March 17, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

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.

PCOW: Wellness Wheel Sector Explained: Social

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As the holidays are approaching, we are focusing this week on the Social dimension of the PCOW Wellness Wheel. Social wellness is defined as “fostering a sense of connection and belonging with others. This involves using good communication skills, respecting yourself and others, and creating and maintaining a well-developed support system.” The positive effects of building and cultivating healthy relationships with family and friends are infinite. We respond better to stress, form better habits, are more at peace and boost our self-esteem to be comfortable in ourselves and more at ease in different social settings.

UMW offers many ways for its employees to practice social wellness on campus: eat lunch with a colleague, attend a UMW-sponsored event with your family, or cheer on your students at UMW sports event with a friend! What will you do to practice good social wellness this week and during the holiday break? Share it with us on our Facebook page: UMW Wellness or Instagram: umw_wellness.

Parking Lot Project Highlights UMW, City Partnership

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City Council member Tim Duffy (left) shakes hands with UMW President Troy Paino after the two cut the symbolic ribbon at the expanded Battlefield Athletic Complex parking lot. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

City Council member Tim Duffy (left) shakes hands with UMW President Troy Paino after the two cut the symbolic ribbon at the expanded Battlefield Athletic Complex parking lot. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

A ribbon cutting on Nov. 22 for a newly expanded parking lot at UMW’s Battlefield Athletic Complex illustrates a concerted effort by the University and the City of Fredericksburg to work collaboratively on community issues.

The project, which enlarged the lot between UMW’s Tennis Center and Physical Plant to eight times its original size, aims to ease cramped parking conditions on Hanover Street during University-hosted athletic events. It also is intended to bolster the athletic complex’s attractiveness for tournament use and support economic development opportunities.

“This lot is more than just parking,” said City Manager Tim Baroody. “It’s a partnership.” Read more.

A Message from the President

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We have a strong and resilient community. Monday was trying — and, for some, traumatic. While we have learned now, based on the quick work of University police, that the campus never was under a credible threat, we took every precaution to protect our community. I was engaged in the deliberations of our Threat Assessment Team, and I applaud the team’s swift and appropriate response.

I realize questions and concerns abound. Here are the facts: A caller left a voicemail for a UMW employee warning that an individual would be coming to campus with a firearm. That voicemail was immediately forwarded to UMW Police, and the recipient of the call likely warned those around him or her. While dispatching his officers to learn as much as possible about the situation, Chief Mike Hall convened an emergency meeting of the University’s Threat Assessment Team, a multidisciplinary group composed of members of various campus departments (faculty and staff) who respond to concerns and threats that may pose a significant disruption to the campus environment and the institution’s academic mission. This group received a briefing and quickly determined that classes and campus activities should be suspended, and all members of the community should shelter in place, until police could learn more about the threat and the person who made it.

After further investigation, police identified the caller, who indicated the threat was never intended to be taken seriously. The caller was arrested without incident and is now in jail under a $10,000 secured bond. Making a false report or threat of this kind is a felony offense.

From Monday’s situation, we have learned important takeaways. The campus community would like to have more training on what steps to take in these types of circumstances. Also, we all would benefit from a common definition of terms such as shelter in place. UMW Police are currently finalizing a video related to firearms violence, and they are planning safety awareness and training programs for campus members next semester.

Again, I want to compliment the entire campus community. Your calm adherence to safety protocols and support for one another allowed the situation to be resolved expediently. You have my pledge: I, along with members of this community, work every day to ensure the University provides a living and learning environment that is as safe as possible.

President Troy D. Paino