EAAvesdropping: Candler School of Theology

Showing posts with label Candler School of Theology. Show all posts

Sunday, March 27, 2011

The bell cow

J. Pollard Turman 34C 35L 73H, namesake of Emory's highest award for alumni service, believed in supporting leaders. He had a nickname for leaders, too. One that kind of sticks in your mind.

Bell cows.

Now, there aren't many cattle roaming near the Emory campus, although there used to be back in the days before paved roads (and over on Oxford campus, the occasional bovine explorer will find his way into Seney Hall), so it's understandable if the reference flies over your head.

But according to the story, Turman called men and women who were natural leaders "bell cows." The cows were so named because of the bell around their necks. Wherever the bell cow leads, the herd follows. Such as it is with leadership.

And in 2011, the Bell Cow is Walker Ray 62C 65M 68MR.

President Jim Wagner presented Ray with the J. Pollard Turman Alumni Service Award at a banquet and ceremony in the Miller-Ward Alumni House on Thursday, March 24. A pediatrician in Atlanta for more than 35 years, Ray has served in a variety of Emory roles, including a stint in 2006-07 as president of the Emory Alumni Board (EAB), which is where I met him.

I enjoyed working with Ray immensely. He was (and is) approachable, humble, intelligent but not overbearing, sincere, and funny. All great qualities in the leader (and in a doctor, for that matter). He is a leader who you want to follow. And that's probably the best kind. He's someone who will cross a room to say hello to you. And that means a lot.

The Turman award itself was created by the Frabel Glass Art Studio here in Atlanta and as you can see in the photo above, it manages to be be beautiful and whimsical. Not pictured above is the $25,000 check presented to the Turman recipient by the Tull Charitable Foundation. The recipient may direct that grant to any Emory program he chooses.

Ray chose five: the School of Medicine, the Candler School of Theology, Oxford College, the Department of Pediatrics, and the EAB Leadership Scholarship. Lots of people drove home happy.

For more about Ray, read the April 2011 edition of EmoryWire. It'll be out Tuesday, March 29.

-- Eric Rangus, director of communications, EAA

Monday, April 19, 2010

How not to drive President Wagner's Model T

I recently had one of those moments in life that I will never forget. No, much to my mother’s continued dismay, I did not get married or have a child. Even better…I got to drive President Jim Wagner’s vintage Ford Model T!!

As a kickoff to its Class Gift Campaign, Emory’s Candler School of Theology Class of 2010 held a silent auction in which students could bid on items donated by faculty and staff. The auctioned goods included coveted experiences such as fly-fishing with David Petersen, Franklin Nutting Parker Professor of Old Testament; dance lessons with Brooks Holifield, Charles Howard Candler Professor of American Church History; and an afternoon sailing with the Rev. Barbara Day Miller 88T, assistant dean of worship and music and assistant professor in the practice of liturgy, on her yacht.

However, the item that immediately caught and kept my attention was the tour of Lullwater and ride in the Model T with President and Mrs. Wagner. After a competitive bidding war with current Candler student Alison Amyx 10T, we decided to split the cost and go together. (That's us with President Wagner above.)

After waiting for warmer weather to get here, the day of our excursion with the Wagners finally arrived last Friday, and it was a gorgeous day. The thrill of disregarding the signs warning of the illegality of driving through Lullwater Park (per Mrs. Wagner’s instructions, of course) was soon exceeded shortly after we arrived and President Wagner looked at us and asked, “Do you want to try to drive the Model T?”

Needless to say, I haven’t been that excited since I found out Zack Morris is speaking at this year’s Class Day.

Following a quick jaunt to the local QT (in the Model T – yes, we have pictures) to gas up, we made our way through campus, down Eagle Row to Peavine Creek Drive, where we decided would be a good place for us to have a go at driving the Model T. Now, before I mention this next part (against my better judgment), let me just say one thing. The Ford Model T was one of the first cars ever made, and so, though similar to the cars you and I are used to driving daily, there are some significant differences between the Model T and today’s automobiles.

That being said, things were going along splendidly with me behind the wheel, but the feeling of having mastered the machine soon came to an abrupt halt … and so did the car … when it came time to turn around to head back down the Peavine Creek Drive. That’s right, I may or may not have hit a curb in the President’s antique car … and I was absolutely mortified as I saw any future career at Emory, or anywhere, quickly vanish into thin air.

I believe my exact words were, “Oh my God, I broke the president’s car.”

If anyone remembers the so called Steve Bartman Incident (and how could Cubs fans forget…), that’s something like what I felt like. After what were the longest eight minutes of my life and several failed attempts at cranking the car back up, it finally started again and we were back on our way…and I was a little more cautious.

Luckily, in Jim Wagner we have a president who is incredibly gracious and kind, and he did not fire me on the spot, but merely shrugged off the incident in a lighthearted way. Even more luckily for me, the Model T is an incredibly durable automobile, and no damage was done.

One thing I know for sure, however, is that not only will I never forget this experience, I’m pretty sure President and Mrs. Wagner will always remember this theology grad … even if it is only as “that guy who tried to destroy our car.”

-- Shawn F. Scott 09T, coordinator, program development, Emory Annual Fund

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Photo of the Day: Nice mortarboard

We're glad Bishop Warren A. Candler 1875C still likes to show off his gold and blue accessories.

