UNC Charlotte : the magazine of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for alumni and friends.

              Sprriingg 2005 Voll.. 12 No.. 3
THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
For Love
of the Game
Volume 12, Number 3
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
AT CHARLOTTE
JAMES H. WOODWARD,
Chancellor
H.C. “SMOKY” BISSELL
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
VICE CHANCELLOR
FOR DEVELOPMENT AND
UNIVERSITY RELATIONS
Thomas A. Martz
ASSOCIATE VICE CHANCELLOR
FOR UNIVERSITY RELATIONS
Anthony T. Hoppa, APR
EDITOR
Gina Carroll Howard
STAFF WRITERS
Natasha Ashe-Suber
Jemi Johnson
CLASS NOTES
Pat McHenry
PHOTOGRAPHER
Wade Bruton
Sam Roberts
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Cathy Brown
UNC Charlotte is published three times a year
by The University of North Carolina
at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd.,
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
ISSN 10771913
Editorial offices: Reese Building,
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte,
Charlotte, N.C. 28223. Telephone:
704-687-4385; FAX 704-687-6379;
e-mail: gchoward@email.uncc.edu
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is open to people
of all races and is committed to equality of educational
opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants,
students or employees based on race, color, national origin,
religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability.
68,000 copies of this public document were printed
at a cost of $16,366 or $.24 per copy.
Printed on Recycled Paper
Contents Spring 2005
2
News Briefs
The dark
at the end of
the tunnel
20
ALUMNI NOTES
On The Cover
A grueling regimen, intense pressure and exhausting
road trips all are routine parts of college basketball.
Yet to a man – and woman – coaches and players
say they willingly endure that and more for the
unequaled euphoria they feel when they’re on the court.
S P R I N G 2 0 0 5
pg.6
For LOVE
of the
GAME
pg.14
pg.18
The ‘CARE-killing’
paradoX
Dear Alumni and Friends
of UNC Charlotte,
Fewer things on campus are as electrifying as the final 60 seconds of a
Charlotte-Cincinnati men’s basketball game, given the spirited rivalry between these
two Conference USA competitors. That was especially true on Feb. 5 when the 49ers
defeated the Bearcats, 91-90 in their final contest in Halton Arena. With “March
Madness” upon us, NCAA athletics brings out the best in student athletes, including
our 49ers. As we go to press, the men’s team is ranked 21st in the nation in the AP poll,
positioning itself for an invitation to “the big dance.” The women’s team has also had a
strong season leading up to the Conference USA tournament March 3-6, hosted by
UNC Charlotte this year.
In the span of several decades, UNC Charlotte boasts a rich and storied basketball
program that mirrors the growth and success of the university. As you’ll read on page 6,
the evolution of UNC Charlotte men’s and women’s basketball reflects more than scores
and statistics. It reflects the mission of your university to provide students with a
complete education, including lessons in integrity and the opportunity to compete at
the highest level in athletics. As we complete our final season in Conference USA, we
can look back with pride on our how far we’ve come – and point to an exciting future
with the Atlantic 10 Conference this fall.
As thrilling as collegiate athletics are – for players and fans alike – they are only
part of the university experience. Education will always be the core of UNC Charlotte’s
mission. Yet sometimes, the rigors of academic study collide with the pressures of daily
life, creating unhealthy stress and behaviors in students’ lives, as you’ll learn on page 14.
The increase in depression and other mental illnesses on campuses across the nation is
a trend that is being addressed at UNC Charlotte. Fortunately, our Counseling Center
offers a level of assistance that helps our students manage life issues to achieve their
highest potential.
Stress isn’t limited to student life, however. Two UNC Charlotte professors are
conducting critical research among employees who confront the “care-killing” paradox
in animal shelters and clinics – brought on by the explosive growth of unwanted pets
that must be euthanized (page 18). Regrettably, every community is affected by this
problem, and the findings of this research will help those who perform this job better
cope with the effects of putting cats and dogs to sleep.
This level of research – and its impact on the quality of life for others – is a hallmark
of UNC Charlotte. Professors and students across all disciplines continue to ask “why”
in their quest to discover new products, solutions and processes that we often take for
granted. Your continuing support of UNC Charlotte helps make such learning possible,
which in turn drives the research and discovery process. On behalf of all UNC
Charlotte students and faculty, thank you for helping us make a difference.
Sincerely yours,
James H. Woodward
Chancellor
F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 0 3
S P R I N G 2 0 0 5
N E W S B R I E F S ▪ S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 3
New meteorology degree helps
to meet an increasing demand
UNC Charlotte has done more than just talk about the weather. Last fall, the
university began its new meteorology degree program within the Department of
Geography and Earth Sciences. UNC Charlotte is now the only school within
100 miles of the “Queen City” to offer a bachelor’s degree in meteorology. The
program focuses on three areas of meteorology: air pollution, weather forecasting
and tropical meteorology. It meets a growing demand for more meteorologists in
the U.S. Air Force and for the new NBC weather channel that will have its home
base in Charlotte. For more information about the program, contact the
geography and earth sciences department at (704) 687-2293 or visit the
Web site http://personal.uncc.edu/betherto/metdeg.htm.
Coach shares tips for success
Coaches, parents and aspiring basketball greats will find all
they need to know about the tactics and techniques needed to
create outstanding players and winning teams in The Basketball
Handbook. The author, former UNC Charlotte coach Lee Rose,
describes drills and special tips for executing them. His perfor-mance
rating system identifies individual player strengths and
weaknesses, and throughout the book Rose explains how to
build on those strengths and minimize those weaknesses to take
each player and team to its potential. The 264-page paperback, available in bookstores
and online, has received glowing reviews from pro coaches and players as well as library
and trade publications. For additional information, visit www.coachleerose.com.
Master’s in social
work gains national
accreditation
The four-year-old master’s of social work program
has been nationally accredited by the Council on
Social Work Education. The program’s accreditation
ensures that agencies and organizations throughout
the country will recognize that UNC Charlotte
students completing the degree have received the
highest quality training.
This competitive MSW program enrolls 30
students each year for the 60 credit-hour program.
The program’s service area includes North Carolina’s
Piedmont from Greensboro to Asheville, and
students serve in a wide variety of more than 100
area settings for supervised field instruction.
For more information, visit
www.health.uncc.edu/sowk.
TIAA-CREF funds
doctoral fellowships
TIAA-CREF has established a doctoral fellowship
program for students at UNC Charlotte in
three areas of study: optical science and
engineering, applied mathematics
and information technology.
The scholarships will
be used to
recruit out-standing
stu-dents
who have
demonstrated the potential to make
a significant contribution to their pro-fessions
and to society after completing
their degrees. They provide support
to newly admitted students for their
first year of doctoral study. UNC
Charlotte/TIAA-CREF fellows will
receive a $25,000 stipend plus tuition.
Fellows also will have an opportunity
for a paid internship with TIAA-CREF
during the course of their academic study.
Further information is available from
the Graduate School at (704) 687-3368,
mmareesa@email.uncc.edu. or
www.uncc.edu/gradmiss/index.asp.
2 S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 ▪ N E W S B R I E F S
Art professor makes
money and history
When it comes to university contributions,
many often think of research in the fields of
math, science or technology. But Jamie Franki,
associate professor of illustration and design, has
made a very visible, albeit understated, contribution to
the U.S. economy – the design of the nation’s newest coin.
Franki’s rendering of an American bison, which is reminiscent of the venerable
Buffalo Nickel, is featured on the “reverse” side of the new nickel. It is one of three new
designs in the 2005 Westward Journey Nickel Series. About 800 million of the coins
will be struck and will become part of the roughly 18.9 billion nickels in circulation.
For additional information or to access photographs of the newly designed nickel,
please visit the U.S. Mint Web site at www.usmint.gov.
Luncheon raises money
for women’s athletics
Many of the most influential women in the
Charlotte area supported women’s athletics during the
Charlotte 49ers first “Let Me Play” luncheon in November.
The innovative event, which was sponsored by Wachovia, raised
$62,000. “Let Me Play” spotlighted the importance of athletics in women’s
development and illustrated the doors that have been opened, due, in part,
to women’s participation in athletics. It also emphasized the qualities that
athletic involvement instills in women.
Virtual reality expert joins the
College of Information Technology
A renowned expert in virtual reality and 3-D
imaging has joined the faculty as the Bank of
America Endowed Chair in Information Technology.
William Ribarsky, the first recipient of the
endowed professorship, is a former associate
director at the Graphics Visualization and Visibility
Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
His primary research includes work in virtual
reality, bioinformatics and 3-D imaging of high
resolution terrain.
Ribarsky is in charge of creating a data
visualization center at UNC Charlotte that opened
this spring. This interdisciplinary program will use
computer graphics to interpret data across various disciplines and will become a new
department within the College of Information Technology. The center will analyze
such things as atmospheric data useful to meteorologists in predicting the weather,
genetic data for the upcoming bioinformatics center at UNC Charlotte
and banking data that will be important for Charlotte’s banking industry.
Boyd Davis honored for
dedication to students’
professional development
For her personal commitment to each graduate
student, her enthusiasm and belief that every young
person has the ability to succeed, Boyd Davis has been
awarded the 2005 Harshini V. de Silva Graduate
Mentor Award.
Davis takes her students’ thinking seriously and
treats them as the professionals they desire to be. She
believes that each graduate student contributes some-thing
of value. This makes her mentoring exceptionally
effective.
Davis, a Bonnie E. Cone Professor of Teaching and
English professor, is an accomplished scholar and adjunct
gerontology professor. She has written several books and
numerous scholarly journal articles on historical, compar-ative
and applied linguistics. In addition to her scholar-ship,
Davis also co-produced the Charlotte section of
“Voices of North Carolina,” a PBS documentary about
the state’s language heritage. She joined the UNC
Charlotte faculty in 1970, received the Bank of America
Award for Teaching Excellence in 1977 and was named
to a Bonnie Cone Distinguished Professorship in 1997.
The Chancellor’s Office and the Graduate School
presented Davis with the award Feb. 15 in memory
of Harshini de Silva, an associate professor of biology
who was dedicated to the academic and professional
development of her graduate students.
Jamie Franki “American bison” design ch osen for new 2005 nickel
English professor Boyd Davis celebrated receiving the Harshini V.
de Silva Graduate Mentor Award with her husband, Dick (left)
and Chancellor Jim Woodward.
$
N E W S B R I E F S ▪ S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 5
Dennis Bunker, III ’81, and his wife,
Kathryn, established the Dennis N. Bunker, III
Endowed Scholarship in Economics, perpetuating their
loyal support of his
alma mater. The
scholarship will
benefit economics
students with
demonstrated finan-cial
need and good
academic standing.
