Northwest Florida’s own “SWERVE/dance Company: A Collective” will bring its unique style of contemporary dance to Pensacola State College on Saturday, Jan. 26.

Joining SWERVE company members will be dancers from Pensacola State College, the University of West Florida Argonettes and Emerald Coast Dance Conservatory’s Motion Company. The collective dancers are set to perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Ashmore Auditorium, Building 8, on the Pensacola campus at 1000 College Blvd.

Formed in 1996, SWERVE is a modern dance ensemble that creates, performs and presents contemporary dance.

Under the artistic direction of LaVonne French, SWERVE believes in bringing dance to a broad, diverse community audience by producing new and experimental modern works, thus encouraging performers, choreographers, and audiences to become involved with dance in the community.

Tickets are $11, adults; $9, seniors, non-PSC students and children; $7, PSC Seniors Club, PSC faculty and staff; and free for PSC students with current ID.

Purchase tickets online at www.pensacolastate.edu/lyceum or at the Lyceum Box Office, Building 8, Room 861, from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets also are available at the door, one hour before a performance.

For reservations or more information, call the Lyceum Box Office at 850-484-1847.

Pensacola State College will hold auditions for “Uncle Vanya” at 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 28 and 29, in Ashmore Auditorium, Building 8, on the Pensacola campus, 1000 College Blvd.

“Uncle Vanya” was first published in 1898 by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It premiered in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre.

The classic work led to the wave of realistic acting at the turn of the 20^th century. It is an examination of man’s place in the universe and our abilities to connect with each other and love one another.

Auditions will consist of readings from the script. Adult actors of all ages are needed, however there are no parts for children.

For more information, contact Rodney Whatley at 850-484-1807 or email rwhatley@pensacolastate.edu.

Chapdelaine, the only guitarist to win the National Finger Style Competition and the Guitar Foundation of America’s International Guitar Competition, will hold a free Master Class at 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, in Ashmore Fine Arts Center, Room 857. Guitar Competition Competitors are encouraged to attend.

For more information on this event, call Joe Stallings, Pensacola State music and theater professor, at 850-484-1805

The second annual Pensacola Fingerstyle Acoustic Guitar Competition is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at Pensacola State College.

The competition will be held in Ashmore Auditorium, Building 8, on the Pensacola campus at 1000 College Blvd.

The first-place winner will receive a $600 cash prize and $2,400 Pensacola State scholarship. Second-place will be awarded a $450 cash prize, and $1,800 scholarship. The third-place winner will receive $300 cash and a $1,200 scholarship.

All contestants must be 18 years old or younger on the date of the competition.

Winners will be announced during intermission at the Michael Chapdelaine Concert scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb.16, in Ashmore Auditorium.

Concert tickets are $11, adults; $9, seniors, non-PSC students and children; $7, PSC Seniors Club members, PSC faculty and staff; and free for PSC students with current ID.

Chapdelaine, the only guitarist to win the National Finger Style Competition and the Guitar Foundation of America’s International Guitar Competition, will be the guest adjudicator for the competition.

He also will hold a free Master Class at 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, in Ashmore Fine Arts Center, Room 857. Competitors are encouraged to attend.

For a complete list of competition rules and to apply online, go to www.PensacolaState.edu/mt.

Purchase tickets online at www.pensacolastate.edu/lyceum or at the Lyceum Box Office, Building 8, Room 861, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Tickets also are available at the door one hour before a performance. For reservations or more information, call the Lyceum Box Office at 850-484-1847.

For more information on the events, call Joe Stallings, Pensacola State music and theater professor, at 850-484-1805.

Pensacola State College will celebrate the Pirates’ rich athletic history with a ribbon cutting and induction ceremony for the ten-member inaugural class of the Pensacola State College Athletics Hall of Fame on February 16, 2019. The event will be held on the Pensacola State campus, 1000 College Blvd, Pensacola in the Hartsell Arena. An observance will take place between the women’s and men’s basketball games against Gulf Coast Community College, with a reception for inductees and their guests immediately following the end of the game. The Lady Pirates game will begin at 5:30.

“Pensacola State has a long and storied sports and athletic tradition,” said Bill Hamilton, who was the head baseball coach at Pensacola State from 1990-2010 and has since served as the College’s Athletic Director. “This Hall of Fame will stand as a reminder for all time that these awesome individuals got their start here.”

Hall of Fame inductees may include student athletes, participants, advisors, coaches, directors, administrators, contest officials, media personnel, sports medicine personnel, athletic trainers or distinguished volunteers who exemplify the highest standards of sportsmanship, moral character and ethical conduct.

Inductees are individuals who have raised the level of awareness in Pensacola State College Athletics through their distinguished achievement and excellence in one (or more) Pensacola State College Athletic programs sponsored by the College; or through their contributions to Pensacola State College Athletics.

“The Hall of Fame has been a long time coming with such rich heritage,” said Hamilton.

Inductees were chosen from a long list of qualified nominees selected by a private committee comprised of athletic staff and coaches as well as other faculty members, former players and former coaches.

Inductee Dennis Lindsay was Pensacola State’s first full-time Assistant Coach. He played guard for the Baylor University basketball team and was a member of the Bears’ 1988 National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament and 1990 National Invitation Tournament teams. Lindsay was Pensacola State’s first assistant coach from 1994-96, providing his guidance to both the women’s and men’s basketball teams. He was also the recruiting coordinator and ran the athletic dormitory, where he and his wife Becky lived during their time at the College. He joined the Houston Rockets organization in 1996, working his way up from assistant videographer to Vice President. Lindsay also served as the Vice President and General Manager of the San Antonio Spurs and has been the general manager for the Utah Jazz since 2012.

