MARS HILL COLLEGE HOSTS FALL FESTIVAL FOR SENIOR ADULTS

Bob and Esther Burroughs will be the worship leaders for the second annual Fall Festival for Senior Adults, to be held at Broyhill Chapel on the campus of Mars Hill College on Thursday October 20. The festival is presented in cooperation with the North Carolina Baptist Foundation.

Esther Burroughs is the Director of “Esther Burroughs Ministries...Treasures of the Heart,” a speaking and writing ministry. She is the author of five books, including Engraved by Grace: Creating a Legacy of Faith for Your Children, New Hope Publishers, 2005. Bob Burroughs is known primarily in music circles as a composer and arranger of church music, though he has also been a minister of music, a Director of the Church Music Department for the Florida Baptist Convention, and a member of the music faculties of Samford University, Mercer University and Palm Beach Atlantic University. The Burroughs have been married for 53 years. They met as students at Mars Hill College, and are both members of the class of 1957. They have two children and five grandchildren.

The fall festival will begin with a time of worship, led by the Burroughs and highlighted by Esther’s message: Leaving a Legacy of Faith. Worship time will also include a performance by the renowned Mars Hill College choir.

Following the worship service, three informational sessions will explore topics of interest to senior adults. Esther Burroughs will lead the first informational session, called: Leaving a Legacy of Faith for Your Children and Grandchildren. The second session will be titled, Myths and Mysteries of Estate Planning, led by David Webb and Bill Overby of the North Carolina Baptist Foundation. Long-term care specialist Gayle Doughton will lead the third session, titled, What Is Your Long-Term Care Plan? Caregiving Options.

Entertainment during lunch will include song and dance numbers by the Showstoppers, MHC’s musical theatre ensemble. Cost for the Fall Festival, including lunch, is $10 with pre-registration prior to October 13, and $15 after that date.

Registration on the morning of the event will be 9 am in Bentley Fellowship Hall (Beside Broyhill Chapel) on the campus.

For more information or pre-registration for the Fall Festival, please contact Rev. Stephanie McLeskey, Chaplain, at 828/689-1299, or at smcleskey@mhc.edu.

With prior reservation, participants may also tour the beautiful Mars Hill College campus after the afternoon sessions. Reservations for campus tours may be made by calling 689-1201.

MARS HILL COLLEGE JOINS LAUNCH OF $1 BILLION ‘GREEN CHALLENGE’

Mars Hill College joined with 32 other leading institutions October 11 to launch the Billion Dollar Green Challenge. The goal is to invest a cumulative total of one billion dollars in self-managed green revolving funds that finance energy efficiency upgrades on campus.

As part of the Founding Circle, Mars Hill College has the distinction of being the only institution in North Carolina to take the lead in making this commitment. The Challenge is inspired by the exceptional performance of existing green revolving funds, which have a median annual return on investment of 32%, as documented by Greening The Bottom Line, a report published by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

A bright spot in a rocky economy, these profitable investments are helping create green jobs in campus communities, while lowering operating costs on college and university campuses.

“We’re transforming energy efficiency upgrades from perceived expenses to high-return investment opportunities,” said Mark Orlowski, executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute, which is coordinating The Challenge along with 13 partner organizations. “Mars Hill College should be commended for rising to The Challenge and investing in energy efficiency improvements on campus.”

The Billion Dollar Green Challenge launched publicly on October 11 at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education conference in Pittsburgh. With more than 2,500 participants, including representatives of Mars Hill College, the conference is the largest gathering to date on higher education sustainability.

“The Billion Dollar Green Challenge asks our higher education systems to invest in green revolving funds to support the campus sustainability movement. AASHE supports the Challenge in that these funds will help institutions become more sustainable and will help the higher education community understand the commitment they are making to a just and sustainable future” said Paul Rowland, Executive Director, of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Mars Hill College signed an agreement on October 1, 2011 to join the Founding Circle of members in the Billion Dollar Green Challenge. The College is establishing a self-managed Green Revolving Fund, with $200,000 in the first year, to help finance a variety of campus energy efficiency improvements. Some of the improvements needed across campus include replacement of fuel oil heating units, lighting replacement (from T-12 to T-8 or to LED), and water conservation in bathrooms. Other projects and priorities will be determined by upcoming energy audits.

Mars Hill College President Dan Lunsford said: “Mars Hill College has undertaken an energy study, with the goal of being more efficient in our energy consumption. Since we were already involved in that effort, it seemed to be a logical step to join the Green Challenge initiative.”

In addition to Harvard, Stanford and ASU, other Founding Circle institutions include Caltech, Dartmouth, George Washington, Middlebury, the University of British Columbia, and Weber State University. (See complete list in the appendix below.)

Guided by a 34-member expert advisory council, The Billion Dollar Green Challenge offers technical assistance, best practices sharing, access to an advanced web-based tool for managing green revolving funds, peer institutions' project-specific data and invitations to specialized webinars and conferences.

The Billion Dollar Green Challenge has received financial support from the David Rockefeller Fund, HOK, John Merck Fund, Kresge Foundation, Merck Family Fund, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Roy A. Hunt Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership, and the Wallace Global Fund.

