Captain Bartholomew Gosnold:

"Prime Mover of the Colonization of Virginia"

(1571 - 1607)

by A. Jane Chambers

interred with a captain's leading staff.

This is likely the grave of Captain Bartholomew Gosnold,

the "prime moving" force behind the "plantation" here at Jamestown.

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Published August 3, 2018

CNC Commencement Exercises, 1963 –1970:

Programs, Photos, and Facts

by A. Jane Chambers

Commencement 1965 in the Lecture Room of Newport Hall. Far left: Jim Windsor (dark suit) and Scotty Cunningham (back to camera). DEGREE RECIPIENTS (standing, not all visible) are in reverse alphabetical order and identified from right (aisle) to left. First row (R-L): Tom Witty, Ellen Wirt, next probably Charles E. Watkins, Jr., Gayle Stanley (now Walters), next probably Fred Smallwood, deceased, & Pat Shaughnessy (now Morrell). Second row (R-L): Gwen Seidler (Stevens, deceased), Jennifer Riley (now Watson), Jean Regone (now Henry), then probably David Rabinowitz], next probably Alexander Phillips, deceased, and Ray Pepe (with glasses). Third row (R-L): Patty Moore (now Schwarzman), Ed Mirmelstein, Glenn Lawson, next probably Sally Krym (now Dafashy), then hidden people (probably Pat Hemeter, now Spriggs, & Jack Harrison, Robert Gray, then probably Kathie Scott Fitzgerald, & (half-hidden, with glasses & at curtain, Ben Ellis. Fourth row: Behind Patty Moore is (quite likely) Irene Christofi (now Leopold), then (probably) Rick Bennett & John Bane. Photo from Christopher Newport University, by Sean M. Heuvel (Arcadia, 2009), p. 23.

           The 1967 commencement (program above, provided by Jane Briggs Matney) was also held in Newport’s Lecture Room. This class was the first to have a processional and recessional, with the CNC Choir providing the music. That year and the next two, the College’s first Dean of the Faculty, W. Stephen Sanderlin, Jr., presented the degree candidates rather than Dean James C. Windsor, and more high profile people served as commencement speakers—for example, Parke S. Rouse, Jr., Director of the Jamestown Foundation, in 1967, and William and Mary’s President Davis Y. Paschall in 1968. Commencement 1968 (program above provided by Nelson D. Baer) was the first graduation ceremony held inside the recently completed Ratcliffe Gymnasium, with the Tactical Air Command Band from Langley Air Force Base providing music for the processional, recessional, and a musical interlude. This commencement was followed by a dedication of the recently completed Captain John Smith Library and a presentation to the library of a portrait of Director Cunningham, followed by a reception in the library (see below article).

           The above Daily Press article, with two photos, is from Saturday morning, JUNE 8, 1968, and fully describes both the previous (June 7) Friday afternoon commencement exercises at CNC and the following dedication of the recently opened Captain John Smith Library, which also included presentation to the library of an oil painting of H. Westcott Cunningham. Vera Knez England recently found this article inside her 1968 Trident yearbook. We are delighted to add it to our collection of CNC memorabilia.

          A first for members of the Degree Class of 1969 was having their diplomas handed to them by Davis Y. Paschall, President of William and Mary, rather than by Scotty Cunningham. Also reflected in this program (provided by Susan Wood Frith) is Cunningham’s recent promotion by William and Mary to Provost of CNC rather than Director. The speaker this June was another important person in CNC’s history, John H. (Jack) Willis, Jr., Assistant Vice President at William and Mary and that college’s liaison to CNC. The Reception was again, as in 1968, in Smith Library. The Degree Class of 1970 (program provided by Tim Hester) was the last to graduate under the leadership of H. Westcott Cunningham, who recently had been promoted to President of our College. This class was also the first to be presented for degrees by CNC’s second Dean of the Faculty, H. Marshall Booker. Note that the Reception was held in the recently opened Wingfield Hall, the third classroom building on campus. Six in this class were at the junior level when awarded the 2-year degree and completed the 4-year degree at CNC in 1971—Martha Gustin, Tim Hester, "Mac" McGlaun, Ronald Mitchell, Martha Muguira (now deceased), and Cheryl Wolfe.

          A new era began with Commencement 1971, to be the subject of another website article. Stay tuned!

*CNC's first A.A. degree was awarded to Lois Wright on June 8, 1962, in an private service in the Office of Director Cunningham, with Lois’s parents present. Lois was one of 13 students who enrolled the opening year, September 1961, as sophomores and the only one to earn the degree. See her interesting essay “The Graduating Class of One” in Memories of Christopher Newport College: The First Decade, pages 182-185.

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Published June 8, 2018

Updated June 22, 2018

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Published 2014

Republished May 25, 2018

CNC's First Shoe Lane Building:

Christopher Newport Hall

(1964 - 2008)

by A. Jane Chambers

          Glued to page 5 of CNC'S second yearbook, the 1965 Trident, is the above photo of Newport Hall. Those who own copies of this yearbook--with this photo and also a color photo of professor Usry, to whom the yearbook was dedicated (p. 10)--possess a rare gem. Not only is there no other CNC yearbook with color photographs, but also, to my knowledge, there is no other professional color photograph of the first building on the Shoe Lane campus of Christopher Newport taken the year of its completion.

          Ground was broken for Newport Hall in January of 1964. Local architect Forrest Coile, Jr. designed the brick building, for which he developed a distinct style he called "contemporary oriental," which he would use also for CNC's future buildings. Local builder J. M. Jordan & Co. completed construction in 9 months, so that it was ready for use when the fall semester opened in early September (Memories, p. 16). The 24,000 square-foot building cost $320,000 (Serving, p. 48).

          The above artistic rendering of Newport Hall is from the inside of the front cover of the college's first yearbook, the 1964 Trident, published while CNC was still in downtown Newport News, in the old Daniel building. Evident in this picture is the arrangement of the building into three parts--two one-story units in the front, and a much larger two-story unit behind them--the three connected by a covered breezeway with a slate floor.

          The left front unit housed CNC's library from fall 1964 until fall 1967 and was staffed by library director Bette Mosteller, acquisitions assistant Jean Garner (later Barger), and cataloging assistant Lorena Elder (later Smith). Jean and Lorena were early CNC alumnae. Although small, this first Shoe Lane library was a popular place for students to study (photo left below, from Memories, p. 159). All of the bookcases and library shelves for it were built by CNC's first building and grounds superintendent, the multi-talented Mike Cazaras.

          When the Captain John Smith Library opened, this Newport Hall unit then became the home of the college bookstore from 1968 until completion of the original Campus Center building in 1973. The bookstore manager was Jackie Haskins, shown above right with CNC's first business manager, Tom Dunaway (photo from Memories, p. 158). Jackie inherited Mike's bookcases and shelves, of course.

          The right front unit was a lecture hall with theater-like tiered seating for slightly over 200 people. It was used for everything from faculty meetings and biology lectures to dramatic productions and graduation ceremonies--and more. Many assemblies were held here, including several commencements. Frances Kitchen's Dramatic Workshop students staged plays here, including the first three-act drama at CNC: Archibald McLeish's JB, in 1966, with the lead role played by student Charles Milne, who decades later would become Dean of the Tisch School of Performing Arts at New York University. And I remember teaching freshman English to Riverside nursing students here when classroom space was scarce.

          The photo left above (from Memories, p. 37) shows then-Director H. Westcott (Scotty) Cunningham addressing incoming freshmen at their Orientation in the lecture hall. Notice the not-so-comfortable seats, which had pull-up desks hanging from their sides. The exit with steps and landing visible here had its twin, the room's entrance, on the opposite side. The other photo (from the 1965 Trident, p. 78) shows students performing in that some room at a musical event called a Hootenanny.

          The photo below, from CNU's Archives, was taken in the lecture hall on June 4, 1965, during Spring Commencement. Facing the 27 A.A. degree recipients are (left) James C. (Jim) Windsor, then student personnel officer, and (back to viewers) Scotty Cunningham. The women degree recipients are wearing white dresses; the men, dark suits with white shirts and dark ties. Notice the closed drapes at the windows--used to block out sunlight. Why? Because there was no air conditioning in this room. Both of these one-story units had groups of tall narrow windows, with louvered crank-out window panes (see photo two above) that let in almost no air. All three units of Newport Hall were built to be air conditioned; however, no funding for that cooling would be available until 1968.

          The largest and most important part of Newport Hall was the two-story classroom building behind the separate lecture hall and library (later the bookstore). The above photo, which shows that building from the back, looking toward the original library unit, is from Memories, p. 18 (reprinted from the 1966 Trident).

