2008-2009 PRESIDENT'S REPORT - Berea College

COLLEGE MAGAZINE FALL 2009
2008-2009 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

CONTENTS
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE
FA L L 2 0 0 9 : Vo l u m e 8 1 N u m b e r 2
www.berea.edu
THE 2008-2009
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
3 Letter from William A. Laramee
Vice President for Alumni and College Relations
5
COVER
STORY
President’s Message:
To Dream an
Impossible Dream
DEPARTMENTS
32 Campus News
37 Alumni Connections
38 About Berea People
41 In Memoriam
Student Editor: Deb McIntyre, ’10
Contributing Writers:
Libby Kahler, ’11, Michael Loruss, ’09,
Robert Moore, ’13, Megan Smith, ’11,
Morgan Smith, ’12
Front Cover: O’Neil Arnold, ’85
Back Cover: photos by Alice Ledford, ’08, O’Neil
Arnold, ’85, Tyler Castells, ’09
10 Board of Trustees
11 Financial Data
Designation of Funds
Source of Support – Percentage of Total Gifts
Source of Support – Percentage of Total Dollars
Statements of Financial Position
Statements of Activities
How They Compare
18 Faculty Profiles
Amer Lahamer: Engaged in the Science of Excellence
The T’ai Chi Learning Style of Martha Beagle
Billy Wooten Empowers His Students to Be
“Tools for Change”
24 Student Profiles
Christian Motley
Sara Timberlake
Jeta Rudi
Patrick Crum
28 Alumni Profiles
Tracy Espy: How One Scholar Followed the Call to Serve
Joe Haun: Looking into Appalachia and Beyond

Ray Puckett Davis, ’11
Greetings from Berea College:
You will find this issue of the 2008-09 President’s Report
somewhat different than in the past. The economic climate
has presented challenges and opportunities for many
schools and colleges. Berea is no exception. With the
significant loss in our endowment earnings, the College
needed to reduce its budget by approximately 25 percent.
One action taken by the administration was to publish
three issues of the Berea College Magazine rather than four.
Along with that decision, we also changed the format of the
annual President’s Repor to become more magazine-like.
In the spirit of sustainability, we also decided to put our
alumni and donor honor roll online to reduce printing
costs. Because we value our alumni and donors, we hope
that decision in no way conveys a lack of appreciation for
the many gifts of this past year. Rather, we hope all donors
recognize this as good stewardship of their gifts. We had an excellent fundraising year,
and we send our heartfelt thanks to all who support Berea’s unique and compelling
mission. As a way of reducing our ecological footprint, this President’s Report is printed
with soy ink on 100% recyclable paper, and is certified green by the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC).
The next Berea College Magazine you receive will be the Winter 2010 issue. As I
travel, I hear time and again about the quality of our magazine and how it brings Berea
“alive” to so many. Under the continued editorship of Normandi Ellis the BCM has won
awards for many of its features and overall quality, and we remain committed to
producing an award-winning magazine for our readership.
The annual report includes the text of President Shinn’s speech, “To Dream an
Impossible Dream,” which he delivered at our opening convocation. He reminds us of
how radically different Berea’s mission is because of its unique “text” of Acts 17:26 and
related Christian scriptures like the two Great Commandments. Our mission, he says, is
only unique in the complex fusion of all our mission-related elements. I know his remarks
will speak to the many reasons that alumni and friends continue to care about Berea and
support it in many ways, as well as convey the special challenges and opportunities
arising from a bold and demanding mission.
As Berea moves forward in a new economic world, we remain grounded in our Great
Commitments. At the same time, we are using this year as a time to consider a vision for
Berea that is based in excellence but supported by a budget that is 25 percent smaller. You
will read more about our campus-based Scenario Planning process on Berea’s website
(www.berea.edu) and in future issues of the magazine.
President Shinn closed his address by saying, “To achieve our impossible dreams in
the most turbulent times has been a Berea tradition. With your help we can do it again.”
I welcome your comments about our efforts to maintain a sustainable and excellent
Berea, and express, once again, my deep appreciation for your support.
Normandi Ellis, Editor
William A. Laramee, Vice President,
Alumni and College Relations
Timothy W. Jordan, ’76,
Director, Public Relations
Mae Suramek, ’95,
Director, Alumni Relations
COLLEGE MAGAZINE
Correspondence and Reprints
If you have comments, questions,
or suggestions for the Berea College
Magazine, or would like information
about reprinting any article appearing
in the magazine, please contact:
Normandi Ellis
Editor, Berea College Magazine
Berea College
CPO 2142
Berea KY 40404
or e-mail normandi_ellis@berea.edu
Berea College Magazine (ISSN 1539-7394)
is published quarterly for Berea College
alumni and friends by the Berea College
Public Relations Department.
POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to
the Berea College Office of Alumni Relations,
CPO 2203, Berea, KY 40404.
Berea College is a 501(c)(3) charitable
organization under federal guidelines.
AT YOUR SERVICE
Web:
E-mail:
www.berea.edu
mae_suramek@berea.edu
Mail: CPO 2203
Berea, KY 40404
Phone: 859.985.3104
Toll free: 1.866.804.0591
Fax: 859.985.3178
Cert no. SGS-COC-004531
Recycled Content:
Rolland Enviro 100 100% post consumer
ENVIRONMENTAL SAVINGS Compared to its virgin equivalent
112
Trees
67,294 Gal.
Water
15,656 Lb.
Air Emissions
It’s the equivalent of
Trees: 2.3 football fields
Water: A shower of 14.2 days
Air emissions: Emissions of 1.4 cars/year
7,130 Lb.
Solid Waste
William A. Laramee
Vice President for Alumni and College Relations
www.berea.edu/alumni/
3

O’Neil Arnold, ’85
President Larry Shinn
2008-2009 PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Berea College
4
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

DTo
D
ream an
Impossible
ream
FALL 2009
CONVOCATION
ADDRESS
Larry D. Shinn,
President
“
We who work in Berea today
inhabit a world and minister
to a world radically different
from the world our predecessors lived in
even ten years ago…. Adaptation, which
has been the very watchword of Berea,
will force upon us changes of emphasis
and possible changes of methods.
”
These words spoken by William J. Hutchins at his inauguration in
1920 are as relevant today as they were then. At that time,
fundamental cultural, religious, political, and educational changes
were underway in America and around the world. The economic
impact of World War I, the Prohibition movement, Jim Crow
racism, the struggle for gender equality, violence in
Appalachian coal camps, and the diversification and
maturation of higher education in America were
among the challenges that the Berea Schools faced.
William Hutchins inherited a set of five allied
schools with 2,779 students, 125 faculty and staff, and a
separate campus and faculty for each of the five
schools. They focused primarily on vocational and
professional certificate training, and the classical
college department had only 215 students. Hutchins
believed that Berea should focus more on its collegiate
studies with elementary and secondary preparatory
schools as a complement. What a radical new
application of Berea’s traditional mission Hutchins
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 5

proposed! In 1921, Berea College added the B.A. degree and, in
1926, the B.S. degree for its science and agriculture students.
When the Vocational School closed in 1924 and the Normal
School closed in 1931, these areas of study became academic
departments in the new Berea College. By 1931, the College had
650 students, but after the College upgraded its curriculum and
graduation requirements, many students who were studying to
be teachers or to work in technical vocations left the Berea
schools. You can imagine the amount of dismay and criticism
that accompanied these fundamental structural changes in the
application of Berea’s mission.
I believe that the types and magnitude of changes we are
currently experiencing in the educational and financial worlds
are comparable to the challenges Berea College faced in
William Hutchins’ day. To be sure, our current financial
recession is not as deep—yet—as that of the Great Depression;
but our educational challenges are at least as great as those of
Abby Tannyhill, ’03, assists Curator Chris Miller in the
Appalachian Artifacts Collection storage room. The
spinning wheel shown here was one used in the early
vocational schools in Berea.
Charles Brooks
the 1920s. With the inability of either private or public higher
education institutions to sustain their current funding models,
American colleges and universities need a major restructuring
of the ways we provide our education. Because Berea’s funding
model is based primarily on endowment and not tuition
income, our financial constraints have created a need for revisioning
Berea now—earlier than most colleges and
universities—but their day is soon to come. Therefore, most of
our conversations and communications over the past year have
been about Berea’s diminished endowment income and what
the College might look like with a 25 percent smaller budget by
2011-12. {For more on the Scenario Planning Taskforce (SPT),
see the Summer ’09 Berea College Magazine, pp. 5, 24-28.}
However, as we discuss the SPT’s report this fall, I would
like to focus our attention not on the financial part of the
Taskforce’s assignment, but on the positive first element of their
charge, namely, to maintain Berea’s core mission in every
scenario they imagine for our 21st century world.
What is the “core mission” of Berea College that must be
maintained on the other side of our chosen institutional
transformations? And is Berea’s mission powerful and
adaptable enough to persist in the more streamlined budgetary
and institutional forms that the scenarios will imagine as “the
new Berea?” These are but two of the critical questions we must
address this year.
Most institutions examine their missions every decade or
so and put them on the shelf in between times. Not at Berea
College. We live our mission daily and debate its elements
frequently. We often talk of Berea having a “unique
mission,” but seldom comprehend the complexity or
the fragility of its uniqueness. Each year we address key
questions in admissions, programs, and outreach that have
enormous implications for our mission and how we can best
realize it. That will be even more true this year as we
contemplate alternative ways to implement Berea’s core mission
with fewer resources. The danger lies not in raising such
mission-related questions, but rather in not discerning the
difference between the core and the periphery of what makes
Berea College’s mission truly unique. It is this danger—and
opportunity—on which I will focus here.
During my early days at Berea College, people wanted to
be sure I understood the “specialness” or “uniqueness” of Berea
College’s mission and to be certain that I was focusing on its
essential parts. However, many Bereans saw only one or
two basic elements as essential to the College’s
mission—and they were not the same elements! For
example, one area of our mission that was (and still is)
particularly troublesome to some is Berea’s inclusive Christian
self-identification. During my first year, a number of Bereans
asked why we still needed to call ourselves a “Christian
college.” If Fee believed that “God has made of one blood all
peoples of the earth,” were we not limiting our selfunderstanding
to call ourselves “Christian” in our religiously
pluralistic 21st century world?
6
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

When I asked what text we would use to replace our Acts
17:26 motto and related Christian scriptures like the two Great
Commandments, I usually received blank stares and the typical
reply, “Why does Berea need such texts at all?” But imagine
Berea’s recent history if we had not chosen to spend five years
reading, researching, and talking together about what “inclusive
Christianity” means in the Bible and in Berea’s history and
mission. Imagine all references to Christianity and our Christian
beginnings being stricken from the Great Commitments and
from our institutional literature. Imagine our impaired capacity
to deal with the major ethical issues of our time like interfaith
understanding, our disposition toward race or sexual preference,
our focus on economically challenged families, and our stance
on human conflict and wars without this spiritual anchor for
the College. It is not an exaggeration to say that all that
has made and continues to make Berea College unique
has emanated from its inclusive Christian roots and
their mission-related implications.
In a similar fashion, Berea’s commitment to Appalachia
has been questioned at various points throughout our history—
including today. Why does Berea serve students primarily from
Appalachia? Some acknowledge that it would be more difficult
to interest donors in Berea College without its Appalachian
student focus. Others acknowledge that we have a history of
service to communities in the region we do not have elsewhere.
“Berea’s Appalachian Commitment,” a paper written by the
Strategic Planning Council (SPC) during its 1996 planning
processes and revised in 2002, aptly describes this and other
tensions inherent in Berea’s complex mission. (See web links
on p. 37.)
Our historical reply is still relevant. We are located in this
region and need to serve the students and communities where we
live and work first, before reaching beyond Appalachia. More
than simply a college, Berea is also a resource for its neighbors
and nearby communities. The education of 1,500 students, more
than 70 percent from Kentucky and the Appalachian South,
is an essential component of our mission. But, as our eighth
Commitment says, we also must provide outreach services to
Appalachian communities beyond education, and we have done
so throughout our history. For example, today, through the
GEAR UP program at Berea College, we touch the lives of more
than 4,000 K-12 students in 5 Kentucky counties adjacent to
Madison County. This year, Berea College will contribute $6.6
million in educational programs like GEAR UP and Upward
Bound that are focused beyond the campus and funded mostly
from federal program resources. The reasons often given for our
continued Appalachian focus—historical mission, economic need,
outreach services, and donor focus—are all important, but none is
more salient than the simple fact that Kentucky and Southern
Appalachia is where Berea College is located and where we are
still needed.
Others Bereans have asked me about the College’s
interracial mission—especially its focus on the co-education of
blacks and whites. From my earliest days at Berea, I have heard
More than simply a
college, Berea is also
a resource for its
neighbors and
nearby communities.
O’Neil Arnold, ’85
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 7

two persistent criticisms: first, Berea’s focus on blacks and
whites is outdated and we should focus on “diversity” instead;
and second, Berea should move entirely beyond race or
diversity to a “colorblind” community and ethos. My reply is
usually to ask a question: Has overt and covert racism directed
against those with dark skin (regardless of race or nationality)
truly been eliminated from our American and global cultures?
As city after city in America becomes more and more
segregated in housing and public schools, and as black and
white racial violence across America has persisted, is Berea’s
work in this area done? For example, the veiled threats and
racist responses to the 2008 presidential election made it clear
that racism is still very much alive in America. Berea’s voice of
reconciliation was needed 154 years ago and continues to be
needed in our day.
Berea has a legacy in black/white education that few
colleges in America have—and we have only recently recovered
essential components of that legacy. After the repeal of the
Kentucky Day Law in 1950, Berea College’s African American
student population hovered between 4-8 percent for more than
40 years despite campus and trustee commitments to increase
our racial diversity. Only in the last 10 years have we achieved
our steady 18-20 percent African American student enrollment,
and that success is due in no small part to a strategic planning
O’Neil Arnold, ’85
process that has made it clear that educating black and white
students together is a core part of Berea’s mission. Furthermore,
our particular focus on developing mutual respect and
understanding between blacks and whites has opened our
doors to students from all parts of America and the world—
and continues to do so today.
In my early summers in Berea, I spent many hours in
the College archives reading the speeches and writings of our
early founders. I quickly came to understand that Berea’s
mission has many interrelated elements (i.e., its Appalachian
focus, interracial education, the economic need of students,
coeducation, the importance of labor, and a balanced program
of the liberal arts and professional studies), and that all of these
core elements are derived from John G. Fee’s inclusive
understanding of the Christian scriptures. But I also came to
understand that Berea’s mission is unique only in the
complex fusion of all of these mission elements—not in
any one element alone.
During our conversations on campus and with the board
of trustees about the “New Berea” scenarios that can implement
Berea’s mission in our day, no challenge will be greater than to
remember and insist upon the preservation of the
complex set of interrelated elements that together
make the mission and character of Berea College
unique. We must not succumb to the temptation to lift
up individual elements of the mission independent
from the others. Imagine if we had tinkered with separate
elements of our mission during the past decade so that we no
longer called ourselves inclusively Christian, or expressed our
interracial commitment in the diluted language of “diversity” as
embraced by most other colleges in America, or did not include
Appalachia in our admissions and service focuses.
Instead, our strategic plan, Being and Becoming: Berea
College in the 21st Century, sought to implement the whole of
Berea’s mission in all of its complexity. As a result, the
College has gained ground in every core area and in its
collective accomplishments. We must continue that discipline
in our upcoming scenario conversations to honor the whole of
Berea’s mission and thereby retain the power of its uniqueness.
In our scenario discussions, we must keep our complex
and unique mission forward in our thinking as we consider new
wineskins for our venerable and aged wine. What has been
surprising to some readers is that the initial drafts of the
proposed scenarios do not offer more conceptually different
“New Bereas.” The simple reason is that each of the scenarios
seeks to maintain all of the elements of Berea’s current,
complex mission. It was not the Taskforce’s charge to seek
alternative missions. However, each scenario offers new
emphases in applying Berea’s traditional mission in a 21st
century world and in new structures that are more flexible and
sustainable. Many will find some of the recommendations to be
quite radical, but, we must not mistake programs,
positions, or institutional structures that implement
Berea’s mission for the mission itself.
8
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

