Cedarville Magazine, Summer 2014

10 | Cedarville Magazine but it was her influence on the campus culture and the individual lives of students that forged her legacy. This is the Miriam Maddox we remember. Tough-Loving Dr. Deborah (Bush) Haffey ’68 still remembers meeting Maddox her first weekend on campus. Haffey had been a “crackerjack” high school debater. She thought she was pretty good and assumed (with 18-year-old bravado) that Maddox would think so, too. Maddox informed Haffey that she would have to take her freshman college debate course before participating with the team. Not that Haffey wasn’t capable, but Maddox was unwilling to have someone so cocky affecting the spirit of the team. That encounter marked Haffey’s life. “She saw me for what I was, and she wasn’t having it,” said Haffey. “She helped me get my feet on the ground. I would not have accomplished what I have in my life without her input.” Haffey went on to coach winning debate teams at Cedarville for 15 years. Similarly, Dr. Jim Phipps ’68 described himself as a bullheaded student with his own high school debate accomplishments. He recalled how Maddox took his ego down to where it needed to be without destroying him. She knew how to accept students at their point of need, speak truth into a situation, and lift them up to accomplish something far greater than they could have imagined on their own. Spirited Maddox’s beloved debate team was getting clobbered. The opposing team had access to an article with convincing evidence on the topic, but it had appeared in an adult magazine. The young men from Cedarville did not have a copy — for obvious reasons. Phipps recalled the event and his awkward conversation with the stately coach as he tried to explain the dilemma. There was no way to combat the other team’s arguments without a copy of that forbidden article. Unbeknownst to the students, Maddox later walked to a local 7-Eleven convenience store and asked the surprised clerk for a copy of the magazine. She promptly tore out only the needed pages and handed the boys the article. “Now win!” she said. They did. Resourceful Because college resources were slim throughout her early years, Maddox put her considerable talent and creativity to good use. For a production of The Crucible , she fashioned working stage lights from empty corn cans in Alford Auditorium. She didn’t need to be led; she simply went to work to accomplish what needed to be done. Cultured For 17 years, Maddox was responsible for planning Cedar ville’s commencement ceremonies, and she established a dignity and decorum that continues to this day. She handpicked and arranged flowers from area farms to beautify the stage. Close friends with the President’s wife, she and Ruby Jeremiah hosted the first faculty dinner — in the Jeremiah’s garage. Despite the less than glamorous surroundings, Maddox created a formal ambiance with linen tablecloths and floral centerpieces. She also hosted formal dinners for senior students in her home, at her own expense. Always proper and dignified, Maddox donned a uniform to serve the table. Her FOR 17 YEARS , MADDOX WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR PLANNING CEDARVILLE’S COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES, AND SHE ESTABLISHED A DIGNITY AND DECORUM THAT CONTINUES TO THIS DAY.