From These Stones magazine - Spring 2010

Spring 2010 Volume 12, Number 2

2 From These Stones – The Mars Hill College Magazine

Magazine Staff

EDITOR :: Mike Thornhill ’88, Director of Communications

ASSOCIATE EDITOR :: Teresa Buckner, Media Relations Coordinator

CONTRIBUTORS ::

Rick Baker, Sports Information Director

Amy Carraux

Ophelia DeGroot '58, Director of Alumni Relations/Special Asst. to the President

Karen Hedrick

Mars Hill College AdministrationPRESIDENT :: Dr. Dan G. Lunsford ’69

VP OF ADMINISTRATION :: Bob McLendon

VP OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT :: Bud Christman

VP OF ACADEMIC & STUDENT AFFAIRS :: Dr. John Wells

From These Stones: The Mars Hill College Magazine is published regularly by the Office of Communications. It is distributed, without charge, to alumni, donors, and friends of the col-lege.Notices of changes of address and class notes should be addressed to the Alumni Office, Mars Hill College, P.O. Box 370, Mars Hill, NC 28754. Phone 828.689.1102. Fax 828.689.1292. Email [email protected] to the editor and all other correspondence regarding the magazine should be addressed to the Office of Communications, Mars Hill College, P.O. Box 6765, Mars Hill, NC 28754. Phone 828.689.1298. Fax 828.689.1105. Email [email protected]: Send address changes to the Alumni Office, Mars Hill College, P.O. Box 6665, Mars Hill, NC 28754.

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

3From These Stones – Spring 2009

In This Issue

4 Homecoming 2010: Harmony on the Hill Full schedule as homecoming, Lunsford Festival, Heritage Festival land on same weekend

5 The Gift That Keeps Giving MHC alums found charitable organization

7 In the Right Place at the Right Time Alumna of the year impacts lives of countless children with epilepsy

10 On the Hill New dean; new major; students give back; Bryan Award winners; Smithsonian comes to the Hill; and much more news on and around campus

14 Lion Cyclists Head to Nationals Young team makes its mark against top competitors

18 Remembering Bob Edwards MHC alumnus and coach moved on to other roles but continued to impact campus and community

21 Class Notes Keeping up with fellow alumni

Spring 2010 Volume 12, Number 2

Making a World of Difference

You’ll notice a recurring theme in many of the articles in this issue: Mars Hill College alumni, students, faculty, and staff making a difference in the world. I would like to say that was the plan all along—to tie in to the theme of this year’s Annual Fund campaign, which is “Making a World of Difference.” That would probably score big points for me with the Office of Institu-tional Advancement. But the reality is much less sinister than some illicit union of editorial and fundraising (although you will find an envelope included with this issue to make it easier for you to contribute to the Annual Fund).

Truth is, these articles were selected because they tell the real story of Mars Hill College. It’s a story that remains a constant, even as the winds of change continue their 154-year (and count-ing) buffeting of the institution. From the legacy of G. McLeod Bryan ’39, for whom the annual student and faculty/staff Caring Awards are named, to the life’s work of alumni of the junior col-lege and senior college years, to the hands-on efforts of today’s 21st century students, the story of Mars Hill is, as the college mission statement expresses, told through “character develop-ment, …service, and …responsible citizenship in the community, the region, and the world.”


Homecoming 2010: Harmony on the HillMark your calendars for the weekend of October 1 & 2 (but feel free to come a day earlier and catch the excitement of the Thursday evening festivities).

Thursday, September 307:00pm Chili Cook-Off Wren Patio

8:00pm Lion’s Growl Meares Stadium

9:30pm Pep Rally/Fireworks Meares Stadium

10:00pm Dance The Loft

Friday, October 111:00 Alumni Golf Tournament

11am-5pm New Harmonies (see page 14) Weizenblatt Gallery

11:30am National Alumni Board meeting Sams Dining Room,

2-5pm Registration Blackwell Hall Lobby

2-4pm Ramsey Center tours Renfro Library

2-4pm Ferguson/Wall tours Ferguson Building

6:00 Alumni BBQ Golf Tournament Awards Wren Patio

8:30pm Alumni at Wild Wing Cafe Biltmore Ave., Asheville

Saturday, October 2All day Madison County Heritage Festival Downtown Mars Hill

8:30-10:00 Alumni Band Rehearsal Meares Stadium

9:00-1:30 Registration/Coffee Blackwell Hall Lobby

10:00-11:00 Class Reunions Class of 1970, 1985, 2000 Ferguson Building

10:00-12:00 Ramsey Center Tours Renfro Library

10:00-12:00 Ferguson Center/Wall Tours Ferguson Building

10am-4pm 43rd Annual Bascom Lamar Lunsford “Minstrel of Appalachia” Festival Daytime Stage featuring regional song & dance Upper Quad 1-3pm, Ballad and Story Swap Peterson Conf. Center

11:00 MHC Choir/Alumni Choir Broyhill Chapel

11:00 Bailey Mountain Cloggers Performance Amphitheatre

11:30-1:30 Lunch Lower Quad

12-9pm New Harmonies (see page 14) Weizenblatt Gallery

2:30pm Football Game Meares Stadium Halftime: Alumni Band perform with Mountain Lion Marching Band Recognition of Alumni of the Year

6:00pm Alumni of the Year Dinner Redway Dining Room

7:00pm 43rd Annual Bascom Lamar Lunsford “Minstrel of Appalachia” Festival Evening Concert Moore Auditorium $10/$5 for 12 and under, and free for MHC students

Tickets for the football game, lunch, and the evening Lunsford Festival concert may be pur-chased at the event. Reservations for the Alumni of the Year Dinner may be made by calling Ophelia DeGroot at (828) 689-1438 or emailing [email protected].


The Gift that Keeps Givingby Teresa Buckner

In a world of overwhelming need, many people dream of making a diff erence. But too often, giving to even worthy organizations seems like throwing money into an endless well of human need and misery.

Th is was the sense of futility that confronted Brian and Mary Dawson, fourth- year medical students who visited Uganda in the Spring of 2006.

“When you visit a country of great need like Uganda, you’re the novelty, you’re the visiting person from afar, the rich ‘Muzungu’ (white person) from the U.S., and that’s a big deal to them,” Brian Dawson said.

“People come to you and ask you for money to feed their families, to buy medicine, to pay school fees. But when you give it to that person, you enrich one person for one moment in time, you don’t actually make any life-altering change, and you don’t feel like you have really made a diff erence at all.”

But on this particular trip, the Dawsons had the opportunity participate in a project which would provide food and income for the villagers for years to come. Th at experience, then, became the model for an organization that would create change in numerous impoverished communities around the world and provide a focus for the Dawsons’ desire to improve lives.

Now physicians who live in Greenville, North Carolina, Brian and Mary Dawson are the found-ers of an international aid organization called ChooseAneed. Th e organization is essentially a website network which, in the years since its creation, has provided more than $100,000 to projects in nine countries and bettered the lives of countless individuals around the globe.

“We try to fund projects that are self-sustaining, that will give people a chance to make an invest-ment where the change will be self-perpetuating,” Mary Dawson said. “We also try to support projects that are truly life-saving or life-changing, and that impact some pretty basic needs.”

So, while Americans last Christmas were making lists and checking them twice for iPods, Wiis and the thousands of other extravagances that characterize our existence, the Dawsons and the ChooseAneed board were making a wish list of another sort: a water well for a village in Uganda, a goat project in Malawi, mosquito nets in Malaika, a housing project in Costa Rica.

Water, food, housing, health. Life itself.

Since their undergraduate days at Mars Hill College, and even before, Brian and Mary Dawson have taken numerous international short-term missions trips for the purpose of evangelism or the provision of medical aid. Th ese trips acquainted them with the condi-tions in poor villages over the developing world and confi rmed their desire to use their blessings to help others.

Th eir trips to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Honduras and Hungary were fulfi lling, but left them feeling that their eff orts were short-lived and ineff ective. Th e opportunity which gave birth to ChooseAneed was a “cow project” which would purchase and grow a herd of cattle for the Ugandan villagers to share.

”Th e bottom line was that the elders of the village had essentially come up with a business plan,” Brian said. “Th ey had the leadership, the community investment, the know-how to take care of the herd, and really all they lacked was the capital investment.”

person from afar, the rich ‘Muzungu’ (white person) from the U.S., and that’s a big deal to them,” Brian Dawson said.

