ARKANSAS: Spring 2021

ARKANSAS

Spring 2021 For members of the Arkansas Alumni Association Inc. For members of the Arkansas Alumni Association Inc.

Spring 2021 Vol. 70, No. 3

Why Membership Matters...

Scholarships

Katlyn McDonald Zachary, Louisiana PRIDE Alumni Society Scholar

“I cannot express how grateful I am to have been selected as a recipient of the PRIDE Alumni Society Scholarship. Thank you for your generosity and for allowing me to represent the PRIDE Alumni Society at the University of Arkansas. Receiving this scholarship has ultimately proven to me how important it is to be your genuine self.”

“I cannot thank you enough for the opportunities you have provided me with by giving me this scholarship. I love what the University of Arkansas has to offer for me in the next chapter of my life and I have you, the donors, to thank for this opportunity. Thank you again and Go Hogs!”

Jack Ryan La Plata, Maryland Maryland Chapter Scholar

Alumni group programs and events are supported by your membership dollars. Chapters and societies raise their own money for scholarships. Please renew or upgrade and encourage others to join because membership matters. join.arkansasalumni.org • 888-ARK-ALUM or 479-575-2801 65 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

Photo by Chieko Hara

arkansas

SPRING / Vol 70, No. 3

For members of the Arkansas Alumni Association Inc.

4 Celebrating 150 Years

Get an early look at the events planned for the coming year and some online treats already available, such as a digital Senior Walk.

10 The Natural State

Find out about a new book from the U of A Press about the trees, shrubs, and woody vines of Arkansas.

24 Water Quality Research

Honors student Srusti Maddala tests the water at Lake Keith while also trying out a microdialysis sampling technique new to researchers.

2 Campus View 4 Campus 44 Alumni 54 Yesteryear 56 Senior Walk 64 Last Look On the cover: The Chi Omega Greek Theatre in the 1950s, but always a welcome respite from classes.

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ARKANSAS Publisher Arkansas Alumni Association

Executive Director Brandy Cox Jackson ✪ M.A.’07 Editor Charlie Alison ★ B.A.’82, M.A.’04 Associate Editor Catherine Baltz ✪+ B.S.’92, M.Ed.’07 Creative Director Eric Pipkin

Photo by Chieko Hara

Photo Editor Russell Cothren ✪

Campus View Doctoral Candidate in English

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Writers & Contributors Andy Albertson ★ M.F.A.’13 DeLani Bartlette, B.A.’06 M.A.’08 Nick DeMoss, B.A.’11 Mike Emery Jennifer Holland ★ M.E.D.’08 Susan Kendrick-Perry Samantha Kirby Shannon Magsam John Post Shawn Price Mark Rushing, B.A.’93 John F. Thomas MEMBERSHIP SYMBOLS ✩ Student Member; ★ Member; ★+ Member, A+; ✪ Life Member; ✪+ Life Member, A+

Katie Powell

I study the way communities remember.

I’m fascinated with the markers we leave behind to tell our story to future generations. What started in 2017 for me as a peripheral question based on my upbringing in the South — what SHOULD we do about Confederate monuments? — has turned into a year and a half of questioning, watching, and listening.

My research examines two groups: the white women of the James H. Berry chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, responsible for putting up Bentonville’s Confederate statue in 1908, and the Washington County Community Remembrance Project, working to erect a monument to three enslaved men who were lynched here in 1856. What a moment to be listening to this chapter in our community’s story!

Taking down a monument to the South’s “Lost Cause” while erecting one that illuminates a largely untold chapter in our past fascinates me and gets at the heart of how we want to be remembered, and the hard question of where to place myself as a white woman in this work.

Photographers Chieko Hara Whit Pruitt ★ B.A.’17

While the two monuments I’m studying tell a collective story, I see the unique tradition of Senior Walk on campus as our own marker of sorts, a story of individual accomplishments that tells people that we were here. My individual name might not mean much to the many passing by in the university’s usual hustle and bustle. But as we mark 150 years as an institution, we can look at the names of nearly countless graduates etched out there and see that they tell the story of us.

As I think about the story our community’s objects leave behind, I think about the legacy of my own name on campus. My partner’s name is on Senior Walk just above mine, and maybe someday our first child, due in June, will also see their name in stone. Stories like mine fill our campus, individual accomplishments that tell, like our monuments, an imperfect story of listening and growth. This spring, I’ll proudly see my name etched again on Senior Walk and, in order to represent it, I will continue to ask hard questions, receive hard answers, and listen to the stories our community is telling.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor are accepted and ­encouraged. Send letters for publication to Arkansas Magazine, Office of University ­R elations, 200 Davis Hall, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and may be edited for length. Typewritten letters are preferred. Anonymous letters will not be published. Submission does not guarantee publication.

Arkansas, E xc l u s i ve l y fo r M e m b e r s of the Arkansas Alumni Association, Inc. (ISSN 1064-8100) (USPS 009-515) is published quarterly by the Arkansas Alumni Association, Inc. at 491 North Razorback Road, Fayetteville, AR 72701.

Annual membership dues are now $55 per household and a portion is allocated for a subscription to Arkansas. Single copies are $6. Editing and production are provided through the UA Office of University Relations. Direct inquiries and information to P.O. Box 1070, Fayetteville, AR 72702-1070, phone (479) 575-2801, fax (479) 575-5177.

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POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to P.O. Box 1070, ­Fayetteville, AR 72702-1070.

ARKANSAS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Mission Statement The Arkansas Alumni Association connects and serves the University of Arkansas Family.

Vision Statement The Arkansas Alumni Association will be nationally recognized as a model alumni relations program.

Value Statement The Arkansas Alumni Association values: • service • excellence • collaboration • relationships • diversity • learning • creativity Arkansas Spring 21-007 All photos by University Relations unless otherwise noted.

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University Relations

Feature

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A Site for Boar Eyes

Website Serves as Hub for University’s 150th Celebration

BY MARK RUSHING B.A.’93

It all began in the spring of 1871. Hard to imagine now, but 150 years ago this March, the state’s first land-grant institution was founded. Its original name, the Arkansas Industrial University, didn’t stick, but the University of Arkansas did, growing from its first graduating class of little more than a dozen to its current enrollment of more than 27,500 students representing all 50 states and more than 100 countries around the world.

So what happened during those 150 years in between?

And how will the U of A continue to advance its mission and impact moving forward? A milestone like the

university’s 150th anniversary is a great time to ask these questions, to pause, reflect, and look ahead. And yes, it’s also a time to celebrate the university’s growth and many positive impacts while also recognizing the struggles along the way and the work yet to be done.

The majority of the university’s sesquicentennial events are scheduled for the fall and will continue into 2022, when the U of A will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first day of classes. But the virtual celebration is already underway.

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Feature

Bookmark This: 150.uark.edu Please bookmark the U of A’s sesquicentennial website, 150.uark.edu, as it will serve as the hub for 150th information throughout the celebration, including details about upcoming events, feature stories, photos, videos, merchandise and other resources. A few things to look for: • Senior Walk Search Tools – Search more than 200,000 graduates by name or year, with helpful 360-degree wayfinding videos.

• If This Walk Could Talk – Trailer for new documentary being produced for the 150th.

• Portraits of Progress – Vignettes focused on the people who helped make the university more diverse and inclusive.

• University Timeline – Historical facts and photos spanning 150 years.

• 150th Events – Calendar of events that will grow throughout the celebration.

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Here, There and Everywhere The U of A brand is everywhere, and the sesquicentennial is an opportunity to showcase that brand like never before. As part of the celebratory launch, the campus community, alumni and friends will now begin seeing the specialized sesquicentennial logo more often — including a version that incorporates the primary running Razorback athletics logo. Yes, sesquicentennial merchandise is available.

Banners across campus are also being replaced with a sesquicentennial collection. The new banners reinforce the university’s mission and 150 years of service and impact to the state and beyond.

You’re Invited: Come as You Arkansas The sesquicentennial celebration will feature a number of interactive events including the fall kick-off event, Come as You Arkansas. The all-day event will take place Sept. 10, 2021, and will feature a multi-pronged progression of activities, open to all who wish to attend – from alumni to new visitors, families, faculty and staff.

Events will be occurring in a variety of buildings, outdoor spaces and venues throughout the day and will celebrate the U of A’s unique traditions while highlighting its mission, vision, history and future.

Attendees are encouraged to come as they are – comfy and casual with Razorback attire encouraged but not required. The event will be held the day before the Arkansas-Texas football game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium Sept. 11, 2021, so let’s just say burnt orange is discouraged.

Happy 150th Razorbacks!

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Campus

Healthcare Aspirations Hayes Hopes to Take Vital Care to Underserved Communities

BY SHANNON MAGSAM

Kylie Hayes Photo Submitted

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As a high school and college athlete, Kylie Hayes sustained injuries that required multiple visits to both physical and occupational therapy. That experience led her to pursue a career in the healthcare field.

“It was through those experiences as a patient that I came to appreciate the vital role of OT in a person’s recovery,” she said.

Hayes, a first-year student in the occupational therapy doctoral program, has been awarded the Benjamin Franklin Lever Tuition Fellowship. This highly competitive award is given to qualified students who reflect the university’s commitment to academics and diversity.

“I am very grateful for the Benjamin Franklin Lever Fellowship because it will allow me to confidently pursue my aspirations of becoming a doctor of occupational therapy,” she said.

Hayes plans to work with people from underrepresented populations “to provide treatment and resources that they would not normally have access to that would help them overcome barriers and improve their quality of life.”

The doctoral program is a joint offering between the College of Education and Health Professions at the U of A, the College of Health Professions at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and UAMS’ Northwest campus in Fayetteville.

“From the OTD program’s inception, we have dedicated ourselves to creating an inclusive learning environment that promotes creativity and innovation — and one that will prepare our students to meet the health and occupation-related needs of underserved and underrepresented people, groups, and communities,” said Sherry Muir, program director. “We are thrilled the fellowship selection committee recognizes the same potential in Kylie that we do.

“Receiving this competitive and prestigious fellowship award will enable Kylie to leverage her considerable talents and gifts to become an advocate and change agent for occupational therapy,” Muir said.

The fellowship is named for Benjamin Franklin Lever, the first African-American student to earn a graduate degree at the U of A. Lever studied agronomy, earning a Master of Science in Agriculture in 1951 and then working in agricultural extension, which in turn led to an interest in teaching. He returned to the university and earned a Master of Education in 1955 and subsequently became a professor at the Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College, now known as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Forbes 30 Under 30 Up and Coming Startup

BY NICK DEMOSS B.A.’11

Spencer Foust B.S.M.E.’14, rose from intern to principal at a venture capital firm in less than five years, where he has deployed more than $150 million to support U.S. startups as they expand internationally.

In January, he was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

Foust earned a master’s degree in management science from Stanford University and then went to work for Sozo Ventures, a San Francisco-based firm. His work as a principal is focused on helping category-leading startups in the U.S. expand internationally.

Foust credited his time at the U of A for setting him on a path to success.

“The U of A had a huge impact on what kinds of opportunities I was able to access,” he said. “But the biggest impact came from the faculty and staff that were at the school to dedicate time and support on everything from internships, to job and graduate applications, to understanding career paths.”

He said although he isn’t working as a mechanical engineer, he’s still putting the skills he learned at the U of A to good use.

“As an investor, the skill I use most from my engineering degree is the ability to learn the basics on a new subject quickly and to ask the right questions to expedite that learning,” he said.

Foust urged today’s students to maximize their time in school.

“Take advantage of unique opportunities that are present in your life — they are what will set you apart from others in the years ahead,” he said. “While at the U of A or other schools, you have a unique calling card to access incredible resources and people that diminishes once you leave school and step into a career.”

While at the university, Foust was a student in the Honors College and served in leadership roles in the student chapters of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineering.

Spencer Foust Photo Submitted

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Feature

Bring Me a Shrubbery Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines of Arkansas

Photos Submitted

BY DELANI BARTLETTE BA ’06, MA ’08

Jennifer Ogle

Theo Witsell

U of A researchers recently published Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines of Arkansas, a comprehensive guide to woody plants across the Natural State. The new guide is published by the Ozark Society Foundation and distributed by the University of Arkansas Press.

The book, which serves as an essential outdoor Arkansas field guide, includes more than 1,500 color photographs, in addition to illustrations and maps. The book is expected to be an invaluable reference for schools, libraries and those interested in the preservation of wilderness and unique natural areas throughout the state.

Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines of Arkansas is co-authored by botanist Jennifer Ogle, B.S. ’10, M.S. ’15, collections manager of the U of A Herbarium; ecologist Theo Witsell, chief of research for the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the curator of the ANHC Herbarium; and Johnnie Gentry, former director and curator of the U of A Herbarium and professor emeritus of biology at the U of A. Collectively, the co-authors have been studying the plants of Arkansas for decades.

The book also includes a foreword by the television host, gardening expert, conservationist and Little Rock 10 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

Johnnie Gentry

native P. Allen Smith.

Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines of Arkansas includes descriptions of 471 woody plants as well as up-to-date information on species names, ranges, and habitats. The book includes updated county-level distribution maps, 21 plates of botanical illustrations and cultural and historical information about the plants and habitats of the state.

Ogle said a comprehensive, up-to-date and locally relevant resource on the woody plants of Arkansas was needed for both the public and professionals working in conservation fields. This guide is the only one available that includes every important tree, shrub and woody vine known to occur in Arkansas, she added.

A project of this size was sure to face challenges; the biggest one was finding high-quality photos of each species. Witsell took on that challenge, putting a request out to the many field botanists and nature photographers he knows.

Ogle said the response was tremendous, estimating that they received more than 10,000 photos from contributors.

“We looked at all of them,” she said.

