Institute Report. September 27, 1991

              The
Institute
Report
Volume XIX. Number 2 Virginia Military Institute Newsletter September 27,1991
Veteran employees Beard and
carlsson take early retirement
Col. Beard Col. Carlsson
Two more veteran staff members have decided to take the state's "early retirement" plan. Lt. Col. Donald A. Beard, comptroller, and Col. P. Allan Carlsson, associate dean for administration, registrar, and professor of philosophy, will retire on October 1.
Beard, a native of Rockbridge County, joined the VMI staff as assistant treasurer in 1959 and now completes 32 years of service here. A graduate of Brownsburg High School, he then earned his business administration degree at Bridgewater College. For the next four years, he was assistant office manager for Georgia Bonded Fibers Company in Buena Vista. In 1958 he joinedthe Locher Silica Corporation as an accoun­tant and came to VMI the following year.
In addition to serving as an elder of New Providence Presbyterian Church and as chairman ofits Board of Deacons, Beard also was treasurer of the Tri-Brook Country Club, forerunner of the Lexington Golf and Country Club. He also was treasurer of the VMI Research Laboratories, Inc.
Carlsson has completed 30 years of service to the Institute in a variety of positions, now holding three titles. He earned
B.A. and M.A. degrees from Wheaton College, a B.D. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University. The California native has presented papers and lectures at philosophical societies and conferences throughout the United States and Europe. He has served as president of the Society for Philosophy and Religion, Virginia Philosophical Association, and the Virginia Humanities Con­ference. He is a member ofvarious other professional societies.
(continued on page 5)
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Governor Wilder to speak at VMl's annual Virginia Transportation Conference
Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder will be the featured speaker at the opening session ofthe annual Virginia Transpor­tation Conference to be held here October 24-25.
The 41st annual conference, sponsored jointly by the Institute and the Virginia Department ofTransportation, has as this years theme, "Issues, Actions, and Innovations." It will include general sessions both mornings and a Thursday after­noon program of concurrent small group discussions.
Thursday morning's opening session at 9:45 will be followed by an 11:45 Regimental Review by the Corps of Cadets. In addition to the Governor, others on the program include John G. Milliken, the state's Secretary ofTransporta­tion, DOT Commissioner Ray D. Pethtel, and U.S. Congressman L. F. Payne, a VMI graduate in the class of 1967.
The afternoon mini-sessions from 1:30 until 4 will cover concerns of the environment, construction, safety and urban­rural transportation.
Desert Storm Appreciation Day
Each ofthe 480 VMI men who served in Operation Desert Storm has been invited to "Desert Storm Appreciation Day" to be held on Saturday, Oct. 12.
Sponsored jointly by the Institute and the VMI Founda­tion,
Inc., the day's activities will salute those alumni and
cadets who served in that theatre of operation. Each veteran
and his family have been invited as guests for the speciallun­cheon,
and the football game against William and Mary. At
11:45 that morning the Corps of Cadets will parade for them and the Desert Storm participants will take the review.
As we go to press, more than 100 of the invitees have indicated they and they families will attend. They also will be honored at halftime of the game. In addition, each will receive, either during their visit or by mail, a copy of a resolution by the VMI Board of Visitors commending the Desert Storm participants.
The highest ranking alumnus among the returnees is Brig. Gen. Granville R. Amos, USMC, class of 1965. Also invited are the Kuwaiti Ambassador to the United States, Shaikh Saud Nasir AI-Sabah, and U.S. Senator John Warner of Virginia, among others. Page 2, The Institute Report, SeptemiJer 27,1991
The issues at hand
From the Superintendent. . .
Nearly every day, I receive in the mail the results ofa survey, a report of a study commission, a compilation ofstatistics by an educational or professional association, or the findings of a higher education task force. After a seemingly dry period extending from the early seventies to the middle eighties when the national spotlight seemed to shift away from higher educa­tion, colleges and universities are once more on center stage and are receiving a critical view from all quarters.
The questions being asked strike at the very heart of the higher education enterprise: Are teachers teaching and are students learning on our college campuses? What permanent effects are colleges having upon students? Are colleges turn­ing out educated, mature, and competent citizens to lead our nation into the future? Is academia flexible enough to meet new demands and changing conditions? Not unexpectedly, there is little unanimity among the answers.
Partial and tentative answers to these questions may be found in the mountains of data and information published each year. From a college president's point ofview, one of the most useful of these many publications is The Almanac of Higher Education, 1991, prepared by the editors of The Chronicle of Higher Education. No publication surpasses The Almanac in usefulness and conciseness. In addition to presen­ting a series of national statistics, the book includes a list of current educational issues affecting colleges and states across the nation.
