CONWAY, Ark. (Sept. 14, 2010) – Hendrix College will award Odyssey Medals to six alumni during a special Founders Day ceremony Thursday, Oct. 21 at 11:10 a.m. in Staples Auditorium.
The 2010 Odyssey Medal winners include:
- Randy Goodrum ’69 for Artistic Creativity
- Andrea Anderson Gluckman ’96 for Global Awareness
- George Gleason ’74 for Professional and Leadership Development
- Steven Barger ’87 for Research
- Chris Newlin ’86 for Service to the World
- Max McCalman ’75 for Special Projects
Odyssey Medals are awarded to alumni whose life achievements exemplify the ideals of Your Hendrix Odyssey: Engaging in Active Learning, the college’s nationally recognized engaged learning initiative. Through their personal and professional accomplishments, Odyssey Medal winners have demonstrated the value of liberal arts education and hands-on learning.
The Odyssey Medals are awarded in the six Your Hendrix Odyssey project categories – Artistic Creativity, Global Awareness, Professional & Leadership Development, Service to the World, Special Projects, and Undergraduate Research.
In addition to recognizing alumni with Odyssey Medals, Hendrix has awarded more than $1.45 million – on a competitive grants basis – to support students’ hands-on learning projects ranging from internships in the local community to international study.
About the 2010 Odyssey Medal winners
Steven Barger is a native of Searcy, Ark., and graduated from Hendrix in 1987 before entering the cell biology graduate program at Vanderbilt University. After receiving his Ph.D. in 1992, Dr. Barger began a postdoctoral fellowship at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky. In 1995, he became an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Anatomy at UAMS and was the first recipient of the Inglewood Fellowship for Alzheimer’s Research. In 1996, Dr. Barger was joint-appointed as Research Health Scientist in the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. He has over 75 publications, sits on the editorial board of five scientific journals, and reviews grants for several NIH panels and private foundations. Dr. Barger’s research focuses on the processes underlying the initiation and progression of Alzheimer's disease. He has elucidated the function of several proteins for which genetic variations contribute to the development of Alzheimer's. His research also documented the inappropriate release of neurotransmitters by immune-system cells in the Alzheimer brain. Dr. Barger has two children, Weston and Stephanie. His interests include cycling, running, horseback riding and canoeing. Dr. Barger is receiving the Odyssey Medal for Research.
George Gleason has served more than 31 years as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. During this time, the company has grown more than 100-fold and now has 86 offices in six states. Prior to his banking career, Gleason practiced law with the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock. Previously he has been selected as an “Outstanding Young Arkansan” by the Arkansas Jaycees and as “Industrial Developer of the Year” from the Third Congressional District. Gleason is a lifelong Arkansas resident from Dardanelle. He received a degree in Business and Economics at Hendrix in 1974 before attending the University of Arkansas School of Law, where he graduated first in his class. Throughout his adult life, Gleason has been active in many church, ministry and civic organizations with a strong emphasis on youth ministry.Gleason and his wife of 24 years, Linda Diane Gleason, now reside in Little Rock. They have four children and four grandchildren. The Gleasons are avid collectors of art, sculpture and antiques with an emphasis on 19th century European. Mr. Gleason is receiving the Odyssey Medal for Professional and Leadership Development.
Andrea Anderson Gluckman is the founder and President of Jasara Advisors, a consulting firm that advises on educational, political and economic endeavors in the Middle East. Before founding Jasara, she was a lecturer in political science at the University of Rochester. She previously lived in Central and Southern Africa and the Middle East conducting research on re-establishing justice systems in post-conflict societies. She has also served as the Executive Director of the University of the Middle East Project, a project on higher education in 14 countries of the Middle East and North Africa and as a Senior Advisor to the Kuwaiti government in Washington, D.C., on issues of strategic management and higher education. She has served on the advisory board of a number of non-profits focused on policy and business in the Middle East. Gluckman has written articles, presented speeches, and given commentaries in domestic and international contexts. She speaks Arabic and French, and has a working knowledge of Spanish, Hebrew, and Farsi. She received a bachelor’s degree in peace and conflict studies from Hendrix in 1996 and a Masters from Harvard University in the fields of religion and policy in the Middle East. She lives in Bethesda, Md., with her husband, daughter and three dogs. Ms. Gluckman is receiving the Odyssey Medal for Global Awareness.
