Sep-bember 25, 1987
THE
PILOT
Gardner-Wfebb Cdkge
BOILING SPRINGS, NORTH CAROLINA
Bringing The Music
Back Home:
GWC’S Tribute To
Earl Scruggs
by Deborah Cravey
Bluegrass music has long been a
part of the Cleveland County her
itage, and it has been especially
highlighted by a man named Earl
Scruggs. Born near Boiling Springs,
Scruggs took his five-string style
of banjo-picking from the front
porch steps and, in 1945, placed it
on the Grand Ole Opry stage, thereby
putting Cleveland County on the
bluegrass map.
Now, almost half a century later,
bluegrass and folk music have all
grovm up, and it seems the time has
come to bring the music and its his
tory back to where it all began. On
September 26, Gardner-Webb College
will sponser its first annual Earl
Scruggs Music Celebration, a daylong
festival filled with down-home folk
music, craft demonstrations, commen
tary and workshop sessions, and a
barbeque dinner.
The scheduled participants in the
Celebration have a variety of back
grounds, and will be coming from
many different parts of the country
to share in the experience. One such
participant will be Dr. Neil V.
Rosenberg, a professor of folklore
at the Memorial University of
Newfoundland. Rosenberg is the aut
hor of Bluegrass: A History, which
is available at the Gardner-Webb
Library, and writes a column for the
publication Bluegrass Unlimited.Cur-
rently the president of the Folklore
Studies Association of Canada,
Rosenberg will team up with "Snuffy"
Jenkins and The Hired Hands for an
afternoon workshop session in the
library. The discussion will include
such topics as the history of blue
grass, its early days in radio, and
Earl Scruggs and his effect on blue
grass music.
"Snuffy" Jenkins, along with
“Pappy" Sherrill and many others, is
scheduled to give an outdoor concert
on the Ccimpus lawn. The show will
start at 12:15pm and run all through
the afternoon. Jenkins and Sherrill
are both self-taught musicians who
have entertained thousands on tele
vision and radio.
In the morning, folklore enthusi
asts will have an opportunity to see
Margaret Martin and Etta Baker per
form and give a special commentary
in the Dover Library. Martin is a
North Carolina native who has tra
veled across the country playing the
traditional music of the south. She
is also the host of a weekly radio
show called "Down Home Down South,"
on WTEB-fm, in New Bern. Etta Baker
is a performer of Afro-American, na-
tive-American and Irish ancestry who
continued on p.3
College Welcomes New Dean
Dr. Bonner
by Melissa Brown
Among all
of the newness
here at Gardner-
Webb, probably
the most signi
ficant change is
the entrance of
a new Dean of
Academic Affairs
this year. Dr.
Frank Bonner is
from Anderson
N.C. where he
has lived the
last thirteen
years. He grew
up in Greenville
S.C.,and atten
ded Furman
University,
where he recei
ved a B.A. in
English in 1969.
From there he
went on to earn
his M.A. in
English at the
University of
Georgia and was
awarded his
Ph.D. at the
University of
North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
in 1977. Before
coming to live
in Shelby and
settling into a
new career in
the quiet little
town of Boiling
Springs, Dr.
Bonner had held
sositions la
JT -S' _Z" Z? jE7
administration
at Anderson
College, and had
most recently
been acting as
Associate Dean
for Special
Programs there.
In Anderson Dr.
Bonner was an
active partici
pant of the com
munity with a
variety of in
terests . He was
chairman of the
school board of
Henderson School
District 5. He
served on the
Chamber of Com
merce Board of
Directors and
the YMCA Board
of Directors. He
also demonsta-
ted intiative as
chairman of a
task force to
develop a center
for small busi
nesses. Outside
of these activi
ties he also en
joys golf and
tennis, and of
course spending
time with his
wife and his two
children ages 13
and 15. When
asked why he
chose to come to
this small col
lege hugged by
hills, trees,
and the old
brick buildings
of Boiling
Springs, Dr.
Bonner replied
that he saw
Gardner-Webb as
a college with
"tremendous po
tential" and
"that is on the
move." "I see
Gardner-Webb as
a good college
with potential
to be a great
college," he
stated. Dr.
Bonner is pre
sently working
on some needed
reforms within
the school and
has plans for
future improve
ments . Some of
these proposed
changes include
the restructur
ing of the
Registrar’s
office which is
now almost com
plete, refining
of academic po
licies and re
gulations, bet
ter academic
advising, a top
rate summer
school, an
honors program,
which is cur
rently underway,
and in the fu
ture a program
for studying
abroad. Finally,
Dr. Bonner en
courages student
input and most
importantly is
willing to lis
ten to those who
have concerns
about the col
lege. It appears
as though
Gardner-Webb is
looking toward
some terrific
improvements
under what seems
so far to be
rather impres
sive leadership
in the Dean’s
office. Hope
fully both
faculty and stu
dents will re
cognize the po
tential of
Gardner-Webb
under this new
and confident
leadership to be
the best it can.
Editorials pp.2-3
New Faces p.4
Theatre p. 4
Bulldog Opinions P-5
Sports p. 6