Weekly Update 09/26/2014

→ Stop Signs – Someone tore down all three stop signs at the corner of Hamill and Haygood Thursday night. Two were thrown into the college’s flower beds and the third disappeared. We replaced all three signs Friday morning. This is a crime and we would like to prosecute. I’ve asked Dean Bowen for help in identifying the vandal or vandals. Dean Bowen has told me he will work with Dean Moon to try to identify who did it. I’ve included a picture of one of the replacement signs.

→ Emory Street Water Project – The last step for the water line part of this project is to cut off all the flow in the old line and, because it is under State Route 81, pump it full of concrete. We have disconnected every old connection and connected all customers to the new water line. But we still have a small residual flow in the old line. Jody and the contractor have been doing some careful troubleshooting in an effort to isolate the location of the flow. We have cut the old line in two places and narrowed the source of the flow to somewhere between Clark and Hamill. We have contacted Lyn Strozier (who has done work for us in the cemetery). He also makes a practice of using his sonar equipment to help cities locate water lines and water flow. This will help us find the cross connection. The first photo is the installation of an insertion valve to give us a way to cut off some of the flow. The second photo is one of the places we cut the line to determine where the flow was coming from. The secondary advantage of cutting the line is that it gives us two more places to pump the concrete once we stop all the flow.

→ Oxford College News – Here’s at entry from the Oxford College web site.

2014 Oxford Alumni Awards ceremony honors four

September 23, 2014

The annual alumni awards ceremony provides an opportunity for the Office of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) and the Oxford College Alumni Board (OCAB) to recognize some of the many alumni and friends of Oxford who work tirelessly on its behalf.

This year’s ceremony, held on September 18, recognized four persons who have loved and supported Oxford in a variety of ways. The awards were presented by Hugh Tarbutton Jr. 84Ox, chair of the Oxford College Board of Counselors; and Ryan Roche 03OX 05C, OCAB president.

The awards included:

Honorary Alumna Award

The Oxford College Alumni Association's Honorary Alumnus/a Award was presented to Nancy Murdy. The award is given to a person who did not graduate from Oxford College but who has shown exceptional dedication in his or her service to Oxford.

Outstanding Teaching Award

Hoyt Oliver 54Ox 56C, professor of religion emeritus, was honored with the Outstanding Faculty Award. This award is given to an Oxford College faculty member, past or present, who has imbued a love of learning, a mastery of the work, and a sense of community in the course of teaching at Oxford. Oliver was cited for his dedication to scholarship, spiritual practice, and civic engagement.

Outstanding Alumnus/a Award

The William Norton Outstanding Alumnus/a Award, given to an alumnus or alumna who has shown exceptional dedication, loyalty and innovation in his or her service to Oxford, was presented to Susan Gregory 77Ox 79C. Gregory is currently a member of the Oxford College Board of Counselors and a past member of the Oxford College Alumni Board. She and her husband Luke Gregory 76Ox 78C were instrumental in the establishment of the Michael S. Overstreet Memorial Scholarship.

Outstanding Staff Award

The Oxford College Alumni Association’s Outstanding Staff Award was presented to Joy Budensiek, academic department administrator for the Division of Natural Science and Mathematics. This honor is given to an Oxford College staff member, past or present, who has shown exceptional dedication, loyalty and service in his or her service to Oxford and has demonstrated an appreciation of the sense of community that Oxford offers. Budensiek was cited for her more than 25 years of service to Oxford. She has not only managed the affairs for the Division of Natural Science and Mathematics, but has greatly assisted during the long and complex planning process for the new Oxford science building, which is currently under construction.