Legacy Phoenix
For most students, starting college means beginning with a fresh, clean slate. It is an opportunity to completely redefine how they are known. But what about those students who come to Elon with a distinct family name? Legacy students — the sons, daughters, grandsons or granddaughters of Elon alumni — are sometimes viewed as students who got into Elon based more on their last name rather than their credentials, a myth Vice President of Admissions Susan Klopman wants to dispel.
"The notion behind legacies has been misrepresented in the press," Klopman said. "This is the best way for people to stay connected to their university for generations. That may mean that great ideas are generated, or it may mean that financial support is given. Obviously, if the relationship is abused it is negative because you aren't doing those students any favors by letting them into a school they are not qualified to attend."
Klopman said the likelihood of a family making a sizable donation to Elon increases when the second generation attends the school.
"It is a positive thing to let legacies in, because the support they give the university benefits all students," Klopman said. "And let's be honest here — if only 32 of 1,298 students are legacies, they don't even make up a large majority of the student body."
Though the story that brought each legacy to Elon differs, the students are united in a common bond they all acknowledge: coming to Elon felt like their destiny.
Hillary Smithdeal
Every family has their traditions. Perhaps it is a family reunion in the summer or an outing to cut down the Christmas tree in the winter. For sophomore Hillary Smithdeal, the all-important decision of choosing a college meant choosing between two family traditions: would she be the fourth generation of Tarheel Smithdeals at University of North Carolina, or fly her third generation Phoenix wings at Elon University?
"When I was little, I always wanted to go to UNC because my whole dad's side of the family had gone there," Smithdeal said. "My mom always talked about considering Elon, but I told her to stop pressuring me to go to a school I had no interest in. But junior year I had a minor panic attack realizing how difficult it is to get into, and my mom finally convinced me to take a tour of Elon and at least consider it. Well, as the saying goes, the moment I stepped on campus, I had made my decision."
Smithdeal said it was a huge deal for her family when she made the decision to go to Elon since she was the only grandchild who was considering it.
"I got my acceptance letter a few days before Christmas, so when we all got together that year I felt like I had suddenly joined the club," Smithdeal said. "It has brought me so much closer to my family because we now have this really important aspect of our lives in common."
Smithdeal's connection to Elon dates all the way back to Earl J. Danieley's presidency, when her great-grandmother, Mary Thomas, was his secretary. Her great-great uncle, Horace Hendrickson, was a football coach at Elon and holds a place in the sports Hall of Fame. The new field house is going to be named after the Hendricksons since her great aunt and uncle, Amy and Jay Hendrickson, raised a large portion of the money needed to build it.
Smithdeal is well-known at Elon and cannot easily escape her family legacy.
"I definitely have a name to live up to because so many people know me here," Smithdeal said. "I actually had Dr. Danieley for chemistry before I dropped the class, and I went up to introduce myself to him after the first class and he recognized me. I can't afford to misbehave here."
Smithdeal's Elon alumni include mother Lisa Smithdel, grandmother Mary Anne Johnston, grandfather Leslie Johnston, great-aunt Amy Hendrickson, great-uncle Jay Hendrickson, great-uncle Ray Thomas, cousin Lee Thomas and great-great uncle Horace Hendrickson.
Max and Casey Pickler
Freshman Max Pickler filled the days of his senior year of high school with studying, football and spending time with friends, just like most of his classmates. But when it came time to choose a college, Pickler was atypically calm and worry-free. He had known where he wanted to go his entire life: Elon University, to join a long list of Phoenix relatives, including his big brother, senior Casey Pickler. But he made the decision completely on his own, free of pressure from his parents or brother.
"I never even considered another school," Max said. "My entire family graduated from Elon and everyone only had good stuff to say. Why wouldn't I want to come here?"
Though many legacy students admit to feeling pressure to live up to the family name, both the Pickler boys said this pressure isn't really an issue in their family.
"I think it was more of an issue in high school to be honest," Casey said. "All the men in our family played football, so since everyone always saw us doing the same thing, they expected the same results from each of us. At Elon I get to do my own thing and be my own person."
Max said since they have all majored in different areas, it is his responsibility to make his name known and create his own path.
Casey is not only following in his parents' footsteps by choosing Elon, but also in finding his future wife at Elon. Casey proposed to his fiancée, senior Rae Hinkle, during the summer and just as his parents met at Elon, Casey met Hinkle during his sophomore year at Elon.
"It wasn't like I had to find someone at Elon — it just kind of happened," Casey said. "It was just a coincidence. We hit it off right away and haven't looked back since."
And how does little brother Max feel about this newly started tradition?
"It would certainly be nice to find a girl here, but I'm only a freshman," Max said. "I definitely don't feel any pressure."
The Pickler brothers' Elon alumni include parents Gerald and Dawn Pickler, older brother Brian Pickler, aunt Debbie Luciano and cousin Jamie Luciano.
Megan Morgan
Junior Megan Morgan vividly remembers sitting Under the Oaks waiting for commencement to begin. She stood on her chair craning her neck to see, but all she cared about was her itchy dress. After all, she was only 7. Though Morgan has been visiting Elon for as long as she can remember, this was the first memory she recalled at her sister's graduation in 1996.
"Elon was always in my life, but I never really thought about it until I got older," Morgan said. "My family left the decision up to me, although my mom did joke a few times that she didn't understand why no one wanted to go to U-Penn."
For Morgan, the decision to attend Elon was not simply a given, as she chose to look at other schools.
"I was on the fence between Elon and Georgia Southern University because I didn't want to just do what everyone else in my family had done," Morgan said. "In the end, I loved Elon's campus and the size was a much better fit than GSU."
Despite Morgan's qualms about following her dad, sister and brother, she said it was easy to find her own place at Elon because they all had such varied interests. While her sister chose to participate in Zeta Phi Beta and her brother was a member of the Fire of the Carolinas, she found her own niche in the rugby club.
"Even though things are very different at Elon than when my dad was here, it is really comforting knowing that he can relate to things I deal with," Morgan said.
Morgan's father, Marvin Morgan, had a dramatically different experience at Elon than his children did as he was one of the first black graduates, and his oldest daughter, Akilah Morgan Hill, was the first black legacy at Elon.
"I think my family is definitely attracted to the progressiveness of Elon," Megan said. "My dad was here at a difficult time for our race, and while he experienced some resistance, the majority of his time at Elon was spent in a comfortable environment."
Quintin Roper
Junior Quintin Roper is not only a legacy student, but a legacy of a parent who works at Elon. Yet, when given the opportunity to experience life outside this shadow, Roper found he would rather be at Elon and made the decision to transfer as a junior.
"Having Quintin at Elon is something my husband and I have always dreamed of," said Roper's mother, Lisa Roper, assistant director of alumni relations. "Elon is family for us, and it is comforting to know that the same people who took care of us are now doing the same thing for our son. My undergraduate advisor, Pam Kiser, actually remembers me bringing Quintin to class with me."
Roper said his family would definitely like it to become a tradition to go to Elon, and his sister is next in line.
"I have a daughter who is a junior in high school, and she has already visited Elon for an admissions event," Lisa said.
breakdown of legacies at Elon
