features
2
Spring 2009 | Volume 85 | Number 1 USPS 354-520
Justices for all | page
The People’s University
Four MSU graduates—Bill Waller Jr., George Carlson, Jess Dickinson, and David Chandler—hold seats on the state’s highest court. Each credits the Mississippi State experience with being life-shaping.
President
10
Mark E. Keenum (’83, ’84, ’88)
Retirement? Not quite for Roy Ruby | page
Alumni Association Executive Director and Associate Vice President, Development and Alumni
After more than four decades in various student affairs positions, along with several years as education dean, Roy H. Ruby thought he was retiring from Mississippi State in 2004. But, the university had other plans.
12
Jimmy W. Abraham (’75, ’77)
Capital success with State of the Future campaign | page
Vice President for Development and Alumni
State of the Future was the largest and most successful fundraising effort in MSU’s 131-year history. In all, nearly 60,000 alumni and friends of the university contributed toward the effort.
John P. Rush (’94, ’02)
Mississippi State Alumnus is published three times a year by the Office of University Relations and the Mississippi State University Alumni Association at Mississippi State, Miss. Send address changes to Alumni Director, P.O. Box AA, Mississippi State, MS 397625526; telephone 662-325-7000; or e-mail fcarr@advservices.msstate.edu.
Editorial offices: 102 George Hall, P.O. Box 5325, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5325 Telephone, 662-325-3442 Fax, 662-325-7455 E-mail, snowa@ur.msstate.edu www.msstate.edu
Tall tales unite MSU graduates | page
United by a common passion for local history, two graduates of Mississippi State seemingly have spent a lifetime together in two years.
A special reunion | page
18
Richard Shields, 67 years old and retired from a successful career, just completed a college degree at MSU. It’s not something he planned to put off for 50 years. Life just happened that way.
Pecking order changes in poultry world | page
Contact Libba Andrews at 662-325-7000 or landrews@alumni.msstate.edu.
Editor Allen Snow (’76)
Associate Editor Designers Mary Howell (’93) Judy Smith
Photographers Russ Houston (’85) Megan Bean Kristen Hines Baker Kenny Billings
Mississippi State University Alumni Association National Officers Andrew D. Hunt (’70), national president Charles A. Cascio (’79), national first vice president Karen Dugard Lawler (’83, ’94), national second vice president Jodi L. White (’97, ’99), national treasurer David W. Jones (’81), immediate past president
20
When Ryn Laster McDonald was earning her Mississippi State degree in poultry science in 1993, she was among only two women in the program that began at the university in 1946. Today, females make up more than a third of the 42 majors.
Advertising:
Kay Fike Jones
16
Campus news...................23 Alumni news. .....................29 Athletic news................... 36 Foundation news........ 38 Class news. ..........................42 In memoriam.................... 46 On the cover: When David A. Chandler was elected to the Mississippi Supreme Court last November, he became the fourth Bulldog to currently serve on that venerable panel. Photo by Russ Houston. Features photo by Megan Bean.
Justices for all
By Maridith Walker Geuder Photos by Megan Bean, Kristen HInes & Russ Houston
Justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court
Chief Justice William L. “Bill� Waller Jr., MSU, 1974 Presiding Justice George C. Carlson Jr., MSU, 1969 Presiding Justice James E. Graves Jr. Associate Justice Jess H. Dickinson, MSU, 1978 Associate Justice Michael K. Randolph Associate Justice Ann H. Lamar Associate Justice James W. Kitchens Associate Justice David A. Chandler, MSU, 1972, 1974, 1988 Associate Justice Randy G. Pierce For more about the Mississippi Supreme Court, see http://www.mssc.state.ms.us/.
2 Alumnus Spring 2009
Four MSU grads serve on state’s
top court Even as a child, Bill Waller Jr., knew he wanted to be a lawyer. His dad, who would become the 55th governor of Mississippi in 1972, practiced law in Jackson, and the younger Waller would clean his father’s offices at night and do other chores, anything to hang around and absorb the day-to-day realities of the practice. “I was around when my dad, who was then a local prosecutor, tried the Byron de la Beckwith case in 1964,” Waller recalls. “It fascinated me.” That case, which sought a guilty verdict for the 1963 murder of civil rights activist Medgar Evers, ended in two hung juries. It would take until 1994 for a guilty verdict to be rendered. Regardless of the ups and downs he observed, the junior Waller was never deterred from his goal. “I wanted to have a general practice, with a view of going into public service,” he said. Last January, the 57-year-old Waller, who practiced law with his dad’s firm for more than 20 years, was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court. “My dad is a major legal mentor in my life,” he said. “He had a great work ethic, along with a genuine desire to help people.”
Bill Waller Jr., has followed his legal dream all the way to the highest position on the state’s highest court. One of nine justices elected for eightyear terms, he is among four Mississippi State University graduates who compose “the court of last resort.” Together, the justices review decisions of law and fact made by the state’s trial courts. Appeals heard by the court range from death penalty cases and constitutionality challenges to bond issues and utility rates. Decisions of the chancery, circuit and county courts, as well as the state Court of Appeals, may be appealed to the Supreme Court. Waller, a 1974 business graduate, shares judicial responsibilities with fellow justices who include alumni George Carlson [B.S., ’69], presiding justice; Jess Dickinson [B.S., ’78], associate justice; and David Chandler [B.S., ’72; M.S., ’74; Ed.D., ’88], associate justice. Each credits the Mississippi State University experience with being lifeshaping and helping define a profession that each justice, in his own way, believes is a calling.
Alumnus Spring 2009
3
A Murrah High School graduate, Waller chose Mississippi State because it could give him a diversity of background and experience. “I knew I would probably attend law school at Ole Miss, and I thought it would be good to broaden my educational exposure,” he laughed. A childhood friend and Sunday school teacher at Clark Creek Baptist Church in Lafayette County also influenced his decision. “Mr. Ed Briscoe had graduated in the 1930s, and he encouraged me to take a look at Mississippi State,” he recalls. “I was the first in my family to attend MSU.” His wife Charlotte has two education degrees from Mississippi State, and daughter Jeannie, elected 2004 Miss MSU, earned a degree in English.
After deciding as a freshman to change his major from political science, Waller opted for a business degree. “It’s helped me understand the financial aspects of most legal cases,” he said. “I took every tax course offered because it was taught like a law school course. We studied the tax code itself, and cases interpreting the code.” From his most memorable business and history courses to involvement in student organizations, Waller took advantage of every opportunity Mississippi State presented. “At MSU, I was exposed to one of the best educations anywhere,” he said. In addition to classes taught by professors such as Billy Simmons and Bill Cross in business, D. Clayton James in history, and Thomas Handy and Tom Sawyer in political science, Waller said his Army ROTC experiences taught
“Mississippi State is where I matured and, eventually, because of great professors, decided on law.” - Carlson
4 Alumnus Spring 2009
George C. Carlson Jr.
Bill Waller Jr.
Waller
him one of the most valuable lessons of his life. “I was in the Counter-Guerillas, a special operations unit [now the Rangers], and it was pretty demanding,” he recounts. “I participated in just about every organization I could, including the student senate, and about halfway through my first semester I thought, ‘this is just too much.’ But in order to earn the ‘guerilla’ tab, you had to stay in the program an entire year and pass the physical and educational prerequisites. “I told my instructor, Lt. Col. Sam Thornton, a World War II veteran, that I was thinking about calling it quits.” Waller continued, “Col. Thornton told me, ‘You’ve got to finish what you start. If you start something, you always need to finish.’” It was, Waller said, “one of the most important life lessons I’ve learned anywhere.” Not only did he stick with it—the Guerilla
Unlike Waller, presiding justice George Carlson said, “I had no idea I wanted to be a lawyer.” In fact, even after arriving at Mississippi State following his 1964 graduation from South Panola High School, he had a hard time deciding what direction his studies would take. “I fell in love with the Mississippi State campus and with the people, and I thought I’d major in aeronautical engineering because I had had such a good high school math teacher,” he recalls. “In orientation, I decided that wasn’t for me, and I got into pre-med.”
Carls
tab is framed and hanging in his office— Waller later rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Mississippi National Guard. In 1999, Mississippi State’s Army ROTC program named him its top alumnus. That foundational experience, teaching the value of commitment, has stayed with Waller throughout his career as a lawyer, municipal judge and state Supreme Court
Bill Waller Jr.
Carlson perhaps had an idea of following in the footsteps of his father, who had begun practicing medicine in 1939 in Sunflower County, moving to Batesville in 1946 when young Carlson was 6 months old. He practiced there the rest of his life. But the dream just didn’t feel right. “After my freshman year, I wasn’t enjoying my courses at all, and I told my dad that,” Carlson said. His father offered the young Carlson some advice that helped him change direction entirely. “He told me to do what I really wanted to do.” Carlson found his true interest once he began taking political science and history courses. “Professors D. Clayton James, Harold Snellgrove and Glover Moore were huge influences,” he said. “I also
son
“Our goal—and our responsibility— is to administer justice fairly and efficiently.”
justice. He has served on the court since 1998, and was re-elected in 2004. “To be a good judge, you have to be able to remove personal prejudices, thoughts, and desires to evaluate fairly and follow the law based on the facts as presented,” he explained. “Our goal—and our responsibility—is to administer justice fairly and efficiently.”
- Waller
George C. Carlson Jr.
had a constitutional history professor who had been a judge in Alabama. That, and service on the campus judicial council, prompted me to think about law school.” Carlson initially considered graduate school, but opted in 1969 following his MSU graduation for Ole Miss Law School. “When I entered law school, there were more Mississippi State grads than Ole Miss grads in my class,” he laughs. In addition to building the foundation of an interest in law and history, Carlson credits Mississippi State with providing an environment to grow and mature, through academic, social and service opportunities. “When you’re in that kind of environment, the whole world opens up to you,” he said. “You have to start making
grown-up decisions. Mississippi State is where I matured and, eventually, because of great professors, decided on law.” But the medical background sometimes still creeps into his language, even unconsciously. Being a Supreme Court justice, he says, is something akin to being an emergency room doctor. “A loved one may be on the operating table, and the family is distraught and running around,” he explains. “They want the doctor to be calm and focused and to use his training.” Justices, he said, must maintain the same calm even in the face of trying circumstances. “We know our decisions are final and affect a lot of people,” he said. “We try to use our experience,
Alumnus Spring 2009
5
George C. Carlson Jr.
continued background and training, to know the record, to know the law.” Carlson served for 19 years as a circuit judge for the 17th District (DeSoto, Panola, Tallahatchie, Tate, and Yalobusha counties) before being appointed to the Supreme Court in 2001 by then-Gov. Ronnie Musgrove to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Justice Michael P. Mills.
He was elected in 2004 to serve an eight-year term, and in January became one of two presiding justices. Since 2001, he has served continuously on the Court’s Rules Committee, and in 2009 became chair of the court’s newly created Rules Committee on Practice and Procedure. In 2003, he received the Chief Justice Award for his work in the rules area.
A judge’s role, he says, is to “attempt to apply the law fairly. Sometimes it’s not a pleasant decision or a popular decision.” Carlson, who in his spare time is the play-by-play announcer for South Panola High School football, says there’s comfort in knowing you’re part of a team. “You know eight other justices are looking at the same cases you are.”
Carlson Dicki Jess H. Dickinson
Jess H. Dickinson
6 Alumnus Spring 2009
Jess Dickinson’s path to the law took him from the Mississippi Delta to Starkville, with detours through California and Arkansas, and a final destination in the state where it all began. Along the way, there was a near-career in music, one of his lifelong interests. Perhaps his earliest and most profound Mississippi State influence was his grandfather. “My grandparents in Charleston, Miss., raised me,” he said. “My grandfather, who was born in 1895, lived in Old Main and attended Mississippi A&M just before World War I.” If it seemed a given that he would attend Mississippi State, the course of his life once he got there was anything but determined. “When I arrived at MSU, I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do,” he said. He began studies in general business and then switched to accounting. Meanwhile, he was playing
“But to use your knowledge and your skills in this role is a privilege as well as a responsibility.” - Dickinson
inson in a late-’60s band called the Chancellors, opening for acts such as B.J. Thomas— “before he was famous”—and playing for sorority and fraternity parties. After a year and a half of studies, he jumped at a chance to go to California to play music and, when he gave that up, moved to Arkansas, where his father lived. He worked his way up from a dishwasher at a local restaurant to general manager. It was the beginning of the disco craze in California, and one of Dickinson’s restaurant managers convinced him the time was right for a disco in Little Rock. “It was a huge success,” Dickinson recalls. Dickinson later opened discos in Meridian, Hattiesburg and McComb. The Little Rock restaurant manager, David Corriveau, headed for Dallas, where he opened the first of a now-legendary chain called Dave and Buster’s. But back to Mississippi. Dickinson decided to return to Mississippi State, where he majored in accounting and said he found “a special atmosphere and a
special tie.” The MSU memorabilia in his office, scattered among volumes of law books, is a testament that the bond remains. Buckling down to his studies on his return to college, he discovered that he wanted to study law. “I guess I always wanted to be a lawyer; I just didn’t know it,” he jokes. Following his 1978 graduation, he started law school at the University of Mississippi. His first son Sam was born the night before he started his first law school class, and with a wife and new baby, Dickinson took his studies seriously. “I went to school for 27 straight months without a break and spent a lot of time studying,” says the cum laude graduate who also was on the editorial board of the Mississippi Law Journal. “My wife was a big help and support.” Following a 20-year practice on the Gulf Coast and service as a Forrest and Perry counties circuit court judge, Dickinson began an eight-year term on the Supreme Court in 2004. He sees his role now as “a different calling.”
