Rhodes Magazine Spring/Summer 2025

Rhodes

A Special Edition of e Magazine of Rhodes College

RHODES COLLEGE CHANGES LIVES

— Elizabeth Roe Pearce ’91

“My love for this school is unmatched and I wanted to make a signi cant planned gift to support both our fantastic students and our exceptional faculty. I remain extremely thankful for the professors who taught, advised, and shaped me as well as the lifelong friends I made who are a signi cant part of my life to this day.”

You, too, can help change lives. A planned gift has the transformative power to enhance the Rhodes experience for our students and faculty for generations to come. From bequests to gift annuities to unitrusts, there are many planned giving vehicles that will allow you, like Elizabeth Pearce, to leave a lasting legacy at Rhodes while meeting your other nancial goals.

For more information on the bene ts of making a planned gift to Rhodes, please contact Tracy Vezina Patterson ’84, J.D., Senior Gift Planning O cer, at (901) 843-3856 or pattersont@rhodes.edu.

SPRING/SUMMER 2025

Jennifer M. Collins PRESIDENT

Jenna Goodloe Wade

VICE PRESIDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT

Tracy Vezina Patterson ’84, P’22, J.D.

DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE RELATIONS

SENIOR GIFT PLANNING OFFICER

Mimi Reed Salazar ’96, P’26

DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Linda Bonnin

VICE PRESIDENT FOR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Martha Shepard ’66

EDITOR EMERITA

Samuel X. Cicci ’15

EDITOR & SENIOR WRITER

Jana Files ’78

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

Charles Kenny

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Larry Ahokas

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

CONTRIBUTORS

Dionne Chalmers

Bill Short ’71

William Spencer

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Justin Fox Burks

Samuel X. Cicci

Jackson Hendrix ’24

Breanna Stalsitz

INFORMATION 901-843-3000

ADMISSION OFFICE

1-800-844-LYNX

ALUMNI OFFICE

1 - 800 -264 - LYNX

Please send address changes to alumni@rhodes.edu

If you no longer wish to receive a printed copy of Rhodes Magazine please let us know at alumni@rhodes.edu.

A LETTER FROM PRESIDENT JENNIFER COLLINS

Welcome to the Summer 2025 edition of our magazine! is issue celebrates the 100th anniversary of our move to the wonderful city of Memphis. We are so grateful for our location in this vibrant and unique American city that a ords our students countless opportunities for internships, community service, and community-based research and academic projects. And, of course, our entire community enjoys the amazing food, music, art, and other cultural opportunities found every day throughout the city.

e magazine commemorates each decade since we relocated to Memphis and highlights notable events that occurred during those eras. We also feature numerous Memphis-based alumni from a diverse range of elds, including business, nonpro t organizations, law, and science, who like so many of our alumni are making an impact on Memphis. We will also be highlighting alumni on our social media channels throughout the fall semester, so be sure you are following us on Instagram, and Facebook.

I also hope you will consider joining us this fall for some of the programming related to our 100 Years in Memphis celebration. We are especially excited about a concert we will host at the beautiful Overton Park Shell on October 23, the ursday night before our Homecoming/Reunion Weekend festivities begin. We will also be bringing some Memphis luminaries on campus throughout the semester for talks with our campus community. Stay tuned for much more information about these upcoming events.

We have added a new Faculty Bookshelf feature in this issue, which I hope you will enjoy. One of the most distinctive features of Rhodes is that our faculty are not only outstanding teachers, but also impactful and innovative scholars. is section celebrates their research by featuring 10 books recently authored by Rhodes faculty, covering a wide variety of topics, including a look at New Orleans poetry, the in uence of Kenyan Cinema, the history of religion in Yellowstone, and a deep dive into the U.S. immigration experience through interviews with immigrants from seven Central and South American countries.

ank you for all the ways you have supported Rhodes this year. We have had wonderful attendance at alumni events on campus and in di erent cities. Our annual Day of Giving and new Arts Day of Giving were very successful and contributed some much-needed funds to support the amazing students and faculty we are so fortunate to have on campus. We truly appreciate your support, and we hope to see all of you on campus again one day very soon.

Jennifer Collins

For full versions of the following stories, please

Class of 2025 Members Selected for Fulbright Student Awards

Four seniors have been selected to receive Fulbright U.S. Student Awards for the 2025-2026 academic year. Katherine Buikema and Monica Nedialkova (Bulgaria), Maya Khalife-Hamdan (Colombia), and Anna Rush (Spain) will serve as English teaching assistants in their assigned countries.

is year, Rhodes has been recognized by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural A airs for the fourth time as one of the colleges and universities with the highest number of students selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Society of Physics Students Earn Chapter Research Award

The Rhodes chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) has been named the recipient of the 2024-2025 Chapter Research Award from the SPS National O ce for nal work on the 1U cube satellite RHOK-SAT

Dr. Charles W. Robertson Jr. ’65, a Rhodes trustee and co-founder of NanoDrop Technologies (now ermo Fisher Scienti c), encouraged Rhodes to submit a proposal to NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and generously provided funding for the project. Since 2021, a team of students, led by physics professors Bentley Burnham (program director), Brent Ho meister, and Ann Viano, and computer science professor Phil Kirlin, have been working on the project as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative to y miniature satellites aboard a NASA-sponsored rocket. RHOK-SAT is a collaboration between Rhodes and the University of Oklahoma Photovoltaic Materials and Devices Group to characterize the behavior, performance, and degradation of novel perovskite solar cells in Low Earth Orbit.

In March, CubeSat program lead engineer Jose Pastrana ’20, Damian Nguyen ’25, and Ryan McCrory ’25 delivered the CubeSat to the launch

provider (Nanoracks, part of Voyager) in Houston to prep for a September 2025 lifto aboard NG-23 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and deployment to the International Space Station.

Top row (left to right): Jasper Sherz ’26, Damian Nguyne ’25, Anal Matar ’25, Jose Pastrana ’20, Kerry Tang ’27; Bottom row (left to right): Kamil Yousuf ’25, Jessie Chau ’27, Ryan McCrory ’25, Brayden Pallera ’26, Caleb Walters ’27

Katherine Buikema ’25

Maya Khalife-Hamdan ’25

Monica Nedialkova ’25

Anna Rush ’25

Starling Honored for Mentoring by Southern Association for College Admission Counseling

Megan Starling ’02 , director of admission, received the William Starling Award for Mentoring at the annual conference of the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC) held March 30-31 in Atlanta, GA.

According to the SACAC site, William Starling (no relation) “worked hard for many years at Wake Forest University, where he set an example of integrity and trained himself to see and shape the best in people.”

Over the years, Starling has demonstrated dedication to serving the needs of students in the transition from high school to college. An expert on enrollment trends and the college admission process, she has held leadership roles in campus hospitality while also managing territory assignments and application/scholarship review processes. In her tenure at Rhodes, she has supervised the entire admission team including all student employees and Rhodes Student Associates.

Starling currently serves as chair of the Rhodes Staff Advisory Council, established in 2023.

Writer and Scholar Gretchen E. Henderson Named Spence L. Wilson Distinguished Professor in Humanities

Dr. Gretchen E. Henderson has been named the Spence L. Wilson Distinguished Professor in the Humanities following a national search. In this position, Henderson will help enhance the humanities as well as serve on the advisory board of the Spence L. Wilson Center for Interdisciplinary Humanities.

Henderson is an interdisciplinary scholar whose multimedia work traverses environmental arts, cultural histories, integrative sciences, and public humanities. A native of San Francisco, CA, Henderson earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton University, an MFA from Columbia University, and a doctorate in English and creative writing from the University of Missouri–Columbia.

The Spence L. Wilson Center for Interdisciplinary Humanities was established in 2024 thanks to a generous gift from longtime Rhodes benefactor Spence L. Wilson and brings communities together to address complex global questions through humanistic inquiry.

Ada Collins ’27 Named 2025 Goldwater Scholar

Ada Collins is among the 441 students from across the United States who have been selected as Goldwater Scholars for the 2025-2026 academic year. Since 1997, Rhodes has had 22 Goldwater Scholars, including Collins.

Established by Congress in 1986 to honor Barry M. Goldwater, a five-term U.S. senator, the Goldwater Foundation provides scholarships to support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming the nation’s next generation of natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering research leaders. Students must be nominated by their institutions.

“As a Goldwater Scholar, I plan to conduct research within high-energy physics to explore beyond the standard model and understand fundamental universal interactions,” says Collins. “Beyond answering what our universe is and how it came to be, high-energy physics has applications in computing, medical technology, and, my favorite, renewable energy.”

Philosophy, Politics and Economics Program

Recognized as “Hidden Gem”

The Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) program at Rhodes has been designated as a Hidden Gem by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA).

ACTA’s Hidden Gems initiative highlights honors programs and major, minor, and certificate programs that provide high-quality interdisciplinary education. Launched in 2019, it now numbers 23 institutions spanning from coast to coast.

Gretchen Henderson

Megan Starling ’02

Ada Collins ’27

Under the Oaks

Anna Claire Tilley ’25 Awarded Distinguished Fellowship to Global Crop Diversity Trust, Building on Campus Biodiversity Work

Anna Claire Tilley, an urban studies major from Fort Smith, AR, has been awarded The Steve and Riea Lainoff Crop Trust Fellowship in Honor of Cary Fowler ’71. The fellowship is made possible through the generosity of Steve and Riea Lainoff, parents of Rhodes graduates Brian Lainoff ’11 and Mark Lainoff ’15. Tilley will support the work of the resource mobilization and communications teams of the Global Crop Diversity Trust in Bonn, Germany, beginning in August 2025.

Tilley’s passion for tackling food security issues paid dividends for Rhodes. As president of ROOTS Gardening Club, she helped to organize the planting of two new tree species on campus this past March (three pawpaw and two persimmon), building on the club’s goal to preserve and strengthen biodiversity on campus: the two species bear fruit that cannot be found in local chain grocery stores. “This is climate repair and food resiliency at work,” says Tilley. “Getting these trees

back into the environment is restorative work, as their annual fruit production is incompatible with the mass production and efficiency of models of industrial agriculture.

“The pawpaw trees bear fruit that taste like a fusion of mango, banana, and papaya. We also planted two persimmon trees because they need both male and female trees to pollinate; these are associated with heaps of southern folklore relating to weather predictions.”

Tilley considers ROOTS Gardening Club’s work as an extension of the classroom. “Classes and student organizations visit our gardens frequently or use them as a meeting or event space. Our club is small, but mighty.” ROOTS tends campus gardens that include 91 native plants, many of them edible. And in addition to planting native trees, ROOTS manages a composting program with campus food provider Bon Appétit, in which 14,000 gallons of food scraps have been composted since 2021. Future efforts will focus on planting indigenous plants like bluestem grasses, sedges, evening primrose, mountain mint, and aromatics. The club also uses its expertise to help with maintenance and gardening for the local Vollintine & Evergreen Greenline trail near Rhodes.

Tilley’s efforts have contributed to Rhodes maintaining its status as a Level IV Arboretum, the highest designation granted by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. One of only two Level IV Arboreta in Memphis, Rhodes boasts more than 120 species of trees and over 1,500 individual trees. – William Spencer

Sherry Turner ’84 Named President of Hartford International University

Rev. Dr. Sherry Turner was recently named president of Hartford International University. She becomes the 12th president of the 191-year-old institution, with her term beginning on July 1, 2025. Turner graduated from Rhodes in 1984 with a degree in psychology and anthropology/sociology, and later returned as a William Randolph Hearst Dissertation Fellow. After taking on leadership roles at other institutions, she rekindled her partnership with Rhodes in 2018 before becoming the college’s vice president of strategic initiatives and chief diversity officer in 2019. During her tenure, she helped guide the implementation of Rhodes’ strategic plan, developed the IDEAS framework, lectured and presented around the country, and chaired the student success and retention task force, among many other accomplishments.

Sherry Turner ’84

Anna Claire Tilley ’25

Parth

Sinojia ’25 Awarded

Watson Fellowship to Travel the World While Studying Healthcare for the Homeless

Parth Sinojia has been selected to receive the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, which provides a $40,000 stipend for 12 months to travel and pursue an original project on a global scale. He is one of only 37 fellows selected in the nation for 2025 and the only Watson Fellow selected from a Tennessee college or university.

Watson Fellows decide where to go and when to change course, and do not have to affiliate with an academic institution or hold formal employment. The program is designed to produce a year of personal insight, perspective, and confidence.

Sinojia’s project is titled “Health and Homelessness: Accessing Medical Care Systems,” with proposed destinations of Japan, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Singapore. “My Watson year examines how homeless response programs, housing policies, and medical systems work together to provide care for people within our communities,” he says. Sinojia has been accepted to medical school, and after the year of the Watson Fellowship will begin a new journey as a medical student, pursuing a career working at the intersection of medicine and public health.

Walmart Executive and Rhodes Alumna Julie Gehrki ’02 Recipient of 2025 Sullivan Luminary Award

Julie Gehrki, president of the Walmart Foundation and senior vice president of philanthropy at Walmart, received the 2025 Luminary Award presented by the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation at its centennial celebration on April 11.

The Luminary Award is presented to a past Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award student recipient who has continued on a lifelong path of placing service above self.

Gehrki dedicated herself to local community service initiatives as a student and was awarded the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award at Rhodes’ 2002 Commencement exercises. She received a bachelor’s degree in religious studies. Now in her 17th year with Walmart, she oversees their global philanthropic efforts, guiding support for hunger relief, small business growth, and disaster response.

Gehrki returned to her alma mater in May 2024 to deliver the Baccalaureate Convocation address, encouraging the next generation of Rhodes graduates to make a difference in their communities and the world.

Collins and Wilkinson Presented with Clarence Day Awards

Dr. Courtney Collins ’05 and Dr. Caki Wilkinson ’03 were presented with Rhodes’ highest honors conferred on faculty at the college’s annual Awards Convocation held May 2 on campus.

Collins, associate professor and chair of economics, received the Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Teaching, which is a recognition of pedagogical excellence. She began her teaching career at Rhodes in 2013.

Wilkinson, professor of English and director of creative writing, received the Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity, which is a recognition of major scholarly or creative contributions to one’s discipline. She joined Rhodes as assistant professor of English in 2012 and earned tenure in 2018. She was promoted to full professor this spring and currently serves as the Connie Abston Chair in Literature.

The awards, first given in 1981, were established by businessman and Rhodes alumnus Clarence Day and are provided by the Day Foundation.

Julie Gehrki ’02

Parth Sinojia ’25

Courtney Collins ’05 and Caki Wilkinson ’03

SPRING SPORTS ROUNDUP

Men’s Lacrosse (above) won the SAA regular season title and the SAA Tournament title and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Billy Cameron and Nate Oekerman were named Coaching Sta of the Year. David Hart ’25 was named Defensive Player of the Year. Drew Downes ’25 (right) was named SAA Tournament MVP and earned USILA All-American honors.

Drew Litner ’25, Downes, John Mori ’26, Hart, Nick Bilotti ’25, Lucas Pagliarulo ’26, and Jake Gobel ’25 earned All-SAA First Team honors.

Andrew Murphy ’26, Hart, and Gobel joined the SAA All-Tournament Team.

Women’s Lacrosse advanced to the SAA Tournament nals. Bari Pinkett ’25 (opposite, top left)was named SAA Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.

was named SAA Softball Athlete of the Year, and joined Gina Dudley ’26 and Kate Ledlie ’27 on the First Team All-SAA. Taylor Petty ’27 was named to the SAA All-Tournament team.

Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball both made it to the quarter nals of the SAA tournament.

Men’s Tennis made it to the SAA Tournament semi nals, with Oliver Bonovich ’26 earning

First Team Singles All-SAA Honors. Bonovich and Christian Mainella ’26 secured First Team Doubles All-SAA honors.

Pinkett joined Anna Erskine ’25 and Isabella Sklena ’25 on the All-SAA First Team. Pinkett and Erskine were also awarded All-Tournament Team honors with Molly Heidrick ’25. Softball made it to the semi nals of the SAA Tournament. Rebecca Arbino and RT Cantillo were recognized as SAA Softball Coaching Sta of the Year.

Jasmyn Stanley ’26 (left)

Women’s Tennis also made it to the SAA semi nals and saw Lilly Higgins ’28 earn SAA Rookie of the Year honors, with Gracie Rask ’26 earning a First Team All-SAA spot.

Women’s Golf won the SAA Championship and earned automatic quali cation to the DIII Women’s Golf National Championship. Sarah Posey was named SAA Women’s Golf Coach of the Year. Ava Bankston ’27 (right) was named SAA Women’s Golfer of the Year and earned All-American and WCGA All-Region honors. Bankston and Emily Mu ’25 were named First Team All-SAA.

Men’s Golf took fth at the SAA Championship.

Men’s Swimming and Diving (right) secured back-to-back SAA Championship titles, earning the second-highest points total in SAA Men’s history. Jack Whitten ’26 and John Beuerlein ’25 (above center) quali ed for the NCAA DIII National Championships. Beuerlein nished 4th in the nation in 3M diving, earning First Team All-American honors.

Women’s Swimming and Diving placed second at the SAA Tournament.

Lucy Verwys ’28 was named SAA High Point Diver of the year after sweeping the diving events. Paxton Smythe ’26 competed in the NCAA Division III Championships in three events.

Men’s Track and Field nished third overall at the SAA tournament. Standout performer Hugh Stokes ’25 (above right) captured the SAA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year crown after winning SAA titles in the 110M high hurdles and the 400M intermediate hurdles,

setting both Rhodes and SAA records in the process. His e orts saw him compete at the NCAA Division III Championship. Liam Conroy ’26 won the SAA Javelin event.

Women’s Track and Field placed third at the SAA Championship. Evan Duet ’25 captured the SAA javelin title.

Baseball won the SAA Tournament title. Zac Sohosky ’25 (right) and Mick Arney ’25 were named to the First Team All-SAA. Sohosky was named MVP of the SAA Tournament and was joined by Ben Burkhart ’25 and Ben Daniel ’27 on the All-Tournament team.

IT WAS OUR PURPOSE TO LAUNCH HERE AN INSTITUTION WHICH WOULD ENDURE FOR CENTURIES, AND WHICH WOULD COMMAND RESPECT AND QUICKEN THE PRIDE OF SUCCEEDING GENERATIONS.

—DR. CHARLES E. DIEHL

Looking Back on 100 Years in Memphis 1925 – 2025

ADr. Charles Edward Diehl faced resistance when he made the choice to move what was then Southwestern Presbyterian University (SPU) from Clarksville to Memphis.

fter shepherding the institution through World War I, Diehl entered a new battle eld that would see clashes with residents, rotary club members, and even some of his close friends. But there was something greater at stake: a bastion of learning that could endure for generations and become an integral part of the city it would soon call home.

Diehl picked an excellent time to relocate to Memphis. In the 1920s, the city was booming: the population had grown by more than 20 percent, the famous new Peabody Hotel invited guests from afar to visit the Mid-South, the Orpheum eatre opened its doors, the city kicked o a huge urban expansion, and Blues musicians ocked to Beale Street to hone their craft. What the city didn’t have was its very own liberal arts college.

Serendipitous for Diehl, then, that his new host city was ready to welcome a new college with open arms. Back in Clarksville, SPU had

not been able to nd the support needed to grow and had felt a nancial strain that stretched all the way back to the American Civil War. But several of Diehl’s reforms made it an appealing option for Memphis. Women had been approved to enroll on the same terms as men in 1917, an Honor Code took e ect the following year, and Diehl ne-tuned the curriculum to an Oxford-style approach of individualized education. e Memphis Chamber of Commerce o ered to raise $500,000 to fund the move, while the Presbyterian Synods that supported SPU pledged a further $1 million to the cause. In 1925, SPU o cially relocated to Memphis as Southwestern, e College of the Mississippi Valley.

One hundred years later, Rhodes College stands proud as everything Diehl envisioned when he sought the move: a world-class college, closely intertwined with its city, that continues to prioritize intellectual engagement and service to others.

1925-1935

On September 24, 1925, the first group of students attended class at Southwestern, The College of the Mississippi Valley. A total of 406 students and 16 faculty (including seven who made the move from Clarksville) walked into a Collegiate Gothic building that laid the foundation for the beautiful campus we have in 2025.

1925: College relocates to Memphis

1927: Seedlings planted for the Rollow Avenue of Oaks

1928: Future United States President Herbert Hoover receives honorary doctorate

The architectural footprint started out much smaller. Southwestern Hall (then Palmer Hall) was the rst, created for classrooms and the administration, and was then joined by e Science Hall (laboratories and more classrooms), the refectory, the gatehouse, Ashner Gateway, and the Calvin and Robb residence halls.

A year earlier in 1924, Fargason Athletic Fields had been dedicated in honor of the land donors, John T. Fargason and his sister Mary Fargason Falls, in honor of their father J.T. Fargason. e 15-acre plot on North Campus had originally been home to the Fargason family dairy farm.

In 1927, one of Rhodes’ most notable attractions took root. Oak seedlings brought along from the Clarksville campus were planted on the south side of campus, growing over the next century to form the

majestic Rollow Avenue of Oaks. Soon after, Hugh M. Neely Hall and William T. Hardie Auditorium were dedicated, while an in rmary opened in Stewart Hall.

But the rst several years in Memphis weren’t all smooth sailing. e stock market crashed in 1929, devastating America. But Diehl had equipped the college to weather the storm. By 1930, Southwestern had paid o its mortgage, holding a festive “mortgage burning” bon re to celebrate the occasion. And by 1935, enrollment had climbed to record levels, surpassing 500 students for the rst time in the history of the school.

Amidst it all, Diehl was charged with heresy and nancial recklessness by a group of local ministers in 1931. A hearing in front of the Board of Directors cleared him of all charges, but he was always ready to stand

up for himself and the college. Retired Presbyterian minister Billy McLean ’57 recalls an amusing anecdote from one of his interactions with Diehl. “I remember he was one of the only people who demanded he be tried by the [Presybterian] General Assembly,” recalls McLean. “I attended his last chapel talk in ’56 or ’57, and he admitted to me that to get back at his Presbyterian accusers, he printed 500 ‘Go to Hell’ cards and mailed them to his adversaries.”

