COVER STORY

A Big Win - Hawks' Phil Jones named FCA National Coach of the Year
by Dawn Tolbert

When Phil Jones arrived on the Hill in 2004, Shorter owned one football – and even that had been purchased for the news conference announcing his appointment as head coach. This January, with a year of prep work plus four full seasons behind him, Coach Jones brought home a new piece of equipment for his office: the Grant Teaff Coach of the Year trophy.

The award, presented annually by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, recognizes one football coach in the nation who exemplifies Christian principles and who is involved in FCA. The award is also based on the success and performance of the coach’s team that season.

“When you look at the kinds of folks who have won this award, it’s hard to not make out of this what it is: a big-time award,” said Shorter College Athletic Director Bill Peterson. “The FCA Coach of the Year Award is symbolic of Coach Jones’ strong Christian commitment and of the incredible amount of time he and Janie have invested in FCA throughout the years. It also puts Coach Jones, and Shorter College along with him, in a group of coaches and schools that ordinarily we wouldn’t be in.”

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Lasting Impressions
By Aimee Madden

The year they graduated from Shorter College, Herbert Hoover was president and the first Academy Awards were presented in Hollywood. The Great Depression was still months away, and World War II years after that.

This spring, alumnae Eleanor Orr Blalock and Lois Strange Smith will celebrate their 101st birthdays and mark the 80th anniversary of their graduation from Shorter College. Though time has slowed their steps, the centenarians both still reflect fondly upon their days on the Hill. Their stories, as recounted by now-senior citizen daughters, speak of the enduring nature of being “a Shorter girl.” Read more>

An Artist's Spark
Story and Photos by Aimee Madden

On a cold, crisp morning in February, Marigrace Smith loops the thick strap of her heavy leather apron over her head. Reaching around her waist, she pulls it tight and ties it in place with a quick jerk. A cup of steaming hot tea is placed on a nearby work bench, and Marigrace picks up two long slender pieces of metal and inspects them carefully. Read more>

English Professor Recognized for Lifetime Achievement in Art
By Aimee Madden

Fourteen years ago George Thomason picked up a brush, dipped it in paint, and, one stroke at a time, began to cultivate his natural talent for art. Since then, his aptitude as an artist has bloomed and recognition from the local community has grown right along with it. So much so that in October, Mr. Thomason received the Rome Area Council for the Art’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Read more>