It is, as he describes it, a calling with a great responsibility. “If we don’t get it right, there’s no one else looking over our shoulders.” Every death penalty case is difficult, he says, as are cases involving children. “But to use your knowledge and your skills in this role is a privilege as well as a responsibility.” Dickinson, who was awarded the Chief Justice Award during his first year on the court for advancing the administration of justice, has made improving access to justice a central issue. He is the court’s liaison to organizations providing legal services to the poor, and is a charter member of the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission. “My concern now is to make this system work for everyone,” he said. “We can’t as a court sit back and let the rich have justice and the poor not have justice. We have a unique opportunity to influence, for good, our profession.”
Alumnus Spring 2009
7
David A. Chandler
The newest member of the court is the one who came to law as the oldest student. David A. “Tony” Chandler, whose investiture as a justice was held on the MSU campus Jan. 26, entered law school when he was 41, following a career in education. After graduation from Weir High School in 1964, Chandler entered Mississippi State. One of eight children, he had to find a job to pay his way through college. “I worked at a steel company in Ackerman after classes and saved my money,” he recounts. “I was able to work up to a really good job that let me set my own hours so I could study.” Not content with just a bachelor’s degree, he continued his MSU studies,
Chan Justices (l-r) Lamar, Carlson, Waller, Dickinson and Kitchens at Mississippi State for the investiture of Justice David Chandler.
From left, Dickinson, Chandler, Waller and Carlson stand in the en banc courtroom of the Carroll Gartin Justice Building.
8 Alumnus Spring 2009
earning both a master’s and a doctorate in education. All the while, he continued to work and to save his money. “I didn’t owe a dime when I finished at Mississippi State,” he said with pride. His dissertation had focused on the effect of teaching work values to junior high school students, so he found himself at the Research and Curriculum Unit at Mississippi State, where for 10 years he worked as a curriculum specialist. The unit, part of the College of Education, works to improve career and technical education, as well as workforce development in the state. But 20 years into his educational career, his mother’s unrealized dreams had a profound influence on him. “I learned that she had always wanted to be a lawyer,” Chandler said. Never afraid to take on a challenge, he studied for the Law School
Admissions Test and did well, going on to earn his law degree at Ole Miss. The educator became an attorney, practicing both in Tupelo and in Ackerman, his current home. “I went to law school with the notion that it would be a retirement job,” he explained. But in 2000, he sought a position on the Court of Appeals when Judge Thomas A. Coleman of Ackerman retired. While serving on the appeals court, he continued his education by earning a master of laws degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, taking coursework over three summers. He was the first Mississippi Court of Appeals judge to complete the program. Last November, Chandler was elected to the state’s highest court, and when he was formally invested on his beloved MSU campus, his mother was sitting in the front row. The addition
ndler
Appellate Court Chief Leslie D. King (l) swears in Justice Chandler as Chandler’s wife Glenda looks on.
of yet another MSU alumnus to the distinguished court, convened in Lee Hall auditorium, led Rodger Wilder, president of the Mississippi Bar Association, to quip during his formal comments that “the court has gone to the Dogs.” But these Bulldogs wear the judicial robes with dignity and a sense of duty to those whom they serve. “Every case is challenging,” Chandler says. “We’re often looking at questions that haven’t been answered before.” And, he adds, the justices are aware that “this is the last stop for the litigants.” While a relative newcomer, he says he is impressed with the level of care and reasoning given to each case. “No litigant needs to worry about getting a thorough review.”
“Every case is challenging, we’re often looking at questions that haven’t been answered before.” - Chandler
Alumnus Spring 2009
9
Retirement? Not quite for By Maridith Walker Geuder Photo by Russ Houston
10 Alumnus Spring 2009
Roy Ruby
After more than four decades in various student affairs positions, along with several years as education dean, Roy H. Ruby may have thought he was retiring from Mississippi State in 2004. The gregarious, longtime university vice president was called back to work last October when the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning, asked him to assume duties as interim president of the land-grant institution. “I didn’t want to do it,” Ruby recalled recently, with a laugh. He quickly added that the College Board request also was a high honor to serve his alma mater. The second generation Bulldog held the chief executive role until the university’s 19th president, Mark Keenum— appointed by the board in November—formally assumed the position Jan. 5. While at the helm, Ruby steered MSU through several significant events, including the naming of a new football coach. “This institution owes a great debt to Roy Ruby for his selfless and continuing service,” Keenum said. “He has been, and continues to be, a loyal Bulldog who always places Mississippi State first.” Keenum said Ruby continues to be a vital resource and counselor whose “vast knowledge is something I value highly.” Ruby began his MSU career in 1964 as director of the student union after graduating in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. After going on to earn an MSU master’s degree in 1966, also in political science, he began moving up the campus administrative ladder. While working in the Division of Student Affairs, he earned a doctorate in higher education and student personnel at the University of Mississippi. College Board President Amy Whitten echoed Keenum in expressing high praise for Ruby’s latest MSU role. “When the Board of Trustees
needed him, Dr. Ruby immediately answered the call to service,” she said. “We are grateful to his unwavering dedication to his beloved university and to the State of Mississippi.” Board member and MSU alumnus Ed Blakeslee, who has known Ruby since their undergraduate days, said he wasn’t surprised “at all” that his friend took on the challenge. “I have always had the highest regard for Roy and everything he has done for the university and for the state over the years,” Blakeslee said. “His commitment and passion have left an indelible mark on the institution as he exemplifies the spirit and heart that is Mississippi State.” Widely known for his love of a good rocking chair, Ruby still hasn’t settled down to rock away his days since passing the presidential mantle on to Keenum. He continues to work with Mitchell Memorial Library’s archives department in collecting a series of oral history interviews of current and former longtime employees. “Dr. Ruby is helping the library document the contributions of many individuals who have been important to the life of Mississippi State,” said Dean of Libraries Frances N. Coleman. “He’s perfectly suited for the role and we hope his service continues long into the future.” To date, Ruby has completed about 30 interviews, including all living former presidents and vice presidents, as well as many deans, faculty members and department heads, and others. There are many more at every level of service on his list, he said. The onetime Mississippi Delta resident, also known for his distinctive drawl and self-effacing wit, currently spends additional “retirement” time leading campus tours for special groups upon request and speaking frequently to student groups. “I’m going to keep going as long as they need me,” he said.
“I’m going to keep going as long as they need me.”
Alumnus Spring 2009 11
State of the Future University experiences capital success with
campaign By Amy D. Cagle
With an ambition to bring the institution into the fold of the top 50 public universities across the nation, Mississippi State launched a comprehensive capital campaign mid-way through 2001. The goal was to achieve at least $400 million in private gifts. The highly successful State of the Future: The Mississippi State Campaign climaxed in December 2008 with a staggering $462,503,395 in gifts and pledges of future support. State of the Future was the largest and most successful fundraising effort in the institution’s 131-year history. Alumni, friends, foundations and corporations came together with unprecedented generosity to provide opportunities for Mississippi State students of tomorrow. The State of the Future theme was selected to convey the advanced level of progress Mississippi State desired to achieve as it worked to secure the means to transition into the future. “Mississippi State is tremendously thankful for the great outpouring of support from alumni and friends over the past few years that made the campaign such a resounding success. The investments in scholarships, endowed faculty positions, facilities, and programs already are making this a stronger university and will pay dividends for many years to come,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. State of the Future began its “silent” phase in July 2001, and was publicly announced in October 2004 with $200 million in leadership commitments already in hand. The effort was initiated by a 15-member volunteer steering committee led by alumnus Richard C. Adkerson, president and CEO of Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. He is currently
Honors students take advantage of the livinglearning environment of Griffis Hall where they are part of the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College. The college is one of three academic units endowed with campaign gifts.
12 Alumnus Spring 2009
Nearly 60,000 alumni and friends contributed toward the effort. Forty-seven percent were first-time contributors to the university.
serving his third term as president of the MSU Foundation board of directors. State of the Future surpassed its $400 million goal in December 2007, a full year ahead of schedule. On December 31, 2008, the campaign capped off its seven-year run with a flurry of activity. The State of the Future campaign was designed to support Mississippi State’s academic mission and benefit virtually every facet of the university. Specifically, State of the Future is making possible: • $88.3 million for academic scholarships and fellowships; • $44.6 million for faculty positions; • $42.8 million for new and renovated facilities; • $53.3 million for educational and other program enhancements; and • $233.5 million for college and other annual support. In all, nearly 60,000 alumni and friends of the university contributed toward the effort. Forty-seven percent of those donors were first time contributors to the university. All outright gifts, pledges and deferred gifts for Mississippi State, including those to athletics, were counted in gift totals over the course of the campaign. “MSU’s future is brighter and its ability to provide leadership and service has been substantially strengthened by the generosity of thousands of individuals who recognize and value the contributions the institution makes to Mississippi and the nation,” Keenum added. Mississippi State experienced tremendous growth of fundraising efforts
The Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building was funded through both state appropriations and private contributions. The department offers teaching programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering.
during the campaign which now has far-reaching impact. Several major
The Leo W. Seal Family Business Complex, a 52,000-square-foot addition to McCool Hall, was built with a cornerstone gift from the Seal family of Gulfport, along with other campaign contributions.
A multi-million-dollar commitment from the Riley Foundation funded the renovation of the 1890 Grand Opera House of Mississippi, transforming the Meridian facility into the impressive Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts, a valuable outreach tool for Mississippi State.
Alumnus Spring 2009 13
State of the Future “
sparked seven of the highest giving years for the university,” John P. Rush Vice president for development and alumni
academic units were named by way of endowments–including the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering, the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College and the Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy in the College of Business.
The Inaugural class of Presidential Endowed Scholars received full four-year scholarships as the result of endowments.
“State of the Future sparked seven of the highest giving years for the university,” said John P. Rush, vice president for development and alumni. “The campaign ignited an unprecedented surge in the university’s growth and development as more individuals grew to understand the importance of supporting the institution for the first time and through careful gift planning,” he added. The effects of the State of the Future campaign now ripple through campus and will linger for generations.
The Hunter Henry Center now serves as headquarters of the MSU Alumni Association and the MSU Foundation. The unique facility was set in motion by a lead gift from engineering alumnus Hunter W. Henry Jr. A host of other alumni and friends shared his vision.
Mississippi State made great strides in scholarship growth during the campaign. The university welcomed and graduated its inaugural class of Presidential Endowed Scholars, a group of elite students who were recipients of full four-year scholarships. A number of donors established endowments for this prestigious ongoing program which offers mentoring and study abroad opportunities. Two additional programs tailored for students from certain economic backgrounds made their debut during State of the Future. The Mississippi State Promise Awards and the Medallion Scholarships provide need-based financial awards for students. Along with success from specific initiatives, individual annual scholarships flourished in virtually all academic disciplines across the university. Gifted students need exceptional mentors and Mississippi State is working to attract top scholars in their fields as teachers and researchers. Nationwide, faculty salaries are very competitive and endowments earmarked for faculty positions will enable Mississippi State to hire and retain researchers and scholars who can challenge students and shape the learning experience. The State of the Future campaign ushered in 26 new faculty
14 Alumnus Spring 2009
MSU engineering students can now receive an undergraduate and graduate education from a named engineering college because of an endowment established by James W. and Jean Bagley.