          Newport's classroom building was connected to the front units by a covered breezeway with a floor of rectangular black slates. In the middle of the breezeway on each side were brick units with inset cement benches. The photo left below, from the 1966 Trident, shows part of that breezeway behind some students. The right photo, from Memories, p. 71 (reprinted from the 1968 Trident), shows a student studying on one of the benches. None of the students in these two pictures have been identified.

          The 1964-65 academic year at CNC was novel. Because there was not yet a science building (Gosnold Hall, which would open in Fall 1965), on some days students taking both science courses and humanities courses had to travel back and forth between midtown (Shoe Lane) and downtown (32nd Street) Newport News, because their science classes and professors were in the Daniel building, whereas their other classes and professors were in Newport Hall. The class schedule had to be set up to allow for 30 minute travel breaks between these classes. Also, until the Smith Hall and Library complex opened (Fall 1967), all of the administration and library personal and offices had to be housed in Newport Hall too. Consequently, Newport Hall during the 1964-65 session virtually was the college.

          When it opened, the two-story building meant to house only classrooms and professors' offices was thus a chameleon. The first floor temporarily housed the Registration and Admissions Office (headed by Nancy Ramseur), the Business Office (headed by Tom Dunaway), the Director's Office (Mr. Cunningham and secretary Edna Carney), and the Student Personal Office (headed by Jim Windsor). These administrators, with their staffs, filing cabinets, and offices, took up all of the back side of the building's first floor. 

          On the opposite, or front, side of the hallway the rooms meant to be classrooms temporarily served various functions. One room housed the Peninsula Art Association (PAA), which would later become the Peninsula Fine Arts Center (PFAC). The photo left, from Memories, p. 16, shows two unidentified PAA members with Scotty Cunningham. In the summer of 2020, CNU plans to open a $50.5 million Fine Arts Center that will be the new home of both its Department of Fine Arts and Art History and the Peninsula Fine Arts Center (PFAC).

          Another room on this same side of the first floor housed the Student Lounge, with snack and soft drink machines and tables and chairs. I think student clubs shared a third room along with student publications (the Trident yearbook and the Captain's Log newspaper). Restrooms for men and women were left and right of the row of "classrooms" on this side of the floor, facing the staircases to the second floor.

          In 1967, when the administrative and student personnel people moved into their new home, Smith Hall, the space they had occupied in Newport Hall became the college's first Computer Center, headed by Graham Pillow, shown right working at his keypunch machine (1969 Trident photo, p. 25). Because these first computers, unlike people, could not tolerate humid conditions, the Computer Center became the first place in Newport Hall to be air conditioned--and Graham's popularity increased accordingly. People stopped by to see him on especially hot and humid days.

          The politicians in Richmond were very pleased that Newport Hall was relatively inexpensive to build and maintain, as would be the additional buildings designed by Forrest Coile Jr. and constructed by W. M. Jordan. The first floors in all of these were made of black slate embedded in cement (outside breezeways and entrances) and (inside)Terrazzo--a half-inch mixture of tinted cement combined with chips of marble, glass or other aggregates spread over a concrete slab. These floors were easy to clean and indestructible. The photo left, with Nancy Ramseur and Barry Wood, (1966 Trident) shows the Terrazzo floor in Newport Hall, plus another cost-effective feature there and in the other Coile buildings: interior cinder-block walls.

          I spent over 25 years on the second floor of Newport Hall, which had classrooms on both sides in the middle and eight double-occupancy faculty offices at the ends (4 per end), plus restrooms. My corner office, next to the women's restroom, was room 209. I shared it at various times with Jean Regone (later Henry), then Martha Kerlin, and lastly, for many years, Burnam MacLeod. Except for the metal filing cabinets and the wooden bookcases built by Mike Cazaras, CNC's supervisor of buildings and grounds, all of the furniture in all of the offices and classrooms in Newport Hall was made by prisoners from the state penitentiary in Richmond. Virginia both saved and earned money from this arrangement. These sturdy, heavy desks, chairs, and tables of blond wood were built to last forever too.

          The photo here is from Memories, p. 79 (reprinted from the 1966 Trident). Studying at one of those study desks in an empty Newport Hall classroom is Wade Williams ('68), not identified until after publication. Places to study in Newport included the small library, the student lounge (usually noisy), temporarily empty classrooms (scarce), and--at least for women--the second floor women's restroom, which included a cot. A modern touch in the classrooms was green chalkboards instead of the traditional black.

          All of the windows in Newport had black marble sills deep enough to serve as bookshelves. The windows were fixed, however, with small transoms at the bottom that opened inward only inches. The building was designed to be air conditioned, but money for that luxury was not approved until 1968. There were also no curtains, drapes, blinds or shades on any of the windows, adding to the serious heat problem in four or more months of the year during the first three years of the building's use. Today's public schools close if the air conditioning doesn't work. CNC never closed.

SOURCES:

The cost and square footage details of Newport Hall are from p. 48 of Phillip Hamilton's Serving the Old Dominion: A History of Christopher Newport University, 1958-2011 (Mercer Univ. Press, 2011). All other information in this article is from my personal knowledge and/or Memories of Christopher Newport College: The First Decade, 1961-1971, by A. Jane Chambers, Rita C. Hubbard, & Lawrence Barron Wood Jr. (Hallmark Publishing, 2008).

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Published April 27, 2018

The Forward Leap of

CNC's Sports Programs: 1967- 68

by A. Jane Chambers

          A major leap forward in sports programs occurred at CNC in the academic year 1967-68, made possible by two major events in the Fall Semester: the opening of Ratcliffe Gymnasium and the addition of two athletic coaches, Bev Vaughan (men's basketball) and Jim Hubbard (men's track). The variety of intercollegiate and intramural sports available for both male and female students expanded significantly, as shown in the 1968 Trident, which devoted 17 pages (50-67) to sports, plus a full page each to the first cheerleaders (p. 40) and the first Women's Recreational Association (p. 82).

RATCLIFFE GYMNASIUM

          CNC's first gymnasium, which cost some half-million dollars (in today's dollars, $3.75 million) was named after Captain John Ratcliffe (1549 - 1609), one of the founders of the Jamestown Colony in 1607. He captained the Discovery, the smallest of the three ships in the fleet led by Captain Christopher Newport (1561-1617). CNC's first building on the Shoe Lane campus was named after Newport (who commanded the lead ship, the Susan Constant) and its second building after Captain Bartholomew Gosnold (1571-1607), who captained the Godspeed.

Ratcliffe Gymnasium included offices and classrooms as well as men's and women's lockers and two gymnasiums: one that could seat up to 1000 people and another, much smaller, that was used only by women students. These were often called the "Men's Gym" and the "Women's Gym." In addition to sports practices and events such as basketball games and indoor track meets, Ratcliffe's larger gym was also used for events such as commencements and class registration periods each semester. Both gyms were also used for required physical education classes for all students.

COACHES HUBBARD and VAUGHAN

          Jim Hubbard (above left) and Bev Vaughan (right) both came to CNC in the 1967-68 year. Both were hired by then-Director "Scotty" Cunningham, and, like Cunningham, were William and Mary alumni, with B.S. and M. Ed. degrees. Cunningham and Vaughan both worked for W&M before coming to CNC, Cunningham as W&M's Dean of Admissions and Vaughan as instructor and assistant coach of men's basketball.

          In his essay "Of Track Shoes, Golf Balls, and Athletic Supporters" (Memories of Christopher Newport College: The First Decade, pp. 110 -117), Jim Hubbard tells us that while he was teaching and coaching at Warwick High School, in Newport News, he heard that CNC was building a gymnasium and looking for a track coach to replace Raoul Weinstein, who was leaving the area. He applied for the position and was immediately hired as track coach and instructor and chairman of the newly created Physical Education Department. In Vaughan's essay "Setting the Sail: Launching the Men's Basketball Program" (Memories of Christopher Newport College, pp. 116 - 124), Bev tells us that when he was completing his first year of teaching and coaching at W&M, Scotty Cunningham phoned him and asked if he'd like to be CNC's first basketball coach. He also taught physical education as part of his contract.

          Having the gymnasium and these two male coaches gave CNC an impressive leap forward in male sports. As the title of his Memories book essay reflects, Coach Vaughan "launched" the men's basketball program. He created CNC's first intercollegiate men's basketball team (photo above)-- doing everything from recruiting and coaching the 15 players (without benefit of any athletic scholarships) to ordering their uniforms and equipment, buying the ticket rolls, and getting Mike Cazares to create a homemade scoreboard. The team lost its first game, played at Ratcliffe against Fork Union Military Academy (Dec. 5, 1967), and had a rocky first year (8 wins and 11 losses), but grew steadily in skills and talent in subsequent years, eventually having sold-out seats under Vaughan. Although intercollegiate men's track began at CNC with Coach Raoul Weinstein, that sport grew significantly under Coach Hubbard, and in addition to outdoor track and cross-country teams, he launched the first indoor men's track team at CNC.

