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 Castens Recognized with York College Award
According to poet Robert Frost, good fences make good neighbors, but if you ask Neal Castens, it’s good sidewalks that really make the difference. Neal and his wife Ruthie are retired educators who live just a few doors down from the Bartholomew Performing Arts Center on the York College campus. The couple loves to walk daily for exercise and they find it very convenient--especially in winter--to stroll through campus, where the sidewalks are well maintained and the people are friendly.  Six fictional characters, abandoned by their creator, interrupt a rehearsal in progress and demand to be brought to life by a new author. But the characters' existential agenda collides with the more lighthearted ambitions of these theatre artists, whose rehearsal becomes darkly entangled with the characters' tragic story, as York College Theatre Department presents Six Characters in Search of an Author, February 21-24. John I. Baker III, associate professor of communication, directs this thought-provoking show that challenges audiences to consider the question “what is reality?”  What do you do when you’re outnumbered ten-to-one, you’re trapped inside a walled city with the enemy at the gate, you’re running out of food, and as the battle drags into the second month, there’s no end in sight?
Dr. Tim McNeese, Associate Professor of History and author of more than 120 books, will answer these questions and more during the annual Ides of March event hosted by the Clayton Museum of Ancient History on March 21. Tickets include a multi-course Turkish meal and a presentation from McNeese.  Students from the York College chapter of Phi Beta Lambda business club presented the 2019 Dr. Mark Moore Entrepreneurial Spirit award to Warren Thomas, long time owner and manager of Grand Central Foods.
The award is presented by York College PBL and the York Chamber of Commerce at the annual Chamber Banquet event. It was established to recognize a York area business person from among chamber members who has demonstrated one or more of the core characteristics of the entrepreneurial spirit: innovation, courage, commitment and service.
Free Workshop Offered At York College
All area educators and YC alumni working in education or a related field are invited to attend a free workshop on Saturday, January 26, from 9 a.m. to noon. The topic will be “Breathe for Presence: Cultivating Awareness in the Mindful Classroom” and will focus on how to use meditation in the K-12 classroom. Register  York College announced today the names of Dean's List scholars for the Fall 2018 term; 98 students were recognized with this distinction.
To be named to the Dean’s List, students must carry 12 or more graded hours and achieve a semester grade point average of at least 3.75 with no incomplete grades and no grade below “C” for the semester. York College is proud to recognize these Dean's List Scholars:  Raylene Larsen passed away on December 28, 2018, at the age of 97. Her husband, Dale Larsen, served as the president of York College from 1960-1978. The couple is remembered for their impact at York College in the early years of its restructuring after the transition to Church of Christ leadership. After retiring as York’s longest-tenured president, Dale Larsen served for three decades as the college’s chancellor. In October 2009, YC dedicated the Larsen Commons, an outdoor event space on campus, to honor Dale and Raylene Larsen for their lifetime of service to the college. Raylene was known for her quiet dignity and tender spirit.
 The Ellis and Catherine Touchton Endowment for Bible scholarships at York College recently doubled in size thanks to a gift from Dickie ’64 and Onita (Touchton ’65) Hill. Their donation was offered as a challenge for all who know and love the Touchton family, which has a long and strong connection with York College.
Catherine was a teacher with a knack for making her students feel appreciated and respected. Ellis worked in the dairy industry and by the end of his career was vice president of sales for Skinner’s Dairy in Jacksonville, Florida. The couple’s five children all attended York College (Paul ‘61, Ryan ‘62, Onita ‘65, Iris ‘66, and Mary ‘70). They were longtime members of the Post St. Church of Christ in Jacksonville, where Ellis served as an elder. Ellis and Catherine were married for 70 years and both lived into their 90s, with Ellis making it to 99.  For an American couple to adopt internationally, the average cost for legal fees, visas, passports, medical care, and travel to bring that child to his or her new home is $40,000. The process often involves years of red tape and heartache, with no certainty about or control over the outcome.
When you look at all the obstacles for a young couple of modest means, it seems like a long shot. An expensive gamble. A crazy and impossible idea. But if you’re looking at the obstacles, you’re missing the point.  York College held a ceremony on December 13 to recognize the accomplishments of 31 students who had completed the requirements for graduation after the fall semester.
President Steve Eckman welcomed the more than 200 guests to the ceremony held in the Bartholomew Performing Arts Center. Local businessman Dan Goodwin ‘03, offered students words of wisdom and encouragement as the commencement speaker. |
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February 2019
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