McCardell Taps Hartman for New Role • Announces Other Management Changes

Vice-Chancellor John McCardell, in his remarks at an Aug. 26 gathering, announced a series of changes to the upper-level management of the University.

“I am pleased to announce that Eric Hartman has agreed to take on a new assignment, effective July 1, 2015, as vice president for risk management and institutional effectiveness,” McCardell said. This area has become “exceedingly important,” he said. Hartman will continue to serve as dean of students through December. 

McCardell said, “I know you will join me in not only thanking Eric for taking on this new task, but also for his devoted and energetic leadership as dean of students.”

“I’m truly excited about this opportunity,” Hartman said. “As this is my 19th orientation, it should be clear that I love this Mountain, our community and this institution. I’ve spent my career trying to make our shared lives responsive to the opportunities and difficulties that can happen on a college campus. Being the dean of students at Sewanee has been a daily privilege to live, to play, to manage and to learn aside faculty and students.” Hartman said that in his new role, he will continue to do these things from a new post.

McCardell also announced that there will be an “integration of the student life sector of the college into what, under the leadership of our new dean of the College, Terry Papillon, will be a coordinated and coherent approach to the affairs of the College as a whole.” As part of this, Lee Ann Backlund will assume the title of vice president for enrollment management and dean of admission and financial aid.

In a statement released Aug. 27, Papillion wrote, “... I will take on oversight of areas that are fundamental to the college, but have not in recent times been under the dean of the College’s direct oversight; thus the dean of admissions and financial aid, the dean of students and the athletic director will begin reporting to the dean of the college. It is the desire of the vice chancellor that the dean of the College exercise increased oversight on all affairs that affect students and faculty of the College, that all activities of the College will work more efficiently with this new structure.”

McCardell also announced several other changes in administrative titles and duties: John Swallow will add the title of executive vice president to that of provost. The human resources office will now report to the provost. Nancy Berner will become vice provost for planning and administration. Donna Pierce will become vice president and University legal counsel. Paul Wiley will become assistant provost for academic services and institutional research and registrar. John Shackelford will continue as special assistant to the vice chancellor, working on implementing the ReThink report. 

McCardell said, “These changes will enable me to devote more time in the coming years to our capital campaign, which will mean a fair amount of travel.”

Rebel’s Rest Will be Dismantled

In his remarks during an Aug. 26 assembly on campus, Vice-Chancellor John McCardell gave the community an update on the status of Rebel’s Rest.

McCardell said that the requirements of current building codes prevent the University from reconstructing Rebel’s Rest as it was. 

On July 23, fire destroyed the second floor of the 148-year-old house; the first floor suffered smoke and water damage. No cause of the blaze has been determined.

Two structural engineers, each with experience with historic buildings, were engaged to evaluate Rebel’s Rest. Both engineers concluded independently that the damage to both interior and exterior walls makes it unlikely that the University could closely approximate Rebel’s Rest in its old form.

The engineers also agreed that while much of the remaining structure is not salvageable for reuse, the extent to which that is the case cannot be known without taking the structure apart and looking inside the walls.

The University will likely have the building disassembled in the coming weeks. A firm that specializes in historic buildings would conduct the disassembly. The University will strive to save as many materials as possible; these will be labeled and stored in the hope of incorporating them into a future structure.

A decision about that future structure has not yet been made. Once the amount and condition of the remaining material are determined, that information will be among the factors considered. 

“I am persuaded that any decision anytime soon about what might be done as a successor building should not be made in haste,” McCardell said.

“We will welcome and consider many options. The process of sorting through those options and recommending next steps will be inclusive and transparent. … So I ask you to be patient, please, and I promise that we will communicate regularly as we learn more,” he said.

After the remaining structure has been moved, there may be an opportunity for the University archaeologist and historians to do research.

Attention to the site and the former contents of the building continues on several other fronts, as well. The University is exploring the possibility of working with a firm to create photogrammetric data from Rebel’s Rest for archival purposes. These noninvasive measurements will provide the highest level of detail about the building.

In addition to the conservators who are assisting in the restoration process of some of the art and furnishings, an expert in the field is helping determine the monetary value of those pieces. Staff members are working with the University’s insurer to finalize a complete room-by-room inventory of the contents of Rebel’s Rest, down to the lamps, linens and dishes.

Rebel’s Rest has served as a University guest house for many years. It had been closed this summer and was undergoing renovations. Originally built as the family home of Maj. George Fairbanks in 1866, the building was the one remaining campus structure from the re-founding of the University.

Campus Expansion May Stress SUD’s Capacity

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer 

At the Aug. 26 meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Sewanee Utility District of Franklin and Marion Counties, SUD manager Ben Beavers updated the board on the pilot wetlands for recycling wastewater slated for construction on SUD’s property in the coming year. A discussion followed about the impact of University expansion on SUD’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The board also discussed water theft and authorized purchase of a new service vehicle.

The constructed wetlands project is a research pilot program being undertaken jointly by the University of the South and the University of Georgia, slated to be operational by the summer of 2015. The project coordinators anticipate presenting a design proposal in February for the approval of SUD and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).

At a recent meeting with the project planning committee and TDEC, Beavers asked the University group not to locate the wetlands on SUD’s spray fields. SUD has other suitable land available. The spray fields are the key component in SUD’s wastewater treatment system. SUD’s WWTP is currently operating at 60 percent capacity.

SUD Commissioner Ken Smith said University plans call for increasing enrollment to a total of 1,800–2,000 students over the course of the next several years. 

“The University needs to maintain an open line of communication with SUD as additional students and faculty will put pressure on SUD’s WWTP capacity.”

Beavers said a significant increase of students would require expanding the spray fields. Water supply could also be an issue with a steep population increase.

Revisiting the topic of unaccounted-for water loss (the difference between water treated at the plant and water registered as sold on customer meters), board president Cliff Huffman suggested SUD consider purchasing ultrasonic detection equipment. This could help detect leaks in distribution lines and also aid in curbing unauthorized consumption, treated water stolen from hydrants or other sources. At 26 percent, SUD’s unaccounted-for water loss cost the University workers taking water from a SUD hydrant for sod installation at the Sewanee Inn. In most cases, SUD had no way of knowing water theft is occurring unless someone contacts the utility. The board discussed implementing a customer awareness campaign to encourage reporting of theft.

