VOL. 4, NO. 4
NORTH CAROLINA Wp:SLEYAN COLLEtJE, ROCKY MOUNT, N.C.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1988
Wesleyan celebrates Founders Day
Dr. John Hope Franklin, Profes
sor Emeritus of Duke University,
was awarded an honorary Doctorate
of Humane Letters during the Found
ers Day ceremony at North Carolina
Wesleyan college. Founders Day is
an annual event at Wesleyan set aside
to celebrate the founding of the col
lege, which is 32 years old this
month.
Dr. Leslie H. Garner, Jr.,
Wesleyan president, and Judge Phil
Carlton, chairman of the Board of
Trustees, also honored the recipients
of the Distinguished Professor
Award and the Wesleyan Service
Awards.
Jean B. Edge, assistant professor
of physical education, received the
Distinguished Professor Award. Ms.
Edge received her B.S. from East
Carolina University and her M.A.
from UNC-Chapel Hill. She teachers
a variety of “activity” courses, in
cluding tennis, badminton, swim
ming, bowling and archery. She is
also responsible for many of the
courses that prepare students to teach
physical education in the public
schools. An elder in her church. Pro
fessor Edge teaches in the church
school and trains officials in the Spe
cial Olympics. Rev. Alvin Home,
president of the Alumni Association,
presented the award during the Con
vocation ceremony. Criteria for the
honor include inspired teaching and
supportive relationships with stu
dents.
The recipients of the Wesleyan
Service Award were:
Twenty year awards — Frances
HOODING CEREMONY—Judge Phil Carlton, chairman of the Board of Trustees, places the hood
on Dr. John Hope Franklin, who received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree during
Founders Day ceremonies while Dr. Leslie H. Garner, Jr., Wesleyan president, reads the citation.
Franklin challenges Wesleyan
By RENEE’ JANDREW
John Hope Franklin, Professor
Emeritus at Duke University and ar
guably the most distinguished living
historian in America, brought his
message of service to the North
Carolina Wesleyan College Commu
nity for Founder’s Day on Oct. 13.
Franklin stated that “only North
Carolina Wesleyan can translate its
message of service into action.”
Franklin, who has “witnessed the
growth of Wesleyan and the develop
ment of its foundation,” explained
that Wesleyan had the essentials of a
caring environment to keep up the
tradition of commitment in the pur
suit of scholarship.
“Wesleyan has accomplished
translating mission into action.” To
maintain such an accomplishment,
one must take advantage of the op
portunity to serve. Franklin suggests
individuals become involved in ac
tivities outside the classroom and to
use one’s energies and talents to im
prove society. He also stated “it is
important to make the environment
free of racism to create a better cli
mate in pursuit of one’s own scholar
ship.”
Franklin, who' has earned de
served respect and honor for his own
service and devoted commitment,
was later rewarded an honorary de
gree from North Carolina Wesleyan
College.
Besides receiving an honorary
degree from North Carolina
Wesleyan College, Franklin has been
a recipient of honorary degrees from
more than 70 colleges and universi
ties including Cambridge, Princeton,
Yale, Harvard, NC State, Washing
ton University, University of Michi
gan, and UNC at Chapel Hill.
Franklin has also been a distin
guished professor at many Universi
ties. He is presently a James B. Duke
Professor Erneritus of History and
Professor of Legal History in the
Law School at Duke University.
As Dr. David Jones states, “John
Hope Franklin’s commitment to his
torical scholarship deserves respect
and honor. As historian, he is “first
rank.” Jones went to add, “John Hope
Franklin has truly bom witness to the
dream that the United States will be
the Land of Truth.”
R. Harrison, Director of Adult De
gree Program and Mathematics Pro
fessor; and Sylvia C. Parker, Director
of Research and Special Events.
Fifteen year awards — Kenneth
V. Finney, Chairman and Associate
Professor of History; and Leverett T.
Smith, Jr., Professor of English.
Ten year awards — Richard
Avent, Maintenance Department;
Marshall A. Brooks, Dean of The
College; Robert R. Walton, Assistant
Professor of Biology; and J. Dewey
Weaver, Jr., Board of Trustees.
Five year awards — Erwin “Doc”
Berry, Director of Food Service and
Hotel Management; Dewey G.
Clark, Admissions Office; LaRue L.
Elliot, Director of Cooperative Edu
cation/Career Planning; William H.
Kincheloe, Board of Trustees; and
Virgie R. Morehart, Accounting As
sistant.
The recipient of the honorary
degree, John Hope Franklin, was the
keynote speaker at the ceremony. He
(Continued on Page 4)
College will
not be sold
to Japanese
Wesleyan College President
Leslie H. Gamer, Jr., said Thursday
that Wesleyan College “is not going
to be sold and is not going to change
its relationship with the Methodist
Church” in response to reports that
the Japanese want to buy a small col
lege in North Carolina.
“While we would be happy to ex
plore the possibility of establishing a
Japanese/American exchange pro
gram on campus, that would be the
limit to any interest on our part in a
relationship with a Japanese univer
sity,” Gamer said in a prepared state
ment.
J. Phil Carlton, chairman of the
Board of Trustees of Wesleyan Col
lege, said in news reports Wednesday
that the chances were “terribly re
mote” that Wesleyan College would
accept an offer from an urmamed
Japanese University trying to buy a
private college or university within
North Carolina.
While noting that the board would
listen to any offer, Carlton said in
published reports that the college is
owned by the N.C. Conference of the
United Methodist Church, which
would have to consent to the sale, and
added, “We would have to seriously
consider the impact it would have on
the community and on the mission of
the college, and I think the chances
are just terribly remote.”
Garner said Thursday that
Carlton's comments should not be
interpreted “as an indication that the
board is considering selling the col
lege.”
“Let me make the college's fwsi-
tion clear: Wesleyan is not going to
be sold,” he said. “Wesleyan's Board
of Tmstees has not been directly
approached by a Japanese university.
Wesleyan only received the same
generic letter of inquiry from the
Japanese that apparently was sent to
other private colleges in the state.
“If we are aproached,” he contin
ued, “we will make it clear that
Wesleyan is not going to be sold and
is not going to change its relationship
with the Methodist Church. We will
be happy, however, to consider spe
cial programs or other cooperative
efforts that might help Wesleyan bet
ter carry out its mission of serving
our church, our communities, and
our people.”
The offer, made through Mitsub
ishi Trust Bank in Tokyo, was sent in
letters to 22 representatives of pri
vate colleges and universities
through the N.C. Association of In
dependent Colleges and Universities.
The Japanese reportedly offered
$25 to $30 million to use the college
for a 10-year period, bringing in up to
5,000 Japanese students and starting
faculty/student exchange programs.