Dennis previously
established the
Bunker Land Group,
LLC Geography
Scholarship for students
with an interest in economic
geography. He graduated from UNC Charlotte with a
bachelor’s degree in economics and currently owns and
manages Bunker Land Group, LLC, specializing in
site selection services for builder and developer clients.
Bunker’s generosity does not stop with his monetary
donations. He also gives his time to the university
by serving on the Alumni Board of Governors.
Sandra Bailey has included the Nila and Stokley Bailey PFLAG Scholarship,
which honors her parents, in her estate planning. Harold “Ham” Morris established
this scholarship in memory of his foster son, Gary, who died in 1991. Candidates for
the scholarship include those students who
identify themselves as gay or lesbian, or who
express an interest in gay and lesbian studies.
Nila and Stokley Bailey co-founded the
Charlotte chapter of the national organization
of Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians
and Gays (PFLAG). Chuck Lynch, UNC
Charlotte’s vice chancellor for student affairs,
says the Baileys were invaluable in the gay
and lesbian community, providing support,
advocacy, and services to parents and family
members. He also mentions that the scholarship
helps the university demonstrate support of its
gay and lesbian population.
An anonymous donor has awarded UNC Charlotte a grant in the amount
of $20,000. The money purchased eight new laptop computers for the J. Murrey
Atkins Library. The computers are a part of the library’s loaner program, which
allows students to check out laptops for personal use. This vital program serves as
an important aid for students who need portable computers to access the Internet
without wires or to assist with a class presentation.
Significant support for the university is coming from all quarters.
Here’s a look at some recent gifts and pledges from individuals,
corporations and foundations. Gifts to the university received
between July 1998 and June 30, 2005 count towards the
It Takes A Gift Campaign for UNC Charlotte. Together, we are shaping what’s ahead.
UNC President Molly Broad
(second from left) joined
UNC Charlotte Chancellor
Jim Woodward (left) and
C.D. "Dick" Spangler,
UNC president emeritus,
as Sally and Russell
Robinson cut the ribbon to
dedicate the university's
new performing arts
center that was named
in their honor.
4 S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 ▪ F A C U L T Y B R I E F S
Three UNC Charlotte professors
share “Voices of North Carolina”
“Voices of North Carolina,” a PBS documentary, takes viewers into living rooms,
schools, workplaces and on front porches to highlight the state’s unique and diverse
language heritage. UNC Charlotte English professors Boyd Davis, Malin Pereira
and Sam Watson were interviewed
for the program.
The documentary, produced
by N.C. State University professors
Walt Wolfram and Neal Hutcheson,
is narrated by UNC system president
emeritus William C. Friday. The pro-gram
spotlights different regional and
ethnic dialects across North Carolina.
Davis co-produced the Charlotte
section of the documentary along with Pereira and Watson. The hour-long documen-tary
includes information about the Cherokee language, Outer Banks brogue,
Lumbee and African-American English heard across the state.
“Voices of North Carolina” also features vignettes on the unique dialects of
the North Carolina mountains and city communities, and highlights the growing
Spanish-speaking population. Information from the program will be used to
produce books and curriculum for use in public schools across the state.
For more information visit www.talkingnc.com/index.htm.
Aulette, Eldridge receive
Fulbright Scholar awards
Judy Aulette, an associate sociology professor, and
Michael Eldridge, a philosophy professor, were honored
as 2004 visiting Fulbright scholars for their academic,
professional achievement and leadership skills. Eldridge
and Aulette are among 800 U.S. faculty and profes-sionals
who traveled abroad for the 2004-2005 acade-mic
year through the Fulbright Scholar Program.
Aulette lectured on women’s health issues, the
sociology of gender, family policy and research meth-ods
at the University of the Western Cape in South
Africa, where Desmund Tutu is chancellor of the uni-versity.
She also conducted research on women’s grass-roots
activism around issues involving housing, poverty
and AIDS. At UNC Charlotte, Aulette teaches courses
on gender, feminist thought and family policy, and is
an adjunct professor in the women’s studies program.
Eldridge taught at the University of Szeged, Hun-gary,
where he lectured on pragmatic moral theory. He
specializes in social and political philosophy and has
taught courses on American philosophy, biblical his-tory,
critical thinking and ethics.
Psychology professors offer healthy
ways to deal with bereavement
Coping with the loss of a loved one and dealing with grief is an experience many
people cope with daily. Lawrence Calhoun and Richard Tedeschi, UNC Charlotte
clinical psychology professors, have discovered coping mechanisms that can help. They
say the pain experienced following the loss of a child may follow with posttraumatic
growth. This positive consequence can manifest itself in several ways that include
changes in one’s attitude, relationships with others, life priorities and spirituality.
Calhoun and Tedeschi have written two books that offer helpful information for the
bereaved. Trauma and Transformation and Facilitating Posttraumatic Growth speak
about the grief process and ways to deal with loss. For more information, contact
(704) 687-4731 or visit www.psych.uncc.edu/.
The usefulness of hydrogen
gets reality check
The hydrogen economy, a future energy
system based primarily on hydrogen as opposed
to fossil fuels, is attracting increasing interest
from scientists, policymakers and industry. Daniel
Rabinovich, an associate professor of chemistry at
UNC Charlotte, is studying the opportunities and
challenges hydrogen faces as a potential energy
source. He is conducting research on hydrogenase,
a family of bacterial enzymes that produce
hydrogen and could accelerate the realization of
a hydrogen economy. For more information,
contact Rabinovich at drabinov@email.uncc.edu
Research Quick Links
Single-season records
men’s
Most wins in a season
28 in 1976-77
Fewest wins in a season
5 in 1967-68
5 in 1984-85
Most losses in a season
23 in 1984-85
Fewest losses in a season
3 in 1974-75
women’s
Most wins in a season
24 in 1990
Fewest wins in a season
3 in 1977
Most losses in a season
21 in 1999
Fewest losses in a season
6 in 1979, 1980 and 1991
continued next page
When Bonnie Cone hired Harvey Murphy in 1965 as physical education
department chair, he knew that being the part-time basketball coach
was part of his job – temporarily.
However, UNC Charlotte’s first chancellor, Dean Colvard, had other plans. He
understood the critical role sports could play in galvanizing faculty, staff, students,
alumni and the community. Because of basketball’s visibility in North Carolina and
his own experience at both Mississippi State and N.C. State, Colvard determined to
make the sport the centerpiece of the new university’s athletics program.
Murphy, who had both played and coached college ball, relished the opportu-nity
to help build a university and the recently renamed 49ers athletics program.
However, he faced some daunting challenges.
“For two years, we didn’t have the same basketball team for any two semesters,”
he says, noting that at the end of his first semester, he lost six players when their
grades fell below the mandatory C average. “I had no trouble finding players who
were academically sound, but had trouble selling them on coming to a school
without a playing facility and housing.”
But Ben Basinger ’71 was sold. One of Murphy’s stellar players both on and off
the court, he remembers driving up the mountains to a game in a drafty bus with a
blanket over his head studying organic chemistry.
“No one loved the game more than I did,” says Basinger, who heads sales and
marketing in a six-county area for Rental Service Corp.“We took pride in wearing
the uniform and representing the university. We knew we were pioneers and setting the
reputation and standards.”
From Murphy, Basinger learned ball-handling skills plus lessons in integrity.
Excitement was palpable on campus in 1969 when the 49ers had its first winning
season, captured the Dixie conference championship and were scheduled to play in
the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics district playoffs. However, Murphy
learned that one of the key players was only carrying seven hours – all he needed to
graduate – rather than the requisite
12. Murphy reported the violation,
which disqualified his team from
post-season tournament play.
“I was so looking forward to
playing in Greensboro and I was
really mad at Coach,” says Basinger,
who was the team’s leading scorer
that season, “but I had great respect
for Dr. Murphy.”
Still, Murphy had one last shot
at tournament play. In his last season, he led a team, respected as much for its ethics as
its basketball prowess, to a second conference championship and to post-season play.
Norris Dae, who still holds the university single season record for rebounds and
rebounds per game, and Basinger were the year’s top scorers.
The success was a fitting tribute for Murphy who, a teacher at heart, viewed the
court as another classroom and games as the exams. Even more than basketball, he
wanted to teach his players how to be good citizens.
“When players graduated and went on to do the things they did, that got my
adrenaline flowing,” Murphy observes. “That’s a big part of success. The moments that
are most precious to me are when one of my players or students comes up to me and
says, ‘You’ve made a big difference in my life.’ I can’t think of higher praise.”
C O V E R S T O R Y ▪ S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 7
“No one loved the game
more than I did. We took
pride in wearing the
uniform and representing
the university.”
Ben Basinger ’71
6
They were just a handful of walk-ons
with the love for basketball.
Led by a part-time coach, the 1948 Charlotte Center
basketball players didn’t have scholarships, their
own gym or even a dedicated building for their college.
The program was funded by gate receipts. Against
Lenoir-Rhyne, they netted $3.22. They lost $3.75
against Belmont Abbey.
Yet, Charlotte College, as the two-year institution
became known in 1949, doggedly continued to field
a team. The Owls – named as tribute to its night school
beginning – joined the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference, and in 1962, the hard-scrabble team
finally claimed its first tournament victory in the
Sun Coast Tournament in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Charlotte had tasted the sweet fruit of the future.
For
LOVE
of the
GAME
By Gina Carroll Howard
C O V E R S T O R Y ▪ S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 9
Fortunately, things got better.
“I was overjoyed and in awe that I was in college, playing college basketball
against all-American honorable mentions,” he recalls.
As the only freshman on the
varsity team, the year passed in a
blur of lights and excitement. From
the time he scored his first basket,
Maxwell felt like he belonged.
“I was an awkward, gangly kid
who went into a cocoon and came
out a butterfly ready to fly.”
And fly he did.
Considered the greatest player
in 49ers history, Maxwell continues
to hold three UNC Charlotte career records and had his jersey retired in 1977.
But in 1976, the future 1981 NBA Most Valuable Player was a kid from Kinston,
afraid to fail, playing for a school few people had heard of in a national basketball tour-nament
in New York City. His teammates called him “Max,” “the Franchise” (follow-ing
his NIT exposure) or “Cornbread.” The latter nickname stuck when a national
reporter overheard it.
“We went from one beat reporter to reporters from all over the country in the
locker room,” Maxwell recalls. “We (team members) remember the NCAA Final Four
in ’77, but when we all get together, we talk about the NIT experience.”
The national sports pundits – and even UNC Charlotte administrators – all
expected the team to head home after the first round.
Rose recalls they only had funding to cover expenses in New York for one game.
When they won, staff member Mildred English hopped a plane and hand carried a
check for one more night in New York. English made two more trips before the 49ers,
captained by future 49ers coach Melvin Watkins, lost to Kentucky by four points in
the NIT finals.