Issue number one concerns reports ofincidences of cam­pus crime. This issue has received the serious attention of Virginia Secretary of Education James W. Dyke, Jr., under the title of "campus civility," and itis one of only three issues for which state colleges in Virginia may request additional funds in the 1992-1994 biennium above those granted in their present base budgets. Furthermore, this issue has generated much debate, especially over the question of codes of conduct and the popular tag, "political correctness."
The second-ranking issue concerns financial conditions, more specifically tax-exemption for college savings. It, as does the third issue, prepaid tuition plans, reflects the increasing dif­ficulty of financing a college education. One suspects that even when the current recession is over, the issue of the high cost of a college degree will remain.
The fourth issue concerns tests of competence in the English language. Itis directed at the growing population of talented and highly motivated foreign students who are populating our graduate schools as teaching assistants butwho lack a command of English. The issue speaks indirectly to the need to send more ofour nation's students to graduate school; especially in the sciences and technology.
Among the remaining issues is one well-known in Virginia and brings us back to the basic questions being asked today. This issue concerns requirements to assess what students learn in college. We have come a long way since education was defined simply as ''Mark Hopkins [sitting) on one end ofa log, and [a student) on the other. "Today the educational enterprise encompasses many facets of student development. Accoun­tability looms above the halls ofivy, and the question is asked: "What effect should four years of college have on the full development of the student?"
VMI has never been immune from the tug and pull ofideas and issues in higher education. Ifwe are looking for a work­ing list oftoday's issues, TheAlmanac provides a starting point for discussion, debate, and action.
VMI taps new academic division directors
The restructuring ofthe Institute's academic organization has been completed, and now all academic departments are divided into divisional components.
Headed by a facuIty member (who still performs his regular duties), each division provides amore efficient administrative flow, closer to the academic departments. All of the division directors report directly to the provost and dean while depart­mentheads (also faculty members who teach) are responsible to the directors.
Col. James B. Davis, professor ofEnglish and head ofthe Department of English and Fine Arts, heads the division of liberal arts and reporting to him are the departments of economics/business, English/fine arts, history/politics, and modern languages. The director of the di vision of sciences is Col. Richard B. Minnix, professor ofphysics and head of the Department of Physics andAstronomy. The sciences division includes biology, chemistry, mathematics !computer science, and physics and astronomy. Col. Donald K. Jamison, professor of civil engineering, is director of the engineering division, which includes civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering departments. The division ofleadership education includes the departments of behavorial sciences and leadership (formerly philosophy and psychology), physical education, and all RarC departments. Itis directed by Col. N. Michael Bissell, the commandant of cadets.
The leadership education division also includes an associate dean for leadership, Capt. William O. Hughes, psychology professor who also heads the Department of Behavorial Sciences and Leadership. Serving as assistant director of leadership is Lt. Col. Darryl D. Magee, formerly of the RarC staff here and now involved full time in the leader­ship education program.
Don't Forget!
Parents Weekend
October 4-6, 1991
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VMI Theatre presents Oscar Wilde comedy
The VMI Theatre opens its season Thursday, October 3, with Oscar Wilde's classic Victorian comedy, "The Importance ofBeing Earnest," directed by J oellen Bland. The play will be presented in the Scott Shipp Hall theatre at 8 p.m. on Oct. 3-5 and Oct. 10-12.
The Saturday. Oct. 5, performance is reserved for parents of cadets as one ofthe events of Parents Weekend. Reservations for any show may be made by calling 464-7389.
A parody of the most revered values and ideals of the Victorian era, this delightful play treats trivial things seriously and serious things with sincere triviality. Family life, love, marriage, manners, education, literature, business, politics, and even names are parodied in Wilde's cleverly contrived comedy which opened in London on February 14, 1895.
Heading the cast as Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, two fastidious young gentlemen of leisure, are Cadets J. Michael Morris and James F. Cherry, both making their onstage debuts with the VMI Theatre. Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew, two proper young ladies intent upon marrying a man called Ernest, will be played by Sherri Holland and Christie Davis, both familiar figures on the VMI Theatre stage. Rai Schmalz, known to Lexington theatregoers from Henry Street Playhouse and Footlight Productions perfor­mances, will portray the domineering Lady Bracknell.
Rounding out the cast are Melou Piegari as Cecily's governess, Miss Prism; Christopher Deighan as Reverend Chasuble; and Cadets PhilipA. Grant, ChristianA. Hartwell, and John H. Judy as the manservants.
Set design is by Cadet Brian E. McCarthy. Cadetstaff and crew for the show include M. Sean Fisher, Patrick 1. O'Neil, Christopher I. Hackett, Benjamin A. Lilly, 1. Michael Morris, Harold A. Stills, Alexander S. Jackson, Benjamin N. Hargy, and Jonathan L. Greenspon. George E. Petty, III is stage manager, and language consultant is Wendy Vandervort.
