Fall 2014- Volume 13, Number 1

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Also in this issue• From Pakistan to Pulaski

• Pat Ford: alumnus, professor, mayor• A successful Irish pub has Martin roots

THE MAGAZINE OF MARTIN METHODIST COLLEGE

Findingthe BEST

the BRIGHTEST&The impact of the Barton and Alford Scholarship programs

In this issueThe best and the brightest 4In the spring of 2001, four high school seniors were selected for the college’stwo new full-tuition scholarships. Today, a combined 55 students have received the Barton Academic Scholarship and Alford Church Leadership Scholarship, andthe programs have transformed Martin Methodist College.

Fall 2014 Volume 13, Number 1

Also in these pages . . .

President’s Message 2Alumni Notes 31Postscript 36

Beyond candy corn and SunDrop 20Pat Ford has come a long way from the exuberant student who kept his energy upwith his favorite snack and soft drink. Today, the 1995 alumnus is a member of thefaculty and completing his first term as mayor of Pulaski.

From Pakistan to Tennessee 26Thanks to a scholarship provided by the United Methodist Women, Pakistaninative Sharah Dass was able to come to Martin Methodist College and beginher dream of someday making a difference for Christian women in her country.

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No jilt for his kilt 27MMC alumnus Gary McGuire has lived a life constantly taking on new careers andembracing changing challenges. But when he decided, two years ago, to open up an authentic Irish pub at the age of 60, he left no Blarney Stone unturned.

On the cover . . .Fifty-five students have received the Barton and Alford scholarships since the full-tuition programs were created in the spring of 2001. That includes six students who will return as upperclassmen this fall and four incoming freshmen. Photographer Guy Schafer’s illustration captures the feel of these scholarship programs and the transformational impact they have had on Martin Methodist College.

New business chair ready to go 17Dr. Bill Sodeman comes to Martin Methodist from Hawaii Pacific University,and he couldn’t be more excited about the future of the Johnston School of Business and the new M.B.A. degree program.

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Two scholarship programs raised the bar

he results have been truly transfor-

mational in terms of extending our level of academic

rigor and expand-ing our leadership development role

for the church.

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Dear friends,

As we launch another academic year – Martin Methodist College’s 145th – we continue

to see signs of impressive advancement. I have the privilege of receiving lots of compliments

about the college’s evolution, especially its unusual growth under the Martin 2010 plan and

now Martin 2020. I always respond with reference to the wonderful team of academic leaders

who serve here at Martin, and I do my best to pass those accolades along to the people who

really deserve them – the faculty and staff who work tirelessly to assure the college’s success.

More often than not, Martin Methodist’s growth and development are equated with

changes in the campus environment – new facilities, property additions and improvements.

This issue of The Columns highlights a more dramatic and, I believe, much more important

advancement, our two pre-eminent, foremost scholarship programs. Back in 2000, the Board

of Trustees recognized that the college needed a high-profile academic scholarship program

to seek out the brightest and best and to bring them to the Martin campus. As this discussion

unfolded in the context of the Martin 2010 plan, it was decided to establish two distinct

scholarship programs, one for academic scholars and one for church leaders.

Martin Methodist has always attracted highly talented students – this is nothing new. And

we have an astonishing record of attracting future church leaders to our campus as well. What

made this initiative different is its new level of intentionality to attracting top students and then

providing programs that enable those students to serve as catalysts across the campus. Hosting

an annual scholarship competition also added an attractive dynamic for these naturally

competitive students. The results have been truly transformational in terms of extending our

level of academic rigor and expanding our leadership development role for the church.

The final step of naming these two merit scholarships came later and after a great deal

of consideration. After all, in the Christian tradition, naming is a sacred act. It represents the

word by which a child is drawn into his or her calling. And I know you will agree that we could

have done no better than the names The Rev. Dr. Ben Alford Church Leader Scholarship and

The Barbara and Michael W. Barton Academic Scholarship. Nothing could be more

inspirational for our church leader scholars than the example of Ben Alford’s life of faithful

leadership in the church. And nothing could be more aspirational for our academic scholars

than the pursuit of excellence represented in the lives of Barbara and Mike Barton.

In the following pages, you will get to meet the Barton Academic Scholars and Alford

Church Leader Scholars up close and personal. And I know you will share our pride in their

accomplishments and our hope for their potential.

Editor Grant Vosburgh

Director of Communications

Managing Editor Dr. Kayla McKinney Wiggins

Professor of English

Contributors Edna Luna ’06

Assistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Wade NeelyDirector of Sports Communications

Guy SchaferPhotographer

MMC Executive Council Dr. Ted Brown

President

Dr. James MurrellVice President for Academic Affairs

W. David JonesVice President for

Institutional Advancement

Robby Shelton ’85 Vice President for Campus Life and

Enrollment Management

David StephensVice President for

Finance and Administration

Jeff BainDirector of Athletics

Dr. Ed TrimmerExecutive Director of The Cal Turner, Jr.

Center for Church Leadership

Dr. Dennis HaskinsVice President for Planning

and Effectiveness

Jamie HlubbAssociate Vice President for

Human Resources and Operations

Dr. Daniel McMastersPresident of the Faculty Senate

Edna Luna ’06Assistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Write us at:Letters, The Columns c/o Grant VosburghMartin Methodist College433 W. Madison St.Pulaski, TN 38478

[email protected] include a mailing address and a daytime phone number

Or e-mail us at:

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and executive development. Cultural enrich-ment. Champions of Character programs in athletics. Continuing support of the United Methodist Church. All those areas stand to be impacted throughout this rural region by Martin Methodist College in the Martin 2020 plan. And, of course, our primary mission – to provide a college education that’s personal. As we move toward MMC’s sesquicen-tennial birthday in 2020, you’ll see more and more of this long-range plan. And you’ll be as excited about it as I am.

Grant Vosburgh Director of Communications

Impact of Martin 2020 will be profound

I xarrived at Martin Methodist College in February 2001, 10 weeks before the Board of Trustees gave final approval to

the Martin 2010 long-range plan. For the next nine years, the college was all things 2010. For faculty and admin-istrative staff, the key goals and objectives became burned in our brains, and a copy of the full plan was never too far out of reach. In fact, there were students, alumni and even friends in the Pulaski community who had as good a grasp of the Martin 2010 vision as we “full-timers” did. So, when the Campaign for Martin 2010 concluded by topping the $38 million fundraising goal by nearly $5 million and the college enrollment reached 1,000 students a year early, everyone joined in the celebrations . . . and deservedly so. Well, it’s a new decade and a new game plan, as Martin 2020 has been in play for the past 27 months. With each passing week, it seems that more of the strategies contained in the plan unfold and begin to bloom. If one of the over-arching aims of 2010 was to “grow into” the relatively new role of baccalaureate institution (remember, the college was a two-year school until 1994), 2020 looks to expand that role to the 13-county south cen-tral Tennessee region. It’s an exciting proposition with count-less opportunities. After all, Martin Methodist is the only baccalaureate institution between Nashville, Tenn., and Huntsville, Ala. Economic devel-opment. Entreprenu-ership. Leadership growth. Professional

A letter from the editor

Correction . . .The spring issue of The Columns had an error in identifying the 2014 Homecoming King and Queen. Selected were Brett Helton, a senior from Pulaski, majoring in criminal justice and psychology with an emphasis in forensic psychology, and Caroline Ezell, a senior from Loretto, Tenn., majoring in business administration with an emphasis in accounting and a minor in management. Both earned their degrees in May.

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hen Paige Kephart of Santa Fe High School, Maggie Lee of Lawrence County High School, Eliz-abeth Hernandez-Ibarra of Cascade High School and Cassidy Shockey of Eagleville High School come to the Martin Methodist campus in August of this year as part of the Class of 2018, they will join an elite group of scholars who since 2001 have been transforming Martin and have themselves been transformed. Kephart and Lee are the 2014 winners of the Michael and Barbara Barton Academic Scholarship; Hernan-dez-Ibarra and Shockey are the winners of the 2014 Ben Alford Church Leader Scholarship. Originating as part of the Martin 2010 long-range plan under the leadership of President Ted Brown, these scholar-ships, according to Lisa Smith, director of admissions at Martin Methodist, bring “an awareness of the college to the best

students in the area.” Robby Shelton, vice president for campus life and enrollment management, calls these scholarships “a win-win” situation.

Excellence attracts “My goal once we have announced the two winners,” says Shelton, “is to try to get as many of the others to enroll as possible because they are good students, they are future leaders, and they are great to have on campus. They attract other students from their schools, and bring other students with them. They help our academic profile.” Brown concurs. “It’s important to get the top compet-itors,” he says, “but it is also important to be in conversation with all those who come to the competition.” According to Brown, in creating these competitions in 2001, the Martin Methodist College Board of Trustees

“took action to bring the best and the bright-est from the region to the Martin campus.” Mike Barton, then-chairman of the Board of Trustees, was interested in helping to fund high-profile scholarships. When he stepped down from his position as chair in 2007, the board took action to name the academic scholars competition for Barton and his wife, Barbara. “Mike and Barbara Barton both represent the pursuit of excellence in a way that is a model for our students,” Brown says. “That was the primary impetus behind naming the academic competition for them.” Passionately interested in the schol-arship process, the Bartons attend the competition most years, serving ably on the committees that award the winning schol-arships. They have also designated the col-lege as a major beneficiary of their estate, with the funds to provide endowments for

The Best and the Brightest

How the Barton and Alford scholarship programs transformed Martin Methodist College

By Kayla McKinney Wiggins

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the academic scholarships named in their honor. With two Mike and Barbara Barton scholarships awarded each year, there are eight Barton Scholars on campus at all times; eventually, according to Brown, these eight scholarships will be fully endowed, thanks to the generosity of the Bartons. Brown also emphasizes the fact that scholarship endowments will be a major part of the next campaign to fund the Martin 2020 plan.

Leadership for UMC Dr. Ed Trimmer, executive director of the Cal Turner, Jr. Center for Church Lead-ership, says the church leader scholarships were created as part of the college’s com-mitment in the Martin 2010 plan “to really become much more involved with the United Methodist Church.” “Dr. Brown wanted Martin to be com-mitted to providing leadership for the UMC, whether that be lay or ordained leadership,” Trimmer says. The Board of Trustees took action in 2008 to name the Church Leader Scholar-

ship in honor of Ben Alford, long-time Methodist minister and a former faculty member, board member and administra-tor at Martin Methodist College. The announcement of the name change was made during Alford’s last visit to the campus when he was also awarded an honorary degree. The Ben Al-ford Church Leader Scholarship honors Alford’s role in estab-lishing the Center for Church Leadership and his history with the college and the church, recognizing, says Brown, “the intersection that he represented for all of us in connecting the college with the church in very intentional ways. If you want to lift up an image of a church leader to attract students who are church leaders, who better could you lift up?” Ben Alford died shortly after the schol-arships were named for him. His son, David,

a 1985 alumnus who returned in 2011 as a faculty member to develop a major in dra-matic arts, has attended the competition the

last two years, speaking, accord-ing to Shelton, “eloquently about his father and what students and Martin meant to Ben.”

Outgoing leaders Smith emphasizes that she is always impressed with the Alford competitors who are required to provide two letters of reference, a résumé and an essay when they come to the competition. “They are so outgoing,” she says, “and have done so much.” Trimmer notes that these students are required to be not only competent students who show academic promise, but must “also show leadership while in high school and evidence that they want to be leaders” in college. He says that the first criteria for the competition is that the competitors “be United Methodists and committed to the church.” While the students who com-pete for the Alford scholarships are not required to be religion majors, they are expected to be

At the 2007 summer meeting of the Board of Trustees, outgoing board chairman Mike Barton and wife Barbara (center) were honored wheh the academic scholarship program was named in their honor. Taking part in the presentation were Ken Pinkston (left), who succeeded Barton as board chairman, and President Ted Brown. The Bartons take part in the Barton Scholarship competition each February when possible.

PHOTO BY GRANT VOSBURGH

Ben Alford (at right being congratulated by good friend Neil Jobe at Alford's retirement dinner in 2005) helped conceive of the Center for Church Leadership as part of the Martin 2010 long-range plan and served as its first director. Prior to his death in late 2008, the college announced that the Church Leader Scholarship program would be renamed in his honor. Below, the Alford Scholars take part in a memorial service for Ben Alford in January 2009. From left: Dr. Domenic Nigrelli, Stephanie Woolam, Lyndsay Millo, Whitney Price, Courtney Daniel, Phillip Galyon, Will Frazer, Josiah Po'e and the Rev. Mary Noble Parrish.

PHOTOS BY GRANT VOSBURGH

The Barton and Alford Scholarships

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present and future leaders in their church-es, as well as active with the Turner Center for Church Leadership during their time on campus. “The Center has significant expec-tations of these winners,” Trimmer says. “They are to participate in The Call, our co-curricular program that focuses on leadership training and education, as well as being a part of our Religious Life team on campus. They must keep their grades up to continue to receive the scholarship, and they must live an ‘appropriate’ lifestyle, which is broadly interpreted.”

Growing competition Students competing for the Michael

and Barbara Barton Scholarship are required to have a minimum of a 24 on the ACT and a 3.5 grade point average in high school. Like the Alford competitors, they participate in an intense interview process and also write an essay while on campus. The first year of the competition, Shelton recalls, brought nine students who met the criteria to campus. The 2014 competition consisted of 48 participants and there have been as many as 50. He says that the competi-tion could grow to 60 or 70 students. “It is going to be a great problem to have,” Smith adds about the such growth, “how to accommodate all this interest. We never want to turn away this talent.” She says there are already enough

qualified applicants for the 2014-15 aca-demic year to fill the competition. “I would personally like to see us have more scholarship competitions based on academic interest,” Smith says. “If we could go into the high schools and tell the teachers in a discipline that we have a scholarship in that area, it would be better than just telling the overworked guidance counsellors. Why not bring in the best and the brightest in every area possible?” Smith, who is the supervisor of the campus ambassadors in the Thomas Mar-tin Society, says that many of the ambassa-dors are selected from these competitions. “They tend to be the best and most vibrant students we have on campus. They

When she looks back on her experience at Martin Meth-odist College, Rachel Perkins Rieger, sees exactly where the foundation was laid for her future.

Rieger, who was selected in the spring of 2003, the third year of the Barton Scholarship program (actually, they were still known as Martin Scholars at that time) while a senior at Lincoln County High School in Fayetteville, Tenn., enrolled that fall with what she described as “no direction” as far as an academic major and a career goal. “The scholarship changed my path,” the 2007 graduate explains. “It changed everything. Those decisions back then interact with everyone I’ve met and everything I’ve done.” One of those people was English professor Kayla Wiggins, who encouraged her interest in English. She also got her second-ary teaching licensure with the idea of being in front of a class-room, and while she decided to take a different path, it would all play an integral part in her career now as assistant general counsel for the Department of Children’s Services in Davidson County, a few blocks from downtown Nashville. “I decided to go to law school at the University of Tennessee School of Law (where she would meet her husband, fellow law student Alex Rieger), and, after graduating in 2010, I spent a year in private practice,” she explains. “That wasn’t quite what I wanted to do in the legal field, but then I learned about this position with DCS, and, after three years, I can say it’s a really good fit for me. “It combines my English education of writing and grammar with my interest in working with youth in the area of juvenile law. Even, before that, I recognized that elements of law school felt very familiar with the smaller classes and the fact that you really knew your teachers and they

knew more about you. And I was prepared academically coming out of Martin.” And where does the Barton Scholarship figure into all of this? “It was great to graduate with no debt,” she says. “In fact, that scholarship made (it possible for) me to go to law school right away, because I had no undergraduate debt. I could go ahead and get loans for law school, while so many of my fellow law students already had lots of debt before they added their law school expense to it. “Like I’ve said, that scholarship changed everything.”

Rachel Perkins Rieger, a 2007 Martin Methodist graduate, was one of two Barton Scholars selected in 2003, the third year of the scholarship program. After earning her degree at MMC, she enrolled in the Universitiy of Tennessee School of Law. She now serves as assistant general counsel for the Department of Children's Services for Davidson County. Her office is located a few blocks from downtown Nashville.