Even with all those contributions, she said, they still

Top left: Pawpaw (Asimina trilobal) Middle left: The bark of the black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) Left: Chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) Above photos by Eric Hunt

Top right: Leaves of a southern sugar maple (Acer floridanum) Left: White ash (Fraxinus Americana) Above photos by John Gwaltney

needed photos of some of the plants and of certain features. So the authors turned to iNaturalist, a citizen science website that encourages users to upload and map biodiversity observations. “By the time we were done with that process, we had featured the work of more than 200 photographers, all of whom contributed their photos in exchange for a photo credit,” Ogle said.

The guide is aimed at a wide readership, Ogle said, including hikers, hunters, educators, landscape designers and conservation professionals.

“To address the needs of all those groups, we included some technical aspects in the book, such as dichotomous keys and botanical language,” she said, “but we paired those SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 11

Feature

Top: American witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) Photo by Eric Hunt

Right: Carolina buckthorn (Frangula caroliniana) Photo by John Pelton

Far right: Littlehip hawthorn (Crataegus spathulate) Photo by Eric Hunt

more technical aspects with a glossary, botanical illustrations and detailed, descriptive photographs so that it could be used as a field guide, a desk reference and a textbook.”

“We want this book to help anyone who is interested to better know the flora of Arkansas,” Ogle said. “We want to help botany students learn our plants. …We want gardeners and designers to see native plants as viable options in a garden or landscape.

And we hope readers will be motivated to go out and rediscover some of the rare plants that have not been seen in decades.”

Ogle said the book is a labor of love: “We wrote this book because we love nature, we love native plants, and in our respective fields, we work to promote the education and 12 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

Top: Pipe-vine (Isotrema tomentosa) Photo by John Pelton

Left: Moonseed (Menispermum canadense) Photo by John Moore

conservation of those plants and the unique plant communities and habitats of our state.”

“Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines of Arkansas finally gives us the most comprehensive and relevant volume on this topic yet, and we’re so fortunate to bring some of the leading authorities on these topics together for this authoritative book,” said Marvin Schwartz, chair of the Ozark Society Foundation. “It reflects a remarkable partnership of numerous state agencies, universities and nonprofit organizations that made this work possible.”

For more information or to pre-order Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines of Arkansas, go to the UA Press at uapress.com or call 800-621-2736.

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Campus

Data Driven Dynamics Partnership Aims to Grow Data Science Pipeline in Arkansas

BY NICK DEMOSS B.A.’11

Arkansas high school students will have the opportunity to pursue courses in data science through a revised curriculum approved by the Arkansas Department of Education.

The effort was led by Karl Schubert, B.S.Ch.E.’75, Ph.D.’83, professor of practice and associate director of the U of A’s new undergraduate data science program. The change comes as part of an update to the state’s computer science curriculum at the high school level.

Schubert chaired a subcommittee through the Arkansas Department of Education that brought together leaders from secondary and post-secondary schools, the Arkansas Department of Education, and relevant industries to update the state’s computer science curriculum.

Schubert said the effort will provide high school students a strong foundation as they prepare to pursue post-secondary education in the rapidly growing field of data science.

“The new data science path combines

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lectures and hands-on, team-based projects to introduce students to key concepts in data science,” he said. “These skills will position students for success as they pursue post-secondary education and, eventually, careers in data science.”

Topics in the classes will include defining, storing, accessing, manipulating, and analyzing data; visually representing data and communicating the results for technical and non-technical audiences; and understanding various types of data bias and how to mitigate them.

The U of A developed a data science program at the collegiate level in response to a growing demand for prepared workers among businesses in Arkansas and across the nation. The program is hosted jointly by the College of Engineering, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, and the Sam M. Walton College of Business, providing students access to experts in all three colleges as they shape their data science skillset.

Bill Yoder, who leads the Arkansas Center for Data Sciences, said the new state curriculum will benefit students and industries throughout the state.

“We know more Arkansas employers are driving an increasing talent demand to staff their data-driven decisions, and this curriculum goes a long way statewide to putting the students on a pathway that will lead to very fulfilling careers,” he said.

The Arkansas Department of Education approved the committee’s recommendations in December. New data science high school courses are expected to be available in the fall of 2021.

The Design Excellence Tour Fay Jones School Meets Virtually With Alumni

BY BROCK HAEGELE ★ B.A. ’17

The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, in collaboration with the Arkansas Alumni Association, began hosting events in major cities and states across the country, in part to celebrate the school’s 75th anniversary. Thirty Dallas alumni heard from Dean Peter MacKeith, Associate Dean Ethel GoodsteinMurphree, honors student Benjamin Ebbesmeyer, and visiting professor Candice Adams in January.

Cities range from Portland, Oregon, to the state of Florida in this series, titled “The Design Excellence Tour.” These

events feature Dean MacKeith, special guests from the school, and a guest from the Arkansas Alumni Association.

As a result of these events, the Fay Jones School has received gift commitments in excess of $1 million.

Be on the lookout for your invitation to the Design Excellence Tour in the weeks to come. There are still many more cities and states to go. These events happen on Thursdays from 5:15-6:30 p.m. (CT), and you can join in from the comfort of your own home thanks to Zoom.

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Feature

Arkansas Atoll Podcast Sharing Stories of the Marshallese Islanders

BY SUSAN KENDRICK-PERRY

During the COVID-19 pandemic, one Arkansas community has been hit much harder than others: Half of the state’s coronavirus deaths have been members of the Marshallese community in Springdale.

The new Arkansas Atoll podcast explores why and shares stories of the Marshall Islanders in Northwest Arkansas.

The podcast is a production of the Arkansas Story Vault at the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History and is co-produced by the School of Journalism and Strategic Media.

Through community members’ voices, the series addresses the COVID-19 crisis and healthcare disparities in the Marshallese community, the history of the United States and the Marshall Islands’ political relationship, and the status of the Marshallese as both nuclear and political refugees.

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“I think the first step is to educate,” said Benetick Maddison, a member of the Marshallese community and project specialist for youth, climate and nuclear issues at the Marshallese Educational Initiative in Springdale.

“You know, what happened in the Marshall Islands is part of American history. And it’s really frustrating and sad that when I open a history book or when my fellow Marshallese open history books, the only image of a bomb we see is the one in Hiroshima or Nagasaki, but it’s like, where’s the other 67 nuclear weapons that were tested?”

The history of the Marshall Islands’ relationship with the U.S. began in the 1940s with 12 years of nuclear testing in the islands. Arkansas Atoll dives into the legacy of these nuclear tests and their lasting effects.

“As I was working on this project, it really shocked me to learn of the traumatic events and the everyday reality of

marginalization the Marshallese people have faced,” said Obed Lamy, one of the podcast’s student producers.

“Coming from Haiti, an island which has also experienced colonization and struggled with forces of international domination, helps shape my perspective on their situation and relate to them on the human level,” he said. “But we don’t necessarily have to walk in someone’s shoes to understand their life. This podcast series is an opportunity to learn, sympathize, and act.”

In addition to Lamy, the podcast was produced by student interns Neba Evans, Octavia Rolle, Shane White, and Sam Whitesell. It is supervised by Sarah K. Moore of the Pryor Center and Colleen Thurston, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media.

The project began as a video production of the Pryor Center’s Arkansas Story Vault project in January 2020. When the pandemic hit and the university went remote, the students decided to turn their video project into a podcast.

“Working with this group of students on the Arkansas Atoll podcast has been such a rewarding experience,” Moore said. “I was impressed and inspired by their dedication to getting these stories of the Marshallese community out there for all to hear. I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I did!”

Arkansas Atoll is now available on the newly launched Arkansas Story Vault website at storyvault.uark.edu.

Top left, Dr. Sheldon Riklon and his family celebrate his granddaughter’s birthday. op right, Student Shane T White interviews Chris Balos, Climate Ambassador for the Marshallese Educational Initiative. iddle right, Student Sam M Whitesell interviews Dr. Sheldon Riklon in his office in Springdale, Arkansas. ight, Student Octavia R Rolle sets up camera equipment for an interview at the Pryor Center.

Photos courtesy of the Pryor Center

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artin Greer points M to the “father to son” tradition in his family business.

Photos by Russell Cothren

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Candy and Cartoons

Alumnus Martin Greer Joins Candy-Making With Love of Illustration, Art Education

BY SHANNON MAGSAM

Martin Greer jokes that he feels a little like a Walmart greeter at his candy store on U.S. 62 near Gateway, Arkansas. Indeed, the 81-year-old stations himself at the store’s entrance every business day and welcomes all who enter.

Greer enjoys chatting with visitors about several topics.

Candy, for sure. He was born into the candy-making business, and his family still uses old-fashioned methods and recipes dating back to the 1890s. Greer learned how to make candy from his father, M.L. Greer, who got into the business in 1924.

His two youngest children, Uriah and Joshua, are thirdgeneration candy makers at Martin Greer’s Candies. His wife of 31 years, Jeanette, is also an integral part of the store’s success.

The present-day Greer family makes over 200 different kinds of hand-dipped chocolate treats and candy – all on the premises.

But Martin Greer is not known as the “Candy Artist” just because he’s an expert at creating beautiful confections. The candy store is also home to his art studio.

The store and studio walls are adorned with Greer’s artwork – everything from beautiful Santa Claus paintings

to brightly colored cartoon panels. And he has something else framed and hanging on the store’s walls that makes him proud: the dissertation he wrote while earning a doctorate in education from the U of A. Greer received a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Ozarks in 1965 and a master’s degree from Northeastern Oklahoma State University in 1975. He graduated from the U of A in May 1979 with a doctorate from the College of Education and Health Professions.

The dissertation is titled, “A Study of the Professional Preparation Needs of Art Teachers in the State of Arkansas.”

Greer worked as an assistant instructor in the U of A art department while a doctoral student. He created his largest-ever painting while there: a 4-foot by 16-foot painting of Jesus’ crucifixion. He gave the painting to a church in Fort Smith, but he has since lost track of it. He has a smaller version in his art studio. Three of Greer’s large paintings are used in the Great Passion Play, which is performed in Eureka Springs.

Greer taught students from kindergarten to graduate school for more than 40 years, mostly in Van Buren. He also taught in Fort Smith and was a principal at schools in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, and Knoxville, Tennessee. Greer SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 19

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Right, Some of the treats available at Greer’s Candies just east of Gateway.

Far right, Martin Greer at his studio’s drawing table.

Photos by Russell Cothren

helped start Metro Christian School in Fort Smith and was an administrator there for two years. The accredited school was open for 18 years.

Greer began his career as a history teacher, but that shifted when school administrators noticed his artistic talent.

In the 1960s, Greer began teaching history and art to high school students.

When he learned he would only receive two cents a day per student for art books and supplies, Greer brainstormed fundraising opportunities that turned into 20 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

art projects themselves. He taught students to design and build floats for the local Christmas parade, and their creations won or netted first-place trophies 16 years in a row. Under his tutelage, the students also learned how to produce elaborate puppet shows.

The puppeteers and their teacher traveled to area school districts, raising money for their art program with every performance. Greer drove the bus, sometimes dressed as Santa Claus or a clown.

“The puppet shows were really popular,” he said. “The kids absolutely loved it. I sometimes see those students, who are all grown up now, here in the candy shop.

They always tell me how much they enjoyed those group art projects.”

Greer also taught his high school students how to produce animated cartoon movies. They made a dozen movies using the early method of hand-drawing and coloring cells. Greer wrote a book detailing the methods employed by his students called Animation in the Schools, available on Amazon.

He also wrote Art Taught to Art Expressed, a book for artists and teachers seeking to develop a varied art curriculum.

He was the first Arkansan whose work was included in the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), the largest online library in the world for education research and information.

Greer remains a staunch advocate for art education and believes robust programs are essential for all K-12 schools. The discipline is important in developing the whole student and even offers therapeutic benefits, he said.

Greer still remembers a student named Ricky who was labeled a troublemaker.

When Ricky was a high school senior, he ended up in Greer’s classroom. It wasn’t long before the 12th-grader had earned a new label: artist.

At the end-of-year awards ceremony, Greer handed out only two certificates.

One went to Ricky. To Greer’s knowledge, it was the only award the boy had ever received in school. The audience went wild and Ricky was stunned by a standing ovation.

“That’s what art is capable of doing,” Greer said.

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Campus

Cordia Harrington B.S.H.E.’76 Building Businesses From the 5th Grade Forward

BY JOHN THOMAS B.A.’11

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One Construction, based in Russellville.

Harrington’s real estate business sold to Coldwell Bankers in 1989, but her career was still in its infancy.

That same year, she graduated from McDonald’s Hamburger University as a registered applicant and purchased a McDonald’s franchise.

Proving her ability to lead and motivate, Harrington earned the opportunity to build two additional McDonald’s restaurants. To grow her sales, she purchased a Greyhound Bus franchise, bringing 88 busloads of customers each day, which eventually helped her reach the top 40 in sales among all McDonald’s franchises in the United States.

She parlayed that success into where she is today as the founder and chief executive officer of the The Bakery Cos, recently rebranded as Crown Bakeries.

The company includes six plants and 14 product lines serving elite customers in the U.S., the Caribbean, and South America. The business includes Bakery Express, a trucking firm, and Cold Storage of Nashville, a freezer facility.

Harrington’s focus on regulations, sustainability, employee policies, and development have led the company to grow organically into a state-of-the-art business, winning numerous awards from both industry publications and customers.

Her passion for innovation, sponsorship of human resources best practices, and ability to deliver innovative strategies have earned respect in an industry based in conventional practices. Her elite customers include McDonald’s, O’Charley’s, Sara Lee, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, ConAgra, Pepperidge Farm, Five Guys, and Tyson, among others.

Photo submitted

The university honored alumna Cordia Harrington with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the All-University Commencement ceremony in December.

Harrington, a successful entrepreneur and executive, is well known throughout the bakery business and has made an impact in a wide variety of industries nationwide.

