CLASSNOTES

THE UNITING POWER OF THE HILL

Sixty-plus years of LaGrange grads. That’s how many classes were represented at President Baxter’s April inauguration. Delegates from the Class of 1945 to the present helped celebrate the occasion, and through that range of ages and experiences, the uniting power of the LaGrange experience shined through. It was just a hint of what you can enjoy at Homecoming 2022 on October 7-9. I look forward to seeing you then!

—MARTHA PIRKLE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

P.S. Watch lagrange.edu/homecoming for details on this year’s Homecoming celebration

1980s

1982 Joanna Patton Breazeale of Decatur is a health educator at HealthMPowers, Inc.

1983 Sam Cotton of LaGrange is the assistant coach for the girls basketball team at Callaway High School. The team won the Region 5-AA championship for the second year in a row.

1990s

1990 James F. Ellison of Newnan is the pastor for Newnan City Church and the chaplain for Newnan Fire Department.

1992 Stuart Countess M’92 of LaGrange is the president and the chief executive officer of Kia Georgia, Inc.

1999 Brad White of LaGrange has been promoted to director of continuous improvement, North American Small Packaging, at Mauser Packaging Solutions.

1999 The Rev. Norman A. Harris of Tampa, Florida, was featured on an episode of “Steve on Watch: Alicia and Norman Dating?”

Peggy Hinkle Colley ’61, President. Susanna Baxter, Gerald Becham ’60 and Emily Paxton McClurg ’61 had lunch, reminisced and toured the campus during Homecoming 2021.

2000s

2002 Debra Williamson of Macon is the director of health services at Pruitt Health.

2003 Clint DeMooney M’04 of LaGrange is an assistant principal at Troup High School.

2004 Ariel Pena M’20 of Greensboro, North Carolina, is the associate vice chancellor of advancement operations at North Carolina A&T State University. She is currently enrolled in the Ed.D. program in higher education leadership at UNC-Wilmington.

2004 Dr. Carrie Reif-Stice of Evans is an assistant professor in communications at Augusta University. She was named a fellow for the center of social science research at Augusta University for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Alum Chums of 1958 pictured in December 2021: Althea Hengstler Head ’58, Carol McGarity Jacobs ’58, Pat Quigley Hagler ’58, Mary Louise Dunagan Smith ’58 and Marjorie Steis Bowling ‘58

2004 Dr. Nigel Walker M’06, Ed.S. ’11 of LaGrange is the program specialist for teacher and leader effectiveness, working with the new-teacher induction program, teacher mentor program, teacher and leader evaluations, interns and recruitment for Troup County Schools.

2006 Hannah Stubblefield of Athens is the director of student ministries at Athens First United Methodist Church.

Homecoming 2021 at Kappa Delta Open House: Founding members Patty Solomon ’71, Cathy Trapp Thompson ’73, Sharon Nicholson Wedworth ’72, Ellen Glenn Dreschel ’72, Mary Wells Conway ‘72 and Julia Glenn Barber ‘74

2006 Tracy Dreschel Marsh of Hayden, Alabama, is a National Board certified teacher. She teaches first grade at Hayden Primary School in Blount County.

2008 Elsa Johnson Connally of Cohutta is a licensed social worker.

2009 Dialleo Burks M’11 of LaGrange has been named head football coach for Warner University in Lake Wales, Florida.

2009 Cedric Talley of Smyrna is a graphic designer for the National Park Service.

The Rev. Blair Tolbert ’06 of Carrollton visited Rachel Wooten ’24, sophomore nursing student and first Tolbert Family Endowed Scholarship recipient.

2010s

2010 Raukisha Ray Talley of Smyrna is the deputy fee program manager for the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

2010 Becky Loveless of Ranburne, Alabama, is a speech-language pathologist at Encompass Home Health and Hospice and is part-time clinical faculty at the University of West Georgia in the speech-language pathology program.

2011 1st Lt. Glenn Gantner of Vacaville, California, completed officer basic training for the United States Air Force. He is working as a licensed clinical social worker.

2011 Daniel K. Yim of Washington, D.C., serves on the counsel for committee oversight and reform in the U.S. House of Representatives.

