News

WILSON, N.C. —Author and former Navy JAG officer Don Brown will be the featured speaker at Barton College’s Friends of Hackney Library fall dinner and lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 2. The evening’s festivities, to be held in Hardy Alumni Hall, will begin with a book signing and wine reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and remarks at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the dinner event are $30 per person with reservations accepted until September 27. Members of the Barton College Friends of Hackney Library may reserve tickets for $25 per person. Please contact Cynthia Collins at 399-6503 for reservations or additional information.

A Washington County native, Brown received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina and received a Juris Doctor degree from Campbell University School of Law. He continued his studies at the United States Naval War College in Newport, R.I., earning the Navy's nonresident certificate in International Law. Brown spent five years in the U.S. Navy as an officer in the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps. During that time, he served with the U.S. Attorney, served in the Pentagon, and was published in the Naval Law Review. He also was a recipient of the Navy Achievement Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.

Brown spent several years as a Navy JAG Prosecutor before becoming Special Assistant to the United States Attorney in the southern district of California. He returned to North Carolina in 1992 and practiced law with two Charlotte area law firms prior to founding his own firm, Brown & Associates PLLC, in 1996. Brown remained on inactive status with the Navy through 1999, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

Brown has personal connections to Barton College (formerly Atlantic Christian College, founded by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination) — he grew up in a Christian Church (DOC) congregation in Eastern North Carolina, and his father is a Barton/ACC alumnus.

The event is sponsored in part by BB&T.

WILSON, N.C. — The Barton Art Galleries at Barton College presents the “2007 Faculty Art Exhibition,” on view now through September 25th. This exhibition of work by Barton art faculty includes sculpture, installation art, painting, photography, and book art. A reception for the artists will be held on Thursday, Sept. 20th from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. This event is open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend.

Mark Gordon, associate professor of art, has included in his presentation of work some traditional wares, but he also is showcasing a temporary site-specific installation titled, “Drum.” The sculpture, which resembles a WWII beach fortification, is ominous filling most of the Virginia Thompson Graves Gallery. Created from wood reclaimed from the old Smith Warehouse in downtown Wilson, this installation rises from the floor to a height of about 10 feet, where a heavy cable suspends a large industrial steel-mesh drum a mere half inch above the floor. The metal vessel contains 149 pinch-pots made during four years of teaching demonstrations. “Pinch pots are a meditative exercise,” Gordon said. “They are humble and delicate, which contrasts the primitive industrial nature of the structure.”

Also on view in the Graves Gallery are the paintings of J. Chris Wilson, professor of art, from his series “100 Scenic Views Along the Murphy to Manteo Highway — A Portrait of North Carolina.” These paintings, ranging in size from medium to large, depict serene wilderness scenes from across the state. Wilson shared that the scenes were captured along US Highway 64, recognized as the longest road in North Carolina. The scenes stretch from the westernmost town of Murphy to the easternmost town of Manteo on the coast, not including the Outer Banks. Wilson’s selection of work on exhibit will eventually become part of a much larger group of studies, drawings, and 100 finished paintings. His wonderful use of atmospheric perspective draws the viewer into the depicted spaces. There is a sense of solitude in the images, yet a solitude where the viewer feels pensive in the majesty of the landscape. “While my apparent goal is to create paintings of scenic drama, the essential goal is to create works with variety that communicate mood and place and use abstract design strategies and contemporary surface and paint application techniques,” Wilson said.

On exhibit in the Lula E. Rackley Gallery are the works of Gérard Lange, assistant professor of art, and Susan Fecho, professor of art and chair of the Art Department. Lange presents 24 photographs, all taken in the city of Wilson over the summer. His series titled “WILSON NC” is made up of brightly colored images depicting buildings, which Lange considers to be timeless depictions of the city. On closer inspection, the viewer may notice that the buildings seem to be unusually isolated; some even take on the appearance of models rather than actual structures. “I intentionally altered the perspective, making the buildings look almost too perfect,” shared Lange. “I wanted to create a pun on the phrase ‘model community’ in which someone’s ideal perception of a place is matched by the picture before them.”

