Furman Magazine. Volume 27, Issue 2 - Full Issue

Furman Magazine Volume 27 Issue 0 1982 All Issues Article 2 9-1-1982 Furman Magazine. Volume 27, Issue 2 - Full Issue Furman University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/furman-magazine Recommended Citation University, Furman (1982) "Furman Magazine. Volume 27, Issue 2 - Full Issue," Furman Magazine: Vol. 27 : Iss. 0 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/furman-magazine/vol27/iss0/2 This Complete Volume is made available online by Journals, part of the Furman University Scholar Exchange (FUSE). It has been accepted for inclusion in Furman Magazine by an authorized FUSE administrator. For terms of use, please refer to the FUSE Institutional Repository Guidelines. For more information, please contact . What more can a man ask? Magazine Fal l 1982/Vol . 27 No.2 THE FURMAN M AGAZI N E is published by Furman University, Greenvil le, S.C. 29613 and printed by Provence-Jarrard Printing, Inc. Copyright© Furman University 1982 Marguerite Hays/Editor Blake Praytor/Photographer Tom Hays/Consul tant CONTENTS Thirty-three years: A reminiscence by Francis W. Bonner page 2 Campaigning for quality by Marguerite Hays page 9 "Sorry we spi lled coffee a l l over your work . . . . " by Rob Suggs page 14 Who's ready for col lege? by Tom Cloer page 19 Johns & Johns by Marguerite Hays page 24 COVER Three students enj oy the late summer beside the lake. Photograph by Blake Praytor. Furman Univ.ersll}' offers equal opportunity in its employment, admissions and f>ducational acti1Jilies in rompliance with Title IX and other civil nghts laws. I n J u ne of this year Dr. Francis W. Bonner retired as vice president and provost of Furman U niversity to return to teaching. Bonner has been associated with Furman since 1949 when he joined the English faculty. He was named dean of the Men's Col l ege in 1953 and from then on held a series of important administrative positions. As the chief academic officer under three presidents, Bonner has had a profound effect on Furman's academic program. He improved the quality of the faculty by recruiting w e l l-quali fied teachers and by providing strong moral and financial support for their development. H e strengthened the curriculum by leading the movement to eliminate non-liberal arts courses, l ike home economics and engineering, and by advocating the addition of other subj ects, l ike computer science. He set up the foreign study program and assisted in estab lishing the Master of Business Administration program with Clemson University. Largel y because of h i s efforts, Furman was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1973. (Dr. Bonner gives a more detailed account of his experiences at Furman on the fol lowing pages.) A lthough most of his time and energy in recent years has been devoted to his administrative responsibilities, Bonner has kept u p his scholarly studies and now returns to the classroom to teach English l i terature. He taught a course on Chaucer in the spring term, and this fal l he w i l l teach two courses to Furman students i n England. U n l i kely as it may seem for a Chaucer scholar, Frank Bonner has been interested i n sports since he was a boy. A physical fitness enthusiast, he began running i n 1965 and now runs 16 to 18 miles a week. As faculty chairman of athletics since 1968, he maintained a balanced program of interco l l egiate athletics at Furman. He has served as a member of the executive committee and as president of the Southern Conference. He is currently a member of the Division I Steering Committee and vice president at large of the National Col legiate Athletic Association . An editorial about col l ege athletics that he wrote last spring for the Greenville News was quoted in newspapers throughout the country and reprinted i n the NCAA News and some newspapers i n New England. Usuall y absorbed in Furman business, Bonner had to put aside most duties last May in order to attend a l l of the functions held in his honor. Climaxing these events was a u n i versity dinner, where he was "roasted" by col leagues and friends. I n a biographical sketch printed i n the program for the dinner, Dr. A l bert N. Sanders, retired professor of history and a longtime friend, wrote: "Furman University has emerged as a strong l i beral arts institution u nder his guidance. It is a better place to work and study because of his having come this way - what more can a man ask of one l i fetime!" M. H . Right: Alt hough Fra n k Bonner might have been known as a stern admini strator in earlier y ears, he smiled a lot t h is spring as h e prepared to retire as vice president and provost of t h e un iversity. The Furman Magazine Blake Praytor Fall, 1 982 Thirty-three years: A reminiscence • • by Francis W. Bonner ��Tomorrow to fresh woods, and pastures new." Milton I first became aware of Furman University in 1947 when Furman 's basketball team played the University of North Carolina at Chapel H i l l , where I was i n graduate school. The resu l ts of the game led me to think of Furman as a rather insigni ficant col lege somewhere in South Carol ina. When in the spring of 1949 - as I was completing work on the Ph.D. degree - I was i nformed that a Dean Tibbs from Furman U niversity was on the campus and wanted to talk to me about a job, I was not very much in terested. Teaching positions were plentiful then, and I had had offers from several institutions, including some large universities. But I talked with Dean Tibbs, whom I found to be a del ightful person, and told him I would consider a visit to Furman. I was dubious about making the trip until I talked with Dr. George Raleigh Coffman, my mentor. H e strongly advised me to go, because -he said enthusiastical ly - "Furman was John Matthews Manly's old schoo l ." Manly, a world-renowned Chaucer scholar, had been Coffman's teacher at the University of Chicago. Since I had "maj ored" in Chaucer, I was im pressed. 2 But I was not impressed by my first sight of Furman. I found two sma l l campuses ( a mi le apart), rather dilapidated buildings, a tiny l i brary, a provincial student body and a faculty of varying qual ity. My first thought was that I had wasted some time and money in coming. Before the day was over, however, I had discovered some things I l i ked. I was impressed by President Plyler, Dean Tibbs, Dean R.N. Daniel and the members of the English department. Furman's size, its church affiliation and the prospect of a new campus appealed to me. (And Dean Tibbs' salary offer was better than some I had received.) Back i n Chapel H i l l I discussed t h e matter with Ni laouise and we decided to go to Furman. It could be a stepping stone to an even better job at a more prestigious school two or three years later, we thought. I n 1949 Furman had a facu lty of 82 (give or take), 34 percent of whom had the doctorate. There were some excellent teachers - the G i lpatricks, Winston Babb, Gene Loope (...truncated)