Summer

2007

T h e Mag a z i n e o f We st e r n C a ro l i n a U n i v e r s i t y

Western

Innovation Making Ideas Work

Cover Story

Features

6 Big Dam Grant

National Science Foundation Awards

$ 1.5 Million to WCU Coastal Program

8 Aesthetic Value

Growing MFA Program Turns

Campus into Artists’ Colony

14 Curtain Call

Cherokee Drama Welcomes

Theatre Faculty, Alumni

23 Homecoming 2007

Prepare for Music, Food,

Football and Fun

Western Carolina University

Chancellor John W. Bardo

Vice Chancellor Clifton B. Metcalf

Advancement and

External Affairs

Associate Vice Chancellor Leila Tvedt

Public Relations

Managing Editor Bill Studenc

Associate Editor Teresa Killian

Art Director Rubae Sander

Chief Photographer Mark Haskett ’ 87

Contributing Writers Jessica Cregger ’ 07

Randall Holcombe

Daniel Hooker ’ 01

Jill Ingram

John Kenyon

Jim Rowell ’ 72

Leila Tvedt

Class Notes Editor Dianne Yount ’ 79

Designer John Balentine

Contributing Photographers Ashley T. Evans

John Ashcraft

Production Manager Loretta R. Adams ’ 80

Product Placement

Western Helps Take Ideas

From Concept to Reality

T h e M a g a z i n e o f W e s t e r n C a r o l i n a U n i v e r s i t y Western

Summer 2007

Volume 11, No. 3

23

6

8

14

16 The Magazine of Western Carolina University is

produced by the Office of Public Relations in the

Division of Advancement and External Affairs

for alumni, faculty, staff, friends and students of

Western Carolina University.

Pedal Pusher

During the 40 years that Otto Spilker has been commuting to

Western on his bicycle, the price of gas has risen from about

33 cents per gallon to more than $ 3 per gallon, but for the

professor emeritus of health and human performance the

unconventional ride to work isn’t about saving gas; it’s about

preserving health. The 80- year- old campus fitness legend

still pedals the four round- trip miles from his home to

campus every chance he gets,

providing there’s no snow or ice on

the roads, and he does so on a heavy

tandem bike that was given to him

25 years ago. And, in addition to the

obvious fitness benefits, the ride gives

Spilker, who still teaches part time, a

chance to promote Western’s Loyalty

Fund to those he passes on the road. On the cover: Ed Bonjokian ’ 07 and faculty

member Aaron Ball check dimensions for

aircraft parts, and Cindy Atterholt, head of

Western’s chemistry department, applies

a nontoxic pest control substance she

developed to the bark of an apple tree.

SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University

University Print Shop Manager

Tom Frazier ’ 79 is keeping busy these

days turning out new business cards

and letterhead as a major reorganiza-tion

of Western’s academic structure

creating two new colleges takes effect

this summer, a restructuring that also

means significant changes in leader-ship

positions. The reorganization,

which results in new colleges focusing

on the arts and on health professions,

is designed to improve service to

students and make better use of

university resources.

With the new structure in place,

fall semester will find three new deans

among the administrative ranks.

Ronald A. Johnson, who formerly

held the JP Morgan Chase Chair in

Finance in the Jesse H. Jones School

of Business at Texas Southern

University, is dean of the College of

Business. Wendy S. Zabava Ford,

former executive associate dean of

the College of Arts and Sciences at

Western Michigan University, is dean

of the newly reconfigured College

of Arts and Sciences. And Linda

Seestedt- Stanford, former assistant

dean of the Herbert H. and Grace A.

Dow College of Health Professions at

Central Michigan University, is

founding dean of the College of Health

and Human Sciences.

Restructured Colleges

Welcome New Leaders

By BIL STUDENC

THE Deans’ List

UConn Administrator

to Lead Student Affairs

By BIL STUDENC

THE MILLER’S TALE

New leaders include, from left,

Wendy S. Zabava Ford, dean

of the College of Arts and

Sciences; Linda Seestedt-

Stanford, dean of the College

of Health and Human Sciences;

and Ronald A. Johnson, dean

of the College of Business.

Pictured at right is H. Samuel

Miller, vice chancellor for the

Division of Student Affairs.

“ This is the best series of searches

that Western has had in the 12 years

that I have been here,” Chancellor

John W. Bardo said. “ For all of these

positions, there were multiple people

that we could have appointed. All

of these individuals are nationally

recognized in their respective fields. In

addition to being extremely qualified,

this is a very diverse group of people

who are joining our university. I am

very excited about the fact that we

have significantly increased the

diversity of our senior leadership.”

Johnson, the new business dean,

was president and chief investment

officer at Smith Graham & Co. in

Houston before joining the faculty

at Texas Southern. He has served as

chief strategist and head of research

for Americas Trust Bank in Miami,

division chief of domestic financial

markets for the Federal Reserve Bank

of New York, and director of global

fixed income research and senior

portfolio manager for Templeton

Worldwide Inc. in Fort Lauderdale,

Fla. He taught at Florida A& M

University, Northeastern University

in Boston and Howard University in

Washington, D. C., and was an econo-mist

for the International Monetary

Fund and the Federal Reserve System

board of governors. Johnson is taking

over the reins from Leroy Kauffman,

WCU business dean since 2003, who

is returning to the faculty.

Ford, new dean of the College

of Arts and Sciences, has been an

administrator and faculty member at

Western Michigan since 1993. The

college is WCU’s largest, with more

than 180 full- time faculty members

who serve more than 1,600 under-graduate

and graduate students in

the humanities, sciences and social

sciences. Executive associate dean of

the WMU College of Arts and Sciences

since August 2004, Ford previously

served as associate dean of the college.

Seestedt- Stanford, first dean of

a new College of Health and Human

Sciences, has been assistant dean for

the College of Health Professions at

Central Michigan since 1998, serving

as acting dean of the college during

the summer of 2002. She also was

director of audiology clinical instruc-tionand

services in the department

of communication disorders at CMU

from 1977 until 1998.

Western is seeking construction

funding for a $ 46 million, 145,000-

square- foot School of Health and

Gerontological Sciences to be built

on Millennial Initiative property

adjacent to the main campus. The

facility, which received planning

money from the General Assembly

during a previous state funding cycle,

would be the anchor for a planned

neighborhood of facilities and

programs focusing on retirement,

aging and health.

H. Samuel Miller Jr., associate vice

president for student affairs at the

University of Connecticut, has been

selected as the next vice chancellor for

student affairs at Western. Miller is fill-ing

a vacancy created by the retirement

this summer of Robert Caruso, vice

chancellor for student affairs at WCU

since 1998, and a nationally known

figure in higher education administra-tion

with 37 years of experience in

leading innovative programs to serve

students and promote their growth

and development.

The appointment is one of

several major leadership changes at

Western taking effect this summer—

and university officials say the

credentials of candidates who applied

for the positions bode well for the

direction of the institution. “ Good

people are coming to work at Western,”

said Jeanette Hyde, member of the

university’s Board of Trustees.

“ Western is attracting the very best,

and this speaks highly of the quality

of the university. This is putting WCU

in a very strong position among

regional universities across the nation.

When you add this kind of high- caliber

people to the fine faculty and staff

we already have, we are going to be

attractingmore and more of the best

students in America.”

As associate vice president for

student affairs at UConn, Miller

supervised the Department of

Residential Life, which provides

on- campus housing to about 12,000

students; the Department of Dining

Services, which has an annual operating

budget of $ 35.7 million; and The

Center for Students with Disabilities,

which works with some 1,200 students

annually. He was co- director of the

university’s master’s degree program

in higher education and student

affairs, and he previously served as

assistant vice chancellor for student

affairs and interim director of campus

activities. During his career, Miller

has held student affairs positions at

the University of Virginia and the

University of Alabama.

“ I’m very excited to be joining the

Western Carolina University family,”

Miller said. “ Given the strength of the

staff in the Student Affairs Division

and the successful partnerships with

academic colleagues, I believe Western

has tremendous potential to continue

developing the kinds of transformative

learning experiences that positively

impact every aspect of student life.

I’m looking forward to working with

local community members, and faculty

and staff colleagues, and I’m especially

looking forward to meeting Western’s

students and their families. This is a

dynamic period in Western’s history

and I’m proud to be a member of this

campus community.”

The new deans will join a couple

familiar faces in new roles. Robert

Kehrberg, interim dean of the College

of Arts and Sciences since 2005, was

appointed in the spring as founding

dean of the College of Fine and

Performing Arts. The new college

houses academic programs in the arts

that were formerly part of the College

of Arts and Sciences. Kehrberg served

as head of Western’s music depart-ment

almost continuously from 1987

to 2005. Scott Higgins, director of

the master’s degree program in health

sciences and a member of Western's

faculty since 1981, was named dean of

the Graduate School and Research in

November after serving in an interim

capacity for a year and half.

Michael Dougherty, dean of the

College of Education and Allied

Professions since 1998, is now senior

dean at WCU. Brian Railsback is dean

of the Honors College, and Pat Brown

is dean of the Division of Educational

Outreach. A national search is

under way for a dean for the Kimmel

School of Construction Management

and Technology.

The Magazine of Western Carolina University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University

Students from the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe analyze grain

sizes on beaches. Pictured below is Lake Mills, a reservoir

formed by a dam on the Elwha River.

Above, environmental geologist Michael Turchy ’ 01 leans

over to review a chart with biology graduate student Adam

Griffith near the mouth of the Elwha River. At right, young

people from the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe conduct an

experiment related to river erosion.

century and dramatically changed what was once a sandy

coastal environment. The flooding of the Elwha River Valley

altered many sites considered sacred by tribal members.

Young has been involved in the Elwha Dam removal project

since 2004, helping design a long- term plan to monitor the

impact of the removal of the dams on the coastal environ-ments

at the river’s mouth. Dam removal will release several

million cubic yards of sediment into the Elwha, all of which

will find its way to the estuary on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Scientists believe the sediment influx will have a positive

impact on the coast, bolstering salt marshes and growing

beaches. Young is using the precedent- setting coastal

restoration project as a research, service and learning

opportunity for his geosciences students at WCU, in

addition to his work with the tribe.

“ We believe that emphasizing the importance of the

geosciences for environmental restoration and cultural

revitalization, and that enabling Native American kids to

carry out restoration- based geoscience research projects in

an area of immense cultural importance to those kids will

ultimately increase the overall representation of Native

Americans in geoscience careers and will raise the profile

of the geosciences within Native American communities,”

said Young. “ It is my belief that our initial project has

successfully raised the awareness of the importance of

the geosciences among an entire community. We need to

continue the momentum and partnerships that we have

established by expanding our activities. Now that we

have their attention, let’s see if we can turn some of them

into geoscientists.”

Students will be involved with hands- on geoscience

education activities that are integrated into traditional,

culturally based summer activities already

sponsored by the tribe. To help ensure

the participation of the tribe’s

young people in the project,

donating their time to the effort are many tribal leaders,

including tribal elders, educators and employees, members

of the tribal council and concerned citizens.

Frances Charles, chairperson of the Lower Elwha Klallam

Tribe, said the tribe is highly supportive of Young’s work.

“ The project is a perfect fit for the tribal efforts to encourage

our high school students to consider a college education

after high school,” Charles said. “ The tribe has worked very

hard to accomplish the restoration of the Elwha River,

but we have very few members with college degrees. The

program uses the restoration of the Elwha River, which

is important to all tribal members, to emphasize the impor-tance

of the geosciences to the restoration effort. We cannot

overstate our support of continuing this successful program

and sharing with the Jamestown and Port Gamble Klallam

tribes over the next five years.”

Partners in the project with the tribes and PSDS are

Olympic National Park, Olympic Park Institute, National

Park Service, and the Port Angeles and Crescent school

districts in Washington.

The Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines,

the internationally known center integrating coastal science

and management that relocated from Duke University to

Western last fall, has been awarded a $ 1.5 million grant

designed to research the coastal impact of dam removal in

Washington state while increasing the number of Native

American youths interested in careers in geosciences and

environmental restoration. The five- year award to PSDS

is the largest National Science Foundation grant ever

received by Western, said Michelle Hargis, associate dean

of the Graduate School and Research.

The grant will enable the continuation of a pilot project

initiated in 2005 by Rob Young, director of PSDS and

professor of geosciences, in which 25 young people from

Washington’s Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe had the chance to

see firsthand how the nation’s largest dam removal project

will affect a river system with deep spiritual and cultural

significance to the tribe. The new Elwha Science Education

Project will attempt to increase the number of tribal high

school– age students involved in the project, expand the

program to reach students in grades six through eight, and

determine if the teaching methods developed through the

project will work with other tribes.

“ The project is unique in that the kids will be taught

science and culture side- by- side. We hope this makes the

science more interesting and more relevant,” said Young, a

coastal geology specialist. “ We are combining stories that

are important to the tribe with scientific activities at many

sites along the river. We hope to convince tribal young

people that they can be scientists, and that science has

something relevant to offer them and their community.”

