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How Samford RecruitsPage 4

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4 Reaching 5,000 EnrollmentSamford’s strategic planning process determined that 5,000students—or about 500 more than are currently enrolled—isthe university’s optimum. President Andrew Westmorelandand Dean of Admission Phil Kimrey talk about reaching thatgoal and other aspects of the admission process in thisquestion-and-answer feature.

8 1957–58: The First YearSamford moved to its long-awaited new campus in ShadesValley 50 years ago this fall. Seasons looks back at aneventful—and rainy—first year in this salute to the goldenanniversary of the Lakeshore Drive location, which ties in withthis year’s homecoming theme.

12 Master SalesmanBoard chairman Frank Park Samford asked James A. Head tolead fund-raising for Samford’s new Shades Valley campusbecause he considered Head the best salesman in the state.Head not only met that challenge, but he also chaired thecornerstone committee for the first campus building, SamfordHall. Now a chipper 102, he still visits the campus regularly.

34 Alumni of the YearSamford will honor Senate aide Carol Guthrie, renownedcardiologist George Irons, Jr., retired religion professor SigurdBryan and insurance executive Walter Barnes as 2007 Alumniof the Year at homecoming. Seasons profiles these outstandinggraduates.

2 From the President

3 Samford Report

14 Where Are They Now?Wayne Atcheson

16 Calendar

18 Campus Update

20 Spotlight: Hull Legacy

21 Arts and SciencesNewsletter

30 Homecoming Plansand Schedule

38 Class Notes

41 Births

43 In Memoriam

46 Sports

47 Giving

48 With Appreciation

Front cover: Samford Marching Band percussionist Evelyn Stagnaro of Annapolis, Md., performsduring a rainy Bulldog football opener in Seibert Stadium Aug. 30. The band has new uniformsand is larger than ever, but still has instrument needs. See page 19.

features

EDITORWilliam Nunnelley

ASSOCIATE EDITORMary Wimberley

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSJack Brymer, Sean Flynt, Philip Poole,

DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICESJanica York Carter

DESIGNERSScott Camp, Carlie Stamper

COPY EDITORLaine Williams

PHOTOGRAPHYCaroline Baird SummersAnn Wade Parrish

ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONOFFICERS 2006–07

PRESIDENTMark Davidson ’92

VICE PRESIDENTGreg Powell ’81

SECRETARYMartha Ann Cox ’60

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTTom Armstrong ’73

Fall 2007Vol. 24 No. 3Publication Number:USPS 244-800

Seasons is published quarterly bySamford University, 800 LakeshoreDrive, Birmingham, Alabama 35229,and is distributed free to all alumni ofthe university, as well as to otherfriends. Periodical postage paid atBirmingham, Alabama. Postmaster:send address changes to SamfordUniversity Alumni Office, SamfordUniversity, Birmingham, Alabama35229.

©2007 Samford University

Samford University is an EqualOpportunity Institution and welcomesapplications for employment andeducational programs from all indi-viduals regardless of race, color, age,sex, disability, or national or ethnicorigin.

www.samford.edusamnews@samford.edu

Produced by Samford Office ofCommunication

EDITORWilliam Nunnelley

ASSOCIATE EDITORMary Wimberley

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSJack Brymer, Sean Flynt, Philip Poole

DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICESJanica York Carter

DESIGNERSScott Camp, Carlie Stamper

COPY EDITORLaine Williams

PHOTOGRAPHYCaroline Baird SummersAnn Wade Parrish

ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONOFFICERS 2006–07

PRESIDENTMark Davidson ’92

VICE PRESIDENTGreg Powell ’81

SECRETARYMartha Ann Cox ’60

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTTom Armstrong ’73

Fall 2007Vol. 24 No. 3Publication Number:USPS 244-800

Seasons is published quarterly bySamford University, 800 LakeshoreDrive, Birmingham, Alabama 35229,and is distributed free to all alumni ofthe university, as well as to otherfriends. Periodical postage paid atBirmingham, Alabama. Postmaster:send address changes to SamfordUniversity Alumni Office, SamfordUniversity, Birmingham, Alabama35229.

©2007 Samford University

Samford University is an EqualOpportunity Institution and welcomesapplications for employment andeducational programs from all indi-viduals regardless of race, color, age,sex, disability, or national or ethnicorigin.

www.samford.edusamnews@samford.edu

Produced by Samford Office ofCommunication

Samford’s new 600-car parking deck across from Vailand Smith halls is easing parking congestion on campus.

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Making a Differencein Jordan and Beyond“Jordan is a museum.”

The words from our host rang true as I looked out over the ancient hills ofAmman in late August. My wife, Jeanna, and I were there with John Harris ofthe Orlean Bullard Beeson School of Education and Professional Studies toprovide a week of training for teachers and administrators at the AmmanBaptist School [ABS].

Samford enjoys a strong partnership with the ABS, bolstered by the factthat the principal, Suha Jouaneh Shahin, is one of our distinguished graduates.The ABS has received national recognition in Jordan for its focus on studentlearning, and several members of the Samford faculty have made the trek toAmman in recent years to play a role in the school’s success. Even so, weremarked during our visit that we were the true beneficiaries in the exchange.

Everywhere, in every conversation, history came alive. From the panoramaof the Dead Sea, to the Roman ruins at Jerash, to the treasury at Petra (where Ihad a chance encounter with friends from Arkansas), we understood that thecountry is, indeed, a museum.

But we also saw that Jordan is a nation on the move, destined by geographyand culture to play an increasingly important role on the world stage. InAmman and in other cities across Jordan, Samford graduates are making apositive difference in education, health care, business and ministry.The world continues to be a better place because of a relativelysmall institution in Birmingham, where expectations are exceededevery day.

As always, please keep Samford in your prayers.

Andrew WestmorelandPresident

Dr. Andrew Westmoreland, left, and Dr. JeannaWestmoreland, right, visit with principals of theAmman Baptist School in Jordan. The principals are,from left, Ibtissam Ghanna, elementary school;Demah Haddadin, kindergarten; Nora Nemri, highschool; and Fatin Haddad, middle school.

The mountains of Jordan rise beyond the DeadSea. Inset structures: The treasury at Petra (top)and Roman ruins at Jerash

When Samford was reclassifiedas a national doctoral researchuniversity last year, the ques-

tion in the minds of many was: How willthis affect rankings?

The answer came in mid-August,when U.S. News & World Report releasedits 2008 list of America’s best colleges. Inits first year of competition against thebest national universities in America,Samford ranked number 118 of 262institutions. That placed Samford in thesecond of four tiers of national doctoralresearch institutions.

Samford was the only private insti-tution in Alabama in the national uni-versities category, and one of only threeinstitutions in the state to rank as high asthe second tier. The University ofAlabama was ranked at number 91 andAuburn University at 96.

Samford previously was rankedamong master’s level universities in theSouth but was reclassified as a nationaluniversity in 2006 because of the diver-sity of undergraduate and graduatedegrees offered. Samford was one of 18institutions reclassified as nationaldoctoral research universities.

Last year, Samford awarded morethan 450 doctoral and professionaldegrees in divinity, education, law andpharmacy. Samford also is recognized forits active and growing undergraduateresearch program.

“This significant national recog-nition confirms what the Samfordcommunity has known—that SamfordUniversity provides a top-level edu-cation,” said Samford Provost andExecutive Vice President J. BradleyCreed. “Our recent reclassification as anational doctoral research universityaffirmed our strong faculty and studentpopulation. We especially are pleased tobe considered among the nation’s topuniversities.”

U.S. News & World Report bases itsrankings on the Carnegie Foundationfor the Advancement of Teaching classi-fications, noted Sarah C. Latham,Samford assistant to the president whooversees the Office of InstitutionalEffectiveness. She explained that U.S.News & World Report uses several factorsto determine the rankings, includingacademic achievement of enteringstudents, graduation rates, freshmanclass retention, class size, faculty/studentratio and alumni giving.

The national ranking will have animmediate and positive impact for theuniversity’s alumni, according to MarkDavidson ’92 of Mobile, Ala., presidentof the Samford Alumni Association.

“This unexpected and very highranking makes everyone aware of whatSamford alumni already knew, and thatis the value of a Samford degree,”Davidson said. “This further affirms thequality of education that Samfordalumni have received and that Samfordstudents continue to receive.”

One Samford leader not surprisedby the high ranking is Faculty SenateChair Don T. Sandley. He noted that theranking is just one of the many indicesmeasuring Samford’s success.

“This latest ranking confirms whatwe all have known for quite sometime—that Samford’s reach is nationaland even global,” said Sandley, chair ofSamford’s theatre department. “We havealways exceeded expectations, and nowthose expectations will be even higherbecause the bar has been raised.”

Among other peer groups, Samfordwas the highest ranked university repre-senting both the Ohio Valley Conferenceand the Southern Conference. Samfordcurrently is an OVC-member institutionbut becomes a member of the SouthernConference in 2008. �

Four ProfessorsNamed FulbrightScholars for 2007–08

Four Samford University professorswere awarded Fulbright Scholar

grants to lecture and conduct research atuniversities in Tunisia, Ecuador, Ukraineand China during the 2007–08 academicyear. This is the first year in which morethan one Samford professor has receiveda Fulbright award.

Dr. Mary McCullough, associateprofessor of French, received a 10-month award to teach and research inTunisia. She will teach English classesin literature, research methods,advanced writing and film at theUniversity of Tunis-II at Al Manar. Shewill research reverse migration ofTunisians and stereotypes that colonistshad when Tunisia was a French pro-tectorate (1881–1954).

Dr. Perry Tompkins, professor ofphysics, will teach in Ecuador duringthe fall term. He will teach workshopsand courses on computer instrumen-tation and data acquisition at theUniversity of Cuenca College ofEngineering.

Robert Greene, professor inSamford’s Cumberland School of Law,will teach at the Odessa NationalAcademy of Law in Ukraine during thespring of 2008. He will teach a coursein comparative environmental law.

Deborah Young, also a professor oflaw, will serve as a lecturer in law atXiamen University in Xiamen, China.She will teach evidence and criminalprocedure to graduate law students.Her 10-year old daughter, Kate, willaccompany her. Young first visitedChina in 1978 as a recipient of theCorning Traveling Fellowship.

In addition, Samford graduateAnna Swindle ’07 received a Fulbrightstudent grant for overseas experience asa teaching assistant in Malaysia during2008.

The Fulbright program was estab-lished in 1946 to build mutual under-standing between the United States andother countries. Considered America’sflagship international educationalexchange program, it was createdthrough legislation sponsored by thelate Senator J. William Fulbright ofArkansas. �

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Samford Ranks HighAmong National Universities

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Samford University welcomed one ofthe largest classes in history for the fall2007 semester. With 730 freshmenexpected, the university is nearing itscapacity for an entering class. But,

even with large numbers, the admission processremains very intense and competitive, especiallyfor a privately funded university.

In recent extensive interviews withSeasons, Samford President AndrewWestmoreland and Dean R. PhilipKimrey, the university’s chief admissionand financial aid officer, talked about theadmission process. Because of space con-straints, the interviews have been editedfor length. Full transcripts of the interviewscan be found at www.samford.edu/News.

What are key factors that attract students to Samford?Kimrey: We are a university with strongacademic offerings. We have a liberal artscore, but we offer professional studies.The Christian context is important. It isreal here. You see it in all we do and inour values orientation. Non-Baptist students can fit in well here. The overallcampus is important—not just the beauty of the campus, but the way wefunction. Time and again I get notes andcomments from students and parentswho visit about the friendliness andhelpfulness of the school. [We] want tohelp folks see and experience what agreat place this is.

What are strategic things that Samforddoes to recruit students?Kimrey: Admission is like sales. You dothe things that have been successful, butyou always are looking for new ways.Today, many students gather their infor-mation from the web rather than con-tacting schools first, as they used to do.We do high school visits, church visits,and local and regional college fairs. Wealso offer workshops at selected highschools and campus visits—both individual and large events, such asPreview Days. We try to personalize theprocess as much as possible to meet theneeds of the prospective student. We do

more and more electronic communi -cation because that is what attractstoday’s student.

Does Samford have a program designedto reach legacies (students who have atie to the university through a familymember)?Kimrey:We do track that information.About 30 percent of the fall 2007 classhas some previous connection to theuniversity through a parent or otherfamily member. That percentage hasbeen consistent for several years, and I’mpleased that we have that percentage. Weare always excited when multiple gen -erations choose Samford, because thatfurther validates the value of a Samforddegree.

Are there plans to increase the under-graduate student population?Westmoreland: The strategic planningprocess includes strategic enrollmentmanagement. We will set enrollment targets for the university and for specificprogram areas and then work to ensurethat we have the right resources to meetthose goals. We have determined thatour capacity for an incoming freshmanclass is about 725–750 students.Although the final goals will emergethrough the planning process, a totalenrollment of about 5,000—or approxi-mately 500 more than we’ve had inrecent years—would be our optimum.Most of that growth would come at theundergraduate level.

Can Samford meet those goals withinexisting admission parameters?Westmoreland: If we can continue torecruit a freshman class in the 725–750range and maintain our present reten-tion rates with upperclassmen, then wecan meet those goals. We want appro -priate numbers, but it also is importantto have the right students and the rightmix of student population— demographically. Kimrey:We can accommodate a fresh-man class of 725–750 each year with

existing facilities and services.

Is Samford trying to strengthen admission parameters?Kimrey: We have a holistic approach toadmission. We look first at academicperformance, the best predictor of aca-demic success at Samford. If studentsdon’t make their grades at Samford, theycannot continue to enroll. We look attest scores. We look at overall GPA[grade point average]. Most importantly,we look at the rigor of curriculum. Whatcourses did students take—advanceplacement, honors and others? Those arethe types of courses that will preparethem for the Samford classroom.

This approach allows us to addressthe needs of the student and the needs ofthe institution. There may be some students who have lower test scores butthey have something to contribute, andthere are indicators that the student canoffer something to the campus commu-nity and can graduate on time.

Westmoreland: Any changes would bemade thoughtfully and carefully as partof the planning process, and in harmonywith trustee and faculty expectations.Any changes would be made over time,but I believe that rising standards will bea byproduct of the overall enrollmentmanagement process as we set goals forthe student recruitment process.Through that process, we will be able tosee clearly where we are and where wemight be able to do better.

Samford is becoming more national inscope as students come from a largergeographic reach. How does this affectthe admission process?Kimrey: In fall 2007, about 74 percent ofthe incoming freshman class were fromAlabama and contiguous states. Some ofthat is because the class is larger thanever. But, that percentage is shrinking asstudents come from further distances.We are trying to intentionally expandwhere those distance markers will be.Where can we go? What are we learningfrom those areas where we are gettingmore students?

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While Becoming More National in Scope,The University Still Seeks Solid Core from Alabama

Samford admission counselor Ricky Thrash, right, conducts a campus tour with a prospective student and his parents. Inset: Samford’s 730-member freshman class

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In many of the distance pockets, itinitially may be because of one or twohigh schools, but we know that the students from those schools go to several churches. We try to link theschool base with the church base tobroaden our reach to other schools.

Southwest Airlines also has helped,because it makes transportation easierand more affordable from most majormarkets and geographic areas.

You’ve talked about reclaimingSamford’s place in Alabama. Exactlywhat does that mean?Westmoreland: It means that we needto be intentional in seeking out the bestAlabama students and devotingresources to recruit those students. Itcertainly does not mean that we recruitonly Alabama students, but it is impor-tant that we are prominent in the mindsof Alabama high school students. Thisis home for us, and we don’t want toneglect our own backyard.

For several years, Samford consistentlyhas had about a third of its incomingclass from the state of Alabama. Doesthat change with this emphasis on“reclaiming” Alabama?Westmoreland: We want to maintain asolid core group of students fromAlabama. We start to lose some of ourinstitutional identity if we don’t,because Samford was founded in 1841partly to serve the people of Alabama. Ifyou look at statistics over the last severalyears, the university has leveled off atabout 35 percent of its incoming classfrom Alabama. For the fall 2007 semester, we have an increase of about20 students from Alabama compared tolast year, but the percentage does notchange because we have a larger class. Idon’t anticipate that the percentage willchange significantly even if the rawnumbers continue to increase as weanticipate they will.

Who are Samford’s primary com -petitors in the admission process?Kimrey: In the Southeastern UnitedStates, depending on where the studentis, our main competitor almost always is

the flagship public university—Auburnand Alabama, the University of Georgia,the University of Tennessee, etc. In thatlist also would be some selected privateuniversities—Berry College in Georgia,Furman University, Birmingham-Southern College, Baylor University,Centre College, Rhodes College,Millsaps College, Vanderbilt Universityand others. We compete with all thoseschools for a certain group of students,especially depending on the majors.And, we will get our share of those students.

We do not compete with regionalpublic institutions.

You are a parent of a high school student and know the massive amountof material that is coming to yourprospective college student. AreSamford’s materials aimed at the student, the parent or both?Kimrey:We try to design and target ourmaterials to catch attention quickly. Ifthe student makes a specific inquiry tous, we send a specialized packetdesigned to that student’s specificrequests or needs. Sometimes, we will

6

Prospective students considering Samford University benefit from

a visit to the campus, according to Jason Black ’01, Samford’s

assistant director of admission.

Students who visit campus can meet with financial aid and

admission counselors, attend classes, talk with faculty members, attend

convocation or other special events, tour campus facilities, eat in the

dining hall, meet current students and stay overnight in residence

facilities, depending on availability.

Visits can be scheduled at any time, Black said, although there are

seasonal restrictions when facilities are closed or classes are n

ot in

session. Visit lengths depend on the needs of the prospective student.

Students and their families who visit campus gain visual

impressions of the campus that aren’t possible through the internet

or off-campus visits with admission counselors, Black explained.

“Technology has enhanced the college selection in many ways, but

it can’t do everything,” Black said. “The sensory feelings from an on-

campus experience take the guesswork out of the decision-making

process. Students gain the confidence that everything they have seen

is true. We really are who we say we are.”

Visits can be scheduled by calling the admission office toll-free,

1-800-888-7218.

The office of admission is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday. The office also is open many Saturdays

from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Admission counselor Ricky Thrash, second from right, chats with Susan andRobert Griffith and their daughter, Victoria, during a campus visit. Below,Samford student Alec Phillips, center, leads the Griffiths on a campus tour.

Campus Visit Takes Guesswork

Out of College Selection Process

do things such as blast e-mails that sendinten tional messages like campusupdates such as the new arena, something happening in a specificdepartment or links to certain websiteswith important information. We can target those messages to a specializedgroup based on major or geographicregion.

What approach does Samford take forstudents who might have special needs?Kimrey: Some students may have specialneeds, whether those are learning-relatedor family-related. Sometimes we canaccommodate those students based onthe resources we have, and sometimeswe cannot. We work with the students,but they have to be prepared to be here.Again, the holistic approach to admis-sion comes into play.

What do you say to prospective students and their parents who reallywant to come to Samford but may notbe ready?Kimrey: The first question I ask is “doesthe student really want to be here?” If thestudent wants to attend Samford and theparents are willing, it will happen. Ifeither the student or the parents are hesitant, our role becomes one of pro-viding information to help them in their decision-making process. For most, thestumbling block is financial. We havelimited resources, and unfor tunately,many families have not prepared well forsending their children to college. Iencourage families not to eliminateSamford just because they think theycan’t afford it. We do our best to helpthem work out a plan to make it possible.

Westmoreland: I always encourage parents and students to do their ownresearch. If they do, they will discoverwhat we and many others already know:Samford is a tremendous value in privatehigher education. Our costs are very

reasonablewhen com-pared withother com-parableinstitutions.If you com-pare us withstate universitieson the basis of tuitiononly, there is a significantdifference. But, you have tolook at overall costs, not just tuitionalone. Samford makes no apologiesabout its price, but we also know that wemust focus on expanding financial aidopportunities through increased endow-ment. That will help us to attract andretain good students.

Samford has decided not to admit provisional student-athletes. Will thatpractice change in the future, especiallywith the move to the very competitiveSouthern Conference in 2008?Westmoreland: The fact that Samfordhas been competitive athletically withthe quality of student-athletes we recruitdemonstrates that making exceptions is

no necessary for us, and I do not antici-pate making a change in that policy. Thisis something that is important to ourboard of trustees, our admission staff,our faculty and the larger universitycommunity. We don’t sacrifice academicsfor the sake of athletics. �

For more information:www.samford.edu/admissionwww.samford.edu/admission/money

See alsohttp://www.samford.edu/pubs/seasons/fall2004.pdf for a series of stories onSamford’s financial aid process.

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Samford’s admission staff includes, from left, first row, Assistant DirectorAshley Williams, Abi Haas, Sarah Ott; second row, Ashley Martin, AssistantDirector Lauren Bean Cushenbery, Laura Beth Trucks; third row, Brad Tomas,Brian Kennedy, Assistant Director Corri Edwards, Kim Davey; fourth row,Ricky Thrash, Assistant Director Jason Black, Director Brian Willett, and Deanof Admission and Financial Aid Phil Kimrey.

Samford admission counselors are responsible for the following geographicalareas: Ashley Martin, central and west Alabama; Brian Kennedy, southeastAlabama, north Florida, north and southeast Georgia; Lauren BeanCushenbery, northwest Georgia, North Carolina, east Tennessee; Sarah Ott,central Tennessee, South Carolina; Ricky Thrash, south Florida, western U.S.,northeastern U.S.; Ashley Williams, north Alabama, Kentucky; Laura BethTrucks, Atlanta metro; Abi Haas, southwest Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi,Missouri, west Tennessee; Brad Tomas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Texas;Kimberly Davey, transfers.

Summer workshop gives risingseniors a glimpse of collegeAdmission processA new program provided unique opportunities this summer for

prospective Samford University students. And, if evaluations mean

anything, the effort was a success with the first group to participate.

The first Samford Summer Workshop in July was designed to

give rising high school seniors and their families an early glimpse at

the campus and Samford’s admission process. The ultimate goal

was to make Samford the gauge for those students to use in their

decision-making process, according to Jason Black, assistant

director of admission and coordinator for the Samford Summer

Workshop.“We want to be the first school these students visit as they start

their process,” Black said. “For many, this was their first official visit

anywhere. We wanted to set the bar so that Samford was the com-

parison when they visited other campuses, not the other way

around.”About 160 students and family members were on campus for

the day-long workshop.

The most popular session, Black said, was a faculty panel

where parents and students heard “how seriously Samford takes

academics, and how much we work to nurture relationships

between students and faculty.”

Information on future Samford Summer Workshops is

available at www.samford.edu/admission.

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‘No One Wished to Go Back to the Old Campus’

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With rainfall more than20 inches below nor-mal through August,the Samford campushas suffered through a

summer of extreme drought this year.The parched conditions are in stark contrast to 50 years ago, when the schoolmoved to Homewood.

Ask anyone who remembers thatfirst year. The refrain is remarkably thesame:

Red, red mud. Not a tree in sight.“I remember walking the sidewalks

of the new campus in white rain boots atthe beginning of the year,” said EvelynVickery Freeman ’58 of Florence, Ala.“By graduation, they were all redbecause of the red, muddy water we hadto walk through to get to classes.”