Beavers cited two other possible sources of unaccounted-for water loss. Water used to flush University fire lines for hydrants and sprinklers is not metered, Beavers said. For record-keeping purposes, Beavers plans to require meters on fire lines in new buildings. The other likely source of water loss is from leaks in aging components of SUD’s distribution system.

The board authorized the purchase of a three-quarter-ton truck with a utility bed, four-wheel drive and generator, with an anticipated cost $40,000. The budget for the past two years included $45,000 for purchase of a service vehicle. The truck will be used to pull the excavator and for other service-related and installation work. The half-ton truck currently being used for the job will replace the no-longer serviceable truck at the WWTP.

The next meeting of the SUD board is Sept. 16.

Council Sets Municipal Service Fund at $10,000 • Majority of Leases Will See $25 Increase to Fee

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Aug. 25 meeting, the Sewanee Community Council set the amount allocated to the council for municipal improvements at $10,000. The council also defined the procedures to be followed in selecting municipal improvement projects and voted on two constitutional amendments affecting the election of council representatives.

At its June 30 meeting, the council voted to increase the municipal service fee paid by all leaseholders to generate $10,000–$20,000 in funds to be used by the Community Council for municipal projects benefiting the community. This is in addition to normal expense-related increases in the municipal service fee. The council-authorized fee increase is for a trial two-year period. All proposed allocations of funds will be reviewed by a project funding committee appointed by the chair before being brought to the council for a vote. Meetings of the committee will be publicized at least one month in advance.

Asked about the financial impact on leaseholders, Barbara Schlichting, superintendent of leases, said 318 leaseholders would see a fee increase of $25 or less; 136 would see an increase of less than $50 but more than $25; and 13 leaseholders would see an increase of more than $50.

The proposal to allocate funds to the council was drafted by a committee consisting of council representatives Pam Byerly, John Flynn and Theresa Shackelford, Provost John Swallow and Schlichting.

“This is the first time the University has turned loose any control” over financial decisions, Schlichting said. 

“We’re trying to give the council more authority than it’s ever had,” said Vice-Chancellor John McCardell, supporting the trial initiative.

Possible projects suggested include more lighting for the downtown area, a crosswalk for the Senior Citizen’s Center and improvements to the ball field.

Swallow said the “University would be glad to partner on selected projects,” especially those benefiting students, and in some cases might contribute more than the $10,000 in funding from the council. Council Representative Phil White pointed out the dog park project, but stressed the project would not have been realized without University support.

Echoing the objections made in June by two council representatives, several visitors at the Aug. 23 meeting said they supported the allocation of funds to the council, but took issue with the proposed motion not being publicized before the vote.

Following the vote at the June 30 meeting, Vice-Chancellor McCardell advised council representatives to speak with their constituents regarding the motion to allocate funds to the council.

Schlichting reported four major objections to the plan: some residents didn’t want more fees; some wanted a community meeting to discuss the proposal; some residents have no confidence in the council; and some objected that council members who were not leaseholders did not pay the municipal service fee.

To improve communication, the council discussed hosting a meeting with constituents as it did in 2013 and publishing district boundaries in the Messenger so constituents will know who their representatives are.

A community resident living off the Domain in an area without council representation expressed a desire to be more involved in future projects and the decision-making process. Council representative Flynn said the council was considering adding at-large representatives to the council.

The council approved two constitutional amendments related to council representation. The first decreased  the residency requirement for representatives from four years to two years. Also, council representatives elected in 2014 will serve only a two-year term rather than a four-year term, so that in 2016 all council seats will be open for election.

The temporary adjustment in term limits will provide an opportunity to implement other changes to council representation while keeping all council members on an equal basis. Changes being considered include adding at-large members, redrawing district boundaries and equalizing district proportions.

Election Officer Theresa Shackelford said nominating petitions for the November 2014 council election will be available at the post office, Community Center, Sewanee Senior  Center and the Blue Chair. Petitions must be signed by 10 residents living in the candidate’s district. Deadline for returning petitions is Oct. 15. In district one, there is one seat open for election. Two seats are open for election in districts two, three and four.

The council accepted an invitation to meet with the University’s Trustees Community Relations Committee on Oct. 15. The trustees want to give council members an opportunity to express their views and the views of their constituents. Also on Oct. 15, the community is invited to a reception with the Community Relations Committee. The time and location for events will be announced closer to the date.

The council will not meet on Oct. 13, as previously announced. The council will review agenda items and schedule a meeting for September or November, if needed.

University Gallery Opens New Photography Show

The University Art Gallery will open the 2014–15 exhibition season with “David Southwood: N1 and Beach Boys,” an exhibition that brings together two connected bodies of work by Southwood, an internationally recognized South African artist: the N1 (National Road One) project and Beach Boys. Both projects combine photography with social commitment, and both explore transitional, marginal places and the question of what it takes to make a “place.” 

Southwood will talk about his work at 4:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 5, in Convocation Hall, with a brief introduction by art historian and photographer Meghan Kirkwood of North Dakota State University. The public is invited for the talk and reception!

The N1 series profiles the longest freeway in South Africa, the road that connects the country’s two largest cities, Cape Town and Johannesburg. It depicts, in Southwood’s words, “The highway as an awkward place, the stage for unchoreographed events, the migrating protagonists of which were never intended to use the highway.” Beach Boys also asks questions about place and its inhabitants. The series documents the lives of a group of Tanzanian stowaways who live amongst the N1 infrastructure in Cape Town. Responsibility for this group of men, living without passports or travel documentation, is not claimed by South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, nor by shipping agents, nor by the government of Tanzania. The group resists the help of non-governmental organizations. The place they inhabit is similarly, in the words of Nic Coetzer this place “is an accident, the consequence of other intentions.” 

Southwood combines photography, social commitment, and a deep interest in urban landscapes. In 2000, together with some township photographers, he set up the first nonprofit organization for “street photographers” in the Western Cape. The organization, Umlilo <www.ilisolabantu.org>, remains active today. In 2004 Southwood was awarded the International Bauhaus Award for his collaborative project (with Matthew Barac and Simone le Fevre) on the theme of the contemporary city’s “transit spaces,” and in 2008 he co-curated and participated in the exhibition “Cities in Crisis” at the University of Johannesburg’s FADA Gallery. Southwood has a diverse and accomplished exhibition record. Among other venues, he has shown at the South African National Gallery, the Venice Biennale of Architecture and the Goethe Institute in Johannesburg. Southwood lives with his dog, Cressida, in Cape Town.

