Delta State University Alumni Magazine Summer/Fall 2019

SUMMER/FALL 2019

T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R D E LTA S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S

Change

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CONTENTS FEATURES

12

Serving the Greater Good and an Inner Need

16

Parallel Universe: Alumni Recollections from 50 Years Ago-Plus

18

Bologna Performing Arts Center Turns 25

22

Alumna Rori Herbison Embraces Fluidity

Delta State alumni share their thoughts about volunteering with the Peace Corps, past and present.

How did DSU transform students from generations ago?

How is the school the same and different?

The acclaimed venue celebrates its silver anniversary of enriching both the campus and the community.

The Delta transplant from Upstate New York thrives on storytelling, art, reinvention, love, and synergy.

DEPARTMENTS 2 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

24

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: APRIL MONDY STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: KEENAN DAVIS

3

ALUMNI MESSAGE

25

4

AROUND THE QUAD

CLASS NOTES:

Food court upgrades; Digital Media Art Center; new Head Baseball Coach Rodney Batts and new Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Nienaber; $600,000 teacher education grant; sixth annual International Conference on the Blues; $300,000 gift from Lewis Charitable Remainder Trust for scholarships for Sunflower County students; GIT accreditation from U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation; Military Friendly® status; Re-Entry...Mississippi; Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program; Blessings in a Box; Delta Mayors’ Summit; spring 2019 commencement

26 Alumni Chapter Events 27 Marriages/Unions 28 Alumni Updates 29

Future Statesmen & Lady Statesmen

30

In Memoriam

ON THE COVER: Delta State Peace Corps volunteers Dominique Rashad Warren ’13 (back row), Kera Marketa Jefferson ’17, and James D. Forté ’18.

Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 1

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear Fellow Alumni and Friends, Welcome to the summer/fall edition of the Delta State University Alumni Magazine, which I invite you to explore.

Change: a term that evokes many reactions—embraced as progress and improvement by some—resisted by others as a tradition buster and unnecessary evil.

Change is all around us. Everywhere. Every day. We either manage change successfully, and learn to adapt, or become overwhelmed by it and wind up irrelevant.

There is a lot of change underway at Delta State, with a significant amount of progress on the drawing board. In one way or another, change impacts the look of our campus, the competition for new students, the way we teach and learn, our business model, and the balance of program priorities in the face of limited resources. Change also occurs in the lives of the university’s family members, and it is abundantly present in the world around us, both close to home and far abroad.

The concept of change was the theme of my State of the University Address to the faculty and staff at the opening convocation of this school year. You can access my remarks at www.deltastate.edu/president, with a click on the State of the University link. In it, I characterize the past year as one of growth, progress, and modest prosperity, and describe the state of the university as stable, with a lot of terrific things on the horizon. I focus on the importance of change— especially for the right reasons—and the ability and need to adapt to changing times, as the university approaches its centennial celebration in 2025. I also note numerous successes we have enjoyed across the campus in the past year that you might find to be interesting and a great source of Statesmen pride. A more complete listing of accomplishments can be found at www.deltastate.edu/president/accomplishments.

We have a dynamic institution at Delta State … great faculty and staff … a beautiful campus … a great story to tell, with basic and signature academic programs to offer. With prudent change and innovation, we can meet the challenges that lie ahead. Our faculty continue to excel in teaching, publishing, service, academic peer reviews, presentations, performances, and other scholarly pursuits. And, they are teaching some amazing students who are going on to outstanding internships, graduate programs, and career posts.

I am often asked by Delta State alumni and friends what they can do to assist and support the university they love.

Here is my answer for them … and for you. To help us meet the challenges of the future, and to keep Delta State on the path of excellence, send us great students, contribute to our foundation—annually and with a gift to our major fundraising campaign—and, spread the word about this great treasure in the Delta.

The phenomenon of change is readily apparent in the stories and highlights in the pages that follow—how America’s international volunteer sending agency, the Peace Corps, changes the lives of both those who serve and those who are served; reflections by four outstanding alumni on their Golden Circle memories of Delta State; the celebration of the BPAC’s silver anniversary; the newest academic program to hit our campus, Digital Media Arts; new H.L. Nowell Union concessions to please the taste buds of foodies and coffee aficionados alike; and, many more human interest tales of the type of change we all experience each day. I hope you enjoy “catching up” with Delta State.

Thank you for your continuing devotion to the Green and White. I invite you to visit campus often to see change in action, and to rejoice in the successes we are experiencing at the “friendliest school in Dixie.”

Very best regards,

William N. LaForge ’72 President

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Follow President LaForge on social media, including his new series, Statesmen Insider! Visit deltastate.edu/president for more info.

www.deltastate.edu

ALUMNI MESSAGE Dear Alumni and Friends, As President LaForge stated in his “Change Is Upon Us” convocation speech, changes that are “well-considered” and “forward-looking” “require our collective talents and efforts.” As your alumni board president, I can affirm that the board and I are continually seeking meaningful ways to engage alumni participation in order to meet the needs of Delta State and unite the overall efforts to move the campus forward. I recognize that change isn’t always easy but know that it is necessary. And with this change, we welcome opportunities for your supportive and your concerned voices to be heard.

Reiterating President LaForge’s tone, there is much more that needs to be done, and because of that, we are putting out a call to action for our alumni to work together with us as we continue to move forward with solidifying Delta State as the regional institution of distinction and a premier university of choice for students.

As a part of the visionary changes in the works, DSU’s 10 building block visioning principles will help plan and shape the future of DSU, and I am committed to driving the vision to action. Please keep in mind the sixth principle: “providing programs that encourage a lifelong Delta State experience for our graduates.” DSU is doing its part by providing opportunities for our alumni and offering comprehensive programs of cultivation. Delta State is for a lifetime, not just a few years on campus. What can I do to help promote and encourage alumni pride and loyalty?

I urge you to become an active alumnus and share in the exciting changes we are about to embark upon over the next months and years ahead. I would love to hear your thoughts, concerns, and ideas. Let’s meet for coffee if you are local or in town visiting. I am always available by email at patrick@patrickdavis.net.

Patrick Davis ’96 National Alumni Association President

g Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 3

CAMPUS AROUND THE QUAD

Drink It In! Eat It Up! The fall semester brought two new venues to the food court at the student union: the only Starbucks coffee shop between Jackson and Memphis and a Bistro Grille for burgers. Replacing Java City and Burger Studio, respectively, they join continuing operations Burrito Bowl and Chick-fil-A and highlight the initial phase of a two-year $2 million renovation to The Mill by Delta State’s new food vendor, Sodexo. Also during phase one, P.O.D Express (Provisions on Demand) relocated to Young-Mauldin Cafeteria—as part of its $9.2 million refurbishment last year, a first for the 1964 space-age building—and became The Grid, a convenience store. Remaining overhauls to The Mill will be completed by the start of the fall 2020 semester with a full menu for Chick-fil-A and the addition of a Firehouse Subs. The last renovations to the food court occurred in 2014.

Multimedia Artworks Unique to the State

DMAC abounds with creative possibilities.

Delta State’s trailblazing Digital Media Art Center (DMAC) debuted this fall in the Odealier Morgan Building. A collaboration between the Art Department and the Delta Music Institute, it encompasses 6,000 square feet and houses a state-of-the art Mac lab, cutting-edge video production facilities, a green screen area, 2D and 3D animation technology, and a voice-over booth to help students learn animation and video production and, eventually, game design.

“The Digital Media Art Center is unlike anything in the state,” said Michael Stanley, chair of the Art Department. “Our holistic approach to art education emphasizes building skills in computer graphics, web 4 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

design, video editing, motion graphics, lighting design, and, thanks to our partnership with the Delta Music Institute, audio engineering.

This cross-training will make our graduates versatile and prepared for the workforce of the 21st century. Anyone interested in digital technology really should take a look at the DMAC program.”

Spring 2020 will bring even more pioneering possibilities to DMAC. It will house a digital maker’s space with laser cutters and 3D printers. Students pursuing DSU’s new MFA in integrated visual art also will make use of the site. And DSU will become the only state institution to offer an animation concentration (within a B.F.A. in digital media arts); students will practice techniques such as timing, organic mesh design and modeling, rigging, kinematics, and background design—and graduate with the know-how to create an animated sequence for a short film.

New Head Coaches in Baseball and Men’s Basketball Delta State Athletics underwent two momentous changes in the coaching ranks in recent months. Rodney Batts returned to his alma mater as the 10th head baseball coach, after five seasons skippering Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) in Perkinston, and Mike Nienaber became the 16th head men’s basketball coach, after 20 years of helming hoops at Christian Brothers University in Memphis.

“Coach Batts is a product of our program and I have complete confidence that he will continue to lead the Statesmen in the way our fans, community, and alumni have come to expect,” said Director of Athletics Mike Kinnison of the former Statesman standout and assistant coach. “He is a man of integrity and character.”

Kinnison expressed similar sentiments about Nienaber. “I wanted someone that had unquestioned character and leadership, coached with an intensity of purpose, had a successful track record on the court, and would be a fit in our departmental culture,” he said. “Mike Nienaber immediately rose to the top.”

the Bulldogs made back-to-back appearances in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 23 Tournament in 2018 and 2019.

Batts earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health, physical education, and recreation (HPER) from DSU in 1998 and 2000, respectively. He is married to former Lady Statesmen basketball standout Scottie Moore Batts—’98 B.S.E. elementary education, ’99 M.Ed. elementary education, ’02 M.Ed. HPER—of Senatobia. They have two sons, Austin and Reed.

More about Nienaber Nienaber is one of NCAA Division II’s most successful head basketball coaches. His highly-decorated two decades with the Bucs include winning two GSC championships, making five trips to the NCAA Tournament, and advancing to the 2009 NCAA Division II Elite Eight. His 593 career wins rank 11th among all active NCAA Division II head coaches.

“Delta State University has a More about Batts rich basketball tradition, and I am Batts joins other distinguished thrilled to have the opportunity to former Statesmen to manage the be its head coach,” Nienaber said. dugout, including Don Ward, Bill “From the days of John Ray Ricks Marchant, and Kinnison, whom Batts and Steve Rives, the Statesmen have replaces. All three guided DSU to at always been tough on the court and least one appearance in the NCAA I believe our brand of basketball College World Series. will be fun to watch. I want to thank The appointment is “a dream President Bill LaForge and Mike come true,” said Batts. “When I Kinnison for the chance to add my left for MGCCC in 2014, I hoped mark to that legacy.”

I might have the opportunity to Known as one of the top “Princereturn to my alma mater. I want to ton” offensive coaches in the country, thank President Bill LaForge and Nienaber has been named GSC Coach Kinnison for having the faith Coach of the Year three times and in me to lead our program.” received the 2009 National AssociBatts, a former All-Gulf South ation of Basketball Coaches South Conference (GSC) second baseRegion Coach of the Year honor. He man, played for Marchant in 1995 has coached four All-Americans, two and 1996 and over those seasons hit GSC Players of the Year, 27 All-GSC .334, with 24 doubles, eight triples, Top: L-R: Scottie, Reed, Rodney, and Austin Batts. Bottom: Mike Nienaber. players, 24 Academic All-GSC play10 home runs, 86 RBIs, and 39 stolen ers, and seven GSC Freshmen of the bases. Batts hit one of the most dramatic home runs in Delta State Year. Nienaber’s 351 wins are the most recorded by a coach at Christian and GSC history: a three-run dinger with two outs in the ninth Brothers and rank as fifth-highest in GSC history. inning to defeat Alabama-Huntsville and clinch the 1996 GSC His 242 wins in 16 seasons at Bethel College in McKenzie, championship. The Statesmen went on to win the NCAA South Tenn., were the all-time school record before he left for Christian Central Regional.

