Permanent link: http://www.rhodes.edu/insiderhodes/alumni.0906.htm
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Permanent link: http://www.rhodes.edu/insiderhodes/alumni.0906.htm
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September 2006 |
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Greetings from the Rhodes College
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Dear Alumni, We have opened the 2006 Fall Semester and activity is high in the Alumni Relations Office. Staff members attended Summer Sendoffs to welcome new students and their families. The entering students seem enthusiastic about attending. The continuing students seem pleased to be back. A big item of news in this issue is that Rhodes has a new Web site. Please explore beginning with the home page, see the look of the new Alumni home page, and join the online community if you are not yet registered. |
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Class of 2010 - A Capsule Profile (more) |
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We have 477 members in the first year class. We are delighted they have selected Rhodes as their college home. View the 2010 profile. |
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Calls for Help |
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Donate Art – The Alumni Association is hosting an art auction on the Friday evening of Homecoming, October 20, and welcomes donations for this fundraiser. Proceeds from previous auctions have been used to help students with emergency need and were of particular help in supporting students displaced from their homes by Hurricane Katrina. Please contact Charles Harris '89 for further information. Seeking Law Professors – Ron Eades ’70, law professor at the University of Louisville, and Caprice Roberts ’94, professor at West Virginia University Law School, have raised the question about identifying other Rhodes alumni who teach in law schools. A specific interest point is to gather at the AALS Annual Meeting to be held in Washington, DC in January of 2007. Please contact Ron and Caprice to let them know if you are involved in law teaching. Volunteers Sought - Tara Schultz ’08 is leading a trip to Bay St. Louis, MS in the fall to assist in rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina. The dates for the trip are October 13 through October 17 during the Rhodes fall recess. The planning committee is looking for volunteers interested in making the journey. If you are interested in going on the trip and/or receiving information on how to make a donation, contact Tara. Students Seek Alumni Volunteers for Rhodes Pep Band - Always dreamed of playing in a pep band during Rhodes football games and basketball games? Rhodes can now make that happen, again… The decade-long hiatus is over and the Pep Band is back! Students are looking for interested musicians of all sorts. If you have musical talent or background at all and want to show it off, or simply want to have a little fun on the weekends, this is your opportunity. If you are interested or have any questions feel free to contact Michelle Johnson or John Lesikar. |
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Books for Barret |
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Four alumni have submitted books they have written for placement in the Paul Barret, Jr. Library. We are grateful to Tracy, Eric, Bill, and Russ for their gifts. Electronic addresses are provided below of the authors along with the titles of their works. Please contact them directly to send good wishes or to secure copies of their books.
We welcome books written by alumni. Please send two copies of yours to the Alumni Relations Office. One copy will go into general circulation and the other will be placed in the archives with works by other Rhodes alumni. |
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Rhodes Travel Opportunities
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Rhodes to Travel – On August 6, 2006, The Commercial Appeal wrote, “With an eye on both wallet and watch, The Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning at Rhodes is an excellent source for interesting and affordable group trips that bring travelers a unique perspective on their destinations.” Great trips coming up are Hemingway’s Europe in October, with an optional extension to Barcelona; Seattle and Tacoma for Chihuly and Chardonnay in November, and Pearls of Croatia & Slovenia in May 2007. For information on the trips above, call Linda Jackson Walter ’64 at 901-844-6105. Play Pebble Beach – The Rhodes Alumni Relations Office, the Athletic Department, and the Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning are pleased to announce the “Inaugural Rhodes College Classic at Pebble Beach.” This is a wonderful opportunity to play golf at one of the world’s premier golf courses. The package includes:
The cost for the trip (excluding airfare) is estimated to be $3400. Inaugural Rhodes College Classic at Pebble Beach will be limited to ten (10) 2-person teams. The dates for the Rhodes College Classic at Pebble Beach will be March 15-18, 2007. Please contact Matt Semko ’98 for more information on the trip. |
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Homecoming/Reunion Weekend (more) |
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Homecoming/Reunion Weekend - October 20 – 21, 2006, is Homecoming at Rhodes. We look forward to having alumni and their families return. A few highlights of Homecoming/Reunion weekend follow:
You may click here to register online. |
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Announcements |
