President Tracy
Fitzsimmons, Ph.D.,
and longtime university
supporter and friend
Senator Harry F. Byrd,
Jr. enjoy a moment at
an event hosted by the
Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School
of Business.
words from the president
The Shenandoah stories we bring you with this issue are all about adventure, wonder
and exploring the world – the one around you and the one that dwells within.
With that in mind, I can’t help but think of two dear friends we have lost during the second half of this year.
Lindé Hayen Herman was a talented actor, playwright and director. With her husband, Shenandoah Summer
Music Theatre founder and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Theatre Harold “Hal” Herman, Lindé helped
shape SSMT into the Valley treasure it is today. As an instructor of theatre, she trained Shenandoah Conservatory
students to hone their craft, and her legacy lives on as current theatre students rehearse in her namesake Lindé
Hayen Herman Theatre Rehearsal Hall.
Former Senator Harry F. Byrd, Jr. was one of the bedrocks on which Shenandoah’s 50-plus years in Winchester was
built. A member of our board of trustees for more than three decades, he was an advocate for fiscal responsibility
and a trusted adviser to President Emeritus James A. Davis and me. Even at the age of 98, his sense of adventure
never waned, as he critiqued world politics or joked about the possibility of a trip to Cuba. And, I will ever hold
dear the times we attended SSMT performances and the adventures we encountered – a torrential downpour as we
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