Class Notes

From The Daily Times, Dec. 12, 2016 When Whitney Winston read about the Dollywood Foundation’s fund for helping families displaced by the Sevier County wildfires, she immediately began to worry about a group of people who could easily be left out in the cold. Who was going to translate the information for Hispanic families who did not speak English, she asked? “Are people going to fall through the cracks, or are they going to get the help they need?” Winston, director of Holston’s new “Camp in the Community” ministry, didn’t wait for someone else to do something. She left a message at the Dollywood Foundation, and soon found herself in the middle of a meeting with Dollywood executives. After Winston described the urgent need for language assistance so the Hispanic community could receive aid, the executives asked, “Could you do that for us?” Winston not only said yes, she was later asked to recruit and schedule translators at three different volunteer centers in Sevierville and Pigeon Forge. “I may be crazy,” said Winston, who took on the volunteer position just a few weeks after creating a new full-time camp position and moving into the Alcoa Conference Center. Winston is trying to fill 56 interpreter shifts on four days during which families may apply for Dollywood “My People Fund” assistance at the LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge: Dec. 15-16 and Dec. 19-20. Training on Dec. 14 is requested. She’s also trying to fill six total interpreter slots every day for an indefinite period. Two interpreters are needed every day for shifts at Boyd’s Bears, 149 Cates Lane, Pigeon Forge; Volunteer Rescue Squad, 1171 Dolly Parton Parkway, Sevierville; and Jubilee Distributing, 2115 Parkway, Pigeon Forge. Contact Winston at whitney@campinthecommunity.org or (865) 293-4137 if you can speak both English and Spanish and are willing to help. “This money can transform the lives of these families, and I don’t want the language barrier to prevent them from getting the funds,” Winston said. “I can guarantee that will happen if we can’t fill these spots. “

Whitney Pruitt Winston ’10 is heading the “Camp in the Community” project that the Holston Conference Center has elevated to a conference-wide project to now potentially serve 960 youth. The project that she has been working on since 2011 has expanded to serve some of the most poverty-stricken areas in Tennessee and Virginia. Read more here: http://holston.org/about/communications/the-call/volE17/num5/camp-in-the-community/