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Remembering Katrina – Please see the feature on the Rhodes homepage that recounts assistance efforts of members of the Rhodes Community In advance of the destruction caused by the hurricanes of last season, New Orleans had been identified as a site where we wanted to install a Rhodes chapter comprised of alumni and families of Rhodes students. August 29, 2005, changed everything. We are revisiting the topic now and are eager to explore the possibility of moving forward with establishing a chapter. Should the interest of the Rhodes community members in New Orleans and on the North Shore be sufficient, our hope would be to develop the chapter during this academic year. Rhodes Receives Favorable Review – In the newest edition of Colleges that Change Lives, Rhodes is again featured. CODA Symposium – The Center for Outreach in the Development of the Arts (CODA) is sponsoring a conference “Arts Leadership: New Direction Conference 2006” to be held on the campus and the Brooks Museum on October 5-6, 2006. (more) Teach For America – Memphis – Teach For America has established Memphis as a site in which it will have 50 teachers placed here in this inaugural year. Rhodes had been supportive of this initiative and provided space for the summer orientation program of the new teachers. Until other arrangements can be made, Teach For America – Memphis has its offices in Clough Hall. Headmasters’ Conference – Rhodes was the site of a summer conference for the headmasters of Country Day Schools. The principals of private schools affiliated with this consortium came from far and wide to participate in the conference. Evaluations of participants were overwhelmingly positive which could bode well for student recruitment efforts. In Memoriam – The August 9, 2006, issue of the Memphis Commercial Appeal had a wonderful tribute about Derrick Barton who coached tennis for 20 years at Southwestern. Mr. Barton died in March of this year. Some of his ashes were spread outside the Royal Box at Centre Court at Wimbledon by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The story appeared in the Sports Section in Geoff Calkins’s column. |
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Chapter News (more) |
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Most of our contact with alumni in regions where chapters are located is through emails. Should you be receiving this electronic newsletter but you are not receiving announcements about chapter events, please call or email the Alumni Relations Office. Mobile – The Steering Group of the Mobile Chapter sponsored a Summer Sendoff and Picnic...(more) Washington DC – The Rhodes Chapter of Washington DC is hosting a reception in the Mansfield Room of the Capitol Building Monday, September 18, 7 – 9 pm. President and Mrs. Bill Troutt will be in attendance. Please report your attendance here. Birmingham - No report. Arkansas – The Rhodes Chapter of Arkansas enjoyed an evening at Ray Winder Field to cheer the Arkansas Travelers to victory over the Tulsa Drillers Friday, June 30. Alumni, parents, and current students were in attendance. Thanks to Chapter President...(more) Memphis – The Memphis Chapter organized a night at the ballpark to see the Memphis Redbirds trounce the Salt Lake Angels in a 5-2 victory! Though it was a hot summer night, alumni, staff, and faculty enjoyed the game, especially...(more) Nashville – The Rhodes Chapter of Nashville is sponsoring a service project. Service Chairperson Colleen Grady ’86 is putting together a team for Hand on Nashville Day, Saturday, September 30. Projects focus on painting, repairing, cleaning, and landscaping dozens of...(more) North Texas – The Rhodes Chapter of North Texas is organizing a road trip to Sherman to watch the Lynx take on the Roos of Austin College, Saturday, October 7. The game is ...(more) Houston – The Rhodes Chapter of Houston held its first Thursday of the month Happy Hour at Café Adobe, 2111 Westheimer, Houston, in July and August. September’s Happy Hour will also be at Café Adobe on Thursday, September 7. RSVPs are not necessary, but if you’d like to register and see who’s coming “E-vite style” please click here. The last gathering included alumni, parents, and students home for the summer. The location will change in October, so stay tuned for more info. Chicago – The Rhodes Chapter of Chicago had a Happy Hour gathering on Thursday, July 13, at the Rock Bottom Brewery at Grand and State. Alumni and friends gathered at the rooftop bar. Thanks to...(more). New York City – A chapter establishment meeting was held in New York City on Tuesday, July 11. Approximately 40 alumni attended the meeting. A steering group emerged to lead the chapter in future efforts. Its members are Georgianna Bowersox ’05, Frank Byrd ’90, Peter Casparian ’71, Leslie Curry ’98, Emily Fowlkes ’02, Ben Gohman ’97, Casey Hail ’04, Matt Marcotte ’99, John Marshall ’00...(more). |
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Closing |