          Another first that year was the first cheerleading squad, posing above in Ratcliffe Gymnasium. Cheerleading was not yet considered a sport, so the Trident put it on a page of its own (p. 40) instead of within the Sports section (pp. 50 - 67). Although I had no experience of my own in cheerleading, I was picked to be the cheerleaders' sponsor. CNC did not yet have a bus, so players and cheerleaders had to go to and from the away games by personal cars. My 1966 silver blue Mustang was a popular choice, but could hold only 4 of the 10 cheerleaders.

          Assistant Professor Lillian Seats formed the first intercollegiate sport for women that fall: field hockey. Title IX had not yet happened, so there were no "store-bought" uniforms, just white blouses and gym class skirt-shorts, paid for by the players. In the following school year (1968-69), Biology Professor Jean Pugh would coach the first women's basketball team. Dr. Pugh paid "a little old lady in Gloucester" to embroider "CNC" and team numbers on the players' blouses. Neither team won any games its first year, but time would bring improvements.

INTRAMURAL TEAMS and GROWING SPORTS CHOICES

          Intramural sports at CNC began almost as soon as the College opened in the old Daniel School building. For example, the students had a bowling league by the second year (1962-63). A Daily Press photograph dated May 7, 1963 shows the best team, the Parasites, holding trophies for highest league scores, awarded at a banquet held in Vic Zodda's and paid for by professor Robert M. Usry. The Student Government Association (SGA) and, by 1965-66, the newly formed Student Athletic Association (SAA) played major roles in the steady growth of intramurals, which sometimes crossed over into something like intercollegiate status, as when, for example, in 1966 CNC defeated ODC 28 - 8 in a flag football match. In 1967-68, student John Morris started the move for the first men's intercollegiate tennis team. Morris also became CNC's first Director of Intramurals.

          Intramural teams continued to thrive in 1967-68, with flag football still popular (photo above), but soon losing its number one spot to men's basketball--football having only 2 pages to basketball's 4 in the Trident. With the opening of Ratcliffe Gymnasium, however, along with increased use of adjuncts, CNC was able to offer students more choices of activities than before. Also, by requiring students to fulfill 4 credits of physical education courses, the pool of potential athletes grew.

          In her essay "Women Made It Happen: Building the Women's Sports Program" (Memories of Christopher Newport College, pp. 102 - 109), Dr. Mary Lu Royall describes how The Women's Recreation Association (WRA), formed by Lillian Seats in 1968, greatly increased participation in women's sports. The WRA (photo above) had a point system enabling members playing individual and team sports to earn awards and letters in field hockey, basketball, gymnastics, bowling, volleyball, softball, badminton, archery and golf (p. 104). Added also to women's choices was modern dance, taught by adjunct Mrs. O'Connell (photo below).

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Published February 2, 2018

CNC's First Sorority:

Pi Kappa Sigma

by A. Jane Chambers

with information and photos from

CNC's first PKS sisters

and Trident yearbooks of 1971 and 1972

          Greek life at CNC began in the Spring semester of the academic year 1969-70, a time when CNC was transitioning from a 2-year to a 4-year institution. The first fraternity, Chi Psi Omega (CPO),* and the first sorority, Pi Kappa Sigma (PKS), sprang to life almost simultaneously. Both Greek organizations were initiated by students, some of whom were juniors looking forward to being among those in the first CNC class to receive baccalaureate degrees, in Spring 1971. Original PKS member Candy Hixson Whitley recalls, "A group of us started [PKS] in Terry Gooding's living room." Dr. Ruth Mulliken agreed to be the sorority's sponsor.

          The 1971 Trident devoted 2 full pages each to the fraternity (pp. 46 & 47) and to the sorority (pp. 48 & 49) and printed for each a list of officers, brief summaries of the first year's activities, and both group and action photos. Unfortunately, however, the above group photo of the sorority (PKS) shows 21 members but gives only 16 names--alphabetically. Readers can't tell who is who. Since the 1972 Trident photo was better in quality and identifications, I chose it to headline this article.

          Although the fraternity was able to rent a modest house off campus for meetings and social events, the sorority had to hold such events primarily on campus or at members' homes. The color photos above and below, courtesy of PKS member Pamela (Pam) Vaughan, show a few such meetings. The 1971 CNC classroom scene shows (L-R) members Janie Riley, Kay Johnson (later Hogan), and Debbie Mello. I am guessing that Kay is being gifted with flowers since her marriage would have been about this time. The other picture shows Linda Watson at a Candle Ceremony at her home.

          The above two April 1972 photos were also made in a member's home. Notice that bell bottom jeans and long straight hair were quite fashionable. In the first photo are (L-R) Linda Watson, Debbie Breault (in yellow with back to camera), Janie Riley, someone unidentified (blond in red with back to camera), Kay Johnson (later Hogan) , Joy Beard (later Schank) , Beth Brannan, and in the foreground, Pam Sanderson (later Duncan). The second photo shows (L-R) again Janie Riley, Kay Johnson (Hogan), Joy Beard--plus Kathy Lovell, someone unknown, and Lynn Walker (later Brothers). Sadly, Debbie Breault and Janie Riley are deceased.

          The group picture at the beginning of this article shows some of the Pi Kappa Sigma women wearing the sorority's jacket, which was navy blue with red Greek letters--the official colors of PKS. Dinah Murphy Everett sent this picture of it.

          If the women of PKS continued to be as active at CNC as they were that first year, they were a busy bunch indeed! According to page 48 of the 1971 Trident , PKS's college and community activities included awarding a two hundred dollar scholarship to a CNC student for the 1971-72 session, in memory of CNC history professor Robert Madison Usry (died Spring semester, 1971), donating clothing for patients at Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg, and donating fruit-filled Easter baskets for patients in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Hampton--all of which required fund-raising work. The sorority also engaged in such social functions as school dances, beer blasts, pool parties, and a banquet for the graduating seniors.

          PKS members who received their baccalaureate degrees in the historic Spring 1971 class included Dinah Murphy Everett, Mary Fowler, Terry Gooding, Kay Johnson Hogan, Lynn Walker Brothers, and Cheryl Wolfe Chisom. Two others completed their bachelor degrees in the second 4-year class, 1972: Carolyn Cocke Stallings and Pamela Vaughan.

          Several of the sorority women were married during or shortly after their time at CNC and shared that event with their PKS sisters. Dinah Murphy Everett sent the above picture from her wedding (March 27, 1971). Celebrating with the bride were (L-R) Mary Fowler (later Scott), Cheryl Wolfe (later Chisom), Linda Gray (not in PSK), Linda Watson, Dinah, Lynn Walker (later Brothers), Janie Riley, Terry Gooding, Kay Johnson (later Hogan), and (maybe?) Kathy Lovell.

          That CNC's two first Greek organizations would interact socially was inevitable, resulting in close friendships and even, in a few cases, marriages. For example, Candy Hixson and boyfriend David Whitley (later her husband) attended numerous CPO fraternity parties, developing lifelong friendships with fraternity members. Also, first CPO treasurer (then president) Doug Duncan married PKS member Pam Sanderson; they are still married four decades later, as are Roman and Melinda Schenkkan.

          Life has a way of separating people from each other. Careers, marriages, children, relocations--these and other natural circumstances often create unintended distances between us and people once close to us, and/or between us and the institutions once central in our lives. However, some members of CNC's first sorority--like some members of its first fraternity--have remained in close touch with some of their 1970s Greek siblings, and for some, Christopher Newport is still an important part of their lives.

* A June 9, 2017 article on Chi Psi Omega is located in our Website Archives, under the subtab First Decade History.

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Published December 22, 2017

Cunningham Welcome Center Naming:

A CNU Milestone

by A. Jane Chambers

"While our beautiful campus has changed over the years,

Scotty's values and vision are always evident."

CNU President Paul Trible

          They came from Maryland and northern Virginia--three generations of Cunninghams--to witness and participate in this CNU milestone: the naming of the university's Welcome Center to honor the memory and historical importance of Christopher Newport's first president, H. Westcott ("Scotty") Cunningham (died 2007). The above photo, taken in front of a portrait of Scotty located in the Center, shows (L-R) Sean and Meg Miller (son-in-law and daughter of Ann Cunningham Stachura), Andrew Davis (Ann's son), Cecil Cary ("Cecy") Cunningham (Scotty's widow), Mel Stachura (Ann's husband), Ann Stachura ( Cecy and Scotty's daughter), and the two sons of Todd Cunningham (Cecy and Scotty's deceased son), Todd Cunningham, Jr. and Jack Cunningham. Unable to attend was Ann's other son, Scott Davis. With one exception, all pictures in this article are official CNU photographs.

