[207] MTSU cadets Lane, Blanchard commissioned into US Army

For release:  Dec. 15, 2012

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu

MTSU Military Science contact: Lt. Col. Joel Miller, 615-898-2470 or Joel.Miller@mtsu.edu

MTSU cadets Lane, Blanchard commissioned into US Army

MURFREESBORO — One day before graduating from MTSU, Tommie F. Lane Jr. and Austin J. Blanchard were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army.

The 30-minute commissioning ceremony was held Friday, Dec. 14, in the Keathley University Center Theater. In addition to MTSU officials and others, both Lane and Blanchard had more than two-dozen family members and friends attend the ceremony.

“This is the end of a long, hard process working on three years now and it’s the beginning of a life-long career,” said Blanchard, who is from Franklin, Tenn., and who graduated today (Dec. 15) in Murphy Center with a degree in criminal justice from the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences.

Blanchard was pinned by his parents, Lisa and Jerry Blanchard of Franklin, and his fiancée, Rachel Thompson of Lebanon, Tenn. Austin Blanchard’s uncle, Donald Blanchard, who is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, administered the oath of office.

“This means a lot,” Lane, a Clarksville, Tenn., resident, said of being commissioned. “It represents all the hard work and time I have put in. I’m just thankful and blessed that I was able to see this day and serve my country.”

Lane, who graduated Saturday with a degree in biochemistry from the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, was pinned by his mother, Julia Lane, and an aunt, Gloristine Player, who retired as an Army major. Lt. Col. Joel Miller administered the oath of office.

Both Blanchard and Lane will be assigned to the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment with the Tennessee Army National Guard.

Miller, the first-year MTSU professor of military science, said both young men have completed academic and ROTC requirements “and have earned the right to serve as leaders in our great Army.”

“Note that I said the right to serve because that is what officership is all about — service to the nation, to our Army and, most importantly, to our soldiers,” Miller added. “With that service and opportunity comes the responsibility for the wise and prudent empowerment of our country’s resources, to include that one irreplaceable resource, the health and welfare of her citizens and soldiers.”

Former professor of military science Lt. Col. T.K. Kast was presented a special plaque by Maj. Brendan McEvoy, commemorating Kast’s three years at MTSU and 30 years with the U.S. Army. He officially retires Dec. 31 from the Army.

MTSU military science is one of 10 departments in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.

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Photo captions

Austin Blanchard.jpg

Austin J. Blanchard, second from right, of Franklin, Tenn., was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Among those attending the MTSU Fall 2012 Commissioning Ceremony were his parents, Jerry and Lisa Blanchard, left, and his fiancée, Rachael Thompson. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

Tommie Lane.jpg

Tommie F. Lane Jr., center, is pinned by his mother, Julia Lane, left, and an aunt, Gloristine Player, during the Dec. 14 MTSU commissioning ceremony. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

T.K. Kast.jpg

Former professor of military science Lt. Col. T.K. Kast, left, receives a special plaque from Maj. Brendan McEvoy. Kast spent three years at MTSU and 30 with the U.S. Army. He officially retires Dec. 31. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

       MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news any time, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

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[206] MTSU students help with special 'Golden Ratio' performance at Parthenon

FOR RELEASE: Dec. 17, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lori Kissinger, userk7706@comcast.net or 615-210-8819

MURFREESBORO — MTSU students played a part in a recent arts performance that will soon be on exhibit across Tennessee and will ultimately travel to Athens, Greece, for an international arts education exchange.

Students from MTSU instructor Lori Kissinger’s Raider’s Learning Communities Speech Class provided the narration for “The Golden Ratio Project,” a Dec. 5 event at Nashville’s Parthenon presented by Tennessee students with disabilities.

An MTSU experiential-learning organizational communication class provided funding for the project and also served as volunteers during the event. MTSU fraternity Pi Kappa Phi provided T-shirts for the Movement Connection Dance Company for the performance, Kissinger said.

During the performance, young people with disabilities used music, dance, poetry and the visual arts to explain the mathematical concept of the Golden Ratio, an irrational number that has ties, either by design or coincidence, that can be found in nature, architecture, the human body and even the universe.

The performance was a result of workshops and residences conducted this fall through VSA Tennessee to help children connect to math. VSA Tennessee is a statewide nonprofit organization that provides resources, tools and opportunities for arts programming for people with disabilities.

