Institute Report. December 9, 1996

              http://www. vmi.edu
The Ins'ti'tu'te Re,por't
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE
Volume XXIV, Number 4 - December 9, 1996
General to General: VM/'s 13th Superintendent, Major General Josiah Bunting-111 (right),
presents a framed sketch of Preston Library to his predecessor Major General John W. Knapp
during the rededication ceremony for Preston Library on November 15. Gen. Knapp was
superintendent in 1992 when Virginia voters passed a general obligation bond referendum
which included funding for the renovation of Preston Library. The project was begun in
December 1994, also during the Knapp administration. Looking on is Richard B. Trumbo,
current chairman of the Friends of Preston Library. Kathryn Wise photo.
€bristmas ;.ftilrssagr from tbr ~untings
Christmas is a time for us to jump off the world's mad cap treadmill, give
ourselves entirely to family and friends, and renew in our hearts not only the
words but enduring message of the Pri~ce of Peace. The happiest of Christmas
to all who labor for and love the Institute.
Diana and Josiah
JUDGE KISER REJECTS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MOTION
On Monday, December 2, Judge Jackson L. Kiser, of the United States District Court
for the Western District of Virginia, rejected a motion by the United States Justice Department
which would have required VMI to present a comprehensive remedial plan addressing all
facets of assimilating women into the Corps of Cadets.
The Justice Department filed the motion with Judge Kiser October 17 asking for a plan
within 30 days. The Virginia Attorney General's office responded, and on November 13, for
the first time since last January, VMI was back in court.
Judge Kiser, to whom the case was remanded following the decision of the United
States Supreme Court, heard oral arguments from D. Judith Keith of the Justice Department
and William H. Hurd, Deputy Attorney General, November 13.
continued on page 5
HOCKADAY TO RETURN
AS SERGEANT MAJOR
Major General Josiah Bunting III, VMI
Superintendent, has announced the
appointment of Sergeant Major AI N.
Hockaday, USMC (Ret.), as Sergeant Major
to the VMI Corps of Cadets. He will begin
his duties in January.
As Sergeant Major to the Corps, he will
serve as a member of the Commandant's
staff, working directly with the Corps of
Cadets on a variety of assigned tasks and
missions.
Previously, Sergeant Major Hockaday
served at VMI as an Assistant Marine Officer
Instructor, 1974-1977, and as Sergeant
Major to the Corps of Cadets, from 1990 to
1994, serving with then Commandant
Colonel N. Michael Bissell '61.
Sergeant Major Hockaday wears the
VMI ring as the honorary Brother Rat of the
Class of 1994, and was invited by the Class
continued on page 3
CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE
FOR VMI OFFICES
The Christmas holiday period for VMI
employees will begin at 4:30p.m. on Friday,
December 20, 1996 and end at 8 a.m. on
Friday, January 3, 1997. A liberal leave
schedule will be in effect on January 3.
Department offices need not be covered on
this day.
Page 2 The Institute Report, December 9, 1996
ADMISSIONS INITIATIVES
PAYING OFF
Applications up 35 percent
If early returns are any indication, VMI
is headed for a banner year in recruiting
students for the Class of 2001. Increased
staffing, high profile publications, state-of­the-
art technology, target market recruiting,
additional open house opportunities for
prospective cadets, and greater emphasis on
direct mail are paying dividends.
Colonel Vernon L. Beitzel, director of
admissions and a leader in the field for over
20 years, has organized his staff to take full
advantage of the increased emphasis VMI
is placing on the admissions' process.
Through December 3, the admissions
office had received 343 applications for the
Class of 2001 (329 men, 14 women)
compared with 254 for the Class of 2000 on
the same date last year, a 35 percent increase.
Early decision applications are up 42 percent
over last year; these applicants will be
notified of their status by December 15.
The biggest statistical jump comes in
number of inquiries with 10,467 high school
seniors (9403 men, 1064 women) asking
about VMI. This marks an 81 percent
increase over inquiries for the Class of 2000.
Also of significance are the total
responses being received from the 30,000+
direct mail piece sent to high school women
in late October. It has thus-far initiated 1,452
inquiries from juniors and seniors.
"We are pleased with the results to
date," said Col. Beitzel. "Our efforts have
obtained some impressive early figures, but
we have a lot of work ahead of us. I have
every confidence that with our professional
admissions team, this will be one of the best
recruiting years in VMI history."
