The Magazine of Elon, Summer 2009

10 yearsand counting for President Lambert

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9

President emeritus Earl Danieley ’46, at

left, looked on in June as Holland House,

once the offi cial residence of Elon’s

president, was moved nearly half a mile

from main campus and over the railroad

tracks to its new home on South Campus.

The move took two weeks of

preparation and two days to complete.

Holland House was moved from Haggard

Avenue to make room for a plaza at

the front of the Academic Village.

Crews contended with utility

poles, tree branches and, in true Elon

fashion, an eastbound Amtrak train

before setting the house down next

to Holt Chapel. Danieley, the home’s

original tenant, was among those who

gathered to watch the big move.

“I’m so happy that the university

is keeping the building,” he said.

“It will be located in a nice place. It

will be used for another generation.

To me, that’s wonderful.”

Holland House will become

the home of the new Catholic

Newman Center at the university.

Features

Departments

Hiding in Plain SightBY JALEH HAGIGH

One of Elon’s oldest artifacts — the bell that hung in the Old Main

administration building — makes a comeback.

Preserving Jewish HistoryBY ERIC TOWNSEND

Students rescue dozens of abandoned Yiddish books, including

several rare texts, during a service trip to Uruguay.

Faculty Profi le

Great ExpectationsBY KRISTIN SIMONETTI ’05

In the classroom and in her research, Laura Roselle leads by example.

Cover Story

Still Soaring

President Leo M. Lambert refl ects on his 10 years at Elon and the

ambitious plans for the university’s future.

Alumni Profi le

Strike Up the BandBY DAVE HART

Alumni band members dust off their instruments and reminisce as

the campus prepares to celebrate 100 years of Elon’s marching band.

12

14

16

18

24

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F The Magazine of ElonSummer 2009, Vol. 71, No. 3

Editor

Jaleh Hagigh

Designer

Christopher Eyl

News Editor

Eric Townsend

Photographer

Grant Halverson

Copy Editor

Kristin Simonetti ’05

Class Notes

Holley Berry

Student Writers

Sarah Costello ’11

Bethany Swanson ’09

Director of University Relations

Daniel J. Anderson

The Magazine of Elon is published

quarterly for alumni, parents and friends

by the Offi ce of University Relations.

336-278-7415

Editorial offi ces

The Magazine of Elon

2030 Campus Box

Elon, NC 27244-2020

Class Notes

Elon Offi ce of University Relations

2030 Campus Box

Elon, NC 27244

E-mail: [email protected]

Elon Web site

www.elon.edu

Magazine Web site

www.elon.edu/magazine

Board of Trustees, Chair

Allen E. Gant Jr., Burlington, N.C.

Elon Alumni Board, President

Bill Coff man ’86, G’88, Greenville, N.C.

Young Alumni Council, President

Caroline Sage ’02, Atlanta, Ga.

Parents Council, Co-Presidents

Dave & Ellen Kay P’10, P’12, Oakton, Va.

Board of Visitors, Chair

Alva S. McGovern ’72, Atlanta, Ga.

School of Law

Advisory Board, Chair

David Gergen, Cambridge, Mass.

Love School of Business


Peter Tourtellot, Greensboro, N.C.

School of Communications


Don Bolden, Burlington, N.C.

Phoenix Club Advisory Board, Chair

Amy Thomas Hendrickson ’69, Raleigh, N.C.

Director of Alumni Relations

Sallie Hutton ’92

Director of Parent Programs

Maggie Byerly

2 ELON News

9 PHOENIX Sports

26 ALUMNI Action

30 CLASS Notes

40 MAKING A Diff erence

niversity presidencies are often chronicled by the opening of new

buildings, new programs and accolades that come to an institution.

And while signifi cant, these accomplishments often do not capture

many important aspects of an institution’s progress. Elon’s success is due in large

measure because so many talented people share in its leadership.

Refl ectionson 10 years

board’s steadfast commitment to excellence

has been a constant source of inspiration and

learning for me.

Another thrill I have experienced over the

past 10 years has been the tremendous expan-

sion of the faculty and staff , now numbering

more than 1,100. Th ese are the people who

work closest with the students and who create

one of the most special environments in the

nation for learning. Th eir creativity, passion,

commitment to excellence in teaching and

scholarship, and genuine concern for students

and their learning have led Elon to the fore-

front of the most innovative institutions in

the nation in undergraduate education. Th ey

are my respected and valued colleagues and

have taught me a great deal about Elon’s en-

during values.

I have also been profoundly touched by

the actions of Elon’s many generous support-

ers — too numerous to mention by name —

whose acts of philanthropy shape the campus

each day. I think of their leadership and gen-

erosity each time I enter a building or a room

bearing their names, or meet a student hold-

ing a scholarship that provides an opportunity

for a life-changing education. I know most

of these supporters personally, many have

become dear friends, and I have been awed

by their unselfi sh commitment to our values

as a community.

In refl ecting on the past 10 years at Elon, I

have two overwhelming impressions. Th e fi rst

is about the incredible speed of life. Laurie

and I arrived at Elon with Callie in eighth

grade and Mollie in fi fth; our older daughter

is now married and in her third year of medi-

cal school and the younger is about to begin

her last year of college. Th ere is nothing like

watching your children blossom into adults to

remind you that time passes quickly.

Personal loss has also punctuated our

happy time at Elon. Both Laurie and I have

lost our fathers while here, my sister Louise

passed away following her heroic battle with

epilepsy and cancer, and my mother is now

on the diffi cult journey of Alzheimer’s disease

after a lifetime of taking care of others. All

these life changes — seeing a daughter mar-

ried, saying goodbye to a parent — have only

reminded us how unbelievably lucky we are to

have wonderful, loving, supportive families to

share in celebrating the joys and mourning the

losses that every family faces. We have been

doubly blessed to feel the love and support

from the Elon family at every step.

My second impression is that the oppor-

tunity to serve Elon over the past 10 years has

been the privilege of a lifetime for Laurie and

me. Next to our family, the work that we do

at Elon has been the most special and rarest

of privileges — one that we truly cherish. We

look forward to the chapters ahead.

Leo M. Lambert

President

Presidential transitions sometimes can be

perilous for universities. One of the most im-

portant — but perhaps unsung — successes

of the past decade was the smooth transition

in the Elon presidency following the long and

successful tenures of Fred Young and Earl

Danieley. I am in both Earl’s and Fred’s debt

for their unrelenting support of the university

and its continued development, and of me

personally.

For much of this decade, I have had the

privilege of working with the best executive

leadership team in the country that Fred as-

sembled — Gerry Francis, Nan Perkins, Alan

White, Gerald Whittington, Smith Jackson,

Susan Klopman, Dan Anderson, Sara Peterson

— and each has made profound contributions

to our progress as a university. New faces have

joined the group — Steven House, Dave

Blank, Jim Piatt, Lisa Keegan — and have

brought new energy and fresh insights. And,

of course, the staff of the president’s offi ce

— Jo Williams, Sandra Fields, Carolyn Ent

and Robin Plummer, and formerly Helen

Ellington — prove the point that it “takes a

village to raise a president.”

Th e board of trustees, and particularly

those individuals who have chaired the board

during my time at Elon — Bob LaRose, Gail

Drew, Zac Walker, Jim Powell, Noel Allen

and Allen Gant — have made astoundingly

important leadership contributions. Being

a trustee at Elon is a labor of love, and the

ELON News

2 THE MAGAZINE OF ELON

Leo M. Lambert

Faculty and staff honored for excellenceFour Elon faculty and staff members were recognized May 13 for outstanding

teaching, scholarship, mentoring and service at the annual faculty-staff awards

luncheon.

Glenda Crawford, professor of education, received the Daniels-Danieley

Award for Excellence in Teaching. Colleagues and students praised Crawford for

leading lively discussions and inspiring creativity in the classroom.

“Due to her deep knowledge of the subject matter she teaches, as well as her

awareness of how to bring such content ‘to life,’ Glenda is easily able to teach

content in a meaningful and engaging way,” wrote a colleague who nominated

Crawford for the award.

Crawford has written fi ve books addressing the unique relationship between

adolescents and learning. She regularly shares her expertise by participating in

professional conferences and meetings. In addition, she launched the Amigos

Project, which fosters interaction between Hispanic middle school students for

whom English is a second language and Elon senior education majors.

Laura Roselle, professor of political science, was named Elon’s Distinguished

Scholar. Roselle has written two books, co-authored a third and edited two

additional books, and has written numerous published articles. Her scholarship

focuses on political communication and the relationship between communication

and international relations theory (see story on page 16).

Connie Book, associate dean of the School of Communications, received the

Ward Family Excellence in Mentoring Award. Book has mentored more than 100

students in their research projects over the past decade and supervises an

internship program in the School of Communications.

“She is a role model in every sense,” said a student who nominated Book. “I

look up to her intellect and work ethic but also to her kindness and gentle nature.

She has encouraged me to think far beyond my self-imposed limitations and has

inspired me to stretch all of life’s possibilities.”

Keith Dimont, supervisor of automotive services, received the Periclean

Award for Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility. Dimont has worked

extensively with Amber’s House of Dance in Burlington, N.C., building props and

working backstage during performances. He also built basketball hoops free of

charge for Western Alamance High School’s summer basketball camp, volunteered

at community festivals and collected food for those in need.

“So many call on him for one thing or another because they know that he is

there for them,” wrote a colleague. “Just ask, and it is done.”

FIRST CLASS ENROLLS IN INTERACTIVE

MEDIA PROGRAM

Th irty-eight students have enrolled in the

charter class of Elon’s newest graduate pro-

gram, a master of arts in interactive media,

which will prepare graduates to think strategi-

cally across media platforms using text, audio,

video and graphics.

Students gathered Aug. 3 for orientation.

Th e one-year, full-time program will prepare

graduates to plan and create innovative inter-

active media content. Th ey also will learn to

manage information for interactive news, en-

tertainment and persuasive communications.

Applications are currently being accepted

for the class of 2010. For more information

on the interactive media program, contact the

Offi ce of Graduate Admissions at 336.278.7641

or [email protected].

GYLLENHAAL WINS TOP PRIZE IN

COLLEGIATE TV CONTEST

Senior Randy Gyllenhaal took first place

in the William Randolph Hearst Founda-

tion’s National Television Broadcast News

Championship in June following a two-day

competition in San Francisco.

Gyllenhaal was one of fi ve fi nalists in the

Hearst Journalism Awards Program. Th e fi -

nalists were selected

following a yearlong

competition involv-

ing students at 110

member colleges and

universities of the As-

sociation of Schools

of Journalism and

Mass Communica-

tion with accredited

undergraduate jour-

nalism programs.

Finalists were given two days to con-

ceive, shoot and edit a tv news story on an

economic topic of their choice in the San

Francisco area. Gyllenhaal’s award-winning

story focused on the fi shing industry in the

Bay Area. He received a $5,000 prize for fi rst

place.

To see Gyllenhaal’s story, go to www.elon.

edu/magazine.

l-r Glenda Crawford, Laura Roselle, Connie Book and Keith Dimont

Randy Gyllenhaal

ELON News

THE MAGAZINE OF ELON 3

to Elon, he served in

Blowing Rock, N.C.,

as executive director

of the Blowing Rock

Community Arts

Center Foundation.

He has served as

originating produc-

tion manager for fi ve

Broadway shows and

is a founding member of the Production Man-

ager’s Forum, an international organization

that assists production managers.

CLARK LEADS CULTURAL AND

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Jeff rey D. Clark has been named executive

director of cultural and special programs. He

succeeds George Troxler, professor of history,

who stepped down in May as dean of cultural

and special programs.

Clark’s responsibilities include coordinat-

ing convocations, commencements and other

major campus events, as well as bringing per-

formers and guest speakers to the university.

He has more than 13 years of experience or-

ganizing cultural programs. Before coming

ALUMNA AWARDED

NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP

Kelly Erin McCarty ’09 has received a dacor

Bacon House Foundation fellowship for

graduate study in international aff airs. Th e

fellowship award of

up to $10,000 will

assist McCarty as

she pursues a gradu-

ate degree in the fi eld

of human rights and

social justice.

McCarty is one

of 10 students to

receive the selective

award from the Dip-

lomatic and Consular

Officers, Retired (dacor), which solicits

nominees from up to 10 institutions each year.

An international studies and Spanish ma-

jor from Raleigh, N.C., McCarty will attend

Arizona State University this fall. She plans

to start a nonprofi t organization that will

support artists and art projects in countries

that have experienced political violence or

genocide.

Th e former Honors Fellow presented her

thesis, which examined Argentina’s reaction

to recent political violence, at conferences in

the United States, the United Kingdom and

Mexico. At Elon, McCarty was a Presidential

Scholar, member of Phi Kappa Phi and named

to the President’s List or Dean’s List every se-

mester during her academic career.

ELON RECEIVES SERVICE AWARD

Th e university has been named one of fi ve re-

cipients of Th e Washington Center’s inaugural

Higher Education Civic Engagement Award,

which recognizes programs that allow students

to learn while serving the community.

Th e award recognizes the following uni-

versity programs: academic service learning,

the Social Entrepreneurship Scholars, Elon

Academy, Elon University Poll and Project

Pericles, as well as the university’s Kernodle

Center for Service Learning.

Based in the nation’s capital, Th e Wash-

ington Center for Internships and Academic

Seminars provides select college students and

recent graduates with challenging opportuni-

ties to work and learn in Washington.

Outstanding students awarded Lumen PrizeThirteen Elon juniors have received the 2009 Lumen Prize, the university’s top

undergraduate academic award that includes a 15,000 scholarship to support

students’ scholarly achievements and research proposals.

Lumen Scholars will work closely with their faculty mentors during the next

two years to complete their research projects. The Lumen Prize supports course

work, study abroad, program development, creative productions and

performances, and research and internships domestically and abroad.

The 2009 winners are: Andrew Black, of Ashburn, Va.; Amanda Clark, of

Auburn, N.Y.; Kaitlyn Fay, of New Milford, Conn.; Taylor Foshee, of Arlington, Va.;

Christopher Jarrett, of Richmond, Va.; Elizabeth Leman, of Ashburn, Va.; Maggie

Pahos, of Hinsdale, Ill.; Caroline Peckels, of Pinehurst, N.C.; Anthony Rizzuto of

Wilmington, N.C.; Molly Strayer, of Lusby, Md.; Amber Woods, of Knoxville, Tenn.;

McKenzie Young, of Huntington, W.Va.; and Renee Zale, of Hopkinton, Mass.

Psychology professor Paul Fromson, who leads the Lumen Prize selection

committee, says the quality of undergraduate research continues to improve

at Elon.

“I feel confi dent that our 2009 Lumen Scholars will prove that our faith in

them was well placed, and that they will make noteworthy contributions to

their disciplines, to the campus community and to the world around them,”

Fromson says.

For more information on the Lumen Prize and the students’ research

projects, go to www.elon.edu/lumenprize.

Jeff Clark

Kelly Erin McCarty ’09

President Leo M. Lambert, at right, with the 2009 Lumen Scholars and professor Paul Fromson, second from the left.

ELON News


CHAGANI RECEIVES LIN TV

SCHOLARSHIP

Junior Josh Chagani has been selected to par-

ticipate in the lin Television Corporation

Minority Scholarship and Training Pro-

gram for 2009. Th e scholarship will pay up

to $20,000 annually for tuition, fees, books,

and room and board during Chagani’s junior

and senior years.

In addition to the scholarship, Chagani,

of Hobe Sound, Fla., participated in lin’s

training program at

a lin-owned tv sta-

tion this summer and

will have a similar

opportunity during

summer 2010. Based

on his performance,

he will be offered

a minimum of two

years employment at

one of the 27 stations

owned by lin, the

parent company of Th e cw network.

Chagani, a communications and comput-

ing science double major, is active in several

organizations at Elon, including the Periclean

Scholars Class of 2011 and Cinelon, the uni-

versity’s student fi lm society. He serves as an

Elon Ambassador, performs on the varsity

cheerleading team, works for Elon Student

Television, and volunteers with Habitat for

Humanity and Loaves and Fishes, which pro-

vides meals to people in need.

“All of you now have shown us your wisdom, your courage, your service to others and your dedication to leadership. You have those qualities deep within you. What we ask of you now is to remember who you are and remember to give back, and we will all remain proud of you for the rest of our lives.”

Former presidential adviser David Gergen gave the keynote address May 24 at the

Elon University School of Law’s inaugural Commencement. Gergen, chair of the

law school advisory board, highlighted Elon Law’s founding principles of engaged

learning, service and leadership.

Richmond ’ receives Elon MedallionL’Tanya Burch Richmond ’87, former director of Elon’s Multicultural Center,

received the Elon Medallion in April for her extraordinary service to the

university.

The Elon Medallion is the univer-

sity’s highest honor and is awarded at

the discretion of the president.

Richmond received the medallion at

the university’s annual Phillips-Perry

Black Excellence Awards ceremony.

“I am honored and I am humbled,”

she said. “When I came to Elon to work,

I came because I wanted to make a

diff erence in the student community. I

have so many students, parents, faculty,

staff , and friends and family to thank

for giving me the opportunity to do

not just work that I was passionate

about but work that in many ways has

been my ministry.”

Richmond serves as director of

multicultural aff airs at Smith College in Massachusetts. She began her career at

Elon as an admissions counselor and placement offi cer in 1988. She later served

as assistant and associate director of admissions before being promoted to

director of minority aff airs and director of the Multicultural Center.

Richmond directed the Leon and Lorraine Watson North Carolina

Scholarship Program, which makes an Elon education possible for North

Carolina students with high fi nancial need, including some fi rst-generation

college students. She also directed The Honorable Thad Eure North Carolina

Achievement Scholarship Program.

Her research into the history of Elon’s African-American students led to the

creation of the Wall of Fame in the Multicultural Center. While pursuing her

master’s degree at Duke University, Richmond used her research as the subject

for her thesis, “Elon’s Black History, A Story to be Told.” To hear from Richmond,

go to www.elon.edu/magazine.

Josh Chagani

L’Tanya Burch Richmond ’87

ELON News


New center connects law and humanities

Lindner Hall anchors Academic Village

The law touches virtually every fi eld of study, from art and

biology to political science and psychology.

That interaction is the focus of Elon’s Center for Law and

Humanities, a new academic initiative that teaches students to

use lessons learned in the arts and sciences to examine the way

legal questions aff ect society.

The center bridges programs on Elon’s main campus with

those at the Elon University School of Law in Greensboro. The

joint eff ort between the law school and Elon College, the

College of Arts and Sciences, invites scholars, legal practitioners

and policymakers to speak with students about these

connections. Undergraduate and law school courses in law and

humanities underpin the programming.

“Almost any discipline that students are going to study has

interaction with the law,” says Eric Ashley Hairston, professor of

English and of law and humanities, and director of the center.

“Ultimately, these diverse populations must understand their

relationship to the law, and the law

should contemplate itself in this

larger social and intellectual

community.”

For example, in literature,

there are libel and copyright

statutes, while medicine has patient

confi dentiality rules, Hairston says.

Hairston conceived the idea for

the center after studying African-

American authors who commented

on social issues. He noted that many of the authors had a legal

background, which gave them unique insights into the human

condition and how it is formed by legal developments.

The center, based in Greensboro near the law school, is the

most recent example of Elon’s emphasis on connecting its

professional programs with its arts and sciences programs.

Eric Ashley Hairston

Lindner Hall opened in June as the cen-

terpiece to the Academic Village and the

“greenest” academic building to date at Elon.

Th e 30,000-square-foot building is the new

administrative home of Elon College, the Col-

lege of Arts and Sciences. It also houses the

history and geography, and sociology and an-

thropology departments.

Lindner Hall features a spacious first-

fl oor reading room, high-tech classrooms, a

computer lab, faculty offi ces and space for

student-faculty mentoring. A 39-foot steeple

tops the building, accented by a copper dome

and spire, eight windows and clock faces on

the north and south sides.

Environmental sustainability was a driv-

ing force in the design and construction of

Lindner Hall. Close to 90 percent of construc-

tion waste was recycled. Materials containing

recycled content were used whenever possible,

including much of the steel and drywall. Pho-

tovoltaic solar power cells and the heating

system on the roof will help generate on-site

power, representing the fi rst building to use

renewable energy on campus, reducing the

need for fossil fuel-based energy.