For all of us, the dramatic change in the “New Berea” will
come in how Berea’s mission is applied and not in changes to
what our mission says. Remember that in the 1920s, the radical
nature of William J. Hutchins’ “New Berea” was primarily in
the new ways Berea’s traditional mission was organized in a
substantially restructured College. Is this not the essential
challenge in our own day?
In his monograph called Good to Great and the Social
Sector (2005), Tom Collins argues that what makes some
nonprofit institutions “just good” (and later obsolete) and what
makes others “great” (and enduring) are three core criteria: (a)
a deep passion for the work; (b) finding what you can do and be
the best in the world at doing; and (c) learning how fiscal and
human resources can be marshaled to achieve your core
mission. Collins believes that the way an organization attains
greatness is to exercise “the relentless discipline to say, ‘No,
thank you’” to opportunities that do not meet this threefold test.
Given what I have said today, it should be clear that
Berea’s multifaceted and integrated mission does meet the
threefold test: (a) it has inspired individual and collective
passions across the decades; (b) it has supplied our complex
and unique educational focus; and (c) it has provided sufficient
human and fiscal resources for Berea’s continuance for 154
years. It is also clear that we have not always practiced “the
relentless discipline to say ‘No, thank you’” to attractive but
diversionary opportunities. It is such “relentless discipline” that
our scenario choices will require.
The question we Bereans must now address is: How can
Berea College achieve its multifaceted and unique mission
through institutional forms that are more effective and flexible,
and more sustainable in financial terms than our current ones?
I, like you, await with some anxiousness and much excitement
our discussions of the several scenarios for the “New Berea” in
our day that will mirror the adaptive transformation that Berea
made during the 1920s and 30s. William J. Hutchins’ words in
the turbulent times of the Great Depression still ring true today:
We have a ship which has proved seaworthy,
we have our chart and compass, we have a
cargo infinitely precious, and we are making
headway. But these days and the days ahead
are days of shifting weather, of storm, and
stress. And you can help us.
Yes, we still have the same compass Berea possessed in the
1920s, namely our unique mission, to guide us through the
current financial and cultural storms. So let us dream an
impossible dream of a New Berea for our new day—a Berea that
continues our unique and complex mission in more effective
and sustainable ways. To achieve such impossible dreams even
in turbulent times has been a Berea tradition.
With your help we can do it again.
For all of us, the dramatic
change in the “New Berea”
will come in how Berea’s
mission is applied and not
in changes to what our
mission says.
Charles Brooks
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 9

Berea College Board of Trustees 2008-2009
College Trustees
David E. Shelton, ’69, Wilkesboro NC
Chair of the Board
Nancy E. Blair, Stamford CT
Vice Chair of the Board
Larry D. Shinn, Berea KY
President of the College
Vicki E. Allums, ’79, Arlington VA*
Charlotte F. Beason, ’70, Louisville KY
Vance Blade, ’82, Louisville KY
Jan Hunley Crase, Cx’60, Somerset KY*
M. Elizabeth Culbreth, ’64, Arlington VA
Chella S. David, ’61, Rochester MN
John E. Fleming, ’66, Yellow Springs OH
Glenn R. Fuhrman, New York NY
Jim Gray, Lexington KY
Heather Sturt Haaga, La Canada CA
Donna S. Hall, Lexington KY
Scott M. Jenkins, West Conshohocken PA
Shawn C.D. Johnson, Boston MA
Lucinda Rawlings Laird, Louisville KY
Brenda Todd Larsen, Johns Island SC
Jim Lewis, ’70, Ellicott City MD*
Eugene Y. Lowe, Jr., Evanston IL
Elissa May-Plattner, Frankfort KY
Harold L. Moses, ’58, Nashville TN
Douglas M. Orr, Black Mountain NC
Thomas W. Phillips, ’65, Knoxville TN
William B. Richardson, Whitesburg KY
Charles Ward Seabury, II, Thousand Oaks CA
Mark Stitzer, New York NY
Tyler Smyth Thompson, ’83, Louisville KY*
David O. Welch, ’55, Ashland KY
Dawneda F. Williams, Wise VA
Eugene A. Woods, Lexington KY
Drausin F. Wulsin, Hillsboro OH
Robert T. Yahng, ’63, Larkspur CA
College Officers
David E. Shelton, ’69
Chair of the Board
Nancy E. Blair
Vice Chair of the Board
Larry D. Shinn
President
Carolyn R. Newton
Academic Vice President and Provost
Stephanie P. Browner
Dean of the Faculty
Gail W. Wolford
Vice President for Labor and Student Life
Steven D. Karcher
Vice President for Business and Administration
Jeffrey Amburgey
Vice President for Finance
William A. Laramee
Vice President for Alumni and College Relations
Judge B. Wilson II, ’78
Secretary
Honorary Trustees
Alberta Wood Allen, Bethesda MD
John Alden Auxier, ’51, Knoxville TN
James T. Bartlett, Boston MA
Jack Buchanan, ’46, Winchester KY
Frederic L. Dupree, Jr., V-12 ’45, Lexington KY
Kate Ireland, Tallahassee FL
Juanita M. Kreps, ’42, Durham NC
Alice R. Manicur, ’54, Frostburg MD
Thomas H. Oliver, St. Helena Island SC
Kroger Pettengill, Cincinnati OH
David S. Swanson, Walpole ME
R. Elton White, ’65, Sarasota FL
* Alumni Trustee
10
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

Designation of Funds
July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009
Endowment
$28,921,896
Current Operations
$5,567,606
Capital Purposes
$536,813
Other
$814,710
Current Operations
Berea Fund - Unrestricted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 4,540,941
Student Aid - Restricted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110,367
Other - Restricted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 916,298
Subtotal - Current Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,567,606 (15.5%)
Capital Purposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536,813 (1.5%)
Endowment
Restricted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,186,731
Unrestricted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,735,165
Subtotal - Endowment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,921,896 (80.7%)
Other
Student Loan Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,900
Gift Value of Annuities and Life Income Agreements . . . 738,400
Gifts-In-Kind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57,410
Subtotal - Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 814,710 (2.3%)
GRAND TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 35,841,025 (100%)
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 11

Source of Support
Percentage of Total Gifts
July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009
Friends
65.2%
Alumni
29.5%
Foundations, Corporations,
and Other Sources
5.3%
Non-Alumni
Outright Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10,210
Bequests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
Gift Value of Annuities and Life Income Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Gifts-in-Kind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Subtotal - Non-Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10,509 (65.2%)
Alumni
Outright Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,681
Bequests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Gift Value of Annuities and Life Income Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Gifts-in-Kind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Subtotal - Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,745 (29.5%)
Foundations, Corporations, and Other Sources
General Welfare Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
Corporations and Corporate Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .492
Organizations, Associations, and Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Gifts-in-Kind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Fund-raising Consortia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Religious Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Subtotal - Foundations, Corporations, and Other Sources . . . . . . . . . . .859 (5.3%)
Total Outright Gifts, Bequests, and Gift Value
of Annuities and Life Income Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16,058
GRAND TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16,113 (100%)
12
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

Source of Support
Percentage of Total Dollars
July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009
Alumni
44.7%
Friends
45.4%
Foundations, Corporations,
and Other Sources
9.9%
Friends
Outright Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $. . . . 2,113,646
Bequests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,588,832
Gift Value of Annuities and Life Income Agreements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561,546
Gifts-in-Kind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,962
Subtotal - Non-Alumni. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,271,986 (45.4%)
Alumni
Outright Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,168,050
Bequests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,693,116
Gift Value of Annuities and Life Income Agreements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176,854
Gifts-in-Kind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Subtotal - Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,038,147 (44.7%)
Foundations, Corporations, and Other Sources
General Welfare Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,031,723
Corporations and Corporate Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,229,634
Organizations, Associations, and Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94,921
Gifts-in-Kind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49,321
Fund-raising Consortia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,301
Religious Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,992
Subtotal - Foundations, Corporations, and Other Sources. . . . . . . 3,530,892 (9.9%)
Total Outright Gifts, Bequests, and Gift Value
of Annuities and Life Income Agreements . . . . . . . . . . 35,783,615
GRAND TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ . . 35,841,025 (100%)
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 13

Statements of Financial Position
Years Ended June 30, 2009 and 2008
Assets 2009 2008
Current Assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 25,541,383 $ 23,165,985
Other investments - absolute return fund — 5,448,357
Receivables and accrued interest 5,144,837 4,318,274
Inventories 1,434,029 1,624,956
Prepaid expenses and other assets 114,815 51,925
Contributions receivable and bequests in probate 7,678,037 16,447,195
Total Current Assets 39,913,101 51,056,692
Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets 2,727,392 1,219,279
Contributions Receivable and Bequests in Probate 2,655,285 3,377,313
Long-Term Receivables 1,312,799 1,335,234
Long-Term Investments
Donor-restricted endowment 445,508,900 573,607,800
Tuition replacement 345,700,900 449,646,900
Annuity and life income 22,790,400 28,767,600
Funds held in trust by others 18,860,900 23,684,800
Total Long-Term Investments 832,861,100 1,075,707,100
Bond Proceeds For Capital Additions 3,265,911 —
Bond Defeasance Escrow — 503,443
Property, Plant, and Equipment (Net) 149,801,990 142,149,654
Total Assets $ 1,032,537,578 $ 1,275,348,715
Liabilities and Net Assets
Current Liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 4,991,787 $ 6,235,943
Accrued salaries and wages 2,792,342 2,631,745
Deposits and agency funds 475,517 418,251
Deferred income 144,722 111,707
Current maturities of long-term debt 1,914,982 2,195,000
Total Current Liabilities 10,319,350 11,592,646
Long-Term Liabilities
Actuarial liability for annuities payable and other liabilities 15,530,163 14,989,580
Long-term debt 62,060,567 60,105,000
Total Long-Term Liabilities 77,590,730 75,094,580
Total Liabilities 87,910,080 86,687,226
Net Assets
Unrestricted 615,759,311 816,355,437
Temporarily restricted 81,449,675 126,983,479
Permanently restricted 247,418,512 245,322,573
Total Net Assets 944,627,498 1,188,661,489
Total Liabilities and Net Assets $ 1,032,537,578 $ 1,275,348,715
14
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

Statements of Activities
Years Ended June 30, 2009 and 2008
2009 2008
Operating Revenue
Spendable return from long-term investments $ 44,950,728 $ 41,511,289
Gifts and donations 5,351,568 5,260,535
Federal and state grants 10,176,522 9,961,497
Fees paid by students 1,508,813 1,430,102
Other income 2,462,116 3,854,924
Residence halls and food service 7,516,824 7,280,522
Student industries and rentals 3,263,481 3,748,822
Net assets released from restrictions 5,765,578 5,202,704
Gross operating revenue 80,995,630 78,250,395
Less: Student aid (3,022,693) (3,026,137)
Operating Expenses
Net Operating Revenue 77,972,937 75,224,258
Program services
Educational and general 44,285,917 43,800,318
Residence halls and food service 7,107,081 7,421,851
Student industries and rentals 5,309,036 4,703,052
Total program services 56,702,034 55,925,221
Support services 12,459,461 12,039,511
Other Changes in Net Assets
Total Operating Expenses 69,161,495 67,964,732
Operating revenue in excess of operating
expenses from continuing operations 8,811,442 7,259,526
Gain on sale of property, plant, and equipment 91,849 24,540
Loss on valuation of interest rate swaps (2,085,100) (2,013,900)
Investment return less than amounts designated
for current operations (267,365,773) (100,289,606)
Gifts and bequests restricted or designated for
long-term investments 19,817,309 14,651,072
Restricted gifts for property, plant, and equipment and
other specific purposes 1,180,962 998,809
Restricted spendable return on endowment investments 5,596,981 5,178,360
Reclassification of net assets released from restrictions (5,765,578) (5,202,704)
Net adjustment of annuity payment and deferred giving liability (4,316,083) (2,157,874)
Total Change in Net Assets $(244,033,991 ) $(81,551,777)
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 15

Alumni Relations
How They Compare
Years Ended June 30, 2009 and 2008
General Data
2009 2008
Total Alumni Donors 3,360 3,426
Participation - All Alumni 28.1% 27.9%
Participation - All Alumni including Bequestors 28.3% 28.0%
Participation - College Graduates 29.6% 30.1%
Participation - Young Alumni - Total ** 11.0% 7.1%
Participation - Young Alumni - Grads ** 11.4% 8.5%
Average gift from Alumni to Berea Fund excluding Bequests $287.69 $242.42
** from graduating classes 1998-2009
2009 2008
Donations Report (All Funds)
Source of Donations # Donors Amount #Donors Amount
Alumni 3,360 1,675,376.67 3,426 2,569,572.12
Bequests (Alumni) 24 14,693,115.72 19 563,124.25
Subtotal 3,384 16,368,492.39 3,445 3,132,696.37
Friends 1,508 299,099.15 1,614 392,241.96
Corporate Matching Gifts 52 51,944.44 45 54,045.92
Bequests (Friends/Alumni-Related) 0 — 0 —
Subtotal 1,560 351,043.59 1,659 446,287.88
Total 4,944 $16,719,535.98 5,104 $3,578,984.25
Donations By Fund
Amount
Amount
Unrestricted (Berea Fund) 1,049,886.88 985,191.81
Current Restricted 59,285.02 144,269.91
Plant Funds 80,110.40 188,909.00
Endowment 15,353,272.56 1,776,831.32
Student Loan Funds — 47,000.00
Deferred Gifts 176,854.40 434,171.30
Gifts-in-Kind 126.72 2,610.91
Total $16,719,535.98 $3,578,984.25
Berea Fund Summary
Source of Donations # Donors Amount Donors Amount
Alumni 2,988 859,625.14 3,158 765,572.03
Friends 1,229 68,589.29 1,319 101,220.73
Corporate Matching Gifts 48 37,319.44 41 33,115.70
Bequests 2 84,353.01 2 85,283.35
Total 4,267 $1,049,886,88 4,520 $985,191.81
Alumni who participate through personal giving vehicles, such as Donor Advised Funds, are included.
16
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