The gallery, located on Georgia Avenue in Sewanee, is free, accessible and open to the public. Hours are 10 a.m.– 5 p.m., Tuesdays–Fridays, and 12–4 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays. 

For more information call 598-1223 or go to <www.sewanee.edu/gallery>.

Council to Discuss Municipal Fee Use

The Sewanee Community Council will meet at 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 25, when members will consider a motion to adjust the municipal fee paid by leaseholders and how to allocate the funds collected. They will also consider a motion to change the group’s constitution.

At the June 30 meeting, the Sewanee Community Council approved increasing the municipal service fee paid by all leaseholders to generate $10,000 to $20,000 in funds to be used by the Community Council for municipal improvements. The fee increase is for a trial two-year period. 

The fee increase would be based on home value according to the Franklin County tax assessment. For example, to generate $10,000 of revenue, the owner of a home valued at $300,000 would see a fee increase of $56, said John Swallow, provost of the University, at the June 30 meeting. The average leasehold fee increase would be $22 annually.

Community Council meetings are open to the public; questions and comments from guests are welcome.

Ground Breaking Set for Mountain Goat Trail & Pedestrian Project

Official ground-breaking ceremonies will be on Monday, Aug. 25 for the Monteagle-to-Sewanee portion of the Mountain Goat Trail as well as for the Monteagle pedestrian enhancement project.

The ceremonies will begin at 4 p.m., next to Monteagle City Hall, for the pedestrian enhancement project. At 4:30 p.m., the group will gather next to Dollar General in Monteagle to break ground for the Mountain Goat Trail project.

“These two projects will improve our quality of life in Monteagle, Sewanee and the surrounding area,” said Marilyn Rodman Campbell, mayor of Monteagle. “By expanding walking and cycling opportunities, we’re helping make our communities safer, healthier and happier.” 

The three-mile Monteagle-to-Sewanee section of the Mountain Goat Trail will extend from the Dollar General store in Monteagle west to the current end of the paved trail on Highway 156 in Sewanee. With the completion of the new segment, the Mountain Goat Trail will be a five-mile walking and biking path linking Monteagle and Sewanee.

“This is the culmination of years of work by so many people. The Mountain Goat Trail Alliance (MGTA) especially wants to thank the landowners along the Monteagle-Sewanee section of the Trail who donated easements and made this  possible,” said Janice Thomas, MGTA board president.

The pedestrian corridor extension project will install about 2,000 feet of five-foot-wide sidewalks on the east side of Highway 64 beginning at Dubose Street heading south to Elgin Drive. The sidewalk will extend access to the multi-use trail and park in downtown Monteagle. A new pedestrian crosswalk will also be created across Highway 64 at the Monteagle City Ball Park. The town of Monteagle was awarded a $216,320 grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) for this project.

The Mountain Goat Trail project is being funded by a TDOT Transportation Enhancement grant. The MGTA funded five years of engineering and development costs totaling more than $140,000, made possible by the financial support of individuals and private foundations. At the June 30 Monteagle City Council meeting, MGTA board members presented the Town of Monteagle with a check for $85,843.68 toward construction costs for the project.

The Mountain Goat Trail is a rail-to-trail community outdoor recreation project that is converting an abandoned railroad right-of-way into a multi-use recreational corridor between Grundy and Franklin counties on the Cumberland Plateau in Middle Tennessee.

University Welcomes College Class of 2018

All of the approximately 467 members of the Class of 2018 will be on the Sewanee campus by Saturday, Aug. 23, for the start of orientation in the College. The program will acquaint all new students with the school’s programs, services, and faculty and staff, and make the transition to Sewanee easier. It will conclude with an Aug. 26 event in All Saints’ Chapel for the campus community to “launch the new year,” with remarks from Vice-Chancellor John McCardell and from student leaders. College classes begin Aug. 27.

About 120 new Sewanee students arrived on campus on Aug. 13 to participate in “Finding Your Place.” The program, now in its second year, comprises both a full-credit course, Discovering a Sense of Place—Upon and Beyond the Domain, and co-curricular activities led by student life. 

More than 150 students who are participating in field hockey, volleyball, football, and men’s and women’s soccer also arrived in Sewanee early to begin practicing for their fall sports. A third group of students began PRE-Orientation on Aug. 20. “PRE,” as it is more commonly known, offers new students the opportunity to get to know Sewanee through trips run by the Sewanee Outing Program and student leaders.

The incoming class includes 16 international students, 10 students with dual citizenship and four U.S. citizens who reside abroad.

There are 79 first-generation college students among this year’s new students. Twenty-four percent of the class hails from Tennessee, with the rest of the class coming from 39 other states, including Maine, Hawaii and Washington state. Fourteen of the incoming students participated in the Sewanee Environmental Institute, the Bridge Program or the Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference.

Georgia Mooney Turns 100

The community is invited to help celebrate Georgia Mooney’s 100th birthday, 2–4 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 23, in Lower Cravens Hall. Look for signs on Kentucky Avenue. All are welcome.

Sewanee Names Director of Environmental Stewardship

Committed to the ongoing development of the Domain as a national center for environmental learning, the University has appointed Kevin Hiers, C’96, director of environmental stewardship.

As the chief administrator for the use of land beyond residential, commercial and campus areas, Hiers will organize the growing scientific activity on the land beyond the center of campus. He will also, through planning and partnerships with other institutions, encourage and facilitate new projects that study the Domain for the public good.

University Provost John Swallow sees this new position as the next step in realizing the Domain’s exceptional potential. 

“For generations, the Domain has offered opportunities for the first-hand study of the environment that are available at no other liberal arts college,” he said. “The environmental richness and the sheer proximity of the land enable our students, mentored by faculty members, to develop deep skills that distinguish them from their peers, whether at scientific conferences or in the job market. The potential to develop further research opportunities on the Domain and to be recognized widely for the nature of those opportunities is significant for the University’s future. By creating this new position, the University is investing in further national distinction.”

Hiers will work as part of a recently formed Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability that brings together several staff members toward common objectives. Professor Jon Evans, assistant provost for environmental stewardship and sustainability, said he is delighted by the addition of Hiers to the team. 

