The Ink Pot & Quill
Spring 2015
The bi-annual newsletter of the Honors College at East Carolina University Issue No. 7
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At the end of its fifth year, the Honors College continues to celebrate its positive impact on student success! The inaugural Honors College Research Poster Showcase and Reception was certainly a highlight of the academic year. As part of the 9th Annual Research and Creative Achievement Week, 75 Honors students presented their research and creative activities, as a requirement of their Senior Honors Project, to an audience consisting of faculty mentors, ECU administrators, and friends of the Honors College. The diversity of disciplines, topics, and study design represented by these students was impressive! I particularly enjoyed talking to the students about how the topics were selected, the unique methodology, results and impact of these projects.
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| Michael Atwell presents on depression management |
Our students represented disciplines across campus, including research theses in natural and social sciences, humanities, and human health. The fine arts were also represented as our students showcased their creativity in performances and exhibitions. From the analysis of accumulated cyclone energy of tropical cyclones, to a short video documentary on Greenville Fire-Rescue, the evening was filled with a sense of discovery and scholarship! In many cases, these students will continue to engage in research in a career or in graduate school and many will work to have their research thesis published in a peer-reviewed journal. I am so proud of our students and their accomplishments!
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| Brendan Schachle explains his research |
As you will note in this edition of the Ink Pot and Quill, our students, faculty, and staff have enjoyed a productive year. As we prepare to celebrate our graduates and send them off to graduate programs and careers, we must also acknowledge the contributions of our many supporters to the Honors College. The members of our Polaris Society, Alumni Society, Parents Association, and ECU faculty and staff are the engine behind our success. We appreciate all of these contributions and the incredible ongoing support being provided.
Finally, I wish to acknowledge the contributions provided by Ms. Kim Smith to the Honors College. Ms. Smith retired from ECU following thirty years of service and served as Executive Assistant to the Dean from 2010-2015. She made a profound impact on the Honors College and our students and we wish her well in her retirement!
Marianna Walker, Ph.D.
Dean
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Honors College Living-Learning Community
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Living-Learning Experiences
The generosity of Honors College donors and supporters enables our students to participate in a wide range of programs and activities beyond the classroom. Take a peek at photos from the excursions our students went on during the 2014-2015 year!
Donations to the Richard R. and Joann Eakin Fund directly support Honors College Living-Learning Trips.
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Service Savvy
The Honors Ambassadors program is a student-led initiative composed of volunteers, which strives to improve the Honors College and the community through service, leadership and innovation. There are four Honors Ambassador committees that reflect significant areas of focus within the Honors College: Programming, Philanthropy, Marketing, and Recruitment. This year, each of the committees successfully organized and hosted service events that benefited both local and global causes.
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Marketing
In the fall semester, the Marketing Committee hosted a necessities drive for the Greenville Community Shelter (GCS). Several of the committee members also volunteered at Honor Card Night, a fundraiser for the GCS.
In the spring semester, the Marketing Committee raised money for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), an organization that funds research for Type 1 Diabetes. They held a bake sale, Sweet Frog Percentage Night, and a pancake breakfast for a fundraising total of $405. Members also attended the
JDRF Walk at the Greenville Convention Center on March 28, 2015.
Full story:
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Recruitment
The Recruitment Committee collected donations for a Thanksgiving meal via Riley's Army during the fall semester.
On Preview Day, Ambassadors served as tour guides for groups of admitted students and their parents. They took students on a tour of ECU's campus in below freezing temperatures!
Ambassadors collected new school supplies to donate to Building Hope of Greenville in the spring.
Recently, ambassadors were paired with a middle or high school student from Pitt County. They took their student on a personalized tour of campus and then ate dinner with them in West End dining hall.
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In February, the Programming Committee put together Valentines-themed goodie bags for children in the Children's Hospital at Vidant Medical Center.
In April, the committee carried on the tradition of visiting the Golden Living Center here in Greenville, NC to host Honors Bingo. The committee looks forward to serving both the Children's hospital and Golden Living again in the future!
