FOR RELEASE: Sept. 29, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Assistant Professor Hal Newman, 615-898-2949
Talented Trio to Spill Hit Single-Writing Secrets at Oct. 18 Event
(MURFREESBORO)—Pull up a chair, settle in and get ready to be amazed and educated by three women who work right alongside the boys who make the noise on 16th Avenue.
On Monday, Oct. 2, at Middle Tennessee State University, award-winning songwriters Lisa Carver, Stephony Smith and Shelly Fairchild, also known as the “Nashville Songwriting Divas in the Round,” will share their secrets for writing songs like “Don’t We All,” “It’s Your Love” and “You Don’t Lie Here Anymore,” as well surviving and finding success in a challenging industry.
The free public event, held at 7 p.m. in Room 104 of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building, is sponsored by the National Songwriters Association International at MTSU—the first student chapter of the Nashville-based NSAI.
Carver, who’s written for Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Julie Roberts and Willie Nelson, has four cuts on the new Sugarland album, set for release Nov. 7. Smith, Broadcast Music Inc.’s 1997 Songwriter of the Year, has seen artists like McGraw and Faith Hill, the Dixie Chicks, Trisha Yearwood and Kenny Chesney take her work to No. 1. And Fairchild, who’s also performed the title role in the musical “Always …. Patsy Cline,” released her debut CD, “Ride,” last year on Sony’s Columbia Nashville label.
The trio’s appearance is part of NSAI at MTSU’s ongoing songwriter workshop series aimed at giving student writers an insider’s view into the industry.
“We’re grateful to these great writers for giving their time and talent to the student songwriters of MTSU,” said Assistant Professor Hal Newman, a veteran musician who teaches commercial songwriting and music publishing at MTSU and serves as faculty adviser to the student NSAI chapter.
MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry recently joined forces with the Nashville office of ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) to create a new commercial songwriting program called “Partners in Craft.” The program, which began this fall at MTSU, formalized a long-standing partnership with ASCAP that matched veteran industry songwriting and publishing mentors with exceptional student songwriters. The new program provides opportunities and specialized courses tailored to students’ career goals.
The department, which is a part of the university’s College of Mass Communication, is one of the largest and best equipped in the country. Undergraduate recording industry students choose between two concentrations: music business or production and technology. The department now also offers a unique graduate program in recording arts and technologies.
For more information about the workshop or NSAI at MTSU, please call 615-898-2949.
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Friday, September 29, 2006
095 SECOND OF PRESIDENTIAL CONCERTS FEATURES RENOWNED PIANIST
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 29, 2006
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Free Oct. 10 Music Event Will Showcase Labra-Makk, Public Invited
(MURFREESBORO)—World-renowned pianist Aima Maria Labra-Makk will present the second of four concerts billed as the Presidential Concert Series at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Labra-Makk, who enjoys a career as a solo concert pianist, chamber musician and educator, will perform works by Liszt, Haydn, Takacs and other Viennese composers during her MTSU performance.
“She’s a splendid, brilliant pianist,” said Dr. Jerry Perkins, music professor and coordinator of keyboard studies at MTSU. “Her music has lots of technique.
“She will be playing in New York and Washington, D.C., as well as MTSU on this tour,” he added.
Labra-Makk also performs in key cities and venues in Europe such as the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Haydnsaal in Eisenstadt, Mirabell Palace in Salzburg and in venues in Asia as well. She has performed in international festivals such as the Vienna International Festival and the Liszt-Beethoven Symphonies for Piano Series in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Considered an authority on the music of Hungarian pianist and pedagogue Jenö Takacs, Labra-Makk and has recorded all of his works.
The Oct.10 concert is free and open to the public.
Subsequent concerts for the Presidential Series include the Boston Brass at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22 and the Blair String Quartet at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10.
For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, please call (615) 898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
—30—
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Free Oct. 10 Music Event Will Showcase Labra-Makk, Public Invited
(MURFREESBORO)—World-renowned pianist Aima Maria Labra-Makk will present the second of four concerts billed as the Presidential Concert Series at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Labra-Makk, who enjoys a career as a solo concert pianist, chamber musician and educator, will perform works by Liszt, Haydn, Takacs and other Viennese composers during her MTSU performance.
“She’s a splendid, brilliant pianist,” said Dr. Jerry Perkins, music professor and coordinator of keyboard studies at MTSU. “Her music has lots of technique.
“She will be playing in New York and Washington, D.C., as well as MTSU on this tour,” he added.
Labra-Makk also performs in key cities and venues in Europe such as the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Haydnsaal in Eisenstadt, Mirabell Palace in Salzburg and in venues in Asia as well. She has performed in international festivals such as the Vienna International Festival and the Liszt-Beethoven Symphonies for Piano Series in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Considered an authority on the music of Hungarian pianist and pedagogue Jenö Takacs, Labra-Makk and has recorded all of his works.
The Oct.10 concert is free and open to the public.
Subsequent concerts for the Presidential Series include the Boston Brass at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22 and the Blair String Quartet at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10.
For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, please call (615) 898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
—30—
094 GET JAZZED UP! SUPPORT WMOT-FM’S ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 29, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Keith Palmer, 615-898-2800
MTSU’s Public Radio Station Celebrating 38th Year of Service
(MURFREESBORO)—WMOT-JAZZ89’s annual membership appeal and on-air fund-raising drive is under way to help the station bolster its budget after severe state funding cuts for 2006-07.
The campaign, which runs through Thursday, Oct. 12, will benefit Middle Tennessee State University’s nonprofit, public broadcasting radio station. This year also marks the jazz and National Public Radio member station’s 38th anniversary.
Supporters beat WMOT’s all-time total giving record in 2005-06 with a record $96,000 in underwriter and listener gifts, but station officials say that amount still won’t quite pay the bills without additional corporate and individual support.
“Those who listen to and enjoy WMOT must support it financially,” said Keith Palmer, WMOT director of development. “Pledge so that radio in Middle Tennessee keeps swinging.”
WMOT-JAZZ89 is located on the FM dial at 89.5 and online at www.wmot.org.
As a public broadcasting station and a public service of MTSU and its College of Mass Communication, WMOT relies on funding through federal government, MTSU and the public through membership dollars, business support underwriting and fund-raising ventures.
For information on how you can help, visit www.wmot.org anytime or contact 615-898-2800 or 615-255-9071.
###
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color TIFF of the WMOT-JAZZ89 logo, please contact Gina E. Fann in the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385. Thanks!
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Keith Palmer, 615-898-2800
MTSU’s Public Radio Station Celebrating 38th Year of Service
(MURFREESBORO)—WMOT-JAZZ89’s annual membership appeal and on-air fund-raising drive is under way to help the station bolster its budget after severe state funding cuts for 2006-07.
The campaign, which runs through Thursday, Oct. 12, will benefit Middle Tennessee State University’s nonprofit, public broadcasting radio station. This year also marks the jazz and National Public Radio member station’s 38th anniversary.
Supporters beat WMOT’s all-time total giving record in 2005-06 with a record $96,000 in underwriter and listener gifts, but station officials say that amount still won’t quite pay the bills without additional corporate and individual support.
“Those who listen to and enjoy WMOT must support it financially,” said Keith Palmer, WMOT director of development. “Pledge so that radio in Middle Tennessee keeps swinging.”
WMOT-JAZZ89 is located on the FM dial at 89.5 and online at www.wmot.org.
As a public broadcasting station and a public service of MTSU and its College of Mass Communication, WMOT relies on funding through federal government, MTSU and the public through membership dollars, business support underwriting and fund-raising ventures.
For information on how you can help, visit www.wmot.org anytime or contact 615-898-2800 or 615-255-9071.
###
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color TIFF of the WMOT-JAZZ89 logo, please contact Gina E. Fann in the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385. Thanks!
093 GRANT HELPS MTSU ETIS DEPARTMENT ELIMINATE LEAD POISONING HAZARDS IN TENNESSEE HOMES
Date: Sept. 29, 2006
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
TNLEAP contacts: Drs. Kathy Mathis, 898-2113, and Carol Boraiko, 898-2776
(MURFREESBORO) — The MTSU Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Studies is one of three recipients nationwide for a 2006 U.S. Housing and Urban Development Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control grant award for nearly $2 million to identify and control lead-based paint hazards in residential housing that have the potential to poison children less than 6 years old, the Tennessee Lead Elimination Action Program office recently said.
Children have the greatest risk for developmental and behavioral problems and potentially mental retardation stemming from lead poisoning, officials with the program, which goes by the acronym TNLEAP, said.
A formal signing of the agreement will be held soon, said Dr. Walter Boles, ETIS chairman.
Alumnus and U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon worked to secure the $1,999,826 grant.
MTSU is focused on service-learning initiatives in response to identified community need in its effort to strengthen MTSU-community bonds and create student research and service opportunities with partnering agencies, TNLEAP officials said.
The grant will benefit our community as a key coordinator in the statewide implementation of the comprehensive Lead Elimination Action Plan to help Tennessee housing become “Lead Safe,” officials said.
Drs. Kathy Mathis and Carol Boraiko are the sponsoring faculty for this second round of grant funding for the department. The first round of TN LEAP grant funded activity finished successfully in March of this year, they said.
MTSU and a consortium of partners including the Tennessee Department of Health, regional health departments, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Human Resource Agencies, the Nashville Housing Fund, LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis, Chattanooga State Community College, City of Knoxville, Tennessee Center for Child Welfare, MTSU Project HELP, Catholic Charities of Tennessee and Henley Supply Millwork in Decherd are
— MORE —
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
TNLEAP contacts: Drs. Kathy Mathis, 898-2113, and Carol Boraiko, 898-2776
(MURFREESBORO) — The MTSU Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Studies is one of three recipients nationwide for a 2006 U.S. Housing and Urban Development Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control grant award for nearly $2 million to identify and control lead-based paint hazards in residential housing that have the potential to poison children less than 6 years old, the Tennessee Lead Elimination Action Program office recently said.
Children have the greatest risk for developmental and behavioral problems and potentially mental retardation stemming from lead poisoning, officials with the program, which goes by the acronym TNLEAP, said.
A formal signing of the agreement will be held soon, said Dr. Walter Boles, ETIS chairman.
Alumnus and U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon worked to secure the $1,999,826 grant.
MTSU is focused on service-learning initiatives in response to identified community need in its effort to strengthen MTSU-community bonds and create student research and service opportunities with partnering agencies, TNLEAP officials said.
The grant will benefit our community as a key coordinator in the statewide implementation of the comprehensive Lead Elimination Action Plan to help Tennessee housing become “Lead Safe,” officials said.
Drs. Kathy Mathis and Carol Boraiko are the sponsoring faculty for this second round of grant funding for the department. The first round of TN LEAP grant funded activity finished successfully in March of this year, they said.
MTSU and a consortium of partners including the Tennessee Department of Health, regional health departments, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Human Resource Agencies, the Nashville Housing Fund, LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis, Chattanooga State Community College, City of Knoxville, Tennessee Center for Child Welfare, MTSU Project HELP, Catholic Charities of Tennessee and Henley Supply Millwork in Decherd are
— MORE —
Thursday, September 28, 2006
092 MTSU PRESENTS MARK PIRTLE WITH CHAMPION OF FREE ENTERPRISE AWARD
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 28, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins or Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
(MURFREESBORO)—Area business owner Mark Pirtle will be the recipient of the ninth annual Champion of Free Enterprise award at a Sept. 29 ceremony held in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business on the MTSU campus.
The award is given annually to honor the late Jennings A. Jones, a former mayor of Murfreesboro and the namesake for MTSU’s business college, who “laid the groundwork for every real estate developer and businessman in Rutherford County,” Pirtle observed.
Dr. Jim Burton, MTSU business dean, said, “We always have several (award) candidates, but with his efforts as an entrepreneur and involvement in the community, Mark just rose to the top.”
A native of McMinnville and former president of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, Pirtle said he credits much of his success to having attended college at the General Motors Institute, now named Northwoods Institute, in Detroit, Mich.
Pirtle, who also attended MTSU, currently owns five auto dealerships, along with his brother, Jack Pirtle, and business partner John Howerton.
Although Pirtle spends half of his time working on real-estate development for Rutherford County, with large projects such as the Murfreesboro Gateway, he said he still finds time to be the top salesman on his lot.
Regarding his sustained success in the auto industry, Pirtle said, “I have founded my business on one-on-one relationships; 68 percent of my business is repeat.”
Having long-term success in his works in both business and the community, Pirtle continues to serve on the board of the MTSU Foundation as well as on the board of the Boys and Girls Club, the latter of which he had done for more than 10 years.
“What inspires me now is the work I have left to do in the Murfreesboro Gateway. It’s the most exciting real-estate project I’ve ever done,” Pirtle said.
The 1996 recipient of the Rutherford County Businessperson of the Year honor, Pirtle—in spite of his enthusiasm about current projects—said more work within the community remains to be done.
“Business leaders in the Executive-in-Residence program need to do a better job,” Pirtle said, regarding the MTSU program that annually brings business professionals to campus to mentor and speak to would-be business leaders.
“MTSU business students don’t want to hear about what to wear and what to say,” he added, “they want to know the nuts and bolts of business. We need to be more hands-on.”
Additionally, Pirtle said he hopes to help create an increased numbers of business internships at Nissan, State Farm Insurance and Pillsbury.
—30—
***ATTENTION, MEDIA: If your publication chooses to reprint this story, please provide byline credit to Christopher Barkley, who is an MTSU journalism student.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins or Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
(MURFREESBORO)—Area business owner Mark Pirtle will be the recipient of the ninth annual Champion of Free Enterprise award at a Sept. 29 ceremony held in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business on the MTSU campus.
The award is given annually to honor the late Jennings A. Jones, a former mayor of Murfreesboro and the namesake for MTSU’s business college, who “laid the groundwork for every real estate developer and businessman in Rutherford County,” Pirtle observed.
Dr. Jim Burton, MTSU business dean, said, “We always have several (award) candidates, but with his efforts as an entrepreneur and involvement in the community, Mark just rose to the top.”
A native of McMinnville and former president of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, Pirtle said he credits much of his success to having attended college at the General Motors Institute, now named Northwoods Institute, in Detroit, Mich.
Pirtle, who also attended MTSU, currently owns five auto dealerships, along with his brother, Jack Pirtle, and business partner John Howerton.
Although Pirtle spends half of his time working on real-estate development for Rutherford County, with large projects such as the Murfreesboro Gateway, he said he still finds time to be the top salesman on his lot.
Regarding his sustained success in the auto industry, Pirtle said, “I have founded my business on one-on-one relationships; 68 percent of my business is repeat.”
Having long-term success in his works in both business and the community, Pirtle continues to serve on the board of the MTSU Foundation as well as on the board of the Boys and Girls Club, the latter of which he had done for more than 10 years.
“What inspires me now is the work I have left to do in the Murfreesboro Gateway. It’s the most exciting real-estate project I’ve ever done,” Pirtle said.
The 1996 recipient of the Rutherford County Businessperson of the Year honor, Pirtle—in spite of his enthusiasm about current projects—said more work within the community remains to be done.
“Business leaders in the Executive-in-Residence program need to do a better job,” Pirtle said, regarding the MTSU program that annually brings business professionals to campus to mentor and speak to would-be business leaders.
“MTSU business students don’t want to hear about what to wear and what to say,” he added, “they want to know the nuts and bolts of business. We need to be more hands-on.”