As early as fifth grade, when she turned her backyard into the neighborhood daycare, Harrington has always been driven to be successful. Having excelled in manufacturing, transportation, the quickservice restaurant segment, real estate and construction, her impeccable business acumen has earned her a spot on Forbes magazine’s list of 100 wealthiest self-made women in 2020.

“You make friends that will enrich your life,” Harrington said just after receiving her honorary degree and reflecting on her own time at the university.

“This university and this state culture breeds building relationships.

“Life is about relationships. As you leave here today, I hope you leave with some advice about how important long-term relationships are. You don’t get anywhere in life without others,” she told the graduating class of 2020.

Harrington was born in Waco, Texas, and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, with her parents and two siblings. She attended the U of A, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1975 from the College of Agriculture – now the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

She was the first in her family to graduate from college and went on to open her own real estate business with all $587 of her savings. That business eventually became the award-winning Concept One Realtors and Concept

In addition to her recognition in Forbes, Harrington was named Nashville Post’s 2020 CEO of the Year. Harrington was inducted into the American Society of Baking Hall of Fame in February 2018, and Directors & Boards magazine named her a “Director to Watch.” She received the Most Admired CEO Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nashville Business Journal in 2017. In 2016, Harrington was named Johnson Fellow by the Arkansas Alumni Association, awarded the Excellence in Entrepreneurship award

by Millikin University, and inducted into the YWCA’s Academy of Women of Achievement. Harrington was named to the list of the 50 Fastest-Growing WomenOwned Businesses (Women President’s Organization) in 2016 and was the EY Entrepreneur of the Year (Southeast Program) in 2015.

Along with her great business savvy, Harrington is also known for her strong

faith, business ethics, and leadership experience with community, business, and civic boards. She served on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Nashville Branch from 2008-2013 and as 2019-2020 chair of the Chief Executives Organization Board of Directors. She is president-elect for the American Bakers Association Board of Directors and is a member of the Belmont University Board of Trustees Executive Committee.

She has also served on the Boards of Directors for Williams Food and Zoes Kitchen, and she joined the Emergent Cold Board of Directors in 2018. She currently serves on the boards of Ascend Logistics, the Factory, and Sageworth.

Harrington resides in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband Tom. They have five children and 10 grandchildren.

Cordia Harrington speaks at the 2020 Fall Commencement.

Photo by Russell Cothren

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Feature

Beneath the Surface

Honors Student Srusti Maddala Investigates High Contaminants in Lake at Cave Springs

BY SAMANTHA KIRBY PHOTOS BY CHIEKO HARA

North of Fayetteville along Arkansas Highway 112, drivers on their way to the Northwest Arkansas National Airport pass Lake Keith while going through the town of Cave Springs. But they can’t be faulted for not noticing: On the surface, it’s just another concrete-rimmed, algaechoked duck pond. Beneath the surface, it’s even less inviting: the former fish hatchery contains mysteriously high amounts of contaminants, particularly nitrogen.

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“No one knows for sure where the pollutants are coming from — they could be a result of rapid urbanization, or could be coming from the guano of bats living inside the cave at the site,” said Srusti Maddala, a senior in chemistry and environmental science whose honors thesis project was dedicated to finding a way to reduce the nitrogen levels in Lake Keith’s water. “But the ultimate goal for my project was to plant a riparian buffer

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Preceding page: Srusti Maddala collects a water sample at Lake Keith in Cave Springs. Opposite, top left: Maddala checks a sample of water taken near the lake’s former fish hatchery.

Top right: Maddala takes a soil sample by pounding a metal ring into the ground to get a consistent sample size. Bottom right: A tiny microdialysis probe is used to test the areas surrounding a plant’s root systems.

26 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

zone along the southern bank of the lake to act as a natural filtration system.”

She is among the first researchers in the country to use microdialysis, a diffusionbased sampling technique, to measure nutrient fluxes in soil microsites. In particular, she tested for fluxes of nitrogen as it was absorbed by two commonly encountered plants, switchgrass and reed canary grass, to determine the plants’ ability to phytoremediate — that is, to remove nitrogen from their surroundings and sequester it in their own biomass.

To measure the nitrogen-retaining ability of these grasses, Maddala inserted tiny microdialysis probes into the plants’ rhizospheres — the areas surrounding their root systems. Because these probes are incredibly small and fragile, Maddala set up her experiment in a greenhouse rather than in the field. “The soil at Lake Keith is very rocky. I didn’t want to risk losing the probes and breaking them in that environment,” she explained.

She planted the grasses in soil extracted from the southern shore of Lake Keith and nourished them with the lake water to mimic the target environment as much as possible.

Maddala found that the switchgrass was much more effective at collecting and retaining nitrogen than the reed canary grass, which, to her surprise, had a very high flux in nitrate concentrations. “This means that despite existing nitrate in the water, even more nitrate was being produced in the root zone of the reed canary grass.”

“I think it would be really cool to study the microbial community, either through DNA sequencing or polymerase chain reactions, to learn more about what’s happening here. I’d also like to find a means to study how nutrient cycling is affected by these microbial communities and vice versa,” she added.

Maddala will begin graduate school this fall and plans to delve deeper into this mystery for her master’s degree. “Looking back, I’m really grateful for this project, because it made me that much more

prepared for grad school,” she said.

Maddala’s thesis is unique because it is heavily interdisciplinary, as evidenced by the fact that she had three mentors for the project: chemistry and biochemistry professor Julie Stenken; crop, soil and water sciences professor Mary Savin; and agriculture, food and life sciences professor Lisa Wood. Each professor is a specialist in certain aspects of Maddala’s research — but none in all. So Maddala oversaw her project in a very real sense, working to synthesize information in the gaps between three different academic specializations.

“The fact that I was in charge was intimidating at first. I could do what I deemed appropriate or necessary, and it was nice to have that kind of freedom, but there were times when things just didn’t make sense, and I just had to sit there and think through different solutions.”

This self-sufficiency was underscored by the sheer novelty of her methods: Microdialysis is a very new technique in field applications, and Maddala’s success suggests that it can be an effective, simple, and noninvasive way to test soil samples in the field.

“Without using this system, you have to dig up soil, mix it with potassium chloride, shake it up, filter it — it’s very destructive, and requires significant periods of time from sampling to analysis. Which is a problem because soil is very dynamic,” she said. “If you take it and put it in an oven for a day, its contents are going to change. So, researchers think that this might not represent soil at its site of extraction.”

“If we don’t find a more precise and accurate way of understanding nutrient cycling in soil, it can just lead to more environmental deterioration,” Maddala warned. “Microdialysis provides a real-time, in situ means of nutrient sampling, which is a great alternative to extractions. So I hope that this research will lead to better sampling methods, so that we can better understand and manage soil ecosystems.”

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Campus

Guard Member Ordered to D.C. Sgt. Samantha Spencer Reports for Duty in Nation’s Capital

BY MIKE EMERY

The first week of class is always a time of transition as students finalize their schedules and teachers settle into the new semester. Students and professors alike expect some uncertainty, but civil engineering senior Samantha Spencer received a unique notice the evening of Jan. 13 that completely changed her plans for the following three weeks.

Spencer is a sergeant in the Arkansas 28 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

Army National Guard and was told, with less than 24 hours’ notice, to report to Fort Chaffee, just outside of Fort Smith. On Jan. 14, she was ordered to full-time status to provide operation support in Washington, D.C., during the 2021 inauguration.

The inauguration proceeded smoothly, and through it all, Spencer didn’t miss a beat in her studies, even logging onto lectures on her cell phone during her off time in the nation’s capital.

She said the experience was one-ofa-kind.

“While I never expected to be sitting inside the United States Capitol Building watching class lectures just hours after a presidential inauguration, being a part of this chapter of history is something I will never forget and will someday tell my family about as a distant memory,” she said.

Spencer, who plans to graduate in May, said she completed work while on breaks or while waiting for transportation around the city. She credited her classmates and faculty members with helping her stay up to speed.

“Balancing my coursework and my military duties was difficult most days, as the situation in D.C. was sensitive, and flexibility was needed in case of sudden changes,” she said. “I’m fortunate to have supportive instructors and friends who shared lecture notes and assignment instructions with me while I was on orders. The civil engineering faculty and staff were supportive and consistently offered help throughout my time away from campus, and I want to take this

opportunity to extend a ‘thank you’ to all those who offered academic support.”

Andrew Braham, associate professor of civil engineering, said Spencer balanced it all well, and thanked Spencer for her service.

“Samantha showed her true character by not only being fully transparent with all of the teachers that she had class with, but keeping up with lectures while using only her cell phone for WiFi,” he said.

“Samantha was very upfront about her situation, she was very clear in her communication, she was very accommodating in all of my requests, and she was very professional. The first day back, before class started, she was already reviewing notes from the lectures she had watched,” Braham said. “Thank you to Samantha for not only being an outstanding student and person, but for serving our country when it was in need.”

Spencer returned to Fayetteville on Jan. 29 and had submitted all of her outstanding assignments by Jan. 31.

“Samantha handed in the first two homework assignments the first day she was back and has been on time for every class since. We had a nice chat about her time in D.C., and she was positive about all aspects of it,” said Eric Fernstrom, an instructor in the Construction Management Program.

Other faculty praised her ability to balance such significant levels of responsibility.

“Samantha is, and since the beginning has been, an outstanding student,” said Rod Williams, clinical assistant professor of civil engineering. “She’s obviously a self-starter and excellent team player, as well as being proactive in her studies and life. We need a bunch of folks like this in the profession.”

Larry Lloyd, who is supporting Spencer on her senior design project, and Findlay Edwards, associate professor of civil engineering, shared similar sentiments, praising her conscientious work during such a critical time in her academic career.

Above, Samantha Spencer, center, and other National Guard soldiers march into the nation’s capital.

Opposite page, Sgt. Samantha Spencer works on class assignments while stationed at the U.S. Capitol.

Photo by Sgt. Dylan B. Parker

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New Funds Supporting Success for Diverse Students The University of Arkansas envisions a world committed to inclusivity, where diversity, equity, access and civility are valued as a part of our culture, climate and everyday lives. To help us get there, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion has created three new funds that will help the university ensure all students thrive and feel a sense of belonging, regardless of their race or ethnicity, gender, first-generation or socioeconomic status or any other characteristic.

• The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Emergency Fund will be used to provide needbased assistance to students with an unforeseen financial emergency beyond their control that hinders their ability to continue in school.

• The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Friends Fund will also provide student emergency

funds, as needed, as well as support study abroad opportunities. Students will also be eligible for funding to cover unforeseen projects and professional experiences or research.

• Finally, thanks to lead donors Dr. Rickey Medlock and Scott Heffington, the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship will provide support for improving enrollment, retention and graduate representation of students of underrepresented populations at the university, including but not limited to African American students.

To learn more or to make a gift to any of these funds, visit diversity.uark.edu/giving/index.php or contact Victor Wilson, senior director of priority initiatives and development, at (479) 575-4411 or vawilson@uark.edu.

Lofton Honored With Scholarship Naming

University Relations

The Sam M. Walton College of Business has established the Dr. Barbara A. Lofton Endowed Scholarship for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to honor the long-time leader of the college’s effort to make sure all are welcome. Lofton’s 26 years of service to the college have made a lasting impact in the lives of innumerable students.

“This scholarship will be an enduring, meaningful resource that helps students from diverse backgrounds succeed,” said Matt Waller, dean of the Walton College, in the surprise announcement made during a Zoom call that included Lofton’s family, friends, colleagues and

many former students.

“Thank you so, so much from the bottom of my heart,” Lofton said. “I am so honored and pleased and grateful.”

The scholarship is being endowed by a fundraising effort by members of the Walton College Diversity and Inclusion Corporate Advisory Board, who set a target of $50,000 to honor Lofton’s legacy.

These gifts are being matched dollar for dollar by a generous donation by the Gerald Alley family up to $50,000. To make a gift in support of the scholarship, contact John Erck, senior director of development and external relations, at (479) 575-7688 or jerck@uark.edu.

J.B. Hunt Announces $2 Million Collaboration J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., is collaborating with the Sam M. Walton College of Business to increase awareness of inclusion and diversity in transportation and logistics and explore new, sustainable solutions to address current and potential industry challenges.

To support the new collaboration, J.B. Hunt will provide $2 million to create two funds benefiting the department of supply chain management: • J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., Inclusion Education and Thought Leadership Fund, which will be created with $1 million to promote a diverse educational environment by supporting the needs of students, faculty and external partners in addressing the challenges faced by individuals from historically underrepresented backgrounds in supply chain management.

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., Sustainable Supply Chain Management Research, Innovation and Education Fund, which will be created with

$1 million to support educational pursuits that pertain to sustainable business practices and the convening of leaders in business and academia around environmental, social and corporate governance issues.

“The transportation industry has changed so much in the last decade that fresh, innovative thinking is necessary for developing modern solutions,” said John Roberts, president and CEO of J.B. Hunt. “Through this collaboration, we will help John Roberts President & C.E.O. educate and promote the value of an inclusive workplace, one that respects the individual and creates a welcoming environment for all ideas, values, and beliefs. It will also ensure that we remain steadfast in our efforts to reduce carbon emissions, ensure the safety of all employees, and better the communities we serve.”

Women’s Giving Circle Virtual Voting Event Awards $100,000 in Funding The Women’s Giving Circle awarded $100,000 in grants to 11 projects at their annual voting event, which took place virtually on Jan. 14. The event marked the group’s 18th year of funding innovative projects, programs, and research. This year’s funding brought the circle’s total to more than $1.5 million awarded since 2002.

In 2020, the circle and its membership awarded a $10,000 emergency grant to the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry to support the critical shortages in food and funding the pantry faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WGC members made additional gifts bringing the total to $17,770.

The emergency grant was part of the 2020 grant funding cycle, bringing the total awards for 11 projects to $110,000.