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
QUARTERS
The annual Christmas Tour, sponsored
by the Lexington-Rockbridge County
Chamber of Commerce, featured the
Superintendent's Quarters at VMI among
other Lexington dwellings. The Quarters
have served as the continuous residence of
all the Institute's superintendents. In the past
it has housed the administrative offices of
VMI and is one of the principal structures
which comprises VMI's designation as a
National Historic District. Constructed in the
period 1860-1862, the house originally
contained 15 rooms. It was dismantled and
relocated in 1914-1915 to its present site,
allowing the parade ground to be enlarged.
The tour was held December 7.
DUPUY TO BE FEATURED ON WITH GOOD REASON
Col. David L. DuPuy, professor of physics and astronomy
will represent VMI in December on the public radio program,
With Good Reason. The first and only statewide public radio
program in Virginia, With Good Reason features weekly, half­hour
interviews with outstanding faculty members at Virginia's
public colleges and universities on topics of interest to the
general public. With Good Reason is a product of the Virginia
Higher Education Broadcasting Consortium, a joint venture of
Virginia's state-supported colleges and universities and the State
Council of Higher Education (SCHEY). The program can be
heard locally on WMRA-FM (90. 7), Sundays at 4:30p.m. and
on WVTR-FM (91.9), Mondays at 7:30p.m.
DuPuy will be joined by Roy Wagner, anthropologist from the University of Virginia
and Virginia Commonwealth University religion professor Cliff Edwards in a show entitled
"The Sky's the Limit: The Role of the Heavens Across Cultures." From astrology to Zen,
the heavens have been revered in every culture under the sun. Have Martian bacteria and
multiple moon walks demystified the skies for modem man?
Col. DuPuy will compare our night sky to that of our ancestors and Wagner and Edwards
will discuss how the relationship between man and his celestial mantle has changed in different
times and cultures. The show will air the week of December 20-25.
With Good Reason project coordinator is Mike McDowell, SCHEY's public information
director, and Carolyn Elliott serves as the producer/director and primary host. WGR is a
half-hour program which airs weekly on nine public radio stations throughout Virginia and
adjoining states with a potential listening audience of 1.3 million. For more information on
the program or to request tapes or transcripts, E-mail Landrum@SCHEV.EDU
With Good Reason Broadcast Schedule
WAMU-FM (88.5): Sundays midnight
(Washington D.C., northern Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland)
WCVE-FM (88.9): Sundays 6 p.m. (Richmond area)
WETS-FM (89.5): Tuesdays 7:30p.m. (eastern Tennessee and far southwest Virginia)
WHRV-FM (89.5): Mondays 1:30 p.m. (Tidewater)
WMRA-FM (90.7): Sundays 3:30p.m. (Charlottesville and the Shenandoah Valley)
WNSB-FM (91.1 ): Mondays 9:30a.m. (Norfolk and the greater Hampton Roads area)
WVRU-FM (89.9): Wednesdays 1:30 p.m. (Radford/Blacksburg area)
WVST-FM (91.3): Tuesday 8 p.m. (Petersburg, Hopewell, and Colonial Heights)
WVTF-FM (89.1): Mondays 7:30p.m. (Roanoke area and southwest Virginia)
The Institute Report
Editor: Burton R. Floyd, Ill
Supervising Editor: Col. Mike Strickler
Contributing writers: Tom Joynes, Chris Clark
Printed by: The News-Gazette, Lexington, Va.
The Institute Report is published at Virginia Military Institute by the Public Relations Office.
Eight issues are printed during the academic year. Inquiries, suggestions, or news items should
be directed to Editor, The Institute Report, Public Relations Office. VMI, Lexington, Virginia
24450-0304; News received will be included in the next published issue.
Telephone 540-464-7207 FAX 540-464-7583
E-mail:VMIReport@vmi.edu
VANDERVORT AUTHORS
BOOK ON LIFE OF
FRENCH LABOR LEADER
Lt. Col. Bruce Vandervort, associate
professor of history and assistant editor of
the Journal of Military History at VMI, has
written a biography of Victor Griffuelhes,
an important French labor leader. The 344-
page book, Victor Griffuelhes and French
Syndicalism, 1895- 1922, examines the life
and career of the radical French labor leader
and also serves as a fascinating summary of
the influential French syndicalist movement.
In the book, Vandervort examines
Griffuelhes' growth as a labor radical in the
context of enormous changes in the industry
and economy of France in the early years of
this century. He offers a fresh perspective
on the syndicalist movement in France and
challenges current thought on labor
radicalism during this period. He also details
the substantial efforts of syndicalists to
organize French industrial labor. Vandervort
also explains the attraction of revolutionary
syndicalists like Griffuelhes to Soviet
communism in the immediate post World
War I era.
