A 100 percent Duke product, Matthew Ashby Barker, is named for Ashby Hall, where his father, Frank ('75), first declared his love to Matthew's mother, Debbie ('75).

 Madison Moniker

It's cool to be named after a school

Some alumni have such fond feelings for their college days that their children will never live it down. These alumni have actually named their children for JMU. Really. Luckily, these Madison Monikers do have a certain ring to them, so it's not outrageous to praise these alumni for both their school spirit and exquisite taste.

JMU freshman legacy Matthew Ashby Barker ('04) is a constant reminder to his parents, Frank and Debbie Sheeler Barker of Fairfax Station, of their college days. They met as students at JMU and both graduated in 1975. "I lived in Ashby Hall my last three years at JMU, and Ashby is where I first told Debbie that I loved her." Frank says. "So Ashby Hall is dear to our hearts, and we gave that middle name to our son."

Matt lives in Shorts Hall and majors in English. "I think it's cool that Mom and Dad loved JMU so much that I take a piece of it with me every day," he says. "Besides, listening to some of dad's stories, it could have been worse."

His father explains, "My first date with Debbie was watching Night of the Living Dead in Wilson Hall on Halloween. We could have named our son Wilson, but then everyone would mistake him for Tim Allen's neighbor on Home Improvement."

The Barkers' explanation is a direct result of a question by Missy Heft Dudley ('89), who wanted to know how many alumni had named their children "Madison." Montpelier posed the question to readers a few issues ago and extended the tally to include pets. Here are the Madison Moniker results, not counting the Madisons who show up from time to time in Class Notes and "Future Dukes."

Alumni gave the name Madison to 18 daughters in the Web tally. "We thought Madison would be a name unique to Dukes," says Kitra Kraus Hunter ('86), "but little did we know that the movie Splash would come out and the mermaid would be named Madison. Now it's a trendy name, but we wouldn't have it any other way." Hunter lives in Columbus, Ohio, with Doug ('85), and their daughter, Madison Eleanor Leigh Hunter, who says, "It's cool to be named after a school."

Paul and Cathryne Clay Doss ('83) named their daughter Madison because, Cathryne says, "My heart belongs to JMU. I thought Madison was a unique name, but I am proud to see that she shares the name with many future Dukes."

Alumni have named pets for the university, because as Sandra Bottoms ('83) explains, "My golden retriever, Madison, reminds me of all my JMU buds." Other dog lovers, cat aficionados and a cockatiel owner shared their favorite pet stories and animal magnetism for the name Madison.

Linda Braithwaite Flamm ('89/'90M) of Moseley named her cockatiel Madison before attending JMU because "that was the only place I wanted to go to school," she says. "I have a black lab named Duke, and so what if he's not a bull dog? I named him for the mascot because I'm proud of my school."

Nicole Asmar ('99) of McLean got her lab/collie mix while still a senior and named him Madison. "What better way to remember the best four years of my life?" she says.

Class of 1988 graduates David and Susan Truslow Alevy of Orange Park, Fla., married in 1998 at the Joshua Wilton House, "in the 'Burg," and adopted their dog, Madison, on their wedding anniversary. Luckily there have been no submissions for pets named 'Burg.

When Leasa Neaves ('92) moved to Los Angeles she says she was "homesick for Virginia. … When my cat was born I knew I had to call her Madison. I sing her the Madison fight song all the time and she loves it."

Christine Bilbrey ('91) of Alexandria says she also sang the fight song to her kitten, Madison James. "Even though he only lived a year, I loved him dearly and he reminded me of four great years at JMU," Bilbrey says.

Other unique variations on the pet version of Madison Moniker included dogs and cats named Duke, Maddie, Dolley Duke, Molly Madison and Madi-Cat, a.k.a. James Madison Quick, the latter owned by Kevin ('94) and Valerie Reinhardt Quick ('96) of Scottsville.

JMU alumni are not alone. For the last five years, Madison has been among the top 20 most popular U.S. names for newborn girls.

Click here to see the final Madison Moniker tally.

Story by Michelle Hite ('88)