Additionally, Pirtle said he hopes to help create an increased numbers of business internships at Nissan, State Farm Insurance and Pillsbury.
—30—
***ATTENTION, MEDIA: If your publication chooses to reprint this story, please provide byline credit to Christopher Barkley, who is an MTSU journalism student.
091 MTSU’S OCT. 7 FALL VISIT DAY REACHES CAPACITY;
PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS CAN REGISTER FOR NOV. 11
Date: Sept. 27, 2006
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Admissions contact: Christopher Fleming, 615-898-2237
(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU Office of Admissions officials said today that prospective students could register for the Nov. 11 Fall Visit Day. They also announced that the Oct. 7 Fall Visit Day has reached a capacity of 250 people.
Prospective students can register for the Nov. 11 campus tour and meetings with student services departments such as financial aid, housing, admissions and academic representatives from the various colleges within the university by going online to mtsu.edu/~ or by calling 1-800-331-6878 or 615-898-5670.
Both Saturday tours will start at 10 a.m. Central time and begin in the lobby of the Cope Administration Building.
Prospective students and their parents or guardians may also schedule a tour and campus visit during the week (Monday through Friday except holidays and the following dates: Oct. 9-10 because tours are full; Oct. 13 and Oct. 16-17 because of MTSU fall break; and Nov. 22 because of the Thanksgiving holiday), an MTSU admissions representative said. Tours can be scheduled online or by the above phone numbers.
###
Date: Sept. 27, 2006
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Admissions contact: Christopher Fleming, 615-898-2237
(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU Office of Admissions officials said today that prospective students could register for the Nov. 11 Fall Visit Day. They also announced that the Oct. 7 Fall Visit Day has reached a capacity of 250 people.
Prospective students can register for the Nov. 11 campus tour and meetings with student services departments such as financial aid, housing, admissions and academic representatives from the various colleges within the university by going online to mtsu.edu/~ or by calling 1-800-331-6878 or 615-898-5670.
Both Saturday tours will start at 10 a.m. Central time and begin in the lobby of the Cope Administration Building.
Prospective students and their parents or guardians may also schedule a tour and campus visit during the week (Monday through Friday except holidays and the following dates: Oct. 9-10 because tours are full; Oct. 13 and Oct. 16-17 because of MTSU fall break; and Nov. 22 because of the Thanksgiving holiday), an MTSU admissions representative said. Tours can be scheduled online or by the above phone numbers.
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Wednesday, September 27, 2006
90 WANTED: COLLEGE GRADS FOR JAPANESE ADVENTURE
JET Program Offers Alums a Chance to Teach and to Learn
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 27, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
(MURFREESBORO) – Emily Winckler, program coordinator of the Culture and Education Division of the Consulate General of Japan in New Orleans, will discuss the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, in Keathley University Center.
“The JET program provides wonderful opportunities for young college graduates to teach English and learn culture in Japan regardless of their major or minor field of study,” Dr. Kiyoshi Kawahito, director of MTSU’s Japan-U.S. Program, says.
Kawahito and Martha Turner, director of the Career and Employment Center, were instrumental in arranging Winckler’s visit.
Winckler says the most popular job offered by JET is the Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) position, in which an ALT teaches an elementary school, middle school or high school class with a Japanese educator.
“You don’t need Japanese (language) skills, but some attributes that would be helpful include ability to adjust to new situations, adaptability, interest in Japan, flexibility, open-mindedness and an appreciation of teamwork,” Winckler says.
JET participants leave for Japan in late July or early August of each year. Each participant signs a one-year contract with a three-year option. The program covers the participant’s round-trip plane ticket and pays him or her an annual salary of 3,600,000 yen, equivalent to about $31,000.
Winckler says she will provide materials and answer questions at an information table in the KUC from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Videos also will be shown continually. From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., she will deliver a PowerPoint presentation to interested persons in Room 316 of the KUC.
For more information, contact the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU at 615-898-2229 or at kawahito@mtsu.edu.
--30--
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 27, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
(MURFREESBORO) – Emily Winckler, program coordinator of the Culture and Education Division of the Consulate General of Japan in New Orleans, will discuss the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, in Keathley University Center.
“The JET program provides wonderful opportunities for young college graduates to teach English and learn culture in Japan regardless of their major or minor field of study,” Dr. Kiyoshi Kawahito, director of MTSU’s Japan-U.S. Program, says.
Kawahito and Martha Turner, director of the Career and Employment Center, were instrumental in arranging Winckler’s visit.
Winckler says the most popular job offered by JET is the Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) position, in which an ALT teaches an elementary school, middle school or high school class with a Japanese educator.
“You don’t need Japanese (language) skills, but some attributes that would be helpful include ability to adjust to new situations, adaptability, interest in Japan, flexibility, open-mindedness and an appreciation of teamwork,” Winckler says.
JET participants leave for Japan in late July or early August of each year. Each participant signs a one-year contract with a three-year option. The program covers the participant’s round-trip plane ticket and pays him or her an annual salary of 3,600,000 yen, equivalent to about $31,000.
Winckler says she will provide materials and answer questions at an information table in the KUC from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Videos also will be shown continually. From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., she will deliver a PowerPoint presentation to interested persons in Room 316 of the KUC.
For more information, contact the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU at 615-898-2229 or at kawahito@mtsu.edu.
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89 UMCMA Issues a $170,000 Appeal for Katrina Campus Ministry Recovery
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 26, 2006
Contact: Bill Campbell
Wesley Foundation at
Middle Tennessee State University
216 College Heights Ave.
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Phone: 615-893-0469
wesleyfoundation@comcast.net
Many stories have emerged about individuals and churches impacted by Hurricane Katrina, but a missing story is the story of the gulf coast United Methodist campus ministries damaged and adversely affected by Katrina.
Wesley Foundations and campus ministries in Mississippi and New Orleans suffered storm damage and disruption of vital ministries to students on several campuses. Max Zehner, United Methodist Campus Minister at Tulane University in New Orleans, reports “the Wesley Foundation at Tulane University received several inches of flood waters as the result of Hurricane Katrina.”
“Since returning to New Orleans in late September of last year, I was faced with mixed emotions. The good news was that our newly added building space faired quite well structurally against the winds of Katrina; but the bad new was that the following flood waters advanced as high as a foot in parts of our building. Our building needed to be gutted on the lower level, we lost all our flooring, and all our furniture,” said Zehner.
The building housing the Wesley Foundation of the Perkinston Campus of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston, Mississippi received such structural damage that it was declared unsafe for occupation. Land was donated for a new multi-purpose building, and efforts are underway for a new home for the Wesley Foundation.
“Several months following the storm … six students from campus were killed in one traffic accident returning from a Bogalusa club. Our Dean of Student Service, Michelle Sekul, and I were talking of the need for a home for the Wesley Foundation and a place for students to gather with friends,” said Susan Vuyovich, United Methodist Campus Minister.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College began as an agriculture school, and one of the oldest buildings on campus, the 100 year old Perk Barn was lost to Hurricane Katrina. Sekul and Vuyovich came up with the concept of a new barn to house the Wesley Foundation and provide events for students. “With the death of our old Perk Bard – birth the idea of a new barn; barns are usually for new birth – what a better place to house campus ministry!” said Vuyovich.
The United Methodist Campus Ministers Association (UMCMA) issues a church wide appeal of $170,000 to assist in the recovery of crucial campus ministries along the Mississippi and Louisiana gulf coasts. After contacting United Methodist campus minister colleagues in this region, the Coordinating Committee of UMCMA arrived at the $170,000 goal; of this total $115,000 is needed for building construction at the Wesley Foundations at Tulane University and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, $55,000 is needed for program needs at Tulane, Dillard University and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College campus ministries.
Due to declining apportionment dollars, more than half of a campus ministries’ operating budget must raised by the local Wesley Foundations has become the trend across the country. “To raise funds for campus ministry, Wesley Foundation boards and campus ministers turn to individuals and the community surrounding a campus for the strongest support. When an entire region is devastated, a Wesley Foundation is hit especially hard losing not only apportionment money but also the sustaining, backbone support of individuals and area churches,” said Bill Campbell, Co-Chair of the United Methodist Campus Ministers Association.
UMCMA calls upon the entire United Methodist Church to please assist in the recovery needs of campus ministries along the gulf coast. Money is needed for building construction, furnishings, appliances, and ministry program support.
Donations for the Katrina Campus Ministry Recovery Appeal will be received and handled by the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation. Your generous gift is urgently needed today as students have returned to these campuses.
Please make your check payable to the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation and in the memo section write Katrina Campus Ministry Recovery. Send your gift to: United Methodist Higher Education Foundation, 1001 Nineteenth Ave., South, Nashville, TN 37212-2130. Questions about making a donation can be sent to Dr. Thomas Yow, President/CEO, email: tyow@gbhem.org .
Date: September 26, 2006
Contact: Bill Campbell
Wesley Foundation at
Middle Tennessee State University
216 College Heights Ave.
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Phone: 615-893-0469
wesleyfoundation@comcast.net
Many stories have emerged about individuals and churches impacted by Hurricane Katrina, but a missing story is the story of the gulf coast United Methodist campus ministries damaged and adversely affected by Katrina.
Wesley Foundations and campus ministries in Mississippi and New Orleans suffered storm damage and disruption of vital ministries to students on several campuses. Max Zehner, United Methodist Campus Minister at Tulane University in New Orleans, reports “the Wesley Foundation at Tulane University received several inches of flood waters as the result of Hurricane Katrina.”
“Since returning to New Orleans in late September of last year, I was faced with mixed emotions. The good news was that our newly added building space faired quite well structurally against the winds of Katrina; but the bad new was that the following flood waters advanced as high as a foot in parts of our building. Our building needed to be gutted on the lower level, we lost all our flooring, and all our furniture,” said Zehner.
The building housing the Wesley Foundation of the Perkinston Campus of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston, Mississippi received such structural damage that it was declared unsafe for occupation. Land was donated for a new multi-purpose building, and efforts are underway for a new home for the Wesley Foundation.
“Several months following the storm … six students from campus were killed in one traffic accident returning from a Bogalusa club. Our Dean of Student Service, Michelle Sekul, and I were talking of the need for a home for the Wesley Foundation and a place for students to gather with friends,” said Susan Vuyovich, United Methodist Campus Minister.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College began as an agriculture school, and one of the oldest buildings on campus, the 100 year old Perk Barn was lost to Hurricane Katrina. Sekul and Vuyovich came up with the concept of a new barn to house the Wesley Foundation and provide events for students. “With the death of our old Perk Bard – birth the idea of a new barn; barns are usually for new birth – what a better place to house campus ministry!” said Vuyovich.
The United Methodist Campus Ministers Association (UMCMA) issues a church wide appeal of $170,000 to assist in the recovery of crucial campus ministries along the Mississippi and Louisiana gulf coasts. After contacting United Methodist campus minister colleagues in this region, the Coordinating Committee of UMCMA arrived at the $170,000 goal; of this total $115,000 is needed for building construction at the Wesley Foundations at Tulane University and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, $55,000 is needed for program needs at Tulane, Dillard University and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College campus ministries.
Due to declining apportionment dollars, more than half of a campus ministries’ operating budget must raised by the local Wesley Foundations has become the trend across the country. “To raise funds for campus ministry, Wesley Foundation boards and campus ministers turn to individuals and the community surrounding a campus for the strongest support. When an entire region is devastated, a Wesley Foundation is hit especially hard losing not only apportionment money but also the sustaining, backbone support of individuals and area churches,” said Bill Campbell, Co-Chair of the United Methodist Campus Ministers Association.
UMCMA calls upon the entire United Methodist Church to please assist in the recovery needs of campus ministries along the gulf coast. Money is needed for building construction, furnishings, appliances, and ministry program support.
Donations for the Katrina Campus Ministry Recovery Appeal will be received and handled by the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation. Your generous gift is urgently needed today as students have returned to these campuses.
Please make your check payable to the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation and in the memo section write Katrina Campus Ministry Recovery. Send your gift to: United Methodist Higher Education Foundation, 1001 Nineteenth Ave., South, Nashville, TN 37212-2130. Questions about making a donation can be sent to Dr. Thomas Yow, President/CEO, email: tyow@gbhem.org .
88 OCTOBER IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH
MTSU Events Highlight Definition, Prevention, Exposition of Fear and Fatalities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 27, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
(MURFREESBORO) –The dramatizations of actors who speak for thousands and the testimony of those who can no longer speak for themselves will mark the June Anderson Women’s Center’s observance of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month at MTSU.
In 2004, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported 66,619 victims of domestic violence, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In 2004, 40 percent of all crimes against persons and 50 percent of all simple assaults in Tennessee were crimes of domestic violence.
The “Silent Witness” exhibit will be shown from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 2-6, 9-11 and 23-25 on the second floor of the KUC. This powerful and effective display is intended to promote healing for the victims. It features blood red T-shirts, each of which is emblazoned with the story of a different domestic violence victim. One T-shirt tells the story of 26-year-old “Dorothy” of Murfreesboro, who was stabbed four times and left for dead by her boyfriend. The perpetrator, who had been charged previously with domestic assault, was tried on a charge of first-degree murder and convicted.
To dramatize how dating violence traumatizes the lives of young adults, the JAWC and Women 4 Women, a student organization, will present “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the KUC Theatre. The original play, written and produced with ABC grants from Allied Arts of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Arts Commission and directed by Dr. Ayne Cantrell, follows the travails of a female college freshman whose boyfriend has jealousy and anger management issues.
All Domestic Violence Awareness Month events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the JAWC at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 27, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
(MURFREESBORO) –The dramatizations of actors who speak for thousands and the testimony of those who can no longer speak for themselves will mark the June Anderson Women’s Center’s observance of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month at MTSU.
In 2004, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported 66,619 victims of domestic violence, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In 2004, 40 percent of all crimes against persons and 50 percent of all simple assaults in Tennessee were crimes of domestic violence.
The “Silent Witness” exhibit will be shown from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 2-6, 9-11 and 23-25 on the second floor of the KUC. This powerful and effective display is intended to promote healing for the victims. It features blood red T-shirts, each of which is emblazoned with the story of a different domestic violence victim. One T-shirt tells the story of 26-year-old “Dorothy” of Murfreesboro, who was stabbed four times and left for dead by her boyfriend. The perpetrator, who had been charged previously with domestic assault, was tried on a charge of first-degree murder and convicted.
To dramatize how dating violence traumatizes the lives of young adults, the JAWC and Women 4 Women, a student organization, will present “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the KUC Theatre. The original play, written and produced with ABC grants from Allied Arts of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Arts Commission and directed by Dr. Ayne Cantrell, follows the travails of a female college freshman whose boyfriend has jealousy and anger management issues.
All Domestic Violence Awareness Month events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the JAWC at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.
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086 NAVIGATE THE ‘NEW PROPAGANDA’ WITH MTSU ETHICS LECTURE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 26, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina E. Fann, 615-898-5385
Media Expert to Offer Tips, Guidance at Oct. 5 Event
(MURFREESBORO)—How do we make sense of the blurry lines between news, information, persuasion, entertainment and advertising?
Dr. Jay Black, Poynter Jamison Chair in Media Ethics, emeritus, at the University of South Florida—St. Petersburg and former director of the Program for Ethics in Education and Community, will offer some guidelines in a special guest lecture Thursday, Oct. 5, at Middle Tennessee State University.
