Dr. Frank Stegall Sr. (’62

Dr. Frank Stegall Sr. (’62) and his wife, Rebecca

Distinguished Alumnus

It is fitting that a man who specialized in treating hearts for so many years would have such a big heart for others and his community. In October, life trustee and longtime cardiologist Dr. Frank Stegall Sr. (’62) was honored as the 2021 Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient during Alumni Weekend.

"We look for individuals who have dedicated their lives to service in their professional fields, in their community and at Darlington. Dr. Frank Stegall has done just that," said Robert Hortman (’99, LD ’18), president of the Alumni Council. "As a cardiologist, a community member and a Darlington trustee, he has dedicated his life to service. What you won’t read about in the program, though, is the manner in which he conducted his service. Whether you are a patient, a colleague, a faculty member, a community member, or a young kid running around in your backyard, he always greeted you with a kind smile and sincerely wanted to know how you were doing. His kindness, dedication to service, and the way he treated others sets an example of the Darlington graduate that we all aspire to be."

A native of Floyd County, Stegall enrolled at Darlington in the sixth grade. He was very involved on campus, participating in the Drama Club, Glee Club, The Darlingtonian staff and as a member of the 1962 Mid-South championship soccer team. After graduating, he went on to study at Emory University and graduated from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1971.

Stegall practiced medicine as a cardiologist for over 50 years, serving the Rome healthcare community and helping thousands of people. He has received numerous awards from the medical community, including the Cardiology Leadership Award, CCMN Cardiologist of the Year, Best Practices Physician and the esteemed HCA Frist Humanitarian Award.

Additionally, Stegall is a graduate of the Rome Floyd Chamber’s Leadership Rome program; was a member of the United Community Bank Board of Directors; and, for over 20 years, served on Darlington School’s Board of Trustees. He was chairman of Darlington’s Board during the school’s historic Second Century Campaign, which raised over $97 million. Today, Stegall serves as a life trustee and is a member of the J. J. Darlington Society as well as the J. Daniel Hanks Sr. (’27) Heritage Society. "I do not feel worthy of this recognition but I am grateful to receive it," said Stegall in his address to Upper School students. "The values today taught at this school are the same values that were taught to us in the 50s and 60s. Years from now, you will look back and say, ‘Darlington did a great thing for me and I really appreciate what it did.’ I ask you to do three things when you have that ‘aha’ moment. The first is to thank your teachers and your coaches. Your success and the gratitude for their role in it is the gasoline that drives their engine. It’s why they’re here. "The second thing I would ask you to do is to thank your parents for the sacrifice for sending you here," he continued. "Many of them struggle mightily to provide this opportunity for you ... And the third thing I would like for you to do is to pay your appreciation forward. All of the buildings and facilities and scholarships that you’ve enjoyed here were gifts – gifts given by grateful, loving alums who donated to the school to ensure its availability for future generations. As a Darlington alum, you will bear that responsibility as well ... Darlington will need your time, your talent, and your treasure."

The Stegall family has a long legacy at Darlington. Frank’s father, Jo H. Stegall (’24), and brother, Dr. Jo H. Stegall Jr. (’51), are fellow alumni. He and his wife, Rebecca, have three children who graduated from Darlington, Maury (Stegall) Hitchcock (’00), Frank Stegall Jr. (’02, LD ’22) and Blair (Stegall) Bowden (’03). The Stegalls have five grandchildren, Frank (’32) and Oliver (’35) Stegall, Charlie and Helen Hitchcock, and Elizabeth Bowden.

’62 Head of School Brent Bell, Alumni Council President Robert Hortman (’99, LD ’18) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Scott Dozier (’73) present Dr. Frank Stegall Sr. (’62) with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Darlington Magazine

Class of 1976 Class of 1980

Trustee Tom Bethel, Head of School Brent Bell and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Scott Dozier (’73) pictured at a Darlington Connects Lunch & Learn at CRÚ Food & Wine Bar at The Battery in Atlanta in April.

Class of 1981

1968 (next reunion 2023)

Class Agents: Cathy (O’Neill) Dollar, James Moore, David Muschamp Cathy (O’Neill) Dollar and classmates Susan (Edge) Whitaker, Jenny (Gafford) Barker, Diane (Harris) Ogletree, Karen Prather, Brenda (Rock) West, Martha (McCall) Pullen and Linda Swanson enjoyed a fun reunion at the Isle of Palms in September of 2021.

1977 (next reunion 2022)

Class Agent: Elizabeth (Johnson) Higbie Scott Wheeler Sr. competed in the disc golf Amateur World Championships August 17-21, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. He has played disc golf for 30 years and joined the PDGA / professional disc golf association in 1992. He is a member of the Rome Disc Golf Club. Scott lives in Rome with his wife, Amy, and owns The Competitive Edge.

1981 (next reunion 2026)

Class Agent: Jule Peek Jack Briscoe writes: “Retired, divorced, and living in Oconee County, just outside of Athens, Ga. Hope to see y’all at our next reunion. We are not any younger and we do not know what tomorrow brings. Cheers!”

1985 (next reunion 2025)

Class Agent: Wright Ledbetter Cristina Hajosy writes: “Despite the pandemic craziness, I’m doing well here in Boston. My career in mixed media book arts continues. In early 2020, I co-founded a new non-profit arts organization, New England Book Artists. As president and web manager, I’m happily swamped with new connections and opportunities to promote book arts and book artists, including myself.”

