Spring 2009 Berea College Magazine

COLLEGE MAGAZINE SPRING 2009

The Value of an

Education

S P R I N G 2 0 0 9 : Vo l u m e 7 9 N u m b e r 4 : B E R E A C O L L E G E M A G A Z I N E : w w w. b e r e a . e d u

4 Editor’s Note

5 Around Campus

8 News from Faculty, Staff & Trustees

9 Sports Update

36 Alumni Connections

37 About Berea People

40 In Memorium

42 End Note: Shirley Fowler

Inside this issue

DEPARTMENTS

Front Cover: © Mike Karrass/CorbisInside Front Cover: Ray Puckett, ’11Back Cover: Jesse Wilhite, ’09, photo by Libby Falk Jones

10 Small Town Values—Big Time Rewards

13 Diary of a First-Year Teacher

14 Superlative Superintendents

19 Bob Smith Pays It Forward

20 Student Interns: Their Lights Shine Brightly

25 Out of the Mouths of Babes

26 Thirty Days on the Outside Looking In

28 Have Need? Teachers Will Travel

31 Books Open, Pencils Poised: Teaching English in South Korea

33 Education: All in the Family

FEATURES

Student Managing Editor: Deb McIntyre, ’10

Contributing Writers: Jay Buckner, Erin Barger, ’09, Joshua Burczyk, ’11,LeAnna Kaiser, ’12, Michael Lorrus, ’09, Deb McIntyre, ’10, Julie Sowell, Patricia Stephens, ’11,Megan Smith, ’11, Jacques Turner, ’11

The Hands and Heartof a Teacher

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Normandi Ellis, Editor

William A. Laramee, Vice President,Alumni and College Relations

Timothy W. Jordan, ’76, Director, Public Relations

Mae Suramek, ’95, Director, Alumni Relations

Correspondence and ReprintsIf you have comments, questions, or suggestions for the Berea College Magazine, or would like information about reprinting any article appearing in the magazine, please contact:

Normandi EllisEditor, Berea College MagazineBerea CollegeCPO 2142 Berea KY 40404

or e-mail [email protected]

Berea College Magazine (ISSN 1539-7394) is published quarterly for Berea College alumni and friends by the Berea College Public Relations Department.

POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to the Berea College Office of Alumni Relations, CPO 2203, Berea, KY 40404.

Berea College is a 501(c)(3) charitable organizationunder federal guidelines.

COLLEGE MAGAZINE

Web: www.berea.edu

E-mail: [email protected]

Mail: CPO 2203Berea, KY 40404

Phone: 859.985.3104Toll free: 1.866.804.0591

Fax: 859.985.3178

AT YOURSERVICE

Some time ago while I was studying the Berea College archives, I came across a bookwritten by sociology professor Perley Ayer and published by the Council of theSouthern Mountains in 1969. In it, Dr. Ayer provided a list of “Ten Essentials of a GoodTeacher.” I was particularly struck by Item #5, which said that educators needed “anapproach to life which I can best describe as a genuine and overtly expressed joy inbeing alive.”

When I read back through that list of essentials again, I realized that this qualityprovides a key to what makes a Berea educator special. Nearly every faculty member,alumnus, or alumna we interviewed for this issue on public school education said thatthe Berea experience—the combination of learning, labor, and service—laid theframework for the important work that they now do in the world. Several of them saidthat a caring, supportive teacher, who also happened to be a Berea graduate, hadencouraged them to apply to the College. (Several alumni credited Shirley Chafin, ’60,of Johnson County High School, as having influenced their decision to choose BereaCollege, first, and education as a career, subsequently.)

These dedicated alumni teachers find, as Perley Ayer said, that their own educationis an ongoing process of adjusting to changes in the field and in the populations theyteach. That lesson is often begun in childhood, especially in families that lack financialresources but rely upon adaptability and persistence to feed and educate their familymembers. There is also a core Berea value—the commitment to continued lifelonglearning. Whether the educator teaches college students or preschoolers, each has madecompassion a part of the classroom curriculum. A number of outstanding Bereagraduates now are superintendents in Kentucky (and in other states, as well). They arereceiving awards for their dedication to enriching the classroom experiences and arepassing along the good values that they acquired both at home and at Berea. (I waslucky enough to have a Berean as my Spanish teacher at Franklin County High School.¡Salud! Rosemary Weddington, ’53.) I was struck by how manymore public school educators I could have featured had I another150+ pages to fill.

A great many staff labor supervisors were named in the featurearticles as teachers of life lessons. That seems an important point tomake: Every Berea College employee is a valued teacher. Enjoyreading these stories from those who have just begun their careersin public education and from those who have enjoyed a longservice and are ready to retire. May we continue to learn and lovethat learning so that every day our lives fill anew with wonder.

Intelligence plus character — that is thegoal of true education.

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

100% Recyclable10% Post-Consumer Waste

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www.berea.edu/alumni/

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Around Campus

The Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) teamattended the Cincinnati regionals and cameaway champions, which made them eligible tovie in the national competition held inPhiladephia in May. The three teams included:Bianca Pau, ’09, Amber Stanton, ’10, KennethJohnson, ’09, Charles Badger, ’10 (presentationteam); Patrice Harper, ’09, Stephanie Mathies,’09, Linh Nguyen, ’10, Sasha Solomatova, ’12

(annual reports); and Stephen Dweh-Chennah,’10, Tengis Bat-Erdene, ’10, Sourabh Garg, ’12,Merim Matkulova, ’09, Tenzin Namgyal, ’09(technical team).

SIFE is an international studentorganization that works to make a difference incommunities while developing businessleadership skills.

Carnegie Foundation Recognizes the Impact ofBerea’s Builders, Mentors, and Helping HandsBerea College became one of 119 distinguished colleges and universities chosen by the CarnegieFoundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its prestigious list of Carnegie Classification forCommunity Engagement in 2008. The Carnegie Foundation is an independent policy researchcenter that recognizes institutions for outstanding community service through curricular engagement,outreach, and partnerships in an effort to encourage other academic institutions to move in thisdirection.

Berea College has a long history of giving back to the Appalachian region and the communitythrough internships and programs that include those in the Center for Excellence in LearningThrough Service, GEAR UP, Upward Bound, the Appalachian Center, and the Carter G. WoodsonInstitute.

Photographer MiltonRogovin Honored inDocumentary Film

On February 17, theAppalachian CenterGallery hosted thedocumentary filmThe Rich Have TheirOwn Photographers,which celebrates thelife and artwork ofMilton Rogovin.Rogovin, whorecently turned 99,is considered one ofthe finest socialdocumentaryphotographers alivetoday.

During the 1940s he began to promote unionworkers’ rights and African American voterregistration, for which he was shunned, says hisdaughter, Paula Rogovin. In response, Rogovinused the camera to document members of thepoor, working classes and those disenfranchisedand marginalized people whom he considered “theforgotten ones.” Pablo Neruda and W.E.B. Du Boisare among two of the social activists with whom hehas worked. He also worked with issuesconcerning Appalachia.

His photographs were exhibited in theHutchins Library and the Appalachian CenterGallery in the Bruce Trades Building this spring.

SENS Celebrates Its Tenth AnniversaryThe Sustainability and Environmental Studies (SENS) programcelebrated a decade of growth and service on April 8. As part of thecelebration, John and Nancy Jack Todd, cofounders of the NewAlchemy Institute and pioneers in the development of ecologicalmachines, gave lectures and led discussions with the audience on howto revitalize Appalachia through an alternative economy based onecological design. John Todd teaches at the School of Environment andNatural Resources at the University of Vermont and Nancy Jack Todd iseditor of Annals of Earth.

In the afternoon, Berea SENS graduates Kelly Cutchin, ’03, JennieKoch, ’03, and Stella Lawson, ’04, shared their post-graduateexperiences in the sustainability and environmental field. Following thededication ceremony of the Ecovillage orchard, tours of the eco-friendly student housing facilities were conducted.

John and Nancy Jack Todd speak to Bereans about the “Future of our Food”during a weeklong sustainability focus on campus.

Students in Free Enterprise Earn Award

Paula Rogovin, daughter ofphotographer Milton Rogovin,discussed a documentaryabout her father’s life and hiswork with disenfranchised populations.

Ray Puckett, ’11A

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Heard around CampusOur democracy ismuch more complicatedand much messier thanwe commonly think.

—Dr. Peniel JosephMartin Luther King

convocation February 2009

When you invest inyourself, you will havesomething to offer theworld. When you investin yourself, you willhave something to offeryour generation. Andthat is the only wayyour story can be told.

—Omowunmi M.Soremi, ’12

13th Annual Unity BanquetFebruary 2009

There’s a reason whyyou nod your head tohip-hop. Right? Becauseits rhythms agree withyour heartbeat.

—Saul Williams, hip-hop musician and

spoken word artistCampus Activities Board

March 2009

Anne Ray CharitableTrust: “There WhenYou Need Us” The Anne Ray Charitable Trust hasgenerously provided more than $1.5million to Berea College over the past fouryears, including a recent bequest of fivegrants totaling $605,080. The fundsprovide support for Appalachian arts andculture, including the digitizing of originalrecordings of traditional music, researchfellowships in the archives, support ofBerea’s traditional music program, and thefunding for the processing of other digitalarchives in print and visual media.

This year’s funds also includedsupport of environmental programs, suchas the local foods initiative, the installationof photovoltaic panels for the AppalachianCenter, and the creation of two innovationgrants for the Agriculture and NaturalResources Department, as well as a gift of a$250,000 for tuition scholarships.Although the trust, established by the lateMargaret Cargill, does not normally fundscholarships, they made this notableexception, saying, “We want to be therewhen you need us.”

Bereans Discuss ObamaAdministration on KET

Berea student CharlesBadger, ’11, a member ofthe Kentucky Federationof College Republicans,and Berea Collegealumna Msiba AnnBeard Grundy, ’68, aDemocrat and localcommunity activist,appeared side by side onthe Kentucky EducationalTelevision (KET)Network’s programConnections with ReneeShaw. The discussion ofAfrican Americans andpolitics hosted by ReneeShaw also includedObama campaignerKenya McGruder andRepublican attorney OsiOnyekwuluje. Guestsdiscussed what theyexpect from Obama as

well as such specific topics as the economy,gun control, social issues, the auto industrybailout, and the possible reinvention of theGOP. The show aired in January 2009.

Psych Students ExcelSix Berea College psychology students took topawards at the 11th annual MidSouthPsychology Conference at Lambuth Universityin Jackson, Tennessee this winter. Researchpaper winners were: Errinn Bixby, ’09, firstplace for “Tell Me a Story: The Effects ofMultiple Stimuli on Preschoolers’ Memory andStory Preference,” and Megan Rodgers, ’10,second place for “Read’n, Rit’n, and Residue:Using the Cloze Procedure to Explore thePersistence of Memory.” Winning postercompetitions were: Rodgers, Kaleigh McCoy,’10, Bozhidar Bashkov, ’10, and Angela Sutton,’11, first place for “Predicting StudentRetention and Academic Success.” AnthonyHolmes, ’10, took second place for “The AboveAverage Effect: The Link Between Knowledge,Focalism, and Comparative Judgments.”

Students Angela Sutton, ’11, Bozhidar Bashkov, ’10,Kaleigh McCoy, ’10, Anthony Holmes, ’10, and MeganRodgers, ’10, received accolades at the 11th annualMidSouth Psychology Conference.

Dr. Peniel Joseph Omowunmi M. SoremiSaul Williams

Charles Badger

Msiba Ann BeardGrundy

Dam

ian Buttle, ’11

Ray Puckett, ’11

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Students AttendPresidential Inauguration “The inauguration of Barack Obama was ahistorical moment for our nation that Berea’sfounders could not have imagined—but one theycertainly would have embraced. In some ways, itwas a fulfillment of Berea’s interracial missionand history—and we are witnesses to thatmoment,” said President Shinn.

Several Berea students and faculty memberstraveled to Washington D.C. to witness in personBerea’s interracial commitment being fulfilled.Black Cultural Center director, Tashia Bradley,along with Keith Bullock of FacilitiesManagement, and faculty members KathyBullock (music) and Linda Strong-Leek (women’sstudies), helped coordinate the transportation of54 students to Washington D.C. by bus.

Students who attended were of various ages,ethnicities, and national origins. The groupboarded and departed the evening of January 19and arrived in Washington about 5:30 a.m. onJanuary 20. They waited in the bitter cold withmillions of others for the inauguration ofPresident Barack Obama. Attendee StephanieBrowner, Dean of the Faculty, also wascelebrating the appointment of her sister, CarolBrowner, as Assistant to the President for Energyand Climate Change.

Kentucky Couple Gives$10.7 Million BequestA Kentucky couple has given Berea College thelargest single gift it has ever received. The $10.7million endowment from their estate will fundstudent scholarships.

Alfred M. and Mary Swain Wood werelongtime Berea College donors until their deathsin 1997 and 2008, respectively. Alfred M. Wood,Acad’14, was born and raised in Wildie inRockcastle County, served in the Navy duringtwo world wars, and then worked as a salesexecutive with Procter & Gamble for 39 years.Mary Swain Wood, originally from Henry andBoyle counties, was a children’s bookrepresentative. Together, the couple managed acattle ranch in Oklahoma for more than 25 years.

They also donated $3.2 million to Berea’s St.Joseph’s Hospital, which hospital officials will useto pay for facilities and health care initiatives.

Students Discuss Situation in GazaThis spring term two students andthree professors led a campus-widepanel discussion about the situation inGaza.

Israeli views and Palestinian viewswere represented and discussed. AJewish student, Joshuah Bennett, ’12,and a Palestinian student, Naji Kasem,’12, served on the panel that includedfaculty members Richard Cahill,director of International Education,and Duane Smith, associate professorof religion. John Heyrman, politicalscience associate professor, moderated.

The event was organized in response to smaller discussions among students and tocreate a peaceful atmosphere for continued discussion about the issues in Gaza. Alively question and answer session followed.

Jayne Anne Phillips Reads at Berea CollegeJayne Anne Phillips, featured author in the winter issueof Appalachian Heritage, read three passages from hernovel Lark and Termite, at the Appalachian Centergallery in March. Published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2009,the novel has been compared to William Faulkner’s TheSound and the Fury and focuses on an Appalachianfamily from West Virginia. Philips is the author of fivebooks, including Black Tickets, Motherkind, Shelter, FastLanes, and Machine Dreams. Phillips teaches and directsthe MFA creative writing program at Rutgers.

Food is beingtreated not asnourishment but asa commodity usedfor trade andprofits… Farmersbecome serfs whoare forced to buyseed and materialfrom the samepeople they will selltheir crops to.

—Dr. Vandana Shiva,physicist and environmental activist

“Globalization and the World Food Crisis”convocation March 2009

The great joy in lifeis to keep askingourselves that greatspiritual question,“Am I using my giftswell?”… Few of uswill be called on todo great things, butwe can all do smallthings in a great way.

—Colman McCarthy, director Center for Teaching Peace

“How to be a Peacemaker” convocation March 2009

Dr. Vandana Shiva Colman McCarthy

Dr. Richard Cahill and Naji Kasem, ’12, participatein a campus-wide forum on the situation in theMiddle East.

Jayne Anne Phillips read from hernew novel, Lark and Termite, inthe Appalachian Center Gallery.

Ray Puckett, ’11


News from Faculty, Staff & Trustees

Jeff B. Pool Examines theChristian Symbol ofDivine SufferingJeff B. Pool, Collegechaplain, associateprofessor of religion,and director of theCampus ChristianCenter, recentlypublished the firstbook of a three-volume work, entitledGod’s Wounds:Hermeneutic of theChristian Symbol ofDivine Suffering. Thefirst volume carries thesubtitle, DivineVulnerability and Creation. Wipf and StockPublishers (Pickwick Publications imprint) hasissued this three-volume study in its PrincetonTheological Monographs Series. The secondvolume, Evil and Divine Suffering, will appearin 2010; the third volume, Divine Sufferingand Tragic Reality, appears in 2011.

Wade’sInsidePassageInspiresBarbara Wade,professor of English,will publish acollection of poetry

this summer. Inside Passage, published byFinishing Line Press, uses varioustraditional forms and free verse to explorethe theme of connections. Said Kentuckyauthor bell hooks, “Mapping an intimateinterior journey, each poem illuminatesconnections—family, nature, worldsknown and unknown—and unfoldingmetaphysics of being.”

Moses Receives LifetimeAchievement Award

Dr. Hal Moses, ’58, aBerea College trusteesince 2001, recentlyreceived the T.J.Martell Foundation’sMedical LifetimeAchievement Award inrecognition of hisillustrious career incancer research.Moses has spent 40

years as a teaching faculty member at theVanderbilt School of Medicine. Hisresearch has markedly advanced the field oftumor suppressor research. He also isfounding director of the Vanderbilt-IngramCancer Center, which under his leadershipbecame a top 100 cancer center in theUnited States.

Heyrman SharesKnowledge of PoliticalProcessIn April, associateprofessor ofpolitical scienceJohn Heyrman, anexpert on electionsand the electoralcollege, shared hisknowledge of thepolitical process as aspecial guestlecturer for a freeeducational course, “How We Elect thePresident.” The League of Women Votersof Berea offered the course to explorethe purpose of an electoral college andthe National Popular Vote (NPV)Compact. The event was held at theMadison County Public Library.

Strong-Leek ExaminesControversial Practice Linda Strong-Leek,associate professor ofwomen’s studies,recently published abook based, in part,on her dissertation.The work, Excisingthe Spirit: A LiteraryAnalysis of FemaleCircumcision,examines the historyof and the politicalcontroversysurrounding thepractice. Dr. Strong-Leek discussed herbook at a Peanut Butter and Genderwomen’s department event in March.