2011 Rebekah Hair-Stewart of Albany is the membership campaign officer at WFSU Public Media.

Sam Cotton ’83, far right, is assistant coach for the Callaway High School Girls basketball team, which won the region 5-AA championship for the second year in a row.

2013 Doug Bassett of LaGrange is the Circulation Specialist at LaGrange College.

2013 Paige McComb Castle of Atlanta is a UX designer for The Home Depot. She utilizes her knowledge of the art of storytelling and its relation to well-designed products.

2016 Nikki Stone of Griffin will be touring with Missoula Children's Theatre as tour actor/director for its production of "Rumpelstiltskin" throughout the U.S. and abroad. She also will be participating in a virtual apprenticeship with Boston's Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, attending voice/speech and scene study classes, coaching sessions, masterclasses with industry professionals and a showcase as a culmination of the program.

Chris ’84 and Cathy Cooper Rumble ’84 of Jasper appeared as Santa and Mrs. Claus for the annual Pleasant Hill Christian Church Christmas party benefitting foster families.

Alumni Executive Committee members gathered for their spring meeting on the day of President Baxter’s inauguration. They are, front row, from left, Nina Wyman Bradford ’18; Katie Daniel ’10; Gail McLachlan Sherman ’78, M ’80, Ed.S ’12; Ashley Fitzpatrick Jenkins ’08, President of the Alumni Association; Mary Leslie Hardy ’93; Bill Kiser ’69; Julie Glenn Barber ’74; Rhett Yates M’99, Immediate Past President of the Alumni Association; back row, Joy Baker ’02; Tom ’69 and Mary Wells Conway ’72; Spencer King ’00, President-Elect of the Alumni Association; and Lori Melock Anderson ’83.

2016 Hannah Landers of Sommerville, Alabama, is a sales specialist at Siemens Healthineers.

2016 Zachary Tatham of Alpharetta is the accounting supervisor at RangeWater Real Estate.

2016 Nicholas Raszeja M’18 of Fort Mill, South Carolina, is the sports performance assistant football coach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

2016 Peyton Hanners Garland of Fountain, Colorado, has signed a contract with Wipf and Stock Publishing to release a second book, "Tired, Hungry, and Kinda Faithful."

Katelyn Little ’19 of Monroe serves as secretary on the board of trustees for the Georgia Nurses Foundation and recently attended the Georgia Nurses Foundation Nursing Hall of Fame. She is pictured with Wanda Jones, president of Georgia Nurses Foundation.

2017 Jamie Fredlund of Alpharetta is a full-time sports freelancer with CNN.

2017 Corey Morgan of Albany received the Dr. James E. Carter Award from Albany State University upon completion of his Master of Public Administration degree.

2017 Meagan Cascone of Dallas worked as a tour director/actor for Missoula Children's Theatre. She is currently a PAIR specialist, academy teacher and TVY director at the Springer Opera House, where she has been performing since 2018.

2017 Lawrence West of Hutto, Texas, is an entertainment host/ emcee for Carnival Cruise Lines.

2017 Elisabeth Clements of Tucker is currently working as a professional actor, choreographer and director in the Atlanta area while serving as the degree program coordinator for the theater studies program at Emory University. She is a director at Act3 Productions and a choreographer at Mill Creek & Brookwood High Schools. She is represented by East Coast Talent.

2017 Garrison Brown of Alpharetta is a senior talent partner at Blu Banyan.

2017 Sydney Aronson of Peachtree City is a contract attorney on the software resilience team at NCC Group.

Team members and family of the 1982-1983 basketball champions met up for breakfast at Gus’s Grill. They are, clockwise from left, Merrett Fay; Paula Fay; Lauren Venters Knowles ’17, M’20, Assistant Director of the LaGrange College Fund; Allison McKoy Smith ’88; Liz Sill; Mitch Hanson ’83; Kim Lillie ’84; Carl Sill; Martha Pirkle, Director of Alumni & Community Relations; Mike Fay ’84; Rick Smith ’85; and Maria Fay.

2018 Kelsey Seals of St. Petersburg, Florida, is a tour production assistant and production director at Missoula Children's Theatre in Missoula, Montana. She was cast as Lucinda in the company’s production of “Into the Woods.”

