April 25, 2005

Cox chair in American literature created at Lyon

The Lyon College Board of Trustees announced the establishment of the Martha Heasley Cox Endowed Chair in American Literature at its spring meeting Friday on the Lyon campus. The board also approved the appointment of Dr. Terrell Tebbetts as the inaugural holder of the chair.

Dr. Cox, a Batesville native and 1938 alumna of Lyon who now resides in San Francisco, Calif., made the endowed chair possible with a gift to the college. Dr. Cox previously established the Leila Lenore Heasley Prize at Lyon College in 1996 in memory of her sister and to honor other members of her family.

“We are thrilled and honored by Dr. Cox’s decision to establish this chair,” said Dr. Walter Roettger, president of Lyon College. “American literature and creative writing have long been strengths at Lyon. No one better appreciates this than Dr. Cox whose extraordinary career has inspired so many. Her gift will enable us to develop further our programs in these areas and to honor one of our most deserving faculty members.  All of us at Lyon are very grateful.”

Dr. Roettger added, “Dr. Cox made it clear that it was to be filled with a teacher and scholar of national distinction. Dr. Tebbetts was the obvious choice as the first chair holder. For more than 30 years, Terrell has excelled in the classroom while earning wide recognition as a Faulkner scholar. He’s absolutely tops.”

Dr. Tebbetts, who has served as the W.C. Brown Jr. Professor of English since 1983, will assume the Cox Chair in fall 2005. In 1981, he became the second member of the Lyon faculty to receive the Lamar Williamson Prize for Faculty Excellence. In 1992, he was named Arkansas Professor of the Year by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

“Dr. Cox’s generous gift links to both the past and the future,” Dr. Tebbetts said. “On the one hand, she is giving something back to the school where she began her wonderful career, setting an example for us all. And looking ahead, this gift will strengthen Lyon College far, far into the future.”

Dr. Tebbetts has been a member of the Lyon faculty since 1970 and is a nationally recognized scholar of American writer William Faulkner. He has published numerous articles and professional papers about Faulkner and other topics in literature and serves on the staff of the annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference at the University of Mississippi, where he leads sessions on “Teaching Faulkner.”

He has a B.A. from Hendrix College in Conway, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He currently serves as faculty official sponsor for Alpha Chi, the national scholastic honor society and sits on the National Council of Alpha Chi, its governing body. He is also the Kappa Sigma fraternity sponsor at Lyon.

The chair of the college’s Language and Literature Division, Dr. Tebbetts also serves as chair of the Arkansas Governor’s Developmental Disabilities Council and on the board of directors of Wood-Lawn, Inc., convalescent center in Batesville. He writes a bi-weekly column for the Batesville Daily Guard.

The love of literature and a fondness for her hometown and alma mater led Dr. Martha Heasley Cox to establish the Cox Endowed Chair in American Literature and, before that, the Heasley Prize, which is awarded annually to a distinguished representative of American or international letters, theatre or cinema.

After graduating from Lyon College, Dr. Cox taught in secondary schools in Arkansas and Louisiana, and then earned her master’s degree and doctorate in English from the University of Arkansas. In 1955, she joined the faculty of San Jose State University, teaching American literature, composition, drama, poetry and literature through film.

Dr. Cox retired at SJSU in 1989 after a 34-year career as professor of English at the university. She currently holds the title of professor emerita of English at San Jose State.

In 1971, Cox founded the Steinbeck Research Center at San Jose State, and served as its director until her retirement. In 1997, the center was re-named the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies in her honor. The center, the largest Steinbeck archive in the world, includes a non-circulating archive of more than 30,000 items. Cox also established SJSU’s endowed Major Author lecture series, which has attracted world-famous writers and artists to the campus.

In 1999, Dr. Cox was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Lyon. In 2000, Dr. Cox received San Jose State’s Tower Award, the highest honor given by the university.

The author of numerous books and articles, she currently serves as a juror for the California Book Awards of the Commonwealth Club and is a member of the board of directors of the Steinbeck Center.

West Endowed Scholarship established at Lyon College

The Board of Trustees of Lyon College has established the Dan C. West Endowed Scholarship in honor of Lyon’s 14^th president. The scholarship was made possible through an endowment created by the R.E.L. Wilson Trust of Wilson, Ark. The scholarship honors Dr. West, who served from 1972-1988.

The West Scholarship will provide one full-tuition scholarship each year, renewable for up to eight semesters of full-time study as long as the recipient achieves and maintains a 3.2 cumulative grade point average.

