THE TALON

A grip on news in the Huntingdon College Community

February 22, 2021

What’s New

Black History Month Event Features Poet Ashley M. Jones

Huntingdon College will host nationally known poet Ashley M. Jones for a poetry reading in honor of Black History Month, Wednesday, February 24, at 7:00 p.m. CST. The event, sponsored by the Huntingdon Office of Academic Affairs and the Huntingdon Race and Justice Initiative, will be held via Zoom (link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88176127184?pwd=dXBPQmJTSVRoQ3JjTUtPWklLVzA1dz09) and is free and open to all. Currently living in Birmingham, Ala., Ashley M. Jones is the founding director of the Magic City Poetry Festival, a board member of the Alabama Writers Cooperative and the Alabama Writers Forum, co-director of PEN Birmingham, and a faculty member in the creative writing department of the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She also serves as a guest editor for Poetry Magazine’s May, June, and July/August 2021 issues. She has published three volumes of poetry to critical acclaim.

Race and Justice Initiative Grows                                        

The Huntingdon Race and Justice Initiative, created in 2020, continues to grow in programming and in outreach. The Initiative has three working groups: Alumni Engagement; Student Engagement; and Academic Engagement. The Alumni group reports that they have encouraged alumni to self-identify as BIPOC alums and to volunteer as mentors, speakers, recruiters, and supporters of the Black Student Union. BIPOC alumni have spoken for small group conversations in partnership with clubs, organizations, and athletic teams and in partnership with the CCV in their Charting a Path to Success series focusing on graduate study and careers. A scholarship fund named in memory of Huntingdon’s first Black student and graduate, Patricia A. Guy ’69, has been formed with the intent of funding scholarships for Black students. Construction on the Wanda A. Howard ’81 BSU Center is underway. The alumni group will also support the Black Student Union’s Phillis Wheatley Poetry Slam in March (date and time TBD). Several Huntingdon BIPOC alumni of accomplishment have been featured in the BSU’s Black History Month posts on social media. We will share updates from the academic and student engagement teams in the months to come.

What a Locker Room!

A few new campus spaces were unveiled as students returned for spring semester classes in February, including an anatomy and physiology lab for Sport Science and Physical Education students on the Cloverdale Campus; two new classrooms on the second floor of Flowers Hall; and a bright, expansive, and completely modernized lounge and locker room for baseball student-athletes. Construction on a fourth space, the Wanda A. Howard ’81 BSU Center, is underway. The baseball lounge and locker room are named in memory of Mike Nelson ’88 and funded by a gift from Coca-Cola Bottling Company—matched and even tripled through contributions from Huntingdon baseball fans, alumni, and parents.

Random COVID Testing Begins

Beginning Feb. 22, internal COVID testing will expand from the systematic testing of student-athletes to include 25 students per week who are not participating in NCAA athletics.  This testing regimen will require those selected randomly to be tested on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the week of their selection.  Students will be contacted by email and notified of their random selection. More information about this testing will be shared with those selected. In the meantime, don’t forget to complete your daily temperature check.

Outside Scholarship Deadlines Approach

If you are eligible, act quickly! The following scholarship opportunities are accepting applications:

• College Counts: Deadline, February 25, 2021, for Alabama students who have financial need.
• Dollars for Scholars: Deadline March 1, 2021, for United Methodist students.

Huntingdon Leadership Academy Stays Virtual

Do you know a high school student who feels called to a ministry profession? If so, encourage that student to attend the Huntingdon Leadership Academy, a virtual experience to be held June 28–30. Registration is open for this year’s program, in its sixth consecutive year, during which participants explore their calling to ministry, learn more about current topics in the life of the church, and enjoy mentoring, fun, praise, and worship. The cost for participation is only $25. This year registration does not require nomination by a pastor.