When then-Howard College movedfrom East Lake in the fall of 1957, eightbuildings stood ready on a sloping hill-side of several hundred acres. TheGeorgian-Colonial structures were animpressive sight, providing a grand con-trast to their dilapidated counterparts onthe old campus.

But the bare grounds, having beenscraped clear of vegetation and trees inthe construction process, were also quitedifferent from East Lake, where ShermanOak and other stately trees shaded acampus green nurtured by seven decadesof growth.

Grass was planted on theHomewood campus a few weeks beforeclasses began, but

the fall of 1957 was unusually rainy, andmost of that grass seed ended up inShades Creek.

“The first thing that comes to mymind was red mud everywhere andabsolutely no trees,” recalled Ann BookerBridgeman ’59 of Mobile, Ala. “The oldcampus was so steeped in tradition andtrees.”

For Myra Crawford ’58 ofBirmingham, “What stands out mostclearly in my mind is the balancing actrequired to steady my steps across therandom wooden planks strewn about tokeep us from sinking into a river of redclay.”

Albert Lipscomb, Sr., ’58 of McCalla,Ala., remembers another problem.

“The first thing the students had toadjust to on the new campus was a lackof shelter from the wind, which startedin earnest in the late fall and seemedalways to be accompanied by rain,” saidLipscomb. With no trees and few buildings, “there were no wind breaks.”

Conditions improved as the schoolyear progressed, Lipscomb said. “A lot ofthese problems were solved with thecoming of spring.”

How did the faculty react?“How could they not be joyous

about being able to teach in air- conditioned buildings, with door handles that didn’t fall off in theirhands?” said Crawford.

Construction continued throughoutthe school year, a condition not unlikeSamford today. The 1958 Entre Nousnoted, “We lived with the whir and growlof the movement forward. We awak-ened to the rumble of trucks and cats.We moved in the rhythm of the crane.”

Lipscomb transferred to Howardin 1956, attending one year in EastLake and another in Homewood. InEast Lake he lived in World War II–era barracks and attended classroomswith wood reinforcing the ceilingplaster.

“The mood was positive on theold campus, and those of us whowould continue at Howard lookedforward to new classrooms andnew dorms,” he said. “In spite of

the inconveniences, there was a certainamount of nostalgia for the old campus.It felt comfortable, like an old shoe.”

The new campus presented somedifficult situations as well for studentactivities that first year. The unfinishedthird floor of Davis Library served as anauditorium and theatre, where “acousticswere terrible.” There was no footballfield or gymnasium, and volleyball classes were held on a muddy field acrossLakeshore Drive.

Freeman recalled “having to driveback and forth to the East Lake RuhamaBaptist Church for organ lessons andpractice, and then for my presentation ofmy senior organ recital.” She added, “Idid part of my organ practice in the atticor loft of the new science building,Russell Hall, on the Lakeshore campuswith exposed rafters.”

Bridgeman, Miss Entre Nous 1958,said she had “a feeling of excitementabout the new campus, but I missed thetradition and the ability to walk anywhereI needed to go in East Lake.” She and herroommate, Sue Townsend Thompson’59 of Selma, Ala., enjoyed climbing outtheir window in Vail Hall to sunbathe ona deck or play in the rare snowfalls.

“My fondest memory of both campuses was singing in the A CappellaChoir under [director] George Koski,”said Bridgeman, who today is choir president and a deacon at Spring HillPresbyterian Church in Mobile.

The football, basketball and baseballteams drove back and forth to East Lakefor practice during the first year inHomewood. Basketball player RudolphDavidson ’58 recalls practicing and playing games in frigid Causey Gym onthe old campus, where the heating system no longer functioned. The football team played home games atShades Valley High School, then locatedin the Homewood area.

President Harwell Davis, right, helps business managerEvan Zeiger plant a tulip poplar near Ingalls Hall in thespring of 1958. Today, it towers over the pharmacybuilding. Below: The Crimson takes note of the movefrom East Lake in its September 20, 1957 edition.

“I do not remember anyone com-plaining about these situations,”Lipscomb said. “Most of us looked uponit as an adventure. It was a time of adjust-ment and adaptation. No one wished togo back to the old campus. We were nowthe trendsetters and the makers of fashion.”

Lipscomb said the fact that malestudents had a dorm on campus made abig difference.

“I knew more students since we raninto each other in our comings andgoings,” he said. “We also would visit eachother’s room and had cram sessions forfinals.”

Change continued throughout1957–58. Major Harwell G. Davis, wholed the move from East Lake toHomewood, told the Alabama BaptistState Convention meeting in Novemberhe planned to retire as president. InFebruary, the Howard board of trusteesaccepted his resignation effective Sept. 1,and named Leslie S. Wright, executivesecretary of The Baptist Foundation ofAlabama, as his successor.

Construction was ongoing, withBuchanan Hall music building beingcompleted and a groundbreaking held atEaster for Reid Chapel and its two wings,Burns and Chapman halls. Work also was

underway on the football field, andDavis announced plans for a gymnasi-um, baseball field and six tennis courts.

Trustee Clarence Gardner didsomething about the barren appearanceof the campus, providing 345 hardwoodtrees to be planted at the new location.Although some of these inevitably died,many reached maturity and continue toshade the campus today.

As the 1957–58 school year drew to aclose, Major and Mrs. Davis hosted areception for graduating seniors at theirhome in Forest Park. Myra Crawfordremembered it as “the defining highlightof the year for me,” and added, “Theywere an icon for what has become knownas the gentility of the Old South, andtheir grace as a couple an inspiration.”

Davis delivered the commencementaddress May 26 at Dawson MemorialBaptist Church in Homewood, hisfarewell address as president, and 264seniors received their diplomas.

The first year on the new campuswas transitional in many ways. Theschool still relied on old athletics facilitiesin East Lake, and music students trekkedto Ruhama for practice sessions. The football team played in a nearby highschool stadium, and Dawson Memorial

provided the nearest setting appropriatefor commencement.

But Howard was settling rapidly intoits new home in Shades Valley. By 1958–59,the process would be complete. �

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Rain, rain, rain. Rain and mud every-where.

That was the first thing I heardwhen I asked about the new campus inShades Valley. When I came to Samford in1961, the school had been on LakeshoreDrive for four years. Rain and mud were thefirst and most vivid recollections that every-one had.

Many years later when I beganresearch for a 50-year history of theShades Valley campus, I learned thatthere was so much more. It was certainlytrue that rain was dominant, and unfor-tunately, it seemed to drown out all othermemories.

President Harwell G. Davis almostshed tears as he looked out his SamfordHall office and watched tons of topsoiland thousands of dollars worth of grassseed wash away. Students complainedbecause the paved sidewalks seemed toserve as channels for runoff water, whichthey then had to slog through. Theyarrived at class with feet soaking wet,

having tracked mud across the beautifulnew terrazzo floors. The undevelopedathletics field was the “Mud Bowl.”

Unmentioned by reminiscing alumniwas that the SGA was a bicameral body.Members of the Senate represented indi-vidual classes and were elected by students. The Senate enacted legislation.The House of Representatives was com-posed of delegates from all studentorganizations. They discussed but did notpass laws. The experiment lasted only twoyears.

When classes began, there were onlyeight buildings on campus: two massivedorms, a partial student union building,Samford Hall, Ingalls Hall, Ramsay Hall(the eight-unit faculty apartments), thelibrary and the biology building. Notquite ready was the building thatbecame Buchanan Hall.

Later generations know thesebuildings as housing a single school ordepartment. In Fall 1957, every

building housed many disciplines. Morethan half of Samford Hall, for example,was dedicated to classrooms and facultyoffices. The Division of Music was scat-tered all over campus. Pianos were inmany classrooms, which doubled as practice rooms. Chapel services and otherpublic meetings were held at the east endof the third floor of the library, nowcalled the second floor, until con structionof Reid Chapel. So much was makeshiftin 1957–58.

There was no gymnasium, so indoorP.E. classes were held in the basement of

b y L e e N . A l l e nRising to the Challenge of a New Campus

Right: Students celebrate H-Day.

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Crawford Johnson Hall. Basketballpractice and most home games wereplayed in the decrepit Causey Gym onthe old East Lake campus. During thewinter, the boiler gave out and was notrepaired, leaving it unheated in thedepths of winter. Students were respon-sible for getting themselves across townfor practices and games. Football practice was at Berry Field on the old campus, and home games were playedat Shades Valley High School.

There was no athletics department.All varsity sports were run from thephysical education department, ofwhich James Sharman was head, whileserving as athletics director. All thecoaches did multiple duty, includingteaching classes. Virgil Ledbettercoached football, basketball and base-ball. Sharman was assistant footballcoach, and Walter Barnes assisted foot-ball and basketball, and coached trackand field. Sharman coached tennis andwould have coached golf if enough

students had turned out to make ateam. Except for baseball (17-4), recordsare best forgotten. There were no athletic scholarships. President Davisdid not believe in subsidized sports.

Like athletics, drama had no placeto call home. The first production,directed by English-born Helen Steer,was staged in the low-ceiling, makeshiftchapel-auditorium. It was TheImportance of Being Earnest, starringBonnie Buckner, Yon Koski, John (Bo)Porter and Gordon Bryars. Ignoringthe inconveniences of the setting, theBirmingham Post-Herald reviewerreferred to it as “a delightful play” puton by “a talented college cast.”

Baptist Student Union [BSU] wasa powerful influence on the new campus, functioning through the BSUchoir, Young Women’s Auxiliary,Brotherhood, Ministerial Association,Agape, Mission Band and ReligiousDrama Guild. Ben J. Connell was thenew BSU director, and his wife of only

a few weeks, Shirley, was campus nurse.Charles Stroud, a drama major fromBirmingham, was BSU council president.

Davis was in his final year as presi-dent. He would soon turn over reins toLeslie S. Wright. What he bequeathedwas a new, very incomplete campus. Itwas a school with many traditions, astrong administrative staff and an out-standing student body that rose toevery challenge that they faced duringthat trying first year. “The Major,” asDavis preferred to be called, might notrecognize the school a half centurylater, but he could not fail to be proudof what developed on the solid foun -dation that he, the trustees, the faculty,the staff and the students laid that firstyear. �

Dr. Lee N. Allen is university historian atSamford. A member of the historydepartment faculty and former dean ofthe arts and sciences and graduateschools, he is completing a history of theSamford’s first 50 years in Homewood.

Left: Eight buildings were completed for the opening of thenew Lakeshore Drive campus in the fall of 1957. Bottom Left:The football field (now Seibert Stadium) slowly takes shape.Below: Showing off 1957 homecoming decoration trophies are, from left, Elizabeth Ritchey, Jeanne Lamb, David Davidsonand Steve Allgood.

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When Howard Collegetrustees approved therelocation of the campus from EastLake to Homewood in

the late 1940s, they knew it wouldrequire a gigantic selling job to raise thefinancial support needed from theBirmingham community.

But trustee chair Frank ParkSamford felt he could call on the bestsalesman in the state to lead the fund-raising committee, his friend James A.Head, president of a highly successfuloffice supply and equipment company.

Head accepted Frank Samford’s call.Samford University’s celebration this fallof its 50th anniversary in Homewood isa tribute to Head’s success.

Head and Samford first met in 1926when Samford’s firm, Liberty NationalInsurance Company, moved its head-quarters from Philadelphia, Pa., toBirmingham, Ala. Head was a memberof First Baptist Church, which at thetime was located on 5th Avenue and22nd Street downtown. The church hadjust dedicated a six-story educationbuilding. Head arranged for some of thenew building to be used temporarily byLiberty National.

During the next quarter century, thetwo men pursued different careers withequal success, Samford in life insurance,and Head in office supplies and equip-ment. They also became members ofSouthside Baptist Church.

Head had decided at age 18 that“throwing newspapers and cutting grass”was not for him. That’s when he took adoor-to-door sales job with LibraryBureau, a manufacturer of library systemproducts and furniture headquartered inCambridge, Mass. As a result, he had“knocked on the door” of practically everybusiness in his territory, Birmingham.

At age 22, he started his own business—James A. Head and Co. Thefirm grew rapidly and prospered, andHead became an icon in the library community.

In addition to his success in thelibrary, office supplies and equipmentbusiness, Head distinguished himself asa salesman for a better Birmingham andAlabama. Through the NationalConference of Christians and Jews, nowthe National Conference for Communityand Justice, he assembled a committee of15 young, progressive, like-mindedbusiness men and traveled to 31 cities inAlabama promoting justice and equalityfor all people.

“It took us 30 years, but we brokethe back of the KKK mentality that hadpermeated the city and state since theturn of the century,” he said. “That’s onething I’ve spent 66 years in, and I believethat the good Lord directed me to dothat job.”

One of Head’s selling points for abetter city and state was the need formore educational opportunities, as wellas cultural and civic activities. It wasn’tdifficult for him to accept the challengeof the promotion campaign for a newHoward campus in the early ‘50s.

His first challenge from Samford, herecalled, was to raise $1 million in 60days. “Now that was a lot of money inthose days, and I was prohibited fromcontacting Baptists,” he said. That effortwas to be organized through churches.

Although he couldn’t recall if heand his committee raised the fullamount in 60 days, they were successful.One of the first major gifts he acquiredwas $100,000 from a client of his company’s attorney.

John Pittman, a new Samfordtrustee at the time who continues toserve, said that Head was a most effective

leader in the Birmingham community atthe time, although he was not a Samfordtrustee.

“Frank Samford asked him to dothat, and he [Head] went out and enlisted the most prominent Jewish andCatholic leaders in the city to help him,”Pittman said. “I suppose Jim representedthe Protestant community.”

Head then was asked and agreed tochair the cornerstone-laying committeeand organize the ceremony. As presidentof the Birmingham Chamber ofCommerce, he was viewed as repre -senting the entire city in the historic event.

In his remarks during the ceremonyApril 29, 1955, Head said, “Thestrengthened edu cational facility willhelp keep more Alabama students incareers at home, as well as attract newfamilies to the state. Industries seekingnew locations con sider carefully acommunity’s edu cational facilities andcultural resources. Howard will be ‘thebeauty campus of the South,’ and a greatbenefit to Birmingham and the entirestate.”

That same year, he was elected tothe Howard College Board of Trustees.In 1979, he became an honorary lifetrustee. He served on the executive com-mittee of the board as well as numerousother committees, including studentaffairs and development (which hechaired) until 1993. He was awarded thedoctor of humane letters degree in 2002.

Head’s daughter, three grand -

Master Salesman

James Head Answered Frank Samford’s Callto Lead Lakeshore Fund-Raising

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children and a great grandchild are all Samfordalumni: Virginia Head Gross ’61, Lynn Head Cline’78, Vivian Head Wright ’80, Gene Head, Jr., ’95 andLee Wright ’06. A second great granddaughter,Barbara Cline, is currently a senior.

When the Rotary Club of Birmingham awardedHead its highest honor for distinguished service in1996, it cited his role as chair of the promotioncampaign for the relocation of Howard as one ofmany accomplishments of his “life of servitude andaccomplishments.”

Likewise, when he was inducted into theAlabama Academy of Honor in 2002 at the age of97, his role in the fund-raising effort was cited alongwith numerous other honors. “His belief in the dignity and worth of all individuals has been thecornerstone of his distinguished life,” said his nomination.

His fellow Samford board member, Harry B.Brock Jr., said, “Jim is truly a self-made man. He hasbuilt a fine company, and has devoted himself tomany wonderful charitable and civic projects thathave benefited not only the greater Birminghamarea, but also the entire state of Alabama. His sevendecades of service have been tendered with kind-ness, integrity and courage.”

Head has amassed numerous accomplishmentsand honors. He was the Young Men’s Business ClubMan of the Year in 1950 and was inducted into theAlabama Business Hall of Fame in 2001. He servedas president of the Birmingham Chamber ofCommerce and as a member of the Alabama advisory committee to the Civil Rights Commission,Jefferson County Personnel Board, HomewoodLibrary Board and Homewood City Council.

Head, who will celebrate his 103rd birthday inOctober, lives across the street from the SamfordUniversity campus and continues a busy lifestyle,including weekly meetings of the Rotary Club andvarious civic organizations. �

Above: James A. Head, now102, revisits the cornerstone ofSamford Hall in August. Heused the trowel above to helplay the cornerstone in 1955,right.

14

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AtchesonDirectsGrahamLibrary

When Franklin Graham offeredhim the job as director of thenew Billy Graham Library inCharlotte, N.C., Samford alumnus Wayne Atcheson ’64

said it was “the highest honor and privilege ofmy life, and the dessert of my career ministry.”

Atcheson’s ministry began early. His fatherwas pastor of Maplesville Baptist Church in ruralChilton County, Alabama, in the 1940s, and alsoconducted a radio ministry and tent revivals onthe streets of six small nearby towns. Atchesonbegan accompanying his father when he was fiveyears old.

“My evangelism upbringing fits well here,”he said, where the story of Graham’s remarkableevangelistic career is told in exhibits, displays andfilms.

When Atcheson enrolled at Samford in1959, it was a foregone conclusion by his familyand friends that he would follow in his dad’sfootsteps and become a preacher. But they discounted Wayne’s interest in athletics.

“As a boy, I dreamed of playing football atAlabama,” he said. “But everybody always thoughtI would be a preacher like my daddy, so I went toHoward thinking that God might call me there.”

Atcheson was never ordained, but he turnedhis life in athletics into a ministry.

He attended Howard with the help of awork scholarship, living in a room in the base-ment of Seibert Gym with another work scholar-ship student, Paul Miller ’64. He served as student sports information director throughouthis undergraduate days. He was also sports editorof The Samford Crimson and Entre Nous, presi-dent of the Baptist Student Union Brotherhoodand president of the H-Club. He received the1964 James Walker Award as the student makingthe greatest contribution to the athletics pro-gram, an award that normally went to an athlete.

Along the way, he attended numerous H-Day programs as a layman speaker and beganhis long involvement with the Fellowship ofChristian Athletes [FCA].

(Miller, who was the football manager andtrainer as a student, is now executive director of

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the Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes andFamily Ministry.)

“For a starry-eyed freshman from Clanton,Ala., Samford made a lifetime impression on me,”Atcheson recalled. “It [Howard] was like Heavenfor me. I even enjoyed chapel. The speakers justamazed me, and many fellow students inspired me.”

Following graduation, Atcheson earned amaster’s degree in journalism from the Universityof Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where he served as agraduate assistant in the sports informationdepartment. Alabama won the national footballchampionship both years he was there (1964–65).

Along with eight other student athletes,Atcheson led in founding and organizing theAlabama FCA chapter, which still meets weeklyafter 42 years. He served as secretary the first twoyears.

In the spring of 1965, evangelist Grahampreached at Alabama’s football stadium andstayed in the athletics dormitory as a guest ofCoach Paul (Bear) Bryant. “Five of us who startedFCA at Alabama that year, including All-Americans Steve Sloan and Paul Crane, had ourpicture taken with Mr. Graham in the lobby ofthe dorm, a prize photo,” he recalled. Later, thephoto was included in the FCA’s 50th anniversarycommemorative book, which Atcheson wrote.

In 1967, Atcheson received the CharlieCompton Award given for outstanding Christianleadership to a member of the Alabama footballteam. He is the only nonfootball player ever toreceive the award.

After a year as director of public relations forJudson College, Atcheson joined the FCA staff atits national headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., andserved from 1967–79 as associate director of programs. He was also FCA area representativefor Indianapolis, Ind.

He worked in athletics promotions/ marketing at the University of Richmond for ashort time. Then “the Lord gave me my dream jobin athletics—sports information director for theAlabama Crimson Tide,” Atcheson said. Heremained there for 20 years, the latter years asassociate director of Tide Pride, the university’sdonor support program for athletics.

“My real joy was serving as Alabama FCAadviser for 28 years, a ministry that the Lord hasused mightily with this high and visible plat-form,” he said.

During all those years, Atcheson kept up withGraham. In April 1999, he served as director ofthe West Alabama Franklin Graham Festival inTuscaloosa. “It was an 11-month process, and Igot to know the Graham team members quitewell, including Franklin,” he said. Franklin,Graham’s son, serves today as president of theBilly Graham Evangelistic Association.

In 2003, Atcheson joined the Jerry JenkinsChristian Writers Guild in Colorado Springs,Colo., as admission manager. His role was toadvise and give students guidance in improvingtheir writing skills with the guild’s courses andannual conferences. Two such conferences wereconducted at the Billy Graham Training Center inAsheville, N.C.

When he received a call from the Grahamorganization in March of 2006 to submit a vitafor consideration of the position, Atcheson saidhe was “highly honored.”

“I never dreamed I’d be submitting a résuméfor a job at age 63, when so many of my friendsare retired,” he said. “I’m now 65 and never planto retire.”

After two interviews, he was selected as thefirst director, effective June 1, 2006. The libraryopened in early 2007.

“Our goals are high, and so far, the libraryhas exceeded all expectations,” he said. “In thefirst month, people from every state and fromaround the world visited the library. Our 28-member staff and 200 volunteers are anointedpeople who dearly love this ministry.”

There is no admission charge, and the libraryis open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. exceptSundays, when it is closed. It is also closed Easter,Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Atcheson and his wife Barbara, “a Kansassunflower,” have two adult daughters. ElizabethAtcheson Poplin is a 1997 Samford alumna. Shemet her future husband, Jared Poplin ’99 ofCharlotte, N.C., at Samford, where both served asambassadors. They are the parents of theAtchesons’ only grandchild, Jackson Wayne, age16 months, and also live in Charlotte.

Daughter Amy Atcheson Snyder lives inTuscaloosa with her husband, Bobby, a highschool coach and teacher.

Atcheson is the author of several books,including Our Family Was a Team (1990), Impactfor Christ: How FCA Has Influenced the SportsWorld (2003) and In Due Time: The Struggles andTriumphs of Alabama Quarterback Jay Barker,which sold more than 62,000 copies.

For someone who was never ordained topreach, Wayne Atcheson continues to be oneeffective evangelist. �

‘My evangelismupbringing fitswell here.’

—Wayne Atcheson

Wayne Atcheson ’64 is director of the new Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C., in thebackground.

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Sept. 14–18 Greek Life recruitment,(205) 726-2345

Sept. 14–27 A Celebration of LatinAmerican Art Exhibit,Samford Art Gallery,Swearingen Hall, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday throughFriday

Sept. 18 Walking with the Saints:Perpetua and Felicitas,Speaker: Bridget Rose,curator, Hodges Chapel, 11 a.m., Andrew GerowHodges Chapel

Ida V. Moffett School ofNursing continuing education seminar, 5–9 p.m., (205) 726-2626

Alabama SymphonyOrchestra Concertmasterand Friends series, 7 p.m.,Brock Recital Hall. Forticket information, contactthe ASO box office, (205)251-7727 or go to www.alabamasymphony.org.

Sept. 20 Ida V. Moffett School ofNursing continuing education seminar, 5–9 p.m., (205) 726-2626

Sept. 21–23 Family Weekend,www.samford.edu/activities or call (205) 726-2345

Sept. 21 Cumberland School ofLaw continuing educationseminar, 7 a.m.–5 p.m.,Memory Leake RobinsonHall, (205) 726-2865

Sept. 22 Admission Preview Day,www.samford.edu/admission, (205) 726-3673

Sept. 23 Old-Song Sing-Along, 2p.m., Reid Chapel, fea -turing Joseph Hopkins,dean, school of the arts;concert pianist BarbaraBamberg and concertorganist Ken Varner

Puccini’s La Bohèmesimulcast from theWashington NationalOpera, 1 p.m., Wright

Center Concert Hall. (Thislive performance is madeavailable free to the publicby an anonymous donor.)