On their return to Char-lotte,
thousands of people
cheered them as they stepped
off the plane.
“The city opened their
arms to us and enfolded us,”
Rose says of Charlotte’s
support for the team.
UNC Charlotte’s NIT
appearance was followed the
next year with a trip to the
NCAA Final Four and the
formation of the Sun Belt
Conference. As critical as
those achievements were in
developing the university’s
athletics program, they were
no more important than another key strategy Rose undertook in his role as athletic
director (AD): launching the women’s basketball program.
Coaching
records
men’s
 1 Harvey Murphy .341
(1965-1970) 44-81
 2 Bill Foster .691
(1970-1975) 88-38
 3 Lee Rose .800
(1975-78) 72-18
 4 Mike Pratt .518
(1978-82) 56-52
 5 Hal Wissel .262
(1982-85) 22-62
 6 Jeff Mullins .562
(1985-96) 182-142
 7 Melvin Watkins .677
(1996-98) 42-20
 8 Bobby Lutz .603
(1998-2004) 114-75
Post-season
tournament
play
men’s
1976 – NIT
1977 – NCAA
1988 – NCAA
1989 – NIT
1992 – NCAA
1994 – NIT
1995 – NCAA
1997 – NCAA
1998 – NCAA
1999 – NCAA
2000 – NIT
2001 – NCAA
2002 – NCAA
2004 – NCAA
 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
continued next page
Rodney White and Jobey Thomas celebrated the 2001 C-USA title.
When the team returned to
Charlotte from the NIT,
thousands of people cheered
them as they stepped off the
plane. The city opened their
arms and enfolded them.
Men put on a full-court press
In Murphy’s final season, UNC Charlotte hired its first full-time coach. While
Murphy coached, Bill Foster recruited. The 1970-71 season was marked not only by a
new coach, but by the university’s first scholarship athletes, a new on-campus arena –
the Mineshaft – and a new level of play – Division I. In its first year as an NCAA
team, the 49ers posted a 15-8 winning season.
When Charlotte joined the NCAA, it
became unaffiliated with a conference.
That, in part, explains why despite Foster’s
five-year 88-38 record – 23-3 in his last
season, the 49ers didn’t get a bid for post-season
tournament play. However, his savvy
recruiting of players such as Melvin Watkins
and Cedric Maxwell built the foundation of
a stellar team that his successor, Lee Rose,
would coach to national prominence.
Rose approached
coaching like a chess match,
strategizing offensive and
defensive moves to stymie his
opponents and win the game.
One of Rose’s first strate-gies
involved breaking into
national post-season play.
With only 32 teams playing
in the NCAA Tournament
and 16 in the NIT, the 49ers
had some serious competition.
Rose approached Kentucky’s
legendary coach Adolph Rupp
for some direction.
Rupp secured an
appointment for Rose to make his case before the 1976 NIT selection
committee in New York. Rose remembers the experience as a strange one.
“I went into the belly of Madison Square Gardens to meet these guys smoking
cigars. The air was so thick, I could hardly see them. Peter Carlesimo, a former football
player and the committee chair, looked me over and asked, ‘Whaddya got?’”
Rose spoke for 10 minutes and waited. Finally, Carlesimo thanked him,
and Rose walked out.
“That was the emptiest feeling I’ve ever had,” he says.
Well into the two-day selection process, the call came from Carlesimo.
“We’re selecting you,” he growled, “but don’t disappoint us.”
And the 49ers – with a jaw-dropping performance by Cedric Maxwell ’77 – didn’t.
A first-round draft pick by the Boston Celtics, which has retired his jersey,
Maxwell almost didn’t make it to the NIT as a UNC Charlotte player.
As a 17-year-old freshman who had been cut from his high school team as a
junior, Maxwell had an ominous introduction to campus life. His first day, he got
stitches from a cut received during a pick-up game. His second, he had a severe allergic
reaction to shrimp he’d eaten in the cafeteria. If his third day were equally as danger-ous,
he vowed he’d head home.
Basketball
career records
men’s
Total points
Henry Williams (1988-92) 2,383
Scoring average (minimum of 50 games)
George Jackson (1973-75) 20.4
Field goals made
Lew Massey (1974-78) 916
Field goal percentage (minimum of 400 attempted)
Cedric Maxwell (1973-77) .5861
20-Point games
Henry Williams (1988-92) 65
Free throws made
Jarvis Lang (1990-91, 1992-95) 538
Free throw percentage (minimum of 200 attempted)
Roderick Howard (1993-97) .878
Rebounds
Cedric Maxwell (1973-77) 1,117
Rebounds per game (minimum of two years)
Cedric Maxwell (1973-77) 10.0
Assists (since 1972)
Keith Williams (1983-87) 515
Dunks (since 1980)
Jarvis Lang (1990-91, 1992-95) 162
Steals (since 1972)
Keith Williams (1983-87) 236
Double-doubles (points-rebounds)
Jarvis Lang (1990-91, 1992-95) 53
Blocked shots (since 1975)
Ray Gromlowicz (1983-87) 194
Double-figure scoring games (since 1971)
Henry Williams (1988-92) 111
Minutes played (since 1977)
Henry Williams (1988-92) 3,996
Minutes per game (since 1977)
Chad Kinch (1976-80) 36.4
Three-point field goals made
Jobey Thomas (1998-2002) 346
For LOVE of the GAME
8 S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 ▪ C O V E R S T O R Y
Cedric Maxwell
Considered the greatest
player in 49ers history,
Cedric Maxwell continues to
hold three UNC Charlotte
career records. He had his
jersey retired in 1977.
It was a seismic shock to the program. Suddenly, they were
playing the big girls.
Payne, wanting to start a family, had taken the position
anticipating traveling no more than a few hours from home.
Instead, she found herself traveling throughout the East Coast.
“I didn’t even have an assistant, just a guy who said he’d
come when he could to help drive the van,” Payne says. “I
hadn’t bargained for this.”
Payne was discovering what men’s coaches – including
her husband – had known for years: Coaching college ball
was all-consuming.
These growing pains were common to most women’s teams at the time, Payne
says. They were struggling to transition from what had basically been club teams to
ones that were nationally competitive. Nonetheless, Payne produced winning seasons
both years she coached.
Kristin Wilson ’87, whom Payne had spotted in Germany when she had coached
at a military dependents’ summer camp, was one of the keys. By her senior year,
Wilson had set four single season records. She still holds three school career records
and shares Bennett’s distinction of having her jersey retired.
Men rebound
As the women’s program was finding its stride in Division I, the men’s team
was floundering. Between 1978 and 1985, the team posted a dismal 78-114 record.
Jeff Mullins, a former NBA World Champion with the Golden State Warriors and
an Olympic gold medalist, was hired to turn things around.
Mullins saw UNC Charlotte as a “diamond in
the rough.” He envisioned a program that the city of
Charlotte would once again embrace. But he had
some work to do.
He set about changing attitudes on campus, in
the community and among the players themselves.
However, an unforeseen challenge arose when the
NBA came to town two years later.
“That really interrupted my plan for Charlotte
for the long term. Pro teams can suck the life out of
college programs,” he notes.
So Mullins focused on all the positive aspects of
the program: strong support from the administration,
great coaches, being part of a strong university system
and being located in the growing city of Charlotte.
Plus, as the team moved from the Sun Belt to the
Metro Conference and finally to Conference USA,
the opponents and the players themselves ratcheted up a notch.
“The campus kept growing, the livability was terrific and the campus was very
sellable,” he points out. “And, we had a builder tradition.”
By his second season, Mullins had reinstilled a winning mentality and the team
went 18-14, the first winning season in five years. In the 11 years he coached, the
49ers took three trips to the NCAA tournament and two to the NIT.
Henry Williams ’96, who played for Mullins between 1988 and 1992, was on
two of those post-season tournament teams.
C O V E R S T O R Y ▪ S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 11
Coaching
records
women’s
 1 Judy Wilkins Rose .589
(1975-82) 93-65
 2 Ann Payne .625
(1982-84) 35-21
 3 Cindy Connelley .523
(1984-88) 56-51
 4 Ed Baldwin .478
(1988-2001) 175-191
 5 Katie Meier .532
(2001-03) 54-36
Post-season
tournament
play
women’s
1979 – NCAIAW Division II
1980 – NCAIAW Division II
1981 – NCAIAW Division II
1982 – NCAIAW Division II
1990 – NIT
2003 – NCAA
2004 – NIT
UNC Charlotte
conference affiliation
1948-1970 – Dixie (NAIA)
1970-1976 – Independent (NCAA Division 1)
1976-1991 – Sun Belt
1991-1995 – Metro
1995-2005 – Conference USA
2005- – Atlantic 10
 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
continued next page
Ann Payne
Henry Williams
Women take off
Rose attracted two talented women who set the program’s tone: Judy Wilkins,
now Judy Wilkins Rose (no relations to Lee Rose), its first coach and the university’s
current AD; and Paula Bennett ’83, one of the team’s first players.
Judy Rose, an assistant coach at the University of Tennessee while earning her
master’s degree, coached both tennis and basketball at UNC Charlotte. She embraced
her role – her first full-time job – as the architect of the women’s basketball program
with her characteristic enthusiasm.
“I know we weren’t very good when you
compared us to teams that had scholarship
players,” Rose says of her campus-recruited
team, “but the girls were real fighters.
Although we got beat, they never gave up.”
The third year, they had a winning season.
Bennett’s career as a 49er was the result
of serendipity. Lee Rose had arrived early at
her high school to watch the boys’ game
when he spotted her playing. An assistant
coach approached Bennett and told her they’d
be in touch. Judy Rose followed up with a
scholarship offer, the first anyone at Bennett’s
high school had ever earned.
Coming to Charlotte from Williamston
was an education in itself for Bennett, now
Army sergeant 1st class and an instructor at a
military intelligence school at Ft. Huachuca, Ariz. She was exposed to people from
different states and different cultures and learned that despite their differences, they
shared a common denominator: their love of basketball.
Bennett loved every aspect of the game. She loved to block shots and hit the ball
against the backboard. She could hardly wait to get to practice.
“I could jump so high above everyone else – I get goose bumps thinking about it
– and I was quicker. By the time they jumped, I had the ball and had already come
back down. It was the best feeling in the world.”
The first women’s player to have her jersey retired, Bennett still holds seven UNC
Charlotte career records.
On the court, the team was highly competitive. Off, the women were like a family.
“I loved the kids on my teams. They were like my own children,” Judy Rose
maintains. “I felt compelled to make sure they graduated and were prepared for life, as
well as prepared for basketball competitions.”
Based on the loyalty her former players still feel for her, Rose successfully did both.