Sponsored by Ethics and Excellence at the College of Mass Communication, Black’s lecture is scheduled from 6 until 7:45 p.m. in Room 104 of the Bragg Mass Communication Building. Seating will be limited, so organizers are encouraging attendees to arrive early.
“Much of what passes for news is laden with what Dr. Black calls ‘the new propaganda’ generated by special interest groups,” said Dr. Thomas Cooper, ethicist-in-residence at MTSU.
“He will initially describe and analyze the new and often-deceptive media mosaic, making note of relevant semantic and ethical dilemmas, and then outline possible remedies for media consumers and practitioners.”
Black, editor of the Journal of Mass Media Ethics since 1984 and author or co-author of 10 books on media and society, media issues and media ethics, has presented some 500 academic and public papers, seminars and workshops and has been an expert witness in two dozen media ethics cases.
“My fundamental argument is that propaganda is inevitable, that it is not just what the ‘bad guys’ do, that contemporary society relishes propaganda [and] that media cater to our closed-mindedness as willing recipients of propaganda,” Black explained.
“If we’re not careful and sophisticated consumers and producers of media fare, there can be serious repercussions for public opinion, community building and self-governance.”
In 1997, the Freedom Forum named Black as co-winner of the national journalism professor of the year award. He holds a doctorate in journalism and sociology from the University of Missouri, a master’s degree in journalism and English from Ohio University and a bachelor’s in English from Miami (Ohio) University. Black also worked as a reporter and copy editor at four newspapers in Ohio and Missouri.
For more information about the lecture, e-mail Cooper at twcooper@comcast.net.
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Tuesday, September 26, 2006
085 PRESIDENTIAL CONCERT SERIES BEGINS OCT. 7th at MTSU
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 27, 2006
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Four-Concert Series Offered Free of Charge, Public Invited to Attend
(MURFREESBORO)—Representatives from the Robert W. McLean School of Music announced the return of the Presidential Concert Series at MTSU, which will open with Requiem by Frigyes Hidas and feature the MTSU Wind Ensemble, MTSU Concert Chorale and soloists beginning at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Sponsored in part by MTSU President Sidney McPhee, this year’s series will also feature the Austrian-Philippine pianist Aima Maria Labra-Makk at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10; the Boston Brass at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22; and the Blair String Quartet at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10.
Regarding the opening concert, Requiem has been noted for its groundbreaking scoring for wind ensemble and chorus. Written in memory of the deceased from every war in history, it is the first work of its kind composed for winds rather than full orchestra although it follows the traditional form of a requiem.
"We are very excited to be doing this new setting for a requiem," said Raphael Bundage, MTSU choral professor and conductor of the MTSU Concert Chorale.
"Having performed requiems by Mozart, Verdi and Fauré, we are finding it to be a very beautiful and lyrical setting of the requiem text in the style of Bruckner and Faure." Bundage said. "(Hidas) combined the German and French traditions of vocal writing."
Reed Thomas, director of the MTSU Wind Ensemble, said he met composer Hidas at the Mid-West convention in Chicago and that Hidas autographed a score and recording of the requiem for him.
"(Ever since) I have been looking forward to the opportunity to perform it," Thomas remarked.
"The music is very beautiful and the colors of the winds with the choir are brilliantly intertwined,” he continued. "It is performed regularly in Europe, but has only received three to four performances in the U.S., primarily because it is difficult to assemble the required personnel.
“This is the Tennessee premier,” he noted, “and I hope it will be performed several times in the future as it is worthy of the effort."
Bundage said two MTSU alumna will join in as soloist; namely, Alice Matlock Clements and Deanna Wright. Other two soloists for the requiem are MTSU professor and tenor H. Stephen Smith and Allen Saunders, guest bass.
Requiem premiered on Nov. 3, 1996, at The Bakats Square Temple in Budapest, Hungary.
The Oct. 7 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, please call (615) 898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Four-Concert Series Offered Free of Charge, Public Invited to Attend
(MURFREESBORO)—Representatives from the Robert W. McLean School of Music announced the return of the Presidential Concert Series at MTSU, which will open with Requiem by Frigyes Hidas and feature the MTSU Wind Ensemble, MTSU Concert Chorale and soloists beginning at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Sponsored in part by MTSU President Sidney McPhee, this year’s series will also feature the Austrian-Philippine pianist Aima Maria Labra-Makk at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10; the Boston Brass at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22; and the Blair String Quartet at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10.
Regarding the opening concert, Requiem has been noted for its groundbreaking scoring for wind ensemble and chorus. Written in memory of the deceased from every war in history, it is the first work of its kind composed for winds rather than full orchestra although it follows the traditional form of a requiem.
"We are very excited to be doing this new setting for a requiem," said Raphael Bundage, MTSU choral professor and conductor of the MTSU Concert Chorale.
"Having performed requiems by Mozart, Verdi and Fauré, we are finding it to be a very beautiful and lyrical setting of the requiem text in the style of Bruckner and Faure." Bundage said. "(Hidas) combined the German and French traditions of vocal writing."
Reed Thomas, director of the MTSU Wind Ensemble, said he met composer Hidas at the Mid-West convention in Chicago and that Hidas autographed a score and recording of the requiem for him.
"(Ever since) I have been looking forward to the opportunity to perform it," Thomas remarked.
"The music is very beautiful and the colors of the winds with the choir are brilliantly intertwined,” he continued. "It is performed regularly in Europe, but has only received three to four performances in the U.S., primarily because it is difficult to assemble the required personnel.
“This is the Tennessee premier,” he noted, “and I hope it will be performed several times in the future as it is worthy of the effort."
Bundage said two MTSU alumna will join in as soloist; namely, Alice Matlock Clements and Deanna Wright. Other two soloists for the requiem are MTSU professor and tenor H. Stephen Smith and Allen Saunders, guest bass.
Requiem premiered on Nov. 3, 1996, at The Bakats Square Temple in Budapest, Hungary.
The Oct. 7 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, please call (615) 898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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084 OCT 2nd CLARINET RECITAL FEATURES TRIO OF FACULTY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 27, 2006
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Public Invited, Encouraged to Attend Free Music Event
(MURFREESBORO)—Todd Waldecker, MTSU professor of clarinet—with the assistance of MTSU faculty members Caleb Harris (piano) and Deanna Hahn-Little (flute)—will present a free concert at 8 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Waldecker will perform Duo Concertant for Clarinet and Piano by Darius Milhaud, Three Songs without Words by Paul Ben-Haim, Peregi Verbunk by Leó Weiner, Promenade Walking the Dog by George Gershwin, Viktor’s Tale from The Terminal by John Williams and Dash for flute, clarinet and piano by Jennifer Higdon.
“This is a light program of small works for clarinet and piano,” Waldecker said. "The compositions reflect a snapshot of world styles: French, Hungarian, Israeli, contemporary American and a few tunes from movies.
The Oct. 2 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, please call (615) 898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Public Invited, Encouraged to Attend Free Music Event
(MURFREESBORO)—Todd Waldecker, MTSU professor of clarinet—with the assistance of MTSU faculty members Caleb Harris (piano) and Deanna Hahn-Little (flute)—will present a free concert at 8 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Waldecker will perform Duo Concertant for Clarinet and Piano by Darius Milhaud, Three Songs without Words by Paul Ben-Haim, Peregi Verbunk by Leó Weiner, Promenade Walking the Dog by George Gershwin, Viktor’s Tale from The Terminal by John Williams and Dash for flute, clarinet and piano by Jennifer Higdon.
“This is a light program of small works for clarinet and piano,” Waldecker said. "The compositions reflect a snapshot of world styles: French, Hungarian, Israeli, contemporary American and a few tunes from movies.
The Oct. 2 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, please call (615) 898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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Thursday, September 21, 2006
082 WHITE COUNTY FARM JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 21, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Dixie Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Dixie Farm in White County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
In 1848, J. A. Walker set sail from Liverpool, England, aboard the Sailor Prince with his wife, Ann, and their three children, John Willy, Elizabeth Ann and Mary Jane. They arrived in New Orleans in November. The family, who had been eight weeks at sea, suffered the death of Mary Jane while living in New Orleans.
In July of the following year, the Walker family boarded the steamboat Old Hickory and arrived in Nashville one week later. Walker, trained to work in all types of leather, soon became the foreman of the saddle shop of Morrow Brothers in Nashville. The shop made saddles and bridles for the Confederate cavalry. Walker enlisted in the Confederate Army and served as a private throughout the war.
In 1869, he purchased a farm of just more than 317 acres for $5,000. The farm was located northeast of Sparta at Yankeetown, which was so named because Union troops camped there during the Civil War, Hankins says. Walker then moved his family from Nashville to his White County property that he named Dixie Farm.
His wife, Ann, was buried on the farm in a cemetery where Revolutionary War veteran Elijah Chisum and his wife were buried in 1818. In 1880, the Englishman was buried by his wife on their farm in Tennessee.
W. A. Walker, son of the founders, inherited a 53-acre share of the farm in 1880 and purchased another 53-acre share from his youngest brother. He and his wife, Mary Walker, had four children.
The farm remained in the family, ultimately became the property of Pauline Day, the great-granddaughter of the founder. In 2006, the land was acquired by Teddy Keith Day, the great-great-grandson of the founding Walkers. Today, Teddy and his son Darrell work the land, raising horses, hay and cattle. The house and a barn built in 1910 remain important parts of the history of this family farm that traces its lineage across two centuries and two continents.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA
provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm or obtain jpegs of this farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Dixie Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Dixie Farm in White County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
In 1848, J. A. Walker set sail from Liverpool, England, aboard the Sailor Prince with his wife, Ann, and their three children, John Willy, Elizabeth Ann and Mary Jane. They arrived in New Orleans in November. The family, who had been eight weeks at sea, suffered the death of Mary Jane while living in New Orleans.
In July of the following year, the Walker family boarded the steamboat Old Hickory and arrived in Nashville one week later. Walker, trained to work in all types of leather, soon became the foreman of the saddle shop of Morrow Brothers in Nashville. The shop made saddles and bridles for the Confederate cavalry. Walker enlisted in the Confederate Army and served as a private throughout the war.
In 1869, he purchased a farm of just more than 317 acres for $5,000. The farm was located northeast of Sparta at Yankeetown, which was so named because Union troops camped there during the Civil War, Hankins says. Walker then moved his family from Nashville to his White County property that he named Dixie Farm.
His wife, Ann, was buried on the farm in a cemetery where Revolutionary War veteran Elijah Chisum and his wife were buried in 1818. In 1880, the Englishman was buried by his wife on their farm in Tennessee.
W. A. Walker, son of the founders, inherited a 53-acre share of the farm in 1880 and purchased another 53-acre share from his youngest brother. He and his wife, Mary Walker, had four children.
The farm remained in the family, ultimately became the property of Pauline Day, the great-granddaughter of the founder. In 2006, the land was acquired by Teddy Keith Day, the great-great-grandson of the founding Walkers. Today, Teddy and his son Darrell work the land, raising horses, hay and cattle. The house and a barn built in 1910 remain important parts of the history of this family farm that traces its lineage across two centuries and two continents.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA
provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm or obtain jpegs of this farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
081 CHESTER COUNTY FARMS JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 20, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Trice and Burns-McKinnon Farms Recognized for Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—Two farms in Chester County have been designated as Tennessee Century Farms, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
• In September 1856, William Crook Trice established a farm east of Henderson in what was then Henderson County. Trice and his wife, Eliza Boren, were natives of Henderson County. They were married in November 1856 and had seven children.
Increasing his original 441 acres to 1,200 acres, the Trice Farm produced corn, cotton, wheat, oats, cattle, mules, hogs, chickens and hay. Trice was appointed magistrate in 1865 and was also a mason.
The next owner of the property was Luke Lee Trice, the son of the founders. An article in the local newspaper dated 1945 notes that L. L. Trice “carries his 86 years like a champion. He is a prosperous farmer, drives his car, rides horseback and makes daily trips around his farm during planting and harvesting seasons.” Wed to Elma Cornelia Priddy, the couple had two children, Mary Leslie and William Lee Trice.
In 1952, William Lee Trice acquired the farm. He and his wife, Zelda Opal Allen, had two children, Virginia Allen and William Luke. During this generation, the farm supported corn, cotton, wheat, oats, hay, soybeans, hogs and mules.
In 1999, William Luke Trice, the great-grandson of the founder, became the owner of the property. Today, Trice cultivates soybeans and wheat on the family farm that celebrates its 150th anniversary this month.
• The Burns-McKinnon Farm is the second Century Farm in Chester County that originates with the farm established in 1880 by William James and Rhoda Jones Burns, just one year after Chester County was formed from four adjacent counties, Hankins says.
The parents of nine children, the Burns produced sheep, cattle, hogs, cotton, corn, wheat and hay. Their daughter, Elizabeth “Bettie” Minerva Burns, became the owner of the farm in 1892. Married to Angus J. McKinnon, who died only seven months after their marriage, they had one son, born six months after his father’s death. Bettie reared her son and maintained the farm on her own.
Hankins says the family recounts a story of a younger Bettie during the years of the Civil War, before the Burns moved to this property. Bettie hid the hogs, sheep and cows in the brush near a creek when Union soldiers were encamped in the area. However, she could not hide the horses; thus, the soldiers took most of them. Undaunted, she rode after them to Pinson about five miles away.
“She must have presented herself as a courageous woman riding sidesaddle and traveling this distance as she somehow persuaded the Yankees into returning the horses they had stolen from her,” writes one of her descendents.
In 1907, Bettie’s son, William Angus McKinnon, became the third-generation owner of the farm. William and wife Martha E. Simmons McKinnon had three children—Lessie, Dossie and William. During his ownership, William opened and operated a potato house, where many community members stored their crops in designated bins. McKinnon controlled the temperature so the potatoes would be preserved throughout the winter.
Dossie Lee McKinnon acquired the family farm in 1929. He and his wife, Hester Fry, served as hosts for many church and community gatherings. Giant oak trees and a spring formed a popular spot for picnicking and swimming. Tragically, Dossie was killed in 1939. Crossing a road during a blinding dust storm, he was struck and killed by an automobile. Like Bettie, Hester reared two small boys and managed the farm.
In 1988, the great-great-grandson of the founder, Roy L. McKinnon, acquired part of the property, as did his brother, William Bernard McKinnon (whose farm was certified as a Century Farm earlier this year). Buildings that are reminders of the generations who lived and worked here during the 20th century include a log cabin, where Lessie, William and Dossie McKinnon were born; a frame house constructed in the 1920s; and two barns built in the 1940s.
Today, three generations live on the Burns-McKinnon Farm, which produces hay and cattle.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA
provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Trice and Burns-McKinnon Farms Recognized for Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—Two farms in Chester County have been designated as Tennessee Century Farms, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
• In September 1856, William Crook Trice established a farm east of Henderson in what was then Henderson County. Trice and his wife, Eliza Boren, were natives of Henderson County. They were married in November 1856 and had seven children.
Increasing his original 441 acres to 1,200 acres, the Trice Farm produced corn, cotton, wheat, oats, cattle, mules, hogs, chickens and hay. Trice was appointed magistrate in 1865 and was also a mason.
The next owner of the property was Luke Lee Trice, the son of the founders. An article in the local newspaper dated 1945 notes that L. L. Trice “carries his 86 years like a champion. He is a prosperous farmer, drives his car, rides horseback and makes daily trips around his farm during planting and harvesting seasons.” Wed to Elma Cornelia Priddy, the couple had two children, Mary Leslie and William Lee Trice.