Barton Scholarship ‘changed everything’

By Grant Vosburgh

Rachel Perkins Rieger Barton Scholar 2003-07♦


are involved in so much, and plus they’re good students, so when we have visitors here on campus and they have questions about the college, these kids are able to tell them so much about student life and student activities and academics because they are so active on campus. And these are the kids who absolutely love it here, and I think it makes the campus so much more vibrant because these kids are so involved, and they want to see the college grow and get better,” she says.

Telling MMC’s story Shelton emphasizes that these competitions have raised the academic profile and reputation of the school not only through the academic abilities and leadership skills of the competitors, but also through sharing information about the competitions that helps to bring other fine students to campus.

“They help sell the college,” he says. “They help tell the story, and they tell it in a very positive way. They grad-uate. A lot of them go to grad school. The greatest selling point your college has is your academic reputation, and these students help to raise the academic reputa-tion.” According to statistics provided by Casey Capps, the registrar of Martin Methodist, approximately 85 percent of the Barton and Alford scholarship winners graduate with four-year degrees. More than one-fourth of the Barton winners have majored in English, but Barton Scholars have also majored in accounting, psychology, elementary education, dramatic arts, nursing, business manage-ment, criminal justice, sport management and pre-seminary. While approximately half of the Alford Scholars have majored in religion and philosophy, church vocations, pre-seminary or Christian education, Alford winners have also majored in biology, nursing, elementary education, psychology, English, dramatic arts and liberal arts. Trimmer says that the ex-

pectations for the Alford Scholars remain high. “As the students discover their gifts, they are given the opportunity to exercise those gifts on campus through religious life and to graduate as more competent and knowledgeable leaders,” he says. And these expectations seem to

be paying dividends. One goal of the program, Trimmer says, “is to provide leadership for the United Methodist Church, so we expect these Alford Schol-ars, when they graduate, to contribute to leadership in local United Methodist congregations.” He notes that this goal is being met: there is approximately “a 50 percent success rate in the graduates being active in the United Methodist Churches five years after graduation.”

Transforming MMC The students are also leaders on campus, as evidenced by the induction of Alford Scholars into the newest honor society on campus, Omicron Delta Kappa, an honor society emphasizing leadership. “Besides providing leadership in religious life,” says Trimmer, “they are leaders in the classroom, in the interna-tional program, in music and drama, and in the Martin Serves! program.” As president, Brown says he can see how the scholarship competitions are transforming the campus. He stresses the

fact that the competitions challenge and impact everyone.

“They attract a level of student to this campus that we would not attract without these competitions,” he says. “We are talking about lifting the pursuit of excel-lence in every student who comes on cam-

pus; every student is impacted by these competitions.” He suggests that the level of engagement on campus is elevated by these students and that they offer the faculty an opportunity to “raise their classes to a higher level.” Brown says that when he speaks to the scholarship competitors at the two events, he tells them that “they have a chance to join a legacy of students on this campus, that other students are going to look up to” them. The Barton and Alford winners would agree. One common theme that echoes through their reflections on winning the competition is a sense of shock, surprise and

Cole Wise, who received the Alford Scholarship in the spring of 2003 and graduated in 2007, lives in his hometown of Smyrna, Tenn., with wife Tracy and son Asa, where he teaches special education at his alma mater, Smyrna High School.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Elizabeth Roller, selected for the Barton Scholarship during her senior year at Giles County High School in 2009, received her degree in English from MMC in 2013 and works for the Giles County Public Library in Pulaski, involved in children's programming.



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Autumn Dennis "put all her faith eggs in one basket" in the spring of 2010 when she applied to only one college – Martin Methodist College. But it all worked out perfectly as she was selected for an Alford Scholarship. She graduated this past May and will enroll this fall in Vanderbilt Divinity School, again on a full scholarship.

PHOTO BY GUY SCHAFER

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disbelief, but also a sense of gratitude. Brandi Belcher, one of the 2004 Alford Scholars and now the director of

To watch Autumn Dennis take a stand for social justice, speak out against the death penalty or work tirelessly with the home-less and impoverished, it’s hard to imagine her only a few

years ago – by her own description – as a callow high school student with a newfound but greatly undeveloped sense of Christian calling. Enter Martin Methodist College and, more importantly, the Ben Alford Church Leader Scholarship. In July of 2009, a few weeks before the start of her senior year at LaVergne (Tenn.) High School – and shortly after hearing about Martin Methodist through her Methodist youth group – she came to Pulaski and toured the campus. It was then that she learned about the Alford Scholarship program, and, as she put it, “put all my faith eggs in one basket” by applying to Martin Methodist College . . . and nowhere else. “The notion of me going to college really counted on my one shot at getting a full scholarship,” she says. “I was so nervous on the day of the competition, but I thought the whole day went really well. My essay, I thought, sounded good, and, in the interview, I was really impassioned in my answers. I remember leaving campus to go home thinking, ‘I have a really good feeling.’ And a couple of days later, Robby Shelton called me with the news that I had received one of the two Alford Scholarships. I would become only the second person in my family to go to college, and the first woman in my family to do so. “It was a Godsend, just incredible.” Dennis came to Martin Methodist in the fall of 2010 with overflowing Christian passion, but no strategic plan, as it were. “I had no idea how to channel my passions,” she recalls. “My sense of social justice was a holy anger, really. If someone asked, ‘Can I put you in charge of something,’ my answer would have been, ‘No.’” But with the Alford Scholarship came involvement with all facets of religious life through the Cal Turner, Jr. Center for Church Leadership. And with that came Laura Kirkpatrick McMasters, the college chaplain. “Laura is so challenging in the most healthy way,” Dennis says. “She doesn’t let you just sit with ‘stuff,’ and here I was, this chubby teenager judging everyone and doing nothing.” But that all changed. One of the programs in religious life is The Call, and by Dennis’ first semester of her sophomore year, McMasters was asking her what she wanted to do as her project and to develop her campus leadership. Dennis had just finished working with Open Table, a non-profit, interfaith community in Nashville that, in its own words, “disrupts cycles of poverty, journeys with the marginalized and provides education about issues of homelessness.” “So I chose to examine homelessness in Pulaski,” Dennis explains.

“Poverty looks so different in a rural context. It’s hidden, and I wanted to explore that and see what could be done to make a difference.” What resulted was the Pulaski Poverty Project, or P3, as it came to be known. While Dennis admits that she started slowly and small, by her junior year, P3 had formed, and Dennis was educating other students on the topic of rural homelessness. “I can see the needs in Pulaski,” she remembers thinking as a sense of frustration set in, “but I can’t solve it in two years. Poverty is so prevalent.” Even now, as she works a summer internship with the Upper Room in Nashville after earning her degree in pre-seminary this past May – and receiving a full tuition grant to enroll in Vanderbilt Divinity School this fall – she has mixed emotions about the progress that P3 made under her leadership, despite the high praise she has received. “I was able to cultivate passion in other students, including two really talented students in (rising senior) Trevor Gentry and (rising sophomore Alford Scholar) Stephanie Black to take over leadership of P3. I found I really love talking to people and educating them about these issues.“ With her involvement in Open Table Nashville, Occupy Nashville and the Pulaski Poverty Project and what she is about to learn and experience at Vanderbilt, she can envision herself one day as a street chaplain to the homeless and impoverished. It’s a long way from that impassioned but naïve high school student with a newfound call to Christian social justice. “My entire life is (now) shaped by going to Martin and being an Alford Scholar,” she says. “It gave me the ability to experiment with involvement in issues that were important to me, and it helped me feel really prepared to take a leadership role and move forward.” Her future is now focused on not only making a difference, but knowing how to do just that.

Autumn Dennis Alford Scholar 2010-14♦

A faith rewardedAutumn Dennis knew where she

wanted to attend college, all she needed was the Alford Scholarship. Once she

got it, a transformation occurred. By Grant Vosburgh

the Martin Serves! program, says that after she stopped crying and jumping up and down in excitement, her first feeling was

thankfulness. “This scholarship was my opportu-nity to attend college because there was

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no money otherwise that could be used to further my education,” says Belcher, who came from a one-parent home and already had a sibling attending college when she won the competition. Along with opportu-nities to travel, she cites the opportunity to learn leadership skills and to work with the various programs in the Turner Center as the greatest benefits of her time at Martin Methodist, and she credits the scholarship competition with providing her the skills to attain her current career and develop her life of service.

Everything changed Although culminating in work on the other side of the world (see the Postscript on page 36), Jessica Miller Kramer’s story is similar. In talking of that time almost a decade ago when she participated in the competition, Kramer, who won the Barton competition in 2005, says, “I came from an average-income family, and was slowly resigning myself to the fact that I would be spending the better part of my life paying off student loans. The day I returned home from school and got the phone call from Robby Shelton, everything changed. “Robby’s voice on the phone replays in my head quite clearly when I remember that afternoon, but the memory of what was actually going through my own mind is hazy,” she says. “I think I was basically in shock. Though I’d daydreamed of some-

how getting a full-ride to school, I didn’t sincerely believe it was possible. There had been so many amazing people at the Barton competition that I had come home feeling rather small. Many of the other competitors had gone to magnet schools. They were well-spoken and friendly. I was so surprised and overwhelmed by the news that I had won that I started crying, possibly a little hysterically. When my poor mom came rushing into the room, she was ter-rified something awful had happened. It was definitely one of the best moments of my life.” In talking of the opportunities the scholarship afforded her, Kramer cites freedom and opportunity as its great ben-efits, the freedom and opportunity to take classes in many areas of interest without having to worry about the costs of col-lege, the freedom to study without having to worry about working to pay her way through college, and the opportunity to meet people from all around the world, an opportunity that led her in the summer of her first year of college to visit Japan and

eventually to live and work there. Kramer also cites another significant im-pact of winning the scholarship. “When I accepted the scholarship, I felt I’d made a promise,” she explains. “The Barton Scholars competition was intense, but certainly you can’t truly know a person from just one

day of interviews and a single essay. The school had taken a chance by awarding me the scholarship. Martin believed in me. And I wanted to give credence to that belief. So I studied. I studied a lot. There were countless nights when my friends asked me out and I declined, staying in with my highlighters, notebooks, and Dr. Pepper instead. I used what free time I had for extracurricular activities – theater, honors societies, choir, residential assis-tant work and clubs. I spent my time at Martin doing my best to live up to the trust the school had put into me. And though it wasn’t always easy, the experiences I had and the education I gained were as rewarding as the scholarship itself.”

A moment of shock For 2013 graduate Kathryn Williams, a 2009 Alford winner, the initial response to winning was similar. She says that she was in shock when she received the call telling her that she had won the scholar-ship. She also says that she was nervous about going to a new place, but that she felt blessed and that the “wonderful part about Martin Methodist is that it did not take long to make friends.” Now a registered nurse on the Trans-plant/Surgical unit at Northeast Medical Center in Springfield, Tenn., Williams says that being an Alford Scholar shaped her

Karen Beasley Maynard, who was selected for a Barton Scholarship in 2002, the second year of the program, is now "Dr. Maynard" after defending her dissertation in July for her Ph.D. in molecular bioscience at Middle Tennessee State Universiity, where she also got her master's degree. Here she works in the lab at MTSU.

PHOTO SUBMITtED

Brandi Belcher, who was named an Alford Scholar in the spring of 2004 and earned her degree in 2008, returned to campus a year later to direct the Martin Serves! program and handle other assignments in the area of religious life.


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religious journey and her career choices. “I had the honor of meeting and becoming friends with so many wonderful people who influenced (me) and inspired me to grow closer to God and to find His calling for my life,” she says. “To see the influence that these great leaders were making in our world inspired me even more to pursue my education in nursing. I wanted to find a way to make a difference in my everyday life.”

A challenging process The responses of the Barton and Alford Scholars among the current student body echo the comments of Belcher, Kram-er and Williams. Brea Harrison, one of the

2010 Barton winners who just graduated in May, reflects on the difficult months lead-ing up to the competition when she prayed constantly for some guidance regarding college. Unable to afford to apply to more than two schools, both of which waived the application fee, she knew she could not go to college without a significant scholarship. “I competed in the Barton Scholar (competition) completely on faith,” she says, adding that she did not expect to win and intended to take losing as a sign from God that she should not go to college. She says that the day she was notified that she had won, she cried from pure joy and happiness and said, ‘OK, Lord. This is where I’ll go.”

Harrison notes that she had some low moments in her sophomore year when she was not sure she could make it in college and told herself that she could just quit, that she didn’t have to go to college, but then she remembered that the college and God had enough faith in her to give her the scholar-ship, so she had to have faith in herself. “Without the Barton, I would not be who I am today,” she says. “I would never have come to Martin. I would have never become the intelligent, confident woman I am now. This school and the Barton will always be on my résumé as a reminder to me to have faith in myself. That is the greatest influence I could ask for.” Autumn Dennis, one of the 2010

Alford winners who also gradu-ated in May and will be attend-ing Vanderbilt Divinity School, also says that she came to Martin as an act of faith. “I felt God called me to Martin, and as an act of faith, I did not apply to other schools. The Alford Schol-arship was my one shot at going to college,” she says. “Thanks to the Alford, I am going to be the

first woman in my entire family to grad-uate college. Since I am graduating with no debt, I am able to pursue my dream of getting my master of divinity degree at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. The immense opportunities given to me, paired with the unique responsibilities, prepared me to be a life-long leader and challenged me like nothing else. I am eternally thank-ful for all this scholarship has given me.” In 2011, Hannah Potts and Derek Toone were the Barton winners, and Landon Dixon and Zach Moffatt won the Alford Scholarships. For Potts, who is majoring in Elemen-tary Education, winning the scholarship

was a relief. “For a while, my plan was to go to a state school and take out loans to be there,” she says. “When I got the call that I had won the competition, I was so excited. I had visited Martin before, and it really felt like home. Winning the Barton competition just validated the fact that Martin was the place I was meant to be.” While she says that she feels “like a normal student” and that she would have kept up her grades and been involved on campus with or without the scholar-ship, Potts acknowledges that Martin has made her a “more well-rounded person,” offering, as it does, “a unique experience that other colleges can’t,” and that the scholarship has made it possible for her to be involved “without having a financial burden.” Toone, who plans to pursue a career in the ministry, also cites relief as his pri-mary response to winning the competition. While he believes that he could be more involved on campus if he did not have to spend his time on the work-study job that helps to pay for his books and the fees not covered by the scholarship, he echoes the other scholarship winners in his apprecia-tion for the scholarship and the education he is receiving. “I do feel that my time at Martin has challenged me and facilitated my growth,” he says, adding that the hands-on experi-ence he will receive in the churches will serve him well in the future.

Astonished, validated Alford Scholar Landon Dixon plans to go to graduate school and pursue a career as a licensed psychologist. Like the other winners, he admits to being “astonished” when he found out he had won the compe-tition, but he also felt validated, because all of his hard work had been acknowledged. “Winning this scholarship really set the tone for the rest of my time at Martin,” he says. “I knew that I was given a great gift, and I felt like I was responsible for letting the school know they had made the right decision by choosing me.” Dixon, who says that he wants in his career to “help the world and help people,” says that his time at Martin as a full-ride scholar has humbled him.

Josiah Po'e, an Alford Scholar selected in 2007 and an MMC graduate in 2011, works at the Dialysis Clinic in Nashville, working in the area of pharmacy services. He's married to the former Alyssa Beavers, a classmate in the Class of 2011.



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“If it has taught me anything, it is that I am so blessed,” he says. “I know the majority of the world will not get a full-ride scholarship any-where and that this scholarship has given me a gift that keeps on giving. That gift is an educa-tion.” He adds that his educa-tion has helped him to realize the needs in the world and his desire to meet those needs, allowing him to grow socially, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. “Martin has been great to me,” Dixon says, “and I would like to share my gratitude by giving the world one more hard worker and one more person for God to show his light through.”

Meeting world leaders Zach Moffatt says that when he first got the call from Lisa Smith about winning the Alford Scholarship, he could not be-lieve it. With plans to attend seminary after his graduation from Martin Methodist, he notes that his time on this campus as a full scholarship recipient has given him the opportunity to connect with people and to grow as a leader. “I have met some wonderful people from all over the world, and I am lucky enough to call them my friends. I have met some of the world’s leading figures, thanks to the amazing connections the faculty here at MMC have. I have met amazing profes-sors who have taught me so many things, not only about the specific fields they teach but about life,” he says. “As an Alford Scholar, I was expected to be a leader on campus, and if it had not been for this scholarship, I would not have grown into the leader I am now,” he adds. “Martin Methodist College has been a place where I have been challenged not only academically, but also spiritually. It is a place where I have been allowed to grow, talk about new ideas, and meet some amazing people from all different walks of life, and for that, I am forever grateful.”