2008-09 class of Presidential Endowed Scholars
positions, bringing the total number of endowed chairs and professorships to 47 university-wide. Other goals of the State of the Future campaign focused on improvements of the campus infrastructure. New facilities and lasting restorations of exist-
The Cullis Wade Depot at The Junction was designed to resemble a railroad station. The $8.5 million structure, partially funded by alumnus Cullis Wade, houses a clock museum, the MSU Welcome Center and a Barnes & Noble Bookstore.
ing facilities were completed with campaign gifts or a combination of private and public support. The campaign also sought resources for educational programs vital to ensuring the national competitiveness of graduates from each of the university’s eight academic colleges. “The MSU Foundation is extremely pleased with the outcome of State of the Future and the way the campaign shaped the university by moving it further toward entering the ranks of the nation’s top 50 universities. Despite the success of State of the Future, we will not be complacent in our fundraising efforts during these current economic conditions,” Rush said. On the horizon for the MSU Foundation is moving forward with two new programs for real estate giving—Bulldog Properties and the Bulldog Forest. Efforts to build an endowment for perpetual care of the campus grounds and targeting gifts for the university’s permanent endowment are also on the list of priorities. In addition, the MSU Foundation currently is planning an initiative for raising additional private funds for strategic needs. Find out more about supporting Mississippi State through private gifts by visiting www.msufoundation.com. Additional State of the Future coverage continues on page 40.
Davis Wade Stadium at historic Scott Field was enlarged to incorporate sky boxes and new club level seating. A contribution in excess of $8 million from the late F. Davis Wade Sr., along with self-generated funds, funded the expansion.
Alumnus Spring 2009 15
U S M e t i n
u
s e t a u d a r g
le reazea
B y Linda b s o t o d ph
n Story a
Tom Wilburn’s memories of growing up on an East Mississippi plantation, attending Mississippi State College and plunging headlong into the harness racing industry are the types of tales Jeannine Smith is eager to record.
g cumentin ith are do m S e in n ean ie land. urn and J Tom Wilb f Mississippi’s prair o the history
16 Alumnus Spring 2009
United by a common passion for local history, these two graduates of Mississippi State spent a lifetime together in two years. Smith, who received a master’s degree from MSU in industrial technology in 1995 and a doctorate in education in 2001, began researching for a book on Artesia, her adopted hometown, in 2005. “Every time I asked someone about the history of Artesia, they would tell me I needed to talk to Tom Wilburn,” Smith said. “So I started going to see him whenever I found a newspaper article that needed more explanation.” With his help, Smith now knows more about the Lowndes County town than her hometown of French Camp. In fact, she probably knows more about Artesia than most of its natives. After a few of those fact-finding visits, Wilburn called Smith with his own request. A decade earlier, his brother had encouraged him to begin tape recording “family tales” and other stories for posterity. With nearly 20 hours of tape, he needed help to make it into a book. For the next six to eight months, Smith and Wilburn spent several
hours together most Saturdays while he told his tales. The book, Tales of Tom Wilburn, compiles personal stories and photos of life in Mississippi’s prairie land and of the early days of harness-horse racing across the United States and Mexico. Set largely in the first half of the 20th century, Smith’s and Wilburn’s work records insights into the events and challenges of a member of one of Lowndes County’s oldest families. Wilburn’s family settled Smith Oaks Plantation in 1837. “I firmly believe in the old proverb that states, ‘When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground,’” Smith said. “Mr. Wilburn has a rare gift for storytelling and a remarkable memory. I’m glad we were able to work together to record them in a book.” The oral history takes readers from Wilburn’s initial efforts to manage the family land shortly after he graduated in 1940 from then-Mississippi State College through the career decisions that took him in his great-uncle’s footsteps as a harness-horse trainer. They include stories that earned him a place in the Illinois Harness Racing Hall of Fame, and his “tales” passed down from Civil War veterans and prairie residents from the late 1800s. After initially attending Mississippi State, Wilburn briefly attended West Point Military Academy before returning to the state college in 1936. His parents believed strongly in higher education, and they hoped a degree in animal husbandry would help their son make a living on the family farm. But his eyes twinkle as he reflects on his college memories in what he described as a “joyful period” of his life. “I learned survival,” he said. “Upperclassmen were really tough on freshmen. We tried to avoid them, and when we couldn’t, we tried to come up with ways to retaliate.” One of Wilburn’s first paying jobs was picking sweet potatoes on the college’s North Farm for 35 cents an hour. The best jobs were working in the cafeteria. After graduation, the struggle to make ends meet caused him to feel a tug in a different direction from raising cattle on the family farm. Harness racing offered, he thought, a better return on his effort.
“Having a college education helped me when I got into the harness racing business. I knew how to meet and talk to a variety of people,” he said. “But even in the harness business, like in college, when you start out, you entered on the bottom of the pile.” Success came slowly for Wilburn’s stables, but it came. “In 1940, I was the only harness racer in Mississippi, and it stayed that way for about 10 years,” Wilburn said. “By 1952, we were starting to get recognition in the industry. The racing money helped keep the farm in business.” Through the 1960s and into the early 1970s, Wilburn would host a free, harness-racing event on Smith Oaks Plantation in an effort to give back to the community he loved. He estimated as many as 5,000 people would attend at the peak of the annual event’s popularity. Smith is also motivated by a love for the community. She brakes her car as she turns onto Smith Oaks Plantation and again as she tours the city streets of Artesia to draw attention to a point of interest. “When I look around, I don’t see what’s here now; I see what was,” she said. “I hope people read Tom’s tales and get a glimpse into our past and the history of this area.” Smith wants the book to serve as a sort of time capsule for future generations. “Time capsules help people look back on what was going on at a particular time that no longer exists. The collections also reflect a desire by one generation to be remembered by a future generation,” Smith added.
Wilburn h as lo keen intere ng maintained a st in harne ss racing.
Alumnus Spring 2009 17
Over Mother’s Day weekend this May, Richard Shields held a family reunion to
honor his late mother who died some 20 years ago. It was a celebration where memories came alive and new stories revealed the many life changes among family members who gathered.
A special re
By Harriet Laird Photo by Megan Bean
Shields, who is 67, definitely had a
new story to tell. He remembered his late
though they were gracious enough not to make a big deal of it,” he said.
Deborah Eakins, MSU assistant
psychology professor, said, “Richard’s
mother, Erma, a longtime school teacher
Shields could have chosen a university
and educator, with the announcement to
closer to home, but the Moss Point native
enhanced our class discussions. He
his family that he’s completed a college
and resident said through MSU’s distance
frequently challenged my thinking with
degree from Mississippi State.
education program he could complete
his thoughtful questions.”
It’s not something he planned to put off for 50 years. Life just happened that way. “I was three hours from graduating,
a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary
insight due to his work experience always
When comparing distance learning to
studies by taking only five classes. In the
a face-to-face classroom environment,
fall of 2008, he enrolled in a cognitive
Shields claimed that there wasn’t much
and I got a job offer from Mutual of
psychology and public relations course,
difference.
New York Life Insurance Co. that I just
and this spring he finished a mass media,
couldn’t turn down,” Shields explained.
interviewing, and communications course.
who want to follow up, and want to make
Shields, who retired from Northrop
sure they’re getting the message across to
While he claims that the lack of the
“Instructors who want to be responsive,
three hours has never had any detrimental
Grumman Corp. in 2005, particularly
students are going to be good in whatever
effect on him, his family, or his career, he
enjoyed the psychology class because he
delivery mode they use to teach,” he said.
has always felt that there was something
could associate some of the curriculum
left undone.
to his work as the company’s information
to in online learning was the flexibility,
technology program director.
saying it was nice not to be bound to a
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve placed more value on doing things correctly. I felt I hadn’t been the example I wanted
He explained, “We had done some work in artificial
Another advantage Shields pointed
particular time in a particular day. Three of the five instructors also used podcasts
to be to other people, and it
intelligence from a
as a delivery mode for their classroom
was something that particularly
software perspective,
lectures, making it “as close to the
bothered my parents, even
and the theories behind
classroom environment as you’ll find”
cognitive psychology
with distance education.
Shields remembered his late mother Erma this Mother’s Day with the announcement to family members that he’s completed his bachelor’s degree from MSU at age 67.
18 Alumnus Spring 2009
were akin to some of the issues we faced.”
Shields didn’t dwell on many negatives about this type of learning environment.
Shields said that as he’s gotten older, he’s placed more value on doing things the right way, like gathering with extended family and teaching his grandchildren the importance of getting a college degree.
eunion “The biggest difference was the lack of
immediate interaction between the instructor
and me. Questions had to be resolved through e-mail or weekly chat sessions, and sometimes that was difficult–trying to remember the question and what brought it about,” he said. When asked if he would consider enrolling in more courses from MSU in the future, he admitted he has thought about it, but he’s limited by the online course variety and being 250 miles away from campus. “I’ve gotten more goal oriented than I was when I was younger, so if I got particularly interested in a field I might consider graduate work,” the grandfather of two said. “At some point down the road, my grandchildren will know that I have a college degree. I may not have gotten it the best way, and, hopefully, they’ll see it as a lesson to get their education the right way,” he said. And, he hopes his mother, a devoted librarian, knows he didn’t settle for what he called “mediocrity.” Shields said, “She gave all of us some valuable life lessons, and one of the most memorable was to value education and learning.”
Standing outside MSU’s Colvard Student Union, Shields makes a rare stop at the Starkville campus, having completed his bachelor’s degree through distance education courses since his home is some 250 miles away in Moss Point.
Alumnus Spring 2009 19
When
Ryn Laster McDonald
was earning her
Mississippi State degree in poultry science in 1993, she was among only two women in the program that began at the university in 1946. Today, females make up more than a third of the 42 majors, according to Michael Kidd, department head. The increase is credited, in part, to the academic major’s job placement, which, at 100 percent, couldn’t be much better. That’s right, even in these tough economic times, all MSU graduates find jobs—and most get two or more offers each. According to Kidd, there are plenty of jobs to be had. The poultry industry is Mississippi’s top agricultural income producer, exceeding $2.32 billion in sales in 2008.
Ryn Laster McDonald, left, and Yvonne Vizzier Thaxton pose in front of a South Farm poultry research facility with one of the resident egg layers.
20 Alumnus Spring 2009
The industry employs nearly 25,000 people directly, with another 23,000 indirect jobs created. Wages and salaries paid to poultry employees exceed $1 billion. If those facts weren’t enough, consider that Jackson is home to Cal-Maine Foods Inc., the world’s largest egg processor and Wal-Mart’s biggest supplier of eggs. The job security was what drew McDonald to poultry science after earning an earlier bachelor’s degree in English in 1991. Her first degree was a direct influence of her mother, who writes English textbooks. Attending MSU was not a question. “I didn’t know you could go somewhere else,” she said, laughing. After completing the English degree, McDonald en-
“I came (to poultry science) for the jobs, but I found out I am passionate about it,”
McDonald said.
By Kay Fike Jones Photos by Kristen Hines Baker tered law school at the University of Mississippi. Once she
passionate about the industry.” That passion led the Ray-
enrolled, she soon concluded the law just wasn’t the career
mond native to earn not only another bachelor’s degree,
she wanted.
but master’s and doctoral degrees from Mississippi State.
“My daddy came and got me,” she recalled. “We loaded up my stuff in a cattle trailer and went home.”
After first working in research and development in Nashville and, later, at Marshall Durbin in Hattiesburg,
If not law, what?
McDonald moved to Cal-Maine, where she has been for
Somehow, McDonald found her way back to MSU, this
more than a decade. She is the company’s director of food
time to study poultry science. Concentrating on poultry because of the job placement rate, she soon found herself totally immersed in the business of chickens and their feathered kindred. “I came (to poultry science) for the jobs, but I found
safety, a position she takes “very seriously.” Food safety is a “constant battle,” she explained. “You must stay vigilant.” Thaxton agreed. “The poultry industry is constantly searching for technology to further improve raw poultry
out I am passionate about it,” she said, adding that she
safety. Fully cooked product is about as safe as it can
credits her major professor, Yvonne Vizzier Thaxton, for
be because the industry does everything that it can. The
that passion.
biggest problem, I think, is the lack of kitchen hygiene
Thaxton began teaching poultry science courses at MSU after working nearly 30 years in the poultry industry. When she started her career in the industry, she was usually the only woman in the technical meetings. “I never had to wait in line for the bathroom,” Thaxton quipped. McDonald praises Thaxton for “teaching me to be
knowledge in the general public.” In other words, they both tell customers to keep those hands washed! McDonald said Cal-Maine works to keep consumers safe by its practices, such as tracking every egg—every egg!—the company processes. Fun fact: that’s more than 25 million eggs a day.