“Kevin Hiers’ expertise, long experience and connections to professionals in the region and across the country are truly extraordinary,” Evans said. “As the Domain gains greater regional and national recognition, he will be able to plan and administer the Domain so that faculty and students from Sewanee and beyond can make even greater advances in science and for the public good.” 

Rounding out the group are Nate Wilson, Domain manager, who will assist Hiers in his efforts, and Marvin Pate, director of sustainability integration.

Before returning to Sewanee, Hiers was acting chief of the Wildland Fire Center, established in 2012 at Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base as part of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center. In that capacity, Hiers was responsible for overseeing all Air Force wildfire and prescribed burning activities on nine million acres of installations and ranges across the United States. Hiers developed and directed the ecological monitoring program at Eglin and also secured more than $7 million in funding for collaborative ecological research involving academic partners. Prior to Eglin, he worked as a research ecologist for the Jones Ecological Research Center in Newton, Georgia. Hiers has published more than 40 scientific articles on ecological forestry, restoration of longleaf pine ecosystems, fire effects on wildlife habitat, fire behavior, and forest ecology.

Faculty and students in archaeology, biology, forestry, geology, history, and religion have found the Domain a valuable resource for research projects. 

New Officials Take Oath of Office

The oath of office ceremony for newly elected Franklin County officials will take place at 1 p.m., Friday, Aug. 29, in the Franklin County Courthouse in the courtroom on the second floor.

The Hon. Chancellor Jeffrey F. Stewart will administer the oath of office to all the elected officials including those for District 5: county commissioners Johnny Hughes and Helen Stapleton, constable Sandy Gilliam, road commissioner Joe David McBee and school board member Adam Tucker. Also taking the oath of office will be newly elected mayor Richard Stewart and sheriff Tim Fuller. Officials elected in Districts 1–8 will also be installed at this time. 

The ceremony is open to the public.

Tennessee Promise Sends Kids to College

Gov. Bill Haslam’s vision to provide a tuition-free opportunity for every Tennessee student to earn a college credential is now a reality, beginning with students graduating high school in 2015. 

In Franklin County, Mayor Richard Stewart, in partnership with Franklin County schools, has designated tnAchieves to serve as the partnering organization to organize and support Tennessee Promise locally. Tennessee Promise offers two years of tuition-free community or technical college to high school graduates.

“Tennessee Promise and its impact on our students, families and communities can be a real game-changer as we prepare more of our students for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Stewart. “I strongly encourage all of our high school seniors and their families to talk with their guidance counselors about the Tennessee Promise, and I hope all Franklin County residents who want to make a real, positive impact on the lives of these students and the future of our local economy will sign up as volunteer mentors. By working together, we can be a model for Tennessee and the nation.”

tnAchieves is a post-secondary access and success program with the goal of increasing higher education opportunities for Tennessee students by providing last-dollar scholarships with mentor guidance. The program has experienced substantial success utilizing volunteers in business and community-based organizations to guide its students through the college access and success processes.

While all public high school students are eligible for tnAchieves, the program focuses primarily on first-generation, low-income students. 

“tnAchieves is excited to partner with local leaders in Franklin County and Gov. Haslam’s Tennessee Promise to create a more qualified workforce in the community and also provide students with a promise for a brighter future,” said Randy Boyd, chairman of the board of tnAchieves. 

Coupled with the Tennessee Promise scholarship, every student will be paired with a mentor to support the student through admission and financial aid paperwork, motivate the student to meet deadlines, and perhaps most importantly, encourage the student to reach his/her potential.

tnAchieves is currently recruiting volunteer mentors in Franklin County. Mentors spend approximately one hour monthly working with high school seniors to ensure they make a smooth transition from high school to college. tnAchieves will train all mentor applicants, provide them with a mentor handbook, and communicate with them throughout their experience with the program. To apply, visit www.tnachieves.org/mentor-application.

tnAchieves’ mission aligns with Gov. Haslam’s “Drive to 55” campaign which seeks to increase the post-secondary attainment rate to 55 percent by 2025. 

Founded in 2008 as knoxAchieves, tnAchieves will operate in at least 80 counties and serve 93 percent of the state’s graduating seniors. The program has experienced substantial success utilizing volunteers from business and community-based organizations to guide its students through the college access and success processes.

In only six years, more than 12,000 students have enrolled at a postsecondary institution with tnAchieves support. Of these students, more than 65 percent were the first in their families to attend college and nearly 70 percent come from families who earn less than $50,000 annually. The program has a 90 percent FAFSA filing rate; a 71 percent fall-fall retention rate (average Tennessee community college retention rate is 59 percent); and a 33 percent three-year graduation rate (average Tennessee community college three-year graduation rate is 11 percent). tnAchieves students have also given back nearly 100,000 hours of community service since 2008. 

For information on tnAchieves, contact Krissy DeAlejandro, executive director, at (865) 621-9223 or email <krissy@tnachieves.org>.

Angel Park Hosts Return of the Culprits

After a busy year of study and international travel, the Culprits are coming together for a free hometown concert today (Friday), Aug. 15, at Sewanee’s Angel Park. Blues Regimen will open at 7 p.m.; the Culprits will take the stage at 7:45 p.m. The back-to-school concert, a new tradition in Sewanee, coincides with the University of the South’s First Year Program and St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School’s opening weekend, but it is free and open to the public. 

Blues Regimen’s members include students from St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School, Franklin County High School and the Ensworth School. 

The Culprits include SAS alumni Nick Evans, ’10; Will Evans, ’12; and Zach Blount, ’12. 

There will also be live music in Angel Park on Saturday, Aug. 16. See story on page 6. These are great opportunities to enjoy an evening of family-friendly entertainment. For more information go to <www.sewanee.biz/>.

Election Results for Aug. 7 Area Races

Local residents went to the polls on Aug. 7 to elect some new faces to office and to return some incumbents to their elected posts.

In Sewanee, 599 voters cast ballots (32.6 percent turnout). 434 people voted on election day; 165 absentee and early ballots were cast.

In Franklin County, 8,434 voters cast ballots (32.7 percent turnout); 4,349 voted on election day; 4,085 voted absentee or cast early ballots.

Adam Tucker defeated Lisa Rung for the District 5 seat on the Franklin County School Board. Tucker won by a very narrow margin of 14 votes, 2 percent of the total votes cast. District 5 includes Sewanee, Sherwood and Keith Springs Mountain.