West Scholars will be selected by the president of the college upon the recommendation of the Office of Enrollment Services. In selecting the award recipients, the college will seek students of exceptional promise who are likely to make outstanding contributions to Lyon. 

The college will consider high school performance, leadership and service outside the classroom and performance on standardized tests as criteria in making the selection. The scholarship is reserved for Arkansas residents and recipients are expected to live on campus. The first award will be made for fall 2006. 

Dan C. West became the 14^th president of Lyon (then Arkansas College) in 1972. He is a graduate of Austin College, Union Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University and Harvard University. Dr. West’s educational career includes positions at Austin College, Carroll College and Union College. He currently serves as vice president of development at Swarthmore College.

“For more than thirty years, Dan West has served higher education with distinction and courage,” said Dr. Walter Roettger, president of Lyon. “President West led the college forward from the devastating impact of the 1973 tornado. His 16-year tenure as president of Lyon College was marked by growth in enrollment and endowment, by construction, and by increased visibility.  Dan and Sidney West brought energy, dynamism and vision to this campus. We are very grateful to the R.E.L. Wilson Trust for this generous gift. It honors one of the very best.”

The college made the first of many appearances in U.S. News & World Report as one of the best regional colleges in the South under Dr. West’s leadership.

Dr. West and his wife, Sidney, established the West Endowed String Concert Series in 1981 to offer live musical performances or stringed instrument instruction at Lyon.

Resolutions approved at board meeting for departing trustees

The Lyon College Board of Trustees approved resolutions expressing appreciation to several departing board members and to a retiring senior faculty member at its meeting on the Lyon campus Thursday and Friday.

Leaving the board in June are Charles B. Whiteside III of Little Rock, Mrs. Virginia T. Robertson of Birmingham, Alabama, the Rev. Judge Marion Humphrey of Little Rock, Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders of Little Rock, faculty representative Dr. Helen W. Robbins of Batesville and student representative Devon E. Dudley  of Jonesboro.

The trustees also expressed appreciation to Dr. Edward N. Mosley, the Smith Professor of Mathematics, who is retiring at the end of the semester after 35 years of service as a Lyon faculty member. The board also granted emeritus status to Dr. Mosley.

Dr. Mosley received his B.A. degree from Lyon in 1960, his M.S. from the University of Arkansas and his Ed.D. from Oklahoma State University. He joined the Lyon faculty in 1970 and has held the rank of full professor since 1972. In 2002, he was named the J. Paul Smith Professor of Mathematics. He received the Williamson Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 1989.

His record of service on campus is remarkable, the resolution noted. He has chaired the science division and served as dean of instruction. He has directed the Upward bound Math-Science Program on two occasions and led the Nichols International  Studies Program. He was the first resident faculty mentor of Spragins House and was faculty adviser to the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference and later to the TranSouth Athletic Conference. He was elected to the Lyon Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

“Beyond this campus,” the resolution states, “Ed Mo (as he is know to 3 1/2 decades of students and colleagues) is the face of Lyon to many.”

He is an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Batesville. He and his wife, Mary Eleanor, were present at the board’s plenary session Thursday when the resolution honoring him was read and approved. He received a standing ovation from those in attendance.

Three of the departing trustees – Whiteside, Robertson and Humphrey – were appointed to advisory trustee status.

Whiteside, first vice president of Merrill Lynch and Companies in Little Rock, was first elected to the board in 1993. He has served as treasurer of the board since 1995. He is also chair of the Investment Subcommittee and has served on the Education Committee, Business and Finance Committee and the Executive Committee.

Mrs. Virginia “Ginni” Robertson is a 1964 alumna of Lyon and has served as an alumni trustee/outside of Arkansas since 1996. A church and civic leader in Birmingham,  she has served on the Student Life Committee of the Lyon board.

Humphrey, a Pulaski County Circuit Court judge and also a minister, joined the board in 1996. He has served as chair and member of the Student Life Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee.

Dr. Elders, a former surgeon general of the United States and a retired professor of pediatrics at UAMS, served on the Lyon board in 1992-94 and then returned in 1996 as an elected member. She is a member of the Education Committee.

Dr. Robbins, associate professor of English at Lyon, has served as a faculty representative to the board since the 2002-03 academic year.

Dudley has served as student representative of the board during the 2004-05 academic year in her capacity as president of the Student Government Association. She did not seek re-election to the SGA position so her term of service will conclude in June. She is a junior from Jonesboro.

