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THE VOICE OF WILKES COMMUNITY COLLEGE
VOLUME 27, NUMBER 1
WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA
APRIL 1, 1996
“New President on Board**
Dr. Gordon G. Bums, Jr.
New President
Takes Office
On Friday, March 1, the most recent addition to the
Wilkes Community College administration, Dr. Gordon
G, Burns, Jr., ofiScially assumed the ofiBce of president. Dr.
Bums most recently served as Executive Vice President of
Lenoir Community College and has been employed in
various administrative positions since 1973-
Dr. Bums seemed very optimistic about his new
position, and he was able to relate, in general terms,
several ideas for the growth and promotion of Wilkes
Community College. As president. Dr. Bums seeks to
stress the value of community colleges, specifically WCC,
to the current “down-sized” work force, emphasizing the
schools’ value to future economic development. Along
with retraining the employees affected by down-sizing.
Dr, Bums also intends to attend to the needs of those
lacking basic education, including literacy training and
the GED program. Of course, the college transfer pro
gram will also receive attention. In 1997, WCC will begin
the semester system, wiiich will provide for an easier
transition for transfer students to four year schools. Dr.
Burns hopes to lead WCC into Vision 2000, a national
effort to create model mral community colleges for the
twenty-first century.
Dr. Bums was welcomed to WCC and to the county
during a reception held in his honor on Thursday, March
7. The Wilkes County Chamber of Commerce hosted the
reception, which was held in the John A. Walker Center.
Dr. Swanson Richards
Richards Honored for
Services as
Interim President
The faculty, staff, and tmstees honored Dr. Swanson
Richards, WCC’s Interim President, on Tuesday, February
27 with a reception in the Commons, Thompson Hall.
Appreciation was expressed to Dr. Richards for the
capable leadership he has provided during his ad
ministration as Interim President. A bronze plaque was
unveiled that will be placed in Dr. Richards’ garden with
the foUowing inscription: IN HONOR OF DR. SWANSON
RICHARDS INTERIM PRESIDENT WILKES COMMUNITY
COLLEGE IN APPRECL\TION FOR HIS LEADERSHIP,
SERVICE, AND DEDICATION TO THOSE FOR WHOM
WILKES COMMUNITY COLLEGE EXISTS JULY 10, 1995
-FEBRUARY 29. 1996.
The Wilkes Community College Board of Trustees at a
recent meeting honored Dr. Richards, WCC’s Interim
President, by dedicating a garden to him for the valuable
service he has rendered during the past eight months. Dr.
Richards left the College on Thursday,
Febmary 29 with Dr. Gordon G. Bums, Jr. assuming the
role of President on March 1.
Easter: New Life
with Peace
Easter is thought to derive its name
firom Eostre, a Teutonic goddess. Leg
end has it that she opened the gates of
heaven to receive the gods who gave
purity and intelligence to humans. This,
in tum, was associated with spring
festivals which celebrated the revival of
all living things.
Enter the Easter Bunny, thought by
the Teutons to tum up each year with a
new egg, symbolizing fertility and new
life. Decorated or plain, they were also
given as tokens of long life and good
fortune.
The sun, rising in the east, also played
a large role in Easter and spring sym
bolism. Rising with the sun on Easter
mom was thought to come from an
ancient peasant belief that those who
saw sunup on a certain spring day
would be blessed with good fortune.
Some Europeans practiced the an
cient custom of “sunning” their Easter
food by laying it on the ground outside
to absorb some rays. Others brought
their animals out for some morning sun,
supposedly to ensure a goodly amount
of cream, milk, bacon, etc.
So as you color and hide eggs, wait for
a colorful sunrise, feast your senses on
newly-revived springjlowers and trees,
or whatever Easter/spring rituals you
follow, be hopeful that the renewal all
around means more peace for all living
things everywhere.
The moment of victory is much too
short to live for that and nothing
else.
—Martina Navratiolva