The biography, largely based upon
French archival sources and contemporary
printed materials, was recently published by
the Louisiana State University Press.
HOCKADAY
continued from page 1
of 1996 to speak at their ring ceremony in
November 1994.
Sergeant Major Hockaday is a veteran
of 30 years service in the Marine Corps.
Among his assignments was senior enlisted
advisor to the Commanding General, 4th
Marine Aircraft Wing, where he performed
such duties as Base Sergeant Major, Infantry
Battalion Sergeant Major, and physical
training instructor at the Marine Corps
Physical Fitness Academy. He also served
two tours in VietNam, first as a sniper, and
on his second tour as a platoon sergeant. His
decorations include the Purple Heart (2), the
Navy Commendation Medal, and the Navy
Achievement Medal.
"AI Hockaday brings to his duties a
distinguished record in the U.S. Marine
Corps and a demonstrated, abiding love for
the Institute and the education of our cadets,"
said Gen. Bunting in making the
announcement
AI and his wife Ernestine live in
Lexington.
Virginia Military Institute, December 9, 1996 Page 3
Regimental Commander BrianA. Bagwan (left), Commandant of Cadets Col. Keith D. Dickson,
and Professor of Military Science Col. Walter L. Chalkley (back) greet General John W
Vessey, Jr. (right), who spoke to the Corps of Cadets on November 5. General Vessey served
two terms as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Ronald Reagan.
THIRTY-EIGHT CADETS ELECTED TO
"WHO'S WHO AMONG STUDENTS"
The 1997 edition of "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and
Colleges" will include the names of 38 VMI first classmen who have been selected as
outstanding national leaders.
A campus nominating committee and editors of the national directory have included the
names based on academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in
extracurriculur activities and potential for continued success.
They join an elite group of students selected from more than 1900 institutions of higher
learning in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several foreign nations.
Outstanding students have been honored in the annual directory since it was first
published in 1934.
Of this year's selectees, 16 are from Virginia: Jason W. Ancarrow, Mechanicsville; Jason
A. Bade, Jeffersonton; John M. Bushman, McLean; Francis X. Buser, Madison; Andrew K.
Clark, Radford; William W. Edmunds, III, Herndon; Gordon T. Edwards, III and James C.
Smythers, Chesapeake; Jason L. Foresman and Tim 0. Moore, II, Virginia Beach; Christopher
1. Hobbs, Woodbridge; Sebastien P. Joly, Alexandria; Hompeng Komthirath, Tuan A. Nguyen
and David W. Zirkle, Richmond; and William 1. O'Donnell, III, Clifton.
The remaining selectees are: Brian A. Bagwan, Woodside, N.Y.; Michael F. Belenky,
Arnold, Md.; Maxime C. Casteleyn, Bethlehem, Pa.; Christopher M. Coats, Suwanee, Ga.;
Derek R. Fix, Rocky River, Ohio; George D. Hasseltine, Metairie, La.; Craig P. Himel,
Kenner, La.; JosephS. Howard, III, Los Alamos, N.M.; Fu-Guo R. Huang, China; Wun-Hoa
A. Jai, China; James W. Jeter, III, Santa Barbara, Ca.; Oliver R. Johnson, Jr., Winnsboro,
S.C.; Joseph P. Klapatch, Oak Ridge, N.J.; John-Andrews McQuade, Baltimore, Md.; Michael
W. Medlin, Monroe, N.C.; JoshuaJ. Metcalf, Memphis, Tenn.; LyleJ. Peters, North Mankato,
Minn.; David R. Short, Centerville, Ohio; Joseph H. Steele, III, Panama City, Fla.; Mark A.
Turner, Huntsville, Ala.; James C. Wrenn, Jr., Oxford, N.C.; and Robert W. Youngren, St.
Paul, Minn.
Page 4 The Institute Report, December 9, 1996
FIRST CLASS PRESIDENT
CARRIES ON FAMILY TRADITION
Except during the seventies, there's been at least one Hagan
in the VMI Corps of Cadets in every decade of this century.
The latest one, Cadet J. Addison Hagan, IV, is president of the
First Class.
All three of the previous Joseph A. Hagans earned their
VMI degrees, beginning with "The Colonel," class of 1916. A
five-year man, he originally was in the class of '15, so, in
keeping with his zeal for VMI, he attended reunions of both
those classes for many years. All three were Marine Corps
officers. Carrol D. Hagan, class of 1905, was the first one to
matriculate from the Richmond family, and the original Joseph
A. also had three brothers who were VMI grads between 1911
and 1921.