Judge Phillips JoinsBerea’s Board

Judge ThomasW. Phillips, ’65,was elected tothe BereaCollege Board ofTrustees duringthe Board’sFebruarymeeting. In2002 thenPresidentGeorge W. Bush

nominated–and the U.S. Senateconfirmed–Phillips as U.S. DistrictJudge serving the Eastern District ofTennessee, including courthouses inKnoxville, Greenville, Chattanooga,and Winchester. The Tennessee nativeserved as the U.S. Magistrate Judgefor the Eastern District of Tennesseeduring the 11 years prior to hiscurrent service. Phillips received hislaw degree from VanderbiltUniversity.

Jeff B. Pool

Barbara Wade

Judge Thomas W.Phillips

Dr. Hal Moses

John Heyrman

Linda Strong-Leek

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Dam

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Sports Update

Hornsby and Turner Join the 1000 Point Club

Cody Hornsby, ’09, and Mikah Turner, ’10,joined the elite 1000 Point Club, both havingscored more than 1000 points during theirBerea College basketball careers. Mikah ledthe Kentucky Intercollegiate AthleticConference with an average of 20.36 pointsper game. His career game highs are 35 points;5 assists; 14 rebounds; and 4 steals. Hornsby’scareer game highs are: 28 points; 6 assists; 7rebounds; and 4 steals.

BC Swims into HistoryFor the first time in six years, both themen’s and women’s relay swim teamsqualified for the national competitions andseveral students competed in individualraces. The men’s relay swim teammembers included Lamar Richardson, ’12,Marek Counts, ’09, Noah McGraw, ’10,and Adam Lewis, ’10.

Kaylee Kirby, ’11, joined the Ellardsisters: Britin, ’09, Clarin, ’10, and Tierah,

’12, on the women’s relay team. In thepast two seasons, the women’s swim teamhas broken the majority of the records setin the school’s history. This year’s teamcrushed the relay record; Tierah broke the200-yard backstroke record, and Britinbroke the 400-yard individual medley,both of which had stood since the mid-1980s.

Individual competitors included: BritinEllard in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individualmedley; Tierah Ellard in the 50- and 200-yard freestyle and the 200-yardbackstroke; Clarin Ellard in the 50-yardbackstroke race; and Elyse Budkie, ’12,and Abigail Cohen, ’10, as Mountaineerdivers. Lamar Richardson competed in theindividual 50-yard freestyle stroke.

Candy Walls Shatters RecordsLady Mountaineer Candy Walls, ’09, ended herbasketball career with a bang. The Stanton, Kentuckynative appears in the top 20 NAIA Division II women’sbasketball records in six categories. She holds the highestpoint average per game (26.21) and most three-pointgoals averaged per game (3.82). She was national playerof the week twice and received Honorable Mention All-American honors. Regionally, the KIAC named Candyplayer of the week eight times and named her player ofthe year.

This season, Candy’s 760 total points broke theschool record for points in one season and secured herranking in the 1000 Point Club with a total of 1,933career points. She shattered the school record for mostpoints (51) scored in a single game. In her career, Candysank 207 three-pointers, 12 of which she scored in asingle game, breaking another Berea record. In a singleseason, she broke the record for the most free throws(161) and the greatest number of field goals (244). She also broke a career record inrebounds (938) and ranked eighth nationally in Division II with an average of 11.2rebounds per game.

Cody Hornsby Mikah Turner

Candy Walls gallops toward the netahead of the Titans guard duringFall Homecoming.

Strong February winds crumpled the baseball fieldstands and gouged the the turf.

A Mighty Wind BlewNot long after January’s ice storm, natureslammed Berea a second time with awindstorm that delivered heavy damage tothe College baseball field. Grandstands onboth sides of the field were blown free andtossed across the field. The wind took downbackstop netting poles and netting anddamaged the brickwork behind home plate.

The campus and baseball teamresponded immediately, clearing debris andrepairing damage to the lawn. Berea’s firsthome game and a weekend tournament inMarch had to be re-scheduled, and CoachRyan Hess was forced to look foralternative locations for the first part of theseason.

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When Ali Duff, ’06, began herteaching career at PendletonCounty High School (PCHS) in

Falmouth, Kentucky, she never expected tofind fellow Bereans in her own back yard.Even though Ali grew up just across the riverfrom Pendleton County, it felt good to knowthat there were other Berea-trained teachersin her school to provide support.

She, like the other Berea teachers,brings a unique perspective to the classroom.“I’m told one of my greatest strengths istying in my lessons with real worldapplications and connecting these to mystudents,” Ali says. She acknowledges thatthe most important lessons cannot bemeasured by test scores. “If they go awaylearning a few things, great; but if they goaway knowing more about who they are,then I feel like I’ve done my job.”

In Pendleton County, Ali finds herself ingood company with teachers MichelleLustenburg, Keith Smith, Andrew Coleman,and Rebekka Bess. Each studied education atBerea and each brings a fresh approach tohis/her teaching palette.

Michelle Williamson Lustenberg,Cx’90

Michelle is often seen on the KentuckyEducation Television network promoting an“Art to Start” program that she and herstudents designed. The promotional clipfeatures high school students helpingyounger students perform on stage. It is part

of a monthly workshop that introducespreschool and primary school-aged childrento the joy of creativity. It also gives the highschool students an opportunity to learn howit feels to be a teacher themselves.

For the last 18 years, Michelle hasworked as an arts educator, teaching giftedand talented students, just down the roadfrom the small town of Rabbit Hash, whereshe grew up. The current president of theKentucky Arts Education Association almostdidn’t get the chance to follow her dream,but Mr. Burton, her high school socialstudies teacher, stepped in as a role model.“He called me up to his desk and said, ‘MissWilliamson, I want to give you something.’He handed me the brochure for BereaCollege and told me I had a bright future.‘You need to go to college,’ he said. ‘This iswhere you need to be.’”

Michelle attended Berea, takingprimarily education courses, and thenfinished up her art studies at NorthernKentucky University. Having grown up andworked in this tight-knit community, shefeels that her familiarity with students’ ruralbackgrounds gives her an edge. Most of herwork with students takes place in an arts-enriched after-school program in which sheteaches elementary, middle, and high schoolstudents everything from forensic scienceworkshops to drama and the arts.

Three years in a row, Michelle’s highschool students have presented a creativitynight at the Kentucky Association for Gifted

Education. Sitting in a room in FalmouthSchool Center, the students asked each other“How can we teach science more creatively,or social studies?” and “What could a teacherhave done that meant I would catch onto thesubject more quickly?” The programs, manyof them funded by grants the students havewritten, vary from year to year.

“What I try to do is give the kidsownership of their education, which meansthe gifted program is not the same everyyear. It’s what the students are interested inlearning. It’s about what they want to try.”

Enthusiasm for learning and for thecreative process is what keeps Michellegoing and what she instills in her pupils. “IfI’m energetic, they’re energetic. If I love tolearn, they love to learn, and if I ever forgetthat, then I want to retire.” To remindherself of the power of that idea, Michellekeeps a note taped to her desk. It says:“When I sing, they sing along.”

Andrew Coleman, ’89The U.S. history and political science

teacher at PCHS describes himself as adown-to-earth kind of guy who throws alittle life philosophy into his classroomexperience. On the day I visit him, Andrewsits in a darkened room, directing hisstudents’ attention to the film being shown,The Five People You Meet in Heaven, basedon the book by Mitch Albom. “Listen up,people,” he tells his students. “I love thisquote.”

By Normandi Ellis

Small Town Values –Michelle Lustenberg trains other teachers in her district inthe use of cultural arts resources.


A student in the dark asks Mr. Colemanif he has ever cried while watching thismovie. He shrugs and says casually, “I’m asensitive guy.”

His teaching philosophy is just aspersonal and soulful as the movie he watcheswith his students, as exemplified by theguiding principles that he uses to teach hisstudents: “You make your own heaven onearth” and “There’s no time to go throughlife with a chip on your shoulder.”

The students clearly like Mr. Coleman;he feels the same way about them. “I findthe students here very well-grounded. Theystill say ‘thank you,’ ‘please,’ and ‘you’rewelcome.’” Having taught in the PendletonCounty school system for 16 years, he findsthat the community support makes thingsclick. “Overall,” he says, “the community,students, and teachers realize we’re all in thistogether.”

Andrew grew up in the ruralcommunity of Falmouth. Farm work was notto his liking, so he pursued history educationat Berea. Whenever he or his students meet achallenge, Andrew is quick to encouragethem and himself with a little home-grownphilosophy: “It’s better than slopping hogs.”

Keith Smith, ’88Keith Smith comes from a long line of

educators, which includes 15 teachers. Hisaunt, Glenna Valentine, ’55, encouraged himto consider Berea College. While workingtoward his business administration degree,

Keith worked in the athletics department.He says that Coach Ronald Weirwille, CoachMike Ross, and athletics manager, “theSeabury legend Elvin Combs” influenced hisdecision to work with students aftergraduation.

Twenty years ago Keith began teachingmarketing and business courses at PCHS, thehigh school from which he had graduated.Eventually he moved into a job at thealternative school. He loves working withthese students who need his help in gettingtheir second chance at succeeding in highschool. He spends his time helping them todevelop a plan for student success andputting hope back into each life. “I have toconvince them that what happens to them20 years from now is more important thanwhat they want to do in the next hour.”

He enjoys having a chance to be apositive role model for students. “It used tobe that fathers and sons worked on the farmor went hunting together. In this way, afather passed on his knowledge.” Keith feelssaddened by the lack of male role models formany growing boys. “Every young person’slife is special,” he says, and he encouragesparents to spend more time with theirchildren.

Through his work in athletics trainingand student coaching, Keith saw that,especially for young men, a physicaleducation was part of gaining an overalleducation. “We do a disservice to youngboys who are asked to sit in desks all day

and learn. We ask them to learn in a settingthat does not best fit the way boys learn.”Young men, he says, need movementactivities, like hunting, biking, and athletics.In addition to his teaching schedule, Keithcoaches both men’s and women’s soccer,basketball, slow-pitch softball, and golf.

What makes his work so important,Keith says, is giving a second chance tostudents who need one. “Seeing thosestudents grow up to give their childrenpositive experiences makes it allworthwhile.”

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Big Time Rewards Andrew Coleman enjoys each day in the classroom. “Ithrive on challenges,” he says.

Keith Smith says his Aunt Glenna Valentine, ’55,influenced him and many cousins to becometeachers.

photos by Normandi Ellis


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JULYI thought a college degree would

guarantee me a job. Applications andresumes had consumed me since Apriland I would soon be spotting holes in myfirst business suit. What was I going todo? I remember being told, “It’s not whatyou know; it’s who you know.” Soon, oneof the “who you knows” called me.

Within an hour of e-mailing therecommended principal, I had aninterview. I walked in carrying myteaching portfolio to showcase my talentsand then sat nervously in front of threepeople who possibly held the key to myfuture. The interview was a blur; theanswers to the questions almost anautomatic response. These two principalsand the head of the English departmentwere serious business—especially theEnglish teacher. Could I live up to theirexpectations? Could I be that teacher? Ileft the interview expecting anotherrejection and continued scheduling otherinterviews.

Feeling defeated, I plopped myself inmy car before driving back to my jobworking with kids at a summer camp. Iwas tired of not knowing what to expectfor my future. If something didn’t happensoon, I didn’t know how I’d pay my bills,move out of my parents’ house, andbecome the adult I longed to be.

I needed divine intervention. While leaving another interview, the

assistant principal from Pendleton CountyHigh School—where I first interviewed—offered me a teaching position, saying

that I’d be perfect for the job. “Wow” and“awesome” escaped my lips. I was reallygoing to be a teacher!

AUGUST/ SEPTEMBERAugust 21 was the big day. While I

had my own “classroom,” it was a cart onwheels; but I had class rosters, the firstfew weeks of lessons, and my syllabuswas ready. Enthusiastic, I arrived before 7 a.m. every morning, staying until 4 p.m.each afternoon. After school I reviewedlesson plans. The teaching gig wasn’t toobad, other than collapsing onto my bedby 7 p.m. every night.

The first month brought acomfortable routine. My sophomoreclasses developed their own personalities,as did both senior classes. It seemed as ifevery other day I was being observed bythe administration. Every time a principalvisited I felt I was doing everything wrongand my teaching would be torn apart. Iwas an intern apprenticed to anunfamiliar college professor, my mentorteacher, and the assistant principal whocritiqued my teaching and lesson plans.

OCTOBERSoon after getting the hang of

teaching, quarter grades and my firstround of formal observations from myinternship team approached. Not only didmy observers come, but also the “bigguys” from the Board of Education. Timeto show what I was made of! Otherteachers were asking to use my lessons intheir classes. How much better could it

Diary of a First-Year Rebekka Cantrell Bess, ’02

Rebekka hasn’t forgotten what it was like tobe a kid sitting on the floor with her Legos. Thisparticular day she wears a skirt, so she’s standingup to demonstrate how to make a robotic dogmade of Legos zoom around the classroom,retrieve an object, and return. The technologyeducation major at Berea now teaches highschool students such diverse subjects as robotics,broadcasting, technology design andapplications, and conceptual engineering.

Teaching, plus finishing up her master’sdegree at Georgetown College, makes for a busyday. She keeps her sanity with a simple conceptthat she teaches to her students: timemanagement. Five years ago, as a fledgling highschool teacher, Rebekka found that it was easy tobecome overwhelmed. “Being able to manageyour time is essential,” she says.

So essential, in fact, that time managementis part of the lesson plan Rebekka teaches herstudents to follow. “I’m not just teaching themtechnology. I’m teaching them how to get thingsdone on time … training them for work andcollege after high school. Sometimes it’s hard forthem to see that. It’s sometimes hard for them toget the bigger picture.”

She asks her students to keep journals, anidea they do not often equate with learningtechnology. Rebekka tells them that technology isall about problem-solving. “I have them recordall of their thinking through that problem-solvingprocess.”

More than teaching the nuts and bolts oftechnology, Rebekka says, she teaches her class tobe good students. “It’s not just about theassignments.” The most enjoyable part of herday? “Being able to talk to my students, gettingto know them one on one,” she says. “I find themto be incredibly interesting people.”


Rebekka Bess says that time management is the keyto both teacher and student success. (p.12)

Ali Duff expects her students to give her “noexcuses” and “no drama.” (above)

13

Teacher By Ali Duff, ’07

get? I spent October perfecting my lessonplans, making every word precise, anddedicating every class minute to valuableinstruction.

Then the college professor assigned tome observed my worst class. For those 90minutes, it seemed that my students wereeating me alive. Teaching Antigone to a roomfull of farm boys felt like leading a cow downsteps; it doesn’t really happen. Somehow Imade it out with scores that were surelybetter than what really happened.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBERAccording to “expert” studies, first year

teachers often take a nose dive in confidence.By November, I was dragging myself out ofthe building every day, counting the minutesuntil I could climb into bed. Yet, I was eager toget up each morning to teach. By now, mystudents were my kids. I knew what madethem mad, what got them to work, andunfortunately, the baggage most of themcarried. I also learned another valuablelesson. Students need breaks, too.

Berea’s homecoming came around and,for the first time in my life, I couldn’t wait togo back to campus. I visited Dr. Oliver Keels’soffice feeling as trampled and tired as I hadwhile working my way through college. Afterhe asked how my first year was going, Isighed. “I’m always tired” and “It’s not asgreat as I thought it would be.” His simpleadvice got me through the rest of the year:“You are allowed to feel that way,” he said.

JANUARY/FEBRUARYThe new year brought a new classroom.

Everything was fresh–from the desks to thepaint. I had made it through the first half ofthe year. Surely, the remaining time would beeasier. As my seniors kept at their portfolios,my “free time” filled with the splatter of redink on their papers.

My sophomores busily read everythingfrom short stories to novels. Many studentscomplained, “I don’t read, Ms. Duff!” Itreminded me of myself as a teenager. With asmile, I responded, “Do you drive? Do youshop? Do you watch T.V.?” They answered witha confused “Yes.” My point proven, I said,“Then you do read. Now get busy!”

February and January also brought 11surprises—snow days! As a worn-out first yearteacher, I couldn’t have been more gratefulfor them.

MARCH/APRILSpring brought more writing portfolios.

The red ink kept flowing, and my students andI grew more frustrated with each other. Theywould thank me later.

After being videotaped in the classroom,I waited for my observers to score me. Myforehead was pressed to my desk to avoidthrowing up with nervousness. Expecting theworst, I walked into the final internshipmeeting. My supervising teacher said, “You’redoing such a great job that we’re going toobserve you next year to learn how to improveour own teaching.” My fears about being aterrible teacher left me. I knew I’d done whatwas expected–maybe even more.

MAY/JUNEThe year was coming to an end and it

was hard to believe it had gone so quickly. Myseniors were giving their last efforts to makeit to graduation, struggling to overcome“senioritis.” As students looked forward tosummer, I rushed to finish last-minute tasks—grading, packing up my room, making sure allthe paperwork was filled out and turned in.Teachers love summer too!

FINAL REFLECTIONLooking back on my first year, I wonder

how I survived. The year was a blur ofstruggles, triumphs, tears, and laughter. Iwatched my first class of seniors cross thestage to receive their diplomas, knowingthese students had also improved their statewriting scores by 30 percent! I felt as if 50 ofmy own children were graduating. Already,some of these students have come back tovisit. One decided to go into Englisheducation as she started her first year ofcollege.

