Kneeling, from left: Diana Palacek, Ralph Patterson; standing, from left: Jan Saul, Sharon Smith, Eleanor Richardson, Lori Duffle, Wes McAllister, "Doc" Sanders, Kendall Poppell, Blake Moore and Roger Burnett.

Erskine Alumni Board Sets Annual Fund Goal, Votes To Schedule 2005 Homecoming During Basketball Season

The Erskine Alumni Board, in a meeting Saturday conducted by Alumni Association President Eleanor Richardson '59 of Flat Rock, N.C., received updates on the Annual Fund, Flying Fleet Club and Gold Campaign; heard remarks from Erskine administrators; set a 2004-05 Annual Fund goal of $1.6 million; voted to schedule a 2005 homecoming date during basketball season; and welcomed 13 new members.

Annual Fund and Alumni Affairs Director Ralph Patterson said the 2003-04 Annual Fund goal of $1.56 million was exceeded by $3,930, and announced that the number of chapter meetings will be increased this fall, continuing a focus on reconnecting with alumni.

Vice President for Development Lee Logan distributed updated reports on Gold Campaign projects and the Strategic Plan. "We are not letting Erskine's Strategic Plan languish, thanks to the help of our Board of Trustees Chairman John Moore and others," he said.

Logan, who is a member of the Class of 1967, said that despite a needed emphasis on fund-raising, "the Erskine experience should never become a commodity."

He said partnerships are formed between involved volunteers and the faculty and staff at Erskine. "You, the members of the Alumni Board, should expect that they are doing their best to make the Erskine experience more meaningful," he said. "Something special happens here at Erskine that needs to be duplicated every day."

Members voted to set the 2004-05 Annual Fund goal, which includes the Flying Fleet campaign, at $1.6 million. "This will be a challenging year for us," Richardson said.

Erskine College and Seminary President Dr. John Carson also addressed the meeting, stopping by during a break in campus activities that included pre-orientation for incoming freshmen and parent orientation. "This is an exciting day for Erskine," he said. "We have our incoming freshmen on campus today."

Carson spoke about college enrollment, which was 465 when he began his presidency and is set to reach a target of 600 this fall. He said Erskine's Drummond Center Board "reads like a 'who's who' of South Carolina," and noted some developments at the seminary, including a doctoral program for military chaplains begun this summer, an extension site at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, and the opening of a site in New York City this fall. "The little mustard seed of Due West is going to the Big Apple," he said.

Flying Fleet Club President Steve Southwell reported $125,000 was raised this year, and praised Erskine's coaches for their fund-raising efforts. He said he misses former Erskine Athletic Director Chip Sherer, who resigned to pursue a business career, but enjoys working with Mark Peeler, who now serves as athletic director as well as head men's basketball coach. "It's like we haven't missed a step," Southwell said.

Members discussed the scheduling of homecoming for 2005, and decided to plan events around a basketball game, with this year's homecoming centering around soccer. Erskine homecoming dates formerly alternated between basketball season and soccer season, but in recent years have been limited to soccer season.

President-elect Wesley McAllister '89 of Mt. Carmel reported on a recent leadership retreat and spoke about the role of the Alumni Board.

"We're in the people business," he said. "We want to think about the alumni who have somehow lost touch with Erksine College and Erskine Theological Seminary and we need to bring them back in. I'm challenging every one of you—if you can get to chapter meetings, be there and speak."

"Being on this board is so much more than fund-raising," Richardson said. "Come to as many meetings as you can."

Incoming Alumni Board member Dr. Richard Taylor of Greenville and his wife Janet, who have agreed to serve with Andy and Tyree Byrd of Spartanburg as Annual Fund Plus co-chairmen, assisting both the Erskine Annual Fund and the school's current capital campaign, the Gold Campaign, attended the meeting. Richard Taylor spoke briefly about compiling a "Little Things Matter" list that can make a difference to an institution. "Get the list and get a job," he advised Alumni Board members.

Upcoming alumni events include the Allison Open golf tournament Sept. 27, Homecoming Oct. 9 and the Fund the Fleet golf tournament Oct. 11. The next Alumni Board meeting was scheduled for Oct. 9.

Kneeling, from left: Ann Judd, Mindy Adams; standing, from left: Steve Southwell, Richard Taylor, Buddy Ferguson, Lewis McKelvey and Genie McDill.