Classnotes

WINTER WAKE-UP CALL

Needing some winter inspiration? If you could use a spark to ignite your imagination—and your intellect— during the colder months, consider a 3D Journeys lecture. This year, LC faculty will be sharing from their areas of expertise on topics related to Scotland (details on page 29). It’s the perfect way to kickstart your new year.

MARTHA PIRKLE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

P.S. Registration also is open for the related excursion to Scotland with President Baxter. Email 3DJourneys@lagrange.edu for details.

* This issue’s Classnotes are from information received through October 31, 2024. (Unless otherwise noted, geographic locations refer to Georgia.)

1960s

1966 Elizabeth Reeves Brummett of Hogansville is a retired special education director.

1970s

1974 Dave Wright M'80 and his wife, Jean, of Madison, Virginia, operate a temporary visitor center at Thornton Gap in Shenandoah National Park during leaf season.

1975 Chris Edmonds of Tucker released his first solo album, "Blue Flower Moon," and celebrated with a performance at Pure Life House of Music in LaGrange.

1978 Gail McLachlan Sherman M'80, Ed.S.'12 of LaGrange is the director of religious education at St. Peter's Catholic Church.

1980s

1986 John D. Rasnick of Luthersville was reelected to his fourth term as chief probate court judge of Meriwether County, Georgia.

1988 Jeffrey D. Lofton of Washington, D.C., was awarded Georgia Author of the Year, First Novel, for “Red Clay Suzie.”

Dr. Judy Greer ’57, H’07 and Dr. Sally Curtis Askew ’62, H’06 (seated) visit with Laura Alexander Smith ’06 in her home in Asheville, North Carolina.

1988 Melissa Stanley Ed.S. '13 of LaGrange performed as “Aunt May” in LaGrange College's production of “The Wizard of Oz.”

1990s

1990 Jennifer Beedy Booker of LaGrange is the Assistant Director of the LaGrange College Fund.

1993 Felecia Thornton Moore M'93 of LaGrange is the author of "Time for a Haircut: A Walk Through the Historic Hamilton Road Neighborhood in LaGrange, GA.”

Janet Mabry Gibson Caswell '66, H'17, right, celebrates her 80th birthday with sisters Jody Mabry Harper '81 and Rene Mabry Sims.

1994 Jason Jewett of Atlanta is the Owner of Low-Co Motion, an Atlanta Food truck featuring a semi-seasonal collection of farm-to-table inspired comfort foods.

1994 Shae Sutton of Lexington, South Carolina, is the executive director of The National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS).

1995 Andrea Braswell Garner of Pine Mountain is the nurse manager of maternal infant services at Wellstar Health System.

1996 Rusty Evans of Newnan is a teacher and varsity girls basketball coach at Heard County High School.

1997 Kelly McCurry Morgan of LaGrange is a nurse practitioner at LaGrange Internal Medicine.

1998 Stephanie D. Ireland-Gordy, MD, FACS, of Savannah is board certified in general surgery and surgical critical care with Memorial Health University Physicians.

1998 Brad Morman M'10 of LaGrange is a teacher and head cross country coach at LaGrange High School.

1999 Margaret "Maggie" Williams Bonner of Franklin is an assistant principal at Central Middle School in Carrollton.

1999 Major Alexander Chavez of Belton, Texas, is a test officer with the U.S. Army Operational Test Command.

1999 Christine Cunningham Ed.S.'14 of LaGrange teaches 6th grade math at Long Cane Middle School.

1999 Tracy Eley of LaGrange, co-owner of 2BigFeet, had a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the business’s new location. It is designed to accommodate growth for its new Michael Ellis Footwear brand, which will fit sizes 14 to 25. She has been co-owner of 2BigFeet since 2007 with her husband, Brandon. An Adjunct Professor at LaGrange College, he started 2BigFeet in 2000.

1999 Daphne Mobley Johnston of Montgomery, Alabama, was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of Calhoun County.

