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| Photo by BEN RUEHLMANN A view from the base of the empty rock wall. |
“I love this thing,” said Neil Reda, speaking of the mammoth rock-climbing wall that occupies the southern end of the Jane P. Batten Center. “I’m here all the time.” Unfortunately, his sentiment is not shared by the majority of the students. While there is a steady group of climbers at Virginia Wesleyan, the wall is not getting the kind of attention that was originally intended.
“We get less than 10 climbers a day,” said Cindy Smith, activities director at the Batten Center. “We change the routes continuously,” said Reda, who started this semester working at the wall, helping to belay climbers. Even with constant changes, the wall stands largely unclimbed.
Built by NICROS, a wall-development company based in California, the wall is unique. It combines traditional west-coast climbing style with an A.R.T. section. A.R.T. climbing walls are manufactured and constructed in such a way that they not only look like real rock but climb like it as well. NICROS introduced decorative climbing rockwork about 10 years ago, providing the first commercially significant climbing wall products constructed from molds of real rock.
Wesleyan is the only college on the east coast with an A.R.T. rock wall. The wall stands 36 feet high and is cornered with three different sides. There are ample opportunities for students to take advantage of the rock wall, which is open from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. and again from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday. If more students start to show interest, the staff would be happy to open it for longer periods of time. “If more commuters wanted to use the wall, I would be glad to open it up for them,” said Reda. The staff at the wall enjoy their work.
“I’m here all the time,” said Reda, “even when I’m not working.” Reda and Jamie Dungan, another student who works at the wall, would like to try to start a climbing club. There are annual college competitions held at the Rock Gym, a local climbing facility. “It would be nice to get together a team and represent our school,” said Reda. But, for the school to assemble a team, it would require members. Participation is low at the rock wall, one of the most modern college climbing walls on the east coast.
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| Photo by BEN RUEHLMANN Dr. Paul Resslar looks on as Betty Jefferson Harris models her new lab coat. |
"The college is strong today because of the faculty," said former President Lambuth Clarke. "Betty is one of the best." One of Jefferson Harris' real joys is keeping in touch with former students. "If students stay in touch with me, I stay in touch with them," she said. Brian White, class of '78, and Kate Douglass-Rigaut, class of '82, were present at the dedication. Jefferson Harris can reel off the schools and jobs that these students attended and acquired. She loves hearing that White is a professor of microbiology at the University of Illinois and that Douglass-Rigaut is a full time partner in a Philadelphia law firm that reviews patents on new biological products.
White spoke at the dedication and gave thanks to Jefferson Harris for all that she did while at Wesleyan. "As I reflect back, four words come to mind; inspiration, dedication, vision, and legacy," said White. "I, as many others, have been fortunate enough to have been inspired by Betty. She inspired us in our formative years." Professor of Biology Paul Resslar presented Jefferson Harris with a white lab coat embroidered with "Betty Jefferson Harris, Ph.D., Cellular and Molecular Biology, Virginia Wesleyan College." Jefferson Harris was known around campus for always teaching in her white lab coat.
"It saved your clothes," said Jefferson-Harris. "This is the first one I've ever had with my name monogrammed on it." Jefferson Harris came to Wesleyan in 1975. She enjoyed teaching and was happy in a small liberal arts school where the main emphasis was teaching. Throughout her teaching career, Jefferson Harris taught biology, chemistry, cell biology, microbiology, biochemistry and bio-ethics. In 1981, while a professor at Wesleyan, Jefferson Harris received the Samuel Nelson Grey teaching award. She received the award for a second time in 1986, becoming the first faculty member to ever receive the award twice.
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| Photo by BEN RUEHLMANN Betty Jefferson Harris stands surrounded by former students. |
Jefferson Harris served as chairperson of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics from 1989 until her retirement in 2000. Even after retirement, Jefferson Harris didn't slow down. She joked that many people throw away their planners when they retire, but she has come to realize that she needs it now more than ever with her community involvement. She is a member of Sentara Corporate Ethics Advisory Council, where she deals with issues such as living wills, and she serves on the Board of Directors for Lee's Friends, which counsels and provides financial help for cancer patients in the Tidewater region.
As a member of the Virginia Beach Methodist Church, she serves on the District Board of Locations and Buildings, which oversees building plans for churches in the Norfolk District. She is the chairperson for the Commission of Higher Education and Campus Ministry and also serves on the administrative board. In addition, she is a member of the Charles Wesley choir and occasionally teaches at Agape Sunday School. As if that is not enough she and her husband volunteer for Meals on Wheels.
One of Jefferson Harris' several hobbies is studying genealogy. She wrote a genealogy book on the Jefferson family, which can be traced back to the 1500s. She found that Thomas Jefferson was her first cousin six times removed. Boredom does not cross Jefferson Harris' mind in retirement, especially when she has students to keep up with. The Cellular and Molecular Biology Lab will always be a reminder of her contributions to Wesleyan.
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