THE TALON

A grip on news in the Huntingdon College Community

January 14, 2020

What’s New

Spring Term Classes Begin February 8

Dr. Anthony Leigh, senior vice president for student and institutional development, sent out required spring term student arrival dates and important COVID-19 testing information to students via email January 8, 2021. Required dates to report to campus are as follows:

• Tues., 1/26:  RAs, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, and Volleyball
• Wed., 1/27:  Football
• Thurs., 1/28:  Softball and Baseball
• Tues., 2/2: Men’s and Women’s Golf, Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse, Men’s and Women’s Tennis
• Wed., 2/3:  Band, Cheer, Presidential Fellows
• Thurs., 2/4:  ALL OTHER RETURNING STUDENTS and NEW STUDENTS must check-in for re-entry testing.

In preparation for re-entry, you should have begun daily HealthCheck testing on Monday, 1/11/21, reporting your temperature reading and any symptoms to your coach, if you’re a student-athlete; Dr. Logan, if you’re in band; Ms. Carroll, if you’re a Presidential Fellow; or to Student Affairs staff (all others). Please quarantine to the best of your ability and/or observe COVID-19 protocols (mask, social distancing, hand-washing) to prepare for return to campus so that you are assured of a negative COVID-19 test when you arrive.

Important: students who do not report to campus on their scheduled date for re-entry testing will need to provide at their expense a negative COVID-19 test administered no more than 48 hours before their arrival on campus.

If you plan to opt for remote-only classes this spring term, you will receive that paperwork soon.

Spring Success Initiative protocols and specific arrival times will be sent out soon. Please check your email regularly for updates.

Faculty and Staff Testing Required

Through an agreement with Baptist Health, Huntingdon is providing COVID-19 testing at no cost to faculty and staff. Completion of this testing is required prior to the beginning of the spring semester. Faculty must test before February 1; staff must test prior to January 22. Faculty and staff will receive a communication from the director of institutional health regarding each employee’s appointment time for testing, which will be completed at Baptist South. See a communication in your email dated 1/12/21 from Jay Dorman, senior vice president for planning and administration, with more details.

Huntingdon Offers Martin Luther King Day Zoom Event

Huntingdon College, Huntingdon Campus Ministries, and the Huntingdon Race and Justice Initiative will present “A Reflection on the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Monday, January 18, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. Central Time, via Zoom. Featured panelists are the Reverend Richard Williams, pastor of Metropolitan United Methodist Church, Montgomery; Ms. Bria Imani Rochelle ’18, a seminary student at Duke Divinity School and an incoming member of Huntingdon’s Department of Religion faculty in the 2021–2022 academic year; and Ms. Justala Faith Simpson ’20, a seminary student at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Huntingdon chaplain Rhett Butler ’13, an elder in full connection with the United Methodist Church, will monitor the discussion. “We plan to explore Dr. King’s theological and pastoral legacies,” said Butler, “including how his preaching and interpretation of scripture have influenced the way preachers deliver their sermons and the ways we interpret scripture today.”

Following is the Zoom information for the event, which is open to all:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89366550170?pwd=OVBUSi9oUzhMdnYwbjRRK3JkOFpJZz09

Meeting ID: 893 6655 0170
Passcode: 604303

Tax Forms Ready

When you (or your parents) prepare 2020 taxes, you will need to have your official 2020 1098-T form that shows your enrollment information. Huntingdon has prepared your form and will send it by the February 1 IRS deadline. The forms will be mailed to the address on file with your student records. If the information on file is not correct and you need to make changes, please: 1.) Log-in to your Self Service account; 2) Go to the My Profile tab; 3) Select Addresses; 4) Select Add Address; 5) Select Address Type=Permanent; 6) Complete the starred items; 7) Save. Once you select “Save” the Registrar’s Office will receive notification to update your address and will, in turn, notify Student Financial Services of the change. So that forms may go out by the deadline, please complete this process by 4:00 p.m., Thursday, January 21, 2021.

