The Art of Giving

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS reation Fall 2009 the art of giving C. Donald and Sandra Soto Hatfield are part its full potential. The college seeks their of the Marshall University family. They both collective wisdom and guidance to make attended Marshall for their undergraduate sure we are providing our students with the degrees, and their parents, siblings and finest education possible, which includes children attended the university as well. Both being engaged with the community in which Huntington natives, Sandy and Don spent 21 we live, work, and study. We also need their years in Tucson, Ariz., but have returned to help in assembling the necessary resources their hometown with a commitment to make in order to deliver the kind of educational it a better place. experiences we think are vital for our students.” The couple has agreed to chair the newly founded COFA Dean’s Council, which Members of the council will attend quarterly will include alumni, community, state meetings, support the college by attending and regional supporters of the fine arts, its public arts events and promote public and members of the Marshall University awareness of the college, its programs, and community. The mission of the Dean’s its students throughout the community, the Council is to provide leadership in promoting state, and the region. “With the Hatfields’ sustained interest in and support of the leadership and example, COFA anticipates an College of Fine Arts at Marshall University. invigorated relationship with the community Members will assist in realizing and it serves and expanded success in efforts to maintaining a distinctive, distinguished increase private support for the mission of the presence in the community, state, region, college,” Van Horn continued. and beyond; promote public awareness; and Both Huntington natives, Sandy and enhance the college’s role and programs Both Sandy and Don were very active in the Don spent 21 years in Tucson, Ariz., but by helping to identify and secure private Huntington community during Don’s tenure funding. The council also will consult with as publisher of The Herald Dispatch, serving have returned to their hometown with a the dean about the role of the college on Huntington area boards and actively commitment to make it a better place. in our community and society and our working in the local arts community. Marshall, responsibility in a changing world. and especially the College of Fine Arts, has been the recipient of several gifts that reflect in their estate plan with another endowed both their devotion to family and love of scholarship to be awarded to a student in the “We also need their help in assembling the arts. College of Fine Arts. the necessary resources in order to deliver Sandy, with her sisters Tomasina Soto Now that they have returned, Tucson’s loss the kind of educational experiences we Michel and Shirley Soto Lusk, also Marshall is definitely Huntington’s gain. Since their think are vital for our students.” alumnae, have established a scholarship in return, they have embraced COFA and its the Department of Music in memory of their mission to serve students of the arts and the mother. The endowment supports a student greater community. Donald Van Horn, dean of the College of studying a stringed instrument. Don, to honor Fine Arts, explained, “We want to bring Sandy and her love of France and the French For example, Sandy and Don hosted a COFA together people from the community who language, set up an endowed scholarship showcase in their home in April of this year. demonstrate a commitment to the arts and in modern languages as a birthday gift. In “We wanted to show the community the to Marshall University to help COFA reach addition, the Hatfields have included Marshall (Continued on page 2) www.marshall.edu/cofa Joan Edwards would have been proud. That is what I was thinking as I sat at the Petite Pinède stage in Juan-Les-Pins, France, as our 12.0 Jazz Ensemble performed for an enthusiastic audience at the 49th Jazz à Juan Festival on Sunday, July 12, 2009. This was the last of four concerts our students performed on their European tour, and they were outstanding. And it was Joan’s generosity that made it all possible. Without the jazz quasi-endowment Joan established several years ago, we would not have been able to send these students to the Montreux Jazz Festival A Message from the Dean in Switzerland and the Jazz à Juan Festival in France. As I listened to our students and reflected on the trip, I realized at each of the four concerts I saw women from a distance who Joan Edwards’ gift ensures that jazz students will have comparable reminded me of Joan Edwards. Of course Joan was not there. opportunities on a regular basis for many years to come. Now She passed away in 2006. But she was definitely there in spirit our charge is to find ways to extend similar opportunities to other and I thought about her often. This trip, and the wonderful students in the College of Fine Arts. performance opportunities it afforded her students, is exactly what Joan envisioned when she gave the gift that supports jazz Offering a range of art exhibitions, music studies at Marshall. She would have loved the music, she would and theatre performances, and the Birke have cherished the sight of Marshall students performing with such Fine Arts Symposium, the College of Fine musicality and confidence, and she would have been delighted with Arts has always been a vibrant community the exposure our students brought to Marshall University and this year promises to be no different. and our community. The momentum we have going into the new academic year is exhilarating, and Yes, Joan would have been very proud. We all should be very I invite you to join us as we explore the proud of these students and how well they represented wonder and beauty of the arts. I look Marshall University. forward to seeing you this year! The experience reinforces for me of the importance of providing our students with opportunities to travel and to share their art with people far and wide. The students who performed in Europe Joan Edwards enjoyed a remarkable experience and it was a pleasure for me to Donald Van Horn witness the growth that occurred in many of them on that trip. The Art of Giving (continued from page 1) David Castleberry wonderfully talented students and faculty from the college,” said Don. Associate Dean, College of Fine Arts The evening featured performances by students of voice and a violin/ David Castleberry comes to the position of associate dean of the cello duo as well as a piano performance by Sean Parsons, music College of Fine Arts after serving nineteen faculty member. years as director of choral activities in “The arts are the legacy we leave for future generations,” Sandy the Department of Music. During his Hatfield said thoughtfully. “I am worried with our economy and with tenure, he has led performances of the emphasis on science and technology that we are forgetting the more than fifty major choral-orchestral importance of the arts in our society and culture. Marshall is blessed works with the MU Choral Union and with a strong College of Fine Arts program. We want to assure that this MU Orchestra. He has conducted continues – and strengthens.” concert tours with the Chamber Choir (including ten performances at the “Forming the Dean’s Council allows us to bring together individuals Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, from the greater university community to build the future of the fine South Carolina), been featured in an arts at Marshall,” she continued. “We look forward to the challenge award-winning WPBY broadcast, Choral ahead – and to the future of COFA.” Fusion, taught conducting at graduate David Castleberry and undergraduate levels, and guided Speaking about the Hatfields, Dean Van Horn said, “They value the arts a host of other performances, festivals, and demonstrate all the time their heartfelt belief that the arts are at broadcasts, and recordings. He is a recipient of the Marshall and the core of a vibrant and successful community. They also understand Shirley Reynolds Outstanding Teacher Award, has participated in the importance of the university to the community, and vice versa, and team-taught courses for the Honors Program, led a Birke Fine Arts they see the arts at Marshall as a critical link between the two. I can’t Symposium entitled Extra-Musical, and collaborated with other imagine two people more suited to the leadership role we’ve asked departments on special projects. As a leading figure in the choral them to assume for the Dean’s Council.” (Continued on page 3) 2 | FALL 2009 Dangerfield awarded prestigious Fulbright Fellowship Dr. Joseph Dangerfield, Marshall University educational system. In addition, the music professional fields. He joins several other Coe alumnus and assistant professor of music at professor will be guest conducting and faculty members who have received Fulbright Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been expects to write a new composition to be Awards during their careers. awarded a Fulbright premiered in Russia. Fellowship to teach Established in 1946 and sponsored by the and compose in the “I often use the folk and liturgical music of United States Department of State, the Russian Federation Russia as a source of creative inspiration,” Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual during the 2009- noted Dangerfield. “I am also enamored understanding between Americans and 2010 school with the music of Stravinsky, Shostakovich, the peoples of other countries, through the year.

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