The 2012 winners of the Barton competition were Jena Butler and Hayley Wilson, and the Alford winners for that year were Maggie Taylor and Emily Lewis. “When I got the call that changed my life,” Butler says, “I was in such awe that even though I had prayed for that phone call and imagined what wonderful things would come from it, I was speechless.” She says that she had worried since her second year of high school about where she would go to college and how she would pay for it. “I have been so blessed by this opportunity to study and learn and ex-perience without the stress that financial struggle brings,” says Butler, who plans to get her master’s degree in psychology and wants to work with veterans who are suffering with post-traumatic stress disor-der. The Barton Scholarship, she says, has allowed her to make the most of college because it has given her time to truly learn about the world around her. “I have been able to make plans about my future with a calm and level head, free from the financial worry that clouds the minds of so many college students,” she says. “It has been enlight-ening and humbling to experience such an unwarranted blessing.”

Wilson, who plans to get both a master’s degree and a doctorate in English so that she can teach college – “preferably at a small institution similar to MMC” – says that she was “absolutely elated” when she won the Barton Scholarship. Like many of the other winners, she says that a burden was lifted from her shoulders. “From the first time I visited the Martin Meth-odist campus, I knew I wanted to get my college education there, and learning that I was one of the Barton Scholarship recipients made that aspi-ration possible,” she says. “I appreciate everything more than I think I would

have if I hadn’t gotten the scholarship. My education, food and housing are given to me, so I am always reminded not to take those things for granted. Being a full-ride scholar also keeps me motivated to do my best academically, because I want to make the most of my time here.” Wilson notes the positive impact of the small, personal environment of Martin Meth-odist, and the relationships with professors that “help each student find and strengthen their direction in life,” and she sees an on-go-ing impact from the scholarship.

Graduate school ahead “Graduating as a full-ride scholar certainly will impact my future financially, but I feel the academic benefits are more significant,” she says. “I think graduate schools and prospective employers will take that kind of achievement into consideration.” Both recipients of the 2012 Alford Scholarships see graduate school and dual careers in their futures. Maggie Taylor plans to attend divinity school and law school so that she can “positively impact the lives of those around” her. She says that the scholarship keeps her accountable and gives her “many avenues to represent the college, not only to the community but

Former Alford Scholar Phillip Galyon, a 2012 graduate who is now a student at the Center for Youth Ministry Training at Memphis Theological Seminary, addresses the audience at June's Martin Methodist College dinner at the Annual Conference for the United Methodist Church's Tennessee Conference, held at Brentwood (Tenn.) UMC. President Ted Brown looks on.



also to my peers.” She believes that her education at Martin has provided her with knowledge of the world that will be helpful in whatever career path she chooses. Emily Lewis believes that winning the scholarship has opened doors for her, affording the opportunity to explore God’s calling and to travel, which she says is a “direct result of being an Alford Scholar.” She plans to attend medical school

and do mission work, again as a direct result of her scholarship opportunity. “Being given such a blessing has instilled in me the need to share such blessings with others,” she says. The 2013 Barton Scholars are Lydia Wossum-Fisher and Austin Toy. The Alford Scholars for that year are Stephanie Black and Webb Booth. Wossum-Fisher says that when she

received the scholarship, she was surprised. “I wasn’t expecting to be chosen for the actual scholarship. I’d been hoping for one of the smaller scholarships awarded to the contestants. I was very flattered,” she says. Wossum-Fisher, who is majoring in dramatic arts and plans to go to graduate school for acting or drama so that she can “make a living in theater,” says that by easing the burden of the cost of her undergraduate degree, the scholarship will make it financially possible for her to go to graduate school, and that the education she is receiving at Martin Methodist will prepare her for that opportunity. “I’ve already learned so much and I still have two or three years left,” she says. “I know I will have the skills I need to get into a good graduate program.”

Quality at little cost Toy, whose older sister, Cofie, grad-uated in 2013, also as a Barton Scholar, is majoring in English with hopes of being “a rapper or a writer, or maybe both.” He be-lieves that his time at Martin Methodist will help him to “become more comfortable in both professional and social environments.” “I was overjoyed at the thought of re-ceiving a quality education at little cost to my family,” he says. “Being a full-ride scholar has allowed me to focus the majority of my time and effort on academics, as I do not have to work during the school year.” 2013 Alford Scholar Stephanie Black says that when she was notified of her suc-cess in the competition, she didn’t believe it. “At first I honestly thought they had called the wrong person! I was in such shock that I was crying and laughing and jumping up and down,” she says. Majoring in Christian Education with an emphasis in children and youth minis-try, Black says the scholarship has made her truly appreciate college. “I now work harder and do every-thing I can to show . . . MMC that they made the right choice. Martin has really strengthened my relationship with God, and it has also allowed me to learn who I am and who God wants me to be. Winning the Ben Alford Church Leader Scholarship has shown me that God will provide for those who need him. I am so thankful to be at Martin.”

Recipients of these top scholarships are expected to become active on campus. Alford Scholar Zach Moffatt (above) reads scripture during the 2013 baccalaureate service when he was a sophomore. Barton Scholar Lydia Wossum-Fisher (below), may have been a freshman this past year, but the Pulaski resident has been acting in MMC plays since she was in junior high. Here, she plays one of the flirty flight attendants in this spring's rollicking comedy, "Boeing, Boeing."

PHOTO BY JOHN RUSSELL



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Christina McCree Geary received a master’s degree in counseling at University of North Alabama and a education specialist degree from UT-Chat-tanooga. She resides in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and works as a behavior consul-tant for the Manchester (Tenn.) City Schools. Austin Cone transferred from Martin Methodist to Brigham Young University-Idaho following his sophomore year and then earned an M.B.A. degree at the University of Alabama. He is an associate financial advisor at Raymond James Financial n Chattanooga, Tenn.

Karen Beasley Maynard has just defended her dissertation for a doctorate in molecular bioscience from Middle Tennessee State University, where she also received her master’s degree. Prior to beginning studies for her Ph.D., she worked for a year and a half as a researcher at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Laura Pickett Isbell resides in Spring Hill, Tenn., and has been working in Nashville with the State of Tennessee’s Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury, since graduation. Her current position is audit supervisor, and she has obtained various certifications, including certified public accountant, fraud examiner, government financial manager and global management accountant.

Rachel Perkins Rieger earned her law degree at the University of Tennesse School of Law and spent a year in private practice. She now resides in Lebanon, Tenn., and works as assistant general counsel for the Department of Children’s Services in Davidson County. A family member said that Magan Edmonds Merritt, who transferred after her freshman year, is living in Oklahoma and working on her doctorate.

Rebecca Palmer Lockard is the director of learning and development at Advance Financial in Nashville and serves as a mentor for Big Brother/Big Sister. Erin Guest Loewer transferred to Middle Tennessee State Univer-sity to major in early childhood education. She now resides in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., where she is a stay-at-home mom.

After receiving the President’s Award as the graduating senior with the highest grade point average, Jessica Miller Kramer left for Japan, where she now teaches at an international school outside Tokyo (see Postscript on page 36). Cory Gott lives in Madison, Ala., and the criminal justice major was most recently working in security for a company in nearby Decatur.

Kristen Burkhalter is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in Memphis – the

l school. Kyle Mooney attended MMC for two years before returning to his home-town of Smyrna, Tenn., to go to work for Smyrna Parks and Recreation, where he is now coordinator of the aquatic program and special events.

Alison Beeler Moneyham teaches third grade at Harris Elementary School in Rutherfordton, N.C. April Foster Sakowicz teaches fourth grade at Spring Hill (Tenn.) Elementary School.

Sally Bolling works as an unemployment claims analyst in Nashville. (There was not a second Barton Scholar in 2008.)

is pursuing her master’s degree in creative writing at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Elizabeth Roller resides in her hometown of Pulaski and is employed at Giles County Public Library; once the renovation of the main branch is completed, she will be primarily involved in children’s programming.

Brea Harrison graduated in May with a degree in English literature and got her senior thesis, entitled “Tony Soprano, Anti-Hero,” published as an e-book in June. She is doing odd jobs in Nashville for supplemental income as she pursues a writing career. Kelsey Tidwell transferred to Austin Peay State University and, according to her Facebook profile, will soon enroll in a dental assistant training program.

Nikki Hicks Marcoulier is teaching third grade at Charlotte (Tenn.) Elementary after receiving her master’s degree from Lipscomb University. She and her husband, fellow MMC graduate Brian Marcoulier, reside in Clarksville, Tenn., where he is pastor at Salem UMC. John DeV alk lives in north Nash-ville and teaches high school biology and coaches soccer at his alma mater, Springfield (Tenn.) High School. He had gone to Tennessee State University to get his master’s in physical therapy, but, three years ago, moved into teaching.

After completing his master’s degree in higher education administration at New York University, Brandon Baker moved to Los Angeles four years ago and serves as director of development for Villanova University, West Coast. In that position, he leads all Villanova’s alumni and parent relations and fundraising efforts on the West Coast Julia Kincheloe lives in Gallatin, Tenn., and works as a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant . She also attends to family needs and volunteers with several organizations.

Cole Wise is a special education teacher at Smyrna (Tenn.) High School after earning his MBA and working in finance for four years. He also plays in a popu-lar Christian music band, Twelve Ounce Jar. According to her Facebook profile, Felicia Gallant Agee resides in Hendersonville, Tenn., and is enrolled in the educational leadership graduate program at Union University’s campus in Hendersonville.

Brandi Belcher returned to Martin Methodist in 2009 to work in the Cal Turner, Jr. Center for Church Leadership, where she serves as director of Martin Serves!, the community service program. After working four years as a director of Christian education and as a counselor for troubled teens, Melissa Stewart has gone to Northern Ireland to assist her fiancé following recent family illness and loss.

Stephanie Woolam is working as a teller and loan processor at First Feder-al Bank in her hometown of Dickson, Tenn. She is interested in pursuing some form of music therapy. Will Frazer spent three years as a critical care nurse in Atlanta before moving to Nashville last year as a “traveling nurse,” working under contract for specific nursing assignments.

Courtney Daniel Brewster lives in Ethridge, Tenn., and works as an ac-countant for the Gas Products Division of Mueller Industries. Katie Cooper, who received a master’s degree in Northern Ireland as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, has worked with Donor Services, a Nashville organization which helps facilitate organ and tissue gifts. She recently moved to Torrence, Calif., where she will continue in her position.

Josiah Po’e is a certified pharmacy technician at Dialysis Clinic, a non-profit health clinic in Nashville that treats patients with kidney disease. Lyndsay Millo, who is also in Nashville, has lived and worked in 10 states and five countries and plans to return to MMC this year to complete her degree.

Phillip Galyon is enrolled in the Center for Youth Ministry Training at Memphis Theological Seminary. He also serves as director of youth ministries at First UMC in West Memphis., Ark. Whitney Price got her nursing degree at Tennessee Technical University and serves as a surgical nurse at Crockett Hospital in Lawrenceburg, Tenn.

Kathryn Williams worked as a transplant/surgical nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville and has recently moved to a similiar position at Northeast Medical Center in Springfield, Tenn. Katie Dobbins resides in her hometown of Florence, Ala., and works in the child care program at the YMCA of the Shoals in nearby Muscle Shoals. She has been nominated for the Peace Corps, teaching English in the eastern Caribbean; the two-year assignment will begin in June 2015.

Autumn Dennis, who graduated in May with a degree in church vocations/pre-seminary, will enroll in Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville this fall on a full scholarship. Callie Stewart attended MMC for her freshman year and then served as assistant director of children’s ministry in her home church, Biloxi (MS) First United Methodiist. She is now pursing a career teaching elementary school.

scholarship recipients earned its Martin Methodist degrees this May. Here’s an update on those 39 individuals.

Commencement 2014Blue skies, exciting ceremonies and big smiles

Members of the Class of 2014 entered into the next phase of their lives with diploma in hand

under the bluest of skies during Martin Methodist College’s 143rd Commencement on Saturday, May 3. A total of 173 degrees were awarded at Grissom Gazebo on the Campus Green. The college bestowed 52 Bachelor of Science degrees in the Division of Social Sciences, 43 Bachelor of Business Administration degrees, 21 Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees, 17 Bachelor of Science degrees in the Division of Education, 16 Bachelor of Science degrees in the Division of Mathematics and Science, 13 Bachelor of Arts degrees in the Division of Humanities, six Bachelor of Sciences degrees in the Division of Humanities and five Associate of Arts degrees. Several students received multiple degrees. Along with the degrees presented to the graduates, President Ted Brown presented two significant individual honors as part of the ceremony. The President’s Award, given to the graduating senior with the highest grade point average, was presented to Cynthia Jane Rich of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., who earned Bachelor of Science degrees in criminal justice and behavioral sciences/general psychology. The 2014 Fred E. Ford Exemplary Teaching Award, given to a member of the faculty for outstanding contributions both in and outside of the classroom, was presented to Dr. Ken Vickers, associate professor of history and the history program coordinator who joined the MMC faculty in 2005. Vickers earned his bachelor of science degree from the University of North Alabama and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Mississippi State University. The commencement festivities began on the afternoon of Friday, May 2, with the seventh annual Pinning Ceremony for the

PHOTOS BY JOHN RUSSELL

Following the colorful processional, President Ted Brown addresses the Class of 2014 as he prepares to present diplomas. Among those honored was Cynthia Jane Rich (left), recipient of the President’s Award for the highest GPA.

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Division of Nursing. Twenty-one students the earning the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree participated in the ceremony, in which members of the nursing faculty awarded each new graduate with a lapel pin and oil lamp unique to the Martin Methodist nursing program. The baccalaureate service followed later in the afternoon at First United Methodist Church of Pulaski, with Bishop William T. McAlilly, resident bishop of the Nashville Area of the United Methodist Church, delivering the sermon. The final event leading up to the graduation ceremony was the annual Jubilee Dinner on Friday night at the Curry Christian Life Center, honoring the Class of 2014, the Golden Jubilee Class of 1964 (celebrating its 50th anniversary), the Diamond Jubilee Class of 1954 (celebrating its 60th anniversary), and the President’s Society, which is made up of benefactors who have donated $1,000 or more to Martin Methodist College in the past year. Three individual awards were presented at the dinner. Neil Jobe, a 1958 alumnus from Primm Springs, Tenn., who has served on the college’s Board of Trustees for 25 years, received the President’s Medallion, one of the highest honors bestowed by Martin Methodist College (see page 16). Jobe, who spent his career as a highly respected public school teacher and principal, has also worked tirelessly as a volunteer counselor for drug and alcohol addictions. Erline England Patrick, a 1941 alumna, received the 2014 Servant Leader Award, presented by the Turner Center for Church Leadership (see page 33). Also a career teacher, Mrs. Patrick, 90, has lived a life serving others through adult education, elected office and church involvement.` Finally, Hershel Lake, a Pulaski businessman, career journalist and a member of the Board of Trustees for 28 years, was inducted into the Hall of Distinction for his service to the college, community and in his professional career of communications (see page 31). In Giles County, Lake owns the Pulaski Citizen newspaper, radio station WKSR and Holley’s Printing. He also has business interests in other Tennessee communities and throughout Alabama.

Making historyVickers receives Exemplary Teacher honor


History professor Ken Vickers is presented the Fred E. Ford Exemplary Teaching Award for 2014 by Presi-dent Ted Brown.

UMC Bishop William McAlilly gives the baccalaureate sermon at the First United Methodist Church on Friday, May 2. McAlilly serves on the college’s Board of Trustees.


