Flagler professor focuses on the psychology of eating and better understanding the issues leading to America’s obesity problems

Harry Mansford, a Vietnam Veteran and St. Johns Country resident, says he can still hear a helicopter well before anyone else can.

“I have a hearing problem, and I can still hear one even when it’s off in the distance, “he said. “I suppose it’s because that sound is embedded in my brain.”

Mansford is one of five Vietnam Veterans who participated in a documentary called “Vietnam: Service, Sacrifice and Courage; Local Neighbors, National Heroes.” He also served as a Sergeant in the Marine Corps in the war from 1965 to 1966.

Twenty-five years after his father received Flagler College’s highest honor, Tom S. Kenan III has now received his own Flagler College Medallion for supporting the college.

“I was surprised and overcome when I was informed that I would be receiving the medallion,” Kenan said. “I remember when my late father received it in Palm Beach, and he was very thrilled and grateful, as am I.”

English adjunct instructor Marisella Veiga’s writing explores living with two cultures

It was a photo in The Washington Post that caught Marisella Veiga’s attention. The Japanese were growing watermelons in square containers to make it easier to ship them. They were square watermelons.

“I thought that was a great metaphor for someone living with the bicultural experience,” said the adjunct English instructor and Cuban-American author who has focused most of her writing on her own experiences living with two cultures.

“Square Watermelons: Ten Essays on Living with Two Cultures” is a collection of spoken-word essays that was born out of her syndicated columns for Hispanic Link News Service in Washington, D.C.

More recently, she had a short story, “Fresh Fruit,” selected for publication in the anthology, “Short-Short Stories from the United States and Latin America.” She has been awarded the Special Mention in Fiction for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Small Presses, for a story called, “Arroz Con Pollo,” and has published features, commentary and poetry.

Flagler’s beloved benefactor leaves a rich legacy of friendship and philanthropy

Longtime friend and benefactor of Flagler College, Mary Lily Flagler Lewis Wiley, affectionately known as “Molly,” passed away peacefully at her home in Richmond, Va., this past May. She was 90.

Wiley, a philanthropist related to oil titan and railroad magnate, Henry Flagler, grew up in St. Augustine at Kirkside, the mansion built by Henry Flagler next to Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Associate dean’s research debunks idea of bias in NBA scheduling

Was there some kind of nefarious conspiracy at work in scheduling NBA basketball games? That was the question Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Yvan Kelly answered last fall in research published in the “Journal of Sports Economics.” His article was titled, “The Myth of Scheduling Bias with Back-to-Back Games in the NBA.”

Kelly, a former economics professor and scout for the Seattle Supersonics, employed game theory to analyze five seasons of data from NBA schedules to see if there had been any potential scheduling bias. His research was prompted by a noticeable pattern: certain teams were playing games two nights in a row, and most of the time they would lose the second game.

Flagler College has appointed Mark Whittaker to serve as vice president of institutional advancement. Whittaker comes to Flagler from Stetson University College of Law where he held the position of vice president for college relations. He was also vice president for university relations at Stetson University in Deland for 15 years.

Whittaker has extensive experience in higher education fundraising, having served in senior-level development positions at Stetson, Hollins University, Rhodes College and Sweet Briar College. He has considerable experience in capital campaigns, comprehensive development programs, alumni relations, planned giving, special events, marketing and communications, and government relations.

Flagler Professor’s New Book on Deaf Education Published

For years, Flagler College Professor of Education Carl Williams has worked overtime teaching deaf education to his students for one simple reason: There was never a single comprehensive textbook written for instructors in deaf education.

That prompted him to write “No Limits,” a first-of-its-kind instructional textbook on deaf education that correlates with the Council on Educating the Deaf standards and the Educational Content Standards in Deaf Education.