The Talon - Spring 2017 by Southern Miss Alumni Association

THE S O U T H E R N M I S S A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N â&#x20AC;¢ S P R I N G 2 0 1 7

ASBURY HALL O P E N S T H E D O O R TO FUTURE SUCCE S S

POWERING GENERATIONS

OF GOLDEN EAGLES At Southern Miss, excellence and achievement are more than words—they’re a way of life. Mississippi Power celebrates this legacy and is honored to keep lighting the way for generations of Golden Eagle students and alumni. We’re proud to be part of your team. mississippipower.com

As a graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi, you could receive exclusive savings on auto and home insurance from Liberty Mutual.1

Join thousands of satisfied customers with Liberty Mutual Insurance.2 Discounted Rates—You could save up to $519.52 a year3 on auto insurance and receive additional discounts on home insurance. Exceptional Service—Whether you’re in an accident or just need some advice, know we’ll always be on call for you. Superior Benefits—Enjoy a number of superior benefits, such as 24-Hour Claims Assistance, Accident Forgiveness4, Roadside Assistance5 and Better Car Replacement.™6

For a free quote, call 855-320-2150 or visit LibertyMutual.com/SouthernMissAlumni Client # 113257 This organization receives financial support for offering this auto and home benefits program. Discounts and savings are available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify. 2 Based on Liberty Mutual Insurance Company’s 2014 Customer Satisfaction Survey in which more than 81% of policyholders reported their interaction with Liberty Mutual service representatives to be “among the best experiences” and “better than average.” 3 Average annual savings based on countrywide survey of new customers from 01/27/2014 to 01/16/2015 who reported their prior insurers’ premiums when they switched to Liberty Mutual’s group auto and home program. Savings do not apply in MA. 4 For qualifying customers only. Accident Forgiveness is subject to terms and conditions of Liberty Mutual’s underwriting guidelines. Not available in CA and may vary by state. 5 With the purchase of optional Towing & Labor coverage. Applies to mechanical breakdowns and disablements only. Towing related to accidents would be covered under your Collision or Other Than Collision coverage. 6 Optional coverage. Applies to a covered total loss. Deductible applies. Does not apply to leased vehicles and motorcycles. Not available in NC.

THE S O U T H E R N M I S S A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N • S P R I N G 2 0 1 7

“There is no question the new building will continue to attract potential nursing students to Southern Miss.” – L ane Bielstein, doctor of nursing practice student DEPARTMENTS

COVER STORY

7 Notes from Home

30 Asbury Hall Opens the Door to Future Success

8 News Around Campus

17 Calendar of Events 18 Association News 26 Foundation News 47 Greek News 48 The Arts 51 Athletic News

FEATURES

36 South Mississippi’s Living Museum

56 Snapshots 57 Class Notes cover:

Nursing students at Southern Miss receive quality instruction in the newly constructed Asbury Hall. Asbury Hall opened its doors this semester, replacing Harkins Hall as the home of the College of Nursing at Southern Miss.

The newly constructed $31-million-dollar Asbury Hall is now home to the University’s College of Nursing. Boasting state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technology, the building was intentionally designed to support faculty and student success by promoting a positive, interactive teaching and learning environment. With the potential to house more than 800 students, Asbury Hall significantly impacts future success for Southern Miss nursing graduates.

The Lake Thoreau Environmental Center has developed into an environmental education hub of activity, including summer camps, outreach programs and grant-funded biological research activities. An approximate 300-acre nature preserve, the center provides an environment that inspires people of all ages to explore their connections with the natural world, while providing a model for protection and stewardship of longleaf pine forests.

40 Southern Miss Welcomes William Carey University

above:

Following the fatal tornado that hit the Pine Belt on Jan. 21, The University of Southern Mississippi welcomed students, faculty and staff of William Carey University to the Hattiesburg campus. Providing space for classrooms, laboratories and offices, along with meal services and counseling services, Southern Miss helped the Crusader family get back on their feet quickly and efficiently.

44 Family Ties: From the Beginning Until Now

Sidney Edward Lee Weatherford Sr. traveled by horse and carriage to move into his first dorm in Forrest County Hall at Mississippi Normal College. Today, his great-grandson, Tyler Standland, is enjoying his own freshman year experience at Southern Miss.

Spring 2017

ALUMNI STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JERRY DEFATTA ’00, ‘10 ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR INTERNAL OPERATIONS DANE REITER ‘06, ‘07, ‘10

Y E A R S OF

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS JENNY BOUDREAUX ’08, ‘14 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR COMMUNICATIONS NICOLE RUHNKE ‘08 MANAGER OF CONSTITUENT RELATIONS LAUREN RICHARDS ‘11 MANAGER OF PROGRAMS BAYLEE LONG COORDINATOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES MELISSA MCDANIEL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT RENÉ TRIGG

TRADITION • PRIDE • LOYALTY • EXCELLENCE

DATA ENTRY SPECIALIST SHARON ANDERSON RECEPTIONIST RENÉ KENT MAIL CLERK EDWARD WALLACE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT KAISHA BROWN ‘16 STUDENT GRAPHIC DESIGN ASSISTANT GABRIELLE GRAHAM

••••• CONTRIBUTING WRITERS VAN ARNOLD ’79, ALISON CRUMPTON ’11, ARLICIA JORDAN ’10, AUDREY KELLY, KARYN C. LEWIS ’15, MIKE LOPINTO ’91, ’93, ’02, KARELIA PITTS ’14, MARIE JOHN ROBERTS ’11, ‘12 JAMES SKRMETTA ’13, DAWN SMITH ’95, JENNY TATE ’11, DAVID TISDALE ’90, ‘01

1917–2017

SOUTHERN MISS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS KELLY DUNN, MATT MARTIN / MIGHTY PENGUIN DESIGN ‘99, DANNY RAWLS ’69, ’80, ROBERTS CREATIVE, KAT VANSKIVER ‘12

A CENTURY OF SERVICE

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS PRESIDENT BECKY MONTAGUE PRESIDENT ELECT TRACY POWELL VICE PRESIDENT KIM BRADLEY PAST PRESIDENT SEAN MCGEE FINANCE COMMITTEE BRETT CASSELL SECRETARY/TREASURER JERRY DEFATTA

BOARD OF DIRECTORS VICKI ADKISON, EMBER AHUA, MARY DAYNE GREGG, LANCE LEFAN, DAVID LEIVA, J.R. ROBINSON, GENE SMITH, ALAN BLAKENEY, SHONNA BROWN, BRADLEY CHARLESWORTH, CARLEN CHESTANG JR., RICHARD HAARALA, BRANDI HOUGH, SAM SACKLER, LORI BRECHTEL, BRYAN CALDWELL, REGGIE COLLIER, BRENT GREENWALD, RICKEY JONES, CHRISTY MYERS, TOM PEARSON

What an exciting time for alumni of The University of Southern Mississippi! As we celebrate 100 years of TRADITION, PRIDE, LOYALTY and EXCELLENCE, we take a moment to reflect on an organization that hardly resembles its early days and eagerly anticipate the next 100 years.

EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS: RODNEY D. BENNETT, CHAD DRISKELL, SHANE LOPER, STACE MERCIER, GRANT DYESS, BILL MCGILLIS, AUTUMN SOBEL For advertising information, contact Jenny Boudreaux by phone at 601.266.5761 or email jenny.boudreaux@usm.edu. The Talon (USPS 652-240) is published quarterly by The University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Association, 118 College Drive #5013, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001 Active membership dues of $45 (single membership) or $55 (couple) includes subscription

In honor of the Association’s century of service, for a limited time only, upgrade to a Life Member and take $100 off the Life Membership. In 2017, join or extend your annual membership for only $19.17!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Hederman Brothers Printing in Gluckstadt, Miss., and the staff of the Southern Miss Alumni Association. Periodical postage paid at Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001 and at additional mailing offices (Approved January 20, 1955)

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 118 College Drive #5013, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5013 PHONE: 601.266.5013 | EMAIL: alumni@usm.edu WEBSITE: www.SouthernMissAlumni.com

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VISIT SOUTHERNMISSALUMNI.COM/100YEARS TO UPGRADE, JOIN OR EXTEND YOUR MEMBERSHIP!

NOTES FROM HOME It is important we remind students graduating in May their University of Southern Mississippi connection does not end upon graduation. In fact, it is then where it truly begins. CLASS NOTES When the opportunity to take on the role of associate director for external relations presented itself, I began the transition with a very hefty membership goal – to increase membership to 16,000 members by December 31, 2017. With a current active membership of approximately 14,000 SNAPSHOTS members and nearly 16,000 Southern Miss alumni living in the six counties that make up the Pine Belt alone, I am confident this increase is attainable. To achieve our goal in conjunction with the anniversary of the Association’s founding in 1917, we have embarked on a journey to increase the number of active members in this Association, and this year,ALUMNI AUTHORS increase our base by more than 2,000 loyal, passionate and committed alumni. Since announcing this initiative, when I have asked fellow alumni to join, at times the question of why is asked. Aside from the monetary benefits that come through complimentary admission into events suchALUMNI ALMANAC as Eagle Landing tailgates, I also try to paint a bigger picture. Each member is one of more than 120,000 Southern Miss alumni worldwide, and to maintain a relationship with their alma mater, we encourage engagement – one avenue being membership in the Alumni Association. Because if you are an active member of our Association, you are in the inner circle and doing your part to make your University stronger. Beginning this month, the organization will offer an annual membership rate of $19.17 to new and renewing members. This is more than a $25 savings, and all members will have access to a number of benefits, including this quarterly publication, access to Abenity (a local and national discount program – see page 65), scholarship opportunities for children and grandchildren, and much more! If you are already a member, to show our appreciation, we are offering the chance to extend your membership at this 100-year rate or upgrade to Life Membership with a $100 discount. This year particularly, I ask you to recruit a friend to not only take advantage of this incredible discount, but to also join us at one of the more than 40 events the organization will be hosting throughout the year across the Southeast and other parts of the United States. When someone asks you why you are a member of the Alumni Association, I encourage you to share that through this organization you are able to be part of something bigger, and to give back to a place that helped shaped who you are today. I have often asked myself how different my life would be if I had not chosen Southern Miss. Beyond my two degrees, which I display with pride, Southern Miss gave me relationships that have become as close as family, memories I would not trade and opportunities that continue to mold my professional experiences. This spring, the organization will host a number of events, including after-work Happy Hours, golf tournaments and other events throughout the Southeast. On May 4, the day the Association was founded 100 years ago, alumni along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and in Hattiesburg, Jackson and the Mobile area will have the opportunity to attend one of four after-hours socials to celebrate, network and reconnect with fellow Golden Eagles in the area. These events are merely a glimpse into what is planned for our members in the coming months. One hundred years of support for The University of Southern Mississippi and its alumni will be celebrated throughout 2017, and the Association certainly would not be where it is today without our valued members and committed volunteers. We look forward to this year-long celebration and continuing to serve you as we plan for our next 100 years! Southern Miss to the Top!

Jenny Boudreaux Association Director of External Affairs

Spring 2017

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The de Grummond EAGLE CLUB Children’s Literature Collection Presents ATHLETIC NEWS Wendell Minor Exhibit

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The de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at The University of SouthernNOTES Mississippi willHOME feature over FROM 150 original works by award-winning illustrator Wendell Minor at an exhibit in Oddfellows Gallery through May CLASS 15. These pieces are NOTES part of a traveling exhibit organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass. Minor isSNAPSHOTS a longtime friend of the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection and the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival. The de ALUMNI AUTHORS Grummond Collection holds Minor’s illustrations of the award-winning book Trapped! A Whale’s Rescue. In 2013, he attended theALUMNI festival as ALMANAC a speaker and is returning for the 50th Children’s Book Festival with his wife, Florence, where they will present together on Thursday, April 6. Wendell Minor’s America: 25 Year of Children’s Book Art traces the personal and artistic journey of the acclaimed book illustrator and admirer of Norman Rockwell through original artwork, artifacts and references from Minor’s expansive visual chronicles, as well as commentary about his collaborations with our nation’s most prominent authors, scientists and historians. Highlights include original work from such books as Reaching for the Moon and Look to the Stars by Buzz Aldrin, Sitting Bull Remembers by Ann Turner, Abraham Lincoln Comes Home by Robert Burleigh, Arctic Son by Jean Craighead George, Shane by Jack Schaefer and America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates. Minor is nationally known for the artwork he has created for over 50 awardwinning children’s books. His many collaborators include Jean Craighead George, Robert Burleigh, Buzz Aldrin, Tony Johnston, Mary Higgins Clark and,

Wendell Minor, Look to the Stars, 2009.

Wendell Minor, Buzz Aldrin: Reaching for the Moon, 2005.

Wendell Minor, Truman, 1992.

last but not least, his wife Florence. In 2009 Wendell and Florence’s If You Were a Penguin, was chosen by Pennsylvania for their “One Book, Every Young Child”

2009 early literacy program, and the couple spent a month speaking to children in Pennsylvania’s libraries, schools, Head Start facilities and museums.