1928: Honors courses established

1931: Hall of Fame established

1926 Women’s Basketball Team

Palmer Hall under construction - 1924

A typical 1920s dorm room

1930: College mortgage paid o

1931: President Diehl accused of heresy

1936-1945

The Great Depression had hit the country hard. But thanks to some clever planning, Southwestern, the College of the Mississippi Valley, had come through relatively unscathed, all things considered. With a record number of students and an eye to the future, the college found more support from the city of Memphis, which helped launch a second capital campaign to keep the momentum going.

Over the following decade, the college implemented programs that became the building blocks for a modern Rhodes education. Burnet “Papa Tut” Tuthill arrived to establish the rst Department of Music in 1935. One of the programs introduced was choir, an early iteration of what is now known as the Rhodes Singers. Tuthill encouraged students of the choir, band, and glee club to hone their talents through interactions with the Memphis art scene, an ethos that manifests today through organizations like the Mike Curb Institute for Music. (Fun fact: Tuthill was a cowriter of the college’s alma mater score).

During World War II, faculty and students contributed to the war e ort. Many male students were enlisted to ght, and campus transformed into a training and teaching ground for the Army Specialized Training Program, with the 13th College Training Detachment aircrew stationed in Memphis.

With the horrors of war on his mind, Diehl looked to bring about a broad survey curriculum centered on Judeo-Christian values, a constantly evolving course that would trace Western history, tradition,

and religion through the humanities. Professors A.P. Kelso, John Osman, W.R. Cooper, J.H. Davis, and Laurence Kinney created a syllabus for “Man in the Light of History and Religion.” e rst Man class kicked o in September 1945 and became the de ning experience of a Rhodes liberal arts education: a curriculum built around reading, lecture, and discussion, bringing together faculty from multiple departments in service of a comprehensive, interdisciplinary program. Students who attended after 1986 will recognize the course by its current name, “ e Search for Values in the Light of Western History and Religion” (or, simply, Search).

As the decade wound to a close, Diehl and the Board had been in discussion about implementing a new name, one re ective of its environment which would serve to distinguish it from other institutions using the term “Southwestern.” In 1945, the college o cially adopted the name “Southwestern at Memphis.”

1943: Adult Education Center (now Meeman Center) established

1943: Army Air Force Cadets train on campus

1945: Mary Ann Banning ’45 elected as first woman student body president

The first cohort of Rhodes Singers in 1937

1946-1955

President Charles Diehl had done the hard work. He’d successfully moved Southwestern to Memphis from Clarksville, navigated both the Great Depression and World War II, and developed an academic curriculum that would establish the college as a top liberal arts institution for the future.

1948: Voorhies Hall dedicated

1948: School celebrates 100th anniversary

1949: Peyton Nalle Rhodes named college president

1948: First Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award presented

1951 Groundbreaking Ceremony for Burrow Library led by President Peyton Nalle Rhodes and A. K. Burrow

The post-war boom and the G.I. Bill meant more students could attend college than ever before, and enrollment continued to rise.

ere was but one challenge left for Diehl: retirement. As the college kicked o its

o cial centennial festivities in 1949, Diehl stepped down from his role as President. But a worthy successor waited in the wings, one who already had rsthand experience of a Southwestern education.

Peyton Nalle Rhodes had joined the college in 1927 as an associate professor of physics, was elevated to full professorship in 1929, served as the 13th College Training Detachment coordinator during the war,

local and national organizations and the Presbyterian church.

Professor of religion

and was named vice president of the college in 1944.

When Diehl retired, the Board unanimously selected Rhodes to succeed him, and it proved to be an inspired choice. During his 16-year tenure at the helm, his major accomplishments included the addition of 10 buildings to campus (such as Burrow Library, Richard Halliburton Memorial Tower, Major William Neely Mallory Gymnasium, and Emma Denies Voorhies Hall), a jump in enrollment from 600 to 900, growth in assets from $5 million to $14 million, and increased buyin for the college’s mission from numerous

Dr. Laurence F. Kinney, meanwhile, was hard at work encouraging students to get out and engage with the community through service and volunteer work. His aim to match student interests and talents with the needs of the city became the foundation for the Laurence F. Kinney program, which has thrived for almost 70 years. Currently, 80 percent of students across all disciplines engage with communities locally and globally in areas ranging from hunger and homelessness to environmental and criminal justice reform. Partnerships with over 100 community partners mean that students at Rhodes will always have an outlet to harness their academic interests and personal values to the bene t of our community.

1954: Mallory Gym dedicated

1953: Burrow Library dedicated

1955: First Orgill Cup presented

1955: International Studies Programs begin

Peyton Nalle Rhodes

Laurence F. Kinney

Burrow Reading Room - 1954

Mallory Gym construction - 1954

Lynx Lair - 1952

1956-1965

In the ensuing years, Memphis was abuzz with change. A local singer by the name of Elvis Presley burst onto the scene with his RCA hit single “Heartbreak Hotel” and took the country by storm. Meanwhile, the city was getting used to the death of longtime political leader E.H. “Boss” Crump.

1956: Ellett Hall dedicated

1958: Catherine Burrow Refectory dedicated

1961: Bellingrath and Townsend Halls dedicated

1962: Moore Moore Building dedicated

1956: Danforth Program launched (now Kinney)

The Moore Moore Infirmary, made possible through a bequest of the late Dr. Moore Moore, Sr., beloved College Physician and Secretary of the Board of Directors from 1925 until his death in 1957, was dedicated June 2, 1962, as a memorial to his wife, Ethel Shirley Moore.

Into that political void had stepped new mayor Edmund Orgill, who had earlier helped the college secure $1 million in funding. A former trustee of the college, he is the namesake of the Edmund Orgill Trophy contested by Rhodes and Sewanee.

e Rhodes College campus that many know today truly began to take shape with a swath of beautiful new buildings. From 1956-1962, eight landmark structures popped up all over campus, including Ellett Hall, Catherine Burrow Refectory, Trezevant Hall, Margaret Townsend Hall, Bellingrath Hall, Gooch Hall, and the Moore Moore In rmary. Perhaps the most eye-catching addition came with the dedication of Halliburton Tower, named for famed Memphis explorer and travel writer Richard Halliburton.

e swift additions to campus re ected a growing student body. By the end of

the decade, the number of students had jumped from 600 to 900. at number was no doubt aided by the board’s decision in 1963 to admit all students on equal basis, regardless of race. And in 1964, the college’s rst two Black students, Coby Smith and Lorenzo Childress, enrolled in classes. As the Civil Rights movement was picking up steam around the country, many members of the Southwestern community elected to participate in “kneel ins” alongside Black and white students from local high schools and colleges, in support of the racial integration of local churches.

Having overseen substantial growth, President Rhodes called time on his Southwestern career in 1965. In his place, the board chose to appoint alumnus

Dr. John David Alexander ’53 as president. At 33, he was one of the youngest college presidents in the country. Other notable alumni news made the papers when U.S. President Lyndon Johnson appointed Abe Fortas ’30 to the U.S. Supreme Court.

On a somber note, the decade closed with the unfortunate passing of Dr. Charles Diehl on February 27, 1964.

1963: Board votes to admit all students on equal basis, regardless of race

1965: Dr. John David Alexander ’53 named college president

1962: Halliburton Tower dedicated; Rhodes joins Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

1965: Abe Fortas ’30 named to U.S. Supreme Court

Gooch Hall

John David Alexander ’53

Abe Fortas ’30

Townsend Hall construction - 1961

Edmund Orgill

All eyes turned to Memphis as it became the center of the Civil Rights movement in the South. Tensions had been escalating rapidly, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited several times in 1968 in support of the sanitation workers’ strike.

1966: Briggs Student Center dedicated

1968: Glassell Hall dedicted

1969: Black Student Association founded

1966: Mastodon remains uncovered in FJ excavation

1968: Frazier Jelke Science Center dedicated

On April 3, 1968, Dr. King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, delivered at the Bishop Charles Mason Temple, reverberated around the country, including to the near-50 Southwestern students who had marched in support of the strike. e next day brought one of the greatest American tragedies, as Dr. King was assassinated as he left his room at the Lorraine Motel.

At Southwestern, President Alexander continued to strive for improved race relations. He wanted to desegregate fraternities and sororities on campus. In 1969, the Black Student Association was founded. Change continued apace in other areas, too. Women’s dorm curfews were no more, chapel attendance became optional, dinner dress became more casual, and Saturday classes were abolished. Women’s Studies and Black Studies courses were both added to the curriculum and taught for the rst time. Students also aired the rst broadcast from the college radio station, WLYX.

Change even came to the president’s o ce this decade; not once, but twice. Alexander left for Pomona College in 1969 and was succeeded by Dr. William Lukens Bowden (after Rhodes had returned to the president’s chair for a brief interim stint).

Bowden’s tenure lasted only four years before James H. Daughdrill, Jr.—who caught the college’s eye when he accepted the position of Secretary of Stewardship for the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.—took the reins in 1973.

e campus footprint continued to expand. e omas W. Briggs Student Center, Alfred C. Glassell Hall, Frazier Jelke Science

Center, Kennedy Chemistry Hall, Buckman Library, Ruth Sherman Hyde Memorial Gymnasium for Women, and Clough Hall were all dedicated in the space of a few years. In a strange twist, campus excavation during Frazier Jelke’s construction had unearthed mastodon remains!

is decade, Southwestern also turned its eye towards establishing some longheld global programs. Professor Yerger Hunt Clifton created the “Southwestern at Oxford” summer program, which later turned into the popular “British Studies at Oxford.”

1970: William L. Bowden named college president; Southwestern at Oxford launched (later British Studies)

Glassell Hall dedication - 1968

William Bowden James Daughdrill

1973: James H. Daughdrill named college president

Black Student Association - 1970

First Rites of Spring weekend held

1976-1985

President Daughdrill did not waste any time making his mark on the college. Within his first year as president, he managed to erase the budget deficit and then the rising level of debt that threatened to erode the growth and stability the institution had built.

1977: Alburty Swimming Complex dedicated

1978: Seven buildings added to National Register of Historic Places

1980: Williford Hall dedicated

1980: Clarence Day Award established

President Daughdrill christens the new Alburty swimming pool in 1977, a gift from Bob and Emily Beale Alburty.

By the end of the decade, Daughdrill took on another challenge that had dogged the board for decades: renaming the college again.

Several months of intense discussion had raised a tough question. What kind of name could possibly encompass the quality, principles, and success that Diehl, and other Rhodes presidents, had championed? e answer, it turns out, had been there all along; name it after someone who had given more than 50 years of service, devotion, and scholarship to the college. e announcement was made in 1984 that the school would o cially become Rhodes College, and board chairman Frank M.

Mitchener, Jr. said, “We do not honor a benefactor in the traditional sense; rather, we honor one who has given his life to Southwestern.” Southwestern at Memphis had marked the institution as one of the top regional colleges. But the work put in by Rhodes, and his eventual successors, made it into the national contender it is today. Construction continued apace this decade, with dedications for Alburty Swimming Complex, Diehl Court, Robinson Hall, and McCoy eatre. e iconic statue of Diehl, created by sculptor Ted Rust, found its home in front of Burrow in 1983.

Daughdrill’s early tenure included the establishment of several awards to recognize the work done by members of the Rhodes community, both

those on campus and farther a eld. e rst Awards Convocation was held in 1977; 1980 saw the rst Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Teaching (Dr. Jack U. Russell, Mathematics) and Dean’s Award for Research and Creative Activity (Dr. John F. Copper, International Studies), followed in 1983 with the rst Distinguished Alumni Awards (Lewis Donelson ’38 and Dr. James Gladney ’38).

Students looking for a good time had become spoiled for choice. On campus, Rhodes’ Rites of Spring weekend was becoming a success. Around town, Memphis in May kicked o with the Beale Street Music Festival in 1977 and theater bu s could treat themselves to performances at the reopened Orpheum eatre or the new Playhouse on the Square.

Charles Diehl statue dedicated in front of Burrow

McCoy Theatre dedicated

Name changed to Rhodes College 1981: Peyton Nalle Rhodes Tower dedicated

First distinguished alumni awards presented

Hassell Hall dedicated

Escaped monkeys visit campus in 1976

McCoy Theatre

Southwestern at Memphis’ last class - 1984

Lynx Lair - 1984

1986-1995

With renewed vigor for the future, Rhodes College was doing better than ever amid steady financial growth in its seventh decade.

1987: Spann townhouses dedicated; Lynx sculpture completed; 10-year campaign concludes having raised $100

1986: Man course changes name to “Search”

1988: Diehl Society Award established (now Jameson M. Jones Award); student-run soup kitchen launches

1989: Alpha Kappa Alpha becomes first traditionally black sorority on campus

Rhodes Bonner Scholars, launched in 1992, traditionally wear red high tops at Commencement, as inspired by Mickey Babcock ’98, to illustrate their motto “Walk Loudly” in everything they do.

The Class of 1986’s 400 incoming students re ected the high volume of applications, and Rhodes bolstered its relationship with Memphis further by making overtures to local businesses.

e Excellence in Teaching Program saw Rhodes establish professorships with large local businesses such as Buckman Laboratories and FedEx. Meanwhile, the longtime three-term academic calendar was jettisoned in favor of a two-semester plan. And the college’s iconic Man course nally transformed into the Search curriculum that many alumni know today.

With a neatly structured fall and spring calendar, students found even more time to engage with Memphis, many under the umbrella of the burgeoning Kinney Program. Speaking to our student body’s long-held dedication and passion for service, some of the programs that sprung up in this decade were among the rst of their kind among college communities. Students

quickly established a Rhodes chapter of Habitat for Humanity, which still stands as one of the oldest college chapters in the country. e Bonner Scholars program, launched in 1992, promised nancial assistance to students who connected their academic interests and talents to civic engagement and service-based learning.

the St. John’s soup kitchen, taking the better part of the afternoon to prep, cook, and serve meals to people in need.

On the corner of Peabody and Bellevue in Midtown, a group of students gathered at St. John’s United Methodist Church in 1988. With an eye on tackling the poverty issue in Memphis, students joined forces with St. John’s to open Souper Contact. Today, it is the longestrunning studentled soup kitchen in the country. e program stands strong as a testament to Rhodes’ commitment to service. Many alumni currently working in the nonpro t sector spent much of their formative years at

Rhodes cast a more global eye during the decade, launching the Rhodes in Europe program in 1988 before students embarked on a rst-ever “alternative spring break” service trip to Mexico. Now, 65 percent of Rhodes students take advantage of overseas learning opportunities through semester-long internships, Maymesters, or exchange programs. e Mertie W. Buckman International Internship Program, established in 1994, continues to send ve or six students to live and work abroad every summer to countries including Ireland, Singapore, Argentina, and many others.

1992: Bonner Scholars program launched

1991: Buckman Hall dedicated

1992: President’s home at 91 Morningside acquired

1989: East Hall renamed Robinson Hall

Soup kitchen volunteers at St. John’s United Methodist Church in 1992

Habitat for Humanity - 1992

President’s House at 91 Morningside

Buckman Hall dedication - 1991

1996-2005

Students had become accustomed to seeing the college president around campus, with Daughdrill frequently sitting down at the Rat during lunch with his AT&T sign (Ask the President, Tell the President, and Talk to the President) for one-on-one chats with anyone interested. But in 1999, Daughdrill felt it was time to end his 26-year tenure. The college would soon embark on a bold new direction.

Into the fold came President William E. Troutt that same year, sporting a big smile and that trademark red bowtie. Troutt and the Board of Trustees adopted the Rhodes Vision in 2003, a set of guiding principles that set the college on its path to today: Student Access, Student Engagement, Student Learning, and Student Inspiration.

Excellence in both the classroom and beyond became dual-focuses; internships, fellowships, student research, studyabroad opportunities, and community service e orts all strengthened, while endowed faculty chairs and support, additional community partners, and fellowships would all contribute to enhancing the Rhodes College Experience. Engagement increased even further with

the implementation of the Center for Academic Research and Education through Service (CARES), a foundational umbrella organization that paved the way for many of our modern programs.

A partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was formalized in 2001; the St. Jude Summer Plus program continues to o er students research opportunities alongside world-class researchers, doctors, and medical facilities in Memphis, while St. Jude researchers frequently come to campus as guest professors, lecturers, and mentors. e Rhodes Institute for Regional Studies, Summer Service Fellowship, and Rhodes Student Travel Fund are but a few other recognizable names to emerge from CARES. No matter the eld, it’s commonplace to see Rhodes students out and about all over Memphis, assisting with

community e orts and furthering their own academic pursuits.

e campus would continue to grow, chie y with the addition of a beautiful new centerpiece. In 2001, Troutt secured a $35 million gift from the Paul Barret, Jr. Trust to complete the Paul Barret, Jr.

Library. Opened in August 2005, the largest single commitment in the history of Rhodes quickly became the beating heart of our campus. For the last 20 years, most students have spent plenty of time in the 140,000-square-foot space, studying for nals, taking classes, perusing the archives with Associate Director of Library Services Bill Short ’71, or stopping for a quick co ee in the Middle Ground. On the north end of campus, the Bryan Campus Life Center added large tness and recreation facilities, while the new and improved Lynx Lair provided a second dining option for students, faculty, and sta .

2002: Groundbreaking for Paul Barret, Jr. Library

2001: Partnership with St. Jude created; East Village opens

2003: Launch of Rhodes Institute for Regional Studies

2005: Paul Barret, Jr. Library opens; Adrienne McMillan Burns Labyrinth dedicated

Wiliam Troutt

Bryan Campus Life Center

2006-2015

Ninety years in Memphis, and the bond with the city was rock solid. Students continued to venture off campus for work and for play, with a wealth of new options to enrich both their academic and social lives.

2006: Faculty implement new curriculum; Mike Curb Institute for Music established

2007: Crossroads to Freedom launched 2009: Burrow Library reopens as Burrow Hall

2010: Winston Wolf Track & Field Complex dedicated

2009: Irwin Laino Stadium at Stau er Field dedicated

The city continued to thrive, led by a development boom taking place in Downtown Memphis. e FedExForum had opened in 2004 to host home NBA games for the recently arrived Memphis Grizzlies team. Led by Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, and Tony Allen, the team’s Grit and Grind era swept the city and the league, manifesting in Memphis’ “Grind City” nickname that paid tribute to Memphians’ hardworking and resilient spirit. Large organizations like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital continued to increase their local footprint.

Closer to campus, a revitalized Overton Square welcomed visitors with restaurants, theater, and live music. Broad Avenue began the process of lling vacant storefronts, activating more than 70 shops, restaurants, and galleries into a bustling arts district.

And Rhodes students had more avenues than ever before to engage with Memphis’ rich culture. e Mike Curb Institute

for Music launched to connect students with the city’s musical legacy, o ering partnerships with notable recording studios and teaching everything from sound editing to songwriting. e Curb Institute’s work consistently earns national recognition for Rhodes as a “top music business school.”

Rhodes established the Memphis Center in 2012, building on the work started with Rhodes CARES.

Dr. Charles Hughes, associate professor of history and urban studies, took the reins as executive director in 2015, and spent the following decade honing the organization into an

all-access hub for collaboration between Rhodes and its many community partners, which empowers students to have a positive impact on Memphis.

To be a Rhodes student is to also be a student of Memphis and its history. envice president for college relations and vice president of external programs Dr. Russ Wigginton ’88, now president of the National Civil Rights Museum, launched Crossroads for Freedom, a digital archive of primary sources, documents, and interviews detailing Memphis’ history. e archives encompassed everything from Memphis neighborhoods to the Mid-South Civil Rights Movement.

e decade also saw the establishment of notable scholarship opportunities. the Clarence Day Scholarship debuted to recognize and retain high-achieving students from Memphis. e Steve and Riea Laino Crop Trust Fellowship in Honor of Cary Fowler ’71 originated in 2013 with an eye on global conservancy and agricultural biodiversity e orts. e numerous scholarships and fellowships available made not just Memphis, but the world, an extension of Rhodes’ multidisciplinary, liberal arts approach.

2011: Clarence Day Scholars program launched

2012: Memphis Center launches; West Village opens; Crain Field dedicated

2013: College purchases Evergreen Presbyterian Church; Mason Field dedicated

2015: Campaign for Rhodes concludes with $314.5 million raised

2011: Southern Athletic Association founded

West Village

D2016-2025

Surging towards its Memphis centennial, Rhodes continued to rack up historic milestones. Among those achievements, the college also adapted to face an unforeseen crisis that changed everything. But before that, the decade opened with a change in leadership when President Troutt announced his retirement in July 2017.

r. Marjorie Hass arrived from Austin College to succeed Troutt and become the college’s rst female president. Soon after she joined, Rhodes secured a gift to transition the Memphis Center into the Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center.

e college’s community commitment extended even further. Professor of Religious Studies Steve Haynes founded the Liberal Arts in Prison Program in 2016, bringing the Search curriculum, a bedrock of the Rhodes education, to incarcerated women in the West Tennessee State Penitentiary system. As of 2025, 40 faculty members from 12 departments, in addition to

numerous student volunteers, have expanded these course o erings to include everything from biology, to philosophy, to Ancient Mediterranean studies.

Marjorie Hass

Everything came to a halt in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe. e novel coronavirus strain saw the federal government adopt shelter-in-place guidelines, and hangouts with friends, classrooms, and handshakes gave way to Zoom meetings, face masks, and social distancing. Everyday life paused while scientists raced to create a vaccine. College faculty, sta , and students showed their resilience as they adjusted to a remote college

2016: Liberal Arts in Prison program launched

2017: Dr. Marjorie Hass named the college’s first female president

2018: Memphis Center renamed Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center

2019: Palmer Hall renamed “Southwestern Hall”

2017: Robertson Hall and McNeill Concert Hall dedicated

experience, holding classes via video calls and even attending a virtual graduation. Here in Memphis, Baptist Memorial Hospital’s Dr. Stephen relkeld ’86 became the face of the city’s COVID response and partnered with Rhodes to craft a safe returnto-campus plan. After further ups and downs, students returned to campus full-time in 2022, a semblance of normality nally settling over the college once again.

