The Mailbag

Are you ready for some ODU football?
I enjoy reading Old Dominion University magazine and catching up on what is going on around campus. I am very excited to hear ODU will be starting a football program in 2009. Hopefully I will get down there for a game!
– Theresa LaGamma Lesiak ’93
Manahawkin, N.J.

I’m not really into football, but I think it will be a great boost for ODU, from a national standpoint. I would like to bring my kids to a game or possibly be a season ticket holder one day!
– Nichelle Williams ’04 (M.S. ’06)
Alexandria, Va.

I think the Board of Visitors has found a way to my heart. They’ve gone forth with the notion that having football would add another exciting venue to the growing university, and may very well bring more identity to ODU alumni and the local populace.

I think they’re right on target. Yes, we know the other area schools have a hard time filling the stands, but I hope this isn’t the case at ODU.

Maybe a rejuvenation of Foreman Field can become the field of dreams we’ve been waiting for. OK, so we are not going to beat the good I-AA programs right away, but at least this long-awaited sport will be well received (I hope). There’s something about a Saturday afternoon football game in the early autumn.
– Charles Payne ’05
Chesapeake, Va.

Count me in for two season tickets when they go on sale! I am a fan of I-AA football for two reasons:
1. They have a playoff system to determine the real champion; no politics or all the other entrapments which seem to plague I-A football.

2. The players are in it more for the love of the game and the games are more competitive.
The team will have a rocky start but, given time, the Monarchs will prove themselves.
– Joe Brown (M.A. ’99)
Virginia Beach, Va.

An endorsement of expanding research
I was quite happy to see in the summer 2006 edition of the magazine that ODU is putting considerable efforts in expanding research.

I was promoted to associate professor of physics at the University of Georgia in August 2005. My research group, which includes a total of eight postdoctoral associates, graduate students and undergraduate students, performs computational studies of atomic and molecular processes for astrophysical applications. The work is funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation.
– Phillip Stancil ’86 (M.S. ’90, Ph.D. ’94)
Suwanee, Ga.

Grateful for TELETECHNET
I am very happy and proud that my daughter, Christie, is a freshman at Old Dominion University this fall. She graduated seventh in her class at J.R. Tucker High School.

I started at ODU in 1996 at the age of 39 as a distance learning student at the J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College site. If not for the TELETECHNET program, I never would have been able to juggle the responsibilities of my family and career while pursuing further education in my chosen field.

The electrical engineering technology program was challenging, but very manageable. It has opened quite a few doors for me, and the educational experience was outstanding. I owe quite a bit to ODU, in general, and to Janis Ussery [ODU assistant site director at JSRCC], specifically.
– Jeff Pegram ’00
Richmond, Va.

What's your favorite ODU memory?

For many of us, our college years were a time for learning, making new friends and testing the limits of independence. No doubt, you harbor some fond memories of your time at ODU that still bring a smile to your face. Why not share them on the Alumni Association's Online Community message board? Go to www.odualumni.org and click on Alumni Connection.

To send a letter to the editor, an update for the Class News section or a change-of-address notice, you may contact us via e-mail, sdaniel@odu.edu; fax, 757-683-5501; or by regular mail, Editor, Old Dominion University magazine, 100 Koch Hall, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529.

You may reach us by phone at:
Alumni Association and Alumni Relations Office: 757-683-3097 or 888-ODU-3435
Old Dominion University magazine: 757-683-3093