobile, Sanders has won the opportunity to expand the influence of her platform. “I started portraying fairytale princesses a year and a half ago at children’s hospitals, festivals, and other venues that needed a touch of magic,” said Sanders. “Being Miss UM, I have already been expanding my network. ‘Princesses with a Purpose’ also works well with the Children’s Miracle Network, which is the Miss America platform.”
Photo by Anna Fillibin
The Miss University of Mobile pageant is an official qualifier sponsored by Miss America, giving Sanders the opportunity to participate in the Miss Alabama pageant June 4-7 in Birmingham. “God has used this university to make me into the person I am today,” said Sanders. “I can give back to the university by praising the educational and spiritual development it offers to students.” First runner-up, swimsuit, and talent winner was Tiffany Baker, a sophomore music major from Chatom, AL. Miss Congeniality was Rachel Lucas, a sophomore intercultural studies and education major from Memphis, TN. m
UMobile Film & Theatre Guest Speaker Series Featured Award-Winning Writer/Director The University of Mobile Film and Theatre program’s monthly Guest Professional Series featured a talk by Drew Hall, award-winning writer and director. Hall shared his experiences and discussed the film industry with UMobile students and the public. The free seminar was held Feb. 17 on the campus. Hall and his company, Frame29Films, have directed and produced four motion pictures: SkyHook, The Phoenix Rises,
Sons of Liberty, and, most recently, Convergence with Clayne Crawford, Ethan Embry and Mykelti Williamson. Hall’s experience in the motion media business spans advertising, television, branded web series and motion pictures. He has received numerous awards, including winner of the Best Science Fiction Film at the Barebones International Film Festival for The Phoenix Rises, along with honors for script writing, cinematography and title
sequence at various film festivals. He was named Mod Mobilian Filmaker of 2012. The UMobile Film & Theatre Guest Professional Series is part of the university’s film and theatre program in the School of Worship Leadership. For information about the series or to learn more about studying film and theatre, contact Keone Fuqua, assistant professor of musical theatre, at John kfuqua@umobile. Photo by Adams edu or 251.442.2420. m umobile.edu 13
universitynews
Snow Days in Mobile? Maybe not a lot of actual snow flurries - but there was plenty of ice. Due to the unusual weather conditions of sleet and icy roads, the University of Mobile canceled classes and closed the campus January 28-30. These freezing temperatures didn’t stop UMobile students from enjoying this rare occasion!m Photos by Audrey Birkhimer
14 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
umobile.edu 15
Softball
April 22 v. Spring Hill 4:00 (DH) April 25 v. Belhaven 3:00 (DH) April 26 v. William Carey 4:00 (DH) May 1-3 SSAC Tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala.
Men’s and Women’s Tennis
May 13-17 NAIA National Championships at the Mobile Tennis Center
16 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
umobile.edu 17
faithfulgiving
18 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
RaisingFriends
Dr. Fred and Sue Lackey Memorial Scholarship
D
By Kathy Dean r. Fred Lackey’s official title at the University of Mobile is “assistant to the president” directing the school’s church and denomination relations. He prefers another title. “I call myself the Chief Resident Hugger of the University of Mobile,” Lackey said. His energetic embrace of life and passion for sharing God’s love with every person he meets has made Lackey an effective ambassador for the university. Turning what is officially described as a part-time position into his fulltime passion, Lackey criss-crosses the state, making friends and building relationships for the university. Those encounters have helped bring new students and financial gifts to UMobile, and caught the attention of people who soon develop their own desire to be part of something special. “I love people, and I’ve discovered this – it’s hard to oppose love,” he explained. With more than 60 years in the ministry, including leadership positions at the highest levels of Alabama Baptist and Southern Baptist Convention life, Lackey could easily sit back and relax. But that wouldn’t be fun – and Lackey thrives on fun. “Being a Christian is fun to me. Preaching is fun to me. Sunday School is fun to me. Life is fun to me,” he said. For a man whose next birthday will be his 80th – a man who starts each day with a three-mile run – sitting isn’t an option.
Raised in the Cheaha Mountains of Talladega County, Lackey was 19 when he married 16-year-old Sue. “Outside of my salvation, that was the best move I ever made in my life,” Lackey said. He earned degrees from Samford University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Luther Rice Seminary. Along the way, he served as pastor of three Alabama churches: Calvary Baptist in Prattville, First Baptist Church of Athens for 25 years, and Westside Baptist in Jasper, first for 10 years and later for another 15 years. Now executive/associate pastor at Clements Baptist in Athens under the leadership of Pastor Tim Anderson, Lackey has “reduced” his schedule to preaching about one sermon a month and teaching at least once each Sunday and during a midweek Bible study. “After 60 years of getting up and preaching anywhere from two to six times a week, I enjoy preaching just once a month,” he said with a laugh. Lackey is well known and respected throughout Alabama. He recently completed a term as president of the 2013 Alabama Baptist Pastor’s Conference. A former two-term president of the Alabama Baptist State Convention, he was named “Man of the Year” in 1990 by the Southern Baptist Christian Life Commission, where he served as a member of the administrative committee and as chairman of the Executive Committee.
His connection to UMobile began in 1986 when Dr. Sid Sample, then Mobile College’s director of church and convention relations, recommended Lackey for a seat on the school’s Board of Regents. At that time he was pastor of First Baptist Athens, which was exploding in growth. NASA was expanding its operations in nearby Huntsville, and church attendance mushroomed from about 450 on Sunday morning to 800. As the church grew, it co-planted churches, eventually helping start five new congregations. In 1994 he was appointed to the UMobile Board of Trustees. He served as a trustee until he was elected president of the Alabama Baptist State Convention in 1995 and 1996. Lackey was asked in 1996 by thenpresident Dr. Mike Magnoli to serve as full-time assistant to the president for church and convention relations. Lackey made the move into higher education, serving as a liaison between the university and Baptist congregations throughout the state and beyond. In 1998 new president Dr. Mark Foley asked Lackey to serve as interim vice president for development. The university later honored him for that service with a resolution from the Board of Trustees thanking him for “providing constant encouragement and support to a new administration.” Later in 1998 he moved to part-time status at UMobile when he was asked
Photo by Daniel Beard umobile.edu 19
faithfulgiving
to supply preach at Westside Baptist until they could name an interim pastor. He would “supply” there for the next 15 years. In 2013 he was called to Clements Baptist Church in Jasper as associate pastor. But “part-time” doesn’t describe the amount of energy, time and passion Lackey spends on building relationships that benefit the university he believes in so strongly. Students he has pastored during his more than 60 years in the ministry have enrolled at UMobile after accompanying him on a campus visit. One year he brought 10 students from First Baptist Athens for a campus visit. Nine enrolled and graduated, and many of them are now leading their own churches. This fall he expects three students from Clements Baptist to enroll, plus a young man from Arizona whose parents asked Lackey for a college recommendation.
20 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
“I tell anyone who asks the truth – if you want your child to go to a university where they will get an excellent academic education in a Christian environment that challenges them to grow in their faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ, then go to the University of Mobile,” Lackey said. The Lackeys sent two grandchildren to UMobile, have a granddaughter currently attending, and anticipate two more enrolling in a few years. Wait about 17 years, and they expect grandson Oliver to make UMobile his college home. Lackey’s stint in the school’s
development office gave him firsthand knowledge of the importance of fundraising at a private Christian university and how financial gifts help to keep college costs affordable for families. He and Sue contribute regularly to the university’s annual fund, and daughter Lisa celebrates her parents’ birthdays and anniversary by making her own contributions in their name. When the university has a particular need, Lackey often works with Brian Boyle ’94, vice president for institutional advancement, to find the necessary resources.
“My philosophy is that you raise friends before you raise funds,” Lackey said. Recently, when Boyle was reviewing the list of endowed scholarships established at the university, he realized there was not one named for the Lackeys. “Dr. Lackey has been such a significant part of the university for so long, and touched so many lives throughout his ministry. He loves this school. I thought it was past time that something permanent should be done that would honor Fred and Sue,” Boyle said. He quietly reached out to just a few of the many people the Lackeys have impacted. Soon the $10,000 needed to endow a scholarship was raised. During the University of Mobile Alumni and Friends Luncheon at the 2013 Alabama Baptist State Convention,
with the Lackeys present, the surprise announcement was made: the Dr. Fred and Sue Lackey Memorial Scholarship was established. Boyle said earnings from the principle will provide scholarship assistance for full-time UMobile students planning on a career in Christian service, with first priority given to students from the Athens or Cheaha Mountain areas. “We’re both excited about it,” Lackey said. The Lackeys plan to start making contributions to their new endowed scholarship fund – in addition to the donations they already make to the annual fund. “That way, we will be helping kids who are in school now, as well as those in the future,” Lackey said. “In the long run, this school has given me more than
I have ever given them – the satisfaction of staying in touch with graduates who confirm in my heart how valuable this school really is.” m Anyone may make contributions of any amount to the Dr. Fred and Sue Lackey Memorial Scholarship Fund, and the couple will be notified that an individual or group has made a donation. As the endowed scholarship fund grows, it will generate more interest that will provide scholarships of increasing amounts. Contributions earmarked “Lackey Scholarship” may be made online at giving.umobile.edu or mailed to: Development Office, University of Mobile, 5735 College Pkwy., Mobile, AL 36613.
When a child smiles, the world moves to a brighter place. At BB&T, we understand the importance of encouragement, having people who believe in you and are working to help you reach your goals. It’s what we do every day as we bring a can-do attitude to every relationship, sharing knowledge to help clients and communities move in a brighter direction. That’s why we’re proud to support initiatives like the 9th Annual University of Mobile Leadership Banquet that focus on young people and help build strong futures. BBT.com
Proud to Support the 9th Annual University of Mobile Leadership Banquet with Guest Speaker Oliver North
B A N K I N G
.
I N S U R A N C E
.
I N V E S T M E N T S
Member FDIC. Only deposit products are FDIC insured. © 2014, Branch Banking and Trust Company. All rights reserved. umobile.edu 21
faithfulgiving
Photo by Trey Taulbee
22 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Celebrating
A Life
The Frank F. Smith Jr. Memorial Scholarship By Dr. Ted Mashburn
O
n March 16, 1960, just onequarter of a mile from his hometown of Stapleton in Baldwin County, a 17-year-old junior at Baldwin County High School, Frank Ferrell Smith Jr., was involved in an automobile accident that resulted in his death. He was tall (6’ 3”), athletic (played basketball and football), musical (a percussionist), handsome and popular. He was in possession of those qualities that make for a successful life: he had completed all the merit badges to make Eagle Scout, lacking only his service project (those of us familiar with scouting recognize that feat); he was a member of the Key Club…(Key Club is a high school service organization sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. The reason I mention this is that by the 1960s at Baldwin County High School under the leadership of Judge John White, the Key Club there won annual awards for being one of the best clubs in the nation); and Frank Jr. was also president of the Baldwin County district of the Methodist Youth Fellowship. Perhaps a window into his winsome personality and quality of character would be the following: in 1957, the Smith family moved from northwest Alabama to Baldwin County the week before school started…not an easy thing for kids to do. Frank Jr. entered a new school in Bay Minette as a 9th grader,
not knowing anyone. One year later, he was elected sophomore class president by students with whom he had been a total stranger only a year earlier. That, I would submit, speaks volumes — such a promising life. I can only imagine what Frank Jr.’s death did to the Smith family. Parents are not supposed to bury their children; children are supposed to bury their parents. Sometime later, Frank Jr.’s mother, Florence Smith, established a scholarship at the University of Mobile in honor
of her son. It was the first privately funded “loan for students” to be established at UMobile, according to then-university president Dr. William K. Weaver Jr. It was later converted to an endowed scholarship with the following qualifications: Scholarships are to be awarded to any student whose academic record and extracurricular behavior reflect (a) high moral character; (b) high academic performance and (c) demonstrated musical, athletic or leadership ability. We could say that Mrs. Smith started the scholarship program that later became known as Endowed Scholarships. This is perhaps in keeping with the values of the Smith family. They have always embraced education and service. Florence Moss Smith, a native of Mobile, graduated from Duke University in 1932. She took honors in English, was secretary of the senior class, a member of Chi Delta Phi literary honor society, and sang with the Duke Chapel Choir. After graduation, she returned to Mobile and taught at Baker Elementary School for a period before returning to Duke University, first, as secretary to the University Press and, then, as director of student religious activities at the Woman’s College there. She married Frank Ferrell Smith in 1941 and after the war located to Stapleton, AL with
umobile.edu 23
faithfulgiving
their three boys, Frank Jr., Howard and James. She resumed a career in elementary education in 1960 before retiring in 1973. She supported the arts, taught music to her classes, patronized local businesses, and was Mom par excellent sending regular care packages, which consisted of homemade bread, cookies, gingerbread, molasses cake and fruitcake, to Howard in Vietnam and James away at college. Frank Ferrell Smith, a native of Andrews, NC, graduated from Duke University in 1933 with honors; he also took master’s degrees from Yale University and again from Duke University. He worked in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and for the Forestry Service in Arizona and Texas before (a) getting Florence Moss to agree to marry him (I think he had to propose twice); and (b) going off to war where he served both in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters as a Navy lieutenant. In 1944 and 1945, he was executive officer (2nd in command) of a U.S.S. landing ship that made nine landings on those dreadful islands in the Pacific, made all the more graphic by Eugene Sledge’s book, “With the Old Breed,” that became a documentary series. After World War II, Mr. Smith became associate forester at Auburn (the school didn’t officially become ”Auburn University” until 1960 – it was still “Alabama Polytechnic Institute” when Mr. Smith attended) and then went to Fayette where he ran the forestry experimental station for 10 years. He became head forester for the Baldwin County properties of the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company in 1957, moved to Stapleton, and worked until retirement in 1974. You might wonder, what in the world does a coal and iron company need with woods? It is as simple as this: coal mines needed great timbers in order to be safe and secure. Mr. Smith saw to it
24 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Photo by Trey Taulbee
practiced their faith in a quiet that the wood was abundant and useful. but effective manner, was Some might say, to borrow a phrase gifted and athletic, and served from Randy Pausch’s book “The Last others and their country. Lecture,” that the Smith boys won the Having gone to school parent lottery. Think about it…parents with the Smith brothers, I with degrees from Duke and Yale… remember Howard well in only about 10 percent of women in the high school. He was a senior United States went to college in 1930. sprinter on the track team That put Mrs. Smith in an elite class. And and I was a young 7th or 8th to graduate with a master’s from Yale grader….Back then grades 1-12 were all University — well, that is impressive. on the same grounds, not in the same It suggests that the Smiths valued classroom, mind you — (you would education. need to go back another 50-60 years for Christianity was part and parcel of that). I somehow managed to have 6th the Smith household. Not only were the period P.E. with the high school guys, boys raised in the Methodist Church, so I literally thrilled to watch Howard they were active in leadership roles. Mr. turn the corner on the 220 or 200 meter Smith read from the Bible each night sprint. He could pick them up and put at supper; if the selection was from them down, as we used to say — he one of Paul’s letters, he might “[…] give was fast. His senior year he never lost a few unflattering remarks about the a race in the 100, 220, and 440 relay convoluted sentence structure.” (Don’t teams. He was one of my heroes. With ever try to diagram a Pauline sentence, military in his family, it was little wonder you will go nuts!) Mrs. Smith was not that Howard volunteered for service preachy, but had a strong Christian faith in Vietnam, became a helicopter pilot, and love of others — namely, family, and even volunteered for extended Photos by Dan Anderson neighbors and students. tours of duty. Piloting a “chopper” in You get the picture….Here was a Vietnam was about as dangerous as it family who believed in education,
Frank Smith Jr. at a Boy Scout event.
got. Howard went on to make a career flying the helicopter, from fighting fires to transporting people and goods. His best fortune, however, may have been in getting Clara Jo Hastie…affectionately known to everyone as “Punkin”…to marry him. You have to be one of the good guys to marry “Punkin” — and they have been married for 47 years. James was a serious student, Phi Beta Kappa, graduated cum laude with honors from Sewanee, The University of the South, before completing law school at Vanderbilt University, and did a stint
in the Navy along the way. I remember James well because he spent some Sunday afternoons at our house. He was a leader, respected by all his classmates, the kind of guy that you hoped your daughter not only would bring home but would manage to keep. Well, he was rewarded supremely by getting Sherrie Ballard to say yes…on the first proposal, at that. They have been married some 42 years; he has been practicing law in Fairhope forever. What Florence Smith did to remember a son whose life was cut much too short,
in essence, has caused us to remember not only him but a wonderful family whose contributions to God, others and the world ought to be remembered, celebrated, and even imitated. m For information on how to establish an endowed scholarship at the University of Mobile, please contact the Office of Development at 251.442.2223. Dr. Ted Mashburn is associate dean of the University of Mobile College of Arts and Sciences and professor of humanities.
umobile.edu 25
faithfulgiving
Giving
Cooperatively
T
By Dr. Doug Wilson
he Southern Baptist Convention was established in 1845, with churches unified through state conventions and local associations, to which individual congregations petitioned for membership. Autonomy of the local church is one of the major tenets of Baptist doctrine, and Baptists are fiercely independent. A seminary professor once likened the term “independent Baptist” to “tooth dentist” or “hair barber.” It’s redundant; but I digress. Baptists seldom agree, but we are generally open to lively discussion and reasonable debate. Cleon Keyes was one such Baptist, a preacher who served in ministry for more than half a century. He believed in unity without uniformity, and he was well respected among Kentucky Baptists as a peacemaker.
26 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
As a young preacher, Keyes spent but a few months in Rector College, where he took courses in biblical studies and pastoral care. He would spend the next 50 years preaching the Gospel. Though he lacked the formal training of a seminary degree, he advocated before his local Baptist association of churches for financial contributions to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary when it was relocated to Louisville, KY. He explained that more trees could be felled by a sharp axe than a dull one, illustrating his point that young men contemplating pastoral ministry ought to sharpen their tools with higher education. As I like to tell my students, “A call to ministry is a call to preparation.” Cleon Keyes was my grandfather’s greatgrandfather, the last Baptist preacher in my family until I answered the call. When Mobile College was founded in 1961, President William K. Weaver Jr. made a commitment to establish a Baptist college in lower Alabama. He believed that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 1:7), and he gathered a faculty who would prepare young men and women for lives of service to Jesus Christ. The University of Mobile retains our Baptist roots, with every faculty member in the School of Christian Ministries serving actively in a Southern Baptist church, holding a seminary degree, and maintaining a firm commitment to the authority of Scripture and the integration of Christian faith with rigorous learning. Cooperative Program Southern Baptists, meeting in 1925 for their annual session, discussed the best means of underwriting missions, education, and other ministry causes as autonomous local churches and as a convention. They agreed to contribute funds to their common interests through their state conventions. Fifty percent
of the receipts would be retained for ministry within the state, and the other half would go to the common fund for Southern Baptist ministry endeavors. This new endeavor was called the Cooperative Program. Nearly 90 years later, the Cooperative Program (CP) continues to serve as the common funding mechanism for Southern Baptists. Through the years, the recipients of the CP have included the Home Mission Board (now known as the North American Mission Board), the Foreign Mission Board (now known as the International Mission Board), the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (which has been joined by five other Southern Baptist seminaries), and a variety of agencies and auxiliary groups. The University of Mobile has been blessed to be a recipient of CP funds since its inception. When Southern Baptists in Alabama give to the CP, they help to support the education of University of Mobile students, and thus the spread of the Gospel everywhere they go. They help support the general budget of UMobile, allowing us to equip students to reach the world for Christ. More than 70 students annually receive ministry scholarships because of the generosity of Alabama Baptists. Alabama Baptists Make A Difference Through contributions to Alabama
Baptist churches and, thus, the Cooperative Program, your support provides funding for scholarships for students preparing for vocational church ministry, community and urban ministry, international missions, and marketplace ministry. As you continue your faithful support, you provide the resources we need to develop partnerships for local ministry teams, regional internships, and international service projects. We at the School of Christian Ministries and the University of Mobile want to thank you for your support. We appreciate your prayer support as we engage in spiritual discipleship. We thank you for your trust, allowing us to help equip your students to serve God and serve others through their vocations. We are also grateful for your financial support for our programs and ministries. Your generosity helps us to be change agents, changing lives to change the world. May God bless you as you give! May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us... that Your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! (Psalm 67:1-3, ESV) m Dr. Doug Wilson is dean of the University of Mobile School of Christian Ministries and professor of Christian ministries.