If cadet Hagan has the VMI genes of most of his ancestors, he could be involved in the
Institute's affairs for years to come. His great-grandfather served as president of the VMI
Alumni Association, as did his great-great uncle, John C. "Jack" Hagan. Jack was also
president of the VMI Foundation, Inc. and the George C. Marshall Foundation, and was a
member of the Board of Visitors.
His grandfather, Joseph A., Jr., known as "Ad" and as "Ad-I," from the class of 1942,
also is a prominent figure in VMI circles and a major influence on the current J.A. Hagan's
decision to come to VMI. His son, Cadet Hagan's father, was president of the class of '68
and still serves as class agent. There have been a total of 15 Hagans at VMI; 12 of them
earned their degrees, and Joseph A., IV can make it 13.
The current Hagan is majoring in economics and business, and is in the Marine Corps
option of Naval ROTC. An asthma problem will prevent his earning a commission, but he
does hold the rank of lance corporal in the Marine Reserves. He has been through the
rigorous basic training course at Parris Island, number 1 in the platoon, and hopes to maintain
his reserve status after college. His goal is to find a spot in the investment or banking fields,
quite suitable for his major.
"In the VMI system, the class president has a whole lot more to do than he does at most
colleges," said Hagan, "so I've had to give up my other extra-curricular activities to have
more time for my academic work." In his first three years, he had been involved in rugby,
the events concerning the Semper Fi Society, the VMI Firefighters (helping with the area
forest fires), and the staff work he did on the student newspaper, The VMI Cadet.
In his first year, Hagan had been elected vice-president of the class, and served in that
role until the middle of last year when the president left school. He doesn't automatically
move up in the VMI system, but instead, the class held another election and chose him to
finish the term. "That's when I found out the difference in time consumption between vice­president
and president duties," said Hagan.
Hagan does have his hobbies, however, and gives what time he can to such things as
reading, hiking and camping, and his favorite pastime, "Spending as much time as I can
with my girlfriend. We've been dating for three years now, so maybe there's hope for this
relationship. First, though I want that degree. Hagans are supposed to graduate from VMI."
His cousin Mark, class of '95, was the most recent.
HELP WITH WRITING SKILLS AVAILABLE TO CADETS
Cadets can now receive needed help with writing skills at "The Writing Center." The
center's purpose is to improve the compositional skills of cadets by providing them with
professional tutorial help in the planning, writing, and revising of their essays, research
papers, reports, case studies, and the like. The center hopes to reinforce writing skills by
approaching writing as a process, a method of investigation, and thus a way of thinking and
learning. The center is directed by Bill Oliver, instructor in English and Fine Arts.
The center accepts walk-ins, referrals, and appointments. Cadets who want to attend
should get their instructor's permission, then call the Department of English and Fine Arts.
AUDITIONS FOR
"BROTHER RAT"
Auditions for the upcoming VMI
Theatre production of "Brother Rat" will be
held January 21-23 at 8 p.m. in Scott Shipp
Hall. Interested cadets, faculty, and staff are
encouraged to audition. There are roles for
9 cadets, 2 officers, 3 young ladies, 1 local
cab driver, 1 grandmother. For more
information contact Theatre director J oellen
Bland at 463-7103 Ext. 235 or 464-7389.
IN THE LIBRARY
Blood & Treasure: Confederate Empire in
the Southwest, Donald S. Frazier uncovers
new materials and reevaluates earlier
interpretations of the Confederate invasion
of New Mexico. This text describes the
people, the military strategy and the
campaign in the context of the war in the
Far West. "The Changing Same" Black
Women's Literature, Criticism, and Theory
by Deborah E. McDowell, records the
personal intellectual development of one of
the most influential black feminist critics,
and chronicles the intellectual and
institutional development of the critical
discourse itself. Within the black female
literary tradition of "the changing same,"
McDowell examines representations of
slavery, sexuality, and homoeroticism. The
Garden Thrives, edited by Clarence Major,
a collection of Twentieth-Century African­American
poetry. Not So Simple: The
"Simple" Stories by Langston Hughes by
Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper, who writes
about the birth and development of the
fictional character, Harlemite Jesse B.
Semple, a sidewalk sage who was introduced
in a weekly column for the Chicago
Defender by Langston Hughes. Robert E.
Lee by Emory M. Thomas, a biography
which presents Lee as intensely human.