Kissinger, who teaches organizational communication at MTSU, said the works of art from the program, as well as a DVD of the performance, will travel across Tennessee for exhibitions before heading to Athens for the international event.

VSA Tennessee is an affiliate of VSA, the international organization on arts and disabilities founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. VSA was formerly known as Very Special Arts.

For more information about VSA Tennessee, visit http://vsatn.org.

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[205] New MTSU grads need 'grace,' 'integrity,' ability to face challenge, speakers say

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FOR RELEASE: Dec. 15, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina E. Fann, gina.fann@mtsu.edu or 615-898-5385

MURFREESBORO — MTSU’s newest alumni now have something that 67 percent of their fellow Tennessee residents lack, state House Speaker Beth Harwell said today.

Only 33 percent of Tennesseans possess a college degree, Harwell reminded students graduating in the university’s fall 2012 morning commencement.

“After this ceremony, you will be head and shoulders above far too many of your fellow Tennesseans. … You really have achieved something today, so savor it,” the Nashville legislator said, then offered the new graduates four suggestions for success.

 

“Be humble,” said Harwell, who is currently serving her 12th term in the Tennessee House of Representatives. “Be different in not being showy. There is a certain grace that comes with humility.

 

“Don’t go into debt. … Our current fiscal crisis in this nation is a result of living beyond our means. It’s OK to admit we have financial limits.

 

“Be thankful for what you have, and be generous with it. And meet the challenging moments of life head-on and persevere.”

 

One of the nation’s most recent challenges was obviously on the minds of many inside Murphy Center today. University Provost Brad Bartel asked for a moment of silence at the beginning of the ceremony to honor the victims and survivors of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings.

As happy as she was on this joyous occasion, 23-year-old Kara Elizabeth Daniel of Memphis also remembered the victims of the Shady Hook Elementary School tragedy, which occurred Friday morning. Teachers at the primary school, which served kindergarten through fourth grades, are being praised for saving students in the chaos that ultimately claimed 28 lives, including 20 children.

“It’s very, very sad,” said Daniel, who received a Bachelor of Science in education today. “My heart is broken over it. It’s so upsetting.”

The early childhood education major sported a big red apple on her mortarboard alongside the words, “Education is the mother of leadership,” a quote from former presidential candidate Wendell Willkie.

“I just love how many kids in life I will be able to touch … and may be able to be that person who could make that big difference in someone’s life,” Daniel continued, adding that she wants to obtain a teaching job and earn her master’s degree while teaching.

She’s now qualified to teach children up to third grade.

“When I was closing in on what specific age group I wanted to teach, I knew that I would like to teach the younger kids,” she said.

Chris Buttrey of Fairview, Tenn., received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences during the afternoon ceremony.

“Being an older student, graduating is big for my family and me,” said Buttrey, who was following in the footsteps of his father, Harold Buttrey, who graduated from MTSU in 1972. “He’s very proud.”

Chris Buttrey said he's been working two jobs, one in loss prevention and one in retail, while attending college.

“It took me three years, from start to finish to graduate,” he said, adding that he averaged about 19 credit hours per semester.

Psychology major Charly Baltzer of Franklin, Tenn., graduated with honors with a 3.749 GPA from the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences.

She said graduating gives her “freedom” and added that the day for her was “overwhelming.”

“It was hard work,” Baltzer said of her achievement.

Daniel, Buttrey and Baltzer were three of 1,960 students receiving degrees during MTSU’s fall 2012 commencement ceremonies today.

Mark Emkes, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, told the afternoon graduates that integrity, caring, leadership and determination will always be the keys to their success.

“Regardless of your field of study, you will all be leaders,” the former chairman and CEO of Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. said. “It took me a few years to realize it … but life isn’t all that complicated.

“You need integrity. Integrity is about doing what you say you’re going to do … and respecting all people. We have complete control over our character, values and integrity.

“Leadership is about creating the right environment so people will want to help you get things done. Leaders hold people up; they don’t hold people down.”

Candidates from the College of Graduate Studies, Basic and Applied Sciences, Jennings A. Jones College of Business and the College of Education received their degrees in the morning ceremony. Degrees were conferred on candidates in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, College of Mass Communication and the University College this afternoon.

