Page A2
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The Pilot
News
Mac wins university’s 1st national championship
By Rebecca Clark
Pilot editor
Gardner-Webb University made
history last Thursday when Mac the
Bulldog won the Mascot Nation
als in Daytona, Fla., bringing home
the first National Championship for
Gardner-Webb since the univer
sity joined the Level 1 Division in
2003.
Fred Adkins, the life behind
Mac’s character, won first place in
the 2008 NCA and NDA Collegiate
Adkins won with a total of8,780 points,
beating out four other mascots.
Cheer and Dance Competition with
his skit that combined elements
fi-om the “Wizard of Oz” with mak
ing fun of the other competitors.
He won with a total of 8,780
points, beating out four other mas
cots. They were Sharky Irom Ha
waii Pacific University, Sammy
Bearkat fi"om Sam Houston State
University, NYU Bobcat irom New
York University and Ms. Wuf fi-om
North Carolina State University.
The skits are judged on a vari
ety of factors including creativity.
pantomime, characterization and
crowd response.
“I certainly got the best crowd
response,” Adkins said. “I got some
of the highest scores.”
Each mascot had 90 seconds to
complete its skit, which included
setting everything up and removing
it fi'om the stage.
Adkins said he had several peo
ple to thank for making the skit a
winner, including fi-iends and his
dad, who helped with the props
and flew fi'om Virginia to watch the
competition.
The cheerleading competition
will be featured on FSN on the
April 26, and Adkins said in the
past the network also played a clip
of the mascot competition and the
winning skit.
On a personal level, this has
been a great achievement for Ad
kins.
“For me it was several years
in the making,” Adkins said. “I’m
hoping it will lead to something
bigger.”
Author brings tragic story to life at GWU
By Lauren Quesenberry
Special to The Pilot
Word had been out for
months. Books had been
circulating around Gardner-
Webb’s campus. Expecta
tions were high and on April
8 students began filing into
Ritch Banquet Hall.
There were not enough
chairs, so students found
standing room against the
walls. Chatter buzzed as the
temperature of the room in
creased and Ravi Howard,
author of “Like Trees, Walk
ing,” entered.
Dr. Christopher Davis, a
professor in the English de
partment, introduced the 33-
year-old author. A native of
Montgomery, Ala., Howard
now lives in Mobile, with his
wife.
He graduated fi'om How
ard University with a BA in
journalism before attending
UVA, where he earned an
MA in creative writing.
“Like Trees, Walking” is
a novel written about an ac
tual lynching that took place
in 1981 in Mobile. The book
explores issues such as death,
faith, and justice—issues that
Howard prepared himself to .
address with this young adult
audience.
An audience of 230 stu
dents filled a room with 196
chairs.
“Well, this is easily the
biggest crowd I’ve had,” be
gan Howard.
He went on to explain
his passion for writing and
his belief that “fiction is an
interesting way to examine
history.”
Howard is a strong be
liever in fiction-writing fi-om
history. With fiction one “can
focus on-stories from a grass
roots level.” Howard strives
to represent real people at a
real time and place.
Howard opened his own
copy of the book and began
reading the prologue. His
voice echoed around the
room as the student body lis
tened. It was obvious that the
depth of attachment to the
words Howard spoke was
profound.
The author allotted the
rest of the hour to questions
from the students. A student
asked about the origin of the
title of the book.
Howard replied that the
title comes from a verse in
the Bible, Mark 8:24, when
a blind man opens his eyes
and says to Jesus, “I see men
like trees walking.” Howard
explained that this is like the
“intermediate step in a heal
ing process.”
He went on to say that
the book is about a commu
nity in a time of healing. The
death count from Sept. 11,
2001, does not include the
number of people affected
by that tragedy. Neither does
a death simply occur. Every
one is affected and there is
a necessary healing process
during that time.
In an earlier interview
with a class, Howard ex
plained that the actual lynch
ing of Michael Donald oc
curred when he was in first
grade. He remembered a dis
tinct fear that captured many
parents concerned for their
own children’s safety.
Howard does some free
lance work, guest teaching
and book reviews. He is cur
rently working on his next
novel which will, in part,
focus on race relations from
post World War II to the
Montgomery bus boycott.
The man and story behind the tragic story
By Lauren Taylor
Pilot staff writer
In a town where racial
barriers towered high over
the citizens of Mobile, Ala.,
the modern-day lynching of
a young black man chilled
the blood of people all over
the United States.
The event is immortalized
by Ravi Howard in his book
“Like Trees, Walking.”
The story recounts the
actual 1981 lynching of Mi
chael Donald by the Ku Klux
Klan, and is told through a
fictitious teenager working in
a fiuieral home in Mobile.
Coming from a grassroots
standpoint, the novel shows
how tragedy permeates a
society—harming people in
unexpected ways.