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In June we had a terrific gathering of leaders of Rhodes Chapters who spent a weekend on the campus attending a Chapter Leaders Seminar. Two of our participants were in the class of 1957. The youngest participant was in the class of 2003. The remaining 18 alumni were in the middle. Despite the age span, a common thread wove through all based on their shared experiences as graduates of the College. The workshop was a great success. It was helpful to the participants in gaining ideas on how they can more effectively lead chapters. It was helpful to the staff of the College in our gleaning understanding of how the Alumni Relations Office can more effectively serve the chapters. As our chapter program emerges, it becomes clearer that we are absolutely on the right track in utilizing this approach of organizing our alumni and families at a city or regional level and empowering volunteers to find meaningful ways to help the College realize the Rhodes Vision. My respect and admiration for members of the Rhodes Community continues to grow. You are a remarkable lot. I have seen you embrace the young in providing internships or helping them find jobs. I have seen you assist families displaced by hurricanes. I have seen you give money to make it possible for students to remain enrolled. I have seen you speak with passion to prospective students about what a special place your alma mater is. It is a pleasure for me to serve on the staff as the Alumni Director. I will try to do my best to articulate the ways in which we need our alumni to help. Perhaps this is the role in which I can most effectively serve Rhodes and the Alumni Community. Please let us know how our office can be of service in meeting needs or interests that you have. While addressed in another segment of the newsletter, please do your best to join us at Homecoming. We want to see you. Family members and guests are welcome as well. The “trailer” piece today which follows the signoff below contains three email messages. I sent the “bookends” which will provide the context of the request made of alumni. The real meaning of this exchange is the message in the middle from a fellow in the class of 1989. It is worth your reading. Until next month, all best wishes from your Constituent Programs staff, Bud Richey, Associate Vice President and Director of Alumni Relations Alumni Relations Office Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning Scheduling and Events Office |
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Rhodes College, Office of Alumni Relations, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112-1690, 800-264-LYNX (5969), alumni@rhodes.edu |
Message sent to several alumni asking for recommendations for retired faculty members to speak at Homecoming. Dear Alumni, Greetings from Rhodes. We are working on program development for Homecoming and I seek your help. One of the programs that will be offered at Homecoming/Reunion Weekend will be lectures from retired faculty members. Lectures will be held on Friday afternoon in the period of 3 – 5. I welcome your thoughts on some of your favorite faculty members who are now retired. A list of retired faculty members is attached for your review to help jog your memory. Please don’t spend a lot of time with this or feel that you need to rank your choices. A quick response with the names of 1 to 3 faculty members who may have had impact on you would be helpful. I hope that this finds each of you doing well. Best regards, Response from one alumnus of those contacted Hi Bud: An interesting request and one that has proven difficult because unfortunately the professors I remember and was impacted by (even though I may not have had a class with them) have either passed away or won’t retire. There’s a couple on the list that I never had a class with but impacted my life at Rhodes and my life in general even though they probably don’t even know me. Jack Taylor and Dick Batey were both friends of my grandparents. I got the chance to meet them a few times as I visited Rhodes in the summer during my high school years. These gentlemen’s passion for their subject and their passion for Rhodes (Southwestern) sold me on where I wanted to get my education. I never studied directly with either of them but they were incredibly instrumental in my choosing Rhodes. I never had a class with Chuck Orvis either, but I grew to become friends with Chuck through sports, my work at the bookstore, and being a business major. Chuck’s love of life and Rhodes was contagious! If you don’t mind me going on, there are some others that don’t fit the category you are looking for but I thought I would share anyway. I never really knew Jack Farris but we read his book, Me and Gallagher, as a freshmen reading experience and I loved his writing and his dedication to his craft and Rhodes. I knew I made the right choice as soon as I read his book and heard him speak on it. I had one class with Cynthia Marshall but it was just amazing to be around a person of her commitment and her love for reading, studying, growing, and (a similar theme) Rhodes! Still teaching are people like Tom Barr, Mark McMahon, and John Planchon. I won’t go into the details of how they impacted my life (and they probably don’t know it either) but each did in his own way. I am sure others have more fanciful stories on various professors (I am after all a dumb business major who doesn’t have a great flair with the pen) but I look back at this email and am reminded why Rhodes is the special place it is. I doubt my brothers could note one professor from their college days that actually impacted their lives, and I find myself writing about men and women, some of whom I never set foot in their classroom. Alumnus name Response to the alumnus Alumnus name, A random crew of alumni were asked the courtesy of shooting back a quick answer on the matter of what teachers they liked and you go the extra mile of explaining how they made a difference to you. This is good and I thank you for the time you spent with it. Of course, you know that I will want to share this to illustrate how lucky we are to be at a place where our alumni care. Bud |