Fecho’s work also focuses on the urban environment. This summer, she traveled to Italy where she studied the blending of contemporary and historic art and architecture. Through a daily routine, she would notate cultural designs by means of collection — making rubbings of surfaces, photographing, and drawing the places she visited. Her collage-like banners and an artist book titled “The Traveled Landscape” were the result of these observations. “I’m looking at changes happening to the landscape and to the people in the landscape,” said Fecho. “It is more of a documentary of time, not a negative or positive statement.” Her images compare and contrast how technology and the modern world incorporate rather than take over Italian cities. Fecho noted, “Designers in Italy move forward, but with respect for history.” “Modern changes are merely a skin over the façade.”

The Barton Art Galleries are located in Case Art Building on the Barton College campus. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Questions? Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

Slideshow

WILSON, N.C. — In celebration of Constitution Day 2007, the Barton College Friends of Hackney Library and the Wilson County Historical Association will co-sponsor a program on Monday, Sept. 17, featuring Dr. Kevin T. McGuire, associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There is no charge for this event, and the community is invited to attend.

The event will begin with a brief reception from 6:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. on the first floor of the Willis N. Hackney Library. At 7 p.m., Dr. McGuire will present a lecture addressing constitutional issues, followed by a question-and-answer period.

Dr. McGuire teaches and conducts research on the American judiciary, with a primary interest in the U.S. Supreme Court. His book, “The Supreme Court Bar: Legal Elites in the Washington Community,” an analysis of the participation and influence of Washington-based lawyers who specialize in litigation before the high court, received the “Choice” Outstanding Academic Book Award as well as being honored by the Law and Courts Section of the American Political Science Association.

He also has written and edited several textbooks, including his most recent, “The Judicial Branch,” which he co-edited as part of Oxford University Press's Institutions of American Democracy series. In addition, Dr. McGuire’s research has been published in numerous journals, including the “American Political Science Review,” the “American Journal of Political Science,” and the “Journal of Politics.”

Dr. McGuire earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, with Honors, from West Virginia University and completed a Ph.D. in Political Science at Ohio State University. He received a Fulbright Fellowship for Lecturing and Research in Political Science at Trinity College at the University of Dublin in 2001 and was named an Ethics Fellow in the Institute for the Arts and Humanities at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2003. Among other awards, he has received the American Judicature Society Award (three times) and also has received the McGraw-Hill Award for work on public opinion and the Supreme Court.

A past member of several distinguished award committees and editorial boards, Dr. McGuire currently serves as co-editor for the Series on Constitutionalism and Democracy, University of Virginia Press and serves as a consulting editor in Political Science for McGraw-Hill, Inc., in addition to membership in regional and national political science associations.

For additional information about this program, please contact Cynthia Collins, at 252-399-6503 or email: cecollins@barton.edu.

Questions? Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. — Barton College welcomes Angela Davis-Gardner as the guest lecturer for the Victor R. Small Writers Series scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 12. The program will be held at 7:30 p.m. in The Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center and is open to the public at no charge. The community is invited to attend.

Angela Davis-Gardner’s latest novel, “Plum Wine” (2006), explores cultural divides, the collision between love and war, the legacy of Hiroshima, and America’s role in destroying innocent lives at the end of World War II and during the Vietnam War. Named a 2007 Kiriyama Prize Notable Book in Fiction, “Plum Wine” was a finalist for the 2007 Novel of the Year, Southern Independent Booksellers Association.

Davis-Gardner’s first two novels, “Felice” (1982) and “Forms of Shelter” (1991), the latter awarded the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction, will be reissued in Fall 2007.

Her fourth novel, “Butterfly’s Child,” is forthcoming in 2008.

Davis-Gardner spent a year in Japan as Visiting Professor at Tokyo’s Tsuda College, where she taught English and American Literature, and received a 2007 Japan Foundation Fellowship in Japanese Studies. She is currently an Alumni Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

This event is sponsored by the Department of English and Modern Languages at Barton College. For additional information about the program, please contact Dr. Rebecca Godwin, director of The Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center, at 252-3299-6364 or rlgodwin@barton.edu.

Questions? Contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. — The Office of Academic Affairs at Barton College is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Rodney A. Werline as the inaugural Marie and Leman Barnhill Endowed Chair in Religious Studies.

"We are very fortunate to have Dr. Rodney Werline join our faculty," said Dr. Terrence L. Grimes, vice president for academic affairs. "He brings to us a wealth of experience from his Disciples of Christ ministry and from his higher education teaching. The addition of his impressive credentials in scholarship and publications makes him an exemplar of the ideal faculty combination of scholarship, teaching, and service. We look forward to enjoying the many contributions that Rod will make to our Barton community."

