Alumna endows music scholarship to honor piano professor

Laura Geisel Sullivan, M.D. ’74 entered medical school at a time when there were few female physicians. And while she was a serious student of biology at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, she also was a talented and dedicated student of piano. As an undergraduate, Sullivan remembers practicing the piano “every night after dinner until 10 p.m., when the night watchman would tap on my practice room door and remind me it was time to go.”

Laura Geisel Sullivan ’74 and Elaine Dahl St. Vincent visit with a student
at the 2008 Alumnae Achievement Awards banquet honoring Sullivan.

Balancing the desire to pursue a career in medicine with her passion for piano was not always easy, but Sullivan credits her R-MWC piano professor, Elaine Dahl St. Vincent, with providing constant support and encouragement. In gratitude to her former teacher, Sullivan recently established The Elaine Dahl St. Vincent Endowed Music Scholarship Fund to benefit Randolph College students of piano. In creating the scholarship, Sullivan hopes to assist students who are committed students of piano but for whom a Randolph education is financially out of reach.

St. Vincent served on the R-MWC faculty from 1947-1980 and chaired the Department of Music from 1957-1979. In 1971, the College awarded her the prestigious Gillie Larew Award for Distinguished Teaching. While she taught hundreds of talented students during her tenure, she recalls Sullivan vividly: “Although Laura was not a music major, she was talented and diligent in such a superior way that the music department consented to permit her to play a senior recital. . . Laura was receptive to teaching and, therefore, she was a joy to have as a student.”

The close connections Sullivan enjoyed as a student at R-MWC have stayed with her long after graduation. Sullivan, who earned the College’s Alumnae Achievement Award in 2008 for her leadership in surgical pathology and hematopathology, has long been a supporter of the College, and her alma mater has played a large role in her extended family as well. Her daughter, Kathryn Sullivan Underwood ’09, majored in art history at the College, and her other daughter, Best Sullivan ’14, is currently enrolled in Randolph’s MAT program. Her niece, Laura Word Taylor ’13, recently graduated with a chemistry degree.

Sullivan is thankful to faculty members like St. Vincent for playing such a big role in her life. “Working one-on-one with Elaine all those years, I really got to know her, and I have enjoyed staying in touch with her ever since.”

Happily, Sullivan also has stayed in touch with the piano, still balancing the demands of a full time medical practice while finding time to practice piano most days. Recently she performed in her hospital’s annual “Physicians in Concert” series. “I played Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue,” she says, adding, “It took a lot of work to get it right, but I think Elaine would have been pleased!”

L.A. Times highlights photography exhibition curated by alumna

The Los Angeles Times recently gave its readers an inside look into a war photography exhibition curated by Anne Wilkes Tucker ’67. The exhibition and a Q&A with Tucker are featured in reFramed, part of the Times’ art and photography blog.

Tucker and two colleagues at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston spent years working on the exhibition War/Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath, which includes 480 objects and photos documenting heroism and horror in armed conflicts decades old and more recent. They also created a 620-page catalog featuring essays and interviews. After opening in the Houston museum, a scaled down version of the exhibition is on view at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles.

The Q&A with Tucker reveals a lot about the story behind the exhibition and what she and the other curators learned from it. You can read the L.A. Times feature here. Randolph magazine published a story about Tucker and the exhibition in September 2012.

Tucker, named America’s Best Curator by Time magazine in 2001, recently donated two photographs to the College to honor two other alumnae. In honor of Lucy Williams Hooper ’73, Tucker donated an untitled photograph picturing a male and female samurai in Japan, stating that the confident pose of the female warrior was reminiscent of Hooper’s service and leadership on the College’s Board of Trustees. She also gave the College a print of Joseph Rosenthal’s famous photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima in honor of Lynn Hume Stuart ’60, who used to share patriotic images with Tucker and exhibited significant dedication and service to the College.

Belief in Randolph's future prompts Allison Gulick Muller '71 to accept nomination to Board of Trustees

Editor's Note: This is the fifth in a series of articles on the five new members of Randolph College's Board of Trustees.

During her first-year at R-MWC, Allison Gulick Muller ’71 took an art history course at the urging of a friend. That class helped Muller rediscover a love of art that ended up shaping her college career. “It set me on a path to the total joy and passion of learning,” she said. “I continue to be energized by my field of study. I find that all of the things I enjoyed academically in college are things that have stood me in good stead as an adult learner.”

