Misty (Chaney) Painter
Class of 1997
The Term System
I remember late fall evenings walking around the campus with Brandilyn (Davidson) Michel discussing the term system and how much we loved it. We would talk about how the term system was something special to Eureka College and it was definitely something that brought each of us to Eureka. There were classes that ended in eight weeks and you let out a sigh of relief that you had conquered the class. There were classes that ended and you wished there was time to do even more.
I loved being able to focus on two or three topics and learn about them intensely as opposed to having to feel more scattered with numerous different topics. I know as we neared graduation, there were classes that were beginning to shift to the semester format and I was grateful to mostly be able to stay away from those. While I was personally disappointed when EC moved away from the term system, I also understand that there are special elements to anything you do and as time marches on, they change. My Eureka experience involved the term system and I am very thankful for that!
The Class of 1997
Over our years at Eureka College, those of us in the class of 1997 began to call ourselves the alphas and omegas of so many different things! We were the last class to know Ben Major Union, going downstairs and ordering a frozen pizza or participating in the intramural pool championship down there. We were the last to visit Joanie McCollum in the old mail room, have combination locks for our mailboxes, and to appreciate the concept of putting a rubberband on the catch so you didn’t have to remember your combination. Next door to the mail room, we were the last ones to shop in the Burgess Bookstore.
We were the last class to be split in two for Western Civilization classes in the A-V room of Melick Library and the first class to be brought together as one for Western Civilizations classes in Becker Auditorium of the Donald B. Cerf Center. We were the last class to experience many key events in the chapel, as the opening of Becker Auditorium gave the opportunity to convene in the Cerf Center.
Mr. Ken Baxter and Dr. Brian Sajko joined the Eureka College family with us (I feel like there should be a third person, but I do not know who it would be!), and Coach Warner McCollum retired from the staff in conjunction with our commencement at Eureka College. We experienced the return of the Alpha Chi Lambda fraternity to campus and two different campus visits from Ray Bradbury. The 1994 NAIA Division II Championship was won by the men’s basketball team during our freshman year. A soccer program was initiated and Pritchard Theatre was completely renovated during our time on campus as well.
At the start of our four years at Eureka College, we were involved in a very rigorous freshman orientation program. We were required to write a three-to-four page journal entry about why we chose Eureka, to read and discuss The Little Prince, and responsible for researching and writing a report using resources from Melick Library. This intensive orientation was designed to prepare us for the intensive study program at Eureka. I heard many discussions about how the general program was too intensive, but as I sit and reflect now, I know we were a very close and strong class. And I believe that our orientation did just what it was supposed to: prepare us to be successful at Eureka College and in our lives afterward!
The Spirit of Eureka College
For me, the spirit of Eureka College is the epitome of the saying, “Shoot for the moon…even if you miss, you will land among the stars.” My life started over from the moment I stepped foot on Eureka College and not a day passes that I do not pause to say a prayer of thanks! From the belief and encouragement I received from admissions counselor Tish Pickett before I ever arrived on campus, to the inspiration and challenge from the amazing professors and classmates I was blessed to sit with in class, to the friends and colleagues I still interact with today providing personal and professional challenges to always strive for my personal best, I know that I have accomplished nothing until I have given my personal best. Ronald Reagan has been quoted as saying that everything that was good in his life began at Eureka College and I cannot say it better than that. The spirit of Eureka College that burns within each of us years and years and years after graduation is to believe that we can achieve greatness; then, to take life by the horns and do whatever necessary to make greatness happen.
A special thank you to…
Ken Baxter. Thank you for teaching me the art of advertising events (Let’s not use any hand-written posters-What could we do that would be more eye-catching?); the art of guiding an organization (CAB); and the art of having fun along the way. Who knew I would use all that you taught me on a daily basis in my classroom?! I do not hang hand-written posters, I guide rather than dictate my students, and we try to have fun everyday! You are an excellent mentor and continue to be a great friend. Thank you for your continuous support and help as I build my classroom partnership with Eureka College as a part of the No Excuses University network.
Dr. Loren Logsdon. Thank you for teaching me that it is okay to do things your own way; that you do not have to do what everyone else is doing. Do you remember English 115? You gave us the choice to write a final paper or to take a written final. It took me awhile to realize that the room was empty because I was the only one who opted to take the final. And you gave me that final like you do most everything: with a smile on your face, a kind and gentle tone of voice, and a belief that this will be the most amazing final that you have ever graded.
Dr. Junius Rodrigez. Thank you for teaching me that working hard to close gaps is not enough: It is the perseverance to close the gap and pass the competition that makes one successful. Because I was an “Army brat,” moved around a lot, and had a lot of gaps in my knowledge of history, I felt proud when I had filled in the gaps; and I was satisfied that I had learned something. Dr. Rodriguez taught me that there was much more to learn and that I needed to pursue it! Also, History 307, Blacks in the U.S., taught me to not slack off in the end and to complete all assignments or pay the consequences. Who would have thought that that all of the identification and essay questions on the final would come from one book, the only book I did not read (Souls of Black Folk-W.E.B. DuBois, was it?). I cried through that final!
Ellen Rigsby. Thank you for your continuous belief and encouragement. As graduation loomed nearer and nearer and I was sending out teaching applications as quickly as I could, your notes of inspiration and encouragement gave me the strength to keep going and not give up. I was left wondering if I would ever find the right opportunity to enter the teaching profession. Now, you are a great supporter in building my classroom partnership with Eureka College and continue to support me as a No Excuses University classroom teacher!
Coach Warner McCollum. Thank you for always offering your deepest sympathies as Byron and I built our relationship and marriage. Whenever I hear someone call the name “Missy,” I think of you and remember how you told me that my mother named me wrong; that I am Missy, not Misty. I will always feel honored to have been a member of your final Lifetime Fitness course with “Samantha,” also known as Sharonda LeCoure.
(David) Byron Painter, Class of 1997. Thank you for being a classmate and wonderful friend who went on to become a magnificent husband. You have been a part of my life ever since it started over at Eureka. We first met in Dr. Logsdon’s honors comp I class and have been together for the good, the bad, and the ugly ever since. Thank you for your belief in me and for always upholding the expectation that I will put forth my very best effort in everything I do!
The Class of 1997. Thank you for teaching me to believe: “You can be….who you want to be!” We dreamed some pretty amazing things and although not everything has come to the fruition in the ways we have hoped or dreamed, we have become the people we dreamed we could through the support and encouragement of one another! For all of my childhood, when I said good-bye before moving to the next army installation, my good-bye was forever. You have given me the gift of friendship that transcends time, distance, and difference of opinion. I treasure our friendships and I treasure each of you!