A display screen in the lobby shows real-

time energy and water consumption in the

building, as well as information about the fa-

cility’s other green features. Th e landscaping

was designed to minimize irrigation, and most

plumbing fi xtures are low-fl ow.

Th e building is named for Carl and Martha

Lindner of Cincinnati, Ohio, who made a $2.5

million gift to the Ever Elon Campaign.

Construction crews began work in July on

a new plaza that will grace the entrance to

the Academic Village. Th e plaza, which runs

along Haggard Avenue, is 210 feet long and

80 feet wide, and will accommodate crowds of

1,700. It will be fi nished with Elon bricks and

include a seating wall and electrical power to

support sound and lighting services.

Th e plaza is scheduled for completion in

mid-August and will be the new location for

the university’s weekly College Coff ee gather-

ings. Th e plaza will cover part of the space

previously occupied by Holland House, which

was moved in June to South Campus.

ELON News


Elon nears fundraising goal for new fi eld houseTh anks to Elon’s generous benefactors, the

university is close to reaching its fundrais-

ing goal to build a new athletics fi eld house,

which will serve student-athletes who compete

in 16 men’s and women’s sports.

Th e fi eld house will be located at the north

end of Rhodes Stadium. Construction

on the facility will begin once the uni-

versity raises the fi nal $500,000 for the

project.

“We are at a critical stage in this

eff ort to build an outstanding facility

for our talented student-athletes,” says

Dave Blank, Elon’s director of athletics.

“For Elon to be truly competitive in Di-

vision I athletics, we need to provide fi rst-rate

facilities for our athletes. We are looking for

additional supporters to join us in this drive

to excellence.”

During the summer, crews began initial

work on the project, including construc-

tion of a road and parking lot leading to the

planned 30,000-square-foot facility, which

will be designed for student-athletes to study

and interact with their teammates.

Th e facility will include a large team meet-

ing room and locker room for football; a

conference room; an advanced athletic train-

ing room, including a hydrotherapy area;

space for student-athletes to study; and a large

strength and conditioning room. It also will

provide offi ce space for the athletics director

and coaches in the football, baseball, soccer,

cross country, and track and fi eld programs,

as well as other athletics staff .

In addition, a large second-fl oor room

overlooking the stadium will provide an in-

viting venue for special university events and

meetings, as well as pre-game receptions.

-

y

.

-

Faculty author new booksFaculty mmembers haave written bbooks that

examine CChristian aanarchists in tthe 20th

century, mmedia coveerage of NASAA’s early years

and eff ective law scchool teaching.

Elon Law profeessor Howard Katz has co-

authored Strategies and Techniquues of Law

School Teaaching, whhich provides

compreheensive advvice on how too plan, design

and teachh law coursses eff ectivelyy. Katz says the

strategic ddesign of aa course is as important as

teaching techniquees. He off ers advice on

choosing textbookss, designing aa syllabus,

orchestrating the classroom expperience and

creating tthe fi nal exxam.

In Meedia, NASAA, and Americaa’s Quest for the

Moon, Harlen Makemson, associaate professor

of commuunications, examines NASA’s struggles

to providee Americanns with consistent and

completee information about thee lunar

program. He also foocuses on thee relationship

between the agenccy and the meedia, and the

public’s reeaction to television and newspaper

accounts of space mmissions.

Trippp York, instructor of religgious studies,

explores tthe lives off Christian annarchists who

attempted to addreess materialismm, racism and

militarismm in Living oon Hope Whille Living in

Babylon: TThe Christiaan Anarchists of the 20th Century. York exammines the anarchists’

eff orts to confront wwhat Martin LLuther King Jr. called the “triplee axis of evil.”

Howard E. Katz

Harlen Makemson

Tripp York

“My hope for this class is that you will not think of your college years, as some do, as the best years of your life, though I pray they have been very good years. Rather, think that your time at Elon is launching you into a future where ‘the best is yet to be.’”

Th e Rev. Richard McBride delivered the

address at Elon’s 119th Commencement on

May 23. McBride retired at the end of May

after serving as Elon’s chaplain for a quarter

century.

ELON News


Update

Alumni, parents and friends continue to

generously support the Ever Elon Campaign,

demonstrating their belief in its goals to build

the endowment, increase annual and planned

gifts, and preserve and build the campus.

As of late July, donors had contributed more than $66 million

in cash and pledges toward the $100 million comprehensive cam-

paign goal.

Recent major gifts from Elon parents have supported construc-

tion of Lindner Hall, the centerpiece to the Academic Village and

the new administrative home of Elon College, the College of Arts

and Sciences (see story page 6).

In addition, donors have made generous planned gifts to the

campaign, enabling them to meet their long-term estate-planning

goals and leave a legacy at Elon. About 20 percent of the $66 mil-

lion raised to date by the Ever Elon Campaign has been committed

through planned gifts, which are critical to securing Elon’s future.

Donors support priorities of Ever Elon Campaign

inmans support outstanding facilities Elon trustee William J. “Bill” Inman and his wife, Patricia, of McLean,

Va., have made a $500,000 gift to support construction of Lindner

Hall, which opened earlier this summer. In recognition of their gen-

erosity, the spacious fi rst-fl oor reading room has been named in their

honor. Th e Inman Reading Room, accented with dark wood and an-

tique brass fi xtures, off ers students an attractive setting for quiet study

and refl ection.

Th e Inmans were inspired to make their gift because of the expe-

rience of their daughter, Jackie, a 2000 Elon graduate, who benefi t-

ted from Elon’s study abroad program and excellent faculty mentors.

“Th e educational system that Elon has undertaken in the past 20

years or so is second to none,” Bill Inman says. “What the students

get out of their education is just spectacular.”

Th e couple say they believe strongly in the campaign goals, includ-

ing increasing the number of need-based scholarships through endow-

ment building.

“Elon can’t give the fi nancial assistance it wants to give to students

because of its low endowment,” Inman says.

He says Elon must develop a stronger culture of giving, particularly

among alumni who represent the future of the university.

Th e Inmans have generously supported Elon through the years,

including making gifts to Rhodes

Stadium and the Ernest A. Koury Sr.

Business Center. Th ey are members of

the Phoenix Club, Aesculus Society and

Th e Elon Society President’s Circle.

reiflers help preserve ‘a very special place’Parents Council members Brad and Ash

Reifl er, of Millbrook, N.Y., also have

supported Lindner Hall with a major

gift.

The Reiflers say their daughter,

Kelsey, an Elon sophomore, has fl our-

ished at the university and they want to

make the same opportunities available

to more students.


“Ash and I feel that under President

Lambert’s leadership and vision, Elon has

created a very special place for those who

are curious in a variety of academic areas,”

Brad Reifl er says. “Kelsey has had an incred-

ible experience of growth, self-awareness and

independence, yet she has never felt lost or

overlooked and feels a wonderful sense of

community at Elon. We are grateful such a

place exists and are proud of our association

with Elon.”

Reifl er is a former founding partner, chair-

man and CEO of Pali Capital Inc., a global

fi nancial services fi rm. He currently serves as

CEO of Forefront Advisory. Th e Reifl ers are

members of Th e Elon Society Founder’s Circle.

donors make generous planned giftsOrder of the Oak, Elon’s planned giving rec-

ognition society, welcomes new members John

R. Hill ’76 and his wife, Lesley, of Severna

Park, Md., who have made a major planned

gift commitment to the campaign.

Additional planned gift commitments

have been made by Order of the Oak mem-

bers Dr. William N.P. “Bill” Herbert ’68,

an Elon trustee, and his wife, Marsha, of

Charlottesville, Va.; trustee emeritus Dr. R.

Leroy Howell ’51, of Suff olk, Va.; and Dr.

Wayne T. Moore ’49, of Burlington, N.C.

Th e university is grateful to these friends for

their additional support for the Ever Elon

Campaign.

Brad and Ash Reifl er

Veteran football squad to keep its ‘foot on the gas pedal’

Head football coach Pete Lembo looks to a veteran squad, including eight

returning starters on off ense and nine on defense, to build on last year’s

success.

Th e Phoenix fi nished the 2008 season 8–4 and ranked 17th nationally in the fi nal

poll of Th e Sports Network and 19th in the Football Championship Subdivision

(fcs) Coaches poll. In addition, several players set conference and program records.

Under Lembo, the team boasted back-to-back winning seasons for the fi rst time

since 1999–2000. Th e team was ranked in the top-40 nationally in passing off ense,

total off ense, scoring defense and total defense, and for the fi rst time defeated three

fcs top-25 teams in the same season (Georgia Southern, Furman and Th e Citadel).

Quarterback Scott Riddle was a Second Team All-Southern Conference per-

former in 2008 and became Elon’s all-time career leader in completions, passing

attempts, passing yards, touchdown passes, touchdowns responsible for and total

off ensive yards. Th e junior All-America candidate also set a new league standard

BY CHRIS RASH

Sean Jeff coat


Damon Gooch, an All-Southern Conference

men’s tennis standout, and Danielle Mills,

an All-SoCon women’s golfer, received Elon’s

Stein H. Basnight Outstanding Athlete Award

for 2008–2009.

Gooch was a four-year All-SoCon per-

former in singles and doubles competition.

He earned Elon’s fi rst individual berth to the

ncaa Division i Tournament in singles and

was part of the fi rst doubles team in school

history to earn a spot in the same tournament.

Individually, Gooch achieved a national rank-

ing as high as 56th in singles.

Gooch capped his Elon career this year

by teaming up with Philip Nemec, and the

duo climbed as high as 20th in the national

doubles rankings. Gooch was a three-time

For game schedules and the

latest Phoenix news, go to

www.elonphoenix.com

by throwing for at least one touchdown in 22

consecutive games.

Wide receiver Terrell Hudgins became the

all-time career leader for Elon and the SoCon

in receptions, touchdown catches and receiv-

ing yards, and earned First Team All-SoCon

honors from the league’s coaches and media.

“A lot of people have worked very hard for

three years to get us to this point,” says Lembo,

who will begin his fourth season leading the

Phoenix. “Now we have to keep our foot on

the gas pedal and continue to fi nd creative

ways to get better in this ultra-competitive

conference.”

Joining Riddle at quarterback this season

are junior Donny Kirby, redshirt freshmen

Th omas Wilson and Shay Newcomer, and

sophomore Chris Shafto.

Elon’s pool of running backs may be one

of the deepest in the conference. Th e squad

returns its top four leading running backs,

junior Brandon Newsome and sophomores

Dontay Taylor, A.J. Harris and Jamal Shuman.

Junior Jake Goldsberry, redshirt freshman

Th onda Taylor and freshman Matt Eastman

will compete for the fullback slot.

At wide receiver, Hudgins, a senior, will

get help from juniors Sean Jeff coat and Lance

team mvp and was named the 2006 Southern

Conference Freshman of the Year.

Mills earned All-SoCon accolades this year

for the third consecutive season after posting

her second straight runner-up fi nish at the

SoCon Tournament.

During the 2008–2009 season, Mills

posted six top-fi ve fi nishes. Th e three-time

team mvp also claimed individual titles at

the Lady Seahawk Classic at the University

of North Carolina at Wilmington and the

Mimosa Hills Intercollegiate, as well as two

SoCon Golfer of the Week titles.

Gooch, of Gauteng, South Africa, and

Mills, of Pointe-Claire, Canada, graduated

in May.

Camp, sophomore Darrius McQueen, red-

shirt freshmen Aaron Mellette, Chris Harris,

Zach Blank and Vincent Pompliano, as well as

freshmen Rasaun Rorie and Jeremy Peterson.

Th e Phoenix returns its entire starting of-

fensive line, including seniors David Harrison,

Chris Werden and Jeff Allen, and juniors

Corey O’Shea and John Rubertone. Harri-

son and Werden received All-SoCon honors

in 2008. Senior Dave McClain, junior Mark

Hoff er and sophomores Rodney Austin, Lo-

gan Hardin and Ned Cuthbertson also will

see action this fall.

Th e Phoenix also boasts an experienced de-

fensive front led by All-Southern Conference

selection Eric Ludwig, a senior, who will be

joined by classmates Brandon Ward, David

Hunt and Jordan Gibson. Also in the rotation

will be seniors Andre Campbell and Jordan

Daniel, and sophomores Khiry Mullins and

Khirey Walker.

Th is year’s 11-game schedule includes fi ve

home contests and a meeting with a Football

Bowl Subdivision opponent when Elon takes

on Wake Forest Sept. 19. Th e Phoenix opens

the season Sept. 5 by hosting Davidson.

Football season tickets can be purchased at

www.elonphoenix.com or by calling the Elon

Athletics Ticket Offi ce at 336-278-6750.

GOOCH, MILLS NAMED BASNIGHT OUTSTANDING ATHLETES

PHOENIX Sports

10 THE MAGAZINE OF ELON10 THE MAGAZINE OF ELON

Damon Gooch ’09

Danielle Mills ’09

Pete Lembo

Baseball caps season with top- rankingBY CHRIS RASH

The Phoenix baseball team fi nished the 2009 season with the

Southern Conference regular season title and a berth in the NCAA

Tournament. The team accomplished both feats for the second

consecutive year.

The team also boasted a program-record seven players drafted

by major league teams, surpassing last year’s record of three players

drafted in the same season.

The Phoenix, which posted a 41–18 record, ended the season

ranked 24th in the nation in the Baseball America Top-25 Poll — the

fi rst fi nal top-25 national ranking for Elon’s baseball program at the

NCAA Division I level.

The Phoenix captured its second straight SoCon regular season

title with a 27–6 victory over Western Carolina on May 9. The team

then battled through the 2009 SoCon Tournament with wins over

Furman, Western Carolina and The Citadel before losing 7–3 to

Georgia Southern in the winner-take-all tournament fi nal.

The season continued when the Phoenix earned its fourth berth

to the NCAA Tournament. Seeded No. 2 in the Atlanta Regional, Elon dropped its fi rst game against Southern Mississippi, then

defeated Georgia State before being eliminated by 13th-ranked Georgia Tech. Senior infi elder Bennett Davis and sophomore

pitcher Jimmy Reyes earned spots on the Atlanta Regional All-Tournament squad.

Earlier in the season, head coach Mike Kennedy ’91 earned his 400th career victory when the Phoenix defeated The

Citadel 17–5 in Charleston, S.C. SoCon coaches voted Kennedy the 2009 SoCon Coach of the Year, and junior infi elder Chase

Austin was named the league’s Co-Player of the Year.

Sophomore closer Thomas Girdwood and senior outfi elders Pat

Irvine and Cory Harrilchak collected First Team All-SoCon accolades

from the coaches, while Austin and Reyes claimed second team

distinction. Honors also went to infi elder Zeth Stone and relief pitcher

Jordan Darnell, who were named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team.

The SoCon Media Association handed out all-league honors to

Irvine, Reyes, Girdwood and Harrilchak, and also recognized Kennedy

as the league’s Coach of the Year.

Elon shattered numerous program records during the regular

season and fi nished the year at or near the top of the NCAA Division I

ranks in several statistical categories. The Phoenix set new records for

runs (604), hits (711), doubles (137) and RBI (558). The team led the

nation with 138 home runs and ranked second in scoring (10.2 runs

per game), total runs (604) and slugging percentage (.596) among

Division I teams.

Several players also set program records. Austin set a new school

record with 23 homers and became the second Elon player to hit 20 or

more home runs in a season. He also drove in 82 runs, matching the

program record set by teammate Davis in 2008, and set program

marks with 178 total bases and 92 hits in 2009.

Harrilchak’s 86 hits this year were the third-highest total ever for an Elon player. Irvine set a single-season school record

with a .789 hitting percentage and fi nished his career ranked among the program’s career top-10 in games played (202), runs

(161), homers (31) and RBI (147).

The following players were selected in this year’s major league draft: Austin (Florida Marlins), Harrilchak (Atlanta Braves),

senior catcher/fi rst baseman Dallas Tarleton (Colorado Rockies), Irvine (Pittsburgh Pirates), senior pitcher Tom Porter (San

Diego Padres), junior outfi elder Justin Hilt (Oakland Athletics) and Davis (Tampa Bay Rays).

PHOENIX Sports


Neal Pritchard

Bennett Davis

historic bell reclaims its place in elon history

BY JALEH HAGIGH

Sometimes, even the most treasured relics from the past can remain invisible.

Take the bell that once hung in the tower

of Elon’s Old Main Building. After crash-

ing into the hot rubble of the 1923 fi re that

devoured the administration building, the

bell was stored in various locations on and

off campus. For nearly 90 years, the bronze

relic, cracked and disfi gured by fl ames, has

been a silent witness to Elon’s progress. Few

knew its signifi cance.

Now, a new generation will have the

chance to appreciate what the bell means

to Elon’s history. Th is fall, the bell will be

installed on campus, possibly in the rotunda

of Alamance building, for all members of the

Elon community to see — and touch.

Much of the credit for revealing the bell’s

lineage goes to Raymond Beck ’75, of Cary,

N.C., who served as North Carolina’s state

capitol historian from 1977 to 2008.

Last year, while researching the history of

Elon’s marching band, Beck found references

to the fi re and the bell in the March 12, 1959,

edition of the student newspaper Maroon and Gold. Th e story noted that the bell had been

stored in the college’s church history room

on the second fl oor of Carlton building, then

Elon’s library. Later, the church history room

moved to the new McEwen Library, and the

bell moved to the third fl oor of Carlton.

Beck was intrigued. He remembered see-

ing an old cracked bell stored with some tim-

ber in the third-fl oor room of Carlton where

his service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, held

weekly meetings. Beck called his former his-

tory professor, George Troxler, who served as

the group’s advisor at that time and recalled

the bell.

“We remembered that in our old fraternity

room there was a rather ragged looking old

bell that was sort of in the way,” Beck says.

Working with Troxler, Beck brought in

Leon T. Jordan, a metallurgist and former

professor of material science and engineer-

ing at North Carolina State University, who

examined the bell in January. According to

his report, Jordan said it was obvious that the

bell had been subjected to intense heating fol-

lowed by immediate cooling. Portions of its

surface had melted and then quickly cooled,

causing it to sag.

Th e “deformation and cracking” of the

bell, he added, were the result of it falling

from great heights. “In my opinion, the bell

is defi nitely the one from the 1923 fi re of the

Old Main (Administration) Building.”

Th e yolk, wheel and clapper didn’t survive

because they were made of iron that melted

at lower temperatures or became brittle from

the heat of the fi re, Beck says.

“We’ve put enough research together that

we can dispense with the speculation that has

been swirling around this thing for decades

and say once and for all, ‘Th is is the Old Main

bell,’” Beck says.

Th e fact that the bell survived the fi re was

never in dispute. According to the March 30,

1923, edition of Maroon and Gold, “Th e old

bell … was dug from the ruins of the tower

last Th ursday … and it is hoped that the bell

will be preserved. It has been suggested that

it may be possible to use it again, but this is

somewhat improbable.”

When Old Main burned, the tower where

the bell hung became a blast furnace.

“Air was rushing up into the tower and

superheating this bell,” Beck says. “When the

bell fell from the tower, it was in a near-molten

state. It hit whatever debris was on the ground,

which put a huge crack in the crown. Th e fact

that the fi remen got water to it immediately

saved it.”

Th e spotlight faded on the bell following

the fi re. Records show it was stored in Carlton

as early as 1936. In 1972, it moved to the base-

ment of Duke building when the third-fl oor

room in Carlton was converted to a classroom.

Stanley Greeson, former assistant director of

the physical plant, remembers seeing the bell

whenever he had to check the basement of

Duke for fl ooding.

“We thought it was just an old bell,” says

Greeson, who retired in May after 28 years

at Elon.

Th e artifact remained in Duke until the

building was renovated following the opening

of McMichael Science Center in

1999. Eventually, it wound up at

the physical plant offi ce, where it

sat on a skid on the loading dock

for about a year.

“It was always in the way,”

chuckles Jimmy Crawford, a car-

penter in the physical plant. “Ev-

eryone complained about having

to move the skid to bring some-

thing in.”