Please visit www.GreenBillion.org for more information.
 

First row, l to r: Calvin Davis-39 years, Noel Kinnamon-45 years, Walter Smith-42 years, Harley Jolley- 42 years, Rachel Chapman-45 years, Robert Chapman-44 years, Sylvia Murphey-44 years*, Evelyn Anderson-44 years, Robin Cole-30 years*, Charity Ray-39 years.

Second row: Walt Stroud-38 years, Becky Cody-30 years*, Deana Holland-31 years*, Alta Capps-31 years*, Shelby Robinson-35 years*, Ken Sanchagrin-33 years, Karen Hedrick-32 years*, Nancy Fosson-33 years*, Jeanette Proffitt-33 years*

Third row: Lura Edsall-32 years*, Page Lee-33 years, Marie Brown-33 years, Don Russell-38 years*, Gerald Ball-34 years*, Richard Knapp-31 years, Jack Grose-34 years, James Thomas- 38 years, Ray Rapp-32 years, Julie Fortney-39 years*.

* still employed

“They Came and They Stayed!”, Mars Hill College Honors Long-time Employees

Dr. Virginia Hart first came to Mars Hill College as a student in 1941, and except for additional studies, she has never left. She started teaching at the College in 1945, founded most of the College’s women’s athletic teams, and retired in 1985 after forty years. Bored and missing the vitality of the campus, she returned in 1998 to work part-time in the cafeteria where she quickly established herself as “The Omelet Lady.” Now, with over 90,000 omelets behind her–as well as another thirteen years–she is still going strong, holding the longest record of employment of any employee in the College’s 155-year history.

It was to honor Dr. Hart and 62 other employees with thirty or more years of service that a reception–“They came and they stayed!”–was recently given on campus by Mars Hill College’s Board of Trustees and President and Mrs. Dan Lunsford.

Only one full-time employee has ever reached the 50-year mark: Nona Moore Roberts, Professor of French, who was also the daughter of the College's longest-tenured president, Dr. R. L. Moore, 41 years. Second in longevity of service was Frances Snelson who served 47 years as Assistant to Presidents Moore, Dr. Hoyt Blackwell, and Dr. Fred Bentley. Closing in on those records are two current employees: groundskeeper Vernon Carver at 46 years and secretary Sylvia Murphey at 44 years. Murphey who came to the College at age 21 said she had no idea she'd spend her whole career in Mars Hill and then added, "My association with the people at Mars Hill College has been special. They care."

Indeed, the caring atmosphere became a leitmotif of the program as each of the 63 honorees was recognized briefly by Paige Faircloth, president of the Student Government Association; Mike Groce, Chair of the Board of Trustees; Jim Brown, Chair of the Faculty; Cindy Frost, Chair of the Staff Personnel Committee; and by President Lunsford.

Dr. Lunsford also noted the caring atmosphere on campus in his remarks, saying that the College is a finely interwoven tapestry, consisting of the “talents and dedication of the exceptional group of people being honored today.” Among those he recognized were three retired professors, each with 45 years of teaching: Rachel Chapman in Business, Emmett Sams in Math, and Noel Kinnamon in English. Former Registrar and Business professor, Robert Chapman, and Assistant Director of the Computer Center/Payroll, Evelyn Anderson, were honored for 44 years of service.

Richard Dillingham, long-time historical consultant on campus, stated that the College had been founded by a group of families and that families have continued to play a vital part in the institution. He recognized three siblings: housekeepers Alta Capps and Nathan Harmon and retired Director of Health Services, Ellen Coomer, mentioning that their grandmother had given the 19th century log cabin, now called the Heritage Cabin, to the College. He noted that three members of the family, other than Capps, (Peggy Harmon, Lora Coomer, and Brett Coomer) are current employees.

Entertainment for the reception was provided by the College’s musical theatre ensemble, SHOWSTOPPERS, led by Neil St. Clair. Soprano Beverly Todd and retired faculty humorist, George Peery, also performed. Peery, himself an honoree, introduced those being honored from Wall Science Building.

Faculty legend and well-known author/historian, Harley Jolley, an honoree at age 91, spoke briefly as did current faculty member, Beth Vogler who recognized the Young Turks, a group of faculty leaders who first came to the College in the 60's and 70's.

Emcee for the program was 1982 alumnus, Mark Cabaniss, now President of Word Music in Nashville. C. Robert Jones, playwright and retired Theatre Arts professor, provided the concept and direction for the event.
 

Paul Crouch (r) performs with friend and fellow musician, Roger Howell (l).

MASTER FIDDLER PAUL CROUCH WINS 2011 BASCOM LAMAR LUNSFORD AWARD

Paul Crouch still remembers the first time he heard fiddle music.

Sitting beside his father on the back of his uncle’s pickup truck, the family was going to the local grocery story in Ridgeway, South Carolina. But as they pulled up to the back of the store, a man walked out on the porch on the back of the store with a fiddle in his hand, sat down and began to play.