umobile.edu 27
faithfulgiving
HARD Work STRONG Faith UMobile Trustee Tommy Robinson Builds a Miracle By Kathy Dean
T
ommy Robinson stood in the middle of a miracle. After eight years of obstacles – Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill and a recession – the $245 million Phoenix West II was open. Nicknamed “the Taj Mahal of the Gulf Coast” at 32 stories and 1.9 million square feet, the beachfront condominium is Alabama’s largest residential building. Tommy Robinson and his two partners, Gene and Tillis Brett, built it. Standing on the curved staircase rising from the lobby, with the brilliant bluegreen Gulf of Mexico filling the lobby windows behind him, Robinson said, “God made this happen.” Meet Tommy Robinson, 79, a member of the University of Mobile Board of Trustees. He is a straight-shooter whose education in the college of experience has brought him to the top of his profession. It takes guts to say you’re going to build a Taj Mahal, and it takes grit to make it happen despite natural and man-made obstacles that devastated a region. Robinson is a determined man who believes in two things – working hard and following God. Those beliefs, and the actions that
28 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
accompany them, enabled Robinson to build condominiums along the Gulf Coast, subdivisions, churches, manufacturing facilities and the 45-yearold Brett/Robinson Development Co. Those ideals also built him a reputation for honesty, fairness and success. “Your reputation means everything,” he said. “One of my theories of life is that nobody knows what you are worth except a few people – but it’s what you do in life, and did you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.” Humble Beginnings Whether standing on that stairway or sitting in his office surrounded by trophies from his African safari, Robinson is a long way from his childhood in Frisco City, AL, where an outhouse, pigs and chickens were part of his life. Although Robinson says he “barely made it out of high school” at Vigor High where he lettered in baseball, he had a knack for math and a strong work ethic. At age 17 he married Elsie, and they celebrated 52 years together until her death. They raised three children, including daughter Deborah Nelson of Saraland who also serves as a UMobile trustee as well as a member of the
Photos by G.M. Andrews
umobile.edu 29
faithfulgiving
“What I like about the University of Mobile is what I hear about God. That’s what this university is all about. “ Tommy Robinson
board’s Executive Committee. Robinson started out as a welder and pipe fitter who finished his shift each day at Courtaulds or Ingalls Shipbuilding, then framed houses and finished sheetrock in his off time. His skill and reputation landed him the important job of running the pipe coming off the nuclear reactor on the U.S.S. Snook and the U.S.S. Barb submarines being built in the late 1950s and early 1960s at Ingalls. By age 23 he had $23,000 in the bank. By the time he was 27, he had saved over $80,000 and was getting tired of pipefitting and welding. Along the way, he had bought some land in Saraland, sold some lots, started building houses on the side, and took at look at the future. “I was thinking about all those chemicals at Courtaulds, and how it turned the money that was in your pocket black after just 30 minutes of being there,” he said. The Saraland area was growing, people were buying home supplies, and he had an opportunity to invest his savings in a small hardware store. He expanded the store, renamed it Coastal Home Center, and added inventory that would attract homeowners and homebuilders alike, including appliances from RCA and GE. An accomplished hunter, Robinson became the largest Browning firearms dealer in the Southeast for five straight years. Within five years the business grew from $8,000 in inventory to $2 million. Robinson was supplying more than 30 builders a year with complete homebuilding packages. He invested
30 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
in the building boom, providing construction loans to homebuilders and selling land for home sites. “I treated people the way I want to be treated. I wanted to do this the right way,” Robinson said. Then, at age 36, he sold the hardware business. “It got to the point that I would see people at church turn the other way or go out another door, because they couldn’t pay me. I thought, ‘my heart is going to be scarred.’ That’s why I sold it,” he explained. What came next set the course for the next 45 years. “I was sitting at home, rocking in a chair on Christmas Eve, wondering what I was going to do with my life,” he said. That’s when Tillis Brett called. Tillis and brother Gene had decided to leave the real estate company they worked for to start their own. Brett/ Robinson Development Co. had its beginnings in the question Tillis Brett asked Robinson that day: “Why don’t we build some houses together?” “We started developing subdivisions together and the company kept growing,” Robinson said. Weathering Storms Described today as a “full time, full service company,” Brett/Robinson Development Co. is an industry leader in real estate. The business serves as developer, sales force, construction and management company. Since Robinson and the Brett brothers joined forces in the early 1970s, they have developed 30 subdivisions and built 19 condo projects along the coastline
of south Alabama, plus numerous other projects. To give an idea of just a portion of the company’s impact: during 2013 Brett/Robinson sold over $132 million in real estate on the beach and $20 million in Saraland. He takes pride in the company’s reputation for its pay-as-you-go approach to building the Phoenix projects that line the beach. That philosophy has allowed them to keep construction costs down, bills paid, and succeed with every project they undertake. Along the way, the partners weathered four recessions, numerous hurricanes and a devastating oil spill. There were times, Robinson said, that he thought the ambitious Phoenix West II might be their Waterloo. There were weeks they weren’t sure they could meet Friday’s payroll, and decisions made to sell capital to put into the project. Those worries were forgotten on Feb. 22, as former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley joined in the official grand opening celebration with all but two of the 358 units sold. “Each recession has made us stronger,” Robinson said. “When I look back, those four recessions have been the most exciting times of my life. We had to reach down deep for strength to do what needed to be done, and during those times I am quite sure we mentioned the name of God more than once.” Do the Right Thing Robinson said the secret to his long partnership with the Bretts is simple. “We always strive to do the right thing toward anybody who buys from us. And how can you be mad at your
Tommy Robinson and the new Phoenix West II
partners who always want to do right by everybody? We’ve got the right people with the right attitudes, and we put the Lord first in all our decisions,” he said. A lifelong Alabama Baptist, Robinson was serving as chairman of the building committee for First Baptist Gulf Shores when he met his second wife, Deborah, who chaired the finance committee. “I’m a lucky man,” he said. “God gave me two great ladies in my life, both Christians.” His interest in the Baptist-affiliated University of Mobile began as the college was being founded and his friend, Mobile businessman Jay P. Altmayer, made the first major donation of land. Another friend, Massey Bedsole,
was a member of the school’s Board of Trustees. Robinson watched the campus grow as he was building most of the homes in the adjoining College Woods subdivision. He liked what he saw. Sold Out to God “What I like about the University of Mobile is what I hear about God. That’s what this university is all about. The president is certainly sold out to God, and he has a vision for the school,” Robinson said. Also, Robinson is “a huge fan” of Dr. Roger Breland and his work as executive director of the Center for Performing Arts/School of Music and School of
Worship Leadership. Robinson said he believes in helping young people achieve their goals and make the most of their talents. Most of all, he advises them, give it everything you’ve got. “If you are not willing to work hard, you will be mediocre and you will have wasted your time going to college. I believe if you work hard, you will be successful,” he said. “You need to have character and love the Lord – and work hard.” Nothing, he said, is easy. But this is America – and you can do anything if you work hard enough. “I was a nobody,” he said. Now, he’s the boss. “Most people who work for me say I’m the best boss they ever had, but I know when to be tough, I know how to be fair,” he said. With his 80th birthday approaching, Robinson said there is still more work to be done. “We’re on the offensive,” he said. “We are talking about building more homes in Saraland, maybe another subdivision. We would like to build at least 10 more towers on the beach. We have the customer base and the knowledge. We know that 75 percent of people’s portfolio is in real estate and it needs to be treated seriously and professionally.” As for retirement? “I didn’t know there was any such word,” Robinson said with a laugh. He said he likes to stay busy “so my financial statement is where I can keep giving to the Lord and taking care of my family, because that’s what I love.” m
umobile.edu 31
faithfulgiving
Honorary Fellows use Influence to Support University By Will Drake
A
It’s an
Honor
legacy must have a starting point. For an institution to impact thousands of lives every year, it must build a foundation. Dr. William K. Weaver Jr., founding president of the University of Mobile, foresaw the impact UMobile could make, and he established a program that would play a significant role in propelling the new institution to greatness: the Association of Honorary Fellows. He knew the importance alumni hold in the sustenance of a university, but when Mobile College was chartered in 1961, Weaver needed the support of alumni he did not yet have. Alongside his beloved wife, Annie Boyd Parker Weaver who led the formation of the Mobile College Auxiliary, Weaver chose people who exhibited the commitment to the future of Mobile College. With help from charter professor Dr. A. Garrett Hill, he immediately instated these fellows. Weaver called them to service, and they approached the challenge wholeheartedly, embracing a mission that became foundation for the University of Mobile — change lives to change the world. The Beginning According to an excerpt from the Office of Development of then-Mobile College, the prime objective of the Fellows would be to disseminate information and motivate individual interest and concern that would advance the well-being of Mobile College. “The clasped hands in the center of the Mobile College seal illustrate the
32 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
T
Photos by Kathy Dean
umobile.edu 33
faithfulgiving
spirit of cooperation shown by the many individuals and groups who helped make possible the founding of Mobile College and who continue to provide support,” said the excerpt. The first meeting of the association was held on campus on April 24, 1967 with 82 members present. Julian de Ovies was elected president the charter year. Mobile greats, such as J. Finley McRae, J. L. Bedsole, T. T. Martin, Ogden Shropshire and H. Austill Pharr, became active participants in the endeavor. In 1968, the organization implemented its first major project, the H. Austill Pharr Gymnasium, after raising significant funds for its construction. The facility remains today as a tribute to both Pharr and the dedication of each Honorary Fellows member. As years passed, the Honorary Fellows continued to take a leadership role in championing the college and helping develop relationships that would expand the school’s influence. The group met frequently for luncheons and to hear from guest speakers who gave updates on the university or discussed issues of general interest in the community. Continuing to Build More than 50 years later, the University of Mobile now has many alumni who are vital to the support and influence of the school. The Honorary Fellows organization continues to play an important role in its growth and development of the school. “The Honorary Fellows are stalwart representatives of the University of Mobile to the community,” said Associate Vice President for Development Bill Hart. The Honorary Fellows is a select cohort of community leaders. Today they are a small yet influential group of men and women who have shown exemplary service to the community and exceptional commitment to the progress
34 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Ms. Betty Hendrix and Mr. Ed Ahrens
of the university. One of these Fellows, Ed Ahrens, highlighted the prestige of the program. “To be selected as an Honorary Fellow is a great honor. I don’t know anything I have done to deserve a place in such a prestigious group,” he said modestly. “ It carries a great deal of esteem.” Ahrens has been a member since 1996 and regularly supports student scholarships, annual university golf tournaments and other athletic events. Ahrens said the time he invests is a way to return what the University of Mobile gave his family. “Both my sons are graduates of the University of Mobile,” Ahrens stated. “It has given them a great Christian worldview and an excellent education. They are both succeeding in the business world as a result.” The university selects two to four Honorary Fellows each year, and members gather twice a year for the Honorary Fellows Luncheon to hear about the university and enjoy musical performances by students in the Center for Performing Arts/School of Music. Their connections to the university continue throughout the year in many ways. “Our Honorary Fellows are passionate about this school, and they truly help
Dr. Grace Pilot and Mr. Charlie Jackson
the university,” said Hart. “They speak with potential students, open doors for UMobile, provide financial aid and supply resources that are otherwise unattainable.” Current active Honorary Fellow members include: Ed Ahrens – Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant, McNeil, Ahrens & Lambert Financial Group. Ahrens has been an Honorary Fellow since 1996 and was a former Trustee from 1999-2005. His sons, Hunt and Will, are graduates of UMobile. He has significantly supported student scholarships, events such as the annual golf tournament, and athletics. Ed Baxley – Retired from Commercial Credit Corp. and later served as EVP consultant for several banks. A deacon at First Baptist Church of Chickasaw, AL, Baxley is the principal of four endowed scholarships and has provided guidance and moral support to numerous members of the UMobile faculty and staff. He was inducted as an
Left to right: Clint Martin, Pharr Hume, Charlie Jackson, Mary Brown, Ed Baxley, Betty Hendrix, Ed Ahrens
Mr. Clint Martin and Mr. Bill Hart
Honorary Fellow in 2012. Mary Brown – Communications administrative assistant, Dauphin Way Baptist Church. Brown, a retired air traffic controller and supervisor, has hosted many social initiatives for UMobile students, many of whom have no local relatives. She and husband Charlie, a 1979 UMobile graduate who is currently enrolled in the Marriage & Family Counseling master’s program, have established an estate plan to ensure their continued impact. She was inducted as an Honorary Fellow in 2013. Dr. Harold R. Collins – Retired former superintendent, Mobile County Public Schools. A long-time leader in the educational arena, Collins has been an Honorary Fellow for over 27 years. He is a faithful financial supporter of the university and a strong advocate of UMobile as well as higher education in the community. In 2003, he was awarded the Arlene F. Mitchell Award from Senior Citizens Services and continues to serve in that area at the age of 94.
Daniel Cowart – CEO of Aaron Oil Co. Inc. and president of International Used Oil Research Institute. Cowart has been an Honorary Fellow since 1997. Through the International Used Oil Research Institute, a subsidiary of Aaron Oil, he is promoting good stewardship of the environment and natural resources in the oil reclamation industry. Ms. Betty Hendrix – Retired banker in Mobile and Realtor on the Eastern Shore. She has been an Honorary Fellow since 1995. Her professional experience and personal support have helped extend the university’s influence. A. Pharr Hume – Senior vice president, Willis of Alabama Inc., and Certified Insurance Counselor. Both Pharr and Willis have been consistent supporters of UMobile. With deep family ties to UMobile, Hume has supported the annual UMobile Classic golf tournament and all special events. Charles E. Jackson Sr. – Chartered Life Underwriter, Jackson Investment Solutions. He has served on the President’s Advisory Council and has been an Honorary Fellow since 1991. He has also served as a deacon at Cottage Hill Baptist Church. Clint Martin – Financial advisor/ investment management consultant and financial planner, Raymond James Financial Services. He also holds the designations of AAMS & CFP.
As a member of the UMobile Estate Planning Team, his services have resulted in over $200,000 in planned gifts. Martin works closely with UMobile’s Charitable Estate Planning Office in assisting benefactors. He also volunteers as a Master Environmental Educator with the Baldwin County Extension Office. He was inducted as an Honorary Fellow in 2013. Dr. Grace Pilot – Co-founder, Pilot Catastrophe Services. One of only three women ever to be inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame, she has been honored for making a significant impact on the development of the community and state by promoting the free enterprise system and entrepreneurship, demonstrating civic leadership, and philanthropy and humanitarianism toward fellow citizens. Named First Lady of Mobile in 2005, Pilot has established an endowed scholarship and participates in the annual Endowed Scholarship Luncheon with her scholarship recipients. Donald E. Setser – CPA, Wilkins, Miller, Hieronymous LLC. He has provided countless hours of professional service to Southern Baptist missionaries and is a member of the Saraland Chamber of Commerce. He has participated as a sponsor for the annual UMobile Classic golf tournament and has been an Honorary Fellow since 1996. m umobile.edu 35
36 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
By Kathy Dean Photos by G.M. Andrews
umobile.edu 37
I
t is an awesome thing to have a United States president describe you as “an American hero.” Lt. Col. Oliver North earned that accolade from President Ronald Reagan. He put the spotlight on what it means to be a real hero during the 9th annual University of Mobile Leadership Banquet. “Heroes aren’t just people wearing spandex suits and capes,” North told an audience of more than 800 gathered at the Mobile Convention Center on March 27. “I know that’s what young people think of when you use the word ‘hero’ – or someone who catches the pass in the end zone, or the person who sets a new Olympic record, or climbs the never-before-climbed mountain. But the classical definition of a hero is a person who puts themself at risk for the benefit of others,” he said. The more than 30,000 Americans he has interviewed as host of Fox News Channel’s “War Stories” awardwinning military documentary series are heroes in the classical sense. “I spend nearly all of my time for Fox News in the company of heroes,” he said. At nearly 70 years of age, North is passionate about telling the stories of the men and women who make up America’s all-volunteer armed services, and their families and loved ones who make their own sacrifices on the homefront for our nation. “When they gather in a prayer circle and put their arms around one another, they’re not going out on a football field on a Friday night. These are guys going into mortal combat
38 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
“The quality that is most necessary for the future of the country is the one that’s being inculcated right here at the University of Mobile, and that is a godly world view – if you will, a biblical world view.” Lt. Col. Oliver North
against an enemy who intends to die — and sometimes the enemy wins,” North said. Shaping the Future The annual University of Mobile Leadership Banquet raises financial support for the UMobile Fund. The event brings a speaker of national prominence to the Mobile area who uses his or her influence to open doors of opportunity for the next generation of leaders. Previous speakers have included former President George W. Bush, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich. UMobile President Dr. Mark Foley said, at its core, the Leadership Banquet is about influence. “What we do at the University of Mobile is not just about quality music, athletic programs, national championships and all those kinds of things. It’s not even about academics,” Foley said. “It’s about influence – the influence exercised by hundreds of highly capable men and women, graduates of the University of Mobile, who have mastered a body of knowledge according to the degree
which they have earned, who know how to think, who know what they believe and why they believe it, and who have the courage and willingness to use their influence in appropriate and effective ways to create change in the places they stand each day.” He added, “It’s all about the influence required to achieve an ideal – that there may be one nation under the authority of God that produces liberty and justice for all of her citizens. It is an ideal that has never been fully realized, but it must be and it can be. The key to that occurring is the generation of young men and women who were represented before you just now.” Spirit-Empowered Leaders North emphasized the importance of preparing that next generation, such as those students he met during his visit to the UMobile campus prior to the banquet. He said he was grateful to spend time with students who are using their God-given talents to carry on their own challenging missions. “The purpose, dedication and commitment I see in those young students gives me hope for the future,” North said. “Every student that I met here today has been intent on gathering the skills and tools that
umobile.edu 39
when North jumped off a military vehicle, landed wrong and seriously reinjured his back, as others were calling for medics, the officer knelt beside him and prayed, “Dear Lord, You can do anything. Heal this man.” The pain immediately went away. As North got up off the ground and said “thank you, sir,” the officer replied, “Don’t thank me. You should thank your Lord and Savior and you need to come to know Him.” Later, in a formal military ceremony where North was presenting the unit for embarkation to travel to a mission,
North discusses a photo of a U.S. Navy Corpsman carrying a wounded enemy soldier from the battlefield.
they need to help change the world. That effort is important not just to the city of Mobile, not just to the state of Alabama, but it’s important to this country.” North said it was clear to him that the UMobile faculty, staff and administration “are focused on preparing what I would call spiritempowered leaders. I like to see that.” Essential Role Models North spoke about the importance of godly role models in his own life, and in the lives of students. “We all live in challenging times. Our nation is, in my humble opinion, in deep, deep trouble. We need godly leaders in every walk of life in this country.” Those godly leaders are being developed at the University of Mobile, he said. “The quality that is most necessary for the future of the country is the one that’s being inculcated right here at the University of Mobile, and that is a godly world view – if you will, a biblical world view. The importance 40 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
North talks with UMobile students on campus.
of a staff, a faculty, an administration that understands biblical principles is essential. Why? Because they are role models,” he said. North told how a role model dramatically affected his life. “I was married, 38 years old with two kids, before I came to know what was really important in life, and it was all because of a role model in my life,” he said. North described a senior military officer he served under who was known as a “Bible thumper.” Once,
the officer took a risk. In front of senior officers, he handed North not the official papers usually passed over at the embarkation ceremony. “He hands me this book,” said North, indicating a Bible he had at the podium. “In front of everybody, he says, ‘Here, Major. On the way across the Atlantic, read this book. Embark the troops.’” North likened it to the Centurion described in the books of Matthew and Luke, who put his own life at risk by asking Jesus to heal his servant.
North is welcomed to campus by Brian Boyle, Vice President for Institutional Advancement.