Brothers. Nienaber coached five National Association of InterAfter being drafted in the 22nd round by Philadelphia and spending collegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-Americans, 22 All-Conference three years in the Phillies organization, the Columbus, Miss., native re- selections, and nine NAIA Academic All-Americans at Bethel. The turned to DSU as a graduate assistant coach in 1999. In 2001, Kinnison academic success of his players is further reflected by their 87.5 pernamed Batts a full-time assistant coach, and for the next 13 seasons, he cent graduation rate. Coach Nienaber was inducted into the Bethel helped guide the Statesmen to a 583-171-2 record while capturing four College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

GSC titles and the 2004 NCAA Division II National Championship.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Nienaber earned a B.Sc. in history The Statesmen made nine NCAA postseason appearances during his in 1977 and an M.S. in education in 1979 from Mississippi College time as an assistant, including five trips to the College World Series. and an M.Ed. in health and physical education/fitness in 1985 from Fifteen Statesmen were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft Murray State University. While at Mississippi College, he lettered for from 2001 to 2014. four years as a point guard.

In 2014, Batts was named head coach at MGCCC. During his run, Nienaber and his wife, Vickie, have two sons, Michael and Eddie.

Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 5

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DSU Earns Three-Year $600,000 Grant to Train Elementary Schoolteachers for Sunflower County Delta State University received a three-year $600,000 grant from the Mississippi Department of Education to partner with the Sunflower County Consolidated School District on a Mississippi Teacher Residency program that will prepare the next generation of primary schoolteachers for jobs in their community. Each year for the next three years, 12 teacher candidates enrolled at Delta State and living in Sunflower County will complete the practicum—thus providing the region with 36 new educators.

Mississippi State University, in tandem with the Jackson Public School District, and William Carey University, teaming with the Ocean Springs and Gulfport School Districts, also received the $600,000 grants. The Mississippi Teacher Residency program is the first state-run teacher residency in the nation. More than 300 teacher candidates applied for the program. It’s based on the National Center for Teacher Residencies model that has helped launch more than 35 teacher residency programs in high-need schools in 18 states since being founded in 2007.

The W. K. Kellogg Foundation funds the program for the Mississippi Department of Education. DSU’s Division of Teacher Education, Leadership, and Research within the College of Education and Human Sciences administers the Delta State portion through Dr. Merideth Van Namen, chair and associate professor of teacher education, who wrote the grant, and Dr. Kaysie Burton, assistant professor of teacher education, and the coordinator of the program. It began this fall.

“We’re very appreciative to be selected for this initiative for many reasons,” said Dr. Leslie Griffin, dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at Delta State. “Teacher candidates receive on-the-job training while earning a teaching degree from Delta State. They get individualized mentoring from cooperating classroom teachers. Through

intensive on-site experience, the program offers deeper preparation for teacher candidates to be day-one ready upon graduation. It also provides incentive for them to work in their own community. And it helps address head-on the teacher shortage throughout the state. This type of mindful, cutting-edge approach has been a hallmark of Delta State since its creation as Delta State Teachers College in 1924.”

The Mississippi Department of Education worked with selected school districts to identify the top 12 candidates. The school districts have chosen teacher mentors for each candidate and collaborated with the universities on placements.

“All stakeholders will be at the table to plan and ensure that these residency candidates are engaged in high-quality classroom experiences where they can apply the skills they are learning through their academic programs,” said Van Namen. “DSU’s goal is to replicate the program in additional Delta area school districts and grow the teaching pool to offset teacher shortages there as well.”

Sixth Annual Blues Conference The sixth annual International Conference on the Blues brought legendary entertainment and thought-provoking academics to campus in October. The event included a celebration of the gospel roots of the blues with The Como Mamas and visiting scholars from as far away as Norway to China, Chicago to California.

Other highlights included a panel by University Press of Mississippi authors Tammy Turner (Dick Waterman: A Life in Blues) and DSU’s Will Jacks (Po’ Monkey’s: Portrait of a Juke Joint) and a presentation by Scott Barretta about Mississippi Delta-regional gospel and blues connections to Alan Lomax and the Association for Cultural Equity.

Presentation topics spanned psychedelic music and the blues; the blues as a form of protest behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany; the Songhoy Blues band in modern-day Mali; blues 6 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

connections in contemporary Chinese instrumental music; an interactive workshop demonstrating how African American vocal characteristics and the shuffle beat influence the blues; and the legacies of Memphis Minnie, Nina Simone, and West Tennessee’s role in blues history.

The evening before the daylong conference, Grammy Award winners and chart-toppers Kool & the Gang (“Celebration,” “Cherish,” and “Jungle Boogie”) performed at the Bologna Performing Arts Center.

DSU Receives Record $300,000 Gift for Scholarships for Students from Sunflower County Mississippi Delta roots grow deep and remain firm. That’s why the Delta State University Foundation received a record $300,000 gift from the Norma and Celian Lewis Charitable Remainder Trust for scholarships for DSU students from Sunflower County, Miss.

It’s the largest gift for scholarships for Sunflower County students in DSU history.

The late Celian and Norma Lewis once co-owned Lewis Grocer, Inc., one of the South’s largest wholesale grocery companies, headquartered in Indianola, a city in Sunflower County. Celian and his brother, Morris, took over the family business from their father, Morris Lewis Sr., who in 1894 emigrated at age 13 from Poland to Lexington, Miss., in Holmes County, about an hour away.

“My parents felt that the Mississippi Delta gave them a lot. The community was very important to them, and they wanted to give back,” said Richard Lewis of Atlanta, Ga. “There’s a special feeling people get when they drive through the flatlands of the Mississippi Delta. Sunflower County gave my parents a sense of place, a quality of life, and sense of community—a community with its own educational program in Delta State University. By giving to Delta State, my parents wanted to help Sunflower County residents improve their lives. The thought is, how can we promote investment in Mississippi without first investing in the people of Mississippi? Delta State represents a way for my parents to do that. Their ultimate desire was that Mississippi should prosper.”

“This generous Lewis family trust gift is a terrific way to support the higher education and career goals of Sunflower County students, as well as Delta State,” said Delta State University President William N. LaForge. “I am most grateful to the Lewis family for creating such a meaningful legacy that honors the family and the community they called home.”

The Lewises established the trust in 1999. Celian Lewis (Oct. 17, 1917-June 28, 2008) attended Tulane University; served in the Army in World War II, reaching the rank of major; and retired in 1979 as president of Lewis Grocer and Sunflower Stores, which decades earlier had relocated to Indianola from Lexington. Norma Lewis, née Thompson (Dec. 22, 1924-May 30, 2018), was born in Sydney, Australia, and graduated from Loreto Normanhurst secondary school, Sydney Conservatory, and Macquarie University.

The couple met in Sydney while Celian was director of food distribution for the South Pacific during World War II and Norma was secretary to the executive officer of the Army. They married on May 13, 1947, in St. Anne’s Church in Dixon, Ill., and raised three children: Richard Lewis (Susan DeRose) and Karen (Steve) Castellaw of Atlanta, and Bill (Marye) Lewis of Nashville, Tenn. They had four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Celian Lewis held many civic leadership roles, including serving as the first president of the Indianola Junior Chamber of Commerce and president of the Chamber of Commerce. After Hurricane Camille in 1969, at the request of Gov. John Bell Williams, Lewis set up a food distribution center in Biloxi and organized others for surrounding areas. He also was a Rotarian for 57 years. Upon the couple’s retirement to Destin, Fla., in 1985, Lewis volunteered with the chamber of commerce and Meals on Wheels.

Norma Lewis also was active in civic affairs. She started the Les Femmes Bridge Club and the Town & Country Garden Club, serving as its first president. She was vice president of the PTA, a member of the Northwest Mississippi Girl Scout Council board, and a member of the teen board. She participated in the annual Community Chest, the Mississippi Arts Association, and the Indianola Chamber of Commerce. In Destin, she participated in the local women’s club, garden club, and St. Vincent de Paul Society.

“The Lewises recognized the positive impact Delta State University has in this region and we are very grateful for this enduring legacy,” said Rick Munroe, vice president for university advance-

Celian and Norma Lewis.

ment and external relations. “Many young people in the Delta will benefit for years to come thanks to their decision to create their scholarship.”

Accepted or enrolled Delta State undergraduate, graduate, and transfer students (from senior colleges) who have lived in Sunflower County for at least five years are eligible for the Norma and Celian Lewis Scholarship. They also must demonstrate academic excellence and leadership.

Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 7

CAMPUS AROUND THE QUAD

GIT Earns First Undergraduate Accreditation from USGIF Delta State University recently became the first undergraduate degree program to achieve collegiate accreditation from the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF). Singled out for its geospatial analysis and intelligence (GAI) bachelor of applied science (BAS) program, Delta State became the 18th school to receive USGIF accreditation.

The BAS-GAI degree, earned on-campus or online, is offered through Delta State’s Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies (GIT).

“Accreditation of our degree program signals the formal birth of a new academic discipline: Geospatial Analysis and Intelligence (GEOINT),” said Talbot Brooks, GIT director. “GEOINT was bundled up under geography and related disciplines for too long and its emergence as a discipline is overdue. Seeking both regional and professional accreditation was a long and difficult path, but we are glad to be the first and are committed to forever being the best.”

GIT works cooperatively with non-profit organizations such as USGIF and industry partners to deliver a curriculum of significant value to employers.

“Our students must complete a challenging liberal arts core, which pushes them to think critically about information,” Brooks said. “Coursework in the major hones critical thinking for use in the GEOINT arena through the development of cutting-edge knowledge, skills, and abilities in geographic information systems, remote sensing, analytic techniques, data management and programming, and visualization.”

BAS-GAI students must also engage in a full semester of cooperative education, working real-world projects with program partners such as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Hexagon Federal, and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s

GIT regularly receives industry praise.

Natural Resources Conservation Service.

“Delta State is a hidden gem that has earned its seat alongside an elite group of GEOINT programs,” said USGIF Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Camelia Kantor. “Despite the institution’s rural location, its GEOINT program has capitalized on outreach efforts to build hybrid programs in which students work on real-world projects.”

GIT is one of Delta State’s signature programs because of its track record of excellence. Chosen as a Center of National Excellence in the Geosciences by NGA and the U.S. Geological Survey, GIT is also a partner of the U.S. military and emergency response communities. Faculty serve on the National Geospatial Advisory Committee and as technical advisers to the United Nations. Last year, GIT became the 23rd Regional Support Office of the United Nations Platform for Space-Based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response.

DSU Military Friendly® for Third Straight Year Delta State University’s efforts to make campus inviting to armed military service members resulted in the third consecutive year for its designation as a Military Friendly® School.

That made sense to junior business major William Alderman, who served four years in the Marines, achieving the rank of corporal, before enrolling at DSU. “It’s a welcoming environment, and we have a good VA representative,” said Alderman, whose stations included Japan, South Korea, Spain, and Djibouti as well as stateside in Jacksonville, N.C., and the southern U.S. border, and whose wife, Hailey, also attends DSU for her master’s in counseling.