In 1952, William Lee Trice acquired the farm. He and his wife, Zelda Opal Allen, had two children, Virginia Allen and William Luke. During this generation, the farm supported corn, cotton, wheat, oats, hay, soybeans, hogs and mules.
In 1999, William Luke Trice, the great-grandson of the founder, became the owner of the property. Today, Trice cultivates soybeans and wheat on the family farm that celebrates its 150th anniversary this month.
• The Burns-McKinnon Farm is the second Century Farm in Chester County that originates with the farm established in 1880 by William James and Rhoda Jones Burns, just one year after Chester County was formed from four adjacent counties, Hankins says.
The parents of nine children, the Burns produced sheep, cattle, hogs, cotton, corn, wheat and hay. Their daughter, Elizabeth “Bettie” Minerva Burns, became the owner of the farm in 1892. Married to Angus J. McKinnon, who died only seven months after their marriage, they had one son, born six months after his father’s death. Bettie reared her son and maintained the farm on her own.
Hankins says the family recounts a story of a younger Bettie during the years of the Civil War, before the Burns moved to this property. Bettie hid the hogs, sheep and cows in the brush near a creek when Union soldiers were encamped in the area. However, she could not hide the horses; thus, the soldiers took most of them. Undaunted, she rode after them to Pinson about five miles away.
“She must have presented herself as a courageous woman riding sidesaddle and traveling this distance as she somehow persuaded the Yankees into returning the horses they had stolen from her,” writes one of her descendents.
In 1907, Bettie’s son, William Angus McKinnon, became the third-generation owner of the farm. William and wife Martha E. Simmons McKinnon had three children—Lessie, Dossie and William. During his ownership, William opened and operated a potato house, where many community members stored their crops in designated bins. McKinnon controlled the temperature so the potatoes would be preserved throughout the winter.
Dossie Lee McKinnon acquired the family farm in 1929. He and his wife, Hester Fry, served as hosts for many church and community gatherings. Giant oak trees and a spring formed a popular spot for picnicking and swimming. Tragically, Dossie was killed in 1939. Crossing a road during a blinding dust storm, he was struck and killed by an automobile. Like Bettie, Hester reared two small boys and managed the farm.
In 1988, the great-great-grandson of the founder, Roy L. McKinnon, acquired part of the property, as did his brother, William Bernard McKinnon (whose farm was certified as a Century Farm earlier this year). Buildings that are reminders of the generations who lived and worked here during the 20th century include a log cabin, where Lessie, William and Dossie McKinnon were born; a frame house constructed in the 1920s; and two barns built in the 1940s.
Today, three generations live on the Burns-McKinnon Farm, which produces hay and cattle.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA
provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
080 MONTGOMERY COUNTY FARM JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 20, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
131-Year-Old J & J Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The J & J Farm in Montgomery County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Located in the southeast corner of Montgomery County, the farm was founded by Hannah Buckanan “H. B.” Wall in 1875. On 50 acres, and he his wife, Margaret Elizabeth Proctor Wall, raised tobacco, fruit, swine, hay and cattle. The couple had 14 children.
After H. B.’s death, Margaret reared her children as well as several nieces and nephews, 23 in all. She also oversaw the building of a house (circa, 1896) from trees milled on the farm. Described as a woman of great fortitude, the family recalls that she continued farm work as long as she was able, even milking from a wheelchair in later years.
The next owners of the farm were sons Sidney and H. B. Wall. During their ownership, the farm produced swine, hay, tobacco, corn, cattle and sheep. Sidney and wife Lottie had six children; H. B. and Hattie had three.
In 1960, the grandson of the founders, John Robert Wall, acquired the land. Over the years, John has made some improvements to the farm by building a new house and being the first residence with running water on the farm.
Today, John—along with his son, Johnny Wayne—work the land, raising cattle, swine, corn and hay. Four generations of the Wall family, including the owner, Johnny Wayne and wife Beverly, and their children and grandchildren, make their home on the farm that was established by the Wall ancestors more than 130 years ago.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA
provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
131-Year-Old J & J Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The J & J Farm in Montgomery County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Located in the southeast corner of Montgomery County, the farm was founded by Hannah Buckanan “H. B.” Wall in 1875. On 50 acres, and he his wife, Margaret Elizabeth Proctor Wall, raised tobacco, fruit, swine, hay and cattle. The couple had 14 children.
After H. B.’s death, Margaret reared her children as well as several nieces and nephews, 23 in all. She also oversaw the building of a house (circa, 1896) from trees milled on the farm. Described as a woman of great fortitude, the family recalls that she continued farm work as long as she was able, even milking from a wheelchair in later years.
The next owners of the farm were sons Sidney and H. B. Wall. During their ownership, the farm produced swine, hay, tobacco, corn, cattle and sheep. Sidney and wife Lottie had six children; H. B. and Hattie had three.
In 1960, the grandson of the founders, John Robert Wall, acquired the land. Over the years, John has made some improvements to the farm by building a new house and being the first residence with running water on the farm.
Today, John—along with his son, Johnny Wayne—work the land, raising cattle, swine, corn and hay. Four generations of the Wall family, including the owner, Johnny Wayne and wife Beverly, and their children and grandchildren, make their home on the farm that was established by the Wall ancestors more than 130 years ago.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA
provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
079 FIRST ARTS TALK CONFERENCE FOR DISABLED ARTISTS SET FOR OCT. 6-7th AT MTSU
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 20, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919
Statewide Event Features Career Forum, State Film Premiere, Speakers
(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU will be the site for Arts Talk, a two-day conference and career forum specifically for artists with disabilities, announced Lori Kissinger, MTSU speech and theatre instructor and a representative for the Tennessee chapter of Vision, Strength and Artistic Expression, also known as VSA arts Tennessee.
Presented by the Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC) and VSA arts Tennessee in partnership with the National Arts and Disability Center, the statewide event is slated for Oct. 6-7 and designed for disabled artists from every area of the arts—from writers, actors and painters to designers of all kinds and those involved in the recording industry and musical arts.
“The conference is a career forum (that will) focus on professional development and career opportunities for artists with disabilities,” Kissinger remarked. “We will have people on campus discussing social security issues, legal issues, portfolio development and more.”
Lisa Hester, director of arts access for TAC, said the MTSU conference is the first of its kind in the state and its expected to attract at least 200 participants, including artists with disabilities, potential employers, career counselors and educators.
“Other states have hosted career forums, conferences and focus groups, but this is the first time we have done this in Tennessee,” she observed.
Billed as an event that will “allow people to discover their own potential,” Kissinger said both she and Hester have high hopes for the state’s inaugural Arts Talk.
“I like to see people become self-sufficient,” Kissinger said. “I am a big believer in the old saying about teaching a man to fish instead of just giving him a fish. I think so often people want to do something ‘for’ people with disabilities, but this conference will empower people with disabilities so they can do things for themselves.
“All people want to feel independent, responsible, productive and needed,” she continued, “so I’m hoping this conference provides some skills and resources for individuals with disabilities to be able to find productive work in the arts.”
Indeed, agreed Hester, “We will provide artists (with) the skills for creating effective communication tools such as creating résumés and biographies … (and) there will be plenty of networking opportunities.”
In addition to the career forum, the statewide conference will serve as host for nationally recognized actress/writer/teacher Estelle Condra, who will deliver an Oct. 6 keynote address at 12:45 p.m. in the Business Aerospace Building (BAS) at MTSU.
Condra, who is blind as a result of Retinitis Pigmentosa, developed her talents in speech and drama at universities in London and in her native South Africa before moving to the United States in 1973. As a result of losing her eyesight over a period of
years, Condra brings a unique perspective and energy to each of her creative endeavors, report conference organizers.
Condra has written and produced a number of works, including 1976’s “White Warrior,” an acclaimed Bicentennial drama, and 1994’s “Vibrations of Laughter,” which is the story of Annie Sullivan. An award-winning author, she penned “See the Ocean,” a title that was named as winner of American Booksellers Pick of the Lists. Most recently, Condra performed in “Blind People Shouldn’t Vacuum,” an irreverent comedy that was presented at Vanderbilt University earlier this year.
Also among the conference’s highlights will be the Tennessee premiere of “The Goal,” an award-winning film by filmmaker Darla Rae that stars MTSU alumna Laura Dodd, from 4-6 p.m. Oct 6 in MTSU’s Tucker Theatre.
Called “the ultimate underdog story,” the film has garnered three awards at international festivals. According to press materials, “’The Goal’ chronicles the lives of two athletes who are on an adrenaline track, one to the Olympics and the other to the world of pro soccer.”
The film’s main characters, Steve and Jason, cross paths during a time when each is working to rebuild their lives following severe accidents. And during the course of the film, filmmaker Rae illustrates how “tragedy affects everyone, not just the inured.”
Following the free screening, filmmaker Rae and actress Dodd will participate in a question-and-answer session regarding the film. Also, copies of “The Goal,” $15 each, will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting VSA arts Tennessee, Hester said.
REGISTRATION: Participants may register to attend the event 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 6 and 8 -11 a.m. Oct. 7 in the BAS. Although the event is free, a $25 refundable registration fee is required, report event organizers.
• For more information about Arts Talk, including daily scheduled activities and speakers, please contact Hester (lisa.hester@satte.tn.us) at 615-532-9797 or Kissinger (userk7706@aol.com) at 615-826-5252. Information also is available online at the TAC Web site, www.arts.state.tn.us .
—30—
*****ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a jpeg of filmmaker Darla Rae, or to schedule an interview with the filmmaker, Hester or Kissinger, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at lrollins@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-2919.
For more information about keynote speaker Estelle Condra, please access her Web site at www.estellecondra.com. Interview requests for Ms. Condra may be sent to Estelle@estellecondra.com or by calling 615-383-1065.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919
Statewide Event Features Career Forum, State Film Premiere, Speakers
(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU will be the site for Arts Talk, a two-day conference and career forum specifically for artists with disabilities, announced Lori Kissinger, MTSU speech and theatre instructor and a representative for the Tennessee chapter of Vision, Strength and Artistic Expression, also known as VSA arts Tennessee.
Presented by the Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC) and VSA arts Tennessee in partnership with the National Arts and Disability Center, the statewide event is slated for Oct. 6-7 and designed for disabled artists from every area of the arts—from writers, actors and painters to designers of all kinds and those involved in the recording industry and musical arts.
“The conference is a career forum (that will) focus on professional development and career opportunities for artists with disabilities,” Kissinger remarked. “We will have people on campus discussing social security issues, legal issues, portfolio development and more.”
Lisa Hester, director of arts access for TAC, said the MTSU conference is the first of its kind in the state and its expected to attract at least 200 participants, including artists with disabilities, potential employers, career counselors and educators.
“Other states have hosted career forums, conferences and focus groups, but this is the first time we have done this in Tennessee,” she observed.
Billed as an event that will “allow people to discover their own potential,” Kissinger said both she and Hester have high hopes for the state’s inaugural Arts Talk.
“I like to see people become self-sufficient,” Kissinger said. “I am a big believer in the old saying about teaching a man to fish instead of just giving him a fish. I think so often people want to do something ‘for’ people with disabilities, but this conference will empower people with disabilities so they can do things for themselves.
“All people want to feel independent, responsible, productive and needed,” she continued, “so I’m hoping this conference provides some skills and resources for individuals with disabilities to be able to find productive work in the arts.”
Indeed, agreed Hester, “We will provide artists (with) the skills for creating effective communication tools such as creating résumés and biographies … (and) there will be plenty of networking opportunities.”
In addition to the career forum, the statewide conference will serve as host for nationally recognized actress/writer/teacher Estelle Condra, who will deliver an Oct. 6 keynote address at 12:45 p.m. in the Business Aerospace Building (BAS) at MTSU.
Condra, who is blind as a result of Retinitis Pigmentosa, developed her talents in speech and drama at universities in London and in her native South Africa before moving to the United States in 1973. As a result of losing her eyesight over a period of
years, Condra brings a unique perspective and energy to each of her creative endeavors, report conference organizers.
Condra has written and produced a number of works, including 1976’s “White Warrior,” an acclaimed Bicentennial drama, and 1994’s “Vibrations of Laughter,” which is the story of Annie Sullivan. An award-winning author, she penned “See the Ocean,” a title that was named as winner of American Booksellers Pick of the Lists. Most recently, Condra performed in “Blind People Shouldn’t Vacuum,” an irreverent comedy that was presented at Vanderbilt University earlier this year.
Also among the conference’s highlights will be the Tennessee premiere of “The Goal,” an award-winning film by filmmaker Darla Rae that stars MTSU alumna Laura Dodd, from 4-6 p.m. Oct 6 in MTSU’s Tucker Theatre.
Called “the ultimate underdog story,” the film has garnered three awards at international festivals. According to press materials, “’The Goal’ chronicles the lives of two athletes who are on an adrenaline track, one to the Olympics and the other to the world of pro soccer.”
The film’s main characters, Steve and Jason, cross paths during a time when each is working to rebuild their lives following severe accidents. And during the course of the film, filmmaker Rae illustrates how “tragedy affects everyone, not just the inured.”
Following the free screening, filmmaker Rae and actress Dodd will participate in a question-and-answer session regarding the film. Also, copies of “The Goal,” $15 each, will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting VSA arts Tennessee, Hester said.
REGISTRATION: Participants may register to attend the event 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 6 and 8 -11 a.m. Oct. 7 in the BAS. Although the event is free, a $25 refundable registration fee is required, report event organizers.
• For more information about Arts Talk, including daily scheduled activities and speakers, please contact Hester (lisa.hester@satte.tn.us) at 615-532-9797 or Kissinger (userk7706@aol.com) at 615-826-5252. Information also is available online at the TAC Web site, www.arts.state.tn.us .
—30—
*****ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a jpeg of filmmaker Darla Rae, or to schedule an interview with the filmmaker, Hester or Kissinger, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at lrollins@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-2919.
For more information about keynote speaker Estelle Condra, please access her Web site at www.estellecondra.com. Interview requests for Ms. Condra may be sent to Estelle@estellecondra.com or by calling 615-383-1065.
078 MTSU Professor Researching New Method to Fight Staph Infections
Partnership with Georgia Company Yields Promising Results
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 20, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Anthony Newsome, 615-898-2058
(MURFREESBORO)—School districts in Middle Tennessee recently have reported several cases of staph infection among students and school workers. A biology professor at Middle Tennessee State University is involved in research that holds the promise of helping to reduce the number of these infections. The research may also point to new ways to combat other pathogens such as anthrax, SARS and avian flu. Dr. Anthony Newsome and some of his students have been investigating the effectiveness of chlorine dioxide gas in killing the germs that live in sports equipment such as shoulder pads and helmets. According to Newsome, use of the chemical to kill germs is not new. It has a long history of use as a disinfectant, and it is used worldwide to treat tap water and preserve food. Unfortunately, it is too unstable to ship as a gas and must be produced on site. Historically, this has required bulky equipment and training of personnel to operate the equipment. What makes his research significant is the new method used to generate chlorine dioxide. Instead of bulky equipment, he is using a system involving a dry chemical powder stored in a container about the size of a salt shaker. When the powder is activated small amounts of chlorine dioxide gas is released. The chemical system used in the tests was produced by ICA TriNova of Newnan, Ga. In 2001, Joel Tenney, the company's executive vice president, and several other individuals with backgrounds in public health and chemical engineering developed technology for a new method of producing small amounts of chlorine dioxide to meet specific needs. Tenney says his company's system differs from older methods of chlorine dioxide generation in that it’s portable and simple to apply. Early in the company’s development, ICA TriNova showed that their products could be used effectively to deodorize and decontaminate military clothing and equipment, and these products are currently being used by some U. S. troops overseas to deodorize protective body armor. From these uses, the idea emerged that it might also be used to kill bacteria associated with athletic equipment such as football pads.
