Berry Magazine Spring 2016

BERRY Spring 2016

Taking a leap

Production designer/world traveler Julie Walker (98C) jumps headlong into Hollywood career Simon Baker, star of TV’s The Mentalist, with Julie Walker (third from left) and four of her best Berry friends

VOL. 102, NO. 2 | SPRING 2016

BERRY Features

Kyle Henderson (05C) and Derek Carter (05C) blaze new Silicon Valley technology trail

15 Pearls of wisdom Sage advice takes Cheryl Holt Naja (78C) into law firm’s pro bono leadership

LINDSAY MARCISZ

12 BIT by BIT

12

18 “Leap, and the net will appear.”

Departments 2

Inside the Gate

• Name announced for continuing care retirement community • Construction set for animal science lab and Oak Hill pavilion • Full track and field competition is off and running • New program unites graduating seniors, young alumni mentors • Barry Griswell (71C) is new trustee chair; Rick Gilbert (77c) is vice chair

7 Flashback Dancing through the decades

8

Well Done!

10 President’s Essay

HackBerry: Just imagine!

26 News from You 30 Thank You

22 The Campaign for Opportunity

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• Push for new theater continues • Who supports Berry?

• Planned giving expertise available to you

Cabin Log yearbook

15

7 student photographer Lauren Neumann

Darwin Berman

Production designer/world traveler Julie Walker (98C) jumps headlong into Hollywood career

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One of Berry’s famed bald eagles soars above campus. Photo by Gena Flanigen.

On the cover: (left to right) Kristin Hoffman Lee (97C), Allison Awtry Parkes (97C), Julie Walker (98C), Simon Baker, Dawn Pilcher Ilardi (97C) and Missy Corney Johnson (97C)

INSIDE THE GATE

BERRY magazine

Published three times per year for alumni and friends of Berry College and its historic schools Editor Karilon L. Rogers Managing Editor Rick Woodall (93C) Contributing Writers Debbie Rasure Joni Kenyon Design and Production Shannon Biggers (81C) Chief Photographer Alan Storey

Editorial: rwoodall@berry.edu; 706-378-2870; or Berry magazine, P.O. Box 490069, Mount Berry, GA 30149.

BERRY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION President: Timothy J. Goodwin (03C) President-Elect: T. Mack Brown (82C) Vice Presidents: Alumni Events, Ruth Martin (65C); Berry Heritage, Dr. David Slade (97C, FS); Financial Support, Jonathan Purser (85C); Young Alumni and Student Relations, Heather Henderson-Keller (03C); Alumni Awards, Patricia T. Jackson (82C) Chaplain: The Rev. Valerie Loner (91C)

Place inspires names

NAMES EVOKING BERRY’S SOARING ARCHITECTURE and breathtaking beauty have been chosen for the continuing care retirement community to be built on undeveloped college property not far from main campus.

A longtime, oft-expressed dream of alumni and friends, The Spires at Berry College will overlook the pristine waters of Eagle Lake, an 88-acre former limestone quarry now serving as a favorite fishing spot for Berry’s famed bald eagles. Lavender Mountain can be seen rising in the distance.

“It’s amazing how famous the Berry eagles have become,” said President Steve Briggs. “People from across the nation watch the webcam, but residents at our senior living center will be able to experience them firsthand as the eagles fly and fish at Eagle Lake.”

Expected to open in late 2019, the planned facility will consist of 187 apartment homes and cottages offering access to a full complement of health care and supportive services as well as close proximity to Rome’s highly regarded medical centers. Residents will enjoy lakeside fine dining and numerous on-site recreational and fitness amenities.

Benefits to Berry include significant work and a

en

G

Secretary: Mandy Tidwell (93C)

Fl

an

Parliamentarian: Patrick Ouzts (03C)

Retirement community:

Historian: Nathan Butzen (03C) Director of Alumni Development Jennifer Schaknowski Vice President for Advancement Bettyann O’Neill President Stephen R. Briggs

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BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

en

Contact Information News from You and change of address: alumni@berry.edu; 706-236-2256; 800-782-0130; or Berry Alumni Office, P.O. Box 495018, Mount Berry, GA 30149.

Zane Cochran

ig

News from You and Gifts Listings Justin Karch (01C, 10G), Joni Kenyon and Rose Nix

learning opportunities for students in such diverse areas as event planning, recreation and fitness, gardening, bookkeeping, and nursing assistance.

“The relationship between the college and the CCRC is wonderfully complementary, as it will allow different generations to enjoy and serve one another,” Briggs said. “And both the retirement community and Berry will be richer for it.”

Already, more than 1,000 people have requested information about the facility, which will operate as a financially self-sustaining nonprofit with its own independent board of directors. Periodic luncheons are being held for those interested in taking advantage of benefits available through the project’s priority placement program.

These benefits include substantial savings for those who eventually become residents and the opportunity to be among the first to reserve an apartment or cottage when that option becomes available. A refundable deposit is required.

A site plan and other design details are expected later this year, along with information on pricing options. An off-site sales center is also in develop­ ment. Visit www.retireatberry.com or call 706-238-7973 for more information.

Berry forms Parents Council BERRY’S NEWEST ADVISORY BODY is providing one of the college’s most important constituencies – parents – with a means for offering feedback on plans, programs, services and campus issues while also serving as ambassadors for the college.

Meeting annually on the Friday prior to Mountain Day, the new Parents Council includes representation from the families of 24 students spread equally among Berry’s sopho­ more, junior and senior classes.

Parents are nominated by college personnel and approved by the executive lead­ership.

They serve throughout the time their students are enrolled.

The formation of this type of advisory group has been a priority for Berry, said Debbie Heida, vice president for student affairs and dean of students. She noted that parents become more

Tentative rendering

New facilities: Animal science

effective supporters of their student’s experience when they are included in communication and dialogue with the college.

Council members Penny and John Clavijo can speak to that firsthand. When son Parker first enrolled at Berry, they took the initiative to participate in activities and share in his experiences. Three years later, they feel their own sense of connection to Berry, a bond they hope to extend to other parents through service on the council.

“It is important for parents to be engaged with their child’s educational institution and stay involved in their child’s life as they transition into adulthood,” Penny said. “We hope the council will be a way for parents to serve as strategic partners, advocates and a voice for all of the students at Berry College.”

laboratory, Oak Hill pavilion

BERRY STUDENTS GAINED EXPANDED OPPORTUNITY to hear

and interact with national leaders thanks to two new donor-supported lecture series that launched this spring.

Harvard University’s Dr. Barbara Kellerman, pictured below, visited campus in February as the inau­gural speaker in the Cecil B. Wright III Integrity in Leadership Lecture Series. A new component of the Berry College Integrity in Leadership Center, the lecture series honors Wright, a 1973 Berry College alumnus and trustee who served as a driving force in establishing the center and its Carper mentoring program.

That same month, Georgia Writers Hall of Fame inductee Janisse Ray delivered the first

Buzz and Barbara Mote McCoy Southern Women Writers Lecture. Barbara is a member of the Berry College class of 1961, and Buzz is a nationally recognized writer and teacher of business ethics.

Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg addressed the college community in March as the 2016 Gloria Shatto lecturer, while Robbie Bach – the man who led the creation and development of Microsoft’s Xbox – spoke last fall at the request of Berry trustee and former Boys and Girls Clubs of America CEO Roxanne Spillett.

Alan Storey

Voices of experience

CONSTRUCTION WILL BEGIN THIS SUMMER on a laboratory facility for Berry’s growing animal science program and a pavilion on the grounds of Oak Hill and The Martha Berry Museum.

The 4,600 square-foot laboratory, to be located near the Rollins Ruminant Research Center, is the first animal science priority funded through LifeReady: The Berry College Campaign for Opportunity; an addition to McAllister Hall also is planned.

Designed to take an already stellar program to the highest level, these facilities also will provide much-needed space – the number of students majoring in animal science has more than tripled over the last decade.

Slated for completion in January 2017, the animal science laboratory will expand capacity for faculty and student research and hands-on teaching labs. The project includes a large holding area with stanchions and other equipment for safely working with up to 10 head of cattle; a flexible open space that can be configured for use with a variety of smaller animals; a research laboratory for faculty and students to prepare samples, such as blood and tissue, for later study in McAllister Hall; a large storage room for holding the portable pens and panels and other materials needed for specific studies; and a veterinary support room.

The Oak Hill pavilion will encourage increased use of the historic estate for weddings, seminars, corporate meetings and other events. Inspired by its elegant surroundings and envisioned

by Al Christopher (61c), the facility will feature donated materials that showcase Christopher’s woodworking expertise.

Notable architectural features include juniper beams and 20 arched, full-lite exterior wooden doors.

Funded through an Tentative rendering anonymous $1 million gift, the planned 5,760 square-foot structure includes a full catering kitchen and space for up to 300 guests, depending on configuration. Flexible in its design, the facility can be used as an open-air pavilion or as a closed, air-conditioned space. Opening is planned for summer 2017.

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

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INSIDE THE GATE

Off and running!

AN EXCITING YEAR FOR BERRY ATHLETICS continued this spring with full competition in track and field for the first time since the 1980s. Thanks to the addition of Valhalla stadium, including Clark Track and Dickey Field, the program has been expanded beyond Luke Syverson distance running to offer opportunities for participation in a full array of events including sprints, hurdles, jumps and throws.

More than 40 student-athletes turned out for the inaugural season, some taking aim at school records set decades earlier when Berry first established a championship tradition in the sport.

Head coach Luke Syverson, a former assistant at NCAA Division I Lipscomb University, leads both the men’s and women’s teams.

Paul Deaton (91C), Berry’s longtime cross country and distance running coach, is among those providing assistance.

“Coach Syverson and his staff have done an excellent job of building the program from the ground up,” praised Athletic Director Todd Brooks. “We expect to see the team grow in size and recognition over the next couple of years.”

Clark Track and Dickey Field were dedicated during the April 9 Berry Field Day invitational. Among those honored for helping to make the facilities possible were Bert Clark (82C) and Roger Lusby (79C), the alumni trustees who led fundraising for Clark Track; and Dr. Ouida Word Dickey (50C) and her daughters, Jennifer (77A, 80C) and Angela (75A, 79C), who spearheaded efforts to name the throwing field for Berry’s first fulltime athletic director, the late Dr. Garland M. Dickey (42C).

Ryan Smith (00C)

In the classroom, on the field:

Athletes make the grade A TOTAL OF 74 STUDENT-ATHLETES representing six different

Berry teams finished the fall semester with GPAs of 3.25

berth, winning seven games in a row before falling just

or better, earning placement on the Southern Athletic

short of the automatic bid awarded to the Southern

Association’s Fall Honor Roll.

Athletic Association champion. Nevertheless, the

Their performance in competition was no less impres­

Vikings posted a best-ever 7-3 record that included a 4-1

sive, highlighted by a second NCAA Division III national

mark on their home turf, where they played before an

tournament appearance in women’s volleyball and a

average of more than 3,000 fans.

first-­ever winning season in football. The volleyball team

Also notable during the fall was recognition for two

– led by honorable-mention All-Americans Jessica Gum

women’s soccer players, junior Maggie Midkiff and

and Katie O’Rourke – hosted an NCAA regional for the

senior Becca Proschansky, as Academic All-Americans

first time, advancing to the second round before losing a

by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

thriller to eventual national semifinalist Hendrix.

4

The football team also challenged for an NCAA playoff

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

Trailblazer: Richardson named

president of Westminster College January as the first woman appointed president of Westminster College, a top-tier liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. She will assume her new duties July 1, ending 30 years of distinguished service at Berry, where she has earned top awards for teaching, scholarship and service while endearing herself to generations of communication alumni. She was named an honorary alumna in 2014.

“We will always know Dr. Richardson as a colleague who fully embraced Berry’s commitment to an education of the head, heart and hands,” said President Steve Briggs.

“She has poured herself into the fabric of our community and has worked tenaciously to make Berry better.”

Richardson’s husband, Dr. Randy Richardson, will join her at Westminster. He is a 26-year veteran of Berry’s communication faculty and has earned national recognition for his work as director of the Berry College Forensics Union. The couple is pictured below.

The search for a new provost will begin this summer.

Associate Provost Dr. Andy Bressette will fill the role on an interim basis for 2016-17.

Tributes honoring the Richardsons can be made through gifts to the Kathy Brittain Richardson Faculty and Staff Leadership Fund or the Randy Richardson Forensics Union Fund. Go to www.berry.edu/gift and designate the appropriate fund.

Editor’s Note: At press time, it was announced that Berry Chief of Staff Alexander “Whit” Whitaker (81C) has been tapped as president-elect of King University in Bristol, Tenn. He will assume his new role Aug. 1. Read more in the next issue of Berry magazine.

Alan Storey

PROVOST KATHY BRITTAIN RICHARDSON MADE HISTORY in

Productive partnerships WHEN BERRY LAUNCHED ITS NEW YOUNG ALUMNI PARTNERS PROGRAM matching recent

alumni with graduating seniors, Samantha Knight Tuttle (11C) jumped at the opportunity to join the first group of mentors.

“When I think back about my senior year at Berry, I would have loved to have had that oneon-one interaction with a young alumni mentor during my final semester,” said Tuttle, a senior marketing coordinator with Warbird Consulting Partners in Atlanta. “While our parents, advisers and friends can help us transition to this next phase, I think it’s great to learn directly from someone who was in your shoes only a few years ago.”

Tuttle and her first mentee, Jack Chase (15C), were among 42 pairs matched by major and career during the program’s inaugural year. She helped Chase obtain his first job and provided guidance as he took his initial steps as a young profes­sional.

“Sam was really helpful with my decision-making process,” said Chase, now a strategic insights analyst at Insightpool in Atlanta. “Not because she made my decisions for me, but because she did an excellent job of spelling out the pros and cons of each decision.”

The program has grown in its second year to include 60 pairs of students and alumni. Most of the young alumni live in and around Atlanta, but some hail from as far away as Maine, Rhode Island and Arizona.

Students and alumni stay in touch through phone, e-mail, Skype and social media.

“The program gave me an opportunity to really reflect on my life since graduating Berry and to translate those reflections into advice for a senior in college – this was a cool experience,” said Tuttle, who this year took on a new mentee in addition to providing training for incoming mentors.

“I also feel like I’m giving back to Berry by donating my time, and that’s really enjoyable.”

Alumni who have graduated in the last five years are eligible to serve as mentors. Email YAPP@berry.edu or call 800-782-0130 for details.

Editor’s Note: Samantha Tuttle, pictured above, also serves as a member of the Young Alumni and Student Relations Committee for the Alumni Council. As a student, she was instrumental in the establish­ ment of Berry’s student philanthropy program.