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[204] MTSU Little Raiders' Christmas party 'a blessing' to local families

For release:  Dec. 17, 2012

News and Media Relations contact: Jimmy Hart, 615-898-5131 or Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — As a mother, the smile on Leranda Collier's said it all.

"That's all she wanted," the Murfreesboro resident said, as her daughter, Akira Lawrence, cried and cradled the beautiful pair of new skates she had just unwrapped during a Christmas party held Friday evening inside the MTSU Public Safety Department.

Akira, 13, was among several children who received Christmas gifts as part of the successful MTSU Little Raiders' gift-giving campaign held this year. The campus community responded with True Blue holiday spirit, picking off almost three dozen "ornaments" that had adorned three Christmas trees on campus.

MTSU Public Safety, Campus Recreation Center and the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students were joined by the OWLS (Older, Wiser Learners) and Golden Key Honor Society student organizations in jointly sponsored the campaign as a community service project.

The effort targeted MTSU students with children as well as parents being served by the Domestic Violence Program.

Friday night’s party included plenty of donated food such as barbecue, pizza and dessert as well as an assortment of gifts distributed by none other than Santa himself (played by MTSU Police Officer Brett Huskey).

“It turned out great,” said Sgt. Vergena Forbes, the MTSU Community Policing specialist who spearheaded the effort. “We had tons of food from all of our donors. Families came out with the kids. They got to see Santa and got gifts from Santa … some of them were crying because they got exactly what they wished for.”

Forbes revived the campaign, last held in 2006, this year. The result was gifts ranging from bicycles to toy trains to new coats, thanks to the generosity of members of the Blue Raider community.

Similar to the Salvation Army’s well-known Angel Tree, the Little Raiders’ Christmas trees on campus were decorated with laminated paper “ornaments” containing a needy child’s age, gender, clothing size and wish list. Participants who picked the available numbered ornaments from the trees registered as Secret Santas.

“This was a blessing,” said mom Gloria Broussard as she watched her three children, ages 7, 2 and 4 months, enjoy the new bicycle, toy train and Elmo doll Santa handed out just minutes earlier.

Sgt. David Smith assisted Forbes with the project, along with Jenny Crouch, Campus Recreation’s marketing and adaptive recreation coordinator, who represented the Golden Key Honor Society, and Valerie Avent, assistant director of the June Anderson Center and the OWLs adviser.

“I’m looking forward to doing it again next year,” Forbes said.

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Note to media: high resolution photos attached

CAPTIONS:

MTSU Little Raiders-1.jpg

Santa Claus (MTSU Police Officer Brett Huskey) holds 4-month-old Journey Truesdale as MTSU Police Sgt. Vergena Forbes, right, helps gather gifts during the Little Raiders’ Christmas party held Friday evening at the MTSU Public Safety Department. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

MTSU Little Raiders-2.jpg

Ariel Klimpel, 13, is all smiles as she poses with Santa Claus and her new bicycle during the Little Raiders’ Christmas party on Friday at the MTSU Public Safety Department. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

            MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[203] MTSU students far exceed alternative fuels' go-kart expectations

For release:  Dec. 14, 2012

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu

MTSU alternative fuels research contact: Dr. Cliff Ricketts, 615-308-7605 or Cliff.Ricketts@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — MTSU electronic media communication major Ryan Skelley discovered “the best way to end college” this week.

In finals, three research project teammates and you race a propane-powered go-kart in competition against three other vehicles using different alternative fuels.

“Most people spend their last day doing an exam,” Skelley, a senior from Murfreesboro, said just minutes before finals and his last semester ended at 3 p.m. Thursday. “This is pretty awesome.”

Four teams comprised of 19 of the 22 students taking the alternative-fuels class taught by professor Cliff Ricketts competed in a drag race, a four-lap race and an endurance race.

The remaining three students worked on a special hydrogen peroxide-powered alternative-fuel vehicle (called “the mystery car” by Ricketts). They have been performing research for entrepreneur Duane Griffin of Murfreesboro. At Griffin’s request, the was not be photographed.

The other alternative fuels utilized were solar electric, ethanol and hydrogen. Ricketts said the propane vehicle was selected as a replacement for an originally planned biodiesel/cooking oil go-kart, but the expense of the small diesel engine exceeded the team’s budget.