“People come to you and ask you for money to feed their families, to buy medicine, to pay school fees. But when you give it to that person, you

the opportunity participate in a project which would provide food and income for the villagers for years to come. Th at experience, then, became the model for an organization that would create change


Brian and Mary knew that coming up with the money to buy one cow, let alone start a herd, was essentially impossible in an area that depended on subsistence farming. “In a village like that, if you get sick, you go hungry while you pay for your medicine. So, the cow is kind of like a bank for them,” Brian said.

But in addition to the good feeling that came from the contribution, the Dawsons discovered that the cow project would allow their con-tribution to very literally reproduce and grow. Furthermore, because the labor involved would come from the village residents, the project allowed benefactor and recipient to cooperate as equal partners.

“When we gave the money to the cow project, we felt like we were doing something that was more of a partnership than a rich benefactor giving to a poor person,” Mary said. “We were meeting them as equal partners in a project that would benefi t the whole village for the future.”

Buoyed by the experience, the Dawsons soon after sat over lunch in a Ugandan café and made notes on a napkin about an Internet network. Th at network evolved into the Web site www.chooseaneed.org, where the Dawsons and the various members of the ChooseAneed board post needs from around the globe so that interested donors can literally choose a need and fund it.

“I don’t know how to take care of cows, or how to grow a herd. But I do know how to help raise money. So, ChooseAneed is basically a network which puts people together. We are raising capital and cooperating with people across the world who have the knowledge, the skills and the leadership to make a particular project work,” Brian said.

For the fi rst year, ChooseAneed was simply a website which listed projects and the cost to fund them. Th e organization involved only the Dawsons and a few close friends, many of whom had attended Mars Hill College with them. But after a year’s growth, the small group of ChooseAneed sponsors decided to create a 501(c)(3) organization, so that donations could be recognized for tax purposes.

Th e notion of funding partnership projects makes ChooseAneed somewhat unique among a myriad of worthy aid organizations. Another quality that makes the organization exceptional is its commitment to funnel 100% of a donor’s gift to the chosen project.

“We commit that absolutely 100 percent of the money you give goes to the project you choose,” Brian said. “Our board members contribute to an administration fund which pays the adminis-tration cost for each project.”

As a rule, ChooseAneed posts projects from areas which meet the World Health Organiza-tion defi nition of extreme poverty, which is to say that most of the community lives on less than a dollar a day.

Brian emphasizes that ChooseAneed is not out to draw money from other charitable organiza-tions. But it does provide a conduit for change that may satisfy people who—like Brian and Mary Dawson—want to make a diff erence for the long run.

“If you are involved elsewhere, I applaud you for the work you do now. But if you are not involved, or if you have more money to give, then look at us,” he said.

Read an expanded version of this article and see more pictures of the Dawsons and the good work they’re helping make possible. You’ll fi nd the online version of From These Stones in the Alumni section of www.mhc.edu.

43rd AnnualBascom Lamar Lunsford

“Minstrel of Appalachia” FestivalSaturday, October 2, 2010

10am–4pm: Daytime Stage on the Upper Quad,featuring regional song and dance, FREE

11am: Bailey Mountain Cloggers, Anderson Amphitheatre (between McConnell and Marshbanks), FREE

12pm–9pm: “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music,” traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibition,

Weizenblatt Gallery, Moore Auditorium, FREE

1pm–3pm: Ballad and Story Swap, Peterson Conference Room, Blackwell Hall, FREE

7pm: Evening Concert, Moore Auditorium, $10 admission ($5 for 12 and under, and free for MHC students)

10am–4pm: Daytime Stage on the Upper Quad,featuring regional song and dance, FREE

11am: Bailey Mountain Cloggers, Anderson Amphitheatre (between McConnell and Marshbanks), FREE

12pm–9pm: “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music,” traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibition,

7From These Stones – Spring 2010 7From These Stones – Spring 2010

When Millicent Kelly fi rst saw Charlie Abrams, he was lying on a pad on the fl oor of his hospital room, a picture of helplessness. Although Charlie was almost two years old, almost constant epileptic seizures prevented him from developing at a normal rate and a plethora of medi-cations kept him in a near-catatonic state.

“Charlie couldn’t talk; he couldn’t walk, he couldn’t sit. He would have dozens, sometimes as many a hundred

seizures a day,” Milly said. “And I remember that his daddy was lying there beside him propped on his elbow, just looking at his son, with tears streaming down his face.”

Milly, a dietician at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, started Charlie on the Ketogenic Diet, an eating program for epileptic children which is extremely low in carbohydrates, moderate in protein and extremely high in fats.

Within a week of starting the diet, Charlie’s seizures were under control. Within a month, he dis-continued all medications. As his seizures subsided, his development resumed. Today Charlie is a normal, intelligent high school honor student who continues to be seizure-free despite resuming a

normal diet. And today, Charlie and his family credit Milly Kelly and the special diet she gave him with saving his life.

Charlie’s father, Jim Abrams, is a successful movie producer who is responsible for such hit comedies as Airplane and Th e Naked Gun. Despite these successes in his professional life, Abrams was completely powerless against the epileptic seizures that seemed to be stealing his son’s childhood and his very life. Abrams brought his son to Johns Hopkins in 1993 feel-ing let down by a medical establishment that seemed equally ineff ective. But when he left Johns Hopkins, he was one of the many parents who were profoundly grateful to Milly Milly and the diet that had given them back their children – and their families.

In the years following his son’s recovery, Abrams almost single-handedly engineered a “redis-covery” of the Ketogenic Diet that propelled Millicent Kelly into the national spotlight and made her life’s work the subject of a book, two national news programs and one feature-length movie.

But for Milly, the part she played in improv-ing Charlie’s life, and the lives of so many other children was a part of being in the right place at the right time. “I don’t claim to be famous or anything; I don’t to this day. I just did my job,” Milly said.

Although Milly saw the diet work hundreds of times during her career, neither she nor the doc-tors who prescribe it know precisely what makes it work.

“If you were in a state of ketosis, you would feel very calm,” Milly said. “When the brain burns fat as its chief source of energy, the ketones build

up in the blood, spill over into the urine, and miraculously, seizures fade and stop—though not in all children.”

In fact, the Epilepsy Foundation of America reports that one-third of children who begin the Ketogenic Diet become completely seizure-free. In another third, seizures are reduced and can usually be controlled with little medication. In the remaining third, there is no improvement.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic discovered the mechanism of the diet in the 1920s while they were researching the eff ect of ketosis on diabetic patients. During the course of the research, they noticed that epilepsy symptoms improved when patients were in ketosis. Since that discovery, the diet has been used by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital to treat epilepsy.

So, when a young Millicent Teague arrived in Baltimore in 1948, fresh from the mountains of North Carolina, to begin an internship pro-gram in dietetics at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the diet had already been in use there for over two decades.

Milly grew up in Newland (Avery County), North Carolina, the seventh of nine children. She was one of six in the family who attended Mars Hill College, which was a two-year college at that time. Milly majored in home economics at Mars Hill, completed a degree in Nutri-tion at Women’s College in Greensboro (now UNC-Greensboro), and then obtained a coveted 12-month internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

In the late summer of 1948, she went to Johnson City and boarded a train for Baltimore. “Tak-ing the train up there was just so frightening, because I’d never been anywhere by myself before,” Milly said. “It was scary, but I managed.”

In The Right Place at the Right TimeAlumna of the Year makes a difference for thousands of children with epilepsy

by Teresa Buckner


The internship was an intense, 12-month, six- and sometimes, seven-day-a-week program which exposed Milly to the best professionals in the field of dietetics at the time. One of the first things Milly learned was the calculation and management of the Ketogenic diet, and she quickly became intrigued by the “magic” of see-ing the diet work.

Following her graduation in August of 1949, Milly was asked to remain on at Hopkins. She began her career as a nutrition instructor in Hopkins School of Nursing. Later, she became the dietitian in charge of Hopkins’ Nutrition Clinic, where patients went to receive instruc-tions for prescribed diets. Here, she put into practice what she had learned about the Keto-genic Diet, leading patients and their families through the trying first days and weeks of the program.

In 1950, Milly married Spencer Kelly, a cosme-tologist and baritone soloist from the Baltimore area. Except for two short breaks after the births of their children, she continued her career as a dietician, and year by year began to specialize more and more in the Ketogenic Diet program.