Sept. 24 School of Business Dean’sLeadership Forum, 11:45a.m., Brock Forum,www.samfordbusinessnetwork.com, (205) 726-2051

Sept. 25 Walking with the Saints:Thomas Aquinas, Speaker:Neville Callam, GeneralSecretary, Baptist WorldAlliance, 11 a.m., AndrewGerow Hodges Chapel

Sept. 27 Ida V. Moffett School ofNursing continuing education seminar, 5–9 p.m., (205) 726-2626

Sept. 28–30 Consortium for GlobalEducation annual meeting, hosted bySamford

Leadership Samford,sponsored by the Office ofStudent Involvement,(205) 726-2345

Sept. 28 Cumberland School ofLaw continuing educationseminar, 7 a.m.–5 p.m.,Memory Leake RobinsonHall, (205) 726-2865

Alabama elementary all-state choir festival,Samford performing artscomplex, (205) 726-2651

Oct. 1 Samford Board ofMinisterial Mentors fallmeeting, 10 a.m., (205)726-4200

Oct. 2–3 Missions Festival, hostedby Samford’s GlobalCenter, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.,Ben Brown Plaza, (205)726-2170

Oct. 2 Walking with the Saints:Lottie Moon, Speaker:Gordon Fort, vice presi-dent, Southern BaptistInternational MissionBoard, 11 a.m., AndrewGerow Hodges Chapel

Faculty recital: JeffFlaniken, violin, AngieFlaniken, viola, DonSanders, piano, 7:30 p.m.,Brock Recital Hall

Oct. 3 Theological EducationDay, hosted by the Officeof University Ministries,Robinson Hall plaza, 9 a.m.–2 p.m., (205) 726-2927

Oct. 5 Ida V. Moffett School ofNursing nurse anesthesiahooding ceremony,2 p.m., Andrew GerowHodges Chapel

Oct. 6 Admission Preview Day,www.samford.edu/admission, (205) 726-3673

School ViolencePrevention Workshop, 8a.m.–3:30 p.m., 233 OrleanBullard Beeson School ofEducation, (205) 726-2433

“Pedals, Pipes and Pizza:an Introduction to thePipe Organ” for ages11–16, hosted by Samfordand the American Guild ofOrganists, (205) 910-5111

Oct. 7 Alabama Pharmacy lawseminar, 1 p.m., WrightCenter Concert Hall, (205)726-2722

Oct. 8 Baptist Center for Ethicsfilm and panel discussion,5–9 p.m., Brock Forum,Film: Faith and Politics,Panel: Rev. Jim Evans, Dr. Susan Pace Hamill,Rep. Artur Davis, (205)726-4226

Oct. 9 Walking with the Saints:Jan Hus, Speaker: GregoryA. Thornbury, dean,School of ChristianStudies, Union University,11 a.m., Andrew GerowHodges Chapel

Oct. 11 Birmingham Art MusicAlliance concert, 7:30 p.m.,Brock Recital Hall, (205)726-2489

CALENDEReventsOF

For details or the completeSamford University calendar, go towww.samford.edu/calendar/html.

Oct. 15–16 Fall Break

“Worship in Your World”conference hosted by theResource Center forPastoral Excellence,www.samford.edu/rcpe or(205) 726-4064

Jefferson County WaterFestival, (205) 726-4246

Oct. 16 Walking with the Saints:E. Stanley Jones, Speaker:Stephen Graham, associateprofessor of political science, University ofIndianapolis. 11 a.m.,Andrew Gerow HodgesChapel

Oct. 17–21 Homecoming, go towww.samford.edu/alumnifor a complete schedule ofevents

Oct. 19 Dedication ceremonies forPete Hanna Center, 6 p.m.

Oct. 20 Concert: “Little BigTown,” 8:30 p.m., PeteHanna Center, Tickets:www.samforduniversityrelations.com

Oct. 20–21 Alabama Ballet presents“Where the Wild ThingsAre.” For performancetimes and ticket infor -mation, go towww.alabamaballet.org.

Oct. 23 Walking with the Saints:Athanasius, Speaker: CarlBeckwith, assistant pro -fessor, Beeson DivinitySchool, 11 a.m., AndrewGerow Hodges Chapel

Oct. 27 Ohio Valley Conferencecross-country champion -ships, hosted by Samford

ACT exam, 8 a.m.–2 p.m.,Brooks Hall, (205) 726-2561

“Walk to D’feet ALS,”sponsored by ALSAssociation and hosted bySamford, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.,Seibert Stadium, (256)519-9030

Oct. 28 Faculty recital: BradSargent, trumpet, 2:30 p.m.,Brock Recital Hall

Oct. 30–Nov. 1 Reformation Heritage

Lectures: Gwenfair WalterAdams, 11 a.m., AndrewGerow Hodges Chapel,www.beesondivinity.com

Oct. 30 Alabama SymphonyOrchestra Concertmasterand Friends series, 7 p.m.,Brock Recital Hall. Forticket information, contactthe ASO box office, (205)251-7727 or www.alabamasymphony.org.

Nov. 1–2 Word Players fall performance, 6:30 p.m.,Bolding Studio,Swearingen Hall

Nov. 1 Joint Faculty/GuestRecital: RandallRichardson with MelanieWilliams, University ofMontevallo, 7:30 p.m.,Brock Recital Hall

Nov. 5 School of Business Dean’sLeadership Forum, 11:45a.m., Brock Forum,www.samfordbusinessnetwork.com, (205) 726-2051

Nov. 6 Walking with the Saints:John Chrysostom, Speaker:Douglas Webster, pro -fessor, Beeson DivinitySchool, 11 a.m., AndrewGerow Hodges Chapel

Fulbright Scholar Lecture,3 p.m., Brooks HallAuditorium, (205) 726-2995

University ChoraleConcert, 7:30 p.m., BrockRecital Hall

Nov. 8 Samford Auxiliary meeting,10 a.m., Brock Hall

Nov. 9 Miss Samford pageant, 7 p.m., Wright CenterConcert Hall, (205) 726-2345

Nov. 10 Admission Preview Day,www.samford.edu/admission, (205) 726-3673

National Federation ofMusic Clubs HymnFestival, 7 a.m.–5 p.m.,School of the Arts, (205)726-4049

Samford in MissionOutreach Youth Workerssummit, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.,Brooks Hall, (205) 726-4203,www.samford.edu/SIM

Nov. 13 Walking with the Saints:Sojourner Truth, Speaker:Wilton Bunch, professor,Beeson Divinity School, 11 a.m., Andrew GerowHodges Chapel

Guest concert: Eroica Trio,7:30 p.m., Brock Recital Hall

Nov. 15 School of Business youngbusiness leaders convo -cation, 10 a.m., BrockForum, (205) 726-2051

Nov.16–17 School of the Artsscholar ship auditions,(205) 726-2778

Nov. 17 National Federation ofMusic Clubs HymnFestival,7 a.m.–5 p.m.,School of the Arts, (205)726-4049

Samford PercussionEnsemble concert, 2:30p.m., Brock Recital Hall

Nov. 18 Super Jazz Big Band concert, 3 p.m., BrockRecital Hall

Nov. 21–23 Thanksgiving Holiday, noclasses; offices closed Nov.22–23

Nov. 29 Hanging of the Green ceremony, 6 p.m., ReidChapel

Lighting of the Way ceremony, 6:45 p.m.,Centennial Walk

Nov. 29–Dec. 2 School of the Arts

presents Twelfth Night.For performance timesand ticket information, go to www.samfordartstickets.com

Dec. 1 Admission Preview Day,www.samford.edu/admission, (205) 726-3673

Festival of ChristmasMusic, 7:30 p.m., WrightCenter Concert Hall

For schedules and information on Samfordathletics, go to www.samfordsports.com.

For a list of Samford After Sundown classes,go to www.samford.edu/sundown.

For the complete academic calendar, go towww.samford.edu/calendar.html.

For ticket information, performance detailsand schedule updates on art performances goto www.samford.edu/arts.

Information was compiled from the uni -versity calendar as of Aug. 15, 2007. Dates,times and details are subject to change. Pleasego to www.samford.edu for updated information.

17

Several aspects of teaching at Samford appeal tomusic professor Paul Richardson. He enjoysteaching half his courses to individual studentsand the other half to classes of 12 or more. Helikes team-teaching with professors from other

disciplines in the Honors Program. He especially enjoysthe fact that Samford draws good students.

But what he likes best is getting to know those stu-dents.

“I love to teach, and I especially like the interpersonalaspect of teaching,” he said. “It’s never the same person.They are all different.”

Dr. Richardson teaches voice and vocal pedagogy,“teaching people how to teach voice,” in the music divisionof Samford’s School of Performing Arts. Voice students all“are learning to perform,” he noted, whether they arepreparing to be professional performers, to teach or todirect choirs in schools or churches.

Freshmen, especially music students, need to learnabout themselves, says Richardson.

“For one thing, music students need to discoverwhether they love music enough to go in those little roomsand practice every day,” he said.

One of his students noted recently that the professorconsistently and systematically challenges students to raisethe bar in every aspect of their learning. Another said that,rather than trying to make everyone fit the mold of thesame perfect student, he recognizes and encourages indi-vidual differences.

Traits such as these helped make Richardson thewinner of this year’s Buchanan Award for Excellence inTeaching. The annual award and its $1,000 check went tothe hymnody scholar during opening convocation Aug.28.

“Students who nominated [Richardson] describehim as a good model of someone who loves to teach andwho truly cares about his students,” said Provost andExecutive Vice President J. Bradley Creed in presenting the annual award, based partly on recommendations from theprevious spring’s senior class.

Richardson has taught at Samford since 1995. Hewas previously a professor and chair of doctoral studies inthe school of church music at Southern Baptist Seminary.

“After I finished my doctorate, I couldn’t get a teach-ing job, so I worked in administration four years,” he said.“I met a wide range of people, and the experience mademe a better teacher.”

As an expert in hymnody, the vast body of hymns,Richardson was chosen several years ago to revise andupdate Erik Routley’s classic 1979 book,A Panorama ofChristian Hymnody. Richardson’s revised editionappeared in 2005 and has received favorablereviews in North American and British journals.

Richardson recently was named ResearchProfessor 2007–09 at Samford. Although he willcontinue to teach, this new faculty status will provide more time for research and writing. Hehas three large projects scheduled—helping tocompile and edit a hymnal for Mercer University

Press, editing a collection of articles and essays inhonor of church music scholar Donald Hustad,and preparing a new edition of a hymnology textbook.

“I enjoy research and I love writing,” he said.The author of numerous book chapters,

articles and reviews in his field, he recently com-pleted a book, I Will Sing the Wondrous Story: AHistory of Baptist Hymnody in America, co -authored with David Music of Baylor University,to be released later this year by Mercer UniversityPress.

Richardson is past president of the HymnSociety in the United States and Canada, and contributing editor to its journal, The Hymn. �

Music Professor Wins Buchanan

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CAMPU

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Dr. Paul Richardson

CAMPU

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CAMPU

Supdate Dr. Larry DavenportNamed Directorof Vulcan MaterialsCenter at Samford

Biology professor Larry J. Davenport hasbeen named director of the Vulcan

Materials Center for EnvironmentalStewardship and Education at SamfordUniversity. Davenport, an expert in fieldbotany with an emphasis on aquatic andwetland plants, has taught at Samford since1985.

Davenport will continue to teachbasic botany and ecology courses as wellas specialized courses in plant taxonomyand local flora in the undergraduate program, and wetlands in the master ofscience in environmental management program.

He is an acknowledged expert on theCahaba lily, a rare plant found only in 31counties across central Alabama, Georgiaand South Carolina. His work to protectthe lily and its habitat helped in theestablishment of the Cahaba RiverNational Wildlife Refuge in 2002.

Davenport holds a bachelor’s degreefrom Miami University in Oxford, Ohio,and master of science and doctor of phi-losophy from the University of Alabama.

The Vulcan Materials Center is apartnership between Vulcan MaterialsCompany and Samford. It promotesenvironmental science education andresearch. Established in 2001, the partnership encompasses three areas—edu cation, environmental stewardshipand innovative solutions in environ -mental management. �

There will be lots of new things atSamford University football gamesthis fall, including new uniforms for

the Samford Marching Band for the firsttime in more than 20 years. With morethan 70 musicians in this year’s band—thelargest in recent years—the uniforms willadd to the band’s growing reputation asone of the best music groups in the area.

After many of the old uniformswere determined to be beyond repair, acampaign began in the spring to helpraise funds for new uniforms. The uni-forms arrived this summer, along withnew instruments, according to JamesSmisek, Samford’s director of bands.

One of the band’s creative ways toraise funds was to create pillows fromthe old uniforms. A limited number ofpillows still are available for $50 each.For more information, e-mail Smisek atjjsmisek@samford.edu.

The band includes students repre-senting most academic disciplines atSamford. Many students also participatein the Samford Wind Ensemble, theSymphonic Band and other instru -mental ensembles throughout the year.

Band members returned to campusin mid-August for two weeks of grueling rehearsals. During the semester, they rehearse three days aweek. Students receive one hour of

academic credit for participation, andthere are limited scholarships available,Smisek said.

This year, the band will play at sixhome football games and travel to theGeorgia Tech game. The band also willbe featured throughout homecomingweekend, Oct. 19–21.

More than $43,000 still is neededfor additional instruments, Smisek said.Donors interested in helping with newinstrument funding or scholarships cane-mail Smisek at jjsmisek@samford.edu.

Samford University Instrument Needs

Description Quantity Cost per unit

C trumpet 2 $1,895Cornet 5 $1,925Bass clarinet 2 $250mouthpieces

Contra-bass clarinet 1 $17,518E-flat alto clarinet 1 $4,695Contra-alto clarinet 1 $1,395Piccolo 1 $1,939Euphonium 2 $1,925

TOTAL NEEDED $43,312

For more information on Samford’sinstrumental programs, go towww.samford.edu/arts. �

Band Sports New Threads,but Still Needs Instruments

Samford President Emeritus ThomasE. Corts was elected executive director

of the International Association ofBaptist Colleges and Universities[IABCU], formerly the Association ofSouthern Baptist Colleges and Schools, atits annual meeting in Williamsburg, Va.,in June. He succeeded Bob Agee, whoretired.

Samford is one of 52 memberschools of the IABCU. The IABCU corporate office is in Nashville, Tenn.,but Corts will continue to reside inBirmingham.

The former Samford president wasinterim chancellor of the AlabamaCollege System for the State of Alabamafrom mid-2006 until the spring of2007. He was Samford’s president from1983 until his retirement in May 2006.

He also served as president ofWingate University in North Carolinafrom 1974 until 1983 and as coordi -nator of the Higher EducationConsortium of Kentucky from 1973 to1974. Corts is a graduate ofGeorgetown College in Kentucky with aPh.D. from Indiana University. �

IABCU Elects Corts Executive Director

Davenport

Harbingers of Hope is more than acollection of thoughtful sermons onGod’s promises to today’s world bydis tinguished theologian William E.Hull ’51. It is the forerunner of a

series of publications that will extend and perpet-uate Hull’s half-century ministry as a preacherand teacher.

Known as the Hull Legacy Project, the seriesof publications will present a body of Hull’s bestwork on various Christian themes. The project issponsored jointly by Mountain Brook BaptistChurch and Samford University.

Described by Mountain Brook Baptist seniorminister James D. Moebes ’63 as “one ofAmerica’s premier Biblical theologians,” Hull hasserved as a seminary administrator, Baptist pastorand university professor. He has written 12 books,contributed to 24 others, and lectured widely oncollege and seminary campuses.

Today, he is theo logian in residence atMountain Brook Baptist Church and research professor at Samford, where he was provost from1987 until 1996.

Hull “has cultivated an indescribable capacityto juxtapose the Christian faith against the greatideas of modern man,” said Samford PresidentEmeritus Thomas E. Corts. He is “one of themost analytical, synthe sizing, eclectic minds everto grace the Christian pulpit,” said Corts.

Harbingers of Hope, published by SamfordUniversity Press in partner ship with theUniversity of Alabama Press, will be available thisfall. While his role at Mountain Brook Baptist isthat of a teaching minister, Hull said the book“derives not from my classroom teaching or academic research, but from my preaching to acongregation in the Baptist tradition.”

He adds that the book “seeks to suggest howpreaching may fulfill both a pastoral and a teaching function as called for in Ephesians 4:11d( . . . and some to be pastors and teachers).”

Samford President Andrew Westmorelandand Corts encouraged support of the Hull LegacyProject as a way to serve Alabama Baptist churches. Since the material in the project hasbeen “field-tested” in a congregational setting,they felt it would support churches in ways thatmore technical scholarly works would not.

“At first glance,” Hull noted, “it might seemstrange that an academic press would want to putout a book of sermons, a genre often thought tolack scholarly substance. As a Christian university,Samford is founded on the premise that goodeducation and good religion are mutually reinforcing, that faith and reason are not sworn

enemies, and therefore that piety and truthshould not only coexist but become inseparable.If this book succeeds at all, it seeks to make thesubtle point that serious scholarship can enhancethe witness of the Christian faith.”

Hull is a graduate of Samford and SouthernBaptist Theological Seminary, with postdoctoralstudy at the University of Göttingen and HarvardUniversity.

He pursued dual careers in the church andChristian higher education. Pastor of four congregations for 20 years, he has preached con -tinuously in a wide variety of denominationaland ecumenical settings. A professor of NewTestament interpretation for twodecades, he also served both hisundergraduate and graduate almamaters administratively asprovost.

Copies of Harbingers ofHope are available throughthe Samford Bookstore at acost of $29.95 plus tax andshipping. The book alsowill be available athomecoming and at the annual Alabama BaptistState Convention inNovember. It will bein most bookstoresby early 2008. �

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Hull Legacy Project b y J a c k B r y m e r

Principals involved inproducing the HullLegacy Project include,from left, Samford VicePresident for BusinessAffairs Harry B. BrockIII, Mountain BrookBaptist Church pastorJames D. Moebes,Legacy committeemembers Tom Merrilland David Carder, andauthor William E. Hull,seated.

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During the 1980s and 1990s, acontroversy swept through manycollege campuses about the content

of humanities courses.Often referred to asthe“culture wars,” these arguments focusedon the reading lists of required courses inhistory, literature, philosophy, etc.Manyclassic writers fell into disrepute for viewsthat were unquestionably sexist and elitist.Great thinkers such as Plato,Aristotle,Augustine and Milton often were replacedby more contemporary authors. In return,the new books that were added to thecurriculum often were disparaged by tradi-tionalists, such asE.D.Hirsch andAllan Bloom,who believedin the enduring importance of classicalworks.

The polarization of these early yearshas given way to two approaches togeneral education in the humanities. Onepath was simply to create a smorgasbordof electives. Students could decide if they

wanted to take Native American Writersor Gothic Fiction, Ancient WorldHistory or Protests of the 1960s. Fewchose to study Plato and Aristotle. Otherschools created a core curriculum thatprovided a common foundation for allentering students. The core curriculumrecognized the importance and lastinginfluence of classic writers, but didn’thesitate to critique their views.

Samford’s Cultural Perspectives[CP] requirement is the product of yearsof discussion about what books fresh-men should read and how these worksshould be taught. Former dean RodDavis presided over many hours of dis-cussion about the nature of this course.In the end, the faculty agreed to a shortlist of common texts that would serve asthe unifying focus. Two anthologies weredeveloped to supplement these works.The anthologies not only includeAristotle and Augustine, but also Mariede France and Mary Wollstonecraft.There was also an agreement that thecourse would include some non-Westernelements, such as Buddhism and Islam inCP 101 and the Global Village in CP 102.

Our courses in CommunicationArts and Biblical Perspectives also werecreated out of a cauldron of faculty con-cerns. Communication Arts is an inter-disciplinary course that includes writing,speaking, media literacy and communi-cation technology. Virtually no facultymember could claim expertise in allthese areas, and it took a major effort toprepare faculty for this challenge. BiblicalPerspectives replaced the previously

required Old and New Testamentcourses. Instead of rote knowledge ofBible facts, the course emphasizedunderstanding the historical context ofthe Bible and how hermeneutical per-spectives affected Biblical interpretation.Again, the faculty was stretched to teachoutside traditional specializations.

We have now reached the 10-yearmilestone of our core curriculum.Arguments continue about the nature ofthe reading list in Cultural Perspectivesand how much emphasis should beplaced on technology in CommunicationArts. What is clear is that the core servesas the defining experience for enteringstudents. Whether you agree with Platothat society is best served by a ruling eliteof gifted thinkers, or you supportAristotle’s view that ordinary citizensshould take part in decision making,everyone agrees that these are ideas arejust as important now as they were inancient Athens.

Not long ago, I spoke with one ofour graduates, a leader in our state gov-ernment, about his Samford education.“My only regret,” he said, “is that I didn’thave a course that required me to readthe great books of Western civilization.”

“That,” I confidently replied, “hasbeen rectified.”

David W. Chapman, DeanHoward College of Arts and Sciences

From Culture Wars to Cultural Perspectives

A R T S A N D S C I E N C E S N E W S L E T T E R

Samford alumni have come to expectyearly contact from current students,asking them if they want to make a gift

to the university.Donors have always beenable to have their gift designated for a spe-cific department, but they weren’t alwaysaware of this option.This year, arts and sci-ences graduates can expect to hear about aspecific need in the department where theymet their major requirements: new labequipment for science students, interna-tional travel scholarships for students whocouldn’t afford to go otherwise,mediaequipment for classrooms, etc. In every case,

these funds will have an immediate impacton the quality of a Samford education. Inmany cases, alumni giving is the differencebetween just getting by or moving ahead.

For instance, gifts for arts and sciencesthis year made it possible for students toparticipate in a summer research projectunder the guidance of an individual facultymember. Such a program would have beenimpossible without the funding receivedfrom generous supporters. Last year,majorgifts strengthened the bioinformatics pro-gram, funded a debate scholarship, fundeda partnership with the Department of

Journalism and Mass Communicationand the Washington Post, supported thenew Scholars Initiative and enhancedmany other programs.

Also, many endowed funds havebeen built up steadily by loyal alumnimaking small gifts for many years.

Samford is making a difference inour world. When the phone rings thisfall, we invite you to make a difference inSamford.

Samford Phonathon Provides Vital Support

Collegium cover (page 21): Biology/biochemistry major Amanda Jones uses an automaticpipetter to extract a water sample from a Florence flask. Jones studied the production ofandrogens from paper mill sediment as her undergraduate summer research project.

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Everyone seems to be using them.Olivia Keaggy ’06 andAmy BondsMeyer ’06 used theirs to parlay entry-

level job offers into something that bettersuited their skills and interests. BethanyRushing ’06 showed hers during an inter-view and was hired on the spot.ClaireKimberley ’07 says hers was critical inlanding a graduate assistantship.