Starting with Foucault: An Introduction to
Genealogy by C. G. Prado who writes about
Michel Foucault for analytic philosophers.
He provides an introduction that focuses on
Foucault's most important concept: power/
knowledge; he also addresses Anglo­American
and Continental readers'
understanding of Foucault's idealogy.
JUDGE KISER
continued from page 1
In spurning the Justice Department
motion, Judge Kiser ordered VMI to present
reports within two weeks after the quarterly
meetings of its Board of Visitors ... "The
report shall contain the actions that VMI has
taken to that point in time to ready itself for
the women who will enter with the 1997
class of cadets. In addition to reporting of
past actions, the report shall also identify
future concerns which need to be addressed
by Virginia/VMI and, in general, how
Virginia plans to handle these concerns."
VMI Superintendent, Major General
Josiah Bunting III, called Judge Kiser's
order "appropriate, and one that we accept
thankfully and with good will."
Noting a victory for VMI, Attorney
General James S. Gilmore III said, "The
approach adopted by the court leaves
management of the Institute in the hands of
the Board of Visitors rather than the
Department of Justice."
VMI RECEIVES NCAA
CERTIFICATION
On November 21, the National
Collegiate Athletic Association Committee
on Athletics Certification notified VMI that
it was one of 13 Division I schools receiving
full certification.
During its 1993 convention, the NCAA
adopted certification procedures requiring
all member institutions to undertake a self­study
for certification within five years. VMI
began the self-study process in October 1994
and completed the self-study document in
February 1996.
The NCAA committee reviewed written
materials related to VMI's athletic self-study
and the evaluation by a peer-review team that
visited the school April21-24, 1996. Based
upon the information submitted, the
committee determined that VMI should be
certified.
In addition to VMI, the schools certified
were: College of Charleston; University of
Evansville; North CarolinaA&T University;
University of North Carolina, Wilmington;
Ohio State University; Rider University; San
Jose State University; Santa Clara
University; University of Tennessee,
Chattanooga; Villanova University; and
Western Carolina University.
Receiving a designation of certified
with conditions was Alcorn State University,
while the University of Texas, Pan American
received a designation of not certified.
Virginia MiUtary Institute, December 9, 1996 Page 5
Amanda Kaufman (left) and Alexis Abrams from Edison High School in Fairfax were two of
thirteen young women who attended the November 14-15 Admissions Open House at VM1.
Overall, 145 prospective cadets took the opportunity to learn more about VM1. News Gazette
photo.
BUCKNER RECEIVES ASCE AWARD
Colonel C. Dale Buckner, professor of civil engineering, recently received the 1996
T. Y. Lin Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
He was presented the award for the paper, "A Review of Strand Development Length
for Pretensioned Concrete Members," PC1 Journals, March/April1995. His paper stemmed
from a study conducted as a visiting research engineer at the Turner-Fairbank Highway
Research Center of the Federal Highway Administration. The annual award was presented
in April at the Structures Congress.
Founded in 1852, ASCE represents more than 120,000 civil engineers world-wide and
is America's oldest national engineering society.
KEYDETS RECEIVE POST-SEASON HONORS
For the second straight year, VMI tailback
Thomas Haskins was voted Southern Conference
Offensive-Player-of-the-Year. Haskins averaged
220.2 yards/game in the Keydets last five contests
of 1996, becoming the all-time career rusher in
NCAA Division I-AA history. He led the
Southern Conference in rushing in 1994, 1995,
and 1996, finishing the year with 1,788 yards,
breaking his own single-season mark of 1,548
set last year. He leaves the Institute owning eight
of the top nine individual rushing performances
in school history as well as seven of the top eight
all-purpose rushing games.
Three other Keydet football players were
also named All Southern Conference. Mike
Rogers a linebacker was selected First Team by
conference coaches, strong safety Cornell Lewis
was named First Team by the Sports Media
Association and Kelly Cook, a linebacker, was
voted Second Team by the Media.
Kevin Duhaime, a Keydet soccer player, was
named Second-Team All-Southern Conference.
Thomas Haskins,
NCAA Division 1-AA Career Rushing Leader
Page 6 The Institute Report, December 9, 1996
VMI CADETS RECEIVE
SCHOLARSHIPS
Twenty-six midshipmen were sworn
into the Naval Service in October at VMI.
Twenty-three were VMI cadets and three
were VWIL students. Of special significance
were the seventeen VMI four-year national
scholarship recipients ( 11 USMC and 6
USNR, the largest number of any service to
matriculate at VMI in recent history).
