Georgetown College

Beginning in January, 2008, Georgetown College, along with the other 19 of Kentucky’s nonprofit, independent four-year colleges and universities, will have entirely new, campus-designed plates available for purchase from the Kentucky County Clerks offices.

A tree-framed “watermark” of Giddings Hall is the background of Georgetown’s plate; and the College’s distinctive crest is to the left of the license number. Alumni and friends will be proud to know that the design is by College Web Coordinator Jessica Ehleben Shields, who graduated from here in ’06 with an Art degree.

The new plates go on sale for January birth month renewals and new issues. Plates cost $44 upon initial issue, including the $10 for student scholarships (because these new plates replace the previous version). Renewal is $31 in subsequent years. Current plate holders interested in renewing early should check with their local County Clerk about renewal policies.

Plates must be purchased through the County Clerk’s office. To find contact information for your County Clerk, visit the Kentucky Motor Vehicle Licensing System website.

This is the first time that the institutions which constitute the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities (AIKCU) have been able to design their own distinct Kentucky license plates for purchase by alumni, students, faculty, staff and other supporters of their institutions.

The license plates are designed to increase awareness of independent higher education options in Kentucky and to raise funds for student scholarships; $10 from the sale of each plate goes directly back to the campus to support student scholarships.

Join the friendly competition among the institutions – nicknamed the “battle of the bumpers” – to see which campus can sell the most plates annually. Currently, Georgetown College ranks third in sales behind Centre College and Transylvania University. It’s anticipated that the new designs will increase interest in the plates and the competition, ultimately raising more money to support student scholarships.

Honoring Dr. Mary Brady with a Scholarship

Mary Lee Thornton Brady, 60, a much-loved member of the Georgetown English faculty for 22 years, died January 8. Many who have given already are hoping that her memory will live on in the form of a scholarship – probably for a junior who has already committed to English as a major. Please offer your thoughts and donations to associate professor Barbara Burch, chair of the English Department.

Megan Goin ‘06, an English and French double major who is employed by the Paul Sawyier Public Library in Frankfort, wrote the following for the Fall 2007 Insights magazine. Below that are thoughts we collected from other former students who were impacted by this special professor.

By Megan Goin ‘06

Anyone who ever studied Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales with Mary Brady knows she loved the Wife of Bath. It was only natural, therefore, that this character and the red stockings she wore came up as a group of us sat sharing Brady memories the night before her funeral in January.

My friends and I came to realize we all admired Mary Brady for the very reasons she so loved the Wife of Bath: her quirkiness and wit, her out-spoken nature, her willingness to question and examine traditional ideas, and her ability to be a powerful, assertive woman. Rebecca Coyle, Calie Goins, Andrea Durbin and I decided at this moment we would wear red stockings to Brady’s funeral, not only because their mention in The Wife of Bath’s Tale had always prompted a patented Mary Brady “I LOVE IT!,” but because we wanted to do something, however small, to show just how much this special English professor taught us about literature and life. We will all grow into stronger, better women because of Dr. Brady, and the red stockings were simply our way of saying so.

Mary Brady was such an integral part of my college experience that I can’t really even wrap my mind around the idea of Georgetown College without her. She had a reputation of brilliance and wit that preceded her, and to which she never failed to live up. To me, though, what really stood about Dr. Brady, even more than her antics, off-the-wall pop culture references and the volumes of knowledge she possessed, was the simple fact of how much she cared for each and every person around her.

When she won the John Walker Manning Award, I, along with many of my classmates, sent an e-mail offering my congratulations. The message I received back said that she was humbled and honored by the award, but that it was really her students who made her great – rather than her being so remarkable herself. I had never before witnessed someone with such a sense of grace and selflessness; she didn’t hesitate to turn an event that should have been all about her into a tool through which she could help complement and honor those around her.

Dr. Brady was so loved that at least two sites are devoted to her and her Bradyisms on Facebook.

Rebecca Jane Coyle ‘06

(Dr. Brady) was my advisor and predictably unpredictable. In almost every class meeting, Brady played on my strictly conservative Republican demeanor. If there were a current political debate on anything partisan, she’d throw it at me. How does one defend themselves against someone like Brady? While she never won me over completely, she taught me how to evaluate my own thoughts and beliefs.

