May and June are the months for graduations and DavidsonNews.net ‘s Around Davidson is trying to catch up on as many as we can. Why not have your favorite graduate included by emailing us with an announcement and a photo? We would love to see you on the net!

Here’s the list of graduates celebrated in today’s column, in order of appearance: Brittany Hutchins, Adam Kicklighter, Scott Sherrill, David Steber, Philip Maier, Anna Causey and Rachel Rice. Plus, Around Davidson this week includes news about the Kenya delegation at DCPC, the remodeled Carnegie Guest House , Tyler Krentz ’s plans to volunteer in Sierra Leone, Sophia DiGioia ’s birthday dollars for dogs, Rob Moody ’s success with Eco-builders and how Sterling Martin III and Brooke Bagnall share ties to Chicago’s famous Second City improvisational theater company.

A degree in hand and a wedding on the calendar

College commencements fell on the same weekend, May 10, for Brittany Hutchins and her fiancé, Adam Kicklighter . Brittany, daughter of Susan Hutchins Manning and the late Mickey Hutchins, graduated with a degree in sports medicine from the University of South Carolina. Adam is now an alum of the University of Georgia with a degree in English education. This young couple will wed this month and have already found an apartment in Huntersville. Adam will begin teaching ninth grade language arts at the Lake Norman Charter School in August. Brittany is interviewing for jobs in this area.

Cap and gown…and cattle

A young man with ties to this area, Scott Sherrill , graduated on May 18 from Davidson College. Scott majored in classics and during his years here also put in many hours as an intern with Downtown Davidson, Inc., not to mention playing in the College Symphony Orchestra, restarting the classics honor society, and serving as president of the Eumenean Society. He will continue to help with programs for Downtown Davidson while he stays in town this coming year to work as the Union’s night operations manager at the college. Scott has many ties to Davidson since both parents, Carlyle Sherrill (’76) and Susan Reid Sherrill-Beard (’77), graduated from Davidson College as did his grandfather, J.C. Sherrill (’35). He was even baptized by Will Terry (’54). Due to these many connections, Scott was chosen to speak at the legacy breakfast held on Sunday morning before commencement.

Perhaps the most unusual fact about Scott Sherrill concerns his showmanship in the cattle ring. His dad and step-mom live in Mt. Ulla and raise prize Santa Getrudis cattle. You would not expect this well dressed, polished young man to pull on cowboy boots, sport a belt buckle the size of a dessert plate and stride into a show ring with a 1,000 lb. heifer on a halter. Scott has done this for years (he’s speaking at a cattle show in the photo) but now having aged out of junior shows is coaching his younger stepbrother and stepsister. Scott will be helping at the National Junior Santa Getrudis Show later this month in Louisville, KY, and we are eager to hear how the Sherrill livestock fares. Good luck, Scott, and congratulations on your Davidson College diploma.

Steber family celebrations

Congratulations to David Steber, son of Linda and Gary Steber, who last month graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment. David will spend most of the summer in Davidson. In August he will be leaving for Washington, D.C. where, following an orientation program, David will begin teaching with AmeriCorps.

Best of luck to you, David.

Photo: l-r sister Rachel, David, Mom Linda, Dad Gary, Grandmother Rachel Taylor, and Aunt Mary Goodwin.

Cap and gown…and gourmet goat cheese

Another Chapel Hill graduate from Davidson is Philip Maier, son of Bob and Catheryn Maier, who has earned a degree in psychology. During his senior year at Carolina, Philip worked in a neuro-biology lab which opened the door to a full time job offer as a research technician in a neighboring lab following graduation. Philip hopes that this work in neuroscience may lead to graduate school in the field. Congratulations, Philip.