Coming Events

• CCV Charting a Path to Success: Jeremy Pittman ’09, a student in his last semester of dental school at Howard University College of Dentistry, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 6–7 p.m. CST via Zoom. Come and learn how Jeremy defined his path, but managed to play professional basketball along the way. For students only. See your email for the Zoom link. This is a Race and Justice Initiative event.
• CCV Hawk Talk: Dr. Chris Huckle ’11, D.O., Wed., Feb. 24, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. CST via Zoom. Chris is a board-certified family and sports medicine physician in Gainesville, Ga. At Huntingdon, he was a member of the men’s basketball team and of Sigma Nu fraternity. Come and learn how he made his dream of becoming a physician a reality. For students only. See your email for the Zoom link.
• Black History Month Poetry Reading featuring Birmingham Poet Ashley M. Jones, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7:00 p.m., free and open to all. See information above for details. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88176127184?pwd=dXBPQmJTSVRoQ3JjTUtPWklLVzA1dz09
• CCV Charting a Path to Success: Catie Malone ’10, Thurs., Feb. 25, 12:00–1:00 p.m. CST via Zoom. Mega-involved when she was at Huntingdon (RA, OL, SGA VP, Ambassador …), Catie is an associate attorney with Webster, Henry, Bradwell, Cohan, Speagle & DeShazo, P.C., specializing in estate planning, governmental law, and insurance defense. She earned a master’s degree in communication studies and her J.D. from the University of Alabama. Tune in and listen to her journey—maybe it will inform yours! For students only. Check your email for the Zoom link.
• In-Service Day, no classes/offices open, Friday, Feb. 26.
• Huntingdon Winds & Jazz Concert, Sun., March 7, 3:00 p.m., Top Stage on The Green; Huntingdon’s Athletics Spectator Policy governs audiences allowed to be present at this event.
• In-Service Day (no classes/offices open), and last day to withdraw from a class and receive a grade of W, Fri., March 12
• Daylight Saving Time begins, Sun., March 14, 2:00 a.m. (turn clocks forward—one hour later)
• Stallworth Lecture Series, Thurs., March 15, featuring Lowndes Co. native and MacArthur Fellow Catherine Coleman Flowers. More information to come.
• In-Service Day, no classes/offices open, Fri., March 19
• End of Mid-Term Grading Period, Fri., March 26
• Good Friday, no classes/offices closed, Fri., April 2

Announcements

• Huntingdon College Counseling Services are private, confidential, and offered at no cost to students. If you are interested in learning more about counseling services, see huntingdon.edu/counseling-services. An appointment form is available on the website.
• Students, please make sure you are familiar with and are following the College’s Attendance Policy. Excessive absences can result in your removal from athletic participation or from taking classes in-person. Check your absences in Canvas each week in order to clear up any absences that may have been attributed to you inadvertently.
• There will be an interest meeting for students who would like to learn more about Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., March 5, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Contact Akeem Hunt at (205) 705-8728 for more information.
• Women who are interested in joining Huntingdon’s Rho Chi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. may participate in Formal Rush. Materials must be submitted by 10:00 p.m. February 28, 2021. See your email for an instruction sheet (sent from campusactivities@hawks) or contact chapter adviser Tondalaire Ashford at rhochi1999@gmail.com for more information.
• Free online 24/7 tutoring is available by logging in to tutor.com. See your email for instructions on how to log-in (from Vaughan Dickson, 2/10/21). In addition, you may sign up for one-on-one or group tutoring sessions with an HC peer mentor through the Staton Center for Learning Enrichment. View the Academic Mentoring Team’s offerings in the Staton Center’s Canvas course at https://huntingdon.instructure.com/courses/1392 (log-in from a laptop, not your phone). Questions? Contact Ms. Dickson at statoncenter@hawks.huntingdon.edu.
• The priority deadline for filing your FAFSA for the best possible financial aid award for the 2021–2022 academic year is March 1. Go to studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.
• And speaking of fall, plan on classes beginning early again for fall 2021. Although a full calendar is not ready yet, we anticipate that classes will begin August 9 and will conclude prior to Thanksgiving week, as they did this academic year. For new students, orientation will be held August 5–8. Spring 2022 classes will begin January 10, 2022.
• Campus Dining Spot Hours this semester:
  • DH: Monday-Friday, Breakfast: 7:00–9:30 a.m.; Lunch: 10:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.; Dinner: 4:30–8:30 p.m.; Sat/Sun Brunch: 10:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.; Dinner: 5:00–6:30 p.m.
  • POD: Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
  • Hawk Trailer: Monday–Friday Lunch: 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.; Afternoon to-order grill items, 2:00–5:00 p.m.; Dinner: 5:00–10:00 p.m.
  • Scarlet & Grey Shop: Monday–Friday: 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Huntingdon Hawk-Stars