The 2018 inaugural class includes three National Champion coaches:

• Bob Marlin was a Pensacola State basketball coach from 1990-95.  Marlin won 100 games at Pensacola State in faster succession than any coach in school history. Twenty-seven of his players received scholarships to play at four-year schools. In 1993, he led Pensacola State College to the national junior college championship and was named the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Coach of the Year. In his five seasons at Pensacola State, Marlin compiled an astonishing 123-35 record.
• Mary Bailey established the softball program at Pensacola State in 1982. A 1967 Pensacola State graduate, Bailey was the head softball coach from 1982-94. In 1988, Bailey led the Lady Pirates slow-pitch softball team to the NJCAA Division I National Championship and she was named the 1988 NJCAA National Coach of the Year. During her time at Pensacola State, she compiled a 498-166 record and the Panhandle Conference Softball Championship trophy was named in her honor.
• Jim Donovan was the golf coach at Pensacola State from 1987-1993. Donovan is a 1951 Graduate of Colgate College and served in the Navy for 32 years, reaching the rank of Captain. Donovan coached golf at Catholic High School from 1985-87 before joining the coaching staff at PSC. Donovan lead the Pirates golf team to the NJCAA Division II National Championship in 1993, then missed a second title by one stroke the following year.

Three Pensacola State athletes who have gone on to achieve success will also be inducted:

• Dana Gilmore is the most decorated female athlete in the history of Pensacola State Sports. She was a first-team all-conference for two years running in both softball and volleyball, a two-time first-team all-state in softball and first team all-state in volleyball. She was also a two-time academic all-American in conference volleyball and the winner of the Jean Williams Award for scholar athletes. She holds six softball records at Pensacola State and is the all-time leader for volleyball aces for the College. Gilmore was named to the 2003 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association NJCAA Division I All-America Team and went on to play softball at University of Central Florida for one season. She transferred to University of Mobile where she was a member of the 2006 Mobile NAIA National Champion team.  She’s now an assistant softball coach at Tate High School where she coached the 2015 State Champion team in girls’ softball.
• Joel Anthony was recruited by Pensacola State out of Quebec, Canada and played basketball for the Pirates from 2002-04. After his career at Pensacola State, Anthony moved on to University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he was named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Anthony signed with the Miami Heat and become a key contributor to helping the Heat win back-to-back titles. Anthony went on to play for the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs and the Milwaukee Bucks and currently plays for Argentina’s San Lorenzo de Almagro basketball club league.
• Greg Litton played baseball for the Pirates in 1983-84 and signed to play at Mississippi State University, however he was drafted in the first round of the 1984 draft by the San Francisco Giants. After five seasons in the minor leagues, Litton moved up as a rookie and hit a home run in game four of the 1989 World Series. Litton played three more major league seasons with the Seattle Mariners and the Boston Red Sox before retiring in 1995. A true utility player, Litton played every position on the field during his major league career.

Long-time supporters of the athletic programs at Pensacola State College round out the inaugural class:

• William M. “Bill” McArthur was a strong advocate for local youth sports and was a long-time supporter of Pensacola State College Basketball. McArthur played basketball for Pensacola High School and was inducted into their Hall of Fame. He graduated from Pensacola State in 1953, then transferred to Florida State University where he earned his bachelor’s degree and later earned his Master’s degree from Mississippi State College. During the Korean conflict, McArthur served in the Army, then returned to Pensacola where he began a long career with the Escambia County School District as a junior high teacher, the Assistant Director of Personnel and the Director of Personnel. McArthur worked the table at basketball games for several local high schools, the Pensacola Tornados professional basketball team and the News Journal and Blue Angels tournaments.  As a table coordinator at Pensacola State for 42 years, he enjoyed a relationship with every president, athletic director and coach who served at the College.
• Charles Fairchild was a charter member of Pensacola State College Athletic program’s first boosters. He played basketball at Pensacola State from 1962-64 and was a member of PSC’s first state championship basketball team in the 1962-63 season. He was the MVP of the team and the leading scorer and second leading rebounder in both years that he played at PSC. He went on to play at FSU for two years.  Always a basketball fan, he was a member of the group that brought the Pensacola Tornados professional basketball team to the city.  He served as color commentator for WCOA radio and later WSRE-TV when those stations broadcast the PJC basketball games.
• Dr. William “Bill” Brantley taught at Pensacola State College in the Physical Sciences Department from 1965-95. After his retirement, Dr. Brantley continued teaching as an adjunct professor until 2009. Brantley generously contributes to the PSC Foundation and PSC athletics and created the William T. Brantley Scholarship Endowment for Physical Sciences.  A former basketball player, Brantley attends a majority of Pirate basketball games with his wife Patsy and is a member of the Pensacola State booster club.

Pensacola State College Athletics began taking nominations for the 2020 Hall of Fame class immediately following the press conference which was held on Monday, December 17 at 11 a.m. in the Donn Peery Room, Hartsell Arena on the Pensacola State College Pensacola Campus. For more information on the Hall of Fame, to see additional criteria and procedures, or to find nomination forms, visit http://athletics.pensacolastate.edu/navbar-hof or contact Shelia Nichols, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at 850-484-1428.