Alumnus Spring 2009 21
POULTRY
World “We even know where the soap
recalling how they have been “tested”
comes from that we wash the eggs
by some male counterparts when
in,” she added.
first beginning their careers. The
In addition to consumer safety,
“tests” ranged from the condescen-
there is the issue of humane treat-
sion of having an animal held before
ment for birds in the production pro-
their faces and being told “This is a
cess. According to McDonald, Cal-
chicken,” to the purposeful shock of
Maine deals with layers—hens that
leading them on a visit to the slaugh-
lay eggs. Other plants, such as Mar-
terhouse floor.
shall Durbin, where Thaxton and
Not only did they survive their
McDonald once worked, processes
“initiations,” they went on to include
broilers, the meat birds. Whatever a
some of those doubting Thomases
company’s focus, both women said
among their closest friends.
“the dignity of the birds” is consid-
“Any teasing, or whatever, usually
ered to be paramount. “We ensure that our workers have respect for all living things and
clears up when they realize you know
The poultry industry is Mississippi’s top agricultural income producer.
treat them with dignity,” McDonald
your stuff,” McDonald said. And they do know their stuff. Thaxton remains the only woman to have
emphasized. “Also, because stress affects
served as chairperson of the Mississippi
the taste of meat and eggs, the better we treat the birds, the
Poultry Association board of directors, a position she held
better they perform.”
in 1991. Happily, that’s about to change as McDonald
She, Thaxton and Kidd, the department head, agreed on another popular poultry misconception: that commercial
takes the chair next year as only the second woman. With offices in Jackson, the association is comprised of
poultry is fed hormones. Not so, they said; rapid growth
poultry and egg companies, producers from these compa-
of the birds is due to genetics, not some force-fed growth
nies and other businesses that help support the industry.
hormones.
MPA’s three main missions include member education,
Returning to the matter of food safety, McDonald gave high praise to the Arlington, Va.-based Safe Quality Food Institute. The SQF Institute is a division of the Food
generic product promotion and federal and state governmental relations. These days, McDonald often is on the road lecturing,
Marketing Institute, established to administer the SQF
writing—remember that English degree?—and visiting
program, a leading global food safety and quality certifica-
other production plants. When she takes on the board
tion and management system.
position, chances are she’ll be seeing a bit less of her hus-
The SQF program “has been really good for us,” she
band Jim and daughters Carlee, 11, and Camryn, 7.
said. Its certification and management program validates
Whether a wife, mother, professional, or association
companies’ compliance with international and domestic
leader, however, for McDonald, it is all about helping oth-
food safety regulations so consumers can feel safer about
ers. As with her family, she obviously loves her career and
their food supply.
believes in the life she has chosen.
“We’ve passed the highest safety level with SQF there
Why else would she spend hours on the telephone
is,” McDonald proudly pointed out. “We tell our workers
trying to solve the problem of the cook whose meringue
to relate food safety policies back to their children—would
didn’t turn out right because “It surely must not have been
they want their children eating this if the safety was com-
the eggs!”?
promised?” But what about being rare women in a man’s world? McDonald and Thaxton responded to the question by
22 Alumnus Spring 2009
Campus
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
Grant papers find new home at university library Correspondence, photographs, books, memorabilia, and other documents related to the military career and presidency of Ulysses S. Grant now are being housed at Mississippi State. Through an agreement signed recently with the Ulysses S. Grant Association, the university’s Mitchell Memorial Library has become the official host of the Grant papers. Civil War scholar John F. Marszalek, an MSU Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, is assuming the duties of executive director and managing editor of the association. He said MSU now becomes one of only a few U.S. institutions to house a collection of presidential papers. Over the next five years, Marszalek will be leading an effort to produce a supplementary volume, as well as a scholarly edition of “Memoirs,” the Union Army general-in-chief and 18th president’s autobiography. He also will be working to develop a digitized version of the entire series, a cumulative index and a paperback edition, all of which will precede a formal opening of the collection to visiting scholars. “Mississippi State will be the premier source of materials for research about a seminal figure in the nation’s history,” the veteran historian observed. “This is a remarkable accomplishment for our institution.” Formerly housed at Southern Illinois University, the material includes letters written to leading political and military figures of the day, as well as epaulets, headgear, diaries, and other war memorabilia. The collection joins those of former U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis and other more contemporary political figures in the library’s Congressional and Political Research Center.
Historian John Marszalek poses with a bust of President U.S. Grant.
Energy research center honored Mississippi State’s Sustainable Energy Research Center is being honored by a regional think tank that works to improve economic opportunities and quality of life. The non-partisan Southern Growth Policies Board recently named the university center as one of the 13 winners of its annual Innovator Awards. One award per state is presented among the 13-state organization.
Renovated union receives special recognition The extensively renovated and expanded Dean W. Colvard Student Union received special recognition from an international organization. The union, which reopened in January 2008, is among eight featured recently in the Bulletin of the Association of College Unions International. Also spotlighted in an article titled “Renovation & Construction Showcase” were similar collegiate facilities in California, Indiana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.
Alumnus Spring 2009 23
Campus
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
ChallengeX-champion begins ‘NeXt’ team project About 60 Mississippi State students are preparing to spend three years working to improve “their car” and, in the process, help shape the United States energy policy. They’ve accepted a national university challenge to make a difference in the next generation of vehicles--electric plug-in automobiles. So far, early tests show the prototype they’re designing will have a fuel economy reaching up to 100-miles-per-gallon. MSU is among 17 collegiate teams from throughout North America competitively selected recently to create the “EcoCAR.” Known as EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, the competition includes the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors as headline sponsors. The goal: to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions of a Saturn VUE, while also maintaining performance, safety and consumer appeal.
Mississippi State named to national honor roll Mississippi State was named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Washington, D.C.-based independent federal agency recognized “the university’s exemplary service efforts and service to America’s communities.” Created by Congress through the 1993 National and Community Service Trust Act, the corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Launched in 2006, its Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for service-learning and civic engagement. (For more, visit www.nationalservice.gov.) Honorees are chosen on the basis of various factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in such activities, incentives for service, and extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.
Campus bike fleet offers free ride to students, others Mississippi State students are finding the 832-acre campus a bit easier to traverse with the implementation of the university’s new bicycle fleet program. Ultimately to include 100 cruiser models, the maroon and white bikes are strategically located at various locations. They are available to students, faculty and staff on a first-come basis beginning at 8 a.m. daily. The two-wheelers will be registered and maintained by the parking services department, which also is responsible for their redistribution around campus at the end of each day. University officials have called the new bicycle program “a natural fit” for the land-grant institution’s master plan that seeks, among other things, to ease vehicular congestion through a long-established shuttle system in collaboration with increased cycle and foot traffic. The plan also proposes construction of additional bike paths and the shift of motorized vehicle traffic away from the pedestrian-heavy center of campus.
24 Alumnus Spring 2009
Grant helps prepare ‘creative’ science teachers Having taught science for 22 years at Hawkins Middle School in Scott County, Burnette Hamil is living proof of the impact creative and passionate science teachers can have on students. During decades at the Forest Separate School District school, Hamil showed classes how common kitchen ingredients could be used to make a lava lamp. Subtlety, she also was demonstrating that science can be fun. “Even with a drop of water, you can do so many interesting activities,” said Hamil, who now holds a doctoral degree and teaches at Mississippi State. An associate professor in the university’s department of curriculum, instruction and special education, she long ago found that teaching with passion and creativity can convince many students that the mysteries of science are interesting--and, more importantly, have a clear relevance to the world around them. With a five-year, $1.24 million grant recently awarded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Post-Secondary Education, Hamil and an interdisciplinary team of five other MSU faculty members are putting those observations into practice with future teachers. Their dual goals: 1) help develop more junior and senior high school science teachers who can use creative approaches, and 2) assist two nearby school districts to enhance their science programs. Titled “Creative Research-Based Science Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow,” the grant was among the first five of its kind awarded nationally in 2008. At MSU, the effort will blend promising secondary education majors into the world of faculty research projects. Other team members include professor Svein Saebo and assistant research professor Debbie Beard of the chemistry department; assistant professor David Chevalier of biological sciences; assistant professor Renee M. Clary of geosciences; and associate professor Jim Dunn of physics and astronomy.
Army med center, MSU join to train veterans Computer science faculty members soon will be training “wounded warriors” in digital forensics at Walter Reed Army Hospital. With the goal of helping veterans improve their job opportunities after leaving the military, the university’s partnership with U. S. Army Garrison at the Washington, D.C., medical center is similar to an MSU training program in digital forensics. To date, that campus program has been completed by more than 2,400 law enforcement officers from more than 20 states. Professor Ray Vaughn and associate professor David Dampier of the computer science and engineering department recently launched the program with Walter Reed’s garrison commander, Col. Bruce Haselden. Training will be provided through the hospital’s Transition Employment Assistance Management Service Division. The NSF is supporting the majority of the $1 million project over the next three years. MSU serves as the lead institution for the collaborative program that also includes Auburn and Tuskegee universities in Alabama.
Alumnus Spring 2009 25
Campus
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
Forestry group keeps high ranking Mississippi State continues as the home of a top Society of American Foresters student chapter. The 47-member university organization recently placed first nationally in the 2007-08 Web site competition and third place overall among outstanding campus chapters. This is the sixth year the student chapter has won first place in the Web site competition. Designed and maintained by student members, www.cfr.msstate.edu/ StudentOrgs/saf/index.htm was judged on design and content, among other criteria.
paul THORN Tupelo native Paul Thorn and West Point’s Doss Family joined with other performers to sing “Will the Circle be Unbroken” during the finale of “Mississippi’s Best Grassroots Entertainment” on campus in February. Thorn co-emceed and headlined the free event that combined some of the best art and music North Mississippi has to offer. The event was sponsored by the Mississippi Arts Commission, MSU’s Music Maker Productions and many local businesses and individuals.
Student affairs administrator honored by regional peers Lisa Harris isn’t afraid of change; in fact, she embraces it. A passion for what she terms “positive transformation” has earned Mississippi State’s associate vice president for student affairs the 2009 Margaret Ruthven Perry Distinguished Journalism Award of the Southern Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers. Harris’ honor resulted from her article, “The Enrollment Manager as a Change Agent,” that was named “best written” for the 2009 edition of The SACRAO Journal, the professional organization’s best-practices publication. In praising Harris, journal editor Carol Nobles said, “Your work inspires others to conduct their own research and study in areas important to our professions.”
26 Alumnus Spring 2009
Social scientist among leading U.S. ‘stalking’ researchers As an eager college student in the early 1990s, Colleen Sinclair saw herself entering a professional career as a psychological therapist, putting in long, but rewarding, hours as a counselor to rape victims and battered women. All of that changed as a senior at the University of Colorado when she enrolled in “Experiments in Psychology”–an interesting course that would change her life. “I was an immediate convert,” said Sinclair, now a researcher in Mississippi State’s Social Science Research Center. “I realized I would be reactive to societal problems with the work in shelters, but, by doing research, I could be more proactive.” Proactive seems a mild term for someone whose investigations of perpetrators and societal attitudes has made her among the nation’s foremost authorities in an oft-misunderstood research field–stalking. Before anti-stalking laws became common in the 1990s, states often struggled with a legal label for a behavior clearly considered to be wrong. Many called it “psychological rape” or
“separation assault,” or thought it mostly happened to celebrities and other public figures. According to Sinclair, also an assistant professor of psychology at the university, no one really knew the prevalence of stalking until 1997, when a national survey revealed more than 1.4 million annual reported cases. Another surprise: the majority of perpetrators were considered intimate partners. By way of contrast, a new U.S. Department of Justice study reports that 3.4 million persons recently identified themselves as stalking victims over a 12-month period. Sinclair’s current studies are focused primarily on two projects: stalking case coding and media coding. Through the work of student research assistants and opinions from public court records, data from the case coding project reveals the nature of relationships between the victim and perpetrator, as well as the severity of the stalking incident and the judicial sentence.
Forest resources faculty member honored, promoted bailey HOWELL
Richard M. Kaminski is being named holder of the James C. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation in the College of Forest Resources. Kaminski, a 25-year faculty veteran at the university, also is being promoted to associate college dean. He is a professor of wildlife and a nationally recognized North American waterfowl and wetlands scientist.
MSU and NBA basketball great Bailey Howell was honored in February by his alma mater. During halftime at Humphrey Coliseum, the career scoring record-holder became the first Bulldog to have a jersey retired. The Starkville resident, joined on the floor by wife Mary Lou, spent 12 seasons in the pros and helped the Boston Celtics win two world titles. Topping the day, the current Bulldog squad came from behind to defeat the Arkansas Razorbacks 86-77.