At one point, Crawford was

allowed to take the bell to his

Burlington home. He covered it

and placed it outside his work-

shop where he refi nishes furniture. He brought

it back to campus several years later at the

university’s request.

“I know some people melt stuff like that,

but I don’t,” Crawford says. “I fi gured one

day we’d use it again. It’s a miracle that the

bell survived for the last 30 to 40 years. It’s a

wonder it didn’t go out in surplus property.”

Today, the bell sits in the physical plant

annex, waiting to make its big comeback this

fall. Troxler, professor emeritus of history, says

the bell deserves celebrity status.

“Th e bell was the center of campus life

before the 1923 fi re,” he says. “It called stu-

dents to classes and to chapel, and I’m pleased

that we are preserving one of the few artifacts

from our pre-1923 heritage. It is a visible link

to our past and a reminder of the rebirth of

Elon after the fi re.”

For Beck, a former history major,

researching the bell was a labor of love.

“Here is one of the most historic artifacts

in Elon’s history hiding in plain sight. It will

become a touchstone for alumni and students.

Like the phoenix, the bell came up out of the

fi re to achieve its place in Elon’s history.”

Raymond Beck ’75, at left, put

his Elon education to use

researching the bell that hung

in the tower of Elon’s Old Main

Building, which was destroyed

by fi re in 1923. Says Beck, “This

is what Elon trained me to do.”


Preserving Jewish History

In the basement of the kehila jewish community center in Montevideo,

Uruguay, is a small room stacked high with books, including a few that traveled half the

globe when their owners fl ed the Nazis and settled in the South American nation.

For years, as older Jewish immigrants died, their children donated their book collec-

tions to the community center. With no available space — and following the Jewish practice

of never destroying a book containing the word “God” — community center leaders piled

the novels, biographies, sacred texts and children’s books in the cramped, damp room. Largely

unnoticed, or perhaps unappreciated, was that many of the books were written in the disap-

pearing Yiddish language.

Enter a group of Elon students, who spent spring break in Montevideo to serve the local

Jewish community. Th e last thing they expected was to return home lugging boxes of these

texts. Th e National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass., is glad they did.

Nancy Luberoff , who directs Elon’s Hillel organization and accompanied the students

to Uruguay in March, hopes this eff ort will

become a model for colleges and universities

to replicate.

“Th ere’s a strong sense that these books

need a resting place,” Luberoff says. “Th e

people who got these books to Uruguay suf-

fered so much just to get there.”

Uruguay, along with Argentina, served

as a beacon for Jews fl eeing Europe during

Hitler’s invasion. Today, the Jewish population

of Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital, is less than

20,000 in a city of more than a million people.

Th e city’s history made it the perfect lo-

cation for a service trip for Hillel. Members

of the Jewish student cultural group helped

local students learn English, worked with de-

velopmentally disabled adults and pitched in

to rebuild a greenhouse in a poor section of

the city.

Two days before the Elon group returned

home, the students visited the community

center. A staff member told Luberoff that she

didn’t know what she was going to do with

“all those books” in the basement. Luberoff

wanted a peek. Two hours later, she and

BY ERIC TOWNSEND

her students were sifting through the musty

volumes.

Many Jews consider Yiddish to be a dis-

appearing language, making the recovery of

the books even more important, Luberoff says.

Outside ultraorthodox sects and some parts

of Israel, few people speak or read the lan-

guage, including the students who thumbed

through the books’ yellowed pages before

packing them up.

“I can read Hebrew, so anything I couldn’t

read I fi gured was Yiddish,” says Ron Yardenay,

a sophomore majoring in business and history.

“I coughed my lungs out from all the dust fl y-

ing in my face as I opened them up.”

Dahlia Gutterman, a leisure and sport

management major from Greensboro, N.C.,

says she felt honored to rescue the books.

“It was my duty to help bring them back,”

she says. “We were their only hope.”

Not all the books the students rescued

were from pre-Nazi Europe. Many were pub-

lished between the 1940s and 1960s. Th ere

were a few gems, though. One of the four

boxes delivered to the National Yiddish Book

Center this spring contained

books the center had never seen.

One is a 1928 Yiddish translation

of a Socialist political writer from

Spain. Th e other text, published

in 1930 in the Soviet Union, is an

account of Nicola Sacco and Bar-

tolomeo Vanzetti, two anarchists

executed in 1927 by the United

States for robbery and murder.

Cathryn Madsen, bibliogra-

pher at the Yiddish Book Center,

says the students helped the cen-

ter fulfi ll its mission of rescuing

and preserving books.

“It was so exciting that the

students wanted to do this,” Mad-

sen says. “It’s always exciting to discover some-

thing we haven’t seen before. We collect any

and all Yiddish books that would otherwise

be discarded.”

Students from the University of Illinois

also were in Uruguay in March and returned

home with additional books for the center.

Luberoff hopes to recruit other schools to join

the eff ort because plenty of books remain in

the Jewish Community Center basement.

Students say this eff ort gave new meaning

to their service trip.

“Th e books were important, with some

of them published during the Holocaust,”

Gutterman says. “I was touching a piece of

history.”

Students sent four boxes of books to the National

Yiddish Book Center in Massachusetts following

their trip to Uruguay. The students rescued the

abandoned books. Sorting the books, above, are

Amanda Gross ‘09, Dahlia Gutterman, Olivia

Feldman and Ron Yardenay.


expectations

Laura Roselleleads by example

BY KRISTIN SIMONETTI ’05

Mike donofrio ’08 vividly remembers his first

class with Laura Roselle. Her demanding teaching

style and rigorous political science courses were legendary

on campus. Donofrio quickly learned the stories were true.

“Whenever she would start class, she would say your

name, look you directly in the eye and ask if you had read

the assignment,” he says. “If you read, of course, you were

fi ne. But if you didn’t, you were in serious trouble.”

Donofrio took several classes with Roselle, earning her

respect and, eventually, her friendship through hard work

and diligence. Like many students, he considers the political

science professor one of the biggest infl uences in his academic

career.

“For those of us who really wanted to get the most out

of her classes, she would go to the ends of the earth for you,”

says Donofrio, a foreign aff airs specialist at the Defense

Department.

Her reputation for pushing students to achieve is just one

side to Roselle. She is an internationally recognized scholar

on the connections among politics, communication and in-

ternational relations, and she regularly is invited to share her

expertise at conferences.

In May, Roselle received Elon’s Distinguished Scholar

Award, which recognizes her body of scholarship, including

two authored books, two edited volumes and a co-authored

textbook supplement, and scores of journal articles and book

chapters. She also participates and has held leadership posi-

tions in national and international associations in her fi eld.

Roselle makes no apologies for demanding a lot from

her students. Ultimately, she says, she tries to empower them.

“Sometimes the best thing I can do is not answer an e-mail

and give the student some time to struggle on their own before

they realize they can do it without my help,” she says.

It is that unrelenting dedication to teaching that makes

GREAT


Roselle so popular among students, says

Sharon Spray, associate professor of political

science, who has co-authored a book with

Roselle.

“Th at’s why our honors students seek her

out as a mentor and why our best students

want her as part of their repertoire of profes-

sors,” Spray says. “She moves us forward in

ways that are very positive.”

A SCHOLAR IN THE MAKING

Roselle’s philosophy on teaching and research

was shaped beginning with her undergraduate

studies at Emory University in 1982 and later

as a graduate student in political science at

Stanford. She credits excellent mentors and

outstanding research opportunities with her

early success.

At Emory, Roselle majored in Russian,

mathematics and computer science. A Rus-

sian professor recommended her as a research

assistant to his wife, Ellen Mickiewicz, then

dean of Emory’s graduate school. Mickiewicz

was analyzing Soviet television programs and

needed someone with Roselle’s expertise.

“When I saw how eff ortlessly she applied

her deep knowledge of computer science, a

skill I didn’t have, to our research, I realized

this was a rare individual,” recalls Mickiewicz,

the James R. Shepley Professor of Public Pol-

icy Studies at Duke University.

Roselle continued working with Mick-

iewicz, who also was a fellow at Th e Carter

Center at Emory. In April 1985, Roselle served

as assistant director for the center’s Confer-

ence on International Security and Arms

Control. Th e experience was transformational

for the young scholar.

“I got to meet Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew

Brzezinski and Anatoly Dobrynin, and (Presi-

dents) Carter and Ford,” Roselle says. “I was

interested in the issues people were thinking

hard about, and how you could negotiate in-

ternationally and communicate.”

Roselle’s work with Mickiewicz made her

a top prospect for the nation’s premier gradu-

ate programs in political science.

At Stanford, she met the late Gabriel

Almond, a giant in the fi eld of comparative

politics, and began assisting him with his re-

search of Soviet politics. By the end of her

fi rst year, they had co-authored an article. She

also served as a teaching assistant to former

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, then

a professor of political science. Rice recalls

Roselle’s intelligence and drive.

“I enjoyed advising her and watching her

develop into the subject matter expert she is

today,” Rice says. “She has the ability to ask

intellectually engaging questions and a curios-

ity to explore and research the unknown, traits

that certainly enhance the classroom experi-

ence for her students.”

‘I’M HAPPY HERE’

By the early 1990s, Roselle was a rising star

among scholars in her fi eld, yet she longed

to teach. In 1993, after completing a visiting

professorship at the University of Nebraska,

Roselle joined the political science department

at Elon, impressed with its balanced emphasis

on teaching and research.

Maurice Donyell “Don” Owens ’95,

press secretary to U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge

(D-N.C.), was one of Roselle’s fi rst students

and recalls she was no pushover.

“A lot of other professors, being new, may

not have tried to challenge us, but she let it

be known that ‘I might be new, but I’ve been

doing this for a while,’” he says. “We found

out quickly that she was very good at what

she did.”

Roselle pursued her research with equal

vigor. Toward the end of her fi rst semester at

Elon, she traveled to Moscow at the invita-

tion of Harvard’s Russian Research Center to

study Russian television coverage of the coun-

try’s December 1993 parliamentary elections.

After securing tenure in 2000, she returned

to her dissertation research, analyzing Soviet

and American communications strategies be-

fore, during and after major wars. Her work

formed the basis of her critically acclaimed

book, Media and the Politics of Failure: Great Powers, Communication Strategies, and Military Defeats, published in 2006.

She also has taken advantage of Elon’s

support for interdisciplinary research and the

university’s diverse faculty. She has studied pa-

triotic images in American media with Brooke

Barnett, associate professor of communica-

tions, and co-authored Research and Writing in International Relations with Spray. Elon’s

strong support for faculty scholarship, along

with its rapid growth, has kept Roselle from

moving to a larger university.

“Th e freedom to pursue a whole range of

projects has kept me here,” she says. “I don’t

think you necessarily can do that everywhere.

It used to be that you’d want to be at a big

university because you’d want people to talk

to, but with changes in technology and the

ability to collaborate, there’s less of a need to

be at a bigger place. I’m happy here.”

SHARING HER EXPERTISE

Th ough Roselle calls Elon home, her infl uence

in the fi elds of political science and interna-

tional studies extends far beyond the campus.

She participates in national and inter-

national associations, such as the American

Political Science Association and the Inter-

national Studies Association (isa), and she

recently served as president of isa’s Inter-

national Communication (icomm) section.

Her successor, Derrick Cogburn, says rising

to such a high-profi le position isn’t easy.

“In order to come into leadership in our

sections, you have to impress a key group of

scholars who serve in the leadership group and

who make sure we safeguard our association,”

says Cogburn, professor of international com-

munication at American University. “She’s

very well-regarded for her scholarship, as well

as for her leadership abilities.”

Ken Rogerson, director of the Policy

Journalism and Media Studies certifi cate pro-

gram at Duke’s DeWitt Wallace Center for

Policy Studies, is another colleague of Roselle’s

through icomm. When he sought a profes-

sor to teach the growing program’s capstone

course, he turned to Roselle, who accepted

the off er and has served as a visiting professor

at Duke since 2006.

“I have heard her students say, ‘Th at was

a hard class, but I learned so much in it,’”

Rogerson says. “She can teach very diffi cult

concepts, and the students love her for it.”

Owens says he continues to use many

concepts he learned from Roselle in his work

as a congressional press secretary.

“It shows that Dr. Roselle taught me

something that was useful,” he says. “I think

every college student wants to know that

they’re learning stuff that they will use for the

rest of their lives.”

For Roselle, interacting with students

enriches her scholarship and her life.

“Th ere are so many students who have

infl uenced me in one way or another, and stu-

dents who are now friends that I stay in touch

with. It’s always exciting to see what they do.

I think that’s so fun.”

Roselle discusses her scholarship and more at

www.elon.edu/magazine.


This year, the Elon community celebrates 10 years

of President Leo M. Lambert’s leadership.

Since becoming Elon’s eighth president in

1999, Lambert has advanced an ambitious agenda

to establish Elon as a top-ranked liberal arts university and a

national model of engaged teaching and learning. Th rough his

leadership, the academic climate has been strengthened by major

investments in faculty development, library resources, honors and

fellows programs for outstanding students, and Elon’s top-ranked

programs in study abroad, undergraduate research, volunteer

service and leadership education.

Lambert and his wife, Laurie, are the parents of two daughters,

Callie, a student at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine,

and Mollie, a student at Furman University.

To mark his 10 years at Elon, Lambert sat down with Magazine

of Elon editor Jaleh Hagigh to discuss the university’s progress and

future challenges.

that is a very precious asset of this univer-

sity. We think a lot about how to protect that

and how to make sure that as the institution

continues to evolve and more people come

on board, that they have an opportunity to

embrace that and pass it on to new people.

jh · How do you think you’ve changed in the last 10 years?

lml · I think I am slightly more relaxed,

more confi dent about the role. Stepping into

a university presidency is a pretty big deal,

especially following a long-serving, successful

president like Fred Young.

In the early years, we were very focused

on the transition and fi nishing his agenda,

and fi nishing the Elon Vision Campaign and

the Elon Vision strategic plan. And then we

were thinking about the next strategic plan for

President Lambert refl ects on a decade at Elon

the institution and leading a community of

people in defi ning a direction for Elon. After

10 years, I think I have a much deeper sense of

the place, its pulse, its rhythms and its natural

directions for growth and evolution.

jh · You keep a grueling schedule as president. What keeps you so energized and motivated?

lml · Laurie and I enjoy almost every event

that we do. I have to tell you, candidly, that

there are times when we are getting ready for

a dinner and we are really tired. But inevitably,

we enjoy ourselves and become energized by

the event itself. Usually when we’re involved

in evening events, they are about celebration

with students or faculty, or being with trustees

and donors, and it’s exhilarating to talk with

them about how they can help the university

grow and prosper.

I’m also one who can recharge pretty

quickly. I’ve never taken, maybe to my detri-

ment, a two-week vacation. We take a week

off here and there, but I can recharge over

the weekend pretty well if we have the op-

portunity to have a couple of days away from

campus.

jh · What are you most proud of during your tenure as president?

lml · I’m most proud of the fact that Elon

has stayed true to its values and its mission.

We have not tried to become something we are

not. Th is university, through the tremendous

evolution that it has experienced, has consis-

tently remained true to its commitment to

teaching and mentoring students, and keeping

students at the very center of the place.

Beyond that, the Elon Academy for Ala-

mance County high school students is a

venture I’m really proud of. It represents the

spirit of this university. We put this out with

no idea where the money was going to come

from, and now the program is in full force.

It’s a tremendous commitment on the part of

the university to reach out to our community

jh · You have been a very popular president, especially with students. Why do you think you’ve connected so deeply with the Elon community?

lml · Laurie and I try to be who we are

and to be visible in the life of the community

and around students especially, as much as

we can. We’ve really felt the embrace of this

community for a decade, and not only the

university community but the broader com-

munity of alumni, trustees and friends. It has

been wonderful.

jh · What is it about the Elon community that you have loved so much?

lml · Elon is an incredibly special place,

a very kind place, a very civil place, a place

where people genuinely care about one an-

other very deeply. I think those of us who are

entrusted with leading this institution believe


and give a helping

hand to those who

would not normally

have access to higher

education.

The creation of

the law school has

been a great achievement in the last decade,

and the credit for that needs to be widely

shared with so many people who have worked

very hard, including former Provost Gerry

Francis, founding Dean Leary Davis, current

Dean George Johnson, the faculty, charter

class, the advisory board and our benefactors.

I’d also point to the building of the faculty

and what I would call the restoration of Elon’s

identity as a liberal arts university. When I

came to Elon, the professional schools were

gaining ground very quickly. We had a new

School of Communications coming onto the

scene, which has become a phenomenal suc-

cess. But I think Elon is fi rst and foremost an

undergraduate liberal arts university, and our

eff orts to make the arts and sciences central

at Elon have been critical in the last decade.

I think of our reinvestment in the honors

program; creation of the Elon College Fel-

lows program; reinstituting a foreign language

requirement and building a vibrant depart-

ment of foreign languages; the work of the

presidential task force on scholarship; and key

investments that have been made in the fac-

ulty. Th at has been a set of anchoring activities

for the institution that have helped fi rm up its

identify as an institution with the liberal arts

and sciences at the very core.

At the same time, it has been a conscious

eff ort on our part to have vibrant, wonderful

professional programs rooted in the arts and

sciences. Particularly in business and com-

munications, we’ve seen tremendous growth

in quality and national recognition of those

programs. We’ve been able to create a univer-

sity that is the best of both worlds.

jh · What have been your greatest challenges?lml · I think the greatest challenge at Elon

is our endowment position. We are so tuition

driven as a university. Th e challenge has been

how to think about moving to a place where

we are less enrollment dependent and can de-

pend more on other revenue streams.

I like to describe Elon fi nancially as a one-

legged milking stool and that leg is tuition.

Building an endowment at a time when well

over 50 percent of our alumni are in their 20s

and 30s is a very signifi cant challenge. Con-

sequently, and to our great benefi t, we’ve had

to be very creative about the use of every

dollar that we spend at the institution, and

I think that has been one of the reasons for

our success.

I’m very proud to say that for the last few

President Lambert at

Commencement 2008;

behind Lambert are

former Provost Gerry

Francis, at right, and

Doug Finberg ’94

January 1999

Leo M. Lambert is named Elon’s

eighth president

November 1999

The Leon and Lorraine Watson

North Carolina Achievement

Scholarship Program is

endowed with a 3 million gift

from Leon Watson ’25 and his

wife, Lorraine; scholarships

assist N.C. students with high

fi nancial need

January 2000

Carol Grotnes Belk Library

opens, featuring more than

200,000 volumes, more than

200 computers, multimedia and

audiovisual facilities, and spaces

for individual and group study

February 2000

Elon College, the College of Arts

and Sciences, and the schools of

communications and education

are established as part of an

academic reorganization

May 2000

Elon announces The Phoenix as

the university’s new athletics

identity

August 2000

The School of Communications

opens in the renovated McEwen

building

The fi rst National Survey of

Student Engagement ranks

Elon among the nation’s top

four institutions in engaged

learning


years, endowment resources have been the

largest sector of giving at Elon, and that has

been very important to us. We’ve been very

thoughtful about what that endowment is

going to be used for — student scholarships,

keeping the gates of this university open to

people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to

aff ord to come, faculty support and other

critical priorities.

jh · We are in the fi nal stages of NewCen-tury@Elon, the strategic plan you helped launch shortly after your arrival. Th e goal was to estab-lish Elon as a national model of engaged learning. Have we achieved that goal?

lml · I think we have. I think the National

Survey of Student Engagement results bear

that out. Our students, by their own evalua-

tion of their activities, rate themselves among

the most highly engaged students in the coun-

try. When Newsweek magazine lists Elon as

the top school in the country for student en-

gagement, that’s another external validation of

what we’re doing. I think most defi nitely we

can claim victory on being a national model

of engaged learning.

jh · Elon launched Ever Elon: Th e Cam-paign for the Future of Our University last fall. Can you explain why the campaign is so critical to the university’s future?

lml · Elon needs to build an endowment

to secure its future. As a maturing university,

we need to plan for sustaining this great in-

stitution that we have created. A university

cannot be sustained on tuition revenue alone.