Muller, who is originally from Manhasset, New York, but now lives in Greenville, South Carolina, is one of five new members of Randolph College’s Board of Trustees. After graduating from R-MWC with a major in art history and a minor in studio art, Muller worked with the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., before serving as assistant registrar for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

While working in Boston, she met her husband, Carl, who was in business and law school at Harvard University. Muller went on to serve as assistant curator for the Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville, South Carolina. Later, she made the decision to stay home with her three children. She has been an active volunteer, both with Randolph and with her community. She has focused much of her time with advocacy in public education. She served as a chapter president, a class agent, and most recently as a class secretary for the College’s Alumnae and Alumni Association.

Muller is also a legacy. Her sister, Priscilla Gulick Tomlinson ’63, her late mother, Katherine Schaefer Gulick ’32, and an aunt, Elizabeth Schaefer Branch ’30, all share her connection with the College.

Muller is excited about the opportunity to join the Board during such an important time in Randolph’s history. “We are in such a good place after the stewardship of John Klein,” she said. “We are at a place where we can really thrive.”

Randolph, she said, still maintains the qualities she loved when she was a student at R-MWC. “There is an intensity to the educational experience, an intensity to the relationships you develop, and an understanding that a liberal arts education is about educating people to be lifelong learners and good citizens. That is taken seriously here, and it is an important way to look at your education.”

She has also enjoyed the students during her visits to campus. “The energy of the place is very positive and vibrant, and the students understand the value of the faculty we have here and of the experience they are receiving. They understand how much there is to offer, and it is almost like a palette they can choose from.”

Between the Student Center renovation, the variety of courses, and the expanded athletic offerings, Muller has been impressed with what Randolph offers its students. “There is more available than when I was at the College,” she said. “It makes me wish I could be a student again.”

Karen Patterson '73 brings a variety of experiences and a deep love of the College to Randolph's Board of Trustees

Editor's Note: This is the third in a series of stories featuring the five new members of Randolph College's Board of Trustees.

One of Karen Patterson’s ’73 favorite things about her alma mater is the instant affinity she feels when she meets anyone associated with the College, including random alumnae and alumni she meets at airports.

But after a recent meeting of the Randolph College Board of Trustees, she learned she has a new favorite part of the school. “Right now, I am most enamored with the panoramic view of the Peaks of Otter from the back of the new Student Center,” she said.

As president of the R-MWC Alumnae and Randolph College Alumni Association, Patterson also serves on the Randolph College Board of Trustees. She is one of five new members named to the Board this year.

“The College is in much better shape, by every measure, than it was even before the transition to coeducation, but the economy is not,” she said. “I am totally committed to ensuring the College thrives in a difficult environment.”

A long-time volunteer for the College, Patterson has also served as a chapter officer, alumnae admissions representative, and a career network member, among other roles.

A biology major at R-MWC, Patterson went on to earn her M.A. in biology from Wake Forest University and a Master’s of Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina. She now lives in Aiken, South Carolina, where she works as the environmental sciences group manager and a project manager at the environmental consulting and engineering firm, Tetra Tech. She chairs the South Carolina Governor’s Nuclear Advisory Council, and is on the executive boards of Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness (a non-profit dedicated to educating the public about the safety and value of nuclear energy), and the SRS Heritage Foundation.

She is excited about her new role on the Board of Trustees for Randolph. “The past members of the Board of Trustees, President Klein and other College leaders, faculty, and staff have built a strong foundation,” she said. “The current trustees, and particularly the College’s leadership, including faculty and students, are enthusiastic and energized and understand what we have to do to continue the momentum. I can actually feel the difference when I am on campus.”

Giving back to her alma mater is important to Patterson. “This is where I learned to love challenges,” she said. “That learning is life-long.”

She believes the skills she developed at R-MWC will serve her well in her new role. “I thrive on challenges and hope I can contribute to strengthening Randolph’s future.”

New Trustee sees support of Randolph as a way to honor his late business partner and friend

Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of stories featuring the five new members of Randolph College's Board of Trustees.

