09 autumn reporter 1-20 - Franklin College

ALUMNI NEWS
Leslie Saunders ’97: It’s a small thing, really,
but I think about it a lot: When I was at FC, it
was common to see Gardner Ashley, retired
French professor, wearing his beret and sitting
on a campus bench in good weather, or eating
at Saga or setting up an easel somewhere,
painting. I had no idea at that point how old
he was or how long he’d been retired or even,
frankly, what he had taught. I just remember
wondering how much you have to love the
place you worked to want to spend your
retirement there, sitting in the sun, painting a
scene you’d probably painted a dozen times
before. I’ve yet to work anyplace that would
inspire that kind of loyalty, but I can see why
FC would.
Douglas Black ’99: I remember Grizzly Grand
Prix, senior year. The SAEs had four men
capable of competing in the Tour de France.
Unfortunately, we KDRs had a couple of
“Average Joe” cyclists. We still managed a
respectable second-place finish. If we’d only
trained a little harder . . .
Rick Etienne ’99: One of my favorite memories
happened during football practice in the
mid-’90s. Benji Betts ’99 was warming up,
doing drop-backs with the quarterbacks
when one of the managers ran into him with
a golf cart. After we saw he was hardly injured,
we all had a good laugh. The image of him
getting hit is still stuck in my head more than
a decade later.
Melissa (Goebel) Morris ’99: I remember
setting the alarm on Sundays so we wouldn’t
miss brunch. We’d go to eat biscuits and
gravy and somehow end up hanging out for
an hour in Saga. Then, we’d go back to our
rooms and try to study before something
more fun distracted us.
Elisabet (Somer) Murray ’99: Being selected
for an accounting internship with the Johnson
& Johnson subsidiary in Switzerland is one
of my best memories. I spent six great weeks
there and traveled on the weekends to
surrounding countries.
Tiffany Wilson ’99: A spring break trip to
Israel in 1997 and a Winter Term trip to
Greece in Winter Term 1998 are some of my
favorite memories. Those trips sparked my
love for travel, and I have now visited a total
of 15 countries and 46 states! But nothing will
ever compare to hiking in the Judean desert,
being baptized in the Jordan River, hiking up
to the Parthenon and eating real baklava
and gyros. Thank you, Dr. Cain, for being
our tour guide during both trips — they
were both awesome experiences I will
treasure always.
’00s
Michelle (Singer) Bloomer ’00: During Winter
Term in 2000, I took the “Walking Tour of
London” course, led by professor Doreen
St. Clair. We had an unbelievable experience.
We researched the history of the city, created
a project and presented our findings in the
weeks leading up to the trip. From riding on
the tube and watching famous musicals to
taking tours and visiting massive cathedrals,
it was a memorable adventure.
Heather Meek ’01: During my sophomore
year (98-99), we literally lived through the
Elsey Hall renovation. My roommate had
strategically chosen a room for us at the front
of the building so we could have the best view
of a certain fraternity’s legendary, late-night
human-pyramids on the lawn. Little did we
know at the time, the new addition would be
built right in front of our windows! It was
an adventure though, halls, and, more
crucially, bathrooms were closed; and noisy
construction workers were never further
than a few feet from our room. Somehow
in all the chaos, those of us sandwiched in
Elsey-2-middle bonded closely together.
Mike Hutsell ’01: My favorite memory would
have to be my time served as sports editor of
The Franklin and my time broadcasting games
on WFCI. While I was there, we were able to
cover the men’s basketball team in the
Division III national tournament twice,
including a road trip with some cohorts to
Grand Rapids, Mich., where the Grizzlies lost
an overtime classic against Calvin College. I
was also given the chance to write a column
in the paper that allowed me to have my own
voice heard on a weekly basis, giving my
already inflated ego a little bit of a boost
every week. The time I spent on both of
those endeavors only reiterated that journalism
was what I wanted to do for a career.
Eric J. Woodke ’02: I had the opportunity to
be a part of Lance Marshall’s first four years as
head baseball coach of the Grizzlies. Our first
year, 1998, was very memorable, but one we
would like to forget as the wins were few and
far between. In spite of the rough beginning
to his era, in five years coach Marshall took
the team to a school record with 32 victories
and the first HCAC crown. I will never forget
washing uniforms in Atlanta, Ga., not having
a field, pumping water for 10 hours, coach
Marshall going nose to nose with former
Hanover baseball coach Dick Nailer and
having to shave before I could take the
mound. It wasn’t always easy, but it was always
fun. I would like to thank coach Marshall and
his wife, Jaime, all the former players for their
support, the current players for their passion
and especially the guys from 1998 to 2001
who had a part in laying the foundation for
this great program. Coach Marshall is truly a
leader in action who inspires, innovates and
shapes the world.
Jill (Rateike) Curry ’03: One of my most
memorable experiences happened during a
Winter Term class in Mexico. Daneen (Butler)
Larrison ’03 and I were living with a host
family during our culture and language
immersion course. We were home alone one
afternoon, and the world started shaking.
Daneen quickly jumped to the ground
near a bed to protect herself while I simply
sat in disbelief. The earthquake was a new
experience for both of us. Following the
quake, we walked with wide eyes outside to
the neighborhood courtyard where all the
neighbors reassured us but cautioned us of
aftershocks. Daneen and I, in our broken
Spanish, felt better talking to the local
experts. To this day we laugh and remember
our earthquake experience. Next time, maybe
we will both react better and stand under a
door frame.
Jessica Dunham ’04: The day I met my
“bestest” friend, LaCinda (Bray) Stephens ’04,
is my favorite memory. I was visiting my
boyfriend when I met LaCinda, who had gone
with him on a Winter Term trip. She was a
huge fan of the Mooresville Spotlighters,
which I had been a member of in high school.
She showed up at my boyfriend’s room one
night to meet me, and she acted like I was a
big celebrity. Within a year, we became Delta
Gamma sisters and best friends, and we have
been ever since.
Erika (Thomas) Peggs ’04: I remember all
the good times we had on soccer team road
trips and at practices. I also remember fun
times hanging out in our dorm rooms and
at Jefferson Street Lounge.
54 FRANKLIN REPORTER WWW.FRANKLINCOLLEGE.EDU