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reca l l o f what he was thinking when he heard his named called as the recipient of the 2014 Fred E. Ford Exemplary Teaching Award dur ing Mar t i n Methodist College’s Commencement. Understand, Dr. Ken Vickers, associate professor of history and coordinator of that program, moves through life quietly and thoughtfully, albeit with one wickedly dry sense of humor. So it goes to figure that the first thing that crossed his mind, he says, was trying to figure out how to navigate the sea of faculty seated on either side of him to get to the dais, since he was sitting smack dab in the middle of the aisle. But once he begins talking about his role as a college professor, he does, indeed, reflect on the top faculty honor. “It was a really nice accolade, and I’m much appreciative to be recognized in that way,” he said. “And yet, in my mind, I’m not a teacher. Granted, Martin is a teaching institution and not a research institution, and that’s a major reason why I chose to come here. But in college, we’re not called teachers, we’re called professors, and there’s a reason for that. As a student, we assume you’ve already been taught; we’re here to profess to you what we believe to be is true, and we ask you, as a student, to do the same and prove your position, using historical anaylsis to prove your argument. “Dr. Larry Nelson, a history professor of mine at the University of North Alabama, said that we’re not wanting the who, what, where or when; those facts you’ve been taught already. What makes history is the ‘why.’ You’ve talked to a 3- or 4-year-old. What’s the question you can’t answer that they ask? ‘Why?’ “I’m certainly not disparaging the Teacher of the Year honor. I’m very honored,” he said. “That’s just the way I always approach my discipline.”

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The knowing smile on his face, which was shared by so many in the audience, illustrated how pleased Martin Methodist College President Ted Brown was for the

award he was about to bestow – the President’s Medallion, presented to alumnus and longtime trustee Neil Jobe. “Neil Jobe’s relationship with Martin began a few years ago – back in 1956 to be precise – when he enrolled as a freshman,” Brown told the audience assembly on Friday night, May 2, for the annual Jubilee Dinner, part of the commencement weekend festivities. “Now Neil Jobe grew up on a farm in Hickman County, so he will tell you that his academic preparation may not have been up to the challenging work he would undertake on this campus – Neil would probably say it like this, ‘I’ll guarantee you I was not the sharpest tool in the shed.’ “But I can tell you that in talking with his classmates,” Brown continued. “He is enormously and universally appreciated and admired. Add to that the fact that Neil went on to get his baccalaureate degree at Tennessee Tech and his master of science degree at the University of Tennessee, and you begin to see through this old farmer façade that Neal likes to throw up at folks.” Jobe, a 1958 graduate of then-two-year Martin College, may well be the most appreciative alumnus the school has ever produced in all its 144 years. A farm boy who said he knew absolutely nothing about college life when he stepped foot on the Pulaski campus in the fall of 1956, Jobe said he saw God’s blessings from the moment he arrived. “The Good Lord has a good way of placing a lot of good people in front of you,” he said, “and I was just smart enough to listen to them.” Following his education, he would then spend the next four decades in the public school system, first as a teacher and then as a highly respected principal in Alabama and Tennessee. What would truly define Jobe’s life, however, was his work as a volunteer counselor in the area of drug and alcohol addiction. Having a father and a brother who both had issues with alcohol, he chose to turn that obsessive, addictive family gene toward the support of those in need. “His real passion in life is best described as a rescuer, a liberator, a deliverer,” Brown said. “For years he worked closely with Buffalo Valley, Inc., an alcohol/substance abuse treatment

center. Neil served Buffalo Valley as a board member and board president, but also as a service provider. This work was deeply personal for Neil – I knew that almost from the moment I first met him. I’ve seen Neil track down and pursue people who really needed help with addiction, and then keep in touch with them over time to give them that special touch of encouragement. And I’ve talked to people who have literally had their lives saved by Neil Jobe’s influence.” Jobe told the Jubilee Dinner audience that he just has always had a passion to reach out to others. “I have a strong feeling for those who don’t feel they have any hope or anyone to turn to,” he said. “I’ll go to the hospital, the alley, the jail . . . I’ll meet them at the river if that’s what it takes.” And that dedication to help others began in Pulaski. “I started when I was at Martin College,” he said. “I was going to the downtown jail (to visit with persons incarcerated because of their addiction).” Even though that compassion and call to serve others was a character trait that Jobe was born with, he said it was nurtured by those voices he listened to when he enrolled at Martin College. “I’m grateful for what this college has done for us,” he said, speaking for the graduating seniors and alumni in attendance at the Jubilee Dinner. “I’m very honored, very humbled to receive this award. I know I’m not worthy. Many of you here tonight have done more than I have to earn an honor like this . . . and if you haven’t, then get busy!” As the laughter subsided, Neil Jobe then closed by proclaiming his unconditional love in down-home, no-frills, Neil Jobe-style. “I love you,” he said to the audience, “and you don’t have a say in that.” – GRANT VOSBURGH


Neil Jobe (right) is congratulated by John Murrey, who serves with Jobe on the MMC Board of Trustees, and Joy Lewter, longtime member of the Alumni Council.

Loyal alumnus and longtime trustee Jobereceives prestigous President’s Medallion

In some ways, Dr. William Sodeman traded one paradise for another, having left Hawaii Pacific University to become the new chair of the Johnston School of Business, where he gets to develop a brand new Master of Business Administration degree program and use his many years of academic

experience in the process. For many academicians, that kind of opportunity is the ultimate higher education utopia. “I had been running large (university) departments for a few years, and I wanted to start something new,” Sodeman said. “This is a pretty rare opportunity, especially with a school that wants to get a business school accreditation.” A portion of the ground work for Martin Methodist’s first-ever graduate program has been done in order to get approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). For Sodeman, he enters the picture at the perfect juncture. “The M.B.A. program looks like a solid plan,” he said. “I feel like I’m jumping in at the right time. A lot of credit goes to the faculty for getting things to this point with the approval of SACS. “I’m doing a lot of listening and learning. The task ahead is in building our competencies and getting them up to certain levels. For a graduate program to be successful, it needs to be relevant.” He certainly knows of what he speaks, having served as department chair for Hawaii Pacific’s Management and Marketing program, which included 17 full-time faculty members and an average of 1,400 students in the degree program for the three years (2010-2013) he had the position. A year before that, he was Faculty Assembly Chair, elected by the university faculty to lead and administer its faculty government. Previously, he served as chair of the College of Professional Studies Faculty Assembly (2006-2007) and chair of the Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) program (2003-2006). For all 11 years he was at Hawaii Pacific University, he taught in the Information Systems program, being promoted from assistant professor to associate professor in 2006, even as he was taking on a high level of administrative duties. “I’ve done a lot of teaching, from the moment I started (as a student in the doctoral program) at the University of Georgia (in 1989),” he said. “I was in the classroom every minute. I’ve taught a lot of non-traditional students, adult learners and executive professionals.” Sodeman received his Ph.D. from Georgia in 1993, majoring in strategic management and minor-ing in management information systems. He had earned a bachelor of arts degree in studio fine arts (painting, intaglio and photography) from the College of William and Mary in 1986 and a master of business administration degree from Rollins College in 1988, majoring in general management. Besides Georgia and Hawaii Pacific, his previous teaching assignments have been as a visiting professor at Marquette University (1993-94), assistant professor at the University of Southern Indiana (1994-97), and senior instructor at ProSoft Training (1997-98), an internet and web development course publisher and certification provider. He also held a management position there from 1998 to 2001. That brings the vitae right up to 2014 and his arrival as chair of the business department at Martin Methodist College, and, so far, everything has fallen in place as expected. “The notice (about the position) was really pretty close to what I’ve found here: beautiful cam-pus, excellent facilities, enthusiastic faculty, interested students and a forward-thinking president and Board of Trustees. Right now, I’m just getting to know the staff and my colleagues here at Martin, but I’m excited about what’s ahead. I think the Martin 2020 plan’s focus on serving the 13 counties of south central Tennessee is a big step, but it makes a lot of sense, and the MBA program is a good first graduate degree program for this college.” – GRANT VOSBURGH

Dr. Cheri Thomas, who was named in May as director of Martin Methodist College’s new Center for Executive

and Professional Development, was one of the speakers at the Harvard Business School Doctoral Reunion, held in June. The annual event brings alumni of the HBS doctoral program back to the Cambridge, Mass., campus. An estimated 200 doctoral graduates attended, including deans of many prestigious business programs from around the globe, as well as distinguished academicians and business leaders. Thomas, who earned her doctor of business administration degree with distinction at Harvard in 1987, gave a presentation on “The State of Executive Education,” as a member of a panel discussing “The State of Business Education.” “With so many accomplished business educators in attendance, I’m looking forward to sharing knowledge and continuing to bring leading edge executive education to our region through Martin Methodist’s Center for Executive and Professional Development,” said Thomas prior to the event. She also earned her master of business administration degree with distinction from Harvard Business School in 1980. Thomas, a resident of Giles County, served as a consultant to help develop the Center for Executive and Professional Development over the past year and was named the director in May. She also offered insights into the development of curriculum for the new Master of Business Administration degree.

New administratortakes part in HarvardBusiness alumni event

Adjunct instructorpresents at conference

An adjunct instructor in sociology and criminal justice spent the second week of June serving as a

facilitator and trainer at the National Rural Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Kathy Smith was one of the presenters at the conference, held June 8-12 at the

New business department chair excited about M.B.A. program at MMC


Dr. Bill Sodeman comes to Martin Methodist College after spending the past 11 years at Hawaii Pacific University.

his is a pretty rare opportunity. ”– Dr. William SodemanT

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Univers i t y o f Wisconsin-Stout. During the week, she facilitated a w o r k s h o p ent i t led “Co-o c c u r r e n c e o f Subs tance Use/Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence: Identifying Offenders, Victims and Individuals Who Have Co-occurring Disorders.” “Substance use/abuse and domestic violence often present unique issues,” Smith said. “Treating the violence without addressing the substance use/abuse is relatively fruitless. Successfully treating the substance use/abuse is key in reducing violence, especially within families.” Smith began teaching at Martin Methodist in the fall of 2004. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Middle Tennessee State University.

Kathy Smith

Incoming freshman receives new full-tuitioneducation scholarship

Martin Methodist College became a “centennial chapter” of the national leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa during chartering ceremonies on May 1.

Martin Methodist becomes the 367th college or university to be chartered as an ODK campus or “circle,” and with the leadership society celebrating its 100th anniversary in June, this newest chapter and two others scheduled to be chartered in 2014 are being referred to as centennial chapters. MMC actually started a “Circle of Leadership” honor society two years ago as a preliminary step to becoming an ODK chapter. Those members and the newest group named in April were all inducted as new ODK members. Representing ODK was Matthew Hibdon of Middle Tennessee State University. The effort to bring an Omicron Delta Kappa chapter to MMC was led by four members of the faculty and staff who have been longtime members of ODK from their undergraduate institutions: President Ted Brown (West Virginia Wesleyan); Dr. Ed Trimmer, executive director of the Turner Center for Church Leadership (West Virginia Wesleyan); Dr. Brant Harwell, professor of English and director of the W. Garie Taylor Honors Program (Samford University); and Casey Capps, registrar (University of West Alabama). The Martin Methodist chapter had 58 charter initiates, including underclass students, recent alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the college. Elected as the inaugural officers of Martin Methodist’s ODK chapter are: Landon Dixon, president; Zach Moffatt, vice president; Emily Clayton, secretary; and Hannah Potts, treasurer. Dr. Brant Hartwell and Casey Capps serve as faculty advisors.

Shelby Caperton

‘Centennial chapter’

MMC chartered by Omicron Delta Kappa in leadership honor society’s 100th year

Matthew Hibdon (second from left), representing Omicron Delta Kappa, presents the college’s charter, with the names of the charter inductees, to chapter vice president Zach Moffatt and chapter president Landon Dixon. Looking on are chapter treasurer Hannah Potts (second from right), and faculty advisors Brant Harwell (far left) and Casey Capps (far right).

PHOTO BY EDNA LUNA

O ne of the students who will

enroll this fall in the freshman class is the recipient of a new full-tuition scholarship.

Shelby Cap-erton, a May graduate of Spring Hill (Tenn.) High School, has been selected for Martin Methodist’s Future Educator Scholarship, a four-year grant covering all tuition and awarded to a student who shows exceptional promise in the area of elementary, secondary or K-12 education. Active in volleyball and DECA Club, she took a service learning class last fall that sent her each day to a nearby elementary school. “On the first day I walked into the kin-dergarten class, I fell in love with teaching,” she said. “I love to see that moment when things click and make sense, and I want to help create a smarter, wiser generation.”

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Sometimes you have to connect a lot of small, but significant dots to figure out, logically, how a person got from there to here. In the case of Ellie Meyer, we’re talking about a political science (and pre-law) graduate of the University of Connecticut who, 14 years later, is the new director

of the First Year Experience program at Martin Methodist College. Yes, there are a few twists and turns in that career path, the first coming when she took that political science degree and decided to pursue a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Delaware instead of entering law school. Specifically, it was when the graduate school’s powers-that-be approved her rather unlikely internship proposal, required for her master’s degree, that served as the seminal step toward a career into higher education. She said she didn’t want to take the typical public administration internship in a city planning office or a government agency. Instead, she looked to an already demonstrated interest – and a history – in student services that led her to finding an in-ternship through NODA (Na-tional Orientation Directors Association), a higher education professional organization, in new student orientation on the campus of Temple University. “I was a resident assistant at Delaware and a graduate hall director at Delaware,” Meyer said, “and those positions were really active in the residence life programs. I had a lot of experience in that area.” So, upon completion of her internship and receipt of her master’s degree, her career direction was set, but the course would take her near and far, in large part due to the career of her now-husband, Greg Joseph, an aerospace engineer who has worked at various NASA installations across the country. Her first position was as assistant director of residence life and student activities at DeSales Univer-sity, a private, four-year Catholic university located in Center Valley, Pa. Two years later, she was named residence life manager at Purdue University, where her husband had enrolled in graduate school. After three more years, he was off to the Houston Space Center, and she moved to San Jacinto College, first as an academic recruiter and advisor and, later, as coordinator of student life and a part-time faculty member. When Joseph accepted a position in the summer of 2013 at Cummings Research Park in Huntsville, Ala., Meyer kept her professional eyes peeled for a position at one of the schools in the area. And that led her to Martin Methodist College. “I have taught FYE courses,” she said, “and I’ve got a lot of background in student orientation, so I thought this position was a good fit for me. “Every school has its own personality,” she said, pointing out that that campus culture and ethos influence what a particular first-year program will look like. Beyond that, there’s the issue of designing a program with the student’s future academic success in mind, which can more of a challenge now than, say, a generation ago. “Everybody puts an emphasis on students and their experience entering college,” she said, “but more and more students, except maybe those at the highly competitive schools, are coming in unpre-pared. Colleges are still trying to make their students global citizens, while at the same time trying to bring them up to (academic) standards. It’s a challenge.” Martin Methodist’s FYE program will no doubt evolve under Ellie Meyer’s direction, benesfitting from the various experiences she brings from her journey to Pulaski. – GRANT VOSBURGH

Four members of the Martin Methodist College faculty were approved for pro-motion and tenure during the spring

meeting of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Karen Ferguson was promot-ed from assistant professor to associate pro-fessor of nursing with tenure. She has 21 years of teaching experience, including the past eight years at Martin Methodist. She holds the B.S.N. degree from Birming-ham Southern College, two M.S.N. degrees from the University of South Alabama, and the Ph.D. degree from Capella University. Dr. Tina Smith was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor of education with tenure. She has 15 years of teaching ex-perience at the elementary level, and has been at Mar-tin Methodist College for six years. She holds three de-grees from the University of North Alabama: the B.A. degree in theater arts, Spanish and music; the B.S. degree in elementary edu-cation; and an M.A.Ed. in elementary edu-cation. She also holds the Ed.S. and Ed.D. degrees in educational administration and supervision from Tennessee State University. Dr. Eric W. Stalions was promoted from assistant professor to associate profes-sor of Engish with tenure. He has 14 years of teaching ex-perience, including the past six years at Martin Method-ist. He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in English from Western Kentucky University, and the Ph.D. degree in rhetoric and writing from Bowling Green State University. Dr. Scott Hileman was promoted from assistant professor to associate profes-sor of history with tenure. He has 15 years of teaching ex-perience, including the past six years at Martin Methodist College. He holds the B.S. degree from Longwood Uni-versity, the M.A. degree from Winthrop Uni-versity, and the Ph.D. degree in history from the University of South Carolina.

Ferguson

Smith

Stalions

Hileman

Four professors earnpromotions, tenure


Ellie Meyer brings a wide range of experiences in student life from the campuses she’s been on over nearly two decades.