The Roman soldier was putting everything on the line – not only his own life, but also that of his family – by violating Roman law and risking the penalty of death by crucifixion. “He puts himself at enormous risk, and he does it for someone else,” which is the very definition of a hero, said North. He identified with that soldier of long ago, North said, and the role models of that soldier and his senior officer were significant steps that led him to a conversion experience and relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s what the University of Mobile is doing, he said as he held up his Bible, “the idea of showing young people how to live, how to be a role model, setting a moral example based on very straightforward principles that are all in here.” ‘It’s What We Do’ Through his work on “War Stories,” North has been embedded in 57 U.S. and allied combat units in 13 1/2 years and in nearly every theater of war. As he spoke about America’s heroes, screens in the banquet hall flashed
About
Oliver North
Oliver North was born in San Antonio, TX, then graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and served 22 years as a Marine officer. His awards for service in combat include the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for valor and two Purple Hearts for wounds in action. He has authored 13 books, all of them New York Times best sellers. His latest book is “American Heroes on the Homefront.” Assigned to the National Security Council staff in the Reagan administration, North was the United States government’s counter-terrorism coordinator from 1983-1986. He was involved in planning the rescue of 804 medical students on the island of Grenada and played a major role in the daring capture of the terrorists who hijacked the cruise ship Achille Lauro. After helping plan the U.S. raid on Muammar Qaddafi’s terror bases in Libya, North was targeted for assassination by Abu Nidal, the infamous terrorist killed in Baghdad in August 2002. Since 2001, he has been the host of “War Stories” – the award-winning military documentary series on Fox News Channel. He is the founder of a small business, an inventor with three U.S. patents and a syndicated columnist. He was a military consultant on the 2012 Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and voiced himself at one level of the video game. North serves on the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association and is the founder of Freedom Alliance, a foundation providing college scholarships to the sons and daughters of U.S. military personnel killed in the line of duty. He claims his most important accomplishment is being “the husband of one, the father of four and the grandfather of 14.”
umobile.edu 41
An audience of over 800 gathered for the Leadership Banquet.
photographs of soldiers in battle, carrying heavy loads of equipment and supplies on their backs, at rest with their comrades. One photograph showed a U.S. Navy corpsman running toward a helicopter as a firefight raged behind him and smoke rose above the horizon from the city of Baghdad. On his back was a wounded soldier, head wrapped in field-dressed bandages. To the right was a film crew from Reuters international news agency. North, standing on the helicopter ramp, took the photo as the corpsman ran toward him and bullets hit the helicopter. As the corpsman drew closer, it became obvious that the injured man was an enemy soldier. “I heard the Reuters crew shout out, ‘Hey mate, what did you do that for? Didn’t you notice he was an Iraqi?’ In other words, ‘You stupid American,’” North recalled. The corpsman shouted back, “Didn’t you notice he was wounded? That’s what we do! We’re Americans.” North said it is actions such as these that make America a role model for the world. America’s military involvement 42 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Voices of Mobile performed inspirational songs.
North autographed his New York Times best sellers.
across the globe has allowed members of the military to serve as role models, sharing the American ideals of freedom that they are fighting to preserve. As a result, Muslim girls in Afghanistan now have access to education, and the U.S. has served as a role model for how to protect Muslim women and children, he said. “What these young Americans have done by going into harm’s way… by being the kinds of people we are as Americans, is they become better diplomats than some of those people at Foggy Bottom, the Department of State,” he said.
Tough Times In the middle of the summer of 1987, North was at the center of the nation’s attention during hearings about the Iran-Contra affair. The pressure was intense. “It was a tough time,” North recalled. “It was humiliating to my wife, my best friend. She is the only American woman I know who has had to flee her home with her children because of what her husband did for his country. Terrorists were on their way to our house to kill them – not just me – them. That’s the kind of enemy we are up against.”
In Other On the first day of the hearings, as he walked between a double cordon of security, a woman pushed a card into his hand. Every day throughout the hearing, as North’s appearance transfixed the nation and he endured intense questioning, his attorney would prop the card up in front of them so North could read its message. At one point, reporters asked what was written on the card. “The answers,” said North’s attorney. North held up the card and read its message to the banquet audience. But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 “My friends,” said North, “If you don’t know those as answers, be assured of this – the youngsters who graduate from the University of Mobile will. And those youngsters will do what Ronald Reagan, the president I was blessed to work for, admonished us to do. “Ronald Reagan said, as only he could say it, that we as Americans have a rendezvous with destiny. Our destiny is not to become second rate. Our destiny is not to become like France. Our destiny is to be the home of the brave and the land of the free.” m Visit umobilemagazine.com for a video recap of this year’s Leadership Banquet.
Words More from Oliver North during his visit to the University of Mobile
“The greatest call is to serve others. The sacrifice you make just by serving is profound.” - Upon meeting UMobile ROTC student Gary Hamner “Be confident. Be courageous. Be brave enough to do the right thing when sometimes it looks like everybody else could be wrong.” - Advice to UMobile students on campus “Congratulations to all of you for being students at a great institution. The company you keep is going to define who you are. The professors you have, the faculty and staff who care, give you that mentorship that is crucially important.” - Greeting UMobile students on campus visit “I think you are going to see a challenging time for our country. I think you are seeing that now, if you are Ukranian, you are paying the immediate price for a failure of American leadership and the inability of the United States to do anything about it because we have already cut our military so deeply.” - Responding to media question “What happened to Vietnam veterans should never have happened, and it ought never to happen again, that we would blame those who fight for our country for the errors of Washington. The Vietnam war was not lost on the battlefields of Vietnam; it was lost in the corridors of power in Washington. That, too, should never happen again.” - Comments at banquet in response to earlier question by UMobile student Molly Gray about America’s changing views of the military “I believe that a nation without heroes is doomed. I would submit to you that what we must be about is reflecting (veterans’) remarkable courage, their commitment and their dedication with programs that allow them to continue to be productive.” - Addressing high unemployment rates of veterans “I hope we continue to build ships like that so that the Marines, when they have to go again – and they will have to go again – will have something like that to provide support for them, to get them there, and to be sure they can get the job done. I look at that and say, in Washington, do they understand all this?” - On seeing the LCS-6 trimaran hull ship being built for the U.S. Navy by Austal on the Mobile River outside his hotel window When his grandchildren turn 13, he gives each a gift of a Bible, a compass and a shotgun, along with a note which reads, “You have to learn to use all three. And if you learn to use all three, you’ll never be hungry, you’ll never be lost, and you need fear nothing. But you’ve got to learn to use all three.” - Speaking at Leadership Banquet
umobile.edu 43
44 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
To See
Uniquely Founding President Remembered for
Vision, Faith, Compassion
By Kathy Dean It is a remarkable thing to live 95 years. To make each of those years count – to have your life make a difference for thousands upon thousands of people across the world – is something much more. When University of Mobile founding president and chancellor Dr. William K. Weaver Jr. died Jan. 13, 2014 at the age of 95, he left behind a unique legacy. Not everyone can say they have been a college president. Only one can – and did – say he was chosen as president of a college that had “no land, no buildings, no faculty, no students – and no problems.” Where others saw piney woods barely accessible by paved road in north Mobile County, Dr. Weaver saw a college campus filled with students who grew in faith as they gained knowledge. With other Baptist and community leaders whose names are inscribed on buildings across campus, Weaver saw far into the future when graduates would be using their talents to serve God worldwide. “Bill could see things uniquely,” said UMobile President Dr. Mark Foley during a memorial service Jan. 16 at First Baptist Church of Mobile. “I believe Jesus blessed Bill Weaver with an unusual ability to ‘see.’”
umobile.edu 45 45 umobile.edu
His Own In
Words
There was a story Dr. William K. Weaver Jr. loved to tell. It started off with a young preacher from Sylacauga, AL and a group of Baptists who thought it would be a good idea to start a college in the southern part of the state, where access to higher education was limited. Along the way, the story of this man expanded into the story of a college. Following are excerpts from writings, speeches and interviews that Weaver gave throughout the years, as he told the story he loved so well. ‘You are the Man’ During an interview in 2011 marking the 50th anniversary of the University of Mobile, Weaver recounted the moment he and “B,” Annie Boyd Parker Weaver, made the decision that would chart the course for the rest of their lives. “I had chaired the commission studying the possibility of starting a Baptist college in Mobile, and we recommended we do that. I came down to Mobile one day to look at possible sites. I went to the Battle House (where the study committee was meeting) and was standing outside when Mr. J.L. Bedsole said, ‘We want to talk with you.’ “I was telling him what we needed in a president, and out of the blue – it scared me to death – he said, ‘You are the man.’ “I had no background for it. When you stop and think about it, I can’t think they would have asked me to be president. I went home and talked to ’B’ about it, we prayed about it, and I said I would give it a try…” 46 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014 46 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Dr. Bill and “B” Weaver invested their lives into Mobile College.
Welcome to Mobile College Weaver’s first speech to the first faculty was delivered Sept. 5, 1963. Along with a history of the founding of the school, which included details such as the amount of earth moved to grade the site and build a road (275 yards of dirt), Weaver welcomed the faculty and impressed upon them the purpose of Mobile College. “It is with a deep sense of justifiable pride that I express a warm welcome to each of you as you join with us in the building of Mobile College. You have come to us from many places, and have varied backgrounds of experience and training. However, I find that we are joined together with a common commitment to the cause of Christian higher education… “In the seal of our college, you will find the words, ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.’ With this in mind, we are opening our school in the pursuit of truth which, because of our Christian conviction, should give to every student a deeper and more meaningful understanding of our God.” On Resolving Conflict Weaver’s ability to seek common ground in order for progress to be made was illustrated by a story he
told about a “crisis” in the library, then housed in what is now Weaver Hall. The crisis retold reveals a close-knit college community who brought even minor issues to the president for a solution. That story was among many in a series of articles written in 2003 and 2004 for the Ram Report campus newsletter. His columns were reprinted in their entirety in the Spring 2012 issue of the University of Mobile Magazine and are online at umobilemagazine.com. More memories of the first 50 years of the school, including remembrances of the founding president, were recounted by alumni, faculty and staff in the Fall 2011 issue, also online. “During the first year a ‘major crisis’ arose in the library area. A separate thermostat had been installed for the library wing. The librarian was coldnatured, so she would turn the thermostat up, but very soon thereafter a student would turn it down. This continued to be a problem until I learned about it. I contacted the company which had installed the system and asked that they set the temperature at a comfortable setting and then disconnect the thermostat. This they did, and from that time forward everything was great. The librarian
“One need merely to look at the glorious history of Mobile College to see the hand of God at work. It has been true every day of the life of this institution. He has taken our weaknesses and given His strength.” Dr. William K. Weaver Jr
continued to turn it up and the students continued to turn it down. Though nothing actually changed, everyone seemed to be happy!” Chief Encourager It was impossible to walk away from an encounter with Weaver without being encouraged. He was smart, funny, and genuinely interested in the people around him. One commencement address he delivered sent graduates off with an admonition to “walk a little taller” and do more than “be content with just getting by.” “Cumulative dreams of this graduating class inspired by years of intensive study will begin to make a difference in the communities in which you live and in the areas in which you work. You have dreams of advancing God’s kingdom on earth, of conquering disease and dispelling ignorance. You have dreams of dispensing justice and truth, of building great industries and godly homes, but dreams must inspire action.” The Hand of God Weaver announced his retirement and presented an eloquent letter to the Board of Trustees dated March 12, 1984. “One need merely to look at the glorious history of Mobile College to see the hand of God at work,” he wrote. Following are excerpts. “Twenty-three years ago I was given the unusual opportunity and challenge of joining with others in the founding of a new four-year college. These have been years of successes and failures,
frustrations and pleasure, and continuing progress toward our original goal. Today Mobile College is a well-established, accredited Christian college of liberal arts and sciences. While not all of even our original dreams have been reached, there is at least a sense of satisfaction in that which has taken place. “When ‘B’ and I considered this opportunity, we agreed that if we measured up to the challenge, it would likely require the rest of our career years and all that we could give to this effort during those years. We have both sought to fulfill this commitment and have worked together as a team, each trying to complement the efforts of the other… “It will not be possible either now or in the future to fully express the deep sense of gratitude ‘B’ and I feel for the encouragement and support provided to us through the years by you and others who have served as trustees of this college. Your dreams, your advice and your guidance are largely responsible for whatever good has taken place. Alabama Baptists have been most generous in their encouragement and support, always measuring up to their original commitment in the founding of Mobile College…. Through the years God has blessed us with a fine group of administrators, an outstanding faculty, and students that by any measurements far exceed the average found on a college campus. “While I, in the words of Paul, have ‘planted,’ my successor will do the ‘watering.’ What an exciting future must be ahead for him and for this institution!...
“I have made mention of human support in the building of Mobile College, but we all must recognize that it is ‘God who giveth the increase.’ One need merely to look at the glorious history of Mobile College to see the hand of God at work. It has been true every day of the life of this institution. He has taken our weaknesses and given His strength. He has taken our efforts and enabled us to build a great school. He will continue to give ‘increase’ in the future. While I will retire from the office of president, you well know that my interest in this school will never wane.” True Love In announcing his retirement to the Mobile College family gathered in what is now Weaver Auditorium, the president praised the student body and spoke of his love for the college. “I dreamed a lot of things in these 23 years. You are a part of the fulfillment of those dreams…the student body of Mobile College has always been far above the average. “Building Mobile College has been more than a dream. It’s been hard work and sacrifice on the part of a lot of people. The hand of God has been upon this institution from the very first day. “I love Mobile College, because I’ve given it everything I had for 23 years. I want to say nobody could love this school like I do — you can’t measure people’s emotions, but I know nobody could love it more than I do.”
umobile.edu umobile.edu 47 47
“Dr. Weaver never wore his religion on his sleeve – he didn’t have to. He didn’t have to tell anybody that he was a Christian; it was obvious he was.” Dr. Dwight Steedley
Precious Memories Weaver was a humble man – he was quick to praise others and certainly never missed an opportunity to talk about Mobile College. He reveled in relating the founding of “a Christian college built on Jewish land” donated by the Altmayer family of Mobile, taking joy in the appropriateness of the parallel to Christianity’s roots in the Jewish faith. He deflected praise directed toward himself, turning it instead toward the college, its students and faculty, its supporters and, above all, God who made it all possible. It only takes the telling of a few stories – precious memories – to illustrate how truly special, how loved and admired, this man continues to be. At the memorial service for the World War II veteran, civic leader and ordained pastor, retired Spring Hill Baptist Church pastor Dr. Drew J. Gunnells Jr. said Weaver was a mentor and friend, like a father to him in the ministry. “He was a genuine friend, because he would tell me the truth,” Gunnells said. Weaver was a successful pastor at one of the state’s flagship Baptist churches before becoming Mobile College president. “Bill had the intellectual abilities, the leadership skills, the knowledge of who Baptists were and where they needed to go. He was obviously the man to lead this new school in south Alabama,” Gunnells said. “He came to Mobile and immediately saw the importance of being a part of the community. If you’re going to build something in this place, you had to have the support of the community. He was a born leader, and we’re
grateful for it. “Every great institution is the length and shadow of some individual. The University of Mobile is the length and shadow of a man who placed his life in the beginning of it, and in the strengthening of it, and even after he retired, in the encouragement of it,” Gunnells said. As alumni learned of Weaver’s passing, they shared memories across social media. Marsha Roberts Scarborough ’85 of Spanish Fort, AL, remembered, “During the 1983 Choir Tour, Dr. Weaver surprised us by flying to one of our appearances. I think we were singing in a church in Illinois that morning. He was always so supportive of the music programs at Mobile College, and we were honored to be part of his retirement ceremony in 1984. What a legacy!” Hope Patterson Herren ’77 of Mobile recalled, “I used to just go in his office and sit and chat. He always had time for students.” Leigh Ann Payne Akey ’84 of Mobile added, “Heaven has gained a godly man. I cherish memories made during his tenure at University of Mobile (Mobile College). My parents also enjoyed sending him bags of Sessions peanuts from Enterprise, my hometown.” Weaver was “a greatly admired man” said Frank Reynolds ’73 of St. Elmo, AL. That sentiment was echoed in a telephone Dr. callMark to theFoley, college from president UMobile supporter Dr. Ed White, a longtime friend of Weaver. White, 90, said he was a student at Howard College (now Samford University) when Weaver was in one of his first jobs as director of religious
activities. That was before Weaver married the love of his life, Annie Boyd “B” Parker. White said Weaver worked tirelessly getting to know students in organizations across campus, and was “enormously impressive and entertaining to students at Howard College when I was there.” A “forceful minister in the pulpit,” Weaver was “always a happy individual, gracious and kind,” White said. “Dr. Weaver had an effervescent personality which endeared him to the faculty and staff of Mobile College. The students and faculty felt he was always approachable to listen to their career dreams and other problems they may have,” White recalled. As a Christian, Weaver “walked the walk and talked the talk, and they were synonymous with him in every aspect of his life,” White said. “Whether in the pulpit or as the sitting president at the college, or an average citizen in the community, his influence was felt.” Dr. Dwight Steedley, now chair of the College of Arts & Sciences, was a member of the first freshman class enrolled at Mobile College in 1963, and later served as a faculty member when Weaver was president. When asked to select a Scripture to read at Weaver’s funeral, Steedley said the choice was obvious – Matthew 25:23 — “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” “I think that (verse) epitomizes Dr. Weaver,” Steedley said. “That’s the way I’ll always remember him.
“We understand the importance of taking good care of that which we have inherited from those who have gone before us. “
48 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
For me, he was a role model. He was somebody I wanted to emulate, somebody you wanted to be like.” Steedley said Weaver “never wore his religion on his sleeve – he didn’t have to. He didn’t have to tell anybody that he was a Christian; it was obvious he was.” Dr. Hazel Petersen-Walter, retired faculty member and administrator, said Weaver was not afraid to make unpopular decisions, and he was a strong promoter of people who worked hard. She joined the education faculty in 1967, rising to chair of the education division then academic dean for the entire college, and eventually became a vice president. “You remember, back in the ’60s women were not put in administrative positions. When I was named chair of the division of education, my chair was one of the highest positions held by women in higher education in the state of Alabama,” Petersen-Walter recalled. When Weaver appointed her to the post of academic dean, there were no other female academic deans in Baptist colleges nationwide. “He thought I was the right person for that position,” she said. “I remember a meeting I went to for the Baptist colleges. I went into the dean’s meeting, and one of the gentlemen said to me, ‘The ladies are meeting in another location; this is for the deans. I said, ‘I am a dean.’” She said Weaver loved to see the college gain recognition, develop and grow. One way he assured that success was through his own appreciation for people and a desire to help them develop. He was
Dr. Weaver passes the university’s ceremonial mace to Dr. Mark Foley during his inauguration ceremony.
active in the community and would nominate faculty and staff from the college to serve in leadership positions throughout Mobile. “Dr. Weaver had a knack of relating one-on-one with people, bringing out the best in people and rewarding them in his own kind, gentle way, just by letting you know that he appreciated what you were doing. So you always wanted to bring your best to the president and your best to the institution and the very best to your programs,” she said. Dr. Gene Perkins, a retired member of the original faculty, remembered Weaver as “a very optimistic individual. Once you met him, he never forgot you.” The qualities that both Dr. and Mrs. Weaver exhibited during their lifetimes are embodied in the school’s two highest awards. Each year at graduation, a male and female
student are selected by the entire faculty to receive the school’s top awards. The William K. Weaver Jr. Excellence Award and the Annie Boyd Parker Weaver Excellence Award are presented to graduates who exemplify the mission of the university and selection is based on scholarship, Christian character, leadership and service. Will Dorminy, now a UMobile campus life coordinator, was the 2013 recipient of the award named for Dr. Weaver. Like most of the more than 1,600 students now enrolled, he had never met the university’s chancellor. What Dorminy knew of the founding president was by reputation and through his own experience as a student at the college Weaver devoted his life to building. “I only heard Dr. Weaver referred to with utmost respect,” Dorminy said. Being selected for the award that bears
umobile.edu 49
the founding president’s name was a humbling experience. “In April of my senior year in high school, when my father and I made our last visit to Mobile, he said to me that the University of Mobile would be a different place after my time here, and challenged me with those words. It became my goal to leave a legacy on this campus and seek to be intentional about change, first in my life and then in the world around me. “Some days were more of a challenge to remember those words, but I believe my mark on this campus is found in the students and faculty I came in contact with who saw a genuine love for people and felt encouraged to do the same. In this way, I hope that I mirrored the giant who preceded me, Dr. William K. Weaver Jr. I am truly honored to be compared to him and I pray that we would see his legacy continued and that current and future students will leave a legacy of their own,” Dorminy said. A Clear Vision At the memorial service, Foley said the driving element in Weaver’s life was to be of service to God and to be directed by God in that service. The forum for that service was the 50 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Mobile Mayor Arthur Outlaw, Dr. William K. Weaver Jr., and founding trustee J.L. Bedsole at the signing of a proclamation of “Mobile College Week” in May of 1967.
founding and building of what became the University of Mobile. After serving as a successful pastor of First Baptist Church of Sylacauga for a decade and leading the committee charged with exploring options for forming a Baptist college in Mobile, Weaver was chosen to be the founding president effective April 1, 1961. The new college president’s first work day was on the afternoon of April 4, 1961, when the Mobile Register reported that he “simply
hung up his hat in the college offices at 836 First National Bank Building and went to work.” The first class of 181 freshmen enrolled in 1963, attending class and studying in the library in the only building on campus, now Weaver Hall. Weaver retired as president in 1984 and was named chancellor, a position he held until his death. Today the school has an enrollment of more than 1,600 students. “I felt God’s leadership,” Weaver would say, “and saw a great
Dr. William K. Weaver Jr. Dec. 23, 1918 – Jan. 13, 2014
h opportunity here for a new Christian college.” Foley said Weaver “could see through the protective layers of emotional dressing to identify a broken heart as a church pastor in Sylacauga or as a college president in Mobile, leaving that injured heart with a healing touch never to be forgotten. “He could see through the organizational morass of a denominational committee or of a college faculty to find a clear path to an objective leading the various, and often contrary, opinions to a consensus with kindness and wisdom that became the trademark of his leadership. “And, he could see through the pine forests and hills of a piece of property north of Mobile to understand that a college campus was there waiting to emerge and, once emerged, to be a launching point for thousands of graduates who would bring the culture of Christ into their various professions.” Foley said the heavenly reunion of Bill and “B,” who passed away five years ago, must surely be sweet. “I can just imagine “B” with a demure smile upon her lovely face and Bill with his broad, ready smile and a twinkle in his eyes as “B” looked him over and reached up to straighten his tie just so. “And I can imaging “B” saying to him, ‘Oh Bill…come, let me show you. There is so much more for you to see.’” m Visit umobilemagazine.com to view a video made in memory of Dr. Weaver.