The Institute Report, September 27, 1991, Page 3
Citizen-soldiers return to Corps
Persian Gulf Ji>ts at VML Cadets Joseph D. Davis, III (right) and Harrison H. Kelly stand be/ore the Citizen-Soldier Cincin­natus Monument. On the/ront o/the monument is a bronze bas relie/in tribute to the Roman hero Cincinnatus, role model 0/ the citizen-soldier.
Cadets Joseph D. Davis, III, an economics major from Dublin, and Harrison H. Kelly, a civil engineering major from Pulaski, have returned to the Institute as third classmen after being called to active duty during the Persian Gulf crisis.
They were Rats last fall and also were members ofthe Army Reserve's 424th Transportation Company in Galax. They left VMI on Nov. 16 to join their outfit when their unit was called to active duty. Both cadets were in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
Cadets Davis and Harrison told The Institute Report that it was difficult for their transportation unit to keep up with American and allied troops during the brief war phase because they were moving forward so swiftly.
Davis and Harrison are typical of the citizen-soldier con­cept of VMI men prepared by education and training to take their place in civilian life but also trained and ready for military leadership in time of national need.
Early Ring Figure
This year's Ring Figure, October 18-19, will mark the earliest Ring Figure in the 65-year history of the event. Approximately 290 members of the Class of 1993 will celebrate receiving their coveted class rings with the traditional Friday dance and other class activities scheduled for Saturday all held within the confines of Rockbridge County.
Another "first" for this year's event is the fact that itdoesn't happen in conjunction with a home football game, so team members who are second classmen may participate fully in all the class activities.
On Friday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m., the ring presentation ceremony will begin the festivities in Jackson Memorial Hall and includes each cadet receiving his ring from Maj. Gen. John
W. Knapp, VMI superintendent. The cadets receive their rings a second time during the colorful "Ring Figure,"which begins at 8 p.m. in Cocke Hall. Cadets and their dates will pass through the replica of their
class ring, executing an intricate ballroom figure to include the initials VMI and their class numerals.
Hughes Trophy to VMI graduate
For the sixth time in its 28-year history, the Hughes Trophy has been presented to a VMI graduate. The award, given jointly by the Hughes Aircraft Company and the United States Army, honors annually the outstanding Army RarC graduate from the more than 300 Army ROTC programs nationwide.
This year's winner, who was presented the trophy at ceremonies conducted by the Secretary of the Army in Washington, is Lt. Christian R. Larlee, a 1990 graduate with distinction in history. He also was a Distinguished Military Graduate and a company commander as a cadet captain. Larlee came to VMI from Ocala, Fla.
Candidates for the Trophy are nominated by their colleges after graduation, based on academic record and on demonstrated qualities of leadership and officer potential. Only two other colleges have had more than one chosen: Texas A&M has had three and Purde University two.
Previous VMI men who won this prestigious award were John T. Nelsen '71; Robert B. Crotty '73; RobertL. Norris '79; Thomas J. Savage '81; and Timothy D. Stanley '84.
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Page 4, The Instilute Report, Seplember 27,1991
VMI on track with the future
Innovative energy course to be offered in second semester
VMI To Highlight Energy Course. Col. Charles D. Morgan (left) and Col. Richard T. Trandel (right) will teach a new and forward looking energy honors course during the VMIspring term of1992. The course seeks to makestudents aware just how critical energy production can be in thefuture, and how it will affect the way the worldlives. The two mechanical engineering professors say the course will be "hands-on, "with demonstra­tions by energy-using mechanisms, such as this one-cylinder engine.
An all-encompassing, "hands-on" honors course about energy and what can be done about ample supplies in the future, will be taught in the second half ofVMI's school year by two mechanical engineering professors.
Entitled, "Energy, Energy Alternatives, and the Environ­ment," the curriculum, part of the Institute's Honors Program in Seience and Technology, explores the ways in whieh suffi­cient energy will be available for mankind's needs, while still protecting the most fragile parts of the environment from harm. The only technical requirements for the course will be completion of first-year chemistry and mathematics courses; already a prerequisite for all cadets.
"Too many people have a black and white view of energy. They don't realize that energy use depends not only on what is technical1y feasible but what is politically and eeonomically possible," says Col. Richard S. Trandel, professor of mechanical engineering, one of the course teachers. Equally sharing the guidance of the course wi11 be Col. Charles D. Morgan, associate professor of mechanical engineering. Both men point out that while this is hardly the first VMI energy course offered to prospective engineers, it is the most com­prehensive look at the controversial energy dilemma, which still begs a firm solution to US. and world needs in the future.