Having grown up in Ala
bama, Howard was able to
blend local color and dia
logue in the historical fiction
novel, using characters he
based on actual acquaintanc
es. His uncle was a driver for
a fiineral home, so Howard
his first-hand experiences
into the story.
Howard also met others
during his college education
whom would add breadth to
his novel.
While attaining his bach
elor’s degree in journalism
from Howard University, a
historically black school in
Washington D.C., he met
people who had come of
age during the Civil Rights
Movement of the 1960s.
From these people he was
able to draw inspiration for
many of his writings.
“It was interesting to see
where they got that experi
ence,” Howard said.
With his interest ignited,
he began to explore what
contributions he could make
to the movement that, to
many people, is still moving.
During grad school at the
University of Virginia, he
wrote a short-story version
of “Like Trees, Walking,”
winning the HurstonAVright
Award for College Writers.
Even though the Donald
fragedy took place more than
27 years ago, the imprint of
its horror stuck with Howard,
only a child at the time.
“It happened when I was
in first grade...I heard of it
from my parents and fam
ily members being afraid,”
Howard recalls. “The Klan
was sued and one of the
members executed.”
He says that once a per
son starts to write consistent
ly, he begins to examine his
experiences and flush them
out onto paper.
Howard’s journey to be
coming a writer began when
he was in the seventh grade,
thanks to invigorating laun-
guage labs in school.
When he entered high
school, the faculty advisor
for the school’s literary mag
azine encouraged Howard’s
writing. Though the empha
sis in many schools is often
placed on math and science,
Howard says that writing is
just as important.
“Students don’t really
look at vwiting as something
that will prepare you for the
fiiture with standardized
tests,” Howard says.
But he insists that it does
because once he entered the
job force, he found that vmt-
ers were in high demand—
even in the National Football
League.
Howard worked for NFL
Films as a producer from
2001-2005. He won a sports
Emmy for his work on HBO’s
“Inside the NFL.”
He learned to work with
sound, music and video edi
tors to put together pieces for
various teams, including the
Carolina Panthers.
It was during his four
years with NFL films that he
began work on “Like Trees,
Walking.”
His biggest fear was that
people would not think his
story sounded authentic.
But authenticity came with
drafts, lots of (kafts, he said,
four years of them.
It was important to How
ard that he give the readers
space to make up their own
minds about the lynching.
To aspiring writers of fic
tion, he warns against putting
too much of your own voice
in the story.
“[It’s] important to do edi
torial work and try to explain
without explaining. Take a
poetry course, playwriting
courses,” he suggested. “Tell
everything through dialogue,
and see how language works.
There is always a temptation
to explain a story to a reader
as opposed to being able to
illustrate.”
As for Mobile, it is evolv
ing into a place where racial
tension is being talked about.
Redevelopment is occurring
in the rundown neighborhood
where Donald was hung. The
sfreet’s name was changed to
Michael Donald Avenue.
Weather puts kibosh
on Beep Ball game
The annual Beep Ball
game, scheduled for April 4,
was not played because of
rain.
Parrish Walsburger, dis
ability specialist for the Noel
Program, looked on the posi
tive side, though, focusing
on the fact that it was the
first time in 16 years that the
game was cancelled.
She said that, due to time
constraints, the game can’t
be rescheduled for this se
mester.
She hopes that it can be
played in the fall semester.
If not, there’s always next
spring’s Beep Ball game to
look forward to.
Huber to conduct premier
of original work ‘Beowulf
By Christopher Shaver
Pilot staff writer
Monday evening will
mark the world premier of
“Beowulf,” which was writ
ten by Gardner-Webb senior
Seth Huber, who will also
conduct the piece.
Huber said he wanted to
write a composition based
around a story, in order to
bring abstract ideas to life
through music. Since he
loved the story of Beowulf,
he decided that he would
base his senior thesis around
telling the poem through
music. The piece is based
around five movements that
highlight the premise of the
literature.
“There’s no accurate way
to do ‘Beowulf,’ since there
was no orchestra then,” Hu
ber said. “So I tried to find
the happy medium between
the primitive sound and what
we have in modem music.”
“Beowulf’ is the oldest
English epic poem, dating
back to between the 8th and
11th centuries. It’s based
around a Scandinavian hero
who saves the Danes from
a monster named Grendel,
becomes a king and dies in a
fight with a dragon.
A film based around the
poem was released in 2007,
and Huber said he wanted to
make sure his piece was set
apart from the movie.
“I didn’t like the movie,”
Huber said. “It wasn’t true
to the original poem. The
movie’s music also had a
Middle Eastern feel, which
I didn’t think was appropri
ate, since the poem is set in
Scandinavia.”
