October 06, 2009

by Emily Matras '12

Five Charlotte-area Davidson College alumni have been elected to various positions within the Davidson Alumni Association.

John Teague

John Baker Teague '82, director of Columbia Management, was elected Alumni Association President. Non-profit consultant Robbie Howell '87 and Tony Perez '92, senior vice president and portfolio director for Headquarters Regions Bank of America, were elected vice presidents. Bob Cordle '63, attorney and retired partner of Mayer Brown, LLP, and Calvin Murphy '70, special superior court judge, were both elected to a four-year term as alumni representatives on the Board of Trustees. As called for in the Alumni Association constitution, the ballot for the year included only Mecklenburg County residents--a requirement every fourth year. During the intervening three-year spans, no one from Mecklenburg County may run for a position in the Alumni Association.

Teague has served as co-chair of the Class of 1982's 10th year, 20th year, and 25th year reunion committees. He has also been a member of the WDAV Advisory Board and an Annual Fund Class Agent. Teague has served the Charlotte community through his involvement with Habitat for Humanity, and he has also helped organize and raise funds to purchase tuberculosis medicine for Arequipa, Peru, Charlotte's sister city. Teague said, "The spirit of giving is more alive than ever today in the life of Davidson College. It is central to the Davidson education. It makes Davidson students and alumni unique."

Robbie Howell

Howell is a former member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and she is currently serving as an Annual Fund Class Chair. In the community, Howell is on the Charlotte Advisory Board for the North Carolina Outward Bound School. She is also a founding member of Collier Lilly Ride 4 Life, a recreational bike ride that raises awareness and money for organ sharing. She said, "I believe in collaborative leadership: bringing everyone together to work in the best interest of the college. As a member of the Alumni Association Board, I will do my best to keep alumni informed and connected."

Tony Perez

Perez has served on the Davidson Athletic Foundation Board of Directors and the Career Services Advisory Board. He was also a content developer and mentor for Davidson's STRIDE program for minority students. Perez has received the Bank of America Spirit Award of Excellence, and in 2007 was a Charlotte Business Journal "40 Under 40" honoree. "Davidson is an extraordinary and peerless institution, and I am eager to be a part of continuing the direction of positive development and change," Perez said.

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Bob Cordle

Cordle is a member of the Davidson Athletic Foundation and the Fast Break Club. He has previously served as an Annual Fund class chair and agent, chair of the 40th Reunion Committee, and president of the Wildcat Club. Cordle graduated cum laude from the New York University School of Law in 1966. He is a current fellow and former state chair of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is an advocate and former state president of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is also a Vietnam War veteran. Cordle said, "Part of what made my time at Davidson special was the interaction with fellow students, professors, administrators, coaches and the townspeople. All provided my classmates and me with a unique, complete education. From what I can observe, this continues at Davidson."

Calvin Murphy

Murphy is currently on the College Relations Committee for the Davidson Board of Trustees. He formerly served on the Davidson College Board of Visitors and is the 2005 recipient of the John W. Kuykendall Community Service Award. Murphy received his J.D. from the North Carolina Central University of Law in 1977. He is currently serving on the American Bar Association House of Delegates and the N.C. Conference of Superior Court Judges. Murphy said, "Davidson continues to instill in students a strong appetite for academic and personal excellence-something that has served me well over the years. Giving back with my time, energy and resources is a way for me to say thanks to Davidson for changing my life."

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,800 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.

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