Wanting to avoid the crowds in Chapel Hill during the May 11 commencement activities, Bob and Catheryn and Bob’s sister, Pam Maier (who is at right in the photo above, with Philip’s parents to the left), opted to stay at the Celebrity Goat Farm Inn in nearby Siler City. This is a unique B&B with a herd of about 30 milking goats from which a variety of gourmet goat cheeses are made. The Inn provided a congratulatory dinner for the Maiers and several other graduating families on Sunday evening after the ceremonies. Sounds like a wonderful place to overnight.

Caps and gowns…and box spring mayhem!

Good friends since first grade in Davidson, Anna Causey and Rachel Rice spent the past four years in different states attending college. Last month Anna, daughter of Robbie and Ken Causey, graduated with a nursing degree (BSN) from Lenoir-Rhyne College and will be working for CMC/Levine Children’s Hospital. Rachel, meanwhile, received her diploma from St. Mary’s in Maryland and with a degree in biology in hand will be working for Total Bond Veterinary Clinic in Paw Creek. These young ladies spent a lot of time together summers but now have joined forces year round by renting an apartment together near Birkdale.

Excited about setting up housekeeping on their own for the first time, Anna (who is at right in the photo) and Rachel have been scouting bargains at yard sales and looking for “extras” in their home attics. Mom Cindy Rice shared a wonderful “moving in” adventure last weekend which we are sure will bring smiles to many of our readers as they remember similar stories of their own:

Rachel’s older sister, Sarah, was helping to move furniture with brother Nate’s truck. Looking in the rearview mirror, she suddenly witnessed the mattress and box spring taking flight and landing on the highway for a passing vehicle to flatten. Thanks to a helpful trucker who blocked a few lanes so the pieces could be retrieved safely, the move continued…with the only casualty a shattered box spring. Whew! Glad there was a happy ending!

Kenyan visitors take part in DCPC festivities

It was indeed a busy week for the membership of Davidson College Presbyterian Church. A delightful group of nine from DCPC’s sister church in Kenya, the Sigona Presbyterian Church in Kikuyu on the outskirts of Nairobi, has been in town. Sigona has had a close relationship with DCPC for the past seven years. The group from the sister church has been visiting with DCPC church members, eating in area homes, enjoying covered dish dinners with Davidson Presbyterian Church, attending a baseball game, touring Town Hall, observing preschool programs, making new friends with girl scouts, seeing the Mooresville Soup Kitchen, the Whitewater Center and even making a road trip to the beach for a quick swim!

Some in the group had visited in Davidson before but for most this was a first. One Sigona member brought happy smiles from the Muchane family in Davidson as Mur and Mary welcomed Mur’s younger brother, Ngugi, who is a member of the Sigona delegation. (You can see the family resemblance between Mur, who is standing to the left in the photo, and Ngugi, as they stand on either side of DCPC Parish Associate Bill Tiemann).  Michael (11) and Mark (4) were thrilled to see their Uncle. Ngugi is a professional financial consultant in Kenya, active in the Sigona church, loves music and is treasurer of the Child Youth Center Board.

In addition to all the scheduled and spontaneous activities, the group from Sigona assisted in morning worship this past Sunday at DCPC and then had a part, singing and speaking, in the afternoon installation of the church’s new senior pastor, Lib McGregor Simmons. The new parish minister for Sigona, Elizabeth Kimani, received a stole from Lib which she will wear until members from DCPC travel to Sigona next year to retrieve it. Thus the stole passes from continent to continent with the building friendship between the two churches.

The group from Kenya leaves for home this week, exhausted but happy, and we send them off with our best wishes. We are learning so much about Kenya from them and they, in turn, are learning a lot about us and the Tar Heel state.

Cookie money headed to Kenya

Girl Scout Brownie Troop 363 with their leaders, Karen Fesperman and Leigh Maples, hosted the DCPC Kenyan visitors for dinner on Tuesday, May 27. Wanting to support a charity with a portion of their Girl Scout cookie sale profits, the scouts presented a check for $100 to the guests for the Sigona Child Youth Center in Kikuyu, Kenya. The girls were told that their gift would help fund one year of preschool for an orphaned child at the center. The evening was a warm and festive opportunity for the Kenyan educators to visit one-on-one with the eight and nine year old girls and their families. They “traded” songs, singing and dancing for, and with, one another.