In Journalism, we all had computers in front of us the whole time. Amy Hogue would make Brady’s picture the wallpaper on her machine, or a horrible picture of Bush. It was presidential election year. Brady wore her Democratic pin to class every day. A few times, when I asked for help, she came over and put the pin right in my face. My face was virtually in her bosom. I think I wrote about that on her evaluation, requesting that she leave her personal political opinions out of the classroom. She must have fallen on the floor laughing when she read that one.

Almost everyone has a Brady memory where the end result is yourself in tears. It was like a rite of passage. In Journalism, I turned in a paper that I thought was a masterpiece. It was an obit on Jordan’s newly deceased king. Before that paper, I had never revised a one-page document as much as I had this one. I thought I completely understood the concepts she was teaching. I was wrong. I failed it miserably and left the room to cry.

The very last time I saw Dr. Brady in person was the day before graduation. It was in the line at the traditional first name ceremony. Instead of shaking hands and introducing herself as Mary, she grabbed me and gave me a fierce Brady hug. She said, without reservation, “I am so proud of you!” This will always be my fondest memory of her. She was proud of me. Beyond all of her crazy antics, she was also a warm person who made sure people knew what she thought of them.

Josh McComas ‘06

As I approached the end of my sophomore year, I had a lot of trouble getting sleep. I was very stressed out and the anxiety made it nearly impossible for me to ever fall asleep. I eventually had to begin taking medication for the problem. Unfortunately, the medication did not put me to sleep; it got me “stoned.”

I’ll never forget one afternoon in particular during which I was very (high on) the medication and did not know what to do with myself. I decided that it would be a good idea to visit Dr. Brady and vent. I walked into her office and as usual, she was grading papers – very poorly written papers from English 111. As I was accustomed, we began our conversation with a discussion of freshman writing.

Further into the discussion, Dr. Brady realized that I was not acting like myself. I told her about how stressed I was. I told her that all I wanted to do was sleep, but instead I was (out of it). This led into a discussion of how over-medicated our society is, similarly to that of Brave New World. Dr. Brady sat patiently with many more papers to grade as I continued to go on and on about my frustration. Due to the loss of some of my inhibitions, I finally worked up the courage to ask her for a cigarette.

“I hate to ask,” I said. “But can I have a cigarette?”

She smiled and reached into her bag, pulling out two. “Here honey,” she said.

I thanked her and told her that I was going to try to get some sleep.

I’ll never forget the consideration Dr. Brady showed me that afternoon. I find it hard to imagine many other professors opening their doors on a finals week afternoon to a student who was far from sober. She didn’t act like an authority figure at all. She was just a friend, one of my best, who cared about what I had to say and took time out of her day to help me through a difficult time. This story may come off as inappropriate to some, but I’ll miss Dr. Brady for the rest of my life because of moments like it.

Katie Eades ‘04

First of all, I took her class as a senior because I’d heard such wonderful things about her that I had to take one before I graduated. And, she was SO encouraging and enthusiastic when I told her about my plans for graduate school. During class she would slip in “Katie, you want to study that for the GRE” or “they’ll ask you this on the GRE,” etc., etc.

Toward the end of the semester, we were studying A Thousand Acres, which is a modern day rewrite of King Lear. Dr. Brady allowed me to teach the class on King Lear as an undergraduate! Talk about encouragement – my goal was to be an English instructor at the university level and she gave me my first taste of that. AND she let me teach it outside on the steps of Pawling Hall since it was such a beautiful day.

I just remember her kind heart and quick laugh; she was also always looking for ways to challenge all of us. I’m so glad I had that experience with her, even though it was a short one. I’d always heard of the Brady fans, those who couldn’t say enough good things about her and I’m very proud to say that I’m one of them.

Andrea Durbin ‘08

Anything that Dr. Brady taught me was memorable. I was never a fan of Canterbury Tales and I was dreading having to read it. But, with Mary Brady teaching, it was completely different. She made it entertaining and interesting. She is able to relate it to today’s society so you don’t just see it in the context that it is written. She would talk about what if the Wife of Bath lived in today’s world; what she would be like and how she would be treated. She put it in a way that students would understand it today, but also never lost the original meaning Chaucer intended.

Jesse Pack ’06

(Dr. Brady) hugged me on my very first day of college after I expressed my angst about a college level composition class. She failed my first four papers and drove me crazy – but she taught me more about writing than anyone ever has. She always encouraged me by being incredibly realistic without being cynical. I mourn the fact that my younger brother, and many others, won’t get to have the “Brady experience.”

