Elizabeth Thornberry and Joe Hale at their wedding reception in San Francisco.

What a wonderful week ahead with Davidson College commencement activities and exciting events ranging from Dragon Boat races to food tastings at Beaver Dam.

But before we get too involved in current affairs, Around Davidson is going to back up a bit and bring news of Elizabeth Thornberry’s wedding as well as “Church Chatter” from Davidson College Presbyterian Church. 

ELIZABETH THORNBERRY MARRIES JOSEPH HALE

Congratulations to Elizabeth Thornberry and Dr. Joseph Hale who married on April 27 in San Francisco.  Elizabeth is the daughter of Bob and Mary Thornberry of Davidson.  Joe is the son of George and Paula Hale from Cumbria, in the Lake District of England.

The couple met when they were both graduate students at St. Cross College in Oxford. Last summer, Joe finished his degree  in zoology/applied mathematics. He currently works on computer modeling projects. Elizabeth is a graduate of Charlotte Country Day as well as Harvard, where she had a concentration in social studies. In addition she has a master’s degree in historical research from St. Cross. At present, she is finishing her Ph. D. in African History at Stanford.

Newlyweds Joe Hale and Elizabeth Thornberry. (Photo by Erica Berger)

Flying in from Davidson and England respectively, parents of both Elizabeth and Joe attended the ceremony in the lovely San Francisco courthouse. Elizabeth wore her mother’s wedding dress, a sentimental tie to the past. The wedding party had lunch after the ceremony at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. The couple left later in the week for a honeymoon in Italy.

This summer, Elizabeth will be in South Africa finishing research for her dissertation while Joe will be in England. Complications with the timing on Joe’s visa and the fact that Joe and Elizabeth would be out of the country this summer, meant immigration attorneys recommended not waiting to marry. With just over a week to prepare, Mary and Bob arrived in California — as did Joe’s parents, who had never been to the United States before and spent extra days hiking and camping in Yosemite.

To celebrate further, friends and family will have additional chances to wish this happy young couple well with a reception later this summer in England and at Thanksgiving in Davidson. In the meantime, congratulations again to all the Hales and Thornberrys.

DCPC CHURCH CHATTER

This past month was certainly a busy one at the Davidson College Presbyterian Church (DCPC). What follows is a “snapshot” of three varied and noteworthy events in the life of the congregation.

Partners from Nicaragua

On Friday, April 17, four of DCPC’s partners from the Kilambe communities of Nicaragua along with two translators from the Council of Protestant Churches of Nicaragua (CEPAD), arrived in Davidson to visit for ten days. Four years ago DCPC formed a partnership with churches in the Kilambe region and has sent multiple delegations to visit there but this is the first time they have hosted guests from the country.

Enjoying a visit to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden were Nicaraguan visitors to DCPC.

The Nicaraguan delegation was welcomed into homes of church members and treated to a variety of experiences including a trip to the farmers market, farm tours, school visits, time in Montreat, a baseball game, Stowe Botanical Garden and time with Davidson College students. The visitors felt warmly welcomed and enjoyed the hospitality of Davidson families.

They were impressed by DCPC’s Earth Day worship service commenting that they always felt people in the US did not care a great deal for the earth due to their tremendous consumption and waste. The group had their eyes opened to the need of fellow Americans during a visit to the Mooresville Soup kitchen saying they thought all Americans were wealthy. They also were impressed by the large size of our school classrooms and bus transportation. In their Kilambe region of Nicaragua, children often walk two hours each way to school and study in cramped desks on dirt floors.

Certainly the members of this group from Nicaragua learned a great deal while visiting in North Carolina. What a busy ten days they had! Thanks to Rosemary Klein, Shelli Latham and Lacy Dick who gave so generously of their time helping with lodging and activities.

Paul & Co. Musical

Late spring spells the ends of the academic year for public and private schools and also the end of the church school year for many children. Annually the elementary children present a musical. These productions represent months of practice and rehearsals.

Children representing Timothy, Silas and Paul performed in the annual church musical.

This year the musical chosen was “Paul & Co.,” based on the Second Missionary journey of Paul to Philippi and included the conversion of Lydia. Over 50 youngsters from grades 1-5 participated on April 29 including Anna Ellington as Lydia, Ian Ruppenthal as Paul, James Bragg as Timothy and Frank Bragg as Silas. In addition the Beginners’ Choirs (pre-school and Kindergarten) sang before the performance in the church’s Congregation House which was packed with family and friends.

Hats off to Jane Cain and Michael Rowland who provided the direction and accompaniment as well as Karen Fesperman and Tina Piephoff who constructed the scenery. Costume chairs were Kathy Tyson and Jane Holland. Dancers were choreographed by Julia Mills and Anne Catherine Duncan. A nice evening to cap off weeks of hard work.

Presbyterian Women Celebrate

All churches in our area have women’s groups and DCPC is no different. Presbyterian Women of DCPC gather each spring to have lunch, install officers for the coming year, present awards and receive an offering for specific recipients identified by the church for focus. This year’s luncheon was held on April 30 in the Congregation House and designated charities for the offering were La Mujer Obrera in El Paso Texas, which responds to the needs of immigrant women, and “His Kids, Too, Children’s Home,” an orphanage in Ukraine for children with special needs.

Enjoying fun and fellowship were (l-r) Sherry Malushizky, Katie Scruggs, Louise Mazur and Tina Piephoff.

This year’s guest speaker was Davidson resident, Sherry Malushizky. Sherry and her husband, Dave (of Ukrainian descent), have adopted two children from Russia. She spoke about their personal experiences and the patience required in adoptions but also the joy in receiving the children into their hearts and homes.

Following Sherry’s interesting account of foreign adoption, officers were installed by Jane Peck and Pastor Lib McGregor Simmons. Carmen Mase was then presented with a Honorary Life Membership in Presbyterian Women. After the program, the ladies enjoyed lunch and a chance for fellowship.

Send us your news

Have news for Brenda? Write to her at hbarger@bellsouth.net.