ARK

AN

SAS STATE UNIVERSITY

FO

UN DATIO N, IN

C.

NONPROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAID STATEUNIV., AR 72467PERMIT NO. 5

P.O. Box 1990 • State University, AR 72467

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Spring 2002

TheFOUNDATIONNews

About the cover...Arkansas State University alumna Dr. Kathy Brittain White (cen-ter, front) is supporting ASU’s College of Business through hergifts as well as through a unique partnership between her compa-ny, Cardinal Health, and the college. Pictured with Dr. White arethe VIP interns (from left:) Alisha Cobbs of Brinkley, DiannaStevens of Jonesboro, Shawn Cummins of Pocahontas, AngieOpperman of Mountain View, and Joe Burleson of Hardy. (Coverphoto by Straley Snipes)

Foundation president’s message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Development notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Kathy White initiates fellowship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Cardinal-Allegiance intership a success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Bells may toll new tune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4New center at Heber Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Art brings praise to ASU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Herbert McAdams II remembered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Hoke gift benefits Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Kristin Pratt works Phonathon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Lakeport Plantation becomes part of ASU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Advancement Spotlight: Ron Looney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Family honors “Mother Ruth” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Emeritus professor endows scholarship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Veteran math teacher remembered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Holiday brings record gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15John Woodside’s wonderful life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

The Foundation News

Board of DirectorsArkansas State UniversityFoundation, Inc.Sherland Hamilton, Chairman of the BoardMary Ann Arnold, Board Vice ChairPhilip Jackson, Board Secretary/TreasurerJohn Troutt, Jr., Immediate Past ChairBill BrewerJim BrownConnie ButlerBobby CaldwellSandra Curtiss CherryDarrell H. CooperDouglas CoyNiel CrowsonRonald L. DedmanJack Fleischauer, Jr.Danny L. FordWallace FowlerMike GibsonDr. Ray Hall, Jr.Richard P. Herget, Jr.Marilyn HummelsteinDr. Shelvy Haywood Keglar, Sr.Sandra KennettMichael LewellenHarold PerrinStephen C. ReynoldsVelmar S. RichmondRichard SheidLindley V. Smith, Jr.Lloyd Wofford, Jr.Dr. Leslie Wyatt, President of the UniversitySteve Owens, President & CEOEd Kremers, Chief Financial OfficerChris Gardner, Attorney

University Advancement StaffSandy Benesh, Administrative AssistantWyvetta Bennett, Data Base ManagerSusan Briner, Alumni Membership SecretaryPeggy Britt, Administrative AssistantStephanie Curton, Development OfficerDanna Evans, Foundation AccountantMendy Hendrix, Development SecretaryPhilip Jackson, Foundation ControllerHeath Kelly, Graphic ArtistJohn Kerst, Alumni Publications EditorElizabeth Kingcade, Alumni SecretaryRon Looney, Director of Publications &

Creative ServicesDiana Monroe, Coordinator of Development

CommunicationsTom Moore, Director of University

CommunicationsJune Morse, Coordinator of Alumni RelationsAnnette Murphy, Advancement SecretaryVic Nelson, Public Relations SecretarySteve Owens, Vice PresidentMolly Phillips, Coordinator of Alumni

ChaptersElaine Poynter, Coordinator of Annual GivingMark Reeves, Art DirectorBeth Smith, Director of Alumni RelationsStraley Snipes, Coordinator of Information

ServicesGeorgia Summitt, Graphic ArtistTori Thompson, Development OfficerDawn Tucker, Coordinator of Advancement

ServicesDeborah Turner, Director of Planned GivingHolly Van Wagener, Administrative AssistantSteve Watkins, Director of Development

TheFOUNDATION News

Volume 4 • Number 1

Features

Page 9 Page 12 Page 16

Memorial Day is still a month away,but here in the Development Office,we’ve got Christmas on our minds.

The afternoon of Sunday, December8, 2002, is the date of our first HolidaySpectacular–and the beginning of whatwe anticipate will become an annualholiday tradition among Arkansas StateUniversity’s special friends.

Throughout the year, ASU is the ben-eficiary of astounding generosity fromthousands of our alumni, faculty andstaff, special friends and communitypartners. We find ourselves foreverthankful and wish to demonstrate thatthanks in a tangible way.

The Holiday Spectacular is ASU’s giftback to our community and to our manygenerous benefactors. It’s designed to bea good time for all and we think you’llenjoy it.

The Holiday Spectacular will belaunched in the awesome setting ofFowler Center’s Riceland Hall and willfeature some of the most outstandingtalent anywhere around.

Highlights of the festive 90-minuteperformance will feature the ASU Choir,Concert Orchestra, Wind Ensemble andthe popular Handbell Choir. There willbe great entertainment, seasonal holidayfare, special donor recognition; all in anatmosphere guaranteed to put you in thespirit of the season.

There will be many more details tofollow, but we want you to mark yourcalendars now.

You won’t want to miss it.

***

Speaking of Fowler Center, if youhaven’t had the opportunity to visit yet,you need to see what this magnificentfacility has to offer our region.

Four great venues include BradburyGallery, Riceland Hall, the ASU Drama

Theatre and theBlack BoxExperimentalTheatre. Byway of someo u t s t a n d i n gperformancesand communityevents, we nowhave seen what each of these settingscan offer individually, and, moreover,how they all come together to makeFowler Center one of the most uniquetreasures that any university in the coun-try would envy.

A superb schedule of art exhibitions,quality entertainment and other culturaland educational activities remain onFowler Center’s schedule for 2002.

Pick up a schedule, go by and see it,or give us a call for more information,but don’t miss out on what FowlerCenter has to offer.

***

A few days ago during a distractedmoment of an unexceptional meeting, Irealized an exceptional fact–an obviousone that I think we often overlook whenconsidering the greatness of this placethat brings us all together.

Sitting at a table, I counted profes-sional people who are notable experts inthe areas of health care, fine arts, com-munications, engineering, agriculture,business, history, psychology, science,education and higher education manage-ment.

With all those people working togeth-er, it is hard to imagine what we cannotdo.

Our many thanks to each of you foryour continuing support.

(Steve Watkins is director of develop-ment at Arkansas State University andserves as executive editor of “TheFoundation News.”)

Arkansas State University one

Dear Alumni and Friends:

As you will read in this issue, the2001 holiday season was a very goodone in terms of charitable gifts atArkansas State University.

I won’t spoil the news, but I will sayhow very humbled and grateful we are.

For the work of our development andplanned giving staffs; the staffs of theAlumni Office, the Public RelationsOffice, the Publications and CreativeServices Office; and my staff, I am trulygrateful. These men and women makeour university a better place throughtheir examples of commitment andservice. University Advancement istruly a team effort, and we only succeedby helping one another.

But most of all, I am grateful to you,our friends and supporters, for yourfathomless giving and support of thisinstitution. We have come a long way,but we have so much farther to go.Together I believe we will continue tomake a positive difference for ArkansasState University.

Thank you so very much for yourcontinued support to Arkansas State.