Alumnus Spring 2009 27
Campus
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
Academic outreach offers grad certificate in diversity The department of academic outreach and continuing education now offers a 12-hour post-baccalaureate graduate certificate in diversity designed to enhance workplace success. The online program promotes multicultural understanding, knowledge and skills necessary to navigate among a diverse workforce. The certificate is designed to expand the knowledge base of professionals by demanding that they think critically about race relations, ethnicity, social class, and inequality, religion and gender. Students wishing to obtain the diversity certificate must complete at least one course from each of four distinct fields: history, sociology, gender studies, and African-American studies. Each course utilizes fundamental information, along with emergent issues, to form a solid example of how multicultural awareness and understanding is essential to success in all aspects of the modern world. Professionals are not only able to gain the skills necessary to independently adapt and accommodate the needs of all individuals and cultures, but are also certain to enhance their communication skills, broaden their services and diversify their viewpoints. For online registration and more information on the graduate certificate in diversity, visit www.distance. msstate.edu/diversity.
Professionals are not only able to gain the skills necessary to independently adapt and accommodate the needs of all individuals and cultures, but are also certain to enhance their communication skills, broaden their services and diversify their viewpoints.
SNOW DAY
As Justin Glover (second from left) can verify, Mandy Hackman may not be a member of MSU’s softball team, but she has a good throwing arm. The sophomores were among students who took to the Drill Field early on a March morning to play in a rare Golden Triangle snow. Some parts of Oktibbeha County received more than three inches, though, happily, roads remained open. By noon, the sun had broken through and the white stuff began to disappear.
28 Alumnus Spring 2009
Alumni
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
Bagley named 2009 National Alumnus of the Year James Worth “Jim” Bagley, a 1961 and 1966 electrical engineering graduate, is the most recent individual to be bestowed the highest recognition for a Mississippi State alum. In February, faculty, staff, alumni and friends honored Bagley as he was named the 2009 National Alumnus of the Year. A resident of suburban Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, Bagley is a well-known veteran in the semiconductor industry. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from MSU, and currently serves as executive chairman of California-based Lam Research Corporation, a leading supplier of wafer processing equipment and services. Bagley attended MSU through the cooperative education program while working for Mississippi Power and Light. In 1961, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree and began work for Texaco. He later returned to MSU and earned a master’s degree in 1966. Upon graduation, Bagley began his career with Texas Instruments. In 1981, he joined Applied Materials Inc. in Santa Clara, Calif., where he served as president and chief operating officer from 1987-1993 and as vice- chairman and chief operating officer from 1994-1996. In 1997, he joined Lam Research Corporation as chief executive officer. In 1998, he also became chairman of the board. He stepped down as CEO in 2005 and has remained executive chairman of the board. A philanthropist and longtime MSU supporter, Bagley saw the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering named in his honor in 2002, after a $25 million gift was given to support engineering education. The Bagley endowments have provided much needed resources for graduate fellowships to expand research activities, endowed faculty positions to attract distinguished faculty members, facility preservation and renovation and other items to help distinguish the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering as a nationally renowned institution. National Alumnus of the Year is not the first honor to be bestowed upon Bagley. In 1994, the engineering college named him as the College Alumnus of the Year. He also was awarded an honorary doctorate in science by his alma mater in 2005. Bagley and his wife Jean are former residents of Jackson, and met while attending Forest Hill High School. Through the years, they have generously provided financial support for K-12 schools, colleges, children’s homes, shelters for battered women and medical facilities in California, New York, Texas, and Mississippi.
Raleigh-Durham welcomed as 90th alumni chapter During the 2009 Annual Leadership Conference, the MSU Alumni Association welcomed its 90th chapter–Greater Raleigh-Durham, N.C. Led by Demi Brown and April Mann, both MSU graduates, the association’s newest chapter was officially inaugurated in February. Interest began for the new chapter during the fall of 2008. Several alumni realized there was a base of MSU supporters in the area and wanted to act on that energy and enthusiasm. Brown and Mann were the first to make direct contact with the MSU Alumni Office, and worked with the chapter programs staff to implement the appropriate steps toward chartering an official alumni chapter. After the initial requirements were met, the Alumni Association conducted an interest survey and discovered there were more than 600 alumni and friends of MSU in the area. Many of them returned the survey with positive responses toward this chapter-building effort, and offered suggestions on how to help the chapter grow. The Greater-Raleigh Durham Alumni Chapter is beginning from the ground up. With ideas and a vision led by Brown and Mann, the chapter is still in the earliest stage of formation. Anyone interested in helping lead the new chapter, or being involved in any way, may contact the MSU Alumni Association for more information.
Alumnus Spring 2009 29
Alumni
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
Ten alumni recognized Ten Mississippi State alumni were recognized last fall as Alumni Fellows for 2008. Sponsored by the Alumni Association and the academic colleges, the Alumni Fellows Program recognizes alumni who have made a name for themselves in their careers. They are selected by each college or school and are invited to campus to talk with students, faculty and alumni. Alumni Fellows maintain the title for life. The 2008 class included (seated from left) Bruce Brawner, College of Education; Adrienne Pakis-Gillon, College of Arts and Sciences; William A. “Bill” Gillon, College of Arts and Sciences; (standing, from left) Todd Walker, College of Architecture, Art and Design; James Earl Kennamer, College of Forest Resources; Gary Allen, College of Veterinary Medicine; Doug Deason, Bagley College of Engineering; Joe Gordy, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; and Jan Gwin, College of Business. Not pictured and representing MSU Meridian is Brent Harber.
Alumni Fellows
What’s going on? Check out our Web site at
www.alumni.msstate.edu for a frequently updated calendar of alumni events.
30 Alumnus Spring 2009
2009 College Alumni of the Year Each year, outstanding alumni are recognized for their personal, professional and community accomplishments. These individuals truly represent the mission and values of Mississippi State around the state, nation and world. The 2009 College Alumni of the Year were named in February at the annual Alumni Awards Banquet. The recipients include: First row, seated (l-r)-Benjamin T. “Ben” Jenkins, founder of OneFastBuffalo, College of Architecture, Art and Design; Charles E. “Eddie” Thaggard, general manager of plywood at Hood Industries, College of Forest Resources; Dr. Cassandra Vaughn, assistant professor of veterinary science at Alcorn State University, College of Veterinary Medicine; and Dr. Betsy H. Storms, who owns and operates a private practice, Best of Both Worlds Therapy Center and Recovery Center, MSU–Meridian campus. Second row, standing (l-r) - Richard H. Puckett, president and CEO of Puckett Machinery Co., College of Business; Dr. Larry R. Grillot, dean of Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy and director of the Sarkeys Energy Center at the University of Oklahoma, College of Arts and Sciences; Danny J. Windham, CEO of Digium Inc., Bagley College of Engineering; Dr. Mark E. Keenum, president, Mississippi State University; Charles R. “Randy” Dismuke Jr., regional grower relation lead/Monsanto Division at Delta and Pine Land Co., College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; and Dr. Joe Ray Underwood, professor emeritus in the department of counseling, educational psychology and special education at MSU, College of Education.
• • • • • • • •
Traveling Bull
dogs
TUSCANY~CO RTONA: June 3-11, 2009 THE GREAT JO URNEY THRO UGH EUROPE: VILLAGE LIFE June 4-14, 20 ALONG THE D 09 ALMATIAN C VILLAGE LIFE O A ST : Ju ly 14-22, 2009 IN ENGLAND ’S COTSWOLD CELTIC LAND S: Ju ly 2 6-Aug. 3, 200 S: Aug. 22-Se 9 pt. 2, 2009 VILLAGE LIFE IN DORDOG NE: Sept. 17-2 ISLAND LIFE IN 5, 2009 ANCIENT GR EECE: Sept. 2 SOUTH AFRIC 7-Oct. 5, 200 AN ESCAPAD 9 E: Oct. 20-29 , 2009 If you are looking for the vacation of a lifetime and want a group travel experience that includes fellow travelers with whom you actually have something in common, then travel abroad with the MSU Alumni Association! Visit the association’s Web site often for more information about exciting Traveling Bulldogs opportunities. Or for more information, contact Libba Andrews at 662325-3479 or landrews@alumni.msstate.edu.
Alumnus Spring 2009 31
Alumni
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
Outstanding Young Alumnus–Ben Needham Benjamin A. “Ben” Needham of Washington, D.C., was honored as the Young Alumnus of the Year during the annual MSU Alumni Awards Banquet in February. Needham is a 2001 political science major and currently works for Grassroots Solutions, a consulting firm based in the nation’s capital that helps nonprofits, corporations, political campaigns, and other organizations train and mobilize supporters at the local level. A native of Laurel, Needham is very active in the Washington, D.C., alumni chapter. Since 2003, he has served as president of the chapter, and has helped countless alumni in the D.C. area. Each year he hosts the Stennis-Montgomery students at a reception and helps them get settled and get around town when they move to the city. Needham goes out of his way to coordinate and promote game watching parties, and helped organize the 2007 West Virginia tailgate with the Alumni Association staff. Not only is Needham active in the D.C. alumni chapter, he also serves as a member of the Alumni Recruiting Network and helps encourage and recruit new students to MSU. In addition, he is a member of the John C. Stennis Institute of Government Advisory Board and a board member of the Mississippi Society of D.C. While at MSU, Needham was very active with government–related organizations on campus. He served as president of the Stennis– Montgomery Association and was a member of the Student Association cabinet. He also was a member of the Pre-Law Society. Needham is always described by his friends as a loyal and true Bulldog. He has never met a stranger and goes out of his way to make other alumni feel welcome in the nation’s capital. He exemplifies what it means to be forever maroon and white. Needham (l) accepts the award from association national president A.D. Hunt.
Distinguished Service Award winners recognized Carl D. Nichols, Terri L. Russell and Steven B. “Steve” Smith were honored as the Distinguished Service Award winners at the Alumni Awards Banquet in February. Chosen for their years of service and dedication to the MSU Alumni Association, these three individuals represent the best and brightest of our alumni. A 1992 graduate and former basketball player, Nichols is CEO of Nichols Consulting in Jackson. He is a native of Fayette and volunteers with the Central Mississippi Chapter. Russell is the current president of the Birmingham, Ala., alumni chapter, and is a principal member of technical staff at ATT Labs Inc. She is a native of Decatur, and 1984 and 1986 industrial engineering graduate of MSU. Smith is a 1977 forestry graduate and a Leakesville resident who is procurement manager for Hood Industries. He is an active leader in the George-Greene counties alumni chapter. 32 Alumnus Spring 2009
Winners are, from left, Nichols, Russell and Smith.
Former executive directors honored for service A special recognition was held at the annual awards banquet this year in honor of three former executive directors of the MSU Alumni Association. Charles E. Weatherly, Steve C. Grafton and John V. Corerro were awarded specially engraved cowbells in recognition for more than 39 years of service to the Alumni Association. Weatherly first worked as executive secretary from July 1, 1966, until July 1, 1975, when the title was changed to executive director. He remained in the position until June 30, 1987. Weatherly still gives to his alma mater by serving as senior director of development emeritus with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Grafton followed Weatherly and was executive director from September 1, 1987, until July 22, 1994. He is currently president and chief executive officer of the University of Michigan Alumni Association. Correro faithfully worked for the Alumni Association for more than 36 years, 11 of which he was executive director. He currently is part of the MSU football radio network. All three men are MSU graduates.
Former directors are, from left, Correro, Weatherly and Grafton.
Alumnus Spring 2009 33
Alumni
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
Outstanding Chapters named for 2008 Each year the Alumni Association recognizes chapters for their dedication to MSU throughout the state and nation. This February, more than 25 chapters were honored at the annual Alumni Awards Banquet. Gold, silver and bronze cowbells were given to chapter representatives in appreciation for their service.
Gold chapters included: George-Greene Counties, Panola County, Central Mississippi and East Texas Silver chapters included: Yalobusha County, Scott County, Oktibbeha County and Nashville, Tenn. Bronze chapters included: Covington County, Tippah County, Attala County and Atlanta, Ga. Also recognized were the honor chapters, which included Birmingham, Ala.; Greater Fort Worth, Texas; Houston, Texas; Jackson County; Lincoln County; Memphis, Tenn.; Mobile, Ala.; Montgomery, Ala.; Northeast Florida; Northwest Alabama; Pearl River County; South Texas; Washington County; and Washington, D.C.