In 2003, Military Friendly®, a trademark of veteran-owned business VIQTORY, began spotlighting colleges, universities, and companies that engage, educate, and employ service members.

Delta State met all the benchmarks, including academic policies and compliance, admission and orientation, culture and commitment, 8 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

financial aid and assistance, graduation and career as well as military student support and retention.

Charles A. McAdams, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said, “This distinction lets our military students know that we recognize this and we strive to provide the support they need to succeed at DSU and complete their degree.”

Sixty students with military backgrounds attended Delta State in fall 2018, as did more than 30 military spouses/dependents who received veterans’ benefits, according to Delta State’s Office of Institutional Research and Planning.

Yasmine Poe, a senior majoring in psychology and an active member of the 114th National Guard Military Police Company in Clinton, Miss., said she appreciates the university’s investing in resources for veterans, since some schools don’t.

“Besides the VA and accepting our military transcript, I know some universities don’t accept grants and loans and things of that nature,” Poe said.

Delta Chinese and Apollo 11 Fifty years after Apollo 11 re-entered Earth, a group of Mississippi Delta Chinese-Americans who played an integral part in the Space Race shared their experiences during Re-Entry…Mississippi, an event hosted by the Delta State University Archives and Museum and DSU’s Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum in July.

Carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969; on July 20, 1969, an estimated 650 million people watched televised coverage of Armstrong’s “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” as Apollo 11 landed on the moon, according to the NASA website. This momentous occasion—the U.S. being the first to accomplish this feat—would not have occurred without help from the Mississippi Delta.

“We created a marvelous exhibition and a really exciting series of lectures and activities to bring attention to the Mississippi-Chinese contribution to the ‘race to space,’” said Delta State Archivist Emily Jones ’99. The exhibit featured items on loan from guest speakers and others who had a prominent role in NASA’s Apollo programs and STEM discovery— such as authentic mission patches, objects that were carried into space, computer punch cards, and period photographs. The event also included a mini space

camp for children, a Wiley Planetarium themed show, and a presentation from the Hancock Countybased Stennis Space Center.

During the height of the civil rights movement, NASA broke barriers by hiring Americans of different racial, ethnic, and gender backgrounds, unifying them under a common goal of space exploration. ReEntry…Mississippi shared the story of the Delta Chinese among them—including Cleveland native and Clarksdale resident Gilroy Chow, an engineer for Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp., the prime contractor for NASA to build, test, and check the Apollo Lunar Modules (LM), from 1965 to 1973. He was with the launch team that processed the LM at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for Apollo 11.

Fellow speaker Josephine Jue, born in Vance, Miss., joined the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, as a mathematician in 1963 and assisted with the Houston Avionics Language/ Shuttle compiler for both the space shuttle onboard and ground based computers.

This project was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Just What the Doctor Ordered: More Physician Scholarships

Left to right: chemistry major Tyler Daniels ’19; Dr. James Gerald, director of the Honors Program; Dr. Ellen Green, chair of the Division of Mathematics and Sciences; and biology major Emilee Ann Boldon ’19 attend the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program ceremony at the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson on July 16, 2019.

Four more Delta State University students are benefitting from the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program (MRPSP).

Biology major Emilee Ann Boldon ’19 and chemistry major Tyler Daniels ’19 received state-funded scholarships of $30,000 a year for four years. Both began medical school at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine this fall.

Junior biology pre-medical science major Katie Plum and junior chemistry pre-medical science major Sydney Franks were selected for the undergraduate portion.

Created in 2007, MRPSP identifies college sophomores and juniors who demonstrate the necessary commitment and academic achievement to become rural primary care physicians in Mississippi.

The program offers undergraduate academic enrichment and a clinical experience in a rural setting. Upon completion of all medical school admissions requirements, the student can be admitted to the University of Mississippi School of Medicine or William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Upon completion of medical training, MRPSP Scholars must enter a residency program in one of five primary care specialties: family medicine, general internal medicine, medicine-pediatrics, obstetrics/ gynecology, or pediatrics. The MRPSP Scholar must provide four years of service in a clinic-based practice in an approved Mississippi community of 15,000 or fewer population located more than 20 miles from a medically served area.

Eleven Delta State students—whether current students or graduates now in medical school or in residency or serving as practicing physicians—have been selected for the extremely competitive award since the program began.

Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 9

CAMPUS AROUND THE QUAD

School of Nursing Installs “Blessings in a Box” Food Pantries Twenty-nine percent of Bolivar County residents confront food insecurity, a lack of consistent sustenance. That dwarfs Mississippians across the state at 20 percent and people nationwide at 9 percent, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2019 County Health Rankings. Similarly, 24 percent of Bolivar County residents struggle with limited access to healthy food. That’s more than double what Mississippians across the state grapple with at 11 percent and people nationwide at 2 percent, per the same source.

To help reverse these alarming developments, the Robert E. Smith School of Nursing at Delta State University is installing “Blessings in a Box” food pantries—eight boxes that measure 28 inches wide by 16 inches deep by 18 inches tall—throughout Bolivar County for those in need.

“Blessings in a Box operates on the honor system, and the premise is twofold,” said Dr. Shelby Polk, director of the initiative and

associate professor and chair of nursing at Delta State. “If you need it, take it. If you have it, give it. In other words, this is an opportunity to engage our neighbors to work together for a vital cause. No one should go hungry. And no one should be deprived of healthy food.” She added, “This is all about trust in doing the right thing.”

The School of Nursing recently erected the first Blessings in a Box (pictured)—outside its building at the corner of Oak Street and Third Street. Funds for the project came from a Mississippi Nurses Foundation grant. Wall to Wall Woodworks, based in Meridian, fabricated the boxes.

Polk is developing partnerships with individuals, businesses, and organizations throughout Bolivar County to determine where to put the other boxes and to encourage people to participate, whether as donors or recipients. “Blessings in a Box is not a permanent solution but, rather, a temporary bridge when individuals and families experience hardships in life,” she said.

Sixth Annual Delta Mayors’ Summit Promotes Public Good

Participants at Delta State University’s sixth annual Delta Mayors’ Summit pose for a group photo on Aug. 29, 2019.

Infrastructure. Taxes. Grants.

Mayors from across the Mississippi Delta convened at Delta State University on Aug. 29, 2019, to discuss these important civic topics and other crucial subjects about governance at Delta State University’s sixth annual Delta Mayors’ Summit.

“I am very grateful to the Delta mayors who participated in this year’s program,” said Delta State President William N. LaForge, the summit creator and host. “It is always a pleasure to welcome them to campus to discuss activities and changes at Delta State, as well as vital public policy issues and concerns that are important to the Delta communities the university serves.”

The purpose of the Delta Mayors’ Summit remains twofold: to facilitate roundtable discussions on opportunities and challenges in improving the Delta and to update participants on related efforts undertaken by Delta State.

Topics raised by mayors included local control of revenue from 10 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

internet taxes; gaining a competitive edge when pursuing grants and other funding; and financial implications of the Mississippi Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2018.

Cleveland Mayor Billy Nowell ’72 welcomed attendees to the afternoon event, held at the Hugh Ellis Walker Alumni-Foundation House, and mayors networked and shared news from their communities.

Dr. Temika M. Simmons, director of the Local Government Leadership Institute at Delta State, gave an overview of the nonpartisan campus program that provides tools and support for municipal officials of the Mississippi Delta. The institute offers training, activities, and resources, she explained, about city planning, economic growth, records management, community relations, workforce development, historic preservation, and more.

“We believe that the leadership, management, and infrastructure from local government are keys to a community’s delivery of services, quality-of-life efforts, and trust in public offices,” said Simmons.

92nd Commencement, May 3, 2019

336

undergraduate degrees

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certificates

graduate degrees

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1. The 336 undergraduate degrees: College of Arts and Sciences, 146; College of Education and Human Sciences, 95; College of Business and Aviation, 55; School of Nursing, 40. 2. The 142 graduate degrees: College of Education and Human Sciences, 83; College of Business and Aviation, 43; School of Nursing, 9; College of Arts and Sciences, 7.

3. Keynote speaker Josh West ’05 (B.A. in English), CEO of Blue Delta, a premium bespoke jean company that he 4 cofounded in 2011 and relocated to the hills of Mississippi, told graduates, “Find the best people and join them.”

4. “This nation and the state of Mississippi need the benefit of the skills and learning you have acquired here,” declared Delta State President William N. LaForge. 5. Longtime DSU supporter Ned Mitchell, class of 1962, received an honorary doctorate. A Cleveland native, Cleveland High School graduate, and much-honored insurance executive, he was named Distinguished Statesman of the Year in 1993 and Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 1998. Mitchell is a member of the Delta State University Foundation Board and served as president from 1988 to 1990 and from 1998 to 2002. A faithful attendee of just about every Delta State event, from sports to arts, he called the honorary doctorate “the nicest and most heart-warming” of all his accolades. He’s pictured with President LaForge and Provost Charles McAdams. 6. Dr. Corlis Snow, associate professor of teacher education and coordinator of graduate studies in elementary education and the master of arts in teaching program, received the 2019 S.E. Kossman Teaching Award, the highest distinction a faculty member may be accorded at Delta State. She is the 37th recipient of the recognition.

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Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 11

Left to right: Dominique Rashad Warren ’13, Kera Marketa Jefferson ’17, and James D. Forté ’18 meet on campus last summer for this article.

12 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

DSU Flag

Flag of The Gambia

Flag of Lesotho

Flag of Tonga

Serving the Greater Good and an Inner Need Delta State University changes students and the larger community for the better. So does the Peace Corps. We asked three Delta State Peace Corps volunteers—Dominique Rashad Warren ’13 and James D. Forté ’18, veterans of the service opportunity; and Kera Marketa Jefferson ’17, who began training for her forthcoming assignment in August—to share some thoughts about their lifechanging experience.—Editor Peter Szatmary Dominique Rashad Warren earned a B.S. in biology from Delta State in 2013 and served as the first DSU Peace Corps volunteer: in The Gambia from October 2015 to January 2019. He is an emergency medical technician at Pafford EMS in Cleveland, MS.

Why did you join the Peace Corps?

Because I wanted to make a difference and because working a regular 9-5 job every day can get a bit boring. I felt as though I was capable of much more than I was currently doing.

What was your Peace Corps assignment; what change were you trying to help make?

I served as a health extension volunteer in a rural village in The Gambia for two years. I focused primarily on maternal and child health. I also spent time at the local school to help kids with literacy and to encourage them to complete their education. Education is not mandatory for children in The Gambia. Lots of kids aren’t able to complete their education due to many difficulties in daily life. I enjoyed my service so much that I extended for another year and worked in the capital, Banjul, in cooperation with the local YMCA, focusing on youth development and empowerment.

Back row: Warren (center right), his roommate Akshay (left), and their friend, Beth, a former Peace Corps volunteer visiting the country as a part of her master’s program, take a photo with Warren’s landlords and de facto family, Anna Baldeh and her husband Omar Njie (front row), and their three children (left to right, back row), Kebba, Alpha, and Batch.

How did you change from your Peace Corps assignment?

