Torch, Summer 2004

14 TORCH / Summer 2004 TORCH Singing for the President T he May 6 National Day of Prayer found Beth Cram Porter, assistant professor of voice, singing for the president of the United States and 200 of his invited guests. For this private ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Porter sang “Balm in Gilead” at the White House’s request. She described it as a “wonderful, yet very surreal experience.” “My prayer in the days prior to May 6 was that God, and not Beth Cram Porter, would be heard,” Porter remarked. “… The song I sang … speaks the gospel message very clearly: ‘If you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot pray like Paul, you can tell the love of Jesus, and say He died for all. ... He died for me, He died for you.’” Porter is an accomplished soprano soloist with a distinguished career on the stage. Her many tours abroad have included a tour of southern France with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, in which she was a soloist. She has been teaching studio voice at Cedarville since 1997 and also directs the Cedarville University Women’s Choir. Video of the White House’s National Day of Prayer ceremony can be viewed by going to www.whitehouse.gov , clicking on “Current News,” and then clicking on the Video icon for the May 6 “President Bush Marks 53rd Anniversary of National Day of Prayer.” news c a m p u s n e w s c a m p u s n e w s campus Solar Splash ® Team Named World Champions A team of six recent Cedarville University engineering graduates has laid claim to the rarest of titles: World Champion. The team, consisting of 2004 CU engineering graduates Adam Felmlee of Corsica, Pa.; John Hagley of Upland, W.Va.; Brian Montague of Jackson, Mich.; Brian Morgan of Mount Morris, N.Y.; Josh Root of Wynantskill, N.Y.; and Emily Snyder of Vestal, N.Y., recently won 2004 Solar Splash®, the world championship of solar/electric boating. Dr. Tim Dewhurst, professor of mechanical engineering, served as the faculty adviser to the project; he and the team were assisted by Toby Dewhurst and Nathanael Dewhurst of Springfield, Ohio. “We are simply thrilled at this accomplishment of our students,” said Dr. Larry Zavodney, chair of Cedarville University’s Elmer W. Engstrom Department of Engineering. “Solar Splash® is an international intercollegiate competition that involves students designing, building, and sailing their boats and undergoing a series of competitive evaluations. Those evaluations include technical reports, visual displays, and workmanship. On-the-water competitions include a sprint and a maneuverability qualifier, followed by the ‘Solar Slalom,’ which is a combination of speed and maneuverability. The final events are sprint and endurance tests.” The CU entry placed first in the sprint event, second in the solar slalom, and third in both the endurance event and technical report evaluations. Cedarville was the only team to win trophies in all four categories. The overall strength of their entry resulted in their being named the Solar Splash® 2004 Collegiate World Champions of Solar/Electric Boating. The CU entry outpaced those of teams from more than 20 other schools, including Cal-Poly Pomona, Washington State University, the University of Arkansas, the U.S. Naval Academy, Messiah College, and École Technologie Supérieur from Montreal, Canada. Complete results of the competition can be viewed at www.solarsplash.com . John Hagley accepts the Solar Splash® award. Behind him are (L-R) Nathanael Dewhurst, Adam Felmlee, Brian Morgan, Toby Dewhurst, Dr. Tim Dewhurst, and Brian Montague. Not pictured are Josh Root and Emily Snyder.