GARDNER-WEBB COLLEGE
Thursday, October 11,1990 No. 3
Gil Blackburn: De^
By Dawn E. Camp
Managing Editor
When Vice President for Student
Development Richard Franklin resigned
last April, some restructuring took place in
the administrative ranks. This vice
presidency was combined with Dr. Frank
Bonner’s role as vice president for
academic affairs. Bonner, who is now vice
president of academic and student affairs,
is still responsible for long-range planning,
over-all design, administrative budgeting,
and evaluation. The position of dean of stu
dent affairs was filled by Jerome Scott. In
the September 6 edition of The Pilot, Dean
Scott indicated his impressions of his role
in student affairs.
The duties of dean of academics were as
sumed by then Associate Dean Gil Black
burn. He said, "What I do is handle the
routine, day-to-day problems which get to
the dean’s office, and I assist academic
departments in their work."
Blackburn, who attended GWC from
1958-60, credits the school with helping him
begin to appreciate the academic life. As a
student, Blackburn was a member of the
football team. He said, "I came to Gardner-
Webb still hoping to be discovered and
hoping to get a football scholarship to a
larger school." In 1960, he was a member
of SGA serving as president of Decker dor
mitory. These days as a student at GWC
have given Blackburn a large base of ex
periences to draw from in his attempt to
work with and understand students. He
said, "I want to establish a rapport with stu
dents because it’s hard for students to iden
tify with an academic dean...I am an advo
cate of the students."
In 1968, he returned to GWC as an in
structor of history. In addition to his duties
as professor, he taught in the GOAL
program. In 1982, he was promoted to full
professor of history and director of the
master of arts program. In 1983, Blackburn
was named Teacher of the Year in recogni-
Symposium Held
By David Bridges
Special to The Pilot
The third annual high school business
symposium, held on Oct. 4, brought stu
dents from 7 area high schools together for
a day of lectures and discussions on busi
ness and educational issues that affect us
today.
The symposium, sponsored by The
Broyhill Academy, The Broyhill School of
Management, and Students in Free
Enterprise (SIFE), included lectures from
Carolyn Mints (WBTV), James Butner
(Cone Mills), and Tom Smith (Food lion).
SewiKf tAe. enUnc
of Academic Affairs
tion of his outstanding teaching abilities. "I
probably enjoyed being a professor more
than anything else. I regret the loss of daily
contact with students, piiis daily contact]
has given me insight into what we need."
Blackburn is also involved in community
activities. He is currently a deacon at Boil
ing Springs Baptist Church where he has
served as chairman of the deacons on two
separate occasions. He is actively involved
with the Boy Scouts as well. He served as
scout master for 10 years. During that time,
10 members of his troop reached the level
of Eagle Scout.
As dean, Blackburn speaks of renewing
the Gardner-Webb spirit which he
describes as "taking [the] resources we have
at hand and getting the absolute maximum
benefit from them. We need to work on be
coming more mature as a senior college.
We must work on establishing an identity
and work on attracting the best students and
the best faculty.
'The Gardner-Webb that I graduated
from was a ‘poor-man’s college,’ yet it did
the job that needed doing. We can still take
eager students, dedicated professors, and
books and work miracles. We have worked
miracles before, and we can do it again."
Blackburn stresses the importance of
"making sure that students take something
away from Gardner-Webb that will remain
See BLACKBURN page 6
'fhere was also a question-and-answer ses
sion with a panel consisting of Mints, But-
ner, Drs. Glen Bottoms, and Don
Kemerait.
Butner, vice president in charge on Per
sonnel and Human Resources at Cone
Mills, spoke on today’s textile industry.
Mints, community affairs director for
WBTV, spoke on the importance of making
a good impression.
When the lectures were through, the stu
dents went to the OMG music building for
lunch. Tom Smith, president and CEO of
Food Lion spoke about his company and
the kind of people that make good
employees. Most interesting was his
description of a profit-sharing plan that
Food lion has developed to increase the in-
BOILING SPRINGS, NORTH CAROLINA
I Clianges Come to
I GWC Athletics
B By Dawn E. Camp
H Managing Editor
fi On Tuesday, October 2, GWC head foot-
II ball coach Woody Fish stepped down as
B athletic director in order to concentrate his
H efforts on coaching the team, off to a disap-
|h pointing 0-5 start this season.
■ "I certainly enjoyed being athletic direc-
H tor," Fish said. "However, with the move to
ra a comprehensive all-sports conference and,
g more recently, the move to the NCAA
■ Division II, I cannot devote the time that is
H necessary to my chosen career, that of being
B a football coach. It [his resignation] will
■ give me more time to spend with the team."
S President Chris \\^ite, who accepted
H Fish’s resignation, said, "Woody has made a
H completely unselfish decision displaying an
■ incredible amount of wisdom. He has
P provided valuable leadership to our athletic
U program during his tenure as athletic direc-
tor, and the college is extremely grateful. In
accepting his resignation as athletic direc
tor, I wish to affirm my faith in Woody Fish
as our football coach."
Baseball coach Clyde Miller has been
named interim athletic director, an ac
knowledgement of Miller’s experience and
leadership ability. The process has already
begun to seek a permanent athletic direc
tor, but it is not known, at this time, if the
position will be separate or linked with a
coaching position on campus.
Another football-related change was the
October 1 dismissal of the Bulldogs’ defen
sive coordinator Greg Taylor, who said, "I
was told my release had to do with
philosophical differences with the head
coach" and with "lack of support for the
head coach."
Taylor said he had never been confronted
before the time of his firing. "I was never
See ATHLETICS page 6
❖ ❖❖
centives for its employees to achieve ef
ficiency. Under the plan, a meat-cutter, for
example, can accumulate nearly one-half
million doUars in retirement funds after a
20-year career.
Directors for this year’s symposium were
Dr. Stan Smedley and professor Jim
Hartman. Smedley said, "I think the sym
posium provides an opportunity for area
high school students to learn about the free
enterprise system and to expose themselves
to the Gardner-Webb campus."
Hartman said, "I think the symposium was
the best we’ve ever had. Carolyn Mints and
Jim Butner related especially well to the
students. My only regret in that more stu
dents didn’t have a chance to come and lis
ten to them."