“Judy was like our mother,” insists Diane Stepp Burton ’83, now a U.S. probation
officer assigned to the Western District of North Carolina in the Asheville Division.
“She always had us over for Thanksgiving. As I’ve gotten older, I realize how much
Judy Rose means to me. When I was sworn in to my current job, Judy was there. If it
weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I am.”
In 1982, when Rose stepped down to be assistant athletic director, Ann Payne
took over as women’s coach. Payne had inherited a strong program, but she was thrown
a curve ball. When the season began, the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for
Women had folded as women began to gain equity in athletics. Unexpectedly, the
women’s team was forced to join UNC Charlotte’s men’s team in NCAA Division I.
Basketball
career records
women’s
Points scored
Paula Bennett (1978-82) 2,078
Points per game
Paula Bennett (1978-82) 19.6
Field goals made
Paula Bennett (1978-82) 914
Field goals attempted
Paula Bennett (1978-82) 2,042
Field goal percentage
Sandra Williams (1989-91) .561
Three-point field goals made
Peaches Harris (2001-04) 157
Three-point field goal percentage
Tammy Gilliam (1990-93) .393
Free throws made
Kristin Wilson (1983-87) 412
Free throws attempted
Kim Fox (1977-81) 742
Free throw percentage
Lisa Gerton (1994-96) .861
Rebounds
Kristin Wilson (1983-87) 1,305
Rebounds per game
Paula Bennett (1979-82) 12.3
Offensive Rebounds
Charlette Hargrove (1994-97) 4.9
Assists
Markita Aldridge (1991-96) 442
Blocks
Adrienne Jordan (1998-2001) 207
Steals
Patricia Walker (1978-1982) 301
Number of 30-point games
Paula Bennett (1979-82) 14
Number of 20-point games
Paula Bennett (1979-1982) 49
Double-doubles
Kristin Wilson (1984-87) 68
Triple-doubles Patricia Walker (1978-82)
13 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists
10 S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 ▪ C O V E R S T O R Y
For LOVE of the GAME
Paula Bennett (left) and Patricia Walker
12 S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 ▪ C O V E R S T O R Y C O V E R S T O R Y ▪ S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 13
“There’s such opportunity for positive growth in the university, and it’s mirrored
in the growth of the women’s basketball program,” Meier says.
The program’s greatest strength is the strong university-wide desire – and support
– for women’s basketball to succeed.
Meier, who has an M.A.T. in English, is pleased her teams are winning, but it’s
how they’re winning that makes her most proud.
“The most pressure I put on myself as coach is to form and mold the young ladies I
have for four years and make them better,” she says. “It’s not the wins and losses. I don’t
remember disappointing losses, but if a young lady fails, I ask myself, ‘Did I fail her?’”
Meier takes to heart Chancellor Jim Woodward’s charge to make the program a
window to the university. She says she and her staff take great care in choosing the
best recruits for their program, women who will represent the university well.
“The easiest part is to evaluate the talent. The hardest part is to evaluate
character,” she asserts.
While Meier was familiar with her players’ side of the court, Bobby Lutz ’80 was
not. He had the fortune – or misfortune – of trying out for the 1977 NCAA Final
Four team. He didn’t make it. So while Maxwell, Watkins and other outstanding
players were wowing national audiences, Lutz was beginning to earn the first of four
undergraduate and master’s degrees.
After coaching successful high school teams and rejuvenating Pfeiffer University’s
program, Lutz applied for a coaching position under Mullins. He was turned down –
several times. Finally, in 1995, Mullins gave him a chance, and Lutz joined the 49ers as
an assistant coach. In 1998, he succeeded Watkins as head coach. In his first six sea-sons,
the man who couldn’t earn a 49ers jersey as a walk on has won more games than
any coach in the history of the men’s basketball program. His teams have won three C-USA
championships and have gone on to post-season tournaments five of those years.
Lutz, who joined the UNC Charlotte Alumni Hall of Fame in 2002, is modest
about his success. He says he was fortunate to take over a
program that his two predecessors had positioned so well.
And he knew he was ready for the challenge.
At every game, when he enters the arena, he looks at the
student sections to thank them for being there. But first, he
looks for his family.
“We tell our players that faith and family should be
your first priority, academics second and basketball third,”
he comments. “I try to model that in actions rather than
just words.”
Like his counterpart in the women’s program, Lutz
enjoys the competition, the teamwork and the family feeling
involved in coaching. He says he loves to watch his players
get better as he strives for excellence in every phase of the program, a program that is
the second most successful one in the 10 years of Conference USA.
“Our program has represented the university well,” he says.
Judy Rose says the two greatest strengths of UNC Charlotte’s basketball program
are Katie Meier and Bobby Lutz. Meier, she says, knows how to motivate her players,
and Lutz is an excellent strategist.
Next year, after 40 years of men’s basketball and 30 years of women’s, UNC Charlotte
is poised to join the Atlantic 10 Conference. Rose says fans can expect the same highly
competitive games, the same level of success and integrity – and the same passion – that
Lutz, Meier, the players and other coaches have made the hallmark of 49ers basketball.
“It was the most exciting time of my life,” says
Williams, now a pastor, businessman and color radio
analyst for the NBA Charlotte Bobcats. “I felt like
we had the city of Charlotte behind us. The fans were
passionate. That came from the passion Judy Rose,
Coach and the chancellor felt. That was contagious.”
Like Mullins, Williams is proud of helping to
build the program, noting that everyone at that time
felt they played a part.
“Wearing the UNC Charlotte jersey (at the
NCAA tournament) showed that we might not be
as well known, but we were every bit as good.”
Williams was indeed good, named first-team
NCAA freshman all-American. He still holds four
university career records.
Programs score a slam dunk
By the time Mullins left the university in 1996,
he had achieved his goal of
building a solid foundation
for the men’s basketball
program. His successor,
former 49ers team captain
Melvin Watkins, built on that
foundation to take his teams
to a 42-20 record during his
two years coaching.
While the men built, the
women struggled, falling to a
231-242 record from the mid-
’80s until Katie Meier took the helm in 2001.
The former ACC 1986 Rookie of the Year at Duke
University and pro player in Belgium didn’t see a
losing program. She saw a golden opportunity.
Like her successful predecessors, Meier character-izes
herself as a builder and says her job as head
women’s coach fits her “to a T.” A self-described “big
picture” person, she says she does her best when she
narrows her focus. Her first year, Meier narrowed it
to the “W” column.
“I didn’t even talk about the ‘L’ column,” she
asserts. “I said we’re here to get wins. Every time we
take the floor, it’s an opportunity to get one more
W for this university.”
Her first year, she got 16 of them. The second
season, the program earned its first bid to the NCAA
tournament, and Meier was named Conference USA
and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Region
IV Coach of the Year. Last year, the team was invited
to play in the Women’s NIT.
For LOVE of the GAME Retired Jerseys
men’s
4 Byron Dinkins (1985-89) Jersey retired Oct. 16, 1997
“The Dink,” Jeff Mullins’ first recruit, was his team’s leading
scorer for all three seasons he played. He compiled 1,657 points,
513 assists and 139 three-point field goals.
4 DeMarco Johnson (1994-98) Jersey retired Jan. 26, 2000
Johnson remains C-USA’s all-time leading scorer despite playing in
that league for just three seasons. Part of three NCAA Tournament
teams, he posted a 16.8 career scoring average and 7.8 career
rebounding average.
23 Jarvis Lang (1990-91, 1992-95) Jersey retired Oct. 15, 1996
With a 42-inch vertical leap, Lang nailed 1,855 points and grabbed
1,047 rebounds. He still holds the university’s career record for
free throws made (538), double-doubles (53) and the most dunks
(162) since 1980 when they first were allowed.
32 Melvin Watkins (1973-77) Jersey retired March 2, 1977
A proven leader, Watkins captained two teams (that never lost a
home game) to the 1976 NIT Finals and 1977 NCAA Final Four.
Returning in 1996 for two seasons as the 49ers head men’s basket-ball
coach, he compiled an overall coaching record of 23-7.
33 Cedric Maxwell (1973-77) Jersey retired March 2, 1977
Considered the greatest player in 49ers history, Maxwell played in
the 1976 NIT Finals and 1977 NCAA Final Four. His moniker
of “Cornbread” was picked up by the New York City press during
the 1976 NIT Tournament and stuck. To this day, he holds the
UNC Charlotte career records for rebounds (1,117), rebounds
per game for a player on the team for at least two years (10) and
field goal percentage with a minimum of 400 attempted (.5861).
Additionally, he holds four single-season records.
34 Henry Williams (1988-92) Jersey retired March 7, 1992
The all-time leading scorer in 49ers history with 2,383 points,
Williams also is tops in the university’s record books in double-figure
scoring games since 1971 (111) and minutes played since
1977 (3,996). With a career record 65 20-point games, Williams
is the only UNC Charlotte player to average more than 20 points
in three seasons.
45 Charles Hayward (1997-99) Jersey retired Sept. 15, 1999
When his leukemia went into remission after his freshman year,
Hayward lived his dream of playing college ball. In the 10 games
he played the fall of 1998, he made his mark by blocking a Halton
Arena record six shots and scored a game-tying basket with 1.00 left in overtime in
the 49ers first visit to UNC Chapel Hill. However, his greatest legacy before leukemia
claimed him in December 1998 was as an inspiration for all 49ers.
women’s
21 Paula Bennett (1979-82)
Jersey retired Feb. 8, 1998
Bennett was the 49ers’ first all-American, earning
first-team American Sports Foundation honors in
1980. She remains the 49ers’ all-time scoring leader
and the only player in 49ers history to score 2,000
career points (2,078). A three-time MVP, Bennett is
second all-time in rebounds and steals and leads the
program with 14 games of 30 or more points.
35 Kristin Wilson (1984-87)
Jersey retired Feb. 2, 2003
Wilson is the school’s second all-time leading scorer
and first all-time leading rebounder. She scored more
than 1,900 career points with over 1,300 career
rebounds and was named the 1987 Sun Belt
Conference Player of the Year.Wilson was an honorable
mention all-America by the Women’s Basketball
Yearbook as both a junoir and senior and was a two-time
team MVP. Wilson owns records for most points
scored in a season (619) and points in a game (45).
Katie Meier
Bobby Lutz
F E A T U R E A R T I C L E ▪ S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 15
The day she thought about killing herself,
“Suzanne” felt bad from the second she got up.
It had been a rough couple of days, what with an athletic team practice, school
and all. A lot of little things were adding up. She had been trying to think positive
thoughts to keep the depression at bay. She kept telling herself she could do it, but
the feeling of being immobilized was setting in.
Suzanne plodded to the bathroom. She faced the medicine cabinet and swung
the door open. Her housemate’s bottle of pills offered peace. She reached for them
and headed back to her room in a haze. She put the bottle under her bed – for later.
