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ROANOKE COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM Saturday, the Twenty-Second of May, Two Thousand and Twenty-One Salem, Virginia DEAR CLASS OF 2020 GRADUATES, I am absolutely thrilled to welcome you to an in-person graduation ceremony today. Rescheduling the Class of 2020 graduation last year was heartbreaking for all of us. But we persevered. When I think back on how Roanoke College fared during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, I recall the tenacity of our students, faculty and staff, which led to many bright spots and positive experiences during an otherwise very bleak, very trying year. We all remember having to quickly close campus and move to remote learning. We all have personal memories connected to quarantining, social distancing, mask wearing, sanitizing and testing — in the face of a frightening disease about which we knew very little. I have spoken about past Roanoke College presidents and recounted all they had to endure — from Civil War to World Wars, global economic depression, and pandemics. Through the better part of two centuries, Roanoke celebrated great triumphs and suffered its share of difficulties. These words, from Dr. Mark Miller, professor of history and David F. Bittle College Historian at Roanoke College, are important to remember: “We have endured them all through our steadfast dedication and belief in one another. We emerged stronger every time, and we will again now.” Here we are celebrating the Class of 2020 — ending on a high note due to the creative, diligent and resilient work of all of you. Many Maroons helped in our efforts to overcome challenges and contribute positive solutions. For that, I am grateful. The lessons we learned will carry us well in the future. We will never forget the Class of 2020. Your place in Roanoke College history is established to build upon for the rest of your days. Congratulations to all of you! President Michael C. Maxey ORDER OF COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES 10:00 a.m. – Salem Football Stadium PRELUDE Roanoke College Wind Ensemble, Dr. Marc LaChance, Director PROCESSIONAL: “Pomp and Circumstance” Sir Edward Elgar ( The audience will rise when the academic procession enters.) RINGING OF THE SESQUICENTENNIAL BELL THE INVOCATION The Rev. Christopher M. Bowen, Timothy L. Pickle, Jr. & Timothy L. Pickle, III, Dean of the Chapel (Be seated.) WELCOME Mr. Malon W. Courts, Chair, Roanoke College Board of Trustees PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS Mr. Michael C. Maxey, President of the College HONORARY CONFERRING OF DEGREES President Maxey with Dr. Richard A. Smith, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, Shirley C. and Donald E. Morel Dean of the College VALEDICTORY ADDRESSES Kyle Elizabeth Grohbrugge, Grantham, New Hampshire Kaitlyn Renee Hefele, Ashland, Virginia Benjamin Allen Vester, Morgantown, West Virginia RECOGNITION OF FACULTY AND STAFF Dr. Smith RECOGNITION OF THE SIMON CARSON WELLS MEDAL RECIPIENTS Dr. Smith with President Maxey and Mr. Courts Dr. Mary K. Camac, Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Katherine A. Hoffman, Professor of English Dr. Virginia R. Stewart, Associate Professor of English RECOGNITION OF HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS President Maxey Doctor of Commerce: Ms. Doreen H. Fishwick Roanoke, Virginia Doctor of Fine Arts: Mr. Thomas T. Hall Franklin, Tennessee Doctor of Science: Dr. Donald E. Morel, Jr. Doylestown, Pennsylvania RECOGNITION OF GRADUATES President Maxey with Dr. Smith and Dr. Chris Lee, Chief Marshal ALMA MATER HYMN Written by Dr. Frank M. Williams (Please stand during the playing of the Alma Mater.) Roanoke College Choir Dr. Jeffrey R. Sandborg, Director Deep in our hearts, a flame is softly burning. Deep in our thoughts, the mem’ries are returning. Bells that are ringing, choirs that are singing, Bring back the joys that we have known. Learning to live, and loving as we’re learning. Seeking to find the truths for which we’re yearning. Years come and go, but we’ll always know That dear old Roanoke served us well. To live once more, here in these hallowed halls. To know once again all the joys that we used to know! Some day the winter of life will pass before us. Then we’ll remember the place that proudly bore us. Then we’ll remember Alma Mater. Then we’ll remember Thee. THE BENEDICTION Rev. Bowen (The audience will remain standing until the academic procession has departed. Please follow the directions of the ushers and staff for dismissal from the stands.) RECESSIONAL Roanoke College Wind Ensemble CHIEF MARSHAL – Dr. Chris Lee ASSOCIATE CHIEF MARSHAL – Dr. J. Brooks Crozier MARSHALS – Dr. Shannon Anderson, Dr. Adam Childers, Prof. Sharon Gibbs, Dr. Gary Hollis, Dr. Michael Maina, Dr. DorothyBelle Poli, Dr. Steven Powers, Dr. Margaret Rahmoeller, Dr. Karin Saoub, Prof. Katherine Shortridge, Dr. Olzhas Taniyev, Dr. David Taylor PHOTOGRAPHY Professional photos of graduates at the backdrop will be