This experience has changed my perception on almost every aspect of life: work, people, community, peace, family, politics, and religion. Someone once described this experience to me as “the breaking of your cosmic egg.” Once the egg is broken and you’ve been exposed to the world and its people, cultures, and beauty, you will never be able to crawl back into your shell.

What role did Delta State play in preparing you for the Peace Corps?

Delta State was very instrumental. Professors and staff were extremely encouraging throughout the whole process.

The application process is long and difficult and can be Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 13

Why did you join the Peace Corps?

I wanted the experience of living overseas and I wanted to make an impact in a community that lacked human capital.

My father was in the military and told me many stories about other countries he lived in. His storytelling instilled in me this passion to go overseas and be an asset of peace and prosperity for underrepresented and underprivileged communities.

What was your Peace Corps assignment; what change were you trying to help make?

I was a middle/high school math and science teacher. I taught in class sizes that varied from 50 students in the upper levels to more than 90 students in lower levels. In my second year, I was (Left) Warren relaxes under the shade of a mango tree with his host mom, Nyima asked to carry on more responsibilities in an advisory role to Jallow, and three of her children, front to back: Yamou, Lamin, and Momo. (Right) the principal, evaluating other math and science teachers and Hawa Jaiteh, one of Warren’s host moms, pounds corn and millet for lunch. performing the school audit and budget. I was trying to create a system that would help teachers not burn out. There’s a teacher shortage and an abundance of students. My second assignment were my projects: HIV awareness and testing; setting up a computer lab donated to the high school in Thaba-Tseka through a proposal I wrote; and helping open the first fitness gym/weight room for the community.

(Left) Warren and a student from the area YMCA club make soap to improve community health and generate income. (Right) Warren takes a selfie with his host grandmother, Mama Kumba Jallow, and host cousin, Mamed Jaiteh, as they prepare to attend Friday prayer.

discouraging, but professors like Dr. Ellen Green, chair of the Division of Math and Sciences, and President LaForge encouraged me and linked me to other people who could relate to my new and upcoming experience. I knew that I was becoming an ambassador for the university, and it felt good knowing that the university was proud to allow me to represent it in such a big way.

Tips for Kera as she embarks on her Peace Corps assignment?

Stay open-minded and don’t be afraid to try new things.

Try your best to understand the culture and build lasting relationships with the communities you will serve. When you want to quit and come home—trust me, this time will come— think about the opportunity you have to possibly change the same feeling of hopelessness that someone in your community of service may be confronting. Enjoy the ride. It will be long and bumpy, but the journey is worth it.

Forté feels right at home in this rondavel, a traditional circular African dwelling with a thatched roof, in which he lived for two years in Thaba-Tseka.

---------James D. Forté earned an M.S. in community development from Delta State in 2018 and a B.S. in biology from Lane College in 2011 and served in the Peace Corps in Lesotho from October 2011 to December 2013. He is director of annual funds at the Delta State University Foundation.

14 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

(Left) Forté poses with the family who hosted him for three months during initial training. (Right) Forte’ teaches math to students in both their native language, Sesotho, and in English.

How did you change from your Peace Corps assignment?

It has made me appreciate the everyday comforts that we typically take for granted, such as fresh running water, indoor plumbing, and access to adequate medical care. I grew spiritually—because I was the only native English-speaking American in my village, the only person I could talk to at times was God. I changed my eating habits. Since I had to slaughter the animal I wanted to eat, I no longer eat beef or pork.

What role did Delta State play in preparing you for the Peace Corps?

Peace Corps prepared me for Delta State. Through Peace Corps I came to Delta State by way of Teach For America. From there I fell in love with the Delta and Delta State.

Tips for Kera as she embarks on her Peace Corps assignment?

Don’t go over there and get depressed because you’re not saving the world. Start with one child. Realize that while we might not be able to save the world, we can save the child who can save the world. Also, it’s OK to be uncomfortable because it is in times like these that you will grow and you will learn. So have fun, remember why you are there, and take a journal to write down everything.

---------Kera Marketa Jefferson earned a B.F.A. in graphic design from Delta State in 2017 and will serve the Peace Corps in Tonga. She began her training in August. Jefferson has been a freelance illustrator since graduating from Delta State.

Why did you join the Peace Corps?

I’ve spent the majority of my life staying on the safe side of things. When I graduated, I didn’t know what to do at first but to find a job. But I wasn’t happy, not fully. It felt like something was missing and I didn’t know what. In the latter half of 2018, I fell into a tough spot and I had this moment of reflection that I wasn’t doing enough and it was about that time that I started my first steps of becoming a Peace Corps volunteer.

What is your Peace Corps assignment; what change are you trying to help make?

I will be an English literacy facilitator—teaching English. I’ve never stepped foot outside the U.S. I think that’s an important thing to face with being a volunteer. I’m trying to soak up as much information as I can about Tonga. I’m even learning bits and pieces of phrases of the Tongan language. My favorite one so far is Ofa atu, which means, “I love you.”

Jefferson studies the Tongan language.

How do you hope to change from your Peace Corps assignment?

There are so many aspects about myself that I feel may have held me back in going forward with my life and being the best version that I could be. I’ve very rarely rebelled from what was expected of me: Go to work, go home, go to bed—preferably in the same town you grew up in. I think there’s always been this desire within me that wants to do more than just that. I’m an artist, so teaching English and teaching in general will be this new challenge. I want to be able to be more open and more warm, to still be careful and aware, but also less cautious and fearful of meeting new people and doing new things.

What role did Delta State play in preparing you for the Peace Corps?

Delta State took that bubble I wrapped myself in and popped it. I can say that some of my most difficult, challenging, heartbreaking, joyous, and beautiful moments have happened with DSU. I met so many people who have impacted my life in ways. With DSU, I’ve really grown. And I want to grow more.

Tips from Rashad and James for Kera as you ready for your Peace Corps assignment?

How can you know that the work that you’re doing is enough?

How can you maneuver being with a host family and being their guest and being respectful within their space? Tips for learning a language as fast as you can?

Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 15

Left to right: Vicki Bassie Fioranelli ’68, June Fyfe Fletcher ’59, Dr. Johnny Arnold ’58, and James Breland ’50 gather at the Hugh Ellis Walker Alumni-Foundation House in summer to reminisce.

Parallel Universe: Alumni Recollections from 50 Years Ago-Plus Imagine freshmen males easy to spot because of their Army-style haircuts and green-and-white beanies. Picture female students gathering in the lobby of their dormitory for optional devotional time at 10:30 PM, some coming in their pajamas, others coming in from a date. Consider residence halls without locks on individual rooms.

This was what Delta State University was like for members of the National Alumni Association’s Golden Circle, which celebrates graduates of 50 or more years.

From military barracks being retrofitted for campus use to faculty going to extra efforts to inspire young minds, Memphis-based Vicki Bassie Fioranelli ’68, and Cleveland locals James Breland ’50, Dr. Johnny Arnold ’58, and June Fyfe Fletcher ’59 shared memories about their years at DSU. How did they change? How has their alma mater changed? Universities are supposed to stay the same while keeping up with the times, and, this quartet declares, DSU has done just that.—Editor Peter Szatmary 16 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

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ne only has to look around to see the obvious changes in DSU. Who would have guessed when President James Wesley Broom (1925-26) and the handful of faculty and staff in 1925 were given the task of starting a teachers college with three buildings on a dirt road around a quadrangle, that there would now be a performing arts center second-to-none, Div. II athletic facilities that rival Div. I, and signature programs such as aviation, nursing, and the Delta Music Institute? While continuing Fioranelli to produce excellent teachers and administrators, DSU now also boasts of alumni leading companies like UPS and Schwab.

The faculty and staff ratio and care for the individual student remain DSU constants, no matter the many changes to facilities, personnel, and technology over the eras. DSU still has students who giggle in dorm rooms, linger in the Union for fellowship, pull pranks, attend and miss class, grieve when losing a friend, cheer for the home team, get a lump in their throats when the band marches by, find love, and grow into fabulous young men and women who are our next generation of leaders.

—Vicki Bassie Fioranelli ’68, home economics education major, director emeritus of alumni at Delta State ---------------------------------------------------

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remember women dormitory students had to be in the dormitory by a certain time each night and had to sign out and in as they went and came.

I also remember Delta State’s high academic standards and wellqualified faculty. And I remember the high-quality graduates. It is my understanding that, several years ago, school superintendents would send signed contracts to the Placement Bureau saying, “If you have students being graduated in these particular areas, just fill in the names and we will take them based on previous graduates we Breland have received from you.”

Other things for which I am grateful about Delta State are the beautiful and adequate buildings and other facilities which the university has.

Finally, I’m grateful for the fine presidents who have been at Delta State. It has been my privilege to know personally all of them except the first one, Dr. Jim Broom. All of them have been quality persons. In the assemblies, which were held from time to time in Broom Hall Auditorium, Dr. William Kethley, Delta State’s second president (1926-56), would refer to the students as “chilluns.”

—James Breland ’50, mathematics major, former director of the Baptist Student Union at DSU ---------------------------------------------------

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came to Delta State to prepare to be a teacher/coach. I assumed one had to major in PE to coach; thus, I took PE classes that included dance, and I didn’t look good in leotards.

The chair of the Math Department, Dr. Eleanor Boyd Walters, reviewed my junior college transcript, noticed that I had taken math through differential calculus, and asked, “Wouldn’t you rather major in math than PE?” This was the era of the Russian space shuttle Sputnik.

Teaching math was considered critical. This change in majors opened doors that permitted me to be a math teacher/ coach; attend Louisiana State University on a National Science Foundation scholarship to get a master’s in math; become a high school principal; earn a doctorate from the University of Mississippi; and become professor of education and director of student teaching at DSU, then a superintendent of schools, and, finally, executive director of the Tri-State Arnold Education Consortium, NASA’s model for systemic education reform for 30 school districts in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.

A DSU professor changed my life and I spent my career trying to change the lives of others.

—Dr. Johnny Arnold ’58, class president and mathematics education major ---------------------------------------------------

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here were about 25 buildings. School started midSeptember. We studied on the quarter system. There were no sororities or fraternities.

I voted against them, on student council, because Delta State was so close-knit. We were known as the friendliest school in Dixie.

Everybody liked going to The Mill to eat, dance, play pool, play bridge.

The bookstore was there. Students elections occurred there. I was the greenest freshman imaginable and thought anyone who went there after supper was wild. But The Mill became my favorite place to dance.

Our rules were much stricter. The Fletcher dress code for female students only allowed slacks on Saturday. If you lived on campus, you had free time until 7:30 PM, then had to be in the dorm. Freshman girls were allowed one weeknight out, sophomores two, juniors three, seniors four, with a 10:30 curfew. You had to sign out.

Girls could not have cars until senior year. By the time we heard about a boy and girl in the bushes, they were already expelled. Same with alcohol: if you were found with it, you were gone. The strictness was a godsend.

—June Fyfe Fletcher ’59, home economics education major, and a picture framer Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 17

Bologna Performing Arts Center Turns 25

Highlights from the Regional Change Agent

LOGO EVOLUTION

18 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

BPAC Basics • Built in 1994 • Cost: $8.5 million in state funding • Several hundred Mississippi Delta residents and businesses contributed gifts to the DSU Foundation to create an endowment for ongoing programming, including the lead gift from Dr. Nino Antony Bologna, a Greenville dermatologist and pediatrician, and his wife, Betty.