New FYE director brings a wide variety of expertise

A wealth of experience

For Pat Ford, the mayor of Pulaski and a member of the faculty at Martin Methodist College, life choices center on learning and service. Ford came to Pulaski in the fall of 1991 as a member of what would become the first four-year graduating class of the college. When asked about that significant

designation, he laughs and says that he was in the first junior class and the first senior class, but also in the first fifth-year senior class, graduating in 1996 with a degree in Human Services. As a student, Ford was visible – and audible. He was an exuberant person who enjoyed life and learning, whether in the classroom or working on the yearbook staff, serving in student government or acting on the Martin Hall stage. Energized by life, and by his favorite snack of candy corn and SunDrop, he definitely made himself heard. Ford graduated from Martin Methodist on the first Saturday in May 1996 and went to work in the admissions office the following Monday. His service to the college has encompassed almost two decades, working as an admissions counselor for three years – during which time he also served as an advisor for the international students, the director of the Nashville Flex program, and as the assistant volleyball coach. He then moved to the athletic department and worked there for six years in sports information while continuing to serve as the assistant volleyball coach and eventually becoming assistant athletic director. In 2005, Ford moved to the advancement office as the director of annual giving, and he did fundraising for seven years before, as he says with a laugh, “moving to the dark side as a full-time teacher.” By the time he made that move, he had also achieved some other milestones in his life of learning and service. He had attained his master of business administration degree from Bethel University, and he had become the mayor of Pulaski. “I had gotten to a point in my life where I knew I wanted to do something more than I was doing,” he says. “I wanted to be more educated, and the M.B.A. made more sense than anything, because at that time I had not thought about running for public office. It was about the education.” Ford believed that the knowledge he would gain from an M.B.A. program would help him in anything

He’s been a fixture at Martin Methodist for nearly 25 years, first as an exuberant student, then as an admissions counselor, athletics administrator and director of the annual fund. Today, Pat Ford is a member of the faculty and mayor of Pulaski. Certainly, he’s gone far . . .

Beyond Candy Corn and SunDropStory by Kayla McKinney Wiggins • Photos by Guy Schafer

Pat Ford is introduced as one of five new faculty members during the 2012 Opening Convocation. He is an instructor in MMC’s Johnston School of Business. At top, Ford presides over a session of city council as mayor.

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he wanted to do, including his role as a fundraiser. His knowledge of business, coupled with his understanding of psychology gained from his undergraduate education, he believes, makes him a better leader and a better mayor, as well. “I serve on a lot of boards, and I look at ev-ery board I serve on as my business,” he says. “Ev-ery time we meet, I get handed a whole packet of information, and I need to be able to process that information. I would not understand it without the knowledge I received from the M.B.A. program. “In some of the courses, we talked about how to lead in the business world, and it got me thinking about how I lead. I am very big on relationships, and I think relationships are very important in business,” he says. Relationships are very important in his role as mayor, too, at all levels: local, state and national. “Knowing how to focus on building those relationships and knowing the importance of them is the one thing that came out of my master’s program that I really treasure. The rest of it – under-standing business and knowing how to talk the talk – has been good, but understanding relationships has been most important in my role as mayor,” Ford says. He also cites the support and interest that have come from the state government as a factor in local growth, noting that the expan-sions going on in the city and the county will provide more jobs. “That’s the kicking point that starts everything else,” he says. “I am very proud of the fact that we have a team that works together to focus on things like economic development.” Ford says that he plans to run for the office of mayor again, and he is excited about the prospect. “It kind of gives me a chill,” he says with a chuckle. “When you take a position, you have to listen and learn. I have learned a lot, and I have done a lot for our community, but I am not finished yet.” In addition to his work in the political realm, Ford is active in service roles. Before taking on the mayoral office, he was involved with service endeavors like the Deanna Glossup Foundation and the Santa Train. “I still run the Santa Train every year,” he says. “I just finished a year as president of the Rotary Club, and these things take time, but they are important. I don’t want to forget about the things I do beyond the mayoral position, but that position allowed me to do more, and I wanted to do more.” Ford is more than a mayor and a volunteer, however. He is also a member of a family – his mother and his siblings (including sister Melanie Dodson, a 1999 graduate of MMC) – and a full-time teach-er, joining the faculty in the fall of 2012. “I understood the student per-spective because I had been sitting in those same desks, and I under-stood how everything worked from

Pat Fordthe college perspective, but being able to bring in the experiences as mayor – and I had been in of-fice for two years at that point – allowed me to give the students more real-life, practical knowledge,” he says. Conversely, the students ask him questions in their role as citizens that challenge Ford and make him think about things in new ways, offering perspectives that he draws on in his work for the community and his conversations with his other constituents. “As I teach, I learn, and I hope that will never stop,” he says.

“When I was first asked about going to the classroom, my first response was absolutely, yes. And, I’ll never forget this, the very first day when I walked into the classroom, I had everything ready – my syllabus, my books, my lecture – and after everyone was in the room, I walked over and closed the door and everything got quiet and I thought ‘Wow. Here it is. You are going to have to do this.’ It was very surreal.” But he remembers that it felt right. “It (teaching) was second nature,” he says. “I knew that was where I should have been all along.” So how does Mayor Ford juggle his life of learning, teaching, service, family and community? “I lose a lot of sleep,” he says. “It’s difficult to say the least. I have been given an opportunity to do two very different careers, and they are very different, but I have been given the opportunity to do those simultaneously. It is difficult to juggle. Day to day it is different. I know when the committee and council meetings are, and I set that up, but I keep everything on my calendar, and my calendar syncs to my phone. I set reminders so that I know where I have to be. It is a lot of time management, and you have to be able to think on your feet.” Ford acknowledges the support of the college in his career choices. “Dr. (Ted) Brown, Dr. (Jim) Murrell (the academic dean), and the college in and of itself have been very gracious to allow me to be the mayor. You can’t be a mayor of a community and say, ‘OK, I will do that, but only after I leave my job at 4:30 in the afternoon.’ Some of those meetings are at 7:00 in the morning and some are at 7:00 at night, and sometimes on the same day. You just have to be

flexible and practice a lot of time management. “It is challenging, but worth it without a doubt,” he says. “The ex-perience that I have had doing both has been personally gratifying.” And he has often reflected on the fact that many of his former teachers are now his colleagues, but he says they have been en-couraging and have helped him in many ways. “We’ve come a long way from candy corn and SunDrop,” he says, laughing.

Ford takes part in a wide variety of activities on campus and in the community.

The mayor shares a laugh with city attorney Andy Hoover, a 1982 alumnus of Martin Methodist College.

Three new RedHawk head coachesLeonardi moves up to lead men’s soccer

Bent named to coach women’sbasketball

Williams takes volleyball postfollowing Powell’s long tenure

Chris Leonardi, who served as assis-tant to Gerry Cleary for two seasons, including the 2013 natonal champi-

onship team, is the sixth head coach of the RedHawk men’s saoccer program. Prior to his arrival at Martin Methodist as an assistant in 2012, Leonardi, 37, had a decorated 13-year career at the University School of Jackson (Tenn.), where he also taught French classes. With the girls team, Leonardi tallied a 227-57-16 overall record and won two TSSAA state titles. The boys team had a 204-78-17 overall record with two final four appearances. He was voted District Coach

of the Year a combined eight times. “This is a challenging job but I am looking forward to embracing the challenges and defending our national championship,” Leonardi said. “We have a terrific core group of players returning from last year’s team, but we still have a great deal of work to do. We will begin im-mediately on finalizing our recruiting class for this upcoming season and putting in the work to begin our quest for another national title.” A native of Nice, France, Leonardi is a 1998 graduate of Lambuth University, where he earned a B.S in Physical Education and

Chris Leonardi has been named the new men's head soccer coach. He was Gerry Cleary's assistant coach the past two seasons.


Health. He helped the Eagles captured one TCAC Conference Championship and two Mid-South Conference Championships.

Following a remark-able four-year career at Danville Area Com-

munity College in Illinois, Kyle Bent becomes the new head coach of the RedHawk women’s basketball team. He replaces Jamy Be-chler, who accepted a position as athletics director at Marion High School in Indiana. Behcler posted a 75-52 record in his four years at MMC, including a 23-9 mark in his final season. Bent, 28, took a struggling DACC program from a 3-26 record in his first season to a 63-31 mark in his final three years, including consecutive 22-win seasons. His Lady Jaguar squad set 16 school records during his time at DACC. Pr ior to DACC, Ben t coached the University of Illi-nois women’s club basketball team, guiding a previously

two-win team to a 36-8 record, winning the National Collegiate Club Basketball Championship, hosted by N.C. State University. “The family atmosphere and the progressive mentality at Martin Methodist College make for an exciting opportunity; one I was thrilled to accept. It is my hope through hard work and dedication to a team concept, that we will bring an exciting style of basketball to the Curry Christian Life Center,” he said. A native of Illinois, Bent earned bachelor’s and master’s degres in Sport Manaagement from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Kyle Bent is the new coach of RedHawk women's basketball.

Alison Williams

Atop assistant from a suc-cessful NAIA program at Bryan College in Dayton,

Tenn., has become the new vol-leyball coach at Martin Methodistt College. Alison Williams becomes only the volleyball program’s second head coach, assuming the responsibilities from Rose Magers-Powell, who led the MMC program for 17 years. In May, Magers-Powell accepted the head coaching position at NCAA Division I Alabama A&M in Huntsville, Ala., where she resides. During her three seasons as an assistant coach at Bryan, Williams help lead the Lions to an 85-33 record, highlighted by a 65-14 mark over the past two years. She also served as coach of the junior varisty, posting consecutive winning seasons. She is a strength and conditional specialist, an expertise that could be used to help improve the conditioning of all Red-Hawk student-athletes. “The Pulaski community and the innovative mindset of Martin Methodist excite me,” Williams said, “and it’s my hope that through hard work, we will bring back exciting volleyball to Martin Methodist College,” Williams earned her bachelor of science degree in Exercise and Health Science from Bryan College in 2011. She was a team captain and standout outside hitter for the Lions, finishing her career with more than 1,400 kills in more than 550 matches. She has also worked numerous summer camps in the Southeast and Midwest as a guest instructor and coach.

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Longtime Martin Methodist athletic train-er Grant Fairchild was honored for his hard work and dedication to the field

of sports medicine, receiving the 2013-14 Southern States Athletic Conference’s Athletic Trainer of the Year award at the SSAC Spring Jamboree Awards Banquet. Fairchild, who arrived at Martin Meth-odist in August 2001, received the award for his countless hours of dedication and service to not only the RedHawk athletic department, but also to the services and needs of oppos-ing teams in the SSAC this past season. “I am so humbled and proud to accept this award,” Fairchild said after receiving his first-ever SSAC honor. “Our student-athletes and coaches are truly amazing, and it is an

absolute joy to work with and in-teract with them on a daily basis. Our assistant trainer, Dara Sulli-van, also deserves a lot of credit for making our department so successful. She has worked tire-lessly to help raise the standards of our department and help make an award like this possible.” The Hattiesburg, Miss., na-tive graduated from University of Southern Mississippi in Decem-ber of 1999 with a bachelor of science degree in sports medicine with an emphasis in athletic train-ing. Following his work at USM, he went on to Augusta State University, graduating in May

Grant Fairchild (left) receives the Athletic Trainer of the Year award from Mike Hall, commissionser of the Southern States Athletic Conference.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

of 2001 with a master of education degree in exercise and sports science.

Fairchild earns award from Southern States conference

Apair of Martin Methodist athletic squads received the highest aca-demic honor the NAIA can bestow

to a team as the RedHawk men’s tennis and softball teams were named 2013-14 NAIA Scholar-Athlete teams. The nominations mark the first time in RedHawk athletics history that a team has been named by the NAIA to its Schol-ar-Team award list, which honors those teams eligible among the NAIA’s 23 rec-ognized sports. RedHawk men’s tennis earned the honor after boasting a 3.21 team cumu-lative grade-point average among its six varsity athletes this past season. The RedHawk softball team, mean-while, earned the honor after posting a collective 3.08 grade-point average among its 18 varsity athletes. For a team to be considered for the NAIA Scholar-Team award, it must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) as defined by the institution. The team grade-point average includes all eligible varsity student-athletes.

Stephen Lunney

Forget a trophy shelf. At this point, Martin Meth-odist men’s soccer standout

Stephen Lunney might need an entire trophy wing. The rising senior added another piece of hardware to his already im-pressive résumé when he was named 2013-14 Southern States Athletic Conference Male Athlete of the Year. Lunney, a 6-foot-2 goalkeeper from Dublin, Ireland, received the honor after one of the most impres-sive seasons by a student-athlete in RedHawk history. He was a crucial performer in the RedHawks’ run to the 2013 NAIA men’s soccer na-tional title and was honored as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player as well as its Most Outstanding De-fensive Player. Lunney appeared in all 23 contests for the RedHawks as the team’s starting keeper, amassing a 19-2-2 record in net while making 75 saves and allowing just 16 goals during the entire year.

The Red- Hawk cap-tain also set a strong ex-ample for his teammates in the classroom as he was named Capital One Aca-demic All-American College Division Player of the Year. Boasting a 3.95 grade-point average, Lunney was also named the SSAC’s Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year for his achievements in the academic realm. “This is a tremendous honor for Stephen and for our program,” RedHawks head coach Chris Leonardi said. “He is a tireless worker, both on the soccer pitch as well as in the classroom. He had a remarkable year, and it is great to see him rewarded for his hard work and dedication. We are excited to have him back for his senior season and look forward to him having another strong run this year.”

Awards just keep rolling infor goalkeeper Lunney

RedHawk teams earn academic recognition

RedHawk spring sports wrap up-

Af ter claiming the program’s first-ever conference champion-ship and NAIA national tourna-

ment berth in 2013, the RedHawk Base-ball team again set its sights on a return trip to the national tournament in 2014. But pitted in arguably the top baseball conference in the nation, the RedHawks fell just short in their quest for a second consecutive trip to the national tournament as the club finished 27-20 overall and 17-13 in the Southern States Athletic Conference. The RedHawks were yet again a tough foe to beat at home, finishing 2014 with a 14-7 record in games played at the East Campus Baseball Complex. As a team, the RedHawks were among the best offensive clubs in the SSAC, finishing the year with a .314 batting average – good enough for second overall in the 14-team league. The RedHawks’ .411 slugging percentage also ranked second in the conference. Junior utility man Seth Staggs was the RedHawks’ top offensive threat in 2014, finishing with a .371 batting average and a .557 slugging percentage. Staggs also cranked 17 doubles, three home runs and drove in 32 runs for the RedHawks.

On the mound, the RedHawks compiled a 4.54 ERA as a staff and were led by senior Clay B r o w n , w h o posted a 3.46 ERA in 96.1 in-nings of work as the team’s primary starter. The right hander finished the year with eight wins, good enough for second in the conference at the conclusion of the

regular season. B r o w n w a s

joined by fellow right hander Blake Bea-vers, who struck out a team-high 53 batters in his 83.2 innings of work and also racked up eight victories on the mound. After finishing the season with a 17-13 league record, the tiebreaker procedure saw the RedHawks fall to the sixth seed in the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament to face Southern Polytech-nic University. The Hornets avenged an earlier weekend series loss to the Red-Hawks, defeating Martin Methodist, 6-3. Facing elimination, the RedHawks battled for a 5-2 victory over University of Mobile in their second ballgame, but fell 8-2 to No. 2 seed Brewton-Parker (Ga.) College in their third contest to see their season come to a close.

Despite fielding one of its young-est rosters in recent memory, the Martin Methodist softball

team saw its share of ups and downs in 2014 in the RedHawks’ first season of play in the highly competitive South-ern States Athletic Conference. With just five upperclassmen featured on the roster, the youthful RedHawks got off to a hot start in 2014, winning their first six games and matching their best start to a sea-son since 2009. As the calendar flipped into March, however, the young RedHawks saw their schedule’s difficulty increase as they took on 11 teams either ranked or receiving

votes in the NAIA’s Top 25. Despite the chal-lenging month, the RedHawks still emerged with a 17-17 overall record and a 5-5 mark in their first 10 SSAC contests. In the month of April, the RedHawks began to turn the proverbial corner as they found their rhythm and emerged as one of the hottest teams in the SSAC, racking up a 31-23 overall record and finish-ing eight games over .500 in conference play to end the regular season. A rough conference tournament draw saw the RedHawks matched up against William Carey (Miss.) University – the No. 1 seed in the SSAC West. Despite a valiant effort, the RedHawks fell in their conference tournament opener and were eliminated two games later to see their season come to a close with a 32-25 overall record. The RedHawks received a slew of awards in the postseason, highlighted by being named a NAIA Scholar-Athlete Team for achieving a cumulative 3.08 grade-point average. Several individual RedHawks racked up postseason awards, as sophomore shortstop Dharianna Familia was named second-team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Familia was also named All-SSAC, joining junior teammate Samantha Wilson, who also took home the league’s Newcomer of the Year award. Junior Alley Benefield was named to the conference’s All-Division squad, while sophomore sec-ond baseman Morgan May earned a Golden Glove honor. Freshman catcher Kate Lambert landed a berth on the league’s All-Freshman squad to round out the team’s individual accolades in 2014.