Carnegie Guest House Tour

What a nice occasion to receive an invitation to tour the newly remodeled Carnegie Guest House on the Davidson College Campus. The afternoon open house on May 29 was an occasion for the college family and members of the community to see just what the “sleeping rooms” of the guest house look like. Cissi Lyles, house manager for the past two years, has painted walls, moved furniture and given this historic home and many of its bedrooms a new look. (That’s Cissi, on the left, visiting with Pat Gardner, Executive Assistant for Academic Affairs at the college, in a sitting area of one of the upstairs bedrooms.)

This house has a rich history. It opened in 1910 and served as the first library building for Davidson College for 31 years, only becoming a guest house when the library moved to Grey Library (now the Sloan Music Center). In the mid 1970′s Carnegie House served as the college union while the E. H. Little Library was being built and the Grey Library was being turned into a new college union. In 1976, the Guest House opened once again. And how beautiful it looks today showing off many of the fine antiques of the Horton Estate left to the college in 1975.

Getting to the guest house takes a creative effort to dodge the construction surrounding the neighboring Cunningham Fine Arts Center. But it is well worth the effort. Call or email Cissi at the college and arrange a tour or simply stop in one day and have a look.

Tyler Krentz heading to Sierra Leone

DavidsonNews.net had a chance last week to visit with Tyler Krentz, oldest son of Peter and Jeri Krentz of Cabin Creek. Tyler spent a semester of his sophomore year in high school traveling with his dad in Greece, Italy and Sicily, and caught the “travel bug.” Having just finished his freshman year at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, he wanted to travel this summer while accomplishing something meaningful.

Through Mark Conforti at Davidson United Methodist Church, Tyler learned about Global Justice Volunteers which sends young people (defined as 18 to 30 years old) to countries in Africa, specifically Zambia, Ghana and Sierra Leone. Tyler applied, was accepted (he’s holding his official invitation in the photo) and heads for Sierra Leone on June 22. He will spend the first week in orientation in Freetown, the capital, and then with two others will volunteer at a drug rehab center and at a society for women with HIV/AIDS. Tyler may also be called upon to assist in some worship services. He hopes to live with a family in Freetown and have a chance to visit other cities in the country.

Part of Tyler’s expenses are paid through the church, but $2,200 must be raised by him. He has received donations through DUMC and Myers Park Methodist in Charlotte as well as sponsorship earned when he ran the Dallas marathon last April 6 and is getting close to his goal. (If any family or friends would like to sponsor Tyler, just call DUMC or drop off a check with Tyler’s name on the memo line.)  The photo of Tyler shows him proudly wearing his Dallas marathon t-shirt and holding his official invitation to travel to Sierra Leone.

When he returns to Davidson on August 17, Tyler plans to share his experiences with his church, family and friends. We will be looking for an update at that time. Safe travels to you, Tyler.

A birthday party that went to the dogs

Just look around town and you see dogs of all sizes walking with their owners, being pushed in strollers, tied outside the post office or finding some shade on the green. One young lady in our area, Sophia DiGioia, and her family have a beautiful golden retriever, Mandy, who was adopted at 1 1/2 years old through the Golden Retriever Rescue Club of Charlotte (GRRCC). The family has owned Mandy for five years now and can’t imagine life without her.

Wanting to do something special for her eighth birthday, Sophia decided to ask friends for a donation to GRRCC in place of a gift.  (In the photo Sophia is presenting a check to GRRCC board member, Gene Fitzpatrick.) Hats off to you, Sophia. What a great idea and how appreciative the rescue group must be!

Second City connections

This week “Around Davidson” has quite a few stories about our young people who are graduating and heading out into the “real world.” This next item concerns two young Davidsonians who ventured forth after graduation into the world of theatre and are now making a difference in Chicago’s The Second City: Sterling Martin III and Brooke Bagnall.