No Trivial Matter
"Wt:renot dealing with trivialities, but to illustrate just how much energy we consume, the US. used up 81.4 quadrillion BTU's (a form ofenergy consumption measurement) last year. If we were to say each one of these BTU's was a common match, one-eight-of-an-inch-wide, and they were laid end to end, we could travel to the moon and back 860 times on that amount of energy," points out Trandel.
"As a people, the US. makes up about one-fifth of the
world's population, and the last figures I saw put this country's population at 253 million, but we use at least 25 percent of energy produced from all sources in the world," Trandel says.
"Of course, one of the most important forms ofenergy is petroleum-based oil. As a nation, we're using about 17 or 18 million barrels a day, with half ofthat imported," Trandel says.
"I mean no criticism of US. policies, but, besides freeing the oppressed people of Kuwait from Saddam Hussein, I feel the absolute need ofprotecting both the US. and the free world oil supplies is also one of the major reasons we went to the Persian Gulf. "
No Stilted Lectures
From Trandel's viewpoint, that is a fact of political life in the world as it is constituted today, and one we must accept.
The honors course will not consist of stilted formalized lectures. "It's going to be a hands-on course. We have some equipment available to us that will clearly demonstrate forms energy can take, and we hope to add some field trips so that our students can experience first-hand the technology that goes into energy production alternate forms, including such pro­cesses as producing usable gasoline from certain grades of coal," Trandel adds.
Trandel says the course is a "comprehensive excursion into energy, its history: past, present, and what the future may hold for energy in various forms.
"While we're looking at the future of energy production, we'll also be pointing out how various techniques react on the environment and what may be aesthetically and politically acceptable and what may not be. " The environment must be protected, Trandel feels, "if wt:re going to leave any sort of livable legacy for those who come after us." There's nothing new or startling about this view, Trandel concedes, but "it's another fact we're going to be pointing out in the course, and a fact that is going to be with us forever."
The professor points out that when he first became a full­time member ofthe VMI faculty nearly 15 years ago, the "Blue Ridge mountains were the blue ridge -beautiful. Some natural carbon dioxide escaping from the chain's foliage made the mountains appear blue. Now, you might say they're the 'blurred ridge mountains' and alI that haze is not being pro­duced by trees. It's man-made. And that is a point we need to drive home time an d time again; not only in this honors course, but in our daily lives and how we live them. The environment is becoming more delicate every year -every day. While we must have sufficient energy to exist, if we continue to despoil the environment, the trade-off can be truly frightening."
VMI Bloodmobile
October 29-30t 1991
Lejeune Hall
10 a.m. unti14 p.m.
VMI Women's Club volunteers prepare sandwiches for those donating blood. Faculty and staffare encouraged to bring sandwich spread or peanut butter and jelly to Lejeune Hall on those days. Mary Balazs on TV
Dr. Mary Balazs, associate professor of English, has now gained West Coast fame for her "picture poems" work with elementary school children. Her Poets-In-The-Schools pro­gram, supported by area school systems and the Virginia Com­mission for the Arts, has received statewide acclaim through newspapers such as the Roanoke Times, Richmond Times­Dispatch, and Washington Post, as well as the Virginia Journal ofEducation. Recently she appeared on a half-hour television show, broadcast on several bay area channels, in a series called "Wee Poets," designed for the multi -ethnic California school population.
Wee Poets is a non-profit community service to bring poetry for young people right into their homes. Its host and producer, Sally Joan Baker, features guests each week along with children from area schools in an effort to "make poetry fun. " The guests and the children compose poems together.
Balazs has, for the last decade, done essentially the same thing by going to the public schools and teaching the children the joys of poetry. The California telecast emphasized her "gimmick" she calls "picture poems," where the children are mesmerized by the writing style. For instance, the "u" in the word "tulip" is written in the shape of a flower, or the "t" in the word "tree" is drawn as a trce. In a word like "spaces," she writes it "s pac e s", with gaps separating the letters to form spaces. The word "runaway" is written runawa y, in­dicating that the "y" has fled the other letters.
In the California television show, Balazs worked with four girls aged 7 through 9, with each of them producing "picture poems" for their viewing audience, reaching more than 100,000 children at home and also furnished to the public schools for their classroom use.
Balazs with ffee Poets. " ffee Poets" TVshow host Sally Joan Baker and Dr. Balazs with the four girls who appeared on the show to learn about "picture poems. "
Beard and Carlsson Continuedfrom page 1
Locally, Carlsson has served as president ofthe Rockbridge Concert-Theatre Series and as a board member for the RockbridgeArea Conservation Council, the English Speaking Union, and the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. Even in retirement he will remain active in the VMI Family as a part-time professor of philosophy within the Department of English and Fine Arts.