Very Sincerely,

Steve OwensVice President, University AdvancementPresident/CEO, ASU Foundation

Steve Watkins

Holiday spirit in thes p r i n g t i m e

The Foundation News two

The generosity of an Arkansas StateUniversity alumna has allowed theestablishment of the first fellowship inthe university’s College of Business.

Beginning this fall, the KathyBrittain White Fellowship inManagement Information Systems willbe in place, according to Dr. JanDuggar, dean of the ASU College ofBusiness.

“Kathy White is making a differenceby strengthening our faculty, which, inturn, affects the quality of our studentsand their educations,” he said. “Her giftwill help us to attract and retain excep-tional faculty to this institution.”

White received her bachelor’s andtwo master’s degrees at Arkansas State.She also earned her doctoral degreefrom Memphis State University, nowthe University of Memphis. She servesas executive vice president and chiefinformation officer of CardinalHealthcare, Inc., of Dublin, Ohio.

White said ASU provided her with anaffordable education. She was a mar-ried student and she said the affordablehousing, daycare and tuition made itpossible for her to return to school.

The Oxford, Ark., native said she hasmade the commitment to support the

College of Business because of thecommitment and encouragement shereceived from her professors while shewas a student at ASU. It was a commit-ment that was important to her continu-ing in the university’s master’s pro-gram.

“I have great stories of how facultysupported me the first summer Ireturned to school,” she explained.“My father died the first summer ses-sion and I missed the finals. One facul-ty member came to my trailer on cam-pus, unannounced, saying she knew Ihad studied, and did not want to makeme restudy. She gave me an oral exam.Her commitment to teaching and hersupport of her students was a rolemodel for me when I was a professor.”

“Another professor spent a lot oftime talking about different future pos-sibilities in the teaching field. I identifystrongly with the student populationand believe I need to encourage themlike I was encouraged before.”

The Kathy White Fellowship will becompetitively awarded before the Fall2002 semester, Duggar noted. He saidtenured or tenure-track faculty with

strengths in database managementinformation systems or network admin-istration whose scholarly accomplish-ments will advance the reputation ofthe College of Business will be consid-ered. He also said the fellowship willbe up for renewal every three years.

This is not the first significant giftWhite has made to the university.During the Fall 1998 semester, Whitehelped to establish a virtual internshipprogram between Cardinal Healthcareand Arkansas State University. (See theFall 1999 issue of Foundation News.)Additionally, she has made charitablegifts to ASU-Mountain Home to estab-lish the White Computer Lab. She saidshe very much wants to be a part ofextending the outreach of ASU and theCollege of Business, and believes thefellowship is one way she can help.

“If the gift can provide for additionaltraining or hiring of professors in thefield, I think it is very important,” shesaid. “Learning is so enhanced with anenthusiastic, knowledgeable professor.There is a shortage of MIS professors,so I’m hopeful this will assist in attract-ing and/or training those professors.”

Whiteinitiatesfellowshipin Collegeof Business

Kathy Brittain White (right) presents a gift to establish the Kathy White Fellowship inManagement Information Systems to the College of Business. Receiving the gift are (from left)Steve Owens, ASU vice president for University Advancement; Dr. Jan Duggar, dean of theCollege of Business; and Dr. John Seydel, chairman of the Department of Economics andDecision Sciences at ASU.

Arkansas State University three

Cardinal-Allegiance internships fostertraining, careers for ASU students

Now in its fourth year in the Collegeof Business on the Arkansas StateUniversity campus, the VIP-VirtualInternship Program between CardinalHealthcare and ASU continues to be amodel of success.

Administered under one of Cardinal’scompanies, Allegiance Healthcare, theinternship program involves six ASUstudents who perform various computerfunctions, from software review toHTML coding and website develop-ment.

Each ASU intern is paired with anAllegiance work group, and interactswith that group in the virtual world for12 hours during the week.

ASU alumna Kathy Brittain White,executive vice president and chief infor-mation officer for Cardinal Health, Inc.,said this a unique program.

“As a part of giving back, I wanted tooffer ASU students an opportunity to

intern with a large, well-respected com-pany,” she explained. “Many could notactually move to Chicago, so webrought the program to them. We trulymade it virtual so they were working forus, but were still on campus. We don’tknow of another company nor schoolparticipating in such an innovative pro-gram.”

The students, most of whom are com-puter science or management informa-tion systems majors, interview in an on-campus visit with Allegiance. Whenstudents are chosen as interns, they areflown to the Allegiance campus inMcGraw Park, Ill., where they tour thefacility and meet the members of theirwork group.

“We’ve had great success, and thestudents believe they have truly learneda great deal. We now bring former ASUstudents back to recruit with us.”

One of those recruits who was hired isGus Granger, a 2000 ASU graduate who

earned a Bachelor of Science degree inmanagement information systems. He isnow a programmer analyst with thecompany.

“I was a Cardinal intern the springsemester of my senior year,” Grangersaid. “When I graduated in the summerof 2000, I wasn’t really sure what direc-tion I wanted to take. I interviewed withseveral companies in Central Arkansasand in Memphis. And then I interviewedwith Allegiance. I went to work that fall.For me, every day is a good day withthis company. I really enjoy my job.”

Granger’s supervisor, Arnie Weller,said Granger has a strong work ethicand has done well with Allegiance.

“Gus was promoted faster than mostpeople are when they come into thisorganization,” Weller said. “His work isexcellent.”

White said Granger is one of severalstudents that have hired on full-timewith Cardinal who have already beenpromoted. She said the company hasbeen very pleased with the interns in theVIP.

“I would say their work ethic anddesire to achieve are very important,”she explained. “I had believed that someof those characteristics were why I havebeen successful and I see the same thingin the student population at ASU. Manyof them come from very modest meansand rural areas, and are very grateful foropportunities. That translates into doingthe very thing we expect and ‘thensome.’ For years I have given talks ongoing the extra mile to truly excel.”

“I see that in many of the graduateswe have worked with.”

Team leaders from Allegiance, a Cardinal Health Company, recently visited with their ASUstudent VIP team members. Pictured (from left) are: Dr. John Seydel, chairman of the ASUDepartment of Economics and Decision Sciences; VIP students Alisha Cobbs, ShawnCummins and Joe Burleson; Allegiance team leaders Wanda McKenny, Gus Granger andArnie Weller; and VIP student Dianna Stevens. Seated is VIP student Angie Opperman. Notpictured is VIP student Kristina Harvey.

fourThe Foundation News

B e l l s m a y s o o n t o l l n e w t u n ef o r A S U c a m p u s , c o m m u n i t y

The bell tower in the Dean B. EllisLibrary on the Arkansas StateUniversity campus could soon be chim-ing a whole new set of tunes.

New bells have been delivered to theuniversity and another is on order,according to ASU Director ofDevelopment Steve Watkins.

“We’ve recently received three bellsthat were purchased by friends of theuniversity,” he said. “Theseinclude the bell in honor ofCurtis and Marjorie Moore, pur-chased by Dr. Mary Moore; thebell in memory of Dr. HerbertWendell Ward purchased byMrs. Maxine Ward; and the bellin honor of the Arkansas Stateclasses of 1950 and 1960.”