          Several hundred people gathered on Friday afternoon, December 1, 2017, on the second floor of the new Newport Hall for the joyful event of the naming of the Cunningham Welcome Center. The two Cunninghams who spoke were Mrs. Cecy Cunningham (above, at the podium) and daughter Ann (beside her). The audience stood and applauded loudly when Cecy came to the podium. "I am so pleased about the Welcome Center," she said, "and also delighted to return to a place that holds such happy memories for me." She thanked Paul and Rosemary Trible for "planning this wonderful tribute."

          Shown above are (L-R) Paul Trible, Cecy, Ann, Rosemary Trible, and Scott Millar, Rector of CNU's Board of Visitors. In his speech, President Trible noted that "While our beautiful campus has changed over the years, with new buildings and programs emerging in support of the remarkable students who call Christopher Newport home, Scotty’s values and vision are always evident." Explaining the purpose of the Welcome Center, he said also that "We want every individual who visits this campus to be reminded of Scotty’s life of significance and his many contributions to our success."  During his speech, President Trible recognized the First Decaders and me and we were applauded.

          The other CNU speaker (far right above) was alumnus Scott Millar ('85), Rector of CNU's Board of Visitors. “Earlier this year, we opened the doors to the Gregory P. Klich Alumni House," he began, "a place that honors our history and serves as a marvelous spot for all of our alumni to gather when they return home. Today, we honor our history again and name our official welcome center, which greets thousands of future Captains each year, after our first leader and our first Captain.” Appropriately, Scotty Cunningham, who commanded a PT boat in the Pacific in World War II, retired from the Naval Reserves at the rank of Captain.

          This photo especially shows the beautiful gold lettering behind the Welcome Center's desk and a few of the numerous holiday decorations in the very large room. The centerpiece dominating the room was a huge Christmas tree, part of which is visible in the next picture.

          In the foreground above (L-R) are Rosemary Trible, Cecy, and Paul Trible. The white-haired and white-bearded gentleman very far left is not Santa, but well-known lawyer Bobby Hatten, who is the nephew of Barry Wood. Among the many guests were emeriti faculty including Barry Wood, Ron Mollick, and Mario Mazzarella. Some of our CNC First Decaders I saw there were siblings Cecelia and Sonny short, Ellen Wirt, Corky Brooks, Wayne Rammell, and Jan Clarke. I'm sure there were more among the large crowd.

          Posing with the Cunningham clan in this photograph are (far L) Paul and Rosemary Trible and (far R) Rector Scott Millar, who is related to professors Al Millar (deceased) and Marshall Booker. The portrait of Scotty behind them is at the entrance to a large auditorium, behind this central room, used for occasions such as orientation for incoming freshmen. At some point, every CNU student enters this Cunningham Welcome Center. Now, none of them can attend CNU without learning about its founding president.

          Before the 3:30 Welcome Center celebration at Newport Hall, the Cunningham family visited CNU's Klich Alumni House, which most had not yet seen. Hosted by members of CNU's Alumni Relations Office, family members particularly enjoyed seeing the Cunningham Memorabilia on exhibit there, including Scotty's dress naval uniform, academic regalia, and, in a display case, many photographs and other interesting items. Standing beside the exhibit are (L-R, front) Sean and Meg Miller (Ann's daughter and son-in-law), Cecy, Ann and, in the back, Andrew Davis (Ann's son) and Mel Stachura (Ann's husband).

          Cecy is shown above pointing to one of her favorite color photos of Scotty and her during their years at what was then CNC. The materials in this display were all donated to CNU by the Cunningham family, along with numerous documents from Scotty's decade at CNC (1960 - 69) that have not yet been fully catalogued.

          This was Cecy's second visit to the Alumni House, and once again, she enjoyed time at the piano with Kenneth Kidd, CNU's Student Body President, who is also an Alumni Relations Office Intern. The two enjoyed singing together while Kenneth played a few of her favorite songs. Thanks to Kenneth for providing this lovely photo of Christopher Newport's First Lady and himself.

          It is appropriate that the Cunningham Welcome Center is located in the second building at Christopher Newport that is named Newport Hall (photo above). The first Newport Hall, completed in 1964--now but a memory--was the first building on the "New Campus," called by some the "Shoe Lane Campus" or "Shoe U." The Center is on the second floor of Newport. To visit it, take the building's elevator and turn left when you exit at floor 2. Straight down the hall you will enter the very impressive Cunningham Welcome Center. Ask also at the desk to see the auditorium. And before you leave Newport Hall, ask for directions to Klich Alumni House--also well worth your time.

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Golden Anniversary December 16:

Tom and Joanne Hochheimer

by Miss Marple

          CNC First Decaders J. Thomas Hochheimer ('65) and Joanne Clark Hochheimer ('66) celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on December 16, 2017. Tom posted the above wedding photo on Facebook, along with this comment: "Fifty years ago, we made the best decision of our lives together. It's been a fabulous ride, and gets better every year." The recent photo is also from Facebook. Tom and Joanne reside in Waterloo, SC. I trust they will be pleased to see this item here.

1961-62 Times-Herald Article

about CNC's First Lady:

Cecil Carey Cunningham

by A. Jane Chambers

Article provided by

Ann Cunningham Stachura

           The content in this undated Times-Herald article, recently located among Ann Cunningham Stachura's family treasures, indicates that this article was written the first year that CNC was opened, 1961-62. At that time, Newport New's Daily Press printed two newspapers: the Daily Press (mornings) and the Times-Herald (afternoons). The reporter, Phyllis Wallace, is identified at the article's beginning as the newspaper's "Women's Writer," which meant she wrote articles only about and for women. Segregation of the sexes was still strong then, so newspapers had sections called "Society" or "Women's News.

          Webmaster Ron Lowder has made this newspaper article more readable by copying it in four pieces. Above is the text. One noticeable trait of "women's" articles half-a-century ago was providing details of the subject's physical appearance. Mrs. Cunningham is described as "the attractive newcomer," "the slim dark-haired" woman, and "the petite" lady. Of course, all of these phrases described her quite accurately then--and still do. However, in a Daily Press article on Mr. Cunningham written about the same time (1962), there are no such physical descriptions of him. *

          The reporter interviewed CNC's First Lady at the Cunningham's Newport News home in Brandon Heights, even giving the address. In this century, I don't think home addresses of prominent people are generally given to the public like this. People felt safer in their homes in the 1960s.

          One significant detail missing in this article is Cecil Carey (Cecy) Cunningham's being, like Scotty, a graduate of The College of William and Mary. Did the reporter assume that her female readers would not be interested in such a fact? Or did it simply not occur to her to ask about her subject's academic background? The article quite naturally includes Scotty's connection with William and Mary as both student and administrator. Maybe Cecy was too polite to mention her educational connection as well.

          Above is the complete article reassembled. I hope you enjoyed reading this piece of early CNC history as much as I did.

* The website article 1962 Interview with a Renaissance Man: H. Westcott Cunningham, located in WEBSITE ARCHIVES, subtab First Decade History, prints this most interesting and informative Daily Press article.

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Published November 24, 2017

A Salute to CNC’s First Decaders

Who Served in the Military

REVISED

By A. Jane Chambers

           November 11 each year is Veterans Day, a time when we Americans remember and thank our men and women who have served, or are now serving, our nation in the military. When documenting CNC’s students of the first decade (the First Decaders), I have asked each about military service. I now have a list of 118 who served in the 1960s or later and expect to add more names as we locate more First Decaders. The list includes military branches and ranks at the times of leaving service.

           Of those on my list, 106 have been located and documented. Forty-four served in the ARMY, 31 in the NAVY, 18 in the AIR FORCE, 11 in the MARINE CORPS, and two in the COAST GUARD. Over a dozen people have not yet been located, however. This article names those veterans and asks you to help locate them.

          Thirty First Decaders served in Vietnam, where one, 1^st Lt. Richard Duncan (Ric) Bahr,* was killed in action (KIA) and several others were wounded. My brother Bob also served there, in the Air Force, at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, near Saigon. Our other First Decader KIA was Major John Patrick (Pat) Giguere,* a Cobra pilot who escaped death in Vietnam only to be shot down later (1983) in the Grenada Invasion.