Milly continued administering the diet, even during the 60s and 70s when it generally fell out of favor with the medical establishment. Dur-ing that period, when a host of new drugs were developed for controlling epileptic seizures, doctors grew less likely to prescribe a diet which was so time-intensive for the family. Doctors who were unfamiliar with the diet were even wary of its effectiveness and its safety.

And then came Charlie Abrams.

After Charlie began to recover, Jim Abrams was mystified and angry, wondering why not a single doctor had recommended, or even mentioned the Ketogenic Diet as a possible treatment for Charlie. He used his connections and financial resources to make sure that other parents of epileptic children would be aware of the diet as a possible treatment. First, he funded a book, called The Ketogenic Diet: A Treatment for Epi-lepsy, coauthored by Dr. John Freeman, Millicent Kelly, and Jennifer Freeman.

Then, Abrams contacted friends who did first one, then another, news segment about the Ketogenic Diet on the NBC News Magazine, “Dateline.” Milly, by that time the only dietician at Hopkins who did the diet, featured promi-nently in both segments. Almost overnight, the Dateline segments revived the diet. According to Milly, the day after the first Dateline segment aired, Johns Hopkins Hospital received over 5,000 calls from people who were interested in learning more about the Diet.

After one of the segments, Jim Abrams received a letter from a mother in Illinois who had discovered the Ketogenic Diet some 15 years before. Her story was similar to that of Abrams. She had taken her five-year-old son to numer-ous doctors, who prescribed drug after drug in an attempt to manage his nearly constant seizures. The drugs made him sluggish but did little to control the seizures. Finally, she learned about the Ketogenic Diet and took her son to Johns Hopkins. She remembered that the dieti-cian who started her son on the diet was a lady named Millicent Kelly.

“Jim was just so enthralled with what she wrote, he said, ‘this is going to make a good movie.’” Milly said. That mother’s story then became the basis for a movie for television called “First Do No Harm,” released in 1997 and produced by Abrams. The movie starred actress Meryl Steep. And playing Milly Kelly, was Milly herself.

Last year, Milly was honored at the first Inter-national Symposium on Dietary Therapies for Epilepsy and other Neurological Disorders. The symposium was organized and funded in part by The Charlie Foundation, started by Abrams in 1994 to raise awareness about the Ketogenic Diet.

At the symposium, Milly was introduced by Charlie Abrams. In his introduction, Charlie told his story, and thanked Milly for “patiently hand calculate[ing]” his food over a period of five years.

Charlie said: “The truly amazing thing is that Mrs. Kelly had been doing the same thing for hundreds of children for over 40 years before I got there, and continued for several years after I left. When you think about it, a big reason we’re all here today, is because of Mrs. Kelly. And now, we can all say thank you!”

The plaque Milly received at the symposium now occupies a prominent place in her Newland summer home.

Milly retired from Johns Hopkins in 1990, but she stayed on as a private consultant to pediat-ric neurology until 1998. And her retirement is made satisfying by knowing how many children she helped deliver from the terrible clutches of epilepsy. Without any trace of bragging, she acknowledges the crucial role she played in the rediscovery of the Ketogenic Diet. “The diet would have been completely lost if I hadn’t been there at that time,” she said.

“I’ve been told that God has us where he wants us; and it’s hard for me to believe sometimes because I’ve been in some pretty rough places,” she said. “But I guess I did feel like this was my calling; or at least that I was in the right place at right time.”

Read an expanded version of this article with more information about the Ketogenic Diet and Milly Kelly’s life work. You’ll find the online version of From These Stones in the Alumni section of www.mhc.edu.


2009–10 Homecoming King and QueenMars Hill College students elected junior Kel Cox (London, England) and senior Lucy Adkins (Hopkinsville, KY) as Homecoming King and Queen. To whom will the Lion royalty pass their crowns? Make plans to attend this year’s Home-coming festivities on October 2 to fi nd out. Don’t miss the Homecoming 2010 schedule on page 4.

2009 Alumni of the YearBesides Milly Kelly, three other Mars Hill graduates were honored at the 2009 Alumni of the Year banquet.

Lacy H. Th ornburg ’50 received his associates degree from Mars Hill College and his bachelor’s and law degrees at Chapel Hill. Following a successful law practice and three terms in the state House, he served as a superior court judge, then two terms as Attorney General of North Caro-lina, and retired in August following 14 years as a U.S. District Court Judge. Over the years he has received several distinguished service awards (including Mars Hill College’s Distinguished Service Award in 1998) and, as Attorney General, argued cases before the U.S. and North Carolina Supreme Courts.

Mary Th ornley ’64 has been president of Trident Technical College in Charleston, SC, since 1991. She started her career at Trident in 1974 as an adjunct instructor, later became a full-time instruc-tor, and moved up the ranks holding positions including program coordinator, department head, and vice president for academic aff airs. Since becoming president, she has overseen tremendous growth at the college in enrollment, programs and facilities, and has led the way in the college’s eff orts regarding energy effi ciency and sustainability at its three campuses.

Paul A. Richardson ’73 is Professor of Music in the School of the Arts at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, where he teachers voice and church music. He is a past president of “Th e Hymn Society in the United States and Canada,” and is a widely published author and editor in the fi elds of hymnology, church music, and worship. He holds degrees from Mars Hill College and the Southern Baptist Th eological Seminary and has done post-doctoral study at several prestigious institutions. Dr. Richardson also serves on the board of directors of the Alliance of Baptists.

Pictured, L-R: Lacy Th ornburg, Milly Kelly, Paul Richardson, MHC President Dan Lunsford. Mary Th ornley was unable to attend the banquet.


NEW DEAN OF ACCESS HAS ‘BEEN THERE, DONE THAT’

For proof that the adult edu-cation program at Mars Hill College can change lives, one need look no further than the woman who has taken the reins of the program as the new Dean of ACCESS, Marie Nicholson.

“I’ve been there, done that,” Nich-olson said recently. “I know what it’s like to work 50 or 60 hours a week, and go to school too. I’ve seen it from the student’s point of view and I empathize with the challenges that working adults face when they go back to school.”

Nicholson took over as Dean of ACCESS (Accelerated Credit/Continuing Education/Summer School) on March 1, following the retirement of former Dean Ray Rapp. (Rapp, who also serves as the representative for North Carolina’s118th house district, will continue to serve as an adjunct professor for the program.)

Nicholson’s educational journey has mirrored that of many of the students who come to the ACCESS program. She began her career in a clerical position at Glen Raven Mills in Burnsville not long after her graduation from Cane River High School in Yancey County. “I didn’t intend to work there long, because I intended to go to college. But then, I got married, and marriage has a way of changing everything,” she said.

In 1985, Glen Raven began off ering classes through Mars Hill College in what was then called the continuing education pro-gram. Nicholson started taking classes at Glen Raven, but also took classes on campus, and eventually completed her bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Happy to have fi nally completed her degree, Nicholson was satisfi ed with the career advancement at Glen Raven which accompanied her education. Th en, in 2002, Rapp asked her to take a position as Director of Marketing and Admissions for the program. “He knew that I had been through the program, and knew that I was sold on the quality of the Mars Hill College expe-rience,” she said.

In 2007, she completed her master’s of business administration, which enabled her to teach business classes through the ACCESS program, in addition to her responsibilities as an administra-tor. “I’ve seen adult education from the student’s perspective; I’ve seen it from the perspective of a professor; and I’ve seen it from the perspective of an administrator, and I think all of that is an advantage,” she said. “I’m able to see relationships and connec-tions between these aspects of the program that other people may not have experienced.”

With all that history in her court, it is not surprising that Nich-olson looks to the original goals of Mars Hill College in viewing the achievements of the ACCESS program. “Mars Hill began as a local institution which provided opportunities for regional students that they wouldn’t have been able to have had other-wise. Because all of our students live and work in western North Carolina, ACCESS is still fulfi lling that mission but with a modern population. ACCESS is about providing what students need to change their lives for the better. I’m living proof, and I can hon-estly say to our students, ‘If I can do this, you can do this.’”

ON THE HILL ON THE HILLON THE HILL

NEW INTEGRATED EDUCA-TION MAJOR

Th is summer, Mars Hill Col-lege will become one of only two institutions of higher learning in the state to off er an Integrated Education major, allowing graduates upon completion of a single major to be fully certifi ed in both general elementary education and special education.

According to Dr. Chris Cain, Associate Professor and coordinator of the Special Education Program at MHC, the new major diff ers from both the traditional elemen-tary education major and the special education major because the two subject areas are thoroughly intertwined.