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NEWS AROUND CAMPUS Minor is also the cover artist and designer of over 2,000 books for authors Pat Conroy, David McCullough, Fannie Flagg, Nathaniel Philbrick and many others. His portrait of Truman for the cover of David McCullough’s book is in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award winner Nathaniel Philbrick will offer remarks during a special event on Thursday, March 23, at Oddfellows Gallery. Minor illustrated Ben’s Revolution: Benjamin Russell and the Battle of Bunker Hill and Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex for Philbrick. In 2000, Philbrick published the New York Times bestseller, In the Heart of the Sea, which won the National Book Award for nonfiction. The book was the basis of the 2015 movie of the same title directed by Ron Howard and inspired a 2001 Dateline special on NBC, as well as the 2010 PBS American Experience film Into the Deep by Ric Burns. Since then, he has published numerous New York Times bestselling historical, non-fiction works. The public is also invited to attend a reception celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival. Wendell Minor will be in attendance and offer remarks during the reception. Teachers and librarians are invited to attend the Educators’ Seminar Professional Development on Friday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Author and photoillustrator, Sarah Campbell, will lead the one-day seminar. Wendell Minor’s America will take visitors on a journey through history, from sea to shining sea, reflecting on the artist’s love of our country’s varied landscape and a deep respect for the environment. For more information about the exhibit and events, contact the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at 601.266.4349 or visit Lib.USM.edu/WendellMinor.

The University of Southern Mississippi maintains a strong commitment to compliance with the SACSCOC standards in its academic programs and administrative units.

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University of Southern Mississippi ALUMNI AUTHORS Accreditation Reaffirmed by SACSCOC The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges ALUMNI of ALMANAC (SACSCOC) Board of Trustees reaffirmed the accreditation The University of Southern Mississippi during its annual meeting in Atlanta in December 2016. SACSCOC is the acknowledged accrediting body for degree-granting institutions (public private for-profit and private not-for-profit) in the southeastern United States and is recognized by the United States Department of Education to conduct accreditation activities. SACSCOC, through a peer review process, conducts a comprehensive review of its nearly 800 member institutions every 10 years. USM is in compliance with the accreditation standards outlined by the Commission, including overall University mission; institutional effectiveness; academic programs and curriculum; faculty qualifications; student support services; learning resources and programs; Quality Enhancement Plan; financial resources and stability; and physical facilities, among others. Quality enhancement is a central component of SACSCOC’s accreditation process. Each institution seeking reaffirmation of accreditation is required to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which addresses a specific topic related to enhancing student learning. In Oct. 2015, University leaders announced Eagles Engaged, a QEP focused on improving the academic performance of students in select historically difficult gateway courses. Eagles Engaged also creates more pathways for internships, research and career-related opportunities for students as they progress toward graduation. In addition to the creation of the QEP, the University submitted a Compliance Certification Report, underwent an off-site review by SACSCOC evaluators, hosted a SACSCOC committee of peer reviewers for an on-site reaffirmation visit and provided more than 7,500 supporting documents to SACSCOC, all of which were a part of the reaffirmation process. On an ongoing basis, USM maintains a strong commitment to compliance with the SACSCOC standards in its academic programs and administrative units.

Spring 2017

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Kellogg Foundation Grant to USM Will Help EAGLE CLUB Mobile County Children Learn Math in New Ways A $900,000 grant from ATHLETIC NEWS the Kellogg Foundation has been awarded to The University of Southern Mississippi’s Dr. Julie NOTES FROM HOMECwikla, director of creativity and innovation in STEM. Funds will be used to help school CLASS NOTES children along the Gulf Coast learn math in new and exciting ways. As part of a three-year SNAPSHOTS project, Cwikla will work Dr. Julie Cwikla with Speakaboos, the New York City-based media company behind the award-winning ALUMNI AUTHORS literacy app for children ages two to six. Together, Cwikla and Speakaboos will develop interactive digital math stories that motivate children to read and expose them to important math concepts. ByALUMNI partneringALMANAC with the Mobile County Public School System, the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center and the Mobile Public Library, these stories and others in Speakaboos’

library will be made available to thousands of children in Mobile, Ala. With prior support from the National Science Foundation, Cwikla and her Southern Miss team investigated early understanding of fractional concepts with children ages three to six. Results demonstrated young learners’ ability to partition and fair-share in the context of story-based word problems. Mathematics and fractions are areas where children struggle once they reach upper elementary school. These findings will inform the design of the new interactive digital stories. Support from the Kellogg Foundation brings together leading researchers with seasoned children’s media experts and mobile engineers to build new interactive digital mathematics stories based on Cwikla’s seminal fraction research. The grant also provides thousands of children across the Gulf Coast region access to the entire Speakaboos digital library. Cwikla will work alongside Dr. Alice Wilder, chief content officer of Speakaboos, who will co-design and develop the mathematical stories. Wilder is an educational psychologist and one of the world’s leading experts on learning through media and formative research. She has developed educational content for children through Nick Jr. (Blue’s Clues), PBS Kids and Amazon Studios.

your First Step Toward

Happily

Ever After COCHRAN CENTER . LOTT CENTER

Southern Miss EVENTS . CONFERENCES . CATERING

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eventservices@usm.edu 601.266.4399 www.usm.edu/event-services

photo courtesy of Rudy Melancon PHotography AA/EOE/ADAI

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Tisack-Kathmann Named Director of USM’s Mississippi Polymer Institute Dr. Monica Tisack-Kathmann has been named director of the Mississippi Polymer Institute, the industrial outreach service of The University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Polymers and High Performance Materials. The Mississippi Polymer Institute (MPI) leverages resources within the School of Dr. Monica Tisack-Kathmann Polymers and High Performance Materials in order to assist high-tech polymer and polymerrelated industries. From electron microscopes and thermal analysis to tensile strength testing, MPI offers access to a wide range of scientific equipment and the expertise to support both existing polymer-related industries and entrepreneurs. Having produced thousands of prototyped parts, MPI has a customer list that includes some of the most prestigious manufacturing companies in the world.

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Tisack-Kathmann is no stranger to working with big ATHLETIC NEWS name manufacturers. Upon earning her doctorate in polymer science from Southern Miss in 1997, TisackKathmann began an 18-year career with DuPont. Recently, Tisack-Kathmann was the Chemours NafionTM North NOTES FROM HOME America regional business manager in Fluoroproducts. The Chemours Company is a new, publicly traded company created from the DuPont Performance CLASS NOTES Chemicals businesses. The Mississippi Polymer Institute is located in The Garden, Southern Miss’ 521-acre innovation and commercialization park, and housed SNAPSHOTS in The Accelerator, a unique technology innovation center located within The Garden. The Accelerator is a 60,000-square-feet, fullservice facility that provides state-of-the art laboratories ALUMNI AUTHORS and professional support to technology-based enterprises innovating, manufacturing and testing new products. To learn more about the Mississippi Polymer Institute, ALUMNI ALMANAC call 601.266.4607 or visit thepolymerinstitute.com.

Mississippi Arts Commission Chooses Southern Miss Dance Instructor for Esteemed Post Julie Hammond White, associate professor and director of dance education at The University of Southern Mississippi, was recently chosen to serve a three-year term as a teaching artist with the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC). In this role, White will partner with teachers throughout the state to artfully teach academics. Teachers from K-12 schools Julie Hammond White will be able to select White from the MAC teaching artist roster, which consists of three other teaching artists chosen along with White. She will partner with MAC to teach K-12 students and instruct teachers on how to teach academics artfully, along with instruction of the dance elements and standards, professional development work in assessment and curriculum development, and other techniques. The MAC application is extensive, highly competitive and consists of several review processes, including an

elected consortium of education experts who blind review all applications and determine qualified applicants. MAC is funded in part by the state and receives considerable funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. These funds enable MAC to financially support eligible arts programs and the work of individual artists in the form of grants. White, who has been teaching dance at Southern Miss for the past 12 years, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in performance from the University of Illinois and a Master of Fine Arts in choreography, as well as Ohio licensure in K-12 dance education, from The Ohio State University. She performed professionally with BalletMet of Columbus, Ohio, and has produced work in Ohio and Illinois. White founded and directed a seventh through 12th grade program in dance at a magnet school in Ohio for 10 years. White has also been selected as a Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education Teaching Artist for the second year, where she works with pre-K, kindergarten, first and third graders at Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary in Hattiesburg. She uses dance to teach reading, storytelling, science, mindfulness and cultures from around the world.

Spring 2017

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Southern Miss to EAGLE CLUB Lead Gulf Oyster Restoration Through ATHLETIC NEWS Oyster Aquaculture The University of Southern Mississippi NOTES plans to obtain existing FROManHOME hatchery and aquaculture facility that will allow the University to lead oyster restoration efforts in an effort to boost the CLASS NOTES state of Mississippi’s oyster population and grow the state’s Blue Economy. In a project proposed by Governor Phil Bryant, SNAPSHOTS the state of Mississippi will provide $7.7 million in funding from requested BP settlement dollars for USM to acquire the Aqua Green hatchery facility ALUMNI AUTHORS located in Perkinston. The purchase of this facility will provide Southern Miss with the resources to work toward producing ALMANAC an expected ALUMNI goal of 10 billion oyster larvae annually. The remaining $3 million for the facility is being provided by the Mississippi Legislature. Commercial oyster landings in Mississippi have declined from more than 400,000 sacks in 2004 to less than 27,000 sacks in 2015. The state of Mississippi, through the Governor’s Oyster Restoration and Resiliency Council, has identified aquaculture as a way to help restore Mississippi’s oyster reefs.

The purchase of the Aqua Green hatchery facility will provide Southern Miss with the resources to work toward producing an expected goal of 10 billion oyster larvae annually.

The Council identified Aqua Green as the recommended hatchery based on its inland location out of harms’ way of hurricanes and tropical systems and its existing infrastructure. In a partnership with Aqua Green, LLC, Southern Miss has successfully raised more than 500 million oyster larvae at the Aqua Green facility. The larvae have been produced through various trial runs using artificial seawater and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), which is the first time both components have been used for oyster larvae aquaculture on this potential production scale, alleviating the need for a facility to be based directly on the coast. These advances will allow USM to produce oyster larvae regardless of ongoing seasonal water quality issues

despite the natural coastal ecosystem that can adversely affect them. The Aqua Green facility incorporates nine structures, with a combined footprint of approximately 99,000 square feet on more than 47 acres of land. It serves as a land-based aquaculture research, hatchery and nursery center. Capable of year-round operation, Aqua Green has the ability to maintain appropriate salinity levels, recirculate artificial seawater and recapture salt for reuse. Funding for acquisition of the facility will also support renovations for expanded oyster aquaculture research and production, teaching and student research needs, and integration and expansion of other USM aquaculture programs, such as blue crabs, finfish and shrimp, at the facility.

Lucas Named Director of USM’s Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center The University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Ocean Science and Technology (SOST) has named Dr. Kelly Lucas director of the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory’s Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center (TMAC). Lucas comes to USM after serving as the chief scientific officer at the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) since 2013. A South Mississippi native, Lucas holds a doctorate in coastal sciences from The University of Southern Mississippi, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from Mississippi State University.

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Pictured: Dr. Kelly Lucas

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First-ever Sports Safety and Security Radiological Response EAGLE CLUB Exercise Conducted in Mississippi Held at USM A sports safety and security radiological response exercise, facilitated by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4), was held at M. M. Roberts Stadium on USMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hattiesburg campus in January. This was the first coordinated exercise of its kind to be conducted on a university campus in the state. The exercise focused on building response capabilities for radiological incidents. The scenario allowed participants to discuss local, state and federal support and expectations. The discussion followed with an opportunity to dispatch response teams inside the stadium in an effort to train and build multi-agency collaboration. Following the exercise, participants discussed the lessons learned and areas for improvement. Participants in the exercise included the University Police Department, Forrest County Emergency Management, Hattiesburg Fire Department, Mississippi Department of Public Health, 47th Civil Support Team and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

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ALUMNI ALMANAC Captain Rusty Keyes of USM University Police, left, goes over plans with fellow participants in a sports safety and security radiological response exercise on the Hattiesburg campus.

Spring 2017

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“It’s All About Electricity” by Richard Herzog

New Sculptures Add Beauty to Campus

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In October 2016, faculty and students from the Department of Art and Design helped install four new sculptures across campus. The art pieces are part of the 2016 USM Outdoor Art Exhibit sponsored by the College of Arts and Letters, Partners for the Arts and the Department of Art and Design. The sculptures are the work of artists from across the country and will remain on campus through April 2018. A committee, consisting of a student and faculty and staff members from the College of Arts and Letters, selected four pieces from 35 entries from 20 artists. The committee was looking for aesthetic pieces that people will find interesting and thought-provoking, yet durable pieces that can withstand the weather of south Mississippi.

“It’s All About Electricity” by Richard Herzog is installed behind the Liberal Arts Building. Herzog, who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Georgia, currently lives in Athens, Ga. “Delphinian,” a stainless steel piece by Andrew Light sits in front of the Liberal Arts Building. Light is a full-time sculptor who has been a guest artist and lecturer at universities throughout the country. He currently maintains an active studio in Lexington, Ky. Light prefers the use of fabricated metals for his work, as they afford a high degree of plasticity and durability for his expressions. He has work currently

exhibited throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. “Better Days” by Nathan Pierce is located in front of the International Center. Pierce, who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Southeast Missouri State University, is currently featured in four solo gallery exhibitions. He is co-founder of Untitled Gallery of Contemporary Art in Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Beyond the Pedestal Sculpture Park in Hunter Valley Winery. Pierce has also installed several works across the country. Between Cook and McCain Libraries is “Appalachian Balance Beam” by artist Durant Thompson. He is an associate professor of sculpture in the Department of Art at the University of Mississippi

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NOTES FROM HOME USM student Rebecca Crosby conducts water sampling research at Turkey Creek in Harrison County alongside EPA scientist Jerry Boos.

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SNAPSHOTS Opportunities Available for Students through USM, EPA Partnership

“Delphinian” by Andrew Light

and was formerly an art technician at Southern Miss. The steel, wood and cast iron piece, weighing 2,500 pounds, is an interactive bench and balance beam. Thompson is a Connecticut native and grew up in Knoxville, Tenn. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Louisiana State University. Thompson’s work has been featured at exhibitions across the region over the past decade. The public is invited to visit campus and view these sculptures. For more information, contact the College of Arts and Letters at 601.266.4315, visit USM.edu, or like Southern Miss College of Arts and Letters on Facebook.