The grants receiving funding include: • Enhancing Imaging of Breast Tumor Margins

Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy - $16,502 • Removing Access Barriers Through Assistive Technology - $16,000 • A New, Mobile Planetarium $15,000 • Providing Essential Technology for Student Interns at CAPS - $10,000 • Investigating the Role of Pancreatic Cancer-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Perineural Invasion - $10,000 • Theatre Outside of the Theater - $5,700 • Youth Jazz Education Initiative - $5,592.10 • RefleXions Music Series: A Podcast - $5,500 • U of A SOARS - $5,380 • Arkansas Labor Trafficking Awareness Project $5,325 • Patent Bootcamp for Women and Minorities $5,000

Feature

Leading Change at the U of A Historic Firsts, Trailblazers and Pioneers

BY JOHN POST

One hundred and fifty years of trailblazers. 150 years of challenges. 150 years of dreams achieved. 150 years of progress.

As the university celebrates its sesquicentennial, members of the campus also celebrate the many figures in our history who moved the university forward to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive campus.

During this historic year, each issue of the magazine will offer up several stories of these pivotal figures in our university’s history.

They range from the son of former slaves to recent immigrants, from research scientists to teachers and scholars, from programs that help low-income youth with disabilities to those that celebrate the academic achievements of LGBTQ+ students.

32 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

“Through the Portraits of Progress, we wanted to tell the story of our university by featuring the people who made our university a more diverse, equitable and inclusive place, while also being honest about the hardships they faced along the way,” said Yvette MurphyErby, vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion and co-chair of the sesquicentennial inclusion working group, which helped develop the stories. “We want our sesquicentennial celebrations to be as inclusive as possible, and will continue adding portraits throughout the year that represent the diversity of our campus population.”

In addition to the portraits offered here each issue, more are being added to an online site each month at portraitsofprogress.uark.edu.

Joseph Carter Corbin An Early Educator and Scholar

BY JOHN POST

building: a grand, five-story brick building called University Hall — now known as our iconic Old Main.

Corbin worked tirelessly to form a college for African American students in Arkansas and did so in 1875, when he was appointed principal of the Branch Normal College in Jefferson County, an institution that would eventually become the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Over the next decade, he grew enrollment in the school to 250 students, broadening its early role as a school for teachers to also include a wide variety of agricultural courses.

While at Branch Normal, he also established the Teachers of Negro Youth, the first state association for Black teachers, in 1898, and served as the first president of the organization.

After conflict with the state legislature, Corbin was dismissed from his role as principal of Branch Normal in 1902 and later became principal of Merrill Public School in Pine Bluff. He continued to live in the city until his death in 1911.

Special Collections

A 19th-century African American teacher and journalist, Joseph Carter Corbin became a pioneer for education in Arkansas — and signed the contract for the construction of one of the most iconic buildings on the U of A campus.

Corbin first came to Arkansas in 1872 as a reporter for the Arkansas Daily Republican and then joined a growing number of African Americans running for office in the state during Reconstruction, a time when former Confederate soldiers could not hold office or vote, opening opportunities for newly emancipated Black citizens.

He was elected state superintendent of Arkansas public schools in 1873, and is believed to be the highest-elected African American official in Arkansas during Reconstruction. As part of his role as superintendent, he also served as the second president of the U of A Board of Trustees.

In that role, he signed the contract to construct the U of A’s first permanent

The PROMISE Program Transforming Job Training for Teenagers With Disabilities

BY SHANNON MAGSAM

discover their educational and career goals.

The program led many of the teenagers, ages 14 to 16, to discover new career paths and, for some, to then attend college.

“The program had a transformational impact on the number of youth engaged in job training, and it increased the likelihood that they had a paid job,” said Brent Thomas Williams, associate professor in the Counselor Education and Supervision Program at the U of A and principal investigator of the grant.

“The program also increased the total

Photo submitted

The Arkansas PROMISE project, based at the U of A, provided transformational job training and paid work experiences for 1,000 low-income teenagers with disabilities across the state.

The program, which was funded by a $36 million award believed to be the largest research grant ever received by the U of A, helped teenagers with intensive care management, paid competitive work experiences, education and employment training, and health and wellness training, among other benefits, to help them

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Feature

annual earnings of these youth by 164 percent, while decreasing participants’ reliance on Social Security payments,” he said.

Williams added that 343 youth had consistently maintained employment for more than five years, and 281 had gone on to pursue technical or higher education.

Erica Gamboa Serving Those Who Serve

University Relations

BY JOHN POST

When Erika Gamboa first came to the U of A as an employee more than 15 years ago, she saw a need for more diversity on campus. Gamboa sought to make that goal a reality, working tirelessly over her career to make the university a more welcoming place for members of the Latinx community.

Initially, Gamboa worked with precollege programs at the U of A, where she realized that there was a large contingent of Latinx K-12 students in the region who knew little about the university.

“I realized there were people in our own backyard from the Latino culture who had never stepped foot on campus,” Gamboa said. “I knew we needed to do something to show them that there’s people like them — people who understand them and who look like them - and show them that they can belong at the University of Arkansas.”

In collaboration with others on campus, Gamboa launched initiatives to help raise awareness about the U of A and prepare Latinx high school students for college.

They bussed students from across the region to campus to learn more about its opportunities, helped them in the college

application process, and even wrote a grant to pay for backpacks for Latino students visiting during Campus Day. She was also a founding member of the Latinx Alumni Society.

An Army Reserves veteran who currently serves as the director of the Veterans Resource and Information Center, Gamboa has also worked to make the university more welcoming to veterans.

She led the opening of the center and saw an opportunity to help address challenges she faced as a college student veteran.

“I ended up paying out of pocket because I didn’t know how to access GI Bill benefits, so I wanted to make sure our students didn’t experience what I experienced,” she said. “I wanted to make sure they knew what they needed to get an education.”

Gamboa has helped the university earn a reputation as a military-friendly school, including a designation as one of the top 25 best colleges for veterans.

In 2019, Gamboa was recognized as an “Extraordinary Woman” by the Chancellor’s Commission on Women.

Stacy Leeds Dedicated to Public Service University Relations

BY ANDY ALBERTSON ★ M.F.A.’13

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Stacy Leeds, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, has a history of breaking down barriers and serving the greater good. She

brought her dedication to public service —and her wicked sense of humor— to the U of A in 2011 as dean of the School of

Law, making her the first Native American woman to serve as the dean of a law school in the United States.

It didn’t take her long to make a positive impact on Arkansas and the region, serving on multiple boards and playing an important role in the growth of Northwest Arkansas. Among the projects she helped develop on the U of A campus was the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, a program helping Native American nations and tribes establish laws and policies to govern food and agricultural production within their sovereign governments.

Leeds is recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts on Native American law and tribal governance, and she was the first woman to serve as a justice on Cherokee Nation Supreme Court. Her most recent book, Mastering American Indian Law (Second Ed.) (with Angelique EagleWoman), was published in 2019.

Her new book, Cherokee Justice: Talton v.

Mayes and the Revitalization of Tribal Courts (with Professor Taiawagi Helton), will be available in 2021. In 2019 she was the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Distinguished Visiting Indian Law Professor at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Her national accolades don’t end there, though—she is a recipient of the American Bar Association’s Spirit of Excellence Award and an elected member of the American Law Institute.

Recognizing Leeds’ gift for making connections and bringing communities together, Chancellor Joe Steinmetz asked Leeds to serve as the first vice chancellor for economic development at the U of A. She built the new office from the ground up, harnessing campuswide engagement, collaboration and outreach to help drive the university’s $2.2 billion annual impact on the state’s economy during her time at the university.

Toby Klein Celebrating the LGBTQ+ Community

Toby Klein organized a Lavender Graduation Ceremony for LGBTQ+ students to honor them and ally students by acknowledging their achievements and contributions to the U of A. The first U of A Lavender Graduation was held in 2019.

“Our students deserve a chance to celebrate their unique journeys to graduation,” Klein said. “Many of them have experienced financial, social and emotional distress as a result of lack of acceptance by family members and peers.

We wanted to create a space to celebrate their journey to graduation.”

Klein also created the Lavender Society, a registered student organization devoted to celebrating queerness at any and every step of the journey for undergraduate and graduate students at the U of A. Klein

graduated from the U of A in spring 2020 and immediately began working on her doctoral degree. She was accepted to the U of A’s new social justice track of the Public Policy program.

She prides herself on being both an interdisciplinary researcher and an intersectional advocate. Klein’s research centers around marginalized populations and better understanding the nuance of barriers surrounding reproductive and sexual health care.

She said her passion for social justice largely originates from her religious identity as a Jew. “My parents instilled a love of social justice in me, and it’s been the guiding force for me in my pursuits of equity and justice,” she said.

Photo submitted

BY PAIGE MCGAUGHY

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Campus

yan Crouser poses next to R the scoreboard showing the distance of his world record throw in the shot put at the Randal Tyson Track Center on the U of A campus.

Photo courtesy of Razorback Athletics

Thirty-Two Years in the Making Ryan Crouser Breaks Indoor Shot Put World Record

BY SHAWN PRICE

Ryan Crouser, a volunteer assistant coach for the Razorbacks track and field team, stepped up to the throwing circle for his first attempt at the shot put in the Randal Tyson Track Center.

Crouser launched the shot put to a new world indoor record of 74 feet, 10.5 inches (22.82 meters), breaking a record that had stood longer than he had been alive.

“It’s been a goal, but it’s almost more like a stepping stone to the outdoor world record,” said Crouser, who is in his second year as a volunteer with the Razorbacks.

“I’m kind of always looking forward. I’m really happy to throw an indoor PR and be so close to my outdoor PR in the very first meet of this season.

“All along, the indoor world record has felt like a stepping stone to the outdoor and that 23 meter mark.

Obviously, I’m ecstatic to throw this today and really, really happy with where I’m at, but it still just feels like a building block to getting 23.12 (75-10.25) for the 36 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

outdoor world record.”

The previous shot put world record was set in 1989 by Randy Barnes in Los Angeles, and Crouser added over six inches to the long-standing record.

The series of marks that followed the world-record heave by Crouser included a 69-0 (21.03) in round two, and then he went over 74 feet — and the previous world record distance again — with a 74-5.75 (22.70) in the third stanza. After two fouls, Crouser finished the day with a 73-9 (22.48).

Runner-up to Crouser’s big day was Nigerian Chukwuebuka Enekwechi with a 67-9 (20.65), while Payton Otterdahl placed third at 67-7 (20.60).

“I’m just happy to get to compete again,” Crouser said.

“I’m just happy to see track making a comeback and setting a foundation that we can have track meets again.

They can be fun, and they can be safe. That’s what I’m most excited about.”

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 37

Campus

amara Kuykendall and T the campus marker commemorating the historic role that teacher education has played at the university from its beginning.

Photo Submitted

Navigating Life After Applause Sprinter Advocates Cultivating Whole Athlete

BY SHANNON MAGSAM

Honors student Tamara Kuykendall graduated from the U of A in 2020 with a degree in educational studies and a desire to help student athletes navigate life after the applause.

“I want to help them see past their athletic ability and to open their eyes to the numerous opportunities that are ahead of them after their athletic careers come to a close,” she said.

Kuykendall, now a first-year graduate student at the U of A, plans to pursue a career as an athletic academic adviser for a college or university after earning a master’s in higher education.

Four years ago, as a freshman, Kuykendall walked on to the U of A women’s track and field team. Growing up in Little Rock, she had always dreamed of 38 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

running for the Razorbacks.

While a student athlete, Kuykendall became a three-time member of the U of A Champions List and a two-time member of the Athletic Director’s List.

In 2019, she was also an NCAA bronze medalist for the 4x100-meter relay team, which broke the university’s record.

Kuykendall ranks eighth in the 100 meters on the U of A’s all-time list.

Kuykendall was also president of the student-athlete advisory committee as an undergraduate. She advocated for cultivating the whole athlete, not just the competitive sides. She appreciated that perspective among the athletes in her program and felt their support. She didn’t always feel that support from other parts of campus.

“If it wasn’t for my Razorback athletic community and the Honors Path Program, I would have transferred to another institution,” she said.

Kuykendall’s experience inspired her honors thesis: “All Eyez On Me: The Socialization Experiences of African Americans at Predominately White Institutions.”

“Throughout college, I didn’t always feel racially and socially comfortable on campus,” she said. “Being an African American student at a predominately white institution is a very eye-opening experience, and I felt that I needed to expand upon this research in this field. My story needed to be heard.”

Kuykendall used her academic platform to share her experiences as well as the current research about social issues experienced by Black students. She said most scholarly work on the topic revolves around academics.

In her thesis, she wrote, “As strong scholars, Black students feel they must rise to the occasion in terms of over-achieving in the classroom to make up for the lack of respect the racial group receives towards academic excellence. This pressure influence can serve as a motivator to Black students or it can function as another cultural stressor in the college experience.”

Kuykendall argued that researchers should continue investigating the socialization experiences of African Americans at predominately white institutions as a way to resolve a variety of societal issues.

She feels lucky to have found a sense of community in athletics.

“As a collegiate track athlete, I was able to establish meaningful relationships with my teammates — most of the team consisted of African American men and women — athletes from different sports, and the faculty and staff within the athletic department,” she wrote. “I felt comfortable venting about my problems with the Black athletic administrators at my institution.

“I spent countless hours sitting in their offices during my free time. The staff created comfortable environments where I felt accepted, seen, and heard,” she said.

Kuykendall believes studying social interactions like hers will help predominately white higher education institutions better understand how to create welcoming cultural spaces for Black college students.

She plans to be a soft place for students to land in a future role as an athletic academic adviser.

“I want to serve collegiate student-athletes to ensure they are maximizing their experience,” she said.