• Theresa Zimmerman Arnold ’71 of Morehead, N.C., was surprised with an Honorary Life Membership from Presbyterian Women in February.
• Phillip Bagley ’16 and Jesse Dunn ’17 were married February 20, 2021.
• An op-ed by Huntingdon history professors Blake Ball and Dr. Marcus Witcher appeared in the Alabama Reporter February 9, 2021. See https://www.alreporter.com/2021/02/09/opinion-a-little-empathy-could-go-a-long-way-to-healing-our-nation/. In January, Dr. Ball gave a lecture via Zoom to graduate students in the Rothermere American Institute program at Oxford University as well as to graduating students from collaborating English and European colleges. His subject was the comic strip “Peanuts” and the role pop culture has played in American political discourse, which is also the subject of his forthcoming book, “Charlie Brown’s America: The Popular Politics of Peanuts.”
• Zach Barnhill ’20 is working as a production manager and installer for J-Tech Solar in Lincoln, Neb. In his work, he serves the solar industry for the entire state of Nebraska.
• Derick Bothwell ’15 will join the athletic training staff for the remainder of this academic year and then move to a faculty position in the College’s new Master of Athletic Training program in June. He returns to Huntingdon after working with Rehab Associates as an athletic trainer and physical therapist.
• “Little Tunes for Little Ones,” written by Huntingdon organist and piano/organ instructor Jim Conely as walking music for children’s moments during worship services, was published by Lorenz Publishing last year and was featured in the May 2020 issue of The Organist and reprinted in Easy Organ Library, Vol. 69.
• Connie Deal ’87, who was last year’s Alabama Art Educator of the Year and continues as the art instructor for the Montgomery Academy, has joined the Huntingdon art faculty as an adjunct instructor.
• Peyton Dean ’21 has been accepted into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the University of South Alabama beginning August 2021.
• Candice Hughes Duffey ’05 and her family have moved to Melbourne, Fla. She teaches middle school language arts at St. Mary Catholic School in Rockledge, Fla.
• Quinn Hambrite ’12 is the new head football coach and athletic director for 5A Charles Henderson High School in Troy, Ala. After graduating in 2012 he coached for Prattville High School for a year. He has also coached for Carver High School in Montgomery, Central-Hayneville HS (his high school alma mater), and Hillcrest-Evergreen HS.
• Bill Hamilton ’82, a former member of Huntingdon’s board of trustees and of the National Alumni Board, has retired after 37 years of service in college athletics. Most recently he has served as director of athletics at Pensacola State College. Bill served as head baseball coach for PSC for many years. During the 2004 season the baseball team finished sixth in the JUCO World Series and earned the coveted Tomas Howard Sportsmanship Trophy. Bill was named FCCAA Coach of the Year, NJCAA Region VIII Coach of the Year, and the ABCA/Diamond Regional Coach of the Year for the NJCAA Division 1. In 2008 he became the all-time career leader in wins for PSC, earning his 525^th He finished the year with 561 wins as the Pirates earned the conference championship and an NJCAA national poll ranking of No. 1. His career record is 703 wins and 468 losses. He has been inducted into the Huntingdon Athletic Hall of Fame, the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, the Pensacola Sports Association Hall of Fame, and the Florida College System Activities Association Hall of Fame.
• Drew Harrell ’11 has been named vice president for governmental affairs for the Business Council of Alabama.
• Michael Hanich ’16 completed a Master of Arts at the University of South Alabama.
• John Haynes ’18 earned his Master of Accountancy from Auburn University-Montgomery in December 2020 and has been promoted to staff accountant at Carr, Riggs, & Ingram.
• Morgan Herfindahl ’19 will earn her Master of Accountancy in 2021. She is an accountant with Down & Assoc. in Florence, Ala.
• Jefferson Davis High School band director Brandon Howard, who took the JDHS band to “America’s Got Talent” last year and to a performance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2019, joins the Huntingdon Bands program as associate director of bands this semester. He will work remotely for the spring semester and begin full-time in summer 2021.
• Taylor ’15 and Sjohna Pierce Hughes ’15 welcomed a daughter, Liza Grace, January 13, 2021.
• Nichole Lefevre ’19 has joined the staff at Montgomery’s Rushton Stakely law firm as a receptionist.
• Celeste Paulson Manuel ’07 completed an MBA with a specialization in human resource management from Capella University in 2020. She serves as the director of communications and as a member of the Worship Team for St. James Church in Pike Road, Ala.
• Alyssa Phillips ’01 completed her MBA with a finance option at Portland State University in 2018 and works as a sales operations data analyst for BSI in Camas, Wash.
• Tracy Pressley ’88 is working on her Ph.D. in social work at the University of Alabama. She is an assistant professor at Alabama State University.
• Kerry Reed ’16 married Justin Ellzey, January 16, 2021.
• Joshua Robertson ’10 has stepped on board as the principal at Wicksburg High School in Alabama. A former Hawks football player, he earned secondary certification in chemistry at Huntingdon. Josh’s previous post was as assistant principal at Enterprise High School.
• Congratulations to Sara Shoffner, assistant professor of sport science, and her husband, Jonathan, on the birth of their second daughter, Mallory Lillian, February 12, 2021.
• Katy Messick Short ’16 and her husband, Alex, welcomed a son, Charles Tanner, January 19, 2021.
• Damali Thomas ’18 has joined the Loyola University (New Orleans) athletic department as assistant athletic director. She served previously as the director of operations for the Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association and worked for the Southern States Athletic Conference as a championship intern. Damali was a member of the women’s basketball team and ran cross country while at Huntingdon.
• Blake Toole ’07 is a recruiter for BL Harbert International and lives in Hoover, Ala.
• Huntingdon congratulates Jacqueline Allen Trimble ’83, a former Huntingdon professor of English, on her selection as a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow. Dr. Trimble is one of 35 recipients of this award nationally, from among 1601 eligible applicants, and received a $25,000 fellowship to support her writing. Published by NewSouth Books, “American Happiness,” her debut collection, won the 2016 Balcones Poetry Prize. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Alabama. She is professor of English and chairs the Department of Languages and Literatures at Alabama State University.
• Marcus Washington ’08 has moved to a new job as a graphic designer for Auburn University-Montgomery.
• Will ’15 and Carlee Nobles Wright ’16 welcomed a daughter, Wynn Austin, February 6, 2021.

