SYMPOSIUM EXPEDITION!

Each year, the College of the Ozarks hosts symposiums for the students and the public, that feature well-know individuals, with a variety of backgrounds.  This blog is about the visit I made to College of the Ozarks, to attend the program featuring James "JB" Brown.  I arrived at the college several hours before the event start time, so that I could take a stroll around the campus, seeing some "new-to-me" locations, (and get in my 10,000 step activity goal!).

College of the Ozarks is a fully accredited, Christian, liberal arts college, located just outside Branson, Missouri.  The vision of College of the Ozarks is to develop citizens of Christ-like character who are well-educated, hard-working, and patriotic.  To achieve this vision, the College has Academic, Vocational, Christian, Patriotic and Cultural goals.  The reminder of that patriotic goal , can be seen in Patriot's Park, near the entrance to the college.  This photo shows a plaque at Patriot's Park.

There is an impressive array of flags at Patriots Park.  The park also includes other types of memorials, such as bronze monuments and a grove of over 100 sugar maple trees, planted in honor of specific veterans. 

The picturesque waterfall landscaping shown in photo below, can be found in front of the Keeter Center, the College's largest workstation (hence, a part of the vocational goal of the college).  The facility was recently voted a Top Small Hotel in the U.S., by TripAdvisor.

 

Inside the Keeter Center, there is a gift shop that sells a wide variety of student-made products, such as those shown in gift box below:

Student-made fruitcakes are a signature item of the college, and I can testify that they are delicious!  Groups and individuals who take guided tours of the campus, get to visit the fruitcake kitchen, and are given a complementary sample of this luscious treat!

 

The statue of our country's first president, George Washington, stands in front of the Center for Patriotic Education.

Near the front door of this building is a metal partition, with stars cut out of it, in a nod to our nation's "stars and stripes" flag.  I speculate that this custom item was made by students in the college's metal shop.

 

There was a charging station for electric vehicles that sat in front of the engineering building, and it had a Tesla hooked up to it.  I asked a staff member inside the building if there were other charging stations around the campus, and he replied, "not that I know of."  He went on to comment that the engineering department had received this particular charging station from a grant that was provided,  to promote the use of electric vehicles.  With thousands of cars, belonging to students, faculty, and visitors on the campus every day, there would be a very long line to use this one charging station, if, indeed, the use of gasoline-powered vehicles is completely outlawed!

The symposium I was attending was being held inside Keeter Gymnasium, and the photo below shows the view I had from my seat on the gymnasium floor.  This building has seen some very famous world figures as speakers, including Great Britain's Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, General Norman Schwarzkopt, Colin Powell, Newt Gingrich, Dr. Ben Carson, Tim Tebow, Arkansas Governor Sara Huckabee Sanders, and television personality, Mike Rowe. 

Since I enjoy photography, I chose a seat behind the seat that was reserved for the official photographer of the event, because I thought it would be interesting to see what kind of equipment he was using, and to observe his "modus operandi" for capturing great images. 

 

 

 I was not disappointed, because I was able to observe him using a variety of lenses, and I carefully studied the "work harness" he was wearing, that had storage bags for a variety of cameras, back up batteries, flash equipment, etc.  When I attended the Tim Tebow and Governor Sara Sanders speeches, I sat in the area cordoned off for the media, to the immediate left of the platform.  Those seats put the media guest closer to the speaker, but I would agree with this designated event photographer's philosophy, that the "official photographer" gets the best view points, directly in front of the stage. 

 

The event moderator reminded the audience that James "JB" Brown comes from a sports background, and as an athlete himself in the past, was used to walking into a gymnasium with the roar of the crowd, led by cheerleaders and team mascots.  So, College of the Ozarks had their cheerleaders and mascot, get the crowd "fired up", with applause and rousing rhythms, as Mr. Brown entered the room.  It was a very fitting tribute, to an athlete with such a remarkable sports record!

Before I went to the event, I wanted to get background information, so I checked out Mr. Brown's social media platforms.  Screen shots of these are shown below:

The talk Mr. Brown gave that evening, through a "Q and A" type format, was informative and inspiring.  I could see that despite his many accolades, he remains humble and service minded.  Since one of the awards he has received is being named the recipient of the National Association of Broadcasters Distinguisheded SERVICE Award (the organization's highest honor), it seemed fitting to use this symposium featured speaker, as the visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses, that deals with SERVICE:  "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."  Matthew 20:26-28

I felt doubly blessed because I not only got to be present at Mr. Brown's symposium appearance, but I was also invited to attend the reception afterwards, at the Keeter Center. Since my Master's Degree is in Foods and Nutrition, I find it intriguing to see the creative ways the food service team at the Keeter Center captures the eye, and the appetite, with their dazzling array of refreshments.  For example, notice this custom-crafted metal "tree", designed to hold individual cones, packed with colorful appetizers!

Likewise, platters full of  "S'MORES ON A STICK" were a perfect treat for a chilly fall evening.

The students in charge of the hot apple cider service, also had a lovely display.

The student shown below is the one I asked to take a photo of me, and she kindly allowed me to also take a photo of her, as well!

Besides wanting a photo to remember what I wore to the reception, I also wanted a photo that showed the variety of harvest-time produce and flowers, that the school grows on their own campus.  Visitors can see a variety of plant species, including fabulous orchids, at the Hoge Greenhouses on campus. 

There was another giant "centerpiece" arrangement in the reception area, that I wanted to remember with a photo.   I hope the photo of the harvest-themed decor, and my smiling face, illustrates that this fantastic experience at College of the Ozarks, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!  Tricia