G AM E DAY A LU M NI AL L E Y •

Premier tailgating opportunity with reserved parking

•

Steps away from Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium

•

20x20 spots with electricity

•

Season and single game spots still available

•

Tent and event rentals provided exclusively by Intents

•

$5,000 per season or $1,000 per single game Special Life Member Discount of 5%

VI P PA RK I N G •

4 Passes to the Hog Wild Tailgate

•

VIP Parking in the visitors parking lot located on the west side of the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House

•

Just a short walk to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium

•

$2,000 per season ($1,500 for Life Members) Special Life Member Discount of 25%

For more information and to reserve your space contact Julie Simpson at 479-575-4493 or jds027@uark.edu.

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 39

Alumni

Spirit of a Brighter Future President’s Message

Photo by University Relations

Our university was founded in 1871, when it was established as a landgrant university which was authorized in the 1862 Morrill Act. Because of this designation, the U of A has specific mission areas in research, teaching and extension — the dissemination of findings beyond the classroom and labs to our communities.

A foundational mission of a land-grant college is to take innovations and discoveries to benefit its state and constituents. Ultimately U of A successes reach both our urban and rural communities impacting every sector across our great state. These advancements and talented graduates support agriculture, arts, technology and business to name a few. Through these successes, the university plays a critical role in enhancing the quality of life of every Arkansan fostering entrepreneurship and direct investments.

This year, the university celebrates 150 years of success, highlighting the numerous ways in which the U of A meets its mission of uplifting the economic and social tide of the state. I applaud the university and its dedicated alumni who have continued to add to the U of A’s fantastic history of uplifting the state. I express gratitude to the numerous donors and/or benefactors who have helped support the university meeting its mission. If you have not connected, I invite you to engage with the university, its alumni and friends to continue growing this fantastic legacy. I invite you to connect through the university and alumni association’s numerous communication channels to stay up to date about news and events on campus and beyond The Hill.

40 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

I write this letter on the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 case being diagnosed in the United States. As I look back over this past year, it has been a tumultuous year with numerous economic, social and political challenges. I have personally witnessed our state’s flagship university stand as a guiding light as we collectively face these challenges. University efforts have not been perfect, but they have been one of many guiding lights to help our state move through the dark days of the past year. As alums, I challenge you all to help the U of A continue to shine a pathway to positive heights.

It is in that spirit of a brighter future that I close this letter with some of the beautiful words of the 2021 Inauguration’s poet laureate. Her poem spoke of the hill that we all must continue to climb. It speaks to the challenges of today but points us to the hope of tomorrow.

For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.

If only we’re brave enough to be it.

—Amanda Gorman As we navigate life’s journey, we must remember that it is indeed a lifelong journey. The trip is full of opportunities and choices. Choices to engage, support and connect to serve future generations. I hope that you will choose to help the U of A continue to shine on our great state.

Ron Rainey ✪ B.S.A.’91, M.S.’93, Ph.D.’01 President, Arkansas Alumni Association Connect and Serve the U of A Family

Past Arkansas Presidents Alumni Association ARKANSAS of the Board of Directors ALUMNI 1923-24 Joseph Kirby Mahone ✪ BA’07

1953-54 Edward B. Dillon Jr. ★ LLB’50

1981-82 Fred Livingston ✪ BSBA’55

1924-25 Robert Hill Carruth BA’11

1954-55 Beloit Taylor BA’19

1982-83 Don Schnipper ✪+ BA’63 JD’64

1925-26 James E. Rutherford ✪ BA’22

1955-56 Louis L. Ramsay Jr. LLB’47 LLD’88

1983-84 Mary Trimble Maier ✪+ BA’49

1926-27 Winston Lee Winters BSCE’06

1956-57 Stanley Wood ✪ BA’23

1984-85 Bart Lindsey ✪+ BSBA’67

1927-28 J.L. Longino BSEE’03

1957-58 A.L. Whitten MS’40

1985-86 W. Kelvin Wyrick ✪+ BSE’59

1928-29 Alfred Boyde Cypert BA’12

1958-59 W.R. “Dub” Harrison BA’20

1986-87 Larry G. Stephens ✪+ BSIE’58

1929-30 James William Trimble BA’17

1959-60 E.M. “Mack” Anderson ✪+ BA’32

1987-88 Rebecca Shreve ✪+ BSE’60 MED’63

1930-31 G. DeMatt Henderson BA’01 LLB’03

1960-61 Warren Wood ✪ LLB’32

1988-89 Robert T. Dawson ✪+ BA’60 LLB’65

1931-32 Dr. Jasper Neighbors MD’18

1961-62 Owen Calhoun Pearce BSBA’41 LLB’41

1989-90 Gregory B. Graham ✪+ BSBA’70 JD’72

1932-33 Scott D. Hamilton BA’24

1962-63 James C. Hale BA’33

1990-91 Blake Schultz ✪+ BA’51

1933-34 Charles A. Walls BA’07

1963-64 Jack East Jr. BSBA’48

1991-92 Chuck Dudley ✪+ BSBA’76 MBA’77

1934-35 Arthur D. Pope BA’06

1964-65 J. Fred Patton ✪+ BA’29 MA’36

1992-93 Harriet Hudson Phillips ✪+ BA’72

1935-36 John C. Ashley BA’11

1965-66 P.K. Holmes Jr. ✪ BA’37 LLB’39

1936-37 Beloit Taylor BA’19

1966-67 William H. Bowen ★ LLB’49

1937-38 John P. Woods ✪ BA’09

1967-68 Guy H. Lackey ✪+ BSBA’49

1938-39 Glen Rose ★ BSE’28 MS’31

1968-69 Robert P. Taylor ✪+ BSBA’47 MS48

1939-40 Claude J. Byrd ★ BSA’25

1969-70 John Ed Chambers BA’39 LLB’40

1940-41 Charles Frierson Jr. ’29

1970-71 Chester H. Lauck ’25

1941-42 John B. Daniels BSA’33

1971-72 Nathan Gordon ✪+ JD’39

1942-44 G. DeMatt Henderson BA’01 LLB’03

1972-73 Charles E. Scharlau ✪+ LLB’51

1944-45 Dr. M. L. Dalton MD’32 1945-46 Jack East ✪ BSE’24 1946-47 Steve Creekmore ★ BSBA’11 1947-48 Maupin Cummings ✪ BA’32

1973-74 Carl L. Johnson ★ BSBA’47 1974-75 R. Cecil Powers ✪ BSBA’30 1975-76 J.C. Reeves ✪ ’25

1993-94 Richard Hatfield ✪+ BSBA’65 LLB’67 1994-95 Jenny Mitchell Adair ✪+ BA’62 1995-96 Jack McNulty ✪+ BSBA’67 JD’70 1996-97 Sylvia Boyer ✪+ BSE’63 1997-98 Morris Fair ★ BSBA’56 1998-00 H. Lawson Hembree IV ✪+ BSA’83 2000-02 Jeffery R. Johnson ✪+ BA’70 2002-04 Edward Bradford ✪+ BSE’55 MED’56 2004-06 Brian M. Rosenthal ✪+ BSBA’84 2006-08 Kenny Gibbs ✪+ BSBA’85 2008-10 Gerald Jordan ✪+ BA’70

1948-49 Roy Milum BA’04, LLD’58

1976-77 Elizabeth (Sissi) Riggs Brandon ✪+ BSE’55

1949-50 Paul Sullins ✪ JD’37

1977-78 Roy Murphy ✪+ BSIM’49

2012-14 John Reap ✪+ BSBA’70

1950-51 Francis Cherry LLB’38

1978-79 Fred Livingston ✪ BSBA’55

2014-16 Stephanie S. Streett ✪ BS’91

1951-52 J.C. Gibson BA’24 MS’38

1979-80 Tracy Scott ✪ BSE’53

2016-18 Don Eldred ✪ BSBA’81

1952-53 George Makris ✪ BSBA’37

1980-81 Edward W. Stevenson ✪+ BSBA’60

2018-20 Teena Gunter ✪ JD’92 LLM’97

2010-12 Steve Nipper ✪+ BSBA’71 MBA’73

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 41

Alumni

Honoring Excellence 2020 Alumni Association Awardees Each year the association recognizes those individuals who continue to bring national and local prominence to the U of A and the Arkansas Alumni Association through their research, exemplary public and community service, and valued leadership.

The 2020 group of awardees includes 12 alumni, faculty and friends in seven awards categories. Their work has blazed trails for women in engineering and established

Arkansas as a powerhouse in the field of Life Cycle Assessment Modeling. They have reached the pinnacle in sports and music, shaped the development of our campus and Fayetteville, provided life-changing opportunities for students, and advanced our communities through selfless service. The 2020 awardees will be honored at the 76th Alumni Awards Celebration during 2021 Homecoming Week Celebrations.

Citation of Distinguished Alumni

Photos submitted

The Citation of Distinguished Alumni recognizes exceptional professional and personal achievement and extraordinary distinction in a chosen field. The 2020 awardees are: Pamela J. McGinnis B.S.I.E. ’90 is president of global marketing for Phillips 66.

She has more than 30 years of experience in the gas and oil industry. She blazed a trail as the first female with Phillips 66 to reach the executive level of her current role. Her career has encompassed many different areas within the company including Pipeline and Transportation Management, Operations and Maintenance Engineering, Capital Project Management, Business Development, Marketing and Corporate Planning.

McGinnis is: • A member of the College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council, • A member of the Board of Directors for the Fuels Institute, • The U of A executive liaison for Phillips 66, and • Global sponsor for the Phillips 66 Hispanic Network.

As president of global marketing, McGinnis leads the global marketing of petroleum products for well-known brands like Phillips 66, 76, Conoco, Phillips 66 Aviation, JET and COOP. Barry Switzer ✪ B.S.B.A. ’61 is a former collegiate and pro football coach. He played center and linebacker for the Razorbacks and was captain of the 1959 Southwest 42 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

Michael E. Utley ✪ B.A. ’69 is a multi-talented musician, producer, and composer.

He has spent five decades in the music industry and worked with the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker, Sam & Dave, Roy Orbison, Aretha Franklin, Rita Coolidge, Duane Allman, Petula Clark, Jackson Browne, and Kris Kristofferson. He has worked with Jimmy Buffet since 1973, beginning as a keyboardist on Buffet’s album, A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean. Utley then began to serve as a music arranger for Buffet. Their collaboration has continued and developed to this day. Utley has • Produced 11 albums for Buffet including the number one Billboard album, License to Chill, • Toured as a Coral Reefer since 1981, • Served as the Coral Reefer musical director since 1993, and • Orchestrated the Broadway musical, Escape to Margaritaville.

Throughout his career, Utley has been honored with many prestigious awards. In 2013, he was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers’ Hall of Fame. He returned to the U of A in 2019 as a Johnson Fellow.

Photos submitted

Conference and Gator Bowl Champions. He coached on Razorbacks staff till 1966 when he joined the Oklahoma Sooners.

After becoming the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners in 1973, Switzer led the team to: • National titles in 1974, 1975 and 1985, • 12 Big 8 Championships, and • Eight bowl titles in 13 appearances.

In his 16 years at the University of Oklahoma, Switzer compiled a 157-29-4 record. As head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, he led the team to Super Bowl XXX victory in 1995.

He is one of only three coaches who have won national championships in both NCAA and NFL. Switzer has been inducted into Arkansas, Oklahoma, and National Football Halls of Fame.

Andrew J. Lucas Alumni Service Award

The awardees are Reverend Leslie F. Belden ✪+ B.Arch. ’79, Ph.D. ’05, stated clerk of Presbytery of Arkansas, and Ted Belden ✪+, B.Arch. ’81, owner and chairman of the board for LOMANCO. Leslie and Ted Belden have a long history of engagement and volunteerism with the university and the association. Leslie is a former member of the association’s national board of directors and an active member of the Women’s Giving Circle Leadership Council. Ted is a former member of the U of A Board of Advisers. The Beldens have been: • Members of the Campaign Arkansas Steering Committee, • Co-chairs of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design Unit Committee for Campaign Arkansas, and • Committee Volunteers with the Campaign for the 21st Century.

The Beldens have also supported many local non-profits, including the Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Peace at Home Family Shelter, and the Fayetteville Literacy Council.

Photos by University Relations

The Andrew J. Lucas Alumni Service Award acknowledges significant contributions of time and energy on behalf of the university and the Alumni Association.

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 43

Alumni

Community Service Award

Photos submitted

The Community Service Award recognizes unselfish and extensive service by alumni to their community and to humankind.

The awardee is Tjuana Cynese Byrd ★ B.A. ’91, attorney and 8th Division Circuit Court Judge Juvenile Division. She has served on the State Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board and the Legislative Criminal Justice Oversight Task Force for the state of Arkansas. Byrd is a member of the Pulaski County Council for Youth Services Advisory Board and past president of Women’s Foundation of Arkansas.

Byrd has received numerous recognitions for her service to community and child advocacy including: • 2018 Omega Psi Phi Lifetime Achievement Award, • 2019 The Pearls Foundation Law and Advocacy Nellie Award, and • 2019, and 2020 ABPG Arkansas 250, Arkansas’ Most Influential Leaders.

Byrd was elected Pulaski County Circuit Judge Division 8 in the March 3, 2020, election, and she was sworn into office on January 1, 2021, for a six-year term.

Young Alumni Award

Photos submitted

The Young Alumni Award recognizes exceptional achievements in career, public service, and/or volunteer activities that bring honor to the U of A. The honoree is Olivera Jankovska B.S.A. ’09, community engagement associate for UNICEF USA. She is also a nonresident scholar at Rice University and a manager at Essentia Advisory Partners. Jonkovska’s achievements include: •B eing named to the United Macedonian Diaspora “40 Under 40” List in 2015, •R eceiving the President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2017, and •B eing selected as the Bumpers College Alumni Society’s Outstanding Young Alumna in 2018.