Students at The University of Southern Mississippi are seizing opportunities ALUMNI AUTHORS to participate in community-level research across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, thanks to a collaborative partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf of Mexico Program (EPA GMP). ALMANAC In August 2016, USM and EPA GMP increasedALUMNI their prospects for future collaborations by extending their partnership from the University’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs to the Gulf Park campus in Long Beach. To include cooperation with the Gulf Park campus, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was amended to establish terms and conditions for sharing, basing and maintaining EPA laboratory equipment in the University’s Science Building, which is known as the Gulf Community Environmental Laboratory. This shared research space offers both institutions opportunities to partner and conduct research and studies on issues of concern affecting coastal communities. Since the establishment of the lab, USM students have worked alongside EPA scientists on two different projects in the Turkey Creek and Jourdan River watersheds, gaining experience in water quality, nutrients, periphyton and E. coli monitoring. With the collected data, students learn how to relay information to local decision makers to provide solutions on problems of concern. During these projects, students also interact with professionals and community members from entities such as the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, the Turkey Creek Steering Committee and the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain. According to Pierce, these interactions help students understand the significance partnerships have on the success of water quality and conservation efforts. This year, Southern Miss and EPA GMP also plan to offer more outreach opportunities for secondary students in the Gulf Coast area to help influence the number of future students who intend to pursue degrees in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). For more information about the Southern Miss and EPA GMP partnership, contact the College of Science and Technology at the Southern Miss Gulf Park campus at 228.865.4507.

Spring 2017

Foundersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day For more information, visit usm.edu /foundersday.

AA/EOE/ADAI

Celebrating the 107th anniversary of our legislative founding

UC 76093.5016 2.17

march 30, 2017

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

RECOMMEND FUTURE GOLDEN EAGLES!

Upcoming Events Calendar All events are subject to change and should be confirmed. Visit SouthernMissAlumni.com/UpcomingEvents for a full list of events hosted by the Alumni Association. Athletic schedules can be found at SouthernMiss.com.

March 30 Founders’ Day For more information, visit USM.edu/FoundersDay

April

Southern Miss alumni contribute to the University’s tradition of success. One way alumni can best support their alma mater’s continuing legacy of excellence is by recommending future students.

5-7 Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival Thad Cochran Center

To recommend a student to The University of Southern Mississippi, visit

SouthernMissAlumni.com/USMLegacy.

15 Jazz and Blues Festival Gulf Park Campus | 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Free and open to the public, this event features an Easter egg hunt for children ages 12 and under, live music, local artists and craftsmen, food vendors and activities for the entire family. For more information, visit USM.edu/Jazz-Blues. 27 Grads & Crawdads: Senior Send-Off Ogeltree House | 3 – 5:30 p.m.

A A / E O E /A DA I U C 74 1 2 9. 5 0 1 3 2 . 1 6

May

4 Southern Miss Alumni Association Century of Service Celebrations Jackson | Hattiesburg | Ocean Springs 4 Mobile Bay Classic Golf Tournament Daphne, Ala. 12 East Central Alumni Chapter Golf Tournament Briarwood Country Club, Meridian 12 Commencement

June

Share family news, announcements and Career updates with us at

SouthernMissAlumni.com/WhatsNewWithYou

4 6th Annual Mobile Bay Crawfish Boil Malbis Community Center, Daphne, Ala. 9 Mississippi Night at the Braves Game Atlanta, Ga. 10 Mississippi Society of Georgia Picnic Chastain Park, Atlanta, Ga. 17 Mississippi on the Mall Washington, D.C.

Spring 2017

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Association Kicks FOUNDATION NEWS Off 2017 Spring Alumni Events In the coming months, the Southern Miss Alumni Association will FROM THE ARCHIVES gather with alumni chapters throughout the country to host nearly 40 events for Southern Miss alumni. Designed to celebrate Southern Miss in areas where alumni live and work, these events will range from pre-baseball THE game socials to ARTS alumni dinners, golf tournaments and happy hours. “We always look forward to hosting events for alumni each spring,” said Lauren Richards, manager of constituent relations. “The goal is for alumni to reconnect with the University, with each other and generate a growing NEWS AROUND CAMPUS involvement in the life of our beloved University.” Alumni are encouraged to visit SouthernMissAlumni.com/UpcomingEvents for an up-to-date listing of all alumni events. EAGLE CLUB Already this year, the Association has hosted events in Tampa, Fla.; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; New Orleans, La.; on the Northshore of south Louisiana and throughout Mississippi. “We have intentionally scheduled and planned these events to make ATHLETIC NEWS it easy and exciting for alumni to gather in the cities in which they live and work,” said Jenny Boudreaux, associate director for external affairs. “Cheering on the Golden Eagles baseball team or popping into a happy hour after workNOTES are just FROM a coupleHOME of the ways alumni can get involved throughout the year. We look forward to growing our relationships and deepening the love for Southern Miss in each city we visit!”

SAVE THE DATE FOR THESE UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS:

APRIL 12: APRIL 13: APRIL 18:

MAY 2: MAY 4:

JUNE 10:

CLASS NOTES

ATLANTA SNAPSHOTS

TAMPA

TUSCALOOSA

ALUMNI AUTHORS

ALUMNI ALMANAC

THE

Visit SouthernMissAlumni.com/UpcomingEvents, as new events are added daily. We look forward to traveling to a city near you!

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Get Together!

Celebrate. Reconnect. Network. On May 4, 2017, join alumni from the following locations for a unique opportunity to reconnect and network with fellow Golden Eagles as your Alumni Association celebrates its 100 year anniversary!

Visit SouthernMissAlumni.com/UpcomingEvents for more information, including times, as we approach May 4, 2017 and celebrate a century of service!

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Calling for FOUNDATION NEWS

Nominations FROM THE ARCHIVES

THE ARTS

NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

EAGLE CLUB

ATHLETIC NEWS

Each year at Homecoming, the Alumni Association honors distinguished alumni and its most faithful servants at the Alumni Hall of Fame Banquet and the Annual Awards Lunch. While nominations are accepted year-round, submissions must be received by May 30 for the 2017 Homecoming ceremonies. To learn more about the annual awards or to make a nomination, visit SouthernMissAlumni.com/AlumniRecognition or call 601.266.5013.

NOTES FROM HOME

Display Your University of Southern Mississippi Pride!

CLASS NOTES

Capture your Southern Miss memories and protect your diploma forever with the DiplomaDisplay® SNAPSHOTS

The Premier: This substantial 17" x 24" frame provides a commanding presence in any home or office environment. Custom conservation quality ALUMNI AUTHORS matting surrounds your choice of a watercolor, pen and ink print, or photograph of the Lucas Administration Building. There is no better way to honor and applaud such an important accomplishment.

ALUMNI ALMANAC

The Traditional: Black and gold matting, embossed in gold leaf with the school name and seal makes this an ideal presentation.  Quick and easy diploma insertion without tools.  100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back!  Not available in frame shops! Proceeds benefit Southern Miss Alumni Association

Order Now and get Free Shipping! For fastest service call: 1-800-422-4100

THE

www.usm.ocm.com/diplomadisplay

attiesburg campus sity of Southern gletree House offers rofessional setting ent. Whether you oard meeting for n for 100 or more, se can provide the t space.

6.5013 or visit i.com/OgletreeHouse , availability and rates.

uthern Miss Alumni le for discounted rates.

Located on the Hattiesburg campus of The University of Southern Mississippi, the Ogletree House offers a historic and professional setting for your next event. Whether you are planning a board meeting for 12 or a reception for 100 or more, the Ogletree House can provide the perfect space. Call 601.266.5013 or visit SouthernMissAlumni.com/OgletreeHouse for more information, availability and rates. Members of the Southern Miss Alumni Association are eligible for discounted rates.

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Student Alumni Association Hosts Spring Membership Drive FOUNDATION NEWS During the first week of classes on the Hattiesburg campus, the Student Alumni Association hosted its annual spring membership drive. As one of the largest student-led organizations on campus, the SAA promotes spirit and enthusiasm as the keepers of tradition at Southern Miss. The organization is led by Lauren Richards, manager of constituent relations.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

THE ARTS

NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

EAGLE CLUB Summer Pruitt, SAA hours secretary, and Raina Parker, SAA recording secretary, speak with students at a ATHLETIC membership tableNEWS in the Thad Cochran Center.

SAA Board Member Mahum Chaudhry, speaks with students Chelcy Moore and Ashley Brinkley.

NOTES FROM HOME

CLASS NOTES

SNAPSHOTS

Chaudhry is pictured with prospective members in Spirit Park.

ALUMNI AUTHORS

Pruitt and Parker are pictured with Southern Miss students at the SAA membership table in the Thad Cochran Center.

ALUMNI ALMANAC Melvin and Theresa Harvey Susan Anderson Miriam Bloom

Wayne Jenkins

Daniel and Eles Renfroe

Portland Brown

Ernest and Laura Leuenberger

Heidi Rieth

Michael Clary

A. Giselle Marks

Christie Roper

Emery Corley

Jill Maroo

Lisa Sorey

Bridgette Davis

Tena McKenzie

Alan Stafford

Emile and Holly Dennis

Courtney McKnight

Kenton and Sharon Strickland

Charlene Doody

Cherrie Nelson

Sharon Thorton

Jennifer Edwards

Gina Nelson

Catherine Weathersby

Dale Gollott

Deryk and Dana Parker

Rebecca White

Iraj Hajjar

Kady Pietz

Robert Williams

Russell Hamilton

Harris Prothro

Rachel Wooten

THE

Jeremiah and Michelle Rayner

WELCOME NEW LIFE MEMBERS

GET INVOLVED, Golden Eagles! See below for a list of active alumni chapters.

Atlanta

New York

Baton Rouge

North Alabama – Huntsville

Birmingham

Northeast Mississippi

Central Mississippi – Jackson

Pensacola

Dallas

San Antonio

Delta Region

South Central Mississippi

East Central Mississippi – Meridian

Southeast Central Mississippi

Golden Triangle

Southeast Mississippi

Houston

Southwest Central Mississippi

Lafayette

Southwest Mississippi

Laurel Metro

Tampa

Louisiana – Northshore

Washington, D.C.

Memphis

Accounting Constituent Society

Mobile

Law Constituent Society

Nashville

Minority Constituent Society

New Orleans

Visit SouthernMissAlumni.com/AlumniChapters for contact information on a chapter near you!

ASSOCIATION NEWS

FOUNDATION NEWS

FROM THE ARCHIVES

THE ARTS

NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

EAGLE CLUB

ATHLETIC NEWS

NOTES FROM HOME

CLASS NOTES

SNAPSHOTS Annual Summer Parties Announced

THE

The Southern Miss Alumni Association hosts three parties each summer to celebrate and engage with Southern Miss alumni throughout Mississippi. With ALUMNI AUTHORS appearances by Southern Miss coaches, athletes, cheerleaders, Seymour and University administrators, the events provide an opportunity for alumni and fans to kick off the upcoming athletic season. ALUMNI ALMANAC The annual Jackson All-Star Party, hosted by the Central Mississippi Alumni Chapter, will be held on July 20 at the Mississippi Trade Mart. On July 28, the Gulf Coast Metro Alumni Chapter will host the Gulf Coast Beach Bash. Eagle Fanfare will be held in the Thad Cochran Center on USM’s Hattiesburg campus on Aug. 12 and is hosted by the South Central Mississippi Alumni Chapter. “As always, we expect record-number crowds and look forward to hosting alumni and fans at our biggest parties of the year,” said Lauren Richards, manager of constituent relations. “As we welcome a new athletics director and look ahead to another successful season of Southern Miss football, we encourage alumni to make plans now to join us!” Each chapter will also recognize their local scholarship recipients during these events. Golden Eagle merchandise will be available for purchase, and silent auctions will be held to raise money for future scholarship funds and Eagle Club support. Additional details on these events, including specific locations and times, will be available at SouthernMissAlumni.com/UpcomingEvents in the near future.

BIG THREE SUMMER PARTIES T H U RS DAY, J U LY 20

All-Star Party Jackson FRI DAY, J U LY 28

Gulf Coast Beach Bash Mississippi Gulf Coast SAT U RDAY, AU G UST 12

Eagle Fanfare Hattiesburg

Does BLACK and GOLD run in your family?

From the nest until they spread their wings, make SOUTHERN MISS a part of your family tradition.

Enroll your child or grandchild in this complimentary program at

SouthernMissAlumni.com/GrowingUpGold.