Two things are certain as I enter mysecond year of teaching: Berea Collegereadied me for the challenges of teaching,and wherever I go, there will always be aBerea family to support me.


14

Alittle over a year ago, David N.Cook, ’85, contacted the BereaCollege Magazine with an idea for a

feature on eight Berea alumni employed assuperintendents of public education inKentucky. As a policy advisor for the stateDepartment of Education’s Office ofLeadership and School Improvement, Davidmentioned that of the 174 public schoolsuperintendents, Berea College had thedistinction of having more Kentucky schoolsuperintendents than any other privatecollege.

His comment sparked our feature onBerea College leaders in education. In orderto tap into a wealth of rich personalexperience, we asked the followingsuperintendents to address current thinkingon state and national public education. Theyare: Roger Marcum, ’74, Marion CountySchools (retiring); Larry Woods, ’75, LincolnCounty Schools; Brent Holsclaw, ’83,Bardstown Independent Schools; LarrySparks, ’83, Leslie County Schools; RobStafford, ’89, Washington County Schools;Chuck Adams, ’92, Spencer County Schools;Kathy Burkhardt, ’92, Erlanger-ElsmereDistrict Schools (incoming); and JoshuaPowell, ’97, Union County Schools.

Sadly, Mike Caudill, ’78, superintendentof Madison County Schools, passed awaybefore he could be interviewed.

What educational experiences in youryouth, or through Berea College,shaped your personal and professionallife?

Roger Marcum: My undergraduateexperience at Berea College caused me tounderstand, appreciate, and value theimportance of a liberal arts education. Ihave striven to see that the students under

my supervision have opportunities toreceive a well-rounded educationalexperience that inspires and motivates themto high self expectations.

Larry Sparks: My first laborassignment was at Boone Tavern, where Iworked in the kitchen. I was scheduledearly–during breakfast. I worked three offour weekends each month. I also playedbaseball, with practice beginning at 4 p.m.When you throw in a full class schedule,there wasn’t much time for goofing off. Itmade me realize that I was capable of doingmore than I had ever been challenged to dobefore, and it gave me the confidence Ineeded to succeed.

Larry Woods: My K-8 principal andthe school coach, Mr. Earl Shaw, showed alot of interest in me. I was just a little farmboy. He said, “Why don’t you stay and tryout for the team?” He took me under hiswing and gave me avenues of thought thatthere was a big world out there and I coulddo things I never thought I could do. That’swhat I try to do as superintendent now. If Ican be anything like that with kids andshow an interest in them, I think I’vefulfilled my destiny in life.

Brent Holsclaw: By the time I reachedmy first real paying job, I had been workingthrough Berea’s labor program for fouryears and had learned the importance ofbeing on time, doing my best, and workingas a team member. As young collegestudents, we also often grumbled about theconvocations. We didn’t realize at the timethat we were seeing and hearing culture andhistory.

Kathy Burkhardt: My experiences atBerea enabled me to see the value ofeducation and the importance of lifelonglearning. And Berea’s focus on labor is

Superlative SuperiComplied by Michael Loruss, ’10, and Patricia Stephens, ’11

Roger Marcum

Larry Sparks

Stephen Lega

When you find an educatorwho will embrace every childand every challenge thatcomes with them, you’ll havea great educator.

– Larry SparksSuperintendent, Lincoln County Schools

15

ntendents

Superintendent Rob Staffordreads Horton Hears a Whoto his youngest charges inWashington County.photo by Jeff Moreland


16

something that I have carried with me inevery aspect of my life.

Rob Stafford: I came to Berea Collegeafter first attending a state university. Iwanted a more personal academicenvironment and I liked the idea of everyonebeing equal on campus—no fraternities orsororities. When I graduated, I felt that theopportunity to attend Berea was a valuableexperience, and I wanted to give back insome small way. Being active in the AlumniCouncil is part of that. I enjoy keeping upwith what’s happening on campus.

Larry Woods: I was the first in myfamily to get a college degree. Bereaallowed me to challenge myself and receiveindependence with every accomplishment.Berea exemplifies a community. My work assuperintendent is about building a learningcommunity in a public school district. I feelthat my decision-making is better because ofthe awareness of the “community” conceptmodeled by Berea College.

What do students need to succeed?Kathy Burkhardt: Everyone at the

school should have a common vision andmission in what they believe. A culture ofcare, compassion, and high standards forstaff members and students fosters schoolsuccess. Students have to be activelyengaged in their learning and schools mustwork to design instruction that motivatesstudents to learn by giving them a real-lifepurpose for their learning.

Rob Stafford: Students have to knowthat you care about them and have highexpectations. Regardless of the student’sabilities, they will work hard for you if youhave a good relationship with them.

Roger Marcum: Self-discipline, highexpectations for self, a strong work ethic, adetermination to succeed, and having otherswho believe in you are all criticallyimportant to the academic success ofstudents. Most important, however, isopportunity. Without the opportunitiesBerea provided me, I could not haveovercome the obstacle of poverty andbroken that cycle.

What promotes success for educators? Chuck Adams: Teachers need to have

the ability to mold students into problem-solvers and independent thinkers byunderstanding their individual interests and

making content connections based on thoseinterests.

Brent Holsclaw: All students need tobe challenged and every teacher needs tohave high expectations for all students.One of the most important elements ofgood teaching is for the teacher to take timeto establish a relationship with the child.Once a student knows how much theteacher cares, the rest will take care of itself.

Kathy Burkhardt: Effective leadershipand mentorship promote success foreducators. Building capacity within schoolsand districts through job-embeddedprofessional development seems to have themost powerful impact for educator success.

Larry Sparks: You must take pride andownership in what you are doing. It hasbeen my experience that the teachers whostruggle are the ones who view themselvesas teachers of a particular subject, ratherthan as teachers of students. When you findan educator who will embrace every childand every challenge that comes with thatchild, you’ll have a great educator.

Rob Stafford: No matter how muchmoney you put into a school system, if theeducator doesn’t have a passion to teachand give their best in the classroom everyday, you’re not going to see an impact.

In your opinion, what does it take for aschool to thrive?

Roger Marcum: Education must have aculture that is student-centered. The academicsuccess of a school or district is largelydetermined by the performance of thecertified and classified staff who serve thestudents. Therefore, the two most importantfactors for school and district success arequality teachers in every classroom andeffective leadership, which are a directreflection of community expectations.

Rob Stafford: Learning to go to schoolevery day is part of learning to be a goodemployee. It’s important that kids stay inschool. It’s a pretty rough world out there,and without an education it becomesharder. From a business standpoint, schoolsare funded on Average Daily Attendancefigures. If your students have goodattendance, it can help you in many ways toprovide good programs for them.

Joshua Powell: Great schools realizetheir great responsibility, obligation, andopportunity to improve society. The

Kathy Burkhardt

Brent Holsclaw

Larry Woods

Michael Broihier

Kim Lacy

Education is a not time clockprofession. Over my years, Istill come in contact with educators that believe that education is a 6-hour day andwith summers off. This is oneof the greatest myths in public education.

– Larry WoodsSuperintendent, Lincoln County Schools


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Madison County RemembersSuperintendent Mike Caudill

When we first decided towrite about BereaCollege’s contribution toKentucky’s educationalsystem through itsalumni, B. MichaelCaudill, ’78, was gainingpraise as superintendentof Madison CountySchools. Sadly, he passedaway before we couldinterview him.

During his career,Mike served on the Chamber of Commerce board ofdirectors for both Berea and Richmond, and was anactive member in the Eastern Kentucky Universitycollege advisory board, the Chemical DestructionCitizens advisory board, and the AppalachianSustainable Agriculture Project advisory board forMadison County. Mike was also a member of the BellSouth/Schlechty Center Superintendents LeadershipNetwork and the Kentucky Superintendent CEONetwork.

His 23 years of dedicated service to the field ofeducation were punctuated with notable recognitions:2005 Educator of the Year by the National Associationfor Gifted and Talented Children, Berea Chamber ofCommerce Man of the Year, Richmond Chamber ofCommerce Educator of the Year, and the Berea CollegeYoung Alumnus of the Year Award. Posthumously, Mikealso received citation from the Kentucky House ofRepresentatives, a proclamation from the City ofRichmond, as well as the Kentucky School BoardsAssociation conference F.L. Dupree Superintendent ofthe Year Award in 2008.

His successor as superintendent, Tommy Floyd,recalls, “Person after person said that if you have thechance to work under Mike Caudill, you need to takethat opportunity. In the brief months I was able to workwith him hand-in-hand, he had a huge impact on theway I see public education.”

In honor of the late superintendent, the B. MichaelCaudill scholarship fund has been established withproceeds from the Mike’s Kids Golf Scramble, andMadison County’s new middle school is being erectedwith his namesake.

He is survived by his wife, Lisa Pennington Caudill,’78, his daughter Erin, and his son Steve.

collective power of schools is great. Myinterests are in doing what is best for kids.

What do you find most rewarding as ateacher and/or superintendent? Whatchallenges you?

Joshua Powell: The most rewarding thingas a teacher is to know that you made apositive impact on a person’s ability to leadothers. The most rewarding thing as asuperintendent is to see dramaticimprovement of a community, using publiceducation as a tool for progress.

Roger Marcum: As a superintendent, youhave fewer opportunities to know the studentspersonally, but you have more opportunitiesto help educators grow professionally so thatthey are better equipped to meet the needs ofstudents.

Rob Stafford: The most rewardingexperience as a superintendent is walkingthrough classrooms and witnessing studentsexcited about learning. The most challengingaspect is dealing with the numerous social,political, and economic factors that impactschools. The lack of funding is having animpact on public education and its ability toprovide services to all students.

Larry Woods: I have known that I wantedto be in the teaching profession since juniorhigh school. While in high school, I coachedand worked in youth programs and havenever stopped. I now have 33 years as aneducator and still look forward to each day inworking with our youth. I believe that asuccessful educator, upon retirement, willreflect back to the many students that theyhave influenced. It is then one can trulymeasure success.

Brent Holsclaw: I think the mostrewarding aspect is when the concept you areteaching is finally understood by yourstudents. It is almost like the “Ah-ha” lightcomes on. It’s a very positive emotion.

Given the renewed emphasis onimproving educational standards atboth state and federal levels, where doyou see the field of education going?

Chuck Adams: Both state and federalgovernments have quite a bit of ground tomake up. My hope is for less high-stakesaccountability and more individualizedassistance so students can be successful in anarea of study meaningful to them. The minimumrequirement on CATS (Commonwealth

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Chuck Adams

Joshua Powell

Berea College was the mostbeneficial experience of mylife. The beliefs, mindsets,and expectations of the faculty are unprecedentedamong any college/university.I had many professors that positively influenced my lifeand forever shaped the way Iview teaching and learning.

– Joshua PowellSuperintendent, Union County Schools

Accountability Testing System) does not trainstudents for anything other than college. If wedon’t include vocational training in our plans,we are letting our community down. There isa high rate of unemployment resulting from alack of resources and opportunities forindividuals to achieve the vision of work theyhave.

Larry Sparks: Educators are going tobe dealing with a more diversifiedpopulation and ever-greater challenges.Differentiated instruction will probably goto a whole new level. Educators are goingto be challenged as never before to reachevery child. I believe we will see the role oftechnology in the classroom become a moreimportant tool than it is today. I wouldlove to see more money put into vocationaland technical education. I spent three yearsas the principal of our county’s areatechnology center. During this time Iwitnessed students who struggled greatly inthe traditional high school setting becomeexamples of success when placed in classessuch as welding, carpentry, and electricity.There is a place for everyone.

Brent Holsclaw: We have aresponsibility to create standards thatprepare our students to be problem-solversand provide them with the ability to becritical thinkers. We know that ourstudents are competing for employment onan international level as well as beingcompared to students across the globe.

Joshua Powell: I think that the answer inKentucky, as well as in the nation, lies in theimprovement of public education. Moreover,when many other states are not placingemphasis on improvement, but insteadwatering down standards, an opportunityexists for Kentucky to catapult forward to anationally competitive standing.

Kathy Burkhardt: We also have tomeasure ourselves globally and ask why ourstudents are falling behind the students inother nations. We are preparing students forcareers that may not even exist tomorrow.Students have to learn to be creativethinkers, problem solvers, and lifelonglearners.

On what should classroom educatorsfocus?

Roger Marcum: As my friend,superintendent Stu Silberman, would say,“It’s about the kids!” Without a focus on

meeting the needs of each and every child,we will fail. We must be advocates forchildren in the classroom, community, state,nation, and world. Don’t forget, we chosethis profession to make a positive differencein the lives of children!

Brent Holsclaw: We can’t ignore theassessment process, but we mustn’t get socaught up in it that we forget the true focusof what we do—and that is to educate andprepare our children for the future.

Larry Sparks: The teaching path is notan easy one. Don’t go into teachinglukewarm. You should be passionate aboutmaking a difference in the lives of children.The responsibility of preparing a youngperson for their future is enormous, butwhen you succeed, there is no better feeling.

Rob Stafford: Be flexible and creative.Teachers have to think “outside the box”when dealing with school issues andstudents.

What advice would you offerindividuals considering a career inpublic school administration?

Joshua Powell: Only go into teaching ifyou believe you can improve the world. Youactually can.

Chuck Adams: A superintendent has tomake 100 decisions a day, and 99 percent ofthem won’t make everyone happy at thesame time. It’s those decisions that matter.It has to be a good decision for the kids.

Rob Stafford: Go in and try to do thebest you can do every day, and make theright decisions that will somehow impactthe progress of kids. Go in with your eyeswide open and understand thatadministration is totally different fromteaching. Make sure that you’re a goodlistener and be able to see things fromdifferent perspectives before you makedecisions. Also, know that you are going toface numerous difficulties, but seeingstudents achieve and schools progressbecause of your efforts is very rewarding.

Brent Holsclaw: What you learn in theclassroom will only be a small portion ofwhat you will need to meet the demands ofthe job. Be a good listener. Surroundyourself with good people to help makegood decisions. Develop a network ofadvisors and mentors. Be flexible. Havefun, love your job, and do not take yourselftoo seriously.

Yager StudiosN

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Growing up in the small

town of Clothier,

West Virginia, Robert

“Bob” Smith, ’72, knew the

scarcity of educational

opportunities. He also knew he

was determined to have that

college degree.

“If you’ve seen the movie Coal Miner’sDaughter, you have a pretty accuratepicture of the town and the people,” saysBob. Clothier had one grocery and noother stores, no stop lights, and no citygovernment. His father worked in a coalmine and his mother took in laundry. Eventhough Bob’s father had only a third gradeeducation, he knew what it took to getahead and he made it clear that his sonswere to attend college.

Bob’s brother, Archie Smith, ’69,paved the way to Berea College. Two yearslater Bob arrived. In his 18 years, he hadnever traveled further than 50 miles fromhome, and Berea was five times furtheraway. “I was fairly naïve about what theworld was like,” he says. “However, my

upbringing instilled some valuable traitsthat have served me well. I was blessedwith a healthy work ethic that fit nicelywith the expectations of Berea College. Ideveloped persistence in everything Iattempted. I would never give up until itwas accomplished. Maybe that was justWest Virginia stubbornness!”

After graduation, Bob moved toFlorida to teach business education forPalatka Middle School and later receivedhis master’s degree from the University ofNorth Florida. In 1975, he and educatorO.B. Hendrix formed a consortium of ruralcounties in North Florida, and in 1976,with the help of other educators, theyestablished the North East FloridaEducational Consortium (NEFEC). Theconsortium, operating with a boardcomprised of superintendents from thearea, brought together shared resources,personnel, and materials. When Bob beganserving as the executive director, NEFEC’sbudget was a meager $24,000.

In 30 years, the consortium has grownto include 15 school districts, 110 full-timeemployees, and 76,000 students; itoperates on a $58 million budget. Bob seesNEFEC as a service organization. He askshis staff to keep service in the forefront ofall they do. “It is why we exist,” he sayssimply.

NEFEC offers more than 50 programs toimprove instruction and save tax dollars.The organization saves a great deal ofmoney by self-insuring everything withinthe districts they serve, including buildings,buses, worker compensation, and such. Allschools in the districts share a computerand the district offices keep the payroll,student records, attendance, grade cards,and state reporting requirements. By usingone system, the schools save on hardware,software, and staff.

For 33 years Bob has been at the helmof the consortium. “As I prepare to retire,”he says, “I have felt obligated to return toothers the blessing I received in being ableto attend Berea. The more I thought aboutit, the more determined I became to searchout those deserving children who, forfinancial reasons, probably have nointention of attending college.” Bob hopesto create a scholarship program for bright,financially strapped students from his area.This spring he traveled to Berea Collegewith several high school students to showthem the wonderful opportunities thatBerea has to offer.

Bob Smith hopes that as NEFECdirector he embodies a work ethic ofservice and due diligence. On his desk restsa rock that contains his simple motto: “ItCan Be Done.”

Bob SmithPays It Forward

By Patricia Stephens, ’11

Bob Smith will retire after having served 30 years asexecutive director of the North East FloridaEducational Consortium.A

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Holding a torch to unmask the earlymorning fog, Treshani Perera, ’10,hiked up a hill where 16 boys

awaited her. In Sri Lanka it is not normalfor girls to be surrounded by so many boys.“Don’t give them your address!” herparents had warned. “These boys wereonce terrorists.” They were Tamils. Shewas a Sinhalese girl. Could she breakthrough the prejudices from a longstandingethnic war? Treshani did not even speaktheir language.

