Odyssey medals awarded
CONWAY, Ark. (Feb. 8, 2008) – Hendrix College’s five newest Odyssey Medalists took time to thank former professors, classmates, family members and others from the Conway community during their acceptance remarks at the college Thursday, an event not without its share of memorable laughs and emotional tributes.
Before delivering her acceptance speech, acclaimed actress and Hendrix alumna Natalie Canerday – the recipient of the Odyssey Medal for Artistic Creativity – apologized in advance for the length of her impending speech. “This may be the closest I ever get to the Oscars,” Canderday said, asking the school’s choir “not to play me off” the stage before she concluded.
She even took a friendly shot at classmate and fellow Odyssey Medal recipient Bracken P. Darrell, the president of the $1.6 billion small appliance company Braun, claiming unworthiness to be sharing the stage with him. “Man, I have your coffee pot at my house!” she told him.
Canderday, who played major roles in movies such as Biloxi Blues, Sling Blade and October Sky, discussed her relationship with Hendrix, from her recruitment to the college while a Russellville High School senior to some of her more colorful memories of social life on campus. She thanked many of her professors for taking an interest in her acting and academic careers.
“I want to commend Hendrix for its inspired and inspiring professors,” she said. “Any time I’m on a stage – any time I’m wearing make-up and pantyhose – [my Hendrix drama professor] is with me.”
The Hendrix College Board of Trustees awarded Odyssey Medals to five Hendrix alumni whose life achievements exemplify the Hendrix Odyssey program. The medals were presented during a convocation at Staples Auditorium Thursday.
Darrell, who like Canderday is a 1985 graduate of Hendrix, received the Odyssey Medal for Global Awareness. Since graduating from Hendrix, Darrell has held leadership positions in a variety of multi-national companies including Proctor & Gamble, General Electric and Gillette.
“I have to thank Hendrix for helping me cultivate an amazing diversity among my interests – and my friends,” Darrell said. “I’m very blessed with a mind and a heart that will always be filled with Hendrix.”
Hendrix Alumnus Kenneth R. Nixon, a 1965 Hendrix graduate and the recipient of the Odyssey Medal for Special Projects, was lauded for his development of a distance caregiving system that enables informal care to be provided to elderly family members over the Internet, allowing older adults to stay independent in their homes longer. The system, which has been featured by NBC’s Today Show and in major news publications throughout the world, was originally created by Nixon and his two brothers so their mother, who had Alzheimer’s, could remain independent on their family farm in Lavaca.
The system allows family members to communicate through Web cameras and the Internet so that they can see the health status of loved ones. Nixon used the technology to create Caregiver Technologies, Inc.
“We were just doing what we knew how to do,” Nixon told the audience. “Now we’re in the business of changing people’s lives for the better.”
Walter O. Pryor, the recipient of the Odyssey Medal for Professional and Leadership Development and a 1987 Hendrix graduate, is a principal with the government relations and public affairs firm The Podesta Group. He discussed his Odyssey as a political leader and advisor, including his time as the legislative director for U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, his work for the National Association of Attorneys General, along with other prestigious positions with the U.S. Department of Justice.
"To whatever degree my Odyssey inspires others, please consider it as repayment for what others have given me,” Pryor said. “By honoring me you honor yourselves and all that is so wonderful about Hendrix College.”
Dr. Jack L. Blackshear Jr. of Little Rock, the recipient of the Odyssey Medal for Service to the World and a physician with the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, was honored for the numerous mission trips he has led to Honduras, taking more than 100 medical students with him over the years to help serve those without regular access to physicians.
Hendrix College’s Odyssey program, established in 2004, requires Hendrix students to complete three hands-on liberal arts Odyssey experiences during their undergraduate career in areas selected from six categories: Artistic creativity, global awareness, professional and leadership development, service to the world, undergraduate research and special projects. The program developed the concept of “engaged learning” at Hendrix, allowing students to experience liberal arts and sciences “hands-on” educational opportunities outside of the classroom.
The program has been extremely popular with students and faculty. Since the Odyssey program was implemented, Hendrix College has set new records for applications and for entering students, successes directly attributable to the uniqueness and popularity of the Odyssey program. More than $1 million has already been awarded to fund approximately 1,750 student engaged-learning projects during the past three years.
