Two Randolph-Macon College professorships were awarded at a ceremony on November 22, 2019 in the McGraw-Page Library.

Professor James Foster was named the Paul H. Wornom, M.D. Professor in Biological Sciences; and Professor Adrian Rice was named the Dorothy and Muscoe Garnett Professor in Mathematics. In attendance were faculty, staff, members of the Board of Trustees, students, alumni, friends, and family members of Foster and Rice.

A Profound Impact
“Recognizing a distinguished faculty member with an endowed professorship is always a very special occasion in the life of this college,” said President Robert R. Lindgren as he welcomed attendees. “Of all the gifts a college receives, none makes a more profound or more permanent impact than the gift of an endowed professorship, and it allows us to attract and retain the very best faculty working in higher education today.”

Alisa Rosenthal, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, conferred the professorships to Foster and Rice.

Biology Professor James A. Foster
Rosenthal told guests, “During his time at RMC, Jim has served the college by superbly mentoring students, engaging students in high-quality research, teaching engaging courses, and promoting community within the department and college. He does this in his official capacities, but also unofficially in the way he has time for everyone (even when he really doesn’t) and treats all people with kindness and respect. Jim has played a transformative role in both the biology department and the college. He spearheaded the college’s agreements with regional medical schools such as GW, EVMS, and VCU—agreements that contributed significantly to enormous growth in the biology major. Without careful and attentive implementation, however, this growth would have been short-lived. But Jim, as both member and long-time chair of the Pre-Med Advisory Committee, ensured that those agreements worked successfully for both the medical schools and RMC students.”

Rosenthal continued, “I did not have the privilege to know Paul Wornom, the man for whom this professorship is named. But what I’ve been told is that he was a man who took every person as they came, a man whose hallmarks were kindness and excellence. It is, therefore, fitting that this professorship goes today to a man about whom the same can be said: Professor James Foster.”

“I am honored and humbled to accept this professorship, and I’m excited about the next steps for our pre-medical program,”said Foster. “In addition to this professorship, the Paul H. Wornom Pre-Medicine Fellowship has enabled us to attract some exceptional students to RMC. Dr. Wornom has provided a gift of opportunity for many of our students and has made our pre-med program distinct.”

Foster, who expressed gratitude to the college and to his family and colleagues, said that he especially values working with students.

“They are diverse, unique, hard-working, and fun,” he said. “I really appreciate the privilege of working with students who are figuring out how they want to make their way in the world. I particularly value working with student researchers because whether or not they choose a research career, a research project is a challenging experience and is a part of that student’s unique story.”

Foster earned his B.S. in biology from Lebanon Valley College, his Ph.D. in anatomy and cell biology from University of Virginia, and he did a post-doc at the University of Pennsylvania. He joined the RMC faculty in 1998.

His research focus is reproductive cell biology, and much of his work has focused on understanding the structure and function of the acrosome, a vesicle at the tip of mammalian sperm cells. During his tenure at RMC, Foster has mentored 21 Schapiro Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) students; supervised numerous student internships; and was involved in the expansion of internship opportunities in healthcare fields. He has also supervised 17 student presentations at national and international conferences. Foster has received major research instrumentation funding from the National Science Foundation, and research funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Thomas F. and Kate Miller Jeffress Memorial Trust Grant.

The Paul H. Wornom, M.D. Professorship in Biological Sciences
The Paul H. Wornom, M.D. Professorship in Biological Sciences was established in 1999 by Dr. Paul Wornom ’37. It recognizes a senior member of the biology department for exemplary teaching and scholarship. Wornom was a family practice physician who specialized in allergies, arthritis and immunology.

In 2006 he established a scholarship that is awarded to students interested in careers in medicine; and after his death in 2011, a significant bequest from his estate not only augmented the Wornom Professorship, but also created the Dr. Paul H. Wornom Pre-Medical Endowment. His niece, Maria Wornom Rippe, and her husband, Peter Rippe, continue to be involved as generous donors of the college.

Mathematics Professor Adrian C. Rice
Rosenthal said, “During his time at the college, Adrian has introduced several new courses to the mathematics major program, such as Number Theory and the History of Mathematics (a J-term travel course to England—the first in mathematics at the college). His students praise the rigor of his courses, the depth of his knowledge, his skill at communicating difficult concepts, and his utter delight in all things mathematical—he challenges, he supports, he advises, he mentors. He makes, in the words of his students, ‘mathematics come alive.’ Conversations with Adrian are an invigorating mélange of total engagement in the topics at hand, thought-provoking questions, high-energy humor, intellectual excitement, and generosity of spirit. He is an exemplary teacher, scholar, and member of the RMC community and it is my privilege today to install him as the Dorothy and Muscoe Garnett Professor of Mathematics.”

“In addition to being a very great honor, to be the incumbent of a Professorship of Mathematics makes me fully appreciative of the foresight and vision required for its endowment,” said Rice. “And it reinforces my belief that mathematics remains a fundamental component of the liberal arts and central to the mission of this college.”

Rice continued, “I wish to thank the Garnett family for their tremendous generosity. I want to thank President Lindgren, former Provost Franz, and Provost Rosenthal for the honor bestowed. And finally, I thank my wife, Nora, and my son, Daniel, for all they do every day, and for making today truly special just by being here.”

Rice, who joined the RMC faculty in 1999, earned his B.S. in mathematics from University College London and his Ph.D. in the history of mathematics from Middlesex University, London. His research focuses on 19th-century and early 20th-century mathematics, on which he has published four books and over 45 papers and articles. His latest book, which he co-wrote with his colleagues Dr. Christopher Hollings and Professor Ursula Martin of the University of Oxford, is Ada Lovelace: The Making of a Computer Scientist. Rice was elected to a fellowship of Queen’s College, Oxford in 2014, and in 2019 he was elected a corresponding member of the prestigious Académie Internationale d’Histoire des Sciences.

The Dorothy and Muscoe Garnett Professorship in Mathematics
The Dorothy and Muscoe Garnett Professorship in Mathematics was established in 2008 by the estates of Dorothy and Muscoe Garnett. This professorship recognizes a senior member of the mathematics department for exemplary teaching and scholarship. Muscoe Garnett developed a deep interest in mathematics and science at RMC.

After graduating in 1930, he moved to Suffolk, Virginia where he taught math, science and English before moving to Washington, D.C. to work as a correspondent with the Public Works Administration. After serving in the United States Army, he returned to Suffolk, where he became founder and president of Garnett Oil Company. After his death in 1981 and until her death, his wife, Dorothy, carried out Muscoe’s wishes of providing innovative learning opportunities for Randolph-Macon students and faculty.

At the conclusion of the installation ceremony, BJ Camano ’21 led attendees in singing the RMC alma mater.