Alumni Delegates serve as ambassadors for MSU This year the student body is proudly represented by 44 members of the Alumni Delegates, an organization that serves as a liaison between Mississippi State students and alumni. Their purpose is to improve the understanding of the role of the Alumni Association by educating and involving students in activities and events of the association. This fall, Alumni Delegates served at every home football game, as well as the season opener at Louisiana Tech. Beyond game day, the delegates served at the United Way Luncheon in the Junction, Alumni Association tent at Bulldog Bash, State of the Future campaign celebration, Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast, 50th Anniversary of Old Main Burning, and the
34 Alumnus Spring 2009
Alumni Awards Banquet and Leadership Conference. The delegates are led by officers Robert L. “Rob” Puckett of Jackson, president; Suzanne P. Nichols of Leland, vice president for public relations; Anne Elise Parks of New Albany, vice president for education; and Garrett McMullin, also of Jackson, secretary. Puckett, Nichols and McMullin are juniors; Parks is a sophomore. Alumni Delegates are today's student leaders preparing to be tomorrow’s alumni leaders. Selection for 2009-10 Alumni Delegates took place this spring.
Old Main remembered On the evening of Jan. 22, several hundred Mississippi State alumni and friends gathered to commemorate the night Old Main Dormitory burned 50 years ago. In attendance were more than 200 former Old Main residents who carry the memory of the MSU landmark in their hearts. The evening began with a reception for former residents in the Colvard Student Union, followed by a program in Lee Hall Auditorium that gave current students a glimpse of campus life during the 1940s and 1950s. During the program, several former residents took the stage for a fireside chat to relive the notorious stories of the famed men’s dormitory. From canoe races in the hall to stealing light bulbs and card games with friends, the stories revealed a time in MSU’s history that helped form it into the institution it is today.
t n u H . D . A m o r f r e t t A le
our serve as y to ll ri th a has been pe and it f change. a h s t ns and a re is in g renovatio e year o , y s is it g th rs in e g d n iv il Our un New bu tion. Th ident duri mni pres er looked better! land-grant institu ng football lu a l a n o v ri r ti e na uch to ou ni tent du pus has n Our cam ve given a nice to ccess of our alum place to be. rgest the su ing ha U the landscap the Junction and ekend makes MS t and we are the la ded of n conclu dog We nrollmen opening uper Bull e have a record e re capital campaig ird year S d n a , n Futu ar, w seaso For the th ed our econd ye Our State of the surpass. to For the s . rd ve join te a h ta s e the ill b lumni ha ave brought w in a t y g a it in th rs v s e li n ff h univ utio ,000 . Our orking sta rd contrib f our 113 with reco ore than 30,000 o m and his hard-w r Mississippi State get a e h m fo s , t a ra is brigh in a row . Dr. Jimmy Ab pus. Ple The future to see you on cam to keep our on associati alumni chapter. d t it is grea . We nee th in our 90 very involved and our local chapters nts. y e ur re alumni a d stay involved in tanding achievem sippi State as yo g is ts n s a u in is o d rk r e M o u lv d o W o inv ry. with ou an m going ing me to serve y t time in our histo tu n e m o m r allow is a grea Thanks fo i president. This iversity forward. n ur un alum national e can help move o w together, s!
Go Dawg
d White, aroon an M r e v re o F t, ’70 A.D. Hun tional President a N 9 tion 2008-0 ni Associa m lu A MSU
Alumnus Spring 2009 35
Athletic
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
Mullen era begins for MSU football After a whirlwind three months on the job, new MSU head football coach Dan Mullen and wife Megan finally have settled into their new hometown, and, on Feb. 13, welcomed into their family the newest member, Canon. With the chaos of recruiting and national signing day finally past, the trio has settled into somewhat of a routine–though as a head football coach in the Southeastern Conference, there is rarely any down time–and had the opportunity to experience what it means to be a part of the MSU family. “Before you get here, you don’t know what to expect,” Mullen said of coming to MSU. “But when I got to campus, I was blown away. We have an unbelievably beautiful campus here; more so than I could have imagined. We love everything about being here. The people here are wonderful and family values are unbelievable. You really feel like you are part of a community. Everything about this university, the town of Starkville and the people of this state have far exceeded what I expected. I am very, very happy being here and being from Mississippi now. That’s the way I look at it—we are from Mississippi now. The people of the university, the town and the state have embraced us and I want to make sure we embrace it right back.” When his team takes the field in August, football fans will be well-acquainted with the offensive philosophy he brings to the table and will likely be able to quote his coaching resume backwards and forwards. Mullen was chosen for the head position in December 2008 to replace former head coach Sylvester Croom, and immediately he became the focus of local and national media. Columnists and commentators detailed his coaching history from his first gig as a wide receivers coach at Wagner College on Staten Island, N.Y., through winning two national championships as offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators and quarterback coach for 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. Analysts speculated on the schemes he would install at his new post and debated how effective it would be at MSU. The Mullen Era had begun. What few have had the opportunity to learn, however, is that the 36-year-old Pennsylvania native brings more to the table
36 Alumnus Spring 2009
than the Xs and Os of the spread option. Mullen is a man with a strong value system centered on faith and family, anchored by his wife of four years and new son. He has a strong work ethic instilled in him from an early age, as well as a philosophy for football and life shaped by his upbringing and experiences along the way. Mullen’s values and devotion to his wife are evident as a smile beams across his face any time she enters the conversation. Discussing the prospect of raising his family in the MSU community, Mullen says it is Megan who serves as anchor for the family and helps keep him grounded professionally. “My wife is a stabilizing influence,” he said. “She knows this business and is very supportive and she’s very involved as kind of a system of checks and balances. She calms me down, picks me up and helps keep me on track. I probably wouldn’t have had the level of success I have without her. She changed the whole course of my life. How I live my life now and my values and beliefs are very different than before we met.” Beginnings Shortly after retiring from the Air Force, Robert Mullen and wife Barbara settled their family in New Hampshire where, as a quarterback, young Dan would lead Trinity High School to a state championship as a junior in 1988. Mullen showed athletic promise and had a spirit of competitiveness from an early age –at 11 he won a state swimming championship–but he says his parents, especially his mother, made sure he was exposed to more than just sports. “I was very fortunate,” Mullen said. “My parents, especially my mom, were very adamant about exposing me to as many cultural, athletic, and artistic influences as possible. I played all of the sports–football, baseball, basketball, soccer–but I also took ballet, jazz, and tap dancing. They wanted to make sure I had the opportunity to experience everything.” And he couldn’t have had a better teacher. Prior to meeting the senior Mullen, his mother was a professional dancer hailing from North Wales. It was while his father was serving abroad in the U.S. Air Force the pair met. They were married in Spain and upon Robert’s retirement, Barbara came to the U.S. for the first time. Robert’s mother’s ties to the United Kingdom afforded Mullen the opportunity to travel extensively through his childhood and experience many cultural influences outside the U.S.
A typical summer for Mullen growing up often included a summer jaunt across the Atlantic to visit his grandparents and other members of his mother’s family who still live in the U.K. In fact, at 14, he flew to Alicante, Spain to spend a month with a friend who had spent a year as an exchange student in the Mullen home. It was while visiting his grandparents following his freshman year in college he had the chance to tour Europe and see some of the most interesting places in the world by train. The trick was he would have to do it all on a mere $200. “I wanted to see my friend in Spain and I had another friend in Stockholm, Sweden and I couldn’t get a flight,” Mullen said. “I checked on a train ticket and a round trip ticket was going to cost me the same as a month pass all through Europe so that’s what I did. When I called my grandfather, he said, “you know all the other grandkids live here and I give them money here and there but you don’t get those benefits, so I want to buy your ticket,” and I said great.” So with a borrowed backpack and $200, he spent the next month exploring Europe by train. His destinations included Paris, Geneva, Frankfurt, Berlin, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Stockholm. Life and Football Despite all the cultural and artistic exposure, however, Mullen said it was apparent early on where his ambitions lay. “Football was always the one that stuck,” he said. “Of all the activities and sports, football is what grabbed me. I loved it, I was almost obsessed. After high school, with a state championship under his belt, Mullen returned to Pennsylvania to play college ball at Ursinus College where he was named a first-team All-Centennial conference selection as a tight end his senior year before graduating in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science.
His first coaching position was at Wagner College as a wide receivers coach where he also earned a master’s degree in education. Since then he has gone on to coach a first round draft pick, Alex Smith, while quarterbacks coach at Utah, and at Florida he helped shape the career of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow while helping guide the team to two national titles in three years as offensive coordinator. In his decade-and-a-half career coaching football, Mullen has had the opportunity to work with and learn from some of the best coaches in the business, including former Notre Dame head coach Bob Davie and Florida head coach Urban Meyer with whom he has worked at three different schools since 2001. When he was offered the top position at Mississippi State, Mullen felt confident he fit the bill for what the school was looking for and knew that thanks to the tutelage of his previous bosses he was more than prepared. “This is what I have been coaching my whole career for,” he said. He confesses there are lessons to be learned from players that can have as much impact, sometimes, as any other. “Being able to coach a guy like Tim Tebow has been an amazing experience. In him you have a young man who has accomplished so much already but he uses his position for his platform for doing good. One thing I learned from him is in whatever position you’re in, whether it’s a coach, player or equipment manager, the impact you can make on people’s lives is tremendous. The role he plays in the lives of his players is one Mullen takes seriously, knowing he is not just coaching players but leading and shaping the lives of young men, most of whom will go on to professions off the football field. “As a coach the reason you coach is to impact peoples’ lives and I hope I’ve made a positive impact. There are a lot of people who have made impacts on my life, and I hope now I’m doing same for others. “The most important thing for me is that these kids succeed in life. I am just as proud of my players who have gone on and succeeded in other parts of their life–that is more important than championship rings.”
Alumnus Spring 2009 37
Foundation
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
MSU announces new foundation board members The Mississippi State University Foundation is announcing five new and six returning members of its 44-seat board of directors that guides the fundraising arm of the 131-year-old land grant institution. Board members whose three-year terms began Jan. 1 include: Mary M. Childs of Ripley, a 1980 banking and finance graduate and vice chairman and chief operating officer of The Peoples Bank
Beth Clay of Meridian, a 1967 English graduate and owner of The Clay Firm
Haley R. Fisackerly of Jackson, a 1987 management graduate and president and CEO of Entergy Mississippi
Richard A. Rula, of Jackson, a 1970 civil engineering graduate and president of Hemphill Construction Co.
Turner A. Wingo of Collierville, Tenn., a 1967 general business administration graduate now retired from a career in real estate
Incorporated in 1962, the MSU Foundation works to solicit funding from private sources to supplement the university’s legislative appropriations. The organization also administers academic fundraising activities and endowed funds. Through the years, a host of prominent alumni and friends of the university have held board seats. Members may be reappointed after leaving the board for at least one year. Those returning members include: Gary A. Blair of Brookhaven, a 1981 agribusiness and general business administration graduate and senior vice president and relationship manager of Land Bank South Hassell H. Franklin of Houston, a 1959 management graduate and president and CEO of Franklin Corp.
W.G. “Mickey” Holliman Jr. of Belden, a1960 management graduate and retired chairman and CEO of Furniture Brands International
38 Alumnus Spring 2009
Larry E. Homan of Fulton, a 1967 industrial arts education graduate and president and CEO of TriState Lumber Co.
A. P. “Jack” Hatcher Jr. of Pinehurst, N.C., a 1949 civil engineering graduate and retired chairman and CEO of RobertsonCeco
Also returning to fill a special, oneyear term is Linda M. Garrett of Atlanta, Ga. A 1969 accounting graduate, she is a principal of Garrett Associates Inc.
In addition to board members, the MSU Foundation re-elected last year’s officers to another one-year term. They include: President Richard C. Adkerson of Phoenix, Ariz., a 1969 accounting graduate who completed a master’s in business administration the following year. He is president and CEO of Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. and co-chairman of McMoRan Exploration Co., an international oil and gas exploration and production company. •
Vice President James J. Rouse of Houston, Texas, a 1962 management graduate and retired ExxonMobil vice president.
•
Treasurer Hunter W. Henry Jr. of San Marcos, Texas, is a 1950 chemical engineering graduate and retired president of Dow Chemical USA.
• John P. Rush, MSU vice president for development and alumni, is the foundation board’s CEO. • David Easley, executive director of finance, is chief financial officer. • Bo Hemphill, executive director of development, serves as board secretary. • All are MSU graduates. For more information on the MSU Foundation, visit www. msufoundation.com.