Cheryl Hines Ward ’82, Debbie Autry ’84, Mindy Dukes '83, M'89 and Mary Ann Keck, former LC librarian, visited Banks Hall while exploring campus.

Class of 1972 friends, Joyce Denmark Sanderson, Mandy Turner Flowers and Shearon Wiggins Glover gather for a girls’ weekend in Saint Augustine, Florida.

2000s

2000 F.J. Fenn of Fayetteville is the Director of Public Affairs for Stack Infrastructure.

2000 Nikki Watts of LaGrange is the assistant director - vocational instruction & student services at Roosevelt Warm Springs Campus.

2001 Serenity Carpenter Graham of LaGrange was named Callaway High School Teacher of the Year.

2002 Dr. L. Joy Baker of LaGrange has been named a Surgeon of Excellence in both Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery.

The Rev. Dr. David Johnson ’73 of Charleston, South Carolina, was awarded the 2024 ACPE Distinguished Service Award.

2003 The Rev. Deborah Williams Haag of Acworth was ordained in the United Methodist Church.

2003 Valerie Longshore-Sargent of LaGrange has been named Teacher of the Year at Harris County High School.

2003 Terry Perry of LaGrange is the director of convenience services at Jane Foods.

2004 The Rev. Erik Mays of West Point has been given a cross-conference appointment to Gulf Breeze UMC, Alabama-West Florida Conference.

2005 Kanada Moore McGill M’05, Ed.S.’14 of LaGrange was named Hillcrest Elementary Teacher of the Year.

The college’s Alumni Executive Committee gathered on campus in October. They are (seated, from left) Katelyn Little ’19, Nina Wyman Bradford ’18, Riley Hammett ’22, Wesley Dismuke ’17, (standing) William Kiser ’69, Carol Howington Cain ’82, Mary Leslie Hardy ’93, Elizabeth Story ’07, Derek Bowen ’77, M’97, Steve Harris ’88, Josh Fenn ’00, Barbara Barrow Harris ’88, Lori Medlock Anderson ’83, Taryl Woods Anderson ’80, M’81 and Kasey Smith Werle ’09. Not pictured are Joy Baker ’02, Spencer King ’00, Debbie Dorough Mowery ’72, Lindsey Cole Robinson ’09 and Rhett Yates M’99.

Carla Collins '90, John '93 and Diane Hollis Harrell '89 take in the majesty of Denali, Alaska.

2006 Tiffany Powell Graham Ed.S.’16 of LaGrange was named Troup County Comprehensive High School Teacher of the Year.

2007 Amber Johnson Baldridge of LaGrange is Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Registrar at LaGrange College.

2007 Jeremy Dockins of LaGrange is special agent in charge (SAC) of the newly created Georgia Bureau of Investigation West Georgia Gang Task Force in Columbus.

LaGrange Councilwoman Darby Durand Pippin '97, left, and Cheryl Magby '02 of Communities in Schools of Georgia spoke to LaGrange College's Lettie Pate Whitehead scholars about civic engagement.

2008 Sarah Holden Jones of LaGrange was recognized by the LaGrange Daily News in its "20 Under 40" feature. She is an Associate Professor and Chair of Nursing at LaGrange College.

F. Josh Fenn ’00 of Fayetteville, fourth from left, hosted King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands as part of Henry County's local delegation to officially open NewCold's new campus in McDonough.

Diana Celorio Goldwire ’01, M’03 of Anderson, South Carolina, is the assistant executive director for employment service for the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.

2008 The Rev. Ryan Snider of Atlanta attended seminary at Duke and received his D.Min. from Candler School of Theology. An ordained elder in the UMC, he works with a young adult initiative at Candler. His first book, “Ancient Extravagance,” is being published by Abilene Christian University Press/Leafwood. It is about Christian formation and how the practices of Christian worship form us to be more human.