Randy Goodrum, Hendrix Class of 1969, is a songwriter who has penned numerous hits in the genres of pop, rock, a/c, R&B, and country. Some of his hit songs include "I'll Be Over You" (Toto), "Bluer Than Blue" (Michael Johnson), “A Lesson in Leavin’” (Dottie West, re-recorded by Jo Dee Messina), "A Broken Hearted Me" (Anne Murray), “Oh Sherrie” and "Foolish Heart" (Steve Perry), "If She Would Have Been Faithful" (Chicago), “It’s True Love” (Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty), and "Who's Holding Donna Now" (El DeBarge). Anne Murray won the Grammy for Best Female Vocal with Randy’s song “You Needed Me.” The song was also awarded song of the year from the Academy of Country Music, and has received numerous other accolades. A 1999 remake of the son by Boyzone, reached #1 in Europe. Goodrum has been awarded “Arkansan of the Year” from the Arkansas Broadcasters Association and was the 1981 American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Country Songwriter of the Year. Randy is a 1996 inductee to the Arkansas Entertainment Hall of Fame and a 2000 inductee to the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Randy was born in Hot Springs, Ark. He and his wife, Gail, met at Hendrix where he received his bachelor's degree in music. They now reside in Franklin, Tenn. They have two daughters, Julia and Sarah. Mr. Goodrum is receiving the Odyssey Medal for Artistic Creativity.
Max McCalman, Hendrix Class of 1975, is a highly visible advocate for artisanal cheese production and a dedicated scholar of cheese. He acts as a consultant to the trade, judges at cheese competitions and is a frequent guest lecturer. He has authored three books, “The Cheese Plate,” “Cheese: A Connoisseur’s Guide to the World's Best,” and, most recently, “Mastering Cheese: Lessons For Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager.” Max has been awarded the exclusive title of Garde et Jure by France's Guilde des Fromagers, and he was the first in-house Maître Fromager for an American restaurant. Max retains this title at Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, where he is Dean of Curriculum and Director of Affinage. Max developed the widely lauded cheese program at Terrance Brennan’s Picholine restaurant more than 15 years ago, and later established the critically acclaimed cheese programs at Brennan’s Artisanal Fromagerie & Bistro and at Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, all in New York City. He has appeared on The Food Network and "Martha Stewart Living." Additionally, McCalman has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine and various radio programs. Mr. McCalman is receiving the Odyssey Medal for Special Projects.
Chris Newlin, Hendrix Class of 1986, is the Executive Director of the National Children’s Advocacy Center where he is responsible for providing leadership and management of the NCAC and participating in national and international training and leadership activities regarding the protection of children. The NCAC was the first Child Advocacy Center in the U.S., and continues to provide both prevention and intervention services for child abuse in Huntsville and Madison County, Ala. Newlin served as a guidance counselor for the Upward bound project at Philander Smith College, held various therapist positions and was director of Harbor House in Rome, Ga., a Northwest Georgia Children's Advocacy Center. Newlin serves on the National Children’s Alliance/Regional Children’s Advocacy Center Management Team, National Children’s Alliance Board of Directors, and Alabama Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers Board of Directors. He is a member of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse, the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, and the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. He received a psychology degree from Hendrix. He received a Master of Science degree from the University of Central Arkansas and is a licensed professional counselor. Mr. Newlin is receiving the Odyssey Medal for Service to the World.
Learn about previous Odyssey Medal recipients.
Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is featured in the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review as one of the country’s best 371 colleges, was identified as the nation’s top “Up and Coming” liberal arts college for 2011 by U.S. News and World Report, and is ranked among 45 “Best Buy” colleges by the 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.