Keith Evans’ connection to Randolph College began decades ago when he heard about the institution from his late business partner, mentor, and friend, Bob Brammer. Brammer, who served as a trustee for the College, and his wife, Dot, endowed a memorial scholarship in the name of their daughter, Lee Brammer May ’80, who passed away just years after graduating from R-MWC.

Evans, who lives in Shreveport, LA, is one of five new members of Randolph College’s Board of Trustees. He serves as the chairman of the board and president of Brammer Engineering, Inc., an oil and gas operating, consulting, and service company. Evans began his career with Shell Oil Company before joining Brammer in 1982.

In 1995, Evans purchased the company from Brammer and has continued to support the Lee Brammer May ’80 Memorial Scholarship. He sees his service on Randolph’s Board as another way to honor his late friend and mentor. “I thought the opportunity to serve on the Randolph Board was a great way for me to pay tribute to Bob and his family and to meet new people and be a small part of a great institution,” Evans said.

Evans earned a B.S. in petroleum engineering from Louisiana State University in 1980 and is a registered professional engineer in Louisiana and Texas. He is married to fellow LSU alumna Karen Oden Evans. The Evans are the proud parents of their son, John, and his wife, Meredith, and daughters Emily and Rebecca. A history buff, Evans has a special interest in the American Civil War and enjoys traveling to Virginia to visit the state's many historic sites.

He sees great potential in Randolph’s future. “The best thing about the College is its potential to grow and prosper in the future,” he said. “The energy I felt while I attended my first Board meeting was wonderful. It’s obvious to me that good things are happening at Randolph.

“The College has been through some challenging times in the last several years where many tough decisions had to be made,” he added. “The culture has certainly changed with the transition to a coed institution, but now the school is on a great path towards stability and growth. There undoubtedly will be more challenges ahead, but the opportunities for continued growth and success are real. I look forward to helping move the College to the next level.”

During his visits to campus, Evans has been impressed with Randolph’s community. “The people associated with the College are phenomenal. From John Klein and his wife, Susan, to the Board of Trustees, senior staff, faculty, staff, and students, all the folks that I have met are wonderful. The campus is very special too. We have a great combination of resources to build a future on, and that’s exciting. “

Katelin Shugart-Schmidt wins Virginia Tech Graduate Woman of the Year award

A 2010 alumna has won a prestigious award in graduate school at Virginia Tech.

Katelin Shugart-Schmidt was named Virginia Tech’s Graduate Woman of the Year. The annual award recognizes students who are deeply involved in the graduate community, contribute new knowledge through their research and teaching, and demonstrate a commitment to diversity.

Shugart-Schmidt said she was honored to receive the award, and that she traces her success in graduate school back to her undergraduate days. “It all came out of my experiences at Randolph,” she said.

Shugart-Schmidt, from Logan, Utah, majored in environmental science and minored in mathematics and biology during her time at the College. She participated in several research opportunities, including a summer internship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She went to Hawaii to study algae blooms, coral reefs, and conservation efforts on Waikiki beach. For that project, she won Best Oral Student Presenter at the Hawaii Conservation Conference in Honolulu.

She also held leadership roles in Randolph’s honor system, which opened doors for her to be involved in the Virginia Tech honor system. She now serves as chief justice in that program.

Today, Shugart-Schmidt is studying methods for predicting how fishing regulations will affect fish populations, considering variables such as the weather and gas prices. She hopes to graduate in December. After graduation, she wants to help make conservation policies become more effective.

“I would really like to work in the intersection between policy and science,” she said. “I would love to take scientific information and translate that into a language that our policy makers and managers can understand and deal with correctly.”

2006 Alumna Profiled by the University of California, Berkeley after receiving an American Association of University Women's American Fellowship

Naomi Hollifield Ondrasek, a 2006 alumna, was recently profiled by the University of California, Berkeley after earning an American Association of University Women’s American Fellowship. The fellowship will provide funding while she completes her dissertation.

Ondrasek is an integrative biology doctoral candidate at the University of California, Berkeley.

While at Randolph College, Ondrasek also earned the prestigious Udall Scholarship. She graduated with a biology major.
To see the piece, which was written by Richard Corten, a senior writer and editor for the University's graduate division, please go to http://grad.berkeley.edu/news/headlines/honors-awards/fellowship-winners/.

Photo by Thomas Ondrasek

Read another article about Ondrasek in Randolph magazine here http://www.randolphcollege.edu/x17438.xml