First, she had to go to work.
Suzanne knew she needed help. She knew she should call her counselor but she
was afraid. In therapy, Suzanne had talked about her feeling of being a burden, of
feeling she shouldn’t need so much help. Suzanne remembered “Dr. Madison’s”
instructions to call, but she couldn’t pick up the phone. So she compromised.
She left a message for Madison, vague, saying only that she needed to talk.
Madison left a time to call that afternoon.
After work, Suzanne uncharacteristically skipped team practice and didn’t
call the coach. Instead, she walked home. She began to cry. The house was
dark and empty. Her depression deepened.
Suzanne went to her room and reached under her bed. She snapped the
cap, the pills tumbling into her hand. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she
looked at the colors she cupped and thought about her family. She knew she
couldn’t kill herself without saying good-bye.
Suzanne heard the front door open. Her housemate had returned.
It was time to call Dr. Madison. She didn’t want to. But now she had
another fear, a greater fear that gave her courage. She was afraid of what
would happen if she didn’t pick up the phone.
That call may have saved her life.
Suzanne is among the growing number of college students suffering from
depression. In the 2004 National College Health Assessment, 18.5 percent of
students reported being diagnosed with this illness, a percentage similar to that
at UNC Charlotte. Of all the students surveyed, about 45 percent reported feel-ing
so depressed at some time that it was difficult to function. Of those stu-dents,
10 percent seriously considered suicide and about 1 percent attempted it.
Based on a 2004 survey, Suzanne is one of an estimated 3,600 UNC
Charlotte students who has been diagnosed with depression and one of about
2,000 who is projected to have seriously considered suicide.
According to Richard Kadison, chief of mental health at Harvard Univer-sity
Health Services, today’s students are arriving on campus with more psychological
problems than those from previous generations. The reasons, he says, are varied. They
are more likely to be children of divorce or have experimented with drugs, alcohol and
sex. They worry about college costs, grades and terrorism, he notes in the Dec. 10,
2004, issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education, “The Mental-Health Crisis: What
Colleges Must Do.”
And they are more likely to have received psychiatric treatment in high school.
Most mental health professionals concur that thanks to new medications, students who
previously never would have been able to do so now attend college.
However, Kadison notes, many more students are unaware that they have
problems and thus, don’t seek help.
“They consider what they are experiencing a
weakness and don’t realize that they can’t just will
themselves to be better, any more than diabetics can
will themselves to produce more insulin,” he wrote in
The Chronicle.
To reach those students seeking help – as well as
to those who aren’t – UNC Charlotte’s Counseling
Center offers dozens of workshops each year. Staff
members take their presentations and pamphlets on
such topics as stress management and healthy life
styles to the residence halls, learning communities,
athletics teams and Greek organizations.
That was how Suzanne learned about the
Counseling Center.
Beginning in junior high and escalating in high
school, she had suffered bouts of depression and feel-ings
of being overwhelmed. To cope, she used positive
strategies – journaling and being in sports – but also
negative ones – developing an eating disorder and
cutting herself. Emotional fights with her divorced
mother, who believed everything would be all right,
exacerbated the situation.
continued on next page
Counseling Center psychologist
Frank Bettoli says students usually
find it a relief to talk about
the stress in their lives and find
direction on managing it.
℡
14 S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 ▪ F E A T U R E A R T I C L E
The dark at the
end of the tunnel
By Gina Carroll Howard
Study pressures, relationship
problems, late nights and little
sleep – all are college students’
rights of passage. However, more
and more frequently, students
aren’t able to just shrug off
daily stressors. Instead,
they’re overwhelmed to
the point all they see is
Although a real student and counselor
at UNC Charlotte, “Suzanne’s” and
“Dr. Madison’s” real names and other
identifying details have been changed
to protect Suzanne’s privacy.
stock photo: not a UNC Charlotte student
F E A T U R E A R T I C L E ▪ S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 17
Resident students have additional lifelines. With nearly 800 programs ranging
from workshops that build skills or cope with stress, to social programs or community
service opportunities, the residential environment is designed to foster student connec-tions
both to campus resources and to each other. When that connection breaks down,
specially trained resident advisors (R.A.s) on every floor are the first resources.
In a crisis, the R.A. would call senior Housing and Residence Life staff, who
would work with mental health professionals to assess the student’s needs.
Because of legal restrictions, the Counseling Center staff cannot notify parents of stu-dents
over 18 without the student’s permission. The staff of Housing and Residence Life
must also abide by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which prohibits the
release of a student’s medical records – even to parents. However, the law does allow for
parental contact in the case of emergency and based upon the circumstances surrounding
the student situation. Housing staff determines whether parental contact is appropriate.
Allan Blattner, associate director for staff and student development, is one of the
Department of Housing and Residence Life administrators who weighs a student’s
right to privacy with the need to involve parents. While The Counseling Center serves
as the student’s advocate, Housing and Residence Life advocates both for the student
and for the entire campus community. Blattner must determine what is best not only
for that student, but for the residential community affected by that student.
“There’s a lot going on in the halls, lots of energy and potential distractions.
While this is just the right environment for most, it may not necessarily be the right
place for students in crisis,” Blattner points out. “Sometimes, after consultation with
the doctors, students do not return to the residence halls. Other times, we work with
the Counseling Center and other community professionals who monitor the students
to help ensure they receive the treatment they need while living on campus.”
Sometimes taking a semester off is what a student needs before getting the neces-sary
help upon returning to campus, agrees David Spano, Counseling Center director.
Other times, a directed plan combining counseling and medication is effective.
Yet, many people are hesitant to share suicidal thoughts, MacNair-Semands notes,
adding that those who do join a therapy group with people who have had the same
thoughts find it can be relieving.
“It doesn’t mean you’re weak if you don’t do it on your own,” she insists.
“It’s a sign of strength to walk through the door and talk to a stranger about very
intimate feelings.”
Suzanne feels she has that strength now. It’s been a gradual process, she says, one
that’s been hard, and one that has required a lot of work. She’s thankful she had the
support of family, friends, teachers and a therapist she trusted. To be successful, she
had to learn to love herself.
“I had to rewire my thinking,” Suzanne explains. “Now, when I’m going through
stressful times, it’s a matter of looking at it in a positive way. It’s not the easiest thing
to do. Things happen, but I’m much healthier, not just physically but spiritually and
emotionally. I experience depression occasionally like the average person does, and
I have better ways of dealing with it. It’s hard sometimes, but it’s part of life.”
SIGNS OF STRESS
IN STUDENTS
▪ Social isolation, withdrawal, lethargy
▪ Inability to focus on a specific topic in
a conversation or activity
▪ Disorganized thinking and speech, feelings
that are inappropriate to the situation
or other evidence that student is
“out of touch with reality”
▪ Expression of feelings of persecution,
strong mistrust of others
▪ Violent outbursts
▪ Signs of excessive alcohol or drug use
▪ Expressions of general unhappiness
over a period of several weeks
▪ Frequent class absence or “disappearance”
over extended periods
▪ Gain or loss of significant amounts
of weight
▪ Abrupt change in manner, style or
personal hygiene
▪ Increasing dependence on you or others
▪ Marked anxiety, extreme restlessness,
inability to concentrate or relax
▪ Marked decrease or increase in appetite
▪ Marked decrease or increase in sleep
▪ Loss of interest in formerly pleasurable
or meaningful activities, such as classes,
social life, intimate relationships
▪ Expression of irrational fears
▪ Physical complaints without a
medical cause, such as headache,
stomach pains, etc.
▪ Unusual ritualistic or repetitive behavior
▪ Chronic fatigue
▪ Suicidal thoughts, plans, threats
▪ Overwhelming financial obligations
the tunnel
UNC CHARLOTTE’S COUNSELING CENTER
The UNC Charlotte Counseling Center provides confidential, free short-term individual and group counseling; consultation for
faculty, staff, parents and students; and educational programs to the campus community. Information on the Counseling Center’s services;
help for concerned faculty, staff, parents and friends; an online screening program; self-help information and links to other mental-health
resources are all available online at www.counselingcenter.uncc.edu/.
To contact the center, stop by Atkins 158 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or call 704-687-2105.
16 S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 ▪ F E A T U R E A R T I C L E
“She didn’t realize how hard it was for me,” Suzanne
remembers. “She thought I could just stop. Being an
athlete probably saved me.”
As a UNC Charlotte student athlete – and
because of her history, Suzanne was required to attend
a proactive program her freshman year. Through this
program, she met Madison.
Suzanne’s deteriorating family situation and past
issues that had returned to haunt her were wearing her
down, so she asked the nutritionist to contact Madison.
“Society makes you feel that you must be crazy if
you go to a therapist, but I’d gotten tired of it interrupt-ing
my life,” Suzanne says of the depression. “I figured
the intelligent decision was to use the resources here.”
Suzanne’s willingness to try therapy was a success
for the center’s outreach programs.
“It’s usually something of a relief to talk about what’s
going on and find some direction on how to manage
it,” says Frank Bettoli, one of seven licensed doctoral-level
psychologists on the Counseling Center staff.
Bettoli says one of the center’s goals is to normal-ize
the counseling experience and reduce the stigma of
seeking help.
To raise awareness of their services, Counseling Center staff members talk to
parents during Student Orientation, Advising and Registration; participate in Week of
Welcome; and even stand outside at a busy campus intersection each semester offering
coffee and bagels to passing students.
They also teach faculty and staff how to identify and refer students they feel may
have emotional, relational or behavior problems. Staff members offer information at
department meetings and meet with new faculty as part of orientation.
“Faculty and staff are on the frontlines with students every day,”
Bettoli notes. “We are working with them to better recognize and
respond to significant problems they might see in the classroom.”
One empathetic faculty member made a critical difference
to Suzanne.
At times, Suzanne went on what she calls “autopilot,” moving
into a dissociative state to just get through the day.
She began to skip her morning classes and her GPA plummeted.
Part of her felt bad about neglecting her responsibilities, but another
part knew she had to conserve what energy she had. Her dread at facing
the professor whose class she was failing grew so great, she no longer
wanted to attend class on her “good” days. At her sister’s urging,
Suzanne screwed up her courage and e-mailed the professor, explaining
that she was experiencing some “problems.”
To her relief, she found the professor to be supportive and
respectful, motivating her to complete the work.
“She never judged me, and it made a big difference,” Suzanne avows.
Although Suzanne was in therapy, negative thoughts about herself
were continual.
“I felt I was a failure. I was unmotivated, fatigued. I’d just stay in
bed. I had to do what I had to do to survive,” she recalls. “I couldn’t
complete my workout. I’m very consistent, and that inconsistency was
another failure. Nothing seemed to matter any more. Even if it were a
nice, sunny day, everything felt dead, dark.”
