Story by Anna Barron Billingsley Photos by Norm Shafer Troy Paino was set. In his late 20s with a lucrative law career, he was married to his college sweetheart, Kelly. They were anticipating a family, the home of their dreams, and a rich life in Indianapolis. Fast forward 25 years. Troy Paino was set. Approaching his mid-50s, he was the popular president of Truman State University, living in a magnificent home near campus with his wife and two teenage daughters. Change has been a constant in the life of Troy Paino, attorney-turned-academic. Not subtle move-to-the-next-neighborhood kind of change, but radical pulling-up-stakes, life-transforming change. And it’s all in the name of alignment. “I only do things that align with my passions,” he said. Lured from a flourishing presidency at Missouri’s only public liberal arts university, Troy D. Paino moved this summer into the UMW President’s Office in George Washington Hall, and he and his family took up residence at … [Read more...]
Family Ties
By Edie Gross When he graduated from Mary Washington in 1988, Remus Boxley was the first in his immediate family to earn a college degree. But he represented the third of four generations to forge a connection with the campus. His younger brother, Gary Boxley ’11, would also go on to graduate from Mary Washington, and a nephew, Gary Lamar Boxley, would participate in the university’s James Farmer Scholars Program throughout high school. “It’s like the family thing,” Louise Christian Boxley, Remus’ mother, said of her relatives’ many academic and professional links to the school. “It is awesome to think about it.” But Louise wasn’t all that preoccupied with family tradition when she applied for a position at the C Shoppe in 1966, she said. She and husband Lloyd were expecting their fifth child, and she simply needed a job. Her mother, Rosia Christian, and a maternal aunt, Nancy Jackson, had worked during the ’50s and early ’60s in the stifling heat of Mary Washington’s … [Read more...]
Joan Returns
By Lisa Chinn Marvashti ’92 Joan of Arc is back in Mary Ball Hall, as splendid as ever. Unveiled last fall, after a much-needed restoration befitting her place in Mary Washington history, the cast-plaster statue is poised to inspire a new generation of students. “I know she’s just a statue, but having her back where she belonged really made me feel relieved,” said Kathryn Hall ’16, who spoke at last fall’s unveiling. “She’s just a part of what gives Ball its character and charm.” Joan of Arc was barely more than a girl when, guided by voices from saints, she led French forces to victory in the Hundred Years’ War. Captured by the English and burned at the stake, she was posthumously pardoned and canonized, becoming a symbol of women’s purpose and strength. “She reflects women’s ability to bring about change,” said Cedric Rucker ’81, associate vice president and dean of student life. “Think about the time of Mary Washington’s founding, when people didn’t really want women to … [Read more...]