Giving Stories

Late Alum’s Comic Book Creations on Display for Thursday’s Great Lives Lecture

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When Stan Lee drew Spider-Man, he gave his signature superhero the ability to shoot webs from a device attached to his wrist.

One of Duke Stableford's embroidered creations inspired by Stan Lee's comic book covers. Stableford, a 1981 alum who passed away in January, created 30 needlepoints of Marvel Comics covers that will be on display in George Washington Hall before the Great Lives lecture on Stan Lee on Thursday. Photo by Karen Pearlman.
One of Duke Stableford’s embroidered creations inspired by Stan Lee’s comic book covers. Stableford, a 1981 alum who passed away in January, created 30 needlepoints of Marvel Comics covers that will be on display in George Washington Hall before the Great Lives lecture on Stan Lee on Thursday. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Influenced by Lee’s work, Mary Washington alumnus Duke Stableford ’81 used cloth, a needle, and colored thread to create his own interpretations of the celebrated writer and artist’s classic comic book covers.

An exhibit featuring 30 needlepoint pieces by Stableford, who passed away in January, will be on view in George Washington Hall on Thursday, Feb. 22, when the William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series presents Stan Lee: Spider-Man and Marvel Comics in the University of Mary Washington’s Dodd Auditorium on the Fredericksburg campus at 7:30 p.m. Presented by cultural historian Bob Batchelor, the lecture will be free and open to the public and is sponsored by Yuh Prosthodontics.

Cultural historian Bob Batchelor will present 'Stan Lee: Spider-Man and Marvel Comics,' sharing anecdotes from his 2022 book, on Thursday as part of the Great Lives Lecture Series.
Cultural historian Bob Batchelor will present ‘Stan Lee: Spider-Man and Marvel Comics,’ sharing anecdotes from his 2022 book, on Thursday as part of the Great Lives Lecture Series.

 

Lee, a larger-than-life personality who would have been 101 tomorrow, made an indelible impact on popular culture, from his trailblazing comic book series to film cameos to a blockbuster movie franchise. For Marvel Comics, he created iconic characters with superhuman strengths and incredibly human flaws – such as the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, and the Fantastic Four – who continue to entertain and inspire generations of superhero fans today.

In his lecture, Batchelor will draw from his book, Stan Lee: A Life, covering important milestones experienced by this American cultural visionary, who died in 2018, interwoven with the events that changed our nation during Lee’s lifetime.

A self-taught artist, Stableford began drawing and embroidering as a teenager. He kept up his craft most of his life, including intermittently at Mary Washington, where he majored in American studies and philosophy and played basketball, chess, and disc golf. He became a history and government teacher at Chancellor High School in nearby Spotsylvania and coached the school’s chess team to a state championship.

In retirement, Stableford merged his childhood interest in comic books with his passion for needlepoint. He began reproducing a series from Marvel Comics, which make up the core of this exhibit, until health issues began to limit his ability to embroider. He passed away peacefully on Jan. 11, 2024, surrounded by family and friends.

“Duke was an easygoing person with diverse interests whom it was a pleasure to know, even casually,” said Executive Director of UMW Museums Scott Harris ’83, who was recently named co-director of Great Lives. “It’s no surprise that he became an inspiring and beloved educator. I’m glad that we could associate his very personal tribute to Stan Lee’s legacy with this Great Lives lecture.”

A complete lineup of Great Lives lectures, including dates, speakers, and sponsors, can be found at umw.edu/greatlives.

Duke Stableford, fourth from the right, with the Mary Washington basketball team in 1978.
Duke Stableford playing frisbee at Mary Washington in 1980.
Duke Stableford, an American studies and philosophy major, studying at Mary Washington in 1980.
Duke Stableford, who had Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History Bill Crawley as a professor, went on to teach history and government at Chancellor High School, where he often taught students using mock trials.
Duke Stableford, seen here in 2007, sponsored Chancellor High School’s chess team, which went to the state championships.
Duke Stableford, seen here in 2002, was a popular history and government teacher at Chancellor High School in Spotsylvania, Virginia.

-Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

UMW’s New Dean Gets Down to Business with Reaccreditation, Programs, and More

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Dean Filiz Tabak brought a broad portfolio of expertise when she came to lead the University of Mary Washington’s College of Business (COB) last summer. It helped her guide the college through a successful reaccreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, or AACSB.

Dean Filiz Tabak recently guided UMW’s College of Business through AACSB reaccreditation.
Dean Filiz Tabak recently guided UMW’s College of Business through AACSB reaccreditation.

