Lyon alum goes to bat for the baseball field; helps build new outfield fence

By Wil Shane
Lyon College News Bureau

When current and future Lyon College baseball players hit a long ball over the outfield fence, they’ll have a former player to thank for it.

High winds knocked down about 100 feet of the old outfield wall in November 2005, prompting 2003 graduate Doug Gillam, who played ball under Coach Kirk Kelley, to step up to the plate on behalf of his former team.

“The previous fence was eight foot high, wood board and wood frame construction,” Steve McDaniel, Lyon’s director of the physical plant, said. “The weather and age had taken its toll on it. Last fall, a wind blast from one of the straight line thunderstorms caused approximately 100 feet of fencing to collapse.”

Gillam and his family provided the materials and manpower to erect the new outfield wall and the college purchased the concrete for the fence footings. The wall features a strong metal design and incorporates two observation decks outfitted with picnic tables (shown in photo above). Both decks are wheelchair accessible.

The project wasn’t the first time Gillam and his family have hit one out of the park on behalf of Lyon College. He had only been out of school for a month when he returned and pitched an idea to Lyon President Walter Roettger.

“He told Dr. Roettger that he wanted to build an indoor baseball complex,” Tim Bruner, Lyon’s vice president for Institutional Advancement, said.

The project’s cost came in around $300,000, and Gillam saw it through to completion.

“He and his family built it with their own hands or gave money or got in-kind gifts given to the project until it was done,” Bruner said.

He and his family operate Gillam Farms, and its accompanying store, The Fruit of the Vine, near Judsonia. The store sells items such as fruit juices, spreads and preserves, pickled vegetables, fruit butters, syrups and gift baskets. Gillam’s project was unusual in that he was such a recent graduate, Bruner added.

“Most alums give back to their schools years after graduation, when they’ve had time to become successful,” he said. “Doug was the quickest giveback ever known for an alum. The ink was barely dry on his diploma.”

Coach Kelley said the support the Gillam family has shown to the Lyon baseball program has been “unbelievable.”
“There’s no way to thank their family enough for what they’ve done,” Kelley said.
 

Lyon College’s Roulier to give Williamson Prize Lecture April 4

Dr. Scott Roulier, associate professor of political science at Lyon College, is the winner of the 2005-06 Lamar Williamson Prize for Excellence in Teaching, and he’ll give the prize lecture Tuesday, April 4, at 11 a.m. in Nucor Auditorium in the Lyon Building.

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.

Dr. Roulier said the title of his talk will be “Rousseau’s Democratic Reveries.”

“The plan is to employ Rousseau’s robust version of democracy as a foil – to explore both our democratic failures and noble ambitions in light of classical democratic theory,” he explained.

Dr. Roulier is the 26th Lyon professor to receive the Williamson Prize, which was established in 1979 by the Lyon Board of Trustees in memory of Lamar Williamson (1887-1974) of Monticello, Ark. A distinguished lawyer, businessman and civic and Presbyterian Church leader, Williamson attended Lyon College from 1901 – 1903 and remained a friend of the college throughout his life.

Dr. Roulier joined the Lyon College faculty in 2000. He teaches courses ranging from U.S. Government and Politics to Citizenship, Civility, and Civil Society; and his students give him glowing reviews.

He currently serves as faculty adviser for the Lyon Moot Court Team and leads a pre-law student organization. He was chosen Lyon College Alpha Chi Professor the Year in 2002-2003 and the Lyon College Lambda-Iota Chapter of Kappa Sigma Professor of the Year in 2001-2002.

He holds a Ph.D. and an M.A., both from the University of Virginia, and a B.A. from the University of Denver. Before coming to Lyon, Dr. Roulier taught at Dowling College in New York, where he won the Pride Award for Distinguished Teaching. His areas of scholarship are political philosophy and constitutional law.

He has authored a book, “Kantian Virtue at the Intersection of Politics and Nature: the Vale of Soul-Making,” published in 2004 by the University of Rochester Press. He has published several articles in scholarly journals and presented papers and lectures at numerous professional conferences.

Dr. Roulier is a worship leader at Fellowship Bible Church of Batesville. A native of Loveland, Colo., he is married to Julie Roulier, M.D., and they have two sons, Sean and Peter.

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.

Nominations for the Williamson Prize are solicited from faculty and students in March, and are reviewed in the spring by a selection committee composed of faculty, staff and students. The Lyon Board of Trustees approves the committee’s recommendation at its April meeting.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, call (870) 698-4242.