Class of 1985

Class of 1991 Brooke Brinson (’88, LD ’14), Jonathan Harris (’99, LD ’22), Kimberly Prusakowski, David Ledbetter (’88, LD ’20), Bill Temple (’90, LD ’15) and Gaines Dempsey (’94, LD ’22) serve as panelists at the Darlington Connects Lunch & Learn at the Home-on-the-Hill in April, where guests learned about the state of the real estate market in Rome.

1987 (next reunion 2022)

Class Agents: Kimberly (Murphy) Moseley, Steve Spinks, Anne-Caroline (Brown) Taylor Carter Clark was promoted to vice president of sales at Visionaire Lighting LLC. Steve Moseley Jr. was named president and CEO of MIDFLORIDA, a Florida-based credit union, in March of this year. He has been employed by MIDFLORIDA since 1997 and has worked in nearly every aspect of the business. Leah (Claybrook) Vallely completed her Ph.D. in Public History / Archival Management at MTSU. Her research and writing focus is on the local consequences of foreign policy. She continues to make her home in Huntsville, Ala.

1995 (next reunion 2025)

Class Agent: Scott Morris Scott Morris and his wife, Lee (Taylor ’07), announce the birth of a daughter, Louise Elizabeth, on Sept. 9, 2021. The family lives in Rome.

1996 (next reunion 2026)

Class Agents: Ballard Betz, Brooke (Walker) Irby Matt Sawhill is director of government and community relations for the Tennessee Valley Authority. 1997 (next reunion 2022)

Class Agents: Julie (Wilson) Lucas, Vann Morris Drew Fleming joined Newmark in 2017 as a senior managing director in the Atlanta office and leads a senior retail investment team specializing in the sale of all types of shopping center assets, focusing on groceryanchored centers; neighborhood and community shopping centers; big-box and power centers; and high-street, multi-tenant retail properties.

1998 (next reunion 2023)

Class Agents: Regan (Maki) Couch, Molly (Kelly) Steeves

Molly (Mooring) Melin, an associate professor at Loyola University Chicago, has published a new book, “The Building and Breaking of Peace; Corporate Activities in Civil War Prevention and Resolution.” Gillian O’Nan and her partners' firm, O’Nan & Bierlein, debuted a new name and logo and opened their second office in Cartersville, Ga., on Jan. 1, 2022, providing an opportunity to better serve their Northwest Georgia clients. Their Buckhead office will continue to serve metropolitan clients. Class of 1986 Class of 1990

Class of 1995

2023 Georgia GOAL Tax Credits Now Available

Redirect a portion of your state income tax liability to the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program for a 100% Georgia income tax credit and help maximize this source of financial aid for deserving families. Applications are already being accepted now,so act fast before the cap is met!

The Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program is a win-win-win for taxpayer donors, scholarship recipients, and our school community.

• Darlington has awarded a total of $4,475,465 in GOAL

Scholarships since 2008. • 208 students have benefited from this program. • So far, 192 members of the community have contributed $746,701 for 2022. • Last year, 58 students received GOAL Scholarship funds totaling $435,450.

Tax Credit Limits - Increased for 2023!

• Single individual or head of household – $2,500 (previously $1,000) • Married couple filing a joint return – $5,000 (previously $2,500) • Married couple filing a separate return – $2,500 (previously $1,250) • Pass-Through Owner (not making HB 149 election) – $25,000 (previously $10,000) • C corporation or Trust – up to 75% of annual Georgia income tax liability • New for 2023: Business that pays insurance premium tax – 75% of annual tax liability with credit not exceeding $1 million

How it Works

1. Apply. Complete the 2023 GOAL Tax Credit

Application at www.goalscholarship.org (it takes just 20 seconds!) Applications are open until Dec. 31, pending availability. 2. Submit. GOAL submits your application to the

Georgia Department of Revenue. 3. Approval. GOAL and DOR notify you of approved tax credit amount and payment deadline. 4. Make Payment. Pay GOAL by check or credit card within 60 days of DOR approval. 5. Take the Credit. GOAL sends you Form IT-QEE-SSO1 (tax receipt) to claim the credit on your 2023 Georgia income tax return. 1999 (next reunion 2024)

Class Agent: Marie (Hodge) Gordon Marie (Hodge) Gordon and fellow alumni Kristi (Buice) Brigman (’05) and Barton Lowrey (’05, LD ’12) of the Georgia Department of Economic Development played a major role in securing the single-largest economic development project to the State of Georgia last year. In December 2021, Georgia Gov. Brain Kemp announced that Rivian Inc. will invest $5 billion in a carbon-conscious campus in Georgia for its electric adventure vehicles, creating approximately 7,500 jobs. Will Young and his wife, Meaghan, announce the birth of a daughter, Piper, in October of 2021. The family lives in Atlanta.

Will ('99) and Piper Young 2002 (next reunion 2022)

Class Agents: Tiffany (Payne) Horton, Annie Rosen, Miles Wellesley Stephen Taylor and his wife, Amber, announce the birth of a daughter, Penelope Quinn, on April 21, 2022. She joins big sister Amelia Beatrix. The family lives in Rome. 2004 (next reunion 2024)

Class Agent: Vacancy Mike Jones is an executive talent partner at Crypto at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).

2005 (next reunion 2025)

Class Agents: Madison (McRae) Criswell, Kim King, Ford Knight, Brad Large Kristi (Buice) Brigman was promoted to division director of the global commerce division at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Barton Lowrey and his wife, Betsy, announce the birth of a son, Jacob “Jake” Hart, on Sept. 26, 2021. He joins big sister Mary Barton. In addition, Barton was promoted to assistant director of the corporate solutions and cyber security team in global commerce at the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Mary Barton and Jake Lowrey Lauren (Boiling) Seeger is a senior content strategist at U.S. Legal Support.

Class of 1996