August 11, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Belmont Bus Trip to VMFA, Feb. 18

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Member’s Bus Trip – Edward Hopper and the American Hotel, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Va.
February 18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Join Gari Melchers Home and Studio for a guided tour of the VMFA’s Edward Hopper and the American Hotel, the first in-depth study of hospitality settings depicted in the works of one of the most celebrated American artists. The only east coast venue, this exhibition showcases 65 paintings and works on paper by Hopper. Also included are 35 works by other artists who explored similar themes of hotels, travel, and mobility from the 20th century to the present. The exhibition is presented in galleries that include simulated spaces with engaging design components.

$50 for members, $55 for non-members. Price includes bus transport and tour ticket. Lunch is on your own with a choice of the Best Café or Amuse Restaurant. To make reservations at Amuse call 804-340-1580. Bus departs GMHS at 9 a.m. and returns by 4 p.m. Register by February 1 by contacting Meghan Pcsolyar at mpcsolya@umw.edu or  540-654-1848. Contact Jennifer Pinkerton at jpinkert@umw.edu or call 540-654-1842 to become a member!

UMW Debate Team Starts the New Year with Big Win

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UMW First-Year Ainsley Rucker (right) teamed up with U.S. Naval Academy student Matthew Pickard to win the novice championship against George Mason University at the Georgetown Debate Tournament, Jan. 3-5.

UMW First-Year Ainsley Rucker (right) teamed up with U.S. Naval Academy student Matthew Pickard to win the novice championship against George Mason University at the Georgetown Debate Tournament, Jan. 3-5.

The University of Mary Washington Debate Team started off the new year with a bang, winning the novice championship at the first tournament of the semester. Senior John Huebler, and first-year students Amanda Ciocca and Ainsley Rucker returned early from winter break to compete at the Georgetown Debate Tournament, January 3-5. The tournament fielded competitors from across the nation, including Harvard, University of California-Berkeley, and Dartmouth, as well as UMW’s frequent competitors from the region, including George Mason, Georgetown and the U.S. Naval Academy

Ciocca and Huebler competed in varsity, with wins against opponents from Georgetown and New York University. Rucker competed with a partner from another school – Matthew Pickard, from the Naval Academy in a combined junior varsity and novice division. They faced opponents from George Mason, Rochester, and New York University. In the novice final round, they were assigned to negate George Mason’s proposal to cooperate with China on space-based solar power. They defeated George Mason by a 2-1 decision of the judges.

“Ainsley and her colleague from Navy debated very well all weekend in a very tough division that included junior varsity teams. It was great to start the semester off with a strong win. The spring semester tournament schedule is intense and starting off the semester with a tournament win gives our squad momentum,” said Adrienne Brovero, director of debate at UMW.

The team is now gearing up for tournaments at the Naval Academy and Liberty in January, and hosting and competing in the District VII National Debate Tournament Qualifier in February. The team is also preparing to host multiple debates on campus during the semester, which will be open to the public. Information about those events will be available via the team’s social media in later January.

To follow the team, follow @UMWDebate on Twitter & Instagram, and University of Mary Washington Debate on Facebook.

Panera Bread Opens at UMW

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Campus Dining is pleased to announce that Panera Bread will open in the University Center on Monday, January 13. This new venue will offer most of Panera Bread’s standard menu, and all ingredients will be 100% “clean” – no artificial flavors, colors or additives. We know you are going to love the quality and variety of our menu items.

The Campus Dining team has been working hard over the winter break to finish construction of the restaurant and hire and train staff in time to open for service at the start of the spring semester. There are more than 30 people on UMW’s Panera Bread team, and most of them are new to our Campus Dining operation. New internet and point of sale technical systems and equipment are also being introduced in this operation, so we ask for your patience as our staff completes their training and we work out any “bugs” in the technical systems.

Serving hours at Panera Bread will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. M-F and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Menus and nutritional information will be available by January 13 on the Dining website: UMW.SodexoMyWay.com. For additional information contact Campus Dining at 540-654-2165 or e-mail Dining@UMW.edu.

Farmer Legacy 2020 Launch Featuring Congressman John Lewis, Jan. 13

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Dear UMW Community,

In October, I wrote that 2020 will be a particularly significant year for the University of Mary Washington as we launch Farmer Legacy 2020 in commemoration of Dr. James Farmer Jr., national civil rights pioneer and UMW professor from 1985 to 1998.

I am thrilled to inform you that U.S. Representative John Lewis has agreed to serve as the Honorary Chairperson for Farmer Legacy 2020 and will be on campus Monday January 13 for UMW’s celebratory launch from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Chandler Ballroom of the University Center. In 1961, Lewis was a college student when he joined 12 other people on the Freedom Rides organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and led by Farmer. Lewis was a co-organizer of the 1963 March on Washington and the historic 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Today, U.S. Representative John Lewis is one of our nation’s most influential leaders; he is known across the world as a champion of social justice.

It will be a tremendous honor to welcome Representative Lewis to Mary Washington. I encourage students, faculty, and staff to join us in Chandler Ballroom on January 13 at 2:30 p.m. for his remarks and the birthday celebration to follow. You will receive an official invitation soon.

Good luck in closing out the semester. I wish you a joyful and restorative winter break.

Troy D. Paino, J.D., Ph.D.

 

James Farmer Multicultural Center Turns 30

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In 2020, UMW will celebrate the centennial birthday of the late civil rights pioneer and Mary Washington history professor Dr. James L. Farmer Jr. – who died in 1999 – as well as the 30th anniversary of the James Farmer Multicultural Center. Photo by Lou Cordero.