Th e Ever Elon Campaign is the fi rst major

campaign in the university’s history devoted

principally to endowment building and to

selected priorities that we want to advance

through endowment. Historically, we have

been in a chase for bricks and mortar dol-

lars to build this tremendous campus that we

enjoy every day.

In the next strategic plan there will be, I

would predict, another building boom going

on at the university. But we’ve got to make

sure that the message of Ever Elon carries

forth, which is that endowment building has

to be the primary emphasis of every future

campaign at the university.

jh · How is the campaign going, and what messages do you have for alumni, parents and friends about their roles in its success?

lml · I think the campaign is going well.

We launched it at probably the most inop-

portune time that one could choose to launch

a campaign, on the brink of a near economic

collapse in our country. We had a great cam-

paign launch last October, but we did so

cautiously wondering about, quite frankly,

whether it was the time to have a public

launch. But I’m glad we went ahead.

We are approaching the two-thirds goal of

a $100 million campaign. We have a lot of

work to do to bring the campaign to fruition,

but I’m confident that we’re going to be

successful.

My message to everyone is to please partici-

pate. One of our goals at Elon is to pay very

close attention to our young alumni because

there are so many young alums at the institu-

tion. Oftentimes I think young alums believe

LAMBERT’S LISTPresident Lambert off ers the following top

accomplishments of the campus community

during his presidency:

Transition from college to university

Growth of talented faculty and staff

Launch of need- and talent-based fi nancial aid

programs such as Watson Scholars, Thad Eure

Scholars, Susan Scholars and Lumen Scholars

Aspiring to achieve excellence in the arts and sciences

Opening of Elon University School of Law

New facilities: Carol Grotnes Belk Library, Rhodes

Stadium, Belk Track and White Field, Academic Village,

Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center, R.N. Ellington

Health and Counseling Center, The Oaks residence

hall complex, Colonnades dining and residence

halls and expansion to the 75-acre South Campus

Elon Academy college access program

for Alamance County students

Launch of Ever Elon: The Campaign for

the Future of Our University

Accreditation of the Martha and Spencer Love

School of Business and School of Communications

Joining the Southern Conference for athletics

September 2000

Elon establishes the Institute

for Politics and Public Aff airs

and the Elon University

Polling Center, which houses

the Elon Poll

October 2000

Trustees vote to change the

name of Elon College to Elon

University eff ective June 1, 2001,

recognizing Elon’s growth and

status as a comprehensive

university; trustees also ap-

prove the NewCentury@Elon

strategic plan to advance Elon

as a national model of engaged

learning

January 2001

Elon accepts an invitation from

the Eugene Lang Foundation to

join Project Pericles, a national

program to encourage civic and

social responsibility among

undergraduates

September 2001

Elon hosts its fi rst home

football game at Rhodes

Stadium, marking the fi rst time

since 1949 that Elon has played

a football game on campus;

the stadium is named for Elon

trustee Dusty Rhodes and his

wife, Peggy

May 2002

Elon accepts an invitation to

join the Southern Conference,

one of the nation’s oldest NCAA

Division I athletics conferences,

beginning July 1, 2003

August 2002

The fi rst two buildings open

in the Academic Village, the

Cannon and Kenan pavilions,

followed by Gray Pavilion in

2004, and Belk and Spence

Pavilions in 2007; Lindner Hall,

the new home of Elon College,

the College of Arts & Sciences,

opens in August 2009, complet-

ing the Academic Village

continued on page 22


September 2002

Benazir Bhutto, former prime

minister of Pakistan, dedicates

the Isabella Cannon Centre for

International Studies, named

for one of Elon’s most beloved

graduates

April 2003

Elon completes purchase of

75 acres of property from Elon

Homes for Children, opening

South Campus, which includes

Alumni Center in Johnston Hall

and the Phoenix Club Sports

Fields

April 2004

The Martha and Spencer Love

School of Business receives

accreditation by AACSB

International, with the School

of Communications receiving

ACEJMC accreditation in 2006

August 2005

Newsweek/Kaplan names Elon

one of the nation’s 25 “hottest

colleges” and the top school for

student engagement

August 2006

Elon University School of Law

opens in Greensboro, N.C., with

inaugural class of 115; retired

U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Sandra Day O’Connor formally

dedicates the school Sept. 19

The fi rst building of The Oaks

student housing complex opens

replacing Jordan Center; the

complex includes six residence

hall buildings and the McCoy

Commons building

Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business

Center opens as the new home

of the Love School of Business;

Burlington business leader

Maurice Koury made a gift to

name the building in honor of

his brother

October 2006

Elon is named one of the na-

tion’s top three universities for

community service, earning a

Presidential Award in the fi rst

President’s Higher Education

Community Service Honor Roll

Elon launches The Honorable

Thad Eure Achievement

Scholarship to assist students

with fi nancial need from North

Carolina’s Piedmont region; the

program is named for a former

Elon trustee and N.C. secretary

of state

that a small gift is not going to make a dif-

ference. But small gifts do make a diff erence,

participation makes a diff erence. We want

everybody to join in this campaign and give

either in a small way or, for many others, in a

large way. Th at’s going to be very important

for the success of Ever Elon.

jh · Elon is in the process of creating its next strategic plan, which will be considered by trust-ees this fall. Can you share some of the guiding principles of the plan?

lml · In the next strategic plan, we’re try-

ing to envision where Elon is going to be in

2020. We are charting some very bold moves

for the future of this institution.

We’re obviously looking very hard at what’s

happening in the world. We’re going to have

a very challenging environment for private

higher education. Costs are increasingly on

people’s minds. One of the things we’re think-

ing about is whether Elon should become even

more of a distinctly residential campus, and

my guess is that it will be. About 60 percent

of our students live on campus now. Th ere’s

some serious conversation about construct-

ing a very signifi cant number of new student

residences over the next decade to house all

juniors and seniors who wish to live on cam-

pus. We are a highly traditional liberal arts

residential university, and one of the goals of

this next plan is to shore up the residential

part of that mission.

We will undoubtedly be looking at the

role of perhaps a few new graduate programs,

but more important in this next plan, we’ll

be looking at new degree models. Will there

be more interest in students doing 4 + 1 pro-

grams, where they might come to school for

fi ve years and earn both a bachelor’s degree

and a master’s degree, or other patterns, like

3 + 2? Some students may want to take a year

off between high school and university and

perhaps participate in something like an Elon

Service Academy, where people could be en-

gaged in a year of public service.

Th ere will be proposed expansions of sci-

ence facilities and programs, and an expansion

for our School of Communications, which is

badly needed. Th ere’s going to be a great em-

phasis on talent development for faculty and

staff . In this next strategic plan, we can’t lose

sight of the fact that the greatest resources we

provide for our students are our faculty and

staff . We want to make sure we are invest-

ing in faculty and staff in ways that enable

them to continue to grow intellectually, pro-

fessionally, in service of students and of the

institution.

If we want to be a national institution, ath-

letics needs to be playing at a national level,

and we’re seeing some of that success in the

Southern Conference, most recently with

baseball. We want to see ncaa tournament

appearances in men’s and women’s basketball.

And we are so close to postseason play in foot-

ball that we can taste it. We also want to build

a multipurpose convocation center. Th ese are

all really exciting challenges for the university

but ones that I’m confi dent we can meet.

“I still feel as enthusiastic,

energetic and passionate

about this job, even more so,

than when we came 10 years

ago. Next to my family, I

think being the president of

this university has been the

great privilege of my life.”

– Leo M. Lambert


March 2007

Elon is named one of four

institutions to receive the 2007

Senator Paul Simon Award for

Campus Internationalization

from NAFSA: Association of

International Educators

May 2007

Furman C. Moseley Jr. ’56

makes a 5 million gift — the

largest scholarship gift in Elon

history — to endow the Susan

Scholarships to assist deserv-

ing young women; the gift

honors Moseley’s wife, Susan

June 2007

The Elon Academy, a univer-

sity-run academic enrichment

program for Alamance County

high school students, wel-

comes its inaugural class

September 2007

U.S.News & World Report ranks

Elon 2 among 119 Southern

master’s-level universities in its

“America’s Best Colleges” guide,

marking Elon’s highest ranking

in the nation’s most widely read

college guide

December 2007

President Lambert establishes

the Lumen Prize as the univer-

sity’s premier academic award;

Lumen Scholars receive 15,000

scholarships to support their

research

July 2008

Elon University School of Law

receives provisional ac-

creditation from the American

Bar Association; the school

graduates its charter class in

May 2009

October 2008

The university launches Ever

Elon: The Campaign for the

Future of Our University during

a historic community meeting

on campus; the 100 million

campaign seeks to build the

endowment and secure the

university’s future

August 2009

The charter class enrolls

in Elon’s newest graduate

program, a master of arts in

interactive media

jh · Are there particular programs that you’d like to see become nationally recognized?

lml · I think the School of Communica-

tions is going to be a nationally recognized

program. I think our program in law and lead-

ership in the law school is going to emerge

as a national model of innovative legal edu-

cation. Our program of general education

is in a position of national leadership at the

undergraduate level. Our programs related

to experiential learning are second to none,

particularly in the areas of international edu-

cation, civic engagement and undergraduate

research. Th e next strategic plan is in great

part about demonstrating national leadership

in those areas of experiential learning.

jh · What is next on the horizon in higher education in terms of fi nancing and access for students?

lml · Th ose of us in private higher educa-

tion have to pay very close attention to sticker

price. If we don’t, we will only be accessible

to the very elite. As we are planning for the

future, we need to plan for fi nancial stability

of the organization and that means making

very careful, strategic choices about what we’re

going to spend our money on. Th at’s why the

fi nancial model upon which the university is

based is being given very careful study in our

next strategic plan.

Price is directly related to access, and one

of the things I want to see happen is a major

reinvestment in need-based fi nancial aid for

students. We want Elon to look more like the

world looks. We run a danger of becoming

irrelevant if we don’t. We have to be more

intellectually diverse, more internationally

diverse, more geographically and socio-eco-

nomically diverse. We’ll get a portion of this

accomplished with the Ever Elon Campaign,

but the next campaign will also have need-

based aid as its major goal.

jh · What are your goals for Elon in the next 10 years?

lml · My goals will be to see this next stra-

tegic plan launched and to make progress on

reaching every one of those goals. Th e goals of

the next strategic plan are going to take your

breath away. Th ey will really surprise you in

terms of the level of ambition. My goal in

the next 10 years is to make sure that Elon

has realized its destiny as a distinctive leading

university, that the Ever Elon Campaign is

successful and that the campaign after that

is successful.

jh · What role should the university play in American higher education?

lml · Elon has a leadership role to play in

American higher education. I think it will play

an increasingly important role as a model of

innovative, quality higher education.

I think Elon is already looked to as a model

of a well-run institution, an institution with a

creative general studies curriculum, with pro-

fessional schools that have growing national

reputations. U.S.News & World Report last year

listed us as the 1 up-and-coming college or

university in the United States.

We’re on everyone’s radar screen. People

are emulating our success, and we’ve got to

work doubly hard to stay in front of that pack.

I think innovation is the key word. We’re

always looking at ways we can do things

diff erently. We don’t have a follow-the-pack

mentality around here, and I think that’s re-

ally wonderful.

jh · Is there anything else you’d like to say?lml · It has been a great personal joy and

privilege to be president of Elon. I still feel as

enthusiastic, energetic and passionate about

this job, even more so, than when we came 10

years ago. I’ve said this before, that next to my

family, I think being the president of this uni-

versity has been the great privilege of my life.

To view video clips from this interview, including President Lambert’s

reflections on effective leadership and his favorite spot on campus, go

to www.elon.edu/magazine.



The Elon marching band was fanning

out across the football fi eld, moving in

precise formation, when a disheveled

man, apparently intoxicated, barreled into

their midst from the sidelines.

Before anyone could react, he had

grabbed the startled head majorette, clamped

her in an embrace and planted a big kiss

on her cheek. Th e drum major rushed to

her rescue as the man fl ed. Moments later,

he reappeared and once again made a stag-

gering beeline for the majorette.

“Th is time the whole band jumped on

him,” recalls Jack O. White, Elon’s band

director at the time. “He vanished under

the pile, and there was this great big meleé.

Out comes fl ying his hat, then his shirt,

and then pants and fi nally his red under-

wear. When the band fi nally separated, he

was gone. He had disappeared altogether.”

The whole thing, of course, was a

stunt. Th e “intruder” was a member of the

band — the piccolo player, who had his

uniform on underneath his civilian cloth-

ing. It was a classic “Jack O” gag, the kind

of elaborate vaudevillian act that, along with

superb musicianship, made the Showband

of the Carolinas a crowd favorite in the ’60s

and ’70s.

Those and other stories of the band

will take center stage as the university cel-

ebrates 100 years of Elon’s marching band

at Homecoming Oct. 23–25. Alumni band

members are invited to return to campus and

perform with Elon’s current marching band,

the Fire of the Carolinas, during Saturday’s

football game.

Elon’s fi rst band formed in 1909, accord-

ing to Raymond Beck ’75, former Showband

drum major and a retired North Carolina state

capitol historian. To prepare for the centennial

celebration, Beck researched the band’s history

with Tony Sawyer, Elon’s band director.

Not surprising, the band program began

at about the same time as Elon’s basketball,

baseball and football programs, all of which

got their starts in the fi rst decade or so of the

20th century.

Th e fi rst band di-

rector was a student,

Russell Campbell, a

coronet player who

graduated in 1911.

He also played foot-

ball and was able to

direct the band after

the team got into

some trouble and was briefl y disbanded, ac-

cording to Beck.

During the early years, the band played

mostly at dances and athletics events. When

the Great Depression struck in 1929, the group

dissolved under the pressure of hard times.

Elon President Leon E. Smith resurrected the

band in the 1930s, recruiting Landon Walker,

a horn player from Charlotte, N.C., to lead

the group.

“Dr. Smith called my high school band

director and said, ‘Do you have somebody

who can come in and develop a band?’” recalls

Walker, who lives in Hickory, N.C. “My band

director said, ‘Yes, I think I do.’”

Elon off ered Walker free tu-

ition in exchange for reviving the

band program. Walker jumped at

the chance to earn a college de-

gree. When he arrived, the band

consisted of two coronet players,

and he wasted no time recruiting

fellow students.

“I had quite a time getting

them,” Walker recalls. “Nobody

played (an instrument).”

By the time Walker gradu-

ated in 1939, the band had about

40 members. The band would

have its ups and

downs and take dif-

ferent forms in the

years to come, but

never again would it

cease to exist.

The band be-

gan to take its mod-

ern form during the

1950s, when Elon

hired the first fac-

ulty director, Eugene

Jacobowski, and the program split into sepa-

rate groups, a pep band and a concert band.

Jack White came to Elon as band director

in 1962 and infused the program with energy,

creating the Showband of the Carolinas and

the school’s fi rst jazz ensemble, Emanon (“No

Name” spelled backward). Under his leader-

ship, the jazz ensemble regularly toured the

Celebrating

100 years of the

marching band

BY DAVE HART

Strikkee Up1910

1935

1952


East Coast and performed in Puerto Rico

and Europe, while the Showband earned a

far-reaching reputation for its wildly inven-

tive shows.

Former majorette Hope Amick Gregory

’77, of Burlington, N.C., recalls the band’s

professionalism and talent.

“I never thought of it as two groups, the

band and the majorettes,” Gregory says. “We

were one unit.”

Angie Ingram Hodnett ’75, of Rustburg,

Va., was a majorette and occasionally played

the bassoon.

“Even though we weren’t a big Division I

school, when I see routines that those schools

do now, with syncopated rhythms and things,

they’re reminiscent of what we did,” Hodnett

says.

“We all had one goal — to put on a great

show every week,” Hodnett adds. “I remember

when we would run off the fi eld, the team

doctor was always standing there with this big

roll of bubble gum. As we ran by, he would

pop a piece into everybody’s mouth. We had

been working so hard we were dehydrated.”

White directed the band for 25 years,

longer than anyone else, and his skill, lon-

gevity and showmanship are credited with

transforming the band into a professional

performing ensemble.

“He was a creative genius,” says Beck,

who played under White in the Showband

and the jazz ensemble during the early ’70s.

“Most bands do a single show all season. We

did an entirely diff erent show every week, and

we astounded the crowd with our maneuvers,

music and hijinks.”

The band struggled once again after

White stepped down in 1986. What remained

was a small wind ensemble that was bolstered

for concert performances by musicians from

the University of North

Carolina at Greensboro.

Tom Erdmann breathed

new life into the band

when he joined Elon’s mu-

sic faculty in 1989.

“I remember the fi rst

concert we had, one young

woman said, ‘So when are

the unc-g kids coming?’

I said, ‘They’re not. It’s

just you,’” Erdmann said.

“Th e fear on her face was

palpable. That first con-

cert was terrible, but that

was ok. Th ey learned that

nobody was going to come

save them.”

Under Erdmann’s direction, the band

made recordings, performed at concerts and

as a pep band at special events. When it came

to the music, Erdmann liked to push the

boundaries.

“We did a lot of classics, but we also did

some stuff out of left fi eld, such as polytonal

pieces, in two keys at the same time, and

atonal pieces, in no key at all,” he says.

By 2000, Elon had moved to ncaa

Division i competition and was building a

new football stadium. Th e only thing miss-

ing was a marching band. Erdmann contin-

ued to direct the orchestral band, while Bill

DeJournett was hired to rebuild the marching

band. A year later, the Fire of the Carolinas

made its debut.

Sawyer took over leadership of the band

in 2003 following DeJournett. In the spirit of

Jack White, Sawyer has energized the program

with creative and sometimes off beat produc-

tions. He introduced instruments not typically

found in a marching band, such as electric

guitars and keyboards, and he pushed high-

energy shows featuring rock, pop and heavy

metal music. He’s even done a dance show and

one based on the Guitar Hero video game.

“Tony Sawyer has done an unbelievable

job of maturing the program, and I think the

fans really notice,” says Virginia Zint ’08, a

second-generation Elon band member. Her

father, James Zint ’81, played under White.

“Instead of having us always go in straight pre-

cision marching band lines, he was thinking,

‘What will make the crowd go wild?’ So we

danced a lot and sang at one point. He made

sure that we were having fun, because if we

were having fun, the crowd was having fun.”

Whether the routines are vaudevillian or

modern, the marching band is as integral to

school spirit today as it was in the ’70s when

Hodnett played.

“I missed it when it was over,” she says.

“I’d go back and do it all over again right

now.”

19161970s

2008

See you at

Homecoming and

chapter eventsThis section of the magazine is a remarkable

testament to the importance of our alumni

chapters in keeping all Elon graduates

connected to each other and the university.

The story on chapter activities on page 28

demonstrates how busy our alums have been

this summer, while the coming events list off ers graduates plenty of op-

portunities this fall to socialize, network and serve their communities. I

am impressed by the commitment of our chapter presidents and commit-

tee members to ensure that alumni have a variety of opportunities to

reconnect with Elon in meaningful ways.

As you plan your schedule for the coming months, be sure to attend

one of the chapter events in your area. There are plenty of activities to

choose from, and chances are you’ll make new Elon friends.

Enhancing regional alumni activities is one component of the

Alumni Association’s strategic plan. We’re also very focused on bringing

alumni back to campus. Our premier event to do just that is Homecoming

Weekend, Oct. 23–25. The Homecoming schedule is full of events that al-

low you to reconnect with former classmates, faculty and staff , and meet

students from various academic programs and campus organizations.

There’s a sneak peek of our exciting schedule on the next page.

Watch the alumni Web site for registration information in early Septem-

ber. No matter when you graduated or which organizations you

participated in, this is the weekend for you to return to your beloved Elon.

The Alumni Relations staff and I look forward to seeing you at an

event this fall.

Sallie

Sallie Hutton ’92

YOUNG ALUMS DONATE $, THROUGH

IGNITE

Graduates of the past decade donated $233,618 to Elon dur-

ing 2008–2009, the fi rst year of ignite, the university’s

annual giving program for young alumni.

A total of 1,009 young alums made gifts, including

49 who joined Th e Elon Society, the university’s premier

annual giving recognition society. Th e average gift from

young alumni was $137.