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

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INSIDE THE GATE

BERRY PEOPLE J. Barry Griswell (71C) has been elected chair of the Berry College Board of Trustees, taking the reins at the group’s May meeting; Rick Gilbert (77c) is the new vice chair.

Griswell succeeds Karen Holley J. Barry Griswell Horrell (74C), while Gilbert fills the shoes of Cecil B. “Buster” Wright III (73C). Both Horrell and Wright continue active service as trustees.

Griswell is retired chairman and CEO of Principal Financial Group, which grew under his leadership to become one of the largest and most respected corporations in the world. Among his many involvements is service on the national boards of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, United Way of America, Scholarship America, and Americans for the Arts. His honors include the Horatio Alger Distinguished American Award, Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Daughters of the American Revolution National Society Medal of Honor and Berry Alumni Association Distinguished Achievement Award.

Griswell is married to the former Michele Irwin (70C); the couple has two sons and two grandchildren. He joined the Board of Trustees in 2003 and has served in many capacities, including chair of the

Alan Storey

Alan Storey

TRUSTEE UPDATE: NEW LEADERSHIP

Advancement and Investment committees and co-chair of LifeReady: The Berry College Campaign for Opportunity.

Gilbert is an entrepreneurial investor in several businesses and a co-founder of Atlanticus Holdings Corp. He chairs the boards of the Georgia Goal Rick Gilbert Scholarship Program and the Georgia Community Foundation and is an active member of Rome’s First Presbyterian Church.

A Berry trustee since 2008, Gilbert has chaired the Real Estate, Budget and Finance, and Enrollment Management committees. He also serves on the board of Lavender Mountain Senior Living Inc. and the steering committee for the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College.

Gilbert is married to the former Debra Bourne (76C); the couple has two children and four grandchildren.

EMERITUS STATUS

Dan T. Cathy was granted trustee emeritus status as he left the Berry board in February. The chairman, president and CEO of Chick-fil-A has served the college since 2001, most recently and perhaps most notably as chair of the committee that developed the visionary campus master plan currently in effect.

TENURE, PROMOTIONS AND RETIREES

Dr. Julia Barnes (Spanish), Dr. Kyle Caires (animal science), Dr. Jill Cochran (mathematics), Dr. Lauren Heller (economics) and Dr. Dominic Qualley

(chemistry) were granted tenure and promoted to associate professor during the February meeting of the Berry College Board of Trustees. Also tenured was Dr. Brian Campbell, associate professor of environmental studies; Dr. Jay Daniel (animal science) was promoted to professor.

Emeritus status was granted to the following retirees: Dr. Stan Pethel, professor of music; Dr. Wade Carpenter, associate professor of teacher education; Dr. John Countryman, associate professor of theatre; Dr. Martin Goldberg, college veterinarian; and Maureen Morgan, librarian.

VOLLEYBALL GETS NEW COACH

Caitlyn Jansen (14G) has been named head coach for women’s volleyball. She succeeds Mika Robinson, who left after eight seasons to accept a similar post at Florida’s Rollins College.

Jansen assisted Robinson for four seasons at Berry, Caitlyn Jansen helping lead the Vikings to two Southern Athletic Association regularseason championships, two SAA tournament titles and a pair of NCAA Division III national tournament appearances. Previously, she played and coached at Christopher Newport University, where she was a two-time AllAmerican and 2009 USA South Conference Player of the Year. As an assistant coach in 2011, she helped Christopher Newport advance to the Division III national finals.

THE FLAME STILL BURNS: As the world’s athletes prepare to gather in Rio, it’s

worth remembering that 20 years ago the Olympic spotlight was squarely on Atlanta – and Berry! Cecily Crow (94C, FS) carried the famous flame through campus on its way to the Opening Ceremonies, and Berry hosted teenagers from around the globe for the Olympic Youth Camp.

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BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

FLASHBACK: Dancing through the decades

There’s a lot to look forward to at Berry these days, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun looking back.

See anyone famous?*

’71

’55 ’95

’87

’35

’48

circa

’63 ’08 Photos courtesy of Cabin Log yearbook and Berry College Archives

If you have pictures of Berry from “back in the day,” share them on social media with the hashtag #ThrowbackBerry. You just might see them in a future issue.

* The gentleman in the circa ’35 photo is none other than Henry Ford.

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

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photos by student photographer Lauren Neumann

WELL DONE!

Lindsey Purvis earned first-place honors at the Southeastern Theatre Conference for her scenic design work on Women in Arms.

Theatre HONORS A trio of Berry seniors took honors this

Journalism educator of the year

College Theater Festival in Charleston.

Professor and Chair of Communication Brian Carroll earned national recognition as 2015 Educator of the Year from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, joining other recent Newspaper and Online News division winners from City University of New York, the University of Alabama and the University of Missouri. Carroll was lauded both for his work with students and his accomplishments as a media historian, the latter of which includes his newly published fourth book, A Devil’s Bargain: The Black Press and Black Baseball, 1915-1955.

design among both graduate and undergraduate students in competition for the Southeastern Theatre Conference/David Weiss Award for Theatrical Design Excellence. Purvis also won first place for undergraduate scenic design at the Southeastern Theatre Conference annual convention in Greensboro, N.C. Shira Pollio earned second place in KCACTF Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas competition, while Ari Jerome was named a finalist for the region’s National Stage Management Fellowship.

Twenty-two Berry students earned KCACTF nominations in 2015. Faculty merit awards went to Alice Bristow (design), Seamus Bourne (design) and Dr. John Countryman (directing).

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BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

Scientific diplomacy A recent U.S. State Department conference call initiated by the Office of International Health and Biodefense focused on a paper authored by Jordan Smith Darr (11C) with assistance from Gund Professor of Biology Bruce Conn. The paper on infectious diseases among international adoptees and refugees was a follow up to Darr’s Berry honors thesis.

Conn has served as a scientific adviser for the State Department since his 2010 appointment as a Jefferson Science Fellow. His continuing engagement in that role was referenced in Diplomacy for the 21st Century, a 2015 book by the National Research Council.

Alan Storey

Lindsey Purvis placed second for scenic

Alan Storey

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Alan Storey

Chestnut trees and a Rolling Stone Dana Professor of Biology Martin Cipollini recently joined Rolling Stones keyboardist and environmental activist Chuck Leavell for a Georgia Public Broadcasting “duet” highlighting state and national efforts to breed chestnut trees resistant to the devastating blight that nearly wiped out the species in the early 20th century.

In his role as scientific coordinator for The American Chestnut Foundation’s Georgia chapter, Cipollini has established several orchards on the Berry campus containing potentially blight-resistant American/ Chinese chestnut hybrids. He also has supervised the planting of more than 6,500 hybrid trees statewide, including a small orchard at The Carter Center in Atlanta. He credits Berry’s expansive campus and enthusiastic student assistants with helping to propel these efforts forward.

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Cutting-edge cattle research

Washington Post: Lawler Talks Trump

A growing media chorus is hailing research conducted by Assistant Professor of Animal Science Kyle Caires and his students, with Agriculture.com branding it “the next big thing in cattle breeding.”

The website story detailed efforts to streamline the cattle breeding process by transplanting the reproductive stem cells of one bull into others using a minimally invasive surgical technique. Recipients are then able to pass along the genes of the original donor, a strategy that facilitates rapid genetic improvement for the industry without the need for cloning. Caires and his students have enjoyed additional success cryopreserving the stem cells, a process that could prove useful in preserving endangered wildlife species.

“It’s always bothered me that once a bull is gone, he’s gone,” Caires stated in the article.

“There’s no way to preserve him.

You can freeze his semen, but even that is exhaustible. This technique we are developing can solve this issue.”

Dana Professor of Government Peter Lawler continues to be a go-to voice for context on national politics.

Recently, the former member of the President’s Council on Bioethics under George W. Bush joined scholars from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Georgetown University and the University of Houston for a Washington Post Q&A on rhetoric in the Donald Trump era.

Nursing distinction The National League of Nursing honored Berry Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing Cindy Johnson with the MaryAnne Rizzolo Doctoral Research Award in recognition of her innovative research to identify best practices in nursing education. She also received a research grant from C.R. Bard Inc., a leading multinational developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical technology, to support her mixed-methods pilot study on how best to teach essential hands-on nursing skills for long-term retention.

Oak Hill exhibit soars to statewide award Oak Hill and The Martha Berry Museum claimed honors as Exhibition of the Year from the Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries for “Menaboni’s Birds: Georgia’s Own Artist as Naturalist,” a 2015 display curated by Russell Clayton featuring 37 paintings by Italian-born Georgia artist Athos Menaboni. The exhibit bested all competition among entries with budgets under $100,000.

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Berry magazine is No. 1 … again!

For the second time in its history, Berry has been judged best of the best among alumni magazines in District III of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Berry topped all entries from institu­ tions with enrollments under 5,000 in the nine-state region to win the Grand Award. Other institutions recognized in the same category include Davidson College, Rollins College and the University of North Carolina at Asheville. This brings to 13 the number of regional CASE awards won by Berry since its 2003 debut. Staff members include alumni Shannon Walburn Biggers (81C), design, and Rick Woodall (93C), managing editor.

Musical maestro Associate Professor of Music and Chair of Fine Arts Kris Carlisle has earned national acclaim for his CD The American Evolution: Piano Sonatas.

He is the 2015 recipient of The American Prize in Piano Performance Special Judge’s Citation: “Championing Piano Music by American Composers.” Carlisle also has been named chair of the Georgia Music Educators Association’s Piano Division for 2016-17.

Tim Redman

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

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photos courtesy of Zane Cochran

PRESIDENT’S ESSAY

Dr. Stephen R. Briggs

HackBerry:

JUST IMAGINE! Imagine an academic major that encourages playful curiosity.

Imagine faculty who assign good grades for spectacular failures.

Imagine a program focused on solving problems and helping others to be more and do more.

AT BERRY, THAT ACADEMIC PROGRAM IS CALLED CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES, and it is

the first undergraduate degree of its kind in the nation. This new major includes a set of interdisciplinary courses that focus on technology, design thinking, computer science and business while using projectbased learning as the means for inspiring creative and analytical problem-solving.

Students gain firsthand experience with digital and traditional technologies ranging from 3-D printing and programmable logic controllers to woodworking and welding.

The major, however, is not a series of shop classes in preparation for a trade. Rather, it is a study of how people use objects every day, an opportunity to imagine what might be possible, and a disciplined approach to the hard work of bringing an idea to life.

At commencement one year ago, I challenged graduates to “Be Berry” – to be those who see what others need, who discern the problems and engage others to find the creative solutions that improve the places where they live, work and serve. I did not anticipate that Dr. John Grout, dean of the Campbell School of Business, would take special note of that challenge, but he later pointed out that it captures the ethos of the creative technologies major and the culture 10

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

of the program’s workspace affectionately known as “HackBerry Lab.” Although “hack” often is associated with a nefarious side of the computer coding culture, the word’s larger meaning has to do with creative problem-solving through adaptive reuse or repurposing, making HackBerry an apt name, indeed, for this cradle of creative technologies.

HAND-PICKED COLORS AND TALKING HORSES

Junior Chris Whitmire had already taken the Innovation, Design and Prototyping course with Dean Grout when he watched a YouTube video on how to make a prosthetic hand with a 3-D printer. Intrigued, he approached Dean Grout about the possibility of customizing such a hand.

Dean Grout was game, and one thing led to the next. Working with computing code made available by the e-NABLE foundation, Chris was able to customize a prosthetic hand for a local boy named Matthew, delivering for just a couple hundred dollars what would have cost $10,000 commercially.

Chris fit the hand for Matthew’s size and personalized it in colors of the boy’s choosing – black and blue. The low cost means a succession of hands is now affordable for Matthew as he grows and matures.

Chris continues to explore how these prosthetic devices can be modified to meet the needs of the recipient – hands fashioned for hobbies, for example, such as playing the trombone or a specific sport. He also is interested in developing sensory devices that can provide feedback to the wearer – a sense of touch – to complement the hand’s movement.

Chris came to Berry interested in the dualdegree engineering program, physics and biology. One of his biology professors recommended that he take a course in physical computing taught by Dr. Nadeem Hamid (computer science) and Zane Cochran (creative technologies). In that course, Chris was introduced to the world of Arduino, an open-source prototyping platform designed for students without a background in electronics.

Arduino offers microprocessors and a computing language that allow students to build and connect inputs (a touch, a sound) with outputs (turning on a motor, turning off a light). The Arduino technology is flexible and simple, yet capable of supporting complicated and advanced projects. It didn’t take long for Chris to be hooked. As a student who commutes from nearby Cedartown, he was soon “living in the lab,”

CREATIVE TECH: From left, Rachel LeRoy’s digital sensing device measures movement and stress levels in horses, then delivers information via Google Glass; young Matthew shows off the prosthetic hand designed for him by Chris Whitmire; sewn-in LED lights allow “chief of imagination” Zane Cochran’s chameleon-like PIXI dress to change appearance on demand using a computer or smart-phone app; Jacob Ramsey, left, and Whitmire work to get the “Lunar Lemon” ready for competition.

and he still spends much of his spare time there, energized by the community of creative makers.

Although the creative technologies major was still under development when she graduated, Rachel LeRoy (15C) had a similar experience. With broad interests, Rachel explored several majors in science and business before completing her degree as a marketing major. She also directed the Viking Furniture student enterprise and competed on the varsity soccer and equestrian teams.

As an athlete, Rachel understood the importance of attending to wear and tear in her own body. But how could she tell if the horse she was riding was experiencing similar stress? Rachel collaborated with classmate Arden Foster (15C) to answer this question by developing a digital sensing device that attaches to a horse’s leg, measuring movement and stress levels and delivering the information quickly and visually to the rider through Google Glass.

Rachel is now working on a master’s degree in human-computing interaction at Georgia Tech, and she continues to refine this and other devices.

the faculty may establish unreasonable time constraints, such as asking a new team to build something from scratch in four hours.

Recently, a Berry team took on a substantial challenge by participating in an endurance race with a considerable design constraint – that the vehicle entered cost $500 or less. The team’s entry was the “Lunar Lemon,” a vintage Chevy Astro van purchased from the Berry physical plant and adorned with racing seats, wings and “rocket boosters” fashioned from recycled materials.

Although the vehicle failed its initial inspection at the test track, the team worked tenaciously for 40 straight hours to rectify the problems. The Lunar Lemon then completed 95 laps (approximately 225 miles) without mechanical issues, thereby earning the “Eternal Optimist Award” from race judges.