Sterling Martin III is the son of Sterling and Mary Martin of Davidson. Sterling is the youngest of their four children. His love of theatre began in high school when he and a dozen others decided to put on an annual Shakespeare production. Many in town recognized Sterling’s talent in 1993 when he directed “Taming of the Shrew” for his Eagle Project in Troop 58. The play was performed as a service for seniors in the Davidson Town Hall. Additional performances of the play were performed in the auditorium of North Mecklenburg High School with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Association, an organization particularly meaningful to the Martin family since Sterling’s grandfather suffered from the disease.

Sterling graduated from UNC-Wilmington with a degree in Theatre and English in the late 1990′s. Especially notable was his senior project, a one-man show on Charlie Chaplin. After college, Sterling managed a troupe called “Other Side” in Wilmington which performed every Tuesday night in a downtown theatre. In 2003 Sterling moved to Chicago to be a student at Second City Conservatory. He took a year long directing class and now works part time teaching improvisation classes at Second City in the Piper’s Alley Building. Mary and Sterling traveled to Chicago last summer to be in the audience for a class project he directed.

Sterling is also doing computer work for Morton’s Steakhouse’s Main Office and working in the box office at the Royal George Theatre.  He continues to work toward making it into the “big time” in theatre but in the meantime is enjoying teaching others.

Brooke Bagnall, her parents, Barb and Chris, and her brother, Chip, lived in Davidson for many years before the family moved to Chicago. Barb and Chris now live in Bucks County, PA. (Some may remember Brooke waitressing at the Brick House – formerly the Davidson Depot – when it first opened.) Following high school, Brooke earned a degree in drama and psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, where she performed with “Mama’s Pot Roast.”

Three long years and many rejections did not deter Brooke Bagnall from her dream to perform on stage. Last November she realized her dream-come-true when she was hired by Chicago’s Second City Touring Company. Her travels with the comedy theatre company have taken her to Vienna, Austria, for three weeks this January and many places in the U.S. Brooke’s parents caught her show twice: once in NYC and once in Red Bank, N.J. (Does the troupe ever come to Charlotte?) As Barb Bagnall said after seeing Brooke perform, “I should be laughing but I have tended to cry, being so overwhelmed!”

To quote Brooke, “There are two stages at Second City and three touring companies. As a member of the touring company, I travel all over the US (and sometimes abroad) performing scenes, monologues and songs from the almost 50 year history of SC. It is a lot of political and social satire. We also write some of our own material but our show is billed as “Best of …”

(Nice to note that through DavidsonNews.net, Brooke learned that fellow Davidsonian Sterling Martin was also employed by Second City and the two have reconnected.)

For those who knew the Bagnall family when they lived in River Run, here’s some catching up. Dad Chris is currently president of MCG (Market Concepts Group) with his office in Bucks County. Mom Barb is teaching at Delaware Valley College in the Education Department working with students studying to be secondary education teachers. Brooke’s brother, Chip, graduated with honors in May 2007 from Colorado College, earning his degree in history. He is interested in medieval and historical archeology and hopes to go on a “dig” soon although right now is in Chicago trying to follow his big sister in improv.

Extreme Home Makeover connections

For our readers who watch Extreme Home Makeover, this past May 18 a makeover project in New Orleans was featured and there is a connection to Davidson. Although he did not receive any air time, Rob Moody was invited to participate in construction of the New Orleans home with his Asheville-based “green” construction business called EcoBuilders.

We mention Rob because it brings us to his mother-in-law, Corinne Smith Hendrix, who used to live in Cornelius, worked at the Davidson Clinic, and now lives just east of Davidson. Corinne’s daughter, Lindsay, is married to Rob Moody.

What fun to at least know someone in the credits! And you might have read more about Rob since he was interviewed by Newsweek about his EcoBuilders. Rob and Lindsay live in Asheville and have a daughter, Ella Grey, who is almost two.