“This is a significant milestone signifying our commitment to academic excellence and the highest quality standards in business degree programs and in student success,” said Tabak in the announcement last week, thanking faculty, staff, and administration for their collaborative efforts in achieving this prestigious honor. Only 6% of business schools worldwide have received this international recognition, she said, which COB first earned in 2018.

During the lengthy reaccreditation process, Tabak relied on the extensive knowledge base she built during her years at Towson University’s College of Business & Economics, where she taught courses in organizational leadership, management, and more – while publishing research in countless peer-reviewed journals. There, she rose through the ranks, becoming graduate program director, department chair, and acting associate dean.

Yet, her background goes beyond business. As a first-generation college student, Tabak earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering and a master’s degree in marine physics and chemistry before working at Henkel. Getting a glimpse into the multinational corporation’s inner workings helped her discover a passion for organizational behavior, a field she focused on while earning an MBA at Bogazici University in Turkey and a Ph.D. at Oklahoma State University.

“My multidisciplinary background was a major asset, because I thought differently from my peers,” said Tabak, who sees the same multifaceted approach through the liberal arts at Mary Washington and her prior work at Towson.

Besides reaccreditation, at UMW, she has been charged with developing innovative undergraduate and graduate curriculum, strengthening partnerships, creating a Dean’s Student Advisory Board, revamping the Executive Advisory Board, initiating a strategic plan for the college, and more.

Now in her second semester as dean, Tabak shares COB’s recent accomplishments and what’s in store for 2024.

What goals will you be focused on this year?
The College of Business is getting ready to launch a new major in entrepreneurship and management this fall and is streamlining the entrepreneurship minor. We’re working closely with UMW’s Center for Economic Development to provide training and internships and connect students with alumni entrepreneurs and area small business owners. We’re also promoting our 30-credit MBA program that can be completed entirely online, but still offering face-to-face graduate courses.

How would you describe the strategic planning process?
It was initiated under the umbrella of the University’s strategic plan and will help guide COB’s direction for years to come. Business schools must meet certain standards to keep AACSB accreditation, including focusing on social impact and digital knowledge. We’re looking for alumni, students, faculty, and staff, as well as community leaders, who want to join this effort and provide insight and feedback to help the college continue to achieve success.

What events are planned for 2024?
We’re excited to host our Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society induction ceremony on April 4, followed by the sixth annual Strategy Case Competition on April 18, in which student teams will analyze a comprehensive business case and present recommendations to an alumni panel of judges. Andrew Blate ’04 and his business partner, Craig Schneibolk, started an endowed fund for an annual $5,000 award to be split among the winners.

In the fall, we’ll host our Alumni Awards as well as our Meet the Firms event. Last semester, we hosted nearly 70 students who met with representatives from over a dozen firms to learn about internships and employment opportunities. We plan to expand the event to include more organizations.

UMW's College of Business, housed in Woodard Hall, recently completed a successful renewal, extending its AACSB accreditation for another five years.
UMW’s College of Business, housed in Woodard Hall, recently completed a successful renewal, extending its AACSB accreditation for another five years.

How can alumni help students achieve success in college and after Mary Washington?
Alumni can join our COB Executive Advisory Board, Young Professionals Group, or the strategic planning focus group. Alumni and advisory board member perspectives are invaluable and can help us shape the future of the college. We’re always happy to spread the word if you’re looking to hire an intern or a UMW graduate.

One of your goals is to start a Bloomberg Finance Lab. How will this benefit students?
These labs provide applied learning in up-and-coming areas like finance, financial planning, and business analytics, which we’d like to introduce as majors in the future. It’s critical that UMW students acquire comprehensive skills in these areas to compete well against other business school graduates in the market.

Why are your plans to create more faculty research opportunities and endowed professorships important?
Faculty research and knowledge creation increases the profile of the college, attracts prospective students, and improves the visibility of our outstanding faculty. UMW strikes the right balance between putting talented and engaged faculty in the classroom while nurturing an environment with opportunities to produce high quality scholarship.

How do you spend your free time?
I love exercising at the UMW Campus Recreation Fitness Center alongside our wonderful students and enjoy visiting downtown restaurants, the farmers market, and art galleries. I also train and board dogs, and I’m a canine photographer. I was chased and terrorized by a stray dog as a child, so I got a puppy to get over my fears about 20 years ago, and that was it; I fell in love with dogs and anything dog-related! But my side gig is on hiatus now that I’m a dean!

Read more about UMW’s College of Business.

– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 

Lessons in Sciences: Mary Washington Alumnae Advance STEM Careers

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A young woman leaves New York to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at a small Virginia women’s college in the 1950s. After graduate school, she becomes a revered electron microscopist – but not without the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated field. Consequently, she spends her life helping female students at her alma mater advance their own careers and pursue their scientific passions.

It sounds like Lessons in Chemistry, the popular Apple+ miniseries based on the novel by Bonnie Garmus, chronicling the life of a female chemist challenging the status quo in the mid-20th century.

Yet, it’s the true story of Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59. She and other Mary Washington alumnae – such as Anne Hope Scott ’59, Jerri Barden Perkins ’61, and Marilyn Shull Black ’69 – made scientific breakthroughs while breaking through the glass ceiling.

Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 poses in 2017 with three of her recipients, Kelly McDaniel, Mary Hopkin, and Emily Ferguson.
Professor of Chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Physics Janet Asper (right) works with chemistry major Dorothy Haas ’23 in Experimental Methods, a course that has students separating and identifying the molecules within a mixture. Through the years, Irene’s generous gifts to her alma mater have bolstered students’ pursuit of science.
Irene poses with a group of UMW scholarship recipients who benefited from her generosity at the 2018 Donor Appreciation Luncheon. To date, 93 students and counting have earned awards thanks to the funding she provided.

“These women overcame obstacles at a time when there were few women in STEM and found success in their fields,” said Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement Katie Turcotte. “We are so thankful to them and others who continue to invest in their alma mater so that students today can achieve their goals, just as they did.”

On Feb. 11’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, UMW recognizes alumnae who have established or contributed toward scholarships and other awards in the sciences. A total of 21 graduates have given $10,000 or more to STEM areas over the years, all of them women. Nearly $43 million has been made in gifts and pledges to designations in the sciences by alumni, friends, and families, mostly in the last decade. 

Irene left the University of Mary Washington a transformational $30 million gift – the largest in the institution’s history – when she passed away in 2022. Her generous bequest will exponentially grow UMW’s undergraduate scientific research program and create four new Alvey Scholarships, providing full tuition, fees, and room and board for out-of-state students, adding to the eight she created in her lifetime.

The first of these four new scholarships will be awarded this spring to an incoming first-year student who wishes to pursue studies in biology, chemistry, physics, Earth and environmental science, mathematics, or computer science. Recipients will be notified by April 1, 2024, and students are encouraged to apply for admission as the first step. UMW also offers in-state full-ride scholarships for Virginia students, with more than 90 majors, minors, and programs to choose from.

Current students can apply for scholarships now, with the application open Feb. 1 through May 15.

In addition, the University recently recognized a decades-long commitment by Anne Hope Scott, who made a provision in her estate plan in 1988 to fund the Anne Hope Scott ’59 Scholarship in Chemistry. A former teacher, Anne, who also passed away in 2022, spent 34 years as a chemist and consumer safety officer with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at UMW’s 2014 Commencement ceremony. Photo by Norm Shafer.
Anne Hope Scott (right) collaborates with a coworker in an FDA lab. The 1959 alumna’s bequest funded the Anne Hope Scott ’59 Scholarship in Chemistry.

Irene had often said that Mary Washington had “opened worlds” for her, so she wanted to do the same for students like senior Sofia Taylor, an Alvey Scholarship recipient with whom she corresponded regularly through cards and letters.

Sofia had the opportunity to thank her late donor one last time in a video that premiered at UMW’s annual Celebration of Giving dinner in December.

“I hope you know that everything I’m doing here at UMW was made possible because of your generosity,” said Sofia, a psychology major and music and neuroscience minor. “I will continue to make you proud as a woman in STEM and sing your praises for all past and future Alvey Scholars to hear.”

Seniors Sofia Taylor (right) and Hannah Stottlemyer, who both earned full-ride Alvey Scholarships established by Irene Piscopo Rodgers, pose with Ron Pohl, Irene’s friend and attorney, at the 2023 Celebration of Giving. Photo by Karen Pearlman Photography.
Harrison Miles ’15, ’23, who earned a post-baccalaureate degree in conservation biology, poses with his donor, Jerri Barden Perkins, MD, ’61, at the 2023 Celebration of Giving. His research received the John C. and Jerri Barden Perkins ’61 CAS Student Research Fellowship at last year’s Summer Science Institute. Photo by Karen Pearlman Photography.

With a storied career as a chemist, physician, researcher, and author, Jerri Barden Perkins, MD, credits her start to the $100 scholarship she received at Mary Washington when she was a student. “This is my way of paying it forward for future generations.”