Many alums made gifts at one of 12 ignite nite din-

ners held during the past year. Th e dinners, hosted by

young alums, brought in $30,398 to the university.

Th e following ignite nites have been scheduled for

the fall:

atlanta Sept. 14 at the home of Josh ’00 and

Kristen Kart Felix ’00

piedmont triad Oct. 1 at the home of Jude

Dooley ’00

boston Oct. 7 at Les Zygomates, hosted

by Kathleen Niple ’05, Mark Richter ’99

and Stephanie Badavas ’09

Check www.elon.edu/ignite for the full schedule.

HELP US GO GREEN!

As part of Elon’s commitment to environmental sustain-

ability and stewardship of university resources, the Alumni

Relations Offi ce plans to reduce the number of printed

invitations that are mailed to graduates for alumni chap-

ter events.

If you live in one of the 14 chapter regions and would

like to receive your invitations via e-mail, please contact

Alumni Relations at 877.784.3566 or alumnirelations@elon.

edu and give us your e-mail address. Th ank you!

GET TAGGED!

Show your Elon pride dur-

ing your travels. get tagged

with a complimentary Elon

luggage tag from the Alumni

Association.

Mail your business card to

the Alumni Association and

receive a laminated maroon

and gold luggage tag with the Elon logo on the front and

your business card on the back. Th is tag will make your

luggage stand out in a crowd!

Send your business card to: Offi ce of Alumni Relations,

2600 Campus Box, Elon, NC 27244.

You also can get a luggage tag at Homecoming

Oct. 23–25. Drop off your business card at check-in in

Moseley Center.

SHARE YOUR INFORMATION FOR NEW ALUMNI DIRECTORY

Th e Elon Alumni Association is working with Harris Connect to produce the

2010 alumni directory.

Th e directory, Elon University Alumni: Today, will include biographical

information on graduates, including their class years, home and e-mail ad-

dresses, and professional information. It will be a valuable tool for social and

professional networking.

Th is fall, all alumni will receive a postcard from Harris requesting their

updated information. Please help the Alumni Association keep you informed

of important alumni news and events by promptly responding to the mailing.

For the fi rst time, alumni will be invited to submit photos of themselves

along with brief personal updates, which will be included in the front of the

directory. Alumni may purchase the printed directory when it is published

next year.

For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at

877.784.3566 or [email protected].

ALUMNI Action

26 THE MAGAZINE OF ELON The Alumni Relations Offi ce is located in Johnston Hall at 123 S. Antioch Ave. and can be reached toll-free at 877.784.3566 or by writing to Campus Box 2600, Elon, NC 27244.

Wear your maroon at Homecoming Oct. –!Homecoming off ers something for everyone this

fall. Plan now to return to campus Oct. 23–25 and

see how your alma mater has grown.

Homecoming kicks off Friday morning with

registration in Moseley Center, where you can pick up a schedule of events and campus

map to plan your weekend. Highlights of the weekend include the following:

Get your travel on!Italy or Greece

The Alumni Association off ers the

following trips in 2010:

Cathedrals of Italy March 19-27

Nine days in Rome, Assisi, Florence, Pisa

and Lucca

Sites include Vatican Museum, Sistine

Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, Pantheon,

Coliseum, Santa Maria Maggoire Basilica,

Scala Santa, Basilica of San Giovanni in

Laterano and the Holy Steps, St. Francis’

Basilica, Santa Chiara Church, the Duomo,

Baptistery and the Cemetery, 11th century

Duomo, church of San Michele in Foro, Torre

dei Guinigi, the Duomo in Florence, Church

of San Lorenzo and Santa Maria Novella

Cost: 3,299 per person (double occupancy)

plus taxes; additional 750 for single

accommodations

Best of the Mediterranean & Greek Isles Cruise Oct. 11-24

Twelve nights aboard Oceania Cruises’

Regatta to Venice, Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia;

Corfu, Delphi (Itea), Zakynthos, Monemvasia,

Crete, Santorini, Delos, Mykonos and Athens,

Greece; and Kasadasi, Turkey

Cost: 3,299 to 6,099 per person for

staterooms (double occupancy); taxes, fees

and airport/ship transfers are not included;

save 1,000 per person by booking a

reservation for two

Book your trip before January and receive

free airfare from select gateway cities,

including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte,

Chicago, Washington-Dulles, Newark, New

York-Kennedy, Philadelphia and

Raleigh-Durham

For more information, contact the Alumni

Association at 877.784.3566 or

[email protected].

A full schh ded lule e ofof Homeco imingng e eveventntss wiwillll

be postet dd iinin SS Seppeptetetembmbmbererer a a att www.elelonon e.edudu/a/alulumnmni.i.

Friday

Receptions for School of Communications,

Martha and Spencer Love School of Busi-

ness and Leisure and Sport Management

alumni

Campus bus tours led by President Emeri-

tus Earl Danieley ’46 and Barry Bradberry

’75, associate dean of admissions and fi nan-

cial planning

Career counseling sessions with Elon’s Ca-

reer Services staff; call 336.278.6538 to

make an appointment

Young Alumni party at The Lighthouse

featuring the Montgomery Burns Band for

graduates of the last decade

Phoenix Phest party in McKinnon Hall fea-

turing the North Tower Band

African-American Alumni/National Pan-

Hellenic Council reception; Eugene Perry

’69, Elon’s fi rst African-American graduate,

will be recognized; NPHC Step Show fol-

lows in Alumni Gym

Saturday

Alumni Association Awards brunch in McK-

innon Hall

Meal packing service event in Koury Ath-

letics Center concourse

Education alumni gather in Mooney build-

ing to meet David Cooper, the new dean

of the School of Education; chemistry

alumni reception on McIver Terrace at Mc-

Michael Science Center

Tailgating in Reunion Village (open to all

alumni), Harper Center lot and beside Lake

Mary Nell; Zack’s hot dogs and hamburg-

ers, and barbeque lunches available for

purchase in Reunion Village

Elon vs. UT-Chattanooga at 1:30 p.m. in

Rhodes Stadium

Second-annual Old School Party in McKin-

non Hall; African-American Alumni Group

will raise money for the African-American

Alumni Scholarship

Reunions: Classes of 1959, 1969, 1974, 1979,

1984, 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2004; Band Cen-

tennial, Lambda Chi Alpha Centennial

Founding Celebration, Phi Beta Sigma

(10th anniversary), Pi Kappa Phi (30th an-

niversary), Tri-Delta (5th anniversary), Tau

Kappa Epsilon/Alpha Pi Delta and Watson

Scholars. Also planning get-togethers are

Kappa Sigma, the Student Government

Association, Periclean Scholars and Isabella

Cannon Leadership Fellows

New this year: Camp Phoenix child care

Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m. For

children ages 6 months to 11 years old

Child-care services provided by students

and Elon Campus Ministries staff ; certifi ed

CPR and fi rst-aid attendant on hand

Cost: 30 per child per night and 75 per

family per night maximum; proceeds will

fund scholarships for spring break service

trips

THE MAGAZINE OF ELON 27 Alumni Relations Offi ce staff : Director, Sallie Hutton ’92, [email protected] • Assistant Director, Lisa Ratliff Roper ’93

Assistant Director for Young Alumni, Lindsay Gross Hege ’04 • Coordinator of Alumni Chapters, Lauren Kelly ’08 • Program Assistant, Kelly Elliston

ALUMNI SERVE UP SUMMER FUN Alumni chapter members have spent the summer

serving their communities, going to baseball games

and meeting with students in New York and Los

Angeles. Here are the highlights:

atlanta Chapter members Josh Felix ’00

and his wife, Kristen Kart Felix ’00, helped

Atlanta alumni get to know each other by

hosting “Dinner with 6 Elon Strangers” in

July. Th e small gathering was a great way for

alums of all ages to network, particularly grad-

uates who are new to the city. Th e following

day, the couple hosted a cookout for 25 alums

from the 1990s to the Class of 2009.

baltimore Alumni welcomed the warm

weather by heading to Oregon Ridge Park in

May for College Coff ee and Playtime in the

Park. In June, they gathered at Howl at the

Moon bar for live entertainment, including

dueling piano players.

charleston Minor league baseball was

on the minds of Charleston alumni who

cheered on their Riverdogs against the Ashe-

ville Tourists, the Augusta Greenjackets and

the Greenville Drive.

charlotte About 30 alumni gathered this

summer for Charlotte’s monthly networking

socials at Th e Tavern on Park, a new event

for the chapter. Th e Tavern staff has grown so

fond of the alums that they posted an Elon

University pennant on the restaurant wall.

chicago Members of Elon’s newest chapter

had a packed spring schedule, including a trip

to North Avenue beach and watching a Cubs

game at Th e Cubby Bear bar in Wrigleyville.

los angeles Alumni put on their work

gloves to participate in the annual Nothin’ But

Sand Beach Cleanup at toes Beach in Playa

Del Rey, Calif. In July, they met with Elon

Provost Steven House and students participat-

ing in the Elon in L.A. program, which off ers

students internships and a course on the busi-

ness of Hollywood. More than 70 students

and alumni representing companies such as

Paramount, Universal Studios, cbs, nbc and

Fremantle Media attended a reception at the

Silent Movie Th eater.

new york In June, alums attended a re-

ception with Elon students enrolled in the

university’s inaugural Elon in New York

program. Twenty students lived in the city

and met professionals in the fi elds of fi nance,

marketing, communications and entrepre-

neurship. In July, alums met tennis star Serena

Williams at an event with the ny Sportimes

tennis team on Randall’s Island in New York.

Senior Lauren Warr, a Sportimes intern,

helped arrange the event.

philadelphia Chapter members gathered in

May for a volunteer interest meeting during

which they brainstormed ideas for events and

established their leadership committee. Th e

newly reorganized chapter welcomed Megan

Seibert ’05, Michael Bumbry ’07 and Jenn

Budd ’07 to the chapter board.

piedmont triad June rain showers didn’t

keep members of the Piedmont Triad Chap-

ter from attending Martini Night at Dick &

Jane’s Tapas and Martinis in Mebane, N.C.

More than 50 alums from all eras showed up

and enjoyed a special Phoenix cocktail cre-

ated by owner Philip Hochreiter ’93. Jim

Drummond ’50 and his wife, Joan ’52, had a

great time meeting members of the Class of

2009 and sharing Elon stories.

richmond Betty Yarbrough ’52 and her hus-

band, Fred ’50, regaled chapter members with

their Elon stories during a cookout hosted

by Scott Hill ’71. Th e Yarbroughs also shared

news of their 58th wedding anniversary.

triangle In April, alums participated in the

Angels Among Us Race and raised more than

$1,700 to fund research and clinical trials of

brain and spinal tumors at Duke University

Medical Center in Durham. In May, fl oppy

hats were all the rage at the chapter’s 5th-

Annual Kentucky Derby Party at Angus Barn

in Raleigh. Kappy Black, the wife of Perry

Black ’80, won fi rst place for best hat, while

Candyce Marsh ’03 correctly picked Mine

Th at Bird to win the Derby.

In June, alums participated in the Komen

Race for the Cure in Raleigh and watched the

movie “Slumdog Millionaire” on the lawn of

the North Carolina Museum of Art.

washington, d.c. In May, alums toured

the National Portrait Gallery with School of

Communications Dean Paul Parsons, Associ-

ate Dean Connie Book and faculty member

Janna Anderson. Chapter members also at-

tended the “Paint the Town Pink” fundraiser

to benefit the Susan G. Komen Founda-

tion. Katie Sullivan ’02 and Maggie Sullivan

Massaro ’03 hosted the event, which raised

more than $2,000 for cancer research.

In June, alums raised an additional $1,000

for the Komen Foundation by participating

in the Race for the Cure on the National Mall.

Richmond

Triangle

Triangle

Washington, D.C.

ALUMNI Action


For the latest alumni news, go to www.elon.edu/alumni

Coming Events

AUG. Richmond Chapter shag

lessons, 2 p.m. Visions Lounge

AUG. Los Angeles Welcome to the

City, 7 p.m. Life on Wilshire

AUG. New York Welcome to the City,

7 p.m. Mad46 (rooftop of The Roosevelt

Hotel)

AUG. D.C. Chapter fi lm premiere,

“Captain Abu Raed,” produced by Laith

Majali ’05, E Street Theater

AUG. Boston Welcome to the City,

6 p.m. McFadden’s

AUG. Baltimore Chapter Orioles

game, 7:05 p.m. Pre-game social, 5 p.m.

The Diamond Tavern

Chicago Welcome to the City, 11 a.m.

Lincoln Park, Grove 15

SEPT. Atlanta Welcome to the City,

7 p.m. Wildfi re Restaurant

SEPT. Piedmont Triad Welcome to

the City, 6:30 p.m. Natty Greene’s

SEPT. New York Business Fellows

reception, 6 p.m. (Location TBA)

Philadelphia Welcome to the City,

7 p.m. Manayunk Brewery

Richmond Welcome to the City, 7 p.m.

Capital Ale House in Innsbrook

Schmoozapalooza alumni/student

networking, 6 p.m. Elon

SEPT. Elon Alumni Board

meeting, Elon

SEPT. Charleston Chapter football

trip, Elon vs. Presbyterian, Clinton, S.C.

Richmond and D.C. chapters trip to

Philip Carter Winery, 2 p.m.

SEPT. Boston Chapter volunteer

interest meeting, 7 p.m. Baystate

Financial Offi ce

SEPT. Los Angeles Chapter All-

North Carolina alumni networking

social, 7 p.m. SOUTH in Santa Monica

Charlotte Chapter networking event,

6:30 p.m. The Tavern on Park. Special

guest: Phoenix basketball coach Matt

Matheny

Triangle Welcome to the City, 7 p.m.

Tatton Hall, Raleigh

SEPT. Chicago Chapter social,

5:30 p.m. Pegasus Restaurant & Tavern

SEPT. Atlanta Chapter social, 6 p.m.

Shout in Midtown

SEPT. Charleston Welcome to the

City, 5:30 p.m. Tommy Condon’s Pub

SEPT. Piedmont Triad and Charlotte

chapters football trip, 6:30 p.m. Elon vs.

Wake Forest, Winston-Salem, N.C.

SEPT. Young Alumni Council

meeting, Elon

SEPT. Chicago Chapter Bears

vs. Steelers viewing party, 3 p.m.

Wrightwood Tap

SEPT. Charlotte Chapter wine/

culinary event, (Time TBA) Johnson &

Wales University

SEPT. Philadelphia Chapter Art

After 5, 5:30 p.m. Philadelphia Museum

of Art

SEPT. Washington, D.C., Welcome

to the City, 7 p.m. The Clarendon Grill,

Arlington, Va.

OCT. Los Angeles Chapter First

Thursday social, 7 p.m. Big Wangs

OCT. Charlotte Chapter Komen

Race for the Cure 5K, 8 a.m. Uptown

Charlotte

OCT. Triangle Chapter networking

social/canned food drive, 7 p.m.

Carolina Ale House, Raleigh

OCT. Physical therapy alumni

reunion, Elon

OCT. Triangle Chapter service event,

2 p.m. Food Bank of Central/Eastern

N.C., Raleigh

Charleston Chapter golf tournament,

1:30 p.m. Shadowmoss Golf Club

Richmond Chapter River District

cruise, (Time TBA) departs from

Turning Basin

OCT. Piedmont Triad Chapter

attends Fall Convocation, 4 p.m.

Alumni Gym

OCT. Chicago Chapter social/

coat drive, 5:30 p.m. McCormick and

Schmick’s, Michigan Avenue

OCT. Atlanta Chapter social, 6 p.m.

Highland Tap in Virginia Highlands

Washington, D.C., Chapter social,

6:30 p.m. RFD, Chinatown

Philadelphia Chapter social,

6 p.m. Winberie’s Restaurant and Bar,

Princeton, N.J.

OCT. Atlanta Chapter service event,

9 a.m. Safehouse Outreach

New York Chapter service event,

8 a.m. New York Cares Day

Baltimore Chapter food packing

service event, noon. Moveable Feast

OCT. Boston Chapter Autism Walk,

9 a.m. Suff olk Downs, East Boston

OCT. Charlotte Chapter networking

social, 6 p.m. (Location TBA)

OCT. Homecoming Weekend,

Elon

OCT. Baltimore Chapter Halloween

social, 6 p.m. Looney’s Pub, Canton

NOV. Los Angeles Chapter First

Thursdays social, 7 p.m. Hennessey’s,

Manhattan Beach

NOV. Piedmont Triad Chapter

attends “Kiss Me, Kate,” 7:30 p.m.

McCrary Theatre, Elon

NOV. Richmond Chapter football

trip, 3 p.m. Elon vs. Appalachian State,

Elon

NOV. Chicago Chapter social,

5:30 p.m. Dunlay’s on Clark, Lincoln Park

NOV. Washington, D.C., Chapter

social, 6:30 p.m. (Location TBA)

alumni identify and meet their professional goals. Alumni can get

tips on constructing eff ective resumes and cover letters, preparing for

interviews, developing a professional network and launching a strategic

career search. Career Beam also allows alumni to search for organiza-

tions and industries nationally and internationally. Alumni can create

an account at www.careerbeam.com/ElonAlumReg.asp.

Elon’s LinkedIn Group is open to all alumni. LinkedIn is an on-

line professional networking resource that allows alums to connect

with classmates, friends and former colleagues. To join and create

a profi le, go to www.linkedin.com/home. Elon’s group is located at

www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=961537.

Career consultations will be available during Homecoming Week-

end. Career Services staff will be available on Friday, Oct. 23, to assist

alumni with their job searches, including writing resumes and cover

letters, and networking opportunities. Interested alumni should call

Career Services at 336.278.6538 to make an appointment.

Elon’s Career Services offi ce has a new

online resource to help alumni prepare

for job interviews.

Perfect Interview is an interactive,

Web-based program that allows users

to practice their interviewing skills and receive feedback. Alumni can

customize their interview sessions for entry-level to executive positions.

Alums can videotape and archive their sessions and e-mail them to

friends and colleagues for feedback. Tips on answering each question

and suggested responses are embedded in each session. Also included in

the program is Perfect Resume to help alumni create eff ective resumes.

To fi nd out more about Perfect Interview, go to the alumni Web site

(www.elon.edu/alumni) and click on the Career Services link.

Other resources for alumni include Career Beam and the Elon

Alumni Association LinkedIn Group.

Career Beam is a comprehensive, user-friendly program that helps

Career resources

available for

alumni

ALUMNI Action


Class Notes

’sVirginia Lee May Corbett ’43 cred-its Elon with helping her become a successful secretary. She earned her secretarial practice certifi cate in 1943 and later served as a secretary at Associated Transport, Fortress Underwriters and Traveler’s Insurance Co. Eventually, she passed the certi-fi ed professional secretary exam.

Barbara A. Haynes Francis ’49 is grateful to Elon for helping her be-come a teacher. Barbara still keeps in touch with the friends she met on campus.

’sREUNION ’

Nancy K. Keck ’50 fondly recalls chemistry classes with professor Earl Danieley ’46. She is thankful to Elon for preparing her to transfer to a school that off ered the major she needed.

Frank L. Ward ’52 never dreamed that an Elon education would be pos-sible after serving in the U.S. Navy for more than three years. With help from Earl Danieley ’46, Frank was able to graduate in three years and says that he still looks forward to see-ing Dr. Danieley when he visits Elon.

Luther Conger ’55 is looking for alumni from the 1950s and 1960s to join other alumni in the 14th-annual Elon Golf Outing in the Pinehurst/Southern Pines area Oct. 12–Oct. 14. Special rates are available for non-golfers. For more information, call Luther at 336.993.4768.

John T. Jones ’55 and Carolyn Abernathy Jones ’56 celebrated 52

years of marriage this summer. John and Carolyn are retired educators and reside in Shallotte, N.C.

Ikey Tarleton Little ’59 retired after 25 years with ibm. To show her appre-ciation for Elon, she off ered a match-ing gift of up to $25,000 to fund a scholarship in honor of the Class of 1959. She encourages classmates who are interested in making a gift to con-tact Elon’s University Advancement Offi ce at 877.784.3566. Ikey lives in Moss Landing, Calif.