The Institute Report, September 27.1991, Page 5
Lexington parking survey completed
During the first half ofthis year, a Downtown Parking Task Force conducted a study to find ways to improve parking in downtown Lexington. The Task Forcc gathered information from employee surveys, an on-the-street survey, and an inventory of spaces. The recommendations were presented to the Lexington City Council and most were passed with many already being implemented.
Using the information gathered, the Iask Force developed the following objectives:
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Improve the management of downtown parking spaces.
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Increase the number of long-term spaces for downtown workers.
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Help people running short errands by increasing the number of ten-minute spaces. *Improve enforcement by being more consistent, more fre­quent, and less predictable.
"'Provide information so people know changes being made, the regulations on parking, and where spaces are available.
An inventory of spaces shows that there are 1,235 public and private parking spots in the downtown. The Thsk Force recommended that some two-hour spaces in parking lots become long-term spaces for employees, and that some on­street two-hour spaces become to-minute spaces for those needing to run quick errands in the downtown. Some new to-minute spaces are already being changed.
Ten-Minute Spaces
TheTask Force found that there is a great deal ofconfusion as to the hours ofenforcement of to-minute spaces. The three to-minute spaces in front ofthree commercial banks are signed "at all times," which is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All the other to-minute spaces are from 8 a.m. unti16 p.m., 6 days a week. This is the same as the two-hour spaces.
Ten-minute spaces are intended for use by: cars for to
minutes, trucks actively making deliveries, or handicapped.
Parking Structure
The Task Force did not recommend building a new parking
structure for two reasons. First, the current number ofspaces,
with some management changes and the addition of about
20-30 long-term surface spaces, should serve the needs as
surveyed at present. The second reason is cost. Estimates of
costs to build a parking deck are $8,000-$25,000 per space. In
a study completed in 1990 for a structure in downtown
Lexington, a broad estimate was $2,388,000, not including site
acquisition or financing costs. This amounts to a minimum
cost of $15,800 for each space. Amortizing the structure over
20 years [using 7.5 percent interest rate], each of the 152 spaces
would cost at least $1,541, or $128.00 permonth. This is a very
expensive solution to parking problems in the downtown and,
in the opinion of the Thsk Force, not needed.
The Task Force believes that with a combination of all its recommendations parking will be improved significantly. Page 6, The Institute Report, Septemller 27,1991
Hoops sport at VMI is still a game
Virginia Military Institute assiduously guards its world-wide reputation as a college that produces leaders in times oftran­quility and times ofturmoil. This goal comes first. There are other priorities, too -intercollegiate athletics,jorexample. It has its place at VMl
There have been many athletic teams over the past years that were among the best in the tough Division I-AA Southern Con­ference. There have been "glory years, "andyears when the cry was, "We'll be back!" VMIseeks to field competitive teams in its sports program, but athletes who are searchingfor a spring­board to the pros probably would do well to look elsewhere.
First Classman Charles P. Petzold ofDayton, Ohio, enters his fourth season as a VMI scholarship basketball player. Charlie hasn't been a starter, but this season will most likely see him logging lots ofplaying time at small forward. Petzold is a dean's list civil engineering major carrying a 3.452 grade point average. Thefollowing is his perspective on college basketball, particularly the hoops game at VML
IR: When you look at the staggering amounts of money paid to ex-college players who are now in the National Basketball Association, do you ever feel that some of the "name" schools are acting merely as a training ground for the pros?
Petzold: Yes, I think that's right. No matter how you cut it, the name of the game at some of the schools is winning, winning above everything else. Coaches there are under tremendous pressure to keep on winning. To get outstanding players, they'll tell them whatever is necessary. I know it's done. Many players in the "big-time" arena of college basketball are hoping for a shot at the NBA. When they were recruited, some ofthem were undoubtedly told they could make the NBA if they had a great college career and at this particular school they could be trained. Some of these athletes turn out to be good students as well, because they really do want a college education. But there are others who come in with nothing but high hopes and they leave with nothing no NBA, no college degree.
lR: Coaches of athletic teams at colleges and universities that
emphasize winning above all else have suddenly, it seems,
gotten religion concerning the importance of academics. Do
you think some of these schools, now that they've faced the
need to increase graduation rates among scholarship athletes,
can continue to win with academically-qualified players?
Petzold: They can. The record is pretty clear on that score.
We've had some outstanding basketball teams at VMI, and the
guys on the team graduate; there aren't any courses on
ballroom dancing, and how to decorate a bachelor apartment
here. There are schools who are consistent winners in big-time
college basketball who have student/athletes on their teams.
North Carolina and Duke come to mind. They're always
among the best teams in the country. Duke is the national
champ right now. Their players have the smarts. They graduate.
