Alumni and friends: There is still time to join Eric and make a last-minute gift to the Annual Scholarship Fund before June 30. Click here  or on the graphic above to go to our online giving site.

Rollin’ on the river

Since 1983, Lyon College has been sole operator of the William
Carl Garner Visitor Center at Greers Ferry Dam

By Wil Shane
Lyon College News Bureau

Most fishing enthusiasts in Arkansas know the Little Red River below Greers Ferry Dam is where one lucky angler reeled in the current world record Brown trout in 1992.

What they may not know is that visitors to the William Carl Garner Visitor Center can hook into an array of fun, educational activities that have nothing to do with fishing.

Donna Glascock (at right), the center’s administrator, said Lyon College operates the facility under a contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“The College has been fortunate,” she said. “The contract was originally for three years at a time, but now it’s a five-year contract. And Lyon has been the only agency to have the contract since the facility opened in 1983.”

Visitors to the center can walk through displays highlighting the design features of the dam, the people and customs of the Ozark region, and wildlife exhibits. One of those exhibits is a fiberglass replica of the world record 40-pound, four-ounce Brown trout caught on the tailwaters in 1992.

“It’s huge,” Glascock said. “And the fisherman caught it on four-pound test line.”

Also, from Memorial Day to Labor Day on Saturday nights, the center hosts performances by area folk musicians, interpretive nature trail hikes, hunter education programs and much more.

And the many anglers who come to the Little Red River tailwaters below the dam will find many programs they’ll enjoy, such as classes on fly casting and fly tying, as well as a new program that lends fishing gear out to visitors.

Another upcoming summer program that’s been popular in the past will be an exhibition of Native American dancers on Saturday, June 3, Glascock said.

Glascock, a graduate of Arkansas Tech University, has worked at the center for 21 years. And during that time, the level of students she’s seen coming from Lyon College has consistently impressed her.

“I went to a traditional state college and got a good education, but the education at state schools doesn’t compare with the liberal arts education they get at Lyon,” she said. “These kids come here already knowing how to think outside the box.”

According to the center’s Web site, Carl Garner – one of Lyon College’s earliest alums – served as resident engineer of Greers Ferry Lake since its construction in 1959, and in that capacity, he organized a citizen cleanup of the area which expanded to Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day.

During Carl Garner’s nearly 60 years of public service working for the Corps of Engineers in Arkansas, he led preparations for the dedication of Greers Ferry Dam by President John F. Kennedy and introduced innumerable families to the outdoors.

Construction of the powerhouse and switchyard was completed in July 1964. The total cost of the project was approximately $46.5 million.

Lyon S.A.F.A.R.I's sixth year gets under way Lyon College’s S.A.F.A.R.I. (Summer Academics: Fun And Recreation Included) summer enrichment program began its sixth year as the first session of Children’s Camp – for students K–6 – opened Monday on the Lyon campus. The first session will run through June 16, and the second Children’s Camp will be June 19-30. Applications for the second session will be accepted until June 14. Each session will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Students who have completed grades K-2 may elect to attend half-day sessions. Students who have completed grades 3-6 attend for a full day unless they wish to attend a sports camp on the same day. The program has expanded and this year is offering a Teen Camp for students in grades 7–8. The first Teen Camp will run from June 12-16, and the second session will run from June 19-23. The registration deadline for that camp is June 7. For more information or an application or brochure, e-mail: mcooper@lyon.edu, or call (870) 612-6490. More information also can be found on the Lyon SAFARI Web page at www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/safari/. Click on program description.                                        (Photo by Jason Marzewski)

Dean Johnston’s daughter headed to History Day’s national competition

Dr. Bruce Johnston, vice president for student life and dean of students at Lyon College, majored in history as an undergraduate, but it’s his daughter Ellie who’s headed to the National History Day’s national competition.

Ellie, a senior at Batesville High School, took second place at the state level of the NHD competition with her presentation, “F.D.R. Taking a Stand: The Forgotten Man.”

“I’ll basically give the same presentation at the nationals that I gave at the state competition,” Ellie said. “But I’ve altered and improved it according to comments submitted by some of the judges.”

According the National History Day Web site, its mission is to “provide students with opportunities to learn historical content and develop research, thinking and communication skills through the study of history and to provide educators with resources and training to enhance classroom teaching.”

Students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews and historic sites. The theme of Ellie’s competition is “Taking a Stand.”

After analyzing and interpreting their sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history, students present their work in original papers, exhibits, performances and documentaries. Each entry competes in one of five categories: Papers, Group Projects, Individual Projects, Group Performance and Individual Performance.

Historians and educators enter these products into competitions in the spring at local, state and national levels where judges evaluate them. The district competition is held at Lyon College. The program culminates in a national competition each June held at the University of Maryland at College Park. That’s where Ellie is headed. This year’s national competition is slated for June 11-15.

