Stetson Cupola 1980-8-4

VOL. 8 NO. 4 (USPS 990-560) STETSON UNIVERSITY, DELAND, FLORIDA [ JANUARY 1980 By Pope A. Duncan There are many rewards, which come to one who is President of a university. Some of these are very ennobling and often intangible. Others are very mundane. One of those delightful, and even inspiring, benefits which has come to me as President of Stetson is the opportunity to read the Stetson centennial history which Professor Emeritus Gilbert Lycan is writing as it comes from his pen (or should I say his typewriter) chapter by chapter. Gilbert is a fine research historian and writer, but the real fascination in reading these chapters is due to the nature and vitality of the institution about which they are written. I am reminded again and again as I read of the pioneering actions of this University of the great men and women who have been associated with it. If I should ever get discouraged or less ambitious for this University than I should be, I have only to remember that men like DeLand, Stetson, Forbes, Moody and Chaudoin wrought a great and ambitious work in the midst of a virtual physical and educational wilderness. Stetson University has not only been a producer of leaders, but it has also been a leader in higher education in the South and continued on page 10 Alumni Elected as Leaders Baptists Vote Stetson $565,000 Historic ties between Stetson and the Baptists of Florida were reaffirmed in November during the annual sessions of the Florida Baptist State Convention when messengers adopted a record budget which contained an indicated $565,000 for the school. Giving by churches within the state in recent years has exceeded the Cooperative Program budget annually, so the anticipated amount of support will probably approach the $600,000 mark. President Pope A. Duncan expressed the gratitude of the university for the confidence Baptists have continued to evidence in their school. "We are proud to be Florida Baptists' school in this state, and we reaffirm our commitment to a principle of an academically sound education within a Christian environment," Dr. Duncan stated. "We will continue to make the commitment clear." The three-day meeting was held in Jacksonville and a number of Stetson faculty and administrators attended the sessions. Dr. Duncan presented a report of the university to an evening session. The Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Robert Rich, presented a short concert at the opening of that session. Alumni of the school met at a Justice McDonald Slated to Speak at Law Breakfast Florida Supreme Court Justice Parker Lee McDonald is scheduled as guest speaker for the annual law alumni breakfast during Homecoming. Appointed to the state's top court last fall, McDonald has served as judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orange County since 1961. He was also presiding judge of the Third Statewide Grand Jury from December 1977 through June of last year. He was chairman of the Florida Conference of Circuit Court Judges 1974-75, and a member of the executive committee of the National Association of State Trial Judges. In 1971, the Young Lawyers' Section of The Florida Bar voted McDonald Most Outstanding Circuit Court Judge in Florida. He practiced law in Sebring, following graduation from the University of Florida law school, from 1950 until his appointment to the bench. The law alumni breakfast is planned at the Carlton Union Building Saturday morning at 8:30. luncheon held at the First Baptist Church and heard both the choir and Dr. Duncan. Two alumni were elected to leadership positions in the state convention for the following year. Ed Mason, '40, was elected president, and Joe Courson, '57, was elected first vice president. [See feature on Mason, page 3.] Dr. Earl Joiner, professor of religion and president of the Florida Baptist Historical Society, coordinated a series of seven presentations entitled "Great Moments in Florida Baptist History" portraying past events. Members of Stetson drama classes, directed by B. Bruce Griffiths, assisted in many of the dramatizations. For further information on Homecoming '80, see page 7. CHANCELLOR HONORED - Chancellor J. Ollie Edmunds, right, was honored last fall at an alumni dinner in Orlando. J. Max Cleland, '64, Veterans Administration chief, presented a gavel to Dr. Edmunds in recognition of his dedication to Stetson and its alumni. The inscription read "J. Ollie Edmunds, Stetson's Man with a Clout."