The psychology and music major spenther short term internship helping torehabilitate and assimilate these childsoldiers in her homeland. Once calledParadise Island, for nearly 30 years SriLanka has been plagued by an ethnic warbetween the Tamils and Sinhalese. Some ofthe children Treshani worked with at theAmbepussa Rehabilitation Center for ChildSoldiers had been abducted from theirfamilies, taken into the jungle, and trainedto kill. The United Nations has identifiedthe recruitment of child soldiers as ahuman rights issue. Sri Lanka outlawedchild recruitment in 2002, but childrencontinue to be recruited by an allegedterrorist organization, the Liberation Tigersof Tamil Eelam. The Sri Lankan governmentbegan its rehabilitation efforts in 2007.

Treshani wanted to work with childsoldiers who suffered from post-traumaticstress and other psychological disorders inorder to understand how the experienceaffected them. She was surprised to findthat the rehabilitation center was not apsychiatric facility. They had no residentialpsychiatrist—only one pediatrician for thecommunity.

“It shocked me to know that there wasno person directly responsible for themental health and welfare of thesechildren,” Treshani says.

The boys she worked with had beenrecruited in preadolescence. Now, she

hoped to give these older teens a chance toreclaim their childhood. With Treshani theymade music with percussion instruments,created crafts out of recycled and naturalmaterials, and collaborated on poster murals.

Trying to get these teens to open upand participate was challenging. Becausethey had never been in such closeproximity to a Sinhalese person, Treshanistruggled to erase their prejudices. Many ofthem thought she was there out of pity.Over the three weeks, a level of intimacydeveloped and the boys revealed theirstories. Teary-eyed, Treshani says, “Icouldn’t believe these boys were known asterrorists.” Treshani grew so close to herstudents that it was harder for her to leavethem than it was to leave her own family.Through spending time with her, the boyswere able to see Sinhalese people in a positive light. Even though she expected

the war to end soon, Treshani says it willtake time for people to heal. It will taketime to become one country, rather thantwo ethnicities.

Treshani is confident that she willreturn to her country. “This wholeexperience opened my eyes to this ideaof social responsibility, and it reallymade me see that I need to give back tomy community,” says Treshani. “If youcan go back, go back. Your country needsyou.”

The Berea College InternshipOffice was established in 1980 toencourage students to think moreseriously about their careerchoices and goals. Internshipscan help students make contactsthat help them further theircareers. Students pursinginternships are responsible forchoosing where they will intern

Treshani Perera, of Sri Lanka, says that the mediafocuses so much on war there that they forget tosee the human part of it.

A double music and psychology major, Treshanistudied as a private student with professor BobLewis.

Student Interns: Their By Megan Smith, ’11

Dam

ian Buttle, ’11

Dam

ian Buttle, ’11


21

Lights Shine Brightly

and submitting a proposal to the InternshipOffice. Students need two sponsors, at leastone within their major. They also proposeacademic content to their internship and

must plan to write a paper or makea presentation on their learning

experience. Treshani was one of 25

Berea students from 11different majors who heldJanuary short terminternships. Four studentsinterned abroad while othersinterned inside the U.S., mostof them in the state ofKentucky. Tiffany Halfacre,’10, originally of Stanton,Kentucky, worked at Davisand Powell funeral home inthe Berea community.

During the first day ofher internship, Tiffany was

left alone with two bodies in the morguebehind double-locked doors. She looked atthe woman lying on the stainless steel preptable and wondered what type of personshe must have been. In that moment afeeling of immense calm came to her—anda sense of having a higher calling to helpgrieving friends and family say goodbye.

A biology major, Tiffany plans tobecome an embalmer and funeral director.Her unusual career choice occurred aftershe was struck by lightning at age 15. Afterwaking up from a seizure, Tiffany told hermother she was going to work with deadpeople.

Before she was struck by lightning,Tiffany intended to be a defense attorney. Shewas chatting with a friend on her back porchwhen a bolt that she remembers as a blueflash struck her. Upon her hospital release,

Tiffany began having seizures. Tiffany calledon her faith to interpret the near-deathexperience. Tiffany said, “It was God’s signto go another direction with my life.”

During her internship, Tiffany helpedJim Davis and Greg Powell with visitations,funerals, and office work. Some of herdaily tasks included setting up flowers,designing memory books, helping to clothethe deceased, and observing how toembalm and prepare the body for viewing.She assisted in the funerals of sixcommunity members.

Her most challenging moment camewhen she was left alone with two childrenafter the loss of their 35-year-old familymember. The two children wondered whyhe had died. To them, why was moreimportant than how. Tiffany told them,“Sometimes things happen and you don’tknow why.” When the children asked if shehad seen the body, Tiffany assumed theyalso wanted to see him. To protect themfrom seeing the body in disarray, she toldthem that she had not.

Soon after, the children went outsideto play, but Tiffany struggled the rest of theevening. She cried for two hours becauseshe felt guilty about her lie. She had wantedto help them but she didn’t know how. Ittook Tiffany a while to realize that later–when the time is right–someone willexplain it so they can understand it andthat her lie shielded them from more hurt.

“My job is not to show emotion, butit’s not not to feel it,” said Tiffany. She hasbeen told, “The day you stop feelingsympathy is the day you should get out ofthe business.”

Tiffany says there is nothing else in theworld she would rather be doing. “There’ssomething about preparing someone for afuneral. It’s like the final act of love for aperson.”

For her internship project, Tiffany Halfacre alsoresearched ecofriendly funeral services.

Tiffany says she learned a great deal about theindustry from Jim Davis (left) and Gregory Powell(right) of Davis and Powell Funeral Home.

Aar

on G

ilmou

r, ’1

2

Aaron G

ilmour, ’12


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College students sit on the floorscattered in small groups about theclassroom. They hold pieces of

cardboard, wooden blocks, PVC pipe, ducttape, and balls of various sizes. Participantsbandy words, debating the best way tosolve the problem posed to them by Dr.Bobby Ann Starnes. The professor ofeducation moves from group to group,smiling and taking photos. She refuses togive hints to solve the problem her studentshave been posed.

Why are beginning education studiesstudents crawling around on the floor?Bobby believes strongly in learning throughshared experience. The balls and rampslesson is designed to immerse students inan activity that will make concrete theabstract concepts of constructivism andinquiry. “These are essential concepts ifteachers are to teach well, but they arehard for students to understand,” saysBobby. Equally challenging and funprojects throughout the semester introduceother pedagogies to the future educators.

The teaching style of the EducationStudies department chair is a great fit forBerea College. The cooperative spirit at theCollege invites creativity and innovation.“The difference that makes for our teacherpreparation programs lies in the school’smission and in the education programs’philosophy. We try to live those principlesin everything we do.”

Bobby has worked in many placesduring her career, her hands and heartdeeply in the business of educating childrenand future teachers. She earned master’sand doctoral degrees from HarvardGraduate School of Education. The WrightState University alumna taught school formore than 20 years; founded and operatedher own school; directed a job training andchild care program near Boston; presidedover Foxfire, an innovative educationalorganization; and taught at universities inRhode Island and Montana and at a NativeAmerican reservation. She founded anonprofit organization designed to supportMontana teachers as they began complyingwith a new requirement to teach thehistory and culture of the state’s 12 tribes.

So how did this remarkable womanend up in Berea? That’s a long story, andBobby tells it best. Her father’s family hadroots in Knott County, Kentucky lastingmore than 200 years. When machinesbegan replacing men in the coal mines,Bobby’s family joined the greatAppalachian out-migration and movednorth.

“Like most eastern Kentucky migrants,we lived in the city, but it was neverhome,” says Bobby. Home was the mouthof Hollybush in Knott County, andfrequent weekend trips back home carriedthem down Route 25 through Berea. Onone trip her father pulled their Buick offthe road in front of Boone Tavern.

“Turning to face my brother and me inthe back seat, he pointed toward thebeautiful green lawns. ‘That,’ he said, ‘isBerea College. They help people there.’My father was a man of few words. Heseldom spoke. That made the momentseem somehow very important.” Becauseof this vivid memory, Bobby has always feltclose to Berea and valued the education itprovides.

She decided to become an educator,she says, because as a displacedAppalachian in Ohio her teachers seemedrich. Over time, of course, she learned hermistake. “By the time I stood in my firstclassroom and met my first 36 sixthgraders, I knew that teaching would makeme rich in ways I couldn’t have imaginedgrowing up.”

When she was a child, Bobby says shefelt a sense of injustice in her classrooms.Her teachers advised her and others like

By Deb McIntyre, ’10

HANDSThe and

Heart of aTeacher

Dam

ian Buttle, ’11


her to work hard to overcome their“hillbilly” roots in order to succeed. Bobbyassimilated their values and did succeed,but she paid a price in temporarily losingher mountain identity. “Through thoseexperiences I learned a lot about being inthe minority and about how someinstitutions treat those of us who are.”

Bobby’s work with Native Americansbecame a way for her to reach out toothers whose heritage has been devalued.She found that American children aretaught very little about the history, culture,and everyday lives of Native people andmuch of what is taught is not accurate. Itneeds to be corrected, and that must beginwith educators. “Trying to help teachersteach in ways that support cultures andhistories they do not understand is verychallenging. Coming from a misunderstoodculture myself helps with that, but it is stillvery hard work.”

Working with the Foxfire organizationin Georgia brought her home to hermountain roots and brought Foxfire’s

innovative teaching traditions to educatorsaround the country. “Foxfire was anapproach grounded in a vision for whatteaching and learning can and should be.”The approach manifests itself most publiclyin the student-written Foxfire magazinesand anthology, teaches writing andcommunication skills by connectingstudents to their community, and allowsthem to make decisions about their ownlearning. Although putting together amagazine from start to finish is hard work,it is hands-on, real-world experience thatcan’t be learned in conventional ways.

Bobby’s teaching style isunconventional. She pushes students toquestion what they think they know andfocuses on self identification. “We shouldbe teaching all children to read and writeand to understand their world, but thereare thousands of ways to teach the sameskills. What matters is that the ways weteach are matched to the children weteach and the communities and culturesin which they live.”

Her shared beliefs in these principlespermeate the entire education studiesdepartment. She and her colleagues striveto help students majoring in educationacquire the skills they need to becomegood teachers. But more than that, “I hopewe are preparing students to be optimists,visionaries, change agents–teachers who areidealistic enough tobelieve they canchange the world andwise enough to figureout how.”

José Gonzales, ’08,recalls that Bobby’sclasses “created anatmosphere thatallowed the students

Matt Summey, ’12, KristinWaits, ’12, and Ben Thomas,’12, engage in a groupproblem-solving exercisecalled “balls and ramps.”Professor Bobbi Starnesobserves the process, butoffers no hints.

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Dam

ian Buttle, ’11


to have control of their learning, whileshe still kept an underlying sense ofstructure.” José, who teaches strugglinghigh school students in the New Orleansarea, says a conversation he had with Dr.Starnes had a profound impact on him. “Icommented that I didn’t see what was thepoint of teaching if you weren’t going todo it for other people. Nodding all along,Bobby very steadily responded,‘Teaching? What’s the point of living ifnot for other people?’

“She regards learning as a sacredprocess that is individual and spiritual foreach person,” José continues. “She taughtus that there is always more than one sideto every story, and that if we are to relateto one another in a global community, wemust always be in search of that truthtogether.”

Jose’s education at Berea opened hiseyes to possibilities in his students thatothers might not always see. “My students have constantly been regarded asthe bottom of the barrel; but because ofBerea, I absolutely refuse to believe that.We all achieve great things in our ownright. All we need is simply someone toprovide the smallest encouragement andthe slightest candle to light the way.”

The first students to benefit fromBobby’s “candle” were the sixth-gradersat Lewisburg Elementary School in Ohio,who taught her the true riches of teaching.On the twentieth anniversary of herteaching career, Bobby returned to thesame rural community for a reunion with16 of her former students, now grown withfamilies and careers of their own.

“Everyone had a memory of howthat year had changed them,” Bobby says.“Their lives todayare still

affected by the time we spent together inthat small classroom all those years ago.”

The memories of one student,Diana, were clearest to Bobby, and heremotions were close to the surface.Bobby recalls Diana telling her, “It wasthe first time anybody ever told me that Icould have ideas…even good ideas… Ihad never been a reader… I was probablyon a third-grade level. But we read all thetime, and when we weren’t reading, wewere writing. Now, I’ll read anything Ican get my hands on.”

The power of that reconnectionlingers with Bobby. “The moment thatcrystallized it all for me,” she says, “waswhen I stood on my tiptoes to hug Mike,a once painfully shy sixth-grader, and hewhispered in my ear, ‘I’ve always lovedyou, Mrs. Starnes.’

‘I’ve always loved you too, Mike,’ Iwhispered in reply. And we both knewwe meant it.”

Bobby loves teaching–even thedifficulties, the planning, and the stress.Every day is different and full of surprisesin the ways learners see the world and putideas together to make new understandings.“Teaching just never gets old or boring orroutine. On the best days, it iselectrifying—thrilling and joyous in waysthat are difficult to explain. And even onthe hardest, most challenging days, thereis always the promise that the joy is just amoment away.”

Bobby believes teaching takes acombination of optimism and idealismabout what the profession can mean tothe world and in the lives of children.“The pure love and joy in the workpretty much mean that everythinginspires me. It is never easy, but it isalways the best way to spend a day—anda life.”

All participants were given the same supplies with which to work. Results

varied, but despite setbacks TequillaBerry, ’12, Stacci Blye, ’11, and Lee

Bays, ’12 (l-r), persisted in findinga solution to the problem.

24

Damian Buttle, ’11


25

Sitting inside the Boyd and GaynellFowler Child DevelopmentLaboratory (CDL) classroom at Berea

College, I try to be inconspicuous. Yet onefriendly girl sitting on a brightly coloredrug acknowledges me with a wave. Theother three-year-olds look my way,wondering who I am and why I am sittingin a tiny chair. The large windows bringthe outdoors into the classroom andprovide a stimulating backdrop.

Janet Garrison, ’05, and DionneWatson, ’95, graduated from Berea witheducation degrees. Janet teaches preschoolat the CDL and Dionne teacheskindergarten in Birmingham, Alabama.Both emphasize the importance ofeducational experiences for youngsters,and both have experienced those clarionmoments during their careers when theyhave asked themselves, “Who is teachingwhom?”

Conversations with children are oftenfull of honesty, truth, wisdom, and humor,say Janet and Dionne. Sometimes it’s hardto distinguish between truth and bluntness,for example, when a child asks, “Why areyour teeth so yellow?” or “How much doyou weigh?” “Children speak freely,” Janetsays, “when the world seems open to them.Nothing is impossible to them, to be leftundiscovered or unexplored.” Says Dionne,“Children are honest because theirinnocence leaves them fearless.”

Sometimes truth finds us when we leastexpect it. One day the students in Janet’sclass were using wooden microphones toput on an impromptu concert. Afterward,one boy sat down beside Janet and asked ifshe would like to hear a song. He began tosing a spiritual that Janet remembered fromher childhood. His sincere vocalizationtouched her.

Dionne, a 13-year veteran, is struck attimes by the clarity of a child’s reasoning.She recalled the day she was teaching the

concept of past and present verb tenses toher class. One student had difficultygrasping the idea, but another looked ather flustered friend and said, “Past is whenyou had your birthday last week and now[today] is when I am having my birthday.”Dionne believes children learn more easilyfrom each other because they are “usinglanguage that only they can understand.”

The children have taught her to laughat her mistakes and move on. Whileteaching a unit on shapes, Dionne placedcube, cylinder, and sphere shapes aroundthe room. For some reason, she told themthe spheres were cones. When she askedstudents to point to the shapes as theytalked about them, she couldn’t understandwhy they weren’t recognizing the sphereshapes. Finally, one student said, “Ms.Watson, do you mean spheres instead ofcones?” She realized her mistake andthanked the student. “Everyone had a good laugh,” she says.

Teachers learn from their students,Dionne says, “by allowing them to talk,listening to everything that they have tosay, and watching the ways they show whatthey have learned.” Janet feels honoredthat her students “really do pick up onwhat is caring and lovely.” She says it’s apleasure to be a recipient of a child’s joy.

Before I left the classroom, I watchedJanet move to a small table where agirl was coloring. Janet satbeside her. The girlscribbled something on ascrap of paper andpushed it toward Janet.Janet looked at it andthen tore a piece of paperfrom a pad, picked a crayon,and wrote a message of reply.She pushed it back toward thegirl. The message read: “I (redheart) you, too.”

Out of the Mouths of BabesBy Linda C. Reynolds, ’95

Dionne Watson pointed to little“popcorn words” to help herkindergarten students beginbite-sized reading words using“the”, “look”, and “my.”

Dam

ian

Butt

le, ’

11Bryleigh Buttle, a student at the ChildDevelopment Lab, explores the sand and iswatched over by CDL teacher Janet Garrison.


26

Every education studies major atBerea College is required to enroll inthe short term course “Practicum in

Alternative Settings.” Future teachersexperience settings and people withcultural backgrounds different from theirown who face social and economiclimitations.

In January, I stood in orchestrarehearsal at Palm Springs High School. In aroom lit by the desert sun, I glancedaround at an ethnically diverse group;there were only a smattering of Caucasianstudents. I leaned over to ask a tall, blonde,string bass player. “Do you ever feel likeyou’re in the minority here?”

“Why?” he asked. “Because I’m tall orbecause I play bass?”

Surprised, I said, “No, because you’rewhite.”

“Oh. I never really thought about it,”he said.

