Spelling bee traveling trophy to remain at Texas Wesleyan
Back: Frederick G. Slabach, president; Steven Daniell, dean, School of Arts & Letters; Marcel Kerr, dean, School of Natural and Social Sciences; Bruce McDonald, Wesleyan Crushers team captain and professor of religion; Marilyn Pugh, Wesleyan Crushers team member and professor of psychology; Beverly Volkman Powell, chairman of the board. Front: Jane Nober, Tarrant Literacy Coalition chairman of the board; and Mary Anne Clark, Wesleyan Crusher and professor of biology.
Representatives from the Tarrant Literacy Coalition, Kathryn B. Thompson, executive director, and Jane Nober, chairman of the board, were on campus May 13 to present the Corporate Spelling Bee traveling trophy to the Wesleyan Crushers.
This is the second straight year that the Wesleyan Crushers have won first place in the Tarrant Literacy Coalition Corporate Spelling Bee, which means Texas Wesleyan retains bragging rights, and the trophy, for another year.
Proceeds of the Corporate Spelling Bee support the mission of the Tarrant Literacy Coalition, which works to improve the quality and increase the quantity of adult literacy services for adults in and around Tarrant County.
"We expect that the 7th annual Corporate Spelling Bee will generate approximately $50,000 in net proceeds to support our work with adult learners who are studying to obtain a high school equivalency certificate or improve their English language skills," Thompson said. "We are grateful for the tremendous support of our spellers and sponsors, which makes our bee one of the largest 'all-adult spelling bees' in the nation."
Team members Mary Anne Clark, Ph.D., and Marilyn Pugh, Ph.D., along with team captain Bruce McDonald, Ph.D. won first place for the second year in a row with the winning word "quinquagenarian" in the eighth round. Quinquagenarian is of Latin origin meaning "a person between 50 and 59 years old."
Beverly Volkman Powell, Texas Wesleyan chairman of the board, served as chair of the event.
Participants included: Alcon, BNSF Railway, JPS Foundation, Lockheed Martin, Mayor Betsy Price, Star-Telegram, Texas Christian University, United Way of Tarrant County and other area businesses and nonprofit organizations.