Watkins said another bell, the C4, isin the process of being cast. That bellwas purchased by Henry and VerbethCoe of Tuckerman in honor of Mr. Coe,a 1938 engineering alumnus.

Watkins said the bell tower wasbegun 10 years ago with the installationof four solid bronze pealing bells. Eachbell bears the name Arkansas StateUniversity “en relief.” Originallydedicated in 1994, the bells canbe heard across campus andacross the community as theyplay the Westminster Chimesat 15-minute intervals between 7 a.m.and midnight daily.

“Also, a special ringing of the bells,called the peal, occurs at noon eachday,” he noted. “Until additional bellsare acquired, this is a random pealing,but we eventually hope to pealmelodies, the alma mater and othertunes.”

Watkins said the framework is inplace in the bell tower to accommodateup to 48 bells. During the last 10 years,

the university has accepted gifts to pur-chase a carillon. A carillon is made of23 or more bells in fixed suspension,tuned in chromatic order with a musicalrange of at least two octaves. He saidthis will provide the necessary range toplay most popular melodies.

The design and casting of the bells forthe library carillon has been performedby van Bergen Bellfoundries, Inc. ofCharleston, S.C., with the casting of the

bells being completed at their PaccardFonderie de Cloches in Annecy-le-Vieux, France. Founded in theNetherlands in 1795, the van Bergenfamily foundry is considered the leaderin the bell, clock tower and carillonindustry.

Six main steps go into making a bell,according to van Bergen: designing,making the templates or patterns, build-

ing the mold, casting, tuning and fittingthe bell with the clapper or appropriatestriking mechanism.

The casting process begins with athree-part mold consisting of the core,the dummy or false bell, and the cope orcase. A space is exposed when thedummy is removed that is just largeenough to receive a molten alloy ofabout three-fourths copper and one-fourth tin. Each bell has a different

metal content, depending on itssize. When the bell has cooled, itis cleaned and then tuned.

van Bergen has placed manybells, clock towers and carillonsacross the United States, includ-ing the carillon at St. Patrick’s

Cathedral in New York City, and on col-lege campuses like Texas A&MUniversity and Wake Forest University.

Just three more bells are needed tocomplete the carillon in the librarytower, Watkins said. The A#3 bell, theB3 bell and the C#4 bell all need bene-factors before they can be purchasedand installed.

“We are very close to completion ofthe carillon,” he said. “Purchasing

one of these bells is a perfect wayto honor or memorialize a per-

son, family or group. And it isan excellent venue with

which to mark an anniversary, career orcontribution to the university or theregion. We hope to complete the caril-lon very soon. It will provide a greatnew dynamic to the campus environ-ment.”

Watkins said persons interested in thelibrary carillon may contact theDevelopment Office at 972-3940, ortoll-free outside Jonesboro at (888) 225-8343, or by writing to the ASUDevelopment Office, P.O. Box 1990,State University AR, 72467-1990.

Arkansas State University five

With warm smiles, handshakes andhugs, Cleburne County residentsrecently celebrated a housewarming ofsorts for one of theirneighbors–Arkansas State University-Heber Springs.

The new John L. Latimer SkillsTraining Center, named after a long-time member of the Cleburne CountyEconomic Development Corporation,was showcased to more than 500 peo-ple during an open house on January20. Participants witnessed the ceremo-nial ribbon cutting, toured the newbuilding, and viewed demonstrationsof the state-of-the-art technology usedin the center’s classrooms.

The creation of ASU-Heber Springswas set in motion in November 1997when a small group of citizens initiat-ed a grassroots effort to bring highereducation to the community.

Meetings between officials with A-State and Cleburne County business,civic and community leaders, alongwith a survey of industry, chamber ofcommerce members and schools,found a need for continued educationpast the high school level in the area,school officials said.

In the fall of 1998, 80 students in 10classes began evening studies at HeberSprings High School, with the help ofa $15,000 start-up fund from the Stateof Arkansas. The following spring, theArkansas General Assembly designat-ed $700,000 to continue the momen-tum the school was gaining.

This semester’s classes beganJanuary 7 in the new 25,000 square-foot facility, which encompasses 11classrooms, two computer labs, twoscience labs, a multi-purpose lab, aninteractive video classroom and

administrative offices.

Enrollment has almost tripled that ofthree years ago. Full-time and adjunctteachers provide instruction to 235 stu-dents for core curriculum classes likephysical science, studio art, psycholo-gy, college algebra and government, inaddition to several business courses,including accounting and business sta-tistics. This spring, “Fast Track” busi-ness foundation courses for the mas-ter’s of business administration degreewere added to the schedule.

During the open house, ASU-BeebeChancellor Dr. Eugene McKay wel-comed the visitors and recognized fac-ulty and staff from ASU Beebe andASU-Heber Springs for their work anddedication to the new school, and itsmission to serve the educational needsof Cleburne County. ASU PresidentDr. Les Wyatt warmly welcomed theCleburne County group to its new col-

lege, and expressed deep appreciationfor the local support shown for theschool.

Dr. Wyatt also recognized the HergetFamily Foundation for its major gift tothe university for the completion of thenew facility. Members of the Hergetfamily were given a plaque in com-memoration of their gift.

“This is a first step,” said DickHerget. “There will one day be a per-manent facility here in Heber Springs.”

Dr. Dianne Tiner, director of theHeber Springs campus, said the newlocation will serve a great need inCleburne County.

“This gives us an opportunity to bet-ter serve our students,” she noted.“And they’re our number one priority.We’re so proud to be in this wonderfulfacility.”

Dr. Les Wyatt (left), president of Arkansas State University, presents a plaque to mem-bers of the Herget family, expressing appreciation for the $200,000 gift to ASU-HeberSprings from the Herget Family Foundation.

Cleburne community dedicates new ASU-Heber Springs center

The Foundation News six

It has been six years sinceArkansas State University ArtProfessor Evan Lindquist developedan idea to bring an exhibition ofsmall print work on campus. In thosesix years, the Delta National SmallPrints Exhibition has gained a fol-lowing among artists, patrons andlovers of the arts across the nation.

“My original goal was to bring thiskind of art to the Delta region,”Lindquist said. “This exhibition hasgiven our students and our universitycommunity several opportunities–thechance to see a variety of artworkand a chance to be exposed to nation-al jurors as well.”

Lindquist explained that the DeltaNational Small Prints Exhibition is ajuried exhibition, where a nationaljuror is brought in to select a numberof artworks that have been submittedfor consideration and will be dis-played in the exhibition, as opposedto a curated exhibition, in which acurator picks pieces from an estab-lished collection.

“This exhibition is unique, Ibelieve, in that it is one of only twoexhibitions in the country thataccepts the artist’s original print to beconsidered for exhibition,” he noted.

Bradbury Gallery Director LesChristensen said the exhibition is oneof the most significant showings inthe country today, and attracts manyartists throughout the country.

“We’ve had entries from almostany section of the country you canimagine,” she said. “Artists fromNew York and Pennsylvania toCalifornia and Washington have beenchosen to exhibit here. This year, our

national juror told me the quality ofthe submissions was so high and hewas so impressed by the works them-selves that he could not allow exhibi-tion of multiple works by some of theartists.”