VMI cadets receiving scholarships at
the ceremony were: Brian Bag wan '97, Rick
Feese '98,Alan Bull '99. Trent Warncke '99,
Ronald Allen '00, T. Amorim-Joyce '00,
Robert Arvin '00, Guillermo Barquero '00,
Conrad Bicknell '00, Nicholas Delaplane
'00, Matthew Keller '00, Paul Lee '00,
David Linger '00, Steven McMenamin '00,
Sean Mellon '00, Matthew Milburn '00,
Christopher Olson '00, John Pomfert '00,
William Ward '00, John Wilson '00, Ronald
White '00.
ALL INVITED TO LUNCHEONS
Head basketball coach Bart Bellairs
again invites all faculty, staff, and area
residents to "Fast Break" Club luncheons to
be held at Noon in Moody Hall.
Join Coach Bellairs for inside
commentary on past and upcoming games.
Fans can browse through the latest stats and
notes and Coach Bellairs will conclude each
program with a question and answer period.
Those planning to attend should make a
reservation with the Athletic Department at
540-464-7251. Luncheon dates: Dec. 11 and
18; Jan. 15, 22, and 29; Feb. 5, 12, and 19.
Bellairs on Sports South
Head Coach Bart Bellairs will again be
featured this year on Sports South with the
VMI Sports Magazine. Airtimes: December
11, 18, and 25 at 3:30p.m.
The Gadct
Let us keep you up-to-date
on what's happening at VMI
News Room - 540-463-1583
Advertising/Circulation - 540-463-3537
Facsimile- 540-464-5679
PERSONNEL ANALYST SEES OFFICE GROW
After nearly twenty years in VMI's
personnel department, Gayle Tolley has
seen that office grow from one employee
to four busy full-timers.
Tolley, a native of nearby Amherst
County, is in her 27th year at the Institute.
She started in December of 1963 in the
Foundation office, then a month later moved
into the registrar's office as an assistant to
Nancy Tolley Hostetter, who worked at VMI
for many years before becoming Registrar
at Hollins College. Nancy not only hired
her, she also set her up on a blind date with
her brother, Brownlee Tolley, who was
coming home for a visit while in the Air
Force. That courtship culminated in their
1966 marriage.
She remained in the registrar's office
until her husband's business took them to
Louisa County in 1972. They returned to
this area in 1975, and in 1977 she came back
to VMI, this time working in the business
office. At that time, Geraldine Burch
handled personnel chores, and Tolley
gradually became her assistant. Expanding
state requirements for personnel office
duties shortly demanded all the time of
both, and in a few years they needed still
more help.
"Today," said Tolley, "one person is kept
busy full time just handling nothing but
benefits for employees and retirees." Tolley
is classified as a personnel analyst, which
means she deals with classifications,
evaluations, and reporting. She has to
produce studies required by offices of the
Institute as well as the State Council of
Higher Education and other external
organizations.
State and federal requirements call for
exact job classifications and employee
responsibilities, plus a continuing audit of
performances. She maintains performance
evaluations, supplies payroll/comptroller
authorizations, and handles all payroll
related questions from employees. She also
has to coordinate any grievance procedures,
assist in administering the standard of
conduct requirements, and assist with
advertising for new employees. And the
state requires her to attend training seminars
and workshops on a regular basis.
The state's Department of Personnel
and Training has seen steady growth for
about 25 years, but recent changes have not
only curbed that expansion but also created
some cutbacks. "I don't see any additional
growth any time soon," said Tolley.
Tolley's husband is no stranger to VMI
either. He was the physics lab technician
from 1966 until he and his brothers formed
a pipeline company and they moved from
the area. When they returned, he joined the
Natural Bridge operation and soon became
manager of the hotel there. In 1981, he was
named general manager of the new
corporation, the Natural Bridge of Virginia,
overseeing the tourist attractions as well as
the hotel. In 1991, he returned to VMI as
assistant director of buildings and grounds
for capital outlay projects.
The Tolley household truly rings with
the sound of music. Gayle sings in the choir
at the High Bridge Church, and Brownlee
plays trombone and/or keyboards in one of
the region's most popular dance combos,
"Donnie Cash and-the Flames." Son Justin,
recently returned home from a four-year
army paratrooper hitch, is attending
community college, and also keeps the
music tradition alive. He sometimes plays
in Cash's band and is quite accomplished
on trombone, organ, drums, piano and bass
guitar. Daughter Suzanne, a junior at
Radford University, played the flute in the
high school band and the church choir on
occasion, but has her sights set on a career
in either sports medicine or physical therapy.
