Belmont students in Jonathan Thorndike’s “C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the Inklings” summer class at King’s College in London had the opportunity of a lifetime to visit with Colin Duriez, well-known British scholar and author of Tolkien and C. S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship, J. R. R. Tolkien: The Making of a Legend, The A-Z of C. S. Lewis, Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings: A Guide to Middle Earth, and many other books. The class met with Duriez and had lunch with him at the Lamb and Flag, one of the Oxford establishments frequented by the Inklings.
Oxford, England was the home of C. S. Lewis from 1918 until his death in 1963. J. R. R. Tolkien lived and taught there from 1925 until he died in 1973. It was in Oxford that the Christian fantasy writers’ group known as the Inklings met at the Eagle and Child public house or at C. S. Lewis’ rooms at Magdalen College. The Inklings produced some of the most influential books of the 20th century including Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
The students were thrilled with Duriez’s narration during the walking tour of Oxford. They had many good questions about his book The Gift of Friendship, which he said is being optioned for a movie script based on the life of J. R. R Tolkien. Duriez has a new book on the Inklings scheduled to be released in spring 2015, and he discussed his new book with the Belmont students. The walking tour ended at Blackwell’s Bookshop, where students were able to get books signed by the author himself.
Colin Duriez is based in Keswick, Cumbria in northwest England and writes books, edits and lectures on Lewis, Tolkien and the Inklings. He appeared as a commentator on the extended version film DVDs of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings, the DVD set of Walden/Disney’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the Sony DVD about Tolkien fandom and the impact of Tolkien on popular culture. He has also participated in documentaries on PBS and the BBC. He is a part-time tutor at Lancaster University and is currently a consultant on a new film about the life of J. R. R. Tolkien.
As part of their summer transition into Belmont’s culture of service-learning and spirit of volunteerism, 30 Bridges to Belmont students are volunteering across Nashville each Friday. This is the first time a group service project has been added to their summer orientation program. On July 18, the students split their time building a fence for Music City Hounds Unbound, playing games with homeless and helping with a garden at Room in the Inn and sorting donated medical supplies for shipment to developing countries around the world at Project C.U.R.E. The Bridges to Belmont program provides Metro Nashville Public Schools students, many of whom are first generation college students, each with a four-year scholarship to cover tuition, room, board, required fees and books. The students will volunteer again on July 25 and Aug. 1.
Belmont alumna Emily Reid (’13) is featured on the cover of School Ties, the alumni magazine of St. Michaels University School (SMUS) in Saanich, Canada. The photo shows Reid singing “West Coast Waters” in a farewell concert to her band teacher last year. 
Dr. Steve Murphree, professor of biology, participated in 
Dr. Dennis C. Chen, assistant professor of management, has been appointed by the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE) to the 2014 Board of Examiners. Each year, the TNCPE award program recognizes local, regional and statewide organizations that demonstrate excellence in business operations and results.
Dr. David Tough, associate professor, and Curb College students Andrew Christenberry and Jake Minnes recently recorded the 17-piece musical ensemble El Guamo from the country of Columbia at Belmont’s Quonset Hut studio. The group traveled to Nashville, Tennessee on a state department grant and were hosted in collaboration with the Music Without Borders program at Tennessee State University.
Belmont alumni Benji (’96) and Jenna (’95) Cowart made headlines and national TV this week with their music video response to the popular “Rude” single by Canadian reggae band Magic! The creative cover is in response to “Rude,” a song in which the singer asks a father’s permission to marry his daughter and then questions the father’s refusal, noting “Why you gotta be so rude?… I’m gonna marry her anyway.”
Suzanne Greenwalt, an instructor in the School of Physical Therapy, recently received certification as a Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Specialist from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS). ABPTS is the national governing body for certification of clinical specialists in physical therapy. Less than 200 physical therapists are certified in this particular specialty, and Greenwalt is the first physical therapist in Tennessee to gain this credential. 