Several current trustees were nominated for re-election by the Synod of the Sun to four-year terms beginning in July. They are Martha Miller Harriman of Van Buren, Elizabeth Jacoway of Newport, Dianne Lamberth of Batesville, James “Skip” Rutherford of Little Rock, Bill Tranum of Little Rock and James G. Williamson Jr. of Van Buren.

Officers of the board who were elected for one-year terms beginning July 1 are Mary Sue Jacobs of Little Rock, vice chair; Lamberth, secretary; and Dickson Flake of Little Rock, treasurer. Frank Lyon Jr. of Little Rock has been chair of the board  since 2003.

Board approves new education major

The Lyon College Board of Trustees approved a new early childhood/elementary education major at its spring meeting Friday at the college.

The new program will succeed the existing early childhood/elementary concentration and is intended for students interested in teaching pre-school through fourth grade (P-4).  Majors in the new program will also obtain a major in one of the traditional liberal arts. 

“Lyon has been offering high quality programs leading to teacher certification for the majority of its existence,” noted Dr. Walter Roettger, Lyon President.  “This new major will build upon the success of our ‘break-the-mold’ model that has distinguished teacher education at Lyon for more than a decade.”

The “break-the-mold” model requires students preparing for teaching careers to have subject matter expertise and a yearlong teaching internship in an area school.

Lyon’s current teacher education program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).  

The new major can be completed in four years of full-time study and includes courses in education, psychology and one in Arkansas history (a requirement for certification in the state).

The early childhood/elementary education major will be available to students beginning in the 2005-06 academic year.

Lyon will continue to offer concentrations in middle school and secondary education in conjunction with a liberal arts major.

Boling honored as Alpha Chi Professor of the Year at convocation

Dr. Ronald Boling, associate professor of English at Lyon College, was named the Alpha Chi Professor of the Year at the Honors Convocation at the college Tuesday, April 19.

Alpha Chi is a national honor society for students who are in the top 10 percent of their class. Each year, Lyon’s chapter recognizes a faculty member for their dedication to the campus community and academics.

Dr. Boling has been a Lyon faculty member since 1990. He currently serves as editor of the Philological Review, the journal of the Arkansas Philological Association, and as associate sponsor of Alpha Chi.

Senior Alpha Chi member Rebecca Sharp presented the award.

Students recognized for campus involvement

Several Lyon College students were recognized for their involvement in campus organizations and student life activities at the annual Honors Convocation Tuesday evening at the college.

Outstanding Student Leader awards were presented to Justin Holt of Greers Ferry and Navisimo Chifunda of Lusaka, Zambia.

Holt has been involved in a number of campus organizations, including the Residence Life Staff (RLS), Kappa Sigma, Alpha Chi, Mortar Board, Honor Council, Campus Ministry Board and Student Government Association (SGA), just to name a few. He has held leadership positions in most of those organizations and provided direction and guidance to student members.

Chifunda has been involved in several campus organizations including RLS, SGA, Chi Alpha, International Student Association and Black Students Association. She has held leadership positions in several of those organizations, providing a model that other students could emulate. “Navisimo approaches her involvement on campus with joy and enthusiasm,” the award presentation stated. “She is committed to making a difference in the lives of her peers and leaving a legacy of involvement for others to follow.”

Also selected to the Hall of Leaders were:

Organization of the Year:

Campus Ministry Board-  The organization was recognized for improving its image among students and engaging students through worship and service opportunities. Through the Spring Break trip to Chicago and the other local service projects, CMB has organized, the community and the nation have benefited. CMB promotes faith in action on the Lyon College campus, in the Batesville community and in the world.

Program of the Year:

X-Treme Adventure Squad Events- XAS has offered a new dimension to the extracurricular activities on campus. This group has expanded the Ultimate Frisbee games that have been very popular on campus. The group has organized traditional outdoor activities such as camping, rock climbing, paintball, frisbee golf and canoeing.  XAS has made a great effort to offer a wide variety of activities for various interests and abilities that has encouraged participation of the entire campus. 

The Emerging Leader Award was presented to Michael Brown of Lake City.

Above and Beyond Awards :

Several outstanding students were honored at the Lyon College Honors Convocation Tuesday night in Brown Chapel Auditorium. To view the list of awards announced at the event, click below:
http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/greensheet/greensheet05/honors_awards.htm

SCARF program is tomorrow night

The annual Student Creative Arts and Research Forum (SCARF) will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Bevens Music Room.
Each spring SCARF acknowledges outstanding student research and creative endeavors. The goals of SCARF are to give students opportunities to present exemplary projects to an academic community; increase awareness among students, faculty and staff about student projects outside their discipline or area; and reward students for excellent projects.Prizes will be awarded to the top entries.
 