Jankovska is proficient in seven languages and is an avid traveler. She brings more than 10 years of nonprofit experience to her volunteer work with several cultural, educational, and business organizations.

Honorary Alumni Award

Photos submitted

The Honorary Alumni Award is presented to non-alumni who have served, promoted, developed and loved the U of A in the tradition of an Arkansas graduate.

44 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

This year the association pays tribute to Rear Adm. Mike Johnson ✪, associate vice chancellor for facilities at the U of A. Since joining the university in 2004, Johnson has directed some of the largest construction projects in the campus’s history including residence halls, libraries, research centers and major athletics facilities. Campus projects that are still in construction but have been a major part of Johnson’s planning and oversight include: • The new on-campus Student Success Center, • The Windgate Art and Design District, and

Why Membership Matters...

Alumni Groups

Chapters

Northwest Arkansas Chapter gathers at Ozark Axe House December 2019

Chapters are U of A family members who gather together in a particular geographic region. From networking events to watch parties, chapters provide the opportunity to connect with fellow alumni and friends as well as support future Razorbacks through programs and scholarships.

Alumni societies are organized around common interests and are dedicated to building and strengthening ties to the U of A. From tailgates to reunions, societies offer opportunities for alumni to connect, serve and engage with the University of Arkansas family.

ARKANSAS

ALUMNI

Societies

Lemke Journalism Alumni Society inducts alumni into Hall of Honor October 2019

Membership funds support alumni groups programs and events.

Please renew or upgrade and encourage others to join because membership matters. join.arkansasalumni.org • 888-ARK-ALUM SPRING or 479-575-2801 2021 / ARKANSAS / 45

Alumni

• The Civil Engineering Research and Education Center.

Johnson served on many committees including the Chancellor’s Administrative Policy Council, the Public Art Advisory Committee, and the Design Review Board. He served on the Sustainability Council from its founding in 2008 until his retirement on March 15, 2021, 17 years to the day from his start at the university.

Faculty Distinguished Achievement Awards The Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award recognizes exceptional faculty members for teaching, research and service.

Ro Di Brezzo ✪, university professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation in the College of Education and Health Professions is being recognized for achievement in service. Di Brezzo served as a faculty member at the U of A for 37 years. During that time, she has served on numerous departmental, college and university committees; been recognized with awards for teaching, research and service; and has held leadership roles within the university’s administration including: • Co-founder and co-director of the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center • President of the Teaching Academy, • Faculty Senate chair, and • Co-director of the Office for Studies on Aging since 1999.

From 2012-2013, Di Brezzo was the vice provost for academic affairs. From 20142017, she held the post of vice provost for faculty development and enhancement. From 2017-2019, she served as the first vice provost for faculty affairs before returning to the faculty as University Professor of exercise science in the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation in 2019 and retiring in 2020.

Photos by University Relations

Greg Thoma B.S.Che.’80, M.S.Che.’86, professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering, is being honored for achievement in research.

Thoma has served on the university faculty of the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering since December 1993. His research program has been tremendously productive. Thoma is at the top of his research field and is influencing the practices of Life Cycle Assessment modeling for agriculture. In the last five years alone, Thoma has: • Published 35 papers, • Given more than 30 presentations, and • Brought in more than $15 million as the principal investigator or co-PI. Thoma serves on steering boards and technical advisory groups for the United Nations and national governments. He is currently supervising four graduate students and three post-doctoral fellows.

46 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

Benjamin Runkle, associate professor of Biological and Agri Engineering in the College of Engineering, is the recipient of the rising teacher award. Runkle joined the U of A’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering in 2014. He teaches courses in sustainable watershed engineering and modeling environmental biophysics — both senior-level courses in biological engineering. Runkle has: • Been honored with mentoring awards in 2018, 2019 and 2020 from the Provost’s Office and the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards,

• Mentored 2019 Razorback Classic Laura Gray and 2020 Razorback Classic Eleanor Henson, and • Earned the 2019 Early Achievement in Engineering Education Award from the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Division of ASEE. He received the CAREER award from the National Science Foundation in 2018 and has been acknowledged with departmental and college teaching and research awards.

Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award

The 2020 awardee is Jeannie Whayne, University Professor in the Department of History of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Whayne joined the university faculty of the Department of History in 1990 and is a specialist in agricultural and Southern history. Her research focuses on the lower Mississippi River Valley and the interplay of social and economic history with environmental change, agricultural development and race relations. Whayne has: • Received Fulbright College’s Master Teacher award, • Been inducted into the U of A’s Teaching Academy, • Served as the Teaching Academy’s president, and • Served as co-director of the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center.

Whayne is a fellow of the Agricultural History Society and a distinguished lecturer with the Organization of American Historians.

University Relations

The Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award recognizes outstanding teaching and is designated for a faculty member whose status is professor, University Professor or Distinguished Professor.

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 47

Alumni

Our alumni tell us they went to the U of A... ...without “telling” us they went to the U of A.

Used a food tray smuggled out of Brough Common as snow sled.

It doesn’t matter where you’re going on campus.

It’s always.up.hill.

I found my name on the sidewalk in front of Old Main.

Pep Rallies in the Greek Theatre

“Welcome to Hog Call. The University of Arkansas’s telephone registration system”.

48 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

If you attended a Barn burner!

SMALL-MART

Jim Robken running around a packed Barnhill getting the fans to stand during the playing of William Tell.

Club Mullins

LLIN’ RO

OLLIN’.

R . .. . . ’ N

ROLL I

The bells of Old Main

Parking in the “Pit” and walking up the “Hill” to go to class.

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 49

Alumni

Mentoring Opportunities Introducing RazorLink

BY LISY MCKINNON ★ B.A.’97

RazorLink, an online mentoring platform powered

by PeopleGrove, will enhance student-to-alumni connection and improve access to social capital for all U of A students.

This initiative, the culmination of a six-month campuswide mission, was launched in February by the Arkansas Alumni Association in collaboration with the University of Arkansas Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Sam M. Walton College of Business, the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, and the Career Development Center.

Mentoring Opportunities Are Essential to the 21st Century College Experience In 2018, Gallup conducted a comprehensive alumni survey to measure institutional outcomes in the areas of work, well-being and attachment to one’s college or university. Results of this survey reveal that “college graduates are almost two times more likely to be engaged at work if they had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams.” In nationwide conversations around alumni and student engagement, there is supporting anecdotal evidence for this as well. It is becoming a baseline expectation of students and alumni alike that colleges and universities provide meaningful opportunities to connect in support of professional development.

This should come as no surprise to seasoned U of A alumni. Many of us likely remember the trusted professors and advisors who championed our education and offered their wisdom to us when we were students. The value of the mentor-mentee relationship is no less valuable in 2021 as students must sift through terabytes of information to discern a professional path.

A strong mentoring relationship can lead to broad career-related benefits, including improved professional advancement, greater job satisfaction, and increased clarity around career roles and identity.

50 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

Mentoring Opportunities Align With the Mission of Arkansas Alumni Association In April, once it became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic was likely to keep us isolated for an extended period of time, our attention turned to 2020 graduates and the impact of that isolation on their networking capabilities. Conversations progressed to consider alumni in all stages of their careers who were being impacted by hiring pauses and freezes, furloughs, lay-offs and corporate downsizing while also being limited to remote networking opportunities. As many in the United States and around the world settled into life behind a computer screen, the critical nature of our mission to connect and serve the U of A family was heightened even as interactions became more limited. This problem required a high-tech solution.

And what about U of A students who were then taking classes from home? Many had study abroad and internship opportunities canceled as well as research and lab experience halted, and were forced to rely on technology for academic, personal and professional connection. The Alumni Association learned through conversations of several existing initiatives around campus that centered on helping U of A students transition from college into the workforce, develop soft skills, discuss career management, and connect with alumni and friends in common industries. Mentoring was happening, but it was only serving small segments of the student population. During continued informal discussions about the logistics of administering a campuswide mentoring program, equitable access to such a program and metrics for success, it became apparent that scaling for a student population of the university’s size and diversity would also require a technology-based solution.

Could two problems requiring a high-tech solution be addressed with one platform? It was a question that could only be answered through campuswide collaboration – something which the Arkansas Alumni Association was uniquely positioned to coordinate. Stakeholders from all colleges were invited to participate in product demonstrations by three vendors, and a request for

proposals was sent to each of them. Submissions were considered by the task force, and PeopleGrove was ultimately selected as the partner to develop and launch RazorLink for the U of A community.

After a small soft-launch before Christmas, the task force adjusted and launched for the alumni community on Feb. 13. RazorLink was launched to students a few weeks later. The university is currently working to increase and diversify participation among all user types -- students, faculty-staff, alumni and friends. All U of A students can benefit from mentoring relationships, but college mentorship programs can be particularly beneficial for specific groups, such as first-year students, firstgeneration students, and students from minoritized cultures. This is your chance to have a lasting impact on the life of a U of A student.

Our Alumni are Critical to the Success of RazorLink You may be asking, “What can I offer to U of A students?” Mentors can fill a variety of needs, life roles, and sources of support.

Are you an expert in your industry? You can share advice about navigating a career path in your chosen field.

Share your experience and knowledge of current trends, answer questions, become part of a student’s lifelong network and offer guidance in decision-making.

Are you a natural champion or anchor? Mentees need someone who builds their confidence and celebrates

their successes. They also benefit from a guide who can help them learn from academic or professional disappointments and help focus on priorities.

Is the mutual give and take of a co-mentoring relationship right for you? You may also be able to offer short or long-term help to someone who is the same age or in the same stage of their career. Developing a co-mentoring relationship can open opportunities to collaborate through common experiences and challenges.

Do you possess qualities that would make you a good mentor? If the following characteristics apply to you, you may be just the person to make an impact on a current U of A student or recent graduate.

• S incere commitment to building a solid relationship with a handful of mentees.

•E xpertise in interview coaching, resume review, professional presence, public speaking, time management, or other soft skills.

•A ctive listening skills allowing you to remain present in a conversation and provide non-judgmental feedback.

•E mpathy that allows you to recognize unique points of view.

•A n aptitude for problem-solving that could help mentees identify opportunities.

•F lexibility that allows you to adapt as a mentoring relationship may change over time.

This is your chance to make a lasting difference in the life of a U of A student. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, watch for invitations in your email inbox from RazorLink or visit razorlink.arkansasalumni.org

Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

J. William Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences

Career Development Center

ARKANSAS

ALUMNI

Sam M. Walton College of Business

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 51

Alumni

Lost Alumni If you have any information on the whereabouts of these alumni from the School of Law, please contact us at records@arkansasalumni.org so that we may update our records.

Mr. Leo J. Carney ’71

Ms. Carey Michael Brennan ’76

Mr. David Schnieder ’83

Mr. Michael O’Neill Bjordal ’88

Ms. Day D. Luttrell ’71

Mr. William Birnie Barry ’77

Ms. Deborah K. Schnieder ’83

Mr. Ivan Alonzo Guzman ’88

Mr. Claude E. Lynch Jr. ’71

Ms. Merry Alice Heffelbein ’77

Mrs. Melissa McCutcheon

Mr. Claude D. Pepper ’88

Mr. William Still ’71

Mr. J. D. Reese ’77

Mr. Carl W. Widmer ’71

Mrs. Janelle M. Arnold ’78

Ms. Penny M. Smith ’83

Mr. Harry Ashmore Jr. ’72

Ms. Kathryn Whaley Cook ’78

Ms. Debra K. Sullivan ’83

Mr. Michael Alan Ward ’89

Ms. Kimber L. Durr ’78

Ms. Patty Jo Quinn Taylor ’83

Mrs. Victoria L. Williams ’91

Mrs. Ramona Holiman Gorton

Mr. Randall W. Dixon ’84

Ms. Angela C. Siebert ’92

Ms. Mona Jan Teague Villianes

Mr. Dennis Arnold Cameron

Mr. Sanford L. Beshear Jr. ’72 Mr. Richard William Box ’72 Mr. Lewis C. Fletcher ’72 Mr. Winston McKissick ’72

’78 Mr. David C. McMahen ’78

Smith ’83

’84

Ms. Marianne Lillian Maupin ’89

’94

Mr. David E. Anglin ’79

Ms. Sherry Ann Campbell ’85

Dame Anne Warburton ’94

Mr. William N. Bret III ’79

Mr. Michael Ray Edwards ’85

Mr. Geoffrey L. Burks ’97

Mr. Rickey A. Burch ’79

Ms. Carol B. Groover ’85

Mr. Michael S. Hodson ’97

Mr. William S. LaRue ’79

Mr. Christopher P. Marra ’85

Mr. Roger Donald Humphrey

Mr. William W. Ware ’79

Mrs. Kelly Ann Moore ’85

Ms. Ann E. Williams ’79

Mr. David Scott Post ’85

Mr. Michael B. Kyriakakis ’98

Mr. Carl W. Behner ’80

Ms. Donna Joy Welsh ’85

Ms. Cindy Baker ’99

Mr. Barry Lynn Blixt ’80

Ms. Amy C. Duncan ’86

Mr. John Howe Kidwell ’99

Mr. Bob Castleman ’80

Mr. Gregory D. Jones ’86

Mr. Zebedee Daniel Martin ’99

Mr. Robert Lanier Jones II ’80

Mr. Robert Fleet Malek ’86

Mr. Michael Bryce Lair ’00

Mr. Keith Moser ’81

Mr. David Brian Potter ’86

Mr. Eduardo Gabriel-Arana ’03

Ms. Marilyn D. Jackson ’75

Mr. Stephen N. Anderson ’82

Mr. David Edward Rigney ’86

Mr. Mengesha Tadesse Seyoum

Mr. Jack Magruder III ’75

Ms. Peggy Berthelot ’82

Ms. Johna C. Rickman ’87

Mr. Thomas E. Moore ’75

Ms. Stacey Farris Wilson ’82

Mr. Michael Stubblefield ’87

Ms. Bhargavi Motukuri ’06

Mr. Paul J. Nicholson ’75

Mr. Thomas William Carroll

Mr. Michael Utah Sutterfield

Mr. Bo Shi ’06

Mr. William Warfield ’72 Mr. Daniel H. Harmon ’73 Mr. Alexander W. Kent ’73 Mr. Roy Kumpe ’73 Mr. John McCollum Stinson III ’73 Mr. Donald W. Lingo ’74 Mr. Jay Stuart Nedell ’74 Ms. Julie A. Clark ’75 Mrs. Deborah J. Jackson ’75

Mr. Buford B. Wiley Jr. ’75 Mr. Tim D. Williams ’75

52 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

II ’83 Mr. Kenneth R. Klotz ’83

’87 Mr. George Robert Wadley ’87

’97

’04

Mr. Chris Donald Mitchell ’10 Mr. Hoss Cody Layne ’11

BLACK ALUMNI SOCIETY

Black Alumni Society REUNION WEEKEND CONNECT • ENGAGE • INSPIRE APRIL 16 -18 • 2021 arkansasalumni.org/basreunion SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 53

Events

Multicultural Graduation

Photos submitted

The Black, Latino, and PRIDE Alumni Societies, Citizens of Indigenous Nations, the Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education, the Arkansas Alumni Association, and the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion recently hosted a Multicultural Graduation for 2020 graduates.