Hackathons – periodic forays that introduce students of all kinds to the joys of ingenuity and inventiveness – also are offered. Individuals or teams compete to complete a design challenge that often includes specific constraints of time or materials. Artists and chemists are as welcome as computer geeks; the atmosphere is intensely fun.

FAIL FAST, FAIL FORWARD

Rachel and Arden developed their system through a process of iterative experimenta­ tion, a central thesis for design thinking and incremental improvement. Students are encouraged to dream ambitiously beyond what they know how to do. They are challenged to embrace “unknown unknowns.”

Bringing a dream to life requires a willingness to generate many design solutions and to pursue a path of failing rapidly forward. Rather than investing in one highly planned but expensive experiment, this approach emphasizes many small wagers of limited risk. It is a variation on the trialand-error process of the scientific method.

To teach this way of thinking, the creative technologies major uses project-based assignments. The core courses have teams of students working on three or four prototypes each semester. To encourage rapid failures,

MAKING SPACE FOR MAKERSPACES

Great spaces inspire great performances.

In this context, the place itself helps shape the culture of creativity – not that the physical computing lab had been much to look at until recently. The original HackBerry Lab consisted of only two small, windowless rooms in McAllister Hall. Still, something magical happened. Within a year, the program had expanded so rapidly that additional space for project development was borrowed from 7Hills Makerspace in downtown Rome, courtesy of Tricia Steele (09C) and Greg Richardson.

In April, the HackBerry Lab moved from McAllister Hall to a new fabricated building adjacent to the Emery Barns, growing from 900 square feet to 3,500. In typical fashion, creative technologies students and faculty accomplished the move in an evening,

installing equipment, building new work tables and creating nooks and zones of activity.

JUST IMAGINE

This May, the first two students – Maciel Smith and Travis Helton – graduated with degrees in creative technologies. In addition to their resumes, both have a portfolio displaying 10 of their creative products.

Travis’ portfolio sparked spirited conversations when he visited with startup entrepreneurs at Atlanta’s Tech Village.

Travis grew up working in a hardware store owned by his family. His mother, Kim Waters Helton (81C), and grandmother, Carol Waters (72C, 75G), are Berry alumnae, and Travis came to Berry to study business.

From the start, he worked in the Berry Information Technology Students (BITS) program – first as a PC technician and then as a student supervisor – earning four certifications from CompTIA and Microsoft.

He also served as a mentor for a Maker Academy, working closely with students from Rome High School and teaching concepts of soldering, programming, 3-D CAD design, idea generation and prototyping.

On the side, Travis co-started a business repairing mobile phones and upgrading computers, work that led to one of his design projects, Finally Open, a simple device that uses suctions cups and levers to separate screens from their phones. Another of his inventions, BabySaver, uses a Bluetooth phone connection to alert drivers who accidentally walk away from their automobiles with a baby still inside.

Travis now foresees a life in which he is always a “tinkerer, builder and creator.” His grandmother recently wrote a note to Dean Grout thanking him for caring enough to design a new major that was such a perfect fit for her grandson. In effect, she thanked Dean Grout and the Berry community for practicing what we preach – and what we teach.

A college that embraces the “unknown unknowns.” Imagine that! B

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– KYLE HENDERSON

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”

LINDSAY MARCISZ

“

The core idea behind YouEye was that you can get to the better user experience faster by being able to measure not only what people do but also how they feel about doing it.

by RICK WOODALL

Kyle Henderson and Derek Carter taught themselves to program computers before they were old enough to drive a car, but it was professional skills developed at Berry that helped pave their road to success as high-tech entrepreneurs.

E

VERY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS STARTS WITH AN IDEA. Kyle Henderson (05C) got his at

a 2009 technology conference in Chicago.

The “Eureka!” moment came as he listened to a presenter discuss an involved and expensive research study commissioned

by Yahoo that used eye-tracking and other biometrics to measure people’s experiences with online forms. As a product manager in the computing industry, Henderson immediate­ly recognized the value of such data. But there had to be a better, cheaper, faster way to get it!

Enter YouEye, the Silicon Valley-based tech startup Henderson co-founded with Derek Carter (05C), a longtime friend dating back to their days working together as fresh­ men in the Berry Information Tech­nology Students (BITS) program. Together, they developed and marketed a platform that uses in-depth video analysis of online survey participants to help clients better understand the actions, opinions and feelings of customers accessing digital products and services.

“The core idea behind YouEye was that you can get to the better user experience

Derek Carter, far left, and Kyle Henderson are always on the lookout for their next big idea.

faster by being able to measure not only what people do but also how they feel about doing it,” Henderson explained.

A client list that includes Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Walmart and Ebay speaks to the strength of that idea, as does the $8 million in funding provided by private donors and strategic partner GFK, one of the world’s largest market-research organizations.

Growing from humble roots in Carter’s spare bedroom, the company now boasts 29 full-time employees, 15 contractors and approximately 15,000 paid online study participants (with access to many more).

Success didn’t come easily – both recall a long night sitting in Henderson’s kitchen hashing out everything that possibly could go wrong – but vision and hard work eventually triumphed, thanks in no small measure to the friendship and working relationship they had developed at Berry.

“It was a great partnership right from the start,” Carter said. “We knew where our skills ended and the other’s began and where they overlapped. We knew we could trust each other in terms of the stuff we were getting done.

We knew how to work with one another. We had already learned how to resolve our conflicts a long time ago in peaceful ways.

“All of that came together so that we could hit the ground running. If Berry hadn’t given us an opportunity to work together, that wouldn’t have happened. And if we hadn’t built that friendship, that wouldn’t have happened either.”

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Growing up in the midst of a techno­ logical revolution, Henderson and Carter learned the ins and outs of computer programming years before they first set foot on the Berry campus. Henderson “grew up inside a digital advertising agency” owned by his entrepreneurial father, while Carter created his first program – a “coolness factor rating system” – at the age of 12. By 14, he was building his own computers.

At Berry, they had the opportunity to indulge their shared passion as participants in BITS, a work initiative started in the late 1990s with support from Martha Berry’s great-nephew, Randy Berry, and his wife, Nancy, in which students hone their computing skills while providing on-campus technical support for students, faculty and staff. Randy, now a college trustee, loved the idea of extending his Aunt Martha’s vision for student work into the world of high

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Carter and Henderson enjoy the view from Yosemite National Park’s Sierra Point in 2005. A passion for the outdoors is among their many common interests.

Henderson, right, works with future Berry Alumni Association President Tim Goodwin (03C) when both were students in the BITS program. Goodwin later started his own invest­ment advisory firm.

technology, and Henderson and Carter are two of the many who have benefitted from the opportunity.

“As a working experience, it was great,” said Carter. “It was also the first time, I think, that we felt treated like adults in the way that we were allowed the freedom to tackle problems in our own way and work together.”

Henderson praised professional skills he developed while working with departments across campus, noting, “It effectively taught me, without realizing it, how you deal with a client and build a client relationship.

“It was literally like having our own little software company, and because of that, it prepared us for going out in the world and starting to build tech solutions for paying customers.”

Complementing those experiences were lessons learned through Berry’s liberal arts curriculum. As a philosophy major and political science minor, Henderson developed critical-thinking and publicspeaking skills that he further enhanced through participation in Model United Nations. Carter, meanwhile, nurtured his love for writing as a communication major with a double concentration in speech and journalism.

“Both programming and writing for me are ways to basically express my creativity in very fun ways,” Carter said. “It’s like building with Legos.”

IDEA TO ACTION

Graduation brought a temporary end to their professional collaboration but not their friendship. They remained in contact as Carter worked as a programming and development consultant in Atlanta and Henderson gained experience with a 14

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

succession of startup companies, including a Facebook-like social media site in China.

Their paths intersected in late 2007 when Henderson recruited Carter to join a Washington, D.C., startup. Two years later, Henderson approached Carter with another proposition – YouEye. “Derek and I chat all the time,” Henderson related. “And we get ideas every other day for something that could be interesting. But every once in a while, one of those ideas comes around that you just can’t shake. It just keeps coming back time and time again; this was one of those ideas.”

Carter was initially skeptical, remarking, “Kyle, I like the idea; I think it’s impossible,” but soon he began devoting nights and weekends to developing the programming solutions necessary to make it feasible.

“The road has been so difficult techno­ logically,” he acknowledged. “It’s been every bit as difficult as I foresaw way back, which was actually astounding to me.”

While Carter worked to overcome technical obstacles, Henderson went about the task of recruiting financial support for the venture, becoming “the guy that you saw everywhere” during the year leading up to the debut of their first working prototype at the 2011 LAUNCH conference in San Francisco for promising tech startups.

Recalling his pitch to potential investors, Henderson said, “I was just very, very up front about what I was good at, what I knew, what I needed to know more of and what I had absolutely no concept of. That went a very long way in building relationships with people wanting to help us.”

NEW INSIGHTS

In the five years since finishing as runnerup for best design and product at that initial LAUNCH conference, YouEye has been able to carve its own unique niche by stream­ lining the traditional research process while also providing a new take on the data being collected.

Surveys are conducted entirely online with participants using their own webcams and camera phones, resulting in lower costs and faster turnaround. The video is then processed by the company’s proprietary analytics platform, which not only quantifies actions but also feelings and mood by considering such factors as tone of voice and facial expression.

This information is of great value to companies hoping to improve their customer experience, but Henderson imagines even broader future applications.

“What’s interesting is that the core problem YouEye works on isn’t about making websites better; it’s about helping computer systems understand human experience,” he explained. “I really think that YouEye is collecting a data set that is going to be helpful in creating artificial intelligence because it’ll help computers interpret human reaction and behavior.”

Because that data is collected from a dizzying (and growing) array of consumer device platforms, the process of development is never-ending for the YouEye team.

“Our platform is kind of like a living body,” said Carter, who serves as the company’s chief technology officer. “We’re constantly replacing and updating different parts of it. It’s a living, breathing thing.”

MORE TO COME

While he continues to serve on the YouEye board of directors, Henderson – who in 2014 was named to a list of 40 rising stars under the age of 40 in Silicon Valley – is actively exploring new opportunities in the Bay Area. He and Carter also continue to share ideas with an eye toward future collaborations.

“A standard item of conversation for us is, ‘Hey, let’s talk about the ideas that we’ve come up with,’” Carter noted. “So it’s very likely that even after YouEye, we’ll try another endeavor.” B Editor’s Note: Another endeavor might arise sooner rather than later for Henderson and Carter. Shortly after signing off on the information in this story, the duo announced the sale of YouEye to UserZoom, an industry-leading user experience research and testing platform with offices in four countries. Congratulations!

words of four Berry women

photos courtesy of Cabin Log yearbook

The

resonate through the life and career of Cheryl Holt Naja

of

Pearls wisdom

by DEBBIE RASURE portraits by DARWIN BERMAN

AS CHERYL HOLT NAJA (78C) THREADS HER WAY THROUGH ATLANTA TRAFFIC EVERY MORNING on her way to work, she never has to wonder whether she’ll do something that day that will make a difference in someone’s life. It’s a given.

In the 11 years she’s been director of pro bono and community service for the Atlanta-based international law firm Alston & Bird, Naja has played a vital role in service efforts as varied as protecting victims of crime, helping low-income inventors patent their work, driving cancer patients to treatments, and preparing care packages for active-duty military personnel.

Working with an 85-member committee, Naja plans and helps implement pro bono and community service projects for the approximately 1,600 attorneys and staff in Alston & Bird’s eight U.S. offices stretching from California to New York. In 2014 alone, she helped make connections that resulted in more than

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w LESSONS FOR A LIFETIME

Naja’s passion for helping others runs deep. As a young girl, she volunteered for service projects through her church in Warner Robins, Ga. At Berry, she made time to serve with the Big Brothers Big Sistes program and at the nearby Georgia School for the Deaf in the midst of her class schedule and work responsi­bilities on and off campus. And it was at Berry that the home economics education major met four women whose advice about life had a profound influence. Their pearls of wisdom form the foundation for Naja’s approach to her life and career still today.

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no.

pearl

55,500 hours of free legal representation for the poor and countless acts of service and compassion that have changed people’s lives.

“I get to help my colleagues engage in what they are passionate about,” Naja said. “It is so meaningful and powerful to see the impact of the attorneys and professional staff. Their level of commitment and excitement about their pro bono work and community service projects makes me so proud.”

1

“IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE AN EYE THAT SEES.” Carolyn Snow’s words remind Naja to look for unmet needs and unique approaches to challenges.

Carolyn Snow associate professor, One such opportunity presented itself home economics when Atlanta Legal Aid needed administrative help with calls coming in to the Georgia Senior Hotline. The perfect solution was to engage Alston & Bird receptionists in the project, but they couldn’t leave their jobs to volunteer. Naja developed a plan using technology to enable them to retrieve the hotline’s voicemail and enter data into the organization’s database without leaving their desks. They have provided this service, with their employer’s blessing, since 2009.

from the wise

2

pearl

no.

“YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW ALL OF THE ANSWERS, JUST WHERE TO FIND THEM.”

This advice served Naja well Ollie Scoggins assistant professor, when she was asked to create a home economics Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance project that was suitable for all ages, involved the local Boys and Girls Clubs, incorporated pro bono efforts, and built upon the firm’s existing community programs.

Naja turned to Hands on Atlanta for a brainstorming session that brought Alston & Bird volunteers to a senior living center where attorneys crafted wills free of charge while their family members worked with Boys and Girls Clubs volunteers to make and deliver 200 lunches to the residents.

3

pearl

no.

“SERVICE IS IMPORTANT.” Mary Reynolds was a prominent role model in Naja’s young life, teaching that service should be a Mary Reynolds priority. Sometimes that means associate dean going the extra mile, or in Naja’s of students case, an extra 8,341 miles.

In 2012, while serving as president of the Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta, Naja was invited to help launch a training program on corporate social responsibility – in Zimbabwe. Not only did she make the trek and share her expertise, but also while there she agreed to help build a library. With that task now complete, Naja is working with Books for Africa to fill the new library’s shelves.

pearl

words

no.

4

“YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO.” Naja’s “can do” attitude powers her creativity and belief that she and her colleagues can leverage their Clara McRae considerable talents and resources to instructor, make a difference, whether meeting the home economics needs of one person or effecting widespread social change. In 2005, that attitude gave her the confidence to help establish the Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network.

“My passion is helping immigrants, especially those who seek asylum in the United States because their lives are in danger,” she explained. “When people escaping horrific situations come here for help but don’t have the proper paperwork, they are automatically taken to a detention center and questioned to determine whether their story is credible. When I learned that, I knew I had to do something to help.”