• Opened on Sept. 1, 1995 • 41,500 square feet • Full working stage • Orchestra lift • 1,183-seat Delta & Pine Land Theatre • 145-seat Recital Hall

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he arts enlighten, entertain, and divert. They also question, reflect, and evolve. Delta State University’s Bologna Performing Arts Center (BPAC) has been doing all of this— being a change agent within culture and beyond it for the campus and the Mississippi Delta—for 25 years.

BPAC brings marquee names and top-ranked shows to Cleveland to patron satisfaction through its annual performance season.

Marvin Hamlisch opened the venue in 1995, and other headliners have included Willie Nelson, Clint Black, Crystal Gayle, Lee Ann Womack, Herbie Hancock, Aaron Neville, Gladys Knight, The Avett Brothers, The Temptations, and Mavis Staples and the Blind Boys of Alabama on a double bill. Notable acts to perform at BPAC span modern dance repertory companies, such as those from Mark Morris and Alvin Ailey, to touring Broadway musicals, like Chicago and The Sound of Music. Foremost among the several Mississippi natives to take the stage: B.B. King.

There’s more to the arts than star power. Arts also serve a greater good. BPAC hosts many campus events, for instance, recitals, pageants, and conferences—and, since 2016, commencement ceremonies. Further, BPAC’s Arts Education Department reaches approximately 12,000 primary and secondary students and teachers annually through a myriad of programs. The Janice Wyatt Mississippi Summer Arts Institute, named for former DSU first lady Janice Wyatt, started in 1998 to provide arts enrichment for students from ages 5 to 18. BPAC also has presented afterschool and weekend programs, including the Delta Youth Chorale, Juliet Kossman’s ArtsPass workshops, and After-School Arts Hang. Since year one, BPAC has offered matinee performances for K-12 audiences during the school year.

It rolled out a summer movie series in 2012, per popular demand.

And this fall, BPAC was the only venue in the state to book the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers.

The Mathews-Sanders Sculpture Garden debuted in 2000 with eight pieces in front of BPAC. Wayne Trapp’s Wind Harp won the inaugural purchase prize award. The sculpture garden is named for the late artist Pam Mathews, wife of David Potter, DSU president from 1999 to 2002, and for fellow painter Nan Sanders B.A. and B.S.E. ’67 and her family. It features a biennial competition to grow the permanent collection, which now totals 31 pieces across DSU, with 18 more installed in August on loan through the current exhibition. Also, placement expanded to outside of the GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi in 2015 and in Cleveland’s downtown green space in 2017.

“BPAC was conceived as a way to serve not only Delta State but also the Delta region through the performing arts. Over the past 25 years, how BPAC does this has constantly evolved in response to campus and community needs,” said Laura Howell M.Ed. ’13, BPAC executive director since 2013. “One of the aims of BPAC is to connect artists and audiences. BPAC has done that and so much more throughout its 25-year history by serving as a cultural touchstone.

BPAC brings people together to experience something unique through the arts, which have the power to transform lives.”

A quarter-century of BPAC highlights follow.—Editor Peter Szatmary

Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 19

Opening Letter from the 1995 Premiere Season Booklet

Dear Friend, we are to have this state-of-theWelcome to the Delta State University Performing Arts Center! How pleased enhance the cultural and educational art facility which will allow us to offer programs and productions that will ! This is the beginning of a new era for opportunities not only for campus, but also for the entire Mississippi Delta this dream a reality for all of us. the performing arts and your support and encouragement have helped to make with us, attended endless meetings, Many of you have volunteered countless hours of time, shared exciting ideas quality programming. We do appreciate and have helped us financially; this is so vital to developing and sustaining this new program. the unselfish contributions of all who have helped us develop and implement spring 2002], and we are fortunate to Sharon Papian is our director of the Performing Arts Center [fall 1995we have scheduled here. have someone with her background and abilities to manage the many events campus for many events in the future.

Now sit back and enjoy the performance. We look forward to having you on

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—DSU President Kent Wyatt (1975-99)

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1995-96 Premiere Season Marvin Hamlisch Bruce Levingston Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Ballet Folklórico de México The Will Rogers Follies Moscow State Ballet and Orchestra St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble

BPAC 2019-20 Main Stage Performances Kansas (Aug. 22) Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Sept. 5) Craig Morgan (Sept. 19) Kool & The Gang (Oct. 3) D rew Holcomb and The Neighbors w/ special guest Birdtalker (Oct. 29) Tedeschi Trucks Band (Nov. 11) A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live on Stage (Dec. 3) The Simon & Garfunkel Story (Jan. 15, 2020) Finding Neverland (Feb. 4, 2020) Mark Chesnutt and Joe Diffie (March 5, 2020) Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (March 28, 2020) The Allman Betts Band (April 23, 2020) The SpongeBob Musical (May 4, 2020)

For more information and tickets, go online to www.bolognapac.com or call (662) 846-4626.

20 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

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BPAC Top concerts

by Attendance

BPAC Top Touring Musicals

by Attendance

1. The Beach Boys (2019) 2. Trace Adkins (2019) 3. Gladys Knight (2018) 4. John Prine (2018) 5. Willie Nelson (1996) 6. Deana Carter (1999) 7. Josh Turner (2017) 8. Sara Evans (2016) 9. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (2017) 10. Marvin Hamlisch (1995)

1. Jersey Boys (2018) 2. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1997) 3. Mamma Mia! (2015) 4. Elf: the Musical (2016) 5. Grease (2002) 6. Smokey Joe’s Café (1999) 7. The King and I (1999) 8. Annie (2016) 9. Fiddler on the Roof (1999) 10. Million Dollar Quartet (2015)

BPAC Awards • 1997 Honor Award Citation from the Mississippi chapter of the American Institute of Architects • 2001 Distinguished Cultural Institution Award from the Mississippi Association of Arts Education • 2 002 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Mississippi Arts Commission 12

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BPAC other Top performances

by Attendance 1. Spirit of the Dance (1999) 2. Lord of the Dance (2003) 3. Moscow State Ballet & Orchestra’s The Nutcracker (1995) 4. New York City Opera’s La Bohéme (1997) 5. St. Petersburgh Ice Ballet’s Swan Lake (1997) 6. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (2018) 7. S t. Petersburgh State Symphony Orchestra’s Klassica (1996) 8. N ew York City Opera’s Madame Butterfly (1999) 9. N ational Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China (2011) 10. Circus Electronica (2014)

Quotes about BPAC at Its Opening “I wish I had some of the things you have down there [such as a deep stage, modern technology, and continental seating].”

—Pat Halloran, president of the foundation that operates the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis “It’s breathtaking that we would have Marvin Hamlisch or The Will Rogers Follies right here in the Delta. It’s amazing that we won’t have to go to Jackson or Memphis.”

—Georgie Fisher, Greenville Arts Council member 1. Willis Frazer Sr. (L) and President Emeritus Wyatt after Crazy for You 2/2/05. 2. Kirk Satterfield (L) and Hal Burdine (R) with Willie Nelson on his tour bus after his 9/26/96 concert. 3. Amy Grant 8/29/10.

4. Tracy Lawrence (L) with fan Heidi Reno 9/21/17. 5. Anita Bologna and Morgan Freeman at The Ten Tenors show 3/25/14. 6. Travis Tritt 9/15/16. 7. The Avett Brothers 10/4/16. 8. B.B. King 6/30/10.

9. Clint Black with fans, the Smith family, 9/11/14. 10. Families enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides around campus before Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella 4/17/18. 11. Students made dinosaur masks after Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live 2/23/17. 12. Howell and the cast of The Berenstain Bears Live! 2/10/15.

13. Ellington and Beverly Massey with Sara Evans 4/21/16. 14. Jason Isbell 8/24/17.

Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 21

Rori Herbison ’01, standing outside her office, believes that art improves lives.

Alumna Rori Herbison Embraces Fluidity

How Going with the Flow Led to Happily Ever After Story and photo by Elisabetta Zengaro ’15, ’18

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rtists often use their medium to tell stories. When Delta State University alumna and former staffer Rori Eddie Herbison recounts her own narrative, change emerges as the motif. Upstate New Yorker to Cleveland, Mississippian.

Sportswriter to executive director of Delta Arts Alliance (DAA).

And several other iterations along the way.

Among the epic renovations to pepper Herbison’s life path, she currently finds herself at the helm of a multimillion dollar restoration in downtown Cleveland, inside the Ellis Gallery at DAA. “Even this,” her hands spread to the bustle of construction workers, “is emblematic of the vast changes in my life. When I first arrived in Cleveland in 1999, this 1938 building was the printing press that we’d pick up DSU gameday programs and media guides from. Now it’s reinvented space for the arts.”

That idea of change, of rebirth, first attracted Herbison to the Magnolia State.

“The Mississippi Delta is this fertile, mesmerizing ground.

22 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

My reaction was instant and visceral. I felt the magic that’s here.

There is no question that the Delta got up in those nooks and crannies of my soul.”

Common Denominators Her interest in the nooks and crannies of chronicles began young; she logged her first byline at age 12. “I was always fascinated by people’s stories. We all have a story worth being told,” she said. “We all have something to learn from one another.

I wanted to go below what we think we know and get to what we need to know. That’s the story I’ve always wanted to tell.”

Herbison’s childhood story centered on her home in Cornwall, N.Y., about 60 minutes north of New York City and approximately the same size as Cleveland.

“Where I grew up, there was one stoplight,” she said.

“Everyone in town knew who my parents were, who my grandparents were. We had the one local grocery store. In

essence, it’s not that much different from Cleveland.”

That parallel is one reason why she made a life for herself in the Delta.

Intertwined Paths Her parents—Rod, a homebuilder, and Paula, a homemaker— stressed well-roundedness. “If we went to the city, we were going to see a Broadway show, and Sunday we were going to see a Yankees game,” she reflected. “That versatility was something my parents instilled in me and my brother.”

Herbison earned an associate’s degree from Rockland Community College, in Suffern, N.Y., where she played basketball and softball. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., in 1998.

She then freelanced across the East Coast, mainly for sports publications, until enrolling at Delta State in 1999 to pursue an M.Ed in health, physical education, and recreation, and to work as a graduate assistant in media relations for DSU Athletics.

“I thought, ‘How fun would this chapter be? How unique would this be?’” she recalled. “The girl from New York lands in Mississippi and, two years in, two years out, gets her master’s, has these great stories to tell, then goes back home.” She paused.

“That’s not quite how it played out.”

Cupid stepped in. “Delta State afforded me some incredible memories before graduating in 2001, but none compare to meeting the man I was meant to spend my life with,” she explained. “I knew when Butch and I met we were the definition of opposites attract, but I also knew, unequivocally, I didn’t want to do life with anyone else.”

The two—Butch is a wastewater operator at Baxter Healthcare—married in 2005, and she returned to Cleveland as a writer and sales associate for Go Green Magazine, a now-defunct monthly, initially devoted to DSU athletics.

DSU Influences One story she wrote about: DSU’s NCAA DII College World Series championship in 2004 under then-Head Baseball Coach and now Director of Athletics Mike Kinnison.

“I could tell that she had a successful career ahead of her,” remembered Kinnison, skipper from 1997 to 2019 and a double DSU graduate: bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics education in ’77 and ’78. “Her journalism was always refreshing, as she knew how to capture the human interest and heartfelt sentiments and balance asking the tough questions. I quickly learned she could be trusted. This allowed me to be honest and comfortable when working with her.”