FOUNDATION NEWS

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Matthews Leaves Cherished Instruments THE ARTS to School of Music The University of Southern Mississippi School of Music gained AROUND and CAMPUS three violins,NEWS three mandolins an impressive music library through a generous planned gift in-kind appraised at nearly $100,000 from the estate of EAGLE CLUB Mary Bess Matthews. Hattiesburg native and resident of New Orleans since 1949, Mary Bess NEWS Matthews was ATHLETIC an accomplished musician. From piano lessons to voice and violin training, she grew up with a rich musical foundation. As Matthews matured, NOTES FROM HOME playing the violin developed into her true passion. After taking several violin courses at Southern Miss, she was asked to perform with the USM Symphony CLASS NOTES Orchestra as a high-school student. Described by her friends as a brilliant woman, Matthews held two bachelor’s SNAPSHOTS degrees from Baylor University, one in art and one in music, and a master’s degree in religious education from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. With her ALUMNI AUTHORS beloved violin, Hortense, Matthews played in the Austin and San Antonio symphonies forALUMNI two seasons and the New ALMANAC Orleans Symphony for 28 years. She also recorded for local musicians and planned music for St. Anna’s Episcopal Church. Many years after Matthews’ time with the USM Symphony Orchestra, she saw them perform in New Orleans and was filled with pride to have been part of such an incredible group. This encounter reminded her fondly of growing up in Hattiesburg and attending classes at Southern Miss, solidifying her decision to one day give back to the program that was instrumental in her development as a musician. The violins and mandolins will be available in the School of Music for use by promising students in coursework, auditions, degree recitals, competitions

THE

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Mary Bess Matthews after a performance in March of 1998.

and other significant performances. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and recognized regionally as one of the leading schools of music, The University of Southern Mississippi School of Music provides an ideal home for the instruments to be played by talented musicians. Golden Eagles will benefit immensely from access to Matthews’ instruments as they gain a wealth of opportunities for their professional and artistic growth. “This extraordinary gift is greatly appreciated by the School of Music and will make a tremendous difference in the quality of playing our students are able to achieve,” said Dr. Jay Dean, director of orchestral activities and professor of music. “A student is only as good as the quality

of instrument they are performing on, so these impeccable instruments will make a huge impact on our students’ abilities to perform to their highest potential.” Upon Matthews’ passing in April 2016, friends, family and loved ones sent memorial gifts to The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation. Through the generosity of these gifts, the Mary Bess Matthews Memorial Orchestral Annual Scholarship was established, which will support students who share Matthews’ dedication, passion and love of classical music. Through an annual scholarship and valuable collection of instruments, Matthews’ life of music will touch the lives of many musicians to come at Southern Miss.

ASSOCIATION NEWS

FOUNDATION NEWS

Sirmons Invest in College of Business Excellence As students, and later faculty members, Bill and Marilyn Sirmon enjoyed many wonderful years at The University of Southern Mississippi. Not only did Southern Miss afford them excellent educational experiences during their undergraduate and graduate studies, it also provided them with rewarding careers, motivating them to remain invested in the institution’s growth and continued success. The first time Bill saw Marilyn, she was sitting on the Honor House front porch swing. Little did he know then what life held in store for him and that graduate student from New Hebron who caught his eye. Upon completion of her bachelor’s degree in English, Marilyn worked as a graduate assistant while earning her master’s degree in English, which she finished in 1959. Bill graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1960 and immediately started the Master of Business Administration program. After graduation, Marilyn remained at Southern Miss teaching English, while Bill began his teaching career at Troy State in Alabama. The Sirmons were happy to return to Hattiesburg following their marriage and Bill’s completion of a Doctor of Business Administration from Mississippi State University. Marilyn took a position as an instructor in the Department of English and later served as part-time copy editor in the Publications and Printing office, while Bill began teaching in the Southern Miss College of Business. In 1973, after four years of teaching, Bill was appointed chair of the Department of Finance by Dean Joseph Greene, a position he enjoyed for 13 years. In 1986, after Dean Greene’s retirement, Dr. Tyrone Black was appointed dean and selected Bill as associate dean, a position he held until his retirement in 1995. From advancing their education to providing them the opportunity to teach the next generation of students, Southern Miss played a special role in the Sirmons’ lives. With a feeling of indebtedness to the College for all it has provided them and a desire to contribute to its continued success, the Sirmons recently established the Bill and Marilyn Sirmon College of Business Fund for Excellence with a gift of $100,000. This generous gift will provide discretionary dollars to support the College of Business in meeting emerging needs and strengthening its programs. “During my time in the Dean’s Office, I witnessed firsthand how limited the funding was regardless of the needs to improve,” Bill said. “Whether used for speakers, scholarships or new programs, we want to provide flexible funding so the College can reach the highest levels of achievement.”

FROM THE ARCHIVES Bill and Marilyn Sirmon

THE ARTS

NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

EAGLE CLUB

ATHLETIC NEWS

NOTES FROM HOME

CLASS NOTES

SNAPSHOTS

The College’s commitment toALUMNI academic AUTHORS excellence and clear vision for the future also motivated the Sirmons to create this endowment. They hope this gift will aid more students in realizing their full potential at Southern ALUMNIMiss. ALMANAC “The University, and more specifically the College of Business, has been the key to what we’ve been able to accomplish in life,” Bill said. “We have received so much from our education and employment from Southern Miss that it just seems right for us to give back.” “Bill and Marilyn Sirmon were engaged with students and progress at Southern Miss throughout their careers here. These wonderful people have now chosen to provide an extraordinary gift that will continue to impact the quality of programs in business for generations to come,” said Dr. Faye W. Gilbert, dean of the College of Business. “It is humbling and amazing to see their loyalty to Southern Miss. I am very grateful for this gift and know that every dean that follows will also be thanking Bill and Marilyn for their investment in USM.” After more than 50 years of involvement with Southern Miss, the Sirmons still enjoy keeping up with campus happenings and celebrating the University’s faculty, staff and students as they continue to excel. Spring 2017

FOUNDATION NEWS

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Alumna Enhances New Ocean THE ARTS Engineering Program Through Scholarship NEWS AROUND CAMPUS Endowment To meet the high demand for ocean engineering across the Gulf EAGLE CLUB South, The University of Southern Mississippi announced in June 2016 the establishment of a new School of NEWS Ocean ScienceATHLETIC and Technology, as well as a new ocean engineering program. Soon after, Southern Miss alumna Judith Bostwick endorsed the state’s NOTES FROM HOME top university in marine science and education by establishing the ocean engineering program’s first scholarship endowment with a gift NOTES of $27,000. CLASS Recognizing Southern Miss’ position as a national leader in marine science research along the Gulf of Mexico, SNAPSHOTS Bostwick was excited by the opportunity to help the Bachelor of Science in ocean engineering degree program at its genesis. This new program will ALUMNI AUTHORS prepare Golden Eagles to meet the needs of the growing maritime technology workforce in South Mississippi ALUMNI ALMANAC by preparing students for work in defense and homeland security, ocean exploration, environmental monitoring, shipbuilding, port operations and more. The program is the only ocean engineering degree in the state of Mississippi and one of only 10 programs in the nation. Bostwick graduated from Southern Miss in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science in elementary education. Although her background and degree are in arts and education, she was inspired by the possibilities this new program offers. “Growing up on the Gulf Coast, the oceans and seas and their secrets have always fascinated me,” Bostwick said. “Attending Southern Miss only added

THE

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Graduate student Adam Boyette helps to lower a CTD and rosette off of the R/V Point Sur.

more interest in distant places beyond those deep waters. Just as the University broadened my horizons in the mid1950s, it is my fervent hope that this scholarship will encourage and do the same for others.” The Judith Bostwick Ocean Science and Technology Scholarship Endowment will support a Mississippi resident majoring in ocean engineering with a minimum 3.0 GPA and financial need. “It is incredibly important that we get full support from the community as we build the ocean engineering program,” said Dr. Monty Graham, director of the School of Ocean Science

and Technology. “Having our first important gift to establish a scholarship certainly reinforces the tremendous supporters already behind us. For that, we are extremely grateful.” As Southern Miss continues to advance its offerings to enhance the state’s maritime industry, philanthropy will play an important role in ensuring the University has the resources necessary to remain a leader in ocean science and technology. The generosity of donors like Judith Bostwick ensures the University’s programs will continue to grow, enriching the lives of Golden Eagles and the Gulf Coast community.

ASSOCIATION NEWS

FOUNDATION NEWS

FROM THE ARCHIVES

THE ARTS

NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

EAGLE CLUB

ATHLETIC NEWS

NOTES FROM HOME

EAGLE FEVER IS THE ONLINE FUNDRAISING TOOL USED TO GENERATE SUPPORT FOR SOUTHERN MISS BY CONNECTING THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA, PEER-TO-PEER RELATIONSHIPS AND COLLECTIVE GIVING.

CLASS NOTES

eaglefever.usm.edu SNAPSHOTS

G O L D E N E A G L E I M PAALUMNI C TAUTHORS S P R I N G 2 017

S U P P O R T I N G S T U D E N T S U C C E S SALUMNI ALMANAC COATINGS INDUSTRY EDUCATION FOUNDATION • $798,808 LETTIE PATE WHITEHEAD FOUNDATION, INC. • $68,000 THE FOUNTAIN FAMILY FOUNDATION • $27,500 JUDITH BOSTWICK ‘56 • $27,000 DR. HYLER BRACEY AND CASS FLAGG ‘77 • $50,000 CHUCK ‘75 AND RITA SCIANNA • $50,000

S U PP ORT I NG V I TA L PRO GR A M M I NG CLARA NELL BARLOW ROSS LIVING TRUST • $30,341 SANDERSON FARMS, INC. • $30,000 THE C. E. AND S. FOUNDATION • $45,000 THOMAS W. CULPEPPER AND MARILYN M. CULPEPPER TRUST • $343,244 CHUCK ‘69 AND ELLEN SCARBOROUGH WILLIAM ‘60, ‘61 AND MARILYN ‘58, ‘59 SIRMON • $100,000

For more information about the impact of these gifts, please visit USMFoundation.com/GoldenEagleImpact. Spring 2017

Asbury Hall

Nursing students at Southern Miss have the opportunity to gain hands-on training and experience in various settings through Asbury Hall’s simulation labs.

A S B U R Y

H A L L

OPENS THE D OOR TO FUTUR E SUCCE S S By Nicole Ruhnke ‘08

t’s been a long time coming, but it has certainly been worth the wait. In 2008, federal funding was secured to design a new nursing building at The University of Southern Mississippi, and in 2012, the USM Foundation announced an $8 million fundraising campaign – with an immediate $4 million commitment from the Asbury Foundation – to help construct a new facility. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in 2014, and in January 2017, nursing classes began in the new state-of-the-art Asbury Hall. The $31-million-dollar facility is located on the western edge of the Hattiesburg campus and has increased the square footage dedicated to the Southern Miss College of Nursing by 135%, providing much-needed space for faculty and students, while replacing a facility no longer able to meet the requirements of nursing education. “Harkins Hall was built in 1975 to provide a dedicated facility for faculty and students who were housed in various buildings across campus,” said Dr. Katherine Nugent, dean of the College of Nursing. “When I came to Southern Miss in 2004, the need for a new building had been identified, and plans were in place to move the nursing program off campus. That plan did not move forward, but the nursing program began to increase by 45%. In spite of renovations and reallocation of space, the building capacity was inadequate for supporting the thriving nursing program at Southern Miss, and the need for a new building became more and more urgent.” Asbury Hall allows for an increase in nursing enrollment to more than 800 students from the previous capacity of 550 students. The building was intentionally designed to support faculty and student success by promoting a positive, interactive teaching and learning environment. Growth in faculty to meet the increased academic offerings from the College of Nursing was another factor in the design of Asbury Hall. Increased classroom sizes, the addition of videoconferencing technology, the building’s testing center and a host of impressive bells and whistles work together to support flexibility in the building’s overall use as the programs change and grow to meet the workforce needs.

“

FROM ADDED SPACE FOR EACH

STUDENT, TO PLUG-INS AT EACH

SEAT AND THE NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR PROFESSORS TO DISPLAY

RELEVANT AND USEFUL INFORMATION TO STUDENTS, ASBURY HALL PROMOTES A PROFESSIONAL AND

”

ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT. — LANE BIELSTEIN —

DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE STUDENT

The newly constructed Asbury Hall increased the square footage dedicated to the Southern Miss College of Nursing by 135%, allowing for an increase in nursing enrollment to more than 800 students.

Lane Bielstein is a 2014 graduate of Southern Miss with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. After two-and-a-half years working as a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit, Bielstein has returned to her alma mater and is currently in the University’s Nurse Anesthesia Program pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice. “As a returning student who completed my undergraduate degree in Harkins Hall, the most obvious improvement is the space. From added space for each student, to plug-ins at each seat and the new technology for professors to display relevant and useful information to students, Asbury Hall promotes a professional and academic environment,” Bielstein said. “There is no question the new building will continue to attract potential nursing students to Southern Miss. Students will be better equipped to earn the grades required to be successful in nursing school, which will also enhance student retention.” Bielstein is one of twenty students in the newest Nurse Anesthesia Program cohort. The three-year program teaches didactic anesthesia principles in the classroom, as well as skills training in clinical settings throughout the state of Mississippi. The College of Nursing is proud to house the only anesthesia program in the state – one of only 116 accredited programs in the nation. Gaining worldwide attention, the program recently hosted students from Woosong University in South Korea, who became familiar with the program after hearing Assistant Professor Michong Rayborn speak at an international conference. Asbury Hall boasts cutting-edge technology throughout the building, which creates a culture of innovation, interaction and community involvement. A full clinical simulation lab provides space for practical learning and training in spaces designed to mimic hospitals and clinics. In a space called the “hospital,” hospital beds line the walls with simulation equipment and technology that is found in medical facilities. From an Intensive Care Unit, to a labor and delivery room and even an operating room, Asbury Hall takes nursing education to a new and unprecedented level. “I love every square inch of our building,” Nugent said. “I am so proud of the serene, elegant look of the building. I love the front veranda with its majestic columns, along with the faculty/staff lounge and terrace. I also enjoy the Dean’s Office and conference room that facilitates a supportive climate for work and discussion.” The Dr. Gerry Cadenhead Fletcher Dean’s Suite is the result of a $250,000 contribution from Southern Miss alumnus Chuck Scianna and is named in honor of Fletcher, former dean of the College of Nursing. Nursing education at Southern Miss is celebrating 50 years of providing quality educational programs, which prepare graduates to provide quality, safe nursing care. Asbury Hall, with its cutting-edge technology, will better prepare graduates with in-depth decision-making skills and the ability to provide comprehensive care for patients with chronic health conditions.