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In April, the Philanthropy Committee hosted the first annual Cardboard Regatta to collect donations for the Eakin Fund. The event involved small teams of students building a cardboard boat in 30 minutes and then racing it in the Recreation Center pool!
In addition, the committee heavily assisted other Ambassador committees with service events they hosted throughout the year.
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ARGH 5K Glow Run/Walk
This semester, EC Scholars organized and hosted the
ARGH 5K Run/Walk at the North Recreational Complex. The event benefited Greenville Harvest, a local non-profit organization that manages several community gardens and various health promotion initiatives.
Approximately 50 walkers and runners participated in the event, which resulted in a financial contribution of more than $1,000.
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A Snapshot of Selection Sunday
Take a peek at this year's Selection Sunday, a day when final candidates for Honors College special programs including EC Scholars, Early Assurance Programd, Business Scholars, and Music Scholars are invited to East Carolina University to interview and learn more about these prestigious award programs.
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The freshmen EC Scholar Class of 2018 strikes a pose
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Honors College student employees prepare for the evening reception
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An Overview of Honors College Preview Day
Catch a glimpse of this year's Honors College Preview Day, a day where all honors admitted students come to East Carolina University to see first-hand what the Honors College has to offer!
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Dr. Fraley and Mrs. Nottingham show their Pirate Pride!
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Honors College student employees welcome admitted honors students
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Dean Walker Honored
Honors College Dean Marianna Walker was recently given an award for her contributions to the ECU Faculty Senate.
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Bonded to Learning
Chemistry isn't an easy subject, but senior EC Scholar Ryan Baucom has a knack for tutoring. The chemistry whiz will be attending the Brody School of Medicine in the fall.
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She's the First
Sophomore EC Scholar Keerthana Velappan was inspired to help girls around the world receive a secondary education after visiting India.
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Growth in Greenville
ECU's millennial campus will be the site of collaboration, research commercialization, and advanced training with private companies. EC Scholars Tori Chapman, Thomas Vaughan, and Mansi Trivedi presented their research at the Board of Governor's meeting.
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Gateway Hall
The Honors College living-learning community will be moving into the newly constructed
Gateway Hall
in August 2015. The new residence hall will boast a computer lab, volleyball courts, music practice rooms and much more.
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FreshSpire
Want to reduce landfill waste and provide healthy, discounted food to low-income communities? There's an app for that! Honors College sophomore Mona Amin and peers push to save money and food.
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Unearthing Answers
Very little is known about the non-elite populations of Petra, Jordan, but
senior EC Scholar Mansi Trivedi's excavations of tombs can reveal how these ancient populations lived.
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Building Relationships
Out of 20 EC Scholars awards given annually, one of these will now be funded by DSM Dyneema and awarded to an aspiring engineering major.
Full story:
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A Legacy of Leadership
In a panel discussion hosted by the ECU Women's Roundtable, Honors College students Kaylan Galloway and Mona Amin were given the opportunity to share their thoughts on and experiences with leadership.
Full story:
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Erika Dietrick, Aenia Amin, Zoe Hinton, and Dr. Kindal Shores between presentations
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Honors Transcends Borders
The ECU Honors College proudly sponsored presentations of three Honors College students and an Honors College faculty member to attend this year's Southern Regional Honors Council (SRHC) Conference. On Friday, March 20th, Dr. Kindal Shores kicked off the day with an overview of student exposure to and preparation for the Senior Honors Project. Later that afternoon, Honors College sophomores Zoe Hinton and Aenia Amin presented research conducted during the Honors Research Colloquium, titled The Association Between Metabolism and the Expression of Circadian Regulatory Genes. Wrapping up for the group, Honors College junior and employee Erika Dietrick explained why the ECU Honors College blog is a powerful and unique marketing tool. Hosted in beautiful Greenville, SC, the insights, experiences, and lessons from this research conference aren't ones they will soon forget.