Recently, Tenney attended a conference in which Newsome and his graduate students presented their studies about the type of microorganisms present in cooling towers. Through that chance meeting a cooperative relationship developed between Newsome and the company. Newsome and Tenney soon designed laboratory experiments at MTSU to demonstrate the bactericidal properties of chlorine dioxide using this newer technology. Tests conducted in the fall of 2005 by Newsome and students showed the new chlorine dioxide generation technology could be used to kill all or significantly reduce bacteria associated with shoulder pads and football helmets. For these studies they worked closely with MTSU football equipment manager Chris Matusek. Following these encouraging results a similar procedure was done with the cooperation of Coach Eddie Bassam and the staff at Middle Tennessee Christian School. "For all these tests it was shown in dramatic fashion that bacteria were markedly reduced or eliminated from the equipment,” Newsome said. This past spring Newsome and two undergraduate students continued the research applying Staphylococcus aureus, the staph bacterium, directly to football pads. "One surprising observation made," he said, "was that if staph are applied to football pads with a paintbrush and allowed to sit for several days, the greatest number of staph are found not to be on the mesh surface of the pads but rather on the underside of the mesh covering and within the foam pad itself." Using the chlorine dioxide gas treatment approach, his student researchers found that bacteria were killed not only on the surface, but in the mesh layer and even into the foam pad beneath. Newsome observed, "Traditionally the way to treat sports equipment was to wipe it down with a disinfectant. That treats the top surface, but doesn't get into the pores of the pads. The only way to completely eliminate the bacteria was to tear out the old pads and replace them, something that's very costly for the average high school. This new technology allows for a simple, safe onsite intervention for hard to clean shared gear.” He added, "We're looking at a number of other uses for these products. Food stuffs like spinach or tomatoes could be treated in the field to improve safety without affecting the quality. We're also evaluating medical device sterilization, potable water treatment, and other researchers are looking at biothreat response to anthrax, SARS and avian flu."###
Monday, September 18, 2006
074 FULL-TIME MOM, OCCASIONAL SOLDIER, TOTAL WOMAN
Math Major Counts on Hubby to Keep the Home Fires Burning
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 18, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
(GLENCOE, Ala.) – Home and duty, Christian and Muslim, American and Iraqi—Lt. Col. Stacey Garmon, former Middle Tennessee State University math major and 1987 graduate, is not only experienced at balancing the books. She can balance disparate cultures and values with comparable talent and a seemingly easy grace.
Garmon returned stateside July 16, when she arrived at Camp Atterbury, Ind., after a one-year deployment to Iraq with the U.S. Army Reserve’s 80th Division, headquartered in Richmond, Va. She is at home now with her husband Jeff, 44, and daughters Brynna, 11, and Alyssa, 9.
Although she has been in uniform for 21 years, her most recent job was to navigate the tricky territory between the contracting office and the companies whose job was to rebuild Iraq’s war-torn infrastructure, often soon after it had been bombed to the ground.
“I was the liaison between the contracting office and the contractor to ensure that the government got what it was paying for, that the services provided were the services that were needed, and that we didn’t take advantage of the contractor, but we held them up to their obligations,” the 42-year-old Garmon says.
That was a taller order than it might appear. Garmon’s responsibility was to tiptoe across the culture clash to keep business practices predictable and transparent without insulting locals who saw nothing wrong with nepotism and individual kickbacks.
While that hardly sounds like life-threatening duty, Garmon’s mission actually had a lot to do with sustaining life. The contractors with whom she dealt were charged with providing the water, fuel, power, sewage services and food necessary to create some semblance of normality. It was a daily battle against the odds, never mind the occasional mortar barrage.
Given those conditions, it is fortunate that Garmon lost her professional innocence early in her military career. She served 13 years in the Tennessee National Guard before transferring to the Army Reserve, and she admits she did not expect to make it to captain.
“Reality and idealism are two different things, and I was very idealistic about the military,” Garmon says. “It took me awhile to understand what reality was. I was a very hard-charging lieutenant, and, after I went to Desert Storm, I learned how to chill out a little bit.”
It was her six months planning for contingencies in a command and control center in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm that taught her that there are no small parts, only small actors—but there had better not be any small soldiers when the going gets tough.
“From that experience, I learned that I’m just one little bitty cog in the wheel, and that, though I felt strongly about things, needed to understand where I could make a difference,” Garmon says.
This is hardly what Garmon had in mind when she received a card in the mail during her second year in college asking her if she wanted to know more about Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). She checked the box.
Garmon did not want active duty, but she did feel a compelling need to give something back to her country. To this day, Garmon, who was not reared by a military family, is unable to put her finger on the exact origin of that compulsion.
In high school, she thought she wanted to enter politics. Although she is grateful she did not pursue that path, Garmon still maintains that all Americans should devote themselves either to some sort of volunteer civic duty, political activity or military service.
“We really owe debt to those people who paved the way for us,” Garmon says. “I honestly feel like, as Americans, we owe a lot to this country because we have so much.”
Of course, having an understanding spouse can be very helpful. Jeff was working for BellSouth and Stacey was working for Third National Bank when they met. He had been out of the military when she returned from Desert Storm. He returned to duty shortly before they tied the knot in 1992. Jeff spent three months in Kuwait in 2003 with the Alabama Air National Guard’s 225th Combat Communications Squad out of Gadsden, Ala.
Between weekend duty and overseas deployments, Garmon enjoys the role of stay-at-home mom, occasionally teaching aerobics part-time, but preferring to transport her girls to extracurricular activities and to help with their Girl Scout troop. However, when she thinks about the people she came to know in Iraq, her voice takes on a wistful tone.
“I hurt for the Muslims in Iraq because they have so much unused potential there,” Garmon says. “That country has a lot of potential. I wish them hope because I think that’s what they’re missing right now … I think it’s going to take a couple of generations to get there.”
--30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpegs of Lt. Col. Stacey Garmon on duty in Iraq and at home in Alabama, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 18, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
(GLENCOE, Ala.) – Home and duty, Christian and Muslim, American and Iraqi—Lt. Col. Stacey Garmon, former Middle Tennessee State University math major and 1987 graduate, is not only experienced at balancing the books. She can balance disparate cultures and values with comparable talent and a seemingly easy grace.
Garmon returned stateside July 16, when she arrived at Camp Atterbury, Ind., after a one-year deployment to Iraq with the U.S. Army Reserve’s 80th Division, headquartered in Richmond, Va. She is at home now with her husband Jeff, 44, and daughters Brynna, 11, and Alyssa, 9.
Although she has been in uniform for 21 years, her most recent job was to navigate the tricky territory between the contracting office and the companies whose job was to rebuild Iraq’s war-torn infrastructure, often soon after it had been bombed to the ground.
“I was the liaison between the contracting office and the contractor to ensure that the government got what it was paying for, that the services provided were the services that were needed, and that we didn’t take advantage of the contractor, but we held them up to their obligations,” the 42-year-old Garmon says.
That was a taller order than it might appear. Garmon’s responsibility was to tiptoe across the culture clash to keep business practices predictable and transparent without insulting locals who saw nothing wrong with nepotism and individual kickbacks.
While that hardly sounds like life-threatening duty, Garmon’s mission actually had a lot to do with sustaining life. The contractors with whom she dealt were charged with providing the water, fuel, power, sewage services and food necessary to create some semblance of normality. It was a daily battle against the odds, never mind the occasional mortar barrage.
Given those conditions, it is fortunate that Garmon lost her professional innocence early in her military career. She served 13 years in the Tennessee National Guard before transferring to the Army Reserve, and she admits she did not expect to make it to captain.
“Reality and idealism are two different things, and I was very idealistic about the military,” Garmon says. “It took me awhile to understand what reality was. I was a very hard-charging lieutenant, and, after I went to Desert Storm, I learned how to chill out a little bit.”
It was her six months planning for contingencies in a command and control center in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm that taught her that there are no small parts, only small actors—but there had better not be any small soldiers when the going gets tough.
“From that experience, I learned that I’m just one little bitty cog in the wheel, and that, though I felt strongly about things, needed to understand where I could make a difference,” Garmon says.
This is hardly what Garmon had in mind when she received a card in the mail during her second year in college asking her if she wanted to know more about Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). She checked the box.
Garmon did not want active duty, but she did feel a compelling need to give something back to her country. To this day, Garmon, who was not reared by a military family, is unable to put her finger on the exact origin of that compulsion.
In high school, she thought she wanted to enter politics. Although she is grateful she did not pursue that path, Garmon still maintains that all Americans should devote themselves either to some sort of volunteer civic duty, political activity or military service.
“We really owe debt to those people who paved the way for us,” Garmon says. “I honestly feel like, as Americans, we owe a lot to this country because we have so much.”
Of course, having an understanding spouse can be very helpful. Jeff was working for BellSouth and Stacey was working for Third National Bank when they met. He had been out of the military when she returned from Desert Storm. He returned to duty shortly before they tied the knot in 1992. Jeff spent three months in Kuwait in 2003 with the Alabama Air National Guard’s 225th Combat Communications Squad out of Gadsden, Ala.
Between weekend duty and overseas deployments, Garmon enjoys the role of stay-at-home mom, occasionally teaching aerobics part-time, but preferring to transport her girls to extracurricular activities and to help with their Girl Scout troop. However, when she thinks about the people she came to know in Iraq, her voice takes on a wistful tone.
“I hurt for the Muslims in Iraq because they have so much unused potential there,” Garmon says. “That country has a lot of potential. I wish them hope because I think that’s what they’re missing right now … I think it’s going to take a couple of generations to get there.”
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpegs of Lt. Col. Stacey Garmon on duty in Iraq and at home in Alabama, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
073 STUDENTS SPARK DIALOGUE ON MIDDLE EAST VIOLENCE
MTSU Faculty Experts to Tackle Thorny Crisis of International Import
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 18, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
(MURFREESBORO) – Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) will present “The Israeli-Lebanese Conflict: How the Media Affect the U.S. Perspective,” a panel discussion, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. The dialogue is free and open to the public.
“The event will allow students an opportunity to ask questions and express their opinions about the current crisis between the Lebanese and Israelis,” Angie Feeney, president of the MTSU chapter of AID, says. “This has been an issue receiving great media coverage after Hezbollah, a Lebanese paramilitary group, kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in early July 2006, sparking the conflict.”
Lasting from July 12, 2006 until a United Nations-brokered cease fire went into effect August 14, 2006, the fighting claimed the lives of more than 1,500 people and wounded more than 5,000 in both nations.
MTSU professors participating in the dialogue include Dr. Karen Petersen, assistant professor of political science, who attended a terrorism conference in Israel this past summer and specializes in international politics and U.S. national security policy; Dr. Sean Foley, assistant professor of history, who held Fulbright fellowships in Syria and Turkey in 2002 and 2003 and teaches “Topics in Modern Middle East History: Arab/Israeli Conflict;” Dr. John Omachonu, associate dean of the College of Mass Communication, whose areas of expertise include media technology and globalization; and Dr. Larry Burriss, professor of journalism, a veteran of Operation Desert Storm as well as years of print and broadcast journalism experience.
Feeney describes Americans for Informed Democracy as “a global student organization that raises awareness in the U.S. about world opinions with the goal of promoting a more multilateral American foreign policy. AID was started in September of 2002 by Americans studying abroad at Oxford University who believed that U.S. unilateralism was undermining America's moral message in the world. As word about its mission spread, it gained members at more than 500 universities in over 10 countries.
“This (discussion) is part of a ‘hope, not hate’ program that AID does nationwide,” Feeney says. “This is a good way to facilitate better relations between the U.S. and the Arab world.”
In addition to Feeney, AID’s officers are Logan Grant, vice president; Emily Anderson, secretary; and Jamie Bowers, treasurer. Dr. John Maynor, assistant professor of political science, is the faculty advisor.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 18, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
(MURFREESBORO) – Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) will present “The Israeli-Lebanese Conflict: How the Media Affect the U.S. Perspective,” a panel discussion, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, in Room 221 of the Learning Resources Center. The dialogue is free and open to the public.
“The event will allow students an opportunity to ask questions and express their opinions about the current crisis between the Lebanese and Israelis,” Angie Feeney, president of the MTSU chapter of AID, says. “This has been an issue receiving great media coverage after Hezbollah, a Lebanese paramilitary group, kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in early July 2006, sparking the conflict.”
Lasting from July 12, 2006 until a United Nations-brokered cease fire went into effect August 14, 2006, the fighting claimed the lives of more than 1,500 people and wounded more than 5,000 in both nations.
MTSU professors participating in the dialogue include Dr. Karen Petersen, assistant professor of political science, who attended a terrorism conference in Israel this past summer and specializes in international politics and U.S. national security policy; Dr. Sean Foley, assistant professor of history, who held Fulbright fellowships in Syria and Turkey in 2002 and 2003 and teaches “Topics in Modern Middle East History: Arab/Israeli Conflict;” Dr. John Omachonu, associate dean of the College of Mass Communication, whose areas of expertise include media technology and globalization; and Dr. Larry Burriss, professor of journalism, a veteran of Operation Desert Storm as well as years of print and broadcast journalism experience.
Feeney describes Americans for Informed Democracy as “a global student organization that raises awareness in the U.S. about world opinions with the goal of promoting a more multilateral American foreign policy. AID was started in September of 2002 by Americans studying abroad at Oxford University who believed that U.S. unilateralism was undermining America's moral message in the world. As word about its mission spread, it gained members at more than 500 universities in over 10 countries.
“This (discussion) is part of a ‘hope, not hate’ program that AID does nationwide,” Feeney says. “This is a good way to facilitate better relations between the U.S. and the Arab world.”
In addition to Feeney, AID’s officers are Logan Grant, vice president; Emily Anderson, secretary; and Jamie Bowers, treasurer. Dr. John Maynor, assistant professor of political science, is the faculty advisor.
072 HAWKINS COUNTY FARM JOINS RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 18, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Lyonsdale Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Lyonsdale Farm in Hawkins County was designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Around 1806, William and Matilda Lyons established the Lyonsdale Farm in Hawkins County. On 1,640 acres they raised tobacco and cattle. In addition to farming, William partnered with his son David and established a store known as William Lyons and Son. and locally known as Lyons Store. The two-story brick building, which was operated as a store from about 1800 to 1900, also served as the Lyons Post Office from 1837 to 1866. The conscription center for the Confederacy also was located at this building.
Located on the stage road, now Highway 11W, William and Matilda, the parents of nine children, also operated an inn and way station in their home.
The next owner of the land was their son, Clinton Gallagher Lyons. Married to Margaret Lavinia Cooke, the couple reared five children. During this generation, the farm continued to support primary crops including tobacco, livestock, and a variety of grains and vegetables. As time moved on, the farm was passed to Clinton’s son, William Cooke Lyons, and then it was acquired by William’s son, George Conner Lyons.
George and his wife Jessie Powell Draper had four children—Mary Elizabeth, Virginia Ewing, Frances Draper and Jessie Goodbar. In 1966, the great-great-granddaughter of the founder, Jessie Lyons Brown, acquired the farm. Today, she and husband William Horatio Brown IV oversee the farm’s management, leasing it to Wayne Byington, who raises tobacco, cattle and hay.
