DECORAH, IA (05/07/2013)(readMedia)-- Forty-nine Luther students were inducted into the Luther chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa national academic honor society at a ceremony held Sunday, April 28 in the Noble Recital Hall on the Luther campus.
Nicole Woodson, a Luther senior of Davenport, Iowa, was one of the 49. Woodson is the daughter of Judy Woodson of Davenport. She is majoring in biology at Luther, and is a graduate of North High School.
Shari Huber, a Luther senior of Eldridge, Iowa, was one of the 49. Huber is the daughter of Barry and Lisa Huber of Eldridge. She is majoring in exercise science at Luther, and is a graduate of North Scott High School.
Greg Daniels, a Luther senior of Long Grove, Iowa, was one of the 49. Daniels is the son of Scott and Julie Daniels of Long Grove. He is majoring in biology at Luther, and is a graduate of North Scott High School.
Randa Duvick, department chair and professor of French at Valparaiso University, was introduced as an alumna member and delivered the Ruth A. Davis Memorial Lecture, titled "Truth, Metaphor and War Stories: Valuing the Liberal Arts and Sciences."
Duvick graduated from Luther in 1978 with majors in French and linguistics. She spent a year studying in Switzerland on a Fulbright Fellowship and then earned a master's and doctorate degree in French literature at the University of Chicago.
Duvick has been a faculty member at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind., since 1986 and just completed 12 years as chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature.
Her research has focused on 19th century French authors Arthur Rimbaud and Guy de Maupassant. Most recently, Duvick has been working on a project involving the French language account books of a 19th century Quebec fur trader who settled in Porter County, Ind., and has presented and published on the French heritage of the Midwest. Following a trip to Senegal last June, Duvick was inspired to turn more teaching and research on Francophone African topics.
The Memorial Lecture was given in honor of Ruth A. Davis, a member of the mathematics and computer science faculty at Luther until her death in 1983. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa from Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill., she was instrumental in founding the Luther chapter as a charter member.
Davis held a master's degree in mathematics from George Peabody College and a master's degree in computer science from the University of Southwestern Louisiana. She was particularly interested in the roles of women in scientific fields.
Luther College is one of a select group of private liberal arts colleges in the United States with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Each year, Luther honors outstanding seniors with selection to Phi Beta Kappa. Members are elected on the basis of broad cultural interests, scholarly achievement and good character.
Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most respected undergraduate honors organization in the United States. The society has fostered and recognized excellence in the liberal arts and sciences since 1776, and the society's distinctive emblem, a golden key, is widely recognized as a symbol of academic achievement.
