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Focus Magazine | Spring 2026

FOCUS | SPRING 2026 | VOL. 122 | NO. 1 

COVER STORY 

THE NIGHT MARAUDER: How a century-old cold case inspired an MC history professor’s new book

Summary:
In preparing a new course titled “The History of Murder,” Dr. Nancy Locklin-Sofer stumbled upon a long-forgotten serial killer who had plagued East Tennessee in the 1920s. It’s now the subject of a new book coming in February 2027.

Author: Steve Wildsmith 

CAMPUS NEWS

Students study bats and land an internship at Harvard; a recap of recent campus renovations; MC Concert Choir seeks companions for 2027 tour of Scotland

SPORTS NEWS

Scots welcome a new basketball coach; Highlander Cup golf tournament announced; looking back at 150 years of Maryville College baseball

FACULTY NEWS

Barbara Johnson, Jan Taylor and Ted Higgs bid farewell

OTHER NEWS

Three recent gifts fund faculty initiatives: The Ellis Center, the Parks Cowan Initiative and the Job Childs Lawrence Fellowship

ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni gifts support student engagement: John Nichols ’65, Bill ’72 and Jan Welton Postler ’72

Scots Storytelling Initiative encourages alumni to share their MC memories

MCAA at 150: A recap of a sesquicentennial celebration