Strengthening a tradition of teaching students as the No. 1 priority, Georgetown College will dedicate The Branch Banking and Trust Business and Ethics Collection at noon Tuesday, Dec. 4 in the lobby of its Ensor Learning Resource Center.

“This big, big seed will help grow our collections and provide a level of excellence in information resources for our students,” said head librarian Mary Margaret Lowe, lauding the biggest gift since the LRC was built in 1998. “We hope the students think of the library – the heart of the academic campus – as their top priority, too.”

The College and the BB&T Charitable Foundation – which committed $150,000 ($30,000 annually for five years) to the project in 2005 – can celebrate 671 volumes thus far. The quality, as well as the quantity, of items in the collection will also help Georgetown in its pursuit of Phi Beta Kappa standards.

Provost Rosemary Allen, while intensely interested in the pieces that factor into PBK, is especially appreciative of quality. “I’m particularly grateful for the way this gift allows us to develop depth in a particular area,” said Allen, a former Georgetown department chair (English). “We have many, many needs for expanded library resources, and we sometimes sacrifice depth for breadth. But this gift allows us to develop depth in a particularly important area of inquiry.”

Business ethics as an area and the College’s mission of developing ethical scholars fits particularly well with BB&T’s core values, according to Harvey Coggin, Senior Vice President for the Central Kentucky region and one of BB&T’s representatives who will attend the event. “I’m very much aware of what President Crouch and the College are trying to do in maintaining Christian values within an academic environment,” said Coggin, who has worked closely with the College in various banking roles since the early ‘90s.

Lowe, the librarian, proudly pointed out that department chairmen Dr. Tom Cooper (Business) and Dr. Norman Wirzba (Philosophy) were instrumental in choosing the volumes and materials. “And,” she exclaimed, “they will actually be teaching the volumes they helped choose!”

Cooper, humbled by the generosity of this very targeted gift, said, “We’ve been able to buy about anything we wanted to. And, when a really good opportunity comes along, we can seize the moment and purchase something we otherwise couldn’t have.”

Cooper indicated that building a collection over the years is usually a sporadic process. “But, with this gift, we’ve been able to identify what every small college ought to have (in these areas) and we’ll be able to buy every classic we ought to have. This gives us a lot of books of enduring value.”

Wirzba is excited for the faculty as well as the students. “This gift has also allowed us to purchase other instructional media such as DVDs that are really useful in supplementing what we do,” he said. “This collection – which will continue to develop over the next couple of years – will help (professors) prepare for classes in ways we might not otherwise do.”

The BB&T collection provides a valuable tool to enhance undergraduate education for the entire student body. With conviction, Lowe added, “We feel like we are more student-focused than most institutions.”

By Jim Durham
News Bureau Director

In William Shakespeare’s comedies, often the secret lives of his characters aren’t always what they seem.

“Definitely…Shakespeare could’ve written (ABC’s) Desperate Housewives with characters who aren’t what they appear on the surface,” said Jeremy Larson, who portrays Feste in the National Players’ touring production of Twelfth Night in Georgetown College’s John L. Hill Chapel on Nov. 26. Curtain time for this Foust Artist Series performance is 8 p.m.

“You learn in this show, if you’re looking for love, you may have to put on a mask to get it,” said Larson, who was Pompey in Louisville’s Kentucky Shakespeare in the Park production of Measure for Measure this summer.

Director Clay Hopper wrote in the Players’ study guide: “In our production of Twelfth Night, the designers and I were struck by the fact that all of the characters endow others with what they want them to be. It’s as if they are so blinded by their desires that they (consciously or not) use all of their considerable ingenuity and energy to turn other people into what they are not. This allows them to fool themselves into thinking that what they are seeing in others is real.”

“They use whatever is around them to make the things that they need,” Hopper continued. “If they need a golden chalice, they use a plastic bottle. If they need money, they use buttons. If they need a candle, they use a flashlight stuck on plate. A piece of tightly wrapped fabric becomes a corset. An apron becomes a tailcoat…”

This popular comedy about twins Sebastian and Viola, who are separated by a shipwreck, is full of mistaken identities, misdirected passions, unrequited love, fools, reveling, and madness. But this version is set in Regency England (1811-1820). “As with any (of our productions) we aim to make the show as accessible as possible,” said Diana Fooksman, the company’s general manager. “With Shakespeare, his text lends itself to be presented in a variety of styles and time periods, and we try to choose one that helps to illustrate the themes in the story.”