In 2020, UMW will celebrate the centennial birthday of the late civil rights pioneer and Mary Washington history professor Dr. James L. Farmer Jr. – who died in 1999 – as well as the 30th anniversary of the James Farmer Multicultural Center. Photo by Lou Cordero.

Junior Courtney Flowers was writing a high school paper when she stumbled upon a name she didn’t recognize.

“It was James Farmer,” said the Los Angeles native, who spent that day on a UMW website, researching the late civil rights pioneer and Mary Washington history professor. “What ultimately drew me here was the James Farmer Multicultural Center.”

In 2020, the University will celebrate the centennial birthday of Dr. James L. Farmer Jr. – who died in 1999 – as well as the 30th anniversary of the James Farmer Multicultural Center (JFMC). Created in response to an uptick in enrollment of students of color and a rash of racially biased incidents that ensued, the Center aimed to promote harmony between all groups. It fulfills Farmer’s legacy, educating the UMW community through engaging – and often life-changing – programs, from the spring Multicultural Fair to the fall Social Justice Trip. JFMC also supports 22 campus organizations and offers a welcoming haven for underrepresented students. Read more.

Celebrate the Retirement of John Symonds (a.k.a. Santa Claus), Dec. 13

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John Symonds

John Symonds has been playing Santa Claus across the Fredericksburg region and beyond since 1981.

After 19 years at the University of Mary Washington, John Symonds is retiring. Plan to attend a reception for John tomorrow (December 13) at 1 p.m. in the Lee Hall Underground.

In his role as applications database administrator in the Department of Information Technologies, John was a key member of the project team that implemented Banner; over  the years, he has helped countless people achieve their Banner goals and solve their Banner problems. And of course, John will be fondly remembered for playing Santa Claus at many UMW holiday events.

Please join us in thanking John for his years of service and in wishing him well in retirement.

Thank You for Your Eagle Resource Closet Contributions

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UMW first-years work with CCE Faculty Director Leslie Martin to stock the Eagle Resource Closet, a food pantry on the fifth floor of Lee Hall. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Hello, UMW faculty and staff:

We wanted to express sincere gratitude for all of the help you have provided to the Eagle Resource Closet this fall. This was our first formal semester being open (though Gwen Hale and Rita Thompson pioneered this effort and served folks who needed help for ages prior; as do many folks around campus).

You all have donated clothes, food, toiletries, and time. THANK YOU. Students also have been pitching in all of the above. And the Alumni Board, Staff Advisory Council, and Dining Services have all run food drives. Parents have asked how they can help and so have alumni – there is interest and willingness, and we are so fortunate in this.

We also want to let you know about impact. Since we opened the ERC this September, over 100 visits have been made (according to our voluntary sign in sheet). We’ve had pages and pages of people expressing thanks and noting how much they actively need this resource. We echo these thanks.

If you want to make donations of goods – drop them at the Center for Community Engagement – UC Suite 320; we will shuttle them to the ERC. If you’d like to make a $ donation, our foundation account can be found here.

Wishing you all a good break. Looking forward to 2020 with you all.

Leslie Martin
Faculty Director, Center for Community Engagement

Melchers Painting Seized by Nazis Confiscated by FBI

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"Winter" by Gari Melchers.

“Winter” by Gari Melchers.

A Gari Melchers painting stolen by the Nazis in 1933 from a Jewish family has been confiscated by the FBI from an upstate New York museum, where it has been part of the collection for decades. Winter was among 1,200 works the Nazis looted from the collection owned by the descendants of Jewish publisher Rudolf Mosse, who were persecuted and forced to flee from Germany. It was later auctioned off in New York City to Bartlett Arkell, the founder of the Beech-Nut Packing Co., who in turn, donated it to his museum in upstate New York. According to a press release from Gari Melchers Home and Studio, Curator Joanna Catron assisted with the recovery by providing documents of Mosse’s purchase directly from the artist in 1900 and Winter’s reappearance at a sale at the MacBeth Gallery in New York in 1934.

Painting stolen by Nazi regime, featured in NY museum to be returned to family (The Jerusalem Post)

Painting looted by Nazis in 1930s seized by FBI in New York (Washington Examiner; CNN.com)

Melchers painting that was seized by the Nazis is removed from New York museum (The Free Lance-Star)

Painting stolen by Nazis from Jewish family recovered from New York museum (USA Today; NBC News)

Painting stolen by Nazis from influential Berlin family recovered in New York (Deutsche Welle)

F.B.I. Recovers Nazi-Looted Painting From New York Museum (Smithsonian.com)

Fredericksburg City Council commits to renewable energy switch (The Free Lance-Star)

 

Fill a Holiday Box for Those in Need

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Holiday boxes are now available to departments that wish to fill them with non-perishable food items, as well as personal hygiene and toiletry products, for local residents in need. Give your boxes some festive flair by decorating it with your colleagues! Please leave the top of box uncovered. Employees may pick up their box from the Office of Events & Conferencing in George Washington Hall, Room 307. Please return filled boxes to the Rappahannock Grand Ballroom in the Jepson Alumni Executive Center on either Wednesday, December 11 or Thursday, December 12. Decorated boxes will be displayed under the tree at the Holiday Party. Please indicate your department on the boxes. This year’s donations will be given to Micah Ecumenical Ministries before the holiday break. Please direct any inquiries to Marissa DiMeo at ext. 1087 or mdimeo@umw.edu.