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Research and Creative Activity Week
Honors College seniors had the opportunity to present their senior honors projects at the inaugural Honors Research Poster Showcase and Reception.
Senior EC Scholar Thomas Vaughan's project,
"Accumulated Cyclone Energy and Tropical Cyclone Tracks: An In-Depth Analysis of the Anomalously Inactive 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season"
was the Natural Sciences undergraduate winner at Research and Creative Achievement Week (RCAW).
Payton Burnette, senior EC Scholar, won the Undergraduate Oral Presentation in Biomedical Science.
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Research at the Brody School of Medicine
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University is much like the Honors College in that one of it's primary goals is to serve and address the needs within the community. Ranked
among the best
primary care medical schools in the nation, the school strives to target the shortage in family physicians in North Carolina, recruit top researchers in the medical field, and encourage the enrollment of minority groups. Many of our Honors College students are fortunate to conduct research with outstanding faculty as early as their freshman year. This was the case for now sophomore EC Scholar Nadiya Yerich, who researches a protein related to genetic diseases and male infertility.
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Honorable Mentions
In addition to performing extraordinarily in the classroom, Honors students are recognized across campus for the leadership that they exhibit. Below are a number of awards, recognitions, and accomplishments Honors students received this past year.
Aenia Amin, Erika Dietrick, Keith Dunbar, Zach Evans, Annaliese Gillette, Kirsti Robertson, Emma Shirley, Kathryn Stanley, Jordan Thomas
Outstanding First-Year Student Award, Phi Kappa Phi: Maggie Marshall
Phi Kappa Phi Inductees: Matt Earley, Kristalyn Gill, Holden Jones, Katerina Koloustroubis, Shivam Patel, Victoria Plyler, Jessie Tucci-Herron, Patrick Twisdale, Keerthana Velappan, Lillie Malpass, Joseph Paul
Founded to reward and encourage students to become active members of their campus and local community. The first to envision and implement a strategic program of involvements with campus and community leaders to mentor and share their life experiences. Established in 2010 and inspired by the desire to create and improve the
leadership and community involvement experiences of East Carolina University students, The Residential Scholar Program provides an undergraduate experience unlike any other.
Summer scholars work closely with mentors who are performing original research in the clinics or laboratories of Carolinas HealthCare System. The Summer Program supports only 25 students for the 10 week, full-time program.
LEAD Awards:
Zach Evans (Green-Lucas Leadership Scholarship), Tori Chapman (Center for Student Leadership and Engagement's Initiative Award), Keerthana Velappan (Center for Student Leadership and Engagement's Award for She's the First)
The LEAD Awards seek to highlight and recognize the work being done by students on ECU's campus in a meaningful, formal way. The goal of the LEAD Awards is to fully commemorate the students who dedicate their time and effort to their community and the University on a daily basis.
NOAA Hollings Scholarship Award: Andrew Reid
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings Hollings scholarship program is designed to
increase undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric science, research, technology, and education and foster multidisciplinary training opportunities;
increase public understanding and support for stewardship of the ocean and atmosphere and improve environmental literacy;
recruit and prepare students for public service careers with NOAA and other natural resource and science agencies at the federal, state and local levels of government; and
recruit and prepare students for careers as teachers and educators in oceanic and atmospheric science and to improve scientific and environmental education in the United States.
Phi Eta Sigma Inductees:
Victoria Allred, Lizzie Andrews, Christofer Brothers, Erica Carlisle, Angel Chukwu, Keith Dunbar, Rachel Eker, Lilian Faulconer, Abby Hagwood, Vivian Holt, Taylor Leposa, Lillie Malpass, Ankita Mishra, Charlotte Pearsall, Austin Phillips, Deanna Pilkington, Ashley Wilford,
Cameron Worthington, Caroline Yeomans
Phi Eta Sigma, an Honor Society for First-Year Students, was founded at the University of Illinois on March 22, 1923, to encourage and recognize high scholastic achievement among members of the freshman classes. Phi Eta Sigma is the nation's oldest and largest honor society for first-year college and university students in all disciplines.
Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Leadership Society: Aenia Amin, Sahil Dayal, Martha Ervin, Jared Keever, Katerina Koloustroubis, Sarah Lisson, Jonathan Nowlin, Shivam Patel, Keerthana Velappan
Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) is the first collegiate honor society of a national scope to give recognition for leadership. Since its founding, over 300,000 individuals from over 300 college and university campuses across the United States have been recognized for meritorious leadership and service in extracurricular activities.
Pre-Professional Advising Recognizes Honors Students: Mary-Grace Kelly (Professionalism Certificate Program), Natalie Malpass (East Carolina Heart Institute Research Program), and Ryan Stitt (Professionalism Certificate Program)
The Office of Pre-Professional Advising hosted an end-of-the-year recognition ceremony for pre-professional students who completed our research program, shadowing program, and the new professionalism certificate program (which is designed to help students put together the components of their professional school applications early).
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Honors College Seminars: From East to West
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Each spring, Honors College students choose from a variety of unique and interdisciplinary seminars that challenge them to think beyond their majors. Below are two of this semester's most popular seminars, but you can view all of this semester's seminars on the
Honors College Courses website
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Cultural Landscapes of Eastern North Carolina in Photography and Writing
Art and writing can be powerful tools for conveying messages, as Honors College students witnessed at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke. The course challenged students to write about and photograph the Greenville area to tell a story, shed light where there is darkness, and inspire change.
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Along the AT: Experiences and Reflections on the Appalachian Trail
Through a series of outdoor activities, readings, and reflective writing assignments, Honors College students gained a greater understanding of place and nature and how this interpretation influences positive growth. All of it built up to the most physically and mentally challenging hike of all: the Appalachian Trail.
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Senior Spotlight: Andrew Wood
The first thing you may notice about Honors College senior Andrew Wood is his overwhelmingly positive and light-hearted nature. Friendly to everyone, humorous in every situation, and humble in the classroom
, his blend of hard work and humility has been a model for future Honors College students.
The Greenville native chose to study biology at East Carolina University because of the benefits the Honors College has to offer. The tuition scholarship, diverse but ambitious community, and priority registration were all deciding factors in his decision to join Pirate Nation.
Andrew has been heavily involved in the Honors College since stepping foot on campus in 2011.
"I have been involved with Honors Ambassadors since my freshman year," said Andrew. "I really enjoyed the different aspects of each committee I worked with. I have talked to high school students as a member of the recruitment committee, volunteered at numerous service events with the programming committee, and been involved in planning and running fundraisers organized by the philanthropy committee."
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| Andrew (front row) and his peers pose for a picture at Nauticus |
Andrew also seized the opportunity to visit
historic areas, go sailing
and on
sky-high roller coasters
as part of several
Honors College
living-learning experiences
. One of his favorite memories from his college experience was an overnight Honors College living-learning experience in Williamsburg, VA. The trip included paid-admission to the science and technology center Nauticus, a chance to climb aboard the Battleship Wisconsin, and a line-free day of riding roller coasters at Busch Gardens. "I had made a lot of great friends within the College during my freshman year, and it was awesome getting to have such a unique, out-of-the-classroom experience with them," said Andrew.
It wasn't just bonding over battleships and conquering coasters that impacted him, though. A living-learning experience at the ECU School of Dental Medicine allowed Andrew to connect with his dream of becoming a dentist.
"Visiting the ECU School of Dental Medicine with a small group of Honors students and faculty was a great opportunity for me to connect with admissions staff and learn more about the program," explained Andrew.
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| Andrew visits the ECU Dental School |
Andrew has embodied the ECU motto Servire both on and off campus. He has worked at a number of dental clinics, volunteered at Vidant Medical Center, and serving as a peer tutor on campus. He has also assisted with large community events such as the youth Science Olympiad and ECU's celebration of Earth Day.
As a biology major, Andrew was always interested in the world around him. After receiving numerous scholarships, he spent a summer studying agricultural biology techniques in China.