Helen Stapleton won election to the Franklin County Commission, District 5, Seat B, defeating Dan Ferguson and Art Hanson. 

Steve Blount of Sewanee carried 59 percent of the vote over Justin Angel (41 percent) in Franklin County in the race for Circuit Court Judge of the 12th District Part III. When the votes were tallied for the entire judicial district (Franklin, Grundy, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Rhea and Marion counties), Angel defeated Blount. Angel received 15,115 votes (56 percent); Blount received 11,796 votes (44 percent).

Richard Stewart was re-elected as Franklin County mayor, taking more than 51 percent of the vote, in the multi-person race.

Tim Fuller was easily re-elected as Franklin County sheriff, earning 69 percent of the vote, while opponent Mike Foster took 31 percent. 

David Alexander defeated Jack Daniel in Franklin County and across the area for the 39th District seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Although the official vote count is not complete, the tightest race in Tennessee was between incumbent Fourth District U.S. Representative Scott DesJarlais and State Senator Jim Tracy. Both men have declared victory, but neither has been officially designated the winner by the Secretary of State. The unofficial results on the state’s website do not include provisional ballots, which are to be counted over the next few days, according to the Secretary of State’s office. The Associated Press has not called a winner in the race.

Statewide, 77,500 ballots were cast in the Republican primary election for the congressional seat; at last report, there was a 37 vote difference between the two men, a .045 percent difference. For DesJarlais, the unofficial count is 34,791 votes (44.89 percent); for Tracy, 34,754 votes (44.84 percent). The next closest challenger was John Anderson, who received 4,590 votes (6 percent).

In Franklin County: 73 percent voted for DesJarlais; 17 percent for Tracy; 6 percent for Anderson.

At the Sewanee box: 53 percent voted for DesJarlais, 30 percent for Tracy; 12 percent for Anderson.

“I want to thank our supporters, volunteers and all those who took time to participate in the democratic process,” DesJarlais said.

“And I especially want to thank our many friends in the Sewanee community, not just for their political support, but for the friendship they have shown the entire DesJarlais family throughout the years,” he said. 

“I made it clear from the beginning that I would proudly run on my record in Congress, and that is precisely what my campaign did. While my opponent chose to go down the path of desperate personal attacks, we stayed focused on the issues affecting Tennesseans,” the congressman said. “It is truly humbling to have been chosen as the winner of the Republican primary, and I look forward to continuing our fight for less government and more jobs.”

The winner of the Republican primary will meet Democrat Lenda Sherrell in the November election.

In the race for the U.S. Senate:, incumbent Lamar Alexander defeated Republican challenger Joe Carr. Statewide, Alexander receive 49 percent of the vote; Carr received 40 percent of the vote. Carr carried Franklin County, where he received 51 percent of the vote; Alexander received 42 percent. In Sewanee, Alexander won with 55 percent.

Unofficial election results for state and federal races are posted at <www.GoVoteTN.com>. For precinct breakdowns, county statistics and local races, go to <www.franklincotn.us/election_results/index.html>. 

Memories and Stories about Rebel’s Rest, Part Two

by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer

“…Rebel’s Rest (is) an allusion to the unsettled life, movings and home burnings of the four previous years; being glad, indeed, to be at rest on this broad mountain top, endeared and sanctified by the memories of great events and the great men who had here assembled in by-gone years.’

Major George Rainsford Fairbanks wrote those words about his family’s beloved Sewanee sanctuary, Rebel’s Rest, which was built in 1866. During the Civil War the Union Army had burned their first Sewanee home, Rainsford Place. Late on the rainy night of July 23, an unexplained fire destroyed much of Rebel’s Rest.

The home now belongs to the University of the South, which had utilized it as a guest house. According to historian Waring McCrady, the family’s land lease expired in 1966 after 100 years, and Rainsford Fairbanks Glass Dudney, the granddaughter of Major Fairbanks, donated the house to the University. 

Dudney’s memories of her grandparents’ house are chronicled in the book “Rebel’s Rest Remembers.” She describes a gingerbread-gabled room above the dining room which served as a “jail” where children were sent for bad behavior. The other children conspired with the prisoner, who would drop a string from the window and friends would tie on little matchboxes filled with scraps of bread or bacon, or a hunk of apple, she said.

“The old house on the Mountain, with its woods and rocks, trees to climb and secret hiding places both inside and out, was the perfect place for children to grow up in,” Dudney said. “We must have been incredibly noisy, and I’m sure Rebel’s Rest remembers us to this day.”

Rebel’s Rest holds a lot of modern memories too, including one for Laura Candler, who had her Watson Fellowship interview there in 2008.

“(It was) a tense hour sitting across the dining room table from the director of the Thomas J. Watson Foundation, trying to convince him to give me $28,000 to spend a year traveling around the world studying clouds,” Candler said. “I told him stories and even sang a song in a foreign language. It was a memorable hour, and being in that old room looking out through those watery windowpanes somehow made me relax a little. In the end, I got the fellowship.”

Elizabeth Yates has always loved the old Fairbanks’ home.

“Not a lot of special or particular memories to share, just a tremendous sense of loss. Rebel’s Rest has been a glorious fixture for me for my entire life in Sewanee, very soon [it will be] 75 years,” she said. “…It hurts my heart to see this ruin, though I know the capable hands of ‘the fixers’ employed by this great University can work their magic and make it strong and grand once again. So there’s always hope.”

Sewanee English professor Virginia Craighill attended the Sewanee Writers Conference in 1990, before she was on the faculty, and met at Rebel’s Rest with Howard Nemerov, her workshop and manuscript leader. 

“He had been terrifying in the workshop, and several students were devastated by his critique of their poems,” she said. “I had my individual meeting with him one afternoon at Rebel’s Rest, where he was staying, and I steeled myself for his soul-destroying evaluation of my work. 

“We sat in the rocking chairs on the porch on a sunny July afternoon as the light dappled the ground below the wisteria, and something about the atmosphere of Southern hospitality and gentility must have mellowed him, for he was kind and helpful and specific,” she said. 

Craighill and Nemerov corresponded once or twice that fall, and he died of esophageal cancer the next summer.

Mike Jones graduated from Sewanee in 1965. In January of that year, during Hell Week, the SAE house burned. The University allowed the fraternity to use Rebel’s Rest until their house could be rebuilt.