That was right before Suzanne nearly killed herself.
When Dr. Madison received Suzanne’s call for help that night, she did what she
does with all students who are actively suicidal: She tried to keep her safe.
Hospitalization is a last resort, says Rebecca MacNair-Semands, Counseling Center
associate director and clinical services coordinator. Instead, she and the other counselors
encourage students to talk about their suicidal thoughts. They encourage them to call a
friend and engage in coping strategies that work for them. They set up a plan to help
them get through the day, then the next day, then the next week. Individual therapy ses-sions
often become more frequent until things become more manageable for the student.
“Having suicidal thoughts doesn’t mean a person has to act on them,” MacNair-
Semands maintains. “Many people who have been experiencing suicidal thoughts for
years come in and discover they can learn new strategies and tap into their own
strengths and build on them.”
Together the student and therapist look at the strategies the student has been
using, explore why they haven’t been working and develop some new ones.
But sometimes students consider acting on their suicidal thoughts. As an
off-campus student, Suzanne was fortunate to have the support of Madison and
her housemate to get her through the crisis.
The dark at the end of
Rodney Bragdon and Jocelyn Buhain, two predoctoral interns,
raise awareness of the Counseling Center's services by visiting
classes to talk to students.
“I used to feel that my work was helping ‘save’ the world,” another shelter
employee told the researchers. “Not anymore. Although I believe that euthanasia isn’t
the worst thing that can happen to an animal, it’s taking a toll on my life.”
In their research, Rogelberg and Reeve studied what they deemed ‘turning-point
events,’ particularly positive events that spur changes in an employee’s attitude, thought
process and perceived stress level. For example, shelter workers who had developed an
attachment to a particular animal experienced an emotionally difficult time following
its death. However, they reported feeling less distressed when animals were euthanized
due to failing health.
Overall, Rogelberg and Reeve found that varying levels of stress can manifest itself
in a number of ways. Many of the shelter workers interviewed said that they often feel
angry, sad, guilty and disgusted even though they attempt to conceal their true feelings.
As a way to detach themselves from the pain and guilt that often comes from euthaniz-ing
an animal, they try to emotionally detach themselves from the animals they work
with each day. However, because most workers who enter the field do so because they
love animals, they find this extremely difficult to do. The resulting internal conflict
puts them at risk for a variety of
psychological, emotional and
physical ailments such as high
blood pressure, depression,
unresolved grief, substance abuse
and suicide.
“These animal shelter work-ers
are performing a job that many
of us wouldn’t want to do, but
needs to be done given society’s
neglect of dealing with the pet over-population,”
says Rogelberg. “It’s a
thankless, emotionally taxing and
often underappreciated job.”
Rogelberg and Reeve found
that the highest turnover among
distraught shelter workers occurred within the first year. Many reported their first
euthanasia procedure was a
significant turning point.
The researchers feel that better
recruitment and early socialization
practices would help lessen the stress.
Coaching and mentoring workers-in-
training would help decrease
turnover in first-year employees and
help them form realistic job expecta-tions.
The researchers further urge
shelter workers to develop technical
skills and competence through for-mal
euthanasia training, certification
programs and direct practice.
Supervisors should provide
timely feedback and allow employees to offer input. Additionally, shelters may need
to revise their euthanasia practices. Leaving euthanized animals in the procedure
room as more are put down is psychologically damaging to the workers who view
this day after day.
As part of a $75,000 research grant from the
Humane Society of the United States, Rogelberg and
Reeve have created a Shelter Diagnostic System to help
animal shelters operate better. The system collects and
analyzes employee attitudes, perceptions and opinions
of their work environments. The system is designed to
improve euthanasia practices, supervisory style, team-work,
peer-support and overall morale while increasing
organizational effectiveness.
However, Rogelberg and Reeve say the most effective
way to reduce the caregivers’ stress lies squarely with pet
owners: responsible ownership would decrease the num-ber
of euthanasia procedures. Proactive public awareness
programs, innovative adoption programs, such as
mobile adoption units, and extensive neuter assistance
programs offer a positive alternative to euthanasia.
“The need for euthanasia starts and ends with us,”
Rogelberg says. “By treating animals humanely and
engaging actively in spay and neuter programs, the
need for euthanizing healthy, but unwanted, animals
itself will die away over time.”
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Rogelberg’s and Reeve’s research is detailed in “The ‘care-killing
paradox: Euthanasia-related strain among animal
shelter workers,” which they wrote along with Christiane
Spitzmuller and Natalie DiGiacomo and is in the volume 35,
2005 issue of the Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
F E A T U R E A R T I C L E ▪ S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 19
“By treating animals
humanely and engaging
actively in spay and neuter
programs, the need for
euthanizing healthy, but
unwanted, animals itself
will die away over time.”
Steven Rogelberg
18 S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 ▪ F E A T U R E A R T I C L E
Of the 6 to 8 million cats and dogs that enter animal
shelters each year, nearly one-half are euthanized.
The reasons behind these troubling statistics in a 2003 Humane Society
of the United States study are varied. The magnitude of the country’s pet
overpopulation, limitations on funding to create shelter facilities and the
persistence of pets that are abandoned or given up have caused extensive
animal euthanasia to become a tragic reality – with no signs of slowing.
Yet the numbers don’t show another casualty that has been largely
neglected: the thousands of people across the country who are charged
with euthanizing those animals.
“It’s very difficult when we are inundated from spring until fall,” laments one
shelter employee. Every single person who walks through the door has one more
litter of kittens. So the animal may come in the front door and go out the back.”
UNC Charlotte’s Steven Rogelberg and Charlie Reeve have been studying
this and other “at risk” care providers since 2000, learning about euthanasia-related
stress and finding ways to promote overall shelter health.
Rogelberg, an associate psychology professor and an adjunct professor in the
Belk College of Business, heads up the industrial and organizational psychology
program at the university. He teamed with Reeve, an assistant psychology professor,
to study what they refer to as a ‘dirty work’ occupation.
Reeve says that although animal care professionals are aware of the stress, little
empirical research exists that would help these caregivers ease it.
For several years, the professors assessed the degree of euthanasia-related stress
that shelter workers experienced, its potential impact on their well-being and ways to
alleviate it. They also explored the influence individual workers’ personalities, jobs and
organizational differences play on the degree of euthanasia-related stress they
felt. Through several exploratory studies, and with the help and cooperation
of the Humane Society of the United States, Rogelberg and Reeve have come
up with successful methods that animal shelters can implement to increase
their employees’ overall well-being.
The stress triggers that shelter workers are exposed to are uniquely
different from the usual work-related stress that employees in other profes-sions
experience. People entering this field say they often do so because they
want to help animals. However, they discover that they are faced with a daily
contradiction: acting as ‘protectors’ of these animals, while having to kill
healthy but unwanted animals. This creates a ‘care-killing’ paradox.
The ‘CARE-killing’
paradoX
Euthanasia strains
animal shelter workers By Jemi Johnson
Steven Rogelberg Charlie Reeve
A L U M N I N O T E S ▪ S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 21
Sybil Rinehardt ’71, ’82 M.A. has been
named the interim dean of the arts and
sciences division of Forsyth Technical
Community College. Sybil, who has been
coordinating the student success center, has
been with the college full time since 1997.
Jan McCombs ’76 received the American
Stars of Teaching award last September.
The Kannapolis middle school teacher was
the only North Carolina educator who
received the award. Jan, who has taught
nearly 2,500 students during her career,
was honored for boosting student achieve-ment
by carrying out the No Child Left
Behind Act. She and her husband, Keith,
make their home in Kannapolis.
Chuck Kitchen ’77 was named the 2004
County Attorney of the Year by the N.C.
County Attorneys Association. Chuck has
been Durham County’s attorney since
1996. He is past president of the N.C.
County Attorneys Association and the
National Association of Civil County
Attorneys. Chuck has volunteered for
30 years with the American Red Cross,
serving as an instructor-trainer in first
aid/CPR/AED and first responder courses.
Hardin Minor ’79 was invited to choreo-graph
a new piece for the UNC Charlotte
spring dance concert April 20-24 on the
main stage in the beautiful new Robinson
Hall. This is the third time that Hardin
has worked with students from the Depart-ment
of Dance and Theatre.He has had a
distinguished career, helping to found one
of Charlotte’s first modern dance compa-nies,
New Reflections Dance Theatre, in
1976. He also has served for 25 years as
co-artistic director of the OMIMEO
Mime Theatre. In addition to teaching,
performing and choreographing, Hardin
has been hired by a variety of top-flight
corporate and philanthropic organizations
as creative consultant. He credits his edu-cation
at UNC Charlotte with his success
as a performing artist and says he’s always
eager to return to his alma mater to work.
David Elliott ’80 has joined Fuji Photo
Film in Greenwood, S.C., as human
resources manager of Fuji’s Graphic
System Division.He is married to Karen
Carpenter Elliott ’78, who is a seventh-grade
language arts teacher at Northside
Middle School. They reside in Greenwood
with their son, Paul.
Eleanor Stevens ’83 has joined the WTVI
team as corporate development manager.
She is responsible for securing and manag-ing
the underwriting of WTVI’s program-ming,
which includes PBS specials and
local productions. She and her husband,
Marc Woodling, and their son, Zack,
make their home in Charlotte.
Kris Krider ’85 was proud that the town
of Davidson, for which he is planning
director, has received the overall excellence
in smart growth award from the EPA. This
is unusual since the awards don’t usually
go to the community as a whole, but rather
to organizations within the community.
Kris has been on the job for just a year.
William Anderson ’87, a 13-year veteran
of the Columbia Fire Department, has
been named chief. He has been the
assistant chief since 1991. William is the
father of two sons, Seth, 19, and Carl, 16.
William makes his home in Columbia, SC.
Jeff Grigg ’87 has been promoted to
director of production services at Anderson
Communications in Hilton Head, S.C.,
where he now resides.
Scott Price ’87 moved to Japan in 1990 to
begin his career after receiving an M.B.A.
and M.A. in Asian studies from the
University of Virginia. He’s back in Japan
for the third time after having lived in
Malaysia, Australia and China. He is now
president of DHL Japan, the largest
international express company in Japan.
Financial planners, car detailers, restaurant
owners and chiropractors were just a few
of the more than 50 alumni vendors who
connected with fellow alumni during last
year’s first 49er Business Fair. The UNC
Charlotte Alumni Association will host the
2nd annual 49er Business Fair on Tuesday,
April 19, in the Wachovia Atrium in downtown
Charlotte. Food and drink, prizes and an
appearance by Norm, the UNC Charlotte
mascot, will add a festive air to this business
opportunity. For more information, please
contact the UNC Charlotte Alumni Affairs
Office at 704-687-2273 or 1-800-PIK-UNCC.