First Presbyterian to hold Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans service May 1

First Presbyterian Church of Batesville will hold its annual Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans worship service at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 1.

Worship leaders will be the Rev. Nancy McSpadden, chaplain of Lyon College, who will deliver the sermon, and the Rev. Bob Cox, pastor of First Presbyterian, who will be the liturgist.

Members of the Lyon College Pipe Band, led by Pipe Major Jimmy Bell, will lead a procession of persons carrying clan tartans.

The Lyon College Concert Chorale, directed by Joel Plaag, will perform two anthems: “O Love Divine,” by David Ashley White, and “Ezekiel Saw the Wheel,” a spiritual arranged by William Dawson.

The Kirkin’ ceremony celebrates the Scottish roots of the Presbyterian Church. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) founded Lyon College in 1872.

Many assume the Kirkin’ to be an ancient ritual transported to this country from Scotland. However, the first Kirkin’ was held by the Saint Andrew’s Society of Washington, D.C., on April 27, 1941, in Washington’s New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. The minister was the late Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the United States Senate. After Dr. Marshall’s death, the Kirkin’ floated for a number of years from one church to another, until in 1954 it found a home in the Washington National Cathedral, where it has been ever since.

The clan system ruled in the highlands of Scotland for hundreds of years. However, the end for the clans came in 1746 at the battle of Culloden on Drummossie moor in northern Scotland. After the battle, severe restrictions were placed on Scotland – the kilt was forbidden, bagpipe music was banned and the wearing or displaying of the tartan was punishable by death.

For those who prefer to think that the American Kirkin’ has its roots in Scotland, there is evidence to support the theory. Legend has it that after abolition of the tartan in Scotland, clansmen took to carrying swatches of the material to kirk (church) concealed on their person. At some point in the service, the clergyman would touch their bit of tartan. With no overt signal given, a sort of underground kirkin’ (or blessing) would take place.

Since that time, the tradition of the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans has evolved into a colorful, festive occasion for celebrating Scottish heritage, asking God’s blessing and protection for those represented by the tartans, recognizing the historical contributions of native Scots and Scottish-heritage Americans, and celebrating the faith traditions of the Celtic and Scottish peoples. The service is a blend of music, hymns and prayers from Scottish traditions. 

Anyone interested in having a Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans at their church and who would like the Pipes and Drums of Lyon College to participate should contact Claudia Marsh, Director of Church Relations for Lyon College, at (870) 793-1767 (cmarsh@lyon.edu) or Jimmy Bell, Director of the Scottish Heritage Program at Lyon College, at (870) 698-4298 (jbell@lyon.edu).

For more information on Lyon’s Scottish Heritage Program, visit the website at www.lyon.edu/heritage.

Photo donated by Bill Moncrief on display at museum

Scientist and artist Dr. J. William Moncrief died in a tragic accident in Arizona on April 8, 2005. Dr. Moncrief spent the majority of a distinguished 35-year academic career in colleges and universities of the Southeast and Mid-South. He served as Provost and Dean of Faculty at Lyon College in Batesville from 1997-2000.

A photograph, donated to the museum by the artist, is from Common Visions: The Appalachia's and the Ozarks, Moncrief's exhibition at Old Independence in March 2002.

The memory of his creativity and generosity will be treasured.
 