Alumni Association
2009 Summer Reunion
Convocation
Executive Council 2008-09
Rob Stafford, ’89, President, Kentucky
James Cecil Owens, ’60, President-Elect, Kentucky
Rachel Berry Henkle, ’64, Past President, Kentucky
Larry D. Shinn, Hon. ’09, President of Berea College, Kentucky
Mae Suramek, ’95, Director of Alumni Relations, Kentucky
William A. Laramee, Vice President for Alumni
and College Relations, Kentucky
Members at Large 2008-09
Jennifer Jones Allen, ’01, North Carolina
Celeste Patton Armstrong, ’90, Alabama
Joe Brandenburg, ’71, Georgia
Ronald Dockery, ’70, Kentucky
Lowell Hamilton, ’61, Alabama
Timothy Jones, ’94, Kentucky
Peggy Mitchell Mannering, ’71, Florida
Jason Miller, ’98, Kentucky
Bob Miller, ’58, Kentucky
Larry Owen, ’61, North Carolina
D. Wesley Poythress, ’89, Indiana
Willie Sanders, ’69, Florida
Edward Seay, ’95, Georgia
Thomas L. Smith, ’79, Kentucky
Karen Nelson Troxler, ’80, Ohio
Larry Woods, ’75, Kentucky
Alumni Trustees – 6-Year Terms
Vicki Allums, ’79, Virginia
Janice Hunley Crase, ’60, Kentucky
Jim Lewis, ’70, Illinois
Tyler Smyth Thompson, ’83, Kentucky
Young Alumni Advisory Council 2008-09
Shawn Adkins, ’01, Ohio
Brandy Sloan Brabham, ’00, West Virginia
Jarrod Brown, ’04, Kentucky
Dwayne Compton, ’01, Kentucky
Jennifer Engelby Goodpaster, ’03, Tennessee
Steven Goodpaster, ’03, Tennessee
Destiny Harper, ’06, Kentucky
David Harrison, ’00, Kentucky
Jonathan Johnson, ’99, Kentucky
Markesha Flagg McCants, ’03, Tennessee
Christina Ryan Perkins, ’98, Tennessee
Jeremy Rotty, ’05, Maryland
Renee Waller, ’00, Florida
A check for $282,169.52 (representing the
gifts of all reunion classes) was presented to
President Larry D. Shinn.
Class of 1939 – Recognized for the greatest percentage
of Great Commitments Society members
Class of 1949 – Recognized for the greatest number of
Great Commitments Society members, for the greatest
percentage of consistent donors for more than 5 years, for
the overall highest percentage of donors in the reunion
classes, and for the overall highest dollars given by the
reunion classes
Class of 1959 – Recognized for the greatest percentage
of classmates attending the reunion and for breaking their
own participation record
Class of 1964 – Recognized for breaking their own
participation record
Class of 1969 – Recognized for the largest number of
classmates attending the reunion
Class of 1979 – Recognized for breaking their own
record for dollars given
To read our alumni and donor honor rolls online, visit
http://www.berea.edu/publicrelations/publications/
bereacollegemagazine/
Tinsley Carter, ’05
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 17

O’Neil Arnold, ’85
“I think Berea is a great
place, a phenomenal place.
Once you spend time here
and you understand the
dynamics of it, it is a
community with all the
meaning of that word.”
Amer Lahamer: the Science of Excellence
BY MORGAN SMITH, ’12
Buzzes and clicks fill the air inside Amer Lahamer’s
lab. Along rows of tables, shiny, metallic pieces of
equipment gleam. He stops at a machine in the middle,
turns on its computer, and begins flipping switches on a
reflectron, time-of-flight mass spectrometer that he built while
on sabbatical. It accelerates ions inside a field-free region,
allowing measurement of the ions’ mass-to-charge ratio. “You
need to take a picture of this,” he jokes.
As we wait for this spectrometer to start, a purple tube
connected to a machine in the corner catches my eye. I ask
about the foreign object, saying that it looks as if it is filled with
lavender bath salts. He describes it as a component of a “fancier
time-of-flight mass spectrometer,” where air is flushed for
cleaning. (It looks pretty fancy to me.) We turn back to the
other mass spectrometer, which now reflects a blinking beam of
light onto Amer’s hand. The tiny screen above the device looks
like a heart monitor with two lines, one pink and one orange.
The lines, he explains, reveal the elements present in a sample.
These lines are sodium and potassium, two elements that are
always present.
On the left side of the lab, the laser ablation apparatus
takes up a full table, and positioned directly in front of it sit
several mirrors and a lens. Amer explains that this piece of
machinery is equipped with an yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG)
laser that can be focused on a sample. The laser light is
reflected from mirror to mirror and then into the lens where it
vaporizes the sample substance inside the apparatus and
collects the material for analysis. The elements in the vaporized
residue can now be measured by the time-of-flight mass
spectrometer.
18
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

Students majoring in physics must have research
experience to graduate. Two students, Matthew Bailey, ’09, of
Isom, Kentucky, and Mohhamed Yusuf, ’10, of Bangladesh,
have recently finished a project in which they researched the
iron content in fortified breakfast cereals using the College’s
Mössbauer system (used in nuclear physics to study properties
of material) and an x-ray machine (used for crystal structure
identification). The idea for the project came from Matthew,
and now Amer is helping them get their results published in the
Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science.
According to Mohhamed, Amer’s “indomitable teaching
prowess and leadership skills” are responsible for many of the
great things that are happening in the physics department. Not
only did Matthew win this year’s T.J. Wood Award for
outstanding achievement, but Amer won the 2005 Seabury
Award for Excellence in Teaching. Amer has worked on many
other projects with students and written several grants that
resulted in securing additional technology for the labs.
His ability to get others excited about physics is no
surprise—he has been enjoying science since he was a boy. He
spent his time outside of school playing with his three brothers
and four sisters in their childhood home of Sayyad, Libya. “We
were poor, but life was good,” says Amer. He recalls stuffing
clothes into a sock to use as a soccer ball and dissecting frogs to
draw diagrams of their internal organs. Amer enjoyed school,
especially his biology class, and had dreams of becoming a
doctor.
After high school, he received a grant from the Libyan
government to attend college in the United States at Tennessee
Tech University. After a short time, he decided to transfer to a
school in a larger city. Eventually, he chose the University of
Iowa where he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in
electrical engineering. While Amer was working on his master’s
degree, he took a modern physics class with nuclear physicist
Gerald Payne.
Amer began using all of Dr. Payne’s office hours to talk,
and by the end of that semester, he was hooked. His professor
encouraged him to pursue his doctorate in physics, but Amer
was concerned because his undergraduate degree was in
another field. His mentor assured him that it would only take a
year or two to catch up, so Amer decided to take the advice.
After receiving a master’s degree in engineering and physics
from the University of Iowa, he went on to earn his doctorate
from Vanderbilt University. In 1989 Amer joined the Berea
faculty.
As a faculty member, Amer says he has found the best of
both worlds—the small laboratory where he works on things that
interest him and the classroom where he has the opportunity to
influence future generations of physicists. When asked about
his greatest accomplishments, he doesn’t mention the numerous
papers he has published, or that he holds the W. Leslie Worth
Chair in Science. Rather, what matters to him is the difference
he has made in the lives of students. That, he says, is his most
meaningful accomplishment as a professional.
Although he had planned to teach here for only a few years
before moving on, Amer is now in his 20th year at Berea. He
credits this to relaionships he has developed with students,
colleagues, and friends. “I think Berea is a great place, a
phenomenal place. Once you spend time here and you
understand the dynamics of it, it is a community with all the
meaning of that word.”
Amer has been fortunate enough to witness just how deep
those feelings of community run. A few years ago, Amer was a
“confirmed bachelor” but, on a summer visit to Libya, his
brother introduced him to a teacher
named Iman. After getting to
know one another, the two
became engaged. While Amer
was back in the States
planning for Iman’s arrival,
the tragic events of
September 11, 2001 occurred,
and that greatly lengthened
the time it took for her to
receive her visa.
Her visa arrived nine
months later, and Amer went
to Libya to bring her to
America. When they arrived
at the Lexington airport, they
were shocked to find some of
Amer’s colleagues waiting
with flowers and balloons to
welcome Iman to the United
States. “It was a total surprise.
That’s what Berea is. That’s
what keeps me here.” Today
Amer and Iman live happily
in Berea with their three
young children, Jennan,
Ahmad, and Ayham.
O’Neil Arnold, ’85
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 19

O’Neil Arnold, ’85
When students are involved
they quickly understand
that how much they learn
depends upon how active
they are in class.
The T’ai Chi
Learning Style
of Martha
BY MEGAN SMITH, ’11
On the green of the College Quad, Martha Beagle slowly
lifts her right knee and turns it 90 degrees before gently
placing her foot in the grass. Her right arm glides
across her body as if gently moving water out of her way. In
continual fluid motion, her left palm pushes an imaginary mass,
and her weight shifts. T’ai Chi shapes both mind and body, and,
in many ways, this traditional Chinese exercise serves as a
metaphor for how Martha lives her life.
Martha has devoted herself to being active in mind and body
and discovering ways they can come together. Through this
approach she carries out Berea’s commitments to learning, labor,
and service.
Even though Martha has been teaching physical education
at Berea College for 25 years, she seeks opportunities to
broaden her mind and grow as a person. One example is
Martha’s persistent study of the Holocaust. She started studying
the mass genocide on her own to try to understand why it
happened, and she continues to study it because she never
wants it to happen again.
“Studying the Holocaust provides inescapable ethical
questions that cause me to pause and reflect on what happened
and how we continue to experience racism and anti-Semitism
today,” says Martha.
Almost 20 years ago, Martha started reading about the
Holocaust. During that time she has accumulated a large
personal library of information. However, in 2005 when she
heard that associate professor of general studies, Steve Gowler,
was offering a short term, study-abroad course on the
Holocaust, Martha saw it as a chance to grow experientially.
Being able to put her feet where Holocaust victims had
walked and died created a powerful experience that aided her
deepening understanding. “Just the aura of these places is
20
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

enough to give you goose pimples,” she says. One experience
inside Ravensbrück, a women’s concentration camp in
Germany, made the suffering of Holocaust victims all the more
real to her. “I just felt like I had all these souls who were
standing around me trying to tell their stories or asking for help
or asking ‘Why?’”
Involved with the first study-abroad course in 2005 to tour
European Holocaust sites, Martha served as a faculty tag-a-long.
Dean Stephanie Browner had offered faculty across campus and
disciplines the opportunity to be a part of this study-travel class.
Seeing the time and extra effort she put into the course made it
easy for Steve to ask Martha to co-teach his next study-abroad
trip during summer 2009. “In Martha, our students saw someone
committed to learning more about a topic with which she was
already acquainted,” says Steve, who adds that her presence was
invaluable as she served as a model for engaged learning.
Likewise, Martha serves as a role model for service. In 2008
she volunteered to help create the first annual Bluegrass Regional
Boomer and Senior Games, an event in which older adults
compete in a variety of sports. The games were co-hosted by
Berea College and the Bluegrass Area Agency on Aging. Martha
also teaches an intergenerational course called Body Recall in
which people of all ages and abilities experience the benefits of
remaining physically active. The slow and smooth exercises help
participants reclaim range of movement, increasing life vitality.
Only offered every third semester to students, Martha continues
to offer the course free and on her own time to older adults when
she is not teaching it as a college class.
Beagle
Martha lives the Berea Commitments to learning and
service in her personal life. At the College she gets what she
calls “a teaching high” as she encourages her students to be
active in mind and body and to work to serve the community.
Active learning is one way that Martha knows how to get others
engaged in their education. She challenges traditional lecturestyle
teaching, choosing to require student participation in class
discussions. When students are involved, she says, they quickly
understand that how much they learn depends upon how active
they are in class. As a result, Martha hopes that students take
ownership for their education and are inspired to become lifelong
learners.
To her, active learning is also learning that reaches beyond
the four walls of the classroom and provides real-life
experiences where students can be both mentally and physically
involved. As a result, Martha teaches service learning through
the College’s required Introduction to Lifetime Wellness course.
In the course, students organize and implement a health
awareness event for the campus community with the help of
College health staff and faculty members. Recent student-led
and-organized projects have included Drugs and Alcohol
Awareness Day, Depression and Anxiety Screening Day, Stress-
Free Day, Body Awareness Day, and Get Moving Berea College
(a seven-week physical activity program).
Audreanna Smothers, ’11, a business administration major
who participated in Martha’s wellness class, says, “Coach
Beagle is sincerely concerned with what is going on in our
community, and she utilizes the courses she teaches to show
students how easy and fun it can be to get involved, and how
important it is to help others.”
A firm believer in service-style
learning, Martha tries to
incorporate service-learning
projects into all of the classes
she teaches. Some of the
projects she has organized in
the past include visiting
Shannon Johnson Elementary
School, Foley Middle School, and
Berea Community School to work
with their physical education teachers.
This year, Martha’s Foundations of
Physical Education students will also
work “Second
Sunday,” a
statewide
initiative to
encourage
people and
families to be
physically active.
Over 150 students
were provided
volunteer experiences
once again when the
second annual
regional Boomer and Senior
Games was held on the
Berea campus. For Martha
Beagle, mind and body go
hand-in-hand. She’s all about
keeping active in both and trying
to find ways to connect them
through experience and service. It’s
a philosophy she lives by and a
philosophy that she tries to instill in
those who surround her.
As I watch her practicing T’ai Chi
in the Quad, there is no strain or tension
in her face. There is only the look of deep
meditation as her body and mind appear
to move together in slow, fluid motion.
O’Neil Arnold, ’85
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 21

O’Neil Arnold, ’85
“My goal, while I’m alive, is to
counteract the stereotypes, to
show students here that
they’re not destined for failure
and that they can be part of
the solution. Our service
learning program really gives
them a tool to do that.”
Billy Wooten Empowers His Students to
BY DEB MCINTYRE, ’10
Beth Coleman, ’09, could be president of the unofficial
Billy Wooten fan club. She’s part of a growing group of
students and alumni who laud the merits of the young
associate professor. “When you take a class with Billy, you’re
not just experiencing the subject; you’re learning how to apply
it, and why it matters to you and whatever career aspirations
you may have. Without him, without a doubt, I wouldn’t have
made it out of Berea; let alone to a nice job in D.C.!”
Billy Wooten, ’98, returned to his alma mater in 2002 to
fill in for English, theatre, and speech communication
department chair Verlaine McDonald, who was on sabbatical.
One year turned into two and when speech communication
became a major at Berea, a faculty position opened. While
teaching at Berea, he earned his doctorate degree from the
University of Kentucky in 2006. Billy now leads Berea’s
successful speech and debate team and impresses students with
his hands-on teaching style and real-life applications.
Billy grew up in the mountains of northeast Georgia,
dreaming of becoming a successful lawyer while watching the
Matlock television show “over and over and over” with his
grandmother. In high school he honed his speech skills on the
debate team and his writing skills while working on the famous
Foxfire magazine at Rabun County High School. His biology
teacher, Annette (Orme) Cabe, ’80, encouraged him to check
out Berea College. “I came for a visit and fell in love.”
As a Berea student, Billy participated in speech tournaments
and majored in English. Still determined to be an attorney, he
researched law schools his senior year and Tulane University’s
School of Law accepted him into its fall class. But before classes
started, Billy’s grandmother had a heart attack, and suddenly,
everything changed.
The woman who had raised and encouraged him was in
need. Billy looked after his grandmother while she recovered,
still hoping to attend law school later. His Berea degree helped
him secure a job as a copy editor at a local newspaper; he also
wrote news articles on occasion. This experience, and those
during his Foxfire days, gave him a passion for journalism. He
dropped his long-held desire to be a lawyer and began searching
22
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