“It went better than I thought it would and more competitive than I thought,” Ricketts said, summarizing the hour-long competition. “The kids were really excited. I’ll probably get two or three who will help me in the spring.” (In March, Ricketts plans a nearly 2,600-mile coast-to-coast trip using only solar and hydrogen from water.)

“The propane did as expected,” Ricketts added. “It had some structural problems that caused it to stop two or three times. The solar electric far exceeded expectations. The hydrogen (go-kart) never ran out of fuel. And the ethanol team had problems out of their control.”

Ricketts, who previously said the class is “the epitome of experiential learning,” said the ethanol team – team leader Chris Coddington of Lebanon, Tenn., Justin Dodd of Murfreesboro, Crystal Carney of Hendersonville, Tenn., and Zach Hitchcock of Lewisburg, Tenn. – ordered badly needed parts that were not going to arrive until Friday, the day after the class final.

“Too much horsepower is not a good thing,” Coddington said. “It needs a new carburetor. Once we put the ethanol in it, we got it to run. We just needed those parts.”

Senior and fall commencement degree candidate Jonathan Prichard, a member of the hydrogen-peroxide team along with Dillon Hagewood of Murfreesboro and Skylar Daniel of Clarksville, Tenn., called the semester-long class “an experience you cannot get anywhere else on a day-to-day basis.”

Prichard, a television production major in mass communication, videoed the competition. He will edit and upload it to YouTube.

Carney, a 2006 MTSU graduate, took the course as one of two continuing education classes she took this semester.

For Carney, a single mother, the class showed the “fun of how to become independent,” she said. “When you look at all the possibilities, we don’t have to be dependent on foreign oil. And if a bunch of college kids can build alternative fuel vehicles, the rest of the world can, too. The resources are out there.”

As a student at Beech High School, Carney took an agriculture class with instructor Dale McDonald, who was one of Ricketts’ early alternative fuels protégés.

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Photo captions

Drill starts motor.jpg

With the go-kart propped on a cinder block and Chris Morefield of Franklin, Tenn., in the driver’s seat, Richard Hanson, right, of Murfreesboro, utilizes a power drill to help start their team’s hydrogen-powered go-kart, tweaking their vehicle before the Dec. 13 MTSU alternative fuel class competition. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

Start of race.jpg

Aras Alexander, left, of Houston, Texas, and Justin Dodd of Murfreesboro take off in their respective solar electric- and ethanol-powered vehicles as one of the Dec. 13 MTSU alternative-fuels class races gets under way at the Tennessee Livestock Center. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

Racing competition.jpg

Aras Alexander, top right, of Houston, Texas, in a solar electric-powered golf cart, drives past the propane-powered go-kart driven by Adam Kaauwai of Murfreesboro Dec. 13 near the MTSU Tennessee Livestock Center’s barn area. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

Straightaway.jpg

Three drivers in the Dec. 13 alternative fuels class competition motor down the straightaway near the barn area at the MTSU Tennessee Livestock Center. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

       MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news any time, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

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[202] Lake County farm joins ranks of state's Century Farms Program

For Release: Dec. 13, 2012

Contact:  Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947

Marijac Farms Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO — Marijac Farms in Lake 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 at MTSU.

The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in continuous agricultural production for at least 100 years. 

Sandy Hines purchased 241 acres in 1859 in Obion County. He and his wife, Polly Ashburn Hines, had eight children and grew cotton and corn and raised cattle and hogs. In the spring of 1862, the Battle of Island #10 took place directly across from the farm.  In 1879, Pembroke Gunn “P.G.” Hines, one of Sandy and Polly’s sons, acquired the farm. He and his wife, Elizabeth, continued row cropping and raising livestock.  P.G. Hines was Lake County’s first county clerk when it separated from Obion County in 1870.  

P.G. and Elizabeth’s daughter, Maynie Hines, was the next generation to own the farm. Maynie and her husband, John Clark Jackson, then passed the farm to their daughter, Mary.

When Mary married Jack Foster Fields, Jack began to manage the 241-acre farm, where he raised regulation Black Angus cattle. One of his cows gave birth to Aberdeen-Angus heifer triplets, which became an attraction at the Chicago International Livestock Exchange in December 1952. A newspaper article from the Lake County Banner also noted that Marijac Farms had sold a cow and a calf earlier in 1952 for $6,300. Jack Fields, was an honorary Future Farms of America chapter farmer also owned and operated a large grocery in Tiptonville.

