Page Twelve
THE SUMMER ECHO
Monday, July 24, 1967
‘SACK LUNCH BUNCH’—Shown above are scenes from the Thursday “sack lunch” discussion groups held
during the regular school years here. Participants include faculty and staff members, as well as towns
people. Discussions range over a wide variety of topics, some of an academic nature, others dealing with
pressing current issues.
It’s An Intellectual Oasis,’
Say The Sack Lunch Bunch
By David H. Witherspoon
Take some 15 to 20 college
faculty members, give one a
topic in or out of his academic
area, add freewheeling discus
sions involving everyone from
artist to zoologist, and what do
you have?
At most schools you would
have a highly successful “in
terdisciplinary colloquium,” and
it would only happen once in a
dozen semesters.
At North Carolina College,
the miracle happens every week
during the fall and spring, and
they call it the “Sack Lunch
Bunch.”
Dr. Ray Thompson is given
credit for the creation of this
enduring program, an informal
but well-planned meeting of
minds. Appropriately, Dr.
Thompson’s field is education,
an interdisciplinary field in it
self.
Thompson asked some of his
co-workers if they would like
to start informal discussions.
From the kickoff presentation
by Dr. Joseph McKelpin back
in 1962, the program has grown
into one of the unique features
of the NCC campus.
Regular Sessions
Laden with sack lunches, the
group converges in the Educa
tion Building at noon each
Thursday during the regular
school year. As they eat their
lunches, members listen to well-
planned, though often unwrit
ten, discussions of everything
from literary criticism, sociol
ogy, personality theory, art and
music, law and political science
to biology and physics.
After the speaker has finish
ed his presentation, he is wide
open to attack—questions, criti
cisms of his approach, and any
thoughts the other members of
the group may have on the
subject.
The professors who lead the
discussions apparently enjoy
the grilling that comes from
their cohorts, since all are vol
unteers and most will come
back for more later in the year
or during the following year.
Stimulating Qualities
The “sack lunch” is, for some
of its participants, “a continu
ous, cost-free lyceum feature,”
“a symbolic colony of scholars
engaged in intellectual pursuits,”
“an assembly of egg heads with
a quest for broadening their in
tellectual horizons,” “a refuge
for college professors who seek
to escape, temporarily at least.
from the preoccupation with
course loads, class lectures,
and grade reports.” Townspeo
ple and students attend also.
Humor is very much a part
of the program. Laughter is re
flected in the following topics
for discussion: “How Teachers
Who Don’t Attend the Sack
Lunch Lie About Grades,”
“What Are You Breathing?”
“Heads or Tails,” “The Worm
Runners,” “Mrs. Murphy and
Public Accommodations,” “Tak
ing Care of Ego and Id: Pin
ter’s Play ‘The Caretaker’.”
Law professors talk about
such subjects as probate, con
flicts, and taxation; while
classics professors talk about
“The Ethiopian in Greek Myth
ology.” Biologists discuss the
world around us, as mathema
ticians discuss computers.
Norman Padnos of the chem
istry department and James
Parker of the audio-visual cen
ter are among the most versa
tile contributors. Also a regular
contributor is Dr. Leroy Swift,
college physician.
While the fifth year of “sack
lunch” just past, participants
anticipate more stimulation in
their “Intellectual Oasis” next
year.
Whiting Assumes..
(Continued from page 1)
profesion, served as dean of the
college at Morgan State Col
lege, Baltimore, Md., from 1959
until he assumed his post at
NCC. He has taught at Bennett
College, Atlanta University, and
Morris Brown College, where
he was dean of the college for
four years.
Author of more than a dozen
articles on education and con
temporary social factors. Dr.
Whiting is listed in American
Men of Science (Behavioral),
Who’s Who in American Edu
cation, Who’s Who in the East,
and Who’s Who in America. He
has held membership in the
National Association of Colle
giate Deans and Registrars, of
which he is vice-president; the
Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity; the
Eastern Association of College
Deans and Advisors to Stu
dents ; the Maryland State
Teachers Association; the Bal
timore School Advisory Com
mittee; the (Maryland) Gover
nor’s Commission on Criminal
Sentencing; and the Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity.