As the Marie and Leman Barnhill Endowed Chair in Religious Studies, Dr. Werline has specific responsibilities assigned in addition to his teaching responsibilities in the classroom. Among those responsibilities will be representing the Department of Religion and Philosophy and Barton College on local, regional, and national levels. He will engage in scholarship, presenting those results of scholarship within the community of scholars and in public venues. Dr. Werline also will foster productive church relationship building with the campus community; and, finally, he will engage in professional development and, where appropriate, share his experiences for the benefit of colleagues.

"I am very excited to be a part of a college that is so dedicated to achieving excellence," shared Dr. Werline. "Also, I am deeply grateful to Mrs. Barnhill and her family for their generosity and commitment to Barton’s mission, the value of scholarship, and the college’s historic relationship to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."

Dr. Werline completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at Kentucky Christian College in Grayson, Ky., in 1983. He continued his studies at the graduate level earning a Master of Divinity degree at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., in 1986 and earned a Ph.D. in Religion at The University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, in 1995. His area of study was focused on Judaism and Christianity in the Greco-Roman World.

He most recently served as senior minister of the First Christian Church (DOC) in Greensboro, while also teaching as an adjunct professor in religion at Greensboro College. Previous faculty positions have included appointments at UNC-Charlotte, Emmanuel School of Religion in Johnson City, Tenn., Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and The University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.

Other professional positions include co-founder and co-chair of the Religious Experience in Early Judaism and Early Christianity Consultation for The Society of Biblical Literature, and founding member and steering committee member of Penitential Prayer: Origin, Development, and Impact Consultation for The Society of Biblical Literature.

Dr. Werline is proficient in six additional languages including: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ethiopic, French and German. He also has a working knowledge of Syriac and Latin.

While serving appointments in both the classroom and the parish ministry, Dr. Werline has maintained a strong focus on research and publishing. Widely respected for his work, he has numerous books, projects, articles, and book reviews in print. Most recently published is his book, "Pray Like This," which was introduced this past spring. Dr. Werline shared that this book was written for a lay readership and offers a unique format, "which attempts to bring spiritual reflection and autobiography into conversation with biblical scholarship."

He also serves as co-editor of "Seeking the Favor of God, Volume 2: The Development of Penitential Prayer in Second Temple Judaism" with Mark Boda (lead editor) and Daniel Falk. The scheduled release date is November 2007. This follows on the heels of their first volume of the same title, printed in 2006. An anticipated third volume is in preparation for publication release next year. Dr. Werline also has delivered a number of conference presentations across the U.S., and has been involved in a wide variety of denomination and community work-related projects and programs.

Dr. Werline is the son of Wanda and Delbert Werline of Lexington, Ky. His wife, Kathy, teaches at Speight Middle School in Wilson County. They have two daughters, Madison, a music major at Appalachian State University, and Baylee, a junior at Hunt High School.

Marie and Leman Barnhill

Marie S. Barnhill of Williamston and her husband, the late H. Leman Barnhill, were ardent supporters of Barton College during his lifetime. And, now, Mrs. Barnhill continues the tradition by establishing the Marie and Leman Barnhill Endowed Chair in Religious Studies in memory of her beloved husband. Dr. Barnhill was a 1927 graduate of Barton College (then Atlantic Christian College) and a longtime member of the College’s Board of Trustees, serving on the Board from 1958 to 1992. In 1983, the College awarded Leman Barnhill an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree. He was a revered civic, business, and church leader during his life, and his wife, Marie, equally respected for her service to church and community, has remained a loyal and faithful friend of the College since his passing. Prior to his death, the couple established the H. Leman and Marie S. Barnhill Endowed Scholarships in 1986. The earnings from this endowment are divided equally among four students: one each from the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classes at Barton College. First preference for these scholarships is a student from the First Christian Church of Williamston. Second preference is a resident of Martin County, N.C.

The newly established Marie and Leman Barnhill Endowed Chair in Religious Studies is a testament to Mrs. Barnhill’s continued dedication and commitment to church and college, and it provides an extraordinary legacy for her husband who provided astute leadership and service to the College for over 35 years.

Dr. Werline’s longstanding relationship with the Christian Church (DOC), his expertise in the field of religious studies, and his commitment to excellence in the classroom personifies the Barnhills’ commitment to discipleship and their passion for higher education.

Questions? Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.