THE TALON

A grip on news in the Huntingdon College Community

May 26, 2022

WHAT’S NEW?

Summer Is Anything but Quiet

You might be tempted to think that summer is a slow-paced time of planning at Huntingdon, and I can tell you unequivocally that is not the case. There are retirements, searches and new hires, people adapting to new jobs, office moves, new spaces under construction, rooms and buildings and new academic programs being readied … you get the idea. While planning is certainly part of the mix, it is happening at the pace of the academic year. Here are a few of the things happening on campus this summer:

• Office of Student Development staff offices from the Hut are moving to Jackson Home.
• The Center for Career and Vocation (CCV) is moving to Jackson Home, second floor.
• Department of Religion faculty offices are moving from Jackson Home to Flowers Hall.
• Offices for Leanne Mallory Carroll ’05 and Sidney Carol Hall Barnhardt ’19 are moving to Jackson Home second floor.
• The Hut will be repurposed during the fall semester into a large gathering/meeting space as it was when the building was first built.
• Four faculty retirements, increased needs, and other faculty moves have necessitated searches for positions in a number of academic areas, which will conclude either this summer or for the 2023–2024 academic year.
• Summer classes are underway. Summer Session II begins in July. Need a class to catch up, improve your grades, or increase your pace toward graduation? Sign up!
• As we announced in March, four new majors will begin in the fall: Biochemistry/Pre-Health; Cell Biology/Pre-Health; Exercise Science/Pre-Athletic Training/Pre-Occupational Therapy; Exercise Science/Pre-Physical Therapy.
• New Student Development staff will begin in June, and they’ll jump right into practicing and planning for 2022–2023 academic year orientation programming, student life events, recreation and intramurals, and new clubs and organizations.
• Huntingdon Plan travel-study groups will fly off to Hawaii and Alaska in June.
• The campus phone system for offices/personnel is converting to Zoom phones gradually, with implementation beginning this week. During the transition some office phone numbers may be unavailable for a day or part of a day. If you call and don’t reach someone, please try back or reach out by email.
• A new coach has been announced for women’s lacrosse (see Sports Talk), and announcements are pending for assistant coaches for women’s soccer, women’s wrestling, and track/cross country.

Two Welcomes are Better than One

• The Office of Admission is planning two Home Sweet Huntingdon sessions for deposited students, June 23 and July 21, 2022. These sessions will allow incoming students and their families to view parts of the campus that may not have been open as we observed COVID precautions during the 2021–2022 academic year, and meet faculty, coaches, and staff who can answer all the questions as you plan to begin your college experience. Learn more, choose a session, and find the link to register here: https://www.huntingdon.edu/admission-aid/traditional-admission/admitted-students/
• The Office of Student Development is planning the real, official, yay-you’re here welcome to the Home We Love So Well (it’s a line from the alma mater, which you’ll know soon, if you’re an incoming student) during Orientation, which will be held August 4–7, just before fall term classes begin August 8. More than 60 upper-level students are involved in orientation planning and programming this year, so you’re sure to have new friends and student-led guidance as soon as you arrive in your college home. You’ll hear more about orientation from Dr. Anthony Leigh, senior vice president for student and institutional development and dean of students, coming in June. Check your Huntingdon email!

Summer Camps

A few spaces remain for two summer camps that occur simultaneously, June 24–25. Both camps are overnight experiences. The Huntingdon Leadership Academy is open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are discerning God’s call to ministry in their lives. Exploring American Democracy is a camp for rising high school juniors and seniors in which participants will relive the building of the American Constitution, taking on the roles of the country’s founding fathers and debating the issues of the day. Late registrations (past the June 1 deadline) can be accommodated up to the number of spots available in each camp, so contact the appropriate folks asap. In addition, Baseball, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Men’s Soccer, Softball, and Volleyball (Indoor and Beach) are offering summer athletic camps for youth.