Mills fund aids support services Alumni and friends of Mississippi State often honor classmates and colleagues through special contributions, such as the recent one creating an excellence fund in the Division of Student Affairs. Designed specifically for enrolled university students with learning disabilities, the anonymous gift is establishing the Wanda Mills Excellence Fund in the department of student support services. Named in honor of the Starkville resident, the endowment will be used to purchase specialneeds equipment and devices, as well as provide individual tutoring services at no cost. “I have a lot of faith in the student support services department, and it is very rewarding to have my name associated with the university in this manner,” said Mills, who was reared in Ocean Springs before moving to Starkville to attend Mississippi State. “This fund makes me realize what an impression I made on other people’s lives and I am very proud of that,” the 1994 educational psychology graduate added. Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder also known as brittle bone disease, she is confined to a wheelchair. She also has a learning disability, something she was unaware of until adulthood. While attending Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, she learned of support services offered at Mississippi State and chose to further her education at the land-grant institution, primarily for that reason. “While Wanda Mills personally inspired this gift, the donor also was served by and benefited from the services we provide,” said Julie Berry, assistant dean of students and director of the department. Berry and other departmental professionals work to provide educational access and opportunity through the delivery of resources, advocacy, personal collaborations, and academic accommodations. The unit currently serves more than 250 campus clients, 178 of whom have diagnosed learning disabilities. After completing her bachelor’s degree, Mills went on to complete coursework towards an MSU master’s in counselor education, with an emphasis in vocational rehabilitation. Having also worked as a support services staff member, she has an obvious and especially deep appreciation for the department’s mission–and ongoing challenges. “The private donor and Wanda believe that one-on-one time spent with a tutor is among the most important services needed,” Berry explained. “Tutoring of this nature was responsible for each of their personal academic successes.” Mills agreed, adding, “I do believe it is so important for a person to further their education regardless of their age. In fact, I didn’t realize I had a learning disability until I began pursuing my master’s degree. “It just makes me feel great that the ties I made at MSU will not be broken,” she continued. “So many young people and adults are ashamed to be labeled with a learning disability, but now Mississippi State can help to further combat that misconception.” For more information on assisting the Division of Student Affairs with this or other private gifts, contact development officer Richard Daniel at 662-325-9129 or rdaniel@foundation. msstate.edu.
Alumnus Spring 2009 39
Foundation
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
At a Glance Mississippi State University thanks each and every State of the Future contributor. The following pages are devoted to a few noteworthy commitments made over the course of the campaign for the Mississippi State of the Future. A $25 million gift from James Worth Bagley and wife Jean of Trophy Club, Texas, created an endowment for the engineering college. The commitment became the largest single financial gift in MSU history. The Bagley endowments make possible graduate fellowships to expand research activities, positions to attract distinguished faculty members, facility preservation and renovation and other needs to help distinguish the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering as a nationally recognized institution. A $10 million gift from Bobby and Judy Shackouls of Houston, Texas, transformed MSU’s honors program into a named honors college. The Shackouls Honors College expanded MSU’s undergraduate honors program–the state’s oldest and largest–and allowed Mississippi State to enhance its honors experience by adding new undergraduate research fellowships, study abroad scholarships and funding for research-related travel, as well as expanding visiting scholars and guest speaker programs. Mississippi State’s accounting majors now have the benefit of earning a degree from a named school of accountancy, thanks to an endowment to create the Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy. The endowment, established by Adkerson, will enable Mississippi State to compete effectively for top students and offer undergraduate and master’s degrees in accounting and taxation to a wider array of students. It also enables MSU to compete internationally for high-caliber faculty.
40 Alumnus Spring 2009
Campaign commitments made possible the establishment of the Thad Cochran Endowment for Entrepreneurship at Mississippi State. The endowment promotes entrepreneurship among MSU faculty and students and businesses throughout the state. Mississippi State gained more than two dozen endowed chairs and professorships throughout the university. Among them were the first fully endowed chair for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences funded by alumnus Glover Triplett and his wife Imogene of Starkville. The first endowed chair in the College of Forest Resources emerged by way of an endowment created by James C. Kennedy of Atlanta, Ga., for the Kennedy Chair in Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation. The College of Architecture, Art and Design, also gained its fist endowed position, the Johnny Crane Professorship, with a gift from Johnny and Bessie Lynn Crane of Fulton. A memorial endowment in the College of Arts and Sciences honors longtime MSU geography professor M.W. “Duke” Myers and a special endowed fund in the department of communication now honors the late Henry F. Meyer, who spent nearly three decades as adviser for The Reflector. A gift from the Phil Hardin Foundation for Early Childhood Education at Mississippi State now provides assistance in meeting the operational financial needs of the center. The center provides training, technical assistance, and applied research for improved quality and accessibility of early care and education across Mississippi.
Campaign commitments Joe Ann Ward of Jackson funded an Internal Medicine/Critical Care Unit in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The unit greatly enhances the ability to care for small animals and is a much-needed addition to the college’s Animal Health Center. Other private gifts funded a mobile veterinary clinic that brings care to Mississippi communities while giving students valuable hands-on surgical experience. The Carl Small Town Center in the College of Architecture, Art and Design provides assistance through revitalization efforts to communities throughout the state. A significant gift from Fred Carl of Greenwood created an endowment for the operation of the center. Through State of the Future, the university libraries experienced endowment growth that will enable Mississippi State to continue its progress toward reaching Association of Research Library status and becoming one of the leading research libraries in North America.
The following individuals, corporations and foundations made commitments of more than $50,000 from November 1, 2008, through December 31, 2008, for State of the Future: The Mississippi State Campaign. Dr. and Mrs. William M. Cobb; Ms. Amy Driskill; Bill and Sara Foster; Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi; Dr. and Mrs. Jack C. Hoover; Mr. and Mrs. Steven L. Howard; Mr. Malcolm B. Lightsey; Mrs. Laura S. Miller; Morgan Keegan Inc.; Paul B. Murphy Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Wayne L. O’Quin; Puckett Machinery Co.; Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Reed; Ridgewood Realty LLC; Mr. and Mrs. Mike W. Sanders; Mr. and Mrs. William R. Sanderson; Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd A. Solomon; Ms. D. Lynn Spruill The Barksdale Foundation; The Riley Foundation; W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Walmart Stores Inc.; Dr. and Mrs. A. Randle White and Mr. Turner A. Wingo
A new academic center for student-athletes honors former MSU director of athletics Larry Templeton. The $10 million facility was built, in part, with a generous contribution from the late Leo W. Seal Jr. of Gulfport.
A long-awaited band hall and choral rehearsal facility was made possible though campaign contributions. The facility now serves as a recruitment tool for the College of Education.
A $1 million commitment from former major league baseball player and alumnus Rafael Palmeiro assisted with the construction of a 68,000-square-foot indoor sports complex. The facility features a complete baseball infield within the context of a full football playing field.
University fondly remembers friend Over the course of her lifetime, Delta resident Winifred B. Hartwig generously supported Mississippi State University. When she died on Jan. 22, 2009, at the age of 96, she left a unique legacy to the university in the form of her entire estate. A Minnesota native, Hartwig chose to benefit Mississippi State with her life’s wealth. She was preceded in death by her husband, Edgar E. Hartwig, a USDA research agronomist known in agronomy circles as “Mr. Soybean.” He was an adjunct professor of agronomy at MSU at the time of his death and is credited with developing 90 percent of the soybean varieties in the South at that time. Mrs. Hartwig graduated from the University of Minnesota after paying her way through college with prize money she saved from high school 4-H competitions. She earned a degree in home economics and later attended graduate school at Columbia University, where she studied family living. A life member of Garden Clubs of Mississippi, Hartwig often spent her time speaking to clubs and churches around the state. She was an accomplished artist and a collector of fine artifacts from around the world, and an expert on home furnishing and food. Proceeds from the Hartwig estate will benefit several previously established funds in the School of Human Sciences and the department of plant and soil sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Alumnus Spring 2009 41
Class
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
’57
Carl Beeman (M.S. ’61), retired chairman of the University of Florida’s department of agricultural education and communications, has received the E.T. York Distinguished Service Award to honor his contributions to the people of Florida through UF agriculture and natural resources programs.
’58
Tommy Moffatt, District 52 state senator from Gautier, has been named chairman of the Center for Legislative Energy and Environmental Research, the research affiliate of the Energy Council. His Senate colleagues honored him with a resolution recognizing his selection.
’64
Jim Yonge of Lucedale, a member of the Edward Jones financial services firm, has received professional designation as accredited asset management specialist.
’66
Wanda Seals of San Antonio, Texas, has been recognized by the San Antonio Women’s Federation as Women’s Overseas Service League Volunteer of the Year. She is a volunteer at the Audie Murphy Veterans Hospital and Lackland Air Force Base Retired Activity Office.
’67
Joseph L. Loviza (M.Ed. ’71, Ed.S. ’75) has been elected to a six-year term on the board of trustees for the Vicksburg-Warren School District. He is retired dean of the Vicksburg-Warren County Campus of Hinds Community College and was mayor of Vicksburg 1993-97.
42 Alumnus Spring 2009
’69
X.M. Frascogna Jr. (M.A. ’70) of Jackson has written, along with his sons, Y’all vs. Us—Thrilling Tales of Mississippi’s Hottest High School Football Rivalries. It is available in bookstores.
’71
J. Suzanne Sanders of Copiah County has had her first novel, Testing Haskell, accepted for publication by Father’s Press of Lee’s Summit, Mo. In 2005, she was awarded a literary grant by the Mississippi Arts Commission.
’72
Thomas H. Walker of Roswell, Ga., a professional engineer and retired assistant regional administrator for the General Service Administration’s Public Building Service Southeastern Region, has opened Thomas H. Walker Consultants, offering a range of consulting services to private sector firms and government agencies. He is a Distinguished Engineering Fellow of the Bagley College of Engineering at MSU and a member of the Industrial and Systems Engineering Advisory Council.
’74
Hob Bryan of Amory, a state senator, recently was honored by the Mississippi Primary Health Care Association with the James Whitten Award for dedication to the people of the state and to community health care centers. Bryan is chairman of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. He has served as a lawmaker since 1984. Betty Collum (M.Ed. ’76), a fifth-grade teacher at Eupora Elementary School, is the 2009 recipient of the Patricia B. Mitchell Memorial Service to the Profession Award, presented by the Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute.
’75
Temple W. Barry of Jackson, president of Lakeland Associates, LLC/ Barry Landscape, Inc., has been elected president-elect of board of directors of the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards. He also is chairman of MSU’s Landscape Architecture Advisory Board. Faris Cox of Golden, Colo., owner of Pine Ridge Development Corp., has been honored by the Greater Golden Chamber of Commerce with its Business of the Year award. Karen Wing of Madison is art director for Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s national children’s show “Between the Lions.” Her art design work won a national Emmy Award for Dr. Ticktock, as well as seven regional Emmys for “Between the Lions.”
’76
Van Roberts of Columbus, assistant professor of communication at Mississippi University for Women, has received the Senior Practitioner of the Year Award from the Southern Public Relations Federation. Grenell Rogers, area extension agent IV with the Oktibbeha County Extension Office, has been named a 2009 Black History Honoree by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.
’79
Adele Crudden (M.Ed. ’80) of Starkville, associate professor and director of MSU’s social work program, has received the John H. McAulay Award for 2008, given by the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired. Richard McNeel of Jackson, partner and owner of JBHM Architects, has passed the leadership in energy and environmental design exam for commercial interiors.
’80
Kerry Johnson (M.S. ’93, Ph.D. ’06) of Lucedale, an area horticulture agent for the MSU Extension Service, received the 2007 Outstanding Area Agent award from the Mississippi Association of County Agricultural Agents. Lamar McKay of Houston, Texas, has been named chairman and president of BP America, and will serve as BP’s chief representative in the United States.
’81
Paul B. Murphy Jr. of Houston, Texas, chief executive officer of Amegy Bank of Texas, has been appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ Houston Branch board of directors.
’85
M. Leigh Lunsford of Farmville, Va., associate professor of mathematics at Longwood University in Farmville, has received the university’s Junior Faculty Award. She joined the Longwood faculty in 2004.
’87
Barbara Runnels Coats (M.B.A. ’00) has joined Jackson’s Cirlot Agency, a corporate communications firm, where she will manage public relations for national client accounts. She previously was student affairs coordinator for MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Tom Dees, a reporter for Fox 13 in Memphis, Tenn., has won an Emmy Award in the Light Feature category for his work on a feature story about Ray’s World Famous Barbecue in West Memphis, Ark. He and photojournalist Derric Curran, another MSU graduate, were the only Memphis team to win an Emmy this year at the Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards.
Jeffrey B. Lacey has been named president and chief banking officer for M&F Bank. He previously was president of M&F Bank’s Rankin County division. Mark E. Peters of Lake Jackson, Texas, has been named global business manufacturing leader for Dow Chemical’s Polypropylene and Polypropylene Licensing & Catalyst businesses. He also recently was elected to the external advisory board to the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering at MSU, and was selected as a 2009 Distinguished Fellow by the university’s Bagley College of Engineering.