20 S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 ▪ A L U M N I N O T E S
Urban planners Sue Schwartz ’83 M.A. and Carol Rhea ’83,
’86 M.A., and master’s planning student Megan Cummings ’99 have
done a lot of building. They each have managed to design, revive
and skillfully plan towns, neighborhoods, streets and key government
projects. They’re also working to build a better reputation for their
profession. But most importantly, the women have each built stellar
reputations as leaders in a historically male-dominated profession.
The women hold offices in the nation’s largest organization for
planners, the American Planning Association (APA). Schwartz is
president-elect of the American Institute of Certified Planners
(AICP), the 14,000-member professional institute of APA; Rhea
serves on the APA board of directors as the Region II director; and
Cummings, who is now a graduate student at the University of
Southern California, is chair of the Student Representative Council
and advisor to the APA board.
“It is unprecedented to have three people from one institution
in key leadership positions for the APA on the national level,” said
Owen Furuseth, associate provost for metropolitan studies and
extended academic programs at UNC Charlotte, who knew Schwartz
and Rhea as students. “Their progression in their careers is really a
proud moment for our program.”
The women also represent a growing population of females in
the planning profession. According to a
2004 APA survey, women represent
34 percent of the
profession, up from 28 percent in 1995. Schwartz is the first woman
in a decade to become AICP president-elect and the first in APA
history from North Carolina.
Schwartz, Rhea and Cummings are also very well-respected.
As Greensboro’s chief of neighborhood planning, Schwartz is known
for leading the revitalization of several of Greensboro’s abandoned
and historic areas and for creating High Point’s first greenway. Rhea,
the president of her own consulting firm, has years of experience in
government planning and administration at the local, regional and
state levels in Florida and North Carolina. As a graduate student,
Cummings is working toward becoming a transportation planner.
She has interned with the Civic Enterprise Associates and Metrans
Transportation Center in Los Angeles.
Although a passion for the profession connected them, it was
fate and mutual friends that brought Rhea and Schwartz together
more than 20 years ago at UNC Charlotte. Several years later they
reunited in service to their profession, working on committees and
holding office in the North Carolina chapter and eventually serving
adjacent terms as president.
Cummings, who recently met Rhea and Schwartz during a
summer retreat in Utah, affectionately refers to them as her mentors.
“I’m so appreciative that Carol and Sue have taken me under
their wing,” she said. “I’m fortunate to be able to learn from them.”
Building great careers is not the only goal these planners have.
They are also working to create a more positive reputation for their
profession and encourage fellow planners to feel good about their
work. Rhea says people tend to think of planners as bureaucrats and
see them as obstacles. But she said it’s a planner’s responsibility to
think about the impact of decisions on an entire community –
not just on individual projects or organizations.
“Not all decisions planners make are popular. We must look at
the bigger picture and keep in mind that we are often planning
for people who aren’t even born yet. Planning for future pop-ulations
and growth sometimes conflicts with what people
want today,” Rhea said. “Planners are some of the most
self-deprecating people, and we have to encourage one
another to be proud of our accomplishments.”
Fursueth agrees and says they’re in good positions to
change public perceptions. He notes the three are great
ambassadors for the profession and UNC Charlotte.
“We’ve got wonderful graduates across the state and
the U.S., but in this case when you see your students
develop, and they are on the national stage helping to shape
urban policy and areas related to planning, it’s quite rewarding.”
– Natasha Ashe-Suber
ALUMNAE PLAN FOR TOMORROW
Sue Schwartz
Carol Rhea
Megan Cummings
A L U M N I N O T E S ▪ S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 23
Mary Hagerty Ward ’90 has assumed the
newly-created position of training and edu-cation
director for the Mecklenburg
County Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
She oversees local grant opportunities for
programs dealing with alcohol abuse/edu-cation/
prevention and underage alcohol
issues, including college campus life. She
lives with her husband, Stephen, and
daughter, Molly, in Charlotte.
Mark Helm ’92 has taken a new position
as senior vice president and general counsel
for OpBiz, LLC d/b/a Aladdin Resort &
Casino in Las Vegas. Prior to joining
OpBiz, Mark was vice president and gen-eral
counsel of Planet Hollywood Interna-tional,
Inc., an international brand
company based in Orlando, Fla. He and
his wife, Carrie, live in Henderson, Nev.
Meldrina Chapin ’93, ’94 B.Arch. is com-pleting
her Ph.D. at the University of Wis-consin-
Milwaukee. She has received a
2004-2005 American Institute of Architects
Arthur N. Tuttle Jr. Graduate Fellowship in
Health Facility Planning and Design, which
supports her research to complete her disser-tation.
Meldrina’s research is entitled “Creat-ing
Innovative Places: Organizational and
Architectural Case Studies of the Culture
Change Movement in Long-Term Care.”
Elmer Atienza ’94 is helping residents at St.
Joseph of the Pines Health Center in South-ern
Pines with personal works of art. Previ-ously,
Elmer has studied architecture abroad
and worked in commercial interior design,
on custom residences and on large projects
with city planners. He also invented, devel-oped
and marketed the JYMMY towel clip.
Still pursuing his education and exploring the
job market, Elmer drew on his experience
working on the Art with Elders Program in
California to initiate the art program for
health center residents at St. Joseph.
Michelle Durner ’94, ’97 B.S. has been
promoted to president of Applied Medical
Services, LLC after five years as the compa-ny’s
CFO. Michelle makes her home in
Durham with her husband, Daniel.
Byron Dinkins ’95 signed with ABA Car-olina
Thunder for the fall season. Byron
previously played basketball in Europe.
Chris Nesbitt ’95 of the Kannapolis Police
Department has been promoted to
sergeant and has begun his new responsi-bilities
as a field supervisor of Patrol Squad
B. Since joining the department in 1996,
Chris has worked as a patrol officer, field
training officer and felony investigator. He
also is a tactical officer with the agency’s
special response team. He and his wife,
Lori Basinger Nesbitt ’96, make their
home in Kannapolis.
Sara Ellington Behnke ’96 reports that her
lifelong dream came true when her friend,
Stephanie Triplett, and she signed a con-tract
with a publisher for their book The
Mommy Chronicles: Conversations Sharing
the Comedy and Drama of Pregnancy and
New Motherhood. She is publishing the
book under her maiden name, Sara Elling-ton.
Sara lives in Charlotte with her husband,
David, and two children, Anna and Cade.
Richard Hudson ’96 has been chosen as
chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx. For
the past six years Richard worked as Rep.
Robin Hayes’ district director and deputy
chief of staff. He also managed Hayes’ last
two re-election campaigns. Richard served
on the UNC Charlotte Alumni Board of
Governors, was class president 1993-94,
and was chair of the Triangle Chapter of
Alumni. Richard lives in Washington, D.C
Derek Catsam ’96 has taken a job as assis-tant
professor at the University of Texas of
the Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas. He
works on modern U.S. and African history
with an emphasis on race, politics and
social history. He also does work on global
terrorism and on sports. He received his
Ph.D. from Ohio University in 2003.
􀀀
22 S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 ▪ A L U M N I N O T E S
THE TUXEDO LADY SELLS STYLE
More than a decade ago, while dining out with her father,
LaShanda Millner-Murphy ’88 overheard a man trying to convince
another to buy his formalwear shop. Before leaving the restaurant,
Millner-Murphy slipped the owner her business card and asked that
he consider selling his business to her. Two years later, he did, and
“Tuxedo Lady” not only is the name of her shop but the moniker by
which Millner-Murphy is affectionately known.
When customers enter the Tuxedo Lady, Millner-Murphy
flashes her huge signature smile and offers a friendly welcome. She
doesn’t just allow them to browse the tuxedo-clad mannequins on
display, but provides a tutorial on style and colors and suggestions on
what to wear for certain occasions. She says that’s one of the main
reasons she opened a business for men – they appreciate her expertise.
“Men sometimes don’t think of the finer details,” said Millner-
Murphy. “They appreciate my female perspective and expertise in
this business… I often joke that I’m the ‘other woman’ in their lives.”
Whether it’s lecturing teenage boys on how to order pants that
fit their waists (“not hanging off their butts,” she says with a laugh),
chasing a UPS driver all over town to ensure a timely delivery or
special ordering 18 tuxedos for bridesmaids, Millner-Murphy has the
finesse and skill of any good CEO. A longtime retailer, she knows
what it takes to make her clients happy and her business successful,
traits she learned before leaving grade school.
Growing up in Winston-Salem, Millner-Murphy always knew
she’d become a business owner. Not only was it her dream, but it was
expected. As young as age 6, she remembers helping her father, who
has always been an entrepreneur, in one of his several businesses. Two
years before enrolling at UNC Charlotte to study business administra-tion,
she launched her own ladies boutique. While a student, she
returned to her hometown on weekends to manage her business.
Despite classes and operating her own company, Millner-
Murphy became involved in campus activities, including student
government and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She was one of the
university’s first Gold Duster dance members. She remains involved
with her alma mater, currently serving as chair of the events commit-tee
for the Alumni Board of Governors, vice president of the univer-sity’s
Black Alumni Chapter and a volunteer with the APPLE Project
that pairs alumni with teachers who graduated from UNC Charlotte.
Millner-Murphy says the continued involvement with
UNC Charlotte and the business administration degree she earned
at the university has helped to enhance the skills that her father
instilled early on.
“My father raised me in an entrepreneurial environment,” she
said. “He taught me to have my own business, not just to be my own
boss. The opportunity forces you to be resourceful and to use your
own creativity instead of relying on someone else’s ideas.”
Her father’s advice paid off. The formalwear shop, located in the
appropriately named Wedding Mall in Charlotte, has recently expanded
to two satellite locations in uptown Charlotte and Concord.
– Natasha Ashe-Suber
Ahmed Daniels ’89 is the founder of Cre-ative
Interchange, an organization created
to encourage and facilitate non-blaming
experiential workshops for persons of
different ethnic groups. The 100 Black
Men of America has recognized him for
his leadership, dedication and commitment
to this youth male mentoring program.
Ahmed has served as facilitator for two of
former Gov. Jim Hunt’s N.C. Initiative on
Race conferences. He makes his home in
Charlotte.
Sherry Bright ’89 has been named execu-tive
director of Family Resources, Inc.
Sherry has been with Family Resources 14
years, most recently serving as the develop-ment
director. She makes her home in
Ellenboro with her husband, Brannon, and
two children, Montana and McCray.
Mike Legg ’89 has accepted a permanent
position as city manager of Kannapolis
after serving as interim city manager.
Mike makes his home in Concord.
Dean Belk ’90 has started Allied Consult-ing
Engineers, which specializes in build-ing
design. Dean is living in Denver, N.C.,
with his wife, Karissa, and daughter Cassie,
12, and son Will, 10.