for a graduate school in which to enroll after his grandmother
recovered.
In 2002 Billy graduated from Georgia State University with
a master’s degree in communication and a clearer focus of what
his future area of research would be—communication and gender.
An elective class in gender communication intrigued him, and he
abandoned plans to be a journalist and shifted his energy to
studying those topics. “It wasn’t just about the empowerment of
women. It was about empowerment for many,” he says.
As a Berea associate professor, Billy has been able to share
his love for persuasive speech with debate team members, who
have been very successful in competitions. Last fall a debate team
from Berea topped 26 others for overall honors at the Smoky
Mountain Debate Invitational in Morristown, Tennessee. While
victories are sweet, losses are educational. Billy remembers
getting trounced during his team’s first debate his freshman year
of high school. He felt devastated afterwards. “We [his team]
became very successful (after being squashed that one time) and
won the state championship.”
Billy’s trained voice shows little evidence of his mountain
roots. He doesn’t ask his speech students to work on losing
their accents, however. He only works to help them articulate
clearly. This is especially challenging for international students,
who are some of his best team members. He was once told by a
judge that it would be better not to include so many non-native
Be “Tools for Change”
English speakers on his team since they can be difficult to
understand. “I came back and told the team, ’We’re not going to
change.’ I encouraged the team members to be themselves.”
Even Southern accents can be difficult for some to understand.
When Appalachian students worry over this, he tells them,
“Stay who you are. Remain true to your heritage.”
Service-focused courses were not available when Billy was
a student; but as a faculty member, he has embraced the
concept of service learning, and his classes are popular. “He has
it down to a science,” says Beth, his former teaching assistant.
The classes have empowered students and greatly assisted
nonprofit agencies in the region. His background in media and
communication are ideally suited to lead students in doing
public relations work for organizations. Many agencies eagerly
await the help that Billy and his students can give them with
media materials. His classes have assisted the Mountain
Maternal Health League, the New Opportunity School for
Women, Students Against Destructive Decisions, and the
Madison County Health Department. Recently, a grant from
the nonprofit Project Pericles engaged his students in
advocating for increased national awareness of mountaintop
removal issues.
In Billy’s classes, student teams create brochures, press
releases, websites, and multimedia presentations to assist
community groups in improving public image and developing
attractive, accurate media and public relations materials. The
students deal directly with agency representatives as clients.
The opportunity empowers them with personal networking
contacts, real world experiences, and portfolio materials that
are invaluable when seeking employment. “Because
of him, I have a resume of professional experience
that rivals most young professionals and sets me
apart from most recent graduates,” says Beth.
Shaped by his Foxfire experiences and the
influence of a professor in graduate school, Billy
believes he’s found the secret to being an
effective educator. “You can’t talk
beyond them. My classroom is on an
equal level. I like to learn from
them just as much as they
learn from me. It’s a twoway
street.” Taylor
Ballinger, ’07, winner of the
T.J. Wood Award (given
annually for outstanding
scholarship and campus
leadership), says Billy challenged
him. “I appreciated the
discussions in his class on race
and sexuality, as well as
exposure to diverse world views
and cultural differences.” Beth
agrees. “What sets him apart the
most is his willingness to approach
the topics that often can separate
students: race, class, and gender.”
Billy is appalled by how
prevalent the negative Appalachian
caricature remains in today’s society.
“My goal, while I’m alive, is to
counteract the stereotypes, to show
the students here that they’re not
destined for failure and that
they can be part of the
solution. Our service
learning program really
gives them a tool to do
that—to be a tool for
change; to recognize their self
worth and to pass it on to
their children and the people
around them.”
O’Neil Arnold, ’85
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 23

O’Neil Arnold, ’85
Christian Motley, ’10
African and African American Studies
and Political Science Major
Hometown: Alabaster, Alabama
“These experiences
teach you things
about yourself and
you begin to walk in
that. You look at
yourself differently.”
Although a dynamic leader on campus today, Christian
Motley admits he was a different person when he arrived.
“I was very insecure, reserved, and kind of quiet in a
crowd,” he says. But early in his College career, Christian’s life took
a 180-degree turn.
He came to Berea from Alabaster, Alabama, where he
previously had focused his energies on sports in school, but he chose
to make a change. “I decided that I was going to do in college
everything I didn’t do in high school.”
Christian attended Black Student Union (BSU) and Black
Cultural Center (BCC) events his freshman year and was assigned a
peer mentor; a role he would later play, and one he believes helps
retain black students. He attended an off-campus, all-male “think
tank” retreat. At the event, Christian and his peers began speaking
candidly about their lives and the changes they would like to see
happen on campus. “That was my spark. Whatever I thought college
was going to be…when I came from that think tank, everything,
everything, was different.”
Tashia Bradley, director of the BCC, has seen the results of that
catalyst on Christian, two-time BSU president. “He has vision and
implements this vision to create an agenda for all students. Whether
or not students know it, his efforts have affected their success here
because he has used his role to advocate for all.”
Christian credits Tashia for his forward thinking. She speaks
openly to him and others of the difference they will someday make
in the world. “After working at the Center, I feel like I could work
anywhere. These experiences teach you things about yourself and
you begin to walk in that. You look at yourself differently,” says
Christian.
He helped to launch numerous programs and events including
programs like the BCC Treat Her like a Lady (a banquet/seminar
that teaches young men to have respect for women); Bridging the
Gap (a series of events designed to bring together African and
African American students); Jena 6 Vigil (an awareness campaign to
support the civil rights of six black high school students arrested in a
racially charged incident in Louisiana); and various cooperative
events with other campus clubs. “I thought it would be good for us to
reach out to other organizations because I think a lot of times we
don’t recognize the connections as much as we need to,” he says.
Tashia says, “Christian’s style of leadership, which is
collaborative, boundary-crossing, inclusive, and focused, has
encouraged the BSU to be one of the strongest organizations on
campus.” He also developed his literary style while here, writing an
award-winning essay and receiving accolades for his candid spoken
word poetry.
A December graduate, Christian will earn his final credit in
January when he travels abroad for the first time—to France. He
plans to work in the upcoming Alabama gubernatorial race and is
weighing his post-graduation options, including working with
underprivileged youth through Teach for America. “My ideal career
would allow me to utilize all of my strengths and passions in a way
that could serve to leave my community, my state, my country, and
my world a little better.”
24
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

Senior Sara Timberlake can’t put her finger on the reason
behind her zeal for Habitat for Humanity. She only knows
she loves to help others and the home-building program is a
tangible way to do it. “Habitat is something that doesn’t require
any skills or know-how. You just go out and help someone who
needs a home. It’s a great idea. A home can mean so much, and if
I can do it, then why not?”
Sara began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity her
freshman year. She yearned to help the organization while in high
school, but the area lacked a local affiliate. Within a couple of
weeks of arriving at Berea, Sara found herself on a “build,” side-byside
with the future homeowner. “It was really cool because I was
working with him to help him achieve a better life. It was a huge
moment. I think we were doing something trivial, but the people
were so gracious and happy that the college students were willing
to work on their house,” she says.
Captivated, Sara rarely missed one project or meeting her
first year on campus, and when a position opened at CELTS
(Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service) as volunteer
coordinator for Habitat, Sara jumped at the chance. After one year
in the position, sending out weekly e-mails to volunteers,
coordinating workers for builds, and organizing events, Sara
became the program manager for the Habitat for Humanity
campus chapter.
Last year, while building homes for others and overseeing the
team, Sara began constructing herself as a future leader—a leader
who sets and accomplishes goals, shares ideas, makes decisions,
and inspires others to follow her vision. This fall she began an
important position—that of student director of CELTS. She will
have 11 student service organizations to coordinate, involving
dozens of student workers and volunteers.
Sara grew up along the Ohio River in northeastern Kentucky.
She originally planned to apply to Duke University to pursue a prelaw
degree. But when she began looking into Berea, she liked what
she saw. On a campus visit, she sat in on a political science class.
“The way the professor interacted with the class was so different
than all the other schools I had seen. Here, students were
suggesting things and helping to run the class.” She was so sold on
Berea that she tried to apply her junior year. Her family was
thrilled when she was accepted. “My mom cried. My mom never
cries,” Sara says.
Although Sara planned to major in political science, she fell
in love with philosophy when taking a basic course taught by Dr.
Robert Hoag. Determined to immerse herself in her new passion,
she changed majors. “I think it [philosophy] will help me as a
lawyer because it teaches you that you can’t just read things on the
surface. You have to put time and effort into it.” The long-held
goal of being a lawyer hasn’t left Sara, but she’s quick to point out
that she desires it as a means to help others—possibly in public
defense or housing law. “If I could find a way to be a lawyer for
Habitat—that would be perfect.”
Sara Timberlake, ’10
Philosophy Major
Hometown: South Shore, Kentucky
“Habitat is
something that
doesn’t require any
skills or know-how.
You just go out and
help someone who
needs a home. It’s a
great idea.”
O’Neil Arnold, ’85
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 25

O’Neil Arnold, ’85
Jeta Rudi, ’10
Economics and Mathematics Major
Hometown: Gjakova, Kosovo
“A good leader must
be passionate about
something, have a
desire to learn, be
courageous, and
work hard.”
Adecade ago, Jeta Rudi, ’10, fled with members of her
immediate and extended family across the border of
Kosovo and into Albania. During the three-hour drive from
the town of Gjakova, it was uncertain whether anyone would survive
the journey—the roads were often patrolled by Serbian military
forces. These soldiers with their tanks, rifles, and terror tactics were
the cause for NATO intervention in 1999.
The night before the family’s departure, Jeta’s uncle Shkelzen
Zhuja was brutally beaten in his home. Jeta recalls him saying, “I
was lucky; I’m not going back to that house. I’m going to Albania. If
you want to come, let’s go together, both families, and we’ll just see,
in God’s hands, if we survive.” Together, her family and Zhuja’s
escaped harm. A second uncle and her role model, Fehmi Agani,
was not so lucky. The political leader for Kosovo during the war in
the 90s was later assassinated by Serbian militants.
Remembering how neighboring homes—many of them
centuries old—were burned to ruin, how the local food supply was
cut off, how people were harassed, raped, and murdered, Jeta says,
“It has established all of my ideas, to try to help the people there, try
to help build the country, again. It helps me in every decision I make
to be a better person.”
In Kosovo, she was heavily engaged in social activism and was
involved in the Self-Determination Movement—an organization
pressing for self-governance by referendum. Since she arrived in
Berea, Jeta has found other outlets in social organizing—as an active
member of the College’s Muslim Student Association and the
Cosmopolitan Club.
Although Jeta originally planned to major in sociology, she has
since decided to double major in economics and mathematics. After
discussions with her mentors, mathematics instructor Sandy Bolster
and associate professor of economics Dr. Caryn Vazzana, Jeta’s
academic and professional interests have focused primarily on
economic development.
After graduate school, Jeta hopes to return to her newly
independent Kosovo in order to help it recover and learn to thrive.
“I’m looking to go back and help my home country in
economic development. If a country is self-supporting, then its
problems can be viewed from other perspectives and solved in much
easier ways than when there is a high rate of poverty and
unemployment.”
While combating corruption in Kosovo’s infrastructure will be
difficult—specifically within its public educational system—Jeta
believes that teaching at the University of Prishtina will be her
platform to institute change. A good leader, she says, must “be
passionate about something, have a desire to learn, be courageous,
and work hard.” These qualities are strengths in character that Jeta
possesses, and in conjunction with the education she has received at
Berea, she is certain to shape the evolving state of her country.
“Berea has really changed my life. If I would have remained
home, I don’t know whether I could have gone to college. Because of
the financial issues, I never even considered graduate school. I
wouldn’t be able to have these dreams that I have now, of becoming
capable to help my country. From here on, I have more open doors
and opportunities.”
26
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

In May 2007, West Virginian Patrick Crum found himself
standing atop the Great Wall of China on tour with the Berea
College Concert Choir. “To see this marvel of the world right
underneath my feet was incredible. Who would have thought a boy
from Appalachia would be doing something like that?”
Patrick’s home is Lorado, West Virginia, one of 14 communities
ravaged by the Buffalo Creek disaster, the 1972 flood
that killed 125 people and left 4,000 homeless when coal slurry
dams gave way. The Rev. Charles Crum, Patrick’s grandfather,
participated in a citizens’ inquiry into the disaster that the coal
company called “an act of God.” Crum testified that “he never
saw a coal truck being driven by God up to the slag dump.”
The Crum family, like many survivors, rebuilt, and Patrick’s
grandmother remains there. Her children grown, she now cares for
four of Patrick’s young cousins who need the stability that she can
provide. “My grandmother is one of the sweetest people, but she is
also one of the toughest. Even though she suffers from numerous
health problems, she continues on, taking care of the children, the
home, and being an inspiration to me.”
Patrick enjoyed many years with his grandparents, attending
the Lundale Free Will Baptist Church that Charles Crum pastored
for 35 years. At age 16, Patrick felt called into full-time Christian
service. He is an ordained youth minister and has preached behind
his grandfather’s former pulpit. “I always wanted to follow in his
footsteps as a minister,” he says.
After singing in the church choir, Patrick took up percussion
in high school, then the trombone and eventually taught himself
piano. His band director, Gregg Collins, ’91, encouraged him to
apply to Berea, even taking him on a campus visit. “I was kind of
skeptical about it. But when I walked around the campus, I felt so
much at home. I thought, ’This has to be the place.’” No one in
Patrick’s family had attended college before.
During his sophomore year, Patrick was floored with the
news that his grandfather had died. He returned to West Virginia
to be with his family. That break allowed Patrick to examine his
priorities. “It’s amazing how just a few minutes behind a piano can
be a powerful reminder of what I am supposed to be,” he says.
Patrick returned to college and switched his major from business
to music, and revels in perfecting his art. His music professors
have become a second family to him.
Patrick visits his West Virginia family as often as possible.
“Home is that place where there’s a warm greeting and a place to
relax—a place where I can find a meal fixed from scratch and
prepared with love.” He hopes to return to Appalachia to help
others stand up against unjust practices in rural mountain
communities. His labor position at the Loyal Jones Appalachian
Center keeps the plight of the mountain people alive in his
consciousness. Director Chad Berry says Patrick offers center
visitors “great personal insight and experience.”
Patrick dreams of producing music and spreading the word
about the College to Buffalo Creek valley folk. “I’d like to bring
people to Berea and let them see there’s more than dust on their
skin and coal in their lungs.”
Patrick Crum, ’10
Music Major
Hometown: Lorado, West Virginia
“It’s amazing how
just a few minutes
behind a piano can
be a powerful
reminder of what I
am supposed to be.”
O’Neil Arnold, ’85
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 27