Methodist Scholarships Open

For a limited time each year, students who are members of Methodist churches may apply for United Methodist Higher Education Foundation scholarships. If you are eligible, act quickly! The following scholarship opportunities are accepting applications:

• College Counts: Deadline, February 25, 2021
• Dollars for Scholars: Deadline March 1, 2021

Important Dates

• Monday, February 8, first day of classes; payment of tuition and fees due
• Friday, February 12, last day to change your meal plan for spring term; last day to add/drop classes for the spring term; deadline for registering your vehicle to avoid a parking ticket (if you registered your vehicle in the fall, you don’t need to do so again for the spring term).
• Friday, February 26, In-Service Day, no classes; offices open
• Friday, March 12, last day to withdraw from a class and receive a grade of W
• Sunday, March 14, Daylight Saving Time begins (turn clocks forward one hour)
• Friday, March 26, end of Mid-Term Grading Period
• Friday, April 2, Good Friday, no classes; offices closed
• Friday, May 14, last day of classes, spring term
• May 17–21, Finals
• Saturday, May 22, residence halls close for non-graduating students
• Saturday, May 29, Commencement Exercises, 6:00 p.m., The Green

(Remaining In-Service dates and other events to be determined.)

Announcements

• Congratulations to the graduates in the Class of 2020, day and evening programs. About half of the graduates listed in the two news releases posted on the Huntingdon website participated in the ceremony on the Green held November 21, 2020. Others will participate in the May 2021 commencement ceremony.
• Congratulations to the traditional day students who were recognized on the Dean’s List of Honors and the Dean’s List of High Honors for their academic achievement following fall 2020. See the news section of the homepage for the news release.
• Dr. Tom Perrin has been named senior vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty following a year of service as interim vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty.
• Stephanie Hicks has been named vice president for admission and Leanne Mallory Carroll ’05 has been named vice president for strategic academic initiatives.
• In December, Huntingdon announced two new faculty members who will join the College in 2021:

o   Dr. James Patterson, assistant professor of chemistry, began January 2021

o   Ms. Bria Imani Rochelle ’18 will return to her alma mater in summer 2021 as instructor of religion and content coordinator for the Huntingdon Leadership Academy. She will complete her Master of Divinity at Duke Divinity School this spring.

• Huntingdon celebrated the grand opening of Massey Court in November 2020.
• Registration for Summer 2021 classes is open! Check Self-Service to view available courses and sign up. Most classes are online, so you can take them from wherever you will be.
• Monthly statements have been posted to students’ Self-Service Accounts. Please see your email for a 1/8/2021 email from student accounts to explain the statements. Please forward that email to the appropriate individual if you do not handle your own financial affairs.
• FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, is the deadline for returning your fall term books and materials to the Scarlet and Grey Shop! Here is the information that was sent out 11/13/2020: Fall Semester Informational Resources (textbooks, calculators, etc.) are to be returned to the Scarlet and Grey Shop drive-thru no later than January 15, 2021. If you are unable to return the items in person, you can mail them to the Scarlet and Grey Shop at the College address: 1500 E. Fairview Ave., 36106. You are responsible for ensuring the items are packaged securely. If you cannot return your books by January 15th, contact bookstore manager Nancy Jackson at studentaccounts@hawks.huntingdon.edu requesting that further arrangements be made for your situation.  If your books are not returned by January 15, 2021, your student account will be charged for the cost of the book(s) plus a $10 restocking fee.  If you return your books after January 15, 2021, without approval for delay in return, your student account will be credited 75% of the cost of the book, less a $10 restocking fee.