A L U M N I N O T E S ▪ S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 25
her experiences and her relationships with
teammates and friends. Amber says that
attending UNC Charlotte was one of the
best things she has done.
Births
Wendy Atkinson Simmons ’92 and her
husband, Robert Brad Simmons ’92, proudly
announce the birth of their first child,
Gage Robert Simmons, in August 2004.
Wendy works for Carolinas Healthcare
System, and Brad works for Carolina Trust
Bank. The family resides in Huntersville.
Lynette Lockley ’98 and Myron Cloud
proudly announce the birth of their son,
Marcus Gabriel, on Oct. 20, 2004. Lynette is
a medical staff coordinator at Carolinas Med-ical
Center.The family resides in Charlotte.
Michelle Torres Kitchen ’98 and her
husband, Ryan Kitchen, proudly announce
the birth of their son, Drake Vincent
McKenzie Kitchen, on Aug. 6, 2004.
The family lives in Charlotte.
Rebecca Batcho Brittain ’98 and Barry
Brittain ’98 are excited to announce the birth
of their son, Aiden Elmer Brittain, on Nov.
22, 2004. The family lives in Catawba.
Heather Rigsbee Lampe ’00 is a stay-at-home
mother for her daughter, Reaghan Michelle
Lampe, who will be two in July. Heather
says she, her husband, Chad, and Reaghan
are living the good life in Fort Worth, Texas.
Anna Narolewska Westmoreland ’00 has
opened the Law Office of Anna N. West-moreland
on Monroe Road in Charlotte.
She and her husband, Thomas Westmore-land
III ’01, make their home in Oakboro.
Jon Wickersham ’00 has a new position
at NPower Charlotte Region, a non-profit
technical assistance organization in
Charlotte. Jon made his way back to
the Charlotte area from Delaware.
Lea Anderson ’01 has earned a master’s of
fine arts degree in computer arts/motion
graphics from The Savannah College of
Art and Design. Lea makes her home in
Savannah, Ga.
Christie Sears ’01, account supervisor for
Walker Marketing and vice president of
programs for the Business Marketing Asso-ciation
of the Carolinas, has been desig-nated
a Certified Business Communicator.
This credential recognizes high standards
of professionalism, education, experience
and professional conduct in the field of
business-to-business marketing and com-munications.
To date, only 3,000 individ-uals
nationwide have received this honor.
Christie resides in Charlotte.
Jennifer Hatley ’01, ’03 M.Acc. is
employed by Bank of America as a finan-cial
analyst and officer in the Corporate
Cost Accounting Group. She serves as
treasurer for the Miss Stanly County
Scholarship Pageant Association and
volunteers with the American Diabetes
Association. Jennifer lives in Oakboro.
Brian Sheehan ’02 is owner and president
of Charlotte Swim Club Management. In
only its third year of operation, the com-pany
manages eight pools between exits
23 and 28 off I-77 including those at
Birkdale and Jetton Cove. Brian resides
in Huntersville.
Amber Beam ’02 received her master’s in
industrial organizational psychology in May
2004 from George Mason University in
Virginia. Amber is an associate at Caliber
Associates, a consulting firm in Fairfax, Va.
Paula Bishop ’02, ’03 B.Arch. has
accepted a position as an intern architect
with Atelier Architects in Washington, D.C.
She makes her home in Rockville, Md.
Clay Aiken ’03 was busy in 2004. He
released a 2005 calendar, a book called
Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in
Your Life about his journey from being a
UNC Charlotte student to becoming a
pop star, and a holiday album. Also, for
the second consecutive year, he sang to
Miss America contestants at the annual
pageant in Atlantic City. This time, he
serenaded the winner with the runway
standard “There She Is.”
Balemba Kubuanu ’03 and his wife Anne
Kubuanu ’03 started The Global, Hope,
Peace & Health Incorporated. They intend
for the nonprofit to provide a medium
through which to expose the Charlotte
community to the plight and unique
health issues of the Congo, its culture,
food and people. Balemba and Anne are
enrolled in our Masters of Science Program
of Community Health Nursing. The
couple resides in Charlotte.
Matthew Cianella ’04 has been hired by
Arthur Wylie ’99 as wealth manager at
Arthur Wylie Wealth Management Group
and Capital Realty Group where he
interned during 2003-2004. Matthew
makes his home in Charlotte.
Will Lawrence ’04 became the third son
and fifth family member to graduate from
UNC Charlotte. Others are brother, Drew,
and his wife, Jennifer Miller Lawrence,
who graduated in ’97, and brother Clint ’97
and his wife, Kristi Davis Lawrence ’00.
Will continues on at UNC Charlotte as
a graduate student pursuing a master’s in
photo-chemistry. All the Lawrence sons
were Kappa Sigma Fraternity members.
Marriages
Pete Overcash ’01 was married to Christina
Driscoll on May 29, 2004, at the Duke
University Chapel in Durham. Pete plans to
graduate in May with a master’s of divinity
from Duke and is currently serving as a
pastor in the Western North Carolina Con-ference
of the United Methodist Church.
Pete and Chrissy reside in Chapel Hill.
Births
Matt Towery ’00 and Caroline Ha Tow-ery
’00 are happy to announce the birth of
their daughter, Reeves Madeline Towery,
on Nov. 7, 2004. Matt and Caroline are
both mechanical engineers and real estate
brokers in the Charlotte area.
Janet Lawlor ’03 and her husband, Phillip
Lawlor, are the proud parents of a girl.
Evie Grace Lawlor was born on April 15,
2004. Janet is now a full-time mother.
The family resides in Knoxville, Tenn.
What have you been up to lately? Changed jobs?
Had a baby? Maybe you’ve been elected to the
city council or have been doing a lot of volunteer
work. Whether you’ve been made CEO or a new
parent, we want to hear from you.
Visit the Alumni Affairs Web site at
www.uncc49er.net and
tell us what you’ve been doing. Or write
Alumni Affairs, UNC Charlotte,
9201 University City Blvd.,
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
24 S P R I N G 2 0 0 5 ▪ A L U M N I N O T E S
Marriages
Christopher Crowell ’93 married Lori
Raso on Aug. 28, 2004. Christopher works
in advertising sales for The Star-Ledger in
Newark, N.J., the 15th largest newspaper
in the country. The Crowells reside in
Bedminster, N.J.
Laura Hill ’90 married Douglas Reece ’97
on Oct. 2, 2004. The happy couple has
moved to Greenville, S.C., where Laura
is director of development for St. Francis
Hospital. Doug has been promoted to
senior vice president in Wachovia’s Risk
Management Group.
Nalan Karakaya ’97 married Gerrit
Mulder on Sept. 6, 2004, in Istanbul,
Turkey. Nalan is vice president in
Consumer Risk Management at Bank of
America. The couple lives in Charlotte.
Jennifer Caldwell ’97 married Mark
Williams on Oct. 2, 2004. Jennifer is a
registered nurse in the Geriatric Psychiatric
Unit at Northeast Medical Center. The
Williamses reside on Lake Norman.
Laura Hughes ’97 married Gregory Reece
on March 19, 2004. The couple resides in
Antioch, Tenn.
Clint Lawrence ’97 and Drew Lawrence
’97 are working in the family business,
Lawrence and Associates, a professional
surveying and engineering firm in Monroe.
Drew and his wife, Jennifer Miller Lawrence
’97, live in Monroe. Clint and his wife,
Kristi Davis Lawrence ’00, live in Matthews.
Meredith Alderman ’98 married Beau
Johnson on May 28, 2004 in Delray Beach,
Fla. Although a business graduate, she
recently changed careers and is now a certi-fied
math teacher at Saint Andrew’s School.
The couple lives in Boynton Beach, Fla.
Kristi Seamon ’98 married Robert Fal-lowes
on Aug. 30, 2003. They make their
home in Charlotte, where Kristi does
accounting for Blue Ridge Wholesale Wine.
Amber Filbeck ’99 married Shaun Hoyem
on April 24, 2004. Amber has moved back
to California where she is a science teacher
at Serrano Intermediate (her old junior
high school) in Lake Forest, Calif., and
she has bought a house in nearby Mission
Viejo. She says she has wonderful memo-ries
of her years at UNC Charlotte. As a
volleyball player, Amber got to travel and
see different parts of our nation and
experience different cultures. She treasures
COMPUTER PROGRAMMER
“FOILS” THE COMPETITION
When most people think about fencing, they head to the nearest home improvement store.
Just a few years ago, Brian Toomey ’98, owner and head coach of the Charlotte Fencing
Academy, probably would have, too.
By day, Toomey is a computer programmer and senior developer for RR Donnelley, one of
North America’s largest printing companies. By night, he trades in his business attire for a mask
and coach’s jacket; and swaps his pc for an epee. The fencing expert hasn’t always been interested
in the sport. In fact, the well-known, well-respected instructor says his interest was a fluke.
“I needed to take an elective while a student at UNC Charlotte,” Toomey recalls. “And I
thought fencing sounded pretty cool.”
Toomey, a cross country runner who was involved in martial arts, admits he didn’t expect
to be bent over trying to catch his breath after the first class. He says the sport is extremely
challenging both physically and mentally.
“It helps you to keep your wits about you and is definitely called physical chess for a
reason,” he said. “If you’re quick, but don’t think tactically, you’ll become a shishkabob.”
Once Toomey adjusted to the pace, he says he did well in the class and became keenly inter-ested
in the sport. A short time later, he joined the UNC Charlotte fencing club and was a club
officer. A couple of years later, Toomey would become a coach and teach fencing to fellow students.
After receiving his computer science degree,
Toomey landed a job in the field, but remained
active on the local fencing circuit by attending area
clubs and honing his skills. However, he never felt
the clubs met his needs – and he wasn’t alone. So
Toomey began The Charlotte Fencing Acad-emy,
a decision he says was a good one.
The academy is one of only four
clubs in Charlotte and among nearly
22 similar clubs across the state.
Since it started nearly three years
ago, he has added five coaches and
the membership has steadily
increased from three to 60, mostly
by word of mouth. Many of the
academy’s fencers are considered among
the best in the sport and have earned
national honors.
“We’ve increased our national
medal count to six,” Toomey said.
“I joke that I’m the worst fencer of
the group. There are a lot of coaches
who don’t do so well themselves, but
coach some of the best students. We’re
lucky to say we have more than a few
great students.”
– Natasha Ashe-Suber
What are the
49 things that
every 49er
should know?
No matter when you graduated, there are some things that connect us all
to UNC Charlotte. Share what you think makes UNC Charlotte special.
Send your suggestions to pubinfo@email.uncc.edu.
10. Gang Green – raising the spirit – and the temperature - in Halton Arena.
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