A Message From President Toll: Dr. William C. Schmoldt '69

August 8, 2002

Dear Colleagues,

Dr. William C. Schmoldt, a former assistant professor of mathematics and director of the computing center at Washington College (September 1972 through December 1979), passed away this past Sunday from injuries suffered in a diving accident. Dr. Schmoldt, a licensed sea captain, was diving at the Andrea Doria wreck off Nantucket Island when the accident occurred.

Dr. Schmoldt, of Brielle, New Jersey, was a computer science teacher at The Ranney School in Tinton Falls, N.J., at the time of his death. Prior to that, he developed computer software for AT&T/Lucent Technologies.

Dr. Schmoldt was a graduate of Washington College (Class of 1969), earned a masters degree from the University of Missouri, a doctorate in computer science from the University of Maryland, and a MBA from Monmouth University.

He is survived by a sister, Janet Brzinski, and a brother, Eric.

Services will be held Thursday, August 8 at 12:30 PM at the August F. Schmidt Memorial Funeral Home, 139 Westfield Avenue, Elizabeth, NJ, (732) 352-2268.

John Toll
President

A Message From President Toll: Isaac Dean

August 7, 2002

I am saddened to inform the Washington College community that Isaac Dean, known to all of us as Ike, passed away Wednesday night at the age of 88.

Ike began his career at Washington College over 57 years ago with the College's maintenance department. After 30 years, he retired in 1976, but in his own words he loved Washington College so much that he rejoined the College as a part-time parking enforcement officer in 1978. Ike worked in that position until this past April when health problems forced him to retire again. Although a parking ticket on one's windshield was never welcome, the signs of Ike Dean always was.

Many have said, if you ever wanted to know the history of anything on our campus, Ike was the man to ask. He worked during the administrations of seven presidents. He truly enjoyed his work at Washington College, as much as his colleagues enjoyed working with him.

Ike is survived by his daughters, Pat and Jean, both of Chestertown, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Our thoughts go out to his family at this time.

John Toll
President

College Announces Fall 2002 Graduate Courses In English, History, Psychology And Education

Chestertown, MD, August 5, 2002 — Students, educators and mental health workers are invited to register for Fall 2002 graduate courses at Washington College. The College offers Master of Arts degrees in English, history and psychology. Graduate study is also available for K-12 teachers seeking to meet requirements for advanced professional certification.

Classes begin September 3 and end December 12, 2002. Students must pre-register by August 20, 2002 to guarantee texts. Tuition is $730 per course plus a non-refundable course registration fee of $40. Pre-registration forms will be accepted at the Registrar's Office in person, by mail, by phone at 410-778-7299, or by fax at 410-810-7159.

For complete information on Washington College's graduate course offerings, including detailed course descriptions and registration forms, visit http://grad.washcoll.edu online, or contact the Registrar's Office, Washington College, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620, phone 410-778-7299.

Washington College also hosts graduate courses for K-12 teachers through the Regional Training Center. Tuition is $675 for each three-credit course, plus a $50 deposit. For course or registration information, contact the Regional Training Center at 1-800-433-4740 or online atwww.regionaltrainingcenter.org.

Maryland Entrepreneur Named Trustee Of Washington College

Chestertown, MD, July 19, 2002 — Richard Bernstein, a business leader who brought electronics manufacturing to Maryland's Eastern Shore, has been appointed to Washington College's Board of Visitors and Governors. Bernstein is president and CEO of BAI Aerosystems, Inc. in Easton and CEO of Lorch Microwave in Salisbury. He also owns and operates Salisbury Pewter, a company of artisans that produces decorative arts and silverwork. As a Trustee of Washington College, Bernstein will work with other members of the College's Board to oversee the administrative, academic and financial operations of the 220-year-old college. His six-year term began July 1, 2002.