Wolf treasures his permanent place in NFL lore It’s safe to say that everyone elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is incredibly appreciative of what is the ultimate honor for anyone who has worked in the game. It’s also safe to say that Ron Wolf is even more appreciative than most. The former Green Bay Packers general manager will be inducted into the Hall on Saturday and take a permanent place among the football greats that include the players he read about and sometimes watched live while growing up in New Freedom, Pa. Wolf treasures the honor because he first immersed himself in football and its history beginning at an early age. That includes traveling to Baltimore to watch the Colts of the All-American Football Conference as a pre-teen in the mid-to-late 1940s, and poring over the weekly issues of Pro Football Illustrated, a publication that ultimately would get his foot in the door of professional football. This is a man who in 1997 named one of the two Packers’ practice fields after Clarke Hinkle, the Hall of Fame fullback who played from 1932-41. Though Hinkle’s name remains obscure to even serious fans of the NFL, he might be among the three or four greatest players in Packers history. Only someone steeped in NFL history would have known that Hinkle was as respected at his time as the Packers’ other great of that era, Don Hutson. “From the moment (Wolf) got in (to the Hall of Fame last February) until now, his excitement hasn’t worn off at all,” said Eliot Wolf, Ron’s son and the Packers’ current director of player personnel. “It’s really cool to see. I’ve seen him look through the Hall of Fame book and keep looking at the names. Obviously it means a lot to him, but more so (than most). He knows who most of those guys are. He knows how important they are to the history of the game. And now he’s part of that.” Wolf’s journey to the Hall of Fame, where Eliot will be his presenter during the induction ceremony Saturday, started in the small farming community of New Freedom, which is just north of Pennsylvania’s border with Maryland and about 38 miles from Baltimore. Wolf didn’t grow up on a farm – his father was a plastics engineer – but did farm work for extra money. He also played sports and followed them closely, especially baseball and football, and at a young age began an autograph collection that numbers in the hundreds. “He’s got a couple Babe Ruths, he’s got Civil War generals, he’s got a World Series Yankees ball, the whole team, from the ’50s,” Eliot said. “It’s pretty impressive. Jackie Robinson. Back then you could just write the players and they’d write you back. So he has a lot of them legitimately from when he was a kid.” At Susquehannock High School, Wolf played baseball and football – he says he was a much better left fielder and first baseman in baseball than a two-way end in football. After graduating from high school in 1956 he decided to make a career in the Army – he’d spent one year of high school as a cadet at a prep school, the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Md. “Second day in (the Army) I realized I made a serious miscalculation,” Wolf said. After basic training Wolf was assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina, and from there to the Army’s intelligence office in Berlin. He was a sergeant working in the office as support staff. Sometime before he was honorably discharged in 1959 he started thinking he’d like a career in football. But while in Berlin, Wolf also saw that many of the intelligence officers he met were college graduates, so he decided that after finishing his commitment to the Army he would go to college. Wolf first attended Maryville College, a Presbyterian school about 20 miles outside of Knoxville, Tenn. He made the baseball team as a singles-hitting shortstop with good speed. He also went out for football his final spring there but then transferred to Oklahoma to finish his degree in history. “I was a horse(-expletive) football player,” Wolf said. Despite being better at baseball – he remains a devout fan of the game – Wolf always was drawn more to football. Part of the reason might have because the Colts were the closest professional team to New Freedom when he was young, so he was able to see them live a couple times a year. The Orioles didn’t return to Baltimore until 1954, when Wolf was a junior in high school. But mostly, something about football appealed more innately to Wolf, especially when the Colts returned to the NFL with the Dallas Texans’ move to Baltimore in 1953. The AAFC Colts had lasted only one season after being absorbed into the NFL in 1951. “I just had tremendous respect for people that played the game and admired the competitive nature of it,” Wolf said. “I had an opportunity early on to watch the Colts grow from a very bad football team to emerge as a championship team, how that happened and the dedication. I went a couple times to their (summer) training (camp) in Westminster, Md., guys like (Gino) Marchetti, Jim Parker, and obviously (Johnny) Unitas and (Raymond) Berry and Lenny Moore. That was a big thrill for me.” By the time Wolf transferred to Oklahoma for financial reasons, he’d determined he probably wouldn’t get his foot in the door in football, so he planned to join the CIA. But his years of reading Pro Football Illustrated and being a stickler for details paid off. Over the years Wolf had regularly written Pro Football Illustrated’s editor, Ted Elbert, to point out factual errors in that publication’s stories, and the two developed a correspondence. In or around 1962, Elbert needed a copy editor and subscription manager, so he offered Wolf the job. Wolf accepted because he saw it as a possible route to scouting – besides covering the league directly, the magazine’s headquarters were in Chicago, which was the de facto headquarters of the NFL for a couple years in the early 1960s because, Wolf said, Bears owner George Halas essentially ran the league and hosted the NFL draft. Then in 1963, Elbert was in San Francisco to attend his sister’s wedding and scheduled an interview with new Oakland Raiders coach Al Davis. During their discussion, Davis said he needed a scouting assistant with a good memory for names and strong work ethic, and Elbert recommended Wolf. Wolf had returned to Oklahoma by that time, but took the job when Davis called. Thus was launched a Hall of Fame scouting career. He learned the craft from the bottom up. Davis was a big believer in comparing players, so in offseason meetings he and his coaching staff would watch game film and rank the players at every position for the eight-team AFL. They’d watch two games of all the left tackles, then the left guards, and so on. Wolf watched and listened. “You’d see who was better, who was the worst,” Wolf said. “That old adage a picture’s worth a thousand words, that applied. You could sit there and actually see why, and you’d listen to what the other guys were saying, as to why a guy is so good or so bad. So through true comparison, suddenly you have a wealth of knowledge.” In 1966, Davis was named AFL commissioner and brought Wolf to set up a league-wide scouting combine. When the AFL and NFL announced their merger in June of that year that would unite the leagues in 1970, Davis decided not to remain as the AFL’s a lame-duck commissioner. He returned to the Raiders as part owner and head of football operations, and the 28-year-old Wolf was his top lieutenant. Thirty years later, Wolf would win the Super Bowl as Packers GM. And now, 14 years after selecting his final draft class for the Packers, Wolf will become one of 295 members with a bust in Canton, Ohio, home of the Hall of Fame. “It’s incredible,” Wolf said. “It’s all those adjectives you can jumble in there. I wish I had a Roget’s (Thesaurus) in front of me so I could give you more adjectives. Growing up a fan like I was and watching the Colts come back in football and rebirth of that team, and they go on and win the title for two years with John Unitas. Having seen all that and witness the wonderful job Al Davis did with the Raiders, five decades of real excellence. Then have an opportunity to come here. This is the ultimate place, Green Bay, Wisconsin, in professional football.” pdougher@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @PeteDougherty. http://www.packersnews.com/staff/14947/pete-dougherty/Press-Gazette Media10:05 p.m. CDT August 5, 2015

