Nanya Friend, the editor and publisher of The Charleston Daily Mail, spun a wonderful story in The Daily Mail last week about the Lewis Scholarships at Washington and Lee. The article, titled “Lewis Scholarships target W.Va. kids,” tells the story of W&L alumnus J. Edward Lewis of the class of 1929 and his wife, Elizabeth, and how they came to establish an endowed scholarship program that has led generations of West Virginians from the Mountain State to Lexington. For Friend, the story is a personal one, since her son will graduate next week. As she explains, she had wondered for four years about the people who made it possible for her son to attend “this shining jewel of a school.”
Archive for May, 2009
W&L Athletics Director Jan Hathorn accepts the ODAC Women's Commissioner's Cup from Matt Smith, Director of Marketing for Farm Bureau.
For the sixth consecutive year Washington and Lee’s varsity athletic teams won the Dan Wooldridge Overall Sports Champion Cup (sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance®), emblematic of the top finishes in all conference sports. The Generals won six sports championships during the 2008-09 athletic season, and also claimed the Women’s Commissioner’s Cup for the sixth successive time. But there’s more. Two of W&L’s student-athletes won the conference’s scholar-athlete awards. Harry St. John (lacrosse) won the Harry G. “Doc” Jopson Scholar-Athlete Award as the league’s top male student-athlete, while Anne van Devender won the Marjorie Berkley Scholar-Athlete Award.
W&L Campus Kitchen volunteer at work
Washington and Lee’s Campus Kitchen has made a difference in the Rockbridge County community. Of that, there is no doubt. In 2008, for instance, Campus Kitchen served 13, 444 meals and recovered almost 2,000 lbs of food that would have otherwise gone to waste. Now it’s your turn to make a difference for Campus Kitchen with a few clicks of the mouse. True Hero is a non-profit organization that grants cash awards to student organizations based on votes it receives during the academic year. So your vote could mean as much as $4,000 for the Campus Kitchen program. As of last night, the Campus Kitchen had 728 votes, which was good for sixth place on the list. True Hero gives monetary grants to the top seven college program vote-getters — more votes, more money. The voting runs through June 30. So go to the True Hero page and vote today.
Bob Trotman's exhibit in Staniar Gallery last May
Even the still images on the Charlotte Observer Web site make artist Bob Trotman’s latest exhibition seem dramatic and eerie. In person, it must be an incredible exhibition at the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte. The exhibition, titled Business As Usual, is not unfamiliar to members of the Washington and Lee community. Bob, a member of W&L’s Class of 1969, had the show in display in the Staniar Gallery last May. Now it’s in Charlotte, where it received a strong review in the Observer. Critic Mark Washburn made the connection between the AIG meltdown and Bob’s figures of businessmen and businesswomen appearing to sink in quicksand. Writes Washburn: “They look like figureheads of a clipper ship bound for purgatory. Anguished and agonized, wretched and woe begone, they are souls petrified in eternal torment.” If you’re in Charlotte, you can see the Mint Museum exhibition through November.
Max Adler
Remember Max Adler? The 2004 Washington and Lee alumnus was the subject of a blog item way back in March when he announced that he was launching a bid to earn a spot next month’s U.S. Open golf championships at Bethpage Black in New York. Max, a former member of the W&L golf team, is currently a writer for Golf Digest and Golf World. So he has been writing an on-line diary about his quest. Last Saturday, in his tenth diary entry, Max was looking back with regret over a few missed putts that might have cost him a chance to realize his goal. As he explains, he’s still in the hunt for a qualifying spot, but only barely. By virtue of shooting a 70 and then winning a three-way playoff at the Misquamicut (R.I.) Local Qualifier, Max is now the second alternate. That means he could still make it if two people who finished ahead of him don’t show up on June 8 at the Sectional Qualifier at Purchase, NY. Max’s own assessment of that possibility: “fat chance.” But, you never know. You can read all of Max’s entries, including his account of his session with nationally regarded sports psychologist Bob Rotella, at the Golf Digest site.
Richard Hahn '11 and Susan Payton '11 compare a sediment sample to a Munsell Color Chart
The dig at Monticello, otherwise known as Anthropology 377: Field Methods in Archaeology, is entering its final days as Spring Term winds to a close. There is an open house at the site today as Alison Bell, assistant professor of archaeology, noted on the dig’s blog site. The students have had several visitors in recent days, including a group of grade school children plus a reporter and photographer from the Charlottesville Daily Progress. Look for a story on the dig this weekend. Despite the less than ideal weather (it’s rained a lot at Monticello this month), the students have unearthed an impressive array of artifacts, including some Chinese export porcelain. Have a look at the updated blog site for more information on the Monticello dig.
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