Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 3, 1995 TAG: 9509050073
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: OAK RIDGE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Mellette, 17, wants to take up where Shannon Faulkner left off. She wants to become the first woman to graduate from Charleston's all-male bastion, The Citadel. On Thursday, Mellette and her lawyers asked court permission to intervene in the Faulkner lawsuit so she can join the Citadel corps in fall 1996.
Mellette declined to be interviewed, but a chance meeting Friday in her school hallway revealed her to be the reserved, quietly confident cadet her friends say she is.
``No ma'am, not right now,'' she said, politely declining an interview with a tight smile, as she walked ramrod straight up a flight of stairs in her cadet blue uniform and red officers' beret.
School officials at Oak Ridge, near Greensboro, N.C., are planning a Tuesday news conference with Mellette and her parents.
Mellette's father is a Citadel graduate. Her brother attends The Citadel.
``I should be allowed to follow my father and brother there,'' Mellette told the Greensboro News and Record in an Aug. 21 article on the school.
Faulkner fought a 21/2-year court battle to join Citadel, but she dropped out Aug. 18 after becoming ill during her first week of rigorous training. Critics said Faulkner wasn't prepared for The Citadel's rigors.
Mellette's friends at Oak Ridge said they are sure that if she enters, she will excel.
Mellette, whose family lives on Lake Murray near Columbia, is an honor student and an athlete. Her father, James Mellette, is an South Carolina Department of Transportation civil engineer. Her mother, Connie Mellette, is a psychiatrist.
Mellette ranks fourth in her class, is a second lieutenant in Oak Ridge's cadre and has earned five letters in cross-country, four in track, one in basketball and one in softball.
``She's very determined,'' said friend and classmate Grace Falconer, 17, a senior from Cary, outside Raleigh. ``She's very strong, emotionally and physically.''
Another classmate, Battalion Commander Jessica Maher, the top-ranking student at the school, predicted Mellette would succeed at The Citadel because she's independent and doesn't seem to need others for emotional support.
``She's very quiet. She doesn't tell people a lot about herself,'' Jessica said. ``Mellette is by nature kind of self-supportive. She'll be able to go and make it and succeed.''
Mellette transferred to Oak Ridge last year, during the middle of her junior year. From the beginning, it was clear to her classmates that she intended to apply to The Citadel.
(EDITORS: NEXT 4 GRAFS OPTIONAL)
Oak Ridge, 15 miles northwest of Greensboro, is the only military school in North Carolina. Founded in 1852, it opened its doors to young women in 1971 - the first military academy in the nation to do so.
These days, Mellette is among 36 young women who share a dormitory at Oak Ridge, whose 101-acre campus is dotted with historic buildings. The school has 240 cadets.
Grace Falconer lives in the room next door to Mellette, and considers her a friend, but, she says, ``It's hard to get to know her very well. She's so reserved.''
Grace says Mellette's room is spotlessly clean and contains an expensive computer. Otherwise, she is hard-pressed to describe her personal life - what kind of music she likes, what kind of civilian clothes she wears, what she likes to do when she's not studying or drilling or exercising.
(END OPTIONAL TRIM)
Senior Jeffrey Heath, 17, considers himself Mellette's friend. They both run cross-country and often train together. He also plans to apply to The Citadel.
``When she smiles, she never shows her teeth,'' he said. ``She tries not to show emotion too much, but you can make her smile.''
Jeffrey says he has mixed feelings about the possibility of attending The Citadel with Mellette.
``The Citadel is rich in tradition and part of me would like to see it remain an all-male academy,'' he said. ``But the other half of me says Nancy is completely capable of doing it. She is one of the strongest individuals I know.''
by CNB