Lyon College pipe band to compete at world championships in Scotland;
group travel package available for those who want to watch first-hand

When more than 200 pipe bands from across the world gather in Scotland this summer to compete for the world championships, Lyon College’s band will be there working to make their third trip the lucky charm.

And anyone interested in watching the contest first-hand has an open invitation to make the trip with them.

Slated for Aug. 5 – 15, the trip will take the Lyon pipe band group to Glasgow. And on Aug. 12, the band will compete in the World Championships on the Glasgow Green in the center of the historic city.

Bell said 20 members of the pipe band will make the trip, as will approximately 50 supporters who want to watch the competition, and also get out and see the sights of Scotland.

Casterbridge Tours, headquartered in London, is organizing a travel package for people interested in going on the trip, Claudia Marsh, Lyon’s church relations director, said.

Some of the activities will include walking tours of Glasgow and Edinburgh, tours of the Aigas Country Estates and several historic castles, day trips to Loch Ness and the Loch Ness Monster Museum, a Military Tattoo performance, and visits to the Dryburgh Abbey and the Bannockburn Heritage Center, to name just a few.

For details on booking reservations, or to receive a promotional package on the trip, contact Claudia Marsh at (870) 793-1767, or by e-mail at: cmarsh@lyon.edu. Or contact Brandi Allen at (870) 698-4382, or by e-mail at: ballen@lyon.edu. Itinerary information is available on the Casterbridge Tours website at: http://www.casterbridgetours.com/itineraries/lyoncolleged_1.htm

Interested parties may complete the reservation form and return it in the business reply envelope along with the deposit of $500 per person. This deposit is non-refundable unless the reason for cancellation is covered by trip insurance. The deposit must be received by Friday, April 7, 2006. The deadline for the final payment for the trip is May 5, 2006.

Bret Lott (right) accepts the Heasley Prize certificate from Lyon President
Walter Roettger and Annis Heasley of Batesville, sister-in-law of Dr. Martha
Heasley Cox. The presentation was made Tuesday during Lott's reading
                                                                                Photo by Eric Stewart

Seeking truth is the most important thing in writing fiction, novelist says

By Wil Shane
Lyon College News Bureau

Metaphor, symbolism and theme must rise out of a work of fiction organically and not be the writer’s focus, goal or aim, one of Oprah Winfrey’s favorite writers said Tuesday on the Lyon College campus.

Bret Lott, this year’s Leila Lenore Heasley Prize winner, is the author of two story collections, a memoir, a volume of essays and several novels, including “Jewel,” a 1999 Oprah’s Book Club Selection. He’s also the editor of The Southern Review.

A book reviewer at the Los Angeles Times once called Lott “one of the most important and imaginative writers in American today,” and went on to say that, “His eye for detail is unparalleled; his vision – where he looks – is like no one else’s in the country.”

A critic at The Boston Globe agreed, adding that Lott “has a gift for making the ordinary seem luminous.”

He visited the Lyon campus to give his presentation, “Before We Get Started” as the Heasley Prize Lecture in Nucor Auditorium Tuesday morning. He also presented a reading from his work Tuesday evening in Bevens Music Room.

“There’s a lot of preoccupation with the ‘life’ of writing and not nearly enough attention paid to the words,” he told the audience. “The longer I write, the harder it becomes, but everything gets down to the word, no matter how small…The word came before us and will continue on after us.”

Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word, is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” That’s a concept that Lott readily agreed with.

“Words matter, so let’s pick them carefully,” he said. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God.”

All themes, symbols and metaphors in fiction must come from the story and not from the writer, Lott said.

“If I thought (about those things) as I was working, I wouldn’t be able to write one single sentence,” he said.

Lott, who teaches writing at the College of Charleston and Vermont College, said education can sometimes actually get in the way of writing quality fiction.

“It can be a problem for writers,” he said. “Sometimes it makes you encounter literature as though it were a Rubik’s Cube, like a puzzle you’re trying to figure out.”

The best thing a professor can do for a student of literature or of creative writing is to instill in them a love for the written word, Lott said.

“If we love literature first, then maybe by osmosis, that love may rub off them,” he said. “But there are some students that you’ll never reach, who will never understand the true depth in literature.”

Sometimes, the student can teach the professor a thing or two, if that professor is open to listening.

“I had student read what eventually became my first collection of stories, and he told me to throw out the first paragraph,” Lott said. “I looked at it, cut it, and it made it a better book. He was right.”

The business of publishing has changed dramatically since Lott published that first book in 1984, he said. Modern editors at publishing houses do very little actual editing. Marketing has taken much more of a lead role in the publishing process, and that’s partly because large conglomerates are buying up the publishing houses and they’re more concerned with blockbusters than quality literary fiction.

