VOL. 20, NO. 2
ST. ANDREWS PRESBYERIAN COLLEGE
OCTOBER 2. 1981
Goheen guest speaker at
anniverary celebration
R. Phillip Hanes, Jr., of Winston Salem, receives Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Daniel Nieh: “The Shanghai guy”
By SHERRI REEDER
Daniel Nieh is a Chinese exchange
student who came to St. Andrews to
study art. Born and reared in
Shanghai, China, he finds that the
town of Laurinburg is quite dif
ferent from his own city. Shanghai
holds within its city limits ten million
people and places, second only to
Tokyo as the world’s largest city.
Daniel attended the Shaghai Fu-
Dan high school where he studied
various topics but his favorite was
art. “Art”, he said “like all subjects
in Chinese high schools, is a require
ment and I had a wonderful art
teacher, perhaps that is why my in
terest grew to its great degree.”
However, since he was nine years old
Daniel has been privately tutored in
the field of art. The love of art seems
to be prominent in the Nieh family
for Daniel’s uncle, Nieh Chang
-Sou, is one of China’s top four ar
tists and is a member of the Chinese
Art Union.
Before coming to the United
States, Daniel attended the Shaghai
Special Textile - Technological Col
lege where he majored in electronics.
“When I tell people this” Daniel
said “they always seem to be shock
ed that I, an artist, should have a
degree in such a field.”
Daniel was first introduced to St.
Andrews by a friend of his grand
father’s Mrs. T. C. Williamson of
Raeford, NC. “Ms. Williamson”
Daniel explained, “was born in
China as the daughter of two Chris
tian missionaries. Her father con
verted my grandfather to Christiani
ty about fifty years ago and since
that time our families have been very
dose. She suggested to me that I
come to St. Andrews to study and
offered to sponsor me. It was an of
fer I couldn’t refuse.”
Daniel’s father is Mr. Nieh
Chang- Yi, a law professqr in the
East China Law Institute. His
mother is a gynecologist. He has one
younger brother who is now in his
first year of junior high school.
When asked how he feels about
the United States Daniel replied;
“The United States is a very modern
country compared to China, in
dustrially and technologically.
China is basically an agricultural
society. I like the U.S. very much
because the people are very friendly
here. Scholastically however, the
Chinese are more conscientious. The
Chinese student will rise at 5:30
every morning to study before
breakfast and goes to bed rather ear
ly. The classrooms are also very dif
ferent. They are more formal, no
sandals, no tank shirts, no food or
drinks and no smoking. Everyone
must have a neat and well-groomed
appearance.”
When Daniel finishes his educa
tion here at St. Andrews he will
return to China. Then his goal will
be to find employment in the art
Renowned scholar, Robert Goheen, speaks on “Liberal Education in
and for our Times.”
world; perhaps in commercial art or
with a publishing company and
ultimately to join the Artist Union.
Recently, Daniel has held various
art shows in the surrounding towns.
Last April he began the series of
shows at the Hoke County Library
where he fared well. Then on August
15, at the Burch Mar Gallery in
Southern Pines he had great success
with his art displays. He has schedul
ed several other shows for future
dates, the first of which will be held
October 8 -10 at the Laurinburg
Public Library. Another show will
be held at the famous Wiliams
House in Chapel Hill, the date will
be announced later. Everyone is
welcomed to the shows and Daniel is
anxiously looking forward to a suc
cessful career at St. Andrews.
Daniel Neih, famous artist from China, studies at St. Andrews.
Dr. Robert Goheen, former am
bassador to India and President
Emeritus of Princeton University
was guest speaker at St. Andrews
Presbyterian College on Tuesday,
September 22. The school celebrated
its 20th year anniversary and con
vocation at the North Plaza of the
Belk College Center.
President A. P. Perkinson presid
ed over the 10:00 a.m. ceremony
with P. Leslie Bullock, Professor of
Religion, serving as College Mar
shall. Professor Herbert Horn open
ed with an organ prelude and
William Weaver, with his bagpipes,
led freshmen and professors in the
traditional march.
The Reverend Harold J. Dudley,
former General Secretary Synod of
North Carolina, gave the invoca
tion, and Ronald C. Crossley, Dean
of the College, presented the class of
1985.
In his welcome speech President
Perkinson noted that on the same
day and hour in 1961, the young col
lege held opening ceremonies at the
Armory on South Main Street, -
Laurinburg. He then reaffirmed the
college’s committments by saying,
“The unique characteristic of St.
Andrews is that we exist to serve the
students. The college will serve you
by demanding the best you have to
offer.”
The Reverend Warner L. Hall,
member of the first Board of
Trustees, contributed to the historic
event by reminiscing the beginnings
of the 20-year-old school. “St. An
drews was born out of deep and
angry emotions,” he said. Hall ex
plained that St. Andrews was a
result of the consolidation of Flora
Macdonald College and
Presbyterian Junior College because
the Presbyterian Church could no
longer afford to support several
separate institutions. “The other
colleges were difficult to deal with,”
explained Hall, “because of sen
timental reasons among the
alumni.”
Hall also reflected on the early
plans for the school’s curriculum.
“Our effort was to create a distinc
tive curriculum,” he said. “Educa
tion often provides people with an
enormous amount of bricks but
leaves them with no ability to build.
We did not want to do this at St. An
drews.” Hall remembered when
there was nothing but swampy land
where the school now stands. “My
chest swells when I look around and
see what has been done here,” he
says, “and think of the vast number
of people who have labored for St.
Andrews’ well-being.”
St. Andrews was honored to have
Robert Goheen give the Twentieth
Anniversary Address. Goheen is a
former ambassador to India and
President Emeritus of Princeton
Universary. One of the nations most
respected scholars and educators,
Goheen has been awarded honorary
degrees from 26 colleges and univer-
saries. He has also served on the
boards of a number of national
foundations and institutions.
Goheen’s topic was “Liberal
Education in and for our Times.”
“There are two important
characteristics that humans should
possess,” said Goheen. “1) A life
long intellectual curiosity and 2) a
commitment to the importance of
rational thought and a sensitivity to
the human race. He went on to say
liberal education “teaches one to
think with some precision for
himself.”
Goheen then stressed the impor
tance of interdependence between
people instead of confrontation.
“Neither absolutism or skepticism
are the answer’ he said, “but a ra
tional approach to problems with a
practical sense of wisdom for
meeting life.” Goheen concluded by
comparing man to children at play.
“We must listen to one another if we
want to learn to play together.”
Following Dr. Goheen, and an an
them by St. Andrews chamber
singers, President Perkinson award
ed Mr. R. Philip Hanes, Jr. the Doc
tor of Humane Letters degree. A
native of North Carolina, Mr.
Hanes is a textile industry executive
and has been one of the leaders of
the arts movements in America for
the past quarter century. He was the
founder of Ampersand, Inc. a
management and fund raising
organization for the N.C. Arts,
which has raised over $12 million for
the state.
Afterwards Dean Crossley
presented six alumni awards for
outstanding accomplishments.
These alumni were: Lawrence G.
Calhoun, Jr., Robert L. Hatcher,
III, Joseph B. Ingle, Sara Anna
Payne, Francis Bounous Powell and
Edward T. Smith. Mrs. Virginia
Decker, President of the Dames of
St. Andrews, then presented the col
lege with a quilt in honor of its 20th
anniversary.