Tracy Espy:
How One Scholar
Followed the Call to Serve
Bert VanderVeen
BY DEB MCINTYRE, ’10
Tracy Willis, ’87, a young woman from
Bessemer, Alabama, thought she
knew what poverty in America
looked like. She had seen it in minority
neighborhoods in nearby Birmingham. But
while on a trip to Perry County in eastern
Kentucky as a Berea College student, she
saw poverty staring back at her through the
eyes of mountain people and realized she had
a lot to learn.
“Some of the homes were sitting on stacks of bricks. Red dirt
covered the outside walls, there was very little grass, and some
front doors were missing.” The people were shabbily dressed.
These images are etched in Tracy’s mind. “After seeing people
living under such poor conditions, I knew I wanted to help people
have a better life. I thought to myself, ‘I want to help change the
world so that people will not have to live in this manner.’ I
remember thinking that I could not just turn away from it. No
matter where I go to this day, I am humbled by that experience. I
think that an experience like that stays in your conscience and
quietly whispers to you the remainder of your life.”
Today, Tracy Willis Espy is provost and vice president for
academic affairs at Pfeiffer University in North Carolina—an
institution that began as a mission school for the underprivileged
and continues to serve students with financial needs.
Its motto: “The Nature to Serve. The Knowledge to Lead.”
Pfeiffer, which espouses a mission of diversity, service, and
Christian ethics, reflects the same values that steered Tracy to
Berea College.
Those virtues were first instilled in her through her
parents. “I cannot remember a time in my life when either of
my parents was not assisting the church or community in some
manner,”
she says. Her
mother cooked
meals and delivered
them to ill or incapacitated
friends and neighbors. Her father visited the elderly and ran
errands for them. She watched as her parents opened their
home to elderly family members who needed care. “I learned
first-hand the importance of sacrificing for others, respecting
people who are aging, and having a good attitude while engaged
in challenging situations.”
Tracy followed their example, involving herself in church
and school service projects. While serving as a hostess at her
high school’s college fair, she met someone who would change
her life—Carl Thomas, ’78, associate director of admissions at
Berea College. At that time, the young Tracy felt disappointed
by having to assist at a booth for a college she’d never heard of.
“But after spending three hours with Carl Thomas and talking
with him about what my passions were, he convinced me that
Berea sounded like the place for me.” A weekend visit proved
Carl’s claims. “I was so captivated by being able to work
through college and give back while getting an education. I
knew I could not attend college anywhere else and be truly
happy.”
Tracy initially began a major in chemistry, but after her
sophomore year, she found herself unsure. It was then that
her chemistry professor and advisor, the late Tom Beebe,
convinced her to take other electives. They spent a couple of
hours discussing her interests and going through the catalog
searching for possible courses to take. “He discussed the value
of opening my world to more possibilities and that the only way
that could happen was to explore. I remember that conversation
as one of the most significant of my undergraduate career.”
While finishing up a major in home economics focused on
consumerism, Tracy took advantage of opportunities to visit
Hazard, Kentucky, and other communities. “That experience in
Hazard caused me to begin wondering about how and why
people live differently than others, and how who you are and
where you live can affect your future.”
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BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

“I believe that people need a way to express their gratitude for
living, just for being on this earth. Service is a way this can happen.”
Even as she completed her master’s degree in consumer
science at Miami University, Tracy still heard the whispers of
those in need. She entered a second master’s program in
marriage and family therapy at Syracuse University, eventually
earning both master’s and doctorate degrees, becoming a
professor there, then working in the dean’s office in the College
for Human Development.
In 1999, she accepted a job at Pfeiffer University as an
assistant professor in the sociology and human service
departments. After teaching for a year, she became director of
the Francis Center for Servant Leadership at Pfeiffer, and later
the vice president of servant leadership. Now, Tracy puts into
practice all she has learned about serving others. She has led
students to places where they could discover their own calling
to serve. For example, when Tracy and her students spent a
week working at an inner city community center in Washington,
D.C., the Pfeiffer students had their eyes opened to the
substandard living conditions and underlying threats of violence
that the center’s clients experienced daily. “What was
challenging was being able to see the U.S. Capitol so near and
knowing that many people, mainly children, were dealing with
such extreme poverty right in its shadow. How is it that a
wealthy nation like America cannot find a way to change the
cycle of poverty in its own country?”
An encounter with Corella Allen Bonner, cofounder of the
national Bonner’s Scholar Program and philanthropic
foundation, inspired her greatly. The elderly woman spent her
childhood in coal mining towns in Tennessee, West Virginia,
and Kentucky. Later, her family fled Appalachia to find work in
Detroit. Corella worked her way through college as a cashier,
ending up as a hotel manager where she met Bertram Bonner.
Born “without a dime” in New York, Bertram, like his wife,
worked through college to become a successful banker and
developer.
Corella told Tracy that she never made a major decision
about giving without first kneeling in prayer. “I was struck by
her desire to give so others could have a better life. Here was a
woman with considerable wealth and influence, and yet her sole
desire was to use it in service to others. Her humility was
amazing.”
Provost Tracy Espy helps service-minded
students enter Pfeiffer University through
their Bonner Scholar program.
Tracy was the first manager for the Francis Center for
Servant Leadership, which was established in the fall of 2000.
The center’s staff coordinates Pfeiffer’s service scholarship
programs and volunteers. These programs include AmeriCorps,
Francis Scholars, and Bonner Scholars, which help 1,500
service-minded, but financially strapped, students earn their
degrees while learning about servant leadership through
assisting others.
In June 2008, Tracy was appointed provost and vice
president for academic affairs at Pfeiffer. She loves her job.
“Being able to engage others in thinking, dreaming, and
discussing how we can work collaboratively to make this a
greater institution of service to others is very rewarding. I
believe that people need a way to express their gratitude for
living, just for being on this earth. Service is a way this can
happen.”
Bert VanderVeen
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 29

Joe Haun: Looking into Appalachia
BY MICHAEL LORUSS, ’09
Like a Woody Guthrie song, Joe Haun, ’46, often found
himself Blowin’ Down This Road. Born in Shenandoah
Valley, Virginia, Joe was raised travelling throughout the
rural northeast and southern United States. His father was a
minister whose position followed the needs of the church.
When it came time for Joe to attend college, just as America
began recovering from the Great Depression, his options were
limited. “My folks didn’t have very much money. I had to be at
the top of our class to go.” Joe later secured a spot at Berea,
and decided to major in geology.
During his junior year, in the midst of World War II, Joe
was faced with the prospect of either being drafted into military
service, or volunteering for the branch of his choice. Joe
entered the Naval Air Corps, and became a pilot and flight
instructor in 1943. After his term of service ended in 1945, Joe
finished his degree at Berea College and attended graduate
school at the University of Maryland, under funding from the
GI Bill. He graduated in 1950 with his master’s in horticulture,
and again in 1951 with his doctorate in plant physiology.
A specialist in plant nutrition, Joe first attracted the
attention of DuPont, for whom he developed agricultural
chemicals. From there, he was recruited by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), in Washington, D.C. to
develop new crops for industrial uses, such as oil seeds and
fiber plants. Looking back after 50 years, Joe identifies the
plants that have been successfully commercialized on plots
reaching thousands of acres. These are crambe, grown in North
Dakota for steel and plastics manufacture, and kenaf, a fiber
crop grown in Texas for paper pulp.
Joe left the USDA to conduct research in plant science at
Clemson University, in South Carolina from 1965-84. As a
university professor, he continued to hone his studies on plant
growth environment relationships, and with the help of various
sizeable federal grants, Joe worked to provide methods for
forecasting crop yields around the world. He says, “We
discovered a means of quantifying daily development that could
be statistically correlated with the daily weather factors.”
Success in this area earned him consulting positions with such
firms as Continental Grain, United Fruit, and Coca-Cola.
Joe goes on to explain, “It is impossible to foresee the
weather more than a few days in advance. So any prediction of
yields must be based on conditions up to that date.” The
prediction method is based on one he discovered to visually
quantify daily development in plants—aptly referred to by the
scientific community as the “Haun Scale.” By monitoring
variables such as precipitation, estimated soil moisture, latitude,
longitude, and temperature, we now better understand the
language of the natural world. Growing up in unpredictable
times, it is understandable that Joe wanted to envision the
growth of the future. And now, with attentiveness, patience, and
advances in science, we are allowed a small glimpse of what lies
ahead.
While enjoying his retirement, Joe still actively searches
for ways to contribute to the world around him. He financially
supports the Southern Poverty Law Center, Habitat for
Humanity, Amnesty International, and Berea College. And
because of former President Jimmy Carter’s efforts to eradicate
disease and eliminate conflict on a global scale, Joe supports
The Carter Center. In addition to these organizations and
institutions, he recently provided a way for four Berea College
students to study abroad in London, Paris, Geneva, and Rome.
“I knew what a grand experience it could be educationally,” he
says. “So it occurred to me that this is something I could do for
someone specific.”
David Gilmour, ’10, a physics and philosophy double
major, originally met Joe over discussions about Berea College
while attending the same church in Black Mountain, North
Carolina. Joe announced an interest in financing a trip to
Europe. He suggested that he would cover a large portion of the
airfare for David, his brother Aaron Gilmour, ’12, and two
friends, Austin Rathbone, ’10, and Darlene Smith, ’12. The
remainder of the trip’s cost they agreed needed to be raised by
the students themselves. “I think that goes back to the
principles of Berea; you have to work for part of it, and the rest
is assistance. That ensures your dedication to the quantity of
money that you have to spend,” Joe says.
When asked why international travel is important to
students, he responds, “It’s the most marvelous way to expand
30
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

and Beyond
David Gilmour, Darlene Smith, Aaron Gilmour,
and Austin Rathbone enjoy the scenery of
Lake Geneva, Switzerland.
Monroe Gilmour
“It’s said that a
picture is worth a
thousand words,
and I say that a
visit is worth a
thousand pictures.
To see a whole
new culture and
how people do
things is very
illuminating to a
person who has
never [before] been
there.”
your knowledge and your enrichment of life. It’s said that a
picture is worth a thousand words, and I say that a visit is
worth a thousand pictures. To see a whole new culture and
how people do things is very illuminating to a person who has
never [before] been there.”
Aaron is convinced that the trip has been integral to his
learning about life through the irreplaceable value of firsthand
experience. “After backpacking around Europe with few
language skills, and only a little planning, the transition into
college was much less daunting. To this day, I feel much more
comfortable with travel, language barriers, and ultimately, I
feel more secure with being independent.”
David also holds this opinion. “This travel experience
gave us insight into what the world is like outside our corner
of it. It was incredible to see how different other cultures can
be, and how much we still have in common. It was also a
confidence-building exercise; once you’ve dealt with surviving
in a land where you don’t speak the language, don’t have a
place to stay, or know where your next meal is coming from,
situations you encounter back in the United States don’t seem
like much to worry about. We are forever in the debt of Mr.
Haun for making it possible.”
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 31

CAMPUS NEWS
One of Best Colleges in the Nation
Forbes magazine ranked Berea College as the
#1 Best Buy College in America in its recent
Center for College Affordability and
Productivity honor roll. The rankings are
based on institutional quality, graduation rate,
and affordability. Forbes called us “a vanguard in
college affordability. Berea College charges no tuition and
explicitly targets underprivileged Appalachian youth.” Not
only was Berea tops in ensuring affordable education, but the
College also ranked in the top 100 Best Colleges overall.
The 2009 edition of the
popular guidebook The Best 371
Colleges, published by The
Princeton Review, also cited
Berea College as one of the
nation’s best institutions for
undergraduate education. Its
choices are based on the
institutional data, feedback from
current students, and in-person
visits by Princeton Review staff.
Institutions were scored in eight
categories, including admissions
selectivity, financial aid, fire
safety, and sustainability—a rating that The Princeton Review
introduced in 2008 to measure environmentally related
policies, practices, and education.
Berea students gave their College high scores in low cost
of living, great athletic facilities, and student diversity on
campus.
Berea’s History Goes Digital
Portions of Berea’s documented history are
now digitally accessible thanks to a grant from
the Anne Ray Charitable Trust. One hundred
and ten copyright-free materials from the
College Archives were added to the
“Foundations Collection” in Hutchins
Library. They include issues of the Berea
Evangelist and Berea Quarterly, President
Edward Henry Fairchild’s history of the
College and his inaugural address, and
some addresses and sermons by
President William Goodell Frost.
Eight items were added to the “Curio
Collection,” and 28 items were added to “The Berea
Collection,” including an oration by Cassius Marcellus Clay
and a tribute to Matilda Fee. Historic photos of Rustic Cottage
were also added. The digital project makes materials available
to students in the general studies course “Identity and
Diversity,” which focuses on the history and values of Berea
College. Six contextual issues by
Berea colleagues that address topics
specific to the class are now available
online.
Summer interns, James Shaner,
’09, and Travis Jones, ’12, assisted
project coordinator Susan Henthorn
and College archivist Jaime Bradley.
Students and staff have continued to
work on the digital assets management
project since July 2007.
Students Heal Communities through Art
CeDarian Crawford, ’09, a theatre graduate, recently wrote and
directed the play The Misfits: Love over Fear, which addresses
issues surrounding interracial couples. The play debuted in
June at Union Church in Berea and was sponsored by Hidden
Wounds, a nonprofit organization committed to healing
through the arts. The play follows an interracial couple as they
struggle to find acceptance for their marriage within their
church community.
Twenty-five Berea College students participated in the
play. Along with CeDarian, ten students received credit
through a team-initiated study for their roles. Each performed
some function such as marketing and public relations or
touring and film production. The students are: Leenisha
Marks, ’12; Wesley Gift, ’10; Christopher Perkins, ’10; Tia
Davis, ’11; Rachel Banta, ’11; David Collins, ’10; Jonathan
Johnson, ’10, Darsheikes Sanders, ’10; Kahdija Slaughter, ’11,
and Raymond Crenshaw, ’12.
After Berea, The Misfits: Love over Fear went on to tour
five locations in Birmingham, Alabama.
Actors David Collins, Rachel Banta, Jonathan Johnson,
and Kahdija Slaughter at the debut of The Misfits.
LeAnna Kaiser, ’12
32
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

KET “One to One” Features Chad Berry and
Loyal Jones
Loyal Jones
In August, Kentucky
Educational
Television (KET)
broadcast an
interview with Loyal
Jones, ’54, founder
and former director
of the Berea College
Loyal Jones
Appalachian Center,
and current director
Chad Berry on the
Chad Berry
series “One to One with Bill Goodman.” The three discussed
the center’s work and mission, recent national media coverage
about Appalachia, and the future of the region.
Jones grew up on a mountain farm in North Carolina and
received his master’s of education from the University of
North Carolina. He directed the Appalachian Center from
1970 until 1993. He authored nine books on Appalachia,
including his most recent Country Music: Humorists and
Comedians.
Before coming to Berea in 2006 from Maryville College,
where he taught for 11 years, Berry authored a book on the
migration of millions of white southerners to the Midwest
during the twentieth century. Widely published in the area of
Appalachian studies, Berry was most recently editor of The
Hayloft Gang: The Story of the National Barn Dance.
Berea Hosts Council on Postsecondary
Education
President Larry Shinn welcomed the Council on
Postsecondary Education (CPSE) to Berea on July 23 and 24.
He spoke about the College to CPSE members from Frankfort
and to representatives from various colleges and universities
across the state. Members of the council, including former
Governor Paul Patton and newly elected CPSE president
Robert L. King, toured the campus before getting down to the
business of evaluating and furthering educational reform as
envisioned in the Kentucky Postsecondary Education
Improvement Act of 1997.
CPSE President R.L. King tours the Berea College Ecovillage
with student worker, Stella James, ’12.
Tim Webb
Brooks Becomes New Women’s Basketball Coach
Athletics director Mark Cartmill named
Terence Brooks as head coach for the
Lady Mountaineers. He replaces Bunky
Harkleroad who accepted a job at
Glenville State in West Virginia.
During his six seasons as head
coach of the Paris High School
Ladyhounds basketball team, Brooks led
his team to six straight “All A” regional
tournament wins and an appearance in
the state championship game in 2008. He
Terence Brooks
also compiled a win-loss record of 105-71.
At Murray State University (MSU), where he earned his
degree, he ranked sixth in career three-point percentage in just
two seasons after transferring from a junior college.
Berea Receives International Recognition
for Sustainability
This year the
International
Sustainable Campus
Network (ISCN) gave
Berea College top
honors in the first-ever
Excellence in
Construction Award.
Berea’s renovation and
construction campaign
brought the College
the highest honor in
the United States,
making it the
international runnerup,
second to Ecole
Lincoln Hall atrium
Polytechnique
Fédérale de Lausanne
of Paris, France.
ISCN is a global network of leading universities
committed to sustainable campus life and education. ISCN
showcases projects demonstrating excellence and leadership
from all continents. The construction award recognizes
campus development projects, showcasing outstanding
performance in energy efficiency, minimal CO2 or other
environmental impacts, and/or other sustainability relevant
aspects.
The 24 international nominees for the award had to show
a solid performance in three areas of sustainability—social,
economic, and environmental, and at least one specific,
outstanding attribute. Other aspects considered by the judging
committee were planning and implementation, and financial
and nonfinancial aspects of the project (cost efficiency, unique
planning processes, remarkable community engagement, and
so on).
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 33