BAI is a leading supplier of low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles used for surveillance, radio relay links and jamming in applications where the use of manned aircraft would put human lives at risk. Lorch Microwave, a subsidiary of BAI Aerosystems, manufactures RF, microwave and ceramic filters along with a range of specialized electronic components that are used in the wireless markets. Prior to acquiring BAI, Bernstein was the founder of K&L Microwave, the electronics manufacturing industry that provided jobs for more than 2,000 employees on the Shore.

Bernstein studied engineering at the Virginia Military Institute. He earned his undergraduate degree at Salisbury State University and a master's in business administration from Purdue University. He has received several professional honors and awards, including being named among INC. Magazine's Top 500 privately-held corporations.

Washington College Alumni Beebe, Likens Named Trustees Of The College

Chestertown, MD, July 18, 2002 — Glenn Beebe '81, a legislative director for the Eighth Legislative District of New Jersey, and Elizabeth Likens '96, Director of Development for DRADA (Depression & Related Affective Disorders Association) at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, were elected by the Washington College Alumni Association to the Board of Visitors and Governors of the College. Their six-year terms began July 1, 2002. As Trustees of the College, they will work with other members of the College's Board to oversee the administrative, academic and financial operations of the institution.

As legislative director for the Eighth Legislative District of New Jersey, Beebe is responsible for supervising the legislative process in his office and ensuring that bills move from ideas to law. He has worked for the New Jersey legislature since his college graduation and has hosted several Washington College students as New Jersey legislative interns. He has served in local government as a mayor and township committeeman, and chaired the New Jersey Coin Committee that selected the New Jersey quarter for the United States Mint. A former class agent and chapter president of the College's Alumni Association, Beebe is past president of the College's Alumni Council. He and his wife, Valerie Hartzell, are members of the College's 1782 Society of donors and have created an endowed book fund for the Washington College library. They reside in Burlington, NJ.

One of the youngest alumni to be elected to the College's Board of Visitors and Governors, Likens is responsible the fundraising efforts and membership recruitment activities of DRADA. Prior to joining DRADA, Likens was Director of Meetings and Exhibitions for the Association of Financial Professionals in Bethesda, MD. She served on the Washington College Alumni Council as President of the College's Washington, DC Alumni Chapter until moving to Baltimore. She is also a committee member of the College's 1782 Society, founded in 1985 by benefactors of Washington College to advance many vital programs, scholarships and activities at the College.

Washington College Awards Nation's Largest Undergraduate Prize At 220th Commencement Ceremony

Senior from Bethesda, Maryland, Wins $65,522

Chestertown, MD, May 19, 2002 — the ceremony brought another reward: a check for $65,522. Blackman's portfolio of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writing earned her the largest undergraduate literary award in the country — the Sophie Kerr Prize.

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 220-year-old liberal arts college. The Prize, worth $65,522 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. Blackman's winning submission — a collection of ten poems, five short stories, and an essay — was one of a record-setting twenty-seven portfolios submitted for this year's prize.Chestertown, MD, May 19, 2002 — the ceremony brought another reward: a check for $65,522. Blackman's portfolio of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writing earned her the largest undergraduate literary award in the country — the Sophie Kerr Prize.

"Sarah represents the best of liberal arts ideals," said Professor Richard Gillin, chair of the English Department and of the Sophie Kerr Prize Committee that selected Blackman as this year's winner. "Her mastery of so many different genres is evidence of a wide-ranging mind."

Professor Robert Mooney, Director of the College's creative writing program and O'Neill Literary House, cited Blackman's extraordinary facility with language, artistic integrity, and maturity of vision. "Sarah fictively investigates those quiet and important human moments that define character in its destiny," Mooney said. "In the process she shapes a story that is not only worth reading, but worth going back to again and again. Sarah is an extraordinary poet as well, with a sense of condensed language that is fluid, rhythmic, and on the mark."

The daughter of Dr. Melinda Zeder and Dr. James Blackman of Bethesda, MD, Blackman graduated summa cum laude with departmental honors in English. She also received the Emil J. C. Hildenbrand Memorial Medal awarded to the student who attains the highest average in English during four years of study as well as recognition for outstanding community service. Blackman spent her spring break in Georgia working with Habitat for Humanity.

