Meretttth Herala
Volume XIV, Issue 22
We attract bright, talented,ambitious students. Naturally we’re a women’s college.
March 18,1998
On the
inside:
Faculty Distinguished Lecture features Dean Burris
□ Find out
about MGA’s
mission trips to
St. Petersburg
and Wilmington.
Page 2
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ment form
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week’s issue.
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□ Dean Burris speaks
at convocation prior to
his retirement in June.
WHITNEY WILSON
Staff Reporter
Vice President and Dean of the
College Allen Burris presented
tbe Faculty Distinguished
Lecture which was held Mon.,
Mar. 16 at
8:00 p.m.
in Jones
Auditorium.
Burris
shared his
historical
research
through a
talk on tlie
three “D”s
of politics:
Decalogue.
Dialogue,
Dialectic. Burris spoke about
how these three concepts apply
to the art of guvenmce as well
as how tliey relate to the state,
the church, and independent col
leges and universities.
“I had a problem
of preparing an in
troduction for a man
most already know.”
- Professor Emeritus
Frank Grubbs
Professor of History Emeritus
Frank L. Grubbs, Ph.D„ intro
duced Burris to fellow faculty,
staff, administration, family and
friends.
“I had the problem of prepar
ing an introduction for a man
most already know,” said
Grubbs-
In his introduction, Grubbs
comment
ed on bow
well-liked
Burris has
been
through
out his
time spent
here at
Meredith,
as well as
how he
has
excelled
as a professor almost every year
in history and politics.
In his lecture, Burris comical
ly explained the choice for
including decalogue as part of
his title.
“Tlie word decalogue provid
ed unquestioned audiority and
alliteration, and I like that,” said
Burris.
Burris has had an extended
education that led him to his 28-
year service as vice president and
dean at Meredith. He attended
Wingate College in his home
town of Wingate, North
Carolina. He then went on to
receive further degrees at Wake
Forest University, Southeastern
Theological Seminary, and he
received his Pb.D. from Duke
University. He also conducted
research at the University of
London, Oxford University, and
the University of Birmingham
last fall to prepare for tliis week’s
lecture.
After studying economic and
political development in
Pakistan, Burris served in tlie
Navy and held teaching positions
at Gardner-Webb and St.
Andrews College. Tlien Burris
came to Meredillt where he has
been Vice President and Dean of
tlie College, as well as professor
Dean Craven Allen Burris
of history and politics.
Altliough Burris claimed to
have ''nothing new to add to
what you’ve heard over tlie past
28 years,” he succeeded in capti
vating his audience.
As Burris has announced his
retirement for June 1998. tliis
lecture was a conclusion to his
years at Meredith.
Convocation chair Bill
Rodgers concluded, ”Tlie
Faculty Distinguished Lecture
provided a wonderful opportuni
ty to bid farewell to Dean
Burris.”
Appalachian women writers vocalize works
□ Southern writers
visit campus as a part of
Women’s History Month.
LISA GILLIAM
Slafl Reporter
Two famous Soutliem writers,
novelist Lee Smith and poet
Kathryn Stripling Byer, spoke in
the Seby Jones Chapel at 10:00
a.m. on March 16 in honor of
Women’s History Month. The
series was called Applachian
Women’s Voices and is part of
the celebration of Women’s
History Momli at Mereditli. Byer
and Smitl) sat in tlie front of tlie
church, accompanied by Dr.
Eloise Grathwohl, a professor in
the English department at
Meredidi and head of tlie honors
program, Nancy Joyner, a 1958
Pictured left to right: Kimberly Debus, Lee Smith, Kathryn
Stripling Byer. Ellen Hipp, and Professor Eloise Grathwol.
Picture by Allison Carter
Meredith alum, and two
Meredith students-sophomore
Ellen Hipp, and senior politics
major Kim Debus.
Hipp and Grathwohl
explained to tiie audience how
the whole idea developed. Hipp
was in one of Gratliwohl’s class
es where she heard Dr.
Grathwohl read one of Byer’s
poems. Hipp said slie didn't
realize at the time tliat she knew
the very poet whose work
Gratliwohl was reading, but once
she made the connection Uiut
Byer was tlie mom of her friend,
slie expressed her astonislunenl
to Gradiwohl, who was very
pleased witli tlie interest Hipp
showed.
"None of tliis would have hap
pened without Ellen,” said
Gradiwohl. "Seeing a student
make connections she hasn't
made before and seeing Ellen's
realization diat poets and novel
ists are real people is one of die
tilings diat makes teacliing so
wonderful." Gratliwohl was also
pleased tliat slie "learned some-
diing about die two writers she
never would have odierwise
learned.”
Debus was die organizer of die
event. She said it was ' amazing"
how tlie idea of having fiunous
NC writers just "fell into place”
and had such a “spectacular turn
out for the day after spring
bre;ik.” Debus wiis also pleased
diat die Creative Ide^ Fund com
mittee chose to provide funding
for die event. Debus said it gave
the idea ''valid:ition'' and
"sliowed diat it was an idea peo
ple really liked."
Gradiwohl introduced Byer
and Smidi and gave brief histo
ries of tlieir lives.
Byer has written throe pub
lished volumes of pi'ctry, had
many fellowships, publi.shcd
essays, and done ituuiy readings
and w»)rkshops. Byer is currently
a Poet in Residetice and prt>t'es-
sor at Western Carolina
University. Smidi has written
more tliiui h;ilf adozen novels, as
well as sevenil volumes of slion
See WRi ri-'kS p:ij»e 8