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James Madison University - Index

James Madison University - Madison Magazine - Summer 2008 - Index

in the vicinity and on the lookout for the
bus. There are many twists and turns on the
U.S. 33 trip over the Shenandoah Mountain
range! it was raining and very hard to
see, but i kept my eyes peeled. i got to the
end of the road, but no ole ’28. i stopped
a red pickup truck driven by Lloyd Bowers
of Petersburg, W.Va., and asked if he had
seen the bus. He thought it might be closer
to the beginning of the road. Racing around
the bends of Thorn Creek Road, i slammed
on my Mini Cooper’s brakes when i saw
the ole 1928 resting on four cinderblocks.
Thank you, Mrs. Berlin (’50), for helping
me locate the ole 1928. i’ve been fascinated
by JMU history and have collected Madison
memorabilia since i was a freshman.
My first purchases include 1948, 1950 and
1952 School Ma’am yearbooks found at the
Rolling Hills Antique Mall on East Market
Street. i have tried to find as much Madison
memorabilia as i can get my hands on, and
it’s not an easy task — even when you’re in
the ’Burg. i still haven’t found a Madison
beanie or a Harrisonburg Normal School
pennant, but i won’t give up. Happy centennial
birthday, James Madison University!
And thanks for the memories.
Tony Madsen (’99)
Budd Lake, N.J.
☛ EDiTOR’S nOTE: Read an article by
Tony Madsen about his Madison memorabilia collection
by clicking on the “features” link at www.
jmu.edu/MadisonOnline/.
DivERSiTY iROnY
As always, i enjoyed reading the latest issue
of Madison magazine. i receive the magazine
as a parent of Claire Molinaro (’09), a
School of Media Arts and design student.
i am continually impressed by the accomplishments
of graduates and faculty associated
with JMU. i must point out the irony,
however, of the photographs that showed
officials toasting the 100th anniversaries
of James Madison and Mary Washington
universities. Two higher education institutions,
both initially founded to serve
women, and neither image included a
woman in the celebrations. At least the
photographer was a woman!
Janet L. Molinaro (’09P)
Norfolk, Va.
THAnKS FOR THE
Madisons
The extra magazines i requested came today.
Thank you! They are great memorabilia for
our “bragging/remembrance” Homecoming
display — or some might call it a “shrine
to our youth.” The “Bell Hall Bellies” were
honored to be in the magazine’s coverage
of Homecoming. The interest from current
students in our Bell Hall pictures and stories
stuns me every year at Homecoming. our
group has a couple of collages consisting of
“then and now” images, and this seems to
draw a crowd. i am always puzzled over this,
but a co-worker told me, “it’s because even
after 25 years, JMU still looks the same.
… You guys don’t, but there are common
places of interest for alumni and students.”
Thanks for taking the time to send the magazines.
our group has been chattering in
e-mail over it for a week now.
Michele Hudnall (’85)
“Bell Hall Bellies”
McLean, Va.
Madison welcomes letters in response to magazine content. The staff reserves the right to edit
for clarity, length and style. Anonymous letters will not be published. Send to “22807” Madison,
220 University Blvd., MSC 3610, JMU, Harrisonburg, VA, 22807, or e-mail madisonmag@jmu.edu.
Photo Contest
alumni, Jmu parents and students:
show off your photography skills
✱ Submit a high resolution photo or a print to
be considered for the Alumni Section opening
image for the Fall 2008 issue. (See Page 61)
✱ Magazine staff members will select the best
image, and the winner will receive a copy of
1908-2008 The Madison Century, the book commemorating
JMU’s centennial.
✱ Only high resolution (large format) images will
be considered.
phoToGraph by caSey TempleTon (’06)
e-mail your photo to madisonmag@jmu.edu
Type “photo Contest fall 2008” in the subject head
{Editor’s note}
‘Something
very precious’
Something a donor said stuck with
me. i was interviewing Shirley Hanson
Roberts (’56) about the gift she
and her husband, dick, made to
support the future Performing Arts Center.
i had asked what motivated them to
give $2.5 million to name the music facilities.
Mrs. Roberts’ answer goes to the heart
of Madison.
“it was apparent to us that there was a
very close relationship between the students
and the faculty,” she says on Page
33. “And this really impressed us — particularly
for a university that has grown
as rapidly as JMU. Every time we asked,
‘How do you like JMU?’ the answer was
always, ‘We love it, we feel so close to our
professors,’” she says.
While memorable, Roberts’ answer
wasn’t unique. She did, however, sum up
so well the sentiments that we have heard
expressed about JMU throughout the
Centennial Celebration and the Madison
Century capital campaign.
Alumni returning for their reunions
have made the same observations year after
year. in fact, some are floored to meet students
who remind them so much of themselves
and who talk about similarly close
experiences with their professors — 25, 35
and 50 years later.
While alumni speak highly of their academic
programs, it is the professors who
were the catalysts for their learning experiences
who are lauded. As noted on Page
17, the Class of 1958’s feelings about their
class sponsor, biology professor William
Mengebier, are a case in point.
The feelings are reciprocated. Today’s
young faculty members arrive on campus
keen to push the boundaries of their disciplines
through scholarly research. Yet, as
President Linwood H. Rose notes in the
interview on Page 42, they are top faculty
members who are enthusiastic about
including undergraduates in their research.
And they often speak just as earnestly as
their students about the joy they feel in
these mentoring relationships.
The president boils these qualities down
to Madison culture and character.
That, Mrs. Roberts says, is “something
very precious — something that needs
continued nurturing.”
— Pam Brock, Executive Editor
SUMMER 2008 5