           Some of our First Decaders (FDs) served overseas in other locations, as did my other brother, Tom, who remembers freezing while guarding aircraft in Goose Bay, Labrador, at the same time brother Bob was sweating while loading Agent Orange onto planes in South Vietnam. Other FDs served on the home front. Some served 2 or 3 years; others served 2 or 3 decades. ALL should be thanked and honored.

          A few of the returning veterans who attended CNC in the latter sixties formed a Veterans Club, which began in the academic year 1967-68. The only record we have of them that year comes from this informal picture and brief article (above) in the 1968 Trident (p. 80). Unfortunately, since last names are missing in this photo, it has been impossible to determine the identities of almost all of these men. We ask for your help in naming and locating them.

           There’s no record of a veterans club in the 1969 Trident. However, in the 1970 Trident, the large photograph above shows and names the 12 men and one woman in this group and also provides additional information about what the club did. The following HAVE been located and documented: Mike Beard, Steve Franklin, Paul Fisher, Vincent McGuira (deceased), Roman Schenkkan, and John Walker. Can you help us find the others in this photo? There are no further articles about or photographs of this club in the later Tridents (1971 and 1972).

* Ric Bahr is the subject of two essays by Wade Williams, located in our Website ARCHIVES under the subtab YOUR MEMORIES. A 2-part tribute to Pat Giguere is also in our website ARCHIVES under the subtab FIRST DECADE HISTORY.

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Published November 14. 2014

Revised and Republished November 10, 2017

CNC's First Intercollegiate Sport:

Men's Track:

Part 1, The Beginning

by A. Jane Chambers

          Intercollegiate sports began at CNC because a small but enthusiastic group of former peninsula high school athletes wanted to start a track team. CNC was in its fourth academic year, 1964-65, with only one building on its new campus on Shoe Lane, Newport Hall, and no gymnasium or track. Nevertheless, CNC's Dean of Students, Jim Windsor, and Director, Scotty Cunningham, approved the students' plan. CNC math instructor Raoul Weinstein agreed to be their coach, and Ferguson High School agreed to let them use its 1/5th mile track, across the street from CNC.

          The newly-born team was fortunate to have Weinstein as its coach. A former track star at Newport News High and the University of Richmond, he was also a fine teacher--intelligent, articulate and disciplined. History is fortunate also that Christopher Newport's first track coach also kept a scrapbook that includes 55 items detailing the first three years of CNC's track history. Most are newspaper clippings, still readable despite being half-a-century old. Webmaster Ron Lowder will be placing all of this material on a CD soon and giving a copy to CNU's 1961 Historical Preservation Club.

          Above is the first newspaper article in Weinstein's scrapbook. Like many of these, it does not have the name or date of the paper. However, Coach Weinstein placed these clippings from Newport News' newspapers--the Daily Press and the Times-Herald--in order of publication and the articles often include dates. The last paragraph of this first article names three of the teams' major members and their high school track achievements: Bob Deans and Jim Moore (CNC's co-captains, distance racers and sprinters) and Bob Artman (CNC hurdler; deceased, 2000). Artman also created the first CNC athletic letter design for the letter sweaters awarded to the team its opening year (photo below).

          CNC's track coach Jim Hubbard, in his essay "Of Track Shoes, Golf Balls, and Athletic Supporters," lists the others on Weinstein's first track team (based on information from Bob Deans) as Mike Payne and David Ahearn (high jumpers), Jack Harrison (shot put, discus, and javelin thrower), Ted McFalls (pole vaulter), and relay runners Dave Hall, Herminio Cuervo, Perry Depue, and Buz Vohringer (Memories of Christopher Newport College: The First Decade, p. 111).

          Listed additionally in newspaper clippings in Weinstein's scrapbook and/or in the program for the Colonial Relays of April 10, 1965, held at William and Mary, were students Harry Bennett, Norman Blankenship, David Dwyer, Mike Gordon, John Scull and two students listed by last names only: Lake, and Malami.

          Bob Deans recalled, in Jim Hubbard's above-named essay, that "this was a time of athletic Spartanism at the College." All of the track team's home meets had to be held on Ferguson's track, and without a gym, the team's members had "no lockers, no showers, and no storage facilities. They dressed out in any available boiler room or men's rest room. After meets, they had to change back into their street clothes and go back to wherever they lived to shower. And they had to store their equipment, which was meager, in a closet in the boiler room of Newport Hall" ("Of Track Shoes," in Memories, p. 112). For the earliest meets, the team did not yet even have CNC uniforms.

          The new team's first meet was on Saturday afternoon, April 3, 1965--a triangular meet held at the Newport News Shipyard Apprentice School's Athletic Field. The team faced the Apprentice school and Frederick Military Academy. Before the meet, young Coach Weinstein was twice interviewed by sports writer Hank Maloney. It was clear that Weinstein did not have high hopes for this first event. In the article "Christopher Newport to Debut In A's Triangular Track Today," he told Maloney that "We're anxious to do well but probably won't accomplish much early in the season."

          To no one's surprise, CNC came in last in that first meet. However, co-captain Jim Moore won the College's first track victory, in the mile race, and co-captain Bob Deans finished third in the 440 relay. The next morning's Daily Press (Sunday, April 4, 1965) featured the above photos of (left) Moore crossing the finish line and (right) Deans in a close third in the 440.

          Weinstein faithfully recorded every meet in his scrapbook--loss after loss that first year in meets with William and Mary's freshmen team (the Papooses), the Apprentice School (the Builders) Chowan Junior College, and freshman teams at the University of Richmond and East Carolina College.

          The one victory of that first season was on April 20, in a dual meet with Frederick Military Academy, held on Ferguson's track. The newly named CAPTAINS won 68-62. The entire College was elated. Coach Weinstein recalled decades later the "That next day, the guys walked around campus like they had won the Olympics." Bob Deans wrote that "Some of the coeds initiated a cookie sale that raised enough money to purchase a plaque to give to the team's outstanding member, Jim Moore, and Mr. Usry organized and paid for a banquet to honor the team" ("Of Track Shoes," in Memories, pp. 111-112).

          Since CNC did not have a bus until the 1967-68 academic year, its first intercollegiate team had to travel to and from away meets by car pooling. Bob Deans described how those riding with pole-vaulter Ted McFalls "often found they were riding on the wild side. An Air Force veteran, Ted drove like he was flying a plane, and he would never slow down for that railroad crossing on Oyster Point Road, which at that time was a great big hump on a two-lane road, a lot worse than that crossing on Harpersville Road. When Ted hit those tracks, everyone held on for dear life--one hand gripping the seat and the other, out the window, gripping Ted's pole, which was tied to the side-view mirror and the door handles. Amazingly, that pole always arrived intact for the meets" ("Of Track Shoes," p. 113).

          In many ways, that first year of CNC's Track Team was also a ride on the wild side. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series.

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Published August 18, 2017

CNC's First Intercollegiate Sport:

Men's Track.

Part 2, Ups and Downs

by A. Jane Chambers

          The second year of CNC's first track team, academic year 1965 - 66, was a mixture of highs and lows, positives and negatives--reflected in the 18 articles for that year in Coach Weinstein's Scrapbook--3 articles from CNC's Captain's Log and 15 from Daily Press morning and evening papers.

          Both the Log and the Daily Press predicted a stronger year than the first one. Returning were four lettermen: distance runner and sprinter Bob Deans (co-captain again), high jumper Mike Payne, pole vaulter Ted McFalls (see above photo) and high jumper David Ahearn. The above Captain's Log article described the freshmen joining them as "Bright Prospects": Lee Abrahamson, State Low Hurdle Champion his senior year at Ferguson High (now deceased); Wade Williams, sprinter and middle-distance runner (and co-captain); Joe English, high jumper; Terry Minnick, shot put and javelin; Bill Corba, broad jumper; and Bob Webb, distance runner.

          The Daily Press article "Weinstein's Captains Look Better In Track" stated, "More strength and depth in the running events should make Christopher Newport stronger in this second season," even though "graduation of John Harrison and Henry Bennett leaves some gaps in the weight picture."

          In its first meet, March 22, at Wilson High in Portsmouth, the Captains lost a close battle with Frederick Military Academy by only 5 points (75-70). The Daily Press article "Captains Set 5 Marks But Lose Track Meet" pointed out that Abrahamson, English, Hutchko, Ray, and Williams achieved "five record performances." A pattern emerged in this first meet that was to continue throughout the season: individual victories but team losses.

          The undated Captain's Log article above states the Captains had 8 first place wins in that meet. The article also gives the team's schedule and names many additional members. Three of them were located several years ago: Norman Blankenship, Wayne Rammell, and Les Pendleton. These two are deceased: Don Lake and John Dyksen (misspelled once as "Syksen"). The part about a February match is confusing, unfortunately.