The long hours in print journalism didn’t coincide with newlywed life and Herbison penned her next segment in 2006 when Dr. John Thornell, former DSU provost and vice president for academic affairs, offered her a job as director of university relations. Fond memories include helping with the creation of the Dave “Boo” Ferriss Museum that honors the former Boston Red Sox standout pitcher and 26-year head baseball coach at DSU and

collaborating with Dr. Deborah Moore, then director of DSU’s Center for Community and Economic Development.

“Rori and I worked on several major projects together, and her work was always professional and of the highest quality,” Moore said. “Rori has been a force and certainly helped me with major decisions in my life. When I think of her, I think of the aphorism, ‘A rising tide lifts all boats.’”

Felicitous Developments The birth of Herbison’s daughter, Rae, in 2008, prompted the next installment. To keep her own hours at work and home, Herbison left DSU and opened N9NE DESIGNS and TwentyEleven Media with Hays Collins ’04. They have gigged for the Mississippi Arts Commission and Mississippi Hall of Fame and Museum, both in Jackson. Her firm also rebranded the logo, redesigned the website, and incorporated video interviews for the Mathews-Sanders Sculpture Garden at DSU. Herbison considers this a watershed moment because she combined her love for storytelling in art with her love of telling stories about artists. She has served on the Sculpture Garden committee for 11 years.

Missouri-based sculptor Ben Pierce, whose work is on loan there for the third time through the current biennial competition, said Herbison “makes you feel important” because “she really loves art. She makes it personal. She would send me pictures of people or even her own daughter in the Sculpture Garden,” he explained. “She even mentioned that on a trip to another state, she and her family drove by a sculpture and her daughter knew [of] the artist because the design was similar. That is the ultimate proof. We share the things most important to us with the people we care most about, and she shared that with her daughter.”

Artful Steps Herbison is in her seventh year as executive director of DAA. It was founded in 1999 to provide quality arts education and access to all in the area. In 2004, DAA branched out to public schools, providing artists at zero cost to districts. Today, that work continues to grow under Herbison. All total, the organization reaches six Mississippi Delta counties, serving more than 7,000 students annually, and partners with agencies across the state.

“The arts have this undeniable power to change the course of a life. That’s an awesome responsibility,” she said. “No child should be denied that experience. It’s a painful disservice not to have that introduction to the arts because they make us better.”

For Herbison, life unfolds as a story about change.

“Change can be this big, bad, scary word, but I view it as invigorating,” she declared. “You have to be willing to take chances. My time at Delta State—the experiences I’ve had on campus and the people I have in my life today because of DSU— helped me to have the courage to embrace change.”

Elisabetta Zengaro ’15 (B.A. journalism), M.S. ’18 (sport and human performance), is a Ph.D. student in communication and information sciences at the University of Alabama.

Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 23

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT How has DSU changed you?

Arriving as a freshman in 2008, I had two goals: graduate debt-free and graduate with a 4.0 GPA. Walking across the stage in 2011 to receive my BBA in computer information systems and in 2013 to receive my MBA, I achieved both goals both times. Student responsibilities matured me: to be more goal-oriented, to be a high achiever, to get involved, to utilize resources, to network, and to work my way up. Serving on staff sharpened my work ethic and interpersonal relations. Because I had multiple supervisors in different departments, I learned to adapt to different styles and environments. Now as a faculty member, working with hundreds of students annually, I’m building more character because teaching requires wisdom, discernment, and patience. The experience is refining me.

What drew you to DSU and what keeps you here?

Several things as a student. The location: not too far from home in Helena, Ark., but not too close, either. I wanted to study computers. And the scholarship I received for my ACT score covered four years of fees. As an employee, I’ve enjoyed the supportive campus family, exceptional opportunities for growth, and the prevalent chance to make a difference.

You received many DSU student awards, including Student Hall of Fame, President’s List, Hearin Scholar, and honor society member. Which award stands out?

First place in the persuasive category of the DSU oratorical contest during first semester of freshman year. My public speaking professor recommended me from speeches I had given in class. This was one of the first of many times a professor saw something in me and put me in a position to excel.

THE CALL LETTERS FOR MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTOR APRIL MONDY: C-H-A-N-G-E

Radio has always been part of your life.

My dad, Elijah Mondy, an engineer for the NBC affiliate WMAQTV in Chicago for 29 years, started, KJIW (94.5-FM), a Christian gospel radio station, in Helena in 1988 when I was 4 years old. My mom, Belinda, works alongside him. My siblings and I, who were homeschooled, grew up in the family business, learning sales, announcing, programming, administration, production, even a little engineering. After high school, I stayed home for six years to help run the station full time. I enrolled at DSU at age 23 and drove home on weekends to continue working there. I still return often to help. Because of KJIW, my family was invited to help with the planning, building, and initial broadcast of Delta State Radio, WDSW-LP (88.1-FM), in 2015.

You love international travel.

It changes a person’s perspective in a good way. As a student, I participated in four DSU study abroad courses to 11 European countries. I recently participated in a three-week faculty development program in China. On my first trip abroad, at a tripoint in Europe where the borders of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany meet, I put my left foot in one country, my right foot in another, and one hand in the third. I was in three places at once!

Work-study student. Graduate assistant. Residence hall director. Web writer/designer. Administrative secretary in the president’s office. And, since 2017, instructor in management in the College of Business. A constant in April Mondy’s mutable life?

Delta State University, home for all of those junctures. “Essentially, What most people don’t know about you?

I came to Delta State 11 years ago and never left,” said Mondy.

I helped deliver my baby sister at home with a midwife. Of my In what follows, she explains why. —Editor Peter Szatmary eight siblings, the last three were born at home.

24 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

KEENAN DAVIS AND, ACTION: THE STORYBOARD OF SENIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN AND ASPIRING VIDEOGRAPHER

Senior Keenan Davis embraces change. He transferred to Delta State University in fall 2018 to pursue videography and football. His field of academic study in DSU’s new digital media arts program hinges on keeping up with cutting-edge developments, and on the gridiron as an offensive lineman, he protects the quarterback and creates open lanes for running backs through action and reaction.

Before enrolling at DSU, Davis spent a year at University of Memphis and then a year at University of Tennessee at Martin. He gave up a full football scholarship from the latter to transfer to Delta State—sitting out the 2018 season and losing a year of eligibility— because of what it offered in the classroom and on the field.

“Keenan is a tremendous athlete, but more importantly, he is an outstanding person with high character. He has been through a lot of adversity throughout his collegiate career and has handled it in stride, preparing himself for a tremendous senior year. He is an anchor on our offensive line and a leader in our locker room,” said Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jonathan Fletcher.

“Keenan is one of those students that every teacher dreams about: hard-working, passionate, and easy to get along with,” praised Michael Stanley, Davis’ adviser and chair of the Art Department. “His knowledge and technical abilities have grown considerably, but his work ethic is what sets him apart. The combination of his natural talent, his wicked sense of humor, and his willingness to put the time in to make something unique will virtually guarantee his success in this industry.”

Davis answered questions about his journey as a student and an athlete and more.—Caroline George Fletcher ’15 (wife of Jonathan) How did you end up at Delta State?

UT Martin did not offer the major I wanted to pursue: film and video production. I did some research. I talked with my older brother, Kentarius McDonald, B.S. ’16 in health, physical education, and recreation; M.S. ’18 in sport and human performance; and a defensive lineman for DSU in ’15. I found out Delta State had the digital media arts program with all the classes I wanted to take so that I could perfect my craft as a videographer.

How have you changed since being at Delta State?

I push myself harder not only in football but also in class.

Last semester, I was barely in my room because I would go to the art building computer lab after practice, work on videos, and learn new techniques in videography.

What changes do you wish to make in the future?

People’s views of Mississippians. I’m from Horn Lake. I want

people to see that people from Mississippi aren’t a stereotype and that Mississippi is full of brilliant and talented people.

What lessons have you learned from being part of DSU football?

Everything in life is not handed to you. The things you want start with working your tail off and having confidence to get them. You may have to go through hell and be fearless because goals worth anything are never easy to achieve. [Head] Coach [Todd] Cooley talks about how everybody nowadays likes to talk about their goals, not put in the work, and then get mad when they don’t reach them. You have to commit. Once you do, you will overcome every obstacle.

What are your plans after graduation?

To get a job at Delta State with the Athletics Program creating game highlights or moving to Memphis to work with well-known video production companies and eventually work in a film studio, directing a movie one day.

Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 25

CLASS NOTES Greater Jackson Chapter The Delta State University Alumni Association Greater Jackson chapter held its annual event on July 11, 2019, at the Yacht Club in Ridgeland. Alumni enjoyed a musical performance by Jimi’s People, comprised of DSU alumni, and dinner with a view. President William N. LaForge, Athletic Director Mike Kinnison, and Head Football Coach Todd Cooley spoke. The chapter awarded three $1,000 scholarships to local students attending DSU.

Melissa Love ‘04 served as this year’s chapter president. The chapter recognized A.D. Kinnison ’77,’78 for his many years of service to Delta State.

Chapter volunteers Jeff Arnold ’92, Lisa Grantham ’98, Renee Deweese ’92, and Mandy Gardner ’99 celebrate their hard work preparing for the event.

Scholarship recipients (L to R): Austin Housley, Sara Kaitlyn Clegg, and Maleah Briggs.

Leflore County Chapter The Delta State University Alumni Association Leflore County chapter held its annual event on July 25, 2019, at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta in Greenwood. Alumni toured the museum during social hour and then enjoyed a program with speakers A.D. Kinnison and Coach Cooley.

Alumni mingle during the museum social hour before the main program.

Leflore County Chapter President Miller Arant ’03, ’08, Coach Cooley, and Matt Jones ’03, ’07, senior associate athletic director for external relations.

L to R: Miller Arant ’03, ’08; his wife Rebekah Arant ’09, ’14, assistant director of admissions at DSU; Ashley Hardin, Leflore County Scholarship recipient; Danielle Morgan ’01; and Forrest Hodge ’10, ’12.

MS in the Park The Mississippi Society of Georgia hosted its 10th annual Mississippi in the Park event June 15, 2019, at Chastain Park in Atlanta. Local alumni from all Mississippi universities, including DSU, gathered for a day full of all things Mississippi: fried catfish, sweet tea, caramel cake, blues music, and visitin’.

Father and daughter John Sullivan ’73 and Lynn Sullivan ’99, both winners of the annual raffle.

Delta State alumni enjoy the festivities.

26 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

A good time was had by all, as these three photos suggest.

Oxford The Delta State University Alumni Association held an alumni dinner Aug. 22, 2019, at Taylor (MS) Grocery. Alumni socialized and interacted with Delta State Alumni and Foundation staff members.

L-R: Dr. Nerma Moore, Foundation director of development, and Olamide Alabi ’15.

Lenzie ’13 and Alex Crosby ’14.

Walker Byars ’92 and Whitney Byars.

Harold and Anne Prestage ’61.

34th Annual Pig Pickin’ Sept. 20-21, 2019

MARRIAGES/UNIONS

Isaac Carpenter ’10 and Laura Kathryn Carney Carpenter were married on June 22, 2019, in Memphis. The couple resides in Memphis.

