ON THE RUN Alumni and students help others move forward WASHINGTON SPRING TERM AT 30 A W&L LOVE AFFAIR Winter/Spring 2019 Winter/Spring MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 1 I 2 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE - IN THIS ISSUE FEATURES 10 On The Run Alumni and students help others move forward. 14 A Historic Love Affair with W&L Sally Ball Sharp ’96 has a unique perspective on a landmark building. 16 Founding Father Washington Spring Term Program at 30. 22 Ambitious Plans The annual financial report. DEPARTMENTS 3 Columns 26 Office Hours Brian Alexander, assistant professor of politics 28 Lives of Consequence Zabriawn Smith ’14 Krista Camp ’13 32 Alumni 48 Chronicles Diego Millan, assistant professor of English, teaches class in the ODK Circle. Photo by Kevin Remington Cover: Members of the Running Club and the Outing Club enjoy an early morning workout. Photo by Shelby Mack SPEAK LEGACY OF SERVICE I am always proud to see so many mentions of military service (and family connections) Volume 96, Number 1 in the Obits section of the magazine. Classes from the 1930s up through the 1960s and Winter/Spring 2019 beyond list wartime service. My father, Cowl Rider ’37, was in the Navy in World War II, and I served in Vietnam. Whatever the shortcomings of Gens. Washington and Lee, they Louise Uffelman Editor inspired a legacy of unselfish and sacrificial service. BRUCE W. RIDER ’66 Kelly Martone Class Notes Editor Columns Lindsey Nair CELEBRATING TRADITION Director of WHAT’S IN A NAME Content Development How is the cause of liberty and justice for all advanced by renaming On the inside cover of your Shelby Mack buildings, removing paintings and walling off works of art available to the current magazine [Fall 2018] Kevin Remington community? These are acts of Presentism, the unethical practice of there is a wonderful photo of the University imposing today’s cultural norms on the people of prior historical periods. Photographers THOMAS P. RIDEOUT ’63 celebration of the traditional Shabbat dinner at Hillel, Barbara Elliott | Linda Evans, acknowledging the close to I question the wisdom of rewriting (he made a large donation of canal Patricia Lopes Harris ’91, 6,000 years of Jewish tradition. our history. It may make some stock to it), but Robert E. Lee was Rossella Gabriele ’19 | Tom Lovell ’91 | Alicia Hay Matthai people more comfortable for a president of the university for the The award-winning Broadway ’91 | Steve McAllister | time, but ultimately it only deprives last five years of his life. To this day, musical and film “Fiddler on the Amanda Minix | Elizabeth them of the opportunity to his sterling character differentiates Roof” celebrated tradition with Parsons | Joan Tupponce, understand Lee, Jackson and W&L from most other institutions its title song of the same name. Sally Ball Sharp ’96 others connected with Washington of higher learning and gives its Contributors and Lee University and the town of students something unique. Tradition is what gave the Lexington. People are complicated, Certainly, Professor Simpson Jewish people the strength and Rebecca Logan and to deprive students of the deserves all the credit the courage to survive centuries of Design opportunity to understand these university can give her, but we historical figures firsthand is a shouldn’t ignore history because it vitriolic antisemitism and the Mary Woodson shame. George Washington had a makes some people uncomfortable. Holocaust. This enabled the Director of Publications very tangential relation to the That would be a tragedy! founding of the Jewish State of institution that bears his name WOODARD D. OPENO ’65 Published by Washington and Israel. The dichotomy of this, Lee University, Lexington, VA juxtaposed with your article on 24450. All communications and renaming Robinson Hall and the POD forms 3579 should be sent I was sadly interested to scan a recent newspaper article describing the to Washington and Lee current president’s effort to “shift the historical emphasis” of our university. Lee Jackson House smacks at University, Alumni Magazine, I suspect the desecration of Robert Edward’s Tomb, and presumably that one of the most important 7 Courthouse Square, 204 W. of his descendants, will have something of the desired effect, as will memories I took away from W&L Washington St., Lexington VA renaming Robinson Hall, funded almost 200 years ago, but rather shame- 24450-2116. Periodicals postage after graduation. “Tradition.” paid at Roanoke, VA. fully by today’s leftist ideology. RICHARD W. BANK ’55 W&L has survived for well over 250 years, 10 times longer than any UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT current academics’ hysteria to comply with the latest ultra-liberal political philosophy. We can only hope that the university’s heritage and history