Research and Creativity Projects
BY LIBBY KAHLER, ’11
Visualize a photograph
of the College Quad
in full summer
greenery, the warm glow of
the midday sun, the sky a
vast stretch of brilliant blue.
Now imagine the foliage turned
bone-white, the sky blackened,
and every feature of Draper
Hall thrown into high contrast.
Welcome to infrared
photography, one of eight
perception-altering projects
that took place on campus
this summer, funded by the
Undergraduate Research and
Creativity Projects Program
(URCPP).
The projects offer
students a valuable
opportunity to work closely
with faculty, gaining the hands-on learning
experience that can give them an edge as they apply to
graduate schools and begin careers. Often the opportunity to
showcase or co-publish with faculty, or to present at a
professional conference, is a part of the experience,
giving students a satisfying conclusion to
their research.
photo by Caleb Wetmore, ’10
Alan Mills, Caleb
Wetmore, and
Brittany Adams
select images
for their
show in
October.
O’Neil Arnold, ’85
An artistic project from
the technology and industrial
arts department combined
technology professor Alan
Mills’ photography experience
with a unique digital camera
that uses only infrared light.
Whereas most cameras filter
out the infrared spectrum, the
Nikon camera model used for
the project had that filter
removed, and another
installed to block visible light.
Originally created to detect
camouflaged buildings from
the air, infrared photography
required cumbersome
equipment and a tedious
procedure. Thanks to digital
cameras, capturing an infrared
image is no longer as difficult.
Mills shared this infrared
camera with his students
Caleb Wetmore, ’10,
technology education major,
and Brittany Adams, ’11,
independent major in
classical languages. Caleb
focused on farm buildings in
the area because, he said,
“Older barns have a depth of
texture and character that
appeal to me.” Mills
photographed Owsley Fork
reservoir, and Brittany
explored the way infrared
Researcher Alyssa Seibers, ’12
A student participates in a visual
thinking quiz.
photography transforms landscapes. The three exhibited their
final prints in Hutchins Library in October.
Analyzing how everyday creativity interacts with thinking
styles was the topic for assistant professor of psychology Rob
Smith and his students, Hope Reuschel, ’12,
Debra Blacker, ’10, both psychology majors,
and Alyssa Seibers, ’12, art major. They
surveyed middle school and high school
students from Upward Bound, Education Talent
Search, and other organizations, to see whether
one can determine adolescents’ academic success.
The team used specialized questionnaires and a
standardized test of creative and visual thinking to
gauge students’ perception of their own creativity and
reveal students’ preferred thinking styles. They
Ray Puckett Davis, ’11 Ray Puckett Davis, ’11
34
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

Offer Insights and Experience
matched the results of the survey with the students’ actual
grade point averages to determine how those factors might be
used to predict academic success and how best to promote
creativity as a means to increased achievement.
“Research will be a huge part of the rest of my life,” said
Hope, who plans to use this experience to launch her career in
clinical psychology and research. Also, Debra felt confident
that the opportunity to expand her senior research methods
would help her as she continues into graduate studies in
psychology. In addition to experience, the researchers gained
an understanding of the interaction between cognitive styles
and creativity, which may help to promote academic success in
adolescents.
Lifting high school students beyond commonplace
expectations was also the goal of assistant professor of
education Jon Saderholm, ’87, and his students Amy Jones,
’10, and Jessica Carnes, ’10, both elementary education majors,
and Chris Yaluma, ’12, physics major. They examined science
class requirements and curriculums trying to find ways to
promote “science inquiry”—a method of instruction that seeks
to provoke students’ sense of wonder and build the confidence
to ask and answer their own questions. The ongoing research
project hopes to create an ideal, interactive, experiential
curriculum for high school science classes.
Last summer Saderholm and his students used a URCPP
grant to interview scientists from Berea College and the
University of Kentucky, learning what factors, moments, and
influences led to their decision to pursue careers in the field of
science. In spring 2009, the researchers spoke with six high
school teachers from Berea Community and Madison County
school districts and acquired a perspective of the classroom
environments in which those teachers worked. This summer
the researchers put together those interviews to explore what a
good learning environment looks like. The curriculum
planning that Saderholm and his students studied intends to
frame that discussion of environment.
The interaction between student interviewers and
participating high school teachers and College faculty in their
labs provides the teachers an opportunity to re-experience their
own sense of inquiry. That, in turn, provided renewed
discussions with the researchers to determine how the teachers
might revamp their classroom environments to foster better
science inquiry learning. The encouragement and participation
the researchers found in the school districts led Saderholm to
believe that “maybe schools are ready for this kind of change.”
Assistant professor of mathematics and computer science
Mario Nakazawa, and Eric Zagaruyka, ’11, a computer science
major, partnered to develop an artificial intelligence program
that created new ballroom dance routines using a genetic
algorithm that “cuts and splices” from two strands of ideal
choreography. These new computer-generated dances were
originally expressed in ASCII—a graphic design technique that
generates pictures using numbers
and letters.
In studying the choreographies
that the system created previously,
Eric decided to input the resulting
data into a 3D animation
software program called “Alice,”
in order to see what the dances
looked like. In essence, Alice
turned those algorithms into
animated dance rhythms
and moves, allowing the
researchers to find possible
collision points when several
computerized dance couples
were set into motion.
Mario’s experience
as a ballroom dance
performer, instructor, and
choreographer enabled
him to tweak the
choreographies and
make them more
personal. He plans to
share the new choreographies
with Berea faculty and staff
who have expertise in the area.
“I would love for it to reach
that point where other
choreographers can see it,”
he said.
Four other URCPP
projects engaged faculty
and their students this
summer. They were:
preparation of a new
edition of Arthur Miller’s
The Last Yankee (Kate
Egerton, English);
numerical and
analytical methods in
digital image-based
information systems
(Larry Gratton, math
and computer
science); plainware
pottery from the Palace of Nestor at
Jon Saderholm with student
researchers Chris Yaluma, Jessica
Carnes, and Amy Jones
Mario Nakazawa
O’Neil Arnold, ’85
Pylos (Julie Hruby, art); and a study of a sunfish
parasite (Ron Rosen, biology).
O’Neil Arnold, ’85
O’Neil Arnold, ’85
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 35

Who We Are and Why We’re Here
BY LIBBY KAHLER, ’11
Think about the issues of
race, gender, Appalachia,
and socioeconomic
class, and Berea College’s
historic mission may come to
mind. In-depth study of these
four issues shapes the revised
general studies curriculum for
“GSTR 210: Identity and
Diversity in the United States,”
previously taught as U.S.
Traditions. Director of general
studies, Steve Gowler says
the freshman-level writing seminar is one that brings
together skills basic to a liberal education—“effective
writing, critical thinking, and research, along with
exploration of the themes that have animated Berea’s
history and continue to shape its mission.”
Instructors from many
disciplines teach varied
sections of the course, and
while each class has the
research paper as its final
project, the individual
instructors direct the focus
of their classes. Meta
Mendel- Reyes, who also
directs service learning at the
College Center for Excellence
and Learning Through Service
Steve Gowler
Meta Mendel-Reyes
(CELTS), was inspired to use the Hurricane Katrina
tragedy as a means to illustrate themes of class, race
distinction, economic recovery, and social justice. A
vivid, in-depth examination of these events ensures
student interest as they write a research paper on
some aspect of the disaster and the effects of
decisions made both before and after the storm.
Discussion and writing assignments analyzing
the government’s response were bolstered
by two texts and Spike Lee’s documentary,
When the Levees Broke.
Because he feels that the faith of the
founders of Berea College lies at the heart of our
Great Commitments, Andrew Baskin,
associate professor of African American studies,
explored Christian ethics to explain the College’s
origins and its future. His course, entitled “Berea
College: a Microcosm of the U.S.”, focused on
the College’s history as it embodies race and
gender issues in Appalachia; and the class
examines how these issues relate to U.S. history
Tyler Castells, ’09
Ellie Rung, ’10
as a whole. Identity and Diversity in the United States is
the only text Baskin uses, combined with intensive
classroom discussion. “Who Should Be a Berean?. . .” is the
required research topic. Jonathan Davis, ’12, a political
science and French major, enjoyed Baskin’s teaching style.
“He knows what is needed to get the results,” Jonathan
said. “His class has truly shaped me into a better person.”
Steven Pulsford,
associate professor of general
studies, asked his students to
explore the core Berea values
by first thinking about the
issues in their own lives. His
students tell their own stories
as a way to pinpoint themes
that reflect larger movements
and events in history. His text
is Howard Zinn’s landmark
book, A People’s History of the
Steven Pulsford
United States, which portrays a side of historical heroes and
events often ignored by mainstream history classes.
Pulsford’s goal is to increase students’ “political literacy”
and their connection to history. Education major LeAnna
Kaiser, ’12, appreciated the classroom environment that
Pulsford created. “He didn’t just talk at you,” she said. “It
was an open discussion.”
The revised GSTR 210 curriculum helps students who
are new to Berea College and the community gain a sense
of identity and a feel for the place that they will call their
home for four years. The course not only addresses critical
skills in thinking, researching, and writing, but provides the
Berea student with an insightful definition of who they are
and why they have come to this
College.
Andrew Baskin
Aaron Gilmour, ’12
Charles Brooks
36
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

WEB LINKS
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
@
p. 7
President’s Message: To Dream an Impossible
Dream
www.blogtalkradio.com/bereacollege
Berea’s Appalachian Commitment
http://www.berea.edu/president/
strategicplanningcouncil.asp
p. 17
President’s Report Honor Rolls
www.berea.edu/friendsdonors/honorroll/
p. 32
Forbes/ CCAP’s complete list of 100 Best Buy
American colleges and universities
http://collegeaffordability.blogspot.com/2009/08/
forbesccap-best-buy-college-rankings.html
www.forbes.com/2009/08/06/best-private-collegesopinions-colleges-09-top.html
Berea’s profile in The Best 371 Colleges
www.princetonreview.com/bereacollege.aspx
Berea’s History Goes Digital
www.berea.edu/bereadigital
p. 33
Loyal Jones and Chad Berry on “One to One
with Bill Goodman” August 9th KET
broadcast
www.ket.org/onetoone/program.fwx?programid=
ONON0429
International Sustainable Campus Network
www.international-sustainable-campus-network.
org/index.php?id=91
Terence Brooks Appointed New Women’s
Basketball Coach
www.berea.edu/bcnow/story.asp?ArticleID=1510
With more than 17,000
members around the world,
the Berea College Alumni
Association represents a
diverse, yet connected
extended community. We
encourage all our alumni to
develop strong ties with
friends and to Berea by
engaging in our many
programs, services, and
activities.
Berea Is Coming to You!
Berea College Clubs are
all over the country. One
is probably meeting near
you!
To find alums in your
community, contact the
Office of Alumni Relations
at 1.866.804.0591 or visit
www.berea.edu/alumni/
Alumni Association
Executive Council 2009-2010
James Cecil Owens, ’66, President
Celeste Patton Armstrong, ’90,
President-Elect
Rob Stafford, ’89, Past President
Larry D. Shinn, Hon ’09
William A. Laramee
Mae Suramek, ’95
Alumni Trustees – 6-Year Terms
Vicki Allums, ’79
Janice Hunley Crase, ’60
Jim Lewis, ’70
Members at Large 2008-09
Jennifer Jones Allen, ’01
Joe Brandenburg, ’71
William Churchill, ’70
Jason Von Cody, ’94
David Cook, ’85
Ronald Dockery, ’70
Lowell Hamilton, ’61
Timothy Jones, ’94
Peggy Mitchell Mannering, ’71
Bob Miller, ’58
Jason Miller, ’98
Larry Owen, ’61
D. Wesley Poythress, ’89
Willie Sanders, ’69
Edward Seay, ’95
Cara Stewart, ’03
Karen Troxler, ’80
Larry Woods, ’75
Young Alumni Advisory Council
Shawn Adkins, ’01
Brandy Sloan Brabham, ’00
Jarrod Brown, ’04
Dwayne Compton, ’01
Jennifer Engelby Goodpaster, ’03
Steven Goodpaster, ’03
Destiny Harper, ’06
David Harrison, ’01
Jonathan Johnson, ’99
Markesha Flagg McCants, ’03
Christina Ryan Perkins, ’98
Jeremy Rotty, ’05
Renee Waller, ’00
Make This
the Year You
UPDATE
Your E-mail
ADDRESS.
Why should you
update your e-mail
address with the
Alumni Relations
Office?
To be notified of
club meetings in
your area
To be notified of
Berea College
reunions
To be notified of
other events at
Berea College or
in your area
Send your current
e-mail address with
full name to
alumni_relations@berea.edu
The first ten (10)
alumni to submit
their e-mail address
will win a Berea
College alumni
license plate.
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 37