Blackman plans to move to Los Angeles in July, attracted by what she describes as its "thriving literary industry." She plans to continue her education in literature and creative writing, with hopes of teaching writing not only to undergraduates in liberal arts settings but to marginalized youth, prisoners in state penitentiaries and students in adult literacy programs.

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.

Junior Annette Bangert Leads WC Equestrian Team To First Nationals

Inaugural Year For Equestrian Club And Team

Chestertown, MD, May 8, 2002 — Washington College junior Annette Bangert has led the newly formed Washington College Equestrian Team to its first Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) National Championship. Representing the best in Zone 3, Bangert competed against 16 riders from around the nation and placed fourth in the Hunt Seat Equitation Division at the 2002 Championship held May 4, 2002, at Cazenovia College in Cazenovia, NY.

"The IHSA has many different levels of competition, so that every rider, regardless of skill level, can participate," said Bangert, who hails from Germany and is majoring in art at the College. "I rode in Individual Walk/Trot, which is the beginner class. It was a big class—the two best riders from each of the eight IHSA zones in the country. I was very proud to represent Washington College and such a young team against other schools that have been competing for years."

Bangert's showing received fourth in her class in the nation. Coach Sandy Griffiths, who calls her team "the Cool Running of the Eastern Shore," is confident that the club is poised to become one of the top teams in the region.

"This is a significant accomplishment," said Griffiths. "During the season, our team was up against schools that had been fielding riders for years and never sent anyone to the Nationals. For Washington College to have achieved this in its first year is really something to brag about. I am very proud of the team's performance this year."
Bangert's showing received fourth in her class in the nation. Coach Sandy Griffiths, who calls her team "the Cool Running of the Eastern Shore," is confident that the club is poised to become one of the top teams in the region."The IHSA has many different levels of competition, so that every rider, regardless of skill level, can participate," said Bangert, who hails from Germany and is majoring in art at the College. "I rode in Individual Walk/Trot, which is the beginner class. It was a big class—the two best riders from each of the eight IHSA zones in the country. I was very proud to represent Washington College and such a young team against other schools that have been competing for years."

Washington College riders in IHSA competition finished the season in sixth place for the region, beating many larger and more established programs such as the University of Pennsylvania, Gettysburg College, Arcadia University, Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College and Temple University. More than half of the team advanced to the Regional Championships and all finished in the ribbons. Qualifying for regional competition were Morgan Baker, a sophomore from Centreville, MD; Katie Lerner, a freshman from Silver Spring, MD; Lauren Marini, a senior from Mullica Hill, NJ; and Christine Solle, a junior from Maplewood, NJ. Marini garnered High Point Champion at the Delaware Valley Show and Reserve High Point Champion at Field of Dreams in Chesterfield, NJ on March 3, 2003. Baker was Reserve High Point Champion at the Briarwood Show in Reddington, NJ, on February 24, 2002.

Overall, the Washington College Equestrian Team with just eight riders tallied 188 points throughout the season, finishing behind first place powerhouse, the University of Delaware, which fielded 90 riders and finished the season with 316 points.

The Washington College Equestrian Club is open to all students, regardless of riding ability, and competes in Region 2, Zone 3 of the IHSA, which encompasses schools from Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and parts of Connecticut, New Jersey and West Virginia.

Students do not need to own their own horse to be a member—several lease horses are available and students practice on horses provided by Airy Hill Stables outside of Chestertown. Mounts in IHSA competitions are drawn by lots and provided by the show hosts. Students in the club can also participate in educational field trips, monthly trail rides and riding lessons. In addition to competing in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, the Washington College Equestrian Team raises funds for the club by "foalwatching" mares at Thornmar Farm in Kent County. This special opportunity ensures that club members get hands-on experience in the thoroughbred breeding industry working with nationally regarded equine reproduction veterinarian, Dr. Thomas H. Bowman, a five-time Washington College parent.