Huntingdon Hawk-Stars

• Marks Abernathy ’15 and his wife, Carrleigh, welcomed a son, Lawrence (Law) Stephen, Oct. 17, 2020.
• Dr. Tabitha Chenault Barber ’04 completed her DVM at the University of Tennessee in 2019 and plans to open, with Dr. Loral Sayre ’06, River Bend Veterinary Clinic in Millbrook in January/February 2021.
• Kayla Northington Barnes ’11, and her husband, Logan, welcomed a son, Grady Walker, Nov. 23, 2020.
• Laurel Billy ’17 married Eugene Cassity, Nov. 28, 2020.
• Chris Blight ’13 received the Oak Mountain High School Teacher of the Month Apple Award in December 2020. He is a health teacher at OMHS and the head coach of the girls soccer team.
• Brantley Carr ’16 and his wife, Brittany, welcomed a daughter, Bentley Reese, Dec.1, 2020.
• Scout (’20) and Candy Martinez Carson ’20 welcomed a daughter, Luna, Nov. 24, 2020.
• Ben Cheney ’10 and his wife, Jordy, welcomed a daughter, Anna Joyce, Oct. 24, 2020.
• Michael Corallo ’02 works as a sales director for Humana Insurance in Winter Springs, Fla.
• Connie Powell Deal ’87 was named Alabama Art Educator of the Year in fall 2020. She teaches for the Montgomery Academy.
• Dr. Dexter Dean ’13 and his wife, Sara Beth, welcomed a son, Griffin Collier, in November 2020.
• Brenda Griffin Duos ’86 and her family have moved to Spanish Fort, Ala., and are the owners of the new Port City Pups, a doggy daycare facility, in downtown Mobile.
• Alyssa Eason ’12 married Joseph (Jody) McCormick, Dec. 31, 2020.
• Kyle Eller ’10 has joined the faculty at Winthrop University (S.C.) as an assistant professor of accounting. His doctorate will be completed soon.
• Andrew Emfinger ’15 is a recreation programs assistant with the City of Florence, Alabama Parks and Recreation.
• Heather Wilson Ertel ’15 and her husband, Chad, welcomed a son, Tate Austin, Nov. 28, 2020.
• Sherry Leigh Lacey Farquhar ’13 and her husband, Robbie Farquhar ’15, welcomed daughter Lacey Kathryn, Jan. 8, 2021.
• Chase Feagin ’19 has been accepted to the University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Dentistry.
• Addison Fuller ’21 has been admitted to the University of Alabama School of Law.
• Ronald Fullove ’12 is the director of sports medicine for Stillman College in Ala.
• Savannah Gibbs ’20 married Stephen Baine, Dec. 19, 2020.
• Lauren Gilbert ’12 passed the CPA exam in fall 2020.
• Logan Henderson Golden ’11 and her husband, Blake, welcomed a son, Briggman Joe, in October 2020.
• Will Granthum, admission counselor, and his wife welcome their first child, son Roper, in October 2020.
• Jacob (’12) and Marybeth Wheatley Hollingsworth ’12 and their son, Grayson, have moved to Odenville, Ala.
• Taylor (’15) and Sjohna Pierce Hughes ’15 welcomed daughter Liza Grace, Jan. 13, 2021.
• John Hunnicutt ’19 is a law student at Jones School of Law in Montgomery.
• Dr. Derrick Hurt ’09 completed a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Liberty University. He teaches for Union Springs Elementary School in Alabama.
• Tori Jackson ’15 married Blake Edwards in December 2020.
• Introduced to indoor rowing in her Crossfit gym some years ago, Kirsten Kline ’11 began to work hard in the sport in 2017, meeting a community of indoor rowers and falling in love with the sport. She soon started competing and set three different Concept2 Indoor Rowing World Records and several American Records. She then took her skills to outdoor rowing and began working with a US Rowing coach in October 2020. This spring, she will compete in the Olympic time trials with the goal of making the US National Team. Now living in Houston, Texas, she is working for a title company.
• Former student body president and former Huntingdon alumni board president Amy Woodard Klugh ’96 was named Elementary Principal of the Year by Okaloosa County School District in Florida.
• Chris Knight ’10 and his wife, Melissa, welcomed a son, Fuller Williams, Oct. 3, 2020.
• Patrick Kucera ’16 and Lauren Condon ’17 were married Oct. 17, 2020.
• Nick Lancaster ’14 and his family have moved to Rome, Ga., where he is the healthcare administrator for a new continuing care retirement community, The Spires, located on the campus of Berry College. Nick completed his nursing home administrator licensure in 2014 and has served in various roles in long-term care communities since. He and his wife, Briana, have a one-year-old child, son Brycen.