What’s the secret? Excellent refer-ences? Strong résumés? No, think more21st century . . . electronic portfolios.Even though the electronic portfoliosdeveloped in the Department ofCommunication Studies were designedprimarily as tools for assessing academiccompetencies of graduating seniors,many students find that they are impor-tant tools in their job searches.

Since 2005, seniors in theDepartment of Communication Studieshave created electronic portfolios todemonstrate what they have learnedduring their time at Samford. Studentsselect sample papers, speeches and otherartifacts that highlight their learningexperiences. Perhaps the most crucialcomponent of these projects is thereflective essay that students create tounify the disparate pieces of theiruniversity experience.

The e-folio also can bring into focusa student’s interests and strengths. As arecent graduate explained, “The e-folioallowed me an opportunity to organizemy work from the past four years, whichhelped me see the primary areas I wasinterested in. It helped me narrow downmy field of interest and helped steer me

toward the correct vocation.”Professors from Texas Tech

University, the Illinois Institute ofTechnology and the University of SouthAlabama have taken a close look atSamford’s e-folios, and the students haveearned high marks from these reviewers.

For Kimberley, the e-folio wasinvaluable in her postgraduate plans. Sheinterviewed for a graduate assistantship onthe phone. She then sent the e-folio. After

her interviewer received the e-folio andviewed her speeches, she was hired asprogram coordinator for academicenhancement at the University of Kentucky.

Electronic portfolios allow studentsto highlight their skills and distinguishthemselves from other college graduates.To learn more about this program, go towww.samford.edu/commstudies/index.html.

E-Folios Provide Edge in Job Marketb y R h o n d a P a r k e r a n d C h a r l o t t e B r a m m e r

Olivia Keaggy ’06 used her electronic portfolio to land a better job with InternationalExpeditions. Here, she visits the Sphinx in Egypt.

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Samford is commemorating the 10thanniversary of the core curriculum thisfall with a series of special events that

will enrich courses in the core: CulturalPerspectives I and II,CommunicationsArtsI and II, Biblical Perspectives, and Conceptsof Fitness and Health.

Provost J. Bradley Creed delivered akeynote address to incoming freshmen,“A Conversation on the Nature of theUniversity,” and introduced students tomany of the books they will be readingin core classes.

“The greatest part of the story ofThe Iliad and The Odyssey was whathappened after the war was over,” henoted. Odysseus made his way back

home but recognized that his mind nolonger could remain static and comfort-able if isolated from new experiencesand ideas.

Dr. Creed encouraged students toapproach their own learning with a spir-it of adventure and discovery that com-bines the best of a liberal arts educationwith the foundation of a Christianuniversity.

Central to the fall commemorationwill be an exhibit in Davis Libraryduring October. “Great Books, GreatThinkers: From the Classical World tothe Global Village” will showcase textsand artifacts that are central to freshmancore courses.

Lecturers will include Dr. RichardHays, professor of New Testament atDuke Divinity School; Walter Isaacson,author of Einstein: His Life and Universeand chief executive officer of the AspenInstitute (see page 25); and Dr. Saban AliDuzgun, Fulbright Scholar of theUniversity of Ankara, Turkey.

Samford University Theatre willperform Shakespeare’s Twelfth NightNov. 29–Dec. 2 to coincide with theRenaissance unit of Cultural Perspectives.The commemoration will conclude witha 5K run on campus Dec. 8, sponsoredby Concepts of Fitness and Healthclasses.

Core Curriculum Commemorates 10th Anniversary

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Journey to the Center of the World:

A Summer Adventure in the Land of the Equatorb y M y r a l y n A l l g o o d

What do a poet, a physicist, apharmacist and a politicalscientist have in common?What

is it that drew them, just days after the closeof a busy school year, to undertake a two-week study trek across the EcuadorianAndes?

The bond they share, along with 14other colleagues, is Ecuador itself—and akeen interest in Latin America, itspeople, language and culture. These 18faculty members, who represent a broadrange of teaching disciplines, areSamford’s Latin American StudiesFellows. Their immersion trip toEcuador was the culminating event of ayearlong series of on-campus seminars,colloquia and language classes funded bya two-year foreign language and inter-national studies grant from the U.S.Department of Education.

The two-year project, which aims tocreate pockets of expertise on LatinAmerica across campus, features facultydevelopment activities for the fellows asthey prepare new Latin America–focusedcourses or units in areas as diverse associology, nutrition, communication,education and nursing. Though theirdisciplinary perspectives are unique, thefellows are bound by their commoninterest in this area of the world andtheir commitment to share their experi-ences with students.

In Ecuador, they were studentsthemselves, learning about the country’sindigenous people, its history and way oflife, its ecosystems and agricultural pro-duction, all while traversing its moun-tains, walking its streets, eating its foodand worshipping in its churches. Equallyinstructive was the experience of livingwith host families and studying Spanishat the Cuenca campus of EstudioSampere, the affiliate language schoolthat has been home to Samford’s lan-guage study-abroad programs since 1985.

Mornings in Cuenca were com-mitted to intensive Spanish classes thatwere small and interactive. After lunch“en casa” with their families, where con-versation practice continued, fellowsspent the remaining hours of their busydays in lectures, museums, local shopsand markets, cooking and salsa classes,and meetings with disciplinary counter-parts at the nearby University of Cuenca.

Partnerships formed with Cuencacolleagues bore immediate fruit, with

plans for more collaboration in years tocome. Samford pharmacists MaryWorthington and Jennifer Beale, forexample, met with pharmacy faculty andspoke in their classes. Nursing professorJanet Alexander explored exchangeopportunities with the Cuenca dean, andvisited local hospitals and clinics.Physicist Perry Tompkins began a collab-oration with Cuenca physics professorsthat will continue throughout the fallsemester when he is back in Ecuadorfunded by a follow-up Fulbright grant.

Literature professors Mark Baggett,Bryan Johnson, Nancy Whitt andHeather West enjoyed an evening withlocal literati, who shared their ideas andcreative work and explored possibilitiesfor literary collaboration. “This was thesingle best experience so far,” recalledone professor. “I was completely in myelement and more so when they asked ifI would continue the night by readingsome of my poems under the brokenbridge. I simply couldn’t replicate thiscultural experience at home. They weredelightful, energetic and enthusiasticabout their work and about hearingmine.”

Becky Atkinson, David Finn andClara Gerhardt also spent a lively after-noon brainstorming teaching method-ologies with Cuenca education faculty, asdid sociologist Theresa Davidson, nutri-tionist Pat Hart Terry, historian JeffNorthrup and communication professorAmanda Borden with their respective

Ecuadorian counterparts. Project leadersFred Shepherd, Maria Whatley andMyralyn Allgood met with the universityrector and vice rector to discuss plans forfuture exchanges and shared academicprojects between the two universities.

On the fellows’ final night inCuenca, the group was honored at aNoche Cuencana fiesta, a gala farewelldinner with Sampere languageteachers—two of whom will come asvisiting professors to teach in Samfordclassrooms in the coming year—and theUniversity of Cuenca professors. It was awonderful evening, complete withEcuadorian food, folk dances, fireworksand handmade hot-air balloons.

Most importantly, it was a time tocelebrate new friendships, lessonslearned and experiences shared. “It was amemorable experience,” one travelerreflected, “and illuminated theEcuadorian culture . . . I am left with anindelible impression of the richness,diversity, generosity and sheer beauty ofthe Ecuadorian people, and particularlythe children who captivated us.”

The journey was “probably the besttrip in my life and definitely a life-altering experience,” another fellowwrote. “My heart overflows. I want toperfect my Spanish. South America is aplace I have come to love . . . a place witha face and a character and a heart. I willgo back. It is already calling me.”

A R T S A N D S C I E N C E S N E W S L E T T E R

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Samford faculty and their hosts celebrate their Ecuador visit with a series of mini–hot-air balloons at a closing gala.

On May 29, 1919, two teams ofEnglish scientists—one in theAmazon jungle of northern Brazil

and the other on the tiny island Principe offthe coast of equatorial Africa—pho-tographed a total eclipse of the sun. It tookseveral months for the plates to make itback to England for measurement andcomparison, but when the results were in,the verdict was clear: Albert Einstein wasright—the sun’s gravity bent starlight to theexact degree he had calculated in 1915.Andbecause Einstein was right, his theory ofgeneral relativity was right. Time and spacewould never be the same again.

According to biographer WalterIsaacson, the 1919 eclipse coincided withthe birth of a new celebrity age, turningthe unassuming German physicist into a“scientific supernova.” Today, of course,“Einstein” is synonymous with “genius,”and Isaacson’s compelling biographytraces out the arch of that fame. In doingso, however, Isaacson reevaluates ourunderstanding of the man’s genius.Rather than the “brute strength of his

mental processing power,” Isaacson cele-brates Einstein’s “imagination andcreativity,” in particular his ability todevise ingenious thought experimentswith equally ingenious solutions thatwould overturn conventional thinkingon everything from ether and atoms tomatter and energy.

Isaacson proposes that, a “centuryafter his great triumphs, we are stillliving in Einstein’s universe.” IllustratingEinstein’s theories in clear and livelyprose, Isaacson reveals a universe ofjoyous if puzzling surprises: light beamsmove toward us at the same speed nomatter whether we are standing still orrushing straight at them; watches slowdown as we travel at faster and fasterspeeds; time, as well as space and dis-tance, lose their absoluteness; gravitybecomes indistinguishable from acceler-ation; matter becomes one with energy;and the universe curves back upon itself.

As a primer on Einstein’s theories,Isaacson’s biography is unmatched.However, Isaacson’s understanding of

Einstein’s universe is more than simplythe sum of the man’s scientific dis-coveries. When he tells us that we arestill living in Einstein’s universe, Isaacsonmeans more than just a cosmos ofbending light and warping space. Just asEinstein’s theories revealed wondrousand surprising physical laws, Einstein’slife also illuminates vital truths. By“questioning conventional wisdom,challenging authority, and marveling atmysteries that struck others as mun-

Review of Walter Isaacson’sEinstein: His Life and Universeb y C h r i s M e t r e s s

25A R T S A N D S C I E N C E S N E W S L E T T E R

Students enrolled in Samford biologycourses this fall will be the first toincorporate studies at the new field

station at Oak Mountain State Park.Wildlife specimens will be studied at theinterpretive center during class and thenreleased back into the forest. The laboratorycontains a full suite of supplies and equip-ment for studies in environmental science,ecology, botany and zoology.

The director of the Oak MountainInterpretive Center [OMIC], DavidFrings, has been working with thebiology staff and faculty to collect fielddata on the plants and animals thatinhabit the park. “Before we can designexhibits indoors, we have to know whatis swimming, flying and crawling out-doors,” he said. The team began workthis summer by seining various creeksthat snake their way through the moun-tains and valleys to document variousspecies of fish.

Other ongoing projects include col-lecting field data on the park’s geologicalformations, wildflowers, butterflies and adelineation of habitats and ecosystems.“We hope to engage students in a varietyof research projects at the center,” Frings

emphasized. Students who wish tovolunteer for projects at the interpretivecenter should contact Frings at726-4537 or 121 Sciencenter.

Funds were raised through grantsand donations to purchase furnishings

for the meeting room and wet lab, and todevelop a master plan for exhibits on thediverse ecosystems that can be observedthroughout Alabama. The first phase of

Samford Students Are First to Study at Oak Mountain Interpretive Center

Dr. Robert Stiles, left, and Dr. Jason Heaton seine Hog Sucker Branch to catalogspecimens at Oak Mountain State Park.

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Einstein biographer Walter Isaacson willdeliver the J. Roderick Davis Lecture atSamford Oct. 18.

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Samford students’ interests in medicinecome at different times in their lives.For twins Bradley and Rodney Dennis

’73, the desire came from working summersas technicians at Flowers Hospital inDothan,Ala.While at Samford, the Dennistwins worked as unit clerks at BrookwoodMedical Center with their two other broth-ers, David ’75, Pharm.D. ’76, and Gary,Pharm.D. ’76.

After graduation from theUniversity of Alabama School ofMedicine, Rodney completed a residencyat Vanderbilt University, while Bradleyperformed his residency at the MayoClinic in internal medicine. The twinsthen returned to the Birmingham area.Rodney is a urologist in Homewood, andBradley is the chief medical officer forBrookwood Medical Center. Bradley alsoserves on the Howard College of Artsand Sciences Advisory Board.

For James Kelley ’02, medicine andbiomedical research reignited the sparkof curiosity he felt as a boy growing upin Opelika, Ala. “Experiments are frus-trating and full of failure, but every oncein a while, something works,” he said. “Idiscover something new, and it’s fun tobe that five-year-old again.”

Kelley received a GoldwaterFellowship upon graduation, whichallowed him to study at the University ofCambridge, receiving a Ph.D. in 2006.Among the science faculty at Cambridgeare physicist and black-hole expertStephen Hawking, and geneticist andDNA helix codiscoverer Francis Crick.

Kelley’s work used computationalgenetics to locate patterns in genes thatcontrol the immune system. He was ableto study at Cold Spring HarborLaboratory in New York and atL’Université de Provence Aix Marseilles.His work as a graduate student wasfunded by grants from the WellcomeTrust and the Medical Research Council(similar to the U.S. National Institutes ofHealth). After being accepted to Caius,he was selected the Perse Scholar ofGonville and Caius College, a centuries-old scholarship that helped with livingexpenses.

For Kyle Rudemiller ’07, aHuntsville, Ala., double major in chem-istry and biochemistry, the urge to prac-tice medicine didn’t come until near the

end of his freshman year at Samford. Ahuman anatomy class first stimulated hisinterest, and a course in biochemistrypiqued his interest further.

An important part of Rudemiller ’sundergraduate experience was hisresearch work with Dr. David Garza.Rudemiller has been working on the“synthesis and crystallization of differentplatinum-alkyl complexes. These com-plexes are intermediates in the process ofhydroformylation, which is used to makeplasticizers.” Rudemiller did some of hiswork during the summer of 2005 as partof the Samford Summer UndergraduateResearch Program [SURP]. Scholars in avariety of arts and sciences disciplinesare paid to conduct research withSamford faculty as mentors. Rudemillercredits his SURP work as helping himland a full four-year scholarship to theUniversity of AlabamaSchool of Medicinethis fall.

One constantfeature in all three ofthese success stories isthe preparation theyreceived at Samford.Bradley Dennis callsnow-retired biologyprofessor MikeHowell “the bestscience teacher in allmy years of training.”Bradley also creditsSamford with pro-viding a nurturingenvironment duringthe turbulent 1970s.

Kelley expressesthe wish that “all thebiology professors atSamford would quitand come teach at themedical school atUAB.” He also foundthat courses in worldlanguages helped himgain the confidence totravel the world.Samford furtherhelped Kelley developcaring, ethics andfaith—qualities thataren’t measured onentrance exams.

Rudemiller appreciates the problem-solving emphasis that a Samford edu-cation requires, an acquired skill that willhelp him in his medical education andpractice.

The prehealth program at Samfordhas been phenomenally successful overthe last several years. From 2004 to 2006,four students have gone to veterinaryschool, five to optometry school, 13 todental school and 54 to medical school.Accepted students had nine differentmajors, including biology, biochemistry,sports medicine, history, psychology,musical theatre, musical performance,business and classics.

For more information aboutSamford’s prehealth program, go tohttp://www.samford.edu/prehealth/index.htm.

Updating Samford’s

Prehealth Professions Programsb y G e o r g e K e l l e r

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Certificates on the wall of the Sciencenter foyer recognizestudents accepted into medical and health-related schools.Here, health professions adviser George Keller, assistant dean ofarts and sciences, visits the area.

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Howard College of Arts and Sciencesconducted more faculty searchesthis year than any other year in

recent history. The school is certainlypleased with the caliber of the faculty whobegan teaching this fall.

Malia Fincher com-pleted her doctoralwork at TulaneUniversity, whereher greenhouseexperiments sur-vived the ravages ofHurricane Katrina.She has done exten-

sive research on the interactions betweenplants and insects, including severalstints in Costa Rica. She is an assistantprofessor in the Department ofBiological and Environmental Sciences.Her husband, Grant Gentry, is a researchassociate in the department. Fincherenjoys traveling, outdoor activities,reading, costume designing and cooking.

Andrew Konitzerjoins Samford’sDepartment ofPolitical Science. Hehas long been inter-ested in the politicsof Eastern Europe,and is a frequentvisitor to Russia and

other former communist states. He was aresearch scholar for the WoodrowWilson Center and has published widelyin journals such as Europe-Asia Studies,Post-Soviet Affairs, Publius: The Journal ofFederalism and East European Politics andSocieties and Electoral Studies. JohnsHopkins University Press recently pub-lished his study of regional politics with-in the former Soviet Union, Voting forRussia’s Governors: Regional Elections andAccountability under Yeltsin and Putin.He is working on a new project com-paring the processes of democratizationand European integration in Croatia andSerbia following the collapses of theirrespective nondemocratic regimes in2000. Konitzer and his wife, Maja, enjoytraveling, outdoor activities andspending time with their one-year-oldson, Sasha.

Mike Ledgerwood,a native of Oak Ridge,Tenn., spent most ofhis teaching careerat SUNY–StonyBrook, where hedirected theLanguage Learningand Research Center

and coordinated French Studies. He isthe new chair of the Department ofWorld Languages and Cultures. He hasdone pioneering work in the use of tech-nology for language instruction, and ispresident of the International Associationfor Language Learning and Technology.His hobbies include traveling, reading,biking, swimming, computers, cuisine ofall kinds, his flat-coated retriever, Foggy,and music. He was a vocal and instru-mental soloist (clarinet and recorder) ata small Episcopal church in New York.

Jennifer Rahntaught at BaylorUniversity and OldDominion aftercompleting her Ph.D.at the University ofFlorida in physicalgeography. One ofher current projects

includes monitoring erosion and accretionrates of the estuarine coastal response tothe placement of oyster reefs (livingshorelines) in the Chesapeake Bay nearNorfolk, Va. She looks forward to researchon the Alabama coast, near her dissertationresearch area in the Florida Panhandle,looking at beach geomorphology, andcontinuing research in the Caribbean.She enjoys scuba diving, traveling,running, biking, swimming and javelinthrowing. She is an avid reader andscience fiction fan, and she enjoyspainting, photography and graphic arts.

James Strange is avisiting assistantprofessor of religion.He recently com-pleted his doctoraldegree in NewTestament andChristian origins atEmory. He has long

been involved in archaeological researchand has produced technical drawings forthe University of South Florida’s [USF]excavations at Sepphoris, Israel. He hastaught courses in biblical Hebrew, thearchaeology of Palestine, world religions,

and Koine Greek at USF, Eckerd Collegeand Candler School of Theology. Hismain research interest is the archaeologyof Palestine in the Hellenistic throughByzantine periods. He enjoys cooking,singing and karate.

Abi Williamscompleted an M.A.degree in communi-cation studies andworked with thedebate team atGeorgia StateUniversity. Her mainrole at Samford is as

a debate coach, but she will continue herresearch on rhetorical criticism, especiallythe rhetoric of white supremacists. Herhobbies include arts and crafts, naturewalks, her cats, current events magazinesand trying vegetarian recipes. She andher husband, Anthony, expect their firstchild, a daughter, in November.

Will Womack com-pleted his doctoralwork at the Schoolof Oriental andAfrican Studies atthe University ofLondon. He special-izes in the history ofcolonial Burma

(Myanmar), where he lived briefly afterhis graduation from the University of theSouth. His research interests include 19thcentury publishing, sociolinguistics,Southeast Asian tattooing, Buddhistsectarianism, early Baptist missions andthe global history of literacy. He enjoysmusic, home improvement and the greatoutdoors. He is working on an article onEllen Mason, an early Burmese missionary.

Geoffrey Wrightwill strengthenSamford’s filmstudies sequence. HisPh.D. is from theUniversity of Tulsa,where he was bookreview editor for theJames Joyce Quarterly.

He wrote a dissertation on TextualGeographies: The Landscape of Experiencein Modern American War Prose and Film.His professional interests include warliterature and film, geography, Southernliterature and film adaptation, andAmerican novels. His hobbies includecamping, hiking, golf and XBox.

Meet the New Arts and Sciences Faculty

New Additions to the FamilyAlexander Benjamin Coulter Gallowaywas born Nov. 29, 2006, to Ryan and BeckyGalloway. Ryan is an assistant professorin the Department of CommunicationStudies and is director of debate at Samford.

RetirementThe faculty and staff of the Departmentof World Languages and Cultures willsorely miss their colleague and friend,Linda Wood Ables ’65, who retired after12 years of dedicated service. In additionto her roles as Spanish teacher andhands-on language missions coordinator,Ables was the editor of the department’snewsletter,World Notes, adviser to edu-cation and international relationsstudents with majors in Spanish, mentorfor students in directed teaching experi-ences, and professor-in-residence inSamford’s study-abroad programs inCosta Rica and Spain.

Ables often went the extra mile to beactive in all aspects of campus life:service learning, international studies,student affairs, connections and facultysenate, to name a few. She was an avidsupporter of the Gospel Choir andSamford’s sports programs. Samfordwishes you well in all your futureendeavors, profesora!

Having already retired from a career inthe U.S. Air Force, Paul Blanchard expe-rienced his second retirement in May2007. He joined the Department ofBiology in 1990 as an assistant professorand quickly rose to the level of professor.During his tenure at Samford, he workedwith colleagues to establish strong pro-grams in environmental stewardship andeducation. He greatly expanded courseofferings in the area of microbiology.During his Samford career, he receivedmany accolades and awards, includingthe Buchanan Award for TeachingExcellence. Blanchard will be missed atSamford and will, no doubt, seek outmany new projects in his retirement.

Greg Jeane founded the Department ofGeography at Samford. He worked tocreate a geography major at Samford andmolded the program as a center forgeographic information science [GIS] byestablishing the environmental science/GIS major with the Department ofBiology. During his 18 years at Samford,Jeane taught both introductory andupper-level classes including political,historical and cultural geography. Hetraveled extensively and believed thatstudents could understand geographybest through actual experience. He led

student groups on extended field excur-sions through the American West. Theytraveled west to the Rockies, criss-crossed the mountains north intoCanada and eventually to the Pacific,later returning via the Pacific coast andthe Grand Canyon. They camped alongthe way and visited many national parks.

Jeane also developed an interest inAfrica.Working with Rotary Internationaland Independent Presbyterian Church,he took several mission trips to thevillage of Mwandi in Zambia. Last fall,he took students from his Geography ofAfrica class to Zambia, and they workedin the village, getting a firsthand view oflife in Africa.

Jeane and his wife, Karen, plan tocontinue traveling and exploring theworld. He also plans to continue work ona manuscript about Southern cemeteries.

Ellen McLaughlin retired in August 2007after 40 years of teaching biology. Sheplans to spend more time in Maineduring the summers at her familycottage on Bottle Lake where she canenjoy canoeing, kayaking, fishing, sailing,being with her family, moose and eaglewatching, and eating fresh lobster. Sheplans to read, write up data from herwildlife surveys, take a few genealogycourses, learn to play the hammereddulcimer and banjo, and, of course,travel. McLaughlin’s service to Samford,her accomplishments in teaching and thetremendous impact she had on studentswill be long remembered.