has had a lot of changes in the past year. Her mother's health deteriorated to the point that she had to go into a nursing home, which is still hard for her to deal with. Her niece and 8-year-old daughter moved in with her in June. The duplex she shared with her mother was too small for 3, and they feel very lucky to have found a really nice house and moved in August. Right before we moved I had to help my beloved 20-year-old cat Zack pass from this world. Still have Maynard, who is now a 4-year-old kitty and my girl Kate, my herding breed mix is still with me. Still looking for a job, but my transcription business has picked up in the meantime. Would love to hear from MC friends….

SALISBURY, MD—A few months before he was assassinated, President John F. Kennedy made a historic trip to Europe, which included his ancestors’ homeland in Ireland. The event left an indelible impression on the Gaelic country, which recently hosted the nationwide anniversary celebration “JFK 50: The Homecoming.” Invited guests included the Kennedy family, singer-songwriger Judy Collins, Riverdance choreographer Michael Flatley … and Salisbury University voice instructor John Wesley Wright. A singer with the American Spiritual Ensemble, Wright joined three other hand-selected members of the group during four days of performances for the high-profile celebration. His one-of-a-kind experience was made possible by Dr. Pearse Lyons, owner and president of international company Alltech. Born in Ireland and now living in Kentucky, Lyons is a supporter of the American Spiritual Ensemble. When he learned of plans for the 50th anniversary celebration, he recommended the group because of its musical excellence and symbolic representation of Kennedy’s support for civil rights. They sang songs that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others used to punctuate meetings and demonstrations in the 1960s, including “Walk Together, Children” and “I Know I’ve Been Changed.” Wright and his colleagues began their whirlwind tour shortly after landing in Ireland, joining a community chorus outside Dublin for a cultural exchange concert that evening. The next morning brought a performance on an Irish radio show featuring a panel of Kennedy experts. They then were guests at a 280-person dinner held in the Kennedys’ honor. Afterward, once all the clinking of glasses and silverware had stopped, they performed for what, by the standards set the next day, was an intimate crowd. “All the Kennedys were sitting three feet from me,” Wright recalled, adding that the ensemble representatives received accolades from Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline. On Saturday, June 22, some 15,000 gathered before a stage at the Kennedy Monument in New Hope, Ireland, where the president had spoken five decades prior, for the main event of this once-in-a-lifetime celebration. “The magnitude felt like that of our presidential inauguration,” said Wright. Millions watched the nationally televised ceremony as representatives from the Peace Corps, Special Olympics and others carried a fire that originated with a torch lit from the Eternal Flame at Kennedy’s graveside at Arlington National Cemetery. Irish Prime Minister Edna Kenny joined the president’s sister, Jean Kennedy Smith, and Caroline Kennedy in lighting Ireland’s own version of the Eternal Flame, the Emigrant Flame, inside an iron globe. Ireland, Wright noted, is “a singing nation.” The crowd sang along with Collins during her performances and, following the lead of former Maryland Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, all 15,000 in attendance stood and joined the American Spiritual Ensemble in a powerful post-slavery song used heavily during the civil rights era, “Oh, Freedom.” Most Irish may not have experienced the slave conditions that gave birth to American spirituals, but the historical hardships their country has suffered helped them understand, Wright said. The ceremony culminated as Wright and others joined Collins in a heartfelt rendition of “Amazing Grace.” As Collins clutched Wright’s hand, a squadron of Irish Air Corps jets flew in formation, with one breaking off from the group to symbolize the loss of Kennedy. “It was one of the most touching things I’ve ever experienced,” said Wright. He was not the only one who thought so. Afterward, he and other members of the ensemble were recognized by Irish citizens who had attended the ceremony or watched it on television. From the cab driver who drove them back to their hotel to men gathered in a nearby pub, nearly everyone had the same reaction. “They would say, ‘Irish men don’t share their pain … but you moved me,'” said Wright. (PLEASE SEE PICTURES IN MEDIA SECTION)

