The University of Mary Washington women’s basketball team entered the season with a sour taste in its mouth. It ended the 2010-11 campaign with a 20-6 record but lost in the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals and missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years. Determined not to let that happen again, the veteran squad took each game of the 2011-12 season as if it were its last, and the results were historic. Mary Washington completed the regular season undefeated at 25-0, its second undefeated slate in the past six years. It topped its two biggest rivals, Marymount University and York College, en route to the Capital Athletic Conference tournament championship. Gaining one of the top seeds in the NCAA Division III Tournament, the Eagles hosted the first and second rounds in early March at the new Anderson Center, which was filled to near capacity for each game. UMW opened its NCAA run by showing off its national-best defense, limiting visiting Keuka … [Read more...]
Give It Your Best Shot!
In the ’80s, computer science students worked on terminals like this one in Combs Hall’s subterranean “B7.” Professor Ernie Ackermann, Mary Washington’s first director of academic computing, said that back then the terminals were connected by wires to the main computer – a Prime (brand) 750. Mary Washington’s 750 was about the size of a built-in professional-style refrigerator – much taller than the average man and double his width. An upgrade from the college’s Prime 500, the 750 had two to eight megabytes of memory and 1,200 megabytes of disc storage. “We also had a disc drive about the size of a washing machine,” Ackermann said, “and a large, noisy line-printer.” We think many of you will remember the terminals – but can anyone identify the mustachioed user? If you know this student, please leave a comment below or send an email with Get the Picture in the subject line to ntrenis@umw.edu. In the last issue, a 1964 Battlefield photo showed freshmen wielding “pots, … [Read more...]
Books by Alumni
The Scorpio Races By Maggie Stiefvater ’03 The Scorpio Races, winner of a Michael L. Printz Honor for excellence in teen literature and the Odyssey Honor for best audiobook for young adults, combines an island setting, dangerous horse racing, and a budding teenage romance that pits the players against death. The Los Angeles Times said of it, “A thrilling book that’s as unusual as it is alluring.” Published by Scholastic Press, October 2011 So There! By Nicole Louise Reid ’95 A collection of nine short stories about defiant women and girls standing at the edge of rebirth. Published by Stephen F. Austin State University Press, October 2011 Masculinity in Children’s Animal Stories, 1888- 1928: A Critical Study of Anthropomorphic Tales by Wilde, Kipling, Potter, Grahame and Milne By Wynn William Yarbrough ’91 This text examines the role of masculinity in the enduring animal tales produced around the turn of the 20th century. Published by McFarland Press, June 2011 … [Read more...]
Books by Faculty
Secure the Shadow By Claudia Emerson, UMW professor of English and Arrington Distinguished Chair in Poetry Death comes calling in Claudia Emerson’s Secure the Shadow. But as the poetry collection – dedicated to the memory of her father and brother, who both died within a three-year span – delves into the darkness of demise, it also illuminates the idea of conservation. It “may seem to be about death, the brother’s death, the father’s death, everyone’s death,” wrote Virginia Poet Laureate Kelly Cherry ’61. “Yet the poems themselves…are the poet’s brilliant argument for life.” Emerson’s words explore cultural and historical aspects of dying through everything from a burning home to the slaughter of farm animals, and, most profoundly, through the loss of her own family members. But, as its title – an old ad for postmortem images – suggests, the work extols preservation, and the author pays homage to the children photographed in death who live on in dusty … [Read more...]
When Disaster Strikes, PR Pro Gets the Word Out
While others flee hurricanes, fires, and floods, J. Suzanne Horsley ’93 rushes in. During the past decade, the self-proclaimed “disaster junkie” and national Red Cross public affairs volunteer has deployed to some of the country’s worst weather-torn areas, including New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and portions of North Dakota and Arkansas after floods. So when a massive tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa, Ala., the city where she lives and works, last April, Horsley was ready to help. She coordinated public information efforts and participated in more than 50 interviews. Horsley, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama, assembled a team of advertising and public relations students to create a website, write news releases, and produce online content for the local Red Cross chapter. The disaster brought a swirl of attention to Horsley. In August, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication gave her its SuPRStar Award for Excellence in Community … [Read more...]
Philly Honors Philanthropist
Being the mother of six and the grandmother of 15, as well as the owner of 25 thoroughbred horses, might seem like a lot to handle. But for Elizabeth “Betty” Ranny Moran ’53it isn’t nearly enough. The consummate philanthropist, who finds leftover time, energy, and funds to pour into an array of causes, was honored last year on National Philanthropy Day with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the greater Philadelphia chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. “Here is a woman who is truly a philanthropist in heart and action,” Herb Moelis, president and founder of Thoroughbred Charities of America, said of Moran in County Lines online magazine. “All one needs to do is ask, and Betty steps forward.” A champion squash player and avid foxhunter, Moran owns Brushwood Stables in Malvern, Pa., and was a founding member of the Chester County Community Foundation. She has served on the boards of the Chester County Food Bank, Bryn Clovis Charity Foundation, Paoli … [Read more...]
Ana Garcia Chichester ’76 was 16 when her family moved from Cuba to the United States. She didn’t know a word of English. ESL classes helped, but when she enrolled with her sister, Isabel Garcia ’76, at James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg, she was far from fluent. “It was either sink or swim,” Chichester said. “It was tough, but people helped us.” Now the Spanish professor, who has been on the UMW faculty for two decades, is so comfortable with both languages she sometimes starts a sentence with one and finishes with the other. Her linguistic abilities reach beyond the foreign language department, translating into benefits for the community, where she volunteers extensively. As director of UMW’s Bachelor of Liberal Studies program, Chichester helps adult learners reach their academic goals. But perhaps her greatest gift to others is one she also gave herself – the ability to speak a second language. “I think I had an early calling to teach,” Chichester said. “I’m high … [Read more...]
https://magazine.umw.edu/spring2012/departments/qa/ana-garcia-chichester/
Eagles Swim to NCAA Championships
The UMW men’s and women’s swim teams saw three competitors advance to the NCAA Division III Swimming Championships in March. Megan DeSmit ’12, Amber Kerico ’14, and Alex Anderson ’15 represented the Eagles at the championships in Indianapolis. Details were not available by press time, but DeSmit was to compete in the 100-yard breaststroke, the 200-yard breaststroke, and the 200 freestyle. Kerico was to swim in the 100 breaststroke, the 200 breaststroke, and the 100-yard butterfly. And Anderson was to swim in the 50 freestyle, the 400 individual medley, and the 200-yard breaststroke. Find details about their performances at umweagles.com. … [Read more...]
Wimmer Named D3Hoops All-American
Women’s basketball guard Katie Wimmer ’12 was named a fourth-team All-America selection by D3Hoops.com after leading the Eagles to a 30-1 record in the 2011-12 season. Wimmer closed her career as one of only two players in school history with more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, and 200 steals. This season Wimmer, who earlier gained first team all-conference and all-region accolades, led the team in scoring with 394 points and added 135 rebounds, 89 assists, and 84 steals. For her career, she finished with classmate Jenna McRae ’12 for fifth in school history in scoring, with 1,383 points. Wimmer posted a career 562 rebounds, 313 assists, and 216 steals, including 84 this year. … [Read more...]