Emeritus Club Newsletter 1 Page 2019 Summer Volume 47 Issue 1 West Virginia Wesleyan College Summer 2019 Tradition Meets Innovation Page 2 Summer 2019 2019-2020 Greetings from the West Virginia Wesleyan College Emeritus Club Emeritus Club Leadership Officers: Coordinator! Nancy Titchenal Cheshire '62, President Dewayne R. Lowther '57, Vice President Warm greetings to you from Wesleyan’s campus. Katy O'Brien Greenhill '67, Secretary J. Brooks Jones '62, Immediate Past President Every year that I have worked at your alma mater, (2016-2018) my favorite time of year is October because it means Directors: Homecoming. Many of you return to campus to re- Eleanor Linger Miller '61, term expiring 2020 new friendships, reminisce, and make new memories Alan P. Machenberg '61, term expiring 2020 together. From my perspective, it is such a pleasure to Elise Mattox George '65, term expiring 2021 watch the reconnections happen; the smiles, hugs and pure joy of friends finding friends again. Coordinator of the Emeritus Club: Molly Patterson Last month, I traveled back to Ohio to attend my 40th high school reunion. I admit I was a little reluctant, The Bill Foster Birthday Club but at my husband’s nudging, I signed up. After liv- Members and friends pay $1 for every year of age to ing away from friends that I shared so many memories the Bill Foster Birthday Club. with, I cannot even explain the happiness and recon- It is a tradition that was first suggested by former nection I felt with each one of them at the reunion. So Wesleyan alumni director and Emeritus Club president many smiles, conversations and hugs. As the evening William D. Foster '29. He committed to donating $1 came to a close, I smiled at my husband and said “Now for every year of his age on or around the time of his I truly understand how our Wesleyan alumni feel when birthday and encouraged other Emeritus Club they return to campus for Homecoming!” members to do the same. When I say it is my pleasure to meet you, assist you and Mr. G. Herold Berthy, Jr. '56 (Morgantown, WV) coordinate for you, it is with sincerity when I say it is Rev. Thomas E. Dunlap, Sr. '60 (Raleigh, NC) MY pleasure. Mr. James J. Fraser '59 (Clarksburg, WV) Mrs. Deane Wareham Hawkins (Aux.) (Naples, FL) My very best, Dr. Harold T. Elmore, Hon. '82 & Mrs. Sylvia Conklyn Elmore (Hon.) (Buckhannon, WV) To make your contribution to the Bill Foster Birthday Club, please Molly Patterson go online to www.wvwc.edu/give, or mail your donation to: Coordinator of the Emeritus Club The Emeritus Club, 59 College Avenue, Buckhannon, WV 26201 (Please make checks payable to The Emeritus Club.) On the Cover... Emeritus Club members touring the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library; Photo courtesy of Paula Lowther McGrew '78 J. Brooks Jones '62, Josette Holtzworth Jones '63. Sandra Price McCutcheon '63, Ellen Roush Nickell '51, Jane O'Brien Ayers '63, Elise Mattox George '65, Tina Cutright Horstman '54, Margaret Ireland Walls '59, Sandra Gould Gill '67, Katy O'Brien Greenhill '67, Mary Sue Van Camp Fraser '60, Becky Taylor Titchenal (Aux.), Bob Titchenal '69, Jack Fraser '59, Ginnie Settle Lowther '68, Dewayne R. Lowther '57, Jack R. George '63, Marvin W. Culpepper '51, Elaine Karnes Culpepper '54, Bill O'Brien '62, Nancy Titchenal Cheshire '62, Molly Patterson, Charles R. Gill '67, Harold T. Elmore, Hon. '82, Milt Dotterweich '67, Sylvia Conklyn Elmore, Brett Miller '06, Ann Straub Dotterweich '70, Margaret Dean Miller '56, Rochelle Long '00, Brandi Marsh, Rose Ellen Loudin '03, Lauren Queen Page 2 Summer 2019 Summer 2019 Page 3 The Current State of The Emeritus Club (2018-2019) $556,788.33 Total gifts to WVWC in 2018-2019 1134 143 Members Wesleyan Society members (annual donations of $1,000 or more) 70 58% John W. Reger Society members Alumni Giving Rate (planned gifts) Dr. Harold T. Elmore, Hon.'82 Daniel Stein '69 Emeritus Club Endowed Latin American International Scholarship for Study Scholarship International Travel Total raised: $78,379 Total raised: $6,370 The scholarship is intended to foster a global The scholarship is intended to support students perspective by offering support for students who are interested in pursuing international who are interested in international travel expe- travel, particularly in Latin American countries. riences. It is named in honor and memory of Daniel It is named in honor of Dr. Harold T. Elmore, Stein '69, who was a victim of the tragic Pitts- Hon. '82, who served West Virginia Wesleyan burgh Tree of Life Synagogue mass murder in as the Coordinator of the Emeritus Club for 20 October 2018. years. *As of 9/25/2019 *As of 9/25/2019 Thank you for your participation, enthusiasm, and generous support! Page 4 Summer 2019 Much