Justice O'connor to Receive Byrd Award Richter Named State
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Volume XXXV, Number 5, February 2008 Justice O’Connor to Receive Byrd Award By Wendy Lovell Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day Byrd’s and the Institute’s commitment to selflessness, O’Connor will receive the Harry F. Byrd Jr. ’35 Public integrity, patriotism and courage. Service Award at a ceremony March 26. During her The first woman associate Supreme Court justice, visit, O’Connor will address the Corps of Cadets and O’Connor earned her undergraduate and law degrees the VMI community. from Stanford University. She began her law career as “Justice O’Connor has given much of her life to public deputy county attorney of San Mateo County, Calif., in service,” said G. Gilmer Minor III ’63, president of the 1952 and practiced law in Arizona from 1958 to 1960. VMI Board of Visitors and chairman of the selection She served as assistant attorney general of Arizona, committee for the Byrd Award. “She exemplifies the Arizona state senator and judge of the Maricopa County spirit of the Harry F. Byrd Jr. ’35 Public Service Award. Superior Court and the Arizona Court of Appeals. On behalf of the Byrd family, VMI is honored to bestow In 1981, O’Connor was nominated to the Supreme Court the award on Justice O’Connor for her extraordinary by President Ronald Reagan. She served for more than service to our nation.” 24 years. The award was established in 2001 to honor the Sandra Day O’Connor. Currently, she is the chancellor of the College of William civic contributions of the VMI alumnus and former Photograph by Dane Penland, and Mary and serves on the Board of Trustees of the senator who served during World War II in the U.S. Smithsonian Institution, National Constitution Center, a museum dedicated to the Naval Reserve as a lieutenant commander. He was a Courtesy of the Supreme U.S. Constitution located in Philadelphia. member of the Virginia State Senate from 1948 to 1965 Court of the United States. Previous recipients are former Gov. Gerald L. Baliles, and U.S. senator from 1965 to 1983. former Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh Jr. and Harry The award is presented to a public servant whose career mirrors Lee Carrico, retired chief justice of the Virginia Supreme Court. Richter Named VMI a New Year’s State Outstanding Hit in Pasadena Faculty Member By Bob Holland By Wendy Lovell VMI philosophy professor Dr. Duncan Richter has received an Outstanding Faculty Award, the Commonwealth’s highest honor for faculty who demonstrate superior accomplishments in teaching, research and public service at Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities. He is one of 12 professors selected from 96 nominees to receive the award, administered by the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia. He is the sixth member of the VMI faculty to be honored by SCHEV since it created the award program in 1986 and VMI’s fifth honoree since 2002. Richter and his fellow award winners will be honored on Feb. 20 in The VMI Regimental Band and Pipe and Drums marched 27th in a ceremony at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. Richter will receive the Tournament of Roses Parade Jan. 1 in Pasadena, Calif. a $5,000 stipend made possible through a gift from the Dominion Foundation, which has partnered with SCHEV to sponsor the 2008 The Institute was heard from – and seen and appreciated – at the faculty awards. 119th Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., and at related Please see page 2 Please see page 3 PAGE 2, THE INSTITUTE REPORT, FEBRUARY 2008 Richter Named State Outstanding Faculty Member Continued from page 1 “We all remember the professor instructor and that his courses are or teacher that stretched us among the best they have taken. to our best work, the one we “Studying philosophy has given me as students did not want to the gift of thoughtful questions and disappoint – Duncan is that kind responses,” said one cadet of Richter. of a professor,” said Brig. Gen. “Philosophy is the cornerstone of my Charles F. Brower IV, deputy education and is worth much more superintendent for academics and than the tuition I’m paying.” dean of the faculty at VMI. “Cadets Another wrote in support of his are drawn to him, attracted by nomination: “I believe that his style his brilliance, accessibility and of teaching is one of the best. It is uncanny ability to stretch them to the best, arguably, because it seems their full potential.” to me that he cares more that the A professor of philosophy, Richter student understands the material joined the VMI faculty 12 years ago than he does about the grade.” and has been honored for both his In 1997, Richter initiated VMI’s teaching and his research, receiving VMI philosophy professor Dr. Duncan Richter, who