ABOUT BEREA PEOPLE
The Berea College Alumni Association
enjoys hearing from Bereans
from all over the U.S. and the
world. The “About Berea People”
section of Berea College Magazine
reports verifiable news that has
been sent to the Association by the
alumni. BCM reports the news you
wish to share with your alumni
friends and associates. “About
Berea People” reports changes in
careers, addresses, weddings,
retirements, births, and other
items of importance to our alumni.
Please include your class year and
name used while attending Berea.
Notes may be edited for style and
length. Our print deadlines may
delay the appearance of your class
news. While we will make every
effort to put your information into
the next issue, due to printing
schedules, some delays are typical.
We appreciate your understanding.
For more information on how to
submit class notes and photographs,
call 1.866.804.0591, e-mail
diana_taylor@berea.edu, or log on
to www.berea.edu/alumni.
1939
Wilma Brandenburg Lachmann
celebrated her 91 st birthday on May 12,
2009. She resides in La Vida Llena
Retirement Community in Albuquerque,
NM.
1942
Laura Eakin Copes and Vicar
Earl Copes reside in Sunnyside
Village, a retirement center for
independent living, in Sarasota, FL.
1943
Harry W. Tennant resides in
Moorings Park Life Retirement Home
in Naples, FL.
1944
Eloise Loftis Woodruff moved to
a retirement community in Fort
Myers, FL this past summer to be
closer to her daughter and family. She
missed being at the 1944 class summer
reunion at Berea.
1945
Peggy Johnson Duncan, Acad
’45, BC Cx ’49, has retired from the
family practice of medicine after 40
years. She resides in Dunn, NC.
Patsy Pool Layne, Fd ’45,
teaches English to immigrants and
substitute teaches. She enjoys
spending time with her great
grandchildren. She resides in Gig
Harbor, WA.
1951
Stokes Pearson and Carolyn
Linney Pearson celebrated their 65 th
wedding anniversary on July 8, 2009.
He is a retired dean of continuing
education at Wilkes Community
College. She is a retired kindergarten
teacher. They have three children and
two grandsons. They reside in
Wilkesboro, NC.
1952
David Auxier has 45 years of
perfect attendance in the Lions Club.
He retired from veterinary practice in
2002. Eileen Gunter Auxier, ’54 retired
after 45 years as a director of music in
the United Methodist Church. They
live in Murphysboro, IL.
1953
Frances Austin Day is a retired
elementary teacher. Randall C. Day,
Jr., ’54, is a retired postmaster. They
have two sons and five grandchildren
and reside in Whitesburg, KY.
1954
Mabry Durden King, a retired
teacher, has been involved in Odyssey
of the Mind, an international
educational program that provides
creative problem-solving opportunities
for students from kindergarten
through college. In 2006 she was
awarded the Odyssey of the Mind
Spirit Award, which is one of two
honors the program gives annually.
She resides in Chattanooga, TN.
Gwen Lanier Kulesa and Hank
Kulesa took a cruise to the Amazon
region of Brazil this past spring. They
reside in Kalamazoo, MI.
1957
Charles “Charlie” O’Dell is a
retired faculty member from Virginia
Tech. He and Wilmoth, his wife, grow
berries to sell throughout the summer
near Blacksburg, VA, where they reside.
Helen Baldwin Telfer is a retired
schoolteacher. She and Eric, her
husband, who is also retired, have
been married for more than 20 years.
They reside in San Antonio, TX near
family.
1959
Marion Skipper Zipf is active
with the Daughters of the American
Revolution on a local, state, and
national level. She and Frederick, her
husband, reside in Laurel, MD.
1962
The Class of 1962 has a website
for their 50 th Reunion which will be in
the summer of 2012 at Berea College:
http://berea62.homestead.com/
John Berry, Everett “Mutt”
Varney, Sam Croucher, Mike
Riemann, Charlie Venters, Earl Trent,
and Charlie Hollan met this summer in
Lexington, KY for a reunion. As Berea
students, they lived on Dana IV.
1964
Helen Hunt Mills is a retired
educator. In 2009 she wrote a
children’s musical, Silly, Frilly
Butterfly, which was performed at
First United Methodist Church in
Johnson City, TN, where she resides.
The musical/play was also studied as
literature by a home school group.
1967
Douglas Jessee retired March
2009 from active service as a pastor in
the United Methodist Church. He and
Beverly, his wife, reside in Wilson, NC.
1968
Betty Dotson-Lewis, Cx ’68,
(B.L. Dotson-Lewis) has authored the
following books: The Sunny Side of
Appalachia: Bluegrass from the
Grassroots, Sago Mine Disaster
(featured story) Appalachian Coalfield
Stories, and Appalachia: Spirit
Triumphant. She has also written
many articles on Appalachia. She
resides in Lake Norman, NC.
1969
Pamela Thompson Sowder retired
in March 2009 from the Greene County
Council on Aging, an organization that
provides support to help senior citizens
remain in their own homes longer.
Joseph M. Sowder is retired. They
reside in Beavercreek, OH.
1970
Sandra “Sandi” Snider Knotts,
Patricia “Petey” Hall Hinegardner,
Iris Kennedy Waade, Leslie Debbs
Hill Synder, Polly Graves Abney,
Charlotte Beason, Brenda McCann
Irwin, ’71, Donnese Clevinger Kern,
and Judy Kennedy Smith reunited
during Berea’s summer reunion at
Doris Coffey Wyatt’s residence in
Berea. The alumnae have remained
friends for more than 40 years and get
together every year.
1971
Dr. Ann Davis retired as a
professor at Mountain Empire
Community College in September
2008 after 36 years. She resides in Big
Stone Gap, VA.
1972
Dr. Helen Hicks Baker is a
professor of educational development
and director of planning for the West
Virginia School of Osteopathic
Medicine. She was part of the team
receiving the 2009 national “innovative
programs” award from the Society of
Dana IV, ’62
(L-R) John Berry, Everette “Mutt” Varney, Sam Croucher, Mike Reimann,
Charlie Venters, Earl Trent, Charlie Hollan
Betty Dotson-Lewis,
Cx ’68
Front: Sandra Snider Knotts, ’70; Patricia Hall Hinegardner, ’70; and Iris Kennedy Waade, ’70.
Back: Leslie Debbs Hill Snyder, ’70; Polly Graves Abney, ’70; Charlotte Beason, ’70; Brenda McCann
Irwin, ’71; Donnese Cleveniger Kern, ’70; Judy Kennedy Smith, ’70; and Doris Coffey Wyatt, ’70.
38
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

Teachers of Family Medicine for
creating an online curriculum
resources directory for medical
educators. She and John Mooney, her
husband, live in Frankford, WV.
1974
Jackie T. Davis was promoted
to the director’s position for the
Division of Mined Land Reclamation.
This division is one of the seven
divisions of the Department of Mines,
Minerals, and Energy for the
Commonwealth of Virginia. He and
Carla, his wife, reside in Weber City,
VA.
1975
Howard M. Strickler, MD, a
Birmingham addiction specialist and
president of Employers Drug Program
Management, is among the first
physicians in the United States
certified by the American Board of
Addiction Medicine. He has practiced
medicine for almost 30 years. He and
Susan, his wife, reside in Hoover, AL.
1976
William “Bill” S. Daugherty
has served as the president, CEO, and
chairman of the board of directors for
NGAS Resources, Inc. since 1995. He
is also the governor of Kentucky’s
official representative to the Interstate
Oil and Gas Compact Commission.
He and Zella, his wife, reside in
Lexington, KY.
1979
Kay Seibert O’Hara, Cx ’79,
recently celebrated her 20 th year of
Christian homeschooling. She also
works as a patient liaison for WellStar
Health Systems in Marietta, GA. She
is a widow and mother of six. The
family resides in Acworth, GA.
1982
Elizabeth Ann Mullins
Robinette was awarded the Robert C.
Edwards Award by the Indianapolis,
IN section of the American Society
for Quality. She attended the World
Conference for Quality in Minneapolis,
MN as a member and leader. She
resides in Noblesville, IN.
P.K. Spratt earned a master’s
degree in Christian education from
The Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary in Louisville, KY. He is
minister of education at Jersey Baptist
Church in the greater Columbus, OH
area and resides in Pataskala, OH. He
and Tammy, his wife, enjoy their two
grandchildren.
1984
Michael Murphy retired from
the Navy in 2007. After a year in
Washington, DC with Booz Allen
Hamilton, a strategy and technology
consulting firm, he and Belen, his
wife, moved to Huntsville, AL to
enjoy a slower pace of living. He
continues to work with Booz Allen
Hamilton.
Laura Cindy Colley Thomas
and Gregory S. Thomas, Cx ’84,
renewed their wedding vows at
Danforth Chapel on June 2, 2009.
They were married at Danforth
Chapel on that date 25 years ago.
Kent Gilbert, pastor of Union
Church, officiated and John Courter
provided the music. Shelley Boone
Rhodus, ’85, was in attendance. The
couple resides in Ormond Beach, FL.
1986
Adoption: a 12-month-old girl,
Katya, from Kazakhstan, by Hollie
Anne Sides Currie and Douglas
Wayne Currie. They have another
daughter, Amanda, and the family
resides in Raleigh, NC.
Sandy Davis-Cook, Cx ’87, is a
member of the International Alliance
of Theatrical and Stage Employees.
She and Daniel, her husband, reside
in Portland, OR, where they have
recently worked with actor David
Burn, the 2009 American Idol Tour,
the musical group “Nine Inch Nails,”
as well as provided technical support
for Broadway tours, such as Spamalot.
Sandy will soon be installing her third
photography show featuring scenes
from around Oregon.
1989
Karen Andersen Stanley has
published her first children’s book,
Busy and Sticky: Two Tiny Bees, Tate
Publishing. She resides in Fayetteville,
WV.
1990
Vicki L. Dooley is director of
guidance at Lord Botetourt High
School. She recently purchased a 100-
year-old farmhouse in Selma, VA, and
spends her spare time remodeling it.
1991
Katherine Silver Kelly is director
of the Academic Success Program at
The University of Akron School of Law.
She was among 30 young professionals
in greater Akron, OH to receive the “30
for the Future” Award.
Adoption: a baby boy, Cooper,
from South Korea, by Chuck Wardrip
and Melinda Wardrip on May 8, 2009.
They reside in Florence, KY.
1992
Paul March, Cx ’92, is pursuing
degrees in music composition and
American Sign Language. He resides
in Elyria, OH.
1994
Married: Carla Renee Lydian
to Eric Fray on June 27, 2009. She is a
physician’s assistant, and Eric is on
active duty with the U.S. Army. They
reside in Enterprise, AL.
1995
Birth: a daughter, Nora Jane
Levine, to Martha Perkins Levine
and David Levine on March 17, 2009.
Martha is enrolled in the BS to PhD
program in nursing at the University
of Colorado Health Sciences Center
and works part-time as a perinatal
nurse. They reside in Westminster,
CO with their other children, Perrin
and Jonah.
1997
Birth: a son, Riley Josiah, to
Amy Grigsby Eller and Josh Eller,
’98, on March 30, 2009. They reside
in Mount Washington, KY.
Josh E. Powell was named
Administrator of the Year by the
Kentucky Association of School
Administrators. He is the
superintendent of Union County
Schools and resides in Morganfield,
KY.
Birth: a son, Jackson Logan
Schill, to Chris Schill and Heather
McNew Schill, ’99, on May 29, 2009.
She received her masters of education
from Azusa Pacific University this
year and is coordinator of student-led
service programs at Berea College. He
is director of annual giving at
Transylvania University in Lexington,
KY. They have a daughter, Caroline,
and reside in Berea, KY.
1998
J. Russell Couch received a
doctorate in psychology from the
University of Kentucky in August
2008. He accepted a tenure-track
teaching position in the psychology
department at The Sage Colleges in
Troy, NY for fall 2009. He resides in
Albany, NY.
Married: Lisa Myers, Cx ’98, to
Travis Gardner on January 23, 2009.
They reside in Hillsville, VA.
1999
Birth: a son, Oliver Wayne
Brown, to John Brown and Abigail
Jenkins Brown, ’02, on December 30,
2008. They reside in Carlisle, KY.
Tammy Clemons was elected to
the Board of Appalachia—Science in
the Public Interest, a local nonprofit
organization. She and her partner were
awarded a three-month fellowship in
the Berea College Sound Archives for
fall of 2009. They reside in Big Hill, KY.
Judy Geagley Paver is the
Wayne County Extension Agent for
Family and Consumer Science. She
resides in Alpha, KY.
2000
Birth: a son, Garrett Wade
Brabham, to Brandy Sloan Brabham
and Terry Brabham on February 16,
2008. They reside in Gay, WV.
2001
Mary K. Segroves is a home
worker and resides in Knoxville, TN.
Kay Seibert O’Hara, Cx ’79, and family
Laura Cindy Colley Thomas, ’84, and
Gregory S. Thomas, Cx ’84
Brandy Sloan Brabham, ’00,
Terry Brabham, and son
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 39

2002
Married: Stephanie Wilson to
Jared Manes, ’05, on June 6, 2009.
Other alumni who were members of
the wedding party included: Angie
Timberlake Boggs, ’06, Jamie Boggs,
’05, Angela Godsey Stephens, ’05,
Jeremiah Stephens, ’07, William
Baumann, ’05, Derek Cain, ’05,
Dennis Dow, ’06, and Sarepta King
Bailey, Cx ’05. She is a member of the
residence life collegium team at Berea
College. He received his master of arts
in human services from Eastern
Kentucky University in May and is a
case manager for Benchmark Family
Services in Lexington, KY. They reside
in Berea, KY.
2003
Alice Driver presented a paper at
the Latin American Studies
Association Conference in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil in June 2009. She
published a review of Mexican
filmmaker Francesco Taboada
Tabone’s most recent documentary
and interviewed the filmmaker in
2008. She and Isaac Bingham, ’05, her
husband, reside in Lexington, KY.
LyuBov Zuyeva Harvey received
dual master’s degrees in city and
regional planning and civil and
environmental engineering from
Georgia Institute of Technology in
May 2009. She is a transportation
planner in Atlanta. Her husband,
Daniel Harvey, Cx ’02, is helping a
friend start a building materials reuse
center in Atlanta, GA, where the
couple lives.
2004
Birth: a daughter, Charley, to
Courtney Springer Amick and Kirk
Amick on May 20, 2008. They reside
in Millfield, OH.
Jeff Crispin is on the church
staff at Anaheim Foursquare Church
in Anaheim, CA to gain two years of
ministry experience before applying to
become an Army chaplain. Tabitha
Thomas Crispin, ’02, held a Berea
College InterVarsity Christian
Fellowship staff position before their
move to Anaheim, CA.
Shelly Slocum is employed at
Nutritional Therapy and Massage in
Lexington, KY. She is pursuing a
graduate degree in clinical nutrition.
She resides in Lexington.
Birth: a son, Chase Ellery-
Reames Smith, to Christina Baker
Smith and Buddy Smith on July 7,
2008. She is the dean of program
operations at the Haslam Family Club
University on the Larry A. Fleming
Campus Boys and Girls Club. They
have a daughter, Katie, and reside in
Knoxville, TN.
2005
Elizabeth Durkin is working on
her master of public health degree at
the University of Kansas School of
Medicine. She is a Peace Corps
veteran who worked in Mongolia and
wants to pursue a career in rural
health development. She resides in
Eudora, KS.
Married: Andrew Schultz to
Margherita Romano on June 17, 2009.
He graduated from St. Louis
University School of Law in May 2009
and is assigned to the U.S. Army
officer candidate school in Fort
Benning, GA, awaiting a commission
into the Judge Advocate General
Corps. She is in the U.S. Air Force.
2006
Births: twin daughters, Ally
Michelle and Emma Lillian, to Erin
Hodges Brummett and Pernell
Brummett in March 2009. They reside
in Brodhead, KY.
Seth Stair is in his second year
of a master’s program at the University
of Massachusetts in Boston. He resides
in Somerville, MA.
2007
Joseph Edmonds entered the
master of science program in
environmental studies at Ohio
University in fall 2009. He resides in
Columbus, OH.
Patrick McGrady received a
master’s degree in sociology from
Florida State University in the spring
of 2009. He teaches at Florida State
University and is working on his
We Knew She Was a Winner!
In August 2009, Ashley
Danielle Miller, ’05, was
crowned Miss Black Ohio
USA 2010 and will represent
the Buckeye State at the
national pageant. In addition
to the scholarship pageant
competition, she is also a
women’s health nurse
practitioner, working for
Planned Parenthood. She
hopes to use the pageant as a
platform to advocate for
Ashley Danielle Miller HIV/AIDS awareness,
prevention, and education.
Having already served as Miss University of
Louisville and first runner-up in the Miss Kentucky
scholarship pageant, Ashley said she is ready to compete
at the national level. Her responsibilities as the reigning
Miss Black Ohio USA include community service, travel,
making public appearances, and serving as a role model
for young women of color.
As a basketball player, Ashley was the Lady
Mountaineers’ all-time leading female rebounder. As a
scholar, she was a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor
society and the Fleur de Lis honor society.
doctorate in sociology. He resides in
Tallahassee, FL.
Princess Nash obtained a
masters of public health degree with a
concentration in maternal and child
health and international health and
global studies from the University of
Alabama at Birmingham in May 2009.
She resides in Birmingham, AL.
Kelly Williams has been
teaching English through a language
institute in Seoul, South Korea, since
January 2009. He began formal
Korean language studies at Ewha
Women’s University to acquire
sufficient fluency in Korean to pursue
Korea-related graduated studies at the
end of his teaching experience.
2008
Josh Sparks is in his second year
as a corps member with Teach for
America. He resides in Gallup, NM.
2009
Adam Ledford is working on his
master’s degree in Asian studies at the
University of Michigan. He is
concentrating on Japanese studies and
plans a career as a teacher and scholar
of Asian studies.
Thaddieus McCall and Priya
Thoresen won places in the highly
competitive Japan Exchange and
Teaching (JET) Program. They will join
more than 2,600 Americans who have
successfully competed for positions in
Japanese schools with JET.
Stephanie Wilson, ’02, and
Jared Manes, ’05
Adam Ledford, ’09 Thaddieus McCall, ’09
40
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

