Inspire, Winter 2003

10 Winter 2003 where they had several rehearsals. Their dress rehearsal and performance were held in the Isaac Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall. The Isaac Stern Auditorium, according to www.carnegiehall.org, “has been the premier classical music performance space in the United States since its opening in 1891 …”. These exciting practices and performance in New York landmarks kept the women busy; however, the trip to New York City was not all work. Beth shared, “We did take a harbor cruise on Saturday night after the performance, which was fun.” Beth suspects that the invitation to perform came because the women’s choir has sung several pieces by Jackson Berkey (the husband of Almeda Berkey), who is well-known for his choral compositions and his keyboard work for Mannheim Steamroller. Beth said that she hopes to return next year with an even larger group of women’s choir members. Women’s Choir Performs at Carnegie Hall Fourteen members of the Cedarville University Women’s Choir took part in a multi-age choral concert in Carnegie Hall recently. Conducted by Almeda Berkey, a highly recognized conductor and soprano, the concert showcased three choirs: a children’s choir, a choir of mainly college-age students, and the 200-member mixed-age choir of which the women’s choir members were a part. “The two pieces our choir performed were Crucifixus and Cantate 2000 , both by Jackson Berkey,” noted Beth Cram Porter, director of the Cedarville University Women’s Choir. According to Beth, while in New York the Cedarville group stayed at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, Joseph E. and DeLois Brown traveled from Florida to Cedarville to see the inauguration of their son, Dr. Bill Brown, in October. Much to their surprise, a new scholarship named in their honor was formally announced during the ceremony. The Joseph E. and DeLois Brown Scholarship will be presented annually to six Cedarville University juniors or seniors who are majoring in management, marketing, or management information systems. Recipients are chosen by the Cedarville University Department of Business Administration faculty. The award was established by William F. Poe, a longtime family friend of the Browns and chairman of Poe Financial Group in Tampa, Fla. For many years, Joe Brown served as president of Poe & Associates Insurance, one of the largest insurance agencies in the Southeast. During the ceremony, the Browns received a framed photo of the first six student recipients of the new scholarship. On October 11, 2003, during Homecoming, communication arts graduates assembled in the Alford Annex to honor the former chair of the department, Dr. James Phipps ’68. Jim served as chair for 32 years. During that time he touched the lives of many people, including faculty members and students. Jim’s ministry to students included fixing cars, helping students purchase cars, providing a “home” and meals, and going above and beyond the call of duty to help financially-strapped students graduate. The tribute to Jim included testimonies from many people touched by his ministry as chair and concluded with a slideshow of pictures of communication arts graduates. Jim closed the ceremony by indicating that his ministry has only changed, not ended. Jim will remain on the faculty as a professor of communication arts. New Scholarship Surprises Dr. Brown’s Parents Tribute to Dr. Phipps Dr. Martin Clark, vice president for development at Cedarville, is shown here presenting the photo to the Browns.