RELEASED: April 24, 2003

DANVILLE, KY—Who knew a philosophy major turned biology professor was also once a world-class distance runner? And who would have figured that a certain field hockey coach has all the insights on what really goes on in the Olympic village?

Daniel Henderson, visiting assistant professor of biology, and field hockey and tennis coach Deb Whitten shared these tidbits, as well as some valuable advice recently during an annual convocation called "Life Stories."

The Centre Chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership organization, sponsors the event each year.

"The Life Stories convo is a great way for students to get to know Centre's faculty and staff outside the classroom," senior Jennifer Rhorer said. "Everyone has a story, and this convo provides the opportunity for those stories to be shared. It's just another way a strong sense of community is built here at Centre."

Henderson, who joined the Centre faculty in 2000, told the audience that the path to their dream jobs might not be obvious as an undergraduate.

"There's definitely hope if you don't know what you want to do with your life after graduation," Henderson said. "I was a philosophy major as an undergraduate, and now teach biology. There's absolutely nothing that I'd rather be doing than what I'm currently doing, but the path didn't become clear right away."

The professor also shared how his experiences as a distance runner and working with mentally handicapped adults helped to shape his future.

"The path was a bit convoluted, and I value all of the different experiences that I've had," he said.

Henderson earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Wheaton College in Illinois and a master's and Ph.D. (in physiology) from Indiana University.

Whitten, a native of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is relatively new to Centre, arriving to coach in 2002. As a player on the Canadian National Field Hockey Team from 1989 to 1995, and as an assistant coach for the team for three years, she was able to share with the audience some of her Olympic memories.

"Life in the Olympic village was surreal," Whitten said. "It was an 'all-inclusive' resort situated on the Mediterranean Sea. All amenities were free. Teammates returned with new haircuts, clean teeth and glasses they never needed."

Whitten also gave students a bit of advice on following their dreams.

"The intention of my story was to remind all of us that the dreams and goals we have as children can be used as the impetus behind which we structure our lives," she said. "Goals set early in life should not be disregarded as distant dreams, rather, they can be the foundation for future experiences."

Whitten also coached at the Commonwealth Games and Pan American Games in 1999. She has a bachelor's of education (honours) and a master's of education in leadership studies from the University of Victoria.

To learn more about these Centre faculty members and others, go to Centre's faculty Web page at http://www.centre.edu/web/academic/faculty/faculty.html.

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