Despite the current climate of professional publishing, one thing will always ring true for the writer of quality fiction, Lott said.

“Seek truth,” he said. “All else follows truth.”

The Leila Lenore Heasley Prize is awarded annually to a distinguished representative of American or international letters, theater or cinema. Each spring, the Heasley Prize recipient gives a free public lecture, reading or performance at Lyon College.

Dr. Martha Heasley Cox, professor emerita of English at San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif., established the prize in 1995 in memory of her sister, Leila Lenore, and in honor of other family members.

Lyon College Writer-in-Residence Andrea Hollander Budy has chaired the committee since its inception. She also coordinates the Visiting Writers Series and the Lyon College Visiting Fellowship in Creative Writing.

For more information on the Leila Lenore Heasley Prize lecture series, contact Andrea Hollander Budy at (870) 793-1766, or by email at: abudy@lyon.edu.


Harlequin Theater Spring Production takes a fresh look at a literary classic

By Wil Shane
Lyon College News Bureau

An Art Deco-inspired version of what may be first play Shakespeare ever wrote will soon take center stage at Lyon College for the Harlequin Theatre spring production of “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.”

Slated to run April 6 – 9, the production is directed by Dr. Michael L. Counts, professor of theatre, and designed by Gary M. Harris, associate professor of theatre. Known to be one of the great poet’s earliest works, Counts said it’s possibly the very first play written by Shakespeare.

The play details the entangled relations between the two gentlemen of the play’s title, Valentine and Proteus. Valentine leaves Verona for Milan to seek his fortune, but Proteus stays to be near his love, Julia.

When she spurns his affections, Proteus heads for Milan where he finds himself a rival of Valentine for the hand of Silvia, the Duke’s daughter. Julia reappears disguised in boy’s clothes as Proteus’ page. The lovers flee to the forest where the conflict is finally resolved and the two gentlemen are reunited not only with their “proper” lovers, but also with each other.

Dr. Counts said readers familiar with Shakespeare’s works will recognize plot devices in the story similar to what the legendary writer used in such later works as “Romeo and Juliet,” “As You Like It,” and “Twelfth Night.”

The Harlequin Theatre production will approach the play from a slightly different angle than the traditional version, he added.

“It’s set in 1928 Italy,” he said. “Professor Harris is using an Art Deco influence in his design. We’re using images of Mussolini for the Duke, and of the Mafia for the cast’s outlaws.”

The plot of “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” is slightly unusual for works by Shakespeare in that it contains only one plot line, making it more entertaining for audiences new to his often intricate style of pacing and plotting stories.

“It moves along quickly and it’s easy to follow,” Counts said. “It’s even accessible to school-age children.”

The show will begin at 8 p.m. on April 6 – 8, and on April 9, the curtain goes up at 2 p.m., in the Holloway Theatre on the Lyon campus.

The Lyon College Theatre Department has announced the cast for the play. The actors, and the roles they will perform, include:

Duke of Milan – Jason Bugeja of Fort Smith; Valentine – J.T. Tarpley of Gurdon; Proteus – Jance Floyd of Houston, Texas; Antonio/Musician – Christopher James Orr of Jonesboro; Thurio – Justin Edwards of Greers Ferry; Eglamour – Jarrett L. Clark of Jonesboro; Speed – Emily Fleming of Nashville, Tenn.; Launce – Amanda Pickett of Batesville; Panthino – David Smock of Jonesboro; Outlaw #1 – Jocelyn Gantt of Jacksonville; Outlaw #2 – Alissa Walter of Walnut Ridge; Outlaw #3 – Amy Hancock of Knobel, Ark.; Julia – Christina Cody of Dickinson, Texas; Silvia – Alyssa Starkey of Sherwood; Lucetta/Hostess – Layla Phillips of Rector; and, Crab the Dog – played by Ralph Roettger of Batesville.

Admission is $6 for adults, and $3 for students and seniors. To make reservations, call 870-793-1749.

The cast of the Harlequin Theatre production of "The Two Gentlemen from Verona" includes:
(front row, from left) Jarrett Clark, Alissa Walter, Amy Hancock, Jocelyn Gantt, Amanda Pickett,
Layla Phillips, Christina Cody, Jance Floyd; (back row) Christopher Orr, J.T. Tarpley, Alyssa
Starkey, Emily Fleming, Jason Bugeja and Justin Edwards.


Accepted Students Day scheduled for April 1

Lyon College will host its annual Accepted Students Day for students and their families on Saturday, April 1, on campus. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Lyon Business and Economics Building located on the north side of campus.

