Washington and Lee Welcomes New Members into Phi Beta Kappa; Renames Award for Retired Professor
When the Washington and Lee University chapter of Phi Beta Kappa inducted 47 members of the classes of 2008, 2009 and 2010 into the academic honor society on March 12, a former W&L faculty member was also recognized when the chapter’s award for the top sophomore was named for J. Brown Goehring.
The Sophomore Award, which goes to the student who has achieved the highest academic average during his or her first four terms at W&L, is now called the Phi Beta Kappa J. Brown Goehring Sophomore Award. The new name honors the retired professor of chemistry who, during his 38-year career at W&L, spent 22 years as secretary/treasurer of the Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Goehring was in the audience for the surprise announcement.
“He truly exemplifies Phi Beta Kappa at Washington and Lee,” said chapter president Marcia France, professor of chemistry. “He is responsible for the high level of organization at which our chapter continues to function. Professor Goehring was, and remains to this day, the institutional memory of Phi Beta Kappa at W&L.”
The winner of the Goehring Award is Frank Andrew Tessier Jr., of New Orleans, La.
The chapter also made H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, a member of the undergraduate class of 1953 and the law class of 1955, an alumnus member, and it named Marguerite Lenfest an honorary member. The memberships recognize the Lenfests’ outstanding contributions to the worlds of business, education and the arts.
Also announced were the winners of the Edward Lee Pinney Prize. The W&L Student Affairs Committee gives it to an undergraduate or undergraduates who demonstrate extraordinary commitment both to personal scholarship and to the nurturing of intellectual life at Washington and Lee. Sophomore Emily T. Mathews, of Baltimore, and senior Wesley B. O’Dell, of Millwood, W.Va. are the 2009 recipients.
Following the introduction of the honorees, the audience heard from Steven W. Squyres, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University and the principal investigator of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Project.
The inductees into Phi Beta Kappa:
Seniors:
Aaron P. Albert of Hebron, Conn.; Sarah L. Atkinson of Memphis, Tenn.; Erik N. Ball of Sammamish, Wash.; Olivia Claire Barrett of Mobile, Ala.; Katherine M. Bastian of North Wales, Pa.; Jessica N. Bergquist of Huntington, W.Va.; Rebecca R. Bratu of Arad, Romania; Melissa R. Caron of Effingham, N.H.; Hilary L. Craig of Georgetown, Ky.; Melissa L. Dolan of Centennial, Colo.; Scott C. Ennis of Newark, Del.; Robert L. Frasco of Suffield, Conn.; Briana C. Gapsis of Ellicott City, Md.; and Leann A. Gerlach of Rocky Mount, N.C.
Also, Phillip S. Golladay of Waxhaw, N.C.; Elissa N. Hanson of Boca Raton, Fla.; Anthony L. Ives of Charlotte, N.C.; Lisa P. Luu of Monterey Park, Calif.; Jennifer V. Lysenko of Voorheesville, N.Y.; Christopher L. Martin Jr. of Shreveport, La.; Kaitlin M. Simpson of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Andrew M. Sims of Silver Spring, Md.; Aaron L. Toomey of Round Rock, Texas; Alexandra E. Utsey of Orangeburg, S.C.; Anne M. Van Devender of Jackson, Miss.; and Emily K. Wallace of Roanoke, Va.
Juniors:
Hiba M. Assi of Baalbeck, Lebanon; Natalie I. Bunnell of Clarendon Hills, Ill.; Whitney R. Burns of Moorefield, W.Va.; William J. Cooper of Lynchburg, Va.; Josiah W. Davis of Warrenton, Va.; James C. Dick of Schenectady, N.Y.; Neville L. Fogarty of West Windsor, N.J.; Stephanie A. Marks of Frederick, Md.; and Joseph P. McDonald of San Antonio, Texas.
Also, Christin E. Quinn of Beaumont, Texas; Holly L. Ratliff of Oxford, Ohio; Rachel M. Skains of Charlotte, N.C.; Dorothy R. Todd of Watkinsville, Ga.; Sarah J. Trimble of Jacksonville, Fla.; Darinka Truebutschek of Koblenz, Germany; Bena Tshishiku of Martinez, Ga.; John R. Weems of Greenville, S.C.; and John T. Wren of Richmond, Va.
From the Class of 2008:
Jessica C. Cobb, of Washington; Logan Gibson, of Charlottesville, Va.; and Audrey M. Horn, of Arlington, Va.
