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iLUME LVIII, Number 1
■£«56
Serving the Mars Hill College Community Since 1926
Friday, September 14, 1984
NEW ORGANIZATION PLAN IMPLEMENTED
I GENA BARONE
/s Editor
resident Bentley last Spring
posed a plan for reorganization
he administration and faculty
;h will be implemented this
ester. This plan is a response to
llty cutbacks and retirements
jng the 1983-1984 academic
)ol year.
^e proposal combines the fif-
i previous academic depart
ments into eight different divi
sions. The new divisions are as
follows: Fine Arts (music, art,
theatre). Humanities (english,
history, modern foreign
languages). Religion and
Philosophy, Education (teacher
education, upward bound, special
services). Natural Sciences and
Mathematics (biology, chemistry,
allied health, mathematics, com
puter science). Business Ad
ministration and Economics
(business adminstration, home
economics). Health, Physical
Educatin, Recreation, and other
Athletics (including sports
medicine); Social and Behavioral
Sciences (sociology, social work,
psychology, political science).
Interviews of faculty are now in
progress to determine the new
leaders of each division. These new
leaders will be working in close
association with the academic
dean. The new divisions will allow
greater focus on academics and
special programs.
According to an anonymous
faculty member, the proposal is
generally accepted by most of the
faculty, however, this faculty
member feels the timing is not
right, because many of the faculty
are carrying overloads. “When
people are tired, they generally
find it hard to change to something
new and be creative.”
In an interview this summer. Dr.
Bentley commented that the new
divisional structure has many ad
vantages over the old departmental
structure. These benefits include:
• More teaching time for fac
ulty members freed from
administrative tasks.
• Dr. Bentley will have a
smaller “Span of manage
ment,” with only 11
people instead of 20 re
porting directly to him.
This will allow more effec
tive coordination of ad
ministrative faculty and
staff.
• Dr. Bentley will be able to
devote more personal at
tention to external affairs
departments.
Dr. Bentley also stated, “The
new structure will be beneficial to
the students because the faculty
will be sharing knowledge within
different departments that were
previously considered more in
dependent.” The faculty in each
division will be responsible for ap
propriating funds to where it is
most needed in their division.
MEETING THE WORLD
THROUGH THE ARTS
I
ijOHN CAMPBELL
top Advisor
ne return of the internationally
ivn Vienna Choir Boys will
llight the 1984-85 Visiting Ar-
and Lecturers Series at Mars
College.
tie theme for the 1984-85
:s, according to Robert
ner, chairman of the Visiting
5ts and Lecturers committee, is
leting The World Through The
.” The series will feature per-
ling artists from five foreign
itries: Austria, Mexico,
Ida, France, and Sweden, as
as the U.S.
1 of the events will be held in
college’s Moore Auditorium
will begin at 8 p.m.
le series will begin September
with Peter Samelson’s
eatre of Illusion.” Samelson,
|tive of Michigan, began his
ge studies in physics but swit-
I to theatre at Sanford Univer-
^ Following his graduation, he
a year to tour Europe and
with other magical minds in
tia, Amsterdam, Prague, and
Ion. He returned to become
resident magician at New
’s Magic Town House.
: has been featured in exten-
tours across the U.S., in-
g appearances at the United
ns, Los Angeles’ Magic Cas-
ian Francisco’s Magic Cellar,
!r for Revlon, and many televi-
j shows across the U.S.,
^da, and the Orient. He was
jrst Western magician to per-
on the Great Wall of China
0 exchange ancient secrets in
lecial meeting with the
tatic and Magic Troupe of
ig (Peking).
e Vienna Choir Boys will
1 October 20 to Mars Hill,
ng
5n
also the date of the college’s
Homecoming. The world-reknown
choir is composed of 24 young men
who begin their preparation at age
nine. They have appeared world
wide to universal critical acclaim.
Those who wish to be considered
for entry into the choir, which is
also a highly acclaimed school, at
tend a special preparatory school
where they receive a thorough
education with an emphasis on the
theory and practice of singing
along with instruction on one
musical instrument.
Those who have seen the choir
perform soon realize that the secret
of their fascination is their ability
to combine the naivete of child
hood with artistic maturity.
On November 16, pianist Janina
Fialkowska will be presented in
concert. Miss Fialkowska, a native
of Canada, is one of the few
female pianists in the classical field
with a truly international career.
She won the first Arthur Rubins
tein Master Piano competiton is
Israel in 1974, being judged by
world-reknown pianists, including
Maestro Rubinstein himself. Im
pressed by her ability, Rubinstein
became her mentor, and
subsequently, her friend.
She has appeared with the major
orchestras in the U.S., Canada,
Mexico, Amsterdam’s Concer-
tgebouw, the Bonn Philharmonic,
the London Philharmonic, and the
French National Radio Orchestra.
She also has two highly acclaimed
records produced by RCA: an all-
Lizst album, and an all-Chopin
record. Both have received high
praise from critics.
In December, a special screening
of the award-winning film “Fanny
and Alexander” will be held on
Monday, Dec. 3, at the Mars
ir'
wm^
Anyone who visited the Concord side of the field last Saturday quickly realized that tact was not one of the courses offered at
Concord College. It has been reported, however, that the obnoxious Concord fans were in the Asheville area for more than the
game. Apparently they were to audition over the weekend for the leading roles in the sequel to “Revenge Of The Nerds.”
PHOTO BT JOHH BASTOH
Theatre.
On February 19, Phillip Genty
will bring his company of puppets
to Mars Hill. Genty’s performance
includes every imaginable type of
puppet as well as elements of
mime, dance, night club review,
and black-light trickery.