A two-story log home that was built in 1891, the historic Lyons Store and post office building, and a blacksmith shop that were constructed in the late 19th century are reminders of the 200 years of farming history that the Lyons family celebrates this year, Hankins said.
Lyonsdale Farm joins 17 other certified Century Farm in Hawkins County. Hankins added.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm, or to obtain jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
***NOTE: PHOTOS OF THIS FARM ARE AVAILABLE.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Lyonsdale Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Lyonsdale Farm in Hawkins County was designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Around 1806, William and Matilda Lyons established the Lyonsdale Farm in Hawkins County. On 1,640 acres they raised tobacco and cattle. In addition to farming, William partnered with his son David and established a store known as William Lyons and Son. and locally known as Lyons Store. The two-story brick building, which was operated as a store from about 1800 to 1900, also served as the Lyons Post Office from 1837 to 1866. The conscription center for the Confederacy also was located at this building.
Located on the stage road, now Highway 11W, William and Matilda, the parents of nine children, also operated an inn and way station in their home.
The next owner of the land was their son, Clinton Gallagher Lyons. Married to Margaret Lavinia Cooke, the couple reared five children. During this generation, the farm continued to support primary crops including tobacco, livestock, and a variety of grains and vegetables. As time moved on, the farm was passed to Clinton’s son, William Cooke Lyons, and then it was acquired by William’s son, George Conner Lyons.
George and his wife Jessie Powell Draper had four children—Mary Elizabeth, Virginia Ewing, Frances Draper and Jessie Goodbar. In 1966, the great-great-granddaughter of the founder, Jessie Lyons Brown, acquired the farm. Today, she and husband William Horatio Brown IV oversee the farm’s management, leasing it to Wayne Byington, who raises tobacco, cattle and hay.
A two-story log home that was built in 1891, the historic Lyons Store and post office building, and a blacksmith shop that were constructed in the late 19th century are reminders of the 200 years of farming history that the Lyons family celebrates this year, Hankins said.
Lyonsdale Farm joins 17 other certified Century Farm in Hawkins County. Hankins added.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm, or to obtain jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
***NOTE: PHOTOS OF THIS FARM ARE AVAILABLE.
071 DANNER EVENT TEES OFF OCT. 4
AT NASHVILLE’S HERMITAGE GOLF COURSE FOR SCHOLARS AT MTSU PROGRAM
Date: Sept. 15, 2006
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Golf tournament contact: Amanda Bell, 615-604-7171
(MURFREESBORO) — Golfers are preparing for the 13th annual Danner Invitational Golf Tournament to be held Wednesday, Oct. 4, at Nashville’s Hermitage Golf Course.
Sponsored by The Neill-Sandler Foundation to benefit the Neill-Sandler Scholars at MTSU program, up to 120 golfers will compete in the event.
The tournament schedule starts at 11:30 a.m. with registration and practice, lunch at noon, 1 p.m. shotgun start and beverages and awards after the tournament.
The golf scramble entry fee will include registration, practice, buffet provided by Crockett’s Restaurant, cart rental, greens fees, player’s gift pack, refreshments on the course, door prizes, drinks and awards.
There will be two flights and prizes for the top three teams in each flight.
Tournament prizes will be given for closest to the pin and longest drive. There will be prizes for holes-in-one at all four par-3 holes.
Entry and sponsor fees will include $95 donation toward prizes, $350 per person or $1,295 team entry and hole sponsorship (paid by Sept. 30) and $450 hole sponsorship.
Entry forms can be obtained by calling Amanda Bell at615-604-7171, and completed forms and check can be mailed c/o The Neill-Sandler Foundation, P.O. Box 2759/2505 S. Church St., Murfreesboro, TN 37133-2759.
Event sponsors include Bell Construction, The Danner Foundation, Maggart & Associates, Frank E. Neal and Company, C.D. Norberg & Associates and SunTrust Bank/Brian Austin. The Daily News Journal provides Media support.
Ray Danner of The Danner Company, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, tournament chairman Tony Rose and Gary Neill and Mike Sandler of the Neill-Sandler Foundation extend an invitation to golfers and participants who “can provide opportunities to deserving individuals who might not attend college otherwise” and can “help make a difference in a life.”
Seventy-five students have been awarded scholarships since 1999. Each spring, up to 10 scholarships are awarded to students from Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Rutherford, Warren, Williamson and Wilson counties, and Tullahoma City Schools. The 2007 Strive for Excellence Banquet date will be announced later.
For more information, call Bell or 615-898-5818.
###
Media welcomed.
Date: Sept. 15, 2006
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Golf tournament contact: Amanda Bell, 615-604-7171
(MURFREESBORO) — Golfers are preparing for the 13th annual Danner Invitational Golf Tournament to be held Wednesday, Oct. 4, at Nashville’s Hermitage Golf Course.
Sponsored by The Neill-Sandler Foundation to benefit the Neill-Sandler Scholars at MTSU program, up to 120 golfers will compete in the event.
The tournament schedule starts at 11:30 a.m. with registration and practice, lunch at noon, 1 p.m. shotgun start and beverages and awards after the tournament.
The golf scramble entry fee will include registration, practice, buffet provided by Crockett’s Restaurant, cart rental, greens fees, player’s gift pack, refreshments on the course, door prizes, drinks and awards.
There will be two flights and prizes for the top three teams in each flight.
Tournament prizes will be given for closest to the pin and longest drive. There will be prizes for holes-in-one at all four par-3 holes.
Entry and sponsor fees will include $95 donation toward prizes, $350 per person or $1,295 team entry and hole sponsorship (paid by Sept. 30) and $450 hole sponsorship.
Entry forms can be obtained by calling Amanda Bell at615-604-7171, and completed forms and check can be mailed c/o The Neill-Sandler Foundation, P.O. Box 2759/2505 S. Church St., Murfreesboro, TN 37133-2759.
Event sponsors include Bell Construction, The Danner Foundation, Maggart & Associates, Frank E. Neal and Company, C.D. Norberg & Associates and SunTrust Bank/Brian Austin. The Daily News Journal provides Media support.
Ray Danner of The Danner Company, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, tournament chairman Tony Rose and Gary Neill and Mike Sandler of the Neill-Sandler Foundation extend an invitation to golfers and participants who “can provide opportunities to deserving individuals who might not attend college otherwise” and can “help make a difference in a life.”
Seventy-five students have been awarded scholarships since 1999. Each spring, up to 10 scholarships are awarded to students from Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Rutherford, Warren, Williamson and Wilson counties, and Tullahoma City Schools. The 2007 Strive for Excellence Banquet date will be announced later.
For more information, call Bell or 615-898-5818.
###
Media welcomed.
070 CROCKETT COUNTY GAINS 17th TENNESSEE CENTURY FARM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 15, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
147-Year-Old M & M Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The M & M Farm in Crockett County recently was designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Located southeast of Alamo, the farm was founded by Daniel Laman in 1859. On the farm, he raised sheep, cattle and corn. In addition to managing the farm, he served as one of the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church South in the community. Daniel married Susan Emison; they had eight children.
The next owner of the farm was the founder’s son-in-law, F. M. Goldsmith. He and wife Margaret Laman had three children—Archie, Ada Frances and Francis Edgar. During his ownership, the farm produced corn, cotton, strawberries, sorghum, cattle and hogs. While maintaining the farm, F. M. and his family were also active at the Cypress Methodist Church. F. M. served as Sunday School superintendent and his daughter, Ada, played the organ at the church and was a member of the church’s “Singing School.”
In 1914, Clem M. Clark, the husband of Ada, acquired the property. Their children were named Rebecca Sue, Dorothy Mary, William Frances and Margaret Elizabeth. In 1982, Margaret and her husband Marvin C. Norville, who served in the Navy in World War II, became the owners of the land. Today, they rent the land to Jimmy Hart, who grows cotton, corn, soybeans and vegetables.
Hankins said the M & M Farm joins 16 other Crockett County properties that have been designated as Century Farms.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm, or to obtain jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
***NOTE: PHOTOS OF THIS FARM ARE AVAILABLE.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
147-Year-Old M & M Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The M & M Farm in Crockett County recently was designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Located southeast of Alamo, the farm was founded by Daniel Laman in 1859. On the farm, he raised sheep, cattle and corn. In addition to managing the farm, he served as one of the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church South in the community. Daniel married Susan Emison; they had eight children.
The next owner of the farm was the founder’s son-in-law, F. M. Goldsmith. He and wife Margaret Laman had three children—Archie, Ada Frances and Francis Edgar. During his ownership, the farm produced corn, cotton, strawberries, sorghum, cattle and hogs. While maintaining the farm, F. M. and his family were also active at the Cypress Methodist Church. F. M. served as Sunday School superintendent and his daughter, Ada, played the organ at the church and was a member of the church’s “Singing School.”
In 1914, Clem M. Clark, the husband of Ada, acquired the property. Their children were named Rebecca Sue, Dorothy Mary, William Frances and Margaret Elizabeth. In 1982, Margaret and her husband Marvin C. Norville, who served in the Navy in World War II, became the owners of the land. Today, they rent the land to Jimmy Hart, who grows cotton, corn, soybeans and vegetables.
Hankins said the M & M Farm joins 16 other Crockett County properties that have been designated as Century Farms.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm, or to obtain jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
***NOTE: PHOTOS OF THIS FARM ARE AVAILABLE.
069 MTSU SCHOOL OF NURSING PLANS SEPT. 25 BLOOD DRIVE IN CKNB
Date: Sept. 15, 2006
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
School of Nursing contact: Dr. Jenny Sauls, 615-898-5845
(MURFREESBORO) — The MTSU School of Nursing will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, in Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building Room 109.
Dr. Jenny Sauls, associate professor, nursing, and associate director for on-ground programs, requests prospective blood donors contact her by calling 615-898-5845 or e-mail jsauls@mtsu.edu to schedule an appointment.
###
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
School of Nursing contact: Dr. Jenny Sauls, 615-898-5845
(MURFREESBORO) — The MTSU School of Nursing will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, in Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building Room 109.
Dr. Jenny Sauls, associate professor, nursing, and associate director for on-ground programs, requests prospective blood donors contact her by calling 615-898-5845 or e-mail jsauls@mtsu.edu to schedule an appointment.
###
Thursday, September 14, 2006
068 DEVELOPMENT OFFICE’S FALL PHONATHON TO BEGIN SEPT. 18
Date: Sept. 14, 2006
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Office of Development contact: Lucie P. Murphy, 615-898-2728
(MURFREESBORO) — The Office of Development’s fall annual giving phonathon will begin Monday, Sept. 18, Lucie P. Murphy, coordinator of annual giving, said recently.
MTSU students will be calling alumni “to inform them of the latest developments from MTSU and their respective colleges, and ask them to make a gift to the university,” Murphy said, adding that calls generally will be made from Sunday through Thursday.
The phonathon schedule includes Sept. 18: Regents Online Degree Program; Sept. 19-28: College of Education and Behavioral Science; Oct. 1-20: College of Basic and Applied Sciences; Oct. 22-26: College of Mass Communication; Oct. 29-Nov. 9: Jennings A. Jones College of Business; and Nov. 12-21: College of Liberal Arts.
Murphy said students interested in working during the spring 2007 annual giving phonathon could call her at 615-898-2728.
###
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Office of Development contact: Lucie P. Murphy, 615-898-2728
(MURFREESBORO) — The Office of Development’s fall annual giving phonathon will begin Monday, Sept. 18, Lucie P. Murphy, coordinator of annual giving, said recently.
MTSU students will be calling alumni “to inform them of the latest developments from MTSU and their respective colleges, and ask them to make a gift to the university,” Murphy said, adding that calls generally will be made from Sunday through Thursday.
The phonathon schedule includes Sept. 18: Regents Online Degree Program; Sept. 19-28: College of Education and Behavioral Science; Oct. 1-20: College of Basic and Applied Sciences; Oct. 22-26: College of Mass Communication; Oct. 29-Nov. 9: Jennings A. Jones College of Business; and Nov. 12-21: College of Liberal Arts.
Murphy said students interested in working during the spring 2007 annual giving phonathon could call her at 615-898-2728.
###
067 FARM BECOMES 15th CENTURY FARM IN JEFFERSON COUNTY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 14, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
100-Year-Old Neil Manley Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Neil Manley Farm in Jefferson County recently was designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
According to CHP records, it was 100 years ago that Reed W. Manley and his family came from Milo, Iowa, and founded a farm just west of Jefferson City. The land he bought was owned during the 1860s by Dr. Isham Peck. According to the family, a skirmish took place on this property during the Civil War, resulting in the death of 12 soldiers from both the Confederate and the Union armies. Five days after this skirmish, the Battle of Mossy Creek in Jefferson City occurred.
Reed was married to Effie C. Manley; the couple had three children, Mary Cate, Rolla R. and Marshall Neil. The Manelys operated a Grade A Dairy and raised hogs, sheep, chickens and tobacco. Their son, Neil, recalls that the “big day of the year was threshing wheat, oats and barley.”
In 1970, Neil acquired the land. He and his wife Gladys Crawford Manley are the parents of three children. Neil has received many recognitions, including Conservation Farmer of the Year in 1986 and producer of “Champion Alfalfa Hay” in 1987 and 1992.
Neil continues to manage and operate the farm, cultivating alfalfa and orchard grass and raising beef cattle. A main residence, a corncrib shed, a tobacco barn and a storm cellar structure, all built in the early 1900s, still stand on the land today. The property was recognized in the book. Jefferson City 200 Years in Pictures, which was published in 2003.
Hankins said the Neil Manley Farm is the 15th farm in Jefferson County to be certified as a Century Farm.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
Currently, there are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins observed, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
100-Year-Old Neil Manley Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Neil Manley Farm in Jefferson County recently was designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
According to CHP records, it was 100 years ago that Reed W. Manley and his family came from Milo, Iowa, and founded a farm just west of Jefferson City. The land he bought was owned during the 1860s by Dr. Isham Peck. According to the family, a skirmish took place on this property during the Civil War, resulting in the death of 12 soldiers from both the Confederate and the Union armies. Five days after this skirmish, the Battle of Mossy Creek in Jefferson City occurred.
Reed was married to Effie C. Manley; the couple had three children, Mary Cate, Rolla R. and Marshall Neil. The Manelys operated a Grade A Dairy and raised hogs, sheep, chickens and tobacco. Their son, Neil, recalls that the “big day of the year was threshing wheat, oats and barley.”
In 1970, Neil acquired the land. He and his wife Gladys Crawford Manley are the parents of three children. Neil has received many recognitions, including Conservation Farmer of the Year in 1986 and producer of “Champion Alfalfa Hay” in 1987 and 1992.
Neil continues to manage and operate the farm, cultivating alfalfa and orchard grass and raising beef cattle. A main residence, a corncrib shed, a tobacco barn and a storm cellar structure, all built in the early 1900s, still stand on the land today. The property was recognized in the book. Jefferson City 200 Years in Pictures, which was published in 2003.
Hankins said the Neil Manley Farm is the 15th farm in Jefferson County to be certified as a Century Farm.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
Currently, there are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins observed, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
066 MTSU WELCOMES ‘ME & WILLIE’S GUITAR’ WRITER TO WORKSHOP
FOR RELEASE: Sept. 14, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACTS: Assistant Professor Hal Newman, 615-898-2949
Gina E. Fann, 615-898-5385
Singer/Songwriter to Offer Tips, Techniques to Students at Sept. 18 Event
(MURFREESBORO)—Singer/songwriter Ray Stephenson will open his tool chest of knowledge at Middle Tennessee State University during a special songwriter’s workshop set for Monday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m.
