Laughter Is Good For The Soul
Their tagline- where boredom goes to die! This is quite a bold statement for Theater 99, right? But from my experience, this improv theater has fulfilled its promise. Cast members create original, comedic skits every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights. Even the different names of groups are funny- Mary Kay has a Posse and the Banana Monologues, to name a few.
Theatre 99 traces its roots back to 1995, when the improv group “The Have Nots!”, performed for the first time during 
(but not part of) Charleston’s Piccolo Spoleto Festival. In 2000, they opened the first Theatre 99, named for the number of seats. In 2005, The Have Nots! opened the current Theatre 99, which now has 125 seats, at 280 Meeting Street.
Even more enticing is that Wednesday night shows are only $5. That’s cheaper than going to a movie, or going out to dinner, or in a few cases, even buying one drink at a bar. If drinks are your forte though, the theater does sell alcohol. If you really want to keep it classy, you can even buy a whole bottle of wine! The beauty of these shows is that the comedians perform based on the audience’s suggestions. So really, you never know what is going to come out of their mouths or where the content of the show will go. Whatever topic emerges is sure to be funny.
If you can’t make it to the $5 show on Wednesdays, they also have $10 shows on Friday nights and $10-$12.50 on Saturday nights. This may be a bit pricey for us graduate students, but if you are taking the weekend easy and are looking for something low key to do, this could be the thing for you. Even if you just go once, it’s worth checking out. But I’ll bet after seeing a few skits you’ll be roped in and want to go back!
Theatre 99 also provides improv classes and workshops to anyone who wants
Gordon Professor Dies After Short Illness
The Gordon College family is sad to announce the passing of Dr. Richard Tsou, associate professor of biology.
Dr. Tsou died this week after a short illness.
“All of us at Gordon College extend our most heartfelt sympathy to Dr. Tsou’s family, friends and associates,” said Dr. Ed Wheeler, vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty.
Tom Wages Funeral Home in Snellville is in charge of arrangements.
For visitation, memorial service and other details, go to
Alum off to the races as NASCAR team owner
ACU alum Randy Hill is racing for success — as a NASCAR racing team owner. With a lot of drive and daring, Hill has made his dream a reality in less than eight months.
Last December, Hill started the process by meeting with racing executives to discuss his desire to start a NASCAR team.
“Following a positive and encouraging response, I was invited to Daytona in February to meet with the President of NASCAR and attend the 53rd annual Daytona 500 two days later,” says Hill. “During that weekend I began the process of becoming a licensed NASCAR team owner.”
On May 19, Hill was informed that NASCAR had approved his application and issued RH Racing the number 08. Five days later, NASCAR approved his license, making him an official team owner.
“Then it was off to the races to get the team up and going,” says Hill.
Throughout June, Hill worked to bring former NASCAR driver and team owner Jeff Spraker and Casey Roderick, an 18-year-old racing sensation from Lawrenceville, Ga. onto the RH Racing team. Roderick will drive the RH 08 car in four upcoming races to prepare the team for their NASCAR debut.
“With any new venture, there is a need to get your feet wet…run some practice laps,” says Hill. “Over the next five weeks we will be competing in four races. The first three will be an effort to bring me up to speed as a racing team owner, place the building blocks for our developing team and prepare our young driver to enter the NASCAR Nationwide Series in August.”
RH Racing’s race schedule puts them competing:
- Saturday, July 16 at the Iowa Speedway, televised on SPEED, 4:15 p.m. CST,
- Thursday, July 28 at the Lucas Oil Raceway, televised live on SPEED, 6 p.m. CST,
- Saturday, Aug. 6 at Pocono, televised live on SPEED, 2 p.m. CST, and
- Saturday, Aug. 13 at Watkins Glenn, their NASCAR debut, televised live on ESPN, 1 p.m. CST.
Happening XXX marks the start of the season for Louisiana Tech alums, fans
Kickoff for the first game of the 2011 Louisiana Tech football season against Southern Mississippi may still be more than a month away, but for the proud and passionate fans of the Bulldog Nation, the season really begins on August 16 at 6 p.m.
Louisiana Tech alums, fans and friends will gather once again at the Monroe Civic Center to celebrate the upcoming football season and the achievements of the university at Happening XXX, presented by Argent Financial Group. The highly-anticipated annual event celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and will welcome Grammy Award-winning country music star and Louisiana Tech alumnus Kix Brooks as its featured speaker.
The event will also feature Louisiana Tech President Dan Reneau, who will highlight the institution’s activities and accomplishments of the past year, and Head Football Coach Sonny Dykes to provide his outlook for the upcoming 2011 football season.
“The Happening continues to be the premier event for the Louisiana Tech Alumni Association,” said Ryan Richard, director of alumni relations for Louisiana Tech. “This event is for the entire Tech family. Whether you are a graduate, fan or just love Louisiana Tech, we invite everyone for what is always an evening filled with excitement.”
Richard says the Happening has even become a tradition itself for football fans and Tech alums, which draws people back to north Louisiana from all over the country to share in the success and growth of their university.
“The Happening’s success is due to the passion and excitement over Louisiana Tech,” said Jeff Parker, president of the Louisiana Tech Alumni Association. “It represents the largest gathering, outside of sporting events, of the university’s alumni and is an opportunity for our alumni to hear directly from our President about the vision and progress of our university. It is also an opportunity to visit with fellow alumni and friends of the university who share a similar passion for Louisiana Tech.”
For the past several years, Argent Financial Group has served as the presenting sponsor of the Happening and a valued supporter of Louisiana Tech. Argent was also instrumental in the construction and sponsorship of Tech’s new alumni pavilion, which hosts game day tailgating and other alumni and university functions.
“Argent is proud to renew our annual sponsorship of the Happening, the largest annual gathering of Tech alumni and supporters,” said Kyle McDonald, president and CEO of Argent Financial Group. “The Happening is always an enjoyable evening of re-connecting with Tech people and also serves as a great venue to catch-up on the continued progress of our university.”
For more information about Happening XXX or to reserve your seat or table at the August 16 event, contact Barbara Swart at Louisiana Tech’s Marbury Alumni Center at (318) 255-7950 or go online at . Seating is limited.
Mahan Named Chair of Division of Education
Mike Mahan has been named chair of the Division of Education at Gordon College. 
Mahan comes to Gordon from Armstrong Atlantic State University where he was most recently Assistant Professor, Middle and Secondary Education.
Mahan earned a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s in Student Personnel Administration and his Ed.D in Science Education all from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.
“I look forward to being a part of the team that helps Gordon’s education program grow and reach its full potential,” Mahan said.
Mahan and his wife, Pamela, who is a member of the nursing faculty at Armstrong, have two grown children. They enjoy traveling.
Janice Hahn wins special election, now heads to Congress
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn (’47) beat back a surprisingly strong challenge from businessman Craig 
Huey in a nasty fight for an open congressional seat in California. With all the votes counted, Hahn (D) beat Huey (R) 55 percent to 45 percent, or 41,585 votes to 34,636.
Hahn called the victory bittersweet, because of her mother’s death on the eve of her victory. She told the Associated Press that the loss of her mother “was devastating to me, so it was the strength of the thousands of volunteers who were campaigning for me that carried me across the finish line.”
“We are proud of Janice’s accomplishment and the way she and her family continue to serve the citizens of California,” says ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert. “ACU’s history is replete with students, staff, faculty and graduates who embrace the selfless nature of public service, and who have done great things in the process of advancing the communities in which they live.”
and in the Washington Post.