Biographical information on honorary degree recipients

George Kell Sr. of Newport and Wilson Powell of Batesville received honorary doctor of humane letters degrees at Lyon College Saturday. Here are biographies of the two honorees:

George Kell Sr. is a Hall of Fame baseball player and sportscaster. He was born in Swifton (Jackson County) in 1922, and attended Arkansas State College (now Arkansas State University) in Jonesboro before signing a contract in 1940 to play professional baseball. Over the course of a 14-year major league career, he played for the Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Baltimore Orioles. He became an all-star third baseman for the Tigers, batting over .300 nine times and leading American League third basemen in fielding percentage seven times. He won the American League batting title in 1949 by edging Ted Williams by less than two ten-thousandths of a point, .34291 to .34276. He retired in 1957 with a .306 lifetime batting average. After his playing career ended, he moved into broadcasting as a radio and television announcer for the Detroit Tigers. He retired from the broadcast booth in 1996 after 37 years. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. Mr. Kell and his wife, Carolyn, are lifelong residents of Swifton. Along with his son, George Jr., he owns George Kell Motors, an automobile dealership in Newport. Mr. and Mrs. Kell also have a daughter, Terry Lawrence.

 Wilson Powell is a noted area historian and genealogist and a prominent member of the Batesville community. He has been business manager of the Batesville Daily Guard since 1949, and his weekly local history column, “Then & Now,” is published in the Daily Guard each Monday. He first began working at the newspaper in 1935, serving in a variety of positions before joining the Army during World War II. He served in the Southwest Pacific and returned from the war with the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Medal with four battle stars, the Good Conduct Medal, and the Purple Heart. Mr. Powell was born in Franklin (Izard County) in 1914 and was educated in the Evening Shade public schools. He continued his studies at the LaSalle Extension University in Chicago, Illinois. He also worked for state and federal government agencies and as a bookkeeper and salesman for Arkansas Dry Goods Co. Throughout his life, he has been active in community organizations. He is a former president of the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Independence County 4-H Foundation. He served in various capacities for the Arkansas College (now Lyon College) Project Fund and was vice president of the Arkansas Historical Association. Mr. Powell married the former Mary Elizabeth Reaves of Batesville in 1947. Their daughter, Linda Arnold, also resides in Batesville.

Click here for more photos of honorees and others at this year's commencement events

McNamee awarded top teaching prize at Lyon College

Dr. Alan H. McNamee, the Frank and Marion Bradley Lyon Professor of Accounting at Lyon College, has been awarded the 2003-04 Lamar Williamson Prize for Excellence in Teaching. The award was announced at the college’s commencement exercises Saturday.

 The Williamson Prize is given annually by Lyon College to the faculty member deemed to be the most outstanding in four categories: professional competence, scholarly ability, exemplary humane and Christian values, and contributions to the community.

“I was surprised and honored to learn of my selection as this year’s Williamson Prize recipient,” McNamee said. “At an institution that values teaching and mentoring as highly as Lyon, it is indeed humbling and an honor to be recognized by one’s peers in this way. I’m sure there were other nominees equally well qualified and I want to thank all those who participated in the nominating, reviewing and selection process for their time and effort. Special thanks goes to the Williamson family for establishing and funding the award.”

McNamee is the 24th Lyon professor to receive the prize, which was established in 1979 by the Lyon Board of Trustees in memory of Lamar Williamson (1887-1974) of Monticello, Arkansas. A distinguished lawyer, businessman and civic and Presbyterian Church leader, Williamson attended Lyon College from 1901-1903 and remained a friend of the college for the rest of his life.

In 2000-01, McNamee received a teaching fellowship from the Fulbright Scholar Program and he served as a visiting senior lecturer in accounting at the Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management in Warsaw, Poland.

McNamee joined the Lyon faculty in 1994. He was granted tenure in 1998 and promoted to full professor in February 2002. Before coming to Lyon, he was an assistant professor of accounting at the University of New Mexico, an instructor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an adjunct instructor at McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas.