• Giles Langford ’12 and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed a son, Jack Robinson, in June 2020.
• Malik Marble ’18 completed a Master of Arts in teaching in health and physical education at Columbus State University.
• Alicia Frazier Martin ’15 and her husband, Trey, welcomed daughter Avery Renee, December 30, 2020.
• Frazer McCurdy ’11 married Jordan Bray, Nov. 14, 2020.
• The Rev. Jenny Zeigler Medley ’06 serves as chaplain for Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Florida.
• Jennifer Moody Nelson ’09 and her husband, Matthew, welcomed a daughter, Hattie Grace, in November 2020.
• Aaron Odom ’14 and his wife, Haley, welcomed a daughter, Mary Ellis, Nov. 24, 2020.
• Abigail Olmeda ’18 has been elected first vice president of the Florida Nursing Students Association. She has also been appointed president of the Minority Student Nursing Organization at Florida Atlantic University.
• Michael (’10) and Abby Grace Chandler Payson ’11 welcomed their third child, daughter Posie Grace, Nov. 9, 2020.
• Megan Petenbrink ’12 married Jacob Atkinson, Oct. 31, 2020.
• John Phillips ’14, one of the Hawks featured in the “Six Hawks Walk into a Bar (Exam)” story in the 2021 edition of Huntingdon Magazine, has been named a deputy district attorney for Montgomery County in Alabama.
• Kris McClendon Phillips ’12 and her husband, Taylor, welcomed son Mack Edwards, Nov. 9, 2020.
• McDowell Pinckard ’12 is a student in the MBA program at the University of North Carolina.
• Eva Reardon ’17, a music teacher for Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, was named the recipient of the Kinetic Credit Union Golden Apple Award in fall 2020.
• Jason Reynolds ’18 married Hope Gilmore, Nov. 21, 2020.
• Jonathan Robinson ’19 and his friend, Devoski Boyd, have launched their own label of outdoor apparel to reflect diversity in the outdoor industry (hunting, fishing, golf): Black Creek Outdoors. Jonathan is a law student at Loyola University in New Orleans. See more at Shopblackcreek.com.
• Assistant football coach Tyler Robinson ’14 and his wife, Shelby, welcomed a daughter, Hendon Kate, Oct. 28, 2020.
• Ryan Shores ’98, an attorney with the Department of Justice, is the lead lawyer in the government’s anti-trust lawsuit against Google.
• Ron Steube ’74 will be inducted into the 2021 class of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Alabama Chapter in May. He initiated Huntingdon’s first intercollegiate wrestling program in 1970. As a teacher and coach at Central Alabama Academy, his wrestling teams won five of six APSA state titles—with one team achieving State Runner-Up status—between 1972 and 1978. He served as head wrestling coach at Chattahoochee Valley Community College in Phenix City, Ala., from 1978 to 1980, where his teams were two-time NJCAA SE Regional Runners-Up, finished third in the Mid-South tournament, had 10 national qualifiers, and the 1980 team was ranked 10th in the nation. CVCC dropped the program due to funding cuts and Title IX.
• Tony Sucher ’64 and his wife, Sharon, have relocated to Winterville, Ga.
• Sarah Cheatham Tanner ’04 serves as a piano teacher and the chair of the arts department at Baldwin Arts and Academics Magnet School in Montgomery. She also creates and sells original artwork and performs as a classical pianist.
• Kendra Tatum ’11 has been promoted to assistant manager of the school-based therapy program at Wellstone Inc. in Madison, Ala. She earned licensure as a professional counselor in 2019 and has worked as a mental health therapist for six years.
• Tyler Tierney ’13 married Carsen McDonald, December 2020.
• Jasmine Turner ’11 completed a master’s degree in accounting at the University of Alabama-Birmingham in December 2020.
• Allison Vuyovich ’12 married Cole Gordon, Nov. 28, 2020.
• Caitlin Walker ’16 welcomed a son, Chaise Frishard Walker, Oct. 10, 2020.
• Marcus Washington ’08 has a new job as a graphic designer for Auburn University-Montgomery’s marketing department.
• Drew Wheeler ’17 married Marla Gerstner, Nov. 7, 2020.
• James White ’14 married Nichole McLeod, Oct. 24, 2020.
• Linda Jackson Willis ’86 has retired after being part of the education field since 1987.
• Jakob (’16) and Kalyn Spatol Works ’15 welcomed a son, Steele Perry, Oct. 1, 2020.