’sDexter R. Barbee ’62 founded Apollo Chemical Corp. in 1968 and sold it in 2009. He lives with his wife, Joan, in Burlington, N.C.

Cliff Hardy ’62 was appointed by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to serve on the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board for a three-year term. Cliff is a retired mortgage banker and lives with his wife, Judy Morris-Hardy, in Tampa, Fla.

Fred Stephenson ’65 retired after 24 years as conference director of the University of Georgia’s Trucking Profi tability Strategies Conference. Fred and his wife, Sharon Smith Stephenson ’66, celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary in June. Th e couple reside in Athens, Ga.

Mary Shaw Covington ’66 has been a tour guide for 31 years and conducts tours throughout the United States and North America, as well as Europe and Australia. Mary lives in Mebane, N.C.

Tom Page ’66 is a novelist and techni-cal writer, and he has authored eight books. He lives in Santa Monica, Calif.

Mary Coolidge Ruth ’66 and her husband, Bill Ruth ’66, serve as vol-unteers with Partners in Service with the United Church of Christ. Last

year, Mary and Bill volunteered at the ucc headquarters in Cleveland, serv-ing with Wider Church Ministries. Th is year, the couple are volunteering at Silver Lake Conference Center in Sharon, Conn., where Mary served as an intern in 1965. Th ey live in Stoney Creek, N.C.

William Williams ’66 moved from Clifton, Va., to Jeffersonton, Va., in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Ken R. Hollingsworth ’68 and his wife, Judy, edited the Mofu-Gudur Trilingual Dictionary, published by Rudiger Koppe Verlag. The couple also helped translate the New Testament in the Mofu-Gudur language. They reside in Maroua, Cameroon.

’sJoe Foley ’71 conducted the 16th-annual delegates assembly of the National Federation of Croatian Americans in Washington, D.C., in June. Joe works in government

Charitable gift annuities can provide income for life

A charitable gift annuity of 10,000 or more to Elon will guaran-

tee you a fi xed income for the rest of your life. With market interest

rates near historic lows, a gift annuity is an attractive way for you to

increase your income and make a gift to Elon at the same time. You

will receive immediate tax benefi ts and can defer capital gains. The

payment rate of a charitable gift annuity depends on your age at the

time of the gift — the older you are, the higher the rate.

Sample Rates eff ective February 1, 2009:

ONE BENEFICIARY

AGE ANNUIT Y RATE

60 5.0%

65 5.3%

70 5.7%

T WO BENEFICIARIES

AGES ANNUIT Y RATE

60/65 4.8%

67/67 5.0%

71/73 5.3%

Annuity rates are subject to change. The annuity rate remains fi xed once your gift is made.

To calculate a gift annuity for you or your spouse or a family member,

go to www.elon.edu/giftplanning.

For more information on how you may benefi t from a

life income gift to Elon and other gift planning opportunities,

please contact:

Jamie Killorin, CPA/PFS, CFP®, Director of Gift Planning

Toll free 877.784.3566

[email protected] • www.elon.edu/giftplanning

l-r Bill Ruth ’66, Mary Coolidge Ruth ’66, Dave Potter ’66, Betty Potter, Bonnie Moore Brooks ’66, Larry Brooks ’66, Patsy Bulla Barker ’67, Bill Barker ’67 and Judy Hardie Saunders ’68

Luther Conger ’55, second from right, and friends

CLASS Notes


relations and public aff airs for Foley Government & Public Aff airs, Inc. He lives in Potomac, Md.

Marvin L. Morgan ’71 is pastor and minister of pastoral care at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Atlanta. He serves as na-tional moderator of the General Synod of the ucc and presided at the denomination’s biennial meeting in Grand Rapids, Mich., in June. His children, Megan and Marvin Jr., are Elon students. He lives with his wife, Mae, in Atlanta.

Dale G. Esber ’73 and Nancy Darden Esber ’74 retired last year from the Virginia Beach City Public Schools, which recognized the couple for their combined 64 years of teaching. Dale and Nancy reside in Virginia Beach, Va.

Larry F. Hodges ’74 joined Clemson University as the fl agship director of the School of Computing. Larry lives with his wife, Elizabeth Williford Hodges ’74, in Clemson, S.C.

J.A. Savage ’75 is retired and lives with his wife, Jane, in Tampa, Fla.

Eric Hall ’76 is a partner at True Reality Inc. and lives in Burbank, Calif.

Steven F. Yuskevich ’76 was ap-pointed senior warden of St. Th omas Episcopal Church. He had hip re-placement surgery in May and is looking forward to his son’s wedding in October. Steven lives with his wife, Barbara, in Sanford, N.C.

’sREUNION ’

Bryant M. Colson ’80 was elected vice chair of the Orange County (N.C.) Human Relations Commission. Bryant is a current member and past chair of the Orange County Economic Development Commission. He lives with his wife, Karen, and his children, Kyra, Krysten and Kabrya, in Hillsborough, N.C.

Christopher M.T. Jones ’80 orga-nized the group, Save the Yankees Gate 2 Committee, which is dedi-cated to preserving Gate 2 from the original Yankee Stadium, built in 1923. He is a retired teacher and lives with his wife, Cindy, and his children, Katherine and Tom, in Midlothian, Va.

Karen Miller Simmons ’80 retired after teaching for 30 years in North Carolina. She lives with her husband, Billy, in Gastonia, N.C.

Marie Barrett Case ’81 teaches spe-cial-needs children in Buncombe County Schools. Marie lives in Chandler, N.C., with her husband, Ed, and her two children, Matthew and Courtney.

Patricia Spencer Melesh ’81 has been a teacher for 23 years with Anne Arundel County Public Schools. She and her husband, Charles, celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in June. Th eir daughter, Elizabeth, is a sophomore at Pfeiff er University, and their son, Charlie, is a senior at Annapolis High School. Th ey live in Annapolis, Md.

Frank D. Gorham ’82 plays on the Washington Alumni Chapter soft-ball team and has enjoyed getting to know alums from all eras. He resides in Springfield, Va., with his wife, Melissa.

Rick Handchen ’82 is director of ath-letics at Brick Township High School. He lives in Brick, N.J.

Ron C. Jones ’82 is director of golf instruction at Golf Academy of America in Orlando, Fla. Ron lives with his wife, Cindy Matherly Jones, in Lake Mary, Fla.

Aubrey M. Wilkerson ’82 was pro-moted to regional business bank-ing director for the western region of Wachovia/Wells Fargo Bank in Virginia. Aubrey lives with his wife, Denise, in Winchester, Va.

Joel W. Huffstetler ’85 earned a master’s degree in sacred theology from Th e School of Th eology at Th e University of the South-Sewanee. His thesis topic was “A Critical Analysis of the Writings of Michael Mayne.” Joel is rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland, Tenn., where he lives with his wife, Debbie.

Penny F. Rosser ’85 received a doc-torate in environmental engineering from Warren National University in May 2009. Penny works as a chem-ist for the Town of Cary, N.C. She oversees the chemistry and microbi-ology laboratories at the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Facility. Penny lives in Cary.

Timothy D. Farmer ’87 is the stem cell and cloning project manager with bsci and lives in Potomac Falls, Va.

Jim Leary ’87 started his own busi-ness, mcd International, Inc., a general contracting and manage-ment company. He lives with his wife, Missy Swaim Leary ’88, in Greensboro, N.C.

William R. Abele ’88 was promoted to sergeant with the Norfolk Police Department and has been assigned to the Homeland Security Division Bomb Squad Unit. He lives in Suff olk, Va.

Robert F. Criste ’89 is founder and president of Stevens Performance Turf, Inc., which provides water-use effi ciency sensors to golf courses and sports turf facilities worldwide. Robert lives in Lawrenceville, Ga.

Suzette Hatcher Hunley ’89 is prac-tice manager at Roxboro MedAccess Urgent Care Facility. She resides in Roxboro, N.C.

James C. Rich ’89 was promoted to major with the Alamance County Sheriff ’s Offi ce. James lives with his wife, Lisa, in Graham, N.C.

’sREUNION ’

G. Doug Lewis ’90 is a real estate investor and general contractor with Fairchild Renovations. He lives with his wife, Faith, and their children, Julianna and Sophia, in Chesapeake Beach, Md. He and his former Elon roommate, Casey Beathard ’90, plan to attend Homecoming this fall and their 20th class reunion. He hopes to see many classmates there.

Maria Lynn Kealey ’90 has com-pleted her master’s degree in adult education and training, and begins law school this fall. Maria lives in Centreville, Md.

Rick Snyder ’91 was named vice pres-ident of creative services at speed, a cable television network dedicated to motor sports. Rick lives in Charlotte, N.C.

Marti Blythe Clark ’92 is the mar-keting assistant for Southampton Memorial Hospital. Marti also assists her husband, Michael, with running the family business, wlqm 101.7 fm and 1250 am radio stations. Th e cou-ple and their daughter, Molly, live in Franklin, Va.

Th omas S. Nielson ’92 has moved to Los Angeles to pursue a fi lm career.

He lives with his wife, Tracey, in Redondo Beach, Calif.

Jeff rey D. Queen ’92 was promoted to chief fi nancial offi cer at Vecoplan llc. He lives in Greensboro, N.C.

Laura Foster ’93 is a teacher and head coach of the varsity girl’s bas-ketball team at Ashe County High School. Th e team was named High Point Holiday Classic champion, Mountain-Valley 2a season champion and conference tournament cham-pion. Laura was named conference coach of the year and district coach of the year. She lives in Wilkesboro, N.C.

Kelly Holder ’93 is the head football coach of Mt. Airy High School. His team was undefeated and captured the North Carolina 1-A state cham-pionship. Kelly lives in Mt. Airy, N.C.

Thomas “Tripp” Bass iii ’94 and his wife, Crystal Crawford Bass ’96, live in Elon, N.C. Tripp is the sec-ond generation of his family to attend Elon. He says he hopes their children, 8-year-old Th omas iv and 2-year-old Maggie, will be the third generation of proud Elon alums. Tripp is a net-work administrator at Harris, Crouch, Long, Scott, & Miller, and Crystal is a registered nurse case manager for Hospice of Alamance-Caswell.

Chris Crabtree ’94 was promoted to executive vice president of MedSolutions and lives in Brentwood, Tenn.

Leigh Tavolacci ’94 received her professional human resources cer-tifi cation and is a human resources business partner at adp. She lives in Atlanta.

Tonya Taylor ’94 was appointed executive director of the Rochester General Health System nwch Foundation, where she directs public relations and marketing. Tonya lives in Rochester, N.Y.

Tripp Bass ’94 and Crystal Crawford Bass ’96 and children, Thomas and Maggie

CLASS Notes


Erick P. Gill ’95 was named govern-ment communicator of the year by the Treasure Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association. Erick is the public information of-fi cer for St. Lucie County, Fla. He and his staff received six National Association of County Information Offi cers Excellence Awards for video production and public relations proj-ects for the third consecutive year. He resides in Fort Pierce, Fla., with his wife, Colleen Batt Gill ’95, and their children, Chelsea and Trevor.

Daniel Colangelo ’96 is a tennis professional at North Hills Club in Raleigh, N.C., where he lives.

Satara P. Ferguson ’96 is a teacher at Flat Shoals Elementary School. She became a licensed minister in 2008 and had her fi rst book, Handmade by God, published in May. She is working on two additional books and lives with her son, HyKeem, in Lithonia, Ga.

Melanie Y. Crenshaw ’98 graduated in the charter class of Elon University School of Law. Melanie lives in Greensboro, N.C.

Stephanie O’Brien ’98 manages re-cruitment for Walt Disney’s newest venture, Disney English. She works with educators teaching English in China. She lives in Stamford, Conn.

Bobby G. Cox Jr. ’99 is an assistant varsity football coach at West Craven High School. He lives in Vanceboro, N.C., with his wife, Erica, and their son, Kaden.

Shannon K. Landefeld ’99 received the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award at the National Education Conference in April. Shannon is a fourth-grade teacher at Tulip Grove Elementary School in Bowie, Md. She lives in Crofton, Md.

Erica L. Preusse ’99 traveled to Africa and worked with children aff ected by hiv in Tanzania. She also went on a safari and spent Easter on Zanzibar Island. Erica lives in Holly Springs, N.C.

Melissa Quinn ’99 is a producer with the tele-vision show “Th e Shift,” which chronicles the cases of homicide de-tectives in Indianapolis. She won an Emmy Award in June from the National Academy of

Television Arts and Sciences National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter. Th e award was in the promotion/pro-gram/campaign category. She lives in Silver Spring, Md.

Joe D. Trickey ’99 is pursuing an MBA at Liberty University. He lives in South Boston, Va.

’sREUNION ’

Marshall Glass ’00 is a fi eld sales rep-resentative for Allstate Insurance and lives in Astoria, N.Y.

Shaun P. Landers ’00 has received an MBA with a concentration in human resources management from Johns Hopkins University. Shaun is a recruiting director with Resources Global Professionals. He lives in Maplewood, N.J., with his wife, Lisa.

Jeff Goodman ’01 com-pleted his fi rst year of teaching health and physical education at Colonel Richardson High School. Jeff coaches the boy’s soccer and baseball teams. He lives with his wife, Tammy, and his daugh-ter, Hailey, in Chestertown, Md.

Steven A. Wilson ’01 has earned a master’s degree and license in coun-seling and is pursuing a license as a clinical addictions specialist. Steven works for Triad Psychiatric and Counseling Center. He lives in Whitsett, N.C.

Allyson M. Brunetti ’02 was pro-moted to operations manager at mkm Partners in Greenwich, Conn. She serves as the young alumni chair of the New York Alumni Chapter. She lives in Old Greenwich, Conn.

Holly Edwards Ferris ’02 received a master’s degree in higher and post-secondary education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Holly is a program manager at the Jerome

A. Chazem Institute of International Business at Columbia Business School. She lives in New York.

Ashley R. Igdalsky ’02 is executive director of the new Village at Pocono Raceway, which opened in August. She

also serves as the assistant secretary of Pocono Raceway and assistant di-rector for fox Sports Speed Channel. Ashley lives in Long Pond, Pa.

Lundon B. Sims ’02 received the Southern Conference of Foreign Language Teachers Award and will study abroad in Cuenca, Ecuador, this summer. She also received the Blanche Raper Zimmerman Scholarship for social studies teachers from the Winston-Salem Foundation. Lundon lives in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Erica Stanley ’02 is deputy commu-nications director for Adrian Fenty, mayor of Washington, D.C. Erica lives in Washington, D.C.

Tim Steadman ’02 was contracted as a contributing photographer with

Icon smi, a photography wire service. One of Tim’s photos from the ncaa Baseball Super Regionals was fea-tured on the front page of the espnu Web site. Tim lives in Charlotte, N.C., with his wife, Karen Dickens Steadman ’03.

Brian D. Ford ’03 helped establish Capstone Realty Advisors, a commer-cial real estate brokerage fi rm. Brian lives in Charlotte, N.C.

Danielle S. Matthews ’03 received an MBA with a concentration in project management from Walden University. Danielle lives in Middle River, Md.

Jeanette Olli ’03 earned a doctorate in mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May. Th is fall, she will serve as an assistant professor of mathematics at Dominican University in River Forest, Ill.

Wade H. Barnes ’04 received the Governor’s Service Award for his volunteer efforts with inner-city high schools. Wade is assistant vice president of 1st Mariner Bank in Baltimore. He lives in Parkville, Md.

Sharon Anderson Davies ’04 re-ceived her master’s degree in educa-tion with a concentration in student

aff airs practice in higher education from the University of Virginia. She is executive director of the Virginia ymca and coordinates statewide youth leadership programs. She lives with her husband, Corey, in Lynchburg, Va.

Alyssa Martin ’04 is working with Oscar-nominated director Mark Kitchell on his new fi lm about the history of the environmental move-ment. Alyssa leads the project’s archi-val research eff orts in San Francisco, where she lives.

A. Justin McCarthy iii ’04 was named a Leader’s Level Producer at Baystate Financial Services, where he works as a fi nancial planner. He lives with his wife, Alison Edwards McCarthy ’04, in Westford, Mass.

Bryan McFarland ’04 launched Vintage V by David Mac, a designer T-shirt company based in West Chester, Pa. He works with Jennifer Gu t h r i e ’ 0 4 a n d Christopher Glen ’05 at the company, which specializes in men’s and women’s graphic V-neck

shirts. Alums can fi nd the shirts at www.vintagevneck.com.

Vycki McKitrick ’04 graduated from the University of Maryland School of Nursing and is a geriatric nurse practitioner at Bravohealth. She lives in Baltimore.

William K. Pou iii ’04 was promoted to replenishment buyer at Badcock Home Furniture and More. William lives with his wife, Tessa Sweetman-Pou ’04, in Mulberry, Fla.

Katie Sherman ’04 was promoted to associate managing editor at Th eLadders.com, an executive job search Web site. Katie resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jessica Patchett-Anderson ’05 is the child and family outreach coordi-nator at First Presbyterian Church and serves as pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Concord, N.C. In July, she was ordained as a minister of word and sacra-ment. Jessica lives with her husband, Tommy, in Charlotte, N.C.

Agnes P. Bannigan ’05 received her master’s degree from the University of Maryland department of cre-ative writing. Agnes plans to con-tinue teaching at the University of Melissa Quinn ’99

Bryan McFarland ’04, Chris Glen ’05 and Jennifer Guthrie ’04

CLASS Notes


’00, Matt Crews ’05, David Ratz ’01, Tracy Trave ’06, Jen Quast ’05, Cassie Cosentino ’07 and professor Linda Poulson for attending their wedding.

Aubria T. Williams ’05 is pursing a bachelor’s degree in graphic design at the Art Institute in Northern Virginia. Before that, she worked for four years as a social worker in Louisville, Ky. Aubria resides in Herndon, Va.

Tommy Bedard ’06 graduated from Syracuse University’s School of Education in May with a master’s degree in secondary social studies education. Tommy is pursuing a middle/high school teaching posi-

Jessica Swearengin ’05 was named to the 2009 class of Apple Distinguished Educators. She was a N.C. Teaching Fellow at Elon and now teaches world history at Mooresville High School in Mooresville, N.C.

Alison Gray Wille ’05 and Michael G. Wille ’05 celebrated their fi rst wedding anniversary in June. Mike is a fi nan-cial specialist with Wachovia Bank, and Alison works as a senior associate auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Th ey reside in Baltimore. Th eir fi rst year of marriage has been wonder-ful and they want to thank Elon alumni Emily Sprouse Walker ’04, Matt Wille ’07, Alden De Lamarter ’07, Ashley Kehrer ’02, Bowie Gray

Jennifer Holmes ’05 in June earned a master’s degree in human-computer interaction from DePaul University in Chicago. Jennifer is a Web devel-oper with Salem Web Network. She lives in Midlothian, Va.

Samantha “Sam” C. McDaniel ’05is pursuing a master’s degree in reli-gion at Liberty University. She was appointed president of the national board of trustees for the Sigma Alpha Omega Christian sorority and is the worship leader for conVerge Church in Lynchburg, Va.

Patrick J. Rees ’05 is public relations coordinator for the New Jersey Nets. Patrick lives in Weehawken, N.J.

Maryland this fall. She resides in Greenbelt, Md.

Michael Bean ’05 was named teacher of the year at Southern Vance High School for 2008–2009. Michael lives in Henderson, N.C.

Valentine Woods Breitbarth ’05graduated with a master’s degree in public health and health policy from George Washington University in May. Valentine works for the District of Columbia in the Department of Health Care Finance’s Policy and Planning Administration. She lives in Washington, D.C.

A treasured keepsake BY SARAH COSTELLO ’ AND JALEH HAGIGH

Thanks to Mary Jones Stephenson ’31, Elon

trustee Zachary T. Walker III ’60 has a special

memento of his father, former Elon quarterback

Zachary Walker Jr. ’30.

This story begins at Homecoming in fall 1929. Zac

Walker Jr. scored the fi rst touchdown of the game

and by tradition was awarded a maroon wool

sweater with a gold “E” sewn on the front. Instead of

taking it for himself, he asked that it be made in a

smaller size for Stephenson, his girlfriend at the time.

