March 2007 - Randolph-Macon College

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@ R-MC Now through Friday, April 20 Artists and Writers; Flippo Gallery; Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 18 Lost Boys of Sudan: Film Showing and Discussion; Brown Campus Center; 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 21 Faculty/Staff Lunch -- “Monsters, Disability, and Otherness or Who Are You Calling Weird?” by Jack Trammell; Estes; 12:15 p.m. Thursday, March 22 Sensory Experience and the Development of Functional Maps in Visual Cortex by Dr. Leonard White; Copley Room 100; 5 p.m. Thursday, March 22 through Saturday, March 24 Ashland Musical Variety Show; Blackwell Auditorium; 7 p.m. Call 798-2728 for tickets. • For information on spring athletic events, visit www.rmc.edu, or call the R-MC Sports Hotline at ext. 3142. R-MC Honors Richmond Symphony Director The Arts Council of Randolph- Macon College will be honoring Richmond Symphony Orchestra Music Director Mark Russell Smith at An Evening of Celebration and Tribute, during which the college will present Smith with its Achievement in the Arts Award. This event will take place on Thursday, April 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. The event is open to everyone and tickets are $125 each. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP to Charlotte Parrish at ext. 7238 by April 9. • April Marchetti (chemistry) recently was awarded a $10,000 grant extension from the Thomas F. and Katie Miller Jeffress Memorial Trust, which funds science programs at nonprofit institutions in Virginia. The title of Marchetti’s grant proposal was “Synthesis of Polyolefins Tethered to Inorganic Surfaces via Insertion Mechanisms.” The grant, which she also received last year in the amount of $27,000, allows her to grow plastic molecules off of surfaces like silica gel. These molecules, which haven’t been made before, show potential use for water filtration and dialysis purposes. Jodie Brill (music) organized the “Junior Music Festival” piano solo division, held in Old Chapel on March 3, with the sponsorship permission of Jim Doering and Joe Mattys. During the festival, young musicians in middle and high school, all who are part of the National Federation of Music Clubs, played two compositions for two judges, who then awarded scores, trophies and certificates. Jack Trammell (HAC) published a book review on the Civil War book Native Guard: Poems by Natasha Trethewey. Tom Inge (humanities) published an essay on “Harvey Kurtzman’s MAD: Subversion and Fantasy” in the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts 17 (Summer 2006): 122-39. He also gave a slide talk on “Comics as Culture” at the Covenant Woods Retirement Community in Mechanicsville on Feb. 5. Gregg Hillmar (arts) recently did the Scenic Design for Bye Bye Birdie, which Benefits continued from page 1 2 Your News opened Feb. 2 at the Riverside Center in Fredericksburg. He also presented a daylong professional development workshop for the United States Institute of Theatre Technology’s national conference in Phoenix on March 13. Titled “Light Plot Deconstructed,” the sold-out workshop was based on Hillmar’s popular hour long session using the CAD software Vectorworks. He also did a shorter version of the workshop at the conference. Debra Rodman (women’s studies) presented a paper, “Truth, Memory, and Human Rights: Genocidal Denial in Eastern Guatemala,” in March at the Southwest Conference on Latin American Studies in Merida, Mexico. She also was invited to speak about Immigrant women’s activism at Elon University for Women’s History month on March 26. Ted Sheckels (English and communications) presented a paper, “Political Satire in Mark Lewis’ 1988 Documentary Can Toads,” at the annual meeting of the American Association for Australian Literary Studies in Washington, D.C. in March. Also in March, Readings on Political Communication, an anthology Sheckels edited with Janette Kenner Muir, Terry Robertson and Lisa Gring-Pemble, was published by Strata Publishing Company. In addition, at the final Collegiate Forensics Association tournament, Sheckels was reelected the organization’s president. Michael Fischbach (history) gave a talk on the legacy of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war for the Palestinian people at the Palestine Center in Washington, D.C., on March 1. • leaves the college. Also, the personal leave bank was increased from three days to five days, and will be called “Personal/Family” leave. This time cannot be carried over under the new policy. Several other changes were approved, including an additional paid college holiday – the last day of Spring Break – as well as changes to the short-term disability policy. Changes to the retiree health insurance package were approved last fall and implemented Jan. 1. That said, between now and July 1, Human Resources will work on determining the best way to implement these new changes, including how to track the new carryover leave benefits. Stay tuned for additional information, or for more details, contact Sharon Jackson in the Human Resources Department at ext. 3747. •
