Sudden Death Win for Rick Woulfe ’76L

Rick Woulfe '76L, left, receives the trophy for the Florida Azalea Senior Amateur title.

Rick Woulfe, a 1976 graduate of the W&L School of Law, is managing partner of Bunnell Woulfe, P.A., in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In 2009, Rick was named one of Florida’s Super Lawyers and was also recognized as a Top Lawyer in the 2010 South Florida Legal Guide.

Rick knows his way around a golf course as well as a courtroom. On March 14, playing in the 55-and-over division of the Florida Azalea Senior Amateur at the the Palatka Golf Club in Palatka, Fla., Rick recovered from bogeys on the final two holes of regulation to win the title on the first hole of sudden death. According to the story in Golfweek magazine, the final round was played in winds that were never lower than 15 miles an hour and gusted to 40. The 17th and 18th holes — the ones Rick bogeyed — were particularly treacherous. But Rick birdied the first playoff hole after pitching within three feet of the cup.

What made the performance all the more remarkable was that Rick had shot 6-over-par on the front nine, and then started the back nine with four consecutive birdies followed by a hole-in-one on the 165-yard 14th hole.

Best-selling Biographer Flora Fraser Visits W&L

Flora Fraser examines the papers of George Washington with W&L special collections librarian Vaughan Stanley III.

Best-selling historical biographer Flora Fraser visited Washington and Lee on Monday, March 29. Her purpose? Research for her new book on Martha Dandridge Custis Washington and her marriage to George Washington.

Fraser toured the Lee Chapel and Museum with Linda Donald, manager of the facility. She then visited Special Collections and Archives in Leyburn Library, where, with Vaughan Stanley, special collections and reference librarian, she examined the digital collections of George Washington’s papers. Finally, she toured Lee House with Kim Ruscio, first lady of W&L, and Peter Grover, director of University collections. She also spoke at length with Patricia Hobbs, associate director of University collections, and was impressed with Hobbs’ extensive knowledge of Martha Washington.

Fraser, who lives in London, continues a line of famous biographers. Her mother is Lady Antonia Fraser, author of works on Mary Queen of Scots and the wives of Henry VIII. Her grandmother, the late Elizabeth Longford (wife of social reformer Lord Longford), was a renowned biographer of such figures as Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.

Flora Fraser’s best-selling biographies include Beloved Emma: The Life of Emma, Lady Hamilton and The Unruly Queen: The Life of Queen Caroline. She has also written biographies of Pauline Bonaparte and of the daughters of King George III.

W&L’s Ellington Honored by NASPA

Ray Ellington, center, is flanked by colleagues Clay Coleman, left, and Jason Rodocker at NASPA

Ray Ellington, assistant director of campus recreation, was recognized earlier this month as the Outstanding New Professional for Region III by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) . (Region III is one of five regions within NASPA). At W&L, Ray runs the university’s intramural and club sports programs and assists James Dick, the director of campus recreation, with all campus rec activities.

A graduate of Greensboro College with a sports administration major, Ray also has a master’s in sports management from Ithaca College. He’s in his third year at W&L.

Dawn Watkins, W&L vice president for student affairs, says of the honor: “This is one of the highest awards a new professional within Student Affairs can receive. Ray goes about his work at W&L quietly, but the quality of the programs with which he works — intramurals, sport clubs, group fitness — are clearly superb, and I’m delighted that NASPA has recognized that.”

Cy Twombly ’53 and The Louvre

Cy Twombly and his work at the Louvre (AP photograph)

Washington and Lee alumnus (Class of 1953) and Lexington native Cy Twombly has become only the third contemporary artist selected to create a permanent work for the Louvre. His contribution is a painted ceiling for the Salle des Bronzes, and he is the first artist given the honor of decorating a Louvre ceiling since Georges Braque in the 1950s.