The evening’s presentation con
sists of six episodes. As in the
Japanese Bunraku, the puppeteers
are fully visible in several of the
segments as they manipulate the
figures. The show has been called a
theatre of metamorphosis in which
the physical world is in a perpetual
state of transformation. Whatever
it’s called, the critics agree that it’s
a worthy evening of entertainment.
Songs, dances, and costumes
from throughout Mexico will be
presented by the musicians, and a
roper will be under the direction of
their founder/director, Theo
Shanab for their Mars Hill ap
pearance. Native songs, dances,
and costumes from throughout
Mexico, backed by Mariachi,
Marimba, and Jarocho bands, are
choreographed by Lino Ortega in
to a revelation of Mexican culture
of the past and present as well as
exciting entertainment.
Thb final concert of the season
will be April 24, when Stan
Bumgarner brings his classical
guitar to the college. A native of
Taylorsville, Bumgarner first
studied piano, switching to the
guitar when his father taught him
his first chord. He earned a music
edication degree from Lenoir-
Rhyne College, and in 1969 co
authored a regional “Top Ten” hit
entitled “I Feel Good All Over.”
He began a study with Jesus Silva,
protege of Andres Segovia and
guitar instructor at the N.C.
School of the Arts, in Winston-
Salem and continued in Siena, Ita
ly.
PHOTO BT JOHH BAKTOH
ning the Visiting Artists and Lecturers Series on September 18tb
. be Peter Samelson’s Theatre of Illusion in Moore Auditorium at
ip.m.
LUNSFORD FESTIVAL TO
HIGHLIGHT FALL ACTIVITIES
By JOHN CAMPBELL
Hilltop Advisor
Asheville’s best known native
son, Thomas Wolfe, once wrote,
“All things living on the earth turn
home,” and for many Western
North Carolina residents, fall is
the time to turn home.
Home in the mountains is the
comfort of traditions: tendrils of
blue smoke from a wood cook
stove framed by the brilliant colors
of leaves turned red and gold by
brisk autumn weather; the smells
of fresh, homemade biscuits flank
ed by home-cured hams and
sausages; and the sounds of fiddles
and banjos tuning up. Although
fiercely independent, mountain
folks can be linked together by
these traditional values with bonds
as strong as family ties.
Bascom Lamar Lunsford’s life
long love was the preservation of
traditions in a time when these
values were ridiculed and in danger
of being lost. A native of Mars
Hill, Lunsford spent years travel
ling from one cove and holler to
another, writing down songs, res
cuing fiddle tunes, and marking
out dance steps when, in fact,
many were fleeing the region.
On September 28 and 29, the
finest musicians, dancers, and
craftsmen from the region will
gather at Mars Hill College for the
17th annual Bascom Lamar
Lunsford Mountain Music and
Dance Festival. The festival will
honor his memory and carry on the
tradition of passing from one to
another the old ways that he
dedicated his life to preserving.
Lunsford was born on the col
lege’s campus on the site where a
classroom building now stands.
His father was president of the col
lege for a short time in the 1870’s,
and his mother was in charge of
one of the residence halls. Many
professions competed for his time
during his life: the practice of law,
newspaper editing, and teaching,
but he always returned to his first
love, mountain music and dancing.
He maintained close contact
with the college through the years
and donated many Of his manu
scripts, recordings, instruments
and personal effects to the school.
The college responded by keeping
the festival a simple celebration of
the values Lunsford held high, and
as a time when these values and
traditions can be passed from an
older generation to a younger one.
There is no competition, no
prizes, no paid performers, and the
only goods sold are those produced
by local craftsmen who belong to
the Opportunity Corporation of
Madison and Buncombe Counties.
Any profits realized by the sales
are turned over by the corporation
to assist physically disabled crafts
men and musicians. The impor
tance of the festival can be realized
when one considers that of all the
festivals Lunsford founded, this is
the only one he allowed to carry his
name.
The 17th festival will begin Fri
day evening, September 28, with a
special concert in Owen Theatre at
7:30 p.m. entitled, “An Evening of
Traditional String Band Music.”
The festival has, for several years,
isolated one specific aspect of
mountain music during the Friday
evening activities. This year’s con
cert will feature the Carroll Best
Band from Haywood County, and
Harry Cagle and the Country
Cousins from Sylva. Cagle’s band
features three generations of musi
cians from his family. Admission
to the concert is $3 for adults and
$1.50 for students and senior
citizens.
Saturday has always been the
main day of the festival, and this
year will be no exception. All
events are free of admission
charges during the day and include
several workshops in musical in
struments, dancing, and shaped-
note and ballad singing. Authentic
muzzle loading rifles will be
featured in a black oowder shoot,
while home-made its, apple
butter, cider, and sausages will be
cooked on wood stoves and sold.
Other traditional mountain home
making skills such as spinning,
weaving, quilting, carving, and
whittling will be demonstrated. Of
course the music, one of, if not the
most important aspect of the festi
val, will be available all during the
day with special “mini-concerts”
by many of the musicians as well as
ample opportunity for “jam ses
sions” all over campus.
Saturday evening the world’s
finest musicians, dancers, and
singers will gather in Moore
Auditorium for the' final concert of
the two-day event. “The Minstrel
of the Appalachias” will begiaat 7
p.m. and admission charges are S3
for adults, $1.50 for students and
senior citizens. Children under six
will be admitted free when accom
panied by their parents.
Additional information is avail
able by writing Dr. Donald Ander
son, Lunsford Festival Chairman,
Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, NC
28754.