Vice President And Dean Of Students Maureen Kelley McIntire Announces Retirement

A Message from Dr. Toll Chestertown, MD, May 21, 2004

After thirty-six years of exemplary service to Washington College, Maureen Kelley McIntire, Vice President and Dean of Students, has announced that she will retire on July 2, 2004.

Maureen joined the College administration as Assistant Dean of Women in 1968, was promoted to Dean of Students in 1976 and has served as Vice President and Dean of Students since 1996. She has been a tireless champion of Washington College for nearly four decades, spanning two generations of students and serving under six presidents. She has also been an advocate for Washington College staff, lobbying hard to bring salary and benefits issues to the forefront of policy-making. In 1976, Maureen received the Gold Pentagon Award in recognition of meritorious service to Washington College.

"It's been a great 36-year run," Maureen said in announcing her decision. "I feel honored to have shared so many years with wonderful colleagues, not to mention with countless Washington College students. I look forward to new adventures but will always look back on these years with absolute joy."

Maureen says she will spend time relaxing on her boat and traveling up north, but she also plans to launch her own catering business. I know I speak for the entire community in thanking her for her devout service to Washington College and in wishing her success in all her future endeavors.

It has been a great pleasure for me to serve with Maureen throughout my term as President; she and David will remain my great personal friends.

A reception in Maureen's honor will be hosted early in the new academic year once faculty and students have returned to campus. President-elect Baird Tipson has asked Bryan Matthews to serve as Acting Vice President and Dean of Students until a permanent successor can be identified. Bryan will continue to serve as Director of Athletics.

- John Toll

In Memoriam: Ed Athey '67

A Message from Dr. John Toll

Chestertown, MD, May 20, 2004 — It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that Edward M. Athey '67 passed away today at his home in Chestertown. He was 58.

An alumnus, trustee and avid sports fan, Ed worked tirelessly on behalf of his alma mater even while battling cancer. Ed will be remembered for his devotion to Washington College, which closely paralleled his family life. The two interests were intertwined since 1948 when Ed's father, Edward L. Athey '43, returned to Chestertown to serve as Washington College's athletic director, a post he would occupy for nearly forty years. The connection later spanned a third generation: Ed's daughters, Carolyn and Lisa, as well as a nephew, Charlie, are also dedicated Washington College alumni, and another nephew, Andy, is a current undergraduate.

Ed's service to the College was likewise longstanding. He served as Chair of the Washington College Community Fund from 1984 until 1987, as a member of the Alumni Council (both as Vice-President and then President) from 1990 until 1996, and since 1997 as an alumni-elected representative to the Board of Visitors and Governors. Re-elected to that post in 2003, he was an active trustee, serving as chair of the student life committee as well as on committees overseeing admissions and financial aid and development.

Over the years he met frequently with students, working to represent and advance their concerns with the Board. He also remained active in alumni affairs, serving as an unofficial advisor to a succession of alumni directors.

Ed attended Washington College from 1963-65, earning his B.A. from Catawba College and a M.Ed. from Western Maryland College. He returned to his Kent County community in 1968 as a teacher, coach, and guidance counselor before joining FAM&M Insurance, Inc., where he served as President and CEO at the time of his death. His commitment to the local community was strong—he served as a Director of the Chestertown Bank, Chairman of the Kent County Economic Development Committee, and on the boards of the Chesapeake Bank, Kent and Queen Anne's Hospital, Chester River Yacht and Country Club, and the Optimist Club. He also served as a Judge of the Orphans Court and as a member of the Chestertown Planning and Zoning Committee.

In addition to this lifetime of service, Ed will be remembered for his tireless generosity and unerring grace. He was a greatly respected friend for many members of the College community, including students, faculty, administrators, staff, and fellow Board members. We will miss his wise counsel, his quiet wit, and his characteristic wide-open smile.

I know the entire Washington College community joins me in extending our deepest condolences to Cathy and the entire Athey family.

A memorial service for Edward M. Athey '67 will be held on the Martha Washington Square at Washington College on Tuesday, May 25, at 11:00

a.m.

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers memorial gifts be sent to the Edward M. Athey 67 Memorial Fund, c/o Washington College, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620.

- John Toll

Washington College Awards Nation's Largest Undergraduate Literary Prize

Senior Wins $56,169 for Poetry, Essays

Chestertown, MD, May 16, 2004 — Most college seniors will look back on their graduation ceremony as a day of pomp and circumstance culminating in a handshake and a diploma. For Angela Haley, 21, an English major at Washington College in Chestertown, MD, the ceremony brought another reward: a check for $56,169. Haley's portfolio of poetry, critical essays and a short story earned her the largest undergraduate literary award in the country—the Sophie Kerr Prize—presented Sunday, May 16, during the College's 2004 Commencement ceremonies.

The awarding of the Sophie Kerr Prize, given annually to the graduating senior who demonstrates the greatest “ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor,” has in recent decades been a highlight of the commencement ceremony at the 222-year-old liberal arts college. The Prize, worth $56,169 this year, is among the largest literary awards in the world. Washington College has awarded nearly one million dollars in prize money since it was first given in 1968, most often to writers of poetry and fiction. Scholarly and journalistic works, though less often selected, are given equal consideration. Haley's winning submission was one of thirty-six portfolios entered in this year's competition.