has received popular philosophy minor, and he the 1998 Thomas Jefferson Teaching the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Award, has been a strong contributor to Award, the 2005 Matthew Fontaine works with a cadet in his office. –VMI Photo by Kevin Remington. VMI’s Institute Writing Program Maury Award for Faculty Research through his involvement with Writing and a Distinguished Teaching Award last May. He is an internationally Across the Curriculum. His dedication to his students and his profession respected expert on ethics and the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. goes far beyond the classroom, too. He founded the VMI Philosophy Club His latest book, Why Be Good? A Historical Introduction to Ethics, was and has advised the Pre-Law Society, Officer of the Guard Association and published last year by Oxford University Press. VMI’s water polo team. This year he serves as president of the Virginia “I see teaching the subject of philosophy as a matter of initiating and Philosophical Association. conducting a constructive dialogue, and I do not think of the students “I can say, without a doubt, that Duncan is the complete package – an in my classes as empty vessels waiting to be filled with facts, nor do outstanding teacher and mentor who is a great scholar, professionally I think of teaching as being all about them and not at all about the active and a wonderful colleague,” said Col. James T. Gire, head of the world outside,” said Richter. “Instead it is a matter of bringing the two department of psychology and philosophy. “He is highly regarded by his together. students for showing enthusiasm, rigor and consideration, and he has “My goal is to produce cadets who know about the ideas that have been described by some students as the most profound and objective shaped, and continue to shape, our culture; who are in the habit of thinker they have ever met. In the scholarly realm, he is most admired by thinking critically about ideas and arguments that are presented to even the most critical of scholars and is viewed as potentially becoming them; whose thinking (and ability to think) has been improved by being the leading authority on Wittgenstein in the near future.” exposed to new insights and, above all, by wrestling with a variety of A native of England, Richter holds degrees from the University of challenging arguments.” Oxford and the University of Wales, and he received his doctorate in Cadets say Richter is an exceptionally engaging and interesting philosophy from the University of Virginia. International Baccalaureate Cadet Aquisi Harris ’10 received her International Baccalaureate diploma Jan. 7 in a ceremony at Salem High School, where she graduated with honors in June 2007. The advanced diploma program offered Produced by the Offi ce of Communications and Marketing college-level courses and Lt. Col. Stewart MacInnis – Acting Director projects, including, said Sherri Tombarge – Editor Harris, “a two-year research Burton Floyd – Publications Coordinator Bob Holland, Wendy Lovell, and Lori Stevens - Writers paper and a class which Kevin Remington, Lori Stevens, and Cadet Matthew Graham ’10 - Photography focuses on looking at many Printing – McClung Printing,Waynesboro, Va. Eight issues are printed during the academic often controversial issues of year. Inquiries, suggestions, news items, or address changes should be directed to: Editor, The Institute Report, VMI Communications and Marketing, knowledge in ways that different cultures around the world Lexington, Virginia 24450-0304, Telephone 540-464-7207, Fax 540-464-7443 would.” - Photo courtesy of Salem High School. THE INSTITUTE REPORT, FEBRUARY 2008, PAGE 3 VMI a New Year’s Hit in Pasadena Continued from page 1 events. Band 1st Sgt. Taylor Herring On New Year’s Day, the VMI ’09 found that the whole Regimental Band and Pipes experience far exceeded his and Color Guard performed expectations: “Before we went before an audience estimated out there, I was thinking we at 1.1 million. The band had would just do our own thing the honor of being the featured and just be another band musical unit accompanying in the parade. But from the Tournament of Roses president moment we arrived out there, CL Keedy and his wife. the people with the Rose Bowl On a sparkling first day of were super-excited about us 2008, the band’s 143 cadets and really gave us first-class and six officers marched as treatment. the 27th entry in a parade with “That, plus what all the 95 floats, marching bands and alumni did for us out there, equestrian units. from getting us to California They received rave reviews then throwing the barbecue The Regimental Band and Pipes and Drums march in a night-time for their performance and their [cookout] for us, it was just parade in Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., Dec.