Sports Talk

• All Sports Year-End Awards Release
• Baseball: Hawks Baseball ended their season in the USA South Tournament with a loss to NC Wesleyan in round four. Six Hawks earned USA South Baseball All-Conference recognition. Named to the 1^st Team West Division were Colin Whibbs ’23, Andrew Knight ’22, Daniel Phillips ’24, and Eddie Patterson ’23; Cullen Stafford ’22 was named to the 2nd Team West Division; and Colton Clark ’22 was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.
• Football: Hawks Football has posted their 10-game regular season 2022 Schedule. Football continues in the USA South Conference and will face 7 conference opponents in addition to Linfield, Guilford, and Birmingham-Southern.
• Golf: The men’s golf team tied for third in the NCAA-Division III Championship Tournament earlier this month, with Grant Gronka ’23 finishing in fifth place individually. At the conclusion of the season, four Hawks were PING All-Region honorees: Owen Burt ’22, Peter Meilunas ’24, Ethan Unverzagt ’23, and Carson Whitton ’22. The women’s team posted a second place finish in the USA South Conference Championship Tournament, with three posting top 10 finishes: Jasmine Paynter ’22, 7^th; Emma Cox ’23, 8^th; and Caroline Culbertson ’25, 9^th.
• Lacrosse: Kaitlin Cochran has been named head coach for women’s lacrosse. She comes to Huntingdon from the University of Dallas, where she has served as head coach for the past two seasons. Women’s team player Sidney Parfait ’23 was recognized on the USA South All-Sportsmanship Team at the conclusion of the season. For the men, Gavin McNeill ’22 was named to the USA South All-Sportsmanship Team.
• Softball: The Hawks ended their season in round 2 of the USA South Championship Tournament with losses to Pfeiffer and Wesleyan. The women posted a stellar season, with 8 players named to All-Conference teams, including Miranda Treadway ’25 to 1st Team All-Conference and 1^st Team West Division; Brooke Stefankiewicz ’24, Anna Vaughn ’22, and Katie Holcombe ’23 to the 1^st Team West Division; Bailey Murphy ’23, Emily Nieuwstraten ’22, and Natalie Ritchey ’23 to the 2^nd Team West Division; and Hannah Vines ’22 to the All-Sportsmanship Team.
• Tennis: Women’s tennis player Allexii Bassette ’25 was named to the 1st Team All-Conference and the 1st Team West Division at the conclusion of the spring season. Madeline Creel ’23 was also named to the 1^st Team West Division, while Alonda Weaver ’23 was tapped for the All-Sportsmanship Team. Cameron Reed ’24 was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team for the men.
• Track and Field: Although the Hawks’ men’s and women’s teams finished in 11^th and 12th place, respectively, at the USA South Conference Championship meet, camaraderie was high and milestones were met during the season. Named to All-Sportsmanship Teams were Kate Smith ’25 for the women and Blake Bailey ’25 for the men. Both teams are young and look forward to growing together as they advance through Huntingdon and in competition.
• Volleyball (Beach): Assistant volleyball coach Carly Falcione was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s group of 30 Under 30 Beach Coaches in April