She wore it several times that season before carefully

tucking it away in a cedar chest for safekeeping.

Nearly eight decades later, the 100-year-old

alumna from Suff olk, Va., decided to give the sweater

to Walker’s son as a keepsake. Coincidentally,

Stephenson’s dentist in Suff olk, Dr. Leroy Howell, is a

trustee emeritus at Elon, and he agreed to make sure

the sweater reached Walker. He called Walker at his

Raleigh, N.C., home in February to tell him the good

news. Walker was fl oored.

“I never knew Mary existed until I got the call,”

Walker says. “Dad never talked a lot about his time at

Elon. He enjoyed it, and he was an all-conference

player, but it never went to his head.”

Walker couldn’t believe his eyes when he fi nally

received the sweater, not knowing it had been made

for Stephenson.

“My fi rst reaction when I saw it was, ‘I knew my

daddy was a small man, but I never knew he was that

small,’” Walker says, laughing. “I expected it to have

some wear and tear, but it looked like it had just

come off the factory line. I was overwhelmed.”

Walker called Stephenson to thank her for the

sweater. In an interview, Stephenson says she dated

the elder Walker for two years and that she couldn’t

recall any other player making that kind of sacrifi ce

for his girlfriend.

“I thought it was great for him to make (the

sweater) for me,” she says. “He wanted me to have it

to remember him by. I guess he thought enough of

me to do that for me.”

Staying in touch following graduation was

diffi cult, Stephenson says. She returned to her

Virginia home, married, raised two children and

taught school for more than 30 years.

“I went to some Elon Commencements, and he

was there, of course,” Stephenson says. “I spoke to

him there as a friend.”

Like Stephenson did before him, Walker has

stored the sweater in a cedar chest in his home,

which he shares with his wife, Dot.

“Dot and I haven’t decided what we’re going to

do with it yet,” he says. “I’m going to see if it’ll fi t her

and if she’ll wear it to an Elon football game.”

Zac and Dot Walker have been generous Elon

benefactors for more than 25 years, making major

gifts to support academic and athletics scholarships,

as well as construction of the new fi eld house in the

north athletics complex.

“I’ll be forever grateful to Mary for caring enough

to get that sweater to me,” Walker says. “It’s part of

my dad’s life that I never knew existed. It is

something I’ll always treasure.”

Zac Walker III ’60

CLASS Notes


awareness about people with disabili-ties in the community. Before join-ing the Peace Corps, Sara worked for two years as a teacher assistant at the Burlington County Special Services School in New Jersey. She lives in Burlington, N.J.

Emily Sargent ’07 completed a week-long service trip to Honduras. Emily has traveled to Honduras several times since her fi rst trip as a member of the Periclean Scholars Class of 2007. Emily resides in Washington, D.C.

Tonya J. Albert ’08 was promoted to full-time museum specialist with Jekyll Island Authority. She is in charge of collections, archives and historic building maintenance. She lives in Brunswick, Ga.

Brad Hartland ’08 was promoted to chief Macintosh computer techni-cian at the Advisory Board Company, based in Washington, D.C. He lives in Cary, N.C.

Samantha Widmer ’08 competed in the NatWest Island Games golf tour-nament in Aland, Finland. She plans to compete in the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships in Provo, Turks and Caicos, in August. Samantha re-sides in Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, where she works as an ac-countant for Ernst & Young.

Dorian A. Wanzer ’09 was awarded the James E. Webb Students in Public Administration Fellowship with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. She lives in Greensboro, N.C.

Weddings

’sJohn H. Pinson ’85 and Kathy Gilliam Ruffi n ’81, 6/20/09. Kathy works for Communications Technologies on as-signment at Virginia Military Institute. John is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and works as a sales and project manager

for Th yssenKrupp Safway, Inc. Th ey live in Lexington, Va.

Steve Chatham ’86 and Ella McBride, 6/22/08. Steve is a systems analyst at Remington Arms. Th e couple reside in Axton, Va.

’sChris T. Creasy ’91 and Stacie Lefl er, 8/8/08. Chris and Stacie are bartend-ers and co-owners of 6th Bistro and Loft. Chris is the president of Epic Restaurants. The couple reside in Hood River, Ore.

Loren Kendra Burlando ’93 and Russell K. Adams, 9/20/08. Loren is an associate producer of “Dateline nbc,” a news magazine show. Th e couple live in New York.

Angela G. Riley ’96 and Kevin D. Wrenn, 4/18/09. Angela is senior editor for wghp Fox 8. Th e couple reside in Th omasville, N.C.

Melissa Crowe ’97 and Matt McNamara, 3/14/09. Melissa is a surgi-cal sales representative for Medtronic. Th e couple live in Arlington, Va.

Deena R. Erickson ’98 and Scott S. McNichol, 3/22/08. Elon alumni in attendance were: Megan Slusher Snell ’98, Jim Snell ’98 and Maria Nicole McArthur ’99. Deena is a clinical social worker at the National Center for Children and Families. Th ey reside in Frederick, Md.

Stacey M. Lee ’99 and Valerie L. Delby, 8/2/08. Elon alumni in atten-dance were: Erin Benson Hontz ’99, Tara Linman Riemer ’99, Cortney Berben ’99 and David Meeler ’90. Stacey is a physician assistant. Th e couple reside in Charlotte, N.C.

Scott Loney ’99 and Carri Espeland, 11/1/08. Scott is a fi nancial consultant at Charles Schwab. Th e couple live in Chevy Chase, Md.

Jennifer L. Papillo ’06 graduated cum laude from Stetson University College of Law in May and plans to attend Georgetown University Law Center to obtain an LL.M. in taxation with an emphasis on exempt organizations. Jennifer resides in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Amanda R. Taylor ’06 worked on the Tony Award-winning Broadway pro-duction of “Th e Norman Conquests” with acclaimed producer Jennifer Isaacson. Th is fall, she will work with Isaacson as a co-producer in the new production company Rebel/Rebel Productions. Currently, they are working on a show titled “In Th erapy with Celine,” which features singer Celine Dion in a comedy/cabaret show. Amanda resides in New York.

Dave Warfel ’06 started a Web design and creative marketing company in Richmond, Va. Dave has also been competing in sprint triathlons and is training for a 100-mile trail run through the mountains of Virginia in June 2010. He resides in Henrico, Va.

Andrew A. Iszard ’07 is a sales and services associate at the Halstead of Arlington, a luxury apartment com-plex. Andrew lives in Alexandria, Va.

Cara H. Leidy ’07 and her fellow Sigma Sigma Sigma sisters celebrated the engagement of Corey Backes ’07 and Bobby Miller ’07. Ashley Moniger ’07, Sarah Edyt ’07, Devin Cirillo ’07, Lydia Pohlman ’07 and Lauren Sims ’07 also attended. Cara lives in Washington, D.C.

Samuel B. McGuire ’07 received a master’s degree in history from the University of Kentucky in May. He plans to pursue a doctorate in history at the University of Georgia. He lives in Athens, Ga.

Sara Rhymer ’07 has joined the Peace Corps and will serve in Peru as a youth development volunteer/spe-cial education trainer. She will help students and teachers in Peru develop special education curricula and raise

tion in central New York. He lives in Syracuse, N.Y.

Geoff Childs ’06 recently completed a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq with the U.S. Army. Geoff was pro-moted to captain and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service as a scout platoon leader and squadron adjutant during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Geoff and his wife, Laura Bartholomay Childs ’05, reside in Killeen, Texas.

Matthew Cohen ’06 moved to the Washington, D.C., area to work in the company statistics division of the U.S. Census Bureau. He resides in Arlington, Va.

Michael G. Demos ’06 was named the play-by-play announcer for the Tri-City ValleyCats, the minor league Class A baseball affiliate for the Houston Astros. He works for the Siena College athletics department and lives in Clifton Park, N.Y.

Brandon Gauthier ’06 has been accepted as a Ph.D. candidate in U.S. diplomatic history at Fordham University. He will complete his mas-ter’s degree this summer and begin his doctoral studies this fall. Brandon lives in New York.

Brian C. Lynch ’06 sells sponsor-ships and advertisements for the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics radio network. He works at weei 850 am Sports Radio. Brian lives in Watertown, Mass.

George Memory ’06 received his Series 7, Series 31 and Series 65 life and health insurance, and long-term care and Medicare supplement li-censes and certifications. George works as a portfolio manager and fi -nancial planning specialist with the Sullivan Memory McCulloch Group at MorganStanley SmithBarney. George lives in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Scott T. Owen ’06 was promoted to regional manager of Cranked Cuts nyc. Scott lives in New York.

l-r Jim Snell ’98, Megan Slusher Snell ’98, Deena Erickson McNichol ’98, Scott McNichol and Maria N. McArthur ’99

Sarah Porter Chambers ’99 and Andrew Chambers and friends

Sean M. Loren ’99 and Dawn Loren and friendsLoren K. Burlando ’93 and Russell Adams

Stacey Lee ’99 and Valerie Delby

CLASS Notes


Sean M. Loren ’99 and Dawn M. Batchelder, 4/25/09. Elon alumni in attendance were: Jimmy Golinsky ’99, Shelley Rubin Golinsky ’00, Chris Tonnesen ’99, Teresa Hauss Pollock ’03, Mike Bruno ’98, Jason Clark ’94, Rachel Malone Clark ’98, Ryan Bradley ’97, Ed Bonanno ’98, Chris Chandler ’01, Michelle James ’98, Evan Henry ’00, Ron Pukacz ’00, Kerry Neale ’04 and Kendall Mackintosh Thompson ’00. Sean works in investments for 3D Advisors llc. Th e couple reside in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Jeff rey R. Myers ’99 and Jennifer Dew ’03, 12/20/08. Elon alumni in at-tendance were: Francis Williams ’96, Brent Walker ’99, Regan Beaudry Burney ’03, Mark McGinnis ’98, Heang Uy ’00, Leslie Crowe Rafter ’03 and Dalerie Hudson McGinnis ’99. Jeff rey is a youth director, and

Jennifer is a school counselor. Th ey live in Chesapeake, Va.

Sarah Porter ’99 and Andrew Chambers, 3/14/09. Elon alumni in attendance were: Leslie Gill ’95, Kelly Hayman ’99, Jill Barrett ’99, Christine Zellers Heckert ’97, Kristina Kromulis McClain ’97, Kristen McGuire ’98, Mark Richter ’99 and Michelle Maddox Ward ’98. Th e couple reside in Albany, Ohio.

Mary Ann Rogers-Witte ’99 and Paul C. Ciciarelli, 8/31/08. Th e couple re-side in Charlotte, N.C.

’sJennifer Ledger ’00 and Raj Thamoderam, 8/8/08. The couple reside in Enfi eld, England.

Matt Shifano ’00 and Sarah Ford, 5/2/09. Matt works in real estate in Bethany Beach, Del. Th e couple re-side in Frankford, Del.

Brian M. Canto ’01 and Kristin E. Norman, 9/14/08. Elon alumni in attendance were: Matthew Paolino ’02, Garth Lanning ’01, Andrew Linn ’02, Billy Duff y ’01, Suzanne George Duff y ’02, Stacey Munoz ’01, David Fortier ’01, Daniel Carmody ’01, Joseph Chichetti ’01, Cynthia Maynard Ward ’01 and Pamela Braccini Pizzanie ’01. Th e couple reside in Webster, Md.

Clark Carter ’01 and Jennifer Mirone, 1/10/09. Clark is program coordinator at Th e Root Cellar. Th e couple reside in Portland, Maine.

Th omas W. Dozier ’01 and Asheley L. Wheeley ’03, 4/18/09. Elon alums

Dan Tursi ’02, Patrick Benko ’04 and Bill Woods ’02 were in atten-dance. Thomas is a meeting plan-ner at AIM Meetings, and Asheley is a marketing director for The Washington Post. Th e couple reside in Rockville, Md.

Michael “Derek” Luther ’01 and Brittany S. Brackett ’05, 6/28/08. Elon alumni in attendance were: Kate Gaskin ’05, Kristin White ’04, Melissa von der Heide ’04, Kristen New ’04, Adam Sherland ’05, Dan Hanson ’05, Samantha White ’05, Julie Bourbeau ’06, Trent Gilbert ’02, Angel Jacobs ’04, Tucker Campbell ’03, Don Campbell ’01 and Edward New ’01. Derek is assistant director of admissions at Immaculata University, and Brittany is a child life specialist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Th e couple live in Ardmore, Pa.

A worthy mission BY SARAH COSTELLO ’

Britten Ginsburg ’06 has devoted much of her

life to serving some of society’s most vulnerable

people.

The drive to help others began in high school

and continued at Elon, where she majored in human

services and conducted research on HIV/AIDS as part

of the university’s undergraduate research program.

Today, Ginsburg is a senior associate of care and

treatment at the National Alliance of State &

Territorial AIDS Directors. The nonprofi t association

represents the nation’s leading offi cials who are

responsible for administering HIV/AIDS healthcare,

prevention, education and support programs in all

50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories.

Their goal, Ginsburg explains, is to reduce the

number of HIV/AIDS cases, as well as provide quality

care to people living with the disease and advocate

for responsible public policy. Ginsburg and her

colleagues assist state offi cials in a variety of ways,

from helping them fi nd answers to medical

questions to gathering information to promoting

communication between state and local health

departments and care and treatment programs. She

also drafts surveys on AIDS-related issues and

contributes to alliance publications.

She never imagined that working at a desk

would be so empowering.

“I think (the alliance) is an amazing place and

provides great opportunities,” Ginsburg says. “Sitting

in an offi ce really is making a diff erence.”

Their ultimate goal is as simple as it is ambitious.

“Our vision is a world free of HIV and AIDS,” she says.

Ginsburg knows they have a long way to go to

reach their dream.

Ginsburg began working on behalf of people

with AIDS as part of a research project at Elon. She

chose the university because of its human services

program and commitment to service.

“Elon had everything I was looking for,” Ginsburg

says. “It was small enough that I could be the big fi sh

in the little pond. I have always been interested in

helping people and found myself at home with the

broader idea of human services.”

Many doors opened for Ginsburg at Elon,

including the chance to conduct research with her

adviser, Cynthia Fair, associate professor of human

services, who was examining discrimination faced

by adults with HIV/AIDS.

As part of her research, Ginsburg spent time

at Higher Ground Day Center in Greensboro, N.C.,

which serves individuals with AIDS or HIV, the

virus that causes AIDS. She surveyed and observed

the clients at Higher Ground and later began

volunteering there. During her senior year, she

participated in an internship at the center.

“I still remember the overwhelming sense of

walking through the front door of Higher Ground

and thinking ‘I fi nally belong somewhere,’” she says.

Volunteering at the center was not easy.

Ginsburg regularly witnessed hardship and suff ering.

“I remember the fi rst person I knew really

well who died,” she recalls. “It still makes me take a

deep breath and remember a time when he was

around. What a disease can do to somebody is

heartbreaking.”

Ginsburg presented the results of her research at

Elon’s Student Undergraduate Research Forum and

later at the National Conference on Undergraduate

Research.

After graduation, Ginsburg completed an

internship at the National Alliance, which turned into

a full-time job a few months later. The alliance has

made signifi cant progress fi ghting AIDS since the

group’s founding in 1991, Ginsburg says. Yet she

knows it has a long way to go to achieve its goal of

an AIDS-free world.

“We continue to work for a day when we can say

we’re really glad we don’t have jobs anymore

because we came to do what we needed to do.”

Britten Ginsburg ’06, at right, with Elon professor Cynthia Fair

CLASS Notes


Carl W. Sgritta ’02 and Ellie A. Mayer ’02, 10/6/07. Carl is trade operations manager at Citigroup gts, and Ellie is a property manager for RFR Realty. Th e couple reside in Norwalk, Conn.

Ryan Molloy ’03 and Misty Pearson ’06, 4/18/09. Ryan is a senior fi-nancial analyst at Bank of America, and Misty is a volunteer coordina-tor at Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region. Th e couple reside in Huntersville, N.C.

Kyleen Moore ’03 and Jeff Beshore, 9/20/08. Kyleen is a dolphin trainer at Th e Dolphin Connection. Th e couple live in Marathon, Fla.

Carrie Roberts ’03 and Henry Tyson, 5/10/08. Th e couple live in Raleigh, N.C.

Soledad Davila ’04 and Lee Whittington, 4/2/09. Th e couple re-side in Edwards, Colo.

Kate Polchlopek ’04 and Brian Costello, 5/25/08. Kate is a golf pro-fessional at the Forest Lake Country Club. Th e couple live in Rochester Hills, Mich.

Megan Booth ’05 and Peter Malanos ’04, 6/21/08. Megan is the human resources administrator at South Carolina Research Authority. Peter is a general contractor at M Design and Development. Th e couple reside in Charleston, S.C.

Kristina Velys ’05 and Jim Adams, 10/4/08. Elon alums Julie Irving ’05 and Dan Kulick ’05 were in atten-dance. Th e couple reside in Herndon, Va.

Laura E. Wulf ’05 and Brian L. Conley ’04, 10/25/08. Elon alumni in attendance were: Zoe Maas ’05, Kimberly Atwater ’06, Andrew Rollins ’04, Erin Mahoney ’05, Christina Ryan ’05 and Travis Lock ’05. Th e couple reside in Santa Monica, Calif.

Kelly Fleck ’06 and Elzie Burgher, 9/13/08. The couple reside in Statesville, N.C.

Rache l Hetu ’06 and Bradley Sumrow, 7/19/08. Rachel is a registered nurse at unc Children’s Hospital. Th e couple live in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Kevin W. Kindle ’06 and Katie C. Donovan ’06, 5/2/09. Elon alumni in attendance were: Liza Schirmer ’06, Derek Powers ’06, Aaramina Maynard ’06 and Ian MacLaughlin ’06. Kevin works on a fi lm crew, and Katie is the project coordinator for Sesame Street. Th e couple reside in Astoria, N.Y.

Cecilia E. McCollum ’06 and Tobias B. Eisenträger, 7/5/08. Bridget Burckell ’06 and Elizabeth White ’06 served as bridesmaids. Elon alumni in attendance were: Bess York ’04, Lisa Rockwell ’05 and Loren Battaglia-Beley ’06. The couple reside in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Chad Ritter ’06 and Ashlyn Dixon ’07, 5/30/09. Chad is a regional sales representative at Rainin Instruments, and Ashlyn is a student at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Meredith Rountree ’06 and James Worsham, 4/18/09. Th e couple reside in New York.

Richard E. Schlieper ’06 and Ashley M. Krueger ’07, 2/14/09. Richard

is a client relationship associate at Vanguard, and Ashley is pursuing a master’s degree in social work. Th e couple reside in Charlotte, N.C.

Katey J. Dowd ’07 and René I. González, 10/11/08. The couple met while Katey was working for Back2Back Ministries in Monterrey, Mexico. Th ey work for Back2Back

Ministries serving orphaned children in Monterrey, where they live.

Rachel Hiskey ’07 and Brandon Cloud, 6/21/08. Elon alumni in at-tendance were: Elizabeth Evans ’08, Megan Hall ’08, Kerry Sunderland ’08, Allison Ellmers ’08, Kate McCulley ’08, Jessica Young ’08, Stephen Michael ’08, Garrett Kachellek ’08 and Alli Dean ’09. Th e couple reside in Annapolis, Md.

Derek Luther ’01 and Brittany Brackett Luther ’05 and friends

Laura Wulf Conley ’05 and Brian Conley ’04 and friends

Alison Gray Wille ’05 and Michael G. Wille ’05 and friends

Meredith Rountree Worsham ’06 and James Worsham and friends

Kristina Velys Adams ’05 and Jim Adams

Richard Schlieper ’06 and Ashley Krueger Schlieper ’07

Jeff rey Myers ‘99 and Jennifer Dew Myers ’03 and friends

Brian M. Canto ’01 and Kristin Norman Canto and friends

l-r Dan Tursi ’02, Tom Dozier ’01, Asheley Wheeley Dozier ’03, Patrick Benko ’04, Bill Woods ’02

Misty Pearson Molloy ’06 and Ryan Molloy ’03 and friends

Carrie Roberts Tyson ’03 and Henry Tyson

Rachel Hiskey Cloud ’07 and Brandon Cloud

Lauren N. Horney ’09 and Michael W. Lawson ’09

Meghan Partelow Fisher ’07 and James Fisher and friends

Kelly Fleck Burgher ’06 and Elzie Burgher and friends

Katey Dowd González ’07 and René González

CLASS Notes


Meghan Partelow ’07 and James F. Fisher, 4/25/09. Jane Williams Steele ’06 served as a bridesmaid. Th e cou-ple reside in Greensboro, N.C.