Naja began recruiting Alston & Bird attorneys to provide legal representation. Soon the Atlanta Bar Association, Catholic Charities and associates from several top Atlanta law firms were on board, and GAIN was launched. The organization now provides legal representation and pro bono referrals to people whose lives are in danger in their home countries or who are victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault or other crimes.

“I am so proud of this organization and what it has accomplished since it began,” said Naja, who currently serves on GAIN’s advisory board. “My husband is an immigrant, and it means so much to me and my family to have been a part of it.”

NAJA’S OWN WORDS OF WISDOM

Today, along with her career and busy family life as a wife, mother and grandmother, Naja is an active community volunteer, lending her time to several nonprofit boards and working in the trenches for organizations such as United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, Points of Light and the Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta.

“I love being able to give and see how I’ve made a difference,” Naja said. “To be able to take my personal passion and help support other people in doing whatever they are passionate about – that’s a fabulous way to be able to work.” B

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“

d n a Leap ’

or t o p a d n u If I fo rrow, o m o t d l o two of g xactly e g n i o d e I’d b ow, n g n i o d m what I a for long traveling e and im bouts of t rojects np working o ove. that I l alker Julie W

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a p l l p i e a w r . t e n e th John Burroughs (1837-1921)

by KARILON L. ROGERS

Ten years ago interactive marketing assistant Julie Walker (98C) sold everything she owned that

’

wouldn’t fit into the backseat of a sedan and headed toward a hoped-for new career in Los Angeles.

Now

photos courtesy of Julie Walker

’

It wasn’t her first leap of faith, but it was her biggest.

she’s a Hollywood production designer and art director creating the worlds in which actors and their characters live – from the California Bureau of Investigation where the fictional Patrick Jane first used his observational powers to solve crimes on CBS’ The Mentalist to the dysfunctional newsroom of Jonathan Ames’ Blunt Talk, a Starz network comedy starring Patrick Stewart and produced by Seth McFarland.

As head of the art department, Walker serves in one of the most highly skilled and creatively fulfilling roles within the television and film industry. Production designers must not only envision what each and every set and location should look like, but also assemble the teams and create the intricate budgets and schedules that bring those scenes to life day after day, script after script.

The work is demanding, the hours long.

But Walker thrives on the pressure of a razor-thin deadline, just as she thrives on the opportunities for extensive travel that prolonged breaks between projects allow.

For the dual French and marketing major who originally wanted to be a pharmacist, life is exhilarating – and good.

“If I found a pot or two of gold tomorrow, I’d be doing exactly what I am doing now,” she declared, “traveling for long bouts of time and working on projects that I love.”

Walker’s design for success obviously includes talent. But she’ll be the first to say it

also incorporates an interesting array of Berry connections, a heavy dose of luck, and a willingness to take more than one leap while trusting a net would appear. And she can’t imagine arriving where she is now without the support and energy drawn from her family and an amazing group of friends.

“I credit a lot of who I am to Berry and the friendships I established while I was there,” she emphasized. “I was fortunate to be born into a very loving family, and my mom spent a lot of time with me deciding where to go to college. With my family’s love and support, I found myself at Berry College where I made a set of girlfriends who have seen me through the ups and downs of a very odd career path.”

AN UNUSUAL ROUTE

“My first job out of college was for a point-of-purchase marketing center where I took phone calls and made sure that a certain fast-food chain received its menu kits to change over from being a fryer unit to a chargrill unit,” she remembered. “Riveting.”

A year later, a connection made through Shayne Thomas (98C) led her to much more satisfying work at Turner Broadcasting, where she soon found herself organizing special events in exotic locations. But when the Centerville, Ga., native bought an Atlanta-area home with her sister (whom she considers her best friend), the remodeling

process lit a fire in her for design.

“I concocted a little plan to move to New York City, find a job and go back to school,” she explained. “I ended up moving there with two suitcases and no job, crashing in Scarlett Hill Jarrett’s (97C) hotel room when she was there as a buyer for Fashion Week.

One thing led to another, and I found a job in interactive marketing at Warner Bros. and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

“While at Warner Bros., I had the opportunity to read a script for a movie called The Last Samurai and thought, ‘Hmmmmm. Interior design or designing sets?’ A couple of years later when the movie was released and I saw the script come to life on the big screen, I knew I had finally found the North Star for my career. And I knew I had to take another leap.”

After a cross-country drive, Walker quickly picked up work in the TV industry, landing a job as a production assistant for ABC’s crime drama In Justice. It was through an extended connection of Berry friend Missy Corney Johnson (97C) that she met the man who would become her mentor, production designer Michael Novotny. Walker worked with Novotny on In Justice, Day Break, and Terminator: The Sara Connor Chronicles, and he brought her on board again for The Mentalist, this time as art director.

The set of The Mentalist was a fine place in which to learn. Not only did the show

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receive multiple People’s Choice Award nominations for Favorite TV Crime Drama, but it also won acclaim as Best Drama TV Series at the international Monte Carlo TV Festival; Simon Baker was nominated often for his work as lead actor.

“My father is my biggest cheerleader,” Walker smiled, “and he always tells people two things: that I graduated from Berry and worked on The Mentalist.”

THE PERFECT JOB

Production designers are basically freelance workers who pitch for projects via their portfolio of past work or with new designs created specifically for the job they are seeking. After bringing on their own team of department heads, who, in turn, bring on their crews, production designers work closely with the writers, producers, episodic

directors and cast to create the look and feel of every aspect of a show.

The art department of an established show starts work four to five weeks before filming begins, breaking down scripts to determine what must be built, what will require shooting on location and how it all fits into the show’s budget.

“If we are not building a lot of new sets, our team is 30 to 50 people, depending on day-to-day labor needs,” she said. “If we are building permanent sets and establishing the look of the show, our crew is more likely to be around 50 to 70.

“Production is a machine; everyone must know and do their jobs consistently. Every­ one in my department is very talented, which makes for a much smoother and more enjoyable ride, especially with the hours we keep. I have amazing construction, scenic-

painting, prop-department and set-decorating teams as well as the inner circle in the art department: my art director, coordinator, graphics designer, draughtsman and assistant.”

Walker is particularly proud of Blunt Talk because the designs sparked in her mind now stand on sound stages and are seen in every episode. It’s her baby – she pitched for the project with a 3-D computer model of the newsroom – but she’s also immensely proud of The Mentalist, where she learned her craft.

“I love all the people on that show – everyone,” she emphasized. “We were a huge family, and those relationships will last a lifetime.”

TRAVELING THE WORLD

Walker had never ranged far from home until she studied abroad in France during her junior year at Berry. She was smitten.

a e f r f s u y l a o f w . l . . t a t u h e m ’ B . j . . u p m I

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Julie Walker’s work as art director on The Mentalist ran (clockwise from bottom left) from the Chinese restaurant scene that was her first set design to lead character Patrick Jane’s aerie, the office of Supervising Agent Virgil Minelli, and the headquarters of the California Bureau of Investigation.

“It changed my life,” she said. “Once I returned, I set a goal to see 40 countries by the time I was 40 and to work at an international company with my marketing degree.”

While her career direction has changed, her love of travel has not. She surpassed her 40-country goal last fall during a three-month trip to Africa. Two months were spent camping through 11 African nations before she also visited Morocco and London. Her adventures have included cage diving with great white sharks, zip lining over the Victoria Falls gorge, and the Harbor Bridge Climb in Sydney, Australia. She toured Cuba for the 2015 New Year’s holiday.

Walker travels sometimes with friends, other times alone, often joining small tour groups. A few years ago, she spent a month in Burma and Cambodia, and she once volunteered in a state-run daycare facility on an “alternative vacation” in India prior to traveling throughout the country with a friend.

“Before that, I had another friend from Berry, Nicole Beaver Partowidjojo (99C), who would give me buddy passes, and I’d just go to the airport and see where there was an available seat,” she said. “I went to both Peru and Ireland that way. I just want to see and experience as much of the world as possible.”

HAPPY LANDINGS

Now 40, Walker is just hitting her stride in what promises to be a highly successful run in Hollywood. The life of “production designer/world traveler” is a perfect fit; she covets no other job, although she hopes to one day “work on a historic, epic, period piece and, perhaps, write a book.” She considers her life “an explosion of good fortune” yet sees clearly how everything has been connected: “Seeds I’ve planted years earlier have bloomed in ways I never anticipated.”

Still, if another leap is warranted, there is little doubt she will take it.

“I’m always fearful of the jump, a little uneasy at the fear of failure,” she said. “But then I ask myself if I’ll regret it if I didn’t at least try, and my answer is usually yes.” B

Walker on Berry

WHEN JULIE WALKER TALKS ABOUT BERRY, she makes one thing perfectly clear: She considers herself class of 1997 even though she stayed an extra year to complete a dual major and graduated in 1998.

She became a Founder’s Scholar (a precursor to today’s Gate of Opportunity Scholarship) after her first year when “the sticker shock” of having two kids in college at the same time hit her family.

Clockwise from left: Vee Blackwelder Price, Missy Corney “I fought for that scholarship,” she emphasized. “I Johnson, Julie Walker, Allison thought I was going to have to leave, and I didn’t want to Awtry Parkes, Kristin Hoffman go! I didn’t want to be anywhere but Berry.”

Lee and Dawn Pilcher Ilardi.

Walker worked 20 hours a week during the school year Missing from the photo are and 40-hour weeks during the summer with all of her Michelle Dallet, Stephanie Short earnings going toward tuition.

Hamlin and Scarlett Hill Jarrett.

“I also worked a 10-hour-a-week overage for spending money,” she said, “so the work ethic that I learned at Berry set me up for the 60- to 80-hour work weeks that I have now.”

Chemistry and biology classes quickly convinced her that becoming a pharmacist was not in her future, and she thought about teaching – briefly. Her friends told her she needed a plan, but it wasn’t until she took an entrepreneurism class with instructor James Halloran that she found her way.

“He had me read The Alchemist,” she said, “And it shifted my life. I found that you don’t HAVE to have a plan!”

As she looks back on her Berry experience, she knows what was most important.

“To me, what I majored in wasn’t important,” she explained.

“What was important was learning how to be organized, to meet deadlines, and to make friends and build relationships with people that would carry me through every crisis of my life – and help me celebrate every joy. I think I was fine-tuned at Berry. I was always a perseverance addict, but I was fine-tuned on how to set my mind to a goal and try everything to achieve it. Berry gave me confidence.”

And so did her 1997C friends, a diverse group with two teachers, a social worker, a district attorney and a neuro­ psychologist among them: Michelle Dallet, Stephanie Short Hamlin, Dawn Pilcher Ilardi, Scarlett Hill Jarrett, Missy Corney Johnson, Kristin Hoffman Lee, Allison Awtry Parkes and Vee Blackwelder Price.

“They had more faith in me than I had in myself,” Walker said.

“We came of age together. No matter how much our lives change, that time together is golden and a constant. We were all inseparable and have supported each other in many different ways over the last 20-something years. We just had our yearly get-together where we tiptoe away from the real world and relax into the many memories we’ve made together. And we always walk away feeling stronger and more able to keep making our dreams a reality.”

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Campaign Priorities Expand opportunities for students to invest in their own success Develop leaders and entrepreneurs with character and compassion Create places and spaces that spur student achievement Meet current needs and fund future opportunities

Patrons of the arts

Push for new theater continues

W

hen Audrey Morgan put forth a challenge last fall to help the curtain rise on Berry’s plans for a new theater, she could not have known just how eager the Berry community would be to support her push for the arts at Berry College – or how grateful for her leadership the college would be.

At press time, just six months after Morgan, a member of the Board of Visitors and recipient of a Berry honorary doctorate, offered $1 million in matching funds for gifts to the new theater made by June 30, the total committed for the project stood at more than $3.4 million. Because some donors have chosen to leave their matching funds on the table for others to use, the opportunity remains for gifts to the project to be doubled.

In gratitude for Morgan’s spirited championing of the arts, the stage in the new theater has been named in her honor; this naming was announced in February prior to a Berry College Theatre Company performance of Cabaret!

CHALLENGES TO MEET THE CHALLENGE

Hearing of Morgan’s generosity at their October 2015 meeting, Berry’s trustees immediately went into high philanthropic gear, contributing more than $660,000 through their own informal “challenge” over the course of one weekend.

Not to be outdone, the Alumni Council launched its own challenge in support of the arts at Berry. The council’s goal is $200,000 in commitments from current and previous members by May 15.

“Audrey Morgan’s challenge came at just the right time to get the ball rolling for theater, a program that is a vital part of the Berry experience,” Greg said. “Theater trains the next generation of professional performers and artistic craftspeople but is not about just one major. Culturally and creatively, it impacts the entire campus, and I am happy to say we have already had incredible support from folks working in the arts and in businesses far removed from theater or any art form, as well as from the entire Berry community.”

SUPPORT GROWS

Others getting in on the Morgan Challenge include members of Berry’s faculty and staff at nearly $120,000, several parents, multiple friends of the college, alumni of classes ranging from 1949 to 2015, and multiple members of the Board of Visitors. A committee chaired by Greg (82C) and Judy Cash (85C) Hanthorn is hard at work raising the remaining funds for the new theater and updates to Blackstone Hall.

PLANNING CONTINUES

Plans for the theater continue to evolve with many decisions anticipated in the coming months. Watch for updates at www.berry. edu/blackstone. To support the project, use the envelope in this magazine, make a gift online at www.berry.edu/gift, or contact Scott Breithaupt (91C, 96G) at sbreithaupt@berry.edu or 706-238-5897.

Far left: Audrey Morgan and Trustee Chair Karen Holley Horrell (74C) enjoy a special celebration before a Berry College Theatre Company performance of Cabaret. Near left: The Emcee (Alec Leeseberg) conducts Fraulein Schneider (Sydney Perry), Ernst (Connor Wright) and ensemble in Tomorrow Belongs to Me. Sally Bowles (AnnaBeth Crittenden) belts out Cabaret’s title song. student

Alan S

22

torey

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

photog

rapher

Lauren N

eumann

supports Berry?

Who

TREVOR AND SHERI HOOPER Gainesville, Ga.

WHO THEY ARE:

• Parents of freshman theatre major Tyler Hooper and highschool seniors Emily and Katie; every family member is a theatre aficionado – on stage or off; Tyler already has starred on campus in The Nerd • Trevor is a board-certified interventional radiologist and partner with Gainesville Radiology Group • Sheri is founder and executive director of Gainesville’s Interactive Neighborhood for Kids, a nonprofit museum offering “dream big” hands-on exhibits WHAT THEY SUPPORT:

• Major donors in the Audrey Morgan Challenge to fund Berry’s new theatre; members of a committee working in support of new theatre facilities

“

WHY THEATRE IS IMPORTANT: SHERI: Theatre is a wonderful avenue for helping to develop speaking skills, teamwork

and the ability to think on your feet; it makes for well-rounded individuals. Tyler is shy and introverted, but theatre brings him out, makes him come alive. The theatre can do that for so many other students. There are so many different avenues of involvement.