In July 2022, Rhodes welcomed Jennifer M. Collins as its 21st president, who enmeshed herself within the Rhodes culture while working to get the school back on track after the

SOCIAL DISTANCING

pandemic. Her e orts have centered on continuing to make Rhodes re ective of its host city. She quickly coordinated a task force to rethink the structure of community engagement across campus. is saw the Turley Memphis Center recreated as e Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center for Community Engagement, acting as a managing hub for students, faculty, and sta working with over 260 organizations. Changes were afoot with a few of the Collegiate Gothic buildings on campus as a new science building across the lawn by Paul Barret, Jr. Library opened its doors. e stateof-the-art Robertson Hall—named for Lola ’33 and Charles Robertson, Sr. ’29, parents of Rhodes Trustee Charles W. Robertson, Jr. ’65, in honor of their dedication to the sciences—is like no other on campus, integrating the classic Collegiate Gothic charm with a modern all-glass entrance feature. Dedicated in August 2017, the 55,000-square-foot building hosts the

biology and chemistry departments, and features six teaching labs, ve research labs, and three classrooms.

In 2018-2019, Haynes led a campus committee through extensive historical research into Palmer Hall and its namesake, Benjamin Palmer, who held views inconsistent with the Rhodes Vision. After the committee presented its ndings, the board voted to rename the campus’ oldest and most central building “Southwestern Hall.”

In summer 2024, Rhodes unveiled the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Plaza, which acts as a tribute to the nine historically African-American fraternities and sororities. Chapter members both local and regional ocked to campus for the unveiling of the student-led project.

When Diehl moved the college to Memphis a century ago, he did so in the hope that it could attract a diverse student body for an academically rigorous and culturally enriching experience. One hundred years on, and the college remains committed to upholding and honing his ideals.

2020: Campus is vacated due to the COVID-19 pandemic; first virtual commencement held.

2020: Amy Coney Barrett ’94 becomes the college’s second Supreme Court justice

NPHC Plaza

Jennifer Collins

Classes of 2020 and 2021 commencement exercises were held at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

William Troutt

the next 100 years

What does another century in Memphis look like?

As the centennial festivities continue throughout the year and the Rhodes community celebrates everything that makes the college so special, the faculty, sta , and college administration linger on one key question: How do we make the next 100 years as special as the rst? Dr. Charles Diehl’s vision for an institution of higher learning closely intertwined with its host city has been realized, but there’s no time to rest on any laurels. Challenges face higher education institutions around the country, and Rhodes is well-placed to ourish for the next 100 years and beyond.

“We’re always looking to rea rm that Rhodes is a community treasure, a real community asset in Memphis,” says President Jennifer Collins. “And it’s worth reminding people that we provide a transformative education that helps shape and develop leaders of character and integrity in whatever eld they choose to pursue.”

Rhodes is approaching its career and professional development program with renewed vigor, building on the alreadyexcellent Career Services o ce while aiming to provide one of the best experiences of its kind in the country. “We’re always

“We’re always looking to expand. We have every asset necessary to do that thanks to our good fortune of being in a vibrant city such as Memphis.”

looking to expand,” says President Collins. “We have every asset necessary to do that thanks to our good fortune of being in a vibrant city such as Memphis. If you want to go to medical school, we say come

here and experience an incredible research opportunity at St. Jude, Le Bonheur, Methodist, or Church Health, or utilize our Health Professions Advising program and the incredible opportunity to do research with our own faculty in their labs, and you’ll be as prepared for medical school as any student in the country.

“If you want to be a vet, come intern at the Memphis Zoo; if you want to be a lawyer, come work at a social justice organization in Memphis or in the court system. We provide these boundless opportunities for students to successfully pursue the careers they want. And I want to do everything we can to double down and expand on those opportunities even further.”

In academic affairs, the focus remains on maintaining an outstanding faculty who engage in interdisciplinary work, and adapting the curriculum to a rapidly changing world. Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Timothy Huebner reflects on his time at Rhodes and how the college will grow. “The world has changed a lot in the 30 years I’ve been here, and it will surely change much more in the next hundred years. But we are in a very strong position to navigate and to embrace those changes, whatever they are.”

Over the last 10 years, Rhodes has consistently incorporated new majors and

avenues of study. A new data analytics major showcases the signature interdisciplinary approach with concentrations in 13 different departments, tasking students to analyze real-world data to think about social, political, environmental, and ethical issues. The modern Media Studies Program analyzes with a critical eye the large volume of film, tv, and social media content that we consume on an everyday basis. A new law and society minor, set to roll out this fall, combines history, political science, philosophy, and English.

“We are equipped to adapt to student interest, to changing times, to social and cultural forces that have changed the country,” says Huebner. “But our bedrock values as a liberal arts college will not change.” With around 67 percent of Rhodes faculty having tenure, there is a strong academic foundation on which professors can frequently discuss, exchange, and collaborate on ideas.

Huebner credits that stability with Rhodes’ ability to adapt to any challenge that may come its way. While new technology has

“We are equipped to adapt to student interest, to changing times, to social and cultural forces that have changed the country. But our bedrock values as a liberal arts college will not change.”

always changed how things are done, artifical intelligence has provided a huge challenge to many industries, especially higher education. As institutions seek the right answer for how to integrate AI into the classroom, Associate Professor of Art Miriam Clinton will be joining the academic affairs office as associate dean for teaching, learning, and emerging technologies. Her role, she says, will be to “research technological advancements that can enable us to reach out to our students in new ways and work to bring the best of those new technologies to our college.” Clinton, with a background in the humanities, will tackle the college’s approach to AI with a true liberal arts lens.

“If there’s any type of institution that ought to be able to figure out how to navigate artificial intelligence, it’s a place like ours,” adds Huebner. “One that operates on a small scale where faculty work closely with students every day and can mentor, guide, control, and advise students as they’re using these new tools.”

Stability also means there are always new ideas to bolster the curriculum. “Building out a computer engineering program is one such idea,” says Huebner. Faculty have also cast their eye further afield, with interest in building a Center for Democracy and Civil Discourse. Such a program would include a new Maymester in Washington, D.C., that could evolve into a full semester program.

“A democracy and civil discourse center would provide new avenues to explore modern social and political issues,” says Huebner. “And we’re always looking to build programs like this. The new Spence Wilson Center for Interdisciplinary Humanities is one we’re thrilled to have, and we’re also exploring an expanded center

for data analytics that would allow us to have teams of students solve issues in Memphis with data.”

“What won’t change is our commitment to excellence, and that goes all the way back to Diehl,” says Huebner. “You can go out to his statue and think of this idea of building an institution that would last for generations to come. You wrap all those things up together that we do well— an excellent faculty, an outstanding student body, a beautiful campus in a vibrant city—that is Charles Diehl’s vision. That’s what we’re doing 100 years later, and that’s what we’ll do for the next 100 years.”

Dr. Timothy Huebner

RHODESNIGHT AT THESHELL FEATURING

MUNEER

Celebrate 100 Years in Memphis alongside fellow alumni with a lively concert at the Overton Park Shell!

Thursday, October 23, 7:00 p.m.

Overton Park Shell

Sponsored by Truist

For

NASSER

THE RHODES JAZZ ENSEMBLE AND THE

RHODES

FACULTY PLAYERS

Faculty Bookshelf

The Ends of Knowledge – Seth

Rudy

Bringing together an exciting group of knowledge workers, scholars, and activists from across fields, The Ends of Knowledge revisits a foundational question of the Enlightenment: What is “the last or furthest end of knowledge?” It is a book about why we do what we do, and how we might know when we are done.

In the reorganization of knowledge that characterized the Enlightenment, disciplines were conceived as having particular “ends,” both in terms of purposes and endpoints. Focusing on areas including artificial intelligence, computing, biology, Black studies, literary studies, physics, political activism, and the concept of disciplinarity itself, contributors uncover a life after disciplinarity for subjects that face immediate threats to the structure if not the substance of their contributions.

Immigration, Policy and the People of Latin America: Seven Sending Nations – Michael LaRosa

Authored by Donati

Law attorney Bryce Ashby ’00 and professor of history

Michael LaRosa, Immigration, Policy and the People of Latin America: Seven Sending Nations explores the U.S. immigration story in depth, focusing on recent history (from 1921 to the present) and “the internal story” of seven sending nations.

Beyond Disciplines: African Perspectives on Theory and Method

– Wanjala S. Nasong’o

SUMMER 2025

Critical Pedagogy and the Trouble with Consciousness Raising – Zac Casey

Dr. Zachary A. Casey’s new book incisively argues that consciousness-raising work in formal educational settings over the past three decades has largely failed to advance social justice. By critiquing consciousness raising as an end in itself, Casey employs a Marxist framework to highlight how consciousness raising alone cannot alter material conditions and realities. Advocating for a materialist critical pedagogy that revisits Freirean principles of praxis and dialogue, the author proceeds to outline a politics of redistribution to invigorate future critical educational projects. Critical Pedagogy and the Trouble with Consciousness Raising will appeal to scholars and researchers interested in critical pedagogy, the sociology of education, critical theory, and the philosophy of education.

This edited volume addresses the question as to the extent to which we can go beyond disciplinary boundaries in order to produce knowledge on Africa that is emancipatory and transformational.

Judeophobia and the New Testament: Texts and Contexts – Sarah Rollens

Rhodes College facilitated the project by offering funding and a part-time student researcher, Gwen Williams ’24. Through Zoom and personal interviews, they spoke to folks from all seven nations who have traveled to (and live in) the USA. “Unfortunately, we envisioned the current national assault on immigrant communities in America and created fictitious names for all interviewees featured in the book.”

Authored by scholars from multiple disciplinary backgrounds based at institutions across three continents, the book underscores the imperative significance of emancipatory and transformational epistemologies. It demonstrates that the production of such epistemologies is contingent upon collaborative knowledge production projects across epistemic communities. Readers will find the volume enriching in its epistemological content, transformational in its critical orientation, and emancipatory in its practical implications.

This eye-opening collection of essays is essential reading for anyone concerned about the ways that Christian scripture has been used—both in the past and the present—in service of anti-Semitism. The authors seek to identify, contextualize, and problematize New Testament “Judeophobia,” a broad heading that encompasses anti-Semitism, supersessionism, and various discriminatory practices against Jews at different points in history.

While the book is designed primarily as a resource for teachers and students, Judeophobia seeks to help New Testament scholars account for Judeophobic interpretations, take responsibility for them, and encourage the discipline to work against its own role in rising anti-Jewish rhetoric and violence.

Voices and Visions: Essays on New Orleans’s Literary History

– Leslie Petty

Spanning over 200 years of literature, Voices and Visions includes canonical, contemporary, and experimental writers, from antebellum works like Martin R. Delany’s novel, Blake, and the poetry of Les Cenelles to Patricia Smith’s recent collection of poems, Blood Dazzler

Scholars treat enduring themes—race, gender, religion, disease, art—but do so in the context of emerging conversations: New Orleans as part of the global South and the Black diaspora, the transformation of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and the recovery of previously lost voices, including those of Native Americans and immigrants, not to mention the legacy of pandemics and racial violence that in more recent years has been manifest in the COVID-19 outbreak and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Sacred Wonderland: The History of Religion in Yellowstone

– Thomas S. Bremer

Since its beginning in 1872, Yellowstone National Park has been a repository of meanings and aspirations for the people of the U.S., an alluring destination with significance beyond its stunning mountain scenery, abundant wildlife, and the world’s largest collection of thermal features. Sacred Wonderland: The History of Religion in Yellowstone treats the various religious elements of Yellowstone with chapters arranged in chronological order, each focusing on a particular element of the park’s religious history. Beginning in the 19th century as the young nation discovered “the nakedness of our sleeping Yellowstone Beauty” in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains, it continues into the 21st century with an unconventional church community adjacent to the park’s northwest boundary.

Instructional Cinema and African Audiences in Colonial Kenya, 1926-1963

– Samson Kaunga Ndanyi

In Instructional Cinema and African Audiences in Colonial Kenya, 1926–1963, author Samson Kaunga Ndanyi argues against the colonial logic instigating that films made for African audiences in Kenya influenced them to embrace certain elements of western civilization but Africans had nothing to offer in return.

Contrary to this understanding, African viewers were active participants in the discourse of cinema in Kenya, forcing the colonial government to reconsider the way it produced films.

Instructional cinema first emerged as a tool to “educate” and “modernize” Africans, but it transformed into a contestable space of cultural and political power, a space that both sides appropriated to negotiate power and actualize their abstract ideas.

Love for the Land

– Brooks Lamb ’17

Love for the Land: Lessons from Farmers Who Persist in Place explores the power and potential of people-place relationships. Through clear and compelling prose, it elevates the virtues of imagination, affection, and fidelity—concepts promoted by farmerwriter Wendell Berry—and shows how they motivate small-scale farmers to care for the land, even in the face of adversity. Drawing from in-depth interviews and hands-on experiences in two changing rural communities, Lamb shares stories and sacrifices from dozens of farmers, local leaders, agricultural service providers, and land conservationists.

With a refreshing, accessible, and engaging approach, he argues that these resilient and often overlooked farmers show rural and urban people alike a way forward, one that serves people, places, and the planet.

Hybrid Healing – Lori Garner

Through combinations of instructive prose and incantatory verse, liturgical rituals and herbal recipes, Latinate learning and oral tradition, the Old English remedies offer hope not only for bodily ailments, but also for such dangers as solitary travel, swarming bees, and stolen cattle. Hybrid healing works from the premise that the tremendous diversity of Old English medical texts requires an equally diverse range of interpretative methodologies. This exploration of early medicine offers close readings tailored specifically to individual remedies, drawing from a plant biology, archaeology, classical rhetoric, folkloristics, and disability studies. Hybrid Healing argues that the healing power of individual remedies ultimately derives from a dynamic and unpredictable process that is at once both deeply traditional and also everchanging.

Making A Difference Rhodes Alumni in Memphis

Jen Andrews ’06

CEO, Shelby Farms Park Conservancy

Memphis is fortunate to be home to one of the largest urban parks in the country in Shelby Farms Park. It’s a massive undertaking to keep such a large and beautiful public space in pristine condition, but Jen Andrews and her team at the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy have proven able hands at maintaining community assets. Along with the park, Andrews manages the Greenline, the paved urban walking and bike trail that connects the city from Midtown to Cordova.

Autumn Cartmill Chastain ’98

Founder, Thistle and

Bee

A“Since our inception, we’ve invested more than $70 million in park improvements, tripled visits, and secured a conservation easement that protects the park,” says Andrews. “Public parks are our common ground—places we all come together as equals across all boundaries. e work we do in our public spaces is a re ection of values, and Memphis deserves great parks.”

Darrell Cobbins ’97 Founder, Universal Commercial Real Estate

Having grown up observing his grandfather’s real estate business, Darrell Cobbins decided to blaze his own trail in the industry. In 2007 he founded Universal Commercial Real Estate, the rst black-owned commercial real estate rm in Memphis.

At Rhodes, Cobbins recalls that “the instructor-student relationship felt like I was being poured into and expected to do something with it.” He now strives to be a “bridge builder of relationships and connections.” Cobbins was the recipient of the BSA Distinguished Alumni Award in 2024.

In Memphis, he became the youngest-ever chairman of the Memphis Light, Gas & Water board of commissioners; since being selected by then-governor Bill Haslam in 2017, Cobbins has also represented the 9th Congressional District on the Tennessee State Board of Education. Cobbins has served on the boards of notable Memphis organizations for the last two decades, including the National Civil Rights Museum and the Brooks Museum of Art, and is a current member of the Rhodes Board of Trustees.

t istle and Bee, Autumn Chastain is dedicated to empowering women survivors of prostitution, tra cking, and addiction. As an attorney with over two decades of experience in child welfare and anti-tra cking, she brings a trauma-informed, systems-aware approach to every initiative she leads. rough her leadership, Chastain has expanded therapeutic services beyond residential care, launching a community clinic that o ers accessible mental health support to those aging out of foster care and survivors of exploitation.

“Rhodes ignited a passion for community, inspiring me to make a meaningful impact in Memphis,” says Chastain. “I’m driven by a belief in healing through dignity, not charity—creating spaces where survivors are empowered, not just safe, and real change can take root creating generational change.”

W.J. Michael Cody ’58 (1936-2024)

Attorney, Burch, Porter & Johnson; former Tennessee Attorney General

Mike Cody had a tremendous impact on Memphis during his six-decade career in law, government, and politics. He joined Burch, Porter & Johnson in 1961 and was part of a legal team that represented Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his e ort to have a second march in support of striking sanitation workers. Soon after King’s assassination, Cody started Memphis Area Legal Services to give assistance to people unable to a ord a lawyer.

Cody went on to serve on the Memphis City Council and was the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee from 1977-1981; he became the Attorney General of Tennessee in 1984, arguing four cases before the U.S. Supreme Court during those years.

His work for racial reconciliation in the city and the way he helped people on opposite sides come to a consensus created a lasting legacy in Memphis.

He received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016 and was named to the Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

Lewis R. Donelson, III ’38 (1917-2018)

Founder & Attorney, Baker Donelson

Lewis R. Donelson, III co-founded the law rm Donelson & Adams in 1954. e rm grew steadily through the years, merging with several smaller rms, including that of Senator Howard Baker. Baker Donelson, as it is now known, is a top national law rm with more than 750 attorneys and advisors in 23 o ces in 10 states.

Kristin Fox-Trautman ’98

Executive Director, Samaritan Counseling Centers of the Mid-South

ADonelson believed deeply in the value of education for everyone. In 1988, he represented a group of 77 rural schools in a suit to force the State of Tennessee to adequately fund public schools in poorer districts. As a result of his work, in 1993 the Tennessee Supreme Court unanimously ruled the state’s system of funding public education was unconstitutional.

Donelson was presented with Rhodes’ rst Distinguished Alumni Award in 1983.

Sally Jones Heinz ’81

President and CEO, Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA)

MIFA was founded in September 1968 in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, drawing together an interracial, multicultural group of faith and community leaders to tackle poverty, hunger, and racism in Memphis. Heinz leads those e orts today, with MIFA supporting the independence of vulnerable seniors and families in crisis through high-impact programs that reach 30,000 people in Memphis and Shelby County each year.

A few of their many programs include Meals on Wheels, Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Hotline for Homeless Families, and Family Shelter Placement. MIFA’s role in the community has always been exible, adapting to changing community needs for neighbors, foundations, and government partners.

“I believe all of us have the right to basic human needs,” says Heinz. “Only when those needs are met can an individual, a family, and a community thrive. I am grateful to Rhodes for valuing community service and for preparing me to do this work.”

s executive director of Samaritan, Kristin Fox-Trautman works to increase access to a ordable, high-quality mental health counseling for those who need it most. “I’m motivated to do this work because one in ve adults su ers from a mental health challenge at any given time,” says Fox-Trautman, “and suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 24.”

Samaritan o ers a sliding-scale fee structure for those who may not be able to a ord treatment, and raises funds in the community to o set those costs. Samaritan also o ers free awareness events throughout the Mid-South to destigmatize mental health. Fox-Trautman is also the founder of the Binghampton neighborhood’s Inspire Community Café, a restaurant and collaborative workspace that advocates for social justice and dedicates its pro ts toward nonpro t organizations.

Marion Keisker ’38 (1917-1989) Producer, Sun Records

Marion Keisker MacInnes was a radio show host, station manager, U.S. Air Force o cer, and assistant to Sam Phillips at Sun Records. She is best known for being the rst person to record Elvis Presley. She was alone in the o ce of Sun Records when Presley recorded two songs, “My Happiness” and “ at’s When Your Heartaches Begin,” for a fee of $3.25. Her exchange with Presley on that occasion has since become part of Elvis lore: “I said, ‘What kind of singer are you?’ He said, ‘I sing all kinds.’ I said, ‘Who do you sound like?’ He said, ‘I don’t sound like nobody.’” She famously made herself a note after recording his demo: “Good ballad singer-Hold.”

Keisker took an active role in the burgeoning feminist movement, becaming a co-founder and early president of the city’s chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Like its counterparts across the country, Memphis’ NOW branch advocated for women’s rights to access, equality, and protection.

Lauren Kennedy ’08 Owner,

Sheet Cake Gallery

At Sheet Cake Gallery, Lauren Kennedy works to showcase and uplift artists operating mainly in Memphis and the MidSouth area, with a special focus on women, queer artists, and artists of color. Her previous efforts as head of the UrbanArt Commision resulted in $6 million invested in public art projects and commisioned work from over 40 local artists for a variety of spaces around Memphis.

David

Lusk

’87

Owner, David Lusk Gallery

Thirty years ago, David Lusk wanted a space where he could showcase contemporary art in Memphis. He decided that the best way would be through opening his very own gallery where he could uplift and sell work by local and regional artists; since then, the David Lusk Gallery, with locations now in both Memphis and Nashville, spotlights local and national artists and speaks to Lusk’s reach in the contemporary art scene.

Kennedy serves on the board of Contemporary Arts Memphis, a nonprofit dedicated to creating educational opportunities for young artists in their final years of high school.

Her work in the public art sector is for the reward of “seeing people’s world expand through encountering art, and artists getting paid!”

“I work with many artists, several of whom live in or near Memphis,” says Lusk. “My role (beyond just selling work) is marketing my artists’ visions. In doing so, I connect with the media, organizations, museums, collectors, and arts-appreciators to show what creativity might be.”

Over the decades, Lusk’s passion for art has kept the gallery thriving. “What I really like seeing is what artists make. And seeing somebody respond to an artist’s work is extremely satisfying and exciting for me.”