The free public event, held in Room 104 of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building, is sponsored by the National Songwriters Association International at MTSU—the first student chapter of the Nashville-based NSAI.
Stephenson, whose new album on the Universal South label is scheduled for release later this year, began writing songs as a teen-ager and put himself through college playing in bands across Georgia, north Florida and Alabama.
After earning a degree in painting and sculpture and working briefly as a graphic designer, Stephenson moved to Nashville in 1998 and began playing clubs and performing on the road with artists like Vern Gosdin, Steve Holy, Sonya Isaacs and Steve Macanally.
He signed a publishing deal with EMI Nashville and East Valley Music in 2001 that led to songs cut by Holy, Isaacs, Guy Clark, The Wilkinsons, Wynonna Judd and Dean Miller, among others. Most recently, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and John Anderson recorded Stephenson’s “Me and Willie’s Guitar.”
“We are fortunate to have Corri Peck as our program chair this semester,” said Assistant Professor Hal Newman, a veteran musician who teaches commercial songwriting and music publishing at MTSU and serves as faculty adviser to the student NSAI chapter. “She is acquainted with many Nashville songwriters and has lined up an all-star cast of writers for our workshops this semester.”
MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry recently joined forces with the Nashville office of ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) to create a new commercial songwriting program called “Partners in Craft.” The program, which began this fall at MTSU, formalized a long-standing partnership with ASCAP that matched veteran industry songwriting and publishing mentors with exceptional student songwriters. The new program provides opportunities and specialized courses tailored to students’ career goals.
The department, which is a part of the university’s College of Mass Communication, is one of the largest and best equipped in the country. Undergraduate recording industry students choose between two concentrations: music business or production and technology. The department now also offers a unique graduate program in recording arts and technologies.
For more information about the workshop or NSAI at MTSU, please call 615-898-2949.
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EDITORIAL CONTACTS: Assistant Professor Hal Newman, 615-898-2949
Gina E. Fann, 615-898-5385
Singer/Songwriter to Offer Tips, Techniques to Students at Sept. 18 Event
(MURFREESBORO)—Singer/songwriter Ray Stephenson will open his tool chest of knowledge at Middle Tennessee State University during a special songwriter’s workshop set for Monday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m.
The free public event, held in Room 104 of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building, is sponsored by the National Songwriters Association International at MTSU—the first student chapter of the Nashville-based NSAI.
Stephenson, whose new album on the Universal South label is scheduled for release later this year, began writing songs as a teen-ager and put himself through college playing in bands across Georgia, north Florida and Alabama.
After earning a degree in painting and sculpture and working briefly as a graphic designer, Stephenson moved to Nashville in 1998 and began playing clubs and performing on the road with artists like Vern Gosdin, Steve Holy, Sonya Isaacs and Steve Macanally.
He signed a publishing deal with EMI Nashville and East Valley Music in 2001 that led to songs cut by Holy, Isaacs, Guy Clark, The Wilkinsons, Wynonna Judd and Dean Miller, among others. Most recently, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and John Anderson recorded Stephenson’s “Me and Willie’s Guitar.”
“We are fortunate to have Corri Peck as our program chair this semester,” said Assistant Professor Hal Newman, a veteran musician who teaches commercial songwriting and music publishing at MTSU and serves as faculty adviser to the student NSAI chapter. “She is acquainted with many Nashville songwriters and has lined up an all-star cast of writers for our workshops this semester.”
MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry recently joined forces with the Nashville office of ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) to create a new commercial songwriting program called “Partners in Craft.” The program, which began this fall at MTSU, formalized a long-standing partnership with ASCAP that matched veteran industry songwriting and publishing mentors with exceptional student songwriters. The new program provides opportunities and specialized courses tailored to students’ career goals.
The department, which is a part of the university’s College of Mass Communication, is one of the largest and best equipped in the country. Undergraduate recording industry students choose between two concentrations: music business or production and technology. The department now also offers a unique graduate program in recording arts and technologies.
For more information about the workshop or NSAI at MTSU, please call 615-898-2949.
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065 ‘HAY FEVER’ HITS THE TUCKER THEATRE STAGE AS SEASON’S DEBUT OFFERING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 14, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919
CenterStage Series Kicks Off Season of Classics from MTSU Theatre & Opera
(MURFREESBORO)—Playwright Noel Coward’s clever farce titled “Hay Fever” will kick off the 2006-2007 CenterStage Series at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 4-7 on the stage of MTSU’s Tucker Theatre.
Through this stylish and sophisticated comedy of bad manners, theatergoers are introduced to the Blisses—namely, Judith Bliss, a stage actress; David Bliss, a writer; and their precocious children, Simon and Sorel.
“The Blisses are a family whose members spend their summer days at their pleasant country home … and as the days become dreary and dull, each member of the family, unbeknownst to one another, invites a guest home for the weekend to spice up their summer nights,” explained Jeff Gibson, assistant professor, speech and theatre.
“However,” he added, “with the inclusion of an amateur boxer, an aspiring socialite, a diplomat, and a shy flapper, the tranquil weekend becomes a chaotic and hilarious nightmare.”
Regarding her selection of “Hay Fever,” director Deborah Anderson, professor of speech and theatre, said, “For the past few seasons, we have presented plays that are have dealt with today’s social issues, and had a lot of angst. This year, I wanted to do something different and challenging.”
As a result, she continued, “I thought ‘Hay Fever’ would be the perfect choice because Noel Coward’s style is completely unlike anything we have done recently and from a different era.”
Gibson said cast rehearsals got under way during the first week of school in preparation for the show’s Sept. 29 opening.
“We are having a great time in rehearsals,” Anderson remarked. “ Noel Coward is one of my favorite playwrights and a genius when it comes to comedy. We find ourselves constantly laughing everyday when working with this script.”
Nonetheless, “Hay Fever” is far from a walk in the park, so to speak, for MTSU’s theatre students, observed the play’s director.
“There is so much choreography and concentration involved,” Anderson explained. “(And) characters are constantly running all over the set. Perfect comic pacing is essential, and we have to recreate the authenticity of the 1920s.”
Indeed, even the playwright himself was quoted as saying that “’Hay Fever’ is far and away one of the most difficult plays to perform that I have ever encountered."
Characterized as a work that’s guaranteed to transport audience members back in time to the audacious 1920s, an era when scandalous weekend flings were often the norm, “Hay Fever”—on the occasion of its Broadway opening—inspired now-legendary theater critic Brooks Atkinson to write, "After seeing ‘Hay Fever’ you will never give week-ends again nor accept
week-end engagements, but you will go to the theatre forever and ever. Amen."
• TICKET INFO: Tickets for “Hay Fever,” which range in price from $4 to $8, may be purchased at the door on the evening of the performance. MTSU students will be admitted free with a valid MTSU ID.
For more information regarding “Hay Fever” or other upcoming Center Stage Series productions, please call (615) 494-8810 or visit the MTSU Theatre Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~theatre.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA—For editorial needs, including interview requests with performers or faculty, photo requests or to obtain review tickets, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at 615-898-2919.
***PHOTOS AVAILABLE: Please note that color jpegs of “Hay Fever” performers engaged in rehearsals are available by e-mailing your request to lrollins@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919
CenterStage Series Kicks Off Season of Classics from MTSU Theatre & Opera
(MURFREESBORO)—Playwright Noel Coward’s clever farce titled “Hay Fever” will kick off the 2006-2007 CenterStage Series at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 4-7 on the stage of MTSU’s Tucker Theatre.
Through this stylish and sophisticated comedy of bad manners, theatergoers are introduced to the Blisses—namely, Judith Bliss, a stage actress; David Bliss, a writer; and their precocious children, Simon and Sorel.
“The Blisses are a family whose members spend their summer days at their pleasant country home … and as the days become dreary and dull, each member of the family, unbeknownst to one another, invites a guest home for the weekend to spice up their summer nights,” explained Jeff Gibson, assistant professor, speech and theatre.
“However,” he added, “with the inclusion of an amateur boxer, an aspiring socialite, a diplomat, and a shy flapper, the tranquil weekend becomes a chaotic and hilarious nightmare.”
Regarding her selection of “Hay Fever,” director Deborah Anderson, professor of speech and theatre, said, “For the past few seasons, we have presented plays that are have dealt with today’s social issues, and had a lot of angst. This year, I wanted to do something different and challenging.”
As a result, she continued, “I thought ‘Hay Fever’ would be the perfect choice because Noel Coward’s style is completely unlike anything we have done recently and from a different era.”
Gibson said cast rehearsals got under way during the first week of school in preparation for the show’s Sept. 29 opening.
“We are having a great time in rehearsals,” Anderson remarked. “ Noel Coward is one of my favorite playwrights and a genius when it comes to comedy. We find ourselves constantly laughing everyday when working with this script.”
Nonetheless, “Hay Fever” is far from a walk in the park, so to speak, for MTSU’s theatre students, observed the play’s director.
“There is so much choreography and concentration involved,” Anderson explained. “(And) characters are constantly running all over the set. Perfect comic pacing is essential, and we have to recreate the authenticity of the 1920s.”
Indeed, even the playwright himself was quoted as saying that “’Hay Fever’ is far and away one of the most difficult plays to perform that I have ever encountered."
Characterized as a work that’s guaranteed to transport audience members back in time to the audacious 1920s, an era when scandalous weekend flings were often the norm, “Hay Fever”—on the occasion of its Broadway opening—inspired now-legendary theater critic Brooks Atkinson to write, "After seeing ‘Hay Fever’ you will never give week-ends again nor accept
week-end engagements, but you will go to the theatre forever and ever. Amen."
• TICKET INFO: Tickets for “Hay Fever,” which range in price from $4 to $8, may be purchased at the door on the evening of the performance. MTSU students will be admitted free with a valid MTSU ID.
For more information regarding “Hay Fever” or other upcoming Center Stage Series productions, please call (615) 494-8810 or visit the MTSU Theatre Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~theatre.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA—For editorial needs, including interview requests with performers or faculty, photo requests or to obtain review tickets, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at 615-898-2919.
***PHOTOS AVAILABLE: Please note that color jpegs of “Hay Fever” performers engaged in rehearsals are available by e-mailing your request to lrollins@mtsu.edu.
064 RECITAL HIGHLIGHTS WORLD PREMIERE OF WORK BY MTSU PROFESSOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 14, 2006
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Free Sept. 20 Recital Features Love-Inspired Original Composition
(MURFREESBORO)—The world premiere of a work by MTSU professor and composer Paul Osterfield will be featured in an 8 p.m. Sept. 20 in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The recital, organized by MTSU faculty member and collaborative pianist Caleb Harris, also will feature MTSU faculty members H. Stephen Smith (tenor), Deanna Hahn-Little (flute) and Michael Jorgensen (violin), along with guest cellist Michael Samis.
Referring to the premiere piece, Smith, who will perform the work with Harris, said, “Songs of Love for Tenor and Piano is a cycle of five love songs based on love poems that Osterfield dedicated to his fiancé, Kim West."
Pianist and organizer Harris said he was pleased to be able to feature these new songs by his friend and colleague, Osterfield.
Also featured in the program will be Sonata for Flute and Piano by another composer, Lowell Liebermann.
According to Harris, Lieberman is known for his virtuosic flute and piano writing.
"The audience is sure to be excited by the way Dr. Hahn-Little handles this very difficult piece," said Harris.
In addition to the Osterfield and Libermann works, the recital also will include Transcriptions for Violin and Piano from Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin and Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 3 in A by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Per Harris, the Gershwin violin and piano pieces were specifically programmed to showcase one of MTSU’s newest faculty members, Jorgensen, who teaches violin for the McLean School.
Referring to cellist Samis, Harris said that he was pleased to play again with his former MTSU colleague who is also a full-time member of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
The Sept. 20 concert is free and open to the public.
• For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, please call (615) 898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
—30—
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Free Sept. 20 Recital Features Love-Inspired Original Composition
(MURFREESBORO)—The world premiere of a work by MTSU professor and composer Paul Osterfield will be featured in an 8 p.m. Sept. 20 in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The recital, organized by MTSU faculty member and collaborative pianist Caleb Harris, also will feature MTSU faculty members H. Stephen Smith (tenor), Deanna Hahn-Little (flute) and Michael Jorgensen (violin), along with guest cellist Michael Samis.
Referring to the premiere piece, Smith, who will perform the work with Harris, said, “Songs of Love for Tenor and Piano is a cycle of five love songs based on love poems that Osterfield dedicated to his fiancé, Kim West."
Pianist and organizer Harris said he was pleased to be able to feature these new songs by his friend and colleague, Osterfield.
Also featured in the program will be Sonata for Flute and Piano by another composer, Lowell Liebermann.
According to Harris, Lieberman is known for his virtuosic flute and piano writing.
"The audience is sure to be excited by the way Dr. Hahn-Little handles this very difficult piece," said Harris.
In addition to the Osterfield and Libermann works, the recital also will include Transcriptions for Violin and Piano from Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin and Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 3 in A by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Per Harris, the Gershwin violin and piano pieces were specifically programmed to showcase one of MTSU’s newest faculty members, Jorgensen, who teaches violin for the McLean School.
Referring to cellist Samis, Harris said that he was pleased to play again with his former MTSU colleague who is also a full-time member of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
The Sept. 20 concert is free and open to the public.
• For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, please call (615) 898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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063 MTSU FARM LAB WILL HOST BE SITE FOR FFA, 4-H LAND JUDGING CONTEST
SEPT. 15 AT GUY JAMES PROPERTY
Date: Sept. 13, 2006
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
MTSU faculty contact: Dr. Warren Anderson, 615-898-2480
(MURFREESBORO) — Seven high school Future Farmers of America chapters and the Rutherford County 4-H will participate in the Rutherford County Land Judging Contest that will be held from 12:30 until 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15 at the Guy James farm, 3009 Halls Hill Pike.
FFA members from Oakland, Riverdale, Blackman, Siegel, Eagleville, Smyrna and La Vergne high schools will compete, said Dr. Warren Anderson, professor, MTSU Department of Agribusiness and Agriscience, and an event organizer along with MTSU colleague Dr. Cliff Ricketts and Larry Robison of Rutherford County Soil Conservation.
Anderson said a number of MTSU alumni are vocational agriculture teachers for the local teams.
He added the regional contest would be held later this month at the University of Tennessee experimental station in Spring Hill. The state contest will be held in October.
###
Media welcomed.
Date: Sept. 13, 2006
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
MTSU faculty contact: Dr. Warren Anderson, 615-898-2480
(MURFREESBORO) — Seven high school Future Farmers of America chapters and the Rutherford County 4-H will participate in the Rutherford County Land Judging Contest that will be held from 12:30 until 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15 at the Guy James farm, 3009 Halls Hill Pike.
FFA members from Oakland, Riverdale, Blackman, Siegel, Eagleville, Smyrna and La Vergne high schools will compete, said Dr. Warren Anderson, professor, MTSU Department of Agribusiness and Agriscience, and an event organizer along with MTSU colleague Dr. Cliff Ricketts and Larry Robison of Rutherford County Soil Conservation.
Anderson said a number of MTSU alumni are vocational agriculture teachers for the local teams.
He added the regional contest would be held later this month at the University of Tennessee experimental station in Spring Hill. The state contest will be held in October.
