Great Lives Renamed for William B. Crawley

  The Great Lives lecture series returns beginning Jan. 24, 2017, with a new name. Originally called the Chappell Lecture Series, reflecting the instrumental role of John Chappell and his family in providing the initial endowment and continuing support for the program, it will be called the William B. Crawley Lecture Series. The name reflects the crucial role played by the distinguished professor emeritus of history who created the series in 2004 and has since served as its director. Chappell initiated the change. “We have long recognized Bill [Crawley] as the architect of the success of Great Lives, and we are grateful,” he said. The 2017 lineup will feature diverse personalities from ancient to modern times and wide-ranging fields of accomplishment. Many of the speakers are the pre-eminent authorities on their subjects, and a number have won Pulitzer Prizes. Harvard historian and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Annette Gordon-Reed, author of the Pulitzer … [Read more...]

An Accidental Journalist

By Edie Gross Chris Gay ’84 had earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Mary Washington when he decided to follow up with a master’s in public administration at George Mason. To pay for it, he answered an ad he found on a campus job board for a reporter at a Prince William County newspaper. “If there’d been another job on that job board, I might have done something else,” Gay said. Instead, he parlayed that initial newsroom gig into a job in Hong Kong – and ultimately, a 30-year journalism career. “I just sort of backed into journalism,” said Gay, who put his advanced degree on hold. “The job became full time, and I just sort of forgot about school.” Now an editor at The Wall Street Journal in New York, Gay spent the better part of a decade in Hong Kong, writing and editing for the Journal’s Asia edition as well as for Far Eastern Economic Review, Asia’s version of The Economist. He also spent nearly two years in Tokyo at Knight-Ridder Financial … [Read more...]

Swimmer Stays in Sync

By Erica Jackson Curran After 20 seasons as William & Mary’s synchronized swimming team coach, Barbara Gordon McNamee ’59 is a fixture of the school’s aquatics center. But long before she coached Tribe Synchro, she was a member of the Mary Washington College synchronized swimming team. At 78, McNamee has been involved in the sport for most of her life, serving as a coach for multiple teams, a top-level executive with organizations like U.S. Synchronized Swimming, and a judge at international events, including the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. It’s hard to believe that there was a time when she found herself heading in another direction. “I was a competitive swimmer, and my coach always told me that he did not understand how someone with such a beautiful stroke could be so slow,” she remembered of her high school days when her family lived in Panama’s Canal Zone. Determined to stay in the water, she knew she’d found her niche when she saw her first synchro demo at the Pan … [Read more...]

Historian Wins Coveted Guggenheim-Lehrman

David Preston ’94 received the Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History for Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution, published in 2015 by Oxford University Press. The prize, which includes a $50,000 award, recognizes the most outstanding book in the field of military history published in English during the previous calendar year. Preston is its third recipient. Braddock’s Defeat explores the disastrous fate of British regulars and American Colonial troops in Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War. It challenges the stale portrait of Gen. Edward Braddock as an arrogant European officer who refused to adapt to conditions in the New World. It also shows how the French and Indian coalition achieved victory through diplomacy, tactics, and leadership. Preston is the Westvaco Professor of National Security Studies at The Citadel in Charleston, where he teaches cadets and officer candidates about U.S. military history and early American … [Read more...]

Cedric Rucker Named Living Legacy

Cedric Rucker ’81, UMW’s associate vice president for student affairs and dean of student life, was named a Living Legacy by Richmond Public Schools. Rucker, a 1977 graduate of the city’s John Marshall High School, received the honor in an April 29 ceremony that also recognized Richmond public school alumni Willie Lanier, a retired NFL linebacker, and Henry L. Marsh, a retired state senator. Rucker was recognized as an inspirational leader who exemplifies an extraordinary life.  The school system “prepared us to work hard, and to imagine a world anew,” Rucker said. He cited his parents and his grandparents as inspirational foundations, and he pointed to UMW alumni in the audience as innovative leaders. “We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us,” he said, “and we have a responsibility to uplift the next generation.” Known for his infectious laugh and bow tie collection, Rucker has spent more than three decades at Mary Washington. Though he was not the first … [Read more...]