Musical performances at Lyon this week Vocal Recital A vocal recital will be performed at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at the First United Methodist Church. The event will feature senior recitals by Drew Ladd and Mary Wood; classical and Broadway selections by Madison Neaville; and vocal selections by Lyon College students Jason Bugeja, Christina Cody, Emily Fleming, Luke Frauenthal and Christopher Orr. The event is open to the public. Noontime Recital The final noontime student recital of the year will take place at 12:15 p.m.Wednesday, April 27. The program will consist of vocal and piano music. The performers will include: Robert Bailey, Allyn Dodd, Skye Hart, John Nichols, Brent Rowe, Kimberly Ruminer and others.  Lyon Concert Chorale spring concert The Lyon College Concert Chorale will present its spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Brown Chapel Auditorium. Admission is free and the public is invited. The 30-member choir, under the direction of Joel Plaag, will perform a selection of classical and traditional spiritual songs, including the work of Mozart, Handel and others. Ceil Smith will accompany the chorale on piano. Organist Skye Hart will perform “Fugue from Tocatta and Fugue” and pianist Robert Bailey will perform Mendelssohn’s “Song Without Words.” Soprano Heather Copeland will be soloist on “A Jubilant Song” by Norman Dello Joio. Keith Harmon will play the violoncello on “My Heart’s in the Highlands.” This will be the choir’s final performance of the year. They have toured to Hot Springs, Little Rock, Fort Smith and Fayetteville this year.   Flute Choir to perform The Lyon College Flute Choir, directed by Laura Stinson, will present its spring concert at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 1, in the Bevens Music Room of Brown Chapel. This year’s concert is dedicated in memory of Dr. C. Fitzhugh Spragins and in honor of Kelly Purtee. The public is invited and admission is free. The flute choir will perform a program of classical music that will include the work of Haydn, Verdi, Brahms and Buryl Red. Dr. Russell Stinson will be the piano accompanist and Kenton Adler will perform on the bagpipes. Members of the flute choir are Martha Beck, Jeanne Fitzgerald, Douglas Harding, Cody Milburn, Hope Spragins, Laura Stinson, Rachel Stinson and Elizabeth White.

Faculty reception held in library A reception was held in the Mabee-Simpson Library Tuesday to celebrate the professional accomplishments of Lyon College faculty who published, created or presented in 2004.                                                                                               Photo by Eric Stewart Roller Funeral Homes Endowed Scholarship established Roller Funeral Homes of Arkansas, who owns Roller-Crouch Funeral Home of Batesville, has chosen to provide financial support for Lyon College. Their gift will establish the Roller Funeral Homes Endowed Scholarship and will be awarded annually to Lyon College students. “We are delighted to b e a beneficiary-partner with Roller Funeral Homes in establishing this endowed scholarship program,” Tim Bruner, Lyon vice president for institutional advancement, said. “Over the years, many Lyon College students will be encouraged by a Roller Funeral Homes Scholarship in their pursuit of a liberal arts education. It’s an honor for us to be able to facilitate such encouragement. We are grateful to the Roller Funeral Homes executive team that has made this possible.” Mark House, manager of Roller-Crouch Funeral Home in Batesville, Cave City and Melbourne, was recently appointed to the Lyon College President’s Council. Nelson Barnett, who serves on the board of directors of Citizens Fidelity Insurance Co., Roller’s sister organization, also serves on the Lyon College President’s Council. Through the Roller Funeral Homes Scholarship and their service on the President’s Council, Roller will continue to support Lyon College and the Batesville community. Roller Funeral Homes has also endowed educational scholarships at ASU-Mountain Home, University of the Ozarks, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Harding University and Hendrix College. They have been recognized by Arkansas Business, the City of Little Rock and by the readers of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, voting Roller the best funeral home in Central Arkansas every year since 1999. The organization has been awarded the National Funeral Directors’ Association Eagle Award of Excellence, the Hospice Compassion Award and the Corporate Humanitarian award.

Counts play to be read in Holloway Theatre

There will be a staged reading of a one-act play, “Beautiful Deceivers,” written by Michael L. Counts, professor of theatre, at 6 p.m. Friday, April 29, in Holloway Theatre. The play will receive a staged reading this summer at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska. The play runs about 25 minutes and will be followed by an audience discussion. The entire program should be no more than an hour; providing students with a study break and faculty a break from grading papers.
 

		Baker and Kellums receive bankers scholarships Two Lyon College students – Nathan Baker and Andrew Kellums – received $500 scholarships from the Arkansas Bankers Association, Group 1, which is comprised of 26 banks in northeast Arkansas. The group awards two scholarships each year to students in the region who are majoring in fields of study that could lead to a career in banking. Both Kellums, a freshman from Paragould; and Baker, a junior from Kennett, Missouri, are business majors. Both also are members of the Lyon College Scots baseball team. The scholarship awards were presented Wednesday prior to the Scots game against Southern Arkansas University. At the presentation were (from left) Tim Bruner, vice president for institutional advancement at Lyon; Kirk Kelley, head baseball coach; Kellums; Baker; Bill Elliott, board member and Group 1 chairman; and Boris Dover, board member. Elliott is senior vice president of the Bank of Harrisburg. Dover is president and chief operating officer at First Community Bank in Batesville. Photo by Jason Marzewski