2008 Jodi Karpik Vaughn of LaGrange was named Long Cane Middle School Teacher of the Year.

2009 Kendra East Crowder of LaGrange is a Realtor and owner of Southern Classic Realtors & Crowders Transportation Inc.

2009 Kacey Smith Werle of LaGrange is the digital vendor manager for Aflac.

2010s

2010 Kimberly Beaver Schragel of Hoover, Alabama, is vice president, director of learning at CRC Group in Birmingham, Alabama.

2010 Laura Veatch of Athens is a conflict analyst with Troutman Pepper.

2011 Rebekah Hair-Stewart of Albany

is assistant director of student and alumni engagement for Florida State University College of Music.

2011 Jessica Reed Mobley of LaGrange was named Gardner Newman Middle School Teacher of the Year.

2011 William Nelson of West Point is the director of security for Wellstar Health System.

2011 Stephen Spivey, Jr. of LaGrange was given the Valor Award by the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce for his work in law enforcement.

2012 Trae Long of LaGrange was honored by the American Institute of

CPAs as a member of the Leadership Academy’s 16th graduating class. He was one of 30 CPAs across the U.S. selected for the program.

2013 Drew Williamson of Smyrna is a graduate of Mississippi College of Law and a labor and employment attorney for Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP.

2014 Alyese Wilkerson Cross of LaGrange was named Teacher of the Year for Hollis Hand Elementary School.

2014 Dr. Kent Gibson of Macon has joined Albany Internal Medicine.

Alonzo Harris ’04 of New York accompanied Grammy-winning Filipina American singer H.E.R. as she sang the U.S. national anthem during the 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony, signaling the official baton pass to the 2028 Los Angeles games.

2014 Jessica Mayfield Ed.S.’14 of LaGrange has been named assistant principal and CTAE supervisor at LaGrange High School.

2015 Marius Truitt M'15, Ed.S.’17 of LaGrange was recognized by the LaGrange Daily News in its "20 Under 40" feature. He has been named the new principal of Clearview Elementary School.

2016 Larry Murdock of LaGrange was named Ethel Kight Elementary Teacher of the Year.

2016 Hollie Rosenthal Palmer of LaGrange was named Hogansville Elementary Teacher of the Year.

2017 Savannah Bracewell of Sharpsburg participated in the Tokyo International Vocal Arts Academy 2024.

2017 Levi Evans of LaGrange is an account executive at Eagle 102.3 WELR-FM.

2017 De'sa Fuller M'17, Ed.S.'19 of LaGrange has accepted the position of Assistant Principal at Gardner Newman Middle School.

2017 Katelyn Altemari Hutto of West Point is an intensive care unit nurse at Travel Nurse Across America.

2017 Meghan Lacey of Saint Johns, Florida, is a painter and teacher of fine arts.

2017 Blair Lampkin of Stockbridge is a teacher and coach at Joseph Wheeler High School.

2017 Jeremy Maddow of LaGrange is working on his graduate degree in

economics and is a systems support technician at Callaway Gardens.

2017 Stephen P. Wagner of Cape Coral, Florida, is an associate of John R. Wood Properties/Christie's International.

2017 Kendal Wallace of LaGrange made his theater debut as "Professor Marvel" and "The Great and Powerful Wizard" in LaGrange College's production of “The Wizard of Oz.”

2018 Ashlan Bloodworth Lawver of Rosharon, Texas, is a surgical first assist at Advanced Surgical Assistants.

2018 Grant Perry of Byron works in sales for his family-owned and-operated business All In Promotional.

2019 Ellie Boykin of Mobile, Alabama, is Visiting Lecturer of Theatre at LaGrange College.

2019 Brandon Collins of Hampton is a Certified Professional Air Traffic Controller for the FAA.

2019 Joseph D'Amato M'19 of Johnson City, Tennessee, is an applied sports science coordinator for the Chicago White Sox.

2019 Melissa Rowland Hall of LaGrange is an operating room registered nurse at Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center.

Dr. Nigel Walker '04, M'06, Ed.S.'11 of LaGrange was named principal of Ethel Kight Elementary School.