After Jack and Mary passed away, their son, John F. Fields, inherited the farm in 1975.  John and his wife, Lyn Freeman, are active in civic and church affairs like his parents. John, the fifth-generation owner, manages and works the farm, growing cotton, soybeans, wheat and corn.

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 Farms Program.

For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit www.tncenturyfarms.org. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132 or 615-898-2947.

• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owner or request jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP at 615-898-2947.

MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[201] Cheatham County Farm Join Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: Dec. 13, 2012

Contact:  Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947

Hooper Homestead Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO — Hooper Homestead Farm in Cheatham 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 at MTSU.

The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in continuous agricultural production for at least 100 years. 

The Hooper Homestead Farm, located southeast of Ashland City, was founded by Daniel M. Hooper. His father had worked land in the area since 1858, but it was not until Daniel and his wife, Jemima, began working their 194 acres in 1880 that the farm’s origin can be dated. Jemima and Daniel had two children – Charles Marion and Starks – and grew corn, hay and miscellaneous crops while also raising cattle. Jemima inherited the farm in 1910 when Daniel died. 

Three years later, in 1913, Jemima deeded the farm to her granddaughter, Leonta Hooper Crouch and her husband, McKinley Crouch. The Crouches had eight children and operated a small grocery store and gasoline station for about 30 years beginning in the 1920s. In addition to their commercial endeavors, the family added hogs, a fruit orchard and truck vegetables to the agricultural output of their farm.  

The fourth owners were the eight Crouch children, which were the founder’s great-great grandchildren: Doris McQueen, Dorothy Patton, June Nixon, Vivian Brake, Janie Foutch, William Crouch, Leonard Crouch and Eugene Crouch. Leonata Hooper Crouch deeded them the land in 1925.

In 1984, June Crouch Nixon and her husband Earl B. Nixon, purchased portions of the farm from her siblings. Today, the Nixons grow hay, various crops and timber and keep poultry for their eggs. They also are beekeepers. The Nixons live on the farm, which consists of 65 acres of the founder’s original farm, in a house built in the early 1940s and remodeled in the early 1990s. June and Earl also maintain an 1850s log home that was the Hooper’s dwelling.

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 Farms Program.

For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit www.tncenturyfarms.org. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132 or 615-898-2947.

• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owner or request jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP at 615-898-2947.

MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[200] Jefferson County Farm Joins Ranks of States's Century Farms Program

For Release: Dec. 13, 2012

Contact:  Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947

S/V Big Bend Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO — S/V Big Bend Farm in Jefferson 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 at MTSU.

The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in continuous agricultural production for at least 100 years.

In 1905, Mack and Charlotte Calloway Stipes purchased 80 acres of farmland north of Strawberry Plains along the Holston River. The Stipes had four children – William, Fred, Iva and Mack Jr.  – and raised cattle while growing tobacco and hay. In the early years of their ownership, the Stipes built a barn and crib. Fred worked alongside his father to establish a successful farm and built a farmhouse in the 1920s on the property. The house, barn and crib still stand today.

After Mack Sr. and Charlotte passed away, Fred inherited the family farm in 1934. He and his wife, Gladys Cain Stipes, had three children: Fred Jr., Franklin Lee and Helen Jeanette. Like most farm families, the children and Gladys were essential to the daily operations of the farm and contributed to its success. In addition to tending to his cattle, tobacco and hay, Fred Sr. worked full time at the American Zinc Company in Mascot. The Stipes family and area farmers also could be found at Bailey’s Store, where they visited with friends and snacked on cheese and crackers. After Fred passed away, Gladys maintained ownership of the farm until her death in 1992.

Franklin inherited the farm with his wife, Helen Witt Stipes; they had one daughter, Carolyn. Like his father, Franklin worked at the American Zinc Company while maintaining the family farm. Helen, with Carolyn’s help as she grew older, did the milking and feeding of the cows.

An undated newspaper article described the new “elevated-stall walkthrough setup” which the Stipeses had installed in their dairy.  In the same article, Helen Stipes was asked about milking by hand and she replied, “You know, it is certainly good to come in after a hard day’s work and be able to rest while you are milking.” The milk was sold to a local dairy and supplemented the farm income.  

