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Volume LXVIII, No. 10 N i
Dr. Donald Deagon Dies At 58
GREENSBORO Donald David
Deagon, 58, chairman of the
Guilford College Drama and Speech
Department, died Suntlay, June 30,
1985.
Deagon taught for two years at
Furman University before coming
to Guilford in 1956. An associate
prtifessor at Guilford, Deagon had
served as the chairman of the drama
department since 1970. He com
pleted his Ph.D. from Tulane
University in 1969.
In addition to his regular
teaching duties at Guilford, Deagon
directed The Revelers, the Col
lege's drama group. He was the
author of three plays, including
"The Little Pond," "The Little
Wonder, " and "The Last Stop." He
served as director and technical
director for some 50 major produc
tions, performed in 30 shows and
for 10 years acted in the native
American production "Unto These
Hills" at Cherokee, NC.
Dr. Deagon is survived by his
wife, Ann, professor of classical
studies and writer-in-residence at
Guilford College; two daughters,
Andrea, lecturer in classics at Vic
toria University in Wellington, New
Zealand, and Ellen, a junior
psychology major at Guilford Col
lege; and a brother, Larry Deagon,
Guilford's Sesquicentennial Quest
By Holly Hobbs
Last Thursday, September sth,
while students ate in the
cafeteria, Kelly and I attended
the gala opening of the
Greensboro area Quest cam
paign. It was a good thing I didn't
have to know what Quest is in
order to go. If asked, I would
have answered "Quest is raising
money for Guilford." That is
quite an ambiguous reply, as
Quest is much more than that.
Quest is part of Guilford's ses
quicentennial celebration. The
campaign is designed to change,
create, and upgrade 6 areas of
life at Guilford: students, faculty,
the library, the physical plant,
the Friend's Center, and the
overall endowment of the Col
lege. The total sequicentennial
goal is $10,100,000.
Students
For the students, Quest is seek
ing $1,000,000. Called the Student
Scholarship Endowment Fund,
the money would enable many
students to attend Guilford who
otherwise could not, and is aimed
at diversifying the student body.
The endowment is for
academically gifted scholars,
foreign, minority and Quaker
# " *F ; H^H
I Dr. Donald Deagon P hoto courtes y of The Quaker
instrumental supervisor for the Jef
ferson County School System in
Birmingham, AL.
On the 7th of July this summer,
family and friends, including
members of the Guilford faculty
and student body who could at
tend, gathered at New Garden
Friends Meeting to remember
and to celebrate the life of Donald
Deagon. Again, at this fall's first
students, students studying
abroad, scholar athletes, and
students with demonstrated
need.
Faculty
85 per cent of Guilford's faculty
hold Ph.D.'s or other doctoral
degrees. However, the faculty
salaries are below the average
compared to other colleges com
parable to Guilford. Quest is
seeking $1,000,000 for faculty
salaries. In addition the goal for
research and teaching develop
ment is SIOO,OOO, and in order to
upgrade teaching and laboratory
resources and equipment,
$250,000 is needed.
The Library
Currently, Guilford's library
houses 200,000 books, etc. in a
building designed for 125,000.
Construction and renovation are
needed badly, yet the goal of
$3,200,000 must be reached first.
The library also has the con
tinuous need to replace and pur
chase new books, etc. $200,000 is
needed for this Collections En
dowment. Quest is also aiming
for a $200,000 automation endow
ment, which would create an ex
change network between
Guilford and area college
Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C. 27410
faculty meeting, he was
remembered as his presence was
missed. Once more, we want to
remember him, as we mourn his
death after a massive heart at
tack. He died on June 30, in Cone
Hospital, where he had
courageously tried to prolong the
five years predicted for him by
doctors who had performed dou
ble by-pass surgery just that
many years ago. He lost the
struggle, but these years, like
libraries.
The Physical Plant
Guilford's physical plant is in
need of renovation as well.
SIOO,OOO is needed for residence
hall improvements; $300,000 for
the utility system, part of which
is over forty years old. Quest is
also seeking an endowment for
maintenance of $500,000.
The Friends Center
The Friends Center at Guilford
provides services to Guilford
students as well as the surroun
ding Quaker community. The
center wants to continue the
Quaker ideals of the college, and
is seeking $250,000 endowment for
this area'.
Loyalty Fund
Separate from Quest, but part
of the sesquicentennial drive, is
Guilford's annual Loyalty Fund.
The Quest Campaign hopes to
raise $2.25 million between 1984
and 1987.
Unrestricted Endowment
Almost 85 per cent of Guilford's
annual expenditures come from
tuition. An unrestricted endow
ment would decrease the Col
lege's dependence on tuition. The
goal for this fund is $500,000.
those before, were productive
and enriching.
Only his students, a few for
tunate faculty members and
faculty children (including his
own Andrea and Ellen) who acted
or built sets under his direction
can tell firsthand of the inspiring
demands he placed upon them.
The rest of us, however, who at
tended his play productions were
able to experience the spirit of
magic that he managed to cap
ture from playwrights and then to
convey through excellent perfor
mances. The plays (some
musicals) were of a great varie
ty. He had a special appreciation
for the "theater of the absurd"
which caused him often to put on
works of writers like lonesco and
Pirandello. Many plays, such as
those by Brecht and Frisch, he
chose for their political/ethical
messages as well as their
aesthetic merit. An actor as well
as director, Donald also par
ticipated for 10 years in "Unto
These Hills" at Cherokee, NC. He
continued, from time to time, to
act in Guilford's plays.
Donald was generous with his
talents. Not only did he build
Guilford's Department of Drama
flH I
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WEST wmpaign
These goals, if reached, could
change and improve our lives
here at Guilford. Support from
September 11, 1985
to the level of excellence enjoyed
today, but he, along with his wife,
Ann, opened their home to
students and friends who shared
their interests or needed their en
couragement and help in many
areas. Their home is graced with
products of his creativity: wood
carvings, a beautiful screen,
model airplanes, a self
assembled harpsichord, and a
dulcimer, which he also played.
In connection with music, one
picture of Donald remains vividly
with us. It is that of him in full
Scottish regalia as he plays the
bagpipe.
Donald was a member of New
Garden Friends Meeting. It is of
special interest to Quakers that
his doctoral dissertation dealt
with Pacifism in Greek and
Modern Drama and that the
Guilford Review, Spring, 1980,
contains an article by him on
"Ernst Toller: The Pacifist Spirit
in German Expressionism."
Perhaps what remains upper
most in our memory of Donald's
personality is his sense of humor.
His ever ready and most original
wit, expressed especially in
drollery and repartee, endeared
him to all.
resource for article: Quest
Brochure
Written by Bill R offers
Guilford's family, community
and friends will make the dif
ference.