A classroom setting inside Asbury Hall.

Students completing the nurse anesthesia program practice skills in the state-ofthe-art operating room simulation lab.

Lane Bielstein takes advantage of the private study rooms inside Asbury Hall.

Asbury Hall boasts a modern design and cutting-edge technology.

“

I AM ETERNALLY

GRATEFUL FOR THE PRIVATE DONORS WHO GRACIOUSLY PROVIDED THE FUNDING NEEDED TO BUILD A FACILITY THAT PROVIDES AN ENRICHED TEACHING AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

”

FOR OUR STUDENTS.

— DR. KATHERINE NUGENT — DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF NURSING

While the end result has exceeded expectations of faculty, staff and students, the transition into Asbury Hall has stretched everyone involved. “Adjusting to the spaciousness of the building, having offices, classrooms and a simulation lab on three separate floors and learning new technology and software have provided new challenges for all of us,” Nugent said. “A special thanks goes to the Physical Plant employees and other USM employees who helped the move go extremely well.” “I would personally like to thank University administration who supported the plan to build a new College of Nursing building,” Nugent added. “I am eternally grateful for the private donors who graciously provided the funding needed to build a facility that provides an enriched teaching and learning environment for our students. We are also very appreciative of the state legislature for providing funding for this new building. It was a team effort, and we are all celebrating the current success and the outlook for future success among our students and programs.”

SOUTH MISSISSIPPI’S

Living Museum By Marie John Roberts ‘11, ‘12

ith a wish that the donation be used for scientific, educational and aesthetic purposes, The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation received a 131-acre property donation from the estate of Mr. Leon Mason Eubanks in 1999. The property, now known as the Lake Thoreau Environmental Center, has developed into an environmental education hub of activity, including summer camps, outreach programs and grant-funded biological research activities. In the words of Mike Davis, Lake Thoreau Environment Center director and Southern Miss biology professor, the property is a “living museum of South Mississippi.” The Lake Thoreau Environmental Center is an approximately 300-acre nature preserve operated by the Department of Biological Sciences at Southern Miss. Comprised of both the original Eubanks Preserve donation and the adjoining Longleaf Preserve, a 160-acre tract of University property characterized by longleaf pine habitat donated to the University in 1916 by the J.J. Newman Lumber Company, the center is rich in history and culture, with a strong focus on education, research, conservation and recreation. The center boasts classrooms which are geared toward facilitating environmental education experiences for Southern Miss students and supported by the Southern Miss Department of Biological Sciences. Currently, thirty Southern Miss classes utilize the center for all or part of the course. In addition, several guided hiking trail programs and field trips offer students and the surrounding community hands-on learning opportunities. Since 2010, USM has received nearly $5 million in research funding for projects that utilize resources at Lake Thoreau. Much of that research occurs at the center, including the study of Pineywoods cattle as a management tool, gopher tortoise hatching behavior, cardinal mating behavior, fish ecology and much more. Additional research utilizes the herbarium and ichthyology collections. Both undergraduate and graduate students within the Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Geography and Geology receive hands-on experience in upper-level field-based courses taught at Lake Thoreau. The education programs focus on a myriad of topics and can be tailored to any age group or size, all designed to get children and adults alike excited about science. Customized topics can be crafted by the center to match curriculum learning goals, while programs offering assistance in earning badges for scout troops are also available. Each program goal is enriched with the fundamental desire to support experience-based learning while contributing to teacher preparation. “Each year the average child spends less time outdoors and more time engaged with electronic devices,” said Davis. “We seek to help them find ways to get out and enjoy nature that will allow them to disconnect from technology. With that in mind, we also look for ways to teach children how to use technology to form closer ties with nature. We host a series of overnight camps eight times a year for third through sixth grade students called Nights at Thoreau. We also host six summer camps, and my personal favorite, Spooky Hollow – our family-friendly Halloween event that centers on an educational ‘haunted’ trail and hayride.” Also present at the Lake Thoreau Environmental Center is a research-grade, near realtime environmental data weather station, which provides continuous data for faculty and students and helps to support a wide variety of research at Lake Thoreau. This station was made possible through joint funding from the Southern Miss Department of Geography and Geology, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Technology, Office of the Vice President for Research and a grant from the Aubrey and Ella Lucas Endowment for Faculty Excellence. “We have a strong vision for expansion and infrastructure improvements that, if funded, would allow the center to become the premier nature center for the Gulf Coast,” Davis added. “I want all children in the Pine Belt to grow up with a memory of a special experience at Lake Thoreau.” Nature enthusiasts and outdoor recreationists can take advantage of the diverse offerings offered by the center, including the Golden Eagle Trail Complex for biking, hiking and running. Southern Miss faculty and staff can also request fishing privileges to the lake through the Lake Thoreau Environmental Center website.

Interestingly, the J.J. Newman Lumber Company built the Pearl and Leaf Rivers Railroad that became the Mississippi Central Railroad in 1904, which passed through the center’s property and is now the Longleaf Trace, a 43-mile paved multi-use trail that connects the Hattiesburg campus to the Lake Thoreau Environmental Center. “There’s no such thing as a typical day at Lake Thoreau,” Davis said, “On any given Saturday, you may find fishermen at the lake, families taking a hike and bikers on the trail. On a weekday, you could see a class from a local elementary school on a field trip and searching for turtles and salamanders. Ecological researchers are out here at daylight gathering equipment, vehicles and boats to spend their day studying local ecosystems. And during the summer, our property is covered in kids experiencing summer camp.” And those experiences are what make the center so unique – it provides an environment that inspires people of all ages to explore their connections with the natural world, while providing a model for protection and stewardship of longleaf pine forests. Through education, research, recreation and conservation, the Lake Thoreau Environmental Center continues to provide golden environmental education opportunities. Learn more about programs, events and summer camp opportunities at Lake Thoreau by visiting USM.edu/Lake-Thoreau-Environmental-Center. Lake Thoreau Environmental Center

As a student in the kinesiotherapy program, I have gained a clear understanding of the benefit of physical rehabilitation for children with Down syndrome. I plan to become a registered kinesiotherapist after graduation and also pursue my doctoral degree in physical therapy. As a specialist in rehabilitation, my goal will be to ensure that families understand the importance of therapy to assist patients with gaining and maintaining their independence.

KELSEY HUBBARD SENIOR | FLOWOOD, MISSISSIPPI

Daughter of Benny â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;90 and Kimberly Hubbard â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;89 Sister of current students, Kayla and Benny Hubbard Jr.

AA/EOE/ADAI 76055.5016 2.17

SOUTHERN MISS

WELCOMES

By David Tisdale ’90, ‘01

e know the feeling, and we’re here to help. That sentiment best expressed The University of Southern Mississippi’s response to the fatal Jan. 21 tornado that hit the Pine Belt, leaving four people dead and causing severe damage to area homes and businesses, as well as to William Carey University. The damage at William Carey was substantial enough to disrupt the school’s ability to wrap up its winter trimester for residential students. Enter USM, which offered the use of available space in academic buildings and residence halls on the Hattiesburg campus to accommodate WCU faculty, staff and students. WCU was able to continue offering online classes post-storm and, later, space for in-person student classroom contact following the winter trimester. “After having experienced the impact of a twister that hit the USM campus and Hattiesburg area only four years earlier, it was easy for the Southern Miss family to have empathy for its crosstown sister institution,” said Debby Hill, USM’s assistant provost and director of academic scheduling, who also serves as co-chair on the University’s Design and Space Committee. Hill played a key role, with assistance from other USM administrators, faculty and staff, in planning and coordinating accommodations for William Carey’s faculty, staff and students in academic buildings and residence halls, among other facilities. “As we worked through our plan to assist them, we identified space for their use while also accommodating our own students and faculty,” Hill said. “The timing of the storm and changes in locations for Southern Miss academic units was fortuitous,” Hill said, “in that the USM College of Nursing had already moved into its new home, Asbury Hall, and that work to remodel Joseph Greene Hall had not yet started, making space in Joseph Greene Hall and Harkins Hall (the former College of Nursing building) available to WCU faculty, staff and students for classes and offices.” USM biology and chemistry laboratories also provide WCU students studying in those areas with facilities to complete their coursework, while faculty in the WCU doctoral program in physical therapy (DPT) will occupy offices in Jones Hall and its College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harkins Hall, at least through May of this year.

William Carey University students are welcomed to campus by WCU administrators and faculty.

Workers assisted WCU faculty move classroom and training equipment into Joseph Greene Hall.

Southern Miss outreach to William Carey has also included an office supplies drive for the school by the Southern Miss Chapter of the Association of Office Professionals. Southern Miss students, faculty and staff have volunteered time to assist those at William Carey remove possessions from damaged offices and residence halls, as well as provide direct volunteer assistance to residents in areas of Hattiesburg, Petal and Purvis directly hit by the tornado. “They’ve really shown their resilience and strength through all of this, and we have been so appreciative of what USM and everyone else has done to support them,” Hill said. “I believe it is a real testament to their faith that they see this as one of those trials you go through in life and they are going to pick themselves up and get through it. It is really heartwarming and very rewarding for me personally to play a part in helping them reach that goal.” Dr. Cyndi Scott, professor and program director for the DPT program, said life was just beginning to settle down from the “newness” of the program, which started in fall 2016 when the tornado hit. “USM came to the rescue and made the transition fairly painless,” Scott said. “Within a week, our classrooms were relocated to Joseph Greene Hall, and our offices to Jones Hall. We missed one week of face-to-face instruction, which we addressed with online teaching. A week later, we began face-to-face instruction and completed the trimester on time. “We couldn’t have done it without vast amounts of assistance from the administration and staff of USM. They felt our pain

and did the very best they could to ease the transition. We are eternally grateful for their willingness to walk alongside us in this natural disaster.” Erica Regl of Columbus, a member of William Carey’s inaugural DPT class, feared her progression in the program might be stalled by the impact of the storm on WCU. “As the day (of the storm) progressed, I began to realize the extent of the damage to our campus and the time it would take to repair and rebuild,” Regl said. “I started to consider the possibility that our DPT class might have to be transferred to alternate DPT programs across the U.S. to continue our education. For me, not knowing what would become of our program or the campus, in general, was the most unsettling part.” A few days after the storm, DPT director Dr. Cynthia Scott scheduled a meeting for the program’s students and faculty. That was when Regl learned USM would help WCU keep its students on track academically. “They (USM) welcomed us with open arms and granted us access to all amenities available to their own students,” Regl said. “They treated us, and continue to treat us, as if we are one of their own Golden Eagles, and that speaks volumes of their character.” “This event has been difficult for so many, but the USM family lifted countless burdens and made this so much more bearable. We will forever be grateful beyond words. The generosity received from USM means the dreams of so many students will carry on. To me, that is invaluable. Thank you, USM!”

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Family Ties: FROM THE BEGINNING UNTIL NOW By Audrey Kelly

he first class of Mississippi Normal College walked onto the Hattiesburg campus in 1914. Sidney Edward Lee Weatherford Sr. was one of those students. He was the 92nd student to register and graduated with a teaching certificate after only one year. On the first day of class, Four generations of the Weatherford family have Weatherford traveled by horse and carriage to move into his first attended Southern Miss. dorm in Forrest County Hall. While Weatherford left Mississippi Normal College to join the Army in 1919, he returned in 1926 to receive his bachelor’s degree; however, his legacy did not end there. In fact, he began a long line of Weatherfords to attend what is now The University of Southern Mississippi and a heritage of pride currently lasting four generations of Golden Eagles. Weatherford’s son, Sidney Edward Lee Weatherford Jr., was born in 1930 and closely followed his footsteps, attending USM for college after he graduated high school. He was heavily impacted by individuals at the University, who led him to continue his dedication to Southern Miss with a career spanning 34 years. As a student, Weatherford met Pete Taylor, Joe Cook and Thad Vann – all of whom impacted his experience and instilled a strong commitment to USM. After graduation, Sid traveled to his home state of Alabama, where he met his wife, Martha Pentecost Weatherford. The two moved back to Hattiesburg, and both began teaching at the University in 1959 – he in higher education administration and she in English. As professors, both Sid and Martha taught and influenced students who would eventually have significant influences at Southern Miss. Martha taught Brett Favre in his beginning English courses, while Sid taught those who planned to further a career in prominent University administration positions. In his 34 years, Sid taught 10 individuals who later became college presidents and Southern Miss’ only female president, Martha Saunders, who served as his student worker. While at USM, Sid also worked in athletics for 10 years as a chairman to represent the University in the NCAA. Sid’s last position held at Southern Miss was assistant to President Aubrey K. Lucas, a role he took very seriously and with deep conviction and commitment. Sid retired in 1993 and was one of seven initiated into the Alumni Hall of Fame that same year, alongside Pat Ferlise and Ray Guy. “Dad loved The University of Southern Mississippi,” Sid said. “He was extremely proud of the education provided by USM. He was the first in his family to become a college graduate but would not be the last.” Sid and his siblings attended USM, two of them earning degrees and continuing their legacies with four of their children attending Southern Miss. For Sid Weatherford’s daughter, Carol, there was no question about attending Southern Miss. As her parents worked on campus, Southern Miss became her home.

Sidney E.L Weatherford Jr. made significant contributions to The University during his 34-year career.