Many tribes across the United States, including the

Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, are using environmental resto-ration

projects to help reclaim their altered cultural heritage.

The construction of the 108- foot- tall Elwha Dam and the

210- foot Glines Canyon Dam on the Elwha River more than

70 years ago choked off salmon runs for most of the past

National Science Foundation Awards $ 1.5 Million

To Expose Native American Youth to Geosciences

By BIL STUDENC

ABIGDAMGRANT

The Magazine of Western Carolina University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University

For the past four summers, the Western campus

has been transformed into a veritable artists’ colony

as internationally acclaimed artists, scholars and

critics descend upon Cullowhee to serve as visiting

lecturers in the university’s graduate degree program

in fine arts. Launched in 2004, the program leading

to the master of fine arts degree— the terminal

degree in the visual arts— is once again luring an

array of expertise to Western, from an India- born

contemporary visual artist to a New York City

gallery curator, and from a figurative sculptor who

has taught at the acclaimed Penland School of Crafts

to a small business consultant sharing the hard

truths about the business side of a career in the arts.

Richard Tichich, director of Western’s recently

reorganized School of Art and Design, called

exposure to a wide variety of diverse viewpoints

“ absolutely vital” to the success of the MFA

program. “ If we were located in downtown New York,

we would want to bring in visiting artists from all

over the world to give our students the opportunity

to interact with as many different perspectives as

possible. It’s no different for a program located in

Western North Carolina,” said Tichich. “ We think

that when our students graduate from here, they

should be equally expected to meet with national

and international artists. In order to do that, it

behooves us to bring in people of that caliber. And

that is precisely what we do.”

After this summer, however, it won’t be just

during the months of June, July and August when

art students will find themselves interacting with

visiting artists from across the nation, acclaimed

scholars and critics, and successful gallery owners

and curators— in addition to WCU faculty members

from the School of Art and Design. Due to popular

demand, the MFA program is evolving into a

year- round activity. University officials originally

envisioned the program as consisting of three

intensive summer residencies of 10 weeks combined

with out- of- residence independent studio work,

research and writing, a structure designed to fit

the needs of graduate students already working

in the profession, many with established careers

and families.

“ When the program first started, we had about

20 students come to campus for the first summer

residency,” Tichich said. “ When the summer was over,

we found that about 10 of them wanted to stay for the

whole year. It turned out that many of the students

attracted to program wanted a more traditional

approach, and they wanted to go ahead and complete

their degrees as quickly as possible.” To meet the needs

of those students, the School of Art and Design is now

accepting MFA students into year long residencies, while

maintaining the summer residency option to those

students currently in the program.

Expansion of the visiting artist schedule into the

fall and spring semesters will have an additional benefit,

Tichich said. “ By shifting our guest faculty and artists- in-residence

throughout the entire year, our undergraduate

students also will be able to take advantage of their

experience, their expertise and their insights,” he said.

“ That will enliven the program for all involved, as

undergraduates, graduate students, permanent

faculty and visiting artists come together to share

ideas and engage in the processes of creativity and

artistic expression.”

Growing MFA Degree Program

Transforms Campus into

Colony for Artists

By BIL STUDENC

AESTHETICvalue

Susan Lucier MFA ’ 07 prepares her artwork “‘ DO NOT’ Sign”

for the Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition in the Fine Art Museum

at the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

In a studio at the Fine and Performing Arts

Center, Tai Lipan MFA ’ 06, explores painting

that depicts new realities.

1 Jennifer Lipsey MFA ’ 06, “ See? I told you

it was fun,” mixed media on canvas

2 Heidi Leitzke MFA ’ 06, “ Proserpina’s

Flight,” oil on canvas

3 Kathryn Temple MFA ’ 07, “ Claire Still 2,”

oil on wood

4 Susan Lucier MFA ’ 07, “ This Future is Now"

( detail), oil on paper

5 Heidi Leitzke MFA ’ 06, “ The Garden Cranes,”

oil on canvas

1

2

3

4

5

Continuedon page 10

The Magazine of Western Carolina University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University

1

2

3 4

Art surrounds Brandon Guthrie, a student

in the MFA degree program, in a studio

on campus.

Phyllis Jarvinen MA ’ 80

paints in a studio at WCU.

AESTHETICvalue continued

1 Bill Clements MFA ’ 06, “ Figment

& Fetish,” mixed media

2 Jasmine Sadki MFA ’ 07, “ Decay,”

watercolor and India ink

3 Sally Jacobs MFA ’ 07, “ No Child

Left Behind,” glazed ceramics

4 Jasmine Sadki MFA ’ 07, “ Are You

There?” oil on canvas

STREAMof consciousness

2

Phyllis Jarvinen MA ’ 80

“ Kephart VIII – River Bed,”

acrylic on canvas, 2007

1

Phyllis Jarvinen MA ’ 80

“ Kephart IV – Interpretation

of Dreams,” acrylic on

canvas, 2006

As a river guide and canoe instructor,

Phyllis Jarvinen MA ’ 80 studied how

water moved— so much that at times

she ran rapids at night in her dreams.

The more she stared at water, the more

she thought about how she would paint

it, and, now, a child therapist returning

to WCU as a student in the master of

fine arts degree program, she does.

Jarvinen layers transparent colors

on canvas to capture the movement and

personality of rivers and creeks. She

then journals about what the images

suggest to her. In her painting “ Kephart

IV – Interpretation of Dreams,” smooth

rocks border a pool on Kephart Prong,

where water pours over a rock into

a new, unseen part of the creek. An

excerpt from Jarvinen’s accompanying

journal entry is about possibilities and

dreams: “ What someone else sees as my

folly or failure I hope is my best lesson

and the stepping stone to seeing my

vision through to success.”

For Jarvinen, that’s what her paint-ing

is about— seeing a new possibility

in her life and making it reality. Though

her degree prepared her for a career in

psychology, she also loved— and loves

— drawing and painting. “ As a child, I

remember looking at pictures of water

in books and wondering how they made

it look transparent,” said Jarvinen. She

wove art classes into her class schedule

in high school, in college, in Bryson

City while she worked for Nantahala

Outdoor Center, and at Western when

she worked on campus.

“ While taking my first art class at

WCU, I had a strong feeling that I had

‘ come home’ to something I needed to

do more of, and with WCU Professor

Patricia Bailey’s encouragement,

decided to pursue that interest by

taking more art and art history classes,”

said Jarvinen, who describes painting

as the closest she has ever come to

meditating. Jarvinen also uses painting

to support causes she believes in.

Notecards made from her depictions

of pets have been donated to nonprofit

organizations that reach out to animals

who are rescued or need homes. She

also supports land and river conserva-tion

efforts, as well as KIDS Place, the

children’s advocacy center in Franklin

where she works as a therapist.

To further her art, Jarvinen recently

spent a year taking undergraduate art

classes at the University of Minnesota

before her acceptance to WCU’s

master’s degree program. “ It is so much

fun to be a student again and study art,”

said Jarvinen. Her primary subjects

now are rivers and creeks. “ Moving

water seems chaotic but there is order

and predictability in it. I have actually

developed a reading water course for

artists that I have presented to an

artists’ organization,” said Jarvinen.

“ People always say the paintings

look different close up than from far

away. Up close, there is color, shape

and transparency. Farther away, the

forms come into focus,” she said. “ I

hope they will see in the paintings how

wonderful it is to look at clean water.

The transparency of the water and what

lies beneath it is key to what I want to

show— how it is both revealed and

hidden or changed at the same time.”

Her artwork has appeared in her

solo shows “ Stream” and in shows such

as “ Stream of Consciousness,” which

was on display at Relia’s Garden

restaurant at the Nantahala Outdoor

Center in Western North Carolina.

Notecards featuring her paintings

also are for sale at Western North

Carolina art and craft galleries.

For more information, check out her

Web site at www. phyllisjarvinen. com.

Therapist’s Paintings Explore Water as Metaphor for Life

By Teresa Killian

The university’s studios and classrooms in two- dimen-sional

art ( including painting, drawing and printmaking),

three- dimensional art ( sculpture and ceramics) and

integrated multimedia ( video, design, film, photography,

book arts and experimental media) are located in the Fine

and Performing Arts Center, the $ 30 million, 122,000-

square- foot showplace for the arts that opened in 2005.

In addition to a 1,000- seat performance hall capable of

hosting Broadway- quality shows, the center features a wing

dedicated to the visual arts, with 10,000 square- feet of

exhibit space— including the Fine Art Museum. “ I truly

think we have among the finest facilities in the country,”

said Tichich, who came to Western in 2006 from the

University of Texas at San Antonio. “ We want to integrate

our undergraduate and graduate programs to be more in

line with the quality of facilities where they are housed.”

Heidi Leitzke MFA ’ 06, who studied painting

before embarking on a career as gallery director at the

Pennsylvania College of Art & Science, is among the

program graduates putting their educations to use with

careers in the artistic world. “ Many of my exhibition

experiences while at WCU laid the groundwork for exhib-iting

my own work, and planning, hanging and hosting

exhibitions at PCA& D,” Leitzke said. She also finds herself

working with a familiar figure from her graduate school

days, as she will be hosting a solo exhibition this autumn

with acclaimed painter Judy Glantzman, who was among

the artists visiting Cullowhee during a previous summer

intensive session. “ Glantzman challenged me to delve

deeper and become fully engaged in my studio,” Leitzke

said. “ The summer program was an intense experience with

a great range of visiting artists, each with a unique creative

vision. Working with practicing artists who drew from and

taught from their wide range of experience was more

beneficial than any textbook course ever could have been.”

The Magazine of Western Carolina 10 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 11

Thanks to the generosity of the founder of a Greensboro-based

communication and rehabilitative therapy clinic

who got her start at Western, graduate students studying

communication sciences and disorders can apply for a new

$ 1,500 scholarship to help with the costs of grad school.

Margie Gibbs Motsinger ’ 75, a Western alumna and

founder of the Cheshire Center Inc., recently presented the

inaugural Cheshire Center Scholarship to Candler resident

Susan Foringer- Burk, who is working toward a master’s degree

in communication sciences and disorders. Motsinger, who

graduated from WCU with a degree in speech and hearing,

founded the Cheshire Center in 1980. It is now the largest

private clinic in the Greensboro area, with a staff of more than

90 professionals providing speech therapy and community-based

rehabilitative services, primarily to children.

“ I have always told everyone about what a great start I

got at Western, where I experienced a lot of one- on- one

interaction with my professors and where I served in many

different internship- type experiences,” she said. “ I remember

being assigned a clinic caseload as a junior, which was

frightening at the time but of tremendous value in the long-run.

It certainly taught me to ‘ think on my feet’ and gave

me an edge when I attended graduate school.”

Motsinger said it was personally important to be able to

give back to the university where she got her start in her

career. “ I have certainly been mentored and helped along the

way by leaders in the profession and in business. It is critical

that we reach out to young clinicians and foster their training

and development,” she said. “ I felt that setting up the

scholarship program would be a way both to say ‘ thank you’

to WCU and to mentor therapists early in their careers.”

Clinical Approach

Communication Disorders Students

Benefit from New Scholarship Fund

By BIL STUDENC

When Susan Parrott Ward ’ 75 and her husband

returned to Western recently for the dedication of a ceramics

studio in their name, it was only the latest development in a

long and rewarding association with Joan Byrd, professor in

what is now the School of Art and Design. Byrd, who teaches

ceramics, not only hired Ward as a work study student

during her freshman year, she also inspired the talented

younger artist from Kinston to “ do her own thing.”

“ Here was Joan, as independent as she could be,” Ward

said. “ When students showed an interest, she ate ’ em up.

She gave them all the attention they needed. She offered

them wonderful opportunities, brought friends to class who

were potters we had read about, took us to a national pottery

conference. She really made a difference in my life.”

During her second year when times were tough at home,

Ward struggled to support herself. She said she was thrilled

to receive a scholarship that allowed her to stay in school and

earn her bachelor’s degree in art in 1975. After graduation,

she went to work in stained glass design and production;

taught as an artist- in- residence in Kinston, teaching

students who were physically and developmentally disabled;

and helped with the restoration of a beloved old carousel in

Raleigh’s Pullen Park. None of that would have been possible

without Byrd’s early encouragement and her own positive

experiences at Western, she said.

Now married to successful retired businessman Randall

Ward, she is saying “ thank you” in a big way. The Wards have

given $ 150,000 for an endowment to support Western’s art

program and another $ 35,000 for a kiln big enough to fire

large pieces. In response, the university named a ceramics

studio in the Fine and Performing Arts Center in honor

of Randall and Susan Parrott Ward.