Congratulations to our graduating seniors and new alumni.

54 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

Photos submitted

Méritos Latinos Latino Alumni Society

Save the Date | Thursday, May 6, 2021 www.arkansasalumni.org/las

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 55

Yesteryear

Yesteryear

Razorback Yearbook

Vernon Murphy, a Razorback from Texarkana, rises above two Longhorn defenders for a shot during a game at Barnhill Fieldhouse in 1971.

Murphy became the Razorbacks’ leading scorer during the 1970-71 season, according to the Razorback yearbook.

1871

1901

• The Arkansas General Assembly passes an act on March 27 establishing the Arkansas Industrial University, later renamed the University of Arkansas, and appointing a Board of Trustees.

• Hill Hall is erected and later named for former university president Daniel Harvey Hill.

It is built as a residence hall for 30 male students and room to feed 250 students daily. In 1950, it becomes home to the journalism department and student publications.

1881 • An economic geology course is added to the geology and mining program.

56 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

1911 • The newest student organization, the Masonic

Club, is organized with 14 members. Meanwhile, the oldest men’s club on campus, the Garland Society, celebrates its 25th anniversary.

1921 • The university celebrates the semicentennial of its founding.

• The Arkansas Legislature awards the U of A an increase in appropriations that allows the hiring of

several new faculty members as well as the purchase of new equipment and facilities.

1931 • A chapter of Phi Beta Kappa is established at the university.

• A chapter of Kappa Tau Alpha, the national honorary journalism fraternity, is established with 19 students who have maintained a 4.0 GPA.

1941 • The university’s School of Medicine in Little Rock starts a School of Pharmacy.

• Fayetteville firefighters and students battle a blaze in Old Main that is primarily confined to the attic space above the top floor.

• Students gather at the Futrall Memorial Union to listen to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the radio after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

1951 • The university creates a foreign agricultural mission to Panama, the first American land-grant institution to create such a program.

• The Arkansas Law Review, only five years old, is named the “outstanding scholarly publication in the state,” with a circulation of about 1,400 copies across Arkansas.

• Lambda Chi Alpha completes construction of its new chapter house.

1961 • David Mullins, a graduate of the university, becomes the president during the centennial of the Morrill Act, which created the land-grant university program.

1971 • Arkansas native John Johnson, the publisher of Ebony and Jett magazines, speaks on campus.

• In the spring, Humphreys and Yocum residence halls suffer an electrical blackout that lasts for 8 hours.

1981 • Bill A. Nugent becomes the university’s first chancellor, created because the position of president was changed to oversee the entire university system.

• Old Main is closed to await restoration and renovation, and it doesn’t reopen until a decade later.

• The Daniel E. Ferritor Hall is dedicated and named in honor of former Chancellor Dan Ferritor.

• The Arkansas Alumni Association opens its new Alumni Center, now known as the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House, at a cost of $850,000 to build.

• Alumnus Barry Hannah, an acclaimed writer of fiction, returns to the university for a reading from his latest novel Yonder Stands Your Orphan.

1991 • Former Razorback golfer John Daly wins the PGA Championship as a rookie.

• Blood donations on campus increase dramatically on campus as the nation goes to war in Operation Desert Storm.

2001 • The Arkansas Research and Technology Park is created at the university’s south engineering campus.

• The university receives almost $60 million in research funding.

2011 • Don Bobbitt, an alumnus and former dean of Fulbright College, is named the 20th president of the University of Arkansas System.

• The Department of Architecture and the Environmental Dynamics Program establish an interdisciplinary minor in sustainability available to all students.

• The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching elevates the U of A to its highest research classification.

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 57

Special Collections

Senior Walk

From Senior Walk Let us know about your milestones and anything else you would like to share with your classmates — births, marriages, new jobs, retirements, moves and more. Please include your degree, class year, and when applicable, your maiden name. To provide the most thorough coverage of alumni news, we publish notes about members and non-members of the

Class Notes 1960s Richard E. Griffin ✪+ LLB’63, Whitehouse, Texas, was selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America with Jackson Walker LLP. Best Lawyers in America is the oldest and respected peerreview publications in the legal profession.

Arkansas Alumni Association and will indicate membership status for reference. You may send us news or simply update your information.

Since the next issues of Arkansas are already in production, it may be a few issues before your item appears.

Submit your news online at www. arkansasalumni.org/classnotes; by mail: From Senior Walk, Arkansas Alumni Association, P.O. Box 1070,

1970s David Folsom ★ BA’69 JD’74, Texarkana, Texas, was selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America with Jackson Walker LLP. Best Lawyers in America is the oldest and respected peerreview publications in the legal profession.

1980s Mark Pryor BA’85 JD’88, Little Rock, joined

58 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

Fayetteville AR 72702; or by email: records@arkansasalumni.org.

These symbols indicate Alumni Association membership: ✩ Student Member ★ Member ★+ Member, A+ ✪ Life Member ✪+ Life Member, A+

Brownstein Hyett Farber Schreck as a shareholder in its government relations department in Washington, D.C.

Roberto Nello Loar ✪ BS’03, Georgetown, Texas, was selected as one of Incisal Edge Magazine’s Top 40 under 40 dental specialists.

2000s

Colby Tyler Post BSME’09, Lowell, has been promoted to regional account manager of the Northwest Arkansas office for HP Engineering.

Marco Javon Barker ✪ BSIE’00, Lincoln, Nebraska, has been appointed to serve on the NCAA Board of Governors Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity.

In Memoriam 1930s Ota Lewis Reinhardt FS’38, Hope, Jan. 1, 2019.

1940s Durben E. Miller ✪+ BSME’44, Sugar Land, Texas, May 12, 2018.

Elsa Amelung Logan ✪ BSBA’45, Knoxville, Tennessee, Dec. 15, 2020.

1950s William F. Green BSIE’50, Little Rock, Nov. 20, 2020.

Georgia Mills Huenefeld BA’50, Billerica, Massachusetts, Oct. 21, 2020.

Robert S. Laser ★ BA’50, Fort Smith, Dec. 3, 2020.

J. C. Merritt BSA’50 MS’54, Greenbrier, Oct. 11, 2020.

Marian G. Harrison ★+ BA’46, Eugene Oregon, Aug. 16, 2020.

John P. Sanders Sr. BSCHE’50 MS’52, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Oct. 27, 2020.

Vance Carl Cupp Jr. FS’47, Walnut Ridge, Nov. 26, 2020.

J. P. Walt Sr. ✪+ BSBA’50, Altheimer, Dec. 19, 2020.

Faye J. Kittrell ✪+ FS’47, Fayetteville, Dec. 15, 2020.

Polly Weny Baldwin FS’51, Little Rock, Nov. 21, 2020.

L. Frances Higginbottom BSHE’48, Jonesboro, April 25, 2020.

James C. Robinson Jr. BSBA’51, Little Rock, Dec. 2, 2020.

Sydney H. Smith ✪ BA’51, Santa Barbara, California, Oct. 7, 2020.

Frances Wilson Carlton ✪+ BA’57, Huntsville, Alabama, Dec. 26, 2020.

Theodore L. Beeler BSEE’53, Springdale, Sept.

19, 2020.

Patricia Turner Green ★ BSBA’57, Fayetteville, Aug. 17, 2020.

Jim P. Spradley BSBA’53, Little Rock, Oct. 7, 2020.

Clovis E. Richardson BSBA’57, Little Rock, Oct. 17, 2020.

Bob L. May BSBA’55, Collierville, Tennessee, Dec. 9, 2020.

Elizabeth Balch Price FS’55, Little Rock, Dec. 20, 2020.

George Westbrook Jr. ✪ BSBA’55, Little Rock, Oct. 11, 2020.

Jeff Ellis Jr. BSCE’56, Newport, Nov. 24, 2020.

Addison Frederick Smith ✪+ BSEE’56, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dec. 8, 2020.

C. J. Cathey Jr. ★ BSEE’58, Greenville, Texas, Dec. 22, 2020.

Patricia Hall ★ BA’58, Dallas, Texas, Sept. 29, 2020.

C. Morrell Jones BSE’58, Monticello, Dec. 2, 2020.

Marilyn S. Swears BA’58, Montgomery, Alabama, Nov. 6, 2019.

Charles R. Eldred BSCHE’59, Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 8, 2019.

UPGRADE to LIFE

and Never Pay Dues Again! www.ArkansasAlumni.org/join

THANK YOU New Life Members ✪ By becoming Life Members, the University’s friends and alumni help form a strong foundation on which to build the future of the Arkansas Alumni Association. We welcome the newest Life Members, listed in order of membership number: 9882 Wendy Michelle Gaskill ’94

9892 D r. Hollis T. Reed ’68, ’70

9883 Ronald H. Haas 9884 Vanessa L. Haas

9893 T ommie Oberley Reed ’68

9885 Scott Greear ’92

9894 Thomas C. Jayne ’71

9886 Kathryn A. Greear

9895 Katherine R. Jayne

9887 Blake Edward Sanders ’17 9888 Marcus L. Gibbs ’95 9889 Philip M. Wilson, Esquire ’70, ’73

9896 A nn Dilliard Norwood ’79 9897 Kirby Norwood 9898 Julie Marie Barber ’04

9890 Carolyn H. Eager ’67

9899 Keith R. Barber

9891 Rita Stitt Hamilton ’76, ’77

9900 K elley Davis Cullen ’05

9901 S teven Christopher Cullen ’02 9902 S teven A. Slack ’69, ’71 9903 Mary S. Slack ’69 9904 D r. Jessica Leigh Pillow ’95, ’99 9905 D r. Clifford S. Snyder ’78, ’80 9906 Alix Snyder 9907 James T. Johnson 9908 Nancy C. Johnson ’76 9909 Z achary Lance Angel ’20 9910 Adam J. Angel ’17

9911 Lex H. Forster ’80 9912 E lizabeth Pruett Forster ’79 9913 S arah Stafford Farnet ’94 9914 C hristopher Roger Farnet ’97 9915 C heryee Richardson ’99 9916 D r. Lee Ann Danner ’19 9917 Jay S. Meeks 9918 Matthew Martin ’14 9919 Tasha D. Martin

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 59

Campus

1960

Jim Faulkner ✪ B.S.J.’54

Ronald Bland Brumley BSE’60, San Diego, California, Oct. 30, 2020.

Jim Faulkner, a 1954 graduate of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, is remembered for his substantial impact on music and the arts on the University of Arkansas campus.

Originally from Malvern, Faulkner earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, the Razorback Band and the tennis team while he was a student. He was also a sportswriter for the Arkansas Democrat and the Arkansas Traveler and served as an assistant sports publicity director for the university.

“Jim Faulkner’s connection to the university and his passion for the Razorbacks was evident in everything he did,” said Chancellor Joe Steinmetz. “He personified the true spirit of Arkansas in all of his endeavors – from his business to his philanthropy – and he impacted everything from the arts to athletics. He will be greatly missed by the Razorback family, but he will forever be remembered on our campus.”

Faulkner passed away on Feb. 9 but leaves behind a tremendous legacy at the university, where he and his wife, Joyce, supported numerous initiatives, such as Garvan Woodland Gardens, the Chancellor’s Society, the Wallace W. and Jama M. Fowler House, the Joyce and James H. Faulkner Band Scholarship, the Faulkner Family Chancellor’s Scholarship Fund, and – perhaps most notably – the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center.

“Jim Faulkner was one of the most kind and generous souls I have ever had the pleasure of meeting,” said Nicole Cotton-Leachman, managing director of the U of A’s Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center. “His passion for the arts and the University of Arkansas were deeply rooted.”

Completed in 2017, the Faulkner Center is a world-class performance venue that seats 587 people and can accommodate up to 250 performers at once on its stage. The center was named for Jim and Joyce Faulkner in recognition of the couple’s major gift.

Thanks to the Faulkners, the center is now the main performance venue for the U of A’s Department of Music, and each year hosts a diverse range of guest musical activities for the university and the Northwest Arkansas community.

“I remember how proud Jim and his family were during a dinner they had in the new Faulkner Center the night before it opened to the public,” said Todd Shields, dean of Fulbright College. “Jim was so excited that the U of A finally had an on-campus performing arts center that would work not only with the campus but the entire Northwest Arkansas community.”

Shields said that night Faulkner also shared a story about when the center was still the old Field House, which included a gymnasium. Faulkner participated in a boxing match there and was thrown in way above his weight class.

