DUE WEST, S.C. Ð The Erskine College Class of 1997 produced five seniors with perfect 4.0 grade point averages, sharing valedictorian honors and graduating summa cum laude. Last year, Erskine's 1996 class produced four seniors who shared the honor of highest grade point average.

The five honor graduates who tied for first place in the class were Francis Ancrum Clarkson, Jr. of Chapin; Brandon Scott Davis of Pauline; Sarah Elizabeth Hallman of Mooresville, N.C.; James Brooks Kuykendall of Due West; and Kendall Jo Poppell of Plant City, Fla.

Davis and Hallman introduced the 1997 commencement speaker, Erskine alumna and poet Glenis Redmond Sherer, who was also named the Frances Cardwell Distinguished Lecturer at Erskine College this year.

Sherer has hosted the popular monthly "Poetry Slam" at the Village Cafe in Greenville and was the 1995 and 1996 winner of the Asheville, N.C., Poetry Slams. Named to the roster of the South Carolina Arts Commission's Poets-in-the-Schools program, Sherer won the Carrie McCray Literary Award in Poetry, the top prize at the South Carolina Writers Workshop, and has published a small chapbook of her poems. She studied under renowned poet Sonia Sanchez and has toured nationally and internationally, most recently in the United Kingdom. She is married to Erskine alumnus Blane Sherer and they are the parents of twin girls.

Sherer described this 152nd commencement day at Erskine College as a "new day full of possibility and promise." The 1985 alumna is not quite a generation removed from this year's graduates, and she shared with them a poem called "Mama's Magic" which she said tells "a small part of my story."

Sherer's poem speaks movingly of her mother, speaking of her as "protection," as one who encouraged her children to "make your own music," one who produced "homemade children."

"My life has been full of struggle being black and a woman," Sherer said. "It has also been full of joy being a mother and a poet. However, I've read that poem to many people and what I have found is that I am speaking not just of my mother, but of mothers everywhere."

Sherer told of a chaotic time in her life when her family was in the midst of moving, everyone in the family had the flu, and standing water had been found under the house they were about to sell, necessitating costly repairs.

"My daughter came to me and said, 'Mother, do you know the Bible?' and I said, 'Yes, Celeste, I know the Bible.' My daughter said, 'The Bible is a book of stories, and if you are not living your story, then you are not alive.'

"After that comment my head cleared ... In the middle of that chaos, my daughter gave me perspective, and I want to give you perspective today, in this launching time of your life."

Sherer encouraged Erskine graduates to exhibit enthusiasm in their lives, to strive to make a difference. "I am in the third decade of my life. I am not ashamed to stand here beneath these trees with youthful optimism and boundless hope and say I believe in you ... I am still alive, burning with passion, even though I may seem old to some of you."

She offered advice to those graduates without a clear plan for career or continued schooling. "Take time to find out who you are. If you are not sure about graduate school, take a job in the field you are considering. Work. Volunteer your time. Get connected to the community."

Before closing with a poem especially written for the Erskine Class of 1997, Sherer urged the graduates, "Remember your liberal arts education that you received here at Erskine and continue to broaden your mind with artistic endeavors and experiences ... Keep believing. Keep reaching. Keep growing. Keep stretching."

Sherer's special poem for the graduating class was entitled "They Make Me Think of Trees," and concludes with the lines, "... this poem is growing/into you/it is you/alive/with youth spreading/right before watchful eyes/holding promise/holding promise/holding promise/like branches/alive/with the hope/of/reaching."

Francis Ancrum Clarkson, Jr. and Kendall Jo Poppell responded to Sherer's address. Clarkson said he felt "wholly inadequate" to speak to an audience of his professors, thanked God for his successes at Erskine and praised the Erskine faculty, describing them as "teachers investing themselves in us." He said he thought that the Erskine professors would like to know that the graduating seniors "think critically now better than we did four years ago."

Clarkson pointed out that part of what his Erskine education accomplished was that "It has awakened us to our own ignorance. The challenge of learning is more ahead of us than behind us." Referring to Sherer's speech, he said, "Your message calls us to continue to shape our existence."

Kendall Jo Poppell also responded to Glenis Sherer's commencement lecture. She introduced her remarks by indicating that her response was to be a rather personal one. Recounting a conversation with a friend in which she was asked, "Do you know who you are?" and she replied, "Heck, no!" Poppell said that her friend then praised that negative response.

"Good! You become confused and challenged in collegeÑyou find out who you are when you enter the real world," said Poppell, recalling her friend's encouraging words.

The remaining first-place senior, James Brooks Kuykendall, did not speak on the platform, but he had been been busy expressing the joy of commencement all day, first playing the organ for the Baccalaureate Service, then playing in the ensemble for the commencement march and singing with the Erskine Choraleers, who presented a rich rendition of "Danny Boy" following the commencement address and responses.