During a campus celebration of the gift, Chancellor

John Bardo reminded the crowd that when archeologists

discover remnants of an ancient society, the thing that

people get most excited about are the artifacts related to

art. “ Art is a clear reflection of the core values of a society,”

Bardo said. “ But to create art requires some people in the

community not to have to scrape in the dirt, or to fish or

hunt. Art requires time for some members of that society

to think and to reflect. It is through the artist that we see

a community’s values. Through this generous gift from the

Wards, we know that future societies will view Western

and our community’s values.”

Steve Warren ’ 80, chairman of WCU’s board of

trustees, who called ceramics “ a work of silent poetry,”

said the contribution from the Wards is one of the latest

examples of “ an uncommon alchemy” that exists at WCU.

“ It’s an alchemy of talent and generosity,” Warren said. “ The

faculty, staff and students of Western supply the talent.

People like Randall and Susan Ward supply the generosity.”

Susan Ward said she encourages other donors to

support The Campaign for Western, the university’s

ambitious effort to raise $ 40 million for scholarships,

endowments and program support. “ When I think of all

the things I’ve gained from my education at Western, it’s

more than a diploma. I cannot imagine not helping,” she

said. “ And gifts of all sizes are important. I’m really big

on the ‘ drop- in- the- bucket theory.’ Everyone can do

something, and it all adds up.”

Art of Giving

Campus Ceramics Studio Named in Honor of Benefactors

By LEILA TVEDT and BIL STUDENC

The check wasn’t in the mail. This time, the

check was in the handshake, when Catamount Club

president Tobe Childers ’ 61 recently accepted a

gift of $ 25,000 from E. Jerry Coleman III, executive

vice president for private wealth management with

SunTrust North Carolina in Charlotte.

The contribution represents the first installment

on a pledge of continuing support for the next five

years from SunTrust. The check also mark SunTrust’s

first such gift to the Catamount Club, and it is the first

time a financial institution has contributed to the club,

Childers said. “ SunTrust is interested in developing

a relationship with Western Carolina University and

helping it grow,” he said.

With the commitment, SunTrust will become

the official sponsor of Western’s Annual Student-

Athlete Awards Banquet. The gifts also will be used

for general athletic scholarship support, professional

development for staff and other programmatic

support to benefit student- athletes, said Chip Smith,

director of athletics.

“ Through the contributions of individuals and

corporations such as the major commitment made

by our friends at SunTrust North Carolina, we can

continue to make improvements in our athletics

program, and provide the support and facilities that

our student- athletes deserve,” Smith said.

The pledge comes as the university is in the midst

of The Campaign for Western, a three- year effort to

raise $ 40 million in private support for scholarships,

professorships and programmatic resources.

The first comprehensive fundraising campaign in

university history was officially launched in February

after an initial “ silent phase.”

SunTrust Gift Marks A

“ Art is a clear reflection of First For Catamount Club

the core values of a society.”

— Chancellor John W. Bardo

Western Carolina University

Cherokee potter Joel Queen ’ 05 presented one of his own works to Randall Ward ( left) and his wife,

artist Susan Parrott Ward ’ 75, at the dedication of a WCU ceramics studio in the Wards’ honor.

Margie Gibbs Motsinger ’ 75

For information on

The Campaign for Western,

visit the Web site at

campaign. wcu. edu

or call ( 828) 227- 7124.

12 The Magazine of Western Carolina University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 13

Stag e Coac h

Working behind the scenes at “ Unto

These Hills… A Retelling” are the show’s

director Stephen Ayers, associate professor

of theatre arts, and, from left, Melody

Huddleston, WCU’s costume shop

supervisor, and Ayers' daughter, Maribeth

Ayers, who is the show’s choreographer.

Theatre Professor Directing

Cherokee Outdoor Drama

By JIL INGRAM

including “ Matlock,” “ In the Heat of the Night,” “ I’ll Fly

Away” and “ Dawson’s Creek.” He holds a doctorate in theatre

from the University of Colorado at Boulder. “ I’m thrilled to

have this opportunity,” Ayers said. “ My goal is to have audi-ence

members say, ‘ That was incredible!’ There should be a

buzz in the parking lot when people walk out of there.”

Ayers is not the only Western connection to the

Cherokee outdoor drama. His daughter Maribeth, who had

a part in “ Unto These Hills” as a teenager, is the show’s

choreographer. In addition, Melody Huddleston, costume

shop supervisor at WCU, is costume designer; Jim Irvin

’ 93, technical director at WCU’s Ramsey Center, is the

show’s master carpenter, and Brian Ahman ’ 91 is

production manager. Current student Emily Bond is

working on sound, while classmate Anna Latanyshyn is

designing props and Samantha Younce is working on

costumes. Cast members performing on stage include

alumni Jennifer Walsh ’ 07 and Clark Howerton ’ 07,

and current students Alexandra LaBelle, Anthony Giordano,

Kate Gardner, Greg Kennedy, Daniel Rohrig, Christy

Waymouth and Sarah Lipham.

“ Unto These Hills” has shown at the open- air

Mountainside Theatre in Cherokee each summer since its

debut in 1950. A new version that opened last year adopted

a Cherokee perspective of the Eastern Band’s history and

included re- creations of traditional dress, performances of

traditional dance and music, and— for the first time ever— a

majority of the actors were Cherokee. This year’s production

includes additional changes, as Hollywood writers further

tweaked the script and brought back some characters left

out of last year’s version, including the Cherokee named

Tsali, whom some consider a martyr who helped preserve

the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and Will Thomas, a

white man who in the 1800s helped some Cherokee people

avoid removal and secure a land base.

“ What we’re trying to achieve is to make this a show by,

for and about the Cherokee people. That’s exactly what it

should be, and I am honored to be a part of that transition,”

Ayers said. “ We are working to identify a reservoir of

Stephen Michael Ayers, associate professor of

theatre arts at WCU, is directing the current

season of “ Unto These Hills … a Retelling,” the story

of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

A member of the WCU faculty since 1985, Ayers

has extensive acting and directing experience in film,

television and theatre. He has worked with notables

such as George C. Scott, Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall,

Nicole Kidman and

Kevin Costner, and

has acted in films and

television productions

talent in Cherokee so that Cherokee people can assume

responsibility for as many aspects of the production as

possible. My ultimate goal is to work myself out of a job.”

John Tissue, executive director of the Cherokee

Historical Association, which produces the show, said he’s

glad that Ayers agreed to take over the directorial duties

for this year. “ We are extremely excited to work with

such a talented individual who has a close connection

with the area,” said Tissue.

The 2007 season continues through August 18.

For information, call the Cherokee Historical

Association at ( 828) 497- 2111 or toll- free

at ( 866) 554- 4557.

The Magazine of Western Carolina 14 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 15

COMMERCIAL BREAK

Continued on page 18

Inspecting prototypes of connectors that link

small fibers are, at left, Monty Graham,

electronics applications engineer for

the Kimmel School of Construction

Management and Technology,

and Joe Graham, product

manager of Hickory-based

US Conec.

Energized by a resurgent spirit of innovation and entrepre-neurship,

faculty members in a variety of academic disciplines

at Western are sharing their expertise with businesses and

industries across the region— and beyond— to help create

new economic opportunities while providing students with

valuable, real- world learning experiences.

Since 2000, when North Carolina voters overwhelmingly

approved a $ 3.1 billion higher education bond issue that

injected $ 98.4 million in construction and renovation money

into Cullowhee, WCU leaders have pledged to use the

university’s intellectual resources— its faculty, students and

facilities— to help solve the region’s economic problems by

keeping existing jobs from leaving Western North Carolina

and developing new high- paying jobs. Serving as an economic

engine for the region and state is now a fundamental mission

of the university.

A primary piston in the engine is the Center for Rapid

Product Realization, formerly known as the Center for

Integrated Technologies. Housed in the Kimmel School of

Construction Management and Technology, the Rapid Center

is focused on education and applied research in core areas

of product development, optoelectronics, rapid prototyping,

laser machining and parametric modeling. During the past

three years, the center has provided technical

assistance to more than 100 companies,

organizations and entrepreneurs, Working on

projects that have helped keep companies

in business or prevented WNC jobs from

going overseas.

“ What our electrical engineering, technology and construc-tion

management faculty bring to the table is a tremendous

amount of industry experience, which is something rare in

the world of academia,” said Duane Dunlap, interim dean of

the Kimmel School. “ We couple that experience and knowl-edge

with an investment in an array of state- of- the- industry

equipment and facilities that can take a product from initial

concept to a manufactured, finished product.”

That new equipment includes a $ 580,000 Oxford laser

system so precise it could divide a strand of human hair

lengthwise into 100 sections and slice a single red blood cell

into three sections; precise measuring systems that utilize

active scanning technology; 3- D modeling systems that

enable the swift production of non- functioning prototypes;

and fusion deposition modeling machinery that can be used

to create working prototypes. Much of it is housed in the

$ 8 million, 28,000- square- foot Center for Applied

Technology, which opened in November 2003.

“ We use the intellectual resources of our faculty and

students, and the technology resources now available on our

campus to reach out to businesses and industries,” Dunlap

said. “ We work with people, both on and off campus, to help

them bring their ideas to the marketplace. Many people have

good ideas, but don’t know where to go from there. That’s

what we do. We help incubate ideas. We know polymers. We

know plastics. We know intellectual property issues, grants

and patents. And many of us come from an industry back-ground,

so we know how to help people make a dollar.”

One of the center’s early success stories came during

the 2004 holiday season, when graduate students

and engineering professors used Western’s rapid

prototyping equipment to create a model of a thin

plastic tray to hold glass ornaments for Watauga

Opportunities Inc. of Boone. A nonprofit orga-nization

involved in plastic manufacturing that

employs people with disabilities, WOI called

upon Western for help in prototyping trays for

Christmas ornaments. “ Western’s engineering and

technology department showed us we can quickly

respond to changes in our clients’ needs, and that

makes WOI more competitive in the marketplace,” said

Michael Maybee, WOI president. “ The more business we

can bring in, the more work we can give our employees, and

the more services we can provide for people with disabilities

in Boone and five neighboring counties.”

Scott Williams, a

WCU student and employee at

Caterpillar Precision Seals in Franklin, and Joe Markun,

at right, facilities manager at Caterpillar Precision Seals,

examine a gauge Williams developed.

Through

its partnership with

Clemson University and the

University of North Carolina

at Charlotte in the Carolinas

MicroOptics Triangle, a research alliance

designed to develop fiber- optic communication capacity,

Western's Rapid Center helped a Hickory- based company

design prototypes for tiny connectors needed to link fibers

less than the width of a hair. “ With the university’s help, we

can develop products faster. By getting the prototypes in our

hands, we can discover errors, and we can show them to our

customers and get immediate feedback,” said Bill Blubaugh,

president of US Conec.

The center helped

Elk Products of

Morganton, which

manufactures about 80

percent of the home security

systems sold in the United

States, by providing a prototype

of a complex part that enabled the

firm to test and fine- tune its design

without the upfront costs and risks of

the traditional tooling process. Western’s

engineering faculty also teamed up with Caterpillar

construction equipment company in Franklin to create

an inexpensive gauge with a short operating life to replace an

expensive electronic part that needed frequent replacement

due to dirty job- site conditions. A prototype of an energy-efficient

water heater/ dehumidifier combination developed

by faculty member Aaron Ball, in collaboration with

colleagues at Asheville- Buncombe Technical Community

College, through a grant from Oak Ridge National

Laboratories is now being manufactured by Sci- Cool Inc.

of Weaverville. During its formative phases, the device

caught the ttention of President George W. Bush, who

called the project an example of the “ creative technologies”

the nation must utilize to decrease its dependence on

foreign energy sources.

WCU’s Rapid Center Takes Ideas

From Drawing Board to Reality

By BIL STUDENC

PRODUCTPlacement

Creative ideas and great projects often

are the offspring of faculty working on a

college campus, and these ideas frequent-ly

can result in intellectual property that is

marketable. But it takes special resources

to commercialize these ideas through the

process of technology transfer.

That’s where Western’s Office of Tech-nology

Transfer comes into the picture.

Formed in 2004 as part of the Office of

Legal Counsel, the “ tech transfer” office

can help faculty members turn their ideas

into an income stream, both for the uni-versity

and for the faculty inventors. The

office can do this by helping protect the in-tellectual

property ( also called IP) through

the complicated processes of obtaining

patents, copyrights or trademarks, and

by helping license the IP to a commercial

entity. “ The technology transfer office is

probably one of the few offices on campus

that has as a major goal the generation

of supplemental income for faculty,” said

Rich Kucharski, Western’s general coun-sel

and director of technology transfer.

Kucharski’s office, both before and

after the technology transfer designation,

has worked with several faculty members

on a variety of projects. For example,

Jack Summers, assistant professor of

chemistry, has developed a unique testing

protocol that may be of interest to large

pharmaceutical companies and that has

already attracted the attention of venture

capital firms. Peter Bates, associate

professor of natural resources manage-ment,

has provided forest management

services to private landowners by super-vised

students, a concept that may spin

off into a company. Jack Sholder, director

of WCU’s motion picture and television

production program, is teaching students

who are working with a motion picture

production company this summer, giving

the WCU students hands- on experience in

the movie industry.