“Our Twelfth Night is one of the funniest shows I have ever done,” said Larson, an ’07 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. “The fact that we are using golf clubs and canes for swords adds just another comic element to go only with the appearance of things.”

Many a common household item has been used to enhance the costumes – but in clever, cost-effective ways. Look closely at Olivia’s dress and the tails on the coats of Viola, Sebastian and Orsino – and just try to stifle a chuckle.

The National Players production of Twelfth Night is Monday, Nov. 26 in John L. Hill Chapel, right off Giddings Circle at Georgetown College. Curtain time is 8 p.m., with a running time of 2:25 including the 15-minute intermission. Tickets for this Foust Artist Series event, are $10 adults; $8 seniors; $5 students (other than Georgetown students). Call (502) 863-8041 for reservations.

Maryland-based National Players – America’s longest-running classical touring company, dating to 1949 – is made up of young professionals from the best college drama programs in the country. Since 1992, it has been the company in residence for the department of theatre at the University of Maryland, College Park. The National Players have received accolades from such luminaries as Walter Kerr, drama critic emeritus of The New York Times; Patrick Hayes, founder and managing director of the Washington Performing Arts Society; and the late Helen Hayes, first lady of the American theatre.

The Georgetown College campus is alive with arts activities – both performing and visual – from Nov. 15 through Dec. 9. And, even after the students go home for the holidays, visitors are welcome to take in our spectacular contemporary art collection in the Jacobs Gallery (Ensor Learning Resource Center) from noon-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday through Dec. 21 and opening up again January 2. And, we urge you to stroll the campus to see the new Live.Learn.Believe. outdoor sculpture exhibit, which will change every year to 18 months.

All of the College’s musical groups are rehearsing like busy elves so that they may put you in the right holiday mood with these upcoming events in the John L. Hill Chapel. All are FREE – with the exception of the symphonic band’s concert, which only requires a non-perishable food item that goes to a Scott County charity.

Thursday, Nov. 15 – Concert Choir & Brass Ensemble Fall Concert, “In the Fullness of Time: The Night That Changed History,” 8 p.m.

Retracing the events leading up to Christ’s birth, the 60-voice choir will sing traditional carols culminating in the soaring “Gloria” by John Rutter. Accompaniment by the brass choir, and Daniel B. Tilford on the newly installed Johannus organ and Mami Hayashida on the piano. Guest conductor Carl Peters says, “This concert has wonderful variety – from the rhythmic vibrancy of the traditional Spanish carol, ‘Riu, Riu, Chiu,’ to the elegance of the Biebl ‘Ave Maria’, and the joyful exuberance of the three movement Gloria. This is a Christmas cornucopia!” Regular conductor John Campbell, who is on sabbatical this semester (but will play timpani in the orchestra) says, “With the returning members and senior leadership, the choir won’t miss a beat.”

Monday, Nov. 19 – Tiger Symphonic Band, Fall Anniversary Concert, 8 p.m.

Admission to this holiday tradition is one canned or processed food item, which goes to the Amen House of Scott County. Featured artists are senior soloist Sierra Gooch of West Chester, OH – a double-major in German and Commerce, Language & Culture – on Stephen Bulla’s Rhapsody for Flute; and Professor Emeritus Daniel B. Tilford on the new Osborne-Tilford Organ for Canticle: All Creatures of our God and King. “Trust me, it shall be an evening of delightful music that you will not want to miss,” says conductor Pete LaRue., who invites patrons to stay afterward for a reception.

Tuesday, Nov. 27 – Hanging of the Green, 7 p.m.

“This all-campus worship experience is a wonderful way for students, faculty, staff, townspeople and alumni to reflect on the reason for the season as a community,” says Student Government’s Randa Stovall, a senior from Scottsville. Includes special music entertainment, a senior speaker, and faculty and staff reading scripture. Stay around for the lighting of Giddings Circle.

Thursday, Nov. 29 – Chapel Brass Concert, 8 p.m.

