Ferrum’s Mission Trip to Baton Rouge | By Lindsey Foster

On the week of Spring Break, March 1st through the 7th, Ferrum College’s Spiritual Life traveled on a mission trip to Baton Rouge. Sixteen students and four faculty members attended this trip, which aimed to help repair homes that were affected by a devastating flood in 2016.

Originally, Spiritual Life planned a mission trip to Puerto Rico, which got canceled due to the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus in late February. The mission team soon switched to a new destination, Baton Rouge, as an alternative plan.

“God knew that Baton Rouge was an experience that we all needed,” said Mia Brower.

Ferrum’s faculty and staff were able to restart people’s lives by helping improve their homes. Repairs that were done included roof work, scraping paint, painting walls, flooring, and plumbing. Some were also offered to paint varieties of quotes on walls in the building they stayed at during the trip. Finishing touches included adding an accent wall while bringing more life to some rooms.

“Our host, Esther, gave me the chance to use my creativity which meant a lot before I left something there that others can enjoy,” said Brower.

Aside from home repairs, everyone also got to experience going to New Orleans, where they got to try the authentic and homemade Louisiana food and attended a church service.

Alumna Jessa King is a teacher at Franklin County High School, and she and her colleagues brought their ninth grade Eagle Tech students to campus to present a Gallery Walk. The presentation focused on the promotion of empathy for the plight of Syrian refugees through the Stories of Survival program. This program supports 3rd Person, which provides help to refugee families in Jordan.

Dr. Arias is an Assistant Professor of Spanish at Roanoke College. As part of their lecture series, VALHEN (Virginia Latino Higher Education Network) sponsored Dr. Aria’s visit to Ferrum College to talk about her work in developing a Corpus of Spanish variations spoken throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Students were especially interested in her focus on linguistic discrimination and its effect on the Latino community. The Ferrum College Spanish program continues to participate in this important network of higher education students and scholars.

We got to get away for a chilly but fun day out! International Programs teamed up with Ferrum Outdoors to organize a visit to Fall Ridge waterfalls and to Dixie Caverns.

Dr. Meena Pillai, a Fulbright researcher who is currently at UCLA for this academic year, came to Ferrum College and participated in class visits, a public lecture, and small-group meetings. Dr. Pillai is a Professor in the Institute of English and Director of the Centre for Cultural Studies at the University of Kerala in India, and her work focuses on women’s movements throughout the world. Students were able to ask her questions and talk to her about their goals, and the impact of her visit will leave a lasting impression on those students.

Ferrum College students participated in the Lunar New Year celebration at the Taubman Art Museum in Roanoke. The Lunar New year is celebrated in various Asian countries and occurs on the first full moon of the lunar year according to the traditional calendar. Each year is represented by an animal, and this is the Year of the Rat, and people born on this year are shrewd and resourceful.

We watched performances of dances, music, and martial arts, and learned about art projects and different foods, and then we went to get ice cream at Roanoke’s famous Blue Cow Ice Cream.

Ms. Loretta McGhee, Dining Services Cashier

Loretta McGhee is best known to the Ferrum College community as “Ms. Loretta.” She was hired in the College’s salad room in the cafeteria in 1986. An injury forced her to begin working at the front door as the dining services cashier. Ms. Loretta remained at Ferrum College for 32 years and retired in May 2019 at the age of 87. She still resides in the area with her son.

“Every day at Ferrum was my favorite memory,” said Ms. Loretta. “I counted every day as a blessing to be there. I didn’t go in complaining because I got to see all those students and teachers, and they were all so sweet. Everyone in the cafeteria was. Every now and then a student would come in and not be so nice. But I kept speaking to them and hugging them and they got out of acting like that!”

She specifically remembers working with Jeff Gring and Mike Ferguson: “Mike is one of the nicest people in the world. He and Jeff always helped me when I didn’t understand something. I don’t know what I would’ve done without the two of them.”

Ferrum College is a special place, made even more special because of people like Ms. Loretta.

Dave Newcombe, Director of Student Leadership & Engagement

Dave Newcombe arrived at Ferrum College in 1986 as the director of Residence Life. In June 1989, he was asked to serve as the dean of Student Affairs. “This was my ‘dream job’ when I was in college and grad school,” said Dave. “I wanted to be a dean of students at a small college.” In 2007, Dave became director of Student Leadership and Engagement, a position he held until his retirement in August 2015 after 29 years of service.

“At Ferrum, we had faculty and staff teams in softball and basketball. We played in the student intramural program until we were too old to compete. What a great way to get to know students, and they really enjoyed our participation and the bond that the games created,” remembered Dave. “I also became a great fan of Panther athletics, theatrical plays, musical events, and the fun programs provided for students, the College, and the local community. I tried to attend as many of these events as possible. It was fun for me, but more importantly, I supported our students.”

“My ‘dream job’ was a joy. The relationships I made with students, alumni, staff, and faculty are truly a blessing and continue into my retirement,” said Dave. He and his wife Patricia remain in the Ferrum area. “We love Ferrum College so much we decided to pay off our home here and stay!”

Ferrum College is a special place, made even more special because of people like Dave.

Dr. Bob Pohlad, Professor of Biology, Horticulture, & Environmental Science
Dr. Carolyn Thomas, Professor of Environmental Science & Biology

Dr. Bob Pohlad arrived at Ferrum College in 1978 as a biology professor. He spent the next 41 years at the College teaching biology, horticulture, and environmental science. His wife Dr. Carolyn Thomas joined him at Ferrum in the fall of 1979 where she spent 40 years as a professor of environmental science and biology. They taught together, engaging Ferrum College students in world-wide travels to Africa, the Virgin Islands, Ireland, and more countries, as well as showcasing nature in our own backyard. The couple retired together in May 2018. In January 2020, Dr. Thomas passed away at the age of 71. “Being at Ferrum College, on a campus such as ours, she embraced every place as her outdoor laboratory,” Dr. Pohlad remembered. “If she could get outside and get students in the creeks or pond, she knew that they would learn to love what she did.”

Ferrum College will always be a special place to Dr. Pohlad. “Carolyn and I could teach together, side by side, raise our family in a wonderful community of people, develop close and lasting ties to so many students and colleagues, and feel the joy of their successes over all these years,” he said. “We both loved to provide everyone the opportunity for experiential learning and share our love of travel and discovery with them.  Seeing that look of joy on their faces when they lived a new experience was such a pleasure. I think that goes for both of us.”