Dr. William K. Weaver Jr. was born in Oxford, AL, to William Kiser Weaver Sr. and Roberta Cooper Weaver. The family moved to Talladega a year later. A 1936 graduate of Talladega High School, Weaver graduated in 1940 with a Bachelor of Arts from Howard College, now Samford University, and in 1943 with a Master of Theology from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was awarded the honorary Doctor of Divinity from Samford University and the honorary Doctor of Law from University of Mobile. He was ordained to the ministry by First Baptist Church of Talladega on March 1, 1942, and served as an associate in the Baptist Training Union Department of Kentucky, the first Director of Religious Activities at Howard College/Samford University, the Director of Baptist Student Work in Alabama, and pastor of First Baptist Church, Sylacauga, from 1950-1961, then was named founding president of Mobile College in 1961. He served in World War II as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps and was stationed on a blimp base in South Weymouth, MA; on the U.S. Kadashan Bay CVE 76, a small aircraft carrier, in the Pacific; and at the Naval Separation Center on Norman, OK. Weaver was extensively involved in community service and was named Mobilian of the Year in 1983, an honor awarded annually since 1948 by the Civitan Club to some of the most influential leaders in the Mobile community. A Rotarian since 1950, he was president of Sylacauga Rotary Club and Rotary Club of Mobile. He served on the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Mobile, governor of District 688 Rotary International, the Board of Directors of Rotary Children’s Foundation and Board of Directors of Rotary Rehabilitation Center. He was the third member of the Rotary Club of Mobile to be named a Paul Harris Fellow, received the Rotary Club of Mobile “Rotarian of the Year Award” and Rotary District 6880 “Meritorius Achievement Award.” Among numerous awards, he received the Mobile Register’s “M.O. Beale Scroll of Merit” seven times and the Distinguished Award from the Alabama Easter Seal Society in 1990. Weaver served on the following denominational, educational and community boards: Chairman, Alabama Baptist State Executive Board; Chairman, Alabama Baptist Historical Commission; Deacon and Sunday School Teacher, First Baptist Church of Mobile; Chairman, Board of Directors, Baptist Oaks Retirement Center; Trustee, Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; Board of Directors, Council for Advancement of Small Colleges in America; Board of Trustees, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; President, Southern Baptist Association of Colleges and Universities; Chairman, Southern Baptist Education Commission; Chairman, Selection Committee, Bedsole Scholars Program; Chairman, Board of Directors and President, Community Chest and Council; United Way of Southwest Alabama Campaign Chairman 1983; Library Board, City of Mobile; Chairman, Advisory Committee America’s Junior Miss Pageant; Board of Directors, America’s Junior Miss Scholarship Foundation; Mobile Area Council, Boy Scouts of America; Mobile Chapter, American Red Cross; Mobile Museum Board; Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce; Chairman, Easter Seal Society; Advisory Board, Mobile Chapter Freedoms Foundation; Gordon Smith Center, Board of Directors; Steering Committee, Mobile United; First Dean of Leadership Mobile Program; President, Leadership Mobile; and Volunteer Mobile, Board of Directors. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife “B,” Annie Boyd Parker Weaver, and a brother, Davis C. Weaver, M.D., and his parents. He is survived by his daughter, Anne Weaver Davis and son-in-law Thomas H. Davis Jr.; three grandsons: Thomas H. “Trey” Davis III (Brooke), Campbell G. Davis, and Clayton C. Davis (Mary Ann); a great-granddaughter, Lucy Grey Davis; and siblings Ann Weaver Armstrong and Robert C. Weaver. Memorial contributions may be made to the University of Mobile designated for the William K. Weaver Jr. Endowed Scholarship. Gifts may be made online at giving.umobile. edu or by mail to: University of Mobile Development Office, 5735 College Parkway, Mobile, AL 36613.
umobile.edu 51
To Learn is to Be Known
Dr. Sue Gober By Trey Taulbee
Photo by Dan Anderson
52 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
W
hen Dr. Sue Gober walks into a room – the energy changes. She radiates the familiarity and warmth of an old friend, even with those she has never met. She encourages with her smile and instills confidence with her words. A former kindergarten teacher and avid cupcake baker, she knows just the right way to make a student feel special and loved. People are People Gober, professor and director of laboratory experiences at UMobile, began her teaching career in a kindergarten classroom in Beaumont, TX. While managing a classroom full of energetic 5-year-olds can be intimidating – Dr. Gober embraced it. “I would tell the parents of my kindergartners, ‘I’m going to love your children and build a relationship with them,’” she said. “Because when they know you care about them, the learning will occur.” This led to 20 years of successful kindergarten teaching in Texas. Now, as a college professor, she hands out a 3”x5” index card on the first day of class and asks students to share one or two sentences about themselves. The answers often provide intriguing insight into a student’s hopes, dreams, struggles, and desires – opening the door for a trusting relationship. “Real learning occurs through relationships,” Gober said. “It doesn’t matter the age – ‘people are people’ – people like to be encouraged and heard.” While her audience has changed, her methodology and approach has been the same – love and care for the student, and the learning will take
umobile.edu 53
54 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
“Personally, I have been stretched, pulled, and pushed to reach my absolute potential,” Kara said. “Any educator should aspire to be half the worker, dreamer, and doer Dr. Gober is.” Kara Jones, senior
Photo by Dan Anderson
care of itself. This approach is molding a new generation of competent and caring educators ready to make a difference in the lives of children all over the nation.
Photo by Trey Taulbee
Kara’s Story Around four years ago, Kara Jones anxiously walked into Gober’s classroom for the first time. Her Florida summer was over, books had been purchased, and the college experience had begun. As she took her seat, she noticed other wide-eyed students sitting nervously around her, waiting for the professor’s entrance. Academia has a way of intimidating
young minds, but a caring professor has the power to put nervous energies at rest. “Dr. Gober entered the room and her personality, charm and warmth immediately filled the space,” Kara said. Gober began by introducing students to the University of Mobile, then handed each student a popsicle stick on which to write his or her name. She placed them in a cup, eventually pulling the sticks and calling on students for participation throughout the semester. “We knew we could be called on at any moment,” Kara said. “Oh, the sheer embarrassment of not knowing
umobile.edu 55
“Dr. Gober is one of those rare treasures of a person who is destined to change lives.” Sarah Becky Spain ‘11
the answer or to be caught not paying attention!” Now, in her last semester as a student teacher, Kara reflects on her time in the education program as one of tremendous growth. She learned valuable teaching principles, but she has also been challenged and inspired to arrive early, leave late, exceed expectations, and exert excellence. She considers Dr. Gober the source of that inspiration. “Personally, I have been stretched, pulled, and pushed to reach my absolute potential,” Kara said. “Any educator should aspire to be half the worker, dreamer, and doer Dr. Gober is.” An Unexpected Friend Sarah Becky Spain ’11 never actually sat in Gober’s classroom – but was profoundly impacted by her presence in the education department. Entering UMobile as a business major transfer, Sarah Becky was ready for a change in direction. She enrolled in Assistant Professor Brenda Chastain’s TE 201 class, nervous and out of place. But it wasn’t long before she knew that education was the right career path. 56 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
“Mrs. Chastain was the kindest, most gentle teacher I had ever met,” she said. After class, Sarah Becky stuck around to speak with Chastain about the semester and her change in major. During their conversation, Gober approached them and called Sarah Becky by name. “We’re so excited to have you,” she said. “I’ve heard so many good things about you!” As the semester progressed, Gober went to her classroom and Sarah Becky went to hers. They only had a few brief interactions over the next few months. But that brief first impression forged a vital and lasting relationship for future years. “Dr. Gober is one of those rare treasures of a person who is destined to change lives,” Sarah Becky said. Since graduating, Sarah Becky has leaned heavily on Gober’s wisdom and friendship as she teaches her own class of 20 kindergartners. She remembers the care that Gober and other professors showed by knowing her by name and listening to her hopes, dreams, and concerns. “Dr. Gober has been an incredible reminder of what matters most in life, relationships, and my career,” Sarah Becky said. “I will never forget the impact she has had on my life.” Influencing the Future One day recently, students were hurrying into her classroom. Gober could sense tension in the midsemester air. It was obvious that the weight of assignments, deadlines, and personal lives was taking its toll. When she walked in, she paused, and took a moment to read from her
devotional. “What are you most thankful for?” she asked the class. Silence. One young man, through tears, spoke, “I’m thankful that we serve a God that – no matter what we’ve done or what is going on – He’s always there for us.” As others in the class shared, everyone became moved to tears. The mood lifted. Gober reflects on this experience as one of the most “powerful” moments in a classroom setting. She is thankful to work at a university that allows her space to share her faith, both in the class and on a relational basis. “It’s been very powerful for me to be at a university where I can close the door and pray with a student,” she said. Her faith and genuine care for students has made an impact not only on UMobile students, but the students filling elementary classrooms all over the nation. “I want my students to have the passion for teaching that I do – I want them to enjoy it and know that it’s a true calling,” she said. A National Voice In addition to being professor, director of professional laboratory experiences, and department chairman for the Elementary and Secondary Education programs at UMobile, Gober is a featured education blogger for the Huffington Post. In it, she shares timely wisdom, insight, and experiences from the college classroom. You can read more at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ sue-gober m
umobile.edu 57
58 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Practicing What You’ll
PREACH School of Christian Ministries By Lesa Moore Head. Heart. Hands. That’s the foundation of the new four-year process in the School of Christian Ministries (SCM). Based on the H3 Model of ministry training developed by the SCM, the student experience in this program includes a highly intentional process that prepares them for real-life ministry. “Our mission is to help students prepare for God’s call to ministry by offering the most effective undergraduate theological education and ministry training program in the nation,” said Dr. Joe Savage, executive dean of the School of Christian Ministries. “With more than 100 students enrolled in the School of Christian Ministries, we are rapidly growing and becoming a recognized leader in producing some of the most impactful Christian leaders in the world today.” Knowledge The H3 Model provides a rigorous academic curriculum for students that trains their head, a supportive spiritual environment to encourage their heart, and a variety of groundbreaking opportunities to serve with their hands. The first part of the process includes 127 hours of academic coursework, including 46 hours specifically in
the student’s major. The SCM offers majors and minors in theology and intercultural studies. Within the theology major, students learn how to effectively transition declining churches into thriving, healthy congregations and gain knowledge in how to start new churches, lead women’s ministries, and work with lost individuals in any area. Students may also take elective coursework in subjects such as Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Greek, archaeology and pastoral counseling. Students gain experience from the Residency Internship Program where they work with a ministry leader for a minimum of one semester or summer in the same field of service as the student feels called to minister. Every student serves as a member or leader of a ministry team, beginning in August 2014. The intercultural studies major prepares students to serve crossculturally in a wide variety of ministry and service vocations: local language or ESL missions, urban ethnic ministry, humanitarian aid or international service. Some students serve overseas as teaching, business or medical professionals. This crossdisciplinary major offers a variety of coursework to help students build bridges across cultural barriers. Students receive training in cultural
dynamics, cross-cultural leadership and conflict management skills, as well as language training and international travel. Understanding Emphasis on the heart develops community within the School of Christian Ministries family with annual retreats and monthly chapel services just for students within this school. These opportunities for individual students to grow spiritually and receive encouragement from SCM faculty and staff are a priority in developing a heart ready to serve God and others. This is where the hands training begins. “Currently, we have more than 90 students serving weekly in a variety of ministries along the central Gulf Coast through our Hands-On Ministry Teams,” explained Savage. “Collectively, our students are serving more than 400 hours per week.” Colton Taylor, a junior majoring in theology, served on the Student Ministry Team last semester. “The ministry teams have meant so much because they are a way to get our hands and feet moving in service,” he said. “This semester I have taken a part-time job as a youth pastor so I am now on the church
Photo by G.M. Andrews
umobile.edu 59
“We have amazing professors who deeply teach us theologically and make sure we have our head knowledge, but my favorite part about the SCM is they make everything so practical and push us in opportunities to get our hands involved. We can take what we learned and actually put it into practice.” Colton Taylor, Junior ministry team. We meet regularly... share our triumphs and struggles, and pray and give each other advice. “We have amazing professors who deeply teach us theologically and make sure we have our head knowledge, but my favorite part about the SCM is they make everything so practical and push us in opportunities to get our hands involved. We can take what we learned and actually put it into practice,” he continued. There are currently eight HandsOn Ministry Teams established, with student recommendations for additional teams or projects considered on a regular basis: Black Ops Team An elite, highly trained team designed to carry out classified ministry projects in some of the darkest places around the world. Church Ministry Team Students serving weekly in local congregations of various denominational affiliations along the Gulf Coast. Community Development Team Assisting local nonprofit organizations, disaster relief, and developing ministries to people in the workplace to meet physical and spiritual needs. Examples include working with the homeless and impoverished, tutoring and mentoring at-risk children, assisting with medical care for the needy, and numerous other relational outreaches. Creative Media Team Using administrative, technical and creative gifts to reach others with the Gospel. Web developers, graphic 60 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
designers, video producers, writers and those with marketing and administrative skills provide resources designed to develop others spiritually and market the work of the ministry teams. Music Ministry Team Serving in an official capacity in church Dr. Joe Savage speaks to student leaders. Photo by Kathy Dean music programs or campus ensembles including Impact, “Students anticipating ministry Voices of Mobile, True Spin and in the local church need exposure RamCorps. to what it going on in the rest of Social Justice Team the world, the challenges fellow Work the front lines of social justice Christians face, and the needs of and religious freedom by ministering the lost,” said Dr. Doug Wilson, the Gospel to victims of human dean of the School of Christian trafficking, working with orphans and Ministries. “They need to walk foster children, alleviating poverty, alongside missionaries highlighted and working with international in the missions-offering materials refugees living in Mobile. their churches promote. Students Sports Ministry Team planning to work in urban ministry Conduct sports camps and work with or international service need the organizations including Fellowship experience of being surrounded by of Christian Athletes, Senior Bowl, the sights, sounds, tastes and smells Mobile BayBears, Strickland Youth that are completely unfamiliar to Center, local parks and more. them. This way, they will be prepared Student Ministry Team for the culture shock that comes with Focus on middle, high school and working with another culture or living college student ministry through in another country.” student camps, DiscipleNow Numerous mission opportunities weekends, and student ministries in are available each year both local churches and organizations. domestically and abroad. In addition to local ministry teams, Wilson said, “From the bush of every ministry major will participate Africa to the streets of Europe, from in at least one international service the Amazon basin to the remote project. villages of India, our students have
and are serving on the front lines of missions around the world. With international service projects, our students stand shoulder to shoulder for a few days with individuals and families who are investing their lives in serving others internationally.” Colton said, “In the international mission project class, we first learn the head knowledge of different cultures. Then we are taught to make sure our hearts are in the right place to serve, and to finish the class we are required to use our hands and go on a foreign mission trip.” Savage said University Missions celebrated sending mission teams to its 50th and 51st nations. “This is a great accomplishment and one which we thank the Lord for allowing us the privilege,” Savage said. “The 50th nation is Haiti. We sent a team to work with orphans and to assist with the construction needs there. The 51st nation is Moldova. We worked with orphans, evangelized a college campus of 30,000 students, hosted medical clinics, and worked with local leaders in bringing solutions to human trafficking.”
Photo by G.M. Andrews
noted Savage. “In the School of Christian Ministries, students will have the opportunity to not only learn in a classroom setting, but be given ample opportunity to apply what they are learning in the real world.” Colton, who recently returned from the Haiti trip, said, “It was truly a life changing and ‘God Boss’ moment. God taught me more about service and how to relate and love
on His people on this mission trip than I could have ever learned in the classroom. For that I thank the SCM department at UMobile for offering such opportunities for us to put our faith into practice and for giving us chances to start our ministries for God’s glory.”m For more information about the School of Christian Ministries, call 251.442.2406 or visit umobile.edu.
Preparation Each year of the four-year plan focuses on specific aspects of the hands-training process. The first two years are aimed at preparation for ministry with teaching and modeling as a priority. The second half of the program emphasizes the deployment of students in the field. “You won’t find more hands-on ministry opportunities in any other college program in the United States,” umobile.edu 61
T
ies about here are some stor fit to print in pranks that aren’t e. a family magazin ts on some It had to be studen pus who snuck other college cam e night to put a on ry ra lib e th to in air conditioning n a in m su os p d dea duct. isterial students in m ’t sn a w it ly Sure Blockbuster who “borrowed” a placed it at the drop-off box and us. entrance to camp
It certa studen inly wasn’t Mobil ts who broug w e nt hun e College ht 20 d ting ucks b dor m room ack to and to th unnec essary clean, flush eir ing p and b acking arts down the throug u hout t p the septic toilet he me Since n’s do system none rm o prank s coul f these terrib s. d l playe d by a possibly ha e, awful ve be nyone en remot ely
62 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
By Kathy Dean
ersity v i n eU to th th i eed w n d o e ciat there’s n find the asso , to obile further M e of f o e m t o a s g t i f a st ack our list o inve s. b k o rit lo to culp ad, let’s made it le. It’s up i k Inste nks that Mob U t pran a e a r r h t e r the p ranks Ev ne fo te best. i l n P o Best vote e absolu o t u to yo nsider th co you
umobile.edu 63
“I snu c took t k in a whis h t the en e refs and le. It c the pe tire first hal oaches f occas rson in the to find i s whistl onally blow tands e The c that stopp ing a o e the pl nfused loo d play. k a time I yers’ faces s on pricel blew that t every ess.” hing w Eric Gr as izzle
1.The Fountain Head
Wouldn’t you know it – just when the Fall 2013 issue of University of Mobile Magazine went to press, the editorial staff finally found, buried in the archives, a photo of the toilet placed atop the fountain. The prank was revealed in detail when the main perpetrators, Matt Wilson ’02 and Josh Jones ’02, decided the time had come to ‘fess up. You can read their confession online at umobilemagazine.com. Not all pranksters are ready for public scrutiny, fearing the statute of limitations hasn’t run out. No worries — that shadowy figure lurking in the gloom just adds to the “whodunit” aspect of some of UMobile’s best pranks.
2.The Cricket Invasion
No one knows for certain when the very first cricket invasion occurred, 64 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
but Dr. Bruce Chesser ’78 remembers when “cricketing” got out of hand. Cricketeers competed to see how many crickets they could purchase from bait shops and release into a dorm room. The first incident involved 1,000 crickets, and the numbers kept rising. The senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, TN recalls his early years in the ministry during college. He was sitting on the platform at Spring Hill Baptist Church where he was doing student ministry when he realized there was something in his suit jacket pocket. There, sitting in front of the congregation, Bruce put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a handful of crickets from the last time his room had been cricketed.
faces every time I blew that thing was priceless.” Pharr Gym was the site of another spur-of-the-moment prank that got Buff McNickle ’93 banned from the microphone. “One prank that went South was when I was the announcer for the basketball games and we were playing Spring Hill. They had a player named Ron McDonald, and I refused to call him anything other than Ronald McDonald. There was another player — I can’t remember his name since I only called him Jack Daniels, which got me removed from the mic and a technical foul when the Spring Hill coach and (MC basketball coach) Dr. Bill Elder went nuts,” Buff said. “Bad decision,” added Buff, who is now pastor of Grace Falls Church in Absecon, NJ.
4.Paintball Posse
3.You Whistle While Work
Eric Grizzle ’91, whose family has attended MC/UMobile for three generations, said he would admit to one prank, and one prank only. “I remember a night when several friends painted our faces and shirts for the men’s basketball game,” said Eric, an insurance adjustor for natural disasters and a published author. Pharr Gym was filled with students cheering for the Rams. “I snuck in a whistle. It took the refs and coaches the entire first half to find the person in the stands occasionally blowing a whistle that stopped play. The confused looks on the players’
The 1990s weren’t the only decade that combined pranks with the men’s basketball team. Tramaine Perry ’05 relates a story he thought was pretty funny – but he doesn’t think that’s how Coach Joe Niland and Vice President Kim Leousis ’86 saw it at the time. “We were having paintball wars on campus amongst the basketball players that lived in the cottages, going against the ones that lived in the trailers,” said Tramaine, now a vice president with BBVA Compass Bank. “It just so happened that the security guard saw us one night and he chased us ‘round and ‘round campus until he finally caught up to us and got out of his car. We knew we were going to get in trouble anyway because we were the only guys on campus much above six feet tall. It was obvious he was going to know
E T VOPRANK he t r o f
T S E B
R E EV
Here’s your chance to vote for the best prank ever played on the MC/UMobile campus. Go online to umobilemagazine.com and vote. You can vote as many times as you want, and we’ll keep a running tally. If there’s a prank you’d like to see listed, tell us about it in the comment section.