TREVOR: I’ve observed the teamwork, dedication and skill that theatre takes and how the students pull together like a sports team. Theatre helps young people feel more confident, and when you think about it, there is a little theatre in everything you do in life.

WHY THEY GOT INVOLVED: TREVOR: There is always a lot of need on any campus; it is never going to stop. But the

student photographer Lauren Neumann

Berry theatre needs our help now. I believe if you want something done badly enough, you have to help do it.

SHERI: The students already do such great things, but with better facilities, there is so much potential, so much more they could do on stage and behind it. Support is needed at all levels. No one can do it alone, but we can do it together.

ON BERRY: SHERI: This fall when I visited campus, Tyler told me, ‘It just feels like home here,’ and I

knew that Berry was it – it was perfect for him. Berry educates successful, wellrounded people. I love it.

TREVOR: When you have to ask your son, ‘When are you planning a visit home this semester?’ that’s a good sign he is enjoying his college experience. It’s a perfect fit for him.

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

23

Helping students become LifeReady These generous alumni and friends made LifeReady Campaign gifts, pledges, bequests and estate commitments of $10,000 or more from Sept. 1, 2015, to Jan. 31, 2016. We thank them sincerely, just as we thank everyone who makes a gift to Berry, regardless of amount. It is our pleasure to recognize all donors annually in the online Berry College Honor Roll of Donors (www.berry.edu/honorroll).

Clinton G. Ames Jr., $20,000 for the Clinton G. Ames Jr. Scholarship Anonymous, $1,000,000 for the Oak Hill pavilion Anonymous, $20,000 to support the general fund Anonymous, $10,000 for the Oak Hill Piano Restoration Fund Aramark Corp., $34,606 for the general fund Frank Barron Jr., $100,496 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Randy and Nancy Berry, $250,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Steve and Brenda Briggs, $100,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Bryson Foundation, $10,000 for the John R. and Margaret Weaver Faison Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Callaway Foundation, $30,675 for the F.E. Callaway Professorship Richard D. (83C) and Sabrina Vail (84C) Carter, $16,710 for the Science Lab Equipment Fund Leslie Jane Choitz (76C), $20,524 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall G. Bert Clark Jr. (82C), $50,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Larry W. (69C) and Nadine NeSmith (71c) Covington, $10,000 addition to the Class of 1969C Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship

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BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

Joann Hunter Del Re (49H), $97,678 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall E. Kay Davis Dunn (57C), $10,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall John D. (83C) and Elizabeth Webb (84C) Eadie, $50,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall John Nichols Elgin (81C), $20,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Glenn B. (71C) and Pam Priest (71C) Ferguson, $250,000 life insurance policy to ultimately support student work opportunities associated with the football program William R. Gaines Jr. (93C), $10,000 for the Berry Enterprises Venture Fund Georgia Independent College Association, $28,199 for the general fund Georgia Power Foundation Inc., $10,000 for the South Rome Early Learning Center Walter K. Gill (63C), $20,000 for the Lyn Gresham Endowed Scholarship Dwight Allen Glover (84C), $25,000 for the George M. Glover International Endowed Scholarship Charles M. and Mary D. Grant Foundation, $60,000 for the South Rome Early Learning Center J. Barry (71C) and Michele Irwin (70C) Griswell, $250,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Darrell E. (81c) and Sharon Gunby, $10,000 for the Gunby Equine Center Sheron DeMerchant Hays (92C), $10,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Debbie E. Heida, $20,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Peter N. Henriksen (53H, 57C), $18,596 to establish the Henry and Jessie Henriksen Endowed Scholarship

LeBron J. (60C) and Kay Davis (60C) Holden, $22,823 for the LeBron and Kay Holden Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship William A. Holden II (67C) and Diane Harris Holden (66c), $10,000 for the Class of 1967C Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Trevor and Sheri Hooper, $100,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Karen Holley Horrell (74C), $50,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Charles E. Hudson (62C), $20,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Anne Hydrick Kaiser, $100,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall R.F. Knox Company Inc., $11,765 for the R.F. Knox Company Scholarship Roger W. Lusby III (79C) and Candy Caudill Lusby (82c), $50,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Bowen H. and Barbara Mote (61C) McCoy, $25,000 for the LifeReady Campaign Sunny Park, $200,000 for The Berry Farms Store Larry L. (55C) and Dixie Schoolar, $10,000 for the Larry L. Schoolar and Mary E. Schoolar Clark Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Suzanne and Leamon Scott, $10,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Ike and Rebecca Sewell, $100,000 charitable gift annuity to ultimately fund the Ike and Rebecca Sewell Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Kenton J. Sicchitano and Bettyann O’Neill, $25,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Chaitram Singh, $25,000 for the Ranjit and Anjani Singh Endowed Award for Christian Ministry

Planned Giving Council:

Expertise available to you

Tom and Barbara Slocum, $10,000 for the Tom and Barbara Slocum Expendable Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Paul E. Smith (48C), $25,000 for the Floyd Ag Promotions Scholarship Steve and Lisa Fanto (76C) Swain, $100,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Michael Willis Thompson (87C), $17,000 for the LifeReady Campaign Rachel Amanda Tidwell (93C), $25,000 for Ford Auditorium Marti Walstad, $100,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Gary A. (80C, 89G) and Bambi Estill (79c) Waters, $10,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Alexander Whyte Whitaker IV (81C) and Maria Crego Whitaker (85c), $25,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall Robert H. (62H) and Katherine C. Williams, $50,000 for the new theatre and Blackstone Hall WinShape Foundation Inc., $267,370 for the WinShape Scholarship BEQUESTS The estate of Quincey L. Baird, $61,053 unrestricted The estate of Luther D. Miller, $31,426 for the Luther and Jane Miller Endowed Scholarship The estate of Keith Albert Slayton, $252,317 unrestricted The estate of Betty Jones Whitten (60c), $154,053 unrestricted

GLENN (71C) AND PAM PRIEST (71C) FERGUSON DREAMED OF LENDING A HAND to deserving Berry students, but they weren’t sure how best to accomplish that goal and stay within their budget. Then a close friend and fellow alumnus suggested a gift of life insurance.

“We have been contributing to Berry for years, but we wanted to do something more,” Pam explained. “Glenn had student loans and worked his way through Berry. We got a good education, made lifelong friends and met each other. We’ve been blessed and felt it was time to pay it forward.”

Enter Matt Medley (99C), an insurance professional serving on Berry’s Planned Giving Council, a network of 19 financial and legal professionals with 231 years of combined experience offering free consultations to alumni and friends seeking innovative ways to maximize their giving potential. The council includes financial planners, accountants, attorneys, an investment advisor and an estate planner, many of whom are alumni.

Putting his skills to work for the Fergusons, Medley was able to develop a plan that allowed them to make a much more substantial contribution than they ever thought possible. The resulting gift ultimately will support student work opportunities associated with Berry’s football program.

The Fergusons were extremely pleased with counsel provided by their fellow alumnus, noting that their own insurance company – a national company they’ve been with for years – couldn’t beat the creative plan he developed.

“It was a good experience for us,” Glenn said. “We didn’t know what could be done with what we were bringing to the table. It ended up being a substantial amount more than we expected and certainly more than we could have afforded without it. The resource is there, and it’s free, so why not use it and see what happens?”

Medley, a planned gift donor himself, has been on the Planned Giving Council for two years. He finds fulfillment in using his skills to help both his fellow alumni and his alma mater.

“When I give someone a creative solution and maybe help double or triple their gift to Berry, that’s exciting,” he expressed. “I feel like it’s a win-win for Berry and the donor.”

To discover how the Planned Giving Council can help you make a difference for future Berry students, please contact Helen Lansing at hlansing@berry.edu or 706-378-2867.

by DEBBIE RASURE Glenn and Pam Ferguson meet with Matt Medley

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016 Alan Storey

25

News from you CLASS NOTES – THE ORIGINAL SOCIAL MEDIA

CLASS YEARS are followed by a letter that indicates Berry

status. Uppercase letters denote graduates; lowercase letters denote attended/attending and anticipated year of graduation.

C,c College G,g Graduate school A,a Academy H,h High school

2000s Kristen Hill Stone (00C) and husband Adam announce the Nov. 27, 2015, birth of son Cody Peter. Cody joined older sister Callie (7) at the family home in Roswell, Ga.

SEND YOUR PERSONAL NEWS, which is subject to editing, to: alumni@berry.edu. Photos of sufficient quality will be used at the discretion of the magazine staff. News in this issue was received Sept. 1, 2015 – Jan. 31, 2016.

1950s Emily Anthony Mullis (53C) is a retired teacher residing in Panama City Beach, Fla., where her volunteer activities have included service to the Bay Medical Sacred Heart Hospital and the Bay County Council on Aging. She is a 30-year participant in Alumni Work Week, taking pictures and creating scrapbooks that have been donated to the Berry College Archives.

Combining the Tax Benefits of a Preferred Family Limited Partnership with a GRAT” published in the December 2015 issue of The Tax Adviser. Roger is a partner in Frazier & Deeter LLC, which has been ranked as the seventh largest CPA firm in Atlanta by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, recognized as both a “Growth Pacesetter” and “Best Firm to Work For” by Accounting Today, and listed as a “Best of the Best Firm for 2015” and one of the “Top 10 Fastest Growing Best of the Best Firms” by Inside Public Accounting. Roger is chairman of Berry’s Planned Giving Council and a college trustee.

1980s Emily Anthony Mullis (53C)

1960s Giles Chapman (66C) serves as the Georgia District Exchange chairman for the National Exchange Club and has won several club awards. Recently, his project celebrating the 200th anniversary of The Star Spangled Banner claimed the Georgia District Exchange’s Cecil Kerby Community Service Award for Americanism.

1970s Roger W. Lusby III (79C) participated in a nationally televised webinar on “Year End Tax Planning” for the Accounting Continuing Professional Education Network. He also had his article “Consider

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BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

Greg Hanthorn (82C) has been selected for inclusion on the 2016 Georgia Super Lawyers list in the area of business litigation. He also served as spokesperson on the floor of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates. Greg practices with the Atlanta office of the international law firm Jones Day. Robert Hall Langley II (88C) and Crystal Eve Holcomb Langley (94C) announce the Dec. 25, 2014, birth of first child Emily Rose Langley.

Robert works as a database developer for a media company in Atlanta. Crystal earned her doctorate in education in 2010 and serves as an elementary school assistant principal in the Gwinnett County School System. The family resides in Sugar Hill.

Stephen Rahn (88C) has started work as director of institutional tech­ nology and online learning for the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Cody and Callie Stone Pamela Franks Hastings (02C) married Kevin Hastings on June 19, 2015. The bridal party included Holly Dobson Green (01C), Kari Mills Hurst (01C) and Misty Sargent Fields (00C). Pamela is finance director at Northwest Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency. The couple resides in Rome.

Davin Millholland (02C) is chief actuary at EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants in Duluth, Ga., helping clients with health care costs and strategies.

Brandon Johnson (02C) and wife Emma announce the Dec. 15, 2015, birth of daughter Anne Tatum. She joined big brother Andrew Porter (4) at the family home in Cartersville, Ga. Brandon works as the zoning administrator for Bartow County.

Robert Nolan Batchelor III (02C, 07G) works at Effingham County Schools in Rincon, Ga. He and wife Tracy Morgan Batchelor (05C) reside in Statesboro.

Jack Younkins (02C) and Amy Morrill Younkins (02C) announce the May 7, 2015, birth of daughter Aubrey Maryann, weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces. The family resides in Roswell, Ga. Briana Donald Boston (03C) is a nuclear medicine technologist at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital in Orlando, Fla. Jarrod Cone (03C) and Lauren Stegall Cone (03C) announce the June 8, 2015, birth of son Wyatt Parks. He joined big brother Miles (3) at the family home in Decatur, Ga. Both Lauren and Jarrod work in the communications and marketing department at CNN.

John Hampton Grant (03C) and wife Stefani announce the Aug. 15, 2015, birth of daughter Alexandra “Alex” Jacqueline. John is director of government affairs for the Society of the Plastics Industry in Washington, D.C. The family resides in Alexandria, Va. Malissa Ergle Koblick (03C) and husband Brian announce the July 20, 2015, birth of son Kade Brian, weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces. Kade joined big brother Karson (4) at the family home in Monroe, Ga. Erik Bassler (04C) and Katherine Larsh were married Dec. 27, 2014, in Monroe, Ga. Jonah Williams (09C), Matt Echols (06c), Allen Brown (08c) and Evan Nix (03C) were members of the wedding party. Erik is a sergeant/EMT with the Rome Fire Department; his wife is an RN at UAB Hospital. The couple resides in Birmingham, Ala. Benjamin Galland (04C) is a partner and photographer with h2o Creative Group, a marketing/ advertising agency in Brunswick, Ga. His photography was featured in Island Time: An Illustrated History of Saint Simons Island, which was honored by the Georgia Historical Society for excellence in preserving Georgia’s history. The book was a 2013 collaboration with retired Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor/writer Jingle Davis. Similar books focusing on Jekyll Island and Sapelo Island are forthcoming from UGA Press. Benjamin lives on Saint Simons Island with wife Kelly Bradford Galland (04C).

NEWS FROM YOU

u t n n o i a MDaY 2016 tradition A BerrY

October 1 Class Reunion Years • 1971A • 1971C • 1976A • 1976C

• 1981A • 1981C • 1986C • 1991C

• 1996C • 2001C • 2006C • 2011C

Check www.berry.edu/alumni for details on the Class Reunion Brunch and other events.

Paul O’Mara

Rebecca Carden Hughes (04C) married Matthew Hughes on Nov. 1, 2014. They have a daughter, Matilda, born Jan. 8, 2014, and a son, Mathias, born Jan. 11, 2015.

Lindsay Burnham Norman (05C) is assistant dean of students at Berry College where she is responsible for the residential life program and the conduct system. She previously served as assistant director of residence life at BirminghamSouthern College.

Matt Thompson (05C) earned a doctorate of education from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., in December 2015.

Amanda Atwood (06C) has been promoted to project administrator at International Auto Processing in

Brunswick, Ga. She is currently pursuing an MBA in transportation and logistics from the University of North Florida.