Receiving honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees were Jacob Allen Derrick of Richburg and Walter Edward Hickman, Jr. of Summerville. An honorary Doctor of Humanities degree was awarded to Anne Whitesides Alexander of Gastonia, N.C.

Derrick is a native of Saluda who earned the A.B. at Erskine in 1965 and received the Bachelor of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary in 1968. Ordained to the ministry in 1968, he has served several churches in Chester County and has been involved extensively in denominational youth conferences and retreats, also serving on the Chester County task force on drug and alcohol abuse.

Hickman was born in Covington, Va. and graduated from Erskine College in 1953. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Erskine Theological Seminary in 1959 and served pastorates in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and in the Presbyterian Church USA. He received a Doctor of Ministry degree from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago in 1982, writing his dissertation on "Developing a Ministry With Older Adults." He has worked as Administrator of the Presbyterian Home of South Carolina in Florence and Summerville and was a leader in the development of Presbyterian retirement centers in South Carolina.

Alexander, of Gastonia, North Carolina, is a graduate of Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio, and attended Erskine College for two years before transferring. Active in the First Associate Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, she has also served on the Erskine College Board of Trustees and the Gaston County Hospital Board of Trustees. She has been a loyal supporter of Erskine, where her children attended college, for many years.

Erskine President Dr. James W. Strobel conferred 134 degrees to the Erskine Class of 1997. The graduates were:

The following students were summa cum laude honor graduates: Dama Leigh Black of Myrtle Beach, Cornelia Lola Engler of Due West, Sarah Elizabeth Hallman of Mooresville, N.C., James Brooks Kuykendall of Due West, Kendall Jo Poppell of Plant City, Fla., Francis Ancrum Clarkson, Jr. of Chapin, Brandon Scott Davis of Pauline, Michelle Marie Gates of New Port Richey, Fla., Mary Lee Hodges of Blair, Terri Sue Keller of Kings Mountain, N.C., Rachel Marie Rodriguez of Reliance, Tenn., Kali Ruth Shuler of Orangeburg, and Amber Melissa Shults of Greer.

The following students were magna cum laude honor graduates: Marcia Elayne Chasteen of Greenville and Julie Ann McCoy of Anderson.

The following students were cum laude honor graduates: Aaron Duke Fulmer of North Augusta, Maria Rachelle Baldwin of Liberty, Judith St. Claire Burns of Greenwood, Joshua Michael Burton of Abbeville, Mary Amanda Lee of Orangeburg, Cristina Elena Matera of Duluth, Ga., Ian Elliott Wise of Clover, Vicki Chung of Anderson, Kristen Lauren Neely of Rock Hill, and Ellen Enejosa Rodillo of Abbeville.

The following students received Bachelor of Arts Degrees: John David Basie of Rock Hill, Jason Wayne Braswell of Snellville, Ga., Aaron Duke Fulmer of North Augusta, Kiwana LaTarsah Banks of Sharon, Anthony Falcon of Miami, Fla., David Robert Nathaniel Deets, Jr. of Lawrenceville, Ga., Franklin Mark Huey of Blackstock, Elizabeth Laurens Ashburn of Statesville, N.C., Maria Rachelle Baldwin of Liberty, Stephanie Marie Baughman of Swansea, Dama Leigh Black of Myrtle Beach, Christopher David Brown of Simpsonville, Wendy Dianne Burke of Gray Court, Judith St. Claire Burns of Greenwood, Joshua Michael Burton of Abbeville, Marana Tha Carson of Gastonia, N.C., Jennifer Susan Carter of Lancaster, Marcia Elayne Chasteen of Greenville, Angela Lee Clayton of Fountain Inn, Stephanie Rene Corley of Columbia, Martha Margaret Nivens Cotten of Rock Hill, Wendy Lynn Crisp of Anderson, Jonathan Klay Dalton of Easley, Priscilla Louise Rambo Deets of Winnsboro, Cornelia Lola Engler of Due West, Jessica Louisa Gazsi of New Port Richey, Fla., Billy Ray Hallman of Rock Hill, Sarah Elizabeth Hallman of Mooresville, N.C., Michael Shawn Hand of Bamberg, Marsha Arlene Hawkins of Ware Shoals, Alisha Ann Hicks of Starr, Christopher Dale Horne of Pelzer, Angelia Maria Howard of Pleasant Hill, Todd James Isham of Norcross, Ga., James Brooks Kuykendall of Due West, Mary Amanda Lee of Orangeburg, Andrew Edwin Lewis of Rock Hill, Cristina Elena Matera of Duluth, Ga., Janet Lynn McKeithen of Marietta, Ga., Elizabeth Hayden Mills of Charleston, Kelly Anne Moffatt of Owings, Md., Carol Elizabeth Ogburn of Kershaw, Kendall Jo Poppell of Plant City, Fla., Lillian Gillman Prevost of Greenville, William Perry Ragan of Murphy, N.C., Rachel Lynn Reed of Simpsonville, Amy Susanne Robinson of Memphis, Tenn., Carolyn Ann Shriver of Frederick, Md., Robert Todd Smith of Pauline, Troy Denver Tyson II of Belvedere, Kumiko Watanabe of Greenwood, Shane Alan Williams of Moorsville, Va., Tara Leigh Wilson of Anderson, Ian Elliott Wise of Clover, Bradley Adam Woolledge of Mooresville, N.C., and Renje Pieter Zeeff II of Sumter.

Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in August are: George Calhoun Jordan IV of Greenwood, Allison Michelle Keesee of Lithonia, Ga., and Lee Patterson Vinal of Atlanta, Ga.

The following students received the Bachelor of Science Degree: James Patrick Hodge of Abbeville, Abigail Allston McClellan of McClellanville, George Raymond McKee IV of McCormick, Jeb Tobin Huckabee of Waynesville, N.C., Janet Lee Jackson of Ware Shoals, Robert Deaver Kuykendall of Due West, Penny Danyne Lasley of Laurens, Suzanne Bunch Matthews of North Augusta, Leslie Michelle Riley of Ware Shoals, Julien Daniel Roper, Jr. of Campbello, Scott Matthew Woodhouse of Marion, Rita Diane Dantzler of Orangeburg, Kimberly Nell Wilson of Donalds, Sallie Jeanette Adair of Clinton, Ashley Michelle Aldreidge of Millbrook, Ala., Bryan Thomas Anderson of Clover, William Darrell Bagwell of Belton, Windy Ann Bass of Jacksonville, Fla., Susan Diane Blanchard of Mount Pleasant, Travis James Blizzard of Greenwood, Erica Dawn Melissa Boyce of Florence, Amanda Dawn Boyd of Rock Hill, Krystal Sherry Bradley of Inman, Katherine Cheryl Brown of Sumter, Adrianne Louise Brownlee of Charleston, Jenny Ellen Camp of Columbia, Anna Elizabeth Daughman of Murrells Inlet, Vicki Chung of Anderson, Francis Ancrum Clarkson, Jr. of Chapin, Jennifer Christine Conway of Due West, Rebecca DyAnne Cooley of Fountain Inn, Becky Louise Corbin of Ninety Six, Corley C.B. Daniel of Saluda, Brandon Scott Davis of Pauline, Jennifer Elyce Donaldson of Troutman, N.C., Julie Ann Farmer of Gastonia, N.C., Wesley Ryan Flinn of Catawba, Richard Harris Garner of Rock Hill, Michelle Marie Gates of New Port Richey, Fla., Kerry Leigh Gaymon of Macon, Ga., Stephanie Lynn Hamilton of Ladson, Amy Elizabeth Halvird of Abbeville, Elizabeth Lane Hayden of Columbia, John Daniel Henderson III of Charlotte, N.C., Mary Lee Hodges of Blair, Dawn Amelia Humphreys of Greenville, Katherine Anderson Hunter of Aiken, Terri Sue Keller of Kings Mountain, N.C., Julie Anne Kidd of McCormick, Matthew James Kramer of Chesnee, Jonathan Lawrence Lake of Mount Pleasant, Anitra Deane Longsdorf of Jonesboro, Ga., Rachel Suzanne Mantooth of Fountain Inn, Patrick Daniel Martin of Abbeville, Julie Ann McCoy of Anderson, John Scott McDaniel of Greenville, Alice Marie Milton of Columbia, Kristen Lauren Neely of Rock Hill, Bradley Hardin Oates of Chester, Clifford Wayne Padgett of Cowpens, Kelly Leigh Page of Simpsonville, Deanna Dawn Queen of Blacksburg, Gregory Allen Rankin of Troutman, N.C., Amanda Lynn Reames of Laurens, Charles Wayne Reynolds, Jr. of Rock Hill, La-Toshia Kadijha Richmond of Ridgeway, Ellen Enejosa Rodillo of Abbeville, Rachel Marie Rodriguez of Reliance, Tenn., Jason Terry Schofield of Rock Hill, Hugh Morrison Scott of McClellanville, Melanie Lynn Seel of Anderson, Stephen Bagaley Shad, Jr. of Mount Pleasant, Kali Ruth Shuler of Orangeburg, Amber Melissa Shults of Greer, Aimee Melinda Sutphin of Cottageville, Matthew Lindsay Templeton of Greenville, Laura Katherine Williamson of Rock Hill, and Charles Dean Wilson of Laurens.

Candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree in August are: Eric Darell Chamblee of Anderson, David Coleman Clinard of Farmington, Mich., William Patrick Cockrill of Edwardsville, Ill., Devin Michael Lanier of Columbia, Thomas Wylie Lever of Lancaster, and Jarvis Untron Peake of Duncan.