Belhaven Alumni Blog

The Belhaven Men’s Tennis team will battle Campbellsville University (KY) in the opening round of the 2012 NAIA National Championships held May 15-19 in Mobile, Ala.  The Blazers, ranked 15th in the final NAIA Coaches Top 25 Poll, received an at-large berth in this year’s field on the strength of their final ranking in the poll.

Belhaven is 15-3 following the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament, where they advanced to the semifinals. The Blazers topped the University of Mobile in the opening round before falling to William Carey University.  The Blazers have a strong men’s tennis tradition, having won the 1983 NAIA National Championship and finishing the 1984 season with a third place finish in the national tournament.

“I am excited that we are headed back to the NAIA National Tournament,” said Head Coach Levi Patton.  “Belhaven has a rich tennis history and I’m proud that we are continuing that tradition.  Over the last four years we have rebuilt the program and it’s back to where it was during the programs high point.”

For the complete story on the Blazer website, click here.

For live scoring of the Blazers first round match on Tuesday, May 15 @ 1:00 PM CDT, click here.

This past week, the Belhaven Office of Alumni worked alongside the Office of Career Services in order to sponsor two very special events for our student body.

On Tuesday, we held our first ever Junior Jubilee, a celebration of the Class of 2013 finishing their junior years and becoming the new “top dogs” on campus. We were privileged to have Joyce Plunkett and Shonda Hines come and speak to our students. Joyce and Shonda are Human Resource professionals at Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance company, and gave wonderful instructions on proper resume writing and interviewing techniques.

Later in the week, the second ever Sophomore Salute was held. This event marks the halfway point of college for the Class of 2014, along with the completion of Belhaven’s World View Curriculum. The students were addressed by Claire Langley, Belhaven’s Director of Career Services, who shared all the assistance that her department gives in preparing students for life after college. Dr. Don Hubele, chair of the Belhaven English Department, also delivered a mock “eulogy” for WVC, congratulating students on completing the curriculum, but also acknowledging the lifelong impact WVC has in shaping their worldview and impacting their lives

Read on to see pictures of these events….

Continue Reading »

Senior Regena Jackson led the Blazers in many statistical categories this season, which earned her 1st Team NAIA All-American honors.

Awards are rolling in for your Belhaven Blazers after highly successful 2011-2012 seasons.

Both men’s and women’s teams enjoyed births in the NAIA National Tournament for the second year in a row, with the Lady Blazers also notching their first Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament championship. However, the accolades did not end with the final buzzer, as NAIA awards continue to be announced.

The men’s team was honored for their stellar sportsmanship, receiving the Dr. James Naismith-Emil S. Liston Sportsmanship Award. Head coach Tom Kelsey was also given the Charles A. Krigel award, given to coach of the team that best exhibits respect, civility, integrity and fair play, the qualities that define sportsmanship. Finally, senior Daryl Arnold finished his fine career at Belhaven by being named an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American after leading the Blazers in scoring this season.

The Lady Blazers this year were led by senior Regena Jackson, who was named a 1st Team NAIA All-American. This high honor comes after Jackson led the entire nation in scoring and points per game. Along with her 24 ppg mark, she notched 30 or more points on six different occasions this season, including two separate 42 point performances. She also led the Blazers with 137 assists and 86 steals in route to being named the SSAC Player of the Year and SSAC Tournament MVP.

Congratulations to our Blazers on yet another HUGE year of Belhaven Basketball!

Recently, the Greater Belhaven News decided to run a feature piece about our beloved Fitzhugh Hall. In the process of doing research, writers Nan and Bill Harvey discovered a great deal of history behind the building, and also the school that the neighborhood is named after.

We decided this would be a wonderful thing to share with you. Many thanks to the Greater Belhaven News for writing this great piece!

Continue Reading »

The Belhaven Theatre Department is excited to showcase this spring’s performance,The Mayfair Affair, premiering this month!

Belhaven is especially excited about this production, as it has been created entirely in and for the Belhaven Theatre Department.  This brand new play was written by Joe Frost, Theatre Chair and Associate Professor of Theatre, and will be directed by Associate Professor of Theatre John Maxwell.

This comical, whimsical story is the tale of John and Samantha Mayfair, a married couple trying to sell their prized diamond at a weekend affair. This is the first farce written by Mr. Joe Frost.

We hope you will make plans to join us for this special production! Bring your spouse, kids, and grandkids to make it a fun family outing! The play will run from Thursday, February 23, to Saturday February 5; and Wednesday, February 29, to Saturday, March 3. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for Seniors.

For more information, click here. For complete show times and to purchase tickets, visit the Online Box Office.

We hope to see you at this very special production!

Mississippi’s largest newspaper, the Clarion-Ledger, recently ran a feature on the Belhaven Art Department. The piece features interviews with many Belhaven art majors, and includes high praise for the studio space given to each art major.

The article can be found by clicking this link.

Belhaven is very proud of our Visual Art Department, as every year brings more incredible talent through our doors. Many pieces created by Belhaven art students can currently be seen in the Bitsy Irby Visual Art Gallery, so please stop by and take a look around next time you’re on campus!

This past weekend, the Belhaven Office of Alumni hosted a small luncheon for Hattiesburg area alumni. The Belhaven basketball teams were in town playing against the William Carey Crusaders, and this gathering was held on WCU’s campus in conjunction with the games.

Pictured (L to R): Michael Dukes, Director of Development and Alumni; Victoria Garraway, daughter of Betty Garraway; Jim Hardy; Carolyn Hardy, Class of '58; Norman Bagby, Class of '62; Mandy Bailey, Class of '01; Brad Bailey, Class of '00; Betty "Blue" Garraway, Class of '47

Many thanks to those who attended, and to William Carey University for opening their doors to us.

Let us hear from you if you would like to host or help organize a Belhaven Alumni gathering in your area!

mdukes@belhaven.edu or jcraven@belhaven.edu

While celebrating 100 years at our Peachtree Street location, Belhaven is also taking further steps to honor our historical status.

Recently, the University and the surrounding neighborhood were nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. The area is already recognized by the state of Mississippi as a historic district, but not yet on the national scale.

In particular, Fitzhugh, Preston, and Helen White Halls would be involved in the registry, as they are the oldest buildings on campus. This historic designation would potentially give neighborhood residents access to tax credits for renovation, repair, or construction.

For more information on this announcement, click here.

Every year for over a decade, Belhaven students have exercised their dedication to community service by setting apart an entire day “To serve, not to be served.”

This year, on January 16, around 400 students will take a break from classes in order volunteer at charitable organizations in the Jackson metro area, honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Continue Reading »

As you gather with friends and family this Christmas season, please remember that Belhaven is grateful to have you in our family as well.

May God bless you this Christmas and into the new year!

Michael A. Dukes, ’98
Director of Development and Alumni