Suddenly, I felt my paradigms shift. Back home in Lancaster, Kentucky, my

parents had raised me to believe everyoneis the same, regardless of race. It was anuncomfortable realization when I lookedaround that orchestra. I didn’t seestudents—I saw races.

Having never worked withmarginalized students, I didn’t know whatto expect. I envisioned bitter students whowould not welcome a stranger in theirclassroom. I had traveled a thousand milesfrom home and felt like an outsider.

I relaxed when I was welcomed bystudents who genuinely wanted to learn.The band showed me that differences don’tmatter. We worked together toward thesame goal. Everyone was there to learn andmake music.

This experience led me to explore theways in which my college teaches diversitythrough its interracial commitment. I begana research project to discover whether

ethnicity matters in performing arts andhow diversity is best taught.

Brenda Richardson, ’81, an educationstudies teacher, taught my alternative settingscourse. She says that future educators like meneed to experience firsthand reachingbeyond cultural, socioeconomic, and otherboundaries. “The course is designed to help our developing teachers work outrelationships with children and adults incontexts where they are ‘the other.’”

Brenda has been teaching thepracticum for a number of years. “When I began thinking about the course, I wanted to provide students with contextsin which they could gain experience with avariety of cultures, including those ofNative American people.” In her search fora Native American setting, she contactedAlice Paul, a Tohono O’Odham (TO)educator. “Her invitation was so warm andwhole-hearted that I immediately arrangedto take a group of students to [Arizona]that next January to work in O’Odhamschools. I have continued to visit, with andwithout Berea students, ever since.”

Early on, she met Danny Lopez, a TOnative who had a comfortable life inTucson but who had moved back to thereservation after seeing the troubleO’Odham youth often experienced afterleaving the reservation. He asked Brendathree questions: “Why do you come here?”“What do you want from us?” and “Whatwill you do with what you take away?”Brenda says it is important for her studentsto ask themselves these same questionsduring their internships.

Berea students Eric Arthur, ’11, andAdrian Safar, ’09, worked with the TOnation during short term. “I went with thedesire to be in the desert and give faith,hope, and love another chance to steer mythoughts and ideas,” says Adrian, aCincinnati, Ohio native. The group of 10

students stayed at the San Solano MissionRetreat Center near Sells, Arizona—thecapital of the TO nation. “The conditionswere rough at first for us,” says Eric, whois from Catlettsburg, Kentucky, “but wequickly realized [they were] nothing incomparison to the conditions… the TOpeople endured.”

One of the major problems facing theO’Odham nation is the loss of its youth todrugs and gang activity. The reservation islocated in the Sonoran Desert, a majordrug trafficking corridor from CentralAmerica into North America. “We couldn’thelp but be aware of the times whenborder patrol activity was unusually high,and wonder who or what was beingpursued—and [if] we’d somehow becomeinvolved,” says Brenda. Many of the Nativestudents wore gang colors. Overcoming theknown dangers, not just the unknownfears, was one of the greatest challenges thestudents faced in Arizona.

“This experience has shown me thatthere is no reason for hostility towardanyone who is different,” says Eric. “I willtry to impact my students in the way theseextraordinary people have impacted me.”Adrian may accept an invitation to live andwork on the reservation teaching foreignlanguages and the performing arts. “Theexperience I had has opened up a place forchange. [It] was the catalyst for a newchapter in my life. I can’t wait to turn thepage!”

In a different setting, Jyoti Kulangara,’08, spent her short term working withCamelot School in Kingston, Tennessee, aresidential treatment center andtherapeutic day school. The studentsdiffered in abilities, and included thosewith an IQ as low as 50. Large outdoorfacilities provide therapeutic activities.Jyoti recalls her favorite feature of thecampus was “a huge punching bag, [where]

Thirty Days on the Outside Looking InBy Erin Barger, ’09

frustrated students were allowed to calmdown and get out all their aggression.”

At first, Jyoti was apprehensiveabout working with students withbehavioral disorders. With her “squeakyvoice and timid personality,” shewondered if she could handle the students,but she found the staff to be welcomingand supportive. “With my 4’11’’ and 82-pound body, I had felt intimidated in apublic school by overly aggressive studentsin class. However, at Camelot I startedseeing myself differently, and that helpedme project myself with more confidence.”

After her experience, Jyoti understandshow students’ lives can influence theiractions. “Some students are pushed overthe edge because of a bad day, but otherstudents are always on edge because ofdifficult lives that they are sufferingthrough.”

Jyoti hopes to work with high schoolstudents with behavioral disorders. “I amstarting to see my weakness as my strength.I was able to succeed with these studentsbecause of the compassion that I learned toshow them. What I thought would be mydownfall helped me leave at the end ofeach day feeling completely fulfilled.”

Facing what it means to be different isa part of the wisdom of the alternativeschool experience, Brenda says. “Year afteryear, it gratifies me to see Berea Collegestudents decide, like John G. Fee decided,to overcome real challenges and to takepersonal responsibility for the ‘Other.’”

Berea students Adrian Safar, Erin Barger, EricArthur, and Jyoti Kulangara (inset) participated inBrenda Richardson’s EDS “Practicum in AlternativeSettings” course.


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Brid

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Neither TaylorBallinger,’07, nor

Sarah Buccleugh,’05, expected toteach. Taylormajored in speechcommunication andSarah in psychology,but both graduatesjumped into teaching

to fulfill a nationwide need for teachersfrom all academic backgrounds. Willing towork in U.S. urban or rural public schoolsin need, both fledgling educators accepted atwo-year teaching commitment. TaylorBallinger, ’07, joined Teach for America andSarah Buccleugh, ’05, became a New YorkCity Teaching Fellow, serving the publicschool system while earning her master’sdegree.

The outstanding male student in hisgraduating class, Taylor initially worriedabout how successful he would be at his firstjob. He’s now in his second year workingwith students with special needs in anEnglish classroom at a rural public highschool just outside New Orleans. When oneof his students said, “Man, I didn’t know Icould write something like this!” it was justwhat Taylor had hoped to hear.

After providing his students withopportunities they may not have had before,Taylor found a wealth of potential. “When Isaw what they were writing and the waysthey were getting involved in class,” he says,“it was so fulfilling. Some of their poetrywas just phenomenal.”

At the P.S. 12 Lewis and Clark Schoolin the central Bronx, Sarah also uses thecreative arts to engage her students. Shecombines her musical talent with theexperience she gained working as avideographer for the Berea College publicrelations department to help her studentsdevelop their creative and intellectualpotential. Her first year at P.S. 12, Sarah andstudents Margarita and Jonathan co-wroteand performed a music video entitled “OurSouls.” She also taught guitar andvolunteered with other teachers to help thestudents create a wide variety of videos.

“Sometimes you need to try differentways of reaching students,” she says.

Now in her third year at Lewis andClark, a high school for students with severeemotional challenges, Sarah’s outlookwasn’t always as positive as it is now. In2006, when she entered the New York CityTeaching Fellowship program, Sarahattended an intensive summer “crashcourse” in teaching at the school. She feltunprepared for what she observed—the

fights and emotional outbursts amongstudents whose needs she wasn’t sure sheknew how to meet effectively.

But she didn’t quit. Rather, Sarahbegan teaching full-time at Lewis and Clarkthat fall.

“I wanted to prove to myself that Icould do it,” she says now. “And I did it forthe kids. I wasn’t going to fail them. I’m notgoing to be here and then suddenlydisappear. They’ve had a lot of people comeinto their lives and go. I didn’t want to beone of those.”

In her first year, she taught girls’ healthand fitness along with voluntary musicprojects. Since 2007 she has taught Earthscience. While some days are still wildlyunpredictable, she is gaining her students’respect and is growing in confidence as ateacher. The students really like thecurriculum that Sarah has designed. Berea’ssustainability values have found their wayinto her classroom, where paper recyclingprojects decorate the bulletin boards andhydroponic tomatoes grow in tubs insidethe classroom.

Sarah says her psychology education atBerea has made her more effective as ateacher and mentor and has helped her tocreate and maintain a well-functioningclassroom. “Behavior modification!” shesays with conviction. “Don’t reward

Have Need? TeaBy Julie Sowell

Students Sophia (second from the left) and Ruben (right) enjoy time in the classroomwith their teacher, Sarah Buccleugh (left), and teaching paraprofessional Miguel Torres(second from right).

Sarah’s Earth science lessons include many ways of teaching sustain-able practices.

Sarah Buccleugh

Julie

Sow

ell

Julie Sowell

Julie Sowell


29

negative behaviors!” She also recognizeswhen her students are exhibiting thecharacteristics of depression, attentiondeficit disorder, and a variety of otherdisorders and conditions. “It’s helped me alot to realize what some of my students aredealing with. I can’t imagine myself sittingin the classroom with all of that going on. Ithas given me a newfound respect for them.”

Taylor lives in downtown New Orleansand commutes 30 miles to East St. JohnHigh School, near the town of Reserve,Louisiana. The majority of his students haveeconomic disadvantages. The school, one ofmany affected by Hurricane Katrina, alsoaccepted a significant number of displacedstudents who have remained in thecommunity.

Known as “Mr. B” to his students,Taylor not only teaches in the Englishclassroom, but was recently appointed headof the special education department. Taylorand his wife, Rosie Green Ballinger, ’08,attend many of the school’s sports activities.The 6’6” former high school center enjoysshooting hoops with his students. As aspecial reward, he has taken students toNew Orleans Hornets professionalbasketball games. “It’s all about giving kidswhat they need and as much of it as theyneed,” says Taylor.

To create the right environment forlearning, Taylor works to create “aclassroom that is open, comfortable,welcoming, and inviting.” He’s adamantabout his belief that it’s not where studentscome from, but where they can go with theright kind of teachers and schools. “Ifthere’s any one thing I’ll take away fromthis experience, it’s that the challengesstudents have in their personal lives don’tnecessarily determine their success orfailure. I am continually impressed by howhard these kids are willing to work and howmuch they are willing to do for teacherswho care about them and want them tosucceed.”

Both Taylor and Sarah describeprofound changes in their own lives as aresult of their teaching commitment. “Iwanted a challenge that would push me tomy limits,” says Taylor. “I’ve been fortunateto have a lot of good things happen in mylife so I felt I should give something back tohelp other people.” They expected to betested and to work hard, and both hoped todo some good during their short time asteachers. Instead, both found somethingthey never expected—a life calling.

“In terms of my career, every majordecision I make for the rest of my life willalways be directly influenced by myexperiences here,” says Taylor. “Because of

the challenges I’vefaced in the St. JohnParish school system,I think my whole lifeis going to bedevoted to playing arole in changing thatfor the students Iteach.”

Although histwo-year commitmentwith Teach For America ends in June, Taylorsays he’ll be at East St. John at least anotheryear. After that, he isn’t sure; but he andRosie have grown to love New Orleans andmay want to play a part in making the citybetter than ever, he says. “There are allkinds of revitalization projects that areaffecting almost all facets of life here, andI’d kind of like to be involved with that.”

Sarah’s NYC teaching fellowshipofficially ended in May when she graduatedfrom Mercy College with her master’sdegree in urban education. “I’m alwaysgoing to be a teacher,” says Sarah. For now,she has no plans to leave P.S. 12. “Thesekids, they grow on you. I feel such acommitment to them. I know I’m doinggood work for them, and as long as Icontinue to feel that way, I’m going to stay.”

achers will Travel

Taylor Ballinger

Taylor Ballinger highlights the finer points of composition with astudent from East Saint John High School in Louisiana.

Joe, DeChris, and “Mr. B.” attend a sports event after school.

Caitlin A

mbrose, ’10

30

The streaming colored lights are part of the Hi SeoulFestival held once a season.

This crowded street in downtown Seoul leads toJogyesa, headquarters of the Buddhist templeof the Jogye order.

Chris stands in front of cherry blossoms in anarea of Seoul called Yeouinaru.

Chris with a group of students he taught duringtheir field trip to a puppet show.

Following a party, the children release someexcess energy before the Korean

teachers wrangle them back inthe classrooms.

This seven-story pagodasupposedly contains asacred relic found inthe cremated remainsof the Buddha.


Graduating with a business degreedidn’t prepare me for this. My firstday on the job, I came face to face

with a group of seven-year-olds, all speakinga foreign language and seemingly making asmuch noise as they could. After a fewmoments the other adult in the room spoke afew words to them, and the children sat upstraight in their chairs, books open, pencilspoised, ready to learn English. This is it, Ithought; it’s really happening. I’m reallyteaching English in South Korea. It had notyet sunk in.

Teaching English at a hagwon (a privateEnglish school) in South Korea is one partadventure, one part patience, and at all timesdifferent. The classes are small, the kidsusually listen, and you’ll hear first-hand howmuch they’ve really learned.

Becoming an English teacher abroad issimpler than you might think. You need avalid passport, a bachelor’s degree in anysubject, a native command of the Englishlanguage, some teaching experience, and agenuine desire to help kids learn the Englishlanguage. After multiple phone interviews, Ibegan submitting all the paperwork neededto get a one-year visa. From there, thehagwon made travel arrangements and Ipacked my bags for the adventure of alifetime.

Within a week of arriving, I was on myown, teaching English to classes of studentsbetween the ages of five and thirteen in aland 8,000 miles away from home. Many ofthe Korean teachers have a rhythm ofknowing which class is next, where they are,and what books or materials they wouldneed. Eventually, I got in the same rhythm.In a span of five minutes, I put away the oldbook and found the next book I needed, allthe while maneuvering around the kidsjumping about in the faculty room.

Although the specific amount varies, thesalary you receive is comparable to a publicschool teacher in America. You’ll also receivea free, furnished apartment (or sometimes astipend in addition to your salary) and a

plane ticket from America to South Korea. Inexchange, you sign a one-year contract withthe school that promises severance bonus payand a plane ticket back home when youcomplete your contract. Even withoutknowing Korean, you’ll quickly settle in afterbeing here for a few days. Some things aremarkedly different, but it’s amazing howquickly Seoul felt like home.

Not knowing any Korean made it a bitharder to teach English, especially when thekids needed settling down and didn’t knowthe English words I was using. Eventually,however, they learned several importantEnglish phrases, such as “be quiet,” “put yourpencils down.”

There are plenty of tools at hand forteaching English, but there is usually a chosenworkbook for each class, based on age groupor level. One class of six-year-olds uses agrammar workbook or a basic listeningand writing workbook. There is often alistening element that goes with the book aswell. My students will hear English, readEnglish, and (in my classes) have somechances to act it out. Why teach a seven-year-old to say “vacuum the carpet” when theycan stand up and do it? Games are alsoexcitedly played. Students don’t realize thatthey’re strengthening their vocabulary orproblem-solving skills by playing“Hangman.”

In a class of five-year-olds, I’ll read abook and the students will repeat some of thewords or point to colors, excited at getting ahigh five from the teacher. Later on, torelease some of the pent-up energy, they’llrun around the classroom or hide under thetables. I’ll reach for them under the table, asthey escape to scatter across the classroom.

As anyone in the education field knows,teaching is more than a job. It’s more thansimply knowing the material you’re teaching.It’s caring about your students to help themlearn as much as they can in the brief timeyou have with them. You also know you’resetting a foundation of a lifetime of Englishlearning. You’ll see some results, and you

know even more results will come in thefuture.

A class of seven twelve-year-olds open their books and view a picture of afirefighter. Several of them excitedly respondto my question “What does this person do?”They know that responding well gives them apoint to play a game they love that Iinvented.

Teaching English as a second languagerequires a lot of patience—a lot more than Ioriginally thought. You often have to repeatyourself when students are sounding outwords or using Korean pronunciation. As anexample, one Korean consonant has thesound of ‘r’ or ‘l’, depending on where it fallsin a syllable grouping. You have to teach thekids that these are two different letters andtwo different sounds. In their native languagethe pronunciation rules are completelydifferent.

Another difficulty with the students isfatigue. Nearly half of the students at myhagwon arrive after their public school dayends, and the hagwon is open until 8:15 p.m.

Most kids will have been in oneclassroom or another for longer than mostadults sit at their desks at work. It’s part ofthe pressure-cooker environment that makesup an education in South Korea. For betteror worse, I’m part of that pressure-cooker,but I try to make learning English fun orinteresting. There are days, however, whennothing seems to get done, and one has toaccept that.

On the positive side, one bigbenefit of being an English teacher in SouthKorea is the adventure outside the classroom.It’s wonderful having the opportunity toexplore palaces that are hundreds of yearsold, experience a Buddhist temple, or relax atan authentic Korean restaurant withbibimbap (a Korean dish with rice,vegetables, beef, an egg, and red pepper) orgalbi (Korean barbecue you cook at yourtable). I’ve made it a point to see one newplace a week somewhere in Korea—and thelonger I’m here the more places I want to go.

By Chris Backe, ’04

Books Open, Pencils Poised:Teaching English in South Korea

31


Back row: Elizabeth Moss, Felix, Kenneth, and Kelly (holding Morris David, the baby)Front row: Gerald Moss, Linda, Bernard, Buelon “Pete,” and Ronald (photo circa 1950).


32


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The Berea story is all about the bright young

person who reached his or her full potential

because of a tuition-free college education. The

Moss family story is about eight siblings—all of whom

worked alongside their parents to make a living off the

land—planting, harvesting, and caring for livestock. All

eight eventually graduated from Berea College. All

eight have had successful careers, and half of them

answer to “Dr. Moss.”