Currently, most teacher education students obtain a degree in elementary education, and then take extra courses to add special education onto their area of licensure. Th e integrated, or blended, major is on the forefront of research for the best educational methods, he said, and will off er tremen-dous benefi ts, even for those teachers whose careers will focus exclusively on one of the two areas.

Cain said: “Th is degree will not only produce stron-ger teachers in the area of elementary education but also in the area of special education, as they will have a much greater understanding of the curriculum and have additional methods courses that will enable them to meet the demands of making the curriculum accessible to every child.”

For those who will be general education teachers, the ongo-ing assessment emphasized in this major will sensitize them to detect and solve issues for children who are at risk of needing special intervention before they become problems, he said.


MLK DAY OF SERVICE TURNS INTO LARGEST ONE-DAY SERVICE EVENT EVER AT MARS HILL COLLEGE

A total of 62 students, faculty and staff turned out for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service at Mars Hill College on January 23, making it one of the largest voluntary ser-vice events at the college in recent memory.

According to Dallas Th ompson, Mars Hill’s North Caro-lina Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA Worker, the observation of the Mars Hill College - MLK Day of Service was a collaboration of the college’s Social Work Club, Black Student Association and LifeWorks, a department which emphasizes learning through service, internships and work study. Th e group focused its eff orts in four local organizations which help children and families in Madison and North Buncombe counties: My Sister’s Place, Manna Food Bank, Mountin’ Hopes, and Mars Hill Elementary School. Th ompson said participants did everything from sorting food and clothes and general cleaning, to tearing down an old barbed wire fence that was blocking a riding trail at Mountin’ Hopes.

Th ompson credited the success of the event, in part, to Mars Hill College’s ongoing commitment to service as an expression of ethical education. Th is year’s event also built on the momentum gener-ated by last year’s MLK Day of Service, which drew almost 30 participants, she said.

Th ompson said: “Mars Hill College has always had a deep commitment to serving Madison County and beyond. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. personifi ed service to others and striving for a better world. Together, the two are a perfect combination. Th e MLK Day of Service is a great way for our institu-tion to both commemorate Dr. King and continue to carry out our mission.”

Th e MLK Day of Service at Mars Hill was funded by a grant from the North Carolina Campus Com-pact and by additional grant monies from the Ford Foundation.

MHC STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN DAY OF SERVICE AT FIELDS OF HOPE

Growing up in Japan, Aki Masunaga had done very little farming outside of her father’s small suburban garden. But that all changed on April 17, when she found herself sitting on a converted tobacco setter, planting potatoes for Fields of Hope, a faith-based ministry in Mars Hill which raises food for distribution by local ministries.

Aki was one of approximately 20 students and staff of Mars Hill College who participated in “Day of Service with Fields of Hope.” For Aki, the Day of Service was a way to be more aware of ways to help the hungry in western North Carolina. “Working at Fields of Hope defi nitely made me aware of the hunger issue in North Carolina, which I had never considered before,” she said. “I truly think what they are doing is great, so I can’t wait till I get to go there again to serve people in need.”

Some of the students had not planted potatoes before. But they were unafraid of the dirty work of spring planting: cutting and removing branches, clearing rocks from the fi eld, cutting up potatoes and then planting them. “It was nice to take a break from myself and do some grunt work for oth-ers. My legs and back may have been sore the next day but it was worth it,” said student Britney Acosta.

According to Amy Carraux, program coordinator for the Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies, the project was about service to others, but also about teaching history. Th e event was part of a series of programs focusing on the James G.K. McClure Collection, currently housed in the Southern Appalachian Archives. Th e collection documents the work of the Farmers Federa-tion in western North Carolina from the 1920s to 1950s.

“Day of Service with Fields of Hope shared the good work and the collective power of rural churches in western North Carolina—both today and in the past. By serving at Fields of Hope, faculty, staff , and students were able to take part in alleviating food insecurity for our brothers and sisters, and at the same time, they were able to honor the Lord’s Acre initiative of the Farmers Federation,” Carraux said.

ON THE HILL ON THE HILLON THE HILL Read expanded versions of these articles in the online version of From These Stones in the Alumni section of www.mhc.edu.



BRYAN CARING AWARDS PRESENTED

Kasey Boston came to Mars Hill College with a passion for service, but it was her education and experiences during the past four years that have shaped that zeal into intentional life choices, she said. Boston, a senior psychology and religion major, described that journey in a moving speech dur-ing the Community Service Convocation held in Broyhill Chapel April 13, where she was honored as the student recipient of the G. McLeod Bryan Caring Award.

Boston described the clarity and self-discovery that emerged from last year’s summer reading selec-tion, Th e Translator. In the book, Sudanese author Daoud Hari describes his decision to work with relief workers during that country’s genocide when he could have chosen a safer and easier life in the U.S. Hari says he returned because he could not feel safe unless “his people” were safe. Boston connected Hari’s reasoning with her own: “I realized that while I’ve been struggling to fi gure out why I do these things, I’ve actually been trying to fi gure out who are my people, who matters to me, who am I responsible for helping, whose life aff ects mine?”

According to Boston, the answer is central to her understanding of why service is important. “My experiences at Mars Hill have taught me that it is not ‘those people’ who are hungry and homeless, it is not ‘those others’ who are being abused, it is not ‘them’ who are being denied their basic human rights. Th ere can be no real change until at the core of our integrity, we understand that ‘we’ are ‘they,’” she said.

Boston was nominated for the award for numerous activities on campus and abroad which demon-strate the spirit of the Caring Award. She has participated in and/or organized numerous outreach activities on campus, and helped organize fundraising eff orts and par-ticipated in service trips which found her: working with underprivileged youth in afterschool programs in East St. Louis and Charleston, work-ing in an orphanage in Honduras, painting and repairing a city wall in Puriscal, Costa Rica; and creating and beautifying garden spaces for two houses for homeless women in Washington D.C.

Th e 2010 faculty/staff recipient of the Bryan Caring Award is Dean of Students, Dr. Craig Goforth. In his speech at the Bryan Caring Award Banquet on Tuesday evening, Goforth credited his family, his church family at Mars Hill Baptist Church and his work family at Mars Hill College for giving him the incentive and the encouragement to engage in service work. Goforth has been a friend and mentor to untold MHC students during his years as Dean of Students and adjunct instructor of criminal justice. He and his wife, Mary Alice, have been foster parents to a number of children over a period of approximately 20 years. He has also been a youth soccer coach, instilling the values of hard work, dedication, teamwork and sportsmanship.

Goforth is the Director of the Board for My Sister’s Place, a home for abused women in Madison County, and he takes an active role in supporting them. Further, he serves as a liaison between the college and My Sister’s Place, often encouraging and enabling MHC students to serve and volunteer for the organization. Goforth is involved in several community and missions outreach activities through Mars Hill Baptist Church. He also serves on the Madison County Board of Education, where, again, he works to connect MHC students with the schools for volunteer opportunities and internships.

Th e Bryan award is presented to one student and one faculty or staff member who exemplify the spirit of Dr. G. McLeod Bryan, class of ’39, who has not only worked tirelessly for the cause of peace and justice, but has infl uenced countless others to join the cause through the years. Th e award recog-nizes members of the college community who make signifi cant contributions to a better community and a better world.

NOOE RECEIVES MLK HUMANITARIAN AWARD

Julia Nooe (left), retired professor of social work, received the Mar-tin Luther King “Fulfi lling the Dream” Humanitarian Award from MHC alumna Oralene Simmons (right), president of the Martin Luther King Association of Asheville & Buncombe. Simmons said she was proud to have worked with Nooe on various occasions through their association with Mars Hill College. It was in those instances that Simmons said she was able to experience Nooe’s wisdom and her utmost respect for all people.



GRANT WILL FUND MUSEUM RENOVATION

Mars Hill College has received a $50,000 grant from the Janirve Foundation toward the restoration and renovation of the Rural Life Museum, housed in historic Montague Hall .

Closed in 2006 due to structural damage and water seepage, the museum once served as a vital tool for the collection, preservation, exhibition and interpretation of rural life artifacts relevant to the history and culture of the Southern Appalachian region.

Money from the Janirve grant will be used toward a total renovation project that includes installing handicap accessible restrooms in the building, updating the electrical system, repairing water damage, and installing a heating and air conditioning system which will regulate temperature and moisture in the museum and its storage areas.