          Another positive that year was that the team had what the first Log article overstated as a "Varsity Dressing Room with Lockers." In his March 27, 2015 essay on this website, Wade Williams wrote that Mike Cazares, CNC’s maintenance man, "built clothing racks in the boiler room of Newport Hall that served as the team’s locker room" ("A Tribute to Raoul Weinstein: Teacher, Coach, Mentor"). There were still no showers, however.

           Bob Deans, in Coach Jim Hubbard's essay, "Of Track Shoes," wrote about another plus that year: " Mr. Baldwin, president of the Peninsula Asphalt Company, donated material for a 140' long and 3' wide runway for the track team to use for pole vault, triple jump, and broad jump events. He didn't donate the labor, however, which had to be supplied by Coach Weinstein and his team. They were not too good at laying that asphalt, so the runway ended up rivaling a ride at Busch Gardens" (Memories of Christopher Newport College, p. 113).

          On the downside, the team's second season was marked by injuries and weaknesses in certain areas, as first recorded in the following article, written after the second meet and before the third.

           By late April, as the Captains faced the season's second meet with Frederick Military Academy, the list of injuries had grown considerably. In "Injury-Hit Christopher Newport's Trackmen Host FMA at Ferguson," the Daily Press reported that three athletes would not be able to perform: Abrahamson, suffering from an infected ankle; Deans, sidelined with a pulled muscle; and McFalls, still out with that bad ankle. The hero of that April 26th home event at Ferguson was "Iron Man" Wade Williams, shown here in an excerpt from a 1968 Trident photo on p. 61.

          Near the end of the season, Larry McCoy, of the Captain's Log, wrote a fine summary of the team's performance that is worthy of being included here.

           At the season's end, CNC history professor Robert M. Usry continued a tradition he started the first year of CNC's first intercollegiate sport. He again sponsored (paid for) a banquet for the team. Part 2 of this series ends with the following Daily Press photo for that year from Coach Weinstein's Scrapbook. Stay tuned for Part 3, covering season 3 and reflections from Weinstein.

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Published September 1, 2017

CNC's First Intercollegiate Sport:

Men's Track.

Part 3, A Blind Runner

and Weinstein's Memories

by A. Jane Chambers

Even with only ONE dual meet victory in my three years 

of coaching, there were moments of victory by an

 individual here, and a relay team there,

 that made it all worthwhile. 

  Raoul Weinstein 

          A Daily Press article in Weinstein's Scrapbook headlined "Captains' Track Coach Weinstein 'Questions' Own Sanity In Light of Program's Obstacles" stated the team's handicaps: no campus track, no showers, no scholarships. But it pointed out the team's progress: a victory over Frederick Military the first year and a seventh place finish in the State college freshmen track meet the second year. So there was hope for more progress the third year.

          Returning lettermen for the third season were distance runner and javelin thrower Wade Williams, high jumper Joe English, and 440 & 880 runner Mike Finnerty. Joining these Captains were freshmen Keith Kahle (long jumper & pole vaulter), Bob Beard (shot putter), Allan Sorrell (sprinter), Bill Smith (hurdler), Don Seymore (distance runner), Bill Leong (880 runner), Mike Riebe--and a blind distance runner: John Dunnavant.

          Before the season opened, the Times-Herald published the following upbeat article (Oct. 25, 1966), which also focused much attention on the blind student-athlete, Dunnavant (misspelled "Donavant"). Wade Williams remembers running the track with John, their little fingers linked as Wade kept him in his lane. Although John never won a race, he was an important morale booster for the team and students.

          The pattern of team losses balanced by individual wins continued this third season, reflected in several articles in Weinstein's Scrapbook. For example, after the Captains' April 11, 1967 loss to Chowan (89 - 51), the Daily Press headline was "Kahle Gains Double Win Despite Loss." The article noted that Keith Kahle won both the broad jump and pole vault events and that Joe English won the triple jump and tied for first place in the high jump. And after the team was badly beaten by Old Dominion's freshman team on April 26 (94-30), the Daily Press headline was "English, Kahle Shine Despite Captain's Loss." Sports writer Norman Covert opened by describing the Captains as "Outmanned," but then stated English won the high jump and triple jump, while Kahle set a school record in the pole vault (12'3") and was 2nd in the broad, high, and triple jumps.

          A major disadvantage for the team was that Wade Williams was "sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury" early in the season ("Kahle Gains ... Despite Loss" article). This injury knocked Williams out of competition for the rest of the season, hurting the team seriously, as had previous team members' injuries in the second season.

WEINSTEIN'S MEMORIES:

Ups and Downs

           At my request, Raoul Weinstein sent me some memories of his three years at CNC, with the comment "Being both a math professor and a track coach had its ups and downs." At age 24 his first year, he was CNC'S youngest faculty member, which meant having to earn the respect of his math students. At first, some of them, especially those older than he, found it hard to address him as "Mr. Weinstein" or "Professor Weinstein." When he was named track coach, however, he was soon addressed campus wide as "Coach."

          When asked by Director Cunningham and Dean Windsor to coach a new track team, he accepted, although feeling "unsure if I could do the job. I had been a sprinter and a quarter-miler in high school and college. What would I know about teaching a young man how to pole vault, or high jump, or throw the shot put, or sling a javelin? I knew it would be a daunting task, but I set my mind to it as quickly as I could.  Fortunately, this was a college, not a high school, and the students who showed up to form the initial team by and large had prior experience in the event of their choice from high school.  I planned our team's workouts, I listened to my guys tell me what kind of workouts they had had in high school."

          A major downside was that "track practice was not the highest priority" for some on his team--a consequence in part, he felt, of having "no facilities on campus like a dressing room or showers or training areas. Or a track!" Rather than "getting on their backs about it," however, he showed his appreciation "when they did show up for practice--and if they showed up for the actual meets. I tried to instill in them a pride in working hard if they wanted to get better. I let them know that when a practice was scheduled, at whatever time or whatever place, I would be there for them.  And I was. I instilled in them some of things that had helped me when I competed in track, and that might help make them more successful. And I felt extremely gratified by the efforts made by some and frustrated by the lack of effort by others. 

          To his credit, Weinstein was "a math professor first, and a track coach second. In each of my first two years, I had the frustrating and disappointing task of giving a D or an F to the top performer on my track team, with the result both years that each flunked out of school. That was hard to do." But it was the right thing to do. 

The Unforgettable Meet 

         "During our second year, the spring of 1966," Weinstein wrote, "I felt we had enough talented freshmen to enter the Virginia State Meet in early May at Washington & Lee's track in Lexington, in the freshman division.  I took six track team members to Lexington: Wade Williams, Lee Abrahamson, Joe English, Joe Hutchko, Mike Finnerty and Bob Webb. It was an experience I'll never forget. The competition included the teams from the Big Six Conference (W&M, VPI, VMI, Richmond, W&L, and UVA) plus numerous other state schools such as Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Randolph-Macon that had been competing in track for many years.

          I was more nervous than my men.  I wanted a good night's sleep the night before, I wanted to eat the right breakfast, the right training meal, get warmed up properly -- it was like I was the one competing. As the gun went off for each running event in which we had a contestant, whether trials or finals, I was a basket case.  As each one of our guys came running down the runways for the long jump or the high jump or heaving a weight out into space, I was fluttering inside with nerves.  It was a long and hot afternoon and my energy was completely sapped even though I never ran a single yard.

          When the mile relay was over and the points were added up, CNC was in 7th place--right behind only the Big Six schools and AHEAD of everyone else!  Hardly another coach or team up to that time had ever heard of Christopher Newport College, but on that day, it seemed that our navy and grey uniforms were everywhere. CNC's 6 guys had managed here and there to upset a few pretty good unsuspecting freshmen from some of the bigger schools. I was proud that day -- proud of my guys and proud to bring the name of Christopher Newport College to the attention of the rest of the state."  

          Raoul Weinstein has attended many of our reunions, beginning in 2011. The above photo, made by CNU Photos, was made at the 50th Reunion of CNC's Class of 1967, held in CNU'S Alumni House. Shown are Weinstein with some of his former CNC track men. Left to right are Norman Blankenship, Coach Weinstein, Wade Williams, Bill Smith, and Dave Hall. Raoul and his wife, Nancy, plan to attend also the 50th Reunion of the Class of 1968.

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Published September 15, 2017

Surviving Humid Heat in CNC Buildings

with No Air Conditioning:

1964 - 1968

by A. Jane Chambers

          Students, faculty, and others who were at CNC between 1964 and 1968 no doubt remember the ordeal of being in Newport Hall or Gosnold Hall when both were not yet air conditioned. Although designed for air conditioning, these first classroom buildings were not funded for it for several years. How did we survive the often overwhelming and humid heat on the Shoe Lane campus in those years?