By Deb McIntyre, ’10

Elizabeth and Felix Moss believed the key to futuresuccess for their children lay in a strong foundation of love and higher education. (photo 1990).Education is the most powerful weapon

which you can use to change the world.—Nelson Mandela

Education —All in the Family


34

Felix and Elizabeth Moss raised theirseven boys and one girl with love anddetermination. Felix had only a third-gradeeducation, and Elizabeth didn’t get beyondseventh grade. They were intelligent,hardworking people who weren’t able toadvance their educations because their helpwas needed to support their families’hardscrabble lives.

The couple married in 1933 at theheight of the Depression and lived on asmall farm in Adair County, Kentucky.Felix worked as a farmer and carpenter. In1939, they and their growing clan movedto Indiana, and later to Illinois, looking forwork. The family shifted from farm tofarm as tenant workers. From dawn todusk they tended the crops. Usuallyplanted at the direction of the landownerand against Felix’s better judgment, manycrops did not thrive.

Felix and Elizabeth also worked infactories and sold eggs and cream to keepfood on the table. For a time, Elizabeth’shealth failed and she was placed on a rescueprogram for tuberculosis. As soon as theywere able, the children helped out at home–especially with watching their youngersiblings and assisting with schoolwork.

“The younger ones of us did notrealize how difficult finances were duringthat time. As I matured, I realized how itbore hard upon our parents,” says Buelon“Pete” Moss, ’60. The family raisedtobacco and strawberries as cash crops,grew grain to feed milk cows, harvestedtimber, and kept an extensive vegetablegarden.

Buelon adds,“Mom cooked andcanned everything insight and coulddesign, make, or alteranything we wore,slept on, or used todecorate the house…She was a voraciousreader and could make

any flower or shrub flourish.” Felix was anatural mathematician, helping his childrenwith homework and working out

complicated calculations for carpentrywork in his head. He also could make orrepair almost anything.

Buelon says his mother early “caughtthe vision of what advanced educationcould mean.” Felix had been taken out ofschool to work at a young age and didn’twant a similar fate for his children. Thecouple wanted their offspring to work andstudy to achieve greater heights and havemore choices, says Kenneth Moss, ’55, theeldest son.

After World WarII, the family returnedto Kentucky, wherethey finally bought afarm of their own inGlasgow. Kenneth andKelly, the secondeldest, continued toblaze a trail for theiryounger siblings to

follow. Their dedication to excellence inschool and leadership established standardsand goals for everyone else.

Kenneth became the first of threeMoss brothers to enter the medical field.He came to Berea in 1953, aftertransferring from Lindsey Wilson JuniorCollege. He described his first experienceon his own as the “most exciting time ofmy life.” Kenneth later attended medicalschool at the University of Louisville. In2000, the University of Alaska awardedhim with the Meritorious Service Awardfor being a Distinguished Public Servant.

“The service ethic of medicineattracted me. I did not think I had thecalling or ability to be a minister; did notthink I had the talent to be a goodbusinessman or farmer; was not strong ortalented enough to be a craftsman or

tradesman; so I chosemedicine, which suitedme,” Kenneth says.

After obtaining adegree in chemistryfrom Berea, KellyMoss, ’58, attended theUniversity of KentuckyMedical School and

became a family physician. He delighted inlife at Berea. “Coming from a large family,I knew how to share, do without things,and get along with other people.”

He relished the abundant offerings atfood service and other luxuries. “We didnot have running water at home in 1954,”he recalls. “It was wonderful to have adaily shower and inside toilets.”

Kelly chose medicine because, he says,“In rural areas the local physicians arelooked up to and respected for what theydo to help people and for their service totheir communities…They were a good rolemodel for me.” Today, he practices generalmedicine in Somerset, Kentucky.

The youngestson, Morris DavidMoss, ’71, followed inhis oldest brothers’footsteps to Berea andon to medical school.The University ofLouisville graduatespecializes in pediatriccare with a secondary

focus on emergency medicine. “Service toothers was always emphasized by ourmother, and an interest in math and scienceperhaps came from our dad’s analyticalproblem solving,” David says of his careerchoice. He practices in Glasgow, Kentucky.

All those years of milking cows andcultivating fields rubbed off on two of thesiblings. Both Gerald Moss, ’70, andBuelon majored in agriculture. Buelon–known as “Boo” to the family and as“Pete” to fellow horticulture students atBerea—became an agriculture professor

Morris David Moss

Gerald Moss with his mother, Elizabeth

Buelon Moss

Kenneth Moss

Kelly Moss


35

and researcher at Auburn College, earninghis doctorate degree. The agricultureextension expert in dairy production alsoreceived the Distinguished Alumnus Awardat the 2008 Berea College summerreunion. In 1998, he travelled to Thailandas a Fulbright-JFK Scholar to strengthenthe Thai dairy industry. After retiring in2003, Buelon returned to the family farmin Glasgow, but he continues as aninternational consultant in Southeast Asiato the United States Department ofAgriculture (USDA) and to AuburnUniversity.

Gerald worked on the College farmand chose agriculture as one of severaloccupations. “I really enjoyed farming, soagriculture was a natural field for me.”After graduation, he was drafted into theUnited States Air Force and served 4 years.Gerald then worked 8 years for the USDAas a county supervisor, owned a Christianbookstore for 10 years, and worked for theU.S. Postal Service until retiring in 2005,after which he settled in Berea.

After earning hismaster’s degree fromthe University ofTennessee, BernardMoss, ’62, served inthe U.S. Air Force. Hehas enjoyed a varietyof careers. He ownedhis own constructioncompany, Moss

Construction, was an oil land lease man,and was an engineer’s inspector. Bernardrecalls Berea with the same fondness as hissiblings. “I always have been proud andrespectful of the high academic standardsof Berea. In my view merely graduatingfrom such a college is an accomplishment,

whether one is cumlaude or not,” saysBernard.

Ronald Moss,’66, says he represents“the weird, artsy sideof the family.”Someone once askedhim why he didn’t

study medicine, and his response was “Giveme a screwdriver, and I will fix it.”

An inheritor of his parents’ problem-solving creativity, Ron graduated fromBerea with a degree in industrial arts. Afterreceiving an architecture degree from theUniversity of Kentucky, he lived andworked as a registered architect in Alaska,Tennessee, Georgia, and Idaho. “I musthave gotten my father’s genes for designingand building,” Ron says.

By the time that Ron arrived in Berea,his family was well-known by faculty andstaff. As he crossed campus during his firstweek, German professor Kristjan Kogerma,’50, hailed him with, “Hey, Moss!” Theprofessor claimed he could spot a Moss justby the way he walked.

The only girl inthe family, LindaSnyder, ’69, initiallywas unsure aboutchoosing a major, butafter working at ahotel, talking to othermaids, and listeningto their problems,Linda discovered she

had a talent for helping others workthrough their difficulties. After graduatingfrom Berea, she received her master’sdegree from the Kent School of SocialWork in Louisville. Over the years, sheworked in hospitals and in the medicalfield, as well as in community agenciesassisting the disabled and aged. She ispresently a renal social worker for DialysisClinic, Inc. in Richmond, Kentucky.

Linda’s desire to serve others wasfostered at Berea but was first instilled byher family’s strong Christian faith. She hasa close relationship with her brothers, whohave kept their camaraderie over the yearsthrough letters, phone calls, and e-mail.

The Mosses try to hold yearly familyreunions, although this is harder nowbecause of the distances some of them musttravel. Their father, Felix, died in 1997.Elizabeth, now 91, lives in a nursing facilityin Glasgow and the children visitfrequently.

Recently,Elizabethrecycled aDepression-erapoem—heradvice toBuelon on thebest way toweather thecurrenteconomiccrisis: Use itup, wear it out,make it do, ordo without.

“Throughout the years, our parentshad limited financial means, but they had awealth of wisdom, worked hard, andencouraged us to improve ourselves. Theyallowed us to make our own decisionsearly in life and let us venture forth, attendcollege, and develop our own careers,” saysBuelon. “Berea gave me an education thatprovided me with the calling card thatopened up new opportunities and traveland introduced me to friends andadventures that otherwise I would not haveenjoyed.” Contributing writer Danielle Holleran, ’09

Ronald Moss

Linda Moss Snyder

The two only Moss womenshare a special bond.

Happy Days –1994

Bernard Moss


36

Alumni Executive CouncilOfficers

President: Rob Stafford, ’89President-Elect: James Cecil Owens, ’66

Past President: Rachel Berry Henkle, ’64Larry D. Shinn

William A. LarameeMae Suramek, ’95

Alumni TrusteesVicki Allums, ’79

Janice Hunley Crase, Cx’60Jim Lewis, ’70

Tyler Smyth Thompson, ’83

Members-At-LargeJennifer Jones Allen, ’01

Celeste Patton Armstrong, ’90Joe Brandenburg, ’71Ronald Dockery, ’70Lowell Hamilton, ’61Timothy Jones, ’94

Peggy Mannering, ’71Bob Miller, ’58

Jason Miller, ’98Larry Owen, ’61

D. Wesley Poythress, ’89Willie Sanders, ’69Edward Seay, ’95

Thomas Smith, ’79Karen Troxler, ’80Larry Woods, ’75

With more than 17,000 membersaround the world, the Berea

College Alumni Associationrepresents a diverse, yet connectedextended community. We encourageall our alumni to develop strong tieswith friends and to Berea by engagingin our many programs, services, andactivities.

Berea Is Coming to You! Berea College Clubs are all over thecountry. One is probably meetingnear you!

To find alums in your community,contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 1.866.804.0591 or visithttp://alumni.berea.edu

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13

Alumni Awards Reception6:00 p.m.Baird Lounge, Alumni Building

Award Recipients:

Distinguished AlumnusAwardDr. J. Dan Pitillo, ’61

Outstanding Young Alumnus AwardDella Justice, ’93

Honorary Alumnus AwardBill Laramee

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14

BereaFest11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Cheer on the Mountaineers!5:30 p.m.Main Arena, Seabury Center

Alumni MixerAfter men’s basketballgameBaird Lounge, Alumni Building

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15

Alumni Worship Service10:30 a.m.Union ChurchSpecial performances byThe Alumni Chapel andConcert Choir directed byDr. Stephen Bolster

HOMECOMING November 13-15, 2009

Celebrating the Special Reunion Classes of 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, and 2009

AlumniConnections


37

1937James G. Hollandsworth was awarded the Butterfly

Award in 2008 by the International Camping Fellowship for hiscontributions toward advancing the cause of camping across theworld. He resides in Huntington, WV.

1939Mildred Catron Dickison resides in Falmouth, KY.

1941Bernice Angel Taylor and Fred Taylor, ’42, celebrated

their 65th wedding anniversary on September 28, 2008. Berniceis a retired teacher and Fred is a retired commercial airlinepilot. They reside in Woodland, CA.

1944Margaret Noss Gibson and Wallace Gibson, Navy V-

12 ’43-’44, BC ’47, celebrated their 65th wedding anniversaryon October 28, 2008. They reside in Columbus, MI and have sixchildren.

1946Paul A. Fletcher and Margaret C. Fletcher celebrated

their 63rd wedding anniversary on January 23, 2009. Theyreside in Bristol, TN.

1947Scharlene Oney Branum resides in Oak Crest Village

Retirement Home in Baltimore, MD.Sue O’Daniel Teeter is a retired teacher. She and

Herman M. Teeter, Sr., reside in a retirement community inGastonia, NC.

1948Elsie Coffey England and Eugene E. England lost their

son when he died suddenly on September 12, 2008. They residein Huber Heights, OH.

1949Franklin Parker and Betty Parker Parker, ’50, are

both retired teachers. They celebrated their 58th weddinganniversary on June 12, 2008. They reviewed books at theUplands Book Review Group in March 2008 and Betty wasinterviewed on the radio in August 2008. They reside inCrossville, TN.

1951Jeane Cochran Gorman, Cx’51, has been teaching

English at her local library for the past 12 years in the Alliancefor Learning program. She resides in Mount Prospect, IL.

1953Dr. Norma Doris Graybeal Pohl is retired and resides

in Kirkwood, MO. Robert Pohl, her husband, died in March 2008.

1954Bernie Peace has exhibited work in many juried gallery

and museum shows and has earned hundreds of awards. He iscurrently creating photo collages. He is a retired professoremeritus from West Liberty State College, where he taught art forover 35 years. He and Sylvia Hitchock Peace, ’56, reside inWheeling, WV.

1956Tommy S. Camper is retired from Ashland Inc. He and

“Tubby,” his wife, reside in Marysville, OH.

1958John Holbrook was featured in County Line, a

Kentucky Association of Counties publication. He is in his thirdterm as District One Magistrate, plays Santa during the holidays,and is a wood carver. He and Faye, his wife, reside in Mt.Vernon, KY.

1960Judith Feagan O’Mara retired from teaching

elementary school after her husband, Terrence, passed away in2004. She enjoyed reconnecting with classmates at her 45threunion at Berea. She resides in Florence, KY.

1961Dr. Hazel Dicken is an emeritus professor at the

University of Minnesota. The University honored her career witha symposium, “Translating Ivory Tower Scholarship into ‘Real-World’ Action,” last year. She resides in St. Paul, MN.

Thelma “Sammie” Wilson Wakefield, Fd ’61, BC’65, retired as a seating and mobility specialist with ATECServices after 20 years. She plans to do wood sculpturing andrefurbishing equipment and supplies for rehabilitation clinics inPeru. She resides in Moultonboro, NH.

1962Celia Harper Miles has co-edited an anthology of

holiday writing called Christmas Presence from 45 westernNorth Carolina women writers. It is published by CatawbaPublishing and can be purchased online or from her. Sheresides in Asheville, NC.

Breck Robbins, Fd ’62, BC ’66, won his 4th consecutiveNational Adult Baseball Association Over 60 tournament in LasVegas last November. He pitched and led home run hits for histeam, the Braves. He also played in the 2008 Cleveland SilverSenior Softball Championship and the Brookpark Senior Over60 Softball Golden 2008 Championship teams. He resides inWestlake, OH.

1963Wanda Dodson is a retired foods and nutrition

professor and a community volunteer in agriculture, food, andcommunity development programs in the Lake CumberlandKentucky area. She was part of a delegation to Israel andPalestine in 2008. She and 20 other participants from the

United States and United Kingdom arrived in Tel Aviv for a two-week trip through the conflict zone. She resides in Monticello, KY.

Mable Weddington Kitchen was chosen as one of“Ohio’s Most Influential CPAs” in 2008, and was featured inCatalyst magazine. She is the sole proprietor of MableWeddington Kitchen, and founded the Cincinnati Women’s Societyof CPAs. She and Robert Kitchen, ’62, reside in Bethel, OH.

1964Barbara Newsome Henegar resides in Nicholasville,

KY. She has six grandchildren and one great grandson.

1966Mary Grace Chesnut retired in 2004 from the Craig

County School System in Virginia. She has been working as avolunteer at Children Feeding Children Ministries since 2005.She resides in Salem, VA.

1968Diann Lovett Duvall is a high school counselor at

Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville, VA. She resides inWinchester, VA.

Margaret Walker Jeffiers has written her first book,Whatever the Season, Roll Out the Crackers, an artisan crackersresource guide with recipes. She resides in Versailles, KY.

1969Roy Moore is dean of the College of Mass Communication

at Middle Tennessee State University. He is also an emeritusprofessor of journalism at the University of Kentucky. PamelaVickers Moore, ’71, is an emeritus professor of nursing atEastern Kentucky University. They reside in Murfreesboro, TN, andbuilt a vacation home in Biltmore Lake, NC. They celebrated their40th wedding anniversary in January 2009.

Joseph M. Sowder is retired and Pamela ThompsonSowder is retiring from social work at the Greene CountyCouncil on Aging in Xenia, OH in 2009. They reside inBeavercreek, OH.

Anita Martin Wexler is retired and resides in LakePark, FL.

1970Dr. Janet McDaniel retired from Radford University in

Radford, VA, in January 2009 after 30 years of teaching nursingat the undergraduate and graduate levels. She was also thegraduate program coordinator at the School of Nursing. Sheresides in Salem, VA.

1971Dennis Strickler FD ’67 and Howard Strickler, Fd

’68, BC ’75, his brother, played doubles in the age 55 and overdivision at the Southern Clay Court Tennis Tournament inPelham, AL, last year. It was the second time they had playedtogether in a tournament since they were students on the BereaCollege tennis team. Dennis is retired from The Oak RidgeNational Laboratories in Oak Ridge, TN. He and CandiceShelton Strickler reside in Oak Ridge and have a son anddaughter.

About Berea People

Bernice Angel Taylor,’41, and Fred Taylor,

’42

John Holbrook, ’58 Breck Robbins, Fd ’62, BC ’66Mable

WeddingtonKitchen, ’63

Thelma “Sammie”Wilson Wakefield,

Fd ’61, BC’65


38

1972Linda Knox visited Lima, Peru in May 2008. She is a

coordinator/certified lactation counselor at Region 2 GreenvillePublic Health Office. She resides in Liberty, SC.

1973Dr. Delphina Hopkins Gillispie is an assistant

professor of biology/education at Valparaiso University. CharleyGillispie, is vice president at Valparaiso University. They reside inValparaiso, IN.

Mike Johnson was inducted into the Kentucky Trackand Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January2009. He is an associate professor of physical education &health at Berea College. He and Mary Claiborne Johnsonreside in Berea, KY.

1974Virgie Back Barnes earned the designation of Certified

Nurse Educator (CNE) after successfully completing a rigorouscertification examination developed and administered by theNational League for Nursing.

Roger L. Marcum retired in June 2008 after ten yearsas superintendent of Marion County Schools and 34 years as a Kentucky public school educator. He was selected as KentuckySuperintendent of the Year in 2006. Bobbie Gibson Marcum,’75, is a nurse practitioner OB/GYN for the Lincoln Trail DistrictHealth Department in Elizabethtown, KY. They reside inLebanon, KY.