Johnny Moore ’88

Tennessee Regional President, Truist

One of the biggest names in Memphis banking, Johnny Moore has spent three decades working at recognizable Mid-South financial institutions through Truist Financial, SunTrust Bank (now Truist), and the National Bank of Commerce. He formerly served as Market President for the Memphis Region.

Moore’s civic influence stretches to the many local boards of directors on which he sits: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, the National Civil Rights Museum, and Memphis Tomorrow. He also is a member of the Promise Academy Board of Trustees.

He has stayed connected to Rhodes through his service on the Board of Trustees. He and his wife, Merry, are patrons in the Charles E. Diehl Society, and Moore was instrumental in the creation of the new National Pan-hellenic Council Plaza on campus. Moore received the BSA Distinguished Alumni Award in 2003.

Leslie Reddick ’82

Performing Arts Teacher/Director, Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal School & Classical Theatre of Memphis

Everyone who’s anyone in the Memphis theater scene will likely recognize the name Leslie Reddick. The veteran director has been coordinating shows for almost three decades, educating students on the finer points of stagecraft and shepherding them to greater heights. Currently, she teaches middle school students at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal School, and it’s no surprise to later see her directing those same students down the line in professional productions.

Having enrolled at Rhodes with her mind set on becoming a lawyer, some early acting classes quickly changed her mind. Under the stewardship of mentors such as longtime theater professor Cookie Ewing, Reddick knew that pursuing theater was the right future for her.

“Now with all my current and future students, I want to ‘pay-it-forward’ what my mentors gave to me,” says Reddick. “The compassion, discipline, professionalism, and freedom to completely become the artist I was meant to be. I am grateful to all my mentors, and I hope I’m making them proud.”

Priya Tummalapalli ’22

Regional Liaison – Africa and India, ALSAC-St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

While Priya Tummalapalli’s work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital casts a global eye, she still makes plenty of time to support local Memphis organizations. At St. Jude, her main focus is to support foundation-level advancement in Africa and South Asia, providing strategic guidance and direction to improve childhood cancer survival rates across the world.

“Re ecting on my journey, I see a higher power guiding me,” says Tummalapalli. “My community, Rhodes, and faith called me to act, to be the one who commits to good acts. e Clarence Day Scholars Program prepared me well, and I’m grateful to our alumni and Day’s generosity.”

In Memphis, Tummalapalli lends her expertise to Memphis public schools. Some of her accomplishments include founding the Blu Orchards Community Garden at White Station High School, of which she is an alumna, and supporting the Whitehaven STEM building campaign.

Russ Wigginton ’88

President, National Civil Rights Museum

Returning to his alma mater as a professor in 1996, Dr. Russ Wigginton taught in the history department; served as special assistant to the president, vice president for student life, and dean of students, among other administrative roles; launched the Crossroads to Freedom project; and guided many students to their next steps after college. Today, he serves on the Rhodes Board of Trustees.

Wigginton was selected to lead the National Civil Rights Museum in 2021. “Working at the National Civil Rights Museum provides a platform by which to lift up the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as highlight the courageous work of everyday people who refused to not accept injustice,” says Wigginton. “ ese lessons of the past remain relevant today, as we continue to seek respect and dignity for all people in Memphis and beyond.” Wigginton was the recipient of the Rhodes BSA Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001, the Distinguished Service Medal in 2019, and the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2022.

Rush Waller ’83

Chief Medical O icer, Le Bonheur Children’s Research Hospital

As the rst pediatric interventional cardiologist in Memphis, Rush Waller made his name treating patients with congenital heart disease. His leadership has strengthened Le Bonheur Heart Institute’s level of care for patients and improved sta throughout the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare system. In his role as chief medical o cer, Waller continues his commitment to serve all citizens of Memphis, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

Waller’s community work extends to his training of new students and residents at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and through his membership on the board of directors at Binghampton’s Carpenter Art Garden. “ ere are many professors and friends at Rhodes who inspired me to do this work,” says Waller. “And I continue to be motivated to serve the community of Memphis by both my Christian faith and my heritage as a Memphian to keep this city strong.”

Jocelyn Wurzburg ’62

Founder, Jocelyn Wurzburg, J.D. Mediation Services

Communication is key to resolving an issue, and there are few better in Memphis at facilitating a dialogue than Jocelyn Wurzburg.

As the city’s rst professional mediator, she is known as a pioneering gure for law practice and mediation in Memphis.

With mediation as the preferred alternate dispute resolution process in Memphis and frequently being used in the court system, Wurzburg has carved out her career by sorting out problems before they need to go to trial, avoiding drawn-out issues and expensive litigation.

“Mediation empowers disputants to solve their problem, rather than a third party telling them what to do,” says Wurzburg. “After seeing the negative e ects of litigation, I just knew there had to be a better way. Rhodes gave me a ‘wider view’ to be open to civil, women’s, and human rights and DEI perspectives through my career.”

Commencement 2025 saw Rhodes confer an honorary Doctor of Sciences to Dr.

and an

R.

COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES

of the

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SIXTH SESSION of Rhodes College

Warm spring weather washed over campus as President Jennifer Collins welcomed students, their families, and faculty to the 176th Commencement at Rhodes College on May 17. During the college’s centennial year in Memphis, 529 undergraduates, the largest class in the college’s history, honored tradition by taking their first steps over the Rhodes seal in Southwestern Hall as they walked towards Fisher Memorial Garden to receive diplomas.

e college conferred its Distinguished Service Medal, in recognition of individuals with outstanding service to the greater community, to Associate Director of Library Services Bill Short ’71

James

Downing P’06, CEO of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital;

honorary Doctor of Humanities to Luther D. Ivory, former Rhodes professor of religious studies and director of the African American Studies program.

Hannah Meit ’25 received the Peyton Nalle Rhodes Phi Beta Kappa Award, the college’s highest academic honor.

LEGACY PHOTO

Front row, from left to right: Tracy Vezina Patterson ’84, Samantha Patterson ’25, Mischa White ’25, Martha McKellar Steele ’67, Peggy Kirk Courtney ’79, William Courtney ’25, Brad Broadaway ’85, Lily Broadaway ’25, Bella Kieklak ’25, Lily Spencer ’25, Madeleine Halford ’25, and Hannah Halford ’14

Middle row, from left to right: Courtney Link Cullom ’18, Connor Cullom ’25, Alexandra Cullom ’23, omas Cullom ’18, Michelle Gessler Dassinger ’98, Barton Dassinger ’98, Sarah Dassinger ’25, Olivia DiLillo ’25, David DiLillo ’89, Kristen Pryor Brown ’91, Mary Esten Brown’25, Randal Brown ’91, Ken Kieklak ’89, Lydia Henegar Spencer ’87, Samantha Biden Duke ’87, Callie Hollis ’25, Sherrie Keeney Hollis ’87, Wasif Abdullah ’24, Catherine Hayden ’82, Catherine Summers ’25, Emily Newsom Cook ’92, and Tyler Cook ’25

Back row, from left to right: Nicki Soule ’93, Mary Gara Nix ’93, Carol Ellis Morgan ’76, Matthew Jackoski ’16, Nickolaus Jackoski ’25, omas LeMaster ’24, John LeMaster ’24, Cathy Cotham Harris ’84, Tony Jarnigan ’90, Ella Jarnigan ’25, Randy Graham ’92, Daniel Graham ’25, Sage Lambert Graham ’89, Josie Tilley ’22, Anna Tilley ’25, Jane Golden ’25, Jim Golden ’85, David Cook ’91, Will Braam ’25, Nancy Braam Little ’93, and John Little ’93

Frankie Dakin ’14, City Manager of Millington, TN, delivered the 2025 Baccalaureate Address to graduates.

e 2025 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards were presented to graduating students Hope Robinson and Sana Zein-Sabbato and retiring Director of Career Services Sandi George Tracy P’19.

2021 photo of the rst Posse cohort

e rst cohort of Posse Scholars, inaugurated at Rhodes in the 2021-22 school year, received their diplomas at Commencement. From l to r (front row): Stuart Keen, Mae Anderson, Tatyna Denton, Esther Ballesteros, Alex Torres; (back row) Michelle Navarrete, Ximena Wilson, Andy Chai, and Iesha Phillips

Faculty, sta , members of the Alumni Association Executive Board, and alumni family members of the soon-to-be-graduates served champagne and sparkling juice to members of the Class of 2025 at the traditional Senior Class Toast in Fisher Memorial Garden. Rhodes Alumni Association President Melanie Elliott Hillard ’92 o cially welcomed the group into the Rhodes College International Alumni Association.

2025 RHODES COLLEGE HALL OF FAME

Six graduating seniors were added to Rhodes College’s Hall of Fame on the second oor of Southwestern Hall: Keith Adams, Shanteise Bonds, Anh Duy Hoàng, Dylan Morris, Anna Yates, and Sana Zein-Sabatto.

A brief ag presentation ceremony was held prior to graduation to commemorate the commissioning of Rhodes graduating ROTC cadets. Each ag was own over the Rhodes campus in honor of the commissioning of each new o cer. (l to r) Men’s Football Coach Rich Duncan, who serves as sta liaison to the ROTC program; Martin T. Maxim, 2d Lt USAF; Logan Diggs, 2LT Army; omas Conroy, 2ndLt Marine Corps, and President Jennifer Collins

Members of the Rhodes Baseball team celebrated their Commencement several days later, on May 19 in the Paul Barret, Jr. Library, after competing in the NCAA Tournament. (l to r): Quinn Blackman, Corbin Kinder, Mick Arney, Ben Burkhart, and Malcolm Rohl ng

class notes

Did you graduate prior to 1957 and have news you would love to share?

Please send your news to:

Tracy V. Patterson ’84, P’22, Senior Gift Planning O cer, Director of Corporate Relations Rhodes College, 2000 N. Parkway Memphis, TN 38112

Email: pattersont@rhodes.edu

If you are not receiving requests for updates from your Class Reporter, please send your e-mail address to alumni@rhodes.edu. You may also need to add your Class Reporter’s email address to your list of contacts.

1956

David Eades ’82 writes that his father, Joe Eades, lives an active life at the St. Paul Senior Living Community in Nashville, leading the

center’s exercise classes and making the most of its many activity o erings.

1957

Reporter: Mary Frances Files Silitch silitch@gmail.com

1958

Reporter: John Quinn jhquinnjr@gmail.com

Ben Dukes, who taught at a college in Iowa for many years, returned to his native Mobile, AL, over 10 years ago to be close to his family. He has recently moved to Westminster Village in Spanish Fort, AL.

Robert Templeton writes, “My personal input is sparse. Other than the election we have been almost dormant. Our trips have been up and down the East Coast centered around the grandchildren; between Karen and I we have nine. We are mostly healthy. I look forward to the 70th reunion.”

John Quinn’s “big news” is that he and his wife, Joan, at their advanced years, recently passed the breeder’s tests, allowing them to acquire a 15-month-old Bedlington Terrier to replace their last beloved Kerry Blue Terrier who died last November. John otherwise continues to practice law, and reads history and current periodicals. Beth Simpson adds this: “The loss of our classmate Mike Cody has touched us all. Our Southwestern/Rhodes experience taught us that concern for our world and its people is essential to a life well and fully lived. And Mike’s life was, indeed, well and fully lived.”

From Nancy Carter Burnidge: “I am one of those lucky enough to somehow keep going with minimal problems. Aches and pains, two hip replacements that were successful and slow, slow, slowing down!!! But I still manage to travel back and forth to see my children and grandchildren.”

Robert McClelland is a retired Lutheran pastor who lives in Post Washington, WI. He stays busy conducting worship services at nursing homes and occasionally preaches at churches he served before retiring.

1959

Reporter: Dan Logan danlogan318@gmail.com

1960 65th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporters: Dale P ug (229) 392-1738

Morris Reagan trawickr@aol.com

Lewis Murray writes, “Both Giorgina and I continue to do remarkably well, particularly given our ages which will not be a secret to any of our classmates. We both have our wits and good health, for which we are thankful, but not quite sure of the reason. Our routine has not changed much in recent years; now in full retirement, generally, back and forth between Chevy Chase and Rome.

Morris Reagan writes: “I’m proud that five successive generations of my family have attended Rhodes. I was privileged to have known

Joe Eades with children and grandchildren

Burrow Hall reading room, 1954

Dr. and Mrs. Rhodes well and proudly display a handwritten letter from Dr. Rhodes himself framed in my office. I like to hear from Rhodes alumni, students, and others connected with the college.”

1961

Reporter: Harvey Jenkins whjenkinsjr@gmail.com

I never thought that we would have to cancel a retreat at Florida Presbyterian’s Dogwood Acres Camp and Retreat Center due to snow, or that the weatherman would advise us to stay off the roads for three days in January. This unadulterated photo above witnesses the 3-4 inches of snow in our back yard.

Fellow Floridian Nancy Myers Smith reports that she is still living in Miami.

Margaret Haigler Davis writes that she is still in Fairhope, AL, healthy and busy. Along with her sister Carolyn Haigler Ikenberry ’62, she has traveled to Norway and Sweden this past year and hopes to go to Paris in the Fall. She is looking forward to welcoming her first grandchild in April and has five of her sons living close by.

Harry Swinney tells us that he and his wife, Beth Kelley, had a grand time at the April 2024 New Orleans Jazz Festival and visiting some of his Cajun cousins while in South Louisiana. In September, he and Beth vacationed in Cape Cod with old friends, and each week their grandchildren, ages 11 and 17, along with their parents, come for dinner in Austin. Harry retired from teaching physics at UT Austin in 2018 but continues to meet with former colleagues.

1962

Reporter: Diane McCullough Clark granddiva@charter.net

Dave McAdoo and L. R. Mills were multi-year roommates and best friends while at Rhodes. Though separated by many miles these days, their friendship has endured and flourished. Now, however, instead of late nights dissecting the thinking of Aristotle, Socrates, and others, they spend many hours solving arcane computer problems or sharing advice on lawn mower repair.

Joe Ajello reports that he is working on his National Science Foundation laboratory program at the University of Colorado until June of 2025.

Once again Warren Nance lets us know that he continues to preach every Sunday in North Carolina. You can’t keep a good man down.

Catherine Liddell Skapura writes that she is happily playing with her new (first) granddaughter and waiting for summer.

A note from Bill Mankin: “Although life has been pedestrian lately, we leave in 10 days for our first-ever cruise—a Disney Caribbean cruise with our daughter, her husband, and our two granddaughters aged 4 and 6. I just completed what will likely be my final term on the leadership council of my church. I’ve served as mission chair, moderator, treasurer, and taught an adult Sunday School class for over 25 years.”

Chris Mays writes from California that he is very grateful to be hale and hearty. He also continues to serve as organist for his church. He says he still loves it, and they still seem to want him, so on it goes.

A report was received from Ran Pickell, who spent six months dealing with three surgeries and associated rehabs and is celebrating the fact that he recently managed to celebrate his 85th birthday!

Diane McCullough Clark started off 2025 by presenting two workshops on public speaking skills. The first, titled “Developing the Stage Voice,” was part of a One-Day University in theatre arts sponsored by the Old Town Playhouse. The second was a session for the staff of Norte Youth Cycling, a local nonprofit organization that works to get children and adults to enjoy the benefits of bicycling.

Pollen season has come early in south Florida, and Dick Diamond says they are fighting allergies, and the flu is rampant. Many friends are suffering. When not battling the flu, he and his wife still enjoy dancing.

Martha Ann Gooch Hogrefe writes: “Charles and I are planning to attend the April wedding of our oldest grandchild in Jackson, MS. This is the first of our five grandchildren to be married. The others are still a bit young to take that step - I guess we got a late start! We hope this year will be a good one for all our classmates.”

Richard Dew continues to give lectures to second year medical students at East Tennessee Medical School and to serve as the volunteer medical director at a clinic for the uninsured in Sevierville, TN.

Mary Ann Stewart Somervill writes: “I live in Asheville, NC, where Hurricane Helene did such horrendous damage five months ago. I was spared any damage, but evacuated with my little dog because for weeks we had no water, electricity, internet, or phone service. My brother picked me up, and I stayed with him and his wife

near Birmingham for over a month. All is well in my area, but parts of Western North Carolina will take years to return to normal.”

A reminiscence by Bill Davidson: “Each year on March 24 I remember that in 1939, Richard Halliburton died while sailing across the Pacific in a junk. This year I recalled when my brother Junie Davidson ’59 and I swam the Panama Canal in 1963, trying to duplicate one of Halliburton’s stunts. Just east of the Miraflores Lock, as a ship with its tugs was approaching, we swam in the Canal, as had Halliburton.

Sure, he swam the length of about 5 miles and we managed only 3,200 (1,600 x 2) feet, but we ‘swam the Canal,’ didn’t we?”

From Pete Cornish: “Jane and I are still splitting our time between Boston and Little Rock, usually spending six months through Thanksgiving or Christmas in Boston to avoid the very cold weather in Boston during January and February. We work at getting lots of exercise, doing water aerobics when we are in Boston and Jazzercise in Little Rock, as well as long walks a couple of times each week. I am still playing tennis and golf, but Jane had to give up tennis this last year when she fell and broke both wrists. We are still taking one or two trips each year.”

1963

If you are interested in serving as the Class of 1963 reporter, please contact alumni@rhodes.edu.

1964

Reporter: Mary Lou Quinn McMillan maryloumc1@comcast.net

In November, 28 of us gathered on campus to celebrate our 60th Reunion! “Small but Mighty,” we enjoyed one another and had a great time ‘catching up.’ David and Elizabeth “Butch” Saunders Cooper once again hosted us on Friday night for a delicious BBQ dinner. We spent most of Saturday on campus attending the usual reunion events, concluding with a lovely dinner with our class and the Class of ’69. Cyril Hollingsworth led us in a beautiful prayer as we paused to remember all those who have joined the “Great Cloud of Witnesses” in the last five years. On Sunday morning, Margaret and Doug Fancher arranged for us to once again enjoy the delicious brunch at the University

Club. In attendance were Tom and Eleanor Lawrence Geiger, Liz Currie Williams, Rita Edington Odem, Rita’s roommate Meredith Wilson Creekmore made a cameo appearance at the President’s Brunch; Mary Lou Carwile and Jim Finley ’62, Sharon Lupfer Nardo; Jim and Ervin Hayes Bullock ’66, Cindy and Bob West, Martha and Thurman Ragar, Katherine James, Margaret Rowe and Doug Fancher, Pat Dickson Jones, Thuy and Tom Lappage, David and Elizabeth “Butch” Saunders Cooper, Betsy and Cyril Hollingsworth, Marilyn Meyers, Bill McColgan, Roy Selvidge, and yours truly, Mary Lou!

Sharon Nardo relays: “I am living in Durham, NC, after three years in Raleigh. I am in a neighborhood for 55+ which has about any kind of club or activity you want. I belong to the Bridge, Photography, and Day-trip Clubs, play Trivia, and exercise in the pool. I’m looking for a travel companion who is also interested in going to Cambodia and including stops in Vietnam and/ or Thailand. If you are interested, contact me.”

Marilyn Meyers wrote: “So glad I came to the 60th reunion! First, I want to thank the Class of 64’ers who showed up. We are a loyal and dedicated group, and amazingly (or perhaps not), many of the same wonderful folk journey back to the campus every five years. A wonderful memory for me: I went back to the campus Sunday after the brunch and walked it on my own. A much quieter campus, of course: fall leaves, beautiful stone buildings, and memories of years gone by.

Charley Killinger shares: “For all you history bu s: The publisher (Bloomsbury) of the Second Edition of my History of Italy just sent me my complimentary copies, indicating that the book is out.”

Linda Jackson Walter writes, “Gunter and I are well after a few bumps this past year. We are loving retirement and are traveling a good bit. We just returned from Panama. The Canal was amazing and the people so friendly. We are heading to Seville, Spain, in May for the Feria and the Stans in September.

Tom Lappage writes, “We enjoyed spending time with classmates at the reunion. Such a great turnout. In January, we joined friends in Hawaii. Spent several days in Honolulu and then sailed on a cruise stopping at all the other islands of Hawai’i. In February, we flew to Memphis to join the same friends. After several days touring Memphis, we boarded the Viking Mississippi and cruised to New Orleans.”

Frank Luton sent a long “overdue” update: “After Southwestern, I joined the U.S. Navy for 5 1/2 years. My last Navy experience was as a computer technology instructor at the U.S. Navy Supply Corps School in Athens, GA. By that time, I was married to Barbara Bevis ’66. I received an MBA from UGA and went to work for Southern Bell/BellSouth/AT&T for 25 years in the corporate world before I decided to do things that I had fun doing: being a standup comedian and a public speaker, talking to cancer support groups, as well as cancer patients and survivors (I am a cancer survivor, having prostate cancer at age 46.) Then, a British friend and I formed a company that did team building and change management. At 70, I was ready for the next adventure. I attempted to “volunteer” at the front desk of the local YMCA and a local thrift store, but ended up getting hired instead. Now I really do volunteer at the University of Georgia, “working” in the football program and the Atlanta History Center, interviewing veterans and getting them to tell their story.

Wendlandt Hasselle ’74 sent a picture of her brother, Bob Hasselle, and others in the family. Both were taken over Thanksgiving 2024 in New Orleans.

Mary Lou McMillin is looking forward to a visit in early March from her son Sid who lives in Paradise Valley, MT, and daughter, Lisa, who hails from Nashville, TN. Brother John Quinn Jr. ’58 and his wife, Joan will drive over from Arlington, VA, for a couple of days while they are here for a “mini family reunion.” In mid-March, I am excited to be traveling to Puerto Rico with several friends.

1965

60th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporter: Harvey Caughey hcaughey@hotmail.com

Tom Dur  writes, “Judy (Simono) ‘66 and I now live in Monte Vista Grove, a Presbyterian retirement community in Pasadena, CA. We are just a few miles south of the recent Altadena/ Eaton fire area. Our community was on alert to evacuate for about 48 hours, but we never had to leave. We drove up into the fire area a few days

ago: devastating, hard to believe. Judy and I have been helping prepare some guest cottages and spare units in our community to take in families who have lost their homes.”