According to college archivist Karen Paar, this aspect of the project is essential to maintain the integrity of the exhibits at the museum, as well as any artifacts which may be in storage. She said that a reopened museum will be an asset to Mars Hill College students, and an important means of community outreach.

Steve Garrison ’86, Madison County Manager, said the Rural Life Museum is important to maintaining the unique history and culture of Madison County, including its mountain traditions, folk lore, music and traditional farm life.

DONATED QUILT AND LETTERS SHED LIGHT ON MHC’S SECOND PRESIDENT

Little is known about Rev. J.B. Marsh, who served as president and professor at Mars Hill from 1858 until 1861 and also served as pastor of Mars Hill Baptist Church during that time. A journal in the archives of the college shows that, prior to his presidency, he worked for the American Sunday School Union, establishing Sunday Schools in Transylvania, Henderson, and surrounding counties. Although he oversaw the college during the Civil War, one of the most tumultuous periods in the history of the college, he left few marks on the historic record that remain to this day. But the words of his poetry, his journal, and a few other writings that he left behind, depict a learned man of con-science, deep thought, and deep faith.

Over 100 years after Marsh left this life, new information about him has come to Mars Hill Col-lege from a seemingly unlikely source. Greg and Lisa Whisnant of Claremont, NC, have donated a quilt to Mars Hill College which was once used in the Marsh household. Th e quilt was a gift to them from Greg’s mother, Jean, whose grand-mother lived for a time with the Marsh family while attending school in Iredell County, NC. Th e Whisnants’ donation also includes original copies of two letters and two poems written by Marsh.

Despite months of research, Lisa Whisnant has found relatively little about this learned man: he continued to be associated with the Sunday School Association, and he served as the pastor of Enon Baptist Church in Pisgah Forest in 1864. Rolls show that he attended the Baptist State Conventions of 1875 and 1884. In the 1880s, he was a pastor in Taylorsville and, later, a principal in Iredell County. Other records Lisa has found are more personal. Marsh kept clippings of two articles he had written for newspapers in the various towns where he lived. In both his articles and his journal entries, Marsh writes in the dra-matic and sentimental language of the day. Ever the preacher, his writing shows a deep concern for the souls of his readers and exhorts them to righteous and faithful living.

Th e quilt that made its way to the Whisnants was obviously handmade with great skill and care, but they are unsure of the quilter. And although Lisa has researched quilt patterns extensively, she’s been unable to fi nd the name of the quilt pattern. “It’s a beautiful quilt. Th e piecing and the quilting are just amazing, and the stitches are tiny. It was obviously not ever used very much, so it must have been a special thing for the Marshes.” Lisa said. In part, Lisa said the gift is a way to allow Mars Hill College to experience this connection with its second, little-known president. But also, the gift will ensure that the quilt will fi nally be seen and used. “Mars Hill College will be able to display the quilt in a way that will tie in with its history. People will be able to see how beautiful it is, but the quilt will also be preserved.”

Current plans are for the quilt to be displayed in Blackwell Hall, near the wall of presidential portraits. Th e Whisnants are working with Mars Hill’s institution advancement offi ce and MHC archivist Karen Paar to plan a display that will protect the quilt and papers from sunlight and moisture. A plaque purchased by the Whisnants will explain the quilt’s connection to the college.



MHC TO HOST SMITHSONIAN EXHIBITION

Mars Hill College is one of six sites across the state that is hosting “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music,” a traveling Smithsonian Institution Museum on Main Street exhibition, in 2010. New Harmonies off ers rural communities access to fi rst-rate exhibits from the Smithsonian and gives North Carolina the opportunity to collect and showcase its distinct musical traditions, sacred, and secular.

“With New Harmonies, our state can fl ex its musical muscle,” says Humanities Council’s Darrell Stover, Statewide Coordinator of MoMS. “North Carolina is rich in musical heritage – old-time rockabilly, jazz, Piedmont blues, traditional gospel, hip hop, bluegrass much more – even auction-eering is song. We have it all, and New Harmonies allows us to put our unique musical legacy on brilliant display.”

Th e exhibit at Mars Hill College is coordinated through the Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies, in partnership with the Big Ivy Community Center, the Big Ivy Historical Society, the Wolf Laurel Historical Society, and the Dry Ridge Historical Museum. Dr. Karen Paar, Director of Ramsey Center, said: “We in the Ramsey Center are very excited about the opportunity to host the New Har-monies exhibition. We look forward to working with other groups in our community to promote this wonderful exhibition and to plan related events that celebrate our region’s rich musical tradition.”

According to Paar, the New Harmonies exhibit will come to Mars Hill at a particularly appropriate time. In 2010-11, the planned focus for the Ramsey Center programming and archival work is the Bascom Lamar Lunsford collection. Th e collection, which includes the personal notes, handwritten music, and instruments of the famous Appalachian folklorist and musician, is a perfect complement to the Smithsonian exhibit.

“Th e opportunity to host New Harmonies could not come at a better time for us,” Paar said.

New Harmonies features interactive kiosks devoted to American music genres such as blues, country western, folk, and gospel music. Kiosks display instruments as varied as fi ddles and banjos, accordi-ons and drums, vintage sheet music, and program bills. A listening station provides an immediate opportunity to experience the music fi rsthand. In addition, each host site will develop programming and activities to complement the exhibit—lectures, fi lms, and performances, oral histories, and photo essays about home-grown musicians and local musical traditions.

New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots MusicSeptember 25–November 6, 2010

Rural Life Museum at Weizenblatt Gallery, Moore AuditoriumFree Admission

An exhibition featuring Madison County’s long musical traditions will complement the New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music exhibition.

By Appointment OR Tuesday–Friday: 11am to 5pm (open until 7pm on Wednesdays) Saturday and Sunday: 12pm to 4pm Closed Monday

Save the Dates: Saturday, September 25: “Our Harmonies: A Community Celebration of Roots Music” and Exhibition Opening

Saturday, October 2: “Old Harmonies, New Harmonies” Th e 43rd Annual Bascom Lamar Lunsford “Minstrel of Appalachia” Festival

Saturday, October 23: Family Day at “New Harmonies”

Saturday, November 6: “A Fiddlers Farewell” and Exhibition Closing

Additional details and events may be found on the web! Visit www.mhc.edu/newharmonies for more information or contact Amy Carraux, Program Coordinator for the Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies ([email protected] or (828)689-1571).

New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music has been made possible in Mars Hill by the North Carolina Humanities Council. New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and Federation of State Humani-ties Councils. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.

From These Stones – Spring 2009 15

HART-MELVIN RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP TO BENEFIT SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN ARCHIVES

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of its graduation from Mars Hill College, the class of 1960 has chosen to endow an archival research fellow-ship, to be named for two beloved professors: retired physical education professor and coach, Dr. Virginia Hart, and retired professor of history and religion, Dr. Robert Melvin (pictured with the class of 1960’s Gwendolyn Davis).

Th e Hart-Melvin Archival Research Fellowship will help fund faculty-student research teams who will investigate the rich archival collections of the Southern Appalachian Archives and develop teach-ing materials drawing on the resources in those collections for Mars Hill College courses.


TYPES OF GIVING

Bank draft – If you would like to participate in this easy process you will be asked to send a “voided” check from the account you wish to be drafted. Please also include the amount you wish to contribute each month, the fund/project you wish to give to, the date you wish to begin and your goal amount. We do have several donors that contribute on a continuous basis. In this case, you may contact us at any time to hold, resume, or discontinue your draft. Bank drafts are pro-cessed on the 15th of each month or the closest business day.

Credit card – When choosing this option, please provide the type of card, account number, expiration date, fund you wish to gift to, and the amount of gift. We accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.

Honor/Memorial gifts –If you would like to give in honor or memory of a loved one – please provide the name of the honoree and a contact address. We are always glad to acknowledge family members of these thoughtful contributions.

If you wish to speak to someone about making a contribution by credit card or bank draft, please contact Karen Hedrick at 828-689-1584 or at [email protected]. It is not recommended that you include account information in emails. Please make checks payable to Mars Hill College. Our mailing address is: Offi ce of Advancement, Mars Hill College, PO Box 370, Mars Hill, NC 28754.