After years of rigorous coursework, serving the community, and immersing himself in every aspect of the college experience, Andrew's next step will be attending the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry in the fall.
His advice to high school students?
"Come be a Pirate in the Honors College! Being an Honors College student offers you so many opportunities you would be hard-pressed to find as a normal student. It definitely helped me in my overall goal of getting into dental school, and it also gave me a lot of fun experiences and memories along the way."
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| Andrew presents his research at the Honors College Research Poster Showcase |
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Next Steps for Seniors
The second graduating class of the ECU Honors College is filled with aspiring leaders, researchers, and artists. Catch a glimpse of some of their big post-graduate plans below.
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Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Senior Awards: Matthew Baucom, Jessica Jewell,
Shayna Mooney
Global Issues Virtual Student Conference: Mansi Trivedi
The Global Issues Virtual Student Conference, held from March 23-27 involved 35 students from 10 countries whopresented their scholarly work on topics including language and linguistics, health, film, gender, tourism, education andbusiness among others. Presentations were followed by discussions where presenters and attendees shared their ideasand thoughts with their colleagues across the globe. Senior EC Scholar Mansi Trivedi participated in the conference with her mentor, Dr. Derek F. Maher.
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| Advancing the Honors College |
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Professor. Researcher. Catalyst for Change.
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The Michael F. Bassman Thesis Award was established in 2010 to honor Dr. Michael Bassman, Distinguished Honors Professor Emeritus. Known for teaching critical thinking, mentoring students, and advocating for the Honors College, he has left his mark on East Carolina University forever.
As an Associate Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Dr. Bassman was also a passionate adviser and advocate of study abroad. The Michael F. Bassman Fund for Study Abroad was recently established to help Honors College students study in other countries, broaden their horizons, and challenge them to think in new ways.
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ECU's Women's Roundtable to Endow an
Honors College Scholarship
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Gail Herring, chair of The Women's Roundtable
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The Women's Roundtable at East Carolina University plans to endow two new undergraduate student scholarships through a two-year, $300,000 fundraising campaign. The endowments will provide annual financial support for an ECU Access Scholar and an ECU Honors College Scholarship beginning in fall 2017.
"It is a bold and ambitious goal that we hope will provide an occasion for East Carolina's alumnae and dedicated women advocates to demonstrate the collective power of women's philanthropy," said Chair Gail Herring '79, following a unanimous vote by the board during its spring meeting on April 16. Both Access Scholarships and Honors College Scholarships may be awarded to students in any undergraduate major.
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Several friends of the Honors College and alumni of ECU were recently selected for recognition by the ECU Alumni Association.
Beverly Cox '67, Max Joyner '55 and Kitty Joyner '59 were each recognized as Virgil Clark '50 Distinguished Service Alumni for their record of service and leadership with the university.
Ken Chalk '68, '71 has been selected for the Outstanding Alumni award for exceptional achievement in his profession. Each of these distinguished alumni serve as Advancement Council members for the Honors College or otherwise support Honors College endeavors.
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Alumni Spotlight: Laura Brinn '99
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When I learned that an Honors College had been created, and the many ways the Honors College was providing incredible learning experiences for its students, I couldn't wait to become more involved," says ECU alumna Laura Brinn. Graduating in 1999 with bachelor's degrees in both communication and German, Laura now works at Duke University as the Executive Director of Global Communications.
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Stay Connected!
Our Honors College and Honors Program graduates are spread across the country and around the world, but that doesn't mean we can't keep in touch! Join the Honors College LinkedIn group and like the Honors College Alumni Society Facebook page to stay up to date on events and ways to get involved. If you have moved or changed your contact information, please update your information.
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Best wishes for a successful summer from the rest of the Honors College team:
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Kevin Baxter
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Liz Fogarty
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Katie O'Connor
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Sue Chapman
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Todd Fraley
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Tim Runyan
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Jim Ellis
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Cyndee Mueller
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Kindal Shores
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Jessica Nottingham
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Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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