1975Howard Strickler, Fd ’68 and Dennis Strickler, Fd

’67, BC ’71, his brother, played doubles in the age 55 and overdivision at the Southern Clay Court Tennis Tournament inPelham, AL last year. It was the second time they had playedtogether in a tournament since they were students on the BereaCollege tennis team. Howard is a physician in Birmingham, ALand is president of Employers Drug Program Management, Inc.He and Susan Hunter Strickler reside in Birmingham and havetwo sons.

1977Linda Ballard earned the designation Certified Nurse

Educator (CNE) after successfully completing a rigorouscertification examination developed and administered by theNational League for Nursing.

Jody Howson Epperson earned the designationCertified Nurse Educator (CNE) after successfully completing arigorous certification examination developed and administeredby the National League for Nursing. She teaches and is also theassociate degree nursing coordinator at Somerset CommunityCollege in Kentucky and resides in Somerset.

Tim Moore was inducted into the Kentucky Track andCross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January2009. He is an assistant track coach at Eastern KentuckyUniversity. He and Sandra Smith Moore, ’80, reside inRichmond, KY.

1978Joanna Griffin is a successful professional potter. She

owns and operates Pomegranate Clay Studio in Kalispell, MT,where she resides.

1979Michael Banks’ garden and home will appear in the

Summer 2009 Better Homes and Gardens special interestpublication, “Garden Ideas & Outdoor Living.” His garden hasbeen published in numerous other publications. He resides inBuffalo, NY.

Anthony C. Hackney, PhD, is a professor at theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has beenawarded an honorary doctorate of science degree. Thedoctorate was given by the government of the Republic ofLithuania for his scientific contributions in exercise physiology-nutrition and his support of the Baltic people. He and Rev.Grace Griffith Hackney, ’78, reside in Hillsborough, NC.

1983Sidi N. Bojang completed a 30-hour “Advancing Youth

Development” course sponsored by the U.S. government to trainyouth workers. He is a case manager and social worker forYouth Rehabilitation Services in Washington, D.C., and OlimatouJatta, his wife, is in law enforcement. They reside in SilverSpring, MD and have two sons.

1984Sharon Robb Allen was one of the recipients of the

“Great 100 Nurses in North Carolina” awards. Each year 100nurses from all areas of healthcare in North Carolina arerecognized for nursing excellence. Sharon resides in Charlotte.

Daniel Lee and Margaret McCoy Lee, Cx’85,celebrated their 25th anniversary in Berea during the Christmasholiday. He is president of East Carolina Neurology, clinicalprofessor in neurology and director of the Pitt County MemorialHospital Sleep Disorders and Research Center at Brody Schoolof Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. Theyreside in Greenville.

1985Debra Stanton Stone and Rhonda Campbell

Brandenburg, ’82, vacationed together in 2007. It was areunion for both of them. Debra resides in Union Grove, AL,and Rhonda resides in Russellville, OH.

1986Lisa Baker Durbin, Cx’86, is the branch manager in

the Division for Protection and Permanency in Frankfort, KYafter serving as a social worker for the Cabinet for Health andFamily Services. She and Charlie Durbin reside in Versailles, KY.

Don Hall is chief information officer at the MuscogeeCounty School District in Columbus, GA. His new book, ATechnology Director’s Guide to Leadership – The Power ofGreat Questions, was published by International Society forTechnology in Education Press in December 2008. He resides inColumbus, GA.

1987Ann Butwell coordinates international travel seminars

for students, professors, and church groups at AngsburgCollege’s Center for Global Education. She and John WrightRios, her husband, reside in Minneapolis, MN.

Barbara Hayes is employed at Kentucky State Universityas a police officer. She completed her master’s in businessadministration and a master’s in dispute resolution in 2008. Sheresides in Lexington, KY.

1989Keven McQueen’s latest book, Forgotten Tales of

Kentucky, was released by History Press at the end of 2008. Heresides in Berea, KY.

Birth: a son, Briton Scott, to Robert Stafford andJennifer Hale Stafford, ’92, on November 1, 2008. They havea daughter, Tylor, and reside in Owenton, KY.

1990Tammy Horn is a researcher/apiculturalist with EKU’s

Eastern Kentucky Environmental Research Institute. She is anauthor and widely recognized expert on beekeeping. She isleading an innovative effort to promote beekeeping on minereclamation sites in Eastern Kentucky, and her work is featuredin documentaries on beekeeping. She resides in Lexington, KY.

Birth: a son, Corbin Riley Young, to Ross Young andCherlon Young on December 3, 2008. Ross is director of theMadison County Cooperative Extension Center in Marshall, NC.He and Cherlon have three other children, Carson, Shana, andBrandon, and reside in Marshall.

1991Married: Merry Thiessen to Jerry Church on

September 20, 2008. Merry is an investigative assistant at theDrug Enforcement Administration and Jerry is a forkliftoperator at Wal-Mart. They reside in London, KY.

1992Hasan Davis was named Kentucky’s deputy commissioner

in charge of operations in November 2008. He is the founder ofEmpowerment Solutions, which offers training and resources tocorrectional facilities, community organizations, schools andnon-profit groups nationwide. He has also served as chair of theKentucky Juvenile Justice Advisory Board for the past ten years.He resides in Paint Lick, KY with Dreama Gentry, ’89, his wife,and sons, Malcolm and Christopher.

1993Rhonda Anglin Carl is a nuclear medicine technologist

and radiation safety physicist for St. Joseph Berea Hospital inBerea, KY. She and Mark Carl have two children, Trevor andTrinity, and reside in Paint Lick, KY.

1994Almanda Harper Hagans is a systems consultant with

ADDSystems. Edwin Devon Hagans, ’95, is head crosscountry and track & field coach at Lindsey Wilson College. Theyhave a son, Adin Devon, and reside in Columbia, KY.

Alicia Dooley Swanson is program coordinator atCincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority. She and Jay Swansonreside in Cincinnati, OH.

The Berea College Alumni Association enjoys hearing from Bereans from all over the U.S. andthe world. The “About Berea People” section ofBerea College Magazine reports verifiable newsthat has been sent to the Association by the alumni.BCM reports the news you wish to share with youralumni friends and associates. “About Berea People” reports changes in careers, addresses,weddings, retirements, births, and other items ofimportance to our alumni. Please include yourclass year and name used while attending Berea.Note may be edited for style and length. Our printdeadlines may delay the appearance of your classnews. While we will make every effort to put yourinformation into the next issue, due to printingschedules, some delays are typical. We appreciateyour understanding. For more information on howto submit class notes and photographs, call1.866.804.0591, e-mail [email protected],or log on to www.berea.edu/alumni.

Keep in Touch

Dennis Strickler, Fd ’67, BC’71 and Howard Strickler,

Fd ’68, BC ’75


39

1995Married: Annette Mitmesser Appleby to Patrick

Appleby on May 10, 2008. She is a children’s program directorat Chrysalis House, Inc. They reside in Lexington, KY.

Married: Jennifer Hall Williams to Eddie Williams onJuly 12, 2008. For the past 11 years she has been a technology teacher at Conkwright Middle School in Winchester, KY. Theyreside in Winchester.

1996Birth: a daughter, Piper Lee, to Stacey M. Moore on

August 4, 2008. Stacey is employed by CSX Transportation andresides in Richmond, KY.

Ginger “Riley” White is a controller at Cummins Inc.Scott White is a product engineer technician at Cummins. Theyreside in Scottsburg, IN.

1997Anthony Hutchinson received a University of Arizona

Centennial Achievement Award in December 2008. The awardrecognizes students who will graduate within the academic yearand have demonstrated integrity, overcome enormous challengesto achieve a college education, and made a contribution to self,community, and family. He is working on a doctorate inneuroscience and resides in Tucson.

Birth: twin daughters, Natalie Jaye and Nora Jane, toJennifer Willis Jackson.

Chip Lilly returned in January from a nine-month tourduring Operation Enduring Freedom where he trained andmentored an Afghan National Army Combat Battalion. Heresides in Staunton, VA.

Married: Shawn Cantrell Newton to Bill Newton onJune 7, 2008. Shawn is a teacher at Gilmer County Schools andis working on a doctorate in leadership in educationaladministration. Bill is a software engineer at Radiant Systems inAlpharetta, GA. They reside in McCaysville, GA.

1998Ashley D. Miller graduated in May 2008 with a master’s

of science in occupational therapy from Alvernia College inReading, PA. She is employed at the Overbrook School for theBlind in Philadelphia and resides in Limerick, PA.

1999Birth: a son, Lincoln Eli Dooley, to Latonia Ison

Dooley and David Dooley on August 17, 2008. Davidcompleted his master’s degree in public administration/humanresources from Kentucky State University in Spring 2008. Theyreside in Frankfort, KY.

Garth Moreau is a financial advisor at Edward JonesPine Island office in Bokeelia, FL. He and Katie, his wife, resideon Pine Island with their twins.

2000Birth: a son, Cody James Elliott, on August 23, 2008, to

Janet Whitson Elliott and Jason Elliott. Janet is a chemist atBarr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Jason is a K-9 officer for theHamilton County Sheriff’s Department. They have another son,Tanner Michael, and reside in Cincinnati, OH.

Married: Renée Waller-Smith to Kent Smith on August8, 2008 in Las Vegas. She is a guidance counselor/massage

therapist at Ridge Career Center. He is a pharmacist at Wal-Mart.They reside in Winter Haven, FL.

Tanlee Taulbee Wasson earned a PhD in appliedorganizational psychology at Hofstra University in 2008. She isthe director for Institutional Effectiveness at Union College inBarbourville, KY. She and her husband reside in London, KY.

2001Birth: twins, a daughter, Claire Zora Surles, and a son,

Terrence “Cullen” Surles, to Terrence Surles and JakiraHarper Surles, ’03, on June 19, 2008. Terrence completedhis master’s degree in special education in December 2007 andis working on his EdS. Jakira is a stay-at-home mother. Thefamily resides in Antioch, TN.

2002C. E. “Catherine” Morgan has written a book, All the

Living, published by Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. She resides inBerea, KY.

David Myers is a product manager at NeogenCorporation in Lexington, KY. Lindsey Bashford Myers , ’03,earned an Educational Specialist Degree in school psychology in2008 from the University of Kentucky. Lindsey is a schoolpsychologist in Montgomery County Schools. They reside inLexington.

Married: Sarah Elizabeth Van Etten to David S.Bernstein on November 8, 2008. Sarah is an elementary schoollibrarian in southern New Jersey, and David is an attorney. Theyreside in Yardley, PA.

2003Birth: a daughter, Charley Ahryn Amick, to Kirk Amick

and Courtney Springer Amick, ’04, on May 20, 2008. Theyreside in Millfield, OH.

Married: Natali Edmonds to Dr. Eric W. Johnson onAugust 14, 2008 in Maui, HI. Natali earned a doctoral degree inclinical psychology at the Arizona School of ProfessionalPsychology and is finishing her postdoctoral training at thePittsburgh VAMC working with geriatric veterans and theirfamilies. Eric is in postdoctoral training in brain injury at theUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sport ConcussionProgram. They reside in Pittsburgh. PA.

Married: Cara Stewart to Nate Green, ’04, on August2, 2008 in Martin, KY. She completed her law degree at J. D.Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky Universityin Highland Heights, KY, and he completed his master’s of artsin teaching at NKU, both in December 2008. They reside inCovington, KY.

2004Married: Jason Breeding to Kacie Dingus on May

19, 2007. They reside in Church Hill, TN.Courtney Hamm is a grants specialist and legal assistant

at T.S. Wrobel & Associates. She volunteers as a core organizerof the Bay Area Childcare Collective and is working on hermaster’s in social work at Tulane University. She resides in SanFrancisco, CA.

Married: Angela Utley McAmis to Brooks McAmis onSeptember 27, 2008. Angela is in a graduate program for nurseanesthesia at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Thecouple resides in Powell, TN.

2005Kristin Falgout Carter is teaching first grade in Athens,

GA. She married last December and resides in Athens. Calvin Maddox began his first year of teaching in the

fall of 2008 at his former elementary school in Oak Ridge, TN.He volunteers to accompany youth from that area on service-oriented trips.

Married: Lindsey Souder Potter to Andy Potter onAugust 30, 2008. They work at Dell Computer and reside inAustin, TX.

2006Leah Devine teaches Spanish at East Bank Middle

School outside of Charleston, WV. She stays politically active andconnected through environmental and social justice work. Lastfall, Leah helped start the Charleston Area Youth EnvironmentalNetwork. She resides in Charleston.

Cassandra Russell Worley is a lead teacher for FloydCounty Head Start in New Albany, IN. Shawn Worley, ’08, is anews monitor with Video Monitoring Services in Louisville, KY.They reside in Louisville, KY.

2007Justin Lee is a motion graphics designer at Libby

Perszyk Kathman in Cincinnati, OH, the largest independentdesign agency in the world. He resides in Cincinnati.

Annette MitmesserAppleby, ’95, and Patrick

Appleby

Stacey M. Moore, ’96, anddaughter

Jennifer Hall Williams, ’95, and EddieWilliams

Jarrod Brown ReceivesPrestigious Scholarship

Jarrod Brown, ’04,received a 2008 Jack KentCooke Foundation(JKCF) graduatescholarship, making himthe first Berea alumnus to

receive such a prestigious honor. TheJKCF, a private foundation established bythe Canadian-American sports mediamogul, helps exceptionally promisingstudents reach their full potentialthrough education.

Jarrod hopes to establish culturalexchange programs that will explore “thephilosophical underpinnings of texts,performances, and artifacts,” he says. Asummer in Japan studying Bunrakupuppetry sparked his interest, and he sawsuch cultural exchanges as a means toprovide others with experiences to enrichtheir own culture. Jarrod is pursuinggraduate studies at the University ofHawaii at Manoa.


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Faculty & StaffCarolyn Davis, of Berea, KY, died October 16, 2008. She

worked in Food Service and as President and Mrs. Stephenson’shousekeeper. She is survived by Ralph Kenton Davis, herhusband of 51 years, and four children.

Eliza Jennings, of Berea, KY, died January 15, 2009. Shewas a retired postmaster for Berea College. She is survived byBilly Jennings, her son.

Connie Richmond, of London, KY, died February 1,2009. Connie was a registered nurse and worked for theKentucky Department of Health prior to joining Berea College.She taught as assistant professor of nursing from 2004-08. She issurvived by Rick Richmond, her husband, and family.

1930sVertie Pigmon Conley, ’32, of Logan, OH, died on

October 12, 2008. She is survived by Merle Conley, LowellConley, and Carolyn Lewis, her children.

Virginia Callison Campbell, ’37, of Sinks Grove, WV,died October 29, 2008. She worked as a home demonstrationagent and loved photography. She and her husband developedBig Sinks Dairy Farm into the top-producing dairy herd in thestate. She is survived by Helen Graves and Ruth Sturgill, herdaughters.

Lucille Sharp Bills, Cx’38, of Louisville, KY, diedNovember 7, 2008. She retired as an elementary school teacherafter 25 years. She is survived by Edwin Bills, Phillip Bills, andJoseph Bills, her sons.

Anne DeYoung, ’38, of Rochester, NY, died February 20,2007. She was a worldwide registered nurse missionary with theReformed Church of America. She is survived by many familymembers and friends.

Karl F. Fromuth, of Hollywood, FL, died August 22, 2008.He is survived by Carolyn Asher Fromuth, Acad ’38, his wife.

Josephine Osborne, ’38, of Weaverville, NC, diedNovember 4, 2008. She retired as a public school music teacherafter 36 years. She was one of the founders of the Dry RidgeMuseum in Weaverville and served on the museum board for 25years. She is survived by Judy Osborne Hart, her niece, andMichael Osborne, her nephew.

James Goforth, ’39, of Erwin, TN, died November 29,2008. He was a registered professional engineer and workedmany years for Clinchfield Railroad. He was selected as the EastTennessee Historian of the Year by the East Tennessee HistoricalSociety of Knoxville in 2006 and was presented an Award of

Distinction. He is survived by Elizabeth Horton, his daughter, andJames A. Goforth and John L. Goforth, his sons.

Bess Pittman Hines, ’39, of Wichita Falls, TX, diedJanuary 1, 2009. She was a teacher in Pulaski County, KY for 31years. She is survived by Lynda Hines Swenson, ’65, herdaughter.

Mack B. Ray, ’39, of Burnsville, NC, died December 10,2008. He worked for the Famers’ Home Administration inYancey County. He was a WWII veteran participating in theHurtgen Forest and Battle of the Bulge campaigns. Throughouthis life he received numerous awards, including the CarnegieMedal. He is survived by Dorothy Stuart Ray, ’39, his wife of68 years, and a daughter.

1940sJames E. Woody, ’40, of Columbia, KY, died October 24,

2007. He is survived by Jimmy Woody, his son, and BrendaPezzarossi and Laverne Jankowski, his daughters.

Sue Nell Brooks Fuller, ’41, of Kansas City, MO, diedOctober 28, 2008. She was a teacher and later worked for theInternal Revenue Service. She is survived by Frank Brooks Fullerand John Steven Fuller, her sons.

Bennie M. Hart, ’41, of Bristol, TN died October 20,2008. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and retiredafter 30 years in the food industry. He is survived by Eugenia“Jean” Hopkins Hart, ’43, his wife of 64 years, a son and adaughter.