Brent Clark ‘09 and Katie Pounds Clark ’10 were married on July 13, 2019, at The Gin at Nesbit in Nesbit, MS. The couple resides in Southaven, MS.

Kendall Roberts Deel ’11 and Ricky Deel were married on Aug. 9, 2019.

The couple resides in Madison, MS.

Brent Langston ’14 and Jordan Simpson Langston ’15 were married on May 18, 2019.

The couple resides in Cleveland, MS.

Tyler Sullivan ’16 and Chrissy Sullivan were married on June 8, 2019.

The couple resides in Jackson, MS.

Annequa Sutton ’18 and Kendric Sutton were married on July 20, 2019.

The couple resides in Greenville, MS.

Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 27

CLASS NOTES ALUMNI UPDATES

Trimble

Walker

1936

Eleanor B. Trimble, of Cleveland, was inducted into Delta State University National Alumni Association’s Golden Circle, which celebrates graduates of 50 years or more. One-hundred-five years old, she earned a general science degree from the College of Arts and Sciences.

1962

Ned Mitchell, of Cleveland, a much-honored insurance executive, received an honorary doctorate from Delta State at the spring 2019 commencement.

Kinnison

1981

Richard Manning, of Olive Branch, retired from law enforcement after 38 years of service—1981 to 2012 at the Harris County (TX) Sheriff’s Office and 2013 to 2019 at the Olive Branch (MS) Police Department. With Harris County, he had attained the rank of sergeant and was a master patrolman.

He was a patrolman with Olive Branch.

1982

Gerald Turner, M.D., of Columbus, joined West Point Medical Clinic and Urgent Care.

Myra Myers, of Indianola, received the Philanthropy Award from DSU’s Music Dept.

Linda Coleman Watson, of Ridgeland, was named 2018-19 Teacher of the Year at Ridgeland High School. She teaches history.

1968

1986

Lester W. Myers Jr., of Indianola, received the Philanthropy Award from DSU’s Music Dept.

1972

Virginia C. Hall, of Raleigh. NC, retired as vice president of human resources at Telerent Leasing Corp. She received the North Carolina Human Resources Hall of Fame Award in 2013.

1974

Tricia Walker, of Cleveland, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mississippi Writers Guild at the organization’s annual conference for working and aspiring writers at GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi. Walker retired as director of the Delta Music Institute at DSU last June.

1977

Mike Kinnison, of Cleveland, DSU’s director of athletics and former longtime head baseball coach, was one of six new inductees in the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

1980

Ted Poore, of Madison, was appointed assistant superintendent of the Madison County School District. Earlier, he was principal at Germantown High and Park Place Christian Academy.

Watson

Mackey

28 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

Lori Spencer, of Sarah, became director of prospect development at the DSU Foundation.

1987

Leslie Nichols, of Greenville, taught in the elementary and secondary classroom for more than 20 years. She was recently hired by Western Line School District to implement a dyslexia therapy program.

1988

Paula Thompson, of Gunnison, became director of advancement services at the DSU Foundation.

1989

Rachel Peery, of Madison, became associate chief of staff for medicine at the G.V. Sonny Montgomery VA Medical Center.

1991

Tiffany Q. Tyson, of Denver, CO, won the 2019 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters fiction award for her novel The Past Is Never.

1993

Melanie Livingston, of Lake Village, AR, was appointed to the accreditation council of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Francis

Poore

Turner

1996

Katherine K. Batenhorst, of St. Augustine, FL, received the 22nd Gus Craig Award from the Rotary Club of St. Augustine.

Jacquelyn Dalton, of Lubbock, TX, joined East Central University in Ada, OK, as assistant professor of human services counseling.

1997

Dr. Shawn Mackey, of Madison, joined the Mississippi Public Broadcasting board of directors. He is deputy executive director for programs and accountability for the Mississippi Community College Board. Mackey is a threetime graduate of Delta State: bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and psychology and a master’s degree in social science education.

1999

Rodney G. Batts, of Cleveland, DSU’s new head baseball coach, was inducted into the East Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame.

Rodney J. Francis, of Franklin, TN, was named director of diversity and talent acquisition with Nissan Auto.

Jeremy McClain, of Troy, AL, was named athletic director at University of Southern Mississippi.

Dwaun J. Warmack, of Orangeburg, SC, was named the ninth president of Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC. He also was selected as a 2019 USA Eisenhower Fellow.

2000

Ryan Strawbridge, of Greenwood, was promoted to first vice president of the Greenwood branch of Planters Bank and Trust Company.

2001

Tiffanie Russell, of Cleveland, was appointed principal of Bell Academy. She is an adjunct professor at DSU in teacher education, leadership, and research.

McClain

Warmack

Smith

Davis

2002

Dr. Demetric Armstead, of Kosciusko, was appointed program director of criminal justice at Keiser University in Clearwater, FL. Carol Smith, of Hernando, received the Mississippi Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s Outstanding Administrator Award for DSU. Each of the 15 universities in Mississippi represented could make an award. Smith is principal of Horn Lake Intermediate School.

2004

Mary Catherine Burgess, of Greenwood, was promoted to assistant vice president of deposit services at Planters Bank and Trust Company.

David Ferriss III, of Cleveland, became academic development officer at the DSU Foundation.

2005

Jessica Johnson, of Cordova, TN, began a new position as a Shelby County Schools Special Education Charter School adviser.

2006

Eric Atchison, of Little Rock, AR, became vice president for strategic research at the Arkansas State University System in Little Rock.

2007

Kimberly Crout, of Mound Bayou, began a new position as alumni senior secretary at Delta State.

Kelvin Davis was named one of the “Top 50 Under 40” by Mississippi Business Journal for his work as DSU director of student business services.

Doyle

2008

Shalayne E. VanSickle, of Oxford, was named Oxford School District Employee of the Year; she teaches third grade at Della Davidson Elementary.

2011

Rory Doyle, of Cleveland, a former DSU staffer, won the 2019 ZEISS Photography Award.

Dustin LeGrand, of Houston, TX, was promoted to general manager of Gringo’s Tex-Mex restaurant.

Marya Paolillo, of Memphis, became graphic designer at Smith & Nephew.

2012

Rivers LeGrand, of Houston, TX, was promoted to marketing manager at AIRIA Development Co.

2014

Catherine Kirk, of Greenville, was named managing editor of the Delta Democrat-Times in Greenville.

2015

Cole

Zengaro

Katlyn Dickerson, of Cleveland, started a new position as graduate recruiter at Delta State.

Kaitlin Moore, of Cleveland, started a new position as coordinator of marketing and communications at Double Quick Inc.

2018

Ryan Bridges, of Cleveland, became studio manager at DSU’s Delta Music Institute.

Danielle Cole, of Philadelphia, was named assistant women’s basketball coach at East Mississippi Community College.

James Forté, of Cleveland, became the annual fund director at the DSU Foundation.

2019

Hunter Dye, of Cleveland, became a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

Matteo Zengaro, of Cleveland, received an Arkansas Traveler Certificate for helping preserve Italian-American culture in the Delta through his short films, “Con Gusto!” and “I Sopravvissuti,” at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock.

Caroline George Fletcher, of Cleveland, was inducted into the McNairy Central High School Sports Hall of Fame in Selmer, TN, for her successes as a pitcher. Fletcher is the social media specialist for Delta State.

---------------------------------------------------------

2016

attended

Morgan Abraham, of Starkville, became principal of Sudduth Elementary School. She was assistant principal in the Tupelo Public School District.

Brittany Stevens, of Anguilla, was promoted to assistant vice president and compliance officer at Guaranty Bank & Trust Company in Belzoni.

FUTURE STATESMEN & LADY STATESMEN

Murat Gur ‘08, network manager, technical services, at Delta State, and Ashley Gur, of Cleveland, welcomed Sela Aylin Gur on June 20, 2019.

Kelly Cosby Kasch ‘09 and Brian Kasch, of Batesville, welcomed Chloe Grace Kasch on Aug. 7, 2019.

Cable ’15 and Jackie McMinn ’11, of Cleveland, welcomed Carley Dale McMinn on April 26, 2019.

Danza Reifers ‘17 and Chris Reifers, of Cleveland, welcomed Eden Rose Reifers on Aug. 3, 2019.

Ashley Williams ‘10 and Brent Williams (attended), of Doddsville, welcomed Franklin Lane Williams on May 9, 2019.

Lizzie Woodard, DSU director of donor relations, and Ben Woodard, of Cleveland, welcomed Clara Lee Woodard on March 31, 2019.

Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 29

IN MEMORIAM Barbara Clark

Miriam Davis

Lyla Taylor

Alumna Barbara Clark passed away surrounded by loved ones on Aug. 4, 2019.

She was 75. Clark lived in Vicksburg, MS, from 1969 to 1983, teaching English at Warren Central High School, and in Cleveland, MS, from 1983 to 2003, working as the guidance counselor at Drew High School, her alma mater. An avid sports buff, she was the No. 1 fan of her husband, Lloyd Clark, during his 19-year tenure as women’s basketball coach at DSU (1983-2002). His run included 12 conference championships and five conference Coach of the Year awards.

The basketball court in Walter Sillers Coliseum bears his name. She returned to Vicksburg in retirement to be closer to her grandchildren. Clark was preceded in death by her brother, Richard Walker.

Survivors include her husband of 57 years; two sons, Scottie Clark and Brady Clark (Ana), of Vicksburg; a brother, William H. “Rip” Walker Jr. (Emmye), of Hernando; and four grandchildren.

Miriam T. Davis (Dec. 2, 1914-July 18, 2019) wore many hats over 104 years: Delta State graduate from 1936, family matriarch, teacher, business owner, and more. Born in Gloster, MS, she was known for her quick wit, loving and caring spirit, generosity, forgiving nature, kindness, and gracefulness. On April 1, 1953, she and her husband, Whit, established Whit Davis Lumber in Jacksonville, AR.; the familyowned business now has four locations statewide. She was preceded in death by her husband of 48 years and daughter, Sue Davis Hobdy. Survivors include son John A. Davis (Sue) of Cabot, AR; six grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and four great-greatgrandchildren. Great-granddaughter and namesake Miriam Moe Bell ’11, a guard on the basketball team, recalled how they would discuss campus buildings, how “her mind was extravagant and she remembered everything,” how she gave to the alumni association faithfully, and how she attended many of her basketball games, including the last one.

Former longtime DSU employee Lyla Jean Jaudon Taylor, 87, passed away peacefully on Aug. 8, 2019, at Indywood Estate in Cleveland, MS. Born on Jan. 21, 1932, she attended Aberdeen High School. She married Troyce Travis Taylor on Christmas day 1949; they settled in Cleveland in 1972, both employed by DSU. She was postmistress and then assistant manager of the bookstore. Before retiring in 1996 after 22 years, Taylor received the H. L. Nowell Outstanding Support Staff Award. A member of St. Luke United Methodist Church, she enjoyed helping prepare and serve meals for church occasions and for the DSU Wesley Foundation. Taylor also was a Lioness, the women’s support group of the Cleveland Lions Club. Survivors include her husband of 69 years; daughter, DK Baria (Lance), of lnverness; granddaughter, Laura Henson (Chase), of Tupelo; sister, Judy Virginia Jaudon Raburn (Joe), of Broomfield, CO; Georgia Sanders (J.C.), of Raymond; three great-grandsons, and other kin.