“We were told to guard, protect and treasure this great legacy. In other words, any real damage and we’d catch hell,” Jones said. “As I recall, no lasting damage was done but the warning did not minimize the beer drinking and partying. As I remember, some genius had even converted a soft drink machine into a beer vendor.

“As I was in my last semester and my participation in fraternity had somewhat dwindled, I don’t remember much more except it was a grand old place, occupied by ghosts and frat boys. In Rebel’s Rest you not only saw “early Sewanee” — you felt it, too.”

Investigation, Salvage Work Continue at Rebel’s Rest

by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer

The University of the South re-opened Rebel’s Rest to fire investigators on Aug. 11 and continued to try to save as much as possible from the remnants.

Late on July 23, fire destroyed the second floor of the 148-year-old house, and the first floor suffered smoke and water damage. Investigators from the University’s insurance company and the contractor’s insurance company are seeking the cause of the blaze. The building was undergoing renovations at the time of the fire.

Laurie Saxton, the University’s director of media relations, said there is no timeline for a conclusion to the investigation, but salvage work is ongoing.

“Because we opened it back up this week for investigations anyway, the University is removing a few more pieces that were physically attached to the building,” Saxton said. “What’s still there is still there, and we are just not sure how much is going to be able to be used going forward.”

Items removed this week from the building include fireplace mantles and a chandelier, she said. Workers had already removed some furniture and art following the fire. Restoration experts, including an art conservator, are determining what items can be saved.

Saxton said the community and alumni will be updated as the recovery and restoration continue.

County Schools Rise and Fall in TCAPs

by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer

Recently-released standardized test scores show Franklin County Schools improved at the high school level, but dropped in three of four subjects on the TCAP.

Rebecca Sharber, director of schools, presented the district-wide scores at the Aug. 11 Board of Education meeting. The state expects to release individual school test results before the end of August.

On the TCAP, taken by students in grades 3–8, math was the only area to show an increase on the 2014 test with 43.9 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced compared to 42.9 percent last year. Science dipped from 61.8 percent to 56.4 percent and social studies declined from 85.6 percent to 82.8 percent. Reading scores dropped from 47.8 percent to 43.4 percent.

“We’re disappointed, of course, that the reading scores did not show county-wide improvements, given the rigorous new Reading Street program that was introduced. Math scores also fell, however, where we did not do anything different,” said Chris McDonough, Sewanee’s outgoing school board representative.

On the high school end-of-course exams, Franklin County students improved in four of seven subjects compared to 2013 and had slight decreases in two others. The increases came in English I, English II, Biology I and U.S. History. Biology I had the biggest increase with 3.6 percent more students scoring proficient or advanced.

Algebra II scores were down 1.3 percent, and English III scores dropped 1 percent. Student scores decreased the most in Algebra I with 52.4 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced, a 4.9 percent decrease from 2013. Students showed the most aptitude in English I with 65.5 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced.

“Naturally, the board wants the best education for county students. But all across the state, the improvement of scores has become an end in itself, at the expense of virtually every other legitimate education goal,” McDonough noted.

At Monday’s meeting, Sharber outlined eight strategies to increase scores, a few of which included more flexibility in the elementary instructional programs, continued focus on the least effective teachers and work with instructional coaches, learning from more successful school districts and adding more  technology.

In the area of technology, the school system is on the verge of issuing Chromebook computers to ninth-graders, which will be used in lieu of textbooks.

In other business at Monday’s Board of Education meeting: 

The board honored outgoing Seventh District representative Betty Jo Drummond, who lost her bid for re-election, and McDonough, who did not seek re-election.

“It has been a real honor to serve the county on the school board,” McDonough said after the meeting. “Dr. Sharber is a consummate professional whom I have learned so much from. The county could hardly have a better director, and her staff is equally impressive. I have enjoyed working with my fellow board members, as well. While we have disagreed on some matters, every one of them checks their egos at the door and puts county students first.” 

The Tennessee Association of School Boards gave a presentation and offered assistance in finding a new director of schools. Sharber is retiring at the end of June 2015.

Community Chest Applications Available

The Sewanee Community Chest Fund Drive announces the beginning of the 2014–15 fund-raising campaign. Sponsored by the Sewanee Civic Association, the Sewanee Community Chest raises funds for local organizations that serve the common good.

Funding applications are now being accepted. The deadline for submission is Friday, Sept. 12. Please contact <sewaneecommunitychest@gmail.com> to have an application either emailed or mailed to your organization. A downloadable request for funds form is also available at <https://sewaneecivic.wordpress.com/community-chest/funding-request/>.

Nonprofit organizations serving the Plateau are encouraged to apply. The Sewanee Community Chest does not allocate funds to organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, creed, sex or national origin.

The volunteer-led Sewanee Community Chest has met the needs of the community since 1908, including those living in Franklin, Grundy and Marion counties. The Sewanee Community Chest strives to fund organizations that help those caught in the cycle of poverty, that improve lives through outreach and community initiatives, and that provide support for children with a variety of programs.

Through the generous commitment of the entire community last year, the Sewanee Community Chest was able to help 28 organizations and initiatives with a total of $107,725. The money raised in the community went directly to support the following: community aid, $39,000; children, $37,300; quality of life, $23,500; and beyond Sewanee, $8,200. Last year’s recipients included Housing Sewanee, the Community Action Committee, the Sewanee Elementary Parent Organization, the Grundy County Food Bank and Folks at Home. The Sewanee Mountain Messenger also receives funding from the Community Chest.

The Sewanee Civic Association encourages all who benefit from life in this community whether you live, work, or just visit to give to the Community Chest. The power of people helping people makes a difference. The Sewanee Community Chest is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax-deductible. Donations and pledges are accepted at any time at PO Box 99, Sewanee, TN, 37375. PayPal and AmazonSmile are also donation options.

For more information or to read about the organizations supported, go to <sewaneecivic.wordpress.com>.

Aug. 7 Election Information

Election results were not available at press time.

For details go online to <www.franklincotn.us/departments/election_commission> or read next week’s issue of the Sewanee Mountain Messenger.

Late Night Fire at Rebel’s Rest July 23

Members of the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department respond to the blaze at Rebel’s Rest late on July 23. Photo by Buck Butler/University of the South

Investigators Continue Looking Into Cause of Rebel's Rest Fire

by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer

The Rebel’s Rest fire is still under investigation.