This year’s juror was DanielPiersol, who is the Doris ZemurrayStone Curator of Prints andDrawings at the New OrleansMuseum of Art. He said he was verypleased by the submissions.

“It was a very rewarding andextremely informative experience forme to review the nearly 400 imagesin a broad range of graphic media,”Piersol said. “After much considera-tion and thought, I selected 70 worksfor this year’s exhibition. Not onlydo these creations fit comfortablywithin the spatial confines of ASU’shandsome new Bradbury Gallery, butalso they present a memorableoverview of the divergent and excit-ing directions being pursued by con-

Delta National Small Prints Exhibition bringsp r a i s e , n a t i o n a l a t t e n t i o n t o A S U

Bradbury Gallery Director Les Christensen admires the President’s Purchase Awardfrom the recent Delta National Small Prints Exhibition.

See “Delta National “ page seven

Arkansas State University seven

temporary graphic artists.”

Christensen said the catalog that ispublished with the works from theshow has also gained a national fol-lowing, and some believe it to beabout the greatest printmaking cata-log in the United States.

“The catalog represents the exhibi-tion well in that it extends the exhi-bition to other parts of the country,also,” she noted.

Christensen said the response tothe exhibition has continued to bevery favorable, and that support forthe event has continued to grow.

“We’ve had an amazingly positiveresponse for this exhibition withinthe region, which is impressive con-sidering the size of our community.The repeated generosity we’ve seenhas kept the exhibition going, and it’sa good sign that there is real interestin keeping the arts in NortheastArkansas.”

Phillip and Becky Wells ofJonesboro are in their second year ofsupporting the exhibition, and Mr.Wells said the couple believes it is aworthwhile gesture.

“We support the arts in this com-munity,” he said, “and we believeArkansas State University has been aforerunner for this kind of exhibition.It gives ASU the opportunity to showitself as a patron of this particulartype of art and gain some notorietyas a leader in print exhibitions on anational level.”

Lindquist said he believes after sixyears the exhibition continues to be aviable one that does the communitygood.

“I’m really gratified that the regionbelieves it is worthwhile, and thatpeople have kept it going.”

“Delta National” continued from page six

The Foundation News sadlynotes the passing of Herbert H.McAdams II, one of the foundingmembers of the Arkansas StateUniversity Foundation, Inc., whodied at his home in Little Rock onNov. 6, 2001.

Born in Jonesboro, McAdamswas a prominent Arkansas banker.He was a respected civic leaderand was known throughout thestate as a visionary in business.

But it is his support and com-mitment to the advancement ofArkansas State University thatwill be remembered by many onthe ASU campus. As a foundingmember of the ASU Foundation,Inc., he served as its chairmanfrom its inception in 1977 untilthe fall of 1992. In February 1993,the ASU Foundation Board ofDirectors bestowed the title ofchairman emeritus and lifetimemember of the ASU Foundationupon him in appreciation for hisleadership to ASU, the region andthe state.

In 1984, Arkansas Statebestowed the honorary Doctor ofLaws degree on McAdams, for his“standards of creativity ofthought, high personal standardsof integrity, contributions to edu-cation and society in general, anddedication to free inquiry and thesearch for truth that are qualitiesof an educated mind.”

In 1992, ASU, assisted by con-tributions from numerousArkansas Banks, established theMcAdams-Frierson Chair of BankManagement in the College ofBusiness, named for McAdamsand the late Charles DavisFrierson, for their practicalapproach to banking in action.

McAdams began his bankingcareer as co-founder of the LakeCity State Bank, which he latermoved to Jonesboro and mergedwith Citizens Bank. In the early1970s he bought the ailing UnionNational Bank of Little Rock andturned it into a profitable concern.He eventually sold his bankinginterests.

A 1933 graduate of JonesboroHigh School, McAdams was alsoa graduate of NorthwesternUniversity and received his lawdegree from the University ofArkansas at Fayetteville. He was adecorated Navy veteran of WorldWar II, and a member of theCraighead County, PulaskiCounty, Arkansas and Americanbar associations.

He will be missed.

Longtime A-State friend,Herbert McAdams II, dies

Longtime ASU supporter Herbert H. McAdams II

The Foundation News eight

Recent construction start-up of thenew Nestlé plant in Jonesboro hasbenefitted Arkansas State Universitythrough an in-kind gift to theCollege of Agriculture.

Craighead County farmer KevinHoke donated more than $4,000worth of soybean hay that has beenused for the college’s cattle opera-tion.

“I was renting 50 acres from theJonesboro Industrial DevelopmentCorporation and had it planted insoybeans,” Hoke explained. “Abouttwo weeks before harvest time,Nestlé was ready to begin construc-tion of the new plant they are locat-ing on the site I was renting. It wastoo early for me to harvest, and therehad to be no plant residue left on theground.”

Hoke said he approached GreaterJonesboro Chamber of CommercePresident and JIDC Agent HenryJones about an idea he had for bail-ing the soybean crop into hay.

“I said, ‘Henry, what do you thinkabout me donating that to ASU?’”

Jones liked the idea and Hoke con-tacted ASU Farm Director CharlesLong. The gift was accepted andwith the help of the CraigheadCounty Road Department, the 109round bales were delivered to theASU farm.

“This has reallybeen a blessing toour agricultureprogram,” said Dr.Cal Shumway,dean of theCollege ofA g r i c u l t u r e .“We’ve had noirrigation on theASU farm, andour hay produc-tion has beendown the last twoyears. This dona-tion providedenough feedthrough the win-ter for the 70head of cattle thatare on the farm.”

Shumway said in-kind donationslike feed, seed and fertilizer aremeaningful to the College ofAgriculture, because they allow thecollege to direct funds to other vitalneeds.

“It is a really positive thing forus,” he said.

Hoke is a third-generation familyfarmer who cultivates more than2,800 acres in Craighead County;1,000 acres of which are in soy-beans, 800 acres are in rice, 800acres are in cotton and 250 acres arein wheat. He said 65 to 70 percent ofhis crops are planted using the no-tillmethod of farming. His farm is in its

fifth year as a Monsanto “Center ofExcellence Farm” for his work intillage analysis, and he also performsfield trials for Syngenta andRiceTec. He and his family wereselected Craighead County FarmFamily of the Year in 1997.

A U.S. Navy veteran, Hoke saidalthough he did not attend ASU, hehas employed ASU students in vari-ous capacities on his farm during thelast ten years. He said he is pleasedhis gift was so well received by theCollege of Agriculture.

“Of course you hate to lose a cropbefore it reaches maturity, but it wasgood to be able to put it to use in away that benefits students and theuniversity. I’m glad to know that itmade a difference.”

Kevin Hoke farms more than 2,800 acres in CraigheadCounty.

Hoke gift benefitsASU College of Agriculture

Arkansas State University nine

If you believe listening to stories ofcollege pranks, having phone conversa-tions with toddlers, and singing theArkansas State University fight songdoesn’t sound like the regular duties ofa collegiate part-time job, Kristin Prattwill beg to differ with you.

