Meredith Herald
Volume XV, issue 16
We attract bright, taiented. ambitious students. Naturally, we're a women’s college. January 27,1999
On the
inside:
Lecture discusses ancient earth sculptures
□ Mullinax
Joins campus
community as
church relations
director.
Page 2
□ Prospective
parents should
seek information
about circumci
sion.
Page 4
□ Local
entertainment
events past and
present earn
praise.
Page 8
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□ John Kincheloe
addresses a lost part of
American history.
Christina Hoi.i>er
staff Reponef
There is a mystery to be
solved in Adams County. OH.
A great serpent is resting on a
cliff, seemingly suspended in
mid-slither. Do not be afraid.
You will be in no danger of
stepping on the creature--
unless you are Bigfoot.
The serpent of Adams coun
ty is no common garden snake;
neither is it comparable to the
great boa. Rather, the serpent is
the product of numerous
mounds of earth connected to
depict an uncoiling snalce.
John William Kincheloe,
Meredith’s media specialist,
had the answers for wondering
minds when he presented (he
faculty distinguished lecture
titled, “Uncoiling the Serpent."
‘The story I am about to tell
you is part fact, part specula
tion, part comedy, part tragedy,
but, I hope for you, completely
fascinating." Kincheloe said as
an invitation for those present
to learn more about the Native
American Serpent Mounds.
The lecture was a complete
account of the history of the
mysterious earthen mounds
that have been constructed in
various parts of the United
States by Native Americans.
Squire and Davis, authors of
Ancient Mounds of the Missis
sippi Valley, wrote the first
“systematic and most compre
hensive account" of the history
of the Native American
mounds, and were the first to
lell about the Great Serpent
Mound.
The Grave Creek Mound-s
located in Moundsville, VA.
were some of the first to be
examined. The mounds,
appearing as intensely magni
fied hills, rose 65' high, 240’
wide at the base, and were
composed of over 57,000 tons
of earth.
The mounds were used as
burial sites by the Native
Americans referred to as the
Adena. Yet another mound,
located in Newark. OH, was
found to have distinct geomet
ric shapes and parallel lines.
The mounds, used for ceremo
nial purposes, “were construci-
An aerial view of The
Great Serpent Mound.
ed with precision wit^ consis
tent mathematical proportion."
said Kincheloe.
Explaining the mounds of
Ohio, Kincheloe says, "Many
of the earth-works. though
found miles apart, share com
mon alignn^ents with signifi
cant points on the horizon.
Walls consistently relate not
only to rivers they front, but to
the planets, sun, moon and
stars."
A most inieresting addition
(0 the lecture was Kinchelt'ie's
inadvertent discovery of a let
ter in a used bix)kstore. The let
ter was written by Squire in
H845 and was about the
mounds at Chilicothe.
"And there it is," Kincheliw
said as he pointed to the framed
letter opposite him on the
stage. In the letter. Squire
remarked on the great sight of
the mounds.
The purpose of the Great
Serpent, an effigy mound that
is the largest in North America,
has been speculated to be a par
allel to the constellation of the
Big Dipper, to be a lunar
observatory for the phases of
(he moon to represent an Adena
calendar and to be the site of
(he Garden of (he Eden
because, among many reasons,
it is located in Adams coun(y.
See LECTURE page 2
Marketing professor succumbs to cancer
□ Richard Berhman
died Thursday morning
at the IViangle Hospice
in Hillsborough.
A1.I.1SON Cabtrr
Editof-In-Chief
Last Thursday, Richard H.
Berhman died at the age of 71.
Berhman was diagnosed with
melanoma a little over two
years ago, ye( he con(inued (o
teach until the beginning of the
fall ‘98 semester.
Berhman arrived at Mered
ith after serving as coiporate
director of marketing for ti>e
Liggett Group. He was associ
ate professor of marketing at
Meredith before leaving in
1990 to be (he direc(or of the
MBA program at Elon College
in Burlington, NC.
After serving as director,
Berhman became interim dean
of the Martha and Spencer
lx)ve School of Business at
Elon. During his years at Elon,
Berhman continued to teach
both undergraduate and gradu
ate classes at Meredith,
"[Dick] Berhman was one of
(he most student oriented pro
fessors at Meredith, and that's
a fact. With him, s(uden(s came
first," said business faculty
member Tony Bledsoe.
Berhman enjoyed sailing in
his spare time with his friends
and family. Both faculty and
students remembered how
Berhman's outside experiences
brought so much (o his classes.
“He had a real sense for
wha( worked," said Business
and Economics Department
Head Becky Oatsvall. “He
made the classes come alive for
his students.”
Sandra Hanner. business
professor, spoke about
Berhman from both a student
and a colleague's point of view.
Berhman was Manner’s mar
keting professor wiien she was
in the MBA prografh here at
Meredith in the mid-1980s.
"He had a very dry wit and a
gocxi sense of humor," said
Banner. "He really loved
teaching."
Berhman's last classes he
taught at Meredith included the
undergraduate marketing
research class in Fall '91, the
graduate level business
research class in Spring ‘98
and the graduate level market
ing class last summer.
Berhman was supposed to
teach the undergrad research
class last fall, but became ill
again and could not teach the
class.
Senior Casandra Shaleuly
said, (Berhman] "was the best
professor I’ve ever had," com
menting on her marketing
research class with Berhman in
1997.
Oatsvall noted that Berhman
never gave away anything to
his students. "He helped them
earn [their grades], but he
never gave anything away,"
said Oatsvall.
Berhman came to North Car
olina from the New York area
after serving in the Navy dur
ing World War II and working
for the Liggett group. Berhman
is survived by his wife, Mary,
and his three daughters Barbara
Dan, Margaret Payne and
Dorothea Hyde.
The family held a private
service for Berhman over the
weekend. Meredith College is
planning a memorial service in
memory of Berhman stimetime
in Feb., but no definite plans
have been made.
Memorial gifts can be
sent to the Duke Melanoma
Research group at Duke
University in Berhman's
name to the following
address: Duke Melanoma
Research, PO Box 3828 -
DUMC, Durham. NC
27710.