1966

Reporter: Sammy Ann Primm Marshall sammyannmarshall@gmail.com

1967

Reporter: Eleanor Jackson Howe eleanorhowe@icloud.com

Hurricane Helene’s destruction in western North Carolina last September was far reaching, but very fortunately Ray and Jennifer Bird Henley lost only cell service and internet for a few days at their home in Brevard, NC. Although only 30 miles south of hard-hit Asheville, Jennifer reports that they never lost power, water, or TV (satellite dish).

After some e ort, I finally caught up with Julie Stanton Bragg; turns out the email address I had for her was o by one letter. In 1968, Julie married her high school sweetheart, Howard Bragg, then at Emory completing his Ph.D. Sam Highsmith, then also at Emory in law school, was a groomsman; others in the wedding party were Peggy Hays Williams, Mary Jo Burns Breen, and Susan Fisher Cheairs ‘66. Julie taught high school Spanish in Decatur, GA, for three years but found it less than satisfying. In the early ’70s, Julie and Howard moved back to Tennessee, to a farm near Arlington, TN, that has been in his family since the 1830s.

Three couples—Patty and Wayne Shelton, Garry Sharp and Joy Flynn, and Bonnie and Jim Moon—have been celebrating the holidays together for so long no one remembers exactly when they started. “More than 30,” Wayne writes. “Each of us guys is fully retired, however, some of the spouses are still working to keep Garry and me in a lifestyle to which we want to become accustomed.” Garry and Joy live in Nashville. When they married 26 years ago, Judge Wayne Shelton o iciated. Garry retired in 2010 as Tennessee’s AT&T State Government A airs Director, having been with the company since

Bob’s wife Caroline, sister Wendlandt, brother Tom, and Bob for lunch at Commander’s Palace.

Wayne Shelton, Garry Sharp, and Jim Moon at their annual holiday gathering.

1967. After graduating from Southwestern, Garry, Wayne, and David Capes shared an apartment near campus, until Garry was drafted in the Army the following March. His son William Sharp ’98 and daughter-in-law, Kelley Pratt Sharp ’97, are both Rhodes grads.

After teaching and coaching wrestling and football for six years following graduation, Jim and Bonnie returned to his hometown, Lewisburg, TN, where his father had started J. R. Moon pencil company in 1961. By the time they sold it in 1998, the company made about 750,000 pencils a day, including an over-sized round one, red with gold lettering, called the “Big-Dipper.” Since retiring, Jim and Bonnie have been involved in various community activities, as well as travel to be with their children and grandchildren. “Two of our three kids, Braden Moon Blasdel ‘99 and Jase Moon ‘09, went to Rhodes.”

Wayne and Patty live in Clarksville, TN. When Wayne retired in 2022, after 43 years as a General Sessions and Juvenile Judge, he was the longest serving judge in Tennessee. “We look forward to our next reunion in 2027,” he writes, “and hope we have a good show for #60!”

From Murfreesboro, TN, Kris Pruitt sends this update: “Charley and I were enjoying 2024, until the end of April, when heading home after getting tomato plants, we were broadsided by a driver who ran a stop sign. Ever optimistic, even after I was cut out of the front seat of the mangled car, we felt okay and saw no reason to go to the hospital to be checked out. Several days later we saw the folly of our ways; it turned out that I had a detached broken rib and Charley had three broken ribs. In time, the ribs healed, but Charley also had some heart issues that the cardiologist acknowledged could have been caused by the accident. As Gus Breytspraak said in the last issue, we caught up with him and Linda when they were heading back home from a family reunion, and we had a couple of hours (not enough!) with Larry and Sande Wade Churchill ’68 and their lovely daughter Shelley when they were visiting her in Nashville. We occasionally see Larrie Del Daniel Martin ‘66, who lives in Nashville, and Eleanor, our “Reporter,” and I had a delightful phone conversation that covered decades and included a promise on my end to write this.

Bill Heiter writes that “the small Heiter clan is blessed to continue its annual pilgrimage to northeastern Georgia for yet another year of reunion and fly fishing in May on a friend’s gorgeous private mountain river. Judy and I will attempt a highway trip in March from our home in Mobile to visit our son in Brentwood, TN, and fish for brown trout on the Caney Fork. Recently I did something I never would have imagined. In

my 80th year, I (optimistically/foolishly) replaced the old outboard on my ski with a new Tohatsu 20. The new one allows Judy and me to continue escaping on the nearby tiny Escatawpa River with nature’s indescribable beauty. I’m still working to add to my collection of writings on Amazon. A recent book is the rather extraordinary (and to me, still unbelievable) story of my dad’s voyages with two prominent men of the 20th century, Vincent Astor and Franklin Roosevelt. Larry and Sande Wade Churchill ’68 recently resettled in Greensboro, NC, after seven and a half years in western North Carolina. As it happened, they relocated just before Hurricane Helene arrived. Before retiring in 2017 and moving to Blowing Rock, they lived in Nashville, home of their oldest daughter, Shelley, for 15 years. Sande was an executive coach, and Larry was Professor of Medical Ethics at Vanderbilt. He’s still teaching online adult learning classes through OLLI at Vanderbilt; his course this past spring was “End of Life, Aging and the Paradox of Physical Decline and Spiritual Growth.”

Your Class Reporter, Eleanor Jackson Howe, and her husband Dan visited Rhodes briefly on a beautiful morning this past October. “We were there to meet Bill Short ‘71, associate director of library services, and hand o a few items for the college archives, including a scrapbook I’d made as a sorority pledge my first semester. Bill kindly gave us a tour of the ‘new’ library, including a brief visit to the Library’s Administrative Suite

to see the Carroll Cloar ‘34 painting Autumn Meditation, which hung in the small alcove o the entrance to Burrow Library back in our day. Seeing it again was like visiting an old friend.” They were in Memphis for the start of a 12-day road trip down Highway 61 to New Orleans with California friends who’d never been to the Deep South. Louie Spencer ’65 stopped over during Thanksgiving week between flights from Paris to Colorado and made both “a killer mousse au chocolat and the best ever pecan pie” for the holiday.

1968

Reporter: Drue om White drueboo@aol.com

Rev. Dr. Bruce Cook, author of Redeeming the Wounded and In Step With the Spirit: Thank God, writes, “Claudia and I continue to be active in our local United Methodist Church, and I am very active as current Treasurer of our crime victim’s ministry in Atlanta. We have counseled over 25,000 crime victims since 1989. We are strong believers in nutrition, exercise, and sleep, and not letting emotions over politics stress us out.”

Suzanne Troth Donaldson has rescued a Pit Bull puppy. This makes the 7th American Pit Bull Terrier in their family in the 40 years they have been married. “This is the only breed my husband has ever owned and got his first one when he was two years old. Please forget the hype. There are bad owners, not bad dogs of any breed.”

1969

Reporter: LouAnne Crawford Cooper louanne@me.com

Thanks to all in the great Class of ’69 who found the time to share for this issue. We all appreciate you lots!

Ann Marie Hudson Hanlon reports: “I continue to docent at the Breman Museum’s “Absence of Humanity” Holocaust exhibit, and I continue to be active at my church and in my neighborhood

Bill and Judy Heiter

“Autumn Meditation,” Carroll Cloar 1934; gift of the Class of ‘34, photo by Dan Howe

Dan and Eleanor Howe cooking for the holidays

HOA. Three book clubs (one of them a DDD alumnae group) keep me reading! Tommy and I still enjoy traveling, mainly to Hilton Head, St. Simon’s, and the north Georgia mountains.”

From David Griffin we got this really fun picture and he tells us: “This represents some members of the SAE pledge class of 1965. You can see there’s hardly any difference between our freshman photographs in college and those

Jackson ‘62, daughter Lydia Murray Holland ’03 and her family, and daughter Amanda Murray Hofstetter ’92 and her family.” Fun fact: “When Amanda graduated in ’92, she was number 27 from our family, dating back to Southwestern’s beginnings.”

of the reunion last year, 2024. Will Hayley has been a gracious host for our get togethers for the last three times we’ve met. Usually, we meet up every five years. Unfortunately, we lost Walter McGinnis several weeks after the picture was taken.

And speaking of fun pictures, look at this from Yen and Johnny Walters with this description: “On a trip to Vietnam. We wanted to reenact Titanic. The boat was a little smaller, though.”

Here’s a quick update from Patsy Jackson, including an amazing Rhodes tradition: “After retiring from teaching (high school expelled students - a job I loved) and following the death of my husband, I moved back to Houston. I have three daughters close by and a son in Mexico City. Church (Pines PC - PCUSA) involvement keeps me busy. My sister, Sara Jean Jackson ’59, and I have a house at Montreat where family gathers as much as we can. Often joining us at Montreat are my sister Nancy Jackson Williamson ‘66 and her family, my brother Paul

Ken Stanley shares: “Barbara and I concluded a busy 2024 celebrating our 56th wedding anniversary. This picture is of our beach walk on our anniversary in December. Our 2024 travels began with a cruise to Hawaii and a visit to Death Valley, a trip to Spain and Portugal, and a trip to San Diego. We opened 2025 with a two week stay with our granddaughter in Athens, GA, while her parents traveled celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary and just returned from a cruise to Norway and the Arctic Circle where we marveled again at the Northern Lights.”

Randy Walker continues his happy life reporting: “I have one great piece of news - I married Gail Barnett in June 2021, and we have the kind of joyful marriage that I wish for everyone! Peace and good health to all.”

George Elder sounds busy and sends this; “Don’t know what got into me but I’m having the time of my life! I’m writing the book of my life through

the reunion at MUS. After a 45-year absence, on April 15, 2023, my theatre students convened a reunion to celebrate our 22 magical productions. 149 of my kids (now in their 60s and 70s) came from all over the country with their Tony and other awards in hand. It was life changing. I’m simultaneously writing a musical inspired by this event, and with the aid of a professional writer. Pam Ivins Maher got together with Wayne Rickoll and Mary MacLaurin Arnold. They visited the Dew Drop Jazz and Social Club in Mandeville, LA, the oldest never renovated jazz hall in America. Pam says, “It was wonderful to spend time together.”

We hear from Bill Hulett: “I retired from the practice of clinical anesthesiology after some forty years. One of the true joys of my retirement from clinical practice has been the opportunity to return to the University of Mississippi Medical Center as a part-time consultant, teaching basic respiratory physiology and airway techniques. I am able to share my experiences with the bright, young third- and fourth-year medical students. These sessions are the highlight of my retirement.”

Bill Frazier joins in for the first time and tells us: “My wife, Debbie, and I live in Las Cruces, NM, enjoying retirement. Following graduation from Rhodes, I went to the University of Alabama Law School and practiced law for a short time in Alabama and then most of my career in Montana. I was able to put my Rhodes international studies major to good use by working for two years at the White House, then doing consulting work for some of the alphabet agencies in Washington, D.C. During the glasnost period, I negotiated cultural exchange agreements between the United States and Russia while the two countries were getting along, more or less. My best wishes to all and I would love to hear from classmates at artlaw@itstriangle.com.”

Like many of us, Mickey Brigance notes retirement seems to fill time. “After reflecting on two years of retirement, I truly wonder when I had time to work!! My golf game has improved where I can frequently shoot my age. I am holding positions in nonprofit organizations and able to contribute there. More time for family and friends. I feel truly blessed in this new phase of my life.”

Lib Caldwell remembers two of our classmates with her submission: “We’ve lost two members of our class, both dear friends of mine. Janice Leviton McTyier was a linguist and teacher of high school students in Memphis until her retirement. She died in 2023. Rev. Dr. Ruth Duck was a theologian, poet, and hymnist who taught at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary until her retirement. Her hymns appear in numerous hymnals. She was a pioneer in the use

David Griffin and SAEs

Yen and Johnny Walters

Ken Stanley and wife Barbara

George Elder and family

of inclusive language that embraces everyone and enlarges our images of God. I was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church USA in Chicago in 1991, and Ruth wrote a hymn for my ordination.”

Peggy Fritsch Woolley “is in the midst of reconfiguring her house so that her daughter, son-in-law, and 11-year-old grandson can become the 3rd and 4th generations to share this space. Trips to Phoenix and Hilton Head are planned for spring of 2025.”

John Yearwood catches us up with: “After *Rhodes* at the end of my freshman year, I went to Tulane for my BA and MA then University of Texas for a Ph.D. in British Lit. I married Stephenie in 1970. I taught at the college level at UT 1971-1975, held a fellowship at Trinity College Cambridge 1975, and then taught as an assistant professor at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. I resigned in 1980 and took my family to my wife’s hometown in East Texas where I started a weekly newspaper, which I published for 12 years, winning numerous awards for journalism from the Texas Press Association. My

paper was sold in 1992, and I moved on to run a small group of papers in Central Texas, but after the Branch Davidian episode in Waco, I left journalism and went back to teaching, becoming certified in English, journalism, and speech. From there I was recruited by Lamar University in Beaumont in 2002 to teach journalism, digital graphic design, and the dark side of journalism: advertising. Stephenie (PhD) and I retired in 2011 and moved to Austin. I’ve written six novels since then, four in print.”

Here’s a little bit from me, LouAnne Crawford Cooper: Our family of ten was able to get together for a fantastic holiday week last

December here in Bellaire, Michigan. So proud of them all! Three of us are Rhodes’ alums: Roger ’67, me, and our oldest son, Sean ’95

1970 55th Reunion Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporter: Ron Eades

reades@juno.com

Barry Ward wrote: “I am so impressed with my classmates’ comments. We have all made a life, some have families, we’ve had careers, and we still have a thirst for learning. I was an attorney at Glankler Brown for 36 years and Ballin, Ballin and Fishman for 6 and 1/2 years. I stepped down from big firm practices in 2016. While people know me as Barry, I practiced under C. Barry Ward. Southwestern / Rhodes has been great for us. We live in a small town, Munford. Beth is playing tennis and pickleball. I’m still lawyering. We also raise cattle and have four grandchildren, all of which keeps us busy.”

of Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, China, Azerbaijan and occasionally onshore Texas and Louisiana. I went back to work parttime in 2018 for Cheniere Energy, an exporter of liquefied natural gas. In addition to working part-time I am enjoying teaching plane geometry in an online international high school, traveling, and serving on the property committee of Saint Philip Presbyterian Church in Houston.”

Rina Rosenberg writes: “I am enjoying retirement and traveling with my husband of 40 years, Bill Witherspoon. After using my chemistry degree in toxicology and then a research lab, I became a dietitian and worked for almost twenty years in the nonprofit world for the Houston Interfaith Hunger Coalition and then CARE. We have been hiking in national and provincial parks in the U.S. and Canada, as well as Scotland and Wales, and visiting our

Claudia Herbers Slate retired several years ago after 30 years as an English professor at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL. She and her husband, a retired criminology professor, have three children, five grandchildren, and a therapy goldendoodle. Claudia is presently recovering from a knee replacement so that she and her husband can continue to travel domestically and internationally.

Junius Allen: “I retired in 2016 after a 36-year career as a civil engineer in the oil and gas industry dealing with structures, foundations, and natural hazards. It was a great adventure working on problems in Trinidad, the north slope

son Noah in San Francisco. Here in Atlanta, I volunteer for a refugee resettlement organization and local charities addressing hunger and homelessness.”

Linda Hensen writes: “After graduation I moved to Nashville to go to graduate school in English Lit at Vanderbilt. A good education at Memphis Central and Rhodes fed my curiosity, taught me to think critically, and be open minded. I am happy and grateful I had those years at Rhodes as an intellectual foundation and was able to forge some lifelong friendships there with students and faculty alike. After school, I edited books for one of Nashville’s publishers for about a year, returned to Vanderbilt Development to

John Yearwood and family

LouAnne Cooper and family

Bill Witherspoon, Noah, and Rina Rosenberg

write for Law, Business, and Engineering grad schools, as well as then-Chancellor Alexander Heard. After a year, I began work for Nortel Networks for about 20 years in corporate communications, then acting as a corporate spokesperson, later managing communications for a joint initiative with the Aspen Institute. I met my husband at Vanderbilt. With three daughters and six grandchildren, we’ve enjoyed an early retirement.”

1971

Reporter: Jim Mulroy mulroyj@me.com

Carmen Webb Anderson took to heart my request for era photos and provided the mother lode. One, I think a lot of us can relate to, is of Carmen’s dad and mom delivering her to school in the fall of 1967.

Glen Cunningham advises he is alive and well in Cookeville teaching Engineering and playing golf. He shared a picture of he, Bill Pendegrass ’70, and Mike Hornbeck in front of their Bartlett Restaurant (circa 1973). Another set of Lynx entrepreneurs. Any reviews you submit of the restaurant will be published in this space. Unfortunately, we could not reproduce the picture here for technical reasons.

Lillian Aversion Eades advises that she and Ron ’70 were at a Rhodes event in Charleston, SC, in which they visited with other fellow alumni and President Collins. Lillian was a public school principal. Ron is a highly respected law professor and scholar on constitutional law (mostly retired) with four books to his credit.

As a junior transfer student from Vanderbilt, Gordon Greeson met Robin Wellford beginning of senior year and they married in August 1971. “Robin worked at Baptist Hospital while Gordon was in medical school and we then moved to Gainesville, FL, for internship and residency in pediatrics and general psychiatry. Gordon finished his final two years of training in Sacramento at UC Davis in child psychiatry. We moved to Knoxville in 1980 and have remained there ever since. Three daughters currently live far afield on Anna Maria Island, FL, in London, England, and Evanston, IL.”

Hanah Simmons Pickworth reports she really enjoyed reading everything and so appreciates all the work that went into our class news.

Bobby Doolittle said he would update us for the next issue on the Florence crew: Jeff Carter, James Megan and Jim Willis. “Jeff was the first

person I called when I got my acceptance to Southwestern. We’d met at NA-CO-ME (church camp) and they and others from that church camp were the people I knew when I got to Memphis. They were a most welcoming group!” Houston Parks reports: “After graduation I taught four grades of high school English for a year. I’ve never worked harder in my life. Kudos to teachers! Then it was on to my goal of being a lawyer. In my 50 years with a law license, I clerked for federal judge Harry Wellford in Memphis, and was in private law practice for 30 years, interrupted in the middle by serving as senior trust officer and general counsel of a bank. I served 14 years each on the county school board and the regional hospital board, several years chairing. The picture is of security dog Max taking over my chairmanship of a hospital board committee meeting. My wife Suzanne retired as a superb elementary school teacher, and our son Alexander became a teacher focused on disadvantaged students. We are homebodies here in Columbia, TN, but have enjoyed several memorable travel adventures. My Southwestern experience greatly shaped the rest of my life. Attending during the momentous days of the Civil Rights Movement and clashes over the Vietnam War set the stage for a vibrant four years.”

Mike Ripski shares: “I am grateful to read about people who helped me along my journey. I attended theology school at Emory and was ordained in the United Methodist Church. I

retired after 40 years of pastoral ministry serving churches in West and Middle Tennessee. I then taught and served as chaplain at Cumberland University in Lebanon, TN. Retired again last year. Living in Lebanon with wife, Karen, who also recently retired from the VA as a nurse practitioner. Got to represent Cumberland U at two Rhodes presidential inaugurations. Delighted to see how the campus has changed. Small world experience: the daughter of my department chair at Cumberland U attended Rhodes and was a recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award. Nancy and Jim Mulroy returned exhausted from Portugal in early November. “It was a great trip and potential retirement location for American ex pats. On our return, it was announced by Lizzie, our second daughter, that a baby girl is due in June.”

How about three Rhodes alumni in one shot? Last August, Charlie ’71 and Sandy Cook Durham ’72 invited Jane and Jim Durham ’67 on a Rhine River Cruise. Here they are in Amsterdam. The travelers are left to right: Jim Durham ’67, Jane Durham, Sandy Cook Durham ’72, Charlie Durham ’71, and Paula Hedgepeth (Jane’s daughter.)

A group of Rhodes alumni enjoyed dinner together at Bravo’s Restaurant on Bearden Hill in Knoxville, TN, in January. Left to right: Martha Wallace Pittenger ’72, Tim Crais ’71, Amy Ogden, Robin Wellford Greeson ’71, Gordon Greeson ’71, Harry Ogden ’71, Anne Cannon Crais ’72, and John Pittenger.

Houston Parks

1972

Reporter: Robin McCain robin@slmr.com

1973

Reporter: F. Clark Williams, Jr. f.clark.williams@gmail.com

Joe ’63 and Lee Seabrook Duncan scheduled a “spur of the moment” trip to Key West over the weekend of March 7. Lee notes that “I have always wanted to see Hemingway’s home, and the Little White House that Truman built. Getting some sun on this pale body is an extra plus!” Lee continues to support Le Bonheur Children’s hospital by spreading the word about it being one of the best children’s hospitals in the nation.

reported readings and conversation at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture –New York Public Library, in September of 2024.

According to her tax returns, Candace Keirns continues to work as a non-employee, freelance medical interpreter (English-Spanish) in the Memphis area. She sees many people with worker’s compensation claims and consequently many orthopedic issues.

75 attendees. He is hoping we might be able to connect with the Class of 1975 at their reunion. Larry Anderson went this winter to see Mia Taylor Valdes ‘73 in Costa Rica. They alternate years of visiting each other. For Mardi Gras he goes to Baton Rouge to be with Guy ’76 and Kitty Lawrence Rose ’75 and will also see Dale ’74 and Mary Alexander MacCurdy ’75. He continues restoring paintings (some of which he pointed out at a recent opening at The Dixon). Impressive, indeed.

David and Virginia Shettlesworth Garrett’s community was hit hard by floods from Helene in late September, though not nearly as hard as western North Carolina. While their home was safe on a high hill, the community continues to su er from the aftere ects. They spent most of October in southern Utah and northern Arizona, viewing landscapes truly alien to eastern mountain people. They also developed a taste for Navajo fry bread.

Nancy Howell reports that “absolutely nothing new is happening in my life except more Montgomery Bell Academy boys need a Latin tutor. This is a good thing since I suddenly have an unexpected new refrigerator.”