While assisting WCU’s branch office

of the Small Business and Technology

Development Center, the tech transfer

office helped create the Inception Micro

Angel Fund– West, an investment fund

providing early capital to entrepreneurs—

including WCU faculty in need of initial

start- up money to turn their ideas into

businesses. The office also helped put

together a partnership between WestCare

Health System, the university’s athletics

department and the athletic training

academic department that provides

improved services to Western’s athletes,

clinical placements for its students and

additional service opportunities for West-

Care, a nonprofit health- care provider

including two hospitals in Western North

Carolina. “ Students learn, teachers teach

and businesses benefit from what we

can do,” said Kucharski. “ The office is one

more tool that can support economic

development in the region.”

New Technology Transfer Office Helps Faculty Market Their Ideas

The Magazine of Western Carolina 16 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 17

Continued from page 17

PRODUCTPlacement

Chemist Directs New Degree Program

To Cross- Train Scientists for Business World

By Teresa Killian

Jonathan Snover ( above) teaches chemistry and directs the

master’s degree program in science and entrepreneurship.

A major focus area for the center is adaptive

technology designed to help improve the quality of

life for residents of the region while simultaneously

spurring economic growth. Kimmel School faculty are

developing devices to help prolong independent

living for persons with disabilities and for WNC’s

growing population of senior citizens, bringing

together faculty and students from engineering,

technology, physical therapy, health sciences, geron-tology

and interior design to examine lifestyle issues

faced by impaired and aging populations, and then

create solutions to those problems.

Past efforts include creation of an arm- sling that

helped a woman with disabilities continue to create

works of art, a foot- powered pneumatic device that

allowed a Haywood County potter to work despite a

career- threatening shoulder injury, and a navigational

system for a wheelchair for a Buncombe County teenager

who is deaf and blind. The center recently helped OptiVia

Medical of Raleigh identify weak points in thin, complex

endoscopic medical devices used for minimally invasive

surgical procedures.

Working with legal counsel Rich Kucharski, who heads the

university’s Office of Technology Transfer ( see related story

page 17), the center is assisting Jackson County orthopedic

surgeon Dr. Cliff Faull develop an in- home rehabilitation

device for patients who have had total knee replacement

surgery. Faull conceptualized a device featuring a set of rope

handles that control a “ foot glove,” moving the foot back and

forth via a series of pulleys based upon individual physical

therapy needs. WCU faculty and students helped fine- tune

the concept by replacing the ropes with easier- to- manipulate

bicycle- type handles. They are building three machines for

field trials, and Kucharski has filed a provisional patent

application with the U. S. Patent Office. Eventually, Faull

and the university hope to partner with a company to

mass produce the devices.

“ The university took my basic idea and just ran with it,

totally redesigning the device and still keeping the same

basic parameters to improve it significantly,” Faull said. “ It is

surprising to see how, by bringing in a lot of different minds,

you wind up with so many different usable ideas. Western

has helped a lot, especially in the areas where I have no

expertise— the patent process, the legal issues, developing a

marketing strategy. I doubt I would have been able to get this

concept to this point without the university’s assistance.”

Although the impact of Western’s economic engagement

and innovation outreach activities is felt primarily in WNC,

one project reaches to the eastern part of the state and all the

way to Iraq and Afghanistan. Western is part of a $ 9.3 million

effort funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation to help N. C.

companies ramp up production of replacement parts for aging

military aircraft through the recently formed N. C. Aerospace

Alliance Initiative. The program is designed to help create new

jobs and spawn business investment centered on facilities

that overhaul military aircraft at Cherry Point’s naval air de-pot

and the U. S. Coast Guard air center in Elizabeth City

in Eastern North Carolina.

“ The foundation invited us to participate in this initiative

because of our ability to make initial replacement parts

through the reverse engineering and rapid prototyping

capabilities of the Center for Rapid Product Realization,”

said Phil Sanger, center director. “ Some of the military aircraft

at Cherry Point and Elizabeth City are 30 or 40 years old, and

many of the companies that originally built the planes and

helicopters are out of business or no longer make those

parts. That’s where we come in— bridging the gap between

the military’s needs and the N. C. industries that can meet

those needs.”

Through reverse engineering, Western professors and

students are helping develop wing fuselage parts for large

helicopters stationed at Cherry Point, including a complex

device that controls a ramp door. Ed Bonjokian ’ 07, a Bryson

City resident who earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering

technology, is part of the effort. “ This has been an incredible

experience full of challenges,” Bonjokian said. “ Books and

lecture classes are great for learning the basics and theories,

but there is no substitute for hands- on applied work. I also

have gained a more thorough understanding of the process,

the patience and the attention to detail needed to develop

a quality product.”

Clockwise

from far right,

orthopedic surgeon Cliff

Faull helps registered nurse and knee replacement

patient Yvonne Cogdill adjust a rehabilitation device

under the watchful eyes of WCU graduate student

Brant Price and Phil Sanger, Rapid Center director.

A high school teacher showed New Jersey native

Jonathan Snover how to look at the world through the lens

of chemistry, and the lens put what he saw into sharper

focus. “ Chemistry explained the world in the most practical

way to me,” said Snover, now a chemist with patents to his

name and a teacher himself.

What lured him to academia from cutting- edge research

in private industry was the opportunity to direct Western’s

new master’s degree program in science and entrepre-neurship.

The program, which launches this fall, prepares

scientists for advanced research and for the business side

of the science and technology industry. “ I believe scientists

should have more ownership of their inventions and ideas.

If you look at the impact of scientific inventions and the

resulting financial benefits, scientists often do not share

in the wealth realized by their discoveries,” said Snover, an

assistant professor of chemistry at WCU.

The science and entrepreneurship program’s curriculum

includes graduate- level classes in biology, chemistry and

other areas of science; courses from the university’s

national- award- winning entrepreneurship program; and

new classes that incorporate specialized skills such as

researching new ideas, patents and competing technologies.

“ The difference between this master’s degree program

and an MBA or graduate entrepreneurship program is the

‘ technical’ component that requires a strong understanding

of science,” said Snover. “ Students will analyze the technical

as well as the business environment, and learn to communi-cate

that information effectively to a variety of people, from

scientists to investors to journalists.”

Snover knows how competitive— and exhilarating— the

industry is. He jointly holds patents for innovations that

range from a method of making chemical coating for paper

used in ink jet printing to new substances that improve the

efficiency of solar energy use. After earning his doctorate

in chemistry at Princeton University and post- doctoral

research at North Carolina State University, Snover took

jobs as a research chemist with companies such as Westvaco

Corp. and Millennium Cell, a start- up fuel cell company.

“ Working for a start- up company like Millennium Cell was

wonderful because of the energy, the excitement of a new

company and the feeling of being part of a technical family

trying to accomplish great things,” said Snover.

Students in the master’s degree program will get

hands- on, real- world experience as they work to further

their own innovation in science, or partner with faculty or

a business in the region. Some could work with Snover as he

studies new opportunities in the biofuel area. Others could

help regional inventors who have patentable ideas.

Already, under Snover’s guidance, a business student has

begun conducting market research for Dr. Tom Mulford.

The Asheville anesthesiologist by trade and inventor by

nature tinkered for years with an idea for how to improve

medical aspirators, devices used to suction fluids during

surgery. Through Jon Lawrie, BioBusiness Center Manager

at Asheville- Buncombe Technical Community College,

Mulford met Snover and was excited about the possibilities

of a partnership with WCU that could help him take the

idea from sketchpad to production. “ Bringing together all

of our different backgrounds— mine in medical expertise

and others in business and technical research— is like

grouping computers into a supercomputer,” said Mulford.

“ The chances of a better outcome are improved if we use

everybody’s talents.”

Meanwhile, the WCU student working with him will

get experience evaluating the advantages of the invention,

analyzing the market, reviewing competitive products and

identifying manufacturing issues. “ There is no better way

for students to learn than by doing,” said Snover. “ And there

is nothing more motivating than seeing your work become

something real— something that has the potential to

positively impact lives.”

PATENTLY PROFITABLE

The Magazine of Western Carolina 18 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 19

NO

INSECTS

INSIDE

Environmentally Friendly Pest Control

Developed by Chemistry Professor

By BIL STUDENC

Mention the words “ splat” and “ insect” in the same

sentence, and most people will think of the noise a

bug makes when you smack it with a fly- swatter. But

for Cindy Atterholt, head of Western’s department of

chemistry, “ splat” has an entirely different meaning—

one that could eventually lead to new jobs in Western

North Carolina.

Working with ISCA Technologies of Riverside,

Calif., Atterholt has developed an environmentally

friendly system of insect control. Called SPLAT— an

acronym for Specialized Pheromone & Lure Applica-tion

Technology— the product uses insects’ own body

chemistry to interrupt their mating patterns.

Pheromones are an externally released hormone

that many living creatures use to trigger an innate

behavioral response from another member of the

same species, Atterholt said. “ What we have developed

is an alternative to traditional pesticides. Instead of

spraying chemicals to kill insects, we use insect

pheromones in a process known as mating disruption

or the confusion technique,” she said. “ By releasing

miniscule amounts of their own pheromones, it mixes

up their chemical signals. They can’t find each other,

so they can’t mate. If they don’t reproduce, you don’t

have a pest problem.”

Entomologists— the scientists who study insects—

have known for decades that insects use pheromones

to attract the opposite sex, trigger aggressive or

escaping behavior, mark territory or designate food

trails. “ The trick has been to come up with a controlled

release mechanism formulation that will discharge

small quantities of pheromone over an extended

period of time,” Atterholt said.

That’s what the WCU chemistry professor has

devised with SPLAT. Atterholt began developing the

concept 15 years ago while working on her doctorate

at the University of California- Davis. “ It’s like a hand

cream. The farmers apply it to tree bark. When it

dries, it releases the pheromones over a period of

months,” she said. “ This is an alternative to traditional

pesticides. It’s environmentally friendly, nontoxic and

meets the standards for labeling products ‘ organic.’”

When Atterholt came to WCU in 1996, she brought

her pheromone research project with her, fine- tuning

her product at apple orchards in Hendersonville and

Waynesville. She applied for and obtained a patent in

1999, and licensed the technology to ISCA Technologies,

which is in the process of commercializing it and is

considering North Carolina as a possible location for a

new manufacturing operation.

Reg Coler, vice president of ISCA Technologies, said

his company has formulated products for a variety of

international pests— including the Oriental fruit moth,

light brown apple moth, Mediterranean fruit fly, carambola

fruit fly in Brazil, pine processionary moth in France,

rhinoceros beetle in Indonesia and Thailand, and peach

fruit moth in southeastern Asia. Three products are

currently registered with the U. S. Environmental Protection

Agency, with several others in various stages of the

approval process, Coler said.

As those approvals are ongoing, additional field- testing

is taking place this summer at the Mountain Horticultural

Crops Research Station in Fletcher in an effort to prove

the concept to future investors, Atterholt said. In addition,

Frank Lockwood, assistant professor of entrepreneurship

at WCU, is working with the WNC BioBusiness Center on

a possible plan to use incubator space on the Enka campus

of Asheville- Buncombe Technical Community College to

develop a small start- up company to assist in production of

pheromone- based pest control.

Atterholt and Coler believe the market for their product

and others like it is unlimited. “ It is one of the most preferred

methods of control by the EPA because, when used properly,

it is as effective as or better than conventional pesticides

without any of the detrimental effects. This strategy also

prevents any damage to beneficial insects that are respon-sible

for biologically stabilizing erratic fluctuations in pest

populations,” Coler said. And the agricultural community

loves the product, Atterholt said. “ Most farmers are

interested in doing what they can with products like this

because they know traditional pesticides aren’t good for

them, their workers or the environment,” she said.

Just ask Benny Arrington, the Waynesville apple

farmer who owns the orchard where Atterholt and her WCU

students conduct research. “ The potential for this new type

of pest control is growing greater and greater,” said Ar-rington.

“ In a few years, the EPA will be phasing out an entire

class of organic phosphate insecticides, including the primary

insecticide used in apple orchards against the

coddling moth since the early 1960s. Those of us in

agriculture are looking for new ways to control these

pests. Pheromone products such as the one Dr. Atterholt has

been testing in my orchard, while not a cure- all, are

going to be an important part of keeping us in business.”

At left and right,

Cindy Atterholt, head

of Western’s chemistry

department, and Paul

Davis, a chemistry graduate

student, apply a nontoxic

pest control substance that

Atterholt developed to the

bark of an apple tree.