Dana Mire Goshorn (07C) and the Rev. Ted Goshorn (06C) announce the Sept. 8, 2015, birth of son Carter Arlen.

Jeff Jahn (07C) is CEO of DynamiX Web Design, an awardwinning website development firm in Kennesaw, Ga. Most recently, the company earned four distinctions in the 2015 WebAwards competition, including “Best Restaurant Website” for its work with Marlow’s Tavern.

DynamiX also claimed 20 international Davey Awards in 2015.

Amanda Adams Winstead (07C) and husband Benjamin announce the April 4, 2015, birth of son Parker

James. The family resides in Decatur, Ga. Anna Lee Pinder (09C) and Channimala Jayamanne were married Sept. 26, 2015. The wedding party included Jocelyn Bee Wilson (08C). The couple resides in Jacksonville, Fla.

2010s Weston Burleson (10C) married Elizabeth Pabst (11C) at Frost Chapel on Oct. 17, 2015. The couple resides in Nashville, Tenn.

Rebecca Jo Welch (11C) works at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

Roderick DeShon Battle (12C) and Hilary Gann (12C) were married May 3, 2015, in Kennesaw, Ga.

Kyley Barton (13C) earned a master’s degree in social work from Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tenn., in 2015. She is a social worker at CHI Memorial in Chattanooga and an adjunct professor at the School of Social Work at Southern Adventist University.

Alan Campbell (13C) and Delaney Stewart (11C) were married Nov. 7, 2015, at Blue Mountain Vineyards in Dahlonega, Ga. James David Fisher Jr. (14C) married Mariah “Kati” Wright on June 6, 2014, in LaGrange, Ga. Stephanie Woody (15C) is a field support specialist with Maxim Healthcare in Greenville, S.C.

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

27

Jim O’Hara/Shorter University

DIANE CROCKER RALSTON SMITH (75C), standing in center, poses with the Berry softball team after throwing out the

ceremonial first pitch for a breast cancer awareness tournament hosted by Shorter University. In 2015, the former Berry volleyball and basketball captain was inducted into the Calhoun/Gordon County (Ga.) Sports Hall of Fame in recognition of her many accomplishments as an athlete and coach.

Presidential providence JAN BAILEY WILLIAMS (71C) GRADUATED FROM BERRY with plans to

drawn a large and diverse crowd, but interest reached

follow in her father’s footsteps as a teacher. When that

new heights following the August 2015 announcement

path led her to a school in tiny Plains, Ga., she ran head-

that President Carter had been diagnosed with

long into history as the fourth-grade teacher for Amy

melanoma. On one recent Sunday morning, 1,300 people

Carter, daughter of the man who soon

Williams, who left teaching in 1978 and later became

would become the

an officer at a local bank, has been assisting with the

39th president of the

classes since 1990. She also serves as manager of the

United States.

Plains Historic Inn and Antique Mall opened by the

Williams developed

Carters in 2002. It’s a far cry from the life she originally

a lasting bond with the

envisioned, but she’s proud to be able to positively

Carters, answering

impact the lives of others through her service to the

Amy’s mail during

former first family.

the 1976 election

“The Carters are always trying to make someone else’s

campaign and later

life better, and I’ve been privileged to work with them,”

accompanying the

she said. “We all want people to be blessed by Mr.

family to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration

Carter’s teachings, to make a difference in people’s lives

festivities.

through these services. I feel blessed myself to live in

Forty years later that relationship continues, with Williams now providing direction and assistance for guests attending Jimmy Carter’s Sunday school class at Maranatha Baptist Church. These classes have always

28

came to Plains hoping to hear him speak.

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

the same town that produced Mr. and Mrs. Carter and to have them as friends.”

by MAXINE DONNELLY, philanthropic communications senior student writer

Condolences

AlumniAuthors

BERRY COLLEGE EXTENDS SINCERE CONDOLENCES to family and friends of the following alumni. This

list includes notices received Sept. 1, 2015 – Jan. 31, 2016.

Berry magazine has been notified about the following new alumni-authored books since our last listing.

Congratulations! Information for all titles is available through a variety of booksellers online. n Mark Wallace Maguire (95C), Letters from Red Clay Country, Speckled Leaf Press, October 2015.

n Curtis

Lee Nail (62C),

Expressions of an Acorn, WestBow Press, November 2015.

If you have a newly published book (2015-2016) you’d like us to include, please send your name and class year, book title, publisher, publication date, and a Web address for a synopsis and/or order infor­ mation to jkenyon@berry.edu with the subject line “Berry Alumni Authors.”

1930s

Maude Jackson Strickland (32H) of Waycross, Ga., Oct. 22, 2015.

Robert A. Hall (39H) of Marietta, Ga., Dec. 10, 2015.

1940s Annie Junkins Alexander (40H) of Lake Hamilton, Fla., July 19, 2015.

John S. Evans Jr. (42C) of Forest, Va., Nov. 11, 2015.

James Carson Oswald (42C) of Macon, Ga., Jan. 27, 2016.

James W. Martin (45H) of Jonesboro, Ga., Jan. 6, 2015.

Mildred Hyatt McLoud (45H) of Ovid, N.Y., Jan. 1, 2016.

Eunice Mallard Smith (47C) of Elberton, Ga., Oct. 12, 2015.

Deleen Buffington Stevens (47C) of Pensacola, Fla., Nov. 8, 2015.

Agatha Moody Thrash (47H) of Seale, Ala., Sept. 3, 2015.

Allene Denney Vaughn (47c) of Chattanooga, Tenn., Jan. 15, 2016.

Sarahlene Dunson Cloer (48C) of Loganville, Ga., Nov. 20, 2015.

Katherine Paulk McAllister (48c) of Valdosta, Ga., July 6, 2014.

Lucille Hall Patrick (48C) of Silver Creek, Ga., Sept. 5, 2015.

Jennie Floyd Pollard (48C) of Appling, Ga., Jan. 10, 2016.

W. Gilbert White (48H) of LaFayette, Ga., Jan. 12, 2015.

Joseph E. Dabney (49C) of Brookhaven, Ga., Dec. 26, 2015.

Robert R. Jones (49c) of Huntsville, Ala., Oct. 22, 2015.

Margaret Peavy Nelson (49c) of Savannah, Ga., Dec. 8, 2015.

Daughtrey Moore Paulk (49c) of Claxton, Ga., Sept. 11, 2015.

1950s Bobby J. Duncan (50C) of Clearwater, Fla., Oct. 2, 2015.

Laura Martin Abernathy (51c) of Blue Ridge, Ga., April 13, 2015.

A. Madison Alexander Jr. (51H) of Conyers, Ga., Jan. 12, 2016.

Mary Jackson Wheeler (51C) of Macon, Ga., Dec. 17, 2015.

Marie Faircloth Witt (51H) of Gainesville, Fla., Oct. 15, 2015.

Urban S. Bird (52c) of Unicoi, Tenn., Nov. 30, 2015.

Jerry Donald McEver Sr. (52H) of Young Harris, Ga., Dec. 20, 2015.

Hollis Eugene Hyde (53c) of Vestavia, Ala., Oct. 25, 2015.

Ava D. Rodgers (53C) of Thomson, Ga., July 15, 2015.

H. Jerry Spruell (53C) of Vero Beach, Fla., Sept. 17, 2015.

Evelyn Spradlin Standridge (55C) of Perry, Ga., Dec. 18, 2015.

Mary Lee Cowart Wallace (55C) of Columbus, Ga., Oct. 17, 2015.

H.G. “Gwen” Jones (56C) of Huntsville, Ala., Nov. 21, 2015.

Joseph E. Price (56H) of Oneonta, Ala., July 31, 2015.

Wayne H. Riggins (56H) of Rome, Aug. 16, 2014.

Latha Mimbs Barnes (57C) of Eatonton, Ga., July 17, 2015.

L.J. Carroll (58H) of Hampton, Ga., Dec. 7, 2015.

Hoyt C. Patterson (58C) of Damascus, Ga., Sept. 26, 2015.

Jimmie Witherow (58C) of Chatsworth, Ga., Nov. 4, 2015.

1960s Gerald “Jerry” Dan Bowen (60H) of Cedartown, Ga., Jan. 23, 2016.

Carole Carter Long (60C) of Manchester, Ga., Oct. 16, 2015.

Luvania Lee Turner (60C) of Kennesaw, Ga., Sept. 14, 2015.

Mary Busha Hutcheson (61C) of Pickens, S.C., Oct. 4, 2015.

Kenneth David Slaughter (61c) of Oxford, Ga., Sept. 2, 2015.

Robert B. Henry (62H) of Lilburn, Ga., Nov. 11, 2015.

J. Herschel Davis (65C) of LaFayette, Ga., Nov. 21, 2015.

Fairris Dawson Parker (65C) of Jacksonville, Ala., Dec. 23, 2015.

Holbrook Arnold Youmans (65C) of Estill, S.C., Jan. 6, 2016.

Sara Hall Scott (66C) of Cumming, Ga., Dec. 13, 2015.

Linda Davis Worden (68c) of Springfield, Ga., Oct. 27, 2015.

1970s

James D. Williams (71C) of Cedartown, Ga., Dec. 28, 2015.

John C. Gardner (72C) of Greenwood, Ind., Nov. 26, 2014.

James E. Salmon Jr. (73A) of Rome, Sept. 4, 2015.

David Clyde Shiflett (73C) of McDonough, Ga., Oct. 16, 2015.

Elaine Strickland Chapman (74G) of Rome, Oct. 14, 2015.

Edward Earl “Chip” Williams Jr. (74A) of Rome, Sept. 15, 2015.

Timothy P. Nelson (75C) of Rome, Jan. 15, 2016.

John Allen Robertson (76C) of Morrisville, N.C., Jan. 26, 2016.

Michael Cleveland Hester (77C) of Raleigh, N.C., Jan. 29, 2016.

Luanne Gilbert Worley (78C) of Pine Mountain, Ga., Nov. 29, 2015.

1980s Cynthia Byram Lumpkin (81C) of Newnan, Ga., Nov. 7, 2015.

Sally Powell MacLeod (83G) of Rome, Sept. 28, 2015.

Eleanor Best Mauldin (84G) of McRae, Ga., June 8, 2014.

Jere L. Moore (84G) of Reddick, Fla., Aug. 6, 2015.

Michele Thomas Barland (85C) of Woodstock, Ga., Nov. 4, 2015.

1990s Trammell Spencer Brown Jr. (91C) of Atlanta, Nov. 6, 2015.

K. Christi Carver Mooney (92C) of Rome, Sept. 4, 2015.

Mary Ann Huff Burgess (98C) of Auburn, Ga., Dec. 1, 2015.

2000s Samantha Marisa Casteel (00C) of Dalton, Ga., Dec. 28, 2015.

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

29

Thank y ou

SPECIAL THANKS FOR: Memory and Honor Gifts and Gifts to Named Scholarships and Work Endowments. The following gifts were made in memory or honor of an individual and/or to named scholarships or work endowments Sept. 1, 2015 – Jan. 31, 2016.

MEMORY GIFTS

Mr. Ray Abernathy Martha Bently Abernathy (52c) Mr. William T. Aiken Bob Aiken (82A) Mr. A. Madison Alexander Jr. Charles Downey (64A) Charles and Virginia Greene (52H) Mosby Mrs. Doris Tarvin Allen George (55C) and Barbara Calhoun (55C) Wade Dr. Leo Anglin Douglas Casa Ms. Mary Alice Barnes Melanie Green Jones Mr. George H. Bedwell Paul Clark (88G) Mrs. Rheba Woody Benoy Alan (64A) and Leanne Killin (69c) Woody Dr. John R. Bertrand Rich Besselink (92C) Richard Huey (05c) Mr. and Mrs. Dan U. Biggers George Donigian (74C) Melanie Green Jones Mr. Gerald “Jerry” Dan Bowen Charles Downey (64A) Dr. Robert Briggs Ann Q. Curry Debbie Heida Mrs. Donna Burnham Debbie Heida Mrs. Francis Black Cain Darlene Black Cartwright (89C) Dr. N. Gordon Carper Charles Freeman (92C) Garry Osborne (71C) Mrs. Ila Musser Cole Susan C. Parker Mrs. Martha Page Cousins Dr. William L. Cousins Mr. R. Frank Davis Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Boyd Michael Brannon (80C) Joan Wilder Davis (66C) Ron (65C) and Evonne Dyer (65C) Dayhoff Mary Beth Lloyd Everett (61H, 65C) and Donna Solomons Mr. Michael Lester Degner Brian Krueger (03C) Dr. Garland M. Dickey Jennifer Dickey (77A, 80C) Charles Harris (68C) Mrs. Helen M. Doyle James Doyle (69C) Mr. James R. Fletcher Lamar Fletcher (66A) Jim Hairston (68C)

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BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

Mrs. Sandra Gresham Frost Leon Frost (63C) Mr. Henry W. Gaines Will Gaines (93C) Dr. Thomas W. Gandy Theda Nettles Gandy (43C) Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Glover Jeanette Justice Fleming (72C) Ellen Free Lueck (73C) Mr. Jorge Luis Gonzalez Suzanna Stribling (82C) Mrs. Maxine Kirby Harman Henry Harman Mr. Robert B. Henry Charles Downey (64A) Mrs. Edna F. Hetsko Jeffrey Hetsko Mrs. Mary Busha Hutcheson Sandra Bedford Alton (61c) and Becky Browning (61C) Christopher James (57C) and Bonnie Pope (58C) Ellison Faye Junkins Gibbons (61C) Peter (53H, 57C) and Emmaline Beard (55H, 59C) Henriksen Peter (60C) and Ernestine Davis (61C) Hoffmann Karen E. Hutcheson Kermit (52c) and Gwen Norris (50C) Hutcheson Buford Jennings (58C) Ann Musselwhite McClellan (61C) Alexander Read Ms. Amy Jo Johnson Neil Boggan (06C) Dr. H.G. “Gwen” Jones Bobby Walker Fulmer (56C) Ms. Louise B. Keim Sandra Shackelford Mr. Charles L. King Sue Day Mr. John Barry Lavender Charles Downey (64A) Mr. William H. Lutterbeck Jeanette Lutterbeck Mrs. Lorene Mashburn Amy Hunter Rich (04C) Dr. L.E. McAllister Lois McAllister Hatler (66C) Mrs. June Threadgill McRae Mr. and Mrs. Michael McDavid Mr. and Mrs. Neal Q. Pope Mr. and Mrs. James Alan Pope Dr. R. Allen Scott Mike (92C) and Margaret Crego Mrs. Patsy B. Self Franklin D. Self Mrs. Laura Sexton Elaine Foster Mr. R. Wayne Shackelford Anna Shackelford

