Wake Forest Magazine, September 2004 - Past Issues - Wake ...

W AKE F OREST A LUMNI A SSOCIATION
President’s Column
I HAVE THE HONOR AND PLEASURE of serving as president of the Wake
Forest Alumni Association for the coming year. It will be a very interesting
time, indeed, as the Wake Forest family undertakes an unenviable challenge:
the search for a successor to Dr. Thomas K. Hearn Jr., whose leadership has
fostered the phenomenal national reputation Wake Forest enjoys today.
Although my relationship and love affair with Wake Forest spans almost
forty years, I must admit that the first twenty or so years as a Wake Forester
consisted of being a somewhat non-descript undergraduate and then a noninvolved
alumnus. President Hearn changed all that, and I remember distinctly the first time
I heard him speak. It was at a small gathering in February 1986, on Valentine’s Day night, in
Raleigh, North Carolina. For what seemed like the first time, I began to understand and to
appreciate what a special place Wake Forest is. Over the succeeding years, President Hearn
has continued to motivate and inspire my involvement with Wake Forest.
Recently, I had the opportunity to hear him speak again, this time at the Wake Forest Summer
Leadership Conference. There, Dr. Hearn reiterated an idea near and dear to his heart: that
Wake Forest alumni must lead lives in which our accomplishment is equaled by service to the
communities in which we live and work. Other speakers at the conference echoed President
Hearn’s challenge, and they made evident just how far that notion of “community”reaches.
For instance, we heard from Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Tissue
Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, who recently came to Wake Forest from Harvard,
as well as David Carroll, director of our new Nanotechnology Center, both of whom are
world-renowned scientists.These and other guests helped us understand that the intellectual
and economic relationships that Wake Forest develops today are as local as they are global.
Clearly, much has changed since my days in the late 1960s when Wake Forest was a generally
regional institution.
What has not changed, however, is the important role that alumni play in support of excellence
at Wake Forest. Our generosity assures the University’s ability to train current and succeeding
generations of students, ready to change the world and strengthen their communities.
Thank you to all 10,000-plus alumni, parents, and friends who contributed to our historic
2003–04 College Fund drive (see related story, page 10). I am looking forward to working with
Nancy Kuhn (’73) of Washington, D.C., to exceed even this significant accomplishment during
the 2004–05 drive. As well, we must work to complete “The Campaign for Wake Forest:
Honoring the Promise,”which would be a wonderful tribute to President Hearn’s two decadesplus
of service. I hope you will do your part.
In the meantime, please keep in touch with Wake Forest and plan to join us for the 2004
Homecoming festivities, which are scheduled for October 22–23. Besides events like the
Homecoming football game against Florida State, class reunion and professional school functions,
and the alumni/faculty reception, the Festival on the Quad promises fun for all ages.
Bring your own family to mix and mingle with your Wake Forest family.
The future never looked brighter for Wake Forest, and you are an important part of why
Wake Forest is such an exceptional place. Please remain “constant and true.” Go Deacs!
C L A S S N O T E S
Jim Stone (’70)
President, Wake Forest Alumni Association
www.wfu.edu/alumni SEPTEMBER 2004 41