Award-winning
columnist addresses social change
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decisions. "We all have choices, pretend
ing to have a smorgasbord of options rather
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abortion. "If you ask the public a question
concerning the baby, two-thirds would be
On an overcast night in April, a standing
room only crowd packed Cameron Hall
auditorium at The University of North
Carolina at Wilmington. The crowd, made
up of students, faculty members, media
personalities, and members of the commu
nity', came to hear Boston Globe columnist
Ellen Goodman speak candidly and wittily
about today’s social issues.
The Pulitzer Prize winning columnist did
not disappoint.
"A Matter of Values" was the topic of
Goodman’s talk in celebration of National
Women’s History Week at UNCW. The
event was sponsored by the UNCW Faculty
Women Network.
Among other topics, Goodman talked
about the 1980s, the women’s movement,
and changing sex roles.
Ellen Goodman visits UNCW
The veteran columnist commented on
the country’s right-wing mood during the
80s. In what she called the "Prime Conser
vatism era", Goodman alluded to some
politicians’ views when making personal
nyier continued
You have an interesting collection of
Irish setters displayed in the office. Do
you raise setters as a hobby? I enjoy
Irish setters, although I have confined
myself right now to collecting the figurine
varieties. 1 hope I will be able to have a
real one again soon. The ceramic male
setter you see on the top shelf over there
is one my daughter brought me from
West Germany a couple of years ago.
The pewter one on the right, my wife
brought from Italy. One of my favorites
is this one on my desk molded from
pecan shells, because it looks so much
like a setter I once had. She had that
same stately countenance about her.
You also have some very nice tcild-
flower prints. I’m a wildflower enthusi
ast. These prints are by Sally Middleton,
an artist from Asheville. I have several of
her prints. In fact, I just recently ob
tained a set of four rare prints that I hope
to display in my new omce. Another
hobby of mine is gardening. I always
have a spring vegetable garden and my
wife and I have as many flower beds as
our yard can accommodate.
I see you at concerts a lot. Yes. I
enjoy the performing arts. That brings
me back to an earlier thought about the
satisfaction 1 have had in watching this
university develop. In the area of cultural
arts, the university has had an extremely
positive effect on the community. I think
the university has made a phenomenal
contribution, and I have found it very
satisfying to see the university come to
the forefront in the arts. When I first
came to Wilmington, weeks and even
months would pass without opportunities
to attend a concert or a play. Now it’s not
uncommon to have to choose among two
or three events scheduled for the same
evening. I am proud of the fact that the
university has played a key role in bring
ing about this transition.
Teaching Fellows Study Coastal Ecology
Sophomore Teaching Fellows from
seven North Carolina universities ful
filled their summer scholastic require
ment by attending a program hosted by
UNCW May 22-26. The theme was 'The
Everchanging Coastline."
The program focused on exploring and
understanding the ecology of North
Carolina’s coast. It was one of several
programs being offered statewide. 'The
program w^as designed to broaden their
education and understanding of the state
of North Carolina," said Lou Lanunziata,
coordinator of the Teaching Fellows pro
gram at UNCW. "Students from all over
the state attended - some of them had
never seen the coast!"
Activities included spending a day at
Bald Head Island studying the wildlife,
exploring the Green Swamp in Columbus
County as well as the area around Lake
Waccamaw, studying the erosion and
taking core samples at Wrightsville
Beach, and touring the facilities of the
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
The UNCW Science and Mathematics
Education Center assisted in planning
and implementing the activities.
'The students thoroughly enjoyed
themselves," Lanunziata said. Evening
social events included a cruise on the
Intracoastal Waterway and ice skating.
"We thought ice skating would be an
interesting change of pace for being at
the coast."
The North Carolina Teaching Fellows
is a four-year scholarship program estab
lished by the state General Assembly in
1987. It was designed to attract students
to the field of teaching and to generate
more interest in teaching as a career.
Over 2,500 high school students annually
compete for the scholarships with only
400 being awarded each year. The quali
fying students receive $5,000 a year for
four years to pay for their tuition. After
graduation, these same students are re
quired to teach four years in the state of
North Carolina to repay the scholarships.
"It’s actually a loan from the state," Lan
unziata revealed.
"Oiu's has been the most highly attend
ed summer experience for Teaching Fel
lows," he continued. 'Thirty-one men
and women participated in our program."