Your choices for Best Prank Ever are: The Fountain Head
toilet on top of campus fountain
The Cricket Invasion
crickets released in dorm rooms
Whistle While You Work
whistle blown during basketball game
Paintball Posse
basketball team goes to paintball war
Sowing Seeds of Discontent
ryegrass in shape of MC on cross-town rival campus
Take the First Step
Port-O-Lets and more on the front steps of Weaver Hall
Room Makeover Revenge
payback for rearranged furniture
umobile.edu 65
who to report, so we made the best of the moment. “As soon as he chased us, one of my teammates locked the security car doors with the car running, and we shot him and his car with paintballs. It was funny at the time, but of course, Coach made us pay for it by running us to death the next day. I think some of us had to sit out of a game or half a game because of it as well,” Tramaine said.
painted South emblems on campus. To retaliate, Mobile College students went to South and planted winter ryegrass in the shape of MC on the main campus lawn. They also planted the same grass on the quad at Mobile College in the shape of USA, so MC students would think South was doing the same thing,” she said. To stoke the fires, Butch and friends painted the letters USA on Ramses, the school’s live ram mascot.
5.of Sowing Seeds Discontent
6.Take the First Step
Butch Huff started Mobile College in 1963 but graduated five years later in 1968 — a delay partially due to time he spent on pranks instead of studies, according to his wife, Dr. Nancy Huff ’71, now chair of the Department of Human Performance and Exercise Science in the School of Education. Butch, who retired from teaching and coaching and is now a Realtor, was among a group of students who saw opportunity where others saw dormant brown grass. Nancy said there was a big rivalry between the new Mobile College and one-year-younger University of South Alabama. Butch and others decided to throw gas on the flames. “Some South students came to campus and
66 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
From the beginning, students have been drawn to the front steps of Weaver Hall. Most saw it as their first step toward a college degree. Some, however, saw the steps as a blank canvas, a challenge, an opportunity, and a great place to pull a prank. Malorie Stuckey ’09 said there was a prank war going on that involved her then-roommate Amanda Green Clonts ’08, and Jordan Aliff Phipps ’08, Anna Jones Nelson ’10, Courtney Cunningham, Melissa Reeves’10, Jared Freeman ’11, Dustin Lee ’10 and Neal Ledbetter, director of student life. Neal recalls that the prank war started when some students – and he’s pretty sure he knows who they were – put Post-it Notes all over his black Kia Sorento parked in his driveway. The “Post-it Note Incident” was the first volley in the prank war, as Malorie explained. “It happened in 2008 and there was an event at Neal’s
house. Someone borrowed Amanda’s car and brought it back to campus and filled it with packing peanuts. They put the car out on the steps of Weaver Hall, then sent her on a scavenger hunt for it. I was on campus, and she called me to see if it was on the steps of Weaver Hall, which it was,” she said. Malorie said the girls cleaned the packing peanuts out of the car and saved them. “We got the peanuts, balloons and confetti and filled Neal’s office with these items early the next morning. We told the security guard it was Neal’s birthday, so he let us in the office to set up the ‘celebration.’ Such a great memory!” said Malorie, now a kindergarten teacher at Thales Academy in Raleigh, NC. Neal, who admits to having some guys put the car on the front steps and fill it with packing peanuts, said he thought ahead to lock up his office, “but they outsmarted me with the little ‘it’s his birthday’ trick to campus security. “I cleaned confetti out of my office for the better part of that year,” Neal said. “In retaliation for the office attack, I put Amanda up for sale on Ebay. Some farmer in Oklahoma bid $.02 for her and didn’t meet the minimum bid of $1, so I had to, unfortunately, cancel the deal.” Prankster Buff McNickle said he and Scott Vereen ’93 (now deceased) decided it would be funny to go to some local construction projects and borrow a few Port-O-Lets, then line them up on the front steps of Weaver Hall. Buff said he hid in one of the PortO-Lets and waited until he saw thenpresident Dr. Mike Magnoli ’67 come outside to view the line-up. “I exited the Port-O-Let and made
the comment that this one was clean and available for use,” Buff said. “Herman Shoemaker (vice president for student services) didn’t think it was funny,” Buff added, remembering the conference he was called to the next day with Shoemaker and Dr. Leon Pirkle, vice president for campus operations. Shoemaker, now retired, couldn’t confirm all the details of the story exactly as Buff related it. His version involves one toilet and a nighttime discovery, but he did confirm that he wasn’t at all amused. “I chewed him out pretty good,” Shoemaker said.
7.Room Makeover Revenge
One prank that has stood the test of time is the surprise room makeover. Students from all decades have stories about furniture being moved out of dorm rooms and rearranged in a variety of places – usually on rooftops around campus. One of the best stories comes from Morgan Carnley ’11, now a college and career counselor at Light of the Village in Mobile. “April Fool’s Day was never a good day for me during my time at UMobile,” Morgan said. “Freshman year, I woke up to find my car had been toilet papered. Sophomore year, my friends and I – Shelley Boozer Kennedy ’11, Julisa Theodore ’11, and Sarah Cunningham ’11 – had agreed that there would be no pranks. And there were none – that is, until I got back to the dorm around 9 that night. “I returned to the 4th floor of Faulkner Hall to find that my bedroom had been re-created in the hallway. I mean bed, dresser, lamp, books, chair, the works; it had all been
“So to c me So Sou amp uth st u To th em s and uden t stu retalia blem pain s cam d e pla ents te, M s on c ted the nted went obile ampu w cam shap inte to Sou Colleg s. pus e of M r rye th a e Dr. Nan cy H law C gras nd uff ‘71 n.” on t s in he ma in set up in the middle of the hallway. “Of course, I immediately knew who had done it. After beating on Shelley’s door, where they were all hiding out, an idea came to mind. It would be tricky, but I determined I could pull it off. “I went to my CLC, Lisa Mitchell ’08 and RA, Cynthia Goss ’11, and recruited their help. Step 1 would be getting Rez Life to present to Shelley, Sarah and Julisa an official letter stating that they were in violation of resident codes because they had tampered with another resident’s property. They would be required to meet with Vice President Kim Leousis the following afternoon to determine their punishment for this ‘serious violation.’ “Of course, after receiving the letter, the girls came clean about the prank. I simply told them I couldn’t have known for sure that it was them who had committed it, and that there was nothing I could do at this point since Mrs. Kim had already been informed. “The girls spent the next day as nervous wrecks, none of them speaking a word to me. They were quite upset, to say the least. When
the time for the appointment finally came, I hid out in the Campus Affairs Office to watch the fireworks. “They waited anxiously outside Mrs. Kim’s door. Mrs. Kim finally invited them in, had them take a seat, and said ‘April Fools!’” Morgan added, “I like to think I came out the April Fool’s Day victor that year.” m
umobile.edu 67
68 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
By Carol McPhail
While the eyes of the world were focused on the XXII Winter Olympic Games, a group from the University of Mobile was working behind the scenes in Sochi, spreading the gospel with Dixieland jazz. Reprinted with permission of AL.com/Press-Register Photos by Harrison Hughes
umobile.edu 69
By day, five students and assistant professor Kenn Hughes performed in a Dixieland Jazz Band in Sochi’s public plazas, playing favorites such as “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “I’ll Fly Away” and “Down by the Riverside.” They also handed out trading pins attached to Russianlanguage Christian tracts. At night, they slept on a cruise ship docked in a nearby harbor. “We figured a Dixieland Jazz Band was portable enough, cost-effective enough and Americana enough to create some interest,” said Hughes. The idea came from University of Mobile supporter Susan Turner of Mobile, who had previously worked with the Baptist-affiliated International Mission Board in Russia with her daughter, Jordi Garner. The two returned with a burden on their hearts for Sochi, which they relayed to leaders at the university. Several questions needed to be answered, Hughes said. “Are we going to be effective in that situation? Is this going to pay dividends?” 70 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
It was decided that on a five-day trip, the band would be able to draw a crowd, offer reading materials and steer locals to English classes run by Baptist missionaries in Russia. The missionaries could then invite people to Bible studies and possibly plant
new churches. In the Athletes’ Village, the group could perform and answer questions, but could not proselytize. Plans for the trip gelled last fall when Hughes created a band of students involved in various music pursuits at the college. It was the
first time most of them had ever played Dixieland jazz. Members included Josh Holley of Silverhill (drums), Chris Rowell of Palmer, Alaska, (clarinet), Kory Van Matre of Mobile (trumpet), Harrison Hughes of Mobile (baritone), Nathan Dodd of Birmingham (banjo) and Hughes (trombone). Turner, her daughter and a translator from the university, artistin-residence and Kazakhstan native Kadisha Onalbayeva, would travel with them. At first, it wasn’t easy for the students to convince their families and friends that they would be safe at the Sochi Games, where there were growing fears of terrorism. “Everyone in the group had someone in their lives telling them they shouldn’t be going because of security concerns,” Hughes said. The group encountered no trouble. Strict security measures prohibited the band from carrying their instrument cases on trains, so they took buses instead. “We all knew the safest place to be was in the center of God’s call,” said Holley, a sophomore theology major. On a bus ride one day, Holley shared his faith with two Russian brothers, using a trading pin and his own Bible. “Josh had this pin – a 1992 Jesus pin of the Olympics – that tells the salvation plan through colors,” said Harrison Hughes. “They wanted Josh’s awesome pin. He said, ‘If I’m going to give them this pin, I’m going to share the plan of salvation.’” Holley had gotten the pin from someone he had met the day before. As he talked with the brothers with the help of the translator, Holley offered them his own Bible – a small navy volume he’d had since childhood. Then he handed them a
second Bible, and the two Russians were able to read the scriptures in English as the bus made its way up the mountain. “I was very excited because we had been praying for God to open up opportunities for us to share our faith,” Holley said. “I’ve never (before) seen someone’s face light up with joy as they read the Bible for the first time.” Dodd, a junior who learned the banjo in two months for the trip, said the band offered friendship first, then the Gospel. He said Protestant Christianity is considered a cult by some Russians, many of whom practice Orthodox Christianity. But when the group communicated
that both religions are based in the same scriptures, barriers came down quickly. The students said the Russian people welcomed them and were eager to take photos with band members. Generally, they said, Americans are considered “rock stars.” In another endearing gesture, locals sometimes reached out with small Russian flags to touch the group’s American flags. “They were excited to have us there,” said Hughes, the professor, who had traveled to Russia before. “I think the Olympic Games softened them.” m Visit umobilemagazine.com for a video recap of the Dixieland band in Sochi. umobile.edu 71
campuscloseup
Can you guess where these places are located on campus? Answers on page 97
2
1
3
4
5
72 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
campuscorner
Fisher-Brewer Recording Studio
By Shannon Mason
On February 27, 2014, the University of Mobile and 8Eighty Records dedicated its new recording studio. The professional studio, outfitted with the latest state-of-the-art recording technology, is a key component of the Christian university’s new record label, 8Eighty Records, and its Center for Performing Arts/School of Music and School of Worship Leadership. The studio was made possible by the donation from Mrs. Joyce Fisher of Odessa, Texas and through the guidance of Rev. Curtis Brewer, associate pastor of worship and celebration at First Baptist Church of Odessa,Texas. “People are always asking me what part I sing, because they know how much I love the singing. I don’t sing a note – not any. But I am telling you, I love the music,” Fisher told the students, faculty and staff gathered for the dedication. The studio is equipped with ProTools 11 with Avid HD interfaces capable of recording 32 tracks at once, Apple Mac Pro computer with Mavericks OS, HD technology DAW plugins for mixing and mastering audio, and industrystandard microphones, pre-amps and compressors.
Joyce Fisher and Curtis Brewer
There are multiple isolation rooms for recording individual musicians, instruments and vocalists. The studio has two dedicated control rooms for recording, editing and mixing. Studio A is a multitrack recording and mixing facility, and Studio B is an editing and mixing suite. UMobile President Dr. Mark Foley said the studio is part of the university’s goal to graduate students who can influence their generation and the world for Jesus Christ. m
umobile.edu 73
getconnected
74 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Something Old, Something New You just thought your life was busy when you were in college! Now you have so many more responsibilities – career, family, church, community leadership – the list goes on. With all that on your plate, how do you stay connected with old friends from college and make new friends whose college memories were formed in the same place as yours? The answer is easy! Your University of Mobile Alumni Relations Office keeps old connections strong and builds new ones. Here are some opportunities to inspire, engage, rekindle and transform your connections with your university family. New Alumni Chapters We are starting alumni chapters in Mobile and Baldwin counties and Montgomery areas in Alabama, and throughout Mississippi. If you are interested in being part of a new chapter in one of those areas – or if you have ideas for chapters in other areas – please contact me. Check Your Mailbox Whether it’s a postcard wishing you a Happy Birthday from your university or an email with updates on your alma mater, you should be receiving more communication from your school. Be an Alumni Leader We are looking for committed alumni to help grow our Alumni Board of Directors. Find out more about your alumni leaders and University of Mobile Connections alumni relations at umobile.edu/alumni. Update Your Info Make sure your contact information is current so we can keep you posted about alumni events, campus news and alumni chapters. Quickly update online at www.umobile.edu/classnotes. Or, contact me by phone or email, or mail a note to: University of Mobile Alumni Office, 5735 College Parkway, Mobile, AL 36613. Let’s get Connected!
Allison Nelson ’04 and ’06 Director of Alumni Relations 251.442.2226 | anelson@umobile.edu
umobile.edu 75
alumnistories
Alumni Play Baseball Under the Lights By Nancy Snodgrass On a clear, chilly night in November, 40 former UMobile baseball players returned to the university to be among the first to play under the new lights at Jacobs field. The evening began with a cookout for the players, their families and friends of the university. A tour of the facilities followed which included the new batting cage and locker rooms. The concession stand was open and, according to Allison Nelson ’04 ’06, director of alumni relations, the families and friends enjoyed lots of hot chocolate on such a cold night. Coach Mike Jacobs spoke to the crowd before the game, saying how humbled he was that the university could have invested in many other campus projects, but chose to invest in the baseball program. He encouraged the players who had been touched by the program to continue their support. Donations made that evening will be used for equipment, field preparation and a batting software program. Jacobs helped begin UMobile’s baseball team in 1990, having previously coached at UMS-Wright Preparatory School. Under his leadership, the Rams have compiled a 776-497-2 record and 30 Rams have signed Major League contracts. “To see how many players came back to support Coach Jacobs was very touching,” said Nelson. Jacobs said it was particularly moving to see former players and catch up with their lives. “Baseball is about so much more than batting averages and homeruns. Seeing young men grow in faith and build strong families and careers makes the hard work worthwhile,” Jacobs said.
Photos by Anna Filliben
76 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
umobile.edu 77
alumnistories
Jesus on the Riverbank Jeff Gautney ’01 Erin Oelschlaeger Gautney ’03 By Trey Taulbee
78 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
umobile.edu 79
alumnistories
“It really did teach us to trust in the Lord. It was the first time in my life where I truly had to depend on the Lord to feel that peace.” Erin Gautney ‘03
Imagine flying into the southernmost tip of Colombia. Remote villages sit along the east bank of the Amazon River. It rains two-thirds of the year and temperatures rarely drop below the 80s. The region’s indigenous people live in huts along the riverbank and speak an isolate language – one that is extremely difficult to understand. Less than 2 percent of the people are evangelical Christians. Sound appealing? Some Christians might consider this the quintessential missionary experience. Others would not forsake their comfort for the hardships of life in Colombia. But Jeff ’01 and Erin ’03 Gautney are following God’s call “to the ends of the earth” as missionaries through the International Mission Board. A Not So Glamorous Life The Gautneys arrived in Colombia in 2011 with their two young boys, Jace and Titus, and a daughter on the way. There was no orientation or lavish greeting awaiting them – just an unsettling pressure to find a home. With minimal housing options available, they settled into one of the first apartments they could find. “When you first get there, you’re just trying to survive,” Erin said. “You don’t know where you’re going to minister or where you’re going to live.” The apartment had no airconditioning. Bats lived in the roof. Their kids were getting sick from drinking untreated water. Electricity was intermittent. One night, an intruder tried
80 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
breaking in through the bathroom window – all in the first few weeks. It wasn’t panning out to be the missionary experience the Gautneys had envisioned since childhood. A few months later they found a safer home outside of town. When their daughter, Micaiah, was born, Erin stayed home with the children while Jeff traveled into the community and surrounding villages. Between homeschooling and lack of ministry opportunity, Erin struggled for peace. She wondered if life in the Amazon was God’s calling for her. “I was counting down the days until we would go home,” she said. “I told God, ‘I could really do a lot for you in the United States.’” But going “home” was not an option. God had placed them in Colombia to make disciples – no matter the struggle. “It really did teach us to trust in the Lord,” Erin said. “It was the first time in my life where I truly had to depend on the Lord to feel that peace.”
Photo by Trey Taulbee
Worth the Struggle Through God’s provision, Erin met a local woman that would become one of her best friends. “Leady” showed Erin around the market, introduced her to new friends in the village, and even asked her to teach an English class. Now, Erin performs chronological Bible storytelling while teaching English skills to children. Last April, Erin traveled into the village for the first time to disciple local women. Over 40 women traveled by canoe, in the rain, to hear her teach the Gospel. As she told the story of Mary and Martha, a lady
in the crowd said to her, “Because you have come, you are Jesus, and we have come to sit at your feet.” Erin was floored and immediately began weeping. “It made all of the struggle worth it to have something like that I could hold on to,” she said. “My goal is to now go out and disciple the women of that village.” The Fruit of Labor Erin will continue to homeschool their children while teaching English and developing her friendships with local women and children. Jeff has established relationships with locals in different villages and developed a small, but growing discipleship group. His new
friends provide access to communities of people that will hear the Gospel for the first time. Through the rest of their term, Jeff will travel to new villages, teaching the Bible and training new Believers. For both Erin and Jeff, each of these relationships multiplies the influence of Christ in Colombia – including the most remote villages. “Our prayer and hope is to see indigenous people reaching indigenous people,” Erin said. “We’re super excited about it – the stuff that only God can do,” Jeff said. “It’s so rewarding to be a part of it.”
A Calling Confirmed From their time as students at the University of Mobile, the Gautneys remember the role that fellow students, professors, and staff played in confirming their calling. “I would not be the person that I am today without the experience that I had here (UMobile),” Erin said. “I feel that I received a great education and it prepared me for what I was going to do. I grew in the Lord here, and the Lord was able to change my heart and make it more aligned with what He called me to do at 16.” m
umobile.edu 81
alumnistories
A Heart for People
Dr. C. Alan Floyd ’89 Pastor, Cottage Hill Baptist Church Mobile, AL By Lesa Moore
Secretly taking Bibles into China and Tibet; leading mission trips to Russia, the Philippines, and Turkey; and pastoring churches in three states are just a few examples of how Dr. Alan Floyd ’89 has spent the last 21 years ministering to and discipling others. It is a ministry built on making people a priority. Opportunity Awaits Anxious and determined to fulfill his calling to the ministry, Floyd enrolled in his first class at then Mobile College just two weeks after graduating from high school. This summer English 101 class with Dr. Francis Garner had a lasting impact. “Her class was tough – she really challenged me,” recalled Floyd. “I decided to double major in English and religion because of Dr. Garner. She always said the world needed more pastors who could actually write good sermons.” A native of Mobile, Floyd surrendered to the call to ministry at the young age of 16 while at his home church, Moffett Road Baptist. From that moment he hit the ground running, volunteering and working part-time at his church, taking advantage of any opportunity that came his way to be involved in ministry to others. Just two years after starting college, Floyd became the student pastor for Navco Baptist Church. Soon after, the senior pastor became ill and church leaders asked him to preach. Floyd embraced the challenge and still
82 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
continued to preach once a month even after the pastor returned. He also made the most of opportunities available to him at Mobile College. “M-Days at Mobile College were influential in my life,” said Floyd. “Through those days, I had the privilege to preach in a number of churches, including some in Washington County. Through the pastors that I met there, even more opportunities opened up to preach throughout the area that summer.” Growing Churches After graduating, Floyd earned the Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He went on to pastor New Hope Baptist Church in Florida, then First Baptist Church Cliftondale in Atlanta. “Both of these were declining churches when I first arrived,” explained Floyd. “It was while I was in Atlanta that I realized God was calling me to be the turnaround guy – I had a passion to help churches relaunch.” While in Atlanta, Floyd earned his doctorate from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with an emphasis in evangelistic church growth. “My doctorate work specialized in developing strategies for plateaued and declining churches. The Atlanta Baptist Association still uses my work in this area,” he said.