In 1955, Franklin and Helen built a prefabricated house called an “Oak Ridge Flat Top.” This house plan was originally designed for employees at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory during World War II and had 575 square feet. In the early 1960s, the family remodeled the house they now use as rental property. When Carolyn Stipes married James Vineyard, they and their children, Craig and Scott, assisted Franklin with farm work that included raising tobacco, hay, and cattle.  

In 2003, Carolyn Stipes inherited the farm following her mother’s death. Today, she and James and their son, Craig, live on the-80 acre S/V Big Bend Farm. Three generations participate in the operation that includes raising and selling cattle and hay.

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 Farms Program.

For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit www.tncenturyfarms.org. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132 or 615-898-2947.

• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owner or request jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP at 615-898-2947.

       MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[199] Dec. 14 ceremony will commission two MTSU cadets into US Army

For release: Dec. 12, 2012

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu

MTSU military science contact: Lt. Col. Joel Miller, 615-898-2470 or Joel.Miller@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — The MTSU military science department’s Fall 2012 Commissioning Ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 14, in Keathley University Theater.

Two Blue Raider Battalion cadets and senior degree candidates for Saturday’s commencement ceremonies in Murphy Center will be commissioned.

“It represents a culmination as well as a new beginning,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joel Miller, professor of military science at MTSU. “It is the culmination of several years of schooling and training and the beginning of new opportunities and responsibilities as officers in the Army.”

Tommie F. Lane Jr. of Clarksville, Tenn., and Austin J. Blanchard of Franklin, Tenn., both will be commissioned into reserve forces duty. They will be assigned to the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment with the Tennessee Army National Guard.

Blanchard is the son of Jerry and Lisa Blanchard of Franklin.

Lane is the son of Julia Lane of Clarksville, Tenn., and Tommie Lane Sr. of Wrens, Ga. 

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Media welcomed.

       MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news any time, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[198] Participant in MTSU bone density study calls it 'easy,' 'simple' to improve health

Participant in MTSU bone density study calls it ‘easy,’ ‘simple’ to improve health

FOR RELEASE: Dec. 11, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081, gina.logue@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO—Mary Belle Ginanni says her body type, gender, family history and European heritage make her a candidate for osteoporosis.

That’s why she took part in the bone density study, which is seeking more participants now at MTSU’s Alumni Memorial Gym.

“As we age, loss of balance is a major factor in falling, and, therefore, exercise is thought to help one to maintain balance,” said Ginanni, a Murfreesboro resident.

However, Saori Ishikawa, an MTSU graduate student, took the opposite approach to her research. Instead of studying the impact of exercise, she decided to examine the impact of sedentary behavior on bone density.

Ishikawa, who is working on her doctorate from the Department of Health and Human Performance, is studying postmenopausal women 65 years of age or older who are able to walk with or without the use of assistive devices.

With each participant, Ishikawa records height and weight, asks a few health-related questions, and scans the lumbar spine and the femoral neck area of the hip with a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry machine, all at no charge to the participant. Ginanni’s visit to campus took about 30 minutes.

“I couldn’t believe how easy it turned out to be,” Ginanni recalled. “The gizmo which one wears over the hip bone of the dominant hip is very small and caused no problem at all with my clothing.”

Participants document the times they take part in certain sedentary behaviors, including sleeping, lying down to watch TV, non-work-related sitting and work-related sitting.

“My study is an intervention where I communicate with the participants … and measure their activity level and sedentary behavior at the beginning and at the end of the study,” Ishikawa said.

Ishikawa’s recommendations are not for vigorous, intense exercise, but for moderate lifestyle changes such as walking while talking on the phone or washing dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher.

“Such simple things as standing on one foot while in a checkout line or while standing at the sink is a good way to improve balance,” said Ginanni. “If necessary, touch a finger to the counter for reassurance.

To volunteer for the free bone health study, or for more information, contact Ishikawa at 615-898-5545, 774-240-7517 or si2p@mtmail.mtsu.edu.

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PHOTOS INCLUDED: 1) MTSU graduate student Saori Ishikawa prepares Mary Belle Ginanni for a bone density scan.

2) Images of an unnamed patient’s lumbar spine and hip scans help determine her degree of vulnerability to fractures and osteoporosis.

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