Sympathy and Prayers

• Martha Atkeson Bronar ’46 died January 24, 2021, in Cocoa Beach, Fla., at age 97.
• The Rev. Dr. Thomas Lane Butts Jr. died February 15 at age 90 in Monroeville, Ala. Dr. Butts, who served UMC churches in Illinois, Florida, and Alabama, as well as in the role of district superintendent for the Dothan District in the Alabama-West Florida Conference, received an honorary doctorate from Huntingdon College in 1976.
• The College was saddened to learn of the recent death of Janet Miller Dapitan ’56, a resident of Wailuku, Hawaii.  Janet was honored in 2003 with the College’s Alumni Achievement Award.  Upon her death, she was described in the Maui newspaper as a “force of nature for environment and social causes.”  She received national recognition for her Keep Hawaii Beautiful efforts.
• Our sympathies are extended to head men’s basketball coach David Gurganus on the death of his grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Nichols, January 16.
• Our sympathies are extended to Stephanie Hicks, vice president for admission, and her husband, Hawks defensive coach Stephen Hicks, on the death of Stephanie’s father, January 21.
• Our sympathies are extended to Jim Hilgartner, professor of English, and his wife, Karen, on the death of his mother, Carol Hilgartner Schlank, January 18. Ms. Schlank devoted her life to serving children and was described as a “connoisseur of children’s literature.” She wrote three books for young children on the lives of Martin Luther King Jr., Rachel Carson, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
• Tony Ingle ’77 died January 18 in Acworth, Ga. Beginning in 2000 he served as head men’s basketball coach for the Kennesaw State Owls for 11 seasons, winning 178 games. He moved on to a coaching position at Dalton State Junior College, taking the team to the NAIA national championship in 2015.
• Marshline (Marsha) Giles Livingston ’50 died January 14, 2021, at her home in Blakely, Ga. She worked for the U.S. Corps of Engineers for 30 years.
• Former music instructor Wayne Sigler died February 11, 2021. In addition to serving Huntingdon as an adjunct instructor, he hosted numerous Huntingdon students as interns in the music ministry at Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church, where he served as the music minister. We extend condolences to his wife, Terri, and their family.
• International humanitarian and devoted member of the United Methodist Church, Annella Trobaugh Smith ’64, passed away January 22, 2021, in Clanton, Ala., at age 87.  We extend condolences to her family, including her children, Kathryn Trobaugh Crouthers ’75, Marrianne Trobaugh Sloan ’83, and John Drewry Trobaugh ’85; her son-in-law, Danny Sloan ’79; and her grandson, John Dean ’13, and his wife, Amanda Jo Napier Dean ’11.
• Roy T. Sublette ’52, a pioneer for men at Huntingdon, died January 31, 2021, in Montgomery.  He devoted his life to serving the United Methodist Church and his beloved wife of 73 years, Jean. We extend our prayers and condolences to Jean and to her family.

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