Lycoming College 2020 President's Report/Magazine

NOTEWOR PLAQUE DEDICATION HONORS MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. On Feb. 20, 2020, Lycoming College held a plaque dedication to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to campus on April 24, 1958, when he addressed the College community in Clarke Chapel. Derek Slaughter, mayor of Williamsport, Pa., delivered the keynote address. The plaque was funded by a Lycoming alumnus who heard King speak at the College and was motivated to mark the occasion of his lecture at Lycoming. Built in 1939, Clarke Chapel served as a haven for young scholars at Lycoming who yearned to augment their learning with new ideas, public discourse, and the chance to hear guest speakers challenge their thinking with different perspectives. King, at age 29, became the most prominent guest of The Chapel Speakers Program with his talk, “Facing the Challenge of a New Age,” in which he promoted civil rights through a philosophy of non-violent civil disobedience. “Sixty-two years after Martin Luther King Jr. delivered remarks to the Lycoming College community, this campus continues to value civil discourse and to cultivate in our students the capacity to think freely,” said President Kent Trachte. “The plaque that will hang in Clarke Chapel will not only serve as a permanent reminder of King’s time with Lycoming students, it will inspire us to remain committed to the values of social justice and equality that informed Dr. King’s work and shaped our nation.” Two former members of the Lycoming College Choir, Ruth (Perry) Hodge ’58 and Kay (Stenger) Huffman ’60, were students at the time of the historic visit and had the opportunity to sing while King took the stage. It was only fitting that the two alumnae were able to return to campus to witness the unveiling of the plaque in his honor. (L to R) Trachte, Huffman, Hodge, and Slaughter (L to R) Philip C. Hammond, King, and D. Frederick Wertz NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AWARDS $237,925 TO LYCOMING COLLEGE PROFESSOR The National Science Foundation has awarded a senior research grant for $237,925 to Lycoming College faculty member Jessica Munson, Ph.D., assistant professor of archaeology and anthropology, for her study, “Long-Term Impacts of Institutionalized Inequality on Household Wealth and Well-Being.” With a duration of three years, the grant will provide the means for Munson and her team of international researchers and students to conduct a large-scale excavation project at the ancient Maya site of Altar de Sacrificios, a site located in the southern Maya lowlands of Guatemala. The study will provide Lycoming students with significant opportunities to become involved in all phases of research, including excavations and artifact analyses conducted in the project laboratory in Guatemala. 6 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2020 PRESIDENT’S REPORT/FALL MAGAZINE