Jane Howze speculates that she’s the only  person in our class who is still working but she’s  planning on retiring at the end of 2025 from her firm, The Alexander Group, a national executive  search firm that just celebrated its 40th  anniversary. She and husband John M. Mann live  in Houston and spend summers in Park City, UT,  where classmate Tom Jones and his wife Molly Newman are summertime neighbors. Jane serves  as film critic covering the Sundance Film Festival  for a Houston publication, loves to travel (even injured), plays golf, and is a concert aficionado,  having been to see Taylor Swift four times in the  last year.

Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, announced that it would confer an honorary Doctor of Humanities on Patricia Spears Jones in May. The photo was taken at the previously

Clark Malcolm and Mark Lester and respective spouses Judy and Jeanne spent two days visiting 1969-70 Glassell Hall “dorm daddy” Dan ’71 and spouse Robin Ritter Hatzenbuehler ’71 in North Carolina. Nobody remembered the same thing the same way. Lester, Malcolm, and spouses are planning a wee sojourn in Spain, perhaps in the fall, in 2025.

Cli ord Pugh and spouse John hopped on a cruise ship and left Los Angeles on a 25-day cruise to Sydney, with stops in Hawai’i, Fiji, and New Zealand. They spent five weeks in Australia and have found it to be a warm and welcoming country. Stops have included Tasmania, Melbourne Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Port Douglas, the Great Barrier Reef, and an extended stay in Sydney.

Joined by their three children and the children’s spouses, Minor ’71 and Natalie Honan Vernon celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Colorado in the summer of 2024. The Vernon’s oldest grandchild had just graduated from high school, and their “sweet dog is fifteen.” Channeling her inner Prophet Joshua, Natalie implores “Time, please slow down!”

F. Clark Williams reports a pair of trips to alma mater Presbyterian Pan American School in Kingsville, TX. The January trip was for the interment of ashes of a schoolmate. In February, he attended the inauguration of Pan Am’s new president and represented the Alumni Fellowship in an address to those gathered. He remains active in the Alumni Fellowship’s supportive e orts.

1974

Reporter: Wendlandt Hasselle jahlove2222@yahoo.com

Our Class of 1974 celebrated a festive 50th reunion in November 2024, and Frank Broyles is still feeling “grateful and blessed in memories” of the events and wants to thank Stephanie Ryburn Rodda, Sarah Lodge, and Ed Uthman as well as others who helped him. We had over

Parkes Casselbury wrote: “I have lived in South Florida for 23 years and I enjoy all my environment has to o er. I love gardening and butterfly and bird watching. I live adjacent to the Atlantic Ridge Preserve and see many creatures including bobcats. I enjoy all types of watersports, but my absolute joy is snorkeling. My daughter and I explored the Mesoamerican Reef in Mexico last November. Because of my love for music, I am a sought-after team member in our local music bingo.”

Wendlandt Hasselle returned to NOLA for Thanksgiving with her two remaining brothers (Bob Hasselle ‘64, being one) and their families. Really fun, but the train was overbooked and crowded on that holiday weekend. Husband Bard and she met Stratton Bull ‘74 for supper Downtown one night when he was in Memphis, and enjoyed catching up. The aquifer concert in December was the best ever with Steve Forbert and others performing.  Wendlandt recently took a trip to the Philippines, a country of 7000+ islands. If only she’d known that the US Ambassador to the Philippines was a Rhodes’

graduate, she’d have looked her up! With a fellow Memphian, she only made it to parts of three islands in three weeks.

Gay Blouin Clapp writes, “I am retired from the practice of law, after practicing for 44 years, in four jurisdictions. We live in Minneapolis, MN, and have lived over the years, in Denver, CO, Casper, WY, and Helena, MT, before coming to MN for my husband to accept the position of

Virginia Shettlesworth Garrett

Wendlant Hasselle

Director of Residency Training in Psychiatry at the University of MN Graduate Medical School. I am thankful for my years at what was then Southwestern, now Rhodes, and wish everyone the very best. Blessings, all.”

1975 50th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporter: Libby Drewry Dorris libbyddorris@gmail.com

If you did not receive an email requesting news from you, we don’t have a correct email address for you; please update us by sending your correct e-mail to alumni@rhodes.edu.

From Larry Dorris: “I married Libby and raised three terrific kids who produced six wonderful grandkids. My Econ degree from SW@M made this ALL possible.”

According to Libby Drewry Dorris, “Retirement to the Virginia farm has been easier for me than Larry. He still misses the hustle of work and city life. Our days are filled with keeping up 25 acres which Larry does very well. The property is in great shape thanks to regular tractor and mower attention. I raise thornless blackberries, asparagus, tomatoes and okra, while battling Japanese beetles and June bugs with a vengeance.”

Norman Nicolson reports: “I enjoy my work in the financial world and don’t have immediate retirement plans. True and I are happy as we approach 43 years together and are essentially healthy. Our three children have bloomed. We plan to be part of our 50th this October.”

From Ingrid Ortiz Chilton: “My husband, Jan, and I live in Tiburon, CA, an idyllic community just north of San Francisco. We have four children and six grandchildren. I am very happily retired from the practice of law. We love having our Rhodes classmates come stay with us. This year we have Dot Neale ’77, Bonnie Moore McNeely ’77, Patty Adams ’76, Darrelle Miller ’76, and Pat Miller Anderson ’78 joining us. We always manage to sneak in a visit to wineries in Napa which is a little di erent from our P&H days but almost as much fun. Y’all come!”

Anna Olswanger was in Memphis in December to attend the unveiling of the Brass Note for her father, Berl Olswanger, at the Trezevant Performing Arts Center. Internationally acclaimed composer, musician, music store owner, and teacher, Bert was a legend in Memphis music. His note will be embedded on Beale Street. Also at the ceremony were alumni Kate Pera, Elizabeth Cobb Houston, Wendlandt Hasselle ‘74, David Less ‘74 (a 2023 Brass Note recipient), and Tracy Vezina Patterson ’84, Rhodes Senior Gift Planning O icer.

Ben Casey have fallen short, but I believe that I have helped a few people along the way. My dear sister Joyce, who passed away last year, and I were fiercely competitive. She was a retired criminal court judge and made a much bigger impact on humanity than I could have ever dreamed. I was a surrogate father figure to her and my other siblings, and I am so proud of her legacy! Hope to reunite with some of my longlost friends at our 50th.”

Norm and Theresa Cloys Carl “are spending about half of the year in Basel, Switzerland as chief childcare givers, imagination game players, cooks, and transportation experts for our two grandchildren: Tess (3 1/12) and Milo (18 mos.) It is great and exhausting fun! We are grateful to have the opportunity to watch them grow and flourish. Daughter Sarah and her husband Sam have bought a home there. As long as we can go, we will.”

Kate Pera and Buddy Gaynor, both lifelong Memphians, have been traveling 6-7 months a year since retiring. “Sunny Acapulco (with side trips to Mexico City to enjoy the museums, architecture and rich cultural heritage) has been home in January and February for 10+ years. Last fall we visited Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and learned how French and American history is woven into these three countries. Bali, Indonesia is our favorite place to end these SE Asia adventures.”

Susie Webb Ries: “I’m delighted to report that on December 27, I married Dr. Raymond (Buz) Martin.”

1976

Reporters: Julie Allen Berger jab0539@gmail.com

Georgia Atkins atkins.georgia@gmail.com

Julie and Georgia are looking forward to our 50th Reunion in fall of 2026 and the possibility of live music!

Lynn Dunavant is directing her skills to public schools. She works two days a week as a preschool school psychologist doing assessments for special education eligibility. She writes, “I consider myself to be extremely lucky. I love friends and family, my engagement with church, and yoga. I am going with a group of friends to John C. Campbell folk school this spring for a felting class (woodland creatures ) and am taking an origami bookmaking class.”

Samuel Bro itt: “I do not have much of interest to report on my life’s story. I am just an old country doctor who has been practicing family medicine in Covington, TN, since 1981. It is near my roots where I grew up. Somehow the delusions I had about being a modern-day Dr.

Randy Robertson is still in the event marketing business, though now for a higher power with his spiritual arts nonprofit, GladdeningLight. Participants from most states in the country, plus the Americas and Europe, attend an annual symposium to explore the intersection of art and spirituality. He and wife Pat (see below, Class of ‘77) are grateful for their four e ervescent grandchildren.

Pat Schenck Robertson ’77 has devoted the second half of her life after children to nurturing

Anna Olswanger at dedication

Kate Pera and Buddy Gaynor enjoy the views from Cocoon Restaurant on top of a mountain on Koh Samui, Thailand.

Susie Webb Ries

which began those early years at SW, led me to poetry, where I now feel at home. At the time of this publication’s printing, I will have published my second book of poetry, Ekphrasis: Poetry Responding to Art—Poems by Mark Andrew James Terry, Buster Bodhi Press (2025).”

1977

Reporters: Jill Fuzy Helmer jillhelmer25@gmail.com Bonnie Moore McNeely bonniemcneely2@gmail.com

Bullard Melhorn, Dot Neale, Melanie Hart Riley, Kitty Nichols Sears, and Annette Troxell near the Tennessee towns of Leiper’s Fork and Franklin. On the agenda was hiking, lazy mornings, conversation, afternoon naps, wining, dining and of course, shopping! Home to many country music stars and legends, the sophisticated area is rich in culture and art o ering something for everyone. The group is anticipating their next reunion for the big 70, hoping Bonnie Moore McNeely and Lynn Burdette Johnson will be able to join them.

unhoused families in the Greater Orlando area. Family Promise provides transitional housing to nuclear families endeavoring to move from the streets toward a more stable home life. Over 70 volunteers help Pat at All Saints Episcopal Church in Winter Park. She is looking forward to a spring trip celebrating her 70th birthday out west hiking the National Parks with daughter Hannah.

From Mark Terry: “Dear classmates, I have always remembered my years at Southwestern fondly. It was a time of discovery and change.

From Your Editors: Thank you to those of you who helped us locate some of our missing classmates. If you know of someone not receiving our emails or news from the college, please let us know their email so we can contact them.

“Greetings from Richard Burns in Charlottesville, VA! As Ann prepares for her retirement, and my retirement eases into cruise mode, we anxiously await our meeting with a local Medicare counselor to learn all we can about our options for Medicare parts B-Z after Ann o icially leaves UVA. Last fall we finished a full kitchen remodel. Top to bottom, wall to wall. All new appliances, brand new plumbing, floor to ceiling cabinets, the works, and all for just a bit more than the house sold for in 1985. You can’t know real joy until you’ve spent three months living with a refrigerator in the dining room, washing dishes in the shower, and preparing meals with a grill and a camp stove.”

Shari Cruse Greene organized a Rhodes reunion for ten very close friends in the fall of 2024. For trip number fifteen, Shari joined Therese Logue Hanna, Becky Brannan Hatcher, Katherine

Most of a career that followed found me running an advertising agency in Orlando—now I am retired. With Jane (my wife of 44 years and counting) we raised two children, Jillian and George, and now have one grandson, Steven Mark. Some highlights that might interest you: Past Chairman and Director Emeritus of The Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park, FL; past Chairman of Threshold Center for Autism; past President of the Downtown Orlando Partnership; and current president of Florida State Poets Association and founder/editor of its literary magazine, Of Poets & Poetry. All the aesthetic explorations I’ve journeyed through,

Therese Logue Hanna lives in Madison, MS. She retired in 2019 after a long career in health policy and has enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with grandchildren, travel, and participate in dog sports (agility, obedience, etc.) with her West Highland White Terriers. After the death of Bill, her husband of 45 years, in 2022, she has been grateful to have a hobby that is physically, mentally, and socially stimulating.

Post graduation, Memphis native Barry Lichterman started working in the family’s retail shoe business, eventually becoming the CEO. He helped grow it to over 70 locations

Randy and Pat Schenck Robertson

Mark and Jane Terry in Paris

Therese Logue Hanna runs an agility course with her West Highland White Terrier, Abbey.

Hiking in Leiper’s Fork, TN, on their 15th trip together are ’77 classmates Annette Troxell, Therese Logue Hanna, Kitty Nichols Sears, Katherine Bullard Melhorn, Melanie Hart Riley, Dot Neale, Shari Cruse Greene, and Becky Brannan Hatcher.

throughout the Southeast, Midwest and Texas until selling it in 1999. Retirement sounded good but was short lived until he found himself investing and working with an internet services company based in the Bay Area. Retirement was calling again. Then in 2003, lunch one day with an amazing woman at Overton Park’s Brooks Museum changed his life’s course. Liz Levitt, along with her foundation, had revived shell theaters across the country and wanted to see the Memphis shell brought back to its former glory days, and Lichterman signed on as a board member. In September 2008, the first free concert under the stars and with lawn seating took place at the now-Overton Park Shell, which continues to provide excellent performances in Memphis.

Joe Meals just celebrated The Big 7-0 surrounded by his children and his four grandchildren. His Lynxcat football days may be long over, but he finds watching his grandsons play basketball and baseball and the granddaughters playing volleyball just as enjoyable and a lot less strenuous. Like a lot of America, he’s joined the pickleball craze. All in all, “Life is good.”

Miriam McLeod has joined that community of Wordle retirees and bird watchers after a fortyyear career at the financial services company Equitable. “It was a great run—I worked with some very smart and interesting people and NYC is always exciting. It feels very strange not to be getting on that train every weekday morning. My continuing interests include music (all kinds, such as the singer-songwriter house concerts we’ve hosted for over a decade), books and writing, food, wine, and travel.”

Due to scheduling conflicts, Bonnie Moore McNeely was disappointed to miss the reunion Shari Cruse had planned for last October. “The calendar was booked for a Scandinavian adventure planned by my travel guru Elizabeth McNeely ’16. We reveled in the beauty of the fjords and mountains of Norway, the charms of Stockholm (including the Nobel Prize Museum and the ABBA museum) and survived riding bicycles through the city streets of Copenhagen, while indulging in culinary treats galore.”

Elizabeth Brown Sims was one of the lucky ones who survived Hurricane Helene’s wrath in Asheville, NC. Living in an area devastated by the September storm, she is part of a community still grieving while recovery continues. Rewind back to the early days of the pandemic, in 2022 Elizabeth became one of the founders of Equal Plates Project. With restaurants closing, Equal Plates Project gave farmers an outlet to sell their produce; the organization then used the produce to help prepare 1,000 meals daily to those in need. The organization continued its mission post pandemic and when Helene hit,

they were prepared and have continued to serve 1,000 meals a day. The Executive Director of the Equal Plates Project is Madi Holtzman, sister of Emma Holtzman ’17. From Asheville’s crushed economy Elizabeth writes, “It’s still one of the most beautiful places in the world. I hope people will come here and support our community.”

1978

Reporter: Sandy Schae er sandeford.schae er@gmail.com

1979

Reporter: Mary Palmer

mpalmerc@comcast.net

1980 45th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporter: Taylor Todd taylortodd57@gmail.com

Dear 1980 Classmates, Greetings. I have noticed our class hasn’t had a class reporter for a few years now. So, I thought I’d give it a shot. You can send your submissions to: taylortodd57@gmail.com. I’d be interested to know what happened to my fellow classmates after graduation. I bet many of you feel the same way. I imagine we have all lived rather full lives in the past 45 years. I look forward to hearing from you.

Dave and Kim Freeman Durham are taking a much-needed break in Hawai’i! They recently welcomed their 5th grandchild, Luke, to the family in December. Kim retired in 2019 and continues to hold down the fort at home while Dave continues to work as a defense contractor, modernizing 30-year-old software systems using cloud-based technologies.

On Tuesday, February 25, Patty Bowen Barker was presented the Ethel K. Millar Award for Religion and Social Awareness during the 40th Annual Steel-Hendrix Awards. Patty joined the sta of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance in September of 2012 to serve as the Campaign Director for the Arkansas No Kid Hungry Campaign. The Campaign is a unique partnership among the Arkansas Governor’s O ice, state agencies, hunger relief agencies and nutrition advocates all working together to alleviate childhood hunger in Arkansas by improving access to nutrition programs and educating families about healthy, a ordable food choices.

1981

Reporter: Sherri Godi Cox rhodesalum81@gmail.com

Jim and Sara Long Singleton ’79 married the week Jim graduated from Southwestern (1978) and this June they will celebrate 47 years of marriage. Jim reports “we now live in Spokane, WA, and I am still a pastor and a professor. Sara spent 20 years as a nurse and is now a pastor as well.”

Pickleball seems to be the topic of conversation for this edition. We have undisputed champions and folks traveling across the country for tournaments—serious contenders! I wanted to

Dave and Kim Freeman Durham

Jim Singleton

Little Rock alumni turned out to support Patty Barker ’80. From left to right: Laura Lecky Coulter ’86; Bonnie Allen ’78; Kay Batey Brown ’80; Patty Bowen Barker ’80; Liz Smith Russell ’80; David Russell ’81; and Gloria White ’80.

start playing this illustrious sport, but three of our friends have injured feet, shoulders, knees— all sorts of body parts that I would prefer not to injure! So, my pickleball career may just have to yield to reading more books and to doing more jigsaw puzzles!

Je Cowell shares: “Cathleen Close ’78 and I married in October 2024. We live on a small farm near Tullahoma, TN. In retirement, we are training to serve as respite caregivers for a specialneeds baby being fostered by a friend. I am the undisputed champion of the C-level Senior pickleball group. After 35 years of ine ective treatment, my depression finally succumbed to a mix of two drugs; this allowed my naturallysunny disposition to emerge and thrive.”

Brooks Robey was elected New Orleans’ Regional Councilor on the Governor’s Advisory Council of the Louisiana Chapter of the American College of Physicians. He was also elected to the Board of Directors of the National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana where he will serve as President of the NKFL Medical Advisory Board. He is presently Associate Chief of Sta for Research for the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System and is a Professor of Medicine at both Tulane University School of Medicine and LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine.

Greg Hughes reports: “I’m still working and really have no plans to retire any time soon. I can do most of my gig remotely as a rep for numerous manufacturers to the Military Exchange retail enterprises. I’ve traveled so much in my career that I now dread airports and airliners. I’ve been married now 42 years, and we enjoy being grandparents to our three granddaughters 10, 7, and 5. At some point we will move from DFW to be near them and their parents outside Oklahoma City.”

Carole Jennings Freeburg relates: “My husband and I are staying busy with travel and our kids and grandkids. My first grandchild was born in August. Such a delight to have her in my life. My husband and I traveled to St. George, UT, last fall to play in a pickleball tournament. Then we spent another week in Utah seeing the spectacular scenery. Lots of traveling and pickleball planned for 2025!”

Jill Mashburn shares: “I started a new job in October 2024, as sales support for Atlanta Flooring Design Center in Suwanee, GA. It’s commercial flooring sales support, and it can be hectic. But, I really enjoy it as it is much less stressful than managing an insurance agency. I managed the agency and worked in insurance for the last 10 years. However, I am still selling insurance, but just at nights and on the weekends. It’s my 2nd stream of income! I am also very active in the Scouting community in

my area. Then, as a fun activity, my hubbie and I help two friends of ours with their Chili CookO competitions. We get to travel and go to the cook-o s around the Southeast.”

Rick Cartwright reports: “Just published my 22nd short story, ‘Mirror Image’ in the Pinup Noir: Sultry Murder Jazz anthology, available on Amazon. Looking to have my first novel published late summer. I miss Jenny every day, but I know that she’s always looking over my shoulder. And wanting to correct my grammar.”

Catherine Howe Hunt: “Following the death of my husband, Mark, in 2021, I’ve been taking steps—some baby, some major—to rebuild a good life in unchosen circumstances. I retired in summer 2023 after 18 years as an auditor in state government. I enjoyed the work and knowing my work helped the e iciency, e ectiveness, and transparency of government, still. I recognized I was ready for a change. I’m loving living a less scheduled life. A particular pleasure was the Rhodes Footprints of Paul trip to Greece last May.”

1982

Reporter: Margaret Fain ’82 mfain@sc.rr.com

David Eades: “I retired from my Charlotte law firm in 2022. During my career, I mainly did corporate workouts and bankruptcies for bank groups. While that involved occasional drafting drudgery and some stressful litigation, most of my work was working with others to devise, negotiate, and implement creative solutions to keep financially troubled companies viable (and therefore able to repay my clients). It was fun. I’d do it again. In my free time, I coached our children in various sports, took fantastic family vacations, and worked with Roof Above, an organization focused on not only helping the chronically homeless but on ending homelessness by building group homes. My work there fortuitously brought me into contact with Dorothy Sanders Wells and Sally Jones Heinz ’81, who worked with a similar organization in Memphis. I also travel to Nashville occasionally to see my dad, Joe Eades ’56 and my sister, Susan Eades Mackey ’85.”

Christie Ray Eades chimes in, “After a short time teaching high school Latin and a long time (is it over?) raising three now grown children, I enjoy bridge, pickleball, and travel. David and I especially enjoy travel/visits with our dear friends Mark and Elizabeth Sheppard Hurley ’84.” 1983

Reporter: Ted de Villafranca

edevillafranca@gmail.com

1984

Reporter: Linda Odom linda.odom@klgates.com

1985 40th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporter: Ann Webb Betty 11webby@gmail.com

Beth Baxter continues to work in two psychiatric private practices, one in the Nashville community of Brentwood and another one in the nearby town of Hendersonville. She continues to enjoy time knitting, baking, with friends, with parents, with her church Hillsboro Presbyterian, and with her cat Lincoln.

Andrew Watts – “After 37 years as an investment manager and almost 30 years at Oaktree Capital Management, I retired at the beginning of October. In retirement, I am blessed to serve as President/ Board Chair of Bright Stars of Bethlehem, a charity that raises funds for a university of arts in Bethlehem, Palestine. This is an extension of my education at Rhodes, which taught me how to see all people support their desire to live with purpose and love.”