Anna M. Schimmelfing ’07 and Doug von Allmen, 7/12/08. Anna teaches third grade at Glenwood Elementary School. They live in Carrboro, N.C.

Jason A. Spinos ’07 and Becca S. Johnson ’04, 7/19/08. Jason is a video editor at News Channel 25, and Becca is pursuing a master’s degree in direct-ing for theater at Baylor University. Th e couple reside in Waco, Texas.

Lauren N. Horney ’09 and Michael W. Lawson ’09, 6/6/09. Lauren is a clinical secretary and patient care specialist for the Carilion Clinic. Th e couple live in Roanoke, Va.

Births

’sBill Sandford ’90 and Cheryl Fowler Sandford ’93, Whitsett, N.C. Son: Luke Joshua. 1/21/09. He joins older brothers Christopher and William. Bill is self-employed at Advantage

Homebuyers, and Cheryl is a homemaker.

Laurie Wommack Johnston ’92 and Miguel Johnston ’94, Morganton, N.C. Son: Gregory Vaughn. 5/8/09. He joins older brothers Seth, Rico, Ben and Erik. Laurie is a homemaker, and Miguel is an eighth-grade algebra teacher at Liberty Middle School.

Sam Walker ’92 and Michelle Walker, Duncan, S.C. Daughter: Ella Grace. 8/22/08. Sam is director of dining services at Woff ord College.

Liese Bouknight Faircloth ’93and Dean Faircloth, Raleigh, N.C. Daughter: Emma Grace. 7/22/08. Liese is a senior auditor at Ernst and Young.

Letitia “Tish” H. Hamilton ’94 and David E. Hamilton, Raleigh, N.C. Daughter: Emory Holt. She joins older sisters, Sarah Clark, Anna Hudson and Mary Reade. Letitia is a homemaker.

Stephanie J . Houston ’94 , Burlington, N.C. Son: Joseph Graham. 10/5/07. He joins older brother, Gabriel. Stephanie is the

Finders Keepers brings smiles BY BETHANY SWANSON ’

Jeweler Trey Bailey ’02 hatched one of his most

successful business ideas while sitting in a park

with his wife, Marci, one lazy Sunday afternoon.

“I asked her, ‘How cool would it be if someone

found a Bailey’s box that was just sitting there, and

they could just keep it (like) fi nders keepers?’” he

recalls. Before long, Bailey’s Fine Jewelry store’s

Finders Keepers project was born. For the past year,

Bailey and his colleagues have left 1,000 boxes of free

jewelry across Eastern North Carolina as well as in

Raleigh, Rocky Mount and Greenville, where the

family owns stores.

Why? To make someone’s day brighter and

promote the family-owned business, which is known

for its signature black and white striped gift boxes

topped with a red bow.

A woman in Raleigh found the fi rst box on

Sept. 11, 2008. It came with an unsealed envelope

with “Finders Keepers” written on the front. Inside,

the note read, “Congratulations. This gift is for you.

Yes, you. You deserve it, you really do. Give it, share

it, wear it. This Bailey Box is yours. We just hope

you come through our doors.” The note also

included Bailey’s e-mail address, and the woman

contacted him.

“She said it made her day,” Bailey recalls. “But

what I wasn’t expecting was that there was an

emotional connection — she’d been going through

a rough time, and it meant a lot to her.”

From that fi rst box, the project has fl ourished.

The store distributes Finders Keepers boxes each

month and during holidays, including Mother’s Day.

The boxes typically contain necklaces, bracelets or

earrings valued from 20 to 100, or the occasional

gift card.

“It’s fun, you get a little rush when you leave it,”

Bailey says. “Once or twice, I’ve stayed to watch.

Sometimes the fi rst person will be the one to pick it

up, and sometimes a couple of people will walk by

before they realize what it is.”

The project has attracted media attention

across the state and prompted thousands to e-mail

the store.

“I didn’t expect it to have this kind of impact,”

Bailey says. “It’s a new way for us to interact with our

customers and gain new customers through word of

mouth.”

The store’s motto, “Every Woman Wants A Bailey

Box,” gained new meaning for Bailey when he heard

from a single mother who had found a box.

“She wrote this e-mail (and) sounded so down. It

said, ‘I’m a single mom, and I’ve never been able to

aff ord a Bailey’s box. I had come to terms with the

fact that I would never get one, and then I found

one,’” Bailey recalls. “She said, ‘I’m going to keep this

box forever so that I can remember how great that

day was.’ I started to get chills. It really touches your

heart to see that something so small can bring so

much joy.”

Bailey says the struggling

economy provides the perfect

incentive to continue Finders

Keepers. The buzz the project has

created is worth the cost of the

jewelry.

“Financially, it’s a little expensive,

especially because of the volume that we’re doing,”

he says. “But it’s the best time to do it because it

creates great word of mouth (for the store) and it

really touches the customers in a personal way.”

Bailey earned his Elon degree in business

administration with a concentration in management.

After graduation, he attended the Gemological

Institute of America in Carlsbad, Calif., where he

earned his certifi cation as a graduate gemologist. He

worked at Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers in San Diego and

completed an internship with Smyth Jewelers in

Timonium, Md. He then spent time in New Orleans

before moving back to North Carolina to work with

the family business, which was started by Bailey’s

grandparents in 1948 and is currently owned by his

father, Clyde Bailey.

Bailey credits Elon’s faculty and staff with

preparing him to succeed.

“Elon people love Elon,” Bailey says. “If I had to do

it all over again, I would go back to Elon. The school

has great teachers, and I was always impressed by

how open they were. You could call them at home,

on the weekends. That was always something I

valued. The staff was great, too.”

Bailey says he has high hopes for the Finders

Keepers project and hopes to expand it to other

parts of the state.

“It’s more than I could ever ask for. It’s going to

become part of our history, and we just don’t want

to stop.”

ct

t has

he

pensive,

It s more than I could ever ask for. It s going to

become part of our history, and we just don’t want

to stop.”

Trey Bailey ’02 and his wife, Marci

CLASS Notes


academically gifted resource teacher at Elon Elementary School.

Bethany Morde Chavis ’95 and Chris Chavis, Greensboro, N.C. Twins: Jason Michael and Samantha Ashley. 9/29/08. Th ey join older sib-lings, Tyler and Kendall. Bethany is a homemaker and real estate broker.

David B. Clubb ’95 and Shannon M. Clubb ’95, Allison Park, Pa. Daughter: Mallory Joy. 2/26/09. She joins older siblings Ainsley and Griffi n. David is director of interna-tional services at the University of Pittsburgh.

Erica Cutler Flaherty ’95 and Ed Flaherty, Doylestown, Pa. Son: Ryan Michael. 4/2/08. He joins older brothers, Jack and Kyle.

William T. Morley ’95 and Windley Baker Morley ’94, Richmond, Va. Daughter: Isabelle Edward. 5/26/09.

Andrea Lauri Urvina ’95 and Miguel Urvina, Danbury, Conn. Daughter: Nicole Grace. 1/8/09. She joins older brother, Jacob.

Elizabeth Wiegand Wentz ’95 and Christopher M. Wentz, Sewickley, Pa. Son: Finn Miller. 8/7/07. He joins older brothers, Jack and Cooper. Elizabeth is an interior designer at Kay Wiegand and Associates.

Alli Sharp Coords ’96 and Hunter H. Coords, Atlanta. Daughter: Eva Marie. 12/12/08. She joins older brothers, Maclain and Nolan.

Chris Hobbs ’96 and Stephanie Hobbs, Midlothian, Va. Son: Cooper William. 2/12/09. He joins older brothers, Bailey and Jackson.

Andrew A. Kraft ’96 and Janice Hackl Kraft ’97, Winston-Salem, N.C. Daughter: Callie Grace. 11/14/08. Andrew is the administrator for Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools, and Janice is a homemaker.

Liz Sonnanstine ’96 and Todd Sonnanstine, Tipp City, Ohio. Daughter: Natalie Jane. 1/1/09. She joins older brother, Benjamin.

John Stepp ’96 and Toi Svane Stepp, Royal Palm Beach, Fla. Son: Rigby Paul. 7/18/08. John is director of wor-ship arts at Palm Beach Community Church.

Sarah Croker Kober ’97 and David Kober, Bethlehem, N.H. Son: Samuel

“Mason.” 12/26/08. He joins older sis-ter, Ella. Sarah is the project manager at dci Furniture.

Cara Lloyd McCarter ’97 and Shawn McCarter, Waxhaw, N.C. Daughter: Macie. 11/29/07. She joins older brother, Gavin. Cara is a homemaker.

Spencer T. Moore ’97 and Elizabeth Hines Moore ’98, Westminster, Colo. Son: Henry Stockton. 12/17/08. He joins older brother, Th omas. Spencer is an attorney with Bayer & Carey, pc, and Elizabeth is a teacher with Aurora Public Schools.

Christian K. Marge ’01 and Jessica E. Marge, Mooresville, N.C. Daughter: Gabriella Jean. 3/26/09.

Julianne Sparks Martin ’01 and Todd Martin, Atlanta. Son: Benjamin Patrick. 3/12/09.

Natacha Mazeas Moore ’01 and David Moore, Vienna, Va. Son: JP. 9/22/08. He joins older siblings, Conner and Jacqueline. Natacha is a teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools.

Edward S. New ’01 and Judi New, Raleigh, N.C. Son: Riley William. 11/21/08.

Holly Burleson Dengler ’02 and Jason T. Dengler, Nottingham, Md. Son: Zachary Daniel. 12/4/09.

Janel Boyd Jernigan ’02 and Bryan S. Jernigan ’02, Kernersville, N.C. Son: Oliver. 2/4/09.

Ryan Notch ’03 and Sarah Emerson Notch ’02, Walnut Creek, Calif. Son: Ethan. 7/26/08. Ryan is a photogra-pher at Ryan Notch Photography, and Sarah is an autism content spe-cialist for the San Francisco Unifi ed School District.

Ryan Sadler ’03 and Rachel Sadler, Jacksonville, Fla. Daughter: Reagan Amelia. 4/14/09.

Mary Brozina Wierick ’03 and Kyle Wierick, Silver Spring, Md. Daughter: Ella Betty. Mary is a music director.

Casey Phillips Emmendorfer ’05 and Rich Emmendorfer, Vilseck, Germany. Son: Bryce Richard. 10/8/08. Casey is a family readiness support technician with the U.S. Army.

Joshua L. Hurley ’08 and Jennifer L. Hurley, Summerfield, N.C., Daughter: Rebekah Grace. 9/2/08.

Deaths

’sTh yra Wright Vestal ’28, Morehead City, N.C. 4/8/09.

’sMartha Sutton Craven York ’37, Ramseur, N.C. 6/4/09.

Andrew Kraft ’96 and Janice Hackl Kraft ’97 and their children

Christian Marge ’01 with wife, Jessica and daughter, Gabriella

Sarah Croker Kober ’97, husband, David, and children, Ella and Samuel

David Clubb ’95 and Michelle Clubb ’95 and children, Ainsley, Griffi n and Mallory

Jennifer James Terry ’98, husband, Kenneth, and son, Patrick

Kristin Hartley Gardner ’00 and Todd Gardner ’00 and son, Reece

Casey Phillips Emmendorfer ’05, husband, Rich, and son, Bryce

Kara McLaughlin Ragan ’97 and W. Peter Ragan Jr., Manasquan, N.J. Daughter: Maeve Elizabeth. 5/28/08. She joins older siblings, Ryan, Colleen and Elanor. Kara is a homemaker.

Steven W. Leypoldt ’98 and Meghan Leypoldt, Durham, N.C. Daughter: Piper Marie. 9/14/08. Steven is a prac-tice executive for Campbell Alliance.

Jennifer James Terry ’98 and Kenneth P. Terry, Baltimore. Son: Patrick Th omas. 3/7/09. Jennifer is the clinical administrator for ob/gyn and urology at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

’sChris Capistrant ’00 and Sara Lenser Capistrant, Ashburn, Va. Son: Lucas Owen. 6/10/08. He joins older brother, Colin. Chris is the meet-ings manager at American Institute of Architects.

Kristin Hartley Gardner ’00 and Todd Gardner ’00, Harrisonburg, Va. Son: Reece Todd. 11/20/08. Kristin works in student wellness and out-reach at James Madison University, and Todd is vice president of Glass and Metals.

Marlena Mudryk Lynch ’00 and Kevin Lynch, Glen Allen, Va. Daughter: Allison. 4/17/08.

Jennifer Ledger Th amoderam ’00 and Raj Thamoderam, Enfield, England. Daughter: Madeira Devi. 10/17/08.

Kendall Mackintosh Thompson ’00 and A.J. Th ompson, Jeff erson, Md. Son: Colten Riley. 1/15/09. He joins older sister, Skyler. Kendall is a homemaker.

Courtney Daubert Verdelli ’00 and Gregory D. Verdelli ’01, Hummelstown, Pa. Son: Talan Gregory. 1/9/09.

CLASS Notes


Summer 2009

Th omas N. Boone Jr. ’39, Greensboro, N.C. 6/6/09.

’sJulian H. Forlines ’43, Clarkton, N.C. 3/28/08.

’sGus N. Galanes ’50, Burlington, N.C. 5/24/09.

John F. Sherard Jr. ’50, Burlington, N.C. 4/29/09.

William E. Davis ’51, Washington, D.C. 6/20/08.

Robert “Bob” J. Harned ’53, Morehead City, N.C. 5/17/09.

Jean Nunnamaker James ’54, Winston-Salem, N.C. 6/11/09.

Robert W. Bodenheimer Sr. ’57, Burlington, N.C. 5/15/09.

Marvin L. King ’59, Elon, N.C. 4/21/09.

’sBobby M. Brantley ’60, Haw River, N.C. 4/11/09.

Jimmy L. Byrd ’67, Burlington, N.C. 5/20/09.

Homer Lee Ruff ’67, Varina, Va. 6/17/09.

’sRobert Ray Nash Jr. ’70, Lake Lure, N.C. 6/18/09.

Curtis M. Saunders ’76, Elon, N.C. 4/18/09.

Richard K. Marchman ’77 , Warwoman, Ga. 1/28/07.

Patricia Ann Riley Temple ’79, Hillsborough, N.C. 6/9/09.

’sAllen A. Tate ’84, Mebane, N.C. 4/17/09.

Henry Maddrey Booke Jr. ’87, Myrtle Beach, S.C. 6/9/09.

’sDennis Burlew ’00, Port Monmouth, N.J. 6/7/09.

Chelsea Detrick ’07, Webster Groves, Mo. 4/9/09.

Christopher “Chris” Randall Floyd ’10, Peachtree City, Ga. 6/21/09.

FriendJonathan M. Sweat, Madison, Miss. 4/14/09. He served as associate profes-sor of music from 1952 to 1958.

Class Notes Policy Class notes must come fi rsthand from the graduates who have news, a birth or marriage to

report. Please send in your news as soon as you have something to share. We welcome news that is no more than

a year old.

Photo acceptance policy Photos will be accepted in these formats: slide, print or digital. You may e-mail

your Class Notes photos to [email protected] or mail them to the address at the bottom of this form.

We reserve the right to determine the quality of your images. Poor quality images will NOT be used.

TURN Youself in online at www.elon.edu/classnotes

CLASS NOTE: Please fi ll out completely. Birth Marriage News/Promotion Address change

Name Class of fi rst middle last maiden

Spouse’s name Alumnus? No Yes: Class of fi rst middle last maiden

Address street city state ZIP

E-mail address Telephone: Home ( ) Offi ce ( )

Birth: son daughter Child’s name Birth date

Marriage: date of marriage (do not send prior to marriage)

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Help us keep you in touch with your classmates and Elon. If you have moved, send us your current address and telephone number.Return this form with your news or story idea to the following address: Elon Offi ce of University Relations 2030 Campus Box Elon, North Carolina 27244-2020 Fax: 336-524-0100 Phone: 336-278-7415 E-mail: [email protected]

CLASS Notes


Luther Conger ’55

Luther Conger ’55 didn’t have much money when he arrived at

Elon in 1951 to play baseball and earn a college degree. He worked in

the dining hall to help pay for his education and was grateful for the

athletics scholarship he received during his senior year.

Recently, Conger found a way to help future student athletes and

secure his family’s fi nancial future. He and his wife, Louise, made a

gift to Elon with a charitable gift annuity, which will give the couple

lifetime income, as well as income tax benefi ts and a higher rate of

return than many fi xed-income investments currently available.

Th e annuity’s lifetime income and income tax benefi ts were par-

ticularly attractive to the former Elon pitcher and Sports Hall of Fame

member.

“My wife and I live on a fi xed income, so this kind of gift fi ts

our situation best,” Conger says. “We had the opportunity to remove

funds from a very low interest-bearing account to purchase the annuity,

which gives us a higher annual return during our lifetime.

“Th is gift also provides us with immediate income tax savings. A

signifi cant amount of the income we receive is tax-free, and if I pass

on before my wife, the annuity payments will continue going to her

in the same amount without interruption.”

Equally important, Conger adds, was the ability to give back to his

alma mater. Ultimately, the annuity will support the Graham “Doc”

Mathis Athletic Scholarship, which provides annual assistance to Elon

baseball, football or basketball players. Conger and his former team-

mates started the scholarship in 1979 to honor Mathis, one of Elon’s

all-time great coaches who led the baseball and basketball programs.

“I wanted to show my appreciation for four wonderful years and

the experience of a lifetime,” he says. “It gives me a lot of satisfaction

to know that eventually Elon will benefi t from our gift.”

Following their planned gift to the Ever Elon Campaign, the

Congers became members of Order of the Oak, Elon’s planned giving

recognition society.

Conger, a retired insurance executive, regularly drives from his

home in Kernersville, N.C., to watch Elon baseball, football and

basketball.

“You get a sense of pride when you drive across the railroad tracks

and see what’s going on here,” he says. “It’s terrifi c. I encourage my

former classmates and teammates to consider making this kind of gift.

It’s a win-win situation for you and Elon.”

Gift annuities provide income and fl exibility to donors

making a difference

To learn more about how you can support the Ever Elon Campaign and make a

diff erence at Elon with a charitable gift annuity or other planned gift, contact:

Jamie Killorin cpa/pfs, cfp®, Director of Gift Planning

Toll free 877.784.3566 [email protected] www.elon.edu/giftplanning


‘The best is yet to be’With those words, the Rev. Richard McBride closed his May 23 address to the Class of 2009 during Elon’s 119th Commencement.

A total of 1,121 undergraduates received their degrees Under the Oaks in front of West Hall. Among those watching was McBride’s son, Scott, a 1991 Elon alumnus and Army Apache helicopter pilot, who was on leave from service in Iraq to attend his father’s fi nal speech at Elon (see page 7 for more). McBride retired in May after serving as Elon’s chaplain for 25 years. Forty-four MBA graduates received their degrees on May 22.

On May 24, the university celebrated the inaugural Commencement of the Elon University School of Law in Greensboro. A total of 107 members of the charter class received their degrees at The Carolina Theatre in downtown Greensboro and heard an address from David Gergen, chair of the law school advisory board (see page 5).

President Leo M. Lambert thanked members of the charter class for their historic contribution to the founding of the law school.

“Today, you are charged to use your knowledge for justice, your intelligence in the pursuit of goodness, your keen minds for

seeking truth, your understanding of the complex in the cause of building a better society, your discernment for making fair decisions, your leadership in the cause of peace making. This is what your alma mater expects of you.”

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The Elon Dance Company presented VIBE in May.

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Documents

The Magazine of Elon, Summer 2009