Baseball teamfaces challengeof SSAC strength

Seth Staggs lays down a bunt against Southern Poly. Staggs, a junior from Santa Fe, Tenn., was the RedHawks' strongest offensive performer during the season.


Youth, improvement marks softball season

Pitcher Caroline Ezell was one of two seniors on the 2013-14 RedHawk softball team.


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RedHawk sports wrap up-

In her 17th season at the helm of the Mar-tin Methodist men’s and women’s tennis programs, head coach Melinda Sevier

saw her team transition into, without question, the tough-est tennis conference in the entire NAIA in the Southern States Athletic Conference. Despite the challenges, however, the RedHawks fought valiantly in 2014, boasting 11 combined wins between the two programs with the men’s tennis program receiving votes in the NAIA’s Top 25 for a majority of the year. In men’s action, juniors Ramiro Vargas and Cristian Arias emerged as the team’s top performers in both sin-gles and doubles action. And while the juniors achieved success on an individual level, it was often their achieve-ments at the No. 1 doubles position that earned the most attention in 2014. In fact, the duo turned in one of the biggest upsets in RedHawk history when they rallied for a stunning upset over the ITA No. 10 tan-dem of Antonio Manuel Marcelo and Diogo Soares, 9-8 (5) in a match against Cumber-land (Tenn.) University on April 1. In addition to Vargas and Arias, freshman Salomon Persson emerged as another bright spot for a RedHawk squad that finished 5-14 overall and 5-6 in SSAC play. The Swedish national continued to improve as the season progressed, highlighted by his singles and doubles victories at the SSAC Conference Tournament in the club’s loss to William Carey (Miss.) University. The RedHawk men’s tennis team also achieved success in the classroom, achieving NAIA Scholar-Athlete Team status by virtue of the team’s collective 3.21 grade-point average. In women’s action, the RedHawks finished with a 6-14 record with all six victories coming in SSAC competition. The RedHawks, who played much of the year with just five active players, struggled to find their footing but kept their heads up and made things difficult against some of the top teams in the SSAC and NAIA.

Wi th a mix ture o f severa l newcomers as well as re-turning veterans, the Mar-

tin Methodist men’s and women’s golf teams turned in another solid season in 2013-14 under head coach Matt Rackley. In women’s golf, the RedHawks started their campaign with a runner-up finish at the Blue Mountain (Miss.) College Invitational on Sept. 9. The RedHawks also enjoyed a fourth-place finish in a competitive field at the RedHawk Spring Classic, which was held April 7-8 at Cane-brake Golf Club in Athens, Ala. The RedHawks finished eighth among the 12 teams at the Southern States Ath-letic Conference Tournament held at La-goon Park Golf Club in Montgomery, Ala. Bobbi Dodson, who spent her previous three years as a member of the RedHawk women’s basketball team, earned All-Tour-nament honors for her Top 10 finish in the William Carey (Miss.) University Collegiate

Fall Classic. Dodson was also honored for her aca-demic successes, earning NAIA Scholar-Ath-lete status by virtue of her 3.8 grade-point average, and she received the Top Female Student-Athlete Award at Martin Methodist’s annual honors convocation. Fellow senior teammate Brittany Kriz joined Dodson on the list with a 3.73 grade-point average. The two Scholar-Athlete selections marked the most of any wom-en’s golf program in the SSAC. In men’s golf, the RedHawks played nine tournaments throughout the year, highlighted by the club’s commanding victory over Roosevelt (Ill.) College in a one-day match on March 29. With three seniors on the roster, the RedHawks showed flashes of brilliance in 2013-14, but inconsistent play often limited the RedHawks from creeping into either a first-place or runner-up finish. Four-year standout DJ Adcock led the RedHawks for much of the year, starting the season with a 73 and a second-place finish at the Blue Mountain (Miss.) College Invi-tational. Adcock con-tinued his strong fall with a fourth-place finish at the Mutts Invitational, hosted by Southern Wesley-an (S.C.) University in mid-October. In addition to Ad-cock, the RedHawks said goodbye to two other seniors in Christopher Fletcher and Austin Smith. Fletcher, who joined the program in 2012, was also recognized by the NAIA for his com-mitment to academic excellence with a spot on the NAIA Men’s Golf Scholar-Athlete Team. Fletcher’s 3.96 grade-point average was one of the best in the NAIA and also among RedHawk student-athletes as he also won Top Male Student-Athlete Award at Martin Methodist’s honors convocation.

Tennis teams face new opposition

Ramiro Vargas and Cristian Arias upset the nation's 10th-ranked doubles team in a match against Cumberland University.


Senior Maria Charrys served as the team’s No. 1 threat at both singles and doubles in her final season in a RedHawk uniform. Teamed with sophomore Callie Thomas, Charrys helped guide the RedHawks to a berth in the SSAC Conference Tournament.

But, despite a valiant effort, the RedHawks saw their season come to an abrupt end in a 9-0 defeat to sixth-ranked Brenau (Ga.) University.

RedHawk golf hasanother solid year

Chris Fletcher was the lonemen's golf team member of the NAIA Scholar-Athlete team, joining women golfers Bobbi Dodson and Brittany Kriz.


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Born and raised in Pakistan, a nation with a Muslim majority, I never thought I would end up pursuing

Christian theological education as a field of study. I was brought up in a Christian family that prioritized church and God, I had built a close relation with God, and church was a significant part of my life. As a kid, I was a regular Sunday school student and later became an active youth member, serving as treasurer for the young people of my church. My faith in God was always firm as a rock, but I lacked the theological knowledge and understanding of Christianity because I did not have ac-cess to good theological education in Paki-stan. In January 2011, I enrolled at Martin Methodist College and took my first New Testament course. I saw myself opening up in my faith in ways I had never experienced before. Since then, I took theological courses every semester at Martin.

Combining business and theology My next goal was to connect business and theology. I have always wanted to work closely with the church and help the Christian community in Pakistan. I decided to make religion a part of my curriculum, and with a major in accounting, I decided to add a minor in religion and philosophy. These past four years that I have spent in college have helped me realize what I want to do in the future, and I have decided to pursue master of divinity and master of business administration or accounting degrees and join the ordained ministry. I feel my calling from God is in assist-ing churches in underdeveloped countries build sound financial systems that can help them run smoothly and support their members in time of need. In Pakistan, we hear of churches being bombed, destroyed and burned down. This not only damages

A United Methodist Women scholarship helps a student find her path for creating change

the church physically, but also affects the people involved both psychologically and financially. The church and the members involved in such devastating events need financial and moral support. If a church – like any business – has funds saved up and sound financial planning, this can help the reconstruction of the church, as well as support the poor and needy members who have lost their loved ones. The church may not be able to return loved ones, but I believe it has the power to support the community. My theological study here has also made me think about young Christian women and men in Pakistan who do not receive this type of education. I would like to start having special Sunday school ser-vices that can give people the opportunity to learn more about theology and think deeply about their faith in God.

A scholarship paves the way My four years of college, my ideas today and my education in the U.S. were only possible because of the scholarship I received from United Methodist Women. My family and I greatly needed and ap-preciated the financial support I received every year. After growing up in a part of the world that is male-dominated and has a patriarchal culture, coming to the U.S. and studying divinity was not an easy decision for me, for women cannot be ordained in Pakistan. I want to change the state of

Christian women in my country, and I feel that they should be allowed to lead, just as women are leading in America. My United Methodist Women scholarship not only helped my education, but it also helped me believe in my ideas, my future and the change I want to bring.

Education leads to change I would like to thank this organiza-tion, its members and everyone who was involved and donated toward these schol-arships, for they have given women and minorities the chance to earn an education so they may change the world they live in. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” and by pursuing ordained ministry myself I will be able to bring other women toward this change. A scholarship from United Methodist Women has affirmed my work and my call from God.

This article is reprinted with permission from the United Methodist Reporter. Sharah Dass graduated summa cum laude in May with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in the area of accounting. She has received a full tui-tion scholarship to Vanderbilt Divinity School and will enroll in the fall. Sharah is the second member of her family to graduate from MMC, following older sister Shiphrah, a 2010 honor graduate who works in the MMC business office.

From Pakistan to Tennessee

By Sharah Dass

Sharah Dass receives congratulations from Board of Trustees Chairman Byron Trauger during the 2014 commencement exercises on May 3.

PHOTO BY JOHN RUSSELLL

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on’t blink when Gary McGuire tells his story. You may miss something fascinating, even in that nano-moment. For McGuire, a 1971 graduate of then-Martin College – seated at a table in his Irish pub, kilt and all – not only weaves a remarkable

(and entertaining) tale, but it’s all true. Well, most of it is true. And therein lies the rub. This man of many talents, including operating one of the most popular restaurants in Murfreesboro, Tenn., can keep a listener lasered in on his life story, and then with a San-ta-like twinkle in his eye, let you know that the last line just slipped past your fiction-radar undetected. Truth be told, outside of the backstory he created on his website for his pub, O’possum’s, and enchanting little touches like the small, bricked-up doorframe that he tells children is where the leprechauns come and go when no one else is around, the facts prove out, and they

No jilt for his kiltStory by Grant Vosburgh Photos by Guy Schafer

Alumnus Gary McGuire has led a fascinating life with a variety of careers. But when he decided, at age 60, to reach back into his Irish roots to open an authentic pub in Middle Tennessee, he and his sons left absolutely no Blarney Stone unturned.

Each year, O'possum's will produce a different mug that patrons can personalize and keep above the bar, ready for their next visit. In the top photo, Gary and his sons, Nick (on his left) and Andrew (seated), pose with some of the 22 employees at O'possum's Irish Pub, which opened in February 2012 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

D

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paint a picture of an accomplished life well led. For the record, let’s go ahead and list the diverse career positions that Gary McGuire has had – and these don’t count the temporary odd jobs that contribute additional color to his story, such as security personnel at Opryland, University of Tennessee police officer, cross-country truck driver, and actor and director at Tennessee Performing Arts Center: • Student minister while attending Martin. • School teacher on an Indian reservation in South Dakota. • Theater and English teacher in Nashville’s Metro school system for 16 years. • Weekend and summer restaurant employee for the founder of O’Charley’s during that same period. • Computer programmer whose successful software company continues today. • Nurse practitioner in Oregon. • And then, at age 60, the final (maybe?) career of his dreams, reaching back into his restaurant experience and his Irish heritage to open O’possum’s in February of 2012.

A hospitable heritageWhen you step inside O’possum’s, located in a long, narrow

storefront in a Kroger shopping center in Murfreesboro, you know it’s an Irish pub. Immediately. The dark, rich wood against the soft, light brick . . . the Irish flag and coat of arms welcoming all comers . . . prominent touches of green all around . . . even a shamrock here, a shamrock there.

And, of course, the kilts. If you’re a McGuire, you’re wearing a kilt. Behind the bar, son Nick, the general manager whose creative talents also contribute to the establishment’s effective marketing, is donned in a solid olive kilt. In the glassed-encased brewery, right inside the front door, son Andrew, a trained brewmaster, works his magic while wearing a wool green-blue-and-white tartan kilt that matches his father’s. All three also sport beards and O’possum’s T-shirts. The Family McGuire is definitely all in.

“My wife and I went to Ireland,” Gary McGuire says. “I was so amazed at the difference between an Irish pub and an American bar. There, it’s more an extension of your living room.”

His family, he says, comes from County Fermanagh near the city of Ulster in Northern Ireland, emigrating to the New World in the mid-1700s. In the town of Enniskillen, the oldest building is Maguire’s stone castle, built by Hugh the Hospitable who died in 1428.

“We visited the mansion built by my ancestor, Hugh the Hos-pitable Maguire. When I got home, my sons began calling me Gary the Gregarious,” he says with a hearty laugh.

Lots of hearty laughs come with Gary the Gregarious. With the white hair, rosy cheeks and the aforementioned twinkle in his eye, it’s no surprise that, shortly after opening the pub – when he had chosen not to shave for several months, sporting a lengthy, snow-white full beard – he entered nearby Kroger and spotted a little boy, aghast that Santa was in the supermarket, out of season

and out of costume.McGuire played along, asking the child what gift was most

popular under the tree last Christmas morning. When the answer came, McGuire snapped his finger, nodded and exclaimed, “I knew that would be your favorite!” as the boy’s parents grinned their approval.

Now when you read the rich, albeit mythical, history of O’pos-sum’s on the oppossumspub.com website, you truly appreciate the jovial nature of the owner, and you understand that his previous experi-ences – preacher, teacher, actor, software creator, even a nurse prac-titioner who surely had a wonderful bedside manner – all figure in to who, and where, he is today.

“It’s a lot of work,” he says, “but I knew it would be. It’s all been great, and business is steadily rising.”

Last fall, in the 14th annual Ruthies (named for Rutherford County, but pronounced like the Babe’s last name), in which the Daily News Journal newspaper looks for the most popular things in Murfreesboro, readers nominated O’possum’s in 11 categories, and voted the pub tops in four: Favorite Non-Franchise Restaurant, Fa-vorite Beer Selection, Favorite Bar and Tavern, and Favorite Brewery.

Preacher, teacher, Irish creatureOK, about those previous careers. The timeline goes something

like this . . . As a student at Martin College planning to go into the ministry,

McGuire served as a youth director at Fayetteville (Tenn.) First Unit-ed Methodist Church and later was the student minister of the Leoma Charge, with seven small, rural congregations.

“Ben Alford was the one who got me to Martin . . . When I told him I was going to Lambuth, he simply said, ‘No, you’re not.’ And he told me about Martin College, and why I needed to go there, instead.

“And I did.”

Gary McGuire, Class of ‘71

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He says he cherishes the experiences of the pre-seminary jour-ney, but he began to lean toward other talents, and after earning his associate’s degree from Martin, he enrolled at Berry College in Rome, Ga., where he majored in theater. Later, he would earn his master’s degree in economics from Tennessee State University.

One of his first teaching experiences was on an Indian reserva-tion in South Dakota, where he taught fourth and fifth grade for one years. He returned to Nashville and taught theater and English in the Metro school system for 16 years.

It was during his Metro teaching period that McGuire got his first taste of the restaurant business, working for Charley Watkins, founder of the O’Charley’s chain, at the inaugural location in Nash-ville. He worked on weekends, holidays and during summer break, learning all facets of the restaurant industry.

In the 1990s, his wife, Jennifer decided to get her nursing prac-titioner degree and enter the healthcare field. McGuire watched as she moved through that process, and he saw a new, intriguing career change. So he enrolled in Vanderbilt University’s nursing program.

As he began that academic challenge, he called upon skills from his software engineering days to develop a program that would do the oft-confusing notation formatting of APA (American Psychological Association) style and the MLA (Modern Language Association) handbook as he wrote research papers.

He earned his master of nursing degree in 1998, and, with that, the McGuires were off to the Pacific Northwest for a new adventure, serving as nurse practitioners in Oregon. They remained there until 2003, when they returned to middle Tennessee.

Shortly after they had arrived in Oregon, however, another amazing chapter was written in the Gary McGuire story when Jenni-

fer suggested to her husband that the software he developed for his Vanderbilt research papers might be something that other college and university students would find beneficial. She encouraged him to put it out on the internet market and see what happens.

“I dressed it up a little graphically and put the software out there under the name of PERRLA, which is a medical acronym for Pupils Equal, Round, Reactive to Light and Accommodation,” he ex-plains. “The first month, I sold about 10 copies, the second month about 15, the third month maybe 25, and it just grew and grew.”