Pratt, a senior computerscience/Spanish major from HotSprings who works as a student callerduring the Phonathon annual givingdrive on the A-State campus, has doneall these things. And because of hergood nature and steady effort, she hasbecome the first student worker to culti-vate more than $10,000 in annual gifts.

“Kristin is so open and friendly withour alums,” said Elaine Poynter, ASUcoordinator of annual giving. “In herconversations, she advises them ofwhat’s happening on campus, and talksabout the great things that are occurringin academics as well as athletics. Sheeven enjoys the occasional opportunityto pass along greetings from alumni toformer professors.”

It was a semester of volunteering,Pratt said, that sparked her interest inbecoming a permanent Phonathoncaller.

“I was a volunteer with my sorority,Chi Omega, and I won the prize for themost volunteer hours that semester,” sheexplained. “When the Fall 1999 semes-ter started, I applied to become a studentworker for Phonathon, got hired, andhave been here ever since. I like theflexible hours I can work after class, andit’s a very casual atmosphere. Alumswill ask me if I know their children whoare on campus, or tell me about thingsthat happened when they were here. Ilike that.”

Poynter said the Phonathon experi-ence is a valuable resource, in that

alums have a link to the goings-on at theuniversity, and Phonathon callers havethe opportunity to make valuable con-tacts. Additionally, Phonathon is animportant part of annual giving at ASU,accounting for almost 25 percent of theannual giving program.

In recognition of her successful per-formance, Poynter and the Phonathonstaff surprised Pratt with a small partythat included her favorite, cheesecake,and congratulatory messages from someof her professors. Dr. Jeff Janness,chairman of the Department ofComputer Sciences and Math, stoppedby to give personal greetings on behalfof the faculty. Some former Phonathonco-workers even stopped by with con-grats.

“It was a nice surprise,” Pratt said.

Poynter said the average amount of aPhonathon gift is between $25 and $50.Since her October celebration, Pratt hascultivated an additional $6,000 inPhonathon gifts, her largest single giftbeing $500.

Pratt said her most unusual experi-ence as a Phonathon caller came whenshe spoke with a toddler one evening.She admits she was a little concernedwhen the toddler kept talking to her andasking her everyday questions; she eventhought of hanging up the phone.

“That’s when the dad got on the lineand said ‘did you enjoy talking to afuture Indian?’ I was relieved at thatpoint, and he and I had a nice conversa-tion.”

In addition to her Phonathon job, Prattserves as vice president of theAssociation for Computing Machineryand is in the Saturday Scholars programon the ASU campus. She said after shegraduates next May, she’d like to comeback to ASU and get her teachingdegree, and would also like to travel inMexico and South America. For nowthough, she’s said she’s content workingat Phonathon.

“Our alums are very genuine,” shesaid. “They make my job easy andenjoyable.”

Enthusiastic student + telephone = manyg i f t s f or Arkansas S ta te Un ivers i ty

ASU Senior Kristin Pratt enjoys her time as a Phonathon caller.

tenThe Foundation News

A Chicot County family has present-ed a historically significant gift toArkansas State University that willserve not only as a museum of its era,but as an educational classroom andlaboratory for students in ASU’s newestdoctoral program.

The Lakeport Plantation house, oneof the few surviving remnants of ante-bellum architecture in southeastArkansas, has been donated to ASU bythe Sam Angel family of Lake Village.Built in the late 1850s, the modifiedGreek revival home is one of the only,if not the only, plantation houses thathas not been remodeled, redecorated orextensively modernized.

Ruth Hawkins, ASU director of DeltaHeritage Initiatives, said the gift willserve as a great hands-on laboratory forstudents working toward the doctoratein heritage studies degree at ArkansasState.

“Restoration plans are being devel-oped, and the opportunity for studentsto actually research the home and assistin that process afford a great deal ofexperience to their education,” she said.“There is such potential in this historichome. We are so grateful to the Angelfamily for their gift.”

“We alwayswanted thehouse to bepreserved,”Donna Angelsaid, “butwe knewthe job wastoo big forus as a fami-ly and wedidn’t wantto see allthis historywasted. AnnBradford, afriend fromPine Bluff,

suggested we contact Claudia Shannonof Jonesboro concerning her ideas forrestoration. She was the one who sug-gested we talk to ASU.”

“Ruth assured us the plantation housewouldn’t fall by the wayside. We wereable to see what the university had donewith the Hemingway-Pfeiffer home andwere very pleased–we realized theyknew what they were doing. Everythingall came together at the right time.”

Lakeport Plantation was founded in1857 byL y c u r g u sJohnson, whoowned exten-sive cottonland in ChicotCounty. Thep l a n t a t i o nstayed in theJohnson fami-ly until the late1920s, whenthe land wassold to SamEpstein, SamAngel’s grand-father. TheAngel familydeeded thep l a n t a t i o n

home to Arkansas State University inOctober 2001.

Hawkins said she is hopeful thehome will serve as a southern anchorfor heritage-minded tourists who travelfrom Hemingway-Pfeiffer down theCrowley’s Ridge Parkway to the GreatRiver Road.

“From a historical perspective, visi-tors will be able to learn a great deal,”she said. “The architecture, the agricul-tural significance and the plantation’shistory itself have the ability to drawvisitors here.”

Donna Angel said a lot of interest hasbeen generated in the last few months,and her family believes that will contin-ue.

“We do have great hope for the proj-ect, to make the house a working edu-cational facility that will also bring intourism,” she said. “People havealways been fascinated with the houseand its history.”

“We believe ASU has the knowledgeto bring the story of this home to life.”

Angel family presents historic ChicotCounty property to Arkansas State

The Lakeport Plantation home in Chicot County, Arkansas.

The Angel Family of Lake Village was recently honored for their gift of theLakeport Plantation home to Arkansas State University. Pictured at the cer-emony are (from left): Dr. Deborah Turner, ASU director of PlannedGiving; Sammy Angel; Sam Angel; Dr. Les Wyatt, ASU president; and Dr.Ruth Hawkins, ASU director of Delta Heritage Initiatives.

Arkansas State University eleven

A lot of things have probably changedin the 25-plus years Ron Looney hasbeen at Arkansas State University, butone thing has remained constant–theability to produce a quality product forhis customers.

Looney serves as director of thePublications and Creative ServicesDepartment in University Advancementat ASU. That title has changed little; hewas named director of publicationswhen he was hired in 1976. What haschanged though, is the size of his depart-ment and the way the department func-tions.

“When I was hired as director of pub-lications, the rest of the UniversityAdvancement staff consisted of TomManning, who directed news and infor-mation services; Andy Morris, who wasthe director of public relations; and asecretary,” he explained. “Now, just ourP&CS staff alone employs art directorMark Reeves, graphic artists GeorgiaSummitt and Heath Kelly, and two pub-lic relations staff members who alsowork part-time for P&CS: secretaryVicki Nelson and writer Straley Snipes.We also have a student employee, BetsyWyatt, and a student intern for the fall,spring and summer semesters.”