“This was a difficult choice,” said English Professor Richard Gillin, who presided over the Sophie Kerr Prize Committee's deliberations. “There was a large and diverse pool with some excellent writers represented.”

Professor Robert Mooney, Director of the College's creative writing program and O'Neill Literary House, reiterated the strength of the finalists, saying, “The obvious excellence in such numbers makes me proud of the program.”

Professor Katherine Wagner, who served as Haley's thesis advisor cited the “maturity of vision” in Haley's poems balanced with “sensible, clear, well-researched criticism” as decisive factors in the committee's selection of Haley's portfolio. “Angie is adept in both formal and free verse,” Wagner said. “She tackles a variety of forms, structures and subject matter.”

While a student at Washington College, Haley was a recipient of a Hodson Trust Scholarship and a National Honor Society scholarship. She graduated graduated cum laude with departmental honors in English and with minors in gender studies and creative writing. Her work has been published in several campus publications, including the Washington College Review, the Collegian, and a student literary magazine entitled The Medium. A graduate of North Harford High School in Maryland, she previously served as editor of her high school literary magazine and also won several poetry prizes in high school.

Haley plans to continue her education, applying to MFA programs this winter. Down the road, she says in the introduction to her portfolio, she'd like to pursue a Ph.D. in Renaissance or women's studies.

The Sophie Kerr Prize is the namesake of an Eastern Shore woman who made her fortune in New York, writing women's fiction during the 1930s and 1940s. In accordance with the terms of her will, one-half of the annual income from her bequest to the College is awarded each year to the graduating senior demonstrating the best potential for literary achievement. The other half funds scholarships, supports student publications and the purchase of books, and brings an array of visiting writers, editors and publishers to campus to read, visit classes and discuss student work. Her gift has provided the nucleus for an abundance of literary activity on the bucolic Eastern Shore campus.

Betty Anne Connolley Garden Dedication

Chestertown, MD, May 3, 2004 — On Sunday May 9, 2004 at 3:00 p.m. Chestertown Mayor Margo Bailey and Town Council together with the Beautification Committee will hold a special dedication in the Betty Anne Connolley Garden located at the corner of Mill and Cannon Street. This garden is special not only because it is honoring an extraordinary person, but it is also one of the first native plant gardens in Chestertown and was created almost entirely with donations from local nurseries. We hope that you can join us in the celebration!

Betty Anne was a life long resident of Chestertown who was a dedicated community volunteer. Her Cannon Street home is close by the garden site. She worked at Washington College for forty years in the mailroom and in 1997 the Kent and Queen Anne's Alumni Chapter made her an Honorary Alumnus of the school.

One of her finest community achievements was founding and serving as chairperson of the Old Chestertown Neighborhood Association for the greater part of the 1990°Øs decade. Monthly meetings and hand distribution of a published newsletter helped to solve neighborhood problems with issues of crime, drugs, education and property improvements. Volunteers from the Town Beautification Committee partnered with the Association in creating the garden and many of the resulting improvements seen in Chestertown today.

R.S.V.P. to Chairperson Mary Elizabeth Connolley 410-778-0661.

Refreshments will be served.

Underwater Artifacts: College Receives New Hi-Tech Seabed Scanner For Archaeology, Environmental Studies Programs

Chestertown, MD, April 30, 2004 — Ever wonder what secrets lie in Davy Jones's Locker, or just at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay? Washington College students will soon find out. The College's archaeology and environmental studies programs have received a new tool for underwater archaeological and environmental surveys. Produced in Scotland by the firm SonaVision, the RoxSwath Seabed Classification System will add a new dimension to the College's undergraduate learning experience and allow students to study the marine environments at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

According to John Seidel, associate professor of anthropology and environmental studies and an expert on underwater archaeology, RoxSwath can help to determine what objects of archaeological or environmental significance might be hidden under the surface of the Bay.

“We are very excited to have this new tool,” he said. “RoxSwath is a multibeam instrument that uses acoustics to map different seabed types. Simply put, the instrument uses multiple transducers to map a swath across the bottom of a river or creek and then makes fine discriminations between different types of mud, sand, shell, coral, grass, and so on. We have taken delivery of the first system in the U.S.”

On April 5-7, representatives of SonaVision trained a group of College personnel—including Seidel, Dr. Wayne Bell, Director of the College's Center for Environment and Society, Wendy Miller, Geographic Information Systems Program Coordinator at Washington College, and College senior anthropology major, Christian Mears—to use the system through a series of live demonstrations on the Chester River.

Following the field gathering and a post-processing of the data, the survey demonstration found several oyster beds—larger than anticipated—thriving in the river.

“This is an example of the type and the value of the data that this system can produce,” said Seidel. “Combined with our sidescan sonar, marine magnetometer and positioning and survey systems, this places Washington College well out in front of all our peers with regard to marine and estuarine survey capabilities, whether for archaeology or environmental science. We are taking archaeology and environmental studies to a much higher level for our students and letting them experience first-hand the most up-to-date methods in this field, with the Bay and its tributaries as our natural laboratory.”

For more information on Washington College's archaeology program, visithttp://archaeology.washcoll.edu.