Carol Weatherford graduated in December 1987 with a degree in journalism. As a student, Carol was a member of The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band, the Southern Miss Orchestra and Chi Omega Fraternity. She was also a coeditor for The Student Printz and took classes in photography and creative writing, both of which have benefitted her in a career as a sixth-grade teacher. Carol believes these activities shaped who she became after college and who she is now. She recalls memories such as traveling with The Pride to Tulane and Chi Omega’s annual Songfest benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation as being some of her favorites. She recalls the impact her experience at Southern Miss had on her life and looks back on her experience with gratitude for the University. “Being a Golden Eagle gives me a lot of Southern hospitality I would not have received anywhere else, and I am very proud of its history, the South and the University that represents that,” Carol said. Carol met her husband, Jamie Standland, while a member of The Pride of Mississippi. The two marched next to one another during football games and became close friends. Upon graduation, the couple married and continued their dedication to the University that gave them so much. Jamie received three degrees from The University of Southern Mississippi, including a master’s degree and doctorate, both in music. He is currently in his 10th year serving as the assistant director of bands, where he has traveled with The Pride of Mississippi across the world, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2010 and to Ireland in 2015. Carol and Jamie’s son, Tyler Standland, a current freshman at Southern Miss, holds the title of a fourth generation student in the Weatherford legacy. He claims his decision to attend USM was an easy one, and he never considered another option. Growing up around Southern Miss and with such a rich USM history, Tyler chose to attend the University in hopes of leaving a legacy as strong as his family’s. Memories such as traveling with The Pride and attending USM athletic events has shaped

Tyler Standland with his parents, Carol (Weatherford) and Jamie Standland.

er, Weatherford, his daught r. Carol, and grandson, Tyle

his vision of Southern Miss, and he hopes to continue those traditions with his future family. Tyler strives to become involved on campus as a Luckyday Scholar and an initiated member of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. Tyler’s favorite experience as a Southern Miss student thus far is pledging his fraternity. “I had the opportunity to grow close to 17 other people who became my pledge brothers and others who are there to support me.” Tyler hopes to follow his family’s legacy, not only as a Southern Miss student, but as a future teacher as well, stemming both from his personal family and his Southern Miss family. “USM has impacted me so far because I’ve had some incredible teachers, especially being a Luckyday Scholar. It has made me look at life in a new way and has allowed me to grow as a person and be a servant leader. I take great pride in being a Golden Eagle.” And that Southern Miss pride will not stop with Tyler. The Weatherford legacy will continue as Tyler’s younger sister, Laura Lee, also plans to attend Southern Miss. Their older brother, Drew, is a baseball player at William Carey University and was unable to escape the Southern Miss spirit when his classes were moved to campus following the EF-3 tornado that damaged William Carey’s campus on Jan.21. “Indeed, the center of my entire life from early childhood has been education,” Sid said. “The focal point of my life has always been education in general and USM in particular. Among many things I learned throughout my life and experience at Southern Miss, is there are several important principles to follow to be an effective member of the social order: love, respect, honesty, integrity, commitment and loyalty. These are some, but not all the qualities I learned by being both a member of the Weatherford family and a lover of USM. These qualities have been passed on to my children and grandchildren, which makes me a very proud son, father, grandfather and alumnus of Southern Miss.” Four generations in with no end in sight, the Weatherford legacy represents what Southern Miss is truly all about – rich tradition rooted in a commitment to pride, excellence and loyalty.

Alpha Delta Pi Honored

Alpha Delta Pi was recognized with numerous awards at the District Leadership Seminar earlier this year. Three members were SOUTHERN given individual awards for their highSIGHTING level of service towards STARS academic achievement, as well as their involvement on campus and in the community. Meredith Bennett received the Dorothy Shaw Leadership Award, which is awarded to only 12 members with high academic ASSOCIATION NEWS achievement and involvement. Anna Goretski received the Emerging Leader Award, given to eight ladies for their promise shown as a leader within the chapter as a new member. Lastly, Emily Bell was the recipient of the Ruth Pretty Palmer Panhellenic Award, which is presented to a FOUNDATION NEWS member who shows strong and loyal involvement in Panhellenic and in their community. Pictured: Meredith Bennett received the highest honor given to a collegiate member of FROM THE ARCHIVES Alpha Delta Pi when she received the Dorothy Shaw Leadership Award.

ARTS AND LETTERS

Members of USM Greek Life Assisted in Tornado Relief

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Learn more about Greek Life at SouthernALUMNI Miss ALMANAC by visiting USM.edu/Greek-Life. Spring 2017

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ALUMNI ALMANAC Maryann Kyle presented at the National Opera Association’s annual convention in Santa Barbara, Calif.

A Song Heard ‘Round the World

THE

When Dr. Corey Trahan, assistant professor of voice at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La., had a question about vocal technique, managing a voice studio or even navigating academia, there were very few resources available to him. Similarly, Shelly Cooper, assistant professor of musical theatre at La Grange College in Georgia, was looking for a resource to help develop technique language for the singing actor. What these and many others have in common is Southern Miss’ Dr. Maryann Kyle. In 2008, Kyle began teaching a series of performance-based master classes entitled Command Performance Workshop. Initially aimed at student-performers, more and more vocal teachers – and those who worked with vocalists – became a fervent audience. This mandated expansion to include a teacher-specific workshop. This program has taken Kyle across the globe, throughout the mainland United States, to Thailand, Germany and more, both in person and electronically.

“Classically trained vocal teachers are trained to have a very specific technical language that is less flexible when singers are moving from style to style,” said Kyle. “The physical qualities of style and technique often did not relate to emotional qualities required of singing performers.” Her students, and students of her students, became obsessed with her dynamic teaching and lightning-paced results. This resulted not only in the expansion of Command Performance Workshops, but also her appointment as coordinator of musical theatre and voice, and head of the teacher fellowship program at the International Performing Arts Institute (IPAI) in Germany. At IPAI, she is able to accept five teachers of voice, musical theatre and opera each year. They spend three weeks working with Kyle on development of empathy, problem-solving skills, teaching language and stylistic pedagogy (how to teach musical style). The success of this program has necessitated the creation of IPAI Thailand, where similar concepts are taught.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

THE ARTS Word of her teaching also earned her an invitation to present at the National Opera Association’s annual convention in Santa Barbara, Calif. There, she presented on the “Synthesis of Vocal Technique and Artistry in the Operatic Art Form” to an eager audience of vocal professionals. “Maryann Kyle’s style of mentoring teachers is unlike any other method I’ve found,” said Trahan. “Maryann’s example, being an accomplished teacher, performer and mentor, is more than a method; it’s a lifestyle. She’s changed my life, and my students and I are experiencing the benefits.” At home, Kyle mentors regularly. In her studio, students not only learn to apply these techniques, but also how to express them to others as future teachers themselves. Bradley Robinson, associate professor of music at The University of Mississippi, spent a week with Kyle as a part of his sabbatical. His project focuses on how to teach musical theatre vocal style and, more specifically, how to teach “belting,” a vocal technique used in musical theatre and popular music. Kyle, via Skype, has developed an international group that has been dubbed “The Tribe.” This group of like-minded teachers provides a network of support and facilitates an

exchange of ideas. The ideas shared have expanded to include NEWS AROUND larger choral and even instrumental parallels. CAMPUS “Selfless mentoring, free of ego, Maryann Kyle creates a unique environment filled with the true spirit of collaborative growth and mentorship,” said Matt Morgan, assistant professor EAGLE CLUB of musical theatre at the University of Florida. On April 6 – 8, Kyle will present the Pedagogy of Style Conference on USM’s Hattiesburg campus, with a purpose to ATHLETIC aid teachers and performers as to how to factorNEWS style (including musical theatre, jazz and classical vocal forms) into their vocal technique so it manifests itself quickly and efficiently and becomes organic to the process and produces enhanced NOTES FROM HOME stylistic and lasting results. Kyle’s eminence as a teacher and pedagogue has shone a light on the exceptional vocal opportunities housed at Southern Miss and has resulted in an CLASS exceptionally full studio NOTES and a wait list that she continues to expand. “Teaching 25 students a week is not a chore,” said Kyle. “I continue to take students because I love the art of teaching SNAPSHOTS and seeing the contribution these talented singers make to our community and our profession worldwide.”

ALUMNI AUTHORS

ALUMNI ALMANAC

Kyle’s performance-based master classes draw vocal students and instructors.

Spring 2017

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Gilbert Named Director of Athletics University of Southern Mississippi President Rodney D. Bennett announced the hiring of Jon Gilbert as the University’s director of athletics on Jan. 24. Gilbert comes to Southern Miss from the University of Tennessee, where he has served as executive senior associate athletics director since 2011. “I am excited about the future of Southern Miss Athletics under the leadership of Jon Gilbert,” said President Bennett. “He brings to The University of Southern Mississippi an extensive background in athletic administration at the highest levels. As we continue building upon the historic success of our programs, Jon Gilbert is the right person for the right time.” At Tennessee, Gilbert has been responsible for all facets of day-to-day Department of Athletics operations. His role included leadership duties across the department from strategic planning and management, to external operations, academic affairs and more. “I am extremely humbled and honored with the opportunity to be the director of athletics at Southern Miss, and I want to thank President Bennett for the confidence he has in me to lead the athletics department,” Gilbert said. “I would also like to thank the athletics director interview committee for their time and effort throughout the process.” Under Gilbert’s leadership, Tennessee student-athletes averaged over a 3.0 grade point average, and all programs exceeded the NCAA Academic Progress Rate standard. Gilbert has demonstrated an ability to develop and implement creative ideas; for example, he was instrumental in negotiations for the university to host a football game at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2016. He also trimmed operating expenses in multiple

areas, negotiated a multi-million-dollar apparel deal for athletic programs, and planned, installed and managed the department’s cost-of-attendance program. “I’m looking forward to getting to know our staff, our student-athletes and coaches, and the great supporters of the Golden Eagles,” Gilbert added. “Our goal is to provide our student-athletes with the best college experience possible, while having success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. We understand there is plenty of work to be done, but myself and our staff are going to work tirelessly to take Southern Miss to new heights.” Prior to his experience at Tennessee, Gilbert worked for nearly 17 years at the University of Alabama, serving in multiple roles, including associate athletics director from 2009 to 2011. There, the development office generated $82 million in gifts and pledges for the Crimson Tide Foundation, and Gilbert had oversight of the marketing and promotions department, as well as all facets of the ticket office and seat licensing program. “Southern Miss is getting an athletics director who is both a quality person and an outstanding leader,” Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “I have known Jon throughout his time at Alabama and Tennessee, and he brings the right kind of vision and leadership that will serve Southern Miss well. I would like to wish Jon, his wife Katie, and their family well.” Gilbert is a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C., where he was a three-year letterman on the football team. He earned a master’s degree in sport administration at Eastern Kentucky University. He and his wife, Katie, have two teenage children, daughter Larsen and son Kent. Spring 2017

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Student-Athletes Assist in Disaster Relief NOTES FROM HOME Following the tornado that damaged much of the Pine Belt in January, the Southern Miss Athletics staff, coaches and studentathletes came together to assist in the cleanup and recovery.

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Students discuss sports management with Kyle George, NOTES FROM HOME associate athletics director of marketing and communications.

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Athletics Partners with Sports Management Program

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The Department of Athletics, the University of Southern Mississippi’s Sport Management program and IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions have partnered together to create a new Sports Sales class on the Hattiesburg campus of Southern Miss. The Sports Sales Methods and Techniques Class (SM 395) will provide students hands-on experience in the ticket office, along with direct communication with ticket holders of football and baseball. Each student enrolled in the class will be given a portfolio of current season ticket holders with very specific requirements and engagement items to assist and help the athletics department better interact with ticket holders in the future. “We are extremely excited about this collaborative partnership with the Sport Management program and the College of Business,” said Brent Jones, senior associate athletics director of external affairs. “This partnership allows for a unique, creative and dynamic opportunity for Southern Miss students to gain valuable firsthand knowledge and experience of working inside college athletics while focusing on enhancing

ticket sales, increasing attendance, improving customer service, measuring fan engagement and using data to better understand our fan base and improve the overall fan experience.” This class will allow students to learn and experience the entire sales process, including pricing, database marketing, customer service, sales techniques, retention strategies, analytics, ticketing software and many other principles related to the sales and ticketing field. Also, as a part of the class, featured speakers from Southern Miss Athletics, IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions, and various local and regional leaders in the sports sales industry will make presentations. “The partnership with IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions, Southern Miss Athletics and our Sport Management program in the College of Business is a great example of how we provide distinct experiences for our faculty, students and corporate partners,” said Faye W. Gilbert, PhD, dean of the College of Business. “This collaborative effort will challenge students to meet industry standards as it connects our faculty with leaders in this field.” Along with the sales class, Southern Miss Athletics plans to launch a massive

and targeted retention plan spanning 12 months aimed to inform, engage and communicate with season ticket holders. This plan will offer special incentives, exclusive opportunities and promotions for Southern Miss season ticket holders. As part of the partnership, a sales and service academy will be created and housed in the Southern Miss ticket office. The sales and service academy will be a highly selective and competitive program that will accept three to five students annually beginning in August. This academy will act as a lab of the best practices in sales, customer service analytics, retention, data and engagement, allowing Southern Miss Athletics to better engage, understand and interact with ticket holders. The selected students will assist in all ticket operations, analytics and surveys to understand trends and patterns of ticket holders. The class can also be used as a gateway to a new career, as IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions is always looking for qualified sales representatives with experience, and this academy will be used as a pipeline for connecting students to full-time work and/or graduate assistantships.

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SNAPSHOTS Take a little Southern Miss with you wherever you go! As you sport the black and gold, be sure to capture the memories and send them our way. SendALUMNI us photos of yourself, your family and friends representing Southern Miss, and we will print as many as space allows in a future AUTHORS edition of Snapshots. Email photos* to alumni@usm.edu.

