MiddNews
A Monthly Update of News and Events on the Middlebury Campus Middlebury College Public Affairs, Middlebury, VT 05753 phone: 802-443-5198 fax: 802-443-2110
The Middlebury community was saddened by the death of Robert R. Churchill, William R. Kenen, Jr. Professor of Geography. Churchill died on Nov. 14, following a two-year battle with cancer. In an announcement to the campus community, Middlebury President Ronald D. Liebowitz said, "Bob was one of the most gifted teachers on the Middlebury faculty, able to teach with great effectiveness courses in both physical and human geography, in lecture, lab, or seminar format, and to geography majors or non-majors. Although one of the most rigorous and demanding of professors, he was also among the most admired and appreciated by his students."
Churchill, who came to Middlebury in 1978, will be remembered as the father of modern geography at Middlebury. An article from The Middlebury Campus about Churchill is available at http://www.middleburycampus.com/news/808458.html?mkey=213932.
Dena Simmons '05, of Waterbury, Conn., has received some significant recognition of late. She is one of 77 students nationwide to be awarded a Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholarship. The Truman Scholarship is a $26,000 award for graduate study given each year to students who demonstrate leadership potential, intellectual ability, and the likelihood of making a significant impact in a particular area. This year, scholars were chosen from 609 candidates nominated by 300 colleges and universities.
Simmons also received the Vermont Student Citizen Award, presented by the Vermont Teddy Bear Co., and she was selected for honorable mention in Glamour magazine's 2004 Top Ten College Women competition, which was covered in the magazine's October issue.
Simmons, a Spanish major, says her future goals include becoming chancellor of New York City's Department of Education.
News of a homecoming weekend commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Middlebury soccer was bumped from last month's MiddNews due to the volume of stories about other historic campus events. It deserves mention this time around.
Some 200 alumni soccer players returned for the weekend from locations such as Colorado, Florida, Virginia and Wisconsin. Four full sides were formed and matches took place on two fields. On Saturday evening at Bread Loaf, 230 alumni and their family members dined as they listened to remarks by former coaches Frank Punderson '55, Joe Morrone, Tom Lawson and Ron McEachen. Alumni also presented current men's coach David Saward with a painted portrait. Saward has served as Middlebury men's soccer coach for more than 20 years.
The group also paid tribute to Punderson, who brought soccer into being at Middlebury and served as its first coach. Punderson received a game jersey with his number (54) and name on it. It was signed by those members of the original team who were there to salute him: Bruce Byers '55, Alex Carley '57, Sy Marchand '56 and Rich Minor '58.
Dixie Dillon '05 found to her surprise that she seemed to be the only undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts Graduate History Conference held this fall in Amherst, Mass., where she gave a version of her junior thesis as a paper. She reports that most of the papers were chapters of master's theses or Ph.D. dissertations. That is why she was so surprised when it turned out that she had won the prize for the best paper at the conference—the only award given.
Gary Margolis '67, Middlebury's counseling center director and associate professor of English, was recently appointed by Vermont Governor James Douglas '72 to serve on the board of the Vermont Council on the Humanities. Margolis' poem, "A Shadow of a Nest," from his book "Fire in the Orchard" was selected by former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins to be included in his anthology "Poetry 180," which Random House will publish in the spring.
Ten Middlebury students were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa after three years of undergraduate study at a ceremony held on Oct. 23. With many family members in attendance, officers of the Middlebury College chapter reviewed the history and traditions of Phi Beta Kappa, revealed to initiates the technique of the secret handshake, and conferred historic Phi Beta Kappa keys on the new members, who were permitted to wear them during the reception following the ceremony. The new members are David Belanich '05 , Phillip E. Bloom '05, J. Trevor Cloak '05, Oana M. Dan '05, André P. Estanislao '05, Lauren Guza '05, Andrea K. M. Hamre '05, Catherine L. Hileman '05, Anton T. Koychev '05, and James A. Meditz '05. Cicely E. Ott '05 was unable to attend the ceremony, but was inducted the following day.
Lauren Moye '80, a producer, is also the executive director of Kingdom County Productions here in Vermont, a company established by Vermont filmmakers Jay Craven and Bess O'Brien, daughter of former Middlebury College Dean Dennis O'Brien. Working with Craven and O'Brien, Moye was a producer for an unusual project to bring a situation comedy series to public television. The series, titled "Windy Acres," tells the story of a New York marketing executive, who loses her job and heads to Vermont for some "agricultural tourism." It is currently completing a seven-week run on Vermont Public Television, airing Wednesday evenings at 9 p.m. Another "Windy Acres" Middlebury connection is Ben Coello '01, who created the opening animation sequence. For more information, go to www.kingdomcounty.com.
If you are a current Middlebury student or the parent of a current student, check the College Web site at /about/pubaff_port/sstory/default.htm. There you can access templates for news stories about student accomplishments such as dean's list and college scholar. When recognition occurs, choose the appropriate form, print out the document, fill in the appropriate names and addresses and send it to your local newspapers.
The new Web-based hometown news system replaces the old method which was expensive, cumbersome, subject to errors, and limited by federal privacy legislation.
The public affairs office continues to distribute stories about individual students who are engaged in interesting and newsworthy activities on campus. The Web site includes an interactive form for letting us know about such stories, and examples of recent student stories.
More than 165 students have filed applications for internships for the coming winter term. Last year, student James Nicholson '04 had a winter term internship with the New York City Parks Department, working with its commissioner, Adrian Benepe '78. Nicholson's reflections on his internship experience were the subject of an article in the department's internal newsletter. See http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_newsroom/daily_plants/daily_plant_main.php?id=18703.
Middlebury College is a member of the Independent 529 Plan, which allows families to save and pay for college free from federal and most state income taxes. The plan allows families to lock in tuition at a group of 220 member institutions. If the student does not attend a member college, investors may request a refund or roll the funds over into another plan. Check the plan's Web site www.independent529plan.org to learn more about how it works.
To receive MiddNews electronically, please send your e-mail address to pubaff@middlebury.edu.