Kelly graduated from the University of Kentucky in May 2017 with an MA in Linguistic Theory and Typology. During her time there she presented her work at several national conferences and an international conference in Sarajevo. She also taught Linguistics, Rhetoric, and Communication courses as a primary instructor. Most recently, she was asked to lead a three hour workshop at the Linguistics Society of America Summer Institute, a month-long, biannual gathering of the field. This workshop () was on using digital tools for Humanities–things like ELAN, CLAN, RegEX, Python, AntConc, etc. Currently, she has begun a PhD in Experimental Sociolinguistics at the University of Michigan. All of her work focuses on how institutionalized racism shapes the way language is used, and how the way language is used maintains racism in society. She was recently chosen for a high prestige competition in Linguistics–The Five-Minute Linguist. () Similar to Ted Talks, it happens annually at the LSA Annual Meeting. She will be competing against seven other researchers for substantial prize money and an interview with the New York Times about her work. The title of this work is Covert Segregation: Investigating Dialect Discrimination in the Housing Market. More information about this work and her teaching can be found here:

John Wesley Wright ’87 was a featured performer with the National Chorale, New York’s premier professional choral company, during the 50th presentation of “Handel’s Messiah Sing-In” on Dec. 15 at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The presentation included an audience-chorus of almost 3,000 voices under the batons of 17 eminent conductors from around the country who each conducted a movement. Wright, a tenor, is coordinator of the voice and opera programs at Salisbury University in Maryland. A member of the internationally acclaimed American Spiritual Ensemble, Wright is also an active clinician, consultant and leader of workshops on voice production, song interpretation and African-American song tradition.

Dr. Freeman T. Wyche Sr. ’58 has retired after 38 years of service as the minister of the Liberty City Church of Christ in Miami, Florida. According to the church, “Our brother has tirelessly served the Liberty City Church of Christ for the past 38 years, and his service has blessed not only the local congregation, community, and civic municipalities but has changed many lives for the better by sharing them with them the most precious gift of all, Jesus Christ.” On Feb. 11th, a gala was held in his honor to celebrate his dedication to the church. Dr. Wyche is now Minister Emeritus at the church.

Will Yager received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Double Bass Performance & Pedagogy from the University of Iowa in 2021.

Charles (Chuck) Yates ’98, owner of Concrete Craft of Knoxville, was recently presented a Heart & Home Award from Home Franchise Concepts (HFC) in recognition of extraordinary service to his local community on behalf of his Concrete Craft franchise. The inaugural award recognizes Budget Blinds®, Tailored Living® and Concrete Craft® franchisees who best embody HFC’s core values of caring and giving back to their communities. HFC is the Orange, Calif.-based parent of Budget Blinds, Tailored Living and Concrete Craft.

Lindsey O’Neal Yoder ’13 had a story published recently by SisterSTEM. The story, “Tackling the Mountain,” shares a scientist and grad student perspective of Mt. Rainier and taking care of oneself. Read more here: https://sisterstem.org/2018/07/26/tackling-the-mountain/

has been named interim principal at Carpenters Middle School, where he previously served as assistant principal.

writes in to share that  he was selected as the secondary supervisor for Blount County Schools.

Jesse Zabal ’08 has been named Loyola Head Volleyball Coach. She formerly was MC Assistant Volleyball Coach. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2pjksOz

This year, Jesse’s team won the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) regular season championship title, and it was the first time for her volleyball program to win the SSAC during one of their most difficult seasons to date. Jesse explained in an interview that “when Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans, we evacuated with our entire team and were on the road for two weeks. We hopped from hotel to hotel across two states and did what we could to keep our season going. We returned to New Orleans to a devastated sports complex and have yet to practice or compete in our own gym since we left for evacuation. We practiced in high schools around the city and played home matches in every college gym in the city except our own, and we were still able to compete at a very high level and earn this title for our program. Due to our success, our team earned conference awards for Player of the Year, Co-Freshman of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year, and I earned my first Coach of the Year award. We also had seven players earn All-Academic awards.”