A classic understatement.Today, McGuire’s PERRLA.com enterprise has some 400,000

users. At one point, the University of Phoenix contacted him to provide the software for all of its current and future students. (By 2011, the Phoenix Online Campus had the highest postsecondary enrollment in the nation with 307,900 students, according the U.S. Department of Education.) But McGuire knew he did not have the necessary customer support available for that kind of commitment and passed on the offer. He also passed on the idea of someday selling the business.

And he’s done it all with no regrets, for it was the ongoing growth of PERRLA that eventually made it possible for McGuire to bring his long-held dream of opening his own Irish pub to fruition, complete with his sons’ individual talents of brewmaster and busi-ness marketer.

‘Martin . . . it’s everything’So, as he sits here, on this bright July day, welcoming some

of the early lunch patrons to O’possum’s, it’s abundantly clear that

The Oldest family in IrelandThe O’Possum Clan is said by many to be the oldest family in Ireland. Their history predates Stonehenge in England.

It is said that the O’Possum Clan climbed down from the trees many years before the first Irish clan ancestors made any claim to the Beautiful Emerald Isle. Clan O’Possum has lived and thrived in all parts of Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, the US, France, and most of Province Québec in Canada. It appears that the Clan did begin in Ireland, however. According to the book “Clan O’Possum In Irish Life” by Gary O’Blarney (1996), evidence has been found that members of The Clan were heavily involved in the con-struction of Newgrange and other Neolithic sites in Ireland. Their principle job in Newgrange seems to have been facilitating the transport of the massive stones from the Wicklow mountains before the invention of the wheel. Apparently there was some discussion about inventing the wheel first just to make the whole thing easier, but the other clans were anxious to get going . . . Mashash’s Mistake

It was, however, a not-particularly-bright member of The Clan called Mashash whose attempt to make bread by put-ting the grains in boiling water that caused a happy accident. This young man was chastised by his mother and the mash, as they called it mockingly for its inventor, was set aside while they pondered what to do with it. While it was sitting, however, it began to bubble and had a delicious smell. Most clans would have considered it evil and immediately dumped the mixture and sacrificed something (trendy at the time), but as The Clan was not particularly superstitious, they continued to monitor Mashash’s experiment until it calmed down. And then some bold individual took a drink, and there, that day, beer was born.” (There is more to this story as Mashash’s sister, Distillata, tried further experiments, but that is for a later chapter.)

So there it is. Without Clan O’Possum, we would be drinking only plain water or maybe some sort of cola product, probably only diet, but that would be it. So thank The Clan O’Possum each time you hoist a beer and drink to the health of all!

A creative spin on O’possum historyWhen the McGuires of Murfreesboro decided to tell the “history” of the O’possums of Ireland, patriarch Gary the Gregarious had more fun than is non-fictionally possible. Here are some excerpts. (All that’s missing are the leprechauns that run in and out of the restaurant at night.)

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Great food with a sense of humorFrom the outside, the uninitiated might be surprised to find an Irish pub in a Kroger shopping center. Once inside the front door, however, there's no question of the establishment's authenticity.Whether it's the quintessential Irish humor found above the sink in the men's room or the bricked-up passageway that only opens for special small gentlemen sporting an emerald-tone suit, top hat and a distinctive brogue from the Old Country.

Gary the Gregarious certainly has ancestor Hugh’s hospitality genes in his DNA. His eyes flash that trademark twinkle, his smile fills the room with warmth. It almost feels as if he were made for this very moment, that O’possum’s is his ultimate destiny.

To hear him tell it, however, nothing was ever assured, at least not until he arrived on the campus of Martin College in the fall of 1969.

“Martin . . . it’s everything,” he says, that “life-of-the-party” per-sona suddenly turning earnestly serious. “As I said, I went there with the intention of being a United Methodist minister. I slowly evolved, however. I started acting in Bill Burks’ plays. In fact, we performed a special centennial play for the college’s 100th anniversary in 1970, and I played Thomas Martin.

“If I had gone to Berry College as a freshman, I would have failed,” he says matter-of-factly. “I remember the first paper I wrote for (English instructor) Mrs. (Lois) Keys at Martin. She returned it to me with a note that said, ‘Your handwriting is atrocious. I can hardly tell what words you misspelled.’”

He punctuates the story with another hearty laugh. He relishes the memories, even the tough-love ones like this and any number that came from Bill Burks’s classes, because of the unconditional commitment that they represent. The people at Martin cared, he says. They wanted him to succeed, not just in their particular class, but in everything he chose to do in the future.

If they only knew.“It was mostly those small classes at Martin that made such a

difference for me, and the care the professors gave everyone,” he says. “I had a support system with some of the faculty and staff there. Plus, some of my best friends today are the friends I had at Martin.”

And yet, were it not for one person – one legendary person in Martin Methodist College’s history – Gary McGuire would have never experienced any of it.

“Ben Alford was the one who got me to Martin,” he says. “I was set to go to Lambuth (the Methodist college in Jackson, Tenn.). Ben talked at our high school (as part of his admissions work for Martin), and when I told him I was going to Lambuth, he simply said, ‘No, you’re not.’ And he told me about Martin College, and why I needed to go there, instead. And I did.”

Martin Methodist thanks you, Ben . . . as do the students on that Indian reservation in South Dakota, the theater students from the Met-ro school system, the founder of O’Charley’s, the healthcare patients in Oregon, the 400,000 students using PERRLA software, the little boy who met Santa in Kroger and the children who look for leprechauns in the darkness . . .

And each new customer stepping into O’possum’s Irish Pub, who, in doing so, steps back into a world of shamrocks, Blarney Stones and Hugh the Hospitable.

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Our alumni family amongthe best in higher education

Edna Luna ’06

He didn’t go to college there, but for nearly 30 years, Hershel Lake has embraced Martin Methodist College as his own. As a dedicated trustee since 1986, as a generous benefactor and as a regular attendee of any and all types of Martin

events, he has been as faithful as any alumnus could be. So it was fitting that the Alumni Council at Martin Methodist honored that loyalty during the annual Jubilee Dinner on Friday, May 2, by inducting Lake as the 43rd member of the Hall of Distinction, which was established by the alumni group in 1980. “I am deeply honored tonight,” Lake said. “Martin is special. I’ve lived in communities without a college, and, believe me, it’s so much nicer to live in a college town.” A Pulaski businessman and career journalist, S. Hershel Lake serves as president of the Pulaski Citizen newspaper, radio station WKSR and Holley’s Printing. He also has ownership of newspapers in Haleyville, Hamilton, Fayette and Carrolton, Alabama, as well as a radio station in Morristown, Tenn., and Southern Office Products and Printing in Lawrenceburg, Tenn. But in presenting the award, Byron Trauger, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said that of all the communities where Lake has a business interest, the fact that he has chosen to live in Pulaski since 1985 makes Giles County – and especially Martin Methodist College – the real winner. “Hershel embraced this institution and worked tirelessly for its advancement,” Trauger said. “His particular expertise in communications benefited the public relations efforts through the years, and his love for and insights about this community made for prudent decisions at critical times. He helped originate a major fundraising drive and then chaired that drive for its first three years, exceeding the goal each year. “Meanwhile, his financial contributions have been constant and considerable, offering the college generous in-kind services from his three communications businesses here in the community: the Pulaski Citizen, radio station WKSR and Holley’s Printing, whose employees take special pride in printing materials for the college, especially The Columns, the magazine of Martin Methodist College,” he said. Lake, a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., studied civil engineering and general business at

Longtime trustee, business leader inducted into Hall of Distinction

Hershel Lake

Chairman of the Board of Trustees Byron Trauger (right) makes the Alumni Association's Hall of Distinction presentation to Hershel Lake, a longtime member of the Board of Trustees. Lake becomes the 43rd inductee into the Hall of Distinction.


It’s been another great and successful academic year here at Martin. As I reflect, I am amazed at how close the alumni are, as I am amazed how small the world is. No matter where I travel, it never fails that someone will say, “Oh, yes, I (or my mom, dad, grandparent) went to school there.” Sometimes you hear that a daughter, son or grandchild attends there now or “I met my spouse there.” Others will say, “my daughter/son or granddaughter/grandson is a junior in high school, and I am bringing him/her to visit campus.” See, it’s a small world and wonderful at that. We host multiple events on campus every year, and each one is supported by so many – from Homecoming to class reunions to the sports Hall of Fame to the Golden Jubilee to the Hall of Distinction and the Jubilee dinner, just to name a few. We also host a wonder-ful golf tournament and trap shoot competition. I can’t comprehend how any other higher ed-ucation institution can have as remarkable a group as our alumni. We have alumni that meet every other month for lunch; some that gather ev-ery Jan. 1 to start the new year together; a group that meets every year the Friday after Thanksgiving; an alumni and friends fish fry every July 4 . . . and the list goes on and on. So, that said, let me share with you a list of upcoming events: • Sept. 13, 2014 – Class of 1974 40-year reunion • Sept. 18, 2014 – Golf tournament • Oct. 8, 2014 – Giles County Scholarship Campaign breakfast • Oct. 11, 2014 – Trap Shoot Competition • Oct. 28, 2014 – Marshall County, TN area event • Feb. 7, 2015 – Homecoming & Sports Hall of Fame • May 1, 2015 – President’s Society, Golden Jubilee, Hall of Distinction Induction, and Senior Dinner • Dates to be set: Sweetheart Banquet, other class reunions and events. (Check our website.)

Please join us for any event, but as you know already, we welcome you on campus any day, any time. Make your visit personal, because the education at Martin is personal. Until next issue, take care and God bless!

Edna Luna, Class of 2006 Assistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement

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Class NotesHave you changed jobs or received a promotion? Moved to a new city or even just a different street? Gotten married or had a baby? The Columns welcomes the news of the Martin Methodist College alumni. You can write, call, or e-mail . . . just let us know, so we can let your classmates know!

Address: Alumni Office, Martin Methodist College, 433 W. Madison St., Pulaski, TN 38478Phone: 931-363-9824 or 1-800-467-1273, ext. 3824.E-mail: [email protected]

1953 John Proctor of Ridgeland, Miss., writes that he has fond memories of Martin College, having made many friends for life during his student days. He has been married for 59 years and he and his wife have three children, two daughters and a son. “I have enjoyed two great careers,” he says, having traveled for 20-plus years in men’s apparel sales before getting a real estate license in 1983. “I opened my own brokerage in 2002. I am still working real estate.” Finally, he regrets that he resides so far from his alma mater. “I wish I could visit Martin more often. The Columns is a great publication.”

1958 Mary Elizabeth Boyd Pollett and husband Buford of Wrightsville, Ga., celebrated their 50th anniversary on June 28 of this year. A special reception was held on July 27 at Miss Butler’s Bed and Breakfast in Pulaski. Mary Elizabeth, originally from Minor Hill, Tenn., in southern Giles County, met Buford on July 4, 1963, while working a vacation Bible school in Georgia as part of the US@missionary program. She retired from teaching in 1990, after having taught in Tennessee and in four communities in Georgia, including Wrightsville. The Polletts have one son, Buford Boyd Pollett, and two granddaughters.

Lake, a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., studied civil engineering and general business at the University of Alabama. He then attended Alabama Military Academy, a National Guard officers candidate school. He began his career in the com-munications industry as advertising sales representative for the Tuscaloosa News and later served the same role for the Montgomery Advertiser/Alabama Journal. He later served as editor and publisher of the Crossett (Ark.) News-Observer, Cookeville (Tenn.) Herald-Citizen and Carthage (Tenn.) Courier. He operated the Crossett and Cookeville papers for an absentee owner, and entered business for himself with the purchase of the Carthage Courier in 1976. Soon after that, he purchased the Giles Free Press and Pulaski Citizen. He moved his family to Giles County in

1985 and was invited to join the Board of Trustees at Martin Methodist a year later. His involvement with Martin Methodist College includes helping originate a major fundraising drive and serving as chairman of that drive for its first three years, exceeding the goal each year. He has served as vice chairman and chairman of the audit and development/public relations committees. He has been involved in countless other civic organizations in the various communities in which he’s lived, including the Giles County Economic Development committee, Pulaski Main Street Project, Giles County Mental Health Association, Giles County Chamber of Commerce, the American Heart Association and chairing a campaign to raise $600,000 for the renovation and expansion of the local library.

A 46-year Rotarian, Lake is a Paul Harris Fellow and has held numerous posts at the local and district levels. He is also a member of the Alabama Softball Hall of Fame. “A man of strong convictions and Christian morals, a committed community worker and generous benefactor, a lover of laughter and good humor, and a professional dedicated to chronicling the ongoing story of Pulaski and Giles County, Hershel Lake can easily be elevated to the category of community treasure,” Trauger said. “Tonight, on the eve of the 143rd commencement of this institution, he becomes the 43rd member of the Hall of Distinction, placing him in a special group of alumni and friends who have had a powerful and lasting impact on a place that they hold dear, Martin Methodist College. And we are all the better for it.”

Hershel Lake

A special 1958 reunionA self-described “girls’ mini-reunion” was held last fall in Asheville, N.C., for six members of the Class of 1958. Standing in front of the Biltmore House are (from left): Carolyn Seals Cole, Martha (LuLu) Lunsford Grant, Sarah Edney Ellis, Sarah Bratton Lillard, Jane Buttler Bowser and Jane Dowlen Parmley. Jane and her husband, Ingram, residents of Asheville, hosted the gathering. “We had a great time catching up, reminisc-ing about old times and seeing who has contact with other classmates,” wrote Jane Parmley. “We were at Martin from 1956 to 1958. We plan to continue this periodically.”

New academic scholarshipPHOTO BY GUY SCHAFER

Garry Speich, a 1964 Martin graduate from Crossville, Tenn., was on campus during the spring semester to establish a scholarship in memory of his late wife, Sara Margaret (Peggy) Williams Speich, also a member of the Class of 1964. Looking on are: (seated, from left) his son, Eric, of Mt. Juliet, Tenn.; his fiancée, Donna Thurman of Hendersonville, Tenn; as well as (stand-ing, from left) MMC President Ted Brown, Edna Luna, assistant vice president for institutional advancement, and David Jones, vice president for institutional ad-vancement.

1966 Larry H. Woody, a longtime resident of Nashville, was inducted into the Tennessee Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame, during a banquet at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn., on July 10. Larry, a native of Crossville,Tenn., joined The Tennessean in Nashville full-time in 1970 after returning from an infantry tour of duty in Vietnam. He covered Vanderbilt, the Ohio Valley Conference, the SEC, NASCAR and outdoors and won writing awards from UPI and Gannett and was Tennessee Sportswriter of the Year three times. Larry is a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and is the author of six books. He was inducted into the Martin Methodist Sports of Hall of Fame in 2001.

1976 William Richard Ezell, senior pastor of Greer (S.C.) First Baptist Church, has authored six books and contributed to 10 others. Recently, Rick released “The Seven Sins of Highly Defective People,” which takes an honest look at each of the seven deadly sins and the virtues that are

Erline Patrick stepped to the podium as the 2014 Servant Leader Award recipient at her alma mater and immediately addressed Martin Methodist College President Ted Brown.

“Dr. Brown, I just want to let you know that had I not gotten a scholarship to come to Martin in 1939 during the Great Depression, I would have not gone to college,” said the 1941 graduate, who went on to earn degrees at Middle Tennessee State University. “Thank you for all that Martin College has done for me; I can never, never repay Martin,” said Mrs. Patrick, 90, who smiled as Dr. Ed Trimmer, executive director of the Turner Center for Church Leadership, introduced her to the Jubilee Dinner audience on May 2, as “Miss Martin of 1939,” one of the many honors she received during her two years at what was then a two-year junior college. She certainly doesn’t need to repay Martin Methodist College; after all, her life over the past seven decades has been the embodiment of giving back and serving others. A resident of Fayetteville, Tenn., and a member of First United Methodist Church of Fayetteville, Patrick spent 37 years teaching, most of those years in the Fayetteville City School System. Even after her retirement, however, she continued reaching out to others, working with the Adult Education program at Motlow State Community College, where she taught English as a Second Language (ESL) to foreign-born students, helping adults get their General Education Development (GED) degree, and assisting English students in the Motlow College Writing Lab. Her service wasn’t limited to the classroom, however. She was involved in her community, serving on the Fayetteville City School Board, a 14-year tenure as an alderman on the Fayetteville Board of Mayor and Alderman, eight years on the Fayetteville Public Utility Board, 25 years on the board of the local public library, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and her long service to the

Alpha Kappa Club, a literary club that provides scholarships to local students. In addition, she has taught Sunday School at her church since 1953. “At 90 years young, she is still one of the most active, passionate and responsible members in the First United Methodist Church in Fayetteville,” says Reba Seals, a 1968 graduate of Martin who serves as secretary of the Alumni Council and nominated Mrs. Patrick for the award. “She grew up on a farm in Franklin County, Tennessee, during the Great Depression and learned the values of saving, of hard work and of doing one’s best with what was available, to benefit all. These ‘life lessons’ have served Erline well during her long and active career. The attributes of both mercy and servant leadership are clearly evident in Erline’s choice of teaching as her life’s work. “Mrs. Erline Patrick could not be described by any better name than that of ‘servant leader,’” Mrs. Seals says. “She personifies that term.” She and her late husband, Harold, had two sons, Don and Gary, and two grandchildren. She was the fourth recipient of the Servant Leader Award since its creation in 2011.