“This is a terrific opportunity for entering students to meet their classmates and for their parents and families to meet their counterparts,” said Denny Bardos, Lyon’s vice president for enrollment services.

The schedule of events for the day includes ice-breaker activities for the students while parents are welcomed into the Parents Association. Other sessions will prepare students for the June/July summer orientation events and presentations on Lyon’s distinctive “Life Skills Program” and the Nichols International Travel program. The day includes a luncheon at Bradley Manor, the President’s residence, hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Walter Roettger. The event will conclude around 3:00 p.m.

The Business Office and the Financial Aid Office will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to answer any questions concerning finances. When they register, parents and students may schedule private visits with the College’s financial aid professionals.

Accepted Students Day is open to all students who have been accepted to Lyon for the 2006-07 academic year. Parents and families are encouraged to attend. There is no charge for the event.

To register for Accepted Students Day, call the admissions office at 870-698-4250 or 800-423-2542.

Senior art projects on exhibit

A reception was held Thursday for the first two senior art students whose exhibits are on display at Kresge Gallery. The works of Tony Roepcke (left) and Tracy Turner (right) will be exhibited until April 6. Other seniors will exhibit their work later. Roepcke's project is called "A Game for the Ages," about baseball, and Turner's is named "Evolution to Imperfection," a mixed-media exhibition.

Gould to discuss Wolf House restoration at Museum

At noon on Wednesday, March 29, Old Independence Regional Museum will present its first springtime "Brown Bag with a Book" program. Fayetteville-based historic preservation consultant Joan Gould will discuss her work on the restoration and historic preservation of Norfork’s Jacob Wolf House (pictured at left), an 1829 building that is the oldest surviving two-story log structure in Arkansas. Gould served as the historical researcher for the restoration project and is the co-author of "Jacob Wolf House: Historic Structure Report."

Gould, a graduate of the University of Nebraska, runs her own historic preservation consulting service, Preservation Matters.

Over the past two decades, she has researched numerous Arkansas and Missouri structures for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places and has served as project coordinator for the Early Arkansas Settlement Study, which has documented early log building traditions in the state. She is currently serving as a preservation consultant to the Beck-Hildebrand Mill Museum Association in Flint, Okla.

Bring a sack lunch to the museum (380 South 9th St.), relax, eat, and listen. Old Independence Regional Museum will provide free water and soft drinks.

Lyon’s sixth S.A.F.A.R.I. program now offers teen camp

Lyon College is going on S.A.F.A.R.I., hunting for more students who are interested in enriching, challenging and enjoyable learning experiences in a variety of content areas.

The College’s S.A.F.A.R.I. (Summer Academics: Fun And Recreation Included) summer enrichment program, now in its sixth year, has expanded and beginning this year now offers a Teen Camp for students in grades 7–8, in addition to its Children’s Camp for K–6 students.

The first session of the Children’s Camp will be June 5-16, and the second will be June 19-30. Each session will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Students who have completed grades K-2 may elect to attend half-day sessions. Students who have completed grades 3-6 attend for a full day unless they wish to attend a sports camp on the same day..

The first Teen Camp will run from June 12-16, and the second session will run from June 19-23.

Classes offered in the Teen Camp include cartooning, charcoal drawing, creative digital photo computing, creative writing I, creative writing II, drama, fun physics, introduction to architecture, perspective drawing and music. Teen Camp students may take one class in the morning and/or one in the afternoon.

Children’s Camp students will sign up for three academic and one recreational course per session. Lunch will be provided, as will morning and afternoon snacks.

A variety of recreational activities will also be offered for the Children’s Camp, including swimming, archery, golf, Highland dancing and others. Students can create a daily schedule that matches their own interests and talents.

For more information or an application or brochure, e-mail: mcooper@lyon.edu, or call (870) 612-6490. The application deadline is May 12. More information also can be found on the Lyon SAFARI Web page at www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/safari/. Click on program description.

Career Development Center sponsors events geared toward building careers

The Lyon College Career Expo will be held Tuesday, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., in the Lower Union in Edwards Commons. Approximately 20 employers from across the state will be on-hand seeking to hire interns and full-time and part-time employees. All students, faculty, staff and UACCB students are welcome to attend the event, which is free of charge. Students should bring several copies of their resume with them.

Later tomorrow, the Lyon College LYONetwork Reception will be held from 4 – 6 p.m. in Bevens Music Room. The drop-in event will feature business casual attire. All faculty, staff, students and alumni are invited to attend this event, but RSVPs were accepted through March 24.

The reception is designed to recognize LYONetwork members and to celebrate the success of the program in its first year, and to allow students to professionally network with alumni, donors, employers and community members.