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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.
