Lambuth College - Lantern Yearbook (Jackson, TN)

Page 22 text:

Retirement brings new responsibilities Who is full of life and ambition? Who possesses charm, dignity, and is sensitive to the needs of students as well as other people? Who is extreme- ly interesting to converse with, be it serious or otherwise? Dean W.K. Whetstone celebrated his 65th birthday last year, which sig- nifies eligibility for retirement. Whet- stone has been with Lambuth College for two generations as a professor and as Coordinator of Student Services, which was his position upon retire- ment. Since his retirement last May, Whetstone has taken on some new re- sponsibilities, and we at The Lantern were interested to find out exactly what some of these new attainments were and to question him about his new lifestyle. I entered his small office in the Stu- dent Services Center, tape recorder in hand, feeling somewhat skeptical about the interview for I had never met him personally. Yet, as soon as my eyes beheld him, I loosened my grip on the tape recorder, sighed, and felt right at home among the plants and books. We exchanged greetings and then sat down for discussion on the subject previously mentioned. I began by in- quiring about the changes in his lifes- tyle and the amount of spare time he had acquired, if any. His immediate response was that retirement was BELOW — Dean Wood K. Whetstone receives award at Retirement Banquet. RIGHT — Dean Whetstone reviews for one of his testing sessions. just a nice term used to describe his coming of age so to speak, as far as he was concerned. He claimed that he saw very little difference in his life now compared to last year. However, his pattern of life has changed. I then questioned him about his average working day: Well, it begins early in the morning with the walking of the dog and eating of breakfast. Then I come to the office and spend at least 30 hours a week here or testing. He continued by describing other ac- tivities of his. I ' m called on to speak for different groups, and I have re- cently spoken at Forest Heights Church and Lambuth Memorial. In addition, he attends Rotary Club, works with JACOA, and visits elderly groups of people. So I think I keep just about as busy as I was before I retired. My next question concerned major achievements of his since retire- ment. He responded by saying he couldn ' t think of any real major achievements, except the adjustment to his new style of life. His smiling eyes saddened somewhat when he re- layed to me his empty feeling of no longer belonging to any particular group, which in turn terminated his voting privileges and committee posi- tions. Whetstone concluded by say- ing, When I have completed this ad- justment and have developed a new style of life to include all my new ac- tivities and interests, then I think that will be an achievement. Suzanne R. Fletcher 18

Page 21 text:

TOP LEFT — 1979 Commence- ment Ceremony moves to the gymnasium due to bad weather. TOP RIGHT - Concert Choir adds to Commencement festivi- ties. MIDDLE LEFT — Graduates file into the gymnasium. BOT- TOM LEFT — Parents and Graduates converse after Bacca- laureate Service. 17

Page 23 text:

Outstanding Lou Smith On May 9, 1979, Dr. Annie Lou Smith received the third annual Out- standing Educator Award among the faculty of Lambuth College. This award only added to the many accom- plishments Dr. Smith has obtained in the field of English education. A member of the college faculty since 1964, she retired in 1979. Dr. Smith received her bachelor ' s degree from Union University, a master ' s de- gree from Memphis State University, and an education degree from George Peabody College. After coming to Lambuth, her doctoral dissertation, A Study of English Methods Courses in Selected Colleges and Universi- ties, earned her the doctor of educa- educator Dr. Annie tion degree in English Education from the University of Tennessee in Knox- ville. In 1978, she was promoted from her position as associate professor to pro- fessor of English and has served Lam- buth in a variety of ways, both aca- demically and socially. With the assis- tance of Mrs. Judith Hazelwood, Dr. Smith headed the journalism class in collecting an Oral History series of tapes and manuscripts for the ar- chives of Lambuth. She has furthered her student-centered curriculum as the financial advisor to the nationally recognized sorority, Phi Mu, whose Kappa Nu chapter is based at Lam- buth. In addition, Dr. Smith received an international award from the chap- ter as Best Faculty Advisor in 1974 for chapters in Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Virginia. In past years, Dr. Smith served as the faculty advi- sor for The Lantern. Under her edito- rial leadership, The Lantern received an A rating in 1972 from the Na- tional School Yearbook Association, and an A + rating the following year. Aside from her education degree, she also served as president of the Theta Chapter of Delta Kapa Gamma 1954-1956 and as president of the American Association of University Women 1963-1964. Dr. Smith is pub- lished in Who ' s Who in Tennessee, 1973, Who ' s Who in the South and Southwest, 1970-71; Personalities of the South, 1970, Who ' s Who of American Women, 1968; Two Thou- sand Women of Achievement, 1972 and the Dictionary of International Biography, 1970-71. Dr. Smith has not only shown her devotion in the field of education, but also in her devotion to her church. She has been a faithful member of the First Baptist Church and a teacher of the Adult Sunday School class. Linda Piper LEFT — Dr. Annie Lou Smith served several years as advisor to the Lantern. BELOW — Dr. Smith receives award from Dr. Wilder at Retirement Ceremony. 19