In addition to the changes in the sizeof the staff, the volume of work hasincreased dramatically over the years,thanks to the explosion in technology.

“Back when I started we were strictlya paste-up art shop with a drawingboard. We went to computerized art-work beginning in 1993. As recently asfive years ago, we logged in a project aday, around 20 or 25 a month. Now welog in between 60 and 80 projects amonth.”

He noted his staff members have tocarry the design job further than the old

days, by scanning photos and workingwith the print shop, whether it is the on-campus service or a commercial shop.While the creative output has increased,he said technical capabilities havemushroomed.

“Today’s artists continue to be cre-ative, but they must double as computertechnicians as well.”

Looney said the creative work for themajority of ASU’s publications comesthrough his office.

“Although we don’t always prepareall materials for everyone, all materialsshould be routed through our office foridentity approval,” he said. “Our goal isto present a unified image of the univer-sity to our various constituencies, and toconform to university standards as wellas recognized printing standards.”

He also noted that a big chunk of thedepartment’s work is devoted to theAdmissions Department’s recruitingmaterials, which can consist of as manyas 25 different published pieces. Hissaid P&CS has also had an increasedrole with the addition of the branch cam-puses and new departments within theASU system.

“We can do more with design nowfaster than ever, and we can give morevariety in design than we used to,” henoted. “Another big difference betweenwhen I first came to ASU and now is theaddition of color in our work. When Istarted, it was very unusual to do anyprinted piece in anything other thanblack and white. Now, it’s just the oppo-site–we rarely do a publication that isjust black and white.”

Looney said not only is he proud ofhis staff, but he is glad to see the depart-ment’s revived internship program.

“It’s goodfor each of our interns, because they getreal experience working on live proj-ects,” he explained. “It benefits them inthat they’re able to build their art portfo-lio, and it benefits us, too, by giving usanother perspective–we benefit fromtheir youth.”

In his leisure time, Looney and hiswife, Pat, who also serves ASU as thestaff development specialist in theTraining and Development Department,show registered quarter horses through-out Arkansas, and in western Kentucky,Tennessee, north Mississippi andAlabama, a hobby they have enjoyed for30 years.

“We’re gonna do it ‘til we get itright,” he quipped.

Known for his practical jokes andquick humor, Looney says his otherhobby is mowing the yard and pickingup pine cones from the 67 pine trees heand Pat have in their yard.

But he is pretty much all businesswhen it comes to business, and he saysit’s the variety of the jobs that keeps himand his staff coming back.

“The job stays fresh because we don’tdo the same thing day after day, and wehave different customers from the differ-ent departments and campuses all thetime,” he said. “What’s gratifying is tosee a piece come to life from design tofinished production, and know that wegave our customers something betterthan they expected.”

Advancement Spotlight:

Ron Looney

Ron Looney is ArkansasState’s “designing man”

The family of a longtime advocatefor children in Northeast Arkansashas established a scholarship and isbuilding it toward the endowmentlevel at Arkansas State University tohonor her for more than 70 years ofservice in early childhood education.

The “Mother” Ruth AllisonSteinsiek Excellence in EducationAward was established in the Collegeof Education to honor Mrs.Steinsiek, BSE ‘42, MSE ‘56, for hersupport of children through pro-grams like Head Start, according toher granddaughter, Straley Snipes,BS ‘99. Snipes said the idea tookshape in the spring of 2000, prior toMrs. Steinsiek’s 90th birthday.

“Mother Ruth had received a statechildhood education award, and Ibelieved it was a good time toapproach our family and her friendsand colleagues about a scholarship,”she explained. “With the help of theASU Development Office, we start-ed a letter-writing campaign, and itjust took off from there.”

Mrs. Steinsiek grew up in theLawrence County town of Alicia.After high school, she would take atrain from Alicia to Hoxie and then onto Jonesboro, where she attended theold Jonesboro Baptist College, andmajored in elocution and primaryeducation. When the college closed,Steinsiek came to Arkansas State.

“The women inmy father’s familywere all teachers,”she noted. “Andwhen I came toJonesboro I wasmissing my familyand all of my littlesiblings. I think Ijust naturally gravi-tated to what wasthen called earlychildhood educa-tion. I could see thatthe things my moth-er and my grand-mother taught mewere the things thatchildren need.”

Mrs. Steinsieksaid that she hasworked in variouscapacities for eachof the presidents ofArkansas State. Shealso taught at theold Training Schoolon campus. A col-

league and friend is still a member ofthe ASU faculty.

“Mildred Vance is my mentor,even though I am older than she is,”she noted. “She also taught two ofmy children. We have been closefriends and colleagues for manyyears. I can see how all of my train-ing prepared me for my Head Startexperiences.”

Snipes said her grandmother,along with colleague Celia Barnhard,opened the first Head Start Center atJonesboro in 1965.

“The community was wonderfulin helping get the Head Start pro-gram started,” Mrs. Steinsiek said,“and the university was very cooper-ative. I think we did a lot for our chil-dren. We did a lot for integration,too. I’m glad we had a part in work-ing toward that.”

Mrs. Steinsiek eventually becamea regional training officer for HeadStart, serving 31 training locations inArkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma,Texas and New Mexico. She saidthat not only did she get to travel allover the United States, but she wasable to broaden her contact withother people and cultures.

Although she has cut back herschedule somewhat, Mrs. Steinsiekhas never retired. An accomplishedartist, she still works on teachingmaterials, and has just completed acollection of materials for extendingchildren’s language development.

Snipes said her grandmother is astudy in strength and determination.When her husband unexpectedlydied early in their marriage, she was

The Foundation News twelve

Mrs. Ruth Allison Steinsiek (on left) and her granddaughter,Straley Snipes, enjoy a warm winter day in the Steinsiek back-yard.

Family honors advocacy, educationall e g a c y o f t h e i r “ M o t h e r R u t h ”

See “Mother Ruth “ page thirteen

Arkansas State University thirteen

An Arkansas State University emer-itus faculty member has brought ascholarship established in her honor tothe endowment level.

The Mary Lou Wood BusinessScholarship Endowment was estab-lished in 1995 by Dr. Bob Ferralascoand Dr. Dan Hoyt, colleagues of Mrs.Wood’s in the College of Business.

“They arranged a surprise retire-ment party for me,” Mrs. Wood said.“And then presented this scholarship.It was an honor.”

Mrs. Wood began her career atArkansas State College when she was17, as a secretary to Dean RobertMoore. She earned her Bachelor andMaster of Science degrees in BusinessEducation from Arkansas State, andthen began teaching, first as a gradu-ate assistant in 1964, and then as aninstructor in 1965. She spent her entire30-year career at Arkansas State.Upon her retirement, she was declaredemeritus assistant professor ofBusiness.

“I am a teacher,” she said simply. “Itaught business communications andsupervised business student teachersin the Bachelor of Science degree.Through the years I also taught short-hand, keyboarding and office manage-ment.”

Not only is Mrs. Wood a part of theASU family, but her family has been abig part of ASU. She has a sister anda brother who are alums. Her husband,the Honorable Bobby Gaines Wood,and their three children are also ASUgrads.