NEH CHALLENGE MOVES TOWARD THE MILLION DOLLAR MARK

As Mars Hill College and the Ramsey Center for Regional Studies enters the fourth year of a pres-tigious National Endowment for Humanities Challenge grant, the challenge to raise $1.5 million in matching gifts for the NEH $500,000 funding continues. To date we have raised approximately $650,000 since the challenge grant period began, from approximately 50 donors who have given generously to help us reach our goal in establishing a permanent endowment for the Ramsey Center. Th is endowment will ensure that our archival treasures of southern Appalachian history will survive for future generations and our collections will continue to grow. We are indeed grateful for those who have shown their leadership and support in giving to this challenge eff ort so far.

Your gift—large or small—will make a diff erence as we seek to reach our goal of raising $1 million dollars by August 1. YOUR GIFT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE as we approach this deadline. For more information about the NEH Challenge Grant as well as the Ramsey Center’s programs and off erings, visit the Ramsey Center website at www.mhc.edu/ramsey-center.

BAPTIST HERITAGE AWARD

Nina ’53 and Carl ’54 Phillips of Charlotte received the 2010 North Carolina Baptist Heritage Award from Mars Hill Col-lege during an April 20 ceremony in Greensboro. Th e award recognizes individuals and couples who represent exemplary giving and service to organizations associated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Both Nina and Carl have served MHC on the National Alumni Board and they are largely responsible for connecting three of the so-called “Lost Boys of Sudan” (David Th on ’06, Joseph Majak ’08, and Abraham Maker ’09) with Mars Hill in the past few years.

From These Stones – The Mars Hill College Magazine16

2009–10 Lion Athletics: By the NumbersCoaches of the Year: 3Players of the Year: 3SAC Scholar Athletes: 3Team Scholar Athletes: 1All-Americans: 2Conference Champions: 3Number on All-SAC teams (or other conference teams): 21Number on All-SAC Tournament Teams (or other conference tournament teams): 9SAC Players of the Week: 5MHC Records broken: 12; 1 record tiedTeams with leading statistics in the SAC in their respective sport: 4Teams with national ranking: 2Golden Gloves: 4Teams with NCAA rankings in their various sports: 4Number (team and individual) competing in a National Championship: 2 (NCAA sports only)

Golf Tourney PlannedPlanning is underway for this year’s golf tournament to raise funds for endowed athletics scholarships. � e tournament will be October 1, as part of homecoming weekend festivities. Keep an eye on the athletics website at sports.mhc.edu or call the athletics offi ce at (828) 689-1219 for more information.

Young Cycling Team Hits NationalsIn its fi rst team trip to national competition, Mars Hill College Cycling went up against institutions with long-standing cycling traditions, and despite some bad luck with fl at tires, still came out 6th among 46 colleges from across the nation, one place short of the podium.

According to coach Hugh Moran, fl at tires, soaking rain and cold temperatures plagued all riders at the Division II Nationals Cycling competition, held in Madison, Wisconsin, May 7-9, but bad luck seemed especially tenacious in dogging the MHC Lions.

“Good luck, bad luck: that’s bike racing, and we had our share of the latter in the road race,” Moran said. “Despite the bad luck, which in our case was a slew of fl at tires that aff ected our best riders at the worst times possible, everyone can be proud of the way in which the team responded to adversity: with unwavering determination and with personal sacrifi ce in the name of the greater good of the team.”

Th e road race took place on a challenging course that climbed over 8,ooo feet in 72 miles, with temperatures in the 40s and a constant, soaking rain. Th e rain made the road surface’s tiny sharp pieces stick to tires for enough revolutions to dig into tires and punc-ture inner tubes. Approximately 50 of the riders in the road race experienced fl at tires.

Matt Willing was in position to compete for a top three fi nish in the men’s road race but had a fl at tire on the last lap, fi nally fi nishing 16th. Paul Webb, who had placed fi rst among Division II riders in the Southeastern conference, also had a fl at during the race and fi nished 28th.

Klara Rossouw was considered a real contender in the women’s road race after her fi rst place fi nish in the southeast region, but she had two fl at tires during the race, riding ten miles on the fi rst before she could get a spare.

Th e damp, cold conditions caused a diff erent problem for Kyle Knott and Francisco Fuster, who completed the race despite showing signs of hypo-thermia. Both needed assistance afterward but recovered quickly.

Conditions were only slightly better for the criterium and team time trial, where the Lions performed well, but not well enough to reach the podium. In addition to those mentioned above, riders who competed at nationals included Nikola Milanovic, Melissa Holloway, and Yolanda Colon.

“Th e short of it is that we placed 6th out of 46 schools who competed at nationals and our ranking places us amongst some of the elite colleges and universities in the country, both academically and from a cycling perspective,” Moran said.


www.mhc.edu Gets a Face LiftTh e college’s primary website, www.mhc.edu, has undergone a transfor-mation. Th anks to fi nancial support through the Title III program, we were able to engage Asheville-based design fi rm Th e Scully Group (their design team for our project included Matt Dills ’05) to help us give the site a fresh new look that will appeal to our primary target audience of prospective college students.

Spring GraduationIt was a gorgeous day for celebrating the accomplishment of graduation at Mars Hill College Saturday morning, May 8. Bright sunshine, cool temperatures and a college quadrangle ablaze with blooming rhododendrons and irises greeted masses of graduates, guests and faculty as they streamed out of Moore Auditorium after the ceremony to celebrate, hug, and take photos. Spring commencement exercises included 146 candidates for May graduation, as well as 72 August and December graduates (whose winter ceremony was cancelled due to a snow storm), with the most popular degrees for both groups being business and education.

“Knowledge is powerful, and we must continue to develop this tool throughout our lives,” said senior William “Wes” Skidmore as he addressed his fellow graduates Saturday. “Never stop learn-ing, because the day you stop learning is the day you become ignorant. Today we are all equipped with the power of knowledge, and it is up to each and every one of us to decide how we will use this powerful tool.” An education rooted in the liberal arts at Mars Hill College challenges students to grow intellectually, spiritually, and personally, Skidmore said, but using that education respon-sibly requires the application of values. “People will look to us to make decisions, and we must remember the values and ethics that we learned here, and use our knowledge correctly,” he said.

International student Jarred Pickering said that, as a “big city kid” from Brisbane, Australia, he was unprepared for the small-town, USA experience. Although he was initially taken aback by the small size of the campus and the town of Mars Hill, he learned that its size is one of Mars

Hill’s assets. “It is easy for people unfamiliar with the college to disregard the value of its education simply by looking at the size of the campus,” Pickering said. “What people might miss is the very essence upon which Mars Hill College is founded, namely its perfect size to provide its students with a unique educational experience.”

Student Anita Hoots said she quickly became comfortable being considered the “class mom” in her courses. As an adult student in the ACCESS (Accelerated Credit, Continuing Education, Summer School) program, Hoots

said she chose to continue her education after raising her family. Hoots credited her friends, family and staff of the college for helping her to realize that she was not alone as she sought the education she had always wanted. “At times, we might think of ourselves as a bunch of rugged individualists, but it is simply not true,” she said. “We need each other, and I want to thank you all for helping me bring a personal goal to fruition.”

Student speaker Rachel Roberts said that one of the most useful aspects of her liberal arts educa-tion was fi nding “the ability to use my own words,” as she sought to ask and seek answers for the important questions of life.

Invocation for the commencement exercises was given by Rebekah Huff , the only graduating senior to maintain a 4.0 grade point average throughout her college career. Musical selection for the ceremony was “Th e Prayer,” sung by MHC student Hilary Susanne Bunch and graduating senior Christopher Caggiano, Jr.

From These Stones – The Mars Hill College Magazine18

by Teresa Buckner

Although Bob Edwards only coached at Mars Hill College for 12 years early in his career, the actions and values he exhibited throughout his career con-tinue to influence the community and the campus of his alma mater, accord-ing to President Dan Lunsford.

Edwards, a member of the Mars Hill College class of 1940, passed away in October of 2007, but for many people—including Lunsford—the effects of his life live on.

“Mars Hill College is not an island; it is an integral part of Madison County,” Lunsford said. “Bob Edwards spent his life working to enhance Madison Coun-ty’s educational system, its government, and its health services. Those efforts have a ripple effect that improved con-ditions for Mars Hill College employees and for many of its students.”

According to Lunsford, Edwards was a champion for Mars Hill College and for Madison County, and he provided an example for future students on several levels. “Bob Edwards was a major pres-ence in the public school arena, not just in Madison County, but throughout North Carolina. He was a professional in all his dealings; he was a classy individual and a fine Christian man, and I was honored to call him a friend,” Lunsford said.