Insurance investigators will revisit Rebel’s Rest next week to continue to seek the cause of the July 23 fire that destroyed the second floor of the 148-year-old house.

Investigators from both the University’s insurance company and the contractor’s insurance company are inspecting the home because workers were in the midst of renovations. A State Fire Marshal investigator’s preliminary findings show the fire was not arson.

Laurie Saxton, University of the South’s director of media relations, said the University is using an abundance of caution in terms of the investigation and the state of the house and its contents.

“Professionals are coming to look at the building to make sure we don’t do any more damage and make sure we salvage all that we can,” she said. “We are getting multiple opinions. The University is trying to be really cautious before we take the next steps to make sure we have the best people we can find looking at every angle that they can.”

University officials are awaiting expert opinions, including those of structural engineers, before making a decision on whether the building will be rebuilt, Saxton said.

Twenty firefighters with the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department battled the Rebel’s Rest fire utilizing two pumper trucks, one rescue truck and one support truck, according to Fire Chief David Green. The fire department received the call at 11:30 p.m. and arrived five minutes later; firefighters were not able to get the inferno under control until just after 2 a.m. Two firefighters sustained minor cuts and another firefighter was transported to the hospital with high blood pressure, Green said.

 “It’s hard to fight a fire like that because you can’t put people inside too much because of things falling in on them,” he said.

Firefighters used a “blitz attack” with several master water streams to douse the blaze.

“I want to thank the firefighters,” Green said. “They did such a tremendous job. It was a textbook operation.”

People from the community and around the country have contacted the fire department to express their own appreciation for saving the beloved home on University Avenue. Workers had removed many historic items from the second floor during renovations, Saxton said.

Water and smoke did damage historic and valuable furniture and art on the first floor, and Saxton said a conservator is scheduled to look at items to decide what can be restored. One well-known piece of Rebel’s Rest furniture, an enormous desk in the Chancellor’s Suite, sustained damage, but Saxton said she believes the desk and most of the big wooden furniture is salvageable.

The renovation project taking place at Rebel’s Rest before the fire included updating plumbing and the HVAC system, a new roof, outside building cleanup and upgrades to the kitchen. Most of those renovations were on the second floor, but when the scope of the project extended downstairs about a week before the fire, workers removed three valuable paintings on the first floor. One of those paintings was a portrait of the home’s original owner, Maj. George Fairbanks, which George P.A. Healy painted. Healy was famous for his paintings of many distinguished figures, including Presidents Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.

Saxton noted that the University groundskeeper has also called in an expert to study the wisteria overhanging the front porch to see if it can be moved, if needed. The wisteria has been a beautiful signature of Rebel’s Rest since the 1800s.

Rebel's Rest Held Events, Memories for Generations of People

by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer

The flames danced and destroyed, smoking the beloved wisteria draping the front porch and social media lit up with angst and photos of Rebel’s Rest burning on the night of July 23.

Jeannie Babb, a local writer and graduate of the School of Theology, wrote a poem while watching firefighters battle the blaze. “Rebels Don’t Rest” finishes with these lines: “If I walked down here to cry/For countless unrememories licked into the sky/The smoke has wicked me dry/And instead the word is ‘Fight!’”

The Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department did fight and managed to save the first floor and the wisteria, as more than two dozen onlookers stood in small groups, some talking quietly, others shedding tears.

Rebel’s Rest, the family home of Maj. George Fairbanks, a Civil War veteran, Renaissance man and one of the founders of the University of the South, has birthed countless memories since its construction in 1866. In more recent years, Rebel’s Rest served as an event venue and guest house for University visitors. 

Rene Fairbanks Dudney Lynch, the great-granddaughter of Maj. Fairbanks, moved to Rebel’s Rest in 1935 when she was 3 years old. She lived with her grandmother, mom and younger sister, Sara.

“I was just devastated (about the fire),” Rene said via telephone from her home in Los Altos, Calif. “I still think about it a lot.”

The house had three gables in front, and Rene’s bedroom was upstairs on the left. The family had chickens, and the girls played in a sandbox in the backyard. As teenagers they would host dance parties in the house’s center room. Rene also loved to sit in the swing on the front porch beneath the wisteria reading Russian novels and “Gone with the Wind.” 

“It was a wonderful place to grow up,” Rene said. “It was right in the middle of the University and really neat. We were so free. We wandered all over campus and played a lot in Abbo’s Alley.”

Her mother, Rainsford Fairbanks Glass Dudney, the granddaughter of Maj. Fairbanks and his wife, Susan, loved to tell the girls stories about the history of the house. Rene chronicled some of those stories from recordings of her mother in the book “Rebel’s Rest Remembers.”

Dudney recalls in the book her summers spent in Sewanee with her grandparents, the smell of fresh coffee in the morning, visiting bishops and dignitaries, and big family meals with the kids laughing as the Major always got food in his beard.

“Grandma and Grandpa Fairbanks were the center of it all,” she said. “The huge family that came to spend every summer at Rebel’s Rest revolved around them.”

Maj. Fairbanks had a little office in a separate building in the side yard where he could escape the chaos, and his wife had her own private sitting room where no children were allowed, Dudney recalled.

Fairbanks, who served in the Civil War as a quartermaster at Confederate hospitals, gave the home its name, Rene said. He died there in 1906 surrounded by family in the big front downstairs bedroom. Long after the Major’s death, Rebel’s Rest continued to be a special place to many.

Steve Keetle shared this story about his friend and University co-worker Sarah Roberts: “Sarah grew up in Sherwood and as a little girl, every Sunday after church she and her family would drive up the Mountain to go to the Monteagle Flea Market. They would always take the long route and go down University Avenue past Rebel’s Rest. And as a little girl, every week she would be in the back of the car and stare amazed at the building as she was absolutely sure, without a doubt, that Rebel’s Rest was where Little Red Riding Hood lived.”

Read part two of the Rebel’s Rest memories in next week’s newspaper.

South Cumberland Community Fund Awards Grants to Nine Groups

The South Cumberland Community Fund (SCCF) announced its latest grant recipients on Aug. 3 at the DuBose Conference Center in Monteagle. The grants, made to nine area nonprofit organizations, total nearly $64,000.