Erline Patrick, a member of the Class of 1941, makes a point to thank her alma mater for all the wonderful blessings her life has had as a result of her two years as a student.


For seven decades, she has personified 'servant-leader'

Erline England Patrick ’41

Rick Ezell

Larry Woody

needed to overcome each. It can be found on various eBook websites.

2002 Nathan Baker is the new head volleyball coach at Peru State College in Nebraska, joining the Bobcat program on Jan. 15 of this year with 12 years of experience as a head coach or an assistant at the college level. For the last two years, he served as director of athletics at Brevard Christian School in West Melbourne, Fla. He also served on the facilities and event management staff at the University of Central Florida. His last coaching stop was as an assistant coach for three years at NCAA Division I Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Prior to that, he was the head coach at NCAA Division II institutions Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn., and the University of West Alabama. In his first season at Tusculum, his team posted a 14-win improvement at 23-10 overall. In the following year, the Pioneers surpassed their previous win mark with a 25-10 record. As the leader of West Alabama’s program, he led them to a berth in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) Tournament at a record of 22-11 in 2009. His earlier positions were as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Campbell University in North Carolina from 2003-06 and head volleyball and softball coach in 2002 at Colorado North-western College, a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association. He received his bachelor’s degree in human services from Martin Methodist in 2002, while serving as a student volleyball assistant for two years. Nathan is married to the former Jessica McDougal of Pulaski, and they have two daughters, 8-year-old Emma and 6-year-old Morgan.

2009 Upon graduation from Martin Methodist with her nursing degree, Melissa Hatch moved back to Corpus Christi, Texas, and worked there for two years. In 2011, she moved back to Nashville and accepted a job in the CVICU at Vanderbilt Medical Center, continuing to work there until August 2013 when she started the family nurse practitioner program at Belmont University. She then began working at Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia, Tenn. She expects to get her FNP degree in December of this year. “I understand the nursing program has changed a lot since I left,” she writes. “I hope that the program is still top-notch. I credit much of my career success to the MMC nursing program . . . I could not have asked for a better program to prepare me to be a nurse.”

Nathan Baker

The following individuals are guiding the activities of a busy Martin Methodist College Alumni Council during this academic year. President Samuel Holden ’74, Nashville, Tenn. President-elect L. Overton Campbell ‘75, Franklin, Tenn.Secretary Reba Seals ’68, Fayetteville, Tenn. Treasurer Darlene Baxter ‘66, Columbia, Tenn.

Benjamin Biddy ‘12, Knoxville, Tenn.Brenda Ogilvie Brown ‘71, Chapel Hill, Tenn.Jerry W. Burlison ‘70, Centerville, Tenn.J. Brad Butler ‘05, Pulaski, Tenn.Jerry W. Campbell ‘69, Murfreesboro, Tenn.Margaret Campbell ‘91, Pulaski, Tenn.Siron “Si” Culp ‘68, Clifton, Tenn.Mark W. Durm ‘70, Athens, Ala.Gailand Osburn Grinder ‘68, Waynesboro, Tenn.Royce Springer Hughes ‘60, Pulaski, Tenn.Joy Lewter ‘65, Chapel Hill, Tenn.Debbie Denson Lloyd ‘71, Antioch, Tenn.James Marion Malone, Jr. ‘67, Fayetteville, Tenn.Charlie C. Pope ‘95, Normandy, Tenn.Nancy Allen Pruitt ‘70, Lewisburg, Tenn.J. Allen Scoggin ‘64, Memphis, Tenn.Brandon Michael Steever ‘13, Pulaski, Tenn.Rita Marie Tingle ‘72, Lawrenceburg, Tenn.Monica D. Tucker ‘02, Flintville, Tenn.The Rev. Thomas E. Vann ‘59, Centerville, Tenn.Carol Hamlett Wade ‘06, Lynnville, Tenn.Terry M. Whitt ‘69, Ardmore, Tenn.Doug Williamson ‘67, Columbia, Tenn.Christin Martin ’15, Savannah, Tenn., SGA PRESIDENT

MMC Alumni Councilfor 2014-15 year

Chad Hibdon directs the Blackman High girls basketball team during the 2013-14 season. The Lady Blaze posted a 34-1 record as USA TODAY's top team in the nation.

PHOTO FROM NAPLES DAILY NEWS

Winning a state championship in high school basketball doesn’t happen often. Coaching the team

to a national number one ranking happens even less often. Being named the top high school girls basketball coach in the nation almost never happens. For Chad Hibdon, the 2013-14 season was simply one of those once-in-a- lifetime seasons. The 1996 Martin Methodist alumnus led his girls team from Blackman High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn., to a 34-1 record, en route to all the aforementioned accolades. It was Hibdon’s ninth season as head coach of the Lady Blaze. In his first two seasons,

Chad Hibdon ’96Martin alum named nation’s top girls coach

his girls team won only 10 games total. Since then, Blackman has qualified for the state tournament three times. He now has an overall record there of 167-96, including having gone 148-34 in the past six seasons. At the conclusion of the 2013-14 season, the Lady Blazers were at the top of three na-tional polls: USA TODAY, MaxPreps and ESPN. “It’s a little bit overwhelming (because) there are so many unbelievable coaches out there,” he told one newspaper reporter. “There are so many people that have impacted my life. I hope every one of them that reached out and have been a part of that, I hope that they are feeling the joy and excitement of this accolade and accomplishment.”

35

In memoriamSarah Frances Case Harris ’40 of Holts Corner Community in Marshall County, Tenn., died July 11, 2014, at the age of 93. Mary Elizabeth (Meg) Griggs Hathaway ’45 of San Antonio, Texas, died June 10, 2014, at the age of 87. William D. Liddle ’57 of San Marcos, Texas., died Feb. 27, 2014, at the age of 76.Elinor Joy McMasters ’57 of Pulaski died April 23 2014, at the age of 76. Thomas Wayne Blankenship ’62 of Mt. Pleasant, Tenn., died July 7, 2014, at the age of 72.Jerry Harwell Aymett ’65 of Nashville, Tenn., died June 16, 2014, at the age of 69.Larry Don Gibbons ’66 of Nauvoo, Ala., died March 22, 2014, at the age of 69.Kenneth Darrel Williamson ’65 of Pulaski, died April 14, 2014, at the age of 65. Clyde Micheal (Mike) Garrett ’74 of Winchester, Tenn., died March 3, 2014, at the ge of 59.Arnold M. (Matt) Brewer ’80 of McMinnville, Tenn., died April 13, 2014, at the age of 54.

Alumni take part in Commencement fun

PHOTOS BY JOHN RUSSELL

2011 Simone Coleman lives in Philadelphia, Pa., where she spent time as a sales associate for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basket-ball Association and now is an account executive at JG Wentworth. Outside of work, she volunteers for The American Foundation for Sui-cide Prevention, which, she says, has “helped me a lot with patience and leadership skills as a whole. Also, my involvement just helped me be a more positive person and seek out the good in other people.”

2012 Michael Poirier has lived in Kansas City, Kan., since his gradua-tion, and works at General Motors’ Fairfax Assembly plant there. He is a labor relations representative, tracking employees’ grievances, dealing with contractual agreements and negotiations and conducting orientation sessions for new employees. The criminal justice major says he got lucky when, right after getting a temporary position on the assembly line, the position of contract supervisor came open. He has been with GM for 18 months.

2013 It was a good coaching debut for Peyton Newton this past winter as his Cornersville (Tenn.) High School girls basketball team won the district regular-season title with a 10-2 record and district tourna-ment en route to a 17-12 overall mark in his first season. Peyton, who played at nearby Richland High School, was named the Lady Dogs’ head coach last summer, shortly after earning his degree in physical education at Martin Methodist. He teaches P.E., wellness and personal finance. “Cornersville was one of those teaching positions I had my eye on,” he says. “Being so close to home and for it to be such a good school, it was kind of a dream job that I might have a chance to have someday. So for it to be my first job, I just was really blessed.” Then, on the first day that the coach could meet with the players, he walked into the gym to a dream sight for a new coach to see. “It wasn’t anything mandatory (as far as attendance by the players), but all the girls were in there shooting and doing drills, without being told. I saw that the work ethic was there, and once the season started, we came together as a family, and, even with only one senior, the further along in the season we went, the closer they became.” Oh, and he will have only one senior on this year’s roster, too. He and his wife, the former Jenny Brewer, who graduated in 2010, live in Pulaski.

Michael Poirier

‘For all the saints, who from their labors rest ...’

Peyton Newton

Simone Coleman

Alumni played a big role in Commencement weekend. At the Jubilee Dinner on Friday, May 2, Lurleen Meador Elliott of Columbia, Tenn., was the lone member of the Class of 1954 present to celebrate the 60-year Diamond Jubilee.

Celebrating the 50-year Golden Jubilee were members of the Class of 1964 (from left): Allen Scoggin, Henrietta Burnley McCroskey, Garry Speich, Mike McCroskey, Kent McNish, Alvin Ken-nemer, Mary Hagood Kennemer, Gene Wilker-son, Lynn Aita Keiffer, Bruce Little, Sissy Gourieux and Thomas Smith. Not pictured: Joy Lewter and Ed Harmon.

Alumni Council members attending Commence-ment were (from left): Ben Biddy, Joy Lewter, Overton Campbell, Carol Wade, Charlie Pope, Doug Williamson, Monica Tucker, Sam Holden, Reba Seals, Margaret Campbell, Darlene Baxter, Brandon Steever, Rita Tingle, Allen Scoggin, Terry Whitt, Jim Malone, Si Culp and alumni director Edna Luna.

36

he afternoon I got the call saying that

I had won a full-ride (Barton Scholarship)

to Martin Methodist, I nearly gave my mother

a panic attack. I burst into hysterical tears the

moment I was off the phone. That evening,

the financial aid brochures to all the

various colleges went into the trash.

My road to Japan ran through Martin Methodist

T

Jessica Miller KramerClass of 2009

Jessica Miller Kramer was selected as a Barton Scholar during her last semester as a high school senior in

2005. She finished Martin Methodist four years later, receiving the

President’s Award for having the highest grade point average in the

graduating class. Shortly after commencement, she left for Japan,

where she first taught at a conversational English school

and now works at an international school.

I never thought Highway 11 would lead to Japan. Driving through the cow-speckled hills, I was fairly certain it led simply to Pulaski, Tenn. But I’ve come to learn that roads can be deceptive. They twist and wind so much that sometimes you can’t see clearly what lies around the next curve. Riding with my parents to the

Barton Scholars competition, I never dreamed just how far Highway 11 would take me. It’s been almost 10 years since that day. And though I always believed the competition would forever be ingrained in my memory, it seems time isn’t partial to events either significant or small. The years have rubbed away the details. I remember the rain. I remember being so nervous I shook. I remember worrying about my choice of clothing, about the expression on Dr. Harwell’s face during my interview, about the time limit on the essay – most desperately about that. And I remember the ride home to Nashville. I was slumped in the back-seat of the car, exhausted. The other students I had met had been so smart, so well-spoken and so qualified. I thought there was little hope for me. I watched the rain patter on the darkened windows as Highway 11 faded in the rearview mirror. The afternoon I got the call from Robby Shelton saying I had won a full-ride to Martin Methodist College, I nearly gave my mother a panic attack. I managed to finish the conversation with some pretension of composure, but I burst into hysterical tears the moment I was off the phone. That evening, the financial aid brochures to all the various colleges on the kitchen counter went in the trash. It’s strange to look back on my college days now and recall the pieces settling into place. The friends I made my first semester are still some of the most important people in my life. Martin’s large international student population made it no surprise that many of the people I grew close to were from the far reaches of the world. By my sophomore year, I was on my first international flight. My scholarship had given me the freedom to spend a summer’s earnings on a winter vacation with my dear friend Eri in her family’s home outside Tokyo, Japan. I didn’t know what I want-ed to do with my life, but by the time I came back from that trip, I knew where I wanted to go. By graduation, I was so desperate to see Japan again that I took the biggest risk of my life. My then- fiancé (now husband) and I sold everything we owned, from our cars to our clothes, and bought one-way tickets to the other side of the world. We’d accepted positions at an eikaiwa, a conversational English school, in Ibaraki, Japan. Packing my life into two suitcases and hoping there would be someone waiting for me at the other end of a 13-hour flight was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done. It was also the most exciting. That first year living outside Tokyo, like that rainy day in Pulaski, has become a blur in my memory. Everything was an adventure then – shopping for groceries, watching TV, driving on the left-hand side. Even the toilets were strange. In fact, there was so much to process, even if just subconsciously, that a few months into the move I began to get headaches for seemingly no reason at all – a side-effect of prolonged culture-shock. Though everyday adventures still happen from time to time, they aren’t nearly as unexpected or frequent now. The language isn’t an issue. (This is more so due to my husband’s proficiency than mine.) Going to a restaurant, even one that serves tiny, baby squids, is as mundane as it was to go to La Fuente or Country Kitch-en. I’m entirely unsurprised by toilets, regardless of whether they’re holes in the floor or so high-tech they spray perfume and play music. I still don’t know what I want to do. I had hoped that living abroad would shed some light on that topic. I work at an international school now, where I have students from more countries than I can name. Working abroad can be thrilling, especially in such an environment. There are days, more recently now than before, when I think my adventure in Japan is coming to a close. There are days when I desperately miss the sound of a Tennessee thunderstorm, the smell of my mom’s spaghetti casserole, the glow of late-night American TV, and the comfort of existing in a culture where how I act and look and think is normal. Every day, I miss my family and friends. But just like that first trip with Eri abroad, getting a taste of the world has only made me crave more, and I’m not quite certain that I’m ready to leave the adventuring behind. I’d like to say where I think I’m headed, but I know now that you can’t ever really be certain. Roads are deceptive, twisty things. For all I can tell, maybe in the end Highway 11 will lead to Pulaski, Tenn. after all.

... wants you to mark your calendars

NOW!The Martin Methodist College Alumni Association

will host two fundraising events this fall . . . the popular RedHawk Golf Classic

(set for Thursday, Sept.18) and the RedHawk Trap Shoot Tournament

(set for Saturday, Oct. 11).

Call 931-363-9824 for more informationon these two great events!

Have fun ... while you support your college!

Special thanks to our 2013 corporate sponsors of the

golf tournament:• Frito Lay

• Mrs. Grissom’s Salads • First Farmers Bank

and the Presenting Sponsor of the Trap Shoot tournament:

• Mrs. Grissom’s Salads

2nd annual

TRAP SHOOTOctober 11, 2014

First Farmers & Merchants Bank

20th Annual

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 Rain out date: Sept. 25, 2014

King’s CreekGolf ClubSpring Hill, TN

M A R T I N M E T H O D I S T C O L L E G E4 3 3 W E S T M A D I S O N S T R E E TP U L A S K I T N 3 8 4 7 8

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDNASHVILLE, TNPERMIT NO. 768

From Martin Methodist College Press . . .

College’s Alford Church Leader Scholarship program.

Ben Alford’s half-century journal, “Naming a Love,” which was featured in the fall 2013 issue of The Columns, and a companion publication of his sermons, articles and other writings, entitled “The Dance of the Holy Nobodies,” are now in hardback edition and available through the Martin Methodist bookstore website at www.mmcbookstore.com/home.aspx. Proceeds from all Alford book sales benefit the college’s Ben Alford Church Leader Scholarship program.

Documents

Fall 2014- Volume 13, Number 1