Neal McAtee – “Just a quick note that Amy (Hazelwood) ’86 and I moved to Birmingham in February after being in Memphis for all but two of the last 40 plus years. Although it was hard to leave the house where we raised our three kids, we moved to be with our oldest daughter, her husband (both pastors in Birmingham), and three granddaughters as well as our other daughter (a NICU nurse here).”

Joel Lyons – “While my wife, Padma, and I continue to practice in our respective fields of dentistry and physical therapy, we have been stepping up our travels lately. Our big trip in ‘24 was Greece. We adored Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens. Just spectacular scenery! We also had an excursion to Toronto where I saw Niagara Falls for the first time. We found time to see New

Joel and Padma Lyons

Orleans, Crested Butte, CO, and Table Rock, MO. This year we had a relaxing and adventurous time in St. Lucia. While Padma has practiced the last 20 years in Germantown, I moved my PT practice to the same area this year. We had the grand opening and ribbon cutting in March with none other than the mayor, Mike Palazzolo ’86!”

Martha Hample – “Lately my travels have included a 10-day stint in Vietnam where most notably I rode, with two other people and all my luggage, on the back of a scooter through central Saigon (HCMC). I also enjoyed a glorious (sunfilled!) tour of Oregon including Bend, my newest retirement fantasy, the Willamette wine region, and Crater Lake.

“Back in Memphis I’ve mostly been busy with my side hustles, including helping a former associate who has taken over Palladio Interiors in Midtown. My main entrepreneurial focus, Hampline Brewing, is also proud to have been presented with the people’s choice trophy for “Best Beer” at MoSH’s Science of Beer event for the 4th consecutive year, has put in a new custom woodfired pizza oven, and was honored (thanks to Archer Advertising) with 20 (!) American Advertising Awards for retail packaging in the art direction, illustration, and copywriting categories at a recent ceremony in Memphis!

Craig Jones – “Life has been good these days. My wife and I have lived in the Augusta, GA, area for over 30 years and currently looking to relocate near Orlando for work. I sold my tennis club in 2023 after 25+ years and am finishing my 14th year working for the US Tennis Association. I am in Coach Education and oversee workshop delivery and quality standards for the US. And if you are wondering, do I play pickleball? Hell, no. I have not even picked up a paddle! Shocking news: I recently went back to school and completed my master’s degree in Coach Education. I finally made the Dean’s List and was even accused of being the teacher’s pet.”

From Christy Weir Krueger and the reunion planning committee: Please join us at our 40th

Reunion the weekend of October 23-25, 2025! Our reunion committee (Christy Weir Kreuger, Je Davis, Kathryn Barr, Bob Lawson, Andrew Watts, and Ann Webb Betty) is planning a fabulous time together!

1986

If you are interested in serving as the Class of 1986 reporter, please contact alumni@rhodes.edu.

1987

Reporter: Mimi Swords Fondren mimifondren@outlook.com

Nancy DiPaolo and Marianne Blackwell and hubbies just returned from a safari in Botswana and Victoria Falls, Zambia, with a side trip to Cape Town. “We saw many elusive, shy leopards, huge elephant herds, and wild dogs. A highlight was swimming at the edge of Devil’s Pool in Victoria Falls.”

has in store. My law practice, Harris Law Firm PC, continues to maintain a presence in both Houston and Austin.”

1988

Reporter: Brooke Glover Emery brookegemery@gmail.com

1989

Reporter: Julianne Johnson Paunescu jpaunescu@yahoo.com

It was wonderful to see so many 1989 grads at Homecoming in November. (above, left to right): Gretchen Greiner-Lott, Kathleen Atkinson Manley, Cheryl Montgomery, Lucy Cooper Oglesby, Beth Havercamp Wilingham, Eileen Ru in Wood, and Kara Babin Gee gathered at Eileen’s The Seven Acre Wood home before joining the rest of us on campus!

Alan Harris checked in: “After 15 years in Austin and now that our youngest is o to college, Carrie and I are moving back to the Houston area. We’re looking forward to being closer to family and discovering what else this next stage of life

One classmate that missed our reunion, Susanna Smith, sent a note of thanks to our class. She writes, “We are a lucky and fortunate group of people. We lived in that lovely bubble on North Parkway for four years. And it is from this group of people who lived in this bubble with me that I have received strength during the most di icult time of my life. After the sudden death of my husband in October of 2024, you all gave me so much love and support and for that I am forever

Martha Hample at Crater Lake

Greg Hanissian sent an awesome picture of some friends from ‘87 at a gathering at his home! From left to right: Alan Truitt, Mark Wells, Tim Chu, John Wahab, Phil McSween, Greg Hanissian, and Ron Kuhn.

Nancy DiPaolo and Marianne Blackwell on safari

grateful. I wish I could have joined everyone at the 2024 reunion, but it was just too soon. I had a small reunion with Gina Latendresse and Liza Wade in Nashville.”

1992

Reporter: Sara Hawks Marecki saramarecki@yahoo.com

1993

Reporter: Wendy Young Mullins wendy.mullins@yahoo.com

Charles West Hammond retired from Federal Express after 30 years in 2021. He lives with his two dogs in Las Vegas, NM.

Some classmates sent news about how marking key milestones involved travel to exotic locales. Clark Tomlison shared that after giving anesthesia for almost 20 years at the same hospital in North Carolina, he is spreading his wings a little and doing freelance anesthesia work at three di erent sites in Greensboro, a nice “change of professional scenery” after so many years in one location.

In August of 2024, Anna Catherine Wylie Super and her husband drove their younger child to college 1,000 miles from home, but rather than sit in their “empty nest” they undertook a threeweek adventure in parts of Africa. They delighted in spending time together and in exploring natural history in various habitats and national parks. Anna Catherine wrote that she realized that they were enjoying similar activities thirty years ago while working and dating in Acadia National Park, on the coast of Maine. Now they live on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park where she volunteers in the park, in a local church, and in their wider community which continues to recover from Hurricane Helene.

2024 was a big year for Kathleen Atkinson Manley and her family. Both of her sons, Nicholas (27) and Emerson (24) got married and she celebrated seven years with McGri Insurance, a Marsh McLennan Agency, as the Operations Manager /Associate Vice President of the Memphis o ice.

Liza Wade was recently awarded a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden for her leadership and volunteerism. Liza co-founded Y-Hope Foundation, based out of the metro DC area, which for almost a decade o ered complimentary mobile spa services to women facing challenging life circumstances.

1990 35th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporter: Trish Puryear Crist nashvilletrish@gmail.com

1991

If you are interested in serving as the Class of ’91 reporter, please contact alumni@rhodes.edu.

Erin Hubbell Umberg married Robert Umberg in Spartanburg, SC, on June 21, 2024. Also, her daughter Grace Till will graduate from the nursing program at the University of South Carolina in May!

Marlinee Clark Iverson remains in Memphis with her family of four kids and husband, Max, a CBU professor, and the two most important family members, French bulldogs Ferdinand and Moby. She reports “I’m currently serving as the Shelby County Attorney and as the incoming Memphis Bar Association President for 2026. I’ve enjoyed having some Rhodes students as interns in my o ice.”

Cassy Kasun Lewis and family visited Jenny Kim at her house in Oakland, CA - the first time they saw each other in over 16 years!

From Shannon Maris: “I have remained in Memphis since graduation. I love my home in Cooper-Young, which my husband and I bought in 1998. After a few years teaching biology at Bolton High, and a 16-year stint as a naturalist at Lichterman Nature Center, I now work for a local non-profit, Memphis Kids in Nature.”

Wendy Young Mullins: “Since I was determined to get at least 10 submissions for our class I am adding a brief update, too. Despite living far from each other, my sister, Dr. Tracy Young Roth ’87, and I were able to get together with our parents for several family events this year. I continue my career in school psychology in Louisville, KY, and explore new hobbies as we are now empty nesters. We are excited as our young

adult children continue to hone their gifts in DPT school (oldest) and complete college to work and continue to work for a housing company (youngest).

Catherine and Patrick Nelson enjoy being “empty nesters” with all four kids who have finished college and are in the workforce.

“We recently relocated to NW Florida, and Pat commutes to Memphis every few weeks for work, still leading the team at Lehman-Roberts Co. In February, Pat was named Chairman of the National Asphalt Pavement Association and is leading e orts to advocate for the larger asphalt industry.”

Even though the Super Bowl did not result in her Kansas City Chiefs 3-peat, Kelly Slagle spent the week leading up running the Disneyland 1/2 marathon, visiting Abigail Markward in sunny California, and enjoying the preSuper Bowl activities with Anne Falgoust Johnson ’94.

Eric Smith: “My wife, Sandy, and I have been living in Louisville, Colorado, just outside Boulder, for the past decade. A few years ago, I shifted from a long journalism career and now work in corporate communications for an outdoor products company called Revelyst, the

Clark Tomlinson

Cassy Kasun Lewis and Jenny Kim

Patrick Nelson and family

Kelly Slagle and Abigail Markward

Center in Knoxville, TN, as a hospitalist nurse practitioner. I also enjoy traveling with my family. We recently visited Japan where my daughter completed her college education and is now employed.”

parent of such brands as CamelBak, Bell, Giro, Bushnell, Simms Fishing, Fox Racing, and others. On a personal note, when we’re not adventuring in the Rocky Mountains, I spend a lot of time writing my blog, “A Fan’s Notes .”

Stephanie Monte Sullivan has been married to Steven Sullivan ‘91 since 1995. Steph and Steve live in York, PA, where Steph is an active member of the community: grant-reader for two grant review committees with the York County Community Foundation, treasurer of a fully endowed scholarship program, and advisor to a student leadership group at the high school.

James Westphal: “After 9 years in North Chattanooga, Barbara and I sold the house to start a new build just south of town in Chickamauga, GA. I’m out on my bike a lot because there’s so much great cycling around here. Town is only 10 minutes away so we ain’t exactly in the bona fide boonies.”

1994

Reporter: Judy Brown judyporterbrown@gmail.com

1995 30th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporter: Sarah Hall Stump sarahhallstump@icloud.com

1996

Reporter: Jennifer Larson larson_jennifer@yahoo.com

1997

Reporter: Brendan Minihan bminihanjr@gmail.com

Alicia “Nichole” Williams Walker: “In May 2023, I received my doctorate in nursing. I am currently employed at the University of Tennessee Medical

Elizabeth Tilghman McFadden will be celebrating seven years as a Pacific Northwest/ Washington State transplant this year. She continues to embrace the Birkenstock and socks, tree hugger, outdoorsy lifestyle with pride! She enters her 5th year as a solo divorce financial planner and family mediator, and she much prefers the peacemaking vibe of the family law community in the Greater Seattle area. Tilghman reports fun 2024 meet-up’s, from coast to coast, with Brooke Porter Hawkins, Jennifer Ga ord Daugherty, and Leah Daniels, and she’s looking forward to seeing more fellow Rhodes grads as the big 5-0 sweeps through our cohort in 2025!

Tip Tucker Kendall is the executive director of the National Grants Management Association. She received her Certified Association Management (CAE) in 2022 and is a thought-leader and speaker on nonprofit management. Recently, she explored Northern California’s hiking trails and vineyards with friends celebrating their 50th. She lives in Atlanta with her partner and son.

Melissa Anderson Sweazy: “I’m celebrating my 8th season as creator and co-host of You Can See Me in the Dark, a storytelling podcast that features true ghost stories from around the world, told by the people who experienced them. From a Dutch metal rocker who battled a ghost to an air force cadet in Japan stalked by the ghost of a samurai, our stories are sourced from a global audience. If you have a great ghost story, we’d love to hear it!”

1998

Reporter: Susan Meredith Meyers susanmeyers26.2@gmail.com

1999

Reporter: Kathryn DeRossitt kathrynderossitt@yahoo.com

In August 2024, Patty Rouse Vargas was sworn in as President of the San Antonio Bar Association during its Annual Meeting and Past Presidents’ Reception. In September 2024, the San Antonio Bar Foundation held its Gala Benefit and Award; the theme was Memphis Blues, honoring Patty as the President incorporating her time in Memphis at Rhodes! Also in attendance were fellow Rhodes graduates, Patty’s brother, Steven Rouse ‘03, and her sisters-in-law, Lindsay Levine Rouse ‘03, and Claire Dowler Rouse ‘04.

Megan Emery Osler and Dave Osler ‘97 send greetings from Stockholm, Sweden. They’ve enjoyed the midnight sun (and long dark winters) since settling there in 2006. Megan works at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and Dave is the principal at the Stockholm International School. Last summer, they visited Memphis and Rhodes with their three children, Annika (16), Svea (13), and Linus (10), who enjoyed seeing campus and meeting Track and Cross Country Coach Robert Shankman ’79.

After a fast-paced career in Washington, D.C.— including time at the Obama White House—Mark Perriello is celebrating 10 years on Kauai, Hawaii, where he serves as President of the Kauai Chamber of Commerce.

Jimmie Glorioso ’97, Don Purvis ’97, and Brian McGuinness ’97 celebrated their annual Mardi Gras gathering at The Little Bar in New Orleans, co-owned by a Rhodes graduate.

Eric Smith

Nichole Walker graduating from UT

Tip Tucker Kendall

Genevieve White Carter and Cy Carter ‘98 reside on the North Shore of Long Island with their two daughters and continue to run their Bi Coastal Interior Design Firm. They were honored to be listed as top 12 Interior designers/ Landscapers on Long Island by Architectural Digest.

Kyle and Libby McCormac Ryan have called Jacksonville, FL, home since 2004 with their boys Tucker, 19, (Auburn undergrad), Mac, 16, and Charlie 14. They will celebrate their 25th anniversary in May! Kyle just finished his 7th year as a sales consultant with ERBE USA, a German medical device company focused on gastrointestinal and lung cancer surgery. Libby works as a college counselor at Wolfson High School and loves helping kids plot their futures.

Clare Dempsey is excited to announce her new role as Marketing Manager for Cardiovascular and Solid Organ Transplants at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. This new position follows an incredibly rewarding 10-year journey in Alzheimer’s and dementia care with Autumn Leaves Memory Care. She has a passion for healthcare marketing and is eager to contribute to the life-changing work happening at UT Southwestern.

Andy Harlow and wife Annie will celebrate their 23rd anniversary this year, and just sent their oldest to college last fall. Molly, 18, is a freshman at Ole Miss, so they pass through Memphis on their way from their Ardmore, OK, home to Oxford. Henry, 16, plays baseball, and Lucy, 15, is a golfer and rides horses. “Looking at our calendar with our calculators in hand, we figure we’ll enjoy a happy retirement for about 6 months sometime in our early 100’s.”

David and Adrienne Ballew Elder celebrated 25 years of marriage last July by touring Switzerland for two weeks—the perfect escape from the brutal Oklahoma summer. David is a corporate litigation partner at Hartzog Conger Cason in Oklahoma City, and Adrienne is a consultant who works with the state, nonprofits, and other organizations to provide resources and programs to underserved communities. Their children, James, 17, a junior, and Grace, 15, a freshman, attend Casady School where Adrienne and David first met in 4th grade. They regularly see Sarah Marshall Morgan and DJ Morgan ‘00 at Casady events.

“As of this writing, March 2025, I am hours away from completing my final edit on a narrative nonfiction book that used 6,000 sources, making me realize why it took five years of constant work to complete. I thought writing it was hard—finding a publisher and marketing may make 10-hour days of writing seem like a breeze.” - Katherine De Rossitt

2000

25th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporter: Nicki North Baxley nickinp@gmail.com

Brandon Waggoner ’00 married the love of his life Chad Kennedy on February 1st at a ski resort in Pennsylvania. Matthew Shipe, Chad Dawkins ’01, and Robert Campbell ’02 were all in attendance. Brandon and Chad are headed to Sydney for their honeymoon.

cousins John Bragg ’04 and Anne Bragg Warren ’00. In October, she joined Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, as Senior Policy Director and Head of Political Risk.

2004

Reporter: C. Kyle Russ ckyleruss@yahoo.com

2005

20th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporters: Brandon Couillard (last names: A-M) brandon.couillard@gmail.com

Molly Fitzpatrick (last names N-Z) mh tz11@hotmail.com

“Nicki North Baxley is excited to be taking her family and a group of 17-year-old boys on a mission trip to Belize this month. They will be doing construction and running a sports camp for the Mayan village children. She is working hard to instill the love of service in the next generation. Now, if she could just get some of them to go to Rhodes...”

Teal Baker was recently appointed Managing Director at LSG, an impact agency based in DC that works with clients on public a airs, strategic communications, and brand building.

2001

Reporter: Katy Minten Gray mkminten@hotmail.com

2002

Reporter: Shannon Cian shannoncian@gmail.com

2003

Reporter: Scott Holmes holmes.scott@gmail.com

Pamela Casey ’03 has announced her candidacy for Alabama Attorney General in 2026. If elected, she will be the first female to serve in that role. Pamela is currently in her third term as District Attorney of the 41st Judicial Circuit. She was elected in 2010 at the age of 29.

On April 12th, Anne Donnelly MacDonald ’03 married Garrett Grace in her hometown of Knoxville, TN. Rhodes classmates Lydia Murray Holland and Hannah Smith Mason were in attendance with A.D.’s or [MacDonald’s] Rhodes

Alex Hornaday has returned to the practice of law after teaching for seven years. He intends to focus on immigration and civil rights.

Altovise T. Ewing-Crawford, Ph.D. is an author! She co-authored a chapter titled Health Disparities and Opportunities for Equity in Genetic Counseling in A Guide to Genetic

Counseling, 3rd Edition. Additionally, she was featured as a subject matter expert in a Scientific American article titled Genetic Discoveries Could Reduce Black Women’s Higher Breast Cancer Death Risk.

Kevin Davidson was recently promoted to Managing Director, leading Mid-Cap coverage e orts for the South Central U.S. He recently celebrated 15 years at Wells Fargo and continues to live in Houston with wife and two kids.

2006

Reporter: Rachel Methvin rachel_methvin@icloud.com

Chrissie Hendrickson Kumar and husband Sean Kumar welcomed baby girl Clare on February 13, 2024. “Born on Mardi Gras, we enjoyed a king cake breakfast to celebrate her first birthday last week.” Chrissie is working in

Brandon Waggoner wedding

Ewing-Crawford family

recruiting at Amazon, and Sean splits his time between a strategy advising role at Gartner and serving as a Lt Colonel (just promoted!) in the US Army Reserve JAG Corps. We live in Alexandria, VA.

2007

Reporter: Meg Sizemore Clark megrebeccaclark@gmail.com

Sophia King and Rob Durham ‘04 are closing in on their first year back in the Southeast, having relocated to Atlanta last summer. They’re excited to be back near sweet tea, king cake, Mexican food, and family.

Meg Sizemore Clark is excited to take over class notes from Mollie Briskman Montelaro, though isn’t sure that it’s possible 18+ years have passed since we graduated. Meg and Jeremy are still in Atlanta, braved Disney last summer with two kids under 5, and recently celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary by attending their kindergartner’s school play.

Dan and Megan Norman Lombardo live in Salida, CO, a small town in the mountains. Dan is practicing family medicine, doing mostly clinic and OB. Megan just finished her master’s in Social Justice Community Organizing and is

MBA in Dublin, the country is roughly halfway between her American family and her new German family, and the good vibes of the Emerald Isle are famously o the charts. But also, if you can get married at a castle, why not get married at a castle?”

teaching music/piano and focusing on di erent organizing and equity education projects through our valley.

Sarah Galpern Via is in her second year of working as the School Counselor at St. Monica Catholic School in Dallas, TX. This new experience working with younger children has the added bonus of helping her raise three boys ages 5 and under at home.

Sarah Katherine (S-K) Wright continues to practice law at Butler, Vines & Babb, PLLC in Midtown Memphis, where she specializes in realty title and escrow. She and Philip LeTard ’06 enjoy their house in Midtown and keeping up with their extended families.

Matt Claypool is excited to share that he and fellow Rhodes alumni Laura Rigazzi and Arla Shult Newton ’08 traveled to County Clare, Ireland, to attend the wedding of Deborah Clarke to Daniel Fink at the stunning Dromoland Castle. To quote, “The location was special for a number of reasons: Deborah earned her

Sarah Townsend Leach is excited to share she has joined The Daily Memphian as its first director of fundraising and development. Sarah has her master’s in public administration from Indiana University and will lead The Daily Memphian’s e ort to increase and diversify charitable contributions and philanthropic investments from the Mid-South and beyond.

In November Joey Daly, Elliott Taliaferro, Tommy Orton, and Peter Hart journeyed to Montego Bay, Jamaica. While there, they observed the tactics of professional party pumpers, experienced a 5.7 magnitude earthquake, became familiar with Caribbean organized labor, and studied 17th century architecture with their new friend, Mario. After graduating from Rhodes, Britt Hall Ervin worked for several years at Contemporary Media, Inc (publishers of the Memphis Flyer and Memphis Magazine). She and husband Bobby moved out to Bellingham, WA, in 2015 where they

spend their time hiking, exploring the beaches, and occasionally braving Seattle tra ic to tour around the big city. They have two wonderfully smart, adventurous, and thoughtful kids—a daughter Kaylee (8), and son Wyatt (4). Britt shares, “Since 2019 I have been the Director of Operations for 40A. Virtual Assistants, working mainly with women-owned small businesses. And while I work remotely, the company was founded in and is based out of Memphis, so I never feel *too* far away. (Except when we are craving good BBQ!)”

(Above) Sarah Galpern Via, Colly Scott Beecherl and Betsy Duckett Harris in Dallas, TX in December to celebrate Hallye Hall Perkins’ 40th birthday!

Chrissie Hendrickson Kumar and baby girl Clare

Meg Clark and family

Dan and Megan Norman Lombardo family

Britt Hall Ervin and family

2008

Reporter: Madoline Markham Koonce madolinemarkham@gmail.com

Jazmin Miller shared that she got married last year to her “favorite person, Charles Kemmons Wilson III, so I’m Jazmin Miller Wilson now.”

Ed Lane reports that he and his wife Meade have “cute, rambunctious and fun 6-year-old boys. “We live in Lynchburg, VA, where I host a daily sports talk show called The Fast Lane on the Virginia Talk Radio Network while selling advertising and attending sporting events for ‘work.’”