Fey’s the Ultimate

The U.S. Women’s Ultimate Team swept away the competition at this summer’s World Ultimate and Guts Championships, and Jenny Fey ’07 had a lot to do with it. The American women took gold in the tournament, held June 18-25 in London, dominating a field of 26 teams from around the world. Fey had nine assists and six goals over 10 games. Fey started playing Ultimate, a flying-disc game, as a high school student in Arlington, Virginia. She continued during her years at Mary Washington, where she majored in English. Fey has played for two-time national champion club D.C. Scandal since 2009. She is on the board of the Youth Ultimate League of Arlington. Off the field, Fey teaches English and social studies at an independent school in Northern Virginia. … [Read more...]

Track Up and Running

UMW dedicated its state-of-the-art track and field facility at the Battleground Athletic Complex in October, after a yearlong improvement project. The updated facility features an eight-lane track with dual straightaways to accommodate sprints and hurdles. The home straightaway features long- and triple-jump runways with sand pits. The back straightaway features a pole-vault runway with landing pads at each end, to manage changes in wind direction. There’s a steeplechase pit inside the first turn. The grass infield has a hammer and discus cage and a dedicated shot put area. A javelin runway is nearby. The track has a top-quality synthetic surface in blue, with gray accents. UMW will use the facility for practice and competition and will host the Capital Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in April 2017. … [Read more...]

Men’s Varsity Golf Arrives at UMW

With this fall’s launch of a men’s varsity golf program, UMW has added its first new sport since 1998. Men’s head coach Rodrick Wood and assistant Sam Oglesby took their team of 10 freshmen and one transfer student to five tournaments this fall. The spring season will run from February into April. The team plays and practices at Augustine Golf Club in Stafford County. UMW will add women’s varsity golf for the 2017-18 academic year, with alumna and former basketball All-American Katie Wimmer ’12 as head coach. “Men’s golf is our 22nd sport, and women’s golf will become our 23rd next fall, which puts us among the top NCAA institutions in terms of sports sponsored,” said Ken Tyler, director of UMW athletics. Wood is director of athletic facilities and the former UMW men’s basketball coach. Oglesby has 15 years’ experience in golf instruction and numerous golfing certifications. … [Read more...]

Meringolo Retires

On the heels of the successful Mary Washington First campaign, Salvatore “Torre” Meringolo announced his retirement as vice president for advancement and university relations as of Oct. 1. Meringolo oversaw the $50 million campaign, which exceeded its goal by $1.5 million. Before coming to UMW in 2009, Meringolo was vice president for development at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. While associate dean of the university libraries at The Pennsylvania State University, Meringolo became actively involved in fundraising on behalf of the university libraries. UMW President Troy Paino has announced a national search for Meringolo’s successor. … [Read more...]

Web Fests Do Series A Solid

You might say Solid 8 got its start when theater majors Magan Carrigan and Taylor Williams met freshman year. The 2011 graduates went on to produce, write, and star in the web comedy series they released in February 2016. Within weeks, decider.com recommended the 10-episode first season, and later in the year Solid 8 was an official selection at the Brooklyn, Austin, and Miami web fests. Season one finds protagonist Nicki, played by Carrigan, trying to break into New York’s theater and film scene, hitting obstacle after obstacle –many of her own making – and tenaciously staying in the game. In one of many nods to the couple’s real life, Williams plays Nicki’s playwright boyfriend, Dylan. After graduating from UMW, Carrigan and Williams moved to New York City and completed master of fine arts degrees at Actors Studio Drama School, Williams in playwriting and Carrigan in acting. They founded Solid 8 Productions and launched an Indiegogo campaign that funded the web series. UMW … [Read more...]