Luella Barnett Turner ('25) turned 100 on Oct. 10

Luella Barnett Turner ('25) turned 100 on Oct. 10 and the Harrisonburg State Teacher's College graduate says, "Education is the best move I ever made." Family and friends surprised Turner with a birthday celebration at Riverside Fashions in Tazewell, the shop that Turner's family has owned for 60 years. Eighty years in the workforce has not slowed Turner down. She still comes to work daily at the shop that she opened with her brothers and husband in 1945.

"We really did sell everything from soup to nuts," says Turner. "We started out as a block manufacturer and the business evolved and changed. You could build a house with all the supplies we used to sell. About 30 years ago the store changed to women's fashions."

Turner taught in Tazewell County for a year and then at Richlands Elementary School before marrying Leonard Turner in 1934. "Education was so important then, and even more so today," says the centenarian who came to HTC with a friend. "I tagged along to Harrisonburg with a friend, but I'm so glad that I did. I learned more than I can ever say."

The former PC Dukes Ballroom has been remodeled and converted into the Top Dog Cafe. JMU's newest dining facility features a Mongolian Grill, a sushi bar, the Madison Bread Co., GrilleWorks and a Starbucks. On Dec. 4, the cafe will host the President's Council and Holiday Fest Reception and Concert. JMU alumni and friends who have donated $1,000 to the university are invited to attend. For more information, contact Linda Elliott, at (540)568-3863 or by e-mail at elliotlm@jmu.edu.

Dwight Sours

The Adult Degree Program/Bachelor of Individualized Studies Alumni Chapter conducts an annual online auction to benefit the Dwight M. Sours ('97, '03M) Memorial Scholarship Fund.

ADP students, alumni and program supporters endowed the Dwight M. Sours Memorial Scholarship in record time to honor Sours of Stanley, Va. He died Dec. 3, 2003, in an automobile accident and was at the time the dedicated president of JMU's Adult Degree Program Alumni Association. He had just earned his master's in public administration. In July 2004, a scholarship fund was established with the goal of raising $25,000 in five years to endow an annual award for a deserving adult student.

ADP students, alumni and supporters raised the $25,000 in six months through donations and an online auction. Access the online auction, which runs through Nov. 17, is at: http://web.jmu.edu/adultdegree/auction/.

Contributions to the memorial scholarship may also be mailed to the ADP office (with checks made payable to JMU Foundation/Dwight Sours Fund) at Adult Degree Program, MSC 2502, JMU, Harrisonburg, VA 22807.

The Dukes routed Maine, 38-2, during the Family Weekend game on Oct. 8, and rain didn't dampen parents and alumni's participation in sold-out picnics, concerts, lectures and gala dinners on campus during the weekend. Steve Smith ('71), associate vice president of constituent relations, estimated that 20,000-to-25,000 visitors came through campus during the weekend's festivities. "That's a lot of people to entertain and feed in a weekend. But despite the rain, families had a good time," he says.

The JMU Parents Council met during Family Weekend and discussed new directions for the council's activities. Previous Parents Council biannual meetings have been oriented more toward providing the council with information on JMU programs and new campus developments. In this meeting, the council broke into smaller groups and brainstormed for ideas on enlarging the range of its activities.

"They were so excited by the process of the meetings," says Sherry King, director of Parent Relations. "First of all, in the smaller groups they got a chance to really get to know other parents. And then, these are very motivated people, and they very much want to help JMU. So the opportunity to come up with new ideas was very energizing for everyone."

The idea to conduct this session was first put forward last April by former Parents Council chairs Jim and Julie Riley, parents of Tara ('99) and Paul ('05). Current chairs Len and Nancy Weireter, parents of Brian ('05) and Erin ('06), carried the idea forward.

A committee of 16 parents from the council will generate a report on what new PC activities might be feasible from the list of ideas generated by the session. The following are among the leading ideas: increasing the level of communication from the Parents Council to current parents and external constituents, developing an electronic newsletter for all parents of JMU students and improving outreach to prospective students for recruiting purposes.

Jesse Argenziano ('04) was one of three composers chosen to premiere a new work for wind ensemble at Virginia Tech for "Symposium 31: New Music for Wind Ensemble." The intercollegiate band members playing the compositions were chosen via audition from students throughout Virginia. Argenziano teaches music and directs the band at Mainland Regional High School in Linwood, N.J., and this is his first composition competition win. He earned a three-hour reading session at Virginia Tech for two days in February, as well as a recording of his music.