Alex and Lauren Brooks Foti welcomed their fourth child, Benjamin “Benny” James, on September 13. He joins his older three siblings: Michael (9), Rob (5), and Lily Catherine (4).

2010

15th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporter: Amanda Law Maxson amanda.h.law@gmail.com

a member of the 610 Stompers, an all-male dance krewe known for their ‘ordinary men, extraordinary moves.’ Decked out in their signature red satin jackets and famous micro inseam blue shorts, the Stompers bring energy and humor to major events from Mardi Gras to charity fundraisers. Mary Landon writes that she “proudly serves as part of the all-female security force, The Splits, that protects these local heroes.”

2009

Reporter: Kelsey Dean Gri th kelsey.dean.gri th@gmail.com

Amanda Law Maxson and Rhodes assistant professor, David Maxson, shared that their hearts grew bigger October 10, 2024, when they welcomed Lawrence “Wren” Maxson. Susie (6) is the best big sister!

Lacy Ward McCormick and husband welcomed Max David McCormick on October 8, 2024. He was 9 pounds, 9 ounces and 22 1/4 long! If professional basketball doesn’t work out, maybe he will be a lynx cat!

2011

Reporter: Grace Weil gracem.weil@gmail.com

Linden Bowden and her husband, Matt, adopted a baby girl, Elizabeth Anne, in September 2024. Her older siblings are Charlie (14), Grant (11), and Annabelle (4).

As his wife Mary Landon Pope reports, Chris Pope is “making waves in New Orleans as

Rebecca Bates and Michael Gossett ‘10 welcomed their son, Malcolm Maximilian BatesGossett, on September 10, 2024. He joins big sister Mathilde, who is mildly impressed. The Bates-Gossetts live in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Stephanie Aughinbaugh and husband, Chris, enjoyed a Viking River Cruise on the Danube this past fall. Stephanie says, “It made us feel quite old and very young at the same time!” They have also been trying to spend as much time as possible with their precious niece, Kaye, a future Rhodes graduate and daughter of Amy Aughinbaugh Boone ’12. Sarah Osmer married Raul Santiago in Mexico City, Mexico, on September 20, 2024, the groom’s hometown. Rhodes grads in attendance were bridesmaid Sarah Henkel Volgas ’10, Jackie Ward ’10, Sarah Knowles ’11, and Jim Kingman. Sarah says, “The Rhodes crew absolutely shut the dance floor down … I guess that never changes!”

Hunter Hamlet moved to Los Angeles, CA, on April 22, 2025 to pursue a career in acting. Hunter hopes everyone is well!

Kimberly Harn and Daniel Williford welcomed son Sacha in spring 2024. Grandparents Judson ’78 and Donna Wallace Williford ’81 and uncles George ’13 and Ethan ’17 have all ventured north to Madison, WI, to meet him.

Emily

Jazmin Miller and flower girls

Alex and Lauren Brooks Foti

Emily Linden Bowden and family

Chris and Mary Landon Pope

Sarah Osmer wedding

Amanda Law Maxson and family

Lacy McCormick and family

Kimberly Harn Williford and family

Weil wedding (left to right) Nate Mahoney ‘11, Leah Reader ‘10, India Rhodes ‘09, Mark (the groom), Grace Weil ‘11, Ashley Co ield ‘92, Megan Singer ‘16, Morgan Cantor ‘15, Lily Mahoney ‘10, Cristina Iskander ‘10, Ali Moses ‘10, and Jessi Denby Wilson ‘08. Missing from the picture but in attendance was also Catherine Casey ‘10. A special shout out to India Rhodes ’09 and her team at Wilkinson Rhodes who made the best, most colorful wedding a reality!

Grace Weil married her longtime partner, Mark, in November 2024 in her hometown of San Antonio, TX. AOII sorority sisters, college roommates and classmates, a former boss and a coworker turned friends for life, and even the wedding planner extraordinaire were just a few of those who made up the incredible group of Lynxcats at the festivities.

2012

Reporter: Kelly Parry kparry1211@gmail.com

2014

Reporter: Matt Washnock washnockm@gmail.com

Ellen Bateman Erickson and her husband, Andrew, welcomed their son Henry Raymond Erickson on September 5, 2024.

Hannah Chimowitz: “I completed my Ph.D. in social psychology from UMass Amherst (2023) and moved to New York to begin working as a Senior Researcher and Policy Analyst at the National Employment Law Project, a national nonprofit advocacy organization focused on workers’ rights.”

Samantha Smith and Justin Lee ’13 were married in December 2024. They were so excited to celebrate with Rhodes friends from across the country.

Pending a successful dissertation defense in April, Jillian LaBranche will earn her Ph.D. in Sociology and begin her postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University’s Institute of International and Regional Studies in September 2025.

Brett Stoots has been elected to the Board of Directors of Commercial Bank and Trust in Paris, TN. Brett currently serves as the bank’s CFO.

Chidimma Emelue is Principal Fellow at Uncommon Schools in New York City.

2013

Jenni Frierson Couhig recently moved to The Woodlands, TX, with her husband (Ben), toddler (Corbin, age 2), and dog (Tiger). Jenni works for Yahoo Finance doing data analytics and research and spends her free time on walks with her family and volunteering with The Junior League.

Emily Sellers lives in Kansas City with her husband, Kyle, and their daughter, Lily. Emily is working as a law clerk for a federal judge through the summer as she decides what’s next. Lily, who is a year and a half, enjoys running around the house with her pull along toy dog from Matt Breeden ’08 and Laura Hamper ’08 and learning Spanish words like “nariz” and “ojo” from her aunt Laura Sellers ’08.

2015 10th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporter: David Dorris david@vepartnersllc.com

Sameer Warraich was a 2021 Obama Scholar and now lives in New York City. He is currently Analytical Lead at Google.

Reporter: Caroline Ponseti caroline.ponseti@gmail.com

Travis S. Allen received his Doctor of Medicine degree in May 2023 from Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk, VA. As a training neurologist, he is completing his second year of residency at TriStar Skyline Medical Center, a division of HCA Healthcare, in Nashville, TN.

Grace

Jenni Frierson Couhig family

Emily Sellers’ daughter Lily

Henry Raymond Erickson

Samantha Smith ’14 and Justin Lee ’13 were married in December 2024. They were so excited to celebrate with Rhodes friends from across the country.

Brett Stoots

2017

Reporter: Mason Brown marymason.brown910@gmail.com

Paul and Isabelle Campbell Bierwagen welcomed their first child, Ethan Paul Bierwagen, into the world on January 5, 2025. Ethan is happy, healthy, and looking forward to visiting Memphis with his parents for his first Rhodes Homecoming!

Emma Gottbaum is now living in New York City and is a graduate student at Fashion Institute of Technology.

The Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) has appointed Taylor Jackson as its next CEO. Taylor has served as Interim CEO since November 2024. Taylor initially joined HAA in 2022 as the Director of Grants. She is the first woman and person of color to lead HAA in its 19-year history.

2016

Reporter: Tina Tran tinatran.tm@gmail.com

Rebekah Barr ’16 is now the owner of Margeaux, Supper Parlor in Cambridge, MA. The restaurant is in the Porter Square Hotel at 1924 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. Margeaux opened in September 2024 and serves upscale Southern comfort food. The menu comprises multiple shareable plates, including shrimp and Boursin grits, deviled eggs with crispy fried Maine oyster and grilled smoked pork chop with Gruyere mac ‘n’ cheese. Specialty cocktails are also featured.

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Graduate College is proud to celebrate Jocelyn Labombarde, an exceptional MD-Ph.D. student, for earning the prestigious F30 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This award not only underscores Jocelyn’s groundbreaking research but also highlights the immense dedication required to excel in the dual-degree program.

2018

If you are interested in serving as the Class of 2018 reporter, please contact alumni@rhodes.edu.

Montana Pugh: “I’m a production designer/ set designer for commercial and editorial photography and film represented by MHS Artists. My clients include Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Zara, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, TIME Magazine, and New Kids On The Block. I’ve worked with photographers and directors such as Annie Leibovitz, Steven Meisel, Craig McDean, and Diane Martel. I happily reside in Red Hook with my two cats, Kit and Lu.”

2019

If you are interested in serving as the Class of 2019 reporter, please contact alumni@rhodes.edu.

In December, Bryce Hayes was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) 30 Under 30 Class for 2024. He is the director of sports information and sports marketing at Texas Lutheran University.

Scott Hale recently graduated from Brooklyn Law School.

Kaeley Bennett has been living in New York City for almost four years and works as a consultant for a public accounting firm.

2021

Reporter: Cassidy Le Pham cassidylpham@gmail.com

Rachel Novak Laws married C.J. Laws on May 4, 2024 after dating since freshman year at Rhodes. “Our close friends from Rhodes were in attendance. We also welcomed our first child, a son, Dmitri Reign Laws on January 14, 2025.”

Camille Hudson married Josh Minor on June 15, 2024, in Driftwood, Texas. Camille is a teacher in the Austin Independent School District. Emily Faber recently joined Open Society Foundations as Project Manager of Global Operations and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

2020

5th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

October 23 – 25, 2025

Reporter: Ben Gri th bengri th3@yahoo.com

Amber Toler is a current P4 at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy. Amber currently serves as a Pharmacy Intern for Methodist Germantown Hospital and Kroger Pharmacy, where she gets the opportunity to share her knowledge of medications and provide direct patient care. One of her first experiences in her pharmacy career began with a connection she made through Dr. Shana Stoddard at Rhodes and the STEM mentorship program. Soon after she began her career as a pharmacy technician at a local pharmacy while still in school.

Anisha Dash is a fourth-year medical student at the Quillen College of Medicine, set to graduate in May ’25 and begin her journey as an internist. She looks forward to completing her training and eventually transitioning into hospital administration, where she hopes to apply the principles of servant leadership to improve patient care and healthcare systems.

Bierwagen family

Taylor Jackson

Camille Hudson

Amber Toler

Anisha Dash

Hopkins, where I focused on glaucoma and artificial intelligence applications in ophthalmology. Along the way, I also earned a master’s in public health, hoping to integrate public health into my medical career to address healthcare disparities.

My passion for advocacy started back in Memphis and at Rhodes, and I’ve been fortunate to continue that work in D.C. I now lead a nonprofit focused on improving healthcare access for Asian American communities in the area.”

Meghan Hansen: “After graduating from Rhodes, I moved to San Francisco to earn my Doctorate in Dental Surgery at the University of the Pacific. Since then, I have been practicing in Santa Barbara in community health clinics as I complete my residency in an Advanced Education in General Dentistry.”

Since graduation, Vindhyaa Pasupuleti has solo-traveled to Morocco, Singapore, and Colombia, among other countries, inspired by personal projects and pure adventure. She’s moved to NYC, where she works at a grassroots immigrant-led education organization and is a writing coach for students applying to college. She was a Leadership Fellow at the New York Community Trust’s program. Entering her midtwenties, she’s constantly navigating balance between work and life, rest, and community. Above is a photo of Vindhyaa seconds before breathlessly completing a four-day hike on the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu, Peru. In her free time, she loves exploring the diverse cuisines in NYC and hearing from all walks of life how there is not one way to live a beautiful, fulfilling life. If you see this, she would love for you to be bold and reach out for a co ee or tea chat!

Riya Patel: “After graduating, I completed the Health Equity Post-Baccalaureate Program through Rhodes while scribing at Methodist University. I continued to expand my education and graduated with my master’s in biomedical sciences from Vanderbilt University in December 2023. Currently, I am a first-year student at Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine.”

Grant Hill: “After graduating from Rhodes in December 2020, I had the privilege of interning at the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Steve Cohen, who represents the city of Memphis. This proved to be an amazing opportunity to assist the Congressman in serving his constituents and our fellow Memphians, and to get a deeper understanding of legislative a airs. After an amazing three months with the House, in July of 2021, I moved to Washington, D.C. and began work as an analyst for Lake Research Partners, where I did polling and consulting for political campaigns, advocacy organizations, and non-profits, including successful work during the 2022 midterm elections. I now work as a Senior Associate at Morning Consult, a global decision-intelligence firm where I have been since January 2023. Here, l deliver high-frequency data and insights to my business, university, and non-profit clients to inform their strategic decision-making. After two amazing years in Washington, D.C., I returned to my hometown of Memphis, where I continue to serve my clients at Morning Consult.”

“Hi, I’m Jackie Jiang, Class of 2021!

After graduating, I took a gap year and worked as a medical scribe, which gave me great hands-on experience in patient care. Now, I’m a third-year med student at VCOM-Auburn, currently doing my clinical rotations in South Carolina. I’m almost finished with my core rotations, which is both exciting and a little surreal! In the near future, I hope to do pediatric residency in North Carolina, where my significant other is. I’m looking forward to what’s next and can’t wait to see where this journey takes me!

Hoang-Viet Tran writes: “I’m in my final year of medical school at George Washington University and preparing to apply for ophthalmology residency this fall. Over the past few years, I completed a research fellowship at Johns

Hoang-Viet Tran

Riya Patel

Grant Hill

Meghan Hansen

Vindhyaa Pasupuleti

Jackie Jiang

Cassidy Le Pham: “After graduating from Rhodes, I worked in a pediatric clinic as a medical assistant and also worked as a bobarista. I am currently in my third year of medical school at ETSU Quillen College of Medicine where I get to enjoy the beautiful mountains of East TN. I am excited to be serving as the Class of 2021 reporter!”

Yash Zhang: “I am a filmmaker and an actor. Born and raised in China, I came to the United States finding my interest in theatre and film areas. Now I am based in London pursuing a Creative Documentary MFA degree at University College London.”

2022

Reporter: Priya Tummalapalli Priya.Tummalapalli@alsac.stjude.org

Abby Sweeney shared the above photo from Jordan Nelson Corliss’ May 2024 wedding in Moab, UT, of all of the Rhodes alumni who were in attendance.

2023

Reporter: Ko Whitehead ko .whitehead12@gmail.com

Priscilla Foreman is living in Houston and at Axiom Space as social media specialist in the aerospace industry.

Joshua Forbes lives in Brooklyn, NY, and teaches math at Ditmas Park Middle School.

2024

If you are interested in serving as the Class of 2024 reporter, please contact alumni@rhodes.edu.

Paola O’Rourke and Trey Boyd celebrated their wedding in Mexico City on January 3, 2025. They shared their special day with family and friends, including many fellow Rhodes alumni. The couple now lives in New York City, where Trey works as a corporate legal assistant and Paola is a cybersecurity analyst.”

Cassidy Le Pham

Jordan Nelson Corliss wedding (left to right): Reagan Kuhn ’22, Abby Sweeney ’22, Jordan Nelson Corliss ’22, John Howell ’22, and Emily Haas ’22

Trey Boyd wedding guests in attendance included: top row (left to right): Avery Comish ‘24, Sam Kane, Trey Boyd ‘24, Paola O’ Rourke ‘24, Sarah Kate Childs ‘24, and Adam Fox ‘23; bottom row (left to right): Izzy Wollfarth ‘24, Mia Travis ‘24, Abby Kahn ‘24, and Kendra Payne ‘24.

Paola O’Rourke and Trey Boyd

IN MEMORIAM

To view full obituaries, please scan the QR code or visit https://news.rhodes.edu/memoriam

’48 Peggy Baker Cannada of Madison, MS, November 9, 2024. She was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity.

’51 Dorothy J. Kugler of Norman, OK, October 28, 2024. She was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity.

’51 Barbara Howell Hamilton of Apopka, FL, December 21, 2024. She was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity. She is survived by her grandson John H. Hamilton ’02.

’51 Walter S. Lazenby of Waynesboro, VA, December 13, 2024. He served on the sta of the Sou’wester and was a member of the Southwestern Singers.

’51 Frances Allen Terry of Louisville, KY, September 17, 2024.

’52 Jane McSpadden Twist of Memphis, TN, January 16, 2025. She was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity.

’54 Betty A. Bliss of Redway, CA, December 3, 2024.

’54 Martha Ann Holcombe Turbeville of Jackson, TN, January 28, 2025. She was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity and graduated with distinction.

’55 Anne Hebert Smith of New Haven, CT, November 11, 2024. She was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity.

’58 Walter J. “Mike” Michael Cody of Memphis, TN, September 15, 2024. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity; was named ODK’s Outstanding Sophomore; won an Experiment in International Living Scholarship to study abroad; was elected Athletic Commissioner, Student Council President, “Mr. Southwestern,” and King of the April Fool’s Court. He was inducted into the Student Hall of Fame and graduated with distinction. He was granted an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Rhodes in 1989, inducted into the Rhodes College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998, and was presented the Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award in 2016. Mike is survived by his wife, Suzanna Marten Cody ’75

’59 Dr. Malcolm D. McAulty of Tupelo, MS, September 18, 2024.

’59 Robert “Bobby” Livingston Weaver of Memphis, TN, September 25, 2024. He was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order.

’60 omas N. Moody of Franklin, KY, February 17, 2024. He was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.

’60 Rev. John W. Butt of Chiang Mai, ailand, October 18, 2024. He was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and the Football Team.

’60 Dorothy Jean Stock Rumph of Etowah, NC, January 2025. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity.

’61 Dr. Robert E. Fulghum of Concord, NC, September 3, 2024. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Order and the Football Team.

’61 Suellyn Scott Ru n of Memphis, TN, October 27, 2024. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity and inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

’61 Margaret “Peggy” Byrd Barnes of New Orleans, LA, January 2, 2025.

’62 Joycelene Lemmons Brills of Atlanta, GA, November 8, 2024.

‘63 Faye Brigance Sutton of Germantown, TN, January 30, 2025. She graduated with distinction and is survived by her brother Mickey Brigance ’69, daughter Jamey Sutton Kaplan ’85, and grandson Ian McConnell ’19.

’66 Charles A. Scott of Signal Mountain, TN, February 18, 2025.

’67 Samuel Casey Highsmith of Little Rock, AR, March 3, 2025. He was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and Ralph C. Hon. Society.

’68 Mauria Jackson Aspell of Hot Springs, AR, January 10, 2025. She was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority.

Robinson Hall, 1976

’68 Carol Snowden Morris of Memphis, TN, February 19, 2025. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity and is survived by her son Justin Baker ’95.

’69 Walker L. McGinnis of Huntsville, AL, December 11, 2024. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, the Football Team, and ODK.

’69 James C. Murphy, Sr. of Durham, NC, November 7, 2024. He was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity and the Track and Field Team.

’69 Dr. Ruth C. Duck of Claremont, CA, December 26, 2024. She was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity and graduated with distinction.

’70 William H. Dale, Jr. of Columbia, TN, January 29, 2025. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity and is survived by his daughter Caroline Dale Simpson ’03

’71 George H. Taylor of Carson City, NV, October 28, 2024. He was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and the Men’s Basketball Team.

’71 Dr. Stephen P. Busby of Springtown, TX, November 16, 2024.

’75 Fredna Ann Dowell of Salisbury, NC, November 5, 2024. She was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity.

’76 Ludwick J. “Joey” Knecht of Olive Branch, MS, November 11, 2024. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and the Football Team.

’76 Jonathan D. Andrews of Nashville, TN, February 18, 2025. He was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.

’80 Anita Weyland Gorzalski of Little Rock, AR, July 29, 2024. She was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity.

’81 Denise Roach of Hot Springs, AR, December 17, 2024. She was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority.

’83 John A. Bock of Fullerton, CA, July 1, 2024. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, the College Bowl Team, and the staff of Currents.

’84 Paige S. Tuminello of Memphis, TN, October 24, 2024. Paige was a member of the Whiteball Player Preservation Society.

’84 Dr. Paul D. Randolph of Memphis, TN, December 29, 2024. He was a member of the Football Team.

’86 Rev. Christine Elizabeth Bates of Nashville, TN, February 23, 2025. She was a volunteer with the Kinney Program, a Resident Advisor, and a member of Mortar Board.

’90 Dennis Pannozza, Whitstable, United Kingdom, September 21, 2024. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Order.

’92 Elizabeth “Libba” Cloar Burle of Memphis, TN, January 3, 2025. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity. She is survived by her mother Bette Stephens Green ’63; brother Frank Thomas Cloar Jr. ’85; and her niece Grace Kathryn Cloar ’19.

’96 Dr. John S. Rose of Pelham, AL, November 12, 2024. He was a volunteer in the Kinney Program, was treasurer of Mortar Board, and inducted into Beta Beta Beta Biology Honor Society. He is survived by his wife, Heather Plumb Rose ’97.

’98 Blake S. Rhea of Memphis, TN, November 6, 2024.

’10 Larry D. Cunningham of Memphis, TN, March 17, 2025. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and the Men’s Basketball Team.

FACULTY/STAFF

Dr. Marshall E. “Mark” McMahon of Memphis, TN, December 7, 2024. Professor Emeritus of Economics and Business Administration, he taught economics at Rhodes from 1972 - 2007. He also served as the Dean of Academic Affairs. He was the recipient of the Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Teaching in 1982 and was honored with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award in 1991.

Professor Bernice Werner Dicks of Albuquerque, NM, November 26, 2024. Prof. Dicks taught at Rhodes from 1967-1984 and served as Chair of the Department of English, Director of the Freshman Program, and Director of the Writing Laboratory. She is survived by her stepdaughter Sharon Dicks Updike ’84

Dr. Douglas W. Hatfield of Memphis, TN, February 25, 2025. Prof. Hatfield served as a member of the History Department faculty for more than 40 years. He served as the chair of the department and later as director of the Rhodes interdisciplinary humanities program.

FRIENDS

Rev. Dr. William T. “Bill” Bryant of Nashville, TN, October 16, 2024. He was a recipient of an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Rhodes College in 1982.

William Reid Sanders of Memphis, TN, January 16, 2025. He served on the Rhodes Board of Trustees from 2012 - 2017.

Adrienne McMillan Burns ’88 Memorial Labyrinth

rhodes.edu/souwesters