Dr. William “Bill” Best Gilbert, ’42, of Raleigh, NC,died December 24, 2008. He was a second lieutenant in theArmy during World War II and his troops helped supply GeneralGeorge Patton’s troops in North Africa. He was a retiredprofessor at North Carolina State University where he started thesuccessful Turfgrass Program. He is survived by GeraldineMaupin Gilbert, his wife, and a daughter.

William E. Allender, ’43, of Bowling Green, KY diedDecember 19, 2008. He served many years on the board oftrustees for Berea College. He was a retired judge. He is survivedby Dan Riley, his nephew.

Holt Goodrich, Jr., Acad ’43, died November 12, 2008.He was an Army Air Force veteran of World War II and anHonorable Kentucky Colonel. He and his wife, Christine, ownedand operated Goodrich Poultry Farm and Goodrich Landscapeand Lawn Care. He is survived by Carla Goodrich Cordier,’73, and Sheila Goodrich Isaacs, ’79.

Goldia Sammons Norman, Cx’43, of Huntsville, AL,died January 2, 2009. She was a housewife and active in hercommunity. She was a Cub Scout Den Mother, was involved withthe public health department, and worked with dentists toconduct dental surveys of children. She is survived by her threesons, Ira, Dan, and Richard Norman.

Jesse Vanlandingham, Navy V-12 ’43-’44, of City ofIndustry, CA, died August 7, 2000.

Hazel Reynolds Gantt, Cx’44, of Connelly Springs, NC,died November 22, 2008. She worked over 30 years in theadmissions and business office of a hospital. She is survived byWilliam Gantt Jr. and Patrick Gantt, her sons.

Harold Clay Dudley, Navy V-5 ’44-’45, of Carmel, CA,died November 8, 2008. He was in insurance sales the last 50years of his life and planned on retiring next year. He is survivedby Joy Dillingham Dudley, his wife of 45 years, four daughtersand a son.

Eloise Thompson Pratt George, ’45, of Ashland, KY,died October 14, 2008.

Dr. Ben T. Hieronymus of Somerset, KY, died November29, 2008. He practiced dentistry for 41 years. He is survived byHelen Davis Hieronymus, ’46, his wife of 61 years, and theirchildren.

Mary Stanley Dunn, ’46, of Charleston, WV, diedDecember 17, 2006. She is survived by Kenneth M. Dunn, herhusband, two sons, and three daughters.

The “In Memoriam” section of the Berea College Magazine honors Bereans who have passed away. Ifyou know of a Berean who has died, please let theAlumni Association know by sending a copy of theobituary to CPO 2203, Berea, KY, 40404. Or youmay e-mail [email protected]. We makeevery effort to put your information into the nextissue. Due to printing schedules, some delays aretypical. We appreciate your understanding. Pleaseinclude the person’s class year or connection toBerea, and the day and place of death.

In Memorium

Eliza Jennings Lucille Sharp Bills,Cx’38

Teachers Make aDifferenceRosemary Weddington, ’53, was selectedfor the Governor Louie B. NunnKentucky Teacher Hall of Fame atWestern Kentucky University.Weddington taught high school Spanishfor 55 years. After retiring from publicschools, she taught Spanish at KentuckyState University, Berea College, andEastern Kentucky University.

Ray Corns, ‘56, was named associatecommissioner of the KentuckyDepartment of Education’s Office ofLegal, Legislative and CommunicationsServices. Corns’ legal judgment led towhat became the Kentucky EducationReform Act (KERA) in 1990. He servedas the circuit court judge of FranklinCounty in 1985 when a suit challengedthe fair use of funds for public schooleducation in Kentucky by the Councilfor Better Education.

Jerry Cook, ’70, physics professor atEastern Kentucky University Foundationreceived the 2008 Acorn Award, thehighest honor for teaching excellencegiven by the Kentucky Advocates forHigher Education. The annual awardhonors a college or university professorwho exhibits excellence in service andcommitment to students.

The National Association of SecondarySchool Principals named Ray Landers,’73, the 2009 Middle Level Principal ofthe Year. The news, delivered byAlabama Governor Bob Riley, surprisedLanders, who will receive the award at abanquet in October 2009 in Washington,D.C. Landers has been Boaz MiddleSchool principal for 9 years.

Linda Ballard, ’77, Jody Epperson, ’77,and Virgie Barnes, ’74, became certifiednurse educators after successfullycompleting a rigorous examinationadministered by the National League forNursing in fall 2008. All three womenteach at Somerset Community College(SCC).


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Anna Margaret Larew Moore, Cx’46, of Saint Albans,WV, died October 24, 2008. She was a devoted wife, mother,friend, and humanitarian. She is survived by Eugene Moore, herhusband of 62 years, three daughters, and one son.

Nancy Virginia McGuire Jennings, ’47, of Beattyville,KY, died October 17, 2008. She taught English in the Lee Countyschool system for 33 years but is best remembered for herdevotion to the care of others. She is survived by Chester Darrell,Jr. and David Milton Jennings, her sons.

Wayne Proffitt, ’49, of Franklin, NC, died December 29,2008. He was a vocational agricultural teacher for 44 years. Heserved as director of the Macon County Fair for 55 years. In2007 the Macon County fair grounds were re-named WayneProffitt Agricultural Center in his honor. He is survived by GailYoung and Janet Waddell, his daughters.

1950sDr. Wilfred B. Howsmon, ’50, of Sun City Center, FL,

died October 6, 2008. He was an Army veteran of World War II.He was in academia for most of his life, retiring in 1990 asprovost of the Manassas campus of Northern Virginia CommunityCollege. He is survived by Phyllis MacNeil, his wife of seven years,and four sons.

Howard Parker, ’50, of Greensburg, PA, diedDecember 29, 2008. He was an Army Air Corps veteran of WorldWar II and received a Purple Heart. He was a retired accountant.He is survived by Martha Hayes Rouark Parker, Cx’42, hiswife of 67 years, a daughter, and a son.

Earl Scott Warrick, ’50, of Cherryville, NC, diedOctober 22, 2008. He was a veteran of World War II. Early in hiscareer he was a soil scientist with the USDA Soil ConservationService. Later he established the Shelby Nursery and GardenCenter, co-partnered and operated Industrial LandscapingCorporation, and sold Christmas trees at his farm. He is survivedby Jean Watson Warrick, ’49, his wife of 59 years, a daughter,and a son.

David Laird Dungan, Fd ’53, of Knoxville, TN, diedNovember 30, 2008. He was professor emeritus of the religiousstudies department at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville,where he taught for 38 years. He received many honorsthroughout his life. He is survived by Anne Laird, his wife of 49years, and three sons.

Robert “Bob” Pohl of Saint Louis, MO died March 13,2008. He was employed at Monsanto and Slay Industries andvolunteered at his church and with the Boy Scouts. He is survivedby Norma Doris Graybeal Pohl, ’53, his wife, four sons andtwo daughters.

Albert C. Harris, ’53, of Hagerstown, MD, died January8, 2009. He was an optometrist and in later years an antiquedealer. He is survived by Donna K. Smith and Sharon Fowler, hisdaughters.

Suzi Shriver Kohler, ’53, of Buffalo, WY, died July 11,2008. She was an avid volunteer for Berea and often served asclass reunion chair. She and her husband, now deceased, wereavid RVers traveling all over the U.S.

Robert C. Roe of Harrison, MI, died February 26, 2008.He is survived by Louise Austin Roe, ’53, his wife.

Alwayne McClure Claybrook, ’54, of Waynesville, NC,died September 29, 2008. She taught 25 years in Virginia’sschool systems, retiring in 1993. She was named Virginia’s HomeEconomics Teacher of the Year in 1986. She is survived by W.Lyn Claybrook, ’54, her husband of 54 years, two daughters,and one son.

Emmalene Hall, Fd ’55, of Lexington, KY, died October5, 2008. She was an accomplished artist, specializing in oilportraits, still lifes, and landscapes. She marched in Frankfort,KY with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and was a longtime women’srights activist. She is survived by Dana Elaine Tackett, Gena DeeTackett, and Joni Tackett, her daughters.

Polly Jean Sandlin Ray, Fd ’55, of Berea, KY, diedFebruary 15, 2007.

1960sRobert Dizney, ’61, of Fairfield, OH, died October 14,

2008. He had a 44-year career in education and accumulatedmany awards and honors. His greatest honor was having the BobDizney Writing Center at Antioch University McGregor named forhim, due to his contributions to the field of education. He issurvived by Phyllis Hubbs, his sister.

Mary Ellen Ballew Burns, ’62, of Albertville, AL, diedApril 23, 2008. She was retired from teaching elementary schoolafter 28 years. She is survived by Ken Burns, ’62, her husband,a daughter, and a son.

Mary Linda Huggins Garner, ’63, of Boiling Springs,SC, died November 20, 2008. She was a math teacher for 36years and was active in her church choir and volunteer work.She is survived by Gary Garner III, Atlee Garner, and JosephGarner, her sons.

Doris Ann Leggett of Bardstown, KY died November 11,2008. She was a retired administrative assistant with the countyclerk’s office, circuit clerk’s office, and state unemploymentoffice. She is survived by Roger Leggett, ’63, three daughtersand two sons.

Charles Steve Yontz, ’68, of Marshall, NC, died October29, 2008. He was a veteran of the Air Force. He was employed byJR Stone Sales in Asheville, NC. He is survived by Judy SteppYontz, Cx’70, his wife, and two sons.

George Slusher, Cx’69, of Roark, KY, died July 29,2006. He was a retired school teacher. He is survived byKathleen Colley Slusher, ’68, his wife of 38 years, and threechildren. Kathleen is a retired school teacher and resides inCrab Orchard, KY.

1970sDr. Danny Lester Miller, ’71, of Cincinnati, OH, died

November 9, 2008. He served as chairman of the Englishdepartment of Northern Kentucky University. A noted scholar ofAppalachian culture and literature, he wrote Wingless Flights:Appalachian Women in Fiction, co-authored An AmericanVein: Critical Readings in Appalachian Literature, and wrotenumerous articles and presentations. He is survived by DellaYates Jones, his grandmother, one sister, and two brothers.

Norman Jack Parsons, ’74, of Whitley City, KY, diedNovember 20, 2008. He was a football coach and Youth ServicesCenter coordinator and was active in the Save the ChildrenFoundation. He is survived by Susan Parsons, his wife, and adaughter.

1990sAmy Elizabeth Stevian Collins, Cx’96, of Middletown,

OH, died November 1, 2008. She was employed at SinclairCommunity College in the Radiologic Technology andRespiratory Care Department. She is survived by Frank Collins,Cx’96, her husband, and a daughter.

2000sJason Derek Cole, ’03, of Mt. Sterling, KY, died October

24, 2008. He was employed at L-3 Communications IntegratedSystems in Lexington. He is survived by Kayla Martin Cole,’06, his wife.

College OfficersDavid E. Shelton, ’69

Chair of the BoardNancy E. Blair

Vice Chair of the BoardLarry D. Shinn

PresidentCarolyn R. Newton

Academic Vice President and ProvostStephanie P. Browner

Dean of the FacultyGail W. Wolford

Vice President for Labor and Student LifeSteven D. Karcher

Vice President of Business & AdministrationJeffrey Amburgey

Vice President for FinanceWilliam A. Laramee

Vice President for Alumni and College Relations

Judge B. Wilson II, ’78Secretary

College TrusteesDavid E. Shelton, ’69, Wilkesboro NC

Chair of the BoardNancy E. Blair, Stamford CT

Vice Chair of the BoardLarry D. Shinn, Berea KY

President of the CollegeVicki E. Allums, ’79, Arlington VACharlotte F. Beason, ’70, Louisville KYVance Blade, ’82, Louisville KYJan Hunley Crase, Cx’60, Somerset KYM. Elizabeth Culbreth, ’64, Arlington VAChella S. David, ’61, Rochester MNJohn E. Fleming, ’66, Cincinnati OHGlenn R. Fuhrman, New York NYJim Gray, Lexington KYHeather Sturt Haaga, La Canada CADonna S. Hall, Lexington KYScott M. Jenkins, West Conshohocken PAShawn C.D. Johnson, Boston MALucinda Rawlings Laird, Louisville KYBrenda Todd Larsen, Johns Island SCJim Lewis, ’70, Chicago ILEugene Y. Lowe, Jr., Evanston ILElissa May-Plattner, Frankfort KYHarold L. Moses, ’58, Nashville TNDouglas M. Orr Jr., Black Mountain NCThomas W. Phillips, Knoxville TNWilliam B. Richardson, Whitesburg KYCharles Ward Seabury, II, Thousand Oaks CAMark Stitzer, New York NYTyler S. Thompson, Louisville KYDavid O. Welch, ’55, Ashland KYDawneda F. Williams, Wise VAEugene A. Woods, Lexington KYDrausin F. Wulsin, Cincinnati OHRobert T. Yahng, ’63, Larkspur CA

Honorary TrusteesAlberta Wood Allen, Bethesda MDJohn Alden Auxier, ’51, Knoxville TNJames T. Bartlett, Boston MAJack Buchanan, ’46, Winchester KY Frederic L. Dupree, Jr., V-12 ’45, Lexington KYKate Ireland, Tallahassee FLJuanita M. Kreps, ’42, Durham NCAlice R. Manicur, ’54, Frostburg MDThomas H. Oliver, St. Helena Island SC Kroger Pettengill, Cincinnati OHDavid S. Swanson, Walpole MER. Elton White, ’65, Sarasota FL

Jason Cole, ’03

As a private money manager, Shirley Fowler has always beenimpressed by how Berea handles its finances. “I have watchedyour balance sheets with interest,” she once wrote to President

John Stephenson, “and I agree with your objectives. As you know, Ihave admired and supported Berea for years.” Tied to her understatedadmiration is a deep respect for the Berea mission born from personalexperience.

Like many Berea students, Shirley was the first in her immediatefamily to graduate from college. Hard work won herscholarships to Kalamazoo College, which enabled her toattend the University of Michigan and study statisticalmathematics. Berea’s tradition of making educationavailable to students of limited means resonated withShirley. Soon, she wasn’t just supporting Bereafinancially. She was asking, “What can I do to help?”

“When you first meet Shirley, you quickly learnhow big her heart is,” says Rod Bussey, former VicePresident of Alumni Relations and Development, whoasked Shirley to serve on the President’s Council andassist the Development Office with fund raising. As avolunteer for the College, Shirley accompaniedDevelopment staff on calls in Washington, D.C., met withBerea students, and hosted luncheons for major donors.“People would ask why I was there,” Shirley remembers. “I felt I could offer them a different perspective, as someonewho wasn’t employed by the College.”

But Shirley’s efforts didn’t stop with her volunteer work.In 1998, she and her late husband, Howland, wanted toendow a fund for Berea students. Because of Howland’swork as a scientist at the National Institute of Standards andTechnology and Shirley’s love of mathematics, they createdthe Howland A. and Shirley B. Fowler Summer ScienceResearch Fund. Since 2001, this fund has supported studentsand professors on summer research projects, an experiencewhich is often a student’s first step in pursuing furtherstudies in the sciences.

From her volunteer work to her gifts,Shirley’s dedication to Berea is steeped in familytradition. Her parents were early supporters ofthe College, and Howland was deeply loyal toBerea’s mission. Once her daughters Joanna andAmy completed their education, Shirley encouragedthem to give to Berea. And they do, supportingBerea to acknowledge the role education has playedin their lives. Now the third generation tosupport the College, they share theirmother’s satisfaction in making life betterfor others by making education available to all.

Shirley Fowler Offers a Legacy of SupportBy Christopher Porter


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Shirley Fowler (seated) with daughters (L-R) JoannaFowler Jansson and Amy Fowler Kinch.

How

ard Korn

2010 ALUMNI AND FRIENDS TOUR

Munich, Salzburg, Vienna & Oberammergau

SCENIC HIGHLIGHTSMUNICH: Welcome dinner; guided sightseeing, visit Marienplatz; farewell dinner NEUSCHWANSTEIN: Guided visit of King Ludwig’s Castle INNSBRUCK: Walk through the Old Town to the Golden Roof SALZBURG: Guided sightseeing, Mirabell Gardens, St. Peter’s Churchyard, and Mozart’s birthplace VIENNA: Guided sightseeing, visit Schonbrunn Palace and St. Stephen’s Cathedral Danube River Cruise OBERAMMERGAU: the original PASSION PLAY, held every 10 years, and performed by the residents of Oberammergau

COST:Per-person price based on double occupancy: $2,617. Cost includes land tour, first-class accommodations,sightseeing and first-class tickets to the Passion Play. Air prices are additional and will be available approximately 330 days prior to departure. If booking a single accommodation, please add: $383.00 per personto the above price.

DEPOSITS:The $250 per-person deposit is due immediately to secure space for this departure. Space is only guaranteed uponreceipt of name and full deposit. For trip details and to reserve your space now, please visit:http://www.berea.edu/alumni/travelprogram/2010oberammergau.asp

Mae SuramekOffice of Alumni RelationsCPO 2203Berea, KY [email protected] JUNE 30 - JULY 10, 2010

COLLEGE MAGAZINEPeriodical postage paid at Berea, KY and additionalmailing offices. Send address changes to BereaCollege Magazine, c/o Berea College Alumni Association, CPO Box 2203, Berea, KY 40404

During the act of contemplation we increase our sense of receptivity. We tap into our surroundings like a giant root and spread ourselves out.

– Monica Leslie

Both Monica Leslie, ’12, and Jesse Wilhite, ’09participated in a short term contemplative writingcourse in the New Mexico desert. The course wastaught by English professor, photographer andwriter, Libby Falk Jones.

Documents

Spring 2009 Berea College Magazine