###
Media welcomed.
061 BLEDSOE COUNTY FARM JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 14, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Maple Grove Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Maple Grove Farm in Bledsoe County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Located south of Pikeville, the farm was founded by Jonathan Pope in 1832. Pope fought in the War of 1812 and received five Tennessee land grants for his service. He moved from Upper East Tennessee to the Sequatchie Valley to take possession of the grants that totaled 1,180 acres. A successful farmer, by 1850 he owned 4,000 acres. Married to Deliah Coutler, the Popes had nine children. The family raised cattle, sheep, hogs, corn, oats and hay.
James Jerome Pope acquired his parents’ farm in 1869. According to the family, James served in “Standefer’s Co. 1st Tennessee MTD Infantry with brother Thomas Alexander Pope in the Cherokee Indian War from 1836 to 1838.” In addition to managing the farm, James was appointed justice of the peace for Bledsoe County in 1854. He married Mary Murphy Worthington and they had 12 children.
In 1891, their son, Charlie, acquired the farm. While raising crops and livestock, he also built a house that is still standing on the farm. In addition, he taught school for several years, was elected as a member of the County Court and served as an elder of the Pikeville Church of Christ. Wed to Dora Billingsley Pope, the couple had seven children.
Charlie and Dora’s son, Andrew Hershel Pope, was next to obtain the land. During World War I, Hershel served as a medic in the army. He and wife Virgie Mae Walker had four children. The family recalls that Hershel worked “constantly to improve farming techniques, family farms and the future of farming.” He helped to organize the Bledsoe County Farm Bureau in 1924 and served as its president for 17 years. He also served on the soil conservation committee for 18 years and was a director in the Production Credit Association for 15 years. Also, Hershel helped organize the Bledsoe County Farmers Cooperative and the Bledsoe County Telephone Cooperative. Hershel and Vergie Mae were members of the Mount Airy Church.
Today, the farm is owned by the great-great-grandson of the founder, John Hollis Pope. He and his wife, Patricia Pope, have one son, Gary, who helps his father raise beef cattle and hay. Over the years, Hollis has served as a member and as president of the Bledsoe County Farm Bureau and was a director in the Bledsoe County Farmers Cooperative for 32 years. In addition, Hollis served as a foreman of the grand jury for 17 years.
A farmhouse that was built in 1875 and remodeled by Gary has been home to and he and his wife, Cathy Lynn, since 1991. Their sons, Shaun Garrett and Andrew William, were reared on the farm. Shaun and his wife, Crystal, have a daughter, Kaitlyn Grace Pope. Andrew works in Chattanooga. Continuing the tradition of his family’s
attention to progressive farming, Gary attends workshops sponsored by the Agricultural Extension Office and, as the sixth-generation owner, plans to keep the working farm in the family in the future. He and his father manage and operate the farm.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Maple Grove Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Maple Grove Farm in Bledsoe County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Located south of Pikeville, the farm was founded by Jonathan Pope in 1832. Pope fought in the War of 1812 and received five Tennessee land grants for his service. He moved from Upper East Tennessee to the Sequatchie Valley to take possession of the grants that totaled 1,180 acres. A successful farmer, by 1850 he owned 4,000 acres. Married to Deliah Coutler, the Popes had nine children. The family raised cattle, sheep, hogs, corn, oats and hay.
James Jerome Pope acquired his parents’ farm in 1869. According to the family, James served in “Standefer’s Co. 1st Tennessee MTD Infantry with brother Thomas Alexander Pope in the Cherokee Indian War from 1836 to 1838.” In addition to managing the farm, James was appointed justice of the peace for Bledsoe County in 1854. He married Mary Murphy Worthington and they had 12 children.
In 1891, their son, Charlie, acquired the farm. While raising crops and livestock, he also built a house that is still standing on the farm. In addition, he taught school for several years, was elected as a member of the County Court and served as an elder of the Pikeville Church of Christ. Wed to Dora Billingsley Pope, the couple had seven children.
Charlie and Dora’s son, Andrew Hershel Pope, was next to obtain the land. During World War I, Hershel served as a medic in the army. He and wife Virgie Mae Walker had four children. The family recalls that Hershel worked “constantly to improve farming techniques, family farms and the future of farming.” He helped to organize the Bledsoe County Farm Bureau in 1924 and served as its president for 17 years. He also served on the soil conservation committee for 18 years and was a director in the Production Credit Association for 15 years. Also, Hershel helped organize the Bledsoe County Farmers Cooperative and the Bledsoe County Telephone Cooperative. Hershel and Vergie Mae were members of the Mount Airy Church.
Today, the farm is owned by the great-great-grandson of the founder, John Hollis Pope. He and his wife, Patricia Pope, have one son, Gary, who helps his father raise beef cattle and hay. Over the years, Hollis has served as a member and as president of the Bledsoe County Farm Bureau and was a director in the Bledsoe County Farmers Cooperative for 32 years. In addition, Hollis served as a foreman of the grand jury for 17 years.
A farmhouse that was built in 1875 and remodeled by Gary has been home to and he and his wife, Cathy Lynn, since 1991. Their sons, Shaun Garrett and Andrew William, were reared on the farm. Shaun and his wife, Crystal, have a daughter, Kaitlyn Grace Pope. Andrew works in Chattanooga. Continuing the tradition of his family’s
attention to progressive farming, Gary attends workshops sponsored by the Agricultural Extension Office and, as the sixth-generation owner, plans to keep the working farm in the family in the future. He and his father manage and operate the farm.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
060 WEBCASTS GIVE NEW ANGLE TO K-12 VIDEOCONFERENCES THIS FALL
Date: Sept. 12, 2006
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
MTSU Satellite Videoconferences contact: Dr. Connie Schmidt, 615-898-5191
(MURFREESBORO) — For the first time, MTSU’s Satellite Videoconferencing Center will be Webcasting K-12 programming.
“We are really excited to be able to reach every school in Tennessee with high-quality student enrichment and professional development programming,” said Dr. Connie Schmidt, director, MTSU Instructional Technology Support Center.
“This expansion in our K-12 audience has been made possible by the generous cooperation and support of the network services folks in the Information Technology Division.”
The one-hour Enrichment Programs for Students air at 9 a.m. Tuesdays starting Sept. 19 through Nov. 28. No program will air Nov. 21, and the programs for Oct. 3 and Oct. 17 will be prerecorded.
The one-hour Professional Development Programs for Teachers air beginning at 3:30 p.m. from Sept. 14 through Nov. 30. No program will air Nov. 23 or Oct. 5.
“The programs on the schedule for students and teachers cover a wide range of topics, including history, geography, math, science, reading, health, career planning and the arts,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt added that many of these programs were produced with public and private partners, such as “The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt” Sept. 19, “Hands-on with Archeology and Artifacts at Stones River National Battlefield” Sept. 26 and “Amphibians and Reptiles” Nov. 14.
Presenters for these programs include educators from the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Stones River National Battlefield and the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, Schmidt said, adding that MTSU faculty and staff also have made significant contributions to the fall schedule.
“A three-part series of programs, ‘Knowing, Teaching and Learning American History,’ which will air in September and October, was produced in collaboration with Dr. Rebecca Conard in the Department of History and funded by a grant from the Cumberland River Valley Consortium,” Schmidt said.
Two programs were collaborations with the Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center: “What Does It Take to be a Rocket Scientist,” airing Oct. 24, and “Becoming a Rocket Scientist: Getting Your Students Excited about Careers in Space” on Nov. 16, she added.
Other MTSU presenters include faculty and staff from the MTSU Career Center, the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area of the Center for Historic Preservation and the Departments of Elementary and Special Education and Health and Human Performance.
MTSU faculty and students, K-12 teachers and students and community members in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County may participate in our programs by television on the MTSU Educational Resource Channel, ERC@MT (Channel 9 on the Murfreesboro cable system or Channel 30 on the campus cable system). Internet viewers will need a high-speed connection and Windows Media Player to watch on the Web.
Midstate and north Alabama students and teachers can watch via Webcasting, satellite viewing or cable TV at Shelbyville Central High School (Bedford County); Cannon County High School and Short Mountain Elementary School in Woodbury; Coffee County Central High School in Manchester; Metro Davidson (Nashville) Channel 10; Clark Memorial School in Winchester (Franklin County); Grundy County High School in Coalmont; ETV Channel 9 in Huntsville, Ala.; Lincoln County High School in Fayetteville; Cornersville High School (Marshall County); Moore County High School in Lynchburg; Centertown School (Warren County); and WC TV Channel 3 in Williamson County.
For full student and teacher programming schedules and links to the Webcasts, visit mtsu.edu/~itsc or call 615-898-5191.
###
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
MTSU Satellite Videoconferences contact: Dr. Connie Schmidt, 615-898-5191
(MURFREESBORO) — For the first time, MTSU’s Satellite Videoconferencing Center will be Webcasting K-12 programming.
“We are really excited to be able to reach every school in Tennessee with high-quality student enrichment and professional development programming,” said Dr. Connie Schmidt, director, MTSU Instructional Technology Support Center.
“This expansion in our K-12 audience has been made possible by the generous cooperation and support of the network services folks in the Information Technology Division.”
The one-hour Enrichment Programs for Students air at 9 a.m. Tuesdays starting Sept. 19 through Nov. 28. No program will air Nov. 21, and the programs for Oct. 3 and Oct. 17 will be prerecorded.
The one-hour Professional Development Programs for Teachers air beginning at 3:30 p.m. from Sept. 14 through Nov. 30. No program will air Nov. 23 or Oct. 5.
“The programs on the schedule for students and teachers cover a wide range of topics, including history, geography, math, science, reading, health, career planning and the arts,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt added that many of these programs were produced with public and private partners, such as “The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt” Sept. 19, “Hands-on with Archeology and Artifacts at Stones River National Battlefield” Sept. 26 and “Amphibians and Reptiles” Nov. 14.
Presenters for these programs include educators from the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Stones River National Battlefield and the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, Schmidt said, adding that MTSU faculty and staff also have made significant contributions to the fall schedule.
“A three-part series of programs, ‘Knowing, Teaching and Learning American History,’ which will air in September and October, was produced in collaboration with Dr. Rebecca Conard in the Department of History and funded by a grant from the Cumberland River Valley Consortium,” Schmidt said.
Two programs were collaborations with the Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center: “What Does It Take to be a Rocket Scientist,” airing Oct. 24, and “Becoming a Rocket Scientist: Getting Your Students Excited about Careers in Space” on Nov. 16, she added.
Other MTSU presenters include faculty and staff from the MTSU Career Center, the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area of the Center for Historic Preservation and the Departments of Elementary and Special Education and Health and Human Performance.
MTSU faculty and students, K-12 teachers and students and community members in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County may participate in our programs by television on the MTSU Educational Resource Channel, ERC@MT (Channel 9 on the Murfreesboro cable system or Channel 30 on the campus cable system). Internet viewers will need a high-speed connection and Windows Media Player to watch on the Web.
Midstate and north Alabama students and teachers can watch via Webcasting, satellite viewing or cable TV at Shelbyville Central High School (Bedford County); Cannon County High School and Short Mountain Elementary School in Woodbury; Coffee County Central High School in Manchester; Metro Davidson (Nashville) Channel 10; Clark Memorial School in Winchester (Franklin County); Grundy County High School in Coalmont; ETV Channel 9 in Huntsville, Ala.; Lincoln County High School in Fayetteville; Cornersville High School (Marshall County); Moore County High School in Lynchburg; Centertown School (Warren County); and WC TV Channel 3 in Williamson County.
For full student and teacher programming schedules and links to the Webcasts, visit mtsu.edu/~itsc or call 615-898-5191.
###
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
059 MTSU FALL ENROLLMENT HEADCOUNT OF 22,863
SETS ANOTHR RECORD AND IS 1.4% INCREASE FROM 20005
Date: Sept. 11, 2006
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Enrollment contacts: Drs. Bob Glenn, 615-898-2440, or Sherian Huddleston, 898-2828
(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU submitted a final headcount of a record 22,863 students attending fall 2006 semester classes to the Tennessee Board of Regents, Dr. Sherian Huddleston, assistant vice provost, enrollment services, said Sept. 11.
This represents a 1.4 percent increase in the number of students attending this fall, meaning there are 309 additional students, Huddleston said.
“We’re still growing,” said Dr. Bob Glenn, vice provost for enrollment and academic services and vice president for student affairs. “It’s a little lower than what we would’ve liked. For budget purposes, we were hoping for a 3 percent increase. But on a practical basis, we’re happy to be at 1.4 (percent).”
Late spring and early summer projections indicated MTSU would pass 23,000 students.
“Twenty-three thousand is like 22,000, and we did pass 22,000,” Glenn said. “We didn’t pass 23,000 this time, but we’ll pass that milestone by in the near future.”
Huddleston said the late registration process was “tightened” because the university has implemented a new software computer process, meaning students had to “get more signatures and more approvals” to register late. Also, new transfer students did not have to attend CUSTOMS orientation sessions, and could register for classes after being advised.
2006 fall semester totals 2005 fall semester totals
Headcount: 22,863 (1.4% increase/309 students) 22,554
Full-time equivalent: 19,355 (1.1% increase/217 students) 19,138
First-time freshmen: 3,373 3,208
New transfers: 1,991 1,996
Returning students: 15,633 15,475
Re-enrolling students: 1,213 1,258
Freshmen: 5,866 5,367
Sophomores: 4,154 4,022
Juniors: 4,169 4,191
Seniors: 6,357 6,371
College of Graduate Studies: 2,220 2,165
Source: Dr. Sherian Huddleston, MTSU Enrollment Services
###
Date: Sept. 11, 2006
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Enrollment contacts: Drs. Bob Glenn, 615-898-2440, or Sherian Huddleston, 898-2828
(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU submitted a final headcount of a record 22,863 students attending fall 2006 semester classes to the Tennessee Board of Regents, Dr. Sherian Huddleston, assistant vice provost, enrollment services, said Sept. 11.
This represents a 1.4 percent increase in the number of students attending this fall, meaning there are 309 additional students, Huddleston said.
“We’re still growing,” said Dr. Bob Glenn, vice provost for enrollment and academic services and vice president for student affairs. “It’s a little lower than what we would’ve liked. For budget purposes, we were hoping for a 3 percent increase. But on a practical basis, we’re happy to be at 1.4 (percent).”
Late spring and early summer projections indicated MTSU would pass 23,000 students.
“Twenty-three thousand is like 22,000, and we did pass 22,000,” Glenn said. “We didn’t pass 23,000 this time, but we’ll pass that milestone by in the near future.”
Huddleston said the late registration process was “tightened” because the university has implemented a new software computer process, meaning students had to “get more signatures and more approvals” to register late. Also, new transfer students did not have to attend CUSTOMS orientation sessions, and could register for classes after being advised.
2006 fall semester totals 2005 fall semester totals
Headcount: 22,863 (1.4% increase/309 students) 22,554
Full-time equivalent: 19,355 (1.1% increase/217 students) 19,138
First-time freshmen: 3,373 3,208
New transfers: 1,991 1,996
Returning students: 15,633 15,475
Re-enrolling students: 1,213 1,258
Freshmen: 5,866 5,367
Sophomores: 4,154 4,022
Juniors: 4,169 4,191
Seniors: 6,357 6,371
College of Graduate Studies: 2,220 2,165
Source: Dr. Sherian Huddleston, MTSU Enrollment Services
###
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