Bess Wolf '30, Arkansas College graduate and longtime friend of Lyon College, celebrated her 100^th birthday Saturday, June 16, with a reception to visit with friends and family.

Wolf was born in Esto, Fla., to John and Mattie Millen. She was third of five daughters. The family moved to Malvern, where she attended school and graduated as the valedictorian of her class. She was offered five scholarships. She made her choice by which college had a pipe organ, so she packed a trunk, dressed in her Sunday best, and boarded a train to come to Batesville to attend Arkansas College (now Lyon). She graduated from the college as valedictorian in 1930. More

Lyon hosts Teaching Japan Workshop

The second Teaching Japan Workshop for K-12 teachers was held at Lyon College on June 6-7. There were nine participants from the Norfork, Bay, Cave City, Castleberry Elementary (Newport), Calico Rock and Flippin school systems. This year's main topic was Japanese music. Dr. Anne Prescott, associate director and outreach coordinator, Center for East Asian & Pacific Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, discussed the history of Japanese music, taught Japanese songs that can be used in school activities, demonstrated the koto, traditional Japanese 13-string instrument, and taught the bon-dance. Mieko Peek, instructor of Japanese Studies at Lyon College, provided an introduction to the Japanese language and useful websites on Japan. The workshop was funded by a grant from the Freeman Foundation. Mieko Peek also conducted a workshop on Japan for 13 K-12 teachers at the Wilbur D. Mills Education Service Cooperative on June 3.

To learn more about the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, go to: www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JETProgram/homepage.html. For more information on Japanese studies at Lyon College, contact Mieko Peek at (870) 307-7191 or e-mail her at: mpeek@lyon.edu.

Lyon alum Josh Manning has been hired as a Lyon College enrollment services representative.

Manning graduated from Lyon in 2006 with a bachelor of arts in political science and went on to obtain a master's degree in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

While a student at Lyon, Manning was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, editor-in-chief of the Highlander student newspaper, and president of the Student Government Association. He was also named the Editor of the Year and homecoming king during his time at Lyon as well as being named to the national dean's list and Lyon College Dean's List.

Manning worked as an assistant to the director of public relations at Lyon College from 2004-2006. He also interned at WREG-TV in Memphis.

Manning said his interests include politics, Christianity, guns, computers, tennis and amateur star gazing.

Manning can be reached a jmanning@lyon.edu.

Koji Kobata (front row at right), head of the division of International Affairs from Akita International University (AIU), which has a tuition exchange agreement with Lyon College, visits with faculty and staff members of the college. On June 1, Kobata had dinner with some of the community friends who have taken care of the seven exchange students from AIU. On June 2, he met several students who are interested in going to Akita next year and several faculty and staff members to discuss the exchange program and international studies programs of both institutions. For more information about the exchange program, contact Mieko Peek at mpeek@lyon.edu.