The JMU men's and women's basketball seasons begin Nov. 18 and Nov. 21, respectively. Check out jmusports.com for game stats and Web broadcast information. The men's team opens at home against Georgetown on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. See the rest of the team's schedule at: www.jmusports.com/Team/Schedule/18.asp?TeamID=18. The women open their season at home against the Richmond Spiders on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. See the rest of the schedule at www.jmusports.com/Team/Schedule/13.asp?TeamID=13. Both games will be broadcast via Internet. Learn more at www.jmusports.com/Audio.asp.

JMU alum Doug Segree ('92) will perform The Star-Spangled Banner before the Dec. 24 Redskins' game at FedEx Field. He also sang the anthem prior to the Redskins' Aug. 26 game. Segree has performed at the MetroDukes Crabfest for the past two years and performed again at the Sept. 24 Crabfest at Fort Belvoir's Castle Park. Learn more about Doug Segree at www.dougsegree.com/".

What is the JMUsports.com Fun Zone? An interactive Web site featuring interviews with coaches and athletes, wallpapers, Internet game broadcasts, downloads, schedules and media guides. Check out www.jmusports.com/Multimedia and click on your favorite team.

Jan. 6, 2006
MetroDukes JobFair in the Washington, D.C. area

April 7-9, 2006
Spring Reunion Weekend for all classes in the 1950s with special attention to the Class of 1956, which will be inducted into the Bluestone Society. The Classes of 1961 and 1966 will also celebrate reunions.

For more detailed information on any of the above listed events, please call the JMU Office of Alumni Relations, toll free 1-888-JMU-ALUM.

JMU Photography Services kept pace with the busy week of homecoming festivities. Have a peek at the action: www.jmu.edu/photography/university/Events/photocandids/photocandids.html.

The Counseling Psychology program in James Madison's department of graduate psychology has been named the Outstanding Counselor Education Program at the Master's Level by the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. The award was presented Oct. 21, at the SACES meeting, held in Pittsburgh in conjunction with the 2005 Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference, Oct. 20-23. Several JMU faculty were present to receive the award. Dr. Lennie Echterling is director of JMU's Counseling Psychology Program, which offers accredited training in school counseling and community counseling.

CHADD, the nation's leading organization serving children and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, honored Dr. Steven W. Evans and his colleagues from James Madison with its "Innovative Program of the Year" award at its annual conference in Dallas Oct. 27. Evans, a professor of psychology and director of the Alvin V. Baird Learning Disabilities Center at JMU, developed the Challenging Horizons Program, a cost-effective model for helping adolescents struggling with AD/HD that pairs college volunteers with local middle-school students with AD/HD to address trouble spots at school, at home and in social and recreational settings.

An award-winning essay written by Dr. Ari Kohen has earned the Madison assistant professor of justice studies a three-month fellowship in Berlin in summer 2006. Kohen, who joined the faculty to help launch JMU's justice studies program, won the international competition on human rights sponsored by the Munich-based, nonprofit Irmgard Coninx Foundation. An international jury of eight human rights scholars chose Kohen's paper from 154 essays submitted by scholars from 62 countries. Kohen is awaiting publication review of his complete manuscript by Cambridge University Press. Kohen described receiving the award as "very unexpected because of the extremely high quality of the work from everyone invited. I feel honored to be chosen." Other recent honors bestowed on Madison faculty:

• Dr. Donna S. Amenta, head of JMU's department of chemistry since April 2000, received an Alumna Achievement Award Oct. 22 from Wheaton College during the Norton, Mass., college's homecoming ceremonies. Amenta earned her undergraduate degree at Wheaton in 1965. She joined JMU's faculty in 1974, became an assistant professor in 1990 and a full professor in 1998. The organic chemist was cited at Wheaton for mentoring "every student" and taking "young faculty members under your wing while never clipping theirs."
• Dr. Joanne V. Gabbin, professor of English and director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center at JMU, was inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent at the 15th annual Gwendolyn Brooks Writer's Conference held Oct. 19-22 at Chicago State University. The Hall of Fame was established in 1998, and among its inductees are Maya Angelou, Lucille Clifton, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Toni Morrison, Sonia Sanchez and August Wilson.

Educators will gather at James Madison Nov. 5 to examine the realities of school violence at the "School Violence: A Safe Schools Initiative Conference," which is sponsored by JMU's College of Education. The conference is expected to draw classroom teachers, administrators, school-board members, teacher-education candidates and college and university professors from Virginia school systems in the Shenandoah Valley, Manassas Park, Richmond and Roanoke. "The conference is designed to present strategies, based on research, for teachers to use in their classrooms," said Dr. Violet Allain, a professor of education, associate dean of general education at JMU and chair of the conference planning committee. "Classroom teachers have to be very practical because they are the ones who face the kids every day." Educators participating in the conference are eligible to apply for Safe Schools Initiative Project grants of up to $500 to address school-violence prevention in their districts.