The Magazine of Western Carolina 20 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 21

At the Country Music Association awards in New York

City, a high- heeled Betsy Walker ’ 05 chased country star

Keith Urban backstage calling “ Keith! Mr. Urban! Come

back!” Walker wasn’t after his autograph— just his award.

Walker works for the CMA, and she needed to get the award

back so Urban’s name could be etched on it. “ He said, ‘ I’m

so sorry,’” said Walker. “ That was my first awards ceremony,

and I was so nervous and so excited. Part of my job was to

hand out actual awards backstage.”

Nearly two years later, the Winston- Salem native has

worked as assistant to the chief operating officer and now

as coordinator of member and community relations.

“ I still handle some executive

support, such as coordinating

meetings and conference calls,

but I handle more industry

events, like parties when a

songwriter has a No. 1 hit,

artist visits and membership

recruitment,” said Walker.

Rewarding

Carer

While a student at Western, her career interest shifted

from music education to the music industry. Walker took

classes such as musical instrument digital interface, also

known as MIDI, and introduction to recording arts. And the

more she talked with faculty members such as her adviser,

Bruce Frazier, the Carol Grotnes Belk Endowed Distin-guished

Professor of Commercial and Electronic Music, the

more attracted she was to working in the industry.

“ Betsy earned a bachelor of arts degree with a concentra-tion

in music industry, a degree patterned as a music major

with a minor in business,” said Frazier. “ Competition for top

positions in the music business is as challenging as for jobs

in the music performing,

producing and composition

arena. Personal contacts are

important in getting your foot in

the door of the music business,

but it is preparation and personal-ity

that help keep the door open,

and Betsy has the experience and

the charisma that it takes.”

A connection— her mother’s

coworker’s son— helped her get

her foot in the door at Capitol

Records to get a shot at an

internship. She landed the job and worked in

publicity. “ I had three months to really get out

there and learn everything I could,” said Walker.

Later, when she moved to Nashville, Tenn.,

she began working with a temp agency and took

a job at a restaurant. On the first day of training,

though, she got a call about an interview starting

in one hour to be a receptionist at a booking

agency. She made it in time and was hired.

A month later, she began working full- time at

the Country Music Association on Music Row

in Nashville.

“ We work hard, and we play hard,” said

Walker, describing the fun but also the

exhaustion and sunburn after events such as

the organization’s four- day outdoor music

festival. “ This really is ‘ Music City,’ and it’s not

just country music. There’s a lot of blues and

a metal scene and rock. When you walk down

Broadway on a Sunday morning, there are live

bands in every restaurant, and musicians—

guitarists— on the corner.”

Western C ar o lina University

Alumna Gets Start in Music Business

At Country Music Association

By Teresa Killian

At left, Betsy Walker ’ 05, coordinator of member

and community relations for the Country Music

Association, has fun at the Country Radio Seminar

in Nashville with, clockwise from Walker, Ed

Benson, chief strategic officer of CMA; Big Kenny

of the country duo Big & Rich; Brandi Simms,

manager of executive programs at CMA; Hank

Adam Locklin, senior manager of membership

and industry relations at CMA; and Blair Garner,

host of “ After Midnight with Blair Garner.”

2007

Photo courtesy of Country Music Association

October 19- 21

The Magazine of Western Carolina 22 University SUMMER 2007

1 p. m. Football. The Catamounts do battle against The

Citadel Bulldogs in the cozy confines of Whitmire Stadium

and Bob Waters Field.

8 p. m. Stompfest 2007, a step- show

competition featuring African- American

fraternities and sororities. Ramsey

Regional Activity Center. For tickets

or information, call the Office of

Multicultural Affairs at ( 828) 227- 2276.

10 p. m.– 1 a. m. Stompfest After Party.

University Center Grandroom

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21

3: 30 p. m. The crowd- pleasing

Inspirational Choir Concert will bring

Homecoming Weekend to a close.

University Center Grandroom.

Event Calendar FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19

Noon Alumni Scholarship Golf Tournament, a Homecoming tradition, tees off at Laurel Ridge Country

Club in Waynesville. Shotgun start. Cost: $ 80 per person, includes fees and cart. Four- person “ captain's choice”

format. Refreshments available during play. Social following the tournament. RSVP is required by Friday,

October 12. Call the Office of Alumni Affairs at ( 877) 440- 9990 or ( 828) 227- 7335, or email magill@ email. wcu. edu.

6: 15 p. m. Homecoming 2007 Main Street Parade in Sylva. Cheer

as community and student floats, Western cheerleaders, football team,

Homecoming Court, and Catamount Marching Band parade through

downtown Sylva. Prizes awarded for best floats; winners announced

during Saturday’s football game.

8 p. m. Spirit Night. Join students, faculty, staff and alumni for a pep rally,

music and food. Location and additional details to be announced.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20

8– 10 a. m. WCU Alumni Breakfast. The University Center

Multipurpose Room becomes Alumni Central! Come join fellow

WCU alumni and friends for a continental breakfast. It’s a great

time to make weekend plans with your old classmates, or simply

reminisce about those good ol' days in Cullowhee!

10 a. m.– 12: 30 p. m.

Pre- game tailgating before

the WCU vs the Citadel

football game.

Come Home to Cullowhee Homecoming 2007

For more information ,

contact Marty Ramsey ’ 85, Director of Alumni Affairs,

at ( 828) 227- 7335, ( 877) 440- 9990 or mramsey@ wcu. edu.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

10: 30 a. m.– Noon Saturday, October 20

Class Reunion Brunch

Reunions for the classes of 1997, 1987, 1977,

1967 and 1957. Come visit with your class-mates

from years gone by. You and your class

will be provided a complimentary brunch in

Illusions on the third floor of the University

Center ( adjacent to the Grandroom).

2007 Homecoming

celebrates the anniversary

of these classes

Photo by Cindi Herr of the Cherokee Scout

Photo by John Byrum of the Spartanburg ( S. C.) Herald- Journal

George Clooney ( above) checks out the set of " Leatherheads" in

South Carolina. Caesar Campana ’ 01 ( right) prepares to throw a

pass at Murphy High School, where he is an English teacher and

assistant head football coach. 10 year reunion! Class of 1997

2 0 y eCarl assreuni oonf! 1987

3 0 y eCarl assreuni oonf! 1977

4 0 y eCarl assreuni oonf! 1967

5 0 y eCarl assreuni oonf! 1957

While Caesar Campana ’ 01,

Cherokee County’s “ Teacher of the

Year,” is used to being in front of crowds, he

never dreamed he would appear on the silver screen.

The Murphy High School English teacher and Bulldogs’

assistant head football coach has been cast as an extra in

“ Leatherheads,” a romantic comedy set in the 1920s profes-sional

football league. The film is scheduled for release Dec. 7.

George Clooney directs and stars as “ Dodge” Connolly,

an aging football hero determined to guide his team from

bar brawls to packed stadiums. Clooney wrote much of the

screenplay for the movie, which includes co- stars Renée

Zellweger and John Krasinski.

As one of the movie’s 50- plus young men serving as

football extras, Campana got to know Clooney up close

and personal, even taking orders from the actor/ director/

screenplay writer during the movie shoot. In addition,

Campana’s movie coach asked him to throw two passes for

the end of the movie. Terms of his contract prevent him

from disclosing the filming location.

Campana, who played quarterback and running back for

the Catamounts, heard about the casting for the movie from

a friend who saw an advertisement in a regional newspaper.

The ad asked for men ages 20 to 35 with football experience

to audition. When no one would go with him, Campana

made the drive to Greenville, S. C., by himself, mainly out of

curiosity. He filled out paperwork and posed for a head shot,

then waited in line with 1,000 others for more than an hour

and a half.

Several weeks later, he was surprised to receive a call

asking him to return for a physical tryout. He nervously

participated in a full- contact drill against 200 other young

men and was one of the 50 selected as extras. “ I was excited

Former WCU Quarterback Throws Passes

In George Clooney’s Movie “ Leatherheads”

By Cindi Herr

about it. You’ll

probably have to

push the pause button to

see me. It’s not a speaking role,

nothing major, but it’s just fun being part

of it,” he said.

Campana said it took about 45 rehearsals to walk

through each play and get everyone where they need to

be for the right shot. While rehearsing on a snowy day,

Clooney suddenly stuck his head on the field and said,

“ Guys, let’s go. Let’s shoot.” Clooney liked the effect of the

snow on the field, and realizing he might not have the

opportunity again, he had all of the extras dress out in their

full 1920s- era uniforms: awkward tight wool jerseys, pants

pulled up to the chest, leather helmets and shoes that Cam-pana

describes as “ running on plywood with 2- inch spikes.”

When Clooney didn’t think the shot looked right, he

said, “ Hey boys, you know what’s wrong with this? We need

to be dirty,” Campana said. “ He was the first one to dive

in. That’s George Clooney in a nutshell. He’s a guy’s guy;

really down to earth. He’s just a regular guy. He loves jokes

and plays pranks all the time. He throws footballs at people

when they’re not watching.”

Campana said that the sets were incredible. About 30

carpenters and welders worked around the clock construct-ing

time- period scenes, including a full- size wooden train.

“ The fascinating part is seeing how a film works,” he said.

“ I’ve always wondered what happens to make a movie au-thentic,

and I can tell you, it’s a lot of elbow grease.”

Reprinted in edited form with permission of the Cherokee Scout.

For more information contact Marty Ramsey ’ 85,

Director of Alumni Affairs, at ( 828) 227- 7335,

( 877) 440- 9990 or mramsey@ wcu. edu

SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 27

NEW MEDIA RISING

Western student Brad

Semma ( left) uses Rukus

to download and listen to

music, and it is free and

legal. Adrian Jelley ’ 04,

WCU technology support

analyst, works with the

gaming club’s computer

server ( right), which is

nicknamed “ TRON” after

the classic video game

and science- fiction movie.

Pictured below are, from left,

WCU senior Joe Mullins,

junior Sam McCarson

and Katherine Duff Smith,

assistant director of student

media and marketing,

unpacking new audio mixing

boards to be housed in

WCAT, a new student- run

radio station.

Major advancements in audio and video technologies in

recent years mean that media choices for Western students

are more abundant than ever before. From satellite and

Internet radio and free music downloads ( no, not the illegal

kind) to Local Access Network video gaming events, options

for students go well beyond traditional cable television

viewing or surfing the Internet.

The popularity of satellite radio has skyrocketed,

finding its way into WCU’s residence halls during the spring

semester. “ We have worked with XM radio to insert 16

channels that were determined in a survey as the most

desirable for students,” said Tim Chapman ’ 02, assistant

director for facilities and residential living.

The channels of XM radio are currently offered on the

local cable TV system. This enables students to enjoy satel-lite

radio in their residence halls and, because it’s broadcast

via cable TV, no additional equipment is necessary. “ We

were looking for a way to improve the entertainment

package that we were sending to the students’ rooms,” said

Chapman. “ Our objective is to enhance the quality of life in

the residence halls.”

Western’s Student Media Center also is working on a

new student- run radio station that will be offered through

the campus television system. “ We are developing WCAT,

which will be a radio station broadcast through our closed-circuit

cable network,” said Katherine Duff Smith, assistant

director of student media and marketing. “ We are in the

process of our studio installation, and we are looking

forward to having that up and running so we can provide

this great experience for our students. The programming

will be focused on new music, and we also hope to be able

Rapidly Changing Technologies Offer More Entertainment Choices for Students

By JOHN KENYON

to provide online streaming so our programming will be

useable off campus.”

Also on campus, the ever- growing popularity of video

games has led to the formation of WCU’s first Gaming Club,

which hosts a gaming computer server offering downloads,

gaming news and discussion forums. The club regularly

hosts Local Access Network gaming events, which have

taken place in various campus locations such as computer

labs in Forsyth Building or the Grandroom of the A. K.

Hinds University Center.

Of course, any individual with a computer or gaming

console can play an online multiplayer video game anytime

he or she wants. What makes a LAN gaming event unique,

students say, is it allows gamers to sit side- by- side when

playing multiplayer online video games. “ A LAN game is

essentially an online game you play against other people

and you are in the same room with the people you’re playing

with or against,” said Adrian Jelley ’ 04, WCU technology

support analyst. “ There is more of an interaction going on

than when you are sitting at home by yourself playing a

game online.”

If gamers are playing a war game, for example, they can

all be members of the same tactical unit and play together

at the same time on different computers in the same room,

enabling them to communicate and discuss strategy.

Gamers playing against each other online also can engage

in banter with each other, similar to competitors in athletic

events, Jelley said.

“ All implications are that the gaming server is a positive

influence for the students, and its impact on network

bandwidth and staff time is still minimal,” said Scott

Swartzentruber, WCU director of networking, operations

and communications.

Participants say the WCU Gaming Club is more than just

a bunch of people playing video games on the same servers.

“ We are a family and a community of more than 400

members worldwide,” said Shane Baker, president of WCU’s

Gaming Club.