Other work experience includes his being assistant to the president and director of budgeting and financial planning at McPherson College. He was also an audit senior and supervisor for the accounting firms of Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst & Young) in Norfolk, Virginia. Dr. McNamee is a certified public accountant.

He received his Ph.D. degree from UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School of Business Administration, and his Bachelor of Science degree in economics and business administration (accounting emphasis) from Manchester College in Indiana.

He has published numerous articles in scholarly journals, conducted presentations at international, national and regional meetings, and been active in many scholarly organizations. He also has been actively involved in community service and on the Lyon campus, where he has served on several committees.

He is a member of the board of directors of the Batesville Community Theatre and is a former member of the Batesville Utilities Commission. He also has been involved with the Arkansas Heart Association in Independence County, the Independence County Youth Athletic Association as a youth soccer coach, and the Arkansas Officials Association as a certified high school soccer referee.

The Williamson Prize confers upon the recipient a silver cup and a stipend from a memorial fund, both of which were given by J. Gaston Williamson of Little Rock in honor of his father. The award is announced at commencement each May. The winner of the prize presents a public lecture at a convocation the following academic year.

Counts gets leading role in NYC production

Dr. Michael Counts, associate professor of theatre, has been cast in the leading role of Stephen in “Training Wisteria,” by Molly Smith Metzler, the David Mark Cohen National Play Righting Award winner for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. It will be presented in a workshop production in New York City on August 1.

Deadline near for Lyon S.A.F.A.R.I. ’03

The registration deadline is approaching for the Lyon S.A.F.A.R.I. ’03 summer program. The program for youngsters who have completed grades K-7 will hold two sessions in June.

The first session will be June 2-13; the second will be June 16-27. Each session will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. In addition, this year Lyon S.A.F.A.R.I. will offer an opportunity for students who have completed grades K-2 to attend half-day sessions, either morning or afternoon.

Children of Lyon College faculty and staff will receive discounts on tuition. Scholarships are available for some students.

Lyon S.A.F.A.R.I. (Summer Academics – Fun and Recreation Included) is designed to provide students with enriching, challenging and enjoyable learning experiences in a variety of content areas.

The curriculum will include courses in the sciences, languages, world cultures, arts and crafts, culinary arts, computer sciences, and theatre craft. Each class will be taught and supervised by qualified instructors.

A variety of recreational activities will be offered, including swimming, soccer, sand volleyball, tennis, archery, golf and others. Students can create a daily schedule that matches their own interests and talents.

Students will sign up for three academic and one recreational course per session. Students may attend their choice of one or both sessions. Lunch will be provided as well as morning and afternoon snacks. Students attending the half-day sessions for K-2 may take one academic course and one recreational course or two academic classes.

For more information or an application, e-mail mcooper@lyon.edu or call (870) 612-6490. More information also can be found on the Lyon S.A.F.A.R.I. Web page at www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/safari/.

Sports camps on tap at Lyon College

Lyon College is again offering its popular summer sports camps for young athletes interested in improving their skills and team play. In addition to baseball, basketball, and tennis for boys and girls, and girls volleyball, two soccer camps are being added this year. The basketball and volleyball camps offer residential options. A 10% discount is offered for enrollment in two or more camps. Here is the schedule for all the camps:

Elementary Baseball Camps     June 2-5 and June 9-12     8 a.m.-noon     $70
Elementary Basketball Camp     June 2-5     8-11:30 a.m.     $70
Middle School Basketball Camp     June 9-12     8 -11:30 a.m.     $70
Junior-Senior Boys Basketball Residence Camp     June 22-25     9 a.m.-9 p.m.     $120 for commuters, $220 for residents
Junior-Senior Girls Basketball Residence Camp     June 29-July 2     9 a.m.-9 p.m.     $120 for commuters, $220 for residents
Soccer Camp for ages 5-8     July 28-31     8-10 a.m., at North Complex     $70
Soccer Camp for ages 9-14,     July 28-31     10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at North Complex     $70
Tennis Camp for ages 8 and under     June 2-6     8-10 a.m.     $70
Tennis Camp for grades 3-4     June 2-6     1-4 p.m.     $70
Tennis Varsity Boys and Girls Camp     June 9-13     9 a.m.-8 p.m.     $100
Volleyball Camp for grades 5-8     June 16-19     8 a.m.-noon     $70
Volleyball Residence Camp for grades 9-12     June 16-19     8 a.m.-8 p.m.     $120 for commuters $220 for residents

All camps are held at Lyon College athletic facilities unless otherwise noted. Lyon College coaches direct the camps and Lyon varsity athletes assist with instruction.