Dr. Patricia Sparti, head
of the GWU music depart
ment, has nothing but praise
for Huber’s work.
“It’s an incredible com
position,” Sparti said. “The
way he wrote it is very so
phisticated. Every section
has something wonderfiil
to play, and the orchestra is
very impressed with him.”
The premier will be Hu
ber’s first time conducting
the 60-piece orchestra. Al
though he said he is a little
nervous, he is confident in
his material. The concert will
also feature senior Grace
Whiteside, who will play her
violin before Beowulf The
concert will start at 8 p.m. in
Dover Theater.
“My hope is that it will
be submitted to composition
competitions and it’ll go on
for other orchestras to play,”
Sparti said. “I’m also hoping
we’ll have a packed house
April 21.”
In addition to Huber’s
piece, these other works will
be performed:
* Mozart Violin Concer
to 1st Movement, featuring
Grace Whiteside, GWU se
nior violinist and champion
ship swimmer.
* Zabel Harp Concerto
featuring 16-year old Shelby
sensation Hannah Blalocl^
who has already been a fea
tured soloist at Carnegie Hall.
* Mendelssohn Violin
Concerto featuring Charlotte
Symphony Concertmaster/
GWU violin Professor Calin
Lupanu.
* Shostakovich Festive
Overture
Student designs project that should raise literacy level in region
By Patrice Blackmon
Pilot staff writer
and
Nancy-Pat Dire
Pilot advisor
A brainstorming session, a
$1,000 grant and some dedicated
Gardner-Webb University students
and staff members mean improved
literacy for children in the region.
Joseph Hamby, a junior major
ing in public relations and minoring
in religion, is the creator and driv
ing force of a project called “Let’s
Read Together.”
“This project is designed to
strengthen the partnership between
Gardner-Webb University and our
community partner, KidSenses In-
terACTIVE Museum,” Hamby said.
“Through this, children throughout
Cleveland and Rutherford coun
ties, along with other surrounding
counties, will have the opportunity
to come to the museum and inter
act with GWU volunteers in an
initiative to promote literacy for
the children, and to promote parent
involvement in the literacy
process.”
Hamby’s wanted to create a pro
gram to break the cycle of illiteracy
in the seven counties surrounding,
KidSenses, where, he said, 30 per-'
cent of adults are functionally il
literate. The museum is located in
Rutherford County,
He said that passion was his mo
tivation for creating the program.
“A passion of a student, the pas
sion of a staff member, and the will
ingness of several people to make
Gardner-Webb a university that is
invested in the needs of its commu
nity,” said Hamby.
“The truth is that Gardner-
Webb certainly could have gone
on without a program like this;
however, our community couldn’t.
The eagerness of individuals like
Sandy Hammett, Dr. Susan Ma-
nahan, Julia Phillips, Dr. Cindy
McKinney and Dr. Sheila Ingles is
what really led me to pursue such
an endeavor.”
Sandy Hammett is the GWU
director of volunteerism and Julia
Phillips is the literacy director for
KidSenses. Hamby said he and
Hammett brainstormed program
options in the creation of “Let’s
Read Together,” which is branch of
the KidSenses program “The Lit-
tlest Readers.”
That wasn’t the end of the pro
cess, however.
“After hammering out the pro
gram details, the main focus was
to develop a strategy, list of goals.
a proposed budget, along with the
necessary grant paperwork,” Ham
by said. “After that it was approxi
mately a month before we heard the
outcome of the grant proposal.
We received a $1,000 grant
from the Jimmy & Rosalyn Carter
Foundation to fimd the program.”
Students from McKinney’s
Classroom Management class and
Ingles’ Practicum class plarmed the
different activities and books that
would be used.
This was part of their classwork
and an opportunity for them to
gain experience by applying skills
learned in the courses.
All the hard work culminated
with the first “Let’s Read Together”
literacy event, which took place
March 18 at KidSenses. There were
159 children and 145 adults at the
event.
In addition the parents received
an informational brochure that gave
them pointers on being involved in
their child’s literacy process.
“I’m excited to see the impact
that it will make on the children,
on the parents, and on the commu
nity,” Hamby said.
Student volunteers:
From Dr McKinney’s Class
room Management class:
Whitney Beachum, Donna Cha
Photo by Tyler Kucifer
Joseph Hamby designed a program with KidSenses museum to
teach parents how to increase the amount their children read.
tham, Lindsay Harmon, Sally Hol-
lifield, Nathan Mellon, Amanda Ol
iver, Lindsay Palmer, Chasity Sims
and Jessica Spurling
From Dr Ingles ’ Practicum
class:
Ruthie McCall, Rebekah With
row, D.J Hamrick, April Shelton,
Natalie Smith, Meg Barrow, Al
lison Hursey Blair Early, Sarah
Owens, Heather Russell and Anna
Hardee