The JMU women's basketball team has been picked to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Association in 2005-06, according to a vote of the league's coaches, sports information directors and media. The results of the poll were announced during the CAA Basketball Media Day at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia Oct. 26. Old Dominion, which has captured the past 14 CAA titles, was an overwhelming favorite to repeat as conference champion. JMU welcomes back all five starters from its 18-11 team of a year ago, including a pair of all-conference performers. The CAA sent a pair of teams to postseason play for the fifth consecutive year, and hopes are high for 2005-06 as eight of the league's 12 teams return the majority of their starting lineups.

JMU Athletics will host its first Basketball Tip-Off Dinner Nov. 11 at JMU's College Center. The evening will begin with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m.; dress is black-tie optional. The event will feature ESPN commentator Jay Bilas; voice of the JMU Dukes, Mike Schikman; and men's and women's basketball coaches Dean Keener and Kenny Brooks. Reservations may be made through JMU's Athletics ticket office at the JMU Convocation Center (telephone number, 540-568-3853 (JMU-DUKE), or online at the Athletics Web site. Event information is available on JMU's Athletics Web site, www.JMUSports.com.

October on the gridiron was not kind to JMU's Dukes. James Madison, playing its homecoming game Oct. 29, lost for the third straight week in Atlantic 10 play and fell to 4-4 overall and to 2-3 in the conference. The Richmond Spiders withstood a late Madison rally to beat the Dukes 18-15 and spoil Homecoming festivities at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field. The Dukes had dropped a 34-28 decision at Delaware Oct. 22, and a late field goal Oct. 15 by Massachusetts gave the Minutemen a 10-7 win over the Dukes. Next up for the Dukes is William & Mary in Williamsburg Nov. 5, followed by two home games: Villanova, Nov. 12, and Towson, Nov. 19, to close out the Dukes' regular season.

Allison Schwartz has been named to coach the women's fencing team at James Madison, succeeding Mac Shaker, who resigned in August. "This is a chance for me to make something happen with JMU fencing," said Schwartz, a 2003 JMU graduate and two-time All-America fencer for the Dukes. "JMU is a great school and, although we cannot offer scholarships, we can still offer a great education and a great time with the team." While with the Dukes, Schwartz won three state titles, three conference crowns and broke most of the school's records. She earned a bachelor's degree in sociology with a minor in public health, and she returns to JMU after working the past year and a half as an administrative coordinator at Bayada Nurses in Morristown, N.J.

• Field Hockey: JMU has qualified for the six-team Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, which will be hosted by top-seeded Old Dominion Nov. 4-6. Madison freshman midfielder/forward Melissa Stefaniak of Plymouth, Pa., was named the CAA Co-Rookie of the Week for the week ending Oct. 23. Former Madison field hockey coach Christy Morgan was named to the NCAA 25th Anniversary Field Hockey Team; Morgan coached the Dukes to the 1994 NCAA title and is the only person to win an NCAA field hockey title as a player and a coach.
• Men's Cross Country: James Madison finished second overall to William & Mary, but three JMU runners runners — junior C.W. Moran, senior Allen Carr and senior Evan Kays — placed in the top six and earned All-CAA honors at the 2005 Colonial Athletic Association Men’s Cross Country Championships Oct. 29 at UNC-Wilmington.
• Men's Soccer: James Madison, ranked 22nd by Soccer America, won a 2-1 victory over Northeastern in CAA men's soccer at the JMU Soccer Complex Oct. 30. The win improved JMU's record to 10-5-2 and 6-3-1 in conference. JMU completes regular-season play Nov. 5 at home vs. Virginia Commonwealth.
• Women's Soccer: James Madison takes on Old Dominion Nov. 1 at home in the first round of the CAA's Women's Soccer Championship. Delaware hosts William & Mary Nov. 1. In the six-team tournament, the winner of the JMU-ODU matchup will play top-seeded and defending champion VCU Nov. 4 in semifinal action. JMU is ranked fourth with an 11-7-1 (6-4-1 in CAA). entertains #5 Old Dominion (12-6-0, 6-5-0). Both matches will kick off at 7 p.m.
• Volleyball: James Madison cruised past UNC-Wilmington, 30-13, 30-18, 30-24, in CAA volleyball action Oct. 30 at Hanover Hall. JMU improved to 13-9 overall and evens its conference mark at 7-7. UNCW, meanwhile, sees its brief two-match winning streak halted and dip to 5-19 and 1-14. JMU hosts William & Mary in CAA play Nov. 4 with a 7 p.m. match. The Seahawks visit Coastal Carolina Monday for a 7 p.m. non-conference tilt.