Virginia Military Institute, December 9, 1996 Page 7
POTPOURRI
•:• First classman William M. Moody, a mechanical engineering major, has been awarded
two scholarships. He received a $1,000 scholarship from Framatone Technologies, a supplier
to the nuclear power industry. The scholarship was given to him based on his academic standing
and interest in nuclear power. He also recieved a $1 ,000 for scholarship and service to the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers student section at VMI.
•:• Captain Michael R. Sexton, USNR, professor of mechanical engineering, was awarded a
Senior Summer Faculty Fellowship with the Machinery Research and Development Directorate,
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Annapolis, Md. This is the second time he has received this
honor. He previously performed research on fog injected gas turbine engine performance.
•:• Major Duncan J. Richter, professor of behavioral sciences and leadership, recently
published two articles on the World Wide Web. The first is a defense of the virtue of integrity
against a recent attack in the American Philosophical Quarterly. The response can be found at
http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Philosophy/bears/homepage.html. The second is a large
article for the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy on the life and work of Ludwig Wittgenstein
( 1889-1951 ). This article can be found at http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/w/wittgens.htm.
•:• Lt. Col. Howard Arthur, associate professor of mechanical engineering, presented two
papers to the Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference this past summer. The
papers were a result of research sponsored by the Ft. Belvoir Research Development and
Engineering Center. The papers were entitled "Simplified Analytical Modeling of an Air
Conditioner with a Positive Displacement Compressor" and "Air Conditioner Thermal
Performance Simulation Model Using NIST Refrigerant Data Base."
•:• Five poems by Dr. Mary Balazs, associate professor of English, appear in the current
issues of the following publications: "By Moonlight" appears in this year's issue of Crucible,
published by Barton College in Wilson, N.C.; "Ute Canyon," "Writer's Block," and "Beyond
Double Panes" appear in the current issue of Grab-a-Nickel, published by the Barbour County
Writer's Workshop and Alderson-Broaddus College; "Under Pink Floss Trees" appears in
Green's Magazine published in Saskatchewan, Canada.
•:• Colonel Wayne C. Thompson, professor of political science, and cadets Michael M.
Guarin '97, Douglas K. Whalen II, '98, Christian Denbrok '99, and Rene A. Rodriguez
'99 recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to pick up II German officers from the University
of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich who visited VMI for five days. While in Washington,
the cadets and officers visited the Pentagon for a round of disussions on current U.S. military
doctrine and a tour. Col. Thompson and his group were met and briefed at the Pentagon by
Brig. Gen. Phil Anderson, VMI class of 1970.
•:• Captain William G. Hughes, professor of psychology and head of behavioral sciences
and leadership presented a paper entitled "Antecedents and the Current Practice of Cognitive
Therapy" at a recent meeting of the American Psychiatric Association's Institute on Psychiatric
Services in Chicago.
•:• Virginia Military Institute's Semper Fi Society is spending time at Wal-Mart and Kmart
collecting new, unwrapped toys for its annual Toys for Tots program. Collection times are
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from I to 4 p.m. The program will
run through Tuesday, December I 0.
•:• Colonel Leroy Hammond, Headquarters Executive Officer, has been trying to get world­famous
movie actor and director, Mel Brooks to return to VMI for a visit. Brooks was at VMI
and lived in the Barracks for 12 weeks as part of the Army Specialized Training Program
during World War II. In a recent letter to Hammond, Brooks wrote "My daughter and her
husband were visiting some of their friends in Richmond and detoured to Lexington so that
they could get me VMI paraphernalia, caps, sweatshirts, t-shirts, etc. I wear them all the time
here when jogging during the early a.m. The two questions I always get are, "Are you really
Mel Brooks?" and "Why are you wearing a VMI t-shirt?" I proudly reply with tears of nostalgia
in my eyes, "I went to school there. Yes .. .I went there."
CAMERON HALL
SELLOUT POSSIBLE
Now in its 16th year as VMI's multi­purpose
auditorium, Cameron Hall has never
experienced a true "sellout," but that blemish
will be eliminated on Sunday afternoon,
December 15, when the North Carolina
Tarheels come to town.
When the building was dedicated
December 5, 1981, nationally-ranked
Virginia's Cavaliers, with the nation's
"Player of the Year," Ralph Sampson,
attracted 4,460 fans, the most ever in the
building, but that was several hundred short
of a complete sellout. The next three largest
crowds for basketball came last year, when
4,140 showed for the cross-town rivalry
game with Washington and Lee; 3,975 were
at the Davidson game; and 3,878 witnessed
the VMI upset of Marshall. Nationally­ranked
Virginia Tech drew only 3,400 in
1986.