IN MEMORIAM
2010
Elizabeth D. Gilbert
Fellowship in Library Science
$3,500
This fellowship is awarded in April to a senior
or graduate of Berea College intending to
pursue graduate study and preparation of
professional librarianship. The purposes of the
fellowship, a memorial to Elizabeth D. Gilbert,
College Librarian of Berea from 1944 to 1973,
are to recognize professional promise and to
assist financially graduate study for the
profession.
Criteria for the award are:
• Quality of academic performance at
Berea College with preference given to
overall academic performance rather
than performance in the major.
• Quality of academic performance in the
Berea College Labor Program.
• Evidence of commitment to
librarianship or related professions as a
career.
• If appropriate, quality of academic
performance in graduate program.
• Evidence of financial need.
A letter or e-mail of inquiry should be
addressed to:
Gilbert Fellowship Committee
c/o Director of Library Services
CPO Library
Hutchins Library
Berea, KY 40404
Information is available at
www.berea.edu/hutchinslibrary/about/gilbert.asp.
Final application must be submitted before
February 5, 2010.
For further information concerning the
fellowship contact:
Anne Chase
Director of Library Services
(859) 985-3266
anne_chase@berea.edu
The “In Memoriam” section of the
Berea College Magazine honors
Bereans who have passed away. If
you know of a Berean who has died,
please let the Alumni Association
know by sending a copy of the
obituary to CPO 2203, Berea, KY,
40404. Or you may e-mail
diana_taylor@berea.edu. We make
every effort to put your information
into the next issue. Due to printing
schedules, some delays are typical.
We appreciate your understanding.
Please include the person’s class
year or connection to Berea, and the
day and place of death.
Faculty & Staff
Ernest Gabbard, Knapp ’33, of
Berea, KY died May 9, 2009. He
worked in Boone Tavern, facilities
management, and eventually retired
from food service. He is survived by
Sylvadia Powell Gabbard, his wife, and
four children.
Thelma King of Berea, KY died
May 23, 2009. She retired from the
purchasing department in 1993. She is
survived by Ralph King, her son, and
Teresa Neil, her daughter.
Mary “Molly” Belt Levey, Hon ’02,
of Hanover, NH died on May 30, 2009.
She taught voice in the music
department. Her husband, Gerrit
“Gus” Levey was also a faculty
member. She is survived by her sons.
Coach Roland R. Wierwille,
Hon ’98, of Berea, KY died July 18,
2009. He was the head coach of the
Berea College men’s basketball team
from 1972 until his retirement in 2004.
Seabury Building officials named the
“Coach Roland Wierwille Locker
Room Foyer” in his honor, and there is
a Coach Roland Wierwille Athletic
Award at the College. In 2005, he was
named to the Mountaineer Men’s
Basketball Honor of Distinction. He
made many achievements and won
numerous awards and recognitions
during his life. He is survived by
Gretchen Wierwille Osborne, ’85,
Deborah Wierwille Spradlin, Courtney
Coach Roland R.
Wierwille, Hon ’98
Wierwille Buchanan, ’91, and Roland
Cecil Wierwille, ’96, his children.
Ralph Wylie, of Berea, KY died
July 1, 2009. He was a World War II
U.S. Navy veteran and a former
employee of the utilities department.
He is survived by three nephews and a
niece.
1930s
Ruby Wilson Bowman, Cx ’31, of
Lexington, KY died August 25, 2008.
She was a homemaker and mother. She
is survived by James F. Bowman, Theda
B. Partin, and Rose B. Terrell, her
children.
Ruth Counts Barnhill, Acad ’33,
of Fayetteville, PA died June 29, 2009.
She was a homemaker. She is survived
by Martha “Beth” Coon, her daughter.
Ernest Gabbard, Knapp ’33, of
Berea, KY died May 9, 2009. He
worked in Boone Tavern, facilities
management, and eventually retired
from food service. He is survived by
Sylvadia Powell Gabbard, his wife, and
four children.
Etta Mae Holbrook Neal, Acad
’34, BC ’38, of Danville, VA died May
22, 2009. She was a retired school
teacher and was renowned for her
cooking and gardening. She is survived
by Jack. L. Neal, Jr. and C. Edward
Neal, her sons, and Muriel Neal Cleary,
her stepdaughter.
Mary Opatich Telfair, ’37, of
Sabina, OH died May 7, 2009. She was
one of 10 women in the country to
receive a congressional appointment to
Walter Reed Army Medical Center for
training as an Army dietician. After
training, she served three years as a
dietician during World War II.
Afterwards, she taught school for 33
years. She is survived by Florence K.
“Kitty” Cardaci and Edward H. Telfair,
her children.
Dr. John L. Williams, ’37, of
Fort Myers, FL died May 27, 2009. He
was a medical officer in the U.S. Navy.
He retired as chief of the department of
radiology of Geisinger Medical Center
in Danville, PA in 1980 and continued
teaching residents until 1990. He had a
lifelong interest in horticulture. He is
survived by Jane Williams, his wife of
64 years, and three children.
Odell Gross Campbell, Acad ’38,
of Loudon, TN died June 3, 2009. She
retired from the Tennessee Department
of Human Services. She is survived by
Elaine Campbell Boyd and Susan
Campbell Keeling, her daughters.
Bertha Ann Garrett, of
Alexandria, VA, died April 6, 2009. She
is the widow of the late Kress Garrett,
Cx ’38. She is survived by Sonny
www.berea.edu/alumni/ 41

Cornelius and Skip Berry, her
nephews.
Morton Combs of Redfox, KY
died January 8, 2009. He is survived by
Dale Smith Combs, ’39, his wife.
Fairy L. Cornelius, Acad ’35,
BC ’39, of Berea, KY died June 25,
2009. She worked for the government
for 36 years in Washington, DC. She
was also in the Navy and Army for
three years overseas. She is survived by
Edna Cornelius Banks, ’54, and Sara
Cornelius Bowling, her sisters.
1940s
Florence Muelder Smith, ’41, of
Columbus, OH died April 17, 2009.
She held library positions at
Wheelwright, KY, the University of
Cincinnati Library, and the University
of Chicago Library. She is survived by
Ruth Smith, Carol Smith, and Judith
Smith-Bechtel, her daughters.
Eugene E. Day, Cx ’43, of
Huntsville, AL died July 7, 2009. He is
survived by Robert E. Day and Cheryl
D. Hoard, his children.
Frankie Mantooth Rice, Cx ’43,
of Morehead City, NC died July 24,
2009. She is survived by Theodore
Roosevelt Rice, ’41, her husband of 67
years.
Lewis Seldon Brucker, Jr., Navy
V-12 ’43-’44, of Ponte Vedra Beach,
FL died April 25, 2009. He was in
marketing with Proctor & Gamble Co.
from 1946-67 and was president of The
Lewis Brucker Co. He is survived by
Marcia Brown Brucker, his wife of 30
years, three daughters, and a stepson.
Robert Scott, Jr., Navy V-12
’43-’44, of Hampton Bays, NY died
June 11, 2009. He and George Tetzel,
his partner, owned Ada’s Attic, an
antique and collectible business for 35
years. He is survived by George Tetzel
and a sister.
Dr. Russell Delong Williamson,
Cx ’44, of Lexington, VA died July 13,
2009. He was a veterinarian, a major
in the United States Air Force
Reserves, and a farmer. He is survived
by Mary Coates Williamson, ’44, his
wife of 64 years, three sons, and two
daughters.
L. Eugene Dellinger, Cx ’45, of
Newbern, TN died June 26, 2009. He
was a World War II Army Air Corps
veteran. He was a salesman for Master
Mix Feeds in Jackson, TN and, later,
became owner of Rutherford Milling
Co. in Rutherford, TN and Farmers
Feed Mill, Inc. in Newbern. He is
survived by Yvonne Covilli Dellinger,
’45, his wife, three daughters, and a son.
Barbara Jean Meyer Lootens of
Michigan, IN died August 20, 2008.
She was an educator and is survived by
Bernard Lootens, Cx ’45, her
husband, a daughter, and a son.
John H. Porter of Columbus, NC
died June 15, 2009. He is survived by
Fern Goode Porter, ’45, his wife.
Aline Goodwin Douglas, ’46, of
Salem, VA died April 26, 2009. She
lived in many parts of the country and
served numerous Baptist churches
along with her former husband, Rev.
Mack Douglas. She was employed for
many years by the Southwestern
Virginia Training Center in Hillsville,
VA. She is survived by Claire Douglas
Beach, Don Douglas, Laura Douglas,
and Elaine Douglas, her children.
Elizabeth Lutton, Cx ’46, of
Livermore, CA died February 19, 2009.
Garrett Dixon “Dick” Bailey,
’47, of Burnsville, NC died April 10,
2009. He practiced law with Bailey and
Bailey. He is survived by Mary
Bowman Bailey, his wife of 52 years, a
son, and a daughter.
Maynard W. Presnell, ’48, of
Theodore, AL died December 11,
2008. He was a retired director of the
Food and Drug Administration
Laboratory on Dauphin Island, AL.
He is survived by Marian Van Winkle
Presnell, ’48, his wife of 60 years, and
two sons.
Cleone Lucia Sparks Petz, Acad
’49, of Sarasota, FL died September
29, 2008. She is survived by
Christopher Petz, Bruce Petz, Brad
Petz, Anne Conrade, and Maria Petz
Burkes, her children.
1950s
Jean Rae Morgan Barnes, Cx ’50,
of Berea, KY died June 24, 2009. She
was a homemaker and served as a
Berea hospital volunteer from 1990
until 2008. She received the American
Legion Post 50 Citizen of the Year
award in 1996 for outstanding
community involvement. She is
survived by Donna Hoffman and
Doris Adams, her daughters.
Peggy Talbot Gabbard, ’50, of
Louisville, KY died April 24, 2009.
She was a retired elementary school
teacher and an accomplished pianist.
She is survived by Lynne Gabbard,
Anne O’Connor, and Susan Monfort,
her daughters.
Betty C. Wesley of Lexington,
KY died January 13, 2009. She is
survived by Dr. Robert C. Wesley, ’50,
her husband.
Barbara Janet Arnett Brown,
Fd ’52, of Somerset, KY died June 24,
2008. She was the director of
Salyersville National Bank since 1999
and was retired from the Magoffin
County School System in the Adult
Literacy Program as assistant director.
She is survived by Marcia J. Tucker,
Maureen J. Gallagher, Michael J.
Brown, and James S.A. Brown, her
children.
Donald F. Wagoner, ’52, of
Sandy Hook, KY died June 28, 2009.
He was a retired schoolteacher and
construction contractor. He is survived
by Madge Wagoner, his wife of 51
years, and three sons.
Elvis Robert Thompson, MD,
’54, of Pikeville, KY died May 10,
2009. He authored some of the first
nationally published research on non-
Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was a
tireless advocate for the Pike County
Health Department, member of the
Board of the Pikeville Methodist
Hospital (now Pikeville Medical
Center), and served as the hospital’s
chief of staff. He is survived by Paula
B. Thompson, his wife of 20 years, two
sons, and three daughters.
Ruth Elizabeth Stansberry
Clark, Cx ’55, of Beavercreek, OH
died December 4, 2007. She is
survived by Ralph M. Clark, her
husband, and two daughters.
Robert “Bob” F. Hulver, ’55, of
Baker, WV died March 8, 2009. He
was a farmer and worked for Southern
States from 1959-91 as a salesman,
manager, and field representative until
2008. He served in the U.S. Army. He
is survived by Shelby J. Tharp Hulver,
his wife, and three sons.
James D. King, Cx ’55, of
Cocoa, FL died February 1, 2009. He
was a retired engineer for Honeywell.
He is survived by Shirley, his wife, and
a daughter.
Georgia Walker Williams, Cx ’56,
of Medway, OH died August 5, 2008.
She loved music and was a
homemaker. She is survived by Bob
Williams, ’49, her husband of 53
years, two sons, and a daughter.
Earl E. Lawson, ’59, of
Southport, CT died June 9, 2009. He
was employed for many years at
General Electric Co. and GTE at
upper management. He is survived by
Jean, his wife, two daughters, and a
son.
Cleo M. Williams, ’59, of
Yosemite, KY died May 31, 2009. He
was a retired engineer of Bridgestone
Firestone Rubber Co. He is survived
by Maudine Bastin Williams, ’52, his
wife, and four children.
1960s
Mary Jones Chadwell, ’61, of
Cave City, KY died May 21, 2009. She
was a registered nurse for 47 years. She
is survived by Jack Chadwell, her
husband, and a son.
Leonard Neubert, ’63, of West
Chester, OH died April 18, 2009. He is
survived by Donna E. Hill Neubert, his
wife, a son, and two daughters.
Arveda Bea Ratliff Catron, ’64,
of Florence, KY died April 29, 2008.
She was a retired administrative
assistant from the Dress Company in
Ohio. She is survived by Mark Stephen
Catron and Stephanie Michelle
Knipper, her children.
Robert “Bob” Givens of
Shoreline, WA, died January 20, 2009.
He was retired from the Boeing
Company. He was the widower of
Carol Mays Givens, ’64. He is
survived by Sylvia Givens, his
daughter.
1970s
Sandra “Sandi” Snider Knotts,
’70, of Wheeling, WV died June 17,
2009. She taught high school from
1998 to 2001 and was a business
teacher at West Virginia Business
College. She is survived by Terry
Andrew Knotts, her husband.
Leroy Marvin Penick, ’70, of
Wayne, WV died October 3, 2008. He
was employed at St. Mary’s Medical
Center respiratory care department for
35 years. He is survived by Jennifer
Penick, his wife, and two sons.
Fayetta Deel Phillips, ’71, of
Hurley, VA died May 7, 2009. She was
an elementary schoolteacher for the
Buchanan County School System for
34 years. She is survived by Earl
Daniel Phillips, her husband of 38
years, and a son.
Keith Wallace, Cx ’77, died in
May 2007.
Amelia “Meme” Lee Rogers
Machen, Cx ’78, of Houston, TX died
May 10, 2009. Her passion was serving
as a missionary, aiding in the needs of
others. She was an employee of Ross
Dress for Less. She is survived by Joel
Machen, her husband of 34 years, two
sons, and two daughters.
Dr. Greg Mullins, ’79, of Las
Cruces, NM died July 18, 2009. He
was department head for the plant and
environmental sciences department at
New Mexico State University. A
departmental scholarship honoring
him was established at the university
in 2009 before his death. He is
survived by Iris Clay Mullins, ’78, his
wife, a son, and a daughter.
1980s
E. Thomas Begley, Cx ’87, of
Richmond, KY died October 10, 2008.
He was a jewelry maker and a member
of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and
Craftsmen. He was also a veteran of
the U.S. Navy. He is survived by Joyce
Cunningham Begley, ’71, his wife of
36 years.
42
BEREA COLLEGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2009

You invest in Appalachia
when you invest in Berea students.
Allyse Taylor
Boyd County, Kentucky
Darrin Hacquard
Hocking County, Ohio
Candis Cantrell
Morgan County, Kentucky
WE ARE THE FUTURE OF APPALACHIA
thanks to your gifts to the Berea Fund.
Your Berea Fund gifts make education a reality for students.
You can give online at www.berea.edu/friendsdonors/
or by calling 800.457.9846

COLLEGE MAGAZINE
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College Magazine, c/o Berea College Alumni
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