Sympathy and Prayers

• Our deepest condolences are extended to Huntingdon’s Alpha Kappa Alpha advisor, Toni Ashford, on the loss of her son, Brian, in November 2020.
• Distinguished Huntingdon alumnus Daniel L. Bailey ’64 passed away Dec. 25, 2020.  Upon completing his Huntingdon degree, he received a Fulbright Scholarship and completed graduate studies in history at Tulane University and in Germany. He was preceded in death by parents who both taught at Huntingdon. His father, Dr. L.G. Bailey, founded the Huntingdon psychology department, and his mother, Margaret “Peg” Bailey, taught history. Dan followed in his parents’ footsteps by teaching history at Huntingdon.  We extend condolences to Dan’s wife, Judy Johnson Bailey ’65; his sister, Jeanne Bailey Gamble ’65; his sister-in-law, Patty Johnson Wolf ’71; and his brother-in-law, Skip Wolf Jr. ’71.
• Our sympathy is extended to Pamela Baker Barnhardt ’91 and Miles Barnhardt ’18 in the loss of their mother and grandmother, respectively, Betty Baker, in December 2020.
• Long-standing friend of the College Henry D. Cobb died Nov. 27, 2020, at age 97. In 2009, Mr. Cobb established the Hazel Cronier Cobb Scholarship in memory of his wife. We extend condolences to his family, including his son, Huntingdon trustee David Cobb, and his grandson, Walt Cobb ’16.
• Former Huntingdon trustee the Rev. Dr. Jerry M. Dooling Sr. died Jan. 1, 2021, in Dothan, Ala. He was a minister in the Alabama-West Florida Conference for 56 years. He previously received an honorary doctorate from Huntingdon College. We extend condolences to his family and friends.
• The Rev. J. Walter Ellisor ’55 died Dec. 6, 2020. A long-standing minister in the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, Rev. Ellisor was a former member of the Huntingdon College board of trustees and a member of the Huntingdon Hall of Honor and the John Massey Heritage Society. In 1984, he and his wife established the Joseph C. Ellisor Endowed Scholarship in memory of his son, who was a student at Huntingdon at the time of his death. Rev. Ellisor was honored in 1990 with the Huntingdon College Alumni Loyalty Award. We extend our condolences to his family and friends.
• Our sympathy is extended to Joel Godfrey, administrative assistant in Houghton Memorial Library, on the death of her husband, Kenny, in November 2020, and to their children, Ryan Godfrey ’02, Jeremy Godfrey ’03, and Andrea Godfrey Salvador ’07.
• Distinguished Huntingdon friend and benefactor Joyce Hobbs died Dec. 18, 2020.  Mrs. Hobbs, along with her late husband, Judge Truman Hobbs, were honored by the College in 2013 with the naming of the Joyce and Truman Hobbs Honors Program. Judge and Mrs. Hobbs were members of the Order of the Countess of Huntingdon, the Huntingdon Society, and the John Massey Heritage Society. Together, they established the Truman Hobbs Endowed Scholarship at Huntingdon in 1982 and the Dexter Cummings Endowed Scholarship in memory of Mrs. Hobbs’ brother in 1994. The Hobbs family continues to be served by the College through the service of Emilie Hobbs Reid, a member of the Huntingdon Board of Trustees and the daughter of Judge and Mrs. Hobbs. We extend our condolences to the Hobbs family.
• Aubrey Neeley ’59, husband of the late Mary Ann Oglesby Neeley ’54, died in December 2020. We extend condolences to their family, including grandson Graham Neeley ’11.
• Myrtle Poundstone Ridolphi ’50 died Jan. 8, 2021, in Montgomery, Ala. We extend condolences to her family, including her daughter, Dr. Jane Goodson, chair of Huntingdon’s Department of Accounting and Business.
• Rebecca McFee Robertson ’68 died Jan. 2, 2021, in Woodland, Alabama. We extend condolences to her husband, former Huntingdon trustee Rev. James C. Robertson, and to their daughter, Allison Robertson Haynie ’97.
• We received word that William Sanders ’82 died of injuries sustained in a car accident May 23, 2020, in Prattville. Bill was a logger and an artist. Also a graduate of the Pratt Institute of Art and Design in New York, he spent two summers studying art at the Les Cerqueux-sous-Passavant in France. Some of his artwork is on permanent display at the Arts Students League Gallery in NYC, according to an article in “Alabama Stumpin’” about Sanders written by David Abbott ’01. His painting of a turkey titled “Emmet’s Gobbler” became the first wildlife stamp for the State of Alabama. Sanders also served as an Army Ranger and a “triple canopied”

Green Beret in the U.S. Army Reserves (20^th Special Forces unit). We extend our sympathy to Bill’s brother, Kirk Sanders ’84, who is also a logger and combat veteran.

• Our oldest living male alumnus, the Rev. Ray Whatley ’45, died Dec. 3, 2020, in Asheville, N.C., at age 101. We give thanks for his life of service to the United Methodist Church and his faithful support for Huntingdon College.

###

The Talon is produced by the Office of Communications and is e-mailed to students, faculty, and staff, and to those parents, friends, neighbors, alumni, and others who have requested to receive it.  If you would like to change your e-mail address or be added to or removed from the list, simply send your request to Su Ofe at news@hawks.huntingdon.edu (be sure to include your relationship to the College so that you can be added to or removed from the correct list).