“That’s the first time I’d heard a fiddle played, and I never forgot it,” Crouch said recently. “I thought that was the prettiest thing I’d ever heard.”

Now, over seven decades later, master fiddler Paul Crouch has received the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Award. The award was presented during the evening concert of the Bascom Lamar Lunsford “Minstrel of Appalachia” Festival at Mars Hill College October 1. At 83, Crouch is many years from that boy in South Carolina who first heard the fiddle play, but he has never lost his appreciation for the instrument and the music that have so impacted his life.

“I like music. Music, I think it must have been born in me,” he said. “I can’t read a note of music, but if a band plays a tune and I’ve never heard it, chances are by the time they get back to me, I can play it. You’ve either got that or you don’t have it.”

In the course of Crouch’s lengthy career, it has been clear to audiences and musicians alike that he “has it” when it comes to making fiddle music. By his mid-teens, the self-taught young man was playing with musicians Jack and Curly Shelton in a band called The Green Mountain Boys. By then the family had moved to Weaverville, NC. Young Crouch walked out of Herron Cove before sunup every morning to catch the bus to Asheville to play live on the WWNC Farm Hour radio show at 6 am.

He was still a very young man when he was the first fiddler asked to play for bluegrass legend Mack Wiseman.

Over the course of his life he has played with bands named The Lincoln County Partners, the acclaimed bluegrass band The Midnight Plowboys, and The McMinn Family Band. His fame as a fiddler has won him invitations to play twice for president Carter, once at the White House for an event given by then Senator Jim Broyhill and at festivals and events all over the South.
He was even once asked to play with Bill Munroe, but chose to eschew the touring life to stay home with his wife Betty and son Mark. So important to Crouch was his home life that he never toured, preferring to stay home and maintain a primary career as an Asheville City fireman, while using his spare time to fiddle on stages all over the region.

“I have played everywhere,” Crouch said, “and it’s been a kick.”

The Bascom Lamar Lunsford award is given annually at the Lunsford festival to a musician whose work reflects the spirit of Lunsford himself, a musician and folklorist who dedicated his life to collecting and promoting the music of the Southern Appalachians. Through his work, he became known as the "Minstrel of the Appalachia."

Lunsford was credited with beginning the folk festival model, with the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, an event which still happens yearly in Asheville. But the only festival which Lunsford allowed to carry his name takes place at the college and in the town where Lunsford was born: Mars Hill. The festival, now in its 44th year, takes place mere yards from Lunsford’s birthplace, on the site where Cornwell Hall now stands.

The Lunsford award is chosen by the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Festival Committee, and the Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies at Mars Hill College.

According to committee member Roger Howell, a famed fiddler in his own right, the Lunsford Award goes to people who have, in various ways, continued the work of Lunsford. “A lot of people in Lunsford’s time thought mountain music was hillbilly and that the mountain people were ignorant and backward and all that. But Lunsford understood and appreciated their music for what it was: a whole different art form,” Howell said.

Crouch, Howell said, continues that tradition by elevating mountain music to an art form.

“If anybody deserves the Lunsford Award, it’s Paul Crouch. You can’t hardly beat him on his style. He’s got a basic bluegrass style, but it’s got a little more of the old mountain stuff mixed in,” he said.

Howell said he would rate Crouch among the best two or three fiddlers in the Southern region.”Man, he’s something. I know fiddling,” Howell said, “and I’m one of his biggest fans.”

Crouch said he takes pride in having won the award. “It makes me feel good. It makes me feel like maybe I did something right,” he said.

Crouch said he looks back on the musicians who inspired him and he hopes that he’s done something to keep the bluegrass and mountain traditions alive. “Every fiddle player that comes along brings a little something of his own with him. He may sound a little like somebody but he’ll put a little of his own stuff in it. But I hope that some kids along the way heard me and it inspired them to maybe, say: ‘I’d like to play the fiddle. I liked to hear that old feller play, so I’d like to play.’ I hope it did.”

Montgomery Scholars at Mars Hill College: (l-r) Rebekah Musselwhite; Kristina Blackford, Ericka Hincke, Jordon Crawford, Jaimie Little and Rachael Rogers

SIX STUDENTS RECOGNIZED AS MONTGOMERY SCHOLARS

Six students at Mars Hill College have received the James H. Montgomery Regional Studies Scholarship.

Recipients of the scholarship are: Kristina Blackford, a senior English and Spanish major from Bakersville, NC; Jordon Crawford, a senior zoology major from Candler, NC; Ericka Hincke, a sophomore biology major from Marble, NC; Jaimie Little, a senior zoology major from Fayetteville, GA; Rebekah Musselwhite, a sophomore English major from Hendersonville, NC; and Rachael Rogers, a junior History major from Clayton, GA. As required by the scholarship, each of the six recipients is a regional studies minor at Mars Hill College.

The Montgomery scholarship was established by James Montgomery, a former professor of Spanish and retired university librarian from Austin, Texas. Its purpose is to encourage understanding of and appreciation for the history, culture, and environment of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains region.

Scholarship recipients must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, while actively engaged in the study of the region through the Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies at Mars Hill College.