available within 72 hours after the ceremony. Graduates will receive an email with instructions and a private password. A link to these photos as well as to the Class of 2020 commemorative video will be listed on roanoke.edu/gradphotos2020. HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT DOCTOR OF COMMERCE DOREEN H. FISHWICK Doreen Hamilton Fishwick is the retired General Manager of The Hotel Roanoke. Fishwick’s experience in the hotel industry covers many years, including the Barclay Hotel in Philadelphia and the American Stanhope and Barclay Hotels in New York. At Hotel Roanoke, she met her husband, John Fishwick, a former chairman and CEO of Norfolk & Western Railroad, which owned the hotel. Fishwick has the distinction of being the first woman general manager of any New York City hotel. She is also the only Hotel Roanoke general manager to have sung professionally on the operatic stage. Fishwick serves as a consulting trustee for Opera Roanoke and is a member of the Roanoke Women’s Foundation. She is a former member of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors. Together, Doreen and John were supporters of many worthy causes in the Roanoke Valley, including The Foundation for Roanoke Valley. The John Fishwick Rehabilitation Center at Brandon Oaks is named for her husband, who died in 2010. The Fishwicks also supported Roanoke College, John’s alma mater. They endowed the Blair Wiley Fishwick Endowed Scholarship in memory of John’s late wife and established the John P. Fishwick Professorship in English and the Doreen Hamilton Fishwick Endowed Scholarship. Doreen Fishwick is a Lifetime Distinguished Associate and a member of the Society of 1842. Fishwick lives in Roanoke, Virginia. She is the mother of H. David Hamilton and the late Pattie Doreen Hamilton and the stepmother of Ellen Blair Fishwick Martin, John P. Fishwick Jr., and the late Anne Palmer Fishwick Posvar. HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT DOCTOR OF FINE ARTS TOM T. HALL Tom T. Hall is a songwriter, author and musician in Nashville, Tennessee. He was born in Olive Hill, Kentucky and showed a love for music from an early age, composing his first song at age 9. His first band, Kentucky Travelers, performed before movie showings in a traveling theater. Hall joined the U.S. Army in 1957. While in the Army, he performed on Armed Forces Radio Network and wrote songs about the Army experience. He enrolled at Roanoke College using the G.I. Bill to pursue writing. While at Roanoke, he worked as a disc jockey at a country music station and wrote songs. His compositions gained the attention of music publishers in Nashville. One company, New Keys, encouraged Hall to relocate to Nashville. His songwriting led to his nickname — “The Storyteller.” Throughout his career, his songs were recorded by dozens of country music artists, including Johnny Cash, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, and Alan Jackson. One of his earliest songs, “Harper Valley PTA,” was a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit. The song also inspired a motion picture and TV program of the same name. His song “Hello Vietnam” was a No. 1 hit recorded by Johnnie Wright and later used as the opening theme for the film Full Metal Jacket. Hall’s own recording career included country music hits “I Love,” “Country Is,” and “I Like Beer.” His song “(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine,” was included on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest country songs. Hall won a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes for Tom T. Hall’s Greatest Hits. He has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019, an honor he has said to be his proudest moment and the pinnacle of his career. Along with his wife, Dixie Hall, an influential songwriter who died in 2015, he won the Bluegrass Song Writer of the Year Award 12 times. Hall has a son, Dean Hall, who is a singer, musician and songwriter. Mr. Hall’s time at Roanoke College was short but influential to his life. As his music and writing career progressed, he often includes his time at Roanoke College in interviews about his early career. HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT DOCTOR OF SCIENCE DONALD E. MOREL, JR. Dr. Donald E. Morel, Jr. is the retired Chairman and CEO of West Pharmaceutical Services. Dr. Morel joined West Pharmaceutical Services in 1992 and retired as Chairman and CEO in 2015. Prior to joining West, he developed a broad range of programs involving advanced materials for aerospace and biomedical applications. He was selected by NASA’s Astronaut Office in 1989 for training as a mission specialist. He served on numerous NASA scientific advisory committees focused on microgravity materials processing and stability of composites for large, deployable space structures in low-Earth orbit. Dr. Morel received a metallurgical engineering degree from Lafayette College and has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Lafayette.

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