For more information on the sports camps, call (870) 793-1764 or click here.

Lyon students win four awards at ACMA

Lyon College students won four awards at the Arkansas College Media Association’s annual convention and awards meeting, which was held on the Lyon campus April 11.

Scott Shelby, editor-in-chief of the Scot Yearbook, accepted a first place award in the Yearbook division for Best Cover Design for the cover of the 2001-02 yearbook on behalf of the Scot staff.  Scot copy writer Kevin Vornheder received an honorable mention in the Feature Writing category for “Does Lyon have and Honor System?”

Vornheder, who is a former editor-in-chief of the Highlander, also received two honorable mentions in the Newspaper division. One was in the In-Depth News category for “Inside Campus Safety.” The other was in the General Column category for “September 11th:  Looking back and looking forward.”

Lyon College awarded two Japan Foundation grants

The Japan Foundation has awarded Lyon College a $3,000 Library Support Grant and a $700 Teaching Materials Grant.

Earlier this year, the JPMorgan Charitable Giving Fund presented Lyon College with a grant of $20,000 from The Freeman Foundation to enhance the study of Japanese language and literature. The Foundation funds projects that promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and Asia.

According to Mieko U. Peek, instructor of Japanese at Lyon College, the three grants will be used to develop curricular offerings, a Japanese speech contest, workshops for local K-12 teachers, a mini-lecture series, and other campus-based programs.

More information on the developing programs on Japan at Lyon College is available on the Lyon College website http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/mpeek/japanwebpages/.  

Book with chapter by Bondurant being translated into Japanese

A book that includes a chapter written by Dr. Barrie Bondurant, associate professor of psychology at Lyon, is being translated into Japanese. Dr. Bondurant was notified recently that the book, The Handbook of the Psychology of Women and Gender, is being translated by three editors and 27 translators. The Japanese edition is scheduled for publication in spring 2004.

Article by Dr. Bube to be published online

An article by Dr. Paul Bube, the McColgan Professor of Religion at Lyon, has been accepted for publication in the Internet Journal of Law, Healthcare and Ethics. The article, “The Role of the Family in In-Patient Care: A Mostly Modest Proposal,” should be available online later this month.

Sports

Piper golf team overlooked for NAIA tournament

The Piper golf team received disappointing news last Friday when Coach Brian Krug announced that the TranSouth Conference champions did not get a bid to the NAIA National Tournament in Palm Coast, Florida, May 13-16.

The Pipers won their second straight conference title last month and then finished second in the NAIA Region XI Tournament, which was shortened by rain after the first day of play.

Coach Krug told the Batesville Daily Guard: “Berry got an at-large bid. We beat Berry twice, once for the conference championship and again in the region tournament, by 19 strokes. Union College out of Kentucky, who we beat by 26 strokes at the region tournament, got an at-large bid.”

Krug said the explanation he was given was “that those two teams are ranked ahead of us in the latest (NAIA national) poll. Obviously, it’s not a perfect system.”

Pipers Adriane Barnett and Julie Church received individual bids. Barnett tied for second in individual scoring in the region tournament; Church finished eighth.

Other members of the Pipers this year were sophomores Leslie Bragg and Allison Roach and freshman Chelsea Gilliam.

The golden rays of the Sunday morning sun filtering through the leaves of surrounding trees provided the regal backdrop for this intimate photo taken during the Iona Worship Service at the 24th Arkansas Scottish Festival.  This picture of a father gently holding his infant softly illustrates the worship sermons’ message of God’s love for his people.

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