Carol Brown Retires After 21 years at Meredith College
By Allison Ladd, '05
Associate Professor Carol Brown retired at the end of the 2004-05 academic year, following 21 years on Meredith's faculty, teaching such courses as aerobics, all aquatic classes, all levels of tennis, golf, first aid and lifeguard training.
She has been further involved in the Health, Exercise, and Sports Science (HES) Department by being the Aquatic and Fitness Director, coordinator for the General Education Activity Program and twice serving as acting department head.
Brown has also been the coach of Meredith's synchronized swim team, the Aqua Angels, for 21 years. Ashley Arnold, '05, who swam for the Aqua Angels for four years, said, "Coach Brown will definitely be missed. She gave 150 percent all the time. Even when we were stressed and reluctant to do something, Coach Brown always motivated us to accomplish our goals."
When asked what she loved and would miss most about Meredith, Brown said the HES department including her colleagues and the students.
"I love getting to know the students throughout their four years here," Brown said. "[I loved] being able to watch them come in as freshmen and become so mature and focused as juniors and seniors, especially the Aqua Angels."
Brown has received several awards throughout her time at Meredith including the Women in Sport – Outstanding Women in Sport Award, the Pauline Davis Perry Award and the American Red Cross 20-Year Service Award.
Now that she is retiring, Brown has more time to do other things that she loves, like traveling and working more with the community. Following retirement, she will still be on campus at times to help the new aquatic director, Scott Wray, transition into his new job.
Meredith College Presents Alumna Philanthropy Awards
By Melyssa Allen
During Alumnae Reunion Weekend, Meredith College presented alumna philanthropy awards to Margaret Craig Martin, '30, Virginia "Jeinks" Murchison Carson, '27, Minnie Murchison Gaston, '24, and Shepard Kimbrell Halsch, '85.
The alumna philanthropy award, established in 1994, is given to an alumna who has demonstrated her commitment to Meredith through her involvement in the life of the College and her exemplary philanthropy.
Margaret Craig Martin, who served as student government association president during her senior year, graduated from Meredith in 1930 with degrees in Latin and history. Following graduate study at Columbia University, she served as an instructor and later an assistant professor of Latin and English at both Meredith and NC State from 1953-62. She was also a member of the board of trustees and the alumnae association. From 1964-1970, Martin served as Meredith's director of alumnae affairs. She was the second person to hold the position. In 2004, Meredith College renamed a newly renovated academic building in her honor.
Two new Meredith College scholarships were established by the estates of Virginia "Jeinks" Murchison Carson and Minnie Murchison Gaston. Both sisters came to Meredith College from Gulf, N.C., and were active in student government and other campus activities. Gaston majored in history and French. Carson majored in history and education. Both spent the majority of their adulthood as educators in Rowan County. The Minnie Murchison Gaston Scholarship Endowment Fund is in the amount of $200,000 and will be used to award money annually with preference given to students from Rowan County, N.C. The Virginia Murchison Carson Scholarship Endowment Fund was established with a gift of $868,000 and will also award money with preference given to students from Rowan County.
Shepard Kimbrell Halsch graduated from Meredith College with a bachelor's degree in Business Management. She is originally from Gastonia, N.C. Halsch is now the owner of S.K. Cakes, a wedding cake catering business in New York City. Her support of Meredith College includes a recent gift of $1 million, which will create the Shepard Kimbrell Halsch Fund for the School of Business and the Shepard Kimbrell Halsch Academic Enrichment Fund in support of undergraduate research.
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Jerod Kratzer, professor of education, joined the Meredith faculty in 1986. He progressed from assistant professor to associate, then to full professor in his 18 year career at Meredith College. Kratzer retired at the end of the Spring 2005 semester.