Page 18
Farewells
The Clarion \ May 10, 2019
Brevard College says goodbye to several faculty members after this academic year, including three—Ralph Hamlett, Jim
Reynolds and Mary Kay White—who are retiring after a combined total of more than 60 years of service to the college. On
this page are excerpts from profiles published this year in The Clarion on two of them.
Farewell, friends, and we wish you every happiness in wherever your path takes you.
Jim Reynolds
By Aia Andonovska
staff Wrtiter
This article originally appeared in the April 3 issue. Use this link to
read the entire article: http://bit.ly/clarion040319
... In July of 1999, Reynolds
answered an ad for a position at the
school. His predecessor decided to
take a year’s leave at the last minute.
Originally, Reynolds only applied
for a one year replacement position,
but ended up staying much longer.
Reynolds received all of his
degrees from Dartmouth College.
His Senior and Master’s theses
were based on his fieldwork in
Guatemala, El Salvador and
Honduras. His Doctoral thesis
was about the rise of the Andes in
northern Argentina. He continued field work in Argentina for another 25
years, including two Fulbright Scholarships where he taught a graduate
course in Spanish at different Argentina universities. Reynolds also served
as the project geologist at an archaeological site in Greece that Dr. Anne
Chapin is investigating with an international team of archaeologists....
Reynolds says that he has enjoyed his students the most out of
everything during his time here. “Until recently I also enjoyed taking
students on international field trips. I’ve traveled with Brevard students
to Costa Rica, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay,
Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. I think it is a pity that the current
administration no longer considers exposure to other countries and
cultures to be a component of an experiential education. Until recently,
I also enjoyed building a strong geology minor. Since a geologist is
apparently not being hired to replace me, those efforts appear to have
been for naught,” he added.
When asked what he strives to instill in his students, Reynolds said,
“I strive to instill a passion for the planet we live on. Without geology
there would be no planet. It should be revered. I really like the Inca
religion. It honors Earth and understands that we are but a component
of its make-up.”
Jim Reynolds
Mary Kay White
By Mary Lewe
Managing Editor
This article originally appeared in the April 17 issue. Use this link to
read the entire article: http://bit.ly/clarion041719
Mary Kay White has worked for
Brevard College since 2000, when several
strokes of serendipity allowed her to join
the exercise science faculty and to teach
anatomy and physiology (A and P).
Before coming to Brevard College,
she was living in Oregon. “After
I got my doctorate I worked for a
government research facility for about
six or seven years where I did research
on the physiological effects of personal
protective clothing,” White said...
The scientific testing focused on gear
for firemen and items similar to hazmat
suits. “We had an environmental chamber and we did all kinds of tests,”
she said. “The equipment might have been designed to last a firefighter for
two hours in a certain environment, but because of the heaviness of the
equipment and the impermeability of it, the person couldn’t last that long.
“We were trying to make recommendations for safe practices for
hazardous waste cleanup workers,” she said. “Through that [research] I
realized that I’m kind of an introvert, but I do need contact with people;
I’m not a pure researcher. That’s when I started looking for a job in
teaching.”
Her diverse background prepared her for her unique role here at
Brevard College.
“My title was always exercise science and I’ve always taught primarily
exercise science and health science students, which is one of the things I
really like about my job here,” White said. “Some people teach a lot of
gen ed classes, I don’t teach any gen ed classes but I like that I get a lot
of contact with my two main groups of students,” she said.
“I’m really thankful that I get to teach exercise science, like fitness
appraisal classes and also teach A and P. At big schools you don’t get
that luxury, they have exercise science faculty, totally separate PE, and
separate pre-med classes,” White said.
Mary Kay White
Ralph Hamlett
Ralph Hamlett successfully evaded the press
this year for a formal Clarion profile, so what
follows are excerpts from a speech about him at
Monday’s faculty/staff luncheon.
Those of you who have been past Ralph’s of
fice door in MG may have noticed the paper on
his door bearing an inspirational quote attributed
to Ralph....
This is what Ralph said that so moved the
student to commit it to paper and post it for all
to see:
“I ask what I’ve always asked of people, to
hold yourself to the highest standard so that
your degree can be meaningful.”
That statement in a nutshell defines Ralph
Hamlett: as an educator, as a colleague, as a
public servant.
You may not know this, but Ralph could
have gone just about anywhere. When he was
on the job market after getting his PhD, he
was offered positions at several prestigious
See 'Ralph Hamlett,' page 19
After both of their last oral presentations as teacher or
student at Brevard College, Ralph Hamlett poses for a
photograph with Natalee Highman.