North Carolina, with one of the nation's
most fabled traditions in basketball and one
of the sport's legends as head coach, Dean
Smith, has created a ticket demand never
before seen at Cameron. Total seating, with
chairs added to the back rows, will surpass
5,000 to establish an all-time record.
Ironically, the closest thing to a sellout
in Cameron didn't involve any "sales" at all.
All 4.200 of the tickets available were used
when British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher spoke in 1992 in the H.B. Johnson
Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series.
The tickets were free of charge. However,
orientation of the stage eliminated about a
thousand seats but several hundred chairs on
the floor kept the total seating capacity above
the four thousand mark.
Planning for Cameron Hall involved
several sites and a variety of designs, but
when the Board of Visitors determined the
location, the parcel of available land dictated
its size. The building is the absolute largest
which will fit into that space.
Early floor plans called for just 3,600
seats, with a theatre at one end, more space
between rows, more aisles to"break up rows
of seats, and a ramp all the way around about
halfway up on the seating area. Those plans
were changed when the Board requested that
VMI get as close to 5,000 seats as possible.
The North Carolina game will be the
sixth event where more than 3,600 seats were
needed, and hopefully there will be more.
However, VMI has the only basketball
facility on campus which can seat four times
its student body, or 90 percent of its city's
population.
Page 8 The Institute Report, December 9, 1996
CALENDAR OF VMI EVENTS
Monday, 9 December:
4 p.m. Swimming vs. Richmond. Swimming Hall.
Thesday, 10 December:
Classes end.
7 p.m. Holiday concert by VMI Jazz Band and Jazz Bands from Rockbridge
County High School and R.E. Lee High School, Jackson Memorial
Half.
7 p.m. Basketball @ Radford.
Wednesday, II December:
Reading Day.
Corps Christmas dinner, Crozet Hall.
7 p.m. "Carols in the Courtyard," VMI Glee Club.
7:30p.m. "Christmas Spirit" night (Band Christmas Concert and Candle Lighting
Service), Jackson Memorial Hall.
Thursday, 12 December:
Exams begin.
Sunday, 15 December:
4:30p.m. Basketball vs. University of North Carolina, Cameron Hall.
Wednesday, 18 December:
7 p.m. Basketball vs. Eastern Mennonite, Cameron Hall.
Friday, 20 December:
Exams end.
Noon Christmas furlough begins.
Saturday, 21 December:
2 p.m. Basketball @ Winthrop.
Monday, 30 December:
7:30p.m. Basketball @ Florida International.
Saturday, 4 January:
7:35p.m. Basketball @ UNC- Charlotte.
Monday, 6 January:
7 p.m. Basketball @Appalachian State.
Wednesday, 8 January:
7:30p.m. Basketball @ Richmond.
Saturday, 11 January:
I p.m. Basketball vs. U.T. Chattanooga, Cameron Hall.
VMI PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE
LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA 24450-0304
Monday, 13 January:
7 p.m. Basketball vs. Georgia Southern, Cameron Hall.
10 p.m. Christmas furlough ends.
Thesday, I4 January:
Registration, Lejeune Hall.
Wednesday, I5 January:
Classes begin.
Thursday, 16 January:
7 p.m. Basketball @ Wofford.
Friday, I7 January:
Alumni Association Board meeting.
Saturday, I8 January:
Alumni Association Board meeting.
I p.m. Swimming vs. Howard, Swimming Hall.
7 p.m. Basketball @The Citadel.
Monday, 20 January:
Last day for curriculum and course changes.
7:30p.m. Basketball @ East Tennessee State.
Thesday, 2I January:
4 p.m. Publications Board meeting.
Saturday, 25 January:
I p.m. Swimming vs. Towson St., Swimming Hall.
7:30p.m. Basketball @ Furman.
Monday, 27 January:
7 p.m. Basketball vs. Marshall, Cameron Hall.
Friday, 3I January:
Review Parade, parade ground.
Midwinter Hops, Cocke Hall.
Saturday, I February:
Midwinter Hops. Cocke Hall.
Winter Relays, Cormack Field House.
10 a.m. All Academies Wrestling Championship, Cameron Hall.
7:30p.m. Basketball @ Davidson.
Monday, 3 February:
7 p.m. Basketball vs. Appalachian State, Cameron Hall.
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