Yes, it can be done at the bigger schools. But it takes time to
reverse trends. Duke and North Carolina get the players they
want because any high school player would sure like to play for
such schools. Other schools that don't have much of a reputa­tion
for producing real student/athletes will have to start bear­ing
down on getting players who can play the game, and still
graduate. It can be done.
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lR: As a VMI cadet first and a basketball player second, do you set goals for yourself, both as a member of the Corps and as a scholarship athlete?
Petzold: I aim as high as I can. But, to me at VMI, basketball has to be put in the proper relationship to academics. I came hereto get an education, and playing basketball was the means for doing so. That's what this place is all about, turning out well-rounded people who can make it on the "outside." So I do the best I know how, no matter what the activity is; but the diploma, that's the big thing. lR: Finally, Charlie, do you sometimes find yourself wishing maybe you'd gone to a school where basketball had a big-time reputation? Petzold: Yeah, I've thought about that some. But when I was recruited by VMI, the only promise I got was the opportunity to get an excellent education, and a chance to play the sport I enjoy most. And that's still the biggest factor with me. Maybe I could have gone to a school where the journey through four years would have been easier. But, in the long run, my journey after graduation will prove to be easier, because ofthe years I'm spending here. When I leave, I'll have gotten what I came here for in the first place -a sound education that stresses discipline both in your mind and your body -and, like I said, a chance to play college basketbalL
Taking a Time Out. First Classman Charlie Petzold takes a short breather between the academic load and as a member ofthe 1991-92 Keydet basket­ball team. A few moments ofsoli tude help keep Petzold on track with his career objectives.
Good reading from the Library. ..
Preston Library has some new reading ready for checkout: Recreational Reading: Coscarilli, Kate. Leading Lady. This novel explores the dark side of Hollywood's glamor; Helprin, Mark. A Soldier of the Great U1lr. Giant novel of Europe, 1914-1964. General: Clayton, Bruce. W.l Cash, a life. He loved the South and saw it plain; Gray, Colin S. War, Peace, and Victory. Strategy and statecraft for the next century; Hiro, Dilip. The Longest U1lr; the Iran-Iraq Military Conflict. More than a million casualties and a cost of $1,190 billion; Kline, David. Great Possessions. A contemporary Amish farmer's joumal­nature through the seasons; Kreitler, Peter. Flatiron. Photographic history of the world's first steel frame skyscraper, 1901-1990; Lukacs, John. The Duel, 10 May -31 July 1940. Reexamines the powerful struggle between Churchill and Hitler during a crucial period; Skemp, Sheila L. William Franklin. The biography of the last royal govenor of New Jersey, son of patriot Benjamin; Woodward, Kenneth L. Making Saints. How the Catholic Church decides who becomes a saint and who does not. Potpourri
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Lt. Col. Gordon V. Ball, associate professor in the Department of English and Fine Arts, acted as judge for the Charles E. Lloyd Award in Non-fiction at Davidson College inApril. Ball also showed his film on Poland, "Do Poznania," to a seminar on East European Literature and Film at David­son. The Educational Testing Service of Princeton, N.J., has appointed him a reader in literature for its Advanced Place­ment Exam in June.
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Lt. Col. Peter W. Hoadley published a technical note, "Practical Significance of LRFD Beam Buckling Factors," in the March 1991 issue of the Journal ojStructural Engineering.
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Six members of the Department ofEnglish and Fine Arts participated in a summer workshop funded by Mr. Cliff Miller and family. During the three-day workshop, they explored ways of appealing to students' different learning styles in their freshman English courses. This group has been developing a new way of teaching writing called the "portfolio method," an approach that should lend itself well to accommodating a variety of learning strategies. During the session the participants explored many theories about learning styles, examined tests that diagnose these styles, and discussed assignments and teaching techniques to be used in their writing courses. The workshop was led by Lt. Col. Emily Miller; par­ticipants were Dr. Mary Balazs, Lt. Col. Gordon Ball, Lt. Col. Alan Baragona, Col. Meredith Bedell, and Col. James Davis.
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"Burs," a poem by Mary Balazs, associate professor of English, is published in Phase and Cycle, a poetry journal based in Fort Collins, Colo. Pat Thomas, wife ofDon Thomas in VMI's Department of History, is illustrator for the issue. Out ojDarkness, Balazs' third book ofpoetry was published by the Phase and Cycle Press this past March. Her poems, "Pedlar" and "Children, at Play," are appearing in Whiskey Islands Magazine, Summer 1991 issue, published at Cleveland State University and her poems "On the Beach at Rio" and "Four Decades" appear in the current issue of Grab-a-Nickel.
Balazs attended a writer's workshop at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and she was guest speaker at the Lexington Kiwanis Club meeting in June.