HAWKStars

• JORDAN ANDERSON ’20 married Saylor Whitehead, May 7, 2022.
• KATIE BIANCO ’19 has accepted a position as an assistant coordinator of on-campus recruiting for Auburn Football. She completed her graduate degree in higher education administration at Auburn University.
• MATT BOWES ’15 and his wife, Molly, welcomed a son, James Matthew Bowes III, May 10, 2022.
• SAM BROWN ’11 and his wife, Lauren, welcomed a daughter, Laney May, April 27, 2022.
• ERIN CEMBRALE ’23, a member of the USA Deaf Soccer Women’s National Team, played a key role in the team’s gold medal win in the DeafLympics earlier this month by scoring a goal in the first overtime. The team defeated Poland in the championship game to win the gold. The games were played in Brazil.
• DYLAN BOHLING ’22 has been named an assistant basketball coach for Reinhardt University, where he will begin a Master of Science in sports administration and leadership this fall. Dylan won the NCAA-Division III’s prestigious Post-Graduate Scholarship of $10,000 earlier this month.
• CONNOR BRUCE ’21 married Kati Thomas, April 30, 2022.
• Special congratulations to ASHLEY BURKE ’22, who graduated magna cum laude in the Honors Program with a degree in accounting. The honors designations were accidentally credited to another graduate in the list that was released May 20. We apologize for the error.
• ASHLEY CARROLL ’19 married Adam Carswell, April 16, 2022.
• We welcome JASMINE DOWNS to the staff in the Business Office, serving as accounts payable clerk.
• OLIVIA ELMORE ’24 has joined the Huntingdon staff as a member of the Technology Support Services team.
• HANNAH STILL FETTERS ’15 and her husband, Cory, welcomed a son, Finn Elliot, in April 2022.
• DOUG FONTAINE ’10 and his wife, Janae, welcomed a son, Tucker Leed, May 20, 2022.
• KALEB FONTENOT ’22 and Tamera Bruster welcomed a daughter, Dahlia Mae, May 5, 2022.
• BROOKS FREEMAN ’20 married Sarah Kallaher, May 21, 2022.
• ADDISON FULLER FRANKLIN ’21, who has just completed her first year of law school, is clerking for Capell & Howard Attorneys at Law this summer.
• JESSICA DICKSON HAULMAN ’12 is a clinical staff pharmacist working in home infusion for Kabafusion in Montgomery. The company specializes in chronic IVIG infusions and acute IV antibiotic therapy serving the River Region and South Alabama. She and husband EVAN HAULMAN ’09 live in Montgomery.
• WALLACE HENRY ’20 married Caroline Burns, May 7, 2022.
• LEE HERRING ’23 and Christina Haken were married May 20, 2022.
• MAIA HILL ’22 and CAMERON NICELY ’22 were recognized at a special event held prior to Commencement Exercises as the first two students who were named Patricia Guy Leadership Fund Scholarship recipients through the College’s Race and Justice Initiative.
• DAVID “BRYANT” ISBELL ’01 serves as managing director for the law firm Baker & McKenzie LLP in London, United Kingdom.
• KIM HOLMAN ’18, who just completed a master’s degree in mathematics at Auburn University, has been named the first DREAM (Developing, Recruiting, and Empowering Alabama Mathematics teachers) Math Fellow by the university and will begin a doctoral program in mathematics education at Auburn this fall.
• CHRIS HUCKLE ’11 and his wife, Brittany, welcomed a daughter, Autumn Anne Rene, May 7, 2022.
• LAUREN JOHNSON ’21 has self-published her first book, “The Mechanic and the Musician.” The book, which began as a Senior Capstone project, is available through amazon.com.
• TAYLOR KING ’13 married Phillipe Trouillot, April 30, 2022.
• The Rev. Dr. MARK LA BRANCHE, former chaplain and senior vice president for external affairs at Huntingdon and current chancellor for University of Tennessee Southern, has announced his retirement at the conclusion of this academic year. He and his wife, Mona, will move to Florida.
• LYDIA LEWIS ’22 won the prestigious $3,000 Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Postgraduate Scholarship Award in May. Her next step is a doctorate in physical therapy, which she will begin this fall.
• WHITNEY PETTUS LUNDSKOW ’07 and her husband, Andy, welcomed their second child, daughter Liesel Margareta, May 5, 2022.
• Director of wrestling MATT OLIVER married EMILY LORRAINE WELLS, former chief accountant for the College, April 30, 2022.
• JOSH OSWALT ’13 and his wife, Lindsey, welcomed a daughter, Turner Elizabeth, April 21, 2022.
• We offer sympathy and condolences to PATRICIA NEAL PAGE ’57, who reported recently that she lost her husband of 60 years, Henry, four years ago. Patricia says, “The foundation I received at Huntingdon in art has continued to be a blessing and I have attended several workshops over recent years for plein air painting as well as studio work from sketches and photographs.” Besides her art, she loves gardening, teaching Sunday School, living near two of her five children, and staying in touch with Huntingdon friends.
• NICHOLE PEACOCK ’16, who teaches for Marion Military Institute, was honored with the school’s Trustee Professorship Award in May.
• The American Academy in Rome, America’s oldest overseas center for independent studies in advanced research in the arts and humanities, awarded the Rome Prize to Dr. S. ELIZABETH PENRY ’75 in May. One of 37 winners from around the world, she won in the category of Renaissance and Early Modern Studies. She is a member of faculty at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The award will entitle her to a stipend, workspace, and room and board at the Academy’s campus in Rome.
• A documentary co-produced by DOMINIK PLATEN ’12, “A Life on the Farm,” won the Cream City Cinema Jury Award at the Milwaukee Film Festival.
• KATIE VEGA SCHMIDT ’13 and her husband, Charles, welcomed a daughter, Wren, in April 2022.
• NICK ’13 and CATHERINE NAYLOR SHEPPARD ’11 welcomed a daughter, Eliza, May 17, 2022.
• JOSH ’16 and LAUREN COE VEAZEY ’15 welcomed a daughter, Maggie Jeanne, April 5, 2022.
• CHRISTINA VRANICH ’04 received the 2022 Special Service Award from the Arkansas Optometric Association in April. The award is given to a member of the organization who served the profession with excellence. Christina received the award for her creation of a social media presence for the association. A past president of the West Tennessee Optometric Physician Society and 2014 Tennessee Young OD of the Year, she is on clinic staff at the Southern College of Optometry and practices at Family Eye Care in Blytheville and Osceola, Arkansas.
• EMILY MINOR WINGARD ’15 and her husband, Mac, welcomed a daughter, Ivy Jane, May 12, 2022.
• JAKOB ’16 and KALYN SPATOL WORKS ’15 welcomed their second son, Payne Oliver, May 14, 2022.
• AL ZACHOS ’07 married Kelsey Mikayla Flowers, April 30, 2022.

Prayers and Sympathy

• Former Huntingdon president Allen K. Jackson died May 5, 2022, in Meridian, Idaho. He was 89.
• Frances “Frankie” Woodbery Edwards ’68 passed away May 14, 2022, in Montgomery. We extend condolences to her husband, Stanley Edwards ’69.
• Robert “Bob” Carle Garthe II ’90 passed away April 23, 2022, in St. Louis, Missouri.
• Janet Belcher McKeen ’64 died May 20, 2022, in Gainesville, Georgia.

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