This preparation led Floyd to pastor First Baptist Church Middleburg, FL where he served for the next 13 years, experiencing Sunday morning attendance grow from 400 to 1,800 with over 1,300 baptisms. Preaching four of their five services, Floyd also helped plant three additional churches and relaunch six others. With a heart for reaching the lost around the world, he emphasized the importance of the Great Commission and sent over 150 people per year on mission trips, leading many himself. “The first couple that went on a
mission trip with us from Middleburg are now IMB missionaries in Russia,” said Floyd. “Russia was the first country we had a partnership with. We backpacked and smuggled Bibles to China and Tibet and also served in places like the Amazon and an orphanage in the Philippines.” He has been actively involved in Southern Baptist life, having served on the State Board of Missions for the Florida Baptist Convention, president of the Florida Baptist Pastor’s Conference and trustee for the Baptist College of Florida. He is currently a trustee for New Orleans Seminary and a frequent guest speaker for evangelism conferences and revivals. Coming Home “I always had a heart for Mobile,” Floyd recalled. “I prayed for spiritual awakening in Mobile, but thought someone else would be called to lead it.” Floyd became pastor of Cottage Hill Baptist Church in Mobile in November 2012. Since then, the church has experienced a 50 percent increase in attendance. He continues to lead mission
opportunities internationally and locally to reach the city of Mobile. Alan Fath ’98 serves as the worship pastor at Cottage Hill Baptist Church. When he arrived there nine months ago, he was impressed with the way Floyd’s “character proceeds him wherever he goes.” “It’s this quality that was one of the things that actually drew me to Cottage Hill,” said Fath. “What I found was testimony after testimony of people who had not met each other, yet all said the same thing. They all stated that he loves missions, he is relational, he is driven, he inspires a fun atmosphere, and he absolutely loves investing his time in people. As I have worked close by him, I have seen all these things exemplified in his everyday life. I’m proud to call him my pastor and look forward to how God will use him in the life and development of this church.” “It was just something about the phone call I received from Cottage Hill,” Floyd said. “God made it clear and put on my heart what Cottage Hill could be, and I believe greater days for this church are ahead.”
Legacy Floyd and his wife, Kathy, have two sons, Christopher and Conner. Christopher was also called to ministry as a teenager. While on vacation in Mobile as a sophomore in high school, Floyd brought him to UMobile for a campus tour. “The next summer we were talking about colleges and Christopher said he knew he wanted to attend the University of Mobile,” said Floyd. Christopher is now a freshman at UMobile majoring in Christian ministries. Floyd said he chose Mobile College because he knew he was called to be a pastor and was drawn to this Baptist college. He recalls fond memories of intramurals and fellowship with friends, saying that the friendships developed at Mobile College are the “strongest friendships I have today.” “My advice for students today going into ministry is to invest in relationships, get involved in a local church and take advantage of practical hands-on experience,” said Floyd. He shares wisdom he has benefited from as well. “Early in my pastoral ministry, one of my mentors said to me, ‘A shepherd smells like his sheep.’ That stuck with me. There are certainly better pastors/ preachers out there. I just wanted to be the best pastor I could be...striving to be a life-long learner. A true shepherd smells like his sheep – meaning he spends time with them, loves them, cares for them, knows their needs. If I am to speak God’s Truth into their life week after week, I need to know where they are. At the end of the day, I want to smell like my sheep.” m umobile.edu 83
alumnistories
A Pilgrimage Sara Dye Class of 2013
Majors: English and Humanities Currently: Doctoral student of English and tutor at Baylor University
Jeremy Crews Class of 2013
Majors: Theology and Humanities Currently: Student at George W. Truett Baptist Theological Seminary at Baylor University
Malory Green Class of 2013
Majors: Intercultural Studies and English Currently: Candidate for Master’s of International Journalism (focus Environmental Studies) at Baylor University
By Will Drake Sara Dye, Malory Green and Jeremy Crews, all 2013 University of Mobile graduates, began an Honors class as freshmen in a small Bedsole Library classroom in August 2009. The three started a UMobile journey that taught them how to learn while caring for the welfare of others. It is a lesson each is pursuing with fully funded scholarships to graduate programs at Baylor University. Sara, a doctoral student of English, Malory, a master’s student of journalism, and Jeremy, a seminary student, are dedicating their time to changing the lives of others. In addition to studying and attending class, Sara helps undergraduate students face classroom challenges while tutoring in her program’s learning center. The experience she received at UMobile taught her to share others’ burdens while also balancing her own. “The University of Mobile is the place where I met my dearest friends, discovered how to lead, learned to love learning, and encountered Jesus Christ in the classroom,” she said. Sara added that she sees Jeremy and Malory frequently. They rely on one another for support. “We see each other once a week — usually more,” she said. “We communicate much more than that.” Jeremy agreed, showing that UMobile students who grow alongside each other
84 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Jeremy Crews, Sara Dye, and Malory Green continue an educational journey that began in an Honors class at UMobile.
have unbreakable friendships despite any distance. “UMobile prepared me for a professional life, helping me write resumes, conduct interviews, and work within a budget. More important than this, however, are the friendships I made with professors, students and staff members,” Jeremy said. Fortunately for these students, their success at UMobile helped them travel together 650 miles away from everyone they knew. Jeremy entered his seminary studies with a fully paid University Ministerial Scholarship. Malory, too, received full funding via teaching assistantship. Sara entered directly into her doctoral program, exempting a master’s degree altogether, and receiving
her education paid in full. Sara attributes her success at UMobile to her professors. They enabled her and challenged her. “I credit much of my acceptance (into the doctoral program) to the people who encouraged me to energetically pursue excellence in my four years of undergraduate study,” she said. “In my experience as an Honors student at UMobile, I was taught by incredibly intelligent and compassionate faculty. I was also a part of a community of students that became family.” Malory added, “The University of Mobile influenced me by teaching how to truly love learning in a way that nothing else has. My English classes taught me to find Christ in everything
that contains truth. My intercultural studies classes taught me to love people for who they are. They gave me the tools to embrace the beauty different cultures bring to life.” Their professors set a pattern of influence that the UMobile graduates emulated by committing their own time to other students. They ensured their peers would learn alongside them. During their undergraduate careers at the University of Mobile, Sara, Jeremy and Malory performed in full-length Shakespeare plays and participated in the Honors program to supplement their normal studies. They helped in campus operations, freshman seminar classes, and extracurricular projects through the Honors program. They helped form the community that thrives at UMobile today.
Additionally, they already have begun supporting peers in Waco, TX carrying with them the influence of UMobile. Seminary student Jeremy said, “I’ve already been blessed to meet many people. I’m dedicated to being different — to show them the true love of Christ in everything that I do. I long to be someone they can trust, and an example of hard work and dedication.” When Jeremy graduates, he desires to work in his local church while teaching at the university level. Malory also wishes to aid others in need by sharing personal stories of struggling people through journalism, rather than allowing them to become mass statistics. After graduating, she plans to work with non-profit companies to utilize sustainable resources while amplifying their stories via journalism. In
her first semester, she had already been published in Baylor’s Focus Magazine. Sara continued, “Ultimately, I want to be able to do for university students what my professors at UMobile did for me: show that when you passionately seek the Truth, you will find Him. When you encounter Truth, it changes your life.” The University of Mobile brought these students together and showed them how dedication and compassion for truth can combine to impact the hearts and minds of people. It can change a person. They want to continue that legacy. “My life changed in my four years at UMobile, and I look forward to a lifetime of continual influence,” Sara said. “I pray that as UMobile continues to change my life, I will be able to help change lives to change the world.” m
Photos by Katie Crews
umobile.edu 85
classnotes ‘70s
Geri Zyla Scott ’75 – Has worked at St. Thomas Midtown Hospital in Nashville, TN since graduating 39 years ago. Geri is an RN childbirth instructor. Jane Campbell Patterson ’75 – Retired from teaching in Lee County Schools in Opelika, AL. She is a piano teacher and pianist at Covenant Presbyterian Church.
‘80s
Pamela Godwin Carlisle ’81 – Retired as an accountant for Ciba/BASF in McIntosh, AL Sept. 30, 2013, with more than 31 years of service. Gary W. Griffin ’83 – Works with the Department of Defense, U.S. Army as the Information Technology Specialist, project manager in Kentucky. Phyllis Yonge Hartselle ’87 – Retired as a teacher with the Mobile County School Board.
‘90s
Eric D. Grizzle ’91 – Is releasing a new book titled, “Unbroken Promise.” The book is a fast-paced, action thriller novel. Jason Lee ’91 – Was named dean, School of Biblical and Ministry Studies, at Cedarville University in Aug. 2013. Linda “Tricia” Jernigan ’97 – Is assistant children’s minister at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX. Tricia graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2004 with her MACE/MAMBE. She received a Ph.D. in social work minoring in childhood education in 2012. Keith Stewart ’98 – Is satellite director at Bethany Christian Services in Spanish Fort, AL.
2000s
Brittany Bunton Ranew ’06 – Owned a local event planning business but has recently decided to focus on her true passion, real estate. Brittany became a Realtor this year with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Generations. 86 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Ashleigh Hall Coats ’09 – Works with Alabama WMU as Missions & Ministry Consultant for Young Women. Ashley will also be serving on the UMobile Board of Regents. Josh Stodghill ’11 – Is currently in his rotation as a third year medical student at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. Meredith Jones Stodghill ’11 - Recently wrote a nonfiction book and is pursing publication. She is enrolled at Reformed Theological Seminary.
Births
Kyle Patton ‘12 and Jessica Dykes Patton ‘12 celebrate the birth of their first child, Ruth Adeline, Feb. 7, 2013, at 11:01 a.m. She was 6 lbs. 5 oz. and 18.5 inches. Christin Kelly Bumstead ‘01 and Michael Bumstead welcome their second child, Lucy Alexandra, July 31, 2013. She was 8 lbs. 9 oz. and 22 inches. Lucy was welcomed home by her big brother, Collins. Tara Greene Jones ‘02 and Jared Jones welcome the birth of their third child, Elias Howard, Aug. 21, 2013. He was 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 20.5 inches. Elias was welcomed home by his big sisters, Eden Karis, 7, and Elyssa French, 5. Joel Petry ’04 and Jessica Stewart Petry ’07 announce the birth of their second child, Caroline Morgan, Aug. 21, 2013, at 9:20 a.m. She was 8 lbs. 10 oz. 21 inches. She was welcomed home by her big sister, Ella Sophia.
Justin Martin ‘04 and Chandra Barton Martin ‘04 celebrate the birth of their fourth child, Luke Edward, Aug. 30, 2013. Luke was welcomed home by his three older sisters. They will be moving to Portland, OR to plant a church in conjunction with the North American Mission Board. Amanda Green Clonts ’08 and Michael Clonts welcome the birth of their first child, Hazel Joy, Sept. 2, 2013. She was 5 lbs. 2 oz. and 18.5 inches. Chandler McCulloch ‘10 and Adrienne Sanders McCulloch ‘10 announce the birth of their first child, James Wilson, Sept. 11, 2013, at 10:08 a.m. He was 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 20.5 inches. Rebecca Reeves Robinson ‘05 and Jason Robinson celebrate the birth of their second child, Emma Kate, Sept. 28, 2013. She was 7lbs. 4 oz. and 20.5 inches. Emma was welcomed home by her big brother, Carter, 2. Jay Jerrell ’98 and Jill Nahrgang Jerrell ’01 celebrate the birth of their third child, Charlie Paul, Nov. 6, 2013. He was 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 20 ¾ inches. Charlie was welcomed home by his brother, Sam, and sister, Holly Anne. Brad Hill ‘03 and Paige Persons Hill ‘03 announce the birth of their second child, Liam Elijah, Nov. 29, 2013, at 3:57 p.m. He was 8 lbs. 9 oz. Liam was welcomed home by his big sister, Stella.
We want to hear from our Alumni! Josh Stodghill ’11 and Meredith Jones Stodghill ’11 celebrate the birth of their first child, Josiah David, Dec. 8, 2013. He was 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 21.5 inches.
Ashleigh Hall Coats ’09 and Mark Coats were married Nov. 2, 2013. They live in Montgomery, AL.
Marriages
Jeremy Crews ’00 and Katie Dye Crews were married Nov. 23, 2013. They live in Waco, TX.
Lindsay Earles Whitehead ’05 and Justin Whitehead were married June 15, 2013. They live in Opelika, AL. Greg Johnson ’10 and Ashley Lachappelle Johnson ’13 were married June 29, 2013. They live in Austin, TX. Weston Mason ’13 and Ashley Shelton Mason ’13 were married July 13, 2013. They live in Selma, AL.
Michelle Mosca White ’00 and Chase White were married July 20, 2013. They live in Hanceville, AL.
Rianna Freeman Turner ’02 and Steven Turner were married Sept. 7, 2013. They live in Mobile, AL.
Steven Booker ’09 ’07 and Claire Barnes Booker were married Sept. 21, 2013. They live in Saraland, AL.
Would you like to be included in a future edition of Class Notes? Just send us the latest information on you and your career accomplishments, weddings, births, and/or adoptions. High resolution (300 dpi) photos may be emailed to umobilemagazine@ umobile.edu; please include your contact information in the email. Class Notes are printed on a space-available basis. Mr. Mrs. Ms. Miss Dr. Name____________________________ Maiden Name_____________________ Spouse Name_____________________
Farra Parker Mitchell ’07 and Coby Mitchell were married Dec. 28, 2013. They live in Saraland, AL.
UMobile Graduation Year____________ Major____________________________ Degree Earned_ ___________________ Home Address ________________________________ City_ ____________________________ State_ _______ Zip_________________
Deaths
Terrell “Terry” Megginson Walton ’84 Went to be with the Lord on Oct. 17, 2013, at the age of 51. She was Miss Mobile College in 1980. Terry received a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English and a minor in psychology. She also was employed at the university as director of public relations from 1988 to 1993. Charles E. Affholter ’03 – Passed away Nov. 14, 2013. He received a Bachelor of Arts majoring in music from UMobile. His mother is Jan Walston Affholter ’93. Leon Steven “Steve” Cooper ’79 – Passed away in his Tuscaloosa home Dec. 24, 2013. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in art from the university and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Mississippi. Steve was known for his irreverent sense of humor, wry manner of observing the world, and appreciation of beauty. Timothy Moorer ’83 – Passed away Dec. 25, 2013, at the age of 56. Timothy received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He was a long time resident of Mobile, AL.
Country__________________________ Home Phone______________________ Cell Phone________________________ Email Address ________________________________ Employment Information: Company_ _______________________ Title_____________________________ Address__________________________ ________________________________ Work Phone_ _____________________ Other Information: _________________ ________________________________ ________________________________
Please list any news you would like to share with us. Copy and fax this form to 251.442.2512 or mail to: University of Mobile Alumni Office 5735 College Parkway Mobile, AL 36613 Or submit the online form at www.umobile.edu/ClassNotes
umobile.edu 87
YOU CAN JOIN! If you live, work, worship or attend school in most areas of Mobile County you can be a member!
G.A. WEST was formed on March 18, 1987 and has steadily grown to become one of the largest direct hire industrial construction companies in the Southeast. G.A. WEST is constantly changing and evolving with an eye toward the future needs of our clients and employees. We know that our world is ever changing and the industrial needs of an expanding world will provide new opportunities to match our world class employees with world class clients.
888-679-1965 www.gawest.com
®
Army Aviation Center Federal Credit Union
Free 24-Hour Internet Account Access • Mobile Banking & Text Alerts • Mobile Deposit Capture • Free Online Bill Pay & E-Statements • Checking & Savings Accounts • Credit Cards Low Loan Rates on Autos, RVs, Boats & Mortgages Youth & Child Accounts • Wealth Management and more! 100 N. Royal St. (251) 433-4843 6631 Airport Blvd. (251) 776-6443 750 Downtowner Blvd. (251) 342-6386 1994 S. Broad St., Brookley Field (251) 338-8976 8501 Tanner Williams Rd., Bates Field (251) 338-8975 www.aacfcu.com Wealth Management services provided by LPL Financial.
GUARANTEE
4
WWW.GREENEPHILLIPS.COM 88 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
“First “First Class Class Service”
251-300-2000
24/7
No representation is made that the quality of the legal service to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers
honor roll of donors
Torch Society
$25,000 and above
Chick-fil-A, Inc. Crampton Scholarship Endowment Trust First Baptist Church of Odessa, Texas Fisher Construction Mr. and Mrs. Allen Fonde Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Dr. Elma Grace Pilot Mr. and Mrs. W. Davis Pilot Jr. Mr. Harold Sorrells The Estate of Karlene F. Farmer The SSI Group, Inc. Dr. and Mrs. Larry Turner Ms. Celia A. Wallace
Trustee’s Circle
$10,000-$24,999
Mr. David S. Barringer Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Joel Bullard Mr. Robert G. Clapper Florence Foundation Dr. and Mrs. Mark R. Foley Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church Mr. and Mrs. Bill Ingram Dr. and Mrs. Fred G. Lackey Mr. Danny Manning Mr. and Mrs. James Massey National Management Resources Corp. Scott Bridge Co., Inc. Mr. Wayne Sirmon Springhill Toyota State of Alabama, Dept. of Finance West Conroe Baptist Chuch Mr. and Mrs. Fred H. Wilson
Founder’s Society $5,000-$9,999
A. S. Mitchell Foundation Alabama Association of Independent Colleges & Universities Atmore First Assembly of God Mr. and Mrs. James W. Averett Baptist Foundation of Alabama Mrs. Barbara Barnard BB&T Central Baptist Church, Decatur, AL Christ United Methodist Church
Mr. and Mrs. Kamal Constantine Dallas Bay Baptist Church Crossroads Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. Frank C. Daniels Mrs. Patricia H. Dorsett First Baptist Church of Scottsboro, AL First Baptist Church Jacksonville First Baptist Church of Gulf Shores G. A. West & Co., Inc. Green Acres Baptist Church Greenwell Springs Baptist Church Hickory Hammock Baptist Church Mr. B. Kevin Inlow Luke 4:18 Fellowship Mr. and Mrs. Roger E. McConnell Morningside Baptist Church, Tallahassee, FL Mr. and Mrs. Pat Nelson Pathway Ministries Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Mr. Mark D. Pressley Mr. and Mrs. Juan C. Romero Second Baptist Church, Houston, TX Sherwood Baptist Church Mr. Roswell Sloan Jr. Mr. Jim Smith Mr. and Mrs. Benny C. Snow Spotswood Baptist Church Mr. Fred T. Stimpson
President’s Club $1,000-$4,999
Akribos Consulting Group, Inc. Alabama Power Company Allied Mortgage Corporation Andalusia First Baptist Church Aramark Army Aviation Center Federal Credit Union Mrs. James E. Arrington Ashland First Baptist Church Mr. Mike A. Atkins Mr. and Mrs. Owen Bailey Mr. Jim Beaty Ms. Amelia Lyons Bell Bethel Baptist Church Blackshear Place Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey C. Boney III Mr. & Mrs. Thomas P. Boyle Jr. Mr. and Mrs. William G. Buchanan Budweiser-Busch Distributing Co., Inc. Postlethwaite & Netterville
Dr. and Mrs. Lonnie A. Burnett Mr. Donald W. Byrne Calvary Baptist Church, Clearwater, FL Calvary Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, NC Calvary Baptist Church, Waynesboro, MS Camden Baptist Church Carterville Baptist Church Central Baptist Church of Hixson Tennessee Century Bank Chapel Hill Baptist Church Charity Chapel Church Chestnut Grove Baptist Church Dr. Christopher Mullenix Clarke Venable Memorial Baptist Church Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated Dr. Harold R. Collins Community Foundation of South Alabama Mr. David J. Conner Mrs. Leigh N. Cox Daphne United Methodist Church Dauphin Way Baptist Church DEX Imaging of Alabama, LLC Downtown Fellowship Church Dr. and Mrs. William E. Dumas Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Dunning Eastern Shore Baptist Church Dr. Audrey C. Eubanks Eufaula First Baptist Church FaithWord Church Fellowship of Christian Atheletes First Baptist Church of Opelika, AL First Baptist Church of Senatobia, MS First Baptist Church of Blountstown, FL First Baptist Church of Bonifay, FL First Baptist Church of Laurel, MS First Baptist Church Collierville First Baptist Church of Biloxi First Baptist Church of Cantonment First Baptist Church of Crestview First Baptist Church of Fairhope, Inc. First Baptist Church of Headland First Baptist Church of Lyman First Baptist Church of Prattville First Baptist Church Opelika, AL First Baptist Church Tillman’s Corner First Baptist Jackson First Baptist North Mobile First Community Bank Foley First Baptist Church Forrest Daniell & Associates, P.C. Fort Myer Chapel
umobile.edu 89
honor roll of donors
Dr. and Mrs. Roderick S. Fox Gilliam Springs Baptist Church Mr. Thomas Gober and Dr. Sue Gober Mr. Leslie Wayne Gordon Gospel Lighthouse Assembly of God Greene & Phillips Mrs. Kathryn T. Grissom Gulf Fastener, Inc. Gulf Packaging, Inc. Hancock Bank Hand Arendall, LLC Hardy Street Baptist Church Hargrove Engineers & Constructors Mr. R. Kenny Harris Mr. Willie F. Hart Helmsing, Leach, Herlong, Newman & Rouse Heritage Baptist Church Heritage Church of God Mr. Charles P Hewes Mr. Patricia D. Hicks Highland Baptist Church Hillcrest Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. Ronnie Holladay Mr. Jim S. Holland Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Patrick L. Howley Dr. Hubert H. Parker IV Mr. Kenneth Hughes Immanuel Baptist Church Industrial Valve Services, Inc. Jackson First Baptist Church James B. Donaghey, Inc. Ms. Elizabeth M. Jenkins Mr. and Mrs. Carl E. Johnson Mr. John H. Johnson Mr. Larry Keeton Mr. Donald P. Kelly Jr. Ms. Billie R. Kohen KTM Industrial Contractors, LLC Mr. and Mrs. William Bibb Lamar Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Neal Ledbetter Liberty Baptist Church, Chelsea, AL LifeWay Adult Ministry Little Escambia Baptist Church Living Word Church Mr. Stan Lollar Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Lomax Madison-Ridgeland Academy Mr. Gregory Mangum Marine & Industrial Supply Co., Inc. Mr. Charles Scott Markle Mrs. Cathy A. Matthews
90 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Dr. and Mrs. Robert H. Maxwell Mr. Robert J. McConnell Mr. Stephen McCrory McDowell Knight Roedder & Sledge, LLC Mr. and Mrs. W. Kenneth McElhaney Sr. McFadden Engineering, Inc. Dr. and Mrs. Robert B. McGinley Ms. Lea A. McLaughlin Mrs. Elizabeth Megginson Mr. and Mrs. William D. Melton Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Miskelly Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Miskelly Moffett Road Assembly of God Ms. Joyce A. Mollerup Monroeville First Baptist Church Morningside Baptist Church, Columbus, GA Mr. Roger Lee Mott NAF Financial Servies Mr. Herbert C. Nappier National Christian Foundation of Alabama Mr. and Mrs. Billy Nichols North Jacksonville Baptist Church, Inc. North Shelby Baptist Church Northcrest Baptist Church Mrs. Pat Northrop Oakland Baptist Church Olive Baptist Church Orange Beach United Methodist Church Orchard Assembly of God Paramount Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. Dean N. Parker Jr. Peoples Church of Jacksonville Ms. Theresa Diane Phillips Pine Grove Baptist Church of Trenton, Inc. Pinson First Baptist Church Platinum Holdings, Inc. Mr. John M. Plunk Point Clear Insurance Services, LLC Mr. and Mrs. Bill Prentiss Providence Church of God Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Puckett Rechoboth Baptist Church Red Bank Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. Louis Reno Jr. Ridgecrest Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Rigney Rikard Charitable Trust Mr. Russell D. Roberts Mr. and Mrs. William T. Robinson Royalty Products, Inc. S J & L Inc.