          The photo below is of newly opened Christopher Newport Hall, the first building, in the fall of 1964. Every 1965 CNC yearbook, the Trident, has a copy of this color photo glued inside it on page 5. Notice that the two separate one-story units on the front had some tall but narrow louvered windows which opened outward. These provided some small relief from the heat, particularly on breezy days, for those using the first campus library (left) and the lecture hall (right).

          Less fortunate were the people using the offices and classrooms in the two-story part of Newport Hall. No windows opened there, except the tiny transoms below most windows (visible in the photo above)--and those opened inward only a few inches. Making the situation even worse, there were not even any shades, blinds, or curtains on most windows to block the sun. Hotter than the first floor was, of course, the second floor--the home of all English offices and classrooms. I don't believe classes were ever cancelled, however, even in extreme heat. During one summer class meeting, English Professor Barry Wood placed a thermometer on a patch of shade on his classroom floor, and the reading was well over 100 degrees!

           In his essay "Remembering the English Department's First Decade," Professor Steve Sanderlin wrote: "Teaching under such conditions was a real challenge! Dress rules suddenly changed: in summer sessions, students (but not faculty) could wear Bermuda shorts. Cold beverages, previously forbidden, were allowed in the classrooms. Huge, heavy roll-around fans were brought in, but these only blew the hot air around and made so much noise that one had to scream loudly to be heard. For the first time in my career, I taught without a coat and tie. Some of us longed to be back in the old Daniel building!" (Memories of Christopher Newport College, The First Decade, p. 42). Built in 1914, the Daniel building, in which Steve and I both taught for one year, although not air conditioned, had good ventilation because of its high ceilings and very tall windows.

          Located on Newport Hall's first floor was the Computer Center, which had the only air conditioning in the building during those years. Unlike us, the equipment could not tolerate any humidity at all. On extremely hot days, especially during summer sessions, Professor Graham Pillow had more visitors than usual in that Center because some faculty and staff, including me, would create excuses for stopping by there to cool off for awhile.

          Like Newport Hall, Gosnold Hall (photo above), completed by September of 1966, also had no air conditioning--plus the same style windows as Newport. In his Memories book essay "Marine Biologist Finds CNC His Perfect Port," Professor Ron Mollick, a San Diego native who joined CNC's Biology Department in the fall of 1968, thought at first that his office in the College's first science building was "uncomfortably hot" because of "malfunctioning air conditioning equipment," but , he wrote: "I soon learned that most buildings on campus were not air-conditioned! I immediately purchased a great big box fan that I placed at my door. It blew a gale and required that I weigh down every paper on my desk" (p. 57).

          Ratcliffe Gymnasium and the combined Captain John Smith Library and Smith Hall Administration Building opened in the fall of 1967. Both had central air conditioning. The hotter the weather, the more time students and faculty spent in the library, of course. And faculty also lingered longer than need be in Smith Hall, reading their mail posted in the reception and mail boxes area and socializing with colleagues in various offices. Finally, in 1968, funding was allocated for the much-needed air conditioning of both Newport Hall and Gosnold Hall--in that order, I believe.

          Dr. Sanderlin recalled in his Memories book essay mentioned earlier that the installing of the central air conditioning system in Newport was "not without some mishaps .... One day as I was walking down the hall on the second floor, I heard a loud noise and anguished cries. The maintenance man installing equipment in the attic had fallen through the ceiling and landed on a student sitting in a classroom! Fortunately, no one was badly hurt. But this incident and others were not uncommon for a while" (p. 43). Finally, though, we were all able to retire our electric fans.

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Published August 4, 2017

Why the Name Shoe Lane?

Historical Street Names

in the CNC/U Area

by A. Jane Chambers

with Thanks to Mike Coburn for inspiring this article

           After I had talked briefly about the names of CNC's first buildings, someone asked, "Where did the name 'Shoe Lane' come from?" The occasion was the May 12, 2017 Golden Reunion of CNC's Class of 1967. "I have no idea!" I admitted. Then alumnus Mike Coburn spoke up, saying he thought the name came from some horse stables in the area long ago.

SHOE LANE

          Mike later emailed me to confirm that his memory had been correct. Shoe Lane and two streets that meet it directly across from CNU, Briar Patch Place and Paddock Drive, "relate to the stables that once occupied that piece of property." He included a link to a Daily Press article of May 24, 1992, " 'Tally-ho' Is A Virginian Tradition," written by Alexander Wiatt, a Hampton veterinarian. It mentions that in 1946, the Hampton Horse Show (dating from the 1920s) moved to Mrs. R.W. Mitchell's Briar Patch Stables on Shoe Lane, in then Warwick County, and was renamed the James River Hunt. So these three names originally honored horse shoes, horse stables, and small enclosed fields for holding horses near stables (paddocks) .

          On the 2017 CNU campus map above, Shoe Lane is near the bottom, above the word "ATHLETICS." The mark just right of the word "Lane" indicates the beginning of Paddock Drive. The mark left of the word "Shoe" shows the beginning of Briar Patch Place. The original street address of CNC was 50 Shoe Lane and the road began at Warwick Blvd.

MOORE'S LANE

          Crossing Shoe Lane just past Briar Patch Place (see campus map) is Moore's Lane, the second residential boundary of Christopher Newport. That name also goes back to the rural days in Warwick County. Les Pendleton, who was at CNC 1965-66, recently wrote to me that his maternal grandparents were "the Moores for whom that lane is named. " They had a farm on that lane, he recalled, and Les's family also lived on Moore's lane, as did many of his "aunts, uncles and cousins."

          Les Pendleton's maternal grandparents were among the many people who sold their land between 1961 and 1963 to the City of Newport News once the City decided to provide 72 acres of land in the Shoe Lane area for the "new campus" of CNC. The farm the Moores sold bordered Moore's Lane and included what is now CNU's Parking Lot I (yellow square on the map).

WARWICK BOULEVARD

Warwick Blvd. (campus map, right), one of the four original boundaries of CNC/U, now splits part of the campus. The name "Warwick" has an interesting history. After the founding of Jamestown (1607), the Virginia Colony was divided in 1634 into eight shires (counties), one of which was called "Warwick River Shire," because that river had become a major port on the James. The area was essentially (with few changes) what is now the City of Newport News (see map below).

          Historian Dick Anderson, in A History of Warwick (1953), wrote that the name "Warwick" was "after Sir Robert Rich, Second Earl of Warwick, who was a prominent member of the Virginia Company, though he never visited the [New] World County bearing his name. Patterned after county government in England, Warwick was then governed by a lieutenant and an elected sheriff." In March of 1643, the Colonial Assembly "outlined the boundaries" and "shortened the name to Warwick County."

          In 1869, the village of Newport News broke from Warwick County to become the independent City of Newport News, having grown considerably after development of the coal piers, the eastern terminus of the C & O Railroad, and Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. In I952, the remainder of Warwick County became, briefly, the City of Warwick. Then, in 1958, Warwick became part of the city of Newport News (Wikapedia).

          J. Clyde Morris Boulevard, which meets Warwick at the entrance to CNU and The Mariners' Museum, was so named in 1958 by the Warwick City Council to honor the only city manager of the City of Warwick. Mr. Morris (1909-87) also was a leader in the funding, building, and operating of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, completed in 1964 (Wikapedia).

          The map above is from page 2 of the 1970-71 CNC catalog. In the upper left corner you can see the small corner of Prince Drew Road that was originally the fourth boundary of the campus. The 2017 CNU map (at beginning of article) shows most of that street now as a major boundary. I have found no information about its name.

HIDEN BOULEVARD

          In recent years, part of Hiden Blvd. (pronounced HY-den) has become a new boundary of Christopher Newport (upper right on CNU map). This name honors Philip Wallace Hiden (1872-1936), a businessman and mayor of Newport News (1920-24) who owned most of the land in Warwick County in the Nutmeg Quarter area. Hiden also organized and directed the James River Bridge Corporation, which funded and built the original James River Bridge, which opened in 1928, plus two other Southside toll bridges, thus opening travel from Newport News to Portsmouth, and (via the private bridge built by Carl Jordan) to Norfolk, to vehicular traffic rather than ferries (Wikapedia).

           Mr. Hiden died in 1936. His wife, Martha Woodroof Hiden, born in 1888, lived until 1959. During 1951-57, the family divided a 200-acre parcel of land in the Nutmeg Quarter area into the residential neighborhood they named Hidenwood--possibly a combination of the name "Hiden" and "Woodroof," Mrs. Hiden maiden name.

