the Hill 2004 - Hoover Library - McDaniel College

BevHerndon. left,and Elaine Simpson have
devoted 35 years to the College.
President Among Top 100
McDaniel College President Joan
Dcvelm Coley \\.'a5 selected as one
of Maryland's Top 100 'Nomen
2004 by The DOlly Record's annual
1 . awards program, which recognizes
eadlng women who arc making a positive
Impact in the state.
C 7hosen for the award in 2000 and 2002,
o ey now enters the Circle of Excellence-
~:~~~~a~~l~St~~~~
[~s~~;:~l;il~~~
have
h lnJanuary, The Fullwood Found3tion also
I onaTed CoJ~ along with 45 other local
~~dl~~ InclUding The Han. Gov. Robert
Th: !~~:~~a~I~: ~O~~t~arter Conway, and
The Fullwood FOtllldation raises funds
~ su~PO~t ~ducational and community-
YO~~h"~:':latJv~sdesigned
~o provide
and to s~~n~~~hr:rc~~~t~~~I:~~I~~~:~~liPS
~V~~ts that proll1otc e~cellence. Harlow
u :V0ocl, the foundation's founder and
~esldent, has an honorary degree from
cDnmelCollege .•
Now That's Dedication
The "real world" was a scary place in 1968
when Bcv,Herndol1 and Elaine Simpson
began thelr,careers
in the College's
administrtlon and finance division. The
assassmanous of the Rev. Manin Luther
King,Jr. and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy shook
the nation, the Vietnam war raged and peace
protests turned violent.
Their boss at the time, Eugene "Stoney"
Willis, assured the women that their new
work environment 1\'iI5 a gender, kinder
place to be. "He
family here and I agree,
says Herndon
As they celebrate
always said it's likea
we are like family,"
their 35th anniversaries,
Herndon and Simpson say they have
remained
at the College so long because
their campus work environment is much
friendlier
than the rest of the work worldeven
though their jobs have become more
demanding.
Herndon
logs long hours in the copy
center producing printed materials of all
kinds-including top-secret final exams.
Simpson is the go-tO person in the physical
plant, and daily addresses emergencies small
and brge rhar Rare up on campus. Fnculry,
staff-even students-call her to complain
when they're
toO hot or tOO cold, or if
there's a plumbing problem.
"Ar times you hove pressure, but it's nor
dog-cat-dog like in the real world," says
Herndon, 56, adding that she's glod to have
high-speed photocopiers instead of the
clunky mimeograph machines she starred
out with. UI
like my work and I love the
people. The students keep yOll young." •
Lost in Translation
UeboraJohnson-Ross
wears her cowry
shell bracelet. and ring because they're
cool, blltalso because they ha\'e il
deepermealllng.
"In African culhlres,
are a connection
to the creator,"
cowry shells
to the spirit, a connection
says dle assismnt professor
of politic31 science and international studies.
Many American shoppers who sec cowry
shells on picture
fr.lll1es and necklaces may
buy them bec~use they're trendy \\~thout
realizing th~lt the shells historically have
been valued, even serving as currency in
African countries, she says.
In her research into Africnn-Arncrican
culrurcvjohnsou-Ross explores popula: the
similarities between what Africnn-Americnns
consider cool and what is seen as cool in
cultures, looking at similarities in
African
rnusi~, dance, hairstyles, clothing, nnd other
traditions.
In Africa, however, the outward symbols of
cool are suppo~ed t refiect an inner expression
of the sprru; with signs of confidence
and power showing spirituality, character,
generosity end grace, johnson-Ross says.
"But in the American context we've lost
the cOl.1l1eetionbetween cool and being corn-
~)osed 111 your ~h~ra~ter, in being diplomatic,
conneccon WIth the spirit," she says.
111 the
In Decemher,Johnson-Ross gave th~
keynote address nr an African-American
celebration or Youngstown State. She also
delivered presentation nt the "Globalizarions
n
and the African \Vorld" conference at
Gettysburg College Feb. 18.
Borrowing the phrase "the aesthetics of
cool" from cultural historian Robert Farris
TholTIp~on, Johnson-Ross is exploring the
connccnon between African and African-
American culture and trying to define
how the African meaning of cool h:1Sbeen
transformed in American culture.
"I don't think we've totally lost that spiritual
component. Ijust think we've lost the
idea that cool originally CHllC fr0111the
~pi~it~"sh~ S:IYS. "In this setting, cool is very
Individualistic. You don't really think of cool
as a communal 01':1 spiritual concept.".
WINTER/SPRING H04.5