Ms. Julie Salmon Santa Rosa Baptist Association Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Seaborn Jr. Second Baptist Church, Warner Robins, GA Senior Bowl, LLC Sevier Heights Baptist Church Mrs. Melanie M. Sharpless Mr. David P. Shepherd Ms. Frances R. Shockey Mr. and Mrs. James E. Smith Smith, Dukes & Buckalew, LLP South Coast Church Southside Baptist Church, Fayette, AL Spanish Fort United Methodist Church Springhill Automotive, Inc. Mr. Gordon S. Stimpson Jr. Mr. Christopher Taylor Taylor Road Baptist Church The Ashbee Group @ Wells Fargo Advisors The Brooklyn Tabernacle The First Baptist Church of Mt. Olive The First Baptist Church of Pinson The Mosow Family Foundation Thomasville Baptist Church Threaded Fasteners Charitable Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Bobby E. Tidmore Ms. Jackie A. Towe Trinty Baptist Church Trustmark Bank Victory Health Partners Mrs. Debbie R. Ward Mr. Robert C. Weaver Dr. and Mrs. James L. West Westside Baptist Church, Warner Robins, GA Westside Baptist Church, Jasper, AL White Oak Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. William E. Whitfield, III Rev. and Mrs. Kevin C. Wilburn Mr. Donald F. Williams Willis North America, Inc. Willis of Alabama, Inc. Woodridge Baptist Church Mr. Michael P. Woolley Scott and Sarah Wright Mr. David S. Wright Mrs. Sarah B. Wright Xante Corporation Mr. John E. Zukley
Dean’s Circle $500-$999
Ms. Sherrie K. Hunter Johnson, Slaughter, Driver & Northcutt, P.A. Mr. and Mrs. Alan Johnston Abundant Life Assembly Mr. Harvie C. Jordan III Aliceville First Baptist Church Kathleen Baptist Church American Rental & Power Equipment, Inc. Lakeview Baptist Church, Montgomery, AL Baldwin Baptist Association Lakeview Baptist Church, Auburn, AL Bancorp South Mr. William H. Ledbetter Jr. Baptist Student Union Missions Mr. Mark Leousis Mr. James M. Barnes Liberty Baptist Church, Deatsville, AL Batron Baptist Church Mars Hill Ministries Mr. and Mrs. Edward Baxley Mary G. Montgomery High School Mrs. Ann Bedsole Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast LTC and Mrs. Jeff C. Bergdolt Mr. William McGowan Boone’s Chapel Baptist Church Ms. Dorthea D. McMahon Mr. Carroll Earnest Boshell Mr. Walter S. McNellage Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Brown Mobile Baptist W.M.U. Rev. and Mrs. Cleveland C. Brown Mobile First Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. John G. Bruns Mobile Rock & Gem Society Buffalo Rock Company/Pepsi Cola Mr. and Mrs. Laurence S. Morgan Mr. Hisako Butler Mt. Hebron Church Ministries, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Chastain New Grace Christian Church Chatom Baptist Church New Hope Baptist Church Chevron Humankind Matching Gift Program New Life Fellowship Christ Covenant Church Mr. and Mrs. John A. Nicholas Christian Life Church Odessa Christian Faith Center Ministries Church on the Eastern Shore Pace Assembly Ministries, Inc. Citronelle First Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. Frank Person Mrs. Kadisha Onalbayeva Coleman Pineview Baptist Church Cottage Hill Baptist Church Presbyterian Christian School, Inc. Ms. Shirley A. Counter Providence Baptist Church Covenant Church of Mobile, Inc. Mr. John M. Rhoades Creola First Baptist Church Sarasota Baptist Church Cullman Overhead Door & Glass, Inc. Shoal Creek Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. Randall M. Davis Southside Baptist Church, Lucedale, MS Dayspring Baptist Church St. Andrew Baptist Church Mr. Matthew Cory Drinkard T. R. Miller High School Band Mr. Lee Dymond The First Baptist Church of Bratt Eastern Hills Baptist Church The First Baptist Church of Satsuma Mrs. Katherine Etheridge Mr. Thomas M. Thompkins Rev. and Mrs. Rick Evans Mrs. Deborah K. Tindal First Baptist Church of Silverhill West Side United Methodist Church First Community Bank Mrs. Idalene Willis Captain and Mrs. James F. Fisher Jr. Mrs. Charity P. Wittner Friendship Baptist Church Ms. Gail S. Yacko Government Street Baptist Church Mrs. Betty B. Granberry Benefactor Gulf Coast Family Church of the Nazarene Mrs. Amber Hammond $150-$499 Ms. Kathryn O. Hawsey Agape Baptist Church Mr. Nicholas H. Holmes Jr. Alaska Baptist Convention
Mr. and Mrs. Billy Anderson Ms. Billie Archer Dr. H. Morgan Ashurst Mr. & Mrs. Al Balderas Bay Bank Bayside Baptist Church Rev. and Mrs. Mike Bedford Dr. & Mrs. Thaddeus Beeker II Ms. Stephanie Bell Mrs. Colleen Bergdolt Bergfeld Counsulting LLC Mr. James W. Berrian Mr. John E. Bible Bible Fellowship Church Big Lake Baptist Church Ms. Renate Bittick Boca Raton Christian School, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Brian P. Boyle Ms. Mendy G. Bradley Mr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Bramlett Ms. Kim Browder Dr. and Mrs. Charles Brown Rev. and Mrs. Art Burroughs Mr. Kenneth Bush Mrs. Penny C. Callaway Colonel W. E. Callender USA(Ret.) Calvary Christian High School Mrs. Carol M. Camp Mrs. Deborah Camp Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Carithers Central Christian School Mr. and Mrs. Daniel B. Chancey Chick-fil-A - Dauphin Street Chickasaw First Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Chitty Christ Anglican Church Coastal Bank and Trust Mrs. Pamela Compton Mr. Louis A. Cook Corner High School Band Boosters Ms. Betty Counce Mr. Jim R. Counce Mr. and Mrs. Chadwick P. Counselman Mrs. Sharon L. Cowles Mrs. Elise Craig Mr. Logan Crane Mr. Terry Crane Ms. Lola Crawford Ms. Sheila B. Crim Crimson Flame Ministries Mrs. Patricia H. Davis
umobile.edu 91
honor roll of donors
Mr. and Mrs. Scott Davis Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Davis Jr. Mr. Jeff Deakins Mr. Virgil L. Decker Mrs. Rebecca L. Destin Ms. Janice O. Deuel Mr. and Mrs. Martin E. Dorsett Ms. Rebecca Duncan Master Marine, Inc. Mr. Steve Ealy East Pointe Baptist Church Dr. Barbara Eaton Mr. H. Dan Ellis Mr. Charles D. Enfinger Mr. Bruce Finley and Dr. Jane Finley First Baptist Church of Albertville First Baptist Church of Winter Park, Inc. Fish River Baptist Church Five Star Heating & Cooling, Inc Mrs. Shirley J. Foley Mrs. Glenda W. Forrest Mr. Chris Fowler Ms. Carolyn Freeman Mr. Bill Givens Ms. Cindy Grove Mrs. Lenora Hamrick Mr. and Mrs. Terry H. Harbin Mr. Logan Harvey Mr. Robert A. Hayes Heights Baptist Church Mr. H. Andy Hepburn Mr. Keith N. Hibbs Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Hill Mr. & Mrs. Don S. Hinkle II Mrs. Pat Hobgood Mr. John Hollan Mr. and Mrs. Lyman Holland Jr. Dr. Helen Huff Mr. William C. and Dr. Nancy Huff Hughes Cremation Center and Funeral Services Mr. and Mrs. A. Pharr Hume Mrs. Sylvia C. Hunter Island Winds East 406 Mr. Jerry G. Jefcoat Darby Jernigan Jo Ann Green Tax Service Rev. and Mrs. David M. Johnson Ms. Emily Kelly Ms. Lori Kessler Dr. and Mrs. Gary Kilgo
92 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Mr. Paul A. Kiszla Kushla-Bethany Baptist Church Ms. Dena F. Lee Mrs. Janet M Lipske Mrs. Anita Long Dr. and Mrs. William R. Lucas Mr. James M. Lyons Magnolia Springs Assembly of God Church Mrs. Angela T. Mauldin Mrs. Lisa Larue McAuley Ms. Ansley McDaniel Mrs. April McGuff Mrs. Lisa H. McKinney Rev. and Mrs. Dusty McLemore Ms. Debbie M. Meadows Mrs. Linda D. Miller Mr. John R. Mills Moffett Road Baptist Church Mrs. Sharon M. Moore Mr. Albert Farrar Nettles Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Owens Ms. Angela M. Parks Mr. and Mrs. Brantley Parsley Mr. and Mrs. Jim Patterson Dr. and Mrs. W. Rick Payne Mr. and Mrs. Tony C. Phillips Mrs. Sandra F. Plugge Mr. Tebly Presley Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery K. Quimby Mr. Marion A. Quina Jr. Mrs. Jana Rainwater Mr. Gary S. Rayburn Mr. and Mrs. Gerald E. Redmon Mr. Harold Reid Reynolds Rocky Creek Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. Gregory B. Saad Mr. William B. Scales Mrs. Hans Schneider Scott Hunter Investments Mrs. Dorothy J. Segroves Ambassador Johnny Earl Sellers Semmes Middle School Mr. Tom Sharp Mr. and Mrs. Peter C. Sherman Dr. and Mrs. Mark Shirey Dr. and Mrs. Phillip Shouppe Mr. and Mrs. Paul W. Skelton Ms. Dorothy Jean Ellen Smith Southern Visions LLP Mrs. Mary H. Sowder Ms. Sarah Becky Spain
Mrs. Beverly Sparkmon Mr. and Mrs. Mikell D. Speaks St. Paul’s Episcopal School Dr. and Mrs. Dwight M. Steedley Mr. and Mrs. Richard Stimpson Mr. Martin Stringfellow Mrs. Sharon H. Swearingen Dr. and Mrs. Brad Swiger Mrs. Susan Taylor Mrs. Sharon D. Tharp Mr. John W. Therrello Mr. and Mrs. David G. Thornton Town of Silverhill Troy First Baptist Church Mrs. Deanna Tucker Dr. and Mrs. Richard G. Vinson Ms. C. A. Wallace Mr. Arthur W. Walton Ms. Mary Jane Ward Mrs. Linda Watson Wellston Title Company, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Westover Wilkins Miller Hieronymus, LLC Mr. William A. Willingham Mr. Ben F. Windham Dr. Janith C. Wood WS Management Consultants, Inc. Ms. Becky Ruth Wynne Mr. & Mrs. James R. Youmans Jr. Mr. Scott W. Zimmerman
Friend $20-$149
Mrs. Judith H. Acker Ms. Brenda J. Adair Mrs. Belinda L. Adams Mrs. Pamela L. Adkisson AHI Corporate Housing Mr. Franklin R. Alexander Ms. Anna L. Allen Mrs. Connie Allen Mrs. Karen Johnson Alley Ms. Jane M. Allgood Mr. Chase Amerson Mrs. Amy S. Anderson Mrs. Lesley G. Anderson Mrs. Stephanie Andrasi Mr. Scott Andrews Mrs. Elizabeth J. Archer Mr. Marlon D. Archer
Mrs. Virginia Archer Ms. Maria Ard Ms. Ann Armstrong Mr. Robert Armstrong Asta G. Vazquez, Inc. Ms. Jody W. Atchison Ms. Christian Faith Baker Mrs. Joyce D. Baker Mr. Paul Baker Mr. Estrellita A. Balicanta Mr. Robert F. Barnes Jr Mr. Frank W. Barnett Mrs. Julie A. Barnett Mrs. Fred H. Barron Mrs. Janice Barrow Mrs. Marie Batson Ms. Barbara J Battles Mr. Mitchell A. Beard Mrs. Genette Beauchamp Mr. and Mrs. George M. Beck Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Bedwell Mrs. Gwenyth J. Beem Mr. Richard F. Beirne IV Mr. John C. Bell Ms. Lisa M. Bell Mrs. Virginia A. Bell Ms. Mary C. Belser Ms. Annie W. Bennett Ms. Shanetta R Bettis Ms. Chereta A. Beverly Mr. Lewis Edward Beville Mr. Robert E. Bice Mr. and Mrs. Billy Black Ms. Jennifer C. Black Mr. Jimmy Black Mr. Charles G. Blackmon Mrs. Nancy J. Blackwell Ms. Carollynne Blakney Mrs. Tissie L. Blanchard Ms. Amy Blankenship Mr. Joshua R. Blaylock Mr. and Mrs. James C. Bledsoe Mr. John C. Blythe Ms. Lesley Bodley Mr. David B. Bolton Ms. Jade Bolton Mrs. Sheila C. Booker Ms. Leeann J. Bookout Mrs. Mary A. Boresky Mrs. Marilyn Bounds Ms. Darrell E. Bourne
Mr. Dan J. Bouthilet Mr. Travis Bowen Mr. James B. Boyett Mrs. Gloria F. Brackin Mr. Jon K. Brackin Mr. Barry Bradford Mr. Boyd L. Bradford Mrs. Janet E. Bradley Mr. & Mrs. Larry D. Branning Ms. Cynthia W. Brannon Ms. Marlene L. Brannon Mr. Landon C. Brantley Mrs. Carol W. Branyon Mr. Seth A. Brasher Mr. and Mrs. Mark Brazel Mr. Christopher Bryant Brazell Ms. Gina Briggs Mr. Jason Briggs Ms. Bonnie L. Brooks Ms. Kiwana Brooks Mr. and Mrs. Glen R. Brown Ms. June Brown Mrs. Sharon Brown Ms. Carolyn S. Bryant Mr. R. Wayne Bryant Mr. Robert S. Bufkin Ms. Molly C. Bull Mr. Mark S. Burge Ms. Shelia Burger Mrs. Phyllis A. Burke Mrs. Diane W. Burroughs Dr. Jeff W. Bush Ms. Mabis A. Bush Mrs. Sara E. Buster Mr. Charles R. Butler Jr. Ms. Pat Butler Mrs. Dana H. Butterworth Mrs. Gladys T. Byrd Ms. Janice E. Byrd Mr. & Mrs. Richard E. Byrd Ms. Sarah Calhoun Mr. William L. Callaway Ms. Joyce S. Cameron Ms. Chandley Campbell Mrs. Cheryl F. Campbell Ms. Joanna Canning Ms. Dakota L. Cantrell Mr. Paul D. Cantrell Mr. Theron A. Cantrell Ms. Elizabeth Morgan Carnley Mr. Charles Chris Carr
Ms. Sunny Ann Carvalho Mr. Jacob Carver Mrs. Lesa R. Carver Mr. Taurus Ceasor Mrs. Laura Chabowski Mrs. Carol O. Chamblee Mrs. Shirley Chappell Mrs. Debra F. Chastang Mr. and Mrs. Leonard D. Chilton Mr. Boyce J. Christiansen Mrs. Juanita Church Citronelle Memorial Baptist Church Mrs. Ann D. Clark Mrs. Tara K. Clark Mrs. Julie Clayton Mrs. Mary S. Clements Ms. Kelly Garvin Clifton Mr. E. Joseph Cline Mrs. Sharron Clover Mr. Harwell E. Coale Jr. Coastal Accounting of NW Florida, PA Ms. Dalene S. Colbath Mr. James E. Cole Mr. and Mrs. Christopher H. Coleman Mrs. Debbie Coleman Mrs. Erilda J. Coleman Mr. Aaron J. Collier Ms. Elyn Collier Mrs. Thelma K. Collins Ms. Alli Colquett Ms. Jessica Lynn Compton Mrs. Katie Conklin Ms. Joan D. Conn Mrs. Jessica M. Cooney Ms. Dollee Cooper Ms. Hollie L. Cooper Mr. Eric Copeland Mr. William Corkren Ms. Janna M. Corley Mr. John E. Corner Mr. Robert S. Correa Ms. Brenda J. Counce Mr. David J. Counce Mr. & Mrs. Carey Lee Counselman Ms. Mary Cowan Mr. and Mrs. Stan Cowling Ms. Anna J. Cox Mr. Henry Crawford Mrs. Janice Crawford Mr. John T. Croft Mrs. Alisa W. Crosson
umobile.edu 93
honor roll of donors
Crow, Wilkinson, Constantine, Singleton & Morrow Ms. Patricia B. Crowell Ms. Shameka Carter Crusoe Ms. Norma Cuellar Ms. Tracy L. Cullum Mr. Russ Cunningham Mrs. Shelby A. Cupp Mr. Dennis K. Cutler Mrs. Edith K. D’Amico Mr. David Lee Dail Mr. Sean Dameron Mr. David Darnell Mrs. Violette H. Darnell Ms. Annette Daugherty Mrs. Sherri Daull Ms. Amy E. Davis Ms. Brenda Davis Ms. Elisabeth M. Davis Ms. Emma Jean Davis Mrs. Marcie Davis Mrs. Margaret H Davis Mrs. Patricia D. Davis Ms. Brancie Dawson Mr. James D. Day Ms. Amy J. Deakle Mr. Michael H. Dearborn Ms. Frances C. Dees Mrs. Jennifer Dees Mrs. Dail W. Deitrick Mr. and Mrs. William R. Delaney Mrs. Terry W. Delker Mr. Marcus Dempsey Ms. Kimberly Dennis Ms. Sharron Deuel Ms. Rebecca DeVuyst Mrs. Ellen T. Dewberry Mr. & Mrs. Thomas P. Dewine Ms. Chantel Kennedy Dickson Ms. Carolyn J. Dompier Mr. and Mrs. William L. Donaldson Mrs. Lisa Dooley Dr. and Mrs. G. Wayne Dorsett Jr. Ms. Lori B. Dozier Mr. Clarence Earl Drakes Mrs. Margery L. Driesenga Mrs. Patricia L. Dunn Mrs. Patricia M. Dunn Ms. Holly L. Dunnam Mr. Seth M. Dunnington Mr. Marc Dupont