ALUMNI ALMANAC

Top Row Left: Don ‘81 and Helen Pulliam ‘81, Doug ‘82 and Rhonda Seidenburg ‘83, Mitch ‘82 and Karen Wells, and Jerry and Melissa Terry proudly flew their Southern Miss flag as they island hopped through the British Virgin Islands. Top Row Right: Kristen Moore ‘05, the Jambalaya Girl, pictured with News Anchor Sally-Ann Roberts ’74, ’76 on the set of the WWL-TV Morning Show. Middle Row Left: Bruce ‘91, Shannon ‘90 and Holland Smith painted their Southern Miss pride on one of the buried Cadillacs at the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. Middle Row Right: Dawn ‘87 and Tony Carroll at Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Bottom Row Left: Jerry Dean ‘78, Rhett Johnson ‘09 and his daughters cheered on the Golden Eagles in the 2016 New Orleans Bowl. Bottom Row Right: Jerry Dean ‘78, Mike Bragg ‘83 and Joe Dean ‘78 at the 2016 New Orleans Bowl.

THE

*For printing purposes, please email your photos at a resolution of 300 dpi. If you have any questions, contact the Alumni Association at 601.266.5013.

NOTES FROM HOME

CLASS NOTES

SNAPSHOTS Now is your chance to catch up on the news and accomplishments of your fellow Golden Eagles. To submit news to The Talon, please send your information to the Southern Miss Alumni Association, 118 College Drive #5013, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001, email alumni@usm.edu or post it online at SouthernMissAlumni.com. All cities are in Mississippi unless otherwise noted. ALUMNI AUTHORS

1960s

GARY DUBUISSON ‘69 works as director of Cage and Credit for Resorts World in Bimini, Bahamas.

1970s

DAVID RYAN ‘72 has been selected as Duke Jefferson Davis Mardi Gras royalty for the 2017 Krewe of Phoenix in Natchez.

CAROL ANN CRAPPS DRANE ‘74 was recently selected as one of eight Mississippi teachers to attend the Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teaching and Teachers – Mississippi (ECET2) held in Jackson. Carol Ann currently serves as student services coordinator at the Simpson County Technical Center in Mendenhall. JIMMY HEIDELBERG ‘75 was recognized statewide as one of the Top 40 Leaders in Law by the Mississippi Business Journal.

PATRICE POWER ‘78 has been namedALMANAC ALUMNI director of marketing at CalyxSoftware® in Dallas, Texas. ROB WIGGINS ‘79 has been named executive vice president for Gateway Mortgage Group, LLC in Texas.

1980s

BETTY YOUNG-CRYER ‘83, ‘94 has been named chief nursing officer for Anderson Regional Health System in Meridian.

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Art Studio, Bridal Registry, Gift Shop, Framing and More!

Located in the Newpointe Shopping Center at Highway 98 West 6555 U.S. Highway 98 West, Suite B, Hattiesburg, MS 39402 Phone: 601.579.9378

2/7/17 12:47 PM

Spring 2017

NOTES FROM HOME

CLASS NOTES

SNAPSHOTS

ALUMNI AUTHORS

ALUMNI BOOKSHELF

ALUMNI ALMANAC

The One That Got Away Timothy C. Lockley ‘76 Merry Blacksmith Press, 2016

All off for Gordon’s Station: A History of the Early Hattiesburg, Mississippi Area Andrew R. English ‘84, ‘87 Gateway Press, 2000

Chasing the Fox: The Chronology of a Blockade Runner Andrew R. English ‘84, ‘87 Gateway Press, 2004

THE

The Port Royal Experiment: A Case Study in Development Kevin Dougherty ‘11 University Press of Mississippi, 2016

CHECK OUT THESE BOOKS BY ALUMNI AUTHORS If you wish to be considered for coverage, please email alumni@usm.edu the title of your book, class year, publisher, year published and electronic image of the book’s cover in a jpg, tif or pdf at 300 dpi.

Gardens of Hope Michael Holloway Perronne ‘96 Chances Press, LLC, 2016

Mojo Triangle Travel Guide Mardi Allen ’76, ‘85 Sartoris Literary Group, Inc., 2014

Ringside at Richburg: America’s Last Heavyweight Bare-Knuckle Championship Andrew R. English ‘84, ‘87 Gateway Press, 2008

With Love, Respect, Honesty & Integrity Sidney E.L. Weatherford, Ed.D ’50, ‘53 Bourne Brothers Printing, 2015

NOTES FROM HOME

CLASS NOTES

CHRISTIE LAWRENCE ‘84 has been appointed vice president of commercial services at ARDX, a healthcare management and IT consulting firm. ANDREW RAMSEY ENGLISH ‘84, ‘87 earned his doctoral degree in history from The University of Exeter. ROBIN E. GRAVES ‘85 received the Katharine and Bryant Mather Award from the American Society for Testing and Materials International Committee on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates. PAUL E. MITCHEL ‘86 was recently elected president of the Texas Fire Alarm Association. GLEN EAST ‘87 was recognized by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College as a 2016 Spirit of Gulf Coast Honoree. SANDRA BOLTON GATES ‘87 is married to Curtis Ray Gates.

1990s

KAREN AUBREY ‘90 has been hired as vice president of academic affairs for LaGrange College.

STEVEN BROWN ‘90 has been named chief financial officer for Anderson Regional Health System in Meridian.

CHETT HARRISON ‘90 was inducted into the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Alumni Hall of Fame. BRYAN JOHNSON ‘90 has been named Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic 2016 Employee of the Year in Tallahassee, Fla. JULIE PIPER ’90 is employed with Walt Disney World as Guest Experience Manager in Fantasyland. TOM ANDERSON ‘91 was named a Fellow of the Health Ethics Trust in Washington, D.C.

JAMES “JIMMY”SNAPSHOTS KIMBRELL ‘92 has been chosen to receive a highly selective ALUMNI AUTHORS fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. ALUMNI ALMANAC FAYLA HUFF GUEDON ‘94 has been selected as Duchess La Glorieuse Mardi Gras royalty for the 2017 Krewe of Phoenix in Natchez. ABIGAYLE C. FARRIS ‘95, ’96 has been elected as a member of Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann, LLC.

BRIG. GEN. (RET.) JESSIE R. ROBINSON ‘86 has been selected as president of the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), the nation’s primary advocacy organization for the National Guard. As chief executive officer, Robinson will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the NGAUS in Washington, as well as oversee the National Guard Educational Foundation. Since his commission as second lieutenant in May 1985, Robinson has been an active member of the National Guard Association of Mississippi (NGAMS) and NGAUS. Under his leadership of the NAGMS, Robinson enacted and expanded The Mississippi Military Family Relief Fund. Prior to NGAMS, he served at the Mississippi Military Department. Robinson was also a former commander of combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Assistant Adjutant General. Robinson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in speech communications from The University of Southern Mississippi and a Master of Business Administration from Jackson State University. He also completed a United States Army War College Fellowship in logistics and acquisition at the Center for Strategic Analysis at the University of Texas at Austin. He and his wife, Susan, have three children and three grandchildren.

Spring 2017

NOTES FROM HOME

CLASS NOTES

SNAPSHOTS CARLOS A. LATORRE ’92, ‘00 has been elected president of the Mississippi ALUMNI AUTHORS Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, an organization of more than ALUMNI ALMANAC 1,000 members consisting of physicians, residents and medical students. As president, he will be involved in providing scholarships for medical students and working with Tobacco-Free Mississippi. Latorre is a board-certified family physician. He has practiced medicine with the Merit Health River Region Health Systems in Vicksburg since 2011. Latorre serves as medical director of Clinical Integration and Physician Orientation, and as secretary of the Medical Executive Committee. He was a charter member of the Merit Health Primary Care Physician Advisory Council, a member of the University of Mississippi Medical (UMMC) Center Alumni Board and serves as a preceptor to medical students. Latorre has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology from The University of Southern Mississippi and is a registered professional geologist in Mississippi. He received his medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in 2008 and completed his residency at UMMC in 2011, while serving as chief resident for the Department of Family Medicine. Latorre and his wife of 19 years, Nalini, live in Vicksburg and have one daughter, Alana. WADE HEIGLE ‘95 has been hired as Escambia Academy’s new headmaster in Atmore, Ala. TINA LAGARDE ‘95 has been selected as Hancock Middle School 2016 Teacher of the Year.

THE

CAROLINE ESELIN-SCHAEFER ‘97 served as costume designer for Moonlight, the winner of the 2017 Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture - Drama.

LEONARD PAPANIA ‘02 was inducted into the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Alumni Hall of Fame. JOHN ‘03 and AMY BYXBE ‘03, ‘06 proudly announce the birth of their first child, John Elijah “Eli,” born Dec. 9, 2016. SEANDEE BENNETT ‘03 has been selected as Hancock High School 2016 Teacher of the Year. JOEY GRISHAM ‘03 has been hired as assistant director of economic development for the City of Rowlett, Texas. FITZGERALD YAW ‘04 has been named director of strategic initiatives at The University of Guyana, Turkeyen, Georgetown, Guyana.

JEFF JONES ‘99 has been recognized by Worldwide Branding for excellence in biologic and surgical sales.

JESSICA ESTEPP ‘05 has been hired as director of laboratory services at Andalusia Health in Andalusia, Ala.

2000s

PENG HE ‘05 has joined the Department of Chemistry and Physics at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff as assistant professor of chemistry.

MOLLY S. CLARK ‘00, ‘02, ‘05 has been re-elected to the National Register Board of Director of Health Service Psychologists. ROBIN DEDEAUX ‘01 has been selected as West Hancock Elementary School 2016 Teacher of the Year.

ROBERT V. JOHNSON ‘05 has been named Dallas County Juvenile Department 2016 Teacher of the Year in Dallas, Texas. ERIN A. O’NEAL ‘05, ‘16 recently joined Hattiesburg Clinic Gastroenterology as a certified nurse practitioner.

NOTES FROM HOME

CLASS NOTES

DAWN DAINELLO ‘06 has been selected as East Hancock Elementary Teacher of the Year. SARAH ELLIOTT ‘06 has been selected as Hancock County Career Technical Center’s 2016 Teacher of the Year. LAUREN M. WALTERS ‘08, ‘10 recently joined Hattiesburg Clinic Sumrall Medical Center as a certified nurse practitioner. MEL HARNISH ‘09 was promoted to apparel buyer at Shoe Station in Mobile, Ala. MOLLIE ‘09 and RICKY RIDDELL JR ‘11 announce the birth of their daughter, Eliza Ruth, born Oct. 4, 2016.

SNAPSHOTS With a passion for providing quality of life, dignity and respect to seniors, DEVIN TOURNILLON has been ALUMNI‘98 AUTHORS named family resident advocate at Avanti Senior Living, a revolutionary senior living development, operations ALUMNI ALMANAC and ownership company. Tournillon has spent more than 25 years in healthcare with experience in social work, marketing and admissions in a variety of settings ranging from nursing homes, hospitals, hospice, as well as assisted living and memory care homes. Tournillon is active with the Alzheimer’s Association, the West St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce and the St. Tammany Social Services Networking Group. Tournillon earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from The University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in social work from The University of Southern Mississippi.

2010s

SCOTT W. THORNBURG ‘10 was recently elected to serve as president of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Silicon Valley Chapter and was also selected to serve ex-officio senior counselor to the PRSA National Board of Directors.

LESLIE GAUDE ‘11 has been selected as Hancock County School District 2016 Teacher of the Year. MATT JACKSON ‘11 has been named general manager at Gazette Printers in Indiana, Pa.

JESSICA GORDON ‘07 has been named director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. Commercial Service office in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to this position, Gordon served as an international trade specialist at the U.S. Commercial Service Office in Jackson where she provided international business solutions to U.S. exporters and advocated for U.S. commercial interest abroad. Gordon also served as the Deputy Team Leader for the U.S. Commercial Service’s Global Marine Technology Team. In 2012, she was selected to lead the U.S. Commercial Service’s Trade Americas Central-America Sub-team and held multiple leadership roles and coordinated recurrent business development trade missions to the Caribbean, as well as in Central and South America. Gordon has received numerous accolades for her continuous support of U.S. business interest in foreign markets around the globe and was recently awarded the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration Quarterly Star Award for her leadership during the U.S. Commercial Service Trade Mission to Central America, as well as a 10 Years of Service Award. Gordon is a recent graduate of Graduate School’s USA Executive Leadership Program. She graduated from Millsaps College with a Master of Business Administration after earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business from The University of Southern Mississippi. Gordon, a native of Biloxi, is fluent in Spanish and enjoys learning Brazilian Portuguese.

Spring 2017

NOTES FROM HOME

CLASS NOTES

SNAPSHOTS JULIE POLK BREAZEALE ‘01, ’07 was named one of Mississippi Business Journal’s Top CEOs. After obtaining ALUMNI AUTHORS a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern Miss, Breazeale began working for her family’s ALUMNI ALMANAC business, Polk’s Meat Products Inc. She has held several management positions within the company and currently serves as the chief executive officer. In addition to her success within the company, Breazeale serves a board member for the Simpson County Development Foundation, United Way of Southeast Mississippi, Trustmark Bank of Magee Business Advisory Council and as past chair for The University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business Advisory Council. She has also served as a board member for the Junior Auxiliary of Hattiesburg and the Southern Miss Alumni Association. Breazeale and her husband, Eddy, have three children: Barrett, Blake and Olivia. TRISTAN BARLOW ‘12 recently had his original paintings featured in an exhibit at Anita Rogers Gallery in SoHo, N.Y.

BRITTNEY E. BRACEY ‘12, ‘16 recently joined Hattiesburg Clinic Columbia Family Clinic as a certified nurse practitioner.