will Dennis W. Cross eventually reassert itself with minimal damage. Vice President for University Advancement HALCOTT G. HEYWARD ’50 Jessica L. Willett ’95 Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs CORRECTIONS Stay in Touch Waller T. Dudley ’74, ’79L The blurb for Roger Jean’s newest book, “The Letters and Diaries of Letters selected for publication Executive Director of Colonel John Hart Caughey, 1944–1945, with Wedemeyer in World War II should refer to material in the Alumni Affairs China,” had an extra word in the description — “provide.” magazine. They may be edited for © 2019 Washington and length, content and style. Letters The obit for Robert Henderson Rimmer IV ’90 misspelled his last name. He Lee University died on March 9, 2018. Rimmer was the director of finance for First Data reflect the views of their authors, and belonged to Kappa Alpha. Our sincere apologies for the error. not those of the magazine’s The obit for Stephen P. Smith III ’65 (Fall 2018) incorrectly stated that he editors or of the university. served in the Korean War. He was stationed there while serving in the Adjutant General’s Corps. 2 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE ColumnsNOTEWORTHY NEWS AND IDEAS KEEP ’EM COMING 2W&L was named to the 2018-19 list of the top- producing institutions for the Fulbright Program by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educa- tional and Cultural Affairs. 3. WELCOME Wali Bacdayan ’92, who graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in eco- nomics and mathematics, was sworn in as a Trustee Front row, l. to r.: Alex Farley ’19, Allie Rutledge ’19 and Clare Perry ’21; Back row, l. to r.: Professor Melina on Feb. 8. He serves as an Bell, Kushali Kumar ’22, Cat Spencer ’20 and Charles Thomas ’21. investor and a board director of several private companies and nonprofit the final round involved organizations. In 2017, he ETHICALLY whether a women’s shelter worker should, ethically received the university’s SPEAKING speaking, allow a transgender Distinguished Alumnus woman to stay in the shelter for Award. W&L students won the 20th the night. “Judges commented annual Virginia Foundation for that W&L’s ethical arguments Independent Colleges Ethics were crisp and persuasive and 1 Bowl championship in Febru- their delivery polished and ary. The six-member student remarkably well-coordinated,” team successfully devised and said Melina Bell, professor of presented solutions to ethical philosophy and law, who dilemmas. The case study in coached the team. MAGAZINE.WLU.EDU 3 OUTSTANDING Helen I’Anson, John T. Perry Professor of Biology and Research Science, received an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education, the Commonwealth’s highest honor for faculty at Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities. I’Anson focuses her research 4 on the neurobiology of puberty. 5 $10,000 What’s it take to feed a hungry crowd? Sixteen restaurants and 25 soups. More than 600 tasters attended the seventh annual Souper Bowl, which raised $10,000 for Campus Kitchen at W&L. 7. ABS OF STEEL What started out as a friendly plank challenge in a phys ed class became the talk of the Fitness Center. Luke Alli ’22 just wanted to outlast a classmate, but when his competition dropped out after 15 minutes, “I realized that I didn’t feel tired, so 6. A LEGEND I just decided to keep going,” he said. “Coach Brendan O’Brien gave me updates LIVES ON on time. I started asking him what the fourth-place record was, then the third place, and so on. When I got to 38 minutes and beat the record, I decided I was The late Harry Pemberton, going to go on until I had to get to my next class.” He ended up planking for 1:07. professor of philosophy Bystanders offered cheers of support, and Alli listened to the “Essential Hits” emeritus, who died in 2017, Rolling Stones album “so I wouldn’t get bored.” has left W&L a $2.7 million estate gift that will support international study. The Board of Trustees has 8. RUGGERS approved the addition of The rugby team, possibly the longest-existing club sport at W&L (established his name to the Benefactor in 1966), qualified for the National Tournament for small colleges. The Wall in Washington Hall, 30-plus team is made up of all types of students of varying backgrounds and the first faculty member to athletic ability, from both the undergraduate and law schools. receive such recognition. In the last five years W&L Rugby has won the conference five times, played in the regional championship game five times and advanced to the national Final Four twice. The team is ranked 6th nationally. 4 THE WASHINGTON AND LEE MAGAZINE OUT OF THE VAULT Location, Location, Location The original 279-year-old Benjamin Borden grant for the land on which W&L now sits has been conserved and is stored in W&L’s Special Collections.