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J. Marcus Morgan, III '84 and Col. Donald K. Jamison '57 were joint authors, along with Mark M. Bishop and Brendon
L.
Cornwell, of a paper titled "Evaluation ofContact Time in Water Plants and Methods to Improve Detention Time Characteristics." The paper, presented at the annual con­ference of theAmerican Water Works association in Cincin­nati. evaluated a water treatment plant's efforts to comply with recent amendments to the Safe Water Drinking Act.
Morgan, son of Dean Emeritus of the Faculty James M. Morgan, Jr. '45, is an environmental engineer with Environmental Engineering and Technology, Inc., in Newport News. Like his father, Mark was awarded the Cincinnati Medal upon his VMI graduation. Dr. Jamison holds the Benjamin H. Powell, Jr. '36 Distinguished Professorial Chair in Engineer­ing at VMI.
* Maj. Kathy L. Fair, technical services librarian in Preston Library, is the co-author of the upcoming article, "Nutrition Journals,' 'which will appear in The Serials Librarian, volume 20 (2/3).
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The Instilute Report, Seplember27, 1991, Page 7
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Capt. Ronald A. Erchul of the DepartmerIt of Civil and Environmental Engineering coordinated the 1991 En­vironmental Virginia symposium held at VMI in the spring. He also attended the Appalachian Karst Technology symposium, sponsored by the National Speleological Society, at Radford University. He presented a paper, "IlIegal Disposal in Sinkholes: the Threat and the Solution," at the symposium.
*
Three civil and environmental engineering faculty members contributed papers to the 1991 Southeastern Section meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education, held this spring in Charleston, S.c.
Newly-promoted Associate Professors Jose P. Gomez '79 and Peter W. Hoadley contributed "A Reinfored Concrete Design Experience for Freshman Civil Engineering Students," describing a VMI program to let engineering students have hands-on experience early in their academic program.
Associate Professor Ronald B. Meade's paper at theASEE meeting was entitled "Enhancing Communications Using a Network," and described the on-going microcomputer net­work development at VMI.
* Lt. Col. Ronald B. Meade also remains active in two other professional organizations. He attended a management con­ference in Cincinnati this year in preparation for his term as president of the Blue Ridge Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers for the next academic year. Meade also represents the Virginia Society ofProfessional Engineers as its Practice of Engineering Education representative, attending conferences this year in New Orleans and Grand Rapids.
Meade also continues his research activity in dam design and construction. He attended the spring meeting of the U.S. Committee on Large Dams in White Plains, N.Y., presenting an outline for a position paper on "Reservoir Triggered Seismicity." His article on "Reservoirs and Earthquakes" will be published in 1991 by Engineering Geology.
* Cadet Culla Lance Yarborough, a first class electrical engineering major from Rock Hill, S.C., has been awarded the United Services Automobile Association Scholarship as the outstanding pilot candidate in the northeast region of Air Force ROTC. The USAA honors the top cadet in each of the five national regions with a $1,000 scholarship.
Active fall schedule for Regimental Band
The VMI Regimental Band will have a busy fall schedule
as they support athletic events and take on more performance
commitments than in years past. The band will perform
halftime shows at the Lafayette, Furman, and William and
Mary home football games as well as traveling to Richmond
and Norfolk to perform at the Richmond game and the Oyster
Bowl game. The band will also march in the Oyster Bowl
Parade on October 26 at 9 a.m.
Band Company attracted 42 new members with the total
number in the company topping the 100 mark.
During Parents Weekend, The VMI Brass Ensemble will
perform a joint concert with the VMI Glee Club on Oct. 4 at
8 p.m. in Jackson Memorial Hall.
..
Page 8, The Institute Report, September 27,1991
Calendar of Events
VMlfootball games broadcast on Radio WREL, 1450 AM.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3:
8 p.m. VMI Theatre production, "The Importance of Being Earnest," Scott Shipp Theatre. Reservations recommended, call 464-7389 or 464-7326.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4: Parents Weekend
10 a.m. Parents Weekend registration opens at Lejeune Hall.
1:40
p.m. Parents visit academic departments, open to 3:30 p.m.
1:40
p.m. Presentation of rat training video and Career Development Center open house, Lejeune Hall, to 3:30 p.m. 4 p.m. Superintendent's reception for new cadets and their parents, Cocke Hall. 8 p.m. VMI Brass Ensemble and Glee Club concert, Jackson Memorial Hall.
8 p.m. VMI Theatre production, "The Importance of Being Earnest," Scott Shipp Hall. Reservations recommended. Call 464-7389. Priority to parents.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5: Parents Weekend
7:30 a.m. Classes begin; Parents visitation to classes continues.