Ellie competes in the Individual Performance with her one-person, 10-minute skit that featured her singing two songs. She also sings in the choir of her high school and the First Presbyterian Church of Batesville. To keep improving and learning, she currently takes private voice lessons from Joel Plaag, Lyon’s instructor of music and director of the College choir.

Dr. Johnston, who came to Lyon College in 1990, said he and his wife, Sue, were impressed with their daughter’s desire to excel in the competition.

“I was a history major, so I was happy to see her get involved with History Day,” he said. “Sue and I are very proud of the dedication and active interest Ellie has developed in history and demonstrated in preparing this presentation. Bess Wolf and George Lankford have been particularly helpful to her, and we are very grateful to them for this assistance.”

Ellie said she plans to study English and theatre when she goes to college. And will she be attending Lyon College, where her father can keep an eye on her?

“Umm, no,” she said through a small smile. “It’s just a little too close to home.”

Lyon Folk CD to be featured on New York radio show

Sounds of the Ozark Folk: The 1963 Arkansas Folk Festival, the 2-CD collection of live performances released by the Lyon College Regional Studies Center in April 2005, continues to gain a larger and larger audience of appreciative listeners around the country. It has been a top seller at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, the subject of two episodes of Stephen Koch’s “Arkansongs” program on KUAR-FM in Little Rock, and next will be featured on a leading New York City-area folk music program.

On Sunday, June 18, beginning at 2 p.m. Central time, “Traditions” on WFDU-FM will devote most of its three-hour program to Sounds of the Ozark Folk. The installment will feature several tracks from the 2-CD collection, as well as commentary and background information supplied by Dr. Brooks Blevins via telephone interview. Blevins, who produced the collection and wrote the liner notes, is an assistant professor of history at Lyon College.

Created in 1980 by Ron Olesko, who co-hosts the program with Bill Hahn, “Traditions” is the longest-running show on WFDU-FM, 89.1. Boasting a diverse playlist and historical perspectives, “Traditions” has featured programs on everything from Leadbelly and the Holocaust to Woody Guthrie and Australia Day. “Traditions” is now available on the web at www.wfdu.fm.

For more information on the Sounds of the Ozark Folk CD collection, visit the John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection at www.lyon.edu/wolfcollection and click on the Sounds of the Ozark Folk CD link.

Lyon College group ‘funnels’ profits to Sheriff’s Youth Ranch

A group at Lyon College is feeding its desire to help at-risk youth by sending a large portion of the money it raised selling food at the 27th annual Arkansas Scottish Festival to the Arkansas Sheriff’s Youth Ranch.

Kappa Delta Pi, an honorary organization in education, sold funnel cakes at the festival, and donated 60 percent of the proceeds to the Ranch. The group is open to education students of both genders with a GPA of 3.0 or better. (The May 22 GreenSheet incorrectly identified the organization as a sorority.)

Kappa Delta Pi member Kerie Dunn said the group supports the Ranch’s work in helping the residents obtain quality education.

“Kappa Delta Pi chose to donate to the Youth Ranch because of their work with children and the emphasis they place on helping the youth obtain an education,” Dunn said. “Since we are an International Honor Society of Outstanding Educators, we will choose different organizations that help children to receive an education and donate funds to help with the endeavor of outstanding education.”

Dunn said the sale went so well that the group plans to continue the donations.

“The funnel cake sales went better than we anticipated and we are hoping to make the Scottish Festival and Youth Ranch donations a tradition for Kappa Delta Pi,” she said.

The ranch currently has five sites, including a 530-acre site near Batesville, an 87-acre campus near Hardy in Sharp County, a 120-acre campus at DeGray Lake near Amity in Clark County, a 265-acre campus near Alma in Crawford County, and a campus under development at Harrison in Boone County.

Youth Ranches CEO Mike Cumnock said the facilities have a proven record of helping turn youths’ lives around before it’s too late. And few are in better positions to recognize someone in need of help than the 75 county sheriffs in the state of Arkansas, he added.

“We know we’re making a difference in the lives of these kids,” Cumnock said. “The involvement of the sheriffs in the Ranches makes perfect sense. They’re often the first to become aware of families in crisis and in constant contact with children who are continually falling through the cracks. Often, these at-risk children are simply ‘thrown away’. If we don’t take a stand to help them now, we may eventually be forced to deal with a troubled adult.

Alumni and Friends picnic

The Batesville Area Chapter of Alumni and Friends held a picnic in Couch Garden
on May 25 and the turnout was excellent, as the photo above illustrates. Fred and
Linda Wann were the surprise honorees at the picnic. Below, Athletic Director Terry
Garner talks about the couple's many contributions to the College as volunteers. Fred
is a member of the Booster Club and Linda has helped out the Office of Institutional
Advancement on many occasions.