Dr. Gloria M. Shatto Sandra Ayers Mrs. Eunice Mallard Smith Rene Mallard Keene (79c) Mildred Ann Smith Mrs. Deleen B. Stevens Sandra Shackelford Mrs. Maude Jackson Strickland Dennis J. Strickland Reg (51C) and S. Maxine Strickland Mr. and Mrs. Dan Sullivan Melanie Green Jones Mr. Derald W. Tumlin Jo Ann Clayton Tumlin (54C) Mrs. Lila Gladin Underwood Carroll Underwood (46c) Mr. Eugene Wade George (55C) and Barbara Calhoun (55C) Wade Mrs. Mary Lee Cowart Wallace George (55C) and Barbara Calhoun (55C) Wade Glenn Wallace (59C) Mr. Maurice B. Webb Robert (59C) and Joyce Woody (61c) Johnson Mrs. Kay Bell Wheeler Richard Wheeler (68C) Mr. Joshua Bradshaw-Whittemore Brian Krueger (03C) Mrs. Betty Jones Whitten Lena Moore Fleischhacker (60c) Mrs. Lucy Williams Charles Downey (64A) Jeffrey Hetsko Ross Magoulas W. Wynn Riley Mr. Paul Renee Willis Jack Allen (72C) Mr. Robin Paul Wilson Al Alvarez Linda Hartzell Sheila Radcliff Stockhausen (76C) Beverly Webb Mr. Jimmie W. Witherow Jimmie Lou Witherow Mrs. Marie Faircloth Witt Charles and Virginia Greene (52H) Mosby Mrs. Betty Adele Small Wright Mr. and Mrs. Jim McNaughton Mr. and Mrs. Peter Wood

MEMORY GIFTS TO NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS

Perry Anthony Memorial Scholarship Joy Anthony Morrow (54c) Emily Anthony Mullis (53C) Beatrice Lockerman Bollam (39C) Memorial Endowed Scholarship Richard Bollam

A. Milton and Jo Ann Chambers Endowed Scholarship Milton Chambers (49C) Susan Chambers (77C) Karen Bourland McCarthy (78C) Mary Sexton Percy N. Clark and Family Scholarship Paul Clark (88G) Wells Fargo Foundation John R. and Margaret Weaver Faison Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Bryson Foundation Ltd. Tom and Ruth Glover Memorial Scholarship Brenda Vaughn Melton (74C, 84G) Jorge A. and Ondina S. Gonzalez Family Endowed Scholarship Georgette deFriesse Ondina Santos Gonzalez Karl Lehman and Ondina E. Gonzalez (76A) Jonathan Randall Hardin Endowed Scholarship Fund Bobby and Robbie (94C) Abrams Jonathan Baggett Dan (94C) and Christel Boyd Dale Canada Daniel Carpenter Lee Carter (76c) Donna Childres Amanda Cromer (12C) Kenny (88C) and Jill Diebold (89C) Crump Penny Evans-Plants (90C) Cindy Gillespie Randy and Nita Hardin Marvin Howlett (72C) and Annette Axley James Pruitt Jeff Smith Monica Willingham Lewis A. Hopkins Endowed Scholarship Aaron and Amy Britt Al and Mary Nadassy Scholarship in Memory of Mrs. Ralph Farmer Mary Lee Cortner Barton (91C) Peggie Hicks Ellington (66C) Steven Strickland (83C) Evelyn Hoge Pendley Scholarship Janna Johnson (81C) Melanie Green Jones Riggs Family Endowed Scholarship Wanda Mack Grady and Dorothy Everett Sundy Scholarship Dorothy Everett Sundy (59C) Alexander Whyte Whitaker III Endowed Scholarship Whit (81C) and Maria Crego (85c) Whitaker

THANK YOU Jeff Wingo Memorial Scholarship Janna Johnson (81C) Kirby Peden (93C) Kay Wingo Craig Allyn Wofford Scholarship Ron Dean Equifax Inc.

HONOR GIFTS

1976 Women’s Basketball Team Deborah Rice Parker (78C) Mr. Cole Ackerman Rick and Julie Joiner Ackerman Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Baker Bob Baker (79C) Ms. Micayla Skye Bedoian Mr. and Mrs. Michael Edward Bedoian Mr. and Mrs. D. Randolph Berry Jim and Molly Berry Lynne Berry and John Joseph Jon and Kate Berry Grant Jessica Berry and Jose Avila Mr. Lawrence E. Borders Robert M. Borders Mr. Austin Bradley Rusty Bradley (71C) Dr. Stephen R. Briggs Karen Holley Horrell (74C) Ms. Melodye G. Brown Whitney Crouch (09C) DAR – William Day Chapter Dr. D. Dean Cantrell Maureen Munro Kurowsky (72C) Dr. Thomas W. Carver Bud Hall (79C) Mr. A. Milton Chambers Becky Nunnery Covington (91C) Peggie Hicks Ellington (66C) Sammy (77C) and Holly Wood (73C) Freeman Steve (80C) and Cindy Snead (80C) Wherry Mrs. Rebecca B. Christopher Faye Junkins Gibbons (61C) Mr. James F. Clark Rudy Wilson (79C) Ms. Wendy Davis Jeff Horn (87C) Dr. Ouida Word Dickey Bill and Faye (92c) Fron Charles Harris (68C) Mr. Jonathan W.T. Fisher Celia Denise Fisher Mrs. Virginia Fox Rusty Bradley (71C) Mrs. Megan Stone Fullgraf Fullgraf Foundation Mr. Stephen A. Galloway Mr. and Mrs. David Wayne Galloway Jean A. Lowrey Mrs. Grace Gray Cliff Gray (55H) Mr. Dakota D. Greenwell Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Thomas Greenwell Jr. Dr. Vincent M.L. Gregoire Gabriela Elias Broome (04C) Mrs. Patricia Davis Hendrix Mildred Campbell Tietjen (61C) Drs. William and Sara Hoyt Harriette Hoyt Ms. Anna E. Keappler Mark (82C) and Judy Howard (82C) Keappler Mr. Bruce Kennedy Marie Kennedy Ms. Victoria Lauren Khan Mr. and Mrs. Ted Davidson Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Knox Kellie Knox (89C) Mr. Ross A. Magoulas Mary Sue Couey Ward (74C)

Mr. James Turner Moore Jr. Dan Alban (00C) Mrs. Mary F. Niedrach Melanie G. Stevens Ms. Maggie Kathleen Piety Teresa Petersen Mr. and Mrs. Eric Stone Mrs. Kelley Bennett Poydence Martha J. Hartley Mr. Jackson L. Putnam Brian James Putnam Mrs. Mika S. Robinson Elaine Carroll Ashley Weider (09C) Mr. Spencer M. Russell Mr. and Mrs. Richard Darren Russell Mrs. Vesta A. Salmon Jason (00C) and Ashley Harp (01C) Sheppard Ms. Carolyn Thompson Smith Steven Strickland (83C) Mr. Tanner Chase Spalding Mr. and Mrs. Joe Spalding Mrs. Evelyn Spradlin Standridge Donald Rhodes Dr. and Mrs. David Manning Stubbs Lola Coleburn Stubbs (39C) Ms. Ginger Gail Swann Matt (02C) and Kelly Daly (03C) Grisham Ms. Emma Victoria Taghon Mr. and Mrs. Larry Evo Taghon Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Tate Lola Coleburn Stubbs (39C) Mr. Maurice B. Thompson Mr. and Mrs. Randy Pennington Ms. Jaime Rosalind Timm Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Toler Ms. Jane Walker Beverly McLendon Mr. Hunter Behrens White Michael and Melissa White Women’s Lacrosse Team Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Iobst Mr. C.B. Wright III Mike (92C) and Margaret Crego Karen Holley Horrell (74C)

HONOR GIFTS TO NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS

Julie Ann Bumpus Endowed Scholarship Marcia Rary McConnell (83C) Laura Phillips Katherine Powell Mika Robinson Carol Story Dr. J. Paul Ferguson Endowed Scholarship Dr. Kathryn Martin Dr. Robert L. Frank Legacy Scholarship Jennifer Crews Brooks (06C) Steven Hames Marcie Hinton Tom and Melodie Kennedy Kevin and Jenny Kleine Diane Land (88C) Randee Walters Paraskevopoulos (92C) Laura Gondolfo Ray (90C) Genyth Travis (96C) Jerry Shelton Endowed Scholarship funded by the Class of 1958C Harlan (58C) and Doris Reynolds (57C) Chapman Charlie (57C) and Keitha Davis (58C) Weatherford Robert M. Skelton WinShape Scholarship Niel Brown (90C) Melissa Fairrel (90C) David (95C) and Mary Ellen (97C) Kenemer

Greg (91C, 05G) and Michelle Beavin (90C, 01G) Major Mark Moraitakis (91C) Laura Gondolfo Ray (90C) Stacy Doster Wilson (92C)

OTHER GIFTS TO NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS AND WORK ENDOWMENTS

Dr. Frank and Kathryn Adams Endowed Scholarship Frank (54H, 58C) and Kathy Adams Tina Bucher Jim Watkins African American Alumni Chapter Scholarship Tasha Toy Agriculture Alumni Endowed Scholarship Rodney Hilley (76C) Arvile and Charlotte Smitherman Ben Willingham (66C) H. Inman Allen Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Inman and Tricia Allen Clinton G. Ames Jr. Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Clinton G. Ames Jr. Leo W. Anglin Memorial Scholarship Wade and Sara Carpenter Karen Kurz Jacqueline McDowell Atlanta Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Barbara Ballanger Hughes (71C) Bank of America GICA Scholarship Georgia Independent College Association Lemuel, Mary and James Banks Endowed Scholarship Wayne (61C) and Madeline Banks (63c) Canady Frank Barron Study Abroad Award Frank Barron Barton Mathematics Award Ray Barton (77C) Glenn W. and Hattie McDougald Bell Scholarship Robert Thesing Berry Family Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Fran Stanley Berry High Schools and Academy Work Scholarship Reed (77A, 82C) and Shannon Walburn (81C) Biggers Stewart Fuqua (80A) Bill Harrison (64A) James Kinney (51H) George McLean (64A) Teresa Smith Puckett (75A, 92C) Cleo Leonard Ray (44H) Ron (64A, 68C) and Judy Senger State Farm Companies Foundation John R. and Annabel Hodges Bertrand Endowed Scholarship Luegina Carter Mounfield (77C) Ann Nichols Pope (60C) Dr. and Mrs. Frederick P. Rivara Dan Biggers Distinguished Actor Award Reed (77A, 82C) and Shannon Walburn (81C) Biggers W.S. Black Conservation Scholarship Margie Black Alan (64A) and Leanne Killin (69c) Woody Frances Berry Bonnyman Scholarship Bonny Stanley Joshua Bradshaw-Whittemore Memorial Endowed Scholarship Mr. and Mrs. Alfred BradshawWhittemore

Steve and Brenda Briggs Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Steve and Brenda Briggs Horace Brown Chemistry Scholarship Horace Brown (39C) Selma Hall Browning Memorial Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Ed (60c) and Benita Hall (60c) Sims N. Gordon Carper Endowed History Scholarship Joyce Carper Rob (92C) and Wendy Quagliano (92C) Harber Pat Barna Holland (69C) Daniel Sprinkle (00C) Michael Tumminelli (71C) Mary Sue Couey Ward (74C) Dr. Harlan L. Chapman Scholarship funded by the Class of 1958C Hazel Weaver Bagwell (58C) Harlan (58C) and Doris Reynolds (57C) Chapman Elizabeth Ashe Cope (58C) Buford Jennings (58C) Jean Smith Massie (58C) Charlie (57C) and Keitha Davis (58C) Weatherford Norfolk Southern Foundation Larry L. and Mary E. Schoolar Clark Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Larry (55C) and Dixie W. Schoolar Judge Thomas A. Clark Endowed Scholarship Lem (63C) and Gayle Miller (64C) Sumner Class of 1951C Memorial Endowed Scholarship Martha Bently Abernathy (52c) Bill Landrum (51c) Martha Dodd McConnell (45H, 50C) Faye Hardy McLeroy (50c) Nathan (51C) and Vivian Rountree (51C) Smelley Reg (51C) and S. Maxine Strickland Gene Wallace (51C) Class of 1953C Scholarship Ellender Fish Lee (53C) Jim Miller (53C) Class of 1953H in Memory of StaleyLoveday Bill Bannister (56H) C.F. Green (53H) Nadine Parsons Hilderbrand (53H) Bernice Arnold Holcomb (56H) James Stamey (53H) Charlie (53H, 57C) and Hazel Guthrie (59c) Underwood Bernice Ogle Whaley (53H) Class of 1954C Endowed Scholarship Gene Johnson (54C) Dewitt (54c) and Jean Mitchell (54C) Sheffield Class of 1955C Scholarship Joe Frank Allen (55C) Faye Sperin Blackwell (55c) Mary Wommack Brasington (55C) Louise Mallard Carlson (55C) Johnnie Smith Curry (52H, 55C) Fred (55C) and Pat Brooks (59C) Maddox Rod McDonald (55C) Art (52H, 56c) and Betty Hawkins (55c) Pugh Class of 1956C Endowed Scholarship Russ Evans (56C) Bobby Walker Fulmer (56C) Sue Hegwood Howel (56C) Bill Keith (56c) Wallace McDowell (56C) Mary Reeves Mills (56C) Tillie Marlowe Parker (56C) Luther (56c) and Betty Arrington (56C) Rogers

BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

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THANK YOU Kenneth (56C) and LaDonna Smitherman (56C) Strickland Jimmy (56C) and Betty (58c) Taylor Joyce Jarvis Vickery (56C) Class of 1957C Scholarship Harlan (58C) and Doris Reynolds (57C) Chapman Ed (57C) and Evelyn Quarles (57C) England Ellen May Partridge (57C) Roy (57C) and Ileen Mobley (57C) Stuart Bill (57C) and Mary Charles Lambert (58C) Traynham Charlie (57C) and Keitha Davis (58C) Weatherford Class of 1960C Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Loyd Gass (60C) Peter (60C) and Ernestine Davis (61C) Hoffmann Henry (55H, 59c) and Jan Deen (60C) Howell Roy Parker (60C) Earnest Rodgers (60C) W.C. (60C) and Sylvia Davis (60C) Rowland Wayne Stevenson (60C) Class of 1961C Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Loyd Gass (60C) Peter (60C) and Ernestine Davis (61C) Hoffmann Class of 1962C Dairy Milk Quality Manager Endowed Work Position John (62C) and Geraldine Johnson (62C) Bridges Class of 1963C Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Don (65c) and Hiawatha Banks (63C) Henry Class of 1964C Campus Carrier Editor-inChief Work Endowment Carl Goodman (65C) Martha Coe Hitchens (64C) Joe (65C) and Nelda Parrish (64C) Ragsdale Penny Vaughn (64C) Class of 1965C Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Diane Poole Blair (69C) Jackie Allred Henderson (65C) Don (65c) and Hiawatha Banks (63C) Henry Herb Jones (65C) Gene (65C) and Sandra Dickerson (66C) McNease Joe (65C) and Nelda Parrish (64C) Ragsdale Jack (65C) and Beth Stanley (65C) Riner Ralph Rodgers (65C) Larry (65C) and Jerry Sculley Billy (62H, 66C) and Marvalee Lord (65C) Townsend Koji (65C) and Reba Nichols (67C) Yoda State Farm Companies Foundation Class of 1966C Assistant Gardener Endowed Work Position Darrell (66C) and Linda Bailey Daniel (66C) and Joyce Lemons (68c) Bius Raiford Cantrell (66C) Rufus Cantrell (66C) Virginia Battles Dean (66C) Sherry Barton Gatlin (66C) Jim Harris (66C) Lois McAllister Hatler (66C) Werdna Hill (66C) Bill (67C) and Diane Harris (66c) Holden Judy James (66C) Cecil (66C) and Sallie Moore (66C) Keith

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BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

Rick Love (66C) Gene (65C) and Sandra Dickerson (66C) McNease Melvin (64C, 76G) and Anita Wray (66C) Merrill Frances Johnson Oleson (66C) Oberia Owen Porter (66C) Billy (62H, 66C) and Marvalee Lord (65C) Townsend Class of 1967C Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Carl Franklin (67C) Gayle Graviett Gmyrek (67C) Bill (67C) and Diane Harris (66c) Holden Jean Benoy Lacey (67C) Eileen Wages Newman (67C) Marti Sheats Perkins (67C) Kay Salmon Shahan (67C) Andrea Boyd Stanley (67C) Pat Jackson Vaughn (67C) Lynn Faulkner Viets (67C) Koji (65C) and Reba Nichols (67C) Yoda Class of 1969C Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Larry (69C) and Nadine NeSmith (71c) Covington Larry Dyer (69C) William (69C) and Sally Schwartz (69C) Epps Mack Godfrey (69C) Pat Barna Holland (69C) Donald Hood (69C) Clyde Johnson (69C) June Griffin Lewis (69C) Marshall (68C) and Nancy Green (69C) Lewis Mary Camp Patrick (69C) John Shahan (64A, 69C) Jane Terry (69C) Ray Tucker (69C) Class of 1972C Work Scholarship Portia Ellis (72C) Anna Hollaran (72C) Class of 1994C Scholarship Alison Lounsbury Ritter (94C) George W. Cofield Memorial Scholarship Fund Charlie (53H, 57C) and Hazel Guthrie (59c) Underwood Dr. J. Scott Colley Endowed Scholarship Debbie Heida Kathy Richardson Jessiruth Smith Doss Scholarship Calvin Doss (49C) Edwards Endowed Scholarship Scott Edwards (70C) Thomas Harold Edwards Scholarship Ginny Paese Douglass (68C) B. Leon Elder Endowed Scholarship Leon Elder (54C) Joe (63C) and Shirley Bowen (63c) Elder Ed and Evelyn England Endowed Scholarship Ed (57C) and Evelyn Quarles (57C) England C.L. (57C) and Doris Little (57C) Tate Ralph E. Farmer Accounting Scholarship Charlotte Keckley Bitzer (62C) Ray F. Faulkenberry Scholarship Milton (60C) and Evelyn Cureton (60C) Sowell Dr. J. Paul Ferguson Endowed Scholarship Paul Ferguson First Families of Georgia Expendable Scholarship First Families of Georgia Ruby and Clifton Fite Endowed Scholarship David (51H) and Margaret Fite

Jimmy R. Fletcher Memorial Endowed Scholarship Emma Fears O’Neal (68C) Alan (64A) and Leanne Killin (69c) Woody Floyd Ag Promotion Scholarship Paul Smith (48C) Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Barbara Dawson Clinedinst (65C) Phyllis Blanton Copeland (84C) Michael Hunt (73C) Martha Dodd McConnell (45H, 50C) Marlon Nelms (63C) Rebecca Underwood Sewell (55C) G.H. (53C) and Jean Junkins (61c) Underwood Jean McRorie Westberry (62C) Gail Howard Gibson Endowed Scholarship Gail Howard Gibson (82C) George M. Glover International Endowed Scholarship Dwight Glover (84C) Ed and Gayle Graviett Gmyrek Scholarship Gayle Graviett Gmyrek (67C) Lyn Gresham Endowed Scholarship Eddie (63C) and Rosa Nutt (64C) Fite Walter Gill (63C) Larry Osborn (63C) Larry Webb (63C) MetLife Matt and Kelly Grisham Scholarship Fund Matt (02C) and Kelly Daly (03C) Grisham Hamilton/Smith Scholarship Gary (77C) and Hermanett Pruitt (73C) Ford Evelyn Hamilton (68C) Hamrick Family/Aunt Martha Freeman Scholarship Karen Kurz Jean Miller Hedden Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Jean Miller Hedden (52C) Heneisen Service Award Mary Elizabeth Tyler Boucebci (05C) LeBron and Kay Holden Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship LeBron (60C) and Kay Davis (60C) Holden Hollywood Chapter DAR Scholarship DAR – Hollywood Chapter Tim and Odetta Howard Endowed Scholarship Tim Howard (82C) Bank of America Foundation, Charlotte, N.C. William R. and Sara Lippard Hoyt Scholarship Bill and Sara Hoyt Nancy Lippard Barbara Ballanger Hughes Scholarship Barbara Ballanger Hughes (71C) Stacey Spillers Emily T. Ingram Endowed Scholarship Emily Thomason Ingram (47c) Walter B. and Flossie R. Jennings Memorial Endowed Scholarship Buford Jennings (58C) Amy Jo Johnson Scholarship Fund Malisa Hagan Ty and Joy P. Johnson Endowed Viking Creations Work Position Sheryle Bolton (68c) Robbie Causby (42H, 47C) Brenda Vaughn Melton (74C, 84G) Elizabeth Westfield Walter and Mabel Johnson Scholarship Walt Johnson (41H) H.I. “Ish” Jones Endowed Agriculture Scholarship Joy Jones Neal (83C) Kerry (72C) and Gloria Noles

Kappa Delta Pi Endowed Award Mary Clement Keappler Family Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Mark (82C) and Judy Howard (82C) Keappler R.F. Knox Company Scholarship R.F. Knox Company Inc. Lois and Lucy Lampkin Foundation Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Lois and Lucy Lampkin Foundation Dr. Peter A. Lawler Endowed Scholarship Rob (99C) and Katie Dillon (00C) Crowe Will (11C) and Dana Wenger (13C) Harper David (95C) and Mary Ellen (97C) Kenemer David Ramsey (01C) Pete and Carol Roberts Motorola Foundation Ray M. and Mary Elizabeth Lee Scholarship The Ray M. and Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation Fred H. and Mary Loveday Endowed Scholarship Richard Barley (49H) Henry (55H, 59c) and Jan Deen (60C) Howell Everett (61H, 65C) and Donna Solomons Ross Magoulas Endowed Scholarship Darlene Daehler-Wilking Melvin (64C, 76G) and Anita Wray (66C) Merrill Robert and Christine Dodd (70C) Puckett Dr. Charles Scott Markle Award Dr. and Mrs. Douglas T. Owens Willisa H. Marsh African American Scholarship Fund LPL Financial Willisa H. Marsh Future Educator Scholarship Fund LPL Financial Martha! Centennial Scholarship Reg (51C) and S. Maxine Strickland Dr. L. Doyle Mathis Endowed Scholarship funded by the Class of 1958C Harlan (58C) and Doris Reynolds (57C) Chapman Doyle (58C) and Rheba Burch (57C) Mathis Charlie (57C) and Keitha Davis (58C) Weatherford Frank Miller Memorial Scholarship Janelle Cato Sabourin (65C) Marilyn Waller Tedder (65C) John Gideon and Diona Fordham Miller Endowed Scholarship Jim Miller (53C) Luther and Jane Miller Endowed Scholarship Estate of Luther Miller Amos Montgomery Scholarship Lisa Fraley Rasheed (90C) Juanita Scurry (97C) Beverly Philpot Smith (69C) Lee-Anda Hutchens Uter (92C) Emily Moothart Scholarship Emily Hoppman Moothart (89C) Al and Mary Nadassy Scholarship in Memory of Mrs. Ralph Farmer Mary Nadassy Mary and Al Nadassy English Scholarship Tina Bucher Mary Nadassy Mark Taylor Jim Watkins Lara Whelan

THANK YOU Mary Finley Niedrach Endowed Scholarship Mary Finley Niedrach (75A, 97G) NSDAR Scholarship Elizabeth Garner Carol Ann McKinnon Morrison (58C) DAR – Ashmead Chapter DAR – Bonny Kate Chapter DAR – Brunswick Town Chapter DAR – Canton Chapter DAR – Captain Nathaniel Mills Chapter DAR – Colonel Charles Lynch Chapter DAR – Columbine Chapter DAR – Commodore John Barry Chapter DAR – Conejo Valley Chapter DAR – Daniel Cooper Chapter DAR – Fort Severn Chapter DAR – Francis Nash Chapter DAR – Jacob’s Well DAR – James Breckinridge Chapter DAR – Mahoning Chapter DAR – Major George Gibson Chapter DAR – Martha Stewart Bulloch Chapter DAR – Mary Butler Chapter DAR – Mary Chesney Chapter DAR – Mason City Chapter DAR – Michigan DAR – Nancy Anderson Chapter DAR – Olathe Chapter DAR – Overwharton Parish Chapter DAR – San Antonio de Bexar Chapter DAR – Sauk Trail Chapter DAR – Scotchtown Chapter DAR – Six Flags Chapter DAR – Washoe Zephyr Chapter NSDAR Bobby Patrick Endowed Scholarship Nancy Eng Elrod (70C) Mary Camp Patrick (69C) Meng Properties Sara Powell Expendable Scholarship John Powell (58H) Kelley Bennett Poydence Endowed Scholarship Dan and Kelley Poydence Raytheon Co. Amber T. Prince Education Graduate Student Award Karen Kurz Amber T. Prince Memorial Scholarship Kim Bowers Byrd (87C) Janna Johnson (81C) Jamie (97C) and Elisha Wright (98C, 04G) Lindner Madalyn McLeod Neal Quitman and Emily Lowe Pope Scholarship Fund Robert Pope Pope Automotive Foundation Inc. Bernard and Doris Rowland Scholarship Doris Rowland Vesta Salmon Service Scholarship Angie Reynolds Charlie (57C) and Keitha Davis (58C) Weatherford Robert and Gloria Shatto Scholarship Mrs. Lois A. Miller Silver & Blue Save a Student Scholarship A total of 287 current students and recent graduates contributed to this scholarship through Berry’s Silver & Blue student philanthropy program. Visit www.berry.edu/ silverandblue/donors to see their names.

Michele Norman Sims Endowed Scholarship Bobby (92C) and Amy Tuten (96C) Bergman Ranjit and Anjani Singh Endowed Award for Christian Ministry Chaitram Singh Tom and Barbara Slocum Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Thomas and Barbara Slocum Ann Saywell Spears Scholarship Ann Saywell Spears (67C) Dr. Sam Spector Endowed Scholarship Sam and Virginia Spector Mary Alta Sproull Endowed Math Scholarship Jim Ann White Stewart (48H, 51C) William B. Stokely Jr. Foundation Scholarship in Memory of Pamela Collins The William B. Stokely Jr. Foundation Maxine Strickland Endowed Nursing Scholarship Jean Miller Hedden (52C) Ms. Deborah Hill Reg (51C) and S. Maxine Strickland Student Scholarships Emily Bagwell (07C) Robbie (02C, 07G) and Tracy Morgan (05C) Batchelor Tayler Boswell (15C) Susan Coley (66C) Jane Underwood Crawford (58C) Kristen Diliberto-Macaluso Kay Davis Dunn (57C) David Eliason (78C) Jerrie Walker Fowler (67C, 81G) Caleb and Erin Shannon (04C) Garrison John Grelck (97C) Jean Hansard (76C) Herman Higgins (74A, 79C) Jackie Cox Inman (53C) Charles and Virginia Greene (52H) Mosby Lloyd Parker (72C) Janet Doane Parris (97C) Aaron Pickering (00C) Matt Ragan (98C) and Shelly Driskell-Ragan (96C) Mary Sattari (95C) James Scoggins (52C) Justin Shook (00C) Peggy Dalton Smith (67C) Joann Brannon Weeks (62C) Price/Blackburn Charitable Foundation Inc. Grady and Dorothy Everett Sundy Scholarship Dorothy Everett Sundy (59C) Larry and Betty Jane Taylor Endowed Scholarship Mr. and Mrs. Larry J. Taylor Tim (71C) and Joan Kisselburg (73C) Warrick Texas Society DAR Scholarship DAR – Texas Society Tibbals/Zellars Endowed Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Randy Tibbals (79C) John Zellars Jr. Foundation The Trey Tidwell Experience: A Scholarship for Musical Discovery Mandy Tidwell (93C) Microsoft Corp.

Troy/Gardner Endowed Art History Award Virginia Troy James Van Meerten Study Abroad Scholarship Jim Van Meerten (70C) James E. and Dorris Waters Endowed Scholarship Gary (80C, 89G) and Bambi Estill (79c) Waters

Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholarship Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation WinShape Scholarship Winshape Foundation Inc. Haron and Virginia Wise Silver & Blue Senior Co-Chair Endowed Work Position Harry Wise (57H) Richard Wood Scholarship David (68A, 72C) and Alta Breeden (70C) Wood

Work Week Endowed Service Award Art (52H, 56c) and Betty Hawkins (55c) Pugh Billy Yeomans Endowed Land Management Scholarship Brad Bushnell Pete and Carol Roberts

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BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2016

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NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID ATLANTA, GA 30304 PERMIT NO. 2552

Berry magazine P.O. Box 495018 Mount Berry, GA 30149-5018

Taking flight!

Junior pre-med major Chris Lilly soars over the high-jump bar during a March 5 competition at Valhalla. Berry was able to resume full competition in track and field this spring thanks to the on-campus addition of Valhalla, Clark Track and Dickey Field. Photo by Ryan Smith (00C)