“We are very please to have theendowed Mary Lou Wood BusinessScholarship,” Dean Duggar said.

“This scholarship will help us recruittop-notch students from NettletonHigh School that are seeking businesseducation. We are particularly grati-fied when our former faculty membersestablish a freshman scholarship thatwill continue into perpetuity.”

Since her 1995 retirement, Mrs.Wood said she has enjoyed working inher garden. A master gardener, she is amember of the ASU Museum GardenClub. She and her husband are alsoASU Indian Club supporters andenjoy Indian athletics, and she alsoenjoys reading and “watching theleaves fall.”

The Mary Lou Wood BusinessScholarship Endowment is awarded toqualified students, entering as fresh-men, who are graduates of Mrs.Wood’s alma mater, Nettleton HighSchool, and are interested in pursuinga degree in the College of Business.Those interested in learning moreabout the scholarship are encouragedto contact the ASU Financial AidOffice, P.O. Box 1620, StateUniversity AR, 72467 1620, or theNettleton High School counselor’soffice.

Emeritus professor endowsCollege of Business scholarshipleft to raise her three daughters, the

oldest of whom was nine.

“You have to have a good familysupport system to succeed,” Mrs.Steinsiek noted, “my mother andgrandmother were there to help me.”

Snipes said her grandmother hascontinued that family support. In1991, Snipes’ parents both died, andshe and her sister and two brotherscame to live with Mother Ruth.Snipes said Mother Ruth and heraunts have also helped raised twoother of Mrs. Steinsiek’s grandchil-dren.

“All three of her daughtersreceived various degrees from ASU,and all six of us grandkids have cometo ASU. She has been such an amaz-ing influence on me, my sister, mybrothers and my cousins. She hastaken in other ASU students at vari-ous times during her lifetime. Shehas touched hundreds of livesthrough her work, her support andher friendship, and I believed sheneeded something to honor her. Thisscholarship does that and continuesher legacy of educational assis-tance.”

Snipes said her goal was to sur-prise her grandmother at a familycelebration marking her 90th birth-day. She said Mother Ruth wasexplaining how everyone at the gath-ering was related to everyone else,when the grandchildren presentedher with a plaque noting the scholar-ship’s establishment.

“She was very gracious,” Snipessaid.

“It was the biggest thing theycould have done for me,” MotherRuth noted. “It was a marvelousthing to have happen.”

College of BusinessScholarship Endowments

1998 - 2001

1998 - Aaron & Sandie Lubin Human Resource Management Scholarship

1999 - Stella Horton Alsey & Howard Milton Alsey Endowment

2000 - Dr. Shirl D. Strauser Scholarship Endowment

2001 - Donald W. Stone Memorial Scholarship, Mary Lou Wood Business Scholarship Endowment

“Mother Ruth” continued from page twelve

The Foundation News fourteen

A retired Jonesboro teacher hasendowed a scholarship in theDepartment of Computer Science andMathematics at Arkansas StateUniversity to honor the memory of herlate husband.

Mrs. Ella Pierce’s gift to establish theHoward Christie Pierce ScholarshipEndowment in Mathematics recognizesher husband’s professional service toeducation that went beyond 25 years,most of it spent teaching at JonesboroHigh School.

“The Pierce Scholarship is a vote ofconfidence in the College of Arts andSciences and affirms the importance ofmathematics education to Americansociety,” said Dr. Linda Pritchard, deanof the College of Arts and Sciences.“The late Mr. Pierce’s dedication toteaching math will be an inspiration toour students pursuing careers in thiscritical but understaffed field.”

“Howard always said he chose teach-ing to get out of the cotton patch,”quipped Mrs. Pierce. “But he really hada strong belief in education. He lovedseeing kids learn.”

Mr. Pierce grew up in Dyess inMississippi County. Mrs. Pierce grewup in Bell, Calif. The Pierces met in LosAngeles during World War II. He wason leave after having served in thePacific Theater, and she was a memberof the Women’s Army Corps. They weremarried about three months later.

After the war, the Pierces moved toArkansas and went to school on the GIBill. They came to Jonesboro in 1950 soMr. Pierce could earn education hours inorder that he might teach. She said heencouraged her to get her degree aswell.

Mr. Pierce’s first teaching job was atMcCormick, and then he began teachingmath and physical science at JonesboroHigh School. Mrs. Pierce said her hus-band often mixed other subjects into his

teaching lessons and was popular withhis students.

“He identified with his students,” sheexplained. “During the early 1970s, hegrew his hair long to fit in with them.His father got on to him for letting hishair grow!”

Mrs. Pierce received her degree fromArkansas State College in 1951. ThePierces both earned master’s degreesfrom A-State; he in 1961 and she in1966. During her 29-year teachingcareer, Mrs. Pierce taught at North, East,West and Hillcrest elementary schoolsand at Annie Camp Junior High School.

The Pierces raised two daughters whoare also teachers. Mary, an ASU alumna,followed in her father’s footsteps andnow teaches math at Jonesboro’s SixthGrade Academic Center, while daughterGilda is a counselor and teaches psy-chology at Fayetteville High School.Mr. Pierce was especially supportive of

girls receiving an education, Mrs. Piercesaid, and encouraged their self-relianceand independence. The Pierces’ grand-daughter, Jamie, is also an ASU alumnawho now works for Stephens, Inc. inLittle Rock.

Because three generations of her fam-ily earned their degrees from ArkansasState, Mrs. Pierce said it was fitting thatshe make this gift to ASU to helpdeserving students obtain their educa-tion.

“We got so much out of our educationat Arkansas State,” she explained. “Ourgranddaughter earned a scholarship.Howard started saving his money and Ifelt like this was a good thing to do–thatwe should give back and encourage oth-ers to do the same.”

Students interested in learning moreabout the Howard Christie PierceScholarship may contact the Office ofFinancial Aid at (870) 972-2310.

Veteran math teacher rememberedthrough scholarship endowment

The family of Howard Christie Pierce has established a scholarship endowment inmemory of their husband and father. Present during a luncheon honoring the Piercefamily were (from left): Dr. Jeffrey Jenness, chairman of the ASU Department ofComputer Sciences and Math; Dr. Les Wyatt, ASU president; Dr. Linda Pritchard,dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Mrs. Ella Pierce and her daughters, Ms.Mary Overbey and Ms. Gilda Pierce; and Steve Owens, ASU vice president forUniversity Advancement.

For the second straight year,alumni, friends, faculty and staffhave honored the Arkansas StateUniversity Foundation with arecord amount of charitable giftsduring the holiday season.

Steve Watkins, ASU director ofdevelopment, said that during theholiday period of Nov. 26, 2001,through Jan. 14, 2002, some $2.4million in charitable gifts werereceived. This gift period almosttriples last year’s record gifts ofsome $812,000. Total charitablegiving for the first six months ofthe 2002 fiscal year amounted to$3.4 million. Watkins said therecord gifts are most meaningfulto the university.

“I think it is significant forArkansas State Universitybecause, rightly so, many peoplewere very specific in the waysthey wanted to help their fellowman immediately after Sept. 11,2001,” he explained. “The fact

that ASU has remained a highphilanthropic priority for manypeople is a credit to the leader-ship and direction of the universi-ty.”