BETHANY B. SABINS ‘12 joins International Nurses Association and will be featured in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare publication. JENIFER TRUONG ‘15 has been named community relations and promotions coordinator for the Biloxi Shuckers. BARRIE BROWN ‘16 has been named the Public Affairs Intern for the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT). LUKE F. GOSS ‘16 has been appointed to the Management Training Program of McCoy Corporation. After completion of the program in San Marcos, Texas, he will be located at McCoy’s Building Supply in Pearland, Texas.

In Memoriam JORDAN MAX HERMAN ‘35 of Ocean Springs died December 12, 2016.

BILLIE MARGARET GARDNER ‘49 of Forest died January 19, 2017.

MARY NANELLE FLEMING ‘51 of Gulfport died October 30, 2016.

MARY ELIZABETH HINMAN ’36 of Fredericksburg, Va., died December 29, 2016.

CHARLES ROGER HEWITT ‘49 of Richmond, Texas, died December 21, 2016.

WINNIE SESSUMS ‘51 of Lena died October 31, 2016.

MILDRED MAYS GOYER ‘39 of Hattiesburg died January 2, 2017.

DONALD VAUGHAN COLEMAN ‘50 of Moss Point died October 11, 2016.

MARY LOUISE THOMAS ‘41 of Hattiesburg died December 16, 2016.

JAMES HAROLD CROSBY ‘50 of Irvington, N.Y., died November 26, 2016.

FRANCES M. CARPENTER ‘43 of Tupelo died November 26, 2016. EARLE CECILE SMITH ‘47 of Valparaiso, Fla., died December 26, 2016.

THE

PATRICIA ANN GABLE ‘48 of Hattiesburg died December 28, 2016.

BENJAMIN ERSKINE GANDY ‘50 of Madison died October 23, 2016. ALTON BURT PHILLIPS ‘50 of Tampa, Fla., died October 28, 2016. JEWELL JEROME BREELAND ‘51 of Brookhaven died October 21, 2016.

KATHERINE LOUISE CURRY ‘53 of Baton Rouge, La., died October 24, 2016. MILDRED GORMAN ‘53 of Jackson died January 27, 2017. VIVIAN LANG ‘53 of Pascagoula died December 21, 2016. THOMAS JOSEPH LEGROS ‘53 of Mobile, Ala., died November 3, 2016. MALCOLM DOUGLAS MIMS ‘54 of Cleveland, Ga., died November 16, 2016.

NOTES FROM HOME

CLASS NOTES

VERENIA TYNES SWILLEY ‘55 of Mobile, Ala., died October 25, 2016.

JAMES C. WHITEHURST ‘59 of Tarboro, N.C., died November 21, 2016.

SNAPSHOTS JUNIUS DAVID MCINTYRE ‘66 of Florence died January 27, 2017.

LENDY BROOKS TISDALE ‘55 of Mandeville, La., died October 20, 2016.

GLEN ALLEN DOWE ‘60 of Jackson died November 12, 2016.

CHARLES A. PONDER ‘66 of Hattiesburg died November ALUMNI AUTHORS25, 2016.

IMA JOE GARDNER ‘60 of Hattiesburg died November 19, 2016.

JOHNNIE RUTH BREAZEALE ‘67 of Ocean Springs died January 16, 2017.

MARILYN ANN LOGAN ‘60 of Long Beach died October 30, 2016.

VIRGINIA LOU TIDMORE ‘67 ALUMNI ALMANAC of Jackson died December 11, 2016.

KENNETH PAUL MAIN ‘60 of Kingwood, Texas, died December 23, 2016.

LEON BELL ‘69 of Jackson died December 12, 2016.

JAMES ALVIN MCCRAW ‘55 of Madison, Ala., died July 8, 2015. WILLIAM ALFRED BUFKIN ‘55 of Hattiesburg died November 29, 2016. WILLIAM SIDNEY MILLICAN ‘55 of Madison died January 18, 2017. BETHNA ANNE CULPEPPER ‘56 of Vicksburg died October 20, 2016. RUPERT EARL BRELAND ‘56 of Bogalusa, La., died May 22, 2015. EDWARD CAESAR BURGESS ‘57 of Jackson November 30, 2016. SUE PACE KENNEDY ‘57 of Angie, La., died January 24, 2017. CHARLES L. MCNAIR ‘57 of Ridgeland died December 12, 2016. DAVID KEITH MILLER ‘57 of Overland Park, Kan., died December 7, 2016.

JAMES FRANCIS O’BEIRNE ‘60 of Baton Rouge, La., died December 26, 2016. WILLIAM SEMKOW ‘60 of Escondido, Calif., died December 22, 2016. KENNETH JOHN STEINER ‘60 of Gulf Shores, Ala., died January 3, 2017. JAMES S. BARNES ‘61 of Burkburnett, Texas, died October 6, 2016. CARY ALBERT WARREN ‘61 of Gulfport died November 11, 2016.

WILLIAM NEAL MAY ‘69 of Moss Point died Dec. 29, 2016. ALDEN REGINALD MORAN ‘69 of Diamondhead died January 22, 2017. HOYT ALLAN NATION ‘69 of Purvis died November 3, 2016. CAROLYN ELIZABETH SMITH ‘69 of Hermanville died December 31, 2015. ROBERT DONALD SNOWDEN ‘70 of Meridian died November 12, 2016. HORACE H. ARRINGTON ‘71 of South Holland, Ill., died November 5, 2015.

ARCHIBALD F. STEELE ‘57 of Banning, Calif., died Sept. 5, 2016.

GEORGIA LOU GRANBERRY ‘62 of Jackson died January 14, 2017.

VERNELL B. HOLLEY ‘71 of Marianna, Fla., died December 20, 2016.

ROSARIO MICHAEL CARUBBA ‘58 of Kenner, La., died November 23, 2016.

PERCY LAVALLET MAPLES ‘62 of Lucedale died October 28, 2016.

LUIS F. PAREDES ‘71 of Liberty died December 24, 2016.

JANELLE L. FOSHEE ‘58 of Lafayette, La., died December 11, 2016.

ANN JUDY SCLATER ‘62 of Clinton died December 28, 2016.

DONALD JEAN POETKER ‘71 of Meridian died June 2, 2016.

MARLON CORNELIOUS RICO ‘63 of Cleveland died January 30, 2017.

BILLY RAY THOMPSON ‘71 of Tyler, Texas, died November 5, 2016.

DONALD EUGENE HILLMAN ‘64 of Hattiesburg died January 28, 2016.

WILLIAM SPENCER COTHERN ‘72 of Houston, Texas, died October 9, 2016.

MILDRED GAYLE KNIGHT ‘64 of Laurel died October 24, 2016.

BURTON CORNELIUS BECK ‘73 of Orange Beach, Ala., died December 12, 2016.

THOMAS JERRY LEGGETT ‘58 of Brookhaven died October 17, 2016. ROBERT WILLIAM MANESS ‘58 of Fort Worth, Texas, died November 21, 2016. JOY NELL BARRY ‘59 of Butler, Ohio, died December 17, 2016. LARRY GLEN BROOME ‘59 of San Antonio, Texas, died December 17, 2016. JULIA BOWLING LONG ‘59 of Clara died December 6, 2016. MARY LOUISE THOMAS ‘59 of West Valley City, Utah, died December 16, 2016. ALBERT J. WALENT ‘59 of Copley, Ohio, died January 30, 2016.

JAMES WENDELL SMITH ‘64 of Panama City, Fla., died December 22, 2016.

SARAH C. KIRKLAND ‘73 of Forest died January 14, 2017.

DOLLY DIANE LOYD ‘65 of Hattiesburg died October 29, 2016.

WILLIAM A. LEWIS ‘73 of Poplarville died November 12, 2016.

VIRGINIA CLARKE MOORE ‘65 of Petal died December 4, 2016.

JOHN NICHOLAS LUKACENA ‘73 of Toronto, Ohio, died November 17, 2016.

RICHARD BOYD ‘66 of New Orleans, La., died January 1, 2017. WALTER FRANKLIN JOHNSON ‘66 of Wiggins died November 19, 2016.

DANIEL ALLEN PEPPER ‘73 of Birmingham, Ala., died October 31, 2016. THERON MACKEY AVERY ‘74 of Purvis died January 21, 2017.

Spring 2017

NOTES FROM HOME

CLASS NOTES FAYE ANN FULLER ‘74 of PulaskiSNAPSHOTS died January 3, 2017.

LINDA LAUER HICKS ‘82 of Petal died November 2, 2016.

JOHNNIE L. SMITH ‘96 of Camden died June 26, 2014.

JERRY GUNTHER GOLDSMITH ‘74 of Coral Gables, Fla., died March 10, 2014.

LADINE WASHINGTON ‘83 of Natchez died November 6, 2016.

JASON THOMAS JACKSON ‘98 of Laurel died December 23, 2016.

PATSY ANN WATSON ‘83 of Milan, Tenn., died August 3, 2015.

MICHAEL JOSEPH POPP ‘99 of Indianapolis, Ind., died May 13, 2016.

TERRE LANE GUTHRIE ‘84 of Hattiesburg died January 5, 2017.

PATRICK W. CARMICAL ‘01 of Ellisville died November 23, 2016.

BELINDA KAYE MITCHELL ‘84 of Poplarville died November 28, 2016.

DAVID DARYL SMITH ‘01 of Gulfport died November 27, 2016.

LISA KAY O’NEILL ‘84 of Deridder, La., died December 9, 2016.

CHARLES C. WALKER ‘05 of Ocean Springs died June 30, 2015.

VIRGINIA ANN HALE ‘85 of Richton died October 29, 2016.

JULIE ANN GARNER ‘06 of Gulfport died January 16, 2017.

JOSEPH M. NIEZGODA ‘85 of Hattiesburg died December 1, 2016.

NICHEL FAYE HOLLAND SWINDLER ‘06 of Columbia, S.C., died December 26, 2016.

ALUMNI AUTHORS

WALTER FRANCIS MOORE ‘74 of D’Iberville died November 3, 2016. EDGAR POE SYMMES ‘74 ALUMNI ALMANAC of Cypress, Texas, died January 4, 2017. JULIA STRANGE CARTER ‘75 of Biloxi died November 12, 2016. VIRGINIA AGNES KALLIN ‘76 of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., died October 21, 2016. DALE EUGENE BUCKHAULTS ‘76 of Ellisville died November 17, 2016. JOSEPH WILLIAM LILLY ‘76 of Vancleave died January 27, 2017. DOUGLAS BRUCE MCFALLS ‘76 of Brandon died October 15, 2016. BETTY SUE SEAL ‘77 of Poplarville died March 10, 2016. WELDON J. TODD ‘77 of Hattiesburg died November 26, 2016. GEORGE MARSHALL FRIES ‘78 of Purvis died October 28, 2014. ROGER G. MEADOWS ‘78 of Ovett died November 1, 2016. GERALD EDWARD STRENGTH ‘78 of Merritt Island, Fla., died November 18, 2016. BYRON R. KING ‘79 of Biloxi died January 12, 2017. BYRON W. MAGUIRE ‘79 of Biloxi died November 29, 2016. RONALD B. REID ‘79 of Hattiesburg died November 21, 2016. JOHN B. WESSELMAN ‘79 of Palmer, Texas, died September 6, 2016. WILLIAM SAMUEL FRANKLIN ‘80 of Ocean Springs died on January 23, 2017.

GARY DAVID RAYBORN ‘85 of Columbia died December 14, 2016. DONNA J. STORTO ‘86 of Mesa, Ariz., died April 23, 2016. DARRELL WESLEY O’QUINN ‘87 of Hattiesburg died November 28, 2016.

VIRGINIA LANTZ DENTON ‘88 of Knoxville, Tenn., died December 31, 2016. PAUL DOUGLAS FLETCHER ‘88 of Acworth, Ga., died November 30, 2016. CONNIE MARIE TILLMAN ‘88 of Poplarville died June 15, 2015.

BUY A BRICK

LEAVE A

LEGACY

TERESA ALEXANDER ‘89 of Hattiesburg died January 9, 2017. HOLLY ELLEN STEPHENS ‘89 of Waterford, Mich., died July 28, 2016. LORETTA JANELLE PAYNE ‘91 of Biloxi died September 1, 2015. BRYAN P. SCHOELL ‘91 of Hattiesburg died January 9, 2017. VIRGINIA M. ESPEY ‘92 of Meridian died December 1, 2016. LINDA M. WELCH ‘93 of Laurel died March 22, 2016.

DOROTHY C. RAY ‘81 of Gulfport died December 13, 2016.

LAURA ELIZABETH HOWARD ‘95 of Gulfport died November 12, 2016.

JOHNNY ROBERT DEAN ‘82 of Antioch, Tenn., died October 10, 2016.

HELEN MARIE GLASER ‘96 of Baltimore, Md., died November 26, 2016.

THE

JAMES H. JACKSON ‘12 of Hattiesburg died November 11, 2016.

JAMES K. WILKERSON ‘87 of Ellisville died September 24, 2016.

LEON J. HUBERT ‘80 of Biloxi died December 14, 2016.

COLEMAN PARKER WILSON ‘11 of Brandon died December 27, 2016.

Don’t miss the opportunity to leave a legacy at THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI! Order your personalized brick no later than Friday March 31, for installation prior to Commencement in May.

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Members Perks Program Bank Of America® Special offer for Southern Miss alumni and friends! Announcing a special No-Annual-Fee MasterCard® credit card now conveniently available to Southern Miss alumni. Simply call 1.800.932.2775 for details about the costs and terms of this offer or to apply for the credit card.

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