In fact, the availability of online gaming is even having

an impact on student recruitment. “ A high school student

mentioned to me that he was a gamer, and I told him about

our gaming club and that ended up being a deciding factor

for his choosing Western,” said Jelley.

Downloading music from the Internet has been a very

popular— and controversial— activity for college students

nationwide. In the early days of music downloading, there

were only illegal file- sharing sites that offered music via

the Internet. After that came the online music stores and

subscription services. Now there is a way for WCU students

to download and listen to music, and it is free and legal.

“ Students wanted an alternative to illegally downloading

copyrighted material, and that’s what we are trying to do

with Rukus,” said Jason LaVigne ’ 99, consultant for

WCU’s information technology services. Rukus Network

distributes music and movies online using an advertising-supported

business model. Although it is open to all

universities nationwide, there are additional advantages

offered to universities, such as WCU, that have a service

agreement with Rukus.

“ WCU students can access Rukus on the N. C.

Research Education Network, which provides faster

downloads and reduced bandwidth usage,” said Ed Cheely,

senior account manager for Rukus Inc. “ Later this year, we

will be coming out with a free video offering that will be

available only to member schools.”

Rukus allows students to listen to music free of charge

on their computers; however, there is a charge if they want

to transfer music off the computer. “ The service provides

tethered downloads, which means that students can

download the music and listen to it on their computers

for free. There is a charge if they want to burn it to compact

disc,” said LaVigne. “ In the first three weeks, we had 1,400

people sign up for it and download 300,000 songs.”

The Magazine of Western Carolina 28 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 29

After earning a share of the ’ 07

regular season basketball crown, the Lady

Catamounts went on to host— and win—

an opening- round game in the Women’s

National Invitational Tournament, the

first- ever NCAA post- season game played in

Cullowhee. The Lady Cats then fell on the

road at Virginia Tech, coached by former

Lady Cats skipper Beth Dunkenberger.

The women’s golf team claimed the ’ 07

conference tournament title, returning to the

NCAA regional tournament for the second time

in five years. Also on the links, junior Matt Cook

was an NCAA men’s golf regional tournament

qualifier for the second consecutive year.

The Bat Cats captured a share of the 2007 SoCon

regular season championship and earned an at- large

bid to the NCAA baseball tournament, losing in the

regional final to eventual national runner- up, the

University of North Carolina. The baseball team’s

success proved bittersweet, however, as the Cats’

winning ways led the University of Tennessee to hire

away Todd Raleigh ’ 91 MAEd ’ 94, the SoCon Coach

of the Year, to be the Volunteers’ next head coach.

The men’s track and field squad earned the ’ 07

SoCon outdoor title, and the 4x100- meter relay team

and sophomore speedster Manteo Mitchell advanced to

compete in the 400- meter dash in the NCAA National

Championships in Sacramento, Calif. On the women’s

side, junior sprinter Racquel Ramseur qualified for the

NCAA East Regional in the 400- meter dash. They were

guided by coach Danny Williamson ’ 84 MAEd ’ 86, who

was tabbed as conference co- Coach of the Year in men’s

outdoor track and field, and was the 2007 men’s indoor

track and field Coach of the Year.

The Magazine of Western Carolina 30 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 31

Tara Mull ’ 05 ( left), a member of the NFL’s

Carolina Panthers TopCats cheerleading squad,

and Monique Douglas ’ 02, a member of the

NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats LadyCats dance team,

share a laugh with fans at a special autograph

signing event in the Ramsey Regional Activity

Center during the spring semester. Mull and

Douglas, who were on hand to participate in

“ Go Girls” Day as part of the National Girls and

Women in Sports celebration, also posed for

photographs and talked with young women

about the hard work and dedication required

for professional sports franchise dance and

cheerleading squads.

Eight Western student- athletes, the most in school

history, are recognized as 2007 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports

Scholars chosen by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.

Western’s eight selections are the most for any Southern

Conference school, with Elon earning two selections, and

Davidson, Georgia Southern and Wofford each tallying one.

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, formerly Black

Issues in Higher Education, established the Sports Scholars

Award in 1992 to honor undergraduate students of color

or minority background who have made achieving both

academically and athletically a winning combination.

The award was inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe’s

commitment to education, as well as his love for the game

of tennis. To be eligible, stu-dent-

athletes must compete in

an intercollegiate sport, main-tain

a cumulative grade- point

average of a least 3.20, and be

active on their campuses and in

their communities.

Headlining the selections

this year are two- time recipi-ents

Sharhonda Bell ’ 07 from

women’s track and field, Ogden Hansford from men’s track

and field, and Raquel Ramseur from women’s track and

field. Garnering honors for the first time are Buki Baruwa

from soccer, John Cooper ’ 07 from football, Kendra Eaton

from women’s basketball, Kevin Johnson from men’s track

and field, and Aneesha Lane from women’s track and field.

“ While we are proud of the performances of these fine

Catamount student- athletes on the field, on the court and

on the track, we are even more proud of their accomplish-ments

in the classrooms and as citizens of our community,”

said Chip Smith,

director of athletics.

“ Winning an award

named for Arthur

Ashe, a man who

was an athlete, a

scholar and a true

civil rights pioneer,

is a testament to the

quality and character

of the young men

and women we are

recruiting.”

At the annual Catamount Club Athletics Scholarship Auction,

Carolina Panther Brad Hoover ’ 00 auctioned off autographed

helmets he wore as a Catamount and a Panther ( above); Matthew

Lambreth, 4- year- old son of Clifton Lambreth ’ 82 MBA ’ 84 of

Brentwood, Tenn., drew the winning ticket in a cash raffle ( left);

and Tobe Childers ’ 61, president of the Catamount Club, made a

point ( below). “ We had a lot of fun at the auction, and moving the

event from Charlotte to Hickory helped us raise a record profit of

$ 61,000 for scholarships. The Catamount Auction may have found a

home in Hickory,” said Bill Richter, director of athletic development

and executive director of the Catamount Club. Make plans now to

join the fun next year on Saturday, July 26, at the Hickory Metro

Convention Center.

Call ( 828) 227- 3047 for information

about attending or donating an item.

Arthur Ashe Award winners

include soccer player Buki

Baruwa and basketball

player Kendra Eaton ( right).

The Magazine of Western Carolina 32 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 33

“ You have your own donor, your

brother. We’re blessed. Be happy.”

— Father of kidney recipient

Josh D’Innocenzi ’ 04

wasn’t an option. So, after making the best of the 2006

Christmas holidays, family members began to be tested for

the best tissue match. “ I was feeling more tired every day,

and there was mental anguish with each test. Aaron was the

last. A really big part of me wanted not to do the transplant,

even if he was the match. I didn’t want him to go through

that,” Josh said.

“ I think they all knew it would be me, because brothers

are usually a great match for transplants, and we both have

the same blood type,” Aar-on

said. “ And I thought if

it wasn’t me, where would

the new kidney come

from?” The test revealed

Aaron’s tissue to be the

best choice. “ I was happy

that I would be helping

him,” he said. “ My brother

has always been one of

my best friends, and I was

scared we’d lose him.”

The four- to five- hour surgery at Carolinas Medical

Center in Charlotte this spring was a great success, despite

some initial pain and disorientation and a couple early

mishaps. What got the brothers through the rough times?

“ Family was number one. And faith,” Josh said. “ I did not

ever go to a doctor’s appointment or lab test by myself, and

there were a lot of those. When I got tired of being poked

and prodded, my dad always brought me back with encour-agement.

‘ You have your own donor— your brother. We’re

blessed. Be happy,’ he’d say. And I had friends and churches

praying for us.”

Their prayers were answered. “ The doctors say the kidney

was a perfect match. The only way it could have been better

is if we were identical twins. And Josh is on the lowest

possible level of anti- rejection drugs,” Aaron said.

In April, Josh returned to work, full time, at his broad-casting

job with Star 104.3. Aaron is back at Western

following his brother as a communication major. He

recently was hired to help with productions at WCU’s

Power 90.5, and works with Josh on weekends at the

station in Asheville.

Looking back on the experience, Aaron said, “ It’s a great

opportunity to be able to help save someone, but I’m glad

it’s over. I’m grateful that Josh can start living the life that

he’s supposed to.” He has been quoted by the Black Moun-tain

News as joking, “ I already told Josh ‘ You’re not getting

any more organs from me. I’ll do anything for you, just don’t

ask me to go through surgery like that again. This was it.’”

WCU Brothers Bond Deepened by Transplant

By LEILA TVEDT

ROAD TO RECOVERY

When Josh D’Innocenzi ’ 04 went for his physical exam

before coming to Western in 2000, he had no idea that

doctors would find problems that might kill him— or that

younger brother Aaron, 19, would be critical for the cure.

It turned out the older D’Innocenzi was born with only

one kidney, and it wasn’t working too well. He completed

his education at Western, graduating with a bachelor’s

degree in communication, and took a job with a Clear

Channel radio station in Asheville. Two years later, tests

showed that his kidney was

failing fast. Instead of facing

a transplant at age 30 or 40,

as originally predicted, he

needed one right away.

“ My first reaction was

to wonder if we could do it

during ‘ down time’ at the

station, because I really love

my job,” Josh said. But that

Photo by Andy Grabel of the Black Mountain News

Josh D’Innocenzi ’ 04 ( left) and his brother, Western

student Aaron D’Innocenzi, work together sometimes at

radio station Star 104.3 in Asheville.

Kenneth Todd ’ 98 finished the 19th Annual

KeyBank Vermont City Marathon ( left) with

help from friends and coworkers who ran

by his side ( above). They are, back row from

left, Gene Faller, Rob England and Steve

Moody, and front row, Mike Ham, Todd

and David Preslar.

Western Alum Defies the Odds:

Runs Marathon with One Lung

By Teresa Killian

A surgeon preparing Kenneth Todd ’ 98 for the

removal of his left lung because of cancer assured him

that with one lung he could do just about anything except

run a marathon.

A year later, Todd, who had not been a runner before

the surgery, beat by 25 seconds his goal of 4 hours and

25 minutes to finish the 19th Annual KeyBank Vermont

City Marathon in Burlington, Vt., in May. Running by

his side were coworkers and friends from Food Lion,

where he works as fresh logistics manager in corporate

offices in Salisbury.

“ It was awesome. We were telling his story to people

all over the course, and they were blown away,” said David

Preslar, who ran the marathon with Todd. An experienced

marathon runner, Preslar knew how difficult it was to do

with two lungs, let alone one.

Todd had been treated for two years for flu- like

symptoms before he was diagnosed with carcinoid cancer

of the lung. Carcinoid and related neuroendocrine tumors

are usually slow- growing rare types of cancers originating

from the intestine, lungs, pancreas and occasionally from

other areas. Their rarity means more than 90 percent of

patients are incorrectly diagnosed

and treated for the wrong

disease, according to

information from The

Carcinoid Cancer

Foundation.

After the surgery, Todd made completing a marathon his

goal. “ At first, it was difficult to run, but now I really enjoy

it,” Todd said. His first attempt at a one- mile jog around

the block found him walking. He progressed to a 5K in

December 2006, a half- marathon in March and then

steadily trained up to 20 miles— six shy of a full marathon.

At the marathon in Vermont, his wife, who was seven

months pregnant, cheered him on, and his coworkers

talked constantly along the way to have fun and help him

stay motivated. “ The miles just ticked by,” Todd said. At a

hill halfway in and about a half- mile long, spectators stood

about five people deep cheering the runners to keep going.

“ I get goosebumps thinking about it,” Todd said. The last

four miles were particularly difficult. He started to get dizzy

but had a lot of motivation to keep going. “ You’re doggone

right I finished,” said Todd. “ Those guys running with me

weren’t going to let me not finish.’”

After the race, Preslar said Todd thanked them for

helping him make it to the finish line. “ I said, ‘ No, thank

you for letting us do it with you.’”

Todd’s future runs include a 24- hour relay on the

Blue Ridge Parkway and a marathon in November. He

runs to raise money for The Carcinoid Cancer Foundation.

Donations in honor of Kenneth Todd can be directed

to The Carcinoid Cancer Foundation. For information,

call ( 888) 722- 3132 or check out www. carcinoid. org.

The Magazine of Western Carolina 34 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 35

Almost six decades have passed since a young

biology professor from Western, J. Gerald Eller ’ 43, and

his standout student, Robert M. Failing ’ 51, fought

their way through dense undergrowth to the summit of

Waterrock Knob, 6,292- foot sentinel of the Plott Balsam

range in Jackson County.

These days, the Blue Ridge Parkway and a half- mile

tourist- friendly trail provide easy access, but ascending

the mountain was a different matter back then— before

there was either a parkway or a trail. And while this

climb in the spring of 1948 did not enter the annals of

mountaineering history as a notable event, the ascent of

Waterrock Knob by Eller and Failing did turn out to be a

harbinger of the considerable accomplishments that lay

ahead in the lives of each.