Bob Stiles retired in May 2007 followinga 35-year distinguished career as afaculty member in the Department ofBiology. He established strong programsin zoology, ecology and conservationscience. For many years, he served asSamford’s liaison with the DauphinIsland Sea Lab, making a marine sciencemajor possible for Samford students.

Stiles also honed his knowledge as acomparative anatomist and taught a verypopular course in Mammalian Anatomyto many premedical and predental biologymajors. His expertise in aquatic andstream biology are still widely recognized,as evidenced by the many grants fromthe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFW],which he received to study and charac-terize various fish populations and species.

In retirement, he plans to continueresearch on fish. He has a contract withthe USFW to study the distribution andlife history of the rush darter in WinstonCounty, Ala. He also will teach and workoccasionally for the Oak MountainInterpretive Center.

In MemoriamRon Jenkins died on April 27, 2007, afteran eight-month struggle with cancer(Seasons, Summer 2007). He lovedteaching and was in the classroom until aweek before his death. He had a deepreverence for God’s creation in all itsmanifestations.

Jenkins is survived by his wife, KittyNoordermeer Jenkins, his son, Ben,daughter, Anna-Lea, mother, HelenJenkins of Atlanta, Ga., and sister,Barbara Jenkins Riddle. The familyrequested that memorial gifts be made tothe Samford Undergraduate ResearchProgram [SURP] for research in biology,in care of the Department of Biology,Samford University, 800 LakeshoreDrive, Birmingham, AL 35229.

dane,” Einstein did more than makegreat discoveries. He became a man who,because of his rebellious intelligence,learned to embrace “a morality andpolitics based on respect for free minds,free spirits and free individuals.”

More than a scientific supernova,Einstein is also a “humanist icon,” andfor Isaacson, this is the true mark of theman’s genius. Einstein understood thehuman condition as deeply as he under-stood the movement of light throughspace. In this stirring portrait of “a lonerwith an intimate bond to humanity, arebel who was suffused with reverence,”Isaacson celebrates Einstein’s genius inall its dimensions.

Editor’s Note: Walter Isaacson, presidentof the Aspen Institute, will give the annualDavis Lecture in the new Pete HannaCenter on October 18 at 7:30 p.m. Thepublic is invited.

exhibits should be ready for viewing inSpring 2008.

The three largest contributors forthe project have been Shelby County($150,000), the Community Foundationof Greater Birmingham ($15,000) andthe Vulcan Materials Center ($10,000).Other donors include Red MountainBank, Gallet and Associates, AWINManagement, Inc., Greenbriar, Ltd., Till,Hester, Eyer and Brown, The BirminghamAudubon Society, Insite Engineering,Wal-Mart Foundation, and state repre-sentatives Cam Ward and Mike Hill.

Einstein continued from page 25

Oak Mountain continued from page 25

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A R T S A N D S C I E N C E S N E W S L E T T E R

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Bill Anderson, in honor ofMs. Sharon Jackson

Patrick E. BarkerBrittany BergquistEmily Bourke, in honor ofSheri Ransome

Emily Broeseker, in memory ofDr. Ron Jenkins

Lainee M. Buchanan, in honor ofDr. Becky Atkinson

Lauren E. CantrellMary Kathryn CovertAshley CraftonCassandra L. CrawfordKeith DavisMichael Dove, in memory ofDr. Ron Jenkins

Erin M. EadesBlake EckertRoderick J. EvansRaven EveridgeAshley FinleyMatthew A. Francisco

Anne Marie Gewin, in honor ofDrs. Jennings Marshall, JeremyThornton, Betsy Holloway andSteve Jones

Elizabeth Jo GodfreySheila Goebel, in honor ofSusan Dale Goebel

Adam HancockLindsay HelmbockKatherine Herring, in honor ofDr. Beers and Ms. Berry

Gatewood HoganKimberly M. Holland, in honorof the journalism and masscommunication professors

Lauren E. HornerAmanda HowesDawson HullPeyton HustonAaron HutchensKacie R. JanneyChitra KirpalaniLarry Kloess, in honor ofDr. Stephen Chew

Katie Lantz, in honor ofSheri Ransome

Laren H. LottLindsay MacfarlandMatt Mitchell, in honor ofMark and Kelly Mitchell

Kathryn Murnane, in honor ofDan and Pauline Murnane

Alex NguyenKatherine F. NortonLauren ObermannTwinkle PatelBradford PhilpotMelissa PooleJeremy C. SandefurLauren Schmidt, in memory ofDr. Ron Jenkins

Katie SellersPatrick D. SewellW. Andrew StevensKristen A. StrawDana WarrenJennifer Wilmore

Thank youClass of 2007for your participation inthe Senior Campaign!The Senior Campaign is the first undergraduateinitiative to promote an awareness of the importanceof giving to Samford University. As current studentsexperiencing the gifts of our alumni, we must beginto take responsibility for future generations. Asalumni, we are accountable for the continual successSamford achieves.

30

HOMECOMING

31

HOMECOMING

SamfordUniversity alumni, parents and friends canexpect a full weekendOct. 18–21 as the universitycommunity gathers for 2007 homecoming.The theme for the weekend is “Celebrating

Traditions,” and includes a 50th anniversary cele-bration of the Homewood campus and the 120thanniversary of Samford’s relocation to Birminghamfrom Marion, Ala. Samford moved to the presentcampus in fall 1957 from the East Lake area ofBirmingham.

The homecoming concert features the award-winning group Little Big Town.Two members ofthe group, Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Roads,met as Samford students in the late 1980s and arereturning home to headline the first major concertin Samford’s new Pete Hanna Center. The concertis at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Grand opening of the Hanna Center is one ofthe showcase events of homecoming weekend. Adedication ceremony and ribbon cutting are set for6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, followed by a gala banquetthat celebrates the dedication, the anniversary andhonors Samford’s 2007 Alumni of the Year (seestories beginning on page 34).

The first official event in the new HannaCenter is the annual J. Roderick Davis Lecture at7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18. The speaker is WalterIssacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute and author ofa new biography on Albert Einstein (see page 25).

The weekend includes a full array ofathletics events, including the annual home-coming football game at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20against OhioValley Conference rival Austin PeayState University. The Samford soccer and volley-ball teams also have homematches that weekend,and several other teams are planning scrimmagesand reunion events.

Reunions are an important part of home-coming weekend, and several groups have eventsplanned. Many organizations will gather on theUniversity Quadrangle from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.Saturday. A picnic lunch will be available on thequad, while the all-alumni reunion luncheon isscheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the BeesonUniversity Center dining hall. Tickets for both are$6 per person.

The Golden Bulldogs brunch, for graduates of

50 years or more, begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday inthe Flag Colonnade of Beeson University Center.This event is free.

A golden reunion dinner for the Class of 1957is set for 6 p.m. Saturday in the Beeson Center forHealing Arts. Tickets are $15 per person.

Many homecoming weekend activities are freeand family-friendly, according to David B.Goodwin, Samford’s director of alumni and parentsprograms. The Homecoming Bash, featuring abonfire, pep rally and fireworks, begins about 8:30p.m. Friday near Seibert Hall. A hot-air balloon willbe on the University Quadrangle Saturdaymorning, weather permitting, and the annualhomecoming parade will wind through campusbeginning at 11 a.m.

The weekend will culminate with the home-coming worship service at 10 a.m. Sunday inHodges Chapel.Worship leaders are Esther andBob Burroughs of Greenville, S.C. EstherBurroughs is a former campus minister at Samford.Bob Burroughs will lead a reunion choir of formermembers of the Baptist Student Union/StudentMinistries Choir. Other Samford alumni will assistwith the worship service.

Overflow parking will be available Saturday atHomewood High School. Shuttles will run oncampus throughout the weekend.

Admission is free to homecoming eventsunless otherwise noted on the schedule. Ticketprices and order forms also are included online atwww.samforduniversityrelations.com.

Schedule updates and complete details areavailable at www.samford.edu/alumni.

See also:“Little Big Town: It All Began at Samford,” Seasons2007 summer issue

CelebratingTRADITIONS2007 Samford University HomecomingOctober 18-21, 2007

32

Thursday, October 187:30 p.m.J. Roderick Davis Lecture, Pete HannaCenterSpeaker: Walter Isaacson, CEO, the AspenInstitute and author of Einstein: His Lifeand UniverseThis special evening is the first publicevent in the new Pete Hanna Center.

Friday, October 194–5 p.m.Samford Alumni Association AnnualMeeting, Brock Recital HallAll alumni are invited to attend this shortmeeting with great fellowship!For more information, contact alum-ni@samford.edu or 205-726-2337.

5 p.m.Evensong, Hodges ChapelA worship service modeled after theBritish Evensong tradition and led bySamford students, faculty and alumni.Timothy P. Banks ’74, professor of music,will be the celebrant.

6 p.m.Dedication ceremonies and ribboncutting, Pete Hanna Center

6:30 p.m.Gala, Pete Hanna CenterThe gala re-creates the tradition of thealumni candlelight dinner to celebrate the50th anniversary of the Homewood cam-pus, the dedication of Pete Hanna Centerand the Thomas E. and Marla Haas CortsArena, and those who have made signifi-cant contributions to Samford during thepast year. The 2007 Alumni of the Year—Walt Barnes ’56, Sigurd Bryan ’46, CarolGuthrie ’93 and George Irons ’52—will berecognized.Note: This event is by invitation only, butthe Samford Alumni Association has alimited number of seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.

7 p.m.Soccer: Samford vs. Tennessee Tech,Bulldog Soccer FieldEnjoy the exciting sights and sounds ofSamford Soccer and cheer the defendingOhio Valley Conference regular seasonchampions.

7 p.m.Volleyball: Samford vs. Tennessee–Martin,Seibert HallCoach Michelle Durban and the Samfordvolleyball team anticipate exciting play intheir final season in the Ohio ValleyConference. Enjoy the fast-paced action ofSamford volleyball.

8:30 p.m.Homecoming Bash/Pep Rally/Bonfire/FireworksEnjoy refreshments, live music, a bonfireand pep rally featuring the SamfordMarching Band, cheerleaders, Spike theMascot and presentation of the 2007Homecoming Court. A fantastic fireworksfinale concludes the evening.

Saturday, October 208 a.m.–2 p.m.Registration, Beeson University CenterBe sure to register so that classmates andfriends can find you during homecoming.An updated and complete list of home-coming events and locations will beavailable at registration.Note: If you cannot make it to homecomingbut want others to know where you are, sendan update to homecoming@samford.eduand it will be posted at registration.

8:30–10 a.m.School of Business alumni breakfast,Dwight Beeson HallFor alumni and friends of the School ofBusinessFor more information, contact 205-726-2364 or chdahlke@samford.edu.

9 a.m.–1:30 p.m.Samford Band alumni gathering, BrockHallActivities include breakfast, rehearsal,watch party for the homecoming parade, abarbecue lunch, and sitting and playingtogether at the football game.If you ever were a member of the Samfordmarching band and would like to receivemore information about this year’sreunion and other band activities, pleasee-mail jjsmisek@samford.edu.

9–11:30 a.m.Hot-Air Balloon, University QuadrangleTimes are approximate; weather permittingSponsored by Samford Business Network

9–11 a.m.Ida V.Moffett School of Nursing andBirmingham Baptist Hospitals School ofNursing reunion, Rotunda, Center for theHealing ArtsVisit with graduates from 1922 through2007, and enjoy coffee and pastries.For more information, contact 205-726-2047 or mwcarter@samford.edu.

9–10:30 a.m.Golden Bulldogs brunch, Flag Colonnade,Beeson University CenterAlumni from classes of 1957 and earlierare invited for brunch and informalvisiting with friends and former class-mates. The Lockmiller Award will bepresented to the oldest alumnus andalumna attending the brunch.There is no charge for this event, butadvance reservations are appreciated.

9:30 a.m.Live @ the Library, 235 University LibraryPopular Alabama author, historian andstoryteller Kathryn Tucker Windham willbe featured.

To register for homecoming and to purchase tickets, go to www.samforduniversityrelations.com(Ticket sales open Sept. 1)

A complete homecoming schedule and details on events is available at www.samford.edu/alumni.

2007 Homecoming Schedule

33

10 a.m.–4 p.m.Art alumni reunion and minishow,Swearingen HallAlumni artwork will be displayed infor-mally, so bring your work to share.Computers will be available to displaydigital images. Refreshments and lunchprovided by Samford’s art department.http://www.samford.edu/alumni/artreunion.pdfTo make reservations, e-mail rdsny-der@samford.edu.

11 a.m.Homecoming ParadeThis year’s homecoming parade will be aspecial treat with floats, the SamfordMarching Band and other guest bands,cheerleaders and dignitaries windingthrough campus from Riley Road aroundMontague Drive and back through theUniversity Quadrangle.Winning floats willbe parked at Seibert Stadium following theparade and throughout the football game.

11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.Homecoming Festival, UniversityQuadrangleEver wonder what happened to otherswho were at Samford at the same time asyou but were not in your graduating class?Rather than single class-year reunions, theSamford Alumni Association and StudentGovernment Association are hostingreunion gatherings by affinity groups andstudent generations. Featured classes arethose from 1957, 1982 and 1987, butgraduates from all years are invited toparticipate. Other groups already planningspecial reunions are art departmentalumni, nursing alumni, Baptist StudentUnion/Student Ministries Choir alumni,Samford bands, Sigma Chi, Chi Omegaand Pi Kappa Alpha alumni.

Reunion picnic lunch available on thequadSamford students wishing to eat lunch onthe quad will need to purchase a ticket atregistration or have their cards scanned inthe cafeteria to receive a ticket. Tickets: $6per person, adults or children

11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.All Alumni Reunion Luncheon,UniversityCenter Dining HallEnjoy lunch and reminiscing with friends,former classmates, former teachers andadministrators, and the entire Samfordfamily.Tickets: $6 per person, adults or children

11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.Ida V.Moffett School of Nursing barbecueluncheon, Center for the Healing ArtsplazaAdvance reservations are requested.For more information, contact 205-726-2047 or mwcarter@samford.edu.Tickets: $5 per person(children 5 andunder free), payable on-site

12 p.m.Bulldog FunZone opens, Seibert StadiumChildren enjoy games, inflatables andother fun activities. The FunZone remainsopen throughout the football game.Note: A football game ticket is required foradmission to the FunZone for each adultand child.

2 p.m.Football: Samford vs. Austin Peay, SeibertStadiumCheer the Bulldogs to victory. Enjoy ahalftime performance by the SamfordMarching Band and other festivities. The2007 Homecoming Court will be presented.Parade float winners will be announced.The alumni band will play throughout thegame. Stick around after the game as theSamford Marching Band presents itstraditional postgame concert. Tickets areavailable at www.samfordsports.com.Tickets: $12 per person, generaladmission; $5, children 12 and under,general admission

6 p.m.Class of 1957 Golden Reunion dinner,Rotunda, Center for the Healing ArtsTickets: $15 per person

6 p.m.Volleyball: Samford vs. Murray State,Seibert Hall

8:30 p.m.Little Big Town concert, Pete Hanna CenterEnjoy the exciting music of this award-winning band that includes two formerSamford students, Karen Fairchild andKimberly Roads, who attended in the late1980s.Student tickets: $5 with valid Samfordidentification card$25, chairback seats, lower bowl$15, upper bleachers, general admission

Sunday, October 2110 a.m.Samford Family HomecomingWorshipService, Hodges ChapelWorship Leaders: Esther Burroughs,former campus minister, Bob Burroughs,former Hear and Now Singers director,and Melinda Howard Dressler ’74, organ-ist, Brookwood Baptist Church,Birmingham. Samford family from allgenerations come together for a worshipservice climaxing homecoming weekend.The Samford BSU/Student Ministriesreunion choir will sing, and other Samfordstudents and alumni will help lead thisservice.

Were you a part of the BSU or StudentMinistries Choir? Did you perform with theHear and Now Singers? If so, let us know sothat we can send you information about aspecial reunion. Contact dbgoodwi@samford.edu.

2 p.m.Soccer: Samford vs. Austin Peay, BulldogSoccer Field

All activities are free unless noted otherwise.

Information for this schedule was pro-vided by organizations and departments.If there is an event not listed, check withthe sponsoring department for infor-mation. Overflow parking will be availableat Samford’s overflow parking lot and onSaturday at Homewood High Schoolacross Lakeshore Drive. Shuttle service willbe provided throughout the weekend fromoverflow parking and around campus.�

34

ALUMNAOFTHEYEAR

Alumna of the Year Carol Guthrie ’93 saidit was “not a bad night” at work Aug. 2—even though it was nearly midnight

when she finally left the office. But to the high-level United States Senate aide, expanding a fed-eral health-insurance program for poor chil-dren—which had kept the chamber in sessionlate that night—was worth the hard work.

It’s the kind of job for which her Samfordeducation prepared her well, Guthrie said.

“When you’re talking about whether or notwe should make sure that low-income kids inAmerica are able to go to the doctor, you’retalking about a pretty powerful moral question,”she said.

“Certainly, the grounding I had at Samfordand the grounding I had growing up as aChristian make it obvious to me that we shoulddefinitely reach out and help take care of ‘theleast of these.’”

Guthrie serves as the communicationdirector—the chief press officer—for the SenateFinance Committee’s new Democratic majority.It is her second full-time Senate post, and thelatest in a string of media jobs she has had sinceearning her bachelor’s degree in journalismand English.

Guthrie’s other jobs have includedstints as a reporter for WVTM inBirmingham and for television stationsin Baltimore, Md., andWashington, D.C.

In 2000, she began doing mediawork for then-Vice President Al Gore’spresidential campaign. Along with atemporary move fromWashington toNashville, Tenn., Guthrie said, came arealization that it was time to move from

one side of her reporter’snotebook to the other.

“Though I dearlylove television news, itseemed a logical time totry my hand at politicalcommunication,” shesaid.In 2001, Guthrie

went to work for Sen.RonWyden (D–Ore.).After moving up in thatoffice, she attained hercurrent post with thepowerful Senate financepanel. In her daily work,she comes into regular

contact with some of the nation’s most influ-ential politicians—such as her boss, committeechairman Sen. Max Baucus (D–Mont.)—as wellas famous journalists.

None of that would have been possible,Guthrie said, without the lessons she learned inSamford’s journalism classes. In particular, shecited classes with Dr. Jon Clemmensen and Dr.Dennis Jones.

“The teachers in the journalism departmentgave me a really good grounding in my craft. Ican have all sorts of great ideas about what tosay to advance a policy—but if I can’t articulatethem well to reporters or the public at large,then it doesn’t make it worth it to have theidea,” she said.

Communicating such ideas must be worthit to Guthrie and other high-level congressionalaides, who tend to work long hours for salariesfar below what they could make in the privatesector. Her hours in the office per week, shesaid, range “anywhere from 50 in a regularsession week to 70 on up when you’re in a reallypitched legislative battle.”

Despite her schedule, Guthrie has madetime for her alma mater, working actively in theSamford Alumni Association. As a result, the 35-year-old is the youngest graduate to earn theAlumna of the Year title. Asked how she feels toreceive an honor usually reserved for people intheir 50s and older, Guthrie said, “Undeserved iswhat it feels like.”

She continued, “There are so many of myfriends and people I didn’t know at Samfordwho spend their lives in service to the world,and I think that everybody who is educated atSamford is encouraged to go out into the worldand live a life of service.”

Guthrie also marvels at the talentedSamford alumni who continue to pop up in thenation’s capital. “It’s amazing how many sharpfolks from Samford keep showing up inWashington. It’s really interesting and good tosee how many different kinds of service peoplefind in coming from Birmingham toWashington,” she said.

“I always wanted to come to Washington,”Guthrie concluded, “and Samford made itpossible for me to do that.”�

Robert Marus is Washington bureau chief forAssociated Baptist Press.

Guthrie Views Senate Work as a Missionby R o b e r t M a r u s

Carol Guthrie

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ALUMNUSO

FTHEYEAR

Bryan Combined Preaching with Teachingby M a r y W i m b e r l e y

Sigurd Bryan had seen theHoward Collegecampus once before he enrolled as a freshman.

“I visited as a high school senior, ridingthe train fromDothan to Birmingham,”recalled the1946 graduate and 2007Alumnus of theYear.

It was an enjoyable weekend for the teenager,who stayed in Renfroemen’s dorm, attendedRuhama Baptist Church andwent downtown.“Iwas awed by the streetcars and the two-story F.W.Woolworth’s store,” said Bryan.

The trip began a long and close associationbetween the school and the southAlabama native,who retired in 2002 after 46 years on the religionfaculty.

“Samford hasmeant a lot tome, both as a stu-dent and a facultymember. It is a special place,” saidBryan.“I’ve never had to be ashamed of my train-ing. I was well prepared for seminary. Samford givesa student a very fine education.”TheDothanHighSch“IfelttheByhissophomoreHecontinuedhisWhileinseminary

AboutthetimehecompleJeremiah, he received a brief, two-sentence letter fromHoward College president Major Harwell G.Davis:

“He wrote, ‘There is a possibility of anopening in our Bible and Religious Educationdepartment.Would you be interested?’” recalledBryan, who had enjoyed his teaching experienceas a professor’s fellow at seminary but still feltled to pastor a church.

Bryan accepted the college position withthe agreement that he could continue to preachin churches, which he has done for decades,serving as interim pastor, supply preacher andBible study teacher throughout Alabama.

In the classroom, he taught hundreds ofstudents, including freshmen in required Biblecourses and religion majors in advancedcourses. He served two stints as departmentchair, 1980–86 and 2001–02.

He received the John H. Buchanan Awardfor Excellence in Classroom Teaching in 1968.

“I’ve always enjoyed teaching,” said Bryan.“The Bible is a fascinating book. No matter howmany times I taught it, there was always some-thing new that I could learn.”

Through the years, he enjoyed sabbaticals atHarvard Divinity School, Cambridge University,Oxford University, and most recently in HongKong, China, where he was interim pastor ofKowloon International Baptist Church in 1996.

For many years, he worked closely with theMinisterial Association, which he had joined asa freshman, and the H-Day student-preachingprogram. He continues to serve as director ofthe Samford Sunday program, which pairsstudent preachers with Alabama Baptist

churches for pulpit experiences.His autobiography, Because They Lived

(Samford University Press), was distributed—and well received—at the 2006 meeting of theAlabama Baptist State Convention.AlongtimejoggerwhoclaimedthesportwhenhefounditeasiertoschedulethanhandballHewalksordoesweightconditioningandstretchingexercisesmostdaysoftheweek,and

Bryan met his wife, Sara Pate Bryan ’62,when she was a freshman member of the BaptistStudent Union Choir and he was its facultysponsor. They did not date, however, until shehad graduated and had taught school for severalyears.

Their daughter, Catherine Bryan ’91 iscompleting a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies atSouthwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,Fort Worth, Texas.�

Sigurd Bryan

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GeorgeV. Irons, Jr.,M.D., had hefty scholarshipoffers to several prestigious colleges, but theWoodlawnHigh School all-A graduate and

recipient of a Bausch& Lomb award as the nation’s tophigh school science student chose to stay close to homeand attendHoward College. It was a choice he does notregret.