like the buildings that are Ross, Ellis, and Culpepper: part of West Virginia Wesleyan College's picturesque campus, The Names Behind the Fields each of the athletic fields have a story behind their naming. Cebe's greatest Wesleyan recruit was Cliff Battles '33, a phenomenal running back who enjoyed a standout professional career and was later inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1968. Ross's teams of the 1930s cap- tured wins over Duquesne, Kentucky, Navy, New York University, and West Virginia University. “Cebe was a hard worker and such a gentleman,” said Graham Kenneweg '52. “He never uttered a swear word or stomped around or berated an official. Football was, by far, his favorite sport and while he liked basketball, it was not his passion. He would frequently say at the start of basketball season, “it is going to be a long winter, so we might as well make something of it.” “Cebe was not above you and spoke with you at your level,” noted Marvin Culpepper '51, Hon. '06. “He was always approachable. At the same time, he was set in his ways. Press Maravich became the basketball coach in 1950 and brought in two guards who shot one-handed. Cebe Ross Field The one-hand jump shot was beyond his vision and he The oldest “field” at WVWC is Cebe Ross Field, named thought you must have two hands on the ball to control for one of Wesleyan's most legendary athletic figures. the shot.” Cebe Ross entered Wesleyan in the fall of 1919, where Ross also coordinated the West Virginia Intercollegiate he was a member of both the football and basketball Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament each year teams and the Chrestomathean Literary Society. The at the old gym at Wesleyan. Many people around coach of the football team was Bob Higgins, who the state remember those events with great fondness was an All-American at Penn State. After coaching at because Cebe did such a great job of keeping things Wesleyan, Higgins eventually returned to lead Penn organized and making everyone feel welcome. Cebe State's program to great success and was inducted into Ross touched thousands of lives during his tenure at the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. Wesleyan and it is fitting that the field still bears his Ross was a halfback and quarterback for the Bobcats name today. and led the team to wins over WVU, Georgetown University, and the University of Detroit. After “Cebe was not above you and spoke graduating from Wesleyan, he served as the football coach for Buckhannon High School, leading them with you at your level...He was to a West Virginia State Championship in 1924. He always approachable." returned to Wesleyan in 1925 and coached football, basketball, and baseball while serving as the athletic director. Page 4 Summer 2019 Summer 2019 Page 5 Ellis was known nationally for his basketball coaching and served as a member of the U.S. Olympic Basketball Committee from 1969 through 1972. “Coach was upbeat and positive every day, said current Wesleyan Athletic Director and Baseball Coach, Randy Tenney '77. “He fostered and encouraged enthusiasm and would always find ways to turn a loss into a victory. Hank constantly asked each player, how can we improve? I can still hear him saying, “Let's make some noise. If you cannot chatter, whistle, and if you can't whistle, pucker. He loved life more than anyone I have ever known.” “Hank's brother was a famous sportswriter in Balti- more and I think he influenced Hank to always wear a marketing hat,” added Bob Skinner '75, Vice Presi- dent for Advancement. “In the mid 1970s, Hank had a powerhouse cross country team that featured Greg '76 and George Hendrickson '76, and David Wriston '77. Hank Ellis Baseball Field So, Hank made arrangements to host a cross country For many Wesleyan alumni who graduated in the meet at Bel Meadow Country Club and marketed the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, the most memorable name event as the “Rockefeller Five-O”, in recognition of Jay in Wesleyan sports is Franklin C. “Hank” Ellis. Af- Rockefeller's tenure as the College President.” Teams ter graduating from Buckhannon High School, Hank from throughout the region ran in the event and we entered Wesleyan in the fall of 1939 where he was a had scoreboards, special signage, and tremendous me- standout athlete. Before graduating from Wesleyan, he dia coverage. Hank knew we were really good, so it joined the Naval Reserve and served with honor until was a great bonus for the school when Wesleyan won 1967, retiring as a Lieutenant Commander. the meet.” He was the Commanding Officer on the USS LCT 710 Tenney was instrumental in having the baseball from May of 1944 through March of 1945, where he field named in honor of his mentor.