94 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Ms. LeeAnn Dupuis Mr. David Brian Dye Ms. Sara Dye Mr. and Mrs. Jerry W. Eady Mr. and Mrs. James K. Easter Mrs. Erin Echols Ms. Patty J. Eddins Mrs. Edith Eiland Mrs. Vivian B. Elders Mrs. Mary Beth Elkins Mrs. Becky Clapp Ellzey Mr. T. G. Emmons Ms. Pauline S. Essary Mrs. Rhonda C. Eubanks Ms. Bonnie Evans Mrs. Laura B. Everett Ms. Shirhonda Everson Mrs. Donnae P. Farley Miss Deborah Faught Mr. Thomas Faught Mr. Codi M. Feltman Ms. Anna Angeli Filliben Ms. Amy Fineburg First Baptist Church of Columbia, SC First Baptist Church of Alcoa First Baptist Church of Wilmer, Inc. Mrs. Helen M. Flores Mrs. Angela Ford Mrs. Kristyn L. Ford Mrs. Elizabeth K. Forrester Ms. Sophia Forsley Mr. & Mrs. Carter Fowlkes Mrs. Cheri A. Fox Mr. Glenn D. Franklin Ms. Carolyn B. Freeman Mr. Kenneth E. Fritts Ms. Lucida Fry Mrs. Ann M. Fuller Ms. Gayle Furlow Mr. Cleveland D. Gantt Mrs. Lynn Garris Mr. Eugene F. Garthwait Ms. Callie I. George Mr. Richard W. George Ms. Lude E. Georges Mrs. Abigail A. Gerding, PhD Mrs. Janet R. Gewin Mr. Samuel R. Gewin Mr. William B Gilbert Ms. Geraldine Givens Ms. Carol Glidewell
Mr. Earl Gochey Mrs. Kathleen R. Godsoe Mrs. Eveline L. Goff Mrs. Steffani M. Gonzales Mrs. Carolyn Goode Ms. Darlene Gore Ms. Ginny Gough Ms. Tonnita Gover Ms. Kimberly Goza Mr. Rick Graham Shelby Graham Ms. Elena N. Grana Mr. Benjamin N. Granberry Mrs. Lori Granberry Mr. Gary S. Granger Mr. Scott Grant Mr. George L. Gray Mrs. Carol H. Green Ms. Laurel Green Ms. Sabrina Green Mr. Thomas Green Mr. and Mrs. William F. Greene Mr. & Mrs. John H. Greene III Mr. Joseph P. Greer Ms. Denise B. Greggs Mrs. Cynthia I. Gregory Ms. Ellen Gregory Mr. Eldon D. Griner Ms. June Gruver Mrs. Hilary Lovelady Gunn Mrs. Debra A. Gunnoe Mrs. Lindsey Gurley Mrs. Suzanne C. Hagan Mr. Wilson W. Haizlip Ms. Cindy B. Hall Mrs. Janice G. Hall Mrs. Ashleigh Coats Mr. L. Hamlin J. A. Hamman Mrs. Darlene Hammond Ms. Emily P. Hammond Mrs. Joan L. Hancock Mr. Terrance S. Hardin Mrs. Sandra Harmening Mrs. Shirley M. Harms Mr. Michael V. Harrell Mr. John Harris Mr. Robert E. Harrison Ms. Patricia Harvey Mrs. Rose M. Hatchett Ms. Faye R. Hatton
Mr. Paul Hauerstein Mrs. Mary A. Hayes Mrs. John W. Hays Mrs. Marilyn Hearne Ms. Linda J Helm Ms. Nancy E. Helton Mrs. Donna B. Henderson Ms. Joann F. Henningsen Mrs. Lisa Herrington Mr. Allen Herrod Mrs. Debbie Hester Mr. A. Kevin Hill Mrs. Kristen W. Hill Mr. Christian T. Hilley Dr. Carla J. Hinds Ms. Deborah A. Hinton Mr. Bob Hogan Ms. Tammy D. Hogan Mr. Michael Holcomb Mrs. Susan Holdridge Mr. and Mrs. Jerry R. Hollingsworth Mr. John T. Hollingsworth Mrs. Debbie Holmes Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Holmes Ms. Lucille G. Holsemback Ms. Betty Hopper Mrs. Carol Horn Mrs. Jayne Hornsby Ms. Denise Horton Ms. Allyson Howell Mr. Wayne Huddleston Mr. Joseph Hudson IV Mrs. Tonya B. Hudson Mr. Melvin D. Huett Mrs. Rita S. Huey Ms. Megan Danielle Hunter Mrs. Cynthia A. Hurst Ms. Donna Husbands Mrs. Elizabeth Hutcherson Ms. Jodonne M. Hyde Mrs. Deanna Jackson Mr. Gary A. Jackson Mrs. Gayla K. Jackson Mr. Robert Jackson Mr. Ryan James Ms. Lynne E. Jebeles Ms. Connecyt Jenkins Mrs. Tara Jernigan Mr. Christopher S. Johnson Ms. Hope M. Johnson
Dr. and Mrs. Howard M. Johnson, Jr. Ms. Jean H. Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Joe M. Johnson Dr. and Mrs. Joseph F. Johnson Mrs. Joyce C. Johnson Ms. Leah C. Johnson Mrs. Leslie M. Johnson Mrs. Lisa L. Johnson Dr. and Mrs. Randy Johnson Mrs. Sandra W. Johnson Mr. Clifton H. Johnston Jr. Mrs. Rita M. Johnston Mrs. Amy T. Jones Mrs. Gail L. Jones Mrs. Julia G. Jones Ms. Kara Jones Mr. Ron B. Jones Mr. Robert G. Jordan Mr. Joseph F. Lester Mr. & Mrs. Thomas M. Judd Just for You K M Busby Insurance Mrs. Limda P. Keating Mr. Louis Keeton Ms. Sharol R. Kemp Mr. William H. Kemp Mr. Michael Kenes Mr. Joe Kennedy Mr. Roland A. Kidd Ms. Gennie A. Kilgore Mr. and Mrs. B. Franklin King III Mr. Chris S. King Mrs. Lisa C. King Mr. Roy King Mr. Roy E. King Ms. Lauren S. Kirkland Mr. Jake Knappenberger Ms. Emily J. Kolakoski Ms. Marsha Lawrence Kossik Ms. Daren Kouser Mr. Ken Kraich Ms. Melinda J. Krise Ms. Amanda Krumrie Mr. and Mrs. Larry Kyser L D Holt & Associates, PC Mrs. Ashley Johnson Miss Sharis Lachappelle Ms. Veronica W. Lachappelle Mr. Nick Laico Ms. Sarah Jane Lancaster
Ms. Vicki L. Lankford Mrs. Amanda Laurence Mrs. Kelly Lawson Mrs. Emmali Lee Mrs. Sharon Lee Ms. Traci Jo Lee Ms. Amanda H. Leonard Mrs. Geneva C. Lesueur Mrs. Dianne Lewis Mr. Gwen Lewis Mr. Patrick Lewis Mr. and Mrs. Anderson Ligon Jr. Ms. Lesley M. Lile Mr. William R. Lile Jr Mr. Justin Miles Littlewood Ms. Jessica D. Lloyd Mr. and Mrs. Jerry L. Locke Jr. Mrs. Christy Long Mrs. Mary Ellen Long Ms. Elizabeth B. Lott Mr. Ted J. Lovelace Mr. and Mrs. Henry E. Lowery Jr. Ms. Penny Lucas Ms. Lenora Luker Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Luker Mr. James F. Mahan Mr. & Mrs. John Mantegna Mr. Mark A. Maples Mr. Roger Mardis Mrs. Anita P. Martin Mrs. Kathy Martin Mrs. Marilyn Y. Martin Mr. Michael Masotto Mr. Billy L. Massey Ms. Veronica S. Masters Mr. & Mrs. Clint Matthews Ms. David May Mr. Kristopher William McAuley Mrs. Melanie McCants Rev. and Mrs. Brad McClain Ms. Sara Grace McClain Mr. Vincent T. McClung Mrs. Faye Y. McCord Ms. Joyce A. McCord Mr. and Mrs. Mahlon McCracken Mr. Jerry N. McCreless Mr. James Chandler McCulloch Mr. William McDaniel Mrs. Brenda S. McDuffie Ms. Jinger L. McElhannon Ms. Jennifer McGhee
Mrs. Carla McGill Mrs. Jennifer Lauren McGinnis Mrs. Becky McIlwain Mrs. Shanna McIntosh Mrs. Patricia N. McKelvain Mr. Ben McKenzie Jr Mr. and Mrs. James E. McKinley Mrs. Lucy C. McVay Meadowbrook Baptist Church Mrs. Judy Meadows Mrs. Shaylee Meadows Ms. Erika M. Medley Mrs. Joyce Melville Ms. Taylor Mendenhall Mr. and Mrs. James E. Messer, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Mark D. Messick Mrs. Carolyn Metzger Mr. J.M. Middlebrooks Mrs. Jackie L. Miles Ms. Emogene J. Miller Ms. Erin Miller Mr. Fred K. Miller Mrs. M. Kathleen Miller Dr. Pamela Miller Mr. William E. Miller Mr. Douglas L. Moody Ms. Denise G. Moore Mr. and Mrs. Jay Moore Mrs. Evelyn C. Morris Mr. Richard Morris Mr. Truman Morrison Mrs. D. L. Morrow Mrs. Patricia M. Morse Dr. and Mrs. Robert E. Morton Ms. Laura Katherine Moseley Ms. Shirley G. Motts Mrs. Lenore M. Moulton Mrs. Ruth I. Moulton Mrs. Melvia R. Moye Ms. Rebecca Mullen Ms. Lana E. Mullins Mr. Mark Mullins Mrs. Susan Mullins Mrs. Eunice Musgrove Mr. and Mrs. George Naugle, Jr. Mrs. Daneve K. Neal Ms. Rebecca Neill Mr. and Mrs. Kristopher R. Nelson Mrs. Terri A. Nelson New Iberia Wealth Advisors Ms. Rachael Newman
umobile.edu 95
honor roll of donors
Mrs. Mildred R. Newsom Mr. and Mrs. Edward D. Newsome Mr. Greg Nicholas Mr. Brett Nichols Ms. Britni Carver Nicholson Mrs. Amanda Noda Mr. Shane Norris Mr. Jimmy Norwood Notable Accents, Inc. Mr. Harry L. Nurse Jr. Ms. Barbara Nutini Mrs. Margaret Odom Mrs. Tammy M. Odom Mrs. Barbara Olive Mr. Mike Olive Mrs. Barbara W. Oliver Dr. and Mrs. Robert Olsen Orchard Baptist Church Mrs. Lysandra Osterkamp Mrs. Brenda C. Outlaw Ms. Shirley M. Overmier Mr. William E. Owen Mrs. Teresa Ozment Mrs. Pam Palmer Mr. Frank T. Panczyszyn Jr. Mrs. Steve Panjic Mr. Larry R. Parker Mrs. Linda D. Parrish Mrs. Kimberely Patterson Mrs. Randi R. Patterson Mr. John V. Patton Mrs. Courtney Payne Ms. Linda Dawn Payne Ms. Syble Michelle Pennington Mrs. Connie L. Penry Mr. Chris Perry Miss Elaine Perry Mr. Jay Perryman Peter’s Rock Temple Church of God in Christ Ms. Gaynelle S. Phillips Mrs. Jessica Odom Phillips Ms. Suzanne E. Phillips Mr. William Phinazee-Horne Ms. Deborah C. Pierce Ms. Maevis Pierre Mr. Joshua Pike Mr. Walter Davis Pilot III Mr. Wes Pipes Mr. John Patrick Pledger Mrs. Claudia D. Pluta
96 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
Ms. Mary Jane Pointer Ms. Bonnie Pope Miss Kenyetta D. Pope Ms. Louise L. Pope Mr. Matthew Pope Mr. Charles R. Powell Ms. Lori Powers Praise Gathering Music Mrs. Shirley Presnall Mrs. Frances Pressnell Mr. Richard M. Price Ms. Sarah E. Price Mr. R. Malcolm Privette Mrs. Susan Quantz R Family Trust by Rex R Barefoot Mrs. Elaine B. Raby Mrs. Norma J. Raines Mr. Jake Rainwater Mrs. Sherrell Lynn Rainwaters Mr. Clinton D. Randolph Ms. Jaime D. Rawden Rev. and Mrs. Allen M. Ray Ms. Virginia A. Rayburn Mr. and Mrs. Ron Reams Mrs. Verna P. Reece Mrs. Lesa Reed Mr. James Regg Ms. Linda L. Reimer Miss Jessica C. Rexrode Ms. W. W. Rhea Ms. Kay D. Rhoades Mr. Dale E. Rice Jr. Mrs. Dara Richards Mrs. Susan Richards Mrs. Sybil Richardson Ms. Ann A. Riedel Mrs. Jennie L. Riley Ms. Paula LaVette Rivers Mr. William M. Roach Ms. Jessica Robbins Mr. David M. Roberts Mrs. Glenda S. Roberts Mr. Skip Roberts Mrs. Ardyth K. Robertson Ms. Martha A. Robertson Mrs. Dorothy Robes Mr. Daniel Robinson Mrs. Glenda C. Rock Ms. Rosemary Roe Mrs. Audra G. Rogers Ms. Linda C. Roquemore
Rev. and Mrs. Ernest A. Rouse Sr. Capt. and Mrs. John T. Rouse Mrs. Rose Rowe Ms. Kim Rowell Mr. Manny E. Ruiz Mr. David Rummel Ms. Cedrina M. Runderson Mrs. Ruby M. Rush Ms. Mary H. Rushmore Mr. Russell Robbins Mr. James E. Rylee S. L. Brown, L.L.C. Mr. and Mrs. Carey Sanders Mr. Mark D. Sansone Sarah B. Atchison’s Ms. Joyce N. Sarkis Mrs. Shelia C. Scarborough Mr. Bryan M. Schach Ms. Cyndi Schaefer Mr. Richard P. Schaffer Mrs. Tina M. Schmitz Mrs. Sue Schoonhoven Ms. Ailene W. Schulte Mrs. Miyoko Scoggin Mr. John David Scott Mr. Kenneth W. Sellers Cecilia Casipit Semana Mrs. Katrina A. Sessler Ms. Vicki Sharp Mrs. Betty L. Shaw Mr. Bradley Steven Sheffield Ms. Rebecca W. Shelley Mrs. Ashley Mason Mr. and Mrs. Byron E. Sheppard Ms. Catharine C. Sherman Ms. Wanda Shoultz Mrs. Dana R. Shrimplin Ms. Susan H. Shults Mr. Alfred M. Sibley Mrs. Mary K. Sikes Silveira Farms Ms. Patricia B. Simison Ms. Sue Simmons Ms. Carol E. Simon Mrs. Wendy Sims Mr. Phillip Andrew Sirmon Sistrunk Services LLC Ms. Roberta F. Slay Ms. Angel Smith Mr. Benjamin S. Smith Mrs. Bessie Mae Smith
Mrs. Dawn P. Smith Mrs. Jerolyn R. Smith Ms. Kathleen Smith Mrs. Katy Smith Mrs. Lolita J. Smith Mrs. Lynn D. Smith Mrs. Waurice Smith Mr. Jayme Snellgrove Mr. & Mrs. J. H. Sorrells Mr. Pat Southerland Mrs. Lillian Southwell Mrs. Dana Sowell Mr. Bruce Spann Mrs. Yvonne Spencer Mrs. Lynn Robbins Spitzkopf Ms. Tara Sprewell Ms. Beverly Springer Mr. Thomas H. Squires St. Luke’s Episcopal School Mrs. Salina Stacey Mrs. Sherry R. Stanley Mr. William R. Stanton Mrs. Mary Jac Stephenson Mrs. Margaret A. Sterling Mrs. Jennifer Stevens Mrs. Susan B. Steverson Dr. C. Richard Stewart Ms. Raven Stone Ms. Danya-Lee Strange Mr. and Mrs. Clifford M. Street Sr. Mr. Brad Stuart Mrs. Kathy Stutts Mr. Frederick S. Summer Ms. Cynthia G. Summergill Ms. Rose M. Sutphin Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Sutterfield Mr. & Mrs. Clay Swanzy Mrs. Carolyn Tate Ms. Catherine H. Taylor Mrs. Hope Taylor Mrs. Louise M. Taylor Mrs. Helen Sue Teague Mr. Joe A. Teal Mrs. Helen Tew Mr. Terry Tew Ms. Savannah Thigpen Mrs. Helen Thomas Ms. Pam B. Thomas Ms. Sandra K. Thomas Mr. Delos A. Thompson Jr. Mr. Joe Thompson
Ms. Monsenya Thompson Ms. Betty P. Thornton Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Thurber III Ms. Lauren Tidwell Mrs. Melanie N. Tingle Mr. Troy M. Tortorich Ms. Linda W. Touchton Ms. Shelby Townsend Mrs. Martha Jane Trawick Ms. Phyllis S. Trawick Tri-City Baptist Church Mr. Dan Tucker Ms. Abby Turberville Ms. Cecille K. Turner Mr. David Turner Mr. Ivan L. Turner Mr. Noel Turner Mr. and Mrs. John Turrentine Ms. Aye Unnoppet Mr. D. L. Vanderford Ms. Linda L. Vaughn Ms. Rebecca Leigh Vice Mr. Mark Vincent Mr. Nick Vrakelos Mr. James Aubrey Waddell Mrs. Debra Rainer Walker Ms. Latisha M Walker Mr. Steven E. Walker Mr. Casey Wanscheck Dr. and Mrs. Claude Warren III Mr. Michael Warren Mrs. Carol J. Washington-Clark Ms. Shannon Waskom Mr. Terry L. Watkins Ms. Beverly Watson Mrs. Patsy I. Watson Mr. and Mrs. William W. Watts, III Mr. J. Truett Webster, Jr. Mr. J.K. Weger Ms. Julia Weidenbach Mr. Sidney G. Weinacker Mr. Sean Weldon Mr. Jeffrey G. Weller Marion B. Wells Mrs. Christie Wendt Ms. Thomasina S. Werner Mr. and Mrs. Gary A. West Sr. Mrs. Sheryl P. West Ms. Abigail B. Wetherington Ms. Erin R. Wheeler Mrs. Ann P. White
Mrs. Janet P. White Ms. Yesylle White Mrs. Mary Ann Whitehead Mrs. Lois Wierenga Mr. Chris Wiley Ms. Stacey L. Wilken Ms. Joy W. Willard Ms. Anna M. Williams Ms. Denise Y. Williams Mr. George Williams Ms. Melanie W. Williams Mrs. Alicia Williamson-Garcia Mr. Julius C. Willie
Mrs. Wanda S. Willis Mrs. Diana Wilson Mrs. Julia J. Wilson Mr. and Mrs. Tallie Wilson Jr. Mr. Ben Winpigler Mrs. Leslie Winters Mr. Eugene Wood Mrs. Elizabeth A. Woodham Mrs. Alyssa L. Wright Ms. Amy R. Wright Mrs. Betsy B. Wright Mr. and Mrs. Wilton Wright Ms. Catherine G. Wynn
Mr. Phillip Wyse Mr. Eric Yance Mr. Bryan Keith Yeager Dr. and Mrs. Dale Younce Ms. Willenia V. Young Ms. Tracy A. Zitzelberger Mrs. Sue A. Zundel
Campus Closup
Answers: 1. Outdoor patio at Bedsole Commons 2. Visual arts studio in Farmer Building 3. Baseball stadium seating 4. Baseball field lights 5. Windows in the lobby of Faulkner Hall
2
3
1
4 5
umobile.edu 97
98 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014
STAY Connected {
{
twitter/umobilenews twitter/umcampuslife
youtube/universityofmobile
#beliefinu
////
umobile.edu
////
{
facebook/universityofmobile
{
umobile.edu
facebook/umcampuslife
beliefinu.com
800.WIN.RAMS umobile.edu 99
5735 College Parkway Mobile, Alabama 36613
100 University of Mobile Magazine | SPRING 2014