“It just seemed right for me,” said the 1952graduate and 2007 Alumnus of the Year, citing hisfamiliarity with the faculty and students, theschool’s Christian environment and its premedicineprogram’s reputation for sending well-qualifiedstudents to medical school.

“I have never had occasion to regret mydecision,” said Irons, who went on to graduate theUniversity of Alabama medical school with thehighest academic average in school history (a recordwhich still stands), and serve as president of his classand medical honor society.

After an internship at Barnes Hospital in St.Louis, Mo., service as medical officer and flightsurgeon in the U.S. Air Force, a residency at

University of Chicago’s Billings Hospital andthree years on the medical faculty at DukeUniversity, he soon established himself asone of the nation’s leading cardiologists.The first board certified cardiologistin western North Carolina, he isfounding partner and president ofMid-Carolina Cardiology, Charlotte,N.C., one of the largest cardio-vascular groups in the Carolinas.

His professionalaccomplishments have been noted byresolutions of the legislatures ofNorth Carolina and Alabama, where hewas born in Roanoke. The firstAlabamian inducted as a Fellow in theAmerican College of Cardiology, he is

also a recipient of the NationalAssociation ofCardiologists’ Award ofMerit for his ground-breaking research incoronary disease.

Irons’ father,the late Dr. GeorgeV. Irons, Sr., was alongtime historyprofessor anddepartment chairat Samford. “Hemade breakfastentertaining withtrue tales ofAmerican

history,” said Irons, who never had his dad for class.His earliest memories of Howard are of Renfroe

men’s residence hall, where the family lived when hisdad first joined the faculty. The family would laterinclude a second son,William L. Irons J.D. ’66.

During undergraduate days, Irons found timeto letter in track, serve as senior class vice presidentand Religious Emphasis Week chairman, and enjoyactivities with Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He wasnamed to top academic honor societies such asTrident and Omicron Delta Kappa, and received theJohn R. Mott award, one of the school’s highestrecognitions for service and leadership. He finishedhis undergraduate work in 35 months with a perfectall-A record. Off-campus, he was active at RuhamaBaptist Church.

Some of his fondest extracurricular memoriesare of track meets in neighboring states.

“It was very low tech back in those days,” hesaid of intercollegiate competition. “The team wouldpile into two or three cars with the coaches andmake the trip.We had great times on those trips andformed lasting friendships, win or lose,” said Irons,whose teammates included famed football coachBobby Bowden.

He remembers his Howard professors as beingoutstanding, wise, knowledgeable and entertaining.

“I really enjoyed being a student and learningnew things, and still do,” said Irons, now in his sixthdecade of medical practice.

“It has been a wonderful and rewarding career,mixing intellectual challenges with human inter-action at the basic levels of life and death,” he said ofhis vocational choice. “Patients are always gratefulfor your help and give you more credit than isdeserved.”

He has participated in scores of researchprograms and published ground-breaking articles inprofessional journals. He chose cardiology as aspecialty because, he said, “it seemed important andalso manageable.”

“With a good history, physical exam, chest x-rayand electrocardiogram, plus an echocardiogram,you can make a correct diagnosis about 90 percentof the time,” said Irons, who continues to seepatients and do diagnostics such as exercise tests andechocardiograms.

“I haven’t retired yet because I still really lovewhat I do. I’ll probably continue as long as they’llhave me and my health holds out,” said Irons, whoonly recently quit running regularly for exercise.

He and his wife, Linda, live on Lake Normannear Mooresville, N.C., where they enjoy boatingactivities with family. He is the father of two sons,Dwight Garner and the late David Michael.�

Irons Still Making His Mark in Cardiologyby M a r y W i m b e r l e y

George Irons, Jr.

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FTHEYEAR

Consistency Is a Barnes Hallmarkby M a r y W i m b e r l e y

Walter Barnes prefers being considered a consis-tent producer over a shooting star. That isgood rule to follow in all aspects of life, says the

1956 graduate and 2007Alumnus of theYear.The credo has helped Barnes, president of Insurance

and Investment Consultants, Inc., be a 41-year mem-ber of his industry’s Million Dollar Round Table des-ignation for top producers.

The message of consistency and perseverance isone he hopes to share with students in a SamfordSchool of Business mentoring program that heeagerly signed on for recently. “Maybe I can helpthem learn things about the insurance business,” saidBarnes, who looks forward to the role.ABirminghamnativForthenexttWhilefinishing“IwasoneofMaBarnessoonbecame“ThatplayerknewIn1963,faced“ManyskillsusHehasreceivedActiveincommuniHeservedmorethThedouble impact.

His contributions include support of the JamesAuchmuty Fund for Congregational Leadership,which honors his former pastor, and the Luke 2:52Award, which he established to be given to a maleand female students each spring.

The scholarship recognizes students who livetheir lives according to the verse, which stresses a bal-anced pursuit of academic, spiritual, physical andsocial areas. Barnes first knew the scripture when hewas a Royal Ambassador growing up at Central ParkBaptist Church in west Birmingham. “It fascinatedme that if you want to be Christ-like, it’s a prettygood yardstick,” he said.Heplayedchurchconsecutiveyea

Barnesisthefather9, Greg Barnes ’81, Carol B.Whitley and Susan B.Howerton’85.HeandhiswifevisitingpyramicruisingtheN

Walter Barnes

’43 Vivian Langley of St. Thomas, VirginIslands, and Camp Hill, Ala., is a retiredteacher who still serves as a missionaryand helps supply teaching materials andBibles to pastors in the West Indies.

’56 Ron and Josephine Heriford Hampton’57 celebrated their 50th wedding anni-versary. The retired educators live inDonna, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley.

James I. Harrison, Jr., of Tuscaloosa, Ala.,was elected to the 2007 Alabama Academyof Honor, which recognizes livingAlabamians for meritorious accomplish-ments. Founder of Harco drug chain, theformer Samford basketball player isknown for his philanthropy and vision forimproving lives. This year’s otherinductees included baseball great Henry(Hank) Aaron, businessman T. MichaelGoodrich and former Samford historyprofessor Dr. Leah Rawls Atkins.

Charles H. Talbert of Waco, Texas, is theauthor of Ephesians and Colossians:Commentaries on the New Testament(Baker Academic).

’57 Cecil O. Brown is hospice chaplain atGadsden Regional Medical Center,Gadsden, Ala.

Buddy L. Thorne of Jasper, Ala., cele-brated 46 years in dentistry in July.

’58 Ralph Helms Thomas of Northport, Ala.,retired after 50 years of ministry inAlabama.

’63 Kay CalfeeWideman sang at CarnegieHall in New York City in June with the

Douglas County, Ga., Chamber Singers.As president of the Delta OmicronInternational Music FraternityFoundation, Dr.Wideman presented acertificate of honor to composer/conductor John Rutter, who conductedthe 200-voice choir in Mozart’s Requiem.

’64 Jane B. Forbes of Franklin, Tenn., wasnamed Cambridge Who’s WhoProfessional of the Year in legal and phar-maceutical consulting services. TheSamford pharmacy graduate holds amaster’s in pharmacy from Florida StateUniversity and a juris doctor degree fromthe University of Florida.

’65 Roger A. Brown of Birmingham hasjoined Haskell Slaughter Young & Rediker,LLC law firm and will lead its new white-collar defense and corporate investigationspractice team.

VirginiaWilder Stevens retired from theVirgin Islands Department of Educationafter 29 years as a librarian. She and herhusband, Stiles, live in Christiansted,Virgin Islands.

Andrew Pope Thrash retired in April asdirector of pharmacy at Family MedicineOceanside Clinic in California. He and hiswife, Luz, reside at Kent Ranch inEscondido, Calif.

’67 Perry D.Neal of Wetumpka, Ala., is apreacher and evangelist. He earned adoctor of divinity degree from CovingtonTheological Seminary, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.

’68 Judy LoweWells,M.A., is the author of C.Perry Snell, His Place in St. Petersburg,

Florida History (Orange Blossom Press). ASt. Petersburg native, she lives in Marietta,Ga. Her son, Bretton L.Wells ’94, a pro-fessor of photography at Art Institute ofAtlanta, was the book’s photo editor.

’71 John AndrewArmstrong earned a masterof science in rehabilitation counseling atThomas University, Thomasville, Ga., andpassed the national exam to be a CertifiedRehabilitation Counselor.

Gene Johnson Davis is assistant professorof vocal/choral music at HuntingdonCollege, Montgomery, Ala.

Dale Sanford Gantt won the 2007Headmaster’s Teaching Award atEdgewood Academy,Wetumpka, Ala.,where she teaches Spanish.

’73 Shirley Gardner Harazin ofLawrenceville, Ga., is the author of herdebut novel for teens, Blood Brothers.

’77 Vern Farnum earned a doctor of ministrydegree from McCormick TheologicalSeminary, Chicago, Ill, in May. He ispastor for congregational care at FaithPresbyterian Church, Indianapolis, Ind.

J. Richard Zeski is sales manager for thenew Heidtman Steel Products flat-rolledcarbon steel processing plant inColumbus, Miss. The company serves theautomotive, construction and originalequipment manufacturing industries.

’79 George Adkins of Martinez, Ga., earnedan education specialist degree fromCambridge University. He teaches physicaleducation at River Ridge Elementary.

Billy Joe “Buster”Timmons, Jr., earned amaster of divinity degree from CandlerSchool of Theology, Emory University, inMay. A member of the North AlabamaConference of the United MethodistChurch, he is pastor of two churches inBridgeport, Ala.

’81 Thomas D.Heaton received the WillLandon Miller medal for academicachievement during May commencementactivity at Baptist Theological Seminary atRichmond. The award honors the graduatestudent with the highest scholastic record.Heaton, who earned a master of divinitydegree in church music, is director ofmusic ministry at Good Shepherd UnitedMethodist Church in Richmond, Va.

Tim Parker is chief school financial officerfor Selma, Ala., city schools.

CLASS Let us hear from you!1-877-SU ALUMS(205) 726-2807samnews@samford.edu

This issue includes Class Notes received through August 22, 2007.

Former debater KeithHerron ’86 hasestablished a debatescholarship at Samfordin honor of hisgrandmother, SusieHerron of Tuscaloosa,Ala. Mrs. Herron, 94,recently visited theSamford campus andmet with members ofthe debate team.

Keith is executivevice president of Regions Bank, where heoversees operations for Middle Tennessee andserves as president of Regions Bank inNashville. The Susie Herron Samford DebateScholarship will be awarded annually.

Herron was amember of Samford’snationally rankeddebate team during1982–86 and wasrecognized as one ofthe top 10 debaters inthe United States. Hecredits his interest inhigh school andcollege debate to hisgrandmother’sencouragement.

Herron and his wife, Kelly, have threechildren, Charles, 12, Sims, 9, and Caroline,5.�

Herron Gives Debate Scholarship in Honor of His Grandmother

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Susie Herron Keith Herron ’86

39

’82 Stephen E. Cole is worship/executivepastor at Inverness Vineyard Church inBirmingham. He and his wife, Stacy, havea daughter, Halle Kate, born in June.

Paul G.Hill earned a doctor of musicalarts degree in music education fromShenandoah Conservatory of ShenandoahUniversity,Winchester, Va. He is associatepastor/minister of music and worship atFirst Baptist Church, Marietta, Ga.

’83 DavidWagner, a sales associate withNordstrom clothing company, wasfeatured in an article in the June issue ofMen’s Retailmagazine. He assisted thefather of the bride with formal wear inOprahWinfrey’s fantasy wedding contest.He and his wife, Elizabeth, and theirdaughter, Ella, 4, live in Atlanta, Ga.

’84 Jimmy C.Davis, Jr., of Sweetwater, Ala., isa U.S. Army Chaplain in Iraq with the31st Combat Support Hospital from FortBliss, Texas.

Monica McDaniel McCrary earned amaster’s in secondary education fromMercer University and was named out-standing secondary school graduatestudent. She teaches language arts atTaylor Road Middle School. She and herhusband, Barry McCrary ’82, live inAlpharetta, Ga., with their children,Catherine, Parker and Sloan.

’86 Bill Blanton,M.B.A., of Birmingham isan economics instructor at Jefferson StateCommunity College. He owns BlantonEnterprises, LLC, which has rentalproperties in Baldwin County, Ala.

Leah Taylor Kirk teaches at Calera HighSchool. She lives in Montevallo, Ala., withher husband, Don, and children, Adamand Loryn.

BethBorders Sanders is a human resources/training and development professional.She and her husband, Bert, have twochildren, Lily Jing, 3, and Iris Elizabeth, 1.The family moved from Greenville, S.C.,to Winston-Salem, N.C., this fall.

’87 Paul and GingerWells Culp ’88 live nearPhoenix, Ariz., where he teaches history,global studies and journalism at St. Paul’sPreparatory Academy. She is office man-ager for a civil engineering firm. Paul isthe author of Nothing New Under the Sun:An Introduction to Islam (Universal),based on his research at Oxford Universityand his teaching experience in Palestineand in a Muslim institution in the UnitedStates.

Katie Parrish Cushman lives in SantaBarbara, Calif., with her husband, Lee, andtheir daughters Melanie, 14, and Caroline,9. She is the author of her first novel, APromise to Remember (Bethany House).

She was featured with four other newChristian novelists in a May 21 PublishersWeekly article.

Elizabeth Lynn Huey Hutchins is alibrary associate in the reference depart-ment of the Mobile, Ala., public library.She lives in Satsuma, Ala., with herhusband, Bryan K.Hutchins ’86, andchildren, Robert, Brett and Garrett.

’88 Larry Doyle McQuiston is principal ofValley High School in Chambers County,Ala.

Loretta YoungWalker,M.B.A., is seniorvice president and chief human resourcesofficer at Turner Broadcasting System,Atlanta, Ga.

’90 Glen AndrewMurphy J.D., establishedMurphy Law, PLLC, in South Charleston,W.Va. He and his wife, Gretchen, have threechildren, Colton, Charles and Madison.

Tracey Harwell Robertson is a prospectresearch analyst supporting universityfund-raisers in the development office atEmory University, Atlanta, Ga.

’91 Rob Skelton, a major in the U.S. AirForce, is operations officer for theThunderbirds air demonstrationsquadron. As the squadron’s second incommand, he overseas operations,evaluates demonstrations, administersflight evaluations, and flies safety chaseand orientation flights. He flies theThunderbirds’ No. 7 jet. Skelton enteredthe Air Force as a graduate of Samford’sAir Force ROTC Detachment.

’92 David Jeffrey Roberts is a private wealthadviser with Jeff Roberts & Associates,Ameriprise Financial, in Birmingham.

William E. Smith, Jr., J.D., was appointedcommissioner for Lauderdale County,Ala., by Gov. Bob Riley. He is an attorneyin Florence, Ala.

’93 Jessica Harrison is chief financial officerfor her family business, CornerstoneConstruction Mgmt, LLC, in Spring Hill,Tenn. She also homeschools her children.She and her husband, Robert Carlyon,have six.

A llan Phipps ’96 isas likely to enter

his high school scienceclassroom in aHazmat suit to teachhis students aboutnuclear waste as he isto don a traditionalJapanese outfit toteach the environ-mental impacts ofsushi.

“What really matters is that I try to pro-vide an unforgettable environmental learningexperience for my students,” said Phipps, whoteaches at the new Environmental Science andEverglades Restoration Magnet Program atSouth Plantation High School in Plantation, Fla.

His innovative efforts and dedicationearned him the National Science TeachersAssociation’s [NSTA] Sea World-BuschGardens/ Fujifilm 2007 OutstandingEnvironmental Educator award. He received$5,000 and a trip to the NSTA nationalconference.

Before joining the South Plantationfaculty in 2004, Phipps established a successfulenvironmental science program at PembrokePines Charter High School.

“I have found my educational nicheteaching AP Environmental Science and envi-ronmental project-based service learning,”said Phipps. He has mentored such projects asa RARE Coral Project that involves develop-ment of two artificial reefs and developmentof a coral reef curriculum, and Solar Knight, a

solar-powered race car that his eight-memberstudent team raced cross-country from Austin,Texas, to New York City this summer. Theyhave been invited to bring the solar car to theNSTA regional conference in Birmingham inDecember 2008.

His school also will construct a uniquewater garden that he designed. “This gardenwill accompany our new science building, andeducate all our students and the communityabout water quality, quantity, timing and dis-tribution in south Florida,” explained Phipps.“It also will provide more service-learningproject opportunities for our students.”

Phipps’ field trips for his students haveranged from the local wastewater treatmentplant and a Miami cemetery to study popu-lation demographics, to a 2006 environmentalexpedition to Hawaii and the environmentallythemed 2005World’s Fair in Japan.

In Japan, his students volunteered at theHabitat for Humanity booth, ran a four-dayenvironmental day camp and climbed Mt. Fuji.

The son of missionaries, Phipps attendedhigh school at Nagoya International School inJapan. He earned a master’s degree in biologyat Florida International University, Miami,Fla., in 2000.While in grad school, he met hiswife, Hien Nguyen.

In an e-mail message to the Samfordbiology faculty, he credited the departmentwith providing him with a “phenomenalfoundation” in the biological sciences andbeing positive teaching role models.

“I hope to inspire my students as muchas you have inspired me,” he said.�

Phipps Makes Environmental Class Unforgettable

ALUMNI

Allan Phipps ’96

Chris (CJ) and Julie Marable Johnson ’95live in Columbia, Miss., where he isminister of youth at First Baptist Churchand she is advertising director for theColumbian-Progress newspaper. She wasnamed one of 50 Leading BusinessWomen in Mississippi for 2007. InFebruary, he was guest speaker at theBangladesh Baptist Fellowship YouthFestival in Rajendrapour, Bangladesh, andshe led the music. They have two children,Zoe and Mia.

M.Patrick Lowe is director of robotic andminimally invasive surgery for the gyne-cologic oncology program at NorthwesternUniversity Feinberg School of Medicine.Dr. Lowe recently completed a visitingfellowship in Toulouse, France, and is oneof few certified instructors in roboticsurgery for gynecologic malignancies. Heand his wife, Kim, and their son, Max, livein Clarendon Hills, Ill.

’94 Rob Hoover and Jennifer HannahHoover ’95 live in Atlanta, Ga., with theirthree daughters, Hannah Grace, Emmieand Sophie. He is assistant dean ofadmission for the Emory UniversitySchool of Nursing.

Robert Moon of Hermitage, Tenn., worksfor CVS Drugs in Smyrna, Tenn. He andhis wife, Claire, have a daughter, BaileyJane, born in May.

’95 AudraMcCollummarried Alejandro(Alex) Bowers, a native of Buenos Aires,Argentina, in May. They live in Miami,Fla., where she is realtor.

’96 Kimberly Scheibe Greene,M.B.A., is chieffinancial officer and executive vice presi-dent of financial services at the TennesseeValley Authority [TVA]. She is based atTVA’s corporate headquarters inKnoxville, Tenn.

Christopher MichaelWatson,M.Div. ’00,and Stephanie MaysWatson ’00 live inColumbia, S.C. He is minister to young

married adults at Shandon BaptistChurch. She is a marriage and familycounselor. They have a son, EthanMichael, born in March.

’97 Summer Holden Smith Bragg is anadjunct faculty member in the physicaltherapy program at the University ofCentral Florida. She lives in Clermont,Fla., with her husband, Ryan, and twochildren, Holden and Hunter Ryann.

Mark Downey is a physician at AlabamaOrthopaedic Center in Homewood. Hecompleted a residency in physical medi-cine and rehabilitation at University ofAlabama at Birmingham and is boardcertified. Dr. Downey also completed afellowship in interventional spinemanagement. He and his wife,KimberlyMartin Downey ’96 live in Vestavia Hills,Ala., with their sons, Grant, 3, and Leyton, 1.

Chad S.McDaniel is director of com-munication, boys’ varsity track-and-fieldcoach and assistant cross-country coach atWesleyan School in Norcross, Ga. Studentsat his most recent coaching post in Macon,Ga., won 11 state championships andinclude Samford freshman runner andPresidential Scholarship recipient ScottCope. Chad and his wife, Stephanie, live inSuwannee, Ga., with their three children.

Tiffany Caffee Nelson works in theSamford Bursar’s office.

Thomas Allen Treadwell, J.D. ’00, iscorporate counsel for Alfa InsuranceCompanies. He and his wife,KellyKilgore Treadwell,M.B.A. ’99, live inMontgomery, Ala., with their sons,Thomas, Jr., 5, Samuel, 2, and JamesDaniel, born in December.

’98 Kari Osborne earned a master’s ineducational leadership from University ofAlabama at Birmingham in May. She isdirector of residence life at HuntingdonCollege, Montgomery, Ala.

Matthew Porter directed a documentary,Hope+: Surviving the Sentence ofHIV/AIDS. The award-winning film, shoton location in Russia, South Africa,Jamaica and Chicago, Ill., concerns fourChristians who are HIV positive. He andhis wife, Stephanie, live inWinter Park, Fla.

AnneMarie Kinman Trammell is amedical social worker with Home Care ofRochester, Rochester, N.Y. She and herhusband, Jim, have a son, CooperKinman, born in July.

’99 Eric Stephen Fowler, a company com-mander in the U.S. Army, earned a master’sin diplomacy at Norwich University. Afterseven years in Germany, he is pursuing aPh.D. in international studies at OldDominion University, Norfolk, Va. He andhis wife, Teresa Anne, have a daughter,Savannah Katherine, born in March.

Jonathan Paul Green,M.M. ’02, isworship pastor at Vaughn Forest Church,Montgomery, Ala. He and his wife, Gina,have two children, Jon Paul, 4, and Lexie,born in October, 2006.

Jason,M.Div. ’02, and Bethany ButlerRoberts,M.Acc. ’01, live in Pewee Valley,Ky. He is an auditor for Mountjoy &Bressler in Louisville, Ky. She is anaccountant for Louisville Gas and Electric.They have three children, Aidan, 3, andtwins Ainsley and Ellery, born in January.

’00 CandaceWilliams Echols is a first-gradeteacher at Presbyterian Day School inMemphis, Tenn. She earned a master’s inteaching in May. She and her husband,Jim, live in Memphis.

’01 Daniel Glenn Ausbun is enrolled in thedoctor of ministry degree program atSoutheastern Baptist TheologicalSeminary,Wake Forest, N.C. He is pastorof First Baptist Church, Moreland, Ga.

LauraMichelle Hitt earned a Ph.D. inmathematics at the University of Texas atAustin. She is a postdoctoral researcher atUniversity College, Dublin, Ireland.

SarahMcIntyre is voice division head atMetropolis School of the Performing Arts,Chicago, Ill.

JanViningmarried Kert Johnson inOctober 2006. They live in Memphis, Tenn.

’02 Whitney Elaine Burrough andWilliamCharles Akinmarried in December. Heearned a doctor of dentistry degree at theUniversity of Tennessee and is in aresidency at Tufts University. They live inBoston, Mass.

Rebecca Cushmanmarried Kevin Corleyin June. They live in Clinton, Miss.

Samford graduateMary KathrynCovert ’07 of Meridian,Miss., was named 2007National StudentLeader of the Year byOmicron Delta Kappa[ODK] nationalleadership honorsociety. The awardincludes a $2,000scholarship forgraduate work.