She was also honored in the video by one of her recipients, Harrison Miles ’15, ’23, who returned to UMW to earn a post-baccalaureate degree in conservation biology. Harrison was awarded the John C. and Jerri Barden Perkins ’61 College of Arts and Sciences Student Research Fellowship at last year’s Summer Science Institute for his research using fungus extracted from the invasive spotted lantern fly.

“Without the scientific background and support of my Mary Washington professors, I could not have achieved my goals,” said Jerri, who faced gender bias in medical school and throughout her career. She later trained at the National Institutes of Health, where she made groundbreaking discoveries into rheumatoid arthritis, and worked at the FDA, where she recommended the first therapy to treat AIDS patients.

Docia Atanda ’23, also featured in the video, said that receiving the Bernard L. Mahoney Jr. Student Research Fellowship from Marilyn Shull Black meant that she could continue her research with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith ’12. Docia and Dr. Smith also received awards from Irene when they were students.

Now pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Maryland, Docia said she hopes to use her science education to contribute to the greater good just like Marilyn, who spent her career studying indoor air quality and its impact on children’s health.

Marilyn Shull Black ’69 with the late Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Emeritus Bernard L. Mahoney Jr. She named her fellowship for the former professor.
Docia Atanda ’23 (right) with Kathleen Mahoney, wife of the late Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Bernard L. Mahoney Jr., the namesake of Marilyn Shull Black’s fellowship, at the 2023 Donor Appreciation Luncheon. Photo by Karen Pearlman Photography.

“Dr. Black, thank you for believing in the power of education and investing in students like me,” Docia said. “Your support has changed my life and enabled me and other Mary Washington students to pursue our dreams and make a difference in the world.”

Find scholarship opportunities that are available to UMW students. Learn more about establishing scholarships and how private support makes a difference in the lives of UMW students who receive scholarships, research fellowships, and internship grants.

-Article written by Associate Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 

Watch the ‘Impact of Giving on the Sciences’ video:

Alumna, Author Uncovers Hidden Black History in Great Lives Lecture, Feb. 8

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An archaeological dig revealed the remnants of a notorious slave jail in Richmond. The groundbreaking discovery led journalist and Mary Washington graduate Kristen Green ’95 to use different tools to unearth information about Mary Lumpkin, a formerly enslaved woman who began her family’s quest for freedom on that site.

Kristen, an award-winning reporter and author, utilized the writing, critical thinking and rigorous research skills she honed through her college journalism courses to piece together a riveting portrait in her 2022 book, The Devil’s Half Acre (the jail’s nickname). Documents, deeds, death certificates, and more weave a tale of a woman all but erased from the American narrative.

Journalist and author Kristen Green '95 will share the story of enslaved woman Mary Lumpkin as part of UMW's Great Lives Lecture Series on Feb. 8.
Journalist and author Kristen Green ’95 will share the story of enslaved woman Mary Lumpkin as part of UMW’s Great Lives Lecture Series on Feb. 8.

“We know figures like Harriet Tubman, but most enslaved women didn’t try to escape because they wouldn’t have left their children behind,” Kristen said. “Instead, Mary Lumpkin used her agency … to secure an education and freedom for her children, nearly a decade prior to the Civil War.”

Kristen will shed light on Lumpkin’s story – including how she became known as the mother of Virginia Union University, one of the country’s oldest Historically Black Colleges and Universities – on Thursday, Feb. 8, for the William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series. A part of UMW’s 2024 Black History Month Celebration, Mary Lumpkin: Enslaved Woman, Liberator will be held in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Sponsored by LINKBANK, the lecture is open to the public and free of charge and will be posted online shortly after the event.

The lecture reunites Kristen – a member of UMW’s inaugural Alumni of Distinction class – with series founder and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History William Crawley. She cites him as the reason she chose to attend Mary Washington, after a chance encounter when she was working at her high school job in a furniture store.

“I naturally followed Kristen’s progress with great interest, while she was a student and in her journalism career,” Dr. Crawley said. “I’m so proud of what she has accomplished.”

Kristen said taking courses in history, religion, historic preservation, and English pointed her toward the interdisciplinary American studies major. She also registered for every class with Steve Watkins, who taught journalism at UMW for over two decades.

“I came from a small town and had never encountered anyone like him,” said Kristen, who joined the student newspaper, then called The Bullet. “He encouraged me to question everything.”

