With high school students in the thick of the college application process, Director of Admissions Martha Allman (’82, MBA ‘92) offers her top ten list of the most frequently asked admissions questions.

As Helen Jugovic (JD ’06) contemplated rebuilding her life after a flood destroyed her apartment, she never dreamed that three years after graduating, classmates and faculty from Wake Forest would be among the first to reach out to help her.

Lloyd K. Rector carefully removes the ring from an envelope, then opens a small plastic jewelers’ bag. The ring was presented to the Wake Forest College Bachelor of Laws Class of 1953. The initials “LKR” are engraved on the inside; the university motto, class information and the symbol for the international legal fraternity — Phi Delta Phi – are carved on the ring’s surface.

Written on the plastic bag: “10 karats, 17.6 grams.”

A cursory glance shows the ring to be ordinary, forgettable even, except for the obvious damage. A black onyx, the centerpiece around the gold casing, is missing. As Rector pictures it in his mind, he remembers that the stone bore a small crack, the result of an accident during military basic training.

Now in place of the stone is a hole, its jagged edges worn from time yet clearly visible.

How long the stone has been missing is unknown, but the plastic bag shows the stone was probably sold, though maybe not by the person who found it in Gander, Newfoundland, on a cold December day 52 years ago.

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A free screening of filmmaker Katina Parker’s (’96) documentary “Peace Process” will be held at the Forsyth County Library on Fifth Street in Winston-Salem on Wednesday, August 5, and Saturday, August 8, at 10 a.m. The story follows a teen poet, Jabril, through an informal intervention program during which he is trained to interview other teens, former gang members, journalists, artists and community activists who have been affected by gang violence. “Peace Process” is showing as part of the National Black Theatre Film Festival, and a Q&A with Parker, who directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay, will be held after the screenings. More information, including a trailer, is available on the Facebook Peace Process fan page.

Ross K. Smith (’82), the award-winning director of debate who led Wake Forest University’s debate team to a national championship in 2008, died unexpectedly July 19 in Winston-Salem.  He was 54.

A guestbook has been created on the university Web site at http://www.wfu.edu/wowf/guest/smith/index.php

Donors who wish to give in memory of Ross Smith may do so online. Under “Gift Designation” choose “other” and indicate in the comment field that you wish to give to the Ross K. Smith Debate Fund. https://alumni.wfu.edu/giving

Whether through a scholarship, grant, or endowed teaching position, the generous support of benefactors has opened doors and opened minds for generations of Wake Forest students and faculty. Be inspired by some of their stories here.

Astronaut Tom Marshburn (MD ‘89) finally got into space on July 15. He is aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, which lifted off en route to the international space station after several days of weather delays.

Marshburn, of Statesville, NC, was selected in 2004 to be a NASA astronaut. He completed his Astronaut Candidate Training in 2006. This included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station Systems, physical training, T-38 flight training and water and wilderness survival training. The Endeavour mission will deliver the Japanese-built Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) and the Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section (ELM-ES) to the International Space Station.

James Lambert (’74, MD ‘78) often starts his workday at 4 or 5 a.m., with a one-mile walk from his home to his office. He walks to exercise, to think and to evade. Lambert has to evade. If patients see his car parked out front, they come in, and his marathon day becomes a sprint. Lamber, 56, has been practicing medicine in and around Wayne and Duplin counties since 1981. He treats people who’ve known him since he was knee-high to a grasshopper. He cares for their children and grandchildren. He makes house calls. In an age when medical conglomerates rule, he is a country doctor, and part of a dying breed.

Matthew Trump (’05), a graduate student in the Wake Forest biology department, will compete in the world’s longest marathon canoe race beginning July 20. The Yukon 1000 Canoe and Kayak Race consists of paddling 1000 miles on the Yukon River starting in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, and ending at the Alaska Pipeline Bridge on the Dalton Highway in the middle of Alaska. This is the first year that the 1000-mile race has been held, and Trump says his canoe has a decent chance of winning, at least in his division.

Clark Harris (’03) and his fiancée, Genna Suggs, never thought they’d pursue careers as webmasters. They teamed up with Matthew Simpson (’97) to create FindMeSpecials, an Internet search engine for those looking to find deals at local restaurants. The three view themselves as self-employed entrepreneurs.

“We felt like it is need by not only the people out there looking for good deals but also by the independent business owners who are using creative ways to inspire patrons at their establishments, says Harris, a North Carolina native who graduated with a degree in studio art. “So it benefits both ends of the spectrum.”