Musical luncheon feted "Wayfaring Strangers" authors

By Phillip Brown

Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr.

The UNC Charlotte Alumni Association and Jim Woodward, chancellor emeritus, hosted “Wayfaring Strangers: A Musical Luncheon with Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr” on  Nov. 14, at Byron’s South End in Charlotte.

Authors Ritchie and Orr guide the reader on a musical voyage across oceans to capture the stories of the people, the times and the music that many Scots-Irish immigrants brought to the United States.

Born and raised in Scotland, Ritchie attended the University of Stirling. In the 1980s, she accepted an invitation to spend a semester at UNC Charlotte to work as a teaching assistant in the Psychology Department. During her time in Charlotte, she volunteered at WFAE-FM. At the time, the University held the license for the station. She approached station managers with an idea for a new show featuring traditional Celtic and folk music from her native Scotland, Ireland and the rest of the British Isles. More than 30 years later, one can still find her National Public Radio weekly show “The Thistle & Shamrock” on nearly 400 stations around the world.

Orr (with guitar) and Ritchie (middle) perform at a luncheon in the honor.

Orr, a vice chancellor at UNC Charlotte when Ritchie was here, later became president of Warren Wilson College near Asheville; he also founded the Swannanoa Gathering music workshops. Orr, who shared a passion for Celtic and folk music, remained close friends with Ritchie during the years, and the two collaborated on “Wayfaring Strangers.”

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Education major Jameka Parker honored for community service

UNC Charlotte senior Jameka Parker has been recognized for outstanding leadership and service by North Carolina Campus Compact, a statewide network of colleges and universities that are committed to community engagement. Parker is a recipient of the network’s Community Impact Student Award, which honors one student leader at each member school.

Parker is one of 18 students across the state to receive the 2014 award, joining more than 200 college students honored by the organization since the award was first presented in 2006.

A pre-service teacher majoring in Middle Grades Education with a minor in Urban Youth and Communities, Parker believes deeply in service learning, both as a civic obligation and as meaningful pedagogy. As a part of her Community Engagement Capstone, Parker started a girls dance troupe in a high poverty middle school with a curriculum focused on academic achievement, mentoring, and self-esteem.  Using the fundamentals of participatory action research, she conducted a needs assessment with students and teachers. The resulting program couples dance, academic support, and mentoring during a special period in the school day. Parker recruited fellow UNC Charlotte students to implement the curriculum, which improved student attitudes and school success. Parker is from Fayetteville, N.C.

Dr. Susan Harden, an assistant professor of Education at UNC Charlotte, nominated Parker for the award. “Jameka really ‘gets’ service learning,” Harden says. “She will make a wonderful teacher who knows how to use this pedagogy in her own classroom.”

Parker and other award winners will be honored at North Carolina Campus Compact’s annual student conference on November 8 at N.C. State University in Raleigh. Now in its 21^st year, the 2014 conference will convene 180 student leaders from 25 campuses in 5 states, offering participants a slate of workshops focused on leadership best practices and community issues.

North Carolina Campus Compact is a collaborative network of colleges and universities with a shared commitment to educating engaged citizens and strengthening communities. Guided by an executive board of presidents and chancellors, the Compact supports member schools through professional development and resources related to civic and community engagement. The Compact was founded in 2002 and is hosted by Elon University.

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