Covert wasselected on the basis of quality leadership and

scholarship from nominees representingODK’s more than 300 campus circles nation-wide. She was cited for her extensive SamfordODK work, including service as communityoutreach chair and leadership with projects inrural Perry County.

She was a Samford Presidential LEADscholar, Honors Program president andStudent Government Association chief justice.In 2005, she was a summer intern at ChristianSolidarity Worldwide human advocacy firm inSurrey, England.

A history major, Covert is serving as apublic affairs intern with the Coca-ColaCompany in Atlanta, Ga.�

May Grad Covert Receives Top ODK National Award

Mary KathrynCovert ’07

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KimberlyWalker Dougherty, J.D., is anattorney with Husch & Eppenberger, LLC,Memphis, Tenn. She and her husband,Buck, live in Collerville, Tenn., with theirson, George McDowell, born in May.

Amber Roper Long received a master’s inlibrary and information studies at theUniversity of Alabama in May and is alibrarian at The Birmingham News. Sheand her husband, Kevin Scott, live inLeeds, Ala.

Lauren Sheehan of Memphis, Tenn., wasa missionary in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,during the summer. She worked withHIV/AIDS orphans.

’03 Celeste NacoleWilliams Coffman isdirector of evangelism at First UnitedMethodist Church, Athens, Ala., and isguidance counselor at Monrovia MiddleSchool in Huntsville, Ala.

TinaM. Coker, J.D., is an assistantattorney general in the office of AlabamaAttorney General Troy King inMontgomery, Ala. She practices in thecapital litigation division.

Matt Ennis and AmandaWard ’04married in February. She earned amaster’s degree in public health andpublic administration at University ofAlabama at Birmingham, and works forMedMined in Vestavia Hills, Ala. He isdirector of development for Cahaba ValleyHealth Care.

Andrew B. Gray is a U.S. Army captainwith the 173rd Airborne Brigade inVicenzia, Italy. He was recently deployedto Afghanistan on his second combat tour.

Heather Hackett Leger and her husband,Mike, live in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She is

an independent consultant with OnceUpon a Family. They have two sons,Joshua, 2, and Caleb, born in January.

Susan D. Polhemus graduated fromAuburn University School of VeterinaryMedicine in May. She is a veterinarian atDeerfoot Animal Clinic, Trussville, Ala.

EhrenWasserman was called up to theChicago White Sox in July from theTriple-A Charlotte, N.C., club. He was avarsity pitcher for the Samford Bulldogs.

’04 Josephine Elizabeth Cox of Leeds, Ala.,earned a master’s in music performance atthe University of Memphis in May. She isan English teacher with Language Link,Moscow, Russia.

Marcus Hunt, J.D., is an attorney withDuell law firm, Birmingham. He and hiswife, Rachel Miller Hunt ’99, have twosons, Caedmon, 2, and Levi, 1. They livein Chelsea, Ala.

Bailey Dale McKay earned a master’s inecology and evolutionary biology atAuburn University in August. He is pur-suing Ph.D. studies in phylogenetics inbirds at the University of Minnesota, St.Paul, Minn.

Mary Smothersmarried Capt. DennisNorton, a former instructor in Samford’sAir Force ROTC Detachment 012, in ReidChapel in April. She is a loan officer atSuperior Mortgage in Birmingham. Sheearned a postgraduate diploma in inter-national studies at the University ofMelbourne, Australia, in 2006 through theRotary International AmbassadorialScholar program.

CarmenAveryWalker earned a master ofdivinity degree from Candler School of

Theology, Emory University, in May. Sheis a member of the Atlanta North GeorgiaConference of the AME Church.

Amber Rose Zuerchermarried Ryan NealMyers in July. They live in Moscow, Idaho.

’05 Ellen Blount is a nurse in Atlanta, Ga.

Brian Hake is a project accountant inAtlanta, Ga.

Jamie Nicole Harringtonworks at YoungTransportation, Asheville, N.C. She livesin Black Mountain, N.C.

JonMann is president/owner of MannResearch Group, LLC, Birmingham, whichspecializes in legal and business researchsolutions.

Emily Olsmarried Jeremy Long in March.They live in Huntsville, Ala.

Jenni Pratt andMatthew ChristopherJohnsonmarried in June. They live inRoswell, Ga.

’07 Starla Gordon Pharm.D., is a licensedclinical pharmacist at Jackson MadisonCounty Hospital, Jackson, Tenn.

Jamie Guy Ratliff, J.D., is an associateattorney with the law offices of Judy H.Barganier, P.C. She and her children,Brody and Addison, live in Montgomery,Ala.

Katrina Rodger and Justin Paxsonmarried in June in Auburn, Ala., and hada blessing ceremony in Sydney, Australiain July.�

’82 Stacy and Stephen E. Cole of Alabaster,Ala., a daughter, Halle Kate, born June 29,2007.

’86 Bert and Beth Borders Sanders ofGreenville, S.C., a daughter, Iris Elizabeth,born Aug. 21, 2006.

’89 Doug and Janet Evans Turnure ’91 ofCumming, Ga., a daughter, MarthaAnnette, born May 29, 2007.

’91 Jonathan and Lisa Robertson Cooper ofKnoxville, Tenn., a daughter, Lucy Kate,born Dec. 7, 2006.

Jennifer Danzig andM.BrentWadsworthof San Diego, Calif., a son, Aidan Danzig,born May 2, 2007.

’92 Kimberly Moore of Pensacola, Fla., adaughter, Camden Dean, born July 2,2007.

’93 Stephen andMarley Myers Gardner ’95of McLean, Va., a daughter, Gracie Myers,born May 7, 2007.

Robert Carlyon and Jessica Harrison ofSpring Hill, Tenn., a daughter, SapphireEllison Grace, born May 23, 2006.

Denise Yardley-Sowell and J. TimothySowell of Nashville, Tenn., a daughter,Ariana McKinley, born April 16, 2007.

’94 Kevin and Carolyn Brick Fleeman ofMarietta, Ga., a daughter, Maggie Kate,born Feb. 2, 2007.

Rodney and Kim Culpepper Johnson ofLas Vegas, Nev., a daughter, Ava Lauren,born July 24, 2007.

Claire and Robert Moon of Hermitage,Tenn., a daughter, Bailey Jane, born May29, 2007.

Andrew and Julie Ralph, J.D. ’02, ofFairhope, Ala., a son, Stuart Andrew, bornApril 24, 2007.

’95 Bart and Heather Poor Copeland ofNashville, Tenn., a daughter, Georgia Gail,born April 25, 2007.

David and JenniferWerner Hammons’97 of Atlanta, Ga., a daughter, KatharineGrace, born Feb. 11, 2007.

’96 David andMelissa Thompson Bradfordof Troy, Ala., a son, Dawson Key, bornMay 15, 2007.

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Brian andMeg Nowell Harris ofMemphis, Tenn., a daughter, Ella Ruth,born March 28, 2007.

Paul andMary Abigail SessionsReinhardt, J.D. ’02, of Honolulu, Hawaii,a daughter, Jane Ritchie, born July 11, 2007.

Christopher MichaelWatson,M.Div. ’00,and Stephanie MaysWatson ’00 ofColumbia, S.C., a son, Ethan Michael,born March 2, 2007.

’97 Gelaina Davis Allen and Robert Allen ’98of Brandon, Miss., a daughter, ChloeFaith, born April 25, 2007.

Ryan and Summer Holden Smith Braggof Clermont, Fla., a daughter, HunterRyann, born Jan. 15, 2007.

Chris and Nikki Pasquerella Robertsonof Hoover, Ala., a daughter, RebeccaNicole, born Jan. 4, 2007.

Lesley and Alan Gregory Sheek ofHoover, Ala., a son, Thomas Gray, bornJune 25, 2007.

Thomas Allen Treadwell, J.D. ’00, andKelly Kilgore Treadwell,M.B.A. ’99, ofMontgomery, Ala., a son, James Daniel,born Dec. 22, 2006.

Phil and Debbie HeltonWright ofRoswell, Ga., a daughter, Reece Anna-Marie, born June 8, 2007.

’98 Kyle and Kristy Kitchell Chowning ofNashville, Tenn., a daughter, SavannahGrace, born July 17, 2007.

Anna and Andy Pohl of Alabaster, Ala., adaughter, Eva Lucille, born May 29, 2007.

Jim and AnneMarie Kinman Trammellof Rochester, N.Y., a son, Cooper Kinman,born July 26, 2007.

’99 John A. and Lauren Cole Fortney ofCharleston, S.C., a daughter, SusannaKristen, born July 8, 2007.

Teresa Anne and Eric Stephen Fowler ofNorfolk, Va., a daughter, SavannahKatherine, born March 17, 2007.

Daniel andMelody Davis Noles ofChattanooga, Tenn., a daughter,Emmaleigh Grace, born April 25, 2006.

Jason,M.Div. ’02, and Bethany ButlerRoberts,M.Acc. ’01, of Pewee Valley, Ky.,twin daughters, Ainsley Page and ElleryTate, born Jan. 12, 2007.

’00 Doug and Jennifer FergusonMcFarlandof Tallahassee, Fla., a daughter, EmmaEllen, born April 4, 2007.

Rich andMaggieWalker McKinney ofKnoxville, Tenn., a daughter, Kelsey Claire,born July 3, 2007.

’01 Jason and Lucy Jordan, J.D., ofBirmingham, a son, Parker Thomas, bornNov. 1, 2006.

Dana and Jeff Miller, J.D., of Mobile, Ala.,a daughter, Maggie Audrey, born May 8,2006.

Jason and Nicole Autumn ThompsonStefano of Indian Trail, N.C., a daughter,Ava Jean, born July 12, 2007.

’02 M. E. Buck III and KimberlyWalkerDougherty, J.D., of Collierville, Tenn., ason, George McDowell, born May 29,2007.

Leland and Courtney BrownMurphreeof Memphis, Tenn., a daughter, MaryCharlotte, born June 22, 2007.

Bryan and Laurel Albright Taylor ofWoodstock, Ga., a son, Josiah Knox, bornJuly 12, 2007.

’03 Mike and Heather Hackett Leger of FortLauderdale, Fla., a son, Caleb Michael,born Jan. 31, 2007.

’04 Neal and Shannon Gavin Harris ofSylacauga, Ala., a daughter, HardyO’Gwynn, born Nov. 6, 2006.

Lindsey Browning and Benjamin JamesLawrence of Pendleton, Ind., a daughter,Zoe Elizabeth, born June 5, 2007.

’05 Michael and Jennifer Sarah Snyder Hallof Bartow, Fla., a son, Noah Riley, bornJuly 5, 2007.

Brian and Olivia Grace Jacks Nunnally,Pharm.D., of Kimberly, Ala., a son, JamesEphraim, born Feb. 21, 2006. �

Now, you can sport the handsome Samford licenseplate on your car and help the student aid fund atthe same time.

The Alabama Vehicle License Department willsend the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund$48.75 of the $50 charge you pay for the specialSamford auto tag, available where you normallypurchase license plates.

When your tag comes due, ask the county autolicense clerk to exchange it for a Samford Tag. You’llbe helping today’s Samford students as you showyour Samford spirit wherever your travels take you!

Make sure you request the Samford Tag (right).Take this ad when you purchase your tag.

SHOW YOUR SCHOOL SPIRIT WITH THE

SAMFORD CAR TAG!

Available in two styles; numeric and personalized (up to 5 letters). Theofficial Samford University auto license is available in every county inAlabama. Be sure and ask for yours when your license plate comes up forrenewal.

’25 Mabel Clare Harris Causey, age 102, ofBirmingham and Fairhope, Ala., died July21, 2007. She taught school for 45 years.

’38 Mildred Franks Beavers, age 91, ofWilsonville, Ala., died July 2, 2007. Sheserved 35 years as a teacher and principalin Shelby County and also taught atCoosa Valley Academy. As a resident ofMount Royal Towers in Vestavia Hills,Ala., she was librarian and president ofthe residents’ board of directors.

’40 LoraineVarnon Stuart, age 100, ofBirmingham died June 30, 2007. She was ateacher and principal for 44 years inJefferson County schools. Active invarious civic and professional organi-zations, she received the western section’sbest citizen award in 1978.

’42 Marjorie Holcomb Pittman, age 85, ofBirmingham died June 6, 2007. She wasvice president of the Howard Collegestudent body, Miss Howard for three yearsand president of Phi Mu sorority. She wasactive in Woman’s Missionary Union,Valley Study Club and the AssistanceLeague. She was the wife of longtimeSamford trustee John Pittman ’44.Memorials may be sent to the Marjorie H.Pittman Scholarship Fund, DevelopmentOffice, Samford University, 800 LakeshoreDrive, Birmingham, AL 35229.

’43 Margaret Israel Millsap, age 83, ofBirmingham died Nov. 3, 2006. She taughtat Samford’s Ida V. Moffett School ofNursing and the University of AlabamaSchool of Nursing, was director of nursingservices at University of Alabama atBirmingham’s Center for Developmentand Learning Disorders, and founded thedivision of nursing at Birmingham-Southern College. The first woman andnurse elected to the state committee ofpublic health, she was president of theAlabama Board of Nursing, the AlabamaState Nurses Association and the AlabamaLeague for Nursing. She held a master’sdegree and a doctor of education degreefrom the University of Alabama.

’44 Hugh H.Haden, Jr., age 82, ofBirmingham died June 3, 2007. Apharmacy graduate, he earned a medicaldegree and was a physician inBirmingham for more than 50 years. Heretired in April. Early in his career, hehelped pioneer studies of the effect ofblack lung disease on Alabama coalminers. Dr. Haden’s interests ranged fromShakespeare to current science fiction.

Hildred Ellis Naylor, age 83, of Kingsport,Tenn., died May 16, 2007. She taught

school for more than 30 years in Alabama,North Carolina and Tennessee.

’49 Travis Styles, age 84, of Durham, N.C.,died July 31, 2007. He served in Germanyand France during World War II. He was apastor of churches in Alabama, Georgiaand North Carolina, and worked withsenior citizens at First Baptist Church,Cullman, Ala. He held positions with theNorth Carolina Baptist State Conventionand was a member of Civitan International.

’52 B.Max Byrd, Sr., age 78, of Cook Springs,Ala., died May 22, 2007. A longtimeAlabama Baptist minister, he served DoraBaptist Church from 1968–81. Memorialsmay be sent to the B. Max Byrd, Sr.Scholarship Fund, Development Office,Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive,Birmingham, AL 35229.

’54 LeonW.Davis, Jr., J.D., of SignalMountain, Tenn., died June 13, 2007. Hepracticed law for 30 years and servedHamilton County, Tenn., in severalcapacities, including delinquent taxattorney. A veteran of World War II andthe KoreanWar, he served in the U.S.Army and the U.S. Navy. He was a lifemember of the Sertoma Club.

Harold E.Martin, age 83, of Fort Worth,Texas, died July 4, 2007. A Pulitzer Prize–winning former editor and publisher oftheMontgomery Advertiser and AlabamaJournal in Montgomery, Ala., he began hislong career in the newspaper businessafter serving as a U.S. Marine in WorldWar II. He held a master’s degree injournalism from Syracuse University. Hewon the 1970 Pulitzer for local investi-gative specialized reporting, given for ayearlong series of stories that exposed ascheme using Alabama state prisoners astest subjects in drug experiments.

’58 Lyndell Harmon, age 71, of Gainesville,Ga., died July 22, 2007. She was aninstructor at Gainesville Junior College,instructional coordinator for the HallCounty, Georgia, board of education, andprincipal of Flowery Branch ElementarySchool. She was a volunteer at NortheastGeorgia Medical Center, where she was2005 Auxiliary Member of the Year.

Raymond Joseph Saliba, age 86, ofHuntsville, Ala., died May 27, 2007. Heserved in the U.S. Army during WorldWar II, the Korean Conflict and the BerlinCrisis.

’59 Butler Clyde Alvin, age 76, of Oneonta,Ala., died June 18, 2007. He was a phar-macist for 47 years. He was a veteran of

the KoreanWar and a part-time pro-fessional photographer whose work wasincluded in a book on the history ofAlabama pharmacy.

James F.Walters, age 68, of Mobile, Ala.,died May 22, 2007. He retired inDecember after 23 years a pastor of FirstBaptist Church, Mobile. Dr.Walters filledmany leadership roles in the Baptistdenomination and Mobile community,and was a member of the Samford Boardof Ministerial Mentors. He was on thecoordinating council of the CooperativeBaptist Fellowship.

’60 Peggy Jean Ledbetter of Lacey’s Spring,Ala., died Aug. 4, 2007, of cancer. Sheserved 18 years as dean of nursing atNorthwestern State University inLouisiana, where for a time she was theyoungest nursing dean in the UnitedStates, and 10 years as dean of nursing atBelmont University in Nashville, Tenn.She held master’s and doctor of educationdegrees from the University of Alabama.She was inducted into the Louisiana StateNurses Association Hall of Fame. Inretirement, she was a parish nurse andwas active in a stem-cell support group. Ather request, her body was donated formedical research.

’61 Joseph JamesMilazzo, age 69, ofBirmingham died May 29, 2007. AtSamford, he was a Little All-Americanquarterback under coach Bobby Bowden.

’66 Helen Sternglanz, age 92, of Birminghamdied May 8, 2007. A native of Germanywho became a U.S. citizen in 1947, shewas a researcher in the biochemistrydepartment at the University of Alabamaat Birmingham. She exercised regularly atthe YMCA until after age 90.

Walter BeltWhite, age 62, of Munford,Ala., died May 6, 2007, of cancer. He was aretired teacher and dedicated tutor ofstudents preparing for exit exams. During15 years, he hosted 34 internationalstudents who lived in his home. Amember of the Alabama Baptist HistoricalCommission, he was the author of ahistory of Talladega First Baptist Churchand other works, including a pictorialhistory of Talladega. He donated his bodyto University of Alabama at BirminghamMedical Center.

’67 John Samuel Gonas, Jr., J.D., age 67, ofDaphne, Ala., died July 2, 2007. He prac-ticed criminal law in Mobile for 35 years.He was president of the Daphne RotaryClub and was the original chairman of theDaphne Jubilee Easter Egg Hunt.

’69 Daniel Lee Burgess, J.D., of Birminghamdied May 29, 2007. He was in private lawpractice for 30 years and was municipaljudge for the City of Sumiton for 22 years.

ALUMNI

inmemoriam

43

ALUMNI

44

He was president of the Municipal JudgesAssociation. A U.S. Marine during theKoreanWar, he participated in the seizureof Inchon, capture of Seoul and theWonsan-Chosin campaign.

’70 Lynn Thompson Keen, age 63, ofMarianna, Fla., died June 28, 2007. Shetaught in Jackson County, Florida, and atBay Correctional Facility. She was amember of Phi Mu sorority.

’77 Grady JosephWheeler, Jr., J.D., age 56, ofBurlington, N.C., died June 20, 2007. Hewas longtime city attorney for Graham,N.C. At Cumberland, he was president ofhis graduating class and a member ofDelta Theta Sigma legal fraternity.

’78 James Douglas Browne, age 53, ofFenton, Mo., died July 18, 2007. He was acarpenter and an avid motorcyclist.

’84 WilliamMorris Beck III, J.D., age 48, ofMentone, Ala., died July 10, 2007. He wasan Eagle Scout and a board member ofthe Fort Payne Depot Museum.

’87 Kirsten Phillips Flaucher M.S. ’89, age41, of Hoover, Ala., died May 17, 2007.She worked at Spain Park Middle School.She received several education honors atSamford and received a ChallengerCenter Teacher of the Year award fromthe McWane Science Center. She was amember of Kappa Delta Epsilon andKappa Delta Pi education honor societies.

’89 Cynthia Mariette Coleman, age 43, ofSelma, Ala., died July 9, 2007. A nurse athospitals in Birmingham, she was also atraveling nurse.

’06 Carol Bain DickenM.B.A., age 48, ofCharlotte, N.C., died June 10, 2007.�

Betty Sue Shepherd, A Teacher for50 Years, Dies After Long Illness

Betty SueShepherd was a21-year-old

newlywed living nearthe East Lake campusof Howard Collegewhen she joined theschool’s music faculty.Department headGeorge Koski askedher to fill in for ateacher on leave,beginning a 50-yearassociation withSamford that endedwith her retirementlast spring.

For five decades,Shepherd trainedpianists who madetheir mark on concertstages and in churchesand schools around the world. Among herstudents was Randall Atcheson, who went onto study at Juilliard School of Music and toperform regularly in Carnegie Hall.

Over the years, Shepherd performedwith the Alabama Pops and other orchestras,and presented numerous piano recitals atschools, churches and other venues includingGlorieta and Ridgecrest Baptist assemblies.

She also served as organist for 38 yearsat Vestavia Hills Baptist Church nearSamford, and for 15 years before that atRuhama Baptist Church near the school’sformer location in East Lake.

Shepherd, who died Aug. 2 after a longillness, began playing the organ while

studying as a pianomajor at JudsonCollege in Marion, Ala.She earned a master’sin music at theUniversity of Alabama,and did additionalstudy in piano atJuilliard and atPeabody Conservatorywith such greats asLeon Fleischer andFernando Laires.

Shepherd held anhonorary doctor ofhumane letters fromJudson, where she alsowas named Alumna ofthe Year in 1994. Shereceived Samford’s2004 George MaconAward, which goes to a

professor who demonstrates the ability toinspire students to greatness. She also wasnamed Teacher of the Year by the AlabamaMusic Teachers Association in 1998.

Shepherd traced her love for music toan early age. “My mother said I would pickout tunes on the piano by ear at age three,”she said.

Shepherd is survived by her twodaughters, Susanne Shepherd ’77 andJacqueline Shepherd Johnson, and twogranddaughters, Audra and CourtneyJohnson. Her beloved husband, Neil ’48, J.D.’66, died in 2005.�

Betty Sue Shepherd

SamfordUniversity trusteeRichardD.

Horsley ofBirminghamhas pro-vided a scholarshipfund to assist studentsin the Samford Schoolof Business.

KnownastheRichardBetaGammaSigmaistTheHorsleyscholarHorsleyalsodonateHorsleyattendedund

Horsley Establishes Scholarships for Samford Business Students

Richard D. Horsley

4545

You’re invited to joinThe Circle of Champions

Help complete funding for Samford University’s newPete Hanna Center

by becoming part ofThe Circle of Champions

dedicated to those who invest in the physical, intellectual and spiritual experiences of the studentswho are educated at Samford University

A gift of at least $5,000 will ensure your important place in Samford history as you help tocomplete the largest single construction project in university history. The Pete Hanna Center,scheduled to open this fall, includes a fitness/wellness center for the Samford community, an arenafor convocations, commencement, athletics and other special events, and offices, locker rooms andtraining facilities for Samford athletics.

Pledges to the Circle of Champions can be paid over five years.

To become a member of the Circle of Champions, please contact:Samford UniversityOffice of University Relations800 Lakeshore DriveBirmingham, AL 35229Toll-free, 1-877-782-5867

or go to www.samford.edu/giving/champions.html for more information

46

SPORTS

Lauren Blankenship has been a trackAll-American twice atSamford, and she’s working hard to do it again.“I want toprove that I can continue to get better,” said the senior distance

runner fromAlpharetta,Ga.Blankenship became Samford’s first Division I All-

American with her finish in the 5,000-meter run at the 2005NCAA championships. She duplicated that feat in June 2007,breaking her school record with a time of 16:03.22 in theNCAA championships in Sacramento, Calif.

