Hill makes it generation No. 4 at Maryville College

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 8, 2006
Karen B. Eldridge, Director of News and Public Information
865.981.8207; karen.eldridge@maryvillecollege.edu

Enrolling at Maryville College this fall, Kathryn N. “Katie” Hill becomes a fourth generation female in her family to choose the liberal arts college.

Hill, the daughter of Al Hill and Jennifer Bushing Hill ’82 and the granddaughter of Art Bushing ’43 and Dorothy “Dotty” Barber Bushing ’42, matriculates at Maryville College exactly 100 years after her great-grandmother, N. Maud McMurry Barber ’11 began taking college courses, explained Dotty Bushing.

“My great-great grandfather, Samuel McMurry, was one of the first settlers of Blount County. He came here in 1784, having fought in the Revolutionary War,” the alumna said. “For his wartime service, he was given property in the Eusebia community instead of money.” (Located approximately 12 miles east of Maryville, Eusebia is situated in the northeast corner of Blount County.)

Many of Samuel McMurry’s descendents continued to live in the Eusebia community, but when one male descendent died, his widow, Harriet Pickens, chose to move.

“Harriet, Maud’s mother, moved her family into Maryville. They lived in a house on Indiana Avenue,” she said. “Harriet did that so that the children could have their education.”

Indeed, Maud attended the College’s preparatory school in the early 1900s. She started the college courses in 1908.

Five of Harriet’s 11 children attended the College, but Maud was the only one to earn a bachelor’s degree. While enrolled, she was a leader, serving as vice president of her class and a cabinet member of the YWCA, joining Theta Epsilon and directing the girl’s physical education program.

Dotty, who was born and reared in Knoxville, said her mother held fond memories of the College, and the stories she told her own daughters helped them during their college search.

“Maryville was the only place I wanted to go,” Dotty said, adding that sisters Harriet Barber Blizzard ’39 and Mary Ruth Barber Garza ’47 also chose MC for their undergraduate educations

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Following precedent

As a high-school student, Katie chose to write about Maud for a family history project. Through that, she realized what a precedent she set for women in her family.

“She was earning a college degree when most women of her time weren’t even going to college,” the first-year student said. “And even though she wasn’t the first female to earn a degree at Maryville College, my great-grandmother set a precedent for our family that has endured to this day.”

Katie, who has long been interested in the language and culture of Japan, said one of the reasons she chose Maryville College was because it offered Japanese for its foreign language requirement. And with such familial ties to the College, she’s been a frequent visitor to campus.

“Maryville felt right for me,” she said.

More legacies enroll

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In all, 13 members of the Class of 2012 are legacies, meaning they are direct descendents of former Maryville College students. They include:

  • Ellison Berryhill, grandson of Anne Carolyn Ellison ‘47
  • Joshua R. “Ridge” Carter, great-grandson of Anna McDonald ’23 and Frank Ryburn ’23
  • Caleb Cooper, son of Roy Cooper ’57
  • Jordan Damron, grandson of Flo Ramsey Damron ’78
  • Kristin Findley, daughter of Donna Owens Findley ‘82
  • Kathryn Hill, daughter of Jennifer Bushing Hill ’82, granddaughter of Art Bushing ’43 and Dorothy Barber Bushing ’42, and great-granddaughter of N. Maud McMurry Barber ’11
  • Charlotte Howard, daughter of Stanley Howard ’83 and granddaughter of Gregory Howard ’51 and Carolyn Beatty Howard ’54
  • Wesley Lambert, son of Randy Lambert ’76 and grandson of Harold Lambert ’50
  • David Large, grandson of L.A. Campbell ’51 and Virginia Hand Campbell ’49
  • Katherine Nadler, granddaughter of Robert Ramger ’56 and Sue Kindred Ramger ’70
  • Masen Smith, son of Vickie Smith ‘02
  • David “Clay” Wagner, grandson of Myrna Faye Boring Hall ’50
  • Gene Walker, grandson of Vonnie Walker ’72

Legacies may qualify for the Maryville College Legacy Award, which is worth up to $2,500 per academic year. For more information, visit the Financial Aid section http://www.maryvillecollege.edu/admissions/finaid/institutional-awards.asp of the Maryville College web site.

Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state's third largest city. Founded in 1819, it is the 12th oldest institution of higher learning in the South and maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Known for its academic rigor and its focus on the liberal arts, Maryville is where students come to stretch their minds, stretch themselves and learn how to make a difference in the world. Total enrollment for the fall 2009 semester is 1,103.