To see Bishop Candler up close, visit Emory's Candler School of Theology Building.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Emory Cares in Durham

We had a great time volunteering on Saturday with the Walltown Neighborhood Ministry in Durham, NC! Seven alumni participated, representing five Emory schools: Candler School of Theology, Emory College of Arts and Sciences, James T. Laney Graduate School, Oxford College, and the School of Law

We weeded flower patches and raked and bagged leaves in the yards of homes managed by the Walltown ministry. The ministry has done a lot to clean up and to improve the Walltown neighborhood, including building and renovating homes for elderly and less-fortunate families. The yards we cleaned up were adjacent to St. John's Missionary Baptist Church, one of several churches in the area that contribute to the ministry.

At the end of the project we talked about finding more ways to connect Emory alumni in the Research Triangle, and we hope to participate in Emory Cares again next year!

See the photos.

--Natalie Owens 07Ox 09C, Emory Cares project coordinator, Raleigh-Durham, NC

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

"Truly a good man"

I received an email this morning concerning the weather here in Atlanta. It was too nice. Sunny, bright blue skies. Was that OK?

Today was the day of Dr. Ward's funeral and campuswide memorial service. Gray clouds and rain seemed more appropriate for such a sad day, the email said.

I thought about that for a second. A sunny day ... Actually, I don't think Dr. Ward would have wanted it any other way.

That sunshine is just Dr. Ward smiling down from heaven upon all of us at Emory, a community he made his own for 80 years. He would want us to celebrate his life not mourn his passing.

Gray skies are the last thing you'd expect the day of Dr. Ward's memorial service.

Early this morning, Dr. Judson C. "Jake" Ward 33C 36G, dean of alumni (his senior portrait is at right), was laid to rest in the family plot in Cobb County, northwest of Atlanta. In the afternoon, hundreds of his friends gathered at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church to say goodbye. A reception followed at the Miller-Ward Alumni House, Ward's campus home the final nine years of his life.

David Jones 76T, senior pastor of Glenn Memorial UMC was there in Cobb and he was the first speaker at the memorial, where a portrait of Ward, ringed in bright flowers, decorated the front. Jones said it was appropriate that Glenn host the service for Ward, who worshiped there and also taught Sunday School for 56 years, "No one was more at home in this sanctuary or on this campus than Jake Ward," he said.

"Imagine talking to the same people for 56 years. That's something no preacher can get his head around," said Larry Bauman 55T 71T, Glenn Memorial UMC pastor, emeritus, of the class that was eventually called 'the Jake Ward Class,' because of its iconic instructor.

More than one speaker recalled their first meeting with Ward. "I was a guest in his office for a couple of history lessons," said President Jim Wagner. Some of those lessons Ward had typed for his benefit, Wagner quipped, just in case he forgot them.

"Jake knocked on my door at Vanderbilt in 1969," said President Emeritus James Laney 94H, who at the time was a professor at the Nashville school. "He is responsible more than anyone else for my coming to Emory," said Laney, who would serve as dean of the Candler School of Theology before being named president in 1978.

"I later found out who he was," said Laney of Ward, who was then dean of the faculty at Emory. "I'd never had a dean knock on my door. I had never had an assistant dean knock on my door. I had always been summoned to them.

He was my first boss here and my first mentor," Laney continued. "And his appointment as dean of alumni was magical. He brought life and zest to the alumni association."

"He was truly a good man."

-- Eric Rangus, director, communications, EAA

Read more about Dr. Ward's life

See a slide show of Dr. Ward through the years

Share your memories

Monday, September 21, 2009

Photo of the Day: Sun!

Look at how brilliantly the sun shines on the new Candler School of Theology Building! Isn't it beautiful! Look at that blue sky! Look at how dry the sidewalk is!

For the more than 33,000 Emory alumni who live in Atlanta (and some 20,000 staff who work at Emory, not to mention the millions spread across the metro area) drenched by, in places, more than 20 inches of rain, a simple ray of sunshine is something to be cherished.

Even if it's just in a photo.

It's also a reminder of how truly pretty this campus, and its architecture, can be when it's not wrapped in moldy, sopping wet blanket.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Photo of the Day: Glenn Memorial Auditorium

It's Labor Day weekend on campus ... soon all this green will turn gold. Glenn Memorial Auditorium (also known as Glenn Church and Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church) is one of the largest (with seating for more than 1,000 people), busiest, and most recognizable buildings at Emory. This angle, though, focuses on Glenn's pastoral side.

In recent years, Glenn has hosted speakers ranging from Salman Rushdie to the Rev. Jesse Jackson, concerts by John Legend and Ben Folds, and comedians of every stripe. It's the home of the annual University Convocation to welcome first-year Emory College students and the diploma ceremonies to say goodbye to graduates of the School of Medicine and the Candler School of Theology. And every Sunday morning, it's the home of Glenn Memorial UMC.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Photo of the Day: Pitts Theology Library

This is how an ant sees the Pitts Theology Library--or maybe how a freshman sees it (sorry about that; it was too easy).

With more than 520,000 volumes, Pitts is one of the largest theological libraries in the country. And it serves as a vibrant research center for scholars in the Candler School of Theology. With its location overlooking the Quadrangle, Pitts is one of Emory's most prominent--and picturesque--buildings. No matter what the angle.