’88
Jon C. Carr (M.B.A. ’90, Ph.D. ’01), while an associate professor of management at the University of Southern Mississippi, received the 2007-08 Louis K. Brandt Publication Award from the College of Business. In January 2009, he began teaching in the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University.
’89
Roland Ray of Brandon, a certified public accountant, has joined Cooley and Associates in Madison as an associate.
’90
Kim Davis of Lucedale has been named principal of Central Elementary School in the George County School District. She previously was assistant principal at George County High School. Sarah Mitchell of Ponchatoula, La., has been promoted to assistant vice president of Tangipahoa Parish Clinics for North Oaks Health System. She oversees operations for the nine North Oaks clinics in the parish.
’92
Terry High of Ridgeland has opened the High Law Firm. He previously was an associate at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz in Jackson. Lane B. Reed of Meadville, an attorney with McGehee, McGehee & Torey, has been elected to serve a two-year term on the board of directors for the Mississippi Council of School Board Attorneys. Tommy Stevenson (M.S. ’98), assistant dean for diversity programs and student development for the Bagley College of Engineering at MSU, has been named a 2009 Black History Honoree by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.
’93
Cathy Dunning (M.P.A. ’94) has been admitted as a partner with the firm HORNE LLP. She is a senior manager in specialty accounting and serves disaster relief clients through the company’s Jackson and Biloxi offices. Billy Kirkpatrick of Leesburg, Va., has been named regional sales manager for Cisco Systems and will focus on the AT&T account. He also serves on the board of directors of the MSU Bulldog Club.
’94
Steve Pigott, chief of the Holly Springs (Ga.) Volunteer Fire Department, successfully climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, becoming the first person to summit Africa’s highest mountain while wearing full firefighter gear. He chose to wear the additional 45 pounds of gear to honor fallen firefighters and to encourage and draw attention to fitness programs for firefighters. In addition to his firefighting duties, Pigott works for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Atlanta.
Alumnus Spring 2009 43
Class
news
09 SPRING Alumnus
’96
Patrick Warren of High Point, N.C., has been appointed process, systems and performance group head, Americas Region, for CIBA Specialty Chemicals Procurement Department.
’98
Christopher West of Lucedale has been named principal at Leakesville Junior High School.
’00
Ryan Akers is a research associate and instructor in the School of Human Sciences at MSU. While a graduate student at the University of Georgia in 2008, he received the Southern Association for College Student Affairs Dissertation of the Year award. Derric Curran, a photojournalist for Fox 13 in Memphis, Tenn., has won an Emmy Award in the Light Feature category for his work on a feature story about Ray’s World Famous Barbecue in West Memphis, Ark. He and reporter Tom Dees, another MSU graduate, were the only Memphis team to win an Emmy this year at the Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards. Amanda Bryant Edwards (M.S. ’02) of Starkville is the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers and Ranchers’ State Discussion Meet winner for 2008. She represented the state at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas. Wes Slay (M.S. ’03) of Tyler, Texas, has been promoted to senior marketing specialist with Ashley Furniture Co.
’02
Nina McLain-Mills of Brandon, a teacher at Pelahatchie High School, has been named Pelahatchie’s Teacher of the Year for the 2007-08 school year. She also was named by the Hinds County
44 Alumnus Spring 2009
Birth
ANNOUNCEMENTS Chamber of Commerce as one of 12 Metro Jackson Teachers of the Year.
’05
Lauren Denham of Jackson has joined JBHM Architects as communication coordinator for the firm’s five offices in Biloxi, Columbus, Jackson, Tupelo, and Memphis, Tenn.
’06
Shannon Lacey Johnson has acquired her certified public accountant license. She is employed with Horne LLP in Hattiesburg. Callye Williams (M.B.A. ’08) is senior assistant strength and conditioning coach at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. In December 2008, she won the USA Powerlifting Virginia State Powerlifting Meet in her first-ever powerlifting competition.
’08
C.J. LeMaster has joined WTVATV in Tupelo as co-anchor of its AM Live program. La Shonda Stewart of Carbondale, Ill., was among 80 doctoral graduates recently honored at the Compact for Faculty Diversity’s 15th annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring, held in Tampa, Fla.. The Southern Regional Education Board was among several organizations that hosted the event. Joseph Young, a graduate student in turfgrass pathology at MSU, has been awarded a $5,000 postgraduate grant by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America as a winner of the 2008 Watson Fellowship Program.
Parker Elizabeth Bolton, Aug. 23, 2008, to Dewitt Lamar Bolton III (’98) and wife Jennifer of Oxford. Nathan Michael Bongiolatti, Sept. 25, 2008, to Mick Bongiolatti (’98) and Melissa Korte Bongiolatti (’97, M.S. ’99) of Cordova, Tenn. Neal Adams Bryan, Oct. 7, 2008, to Brooke Adams Bryan (’01) and Russ Bryan (’02). Grant McKinley Graham, May 22, 2007, to Jeremiah Graham (’01) and wife Sabrina of Flowood. Gavin Fox Hampton, Jan. 5, 2009, to Danielle Louys Hampton (’96, M.B.A. ’99) and husband George of La Jolla, Calif. Isabella Soleil Hamrick, Oct. 16, 2008, to Erica Freay Hamrick (’07) and Kevin Hamrick (’06, M.A. ’07). Jacob Thomas Jenkins, Nov. 25, 2008, to Emily Fesmire Jenkins (‘’02) and Brooks D. Jenkins (’03) of Brandon. Michael Wade Kirby, Jan. 16, 2008, to Shellie Graham Kirby (’97) and husband Mike of Baton Rouge, La. William Frederick McFadden, Feb. 16, 2009, to Robert George Lofton McFadden (’04) and wife Amanda of Petal. Catherine Elizabeth Scoggins, Dec. 22, 2008, to Cooper Scoggins (’04) and Margo Jenkins Scoggins (’04) of Calera, Ala. Wyatt Randall Slay, June 24, 2008, to Wes Slay (’00, M.S. ‘03) and Lindley Sumler Slay (’01, M.S. ’02) of Tyler, Texas. Elliott Belk Tucker, Sept. 11, 2008, to Shannon Belk Tucker (’91) and Thomas C. Tucker (’92). Anna Katherine West, May 21, 2008, to Christopher West (’98) and wife Amy of Lucedale.
Mississippi State alumni and friends desiring a favorite photograph of campus or a memorable athletic moment may obtain it with the click of a few computer keys. Nearly 120 selected images captured by the university’s award winning photographers now are available for online purchase. The site, http:// www.replayphotos.com/ mississippistatephotos, is operated by Replay Photos, a Web-based company specializing in producing high-quality prints for universities, said Russ Houston, coordinator of photographic services in MSU’s Office of University Relations.
www.replayphotos.com/mississippistatephotos
All tailgating Packages include the following: -TEAM
TENT -32 inch FLAT SCREEN TV -iPod SOUNDDOCK -2 TABLES WITH TEAM TABLE CLOTHS -TAILGATE SET-UP
-ELECTRICAL POWER FOR TAILGATE -ROPE LIGHTING FOR NIGHT GAMES -FULL DISH TV AND RECEIVER -20 ft. FLAGPOLE & TEAM FLAG -TAILGATE TAKE-DOWN AND STORAGE
WWW.ULTIMATETAILGATING.NET Alumnus Spring 2009 45
In
MEMORIAM
08
Please send obituaries to Allen Snow, P.O. Box 5325, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526 or e-mail to snowa@ur.msstate.edu.
SPRING Alumnus
Eddie Eugene Lewis (’33, M.S. ’57)—Kosciusko; retired teacher and coach and Korean War veteran, Nov. 25, 2008.
Ted C. Brown (’55)—74, Raymond; former mortgage banker and state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks employee, Sept. 20, 2008.
Joseph Patrick Rhodes (student)—23, Clinton; senior mechanical engineering major at Mississippi State, Dec. 27, 2008.
Perrin L. Douglas (’36)—89, Starkville; attorney for the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, Nov. 26, 2008.
Thomas E. Dunning (’55)—Issaquah, Wash.; retired Boeing Corp. employee, March 10, 2009.
Ashley Stringfellow (student)—23, Meridian; senior general business administration major at Mississippi State, Dec. 20, 2008.
Richey F. Dodds (’38)—Brantley, Ala.; retired physician, Sept. 29, 2008. E.P. Harrison (’39)—96, Waynesboro; teacher and school administrator and retired superintendent of education for Wayne County Schools, Aug. 27, 2008. Nino Anthony Bologna (’41)—89, Greenville; dermatologist and pediatrician, Oct. 5, 2008. Margaret Montgomery McWillie Kennard (’41)—89, Oktoc; homemaker and charter member of Zeta Tau Alpha at Mississippi State, March 5, 2009. Harvey Fred McCrory (’42)— 87, Starkville; former MSU professor, head of the Mississippi Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, state veterinarian, and World War II veteran, Jan. 10, 2009. William L. Brown (’43)—88, Gloster, Ala.; former Boeing Corp. engineer and engineering professor at San Diego State University, Feb. 14, 2009. James S. Wall Sr. (’47)—Belmont; retired banker, Dec. 2008. Thomas Eldon Hearon (’48)—Jackson; retired owner of Hearon Interiors, Oct. 7, 2008. Daniel Benjamin Hester (’49)—85, Moss Point; retired teacher, grain inspector for the state Department of Agriculture and United States Department of Agriculture, and World War II veteran, April 27, 2008. Robert S. Morris (’50)—83, Columbia; farmer, dairyman, teacher, and World War II veteran, June 10, 2007. Hugh C. Mayerhoff Jr. (’52)—Albany, Ga.; retired logistics specialist, April 16, 2008.
46 Alumnus Spring 2009
James Philip Karr (’59)—70, Greenville; general manager of The River Group, Feb. 27, 2008. Frontis William Ergle Jr. (’59)—71, Charleston; retired executive director of Tallahatchie County General Hospital, Jan. 13, 2009. Ode Burrell Jr. (’64, M.S. ’74)— 69, Gautier; former professional football player for the Houston Oilers and retired teacher and coach, Feb. 28, 2009. Gloria Wigley Kincade (’67, M.Ed. ’68)—63, Greenville; partner in Happy Hollow Farms, Aug. 19, 2008. Winnie R. Latimer (‘68)–89, Tupelo; retired teacher and counselor and longtime house mother for Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at MSU, Feb. 5, 2009 Donald Gene Fauver (’69)—61, Pontotoc; co-owner of Progressive Shoe Store, Aug. 17, 2008. Susan Marie Cliett (’70, M.S. ’75)—60, West Point; retired foreign languages teacher, Sept. 18, 2008. Donald L. Dowdle (’73)—58, Somerville, Tenn.; owner and publisher of the Mid-South Horse Review, Oct. 24, 2008. Darren C. Fenton (’89)—42, Tupelo; neighborhood planner/developer for the City of Tupelo, Oct. 8, 2008. Laura Beck Kitchens (’97, M.B.A. ’99)—Starkville; former marketing and communications coordinator for the MSU Foundation at Mississippi State, March 6, 2009. Michelle Salley Crowley (’00)—32, Nettleton; designer for Phillips Garden Center in Tupelo, Dec. 13, 2008.
Leo Lynch (employee)—49; geosciences associate professor, Feb. 24, 2009. F. Virginia Rohde (former employee)—90, Starkville; professor emerita of mathematics at Mississippi State, Dec. 5, 2008. Alice Elizabeth Hamer Sanford (former employee)—Kilmichael; professor emeritus and retired director of the Library Science Program at Mississippi State, Jan. 5, 2009. Z.U.A. Warsi (former employee)—74, Starkville; professor emeritus of aerospace engineering at Mississippi State, holder of the Bagley College of Engineering’s Career Achievement Award, and three-time Hearin-Hess Professor, Dec. 3, 2008. Dorothy Huff (friend)—86, Leakesville; homemaker, Aug. 29, 2008. Mary Carol Nelson Murphy (friend)—91, Lucedale; homemaker and civic leader, May 1, 2008.
48 Alumnus Spring 2009
Old Main Plaza–a pedestrian space linking McCool Hall, Colvard Student Union, Perry Cafeteria, and Montgomery Hall–was completed in fall 2008. Until it burned in January 1959, Old Main dormitory was the center of campus life, having served as home to thousands of students during its 79 years of occupation.
Alumnus Spring 2009 49
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Louisville, KY Permit #1051
Post Office Box AA One Hunter Henry Boulevard Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526 www.alumni.msstate.edu CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
Discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or veteran’s status is a violation of federal and state law and MSU policy and will not be tolerated. Discrimination based upon sexual orientation or group affiliation is a violation of MSU policy and will not be tolerated.