8:30 a.m. Parents Weekend registration continues, Lejeune Hall. 9 a.m. Phabulous Physics Phenomena, Mallory Hall.
10:40 a.m. General meeting of parents, Jackson Memorial Hall.
11 :45 a.m. Review, parade ground.
12:15 p.m. Buffet for parents, Crozet Hall. Meal tickets required. 2 p.m. Football, VMI vs. Furman, Alumni Memorial Field. VMI Regimental Band halftime show.
8 p.m. VMI Theatre production, "The Importance of Being Earnest," Scott Shipp Hall. Reservations recommended. Call 464-7389.
SUNDAY, OCIOBER 6: Parents Weekend
8:20 Breakfast with parents, Crozet Hall. Meal tickets required.
9 a.m. Open house, Barracks.
11 a.m. Navy/Marine Corps Memorial service, J.M. Hall.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8:
11:30 a.m. VMI Women's Club fall luncheon, Moody Hall.
7:30 p.m. "The Romantic Complex," first in lecture series, The Christian Road to Marriage by Col. Charles C. Caudill, VMI Chaplain, 300 Cocke HaiL
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10:
8 p.m. VMI Theatre production, "The Importance of Being Earnest," Scott Shipp Hall. Reservations recommended. Call 464-7389.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11:
Alumni Class Agents Conference, Moody Hall. 4:15p.m. Review honoring Institute employees, parade ground. 8 p.m. VMI Theatre production, "The Importance of Being
Earnest," Scott Shipp Hall. Reservations recommended. Call 464-7389.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12: Classes begin at 7:30 a.m.
Admissions Corps Visit Weekend
11:45 a.m. Review honoring alumni in Operation Desert Storm. 2 p.m. Football, VMI vs. William and Mary, Alumni Field. 8 p.m. VMI Theatre production, "The Importance of Being
Earnest," Scott Shipp Hall. Reservations recommended. Call 464-7389.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15:
7:30 p.m. "Learning Sex Roles," second in lecture series, Christian Road to Marriage by Col. Charles C. Caudill, VMI Chaplain, 300 Cocke Hall.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18: Ring Figure Weekend
12:15 p.m. Ring Figure Review, parade ground.
2 p.m. Class of 1993 ring presentation ceremony, J.M. Hall.
8 p.m. Ring Figure, formal, Cocke Hall. Dancing will be from 9
p.m. until midnight, music by Boneshakers.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19: no classes Class of 1993 activities, McKethan Park and Cameron Hall.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22:
7:30 p.m. "Choosing the Right Mate," third in lecture series, Chris­tian Road to Marriage, by Chaplain Charles C. Caudill, 300 Cocke Hall.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23: 9 a.m. Chemistry/Physics Open House until 2:45 p.m., Science Hall. 7:30p.m. Fictional Reading by Bill Oliver, author, Nichols Engineering Hall.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24: classes begin at 7:30 a.m.
9:45 a.m. Opening, Virginia Transportation Conference, J.M. Hall.
11 :45 a.m. Review in honor of Transportation Conferenee.
1:30 p.m. Transportation Conferenee concurrent sessions.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25: Corps Trip Weekend
Noon Corps departure for Oyster Bowl trip; no afternoon classes.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26: Corps Trip
1:30 p.m. Football, VMI vs. The Citadel at Oyster Bowlin Norfolk.
SUNDAY, OCIOBER 27: Corps Trip ends at SRC
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29: 10 a.m. BLOODMOBILE at Lejeune Hall, open to 4 p.m. 8 p.m. Rockbridge Concert~heatre Series, "Nunsense," a musical comedy, W&L:s Lenfest Center.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30:
10 a.m. BLOODMOBILE at Lejeune Hall, open to 4 p.m.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1:
4:15 p.m. Review honoring law enforcement, parade ground.
The collegiate group ofAlcoh olics Anonymous meets each Sunday night at 8 p.m. in the basement ofSt. Patrick's Catholic Church, 221 W. Nelson Street. The meeting is open to anyone caring to attend.
Following The Keydets . ...
FOOTBALL:
VMI 35 -ETSU 20
Appalachian State 24 -VMI 19
VMI 42 -Lafayette 21
Soccer:
VMI 9 Limestone 1
VMI 6 -Eastern Mennonite 4 (OT)
Appalachian State 4 -VMI 1
Liberty 2 -VMI 1
VMI 3 -The Citadel 2 (On
Tennis:
VMI 9 -Coppin State 0
VMI 9 -Goucher 0
VMI 9 -University of D.C. 0
VMI 8 -Howard 1
Cross Country:
VMI finished third ofseven teams in the Old Dominion Invita­tional
at Virginia Beach on 14 September. Cadet Rich Falcone
finished 6th individually overall.