2018 Sadie Gibson of Macon earned her law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law and took her oath as an attorney.

2018 Caleb Brown of Brunswick is in his third year as a year-round performer at Dollywood. He was recently honored by the International Association for Amusement Parks and Attractions as best performer worldwide. He released his first solo EP titled "Major,” which features his original songs and is available on all music streaming platforms.

2018 Jacob Krzysiak of Blacksburg, Virginia, is an assistant director at Hillel at Virginia Tech.

2018 Kristen Grover of LaGrange is the assistant manager at Emily McCarthy.

2019 Katelyn Little of Monroe is serving on the board of trustees for Georgia Nursing Foundation, and she continues to serve on the finance committee for the Georgia Nursing Association.

2019 Lauren Sanders of Peachtree City is the head coach for the Lady Chiefs volleyball program at McIntosh High School.

2019 Leigh Anne Hamlin Hoes of Fitzgerald is in her third year as a featured year-round performer at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

2019 Eli Grant of LaGrange has founded Nobis Theatre and is currently creating online theatre events.

Leigh Anne Hamlin ’19 married Joshua Hoes on December 11, 2021.

2019 Kaylee Drake of Carrollton is at Tulane University pursuing an MFA in costume design.

2019 Kelton Hunt of Temple earned his master’s degree in music production at the Berklee College of Music and created a media production company, Abstract Studios. He recently accepted a position with Riverside.FM as short-form content creator

2019 Jack McCormack II of Jacksonville, Florida, is the market development executive at Hurd Construction Management, a BHRS Company.

Amy Norsworthy Pancake ’90 of Johns Creek was invited to the Arnold Classic, a sports festival in Columbus, Ohio. She won first place in her age and weight class. She will now proceed to compete in the national powerlifting competition.

2020s

2020 Madison Elzey of LaGrange has completed her Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Georgia Southern College. She is continuing her studies with an Ed.S. in Elementary Education with autism endorsement while teaching second grade at Ethel W. Kight Elementary School.

2020 Abigail Young of Decatur will begin her second year contract as a year-round performer in the Harry Potter attraction at Universal Beijing, China.

2020 Laine Fletcher of Valdosta is in graduate school at Auburn University pursuing a master’s in speech-language pathology. After graduate school, she plans to specialize in vocal health and performance for singers.

Lindsey Hogan Billings ’15 of Norcross owns a wedding planning and coordination company called The Peach Veil.

2020 Bailey Crawford of Hayesville, North Carolina, is completing her MFA in scenic design at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

2021 Rachel Cartwright of Birmingham, Alabama, is a yearround performer and entertainer at LEGOLAND in Goshen, New York.

2021 Devin Fourqurean of Fayetteville is a member of the intern company at Actor's Express in Atlanta, specializing in technical theatre and scenic painting.

2021 Cole Parker Reihing of St. Marys is a performer and stage manager at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

2021 Savanna Hicks of LaGrange recently appeared at the LaGrange Society of Performing Arts as Shelby in “Steel Magnolias” and Glory in “Almost, Maine.” She was also the choreographer for Spring Concert at LaGrange High School directed by Jalen Smith ’18.

2021 Malcolm Stephen of LaGrange is a member of the touring acting company at The REV Regional Theatre in Auburn, New York.

2021 Kyle Hildebrand of St. Simons Island is attending law school at Georgia State University and enjoying incorporating all that he learned in the Theatre and Non-profit Leadership programs into his rigorous study of law. He continues his work at the Alliance Theatre to stay connected to the Georgia arts community.

2021 Kimberly Arndt M’21 of Albion, Michigan, is the chief advancement officer in the Alumni Engagement and Stewardship Department at Albion College.