Seven student instrumentalists will perform a variety of compositions from the Baroque period and hymn-tune based pieces of recent origin. Concert leader H.M. Lewis says a highlight is their contemporary arrangement of “Angels We Have Heard on High,” by William Hines, one of the most outstanding composers of modern music for brass.

Friday, Nov. 30 – Students of Voice Recital, 6:30 p.m.

A wide variety of music featuring pieces from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th Century, Contemporary, Musical Theatre and even Contemporary Christian genres in a mix of both Christmas and non-holiday songs. The voice students will be joined by other GC musicians who are planning to join the Kentucky Institute for International Studies (KIIS) Program on an intensive music program in Salzburg, Austria this summer. Instructor Heather Hunicutt says, “Donations will be accepted to help the students’ make their dreams of studying in Austria come true.” Refreshments after the concert.

Sunday, Dec. 2 – Messiah Sing with the Concert Choir, 3 p.m.

An audience favorite because the whole community is invited to sing the choruses with the Georgetown College choir. This year’s sing-along will include the entire Christmas portion (part I), according to guest conductor Carl Peters. Copies of sheet music will be available – for loan, not sale. The College’s Mami Hayashida will accompany on harpsichord.

On Stage…Hear All About It!

Professor/director Ed Smith is bringing back an updated version of Merry Freakin’ Christmas for the weekend of Dec. 7-9 in the Lab Theatre. This humorous expose of Christmas’s dark underbelly is set in a TV news station. Smith and his Performance of Literature class put together this original work last year; this time all of his Theatre & Performance Studies classes are contributing. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for adults and may be purchased at the campus bookstore 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday or 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday. For reservations call (502) 863-8134 or toll free at (866) 464-0050.

That same weekend (Dec. 7-9), theatre patrons can take in a second production on campus that also uses the media (radio) as a vehicle – It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, adapted from the Frank Capra film (that starred Jimmy Stewart). Georgetown Community Theatre will perform this beloved American holiday classic on the Hill Chapel stage at 8 p.m. the first two nights and 3 p.m. on that Sunday. They ask the “radio audience” to be seated 15 minutes before the show.

The College’s choral director John Campbell is the director and Georgetown junior Ashley Parsons, a Music Education major from Scott County, plays Sally Applewhite who plays Mary Hatch (Donna Reed in the movie). Wade Yeates, who works at Luv Homes in Georgetown, is the male lead who plays George Bailey, who considers ending his life one fateful, but ultimately wonderful Christmas Eve. Tickets are $10, or $7 for under-12. and can be purchased at The Country Peddler Gift Shoppe (next to Farmers Bank) or on line at www.upbeatcafe.com.

Sorry, the final weekend (Nov. 16-18) of the College’s production of the musical She Love Me is SOLD OUT in the tiny Ruth Pearce Wilson Lab Theatre. (Well, it’s GOOD that our Maskrafters are so popular.)

Shakespeare on ‘The Hill’

Shakespeare-lovers, tickets are available for the next offering in the Foust Artist Series – the comedy Twelfth Night by the touring, Maryland-based National Players. Their version – with the mistaken identities and misdirected passions that beset twins Sebastian and Viola, who are separated by shipwreck – is set in the period of Regency England (1811-1820). Curtain time is 8 p.m., Monday, Nov. 26, in John L. Hill Chapel. The play lasts a little over two hours, plus a 15-minute intermission. Tickets are $10 adults, $8 seniors, $5, students (other than GC students); reservations (502) 863-8041.

The Stories These Four Seniors Can Tell …

Four GC art seniors are telling their stories with Anecdotes, the new art show opening on November 29 in the Anne Wright Wilson Gallery. Come that evening to the reception from 5-7 p.m. to hear them in person and view their work. Otherwise, regular hours are noon-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 1:30-4 p.m. on the two Sundays, including the final day of the exhibit (Dec. 9).

The show consists of work by one art historian and three studio artists, in media such as painting, photography, film and installation. All four – Jason Colliver of Nicholasville, Lucy Chesnut of London, Ashley Gabbard of Richmond, and Laura Lynn Medley of Lexington – will be graduating in December after the completion of their final exhibition at Georgetown College. Gabbard, who is also the current editor of The Georgetonian, is the first GC student to graduate with a degree in Art History.

If you wish to view this show at another time, call gallery directory Karen Gillenwater at 502-863-8399.