• Adding student-athlete services • Enhancing athletics facilities • Providing championship rings & other recognition • Upgrading travel • Increasing recruitment • Offering staff professional development & leadership training 30 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

GIVE NOW DSU Foundation DSU Box 3141 Cleveland, MS 38733 (662) 846-4704 https://deltastategiving.org/ product/statesmen-club/

IN MEMORIAM Jean S. Bell ’72, Northport, AL, Aug. 9, 2019

1930s

ATTENDED

Sandra L. Gibson ’72, Natchez, MS, July 17, 2019

Velma L. White ’38 Union, MS, June 1, 2019

William Kirksey ’73, Jackson, MS, May 11, 2019

1940s

Jake Bellipanni ’74, Greenville, MS, July 4, 2019

Mac Abston, Monroe, LA, Oct. 8, 2018

John R. Henson II ’74, Greenville, MS, June 26, 2019

Thomas J. Ainsworth, Madison, MS, June 18, 2019

Mattie R. Valentine ’45, Clinton, MS, July 30, 2019

Gary Jordan ’74, Biloxi, MS, June 22, 2019

Jesse R. Allen, Tupelo, MS, July 4, 2019

Barney J. Allen ’48, Jackson, MS, July 4, 2019

Cassandra Dancy ’75, Mound Bayou, MS, June 9, 2019

William B. Barrett, Lebanon, TN, April 1, 2019

Edith M. Bailey ’49, Cleveland, MS, April 12, 2019

William R. Long ’77, Jackson, MS, June 8, 2019

James C. Bassie Sr., Greenwood, MS, May 12, 2019

Herman K. Smith ’49, Houston, MS, April 25, 2019

Nancy H. Neely ’77, Memphis, TN, May 9, 2019

Glenda L. Braswell, Cleveland, MS, June 12, 2019

Mary Alice Reed ’77, Gulfport, MS, June 6, 2018

Elizabeth G. Bryant, Germantown, TN, July 13, 2019

1950s

1980s

Gerald Burnett ’53, Midland, TX, June 27, 2015

Warren L. Burdine, Jenks, OK, Aug. 27, 2019 Susan C. Davis, Oxford, MS, July 2, 2019

Thomas Malone ’53, Crenshaw, MS, Aug. 4, 2019

Donald R. Swafford ’83, Cleveland, MS, June 29, 2019

Walter A. Ford, Greenville, MS, April 29, 2019

Laura B. Moody ’56, Cleveland, MS, Aug. 22, 2019

Michael R. Parker ’85, Merigold, MS, Aug. 26, 2019

Marvin D. Hairston, Peck, ID, Aug. 7, 2019

Martha S. Thames ’56, Mendenhall, MS, Aug. 11, 2019

Sarah R. Clary ’87, Carencro, LA, April 22, 2019

Owen M. Harris, Louisville, KY, April 18, 2019

Troy E. Daniel ’58, Starkville, MS, April 29, 2019

1990s

Terrell H. Griffis ’58, Meridian, MS, April 19, 2019 Marilynn Purdie ’59, Grenada, MS, Aug. 2, 2019

Mary E. Ranney ’92, Fort Worth, TX, Aug. 14, 2019

1960s

2000s

James C. Kelly ’62, Greenville, MS, April 19, 2019

Jason S. Carpenter ’03, Clarksdale, MS, June 30, 2019

Reba L. Ulm ’62, Vicksburg, MS, May 2, 2019

Wannetta F. Clowers ’07, Pine Bluff, AR, July 2, 2019

Mary Kathryn M. Lawrence ’64, Cleveland, MS, June 27, 2019

2010s

Ted R. Riley ’66, Clarkesville, GA, May 17, 2019 Dorothy L. Sharp ’66, Greenwood, MS, May 12, 2019 Don L. Bouler ’67, Marion, AL, Aug. 19, 2019 Ryan C. Grayson ’68, Laurel, MS, May 26, 2019

Kimberly J. Stevenson-Stuckey ’13, Memphis, TN, April 12, 2019 Matt Douglas McGregor Jr. ’18, Indianola, MS, Dec. 17, 2018

Edwin M. Hill, Salt Lake City, UT, May 14, 2019 Shelia D. Kirksey, Bellefontaine, MS, May 4, 2019 Betty G. Miller, Cleveland, MS, Aug. 19, 2019 Marjorie A. Sanford, Labelle, FL, Aug. 2, 2019 Annie L. Shaw, Ridgeland, MS, Apr. 14, 2019 Jacqueline S. Westbrook, Indianola, MS, Aug. 7, 2019 FACULTY/STAFF Gloria J. Enriquez, Cleveland, MS, July 7, 2019 Hugh T. Keenan, Atlanta, GA, June 9, 2019 Mary P. Shely, Winchester, KY, June 15, 2019 John D. Tiftickjian Jr., Cleveland, MS, June 19, 2019

Wayne E. Holmes ’68, Warner Robins, GA, June 3, 2019 Marilyn A. Castle ’69, Goodman, MS, June 19, 2019

FRIEND

GRADUATED (YEAR UNKNOWN)

Thomas E. Galbally ’69, Auburn, NY, April 18, 2019

Raymond Bass, Pagosa Springs, CO, June 3, 2019

Caem L. Hillman ’69, Biloxi, MS, May 12, 2019

Randy L. McMinn, Batesville, MS, June 8, 2019

Leslie Reid Fletcher, Indianola, MS, Jan. 19, 2018

Sandra S. McClarty ’69, Jupiter, FL, April 25, 2019

James T. Mitchell, Madison, MS, Aug. 15, 2019

Anna L. Schooler, Cleveland, MS, April 23, 2019

Glenn Sexton, Guntersville, AL, May 22, 2019

Jimmy Umfress, Tupelo, MS, Aug. 22, 2019

Keith A. Warren, Gulfport, MS, May 10, 2019

Paul Wright, Highland Home, AL, May 30, 2019

1970s Marion G. Davis ’71, Portland, OR, July 18, 2019

Helen Wesley, Cleveland, MS, April 2, 2019

WE WANT YOUR DSU ALUMNI UPDATES! Submit an item for Class Notes, Future Statesmen or Lady Statesmen, Marriages/Unions, or In Memoriam to alumni@deltastate.edu or DSU Box 3104, Cleveland, MS 38733.

Due to space limitations, listing priority in the “Class Notes/In Memoriam” section of the magazine will be given to dues-paying members of the Delta State University Alumni Association. The Alumni Association relies on numerous sources for “Class Notes” information and is unable to verify all notes.

Summer/Fall 2019 • Delta State Magazine • 31

MISSION STATEMENT Delta State Magazine informs, celebrates, and engages alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends of Delta State University.

ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Delta State Magazine is published by the Delta State University Advancement & External Relations twice a year: winter/spring and summer/fall. Views expressed in them do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff or Delta State policies. In an effort to reduce our environmental impact, we mail one edition per household.

DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY President, William N. LaForge ’72 UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS Rick Munroe, vice president Gregory Braggs Jr. ’15, ’19, communications & marketing web designer Lyle Cole ’13, senior foundation accountant Kimberly Crout ‘07, alumni senior secretary Leigh Emerson ‘94, manager of mailing and printing David Ferriss ‘04, academic affairs development officer Caroline George Fletcher ’15, communications and marketing

social media specialist James Forté ’18, annual fund director Terrence Liddell, printing service specialist Patricia Malone, communications and marketing senior secretary Dr. Nerma Moore, director of development Holly Ray ’06, communications and marketing graphic designer

(and alumni magazine art director) Amanda Robinson ’10, interim alumni director (and alumni magazine publisher) Dr. Lori Spencer ‘86, director of prospect development Campbell Saia ‘19, communications and marketing photographer/ videographer Peter Szatmary, communications and marketing director

(and alumni magazine editor) Paula Thompson ‘88, ‘00, director of advancement services Rhonda Williams ‘10, postal clerk Lizzie Woodard, director of donor relations

NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Patrick Davis ’96, president John Fletcher ’91, vice president Hays Collins ‘00, treasurer George Miller ’00, secretary Sayward Fortner ’04, past president Hank Ludwig ’00, district 1 Parker Lipscomb ’04, district 2 Libbi Logan ’99, district 2 Jeff Arnold ’92, district 3 Bradley Smith ’71, district 4 Courtney Davis ‘14, presidential appointee Renee Selby Deweese ’92, presidential appointee Tara Dunn ‘10, presidential appointee Brad Evans ‘87, presidential appointee Paul Mancini ’00, presidential appointee Kelvin Short ‘92, presidential appointee Tom Janoush ‘90, president of foundation board Larkin Simpson ‘02, non-resident Merritt Dain, DSU faculty or staff Johnny Arnold ‘58, golden circle president Kelly Smith ‘00, black alumni Matthew Mullins ‘07, young alumni Jessi Massey, SAA representative Elizabeth Swindle, SGA representative Shauna Allen ‘13, nursing constituent group appointee Lindsey Bragg ‘05, education constituent group appointee Howard Brown ‘96, accounting constituent group appointee Steven Hugley ‘12, music constituent group appointee Robert Robinson ‘95, art department constituent group appointee

DELTA STATE FOUNDATION, INC. Tom Janoush ’90, president; Anna Looney Dill ’74, ’88, vice president and trustee committee chair; Nan Sanders ’67, secretary and development committee chair; Hank Drake ’69, treasurer and finance committee chair; Tim Harvey ’80, past president; David Abney ’76, ’15; Miller Arant ’03, ’08; George Bassi ‘87; Dr. William Bell ’82; Anita Bologna; Dr. Walker Byars ’92; Cheryl Comans ’09; John Cox ’96; Patrick Davis ’96, Alumni Association president; McKay Dockery; Dr. Doty Farmer ’92; Earnest Hart ’77; Brian Henry ‘99; Leslie Jenkins ‘93; Peter Jernberg ’65, ’67, ’71; Arthur Johnston ’89; Edward Kossman III ’94; Andy Lee ‘98; Ned Mitchell ’62; Ken Mullins Jr. ’87; Richard Myers Jr. ‘91; Billy Nowell ’72; Randy Randall; Rodney Scaife ’91; Hugh Smith ‘70; Anne Wynn Weissinger ’81, ’15; Margaret White ‘75; Dr. Bennie Wright ’74, ’75; William N LaForge, president, ex-officio; Eckward McKnight, faculty representative, ex-officio; Jamie Rutledge ’84, vice president for finance and administration, ex-officio.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR DELTA STATE NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CORPORATE SPONSORS

OKRA LEVEL

STATESMEN LEVEL

GREEN LEVEL

Delta State Magazine contact information: DSU Box 3104 | 1003 West Sunflower Road | Cleveland, MS 38733 | alumni@deltastate.edu or foundation@deltastate.edu | Phone: (662) 846-4660 Send address changes and class notes, in memoriam, future Statesmen and Lady Statesmen, marriages/unions, and Okra Outings to alumni@deltastate.edu or to DSU Box 3104, Cleveland , MS 38733 Send letters, questions, comments, and ideas to alumni@deltastate.edu Copyright @ 2019 by Delta State University. Delta State University is an equal access, equal opportunity, and affirmative action institution.

32 • Delta State Magazine • Summer/Fall 2019

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