Eller, now retired and living in Arden, first met Failing

when the Michigan native enrolled at Western in 1948. He

was “ one of the brightest students I ever had,” Eller said.

A Robbinsville native, Eller received his bachelor’s

degree in science and mathematics at Western and,

after serving in the military in World War II, returned to

Cullowhee to teach in 1947. He was conducting research

into mayfly distribution when he, Failing and another

student headed to the north fork of Scotts Creek, at the

base of Waterrock Knob, to have a campout. Eller and

Failing decided to climb the mountain the next day.

Honorary Doctorate Recipient

Credits Professor for Helping Him

Reach Pinnacle of Success

By RANDAL HOLCOMBE

The teacher and student followed the north fork

into the mountains, and then one of its tributaries,

Narrow Cove Branch, before they started bushwhacking

their way toward Waterrock Knob. The slight trail they

had been following quickly petered out, and the two were

faced with a final steep pitch up the southern slope of the

mountain, which rises about 1,200 feet in the last half- mile.

Failing led the way.

“ We just beat our way through the brush. I followed him

all the way to the top of the mountain,” Eller said.

Three years later, Failing received his bachelor’s degree

at Western and, after earning a medical degree at Duke

University Medical School, began a 40- year career as a

pathologist in Southern California. During the mid- 1970s,

he embarked on a serious mountaineering career that

took him to the top of the highest peaks on six of the

world’s seven continents, and to the highest points in all

50 U. S. states.

Eller went on to earn his doctoral degree at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was named

the first dean of Western’s School of Arts and Sciences in

1967. He taught continuously at the university from 1947

until his retirement in 1983, establishing his place among

Peak

Performer

the legends in Western’s long and storied tradition of

outstanding teaching.

In fact, it was Eller’s impact as a teacher that dominated

Failing’s comments as he returned to Cullowhee in May to

accept an honorary doctorate of science degree from the

university, given in recognition of his accomplishments of

mind and body, and his and wife Nancyann’s long-standing

support for Western in the areas of

academics, athletics, student recreation and the arts.

After receiving the honor at spring commence-ment,

Failing told the audience that his first college

experience, in California, did not go well. He was a

young man lacking direction when he arrived at

Western, but he met a “ truly inspirational” teacher

who would have a profound effect on his life—

Gerald Eller.

“ Over the 56 years since I graduated from

Western, I have reflected many times on the impact

this institution has had upon my life— what has

made the difference between who I was, and who I

became. It was, and is, the faculty— the dedicated

teachers like Dr. Eller,” he said. “ To Dr. Eller and

Western Carolina, I thank you very much.”

alumniAchi evements

At left, Robert M. Failing ’ 51 climbs in Antarctica.

Below, Failing returns to Waterrock Knob, a once- dense

climb he achieved as a student at Western that is now

easily accessible from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

At right, J. Gerald Eller ’ 43 rests at a waterfall.

The Magazine of Western Carolina 36 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 37

alumni

Achievements TEXTBOOK CASE

Nationally Known Educator Got His Start in Sylva Classroom

By RANDAL HOLCOMBE

Up& Atom Alum Makes Significant Contributions to Nuclear Power Industry

By Jessica Cregger ’ 07

Photo courtesy of The Citadel

Tony W. Johnson ’ 70 is dean of the School of Education

at The Citadel in Charleston, S. C.

Peter Freer ’ 86 MAEd ’ 93 presented to the International Atomic

Energy Agency in Austria the Play Attention system he

designed to help increase attention spans

and filter distractions.

During his first few years of teaching, Asheville resident

Peter Freer ’ 86 MAEd ’ 93 met a young boy named John

who became the inspiration behind a technology that would

eventually lead Freer to speak to a United Nations agency.

John had attention- deficit hyperactivity disorder,

then called “ minimal brain dysfunction,” and was highly

disruptive in class. Freer wasn’t sure how to handle John

in the classroom because he had never before encountered

a student with the disorder. After seeking the advice of his

former college professors, Freer made several changes in the

classroom for John, including moving him closer to the front

and creating a behavioral plan. Although these adjustments

helped somewhat, nothing truly improved John’s behavior.

John’s parents even tried medication, Freer said. “ His

parents couldn’t cope with him and had medicated him,

but they couldn’t get it quite right,” he said. When John

came into the classroom in a semi- unconscious state and

put his head down on his desk, Freer could take no more.

“ Once I encountered John, I knew there were many other

students like him,” he said. “ I knew I had to do something

educationally with students like this.”

Over the course of the next 10 years, Freer dedicated his

time and energy to developing the Play Attention system,

an educational enhancement of NASA- based technology

called neurofeedback that monitors brain waves and alerts

students of their concentration levels. Students put on a

sensor- filled helmet, similar in appearance to a bike helmet,

and use their concentration to control characters and

situations on a screen. The system helps to increase students’

attention spans and short- term memory sequencing, as well

as to develop their ability to filter distractions.

In 2005, executives from Ontario Power Generation in

Toronto discovered Freer’s Play Attention system as they

were searching for ways to improve attention and reduce

anxiety levels of their nuclear power plant trainees. Although

the industry spends more than $ 1 million per person in

preparation for certification, trainees often fail because of

uncontrollable stress and anxiety. Through his company

Freer Logic, Freer modified the software specifically for the

nuclear power industry by creating a three- dimensional

nuclear simulator, which in turn attracted the interest of

the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria.

Freer was asked to share his knowledge at the IAEA’s

headquarters at the United Nations this spring. He explained

the fundamental basis and mechanics of the software and

also gave a demonstration of the system. Since then, he has

been asked to work with other groups, including the U. S.

Marine Corps and the U. S. women’s bobsled team. “ It’s

amazing how far we can stretch the applications for this

into virtually any field at this point,” he said.

Freer said that his education at Western has been a

valuable resource to him. “ I don’t think I could have done any

of this without my background in education, and Western is

responsible for that,” he said. “ Coupling that with 10 years

of extensive research in the field allowed me to create the

software that is used internationally and will now become a

heavy player in the field of nuclear power.”

A self- described “ life- defining moment” that occurred

35 years ago in a Sylva- Webster High School classroom

propelled Tony W. Johnson ’ 70 to success as a respected

leader of university teacher education programs.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in history and

graduating with honors at Western, Johnson says he spent

a year trying to find himself before returning to Cullowhee

to take courses leading to teacher certification. One of those

courses included a clinical component, and, after he had

made several visits to a ninth- grade classroom at Sylva-

Webster ( now Smoky Mountain) High, the teacher there

asked him if he wanted to prepare a lesson and teach a class.

The Wilkes County native worked hard preparing that

lesson, seeking the assistance of his roommate, fraternity

brother and friend, Scott Griffin ’ 72 MA ’ 82, who would

later become North Carolina’s 1996- 97 Teacher of the Year.

Teaching the roomful of ninth- graders proved to be a

revelation, and Johnson said he rushed back to campus

afterward and told Griffin, “ I now know what I want to

do with my life.”

Johnson started his career in education as a teacher and

coach at schools in Bryson City and Charlotte, and then

began graduate studies at George Peabody College for

Teachers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. He was

named Peabody’s outstanding graduate as he received his

doctoral degree in educational policy in 1978.

After a year of teaching at Peabody College, Johnson

joined the faculty at the University of Texas at San Antonio,

where he emerged as the leader of UTSA’s innovative teacher

education program. After 13 years in Texas, Johnson went

on to direct the Teacher Academy at the University of North

Carolina at Greensboro, and then became dean of the College

of Education at West Chester University ( the other WCU),

Pennsylvania’s largest teacher education program. Johnson

returned to the Carolinas in 2005 when he became dean of

the School of Education at The Citadel in Charleston, S. C.

Widely recognized for his ability to guide teacher educa-tion

programs toward improvement, and for his scholarly

books concerning the history and philosophy of education,

Johnson returned to Western in May to accept the university

Alumni Association’s Award for Academic and Professional

Achievement. After receiving the honor during spring

commencement, Johnson told the Ramsey Center audience

that it was under the guidance of three Western faculty

members— retired history professors Cliff Lovin and Max

Williams, and his cousin, fellow Wilkes County native and

former education professor and dean Gurney Chambers ’ 61

— that his “ academic potential began to emerge.”

“ Beginning in Dr. Chambers’ class in the fall of 1969,

and continuing to this day, I became a serious student of

education, and of what it means to be educated,” he said. “ In

Professor Chambers, I encountered a real scholar whose love

of learning was contagious and whose teaching ability was

second to none. I found the mentor who would significantly

change my life.”

Johnson told Western’s graduating students that the

successes he has enjoyed “ are largely due to the intellectual

and nurturing community that characterized Cullowhee

in the late 1960s, and that continues to characterize

Western Carolina University in 2007. WCU was, and

remains, a special place that attracts and nurtures faculty

who are both outstanding scholars and truly gifted teachers.”

The Magazine of Western Carolina 38 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 39

alumni

Achievements

The director of WCU’s Programs in Asheville received Western’s

highest honor for administrative staff as the university recently

handed out its top faculty and staff awards for teaching, research

and service for the 2006- 07 academic year. During the annual

end- of- year General Faculty Meeting and Awards Convocation,

Patsy Miller MAEd ’ 82 received the Paul A. Reid Distinguished

Service Award for administrative staff.

Miller coordinates and provides instructional support and

services to faculty and students involved in WCU undergraduate

and graduate programs taught in Asheville. She also serves as

the university’s chief liaison with the Asheville community,

including the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville-

Buncombe Technical Community College and the Asheville

Area Chamber of Commerce, said WCU Chancellor John Bardo

in presenting the award.

“ Patsy is a loyal alumna and dedicated employee of WCU,”

he said. “ She was responsible for the planning and coordination

of moving WCU’s nursing department from UNCA to A- B Tech’s

Enka campus, and she serves the Asheville students in a

timely, efficient and caring manner while avoiding the normal

organizational bureaucracy. While she is seldom in the limelight,

she works diligently and selflessly behind the scenes to make

Western a better institution.”

Miller joined Western’s Asheville office in 1984 as programs

coordinator, working with Harry E. Ramsey ’ 59, who served as

assistant to the chancellor for WCU Programs in Asheville from

1974 through 1997. Upon Ramsey’s retirement, Miller assumed

responsibility for directing the office, which oversees WCU classes

offered at UNCA, the main campus of A- B Tech and A- B Tech’s

campus in Enka.

Scott Higgins, dean of Western’s Graduate School and Research,

called Miller the university’s “ goodwill ambassador in Asheville,”

with a pleasant demeanor and cheerful enthusiasm that make her

one of the biggest selling points for Western’s classes in Asheville.

“ Patsy Miller is the most positive person I have ever met. She

genuinely cares about people,” Higgins said. “ She is thrilled if she

can help make someone’s day a little better, and she seems to

thrive on doing good for others. For the more than 25 years that

I have known Patsy, she has been the ‘ face of Western’ in

Asheville— and that face has always been smiling.”

More than 800 students enroll in classes every year in

Asheville, where Western offers a broad range of instruction at the

advanced undergraduate and graduate levels, particularly in the

areas of business, counseling, education, health sciences, human

resources, nursing, public affairs and technology. These programs

of instruction, intended primarily for the adult professional

student, are taught late afternoons, evenings and weekends.

ASHEVILLE AMBASADOR

Alumna Earns University’s Top Honor for Administrative Staff

By BIL STUDENC

Eighty of the nation’s most outstanding high school

football players are selected every year to compete against

each other on East and West teams during the annual,

nationally televised U. S. Army All- American Bowl game in

San Antonio, Texas, in January. Now, under the direction of

Western’s Bob Buckner ’ 67, the spotlight will shine on some

of the nation’s most accomplished high school musicians, too.

Buckner, director of athletic bands for Western, has been

invited by MENC: The National Association for Music Educa-tion

to help launch the first- ever, high- school All- American

Marching Band and serve as show coordinator and director

of the ensemble. Buckner, who was named to the Bands of

America Hall of Fame in

2005 and won

MENC’s highest award for music education in 2004, said he is

both pleased and daunted by the challenge.

MENC, which has received thousands of applications, will

narrow the long list of All- American wannabes to 350 possibilities.

Buckner, who has asked Matt Henley ’ 93 MA ’ 95, assistant

director of bands at WCU, to join him, said the staff will have only

three days to screen audition tapes and pick the final 90 students,

based on their musical talent and marching style.

He also has to create a story board for the band’s six- minute

performance, oversee the arrangement and refine the music,

supervise the choreography, and write the drill so that every one

of about 1,100 counts, or moves, forms a picture. That means

putting every one of the 90 performers and their instruments in

place to look good and sound good together on the field for each

note they play. Finally, the staff and students will have just two-and-

a- half days to rehearse before the big show, which is scheduled

for January 2008. Buckner, who’s been doing this kind of thing for

many years, is not letting the pressure get to him.