2022 Christina Kelley of LaGrange is a CTAE teacher at Troup County High School.

Births

To Norman Harris ’99 and his wife, Alicia, a daughter, Journi, on February 8, 2022

To Christina Cafaro Orizondo ’07 and her husband, Alfredo, a son, Max Everett, on January 31, 2022

To Josh ’11 and Amanda Marie Stukel Stripling ’14, M’15 a daughter, Murphy Kamren, on December 3, 2021

To Tyler ’14 and Courtney Beshel Johnson ’14, a daughter, Brooke Evelyn, on March 3, 2022

To Alan ’16, M’19 and Allison Coates Hunn ’16, M’19 a daughter, Eleanor "Ellie" Grace, on August 20, 2021

To Laura Hayhust Singleton ’16 and her husband, William, a daughter, Lilly, on September 2021

To Ashleigh Newton Neese ’18 and her husband, Tyler, a daughter, Hayzleigh Rae, on November 22, 2021

To Nina Wyman Bradford ’18 and her husband, Jack, a daughter, Isla, on December 1, 2021

To Rebecca Brown Gonzalez ’20 and her husband, Pedro, a daughter, Emmie Lou, on November 19, 2021

To Emmie Marcellini McMillian ’20 and her husband, Hunter, a son, Hardin Lee, on January 10, 2022

To Adrian Brewer ’21 and McKeyan McGinnis, a son, Harrison Rhys, on November 10, 2021

Engagements

Blake Thomas Schuck ’16 to Ashton Pike on September 19, 2021

Emily Hampton ’18 to Ryan Stewart on March 6, 2022

Cory Aycock ’19 to Jess Breeding ’23 on September 25, 2021

Lauren Michelle Sanders ’19 to Evan Gresham on October 2021

Taylor Brooke Thrailkill ’19 to Jonathon Meadors on January 8, 2021

Weddings

Devin Billings ’11, M’13 to Lindsey Hogan ’15 on August 6, 2021

Trevor Lane ’13 to Lindsey Elyse White on November 20, 2021

Sean McNamee ’14, M’17 to Caitlin Rose Doerr ’14 on December 31, 2021

Shelby Renee Holcomb ’16 to Andrew Goins on December 11, 2021

Nathan Hoxsie ’16 to Krista Hammond ’18 on February 26, 2022

Blakeley Ty Edwards ’17 to Breanna Lee Wallace ’17 on December 4, 2021

Carter Reid White ’20 to SaraLinn Olivia White ’22 on January 8, 2022

Haylee Elizabeth Williams ’21 to Tyler Baker on December 4, 2021

Kaylee Marie Bailey ’21 to Daniel Jones Wilson on January 15, 2022

In Memoriam

Ms. Mary Hilda Dailey ’45

Mrs. Frances Jennings McKibben ’47

Mrs. Jane Goolsby Teaver ’48

Mrs. Sarah Frances Brown Sharman ’49

Mrs. Frances Moody Jones ’51

Mrs. Marianne Mitchell Adams ’57

Mrs. Betty Todd Knight ’61

Mrs. Dorothy Miller Shamanski ’62

Ms. Janice Rebecca Smith ’62

Mr. Larry Wayne Conner ’69

Mr. Edwin Gordon Maner ’70

The Reverend Jimmy Eugene Powers Sr. ’71

Mr. David Beall Gordon ’80, M’01

Mr. Richard Paul Jabaley ’84

Mrs. Ann Stinnett Cook ’87

Mrs. Lisa Clark Levens ’88

Ms. Susan Rae Bush ’89

Ms. Jill Natalie Hardegree ’90

Ms. Shelly Collins Coe ’94

Ms. Dorothy Owen McLeod ’95

Mr. Christopher David Yates ’97

Mrs. Amy Hervey Horne ’98

Dr. Steven Earl Edwards, former faculty

Dr. Fay A. Riddle, former faculty

Coach Michael Aaron Freilich, former staff

DR. FAY RIDDLE

Longtime Professor and Chair of Computer Science Dr. Fay Aycock Riddle passed away on Nov. 24, 2021.

She came to the college in 1980 and retired at the end of 2015 after 35 years of service.

“When Fay was passionate about something, you knew it,” said Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs Greg McClanahan. “She was passionate about her family, the Florida Gators and Computer Science. In addition, Fay loved LaGrange College—and she was so proud of her students and what they accomplished.”

Dr. Riddle graduated from Tulane University with a degree in mathematics and went on to receive her master’s degree and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Florida.