The press release from the Louvre describes it as “a work of monumental proportions, covering more than 350 square meters, its colossal size ably served by the painter’s breathtaking and unprecedented vision. Twombly’s two best-known trademarks are perhaps the incorporation of passionately scrawled words into his paintings and the energetic use of splashes or drips of vivid colors. In this work, Twombly leaves behind such romantic expressiveness. Here instead, the visitor discovers an immense blue sky, enlivened by the movements of spheres and punctuated by white insets inscribed with the names of the leading Greek sculptors active in the 4th century: Cephisodotus, Lysippus, Myron, Phidias, Polyclitus, Praxiteles and Scopas. Twombly’s aim was to create a work perfectly in harmony with the architecture and purpose of the space, this huge rectangular gallery housing the Louvre’s collection of Classical bronzes. Thus the round shapes can be interpreted as shields, planets, or coins, while the blue background evokes either the sky or the sea.”

Asked about his uncharacteristic use of blue, Cy, who will be 82 next month, told  The Associated Press, “I got into something new in old age.” He is the son of Edwin Parker “Cy” Twombly Sr., a member of the W&L Athletic Hall of Fame as coach of the swimming and golf teams.

Twombly further told AP, “I was just thinking of the blue with the disks on it, it’s totally abstract … I put all the great Greek sculptors’ names on the top. It’s that simple.” He also said he was inspired by the colors he found in a Chinese print as well the blue of early Italian Renaissance artist Giotto, who used paint made from lapis lazuli.

At the work’s inauguration on Tuesday, Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand named Cy a knight in the Legion of Honor, saying the ceiling reminded him of “the sea, allied with the sun.”

Fast Start for Clark Finney ’06

Clark Finney '06, left, wins the REBNY Rookie of the Year Award.

Clark Finney, a 2006 graduate of Washington and Lee, with a degree in business administration and two years on the Generals’ lacrosse team, has just received the prestigious Most Promising Commercial Salesperson of the Year Award from the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY).

Clark, an associate with Cushman & Wakefield, received the award on March 2 at the REBNY Members’ Luncheon.  He receives a one-year seat on the REBNY Board of Governors and becomes a lifetime member in REBNY’s Circle of Winners group, which meets four times a year for a private dinner. The award was created to recognize current and potential professional achievement in a young commercial salesperson new to the industry, as well as to recognize “high moral character and ethical professional behavior.”

Clark’s honor led to a significant feature story in the New York Observer, which began by recounting his first big deal in commercial real estate — a sublease for a 4,500-square-foot space on Broadway on behalf of a hedge fund. In less than three years with Cushman & Wakefield, Clark has been credited with playing a key role in completing approximately 335,000 square feet of lease transactions.

When he’s not closing big real estate deals, Clark is working on behalf of the charity he co-founded, The Adeona Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that has raised more than $250,00 for underprivileged children in New York City.

Stacy Morrison ’90 Falls Apart in One Piece

Stacy Morrison '90

Stacy Morrison’s memoir, “Falling Apart in One Piece,” was published this week by Simon & Schuster, and she appeared on the TODAY show on Tuesday morning to talk about it with Al Roker. (Click here to watch the video and read an excerpt).

Stacy is editor-in-chief of Redbook magazine, and the book is about her divorce after 13 years of marriage. It’s subtitled “One Optimist’s Journey Through the Hell of Divorce.” Kirkus Reviews called the book “candid and inspiring.” Wall Street Journal reviewer Laura Vanderkam writes, “Ms. Morrison doesn’t wallow in self-pity, even though the situation is ripe for it. Neither does she try to portray herself as a single-mom Superwoman.” (Here’s the compete review, but you may need a password to view it.)

Some readers of the New York Times no doubt saw Stacy’s piece in this past Sunday’s Style section. It was titled “The Ex-Husband Who Never Left.”

Stacy became editor of Redbook in July 2004. Under her guidance, the magazine won the FOLIO: General Excellence award in 2005 and a Clarion Award for General Excellence in 2007. She’s got a blog on Redbook’s Web site (“Something About Stacy”) but admitted just this week that she hasn’t been as attentive to it as she would like. But then, she has been busy with other things — like the magazine, the book and her 6-year-old son Zack.

The book has a very cool Web site with lots of other information, including the news that one of her book signings will be here at Washington and Lee on April 30, when she’s back for her 20th reunion. So be sure to drop by Stacy’s site and sign the guest book. Oh, and you can buy her book there, too.