He is a native of Jersey City,
New Jersey. He holds the A.B.
degree in political science from
Amherst College; the M.A. de
gree in sociology from Fisk
University; and the Ph.D. in
sociology and public welfare
from the American University.
He has also studied at Columbia
University and the University
of Pittsburgh.
President and Mrs. Whiting,
the former Miss Lottie Luck of
Danville, Va., are parents of a
teen-age daughter, Brooke. They
are Episcopalians.
Old Newspapers
For Wrapping Fish
Or For Art Work?
Newspapers, cans, discarded
wire, coat hangers, detergent
bottles, marbles, popsicle sticks,
decanters, soft drink bottle caps,
twigs, sand, fruits, vegetables,
and other discarded objects be
come works of art in Miss Pic-
cola Morrow’s course, “Materials
in Arts and Crafts for Teach
ers.”
Elementary and secondary
teachers learn the basics of line,
shape and form as they work
with everyday materials in the
class.
Miss Morrow describes the
course as designed to increase
the teacher’s skill in observation
as well as to teach the skills
needed to teach youngsters how
to turn discarded everyday
objects into decorative and use
ful products.
Among the products of the
class are lamps, jewelry, wall
hangings and plaques, model
animals, gay party decorations,
baskets and other useful mate
rials.
Used in addition to the dis
carded materials are wheat
paste, plaster of paris, pencil,
crayon, paint and other easily
acquired art materials.
Miss Morrow, who holds the
rank of visiting assistant profes
sor of education is a Winston-
Salem schoolteacher during the
regular school year.
Fellowship Grant
Given Instructor
C. James Dyer, North Caro
lina College psychology instruc
tor, will begin work on the doc
toral degree in school psychology
at the School of Education, Uni
versity of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, in September.
The retired Marine major
was named as the recipient of
a grant from the Southern Fel
lowship Fund for the year from
September, 1967, to September,
1968.
Dyer received the Bachelor of
Arts degree with honors in psy
chology from the University of
North Carolina in 1961. He re
ceived his master of arts degree
in psychology from Duke Uni
versity in 1962 and joined the
NCC faculty in September, 1962.
Sloan Foundation
Offer Sparks Drive
An offer made in October,
1965, by the Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation has sparked North
Carolina College’s first drive to
match funds in order to obtain
a foundation grant.
The Sloan Foundation offered
$33,333.33 to the college, on a
graduated matching basis. The
college has set a goal of $123,-
000 from all sources to obtain
the matching funds.
The offer was the first of its
nature ever made in the history
of the institution, and admin
istration officials believe similar
offers may be forthcoming from
other foundations if the drive
is successful.
Funds raised in the drive will
establish a Scholarship Fund
for the recruitment of academi
cally talented students from
across the state and the nation.
Individuals who wish to honor
a friend, relative, or loved one
may establish a scholarship in
that person’s name.
Former head football coach
H. H. Riddick, co-chairman of
the drive with Dr. Charles Orr,
has been assigned to work with
alumni, local businesses and
friends of the college in the
drive. Orr is responsible for
contacting businesses across the
state and other foundations.
Coach Riddick, who has a desk
in the alumni office in the Health
Education Building, has issued
an invitation to his friends,
alumni and anyone else
(“whether interested in the pro
gram or not”) to visit him there.
June Graduate Wins
Fulbright-Hays Grant
To Study In France
Leonard King, a June gradu
ate and Durham native, has
been named recipient of a Ful
bright-Hays grant for one year
of study at the University of
Montpellier, France.
He will leave for France to
study French literature on Sep
tember 15, 1967.
I
a
ARTS AND CRAFTS—Shown above are participants in Miss Piccola Morrow’s course, “Arts and Crafts
for the Elementary School,” engaged in typical classroom activities. Upper left. Miss Morrow, right, shows
students techniques of basketweaving. Upper right, Students work on reptilian animals^ constructed of
papier mache. Lower left. These animals are also of papier mache construction. Lower right. Miss Mor
row and students examine finished work displayed in the classroom.
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