According to Rev. Tommy Justus, pastor of Mars Hill Baptist Church, Edwards saw the church, the college, and the public schools as interconnected entities that should work together for the good of the people of Madison County. “Bob loved the public schools, the church, and the college. He gave his career and his finances to these institutions because he believed they should all work together in promoting the welfare of the commu-nity,” he said.

Due to the generosity shown by Bob and his wife, Louise, Mars Hill Baptist Church was able to reno-vate its aging fellowship hall. Although Bob never saw the completed renovation, the church dedicated the Bob

and Louise Edwards Fellowship Hall in October of 2009.

But Edwards’ generosity to the church was not limited to his financial resources. At his death, Bob Edwards was 87 and had been a member of Mars Hill Baptist Church since his baptism at age 13, longer than any other member. According to Justus, Edwards was both a faithful and active member. Further-more, his level-headed ability to listen and mediate served him well as chair-man of the board of deacons, and as a respected member of the church.

“He was just a super person,” Justus said. “And in some ways, he was like a father figure to me. He taught me something that has been a valuable lesson for me: that it was OK if you disagreed with him. It didn’t bother him for people to disagree with him, but if you could respect each other’s position, then you were fine, and you just moved on.”

Justus knew Edwards not just as a deacon and church member, but as a neighbor as well, since he lived just two doors down from him on Bailey Street in Mars Hill. Both at church, and in the context of the neighborhood, Justus experienced Bob Edwards’ dry sense of humor and the love that both he and Louise had for children. “Bob and Louise took my children in,” Justus said,

“and they just spoiled them rotten.”

Although Bob Edwards lived for most of his life in Mars Hill, he did not start out on Bailey Street. He was born in a house across Main Street from the Bap-tist Church, where the Mars Hill Fire

Department now sits. His mother, Essie, was a dieti-cian at Mars Hill College for a number of years, and his father was a traveling hardware salesman.

He attended Mars Hill College, where he was a standout athlete on the football, basketball, and track teams. He gradu-ated from MHC in 1940, and followed many of the young people in western North Carolina to Detroit, where he worked in a Packard auto plant for four years. He eventually

Bob Edwards Worked to Improve Community


decided that was not the life for him, and he enrolled in High Point College in 1945.

At High Point, Edwards met Lou-ise Joyce, a student from Mt. Airy, NC, who would become his wife in 1947. That was the same year that he completed his degree in physical educa-tion and began coaching at Mars Hill College.

Edwards was assistant football coach and head coach of basketball and track at Mars Hill until 1959, when he became the principal of Marshall Elementary School.

The late 50s and early 60s brought big changes to the Edwards household, with the adoption, first of Brenda, and then of Ken.

Edwards attended graduate school at East Tennessee State University to obtain a master’s degree in education. Then in 1963, the family left the house they had shared with Bob’s mother on Main Street and moved into a house on Bailey Street. That was also the year that Edwards began what would be the defining role of his life, as superinten-dent of Madison County Schools.

Because Ken was an infant when his father became superintendent, the job was a natural part of growing up as Bob Edwards’ son. “I never really thought that much about it,” Ken said, laugh-ing. “The best thing to me about being the superintendent’s kid was that if it snowed and school was cancelled, I was the first to know!”

But it was in his father’s role as super-intendent that Ken was able to see the characteristics that made Bob admired by those around him. “He always val-ued other people’s opinions and input, and he could see the value of different viewpoints. He also taught me to treat everyone the same,” Ken said.

Ken remembers an instance where, after a particular school board election, a man who had been a school system employee became a member of the board of education. “I remember him saying, ‘you never know when things will change overnight, and when some-one who has been under you from an

employment standpoint will become your boss. Treat everyone with respect, all the time, and you won’t have to worry about it.’”

According to Ken, another characteris-tic which defined Bob Edwards’ life was a deep love for his wife. “He just loved my mom to death,” Ken said. “I’ve never seen anyone that was so dedicated to his wife.”

One way Edwards showed his devotion was his reluctance to spend the night away from home. “Dad had meetings across the state on a continual basis, but I’ll bet I could count on my fingers the number of nights he spent away from home,” Ken said. “He would get up at 4 a.m. to go to Raleigh so he could get back by bedtime.”

As superintendent, Edwards sat on numerous state boards and commit-tees, but his primary service was in the town and the county that he called home. He served on the steering com-mittee to bring the Battleship USS North Carolina back to the state, and on the Aging Advisory Council, where he was liaison to the North Carolina Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging. He sat on the North Carolina Farm Bureau Board of Directors, Madison County Farm Bureau Board, Madison County Planning Board, Madison County Transportation Council, Mars Hill Housing Authority Hearing Board, Madison County Board of Adjustment, Madison County Board of Children’s Protective Authority and Madison County Board of Health.

“It seemed that wherever we went, people would come up…and talk about how beneficial his mentorship had been in their lives.”


Although he was not a paid coach, Edwards continued to be heavily involved in athletics through youth teams and through involvement as pres-ident of the North Carolina Athletic Association.

And, he was a die-hard Mars Hill Lions sports fan, and was often seen on the bleachers of football and basketball games.

According to Ken, Edwards’ life-long interest in sports and coaching was rooted in a concern for young people.

“My dad had a strong passion for sports, and he believed that organized sports challenged young people to set goals, and to develop good habits,” Ken said.

“He looked at participation in a team as an experience that would promote self esteem, character, integrity, and perseverance.”

Expressions of gratitude from people his father had coached and mentored through the years became something of a common occurrence for the Edwards family, according to Ken. “I can remember going on vacations, going to conferences with him. It seemed that wherever we went, people would come up and call him Coach and talk about how beneficial his mentorship had been in their lives.”

Edwards’ daughter Brenda, who lives in Alto, Georgia, said that her dad’s con-cern for children was a driving force in his life and was one of the qualities she most admired about him. “Everything he did in his career and in his life was about making better opportunities for children,” she said. “He was a great man, and an honest person who always tried to do the right thing, and he stressed that to us.”

Edwards’ tenure as superintendent of Madison County Schools oversaw enormous changes in the school system. The school system peacefully integrated during his tenure, and under his leader-ship, the five high schools of Madison County consolidated into one—the present-day Madison High School.

According to Ken, these are examples of the kinds of decisions of Edwards made in times of controversy, when any decision would have been met with sub-stantial criticism from one side or the other. But Brenda remembers that in all his decisions as superintendent, her father’s overriding concern was doing what was best for the young people of Madison County. “I remember how hard he worked to get the high school consolidated, and I just remember that it was so important to him. That was because he believed that one consoli-dated high school was the best chance to pool resources and to provide the best education possible in a rural county.”

When he retired as superintendent in 1989, he had served in that position for 26 years, longer than any other superin-tendent in North Carolina at the time.

Not long after his retirement as super-intendent, Edwards was inducted into the Mars Hill College Athletics Hall of Fame, with an announcement in the MHC Emphasis magazine which touted the honorees’ “significant contributions to the intercollegiate athletics program of the college.”

In his retirement years, Edwards contin-ued to be a sports fan. “One of the last things we did together was go to a ball game at Mars Hill,” Ken said.

And even in the final years of his life, Edwards maintained a positive outlook on his life, Ken said. “Any time some-one would ask my Dad about his life, he would always say, ‘Oh, I’ve had a wonderful life!’”

That attitude, together with a love for people and for the institutions that bettered their lives, defined a life of positive influence that Ken recalls with pride. “He made an impact in his community, in Madison County; at Mars Hill College, and across the state for that matter. His wife was always his sweetheart and he loved his kids and was proud of them,” he said. “That’s pretty significant.”

Violette Henderson

Longtime Mars Hill College staff member Violette Henderson passed away in November 2009. Mrs. Henderson began working at MHC in 1954. She served the college for nearly 31 years in the business office, including 14 as business manager, and retired at the end of 1984. In retirement she and her husband, longtime coach, athletic director, and faculty member Don Henderson, remained active with the college and in the community. In 1996 the Hendersons received the I. Ruth Martin Award from Mars Hill College, given to “A Christian individual who has served faithfully without any spotlight recognition.” Violette and Don, who died in 2006, were married for 59 years.


1950s

1950 After 55 years of operating Stevens Book Shop, Dick Stevens sold the store of a half-million books to Olivet University in San Francisco, CA. Students from the university will operate the store as well as ship books to their library. Future plans are to send books to schools they will establish in several countries.