“ Every time I worry about the work, I start thinking about what

it means for these kids to perform in an All- American Marching

Band,” Buckner said. “ This will be a tremendous opportunity for

students who tend to like the physical activity, the pageantry, the

joy of performing in big arenas before huge crowds. They’ll receive

national attention; they’ll get an all- expense- paid trip to the game

and some extra incentives; and they’ll take home the satisfaction

of having worked with the best. I don’t think there’s ever

been anything quite like this.”

FORWARD

MARCH

Bob Buckner Picked to Direct

Nation’s Top High School

Marching Band Musicians

By LEILA TVEDT

Patsy Miller MAEd ’ 82 ( right) shares information

about WCU’s Programs in Asheville at an Asheville

Area Chamber of Commerce and Western Carolina

University event.

Every fall, John Anderson ’ 67 dusts off his

trumpet and his wife puts together her clarinet to

join the WCU Alumni Band for a day at a football

game. Every year, they move to and get moved by

the music. Seeing the growth of WCU bands and

increasing interest from bandsmen led Anderson

and others to establish a new “ Partners for Pride”

alumni band organization. “ There is just a strong

bond that develops when you join the band, and

Partners for Pride will help band alumni stay

connected while working to support the bands at

Western,” said Anderson.

One goal of Partners for Pride will be

to begin building a network of band alumni

and supporters who could help discover

young musicians, mentor current

bandsmen, and enjoy or help publicize

performances such as the university’s

annual jazz festival. In addition, the

organization will support scholarships

for student musicians and WCU bands,

including the Wind Ensemble, Symphony

Band, Jazz Band, Pep Band and the Pride

of the Mountains Marching Band.

Partners for Pride is led by Anderson, an

alumnus of the jazz, concert and marching

bands, and guided by committee members

Marty Ramsey ’ 85, director of alumni affairs;

John West, director of bands; and Bob

Buckner ’ 67, director of athletic bands.

“ Our initial goal is to find 300 partners to

‘ match’ the 300 members of the Pride of

the Mountains,” said Buckner. “ If we can

achieve this goal along with fundraising

already in place, we could make $ 30,000

available annually to our student musicians.”

Membership is open to anyone,

and alumni are especially encouraged to

participate. No minimum contribution is

required. Gifts such as decals, golf shirts,

hats, jackets, CDs and framed flags will

be offered to donors who give between

$ 50 and $ 5,000. Call ( 828) 227- 2259 to

join Partners for Pride or get information

about Alumni Band Day on Nov. 17.

Join “ Part ners for Pride” To Suport WCU Bands

The Magazine of Western Carolina 40 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 41

1964

Asheville native Gerald Austin

MAEd ’ 69 in May was inducted

into the N. C. Sports Hall of Fame

in Raleigh. A retired public school

administrator, he has been a

National Football League official

for 25 years and has received a

post- season assignment every

year, including three Super Bowls.

Austin also serves as coordinator of

officials for Conference USA.

1968

In February, John Queen was

elected president of the National

Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

Queen is owner of John Queen

Farms, a third- generation cattle farm

founded in 1917 near Waynesville.

His background in the beef

industry includes cow/ calf producer,

stocker/ backgrounder, feeder and

grazer. He also has been an auction

barn owner and operator and

is currently owner of Southeast

Livestock Exchange, a video-telemarketing

company. A member

and director of the Haywood

County Cattlemen’s Association,

he has served as president of the

N. C. Cattlemen’s Association and

president of the N. C. Cattlemen’s

Foundation.

1972

Formerly president of CP Mortgage,

Linley R. Miller Jr. recently joined

Community Resource Mortgage, a

division of Community Resource

Bank. He heads up CRM’s North

Carolina region as senior vice

president and regional manager.

1975

Bob Cox MA retired last

March from the Florida legislative

staff in the Office of Program

Policy Analysis and Government

Accountability, but is taking

advantage of DRO P, an alternative

program allowing individuals who

have worked 30 years for the state

to work an additional five years

without earning any more regular

retirement benefits, instead being

compensated with cash in an IRA.

In addition, Cox has started a

new career as a recording artist

( guitar) and is booking concerts

and workshops with wife Mary Z.

Cox ( pictured at left). With their

sound engineer son in New York

City, Cox also has done much of the

mixing of their newest CD, “ Banjo

Dreamin’ Suwannee Nights.” A

second- generation alum, Cox says

his mom, Annie Bernita Farrior

Cox ’ 41, divides her time between

Tallahassee, Fla., where she spends

most of the year, and Cashiers in

Western North Carolina.

1985

Jeffrey Poplin, formerly

department manager and

geographic information systems

consultant with Dewberry of

Fairfax, Va., recently was promoted

to senior associate. Dewberry

is a professional services firm

specializing in engineering,

architectural, program management,

planning, geographic information

and environmental services. With

more than 20 years of management

experience, Poplin currently

provides professional consulting

and management services to

Baltimore County and Charlotte-

Mecklenburg utilities.

1986

Vivian Barnette recently was

named director of counseling

services at North Carolina A& T

State University. She holds a

master’s degree from NC A& T and

a doctorate from Western Michigan

University. classNOTES

It’s true. At one point in its history, Western required all

freshmen students to wear beanies, little round caps guaranteed

to make even the coolest student look like a nerd.

Suzanne Hill McDowell ’ 72 MA ’ 91 says she hated wearing

her beanie when she was a freshman at Western in the fall of

1968, but in an ironic twist of fate, now she’s wants to put her

hands on more of them. McDowell,

curator at Western’s Mountain

Heritage Center, said the museum

staff is hoping to add more beanies

and other items to its collection of

WCU- related artifacts.

“ We’re always looking for more

artifacts to represent the complete

history of the institution,” she said.

“ We have some good representative

artifacts from the 1890s to the

1920s, but fewer from the 1930s

through the 1980s. Items such as pennants, sports and school

uniforms, commemorative cups, license plates and photographs

all help to piece together the university’s story.”

According to “ A Mountain Heritage,” the illustrated history

of Western written by history professors Curtis W. Wood and

H. Tyler Blethen, freshman beanies were introduced in 1957 as

a way to strengthen school spirit. Students were

required to wear the beanies until Homecoming,

if the Catamounts won the Homecoming football

game, or until the end of the fall quarter, if the

team lost the game.

The beanies were green until the early 1960s,

when the color was changed to purple and gold.

The beanie tradition officially ended with a vote

of the student senate in fall of 1970.

The Mountain Heritage Center has three

beanies in its collection— all purple and gold.

“ We’d like to have a green one, too,” McDowell said.

Mountain Heritage Center Seeks Beanies, Other Western- Related Artifacts

By RANDAL HOLCOMBE

Coming soon to a computer screen near

you, it’s a brand new online community just

for Western Carolina University alumni. The

Office of Alumni Affairs is purchasing a new

software program that will allow alumni to

become members of an electronic social

network featuring an online directory, an

events management system and an Internet-based

vehicle for communication among

alumni and the university.

In addition to building their own individual

alumni profile pages through a password-protected

Web site, members also will be

able to search for old friends, look for

employment opportunities and develop

special interest communities, said Debbie

Higdon ’ 82, WCU’s director of advancement

research. “ Through the online community,

members can create a personalized experience

based on class year, areas of study, regional

club membership, participation in athletics or

marching band, or other common interests,”

Higdon said. “ In addition, each alumni group

and organization may have its own Web

presence within the larger community.”

The Western Carolina Online Community

site is being developed over the summer, and

is expected to be operational by September.

Details will be announced later this year.

MUSTANGS SALLY

Online Community for Alumni Under Way

Coach Cindi Saltz Simmons ’ 82

MAEd’ 83 ( foreground) and assistant

Shaketia Barnes ’ 06 ( left) guided the

Smoky Mountain High School Lady

Mustangs to the state 2- A girls’ basketball

championship earlier this year in the

Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Smoky

Mountain defeated Graham 85- 62 in the

title game, led by All- American point guard

Cetera DeGraffenreid, daughter of Alphonso

“ Mutt” DeGraffenreid ’ 77 MAEd ’ 80,

former

WCU

assistant

football coach

who is now athletics director at Smoky

Mountain, and Pamela DeGraffenreid ’ 80,

manager of the WCU Bookstore. Before

beginning their coaching careers,

Simmons and Barnes both played for the

Lady Cats— Simmons from 1979 to 1982,

and Barnes from 2002 to 2005.

Anyone interested in

donating an artifact to the

museum should call the

Mountain Heritage Center

at ( 828) 227- 7129, or e- mail

mcdowell@ wcu. edu.

The Magazine of Western Carolina 42 University SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 43

1996

Looking for something new and

exciting in her well- organized

life, Tristan Roberts Perry

used her love for her poodles

as the basis for her first book,

“ Furry Tails: The Adventures of

Cinnamon Persimmon,” which

came out in December. The

book details Cinnamon’s many

adventures— ranging from backyard

encounters with other animals

to befriending a sick and elderly

patient to lift her spirits. The death

of Perry’s grandmother five days

before Christmas 2001 led to

thoughts about the legacy Perry

wanted to leave. After earning her

master’s degree in nursing from

the University of Kentucky and

her doctorate in curriculum and

instruction from Virginia Tech, she

was still searching for the change

she needed. “ Writing a fictional,

children’s chapter- book would be

a creative, fun way to leave behind

my values and beliefs for future

generations,” said Perry, who lives in

Christiansburg, Va., with her husband

and two toy poodles.

1997

Since October 1999, Justin

Lyons has worked at the Mariners’

Museum in Newport News, Va.,

first as media relations coordinator

and now as director of marketing

and public relations. In this position,

he oversees all advertising for the

museum; manages the use of the

logo and the look of the museum;

and oversees the Web site, which

gets more than a million visitors

a year. The highlight of his career

so far is the opening in March of

the USS Monitor Center, the $ 30

million, 63,500- square- foot facility

featuring an 18,000- square- foot

exhibit that tells the story of the

USS Monitor and her opponent,

the CSS Virginia ( formerly the

USS Merrimack). Included in the

exhibit are original artifacts, archival

materials, immersive multimedia

experiences, and recreated ship

interiors that transport visitors back

in time to 1862. The facility offers a

close- up look at the conservation

and reconditioning of actual pieces

of the USS Monitor: the turret, the

steam engine and much more. For

five summers, Lyons, lead public

relations person for the Mariners’

Museum, worked with teams

from the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration and

the U. S. Navy to recover artifacts,

the most exciting of which was

the Monitor’s turret, recovered in

August 2002.

In December, Robert ( Bobby)

Schneider, chief operating officer

at Knoxville ( Tenn.) Area Transit,

completed his doctoral degree

at the University of Tennessee. His

dissertation examined executive-board

relationships in public

authorities. Schneider and wife

Amy, who teaches mathematics

at Fulton High School in Knoxville,

welcomed their second daughter,

Eliza Danielle, last October. First

daughter, Allison Nicole, was born in

January 2004.

2000

The fusion of hip hop, nu jazz,

broken beat and downtempo music

Jed Zane Tate ( above) recorded

in the early morning hours at the

studio of his Waynesville home

pervades his first album, “ Boom Bap

Sunrise: Rural Sounds Volume 1.”

“ Sometimes I just woke up, got my

coffee and went straight into the

studio. Sometimes I just didn’t go to

sleep the night before. Either way,

that was like the magic time for me.

I’d write music while it was still dark

out, and the arrangement would

start to come together as the sun

came up,” said Tate, Web developer

at WCU. The album was produced

on Leisure Lab, a label Tate launched

after seeing the record business

behind- the- scenes while working

with British label Working Beats. “ I’d

learned business and technology in

1990

After 11 years working within the

Fontana Regional Library System,

Dottie Brunette ( above)

recently became Jackson County

librarian. A Sylva native, she comes

to the county’s main library from

the Albert Carlton/ Cashiers

Community Library.

1993

In September, Cecelia Crawford

became director of the Small

Business Center at Tri- County

Community College in Western

North Carolina. Employed at the

center since its opening in 1994,

Crawford is excited about its

future. “ I’m looking forward to

continuing the great work we’ve

been doing and expanding it to the

next level,” she said.

Effective March 1, Laura

Leatherwood MS ’ 96 EdD

’ 07 ( at right) became director of

community and economic

development at Haywood

Community College. “ Laura has

demonstrated strong leadership

for college advancement,” said

Rose Johnson, HCC president.

“ The college is lucky that she has

agreed to apply her tremendous

talents and energy to this

important new leadership role.”

On the staff at HCC since 2000,

Leatherwood formerly served as

executive director of Institutional

Advancement, Foundation &

Alumni Relations. Before going

to the community college,

Leatherwood was membership

coordinator at Haywood Regional

Medical Center.

Gurney Chambers ’ 61, dean emeritus

of the College of Education and Allied