With that curiosity, she earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and wrote for the Boston Globe, San Diego Tribune, and Richmond Times-Dispatch. Covering other communities inspired her to take a closer look at her own hometown.

Her New York Times bestseller, Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County, investigated how the Virginia community shuttered public schools, rather than admit Black students, after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Kristen Green pieced together the story of Mary Lumpkin using letters, court documents, slave manifests, census and city directories, and more, as well as interviews with formerly enslaved people from the early 20th century.
Kristen Green pieced together the story of Mary Lumpkin using letters, court documents, slave manifests, census and city directories, and more, as well as interviews with formerly enslaved people from the early 20th century.

“I had only been told parts of the story,” said Kristen, who explored her own family’s role, learning that her grandfather helped open the segregated private academy that she herself attended as a child. “That’s what my books have become – this history hidden in plain sight.”

That’s what drew her to Mary Lumpkin, who was forced to bear the children of a brutal slave trader, Robert Lumpkin, but used her limited resources to help them have a better life. And Kristen wanted to share the stories of other enslaved women who were exploited during the domestic slave trade.

She used the Library of Virginia and Ancestry.com to trace Mary Lumpkin’s journey through personal correspondence, court documents, wills and deeds, census and city directories, slave manifests, advertisements, news articles, and birth, marriage and death certificates.

“There are so many little records that seem like nothing, but when you put them together, a story starts to form,” said Kristen, who also used recorded interviews with formerly enslaved people from the early 20th century to round out what Mary Lumpkin’s life might have looked like.

Mary Lumpkin saw a different future after Robert died, Kristen said. “She … found freedom, mobility and love and carved out a life of her own.”

A complete lineup of Great Lives lectures, including dates, speakers and sponsors, can be found at umw.edu/greatlives. Learn more about Kristen Green’s work at kristengreen.net. Read more about UMW’s inaugural Alumni of Distinction class.

– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 

UMW’s Great Lives Lecture Series Announces New Co-Director

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The University of Mary Washington’s Great Lives lecture series announces the addition of Scott Harris ’83 to its team. As executive director of UMW Museums, Harris joins Great Lives founder and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History William Crawley as co-director of the hugely popular biography series, which returned for its 21st season in January.

Great Lives lectures are held Tuesdays and Thursdays through the end of March 2024. All are open to the public free of charge and begin at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium.

Executive Director of University of Mary Washington Museums Scott Harris ’83 was recently named co-director of the Great Lives lecture series.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History William Crawley, who founded Great Lives in 2004, will co-direct the hugely popular biography lecture series with Harris. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Harris is well known in the Fredericksburg area for his extensive involvement in historic preservation, having earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in history and historic preservation from Mary Washington. He has been employed at UMW since 2011 and has served in his current role since 2018, overseeing Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, the James Monroe Museum, and the Papers of James Monroe.

In addition, Harris is past president of the Virginia Association of Museums and is an editorial advisor and frequent contributor to the White House Historical Association’s journal, White House History Quarterly.

“I’m honored to work with Bill Crawley and the rest of the Great Lives team to bring such a distinguished lecture series to the public,” Harris said. “This year’s lineup is excellent, and we are looking forward to a terrific one in 2025.”

In his new position, Harris will collaborate with Crawley in presenting this season’s lectures, as well as assembling the schedule of topics and speakers for the coming year. According to Crawley, who has led the series since its inception in 2004, the co-directors will be working together to devise a programmatic structure that will enable the series to thrive in 2025 and beyond.

Great Lives began as an academic course offered by UMW’s Department of History and American Studies with a free public lecture series. A significant endowment by John Chappell, in honor of his late wife, Carmen Culpeper Chappell ’59, enabled the series to attract bestselling biographers who provide illuminating insight into the lives of the world’s most prominent personalities. More than 300 subjects have been featured over the last two decades.

In 2016, the program was renamed the William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series. Numerous local organizations and corporations throughout the Fredericksburg area sponsor talks and support the series.

Lectures continue this month with World War II spymaster Wild Bill Donovan on Feb. 1 (rescheduled from Jan. 16), followed by George Washington on Feb. 6.

On Feb. 8, Kristen Green ’95 will share the story of Mary Lumpkin, an enslaved woman who turned a notorious slave jail into a school for Black men, the precursor to Virginia Union University, one of America’s first Historically Black Colleges and Universities. An award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author, Green penned Lumpkin’s biography, The Devil’s Half Acre.

Each lecture is recorded and will be available online shortly after the event.

A complete list of events, including dates, speakers, and sponsors, can be found at umw.edu/greatlives.