1954 Dr. Mitch Carnell is the editor and contributor to Christian Civility in an Uncivil World, published by Smyth & Helwys. Dr. Carnell is an active layperson in First Baptist Church of Charleston. He has gathered a distinguished group of contributors who are leaders in other denominations. The book is available at www.hel-wys.com.

1958 Dr. Eleanor Boyd Wright has been appointed to the Board of Program Reviewers for the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.

1960s

1964 Scott Conner was inducted into the National Single Wing Coaches Hall of Fame.

1967 A. Carthel Crout was elected mayor of Williamston, SC. He and Sharon Proctor Crout ’69 have been married 42 years. She is employed by Clemson University. Carthel is a retired high school coach and retired Command Sergeant Major of the US Army.

1969 Raymond Norton was inducted into the North Carolina 4-H Hall of Fame for his work with 4-H in Graham County.

1969 Dr. Dan Powell retired last June from Greenwood School District 52 in Ninety Six, SC, as superintendent. Dan previously served as superintendent of Union County Schools in SC for five years.

1969 Rev. Jack Ruth retired after 40 years of ministry in United Methodist churches in North Carolina. His last charge was Burgaw United Methodist Church.

1970s

1979 Carlos L. Showers was recently elected to the position of alderman in Black Mountain, NC. This is his first election to public office. He is married to the former Sheila Hawkins ’77; the couple has two children, Kisha Showers-Griffin and Alex Showers.

1980s

1981 Brenda Ogle is now the ISS Supervisor at Madison High School in Marshall, NC, following several years at Brush Creek Elementary School.

1981 Ren Wiles has been named the finance officer for the city of Creedmore, NC. He previously was finance director of Knightdale, NC, for five years, and before that worked for the NC Department of the State Treasurer and as an accountant.

1985 Todd Boycher has been named chief of police for the town of Roxboro, NC.

1986 Tracy King was promoted to vice president of sales for Custom Logistics and was named shareholder.

CLASS notes

Class notes information is compiled from alumni submissions, news media reports, and other announce-ments.

The Alumni Office welcomes pictures and/or news of weddings, babies and events (advanced degrees, career changes, church or community honors, etc.; we do not include engagements or candidacies for elected office) from our alumni. You may email [email protected] or mail to Fifi DeGroot, Alumni Office, P.O. Box 370, Mars Hill, NC 28754.


CLASS notes

1986 Susan Odom Midgett successfully completed her S.O.S. for Haiti swim (detailed in the last issue), helping raise more than $100,000 to build an orphanage in Haiti.

1988 Docia Alexander Buchanan earned her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma at Norman and has been promoted to the rank of major in the US Air Force

1988 Chris Hollifield, an 8th grade social studies teacher at Harris Middle School, was named the 2009–2010 Mitchell County (NC) Teacher of the Year. Chris coauthored a book titled, Images of Spruce Pine, which was released last fall.

1989 Angie Anglin was named the 2009–2010 Yancey County (NC) Schools Principal of the Year. Angie has been principal at Clearmont Elementary School since 2007.

1990s

1990 Rev. Duane Partin began pastoring Angier United Methodist Church in Angier, NC, last June.

1991 Lora Harrison Johnstone and hus-band Chris now have two children: Sidney Taylor Johnstone (born in April 2009) joins Seanna Riley Johnstone (born in November 2006).

1993 Navy Reserve Seaman Brian Runger completed US Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, IL.

1993 Mike Treadway was named principal of Swain West Elementary School in Bryson City, NC

1998 Sean Smith, band director at East Henderson High School, was inducted into the American School Band Directors Association. He and his family live in Hendersonville, NC.

2000s

2003 Lori Edwards married Charlie Willis in 2005. They had their first child, Luke, in February

2009. Lori is an income maintenance case-worker with the Department of Social Services in Davidson County, NC.

2003 Trisha Kimberly Hardin married Timothy Blake Startup in August 2009. Trish is a grants coordinator and special assistant to the city manager of East Ridge, TN. The couple lives in Chattanooga.

2003 Heather Tourtellotte married Eric Burchette in June 2009. Her family now includes her three year old son Lucas and three step-teen-agers (Darrell, Daniel, and Jessica).

2005 Melena Ann Denton married Christopher Calvin Cochran in November 2009. She works for the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union. The couple lives in Rutherfordton, NC.

2007 Asheville Arts Center has absorbed Sole Impact Dance Studio, founded by Heidi Kulas , and named Heidi as dance director.

2007 Laura Francis married Brian Smith ’05 in August 2009. The couple lives in Asheville.

2008 Air Force Airman 1st Class Allison Blevins graduated from training at Lackland Air Force Base, TX.

2008 Megan Lynn Kelly married Lee Evan Moritz III in August 2009. She is employed as a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Gamewell Middle School. The couple lies in Conover, NC.

2008 Carlee Brook Macon married Aaron Joe Buchanan ’06 in July 2009. Carlee now works for Glaxo-SmithKline in Durham. Aaron attends Campbell University’s School of Pharmacy and works at Walgreen’s. The couple lives in Apex.

Faculty

Ryan Pickens (business) married Kelly Stamy in the summer of 2009.

CLASS notes

In Memoriam

Since our last publication we have received word of the passing of the following members of the Mars Hill College family.

1920sHill, Mary Theresa, ’24

1930sBose, Helen Batson, ’30Haywood, Woodroe, ’30Garren, Celia, ’31Washburn, Kate Allison, ’31Whitt, Clive, ’32Atkinson, Luther, ‘33Stroupe, Henry, ‘33Blackwelder, Mildred Hellen, ‘35Conner, P. Clyde, ‘35Ellis Jr., Thomas, ‘38Elmore Sr., Bruce, ‘39Pickering, James, ‘39Robinson, Kate, ‘39Suttles, Hazel Balding, ‘39Tate, John, ‘39

1940sBlackwell, George, ‘40Davis, J. Toliver, ‘40Duckworth, Mary Corpening, ‘40Purvis, Miriam Britt, ‘40Wilson, Vivian Lunsford, ‘40Hicks, Martha Eller, ‘41Jones, Wayland, ‘41Clayton Jr., John, ‘42Hamrick, Sarah Curtis, ‘42Harrelson, Mary Idella Aydlett, ‘42Frost, Helen Mullis, ‘43Garrison Jr., Thomas, ‘43Letterman, Charlotte Shook, ‘43Rice Sr., James, ‘43Carter, Kyle, ‘44Funderburk, Charlie, ‘44Burke, Eula Mae Young, ‘45Lane, William “Tom,” ‘46Estep, Eldon, ‘47Gaylord, Iola Carrowan, ‘47Wessell, Annette Pierce, ‘47Daniels, Della Rae Woodle, ‘48Fox, Sara Dameron, ‘48Gantt, Joseph, ‘49Wall, Ben, ‘49

1950sBonds, Hollis, ‘50

Briggs, William, ‘50Fleming, Robert, ‘50Ivey, Benjamin, ‘50Page Jr., James, ‘50West, George, ‘50Andrews, Sue Page, ‘51Byrd, Kenneth, ‘51Gaines, Charles, ‘51Bristol, Betty Jean Greenwood, ‘52Bumgarner, Ardie, ‘52May, Rudolph, ‘52Coleman, Phyllis Harris, ‘53Tweed III, Everett, ‘53Bivens, Kate Floyd, ‘54Madison Sr., John, ‘54McCoy, John, ‘55Pierce, Grace Blanton, ‘55Bowman, Donald, ‘56Page, Timothy, ‘57Wagner, Hugh, ‘57Leinster, James, ‘58Swett, Tommy, ‘59

1960sBaker Jr., Barnwell, ‘60Coates, James, ‘60Hood, Northrup, ‘60Stone, David, ‘60Lackey Jr., John, ‘64Lawson, James, ‘66Cloutier, Georgia Howard, ‘68Garrett, Aureila Pryor, ‘68Koutris, Constantine, ‘68

1970sCrowell, Chris, ‘70Nesbit, Larry, ‘74Kehoe, Louise Shelton, ‘76Friedrich, Keith, ‘78

1990sKoscho, Elizabeth Quick, ‘93

2000sWilson, Wayne Bruce, ‘05

Faculty/Staff/FriendsGodwin, Joseph, Retired FacultyKnott, Benjamin, Former TrusteeRutland, Samuel, Former TrusteeHenderson, Violette, Retired Staff

Mars Hill CollegePO Box 370Mars Hill, NC 28754

From These Stones magazine - Spring 2010

Documents

Transcript of From These Stones magazine - Spring 2010