In addition to the record holi-day gifts, Torchbearers has seen asignificant increase for the sec-ond consecutive year, with amembership now surpassing 600.

Torchbearers is the giving clubwhose members are staff, facultyand emeritus faculty that supportthe university’s academic pro-grams through charitable givingto aid the university cause of theirchoice. The club is now in itsfifth year of existence at the uni-versity. Watkins said Torchbearerparticipation assists the universi-ty in two ways. First through thegift itself and secondly in that itspeaks well to corporations andcharitable foundations who areconsidering making gifts orgrants to the university.

“Many times the corporation orfoundation wants to know whatpercentage of faculty and staffsupport the university,” he said.“We are fortunate in that ourTorchbearer numbers have con-sistently risen during the time theclub has been in existence. Weprobably have one of the highest,if not the highest, percentage offaculty and staff supporters forany state institution.”

Watkins said the record holidaygifts and the increasedTorchbearer participation areespecially meaningful to the uni-versity and to its continuinggrowth and success.

“Each year friends and support-ers of the university are givingmore their time, talents andresources to help move ASU for-ward. That momentum is veryimportant, and sets a great exam-ple for charitable support toArkansas State University.”

Arkansas State University fifteen

ASU Foundation notes record giftsduring 2001 hol iday giving season

Send us your ideasThe Foundation News is published twice yearly by the division of University Advancement at Arkansas

State University. We welcome your ideas about the ways in which we might better serve you with infor-mation about Development project highlights, or about information related to opportunities for charitablegiving to the ASU Foundation.

Call or write to us with your comments and suggestions. You may write to: Diana Monroe, Office ofDevelopment, Arkansas State University, P.O. Box 1990, State University, AR, 72467, call toll-free at 1-888-225-8343 or send e-mail to dmonroe@astate.edu

The Foundation News sixteen

He has enjoyed a successfulcareer in the chemical industry thathas taken him to many placesaround the world. He has knownand worked withfamous people.He has led amost interestinglife, one thatmany mightenvy. So, towhat does JohnA. Woodside ofLufkin, Texas,attribute his suc-cess?

“I got a chemistry degree atArkansas State College,” the ‘36alumnus said. “And I lettered in bas-ketball. I loved sports.”

Born in Jonesboro in 1916,Woodside was the first member ofhis family on his mother’s side to beborn a U.S. citizen; his mother andher parents emigrated to the UnitedStates in 1889 from Cheltenham,England. He grew up inThomasville, Mo., where his father,John Clare Woodside, and his moth-er, Mable Symons Woodside, wereinstrumental in establishingThomasville High School in 1921.After he finished high school,Woodside said it was a fairly easydecision to come back to Jonesboroand to Arkansas State.

“Arkansas State offered about themost economical education I couldhave received at the time,” heexplained. “My grandparents, Mr.and Mrs. Alfred Symons, lived at411 Jefferson in Jonesboro and weregetting up in years, so it was goodthat I could stay with them while Iwent to school. I was to look after

them, butt h e yl o o k e dafter meand pro-v i d e dwonderfule n c o u r -agemen tthrough-out my

college years. They were a big influ-ence on me.”

Woodside’s family has a connec-tion to Arkansas State from its earli-est days. In 1910, V.C. Kays recruit-

ed Woodside’s mother as one of thefirst faculty members at the FirstDistrict Agricultural andMechanical School, the institutionthat evolved into Arkansas State.Woodside’s sister, Harriet, is also agraduate of Arkansas State, andanother sister and his brother attend-ed ASC, but had to cut short theireducations because of World War II.

Woodside came to ASC as a 16-year-old, having been allowed tostart school as a second grader, andthen completing the fourth and fifthgrades in one year.

“I was a hillbilly in amongst allthese flat-landers,” he joked. “I did-n’t have a car, so I used to catch aride down on Cate Street, and thenafter football or basketball practice,I’d catch a ride back downtown. Ienjoyed school. I started out as anAgriculture major, but switched tochemistry after taking a sophomorechemistry class. It was a new field in1932 and Dr. Roby was an excellentteacher.”

After graduation, Woodsideworked for a company just outsideof Stillwater, Okla., where heworked full-time at night while hegot his master’s degree, which hereceived in 1942. That same spring,he married and took a new job inKansas with Spencer Chemical. In1965, Gulf Oil, which had boughtout Spencer, sent Woodside toKuwait as superintendent for theirchemical company there, a job thatlasted three years. From there, hewas sent to Spain, where he worked

“I enjoyed my time at ASC.Arkansas State opened theworld for me and showed mewhat was out there and whatI could do.”

-John Woodside

Interesting career, fulfilling retirementmark the life of ASU alum John Woodside

John A. Woodside, 1933 Arkansas State yearbook

Arkansas State University seventeen

in three different cities. In 1971,Woodside retired from Gulf.

But the business world was notdone with John Woodside. Not longafter his retirement, he received acall from Dr. Armand Hammer,owner of Occidental Petroleum, tocome and talk with him about a job.

“Dr. Hammer interviewed me per-sonally for four hours at his homeon Harold Square in New YorkCity,” Woodside recalled. “When itcame time to prepare a contract, hewrote it out himself in longhand.”

Woodside spent the next threeyears in Saudi Arabia to get an

Occidental plant there up and run-ning. He came back to the U.S. in1975 to Houston, as Occidental’smanager of Middle East chemicalworks, and later worked in variouslocations for Occidental, includingIrvine and Stockton, Calif.,Pasadena, Texas, Savanna, Ga., andTaft, La., before retiring in April,1981.

Since that retirement, he has man-aged to stay busy, though, workingas a consultant and also as a volun-teer. He was chairman of the boardof his church, and served on all itscommittees at various times. Forseveral years he was a member ofthe Orange, Texas, Chapter of the

Society for Retired Executives, agroup supported by the U.S. SmallBusiness Administration that advis-es small business owners and man-agers with various business chal-lenges.

He and his wife now live inLufkin, Texas, where he is stillactive in Kiwanis, tutors atAngelina College, and serves on theboard of directors of the UnitedMethodist Foundation in his confer-ence. But he has not forgottenArkansas State.

In 1990, the first Mable SymonsWoodside Memorial ScholarshipEndowment was awarded.Woodside and his wife establishedthe scholarship to honor the memo-ry of his mother and her commit-ment to students she taught over theyears, many of whom returned toher during their college years fortutoring.

“She never turned down a requestfor tutoring,” he noted. “When astudent had a question about a sub-ject, or didn’t understand some-thing, she was there to help. Evenup to the time she was 88 or 89years old.”

Since the endowment’s inception,Woodside has assisted more than 20Missouri students in receiving theireducations at Arkansas StateUniversity. He tries to get back toJonesboro every fall to meet schol-arship recipients, usually bringingone of his two daughters along. Hesaid it was Arkansas State that madethe difference in his career.

“I enjoyed my time at ASC.Arkansas State opened the world forme and showed me what was outthere and what I could do.”

John A. Woodside, today