The BUZZ on retired faculty member Dal Wooten, English It might appear contradictory that a man so thoroughly southern he could be the creation of Mark Twain is also a dedicated student of John Milton, but Dal Wooten III (English, retired) epitomizes both of these descriptions. Born and raised in Kinston, N.C., Wooten has always been a true southern gentleman in the best sense of the phrase. Milton did not become an important figure in his life until 1954, when he graduated from the University of North Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in English. In 1958, Wooten came to R-MC for what was supposed to be a one-year position. But fate (or perhaps the charm of Ashland) grabbed hold of him, and his temporary position soon became a 40-year career. “I taught a little of everything in the department, with special emphasis on Renaissance drama and Milton,” Wooten said. “I was impressed with Randolph-Macon.” Wooten received his master’s from the University of North Carolina in 1961, and in 1974 he became chair of R-MC’s English department. His role in this position was an undeniable success. By Luke Fawcett, R-MC junior The BUZZ on staff member Charlotte Parrish, Alumni & Annual Giving Cheerful, upbeat and happy about life in general, she’s known for her ability to brighten your day. And, having planned hundreds of special events at Randolph- Macon for just about every department, she’s likely extended her love of life to almost everyone on campus. Charlotte Parrish (R-MC coordinator of Special Events) has been at Randolph- Macon for 11 years. From helping plan the Back-to-School Picnic, Commencement, President Lindgren’s Inauguration and numerous other campus events, she’s truly Charlotte and her son, Alex Wooten increased the department from five to eight members and brought in several women professors to what was once considered “the men’s department.” He also instituted many new courses and began the language lab. All this was done while maintaining a reputation as one of the most admired professors on campus. In fact, Wooten was such a likeable professor that he was known as “Uncle Dal” by some of his students. “I think my students found me to be a good professor, or at least entertaining,” he said. “I’ll run into a former student occasionally, and they’ll share fond memories.” Although the students would never admit it, some of their adoration may have been due to Wooten’s habit of a keeping a fully stocked candy jar on his desk. “The idea came from President Reagan, whom I’d heard kept a candy jar on his desk,” explained Wooten. “I liked the idea, so I kept a jar of jelly beans or M&M’s on my office desk.” Wooten retired in 1997, but he still brings candy by the department every week. And, while Wooten’s days as an R-MC faculty member may have passed, he still lives in done it all, from ordering food and hanging decorations, to every other logistical detail in between. “No two days are ever the same, yet there is a great deal of flexibility,” she said. When asked about the most challenging part of the job, Charlotte noted, “Keeping all the balls in the air! I work on several projects at once and all are at different stages.” Ashland with Monnie, his wife of 33 years. The couple enjoys traveling; every winter they take a week-long vacation to St. Thomas in the Caribbean, and they make regular trips to New York and North Carolina. Wooten also is an avid gardener, with a special fondness for azaleas and boxwoods. Wooten is enjoying retired life and while he’s not on campus as often as he used to be, be on the lookout if you are in Haley. You never know when Wooten and his candy jar might drop by.• spend with him. And this truly is the friendliest place I have ever worked.” When she’s not busy at the college, Charlotte spends most of her free time with her son; they go to the movies and she takes him skiing. She also enjoys playing in the hand bell choir at church. And, at home, her three cats – Kelly Lee, Tobey and Mr. Bigglesworth (named by her son from the movie Austin Powers) – also keep her busy, along with the newest addition to the Parrish family, a Beagle named Bartholomew. “Bartholomew stories” are a favorite around the office, including the most recent two tales: Charlotte recently had to clean the pup with tomato juice after he was sprayed by a skunk; then she had to clean him again after he colored himself with a blue ink pen! These days, though, Charlotte already is planning for Commencement 2007, a task that will keep her quite busy in the coming months. Still, she’s sure to send a little cheer your way if you happen to run into her – and don't forget to ask her for the latest Bartholomew news as she’s sure to The Road to R-MC Charlotte grew up not too far from Randolph-Macon in Louisa County. After meeting her husband, Jeff, the couple decided to settle down in Louisa and start a family. Charlotte later accepted a job in the corporate world but quickly realized, because of the demands of her job, she was not able to spend enough time with her son, Alex. Soon after, she was hired at R- MC as an administrative assistant to Jean Payne and later became the coordinator of Special Events. “My son is the apple of my eye!” she exclaimed. “Working at R-MC has been a blessing because I’ve had more time to have a story to share! • 3 By Ashley Morris, R-MC junior
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March 2007 - Randolph-Macon College

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