“One of the primary functions of the Community Fund is to support people and organizations who are making the South Cumberland Plateau a healthier, better-educated, and culturally richer place. We’re proud to honor these nine groups for the work they are doing and to support them in our fourth round of grants,” said Scott Parrish, SCCF board chair. “This, together with our investment of $60,000 in capacity-building initiatives, will mean a total investment in our community of nearly $125,000 by the Community Fund in 2014.”

The grant recipients and their programs for which they will receive funding are:

Animal Alliance-South Cumberland is a six-year old, all-volunteer spay/neuter program that works to reduce the cost and suffering of unwanted and abandoned dogs and cats on the Plateau. To date, the Alliance has sterilized more than 2,500 animals in the community. A prior grant from SCCF for the “Fix by Four” project enabled the Alliance to conduct an educational program advocating the sterilization of pets by the age of 4 months before their first litter and to subsidize the cost of spay/neuter procedures and rabies vaccinations for such pets owned by low-income residents of the community. This new grant of $3,600 for “The Big Fix” project targets medium to large breed dogs, the ones most likely to have large litters, create neighborhood problems, and suffer from abuse. With these funds, Animal Alliance will be able to help 50 low-income residents sterilize their large breed dogs. 

Appalachian Women’s Guild is a 25-year old grass-roots organization that provides “a hand up, not a handout” to help meet the basic needs of impoverished residents of our region. The organization aspires to do a significant upgrade to its aging facilities over the next few years. The immediate focus is the thrift shop, which generates the lion’s share of AWG’s income. This grant of $7,000 will refurbish and promote the store in order to provide a more appealing shopping experience and generate greater revenues for the programs offered by AWG.

The City of Altamont proposes to increase the utilization of the auditorium of the Florence Scruggs Building for theatrical, musical and dance performances. The City intends to develop a calendar of high quality events that will attract paying audiences. A snack bar will generate additional income to sustain the programs, some of which will feature professional/semi-professional artists. A grant from SCCF will enable the City to install a sound system in the facility. In addition, the Paul S. McConnell Music Grant, awarded to SCCF to support music on the plateau, will provide underwriting for performances by local musicians in the venue. The total amount of the grant is $6,725.

Coalmont Elementary School, in partnership with the Grundy Health Council and the University of the South, has focused in recent years on increasing exercise and physical activity in its after-school program. Now it is time to promote healthy physical activities for the entire school and surrounding community. Recognizing the limited availability of safe walking spaces in the area, the school proposes to construct a quarter-mile walking track around the adjacent ball field. This grant of $10,000 is directed toward the cost of installing the track; the project has also attracted the support of the Bristol Myers Foundation.

Community Action Committee is a ministry of the Otey Parish of Sewanee. It provides groceries for over three hundred families per week, plus assistance with utilities, medical, employment and housing needs. All clients are below the poverty level. This grant of $2,660, aimed at food security and sustainability, will enable CAC to provide chicken coops and starter flocks for two clients willing to maintain them for the benefit of themselves and their neighbors. In addition, ten container gardens will be provided to elderly and disabled residents.

Mountain Goat Trail Alliance is a rails-to-trails recreation project seeking to create a multi-use corridor along a 35-mile track from Cowan in Franklin County to Palmer in Grundy County. The first section of the trail, between Sewanee and St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School, is complete, and construction of the next section from SAS to Monteagle will begin this year. A previous grant from the fund is enabling MGTA to complete the acquisition of rail bed between Tracy City and Palmer. This new grant of $10,000 will support the purchase of additional rail bed between Monteagle and Tracy City, plus provide partial compensation for a contract employee to administer a Recreational Trails grant recently awarded by Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. 

St. James Episcopal Church in Midway, with a grant from the Dandridge Trust, constructed a playground 20 years ago to serve the community. It is the only recreational space available to the children of this community. Today the playground equipment has deteriorated and fallen behind contemporary safety standards. This grant of $10,000 from the fund will enable the church to refurbish the playground with new swings, rubber mulch, basketball backboards and nets, and soccer goals, plus the addition of picnic tables. The church provides liability insurance and general maintenance of the playground.

Swiss Memorial Elementary School, serving the Gruetli-Laager community, has worked in partnership with the Grundy County Health Council, the school health program, and the school nutrition program to focus on strategies to combat chronic health conditions. With grant support and innovation funding, these partners have been able to build a greenhouse and a community garden to make healthy foods available for students, staff and the community. This SCCF grant of $3,760, made possible by a grant from the Bonnaroo Works Fund, will help pay for an after-school program that will provide training in many aspects of nutrition, such as planting and maintaining a garden, farmers’ markets, food preservation and vegetarian cooking.

The South Cumberland Learning and Development Center, operating under the auspices of Tracy City, is a bold undertaking to refurbish the old high school and make it available for lifelong learning programs for youth and adults that improve employment preparation, health and educational outcomes, and increase community connections by fostering collaboration and partnerships. This grant of $10,000 goes toward the local match required to access a $500,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission for renovation of the building.

Housing Sewanee Hosts Summer Helpers

Housing Sewanee Inc. (HSI) hosted three youth groups and one adult group this summer to work on its current project, which will be the first sustainable home constructed by HSI in the greater Sewanee community. 

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mobile, Ala., has been bringing youth groups to Sewanee since 1993 under the guidance of Margaret Cadens, according to Dixon Myers, director of outreach for All Saints’ Chapel and the coordinator of HSI. “Their dedication to HSI over the past two decades has been a remarkable testament to the church’s commitment to a service site and creating a lasting relationship with its residents,” he said.

The adult group from the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Spartanburg, S.C., has been coming to Sewanee for outreach work since 1995. The group’s core has consisted of Sewanee alumni from the 1960s, Myers said. “This group is always highly skilled and enthusiastic, they are very capable of doing anything we ask,” he said.

The Rev. Josh Varner, C’95, is the rector of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Pooler, Ga. Varner, an active participant in service as an undergraduate, brought a diocesan-wide group that worked with HSI and the Community Action Committee of Otey Parish. 

Mary Margaret Winn, C’12, of Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tenn., returned to the Mountain with a group of high school and middle school participants. Mary Margaret was head sacristan and head proctor at Sewanee; Myers said she wants to pursue a ministerial vocation, so her present work and her leadership background give her a sound foundation. 

The HSI home under construction now utilizes locally milled framing material, reused building products, the highest quality insulation practices, and student and community volunteer involvement. Upon completion in early September, HSI will host an open house for the public, showcasing the organization’s commitment to sustainability.