Allison Relos
decisions. We all have choices, pretend
ing to have a smorgasbord of options rather
than a series of tough decisions," said
Goodman.
Goodman described the women’s move
ment as the movement of women from one
life pattern to another. In general, women
are making a transition from the traditional
role of housewife to the contempwrary im
age of "superwoman", Goodman observed,
the latter being more media hype than
reality.
Growing Pains
The sexual revolution of the late sixties
and early seventies challenged many tradi
tional social programs and issues. Now,
with the increasing number of women in
the work force, child care has become one
area of major concern. "The work force
must get more involved," said Goodman
about childcare. Society must accommo
date working women’s needs, she added.
One of the most significant and heated
issues facing women today is abortion.
With the exception of the extreme right or
left, Goodman said most people fall some
where in the middle on their opinions of
abortion. "If you ask the public a question
concerning the baby, two-thirds would be
pro-life," she said. "If you ask them the
question concerning the woman, two-thirds
would be pro-choice."
The job market has changed for women,
too, as a result of the women’s movement.
More and more women are entering careers
that have been long dominated by men. But
Goodman observed that the women have
not made much progress in those careers.
Women have more success entering the
male world than changing it," she said.
'Women have more equal responsibilities
than equal rights."
Although men have experienced prob
lems during this era of change, Goodman
believes they haven’t done enough to help
women. "Women have had greater success
in male roles than getting men to succeed
in female roles," she said. Goodman went
on to say that one way to bring the two
sexes together is through communication.
They must drop the conspiracy of silence
towards each other, Goodman noted.
Tim Kornegay
UNCW student intern
Davis continued
"Champ Davis was a dynamic leader m
Wilmington for more than 30 years until his
death in 1975/' said Wagoner. "As president of
the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad from 1942 to
1957, he was the leader of the city’s largest
employer, as well as one of the nations’s major
railroads. He was a great influencer of things
that went on in New Hanover County.
"I cannot think of a better opportunity to
honor this outstanding individual who meant so
much to the history of this region than a
scholarship bearing his name," Wagoner contin
ued. "And designating these funds to be used
for merit scholarships will help the university..
more vigorously recruit and retain academically,
superior students..
Wagoner ended his remarks by thanking the
foundation board for the gift, and said, "Champ
was an individual who had a strong personality,
and I think this event would please him very
much because this scholarship is a living lega
cy."
Champion McDowell Davis was born July 1,
1879, in Catawba County, North Carolina, and
moved to Wilmington when he was nine. At age
16. he went to work as a messenger boy at the
freight office of the Wilmington and Weldon
Railroad, and the Wimington, Columbia and
Augusta Railroad, earning $10 a month.
Except for brief service in the Spanish Ameri
can War where he attained the rank of captain,
Davis continued to work for the railroad com
panies, which later became part of the Atlantic
Coast Line Railroad. He was elected president of
Atlantic Coast Line Oct. 15,1942 and retired 15
years later. He died at the age of 95 on Jan. 28,
1975.
Davis was avidly interested in education. In
1958, shortly after Wilmington College became
a part of the state community college system,
Davis was named to the school’s first board of
trustees. (The school's first home was in the
now-demolished Issac Bear Hall on Market
Street)
As the need for more classroom space in
creased, Davis motioned the board to approve a
resolution. It requested $600,000 from the New
Hanover County commissioners, through the
issuance of bonds, for the college to acquire
land and construct buildings for a new campus.
The commissioners agreed and the public sub
sequently approved. The bond issue made pos
sible the land purchase and original buildings
of today’s UNCW campus.
'The Davis Scholarships are an appropriate
recognition of this individual who played dual
roles as a key economic force in the years when
Wilmington was a railroad center and as a
leader in the development of Wilmington Col
lege," said Dr. F. Douglas Moore, vice chancellor
for university advancement. 'This is a signifi
cant day for UNC Wilmington."
In addition to President Brown, other mem
bers of the Foundation Board are Dr. John B.
Codington, Cyrus D. Hogue, Peter B. Ruffin,
Emsley A. Laney, John R. Murchison II, and Dr.
R.T. Sinclair.
Mind Cunningham
John Hamilton, right, son of Wilmington College’s first
president T. T. Hamilton, reflects on memories of his father
and the university with UNCW Vice Chancellor F. Douglas
Moore. Hamilton presented the university with an oil
painting of his father, seen in the background.
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