Those performances earned her All-American status intrack. Now, she is working to earn that distinction in cross-country this fall, and will shoot for her third track All-Americahonor next spring.

“I want to go out the best I can.”She also wants to win the Ohio Valley Conference cross-

country championship, “especially since we are hosting it” Oct.27.

Blankenship is “one of the kindest, sweetest, most sincereindividuals you will ever meet—until you put her on thestarting line for a race,” said Samford track coach GlennMcWaters.

What happens then?“She transforms into one of the most tenacious com-

petitors you will ever find,” said the coach. “She is as mentallytough and competitive as anyone I’ve ever coached [includingseveral Olympic Gold Medal winners].

“She does not like to lose.”Losing is something she has experienced very few times at

Samford. She owns at least 11 school records for outdoor andindoor distance running, and has earned a variety of OVChonors including Female Track Athlete of the Year.

Her training schedule is grueling and “never-ending.” Shegenerally runs eight miles a day when training, and schedulesbrief rest times for two weeks after cross-country season in thefall, and a week and a half after track season in the spring. “It isdefinitely a year-round commitment,” she said.

Blankenship started running competitively in high school,when she lettered four years in soccer and three in cross-country at The Wesleyan School near Alpharetta.

She plans to go to graduate school and work on a master’sdegree in counseling and clinical psychology after graduationnext spring. She might run competitively at the professionallevel, or she might just run races for fun. But one thing iscertain, she said.

“I will always run.”�

Twice an All-American

Lauren Blankenship

47

GIVING

With a charitable gift annuity at Samford University, you can brighten your own pathduring your lifetime AND the path of students at Samford for generations to come.Accomplish two objectives with one asset: make a gift to Samford and start

receiving income for yourself.

Charitable gift annuities offer a number of benefits to donors:

ANNUITY RATES (ONE DONOR)Age at Gift Date Payment Rate

90 11.3%85 9.5%80 8.0%75 7.1%70 6.5%

(Two-life rates are lower.)

RETIREMENTANNUITY RATES (ONE DONOR)Age at Gift Date Payment Rate*

60 7.6%55 9.7%50 12.3%45 15.7%40 20.1%

*Rate is percent of original gift value andassumes payments begin at age 65.

(Two-life rates are lower.)

Samford issues charitable gift annuities only in states inwhich it meets all requirements. This is for informationonly and is not an offer or solicitation for a charitablegift annuity.

Gift Annuity Pays Stivenders Income, Benefits Scholarship Fund

Trustee James C. Stivender ’49 and hiswife, Stella, have supported Samfordinmanyways over the years. They

recently added to their support by establish-ing a gift annuity that eventually will benefitone of the university’s scholarship funds.

To do so, the Stivenders donated anamount of money to be held in reserveby Samford. As part of the agreement,monthly fixed income will go to theStivenders for the remainder of theirlives.

After their deaths, the moneyremaining in the reserve will go to theJ. C. Stivender Memorial EndowedScholarship Fund, established in the1970s and named for Stivender’s latefather.

That scholarship fund has beensupported over the years by interest fromanother fund established more than 30years ago by Stivender’s late aunt, ClaraRawlings, and her husband, Thomas, ofArlington, Va.

The Rawlingses set up that fund withthe Baptist Foundation of Alabama inhonor of Stivender’s father, who served aspastor of both Ruhama Baptist Churchnear Samford’s East Lake campus andFirst Baptist Church of Gadsden, Ala.They directed that interest from thatBaptist Foundation fund go to the sameStivender scholarship that James andStella Stivender are supporting.

Over the years, the Stivenders alsogave directly to that scholarship fund, aswell as to other Samford causes. Now,they have ensured that the J. C. StivenderScholarship Fund will be the ultimatebeneficiary of their gift annuity as well.

Stivender, a retired attorney, is a lifemember of the Samford board oftrustees. He and his wife live in Gadsden.

If you wish to make a significant gift

to Samford but are concerned aboutpreserving and increasing your income,consider the high yield and security of acharitable gift annuity. To learn moreabout this creative gift plan that benefitsboth you and Samford, please call StanDavis, director of gift planning, at 205-726-2807, or view these and otheroptions at www.samford.edu/legacy.�

James and Stella Stivender, foreground, finalize the agreement for their Samford giftannuity with Samford President Andrew Westmoreland while visiting the SeibertStadium press box for the Bulldog football opener Aug. 30.

For more information, contact:Stan Davis, Director of Gift PlanningSamford University800 Lakeshore DriveBirmingham, AL 352291-877-782-5867 (toll-free)205-726-2807giftplan@samford.edu

� security of a high, fixed income� partially tax-free income� current income tax deduction

� capital gains tax savings� help Samford students for generationsto come

A charitable gift annuity works as a contract between a donor and Samford. In exchange for agift of $10,000 or more, Samford agrees to pay the donor (or two donors) a fixed income forlife. After the lives of the donor or donors, the amount remaining becomes the gift to Samford.

48

GIVING

HONORSBrookwood Baptist/Marjorie H. PittmanScholarshipin honor of the Ministerial Staff at BrookwoodBaptist Church, Mrs. Marjorie Kay Nix, Dr.Bryant Strain and Mr. Lawrence CorleyDr. John C. Pittman, Birmingham

Sara Bryan Organ Scholarshipin honor of Sara BryanMrs. Mary H. Hudson, Birmingham

ChristianWomen’s Leadership Center Fundin honor of Dr. Andrea MullinsMs. Tina Atchenson, Birmingham

Fred Hendon Scholarship Fundin honor of Dr. Fred N. HendonMs. Nell C. Attaway,Winfield, Ala.Mr. & Mrs. Scotty D. Bennett, BirminghamMs. Ginger R. Burton, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. John D. Carney, BirminghamDrs. Edward & Beulah Coyne, BirminghamMr. James D. Hallmark, Fayette, Ala.Mr. Don L. Harrell, Jr., Vestavia Hills, Ala.Mr. Thomas E. Jones, Bessemer, Ala.Mrs. Robbie V. Kepic, BirminghamMrs. Sara J. Krawzczk, Bluffton, S.C.Mr. & Mrs. Douglas E. Newman, Centre, Ala.Mr. & Mrs. Howard G. Richards, Hoover, Ala.Mr. &Mrs.Wayman G. Sherrer, Oneonta, Ala.Mr. & Mrs.William J. Stevens, BirminghamMr.&Mrs. James J. Stevenson, Jr., Savannah,Ala.Mr. & Mrs. James G. Tatum, BirminghamMr. J. Claude Tindle, BirminghamDr. Mark S.Williams, Indian Springs, Ala.

Division of Musicin honor of Mr. Malcolm K. Miller, Jr.Mr.&Mrs. Clarence A. Brooks II, Birmingham

Ledbetter/Kuehnert Baseball Bullpen Clubin honor of Dr. (Coach) J. T. Haywood, Jr.Mr.&Mrs. JohnG.Kostakis, Indian Springs,Ala.

McCullough Scholarship in Biologyin honor of Ellen McLaughlinMrs. Mary B. McCullough, Birmingham

Miller/Shepherd Piano Scholarship Fundin honor of Mr. Malcolm MillerDr. & Mrs. Donald C. Sanders, Birmingham

Student Life Enhancement Gift Fundin honor of Jennifer Dunn HallMs. Melissa Poole, Hoover, Ala.

University Libraryin honor of Mrs. Jean ThomasonMr. Lloyd D. Bockstruck, Dallas, Texas

WVSU-FM 91.1in honor of Dr. Donald E. Wilson, Mr. DavidTravis Whitt, Dr. Henry W. Glotfelty, Dr. RuricE. Wheeler, Dr. Perry W. Morton, Jr., Dr. H.

Lindy Martin and Mr. John King WrightMr. & Mrs. Terry L. Cook, Birmingham

MEMORIALSA Cappella Choirin memory of Mr. Ken D. KirkleyMrs. Jennifer H. Harrell, Alabaster, Ala.

Brookwood Baptist/Marjorie H. PittmanScholarshipin memory of Mrs. Marjorie Holcomb PittmanMr. & Mrs. Richard S. Abernethy, MountainBrook, Ala.Mr. and Mrs. Harold L. Abroms, BirminghamMr. Charles Adair, Vestavia Hills, Ala.Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. Allan, MountainBrook, Ala.Dr. & Mrs. C. Glenn Badham, BirminghamMr. & Mrs.Walter G. Barnes, Hoover, Ala.Dr. Marian K. Baur, Tallahassee, Fla.Mr. Jack H. Becker, BirminghamMr. and Mrs.William O. Bolen, BirminghamMs. Caroline S. Bolvig, BirminghamMr. &Mrs. Richard M. Bragdon, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Riley Brice, BirminghamBrookwood Baptist Church—Brice SundaySchool Class and Paulyne Sunday SchoolClass, BirminghamMr. Edward C. Burns,Wichita, Kan.Mr. and Mrs. Ehney A. Camp III, MountainBrook, Ala.Mr. & Mrs. Dick Canan, Pelham, Ala.Mr. Leon L. Chadwick, BirminghamMr. Ronald M. Chapoton, Kenner, La.Mrs. Mary J. Cherry, BirminghamMr. and Mrs. Boyd E. Christenberry,Montgomery, Ala.Mr. &Mrs. Lloyd L. Christopher, BirminghamClements Financial Group, Montgomery, Ala.Mr. & Mrs. Charles A. Collat, BirminghamCol. Carl Cooper, BirminghamDr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Corts, BirminghamCTSM Architects, Inc., BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Donald S. Davis, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Linvil Davis, Alpharetta, Ala.Dixon Foundation, BirminghamDon Drennen Buick, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Ralph L. Dressler, BirminghamMr. andMrs. Ralph D. Edfeldt, Huntsville, Ala.Mr. George Edwards, BirminghamMrs. Melba T. Epsman, BirminghamCol. & Mrs. Joyce F. Fields, BirminghamMs. Noel Forlini, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Ross Forman, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Garth A. Forster, Barnesville, Ala.Mrs. Helen H. Gammill, BirminghamMr. and Mrs. Emris Graham, Jr., BirminghamMrs. Margaret S. Gray, BirminghamMs. Dotty M. Greene, BirminghamMr.andMrs.H.HobartGrooms, Jr.,BirminghamHanna Steel Corporation, Fairfield, Ala.Mr. James L. Hart, Birmingham

Mrs. Charles E. Havill, BirminghamMs. Maria P. Hawkins, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Gene E. Head, BirminghamMr. James A. Head, Sr., BirminghamMs. Angie R. Hitt, Pelham, Ala.Mrs. A. Gerow Hodges, BirminghamMr. and Mrs.Monty Hogewood, BirminghamMrs.WillodeanW. Huggins, BirminghamMr. andMrs. CecilW. Ingram III, BirminghamMr. & Mrs.William R. Ireland, Sr., ShoalCreek, Ala.Ms. Elizabeth H. Johnson, Richmond, Va.Mr. & Mrs. F. Philip Kessler, Jr., Manlius, N.Y.Mr. & Mrs. David S. Key,Warrior, Ala.Mr. and Mrs. Monty Littlejohn, BirminghamMr. and Mrs. Dale Lloyd, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Nance C. Lovvorn, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. C. Aubrey Lowry, Cullman, Ala.Dr.&Mrs. ThomasD.McKinnon, BirminghamMr. andMrs.W.MarkMeadows, BirminghamMrs. Virginia L. Miller, Shoal Creek, Ala.Mrs. Gussie B. Mills, BirminghamMr. & Mrs.W. H. Mitchell, BirminghamMr.&Mrs. ThomasM.Muhleck, Bessemer,Ala.Dr. & Mrs. Robert S. Naftel, BirminghamMr. &Mrs. Jerry A. Newby,Montgomery, Ala.Mrs. Kathryn M. Newell, BirminghamMr. Patrick O’Sullivan, BirminghamMrs. Carolyn M. Oglesley, BirminghamMr. and Mrs. Gary Osborn, BirminghamMrs. Genie M. Palmer, BirminghamMr.&Mrs. Leighton C. Parnell III, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. David R. Pittman, BirminghamMr. James N. Pittman & Mrs. Jacqueline S.Pittman, Roswell, Ala.Hon. & Mrs. T. V. Pittman, Mobile, Ala.Mr. andMrs.W.Randall Pittman, BirminghamMr.&Mrs.WilliamW.Pittman,Barnesville,Ala.Mr. and Mrs. Philip Poole, Hoover, Ala.Mr. and Mrs.William S. Pritchard, Jr.,BirminghamMrs. Joyce Ratliff, BirminghamMs. Juanita B. Rayburn, Helena, Ala.Mr. and Mrs. Kirby Sevier, BirminghamMr. and Mrs. James S. Scott III, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Gene M. Sellers, BirminghamMs. Margaret B. Shaw, BirminghamMr. Abe Smith, BirminghamMr. Hatton C. V. Smith, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Murray W. Smith, BirminghamMs. AnnW. Stegall, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Dennis Stephens, Edwards, Colo.Mr. Morton Stern, BirminghamMr. and Mrs. Richard Stevens, BirminghamMr. and Mrs.William J. Stevens, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. R. L. Stewart, BirminghamMr. and Mrs. James C. Stivender, Jr.,Gadsden, Ala.Dr. & Mrs. K. Bryant Strain, BirminghamMr. andMrs. GeorgeW. Stripling, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Donald A. Sullivan, BirminghamDr. and Mrs. David L. Tharpe, Birmingham

Samford University expresses gratitude for these additional tribute gifts received May 16, 2007–August 16, 2007. For further information,contact the Samford University Gift Office at (205) 726-2807.

withappreciation

49

GIVING

Mr. Brent R. Thompson, BirminghamMr. and Mrs. Hall W. Thompson, Sr., ShoalCreek, Ala.Mr. & Mrs. Harry C. Thompson Jr,Thompson Realty Company, Inc., ShoalCreek, Ala.Mr.&Mrs. Thomas B. Tindall, Jr., BirminghamMs. B. Ruth Todd, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Edward H. Todd, Jr., BirminghamMr. Jack O. Tomlinson Sr, BirminghamMr. Dennis C.Wammack, BirminghamDr. & Mrs.William R.Waud, BirminghamMr. &Mrs. Stewart H.Welch, Jr., BirminghamMr.&Mrs.Miller G.Williams, Jr., BirminghamMrs. Barbara B.Wood, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Jeff Wyatt, BirminghamMr. & Mrs.William M. Yates, Huntsville, Ala.

Max ByrdMemorial Fundin memory of Max ByrdMr. Nathan D. Baggett, Hoover, Ala.Ms. Kathleen Barham, Marietta, Ga.Mr.William C. Brandon, Roswell, Ga.Mr. B.Max Byrd, Jr., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.Mr. and Mrs. Charles Daniels, Jr., Helena, Ala.Ms. Jodi A. Cross, Jupiter, Fla.Ms. Nora E. Couri, Chicago, Ill.Ivy Faske,M.D., P.A., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.Mr. and Mrs. John Gardner, Fort Myers, Fla.Mr. and Mrs. Gary Gray, Bear, Del.Dr. and Mrs. Julius Hicks, BirminghamInter-ContinentalHotels andResorts,Miami,Fla.Hyatt Corporation, San Diego, Calif.Mr. and Mrs. Michael Laverty, Addison, Ill.Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Lett, Dora, Ala.Ms. Elizabeth J. Nunnelley, BirminghamMr. and Mrs. Nils Ostberg, Lantana, Fla.Mr. and Mrs.Wayne Parker, Dora, Ala.Ms.Wanda Sullivan, Dora, Ala.Mr. Steven B. Toalson, Lawrence, Kan.

Jon &Marianne Clemmensen Endowed Fundin memory of Marianne ClemmensenMs. Ada Kane, Garden City, N.Y.Mr. & Mrs. Kevin S. Long, Leeds, Ala.

Robyn Bari Cohen Children’s Book Fundin memory of Darrell MillarMrs. Carole M. Epstein, Trussville, Ala.Ms. Beverly R. Harris, Tucker, Ga.

Caitlin CreedMemorial Fundin memory of Caitlin CreedMr. & Mrs. Charlie Carmon, Jr., Pelham, Ala.Dr. Stephen L. Chew & Dr. Daisy Y.Wong,BirminghamDr. Edward J. Coyne Sr, BirminghamHackney Charitable Foundation,Homewood, Ala.Dr. & Mrs. Boo Heflin, Hot Springs, Ark.Mrs. Mary H. Hudson, BirminghamDr. Matthew S. Kerlin, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. JosephW.Mathews, Jr.,Birmingham

DavidMichael Coleman Spanish StudyScholarshipin memory of Mr. David Michael ColemanMs. Frances P. Lee, Pelham, Ala.

LenaVail Davis EndowedMemorialScholarshipin memory of Betty Davis EshelmanMr. John C. Bird, BirminghamDr. & Mrs. Robert M. Bryan, BirminghamMs. Mary O. McPhaul, Lafayette, La.Ms. Avonne C. Smith, BirminghamDr. Robert E. Taylor, BirminghamMr. JohnW. Thorne III, Newtown, Pa.

Division of Musicin memory of Catherine L. Brooks NelsonMr. & Mrs. Sandra C. Parker, BirminghamMr.&Mrs. Clarence A. Brooks II, Birmingham

in memory of Cecil M. RoperDr. Charles L. Martin Jr, Anniston, Ala.

WilliamD.Geer Scholarship Endowed Fundin memory of Ruth SpenceMs. Irene McCombs, Gardendale, Ala.

General Scholarship Fundin memory of Ms. Jeanette EllisonMr. & Mrs. Dustin T. Allen, Sterrett, Ala.

Jenkins Research Assistantship Fundin memory of Dr. Ron JenkinsDr. Gary W. Bumgarner, Homewood, Ala.Mr. & Mrs. Dean H. Burgess, BirminghamDr. Stephen L. Chew & Dr. Daisy Y.Wong,BirminghamMr. &Mrs. Lewis C. Guthrie III, Marietta, Ga.Mrs. Jennifer H. Harrell, Alabaster, Ala.Mr. Per Lohikoski, Eskilstuna, SwedenDr. Ellen W.McLaughlin, BirminghamMr.&Mrs.WilliamA.Nunnelley, BirminghamDr. Rhonda Parker, BirminghamDr. & Mrs. Mitchell S. Pate, Hoover, Ala.Mr. Hans G. Paul, BirminghamMr. &Mrs. JohnW. Riddle, Nolensville, Tenn.Dr. Tori-Lynn K. Saraniti & Mr. NickSaraniti, Greenacres, Fla.Mr. Clyde T. Stanton, Vestavia Hills, Ala.Dr. & Mrs. Robert A. Stiles, BirminghamDr. and Mrs. Billy J. Strickland, Hoover, Ala.Dr. Robert E. Taylor, Birmingham

MarthaMyers Memorial Scholarshipin memory of Dr. Martha MyersMs. Gene B. Johnson, Cecil, Ala.Mrs. Maxine Myers, Birmingham

Miller/Shepherd Piano Scholarship Fundin memory of Dr. Betty Sue ShepherdDr. Stephen L. Chew & Dr. Daisy Y.Wong,BirminghamDr. & Mrs. Ronald E. Lewis, Shawnee, Okla.Dr. & Mrs. Paul A. Richardson, BirminghamMr.&Mrs.William J.Thomas,Madisonville,Ky.

IdaV.Moffett School of Nursingin memory of Eva Rae Wallace OutlawMrs. LauraMorgan Johnson, Panama City, Fla.

M.S.N.—Nurse Anesthesiain memory of Dr. Ronald L. JenkinsMr.&Mrs. JosephC.Cahoon,VestaviaHills,Ala.Mr. Christopher J. Campanotta, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. Dan Davis, Pelham, Ala.Mr. & Mrs. Charles A. Harvey, Mobile, Ala.Mr. Thomas C. Kellogg, Snellville, Ga.Mr. Frederick T. LeJeune, Daphne, Ala.Mr. & Mrs. Blair D. Perkins, Odenville, Ala.

Mr. Kenneth M. Preston, Scottsdale, Ariz.Mr. & Mrs. Matthew J. Quartey, BerrienSprings, Mich.Mrs. Heather J. Rankin, Hueytown, Ala.Mrs. Ginger R. Taylor, Albertville, Ala.Ms. Joy W.Wagers, Southside, Ala.Mr. & Mrs. Carlton T.Watt, Birmingham

ODKMemorial Fundin memory of Caitlin CreedMs. Mary K. Covert, Meridian, Miss.Dr. J. Roderick Davis, BirminghamMiss Patrice R. Donnelly, BirminghamDr. Rosemary Fisk, BirminghamMr. & Mrs. James T. Holloway, BirminghamMr. Robert Tyler Howell, Haleyville, Ala.Ms. Jessica E. Johnson, Daphne, Ala.Mr. Kenneth P. Kell, BirminghamMs. Katie Lantz, Lytton, IowaMs. Elizabeth K. Martin, Tupelo, Miss.Mr. Christopher J. McCaghren, VestaviaHills, Ala.Dr. Christopher P. Metress, BirminghamThe Oakley Group, Inc., BirminghamMs. Emily Ann Parker, BirminghamDean Nena F. Sanders & Dr. Tom J. Sanders,Calera, Ala.Mr. Jeffrey S. Stephens, Memphis, Tenn.Dr. Carol Ann Vaughn, BirminghamMs. Claire E.Woods, Birmingham

Tim Sumner Robinson Forum Fundin memory of Timothy Sumner RobinsonMr. Raymond Banoun,Washington, D.C.W. M. Keck Foundation, Los Angeles, Calif.Mr. & Mrs. Paul Knight, Chevy Chase, Md.Mr. Howell H. Raines, Henryville, Pa.Robinson’s Law Firm,Washington, D.C.Mr. David C. Tseng,Washington, D.C.

Samford Employee Emergency Assistancein memory of Ms. Jeanette EllisonMr. & Mrs. Philip Poole, Hoover, Ala.

Samford Fundin memory of Caitlin CreedMr. & Mrs. C. Aubrey Lowry, Cullman, Ala.

Samford Auxiliary Scholarshp Endowmentin memory of Drew Redden, Caitlin Creed, PeggyHorton, Henry Rouveyrol, Alvin E. Arnold, Dr.Ron Jenkins, Kristin Phillips Floucher, DelphineFenton-Carr, Terian Dyar, Wade Kennamer andMrs. Marjorie H. PittmanDr. & Mrs. Ray M. Atchison, Birmingham

William Todd Stevens Scholarship Fundin memory of William Todd StevensMr. & Mrs. Philip Poole, Hoover, Ala.

University Libraryin memory of Caitlin CreedDr. & Mrs. Rick Willis, Lampasas, Texas

in memory of Max ByrdMr. and Mrs. Henry D. Southerland, Jr.,Birmingham

KatherineVictoria (Kavi) Vance Scholarshipin memory of Mrs. Ida SidesMr. & Mrs. Lon Vance, Eutaw, Ala.

Leslie S. and LollaW.Wright Scholarshipin memory of Ruth SpenceMs. Irene McCombs, Gardendale, Ala.

Samford students head to class at the start of another fall semester.