          Do you have questions and/or information about the early years of Christopher Newport? If so, contact us! You too might inspire an article for this website--or write an article yourself!

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Published June 23, 2017

CNC's First Fraternity, Chi Psi Omega:

A Long-Lasting Brotherhood

by A. Jane Chambers

with information and photos from 

CNC's original frat brothers

and Trident yearbooks

NOTE: If you or someone you know belonged to this first fraternity at CNC, you might want to look at and perhaps even join this group on Facebook: Friends of Chi Psi Omega.

          Christopher Newport's first fraternity, Chi Psi Omega (CPO), founded in the spring semester of 1970, quickly became a major social hub during those years when CNC had no dorms and few clubs that provided social activities. Strong bonds were formed not only within the fraternity but also with other CNC students, including some members of the school's first sorority, Pi Kappa Sigma, which was also founded in spring 1970.

          Some Peninsula-area members of CPO, who had kept in touch for decades after leaving CNC, reactivated their fraternity beginning about 2006-2007, and since that time, they have continued to reconnect with more CPO brothers and friends and to hold social events, usually at members' homes. The photo below, taken in 2014, was made at the home of Roman and Melinda Schenkkan, during Roman's 60th birthday party. The two women, Candace (Candy) Hixson Whitley (L) and Melinda Schenkkan (R) were in CNC's first sorority, Pi Kappa Sigma. The CPO brothers are (front, L-R) Roman Schenkkan, John Norman, Richard (Rick) Fox, Chris Wilson and Ron Haskins and back (L-R) David Whitley (Candy's husband), Henry Jones and Carl Farris.

          The 1971 Trident devoted 2 full pages to CPO, including five photographs, on pages 46 and 47. The excerpt below lists and shows the 9 first officers and the sponsor, professor Graham Pillow (p. 46). The location is the front steps of the fraternity house, discussed here later. There is also a half-page picture of 17 charter members (including these 10) but the quality is so poor that the faces (and even some bodies) can hardly be seen. Names of the 7 additional first members listed under that photo are Richard Hahn, Tom Maney, Gerald DesLauriers, Tom Knez, Pat Giguere, Dana Meredith and Walt Grizzard.

          The 1972 Trident photo below (from p. 50) shows an almost doubling in size of the fraternity its second year, with 22 members pictured and an additional 9 named but not shown, for a total of 31. This photo was also taken on the front steps of CPO's rented house.

          Doug Duncan, CPO's first treasurer (Spring 1970), then its president in both 1970-71 and 1971-72, recalls two reasons for this surge in growth: intramural sports and dances. "We had intramural basketball and flag football teams and hosted several dances on campus," he wrote. "The college put on some dances in Ratcliffe Gym that were poorly attended, while our house was packed on the weekends.  So I was called by the administration to see if we would host and manage a couple of dances at the campus, which were huge successes.  We knew how to throw a party. On the downside," Doug added, "I was in President Windsor's office more than once answering inquiries about our activities."

          Crucial to the fraternity's appeal also was the fact that CPO had a HOUSE--fondly called by some "The Palace"--which, although long since demolished, is enshrined in memories and a few pictures. It was an older, modest-sized two-story house (photo above) located at 11514 Warwick Blvd. (map above). Gerald DesLauriers accurately recalls that it was "on the left side of Warwick Blvd if you were traveling South and was about halfway between Matthew Road and Fontaine Road." The house sat back from the road, with a large front yard. After it was razed, the lot was divided and two two-story frame houses were built there, close to the road, in 2003.

          First treasurer Doug Duncan was charged with negotiating the lease for "The Palace" in Spring, 1970. Henry Jones, CPO president in 1973-74, remembers that the owner was Cecil Moore, an attorney in York County. Doug recalls being "a big hit in his law office with my purple bell bottom pants." Moore had bought the house, Doug says, "to put his law office there, but had had trouble getting it zoned properly," which is why he decided to lease it to the fraternity. The rent was, Henry recalls, "$200 a month. "Every summer we'd get behind in the rent; then we'd have a keg party as a back to school dance, and we'd be flush with money again."

          Doug recalls that "the house was run down but with a lot of effort we made it at least habitable. Shown left is a "Spring Work Party" taking a break: Top row (L-R) Stacy T. Louis, Henry Jones, and C.D. Young; middle (L-R) John Norman, Chris Wilson, and Jeff Meyer; and bottom (L-R)Graham Spady and Bob Johnston.

          Gerald remembers helping to "remodel" the old house right after they leased it: "I was working at the Sears store in Denbigh and remember getting some gallons of clearance paint and along with a few other members painting much of the house. If I remember correctly some of the colors were 'strange' but it was cheap and we really did not care!"

          Several members lived in the house, including, Doug recalls, Doug Henkel and Jon Grimes, and at least one dog. Robert Sowell wrote on the group's Facebook page that he lived there "for a few months.," during which, when he was by himself at night, strange things would happen. "Loud noises would come from inside...noises like stomping on floors, especially the staircase" and "very loud noises knocking on my bedroom door. There were times when things got so bad in there that I just slept in my car....I don't know why I experienced this, but it was real and it scared the heck out of me." Was it ghosts? Brothers sneaking back in to scare him? Or too much beer?

          Beer was CPO's main source of revenue. Doug Duncan wrote: "We had a drink  machine at the house dispensing beer for 25 cents.  We would go to Farm Fresh, which had some beer on sale each week for $1 per six pack, mostly Schlitz.  Making 50 cents on each six pack we were able to fund most of the fraternity.  We also had a keg party once every couple weeks." Henry Jones is the bartender above (L). Stacy T. Louis and Debby Hixson (later Eure) are the Halloween party people (R).

          In addition to playing intramural football and basketball on CNC's campus and attending and hosting social events there, the college's first fraternity provided a social atmosphere near campus for other students. "We never really checked for membership, Doug states. "If you were attending CNC ... you were always welcome."

          Candy Hixson, a first CNC sorority member, remembers that after she met David Whitley (later her husband) in April of 1972, the two attended so many CPO parties that "people probably thought he was a fraternity member." Both are active members of the now reunited group. Other marriages related to CPO include those of Doug Duncan and Pi Kappa Sigma member Pam Sanderson, Jeff Meyer and Susie Buckley, and Greg Breault and Darcy Pettijohn.

          Member John Norman's parents had a beach house on Currituck Sound, near the Nags Head area, so there were several summers (particularly 1972 & 73) when the fraternity had "Beach Week" there. The photos above show some of them and friends playing match stick poker (L) inside the Normans' cottage and sunbathing on the family's boat dock (R), which had a distant view (far left) of the bridge between Nags Head and Roanoke Island. The poker players are (L-R) Doug Duncan, Greg Breault, Doug Henkel, Rich Hahn, Mike Plott, and barely visible, Terry Shannon. Who are the sunbathers?

          The Chi Psi Omega brothers from the early 1970s are now in their early sixties, but for some, Christopher Newport is still an important part of their lives. A number of them are active alumni, attending sports events, homecomings, and other activities at now CNU. At least three were among CNU's Top 50 Alumni honored in 2011 during the University's 50th Anniversary: Doug Duncan ('72), Carl Farris ('74) and Henry Jones ('75). The photo below left shows (L-R) CPO brothers Graham Spady, Henry Jones and Dave Hutcheson at a tailgating party before a CNU football game in 2013. The other photo shows (L-R) Ron Haskins and Henry Jones talking with CNU'S Alumni Relations Director Baxter Vendrick on Sept. 16, 2016, during the Column Signing event at the almost-finished Alumni House.

          Along with families and friends, the brothers also get together as often as possible to celebrate birthdays or just to celebrate life itself, remembering those they have lost to death, including Pat Giguere, Jon Grimes, and most recently, Dick Werstein. Most of these gatherings are at members' homes. At a party on November 6, 2016, held at the home of John and Elaine Norman, they had the photo below made at my request, especially for this article. Seated in front (L-R) are Chris Wilson, Henry Jones, and Steve Kiger. Standing in the middle are (L-R) Ron Haskins, Roman Schenkkan, Stewart Patterson, and Marvin Adams. Standing at the back are (L-R) John Norman, Earl Lankford, and Robert Sowell. May this brotherhood and their friends enjoy many more such parties!

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Published June 9, 2017

          John Patrick (Pat) Giguere was the middle child and second son in a Catholic and Army family with five children. The family lived in several places in Virginia and then in France until his father retired, in 1963, when Pat was 13. Lt. Col. Giguere then moved his family to Newport News to work at Fort Monroe. Pat attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Saint Vincent’s (later Peninsula Catholic), and CNC (BS in Business, 1972).