“He had everyone laughing so much during that story that we had tears in our eyes,” Shields said. “Jim was so kind, generous, funny and thoughtful. He accomplished so much in business, in his community, and had such a meaningful influence on so many people. He was incredibly well-respected and created so much positive change, and yet he was also one of the most caring and approachable people I have known. Seriously, he generated a kindness that could be tangibly felt.”

Whenever the Razorback Marching Band performs, Shields said he also thinks fondly of the Faulkners because “they helped purchase more than 400 new band uniforms that ‘The Best in Sight (Jim Faulkner continued on page 62)

Vinus Clay Caple BSME’60, Malvern, Nov. 25, 2020.

University Relations

In Memoriam

60 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

Earlton Sanders Jr. BSA’60, Huntsville, Dec. 11, 2020.

Jerry D. Byers BSME’61, Lutz, Florida, May 18, 2020.

Peggy Perry Kyser ✪+ BSBA’61, Bella Vista, Oct. 14, 2020.

J. D. Lyman BSE’61 MED’67, Fayetteville, Dec. 20, 2020.

James A. Stover BSE’61, Casa, Oct. 19, 2020.

Donald R. Godfrey BSCE’62, Morrilton, Dec. 11, 2020.

Patricia Waldren BSE’62 MED’84, Fayetteville, Nov. 28, 2020.

Larry J. Baker ★ MBA’63, West Palm Beach, Florida, Nov. 28, 2020.

Jerry C. Daniel MED’64 EDD’73, Little Rock, Dec. 1, 2020.

Theodore B. Elliott EDD’64, Pine Bluff, Nov. 19, 2020.

Don M. Schnipper ✪+ BA’63 JD’64, Hot Springs, Jan. 4.

William W. Allen Jr. MA’66, Bismarck, Nov. 27, 2020.

Walter B. Cox LLB’66, Cave Springs, Sept. 12, 2020.

Ralph R. Ramsey Jr. ★ BSBA’67, Hot Springs, Dec. 5, 2020.

Alicia Russell ★ BSHE’67, Lewisville, Texas, Aug. 16, 2020.

Douglas G. Rye ✪ BARCH’67, Fayetteville, Dec. 18, 2020.

Mary Ruth Paschal Sallee BSE’67 MED’86 EDS’88 EDD’92, Fayetteville, June 3, 2020.

Janet B. Watkins BSE’67, Fayetteville, Dec. 27, 2020.

Andre E. McNeil LLB’68, Conway, Dec. 16, 2020.

Around the World with

Razorbacks on Tour MEMBERS, ALUMNI, FRIENDS AND FAMILY - ANYONE CAN TRAVEL WITH RAZORBACKS ON TOUR

We look forward to a time when we can travel around the world together once again.

Until then, please enjoy some images from our past adventures.

For more photos, visit our digital scrapbook at https://bit.ly/2VMExyy.

Updates for the alumni travel program can be found at www.arkansasalumni.org/travel.

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 61

Senior Walk

In Memoriam

Don M. Schnipper ✪+ B.A. ’63, J.D. ’64

Geraldine H. Buckingham ✪ MED’69 EDD’80, Pine Bluff, Dec. 11, 2020.

Charles R. Davis MED’75, Adamsville, Tennessee, Dec. 13, 2020.

Eddie Lamar King BSPH’69, Little Rock, Nov. 23, 2020.

Michael L. Stobaugh BSE’75, Morrilton, July 3, 2020.

Benny C. Watson MED’69, Tupelo, Oct. 16, 2020.

Photo submitted

Don Martin Schnipper passed away on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. He was born in Hot Springs to Dorothy and A.D. (Buddy) Schnipper and grew up in Texarkana, Arkansas.

He graduated from Arkansas High School in 1957. After attending Tulane University, he attended and graduated with two degrees from the University of Arkansas. While a student at the university, Schnipper became an active and lifelong member of the Fabulous XI Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

After graduation from School of Law, Schnipper established his legal career and practice in Hot Springs.

He tried cases throughout the state, region and nation. Schnipper represented clients such as Entergy, Weyerhaeuser, Hog Springs Village POA, National Park Medical Center, Oaklawn Jockey Club, Miss Arkansas Pageant Organization, and many others. He was the former president of the Arkansas Bar Association and a founding member of the Five States Past Presidents’ Bar Group.

Schnipper was also engaged with his community and was a past president of the Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, past president of the Hot Springs Country Club, and a founder of the original Magic Springs.

Schnipper was a devout supporter of the U of A. He volunteered many hours with the Arkansas Alumni Association, serving on the association’s national board serving as its president. He had also been a member of the Law Alumni Society’s board and was engaged with the Hot Springs Alumni Chapter.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Schnipper ✪+ B.S.E. ’62; his daughters, Caroline Muldoon and Libby Vines ✪+ B.A. ’91; two brothers; and four grandchildren.

62 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

1970s

Mary E. Griffith MED’76, Bearden, Dec. 21, 2020.

Jabe E. Hoggard JD’70, El Dorado, Aug. 2, 2020.

John L. Lewis ✪ BSBA’76, Madison, Alabama, Dec. 4, 2020.

William L. Simmons ★ BSBA’71, Marion, Dec. 11, 2020.

Richard Blake Marsh BA’77, Warren, Dec. 24, 2020.

Gloria L. Nethercutt ✪ MED’72, Little Rock, Dec. 29, 2020.

Meta S. Wallace PHD’78, Magnolia, Nov. 27, 2020.

1980s

Floyd Lee Williams III ★ JD’72, Alexandria, Virginia, Nov. 19, 2020.

Clyde Cecil Dorrough Jr. MED’80, Herber Springs, Oct. 18, 2020.

Michael B. Saar BARCH’73, Little Rock, Oct. 10, 2020.

Gary Day Garland BA’75 JD’81, Corning, Dec. 3, 2020.

(Jim Faulkner continued from page 60)

and Sound’ still don for each outstanding performance. ” Faulkner was a former member of the U of A Foundation Board, the Board of Advisors, the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee, the Campaign Arkansas Steering Committee, and the Campaign Arkansas committee for Central Arkansas. He was a life member of the Arkansas Alumni Association, included in the Towers of Old Main, and counted as a Thoroughred for his 31 years of consecutive giving to the university. He was also a long-time member of the Razorback Foundation.

Survivors: his wife, Joyce Potts Faulkner ✪+; one brother; three daughters; and nine grandchildren.

Scott Varady, executive director of the Razorback Foundation said, “As a former Razorback student-athlete, Jim Faulkner was an unwavering and stalwart member of the Razorback Foundation for nearly 40 years. We will always be grateful to Jim for the indelible legacy he and Joyce created for Razorback Athletics and the entire University of Arkansas family.”

Mark Power, vice chancellor for advancement said, “I will always remember Jim for being a kind and compassionate man. He helped us greatly throughout our capital campaigns and always provided encouragement and support to our efforts. He was a great friend to many and will be remembered fondly by the campus community and his peers.”

In Memoriam

James Modisette ★ President Ron Rainey ✪ ’91, ’93, ’01 Little Rock, AR Past President Teena Gunter ✪ ’92, ’97, Oklahoma City, OK Treasurer Don Walker ✪+ ’74, Fayetteville, AR BOARD OF DIRECTORS Class of 2021 Kristen Allbritton ✪ ’04, McKinney, TX Ashley Harris ✪ ’95, Fayetteville, AR Chris Johnson ✪ ’93, North Little Rock, AR Bobby Jones ✪ ’84, Savannah, GA Kristin Kaufman ✪ ’83, Dallas, TX Connie Lewis Lensing ✪ ’74, JD’77, Memphis, TN Drake McGruder ✪ ’06, ’12, Fort Smith, AR Dustin McDaniel ✪ ’94, Little Rock, AR Courtney Backus Norton ★ ’07, Fayetteville, AR Class of 2022 Linda Bedford-Jackson ✪ ’80, Austin, TX Ashleigh Buckley ★ ’07, ’10, Fort Smith, AR Sarah K. Hudson ★ ’07, ’10, Washington, DC Paul Parette ✪+ ’89, Dallas, TX Bill Stovall ✪+ ’72, Charleston, SC Richard Welcher ★ ’99, ’04, Fayetteville, AR Brian Wolff ✪ ’89, Washington, DC Kristen Collier Wright ✪ ’98, ’01, Forrest City, AR Class of 2023 Tori Bogner ✪ ’13, ’16, Fayetteville, AR Kathleen Gonzalez ★ ’11, Rogers, AR Cecilia Grossberger-Medina ★ ’08, Fayetteville, AR Regina Hopper ✪ ’81, ’85, Alexandria, VA Robert Koenig ✪ ’90, Leawood, KS Wes Shirley ★ ’99, ’02, Fayetteville, AR Cameron Sutherland ★+ ’11, ’14, Fayetteville, AR Shambrekia Wise ★ ’08, Dallas, TX STAFF Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni and Executive Director of the Arkansas Alumni Association Brandy Cox Jackson ✪ MA’07 Director of Alumni Programs and Special Events Deb Euculano ✪ Director of Finance Hal Prescott ✪ Lisa Ault ★ BSBA’94, Associate Director of Business Operations; Catherine Baltz ✪+ BS’92, MED’07, Assistant Director of Communications; Tim Barker ★, Fiscal Support Analyst; Jen Boyer ★ BSBA’19, Special Events Coordinator; Melissa Brawner ★ B.S.B.A.’99, Marketing Coordinator; Florence Galbraith ★, Fiscal Support Analyst; Mercedes Gazaway ★, Assistant Director of Internal Relations; Brock Haegele ★ BA’17, Assistant Director of External Relations; Mary Kate Harrison ★ BA’15, MA’17, Special Projects Coordinator; Evan Hinchliffe ★, Alumni Scholarship Assistant; Lisy McKinnon ★ BA’97, Interim Director of Marketing and Communications; Emily Piper ★, Administrative Specialist; Patti Sanders ✪+ BSA’08, Associate Director of Alumni Scholarships; Julie Simpson ★, Associate Director of Facilities and Special Events

James P. Modisette, former chair of the accounting department who had a 33-year career at the U of A, died Nov. 3, 2021, in Fayetteville. He was 88.

“Dr. Modisette’s 33 years of service to the university instrumentally impacted the accounting profession in Arkansas,” said Gary Peters, chair of the William Dillard Department of Accounting at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the U of A. “His tenure with the university is an example of the impact that the university has on the Arkansas community.”

Modisette joined the accounting department in 1963 as an assistant professor.

He succeeded Nolan Williams as department head in 1971 and served until 1985.

Under Modisette’s leadership, the department instituted many professional activities, such as conducting professional development courses in Arkansas and throughout the nation in both public and private accounting and holding a review program for the CPA examination.

He established the master’s degree program in accounting to meet the growing demands of professional practice, and in 1985, the department’s undergraduate and master’s programs became the first accounting programs in the state of Arkansas to be accredited by AACSB. He retired in 1996. An announcement of his retirement in the accounting department newsletter at the time noted: “His memory still astounds students and alumni (he can usually tell you not only when you were in his class, but where you sat!) and his ‘sayings’ are legendary.”

The James P. Modisette Endowed Scholarship Fund awards a scholarship each year to support an outstanding accounting student entering the senior year at the Walton College.

According to his obituary, Modisette was the youngest of four children of the late Clarence and Lillie McCall Modisette. He was born Dec. 6, 1931, in south Arkansas and attended Mt. Holly public schools as well as Green’s Business School in El Dorado.

He worked as an office manager on construction jobs in Arkansas and Louisiana and served in the United States Army. He attended Southern Arkansas University, the University of Mississippi and Louisiana State University, where he taught part time while earning a Ph.D. in accounting.

Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society, recognized him with the Outstanding Teaching Award, and he received the Outstanding Advising Award from the College of Business Administration. Beta Alpha Psi, the international organization for financial information students and professionals, gave him the Outstanding Faculty Award, and he was an active member of Beta Gamma Sigma, which honors academic achievement in the study of business. The Arkansas Society of CPAs recognized him for the many years he spent teaching courses in continuing professional education.

His obituary said, “Based on his tutelage of so many business leaders, it has been said that James Modisette may have had as much influence over Arkansas CEOs and executives as anyone in the state’s history.”

Jim is survived by his wife, Diane ★ of 56 years; two children: Amy Weyman of Evanston, Illinois, and Mark Modisette of Fayetteville; and three grandchildren: Jackson and twins Eliza and Ben Weyman also of Evanston.

A private service was held on Monday, Nov. 9.

Photo submitted

OFFICERS

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 63

Photo by Chieko Hara

Last Look

Tour of the BAD Times Honors Students Dig Into U of A Civil Rights History Ahmad Pace, an honors student in mathematics, tells fellow students and faculty about the effort made by the Black Americans for Democracy in 1969 to prevent the Razorback Marching Band from playing “Dixie,” a Southern anthem performed at pep rallies and athletic contests. Members of Black Americans for Democracy kept the band from performing on the stage of the Chi Omega Greek Theatre and then explained their reasons for eliminating the song from the band’s repertoire to the Associated Student Government, which voted to end its playing, leading to the band also discontinuing its use. Pace’s research of the incident was part of a February walking tour in which other honors students also provided thoughts and research on various aspects of the 1960s and ’70s student group Black Americans for Democracy, or BAD. The research was part of an Honors College Forum taught in fall 2020 by Provost Charles Robinson.

64 / ARKANSAS / SPRING 2021

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SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 66

GET YOUR LICENSE TO EDUCATE Show your support of alumni scholarships by displaying your Razorback pride.

Official state license plates in Arkansas and Missouri abundantly support undergraduate scholarships for students attending the University of Arkansas. Tennessee Hogs can contribute to their state’s arts programs with their state’s official University of Arkansas license plate.

Visit HogTags.org to learn about purchasing a Hog Tag in your area.

SPRING 2021 / ARKANSAS / 67